Thrifty Thursday: Cheap Pet Supplies

For this week's Thrifty Thursday, I wanted to share with you how I get cheap Pet Supplies.  With a big dog who eats a ton and a cat who only eats wet food (he's super ancient, super picky, and super grumpy), finding cheap pet supplies is a huge help for me. 

Southern States or other Farm Supply Stores: This is a secret that I honestly can't remember where I picked it up from.  I think someone in my mom's group mentioned that dry dog food was cheap or something.  They weren't kidding!  I used to buy Pete's dog food from Costco.  I think for a 40lb bag, I paid about $24.  At Southern States, I pay $15 for a 40lb bag!  Seeing as how my dog goes through about 2 of those bags a month, that's a pretty good savings!  So, check your local Southern States or Farm Supply Stores to see if you can get your dog food a little bit cheaper.  At my local SS, they have other supplies that you might need for a dog, cat, horse, etc. 

**Disclaimer** Please check with your vet before changing your dog's food in any way.  Some animals do not react very well to their food being changed and it can cause gastrointestinal distress if you give your dog food that they are used to one day and then completely change it the next.  I'm very lucky in the sense that my dog seems to have a pretty tough tummy.  He has adjusted perfectly to me switching his food over to the stuff from Southern States but I did it slowly. 

Local SPCA or Animal Shelters: I don't know if every SPCA does this but our SPCA has a little pet supply store where they sell alot of items for super cheap.  I've gotten a few collars and leashes for Pete from that store and have so far been really happy with them.  I know some of the profits that are made in the store go to taking care of the animals in the shelter itself so I really like supporting them in any way that I can.  However, the biggest cost savings for me by goign to the SPCA is through the shots that Pete has to get on an annual basis.  Again, I don't know if every SPCA does it, but it's definitely worth it to check.  My SPCA has wellness days where they offer alot of preventative care for extremely cheap.  For example, I just took Pete this week to get his Bordatella and Distemper vaccines as well as a heartworm test and fecal parasite test.  All of this at his vet's office would have cost me over $120.  At the SPCA, I paid $39.00.  Huge cost savings!

Costco: When I don't have some really good coupon for wet cat food for the cat, I usually buy the bulk box of wet food cans at Costco.  It's something like $18 but I think there are 48 cans in there or something.  Not too bad when you consider that at the grocery stores, each can is $.50 or more.  However, I always try to be on the lookout for coupons which make each can cheaper than what I can even buy it for in Costco. 

Pet Supplies Delivered/ Omaha Vaccine  I actually learned of this place from the lady who helped me to rescue my dog.  This is the cheapest place that I've ever been able to find for my dog's heartworm medication.  Most places charge something like $60.00 for a 12 month supply.  I think Omaha vaccine has ours for less than $40.00 for a 12 month supply.  Score!

Another tip that I would give is to call around or get involved with some of your local animal rescue organizations.  Volunteer to help them out at an event or to help them with the animals whenever you have some spare time.  Not only are you helping out a good cause, but you get the insider scoop on some really great info.  These groups are typically very overloaded but underfunded so they have to make every dollar count.  Therefore, they usually have some great advice on how you can get pet supplies really cheaply.  Also, sometimes they have access to discounts that the typical person doesn't have access too.  For example, I helped out the rescue where I got my dog from a couple of times and one time that I was helping, the lady who runs the organization handed me a REALLY thick stack of coupons.  It wasn't until I looked a little closer that I realized that they were for $8.00 off a bag of dog food. . .that's an AWESOME coupon!  I asked her where she had gotten them and she said that a veterinarian that she had become friends with had sent them to her because he thought maybe she could use them.  Since she used a different brand, she asked if I wanted them.  Umm. .YES! 

What other tips do you have to keeping pet expenses to a minimum?  Please share! 

Thrifty Thursday: Getting "Ooh La La" without too much Moola-la!

I'm girlie.  Therefore, I like girlie things.  And you just can't get too much more girlie than make-up.  Am I right or Am I right?  I'm right.  Back in the olden days (i.e. before popping out a mini-me who seems to suck my disposable income bucket dry on a regular basis) when I had more money than I knew what to do with, I would peruse the counters of the department stores looking for new (and expensive) face products to wrap up, take home, and add to my collection.  I've always been somewhat obsessed when it came to the make-up arena.  Even before I was old enough to have a regular (or even part-time) job, I had a massive make-up collection.  Ask my mom. . .at one time it involved a very large purple Caboodles (yeah, remember those?!). . .that doubled as a suitcase.  No joke!


Mine looked similar to this.  That sonofagun was HUGE!

Now that I'm older, and more mature less financially able to spend hundreds of dollars at the makeup counter each month, I'm always looking for ways to continue being able to get my fix while not bleeding my budget dry.  You must understand, makeup might technically fall into the "wants" category when it comes to deciding what is a want vs. a need but it's not.  It is clearly a "need" for me.  Actually, it is a "need" for everyone that I continue to wear makeup.  Because without it, well. . .that would be a devastating blow to humanity.  You don't want to see me without makeup on.  It's simply not okay.  We're talking life and death here, peeps.  Okay, maybe not totally life and death.  But it would sure feel like death if I didn't have my makeup.  At least, I would look like death without my makeup! 
Anywhooooos. . . if you're makeup mad like me, there is a thrifty way that you can continue to keep your face fresh and fabulous while keeping your wallet fat and happy!  So far, I've found that the key is knowing what areas you need to spend a little and what areas you should save a little. 

Foundation: This is an area where I would recommend that you splurge a little bit.  Maybe not department store type splurging (although, foundation is so important, that I wouldn't blame you if you did!) but you at least want to make sure that you have a good foundation that's the right shade for your skintone and the right formula for your skin type.  If there was only one item that I could spend a little more on than the rest of my makeup, foundation would be it.  For me, I use Cover Girl Nature Luxe.  I actually received a sample of this during a product test that I was doing for BzzAgent and I LOVED it!!  It's soft and smooth while still giving me great coverage.  I typically wait to buy it when I have coupons for it but without a coupon it's still only about $12.  Not dirt cheap, but not too bad, either.

