Category Archives: Our Frugal Stories

CVS Deal 12/30/10

Posted by shopaholicsavers on December 30, 2010 None comments

Today I went to CVS to get the Tone Bodywash that was on sale for 3.88 with 3 dollars ECB’s (Extra Care Bucks aka CVS dollars) back. After going to the first CVS and finding them sold out I gave up but found electric tea light candles on clearance for 4.99. I bought 3 and used 7 dollars ECB making my total around eight dollars. I was excited to do this unexpected deal because I have a plan to use these at my upcoming wedding. Last Christmas before I discovered couponing I spent 2 dollars on two electric tea light candles for my sister so I was pretty excited to get 60 for 8 bucks.

Then I decided to go to another CVS that was on my way home to get the body wash. They had one left on the shelf! I had 5 dollars ECB that were going to expire on the third so I bought the Tone body wash, a cvs brand cucumber melon body wash and a small Johnson and Johnson lotion. My total came to .10 cents and I got 3 dollars ECB. Making a total profit of 2.90.

by Candy <3

Publix Christmas Clearance

Posted by shopaholicsavers on December 27, 2010 None comments

My sister and I went to Publix to go grocery shopping yesterday and we couldn’t help looking at the Publix Christmas clearance. They had a lot of candy and some decorations on sale. My favorite find was several types of Publix Christmas reusable gift bags. These gift bags can be reused over and over again and they only cost .50 cents, which is a lot cheaper than most paper gift bags that rip easily. My family already had a very eco-friendly Christmas this year as far as wrapping went. We used comics, store bags, reused gift bags and recyclable wrapping paper. We also like to give out gift bags (usually full of items we get for free couponing) and these .50 cent bags are also perfect for that.

Frugal Christmas Shopping

Posted by shopaholicsavers on December 7, 2010 1 comments

Click HERE to read 30 Ways to Save Money This Holiday Season

Being broke and living more frugally teaches you a lot. I am refusing to use the heat in my apartment unless absolutely necessary and another benefit of cooking myself is that using the stove warms up my apartment. Not using the heat and obviously not using the air conditioning will save a lot on my electric bill this month. When I’m cold now instead of running for the thermostat I dress more warmly, I use throw blankets when I sit on the couch, and there is an extra blanket on my bed.

In my living room is a Christmas tree and decorations that my roommate borrowed from her grandparents. We can even do Christmas cheer on a budget. My brother and I decided, after hauling too many boxes of surplus Christmas stuff into our mother’s attic last year, that no one in the family is allowed to buy anything that has to be packed up again after Christmas. It will be a more practical Christmas than ever before but it will still be fun.

This year I went so far as to ask my loved ones a few months before Christmas what they really, really needed or wanted. I think I’ve done a good job with that list. Hidden behind the couch in my apartment sits the stack of Christmas gifts I’ve been collecting for the last six months when I found things that for the right price that I knew my loved ones would enjoy or could use.

I have become an expert at Christmas shopping on a budget. Many of the items I’ve collected have been free through couponing including personal items and stocking stuffers. I have new clothes for my family that I bought at Rue 21’s $3 clothing sale. I have best selling/collectible books that I bought for .10 cents to $1 at thrift shops and the library book sale. I got four free gifts when my Borders reward card gave me a free $10 gift certificate. I got two gifts for about $1 when I found a free $5 Hallmark printable gift certificate. I bought items such as headphones at CVS when they offered them free after CVS dollars. I hit up the $1 sale at Claire’s. I used coupons to get items free at Bath and Body Works with any purchase, usually buying the new sample fragrances for $1 in order to get two gifts for $1.

I followed sales and used my resources. My work is giving away a free $20 gift card each shift to the person who gets the most people to give them their e-mail. I did my best with this every shift when most people weren’t even trying. So far I’ve won 6 of them. I will use them as gifts or to buy gifts for free.

My couponing has provided me and my loved ones with so many household products that I will be making Christmas gift baskets for other families for free. Sure, there are things that I would love to buy my loved ones that I can’t afford right now but then I would love to give them the moon and stars too, but I know they will settle for the small mountain of gifts that I have amassed as cheaply as possible.

Write For Rights Write-A-Thon

Posted by shopaholicsavers on December 7, 2010 None comments

Yesterday, my brother came to visit me and I am always excited to see him. We both ended up with the day off of work and it always makes me happy that he would choose to drive an hour each way and spend gas and toll money to see his big sister. We thought about going Christmas shopping, but knowing that neither of us had much money to spend we decided to go to the Orlando branch of Amnesty International’s 2010 Write for Rights Write-a-thon. We spent two hours having snacks and learning about people around the world who were prisoners of conscience. These were people who had been stripped of all rights and freedoms, often without explanation. We wrote letters to government officials in the hopes that they would not be forgotten and we also wrote letters to the prisoners themselves trying to give them hope. We left having learned about people who were fighting for the freedoms we take for granted every day. All it cost us was a little bit of gas and toll money and it made an impact on our lives a lot more than spending money going Christmas shopping would have. If you would like to get involved or learn more CLICK HERE.

After, we had spaghetti for dinner. A year ago we would have gone out to eat or gotten take out but being broke teaches you to be resourceful. I had spaghetti sauce, pasta, and a block of cheese that I had gotten for free/almost free couponing. We stopped at Walmart and got ground meat and garlic toast. I now know that you can make garlic toast with garlic powder, butter and salt and I will make it myself next time to save even more money. I grated the cheese myself to go over the spaghetti with the cheese grater I got for $1 at a thrift shop (a year ago I probably would have bought shredded cheese). Dinner cost a little over $4 and it was way more than enough to feed the two of us and my boyfriend. I now have food cooked for at least the next couple of days and cooking with my brother while we watched the latest episode of Hoarders (the epitome of waste) was a lot more fun than sitting in a restaurant.