TMR Frugal Living Tip #87

Today's thrifty living tip is to take an inventory of purchased gifts. This is the time of the year I take advantage of clearance sales by purchasing gifts now to give throughout the year. I like to have a stockpile of gifts for teachers, last minute gifts, kid birthday parties, or gifts you know a certain person would love. You aren't saving money if you forget you have Aunt Sally's gift sitting in the closet so go out to buy her another one. What if no one else on your list likes poodles? Then you're either stuck with it or donate it to charity.

I like to keep a list either on my smartphone or computer with all the gifts I have purchased. I know what I have in my gift closet, and I know who is getting what. I do make changes if I find something else during the year, but I make sure to change it on my list. This keeps me organized and on budget. I also have a special closet where I store all the gifts. Lately I have started storing them in a chest, and I keep an extra list taped to the inside lid. I have my list in two spots. Do you have a system to keep you organized for extra gifts? I have also created a gift list that is printable for anyone to use. I would appreciate a link back to my blog if you decide to post it on your blog or website. Just save the picture and then you can print. Enjoy the free list.

Great Shopping Day!

I received several coupons and offers in the mail from different companies in the last week. I wanted to take advantage of a few of these offers to snag more Christmas presents. I needed to look for printed bath towels to make towel wraps as presents. I will post an article on what those are and how to make them soon. I made a day of shopping on Friday with a good friend. I have to share with everyone my great deals.


FREE COFFEE
She wanted to stop at McDonald's on our way out, and there was a sign stating Free Small (12 oz) coffee for the month of December. We were thrilled and we each got one, and she bought a breakfast sandwich. I'm not much of a breakfast person. She only spent $1.52 for her sandwich. That was a great way to start off my morning. This offer is good for the whole month of December!

ROSS DEALS
My friend wanted to hit Ross to look for her Christmas presents. I went to the towel section. I did find a really cute girly pink and other pastel stripe towel for my project. I ended up putting it back since I wasn't sure about paying $5.99 for the towel. That was actually a great price for printed towels. Oh well. Live and learn.

I did find a pair of Dockers brand shoe style slippers for my husband's grandfather. The best part was they were marked down to $6.99! That was the cheapest price I have seen including Black Friday. I found the last pair in black in his size. I also found a bamboo remote caddy to replace mine for $7.99 which is a present for us. The caddy I currently have is being held together by tape. I know pathetic. I also found a great deal for my hubby. He needs a new wallet and is always needing new belts. They had a package deal for both for $12! Both are Dockers and leather so I'm thrilled to have 2 presents for the price of one. I usually pay $15 for his wallet so it was like getting the belt for free. This was the most I spent all day for a total of $30.

TARGET DEAL
I had printed out a coupon to receive a $10 gift card when you spent $50. I did find several things at the dollar hot spot area for stocking stuffers and extras for some of my gifts. I had a $10 gift card to use when I redeemed my rewards. I spent exactly $10.66 so I had to pay the 66 cents out of pocket. I was thrilled to get some more goodies for basically nothing. Since I couldn't find any towels or bigger items, then I decided to hand my coupon to the lady behind me. She had lots of toys and was so excited that I gave her the coupon. I wasn't coming back and hated to throw it out so I did a kindness by paying it forward. She hadn't heard about this deal so she was so excited to receive the $10 gift card for free. I responded with a Merry Christmas and left her all smiles. I was glad I could help someone else save money, and it does feel good to do random acts of kindness.

BED, BATH, & BEYOND DEAL
I had a $5 off coupon when you spend $15 or more. I found a mini-flashlight for my son's stocking which was $5. He is always begging to use a big flashlight but mostly wants one for bed at night. I know this will make him happy. Again I couldn't find any towels for my project, but I did find a six pack of washcloths. I always need them and seem to lose them. These were on sale for $12 and so super soft. I hate buying the cheap thin ones as they are so rough to use on my face. I'm glad I spent the extra money as I used one last night. These cloths are wonderful to use when I take off my makeup and especially my eye makeup. You know what, I'm definitely worth it. I spent $14 after coupon. My son's stocking stuffer was free and just paid for the washcloths.

