So, you need cash and you need it NOW. Let's talk! Who hasn't ever found themselves in that little predicament? I'm sure those of you in education (or any other career that pays MONTHLY, ugh...) can relate to things getting a little tight towards the end of the month. Here are a couple of places that I have found reliable for paying cash on the spot for my unwanted clutter! These are also helpful in building (or re-building) your $1000 emergency fund for all my Dave Ramsey followers out there.
HALF PRICE BOOKS!!! These guys make it so easy! Load up all of those old books that are taking up space in your house! I am always in and out of Half Price in less than 20 minutes. They take much more than books! Cd's, DVDs, even your old VHS tapes! Why do you still have those??? Of course, they pay more for current best sellers and such!
KID TO KID....children's consignment in Arlington. Take them your gently used children's clothing, shoes, strollers, cribs, even toys! They will give you the option of cash or a store credit that is a little (maybe 10 percent) higher. Why mess with a garage sale? Too much work!
LITTLE GIGGLES....is another children's consignment in Arlington that works exactly like Kid To Kid. Little Giggles was formerly Once Upon A Child and is now under different ownership. I have only been there once, but they were great and bought several things of mine that Kid To Kid would not buy (they are getting pretty picky these days).
PLATO'S CLOSET...also a consignment shop located in Arlington. They accept gently used teens/juniors clothing. They even take men's clothing! They look for name brand items that are trendy and have probably been purchased within the last 18 months or so. So...don't take them that ugly sweater that you got for Christmas 4 years ago:)
ARLINGTON JEWELRY EXCHANGE...this is a very nice jewelry store located in the Home Depot parking lot off of Cooper St. by the mall. They buy gold and precious jewels. Go through your jewelry box and find things that are nice, that you simply don't wear. You will have to tell them up front what you would like to receive from the sell of the item. They then approach the buyer and he will make you an offer after examining the piece. It's a very simple procedure. Takes about ten minutes. PS: I do NOT recommend selling anything of any sentimental value!!! You can't get those things back.
AND THEN THERE'S THE OBVIOUS:::
*HAVE A GARAGE SALE (hate it!)
*SELL STUFF ON CRAIGSLIST (love it!)
*EBAY (I have never sold anything on ebay, but I have heard great things about selling here, especially books! Be sure and have the buyer pay shipping!)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
That's Banana's!
So, I can't take credit for finding this great deal! My friend Jamie informed me that Target has printable coupons available on their website (or in store at the registry printer). There is currently a coupon for $.50 cents off 1 lb of bananas. Banana's are $.56 cents/lb. Pretty sweet! Also, in that Sunday double paper you should be buying, there are coupons for $6.00 off Airwick imotion starter kits. They are on sale right now for $5.99...making them FREE! My Target was out but you can bet I will be checking other locations! Thanks, Jamie for the GREAT deal on banana's! I'm thinking SMOOTHIES!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
A Little Tip For Tuesday!
Did you know that at most stores you can use both an in store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon on the same item? Yep! Check out the pic below. I found these items at CVS today. I paid exactly $0.21 cents out of pocket:) Not free...but close! Did you buy your double Sunday paper this week? What are you waiting on?! ALSO....OFFICE DEPOT HAS SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS FOR ONE PENNY THIS WEEK!!! NO CATCH. LIMIT 3. GOT MINE TODAY! I LITERALLY HANDED HER 3 PENNIES:)
How? Very simple, actually. The Colgate is currently buy one get one free at $2.79....I had a coupon for $2.00 off any Colgate at CVS. You do the math! Next, the Listerine Smart Rinse was on clearance at the CVS closest to my house. I had a buy one get one free manuf. coupon that I combined with a coupon for $1.00 off any mouthwash at CVS. I obtained that coupon from the in store scanner at CVS that you can use up to once daily to receive extra coupons and offers. (Sometimes it will spit out coupons like $5 off any $15 dollar purchase.) My items rang up for $1.21...I handed them ONE Extra Care Buck (see prior posts) and $0.21 cents change.
