tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:33:16 +0000Frugal Girl shares her adventures of living a frugal lifestyle.http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/melanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)Blogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-3188513138868192794Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:41:00 +00002009-02-18T15:49:12.670-05:00Giving Without SpendingI'm going to concentrate on reviving my blog: Giving Without Spending which concentrates on helping others in free or frugal ways. The motto is, "Let the giving season be all year long." Please think about suscribing to GWS or at least posting a link on your blog. The more people it reaches, the more blessings to be had! Thanks all!http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2009/02/ive-come-to-decision.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-1867013173222321345Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:07:00 +00002008-12-24T09:16:22.927-05:00The Cheaper AlternativeWhat you need: spaghetti sauce and 1 cup of waterWhat you do: Add spaghetti sauce to your desired consistency and mix in water. Stir and heat.Voila! You have some tomato soup. Experiment with the different flavors of spaghetti sauce out there. One jar will yield way more bowls of soup than one can therefore saving you $$$. :)http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/11/cheaper-alternative-tomato-soup.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-3182616897276465455Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:03:00 +00002008-11-10T08:20:32.132-05:00Decor on a DimeI love our house we moved into a few months ago. I decided to keep the same kitchen theme which is Mary Engelbreit. If you've never seen any of her stuff, you have to google her name and peruse. I would describe her art as a mixture of cute with a dash of whimsy.Anywho, I wanted a centerpiece for our table, but as usual money is tight. LOL I made one for $5 by shopping a sale and using what Ihttp://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/11/5-centerpiece.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-7668586094419796143Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:30:00 +00002008-11-06T23:49:15.822-05:00Creative RecyclingI know y'all have to be like me and clean out the medicine cabinet every once in a while. Usually I wind up chunking medications that have just sit there and expired because I hated to throw that half full bottle away. Well, I have just found out there is hope for some of it!If you have any medication that you feel might be useful such as antibiotics, etc., call your local church and physician http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/11/creative-recycling-leftover.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-2504621928799559760Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:26:00 +00002008-11-04T15:33:18.833-05:00Dumpster DivingSo I've recruited another PIC and 3 of us went out scavaging last night. Here is what we found:-K(Mart): Lots of Halloween costumes and items. Just grabbed a bunch of stuff and left leaving some behind. I guess we'll sell or donate them. I'm not sure yet.-B(ig) L(ots): Expired baby cereal, and a couple of bags of the suckiest tasting generic cheetos I've ever had. Also, a plastic storage http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/11/monday-night-dive-report.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-5666212499022171602Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:19:00 +00002008-11-04T15:26:25.858-05:00MiscellaneousIf you want to find an inexpensive way to do something but can't figure out how, let me know. I'd love to help! I'll at least give it a try so just let me know. Anything from decor to shopping, I'll try to find a frugal way about it. Just click on the envelope under the "Contact Me" section to send me your question. Thanks and I hope to hear from you soon! :)http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/11/what-would-you-like-tips-on.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-7409931603233004116Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:34:00 +00002008-11-03T08:06:29.455-05:00I am by no means a store dumpster diving expert. But I don't mind sharing my tips and techniques. I'll break it down with who, what, when, and where.Who:The who stands for you and where you live. You've got to check the laws in your local area. They are different everywhere. Here, in Statesboro, Ga, it is not against the law to dumpster dive unless there is a sign on the dumpster telling you not http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/11/lowdown.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-1409622848182101884Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:59:00 +00002008-11-01T11:07:02.382-04:00PhrugalosophySeasonalDeals and StealsToday is Black Saturday because its the day after Halloween. Next year, it will be Black Sabbath. Har har! Ok, it's early and I'm loopy.I just wanted to remind all of you striving to be frugal folks to head to your stores today to stock up for Halloween next year. Take advantage of the costume section if you still have a child young enough that you have to decide what they are going to be. Ihttp://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/11/black-saturday.