BURGER KING DEAL
We ate lunch at Burger King to take advantage of the BOGO deal on Whoppers. We each bought a small soft drink. We split the cost on the whopper and we spent $3 each with tax. We didn't buy any fries. I had a coupon deal for Auntie Ann in the mall and I knew we would be eating a pretzel there so I saved room for it. That deal cost us less than $3 each as well as it was a BOGO coupon. I had a bottle of water with me for both of us. I hate spending almost $2 on a bottle when I can pack a small ice chest for the road.

VICTORIA'S SECRET DEAL
I'm especially thrilled with this deal. I picked up a pack of four smaller sized lotions. It was marked $18 but rang up $10. I had my $10 off any regular priced purchase so I paid $0.87 cents! I had no idea as I really thought it was priced $18. I'm not sure if I am going to give this as set or take out the bottles to make 4 presents. I'm thinking the latter as teacher gifts. My son has 4 teachers and the teacher aide. I love giving them a little something to show my appreciation. I feel this was my best deal of the day!

TOWELS
I finally found a leopard print towel at Kmart for $7 which wasn't too bad. I also found a wonderful wrist watch for my mom. She had a very specific type in mind and it was the only watch I found for what she wanted. I found the other towel for my project marked $9! I know that towel was much more than I wanted to spend, but it is perfect for the recipients of this project. I bought the bias tape at Hancock's fabric store and spent $3 with tax for two packs. I wasn't expecting it to be so cheap but they were on sale. I will break down the prices on that project and all the details in my other post soon.

Total for the day was around $75! I used the money I received in rewards to pay for my purchases. I didn't spend a dime of my money on any of these purchases. I spent $5 on food for a grand total of $80. I didn't count the cost of gas, but I don't do have many shopping excursions. I do most of my gift buying online. I was happy to get items and use coupons to save more money. I have a very gas efficient car which gets averages 37-38 miles to the gallon. I had a full tank and only used a quarter of a tank for the whole day including going to the town and coming home which is 50 miles round trip. I had a really fun day with my friend shopping and saving money. You can't put a price on a shopping day with the girls.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #83

Today's thrifty living tip is to stop throwing money in the trash. You read that correctly. I am guilty of buying perishables that never get eaten. Fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, cheese, yogurt, etc. It never fails I will buy items that just don't get eaten before they go bad. I don't do it too often, but I'm still throwing a few bucks away each time. Sale items are the biggest temptation. It's not a good deal if you won't use eat it in a timely manner. One method I now use is by keeping track of which items were getting thrown out. Now I rarely have to throw out bad food.

Black Friday is Coming!

Yes it's that wonderful time of the year again where you begin to make those infamous Black Friday plans. It's just as important, if not more important, than your Thanksgiving Day plans. I'm actually getting a bit of a late start on making my plans. This year I already promised myself one store fighting the crowds. The rest of my shopping will be done online.

Yes I will be shopping at Wal-Mart which I know many people hate this particular store. I have my eye on a few items like the sheets, jeans for hubby, video games, and a couple of toys. I haven't had to deal with any stampeding crowds since Wal-Mart has always let people in before opening the pallets. So people would crowd around the hot items they wanted, and many were very friendly by handing out the stuff to others around them. The electronics department would hand out coupons, but I have yet to buy any big items like tv's, video game systems, or such. I mainly hit the bedding, clothes, and toys on sale plus any dvd's and games. Many times I could still find everything I wanted on sale the next day and not fight any crowds. I get what I want and get out. The older the kids are getting, then the less toys I need to buy. I give out more gift cards to my nieces as they prefer Itunes and such.

If you haven't already seen the ads, which I'm sure the avid shoppers already have, there are a couple of good websites to see the ad scans. I am not getting paid for this post, and these are sites I have bookmarked for every Black Friday. One site is BFads and the other site I frequent is Black Friday Info. Happy shopping and remember that nothing for sale is worth hurting someone else over. Be courteous as everyone is just trying to save a buck.

