Support Local

At first glance, buying locally can seem rather expensive. Shopping at Grocery stores, buying your gas, eating out, renting services such as home repair, car repair, etc.... Usually these things cost a little bit more than going elsewhere, but I would encourage you to buy/shop locally. Here's my reasoning. 1. You save on gas, in fact, if you walk to places, you don't even use gas and you get a bit of exercise. Not a huge thing, but every penny counts, right. 2. It keeps local businesses in business. If you're putting your money there, they aren't forced to shut down or move elsewhere to stay in business. It also shows their perspective owners (of big corporations such as Kroger) that they are needed there and can continue to make money there. 3. Many times, you run into people you know, it's like your hanging out with your friends, and it's always nice to run into your friends (unless you didn't comb your hair or something) and have a short conversation. I mean, have you heard of facebook, it's kind of like that, but actually happening in real time. 4. Time saving, if you do everything locally, you're closer to it, so it doesn't take as much time as it would to do it 15 or 20 minutes away, or it doesn't make it such a chore. And I think we can all agree, more time, is always nice. So, what are you waiting for. Do stuff, just do stuff locally.

Bored with Board Games?

Try ThoughtHammer.com. I know, what does a board gaming site have to do with deals. Well, if you have ever looked into buying board games, especially the cool ones they don't sell at Target or Walmart, then you understand that they are ridiculously expensive. Well, that's where Thoughthammer steps in. They have the best prices (or close to) any board game seller out there and if you order enough you get free shipping, which is always plus. So, what are you waiting for, go start enjoying some quality board gaming time.

Back to the Future Does It Again

A Few Video Game Deals. I know, but it's who I am, so I'm just spreading the love. First up, a throwback video game for free, based on the Back to the Future movies we all love: click here. Next up, a game that's by the same company called Sam and Max, also for free: click here. And then a few 15% off codes to our favorite shops. Gamestop, just click here and Amazon. For Amazon, you just have to add a video game to your cart and enter the code: GAMESAVE. Enjoy!

Community Events Can Be Frugal

So, our local fire station puts on an open house every year. I know, you're probably saying, whoopee, but I actually look forward to this thing. Let me tell you why and you'll understand my frugal mind. 1. The kids love it and are entertained for like 2 hours straight. It's like going to a theme park in your back yard and you don't even have to pay. 2. It breaks up the same old thing of everyday life. This makes everyone feel better. 3. Since it's in our community, we know most of the people there, so it's like hanging out with your friends, plus your kids think you planned the whole thing and invited their friends. 4. Probably the most important thing, to a frugal person like myself, is that you get a free meal, which means not only did you not have to make it, but it's awesome food like pizza, popcorn, cider and donuts. All it cost you was absolutely nothing. Ah, priceless. And oh ya, somewhere in there the kids learn about something I'm sure. So, be on the lookout for free community events, your library should have that stuff posted and I'm guessing most fire stations do stuff like this around fire safety month.

Now, Here's a Cheap Date

Step 1. Print 2 free Taco Bell Orange 'n Creme Swirl Frutistas (here)

Step 2. Print 2 coupons for California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas (here), they end up being $.50 each.

Step 3. Rent a free rental from Redbox using a previous post of mine (here)

Step 4. Grab some early Halloween candy from work that everyone seems to currently have (not here)

Step 5. Put the kids to bed (a must)

Step 6. Enjoy your date.

Pick Things Up Once

Quick Tip: When you touch something such as a bill, something you need to put away, something you need to do, etc... Do it then. If you just keep moving things around and setting them elsewhere, you are wasting your time and also leaving the possibility of forgetting it altogether. So, if you pick something up to move it or put it in your to do pile, take care of it then.

Amazon Does It Again

If you have an Amazon.com Rewards Visa Credit Card read on. If you don't have one, you might want to think about getting one. Amazon.com and their Rewards Visa card tends to offer some pretty sweet deals. The current one is as follows: Purchase an Amazon.com gift card(s) in increments of $50 and then, sometime before Thanksgiving, they will send you another gift card that is equal to 5% of how much in gift cards you purchased. So, it's like getting a 5% investment. (A $100 gift card would basically give you $105 when it's all said and done.) While this might not seem that great, a 5% investment is a good investment, so you just have to ask yourself if Amazon.com is where you want to invest your money. Christmas is coming up, so if you were going to purchase something from there, you might as well buy some gift cards and use them on gifts, and netting yourself some extra money along the way. Here is a link to the Amazon.com deal.

August Birthday in October

So, I've talked about Toys R Us and their kid's birthday club before, but I just wanted to recap what we were able to get yesterday when we took our son to celebrate his August birthday. (I realize it's October, but the gift card didn't expire until this week, like I've stated before, drag the excitement out as long as you can.) Anyway, they gave him a balloon, a birthday crown, a shout out over the loudspeaker, he got to play with Thomas trains, picked out a dinosaur toy and got a motorcycle hot wheel. All for the low cost of $1. (Thanks to the birthday gift card they sent us.) He was overjoyed with the whole thing. Ah, to be young again, or just to have Toys R Us send me a gift card, either way would be fine. I thank you once again Toys R Us.

Using Imagination to Make Yourself Feel Better

OK, so whatthefrugal, right. The other night, we had pizza, which for most of us is pretty normal, but let's take it to the extreme, right. First, I had two coupons for a free kids junior pizza from Hungry Howies, but 2 of those wasn't going to be enough to fill us up, so I called Marco's Pizza to order a large special for about 8 bucks. Usually, we don't buy pizza unless it's a crazy deal, and to me, a large for $8 was not a super awesome deal, but to make myself feel better and to make sure we had enough to eat, I came up with this deal in my head: Buy a large pizza for 7.99 and get two small pizzas free. OK, I feel better. See, you don't always have to get a deal to make yourself feel frugal, you can make one up in your head. Ah, the power of the imagination.

Thank You Nagle's Market

So, last night the kids and I were able to have some free ice cream cones, thanks to a local ice cream shop. It's was from our library's summer reading program, but we just went and got it yesterday. Sometimes it pays (or frees) to save treats (such as gift cards for free ice cream). Bringing them up on a rainy day or on a night with nothing to do. I mean why not save them for a bit and let that excitement carry over, especially since you're already excited about getting it when you got it the first time, now you can live that excitement all over again.

Is It Worth It: Walgreens Register Rewards

Yes, again I say yes, but there are a few rules to follow:
1. Only buy the products you need or can use. Buying other things can possibly waste your money and waste your time, which is valuable.
2. Walgreens only allows 1 manufacturer coupon per item and if you are using a Register Reward, that counts as one.
3. Combine Register Reward items with coupons when possible. Coupon Crazy Chris is a website that will help you do exactly that.
4. Make sure to use your Register Reward before it expires. Mark the expiration date on a calendar that you will look at.
5. Don't spend your register rewards on useless things. If you have too many register rewards, you can "trick" Walgreens buy purchasing a gift card with those Register Rewards when you use them in combination with another product.

Espresso Royale - Coffee Extraordinaire With Specials

Buying coffee (especially the mixed coffee types) can be rather expensive. Well, Espresso Royale is trying to help you out this month. They have created an Autumn Favorites menu that let's you get half off a certain drink of the day. Enjoy and start your morning off right!

Since we're on the Topic of Qdoba

If you're looking for a cheap meal or on a cheap date, Qdoba (similar restaurants include Panara Bread and Noodles and Company) is a pretty good option. They're quick, they taste good and you don't have to pay a tip, which is awesome and saves you a few dollars. Like other places, Qdoba has a point card  and you get a free meal if you eat there often enough. So, enjoy the fast and relatively inexpensive goodness of Qdoba.

