Every couple needs to have date nights no matter what their budget or situation so I have come up with six date ideas on three budgets. The first set is more of a typical date and the second set is a little less traditional and a little more exciting.
Dinner, movie, and drinks!
1. $100.00 date night
Go to a restaurant where you can typically pay around $50.00 for two people, i.e. Applebee's. After dinner go to the theater and try to agree on a movie. The movies can cost any where from $8.00 to $12.00 a person depending on where you live. On the way home pick up a bottle of wine or a six pack of beer depending on your tastes.
2. $50.00 Date night
Rent a DVD at a video rental place or pick on netflix.com if you have it. Go out to an inexpensive restaurant that will cost $30.00 for the two of you and then pick up some drinks to have while you watch your movie at home!
3. $25.00 date night
Google different recipes and find one you will both like. Here are some great links to find recipes.
http://allrecipes.com/
www.foodnetwork.com
Rent a movie from a video rental place or on netflix.com and pick up some drinks to enjoy. It could be lots of fun, especially if you cook together.
Non-traditional dates
1. $100.00 date
Paintball! It's an exciting way to have an action packed date, you can even double date or have a large group date. From what I have found you can rent everything and play for as low as $30.00 a person but can be more. Just do your homework for the best rates around you!
2. $50.00 date
Canoeing! If you are in an area with lots of lakes and rivers this could be a fun bonding experience. You can rent a canoe at a canoe rental place for around $25.00 and spend the next couple hours going down the river talking and eating. Use the remainder $25.00 to pack a lunch and buy sun block and bug spray!
3. $25.00 date
Disc Golf! This is a fun game mixing golf and Frisbee. You can find free courses all over the place. The only thing that will cost money is the disc's themselves. You can buy them for $10.00 a piece new or buy a few more of them by getting used ones on www.ebay.com. I found them as low as $2.50 and with the savings you can pack a picnic, sun block and bug spray!
Monday, March 22, 2010
My first book review
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
Another great read by Jennifer Weiner. It's a modern day Thelma and Louise with a happy ending! The story follows two old friends "On the Lam". It takes you through a funny yet heart breaking experience of best friends reuniting while running from the cops and a crime they're not even sure if committed or not. It's an easy read and the chapters go from one perspective to another both in the past and present. It's a great book to curl up with on a cold night or at the beach!
Another great read by Jennifer Weiner. It's a modern day Thelma and Louise with a happy ending! The story follows two old friends "On the Lam". It takes you through a funny yet heart breaking experience of best friends reuniting while running from the cops and a crime they're not even sure if committed or not. It's an easy read and the chapters go from one perspective to another both in the past and present. It's a great book to curl up with on a cold night or at the beach!
Saving money around the house
I don't know about you, but the cost of little things you need around the house really add up. So I have found some little tips that help cuts costs so you can spend that hard earned money on stuff you actually want or even save it! I am going to go room by room and give tips and ideas on how to save money on everything from cleaning supplies to toiletries!
The Kitchen
Dish Soap can actually be bought by the gallon at bulk stores and it works just as well as name brand. 1 gallon of dish soap at Sam's Club is $5.00. Also you can add some borax which you can get a 4 lb box for less than $4.00 to help with the tough pans. Borax can also be used in the dishwasher and works wonderfully.
We go through Dish cloths like they are going out of style. I like to go to Kmart and buy a 25 pack for $5.99. That way if they get gross or stained I don't feel bad about putting them in the rag pile.
The Laundry room
Now I have not tried this but a nurse at my work swears by it and I plan on doing this as soon as my laundry soap starts to run out! It's actually a recipe from the Duggars.
1 tsp. lavender essential oil
1/4 cup unflavored vodka
3 1/2 cups filtered water
I hope these idea's will help you save money and continue to have a fabulous home! If you have any other tips or idea's just leave a comment!
The Kitchen
Dish Soap can actually be bought by the gallon at bulk stores and it works just as well as name brand. 1 gallon of dish soap at Sam's Club is $5.00. Also you can add some borax which you can get a 4 lb box for less than $4.00 to help with the tough pans. Borax can also be used in the dishwasher and works wonderfully.
We go through Dish cloths like they are going out of style. I like to go to Kmart and buy a 25 pack for $5.99. That way if they get gross or stained I don't feel bad about putting them in the rag pile.
The Laundry room
Now I have not tried this but a nurse at my work swears by it and I plan on doing this as soon as my laundry soap starts to run out! It's actually a recipe from the Duggars.
Powdered Laundry Detergent - Top load machine
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm and hammer super washing soda
½ Cup Borax
-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)
Also instead of buying expensive fabric softener, just add a cup of White vinegar which you can buy by the gallon or if you like the smell of fabric softener by the brand you like and add water. It'll still work great if you do two parts water to one part softener.
