Ironic, coincidence, or  just the inevitable star crossed event – September is National Coupon Month and the month The Frugal Diva was born.   How appropriate that my birthday falls in the month for celebrating savings.  Coupon usage was up 17% in 2009 and as a nation we are very interested in keeping more of our hard earned paychecks.  When economists tell us to spend more they never tell us where to get the money.  For those who are not trust fund babies, lottery winners, or living off the grid, coupons and budgeting help keep us ahead of higher prices and able to maintain our lifestyles.

The I Love Coupons site is right in sync with the our philosophy for strategizing  coupon savings.  And the most important rule is number 4 – if you don’t need it, don’t buy it!  The most expensive item you own is one you never use.  Even if it was half off  with a 30%  discount, there is no point to buying an item that will sit in your closet, stay in your pantry, or be relegated to your garage.  Check them out every day this month for everything you ever wanted to know about coupons and more.

A great way to figure out how small savings add up is to use the Daily Dollar app from the Live Solid Facebook page. Small changes (and small change) add up quickly into dollar savings.  Save that caramel macchiato latte for a once a week treat instead of every day and you are about $20 a week, $80 a month, and $1000 a year ahead.  Calories are another savings, these drinks are just milkshakes masquerading as coffee.  Yummy as a once in a while treat, they will torpedo any diet plans when imbibed on a daily basis.  The Live Solid website follows up with great advice on living a healthy lifestyle on a budget, relationship money issues, college funds, and retirement.  I was honored to be put in their Live Solid Hall of Fame.

She had me at the title Shoo, Jimmy Choo however Catey Brown comes through with solid financial advice and forms to keep you on track. Combining wit and pratical tips she advises women in their twenties how to start out with good financial habits that build a foundation for future security. 

On September 6th this year I will be in Seattle enjoying the company of old friends, eating crab they caught out of the nearby waters, and being ever so grateful for my relationship with The Frugal Dude.

So many activities, so little time.  City of Presidents is the nickname for Rapid City where there are forty life size statues of former presidents on the downtown street corners.  That was how the Frugal Diva learned that she and President Madison were around the same height.   The Journey Museum takes you on an incredible trek through time as it tells the story of the Black Hills through interactive displays. Try on old clothes and read original letters from settlers while seeing how the geology of the area brought gold miners from all over the country.

If you watched Deadwood on HBO, it’s time to see the real town and the cemetary where all the characters were buried. Casinos are the new outlaws in the area however it still retains the feel of the Old West.  Move on to Lead and tour a gold mine.  These were harrowing jobs where men and later women spent eight hours underground alongside mules.

The Indians wanted to represent their hero in a monument to Crazy Horse .  Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear officially started Crazy Horse Memorial June 3, 1948.  The Memorial’s mission is to honor the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians.

Flanked by towering limestone cliffs, this 20-mile route along US 14A, cuts through Spearfish Canyon. A forest of spruce, pine, aspen, birch and oak covers the hillsides while Spearfish Creek flows along the canyon bottom.  Bridal Veil and Roughlock Falls are highlights along the route. Stay at the Spearfish Canyon Lodge and enjoy a babbling brook, hikes along the falls, and delux accomodations. We paid $80 (with a AAA discount) for a beautiful double room. Please check for current rates.

How many remember Close Encounters of the Third Kind?  What a great opportunity to hike around Devil’s Tower and see if the aliens left anything behind.  This 1347 acre park is covered with pine forests, woodlands, and grasslands. Deer, prairie dogs, and other wildlife are seen. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower the first national monument in 1906.

The all time dinner deal for meat eaters is the Alpine Inn in Hill City. Order a perfectly prepared bacon wrapped filet mignon. baked potato, Texas toast with a starter salad of  lettuce wedge and ranch dressing.  Choose between the 6 oz. for $8.95 and a 9 oz. for $10.95 and pay in cash. If you would like a glass of wine, they are mostly under $6.

Custer State Park has unobstructed views of herds of buffalo, elk, wild turkeys, and burros so friendly you pet them from your car window.  This is indeed where the deer and the antolope play. For those so inclined there are camp grounds as well as reasonably priced motels.

