Black Saturday!

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 don't know if I'd risk it with an older child because a year is a long ways away and they like to change their minds!

Another thing to take advantage of are the party favors. Perfect for upcoming birthday parties or if you like to give each of your child's classmates a little treat bag for Christmas or Easter.

One thing that makes for a successful frugal lifestyle is thinking ahead! So go to the stores today for 50% off and take advantage of the treats and home decor! Don't forget to check back next Saturday because they should then have the everything else marked down 75%. Leave a comment about what you got today!

The Next Generation of Dumpster Divers

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 how wasteful our society is. The fact that America has so many in need, and to see perfectly good 'stuff' thrown out all for the sake of a buck, really saddens me.

However, I see the DD'ers as redeemers of sorts. LOL Rescuers in plain (and probably a little dirty from diving) clothing if you will. I'm not an expert on the subject...yet. Yes, I am planning to try out store DD very soon with a partner in crime that shall remain unidentified. I will definitely report our experience(s).

I'll leave you with a link to a site with lots of info and tips on getting started. Remember to check your local laws concerning DD. I will not be held responsible for your bail money. You dive at your own risk. ;o)

Mary, The Dumpster Lady

Goodwill Online!

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 little thing. Pros and cons as with anything but worth checking into. :o) You never know what you might find at a bangarific price. So without further ado, I give you Goodwill Auctions and G Too. G Too sounds gangsta, don't you think? hehe

Today is Wednesday!

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

Cheap Books: Sort Floor Books

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

Wednesday Deals at JcPenney

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. :)

It's Wednesday!

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.

MyBargainBuddy.com: A Great Website for Frugal Shoppers

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 your total even cheaper.

It doesn't stop at the main page however. Go into the forums section of the site and check out the online bargains section and you'll find even more deals posted by members. Or check out the offline deals for bangin' savings in the real non-virtual store world.

One other aspect I love about this site is the Hot Deal Alerts. These are email notifications sent out whenever a "too good too be true" deal has popped up. You must be subscribed to the newletter to receive them.

I check out the website daily because it truly is my bargain buddy.

Heads Up: Soy Milk Drinkers

Thanks to Kelly from Delaware for this info!
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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 never would have thought they'd have soy milk!
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You and me both but the Dollar Tree has surprised me before. I'm still dreaming of the day someone tells me to run up there because they've just gotten in a batch of Ipods. Hey, a girl can dream right? LOL

$1 Pregnancy Tests

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 come in handy if you're anxiously trying to conceive and having to buy enough to test every minute of every hour. The only thing is you'll have to pee in a container and then use the little dropper to drop some of that liquid gold onto your test. No big whoop about that especially if it's saving you at least $5 a pop (no pun intended).

Jc"Penny"!

(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 Wednesday.


Also, check the other outlet categories every couple of weeks. The categories include:

top sellers
$9.99 or less!
new markdowns
wednesday deals (only on Wednesday of course!)
final clearance
catalog outlets

They have some great prices and don't forget to google coupon codes to use. It seems like they always have a few good ones floating around. One more way to cut a little off the total is to have your order shipped to your local JcPenney store...if you have one. It doesn't make a huge difference but every little bit helps! Have fun shopping!

Cheap Magazine Subscriptions

(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 $17.95. HUGE difference. Not only is it less, but it's for 3 years as opposed to 1. There is only one magazine store that I buy subscriptions from sometimes because they have a deal of the day magazine that is marked down and you should be able to find a coupon to apply to the purchase to make the price a little lower. The store is called Best Deal Magazines (http://www.bestdealmagazines.com/index.asp) and if you sign up for their offers, they'll usually send an email with the upcoming deals of each day of the week. That way if there is a magazine you'd really like to get, you can make sure you head there on that certain day of the week to take advantage.

There are times you can get magazine subs for free and I'm not talking about the trade magazines either. You just have to keep an eye out. The best place to look are freebie forums. The subscrptions usually go fast so don't dilly dally if you come across a posting for a free sub to a magazine you like. One place to check is SlickDeals.net. They actually have a sub-forum called Free Magazines located in their freebie forum. Here is the link to it: http://forums.slickdeals.net/forumdisplay.php?sduid=0&f=13. Also, your local library is a good place to read and check out mags. It doesn't cost anything and you don't wind up with a stack of them that clutter up your house and for some reason are so hard to throw away even though there is a layer of dust an inch thick on top and you haven't looked at them in forever and a day.

In the end, it's up to you how you want to view your favorite magazines, but just know you don't have to pay alot to do it.

Hostess with the Mostess!

(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 book a show of my own! I know right? I'm wild!

