Ebates, Free Money

A fast way to earn some free cash is Ebates.   If you are an online shopper, you can log into Ebates before shopping.  Each purchase earns a % back and once $5 is accumulated in  the account a cheque is mailed out.  Use this money as an extra payment on your debt, or sock it away in your vacation fund.
Sign up from my referral link and comment that you did, we each will earn a kick back.
Ebates:  Log in and earn cash back from your online shopping
 https://www.ebates.ca/referrer?referrerid=dmI00Ysp2yY%3D

It pays to be frugal.
Available on Amazon:

Make a New Outfit

I have a lot of clothes, yet I often feel that I have nothing to wear.  I get most of my clothes at Frenchy's or Value Village piece by piece rarely getting a whole outfit at a time.  Yet I have a lot of tops and bottoms.
I do like shopping in stores and seeing a complete outfit and purchasing it for that "together" look. 
My frugal tip gets messy!  I take all of my sweaters out of my storage trunk and put them on my bed.  Then I take all of my tops put them on the floor. I try to match up a top and a sweater or blazer with something that I haven't paired together before. 
I also usually find a few items during this process that don't fit properly and purge it at the same time.
At the start of a new season I do purchase a new top at a store that is trendy and throw it into the outfit rotation. 
This process takes less than an hour, and keeps me from going to the store and purchasing a few new outfits and that in turn can save hundreds of dollars!
It pays to be frugal.  

Lunch Box Idea

It's that time of year again...back to school.  Packing lunches every day can be just as hard on the head as the pocket book.  This past month I have been picking up items when they are on sale that would make treats in the lunch boxes for the girls and also for me. 
This week Special K bars are on sale for $1.99 at Sobeys, and also Quaker Granola bars are $1.67 a box.  The week before 4 packs of pudding was $1 a package. 
These are definitely treats, as well as a good deal.  I took a bin that was empty in the basement and dumped all the treats inside.  Then I put a note on the outside labeling 1.  The kids get to pick one each day to be in their lunch box.
My hope is this makes the mornings run smoothly!

You've Purged, Now What?

My house is FULL of stuff we don't need.  Now that I challenged you to fill a milk crate or box with items you don't need, I did the same thing!

What to do with it all?

Sort the items that were collected.  Some things may not be worth more than a dollar if they were to be resold.  I put those items into another box that is marked Yard Sale to sell at a future date.

Then I take pictures of items I feel will make some money  with my Ipad.  These aren't always the best pictures, but I find uploading a picture online much easier from an Ipad.  If an item is a name brand and excellent condition I sell it as an individual item. When I have a few similar items that are not a brand name I sell them together.

In my local area there are many Facebook Buy and Sell groups. I think this is the way it is in most areas now. Hop on Facebook and search Market Place for the names of local buy and sell groups and request to join them.

I find items sell much faster on the Facebook groups then on Kijiji, perhaps because people get notifications.

I list the item description and price and wait.  I usually have many ads online to sell at any given time. To help organize it better for me, once an item is posted on Facebook for sale I put it in a Rubbermaid Container. This way I keep track of what items are already posted, and it makes it faster to find the item when it is sold and ready for pickup.

In a few days, if an item doesn't sell on Facebook I put the item on Kijiji if it is an item over $10.  Selling this way I find there isn't as much traffic. Perhaps this is because most of the items I sell are kid items, which are very active on Facebook.

Items on Facebook  I write available under my picture to bump it up, or write my price that I will sell the item for, which also bumps the item up the Facebook page.

A few times a year I make an album on Facebook of all the items and just write pm if you are interested to see if any of my friends are interested in the items.

I suggest avoiding meeting people for pick ups.  Many people don't show up on time and I've been left waiting for people. I have people come to my house. 

Selling online is a lot of effort. I find it worth it, every little bit helps towards the final goal. I don't find adult clothes sell often, but a lot of my items aren't brands this may be why. In two years we made enough to pay for a trip to Disney World using this method. 

IT PAYS TO BE FRUGAL

Purge Challenge!

Ok, my house has a lot of stuff that we don't need!  Tell me it isn't just me that has this problem?  I took a year and went through my house on a regular basis and would throw things into a container to sell or donate. 
Today, I did another sweep of the house.
Grab a milk crate or a small tote and walk through your house and grab some things that you don't love.   Let the crate sit in your basement or in a spare room for a week, and then re-visit it.  You probably won't want to bring the items back into your home. 
You will find it easier to clean your home as an extra bonus.  I also find it easier to sit down and relax, my eyes aren't constantly scanning all the STUFF in the room.
I just filled up a milk crate with kid shoes that they have outgrown but are sitting in the mudroom, and with some containers that I have been cursing in my kitchen this past week.
Are you ready to accept the challenge?

Rain Barrel

Finally it has rained!  At the end of the gutters at our house we have a rain barrel.  The barrel collects rain and we use it to water the plants and gardens outside. 
Perhaps this isn't a frugal tip since water is free, but it is a great tip to use what we have.

It pays to be frugal. 

Share your books

I love to read, it is one of my favourite pass times.  Being frugal, I don't often buy new books at a book store.  I get most of my books at yard sales. It works out well because I do most of my reading in the summer and I find books frequently at yard sales.  Usually books are prices at a dollar a book, that price can't be beat!  Sometimes I get books that are still popular since most people don't keep books after they read them and more people are reading in the summertime.
Another thing I do is share my books.  I have a few friends that we exchange our favourite books.  This works out great  because it gives us something to talk about as well as being frugal. 
I also get books from the library if I am unable to find a book that I am wanting to read.
Happy reading!


It pays to be frugal.