Hidden Auction Blog

In the press: I’m one of the “cheapskates” profiled in an Associated Press article, available online NOW.

Anne D’Innocenzio, the Retailing reporter for the Associated Press wrote an article entitled, “Extreme cheapskates: Tightwads revel in frugality”– and yours truly was on of the “cheapskates” profiled.

You can read the article HERE (link to Newsweek)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle *and* REPURPOSE! Great ideas how to utilize formerly unused items in your house.

Why go shopping when you have some perfectly fantastic items in your house just waiting to be discovered and given a new (and improved!) use?! 

First a few easy ones:
-Old cotton shirts make excellent rags
-Orphan socks make excellent dust and/or polishing rags (particularly for items that have lots of small crevices)

The following crafts require some sewing skills– I’m no seamstress– not EVEN close– I can (barely) sew a straight line, but I’m bound and determined to learn and improve.  My grandmother was a professional dressmaker, I whereas I won’t be giving her a run for her money any time soon, these are crafts that even *I* can do.  And since you can now get sewing machines for less than $100– even less, if you find one at a garage sale or Craigslist (just make sure it works!)  You might even find someone who is happy to get rid of theirs. 

A few repurposing ideas:
-A man’s dress shirt can become a little girl’s dress, see HERE for instructions
-An old pillowcase can also become a little girl’s dress, see HERE for instructions
-Old jeans can become a purse, see HERE for instructions
-Use some of that denim to make cute slippers see HERE
-An old leather skirt can become a fabulous purse, see HERE for photos (be sure to use a needle appropriate for leather AND use upholstery thread. (Thanks, Erika!)
-Old wool sweaters can be felted and made into a TON of things including, but not limited to:

• A flower pin, see HERE for instructions
• A tote bag, see HERE for instructions
• A puppet, see HERE for instructions
• A potholder, see HERE for photos
• A hat, see HERE for instructions

Have any great repurposing crafts? Please share! Post a link in the comments section or email me and I’ll update this post!

Happy repurposing!

Don’t think you have a store coupon? You just might– these stores accept competitors coupons!

This is NOT meant to be an exhaustive list– please email me or leave a comment if you identify additional stores that should be on this list– I will continuously update this list as policies can and do change.

Additionally, many of these are YMMV (your mileage may vary) when they say SOME stores– always maintain your composure, call ahead to your local store if necessary to get clarity on their policies.  Always, be nice AND remember the name of the manager who told you that you COULD use the coupon. And, whenever possible, get the coupon policy in writing.. send an email to corporate and print out their response.

Many cashiers are ill informed and/or poorly trained on coupon policies, be nice but firm.  Whenever you have the policiy in writing keep it in your coupon binder.  It’s your money, you work hard for it– fight for your right to coupon!

Here are the stores that accept competitors’ coupons:

Grocery Stores:

Publix: accepts competitors $s off coupons, i.e. $10 off $50 *and* store coupons, i.e. $1 off produce– some Publix stores will accept SuperTarget and Walgreen’s coupons– others will only accept coupons from direct competitors meaning only other grocery stores. Do not accept competitors’ prescription drug coupons.
Winn Dixie: Some stores will accept competitors’ prescription drug coupons
Albertson’s: Some stores will accept competitors’ prescription drug coupons

Mass/Discount Stores:

Target: Some Target stores will accept competitors’ prescription drug coupons
Kmart: Some Kmart stores will accept competitors’ prescription drug coupons
Walmart: Some Walmart stores will accept competitors coupons (i.e. $10 off $50 and $1 off Revlon) and ALL Walmarts match competitors’ advertised prices (NOT buy one get one frees or percentage off— i.e. 25% off shampoo– but they DO match advertised prices–i.e. Aussie Shampoo: $1.49)

Craft Stores: All of these stores accept each other’s coupons.

Michael’s
Joann’s
AC Moore

Pet Stores: All of these stores accept each other’s coupons.

Petco
Pet Supermarket
Petsmart

Home Improvement Stores: Both of these stores accept each other’s coupons.

