rachaelvoorhees / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
I’m bowling on the cheap this summer and I want to share — ok, brag — about how I’m doing it. Since I signed my sister up to receive free bowling passes we’ll be spending quite a bit of time at our local AMF.
I look just as cute in my new robe! guelphguy / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
I headed to IKEA this past weekend in search of a kitchen island and left with bathrobes. Oye! I couldn’t help myself as I’d been looking for comfy robes for a while. At the register, I received a wonderful surprise. IKEA has a rewards card! Am I the last one to know?
While in line, I was debating my purchase with my sister and the cashier chimed in.
Lucy at three months!
Now that I’m never again shopping at Babies R Us, Amazon is my go to store for baby supplies. (See updated pic of my baby at right!) Last week I discovered an amazing Amazon deal when I returned a baby swaddling blanket
The blanket, which I highly recommend for new parents, helps my daughter Lucy sleep by keeping her tightly wrapped up. She grew out of size small so I ordered her a larger size. Each SwaddleMe blanket cost just under $10 when I bought them.
But when the blanket arrived I realized
401K / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Recently a conversation at our dinner table turned into a chat about college. My sister is in the ninth grade, but time flies. We discussed several options to reduce her college bill and I share six of them below. My main advice was to work hard and get good grades as this will eventually help her pay for her higher education.
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Last week, my sister was on spring break and we took full advantage of her school-free days. I had to work, but made time for several trips to museums, the library and the beach. I even learned one more way to get into museums for free – no sneaking in required! Is your spring break coming up? Check out my post about spring break ideas on a budget.
I had planned on taking my sister to the Los Angeles County Museum on its free admission day. Only problem is I got the dates mixed up. D’oh! We were already at the front of the line when I realize the mix up.
Lucy is 9 weeks old!
I had a terrible customer service experience at Babies R Us yesterday, and I’ll never shop there again. Here’s what happened.
Weeks ago I purchased three boxes of Lansinoh nursing pads (they keep milk from leaking out of your boobs into your shirt). I quickly realized three boxes was too many, and brought in my online receipt with two of the still unopened, new boxes.
At the return counter, a clerk told me I needed the packing receipt but would call headquarters to get a return number. Meanwhile, I headed to the cloth diaper section and loaded $231 worth of gPants into my cart. (Lucy is almost ready to move up to size medium, 14-26 pounds).
Back at the counter,
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
EvelynGiggles/flickr
My kids recently went to see “The Lorax” and when they came home, my son proudly told me that he discovered a great bargain. From opening until 11:59 a.m., tickets for any movie are $6. After noon, the price jumped almost twice as much.
This got me thinking about the various ways to save money on movie theater tickets. Yazmin also has 12 easy ways to save money at the movies.
thinkretail / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Shh! It’s a secret. This weekend I bought my sister’s birthday gift and scored a nice deal. I received an email with a 40% off coupon from the GAP. There was a caveat. The coupon indicated I had to use my GAP card. I’ve been trying to lay off the plastic especially my retail credit cards so I wasn’t very happy about it. