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Guest Post

Guest Post: 10 Tips for Saving $$$ on Food

by agirlandhermutt on December 21, 2011

Hi folks! Today brings you a guest post from one of my very favorite bloggers, Tiffany from Snack Snark Bark. She and her cute pup, Lincoln, are not only fun to read about, but she is also the queen of finding a great deal. She actually knows how to use a Groupon rather than let it sit in her email till it expires! I love her Frugal Friday series and hopefully you will enjoy her tips on how to save a little bit of money!

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Hey A Girl and Her Mutt readers! Tiffany here from Snack Snark Bark. I blog about my daily random life, food, snark (if the blog title didn’t give it away), my dog Lincoln and one thing I am very passionate about-saving money. I haven’t always been a frugalista but after college living on my own kind of forced to become one. I am always looking for a deal or a freebie out there and get a thrill out of saving money, you can find a bunch of my finds and money saving tips in my Frugal Friday series. While I am a bit envious that Erin is on vacation (somewhere warm I hope), I’m happy to share some money saving tips for you all! Here are 10 tips for saving money while eating out and shopping for food.

1) Go out for lunch instead of dinner. I do this a lot because restaurants tend to offer better deals on lunches than dinner. My preferred cuisine is any kind of Asian restaurant since you can get an entrée and soup or salad usually for under $9 That’s what I’m talking about!

2) Sign up for your favorite restaurants email notifications. Most chain restaurants have an email list where you can sign up for special offers and coupons like free appetizers or BOGO meals. The only downside to this is they tend to be national chain restaurants (I’m a bit of a restaurant snob in that regards and prefer locally owned places)

3) Piggybacking off of that, some restaurants give you free food just for being born!

At Benihana, join The Chef’s Table and they’ll send you a complimentary $30 voucher to use during your birthday month!
Sign up for Applebee’s Email List and get a free treat on your birthday along with other specials offered to you throughout the year!
Cold Stone Creamery hooks you up with a BOGO creation on your birthday!
Like Starbucks? Buy a gift card, then sign up for their My Rewards program and get a free drink on your birthday
Or if you prefer Caribou Coffee, sign up for a free account and they will send you a coupon for a free drink on your birthday!
I miss Famous Dave’s, we had one in Arizona but none in North Carolina, sadness. Join their PIG (Pretty Important Guest) Club and get a oinkin’ free meal on your birthday.
Get a free blizzard on your birthday at Dairy Queen!
Panera Bread has their My Panera program which allows you to swipe your rewards card with each purchase plus they give you an initial free coffee or tea drink plus a sweet or pastry item for your birthday (like Cold Stone, you don’t have to use it on your birthday and it’s valid for two months after).
Be a Hardrocker with Hard Rock Cafe and get a free dessert on your birthday!
Get a flavor south of the border! Sign up for Qdoba’s email list and get a free burrito on your birthday.
Not a restaurant deal but while I’m on the free stuff for your birthday kick, sign up with Sephora and get a free gift on your birthday! Last year I got a Sephora lip gloss set and this year an eye makeup set with liner and mascara, you can’t beat a deal like that! Plus you can pick it up in the store or when you order online (when you order online, you also get three free samples)

4) Join deal websites to get special offers on food and restaurants. Some of my favorites are:

Groupon
Living Social
Half Off Depot
SaveMore
Juice in The City (I think the site sounds like a smoothie place but it’s actual a deals site!)
Deals Go Round (where you can buy past deals that you may have missed and sell ones you won’t be using)

5) Check out wholesale savings clubs! I used to live alone and am without husband or children so it was never a good deal for me to join one. I have some friends who belong to Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, etc. and will tag along with them when they go. I like to stock on non perishable items and especially like buying chicken and steak there since you can buy in bulk and freeze for later use. Sometimes there is just too much stuff so I have no shame in asking friends if they want to halfsies on some items. I was at Costco the other day with a friend and we both tried the butternut squash ravioli. It was the last package there at $8.99. She was on the fence about buying it until I told her I would split it with her so we each got a package of new ravioli to try for $4.50! I can probably make three meals out of this package by pairing it up with some veggies or a bigger side item so it’s a steal of a deal.