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-8133188951661466157Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:44:00 +00002008-10-31T09:47:12.371-04:00Dumpster DivingAfter my dumpster diving experience post, I've had a couple of people to want more details. So keep an eye out and I'll give them to y'all within a day or so. I'm having a garage sale tomorrow, so I'll be busy preparing for that. I'll have some things in there for sale that I found in the store dumpster's too. ;)http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/10/stay-tuned.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-7444760226228160912Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:19:00 +00002008-10-31T08:13:01.588-04:00I'm not much for the search engines that you have a chance to win a prize. I don't know why, maybe if I won something good, I would be "turned on" to it. However, while perusing through a message board, I saw someone with a link to Swagbucks in their signature. I had never heard of it so I had to check it out of course.If you like Mypoints, then you'll like Swagbucks. They are alike in that you http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/10/program-review-swagbucks.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-3152487386644650039Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:13:00 +00002008-10-30T12:55:26.959-04:00FreeDumpster DivingSo I finally found someone with big steely balls to come dumpster diving with me. As you'll recall, I wrote a post about the next generation of dumpster divers a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to experience this myself and write about the results.Well, I can say this for sure...many useful items are being trashed and wasted. Our biggest producers so far have been the K(mart), G(oodwill), and L(http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/10/i-took-plungeliterally.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-2954555445370734869Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:34:00 +00002008-10-20T08:41:36.082-04:00A New BeginningSorry for my absence. I have been dedicating my time to finishing the house...getting it organized and completely unpacked. Almost there! I've also been focusing on my weight loss. It is a slooooow process. And don't you just hate PMS time? I'm all bloatey shmoatey so the scales were not friendly this morning. My plan over the next few weeks is to incorporate my blog into this process, buthttp://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/10/whew.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-663742659152321021Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:59:00 +00002008-10-07T09:41:18.057-04:00Decor on a DimeMy toddler gal's room theme is flower fairy princess. I decided on this because we can incorporate a lot into the theme (flowers, butterflies, fairies) and therefore save money in the decoration process. We moved into this house about a month ago and I am still working on the finishing touches to her decor.I was in the Dollar Tree a couple of weeks ago and saw these cute fairy wings that looked http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/10/easy-peasy-inexpensive-butterfly.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-8027177508968394397Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:22:00 +00002008-10-06T10:29:46.829-04:00I would first like to thank Tightwad Mommy from Kizoodle and Laurie at Tip Junkie for spreading the word about my Random Acts of Kindness Christmas project.Next, I'd like to know if I need to change anything. I noticed no one has signed up nor shown interest, so I want to make sure I haven't confused anybody. Please let me know if I need to change anything.If you're having a hard time thinking http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/10/big-thank-you-and-some-feedback.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-4205561500238854023Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:20:00 +00002008-10-02T13:26:59.113-04:00MiscellaneousCheck out CouponBabe's blog post about bringing a letter with you if your retailer refuses to take them.http://couponbabe.blogspot.com/2008/10/samples-freebies-letters.htmlI thought that was very interesting! I myself am slowly trying to use more coupons. But that is another post all in itself. I will say I have never printed coupons to use at the grocery store, but I know a lot of you do. I willhttp://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/10/do-you-use-smartsource-coupons.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-3159915748409311490Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:28:00 +00002008-10-05T20:39:47.809-04:00Random Acts of KindessI would love, love, love (don't make me say it again :P) for everyone with a blog to participate in this. With the economy being so hard on so many of us right now, I thought it would be nice to help someone with at least one Christmas gift. I, myself, have quite a few things that are brand new, never used, and would make someone else a great present. The problem is that the items I have for gifthttp://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/10/random-acts-of-kindness-christmas.