by Hope
How many of you are members of rewards programs at the different stores you are shopping at this Christmas? Go ahead and raise your hand, we can’t see you. I think I’ve mentioned before different earnings I’ve gotten from the rewards programs. I am members of a ton of them…only free ones. And this month I’ve gotten lots of freebies or special coupons because it’s my birth month.
I mentioned that Christmas was going to be very learn, even non-existent from me in regards to actual purchased items in my last post. Then I collected our mail before we headed out of town. And there it was a $10 coupon to Dick’s Sporting Goods, no minimum purchase required.
Princess and I dropped Gymnast at the local gym for his practice and ran across the street to the store. I ran right to the clearance rack in the boy’s section and found my $10.46 pair of gym shorts for little Gymnast. I paid $0.46!
I should have taken a picture, but I rushed back to wrap them. They are white. I would never buy white, even though he’s begged every time he gets new shorts . But I figured at $0.46, if he ruined them, I wouldn’t cry too much. Now he will have 3 pairs of shorts to work out in (he’s going to the gym 20 hours a week.) A great blessing since we don’t have a washer and dryer so keeping him in clean shorts daily can be a challenge!
Tell me about your shopping win this Christmas season! (I will post a picture of him in his new white shorts when tries them on after Christmas!)
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
On Cyber Monday (I think), Kohl’s had a deal with which, between rebates, Kohl’s cash, and Ebates, I got my daughter a toaster oven, a griddle, and a crock pot for free. She will be getting her own place sometime in the next year, and this was a good way to get her started. I did have to spend the Kohl’s cash, but I used it to buy socks and a hat (which were on sale, of course, and I ordered online for store pick-up and also went through Ebates) for an Angel Tree child, so it was money I was going to spend,anyway.
That is awesome! My other proud Christmas gift was a $3 craft box (one of those clear boxes with dividers for craft supplies) for Princess from Walmart. Sea Cadet got her a bunch of earrings. I decorated the craft box with Sharpie markers and make her a jewelry box. The perfect size for packing on our trips and great way to organize her new earrings!
Little gymnast is going to be thrilled. Great! Hope, its so Good to hear from you. Thank you for taking The time to write this Little Update
He is! I am pretty proud of Gymnast Christmas gifts this year. And he’s the kid who is going to squeal with delight at all of them. In addition to my $0.46 short win, I was able to get Gymnast a blue towel, a cheap electric toothbrush, his very own comb (he’s been sharing Princess,) and a handmade gift certificate for an ice cream from his favorite place at home. I am so blessed with children who will think this very frugal Christmas is “the best Christmas ever!” And I am looking forward to seeing their faces light up with the little treasures I have been able to get them.
That’s a great score! I did something similar with a Target coupon the other day. I usually try to avoid Target because of all the temptation, but I went because I had a $10 off $10 or more Christmas decor purchase. I found a nice wooden Merry Christmas sign to put up in our new home which didn’t cost me anything because it was $10.
I love those $$$ off with no minimum purchase! And I am with you on Target being a dangerous place to shop!
That’s great Hope! Usually I make a game out of it when I get those types of coupons. All summer I stocked up on things from JC Penney with the $10 off $10 or more purchase. Around here the clearance racks are full(maybe they are other places too.) So I’ve managed to score free PJ’s, pants, shirts, gloves, etc. I always feel like I’m winning the lottery when I walk out and spend less than a dollar!
It’s great that your children are able to get joy in these things as well. You are raising them right!
That’s a great find!!
Each year I think of a per person spending limit, and I go over it. Last year I decided the base the spending limit on the full retail value, not that actual sale price. I did fairly well last year. This year, money is tighter, or at least it feels tighter with the fiancé moving and the household budget going into an adjustment period, so I lowered the spending limit.
And I am sticking to it.
I have 2 people who always put items on the list that exceed my spending limit. So this year I didn’t ask. I now have only 3 people left to shop for, including the one of the two with pricey tastes. I should be able to find something for her that she will like. She’s one of the people I can always find a present for. I think the time crunch helped me keep the budget in line – as I get close to the deadline I just make snap decisions instead of wavering. I’ll probably hit the mall tomorrow night (ugh) and finish the shopping.
I love getting these vouchers, it makes me feel as though I’ve really achieved something, well done you!