To keep your whites white, just add a little bit of borax to your load of laundry!
The Bathroom
We go through lots of hand soap so we buy large things of liquid hand soap and just transfer it in to a smaller pump bottle. You can buy a one gallon jug for under $5.00 and it fills those little bottles many times over!
Shampoo and conditioner can be costly so we buy the large economic pump bottle and only use one or two pumps per hair wash, you will save money on the larger containers and because it'll last longer since you are using less.
Now if you are anything like me, you like good smelling lotions and body washes. Unfortunately they can be pricey, so I've learned if you buy a small thing of smelly lotion from somewhere like bath and body works on sale for $1.00 or $2.00 then buy a large thing of unscented lotion from Walmart and mix them you'll have a large thing of scented lotion for less and it's not as strong which my husband likes. The same can go for body wash too!
General cleaning
Steam cleaning is free once the first purchase and works wonders. I recommend the H20 ultra steam mop for all of the floors and hard surfaces. It's 136.00 with shipping from amazon and you can clean just about any surface in your house. You can use it on carpet and furniture to get out stains and smells, on and in the stove to get off all the gunk that can accumulate, and to disinfect everything!
I love fabreze but it can be expensive so we buy a spray bottle and the refill bottle of fabreez. Fill the spray bottle 1/3 fabreze and the rest with water. It still works great and you are saving quite a bit of money!
I know that linen sprays are becoming very popular but have you seen the prices of those, crazy. I found a recipe to make your own.
I hope these idea's will help you save money and continue to have a fabulous home! If you have any other tips or idea's just leave a comment!
Friday, June 19, 2009
DIY:Facial Products
Beauty products these days are expensive, especially if you want something that works. I also no not all home made beauty products are cheap and call for stuff I don't even know where to get it at. So I have searched and found some DIY facial products that work and are actually cheap! You can use these on yourself or have a spa day with some friends and have everyone bring the ingredients to make their own. That way you can all try out different products, but only pay to make one. It'll be a lot of fun and would work great for a bridal shower/bachelorette party, birthday party, or just a girls night in!
Basic dry skin remedy
2 tablespoons of real mayo or the mayo made with olive oil
1 teaspoon of baby oil
Combine the ingredients
Put on to face, neck, rough elbows, and knees.
Leave on for 20 minutes
Rinse with tepid water ( 2 parts cold water and 1 part boiling water)
For tightening and toning
1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 egg white
Beat together for 3 minutes
Put on face avoiding eyes
Leave on for 30 minutes
Rinse with warm water
Revitalizing mask
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup avocado
1 egg white
2 teaspoons powdered milk
Combine all ingredients in a blender
Apply to face and neck in an upward motion
Leave on for 30 minutes or until dry
Rinse with warm water and end with a splash of cold
Peach Firming Mask
1 ripe peach - pealed and mashed
1 egg white
Whip together in blender until smooth
Pat on face and neck
Leave on for 30 minutes
Rinse with cool water
Banana and honey mask
1 Banana
1/2 cup honey
Mash the banana and honey together
Pat on face
Leave on for 10 minutes
Rinse with warm water
Eye moisturizer
1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
2 tablespoons Vaseline
Mix together and apply around the eyes
Can store in a small zip lock bag, small air tight storage container, or even an old moisturizer container.
Teeth Whitener #1
1 strawberry
A little baking soda
Mix together and brush teeth with mixture
Teeth whitener #2
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Mix together and brush teeth with mixture
Lip balm
5 - 6 grams of beeswax grated, about a teaspoon or so
1 teaspoon of Shea butter
6 ml of Castor oil
6 ml of almond oil
5 drops of vitamin E
Melt the beeswax,(I think the best way is to use a glass measuring cup inside a pan of boiling water), add in remaining and mix together and put into small container. If you want a little color, use an old lipstick or gloss.
I do understand this one is a little more extensive than the others, but it's all natural and great for your lips. You should find most of the ingredients at a health food store!
I hope you have fun with all of my DIY products for your face, let me know which ones work the best for you and if you have any of your own economical DIY beauty secrets.
Basic dry skin remedy
2 tablespoons of real mayo or the mayo made with olive oil
1 teaspoon of baby oil
Combine the ingredients
Put on to face, neck, rough elbows, and knees.
