tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19971677415221104232012-01-25T16:12:45.362-05:00Frugal Girl shares her adventures of living a frugal lifestyle.Melanienoreply@blogger.comBlogger1051100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-31885131388681927942009-02-18T15:41:00.002-05:002009-02-18T15:49:12.670-05:00

I'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!

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-18670131732223213452008-11-12T19:07:00.003-05:002008-12-24T09:16:22.927-05:00

What 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 $$$. :)

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-31826168972764654552008-11-10T08:03:00.004-05:002008-11-10T08:20:32.132-05:00

I 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 I

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-76685860944197961432008-11-06T23:30:00.004-05:002008-11-06T23:49:15.822-05:00

I 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

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-25046219287995597602008-11-04T15:26:00.003-05:002008-11-04T15:33:18.833-05:00

So 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

Melanienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-56662124990221716022008-11-04T15:19:00.003-05:002008-11-04T15:26:25.858-05:00

If 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! :)

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-74099316032330041162008-11-03T05:34:00.003-05:002008-11-03T08:06:29.455-05:00

I 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

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-14096228481821018842008-11-01T06:59:00.003-04:002008-11-01T11:07:02.382-04:00

Today 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. I

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-81331889516614661572008-10-31T09:44:00.002-04:002008-10-31T09:47:12.371-04:00

After 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. ;)

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-74447602262281609122008-10-31T06:19:00.002-04:002008-10-31T08:13:01.588-04:00

I'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

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-31524873866446500392008-10-22T20:13:00.004-04:002008-10-30T12:55:26.959-04:00

So 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(

Melanienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-29545554453707348692008-10-20T08:34:00.002-04:002008-10-20T08:41:36.082-04:00

Sorry 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, but

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-6637426591523210212008-10-07T08:59:00.004-04:002008-10-07T09:41:18.057-04:00

My 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

Melanienoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-80271775089683943972008-10-06T10:22:00.002-04:002008-10-06T10:29:46.829-04:00

I 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

Melanienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-42055615002388540232008-10-02T13:20:00.004-04:002008-10-02T13:26:59.113-04:00

Check 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 will

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-31599157484093114902008-10-02T12:28:00.011-04:002008-10-05T20:39:47.809-04:00

I 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 gift

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-79699908239476713352008-10-01T12:37:00.003-04:002008-10-01T12:59:51.182-04:00

I'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

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-46187571766314731682008-09-30T14:17:00.003-04:002008-09-30T14:39:47.361-04:00

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

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-8850884727929509662008-09-30T07:55:00.005-04:002008-11-03T06:02:53.972-05:00

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 believe

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-23842504314487662722008-09-29T08:39:00.002-04:002008-09-29T08:56:42.430-04:00

Goodwill 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

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-12323563612722530442008-09-28T08:26:00.000-04:002008-09-28T08:27:22.503-04:00

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-81229428819265218292008-09-26T09:40:00.003-04:002008-09-26T09:51:25.511-04:00

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.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-46135823700497924852008-09-25T23:55:00.003-04:002008-09-26T00:17:16.179-04:00

Please 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 Samples

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-67732379500017926882008-09-25T14:24:00.004-04:002008-09-25T15:04:23.683-04:00

Sigh...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

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-39531485796316448252008-09-25T08:59:00.004-04:002008-09-25T09:44:35.623-04:00

This 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 he

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-75610789736951453632008-09-22T10:55:00.004-04:002008-09-22T11:00:37.692-04:00

I hope it is appealing. It is not what I had in mind originally, but I am pleased with this for now. Check out the link on the very bottom of the page. This chick makes really awesome blogger templates which is where I got this one. :) I still have the sidebars to do, but will work on that as I get a chance. I'm still trying to get unpacked and organized from moving a few weeks ago along

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-11754773161891130312008-08-24T12:07:00.002-04:002008-08-24T12:10:30.687-04:00

I tried to my banner on my own, but I just couldn't get it the way I liked. So I'm getting someone who is very talented to do it. However, it will be a few weeks before they can get it done. Which really works out since we'll be moving in a week and I'll be busy getting settled. Plus, I want to have a yard sale before we move so we can lighten our load. Just wanted to give y'all a quick

