AE gift card, free deck furniture, half off an entree...it's Five Frugal Things!
1. I saved on a gift card from Sixth Continent.
I got a PR email from this company, which saves you money on gift cards. There's a sign-up bonus, which means that immediately after you open your account, you have enough points and credits to get a $25 gift card for $15.90.
Lisey needed some jeans from American Eagle, so I selected that gift card and got it ordered. Within a few days, it showed up and now Lisey is ready to shop!
(If you want to sign up, click on my referral link and you'll get the same immediate credits and points I did.)
2. I got free deck furniture!
You know how I was hoping to get some furniture for the deck this summer, but I didn't get around to it?
Well, that worked out nicely because my parents were buying some new furniture for their screened-in porch (they wanted something without cushions for use near the pool).
And it just so happens that their old furniture fits on our deck perfectly.
We've been able to use it just a little bit this fall, but we are looking forward to enjoying it a whole lot next year.
Thank you, parents!
3. We got a buy one, get one half off deal on a date night.
Remember the gift cards I found when I was cleaning off my desk?
Well, I happened to get an email from one of those restaurants with a buy one, get half off one entree deal too! Which made the gift cards go a little further.
Stacked discounts make for a happy Kristen.
4. Mr. FG fixed the printer.
It got a paper jam, and even after the paper was removed, the printer jam light remained lit. I tried a bajillion things suggested by internet tutorials (including shaking it upside down!), but no luck.
I was ready to give up (the printer has outlasted its estimated life already), but Mr. FG dug a little deeper and found a twisty tie down inside the printer. Once he removed it, the printer started working again.
Yay!
So, the printer lives to see another day, thanks to Mr. FG.
5. I did a little couponing at CVS.
I got a random free Sunday paper in my driveway, so I clipped some coupons, matched them with sales at CVS, and downloaded a few electronic coupons in the CVS app.
So, I got these nine items for $10, which made me happy! That's just a little over a dollar an item.
I'm not generally much of a couponer these days, since I prefer to buy most of my stuff at Aldi. But Aldi isn't an amazing spot for toiletries, so I like to keep an eye out for deals elsewhere.
That is an AMAZING deal at CVS! Life has been so crazy busy that I have put my love of couponing aside for a bit while we use down the stockpiles.. Helps save for holidays too! lol
1-Kids really needed jeans now that Ohio weather has turned.. Went to Old Navy since that is where we can best find all the different cuts/length/styles that meet their needs.. Got everyones sizing figured out.. and the line was no less than 45 people deep.. There was an amazing sale going on.. I snapped photos of the tags and went home and ordered online...The deal online was not as great.. but if I opened a CC I got my order 50% off.. and it was 3% on ebates... so I saved over $111 on jeans... I will pay that in full once everything is tried on and confirmed to be the right fit!
2-Stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few necessities after work one day.. scanned the discount wall and snagged a bunch of super low priced lunch box portioned snacks and packages of snacks... not my usual buy but priced so low worth my dollar!
3-noticed ibotta had a 10% back deal at SavALot.. not a very local store for me but there was one in the area I was traveling to.. stopped and picked up all the produce I needed for work this week( preschool snack) and then picked up a few items I needed.. Put all on one receipt and got the kickback!
4- bought pizza last week on a night I was feeling miserable from a nasty head cold... it was B1G1 free night if you carry out.. since I was dropping the girl off near there I ordered online and picked it up.. Did Larges... so supper and 2 days worth of kids(1 day for me too) lunches definitely worth the $17.25 for my convenience and fatigue!
Not soo frugal.... Daughter had try outs for winter J/O volleyball league... already knew the costs involved for the level we assumed we were going for.. Both places we tried out at pulled us aside and noted her skill level was much higher than we were looking at and were pulling for higher tier level for playing and skill.. So awesome to have this noticed.. more money of course! lolol Not sure where we are going with this.. but this is definitely an area where she IS skilled and already looking at how she could possibly use this toward scholarship planning in the future...
