Frugal GAB

Saving money on groceries is probably my most frugal success story.  I started out with a goal to reduce my spending of anywhere from $120-$150 a week on groceries (plus many trips to Target etc. for other household necessities) down to a more reasonable level. Now I rarely spend more than $60-70 week for all our groceries, toiletries and household cleaning and paper products.

First stop was The Grocery Game. Oh  am I ever glad I found that site. They make up lists for your favorite grocery stores and drugstores  (for me that’s Shaw’s,  CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid).  Then they match current coupons to the deals and let you know which items are FREE, a “rock-bottom deal” good for stocking up, or a good enough deal to buy if you happen to “need” the item asap.   There is a small fee for each list, but your savings of time and money are well worth it.

Another site I will frequest is Coupon Mom. There are also lists there, although a little less comprehensive for my taste, and there is a great coupon database so you can see what is available in your area. A great site if you are looking for a FREE option.

Also there are sites like A Full Cup and Slick Deals which I follow the forums for my local stores. This is  a great resource to get real feedback from other shoppers on what deals are working, what is included in a sale, more coupon match-ups and secret or clearance deals that have been found.

Then there are the store specific sites like I heart CVS or I heart Rite Aid.  They post advance copies of fliers so you can plan ahead.

Next are a few blogs I follow to check out deals, recently posted internet coupons, rebate offers, free samples and more. If you are looking for a place to see all the up to the minute info on just about every deal out there try reading Common Sense with Money or For the Mommas. These ladies focus on relaying all the info and links that one might get by subscribing to multiple newsletters or perusing the web.

Also check around for bloggers in your local area who may be posting about sales and deals at your local stores. I have a few places I go to see if they have any scoop on my local stores.

Last but not least is finding ways to stock up on coupons for your shopping. My favorite coupon clipper is Coupons by DeDe, but many people rely on The Coupon Clippers or The Coupon Master for their needs.  Do not forget eBay is also a great resource to find coupons already clipped for you!

Do you have any other sites you frequent to find deals?

What about blogs focused on presenting deals?

Any good coupon clipping sites I missed?

In my quest to replace the soon to be obsolete Microsoft Money software I have been researching the various financial software programs available.  Because I am used to a desktop software like Money, I instinctively looked for another program to buy and download to my PC.  Well you know what, the choices are rather limited! Quicken anyone?

More and more web-based applications are being developed, and all have their individual strengths and weaknesses.  I found a great list of options in an article titled Good-Bye, Microsoft Money… over on Get Rich Slowly. Thanks to a lot of input form readers I was able to get a little more insight into each one.

My dilemma in making a choice (and if you know me I really weigh my options heavily before deciding anything) is how to incorporate tracking personal finances and business finances.  It seemed to me that no one program is going to do it all in the way I would like.

Here are functions that would be great to have:

–ability to connect with banking, credit card, and investment sites to download my transactions

–ability to also manually enter or edit transactions

–integration with my banks bill pay features

–budgeting and  tracking progress

–the ability to split a transaction into more than one category

I am sure there are more little things, but these are the big ones.

As with anything, making a change often does not come easily.

Since I began searching for something new I have tried the following web-based programs: Mint, Thrive, QuickenOnline, and YodleeMoney Center. Then I also downloaded trial versions of two desktop applications: MoneyDance and You Need a Budget (YNAB).

After playing around with each of them for a while I found each one had their quirks that were deal-breakers for me. The two big ones are not being able to manually enter transactions or to split a transaction into more than one category. So I discontinued most of the online services.  I got in on a beta testing group from Quicken, so I will keep playing with that in order to give them accurate feedback and suggestions for improvement.

I have to say I really liked YNAB the best and will continue using it. Their budgeting feature has enabled me to stop running both my excel spreadsheets and my financial software, often doubling my work. This will surely streamline things for me.  If you are wanting to get a handle on your finances, being able to plan where your money is going to go, then YNAB is a great tool. They have a 7 day free trial, so check it out. In addition their site has tutorials on their budgeting philosophy and tips on how to best utilize the program, along with a great user forum.  Soon they are releasing YNAB 3 which will be Mac compatible.

I hope you take a few minutes to look at the various sites I listed and see if one will work for you. Most of them have the ability to download information from your bank, track credit cards and investments and setup bill pay reminders and some budgeting and savings goals.  As each of us has different requirements, what program works for one may not work for the next person.   If you have experience with any of the above, please post your likes or dislikes in the comments.

Also…for small business owners, WAHM, eBay sellers and the like, check out this great site for tracking business income and expenses Outright (now eBay compatible!)