Three ways to save today.

1. Stop paying for bottled water and get yourself a Brita or other type of water filter. I think I touched on this last post, but bottled water really is insanely expensive. Additionally, many bottles have BPA or other chemicals in them that can leach out if they get warm or exposed to UV light. It is truly worth the investment to get some BPA-free, reusable bottles and a filter and keep them in the fridge. I should post a photo of our fridge currently....we devote an entire shelf (yes, ENTIRE shelf) to our reusable bottles and Brita. There are times where I get frustrated and would prefer to have the space, but those are few and far between. We drink a lot of water (I am for two gallons per day, now that I'm pregnant....it seems to be the right amount for keeping me hydrated) and we both drink about 32 oz before bed. I take one with me every time I leave the house and I'm sure there are a few rolling around in my car. When we empty one, it goes straight into the dishwasher.  Ok, so I know it's an investment, but count up how much you spend on a case of water at Costco or the grocery store and write it on your fridge or somewhere handy.  Give it a month or two and see how it adds up.  For those of you ready to make the leap, consider splurging on a few Contigo waterbottles (on amazon or at Costco) because they are AWESOME. They don't leak, they fit in most cupholders, and, with a little practice, you can drink out of them without sitting up in bed. Lazy points!
2. Make a coupon folder and use it religiously. This is similar to tip #1 except it requires more habit building and almost no investment. Every time a coupon comes your way that you think you'd use, write the expiration date on the top in sharpie, and find your coupon folder. I use a plain manila file folder.  Inside the cover, write down the date the coupon expires along with  the business it is for. Stick it in the file folder.  Once a week (or whenever you think about it, throw away the expired coupons and cross them off the list.)  Now, before you leave the house, you can either browse the envelope and grab coupons you want to use OR browse the envelope and then bring the whole thing with. I'm not a fan of unscripted errand stops so I usually don't bring the whole thing with, but if you get used to checking it every time you leave the house, you'll be surprised. You can also stick any benefit or charity cards you've purchased in there with a blown-up list of all the businesses they work at and give it a once over as well.  We bought a Kitsap Card last year. I paid about $25 for it and definitely got my money back. However, I can't tell you the number of times that I missed out on using it because I forgot I had it with me.
3. Find two "go to" meals for you and your family members that have ingredients that are freezable or have a long shelf life and keep those ingredients on hand. For our family, those meals are meat, cheese, and mustard sandwhiches (I keep three or four pre made in the freezer!), fried egg and avocado sandwhiches (the avocados I only buy when they're ripe and on sale) and an easy, vegetarian soup using chicken broth, chicken bones from the freezer, canned veggies, barley, flax seed, sometimes some pasta, and any other veggies that need to be used up. I'm not a huge fan of ready-made food like Campell's soups or TV dinners because the cheap ones are nasty and the good, healthy, safe ones are expensive (like Annie's).  By the way, if you've never tried any of the Annie's frozen meals, DON'T because they're amazing and you'll crave them forever and ever and they cost an arm and a leg, even with coupons and sales.  With that said, I do keep a handful of read-to-make foods on hand for picky kids or if I'm not feeling well. Trader Joes has a wonderful selection of freezer foods that are relatively healthy and not full of chemicals. They have seasonal sales where we try one box, and if we like it, we go back and stock up. I think right now we have organic mini-pancakes, sweet potato pierogies, and organic broccoli medley in the freezer for a hectic night.
What I've learned through major trial and error is that being healthy and saving money CAN go hand in hand, but it takes a lot of planning, awareness, and good-habit building. It's tough work but it gets easier every week and the fact that I've never been in better health or had so much money in our savings means something is working.
Finally, I have to rant a little after a conversation with a "friend" yesterday.   Just because I tout or talk about a topic doesn't mean I think it's the ONLY way to live and operate. I do not judge others for the bulk of their choices, but I am willing and ready to help them make different choices if they want to.  We, for example, are choosing to cloth diaper (and when I say "we", I mean to say that I chose but my husband is willing). I do think that most disposable diapers are toxic and not something I want on my baby's skin. However, I don't look at other babies in disposables and think, "Geeze, they have negligent parents!" or anything like that. I mostly share our choice to cloth diaper because I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "What? I didn't even know that was an option. Can you tell me more?" or, even more meaningful, I often hear, "My baby has been suffering so much from rashes and serious issues like yeast infections, staph infections, and chemical burns. I didn't even know that it could've been from the chemicals in her diaper. I didn't know that things like dioxin, which is illegal to use in diapers and  tampons in Europe, is in my diapers here..."   So here's my plea: You don't have to read any or all of my wordy posts, but you do have to make choices for your children, family, and yourself. Making a choice means you have researched your options and you have educated yourself and you are confident in your choice. Do the work because your kids can't, because you are their advocate and their voice.  Don't feel pressured to make the same choices that I am: do feel pressured to know what you are choosing, the possible consequences, and the justification. Do feel pressured to know what you are doing is, indeed, right for your lifestyle and your family.

