Category Archives: Frugal Inspiration

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

New Free Paper Subscription for the El Sentinel with Free Sunday Paper Coupons

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on August 6, 2015 None comments

We moved a few months ago and I haven’t been couponing much recently but I clicked the below link and signed up for a new Saturday paper subscription to the El Sentinel. It came today, about two weeks after signing up, and had three coupon inserts. It’s a good way to get free Sunday paper coupons. An added bonus is that it comes on Saturday so you get the coupons early, that way if there are any coupons you want more of you can go get more papers on Sunday. It also sometimes contains the Smart Source in Spanish which has different coupons.

You can also click HERE to subscribe for free on their website.

*This is not an affiliate link

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.

$10 for 1 Week of Food from Dollar Tree

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on June 12, 2015 5 comments

Could you buy one week’s worth of food for one person for just $10? I believe the answer is yes!

As anyone who visits this site probably knows, I LOVE DOLLAR TREE! The other day I started thinking, could you buy one week’s worth of food for one person for just $10? I believe the answer is yes! You wouldn’t necessarily have to do this at Dollar Tree, any $1 store would probably work.

This would not be the most interesting week of meals but it would get you through the week in a pinch. I have also tried to make the meals as healthy as possible. Even at the dollar store there are some small choices that made this meal plan a little healthier such as by choosing whole wheat bread over white and brown rice over white.

Here is what I came up with-

Items I bought for $1 each-

– 1) A Full loaf of Whole Wheat Bread

– 2) Brown Rice

– 3) Black Beans

– 4) Peanut Butter

– 5) Jelly

– 6) Canister of Oatmeal

– 7) Honey

– 8) Spaghetti Sauce

– 9) Spaghetti Noodles (these coincidentally were the largest bag of pasta offered for $1)

– 10) ?????? $1 item?????- Last item your choice!

$10 One Week Meal Plan-

Breakfasts

– Oatmeal with Honey (or Peanut Butter or Jelly)

– Toast with Peanut Butter or Jelly

Lunch

– Peanut Butter or Jelly Sandwiches

Dinner

– Spaghetti sauce and noodles

– Brown Rice and Black Beans

Alternative $1 Items-

* Note- most of these are not as healthy as the original choices

– Instead of Peanut Butter you could buy hazelnut spread

– Instead of Jelly you could just use the honey

– Instead of Oatmeal and Honey you could probably buy a bag of cereal and a small milk

– Instead of honey you could buy a large jar of apple/peach pie filling to have with the oatmeal

– Instead of Spaghetti Sauce you could use any sauce you can buy for $1

Ideas for the last $1 item-

– Parmesan Cheese for the spaghetti

– Popcorn for lunches

– Salsa for with the rice and beans

– Instant Coffee

– A 5 pack of Ramen Noodles

– A can of soup

What do you think? Could you survive on this meal plan for 1 week if you had only $10 to buy yourself food?

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.

8-9-14 Thrift Shopping Trip

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on August 12, 2014 None comments

I need more dress clothes for when I start teaching again this month. Everyone who wears dress clothes to work knows they can be EXPENSIVE. So my friend and I decided to make a quick trip to a little church thrift store in a 100 year old house. It’s only open on Thursday nights and weekend mornings but the prices are fantastic. I spent $12 total and got everything pictured. All of the shirts were .50 cents each!
The dress flats on the left were .75 cents and the dress heels on the right were $2.00! So exciting! I will definitely wear them to teach.

I also needed some little dishes for our cat and I found an entire set of small bowls (they look much larger in the picture) and 1 plate for .15 cents each! I almost bought some for .50 cents each at another thrift shop but now I’m glad I didn’t.

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.