2009 was a great year for Inexpensively. I’d like to take this time to thank our loyal readers, especially the FeedIndy community that has been with us for the last several years. We have moved from Indy-local to a nationwide network of frugal bloggers. While I still enjoy keeping it local at Indiana Inexpensively, I am so grateful to Team Inexpensively for giving us the chance to provide the same great deals & offers for other states.
I have enjoyed working with each of you and look forward to a great 2010. As we move into our first full year at Inexpensively, I want to share the best of Inexpensively, 2009. The year saw several great deals (including the return of triple coupons for us here in Indy!) but it was also full of great frugal tips to help you save money all year:
- What’s In Your Pantry: A well-stocked pantry is essential to quick & easy cooking at home. Money Saving Mom and FishMama have taken this concept a step further, challenging you to eat from your pantry all next month. After a very busy month, I don’t have the stock to join in, but it has encouraged me to take a look at what I have and get a little more creative.
- Save on Medical Bills: When I asked our Facebook community where they wished they could save more money, medical bills was one of the fast answers. This post shares a few of my quick tips for reducing medical costs.
- Finding Freebies: We launched Freebie Friday after a Fox59 segment about online freebies. The original Finding Freebies article is a great place to start your search to get something for nothing!
- Weekday Lunch Savings: In an effort to reduce our expenses, the hubby has been taking his lunch to work for quite some time. This article shares my tips for making it easier.
- Tips on Meal Planning: Before she joined our team, Katie at Frugal Femina shared her best tips & resources for menu planning at home.
- 5 Tips to Save Money When Packing Your Lunch Another guest post turned team member, Queen of Free shared 5 great ideas for saving even more money on packed lunches.
- Ethical Couponing: A string of fake coupons and fraud issues spurred me to write this article. I posted a few quick tips for using coupons responsibly.
- Back to School Clothes: Originally written for Back to School season, this article details my family’s process for sorting through seasonal clothing. We go through this system at the end of each season to see what still works, what we need and what can be donated.
- Fine Dining on a Fast Food Budget: This is one of my favorite articles of the year! Inspired by the foodie panel at Blog Indiana, I showcased how you can enjoy great meals while still being frugal. Learning to lower your budget, without lowering your standards is the real trick of frugality.
- Utility Savings at Home: This 4-part series will help you lower your monthly budget, without giving up anything! I shared my tricks for reducing costs on electric, phone and cable.
- Kids Eat Free Resources: When you know when & where kids eat free, family dining on a budget is easy! I’ve compiled a list of my favorite resources.
- Growing Up Baby (Products): After meeting the J&J crew at BlogHer, I was thrilled to win a doll-sized shopping cart full of Johnson’s baby products. Of course, my “baby” just turned four so I was most excited to find a list of grown-up uses.
- Charitable Gift Baskets: Renae from Madame Deals has a great idea for how to help charities with all the freebies & CVS deals you find!
- Facebook: The Newest Coupon Source: Shannon at For the Mommas tells us how to take advantage of Facebook to save money on your favorite products. The coupons offered on Facebook are often almost too good to be true!
- Shopping Etiquette: After a harrowing day at the grocery store, I wrote this article in hopes of convincing the world to follow the same basic rules. Go right, people, go right!
- How to Verify a Coupon: Lisa at Savings with Sadie has a great way to verify the validity of printed coupons. Internet coupons are a great way to save extra money, but it’s important to be sure they are from a verified source.
- Resuable Bags Coupon Organization: I’ve shared a variety of ways to store coupons over the years. In this article, I combine my love of all things green with keeping myself organized at the store.
- Creating a Grocery Budget: Melissa at The Sassy Saver provides tips on establishing a grocery budget. Check out her ambitious goal!
- Fashion Fun on Limited Funds: Amee from Madame Deals bestows her fashion expertise in this great piece. Check out her tips for putting together fabulous outfits on a budget.
- Countdown to Christmas: I hope you enjoyed our holiday countdown as much as I did! In case you missed it, check out the great ideas from guest authors and our team so you’ll be ready for next year.
If you have a year end round-up on your own blog, I’d love to see it! Link up your favorite posts from 2009 below:
