A Penny Saved » Penny Savers

Swap Party

JD — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:40:43 +0000

I was reading Better Homes & Gardens because I was in a doctor’s waiting room (waiting for my wife – sinus infection). Anyway, I came across an article talking about hosting a “swap party”.

The basic idea is that you invite 5-8 friends to your house, and each person brings up to 10 items that they want to give away (the number of items should be predetermined). After arriving, tags are placed on each item, and then each individual is given tickets to “purchase” items. Ideally, each person could leave with up to the same number of items as they brought (but they don’t have to take that many). You will have to work out if more than one person wants the same item (bid with your tickets, etc.).Any items left unclaimed are then packed up together and given to a charitable organization like Goodwill.

This can be a win-win for everyone – you get rid of things that you no longer need and declutter your house. You may bring home some items that you want, and charity gets the rest. And everyone can have fun!

Hi there - could you help spread the word about A Penny Saved? We rely on word of mouth to get new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would truly appreciate it. Swap Party is a post from: A Penny Saved

The Great Toy Clean-out Has begun!

JD — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:42:44 +0000

It’s that time of year again (we do it twice a year, Fall and Spring) when we do a thorough cleaning of the girls rooms (ages 7, 8, and 9). We try to strike a balance between having them keep their rooms clean and not being clean room Nazi’s. It’s a hard balance to keep! But twice a year we do a thorough cleaning, and at the same time encourage them to give away toys they are too old for or are no longer playing with.

Well, my wife just called me at work. She was furious! She said she must have found over a dozen pairs of socks stuffed in various places. And we just bought socks because the girls were low on them! I’m glad I am at work, I know there are three girls in trouble right now. They were too lazy to put things away (common for children) and they hid it from us (also common) and we ended up spending money on clothing we wouldn’t have had to (probably also common).

So now my wife wants to come up with some system where we check their rooms more regularly. We ask them to clean up their rooms daily, but we only check thoroughly weekly – that is about to change!

After the Great Toy Clean-out is finished I will let you know the results!

Coupon Angel

JD — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:14:42 +0000

I had to run my wife to the doctor yesterday – she has an infection in her lungs. Yuck! Afterward, I stopped by our local grocery store to pick up something for the family to eat that would be easy and quick to make. I decided on soup. There,in the soup isle, sitting on top of some cans of soup was a coupon for a dollar off! A “coupon angel” left it there for someone else to use – and I did!

That was a little pick me up in an otherwise down type of day. It was a reminder to me that little thoughtful things like that can make a big difference in someone’s day. Have you been a little “financial” angel to someone recently? If you have – thank you!

Being Organized can save you Money!

JD — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:56:35 +0000

I am a fairly organized person. But there are a few areas where I struggle to keep a handle on everything. And one of those areas is my workshop. Now I use the term workshop loosely – I am no handyman. But as a homeowner, I have some hand tools and power tools that are a necessity. But keeping things organized – especially all the odds and ends, is difficult for me. And because of that it cost me money on Saturday.

I was working on a project in the garage, putting up a simple shelf. And I needed a socket wrench. I have two (different sizes for different sockets). I only could find the one – the wrong size for the socket I needed to use. I looked everywhere, but couldn’t find it. I know I own it – because I have sockets to fit it! So I had to spend time and money running to the hardware store to purchase a new socket wrench. I just know I will find the old one, probably come spring!

I hate spending money when I don’t have to! Now I have the motivation that I have lacked to clean up that area (money is a good motivator!). So this spring (when it’s warmer in my garage!) I am determined to tear apart my work area and clean it up and organize it once and for all. Feel free to check up on me and keep me to it!

What area of your life could you organize and possibly save a few pennies? Join me this spring and let’s get a little more organized!

Search for Online Discount Codes!

JD — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:58:02 +0000

I went to purchase some gardening plants online last week. After making my selections and starting the checkout process, there was a space for a discount code. But I didn’t have one. So I took a minute, opened up a search engine and typed in “_________(company name) discount code”. There are tons of sites that offer codes. Places like retailmenot.com, ultimatecoupons.com, keepcash.com, couponcraze.com, simplybestcoupons, befrugal.com, etc.

After choosing a code, I went back to the checkout process, entered the code, and yeah! – I saved 10% off my order. Not bad for a few minutes work. This is something that is easy, and although you may not always find a code, I have been pretty successful and have saved some hard earned pennies – all for just a quick search! Now that is easy money!

