Low-cost solutions for receipt wrangling are few and far between, but thanks to Shoeboxed, the ability to “digitize” receipt-keeping is alive and kicking.

Offering free online receipt and business card organization software, Shoeboxed allows users to scan, email or mail in receipts and biz cards + other documents (using prepaid envelopes). Shoeboxed will scan, data enter, and organize them for you, all for a set monthly fee. Shoeboxed also supports smart phone or iPhone users by integrating the ability to send photos of receipts and other documents on the go.

The process for data extraction is relatively simple. Shoeboxed verifies, categorizes and organizes the document online in your account, secure from prying eyes. Once in your account, receipts and documents can be printed, emailed, downloaded, or exported to various formats, including PDF, Excel, CSV, QuickBooks, and Quicken file extensions. The platform also integrates with several bookkeeping and organizational software, including one of my personal faves for online bookkeeping covered a few weeks back.

The free plan and trial option is pretty limited, but the lite plan starts at just $9.95 a month with 50 receipt scans, so hopping in and giving the system a try shouldn’t put too much strain on the pocketbook.

So why all this fuss over organizational and bookkeeping software? Organizing expenses is the first step to tackling how to shave costs, and budgeting becomes instantly more attainable by having a clear, succinct picture of money coming in, and going out.

This Labor Day, take a breather and plan to have a nice day doing something you enjoy. Some inexpensive ideas for celebrating the holiday consist of gathering a group of friends and family and heading to your nearby beach and/or pool. I know in some communities everyone gathers at the local club house or park to play volleyball, soccer, etc. and participate in a potluck. Others enjoy planning camping trips, in which reservations might be  needed depending on the location.

Another thing that you can do during the long weekend is to take advantage of all the Labor Days sales. It may require spending some money, but think of all the great deals you can get.  Open up your local paper to check out the major sales going on at your nearest mall. There are many stores have sales during this weekend so look out for coupons and the best deals in order to get great bargains.

Bounce Energy is having a special Labor Day sale where customers who sign up for a fixed rate plan will receive 20% off their first month’s bill. Bounce Energy has 6, 9, 12, and 24 month rate plans. Take advantage of this special offer to save money. Summer may be over but the weather in Texas is still hot. Save on your electricity bill in the middle of the hottest months of the year by signing up with Bounce Energy this Labor Day weekend.

Happy Labor Day!

The morning rush is a known feeling to most of Americans. Everyone wakes up and the last thing on their mind is to sit down to have breakfast. These are some tips to try to get your kids more accustomed to sitting down for breakfast:

• Try to set up the breakfast table the night before so that the next morning everyone simply needs to take a seat and breakfast will be served
• Keep waffle or pancake batter in the refrigerator the night before so that it only needs to be placed in the griddle and be served
• If baking is a specialty of yours, bake muffins beforehand and keep them frozen so that just a couple minutes in the microwave is all that is needed to be served
• Use English muffins or biscuits and load them with some protein and there you have a “to-go” sandwich

If you are on your way to becoming an ultimate organization guru this might be a little project you would want to include on your way there. With the school year beginning and major sales going on nationwide, take advantage and buy some extra lunch boxes, aluminum if possible. These lunchboxes will serve for needed storage, not only for your lunch lunch.

The lunch box can accomplish certain duties. First, it can store personal stationary. Once filled this can lay on a desk or be situated in a closet. For all those recipe cards and torn out recipes pages, a lunch box would provide a place where they can be neatly stored and organized. Cables and small gadgets can be put away in a lunch box as well, so that when you need any additional cables, you know exactly where they are. It can also be used to pack up small toiletries and place in a luggage bag. Lastly, if you are a parent and your kid’s little toy cars or markers are all over the place, use the lunchbox to store them and place them somewhere where the kids can access it easily and return it once they are done using them.

I have a daughter and one of my favorite things to do is buy clothes for her, it’s a borderline addiction.  In order to keep this habit in-check, I refuse to pay full price for most outfits ( I do splurge from time to time).  As much as I love the thrill of the purchase, it’s hard to justify a $70 dress for something she is only going to wear a few times.

So when my friend recently sent me a link to sign up for a website called zulily, I was immediately hooked.  Zulily is a new online store that offers daily sales events on top-quality merchandise for moms, babies and kids.  And when I say sales, I mean sales – members can save up to 70% off retail prices.

One note – each “daily” special lasts for 72 hours or until sells out.  I made the mistake of hesitating on an item and it was gone in one day.