Mascara: In my opinion, there is only one mascara that anyone should ever use.  And it's a total throwback to the eighties.  Yeah, I went there.  The neon pink and green tube is a dead giveaway but after trying what seems like every mascara under the sun, I keep coming back to this stuff.  Three little words: Maybelline Great Lash.  It's like crack to a crackhead. . .life altering.  It seriously works better than anything I've ever seen before and at less than $5, I'm a serious lifer! 

Bronzer: If you are a pale gal like me, bronzer is a year round addition to your makeup bag.  I've tried a number of different bronzers and there is one that I totally love.  Physicians Formula makes a great bronzer in a few different shades that work for almost any skin type/tone.  While it's not really on the totally cheap side (I think it's like $9 or so for the bronzer), it does last quite a long time.  I think the last time I bought a new bronzer was at least 4 or 5 months ago.  When it's something that I use every day and it lasts that long, that's not such a bad price. 

Everything Else: Pretty much everything else that I use would fall into the "get it as cheaply as possible" category.  Eye shadow, eye liner, blush, lip liner, and lipgloss, etc.  When I have coupons that make things super duper cheap, I might buy the "brand names" (like Maybelline, Cover Girl, Revlon, Almay, etc) but when I don't have any coupons, I still have one very excellent, very cheap trick up my sleeve: e.l.f.  If you haven't heard of e.l.f. cosmetics, let me pull you over to the dark side with me.  This line of makeup is extremely affordable and widely available.  You an order online at e.l.f.'s website or you can buy it in select stores. I buy mine at Target but I think you can also pick it up at some drugstores and maybe even WalMart.  Every product is between $1-$3.  I mean, aside from being totally free, you can't get much more affordable than that.  I am a huge huge fan of this brand.  You would think that with the items being so inexpensive that the makeup quality would be kind of. . .well. . .ahem. . .subpar?  But it's totally not!  They have SO many different cool products and some of them, I love more than anything I've ever tried before.  Like their liquid eyeliner. . .it is SO easy to use and I love, love, love it! I have been so pleased with every product from the e.l.f. line that I've bought.  In fact, the entire makeup bag that I have down at my mom's beach house is nothing but this makeup in it.  If you haven't tried it out, I strongly encourage you to do so and let me know what you think! 

So there you have it, all of my makeup secrets!  This is how I get "Ooh La La" without spending too much off my Moola-la! 

Couponing for Newbies--The Grocery Game

Now that you've done the pre-work in order to prepare yourself for the wonderful new world of being a coupon goddess, you are probably wondering where you can find the deals.  Right?  Yeah, there are alot of very different opinions on this topic.  I can only share with you mine.  And we all know that its worth my weight in gold.  You agree, right? Yeah, sure you do!  Anyyyyways, there are about a million  alot of ways that you can find the deals.  I prefer to start you all off rather slowly.  I want to try to keep you from getting overwhelmed.  So, I'm going to make this as basic as I possibly can and only share one resource with you today.  Don't worry. . .we'll build on it slowly!  It's no question that couponing and searching for the lowest prices on your everyday products is a time consuming effort, however I (and you!) only have so many hours in a day.  I simply don't have the time, nor the energy, to devote 8 hours a day to couponing or searching for deals.  I'm an extremely busy single mom who works full time and goes to school part time.  Anything extra that I do has to fit into the already limited time that I have in each day.  So, I choose the path of least resistance (read: I take the easy way out!)

Here is a resource that I love when sorting out my deals: 


The Grocery Game -- I LOVE this resource!  This site will actually match up the coupons that have come out in recent weeks to the sales that are currently being held at your local stores.  The site compiles the sales and coupons and puts it all together in a nice neat little list for you.  The list tells you what the item is, what coupon (including what insert to find it in!) to use, what the sales price is (for comparison shopping to ensure that you're getting the right size), what the final price is and what your percentage saved would be.  It's SO easy: all you have to do is print the list, pull your coupons, and shop!  Depending on your area, there are a number of different stores that you can receive the lists for.  For example, in my area, there are lists for Target, Walgreens, CVS, Food Lion and Kroger.  You can subscribe to just one list or you can subscribe to all that are in your area. 


Now, there is a cost for The Grocery Game but IT'S WORTH IT!!! (In my opinion. . which we've already established is important.  And gold in color.  And potentially heavy.)  For anyone starting out in the coupon/cost savings arena, the cost of subscribing to the lists are literally recouped in one trip to the store.  I promise.  The cost is $10 for one list each eight weeks.  If you want more than one list, each additional is $5 extra.  For example, if I subscribe only to Kroger, then I pay $10 every eight weeks.  If I choose to subscribe to Kroger and CVS, then my cost would be $15 every eight weeks.  If you get only one list, it breaks down to $1.25 a week.  I cannot stress enough: it's SO worth it!!!.  To get you started, you get a FREE four week trial membership to any one list of your choice (in your area, of course).  If you're at all cautious about the value of this service, I strongly urge you to try out the free four week trial.  If you cancel anytime during that four week trial, you won't be charged a single penny.  I actually stumbled across The Grocery Game before I ever started couponing and decided to give it a try.  I stuck with them for years.  The only reason I ever cancelled my membership was because they upgraded their internet browser and didn't support the one I was using any longer.  I printed the list from work (shh, don't tell my boss!) so I was no longer able to access nor print the list.  Therefore, I wasn't using the service so to save money, I cancelled it.  However, my dinosaur of a company has finally upgraded to a more current internet browser so I can start using Grocery Game again.  I'm signing back up pronto!   They just make it too darn easy not to use the service.  Seriously!  For a time strapped gal like myself, having someone else do the work is my kinda jam! 


