thrifty finds 1-15-12

my local savers was having 50% off for the holiday this weekend, so i ventured down there to look at baby clothes.  $57 later I left with:
 

6 pairs of jeans for charlotte (gap, old navy, childrens place)
3 pairs of jeans for mommy (old navy, levi)

  

2 sweatshirts and a sweater for charlotte



3 onsies



2 pairs PJs and one skirt



shoes for mommy

3 sweaters for mommy

And the outfit she's wearing today!

homemade sugar scrub

anyone who knows me, knows that i love me some sugar scrub.  now that i've been on a budget, it's been a little out of my price range.  it's usually $20 for a smallish tub that i end up having to ration*.

so in the spirit of being more crafty, and also because i have sugar in my cabinet that i won't be *eating* due to my weight loss attempts, i looked up how to make it myself..

holy crap is it EASY!!!

here's the gist.

50% white sugar, 50% brown sugar.  mix and place in container (i used a glass storage container that normally goes in the fridge).

pour some sort of oil until the sugar is almost saturated (i used olive oil).

add a bit of vanilla extract or any type of essential oil.

mix it up a bit. 

voila.

my skin is SO soft.  for approximately $3.

now i know what to make for my clients next christmas!  if i can find cute packaging, i might try to sell on etsy. 





*and yell at j if he decides to use it!

inspiration

inspiration always strikes me at the most random times.  usually i'm in the middle of something else and i have to stop what i'm doing so that i can do the new thing right. this. minute.  for example, i'll be blow drying my hair when i decide to make a new recipe for dinner.  so i stop blow drying to go take stock of the ingredients i have and make a shopping list.  with wet hair.  i have no idea why i can't finish the first thing i'm doing and THEN start the new thing.  i can either look at it as a super annoying habit, or multi-tasking at it's finest.. i think it's really just adult ADD.

so anyhow, i recently started reading a blog done by lori, a friend of mine from highschool - it's called  no more sweatpants.  it's a fashion blog that details her journey to be more creative with the clothes in her closet and to test her fashion boundaries.  i've spent most of my morning reading her archives and i am totally inspired to do something similar.  since i started working from home, i have become very lax in my outfits.  when i started gaining more weight, i slipped even further.  i'm typing this at 11:30 on a wednesday morning and i am still in my pajamas and fuzzy bathrobe.  in a few minutes i will most likely change into either workout clothes or jeans and a hoodie to run my errands.  if i meet a client i will wear the only pair of dress pants that fits me and a neutral colored cardigan. it's BORING.  and i feel FRUMPY.  which makes me feel worse about myself.  not cool.

i would love to get dressed up a little, but i'm terrified that i will look ridiculous because or how large i am right now.  but that is TOTALLY stupid.  i'm going to look the same size in jeans and a hoodie as i would look in nicer jeans, a sweater, cute shoes, and some accessories.   yeah i'll look big, but i'll also look put together.  this will make me feel better about myself which will help lead to better food and exercise choices which will lead to a smaller body and more confident me.

the other thing that inspires me about lori's blog is that most of her clothes are thrifted or from the places that i like to shop (ross, target, kohls, etc).   they're not expensive, yet she makes them look fantastic!  i've always been frugal, but a little wary of thrift stores.  lately i've been wanting to give them a go - make it more of a treasure hunt - and satisfy my shopping desire without spending money i don't have. 

so today, after i put on my jeans and sweater with cute shoes and some accessories, i'm going to drop by the local thrift store to see if i can find something unique to jazz me up a little. 

i'll let you know what i find.

i heart freebies

some cool girl put together this site full of freebies that she's personally tried out - no more sifting through loads of crappy links to find out that you actually have to purchase something to get your "free" sample!

the pink wallet

another excellent shopping trip

here is the rundown:

container store:
returned $31.71 worth of christmas items that i received and wasn't going to use
purchased: receipt file, paper file for jared, travel toiletries case, travel makeup bag, small reusuable shopping bag
total cost after gift card redemption: $8.09

walgreens:
transferred a prescription to receive a $25 gift card
purchased: 2 bottles of water, 3 bottles of flintstones gummy vitamins, 1 bottle of one-a-day for men vitamins, 2 bottles of fructis styling products, 1 package of 9 volt batteries, 3 eyeliners.
total before sale: $77
total after sale before coupons: $61.94
total after coupons: $47.94
total after rebates: $27.95
total after $10 register reward earned for buying the vitamins: $17.95
total cost after giftcard: $0

the limited ( i needed a suit and some work clothes for my sales meeting next week)
purchased: 1 necklace, 1 ring, 1 brooch, 2 pairs work pants, 1 pair jeans, 1 blazer, 1 cardigan sweater, 1 cami, 1 shirt to wear under suit. everything except the jewelry and 1 pair of pants was full price. (the jewelry and 1 pair of pants were on super clearance and their tag prices totaled $29.36)

i don't think the clerk should have given me so many discounts, but she was super nice and i'm not gonna complain!

first she took off $8.99 from the jewlery, even though that was the highest priced item and the clearance jewelry wasn't buy 2 get one free like the others.
the she took 50% off of the higher priced pair of pants (they were buy one get 50% off, but is should have been for the lower priced item) so i saved another $34.75.
she gave me a 15% discount on every item because i am a student and it's a special they have going right now. that equaled: $43.69
then she took of $30 for a coupon that i had brought in with me
then she gave me another 15% discount because i used my limited card (i won't have interest for 90 days, AND i get free pant hemming!).
my total, had i not received any discounts besides the clearance items would have been: $360.98
what i actually paid: $226.51
this is a savings of ~37%

total spent out of my pocket for $477.78 worth of merchandise? $234.60
savings percent? 51%

i rock.

day after christmas = best shopping day ever!

today i hit the after christmas sales to get some good deals. i try *really* hard to not buy christmas decorations and things before christmas because they always go 50%-75% off the day after!

here's a summary of my loot:

petsmart - christmas treats and toys 50% off

everything in this photo was $33.70. but i had a $5 coupon and a $25 gift certificate, so I only paid $3.70. hopefully these chews will last a few months!

then i went to target and got the following at 50% off:
1 can mulling spices, 2 cans of christmas cookie sprinkles, 3 travel coffee mugs (one electrically keeps the beverages warm), 2 cool pillows for my couch, 2 rugs for the kitchen, 8 red placemats, 3 catnip toys, 2 packages of dog treats, 3 packages of cat treats, 3 ornaments, 1 snowman candle, 1 can chicken spice rub, 1 can beef spice rub, package of 3 extension cords, set of queen flannel sheets, 1 bathroom hand towel, package of 4 kitchen towels, table runner, kitchen towel/potholder set, tablecloth, 2 snowman candle holders, 2 votive candle holders, 1 package of napkins, and one decorative "jingle bell tree". total spent: $157.85

i also stopped by jc penney because i had a coupon, but they didn't have much and there were a ton of annoying people there. i did still get 2 ornaments (75% off) and a $50 waffle maker for $20. we've been wanting a waffle maker for awhile!

i wanted to go to cost plus and check out their decorations and holiday wine, but on my way there i got a call from a prospective tenant and had to go show the house. i may try to head over there tomorrow if i have some time.

then i went to the gap.com and got a cute striped hat, and a nice wool coat and some dressier pants for j (i think the coat will be his anniversary present). everything was on sale and then i got an additional 25% off with the code "sale". value: approximately $225.. and i spent just over $100 which included shipping and tax.

i also went to walgreens and transferred a prescription, receiving a $25 gift card in the process!

all these savings will make up for having to pay full price for the wii* fit and all the accessories i'm sure we'll have to buy!

*j's dad got us a wii for christmas!

some good deals

thought you guys might be interested in some of the good deals i've found lately..

body shop clearance - lots of yummy smelling body washes and soaps and stuff for only $3!
http://tinyurl.com/376v3h

i had my cart stacked and then decided that even though it was a GOOD deal, i'm trying to save money and shouldn't spend $30 on body wash. but if you have the money to spend, you're getting a bargain! there's even a code for free shipping when you spend $30 - WEL319.

Rebates - print the form online, buy the product, and submit the form for your money back!
purell hand sanitizer
veet rasera bladeless razor kit
dawn direct foam dishsoap
meaty bone dog biscuits

free goodie bag worth $25 when you spend $15 in colgate palmolive products.

not your university library

i went and got a public library card today. for some reason, the library option just never appealed to me. i thought they would have old, outdated books - nothing i would want to read, for sure. i thought it was a place for poor people to get on the internet and for students to check out reference books. of course, it doesn't help that the last library i was in was my college library!

i was at my friends house and ended up borrowing a bunch of books from him. he mentioned that he had bought most of them at the library book sale.

really?? but they're new authors.. and paperback.. and the library never has NEW stuff in it!?

no way, he replied, the library has a ton of stuff. they even have dvds and cds!*

so i went to the library closest to my house today and found a couple of books and a movie.

i still can't get over that this is all available for FREE. and i can keep them for 3 weeks. and they have branches everywhere!

now i think i can cancel netflix and save another couple hundred dollars per year. not to mention all the money i'm going to save from not buying books. i never read them again anyway.

*and magazines, i found out today!