Lowe’s
Home Depot

Drug Stores:

CVS: competitor prescription drug coupons should be accepted in ALL CVS stores, selected stores will also accept Walgreen’s and Rite Aid coupons, both $s off (i.e. $5 off $20) and store coupons (i.e. $1 off Revlon)
Walgreen’s: accept competitors’ coupons for prescription drug coupons.
Rite Aid: accept competitors’ coupons for prescription drug coupons.

Office Supply Stores:  All of these stores accept each other’s coupons.

Office Max
Office Depot
Staples

Home Stores:

Bed, Bath & Beyond: since Linens N Things went out of business, no more competitors to speak of– however, BB&B accepts its OWN expired coupons, as long as they are hard copies (not their printable coupons) so DON’T throw them out just because they’re expired.

Happy Competitive Coupon Accepting!

Recipe Share: Miso Chicken

I modified the recipe I found HERE

Here’s my spin on it:

1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup sake
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup miso (I used red miso– bought at the Asian specialty store)
3 green onions, slivered
2 teaspoons minced ginger root
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tbs five spice powder (optional)
4 lbs bone-in chicken thighs (bought for $.78/lb!)

I marinated the chicken overnight in the marinade.  Once you remove the chicken from the marinade, you can grill, saute or bake it.  I baked it at 375 degrees until the juices ran completely clear. 

I served it with brown rice, mushrooms and a shredded cabbage/carrot/radish salad with miso-ginger dressing.  The total dinner cost WAY under $10 and we have plenty left over for a stir fry (with the leftover salad and rice!) for tomorrow.  I also have wonton wrappers in the fridge and I can use the salad (once I cook it), the mushrooms and the chicken to make homemade wontons to either use in soup or to pan cook into eggrolls. 

Happy (cheap) eating!

How to give BIG to charity without spending ANYTHING!

Charities and food pantries are in DIRE need of donations as more and more people who donated to charities are becoming recipients of charity themselves.  And, unfortunately, that trend doesn’t look like it’s going to reverse anytime soon.

With everyone strapped for cash, how can you possibly help? 

Well, here’s how YOU can help, without spending a penny (or just a few pennies) out of pocket:

As you all may have noticed, I tend to shop pretty well– and often I even “make money” while shopping for items– and, hopefully, if you’ve been following along, you are now doing the same.  I can buy more toiletries for free than my family of five could ever use so when I have extras, I donate them.  Same goes for non-perishables like canned and dry goods– when there is a great sale and a great coupon to stack on it, go ahead and buy a bunch to donate to a local food pantry, shelter or even directly to a family in need.

Perhaps your mom’s group, dad’s group, playgroup, church/synagogue group– whatever group you belong too can get together and collect coupons and go shopping specifically for a shelter (coupons and coupon matchups in hand, of course!)

Consider donating any and all unused or not needed items– clothing, computers, furniture, etc.  Not only will you helping other families, but you can also potentially reap some tax benefits for the tax writeoffs and/or deductions.  See HERE for for a great article about the possible tax benefits of donating items to charity. 

Think of it as a WIN-WIN-WIN– you help needy families (win #1), you declutter your home (win #2), AND you get a financial benefit (win #3)

Thanks for listening– happy helping others!

How to throw a birthday party on the cheap (without cheaping out on the fun!)

For those of you who know me, know that I *love* to throw BIG parties for my kids’ birthdays– BIG on fun but small on budget is the key!

Please add your ideas by sending me an email (jodi@neverpayretailagain.net) or, better yet, leave a comment!

Invitations:

-use evite (it’s FREE!)
-add some text to a picture using photoshop with all the party details (and print them out for 10 cents a print or less at CVS, Walgreens, etc)
-print out invitations on your computer (use cardstock or colored paper if you’re feeling fancy!)

Food:

-buy frozen pizza when it’s BOGO and/or you have a coupon
-order pizza with a coupon– you can usually get it for $5-$7 per pie– and have it double-cut (so it comes with 16 slices instead of for the kids
-make your own pizza dough and have each kid make their own pizza
-offer snacks that you’ve found on sale– whether that’s chips, crackers, veggies, cut fruit, etc
-pop popcorn– it’s cheap, YUMMY, and healthy-ish too!
-bake your own cake and/or cookies
-make cupcakes and allow each kid to decorate their own
-cook or barbeque: bone-in chicken can routinely found for under $1/lb, make oven fries (potatoes can routinely be found for under $.50/lb) and salad/veggies can also be found inexpensively.  You can likely feed people (and well!) for under $2/per person!)

