Consignment Sale and St. Patrick's Day

Well, Saturday was a quite a busy day for us.  First off, of course, was shopping at the Catholic Consignments sale.  Since I volunteered two shifts in order to shop at 6:30 in the morning, I was able to find a lot of great bargains.  Here are some of my favorites:

This Jona Michelle dress for my 5 year old for $8 - retail is around $50 or $60.

I couldn't resist this Laura Ashley 3-piece outfit for Baby Gem, even though it will probably be too hot to wear for Easter.  It was also $8 for the whole set.

And I still can't believe my best clothing deal: I got this New with Tags Strasburg Children outfit for $1 at the Dollar Dash!  Clearly my children will be wearing yellow this Easter!

I was also excited about this unexpected find: two kid digital cameras.  I have had my eye on the Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera for a while as a potential gift for my 5 year old, and even though I wasn't looking for it it caught my eye at the sale.  I don't think I've seen this item for less than $35 retail, and this was priced at $5. I still have to put in batteries and make sure it works, but for $5 it was worth the risk!

Then at the Dollar Dash I found this Little Tikes model.  If they both work, each girl will get one for her birthday!

Since Saturday was also St. Patrick's Day, I rushed home after shopping to put our corned beef in the crockpot for dinner.  Then after lunch I went back to work my shift and shop the Dollar Dash.  My husband put the cabbage in before I got home, and I only had to quickly cut up and roast some potatoes and carrots to go with dinner.  We took the day off from our Lenten meat fast, and boy did dinner taste good!

I hope you had a Happy St. Patrick's Day as well!

Did anyone else get some good bargains this weekend?

FF: Keeping a "Trinket" Box for Gifts and Prizes

One of my favorite times of year is here - after-Christmas clearance!  I love shopping clearance sales after any holiday, but there is so much Christmas merchandise around that it seems to be easiest to find great deals after Christmas, either for next year or to use for other purposes.

One use that I have found for clearance merchandise is keeping a "trinket" box - a box of small toys, school supplies, accessories, and other small items suitable for kids.  I then use the items for stocking stuffers, Easter basket stuffers, filling shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, putting together a gift basket, or for little prizes when I want to reward one of my children.

I stock up on small items at post-holiday clearance sales, usually when prices get to 70% off or greater, as well as toy clearance sales (usually in January and July).   Sometimes if I find something neat at the Dollar Tree or the Target dollar spot, I will add it to the box.  I also love when I happen upon a section of the Target dollar spot marked down to 50% off.  I don't have a set price point for the items in the box, but for most cheap items I'm looking to pay less than $1.00 per item; if the item has a much greater value I might pay a little more.

Some items that I have found in this price range include matchbox cars, plastic animals, a mini plastic tea set, coloring books, craft and art supplies, fancy pencils and pens, notebooks, stickers, bath products, hair accessories, jewelry, balls, socks, playdough, and finger puppets.

This year I was very pleased to find that by December I already had enough items to fill all three of my children's Christmas stockings without spending a dollar of my Christmas budget.  This easily saved me at least $20 per child, for a total of at least $60 than I could use for other holiday expenses.  I hope to do the same for their Easter baskets.  It is fun to collect the little items all year, and it can really save money to have them handy.


Check out Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom.

Memorial Day Sales

This weekend is Memorial Day, and a lot of stores already have sales going on.  If you have some purchases that you need to make, this week or weekend is probably an excellent time.  Here are some bargains I've seen:

Now is the time to fill in the gaps in your child's summer wardrobe -

Gymboree is having the BEST sale I have ever seen - everything is $12.99 and under!  This sale is in stores and online (with $5 shipping).  Sister store Crazy 8 has everything $10.99 and under. (Thanks, Baby Cheapskate)

Children's Place is also having a sale, free shipping, and offering a coupon code.

The Carters outlet near me had an extra 50% off their clearance prices yesterday - looks for these types of bargains everywhere all week.  GiGi needed summer pajamas, and I found several pairs for $3.99 after the discount.  That's as good as consignment sale prices, so I bought a couple pairs in larger sizes too.

At grocery stores, BBQ fare is the name of the game.  If you can stock up on the sale items, do, because these are going to be the best prices of the summer (only replicated around July 4 and Labor Day).  Look for the deals on:
- hot dogs
- corn on the cob - Safeway and Bloom have it 12/$2.00
- watermelon - $3.49 at Aldi
- condiments (ketchup, mustard, etc.)
- chips
- ice cream - such as $1.49 Breyers at Target
- soda and beer

If you have large purchase to make this spring, such as an appliance or electronic, especially if it is related to the outdoors, you're probably going to find a good price this weekend.

Have you found any good Memorial Day deals?