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-32476497433661286952008-08-20T10:04:00.003-04:002008-08-20T10:08:22.171-04:00

I'm coming back. I've got new meds! Praise Pfizer! Anycrazy, I'll be redoing the look and such so stay tuned. Plus FYI, being frugal is more important than ever to us. My husband went full time with our church at the beginning of the year and we all know what a lucrative job being an Associate Pastor is. hehe We are now living on $10-15,000 less.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-81555718666119883042007-11-14T10:30:00.000-05:002007-11-14T10:33:38.841-05:00

So check out JCPenney's Wednesday Deals. I really love the metal bath furniture cabinet. But alas, I cannot get it. Sigh!

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-47922677048715642132007-11-13T23:38:00.000-05:002007-11-13T23:47:20.218-05:00

My bestest friend Kristy just linked me to this site. They have some really great prices. They didn't have any of the books I searched for, but I plan to bookmark it and check back often. Also, you get free shipping when you order $10 or more. With Christmas coming up, I'm sure you could find some good books to give as gifts! Let's all thank Kristy. :D

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-70129014751661648892007-11-12T18:58:00.000-05:002007-11-12T19:12:21.561-05:00

I've just heard about these today. The Goodwill Outlet is much cheaper than the regular Goodwill stores. Items like clothes are sold by the pound.The following is from the Indiana Goodwill site:Clothing, accessories, housewares and toys:$1.39 per pound for 0-19 pounds99 cents per pound for 20-49 pounds59 cents per pound for 50 pounds or moreGlassware and dishware:59 cents per poundBooks and media

Melanienoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-365257093182824252007-11-12T18:49:00.000-05:002007-11-14T17:35:38.481-05:00

Donate Your Breast MilkA Hairy Proposition!Calling all Labor Doulas!

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-12330728920012357882007-11-11T22:52:00.001-05:002007-11-11T22:57:12.993-05:00

I've taken two sections of this blog and turned them into a blog all their own. My new blog is properly named Giving Without Spending and is dedicated to showing people with big hearts(but not big wallets)how they can creatively help others. Please stop by and subscribe!

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-51655459058922428352007-11-11T21:19:00.000-05:002007-11-11T21:29:35.073-05:00

Last weekend, I stopped in at a garage sale that turned out to be the home of a couple I knew from church. They had an entertainment center they were trying to get rid of for $60. Now this was an awesome price, but since it was so close to Christmas and the hubby and Grace's birthdays were right around the corner, I was on the fence. So I asked my friend what was the lowest she would take for it.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-33811946128826163102007-11-09T09:36:00.001-05:002007-11-09T09:47:23.689-05:00

It's that time of year again. I've been seeing the Toys for Tots boxes at my local wally world for a few weeks now. As I was perusing the toy section, I saw some really cute ones for $5. The hubby and I wound up getting one that was $10 to donate. It's up to you what you get but you don't have to spend a lot to give a needy child a great Christmas. Next time you're in a store that has a Toys

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-9812279689762362692007-11-05T23:08:00.001-05:002007-11-05T23:19:16.137-05:00

I just wanted to take the time to recognize and thank a few blog owners that have linked to me from their site in some fashion. Give them a visit!http://angeljoy-hippychick.blogspot.com/ (This is my super cool hairdresser's blog)http://scrapsofus.blogspot.com/http://www.qponcutie.com/http://sensetosave.blogspot.com/

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-62604796964523664302007-11-03T12:23:00.000-04:002007-11-03T12:24:20.743-04:00

I have learned something about yard sale early birds that I thought I would share. Like many of you, I once thought the reason early birds got to a yard sale early was because they were greedy and wanted to get the best stuff first. I now know this is not true for all early birds. For some, but not all.Let me explain. Generally, the most common yard sale starting times (at least here in my town)

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-67019057270386763162007-11-03T01:09:00.000-04:002007-11-03T01:42:38.305-04:00