Traveled to Massachusetts for a week long rabbit convention and youth educational competition. Was on a tight budget but still had a lot of fun and great experiences.
1. Son needed khaki pants for interviews. Got two pairs at a local thrift store for $6 total, found $7 in the one pants pocket when I went to wash them. Yea! Also bought his dress shirts and shoes at the thrift store.
2. Booked a hotel suite for the week so we could cook in instead of eating out. Slightly more expensive than a hotel room BUT it had a big fridge, stove too, and microwave. In addition, breakfast buffet was included with tons of food, and on weeknights they had an evening social hour that had more than enough food for dinner along with beer, wine, and punch included in our room cost. Also I was able to pack our lunch everyday since we had a kitchen in our room. We ate all our meals “in” except the youth banquet at the end.
3. Was over charged on our parking pass for the week. I took the receipt to the office and got refunded the over charge.
4. Earned some free merchandise by helping with a workshop and entering a rabbit costume contest.
5. Drove our most economical vehicle as to save on gas even though our larger SUV would have fit more, lol
I had no idea rabbit conventions even existed!
I'm in the Bay State and have never heard of them!
She did say rabbit convention?
But you actually MADE money on your purchase - way to go!
Yes, there are rabbit shows just like there are dog and horse shows. The American Rabbit Breeders Association is the National club that sanctions the shows. There are local and state level shows. Our National show/convention was in Massachusetts this year. The ARBA website has videos posted. Almost 17,000 rabbits competed for Best of Show. There are also rabbit hopping competitions. Think of rabbits going over miniture versions of horse jumps. Look up rabbit hopping in YouTube. It’s so darn cute! And there were tons of educational competitions for the youth. We fulfilled many many hours of homeschool requirements preparing for and attending the competitions.
So you made money buying the pants! I love it, glad for you
1. Kohls was doing an early Black Friday sale. For 53.00, I got an outdoor Christmas coir rug, a long sleeve shirt for me, a pair of Dockers for my husband and a pair of pajama pants for him for Christmas. I still didn't reach the 50.00 so added a needed clearance oven mitt. This gave me 15.00 in Kohls cash and 5.00 in pickup cash. I'll try to spend it next week either on a needed belt for him or underwear for me.
2. We're having an outdoor train open house this weekend. We'll make popcorn in our freestanding popper, serve hot drinks and cookies. I went through my cupboard and cookie mixes bought on sale for the sweets. We never figure it up but I'm sure we don't even spend $20 for all the treats for up to 100 people.
3. We'll also have family in and one daughter's adult friends in to help. To keep everyone fed, I'll pick up bbq from a local place with a Living Social voucher. I'll also make a hash brown casserole and a large salad. Again, about 20.00 to feed about ten people with little work from me.
4. We have a large porch that is fun to decorate for the holidays. To switch it up a little this year, I was going to buy a roll of buffalo check ribbon. I remembered a friend had bought it for her son's rehearsal dinner so I texted to see if she wanted to sell it to me. She told me I could have her two rolls and fabric she bought. I offered instead of paying to take her to dinner or lunch. We met two other friends for dinner at Panera and had a lovely time. And I paid with gifted gift cards. One of which I think she gave me for helping with another son's rehearsal dinner!
5. I wrapped Christmas gifts to send to my niece's family with the grandmother. I picked up charming mother/child aprons at Ikea after Christmas last year for about 1.00 each. I got the little girls each a pair of furry Christmas socks, one at a store going out of business for .78, the other new at the thrift shop for .99. They don't expect Christmas gifts from us but occasionally, it's fun to send them down and let them open them early to use for the Christmas season.
1. I made five gallons of laundry detergent.
2. I think I'm going to get a free pressure cooker gauge, since mine broke. I contacted the company and asked for a free replacement. They said they are out of stock, and said it would be about three weeks. No mention of me needing to pay. Since the cooker is just 15-16 months old, I figured they should replace it.
3. I asked my daughter about who would get the turkey for Thanksgiving (we normally buy from a farm, but they didn't have enough turkeys to sell this year). That made her remember she had one in her freezer that she got for free in a promotion. That'll do just fine.