A couple of good (not GREAT) deals I found today were: notebook paper at Walgreen's is $0.49 cents with the circular coupon, and backpacks are buy one get one free at $9.99 (making them five bucks each). These were mainly character backpacks for little ones. Payless Shoes (i know, i know but they have good deals!) is having their BOGO sale which includes all merchandise, even clearance! Makes for some REALLY cheap shoes.
Have a great week! Keep me posted on what GREAT deals YOU find!!!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Essentials...
So first things first.......SHOPPING! Let me enlighten you. If you have not obtained a CVS card you must do so NOW! CVS offers "Extra Care Bucks" on several different items each week. These bucks print out at the end of your reciept after your purchase, for future use which ends up making items very inexpensive or even FREE. They also accept manufacturer's coupons which can be used in combination with the ECB's. It's a game of sorts. This weeks circular was great if you are just getting started. Especially if you have kids. Lots of back to school items are free!
As far as shopping for groceries is concerned...shopping at one store is a thing of the past. We always buy a double Sunday paper so that we have two sets of coupons. Yes, I said coupons. Get over it! I don't enjoy clipping and filing them either, but I sure am stoked when I look at the bottom of my reciept and see how much hard earned cash I actually saved!! I tend to do most of my shopping at Kroger and Albertsons because they double and triple coupons. I do get some items at Walmart. I've never been big on Tom Thumb until this week! Now I may have to switch! All of you die hard Pepsi and Mt. Dew drinkers listen up! This week at Tom Thumb buy two 12-packs of Pepsi Products & GET THREE 12-PACKS FREE!!! YES, I SAID THREE MORE FREE plus a huge bag of Tostidos chips! Now that's what I call "All that and a bag of chips!"
STOCKPILE, STOCKPILE, STOCKPILE!!! Especially on the essentials! Stock up on things like milk, butter, eggs, bread, flour, and sugar (and do it when they are on sale at their cheapest) because then you are never "out of everything". Did you know that you can freeze milk? And bread? Just give your milk a good shake after it thaws! We go to the Mrs. Bairds Outlet stores and stock up for weeks! We usually end up spending around seven dollars and it totally fills up our freezer! They have much more than bread there, too. They carry breakfast items, pizza crusts, tortillas, etc. and they always have freebies! There is a Mrs. Bairds located in DeSoto on Hampton and one in Arlington as well. I like to stock up on things we use alot of like household cleaning items, detergent, body wash and hair products, paper towels, and of course, TP!!! It is so nice to just walk into the pantry and grab some body wash when we run out! That helps me focus on just buying groceries when I'm at the store. Trust me, it will make a HUGE difference in your bill!
Walgreens has a Register Rewards program that is very similar to CVS but doesn't require a card. I find this helpful because it allows you to do the transactions more than once. For instance, this week at Walgreens:
VITAMIN Shampoo or Conditioner is on sale for $3.99
Register Rewards (good on next purchase) $4.oo
I chose to stock up on TP this week. Check it out...
Quilted Northern Big Rolls 9 pack on sale $4.oo
(minus Manufacturer's Coupon $1.oo off)
Eggs $0.99
Quaker Oats Pancake Mix (large boxes!!) 2/$1.00 Wow!
(minus Register Rewards from the Shampoo $4.00)
TOTAL OUT OF POCKET: $1.44
Not free...but, not shabby! Oh, and I almost forgot! Walgreens has all of their sandals (didn't even know they carried shoes?!) on clearance %75 off!!! Got the cutest brown sandals for $2.50. I'm thinking about buying up several pair for Macy for next summer...they really are cute. Walgreens. Yep.
