Frugal Friday ~ This Week's Best Deals

So this week was a busy one, getting kids back to school and trying to re-organize my house after complete chaos! But I did manage to get a few deals in! Here is what I did this week to save money:

Walgreens had some HOT HOT deals this week, check out what I got HERE!

Christmas decor was 80% off at Hobby Lobby and went to 90% at Target and I managed to find a few good deals to pack away in the boxes. But I also found items like scotch tape and toys at Target that were 90% off that was in the decor. SCORE!

I returned a few items. Before Christmas, Brian bought some storage totes that we thought we would utilize around the house. Well, they were pretty expensive totes and we only used 1 so luckily we had saved the receipt and I ended up getting back almost $20. While this seems like a silly way to save money, keeping receipts and returning items before the allotted time period really helps save money for anything that does by chance need to be returned! I also had to return a movie I got for my kids for Christmas that luckily, I hadn't given them yet when they had opened that same movie from Grandma.

Thanks to my dad, I didn't have to buy any wood this week, well for at least a couple weeks! I don't really know how much wood is in other locations but here it is pretty expensive and the stuff you buy is pretty dry so it burns fast. Luckily, he had cut down an excessive amount so we were able to get some wood.

Free Redbox movie Monday. If you aren't on the Redbox Text list, make sure you sign up here to get a free movie once a month!

We didn't eat out at all! By eating at home this week and last week, we saved a lot of money.

How did you save money this week? Please share in the comments below!

12/31 Frugal Friday: Super Savings with After Christmas Sales

I'd love to hear what Super Savings you guys had this week. What is your best money saving story or stories this week? What did you save on?
Did you get any freebies in your mailbox? Feel free to leave a comment and if you have a blog, leave a link!

I've had a pretty mellow week since the kids are on break still and we've been doing a lot together.

This week I saved:

@ Kohls This week my best saves were using my Kohls Cash with the 20% off to get a pair of $60 Converse for only $7!

@ Goodwill I found a Ski/Snow Jumpsuit for $7.99

@ Target I grabbed a few goodies from the dollar section that were half off.

@ Fry's I got some free items such as soaps, coffee creamer and more using coupons.

@ Claire's I got 10 items for $10

@ Magazines.com I had a gift certificate emailed to me for $5 to make a magazine subscription only a few bucks! I get these emailed to me pretty frequently and used them over the course of Christmas for free-cheap gifts. If you shop through them, make sure you shop through Ebates.com for 26% cash back!

The Baby Phat deal was a bust so that doesn't make the cut this week!

Believe it or not I haven't been to Walgreens or CVS to do any deals there this week!

Mailbox Freebies:

It was a pretty slow week for me but I got the Breathe Right Strips, Excedrin Coupon, Purina Cat Food and a Starbucks Sample.

I also got a bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener by being a Purex Insider. This stuff smells heavenly, the scent seems to last a long time and there is no mess!

Frugal Friday: Using Elmer's and X-Acto to Create a "Boo" Box!

I recently received some Elmer's and XActo Craft Goodies to try from Bzz Agent. I like that these products are easy to use and paper crafting friendly (I.E. Acid Free, clear etc).
When I received my items, I knew I wanted to try this on a Halloween craft. I liked the assortment that Elmer's has as well so I could use the different adhesives on the different materials.

Are you a crafter? Join Elmers Craft Group HERE!
Be sure to also stay up to date with the latest Elmer's products on their Facebook Page!

You can pick up crafting items from Elmer's/Xacto from Walmart. Print coupons for Elmer's Craft Products:
http://www.elmers.com/about/special-offers

Have you ever been "Boo'ed"? It is where you anonymously drop off a gift of goodies to a co-worker, friend or neighbor and include a cute message for them to do the same! It's a really great project to get kids involved or just do yourself. This week I made a Boo Box out of a Beverage Box (you can use a beer box, soda box etc).

I took a beverage box that had background colors that would match my theme.