4. I just downloaded another $25 Swagbucks gift card to Amazon. More Christmas shopping!
5. This is my most cringe-worthy frugal item yet. Someone tossed a banana in the kitchen trash at work. It was just starting to get 3 or 4 brown speckles, and the peel was unbruised, fresh and unblemished. Yes, I took it out of the trash. It was as tightly sealed in its peel as if it had been in Tupperware. I washed it, peeled it and ate it.
I would have taken the banana as well!
I picked up an apple that had rolled under someone else's truck in a Target parking lot...it was good!
1. Had my yearly GYN appointment and a mammogram last week. Screening for two types of cancer is frugal, I think, and also good on many other levels.
2. Used up two tokens for free vacuuming at a local carwash. The tokens had been in my coupon bag for a really long time. I was vacuuming like a mad woman, trying to get as much out of the time I had as I could.
3. Working a little more. I'm enjoying the extra work and extra money. My husband and I deposit my checks into our savings account, rather than checking, so it's almost like we don't see that money and it goes right into savings.
4. One kid wasn't interested in trick-or-treating and the other cobbled together a costume, so no money spent on costumes this year. That's definitely a first since I've had kids!
5. I need some more jeans, so I put all the Goodwill half-off days on my calendar for about the next year. I'll try to make more of an effort to stop by on those days.
I used to do the same thing at Walgreens with coupons and sales and Balance Rewards. It's been awhile, might need to look into it and stock a few toiletries up! My frugal things:
Returned two shrubs I had purchased for about $53, and got three for the same price. Doing the landscaping ourselves already saves us money so that was helpful, and it will look great.
Mostly eating my lunch gratis this week as it is a special work at week and we are getting fed daily.
Dog watching for my daughter means she won't have to pay for that service in Houston - not frugal for me, but not costly as she has provided all of the stuff he needs.
Dinner tonight is grilled cheese sammies, which are both frugal and delish. I will serve with tomato soup!
Took my watches in for battery replacement at a clock repair store - $5 each. So cheap! One of them is an heirloom gift from my mother - 14kt gold - which most jewelry stores charge around $50 to replace the battery!
1.) Repaired my grandmother's stove using a small crimp connector. Unfortunately I wasn't able to buy just one or five but had to buy 20. I'm thinking of trying to sell the other 19 on eBay.
2.) My wife and I had a rare date night last night to see a silent movie with live music (I know, we're so up to date) and for dinner we stopped at a local deli/dairy/gas station thing (you kind of have to visit one to know what I mean) and the cost of a 20 oz soda was less than a 2 liter. Luckily for me I had my stainless bottle with me so we just refilled that and shared.
3) My wife and I decided we're going to scale back Christmas this year. My kid has a lot of toys already and my wife and I don't really need anything. Maybe that will take the stress out of the season.
4) Didn't give out candy and left my lights out on Halloween. Some kids still tried to knock on the door but I ignored them.
5) I don't know if this counts but we ended up opting out of the HSA at my work as it got to be less of a good deal. We instead went on my wife's insurance as a trial year. We'll see how it goes for next year.
The CVS deal sounds pretty awesome! I'm not that much of a couponer either since it's so time-consuming, and it just makes me feel so anxious and depressed to look up all the coupons for everything that I need.
I also love it when the hubby fixes stuff around the house to save money hehe.
I'm not a big couponer either...just occasionally!
I might not have quite 5, but here goes with what I can remember from this week...
1. I got a job out of the way that I don't enjoy...I mended several pair of barn jeans, and Jim's coveralls!
2. I fixed my dryer!! The belt was worn and the drum wouldn't start spinning until I would take out half of the wet load. I bought the replacement belt on Amazon (got free shipping because I combined some items!). Total cost was $6.00 for the belt. Actually $5.65 after I subtracted the .35 that I found in the lint trap! I got free advice from our local appliance store! They seem to have the mind set that happy customers are repeat customers, and it works for me!!
3. I drove PAST the new coffee shop, and went home and made coffee for myself, also forfeiting the donut that I really didn't need!
