Stretch Your Shopping Dollars

Looking for rug shampooer

Pat — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:01:48 GMT

Question from a reader:

I am looking for a rug shampooer that only has two brushes at the bottom.

You don't put water it it any where. Where can I find this at a low price?

Does anyone know where she can find one?

Layaway Returning?

Brandy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:23:39 GMT

This article on the front page of Dollar Stretcher states that layaway is making a come back with credit cards becoming harder to obtain.

Layaway Makes a Comeback

Have you ever used layaway before? Would you consider using it in the future if many stores do revive this payment plan?

Have you seen any stores in your area offering layaway?

New Dollar Stretcher Poll: Shopping Style

Pat — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:42:28 GMT

What's your shopping style? (And be honest! )

Take the poll, then let us know.

I think my shopping style is the second one. It sounds kind of boring, but it sure keeps my finances on track.

price book for iphone?

Karen M — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:44:02 GMT

I copied and pasted this post from the "Can You Help" forum so I know the last part of it doesn't deal with a stretching your dollar question but I didn't feel like typing the whole post over again LOL. I posted the question the other day in that forum but I thought I would try here to see if someone may see it who might have some insight on a price book app. Tomorrow I will be working at a Kroger that is near an Aldi's and a Wal Mart so I want to start working on my price book when I'm grocery shopping after work.

Thanks for any input!

Does anyone have any experience with iPhone apps for frugal use? I know that may sound like it doesn't make any sense. An iPhone doesn't sound like a frugal choice for a phone but really, I LOVE my iPhone! I have had it for a couple of weeks and I don't know how I ever lived without it.

I love having everything in the palm of my hand. I have been looking at price book apps but I wondered if anyone has already tried any of them and have any recomendations? I would love to use a price book and I have tried a few times to start one but I get frustrated when the prices keep changing and I thought it would be so much easier to update plus like I said, you can't beat having it fit in the palm of your hand LOL.

I also downloaded a budget app and a check register app. I do not have my info transfered from my paper planner to those apps yet. I think I will need a good part of a day to work on those to get them started and I haven't had a chance to do that yet. I think those also will make life so much simpler when I have them set up. Since I don't have those set up yet I would welcome any input on those as well.

One last app I'm looking for right now is a daily planner. I don't think I can let go of my paper planner just yet but I have been looking at planner apps and so far I don't see any that would hold all the info my paper one does. Has anyone found a planner app that they like?

TIA! Karen

Best place for cleaners, paper products, etc.?

rowan25 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:56:00 GMT

Hello all,

It's my first time here. I've been trying not to buy my cleaners, paper goods, etc at my local grocery. Instead I've been going to Kmart because I had heard stores like that are cheaper. But is there anywhere else that is better than that? I do tend to be brand loyal on some things, like my Pine Sol. But on others, store brands would be fine. Or even make it myself, I suppose. Anyway I'm trying to trim my grocery/household budget and that seemed like a good place to start. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

rowan

My Trader Joe's Nylon Scrubbies

Virginia Needlewoman — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:11:43 GMT

Okay. Maybe I could've made them cheaper myself, but the thing is that I found them for sale recently at Trader Joe's. I liked the thought of having something that would not rust like a Brillo pad. I paid $2.99 for 4 of them.

Last night I used one to work on the burned on stuff in my little frying pan. I had soaked the pan overnight with hot water, Palmolive , and baking soda. There was still stuff that needed to come off the pan. I was able to remove it with the nylon scrubby.

I really liked how easy it was to use and it was easy on my fingers. I believe that I can wash it out by putting it in the top shelf of the dishwasher. It'll last a lot longer than a Brillo pad would last.

I'll be purchasing more of them the next time I go to Trader Joe's.

The Truth About Thrift Stores

Brandy — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:25:58 GMT

Thrift stores can be dangerous.

No! There is no way a thrift store can be dangerous! They are such fantastic money savers with great finds.

