This site’s main goal is simple: Expand people’s vocabulary while feeding the world.

If you can simply take less than 5 minutes of your time and at least do a couple of rounds of vocabulary quizzes, who knows, you might save a person from hunger with a bowl of rice. And it’s fun, and a bit addicting.

Not only will this help to save people’s lives, but this can help you with the SAT’s, ACT’s and other exams that require a large vocabulary. I even learned some new vocabulary because of this site.

Keeping it simple: Go to Free Rice do the quizzes and help people in need of a bowl of rice.

The FreeRice site is legit. According to Snopes.com, the reason that the game exists is because the sponsors for the site pay on a click-by-click basis, so the more times you click, the more money comes in from all the sponsors. That’s what gets used to buy the rice.

FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program. Their partner is the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

FreeRice has two goals:

1. Provide education to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the generosity of the sponsors who advertise on this site.

Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your education can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.

Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide.

Related posts:

1. FREE Gift Certificates from Restaurant.com – Feed It Forward
2. Brain Fitness Games Improve Memory
3. 9 Simple Ways to Suppress Hunger

To summarize my Get Into The Coupon Game: Clip, Organize, & Save! blog, I talked about putting together a coupon binder as well as cutting and organizing coupons. We are ready to move on to the next step.

On Wednesday mornings, I pull all the grocery ads from the newspaper (there are usually coupons included). If you don’t get the newspaper, you can ask to be placed on the mailing list for all the grocery stores–most will be happy to mail you a weekly ad. I go through each ad and write down their best deals for the week. All of the stores lower their prices on certain items to pull you into their store, and we want to take advantage of them.

After I have gone through the ads, I prepare my weekly menu and grocery list based on the sales and what’s in season. Watch for future blogs on menu and recipe ideas. Take advantage of seasonal buys. During November, I stock up on turkey, which can be as little as $5.00. After Christmas, the hams go on sale–Carol and I bought several at 75% off last year and froze them.

Carol and I use a service called “The Grocery Game”. For a small charge, you receive a list every Sunday to a grocery store of your choice (I choose the one that doubles coupons). The list indicates anything in black as being on sale, but not at the lowest prices. Anything in blue is on sale at the lowest prices of the season and recommends that we use our coupons. Anything in green is free when you use the listed coupon. So you can see how valuable this tool can be and I believe it to be worth every penny! I encourage you to visit the website for more information.

Sunday is here and I am armed with my list of sales items, grocery list and “The Grocery Game” list. I now start pulling coupons and paperclip them to the appropriate list–see the picture below for a visual. Since “The Grocery Game” list is available Sunday morning when coupons are published, you have Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to shop before the new ads come out Wednesday morning.

Monday morning, I am organized and ready to shop with my lists, coupons and my reusable shopping bags. I start with the store the furthest away from me and work my way back towards home. Because I am organized, it does not take me long to run through all the stores on my list. I also map out any errands I have to make sure that I am not doubling back and wasting gas.

Don’t forget to take your coupon binder with you into every grocery store. You never know when there may be an unadvertised special or something clearanced that you may have a coupon for. Watch very closely as they ring you up; there are mistakes made and it is your job to catch them. I never leave the store without taking a look at my receipt. If I find a mistake, I make sure they correct it before I leave. Remember, we are trying to hang on to our money, not give it away!

I use to be a brand snob, using only certain brands because I thought they were better–that is not true in most cases. Don’t be afraid to try something new in a different brand (especially with a coupon) or try the store or generic brands. There is not that big of a difference, if any. Also, most stores have a section for outdated food or day old bread–don’t forget to check it out. Many times it is only a day or two past the expiration date, but still perfectly good food.

When I get home with the groceries, everyone wants to know how much I spent–even my husband is proud of me knowing how much I can save when buying groceries. And of course, on my best shopping days, I have to phone my friends and brag about my latest steal. I pat myself on the back and start plotting my next trip to the grocery store.

If you have never used coupons, it is time to get in the game. If you use coupons, share some of your tips and ideas with us. As much as we think we know, we can always learn more! Happy Shopping!

