Get to GW!

We all know that Christmas stands for more than gifts, but let's add that Christmas is a time for odd, unusual and unwanted gifts. Say your Aunt Mary gives you a lovely sweater. The only problem is that it doesn't fit or it has a delightful elf pattern on the front. What do you do? There is just no regifting this sweater, so off it goes to Goodwill. Another scenario, you already have a several scarves in your wardrobe, so you donate the ones you don't care for. My point is that in January, unwanted Christmas gifts pop up at your local Goodwill. They don't have to be ugly, unusable or pathetic. Someone made the choice to weed out and make a donation. Perhaps you will be the donator, perhaps you will be the lucky individual that finds a great deal on a discarded gift. Keep your eyes open in the upcoming month!

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Another great giveaway from Pinterest Told Me To!

http://pinteresttoldmeto.blogspot.com/2013/12/on-12th-day-of-christmas-shay-and-i.html?m=0

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Anatomy of a thrifted Christmas outfit

The holidays bring many occasions which require dress up/ church style clothes. Both daughters have performances at school, and I prefer they wear different dresses each time. Holiday/special occasion dresses can be very expensive. However, if you start perusing the racks early, you will find something. This is the ensemble for my 4 year old. She loved it and so did I! Cost effective and cute are always popular in my book.

 

 

 

 

Total-$15.39

 

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Get outta here!

So, I saw these while shopping in the Stillwater GW.

 

Gorgeous grape colored Hanna Andersson clogs, size 35. Admittedly, they are too big for my 9 year old, but I wasn't passing these up! I will store them til they fit. Looking at Hanna online, I found these.

Price $68! Oh, my... I didn't and wouldn't pay that. So, instead I paid...

Mary Jane clog picture courtesy of Hanna Andersson

Other photos are mine

 

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Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men (And, women!)

Happy holidays! I was fortunate enough to be able to hostess a table at my church's candlelight Advent luncheon. What this means is that I had to provide decorations, glassware and tableware for 8. Yikes, that's a lot. Luckily, I had several settings of 2 patterns of basic white plates already in use, so dishes weren't a problem, or were they? My dining room wall is a canvas for white plates, all shapes and sizes. Nearly all were purchased at my favorite Goodwill in Wichita, Kansas.

 

I had a good look at my wall and decided to pull down 8 mismatched plates, why be normal? Next, I needed water glasses. Luckily, I was able to borrow them. I then remembered I needed bread plates and glasses for the sparking cider we serve. I had already acquired 4 hand painted china plates purchased from the Wichita Goodwill.

I also had 4 glasses that I though would be cute for the cider. These glasses were made by Anchor Hocking since the 1950's and are in the "Boopie" pattern. My daughters like to drink there juice out of them. They're sturdy so I don't mind. But, I didn't have the full 8 I needed. Enter The Stillwater Goodwill. The previous week, I had been down the glassware aisle. I certainly don't need glasses, but when I'm shopping I try to get a good look at everything. I saw they had identical Boopie glasses. I didn't buy them, didn't need them. Fast forward to Saturday, now I need them. What were the odds they were still there? What were the odds I could find 3 small, hand painted plates. My daughter and I hop in the car to see if I can find something, anything to add to my place settings. We head to glassware. Sitting on the shelf are the 4 identical glasses. I grab them and run to the cart, mentally prepared to fight whomever tries to wrench them out of my sweaty hands.

We move to plates. There are several pretty floral saucers, but that seems to be it. Saucers would be weird, so I pass. Finally, realizing that I will have to go somewhere else for plates, I get down and begin lifting up all of the plates so I can just make sure I haven't missed any. Lo and behold, I find not 1, not 2, but 3 adorable floral plates that will fit nicely with my existing plates.

I am mentally exhausted, at this point and we go home, very satisfied. The next day, I arrive at church, with several boxes of items for my table. I have the setup in my mind, now it's time to get to work. I arrange candles, ornaments, small Christmas trees and my place settings. I arrange my thrifted damask napkins in their thrifted, beaded napkin rings. I put chunky candles in my thrifted lead crystal candleholders.

