Thrifty Thursday - $5 Home Fixes

A friend forwarded me this great article.  After reading the article it reminded me of one of my favorite under $5 fixes - the Norwex Spirinetts!  The Spirinetts look like tiny balls of yarn, that are made of thin, flat, curly strands of rust-proof stainless steel. They are made for the kitchen, but I only use them in our shower.  They miraculously clean away soap scum with just water!  I have tried so many products on my shower and this is my favorite.  They can be used to get sticky residue off things along with scrubbing pans.

So for Thrifty Thursday this week, enjoy the article titled $5 Home Fixes to see what great ideas they have for under $5!

If you want please feel free to leave a comment of any great $5 or under home fixes you love.

Thrifty Thursday - Sears Kidvantage Program

So I was swamped with other duties and drawing a blank on what to do for today's write-up.  Then I saw information on Sears' Kidvantage Program from a reader of Money Saving Mom and thought how appropriate for today's idea. 

If you follow my blog, I wrote about Sports Authority's Sneaker Warranty.  This is a similar program, except it is free and only good on children's shoes and clothes.  The cool thing is you can earn coupons as well.

You must have your receipt for name brand items, but Sears brand you do not.  You just return an item if it is worn out, but this does not include staining.

We buy school uniforms from Sears, so in the future I will definitely be signing up for this program just in case.

Thrifty Thursday - Do you need to pay a lot for phone service?

Well as I see our bill come in every month and see that our mobile minutes rarely get used, I pondered on the idea of getting rid of our land line.  I figured people rarely call us on that line and we are only using a third of the allowable minutes on our mobile line.  This is mainly due to the fact that most friends and family are on the same network, and those numbers that are not, we entered them as our 10 "extra" numbers that can be considered in-network with the plan we have.

So I started discussing with my husband and asking around to find out if anyone we knew gave up their land line and why.  Most people had the same reasons as ours, but they also said why pay all those extra taxes and fees when you are not even using the line.  My husband's only hesitation if something would happen that causes the mobile lines to be full and the ability of dialing 911 for our sitters or children.  My hesitation is the fact that we have a fax and we do use it once in awhile.

I called our phone company and asked about the different options and settled on the fact that it would only be after taxes and fees, $12 to have a land line.  With this plan there is no charge for incoming calls, however any call we make is .10/call or .10/min for long distance.  Therefore, we chose to keep our land line, but it cut our bill by $30.  This only took a 10 minute phone call.

Other options people shared with me were things like magicJack.  Friends we have loved using this service which is similar to Vonage or Skype, but cheaper at only $39.95 initially, then $19.95/year after the first year which is included in the purchase.  We hesitated because it goes through your Internet provider and again if service goes down and the 911 factor.

I think a lot of us just stick with what we always had, instead of what you truly need.  If you are looking to cut something out of your budget, consider an evaluation of your utilities.  It is amazing what one phone call can do.  This is the second time this has happened.  The first time was when I inquired about a mailing for our gas company that resulted in a significant savings.

Has anyone either removed their land line or have any other thoughts on this topic?

Thrifty Thursday - Ebates

Ebates is an awesome site that goes right along with the mission of my blog.  We all shop and most do so online.  Well Ebates is way for you to cash in on the purchases made online.  Certain stores give you a percentage back when you go through Ebates.  Ebates sends you a check, deposits into your PayPal account or donates to your favorite charity four times a year or more.

When I first went on I was amazed how easy it was.  You type in the store you want to go to, then you click search.  Ebates takes you right to the site and logs it, so when you place the order it will take the percentage of your order and place into your account.  Most are 2%, but the one I happen to go on was Old Navy and they were 10% at the time.  They also list sales going on, so for instance if a store is having 30% off they will have the code you should enter at checkout.

The other thing I loved is that they list the sites you frequent so if you click on "MyEbates" after logging in, you can see and just click from there.  The hardest thing to remember is to go to Ebates first before you start shopping, but after a couple times it becomes habit. 

If you want you can sign up here and get a bonus $5.  It is free and I don't know why anyone wouldn't sign up.

Thrifty Thursday - Sneaker Warranty?!

So I was talking the other day to my sister about this blog because she had been following it via Facebook and didn't realize that Mrs. P, was me ;-)  During this discussion she told me about her recent find that I couldn't pass up sharing for this week's Thrifty Thursday.

Sport's Authority offers an extended warranty on sneakers.  For a small fee, you can purchase an extended coverage for sneakers for an entire year.  You simply return the sneaks that are less than perfect and trade them for a new pair.  If the new pair is the same price no pay nothing.  If they are more expensive you pay the difference. The brochure says that the warranty covers "defects in materials and workmanship" including "normal wear and tear" such as "sole separation, seam rips and separation, fabric discoloration or color bleeding and broken fasteners (eyelet)."  If you exchange, you have to purchase a new plan with the next pair but I think it would be worth the investment.  The plan goes into effect after Sport's Authority's 30-day return policy.  The exceptions I saw included fire, theft, acts of God, invasion or act of foreign enemy, civil war, rebellion or civil commotion.