Leave on for 20 minutes
Rinse with tepid water ( 2 parts cold water and 1 part boiling water)
For tightening and toning
1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 egg white
Beat together for 3 minutes
Put on face avoiding eyes
Leave on for 30 minutes
Rinse with warm water
Revitalizing mask
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup avocado
1 egg white
2 teaspoons powdered milk
Combine all ingredients in a blender
Apply to face and neck in an upward motion
Leave on for 30 minutes or until dry
Rinse with warm water and end with a splash of cold
Peach Firming Mask
1 ripe peach - pealed and mashed
1 egg white
Whip together in blender until smooth
Pat on face and neck
Leave on for 30 minutes
Rinse with cool water
Banana and honey mask
1 Banana
1/2 cup honey
Mash the banana and honey together
Pat on face
Leave on for 10 minutes
Rinse with warm water
Eye moisturizer
1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
2 tablespoons Vaseline
Mix together and apply around the eyes
Can store in a small zip lock bag, small air tight storage container, or even an old moisturizer container.
Teeth Whitener #1
1 strawberry
A little baking soda
Mix together and brush teeth with mixture
Teeth whitener #2
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Mix together and brush teeth with mixture
Lip balm
5 - 6 grams of beeswax grated, about a teaspoon or so
1 teaspoon of Shea butter
6 ml of Castor oil
6 ml of almond oil
5 drops of vitamin E
Melt the beeswax,(I think the best way is to use a glass measuring cup inside a pan of boiling water), add in remaining and mix together and put into small container. If you want a little color, use an old lipstick or gloss.
I do understand this one is a little more extensive than the others, but it's all natural and great for your lips. You should find most of the ingredients at a health food store!
I hope you have fun with all of my DIY products for your face, let me know which ones work the best for you and if you have any of your own economical DIY beauty secrets.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A day with the family for $25!
Yes I said a day out for only $25.00 and that is for a family of four too! In this post I am going to give four different detailed examples on how to take the whole family out of the house most of the day.
Example One-Nice summer day! Park, lunch, and city tour! Start off by getting ready the night before. If you have younger ones, make sure diaper bag has everything you may possibly need. Get lunch and snacks packed in a cooler or back pack. If the city tour takes place on bikes, make sure tires are aired up, helmets are ready and if you have child carriers or seats to set up do so now! When you wake up in the morning make sure the family eats a hearty breakfast for the event filled day ahead. You can drive, walk, or bike to the park depending on how far away the park is. I would probably drive since the park is on the other side of the city for me. Children love the park, they can run, climb, swing, and be as loud as they want! Hang out with the kids for a few hours at the park letting them get out lots of energy and getting that much craved and needed exercise. It's a good way for you to let out the kid inside and get some exercise! After a long morning of playing find a spot to pop a squat and eat some lunch! After lunch maybe play a little bit more or get ready for your city tour. I suggest a city tour for a couple reasons. One being if you're fairly new to area, you can really learn about all the exciting things going on in your neighborhood or even meet a couple new people. Two is if you are native to the city or have been there quite awhile you may learn some new things, notice there is a new business opening up, you might even see an old friend you haven't seen in quite some time and you can act as tour guide to the kids and let them know what life was like when you were there ages! At the end of the day take the family out for ice cream cones at a local ice cream parlor!
Example two-Rainy day fun! Matinee, lunch, indoor play land, and library! All you have to do is have a good breakfast at home with family and look online at what movies your theater offers during matinee times and prepare a lunch. Some theaters actually offer children movies for $3 a person or less. My local theater actually has free kids movies for everyone on weekdays! One important thing to remember is not to buy theater food. It's early enough that you just had breakfast and should not too much and if you do just sneak it in! I know you are not supposed to, but does your theater do purse checks? Mine does not and the prices are ridiculously high. If you don't feel comfortable with this approach, buy a large popcorn and get cups for water. It's healthier than pop and it's free! Go home for a lunch that has all ready been prepared. After lunch take the family to the local McDonald's. (If they have a play land) You can get cookies 3/$1 or $.50 each. So for $1.50, everyone can have a cookie and the kids can play at the play land. After the play land take the family to the library, the library is free and promoting reading in the household is never bad. Also since you're at the library picking out books, you can also pick up a movie for the night!
Example three- Some Winter Culture! The weather is cold and you're stuck inside, what to do? Well bundle the family up after a warm breakfast and go on down to a museum. I know not all areas have museums but many larger cities do or if there is a cultural center in your area that would be fun too! Most of these places have down times and days and on those days you can get in for a discount, sometimes 50% or more! If the museum is large enough, it could take a few hours to get through the whole thing. After the museum head home for some cocoa/coffee/tea (whatever your vice maybe), grilled cheese sandwiches, and some tomato soup!
Example four- Chilly fall day! Fall is my favorite season because there is so much to do and if you are lucky enough to see the color of the leaves changing its gorgeous! Start your day with a warm breakfast and bundle the kids up if need be and head down to the local apple orchard/cider mill. It's great because you can take a hay ride, do crafts, pick out your pumpkin for Halloween, eat doughnuts, drink hot cider, and enjoy yourselves for quite a few hours!
