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Here's What's New 
Every week in 2013, I'll be sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you'll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you're already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
Week 30: Shop With Cash
I know all of you "But-I'm-So-Responsible-With-My-Credit-Card" people probably aren't going to be happy with me for saying this, but I really believe it… You will very likely see significant savings if you shop with cash. You see, when you shop with a credit card (or even a debit card, for that matter!) you can have your budget in your head and you can do the best to stick with it when you check out, but it's so much easier to go just a little bit over here and there when you're swiping. You can justify that $2 you went over your budget to buy something that was a "great deal" when paying with your card. $2 might not seem like much, but if you spend $2 to $3 more every week, that adds up to around $130 in extra spending over a year's time! Paying with cash forces you to stick to your budget. When I know that all I have to use at checkout is the cash in my cash envelope, you better believe I carefully evaluate every impulse purchase or great deal I come across: "Do I really need this?" "Is this in the budget?" Sometimes, it truly is a great deal and I have the money in my cash envelope to pay for it so it goes in the cart. Other times, I decide it's a good enough deal that I skip buying something else on my list that we can do without in order to afford it. Or, many times, I put it back on the shelf. Need more convincing? I highly recommend that you read these articles: 4 Reasons I Use Cash Instead of Credit, 6 Reasons People Argue Against Cash Envelopes — And Why I Don’t Buy Them, and 5 Ways a Cash Budgeting System Will Change Your Life.
The Cash-Only Challenge Maybe you're one of those extremely responsible–and very rare!–people who can stick to your budget while swiping a card. If you are, kuddos to you! However, if you find yourself struggling financially and wishing you could figure out why your grocery budget is so high, can I challenge you to take a Cash-Only Challenge for 3 months and see if it impacts your spending over the course of a three-month period? Here's how the Cash-Only Challenge works: 1) Commit to only spend what is in your cash envelopes when you shop for the next 3 months. 2) Go to the bank and withdraw cash in the amount of your pre-determined Cash Budget. For more on cash-only shopping, read The Envelope System Experiment. 3) Leave your credit/debit cards/checkbook at home and only bring your cash envelope and a calculator with you to the store. 4) Calculate your purchases on the calculator as you add them to your cart. This will motivate you to carefully evaluate all purchases, will make you aware of how much items actually cost, encourage you to look for the best deal, and force you to get creative if your list is longer than you have room for in the budget. 5) Pay with cash when you checkout and see significant grocery savings–hopefully! 6) Decide you'll never go back to paying with your credit/debit card. Well, okay so you might not get quite that drastic, but I can almost guarantee you that going cash-only for a short-time will have taught you something worthwhile!
By the way, if you want to stick with a budget, but you tried the cash system and it didn’t work for you, I’d heartily recommend checking out Mint.com then. It’s a great way to stick with a budget, while not having to mess with cash envelopes. Have you tried a cash-only system? If so, what benefits have you found from doing so? Tell us your thoughts in the comments. For the first time ever, you can watch the Dave Ramsey Show whenever you want, for free! Check out the new video channel, and learn how to start your debt-free journey with daily advice from Dave.    Related Stories For the first time ever, you can watch the Dave Ramsey Show whenever you want, for free! Check out the new video channel, and learn how to start your debt-free journey with daily advice from Dave. 
Tanga is selling a dozen assorted Girls’ Flower Clips and Hair Accessories for $12.99 today with free shipping. About this deal: You will receive a dozen randomly assorted Gimme Clips valued at $3.99 to $4.99 each with your order. We will make sure that there are no duplicates in a given dozen. If you order multiple dozens, we will do our best to make sure that there are very few, if any, multiples in your order. Rest assured that with so many adorable styles, we are sure to select an assortment for you that delights the recipient. (Note: The links in this post are my referral links. Read my disclosure policy here.) For the first time ever, you can watch the Dave Ramsey Show whenever you want, for free! Check out the new video channel, and learn how to start your debt-free journey with daily advice from Dave.  Related Stories 
Here are the best gluten-free coupons and deals, thanks to Janelle from Gluten Freely Frugal: Gluten-Free Coupons: Several Lloyd’s BBQ and Hormel Meat coupons, $1/1 Plum Organics Kids product, $1/1 Sunbutter product, Save 35¢ on any Flav-R-Pac/ Westpac product, $1/2 Blue Diamond Almond Breeze, $2/1 Rice Select product, $3.00 off JENNIE-O OVEN READY™ Turkey Breast, and $1/1 and $0.75/1 Pillsbury Gluten-Free Dough product coupons. Save 35% on Premium Seeds from EatSeed: Gluten-Free Saver is offering a new deal this week, $20 for a 2 Pack of Gluten-Free Seeds (Spicy Pumpkin and Six Seed Blend) by EatSeed. You receive two 16-ounce bags of seeds for just $20 (regularly $30.80). This deal includes 1 bag of Six Seed Super Blend: the perfect mix of pumpkin, sunflower, flax, chia, sesame and hemp seeds; and 1 bag of Organic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: the combination of cayenne, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes gives this seed heat, spice, and kick. Shipping is included in the value of this deal! 
Schar Crackers $2.30 Each Shipped: Amazon Warehouse currently has the Schar Table Crackers Gluten Free, 7.4-Ounce (Pack of 3) priced at $6.90 and eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping! That equals out to approximately $2.30 each shipped! Vitacost $10 Off $30 Coupon for New Customers: Vitacost is a great source for gluten-free grocery items. They have an ongoing promotion: When you refer a friend, you get a $10 credit, and your friend gets a unique coupon code for $10 off any $30 purchase! That's a 33% savings, on top of Vitacost's already reduced prices, typically 15-75% off retail prices, depending on the product. Vitacost sells products by Kinnikinnick, Glutino, Bob's Red Mill, KIND, Ener-G, Enjoy Life, and lots, lots more! 
