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Frugal Living

How to Make Elegant Fall Window Boxes

by Dana Zeliff on August 26, 20162016-08-26
in Crafts, Frugal Living

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Flowers for Window Boxes

Are your window boxes looking a little scraggly lately? Here are a few ways to make elegant Fall window boxes for the fall season and how to choose flowers for window boxes!

First, let’s try updating a window box that still has some pretty flowers in it. We will keep the flowers and add some fall touches.

Window Box Before

Above is my before picture. The flowers on the edges are still full and pretty, but the center flowers have died off. I added a $1.97 mum from Walmart, some small pumpkins, gourds and burlap ribbon. I also tucked in some dried wheat and mini cat tails.

How to Decorate a Window Box

My flower box looks ready for fall!

After the first frost, I pull out the summer flowers and add more mums (perfect for Fall) and pumpkins. A $2.00 fall leaf garland adds the finishing touch!

DIY Fall Window Box

Voila! Now go create those Fall window boxes!

Window Box Collage:: PIN THIS ::

 

9 comments

Filed Under: Crafts, Frugal Living

How to Find the BEST Deals Shopping Yard Sales

by Dana Zeliff on July 6, 20162016-07-06
in Frugal Living

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Shopping Yards Sales

I asked my mother-in-law to contribute a post about tips for shopping yard sales.  She is a veteran yard sale shopper who has been scouring neighborhoods for the past, well, I might get in trouble if I tell you that 😉

Yard sales are a great way to find household treasures, tools, sports equipment, baby furniture, toys and clothing at a bargain price.  Follow these tips to help maximize your time and savings:

Know your area:  Location is important!  A neighborhood with young families equals infant, toddler or children’s clothing and toys. Children’s clothing and toys resale easy and are usually in excellent condition. An older, established neighborhood could be good for antiques.

Map your area: Mark the newspaper advertisements with your yard sale choices or use an app to help plan your route. Next, check the map for directions or enter the addresses in your GPS/phone, and number each yard sale in the order you will visit. It is usually best to start closest to your home, traveling out to the furthest yard sale of the day.  However, if there is a large neighborhood sale in one of my preferred areas, I will usually venture there first.

[Read more…]

4 comments

Filed Under: Frugal Living

Incredibly Frugal Baking Soda Cleaning Uses

by Dana Zeliff on June 9, 20162016-06-09
in Frugal Living, Other Uses

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Baking Soda Cleaning Uses

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Baking soda is one of the best items you could possibly have in your kitchen pantry. Next to vinegar, it’s one of the most useful and versatile items that you can purchase. Not only is it great for baking, but it’s also an excellent cleaner for areas all around your home.

Have you never tried cleaning with anything but a store bought cleaner before? Here are some great baking soda cleaning uses and cleaning recipes that you can make today.

Frugal Baking Soda Cleaning Uses

Baking Soda for Deodorizing

Have some smelly areas in your home? Use baking soda! Sprinkle baking soda at the bottom of your trash can, in your shoes, or place a whole open box in your fridge. Place an open box of baking soda in just about any area or room in your home that could use a little natural freshening!

Shine Up Your Home

Use baking soda to make your home not only clean, but beautiful and shiny. Start by sprinkling baking soda in and around your sinks, tubs, and other hard surfaces. Spray vinegar from a spray bottle over the baking soda and scrub with a cleaning brush. Wipe clean with a wet rag or paper towel. At the same time you can do your pipes a favor, simple sprinkle baking soda into the pipes and follow by pouring vinegar down the drain. It will help break up any clogs and keep everything flowing and running correctly.

Get Stains Out

Have stains from your pets or kids or anything in your carpet? Use one of baking sodas cleaning uses is to remove those stubborn stains and make your carpet look new again! Wet the area and sprinkle baking soda into the carpet. Scrub it into the fibers of the carpet with a cleaning brush or toothbrush. Spray vinegar over the area and scrub it in. Leave the spot alone for a while until it dries and then vacuum over the area to remove any extra baking soda. The spot should be gone! You can use a similar method to remove stains from clothing.

Ready to find some other useful items in your home that are great for multiple purposes? Check out our article on Uses for Rubbing Alcohol as well!

These are just a few baking soda cleaning uses but there are so many more! What is your favorite?