These are just four things you can do for under $25, but you can also look for free concerts in the area, church fun days for kids (usually free games and food for the everyone but has a message with all the games, a local church just had a "say 'no' to drug" day", school plays, school sports games, and neighborhood potlucks. Just remember to take lots of pictures so you'll always have the memories. Just pay attention to flash photography rules and have a great time!
Example One-Nice summer day! Park, lunch, and city tour! Start off by getting ready the night before. If you have younger ones, make sure diaper bag has everything you may possibly need. Get lunch and snacks packed in a cooler or back pack. If the city tour takes place on bikes, make sure tires are aired up, helmets are ready and if you have child carriers or seats to set up do so now! When you wake up in the morning make sure the family eats a hearty breakfast for the event filled day ahead. You can drive, walk, or bike to the park depending on how far away the park is. I would probably drive since the park is on the other side of the city for me. Children love the park, they can run, climb, swing, and be as loud as they want! Hang out with the kids for a few hours at the park letting them get out lots of energy and getting that much craved and needed exercise. It's a good way for you to let out the kid inside and get some exercise! After a long morning of playing find a spot to pop a squat and eat some lunch! After lunch maybe play a little bit more or get ready for your city tour. I suggest a city tour for a couple reasons. One being if you're fairly new to area, you can really learn about all the exciting things going on in your neighborhood or even meet a couple new people. Two is if you are native to the city or have been there quite awhile you may learn some new things, notice there is a new business opening up, you might even see an old friend you haven't seen in quite some time and you can act as tour guide to the kids and let them know what life was like when you were there ages! At the end of the day take the family out for ice cream cones at a local ice cream parlor!
Example two-Rainy day fun! Matinee, lunch, indoor play land, and library! All you have to do is have a good breakfast at home with family and look online at what movies your theater offers during matinee times and prepare a lunch. Some theaters actually offer children movies for $3 a person or less. My local theater actually has free kids movies for everyone on weekdays! One important thing to remember is not to buy theater food. It's early enough that you just had breakfast and should not too much and if you do just sneak it in! I know you are not supposed to, but does your theater do purse checks? Mine does not and the prices are ridiculously high. If you don't feel comfortable with this approach, buy a large popcorn and get cups for water. It's healthier than pop and it's free! Go home for a lunch that has all ready been prepared. After lunch take the family to the local McDonald's. (If they have a play land) You can get cookies 3/$1 or $.50 each. So for $1.50, everyone can have a cookie and the kids can play at the play land. After the play land take the family to the library, the library is free and promoting reading in the household is never bad. Also since you're at the library picking out books, you can also pick up a movie for the night!
Example three- Some Winter Culture! The weather is cold and you're stuck inside, what to do? Well bundle the family up after a warm breakfast and go on down to a museum. I know not all areas have museums but many larger cities do or if there is a cultural center in your area that would be fun too! Most of these places have down times and days and on those days you can get in for a discount, sometimes 50% or more! If the museum is large enough, it could take a few hours to get through the whole thing. After the museum head home for some cocoa/coffee/tea (whatever your vice maybe), grilled cheese sandwiches, and some tomato soup!
Example four- Chilly fall day! Fall is my favorite season because there is so much to do and if you are lucky enough to see the color of the leaves changing its gorgeous! Start your day with a warm breakfast and bundle the kids up if need be and head down to the local apple orchard/cider mill. It's great because you can take a hay ride, do crafts, pick out your pumpkin for Halloween, eat doughnuts, drink hot cider, and enjoy yourselves for quite a few hours!
These are just four things you can do for under $25, but you can also look for free concerts in the area, church fun days for kids (usually free games and food for the everyone but has a message with all the games, a local church just had a "say 'no' to drug" day", school plays, school sports games, and neighborhood potlucks. Just remember to take lots of pictures so you'll always have the memories. Just pay attention to flash photography rules and have a great time!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Beauty!!!!!
I am a woman so I know what it's like to have to buy skin care products, make-up, and hair products. Also if you want to stay in shape there's the whole exercising thing which can cost money if you want to buy your own equipment or get a gym membership. Beauty can be expensive but does not have to be. In this post I am going to show you how to get the biggest benefits for as little as possible, where to score free samples, go to the gym for free, how to get cheap maybe even free exercise equipment, low cost and even free haircuts and other salon services!