Two Free Boxes from Taste Guru (Just Pay Shipping): Here's a sweet deal you won't want to miss out on! Taste Guru is currently offering 2 FREE boxes for new customers (a $74 value)! You just pay $24 for shipping ($12 for each month's box)! TasteGuru is a gluten-free subscription service. Each month, they put together a box of fabulous gluten-free goodies and ship them right to your door! Just use coupon code 2FREE at checkout! Your price will drop to just $24 for shipping! Free Kindle Books: There are several Kindle books available for free from Amazon today, including Easy Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Recipes, Easy Coconut Flour Recipes, Easy Gluten-Free Bread Recipes, Paleo Slow Cooker Soups and Stews, and more! Remember, you do not need to own a Kindle to download, store, and read these free books! Janelle is wife to Brad, who is celiac, and mom to 2 sweet girls, one of whom is celiac, and the other showing signs of gluten intolerance. She blogs about the gluten free life on a budget, including coupons, deals, recipes, and other money-saving tips at Gluten Freely Frugal.
For the first time ever, you can watch the Dave Ramsey Show whenever you want, for free! Check out the new video channel, and learn how to start your debt-free journey with daily advice from Dave.  Related Stories 
Order a one-year subscription to Urban Farm Magazine for only $8.99 when you use coupon code MONEYSAVING at checkout. About Urban Farm Magazine: A guide for those in cities or suburbs looking to become more self-sufficient by growing some of their own food and treadig lightly on the environment in the space they have. Articles include how-to projects, gardening basics, composting, beekeeping, roof-top gardening, preserving and freezing, and time and money-saving ideas. This offer expires tonight 09/24/13 11:59 PM EST. Are you looking for other magazine titles? You can use coupon code MONEYSAVING to save 20% off of most titles at DiscountMags! (Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.) For the first time ever, you can watch the Dave Ramsey Show whenever you want, for free! Check out the new video channel, and learn how to start your debt-free journey with daily advice from Dave.  Related Stories Last week, my husband and I were blessed to be surrounded by some incredibly talented thinkers and doers at the Launch Conference. Truly, my mind felt like it was about ready to blow up most of the conference. There was so much collective wisdom to capture. So much combined experience to soak up. And so many amazing people to converse with. But you know one of the things that stuck out to me most about the entire conference? It wasn’t the wisdom, or experience, or knowledge… it was that many of these amazingly talented people struggle with fear and insecurity. In fact, two of the people I would consider to be some of the most accomplished individuals at the conference both confided in me that they felt so out of place. And I totally got it, because I felt the exact same way. At each meal or round table discussion, we’d meet someone else who had done so much with their lives — and I’d want to sink smaller and smaller into my chair. At one point in the Q&A discussion, I’m not sure what possessed me, but I raised my hand to share something. As soon as they gave me the microphone, I literally froze up with fear. In that split second, terror registered in my brain: Who was I to think I should have anything worthwhile to add to the discussion? Why on earth did I raise my hand? Could the floor please open up underneath me and swallow me up? I somehow managed to say something semi-coherent, handed back the mic, sat down, and felt like a colossal failure. More thoughts flooded through my head: Why am I at a conference on launching a speaking business? I can’t even stand up and say four sentences without failing. Why am I saying “yes” to these speaking opportunities? There are millions of people out there who could do a thousand times better of a job than me. In that moment, I realized I had a choice: I could sit and sulk over my inadequacies and shortcomings. Or I could choose to focus on the truth. The Truth: I Am Enough I am a child of God. He loves me. I don’t have to do anything to earn His love. I am complete in Him. The Truth: I Have a Story My story is different than every single other person on the planet. This gives me unique perspective and insight that can bless and impact others in a way that someone else with a different story might not be able to. The Truth: I Have a Purpose I might not ever be as amazing of a speaker as some of the people I’ve met are, but that doesn’t mean I should stop talking about the things I’m passionate about. I want to improve. I want to challenge myself to grow. But I don’t have to wait until I’m polished and perfect to start sharing the message God has put on my heart — otherwise, I’ll be waiting forever!  These three truths pulled me out of a pit of insecurity and gave me confidence to keep going. And I share them with you in hopes they might encourage you, too. You are enough. You have a story. You have a purpose. Camp on those truths and it will change your life! For the first time ever, you can watch the Dave Ramsey Show whenever you want, for free! Check out the new video channel, and learn how to start your debt-free journey with daily advice from Dave.  Related Stories 
If you’re a Shop Your Way Rewards member, you can stop by any Sears Outlet tomorrow to get a free Kid’s Clothing item. Here’s what they posted on their Facebook Page: Make sure you don't miss this event!! TOMORROW come in to your local Sears Outlet store and get a Free** piece of kids clothing–No purchase required! Apparel available in selected stores only. For store that carry apparel please visit: http://shout.lt/lPP9 Limit 1 piece per customer. Applies to kid’s clothing only. Excludes outerwear. No purchase necessary. Valid at Sears Outlet and Sears Apparel Warehouse only. Valid 9/24/13 only.
Thanks, Thriving on Thrifty! For the first time ever, you can watch the Dave Ramsey Show whenever you want, for free! Check out the new video channel, and learn how to start your debt-free journey with daily advice from Dave.  Related Stories | | |
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