They can be dangerous to your budget.

Can I really be spending more because of thrift stores?

Read this article on the truth about thrift stores.

Two Ruby Tuesday $4.00 Off Coupon Surveys in a Row !

Virginia Needlewoman — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:03:49 GMT

Last Saturday night I went to Ruby Tuesday for supper. My food was good & the place was packed & the glitches were taken care of. I did an online survey & I got a $4.00 off coupon.

I went to lunch at RT on Wednesday with my $4.00 coupon and I used my $5.00 Discover Card that I got in some cereal. I got a different server plus I got a different steak.

This time my food was not good. Would you like lukewarm dumplings ? My steak was tough when I started eating it. It cut fine in front of the server and then she disappeared until time to give me my check. Would you believe that I got another survey to do online ?

I now have a second $4.00 coupon. This time I will ask for my first server. As busy as he was and in spite of the kitchen problems, he took care of me beautifully.

Uno Insider's Club

Virginia Needlewoman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:06:20 GMT

The current limited coupon is BOGO for the new Fall Menu. The coupon is good October 5-October 8.

Endless Shrimp and Red Lobster Coupon

Virginia Needlewoman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:03:04 GMT

Endless shrimp is going on now.

I just got a $4.00 off 2 dinners and a $3.00 off 2 lunches coupon that expires on November 5th.

Go to the website and sign up for their club and you'll get coupons during the year plus something for your birthday.

Ruby Tuesday Brunch Coupon

Virginia Needlewoman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:59:01 GMT

If you've signed up at www.rubytuesday.com for So Connected, you'll be getting a BOGO Brunch coupon that expires on October 25th.

Shaws amazing deals last week

4givennotperfect — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:18:48 GMT

Although the deal is past I will post because I want people to realize that paying attention to the coupons that print on your reciept is worthwhile. I was alerted to a deal on a website I frequent. Shaw had joint juice bottles on sale for .99. When you bought 3 a coupon printed out for 5.00 off 7 and 3.00 off your next order. So I purchased those and went back and bought 7 more used the 5.00 off and the 3.00 off(bought a pack of gum for the other 1.00). Out printed a coupon for another 5.00 off 7 PLUS 10.00 off your next order. I ended up doing this 6 times in two day(made 2 trips). I recieved about 80.00 pre sale food for about 8.00. I stocked up on items I don't get many coupons for. I got 19 lbs of chicken breasts and several other items with the catalina's from the coupons. So pay attention to your reciepts!

printing pictures

beckyJo — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:37:35 GMT

is it really cheaper to buy ink and print digital photos at home or at the store

Consignment store purchases

mamasjob — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:06:18 GMT

I visited a consignment store that sells only children's clothing and items. They have a punch card and with my previous purchases, I saved 15% of my total and earned 5 punches to my next 15% reward. This store sells all manner of "gently used" clothing but does have some name-brand items. I came home spending $50 and change and this is what I bought for winter for my 2 boys (ages 3 and 5):

2 pair snow pants (bibs)

1 pair snow boots (almost like new)

6 sweaters (2 were "name brand") I'll admit, I bought the 2 name-brand b/c they had a 3T and size 6 and they matched. I'm going to use them for our Christmas card picture--this may be the last year I can dress them the same, LOL. New, these sweaters would have been over $40 each (at Dillard's, Younkers, Macy's etc).

2 pair winter PJs

4 pair jeans (one had store tags still on them!)

4 long-sleeved shirts (thermal or cotton knit)

1 pair khaki dress pants (Land's End--with adjustable waist!)

1 pair brown dress shoes (OshKosh).

