The Joys of Being Creatively Cheap: bargain

Showing posts with label bargain. Show all posts

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Sadness about Eggs...but with gratitude!

I have been getting my eggs from the same people for about the past 8 months or so. I stumbled across their ad on a community website selling fresh eggs for a BUCK a dozen! Regular, yucky, commercial eggs sell for more than that AND I usually pay about $3 a dozen for fresh eggs. I hit the jackpot and had been buying 10 dozen at a time. We use a lot of eggs because we both take them to work everyday for a great source of protein. And according to the USDA, eggs stay good for MONTHS!

Now for the sad part....they sold their chickens....sad, sad, sad. I finally got in touch with them a little over a week ago and the guy said that although they have no more chickens, they still had lots of eggs and could hook me up. These are two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. He told me to come by that evening and they would make it happen.

All of my yummy eggs!

When I got there, they had my eggs (10 doz) ready to go. As I tried to hand him a 10 dollar bill, he told me no, they're yours. So, so kind! That made me smile but I am still sad about the thought of having no more! They had all kinds of breeds even Easter-Eggers which lay eggs in gorgeous hues of green.

Pretty, huh?

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

LOVING me some Purex Insiders and GIVEAWAY!

I became a purex insider quite some time ago! They are the BEST! I get free stuff from them all of the time! I want to share the wealth! I have 2 coupons for FREE laundry detergent! With the economy in the shape it is, FREE is just my price!! These coupons are for Purex's new detergent which I can honestly say works great! I usually make my own laundry detergent, but when they sent me a coupon to try it for free, who could resist? If you would like my recipe for detergent, I did a guest post here for Shopping Detox. She's pretty funny! Anyway....here's what you have to do to enter....

1) REQUIRED entry: Become a followers of my blog. After you do so, leave a comment saying that you did! If you already follow, just leave a comment telling me that! Once you are following me, when I announce the winner, you will receive the post via email and be able to let me know that you acknowledge your win! Then I can email you for your addy to snailmail the coupons!

2) For another entry, leave a comment telling me the top 3 things that you look for when purchasing detergent.

3) For a third entry, there is a contest going on through Purex Insiders. There is a $1,000 grand prize and fifty 2nd place winners will each receive $40 in gift cards. As I mentioned I love this company and they are very honorable so I have no hesitation give you the link to click on to enter! http://insiders.purex.com/soft-scrub?id=14227t Follow the link and enter to win for your third entry! Leave a comment below telling me you have done so!

In all, you have THREE chances to win! Since my blog is still in its infant stages, you have a VERY good chance! lol You should be sure to leave a separate comment for each of the three entries. I will randomly choose the winner using random.com at 10pm EST on Sunday, August 26, 2012. Oh, and I just decided...if I have at least 50 entries, I will throw in a second prize of another coupon for free detergent! Once I see some progress made with my readership, I will do LOTS more giveaways! Tell you friends to enter! I mean REALLY...what do you or them have to lose?! :)

Monday, August 20, 2012

Friendship Jar DIY Cheap but Chic Gift

I made a friendship jar for each of my friends who had surgery last year. I had maybe $1.50 in the entire gift, but it was a hit with each of my friends as well as their families. I was told by one of the family members that I was the most thoughtful person she had ever met. That made me feel good.

I enjoy giving gifts. I always have. Now that money is tight, I have to think outside of the box. This can def be a good thing because instead of picking up something from the store to give to someone, 9 times out of 10 I'm gonna make it. I can honestly say that every handmade gift I have ever given has been well-received. I think the reason is the recipient knows more thought was put into other than shelling out a few bucks.

Anyway, here you will see original instructions and where I got the idea from. I am going to post the directions to their original concept, but I'm going to tell you have I modified to fit my situation.

Both of my friends had gastric bypass surgery. Having had the surgery myself in 2005, I know how much their lives are going to change. With that being said, on each slip of paper I included in their jars I wrote a positive mantra that they could look forward to. .
Here are some examples:

Eating to Live, Not Living to Eat
Finding your size at thrift stores.
NOT paying more for your clothing just b/c you can afford that extra cheeseburger!
Fitting comfortably in a booth.
Not checking the weight limit on everything you buy, stand on, sit on, etc.

There were many more that only obese or formerly obese people will get! Anyway, each of my friends took the jar to the hospital to read the days after surgery when they were in pain. They both told me that it helped them to get through the worst of it. :)

Here's their original.

Materials:

Decorative Jar with wide mouth I got mine @ Dollar Tree
Ribbon or other embellishment
Handwritten or computer generated positive words on slips of paper I used small pieces of cardstock and decorated them with stickers
Paper See above
Pen or Computer with printer For above
Scissors or Fiskars Personal Trimmer I used the scissors that cut in the cutesy patterns-$1 each!