Okay, gotta run. More to come. Happy shopping, happy saving:)
As far as shopping for groceries is concerned...shopping at one store is a thing of the past. We always buy a double Sunday paper so that we have two sets of coupons. Yes, I said coupons. Get over it! I don't enjoy clipping and filing them either, but I sure am stoked when I look at the bottom of my reciept and see how much hard earned cash I actually saved!! I tend to do most of my shopping at Kroger and Albertsons because they double and triple coupons. I do get some items at Walmart. I've never been big on Tom Thumb until this week! Now I may have to switch! All of you die hard Pepsi and Mt. Dew drinkers listen up! This week at Tom Thumb buy two 12-packs of Pepsi Products & GET THREE 12-PACKS FREE!!! YES, I SAID THREE MORE FREE plus a huge bag of Tostidos chips! Now that's what I call "All that and a bag of chips!"
STOCKPILE, STOCKPILE, STOCKPILE!!! Especially on the essentials! Stock up on things like milk, butter, eggs, bread, flour, and sugar (and do it when they are on sale at their cheapest) because then you are never "out of everything". Did you know that you can freeze milk? And bread? Just give your milk a good shake after it thaws! We go to the Mrs. Bairds Outlet stores and stock up for weeks! We usually end up spending around seven dollars and it totally fills up our freezer! They have much more than bread there, too. They carry breakfast items, pizza crusts, tortillas, etc. and they always have freebies! There is a Mrs. Bairds located in DeSoto on Hampton and one in Arlington as well. I like to stock up on things we use alot of like household cleaning items, detergent, body wash and hair products, paper towels, and of course, TP!!! It is so nice to just walk into the pantry and grab some body wash when we run out! That helps me focus on just buying groceries when I'm at the store. Trust me, it will make a HUGE difference in your bill!
Walgreens has a Register Rewards program that is very similar to CVS but doesn't require a card. I find this helpful because it allows you to do the transactions more than once. For instance, this week at Walgreens:
VITAMIN Shampoo or Conditioner is on sale for $3.99
Register Rewards (good on next purchase) $4.oo
I chose to stock up on TP this week. Check it out...
Quilted Northern Big Rolls 9 pack on sale $4.oo
(minus Manufacturer's Coupon $1.oo off)
Eggs $0.99
Quaker Oats Pancake Mix (large boxes!!) 2/$1.00 Wow!
(minus Register Rewards from the Shampoo $4.00)
TOTAL OUT OF POCKET: $1.44
Not free...but, not shabby! Oh, and I almost forgot! Walgreens has all of their sandals (didn't even know they carried shoes?!) on clearance %75 off!!! Got the cutest brown sandals for $2.50. I'm thinking about buying up several pair for Macy for next summer...they really are cute. Walgreens. Yep.
Okay, gotta run. More to come. Happy shopping, happy saving:)
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Oh Lord, That You Would Bless Me Indeed...
Those simple words have crossed my lips daily for months now. The Prayer of Jabez. In January 2009 we decided to dramatically change our lifestyle and how we spend our money. Focusing on the future and what we would like to leave our children (and their children) has become priority in our home. With the help of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University we have now knocked out a whopping $11,500 in only seven short months. It has not by any means been easy, but it has been extremely rewarding. I wanted to begin blogging to share some of things that we are doing that might help someone else save a penny or two. I am here to tell you, if WE can do it...then YOU definitely can do it as well!! The most important thing I have learned (and continue to be reminded of) is that God is faithful and he will 'bless you indeed' if you just ask. That sounds like such a simple thing, but I think sometimes we get so caught up praying for other people or about certain situations in life that we forget to ask God for His blessings.
And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, Lord that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain." So God granted him what he requested.
I Chronicles 4:10 NKJV
It's a powerful little prayer. I challenge you to utilize it and see how God chooses to bless you. I feel as though our family has been blessed beyond measure.
And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, Lord that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain." So God granted him what he requested.
I Chronicles 4:10 NKJV
It's a powerful little prayer. I challenge you to utilize it and see how God chooses to bless you. I feel as though our family has been blessed beyond measure.
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