Beauty Schools- I love beauty schools. You can get a haircut for around $5.00, color for around $18.00, mani/pedi for $20.00 all together. Now I get that you may be really picky about your hair so I am not going to say cut it yourself (which would save the most amount of money), but beauty schools do not put the new students on the floor. The students have to have a certain amount of hours in and they work under direct supervision of a licensed cosmetologist. Even if you do not get your hair done there, how hard is it to do a mani/pedi, there's no way they could mess that up right? Plus I've gotten my best haircuts done at a beauty school and I've gone to a place that cost way too much. (Christmas gift from my sister-in-law)
Cosmetic Counters- Cosmetic Counters can be so much fun, even when not buying! You can get mini make over’s from the girls behind the counter and they are trying to sell their merchandise so you can also score some free samples. Now you don't want to go to the same counter over and over again and not buy anything. It's rude and the girls get upset and stop handing out samples and doing your make-up. If your mall only has one then, I wouldn't go more than once every month or two unless you do plan to buy something. If you want to buy stuff keep it to the merchandise you can't really get the same thing for cheaper. If you have a certain perfume you really like and it's expensive then wait for a sale, then go and get all the free stuff and only buy your perfume. It's important to stay on your game plan no matter how many how many times the sales girl says how great the product is. Also next time you are walking through the mall a salesperson says "hey would you like to try this new product" stop at that Kiosk and get some free lotion or whatever it happens to be!
Product Websites- These websites are great places to get free samples of your favorite products. These companies love giving away free samples because they really are banking on you really liking their products. If you go the dove website right now they are giving away sample shampoo/conditioner and you can choose between two different kinds! Also Mary Kay will send you a free make-up sheet for you to try their new mineral make-up! If you sign up for a L’Oreal registration you can get product samples. You can even go to the Wal-Mart website and get free samples. Proctor and Gamble is a really good site to go to. If you have a favorite product just check out their website and look around for samples. It's not going to be really noticeable but it will probably be there in small print at the top or bottom of the page!
Working Out- There are absolutely free ways to exercise. Running is free; all you need is a road. You can use cans in your pantry for weights. Go to your local library and rent a work out video or even a book. It's free and a good way to get started for free! If you want to get work out equipment for your own house then check out www.craigslist.org, you can find some really good deals and a lot of times people give away old weight benches and older equipment for free. It's a good place to find really expensive equipment like bow flex because people buy thinking they'll work out more. It turns out they don't use it and have a really expensive clothes rack sitting in their house, so they post it on craigslist for half the cost! If you want to go the gym to get your work out, you can go for free. First off if you are in an apartment that allows you to use their gym for free, utilize the freeness of it! If you have a friend that has access to an apartments gym, go with them (Upside you'll have a work out body). Most gyms offer a free week or two to try out their gym. If you're lucky and have lots of gyms relatively close to your house or work, try them each out for a couple weeks! If you have a friend that goes to a gym you can also get another week or so at the gym. Once again most gyms allow their clients to bring a friend along for a certain amount of times for free. If you want to purchase a gym membership avoid doing it at the beginning of the year because that's when gyms like to charge full price. Summer and Christmas are good times to get deals because less people join gyms during these times of the year.
Fashion- Clothes and shoes can be expensive, especially for those of us that care about our appearance and what kind of clothes we're wearing. Well I'll let you in on my little secret. SECOND HAND STORES! Whether it's a resale shop or thrift store (there is a difference by the way) you can find really nice stuff for much less than retail prices. Check out your local goodwill, Salvation Army, or other thrift stores. I have gotten some great deals at the local thrift stores. I have gotten a Calvin Klein shirt for less than $2.00. Like I said there is a difference between thrift stores and resale shops. Thrift stores are generally cheaper than resale, but a lot of times you can get higher end clothing at resale shops. I bought a pair of Juicy couture track pants for $10.00 with the tag still on! When it comes to clothes there are some articles of clothing that are the same no matter where you get them such as tank tops, plain t-shirts, sweat shirts, and lounge pants. You can go to K-mart and pay way less than going to Macy's. Plus K-Mart has lots of clearance and really good prices. Another place to get new clothes that has really great prices is TJ Maxx. You can get name brand clothes and accessories for dirt cheap. I bought a Baby Phat dress for $20.00 when the original tag read $75.00.
I hope you find everything you want in life for a cheaper cost! If you have any other questions just leave me a message!
Beauty Schools- I love beauty schools. You can get a haircut for around $5.00, color for around $18.00, mani/pedi for $20.00 all together. Now I get that you may be really picky about your hair so I am not going to say cut it yourself (which would save the most amount of money), but beauty schools do not put the new students on the floor. The students have to have a certain amount of hours in and they work under direct supervision of a licensed cosmetologist. Even if you do not get your hair done there, how hard is it to do a mani/pedi, there's no way they could mess that up right? Plus I've gotten my best haircuts done at a beauty school and I've gone to a place that cost way too much. (Christmas gift from my sister-in-law)
Cosmetic Counters- Cosmetic Counters can be so much fun, even when not buying! You can get mini make over’s from the girls behind the counter and they are trying to sell their merchandise so you can also score some free samples. Now you don't want to go to the same counter over and over again and not buy anything. It's rude and the girls get upset and stop handing out samples and doing your make-up. If your mall only has one then, I wouldn't go more than once every month or two unless you do plan to buy something. If you want to buy stuff keep it to the merchandise you can't really get the same thing for cheaper. If you have a certain perfume you really like and it's expensive then wait for a sale, then go and get all the free stuff and only buy your perfume. It's important to stay on your game plan no matter how many how many times the sales girl says how great the product is. Also next time you are walking through the mall a salesperson says "hey would you like to try this new product" stop at that Kiosk and get some free lotion or whatever it happens to be!