I laid the box on the side on top of my paper so I could get an accurate measurement of how big my background paper needed to me. I then took an Xacto knife to it and cleaned up the edges with my paper trimmer.

After measuring, I folded the box flat (be sure not to cut the box as it has to be put back together).

I cut the top of my paper with my decorative scissors. I used the craft bond glue stick originally but it did not stick to the cardboard that well so I switched to the glue pen.


After gluing the background on the box, I then decorated the outside with some stamps, ribbon and stickers.


I used the Pop Up dots to give my "BOO" a little 3D dimension. I also rounded the corners with my corner rounder which was easy to use.

After the two larger sides were done, I had to tape the bottom of the box (I used a decorative packaging tape) to keep the box sturdy before doing the smaller sides.

I decorated the handle with "fibers" and placed candy inside.

Here is my "Boo" box!



When I am ready to give this out, I will print this out and include in the box:

The air is cool, the season fall,
Soon Halloween will come to all.

Ghosts and goblins, spooks galore...
Tricky witches at your door.

The spooks are after things to do,
In fact a spook brought this "Boo" to you!

The excitement comes when friends like you,
Copy this note and make it two.

We'll all have smiles upon our faces,
No one will know who "BOO"ed who's places!

Just two short days to work your spell,
Keep it secret, hide it well.

Please join the fun, the seasons here .
Just spread these "BOO's" and Halloween cheer.

Include a sheet of paper that says:

You have been BOOED! Please keep it going by following these directions:

1. Enjoy your treat.
2. Place the BOO sign on your front door, visible in a window or on your desk.
   
3. Within 2 days, make 2 copies of this note, make 2 treats & 2 BOO sign.
4. Secretly deliver to 2 neighbors/friends without a BOO.
5. Keep an eye on nearby front doors or desks to see how far and fast it spreads by Halloween.

*I found this poem at About.com


* I received these products from Elmer's items from Bzz Agent. All opinions are my own and this project was my idea.

Make Some Holiday Cash!

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com



It's easy to find ourselves overwhelmed with the economic times especially at this time of the year. Over the years, I have always found ways to increase our holiday income.

Here are a few ideas I wanted to share with you

1. Cleaning House:
We all collect items whether it is intentional or not. Our kids outgrow toys and clothes and we lose interest in things too, not to mention sometimes put on a few pounds or even lose a few.
~Sell your unwanted items on Ebay. Did you know you can list up to 5 items per month for FREE?! November is a prime month to sell because of Christmas shopping so it increases your item of selling at a price you prefer.
~Sell your items at a consignment store. There are stores that will buy your unwanted items for a price and there are stores that you can sell your items through. It leaves you with the easy work and you pay them a small fee.
~Have a yard sale. It's perfect timing for a yard sale with the cooler weather (hopefully unless you are living where it is currently snowing).
~Use a free online local listing service such as Craigslist. It's easy and free, just remember to be aware of scammers and always meet in a public place if possible.
~Join a local group such as a moms group. I love the moms @ Phoenixmommies.com and they have a forum just for selling items. It's easy to use, no fees and who better to sell to then your online friends! Check to find a local moms group near you by going to http://www.mommiesnetwork.com/

2. Get in touch with your creative side:
Do you have a knack for cooking the best cookies? Can you crochet cute baby blankets? Sell items not only relating to Christmas but something that appeals all year round. Think about it, we are all busy busy busy especially this time of year and Everyone is looking to "lessen the stress" during the holiday season. I sell home baked goods to people at work, friends and in my online mommy group.
~Some holiday items are "Gifts in Jars", write Santa Letters, make Christmas cards, make holiday candy etc.
~ Take in consideration your time and what it cost to buy your supplies. Search the internet and find out how much people are selling their crafted items for. A good place to start is http://www.etsy.com/ and Ebay, do your research and you can sell your items online. For home baked goods, I reccommend doing it locally. Bring in samples to work or to a playdate. This works not only for me to sell, but I love networking with other moms and fellow employees that can help spread the word and it gets me an opportunity to see what other people are selling too!
~Search for Vendor Fairs, they are all over during the holidays and are open to many services and merchandise.

