Tip of the day

Do you have blackheads???
Well there is a mask that removes them !
It only costs 4-5 euros and it lasts about 2-3 months!!!
It is an Avon mask !
I love it.
I'm wearing it as I'm writing...
Well if you want one too, contact me and I will be happy to tell you which one!!!
It also shrinks pores!
What else can you ask for !
For only 5 minutes a week and less than 0.50 euros a week !!!
It's cheap and very good!
I love it, you should try it!

What I miss in 2012...

I miss just going in the grocery store with no list or a worry if the money o have is enough...
I miss food that is not on special!
Tonight I was missing Kaseri cheese.
I miss going to the gaz station and saying " filler up" I know 20 euros won't be enough to last my whole week.
I miss paying my bills on time! Yup. You read right , I miss that!
I miss my dancing class I had to quit!!
I also miss my once a week coffee out!
I miss my once a month outing for drinks, it's the only time a mom of 3 doesn't serve or pick or fill glasses!
I miss my cable tv, at least I could watch a movie when home or daughter some cartoons.
I miss the rush if going to shop clothes, or even small things like panty hose .
I miss junk food , and diet coke ...
In Greece 2012 started bad, and I'm afraid it will finish even worse!!!
I miss my nagging about my work being to much work...
I miss nagging to hubby about working too much.
I miss the life I had 5 years ago, then I thought we had problems.. But who could imagine 2012 Greece. I miss the everyday little things that made us happy!
Thank god we still have an Internet Conection !
So I can write my thoughts!
Troika go to hell on my behalf!
Stop killing the Greek people!
Go away you are making things wrong for us!
Because in my world , things were working great before you came!!!
I know our leaders did mistakes!
Ask them for the money , not us the people.
While the people of Greece are suffering the government is eating at very very expensive stores!
Flying in private jets , and so on !
If you read this leave your comment and send a few friends over so they can comment too...
At some point I know our voices and thoughts will be heard loud and clear!
If I'm missing so much in life what is mr papandreo or mitsotaki missing!
Probably nothing!!!

My shopping today at the grocery store galaxias

I thought the cashier was going to have a stroke!
Why you ask?
Here is the answer !
I bought lots of goodies,
The Greek frugal smart way!!!
With my lovely coupons!!!
I really love my coupons ( new at couponing just started in 2012 )
I found my favorite product on sale,,,
Fairy tabs for only 4.50 euros!!! I had 6 coupons that were 3 euros off each pack.
Yes that is right !!!!
I only paid 1.50 each pack of fairy tabs!
I also bought Gillette gel proglide for 1.38 a can with coupons , I got 3 of those.
I also got lenor fabric softener for 1.81 !!
I got 10 if those with my coupons!!
2 skip the small bottles for 3.63 each!!!
Regular price is 8 something a bottle.
And 10 shampoos for 1.30 each... Not store brand but wella pro !!!
The regular store price for that is somewhere around 4 ...
Yes 4 euros a bottle!!!
Bought groceries worth about 150 for 75 and some change...
My stock pile is growing slowly...
It started out as a ( let me try this). To a this is major money saving!
So even if I spend some extra time looking for my specials or even printing my coupons , it is worth it ...
You might think , what on earth will I do with 15-20 shampoos? The answer is easy ! We are a family of 5 , we go throw shampoo and soap for dishes fast. We also eat allot since we are a big family !!!
But we are all very thin!!!
So if you try hard enough I'm sure you will find ways to cut your expenses ....

Dept free

What is that????
In Greece at this point it is impossible !
As I'm writing this my dept is over 100,000 !!!
4 loans are what I thought 4 years ago I can pay in 15 years!!!!
How stupid of me!!!
Who thought that troika would take 99% of our money from our pockets!
How did that happen ???
Easy !!!
I have a pizza store or you can call it a fast food store in a tiny village!
People don't have money to eat out anymore !!!
So my job is dead!!!
My husband is an construction worker!!!
His job has gone down the drane!
No new houses are being built!
So that is how troika took 99% of my money...
People were working and getting paid!!
They would shop and spend!!!
I had a few economics saved for hard times. But they have finished now!!!
If my work isn't giving me money for food and little everyday things ! How do they expect us to pay off our loans???