Easter Grocery Deals

I thought I'd do just a quick roundup of last minute Easter grocery deals this week.

At pretty much every grocery store, look for the best prices of the season on the following items:  (These deals are so ubiquitous that it doesn't seem worth it to list every price.)
- Hams (Capitally Frugal has a roundup of ham prices in the DC area)
- Pineapples
- Asparagus
- Strawberries
- Sweet potatoes
- Eggs
- Butter (although the egg and butter deals have been disappointing this year, in my opinion)

There's also still time for some new and better deals from the stores with new ads starting tomorrow (such as HT, Safeway, and Bloom) or even Friday (Giant).

And here are your last minute candy deals for this week:

At Walgreens last night, I was excited to get Life Savers Jelly Beans for $1.00/bag - after sale, April coupon book coupon, and $1.00/2 from 4/3 SS insert.  Easter M&M's were also $1.00/bag after sale, coupon book coupon, and $1.00/2 from 4/10 RP insert or printable.

At CVS, the $1.97 M&M sale included non-Easter pretzel M&M's, so I used $1.00/1 coupon from the 3/13  RP insert to get these for $.97.  My CVS has also had some Gold Emblem candy (in the regular candy section) as much as 75% off the past two weeks, so keep an eye out for that.  Through today at CVS, you can get a Easter egg dying kit and a package of Easter grass free after ECBs.

Target has $.25 Easter grass and $.65 bags of a dozen plastic eggs this week.  Their candy prices are fairly competitive, although not quite as good as the drugstores.

Keep in mind that the week after Easter can be a great time to pick up discounted candy at least 50% off.  However, some of this week's deals are probably going to beat the 50% off regular price, between sales and coupons.  The majority of the Easter candy coupons expire on Easter, with the exception of the Life Savers/Starburst jelly beans coupon.

What Easter deals have you seen this week?

Easter Candy Deals This Week

Go here for my post listing many of the available Easter candy coupons.

This week at Walgreens there's a pretty "sweet" (tee-hee) deal on Hershey's and Cadbury candy.

Buy $10 or more participating Hershey's or Cadbury products, get $5 in RR good on your next in-store purchase.  The included candies are 2/$5.00, so the scenario would look like this:

Buy 4 Hershey's/Cadbury/Reese's bags of candy at $2.50 each
Use $1.00/3 coupon from the 4/3 SS insert
Spend $9.00, get $5.00 in RR back
Total spent: $4.00 for 4 bags of candy = $1.00 each

Mars Easter candy is also 2/5.00, less $1.00 in store coupon.
Dove chocolate eggs are included, so use $1.00/1 from the 3/6 SS insert to get these for just $1.00.

Also, Snickers singles are $.29.  Use the $1.00/2 Mars Easter candy coupons from the 3/20 and 4/10 RP inserts and printable to get these for FREE.

At CVS, M&M's are $1.97 (limit 4).
Use the $2.00/2 Mars candy that was recently available to print, the $2.00/2 from the April All You magazine or the $1.00/1 M&M's pretzel variety from the recent insert (if included).
Any of these coupons will get you M&M's for $.97/bag!

Also at CVS, you can get one Russell Stover single egg or chocolate bunny for free after ECB's.

It's less than two weeks until Easter, so it's time to stock up!

Easter Candy Coupons

Lent is waning, and Easter is almost here!  I am definitely planning to stock up on some Easter candy for me and my husband my kids in the next few weeks, so I am looking for the best deals.

Here's a roundup of the coupons I found for Easter candy.  My goal is to pay about $1.50 or less per bag, between sales and coupons, for good, name brand candy.

Coupons.com

- $1.50/1 Nestle Butterfinger fun size bag
- $.55/1 Nestle NestEggs (8 oz. or 10 oz. varieties)

- $1.00/2 Nestle NestEggs (8 oz. or 10 oz. varieties)

- $.55/1 Wonka Jelly Beans

- $1.00/1 Wonka Jelly Beans
- $1.00/1 Wonka Scrumdiddlyumptious Chocolate Eggs 5-pack
- $1.00/2 Mars Seasonal Products

Other printable
- Nestle Family - more Nestle Nest Eggs and Wonka

Recent Insert coupons:
- $1.00/1 Dove chocolate
- $1.00/1 any Lindor truffles
- $1.00/3 Hershey's Kisses, Reese's, Hershey's Miniatures, Cadbuy, or Whoppers
- $1.00/2 Hershey's Reese's or Cadbury Centerpiece items
- $1.00/2 bags of Starburst or Lifesavers Jellybeans

Right now using the $1.00/2 Mars seasonal products coupon you can get free Snicker's candy eggs at many stores (Thanks, Money Saving Mom for the tip).  I already got a few free individual candies free with the similar insert coupon from a few weeks ago.