Related posts:

1. Get Into The Coupon Game: Clip, Organize, & Save!
2. Organize Your Grocery Shopping Day
3. Remember those Restaurant, Service, and Store Coupons!

Clip those Coupons! You hear about it everywhere, you see people at the checkout in the grocery stores with their coupons, but you figure it is not worth your time and the headache of cutting coupons. Besides, they can’t be saving enough money to really make a difference! That’s exactly what I thought a few years ago. I had a young family and I worked; where would I find the time to cut and organize coupons? If only I knew then, what I know now.

I have always been frugal and watched every dime. But I was missing out on huge savings and the excitement and challenge of coupon shopping. Yes, it does take a little of your time, but it is worth it!  We all shop a little differently and therefore can learn from one another.  Let me share with you my method.

I am a little obsessed with organization, so I can’t begin anything without a plan of attack. I searched around the house until I found an old 8″ x 11″ three ring binder that zips closed (save money by using what you already have). I made a trip to the office supply store and searched for the perfect inserts for the coupons. I found a box of 24 multi-colored flexible CD holders–perfect for what I needed and cheap!!

I started by punching holes at the bottom of the CD holders ( I will now call them coupon holders) and alternating them in the binder. Take a piece of tape and cover the rings so that the coupon holders will not slip through the rings when your notebook gets full. Notice the picture I included as a visual. I used file labels that I already had and labeled the coupon holders as follows:

• Grocery Store Coupons
• Rebates
• Household Cleaners
• Misc. Household Items/Batteries
• Paper Products/Baggies/Foil
• Beauty Products/Lotions
• Soap/Body Washes
• Laundry Products
• Dishwashing/Dish Soaps
• Deodorant/Shaving Products
• Health Products
• Hair Products
• Teeth/Mouth Products
• Peanut Butter/Jellies/Syrups
• Seasonings/Flour/Sugars
• Baking Products/Oils
• Cookies/Pies/Jello
• Canned Goods/Soups/Pickles
• Chips/Nuts/Snacks
• Rice/Pasta
• Breads/Crackers
• Ice Cream
• Candy/Health Bars
• Meat/Fish/Poultry
• Frozen/Misc. Foods
• Dairy/Cheeses
• Condiments/Dressings
• Sauces/Salsas
• Beverages/Coffee/Water
• Cereal
• Fruits/Veggies
• Dog Food

This system works well for me, but you may want to change it a little to suit your shopping preferences.

My husband subscribes to two newspapers, so on Sunday we end up with three newspapers, that gives me 3 sets of coupons. You can buy extra papers just for the coupons or ask family and friends for theirs if they don’t use them. Sunday is my big coupon day, so I cut and organize to be ready to shop on Monday. I cut everything out even if I don’t think I will use them. You never know when an item might be free with a good sale AND coupon.

I have tried a couple of methods of organization. You can file the coupons (uncut) in a file folder dated for each Sunday, then pull and cut when you need them. This method didn’t work for me. I like to have them cut and ready to go. I put the like sheets together and cut all three at the same time. I organize them into piles according to my list above and then add them to the coupon holders. There will be a few coupons that are large in size, I just fold them in half to fit into the coupon holder.

Before I place the new coupons into the holders, I check the old ones for expiration dates. Toss the ones that have expired and remove the ones that are about to expire. You will want to take advantage of these coupons, especially if they are for an item you use frequently or if it is a $1.00 or more off coupon or a free coupon. Not all are worth using just because they are expiring. You want to use them in conjunction with a good sale to maximize your savings.

I will stop here to allow you some time to get yourself organized and your coupon binder or system set up. Watch for my blog on Get Into the Coupon Game – Part 2 where I will continue sharing my shopping methods and tips. In my opinion cutting and organizing the coupons is the most time consuming aspect–everything after that is the fun part! Stay with me, it’s worth it!!

Related posts:

1. Get Into the Grocery Coupon Game–Part Two
2. Remember those Restaurant, Service, and Store Coupons!
3. Organize Your Grocery Shopping Day