Now, I could have paid less at garage sales and maybe thrift stores. But what I like about this consignment store is that it is clean, they don't accept torn or dirty items, it is very well organized both by size of clothing and type of clothing. And they always have a great selection. I knew I could buy the snow pants, boots, dress shoes there as well as the other clothing. I was there about 20 minutes and found everything I needed for my boys--I didn't have to dig through piles. For me, the savings in time was also important to me. Garage sailing could have taken up my entire morning (and gas) driving to 3-4 different sales areas and while I was out, I was able to go to Walgreen's, CVS and my bank since they are all in the same 2 block retail area as the consignment store.

Do you have a favorite consignment store? I think after baby 3 comes (our last), I will start sending clothes over to this consignment store to earn extra cash.

I've been pleased with purchases at this place in the past and think I may visit there again in the spring--and if I have a baby girl. They had some of the cutest baby girl clothes for $2. We utilize hand-me-downs but I needed just a few more things to round out my boys' winter clothing. And some of these looked brand-new!

Aldi's

lucialucia — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:16:27 GMT

School Supplies * sales * advice needed

dmc_2008 — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:49:50 GMT

Okay, I am a bit torn. Should I wait to buy supplies until next month and take it out of descrsionary, or should I buy this weekend when they are drop dead cheap and just take it out in advance. I can do that.

I am worried that if I don't go to Walgreens and Staples I will miss out on those SUPER deals!

What do you think, will there be more deals like this weekend for school supplies?

Free ME Stickers, Girl Shorts and Sandals

maureenjo — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:00:40 GMT

Check out what what ME is giving away as a FREE Stuff for its loyal customers. Get your free sample below. only limited stocks available

http://yofreesamples.com/real-freebies/free-me-stickers-girl-shorts-and-sandals/

How Often Do You Buy Printer Paper ?

Virginia Needlewoman — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 07:19:02 GMT

How often do you buy paper for your printer?

I used to trade in an empty ink cartridge at Office Max for a free ream of paper. There was only one problem. The paper would jam in my printer. I started buying paper.

Then I discovered that Harris Teeter sold printer paper that was really nice. They put it on sale 2/1 some weeks. That's when I stock up on printer paper.

Harris Teeter's printer paper is less expensive than the printer paper sold at Rite-Aid.

I still recycle empty ink cartridges. I send them to PetSmart's Pet Charities and they help to support homeless animals. I like the fact that my empty cartridges are not going to a landfill plus they are helping stray animals.

Oh & if you take in empty cartridges to Staples you get instore $$$ plus the cartridges help reading programs. In my book recycling cartridges at either Staples or through PetSmart is a good thing.

Free Baby Calendar

maureenjo — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:35:58 GMT

Get a Free Calender for your new born babies health, Care and various other tips this calender is presented by Hylands.

http://yofreesamples.com/real-freebies/free-baby-calendar/

Have You Considered This As A Way to Stretch $$$ on Beauty Services ?

Virginia Needlewoman — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 06:59:57 GMT

When I was younger I used to get my hair done at a beauty school that was a part of a community college in North Carolina.

The work was done by students who were supervised by the instructors. It was a lot less expensive than the same services at other salons. Note: This was before all those hair cut only salons were around.

I think what really has amazed me is how salons charge the same prices for kids' hair cuts as they do for adults.

Yes, it was appropriate to tip the operators/students. Many of them used the tips for either their gas money or for their lunches.

You could not only get hair cuts, perms, or color there but you could also get manicures and pedicures.

I would suggest that you take a photo of the hair style you like. It makes it much easier for a new operator to come up with a good style for you.

I have tried several beauty schools locally in the past because I was looking for a good nail tech. Unfortunately, I never found a student nail tech I liked.

I admit that I'm rather picky about how my manicures and pedicures are. I am a stickler for wanting the equipment to be 100% clean and sanitary. With my drug allergies and health issues, it is extremely important for me to not be exposed to dirty equipment. My nail tech gets my business because she keeps her stuff cleaner than any other salon I've ever been in. The good news is that she's not as expensive as many other salons.