They will kill us in a weekend

I'm scared of weekends!
I'm afraid Greece will go bankrupt on a weekend !
Why you ask!!
I have no idea!!
Maybe I do!!! Think about it this way!
Banks will be closed ! So we can't remove our money if we have any left!

No major riots will break out, because most people in Athens will be at there village or small town ..
We won't be able too extreme stock the home with food , supermarkets are closed on weekends!!!!
Weekends are my nightmares these few past weeks!!!
I'm afraid of the future !!!
What will happen to us!!!
They are taxing us like nuts !!!
Minimum wage is very low .
450 euros a month,,, get real...
We can't live on that much...
Bread costs 2 euros ,, store brand spaghetti costs 0.59
Most of us have loans..
I was happy paying them till last year,
2011 was an ok year , well the most of it! But what will happen to us now !!! Most people are having a hard time paying . Some are loosing there homes . Some don't have food in there table .
Stop killing Greece.
We had enough if troika!
Let us do it the greek way!!!
No thank you troika your just killing us slowly ...
Wake up Greeks !!!
We need to fight for our rights to life !!

Tip of the day!!!

Dye your own hair!!!
I used to have blond hair ,
But now I'm dyeing it a little darker than my natural color ...
My natural color is brown .
But I got too many gray!
So with the dye I got 2 days ago. I dyed them last night ! Lovely hair color for less than 4 euros !!!
The hair salon would charge me 50 euros plus 10 euros in fuel to go...
So I saved 56 euros !!!
Now that is a great deal!!!!
In the 4 euros is the dye the shampoo and the water!!! And think of all the time saved too...
No waiting in lines , and doing a few easy chores at the same time the dye was on my hair....
Time and money saved!!!
Now that is a great tip!!!!

I am bad too

Yes it's like you read it!!!
I'm bad too...
I'm not always frugal,
I go on shopping spreas ,
I'm a smoker,
I love and drink tons of coffee,
I love my iPod
I have Internet service at home,
I shop clothes,
I go shopping without a list !!!
I also go out here and there sometimes for a drink of tsipouro or raki!
I eat junk food, I also buy sodas!!!
But I'm only human...
But I don't do this everyday !!!
At some times it over my head!!!
But with making stupid decisions it helps you learn !!!!
After the shopping or the drinking , I sit and think, did I really need that, and why did I go overboard like that...
But a human will be a human!!!
And on somedays I will do stupid things!!! But the rest 30 days of the month I will be on track....

Tip of the day

Today the tip is kind of funny!!!
Do you know roli!
Yes the powder!!!
It costs 1.07 euros a bottle!!!
With the coupon 0.50 that epithemies had you get it for 0.57 !
Get 5-6 coupons and buy it!
Use it everywhere !!!
From toilettes to sinks!!!
To scrubbing the tiles on the porch , in the bathtub!
Also use it to wash the shower!!!
The good news you save tons of money ... The bad news, you have to scrub!!! Paying less means 5 minutes more work! But why would I pay a product that costs 5.00 euros to get things done in a minute... When I can pay 0.57 and get things done 5 minutes later ! Now that is money saved and earned !!!
And that is an other thing I learned in January !!!
Like I said 2012 will be a year of saving and learning new things for me !

My shopping day!!!

