Thrift Store Shopping: How to get free clothes

Most Thrift Stores have days where they run specials.

My local Thrift Store has $5 days. They give you a bag and you can fill it with as many articles of clothing as you can fit. The bag is just $5.

Your Thrift Store might have something similar.
Or perhaps they have a day when certain tags are only $0.99?

When I shop on these days I love to look for items for Halloween costumes and dress ups.
The kids love knowing they can give whatever they want.

Several years ago I let my girls try out gymnastics and ballet.
I was shocked to see the prices of leotards and tutus. As they were only attending on a trial basis, I didn't want to invest that kind of money on their uniforms. I turned to Ebay and found lower prices-- but still surprisingly high prices. So I ended up getting them at the Thrift Store.
When the girls outgrew the leotards I remembered the prices they were going for on Ebay.

I listed them on Ebay and doubled my money.

So........

Now whenever I go to $5 Bag day at the Thrift Store I look for leotards.
And I list them on Ebay.

Last month I bought all 3 of my children clothes,  plus some dress up clothes for $5.
I also put 3 leotards in the bag.

Those auctions just ended and I made $16.49

Which means all those clothes were FREE plus a profit of $11.49!!!!

So next time you are shopping at the Thrift Store keep an eye out for clean, tear free Leos to help offset your costs.
Other things that resell well?
Self Help books, popular hardbacks, designer shoes, baby clothes.
I am sure you can do some research and find other things that resell well too.

Good Luck!

And here's a song for you:

Food Saver Coupons

I love my Food Saver. I can buy in bulk when the price is right and nothing goes to waste.
I especially love it for chicken.
When organic free range chicken goes on sale, I buy a ton, cook it in my crock pot and then divide it into dinner sized portions. They go into the Food Saver and then into the freezer and I have cooked shredded chicken available for easy dinners.

Chicken Broth At Costco

Julia over at The Frugal Find ran up a nice comparison of the Costco prices for Organic Chicken Broth versus making your own Organic Chicken Broth using Better Than Bullion.

Read her results HERE



Thank you to The Frugal Find for your great article and the use of this photo!

How to Save Money: Changing your shopping strategy.

I was talking to a friend the other day about my enchiladas.
I was making up 4 batches at one so that I could put a couple of casseroles in the freezer.
She mentioned she would love to be able to make freezer dinner, but she couldn't afford to buy the extra ingredients to make more.

This made me realize just how different my shopping strategy is from the majority of households.

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems like the majority of people spend their weekly grocery money on the food they are going to eat THAT week.

I don't do this.

I buy the items that are the best price and as much of it as I can.

For example:
Let's say I have $100 to spend each week.
I will use $60-$70 of it on sales, clearance, and bulk.
And only $30-40 on things I need for the week like; milk, cheese, fresh produce.

When I plan my weekly menu I look at the things I already have on hand from previous bulk purchases and then I only have to get a few missing items.

So if The Grocery Outlet has organic pasta for only $0.89 a lb I will buy 10-20 of them.
That way when I am making pasta dishes, I do not have to run to the store and pay $3 a lb for it.
I already have it in my food storage and I paid 1/3 of the price for it. And I have enough to make several Rotini Casseroles for my freezer if I want.

If Annie's Organic Black Beans are on sale, I will buy a case of them. I do not "need" a case of black beans for that week, but I know I will use them eventually. Then on Taco Tuesday, I can grab a can of black beans I paid $0.99 for instead of running to the store and paying $1.89.

Buying when the deal is hot saves you a ton of money in the long run. It takes a few weeks, even months, to get into the groove, but once you make the transition, you will see your dollar stretch farther and farther. In addition, you will have fewer and fewer last minute trips to the store for that "one thing" that ends up being "six things". An added bonus is you usually have all the food on hand for several different emergency dinners when you need dinner on the table fast.

If needed- start out small. Set aside $20 a week for bulk purchases, and slowly convert over until the majority of your money is going toward sales and deals.

It's amazing to see your storage shelves fill up with food without any change to your budget.
Good luck!

Food Saver on Sale!

Target has the Food Saver V2244 on sale for $69.99.
There is a coupon available HERE for $15 off.
That brings your total to $54.99

The same model on Amazon is currently $84



This is a great way to buy in bulk and save $$$$
Especially if you buy Farmer's Market produce and want to save it for winter.
Or buy meat in bulk and divide into pound size portions.

Thank you to The Frugal Find for this deal.

The Dollar Tree is now accepting coupons!

Wow.
This is so unexpected and weird.

The Dollar Tree has changed their coupon policy and is now accepting Manufacturer's Coupons.

There are some rules:
No store specific coupons (Target coupons, Rite Aid coupons, etc)
No coupons for FREE items
No coupons where they have to fill in the price or no price is listed
If the coupon value is MORE than the cost of the item-- you will not get paid overage.

