Another blog/website that I frequent is The Krazy Coupon Lady. This site has a TON of online grocery coupons and other great online deals and freebies, all in one place. You can also follow the Krazy Coupon Lady on Twitter or Facebook. I follow on Facebook, which puts all of her posts right into my news feed. Saving money and finding coupons just got a whole lot easier!
Showing posts with label websites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label websites. Show all posts
Friday, August 6, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Finding Online Coupons
I love online coupons, aside from looking for them. A while back, a friend of mine recommended Savvy Sister Shops, and I am just now checking them out. Run by a mom in Utah, this blog finds and posts the latest online coupons and other deals. While some of the coupons and bargains are good only in Utah, many are available nationwide. I'll be checking in with "Savvy Sister" from time to time to see what treasures she unearths.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Vacation Accommodations
I've been busy lately planning our Spring Break trip, arranging airfare, rental cars, and accommodations. We'll be visiting my family in one state, then heading to another state for a college reunion, so it has taken some pretty clever feats of scheduling. I also had to consider the fact that even though there are only four of us, my 13- and 16-year-old sons won't sleep together in the same bed, and I wanted to try to save some money on food by having a kitchen.
So, with those parameters in mind, I checked out a website called VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner) and on Craigslist, under vacation rentals in the city where we would be staying, and ended up renting a luxury apartment in a totally remodeled 1908 mansion with a king bed, twin bed, and two full sleeper sofas for $86/night. We plan to cook breakfast every day and several dinners during our stay.
Because there are only 4 of us, most of the properties were a bit out of our price range because they were meant for larger numbers of people. For larger families, though, this is the way to go. Most of the listings I found during my search were for homes or condos that would sleep upwards of 6 people. For example, a two-bedroom condo in Green Valley Ranch, Nevada (10 min. from Las Vegas) that sleeps 4-6 people rents for $175/night (VRBO). Or, a three-bedroom ski condo in Eden, Utah, that sleeps 6-8 people rents at $150/night (Craigslist). Try putting your family of 6 or 8 in a standard motel or hotel for only $150/night! Add in the fact that the condos/homes almost always have a kitchen stocked with pots, pans, dishes, and utensils, and you save even more by cooking meals instead of eating out.
We're really looking forward to our trip, and I am very excited to see what the apartment is really like. (It looks gorgeous on the website.) Stay tuned for a report after we get back in April!
So, with those parameters in mind, I checked out a website called VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner) and on Craigslist, under vacation rentals in the city where we would be staying, and ended up renting a luxury apartment in a totally remodeled 1908 mansion with a king bed, twin bed, and two full sleeper sofas for $86/night. We plan to cook breakfast every day and several dinners during our stay.
Because there are only 4 of us, most of the properties were a bit out of our price range because they were meant for larger numbers of people. For larger families, though, this is the way to go. Most of the listings I found during my search were for homes or condos that would sleep upwards of 6 people. For example, a two-bedroom condo in Green Valley Ranch, Nevada (10 min. from Las Vegas) that sleeps 4-6 people rents for $175/night (VRBO). Or, a three-bedroom ski condo in Eden, Utah, that sleeps 6-8 people rents at $150/night (Craigslist). Try putting your family of 6 or 8 in a standard motel or hotel for only $150/night! Add in the fact that the condos/homes almost always have a kitchen stocked with pots, pans, dishes, and utensils, and you save even more by cooking meals instead of eating out.
We're really looking forward to our trip, and I am very excited to see what the apartment is really like. (It looks gorgeous on the website.) Stay tuned for a report after we get back in April!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Amazon Prime Shipping
As I mentioned a while back, my husband buys a ton of DVDs from amazon.com. In fact, he's pretty much quit going to Best Buy and Target for them, because Amazon can almost always match (or beat) the brick-and-mortar stores' prices. Just before Christmas, he was offered a free 30-day trial of Amazon's Prime Shipping service, which gives you free 2-day shipping on anything sold by Amazon, or anything sold by a reseller that is fulfilled by Amazon. After the 30-day trial period was over, he immediately signed up for it. It is $79 per year, and like I said, gives you free 2-day shipping as well as expedited shipping at a discounted price. What's really great is that he can share this membership with family members. In addition to our two separate amazon.com accounts, his mother also has an amazon.com account, and we can all use the Prime shipping.
I have to say this is really handy. A few weeks ago, when I noticed that Amazon had a great price on the taco seasoning my family loves, I didn't have to order enough to qualify for their standard Super Saver shipping. When I was looking for a particular seat for use on bleachers, I was made sure to pick a seller that was fulfilled by Amazon, and 2 days later I was sitting in comfort at my son's swim meet.
This Prime shipping membership will more than pay for itself over the course of the year. It makes it very easy to take advantage of the great prices you can find on practically anything at amazon.com.