I made these treat bags for Grace and Nathan's classmates. Instead of going out and buying halloween bags, I decided to use some white lunch bags that I have had for a while now. I never used them for the original purpose I had bought them for.I just thought this was a good example of using what you already have on hand. I thought about buying some cute treat bags and I'm sure they would have

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-85477371750413156192007-11-02T16:15:00.001-04:002007-11-02T16:33:14.853-04:00

Man, I can't believe it's already November! Thanksgiving and Christmas are my two favorite holidays and they are right around the corner. Yippee!Check out Walmart's Free Samples.Free subscription to Grand Magazine (for grandparents). Christmas gift?Free sample of Kotex.Free sample of Fizzy Wizzies.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-14055777594176539862007-10-31T15:54:00.000-04:002007-10-31T15:57:59.851-04:00

Just a reminder to check JcPenney's Wednesday Deals. They have 3 pages of stuff this week although I didn't see anything for me.Also, don't forget the visit The Bible Site and The Hunger Site and click daily. It's fast, free, and you are helping others. :)

Melanienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-84247803649713067192007-10-29T10:09:00.000-04:002007-10-29T10:31:27.379-04:00

My little gal, Grace, needed some shoes for her Tinkerbell costume this year. Since we were saving money by letting them wear their same costumes 2 years in a row, I naturally didn't want to spend a lot of $$$ on a pair of shoes she would wear no more than two times. I came across some cute bedroom shoes at the Dollar Tree a couple of weeks ago. They had a pair that was the perfect shade of

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-37536937877318500012007-10-28T23:36:00.000-04:002007-10-29T00:07:13.245-04:00

Well the yard sale went great! I got rid of a bunch of stuff. It feels good to purge sometimes you know? I made about $130. One thing I did different this time was not list it in the paper. I wouldn't have had time to do it anyway since it was a spur of the moment deal. However, I don't think I'll be listing in the paper again. It saved me at least $15 and I had just as good of a turnout using

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-32359108874588764282007-10-27T13:43:00.000-04:002007-10-27T13:49:46.656-04:00

A mama posted this on a board I am a member of. This pajama drive is to help families who have lost everything to the wildfires. They ask that all pajamas be mailed by November 2nd so if you'd like to help, make sure you don't put it off. Read all the info and directions here.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-19482170249665112822007-10-27T00:23:00.000-04:002007-10-27T00:29:03.150-04:00

I decided today to have a garage sale tomorrow (Saturday)...well technically it's already tomorrow since it's past midnight. I just felt the need to downsize and cleanse the house of unused items. I've made a mess trying to get ready but hopefully I'll have a good turnout. I'll post about how it went sometime later on this weekend. I am going to try and get pictures but I don't know how crazy

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-73338454577586674022007-10-26T21:40:00.000-04:002007-10-26T22:48:17.625-04:00

Sorry I'm just now getting to this. I decided on the spur of the moment to have a garage sale tomorrow, and I've been trying to get together all that can. I'm ready to make some room. We have Grace's birthday in December along with Christmas so we'll definitely need space for the new things! Wish me luck.Check out Walmart's free samples.Free Sample of Oxyfresh Toothpase.Free subscription to Elle

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-51236840216082986572007-10-24T09:51:00.000-04:002007-10-24T09:57:25.928-04:00

So check out JcPenney'sWednesday Deals in their outlet section. They used to have 3 pages and now it's down to 2. Don't know what's up with that. Anywho, they have a pair of bootcut maternity jeans for $9.99. Not too bad.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-38931650148613817962007-10-23T23:21:00.000-04:002007-10-23T23:27:08.263-04:00

I love this! You will not only help donate rice to the hungry, but learn vocabulary as well! For each word you get right, they will donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. Click here to get smarter and help others.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-78563360584970494122007-10-22T19:08:00.000-04:002007-10-22T19:40:20.111-04:00

