The Frugal Connection

One of my favorite online stores is Dayspring.com. As a Christian, I love to share God`s love with others, and one way I like to this is to purchase inspirational gifts for my friends and family through Christian retailers.

Have you ever visited the DaySpring.com website? If you haven`t, go check it out! Not only do they have a wide variety of beautiful and inspirational gift ideas, they also have some great deals going right now.  I spent some time searching through their clearance section over at www.dayspring.com, and I found some great deals!  I ended up buying 23 items for $26.97, and saved $175.74!!!

Not too bad, right? Well, throw FREE SHIPPING in there, and I was one happy camper.  Take a peek at some of the things I purchased:

Christmas Gift Bags for only $0.99!

I stocked up on these gift bags for next year.  These are perfect for anyone: family, friends, teachers, you name it.  They also include a free gift tag that reads: Jesus is the gift.  (Regular price: $3.99)

Really Woolly DVD`s for only $1.29!

These DVD`s are perfect for birthday gifts, or even Christmas gifts for next year. Again, I stocked up on these, since they were a steal!  (Regular price $9.99)  (These would also be a great item to donate to your church library or MOPPETS group!)

More Really Woolly DVD`s for only $1.29!

More stocking up, here. These are entertaining DVD`s that your children will love, and they all include wonderful, encouraging messages for their precious little hearts. This one is about obeying your parents.  (Another idea for these gifts would be to include these in a church fundraiser or benefit as small prizes.)

Get this cute little Titus plush sheep for only $1.29!

This little sheep named Titus will be the perfect stocking stuffer for next Christmas. I also got an extra one to fill my Operation Christmas Child shoe box for next year. Yes, I am always thinking ahead. Retail price: $9.99.

Veggie Tales Valentine`s Day Cards (26 pack) for only $0.99 each!

I was so excited to see these Valentine`s Day cards already on clearance BEFORE Valentine`s Day!  I ordered several of these for my kids to use this year, and next year. Retail price: $3.99.  (These would also be another great idea for a Sunday School class or MOPPETS group!)

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Well, as I mentioned before, I received FREE SHIPPING on my order. HOWEVER, this was not offered on the Dayspring website!  Want to know how I got it? Keep reading!

Whenever I am ordering something online, I ALWAYS log in to my ShopAtHome account and then search for the online store where I am planning on buying something. Once I logged in today, I searched for Dayspring, and found several coupons, including one for free shipping for any $25 or more purchase. BINGO! By using this free online code from ShopAtHome, I saved myself $7.45 in shipping costs.

So, frugal friends, if you have not signed up for a FREE account at ShopAtHome yet, please do so here:   http://www.shopathome.com/?IAFCG=5cSuSPrz6zureYsLCE39Iw==

I know the link may look a little weird, but it is just a referral link I obtained from my ShopAtHome account. Once you are signed up, and make your first online purchase through ShopAtHome within 60 days, you will receive a $5 bonus! Easy, right?  Then, if you think ShopAtHome is as awesome as I do, you can refer others with your own unique link, and once they sign up, you will both receive a $5 bonus! Free money, my friends! And a ton of savings!

ShopAtHome also offers a ton of cash back opportunities when you log in to your account and start your shopping there. I have already earned over $50 in cash back from doing this for just the past few months.

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Frugal Tips:

1.  Sign up for a FREE ShopAtHome account (see link above).

2.  Search for the store Dayspring, once you are signed up and logged into your ShopAtHome account.

3.  Select the online coupon code you would like to use, click on it, and ShopAtHome will take you directly to the Dayspring website. Easy as pie.

4.  Search through the clearance sections on Dayspring.com and once you`re ready to check out, be sure to enter in your FREE SHIPPING code.  (Remember, you must have at least $25 of merchandise in your shopping cart to receive the free shipping discount. )

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Congratulations! If you just completed the 4 steps above, you have just scored a ton of savings from selecting some awesome clearance items to bless others with, you received FREE SHIPPING, and since you just signed up for ShopAtHome and made your first purchase (within 60 days of signing up), you will receive another $5 from ShopAtHome!

High Five, Frugal Friends!

The North Valley Family Center, otherwise known as NOVA, is located in Florence, MT, and is a community based Family Resource Center.

NOVA`s mission is to bring people of all ages, skills and abilities together to create a network of support that will:

• Strengthen resiliency in parents and their children
• Provide Information and resource referrals
• Engage families in lifelong learning activities, and
• Encourage volunteerism, leadership, and civic engagement

NOVA`s activities and programs are free, and offered to people of all ages, regardless of income level. Some of the classes and activities offered for preschoolers and their parents include: Tot Time, Ready! Set! Play!, and Music in Motion. 

For more information on NOVA, or to see their upcoming calendar of events, friend them on Facebook under North Valley Family-Center, or visit their blog page at www.novafrc.org.