I have to say this is really handy. A few weeks ago, when I noticed that Amazon had a great price on the taco seasoning my family loves, I didn't have to order enough to qualify for their standard Super Saver shipping. When I was looking for a particular seat for use on bleachers, I was made sure to pick a seller that was fulfilled by Amazon, and 2 days later I was sitting in comfort at my son's swim meet.
This Prime shipping membership will more than pay for itself over the course of the year. It makes it very easy to take advantage of the great prices you can find on practically anything at amazon.com.
Friday, March 5, 2010
SwapMamas.com
Swapmamas.com, like Kashless, is another way to get rid of things you don't want and pick up some nice freebies that you could use. What I find most useful about the site is that the items for trading are listed in different groups, or circles, as SwapMamas calls them. So, if you are only interested in baby clothes or craft supplies, you won't have to slog through a whole bunch of listings for old windows and broken computers. You can also swap items like gift cards and grocery coupons. I joined the gift card swap circle, and offered up a $15 Best Buy gift card, looking for Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, or similar cards in return. So far, no takers. But, the idea is cool.
You can work out a trade with someone who has what you want and wants what you have, or you can give your items to one swapper and get items from another. The giver pays shipping, and gets karma in return (their wording, not mine). The hope is that swappers would be both GIVERS and GETTERS.
SwapMamas goes one step further, adding a social component. To quote from their website, "It's about getting to know other parents, making connections, and doing a little old school trading with friends." I'm not wild on this aspect of the site, to be honest. If I want friends, I'll log in to Facebook. I don't have time to build a social network on a site that is solely for swapping freebies.
I'll let you know if my gift card swap ever pans out. But, in the meantime, take a look at SwapMamas.com and see what you think!
You can work out a trade with someone who has what you want and wants what you have, or you can give your items to one swapper and get items from another. The giver pays shipping, and gets karma in return (their wording, not mine). The hope is that swappers would be both GIVERS and GETTERS.
SwapMamas goes one step further, adding a social component. To quote from their website, "It's about getting to know other parents, making connections, and doing a little old school trading with friends." I'm not wild on this aspect of the site, to be honest. If I want friends, I'll log in to Facebook. I don't have time to build a social network on a site that is solely for swapping freebies.
I'll let you know if my gift card swap ever pans out. But, in the meantime, take a look at SwapMamas.com and see what you think!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Kashless.org
(Real-life Frugality has been overrun with real life lately. While I'm always busy, the past month or so has seemed particularly overwhelming. With things calming down a notch or two, I am once again making a committment to devote more time to this blog. Wish me luck!)
Recently, I've come across a number of websites for trading, bartering, and giving things away for free. I'll be profiling one such site today, with more to follow.
The first site I investigated is Kashless.org. You have to become a member (sign up with an email address and password) to view details on any of the items listed. Once you join, you find the Kashless list for your area, and start browsing. There's everything imaginable on here, from free fill dirt to baby clothes to car parts. Lots of the things that I've seen are listed as broken, or needing some sort of part. (One person listed a printer because it ran out of ink--OK, whatever!) But, if you are willing to search and really get into it, you can find the gems. Kashless also has a reward point system, where you earn points for doing things like posting items to be given away, inviting people to join Kashless, etc. You can then redeem these points for products and coupons. This is Kashless' incentive for extending the life of a product and eliminating waste.
I haven't actually listed anything, or found any thing I needed, but that's only because I haven't had the time. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!
Recently, I've come across a number of websites for trading, bartering, and giving things away for free. I'll be profiling one such site today, with more to follow.
The first site I investigated is Kashless.org. You have to become a member (sign up with an email address and password) to view details on any of the items listed. Once you join, you find the Kashless list for your area, and start browsing. There's everything imaginable on here, from free fill dirt to baby clothes to car parts. Lots of the things that I've seen are listed as broken, or needing some sort of part. (One person listed a printer because it ran out of ink--OK, whatever!) But, if you are willing to search and really get into it, you can find the gems. Kashless also has a reward point system, where you earn points for doing things like posting items to be given away, inviting people to join Kashless, etc. You can then redeem these points for products and coupons. This is Kashless' incentive for extending the life of a product and eliminating waste.
I haven't actually listed anything, or found any thing I needed, but that's only because I haven't had the time. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Don't Bother With This One
A little while ago, I happened across a website called BidCactus, which bills itself as "new type of web-based auction experience that combines the thrill of real world entertainment with the efficiency and value of online shopping...born out of a desire to provide you, the online community, with a fresh approach to 'auction entertainment.'" The term "auction entertainment" should have been a red flag, but I was intrigued by what I was seeing on their home page. There were auctions being offered on brand new technology products like cameras and TVs, as well as gift cards to major retailers. People seemed to be getting these products for pennies on the dollar. Bidding starts at $.10 with no reserve for all items, and go up in 10-cent or 1-cent increments, depending on the item. Now, here's the catch, and what should have caused me to steer clear. Bids cost $0.75 each, and you buy them in bidpacks of 25, 50, 100, 250, or 500 bids. When you bid, the counter gets re-set up to a maximum of 30 seconds. An auction ends when there are no further bids and there is a winner.
