Its hard to not be drawn to shows like “Extreme Couponing” and watch people save big on everyday groceries. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to cut your grocery bill in half?! Everyone knows groceries are expensive, costing the average household about $6,000 a year,  that’s about 10% of the averages families income. But how does one learn how to coupon and save money like that? There are many different guides to help you get started but one I came across really peaked my interest. Her name is Ruth and she is an ordinary mother who has a simple yet effective way to save money through not only coupons and other easy to follow ways. She has a website called “Living Well Spending Less” that touches base on not only couponing, but also organization and household tips. (Clicking on the picture below will forward you to her website) Here are the tips from her article about “5 Tips Everyone Should Know” to save money on groceries.

1. It’s not about the coupons: ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS buy food when it is on sale. The bulk of your savings will come from in store sales, not from coupons. The bigger the promotion, the bigger the savings, so the first step in saving money on your grocery bill is to SHOP THE SALES
2. Stockpile, Stockpile, Stockpile: In order to make sure you are always buying an item at its lowest price make sure you buy enough of that item to last you to the next sale, about 6-8 weeks. Things like pasta and cereal have a long shelf life, so these are the types of items to stock up on while they are on sale. Stockpiling will stop you from shopping more frequently thus saving you money long term.
3. Eat Less Meat: Cutting back on meat a few times a month can cut a bill as much as $1,000 a year. When buying meat, remember to only buy what is on sale, and stock up if it is a great sale!
4. Change the way you Meal Plan: Instead of planning last minute dinners and having to run out to the store to grab food, plan your meals ahead of time and use things you’ve stockpiled!  If meat is one of the items in your meal plan, but is not on sale, save money by limiting yourself to only one or two days cooking with meat. Look at your grocery stores weekly ad’s for sales to better plan for that weeks meals. Once you start making meal plans, it will better prepare you for what you need to buy on your next grocery trip.
5. Learn to Match Coupons to Store Sales: Coupons normally come out before the weekend, so when you are planning your next big stop to the grocery store, make sure to look at not only the coupons but also the in-store sales. Learning how to stockpile with coupons only every 6-8 weeks could save you up to $75 a week. Coupons don’t normally expire for a few months, so gather up a small amount before you venture to the grocery store. Items that have long shelve lives like toothpaste, pasta, toilet paper, paper towels etc, you can normally get at a extremely low cost if you plan accordingly. Stores will normally offer a “Buy one, Get one” sale and by combining that sale with a coupon, you can get more for close to nothing. If you look at Ruth’s website, she has a “Beginner’s Guide to Cutting Coupons” with easy to follow instructions on how to get started!

Saving money is easy and anybody can learn how. Starting with just these few steps you will see your bill start to decrease and you will be more organized when it comes to grocery shopping.  To learn about more ways to help save money, check out Ruth’s website! www.livingwellspendingless.com

Are you looking for different ways to design your nails without spending money going to a nail salon? Well Pinterest has a whole section on nail designs with step by step instructions! Here are a few that anyone can do and still look like you got them done professionally! Check out our Pinterest page for more nail designs!

Thin Stripped Nail: Nail polish (2 colors), thin ribbon and scissors.

1. Paint your nails whatever color you want the stripe to be (if you only want one nail stripped, paint just that nail the color you want the stripe to be)
2. Cut small pieces of thin ribbon and lay across your nail in either a horizontal or vertical pattern
3. You can use a coat of clean nail polish to help keep the ribbon in place
4. Paint the color you want the nail to be over the ribbon
5. Wait about a minute for the polish to dry before lifting the ribbon off the nail (add clear coat after to give a shiny overcoat)

Ombre Stripped Nail: Nail Polish (3 colors), clear tape

1. If you are going to make your nails ombre (light from dark) paint your nails with the lightest color first.
2. Once dry, place a piece of tape at a slant over the nail (showing however much of the light nail color you want underneath the tape)
3. Paint the remainder of the nail the second nail color (darker than the first polish, but not as dark at the third)
4. Repeat step 2
5. Paint the remainder of the nail the final color (the darkest of the three)
6. Add a clear coat over entire nail once polish is dry

Ombre Nail with Makeup Sponge: Nail polish (3 colors), make up sponge (one used with foundation)

1. Paint all nails with a white/nude base coat polish
2. Take nail polish and paint onto make up sponge (look at picture if you are confused)
3. Take sponge and place over nail and hold for 10-20 seconds (you may have to do a few times to get enough polish onto nail)
4. Once polish is dry, go over with clear coat to make polish shiny
5. Use a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover to go around edge of nails to get polish off your finger
6. Have one finger be painted in sparkles to make the ombre pop!

