Thrifty Tip Tuesday: Comic Wrapping Paper!

Aren’t these presents so cute??  Save yourself some money by saving all your Sunday newspaper comic’s and using them for wrapping presents later. They are especially cute at birthday parties for kids. Just add some accessories like bows + ribbon and you have yourself a fun wrapped present.

You could add ribbon, raffia, buttons, flowers, and I have even once tied on a little McDonalds toy to the bow with ribbon to add to the “comic-look”.

Using the Comics as wrapping paper is a great way for you to save a little money + its great for the environment too.

What other ideas have you found for thrifty wrapping paper?

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Thrifty Tip Tuesday: Print on Scratch Paper

 

Today’s Thrifty Tip is to print your printable coupons on scratch paper!  I have been known to take my kids old  homework paper (if its blank on the back) or other random papers and just stick those in my printer to print off my coupons.  Yes, sometimes I may hand the cashier a pink printable, but they don’t mind. As long as it scans I am good to go.

Savin money on printer paper…seems simple but the savings can really add up and its great for the environment.

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Check out my Guest Post on School Lunches

While I was in Canada I wrote a guest post and it was posted over at Saving with Amy . I would love to have you all go on over and check it out..it was all about Back to School Lunch Ideas and thrifty choices!  Leave a comment with your favorite back to school lunch choices too!

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Thrifty Tip: Shopko’s Kid Tough Program

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite frugal tips…buying kids clothing at Shopko!

Shopko’s “The Kid Tough Promise” is a cool program where you buy your childrens clothing at Shopko, and if your child wears them out before they outgrow them you can exchange the item for a new one! You don’t even need your reciept. This program can save you so much money if your kids like to wear through their clothes quickly.

Shopko is really nice about it too. I have done this multiple times when my kids wear the knees out in their pants too soon or tear a hole in a shirt. You can just bring the item in and exchange it for one with an exact size. Its awesome. No more getting upset when my child wears out those new jeans in a week..lol! (Exclusions on this program are shoes, underwear and socks)

This week there are amazing prices on jeans at Shopko (8/14- 8/23) :

Sunday & Monday only
Bailey’s Point Boys Carpenter Loose Fit Denim or Green Soda Girls 5-Pocket Jeans for $9.88 each with in-ad coupon!

All Week Long Deals
Girls Green Soda Jeans $11.88
Squeeze Girls Skinny Jeans $13.88
Boys Jeans $11.88
Boys Levi Strauss or Wrangler Jeans $14.88

I love to do a lot of my back to school kids clothing shopping at Shopko. See if there is a Shopko near you here. Have you tried out this Kid Tough Program? What do you think of it?

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Thrifty Tip Tuesday: Home-made Baby Wipes

Do you have a baby with sensitive skin? Or just want to do things a little more on the natural/organic side? You can home-make your very own baby wipes. It only takes a few ingredients and you would be suprised at how inexpensive and quick they are to make.

Ingredients:
1 Roll of Paper Towels (I recommend Viva as it has a nice cotton feel to it)
2 Cups Water
2 Tbsp. any Baby Oil, Apricot Oil, Mineral Oil, or Tea Tree Oil/ Malaleuca(anti-fungal)
1 Tbsp. Baby Wash (optional)
1 water-tight container (I love the Ziploc large round tub)

Directions:
Take the paper towel roll and cut in in half. You can take some large kitchen shears or a sharp knife. To the Water-tight container add your water, 2 Tbsp. any of the oils listed and optionally the baby wash. Gently mix the ingredients together and drop in the paper towel half. Seal the container and flip upside down. Within about 10-15 minutes normally the whole roll has been absorbed. Open it up and remove the cardboard paper towel holder and you can start using the wipes!

Baby Oil + other oils
I know from my baby shower I already had lots of baby oil that people had given me. I had NO IDEA what to do with baby oil, so I just didn’t use it. As for other oils you can find them at natural food stores or possibly even at Fred Meyer. My sister-in-law buys the Burts Bee’s apricot oil because she loves the smell. She doesn’t add the baby wash to her’s either. Another friend uses the J&J Lavendar baby oil to make her’s smell better. Other’s use the Tea Tree Oil/Melaleuca because it’s an antifungal/antibacterial which will help if your baby gets yeast infections.