Product Websites- These websites are great places to get free samples of your favorite products. These companies love giving away free samples because they really are banking on you really liking their products. If you go the dove website right now they are giving away sample shampoo/conditioner and you can choose between two different kinds! Also Mary Kay will send you a free make-up sheet for you to try their new mineral make-up! If you sign up for a L’Oreal registration you can get product samples. You can even go to the Wal-Mart website and get free samples. Proctor and Gamble is a really good site to go to. If you have a favorite product just check out their website and look around for samples. It's not going to be really noticeable but it will probably be there in small print at the top or bottom of the page!
Working Out- There are absolutely free ways to exercise. Running is free; all you need is a road. You can use cans in your pantry for weights. Go to your local library and rent a work out video or even a book. It's free and a good way to get started for free! If you want to get work out equipment for your own house then check out www.craigslist.org, you can find some really good deals and a lot of times people give away old weight benches and older equipment for free. It's a good place to find really expensive equipment like bow flex because people buy thinking they'll work out more. It turns out they don't use it and have a really expensive clothes rack sitting in their house, so they post it on craigslist for half the cost! If you want to go the gym to get your work out, you can go for free. First off if you are in an apartment that allows you to use their gym for free, utilize the freeness of it! If you have a friend that has access to an apartments gym, go with them (Upside you'll have a work out body). Most gyms offer a free week or two to try out their gym. If you're lucky and have lots of gyms relatively close to your house or work, try them each out for a couple weeks! If you have a friend that goes to a gym you can also get another week or so at the gym. Once again most gyms allow their clients to bring a friend along for a certain amount of times for free. If you want to purchase a gym membership avoid doing it at the beginning of the year because that's when gyms like to charge full price. Summer and Christmas are good times to get deals because less people join gyms during these times of the year.
Fashion- Clothes and shoes can be expensive, especially for those of us that care about our appearance and what kind of clothes we're wearing. Well I'll let you in on my little secret. SECOND HAND STORES! Whether it's a resale shop or thrift store (there is a difference by the way) you can find really nice stuff for much less than retail prices. Check out your local goodwill, Salvation Army, or other thrift stores. I have gotten some great deals at the local thrift stores. I have gotten a Calvin Klein shirt for less than $2.00. Like I said there is a difference between thrift stores and resale shops. Thrift stores are generally cheaper than resale, but a lot of times you can get higher end clothing at resale shops. I bought a pair of Juicy couture track pants for $10.00 with the tag still on! When it comes to clothes there are some articles of clothing that are the same no matter where you get them such as tank tops, plain t-shirts, sweat shirts, and lounge pants. You can go to K-mart and pay way less than going to Macy's. Plus K-Mart has lots of clearance and really good prices. Another place to get new clothes that has really great prices is TJ Maxx. You can get name brand clothes and accessories for dirt cheap. I bought a Baby Phat dress for $20.00 when the original tag read $75.00.
I hope you find everything you want in life for a cheaper cost! If you have any other questions just leave me a message!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Starting off slowly!
Hello, My name is Ashley Steiner and I am a married mother of two. I will be celebrating my 5th anniversary in September with my husband Daniel and my children are three (Gavin) and basically two (Zak). We are a happy family and have everything we need in life thanks to good spending and saving habits. This was not something that came easy for us. I was a shopper for all things not needed just because they were on sale or clearance. My husband loves almost all things electronic and computerized. These two things together do not equal a cheap life style. What did we do, you ask. Well we learned to get rid of a lot of things not needed, get the things we want for cheap or even better FREE! Yes, I did say free! This blog is going to be a how to guide for living a fabulously cheap lifestyle and not being ashamed of it!
I know from personal experience that life can be hard and expensive at times. I am not going to make any promises about this life style being easy to get used to. But I do promise if you try your hardest and really follow some of my tips, it can be beneficial and fun to live a cheap life! Since this is my first posting I will take it easy on you.
Clothes do not have to be in that long list. I can honestly say I have not paid more than $50.00 on clothes for my children put together. And I am very proud of this because that means a few things. One being I'm doing my part in keeping this a greener world. Two being that when they ruin a shirt or a pair of pants I don't feel bad about it at all! There are so many different ways of getting really nice quality clothing for your kids with out spending a lot of money or any money at all for that matter.