In the six or so years that I've been part of the Coupon Goddess Club (Founder, CEO, Solitary Member), I've had other couponers who have scoffed at The Grocery Game because they say that they can match up the sales themselves and save the money of the membership fee (again, we're talking $10 for eight weeks).  This is so true.  They totally can. . .instead, they spend hours pouring over each store circular, then search through their coupon binders for every item in the circular to see if there is an active coupon out for that item.  I even know couponers who have a dedicated day set aside in their schedule to go to the store and peruse every aisle to see what is on sale.  Not to shop, but simply a "scouting mission".  An entire day.  Just to gather information so that they can go home, spend hours matching up sales and coupons, write out a list, and then go back another day and do their shopping.  I'm completely overjoyed if this method works for them, but I don't have that kind of time.  I'd pay someone $125 a week to do that work for me.  But I don't have to.  With The Grocery Game, I only have to pay them $1.25 for that kind of work.  See why I love them so much?  Another reason why I don't like the DIY strategy when it comes to matching up the sales and coupons is because the circulars don't list the unadvertised sales that happen in the stores.  That's why they're called "unadvertised"!  But, GG catches these.  And they share the secret with you!  Therefore, while those other couponers are spending every last minute they have scanning store circulars and nose deep in coupon binders looking for deals only to miss half of them, you're dashing through the store gathering your deals up, spending less money, and relaxing at home with your stockpile!  Worth $1.25 a week, isn't it?! 


*Disclaimer: I am in NO WAY affilliated with The Grocery Game or Teri Gault (founder of this fabulous service).  I have not, in any way, been compensated for the opinion that I have shared here.  I have not been offered free subscriptions, money, or even a pat on the back for sharing the word about this service or the website.  It is just that I like them that darn much! In fact, nobody at GG even knows who in the world I am!*


Come back next week and I'll share some more resources with you!  We're going to build a little bit at a time until you're a seasoned couponing pro! :-)

Thrifty Thursday: Couponing for Newbies--Getting Started

If you're a total newbie to the world of couponing and grocery stockpiling, then this post is for you.  Totally basic and honestly, just kind of broken down to the bare bones so that you can build onto your skills (because it is a learned skill!) as you go. 

When I started with couponing and stockpiling, I was like a sponge.  I went out and soaked up everything I could possibly find on how to buy groceries for less.  Unfortunately, there are about a million (or more--no joke!) resources out there on this very topic.  It didn't take long before I got completely overwhelmed.  So, what I've tried to do is take what I've learned over the last six years and break it down to try to make it less intimidating to someone who is totally new to the world of using coupons and building a stockpile.  What follows are my tips and tricks to start out.  We'll build on your skills as we go!  For those of you who are NOT new to this, then please jump right in with your own tips and tricks.  Share with the rest of us what you've learned.  Don't be shy, you can also share with us what mistakes you've made along the way (I've made a ton of them!) so that we don't make the same mistakes ourselves!

• Make a basic list of the items that your family uses on a regular basis--this will help to serve as a very rough guide on what items you'll use and what items to pass on.  Trust me, it's easy to end up with an entire linen closet worth of products that your family will never use (hmm. . .diabetic testing strips for a family full of non-diabetics?  Anyone?  Maybe it's just me.) just because they were free or extremely cheap.  I told you I've made mistakes in the past.  This is one of them.  I got sucked into the "but it's only .10" or "it's totally free!" trap.  Even if it says it's free, nothing is ever totally free.  Just hang with me here, you'll soon come to see what I mean by that statement.  Additionally, it would help you to know upfront what items (or brand names) your family is totally loyal to and what items you could negotiate on.  To avoid overwhelming yourself, just walk around your house and take a peek at what items you already have.  What things do you HAVE to have in order to make your household run.  Take this example from my bathroom list (and this is just a peek at part of my list): toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razor, shaving cream, soap bars, toothpaste, toothbrush, hair spray, etc.  Once you have this basic list of what items you need, you can then analyze what brand names you can't live without or what brand names you CANNOT buy.  For instance, if your son is allergic to Wisk laundry detergent, then you probably shouldn't buy it for your home. . unless of course you or your son enjoy dealing with full body rashes and painful itching.  I told you, I've made mistakes.  Or, if your husband REFUSES to drink brand of orange juice other than Tropicana, then its possible that the (normally) really great Minute Maid sale this week might just be a big waste of money for your household.  It seems basic, but it's important to know these things upfront.  Once you have your list nailed down, along with the brand names or items that you must have/cannot have you can get started on building your stockpile.  Well, almost.
• Clear an area to store your stockpile--Read my lips (or my blog?) when I say this: IT NEED NOT BE A HUGE AREA!!!!  I've had friends and acquaintances tell me that they could never stockpile because they don't have the room.  Guess what?  It really doesn't take much room.  NO ONE here is expecting you to convert your garage into a stockpile room.  No one is asking you to dig a cellar beneath your house to store 5,000 packages of toilet paper or anything like that.  Honestly, you can start your stockpile with a very small area.  Afterall, your stockpile takes time to grow.  And it only grows as big as you want it to or as big as your space will allow.  It's also amazing how much room you'll find to store the hot deals along the way!  I started off my stockpile with exactly ONE shelf cleared in my linen closet (that stuff needed to go anyways!) and ONE shelf cleared in my pantry.  That's it!  Just those two shelves!  Of course, I found more space as my stockpile grew but I was one of those people who said I'd never be able to stockpile because I "didn't have the room".  Amazing how wrong I ended up being! 
• Make a "normal price" price list--Before you even begin couponing, you need to be able to tell what's a good price for something and what's not.  Therefore, make a trip to your local grocery store or big box store and jot down a few prices.  Take your basics list of the things that you buy on a regular basis and write down what you normally pay for that item.  In order to know whether you should buy something, you will need to reference this "normal price" list to see how good that sale really is. 
• Make a list of the meals that your family enjoys or normally eats-- This list will become your "watch list". You will start off being successful with couponing if you already have a clear picture of the meals that your family enjoys and eats on a regular basis.  Doesn't mean that you have to only eat those things but if you have some recipes that you find yourself making regularly because they are quick, easy, cheap or enjoyed by your family, write down the ingredients to that recipe.  For example, if your family really enjoys spaghetti bake, you may want to add pasta sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and pasta noodles to your watch list.
• Gather some recipes for some "cheap" meals--For the first little bit that you are stockpiling, you may actually notice your grocery bill going UP.  Yes, I know it seems counterproductive but bear with me.  See, until you get a little bit of a stockpile built up, you'll be buying your normal grocery items while still spending that little bit extra to buy the things that are on super sale.  Making a little bit more sense now?  My friends look at me like I've sprouted an extra head when I tell them that their grocery bill may actually increase for a little while.  It does take some explaining!  However, you can counterbalance this by cutting back a little bit on your meals.  NO, I'm not suggesting that you feed your family less food, I'm suggesting that you find some cheaper alternatives to make while you make the transition over to building a stockpile.  If you don't have any cheap meals ideas, just google "cheap meal ideas" and you'll soon be rolling in the dough cheap meal recipes.  If you need some personal guidance (ala. . .your wonderful Living on a Dime or Less goddess. . .ME!), I will put up a post soon with the recipes to the cheap meals that I used when I first started out.  And I still use these recipes.  Cuz they're cheap.  And easy.  And I like cheap and easy.  Get your mind out of the gutter!  I'm talking food here, people!  Basically, your "cheap" meals recipes should include ingredients that are cheap even when you have to pay full price for them.  But they should still be nutritious too! 
• Design a coupon organizing system--Don't pick up your scissors yet!  You can't start cutting out those coupons until you have a solid system in place of where you're going to put them!  There are a variety of systems that work for different people.  I can only share with you the one that works for me.  I have two coupon organizers. . .they look like this. . .