Zulily also offers rewards for your referrals.  So, if you think your friends would be interested in this site, just send them an invite from the site.  If they make a purchase, zulily will send you a $10 credit immediately.

Happy shopping!

Daily lunch packing will soon be back and with over half the American population overweight, it is vital that our children are provided with a nutritious meal for lunch. In order to not prepare the usual boring lunch box menu, explore your options. Try buying different types of bread like whole wheat, grains & oats, pita, croissant, etc. In order to avoid sandwiches from getting soggy, spread some margarine on the bread slices then add your fillers. Also, you can always wrap the different parts up separately and have your kids build the sandwich up at lunch. Try to include a fruit and water for their drink. Last but not least, include a fun little surprise for them like a sticker or ribbon to wrap some cookies. Little by little start introducing new foods so that your children get use to them and their will be more and new lunch options for them.

New teachers, new class schedules, new headaches.

Welcome to the back-to-school blues, a chopping block for the long summer (for some of us not long enough) vacation and a new window of opportunities for your pocketbook to cringe with expectation.

New headaches for school season = new expenses for families.

With that in mind, I’ve compiled 5 simple tips to help alleviate some of the financial stresses of the approaching school year:

1. Buy simple, reusable containers for your child’s school lunches. This way you’re reducing landfill waste and saving money on small purchases (sammy baggies) that will add up over time.
2. Shop online at Discount School Supply vs. braving the madhouse back-to-school sale events at your local department store. You’ll save gas and a whole host of headaches, not to mention have access to better variety and readily available inventory.
3. Start early. Be sure to sign up for email lists at your favorite e-retailers so that you can be first in line for sales and promotions.
4. Buy fresh produce, fruits and simple, healthy items and prepare just the right portions the night before for weekly lunches that avoid unnecessary waste. Despite the appearance of being more expensive, a variety of whole grains, fresh fruit, small snacks (raisins from a bulk aisle for example) can be re-used and creatively combined for healthy meals that last the entire week.
5. Skip the juice boxes and serve water instead. Grab a reusable, BPA-free water bottle, shove some ice and purified water from the comfort of home into it, and you’ve got a much healthier alternative that doesn’t pull from your weekly grocery budget.

Of course, these tips barely scratch the surface as far as back-to-school savings, but a simple starting point will go a long way in setting the tone for the rest of the school year.

The Texas tax-free weekend will be August 20-22^nd. On this marvelous weekend, most back to school items, clothing, and shoes are tax exempt. Each state has different rules that apply to their tax free weekend such as minimums and maximums for certain items that are exempt. Before heading out to shop, check out your local paper or online for item eligibility and dollar limits.

Planning ahead will be very useful because you’ll be able to take advantage of this weekend to buy not only back to school items but items that kids will be using in the upcoming months. Like I mentioned earlier, look over the ads before going shopping because you’ll end up saving some money knowing where a certain item is sold for less at. Lastly, check if coupons apply during this weekend, that way not only will your item be tax free but also apply for further sales reduction.

Save Money at 10 Unique Discount Websites

Over the past two and a half weeks, FrugalBabble has been bringing you information about a great website offering discounts and deals on everything from electronics to restaurants to moving and hotels. So, to feed your bargain-hunting-addiction, here they are one last time:

10 Days 10 Deals: Day 1 Housewares Deals

Housewares Deals lets you save bucks on household items such as dinnerware, cutlery, flatware, bake-ware, and even the kitchen sink strainer. Just sign on and you can get special deals for a limited amount of time based on the number of people that are interested in it. Save 60-90% on Mikasa, Faberware, Pfaltzgraffe, and others.

10 Days 10 Deals: Day 2 Discount School Supply

Filling your child’s backpapck with school supplies can be an annual nightmare — and not just for your child. Discount School Supply stocks those hard to find school supplies (the social studies teacher wants a purple folder?) as well as paper, glue sticks, paint, crayons, and also educational toys without the lines or the high prices.

10 Days 10 Deals: Day 3 Hotels.com

Even though summer is nearly over, Labor Day Weekend is getting close and that means a three-day weekend and time for one last summer get away. For more than 15 years, Hotels.com has provided travelers information on over 85,000 properties worldwide in over 400 destinations.  Their Price match Guarantee ensures you’ll get the lowest price on your stay. Sign up for their Welcome Rewards and you’ll get a free night’s stay.