Warehouse Clubs-Big Savings or Money Drain?

First I want to mention I only have a Sam's club near me so my experience is limited. I been a member for a couple of years. Lately I haven't noticed much in the way of savings. I'm finding better deals by just watching the other store sale ads. For instance, Sam's has a 30 roll package of Scott's toilet paper for over $22. I can buy 3 packs with the 12 rolls for $6-7 on sale and end up with more toilet paper for the same price. I'm not saying there aren't good deals to be found at these clubs, but you should just ask yourself a few things before buying.


Can I get this cheaper on sale somewhere else?
Do I really need such a big size of this item?
Will we just eat it all quickly since it's in the house?
Will it go to waste before we can use it?
Do I have enough room to store these bigger packages?

I am guilty of some of the above. I like buying my groceries and health/beauty items in bulk, but I have noticed some of the snacks don't last as long as they should. Or I've had some items go to waste before we could use it all. I mostly try to stick to dry goods and frozen foods for this reason. I live in a bigger home, well big for 3 people, but I do have plenty of space to store items. I hope these questions can help you stop and think before buying something you don't need or can't use.

There are other savings such as the pharmacy, travel discounts, office supplies, tires, appliances, and such. I split my membership with my mom. I have a card and she has one so it does save money by only paying $20 yearly. I asked and it's acceptable at Sam's. I do save money on gas but I will be doing some more number crunching come renewal time next year. I would love to read your thoughts.

Black Friday Shopping Tips

Ok so not everyone feels like waking up before dawn and camp out in the cold to save money for Christmas presents. Then there are those of us that get a sort of rush during this time of year. I'm one of those that love shopping the Black Friday sales. I'm going to share some tips with you, and you can share your own in the comments.

*Preview Leaked Ads- this is my favorite part is seeing all the leaked ads before they come out. I prefer Black http://www.black-friday.net/ This way I can to start planning my shopping list as well as which stores to hit.

*Planning- once I have my list made then I know which stores to hit. I also can see which stores have the best price on the item I want to buy. CVS allows you to shop their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving day which makes it easier for me. I will hit them first thing when they open so I can beat the crowds. I also check which sales start at what time like Wal-Mart opens at midnight. This is great for me since I don't want any of the doorbuster items this year. I am planning on doing most of my shopping online this year so no lines or crowds. Then I can go back to bed when I'm done. I will still hit some stores on Friday morning at a decent time.

*Price-Match Ads- this will help you save time and money. None of the stores will price match any ads that offer special deals like gift cards when you buy xx item, spend xx amount, or even doorbuster (early bird) deals. They will match the other sales.

*Shop Online- many of the stores will offer the sales on their website. Again less time in store and you can shop in your pj's. Who doesn't love that?!! The only drawback is that many items will be sold out quickly since you are competing with more people. Don't forget that Wal-Mart is offering free shipping on almost everything online so this is a huge savings.

*Amazon- I love this website. Many times they will have many of the same deals on video games and movies that the other stores are offering. I have done very well the last 2 years buying many presents. I will mention that many times they can be sneaky having an item priced very cheaply and hours later it's almost retail. So if you see something you like at a great price then snag it!

*Mapping- for stores like Target and Wal-Mart it's a good idea to get a map when you walk in the store. They will usually let you know where the items are in the store. Toy deals can be in groceries and video games in clothing. It also helps if you can talk another person into coming with you. That way if you want a TV then one person can wait for it while someone waits for a must have toy.

The last tip I can give you is to have PATIENCE and smile. While it can be frustrating for someone to cut you off or be rude, just remember that it's only stuff. Life is too short to dwell on negatives, and just be happy to get any good deals that you can snag. Most years I can get everything I want, but I've missed out on some items. Such is life. I always have fun, and I love how much money I can save.

Great TV

I am pretty frugal, but I do like to splurge on fun things every now and then. Since we don't have any debt, then I know we can afford them. Our latest splurge was a LCD TV that we bought on sale for Christmas. We got a 32" Sony Bravia HDTV. I must say that I love it! The picture quality is so beautiful, and the color is so vibrant. I saved us $150 making it very affordable.

Save More with FindSavings.com

I love shopping online while sitting comfortably in my house. I save money by not having to drive from store and store, and there are no big crowds to fight. What I like most about online shopping is finding great coupon codes for a percentage off, free shipping, or both. Find Savings is a great website that has the newest coupon codes listed for your favorite online merchants. The site has a great variety of stores with over 400 merchants listed. I really love the different search options that is available. You can search either by merchant, category like Toys and Games, or by the type of coupon code. I can search for free shipping codes, dollar off amount, a percentage amount, and many other options. I find the site is very easy to navigate and well laid out.

As I was searching the site to get some holiday shopping done, I came across an offer for free shipping at Disney Shopping website. When I clicked on redeem this offer, it opened a whole window. I love this since I won't lose my place on the site. Another store I love to shop is Target. There are many offers available right now including free shipping. Another great feature of this site is it shows the expiration date of the offer. So many coupon sites don't put list the expiration date. You never know if it's a current offer or not.

FindSavings.com is a valuable tool for your online shopping to get the best deals possible. You can also snag some great deals that will be ending soon by checking out their list of expiring coupons. I saw some great offers for airline and hotel deals. This is great if you are planning on doing any traveling this holiday season. Don't miss out on another great deal, and check out all your favorite stores today.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #45

Today's thrifty tip is to invest in an extra freezer. My freezer on top of the refrigerator is pretty small so I can't really put much in it. I love to buy in bulk when I see a great sale on meats, frozen veggies, butter, cheese, and such. I also like to cook in double and triple batches to freeze the extras in smaller containers. I know some people are worried about the costs of running an extra freezer. The one I own only runs me an extra $5/mo in electricity. The savings in stocking up on great sales and not eating out will pay for itself easily in the course of a year. I got mine on a great clearance sale (less than $300) six years ago. It still runs perfectly. We are a small family of three, but I still like to have meals ready to go on those nights we don't feel like cooking or don't have time to cook. I also freeze some of the excess of my garden or if I receive fresh vegetables from a relative or friend.

If you still think it's too expensive to own one, then ask yourself these questions.

How much could I save in a week if I had a nice frozen meal to cook instead of eating out?

How much savings did I lose because I couldn't take full advantage of a great sale?

How much could I save on fresh fruits and vegetables I could grow myself to freeze?

How can you not afford an extra freezer?

TMR Frugal Living Tip #44

Today's thrifty tip is think before you spend. I'm extremely guilty of this one as well. I see something on sale, and my eyes light up. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I see items that are deeply discounted. I have to stop myself and ask these questions before I grab it. Do I really need this item? Will I really use it? Would I buy it if it wasn't marked down?

I do find myself buying stuff I don't need so I didn't save anything. The temptation to buy it can be great because it is marked so low. Really stop and think about some of the purchases you wouldn't have normally made. You think it's just a dollar or two, but these little purchases add up quickly. Don't let clearance fever take control of your better judgement. Take a deep breath, put it down, and walk away. You will be much happier in the long run.

He Gets It!

I am so proud of my hubby. He was at the store the other day and came across many great Lego sets that were being clearanced. He bought these for less than $40 total! The 2 big sets were $8 each and were originally $40 sets! The others were $2-6 each. He also found about 8 more small Bionicle sets for $2-3 each and a couple for $5. He bought 18 sets for $75! I'm so happy that he can sniff out a great deal. It's mainly limited it to toys and Lego sets, but hey it's a great start. These will be great for Christmas and his birthday which is about 2 weeks apart. My mom bought a couple of sets to give. I also shop for other relatives to save them time and money. I'm just so glad that my husband loves to shop clearance sales and save us money. We saved over $200! Now is a great time to buy clearance toys since the stores are making room for the new ones for Christmas. Happy shopping!