One thing that I won’t split? 108 oz of jalapenos

I can’t wait to get my $5.19 out of it!

6) Coupons aren’t for old ladies! Check out your local newspaper on Wednesdays and Sundays for coupons. Once you’ve clipped some, look through your coupons and compare to what’s on sale that week to get the lowest price possible! When I used to live in Charlotte, most of the supermarkets doubled coupons (and sometimes tripled!) so I saved tons of money that way.

7) If you have a coupon and after the coupon price, it’s still more expensive, buy the generic brand . Some times coupons aren’t the best value just for a name brand.

Like an item but never see coupons for it? Go online! I will google it to see if a specific product has any coupons out there or write the company telling them how much I love their stuff. Companies tend to get a lot of negative feedback about their products so they appreciate positive feedback.

9) Keep your coupons organized. I have my coupons organized in alphabetic order and when I research to see what I need, I put in order by section of the grocery store.

10) If your stores offers them, I definitely suggest checking out the bulk bins, they are crazy cheap and offer many varieties of beans, flours, oat, trail mix, coffee, nuts, candy and more! I like to get items I’ve never tried because I can control the portion size so even if I try it and don’t dig it, at least I can say I didn’t spend too much it.

What are your tips for saving money while dining out and shopping for food?

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Guest Post: Festive Holiday Outfit Ideas

by agirlandhermutt on December 20, 2011

Good morning friends! Today my buddy Krista from Can’t Survive on Yarn Alone is joining us to give some great ideas on how to create a festive holiday outfit in a few simple ways. Krista and I have been bloggies since almost the beginning of AGAHM and we got to meet in person at the HLS 2010. We connect on many levels including our love for knitting, sparkly flats, big rings, and our love for our nutty pets. Enjoy!

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Hi! I’m Krista from Can’t Survive on Yarn Alone where I blog about living a balanced and crafty life and sharing it all with Darth Husband and our two rescue cats and two rescue dogs.

I have been guilty more than once of that panic mode of “WHAT should I WEAR?!?!?!” during holiday season. What I thought would be amazing suddenly is less than stellar. My poor husband has to deal with my shrieking and I think one of the cats have gotten buried under previously airborne clothes before as well. An easy shopping trip to just pick up something that will work leads to maxing out fitting room limits numerous times. Basically it is a lot of added stress. I had ONE rare occasion when I actually found something the DAY OF a Christmas party. (I honestly think it was the universe telling me that my hope to wear a red non-poofy bridesmaids dress at least one time other than a friend’s wedding was NOT a good idea.)

While light-up antlers and wacky bell jewelry might work at one celebration, I don’t want to be the only one blinking and jingling at another. However, if you love rocking your sequined snowman sweater, Santa hat, and ornament jewelry more power to ya!

I am a fan of taking one element and kicking up the sparkle, size or hue. Then I can feel festive in my attire while keeping a more realistic approach.

party flats by yarnalone featuring silver ballet flats

I am not a fan of heels if I am playing hostess or having to walk long distances but that doesn’t mean I want boring shoes. This works really well if it is a more serious setting too. My simple black dress is a little less simple with bejeweled or metallic shoes.

Untitled #12 by yarnalone featuring kate spade jewelry

One of my default clothing purchases every season is a plain front single color top. By adding a necklace – chunky, sparkly, layered etc, I have a festive top without needing sequins or seed beads. This also saves me time later not having to hand wash or pick aforementioned bits from my washing machine.

ringed by yarnalone featuring a pave ring

If not opting for over-sized neck based bling, the holidays give me an excuse for a fun cocktail ring. While I usually do wear rings daily, none of them are the size of half of a walnut or extremely 3D.

holiday hair by yarnalone featuring flower hair accessories

I normally don’t wear feathers in my hair (or in my cap… as I now start humming Yankee Doodle) so I consider doing so more fancy, especially if there is a marabou element to it. I’m just not talking going all out Big Bird style! I’ve been adding some sort of rhinestone hair clip, band, etc in my hair since high school homecomings. I have teeny tiny almost bobby pin styles as well as larger clips.