Price Breakdown:
Typically you can get the Viva paper towels for around $1 per roll. I have seen them as low as $7.99 for a 10-pack at Target. This week at RiteAid you can get a 6-pack for $5.99 (or $1 per roll). The Viva rolls have 50 sheets, so when you cut the roll in half you get 100 wipes.

Baby oil + generic baby wash can be purchased as low as $1 at the dollar store or if you coupon you might score a great deal. The oil and wash hold enough 10+ batches of wipes..so it costs about .20 per roll.

So these cost about $1.20 for 100 Wipes! Yes, it’s not as good as our FREE Pampers wipes deal, but still a very thrifty way to save money if you have a baby. I know these have been a miracle cure for my sister-in-law’s + friends babies with super sensitive skin.

Thanks Angela + Becky for your recipies. Have any of you made your own home-made baby wipes? What do you think of them?

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Thrifty Tip Tuesday: Coffee Filter Snack Holders

This thrifty tip was shared by fistfulofcoupons reader, Shelly! She said, “My current favorite frugal tip is to use coffee filters for the endless snacks my kids eat, instead of plates. They are cheap, and easy to dispose of.”

I picked up a package of 200 coffee filters for around $1 at the beginning of the summer. They have been so nice on the days where I am busy and dont want to do the dishes (pretty much everyday). That one package has lasted so very long..and I am not even half-way through it. The waste is less than paper plates too.  My daughter likes to think of them like little white flowers she has her snacks in.. 

 Some of the things I put in them are:
Raisins, marshmallows, fishy-crackers, granola, fruit slices, dried fruit, sandwiches, carrots + veggies, chocolate chips, graham crackers, home-made soup (just kidding), chips, popcorn, grapes, + more.

Have you tried using the coffee filters as snacks? What do you put in them?

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Thrifty Tip Tuesday: Save $$ at the FAIR

Do you have a local county FAIR in your area? I do and I am a big fan. I love going to mine every year. Yes, its hot and crowded…but I love the booth’s, the food (oh heaven help me..the greasy deliciousness…), the carnival rides, the animals.  It’s become a nice little family tradition for me and my wild bunch, but it can be so expensive if you pay full price. So I am going to share my thriftiest tips on how to save money at the FAIR!

Thrifty Fair Savings Tip #1: Enter exhibit’s at the Fair. Most of the time there is a small fee to enter your exhibit’s at the Fair, but depending on your fair you often score a FREE admission ticket for one day at the fair.  Plus, you can earn that $5 back (plus extra in my experience) by winning ribbons. Some of the different things you could exhibit are:

Homemade Clothing,Furnishings and Handi-Crafts
Ceramics
Photography
Poetry, and other Creative Writing
Wheat Craft
Tole Painting
Scarecrows, Crazy Critters & Pumpkins
Food & Veggies from your Garden
Your home canned goodies
Flowers
Scrapbook pages
Beadwork
animals
+ more (the list goes on and on)

 Locally, at our Benton-Franklin county Fair it costs $5 to enter per person. You can enter as many exhibits as are allowed for that first $5. You also get a FREE ticket for general admission to the fair for one day, one per person registering (that is a $12 savings for an adult). For children entering you get a FREE child pass (not an extra adult one).  Here is how we actually MADE money by entering the fair last year:

I entered exhibits for Photography, Poetry, and Scrapbooking. (paid $5)
Daughter #1 entered exhibits for Photography, Poetry and a Crazy Critter (paid $5)
Son #1 entered exhibits for Photography, Poetry and a Crazy Critter (paid $5)
Daughter #2 entered a Crazy Critter (paid $5)

We recieved One Adult pass and 3 children free admissions to the fair. After the fair was over the fair mailed us out some checks for our ribbons. Mine came to $10, My daughter recieved $18.60. My son recieved $7.50 and my 4 year old recieved $2.50.