Over the next two weeks I'll be looking for big sales, especially at the drugstores.  In the past there have been ECB or RR deals, or at least pretty big markdowns shortly before holidays.

Most of these coupons probably expire on Easter, but consider hanging on to any that don't.  Then you can snag double savings the week after Easter when everything is at least 50% off!

This post contains affiliate links, which help support this site.


Photo by Gastonmag.

Frugal Valentine's Ideas

First of all a disclaimer: I've seen lots of adorable Valentine's crafts and other DIY ideas around the internet lately, before which anything I've done pales in comparison!  My style these days come down to two words: quick and easy!

Still, I thought it would be fun to share a couple of ways we've been preparing for Valentine's Day, all of which required very little effort or money:

My frugal door wreath - made from a dollar store garland I've had for several years.  I simply looped it round and round, shaped it into a heart, and secured with tie bands!

More free decorations!  A friend brought me these adorable Christmas ornaments from her trip to a German Christmas market over the holidays.  I didn't get them until after our Christmas decorations came down, and I didn't want to just pack them away until next year.  Luckily, I usually seem to have plenty of scraps of ribbon on hand!

Making Valentines - I bought most of the materials at the Target Dollar Spot, and the rest I already had on hand.  The way I see it, any art supplies that are red or pink or even just sparkly work for Valentines.

Aren't these cookies cute?  They were yummy, too!  I saw them in the February Martha Stewart, and they appealed to me because it seemd like an easier way to get a heart shape than rolling out sugar cookies.  The recipe is here.

I think this love holiday in the middle of winter really brightens the long, cold days!

What are your frugal ideas for Valentine's Day?

See more great frugal ideas at Frugal Fridays.

Preparing for the Holidays

Several months back, I wrote about planning for Christmas in July.  Now that it is November, it's time to step the plannng up!  Note that this is not about rushing the season (I was appalled to see a local town center already decorated for Christmas the other day!), but about planning the tasks and budget ahead in order to be able to celebrate the season frugally and well.

Here are the ways I'm preparing for the holiday season right now:

Listing priorities - My extra time is very limited these days, and I know how quickly the days of December flash by.  I love Christmas so much, and it is a holy time for us, so this year I am making a list of priorties.  What do I really want to make sure that we do during Advent and Christmas, and what is not important?  I want to make sure that we make time for what really matters.

Assessing my savings - The time for saving for the holidays is just about over, so now I am collecting and evaluating what I have saved.  I'm cashing in our credit card points for cash and my Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards.  Then I'll count up what I have, in both cash and gift cards, and that is what we have to spend on Christmas.  Which brings me to my next step:

Creating a budget - One of the hardest jobs - dividing up the money we have among all the extra expenses of the holidays.  For us that includes gifts for our family and extended family (fairly numerous!), our tree, Christmas cards, extra food, and our angel tree children. 

Listing gift ideas - My parents and brothers and sisters and I exchange gift idea lists at the beginning of November.  The idea is not to get the "greedies" on, but to get an idea of each other's interests, since we don't necessarily see each other as much as we would like.  My own children are still young enough that I mostly make their wish lists for them, but now is the time that I am assessing their toys and thinking about what they might like.  I'm also going through my "gift stash" to see what items I already have for certain people or that might work as a generic gift for a teacher or coworker.

Watching for early deals - I've already ordered 20 Christmas cards and only paid shipping through a Snapfish promo that ended on Sunday.  I'm hoping to get at least 20 more through a similar promo some time this month.  One advantage to the shopper of stores' getting ready for Christmas so early is that they roll out the deals early.  Especially if you have certains items that you are sure you want, now is the time to start looking.  Set up alerts for Amazon on CamelCamelCamel, so you know when a desired item reaches your target price.

It might seem overwhelming or stressful to start thinking about the holidays now, but trust me, it will be much more overwhelming and stressful later if you don't!  A good plan and budget is the key to getting your holidays off to a great start!

What are you doing to plan for the holidays now?

Check out Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom and Mrs. Moneysaver for more frugal ideas!

Cinderella's Carriage Jack O'Lantern

I do not claim ANY credit for this, except for a bit of the inspiration. It was a moment of, "that would be so neat if I had the time and energy," and my sister-in-law came through with the execution. Needless to say, my girls were thrilled with their project!

This post is linked to Frugal Fridays and Finer Things Fridays.

Preparing for Christmas - in July!

Christmas . . . it seems like a long time away, especially when we're melting in 98 degree heat!  However, now is actually the time that I start thinking about the holiday season every so often and making some simple preparations. 

While as a family we certainly try to emphasize the non-material aspects of Christmas, the holiday still remains a comparatively large expense.  Between gifts, travel, special food, decorations, and other incidentals, the costs add up quickly.  I do like to make the holidays a special and extraordinary time, and so it is worth it to me to plan ahead.  As with so many things, a little planning ahead can save a lot of money in the long run.