Traci`s favorite places to shop:  

Anywhere local and cheap!! She loves thrift stores, especially the Secret Seconds stores in Missoula, MT.  She also frequents Goodwill quite often.

The best deal Traci ever got was: 

When Traci was shopping at the Goodwill outlet in Oregon with her Mom, they ended up buying a huge area rug (and a bunch of clothes) for $10.  That same month Traci was in Lowes shopping, and found the exact same area rug for $300!

How Traci saves money on things that she buys:

Traci usually tries to wait until something goes on sale, but she said she needs to get better about using sales + coupons to maximize her savings.

Traci`s frugal tip to share: 

Traci said she was fairly new to the world of Couponing, but if she had one tip, it would be to ONLY buy what is on your list.  Often times she goes into the store, with only a few things on her list that she really needs to buy, and she will come out spending a lot of money on things she really didn’t need. Traci said that it`s a hard habit to break, but now that she is on a limited budget, she’s gotten better to sticking to her list.

Thanks for letting us get to know you, Traci!

How many of you toss your receipts after you`ve purchased something?  You`re not going to need it, right?

Let`s take a look at the flip side. How many of you keep your receipts in case you might need them later?  Maybe you just file them away, and if you ever need it, you know right where to look.

I used to be a receipt tosser. Then I discovered that I actually needed receipts more often than I thought, and I made the switch.

Here are several reasons why you might want to hang on to that little piece of paper the cashier so graciously hands you.

1.  Check to make sure that your items rang up correctly. 

Always double check your receipt to make sure everything rang up as it was supposed to.  Sometimes things ring up incorrectly, and the cashier may not even notice.  You`ve got to pay attention once you get to the register.

For example:  I had recently purchased a peacoat at Old Navy, which had been orange ticketed and marked down to $23.97. (Gotta love those after Christmas markdowns!) Anyway, for some reason, the peacoat rang up as $32.97, and I didn`t notice the error until I got home and looked at the receipt. Nine dollars may not seem like a lot to some people, but it was worth a trip back to the store for me, a few days later.

The cashier fixed the problem immediately and credited me back the $9.  I`m sure the error was just due to a glitch in their system,  and it was easily remedied with a valid receipt and a courteous salesperson. Because I had double checked the receipt after my visit and had not thrown it away, it netted me an extra $9 in my pocket. Receipts = money.

2.  Price adjustments.

Don`t you love it when you purchased something last week only to find out it went on sale this week? Well, it`s a good think you hung on to that receipt, so you can go back and get a price adjustment, if the store allows.  Most stores will credit you the difference between the price you paid and the current sale price, as long as it falls within the store`s allowable timeframe. Just bring in your receipt, confirm the current sale price, and bam…you`ve got more money in your pocket. Once again, receipts = money.

3.  Easy Returns.

We`ve all been there. You bought something and now for some reason or another, you need to return it.  Do you still have your receipt?   I have been so frustrated with myself on several occasions when I went back to the store without my receipt, and the store could only offer me store credit. And, as most of you know, most stores will only give you the current sales price of the product returned, which might be significantly less than what you paid for it. So in essence, you may be losing money by not having a receipt when doing a return. Receipts = money.

Some stores, like Target, are able to look up your receipt in their computer, if you don`t have it with you.  However, you will need to present the exact debit or credit card that you used to make the purchase. This method is very quick and easy to use, if you don`t have your receipt. (Yeay for Target!)

4.  Get your reward!

Look at your receipt.  Is there a customer survey offered on it? Here`s your chance to share your customer experience with the store management so they can get a birds eye view of your visit.  If you received great service from friendly and knowledgeable associates, tell them that.  If you had a bad experience in the fitting rooms or at the cash register, let them know so they can improve on their shortcomings.  Your feedback is very valuable to these businesses, and they are willing to reward you for it.

I have received a variety of rewards by completing these quick and easy surveys, such as free food, a coupon code for $10 off my next purchase, and more.  Some surveys only took me 2 to 3 minutes, and it netted me $10 in savings on my next visit. Not too shabby! So frugal friends, receipts = money.

5. Tracking your expenses AND your savings!

Have you ever wondered how much money you spent during the year? Are you curious to see how much you have saved? Keeping your receipts and organizing them will give you a pretty good picture. There are several different methods of organizing receipts, which I will go into in my next post.  So, stay tuned!

Frugal Tip:  The next time you get a receipt, think about holding on to that little piece of paper. It might just be more valuable than you think.

Getting the mail every day is something I always look forward to.  And when I see that beautiful blue Valpak envelope staring back at me in my mailbox at the beginning of each month, it makes me want to jump for joy. Ah, the simple things in life, right?

Maybe some of you are not familiar with Valpak, or maybe you simply toss that pretty blue envelope when you are opening up your mail. (GASP!) If this is you, I must tell you that you are throwing away several hundred dollars in valuable savings each month!