10 Days 10 Deals: Day 4 Restaurant.com

Looking to go out to eat? Go to Restaurant.com. Search by state, city, neighborhood, zip code or even cuisine type and they will generate a list of restaurants for you to choose complete with a brief description of the style, menu, and price.

Then follow the instructions for purchasing a gift certificate, print it out and you’re done! Usually, you can get a $25 gift certificate for just $10 but there is also the “Dinner of the Month Club” offering more savings on yummy cuisine through 3 months to 12 months.

10 Days 10 Deals – Day 5 Mamapedia Sweet Deals

Save 50% Off Family Fun Deals (Near You) with Sweet Deals from Mamapedia.com

Mamapedia.com has a mission to improve the lives of moms everywhere by organizing their collective wisdom and support. Part of that support is buying power at Mamapedia Sweet Deals. It is a group-buying program delivering daily exclusive deals geared towards busy moms and their families. The deals include local family-friendly restaurants, family entertainment, kids activities, and — most importantly — Moms’-Night Out. Plus, 5% of each purchase is donated to the preschool/school of your choice.

10 Days 10 Deals: Day 6 Books Free

If you’re a book lover and wish that there was a Netflix for books, your wishes have been granted!

Booksfree.com lets you rent books, CD books, and MP3 audio books (fantastic for long driving trips) through the mail with no late fees and no shipping costs. Selection? Over 228,000 paperback book titles , 28, 000 children’s books, and 30,00 audio titles. Pricing starts at $10.99.

Don’t just sit there! Read a book!

10 Days 10 Deals: Day 7 – The Gift Card Exchange at Plastic Jungle

It’s wilder than the trading floor of a Stock Market! It’s PlasticJungle.com where shoppers buy, sell, and trade unwanted gift cards for cash! You can save 15% off the card’s face value and includes national chain stores like Best Buy, Walmart, Home Depot, Macy’s, Lowe’s, Pottery Barn, Blockbuster, NFL Shop, Starbucks and much more.

PlasticJungle.com verifies and guarantees the balance on each card, time of delivery, etc. You can also donate unwanted gift cards to a non-profit of your choice.

10 Days 10 Deals: Day 8 – Simplify Moving at MoveOut.com

All kinds of moving boxes!! If you’re looking to move this summer or fall, then get over to MoveOut.com. If you don’t have a lot of time and need help organizing, this is the way to go. All of their packing kits and products are located in the left column so you don’t need to scroll and search. You can get in, get stuff, pay and get moving in just a minutes.

They have lots of complete information on how to pack chairs, appliances, and things that you normally don’t think about until moving day.

10 Days 10 Deals: Day 9 ShopGetOrganized.com

ShopGetOrganized.comhelps you get your home organized. Gadgets, shelves, lighting, document boxes — you name it– for any room in your home that is cluttered or messy. They even feature those memorable “As Seen On TV” products that will save you time and money

Their print catalog is also available.

10 Days 10 Deals: Day 10 – CowBoom.com

CowBoom is online retailer brought to you by a familiar brand, Best Buy. CowBoom They feature tech-gadgets, gizmos, consumer electronics, and guitars (yes, I said guitars) for fantastic discounts. These are name-brand items that are new, pre-owned, or refurbished. CowBoom also offers a deal of the day that has a substantially reduced price.

If you are tech geek looking for anything from laptops to ipods to cameras and more, you gotta check out this site daily and save moola.

With school about to begin in just a few weeks (and days for some of the unlucky), the back to school shopping spree has begun! During the month of August stores are reducing their back to school items in preparation for the school year. Target, Walmart, Office Max, Office Depot, etc. are all stores who have put items such as pencils and laptops on sale. Clothing and shoes are also items that are needed for school and can be found at stores provide their customers with special deals. Be sure to check out your local newspaper and ads for coupons and sale items. I have my eyes set on certain items that I will need to stock up on for graduate school.

For a list of typical back to school items check out this website.

We finish of our 10 Days 10 Deals series with an online retailer brought to you by a familiar brand, Best Buy. CowBoom is a cutting edge online retailer who’s committed to providing consumers with everyday value. They offer deals on brand-name new, pre-owned and refurbished consumer electronics and more. They pretty much have every electronic toy to make your son/husband/boyfriend/tech geek happy. From laptops, to GPS navigation systems, to digital cameras – CowBoom.com has it all.

What makes CowBoom standout is it features a special deal of the day. Much like Groupon or any other deal of the day website, it offers a special item at a reduced price, only available for a limited amount of time. Today, you can get a much coveted Wii (originally valued at $249) for $114.99!

