Category Archives: Frugal Living

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.

Get FREE $2 from BankAmeriDeals® until 7/31/15

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on July 21, 2015 None comments

This is a neat little offer for Bank of America customers. If you are a Bank of America customer then you probably already know about their free BankAmeriDeals® aka free cash back if you use your debit card at certain stores/retailers. I personally have gotten cash back a few times as a surprise since I forget which deals are ongoing which is always nice if happen to end up shopping at one of the places anyways.

However, the free $2 back for redeeming any deal is great if you are going to be shopping at one of the places offering free 10% back anyways. Right now the deals showing up on my online banking include Jo-Ann Fabrics, Starbucks, Panera, Wawa and more. I personally may go to Jo-Ann Fabrics with a 40% off coupon to look for something that will cost less than $2 (they have a dollar section) and then know I will be getting it back for FREE! Even if I end up getting two $1 stocking stuffers for Christmas I’ll be happy.

Free $10 Coupons in the Mail for Academy Sports + Outdoors

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on June 22, 2015 None comments

When I flip through our junk mail I always keep my eyes open for $10 off Coupons that don’t require a minimum purchase because it’s like getting a FREE $10 gift card. Recently we have received 2 FREE $10 off Coupons from the new Academy Sports + Outdoors store (see above) that opened around the corner from where we live. I almost didn’t stop by the first time because I wasn’t familiar with the store but I’m so glad that I did.

We were able to score 2 beach chairs and 2 beach chair clip on umbrellas (see below) for $1 each after the 2 free $10 coupons! We have already taken the chairs to the beach a few times and I’m excited to now have the umbrellas to go with them because it’s very hot here in Florida! The chairs and umbrellas usually sell for $6 each! I love getting things we will use for so cheap!

6-22-15 Found at Dollar Tree Mini Physician’s Formula Eye Shadow Palettes

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on June 22, 2015 None comments

I was excited to fine these Mini Physician’s Formula Eye Shadow Palettes at Dollar Tree for $1! So excited that I bought one for my sister and brother’s girl friend too. I always find this brand to be good quality and these can be $10 or more at regular drug stores.

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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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4 Ingredient, Dirt Cheap, No Cooking, Chemical Free, Laundry Detergent!

Posted by Ney@ShopahoicSavers.com on June 18, 2015 2 comments

Laundry Detergent was one of the last items in my house to be replaced with a chemical free version. The main reason was because chemical free laundry detergent, like laundry detergent in general, is expensive. I also didn’t care to start making my own if it required cooking of any kind. For a long time I simply bought the concentrated $1 jugs from Dollar Tree. They aren’t bad but this recipe is better. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found this Dirt Cheap, 4 Ingredient, Chemical Free Laundry Detergent. I was originally worried it might leave behind some powder or residue but it doesn’t. It just works great!

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a container and mix them up.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Baking Soda
1 1/2 cups Washing Soda
1/2 cup Epsom Salt
2 Tbsp Kosher Salt or other coarse salt

To Use:

Use two heaping spoonfuls for a large load of wash. Use your best judgement for smaller loads.

Thank you to Tatiana Amico for this recipe.

FourIngredientChemicalFreeLaundryDetergent

$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.