A few weeks ago, the kids went to my mom's house on a Friday afternoon. I decided that the mister and me would have dinner and a movie frugal style. First, I had to take care of dinner. At the grocery store, I came across a rack of bread and pastries on clearance. They had hoagie sammich loafs for $.80. Therefore, I decided we would have subs and chips for dinner. The pack of lunch meat was

Melanienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-9871474731367780262007-10-22T15:00:00.000-04:002007-10-22T19:46:07.188-04:00

I usually go garage sale-ing every weekend and it never fails to attend at least one that is overpriced. You can tell these folks aren't very familiar with yard sales. And that's ok by the way, I'm just sayin'!Therefore, that brings me to my post today. I thought I would offer a general guideline for pricing your garage sale items. Try to price them 75-90% off the original price paid. Where you

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-12834030492861160482007-10-19T13:26:00.000-04:002007-10-19T13:44:47.191-04:00

It's a rainy day here. Hope you have sunshine!Check out what Walmart has this week here.Free sample of Feline Greenies.Free storybook from Claritin.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-35799495113512181912007-10-19T11:26:00.000-04:002007-10-19T11:34:17.483-04:00

This site is similar to the Hunger Site in that all you have to do is make a click to make a difference. The Bible Site donates Bibles and books of the Bible to persecuted Christians in other countries. Click here to visit the site and click now. Make sure to bookmark the page and click daily!

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-25895554658800277102007-10-18T22:00:00.000-04:002007-10-18T22:13:01.279-04:00

Now you can get paid for it. I randomly came across http://ehow.com/. This site is full of "how to" articles written by members. Here are some examples of articles that were listed on their main page:-How to Inspect a Bathroom Before Buying a Home-How to Give Verbal Instructions -How to Apply Press-on NailsYour are compensated by how many times your article is read. They pay directly to your

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-9982265346363826232007-10-18T21:46:00.000-04:002007-10-18T21:58:09.608-04:00

I've been in a rut this week and therefore have not posted much. My apologies. I decided to do a Blast from the Past and repost one of my old posts for a memory refresher or for someone who has not ventured far into my blog. In the original post, I stated that I had hung the mirror in our computer area. It is now hanging in the living room above our couch. People are always amazed to find out

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-58566924661115801222007-10-12T19:29:00.000-04:002007-10-18T21:45:35.209-04:00

Free Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Free Sample of PurexGet 2 Free Disney GamesUse UPC Codes:030400765414030400762437And don't forget to check out Walmart's Free Samples. They have a few new ones this week.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-74621122989119287492007-10-11T11:17:00.000-04:002007-10-11T11:35:30.810-04:00

I thought since I'm about to leave for the beach in an hour and since this is my blog (*giggle), I would post about my business real quick before I eat lunch and head out. My business is called Messages in the Sand. I do just that...make messages in the sand! People tell me what they want to say, I write it in the sand, and take pictures of it. Sometimes I can get seagulls to pose in the pics as

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-90951582561278286192007-10-09T12:41:00.000-04:002007-10-09T13:22:34.668-04:00

You know those little cups that come with your bottle of Nyquil or cough syrup? I found a good use for them.If you have small kids the like to paint, these little cups make great paint holders. Just pour a little bit of color in each cup. Then, you don't have to worry about the whole bottle of paint being mixed with another color because lil Susie (or in our case lil Grace) didn't wash her brush

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-66335895742635600422007-10-07T23:44:00.000-04:002007-10-08T00:12:45.681-04:00

Make a Child Smile is such a sweet, wonderful program. Each month, 3 children who are suffering from chronic or life-threatening diseases, are featured on the site. A mailing address and biography is provided so that you may send these children a card and/or a small gift to brighten their day. What a blessing for these kids who should not have to be going through what they are. With stores like

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-21015359212644620442007-10-07T23:19:00.000-04:002007-10-07T23:31:30.220-04:00

If you are trying to live the frugal life and do not already have this book, please go get it. I'm not even a quarter of the way through yet and I have learned so much already. Yes, I'm a slow reader! The author, Amy Dacyczyn, is my hero. She is the frugal queen of all queens if you ask me. The Complete Tightwad Gazette is filled with her best tips and ideas, along with submitted reader tips

