Nicole

February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 6 Recap

Hello again, savvy savers! So today I challenged you all to “Rain-Check Shop,” to “shop” for deals, particularly weekend drugstore deals, which can be used at a later time.

So, here is what I did today:

After work, I first went to my local Winn-Dixie and was able to snag rain-checks on BOGO bread, butter, cereal, pasta, juice, pork roasts, pork chops, and frozen veggie deals!
I then went to Walgreens and received rain-checks on Culturelle Digestive Health Probiotic and Nutella.
At Rite Aid I was able to get rain-checks for GE CFL Light Bulbs and Softsoap Liquid Hand Soap,
And at CVS, I snagged rain-checks on Nutella, Colgate, and Excederin; I also checked the CVS Coupon Machine for store coupons to tuck in my coupon binder.
During March, I will be able to spend $24.00 for $78.00 worth of groceries and personal care products!

As well today, I was also able to accomplish:

I woke up at 6:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
I read part of a new review book.
I finished today’s Day 5 No-Spend Challenge!
I enjoyed a Free Chik-fil-a- frozen latte!
I cooked from my pantry, three times.
I walked for three miles!
I finished all of my daily blog posts on time!
Read my daily devotional.
I cleaned out my coupon cabinet, paper files for my ETSY business, and recycled numerous bins of random scraps of fabric around my craft room, too!

So today I saved:

I was able to procure 16 new rain-checks savings $54.00 in savings for March!
I completed 2 surveys online via Ipsos-iSay, and earned a $1.00 towards my next Amazon gift code.
I eat at home three times today, saving our family $7.93.
I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag.
I enjoyed a free Chik-fil-a frozen latte, for free, a savings of $2.99!
I received $12.99 worth of product review items, which can be placed in my home gift closet!
My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.

So, overall today my family saved: $83.53

This months savings goal remaining: $502.27

Hopefully today’s challenge will have helped you to start thinking not just about savings during no-spend months, but for spending months, too! Until tomorrow’s challenge!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

14 Comments

February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 6 (Rain-Checks)

Hello again, savvy savers! Can you believe it, we are almost a week into this no spending challenge! Awesome stuff, huh?

Today I want to share with you one of my favorite ways to continue to “shop” for deals, particularly my weekend drugstore deals for my weekly scenarios, especially during my no-spend periods, and that is with rains-checks! Yes, rain-checks, a couponers great friend!

So, here is what I do:

As I live in a small town, I wait until the last day of the current sale week, or in my case, the end of the week when the hottest weekly deals, freebies, and offers are sure to be sold out during no-spend months, and then go to each store and ask for rain-checks for each and every one of the offers that I will still be able to redeem later; this means your rain-check window of opportunity is generally Friday-Saturday for drugstores, Saturday afternoons for grocery store deals which sale cycles renew on Sunday’s, and Tuesday evenings for stores that have new Wednesday sale cycles.
I ask for offers where I will be able to later pair with a coupon; if your paired coupon will expire by the end of your no-spend month period, skip that deal!
I then file my rain-checks by store!
At the end of my no-spend challenges, I will use earned store rewards, as most will last a full month before expiration, and then will go to the stores when able, and buy goods at my convenience!

When requesting rain-checks I keep the following guides in mind:

Nationally, most grocery and market chains will offer rain-checks, without limit of goods.
Grocery and market chain store rain-checks will normally have only a 30-day window to redeem rain-checks; this applies to stores such as Vowell’s Fresh Market, The Fresh Market, Publix, Kroger, and Winn-Dixie.
Walgreens rain-checks will also have only a 30-day window to redeem rain-checks.
Rite Aid and CVS do not have redemption windows, and their rain-checks can be tucked into your coupon binder, for use as “filler deals” as needed!
Catalina Deals cannot be combined with rain-checks.
Sam’s Club, Target, and Walmart do not offer rain-checks!

So today, I challenge you to look online at your local stores sales guides and weekly fliers, compile a list, and head out to your favorite stores and “rain-check shop” for March savings deals today!

Be sure to mosey on back here later today for a recap of today’s challenge!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

7 Comments

February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 5 Recap

Hello again, savvy savers! So today, I challenged you all to look into starting a coupon swap box, or to perhaps look for coupon swap groups online. For me, I went online and posted a few coupons I currently had, and requested a few deals that I knew would make for freebies at my local Dollar Tree! I have had a few hits so far, and was even able to work out a deal today on a handful of freebie coupons, which should be on the way to my home soon! I love making a deal, don’t you! So for an hours worth of work today, I have gained $40.00 in free products, which all tax-only buys! As I’m set for bread, cheese, creamer, and the like this month, these items will be tucked into my deep freeze for April’s next No-Spend Month! Score!

That’s my kind of an afternoon!

