Just Four Little Pennies!

I went to CVS today and picked up a few things...for four cents! I think it may be a new record for me! Here's the breakdown:

- 2 Purex laundry detergents- on sale $2.99 each with $1 back for each in ECBs, used $1.00/2 coupon from 9/14 SS

- Excedrin- on sale $3.99 with $3.99 back in ECBs

- Aleve-D- on sale $3.99 with $3 back in ECBs, used $1/1 printable coupon

- 2 CoverGirl Amazemint Wetslicks lip gloss- on sale $3.99 each, used B1G1 coupon from 8/31 P&G, get $3 in ECBs when you spend $10 on CoverGirl products (see next item)

- 1 CoverGirl eyeshadow- on sale $2.99, used 1 $1/1 coupon from 8/31 P&G, included in $3 ECB promo

I also used a $2/$10 CVS coupon, and I paid for the rest of it with $13 in ECBs from last time. The final total was $0.04! Go me!

How did you do this week? Leave a comment!

Some Late (but still easy) Easy Deals of the Week!

Sorry about the lateness of this post- it's been a busy week! But you still have a few days left to snag these deals:

Kroger:

-Glade scented gel warmers- on sale $1.79 each, get a $2 catalina when you buy one (a coupon good for $2 off your next purchase at Kroger, like ExtraCare Bucks or Register Rewards); if you use the Buy One Get One Free coupon from the 9/14 SmartSource insert in the Sunday paper, you can get 2 for $1.79 and then make $2.21 back when you receive the 2 $2 catalinas! You can then use that to go back and get some more...oh, I love these deals! And it's even a great deal without the coupon!

Wal-Mart:

-Johnson's Buddies soaps- "everyday low price" of $0.99 each (these are single bars of soap that are wrapped in a mesh so that kids can grip them and they foam up really nicely- my kids love 'em!), use $3 off 3 Johnson's Buddies products coupon from the 9/14 SmartSource insert in the Sunday paper and get 3 for free!

- Glade air freshener spray- "everyday low price" of $0.88 each, use Buy One Get One Free coupon from the 9/14 SmartSource insert and get them for $0.44 each. (this is a different coupon from the one for the gel warmers, so you can do both deals)

As always, thanks to MoneySavingMom for most of these deals!

Have a beautiful thrifty day! And, as always, be sure to post a comment and let me know how your deals went this week!

Great Fall Sale at Michaels and Coupon

I was scanning through the Michaels ad from the Sunday paper and I saw that they have some really great deals this week! Because home decorating stuff and crafty stuff is not usually part of my "deals shopping", I always like to take advantage of good prices on these items when I see them. And lately, I've been itching to bring a little fall atmosphere into my home.

So here are a few of the deals I saw:

- jar candles, usually $5.99, on sale 3 for $10

- Fall floral and foliage, usually $2.99, on sale for $0.99

- 40% off fall garlands (usually $4.99-19.99)

- foam brushes, usually $0.39 each, on sale 20 for $1!

- 40% off scrapbook paper pads

- matted wall frames, usually $7.99-9.99, on sale for $4

- fall potted mums, usually $9.99, on sale for $4.77

- 12x12 scrapbook frames, usually $9.99, on sale for $4

These certainly aren't all the deals, but they were the ones I liked best! I stopped by and picked up 3 of the jar candles (pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, and spice market), 15 foam brushes, some scented pine cones, and a fun fall Welcome sign with pumpkins and fall leaves on it (not on sale, but I was able to use my 50% off coupon from the flyer and get it for $4.99). I also got a cute necklace for my little princess for $0.50 from one of the clearance bins.

I didn't have a container to put the pine cones in so I went to Goodwill and found a pretty clear glass vase for $1.25 that works great! Now my house smells really wonderful and it feels very autumnized (okay, that's my new favorite made-up word!). 

I think I'll start keeping my eye out for more great Michaels deals in the future. I can apply all of the same principles that I use when I do my regular deals shopping: buy only the items on sale and stock up! I can even make really good use of that weekly coupon.

Go here to print out your own coupon for 50% off any one regular priced item! To plan your trip, check out all the deals at the Michaels website. Happy autumnizing!

Makeover Monday: Style Your Bed!

 

Makeover Monday is here! Have you ever looked at a photo of a bed in a magazine or a catalog and thought, Man, I wish I had a bed like that!? If you have, chances are you either did nothing or you bought the bedspread thinking that would solve the problem.