Maybe you think it`s just a piece of junk mail, or that you don`t have time to open it up and go through it. Well, how about if I told you that inside that pretty blue envelope you could find coupons for your favorite coffee place, oil changes, brake pad installation, carpet cleaning, footwear, Dairy Queen, Mexican food, Chinese food, a gym membership, custom holiday greeting cards, outfitting gear, tax preparation service, ski lift passes, and college basketball tickets, just to name a few?  Those are the types of coupons I just received in the January mailing.  Have I got your attention yet?  Good.  Keep reading.

Here are several other reasons I find Valpak so valuable:

• Valpak.com also has local online printable coupons available, including grocery items!

• Valpak has a FREE app you can download so you can have coupons electronically sent to your smart phone! No cutting or clipping coupons required.

• Valpak.com offers almost 20,000 online coupon codes for you to use anytime!

• Valpak.com has My Deal Vouchers that you can purchase to use at local businesses (similar to Seize the Deal).

If you are a business owner, it gets even better. Valpak mails more than 20 billion coupons each month, reaching over 45 million select households.  Does that sounds like a good marketing opportunity for you? Exactly.

I hope that you are starting to see how valuable that pretty blue envelope is. So the next time you look through your mail, take a minute and open up that Valpak or visit www.valpak.com.  The savings are definitely worth the look!

Alright, let me see a show of hands….how many of you like to go shoe shopping? How many of you like to save money while shoe shopping?  Well, alrighty then!  Let me give you the rundown of how I saved over $200 on shoes, without any coupons!

A few days ago, I was out shopping with my diva shopping buddy, Sheryl.  She is a great friend of mine and gets just as excited as I do about finding a great deal. (Yeay!)   Anyway, we were in Dillards and looking at their fabulous shoe clearance, where all of the shoes were marked down to 65% off the retail price.

I found a pair of Dr. Marten sandals in my size and grabbed them right away. Then I looked at the box and saw that the original retail price was $89.99, marked down to $31.49.  Nice! So I paid for them, and then went back over to where Sheryl was, trying on some super cute boots.

The salesperson who was assisting Sheryl was a nice girl, and we had a friendly conversation with her. In the midst of our conversation, the salesgirl happened to mention that the following day, Dillards was going to be marking down their shoe clearance another 50% off the lowest clearance price. I was all ears.  :)

So I confirmed with the salesgirl that in less than 24 hours, all of the shoe clearance, including the same shoes I had just bought, would be half off the price they were listed for today. She said yes.  I asked her if Dillards would do a price adjustment on the pair I had just purchased, since the time frame was so close together.  (Never hurts to ask!) Well, she said no.

Well, I am a rather determined person by nature, and I was in need of several pairs of shoes, so I began to carefully formulate a game plan. Who would have thought shoe shopping would involve such strategy?

I knew I was going to be back in town the next day, and I had seen another pair of Dr. Martens sandals in my size still left on the rack. All I could do was pray that they would still be there tomorrow when I came back.

The next day, I went back to Dillards as soon as they opened. It was a mad frenzy in the shoe department. But to my delight, I saw that pair of Dr. Martens sandals in the exact place they were yesterday. (Thank you, God!) I grabbed them and headed up to the cash register. I figured that I would just purchase this second pair of Dr. Martens at the discounted price and return the first pair I had originally bought.

But before I made my way to the register, I saw several other shoes in my size. I needed some work shoes, and another pair of running shoes, and….well, do you ever really need a reason to buy shoes??  

By the time I left, I had purchased 5 pairs of shoes for $84.95, netting me a savings of $215.55.  My friend Sheryl scored an awesome pair of boots at 50% off too. It was a fabulous day!

We owe it all to the nice salesgirl who decided to let us in on the sale the following day.  (Thanks, Dillards salesgirl! )

Five pairs of shoes for less than $85!

Frugal Tip:  Talk with the salespeople when they greet you or offer you help.  Ask if there are any sales coming up, or if they know of any additional discounts that may be available. As you can see from this shopping trip,  it may very well be worth your time.

Well, here we are…less than 24 hours before the new year starts. Are you ready for 2012? There are usually a lot things to do before the end of the year, and many loose ends to tie up.   One thing you will want to do before the clock strikes midnight on New Year`s Eve, is to spend your flex money!

If you have a Heath Savings Account (HSA) or flex plan, make sure you use up any remaining dollars in there, pronto.   If you don`t use, it, you lose it.  Your hard earned dollars that you have set aside to help out with health expenses will go right out the window, if you don`t spend it by 12/31.