 

 

It's then I realize, that without Goodwill, my table would have been skimpy and not too exciting. As it was, there were oohs and ahs from the church ladies over my use of the antique glassware and china plates. I beamed with pride not only because my table looked great, not only because of the nice compliments but mostly because I had shopped at Goodwill and had saved a fortune. It goes to show that shopping at Goodwill will produce cost effective and lovely decor for any season.

 

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Fabuless finds!

 

 

 

 

Jeans are my uniform. I'm a mom, so they fit the bill perfectly. I can dress them up or throw on a sweatshirt and call it good. I will pretty much wear any brand, as long as they are cost effective, or um, cheap. I frequent Goodwill because I can almost always find something good. By something good, I mean a brand name that I wouldn't be caught dead purchasing retail. Jeans can be expensive, very expensive. From a fashion standpoint, denim is a statement. With a fancy logo on the back pocket, you are showing your friends, family and fashionistas just how much you care about the way you look and what you spent. Sure, I want to walk into Nordstrom, plunk down my hard earned cash, and walk out with 1 pair of jeans. Not only am I handing over my money, I'm leaving with designer jeans and a bag full of guilt. I just can't bring myself to do that. With 3 kids and all of their activities, food, gas etc. that money needs to go somewhere other than my wardrobe. Therefore, I scour the racks at Goodwill, in hopes that I find an amazing deal. Sometimes they are few and far between but one day, I hit the jean jackpot! The Stillwater Goodwill yielded Hudson, J Brand and Not Your Daughter's jeans. I grabbed them and threw them in the cart, hoping they would fit. I've had my eye on some Hudson's for quite some time, so I was crossing my fingers they would fit. Thankfully and luckily, they all fit. I must admit, I splurged on the Hudson's and paid $14.99, a price I was completely fine with, as I know that I will wear them frequently. The J Brand jeans cost $6.99 and the Not Your Daughter's Jeans cost $4.99. Clothing is expensive and many times, fabrics don't last through all of the spills, stains and tears that occur. Why not buy clothing from Goodwill? You can find a great bargain and designer label jeans with money to spare.

Hudson jeans photo courtesy of Hudson

Not Your Daughter's Jeans photo courtesy of Herberger's

J Brand Jeans photo courtesy of J Brand

Remaining photos are my own

Purchases made at Stillwater GW

 

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Nordstrom giveaway!

One of my favorite bloggers is giving away a great GC to nordstrom for $500! Pineterest Told Me To is a hoot to read. Written by a shopaholic, Sheaffer, post all kinds of outfits that she replicates using Pinterest. While some of her outfits are quite spendy, this girl reports Nordstrom sales quicker than the blink of an eye. If Nordstrom isn't in your budget nearly everything shown can be duped, either using GW or Old Navy. Click on the link for her giveaway.

http://pinteresttoldmeto.blogspot.com/2013/12/on-1st-day-of-christmas-cyber-monday.html

Check it out!

While my Target Cartwheel app was updating, I noticed there was a new savings app I had not heard of. It's called GeoQpons. Currently, it is featuring a ton of Black Friday ads but what caught my eye was the fact that by turning on your GPS, you could get coupons based on your zip code. I put in my zip code and came up with various locations of retailers, restaurants and businesses offering discounts.

Local businesses, with type of coupon and distances are listed. There is also a place to add your loyalty cards, but I have so many, it would take hours. A handy shopping list is also included.

A list of discounts available.

And, a map to get to said location.

 

I'm going to tinker around more with this app and if I find anything interesting, I will post.

GeoQpons is a free app on both Apple and Android operating systems.

Remember, enjoy your family and friends on Thanksgiving and don't shop. Keep our holidays and traditions out of the mall. This goes for Target, too.

 

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Links to big savings

I use several different links to find deals. They are very useful in that you can link to various coupon sites. There are literally a million of these type of sites. Some will even email you a daily list of specials available, which can be very useful.

I use the sites below for making shopping lists.

Home - Pocket Your Dollars® - This is an invaluable site for MN grocery stores. Also, covers CVS and Walgreens. They may not be for your area so please check your ad first before trying to matchup. Carrie Rocha, the creator of this site is a genius and I owe much, if not all, of my saving to her.

Totally Target Getting You More Red for Less Green! - A great Target hookup page. Also, features other discounts, such as magazine and dining offers.