 Nail Polish Remover Jar: jar, 2 sponges soaked in nail polish remover

And if you want an easy way to remove nail polish without wasting tissues or cotton balls, create a nail polish remover jar! All you need to do is place two sponges inside a jar (after they have been soaked in nail polish remover) leaving a hole in the middle of the jar. Rub your nail back and forth along the sponges and the polish will come off!! It is easy to store, doesn’t make a mess, and so simple to make. No more worrying about spilling remover and runing your counters or wood tables!!

Have you ever felt like being crafty but don’t have a creative bone in your body? Or maybe you’re really into fashion and love keeping up to date with all the latest fashions. Well Pinterest is an amazing website where you get to search a ton of categories and you can “pin” them onto your own board with your own certain sections for different pins. You can go back and look at all the things you have pinned from days or months ago so easily, you won’t be spending hours looking for the one recipe! Here are just some of the many categories Pinterest offers.

For example, if you were planning a wedding you could go to the wedding category and look at all of the different wedding ideas other people have pinned. There will be everything from flower arrangements, to fun bridal party pictures that you can pin onto your own board and come back to later for ideas! (By clicking on any of the pictures in this blog it will forward you to that pin from Pinterest, try it out!)

This site has everything! My favorite section (aside from woman’s fashions) is the Do It Yourself category. You can scan through all the different craft ideas or search ones specifically. For example, you can can get instructions on how to create words on a black mat with bronze push pins…

….or how to make beautiful picture frames as a gift!! If you want to give someone something homemade as a house warming gift or even a birthday present, search through the DIY section and you will find so many amazing activities to not only help you save money but they are fun! It always feels nice to give someone a handmade gift that you know they can cherish for years.

Maybe you love to cook and you are always looking online for new recipes to try out, well Pinterest also has a food category with thousands of different recipes! If you want to learn how to make a delicious baked potato soup for instance, they have a recipe for that! Throwing a party at your house? Search through the food section and you will come across all different types of simple and easy to make treats that will have everyone begging for more! The recipes are easy to follow and you will come across new things you’ve never seen before!

Pinterest is an amazing site that you can spend hours upon hours on. From home decorating, to tattoo ideas and more, it is so convenient to have everything on one site. If you love searching through ideas and trying out new crafts or activities, then I highly suggest checking out Pinterest.  I promise you that you will instantly become hooked! TT New York has its own Pinterest page where we pin everything from prom dresses to the perfect accessories to an outfit. Click on the Pinterest icon below to follow us!

The year is slowly coming to a close, and while some are planning on how they will start off the New Year on the right foot, others are reflecting on the past 365 days. What was the best decision you made this year? Should you have done something differently? If you could go back and change one thing, what would it be? Some will reflect on the mistakes they’ve made in the past year or just set goals for themselves for the New Year, more commonly known as ”New Year’s Resolutions”. Here are some of the top resolutions throughout the years:

• Lose Weight and Get Fit
• Quit Smoking
• Learn Something New
• Eat Healthier and Diet
• Get Out of Debt and Save Money
• Spend More Time with Family
• Travel to New Places
• Be Less Stressed
• Volunteer
• Drink Less

While there are some who use the New Year as a clean slate, others don’t care much for making resolutions. Every year I tell myself I am going to get fit and healthy, but then a few weeks in I remember I have no self control and that piece of chocolate cake looks really delicious. Gym’s suddenly become more crowded after the New Year for a few weeks or so, and then people eventually give up and say “I’ll try again next year.” Also, don’t be surprised if you see family and friends striving to be healthy by cutting out junk food or trying to quit smoking cigarettes. I always give the highest respect to people who take charge and change their habits because to them it could be life or death. Looking back at the past year, people wonder how they can make the next year one of the best. Some people set goals such as moving to another state of country just to experience the world while they still can. Others set smaller goals like being nicer to certain people, or finally getting that promotion they’ve been wanting. Something I have noticed the past year is that a lot of people who are trying to get healthy is that they will train for months and months and then compete in a marathon or a 5k. To them, completing that race is the ultimate goal. If they complete it, they know that they have achieved a resolution. With that being said, why not set a small goal for yourself?! Even something as little as learning how to save your money, or to learn a new trait. Join a sports team, apply for a job you thought you would never get just because, you never know what could happen. There is no better feeling that achieving a goal you never thought you could. I hope everyone has a fantastic New Years and I cant wait to continue blogging with you in 2014!!