Check out more articles to find other uses for your favorite products:

  • 10 Surprising Toothpaste Uses
  • 15 Other Uses for Cat Litter
  • 35 Other Uses for Coffee Filters
  • 16 Other Uses for Listerine
  • Incredibly Frugal Baking Soda Cleaning Uses
  • 5 Unique Uses for Rubbing Alcohol
  • 10 Other Uses for Rice {Not Just in the Kitchen}
  • 11 Other Uses for Cascade
  • 8 Fun Uses for Spider Rings
  • 10 Other Uses for Coconut Oil
  • 10 Other Uses for Lotion
  • 5 Frugal Uses for Salt – It’s Way More Than Just a Seasoning!
  • 15 Other Uses for Shaving Cream
  • 20 Other Uses for Dryer Sheets – Not Just for Laundry!

1 Comment

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Other Uses

5 Unique Uses for Rubbing Alcohol

by Dana Zeliff on February 25, 20162016-02-25
in Frugal Living, Other Uses

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Uses for Rubbing Alcohol

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Sure, you know that bottle of rubbing alcohol that you have in your bathroom cupboard is good for cleaning out cuts and scrapes, but did you know that it actually has dozens of uses? Are you using your rubbing alcohol to its full potential?

All the uses for rubbing alcohol below will have you looking at your bottle a little differently the next time you open the cupboard door.

Uses for Rubbing Alcohol

1. Use it to remove permanent marker and crayons. Put some rubbing alcohol on a rag or towel and rub at the stain until it’s gone. This will work on hard surfaces like countertops and floors. You can also use it on walls but you will want to test in a small area first to make sure it won’t take off your paint.

2. Clean your stove with it. Use rubbing alcohol to remove stubborn grease stains on and in your oven. You can also use it to clean your other kitchen appliances and it will give them a nice shine.

3. Make your own ice pack. In a freezer zippered bag, put one part rubbing alcohol and two parts water. Stick in your freezer for the next time someone has an accident. It will get cold but won’t freeze solid!

4. Keep your windows frost free. Mix one quart of water with a half a cup of rubbing alcohol and use it to wash your car windows. It should keep them frost free! Already have frost or ice on your windshield, pour rubbing alcohol right on them and it will dissolve.

5. Homemade Goo Gone. Use your rubbing alcohol anywhere where you would use Goo Gone. Store tags, sticker goo, brand aids, ect. Just pour a little rubbing alcohol on a rag and wipe the sticky stuff right off.

What are some of your favorite uses for rubbing alcohol?  Need more ideas?  How about reading our 5 Uses for Salt.

Check out more articles to find other uses for your favorite products:

  • 10 Surprising Toothpaste Uses
  • 15 Other Uses for Cat Litter
  • 35 Other Uses for Coffee Filters
  • 16 Other Uses for Listerine
  • Incredibly Frugal Baking Soda Cleaning Uses
  • 5 Unique Uses for Rubbing Alcohol
  • 10 Other Uses for Rice {Not Just in the Kitchen}
  • 11 Other Uses for Cascade
  • 8 Fun Uses for Spider Rings
  • 10 Other Uses for Coconut Oil
  • 10 Other Uses for Lotion
  • 5 Frugal Uses for Salt – It’s Way More Than Just a Seasoning!
  • 15 Other Uses for Shaving Cream
  • 20 Other Uses for Dryer Sheets – Not Just for Laundry!

2 comments

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Other Uses

How to Shop a Coupon Event – 10 Tips to Maximize Your Savings

by Dana Zeliff on January 13, 20162016-01-13
in Farm Fresh Weekly Ads, Frugal Living, Harris Teeter Weekly Ad

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

How to Shop a Coupon Event

Coupon Events are a great way to maximize your coupon savings. Stores know that by offering coupon events, they can get shoppers into their store spending money.  Stores increase sales and shoppers walk away with amazing bargains.

Two local grocery stores, Farm Fresh and Harris Teeter, offer double and triple coupon events.   Look for a Harris Teeter coupon event about every 4-6 weeks.  The most frequent event is Super Doubles.  This is when coupons up to and including $2 will be doubled – your $2 coupon will be worth $4!

Simply walking into the grocery store with a stack of coupon isn’t the best way to shop a coupon event.  Maximize your savings with these 10 tips.