Freecycle has to be my favorite place to score free kid clothes. It's an online community where people post items they no longer need. It's great because you can get free stuff and get rid of items you no longer need. People will pick up scrap metal, moving boxes, and all kinds of stuff you might think is destined for the trash. The best example of why I love Freecycle is I responded to a lot of boys clothing with a porch pickup. It turned out that the pick up place was less than a mile from my house and there was three large bags of clothes and a box full of shoes. I went through the items and kept probably around a bag and a half of clothes, gave away a bag because the items were too small for my children, and threw about a half a bag away because of stains and rips. I kept a few pairs of the shoes and gave away the rest.
Craigslist is another great way to find cheap if not free clothes for the kids! You can search your area for great steals on this site. I was once just looking over the site like I often do and there was FREE posting for children’s clothes. The sizes varied and there was some girls stuff thrown in there as well. So I responded to the ad and drove almost forty minutes away, thinking "this better be good" the whole way. We pull up to the house and were I ever thankful we brought my best friends van. In front of us laid six huge black garbage bags full of children’s clothes. I was so excited and I couldn't stop smiling because I just hit the mother load of free clothes. We drove back to our house and started going through all of the great stuff we had just landed. I was able to get clothes that will fit them in a couple years from now. There was stuff for my friends little girl and my niece. Some stuff was practically brand new. I gave away very little and threw away even less. That forty minutes drive was three years worth of clothes for my boys plus some!
Yard sales! When people ask what my favorite season is, I respond "yard sale season, of course." Yard saleing is so much fun and you can really get some great stuff for the kids. It can be difficult at times to find good yard sales that have what you're looking for, but I'll tell you a way to make it a little easier. Scroll your local newspapers for yard sale ads, also craigslist.org is another place, grocery stores might have ads hanging up. A lot of times in the ads they'll right an overview of what’s expected to be at the sale. Another great way is to find out if any neighborhoods have community yard sale weekends. There is a town near mine that has yard sale after yard sale during a walleye festival. Is there a more ritzy part of town? Look there! More times than not if there are yard sales in these areas, they just want to get rid of stuff, so you can score great stuff cheap. If you go on the last day of a yard sale a lot of times they will sell everything half off or make you a ridiculous offer. My mom and I went to a yard sale when I was pregnant with Gavin. It was late in the day on a Sunday and I was looking through the baby clothes and she said you can have everything on the table for ten dollars! It was a huge amount of clothes. My parents recently went to a sale and were literally just given all the left over’s.
Thrift stores are a lot of fun and you can get a really great deal. Know this though, not all thrift stores are created equally. Some such as GOODWILL are a little over priced but if you watch for their 50% off or even better 75% off sales you can get like new or even new (tags still on) for less than a dollar! Salvation Army is one of my favorite places to go and shop. They have everything and they are cheap. Sometimes they'll even have bag sales. They'll give you a bag when you walk in and it's a set price like two dollars for whatever you can put in the bag. That's always a good sale. It's always good to support local thrift stores in your area, so Google thrift stores and see where it takes you! Oh and if you like online shopping some thrift stores have online store too. The main one I know of is Goodwill.
Swap sites are another great way to get and give free stuff. Swap sites are all ran a little differently. There is Rehash that lets you trade evenly. An example would be "I have a old navy coat size 6months and you have a really cute pair of shoes. Want to trade?" Then there is Zwaggle. This is a site where you use Zoints to buy items. The more stuff you sell the more zoints you'll have. You could either by little stuff or save up for one big item. You could also have your own swap party for children's clothes. Invite some friends and have them all bring one or two people that have kids, then swap your goods!
Now if you must by your kids some new clothes. I have a few go-to places that you can always find a good deal in the clearance section. I like to plan ahead so the clearance section is perfect. K-Mart is my all time favorite place to shop that's a retail store. The clearance items you can get there are amazing. After the season is over all of their stuff is marked down almost 50% right away, then the further into the following season it goes, the cheaper it gets. If you time it right you can get a shirt and pants for under $2.00 all together. Old Navy is my second choice. Once again if you shop off season you can get some great deals or even at holiday sales. I have picked up a really cute wool coat from there for $4.00.
Well these are my tips for scoring some great deals on kid’s clothes. I really hope you are able to find some great free stuff or really cheap at least. Please let me know all of you great ideas and if you have scored some great items!
I know from personal experience that life can be hard and expensive at times. I am not going to make any promises about this life style being easy to get used to. But I do promise if you try your hardest and really follow some of my tips, it can be beneficial and fun to live a cheap life! Since this is my first posting I will take it easy on you.
Don't buy new clothes for your young children.
Children are expensive to begin with, there is food, bottles, diapers, wipes, toys, etc...