I knew I could get free and discounted products depending on how well my party did, but honestly, it wasn't the reason I decided to host one. A group of fellow mom friends and I get together often and I thought this would be a good way to get together inexpensively. I invited a lot of people but only 6 actually came. Others had to cancel but still ordered something and I emailed all the ladies on my contact list and told them if they wanted to order something just let me know. I also asked briefly when talking to someone...no pressure, just simply asked if they wanted anything. Before I knew it, I had almost $600 in orders. Not bad for a first timer!

But I say all that to say this...Hosting a party is a good way to get some nice things at a hugely discounted price. For my $600 party, I only had to pay $45 for all this:

*Click on the picture to see full size*

With tax and shipping, I would have had to pay $184.03 for everything you see in the picture. What a great deal to only have to pay a fraction of that! Plus it's Pampered Chef! It's good quality stuff we're talking about here. I love all my items and I like to joke with my husband and tell him to check out my rack...my three tier rack. LOL

There are so many consultant businesses now so you have a variety of types of parties to choose from that you could host. I never thought of this as a way to get free and discounted things. I'm biding my time and plan to host another party in the future. Now I just have to decide what kind!

3 Part Yard Sale Series

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet")



Part 1


Ok...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 there is junk but I believe most would be pleasantly surprised at what they could find. And not only what items you may find, but how little they cost. With that said, click on the slideshow below to see some my recent good buys:

Make your own | Click to play

I'm doing a palm tree theme in our bedroom and bathroom hence all the palm tree items! The items pictured in the slide show are just a handful of bangin' deals I've found at yard sales. I don't want to keep you here all night though. :oP

I've seen just about everything for sale: toys, furniture, books, cds, movies, kitchenware, picture frames, decor, collectibles, and even some unusual items. The list and possibilities of what you can find is endless.

Now for some tips. These are just things I do and guidelines I follow for myself:

1. If there are alot of sales it's best to organize them. Get a sheet of paper and create sections by the time the sale starts. A majority will start at either 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. However, you do have a few every now and again that will start at 7:30 or 9:00, etc. Write down each adress under the corresponding time that it starts. This may sound crazy but trust me, it's alot easier than trying to read small newspaper print. When you have them all in front of you in this manner, you can better organize your route. This way, I can go to the ones that are in the same area of town and then move on to another area when I'm finished. It saves time and gas as well. After I check out a sale, I cross it off my list.

2. Have somewhat of an idea of what you're looking for. Since I'm doing our bathroom and bedroom in palm tree decor, I'm always on the lookout for those things at any sale I go to. Another thing I keep an eye out for are Dr. Seuss books because they do well on ebay which I'll get to in the last part of the series. Those are just a couple of examples but you get my drift.

3. If you don't have a place or use for it, don't buy it. I know it's hard when you see something cool that's cheaply priced. But if you don't have a place for it, it will just create clutter and probably end up in your yard sale.

4. If you see something you really want and the price isn't what you would like, don't be afraid to ask the owner if they'll come down on it. You can either suggest a price you think is fair or let them suggest one if they are willing to budge. The worst they could say is no and a majority of the time they don't because they are ready to get rid of the stuff.

5. Don't show up any earlier than 10-15 minutes before the actual start time. Early birds can be a nuisance. I speak from experience. Usually, most owners are set up by that time and have probably already been raided unfortunately (for you anyway lol). It's a personal rule for me. I just think it's courteous and respectful not to show up mega early. It's easier to set up when you don't have someone looking over your shoulder trying to see everything you're sitting out to sell and asking you questions.

6. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Yard sales in nice neighborhoods may yield the nicest items, but don't pass up a sale because the place doesn't look good. I'll share my story. A friend and I were on our way home from yard sale-ing when we passed an old house that had stuff set out. It was an unadvertised sale and mind you, I didn't see anything from the road that looked useful, but I decided to stop anyway. As I'm looking through the items, I come across a Mary Engelbreit napkin holder (pictured in the slideshow). I couldn't believe it. My kitchen decor theme is Mary Engelbreit so I snatched it up. The sticker said $.50 but when I went to pay the guy, he gave me one of my quarters back. So it only cost me $.25! That was the last place I would have expected to find anything Mary Engelbreit. So check out every sale whether it's in a ritzy neighborhood or the ghetto.

7. To save time, make sure your car is gassed up and make sure you have plenty of cash so you don't have to make unecessary trips to the ATM.

8. Have fun! Make friends! I see alot of the same people every Saturday. I guess you could call us regulars. It's nice to chat with them and I find they are a hoot. I really enjoy my Saturday mornings out. It's nice to get out of the house and there is a little excitement in me as I drive to each sale. I get such a high on finding a good deal. I like nice things and finding them at rock bottom prices is the bomb diggity.