My Trader Joe's Experience---Unexpected Savings

Virginia Needlewoman — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:04:49 GMT

I have seen really nice pop up sponges and nylon scrubbies in the Williams-Sonoma catalog. They were not cheap. Mom used to buy them back in the days when we'd got to W-S in Virginia Beach.

I went to Trader Joe's yesterday. Imagine my delight when I found the sponges and scrubbies for sale ! What's more important, they were less expensive than at Williams-Sonoma !!!

As you know by now, I'm not fond of housecleaning, but I try to keep things clean. I hadn't found sponges lately when I'd been shopping at Harris Teeter or at Food Lion.

I want to get the top of my stove looking nice again. Now that I've got my sponges, I can clean the stovetop. The other nice thing is that Trader Joe's is near places where I go when I'm in Newport News.

I'll be a really happy camper if I can find a good deal on vinegar to use in cleaning.

When to buy stuff

sunshinetreva — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:17:46 GMT

We've discussed before the best times of year to make certain purchases. Yahoo finance has a minorly updated list to include some of the new technology like digital cameras. The list is not comprehensive, but good for major purchases. Find it here.

Virginia's Next Tax Free Week-end

Virginia Needlewoman — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:11:42 GMT

The week-end of August 7th is Virginia's Tax Free Week-end for school clothes and school supplies. This is a savings of 5% sales tax.

Paying attention to prices!

Pat — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:38:43 GMT

I would never have noticed this except that my daughter and I were in Walmart yesterday and saw some appliances with the color she wants in her kitchen (lime green... or whatever they call it now). They were on sale for $20 each. Just now I followed an email ad out of curiousity and they have the same appliances on the Walmart site for $85 for a set of 4. Now... I'm not a math whiz, but something isn't adding up right!

Bathroom pantry challenge

mamasjob — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:59:00 GMT

I had some extra time last night and while looking for some band-aids (which I found!) I decided to take inventory of my bathroom pantry/cupboard to see what I have stocked and what I may need to add to my shopping list and watch for coupons/sales. Maybe we could make this a challenge to check out our bathroom pantries so we can save money by knowing what we have on hand, much like we do with our kitchen pantryies. I'll list some of my basics that I inventoried:

4 bottles of kid's shampoo (bought on bogo free)
5 tubes of toothpaste
4 adult toothbrushes
8 bars of soap
2 bottles of body wash (large, over 32 oz)
1 -10 pack of lady's razors
1 pack of men's replacement razor blades
4 cans of shaving cream (for DH--I use cream rinse/conditioner bought on clearance)
3 bottles of contact solution
6 bottles of sensitive skin body lotion (for me and my boys as we have sensitive skin)
1 large bottle of adult shampoo
3 men's antipersperant, 2 women's deodorant, 1 women's antipersperant
2 large bags of cotton balls
1 extra box of Q-tips (500 pack)
2 bottles of rubbing alcohol, 2 bottles of hydrogen peroxide
1 bottle of generic tylenol (500 capsules)
2 bottles of generic ibprofen (500 capsules)
2 boxes of sinus/cold medication
3 tubes of generic antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin)
1 now-opened box of various sized band-aid bandages
2 bottles of children's fever reducer
3 tubes of children's toothpaste (non-flouride kind)
2 bottles of SPF 20 women's face moisturizer
1 bottle of facial cleanser (Aveeno sensitive skin)
2 bottles of nail polish remover
Several boxes of women's personal hygiene products
various and plentiful bottles of travel-sized shampoo, lotion, soap, cleanser (I donate many of these to our women's shelter around Christmas)

My bathroom is pretty well stocked. If I find good sales, I will buy more band-aids, adult shampoo, and Q-tips (we use quite a few to clean our dog's ears to prevent ear infection). Otherwise, I can safely pass up buying a lot of personal hygiene items or wait for Walgreen's rebates and get freebies. There are things on my list above that I don't need to be buying now as I may have enough to last almost a year!

Have you checked your bathroom pantry/cupboard/closet lately?