I’m so glad I found this site. I’m sure I’ll be giving my brothers and dad a really awesome gift on Christmas thanks to CowBoom.

ShopGetOrganized.com is a “type A” personality’s heaven on earth! This site provides gadgets to organize everything and anything, from bedrooms and bathrooms to kitchens and closets, and more. You can even find some “As Seen on TV” products to help solve your everyday home problems. The prices are economical, making this site alluring to both adults and college students. There is usually a tab to look at the clearance items as well as the new arrivals.

You can sign up to receive weekly specials via email and web exclusives. If you cannot access the internet, no problem, one can order the catalog and place orders over the phone or by mail.

I for one am a fan!

What!? A moving website that offers mattress covers, bubble and stretch wrap, wardrobe boxes, and even a moving-guide with information about tax deductions for your move?

Why didn’t I know about this last time I moved?  Oh yeah… I was too busy scrambling around for boxes…

MoveOut.com takes out all the scramble of getting boxes.  It helps you figure out how many boxes and other packing supplies you need with its “Moving Box Calculator”.  For example, if you’re moving 6 rooms of stuff, their calculator  recommends 60 medium boxes (18×14x12), 30 large boxes (20×20x15), 330 yards of packing tape, 240 feet of bubble wrap, and 6 black markers (you always need these).

And they also offer kitchen moving boxes to handle all your dishes, plates, and your mixing gadgets — and ships these to you in a protective frame box that you can use to pack paintings and mirrors.  Most important, they offer free overnight shipping.

They great thing about MoveOut.com is that it is an uncluttered site.  If you don’t have a lot of time and need help organizing, this is the way to go.  All of their packing kits and products are located in the left column so you don’t need to scroll and search.  You can get in, get stuff, pay and get moving in just a minutes.  But if you do take the time to look around, they have lots of complete information on how to pack chairs, appliances, and whole lotta other stuff that you normally don’t think about until moving day.

For example, consider your mattress and moving on a rainy day.  Just using a mattress cover could salvage both your bed and a good night’s sleep by keeping your mattress clean and dry during a move.

And if you’re not planning on moving it all yourself, they have links to moving companies in the US and Canada.

If you’re looking to move this summer or fall, then get over to MoveOut.com.  Read over their information on how to organize your move because that’s the what makes your move run smoothly.

After all, you don’t want to be boxed in by not having enough boxes.

Millions of dollars to be claimed?

So sayeth the gift card junkies over at PlasticJungle.com, where ambitious shoppers can buy, trade or sell unwanted gift cards for pirate booty at their favorite retailers or for cold, hard cash. I love the smell of discounted  e-commerce in the morning!

The gift cards available average discounts around 15% off the card’s face value (the site claims savings of up to 3o%), with deals like a $1,000 Tiffany gift card selling for $875.  Low risk?

Considering PlasticJungle.com verifies and guarantees the balance on each card, time of delivery, etc., the risk seems relatively low.

About two seconds after landing on Booksfree.com, the similarities to Netflix were pretty obvious, and for good reason.

First, the step-by-step, visual example of the book renting process helps a new user, such as myself, get a quick overview of how the site works:

1. Create a list of books online.
2. Receive by mail, no shipping costs.
3. No late fees.
4. Return them for free and get new ones.

What is nearly mind boggling is the sheer volume of books that you have at your fingertips. For someone like myself, an avid reader, the mountain of 228,000 titles in paperback = salivating uncontrollably. Not to be dramatic, but having access to that many paperback books online and from the comfort of home is almost too guilty to be true.

Some other items worth noting:

• No due dates (and late fees as mentioned above)
• No contracts
• Free shipping both ways
• Over 28,000 titles – children’s books
• Over 30,000 titles – CD and MP3-CD audio books
• Combo rental plans if you dig a bit of both

Membership plans provide a variety of combos, something Netflix still hasn’t quite unleashed on the movie rental world. Selecting paperback books from the pricing page nets a few additional options, including number of books (lowest at 1-2) and frequency (monthly, semi-annual, annual), with the low end, books-only package starting at $10.99 per month. Higher volume readers need not fear, as an option to rent 15-20 books at a time is included.

The blatant similarities to Netflix are a big plus in my mind, considering we’re talking the same level of cost and service convenience that the top movie rental company in the world exhibits, but for books … I repeat, it’s Netflix for books.

So read as much as you like with no objections to taking your time. After all, books and free go together like peanut butter and jelly, do they not?