I've have a question--perhaps you could address in a future post. I've noticed that you shop quite a bit at CVS/Walgreens. I avoid those places like the plague because I feel they are so overpriced compared to Wal-mart, for example. I'm curious about your rationale since it doesn't seem very frugal. I understand that if you know how to "work the CVS system", it may be more frugal, but I also feel like things are so overpriced in the first place or you have to buy things you may not need (often in large quantities) in order to get the deal, which makes it feel very "unfrugal" to me in the long run. Please don't misunderstand-I'm not criticizing! I'm just genuinely curious about your why! And I'm confident you have a good reason! 🙂
In general, yes, I totally agree with you. I try hard not to buy anything at those places unless it's on a seriously good deal because my goodness, their everyday prices are crazy high!
In this case, I got each item for a little over a dollar, which is less than I would pay at any other store.
But it's not like I think, "Oh, these would have cost me $36, but I got them for $10, so I saved $26." No, I saved much less than that, because I'd never have paid the original prices! I'm looking at how much I'm spending, not how much I'm saving.
Anyway. I only think it's worth it to shop those places if you can beat the everyday low prices somewhere else.
Jen, one great thing about CVS is the coupons they constantly send. I'm always getting coupons in the mail (or via email) for anywhere from 15% off to 40% off (either off one item or off the whole purchase). In the 40% off range, that definitely makes the price comparable to WalMart (probably not Aldi, but Aldi doesn't sell the toiletries I use). And if you happen to have a manufacturer's coupon, that makes the deal even better. I limit my purchases at CVS to those kinds of deals, because you're right--the regular, non-sale, non-coupon prices are pretty outrageous.
Oh, yeah, I totally forgot to mention the Extra Bucks! That's also a great perk, especially when you combine the store coupon, the manufacturer coupon, and the EBs. And, as others have said, sometimes it's not worth it to slog to Walmart for one or two items. I love, love, love WalMart's prices...but I definitely have to be in the right mood to shop there.
Regarding Walgreen's or CVS... one thing I look at is my time. While something might be a bit pricier there, is it closer than driving to Wal-mart, etc. I certainly don't buy everything on my list there, but I will grab one or two things when going elsewhere would take longer.
I agree sometimes the difference in price isn't worth my time or energy to hit a bigger store just to save a buck.
Just chiming in on CVS -- yup, I only go when I know there is a specific deal that matches my ECB's. Plus they are always sending me 2 and 3 dollar ECBs to use within a certain time period. I don't always use them -- what? free money??? -- becasue yes, they are more expensive, but for featured sale items it can really pay off. For Halloween, I had 5 ECB's, plus a 40% off coupon. Paired with a BOGO of twizzlers for $4.99, I was able to buy plenty of candy for a couple bucks.
I guess it's like any other purchase -- you go for the loss leaders, use coupons if you happen to have them, and know your prices.
THIS! You are not going to CVS for the 1 item.. you are there for the loss leaders, the items that you can stack with deals and the CVS xtra bucks. Same with Walgreens and Rite Aid. I have also found some of the best clearance deals at these stores.. I was recently doing a quick browse at Walgreens to pick up that 1 item.. quick aisle scan for clearance tags.. their brand dishwasher pellets were marked down severely..the label said they were like the Finish Brand which is the one I need to use for my machine.. I bought 1 box.. opened it that night and used a pellet.. worked great!!! I went the next morning before work and cleared the shelf.. set for months.. for less than 7 bucks!
Love this! You gotta love freebies and coupons. 🙂 I especially love it when someone is giving away the exact item you've been wanting. Things work out!
This week:
1. Today for lunch I'm using a coupon for a free food item. It's from a gas station, but I'm not one to snub free food!
2. I used a coupon for Tiff's Treats to send a small thank-you gift to a family member for pet-sitting.
3. We weren't super frugal over the weekend. We took a lovely trip to Denver, where we spent, spent, spent. We did try to prioritize experiences, though, and I'm glad we went. I'm still exhausted!