How to Shop a Coupon Event:

1.  Visit blogs to find coupon matchups to use as a guide for making your shopping list.  The product price, coupon to use and final price are all listed to help you save.  All the work has already been done for you, so take advantage of this free service.  You’ll find Farm Fresh Supermarket and Harris Teeter Grocery Store matchups here for each event!  Print your shopping list from the matchups or create a an excel spreadsheet for the deals you want to purchase.

2.  Make a shopping list and organize your coupons before heading to the store.  Sort your coupons by priority, so you get free items and you “must haves” first.  When entering the store, head straight to the aisles where you know the items that will be free after coupon are located. Free products always go fast, so make sure they are first on your shopping list.

If you have a shopping list with you, you can have a total in mind.  If you’re total at the register is over what you expected, you can head to Customer Service.  Maybe a coupon didn’t double or an item didn’t ring up at the sale price.  Maybe one of your ZVR coupons didn’t come off – this happens to be a lot!   Take a minute to get these issues fixed while in store.

3.  Shop early.  You know the phase “the early bird gets the worm?” Well, the early shopper gets the deals.  The sales start typically start by 7am, so you could shop before work if you’re an early riser. You can head to the store a bit early, fill up your cart then checkout at 7am.

Can’t get there early?  Don’t fret!  You will still be able to get deals.

4. After you load your cart with FREE items, purchase items with the lowest quantities. A free or cheap item where there are only 15-20 in the store should be high on your priority list.  Products with low quantities can be cleared out fast by just a few shoppers.  Having extra coupons for items you want, but aren’t a priority item is a tip I personally use. If I can’t get one of my first 20 must-haves, I can still pick up a few other items I want to hit 20 coupons.

5.  Products in the health and beauty section tend to have a lower stock and are harder for the stores to get shipped quickly.  It may take a week for that cheap deodorant to be shipped to the store (unless it was pre-ordered) but those Goldfish may only take a day or two.

6. Shop multiple days to take advantage of restocking & get to use more coupons.  Ask your local store when trucks come in and plan to arrive that evening or the next morning when more items have been added to the shelves.  Does your store not restock during events?  Talk with the manager, call corporate or shop at a different store.

7.  Get a raincheck if the store is out of stock.  The high value coupon will not double outside of event dates, but you can get the same sale price during another coupon event.  Harris Teeter rainchecks are valid for one year.  It is highly likely that another coupon will be available to paired with the raincheck within that year.  Don’t forget about using previously earned rainchecks to score deals during the event!  Make sure to show the raincheck to your cashier, so your item is entered at the raincheck price.

8.  Know the store coupon policy.  All stores have specific policies for coupon redemption.  How many coupons can you use, how many like coupons, can coupons be “stacked?” Locally, Harris Teeter and Farm Fresh both limit customers to 20 coupons doubled per day.  Harris Teeter has a limit of 3 like coupons while Farm Fresh has a limit of 2 like coupons.

9.  Get a loyalty card for your store & load e-coupons.  Most stores require a store card for coupons to double.  Harris Teeter requires you to scan your VIC card or provide your phone number.  You should also sign up for e-VIC for other special offers & e-Coupons. Farm Fresh does not have a shoppers card. UPDATE:  Farm Fresh now has a loyalty card, but you don’t need to scan it to get the sales price.

Harris Teeter e-VIC coupons can be “stacked” with manufacture savings.  Always load your e-coupons before shopping or do it from your phone on the HT App while shopping.

10. Use the online shopping feature (Express Lane)  to check prices.  Harris Teeter & Farm Fresh both have the option to shop online.  Use this feature to check prices of items you plan to purchase.  This is especially great to check the price on old printables, peelies or other coupons you may have that aren’t listed in the matchups.

Bonus tip – One of the most important tips is to be respectful of other shoppers &store employees.  Consider letting other shoppers check out ahead of you and either limit your quantities in each store or special order.  If something doesn’t work out the way you expected, remain calm and friendly with the cashier or manager.  Politeness goes a long way.  If they won’t double your coupon, return the item and move on.  It’s not worth getting upset over.

We all have a common goal-saving our family money!

What are your tips for shopping coupon events?

9 comments

Filed Under: Farm Fresh Weekly Ads, Frugal Living, Harris Teeter Weekly Ad

How to Save Money at Bath and Body Works by Getting Cheap Bath and Body Works

by Dana Zeliff on November 6, 20152015-11-06
in Frugal Living, How to Save Money at...

