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! 

Bathroom Face-lift: Total Cost About $6.00!

I've been wanting to re-do my bathroom for quite some time. It had this ugly purple striped wallpaper in it. The wallpaper probably looked pretty good at one time, but it was old, stained in spots and the edges where the wallpaper was put together was getting a black edge from the moisture and there were areas I had to wipe down with bleach a couple of times a year because mold was growing there. It was time to do something! 

 Taking the wallpaper off itself wasn't that hard. It took about a half an hour.

 It was scraping this that took so long. Ugh! Just looking at it makes me feel pained! It took a couple of days to painstakingly squirt this old paper-backing/glue with a hot water and soap mixture and scrape and peel it all off. 

 Here are the walls partially prepped! I also sanded some areas. 

 I got out my supplies. These were all free from rebates! I have an area in my basement that I store freebies like this and I get them out when I need them! 

 When I was looking for paint to do the project with, I decided to check the clearance area. Often, people don't like the paint color they chose and then they return the paint and you can get it for next to nothing. This time, they had a gallon of Glidden paint on sale for $5.00 AND it was just the base so I got to choose the color too! I love good, high quality paint and I will pay more for that if I have to, but I did not have to! This is a paint and primer which was perfect. Glidden is a good brand too. I chose "Summer Sandcastle" for a color. 

Here are the walls prepped and ready to go. I put masking tape around everything and my husband removed the towel holders. 

And here is the final product! I want to replace the register on the floor still as it's peeling. I would also like to replace the switch plate covers to something nicer and the window blind. I have not done that yet. 

So, this paint face-lift cost about $6.00! $5.00 for the paint and about $1.00 for the masking tape! Other than that, it was a lot of hard work and elbow grease! I thought about painting the register with the same color paint but it is really rusty so I thought better of it. So, it will cost a few more dollars for the completed project but I feel very good about what I paid for this! The project took about 3/4 of a gallon and will give me some left for touch-ups later on. 

Happy Savings! 

Stealing The Legal Way! Make $205.85 in An Hour: How $238.61 Worth of Items Cost $32.76

As I mentioned in my last blog, many stores are having great clearance sales right now because they are getting rid of excess inventory before they count their inventory for taxes. "Tis the season! 

All the items seen here on my Amish bench I picked up today for a total of $32.76 and that includes tax! Some of this will be used right away, some will be stored for later use. 

Here is a rundown of what I purchased and next to it, the regular price:

Wal-Mart:

3 packs of a 2 pack of culinary dish towels for .75 each/ regularly $4.88

2 packs of kitchen set (oven mitt, pot holders, kitchen towels). $1.00 each/regularly $4.97

Pioneer Woman 2 pack dish drying mat. $1.00/regularly $9.96

3 piece BBQ tool set $1.00/regularly $4.96

2 2 pair packs men's work gloves $1.00 each/regularly $5.94

2 pair women's gloves $1.00 each/regularly $9.97

1 pack Fish Crisp Coating Mix $1.00/regularly $4.96

Hair Polisher Heat Protector $1.00/regularly $7.27

2 Pure Silk Shaving Cream .50/ regularly $1.98

6 CocoLopez Cream of Coconut Cans $1.00 each/regularly $2.49

3 60 inch black grill cover $1.00 each/regularly $14.96

Men's Hanes Camo Pants $1.00/regularly $9.97
4 Placemats $1.00 each/regularly $2.00

Goodwill (brand new, never used)

3 Real Tree Men's Shirts .49 each/regularly $9.99

Tru-Fit Fleece Jacket $1.99/regularly $24.99

Men's Tru-Fit Button Down Shirt .49/ regularly $6.99

Totals $32.76 vs $238.61

 These items will all be used one way or another. I try not to buy anything I don't think I will use. I just *know* someone will read this and say "Why did you buy three, count them, three BBQ covers??" So, I will answer before anyone gets the chance! Last summer, I bought a BBQ cover. I bought it for full price and it's a nice one. However, after only one year of being on the deck, it's faded and I can see that, in the wind etc., it will be no time and it will need to be replaced. I figure that these three will last me a number of years just like the outdoor flags I got for free. I got about 6 free flags one time and, year after year, I have a fresh nice new flag outside my house. Fortunately, I do have space to store them. 

Here are some more examples of the items I picked up today. 

 It took me about an hour (if that) to look over the clearance aisles and choose these items for purchase. One thing I like to do after buying clearance is to consider in hours how much time it would have taken me to work and make the same amount of money saved. This only counts if you will actually use the items and would have purchased them (or something similar) anyway. 

 The total saved is $205.85. At my rate of pay, it would have taken a number of hours to make this up! These kind of sales are more likely to happen this time of year. See what you can find! See what you can save.

Happy Savings! 

Clearance Sales: How I Saved $92.75 in 10 Minutes

Many stores are clearancing items before they count their inventory. This is a great time of year to find some great bargains! I have been finding (and not reporting here) things weekly. I thought I would share this because it was such a phenomenal deal!

First, we have decks that need waterproofing every couple of years. I have been using some free waterproofer I got previously on rebate but that is starting to run out. Thompson's is a great brand. This 5 gallon sealer was $85.00 marked down to $21.00! That is a savings of $64.00.

I also got this ice melt, which was $8.97, on sale for $1.00. I bought three bags for a savings of $23.91.