Instructions:

You can find fun jars at thrift shops and garage sales, you just want a wide mouth jar so it’s easy to put your slips of paper in and out of the jar. You can tie ribbon or embellish the jar with your favorites.
Handwritten messages: Cut slips of paper with scissors or personal trimmer. You can use one color of paper or use several, personalize this to the event or person getting the Friendship Jar. Write out positive words or statements. For example if this is for a special aunt you could write out all the things you love about her from her pretty smile to her fabulous chocolate chip cookies. Fold up the slips of paper and place in jar. I always recommend handwritten notes because the message and words just seem more unique written by you!
Computer generated messages: This is easy and quick, and if you are a neat freak using a computer will make you happier. Have fun and play with fonts and font size! Write out positive messages and words like described in Step 2. Print. Using your scissors or personal trimmer cut into slips of paper, fold, and place in jar!

Friendship Jar - Used from Favecrafts.com

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Guest Post at SHopping Detox: How to Make Your OWN Laundry Detergent AND GIVEAWAY INFO

Hey, y'all! First of all, I have been told that "just because we don't follow doesn't mean we don't read." I understand that, but I have been collecting lots of FREE STUFF to do a giveaway. ALL I need is 30 people following! When I do, I will randomly choose one of those following...maybe even 2 because I think I have plenty of "stuff"!

Anyway, I did a guest post for Annabella over at Shopping Detox while she is on vacation. It is a step-by-step guide on how to make your own laundry detergent! EASY! CHEAP! a couple of pennies a load! So, if you're here from her blog, WELCOME!! If you come here first, visit her blog and check out my article...and the other posts as well! She is a trip and writes like you are sitting there talking to her.

So...make you some laundry detergent to save some money AND get rid of funky chemicals THEN follow my blog....OR go ahead and follow first, then make your detergent! Let me know how it goes!!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

STARBUCKS FREEBIE Friday, July 13th

July 13, Noon to 3 p.m.

Starbucks Refreshers Verry Berry Hibiscus Handcrafted Beverage

Enjoy a free Tall (12 fl. oz.) handcrafted Starbucks Refreshers™ beverage at participating stores. No purchase necessary. Limit 1 per person.

Love me some FREEBIES!

Bananas: Love 'em or hate 'em! I LOVE them! Did you know there are TONS of things you can use them for besides eating?? Bananas are so cheap so this intrigued me! After reading an article on Care2, I chose my fave ones to tell you about!

Bananas can be used to treat dry, damaged hair. For the scoop on how to do it, check out THIS article

Who doesn't want whiter teeth? Bananas are a natural whitener!! Rub banana peel on your teeth for about two minutes every time you brush!

This time of year, bugs are out full force! Rub some banana peels on the bites to alleviate the itch.

Potassium also helps with the healing process for cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

Splinters stink!! I'll have to tell my splinter story one day that ended in an ER trip (thanks, sis)!! If you press banana peels onto the splinter, the fruit’s natural enzymes will work to get that thing right outta there!

Bananas are a perfectly safe, healthy treat for your furrybaby!

To save on the hips when you have an ice cream craving, simply blend a frozen solid banana in a food processor or blender. You’ll be surprised how much it tastes like soft-serve ice cream!

Dried and ground banana peels make an awesome mulch for seedlings and new plants.

There are TONS more tips for using bananas in your daily life! Did I miss any really good ones? What things have you used bananas for besides just for eating?

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Thursday's Bento...a Day Late!

Yep...I'm late but what can I say?! Rich had a pretty simple bento yesterday. He is a tad bit picky so it's tough at times. I love him no less, though!! Hubby took the pic at work so I apologize for anything you can't see very well! Here we go....

Starting in the large compartment in my $1 lunch container with built-in utensils on the lid: Heart and flower shaped cukes with a cute heart pick in the white silicon muffin cup (Dollar Tree - huge pack for a buck), a Tony's Ham & Cheese stuffed Sammie (I wrote his nuking instructions on it w/ marker so he'd know), bunny rabbit-shaped boiled egg. Filling in the spaces around it all are 2 Hershey's Kisses and a handful of mixed nuts. In the smaller compartment I put a cut up Gala Apple (sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning - and it held up nicely from the previous night when I made it) and a little container of Cookie Butter underneath to dip the apples in. All topped off with a cute flag/star pick from a big pack of stuff from Big Lots! Cheap is good! Rich loves to have a boiled egg each day....I'm happy to oblige because it is great, lean protein!

There ya have it! :) Oh, I'm going to include a cute pick from a couple of weeks ago. My niece, Taylor, and I decided to try our hand at homemade sushi. I really wish I liked it! Tay and Rich thought it was yumm!


It's pretty, though! It had avocado, cucumber, and red bell pepper in it (if I am remembering correctly)!

Have an awesome weekend!! Oh, btw, my birthday is coming up on Monday...know what I want for my bday? More followers! Help a sister out! :)

Peace!
Joy

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

FREE Stuff for What you would do anyway???

So, I am a SKEPTIC! When I first heard about SWAGBUCKS, I was in COMPLETE denial that folks would give me something for not doing anymore work. I am SO glad to say that I was WRONG! Here is a list of things I have "purchased" through Amazon.com using ONLY gift certificates used that I earned FREE from SwagBucks:

Tascam DP-004 Pocketstudio Digital Recorder (Rich's Christmas Present)