Only 2 home-printed coupons per transaction
Only 1 coupon can be used per item
And the coupons must be for the right product, size, quantities, etc.

Even with these limitations-- it's amazing that they have started accepting coupons at all.
This means you will get FREE stuff almost every week.
It's going to be awesome.

And if you don't like some of their products, you can always scoop up the free items and donate them to your kid's classroom or the local women's shelter. One of the things I love about couponing is the ability to be more generous.

The Frugal Find will be posting Dollar Tree deals and let you know of the freebies available.
I will post some too, but I will try to stick to healthy and reusable. She will be more comprehensive.

And as always, if you snag a deal somewhere, come back and let us know!

How to Save $ Shopping at Target

I thought this was an interesting article, so I thought I would pass it on:

Yahoo! Saving Money at Target


Photo: ThinkStock

Food on The Table: Free for life with this offer

Here is an interesting service:


 Food on the Table is an easy meal planning service that is based on sales at your local grocery stores.
 Food on the Table helps you plan your menu around sale items, giving you healthy money saving recipes and a simple printable grocery shopping list to take to the store with you. With this code you can get the basic Food on the Table service FREE for LIFE.
CODE: SPRINGFREE



Hmmm....I can't get the link to work.
Try THIS to go to Food on the Table

13% Cash Back on Ebates today

In celebration of their birthday, Ebates is offering 13% back from over 130 online stores today. Combine that with store sales and it adds up to a lot of extra cash in your pocket. If you've been in the market for a higher priced item, today might be a good day to buy. 13% on a blender, kitchen aid, etc can add up to BIG bucks. Check Kohls.com to see if today is a Kohl's Cash day too. That would be an awesome double dip.

If you are new to Ebates sign up by clicking on the this box:



To see the list of participating stores for today's sale, click HERE

Update on Vitacost.com deal

I just made my Vitacost.com purchase and thought I would share with you.

I have been wanting to experiment with natural deopdorants, so I got 2 of those.
I've also been wanting to expand my carrier oil collection, so I got a couple of those.
Then a few other pantry items.

Crystal Pomegranate Deodorant $3.07
Alvera Almond Deodorant          $2.89
CSI Eye Cream Sample             FREE
Raspberry Tea Sample               FREE
Organic Wheat Flour   4 lb         $3.64
Grapeseed Oil                            $4.56
Almond Oil                                $8.96
Baked Snap Peas Snack            $2.82

Total Retail value is $41.24
Sale Price               $25.94
Minus $10 code     $15.94
Plus FREE Shipping.

Take advantage of the deal by Signing up HERE
You will get your $10 code in your email.

Free Shipping on Vitacost Today with $25 purchase

I always like to do a post when Vitacost offers free shipping. They already have good prices, so with free shipping you can often find deals cheaper than any retail store.

Sign up through this link to receive a code through email to get $10 off your first purchase.
This is for new accounts only.
If you are already a member, leave your referral link in the comments below and you can get $10 for each referral you receive.

With free shipping on a $25 purchase and the $10 off you will already get 50% off. Look for the sales and clearance items and get even more savings.

In addition-- shop through Ebates and get 8% cash back.

Join Ebates by clicking on the box.

Saving Money With Ebates

Ebates is a great way to save money shopping online.
Every time I make an online purchase I check Ebates before checking out to see if they have any deals or codes for me. Most of the time I can get some cash back, free shipping, or a percentage off my purchase. The money collects in an account and I get nice checks delivered to my door. It's basically free money.

When I bought my Kitchen Aid I ended up getting $40 back just by clicking the link through Ebates.
It really works and it's super easy.
You just find your online store, click on the link, go to the store and check out. The savings are automatic. (unless it's a coupon code and then of couse, you must enter your code)

Some people put all these extra checks into a special savings for travel or gifts. You can use them to buy the pricier organics that you can't find coupons for to alleviate the cost. Or you can donate them to your favorite green cause!

Join Box Tops to Access Coupons

Join Box Tops for Education and you will not only be helping your local school earn money, but you will also have access to coupons. My son isn't big on eating. He eats about 10 things and that's it. One of those things happens to be Cinnamon Toast Crunch without milk. Today at Safeway this cereal is on sale for only $1.49. And Box Tops has a coupon for $1.10 off 2 boxes. It means I can stock up and get them for less than a dollar a piece! I am hoping there is no limit, because I want 8.

$55 worth of new coupons for Whole Foods Market

I got an email from Whole Foods this morning notifying me of $55 worth of new coupons available to print from their website. Some of these may actually be the old coupons, but with new expiration dates. These coupons can be paired with Manufacturer's coupons for double the savings. Shop the sales and clearance items and get high quality organics for even cheaper than conventional goods.