Children are expensive to begin with, there is food, bottles, diapers, wipes, toys, etc...
Clothes do not have to be in that long list. I can honestly say I have not paid more than $50.00 on clothes for my children put together. And I am very proud of this because that means a few things. One being I'm doing my part in keeping this a greener world. Two being that when they ruin a shirt or a pair of pants I don't feel bad about it at all! There are so many different ways of getting really nice quality clothing for your kids with out spending a lot of money or any money at all for that matter.
Freecycle has to be my favorite place to score free kid clothes. It's an online community where people post items they no longer need. It's great because you can get free stuff and get rid of items you no longer need. People will pick up scrap metal, moving boxes, and all kinds of stuff you might think is destined for the trash. The best example of why I love Freecycle is I responded to a lot of boys clothing with a porch pickup. It turned out that the pick up place was less than a mile from my house and there was three large bags of clothes and a box full of shoes. I went through the items and kept probably around a bag and a half of clothes, gave away a bag because the items were too small for my children, and threw about a half a bag away because of stains and rips. I kept a few pairs of the shoes and gave away the rest.
Craigslist is another great way to find cheap if not free clothes for the kids! You can search your area for great steals on this site. I was once just looking over the site like I often do and there was FREE posting for children’s clothes. The sizes varied and there was some girls stuff thrown in there as well. So I responded to the ad and drove almost forty minutes away, thinking "this better be good" the whole way. We pull up to the house and were I ever thankful we brought my best friends van. In front of us laid six huge black garbage bags full of children’s clothes. I was so excited and I couldn't stop smiling because I just hit the mother load of free clothes. We drove back to our house and started going through all of the great stuff we had just landed. I was able to get clothes that will fit them in a couple years from now. There was stuff for my friends little girl and my niece. Some stuff was practically brand new. I gave away very little and threw away even less. That forty minutes drive was three years worth of clothes for my boys plus some!
Yard sales! When people ask what my favorite season is, I respond "yard sale season, of course." Yard saleing is so much fun and you can really get some great stuff for the kids. It can be difficult at times to find good yard sales that have what you're looking for, but I'll tell you a way to make it a little easier. Scroll your local newspapers for yard sale ads, also craigslist.org is another place, grocery stores might have ads hanging up. A lot of times in the ads they'll right an overview of what’s expected to be at the sale. Another great way is to find out if any neighborhoods have community yard sale weekends. There is a town near mine that has yard sale after yard sale during a walleye festival. Is there a more ritzy part of town? Look there! More times than not if there are yard sales in these areas, they just want to get rid of stuff, so you can score great stuff cheap. If you go on the last day of a yard sale a lot of times they will sell everything half off or make you a ridiculous offer. My mom and I went to a yard sale when I was pregnant with Gavin. It was late in the day on a Sunday and I was looking through the baby clothes and she said you can have everything on the table for ten dollars! It was a huge amount of clothes. My parents recently went to a sale and were literally just given all the left over’s.
Thrift stores are a lot of fun and you can get a really great deal. Know this though, not all thrift stores are created equally. Some such as GOODWILL are a little over priced but if you watch for their 50% off or even better 75% off sales you can get like new or even new (tags still on) for less than a dollar! Salvation Army is one of my favorite places to go and shop. They have everything and they are cheap. Sometimes they'll even have bag sales. They'll give you a bag when you walk in and it's a set price like two dollars for whatever you can put in the bag. That's always a good sale. It's always good to support local thrift stores in your area, so Google thrift stores and see where it takes you! Oh and if you like online shopping some thrift stores have online store too. The main one I know of is Goodwill.
Swap sites are another great way to get and give free stuff. Swap sites are all ran a little differently. There is Rehash that lets you trade evenly. An example would be "I have a old navy coat size 6months and you have a really cute pair of shoes. Want to trade?" Then there is Zwaggle. This is a site where you use Zoints to buy items. The more stuff you sell the more zoints you'll have. You could either by little stuff or save up for one big item. You could also have your own swap party for children's clothes. Invite some friends and have them all bring one or two people that have kids, then swap your goods!
Now if you must by your kids some new clothes. I have a few go-to places that you can always find a good deal in the clearance section. I like to plan ahead so the clearance section is perfect. K-Mart is my all time favorite place to shop that's a retail store. The clearance items you can get there are amazing. After the season is over all of their stuff is marked down almost 50% right away, then the further into the following season it goes, the cheaper it gets. If you time it right you can get a shirt and pants for under $2.00 all together. Old Navy is my second choice. Once again if you shop off season you can get some great deals or even at holiday sales. I have picked up a really cute wool coat from there for $4.00.
Well these are my tips for scoring some great deals on kid’s clothes. I really hope you are able to find some great free stuff or really cheap at least. Please let me know all of you great ideas and if you have scored some great items!
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