The breakdown for the plan is as follows:
If the shoes are $29.99 - $49.99 the plan costs $4.99
If the shoes are $50-$99.99 the plan costs $9.99
If the shoes are $100-$199.99 the plan costs $15.99

In my eyes not bad especially if you and/or kids are hard on your shoes. My first thought was my daughter who is REALLY hard on her sneakers.  I have bought expensive and cheap and she is equal opportunity wearer-outer.  I read some reviews online and it seems those that have used the service were happy and once you exchange you get a check in the mail for the cost of the original shoes.  That may deter some from participating, but not this thrifty shopper!

Has anyone reading this ever taken advantage of this program?

Thrifty Thursday - Thrifty Dates

This week I will discuss thrifty ways to spend time with the one you love!  My husband and I have always enjoyed date nights together.  One must get creative after having kids, but they are so much more important after having kids so you both can reconnect as a couple.  These ideas can be for couples with or without kids.  Some may seem obvious, but we often need reminders of simple yet fun ideas!

• Take a walk through a local city/town and end at a cafe.
• Check to see in there are any local concerts going on that are usually free or low cost.  You can check Eventful which has a lot of events listed. 
• Miniature golf or bowling can fun and fairly cheap
• If you really need to get out for a meal, checkout gift certificates from Restaurant.com. They offer highly discounted gift certificates to local restaurants. Make sure to read the fine print though, or even call the restaurant before you purchase to make sure you’re aware of any limitations that the gift certificates come with.
• If you want to do a movie, go to the matinee. Then grab something to eat afterwards and talk about the movie and possibly still eat on the lunch menu prices.
• If you don't have sitters or are not lucky to have family around, there are other options.  First you could swap with another couple.  You and your spouse go out while the other couple keeps your children and vice versa.  Or you could get one sitter to watch all the kids and split the cost with the other couple you are going out with.
• We often do a date night at home.  Our kids usually are in bed by 8 pm, but on date nights we will put them down at 7 pm.  I will then have a meal just for us and we can eat by candlelight and enjoy a movie or play a game.  I also buy "movie theater" candy when it goes on sale and keep it in the pantry for times like this along with some fresh popped popcorn.
• Pack a picnic lunch/dinner and head out to a public park. Don't forget the blanket to sit together and enjoy the scenery. This could also work at home as well, either during nap time or the evening.

Do you have any thrifty date ideas?  Please leave it in the comment section.

Thrifty Thursday - Activity Bags

This week's idea is a cheap way to entertain the kiddos in your family as most of you have them home for the summer and while traveling for vacation.  I came across this idea a couple years ago.  I thought what a great idea for traveling, while getting dinner ready, or talking on the phone, uninterrupted.  The original bags I made came from a website Activity Bags.  I did a swap with other moms.  We had 10 moms, so we each made 10 of the same activity.  Then we got together for a ladies night where we swapped the bags.  When we left we each had 10 different activities for our kids.  Each bag typically doesn't cost more than $1/bag.  I store these in our kitchen for easy access when I need some quiet time or during that witching hour of 5-6 pm for dinner preparation.  The great thing about the activity bags, is that they are self -guided.  Therefore most kids do not require assistance.

These bags got my head going with ideas of other ways to use the same concept.  I figured if I put one activity in one Ziploc, they could play with that, but it back, then get another bag out keeping the car tidy while traveling.  So for our beach vacation last year I looked in the kids room.  From this I came up with bags that included:

1. View finder with slides
2. Mini Doodle Board
3. Coloring book with a couple crayons
4. A couple reading books
5. Leapster/Diji with games
6. Mix Stix
7. Sewing Kit
8. Mr Potato Head with enough to make one full body
9. Flash Cards
10. Cars
11. Some of their favorite DVDs
12. Sweet Treat
13. Water Bottles
14. Snacks  

Once I figured out what activities, I purchased some plastic baskets from the dollar store and put all the bags in, then placed the baskets between the kids in the van.  I also included a bag of extra batteries, pencils, and scissors just in case.  It worked out fabulous and on the way down they never once asked to watch a movie.

Thrifty Thursday - When will it go on sale?

I will be posting each Thursday with a new tip that will help you in your goal to be thrifty.

This week I am listing when items typically will go on sale so you can plan and get the best deal.

• Appliances - Holiday Weekends
• Cameras &Camcorders - February, March
• Carpet & Flooring - January
• China & Flatware - March, September
• Computers - August, December
• Cookware - May, June, December
• Dining Furniture - October, November
• Electronics - Spring and early summer, also Black Friday and Cyber Monday
• Furniture - January, July, holiday weekends
• Holiday Decor - Day after the holiday
• Linens - January
• Mattresses - May through August
• Paint - Summer
• Patio Furniture - After Labor Day
• Plants, Trees, and Shrubs - Fall
• Small Appliances - December
• Snow blowers - April
• Televisions - Early Spring, also 6 to 12 months after a particular model is launched
• Vacuum Cleaners - April, May

*source Better Homes and Gardens, July 2010