If you want a area with lots to do both indoors and outdoors, visit Mt. Rushmore and the South Dakota area. The Frugal Diva was amazed at how friendly people were and how easy it was to get around.  Living in Los Angeles it’s exciting to be able to park for a nominal fee and drive across town in five minutes during rush hour.

The Grove wants to be user friendly and it is. This lovely outdoor mall makes it fun to hang out. 

Free Movies on Thursday nights in August – August 12th The Twilight Saga, New Moon, August 19th Alice in Wonderland (2009)  and August 26rd Up.  Bring a blanket (no chairs) and have a magical evening at The Grove. The event opens for general grass and bleacher seating at 7:15pm.

Join Run Club on Wednesdays at the Nike Store 6:30-7:30 PM and enjoy a 3 or 5 mile run and meet great people.  Slow and fast pacing groups offer just the right match for your fitness level, and you can opt for a 3- or 5-mile course through Park La Brea.  Nike hosts a post-run reception with water, protein bars and healthy snacks.

Summer sessions for kids and families, featuring LA’s premiere art and cultural institutions. Join us in The Park at The Grove every Tuesday, from 2 – 4 PM during August. Enjoy free entertainment, arts and crafts, and educational activities to stimulate young minds.

Kids Club in The Park- Enjoy a terrific selection of enriching activities for kids, parents and caregivers. A weekly dose of fun, including music, entertainment and so much more!  Thursdays, 11am – 1pm continues into the fall.

Step next door to the Original Farmer’s Market and check out fantastic and frugal food choices.  Pampas Grill is a cafeteria style selection of salads, meats, pastas, and my personal favorite.

August, the last days of summer wind down to some of the best back to school shopping ever at Target.

School uniforms at the best price, sneakers for all sizes and sports, and backpacksto schlep books are cheap and cute.  The housewares department with bedding  and furniture for the kid’s rooms make this the year they can choose between craftsman and mid century modern nightstands. 

I love the site gizmodo  for review of all things electronic however when buying for kids you might want to think about duration. How long will this item last before it is broken, lost, or replaced by a newer model?  An Epson multifunction printer for $30 will do the job and cost less then a set of cartridges for a more expensive model.

Students off to college need a lot of stuff.  Linens under $40, clocks to make sure they get to class on time, and their very own electric toothbrush to make sure they keep up good habits while away.

Whoopi, everyone is back to school!  Pick up some activewear for running, walking, or yoga now that you have the time.

And maybe pick up another one of those Epson printers for the road.

Use them or lose money, there is no way around the loyalty program concept.   What really matters is maximizing the benefits. Two ways to enhance your savings – when ever possible stick with one program for every category type i.e. food, office supplies, hotels, air travel and give them your email address (set up a seperate account for deals if necessary) so you receive up to the minute offers. 

Here are the no fee programs the Frugal Diva likes best and why.

Staples – They give you $2 for every used printer cartridges and a percentage of purchases in a rebate check.  Watch for emails with weekly savings and coupons. Back to school is an excellent time to stock on supplies for the office.

Ralphs – Their points system allows you to get back a small rebate every three months along with coupons for products. They will email you items that garner bonus points and just by clicking you can make your way to savings. The coupons are loaded into your loyalty card and automatically deducted at checkout. No cutting and no forgetting.

Borders - You get emailed discount coupons ranging from 25% to 40% off, special bonus savings, and a rebate with purchases.

AMC Moviewatcher Club – Two points for every movie ticket purchased whether it’s a discount matinee or full fare in the evening. They add up quickly to get free drinks, popcorn, and tickets.

Chicos – After an initial purchase amount, members receive an automatic 5% off and a coupon every month plus a birthday bonus, invitations to private sales, and special discounts.

Let me know what you think are great programs and I will add them to the post.

Shaklee, an old name in direct sales products, comes up with a new product line for house cleaning.  Everything that goes down the pipes eventually ends up in our water supply including cleansers, drain openers, laundry detergents, and dish washing liquids.  Take a giant step towards helping the environment with Shaklee concentrated products.  What looks like a big initial investment turns out to save you money and save the planet.  Buy once and refill means fewer plastic bottles, fewer trips to the market, and bulk savings.  These products are not kidding around, they really clean and if they don’t you get your money back.  For those with allergies, check out the list of things that are not in these products. 