and it I got two of them out of the dollar bin at Target.  However, you should be able to find them in the office supply section but they might be more expensive.  I also know alot of people who use a system of just a binder and those inserts that hold baseball cards.  That seems to work very well for them.  What I do is seperate my coupons into the two "envelopes": one is for edible (i.e. food) items and the other is for non-edible items.  Within each organizer, I break each section down further.  Here's how my system is organized:

Edibles

* refrigerated items

* frozen items

*baking items (spices, flour, sugar, etc)

*breakfast items

*snack items

*sauces

*canned goods

*breads & pastas

*candy

*beverages

Non-edibles* bathroom items (toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, floss, etc)

* haircare items

*face items (pretty much anything that would be used on my face)

*body items (soap, bodywash, lotions)

*ladies personal care items (tampons, sanitary pads, you know. . .anything for the girl downstairs!)

* cleaning products

* laundry products

* air freshener products

* medicines

* shaving and deoderants (there are so many coupons for each of these that these two products specifically get their own section but combined together--does that make sense?)

* pet

* random--this includes pretty much anything that doesn't directly fall into one of the above categories

Over the last six years, this system has worked really well for me.  I usually cut out my coupons on a Sunday and just sort them according to the sections in my organizers.  I have some fellow couponer friends who sort their coupons based on the layout of their store but I just can't see that working for me.  I don't know my store that well!  Think about your habits and decide what you think will work best for you.  You may have to try out a few different ways and tweak it as you go.  The one rule is that it needs to be simple enough that you can not only maintain it but you can also easily find the coupons that you'll be looking for on a regular basis. 

• Start buying/clipping coupons each week--now starts to exciting part. . .but don't get too excited.  You will need to start buying the weekly paper that has all of the coupon inserts (usually that's the Sunday paper) and clipping out the coupons.  I will warn you, before you will really start seeing a major difference in your shopping bill, you've got to gather a decent inventory of coupons.  This may take up to three months.  Yes, you heard read that right.  Three months.  There's actually a science to couponing.  Most products are on a twelve week cycle meaning that a coupon will be issued or a  sale on a specific item will usually happen every twelve weeks.  Therefore, it might take you that long to actually gather every coupon that you'll need in order to start taking part in the deals.  To get a little more complicated, the art of couponing is to be able to find a specific item on sale WITH a valid coupon out.  That's the tricky part.  You could start using the coupons that you'll be clipping each week immediately, but unless you are combining the coupon with the product while it's at a good sales price, then you are not really taking full advantage of the savings. Sure, some deals will come along for you immediately but others you may not have the coupons for yet simply because you haven't been clipping them for that long.  There are blogs and services out there that will do all of the hard work for you.  They'll track the sales, match up the coupons, and issue lists which will tell you what stores to shop, what products to buy, what coupons to use (including which inserts to get them out of!), the final price you'd pay and the amount you're saving/percentage off regular price.  I will highlight these blogs and services in a future post (coming soon, I promise!) and until you really get the hang of matching up the sales and the coupons, I strongly suggest you follow this easy lead that others are giving you.  I promise that I'll post some good blogs/websites soon for those of you who are just itching to get started.  In the meantime, take the advice that I've laid out for you above and start prepping to save.  Trust me, there is something to be said about good prep work! 

Thrifty Thursday: Fun Christmas Ornament Craft

I love fun, easy, and cheap crafts that I can do with Tyler!  What I love even more, are crafts that we can do together that don't look like they were necessarily done by a six year old and his creativity challenged mother!  Therefore, this craft was P-ER-FECT for us!

Cinnamon Applesauce Christmas Ornaments

Ingredients:

3/4 c. cinnamon (yes, that's alot of cinnamon!)
1/2 c. warmed applesauce (maybe a little more, if needed)

Directions:

Mix cinnamon and applesauce in medium size bowl.  If mixture is too crumbly (i.e. dry), add more applesauce a little bit at a time until mixture forms a nice dough consistency.  Do not add too much applesauce at one time or dough may be too sticky.  Once dough consistency is reached, place dough on large piece of wax paper.  Sprinkle down some cinnamon both on wax paper and on top of dough ball to act as "flour" to keep dough from sticking to wax paper.  Add another sheet of wax paper on top of dough ball and roll to 1/4 inch thickness. 

Sprinkle down more cinnamon as needed to keep dough from sticking.  Once dough is rolled out, use regular cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet.

Once all shapes have been cut out, use a straw (or similar shaped object) to poke a hole in order to string ribbon through to use as ornament hanger.

Bake in oven on 200 degrees for roughly an hour (maybe more, maybe less) until ornaments feel mostly dry.  Remove from oven and let air dry overnight or until dry and hard.  String ribbon through, hang on tree, and ENJOY!



Things to note, be careful when handling these ornaments once they are done because they are very brittle.  At least, mine are.  We haven't broken one yet but they just seem fairly delicate.  This project was super fun, easy, and cheap (I think I paid like $5 for cinnamon and only used half of it, already had applesauce, and we got about 12 ornaments out of it) and it made the house smell DELICOUS!!!  The ornaments are all sitting in my living room right now waiting to go on the tree and almost a week after making them, I still get a waft of cinnamon scent every time I walk by them.  Now, if you don't like the smell of cinnamon, I wouldn't recommend making these. . .cuz it's gonna smell like a cinnamon factory in your house!  In my case, I don't mind that (trust me, it's better than sweaty six year old boy, wet dog, and old grumpy cat!) so this was great for us! 