Here is a list of items that may be covered under your HSA plan:

1. Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
2. Acne Medicine
3. Air Purifier/Humidifer
4. Allergy Medicine
5. Antacids
6. Antibiotic Ointments
7. Anti Fungal Medicine
8. Antihistamine
9. Anti Itch Lotions and Creams
10. Aspirin
11. Bandages/Gauze Pads
12. Blood Pressure Monitor
13. Blood Sugar Test Kit and Strips
14. Carpal Tunnel Supports
15. Chondriotin/Glucosamine
16. Cold/Hot Packs (Medical Use Only)
17. Contact Lens Solution/Saline
18. Cough Suppressants
19. Crutches
20. Decongestants
21. Defibrillators
22. Dental Floss
23. Denture Adhesives
24. Denture Cleaners
25. Diaper Rash Ointment
26. Diarrhea Medicine
27. Diet Foods
28. Eye Drops
29. Eye Glass Cleaners
30. Face Creams
31. Facial Tissues
32. First Aid Kits
33. First Aid Supplies
34. Glucose Monitoring Equipment
35. Hemorrhoid Medication
36. Hydrogen Peroxide
37. Ibuprofen (Advil)
38. Incontinence Supplies
39. Iodine
40. Latex Disposable Gloves (For Medical Use)
41. Laxatives
42. Liniments (Ben Gay)
43. Menstrual Pain Relievers
44. Moisturizers
45. Nasal Strips or Sprays
46. Occlusal Guards (To Prevent Teeth Grinding)
47. Orthopedic Inserts
48. Pregnancy Tests
49. Prenatal Vitamins
50. Prescribed Fluoridation Devices
51. Reading Glasses
52. Sinus Medications
53. Sleep Aids
54. Smoking Cessation Aids
55. Sunscreen
56. Supplements
57. Thermometers
58. Toothache and Teething Pain Relievers
59. Toothbrushes
60. Toothpaste
61. Vitamins
62. Wart Removal Medicine
63. Weight Loss Products

Do the contents of your wallet or purse look like this?  Well, mine did! I was carrying all of these store loyalty cards, punch cards, coupons, and gift cards around inside my wallet, and it was bursting at the seams.  I soon realized that this kind of filing system just wasn`t going to work.  It took me forever to rummage through the entire stack at the checkout counter to find the one card that I needed. So much for trying to save time and money!

Wallet Clutter

One glorious day,  I began to think about how I could organize all of these cards. I had to find some kind of organizer where I could find each card quickly and easily. Well, I went to Staples and went straight to their organizer section. Good place to start, right?  Well, after a few minutes, I found it…the solution to my wallet clutter problem. Check it out…drum roll, please…

The Organizer

Now this might not look like much, but it has been a God~send for me. Look at what I can store in this little beauty:

• Store loyalty cards
• Punch Cards
• Mall Coupons
• Freebie Coupons
• Gift Cards
• Business Cards

I carry this organizer with me at all times, and it has not only saved me a lot of time, it`s saved me A LOT of money.  When I head up to the checkout, I can just file through it, and find exactly what I am looking for.  The transparent business card sized pages allow me to see everything in there, with just a glance.

I spent $10 on this baby, and it has more than paid for itself by helping me get organized and stay organized.

Here`s an example: It had been one of those crazy days, and I decided to head on over to my favorite coffee kiosk to get a nice little Heaven Latte. I rolled on up to the drive thru, and ordered my drink. Just before the barista handed me my drink, I whipped out my organizer. I`m sure the barista was wondering what on earth was I doing, but after I presented her with not only a neatly filed coffee coupon, coffee punch card, and a coffee gift certificate (which I had all neatly filed together in the same little organizer pocket), she got it.  :)

Smart Tip:  You may be able to find one of these for less than $10. (Think coupons, sales, etc.). After I had bought this one, I picked up another one for .75 at a secondhand store. Go figure.

So if any of you are finding yourself in the same wallet clutter predicament that I was in, I would highly recommend this type of organizer.  As you can see…Wallet Clutter is an easy problem to fix, and you might even have some fun putting it all together.  Good luck!

Well, I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends.  Maybe some of you even enjoyed a white Christmas, like we did.   It truly is a magical time of year, especially when you have little ones to celebrate with!  The excitement in their eyes and witnessing all of the anticipation leading up to Christmas is such a wonderful site to see.

And now that all the wrapping paper is put away, and all of those cardboard boxes are in the recycle bin, it`s time to start looking ahead….at 2012.  Have you started thinking about some resolutions (or goals) for this next year?

What do you want to change? What do you want to improve? What do you want to do more of? Less of? It`s a great time to reflect on this past year and see what has and what hasn`t worked so well.

Whatever your resolutions or goals may be, I encourage you to write down those goals and post them where you will see them every day. You know how they say that a goal is only a goal if you write it down.  So you`ve got a few days left to make your list. Ready? Go!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! I hope you all are enjoying a wonderful day with your loved ones, and remembering the true meaning of the Christmas season. Happy Birthday Jesus!