Category Archives: Our Frugal Stories

42 inch Flat screen TV from Goodwill for $120

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on September 5, 2015 1 comments

So I have written about how we bought our 46 inch TV for $150 but recently the screen died and that was our only TV. When we moved in December we decided that we really didn’t need or use our bulky tube TVs and if we wanted to watch TV in another room we could do it on our laptops/computers.

My sister and brother-in-law were nice enough to let us borrow one of their TVs but then they moved and it was time for us to buy our own TV anyways. Well coincidentally my sister and I went to Goodwill and they had just put our the above 42 inch TV for $125 dollars. I still have a student discount so I was able to get 10% off! That basically took care of the tax so the total was $120! It also happens to be the exact same size as our 46 inch TV so maybe it has a wider border around the screen or maybe they were wrong about the size.

I’m going to be very honest and say that there was one minor problem with the TV. There was a line that appeared in the screen after 5+ hours of use a few times but that has completely stopped which is odd. I’m not naive enough to think that this problem won’t reappear at some point but for now it’s gone and its been gone a lot longer than it appeared. The TV came with a remote and has all of the right HDMI plugs and everything. Honestly, I can’t say how much we love this TV! And the price was right! I am determined to stop buying new when possible and I didn’t expect to find a flat screen TV but I’m glad I did.

We love to stream TV instead of paying for cable. If you would like to try Amazon Prime for free click below to get a free month trial and help us out through our affiliate link.

$7 Wedge Heel Peep Toe Sling Back Platform Sandals

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on August 8, 2015 None comments

I really wanted a pair of Wedge Heel Peep Toe Sling Back Platform Sandals like the ones pictured below for sale on Amazon.com but I was super excited when my sister and I went to Payless and found the above pair on clearance for $7. My cat loved the box and sat in it for the next two days straight. I’m really glad that I didn’t pay $50 for a similar pair I was looking at.

CAPE ROBBIN LAURA-NY-8 Women’s Wedge Heel Peep Toe Sling Back Platform Sandals

Know someone who is moving? Ask what they are doing with their food!

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on August 5, 2015 None comments

My sister and her husband are moving out of state and getting rid of almost everything they own, including all of the food in their house. They gave me and B over four jam packed boxes full of pantry items including tons of white rice, brown rice, tons of expensive spices, lots of canned goods, salt, vegetable oil, cereal, honey, pasta, pasta sauce and many other items!

We also gave a lot of spices and some pantry staples to my brother and his gf who just moved into a new apartment.

The items in the picture aren’t even half of what they gave us. These are all items we will use and would otherwise have to buy. It’s also food that isn’t being wasted.

She also gave me various other household items including an almost brand new microwave, clothes, printer and notebook paper, chemical free personal care items, expensive curtains, etc.

Yard Sale Success with Our Local Swip Swap Facebook Ap

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on August 3, 2015 None comments

My sister Candy who sometimes writes for this website is moving from Florida to Texas for her husband’s new job. I am proud of them but I’m really going to miss them! They decided not to take the majority of their stuff and to get rid of all but one piece of furniture.

We decided to have a yard sale to get rid of most of the stuff they weren’t talking. Our yard sale was highly successful, partly because we posted all of the larger furniture on our local Swip Swap Facebook Ap. People came and got most of the items within an hour of posing them.

Holding a yard sale at the same time that we posted bigger items for sale online was extremely helpful because people could come at any time during those two days to pick the items up. It also helped that the main objective was to get rid of as much stuff as possible so we priced everything very inexpensively. We also made it clear that people would have to lift and move the furniture out of the house.

We were determined that by the end of the two days we would have all of the remaining stuff that we needed to get rid of out of the house and on the driveway for the yard sale. By the end of the two days almost all of the furniture was gone or sold and a lot of the smaller items too. What didn’t sell we planned to have picked up by a local charity or given to family and friends. It turns out that a family we are friends with had recently lost their house and was in need of furniture, clothing and household items and they came and picked up the remaining furniture and stuff. I’m very proud of us that we got rid of so much stuff in such a short period of time and also were able to help out some very nice people.

8-2-15 Sunday Frugal Summary- A Month of Summaries

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on August 2, 2015 None comments

Overall, this has been a fairly frugal month. While I actually wrote about the frugal things I have been doing this month I haven’t been doing well with posting them on Sundays. So here they are all together for most of July and the first couple days of August.

8-2-15 Sunday Frugal Summary

– My sister Candy who also writes for this blog is moving and getting rid of most of her stuff. I’ll be doing a post about our successful yard sale soon.

– While getting stuff together for the yard sale I have also been getting rid of stuff that I didn’t need around my own house.

