Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Good afternoon!

Yesterday I was looking at the Prescott school calendar and realized with a fright that my son is starting school on August 10th. Yes, I knew it was coming, but I really hadn't wrapped my head around how soon it was coming. After getting over the shock of another HUGE shopping season, I figured that this was a good time to start focusing on saving money on all things back to school.

1 - Take stock in what you have on hand.

This works for school supplies as well as school clothes, and it does require some cooperation on the part of your children. Take a day and go through all your children's clothes. This is all very simple, but really it is something that a lot of people do not do. Check everything. Have the kids try on all of their clothes. See what fits and what does not. Seriously, have them try the clothes on. One year I didn't do that with a couple pairs of jeans, and I found out that one fit fine, but it didn't have a zipper thingamajigger (the pulley thing). I thought a sweatshirt was fine and found out that a seam split. Which reminds me...repair what you can if you can.

When you go through the clothes hand down what you don't need either by donating them to a worthy cause like Salvation Army, Good Will, and any number of other thrift stores who use those proceeds to help others. One of the ones we frequently donate to is Stepping Stones. You might also see if your church or a friend's church has a clothing exchange. Talk with other parents in your neighborhood. These can be a huge way to save money on clothing.

2 - Write what you have and what you need. With this information you can arm yourself with a budget. Be realistic with your children and this list. If you have a certain amount of money in the budget stick to it, but again make a good inventory of what you have and what you need. That way there are no surprises. You can even write down the items and projected costs. For example: T-Shirts - $20 each, Jeans - $25. If you don't know what the costs are, start looking around now so you can best estimate your needs, your children's sizes and your financial limits.

Do the same thing with school supplies. See what you have, and write down what you need. Is your child's back pack still in great condition (I am happy to say that my son's is for a change), do you have paper, pencils (this is one thing we run out of), pens, pencil cases, folders and rulers. Look around and see what you have. That way when you have your school's list, you can mark what you have and save that money.

3 - Now that you know your needs. Do not leave the house without your lists. You never know when you may spot a bargain on one of the items on your list. Don't just limit your shopping to department stores. Thrift stores can be a great place to cash in on some huge bargains. Don't forget yard sales too. Look online as well. A lot of people find great clothing items on eBay, freecycle, and don't forget my newest fave the ReUseIt Network. And of course you don't want to forget looking at your favorite stores online. I have seen remarkable clearance deals online for some of my son's favorite brands. One of the benefits to that is you can often find additional discount codes online as well that will bring your purchase down even further with percentages off or free shipping.

4 - Don't buy everything (clothing wise at least) at once. You may be able to get away with a temporary puff up to your child's wardrobe and save cash on the big sales that follow after school has started. Also your child may head off to school and totally see some new look that they want and you can get it for less because of your patience! Wouldn't that be nice? One of my favorites is RetailMeNot.com. They have printable coupons and coupon codes for use online. Check with your store locally before printing coupons. Some take them and some do not.

5 - Use cash instead of credit. You will spend less when you have a set amount in your wallet rather than using credit. Start putting money aside now if you haven't all ready. What I try to do is save what I can on groceries by living off our pantry during those times where I have to spend money on back to school. Here is a little tool I found that I think you will like, it is The Back-to-School Budget Calculator. I didn't mention it this morning, but I am going to next week. It is a gem! It is from the Practical Money Skills website. There are a lot of great calculators and if you head over, be sure to check out their section on allowances! Here is the link: Allowances

Wow...that site really made my day! I hope you take some time to check it out too.

Okay...that is the deal for now on back-to-school preparation. Now onto a few additional links.

I spoke about the yummy Fiber One sample. Not only do you get a sample of their tasty bars, but you also will get $5.00 in coupons! Here is that link: Fiber One Get in on this fast. It may not last for long.

Also, don't forget that McDonalds is having Free Mocha Mondays where you can get a hot or iced mocha for free from 7 am to 7 pm. This is at participating McDonalds only so be sure to ask about it. More details: McDonalds This giveaway runs until August 3! Oh I do love a mocha.

You also may have heard Dave and I talking about our free candy bars from M&M Mars. Well here is the deal. Every Friday through September you have the opportunity to win a coupon for a free candy bar. This is totally true. You can get one a week up to a total of four! Here is your linkage: M&M Mars

Last linkage: Now that we are really going to be hunting out some Back-to-School bargains, we need to know where they are. Here is a great site with links for all kinds of sales in YOUR area! It is Shoplocal.com! I found it last night, and I am so thrilled with it. Check it out here: Shop Local Mine automatically goes to Phoenix, but you can click change location to see others city sales.