It seemed reasonable enough to me, especially when I was seeing items like a digital camera go for 39 cents, or a Bass Pro Shops gift card go for 9 cents. So, I bought a 50-bid pack and set my sights on a Nintendo DS Lite that my son wanted to replace his original DS which was starting to fail. Let's just say I never even got close to winning one. Either I would hesitate too long in the waning seconds of the auction, waiting for "someone else" to bid it up again, or I would hit the Bid Now button, only to have it be too late or somehow not register. 50 bids later, all I had to show for it was a lot of time wasted watching auctions and trying to bid on them.
I kept seeing the same bidders winning item after item, by running the bids up ridiculously high (when you figured that each bid raised the item cost only 1 cent, but in actuality cost 76 cents). I honestly wonder if there are any real people winning these items.
My hubby and I came to the conclusion that this type of online auction is indeed "auction entertainment," or to put it another way, online gambling. Maybe they call the site BidCactus because you are more likely to get stung than win something.
It seemed reasonable enough to me, especially when I was seeing items like a digital camera go for 39 cents, or a Bass Pro Shops gift card go for 9 cents. So, I bought a 50-bid pack and set my sights on a Nintendo DS Lite that my son wanted to replace his original DS which was starting to fail. Let's just say I never even got close to winning one. Either I would hesitate too long in the waning seconds of the auction, waiting for "someone else" to bid it up again, or I would hit the Bid Now button, only to have it be too late or somehow not register. 50 bids later, all I had to show for it was a lot of time wasted watching auctions and trying to bid on them.
I kept seeing the same bidders winning item after item, by running the bids up ridiculously high (when you figured that each bid raised the item cost only 1 cent, but in actuality cost 76 cents). I honestly wonder if there are any real people winning these items.
My hubby and I came to the conclusion that this type of online auction is indeed "auction entertainment," or to put it another way, online gambling. Maybe they call the site BidCactus because you are more likely to get stung than win something.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Buying Used on Amazon.com
My hubby has a DVD habit. A huuuuuuge DVD habit. As in, "Run for your lives, the DVDs are about to take over the entire family room!" It makes me crazy every time another DVD finds its way into our home. I long ago admitted defeat; he uses his own personal spending money on them, so I really can't tell him to stop buying them.
At least he's a bargain shopper. He only buys new releases the first week of release when they are on sale. He compares prices between Target, Best Buy, and amazon.com (especially if he can get free Super Saver shipping). For older DVDs, he buys a lot of them via the amazon.com used marketplace. Prices range from one cent (seriously) to whatever the seller thinks the market can bear, plus a fixed $2.98 shipping fee. The shipping fee is per title, and sellers are not allowed to charge a combined shipping charge if you buy more than one item from the same seller. My hubby's rule for buying a used DVD this way is to not pay more than about $5 or $6, including shipping. He's gotten many titles for only a penny (and still, in my opinion, paid too much).
I have also started checking out the used marketplace to pick up some older books. The standard shipping price for books is $3.99, and, like DVDs, the prices for the books themselves start at 0.01 and go up, depending on condition, popularity, and availability.
So, while checking out a book or DVD from a library would be the best frugal option, if it is a movie or a book that you've just gotta have, buying used on amazon is definitely worth a try.
At least he's a bargain shopper. He only buys new releases the first week of release when they are on sale. He compares prices between Target, Best Buy, and amazon.com (especially if he can get free Super Saver shipping). For older DVDs, he buys a lot of them via the amazon.com used marketplace. Prices range from one cent (seriously) to whatever the seller thinks the market can bear, plus a fixed $2.98 shipping fee. The shipping fee is per title, and sellers are not allowed to charge a combined shipping charge if you buy more than one item from the same seller. My hubby's rule for buying a used DVD this way is to not pay more than about $5 or $6, including shipping. He's gotten many titles for only a penny (and still, in my opinion, paid too much).
I have also started checking out the used marketplace to pick up some older books. The standard shipping price for books is $3.99, and, like DVDs, the prices for the books themselves start at 0.01 and go up, depending on condition, popularity, and availability.
So, while checking out a book or DVD from a library would be the best frugal option, if it is a movie or a book that you've just gotta have, buying used on amazon is definitely worth a try.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Free Nonstick Bakeware
I just ordered a free silicone non-stick, non-burning mini muffin pan from EasyBakeware.com. Well, technically, not free. I did have to pay $7.95 shipping and handling for a product that would have originally been $19.95 before shipping. So, I guess it would be more accurate to say I got a mini muffin pan for less than half price. I've always wanted one, but never justified the expense before. It will be fun to try it out!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
My 15 Seconds of Fame!
Woo hoo! RLF just got some press over at Red Pen, Inc., one of my favorite snarky grammar-related blogs (trust me, even though it's about grammar, spelling, and punctuation, it's a riot). Thanks, Grammarphile!
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