Fun:

-buy (or borrow) a bounce house– we bought one over 4 years ago for under $200 and it’s a staple at all of our parties– it’s been used at least 20 times–which translates to under $10 per party– for each of our 3 kids’ birthdays and any of our holiday parties, too. 
-arts and crafts– you’d be amazed at the volume of stickers, paper, glue and sparkles that you can get at AC Moore, Joann’s and/or Michael’s (with a coupon, of course!) to keep the kidlets occupied
-rent or buy a DVD and play it (we did a 3D movie and got 3D glasses!)
-treasure/scavenger hunt
-beauty shop– have your friends or your kids’ friends moms help paint nails, do makeup and do hair– what you lack in skill can be made up for by glitter content!
-carnival games– make your own!
-go camping– either outside or even in your living room
-mock or real sleepover– have the kids come over in pjs and with sleeping bags
-sock hop or dance party– but on a CD or hook up the iPod and DANCE!

Goody Bags:

-buy pails and fill with sand toys, decorate with paint pens (this can even be an arts and craft project that you give as a goody bag!)
-stock up on back to school supplies when they’re CHEAP– crayons, pens, notebooks, etc— to use as goody bag fillers
-Oriental Trading Company– stock up when they have a good coupon code (which you just know I’ll post as soon as another $10 off $10 comes out!)
-make t shirts, aprons, tote bags– you can buy blanks for cheap at any craft store and decorate them yourself or again have the kids do that as a craft– use fabric, ribbon, buttons, paint pens, etc
-make adorable crayon shapes out of broken crayons, see them HERE
-depending on when your kids birthdays are, stock up on Halloween, Valentines or Christmas candy (after the holiday when it’s on clearance, of course!)

What are your ideas?  Leave a comment and share ‘em!

Happy partying!

Being frugal– or as I prefer to call it, shopping strategically, isn’t complex or complicated.  It’s simply being aware of how much you’re spending on items– and ensuring that you buy only when items are at their absolute *lowest* price– and stocking up on items when they’re at that low price.

This strategy works for EVERYTHING from food to toiletries to clothing, and everything in between.  But how to start? Well, let’s start slowly as to not overwhelm you.  You DON’T have to do EVERYTHING– even if you just do a little– say shave $10 per week of your grocery bill and nothing else– you’ll still have saved $520 in just one year.  If you manage to save $20– then you’ll have $1040 more at the end of this year– save $50/week– now we’re looking at $2600 of savings.  Not too shabby, eh?

Here are some favorite posts to get you started.  Check back often as I’ll keep updating this page as more ideas and “lessons”, if you will, are added:

Click on the title to go to the post:

Dollars and Sense:

Biggest myths about frugal shopping– and why they’re WRONG
Five simple things that ANYONE can do to spend less and save more
List of ideas LARGE and small how to save money
Can you be fashionable and still save money?
Dollars and sense.. it all adds up!
Price Adjustments: go get your money back!
How to ALWAYS pay sale prices: rainchecks
Save your gas, ask for a price match!

All about coupons:
Coupon Organization
Where to find coupons for the things you need
More ways to find coupons
How to save money on meat, dairy, produce and other perishable staples
How do you know when a sale is REALLY a deal?

Food/Dining Out/Recipes:

Cheap, fast AND good: get dinner on the table
Additional ideas for getting dinner on the table
Some favorite sauce, marinade and dressing recipes
Restaurants where kids can eat FREE

Prescription Savings:

How to save money on prescriptions

Last Friday I called all the Gymboree and Gymboree oulet stores in my area to see if any of them had anything left in stock at the $1.99 price point (see this post if you missed it last week: Gymboree: TONS of items $1.99, $3.99 and $4.99– 1/29/09 and 1/30/09 ONLY.) One of the outlets (Troutdale for you locals) sounded promising so off I went…

And, here’s the loot! What did I get?

1 dress
4 sweaters
8 pairs jeans
15 shirts

Regular retail price: $568. My price? $56. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!! I am the hunter back from the successful kill. Bwahahahaahhaaha! And here’s a picture of me with my plunder:

Every single thing on the floor there cost $1.99 (except for me). There are duplicates in different sizes in there, of course, which is not a big
deal because I have a bunch of girls who will match and they like that.
Plus, baby shower gifts! Yay!

