Garage Sale Season is Upon Us! Like New 9 Man Tent for Cheap plus Rubber Mallet and It Was Tax Free!

It's garage sale season! I love garage sale season! There are so many great buys to be had. You just never know quite what you might get in this treasure hunt. 

I must confess this is one of last year's treasures. However, it was late in the year and I never set it up until now. My husband and I go camping every year. We go wilderness camping and so we canoe to get to our spot, which means tent camping only. We have been using a 3 man dome tent for years. Just last year, I thought we should upgrade and I began to think about it. Shortly, I found this like new nine man tent for $20.00! It has two rooms in it which I think we will like a lot. One room can have the sleeping bags and the other, a little area with table and chairs to stay away from mosquitoes and rain! (The cat did not come with the tent, he just wanted to pose for the photo shoot. :))

It also came with a free like new rubber mallet for pounding in stakes! It does seem that almost any time we need something, I can find it at a garage sale. The key is going regularly (which I have gotten lazier about in recent years) and patience. Knowing you will likely find what you need can keep you from running out and buying it.

When I look around my house, almost everything was obtained on the used market. Second to that, the clearance market. I feel good because not only am I finding things for less, but things are being reused that might not get used or possibly thrown in the landfill. I would much rather give $20.00 to my neighbor and save probably $100.00 plus not pay any taxes.

Happy savings AND happy garage saling! :)

Pennies, Pennies Everywhere! Save on Scrubbers! Simply Cut Them in Half!

I have cut my scrubbers in half for many years. Not only do they last twice as long, they fit into my hand better! If you have smaller hands like I do, you may like this size better. (Sorry I took a picture of my wet scrubber, but I didn't think to photo this until now.) There are so many little ways to save money and they all add up!

Happy Savings!

Hubby Caught the Bug: All This Clearance Candy for $9.15 !!

Sometimes, you have to be careful what you teach people! My hubby came home with all this clearance candy for $9.15! It was 75% off. What a deal! I used to buy clearance candy like this, but have cut back in more recent years to try and keep some sugar out of the house. So, I was both joyed and cringed when he walked in with this, but I had to tell him he did a great job because he sure did find a good deal! He loves Reese's peanut butter cups, especially  the large egg ones like are shown here.

You can almost always, after holidays, find great deals on candy like this. If you don't mind storing it and eating it later (not on the holiday) you can save a lot of money on candy this way.

Happy Savings!

Steak and Lobster for Two $14.69 plus Tips!!

My husband and I just had an awesome Steak and Lobster meal for 2 for only $14.69 plus tips! It wasn't even a special occasion and at this price, it makes any date a special occasion!

Main Street Cafe in Bloomer WI has Steak and Lobster Dinners for Two for only $23.99 on Saturday nights. http://www.mainstreetcafe.com/ This is an excellent deal in and of itself!

However, I had a half off deal that I got and paid $28.75 for $50.00 worth of coupons for Main Street Cafe off the radio. We used one $25.00 coupon tonight. So, half of $28.75 is $14.38 (the extra $3.75 is shipping and handling for the coupon radio deal. We used the other coupon at another time.) It was $1.32 for tax. So altogether, this fantastic meal was $14.69 plus tips!

Sometimes people write to me and tell me they just can't find deals like this where they live. Truthfully, you can't find this exact deal where you live, likely, because the coupons and offers are not exactly the same. However, you can definitely find great deals right where you live if you train your eyes to look for them. They will not jump at you by themselves, but if you train your eyes to look and simply believe that you can find deals like this, you will find them because they are out there. Radio programs often have great offers and cities sometimes also offer 1/2 off restaurant deals. You may want to do an online search for your area. Larger areas usually have better deals so you may have to drive a ways to get some.

Also, if you do go to Main Street Cafe, they have some world famous pies there.

Happy savings!

Fun, Free and Eco-Friendly Wrapping Paper!

If you are looking for some fun, free and eco-friendly wrapping paper, look no further than the Sunday Comics! They are colorful and kids love them!

Another free and eco-friendly idea for wrapping paper is the inside of potato chip bags. Simply turn the bags inside out, wash with soapy water and let dry. Voila! Shiny, eco-friendly wrapping paper! This wrapping paper is great for kids or adults who are environmentally conscience or simply frugal.

Happy Savings!

An Inexpensive, Yet Nice Side Dish for About $1.50: Deviled Eggs

Are you looking for an inexpensive dish to take to potluck or Easter Dinner? Deviled Eggs are very inexpensive. They do take a little time to make. They are very pleasant looking when done though and taste great!

Here is a recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/classic-deviled-eggs-recipe.html

I saw a great idea online for peeling boiled eggs so I tried it and it worked great! Just put the eggs in a jar with a little water, shake and these peel right off!

After the eggs are peeled, cut them in half.

Take out yolks and put them in a bowl.

When they are done, you should have a lot of halves, like this.

After the other ingredients are mixed into the yolks, the mixture can be spooned into the eggs.

These eggs were on sale for .98 and the few extra ingredients were maybe .50. So I have a really nice looking, tasty side dish to take for about $1.50!!

Plus, there is almost always a little bit to snack on. :)

Happy Savings!