Super Coupon Lady — Making it EASY for you to save lots of $$MONEY$$! - This is the smorgasbord of everything discount. Coupons, toys, Amazon, you name it.

 

There are also other sites offering discounts for internet purchases. Some of these sites will also email you a daily savings list.

Coupons at CouponCabin | Codes - Grocery - Printables - Samples - Deals - This site has a bit of everything. Features higher end discounts from retailers such as Kate Spade, Vera Bradley, Macy's, Nordstrom etc.

RetailMeNot: Coupon Codes, Coupons, Promo Codes, Discounts - More coupon codes. It's always good to check this site before making online purchases. There are printable and mobile app coupons. Coupon Codes, Promotional Codes and Discounts at CurrentCodes.com - A great site that maintains an updated database of available discount codes. Features sales and shipping codes.

 

Finally, there are ways to make money from shopping.

Coupons, Promo Codes and Cash Back Savings - Ebates.com - This site pays you to shop, not a lot, however, unless you are an avid internet shopper. A retailer establishes a percentage that will be refunded to you. Say for instance, Target offers 10% back on purchases. They don't, I'm just using that as a wishful example. Christie Coupon Queen spends $4000 in one shopping extravaganza! Her payout, $400! Only in my dreams, but it's is still an example.

Earn Reward Points and Redeem Them For Free Stuff at Swagbucks.com - This is my favorite site. It features a search engine that allows you to bank points while surfing the internet. Type in Target and you could win 12 points. The points accumulate and after awhile you can choose gift cards to various retailers. My favorite are the Amazon gift cards. 450 points will snag you a $5 gift card. If you search the internet frequently, the points from searching add up quickly. There are also surveys and various other ways to receive points. If you shop off Swagbucks, you will get points based on what you spend. So, in a nutshell, you make your purchase through Swagbucks, using a sale/free shipping code, the points add up, cash them in and make a purchase, getting more points. A win-win, in my book.

These are just a few of the websites I use on a frequent basis to save money, print coupons, find discount/shipping codes. I hope they are an asset to your budget.

 

 

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This Target is in my sights

 

I like Target. No, I love Target! It's a familiar place, every store looks similar, is clean, has nice employees but mostly it has a bunch of good stuff. So much good stuff, that we are willing to basically hand over our wallets the second we get in the door. Need a loaf of bread? Ok, but here is some Nutella you should get and it's on sale. I would like to get a shirt. Hey, look! There's a rack of 70% off! Don't lie, you've been there, list in hand, wandering the aisles and randomly grabbing things that aren't on the list. Think of how much you spend. It's a lot. A lot, a lot. Did I mention it's a lot?

I have written about Target and how to save while shopping there. This post is going to focus on food, so there will be more coupon choices. There are also lots of coupon choices for health and beauty, but it haven't shopped for those items in awhile. Keep in mind, you can use a paper Target coupon, a manufacturer coupon, text coupons and Cartwheel. First, make your list. I'm going to show you how I made mine. I checked ads, printed coupons, clipped coupons, looked at the text coupons and finished with Cartwheel. Then, I got stressed out. Thanksgiving is next week and I knew the store was going to be filled with screaming kids and disorganized adults. I wasn't wrong.

It may seem like a disorganized mess, but it's my disorganized mess. You have to create a list that makes sense to you. My list has everything I want to buy, obviously, in what quantity, and what kind of coupons I have. The amounts on the left side are just my notes on cost. It isn't necessary, unless you have to have a minimum purchase to qualify for double coupons etc.

I was going to post my receipt but I couldn't photograph it so that it was legible. Target receipts are horrible to read. I'm not sure why they can't show savings since they used to.

You can be the judge. This is retail.

Or, what I prefer.

Savings of $17.51

I still consider my couponing skills to be fairly rudimentary. For instance, I noticed a couple of items with incorrect pricing. That's unfortunate but I still feel like this was a successful shopping trip. I have done better and hope to show you another worthwhile haul from our favorite store. In the meantime, I feel like someday this may happen, I will be banned from Target.

Next time: I will be sharing links to my favorite websites to find bargains, coupons and much more.

 

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Is leopard the new neutral?