4. While traveling we did take our own water bottles and snacks to save money.
5. I also earned a 10% off coupon for Lyft thanks to my good rating. It pays to be nice to people!
1. We started using You Need a Budget. Game-changer. I don't think there's any revolutionary there (it's basically the envelope system), but for whatever reason the system really clicked with me.
2. I used $10 in Carter's cash that was about to expire on a pair of shoes that was 50% off already for shoes my youngest actually needed. I tend to not use store "cash" wisely. I either forget to use it and then I need something and it expired, or I feel like I have to use it and buy stuff I didn't actually need or even want.
3. I fixed our vacuum! I am not at all handy, but I got a Bissell AirRam a few months ago that I love enough that I was willing to watch some videos online, figure out what went wrong, take it apart, fix the problem, and get it back together again.
We ate at a place that has a "pick two" for $7.50, so we each ate one of our two items and had the other for a meal at home. We also ate at another place and each took half our lunch home for another lunch.
We had a $10 reward coupon that we used to buy some specialized storage containers that we needed.
I have started wearing more expensive shoes that offer more arch support - found a sale, plus buy one get a second for $20. So I got two pairs of shoes for about the cost of one pair. With proper care, they will last for years.
I got a $60 denim jacket on clearance for $5.40. But I also had a little bit left on a gift card, so ended up paying $1.06 out of pocket.
My weekend helping my friend will be about $250 total:
- $235 for the flight, including all the benefits: last seating priority, minimal carry-on with no checked luggage, and food will cost a fortune. I don't care. There are no middle seats on the aircraft; I can sit next to the lav for a couple of hours; I'll need only a backpack (their church is casual dress); and I'll bring my own snacks.
- A friend agreed to drive me to the airport, so no transport or parking costs.
- My friend arranged his work flights to match mine so no ground transport costs at my destination.
- We may eat out once while I'm there. My friends probably will pay for it but if not, that's maybe $15.
- I ~think~ the miles from this trip will give me enough miles for a free flight.
1. I noticed the other day how much I've cut little trips to Rally's or for pizza since I'm not pregnant anymore. Ha! 🙂
2. I got boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for 99 cents per pound. Ended up with about 30 pounds of chicken coming home in my van! But I cooked 10 pounds right away in the Crock-Pot and shredded half of it, which has been either consumed or frozen.
3. Made yogurt yesterday.
4. I'm wearing a body shape today. I'm going to call this frugal because (as I'm losing the baby weight) I don't have a ton of pants that fit great right now and don't want to buy more, but with my body shaper I can fit into a pair or two that I couldn't on my own and it makes it so I don't have to buy more pants in the bigger size.
5. Tonight we're going out to eat with my brother and he's contributing a $40 gift card. I'm sticking to a burger to keep it cheap so hopefully we can squeeze everyone in on the $40.
Ah, that post-baby time! So hard to make your wardrobe work. Hang in there!
Just regarding shapewear in general I saw a tip on you tube ages ago to buy shapewear larger than you need so it still smooths you out but is actually comfortable to wear - I did this with a brand that comes as a longish cami that has no compression in the bust or on the lower edge so it doesn't roll up either and it works great
1. Did some thrift shopping for Christmas presents and pants for my son- was able to find 2 pairs of pants and the Polar Express DVD for him
2. Spent $70 on groceries this week (for 2 adults (1 pregnant) and a 4 year old)- this included 25 lbs of dried black beans and a ridiculous amount of fresh winter squash, both of which will last us a long time
3. Making and eating all meals at home this week
4. Used up some older apples to make a ton of apple sauce for my son
5. Was given 5 huge pumpkins for free- so I plan to make those into puree, roast the pumpkin seeds, and try to make pumpkin butter
This was a really good 5 Frugal Things Kristen, each one was practical!
1. Went to a thrift store and bought some zipper bags, a belt and a couch that was on sale ($90 something). It's in great shape, pulls out into a bed, and I found a penny in it!
2. My kids and I have been finding lots of money lately. Mostly from walks and our trip to the car wash, my kids found 2 quarters plus some other coins there.