Crazy Qdoba Promotion

Qdoba, the fast food Mexican restaurant is doing a crazy promotion right now. Basically, click here, click the skip intro button on the bottom right, then click the print a coupon section that comes up on the next page. It takes about 30 seconds to do and at the end you get either a buy 1 get 1 free coupon or a 50 percent off your order coupon. Two great coupons for a great quick lunch or dinner. Plus, you can do it as many times as you want. So, what are you waiting for. Get clickin'.

Gamestop Daily Deal

OK, now I realize that not every one of you plays video games, but I'm sure you know somebody who does and I'm sure you also know how expensive they can be. So, here's a tip. Gamestop offers a deal of the day. It ranges from discounts on games, to free shipping, to free stuff. It changes every day and if you're patient, then generally it can work out very well for you. Enjoy and make somebody's day.

The only .net Site I Go To

I'm talking about Slickdeals.net. It's amazing to me how many people know about and utilize this site. Basically, this site is a current listing of active deals on the Internet. It updates multiple times a day and there always seems to be one that catches my eye. But, if you're always looking for deals and thinking about others for things such as birthdays, this site can be a great resource. Just be careful, because part of being frugal means spending wisely, not spending a ton, saving money on great deals.

Borders Bookstore and all its Perks

So Borders, the bookstore, has a few programs available and I just learned about a pretty awesome one today. Basically, they have a rewards card like everyone else and you earn points for spending money at Borders. You have to spend quite a bit though, so it depends if that program is worth it to you. Now, here's the cool program I learned about today. Borders Rewards Perks, this has a few options. One, you get a discount to certain places listed on their site and those offers continually change. They also have limited time offers (self explanatory), VIP in store events, which have different special events going on in their stores, and the last and coolest perk being their Overwhelming Offers. Basically, it's Black Friday (ridiculously good) deals every week day. The catch is that it starts at a certain time and it only lasts until the item is gone, so you have to be prepared and have a quick connection. You can get an e-mail sent daily that tells you what the upcoming deal will be. So, Borders, not only sells great books, they now are putting together great deals for us to enjoy. Get those trigger fingers ready and start clicking.

an Ace in the Hardware

Now, this is a bit of a strange one, but Ace Hardware, yes the hardware store, actually has a pretty good rewards program. If you sign up at their store, they'll give you a handy dandy rewards card (can someone please come up with a better way) and you just scan it every time you make a purchase. The purchases give you points, etc... etc... etc... The thing is you actually get rewarded for having their card. At least every other month they are sending me coupons or 5 bucks off some purchase. Now, here's where it gets good. Ace also has a huge rebate program that's simple to use online. Most of the time the items are free or a buck. You buy those in combination with your rewards card and you are on your way to lots of great free stuff or at least cheaper stuff you need. Just make sure you sign up to receive their ad or look online each week and you'll also agree that ace is a helpful place to save some cash.

Quality and the Amish

Being frugal doesn't mean buying cheap. It means purchasing quality items (or getting them free) that are both useful and that will last. Many products out there are made extremely cheap and will break or be useless after just a few uses. The Amish are known for their quality. Both their food and their furniture are amazing. While you can not use the term inexpensive to refer to the cost of their products. They are a great quality product for what you are paying for. In fact, they will probably outlast or at least look immensely better than any other product you purchase somewhere. Plus, their furniture is made of real wood, which is practically impossible to find anywhere at this point in American culture. So, I recommend that if you want to save some money, purchase from the Amish, you usually can find somewhere within a few hours drive and you'll probably only have to buy one of that particular product in your lifetime.Enjoy.

Buy For Christmas ... in August?

I know, that seems ridiculous right. But, I'm serious. If you start thinking about Christmas, Birthdays, any sort of gift buying day early, you'll almost always save money, plus you'll have it done way beforehand and not have to worry about it. And that my friend is what WhatTheFrugal.com is all about.