Frugal Tips

13 Things to do With $5

by Lindsey on June 24, 2010

1. Freshen up your living room – For $5 or less, you can get a paint sample can at your the hardware store. Repaint your picture frames, a side table, a chair, or make some new artwork!

2. Go Antiquing – There are great finds at flea markets and antiques markets. I love finding mason jars to fill with brightly colored items as decorations, cotton balls for the bathroom, or nuts and bolts in the garage to sort hubby’s thingamabobs.

3. Get a great new read at the used book store. – Why pay full price when you can pay a whole lot less? Used book stores have fantastic prices and a very large selection. As a bonus, you can take in your already read books and get credit towards new books! You may need to get on a waiting list for some of the hot new releases.

4. Make a photo collage – At shutterfly.com you can make an 8×10 photo collage of you fav moments with your kiddos (or anything else) for $4.99.

5. Be Your Kid’s Hero – Buy each of your kids a candy bar at the checkout line. You will earn yourself a quiet ride home.

6. Learn a new Language – or get a new game, financial software, educational software, and many more choices from 5dollarsoftware.com.

7. Make Paper Animals with your kids – a bargain a $3.50 the DIY Paper Animal Kit from fatbraintoys.com will keep any kid (and you) busy! Recommended age 8+

8. Learn some new card games – You can find the rules for every card game imaginable at thehouseofcards.com. Find games that kids can play like go fish or war or up the ante and learn adult games like Texas Hold’Em or Canasta.

9. Make dinner – No really. Check out the wealth of yummy recipes at 5dollardinners.com.

10. Buy a lotto ticket….hey, you never know. I won $40 once on a $1 scratcher.

11. Start a vegetable garden. Seed packets are as little as $0.95 and clay pots can usually be found for $2-$5.

12. Donate two pairs of shoes to someone who needs them. $5 donated to soles4soles.org will do just that.

13. Overtip – Make someone else’s day a little better.

I would love to hear your suggestions on how to use $5! Post in the comments!

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Practical, Affordable, Realistic Summer Fashions

by Lindsey on June 4, 2010

in Just Sayin'

Fashion is something we love, and love to hate. Shopping is almost painful at times. I will see a tremendously pretty dress and know I will never wear it because I don’t have that kind of life. I have two small boys. I need clothes that fit my lifestyle, but I still want to wear the new trends. Here are some great summer fashions that are practical and affordable for the everyday mom.

Cargo Pants
The traditional cargo pant has been updated for summer in a comfy and cool capri length. Maurice’s has several different styles and colors for around $32.
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Tagged as: Beauty, Frugal Tips, Summer 2010 Beauty Tips

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How To Promote Your Etsy Store or Ebay Store Free

by Lindsey on April 9, 2010

in Giveaways and Freebies

Today I discovered a new place to advertise your Etsy store. Big Crumbs is a shopping site that offers cash back for shopping through their site. There are over 500 stores. It is free to join and it may be worth joining for the cash back. I honestly can’t tell you because I haven’t given that aspect of the site a try yet.

Here is how to advertise your Etsy store on Big Crumbs.

1. Sign up for a free account at Big Crumbs.

2. Once you have signed up, click on “List Your Store” at the top right. You will be asked to past a code in the shop announcement which you can remove immediately after verifying you own the site. You will then add in a description and categories for your site.

That’s all you have to do. Now the shoppers on Big Crumbs will be directed to your store if you have what they are looking for. Buyers will not receive cash back from purchases from your store, but it will bring more traffic to your site. You can also offer sales, percentages, or dollars off type sales to Big Crumb customers to encourage them to visit your site.

If you are an active member of this site I would love to get some feedback on how the cash back works and if it pays well. Leave a comment with your thoughts. Thanks!

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Thrifty Tuesday – Get Rid of It!

by Lindsey on July 21, 2009

in Just Sayin'

The main question I hear from people when I try to help them purge their junk is, “But what if I need that later?”

Have you used the item in the past year? If not, you probably don’t need it. For those seasonal things that you may only need once in a blue moon, find a place to store it where it isn’t in the way of the things you use every day.