– I stayed at Candy’s house for two days to help hold the sale and she paid for all food and drinks while I was there which was nice of her. We also carpooled so that we weren’t driving two cars back and forth from Orlando and paying for gas and tolls. She also gave me $30 for gas etc.

– Candy gave me some household items that she was getting rid of including printer paper, construction paper, notebook paper, an almost new microwave, a comforter, throw pillows, boots and some household decorations. I do question the wisdom of bringing items that she was getting rid of to our house but we won’t be moving for at least a year and I tried to only take things that we needed or had plan to use.

– She also gave me a ton of food that she couldn’t take with her. See post soon.

– My mother had a gallon of the paint we needed to touch up the ceiling at her rental house where some other paint needs to be covered. We will also use my carpet cleaner to clean the carpets.

– My mother and I went to the bank and used their free coin counter machine (the ones in the grocery store charge you) for my sister and her husband and my brother. All together they had about $170 in coins. It makes me think I need to start saving my change.

– My very good friend happens to be a fabulous decorator. She happened to be in the area and came by the house and helped me come up with a plan for our master bedroom that I have never really decorated since we moved in. The best part is that we used only items that I already had in the house to do it with. I may eventually buy a new comforter and sheets but until then I feel a lot better about the room.

– I received some coupons for free/cheap items in the mail and newspaper.

– I’m excited to be receiving the El Sentinel again with free Sunday paper coupon inserts in it

– I received my free $50 gift card from my rewards card company and I will use it on Vacation

– Washed a comforter and hung it to dry. I will do the same with some throw pillows. I was given these by my sister.

– I believe a check is on the way for the coupons I have available to print on this site which I am excited about.

– I had a meeting at the university I work at and they were nice enough to give me a brand new professor bag with the school logo on it! I want to start taking advantage of more of the really interesting and fun free events at both of the local colleges I work at.

– Overall this week I haven’t paid for much besides for gas for the car and some medical expenses. Overall, a good week!

7-26-15 Sunday Frugal Summary

– I finally booked out rental car for our CA trip next month for a wedding. Hotwire had the cheapest rates at just under $30 a day for an SUV with unlimited miles. And I clicked through Swagbucks to Hotwire so I will also be receiving about the equivalent of 1% cash back in points called SB. Saved- $100

– My Visa Rewards Credit Card perks include free rental car insurance so that also saved us a lot of money since I would NEVER drive a rental car without insurance. Saved- $150

– California is the only state that doesn’t allow rental car companies to charge people fees to add additional drivers to their rental contracts so that is also FREE! Saved- $150

– Dresses for the wedding- We found gorgeous looking dresses at Ross for $30 each that look like we paid a lot more for them and we definitely could have spent a lot more since we are going to a very expensive wedding but we love our dresses and won’t feel out of place

– Shoes for the wedding- I already owned shoes for the wedding and Candice bought Nine West shoes at goodwill for $5.99.

– We also saved money because our dresses don’t need to be hemmed and we started out shopping close to home and we got lucky to find our dresses at the second store we went to so we didn’t have to pay much in gas or tolls either.

– Found a Visions Cookware stovetop pot and lid at Goodwill for $4.99, slowly buying Chemical free cookware saves a lot of money

– We have had fruit flies so we made vinegar Fruit fly traps that are also Chemical Free and they work.

– Earning lots of Swagbucks lately and will have enough for $25 in PayPal as soon as I am credited for doing this $15 worth of points called SB for doing this deal

– Went to ALDI and did a huge grocery shopping trip, I bought so much food it almost didn’t fit in one cart, and it was healthy food too, like fruits, veggies, fish etc. and it was still only $130 and WAY, WAY cheaper than any other grocery store around us. This should last us until we go to CA next month.

– We canceled cable when we moved 6 months ago and I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss it but I have really been enjoying watching shows online and on Netflix and that has saved us a ton of money. I have especially been enjoying watching Teen Mom 2 and Married at First Sight online for free.

– We used to go to free movie screenings all the time since there are 4 theatres that hold screenings right in/around the Orlando area but we got away from it when I went back for my Master’s degree and we got too busy. I’m trying to get back into it by looking at gofobo.com and advancescreenings.com.

– I sold some more books on eBay and bought some more of the books that sell really well for .99 cents each

– Redeemed points on my credit card for a $50 Visa Gift Card to use as spending money while we are on vacation in CA

– I got some free samples in the mail but I will do a post about that when I get a few more

7-12-15 Sunday Frugal Summary

– I received $100 for winning a teacher of the year award!

– I went grocery/household item shopping at dollar tree, I saved $8 by exchanging a few items I bought that I realized we were not going to use, our local Dollar Tree is really great about exchanges

– Dollar Tree now carries 6 packs of 100% recycled toilet paper which is great because toilet paper is the only paper product we buy and I try to always buy recycled to be more eco-friendly. The rolls are a little smaller than standard but not that small so I bought 4 6 packs and we will see how long it lasts. (Note- It wasn’t my favorite TP by far but it did last a long time. Two weeks later and we still aren’t out)

– My dad treated me to lunch near my new job.