As well today, I was also able to accomplish:

I woke up at 6:30, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
I read part of a new review book.
I finished today’s Day 5 No-Spend Challenge!
I enjoyed a Free Chik-fil-a- frozen latte!
I cooked from my pantry, three times.
I walked for three miles!
I finished all of my daily blog posts on time!
Read my daily devotional.
I cleaned out my coupon cabinet, paper files for my ETSY business, and recycled numerous bins of random scraps of fabric around my craft room, too!

So today I saved:

I was able to subscribe to a new, free magazine subscription, which will have a combined savings of $12.00.
I completed 2 surveys online via Ipsos-iSay, and earned a $1.00 towards my next Amazon gift code.
I eat at home three times today, saving our family $8.91.
I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag.
I enjoyed a free Chik-fil-a frozen latte, for free, a savings of $2.99!
I received $17.99 worth of product review items, which can be placed in my home gift closet!
I used two gift cards from Jolly Awesome Pet Tags, and scored $29.98 worth of pet tags, one for all of my fur-babies for free, with a spare for my kitty who “misplaces his collar!”
Scored $40.00 in free item coupons to be used at the Dollar Tree
I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.

So, overall today my family saved: $116.80

This months savings goal remaining: $585.80

Hopefully today’s challenge will have helped you to start thinking about more in your life that simply surviving in the day-to-day world! Until tomorrow’s challenge!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

16 Comments

February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 5 (Coupon Swap)

Hello again, savvy savers! A new day, a new challenge! So for today, I want to discuss a way that you may be able to get food, goods, and toiletries this month for free, and that is with a coupon swap!

So, you may be thinking, why a coupon swap? Well that’s easy… using free coupons this month, for items you may anticipate needing, and only having to pay applicable tax, can still fall within the No-Spend Month Challenges! So, here are a few suggestions:

Simply put it is a box of coupons that is set up at a central location, that allows people to swap and share coupons.
Those who contribute to the swapbox have the privilege of taking coupons from the swapbox.
Before you set up a coupon swapbox, you need to find a good location.
Think of locations where there are a lot of people.
Good examples are daycares, preschools, churches, libraries, schools, community centers, work, local children’s museum, etc.; be sure to ask permission to start a coupon swap box!
When starting the box, post a note outside the location telling people you are starting a swap.
The beauty of this challenge is that by donating your unused coupons to the swapbox, you can look through the coupons donated by others.

Once you have a location, simply:

Cut out all the Sunday coupons.
File the coupons you wish to keep in your coupon binder.
Put the remaining coupons in a Ziploc bag along with an index card, listing the coupon sources, your name, and date.
Add your bag to the swapbox.
As time goes on, check the box for coupons you might need.
Maintain a list of coupons for freebie grocery items, meaning coupons that you will only pay applicable tax for, at store such as Target, Walmart, and the Dollar Tree, and keep an eye out for them at the swap box.
You can also post a note asking for specific items, such as a brand of coupon.
Even if you don’t coupon, add inserts for those you might!

Once you have an established box, you can advertise at your local grocery stores, laundromats, PX’s, library, or other areas where people will see listings. That’s it! Also, be sure to take an half hour a month to clean out expired coupons from your box, too!

For those with less drive, but still looking to participate in this challenge, you should check out a Facebook site, that I use often, Christine’s Coupon Swap! This awesome group allows users to post messages for coupons you need, as well as postings for coupons you wish to donate or trade. Group members pay for their postage. This is a great way to find the coupons that may not ordinarily be delivered to your region each week, without having to buy an excessive amount of newspapers weekly!

So today I challenge you all to consider physically, or virtually, working on starting coupon swapping practices, to donate the coupons you won’t be using this month while not spending, to help purchase free groceries this year during No-Spend Month challenges!

Stay tuned for the Day 5 Challenge recap this evening!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

13 Comments

February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 4 Recap

Good evening, savvy savers! So for Day 4, I challenged you all to #Choose30! So did you all stop and think, “is there anything I need to change?”

I did. I have decided to take this next thirty days and work on myself, by way of maintaining a product, effective morning routine.

Each morning I would like to:

Wake up at 6:30 am.
Walk my fur babies.
Eat breakfast.
Read my devotional.
Take My vitamins.
Shower, dress, and have a cup of coffee, by myself.
All done before 7:30 am!

I want to have myself “fixed,” before I can fix my family each day. While this may not sound like a lot, for me this is a huge thing! Some days I spend so much time fixing things for work, my home, my family, and my husband… that it’s nearly 10 am before I can stop and worry about me! Hopefully this will soon change!