Is leopard a color? No, but it's gaining popularity as a neutral, made for everyone, young or old. From shoes, purses, sweaters and everything in between, leopard is everywhere. Leopard items can be found at every price point. My preference, the least costly, is the best! To give you an idea of how you can style a leopard vest, I searched for pictures highlighting this trend. My outfit is on the right and consists of a Dennis Basso faux fur vest, Coldwater Creek sweater and Target pants and leather boots. Now, for a breakdown!

Retail: Dennis Basso vest $100+

Coldwater Creek sweater $69.95

Target Merona pants $24.99

Target Merona Kasia leather boot $74.99

My cost: Vest $8.99

Sweater $5.99

Pants $3.99

Boots $6.99

I also want to add that these Kasia boots are very similiar to the popular Frye Melissa Button boot, which retail for a whopping $348! So, scour your local GW for fantastic buys that put you right in the line of style.

Top picture-collegefashionista.com

Bottom picture-fabulousfurs.com

Right picture-mine

 

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Fabuless Finds

I like to shop at Goodwill. Sometimes I have a list of things I would like, sometimes I'm just in it for the hunt of something "fabuless." These are a couple of the "thrill of the hunt" items I recently found, and acquired.

Birkenstock Madrid Birko Flor-retails for $69.95. Paid $5.99. A savings of $63.96. Thanks GW!

These are Nike Air Max, created by someone with NikeiD. You can, for a hefty price tag, pick a shoe and pimp it out like you're a big baller. Ha, I just said that and it totally sounds stupid. Anyway, after examining the Nike site, I think they were about $135! I guess they weren't loved because they have never been worn, except by me! Paid $6.99. A savings of $128.01. Thanks GW!

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Ways to save! Big!

I like to save. I like to spend. Those notions really don't seem to fit but you can make trade offs to make them work. Let's talk about Target. It's the store you run into to buy a mop and end up spending $100+ on who knows what. I've done, you've done it. You know you have! There are methods to keeping your Target shopping extravaganza to a minimum.
The Target Red debit card gives you 5% off your purchases. Because it is drawn directly out of your checking account, you will likely watch your total a bit more carefully.
Target Cartwheel. Hmmm. I don't like this app. It generally offers 5% and sometimes up to 20% off an item. You can print off the barcode or just show it to the cashier from your smartphone. That is, if you remember...
Target coupons. These are found on the Target website and are printable. There are a smattering of different product coupons from clothing, grocery, health and beauty to toys. You can get a couple of reprints from each coupon.
Manufacture coupons. These are just the usual coupons, found in newspapers, magazines etc.
Target text coupons. Text the code word and you will periodically receive coupons for various things. It's basically the same barcode procedure as Cartwheel.
Target coupon books. I rarely get these but they feature more Target coupons.
Now, for the hard part. You don't want to spend ALL of your money at Target, right? Then, the trade off is time. Gathering, printing, cutting blah, blah. Make a list, I repeat, make a list and stick to it. Mark what kind of coupons you have.
For instance, say you need Kleenex. You have a .75 manufacturer coupon. You have a Target coupon for .50. Cartwheel is showing a 10% discount. Organization is key. Here's an example of what my list would look like.
Kleenex-P (for paper), T (for Target), C (for Cartwheel) and TX (for text). I do this with every item or I will forget everything I have. Confusing, yes but you will save money.
I'm planning a Thansgiving grocery list for Friday. I will show you the crazy looking list and the receipt. It should prove interesting because there are literally a ton of coupons for the holidays that are out. Cartwheel has some good deals for these items, as well.
The lesson here is shopping at Target is fun but expensive. Turn your fun into getting a great deal!

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Welcome!

Hi and welcome to my blog! This blog is a long time dream to show off my thriftiness. In the past, I have made purchases ranging from clothing, toys, housewares and furniture, all at Goodwill. I did not discover Goodwill on my own. My mom had been a shopper there for a long time. When I got pregnant, she suggested I hit several of the local stores for maternity clothes. Maternity clothes are expensive and you just don't wear them long enough to justify paying a high price. I had a few minutes, so I stepped in and surveyed the maternity section. Well, I didn't have near the time I wanted to shop. In the end, I bought maternity clothes and a host of baby clothes for my new daughter. Flash forward a couple of years and I was having another daughter. My shopping became more extensive. I was clothing a boy and 2 girls as well as myself, all from Goodwill. The adventure had begun.

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