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-7969990823947671335Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:37:00 +00002008-10-01T12:59:51.182-04:00Creative RecyclingI'm sure many of us had kiddos that absolutely refused to eat baby cereal. My daughter was one of them. No matter what kind of cereal it was, or what I mixed it with, she would not eat it. I had about 3 full boxes and I wound up giving them away.I saw this post today from calebs_mommy at Kizoodle, and I just had to share. I thought it was an awesome idea.GREAT Idea...what to do with all that http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/10/creative-recycling-what-to-do-with.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-4618757176631473168Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:17:00 +00002008-09-30T14:39:47.361-04:00Program Reviews I think I heard about this about a year ago and decided to give it a try. The program was supposed to stop in March of this year, but because of it's popularity, Pampers extended it to March of 2009. I've been pleased thus far as a member. To date, I have redeemed points for 2 family night Blockbuster gift cards, a $10 Starbucks gift card, and a $10 Lego.com gift card.Pros: -Pretty good reward http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/09/program-review-pampers-gifts-to-grow.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-885088472792950966Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:55:00 +00002008-11-03T06:02:53.972-05:00Decor on a DimeMiscellaneousFreeDeals and StealsMoney Making IdeasCreative Recycling Believe it or not, dumpster diving ain't (yes, I'm Southern :P) what it used to be. I don't know how I happened across a dumpster diving message board one day, but I decided to check out their "Finds" forum. Holy moly, was I surprised.See, these people weren't DD at trash dumpsters you see on the roadside. They DD at store dumpsters. The stuff they find is unbelievable sometimes. I can't believehttp://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/09/next-generation-of-dumpster-divers.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-2384250431448766272Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:39:00 +00002008-09-29T08:56:42.430-04:00Heads UpDeals and StealsGoodwill just keeps surprising me. I knew about their auction site which I was planning on posting about this week. Now this morning I find out they have an online store. I haven't checked it out thoroughly, but I'm sure you could find some good deals...if not now, eventually. They have a flat shipping rate of $7.99 which is good if you order a lot. Not so good if you just want to order one http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/09/goodwill-online.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-1232356361272253044Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:26:00 +00002008-09-28T08:27:22.503-04:00Giving Without Spending...Muchhttp://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/09/giving-without-spendingmuch-good-reason_28.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-8122942881926521829Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:40:00 +00002008-09-26T09:51:25.511-04:00Heads Up It is valid today and tomorrow. Be sure to check out their clearance section since the fine details doesn't mention it is excluded...love it when that happens! I have gotten a few Christmas gifts for the kids already this year from the Wallygreens clearance. Let me know what you find.Click here to print coupon. http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/09/walgreens-5-off-20-coupon.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-4613582370049792485Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:55:00 +00002008-09-26T00:17:16.179-04:00Please be responsible when requesting freebies. Only request what you can and will use. Remember, these samples along with shipping, cost the company money. Let us make sure we don't take advantage of their generosity. :)Sundance Organic Tea SampleBertolli Premium Sauce SampleKashi Cookie SampleCesar Canine Cuisine SampleWalmart Sampleshttp://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/09/friday-freebies.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-6773237950001792688Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:24:00 +00002008-09-25T15:04:23.683-04:00AdviceSigh...I can't tell you how many times I have heard that since the spring of this year. With DH's new job and rising gas costs, we decided to try and move closer to the church to save on fuel costs.I got to work. I constantly checked the classifieds of our local paper, craigslist, and asked friends to keep an eye out. We were advised to look into buying since the market was definitely a buyer's http://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/09/renting-is-just-throwing-your-money.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-3953148579631644825Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:59:00 +00002008-09-25T09:44:35.623-04:00A New BeginningMiscellaneousThis year has been full of changes for us. The main change, which then rippled down and caused other changes, was my husband becoming associate pastor at our church. In taking this job, he will now make between $10-15,000 this year compared to last. Oy vey!We had to make an adjustment somewhere. If we stayed at our current monthly bill status, we would would be in trouble very soon. We decided hehttp://adventuresoffrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2008/09/big-change.htmlmelanie_cook_2002@hotmail.com (Melanie)1