With tax, the total savings comes to $92.75!! All that for walking down the clearance aisle and buying when there is a deal! If I were getting paid by the hour, that would be $556.50 per hour! Great to get while the getting is good!

Happy Savings!

Finding Deals Everyday: Today I Made at Least $29/hr Tax Free!

Once a week, I go into town to do some shopping. This time of year I go on a day that there are garage sales. I stop at a number of garage sales, making sure I have cash in my pocket to spend in case I see something that I could use. 

Today I hit a number of garage sales. I got a number of items we can use. In addition, I stopped and got a haircut. I used a pre-paid card that I got last winter. Every winter, our area Great Clips has a deal that you can buy as many pre-paid haircuts as you want for $9.99 each so I buy enough for the year.

Aside from the garage sale deals and a hair cut deal, I also looked for deals at Wal-Mart when I went. No matter what store I shop at, I scan the clearance and mark down areas to see what I might find. Today I hit the jack pot on meat!! I have never seen prices this low, so I assessed how much space I had in my freezer (in my head) and bought everything I thought would fit in there. 

I bought two turkeys that were $25.77 each for $6.33 each. .48 cents a pound! These are ready to cook turkeys. They were marked down because the handles on the bags were broken. Use by or freeze date on these was all the way out to 1/18/18! 

Duck was marked down from $2.84 a pound to .50 a pound!! I bought four ducks. Use by date on these is more recent, but I am not worried as it is only a use or freeze by date. 9/24/16. 

  

Boneless Turkey Roast was $12.23 and was on sale for $2.98! I bought three of these. I knew I had to quit as space was limited.  The use by date on these was all the way out to 06/14/17. 

So all this meat would have cost me $157.87 and only cost $33.88!! 

Add to that, I checked the clearance aisle. I am not listing everything but I got 2 of these bottles of  25.4 fluid ounce shampoo for $2.00 each plus they have coupons for free styling products that I will get next time I am at the store. 

If I count only the meat I got today and nothing else....no garage sale savings or clearance savings, that is a savings of $123.99. Let's just guesstimate and say I saved $50.00 more on other items (a low estimate). That is $173.99 in one day and I spent about 6 hours out. That's $29.00 an hour tax free! I save like this on a regular basis by simply keeping my eyes out for deals.

Happy Savings!

Clearance Bonanza! Shop Clearance to Save Lots of Money! Make $57.21 Per Hour (More or Less!)

I got a ton of things last week on Clearance at Wal-Mart and Wal-Greens. I love finding things on clearance that I will eventually use anyway and even a few things that are just nice to have. February is typically a great month for clearance. Most times I shop, I breeze past the clearance aisles. Very often, I buy nothing. The reason for this is I often find the prices to be what I have called for many years "pretend clearancing". This is when the store wants to get the items gone but are not lowering the prices too much yet. However, last time I went by the aisles, they were serious about getting rid of the items. Stores often want to get rid of inventory in the February to April range for tax reasons, so it is a good idea to have some money set aside for clearance items during this time.

Here are some of the items I got:

Hat: (Normally $6.75 Now: $1.00) $6.75/$1.00
Patio Cleaning Sponge: $5.00/$1.00
Bandage Wrap: $3.50/$1.00
Crest Sensi-Stop Strips $14.88/$1.00
Safe Harbor Natural SunScreen: $7.97/$1.00
Natural Dramamine (4) $4.88/ $1.00
Bi-Fold Door Repair Kit $4.97/$1.00
Pool Repair Kit $4.97/$1.00
Biotin $10.88/$5.00
Oral B Toothbrush Pack $4.88/$1.00
Acetaminophen $8.79/$1.09
Gift Card Holders $1.96/ .50
Vitamin C $4.44/$2.00
Cinnamon $4.88/$2.00
Lip Balm (2) $2.97/$1.00
Reach Floss $4.88/$1.00
Gift Tags $2.84/$1.00
Flax Seed (2) $5.84/ $1.00
Act $4.97/$1.00
Oral Relief Spray $5.79/$3.49
Beef Jerky (2) $6.99/$2.99

I added these up at the regular price and it came to $153.47. I spent $39.06. This is a difference of $114.41. I spent about 30 minutes extra in the store looking at clearance items. This amounts to $57.21 an hour I was paid to shop the clearance aisle! Now, someone may ask, "But do you really need these items?" I only purchase items that I will very likely use. My husband uses Dramamine, for example, and I like that this is natural. I happen to have a bi-fold door that needs repairing. We set up a pool in the summer that sometimes need repairs etc. I don't like to buy things I won't use. But I believe I will use every one of these items eventually. I get paid to take the risk that I will use these products and store them until I do.

Making a habit of stopping in the clearance sections of stores can help you know when something is really a good clearance buy. I am very happy with these purchases and know they are a great bargain.

Happy Savings!

Buy Christmas Items Now!

 Time to shop for Christmas clearance now! I usually check all the stores I go into for Christmas clearance and pick the best of what I find. I don't need a whole lot. Today, I spent .60 on Christmas clearance. I got:

Four rolls of wrapping paper at .10 each and :

Two tissue sheets (5 each) for .10 each. I'm not sure if I'll buy more clearance or not this year. I have most of what I need, so it depends on what I might see.

Happy Savings!