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

How to Save Money at Bath and Body Works
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If you are looking for some great holiday gifts, Bath and Body Works can be your one stop shop.  As you know, they are retailers of some of the sweetest scents around. But what you may not know is there are so many ways to score more of their smell good products for less. Take a look below at seven ways to save money at Bath and Body Works this holiday season.

How to get Cheap Bath and Body Works products:

1. Sign up for their email list. When you sign up for the BBW email list, you will receive a coupon good for various free products.  This coupon shows up typically within an hour or so upon sign up. In the past it has been for a free trial size item but offers may vary. Get on the list and you can be sure to receive coupons and special discount codes via email all season long.

Also, when they ask for your E-mail and phone number at the end of the purchase you want to give it to them. If you enter your info each time, they will send more/better coupons and more tailored to what you buy. *tip from a sales associate

2. Make two transactions. You can only use one coupon per transaction, but there are so many good ones available how do you know which to use? Instead, try doing two transactions. When you do, you can use one coupon per sale, making your budget stretch even further.

3. Grab those post sale coupons. During the holidays, when you make a purchase the cashier will give you a $10/$30 coupon to use on your next purchase. If you know you are going to want to purchase a pricier perfume, bathrobe, or candle, buy your smaller and less expensive items first, get the coupon, and then use it to get a whopping $10 off your larger purchase of one of those items.

4. Peek online. Many times, the online storefront for BBW will run specials not available in the store. Check the website at www.bathandbodyworks.com periodically to see what specials might be available. You can even check for coupon codes before shopping right HERE on The Coupon Challenge to see if you can score free shipping or additional money off.

5. Head to the clearance shelf. Each BBW store has a clearance area, full of marked down products. Give this area a good once over to see what products you can still use for gift giving. Chances are these products will have a fall theme, but as long as the scent is nice, your recipient is sure not to mind.

6. Buy gift sets and disassemble them. BBW offers gift sets with a variety of lovely products, and most are priced at a discount since you are buying them as a set. Why not buy one of these sets (using a coupon of course!) and take it apart. You can then use the individual products in stockings or as small gifts for co- workers, baby sitters, teachers, etc.

7. Call the company. If you contact the BBW company via the contact information on their website, they will send you a 20% off coupon to use on your next purchase. Just call and give your opinion and praise and they will be happy to send one. It is a great way to save a little more.

As you can see, there are so many ways to save at Bath and Body Works this holiday season. You can stock up on all of the beauty products, scents, scrubs, and bath accessories for less and come up with some gifts your friends are sure to love. So consider these tips the next time you decide to shop there and score your scents for less.

How do you find Cheap Bath and Body Works products?

8 comments

Filed Under: Frugal Living, How to Save Money at...

Week 40: How to Plan a Weekly Menu {Money and Time Saving Tips}

by Dana Zeliff on October 6, 20152015-10-06
in Budget, Eliminate Debt & Curb Spending, Frugal Living, Menu Plan

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Eliminate Debt Series 1000x1000

You are reading Week 40 of 52 Weeks to Eliminate Debt & Curb Spending. Please read the overview here to learn more about the series & get your FREE financial planner. If you just joined us, please start with week 1.

It’s 5 o’clock. What’s for dinner?

Do you find yourself struggling for dinner ideas at the last minute or heading through the drive-through after work?  If you do, consider creating a menu plan to help take the stress out of mealtime.

Menu planning is preparing a written calendar of meals in advance. It can be as simple as writing down a dinner schedule for the week or as complex as including breakfast, lunch, and dinner for an entire month.  Whichever route you take, menu planning helps take the guesswork out of meals, which can be a huge time and money-saver.

Why should you plan a menu?

  • Eliminates the 5 pm, “what’s for dinner” question
  • Potential for more variety
  • Save money
  • Waste less

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Budget, Eliminate Debt & Curb Spending, Frugal Living, Menu Plan


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About The Coupon Challenge

Hi! I'm Dana, the writer behind the scenes of The Coupon Challenge, a Hampton Roads, VA based coupon blog. I'm a wife and mother of 2. After getting out of debt we started using our savings to travel together as a family and create memories.

Are you looking for ways to save your family money? I strive to help you save on the products you need, so you can spend more on the things you want. Read More about Dana & Family

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