Do you have any fun Christmas crafts that you've done lately?  Share them with us!

Thrifty Thursday: Mending Your Health on the Cheap

Tis the season that the weather starts changing, people stop spending so much time outdoors and start shutting themselves up indoors, kids starts sharing their school-y germs with their families, and people just start getting sick.  It happens to me almost every year.  I get sick because the weather's drastic changes don't agree so well with my body and I think that in general, people just become more giving of their germs around this time of year. 

As I sit here writing this post and trying to keep the snot monster at bay (is that too much?  Too graphic?  Sorry.), I started thinking about how much medicine costs and if there was any way to minimize the money that I spend on medicine while still making sure that I get effective stuff to knock out the yucky.  A trip to my neighborhood WalMart was in order.  I know that Wally World is a controversial place and is bound to spurn many a family argument over the big box giant, but I was just doing a little price comparison here, folks! 

Below, I have provided examples of commonly used medications where I have priced out the brand name drug and then Walmart's store brand (Equate).  I have carefully examined EVERY. SINGLE. package to ensure that I was truly only comparing apples to apples in terms of the active ingredients in the medication.  According to the powers that be (Google), it's the active ingredients that make a difference, not the inactive ingredients UNLESS you are allergic to some strange off kilter thing like "orange coloring no. 81".  If you have any random allergies like that, you'll want to read the inactive ingredients list before purchasing any medication.  Anyways, I have checked and double checked that the active ingredients on each package were the exact same between the brand name and generic brand medications.  The price difference on some of these was staggering! 

Pepto Bismol, 8 fl oz bottle = $3.84 (.48/oz)
Equate Brand Bismuth Subsalicylate, 8 fl oz bottle = $1.96 (.25/oz)
Price difference = Equate brand is 49% cheaper than brand name

Pepcid AC Max, 50 tablets = $15.47 (.31/tablet)
Equate Brand Famotidine, 60 tablets = $4.00 (.07/tablet)
Price difference = Equate brand is 74% cheaper than brand name

Aleve, 100ct = $8.38 (.08/tablet)
Equate Brand Naproxin Sodium, 100 ct = $4.12 (.04/tablet)
Price difference = Equate brand is 51% cheaper than brand name

Tylenol Xtra Strength, 24 ct = $3.68 (.15/tablet)
Equate Brand Acetominophen, 24 ct = $.98 (.04/tablet)
Price difference = Equate brand is 73% cheaper than brand name

Tylenol for Kids, 3.38 fl. oz. bottle = $4.97 ($1.47/oz)
Equate Brand Acetaminophen, 4 fl. oz. bottle = $2.62 (.66/oz)
Price difference = Equate brand is 55% cheaper than brand name

Claratin for Kids Allergy, 4 fl. oz. bottle = $9.82 ($2.46/oz)
Equate Brand Loratadine for Kids, 4 fl. oz. bottle = $5.83 ($1.46/oz)
Price difference = Equate brand is 40% cheaper than brand name

Dimetapp Kids Cold & Cough, 4 fl. oz. bottle = $4.98 ($1.25/oz)
Equate Brand Kids' Pseudoephedrine, 8 fl. oz. bottle = $3.42 (.43/oz) 
Price difference = Equate brand is 66% cheaper than brand name

Claratin D 24 Hour Allergy, 15 ct = $20.74 ($1.38/tablet)
Equate Brand loratadine and pseudoephedrine Allergy Meds, 10 ct = $9.34 (.93/tablet)
Price difference = Equate brand is 33% cheaper than brand name

Vicks Dayquil/Nyquil caplets, 48 ct = $12.46 (.26/caplet)
Equate Brand Acetaminophen/Dextromethorphan/Pseudoephedrine caplets, 40 ct = $5.97 (.15/caplet)
Price difference = Equate brand is 42% cheaper than brand name


Again, active ingredients in each of these medicines was the exact same ingredient in dosage and everything.  The only difference (aside from price, of course) was that some of the sizes of the bottles were different or there were different numbers of tablets or caplets in the packages.  So, I broke it down into price per ounce or price per caplet and did my price comparisons that way.  I was shocked at how much money I've been throwing away by buying brand name medicines.  SHOCKED!

Why do we do this?  That's a question that I'm now really kicking myself for not asking before.  I guess it's because I feel like the brand name meds might work better?  I mean, when I'm sick, I don't care how much I spend, I just want to feel better.  That goes a step further when you look at the kids medicines.  Most of the brand name children's medicine boxes show children who are smiling and happy or they show loving and attentive mothers tending to their sick babies with such care.  The generic boxes are plain white with lettering.  That's it.  Of course, I want to be the mother to the happy smiling child or I want to be the Mommy who is caring for her little one with such love in her eyes.  So, I dump the much more expensive medicine in my cart and rush home to my sick baby.  How much of a sucker am I??

The more I think about this, the more I put it into terms that I can better understand.  If I were to walk into a store and the associate presented me with two sweaters:  one has a GAP label on it and one has no label.  The sales associate tells me that they are the EXACT same sweater, but the one without the label is being sold for 54% cheaper (that's the average from all of the savings above, in case you were wondering!) than the one with the label, I'd jump all over the cheaper one.  I mean, it's the exact same sweater, right?  I might hesitate if the label was in a noticeable place like a pair of UGGS or something--let's be real, we buy UGGs because we want everyone to know we own a pair, right?--but the labels are hidden.  No one will ever know that I have on the label-less sweater over the GAP label.  Just like no one will ever know that my son's cough medicine says Equate on the bottle and lacks pictures of happy smiling healthy children like the other name brands.  See my point, here?

So, go forth, buy generic, save some money, and get healthy!