Believe it or not, throwing out your junk can save you money. Most people will go out and buy a replacement if they can’t find something. I had to stop myself at Target today from buying yet another pair of scissors. I know I have two good pair of scissors…somewhere. So I put down the almost $10 pair of scissors and instead came home and continued to purge my junk drawer. Guess what. I found a pair of scissors. Simply organizing my junk drawer saved me $10 today. How much money can you save by knowing where the things you need are instead of buying replacements?

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Keep Your Kids Healthy for Less

by Lindsey on June 16, 2009

in Recipes

Making sure your kids eat healthy is time consuming and expensive. However, there are some ways you can make eating healthy more convenient and more frugal.

1. Buy local – Look in your local newpaper or community publication to find Farmer’s Markets. You can generally buy fruits and vegetables for a much lower cost than in the grocery store.

2. Buy in bulk – It has been well worth having a Sam’s Club membership and a chest freezer int he garage. The more you buy at once, the lower the cost per pound. Buy in bulk and freeze what you won’t use in a couple of days. I recommend breaking down the larger package into smaller packages before freezing. For example, I usually use 1lb of ground meat at a time. I break down the 10lb package in to 10 individual 1lb packages before freezing.

3. Buy in Season – In June, buy more bananas, grapefruit, lemon, beanshoots, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, fennel, mushrooms, potato, pumpkin, and silverbeet. You can also check Sustainable Table for seasonal lists based on your geographic area.

4. Prepare in Advance – The largest issue I have with eating healthy is the time it takes to prepare. While my husband is more than willing to wait a few extra minutes for a healthy meal, my boys are not. I prepare as much as I can in advance. Cut up fruits and vegetables so they are ready to eat. Kids will reach for an apple or carrot if it is readily available and as easy as a twinkie. When it is snack time or the kids are getting ready to come home from school, put the healthy snacks out. They will eat them.

I also make chicken nuggets in advance. I use boneless skinless chicken breasts and graham or ritz crackers smashed into a powder and mixed with Bisquick for breading. My kids love to smash the crackers! Bake at 350 until cooked through. Then all I have to do it reheat.

How do you make eating healthy frugal and convenient?

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Extend the Life of your Razor Blades

by Lindsey on May 19, 2009

in Just Sayin'

To get more life and a smoother shave out of your razor, simply soak between uses in a mug 1/3 filled with baby oil. Change oil as needed. Each blade will last 3-4 times longer!

Tip submitted by: BaysideDave

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Coupon Sherpa

by Lindsey on May 5, 2009

in Just Sayin'

For those of you that have iPhone or a phone capable of using apps, I would highly recommend Coupon Sherpa. I believe the app was $1.99. It has coupons for major retailers including one of my all time favorites, Target. Its easy. You just check for a coupon before you buy anything and the checker just scans the barcode on your phone! I love this because so many store won’t accept printed coupons anymore and I rarely printed them because I figured I was spending more in paper and ink than I saved. Anyone else use Coupon Sherpa or another saving app?

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Ceiling Fans Save You Money

by Lindsey on March 25, 2009

in Just Sayin'

A ceiling fan saves energy all year long. In warmer weather it can make a room feel up to seven degrees cooler by creating a “wind chill” effect. You can set your thermostat higher and save up to 40% on air conditioning bills. In the winter, you can run your fan in reverse to recirculate the hot air trapped near the ceiling. You can set your thermostat lower and save on heating costs as the fan provides even, comfortable temperatures throughout the room. Either way, you conserve valuable energy, making a ceiling fan a wise investment for you and the environment. Homeowners all over are seeing rising energy costs due to higher prices to cool and heat their homes. It’s predicted to get worse too. To sum it all up, a ceiling fan can improve your room comfort and reduce your cooling needs as well as lowering your energy costs.

According to a California utility company, it costs only a penny and hour to run a ceiling fan! At the same time, it costs 43 cents an hour to run a central air conditioner or 16 cents to run a a room air conditioner. You save every day that you use a ceiling fan versus an air conditioner. At that rate, a Ceiling Fan will pay for itself in weeks!

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