TMR Frugal Living Tip #36

Today's thrifty tip is make a grocery list before you go to the store. I know that sounds like common sense, but many people think I only need 1 or 2 items and I won't forget. Then you end up buying something you don't need and not the actual item you really did. I've done it and more than once. I also like to look at the sales papers to decide if I could use extra of an item that is marked cheaply. If I have coupons, then I can usually get the item almost free or free. Don't overlook the drug stores like Walgreens and CVS. Sometimes they have a better sale on groceries than the regular stores. Make a list and don't forget to take it with you. Yes, I have also done that more than once.

Disney Outlet Huge Clearance Sale!

Disney Outlet is having a huge end of summer clearance sale! Save up to 75% off beach towels, swimsuits, sandals, and much more. This is one of those great sales that I mentioned in my earlier post. Pay a flat $5 shipping with code SHIPFOR5 if you spend $50 or more. I plan to buy some of the shirts for us to wear when we go on our Walt Disney World trip next year.

Disney Outlet

TMR Frugal Living Tip #31

Today's thrifty tip is shop clearance sales to save big! Labor Day weekend is a great weekend to shop for end of summer clothing and toys. You can also save big on patio furniture, lawn and garden, and even items for the pool. The stores are putting out Halloween and other fall items so check out your stores for the clearance items. I have even found winter clothes from last year on clearance racks with the summer. I was able to finish my son's winter wardrobe for this year and summer for next year. I spent $80 for all of it. He will be able to wear some of the winter clothes again next year (mostly tops and jacket). I also have shoes stock piled in both sandals and tennis shoes.

More Great CVS Savings

I decided to stop at CVS yesterday since I got some good cash register receipt coupons. I also found a rain check from two years ago. That's the great thing about their rain checks is that they never expire. You gotta love it. Mine were for Schick Quattro Razors for men and I had a quantity of four. I didn't have any coupons, but it did have a $5 ECB when you buy one. Well the check was for $1.99 each! I was able to get all four, and I got the $5 ECB. I got four razors for $3.xx! I also had coupons for a Tylenol 10ct vial and a Fusion Shaving cream. I did have $1 coupons for both. I also got a couple more boxes of Puffs tissues.

Fusion: $3.49- $3.00 coupons= $0.49
2 Puffs: $1.76- $.50 cents coupons= $1.26
4 Quattro Razors- $7.96- $7 ECB (I had this amount)= $0.96
Tylenol: $2.49- $2.50 coupons= penny overage
Grand Total with tax: $3.12!!!

I got $5 ECB from the razors. I saved a total of $45 with sales and coupons. I just can't say it enough. I LOVE CVS!

I Love Clearance Sales!

Today I hit a great clearance at my local Wal-Mart. They moved all the summer and older toys to clearance. I was able to buy all the kids Christmas presents. I spent $50 today, but I'm now done with the kids on my list. I even bought a couple of extra toys to donate to Toys for Tots. I am going to go back tomorrow to buy a few more toys to donate. Most of the toys I bought were $4-5 each. I even got my son some Christmas presents. He loves Legos and they had several small Star Wars sets on clearance for $5. They had Speed Racer, Hannah Montana, Barbie, baby dolls, Lego sets, and so much more. I even got DVD cartoon movies for $4 each. I got Bob the Builder, Care Bears, and Blues Clues. I'm not buying as many toys since I really think most kids have too many. I am trying to buy other fun things to give like bath toys. They had those on clearance as well. Now is a great time to start your Christmas shopping. I even bought a couple of extra for my gift closet. You never know when you will get a last minute birthday invite from your child's classmate.

Sale on Kids Sized Crocs!

I know some people think they are ugly. For those that love these shoes, then REI has the Cayman Crocs in kid sizes on sale. It's only 3 colors: Red, Sea Blue, and Coral. They are priced $8.83 and have various sizes in stock. I bought a pair of red ones for my son. Shipping was $5.99 for a total of $14.82 which is a great deal. You can get Free Shipping to any REI store. If you are signed up with BigCrumbs then go thru them to earn cash back. Hurry since I'm sure these will go quickly. Click on the link below for the sale.

Croc Sale

Halloween Is Almost Here!