As well today, I was also able to accomplish:

I woke up at 6:30, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes, (just sans shoes indoors, as we’re a no-shoes indoor household!) (Thanks, Flylady!)
Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
I finished one days work of work-week, clerking assignments.
I read part of a new review book.
I finished today’s Day 4 No-Spend Challenge!
I enjoyed a Free Chik-fil-a- frozen latte!
I cooked from my pantry, three times.
I walked for three miles!
I finished all of my daily blog posts on time!
Read my daily devotional.
I cleaned out my linen closet and makeup drawers!

So today I saved:

I was able to subscribe to a new, free magazine subscription, which will have a combined savings of $11.00.
I completed 2 surveys online via Ipsos-iSay, and earned a $1.00 towards my next Amazon gift code.
I eat at home three times today, saving our family $8.91.
I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag.
I enjoyed a free Chik-fil-a frozen latte, for free, a savings of $2.99!
I received $23.34 worth of product review items, which can be placed in my home gift closet!
I used a gallon of milk from my deep freeze, and saved $3.98 from having to run to the store for milk!
I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.

So, overall today my family saved: $55.15

This months savings goal remaining: $702.60

Hopefully today’s challenge will have helped you to start thinking about more in your life that simply surviving in the day-to-day world! Until tomorrow’s challenge!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

19 Comments

Wednesday Ways To Save: Freecycle.org!

Hello again, savvy savers! Today’s Wednesday’s Ways To Save is about one of my favorite sites on the internet, Freecycle.org!

I love Freecycle. When I say I love Freecycle, I mean it, truly! Freecycle.org is a website, run through Yahoo, that connects people looking to get rid of household items, with people who need certain items; this method helps keep belongings out of landfills, and puts it in the hands of those who truly need, or want, the items! One great bit of advice I give friends is that if they are looking for furniture, craft materials, building materials, toys, clothing, uniforms, or some other needs, try Freecycle first! I thought I’d share some tips on Freecycle etiquette that I’ve picked up in my time using five freecycle groups in three cities here in my area.

Here’s how to start using Freecyle in your own home:

Start a Freeycle.org account; sign-up for an account, find the group closest to your town, and once your account is approved by a group moderator, make sure that the organizations emails are secured as safe-senders in your email accounts.
Post an offer. With any free site, its always best to start terms off with your best foot forward, and this case its by posting an offer to give away a free item you can part with; with Spring cleaning on the near horizon this should not be a hard endeavor! Be sure to start your ad with the following ISO (in Search Of), INO (In Need Of), or VES (Very Eagerly Seeking), followed by a colon, and then the desired item in question.
Be considerate and realistic. Be sure to ask for things you truly need; asking for outrageous, egregious, or expensive items will cause your account to be suspected, or possibly deleted by group administrators.
Ask for an item. Once you have given an item away, or made arrangement to do so; once you receive your item, always be sure to post a group note stating it has been taken, and while on the site post your first request!
If someone offers you an item, be prompt in making arrangements to pick the item up, and after doing so always remember to shoot the sender a thank you email, as well as to return to the site and list the item as haven been received!
Keep up with Freecycle.org emails. Be sure to check back often, and if you are able to do so, offer items to wanted ads, and never be too proud to ask for items from others!
You will never receive a blessing with a closed hand, or mind! Be sure to think of your fellow group members before throwing out household items, as you would be surprised in what others may be in need of.

With all of this stated, I wanted to give you all an example of one set of items I received recently. There is a lady in my local group. She and I have exchanged items several times, and as she knows that I coupon and upcycle furniture, she often writes me to take things off her hands. This past weekend she wrote and offered me a pair of perfectly fine, white rocking chairs! Why was she getting rid of them? She felt that my husband and I, as a young couple, should have a place to sit and converse with one another! Is that not amazing? In addition to this, over the past year I have received antique mason jars, fabric, buttons, end tables, trunks, and other fun items!

I highly recommend this site, and hope you will use it soon!

Here’s to saving,

0 Comments

February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 4 (#Choose30 Challenge)

Hello again, savvy savers! A new day, a new challenge! To change things up today, let’s switch courses and think about ways of enriching ourselves.

As some of you may have noticed yesterday, but I mentioned that I have just finished reading the book, “And Now I Choose,” by Tam Hodge, and subsequently, I started following her site. And currently on her site this month, Mrs. Hodge has started a new challenge, the #Choose30 Challenge, encouraging people to choose one thing to do differently, that will positively impact in their lives.

Now I know how daunting this may be. Putting yourself out there, admitting our shortcomings can be frightening, but for the sake of a good challenge, I’m game! So today, I am challenging both myself and my readers to find one thing in their life that they can spend the next thirty days making this new change habitual!

So for Day 4, I challenge you to #Choose30! Before you hop off the computer, just sit and think, is there anything I need to change?

Know I’m pulling for you.

Stay tuned for the Day 4 Challenge recap this evening!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

8 Comments

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