Overall I try to take one step outside my norm. Sometimes it might be two steps but the key is not to be afraid and have fun with
it!

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Guest Post: 5 Healthy Balance Tips

by agirlandhermutt on December 19, 2011

Good morning friends! While I am out and about on a much needed break a few of my blog friends have kindly agreed to take over AGAHM for a few days. First up, Mindy from just a one girl revolution! I find her story of losing weight, gaining some back after entering the real world and starting the journey over again to be something I can really relate to. Enjoy Mindy’s tips for meeting healthy living goals while living in the real world! They are especially helpful during this super stressful (but lovely!) time of year.

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Hey everyone! I’m Mindy and I blog over at just a one girl revolution. – thanks to the lovely Erin for the chance to chat a bit here on A Girl and Her Mutt! Erin and I met at the 2010 Healthy Living Summit and I think she’s just wonderful!

A little about me: I was born on Septem…ha, just kidding. I’ve been a vegetarian for almost two years, and love a good glass of wine or beer. I fancy myself a runner and I love yoga. I am currently maintaining a 70-pound weight loss and have about 30 pounds I’d like to lose on top of that. I will be the first to admit that weight loss (and maintenance!) is hard work! Add in the stress of school and/or a job and it can get even harder! At one point in my journey, I was doing grad school full time and working a 40 hour a week job. My first piece of advice? Don’t do that if you can help it!

Seriously though, I’d love to share just a few things that have worked for me while trying to balance my weight loss goals with the realities of life.

No free food. This is an “action mantra” I learned at the Healthy Living Summit which is so simple! When I was a student and still now in my office, there is a steady stream of free food! Be it pizza at a campus event or a thoughtful co-worker sharing the cookies she made, it’s there all. the. time. If you want something that’s lying around, go buy it. By spending your own money, it forces you to think about if you really want it or if you’re eating it just because it’s there.

Plan, plan, and plan some more. At the start of your week, figure out your fitness plans for the week and then put them on your calendar. For me, if it’s scheduled in, it’s easier to actually go do it. If you can meal plan for the week, even better! This is something I’ve yet to master, but I love the idea behind it!

Give yourself a break when you really need it. Sometimes, despite having a workout on the calendar, I really just need a night on the couch, with a class of wine, watching a chick flick. That’s completely okay! Just don’t let a day or two off turn into a month or two off. Take your time to relax when you just can’t fathom getting your sweat on, but get right back into your routine.

Short term goals. When I started my weight loss journey, 100 pounds felt so daunting; even now, 30 pounds seems huge! Rather than focusing on the whole number, I break it into smaller, more manageable goals. 5 pounds is what really works for me. This is even true beyond weight loss goals. In 2012, I want to run a marathon, but I couldn’t run 26.2 miles tomorrow! Right now, I focus on running 3 miles as well as I can; by March, it’ll be closer towards 13 or 14 miles, just by taking it one mile at a time.

It’s okay to indulge. Just not too much. Sometimes, I just want pizza for dinner and that’s completely okay! The key is to just not have pizza for dinner every night (or not eat the whole thing in one sitting!). I love to get a pizza, eat a couple slices, then freeze the rest. Allow yourself to give into your cravings every so often, but don’t go crazy with it!

There you have it. I wish it were all truly as easy as five little suggestions! Yet, much like life in general, weight loss (or maintenance!) can be a rough road. Truly the best piece of advice I could give you is don’t give up! You’ll get through the plateaus, you’ll ge through the hard times…and it makes the good times that much sweeter.

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts for a bit! I’d love to see you stop by just a one girl revolution. sometime!

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One more note from Erin…check out my guest post about My Perfect Winter 6 Pack of Beer today over on Can’t Survive on Yarn Alone!