Well, something like that happened to me once. We had just gotten a new mattress set, and we needed some new bedding to go along with it. We found a beautiful set (see "before" photo above) but when I brought it home and put it on the bed, it just didn't look the same as it had in the picture on the packaging. 

So then I got a brilliant (okay, obvious) idea: why not just copy the way they made the bed on the package? After all, it's just making a bed- I can make a bed! So I pulled the package from the trash and took a closer look. I noticed that they had folded the top sheet over the bedspread and added another throw pillow. So I re-made the bed and borrowed a throw pillow from the other room. Voila! A new bed for me!

The best thing about this makeover is that you don't even need to buy anything- just browse online or in catalogs and find a bed 'style' that you like, then gather the components from your own home and dress up your bed! You might be surprised at how very stylish your plain bed can become!

The "After" Photo

Have a Beautiful Thrifty Day!

Free Subscription to Traditional Home Magazine

Many thanks to MoneySavingMom for this great tip- click here to sign up for a free subscription to Traditional Home magazine. I love free magazine subscriptions! 

Spiritual Sundays: How do I help?

A woman in tears as she surveys the damage left by Hurricane Ike in Galveston, Texas.

I wrote recently on the topic of giving (see Give A Little Bit), and I would like to go back to that topic a bit today. I remember that about this time a few years ago after Hurricane Katrina had hit the Gulf Coast, I was really struggling with feelings of helplessness. I remember watching a woman who was in tears because her months-old baby needed formula and she had none to give him. I cried right along with her and desperately wished I could just go give her some, and take her and her baby and bring them home with me! 

There was so much need there, so many people in desperate situations, and I felt like there was nothing I could do to help. At one point, I was so distraught that I went to my knees in prayer. I asked the Lord what I could possibly do to help these people. I knew that with 2 young ones myself I could not just pack up the car and drive myself down there like so many others were doing. I didn't have a lot of money to give. I prayed that I might know of a way that I, singular and small though I may be, could somehow help.

Heavenly Father touched my heart with an answer that filled me with comfort. His answer came four-fold:

1. Give what you can. Give as much as you can and your offering will be enough.

2. Just pray. Pray for those who are afflicted and I will hear your prayers and uplift them.

3. Learn. Learn from this terrible disaster and prepare yourself for the same. You never know when it could be you, and the best thing you can do is to be prepared.

4. Be grateful. Look around you and be grateful for your comfortable home, your health, and your safety. Quit complaining about meaningless troubles and express gratitude to God for your blessings, for there are many who are not as fortunate as you.

Now when I see disaster and tragedy I think of this counsel from Heavenly Father and I try to follow it. I donate to our church's Humanitarian Aid fund that goes to assist hurricane victims and other victims of natural disasters; I pray privately and with my family for those affected by terrible circumstances; I do my best to have sufficient supplies stored for my family and a plan in place in case of an emergency (see Water, Water, Everywhere); I try to curb my complaining and embrace feelings of gratitude, and express those feelings to those around me and to my Father in Heaven.

Perhaps there are many of you that can do more, and I encourage you to do so. But if you are like me and you feel helpless when confronted with scenes of suffering, I would ask you to go to your Heavenly Father and consult with Him that He might counsel you in His will for you. He is there to answer your prayers if only you ask.

In closing, I would like to say that I am truly grateful for all that I have; for my family, my home, and my beautiful life. The Lord has blessed me far more than I deserve, and I appreciate every bit of it! May He watch over all those who are in need of His care at this time, and may He be with them in their times of trial, to give them strength and comfort where others cannot. May they look to Him for guidance and relief, and may His Spirit be with them always.

New Feature! Makeover Mondays

I am so excited to introduce a new feature to my blog: Makeover Mondays! Every Monday I will post with a new makeover that focuses on home decorating. These will include fun and frugal (even free!) ways to makeover spaces in your home, or even makeover objects in your home (see Playing Dress-Up). 

Over the years I have found a lot of different ways to really appreciate what I have by just changing things around and making them new again, and I am so excited to share some of these ideas with my readers. I am also eager to use this opportunity to explore new ways for me to be creative in my own home and celebrate my beautiful thrifty life!

And as always, I look forward to your comments and ideas, so keep 'em comin'! Stop by on Monday to check out the first big makeover...I can't wait! ;-)