Hi and welcome to Homemade Bread!

I was inspired to start this blog by some bloggers at Entrecard. I came across a number of sites while making drops that are all about money - some about making it and some about saving it. I read a number of them talk about great programs out there where they have made X amount of dollars/pounds per month and frankly, I want in on some of that action!

I read a number of other blogs (pre-Entrecard) that have money-saving tips, as well. There is  a can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-it feeling that there is something that is missing from those blogs, though.

Since my husband lost his job last July, things have been crazy tight. Luckily he is back to work now, but I would like to contribute in any way that I can so that - Heaven forbid this happens to us again in the future - we have some other sources of income.

My husband and I are blessed to have this amazing financial chemistry between us. We are very like-minded about when and where it needs to go and very honest about our spending strengths and weaknesses.

That said, we have absolutely no savings at this point. This is something we both hope to change - and soon!

We spent the last two years eliminating our debt. The only debt that remains are school loans which are currently deferred, as I am unemployed and he is currently still in school. Now is the time for us to focus on saving a chunk for rainy days that are certain to come.

I am personally not very good at saving money. But in my defense, I am very good at spending it pretty wisely. I am an old-school bargain hunter. And I can be pretty frugal, too: I am not opposed to recycled furniture or clothing, cloth napkins, homemade laundry soap, and a number of other ways to save a buck. I’m proud to say that many of these alternatives are also very good for the environment!

So this blog gives me a place to be accountable for my money habits, as well as hopefully being a new source of income for my family.

In the weeks to come, I will talk about a lot of things. Here’s a sneak-peek:

1. Checking out some money-making programs online. I’ve spent the better part of the past few days checking them out, joining and even earning. I’ll go over the better (read: better paying) ones.
2. Freebies sites and blogs. Where and how I have gotten some really great, legitimate freebies that don’t spam up my inbox.
3. Saving time and money at the grocery store. Clipping coupons is a good way to save money, but it’s a real time-suck. I’ll talk about some decent alternatives.
4. Evaluating Freecycle, Cheapcycle and Craiglist. These sites have boomed over the past couple of years. Are you taking advantage of them? Should you?
5. Save money at the pump. The price of gas is causing a lot of families to crunch their budget even tighter. Some tips to help you get more for your money.

I hope you will tune in by subscribing to my feed!

Finally, I would like my readers to know that

• *I run a very strict No-Follow FREE (I DO Follow!) blog: if you leave a comment with a link to your site, it will follow back to your site.
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• *If you write your own money-making or money-saving blog, I’d love to link you in my Blogroll and perhaps feature you as a guest writer. Please send me an email with your interest to my email address:
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Best wishes to you in your financial endeavors!

-tata