Shopping at Whole Foods takes some work. If you waltz in on any given afternoon, be prepared to drop your jaw and your dollars. However-- by selecting items with available coupons, shopping the sales, and sticking to your list, you can save 30-75% off your grocery bill. They have a larger selection of fresh organic produce, gluten free items, etc etc, so it's definitely worth an occasional trip.

See all available coupons HERE

$2.50 off 1 Kiss My face Sun Care Product 2 oz or more.





$1.00 any ONE (1) 6-ct package 1/4 lb or 1/3 lb Nature's Rancher Black Angus Beef Burgers

Coupons: Silk, All You, and Kashi

A couple coupons of interest this morning. First is a high value $1 coupon for Silk Fruit & Protein. This is nice all on its own, but also a base for green smoothies. Throw some veggies in the blender, add some ice and Silk and you are good to go.

The second coupon is for $0.50 off the May issue of the ALL YOU magazine. This magazine is usually loaded with coupons and pays for itself with the values available inside. There is an index of all the coupons for each issue on the first or second page. So thumb through  and see if there are any coupons of products you use and if so use the coupon below to purchase the magazine and start clippin'.  I actually have a subscription for this magazine. It not only has great coupons, but money saving tips and recipes throughout. However-- I bought it with a great deal. I only pay $.50 an issue. Don't pay for a subscription until you find an awesome deal.

Lastly is a Kashi coupon. I have mixed feelings about Kashi. They are not the best, but they are better than Fast Food. Sometimes we need something premade that just needs to be heated so we aren't tempted to run through the drive thru.

Comments on my Safeway Shopping Trip

I went shopping today at Safeway.
When the total came up to $123.21 I panicked a little, since I only had 5 coupons with me.
Usually I have between 10-20 coupons for a big grocery trip.
But then I scanned my Safeway Club Card and ran my coupons and the total came down to only $54.22

That is a savings of 56%!

I saved $49.68 by shopping the Sales Ad and buying items on sale.
I saved $13.03 with my paper coupons.
I saved $6.28 by logging into my Safeway Just 4 U program and adding ecoupons to my club card.

It all adds up to money in my pocket!

I was able to reach these savings and still buy healthy food. I bought pure. I bought natural. I bought organic.
It takes a little more work-- but it doesn't have to take more money.

Sign Up for Safeway's Just 4 U Program and get a dozen eggs FREE

Save Money by Buying In Season

Winter is over. You may start to see the price on winter greens going up.
And you should also start seeing the prices on these items listed below falling down.
I've put the price next to them that is the lowest I've seen and purchased myself.

These are all ORGANIC prices. If you see these at this price STOCK UP, or at least plan your menu around them. Most of them will freeze well.

If you've got a great buy price for the ones I missing, please comment below so I can fill it in.

• Artichokes 
• Asparagus    $0.99 a bundle
• Arugula
• Avocados      $0.50 each
• Basil              $1.29 a bunch
• Beets            $0.65 each
• Blueberries   $2.99 8 oz
• Cabbage      $0.99 a head
• Chard
• Cherries
• Fava beans
• Fennel
• Grapefruit     $0.99
• Green Beans
• Green Onions
• Kale
• Lemons        $0.33 each
• Morels          
• Nectarines
• Passion Fruit   
• Radishes
• Scallions
• Strawberries $2.00 a lb
• Tangerines    $0.99 a lb

In addition to produce, watch for these following items to also be on sale in MAY, corresponding with the various holidays:

Memorial Day: BBQ Sauce, Condiments, Charcoal, Salad Dressing, Potato Chips, Dips, Grilling Meats, Hot Dogs, Hamburger Meat, Marinade, Salad Greens, hot dog and hamburger buns, soda pop, popcicles.
Prepping for Summer: Plates, Utensils, Insect Repellant, Sunscreen, patio furniture, gardening supplies, plants, swimsuits.
Cinco De Mayo: Salsa, tortillas, tortilla chips, canned beans, spices.

Saving Money With Ebates

One of the ways I save money on my purchases is by using Ebates for nearly all of my online purchases.
Ebates has partnerships with many online sites. When you want to buy something you go to Ebates first and see if your site is one of their partners. It may have a code for free shipping, 10% off, or a cahs back incentive. Often it's cash back. For example, when I bought my Kitchen Aide for Christmas I bought it through Ebates at Kohls.com and received 10% cash back. That ended up being over $24.00! And I didn't have to do anything special to get it, no rebate forms, or turning in receipts. They just sent me a check in the mail. The key is to cehck Ebates first before doing any online shopping and then using their link to the website so you get credit for the purchase. It's super easy to sign up and super easy to use and it's basically free money.

 JOIN EBATES HERE and start saving money!


Want more information?
Read more about Ebates HERE before signing up