– I sold some books on eBay and I’m working on listing more items.

– When we moved I gave all of my eBay packing/shipping material to another eBayer. I am glad I did because he used it and I didn’t have to store it for 6 months. However, that meant that I needed boxes to start shipping again. Instead of buying packing material I was able to pick up a bunch of boxes for free at Dollar Tree.

– Bank of America charged my checking account $12 because my direct deposit stopped for the summer (I am a college instructor). I honestly believe that Bank of America HATES teachers and I have this problem every summer! I need to switch bank accounts! But I did contact them through chat support and get them to refund the $12.

– We are saving money on our Hotel for our California trip later this summer by using an AARP discount since a relative can become a member for $16 a year. We intentionally picked a hotel with Free Breakfast, Free Wifi, and Free parking. We also decided that all 5 of us will stay in one hotel room to save money since we will only be at the hotel for 2 days before joining our family at a rental house for the rest of the trip. The hotel is also in a central location and we will be able to walk to several of the places we intend to visit.

– I earned enough points on my reward credit card for a $50 gift card, I choose a Visa gift card and use it for vacation.

– I finally found a 1 pack filter for our Zero Water Pitcher. It was still $15, which is expensive, but a Zero Water pitcher filter is the best on the market and filters over 99% of particulates from the water. Unfortunately, our last filter ended up having an odd taste to it (that may have been a problem with our water not the filter) and we didn’t want to spend $30 on a two pack of filters that we weren’t sure were going to work. Now that we bought the new filter and it has been great I’m wishing we had just bought it sooner because it would have saved a lot of money, time and energy instead of buying water for the past few months (not to mention more eco-friendly).

6-21-15 Sunday Frugal Summary

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on June 21, 2015 1 comments

Frugal Things in the Past Two Weeks

Unfortunately, I got sick last week and didn’t get last week’s frugal summary posted so this one is actually from this week and last week.

– My father gave us an IKEA bedframe that his neighbor was getting rid of when she moved. A similar one on their website sells for $50-90 Savings- $50

– I went through a lot of clothes and some of the boxes still lingering after moving months ago and came up with a pretty good pile of stuff to get rid of (see above). I’m going to try to try to sell some of the clothes at Plato’s Closet and at my sister’s yard sale. I will post if I make any $$$.

– B and I cut his hair– His hair grows really quickly and cutting it at home every couple months saves us a lot of money and it really doesn’t look any different than going to a barber. He also trims my hair when I need it but that’s less frequently than his hair. The link below is to the kit he uses. It’s cheap and works really well. Savings- $15

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-There was a meeting at the restaurant I work at on the weekends and because it’s almost an hour from our house I stayed the night at my sister’s house so I didn’t drive home at 1am to drive back at 8am the next day. It also saved me some money on tolls and gas. Savings- $15

– After the meeting, there were left over travel coffee cups, a bag of sugars and creamers, and a bunch of plastic knives that my manager was going to throw away. I love disposable coffee cups but won’t buy them because they are bad for the environment and expensive. Savings- $3

– At the meeting my manager also gave me a free uniform shirt. Savings- $10

– They also fed us coffee, bagels, and donuts for breakfast. Savings- $10

– After working at the restaurant, I knew I was too tired to cook so I ordered TOGO food with my discount a 2 for $20 meal becomes a $10 deal. I got chips with salsa and guacamole and two meals all included in that $10. That $10 of food has been at least 4 meals. That’s cheaper than going to the grocery store and cooking at home.

– We are using the Citi Kitty program to toilet train our cat but we have hit some bumps in the road. We needed to go back a step but didn’t want to buy another kit so I was able to fix the one we have with a piece of plastic cut out of an empty water jug for free. Savings- $30

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– We have been enjoying watching shows streaming at home which always saves money over going out. Savings- Hard to Say

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– B used the fandango gift card his father gave him so that we could go see Jurassic World for FREE. We also bought candy at the dollar store and a 24 pack of water bottles for $3.69 to take a couple to the theatre to save money on snacks and drinks. Savings- $32

– Six of us went out to eat before the movie and we hurried to the restaurant to be there before the 4pm lunch specials end. Although not as cheap as eating at home, it was a lot of food for really cheap and we took home our left overs so we also got dinner included in the price. Savings just for the two of us- $20

– I saved my used plastic conditioner jar and took the label off to use to hold my baking soda water mix face wash in the shower. I try not to store much in plastic but I make an exception for items in the shower that may be dropped because I don’t want glass in my bare feet. Savings- Hard to Say

– I made more 4 ingredient, no cooking, chemical free, laundry detergent today. It works really well, has no smell, and I already have all of the ingredients hanging out in the house. Did I mention it’s dirt cheap to make? Click here to get the recipe. Savings- $6

– Stocked up on Ibuprofen and Migraine medicine at dollar tree- Savings- $8

Total Savings- $209 Not too bad!