Total paid: $20 to enter
- recieved 4 free tickets for admission ($27 value)
+ recieved back $38.60 in checks!
= $18.60 money maker + $27 in admission ticket savings!

It was such a fun experience as well to work together as a family to make some crafts, take photos and work on poetry. Plus at the fair my kids loved running to the different exhibit buildings to see their creations. They were so proud of their little blue and red ribbons!

Thrifty Fair Savings Tip #2: Bring your own beverages + pack a lunch or snacks. Fair food can get pricey..but if you are on a tight budget just come prepared and you won’t have to spend it all away on a $5 lemonade. I always try to pack in some bottled water since its always so hot. 

 Thrifty Fair Savings Tip #3: Budget yourself by only carrying cash with you. Think ahead of time how much you want to spend and only carry that amount of cash with you. That way you will not be tempted to over spend or buy the cool items in the booth-areas. If you only have $20 to spend in your pocket you will be more likely to say no to that $200 fancy smanchy curling iron you don’t need. If I really want something at the time I will just ask the company if they have a business card or web address that I can look up later at home. By the time I get home most of the time I realize that I didn’t really need it as badly as I thought.

Thrifty Fair Savings Tip #4: Buy tickets early to save + watch for FREE admission days.      When I lived in Yakima a few years ago they had certain days/hours that were FREE admission to the Central Washington State Fair. I would take advantage of the savings & choose to take my family during that time.   If your fair doesn’t offer FREE days check to see if you can purchase your tickets early for savings.  At the Benton-Franklin county fair if you buy your admission tickets before August 1st you will save $2 per adult ticket and $1 per child ticket. Plus if you are planning on buying the Childrens Wristbands for the carnival rides you will save $5 each if you buy before Aug 1st.  (If I purchased them now for my 4 children I would save an additional $20 by shopping early.)

Thrifty Fair Savings Tip #5: Look for programs that save.     Keep an eye out for kids reading programs that offer free kids Fair Admissions when they read so many books or complete the program. The past few years my children have been able to earn them via school and library reading programs. Last year our childrens Elementary school had a reading summer program, and the child who read the most books would score a FREE T-Shirt and 2 Carnival Wristbands. My son worked really hard and read, read + read. He won and I was thrilled with the Carnival Wristband savings!

 

Hope you have a lot of fun at the fair this year. Do you have a Thrifty Tip you would like to share? Please email me with your ideas to (fistfulofcoupons@live.com).

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Thrifty Tip Tuesday: Open your Windows at Night

Summertime. How I love summertime. Its so hot and there is always so much we can do. Oh and don’t get me started on the blue skies…(sigh). Here in my town, we have been getting 95 degree temperatures…so it’s h.o.t.  With that heat I of course I have been cranking on my Air Conditioner on stay cool. But Central Air Conditioning uses more electricity on your bill than anything else (in warmer regions its up to 60-70% of the bill). So here is a thrifty tip to save money on your electricity bill this summer.

Thrifty Tip: Shut off your A/C at night. Just open those windows, use a fan, shower or even throw on a wet-wrung out shirt before bed to keep cool as well.

I can remember spending one summer in St. George, UT where it is really HOT (like 105+ daily) in a house with my grandma. She did  not have air conditioning. So, when I first arrived I thought I would die. “No AC Grandma??” I asked. “How can one survive?” She assured me it would be okay. And, it was possible, (while I wouldn’t recommend going completely without A/C for all my readers out there…) How I survived was I took a cold shower right before going to bed. My wet hair kept me cool all night. Plus the windows were all opened and we had a nice breeze going through. I slept well and kept cool all night.

So shut off that A/C for a night. Go ahead and give it a try. You can save a lot of money this summer by reducing your electricity bill.

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Fathers Day Gift Ideas *Share yours ideas too!*

Fathers Day is coming soon {June 20th} and many of us are looking for that perfect Fathers Day gift to give. Guys are sometimes so hard to shop for!  Here are a few thrifty ways to say “Happy Fathers Day”  without having to spend too much $$!