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Part 2


I'm now going to discuss having a yard sale of your own. Not much to it really other than I think lots of people have an unecessary fear of having one themselves. It's veiwed as a whole Saturday gone and forget the weeks before just trying to get everything ready. Granted, it is a little work, but you can have fun with it. There are two positive aspects to consider when throwing your very own yard sale: 1.) You are decluttering and opening up spaces you never knew existed in your home, garage or attic and 2.) People are paying for it.

Nobody ever said you couldn't have more than one every few years. We've had 4 since September. Granted, the most recent was our last one for a while. We were getting ready to move along with trying to clean out our storage unit but with me having two little ones at home and my husband being so busy, we had to do a little at a time. Hence, 4 yard sales in 6 months. LOL

It doesn't have to be all fancy shmancy either. I did the most work the night before and the morning of. I threw prices on stuff using those little price stickers you can get at Wally World with the amounts already on them. We tried to put all the toys, clothes, household items, etc. together. That was about as organized as it got. It doesn't have to be perfect! It's a yard sale for cripes sakes not the grand opening to Bloomingdale's.

Just remember too that since it's yard sale, people expect to pay yard sale prices which is cheaper than Goodwill but a little more than free if you catch my drift. You can't always expect to get half of what you paid for something...at a yard sale anyway. If want to get more money for an item, it's best to try craigslist.org or ebay. If you're ready to get rid of the stuff, work with people. A little generosity goes a long way.

As far as setting a time to start. Whatever time you choose, plan to start an hour early because you will have early birds whether you said "No early birds please" or not. They'll come anyway so just be prepared. It's ok if you're not finished setting everything out. Just keep going and let them peruse. Most are very nice.

We did good at all our sales. We made at least $200 at each one with the first one making around $350. Not too shabby! That's almost an extra $1000 in 6 months. You can view it as getting paid to declutter. LOL

A good reference and resource website to check out is http://www.yardsalequeen.com/. There are all kinds of tips and even a message board if you have questions. She's more hardcore than I am but use the tips you want and then make your own rules. It's your sale!
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Part 3


If you want to make some extra money, you can scope out yard sales for items to resell. It's a way to acquire cheap inventory. Go with products you know about. For example, if you're a parent, then you're quite up-to-date on the hottest toys and their price range so keep an eye out at each sale you go to.

Do a little research first by checking out completed ebay auctions for items that you're "in the know" about. If you come across something at a yard sale and you aren't 100% sure about the profit potential, don't buy it. Instead, make a mental note to go home and research it. You have to make sure there is enough profit to make it worth your while. If you plan on putting the item on ebay, remember to consider the auction and paypal fees. Personally, I don't feel like it's worth my while to go through all the time consuming activities of ebaying (taking pictures, uploading them, making sure you have accurate description) for just a buck or two profit.

A great site to check out is http://www.resalequeen.com/. She has great tips mostly on children's items to resell. She hasn't been posting much lately but check out her archives. She'll crack you up too.

And lastly, a warning. If you want to maybe try reselling hangbags, MAKE SURE THEY ARE AUTHENTIC. If you don't know how to check for the authenticity of a certain "brand", google for direction. I got a Kate Spade hangbag at a yard sale for $1...or so I thought. The bag was in like new condition and I had every intention of putting it on ebay. It occured to me a couple of days later that I might better check and make sure it was a really a Kate Spade and not some knock-off. I googled "authentic kate spade" and it led me to a site that instructed how to check my purse out. As I was checking out the little tag that seemed to be sewn on, I noticed a little bit of the thread was unraveling. From the advice of the site, I decided to make sure the tag wasn't glued on and sure dang enough, that sucker peeled off. I was so disappointed. LOL The dollar signs diminished but my little girl did inherit a cute play purse in the process. Can you imagine if I'd put it up on ebay and this happened to the person who purchased it? And they would probably not believe it was just my sheer ignorance! So heed warning and be careful.

Ebay and The Spelling Bee

(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 search results. Why you ask? The answer is misspellings! For example, a seller may spell Channel instead of Chanel. Or Playtsation instead of Playstation. Sometimes the word is misspelled because the seller thinks they are spelling it correctly. Other times it is just getting in a hurry and hitting the wrong key.

This website, http://www.auctionlotwatch.co.uk/auctionspeller.html, offers a search for misspelled auctions. Simply type in the correct spelling of the item you are looking for and it will produce results of misspelled auctions pertaining to that word. If you want to search with two words, choose 'advanced search'. Finding auctions that are misspelled means less competition for you and therefore, possibly a lower price.