Why I Always Fly Southwest and Book Directly Through Their Website

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on June 19, 2015 None comments

Why I Always Fly Southwest and Book Directly Through Their Website by Candice

Next month I am flying to Austin, TX with my husband to checkout places we could possibly live if we choose to move there. Then in August we are flying to California with my family for a wedding. When searching for plane tickets for both flights we used all the discount sites such as Kayak and Expedia. I always check these sites prices against Southwest directly and most of the time I find better flights at a lesser price on Southwest’s website.

For instance, my husband thought he found our flights to Austin through Delta airlines on a discount site. Both to and from had layovers in Atlanta and the flights were about $60 more than booking with Southwest. So we settled on round trip tickets with no layovers for $240 each. Here are a few of the reasons I love to fly Southwest.

No baggage fees– Most airlines charge $30-50 per bag and I am just not okay with spending that much on top of my ticket.
Seating– Southwest allows you to board the flight in the order you checked in, therefore you do not need to pay an additional fee to sit with your family members. This is going to be an advantage on our 6 hour flight to California. (or maybe a disadvantage, hehe)
Friendly crew– Every time I fly Southwest the flight attendants are friendly and genuinely seem like they are having a good time
They offer stops– The first time I flew by myself I knew I didn’t want to have a layover. I found out Southwest has stops where they stop at an airport to let people on and off and then resume flying. This whole process is about 20 minutes and is a lot less stressful than a layover. Also I learned that if you do have a stop you can change seats during this time if you are not happy with your original seating.
Additionally, they are constantly having sales on their website with flights as low as $62 dollars.

What’s your favorite airline to fly?

Amazon.com offers Southwest gift cards available to save for your next trip or to give to someone who is going to be flying soon. Click the link below to check them out!

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Thrift Day With the Girls

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on September 1, 2014 None comments

I had some great luck during a day I spent with my girl friends out thrifting. I really have been hitting the jackpot lately when it comes to name brand dress clothes. They are so expensive new!

In the picture above I got-

– 1 pair of jeans $1

– Blue floral skirt $.80

– Mossimo grey pencil skirt $.80

– Ann Taylor black dress $3 (see right in photo below)

– H&M black dress $3.80 (see left in photo below)

– Liz Claiborne maxi skirt $.80

– The cool basket $.50

– The “professor” rolling bag $5.00

– The cool stool that folds flat $3

– The cat FREE (she was free but I didn’t get her today she just wanted to be in the picture!)

Overall I’m very excited about what I got, especially the H&M and Ann Taylor dresses!

The cat loved the stool. With a coat of paint I think it will be a really cool piece to decorate with. I also bought the cat bed for $.50 but it is too small for her so I’m giving it to a friend.

8-11-12 Goodwill Shopping Trip

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on August 19, 2014 None comments

Yesterday I had to drive out to the university I work at. There is a Goodwill on my way home in a nice area that I love going to. As always, second hand shopping can be hit or miss but yesterday I made some great finds. For the first time every I’m actually posting some pictures of me wearing the clothes (minus my face). When I lay them out on the couch there just isn’t the same effect.

The red shirt above was half off for less than $2 and the pink shirt was about $3. I paired them with my favorite pencil skirt (also from goodwill for about $3.69) and thrifted shoes.

Totals-

3 Dress Skirts
8 Shirts
2 Sweaters
1 Dress
1 Jacket

Total- $44 or average of $2.93 each item, some of the items were half off

Note- This is a lot more than I usually spend in one thrift shopping trip but when I find a lot of nice stuff that I need for great deals it still saves me a lot of money.

This dress was $5.99 new with the tags still on. It’s a halter dress so I paired it with a small black sweater to make it more professional that I believe cost me .50 cents at another thrift shop. The heels I bought during this thrift shopping trip for $2.

I also bought these three dress skirts, the tan one is from Ann Taylor loft, the purple one is from H&M, and the grey one is from charlotte ruse and the great chunky knitted jacket that I love is from Target. I tried them on with other thrifted shoes.

My $2.99 Cabinet Before and After

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on August 7, 2014 None comments

I bought this ugly little brown cabinet (It’s actually drawers but looks like a cabinet) for $2.99 at a local thrift shop. Using one can of green spray paint I transformed it into something that I love having in my living room! It takes the place of a side table but with the added bonus of extra storage. I’m so excited about how this turned out I’m looking for more pieces to transform.