::Thrifty Fathers Day Gift Ideas::

 

Make him a FREE “Personalized”  Mousepad: click here for details {coupon might be available still, or might not}.

 Take him out to dinner using a gift certificate from Restaurant.com. To read about how to use these click here.

** Get him a Sunday Newspaper Subscription (you get the coupons, he gets the paper, wink wink!)

** Make a free coupon book, there is a free download here.

**Make a goody basket from all the free razors, shaving cream + mens body wash you coupon for!

 

** this cute idea from Dandee: Incredible Be Cause {I.B.C. Rootbeer with special messages from everyone in the family} love it!

 

 

** Date with Dad {have each of your kids pick their favorie place to eat, activity to do or place to go. Get a gift certificate to that place and the two of them can use it together. Put them all in a gift basket}

 

Celebrate with Italian Sodas!

 

 

 

If you have a cool Father’s Day Gift Idea please share it with us all! Feel free to link to here if you have a blog, we all need all the help we can get with guy gifts. As it gets closer to Fathers Day I am sure there will be lots of great freebies to restaurants and stores, so keep checking back here as I will be posting them!

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Thrifty Tip: Which Mop to use?

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite thrifty tips for you all. My mop.  I have been through many mops..sponge head ones, swiffer wetjet, clorox wet-jet, rag style + many more. But they were either really annoying to use, felt they werent strong enough, or I had to constantly buy replacement heads or cleaner, which cost me lots of money.  So I am pleased to share my favorite mop with you all that saves me both time + money.

The BEST mop that I just adore is actually the SWIFFER SWEEPER! (Yes, I did just say sweeper…)

It comes in this little green box at most stores including Walmart, Albertsons, Target, Walgreens, Rite Aid ect. and runs around $7-$10.

I don’t use it as a sweeper however, I use it as a MOP! The swiffer sweeper has 4 little holes to put the swiffer sweeper pads into, but I do not use the pads or refills. I use my own cleaning wash-cloths. The base (bottom of sweeper) is actually kind of a rubbery-spongy type material, so it is perfect for scrubbing floors with a wash-cloth wrapped around it.

I simply fill up my sink, dip my wet wash-cloth in and attach it to the Swiffer Sweeper. I make sure and tuck some of the wash-cloth into each of the Swiffer Sweeper holes so it hangs onto it while I mop. 

Then I just mop! That wash-cloth scrubs well, just like if you were hand washing the floor. If you have something really sticky or big just spray it with a cleaning agent (like Windex multi-purpose cleaner a lot of us have scored cheap lately) and let it sit, it should come right up with that mop.

When you are done mopping, you can just throw your wash-cloth into the wash! I feel this not only makes me feel safe from germs + bacteria, but saves me money because I dont have to purchase all the refills.

If you have hardwood floors, this is great because your floors don’t get too wet, plus you can dry them with a dry cloth after you mop using this Swiffer sweeper too.

Hey, if we have to mop, we might as well save money doing it right?

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Tip: Secret recipe for healing sunburns

As you know I am in Hawaii right now, probably using this very recipe I am going to share with you. I am sure I will be applying sunscreen every 3 hours, but my pasty white skin will probably still burn! My bro in law Mark taught us this amazing recipe and has worked miracles on many of my own + my children’s sunburns (note:I wouldnt recomment if you have burnt your skin to the blistering state or worse..).

When you first notice you have a sunburn try to put this salve on asap. Sometimes the sunburns dont really show until the evening of an-out-in-the-sun-too-long event, so I will put it on the kids when they get ready for bed. By morning most of the sunburn has totally disappeared or significantly decreased. And this just makes me smile, who knew two little ingredients could make me so happy?

 

Take Aloe Vera + Vitamin E Oil

 

Use equal amounts, normally I use about a tablespoon of each. Just mix them together and apply all over any sunburns. By morning most of the pain and sunburn has disappeared for me!

Hope you never sunburn, but if you do, try this out! Its a pain-saver for sure.

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