Well that about covers it for today. Have a wonderful week! See you next Thursday!!!!!

Kelly's Thrifty Tips - Catch Up

Get it? Catsup...catch up! Sorry for the silly pic, but I simply had to. :)

So let's get started!

Two weeks ago in addition to some great sales at Albertson's I talked about a few pretty cool websites and a little bit about recycling and reusing.

Linkage:

I have been a member of Freecycle.org for a long time, and it is a great site. If you have not joined yet, check it out. Basically it is another way to keep things out of the landfill and bless others with things that you no longer need. All the explanations are straight on the site. The groups are often organized by city or county so you can join more than just one. I joined freecycle.org back when I lived in Rhode Island. When I was ready to move to California but still had items to get rid of, I posted them on Freecycle.org and people came and took those things away. It was AWESOME. Here's your link: Freecycle

There is another great web group that is also doing the freecycle thing. It is called ReuseIt Network and they are on a smaller scale but picking up steam. Check it out at Reuse It Network There are plenty of Arizona areas that are all ready involved. A blogger I talked with said that he really loves it because it is smaller and more personal. Here are the Arizona networks:
Ahwatukee - Ahwatukee ReUseIt
Apache Junction - Apache Junction ReUseIt
Glendale - Glendale ReUseIt
Maricopa - Maricopa ReUseIt
Mesa - Mesa ReUseIt
North Phoenix - North Phoenix ReUseIt
Prescott- Prescott ReUseIt
Scottsdale - Scottsdale ReUseIt
Sierra Vista - Sierra Vista ReUseIt
Sun City West - Sun City West ReUseIt
Tucson - Tucson ReUseIt

Be sure to check it out.

I also found a really cool site the other day that focuses on inexpensive kids meals. I LOVE these guys! This is so easy to operate. Just put in your zip code and check out the great deals for your area. If you are planning on visiting somewhere new in the summer, why not check them out for inexpensive or free dinining for your children while you are out on vacation? All the details are on each link. So go check out Kids Meal Deals! Link: Kids Meal Deals

Now on to reusing items in your home. I have been looking for all kinds of ways to reusing and repurposing things I have on hand. Here are some I have already used and some I have discovered:

Tissue boxes can be reused to hold your plastic grocery store bags. I have recently discovered that this is a great way to carry some bags in your car for quick trash removal! Use the smaller square boxes and fill them up. They take up very little space, but you will always have a mini garbage bag on hand.

Coffee filters - Now this is something that I learned from a friend of mine. Her mom would wash and dry out her coffee filters. It was really annoying to my friend, but it is something I have never forgotten. They really can be reuses a number of times, so why not do it?

Baggies - Wash and rinse out your baggies and reuse them. Again for some this may be taking frugality too far, but it really doesn't bother me. I reuse my veggie zip freezer baggies because they are EXPENSIVE! If the baggy has held meat, I toss it though. You can wash them by hand and just let them dry. I have read that if you save them in the freezer it will prevent mildew. Honestly, I have never reused that many at one time for it to be a necessity, but I thought I would share that freezer tip anyway.

Wax paper - I don't know many people who use wax paper to wrap their sandwiches any more but if you do...clean it off, let it dry and reuse it. I have also learned that if you are a wax paper sandwich wrapping kind of person, you can also use the bag that holds your cereal to wrap your sandwiches.

Cereal boxes - Speaking of cereal boxes, did you know you can repurpose those too by making magazine holders. I started doing this with my son's magazines, and it really works well. Magazine boxes are crazy expensive considering what you get, and really why not take the time to make your own? You can always cover the box with wrapping paper or wall paper to make it look less odd. :)

Tennis ball - I love this! Split open a tennis ball and hide your valuables inside.

Egg cartons - You can use the cardboard egg cartons as seed starter trays and when you are finished with them you can also add them to compost.

Old clothes - Okay...if you are crafty this is an awesome thing to do. Save the old clothes to make pillows, quilts, and even new clothes. I am hoping to learn to sew well enough to do that one day. So far I have only made a pillow (well...in 6th grade). I also reuse holey socks as cleaning cloths.

Pantyhose - I do not know a lot of people who wear these any more, but if you do there are a number of things you can do.

1 - When the legs are runny use the tops for light tummy control. Trust me...people do this. It was a huge trend back when I was in college.
2 - If you have pretty lacy hose you can use them to make hair ties. I have also seen them used as fingerless gloves in costumes.
3 - I have found more but they are kind of icky to me...feel free to look around online for more pantyhose tips. :)

Plastic grocery bags - Check with your local Meals on Wheels and Salvation Army. They may be able to use your old grocery bags to deliver food to shut ins.

Old candles - Melt them down and make new ones. We often melted down old candles into a Pringles jar and made new ones from them that worked great!

Broken crayons - Melt them in molds and make new crayons. We did this quite often when we were kids and had way too many broken and tired looking crayons.

Old sweaters - Can you knit? If you can, why not reknit those sweaters into something new? I have aspirations to knit and plan to put this into practise!

Old CDs - If you have some junky old CDs around, why not reuse them as coasters or make a cool looking sun catcher? I have even seen some cute crafts where people have made fish and solar cookers out of CDs!

Newspaper - I hear this is true. I have tried it and so far it doesn't work well for me, but use newspaper to clean your windows and supposedly they will sparkle! Mine...not so much. BUT you can also use those newspapers to do paper machet crafts or if you have purchased a book at a used book sale or garage sale and it is a bit musty, put it in a bag with a bunch of scrunched up newspaper to get rid of the smell. Just keep changing the paper until it gets rid of that stink!

Dryer sheets - You can use your old dryer sheets to dust off your computer or tv screens. They are also really good for cleaning your shower doors.

Well...I hope you found something new if not odd here. Thanks for your patience! Have a great day!!!!

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

First I want to apologize for not posting thrifty tips last week, BUT I am going to add the ones from last week to this blog in a few days.

I have posted a little camping pic above, and since I talked a little bit about some great camp gear sales I thought I'd also share a cool camp food recipe. I learned this when I was in Girl Scouts.


Orange Skin Cupcakes

Doing your best to leave the skin intact cut the top 1/8 or 1/4 off an orange. We had a challenge with this at first, but if you use a spoon it is doable or if worse comes to worse you can half the oranges and eat the insides. Then simply mix a cake mix of your choosing by following the box directions and fill the shells with the cake mix. Wrap the oranges with foil and cook on the coals for about 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool, unwrap and peel and eat. These are really yummy. If you eat the oranges before making the mix just save the peel shells in a plastic baggy.

In the spirit of the staycation and saving money, I thought I would look around for good outdoor deals. I did not have to look far because Big 5 had a huge coupon deal! These deals range in camping equipment to outdoor fun. This is just a smattering of what I thought was awesome!

Coupons -
Prospector Dome Tent 8' x 8'; Sleeps 3 -
Regular: $64.99 Coupon: $29

Coleman 'Andover' 4 Lb Fill Sleeping Bag 33" x 75" -
Regular: $39.99 Coupon: $21

Slide 'N Splash Water Slide -
Regular - $14.99 - Coupon: $10

Spalding NBA All-Surface Basketball -
Regular - $29.99 - Coupon $19

Swim Goggles - Ironman Anti-Fog & TYR Bling
Regular: $12.99 and $14.99 Coupon: $5

Franklin Recreational Horseshoes Set -
Regular: $29.99 Coupon: $19


If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Home Depot's Kids' Workshops. This Saturday July 1 is a great workshop where your child can make a picnic caddy. The workshop for Saturday, August 1st is a very cool message center. These are great ways to teach your children new skills and they actually get to keep what they make! How cool is that? Be sure to check with your local Home Depot to get signed up before they fill up. For more details, check out this link: Home Depot Kids Workshops. Catholic Charities is going to be hosting a four part series of free information classes in Prescott Valley on healthy money management, saving, debt reduction and asset building. Pizza and childcare will be provided for each class! Classes: Banking Basics- July 7th Building a Better Budget- July 14th Choosing and Using Credit Wisely- July 21st Taking Charge of your Credit- July 28th All classes are held from 6:30 to 8:30 pm and the curriculum is provided by Arizona Saves. Location: Boys and Girls Club 8210 Loos Drive Prescott Valley PS - There is also going to be a drawing for a $50.00 Savings Bond at the end of each class.
Have a happy Fourth of July!

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

I am back from PA, and I had a wonderful time. It is always nice getting a moment or two away from it all. While en route to PA, I started noticing the need for thrifty travel tips. This I plan to delve into deeper, but I have a little travel advice for now. :)

I am not going to go into how to get the best price for your flight, because that can totally vary, but here are things you really should do to save money when flying.

1 - If you possibly can avoid checking your luggage...do it! This is not something my husband and I did, but after looking at the size of our luggage and comparing it to the size of other traveler's luggage, I'd say we could have. I think you really might want to think about saving by bringing what you can in a carry on. We really did have to pay an additional $25 per bag, and I definitely saw larger bags walking past us on the way onto the airplane. If you are traveling to some exotic and beachy location (yes...I know beachy is not a word), you can get away with packing lighter clothing and using a decent sized carry on. As we were hitting PA, we had to pack summer and non summer attire just in case.

2 - Bring snacks. Airlines are charging big money for little things like cookies and candy. I almost choked when I saw a little container of instant noodles was going to cost $3! Can you imagine paying that kind of money for a styrofoam container of dried noodles? I checked at Walmart on a whim, and they were 28 cents each! So at the very least, if you want instant noodles, bring them from home and ask for hot water from the flight attendant.

3 - Bring your own entertainment. Bring books, magazines, and even your MP3 player to keep yourself entertained, because a lot of flights do not provide in flight entertainment any more. I was in a sea of DVD players on my flight. It was a pretty long one too. My son is flying to Boston soon, and you can bet he will be more than ready. On some flights that are longer and do provide entertainment via television or movies, you can often use your ear buds from your MP3 player, so it comes in handy. Just be sure to pay attention to the rules about when to use the electronic devices.

4 - Bring something to keep you cozy. A small pillow or a blanket will keep you warm, and save you money on those flights that do not provide them without a charge. As I mentioned, we could have purchased a blanket set for $7, but chose not to.

I do plan on getting back to saving money on travel, but this immediately hit me as I was traveling so I thought I would share.

FREEBIE LINKAGE

I talked about the special Glidden™ promotion coming up, and I do hope you check it out. Here are some details: Starting June 25 you pick out the color and they will send you a free quart. Well, they say they will send you a free quart, maybe it is a coupon. Either way, this is an amazing deal! A great way to color your summer! :) Here is your link: The Glidden™ National Paint Giveaway

Sorry so short today, but as it I am posting this late. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

SAVE MONEY!!!!

Who doesn't like the dramatic hamster? :)

I'm sorry for not posting this sooner. I am squeezing it in before the end of my work day though.

Today I talked about the latest Home Depot Kids Workshops. These really are incredible. This really is a wonderful way for your children to learn a new skill while being completely supervised. And really, is there anything better than getting something handmade from your child? Check with your local Home Depot. They have a new workshop for kids on the first Saturday of every month. This Saturday, June 6th your child can make a hardware sorter. This is a perfect gift! Check it out!


Next month on July 4th, your children can make a cool picnic caddy! Here is that little beauty!





The Linkage: Follow this link for details, and be sure to check with your local Home Depot. You usually need to register for these so give them a call.

I also mentioned how I like to take online surveys. I got into taking online surveys because I loved getting to try free products and some sites actually pay you.

Things to Know:

1. Never pay for survey site addresses. There are tons out there and you can find their names for free (I am only listing my three favorites and also these three are not referral sites so I am getting nada for telling you about them).

2. This is not going to be a full time job, so don't ever expect a full time income. Again, they do not pay you a lot so remember this is not something you can earn a living on, but as I have said, these are companies that do pay so check them out. Some of the surveys pay and some enter you into a drawing.

3. The important thing to remember is that this is not just about making a little cash. You do a survey and you get compensated from the company, but they are looking for people who are honestly reading the questions and giving real and thoughtful answers.

4. Sometimes you will be sent a survey invitation and when you start taking the survey you may find out you do not qualify or your demographic has been filled. Don't stress it. Most of the time when that happens you will entered into drawings as a thank you for your time.

Here are my favorites:

My View - This site either gives you paid surveys or you enter surveys for drawings. I do them all, because the more they know about me, the more surveys I get. One note...NEVER rush through a survey to get it done. They can tell and you can lose your membership. This is about helping a company and in turn you get some money. My View pays through paypal so you do need a paypal account for it. With My View, I just survey and don't worry about it, and once or twice a year I see how my balance is and then have it transferred to my paypal account. I have used them for over two years, and I have never had a problem. I have taken surveys on dining out, movies, and many other things. It all varies.

Survey Spot - I love Survey Spot and I have a lot of friends who use it too. Survey Spot will send you survey invitations and when you complete one, you will often get asked if you want to do another until your surveys are all done. Some surveys are very long. You do need to be patient and answer all the questions. Because again, this is not just about you making money. You are being paid for your honest answers and consideration. Many of the surveys are for drawings and some are for money. Usually you have to build up to about $20 before they mail you a check, but they do pay. They really do.

Greenfield Online - This survey site is like the other two I mentioned. You can earn money, sometimes test a product, and sometimes be entered into a drawing. I have enjoyed the surveys that I have done with them.

More Ways to Save:

Exercise: Save money on exercising at a gym by taking a class at your local community college. Not only will you learn something new and make new friends, but you can also use the gym with your student ID!!! You don't have to be 18 to your early 20s to take classes. Also some community classes have classes like aerobics and weight lifting. So you will have an instructor there to tell you how to do things. This is definitey a way to get more bang for your buck!

COUPON LINKAGE: Do you live near an Orange Julius? I do!!!! And guess what? June 19th is Free Light Smoothie day at Organge Julius! Just click on the following link to their website and download the coupon: ORANGE JULIUS YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE COUPON! :)
More next week! See you then!

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Good LATE afternoon! I am sorry about just jumping on here to post. Let's get started! In case you are wondering...the above picture has nothing to do with my post. It is just cute. Kittens are cute and bring a smile to my face. Maybe they'll bring a smile to yours too. :) Actually, I do hope I can help with a few thrifty tips.

Let's talk about saving:



Yes...water. As I said on the air, I love All You magazine. Not only is it a great magazine for saving money and other information but it is also loaded with coupons! Literally well worth the price. Here is a little something I found about saving money the water way.

1 - If you wash your car at home, use a bucket and not a hose to wash with. A hose can go through up to 6 gallons of water in a minute! That is a lot of water!

2 - Conserve water when you water your yard by watering in the early morning or late in the evening. Let the ground get a chance to absorb the water rather than letting the sun do the job! Especially in Arizona. It doesn't take long! If you have sprinklers work the position of your sprinklers so to avoid watering your sidewalk and driveway which is a big waste. AND!!!! This is cool, if you raise the blades on your lawn mower to at least three inches it will encourage the grass roots to grow deeper which shades the root system and holds soil moisture better. Nice!


There are a lot of ways to save water in and out of the home. Remember, just because you aren't paying for it, doesn't mean you should waste it. I have a few more tips to share with you. Some I also found at American Water and Energy Savers. Great site with tons of tips!

Simple tips:

-- I learned this one as a tyke. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth. Once you are actually brushing your teeth, let's face it, letting the water run is just white noise and wasteful! So turn it off. Also you can use some of the rinse time to warm up the water for washing your face.

-- This was something we were very accustomed to when I lived in California, and really I want to get back into. Never put water down the drain when there may be another thing you can use it for. If you are washing some dishes by hand and rincing, use a basin and take that water outside to the garden.

-- I was once guilty of this. Avoid flushing the toilet when not necessary. In other words do not use the toilet to dispose of tissues (which I recently learned shouldn't be flushed - not tp, facial tissues) or insects. Use a garbage can.

-- Take shorter showers and loom into replacing your shower head with a low flow version. I am not saying don't get clean, but see how fast you can actually do everything and get out. There are a lot of ways to relax besides sitting in a nice hot shower. I'll share some if you'd like. :)

-- Automatic dishwashers and clothes washers should be ran when full and when properly set for the size of load you are doing. Don't overfill your washer with water when you have a light load. :)

-- Store drinking water in a pitcher in your refrigerator rather than waiting for it to cool on the tap. A fuller fridge works more efficiently as it has less room to try to cool (bonus).

Another little thing I have discovered while trying to be a better steward with my money is when to buy certain items. When to buy is an important part of smart shopping. There are tons of inside issues I had no awareness.

Here is something I shared this morning when reminded again by All You. May is a great time to buy picnic items, outdoor furniture and ...last year's sneaker styles. Seriously, I am pretty simple, and so is my son when it comes to our shoe taste, and it is certainly better for us to take advantage of these older styles rather than worry about a new style that isn't much different anyway.

And June...oh June is a great time to pick up swimsuits, summer wear, and also is a great time to buy tools for dad and tech items for your grad. Or tech it out for dad and tool up your grad. :) Either way, June is the time to pick up these items.

This reminds me of another deal. Right now, Children's Place is having a huge sale online right now. This is a great time to check them out. They have very reasonable shipping rates of $5 no matter what size your order is.

Hey, I was also talking about a freebie today. This is pretty cool. Burt's Bees is giving away 25000 bees wax lip balms in 25 days! Each day they are giving away 1000. It is a celebration of their 25 birthday and not easy to get! Well not easy to get for free. The giveaway starts at 9am EDT to 12pm EDT and so far...I haven't got it, but I am not giving up. Here is the link if you would like to try too. Burt's Bees 25

LAST Deal of the moment: Do not forget that right now Basha's is doubling coupons up to $1!!!! That means a 75 center can become 1.50 off! A $1 off is now $2!!!! This is just until June 2. So get there FAST! Can you imagine such a deal? I am beyond stoked, and I am totally bringing my $1 coupons to Basha's. Hope to see you there.