Category Archives: Frugal Inspiration

How to Fix a Broken Pressed Powder Compact- With Pictures

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on September 20, 2011 1 comments

Almost a year ago I posted on How to Fix a Broken Compact. Well after freaking out two days ago when my compact broke, I realized that I had four broken compacts again and could once again create a ‘new’ one. Yay! This time I took pictures. *Tip* You can also do this with other makeup like eyeshadow.

1. Gather your broken compacts. These are the broken ones that a year ago I would have thrown away.

2. Combine them.

3. Mash them up.

4. Add a small amount of rubbing alcohol and mix. You don’t want to use too much or it will dry extra hard (You can still use it, it will just be harder).

5. Let it dry!

It’s that easy! I just saved myself $25 dollars. For those of you who are wondering I use PUR minerals 4 in 1 compacts that can only be bought at ULTA stores. They aren’t cheap but if I bought the four products separately they would cost at least that much. It also saves me time of having to purchase and then apply four different products. There are a few things I will pay full price for (even though I try not to) and this is one of them. 🙂

About the Author

Posted by shopaholicsavers on September 3, 2011 None comments

I want to clarify something that I often think when I am typing my posts. You do not know me besides for this blog. I could be a crazy cat lady with absolutely no money. The things I write about in this blog could be strategies of desperation not frugality. However, thankfully, neither of those things is true. I live in a beautiful home in a nice area with my boyfriend and our pets. We have plenty of money to pay our bills. We have expensive furniture and decent cars. Why are we frugal? Because we want to choose where our money goes and when. We don’t want to owe anyone anything. The truth? Our cars were bought with cash years ago and we don’t have car payments. Our expensive furniture was not expensive for us because most of it was obtained second hand or with smart shopping or was given to us. Instead of using the money we have left over after we pay our bills frivolously we try to use it consciously so that we can save for really amazing experiences.

And guess what? We just returned from a cruise to the Bahamas!!!! We had an amazing time, we lounged in the sun and stuffed ourselves with unlimited food.

That being said, we do occasionally go out to eat and to the movies and shopping (sometimes even without coupons *gasp*). We do not live a life that in anyway makes us feel deprived. Our smart spending enables us to live a really amazing life, work less, do more fun stuff and help those we love when they need it. 🙂

Free Subscription to All You Magazine

Posted by shopaholicsavers on September 2, 2011 6 comments

For those of you who have never heard of it, All You magazine is a magazine that “pays for itself” because it is full of coupons and money saving ideas. I love reading it for frugal advice and information and I have wanted a subscription for a long time. However, my mom and aunt love magazines and give me lots of them so I have refused to buy any magazine subscription, but I had enough free amazon.com egift cards from Swagbucks (a search engine you get rewards for searching on) to get a free subscription.

Now when my copies arrive in the mail I will be even more excited because I know they were free (and I love free stuff) and they will also save me money.

To join Swagbucks click the banner

Frugal Article

Posted by shopaholicsavers on April 9, 2011 None comments

“How We Cut Our Monthly Spending by $500”

These are easy and smart ideas everyone should try. Click above for the link.

Book- The Cheapskate Next Door

Posted by shopaholicsavers on February 27, 2011 None comments

I am currently reading The Cheapskate Next Door by Jeff Yeager. It is the sequel to his first book The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches. He is a very smart and funny author and I have enjoyed reading both books.

Here are some of the many great frugal quotes I have found in his book so far-

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” – Will Rogers

“I get to do what I love because I’m frugal. I feel that I was put on earth to teach…. We may not earn a large income, but we are very wealthy because we get to do what we want to in life.” -How to Survive (and perhaps thrive) on a Teacher’s Salary

“”I try to bite my tongue but I really want to yell, “Do you know how much money you’re wasting on that?”‘ – Jeff Yeager

“Live simply so that others may simply live.” – Gandhi

“The key to wealth isn’t what you earn, but rather what you spend.” – Kristan Lawson

“If you can’t afford to pay for it now, you can’t afford it.” – John Dochnahl

Frugal Quotes

Posted by shopaholicsavers on February 11, 2011 None comments

“A penny saved is a penny you don’t need to earn again.”

“You need to spend money to lose money.”

“Living on less is a good thing to do. It’s the only financial advice that will work for almost everyone. It’s about a quality of life you cannot buy, a sense of satisfaction you cannot fake, and an appreciation for others that gives life value. It’s also about helping save the planet and sharing with those in need. Living on less can be funny, but it’s not a joke.”

– quotes by Jeff Yeager “The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches”

Frugal Reading- What I’m Currently Reading

Posted by shopaholicsavers on February 4, 2011 None comments

I am currently reading The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches by Jeff Yeager and America’s Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money by Steve and Annette Economides. Both of these books have been very interesting and have a lot of good ideas. I recommend getting them from the library if you want to read them. After all, it wouldn’t be very frugal to buy them.

Frugal Reading- The Complete Tightwad Gazette

Posted by shopaholicsavers on February 2, 2011 2 comments

If you are trying to save money or live more frugally I am telling you that you NEED to get the book The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. It is written by Amy who formerly published a famous newsletter about saving money. She shares all of her family’s ideas for saving money whether practical, amusing, or crazy. She has 6 kids and raised them on her husband’s 30,000 per year military salary while saving for and buying a house! Anyone can find ideas for saving money in this book and if nothing else her book is great inspiration and fun to read. I recommend getting it for free from your local library!

A Frugal Quote

Posted by shopaholicsavers on January 31, 2011 None comments

“Budgeting is the art of doing that well with one dollar which any bungler can do with two.”

-Arthur Wellington, British soldier and statesmen (1769-1852)

Article- “Surviving (and thriving) on $12,000 a year.”

Posted by shopaholicsavers on December 7, 2010 4 comments

When I was reading news articles on the internet the other day I came across an article written by a woman named Donna Freedman titled “Surviving (and thriving) on $12,000 a year.” For some people this would be unimaginable, but in these current times of economic hardship it is becoming a reality for many Americans. Donna starts by saying “I’ve made my choices, and they include no more husband, a college education and huge changes in the way I spend money.” She goes on to explain that she is living off of alimony and a school grant, about $1,000 a month, while she goes back to school to finish her college education. After her rent and car insurance she has only $382 dollars a month for all other bills and expenses.

In the article, she describes the sometimes extreme lengths she goes to in order to save money/survive. Donna states in her article that her current financial situation is temporary but it made me again wonder how many Americans in today’s world are going to extreme lengths to survive financially. I give her credit for everything she did in order to finish her education. I enjoyed reading her story, which you can find HERE.