3. Offer a service to others:
As mentioned above, people are extremely busy during this time of year. Offer services such as baby sitting, house cleaning, holiday decorating or gift wrapping. Everyone needs a little help at Christmas time.

4. Have you checked out Swagbucks?
I've mentioned them before but this is a great way to get things for FREE for Christmas and beyond! All you do is search via their search engine and earn "swag bucks" that go into your account. I've gotten 3 Amazon gift cards thus far!

5. Find a seasonal retail job:
The retail shops hire specifically for holiday help during this busy season.

With whatever you decide to do to make money be sure to be genuine, honest and true to yourself.

This is for Frugal Friday @
be sure to check out this blog for other Frugal Friday ideas!

Frugal Friday ~ Christmas Shopping and Gifts Frugally Speaking

Check out other frugal ideas at http://www.lifeasmom.com/2009/10/frugal-friday-check-your-receipt-and.html

I usually get my Christmas shopping done before the holiday season and at a pretty frugal price too. Below I share my tips, enjoy!

Shop through out the year:
Clearance toys can be sought out after summer when stores are preparing for the Holiday toys and after winter when the stores are clearancing out those Holidays toys that did not sell. Not only do I stock up for Christmas throughout the year, I stock up for birthdays as well. Not only do I stockpile toys for my children, with two kids in school, they are constanly invited to birthday parties. Some places where I have scored some great deals are the Target Dollar Spots when they turn over the merchandise and clearance it at 75% off, Walgreens and CVS when they get rid of their summer items and Walmart and Target when they get ready for the holidays.

Using The Stockpile:
If you coupon, you are probably like me with toothpaste overflowing and have airfresheners in every single room. It's nice to be able to give those freebies as a gift. Every year, members of my family can expect to receive a "care package" as a gift. It includes stuff that I have gotten through the year such as air fresheners, toothpaste, tooth brushes, cold meds, soaps, shampoos, food items etc. It may sound cheesy but people love these because it's actually stuff they use and they don't have to buy it! Who says no to free stuff? Dazzle it up with a nice basket from a thrift store or just put it in a really nice gift bag.

Look Online:
There are always many deals to be had online. Check out websites such as http://www.slickdeals.net/ where you can find the hot online deals everyone is talking about. Check out sites such as http://www.retailmenot.com/ for coupon codes to use online. Also check out sites such as Cashbaq.com and Ebates.com to get rebates for shopping online. Also use sites such as www.swagbucks.com to earn prizes such as giftcards.

Shop Thrifty:

Sometimes you can find new or like new items at Thrift Stores for a fraction of the original retail price. Some items I get are picture frames, books, purses and household items. Call your local store to find out when they put out their items to ensure you can get first grab ;-) You can also make something from old to new again or into something else out of your thrift store find.

Frugal Gifts:

Another item my family can expect to receive every year is a framed picture of my children. With the picture frames I acquire at the thrift stores, this is a fairly cheap gift. Walgreens has a deal where they

Gifts in a Jar : Check out this site for some great ideas http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/index.shtml

Homemade Gift Baskets:

Earlier I referenced making gift baskets from my stockpile to give as gifts. Try to make it creative, example:

Movie Gift Basket: The rental stores such as Blockbuster and Hollywood Video are always clearancing out their movies from $5.00 to $10.00 for a previewed move. Pair one of those movies with a couple cans of soda, microwave popcorn and candy from your stockpile to make a cute movie basket.

Cold Remedy Basket: Fill it with the cold meds, cough drops, tissues etc out of your stockpile.

Get Crafty: I love to make gifts for others to enjoy. I find my inspiration from sites such as http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ and other bloggers such as http://www.shopellesstudio.com/elles-studio-inspiration.php.

Baking: I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am a FANATIC for baking during the holidays. Fudge, cookies, candies you name it I love to make it. Use those 40% off coupons from craft stores on baking items such as cutters, pans, molds, melts etc.

I hope you enjoy the tips!