**Disclaimer:  I am NOT a doctor.  I am NOT a nurse.  I have no medical training whatsoever.  I just used the two decent eyes that God gave me and the reading skills that I aquired thanks to our public schooling system to do a little bit of research.  I am not qualified in any way, shape or form to give medical advice.  Should a medical professional advise that you use one medicine over another (perhaps a generic?) then it is most wise for you to listen to that professional.**

Thrifty Thursday:Work that Plastic

**Disclaimer** The post that you are about to read could be controversial to some.  The following method may not classify as thrifty or financially savy to you.  That is fine.  I write only about what I know and what works for me.  Okay, 'nuff said.  Let's get on with this.

If you've been following me for longer than just a couple of posts, you may remember that I mentioned something a few posts back about making a quite large payment to my credit card.  Yes, it was kinda grand.  Well, more like three grand.  Wowza.  No, I do not make buckets of money where I can afford to make any payments that high to anyone.  What I do do (hee, hee. . .doo doo, get it?  Okay, I'm about as mature as my six year old.  Lovely.) is charge everything.  EVERY-THING.  Yep, you heard read that correctly.  I charge everything on my credit card.  See, I told you that you weren't going to think it's thrifty or even intelligent on my part.  But, I beg to differ.  Hang in there with me.  I'll explain.

So, my method of thinking is that I have to pay my bills regardless, right?  Oh how I wish there were a way around it, but so far I haven't managed to find one.  Anyways, since I have to pay these bills every month, I figured I might as well be making it work for me.  I work for a bank so I started looking into what types of rewards cards that my bank offered.  NOTE: There are a TON of different rewards credit cards out there.  I am not an advocate for any particular one.  If you choose to go this route, you would need to really look at the terms of each card and program to decide which is right for you.  I ended up selecting a rewards card with a fairly decent interest rate and the rewards were awesome!  Seriously, I get something crazy like 5 points for every dollar I spend at drug stores, grocery stores, and gas stations.  1 point for everywhere else.  Plus, since it is through the bank that I work for, there is an employee program where I can earn additional points (sometimes up to 20 points per dollar!!!) by shopping online through a huge list of retailers. 

In order to rack up the points as quickly as possible, I literally charge every.single.thing. that I possibly can to the card and then just make a huge payment to my credit card every month.  Seriously, any bills that can be charged to my card (without incurring additional charges, of course) get charged.  Tyler's daycare: charged.  Groceries, gas, daily incidental expenses: charged.  I mean EVERYTHING! 

Now, you may be wondering just how this is really helping me in the end.  As of today, I have approximately 27,618 points accumulated.  I started with the card in April of this year.  So in a little over 6 months, I've been able to really rack up the points.  Oh yeah, and that total will be over 30,000 by Monday.  Here's how this whole crazy hairbrained idea is going to really pan out for me.  I can exchange 5,000 points for a $50 gift card to a whole list of retailers that are a part of the program.  There are stores like Home Depot, Lowes (two of my favorites at the moment), Target and Wal Mart.  Four stores that I pretty much live in.  So, with 30,000 (and still counting!) points, I have at least $300 in gift cards coming my way.  All just by paying my bills and living my life as I normally would have if I had been paying cash for it all.  That $300 in gift cards is like an insurance policy.  If I need to use it for Christmas, I can.  If I ever have one month where I'm particularly short on cash, I could use $300 at Wal Mart for food and necessities. 

Some people don't understand rewards programs or they rack up credit card debt just to enjoy the rewards that they get.  Let me be very clear about something, comparatively speaking, the rewards that you get by using one of these cards are NOT NOT NOT worth the monetary exchange.  Here's a scenario to back that up:  I have to exchange 5,000 points to get a $50 gift card.  While my program is different, some reward programs are set up so that you get 1 point for every $1 you spend.  So, 5,000 points would amount to $5,000 you'd spend just to accrue the points needed to get a $50 gift card.  Spend $5,000 to get $50.  See where the problem is?  So, I will stress again: I do not advocate charging things on your credit card just to get the rewards points.  That's how people end up in severe financial crisis.  What I am doing is paying my bills and living my life as financially savy as I can (which means I pinch pennies, clip coupons, deal hunt, and budget just like someone who was paying cash for every little expenditure) but I charge everything on that credit card (and then pay it off in large chunks each month) because I might as well be getting a little somethin'-somethin' on the side. . .wow, that could have totally been taken the wrong way, if you know what I'm sayin'.  Heh heh!  The way I see it, if I'm still making every attempt to be financially smart and I'm watching my incoming and outgoing every month and trying to manage to a budget, I feel that my method of doing things is actually helping me.  Afterall, I could pay everything in cash but then I wouldn't have those $300 in gift cards hanging around.  And I like an extra $300! 

Thrifty Thursday: Getting Awesome Products for FREE!

Thrifty Thursdays is back and this week, I've got an extra special treat for you!  For the last few years, I have had the great pleasure of getting to try some really awesome products and I paid absolutely nothing for them.  Zero. Zilch. Zip.  NO DOLLAS!  I LOVE participating in these trails because I get fun new products sent to me that I get to try out and, in most cases, keep! While I have participated in several different trials, there is one company that I just love to pieces and always keep coming back to.  

BzzAgent is a very fun, repuatable company that consistently offers me new campaigns to try really cool products.  Here's how it works:

• You sign up to be a BzzAgent at www.bzzagent.com, provide them with some information about yourself (the normal stuff, no credit card numbers or SSN's or anything like that!) to get your profile set up.  Take a few short (seriously, very short!) surveys about yourself so that they can better match you up with what campaigns might be the best fit for you.
• Wait to get an exciting email inviting you to your first campaign.  Once you've joined the campaign on their website, they will send you a Bzzkit within a few weeks.  Inside of your Bzzkit will be all of the items that you will need in order to complete the campaign.  In most Bzzkits, you'll find full size products for you to try, small samples and coupons for you to give away to people, and some literature about the product that you're going to try out. 
• You try the product yourself, give away the samples and coupons to others and tell them that you're part of BzzAgent and that you would love to have their feedback after they try their samples.  If they give you any feedback, you can include it in one of your 2 required Bzz reports.  If not (I don't hound my sample receivers to give me their feedback.  I usually just review the products myself), you can write your own personal review of the product and submit that.  In the several years, I've been a part of BzzAgent, I've never had them reject any of my reports.  They're pretty easy. . .try the product, give them honest feedback and you'll be fine. 