This 50 year old company was thinking green before most of us even had the concept.   The Frugal Diva was pleased to see that they were the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral™ certification and totally offset their CO2 emissions, resulting in a net zero impact on the environment. And as our mothers said, “You can judge a person by the company they keep.”  You can also judge a company by the partners they choose.  Shaklee partners range from Healthy Child Healthy World to being an EPA Climate Leader.  

If you want to learn more about Shaklee, they are having a free intro to their company on Friday August 6th in Anaheim.

The Frugal Diva loves to buy online – better prices, no parking problems, product reviews- however there are ways to cut the price even further.  Here is a list of sites that give coupons, money back, or shipping reductions.

Fat Wallet gives you coupons and cash back.  Click through from their site and start seeing dividends for your shopping forays.

Coupon Cabin is a reliable site for both online and printable coupons. The $5 off at Target is for $50 which is usually the amount needed to get free shipping resulting in a double savings. 

Borders (with free membership) give you discounts with their partners.

Amazon has daily deals that might be just the ticket coupled with free shipping on some items.  

And always check with The Frugal Diva for the latest in deals.

Frugal Divas know some little luxuries save the day.  Picking up that rotisserie chicken instead of cooking, getting a mani pedi, and treating yourself to a clean house when you come home from work.   Every now and then wouldn’t it be nice to leave in the morning and come back to a sparkling space.  My friend Suncana is offering a great deal for first time users of her Clean to Shine service. 

With $30 off, give in to temptation and come home to the sweet smell of eco friendly products and all your recyclables finally on their way to another life.  Divas need to use their time well so take a night off and see what’s out there in the big wide world.  Go to a networking event, visit with friends,  or finally take that square dancing class that you talked about for the last two years. Sometimes we need to save money and sometimes we need to save time for the things that move us forward.

What a difference a day makes.  Today you can get a refurbished Kodak 12 Megapixel Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom for $49.99 plus $5 shipping and tomorrow you can’t. Woot.com offers one unique tech deal every day or until the item sells out.

There is a discussion group along the side to let you know what users think of the product.  And a particularly humorous discription underneath. Sometimes, I just go on the site to cheer up my day. Their FAQs are hysterical. And the children’s site  is even funnier. They don’t actually sell children just all the accessories to keep up with the other toddlers in day care.

They also aggregate deals on the sellout portion of the site. Most are posted by consummers however some are sponsored.

Check it out however buy carefully since there is no return unless you have proven the product to be defective.

There is a place with free books, free DVDs, free magazines, free books on CD, free Internet and use of reference materials. This place is called the public library.

I live in Los Angeles and the public libraries  have provided me with reading material, books on CD, magazines, and fantastic DVDs including Louis Malle documentaries and The Simpsons Movie.  I listened to Little Scarlet by Walter Mosley on CD during a long drive.  I looked through two months of Martha Stewart Living.  Having a problem with your Internet? Just scurry over and use the library computers to answer your email. Take a chance on a new author, catch up on classics, take out a movie, find a book on a DIY project, the possibilities are endless. Bring the kids to take out an armful of children’s books. The library is recycling at its best.

Here is a list of just a few of the activities for June and July at the Westwood Branch:

Jun 24 – Emil Draitser’s “Stalin’s Romeo Spy” 6:30 PM Emil Draitser discusses and signs his new book “Stalin’s Romeo Spy: The Remarkable Rise and Fall of the KGB’s Most Daring Operative.”

Jul 10 – Book Club 11:00 AM Discuss “Light in August” by William Faulkner.

Jul 13 – Sherlock Holmes Panel 6:30 PM  Three Sherlock Holmes experts discuss the books they’ve written and the stage and screen adaptations that followed.

Jul 20 – Resume Workshop 6:30 PM Looking for work and need to update your resume? Get free expert help with your resume from a professional in the field.

Jul 29 – French Conversation Class 6:00 PM Come practice your French with discussions on a variety of themes. This month, bring a favorite text of any type and a piece of music inspired by the text.

And for children

Jul 26 – Magic Show with Allen Oshiro 4:00 PM Comedy, fun, and magic with Magician Allen Oshiro.

These are just a few of the activities at one branch.  They also have resources for job hunting and learning computer skills.

Think of it as a vacation from your routine. Pull up a chair, enjoy the  air conditioning, and choose a reading adventure.