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-29252944339749926672007-10-07T01:02:00.000-04:002007-10-07T01:41:50.693-04:00

As Halloween approaches, you see the typical save money ideas for costumes and such. I wanted to throw one more suggestion in the pot.How about wearing the same costume from the previous year? We'll actually be doing just that for this Halloween. Luckily, the kids are still able to fit into their costumes from last year which was Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. (We vacationed in Neverland just so the

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-45900178962388251972007-10-05T22:11:00.000-04:002007-10-09T13:55:40.949-04:00

Just a little tidbit I thought I would put out there if anyone is planning to have a yard sale this time of year (Fall/Winter). Schedule your time to start no earlier than 8 a.m. The mornings are getting longer so it's still dark at 7. Right now, you could get away with 7:30 but as we get more into the winter months, 8 a.m. will be your best option.I remember going to one last year when it was

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-21272004824536439902007-10-05T10:19:00.000-04:002007-10-05T10:56:16.475-04:00

Check out Walmart's Free Sample section here. This week they have Dunkin Donuts coffee and Nivea hand cream to name a few. Their samples always come.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-63737317116253574032007-10-04T13:30:00.000-04:002007-10-04T14:12:16.448-04:00

GiftMonkey is one of those websites that offers free laptops, desktops, plasma tv's, etc. Your chosen prize is assigned a certain amount of points that you must earn through completing offers and having your friends complete offers.I thought, ok, I'm going to experiment with this and see how successful I am. First, you the member, must sign up and complete an offer yourself. I decided to sign up

Melanienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-64709514589126736232007-10-04T02:05:00.000-04:002007-10-04T02:15:47.858-04:00

This cool program called "Lets say thanks" is sponsored by Xerox. Simply pick out which postcard design you want. Then choose a message from a list of pre-written notes or write your own. Click submit and you're done. It's really that simple and easy and it will be very much appreciated by the soldier that receives it.Click here to send a card.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-88218345096457903852007-10-03T13:09:00.001-04:002007-10-03T13:12:49.833-04:00

I received a big pile of scrap fabric from Freecycle that will be used to make my cloth napkins. The lady offering these scraps owns a custom drapery and window treatments business so this is some really nice, quality fabric! Thanks Rhonda!

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-48407150459747619252007-10-03T12:50:00.000-04:002007-10-03T13:08:50.852-04:00

Pair of prescription glasses I found rummaging through a box: Free*I'm going to donate them to the Lions Club. See my previous post about their program here. Toy Wagon: $.50Mary Kay Mini Satin Hands: $1.00Mary Kay Mini Timewise Set: $2.00Large Piece of Fabric: Free *The Mary Kay mini sets will make great little gifts.*The fabric will be used to make my cloth napkins. New Wedding Frame with

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-26300758727175015282007-10-03T12:47:00.000-04:002007-10-03T12:49:18.218-04:00

Just a reminder to check out JcPenney's Wednesday deals in their outlet! Click here for Wednesday Deals.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-66061838712515757472007-10-01T23:46:00.000-04:002007-10-02T00:04:17.222-04:00

Netzero offers a service that will give you a free phone number and voicemail. It's pretty cool. I've had mine for over a year and trust me, it has really come in handy. I've used it for online forms and also in real life. Boy howdy, I won't get into details, but suffice it to say when a certain person wanted my phone number one time, I was really glad I decided to give her that one and not my

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-82452110219735036292007-10-01T11:35:00.000-04:002007-10-07T00:16:11.334-04:00

If you don't yet have this site bookmarked, do so now. As frugal shoppers, we're always trying to find the best deal to get more bang for our bucks. Using mybargainbuddy.com is like having someone do the dirty work for you. The owner of the site, Karen, posts new deals daily on the main page. She makes it very easy by including the product link and any coupon codes that you can use to make

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-55766520315103042332007-09-28T15:07:00.000-04:002007-09-28T15:29:42.003-04:00

Free Cookbook from Omaha SteaksFree Dove deoderant sampleFree sample of GoodNites sleep boxers or sleep shortsFree sample of Folgers® Gourmet Selections™