Free Home Depot Activity

JD — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:24:14 +0000

This past Saturday I stumbled upon a free activity at Home Depot some of you might be interested in. On the first Saturday of the month during the morning, Home Depot has “building” activities for children. They give each child (6-12 ?) a work apron which they can keep, plus a project kit. They had several to choose from – a wooden calendar, a bird house, and a bean bag game toss (each month they have different projects). In addition to the kit they provide all the resources you need (hammers, glue, etc.). The projects are simple – designed for the kids to do with some assistance. Also, the staff was very friendly and helpful – they even gave me a kit and an apron for my youngest girl who was not with me.

My three girls loved it (ages 9, 8, and 7). It was a chance for them to do something fun, plus they are also so proud of what they made. For me it was great because it was all free! A win - win!

Definitely during the cold winter months up here in the north this is something I want to take advantage of.

P.S. I did not receive any financial benefit for recommending this activity.

Shoes on Sale!

JD — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:13:30 +0000

My wife has been looking for shoes (actually sneakers) for a few weeks. Neither of us are big shoppers, so when we are looking for something we tuck it in with other trips to save gas and time. After visiting several stores, looking online, and having friends look, she was a little discouraged.

On a trip to a staff Christmas party, we went by a shopping area. Since we had some extra time, we stopped in. There was an Easy Spirit shoe store, so we popped in. They were having a 60% off sale so we though we would check the bargains out. Lo and behold, she was able to find two pair of sneakers for a total price of $40!

Now, sometimes you just fall into sales (like my air pump I mentioned the other week). But sometimes sales are the result of hard work and diligence. Just as this sneaker sale experience was:

We didn’t jump at the first pair of sneakers we saw in a store, we looked around.
We enlisted the Internet, newspapers (that others buy!), flyers, etc.
We ask friends to keep an eye out for us (the more people who are helping to look, the better chance of finding a bargain)
We write down when stores tend to have their sales (some stores have annual or seasonal sales that happen on a regular schedule)
We leave extra time in our schedule so we can make unexpected stops (like a shoe store sale)

Those are just a few ideas, I’m sure our readers can come up with even more – feel free to share in the comments.

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky

JD — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:09:51 +0000

I am not a big Black Friday Shopper. Okay – I hate crowds and I have no interest in getting up early to shop! Besides, most of our Christmas shopping was done early this year.

But on Saturday, our family went out shopping because I needed a new air pump / compressor. Glamorous, I know. Well before we left, I did some looking online to see who carried what. Then we left for the big hunt. First, we had to get a picture taken of the girls with Santa Clause – there is a gentleman in our church that is Santa Clause (he is the real deal – real beard, etc.). Anyway, he and his wife (Mrs. Clause) get pictures taken every year at Wal Mart and they wanted the girls in their picture.

On the way right near Wal Mart, there was an Advance Auto Parts store, so I pulled in just to see if they had an air compressor. My wife said – you have 5 minutes! So I ran in, looked at what they had – lo and behold they had exactly what I was looking for. So I bought it.

Well, yesterday, I got around to budgeting and entering in the air compressor purchase. The slip said I saved $50! Now, I only paid about 50$ for it, so I was thinking this is some gimmick. So I went online to Amazon just to see what this particular model sold for. Sure enough, Amazon had the model, and it was priced over $100! I had stumbled upon a 50% off sale and didn’t know it.

Sometimes, no amount of planning beats dumb luck! For those of you who did some shopping over the holiday weekend, I hope you came upon some penny saving sales!

Birthday Savings

JD — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:33:22 +0000

My wife’s birthday was this week (we are at the age where you would rather forget!). As part of the celebration we usually get a babysitter and go out to eat.

The babysitter was free – this couple loves our children and asks to do things with them! Because we went on her birthday, the restaurant we went to gave her her meal for free. And, while we were there, a person came over to give us an extra coupon they had, so my dinner was $4 off! So for less than $23 we had a wonderful birthday celebration.

What penny saving birthday experiences do you have to share?

Sickness and a Walmart Special

JD — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:50:37 +0000

Sickness has been going through our household, first me, now my wife. So far, the children have been immune. It’s now the flu, but some type of stomach bug. Ugh.

Anyway, when my wife gets sick she always wants caffeine free Coke. Ever since she was a little girl. that’s what she wants to drink if she is not feeling well. So, like the good hubby that I am (pat on back!), I ran to Walmart to pick some up (closest store to where I was at the time). Lo and behold, it was on sale today for 79 cents for a two liter bottle. Not regular, not diet coke, but just caffeine free Coke (and I think the cherry coke and the A&W Root Beer were on sale also). I asked the coke guy who was stocking the shelves and he was surprised. So, if you live in the northeast maybe, just maybe, some coke products are on sale today at Walmart. Go save some pennies!