beingfrugal.net

Kyle’s Coupons: I Need Some Frugal Help, Please!

Posted by Lynnae on August 20, 2008

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My wife and I are having some problems around the house and my “honey-do” list is getting really long. Some of these problems I need to find answers to before she kicks me out! So before I spend the money on a product or service, I wanted to ask my questions to the very knowledgeable readers here at Being Frugal.net and try to fix the problems myself. While some would argue that I have more problems than you could possibly list, here are the main ones I could use answers to right now!

~ Ant Invasion - Help! This has been a terrible summer for these six legged creatures in our home. Just when I think I have the problem taken care of, they find another crack or hole and get back into our kitchen, pantry, and now our bathroom. If I had a dollar for every time my wife hollered, “Kyle….there back!”, I would have enough money to hire a pest service! With 3 young kids in our home, I am very scared of putting out harsh chemicals. What are some proven home remedies to get rid of these pests once and for all?

~ Gophers In The Lawn - I love a lush green lawn. The problem is I can’t even see my lawn through all the mounds of dirt. Gophers or moles (not sure which) have invaded my turf and I would love some advice on getting rid of these rodents. So far I have tried flooding their holes and I have baited their tunnels with a long metal stick thingee (from The Home Depot) that drops little poisoned seeds out the bottom. Nothing has made a difference yet. Have you had this problem in your lawn or garden? Aside from going “Caddyshack” with a stick of dynamite, what works best to get rid of them?

~ Fall Is In The Air - I want to try something to keep the leaves out of my rain gutters this Fall. At my local home improvement store, I have seen a bunch of different gutter guards and leaf removers and was wondering what worked, if anything. Also, has anyone been able to rig something up themselves, perhaps out of chicken wire or mesh, that can keep the leaves from building up in the rain gutters? After all, I don’t want to be out on my ladder cleaning the gutters every Sunday once the NFL season is in full swing. Boy, I hope my wife doesn’t read this post!

~ Nasty Stains - Also, my wife asks the question, “How do you fight stains on clothing?” I should add that the stains we are talking about include grass, blood, bodily fluids of every type, food, and unidentifiable combinations of all of these. What products or combination of products work the best to remove nasty stains?

Looking forward to your comments!

In keeping with tradition, here are some of the most ‘clicked’ coupons on my website right now. I hope they can help save you some money!

Ann Taylor LOFT.com
Get 25% Off any Maternity purchase at Ann Taylor
Coupon Code: 104004299
Exp: 8/31/08
See All: Ann Taylor Loft Coupons

Camping World.com
Get $5 Off your $50 or more Online Purchase
Coupon Code: 3679
Exp: 9/01/08
See All: Camping World Coupons

JCPenney.com
Get Free Shipping on your $49 or more order
Coupon Code: WK28FS
Exp: 8/21/08
See All: JCPenney Coupon Codes

Land’s End.com
Get Free Shipping on your entire Online Purchase
Coupon Code: SCHOOL and PIN 00001478
Exp: 8/21/08
See All: Lands End Coupons

Limited Too.com (Cute clothing)
Get 25% off your entire Online Purchase through this Link
Coupon Code: None Needed
Exp: 8/25/08
See All: Limited Too Coupons

Pfaltzgraff.com
Get 15% off your entire Online Purchase
Coupon Code: AFAUG15
Exp: 8/31/08
See All: Pfaltzgraff Coupons

Radio Shack.com
Get 15% off your $75 or more Online Purchase + Free Shipping
Coupon Code: None Needed
Exp: 8/31/08
See All: Radio Shack Coupons

Shoebuy.com
Exclusive, get 10% taken off + Get Free Shipping
Coupon Code: RBS10
Exp: 9/30/08
See All: Shoebuy.com Coupons

Vera Bradley.com
Get Free Shipping on the Vera Bradley Limited Edition Seaside Collection
Coupon Code: FREESHIPS08COLLECTION
Exp: 8/31/08
See All: Vera Bradley Coupons

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Filed Under Shopping | 34 Comments

Tightwad Tuesday: Don’t Be Squeamish Over “Gently Used”

Posted by Lynnae on August 19, 2008

yard sale.jpg

There are treasures to be found at yard sales.

The following is a guest post by Lisa Malwitz of Tallahassee, Florida.

If the thought of buying anything from a yard sale or thrift store gives you the heebie-jeebies, think of this: EVERYTHING is ‘used’ from the moment you buy it. And if you’ve ever stayed in a hotel - even the finest 5 star resort - you have slept on used sheets, toweled off with used towels, and sat on very used furniture!