Yes I went shopping yesterday at galaxia!
I got nounou kid milk for only 5.72
Yup the box with. 8 cans !
Regular price 8.40
-1.68 the 20% off the stores have plus
-1.00 from my coupons .
Now that is extreme couponing in Greece ! Bought 3 boxes of milk ...
I also bought hair dye!
3 of that too....
The dye costs regular price 8.14
- 2.00 the store special
- 3.00 my coupons
Paid 3.14 euros a dye
That is 15 euros saved from the dyes ...
I also bought Essex detergent for clothes...
Regular price 8.99
- 2.25 special offer from store
- 2.00 from my coupons
Bought 3 of those too...
And a whole lot more !!!
But you need coupons!!!
Call epithemies and ask to be on there mailing list!!!
Go on livesmart and print .
Get a folder and carry your coupons with you!!!
You never know what you will find in the store!!!
Last month I found Pantene pro v 2.50 the large bottle!!!!
Looked in my folder and saw that I had a - 1.50 coupon
Not one coupon but 10
Got ten bottles of that shampoo....
I think it costs around 4 something
And I got it for one euro....
Why pay 40 when you can pay 10
So at this point my stoke pile is growing! I will invest in my pile again next month...
Buying things you don't need now, for a fraction of there price is smart...
Don't over do it!!!
Try 10-20 euros a month on things you really need... We are a big family... 2 teenagers and a six year old . We are a 5 member family!!!
So milk shampoo soap and dyes are a must in this family!!!
That is all for now!!
I hope this post helps a few!!!
Because the future seams hard for us Greeks ! We need to learn to shop the smart way!!!

Livesmart. Coupons

At last they have them ready.
Go to livesmart print your coupons and enjoy a day of shopping .
While having my coffee my printer is busy printing !
Was waiting for the coupons all week.
No coupons means no shopping!
So let's save some money today !
And they have some lovely coupons!
Can't wait to hit the stores! Well actually one store , galaxias!

Stock piling in Greece .

Stock piling in Greece , the frugal way is very hard work.
With money being tight these days !
But if you get the whole family to help with coupons , things might get a little easier.
Try this site:
Www. Livesmart. Gr
Pretty nice coupons!
But you can only print singles!
But a family of 5 needs more , so here is what you do!
My sons are over 18 both! Get then to sign up. And then go shopping with them so they can show there id card at the cash register with there name. These coupons have your name on them!!!
Do some online search of the grocery stores you will going to shop.
Compare prices before using coupons !
The first few times it's a little difficult , but it gets easier with time.
But saving is the name of the game!
Maybe we can beat the rececion !
Maybe not !
But we will try our best , to survive with what we can . A little less here a little less there . But we will go down with a fight!

Is the week almost over???

Did no shopping !
Did no errands !
But with a 6 year old being ill in the house and husband sick too , it got me down this week!
Unemployment is hitting us hard!
Were is Greece going ?
My husband hasn't worked in over 2 months , me over 6 months. Now trying to make ends meet is harder and harder!!!
The news are driving us nuts.
The only way to live now is not only frugally but as a cheapstack!
At the end of the week we will know what troika wants from us!
Too many bad things in a week and the bad weather can make you mad!
Hope next week is better!
Love you all ! The Greek frugal mom!

The end of 2011 is the beginning of 2012

Maybe my quit went for a walk!
But will be starting again tomorrow .
My don't drink drinks went for a drive on Saturday !!! But I'm back.
What ever you do you have to get up after your slip and get back on your ride. It might take a thousand slips! Give your self a few days. 2-3 days are enough and start again !
The weather here is very cold and snowy ! Yes we have snow today in Greece ! And the weather is very cold but I don't care. My wood stove is keeping my warm. Saving me tons of euros! Was thinking of all the lovely euros I had spent these 4 years. If I only knew ! Well it is never too late to start.
In December 2011 I decided to change my life!
First thing is my budget ! Have you heard what Greece is going through .
So I started couponing!
Hard thing in Greece !
Did allot of searching .
In Greece it is almost impossible to coupon...
But I think I'm doing a great start...
Started with shampoo and dish washing soap! And a few more products.
Trying to lower my electrical bill!
And the biggest challenge for 2012!!!!! Is to get my pizza store to work again... Didn't make nothing last year! It even got me in dept . So this year I'm thinking of new things , maybe with a new aproch more customers ! Well we see after the Greek easter! That's when I will be opening for summer! But I'm planning from now ! Better early than late!! That is my saying!!!
So I guess the end of 2011 was a turn around for me!!! Got me thinking!!! Greece is going broke! Everyone will suffer , but why should I suffer like them! I will try to make things a little better. A penny saved here and there is a penny earned!