3. Made an interesting noodle meal for lunch using chicken bones in the freezer, a can of beans and some veggies from the freezer.
4. We've been enjoying getting exercise at the many free parks around town.
5. I did a couple of things to earn some points at my reader rewards, earning some swagbucks everyday, I have over a dollar on ibotta credit and now we have $11 credit at the consignment store.
1). We were suppose to go away overnight last weekend, we decided to make it a really long day trip to avoid paying for a hotel.
2). Cooking slightly more food most nights in order to have left overs on a busy nights and avoid takeout.
3) I recently went back to work and am trying to be as creative as possible with what is in my closet to wear to the office.
4) We are considering a cleaning service now that we are both working full time but decided to hold off a few months and see if we can work as a family for a few hours each weekend to get the house cleaned.
5) Returned a shirt to Kohl’s that I decided I didn’t love and didn’t think it was great quality.
Not the most frugal week but we are trying 🙂 Congrats on the furniture and the printer!
1. Ate most meals in but faltered on Wednesday last after canvassing for my candidate -- Husband brought in Chipotle. Did take leftover for lunch the next day.
2. After canvassing Sunday morning, I succumbed to the siren call of McD's 6 dollar meal (including a pumpkin pie!). When my husband requested Pollo Loco that night, I virtuously made myself a cheese sandwich while he ate his tostada
3. Returned library books to avoid the fine.
4. Am bugging VONS markets to pony up my 2 reward points already. Earned them by spending $40 or more in one shopping (which I needed to do since we have been eating the frig and pantry). Have emailed twice and will call tomorrow.
5. NOT FRUGAL -- shower faucet broken just as I was emerging, Venus-like, from the shower. Husband bought the new faucet but we needed the plumber to install.
1. I swung by Marshalls to pick up doggie waste bags as I was running low and they have the best prices in our area. The only package I could find in the entire store was a clearances pack of pink bags with unicorns on them. It's a good thing my hubby isn't afraid to use pink doggie doo bags. Plus...they were only $4 for over 300 bags which is a great price.
2. Working on creating a bed spread for our new bed. We just bought our first home and the master is large enough to fit a king size bed. (We have been using a queen for several years) so I am going to use my fabric stash to sew my own bed spread!!
3. Traded $50 worth of ibotta for an Amazon gift card. Used it towards purchasing joint supplements for our senior dog as well as a posture corrector that has been recommended to me by my chiropractor. Nice to not have to pay out of pocket for needed items.
I really like your new deck furniture! What do you do with it when it rains or during the winter?
So, our current plan is to just store the cushions inside in the laundry room. I mean, technically they're outdoor cushions, but usually those things don't last that long in the rain and sun!
I, too, fixed a vacuum cleaner today. I want to know which idiot thought shards of broken mirror and stalks should be sucked up. Most of our meals have been eaten at home. I can't remember anything that spelled more savings.
Hi Kristen, I joined sixth continent through your link & did that amazon GC deal & it went through just fine but I just got an email saying they refunded my purchase of the GC & I didn't request it. Isn't that kind of strange? I really liked that deal.
Hi Barbara,
I'm Ruby, the Customer Service Manager for SixthContinent. I wrote you an email reply yesterday.
Please check it and for any other questions at all, please let me know!
I feel like I've needed to spend a lot lately so don't feel that frugal but..
1. did get a small discount & free delivery on a new fridge/freezer & i picked one that was white not pretty stainless steel as it was $200 cheaper, with a good energy rating & I got a bottom mount freezer as I don't need a big fridge space but I do like to freeze things.
2. A plumbing leak that looked like it would be really bad expensive turned out to be quick to fix & not expensive - yay!
3. I carefully checked my tax refund info & found a miscalculation on what I had paid in advance so I will call them & I have my receipt so should get more back - so glad I learned to check receipts!
4. Went to went shopping & was really intentional & bought only those items I've been looking out for
5. Frugal fail - bought chocolate on sale I don't need (but I do...)