I stopped at a few garage sales this last Saturday and found some finds. I got 5 articles of winter clothing for my daughter for $4, two folding chairs for $2, 3 books for $0.75, and a toy for my daughter for $0.25. For a grand total of $7. I would have had to spend about $40-50 if I had bought the items brand new. Everything was in excellent shape as well!
On top of finding good things. I also encourage you all to barter! The winter clothes asking price was $7. All I did was say "will you take $4 for all of this," and the guy didn't hesitate in saying "yes." It was that simple! If you think something is over priced, just give an offer to the person. Figure out what it's worth to you and how much you are willing to pay for it. Don't go over that and don't be afraid to walk away empty handed as well.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Camping
My husband and I went camping this weekend at Ross Lake, WA and absolutely loved it! The best part of it was that it only cost us $30 for a tank of gas and another $50 for specialty food/hygiene items. So, for $80 we had a fabulous 3-day vacation with the family.
I know not everyone is into camping, but you should at least give it a try. It will save you a bundle on food and lodging and all of the entertainment is free! Our daughter could not get enough of the lake and enjoyed eating the dirt too. If you don't have all the equipment, see if you can borrow some from a friend or family member. We happen to love it and have most everything we need, but ended up borrowing a bigger tent from a friend since all we have is a two-man backpacking tent.
Enjoy the beauty of nature!
I know not everyone is into camping, but you should at least give it a try. It will save you a bundle on food and lodging and all of the entertainment is free! Our daughter could not get enough of the lake and enjoyed eating the dirt too. If you don't have all the equipment, see if you can borrow some from a friend or family member. We happen to love it and have most everything we need, but ended up borrowing a bigger tent from a friend since all we have is a two-man backpacking tent.
Enjoy the beauty of nature!
Taking a Break
Due to some personal circumstances, I'm sad to say that I will be taking a break from this blog for awhile. I will randomly post things as they come up, but nothing will be regular. I would still love to hear from you guys too! If you have any good ideas or have any questions, please e-mail me. cindispenny@gmail.com
:)
:)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Tip #14: Pack a Lunch
How else do I put it? Pack your lunch instead of going out to eat.
My Story: When I was single, had no bills, and lived on the wild side I ate out for lunch (this does not include dinners) at least 3 times a week. When I did not eat out, I usually got a drink and/or dessert to add to my lunch. I figured out that I spent almost $200/month on eating out. If I had packed my lunch, it would only have cost me about $50/month. If I had packed my lunch everyday I would have saved $150/month and $1800/year.
Go Green: If you use reusable containers and do not buy individual packaged items for your lunches you would be saving a lot of trash from the landfills by making your lunch. Going out to eat not only produces a lot of trash, but wasted food as well.
Problem: It's nice to treat yourself every once and a while and I recommend it! But, my point is that eating out all the time is expensive. That money could be going towards more important things like saving for retirement or buying your own home. Even if I had the money to do it, I probably would not do it. It just seems so wasteful to throw your money away on something that you could reproduce yourself for way cheaper.
My Story: When I was single, had no bills, and lived on the wild side I ate out for lunch (this does not include dinners) at least 3 times a week. When I did not eat out, I usually got a drink and/or dessert to add to my lunch. I figured out that I spent almost $200/month on eating out. If I had packed my lunch, it would only have cost me about $50/month. If I had packed my lunch everyday I would have saved $150/month and $1800/year.
Go Green: If you use reusable containers and do not buy individual packaged items for your lunches you would be saving a lot of trash from the landfills by making your lunch. Going out to eat not only produces a lot of trash, but wasted food as well.
Problem: It's nice to treat yourself every once and a while and I recommend it! But, my point is that eating out all the time is expensive. That money could be going towards more important things like saving for retirement or buying your own home. Even if I had the money to do it, I probably would not do it. It just seems so wasteful to throw your money away on something that you could reproduce yourself for way cheaper.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Fistful of Coupons
This blog has now turned into a website (www.fistfulofcoupons.com). Go check out her new site!
Gazpacho
So I have failed at posting things for you guys, but here's one to take for your 4th of July weekend! My sister made Gazpacho for dinner this evening and it was a nice cool dinner that requires no oven being turned on! Gazpacho is a Spanish cold-soup. Its main ingredients are tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onion. It was served with cold croutons and cheese. She got the recipe from America's Test Kitchen, but I just did a google for it and a ton of recipes showed up.
Why do you ask that I mention it? Well, every single ingredient (minus the vinegar) came from left overs from my other sister's wedding. Which means it didn't cost us basically anything to make it. This might be a great meal for those of you who have a garden and are trying to use up all your vegetables.
This also brings up a skill that I have not quite mastered yet, but am working on. That is being able to look into your pantry/fridge/freezer, see what needs to be used up, and make a delicious meal out of it. A lot of food, which means money, is wasted from not being able to use it up. I would have never thought of making Gazpacho since I had never heard of it, but my sister had and suggested that as our dinner. I realized that I could learn a ton from someone with more experience. I might be giving her a call next time I have random things to use up. Online is also another good resource. A lot of recipe sites allow you to search by ingredient. Does anyone have good recipe sites they like?
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