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-61736887427927212062007-09-28T13:43:00.000-04:002007-09-28T14:10:55.224-04:00

Over the years, it's become harder and harder for me to drink plain water. Therefore, to increase my water intake, I drink generic Crystal Light. I hated throwing them away because they were pretty sturdy little containers. Yes, you can use one for a pen and pencil holder but I didn't need one of those. There are times I will think on something for weeks and finally, a rush of creative

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-10274453011769581912007-09-27T09:58:00.000-04:002007-09-27T10:04:40.893-04:00

According to Haylie from Arkansas, the Dollar General has marked their summer items down to 90% off original prices. I went and checked my local one yesterday and items were still 50% and 75% so I'm biding my time and am going to check back in a few days. I know summer is almost over (and it's already over for some of you), but think stocking stuffers, party favors, or birthday gifts for next

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-75256532688928385092007-09-27T09:25:00.000-04:002007-09-27T11:36:21.422-04:00

This tip was submitted by Jill from Georgia:When I boil chicken breasts, I reserve the chicken broth in sandwich baggies, put the date on the bags, and freeze them. I think each bag equals 1 or 2 cups (I can't remember). I don't have to ever buy chicken broth for other recipes and it's no sodium (unless Idecide to add a little salt to boost the flavor). Not much of a money saver, but every penny

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-61599780633955734032007-09-26T23:04:00.000-04:002007-09-26T23:42:28.438-04:00

The Ronald McDonald House is a "home away from home" for many sick children and their families each year. They are asked to make a $5-20 donation each day of their stay, but if they can't, their stay is free. What an awesome program!You can help these families continue to have free or majorly discounted stays by saving the tabs on your soda cans, vegetable and soup cans, and pet food cans.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-39873383019814768532007-09-26T16:59:00.000-04:002007-09-26T19:01:26.976-04:00

From the site:Museum Day is a nationwide event taking place on Saturday, September 29, 2007, where participating museums and cultural institutions across the country offer free admission to Smithsonian readers and Smithsonian.com visitors. Museum Day celebrates the country’s cultural offerings, allows the dissemination of knowledge and brings Americans together.Museum Day is open to all

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-43474375437261456102007-09-26T12:48:00.000-04:002007-09-26T23:43:30.574-04:00

Last school year, I saw these bags in a dollar store in our local mall. I never pay more than $1 for a gift bag. When I saw these, the idea popped into my head that it would be really neat to use them as gift bags for two reasons:1. It cost the same as a gift bag and looks better than alot of them2. It can be part of the gift itselfMy need for gift bags at that time was for my son's teacher and

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-83731317568177821292007-09-26T09:08:00.000-04:002007-09-26T09:12:58.540-04:00

Looks like they have some good deals today. Click here for Wednesday Deals.

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-26726752804864035502007-09-25T16:27:00.000-04:002007-09-25T16:35:09.874-04:00

Thanks to Kelly from Delaware for this info!_____________________I was at the Dollar Tree yesterday and they had West Soy soy milk made with organic beans for $1 for a quart. Great deal, even cheaper than regular milk at the grocery store! I don't know if they always have it but I think I'm gonna go back and stock up. It's the shelf-stable kind... you may want to check your local dollar tree. I

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-76707812134047778842007-09-25T01:39:00.000-04:002007-09-25T01:52:25.689-04:00

I know some of you know about these. However, I found out last week that some don't. As Frugal Girl, it is my duty to make sure all are informed of such inexpensive products that can save much moolah!Ok, on a serious note...The Dollar Tree has pregnancy tests. I'll give you 3 guesses on how much they cost. You guessed it! One dollah! And yes they are accurate. These $1 preggo tests really

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-2438662601549069872007-09-24T20:44:00.000-04:002007-09-24T20:54:38.925-04:00

I have posted about this guy before. I get his newsletter that sends out a business idea every week. A majority of these ideas aren't what I would call mainstream, but they are interesting. Here is the one I just received for this week:Here is a really simple business anyone with a flair for communicating with children can turn into a great income.What you do is create a subscription "letter of