It really is as easy as that.  There is no compensation to participating in the program other than the free products.  There is never any money or other forms of compensation passing hands at any time.  However, the products that I've been able to try have been really awesome.  There have been so many campaigns that I've been a part of that I honestly can't remember all of them.  However, just in the last year or so, I've been able to try out:

• Cover Girl Lipstick
• Cover Girl Foundation
• Burts Bees Blemish Serum
• Dr. Scholls High Heel Inserts
• Tresemme Shampoo & Conditioner
• Science Diet Dog Food--technically, my dog tried this one!
• Glade Sense & Spray
• Children's Claritin

There really have been some very cool products.  In fact, right now I'm in the middle of three campaigns with BzzAgent:

• Frederic Fekkai (pretty pricy stuff!) shampoo and conditioner
• Burts Bees Natural Moisturizer
• Kroger Truly Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies

In each of these campaigns, they've sent me full size products and then coupons and samples to give out.  Well, except for the cookies one. . .since the cookies are refrigerated, I'm getting coupons for free packages of cookies from my local Kroger that I'll just try (and maybe share!) and then review. 

One other unexpected, but equally attractive, perk to this awesome company is that you become fairly popular with your friends!  Afterall, they stand to gain free samples and some high dollar coupons on really cool products.  Several of my friends routinely ask me what my latest Bzz Campaign is and they'll ask me if I have any more samples or coupons left. 

So, go check it out. . .now.  As in, RIGHT NOW!  Start looking for that free stuff in your mailbox soon! http://www.bzzagent.com/

**Disclaimer**:  I am in no way shape or form being compensated by BzzAgent, or any other individual or entity, for my opinion on this company or these products.  Everything shared in this post is my opinion and mine alone.  I have not been influenced or coerced into writing anything contained in this post.  Afterall, BzzAgent doesn't even know who I am. . they only know me by my BzzAgent name, which is classified and very James Bond 007-ish. 

Thrifty Thursday: Cheap Fall Mantel Decor

Today's Thrifty Thursday post is coming a little late since I'm out of town for work this week.  Whew, it's been a busy week so far and I'm really ready to go home tomorrow! 

I'll be back next week with a continuance of the Birthday Parties on the Cheap series but this week I wanted to bring you a special little treat.  One of my big time successes on my day off from work on Monday (Thank You again Mr. Columbus!) was getting a little bit of my house decorated for Fall.  This project literally took me about 10 minutes once all of the items were "ready". 

I would love to take credit for this idea, but I totally had help.  In fact, if you were to get down to the nitty gritty, I'd have to say someone else actually came up with the idea and my part was more of a helping role.  My real life friend, Sarah, over at Downtown Southern was the real brain child behind this project.  You see, she loves Fall even more than I do, if that's even possible.  I mean, she's like. . .obsessed.  Seriously.  She loves Fall almost as much as she loves Justin Bieber.  Just testing to see if she's reading this. . .if I don't post anymore for. . .oh, forever?. . .you'll know it's because she's reading and she killed me for outting her undying love for the Biebs.  Ha Ha!  Anyways, on one particularly Fallish feeling afternoon shopping trip in search of perfect (and cheap!) fall decorations, Sarah spotted the pumpkin garland and that's how the whole project started.  Here's how the idea shaped up along with how much I spent on it (which is what makes it part of Thrifty Thursday):

• Pumpkin Garland from the Dollar Spot at Target--$1

• (3) Plain Orange Pumpkins from Dollar Tree--$1 each x 3 = $3
• the idea was that we'd take the pumpkins and spray paint them white to make them match my decor a little better
• 1 can white spray paint -- $1.99
• 1 small bottle brown craft paint (for the stems of the pumpkins)--$1.49
• (2) Pumpkin Spice scented candles (jars in between the pumpkins) from Garden Ridge--$3.99 each = $7.98

 Now, for the pumpkins. . .the original plan was to spray paint them white and paint the stems brown.  However, it was too much of a contrast with the white and the brown and literally made the pumpkins look very strange.  Like they were waiting for kids to attack them with stickers or crayons or something.  So, I took the same brown paint from the stems and watered it down quite a bit.  To about the consistency of a stain.  Then, I brushed it onto one portion of the pumpkin and wiped it off with a paper towel.  I repeated that step until the entire pumpkin had been "stained".  This left a slight brownish tint behind which makes the pumpkin look MUCH more realistic than the bright white/dark brown contrast did.  I like it this way much better!

• Hurricane Glass candle holder -- FREE (I already had it)
• Candy corn inside candle holder -- .50 (I only used about half the bag)

• Orange candles on candle holders and inside Hurricane Glass -- FREE (already had them)

I see that the candle on the right appears to be leaning.  I should fix that!  I'm sure I will. . .when it's time to decorate the mantel for Christmas or something! 

Now, if you'll notice, the two candles on the candlesticks are not the exact same color.  The one on the left is the same color as the two in between the pumpkins and the one inside of the Hurricane glass is the same as the one on the right side of the candlestick pair.  I did this to try to tie it all together since I tried to put the taller one on the left in the Hurricane glass but the color of it just looked too awkward against the colors in the candy corn.  What do y'all think?  Should I change it up?  Does it look too. . .off?  

I love this mantel decoration for two reasons: 1. it can easily extend beyond Halloween simply by replacing the pumpkin garland with a fall leaves garland (and maybe some white lights strung in between?) and replacing the candy corn with acorns or some small orange pumpkin vase filler.  The other reason, 2. It was CHEAP!!!  In total, I only paid $15.96 and all but the fifty cents in candy corn can be reused again next year!  Yipee!

What kinds of fall decorating projects have you completed in your own spaces?  Share pictures or ideas with us! 

Thrifty Thursday: Dressing Kids on the Cheap

**I have to apologize in advance for the length of this post.  It seems that I'm somewhat passionate about this topic so once I get started, I just can't seem to stop!  I hope you don't fall asleep while reading!**

It's no secret that kids are expensive.  Keeping them in clothes that fit when they grow like weeds is a difficult task!  However, there are ways to get good brand names clothes, in excellent condition, without buying new and spending a fortune.  Of course, it requires a little bit of planning.  My system isn't necessarily going to be everyone's answer but it works well for me.    Kids grow and they tend to grow fast.  Luckily, my son is past that stage of having to buy clothes in a different size every few months like when he was an infant.  However, he's at the age where he wears out clothing quite quickly.  He's a boy.  Boys are active.  And tough on EVERYTHING.  Including their clothes. 