Halloween is my favorite time of the year. I love the cooler weather, decorations, and the Halloween costumes. Right now is a great time to start shopping to get the best selection. Halloween Adventures has a really wide selection of costumes for both adults and kids. They even offer plus size costumes.

I came across a great costume that I would love to wear this year. It's the Queen of Hearts playing card, and I am a queen in my house, so it's a perfect fit. I really love to wear humorous costumes. It's a time of year when I can be more of a card. I even found a few couples costumes that I would love to wear with my husband.

This is a one stop shopping for Halloween. They even offer wigs, masks, makeup, and so much more. Haunted House decorations to make your house stand out from the crowd. You can find costumes for any theme and even time period costumes. Your little ones can wear their favorite Disney or Superhero character. Save even more money by taking 5% off your total with Coupon Code: PPP05BLOG2008 and it expires October 10th, 2008. Visit http://blog.halloweenadventure.com to read more news about costumes on their blog.

My Freebies for the Week

I went yesterday to do my weekly big 3 shopping. Yep each week I hit Rite-Aid, Walgreens, and CVS to get the weekly deals.

First Stop- Rite-Aid:
1 Crest Whitening w/ Scope [$3.19] -75 cent coupon

Total- $2.65 w/ tax
I'm getting $3.19 back with rebate so free and made a 54 cent profit!

Second Stop- Walgreens:
Cheerios [$1.99] -$1 coupon (printable)
Pert Plus [$3.79] -$2 coupon

Total- $3.00 w/ tax
I'm getting $3.79 back from Walgreens FAR so I made a $2.00 profit. If you have that TMF rebate you can get even more. I already did one.

Final Stop- CVS:
2 Glade Air Fresheners [$1.76] -88 cents BOGO coupon
2 Puff Tissues [$1.76] -50 cent coupons (2x 25cent)
4 Crest Whitening Toothpaste [$7.96] -$4 ECB & -$2 coupons (2x $1)
Dove SkinVitalizer [$9.99] -$3 ECB & -$3.50 coupon
6 L'Oreal Vive Shampoo [$20] -$9.99 x3 BOGO coupons -$6 coupons (6x $1)
Colossal Express Mascara [$4.99] -$2 ECB -$1 coupon
Infusium Family Size Shampoo [$5.99] -$3 coupon
2 Intuition Razors [$7.98 ($3.99 raincheck)] -$6 coupons ($3x 2)

Total- $14.65 w/ tax
I also had a $5/30 CVS receipt coupon I used. None of the items were free but they were very cheap after coupons and ECB's. I used all my ECB's this trip since I wanted the lowest out of pocket cost.

Today's Shopping Trip

I went shopping today to grab all the deals for this week. I first went to Rite-Aid and bought the Garnier Shine and had a $1 off coupon. So total was $3.25 and I am getting back $3.99 with rebate.

Then I went to Walgreens and bought the Airwick Flameless Candle and Glade Scent Candle. I paid $6.46 with tax and I'm getting back $4 in rebates so total is $2.46 for both items. That was 99 cents each. I also bought 3 Glade refill candles for $2.45 after rebate and coupon. They had 2 of them on clearance for $1 and I got one free with that coupon. I like to give the Trio candles as presents to the lady that delivers my mail and such.

I went to CVS and got the following:
2 Trident gum
2 Colgate Total toothpaste
4 Herbal Essence Shampoos (they have one that I can't get anywhere else)
2 Bic Soleil Razors
1 Schick Intuition Razor (have rain check from last sale)

I used $15.74 in coupons and 9.79 in ECB's so grand total was $6.42! I spent $16.13 total on everything and I'm getting $7.99 back in rebates for a grand grand total of $8.14 for all of it! The razors are going to be part of those Christmas gift bags. I also had to do some Wal-Mart shopping and bought 5 Skintimate Shaving creams that were $1.47 each and after $1 coupons I got them for $2.54 with tax. Those will also go in the gift bags. I missed that sale when they were $1.74 each and I think that was Walgreens. I don't know how I missed it, but this is still good. My nieces love the smaller ones to use when they sleep at a friend's house.