Make $71.00 an Hour Tax Free! Or How I Purchased $286.07 of Stuff for $72.40 Today in Three Hours!

I haven't done too much writing this summer but I have been consistently saving money. This is how I live my life! For me, frugality isn't something I do once in a while but it is a lifestyle. I love to save money! Today, I went out shopping and here are some of the deals I got.

I love fall mums. These had been $3.94 but they were marked down to $2.76. I placed them on a table (that I got brand new for $1.99 a few years ago) with a pumpkin from my garden. (My garden has only given me this one pumpkin so far this year!)

My husband asked me to look on the "Oops shelf" for paint to see what I could find. He has been building a tree stand (with mostly scraps!) He said he wanted an exterior flat paint in either brown or gray or dark green. You can find paint that someone else rejected pretty inexpensively, usually in a corner somewhere in the paint section. I found this. However, it was tan. I asked them if they could make it more brownish. The man at the counter tried but I don't think he knew too much about mixing colors without a chart to go by. The first time, it turned out exactly the same color. The second try, he got it closer to a brownish gray and so I took it! This was normally $17.77 and I got it for $8.88.

The tan color is the original color and the grayish is the end result, which my husband was happy with!

Here is a photo of the tree stand in progress. All the lumber my husband had as scraps in his shed. He did have to buy some roof and side parts. I bought the carpet from a garage sale for $5.00. 

I found this beautiful oak rustic table at a garage sale today. They were originally asking $45.00 for it but had marked it down to $25.00 since it was getting late in the day. I didn't ask them to take any less since they had already marked it down. I love it! 

I got a lot of deals at some stores today. I have a photo of them below. Here are some of the deals. I will mark them as normal price/sale price:

Cranberry drinks: $4.95/$2.50
Sandals: $9.99/$1.09
Collagen Gummies: $14.99/$5.99
Let Freedom Ring Block: $3.99/.40
4th of July Window Decals: $1.99/.20 x 5= $9.95/$1.00
Christmas Present: $9.99/$1.59
Excipial Cream: $14.70/$3.49
Heart rate monitor: $29.99/$2.99
2 Folders .79/.08=$1.58/.16
Men's Shorts $13.93/$1.00
Women's Shorts $12.00/$1.00
Greens $18.99/$13.49
Pecans $4.98/$1.00 x 10=$49.80/$10.00
Almonds $4.98/$1.00 x 5= $24.90/$5.00
Christmas Present $19.96/$2.00
Erasers .97/.10
Toilet Brushes $4.98/$3.00 x 2 = $9.96/$6.00
Grapes $5.96/$1.96
Sunscreen $7.76/$1.00

I am only going to add up the regular cost and the clearance costs on the items I purchased today. I am not including sale costs on things I purchased such as cereal etc. There are a number of sale items I bought but it's just too much work to include it all! I am also not including garage sale items or items like the pair of Lee Jeans I found for my husband at Goodwill today. 

The clearance items were a total of $286.07 at regular price. I paid $72.40 for a difference of  $213.67. It took me about three hours to shop for these items. That works out to about $71.00 an hour tax free! 

Some people don't understand why someone would shop like this. They would rather buy things when they need them, one at a time. I understand that. It's easy and convenient. The reason for shopping like this is in the numbers. If you don't mind some inconvenience, shopping like this can really pay. And when you do it week after week, month after month and year after year, it all adds up! We all have to make our choices. For me, this lifestyle makes me happy! I would rather have some financial freedom and a little inconvenience. 

Happy Savings!