Here are some of the areas I'm thinking about now:

Saving up - There is a stereotype that is probably all too true of families spending on the holidays first and then dealing with the credit card bills later.  That is not the way we live, so I plan for the whole year how we will pay for holiday expenses.  Right now, the way I do it is to save up little bits of extra money we receive throughout the year in a separate account.  Whether it's an unexpected refund, earnings from a consignment sale, or a check from Ebates, I keep it separate from our regular budget so that I won't spend it.

Collecting Swagbucks and gift cards - All throughout the year I use the search engine Swagbucks for internet searches and save up points to cash in for Amazon gift cards.  I started this last fall, after reading about other bloggers doing the same, and I was very pleased with the results.  From just a few months of searches and a couple of referrals, I earned about $25 in gift cards last year.  This year I have been doing it the whole year, so I hope to earn quite a bit more.  I also save up other gift cards that I earn from prescription coupons or other store promotions.

Collecting stocking stuffers/other gifts - As I shop clearance sales and yard and consignment sales the whole year, I try to keep future gifts in mind.  Stocking stuffers, especially, are easy to pick up for pennies at clearance sales throughout the year.  School supply sales going on right now are a perfect place to pick up art supplies for pennies.  I also don't mind giving nice used toys as gifts to my own children, so I look for items they might like at yard and consignment sales.

Making lists and ideas, watching sales - While I'm not like some super-organized people who have their Christmas shopping finished by Thanksgiving, I do try to jot down gift and decoration ideas early on.  That way, if I see the perfect item or come across a great sale, I know what I might need.

Are you preparing for the holiday season this early?

This post is linked to Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom and Mrs. Moneysaver.

Photo by avanzaro.

Valentine's Day on a Budget

As you've probably noticed from the store displays, Valentine's Day is right around the corner! My latest article on Galtime gives some ideas for Valentine's Day presents and celebrations on a budget. You can read an excerpt below . . .

We all want to make that special person in our lives feel loved on Valentine's Day, but it's easy to get overwhelmed by the pressure.  Yes, you could spend double the usual price on a dozen red roses or get a generic expensive box of chocolates, but why not think outside the box?  

Read the rest of the article here.

Stockings from your "Stockpile"

Life as Mom has an awesome Frugal Friday post today on frugal stocking stuffers.  I think this is a really good idea because stockings tend to be one of those overlooked expenses that can really add up!  As I discovered last year, even all the "cheap" Dollar store and Target dollar spot items can get expensive.  After all, you could probably fit $25 worth of little $1 items into some stockings, if not more!

After going a little overboard last year, I tried to plan ahead this year.  Actually, I already have pretty close to everything I need for the girls' stockings already, without buying anything yet this holiday season.  I don't have everything for Michael's stocking, but I have a good start.

One of the best ways I found to get items to save for stockings is through one of my favorite ways to shop - seasonal clearance!  Last year, I stumbled upon a treasure-trove of 90% off Christmas items at Target.  Among a number of other items, I picked up Christmas coloring books and stickers for this year's stockings.  I also got a few clearance Christmas items at CVS. 

Stocking stuffers are not just limited to Christmas clearance.  Even other holidays clearance sections might have some little doo-dads that could be good stocking (or Easter basket) stuffers, such as stickers, pencils, and candy.  I have noticed that occasionally even items at the Target dollar spot go on clearance for half price, so I try to stock up on items then.  Also, I found several items in toy clearance sections after Christmas and at the end of the summer.

Jessica's idea about using free samples as stocking stuffers also got me thinking about using items from my household stockpile as stocking stuffers.  I have a number of scented candles, lotions, and body washes that would be good if I were stuffing an teen or adult female stocking. 

Including practical items is another good way to save on stocking stuffers, especially if you needed to purchase the item anyway.  When I was a child we got plenty of fun items in our stockings, but we often also received socks, underwear, and toothbrushes.  We didn't mind, and "Santa" often made these items more special by getting Christmas socks or a toothbrush with a favorite character.

The rest of the items I have for the stockings I just picked up when I saw them or when I found a good deal throughout the year.  I got my girls some simple dress up items from the Target dollar spot months ago.  I'm not organized enough to do the majority of my Christmas shopping ahead of time, as some people do, but any time I do find something I can pick up for Christmas, I do.  Even if I spend the same amount of money on it that I would have at Christmas, it's easier on the budget because it doesn't come at the same time as all those other holiday expenses!

It might be late to "stock"pile for your stockings this year, but I hope you find some inspiration from the ideas.  And in a few weeks it will be time to start saving for next year!

Photo by Juliaf.