My nephew turned up his nose at a used t-shirt my grandmother bought for him at a thrift store. When she explained that the brand new t-shirt that cost $25 (for a t-shirt!) was worth $1 at a yard sale after being worn only once and put through the wash, he began to see the logic. (It had the latest logo on it that he and his friends were wild for! He is now grown and has small children - he can really see the value of ‘used’ in a whole new light!)

So, here are a few tips to get the most out of buying ‘used’. First, make a list of what you want. That’s right! I said it! I have made a list of some items I could have gone to Wal-Mart and bought for a fair price, like a large bulletin board, one of those soaking foot baths, a set of bathroom rugs, a bed skirt, etc. You can find just about anything used, but in new, or like new, condition - if you are patient. I have been amazed at the things on my written or mental list that I find in my travels to yard sales and thrift store. Also, consider Craigslist and the local newspaper want ads. Don’t be put off by bad photography - go look at items to see for sure. You will often be surprised. And yes, sometimes it is junk. Just keep looking.

Another way to have fun with buying this way is if you want to redecorate a room. Look through magazines and pick out a room you’d really like to copy. Then try to find items close to the look of the items in the picture! Use your imagination. If it’s not exactly the same, can you paint it or stain it or glue something to it to recreate the look? Then paint your room the color in the picture and decorate away! Amaze your friends and family who thought you couldn’t decorate even a hamster cage! (This idea, by the way, was at one time a show featured on HGTV. That’s another way to get great ideas. One show on the HGTV network is called “Design on a Dime”.)

Go early to yard sales, but not earlier than the time posted by the sellers. The time and effort put into having a yard sale is often exhausting. It’s no day at the beach. So give the sellers some sympathy. You can still offer less than the price they have on items. They’ll simply say yes or no. And they usually say yes if you offer just a little less.

If I’m really gung ho, I get the Friday paper and mark as many yard sales as I can close to my house on a copy of a city map. This way I can go in a straight line closest to my house; using less time and gas. It only take a couple of hours on a Saturday morning.

And by all means have fun in your hunt for new treasures! Get over being squeamish. Everything you already have is ‘used’!

Lisa Malwitz

Tallahassee, FL

A note from Lynnae: I love buying gently used items! In fact, we just found a great deal on a lawnmower on Craigslist! What are some of your favorite “gently used” buys?

Photo by Cosmic Kitty.

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Filed Under Frugal Tips | 31 Comments

It’s Going to be a Busy Month & I’m Going to Need Some Guest Posts

Posted by Lynnae on August 18, 2008

A view of my living room.

Now that the initial shock of owning my own home has turned into a happy reality, I’ve begun to pack. I forgot what a long and tedious job packing is. I’ve also begun to coordinate buying supplies and lining up work on our house.

In addition, my kids’ summer program had their last day on Friday. Meaning I have my kids full time for the next two weeks. And then school starts.

Now, I’m not complaining about my kids being around at all. I think the whole moving process will be kind of fun for them. However, there’s a reality I need to accept. I can’t be a full time mom, full time blogger, and full time mover/contractor. Something has to give. I can’t give up the kids (nor do I want to), and the move needs to get done, so Being Frugal is going to have to take a back seat to life for the next month or so.

Now I have no intention of letting this blog go. I have big plans once I get settled. But in the next two weeks I have to pack and move into my dad’s house, while our house gets fixed up. Then I have to spend a couple of weeks at my dad’s house. I have no idea how much I’ll be able to be online there, and I’m not banking on getting much blogging done.

Once we actually move into our house sometime in September, I’m betting I’ll get settled pretty quickly. That’s just the way I am. I hate looking at boxes, and I’m known for unpacking in a couple of days.

In my best estimation, this whole process is going to take about a month. I’ll keep you updated as time allows, but there probably aren’t going to be any long, detailed, thought provoking posts from me in that time.

That’s where you come in. If you’ve ever wanted to write a guest post for me, I’d sure appreciate it now! I’m pretty easygoing when it comes to accepting guest posts. I love to promote other bloggers, so feel free to link to your own blog a couple of times in the post, if you have articles that are relevant (but no links to commercial sites, please).

If this sounds interesting to you, please contact me with the words “Guest Post” in the subject line, and I’ll make sure to put those emails on the top of my priority list.

For those of you who have emailed me this week, thank you so much. I read every comment and every email I receive, but this week I haven’t been able to get back to everyone. I appreciate all of the congratulations I’ve received this week!

So bear with me over the next month, and I hope Being Frugal will be back to normal before long!

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