Archive for the ‘Tips’ Category

Have a Frugal Valentine’s Day: 5 Tips

Friday, February 8th, 2013

Have a Frugal Valentine's Day: 5 Tips

We’re less than a week away from Valentine’s Day, and whether you’re thinking about a gift for your significant other or just shopping for candy to take to your child’s classroom, it’s likely that many of you will be doing some shopping for gifts this week.

1. Make a Gift:

When I was a child, I remember reading a short children’s story about a farm girl who starts at a new school right before Valentine’s Day. She was upset because she didn’t have the money to buy special valentines like her classmates, so her mother suggested using the resources they had on the farm – eggs, milk, flour – to make a batch of heart-shaped cookies. Her class loved her personalized, yummy cookies better than any other valentine, and the story finished with the recipe to make your own cookies. After all these years, that story still sticks will me, and I think it’s a timeless message! Whether it’s homemade treats, handwritten cards, a bouquet of wildflowers, or a craft idea you found on Pinterest, I firmly believe that DIY presents result in some of the most cherished memories.

2. Give Your Most Precious Resource – Time:

But what if you don’t have the funds or materials to even make a homemade present? Then you can create memories and do something special for your loved one by giving the most valuable gift of all, which is your time. With everyone getting busier and busier, quality time is getting scarcer than ever. Take an afternoon to just hang out and visit the park, watch a movie, go for a walk, play video games – whatever you feel like doing! The time we spend with others is what we remember all our lives, long after the chocolates have been eaten and the flowers have wilted.

3. Use Online Coupons….

If you have a larger budget and are planning on shopping online for something specific, take a few minutes before you place your purchase to do a little comparison shopping, then check for online coupons or rebates that may be available at the vendor you decide on. For example, if you’re shopping for jewelry, Red Envelope has a page of coupon codes including 20% off their jewelry, $30 off your order of $135, 15% off your order of general merchandise, or free shipping on order of $49 or more. Their diamonds aren’t exactly in my budget, but they do have some other more modest offerings. The clearance section had some items around $10 that would be a little more my style if I were shopping for gifts there! 😉 No matter how much you plan on spending, a bit of quick research on available coupon codes can quickly shave money off your order.

4. …And Offline Coupons!

A few years ago, I used some in-store coupons at Walgreens to pick up some bags of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts for .50 cents each. I tucked them in my gift box and pulled them out to give to Jai on Valentine’s Day. Spending $1 for V-day: It might not be diamonds, but it was delicious!

5. Finally, Hit The Clearance For Next Year!

No, clearance candy probably won’t taste good in 2014, but there are plenty of other things you can find marked down now that can save you some time and cash next year – decorations, craft supplies, or other non-perishable Valentine’s themed items are all good buys for next year if you can pick them up at a steep discount February 15th.

How do you save money on Valentine’s Day gifts?

Frugal Round-Up

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

Piggy bank

While I’m away, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of interesting frugal articles on other blogs. I’m also including a “Mr. Linky” below so that you can share your own money-saving tips. Enjoy!

New Printable Coupon Resource

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

Register Tape Coupons

Money Saving Mom brought my attention to a new printable coupon resource this morning. RTUI, the register tape advertising company responsible for the coupons that print on the back of your receipt, also offer those same coupons on their website. Just click here to visit their website, enter your zip code, and you’ll be able to view all current offers in your area. Not only is this an interesting source for local coupons, but it would also be a good thing to check if you plan on traveling domestically – try punching in the zip code of your destination and see if you can find any good discounts on dining or other services.

How to Get Free Coupons From Facebook – When You Have No Interest in Social Networks

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Money Saving Mom posted a link to a great article on For The Mommas yesterday titled “I Want the Freebies… I Just Don’t Want to Join Facebook”. In this article, she discusses ways to maximize your privacy settings on Facebook, for those who may be hesitant to join but are interested in all the coupon offers that are becoming available. Now, it’s worth pointing out that Facebook are somewhat notorious for frequently changing their privacy settings and policy, so if it’s vital that you remain anonymous, Facebook may not be for you – although I think that could be said of most things on the Internet, whether we like it or not. But I think she makes a good point that you can take advantage of the good deals without having to be active in other ways or add 500 friends.

Social networks are exploding in popularity, and advertisers are taking note – in the last few months, there have been offers on Facebook for free pizza, free shampoo, free macaroni & cheese, free Vitaminwater, free Oreos – you get the idea. So if you don’t have a Facebook account, it’s some interesting food for thought!

Signed Up For Coupons Recently? Check Your SPAM Folder

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Spam

If you’ve signed up for any coupon offers recently, take a moment to check your email’s SPAM folder. After I took the Kidelicious survey on Wednesday, I found the $25 credit buried in my Gmail’s SPAM folder, and others have reported the same thing happening. Then today I discovered an email from Libby’s Vegetables in with my SPAM, containing a coupon for a free can of vegetables from last month’s Facebook promotion. (I actually signed up for a paper coupon to be mailed out, but apparently due to demand they’ve decided to send all the coupons via email instead.) So I just thought I’d post a heads-up so that my readers don’t miss out on the good deals that might be caught in a SPAM filter! I check mine regularly, because there are always a couple of legitimate emails that get caught in there by mistake.