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-60306269255098048972007-09-24T08:34:00.000-04:002007-09-25T22:07:45.946-04:00

Trying to live a more frugal lifestyle is best done with others who share your same goals. Trying to do it by yourself is like deciding you're going to jump in your car and take a trip to I've Never Been There, Idaho and not taking a map to help. It just wouldn't work well would it?No matter how awesome you are at living the frugal life, you will never know everything there is to know on your own

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-34242398258963015082007-09-23T23:51:00.000-04:002007-09-23T23:58:12.931-04:00

I received this information in an email:http://www.lays.com/#DestinationJoy&subid=redeemEnter code 2840005523 in the first box on the left and click on the submit button below. When you do this, Lay's will donate 25-cents to the Make-A-Wish Foundation (minimum donation $300,000, maximum donation $345,000) for each entry in their Destination Joy promotion.It was very simple to do so pop on over

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-43619423659893966632007-09-23T04:48:00.001-04:002007-09-23T18:28:30.288-04:00

Hello everybody! Well, I told you it was coming and now it's here. Presenting The Adventures of Frugal Girl! I love my phrase and mantra "work around your wallet", but I decided that I wanted a blog name and look that reflected my personality more effectively.For me, being frugal is indeed an everyday adventure. I am constantly learning new things and coming up with new ideas on saving money and

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-87415647622346486522007-09-23T04:44:00.000-04:002007-09-24T02:29:03.866-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 2/4/07) This guy sends out a weekly newsletter with creative, sometimes unusual, money making techniques. Here are two examples:Souvenir Soil James J Jones -- PublisherYou've probably heard about the men who bought land that once belonged to Elvis Presley and sold "deeds" to the one square inch plots. Another guy did the same thing

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-9645555993062817092007-09-23T04:42:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:44:23.542-04:00

(Orginally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 2/4/07)I was looking through Families.com the other night and found that they will pay you to blog for them. Here is what the site says (copied and pasted directly from families.com):Become a BloggerA Families.com Blogger is someone who writes in a "Blog". A Blog is like a journal on a specific topic. This is sometimes personal and

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-89658197697401084042007-09-23T04:40:00.000-04:002007-09-23T09:43:08.675-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 2/17/07)Frugal folks are some of the most generous people around. They may not have a lot, but they're willing to give what little they do have to help someone in need.When most people think about donating to charities, they think the only way is by donating money. And since they don't have much money to spare, they feel like they are

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-78296036375135589662007-09-23T04:37:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:40:12.935-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" 3/8/07)As I said a couple of weeks ago, you can donate to charity without spending a dime. So many people miss out on oppotunities to help because they don't realize this.This week's featured opportunity is the Lions Club. They collect used eyeglasses which are cleaned then sorted by prescription. The glasses are then distributed to

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-66023634912053360612007-09-23T04:35:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:37:31.279-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 3/25/07)Moviesforfree.org (http://www.moviesforfree.org/) is a program that sends out movies to people that are disabled and on a limited income. They accept donations of gently used VHS and DVDs to distribute to those eligible for the program. If you have a few movies you've only watched once or twice and have no plans to watch

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-83658189488889612782007-09-23T04:32:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:35:43.148-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 6/19/07)This has got to be the coolest thing I've seen in a while. Yes, I live a sheltered life! I received an email from MSN Messenger stating you can now IM for a cause. From the site:i’m is a new initiative from Windows Live Messenger™. Every time you start a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of the program's

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-2531526911242070522007-09-23T04:31:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:32:38.054-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 1/26/07)Freecycle is the brainchild of Deron Beal in Tuscon, Arizona. He launched the group in May of 2003 with a group of 30-40 people. Today, freecycle has over 2,000,000 members! Now that's success! And what a great idea too. Instead of throwing away perfectly usable items, give these things to someone who could use them and keep

Melanienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-81135025756947537762007-09-23T04:28:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:31:11.946-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 2/1/07)Thanks to 1-800-FREE-411, you don't have to shell out $.50 or $.75 each time you call info. The service is absolutley free. All you have to endure is a very short ad. If you don't want to make a call, you can go to their website and search for a phone number. I've used both methods and I give FREE 411 two thumbs up! http://

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-26505122236134591292007-09-23T04:27:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:28:55.785-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 2/13/07)And it really is! I was born on Friday the 13th in 1976...it was a lucky day. I'll just go ahead and tell you I'm 31 so you don't kill any brain cells trying to do mental math. :oPMany places offer birthday freebies or specials. I received an email this week from Sonic with a printable coupon for a free dessert treat. I also

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-27200891980668674582007-09-23T04:25:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:26:53.539-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet")This is my first project to share with you all. As I said in my "Coming Soon" section, I had one of those cheval mirrors like the one pictured on the left, that I was going to put in our yard sale. It hadn't been doing good for a while now. It wanted to stay permanantly tilted upwards so if I wanted to use it, I would have to push it

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-2039495520072502062007-09-23T04:23:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:25:22.742-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet")We decided to change my son's bedroom decor from Noah's Ark to a sports theme a couple of years ago. It's a theme that you can do inexpensively if you want to. Over the past 2 years I have slowly added to the decor here and there with little things I've found at auctions, Goodwill or yard sales. However, the walls were still bare.On one

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-19265370436682878192007-09-23T04:19:00.000-04:002007-09-24T17:04:41.823-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 1/31/07)It's all inside...their outlet section that is! And it's Wednesday today, so that means they are having their Wednesday deals where they mark down select clearance items even further for one day. They only mark down about 15-20 items, so you may not see anything you want or can use this week, but check back every

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-28101750317434346602007-09-23T04:17:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:19:18.275-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 2/7/07)Never, I repeat never, pay full price for a magazine subcription again. Ebay is a great place to find really inexpensive subscriptions. For example, an online store that sells magazine subcriptions has 1 year (52 issues) of US Weekly listed as $49.40. I did a search on Ebay and found a 3 year subscription (156 issues) for

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-84544338209183128932007-09-23T04:15:00.001-04:002007-09-23T04:17:23.195-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 2/22/07)I hosted my first party ever a couple of weeks ago. It was a Pampered Chef party to be exact. Now I had heard of Pampered Chef and had been invited on a quite a few occasions to a party that an acquiantence was hosting. I finally decided to lose my PC virginity and attend a party at my friend Robin's house and even decided to

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-18461458659297934622007-09-23T04:07:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:14:57.222-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet")Part 1Ok...I'm finally starting the yard sale series! It took long enough eh? In this part of the series, I'm going to talk about what I've found and give some tips for yard sale-ing. I really think alot of people have the wrong conception of yard sales. They think yard sale equals junk and that's just not the case. Yes, sometimes

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-72108928040177587342007-09-23T04:01:00.000-04:002007-09-23T04:07:07.004-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 1/31/07)I really felt like singing that song yesterday when I went to the grocery store. As you walk in, there's a room for the buggies and the sale papers before you actually enter the grocery part. As I strolled in, I noticed 2 buggies with clearance items. Woo hoo! I head straight to them. I stood there digging around for

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-42150877662934853772007-09-23T03:59:00.000-04:002007-09-24T17:05:10.210-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 2/3/07)A majority of us frugal folks already flock to Ebay to try and find a deal on things we like, collect, and need. We type in whatever it is we're looking for in the search bar and view the results with anticipation. What we don't know is that there may be some auctions selling our wanted product that did not come up in our

Melanienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997167741522110423.post-831108006951288822007-09-23T03:57:00.000-04:002007-09-23T03:59:18.953-04:00

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet on 3/27/07)No, this isn't an ad for Nike. I'm talking about mail-in rebates.Near the end of January, I had to purchase a new cell phone. I just fell in love with the Pink Motorola Razr plus I could get a $50 rebate. Could is the operative word here. I looked this morning on my slip to check the deadline date and it was today! ARGH!

Melanienoreply@blogger.com0