Saturday, April 26, 2008

PhotoHunt: Theme - unique/funny signs




If I check Craigslist maybe I can find someone who has "LOVE For Rent".

Bicycle For Wullie

A few days ago we found ourselves early for an appointment with our insurance agent. He's several towns over so we wanted to make sure we gave ourselves plenty of time to get there. In order to use up a bit of the extra time we stopped at the Salvation Army Thrift. We have been to this store many times and have always walked away disappointed. I don't know if folks just don't donate anything vintage anymore or if the antique dealers are always there ahead of us. I suspect the later. Yet again, we found nothing of value - to collect or sell that is.

We did find one excellent bargain - a bike for Wullie. The back tire is somewhat worn and the seat had a few torn spots that were easily covered with black tape. Because of these small flaws the bike was only $6. We happened to have a set of training wheels we found at a garage sale last year for a buck so our total investment was $7.42 (including sales tax). Grandpa lowered the handle bars and seat. Wullie can just reach the pedals now but by Fall I am sure he will be a perfect fit.

We found a bike for Beth at the end of last summer. So, OK, I must admit there are times we are not frugal. After looking for a bike at garage sales all season and posting "wanted" blurbs on Freecycle we finally gave up. We bought her a bike on sale. Grandpa was still working at the time and we could afford it. We refused to get her a pretty pink one (although she would have loved it). We bought one that had more of a boy's look so that it would eventually go to Wullie. So much for that strategy - now he has his own that is the same size as Beth's. Bless his heart - he's so pleased with himself that he's a "big boy" too!

We happen to live on a dead end street that loops in a circle at the back. Traffic is minimal so it's a perfect place for the kids to ride their bikes. They are not allowed on the road though without an adult with them. Every once in awhile a vehicle will zip on through and the driver won't be watching for youngsters so it can be dangerous. But this creates a real problem for me and Grandpa. The kids pedal so fast it is impossible for us to keep up on foot. We now need bicycles too! Know what we'll be looking for at garage sales this summer!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Freebies From Menards



Frugal Grandpa's #1, all time favorite store is Menards. He always needs something. Now that he has retired he heads off to the home improvement center almost daily. In the past I would go with him but didn't particularly enjoy the experience - lumber and tools just didn't turn me on. But over the years Menards has become more female friendly. They now have books, magazines, greeting cards, home decor, toys and even groceries! And their seasonal & holiday displays are fantastic.

Everyone in our family takes advantage of the Freebies Menard's offers. Recently we have acquired duct tape, gutter scoop, and a couple utility lighters for only the cost of sales tax and postage to mail in the rebates. The trick is to make sure you mail off those rebates immediately and we always do.

Recently Menards had a Freebie I was really excited about - photo storage boxes - you were allowed a total of 4. Now, I do need to organize photos, but I also want to get many of my rubber stamps easier to access. So this time I am concentrating on them. These boxes are perfect - they fit nicely on the shelf and look neat and tidy. The graphic design on the box tells me its contents. The box with birthday cake and candles holds my birthday stamps. The box with fairy princesses and red hearts holds my Valentine/heart stamps. And the Daisy decorated container has all my floral/botanical items. The second Fairy Princess box is for Beth - its so nice to have a home for all those Polly Pocket pieces.

What can I say - I love freebies and now I really love going to Menard's!!!
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Thursday, April 10, 2008

Rubber Ducky For Baby




I never go out of my way to find post holiday sales. If I happen across one - fantastic - if not - oh well. I was in the local grocery store yesterday and spied this cute rubber ducky family. It was on sale - all Easter items 75% off. That made momma ducky and three ducklings only $1.00. I happened to think that baby will be with us next Easter - the four duckys would be a perfect basket filler for him/her. OK, into my cart!

There were lots and lots of plush bunnies and chicks left on the shelf. The price was super good and I really had a very hard time convincing myself NOT to buy. Beth and Wullie already have so many stuffed animals and you just know baby will receive some for Christmas. It was a struggle but I said "NO" to the temptation.



The Easter items were pretty well picked over so the only other thing I found were these cute bunny container bubbles for 50 cents each - of course I had to buy three - even baby needs bubbles - right?

Charles and Di hit a 75% off Easter sale at the local Walgreens. I don't know what they bought but Charles said the only thing they will have to supply next Spring is the candy.

Stock piling gifts a year in advance isn't for everyone. But for our family it's a smart, frugal strategy.