Accountability and Change

Well, everyone wants to have more money in their accounts, right?  Then why don't we? I think it's probably the same reason why we end up eating more junk than we mean to....because it takes time and energy to be accountable for ourselves, and life is busy enough as it is!  What I'm finding, slowly, is that the more you make being accountable to yourself, your spouse, your everything, the more time and energy you have for everything else. Why? Being accountable makes life simple, once it's a habit.  It forces you to think about what you are eating, what you are spending, what you are bringing into your house, and how you manage your time. For me, all of this thinking is often painful. It's difficult to admit all of the crappy things I eat or spend money or time on.  Being accountable helps me think about my choices BEFORE I make them. It helps slow the gush of bad choices to a trickle. Do I still make them? Yes, all the time, in fact. But do I make them less? Absolutely. And that's what is truly important. 
The other thing I'd like to emphasize is that for me, change is best made in the smallest increments possible and by making habits. This means that I get from point A to point B VERY slowly and with a lot of backslide. It is discouraging but it's who I am for today.  Accepting the kind of change-maker you are is perhaps the most important part of being able to change.
Because it's been the biggest issue in my house, I'm going to start by looking at money and being accountable for money. Everything, including time and non-toxic products, tie into money accountablility so the lines are going to overlap a bit.  
Baby Steps:
Here are three tips to save a little that I used today:
-Running all of my errands in one sitting but limiting errand trips to 5hrs.  This saves gas and means you have to prioritize your errands!   I also only run errands with a strict list from which I do not deviate. The time limit is important because when you're tired, your will-power weakens and you'll find yourself buying things that are not on your list.
-Pack snacks! No matter how long you think you're going to be out of the house, take a healthy snack and a bottle of tea or water. If you are running errands with kids, take two options and take more than you think they'll eat. One of the biggest money pits is being out and about and having a hunger pang.  Fast food is EXPENSIVE and NASTY.   Also, thirst can manifest itself as hunger, so taking that tea or water is very important!  My favorite snacks are Annie's cheese bunnies, dried fruit from the bulk section at the grocery store, organic beef jerky from Trader Joes, nuts and trail mix, ganola bars, and dried cereal. I keep a little lunch box in my car at all times full of Annie's cheese bunnies and little stainless steel water bottles in case I forget my snack. Now that we have cool weather, sometimes I'll grab a juicebox and some greek yogurt to-go as well. (Side note, I store all of my snacks in zip-locks made of cloth that I bought locally at a craft fair or in stainless steel. It's not a good idea to store food and drinks in containers with BPA especially if they'll be in a car that has fluctuating temperatures.)
-Before you Goodwill an item, do a little research to see if there's somewhere that will take it and give you a little for it.  I turned in a big box of books today at Page's Books in Silverdale. They'll sort through them and give me store credit for them! Easy as that!  That whole box was destined for Goodwill and instead, I can go shopping "for free" after they price them. Not a bad deal.  It's always worth it to try and sell electronics, tools, and jewelry to pawn shops before you Goodwill them. You never know what is popular there, and something you might consider junk might net you a few dollars. I also highly recommend taking clothes to local consignment shops. Each shop has varying policies, but most will give you the option of having the store donate unsold items to Goodwill for you.
Hopefully I'll be back soon with more ideas. Until then, make a budget!!  It's the VERY most important way to be accountable for your money.  Forget fancy software or books. Head over to www.mint.com and get started there. It's really easy to use, and a wonderful place to start.  Give yourself  time to work through all of the steps, and don't feel too overwhelmed.