First and foremost, you've got to know what you've got and what you need.  I typically write out a list of what items I'm going to need for each season.  I usually do this at least a year in advance and my list is pretty similar from year to year.  For example, my list for Tyler's fall clothes looks something like this:

• 8-10 pairs of underwear
• 8-10 pairs of socks (I always buy white socks and usually the same brand of white socks so that they can be matched up easily after doing laundry)
• 5-7 pairs of jeans
• 1 pair of khakis
• 1 pair of black cordouroy pants
• 1 pair of brown/tan cordouroy pants
• tennis shoes
• 1 pair black shoes
• 1 pair brown shoes

I don't usually have to define a set number of shirts because almost any top I buy will match at least one of the pairs of pants above.  That's where knowing what I've already got on hand comes in handy. 

What I do is write out the list and keep it in my day planner (which fits in my purse and goes everywhere with me) so that I always have it on hand when shopping.  I hit the stores at the end of the seasons when everything is on sale.  If I can get clothes on deep clearance from Gap, Old Navy, Childrens Place, Ralph Lauren, or other brand name stores then I'll buy clothes a size or two bigger than what he is currently wearing.  Then, I start marking off what I've bought on my list.  I store everything in a Rubbermaid tub that sits in the bottom of his closet.  However, I would venture to say that only 30-40% of Tyler's wardrobe is new and comes directly from a retail store.  Most of his clothes come from yard sales, thrift stores or consignment sales. 

I will preface this by saying that my son is always dressed in great condition brand names clothes and shoes.  Goes hand in hand with that champagne taste on a beer budget mentality that I have.  I am extremely lucky enough to live in an area where yard sales happen pretty much March through October so there's never a shortage of yard sales to surf.  I also happen to LOVE the activity of yard sale surfing so it's not like it's an inconvenience for me.  I will surf Craigslist on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays to find yard sales in my area that mention that they will be selling kids clothes.  Good yard sale ads will define what gender/sizes the clothes are and then really good ads will preview what kinds of brands will be sold.  However, if the ad doesn't say, I will email the poster and ask.  Many people will respond and that helps me to determine whether or not that sale needs to be added to my Saturday morning plan.  Now, I don't go to yard sales every Saturday.  Not even close.  Out of the four (most months!) Saturdays in a month, I probably only go to yard sales one Saturday a month.  Sometimes more, sometimes less.  I have found some of the best deals on clothes for myself and my son at yard sales.  For example, for Tyler, I found a North Face jacket for $3, Rainbow sandals for $2, GAP Jeans for $.50 a pair and a Ralph Lauren button up for $1.  I found a Brand New with Tags BCBG sweater (still had price tag of $158 attached!) for myself for only $3!  My best ever deal was a fleece North Face pullover for myself for $.50-- FIFTY CENTS!!!  It was awesome!

Another avenue that I have for getting great brand name kids' clothes for cheap are consignment sales.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with consignment sales, they are sales where a bunch of different owners will get together and "lend" their items to the owner of the consignment sale or shop for sale.  Once the item sells, the owner will get a percentage of the sales price and the owner of the sale or shop will take their cut.  In my town, there are a bunch of different consignment sales that happen at least twice a year: usually in Fall and Spring.  My favorite consignment sale, Ring Around the Rosy, is having their Fall sale right now.  There are a couple of reasons that I like this sale so much:

• They take a lot of consignors--200--where as other sales don't take quite as many consignors so their selections aren't usually as large.  RAR has a great selection of different sizes because they allow so many consignors. 
• The Ring Around the Rosy sale is held over 4 weekends.  Most sales happen over only one day or one weekend.  With this sale being held over several weekends, it allows shoppers more flexibility in getting there to get a good deal and the owners of the sale typically put out new items each week. 

It is at this sale that I get the majority of Tyler's clothes.  I may shop throughout the entire year as I find great deals here and there from clearance racks at my favorite stores and then the gems that I find at yard sales, but it's at consignment sales where I round out the list of what I'm needing for the upcoming season. 

So, last week, when the Ring Around the Rosy sale opened for its first day, I headed to the sale with my list in hand and shopped my little heart out.  The deals that I find at these sales are absolutely amazing.  Rather than take my word for it, just check out some of the items I scored below.  In order to get the retail price, I went online and looked up exact or very similar items that are currently selling on each retailer's website and used that price for the full retail price. 

Brand New, Never Worn Sketchers black & yellow tennis shoes -- Retail Price: $37.00, I paid $5.50

Mossimo (Target) brand brown shoes -- Retail Price: $19.99, I paid $4.00

Lands End Snow Boots -- Retail Price: $44.50, I paid $3.00

Old Navy corduroy pants -- Retail Price: $19.94, I paid $3.00

GAP red hoodie sweatshirt -- Retail Price: $32.95, I paid $4.00

Gymboree shirt -- Retail Price $21.95, I paid $4.00

Overall, if I had paid retail price for everything, I would have spent $176.33.  But, by shopping at a consignment sale instead, I spent only $23.50.  See the difference?  Huge. 

Some of you might think that I'm nuts for putting my son in secondhand clothes.  I was there once.  Before I had my son, I was so completely snobby and thought that there was NO WAY that my son was ever going to wear anything second hand.  Oh boy those words tasted bitter when I had to eat them.  It wasn't long before I realized that kids grow so. extremely. fast.  Keeping up with their changing clothes sizes is a job in itself!  Keeping up with the expense that goes along with buying new clothes is really difficult on a limited budget.  I started looking into other options that would allow me to get Tyler the high quality, brand name, and really cute clothes that I wanted him to wear while minimizing the hit to my wallet.  I found that yard sales, thrift stores and consignment sales really are a gift!  Sometimes you have to dig, but there are treasures to be found! 

What ways do you have to get cute clothes cheaply?  Do you shop thrift stores or yard sales?  What awesome deals have you found?