Rachel

FANTASTIC grocery deals site! Check sale prices at ALL your local stores at once!

One of my wonderful readers (Thanks, Margaret!) sent me a link to a FREE website that has the weekly grocery sales uploaded for almost all stores in all 50 states (and soon, Canada, too.)  It’s a great site with a very easy interface.  You simply enter in your zip code and it gives you a list of available stores– click on the stores that you want to search and that’s it.

Now instead of looking at each store’s flyer one by one– you can contrast and compare all in one spot.  Also, if there’s something that you’re craving, you can quickly find where that item is on sale.  You can even create a printable grocery list (which also totals your grocery list, *very* handy!)

Find the site here: MyGroceryDeals

Happy (grocery!) shopping

Okay, I tried a new clip-less coupon organization system, it didn’t work (for me.)  The long and short of a clipless system is that you just file the inserts by date and then when you need a coupon, you can find it by insert date– grab said insert, clip the one coupon you need and go on with your life.  Certainly Sunday mornings were easier without the cutting and sorting, but I found that it took too long to get ready for a shopping trip and shopping on the fly was nearly impossible. Sooooo, back to the old way I go. 

Yesterday was a clipfest– I went through all of the inserts that I had, clipped what I needed and sorted– it took about an hour, maybe more, as it was in between corralling kids and cleaning the kitchen, but it’s done and it feels GREAT.  Oh, and I have over 4 pounds of coupons to send overseas to a military friend overseas— I’ve already emailed her to brace herself for the motherload of coupons.

I changed my system up a little (I’ll add photos in a post soon!) but I think I really like it.  For me, it’s all about 80/20– I refuse to get SO specific about my categories that it takes hours to sort but the tradeoff is it does take a touch longer to find exactly what I need. 

When I first started couponing, I used to clip EVERY coupon– now I only clip the ones I need, the rest are either traded or given away.  Now, mind you, I will clip ones for items I use even if they’re not my preferred brand, but not for an item I’ll never use. 

All of my manufacturer’s coupons are in two small coupon sorters, each one has 12 tabs plus a front section that isn’t tabbed where I keep my ‘hot’ coupons– high value ones or ones that are about to expire.  I even have some blank/empty tabs so I can further divide the categories as needed. 

The organizers were each purchased at Office Max for $2.99/each– I’ve seen similar organizers at Kmart.  They are technically check organizers and they’re approximately 8″ wide by 4″ tall and the depth is expandable. 

Here’s how mine are organized:

Grocery Stores:
-Meat
-Bread/Pasta
-Eggs/Dairy/Refrigerated
-Oils/Sauces/Spices
-Frozen Foods
-Dry/Canned Goods
-Pets
-Cleaning Products
-Storage/Household Goods

Drug Stores:
-CVS store coupons
-coupons/ECBs for my card
-coupons/ECBs for DH’s card
-Oral Care
-Hair Care
-Skin Care
-Makeup
-Air Fresheners
-Medicine
-Baby
-Paper Products/Feminine Hygiene

Even though I can get paper products at the grocery store and cleaning products at the drug store, I put them in the area where I get them most.  Also, because the organizers are so small, I can (and do) carry them all the time. 

I also have a third organizer for my store and restaurant coupons, this one is organized like this:

-Albertson’s
-BJs
-Kids’ Clothing: Gap, Gymboree, Old Navy, The Children’s Place
-Kmart
-Office Stores
-Publix
-Restaurants
-Target
-Walgreens
-Walmart
-Winn-Dixie
-Other (includes Joann’s, Michaels, Bed Bath and Beyond)

In addition to coupons, I also keep recent receipts (for price adjustment purposes) and when I create a shopping list I’ll tuck it, along with the manufacturer’s coupons into the corresponding slot.

Sounds crazy and anal, I know– but I promise you it’s a HUGE time saver and really doesn’t take much time, it’s just part of my routine.  And since I routinely save a HUGE amount of money, well worth the investment of time. 

I’d love to hear and see how you organize YOUR coupons.  Please share and share alike

Happy organizing!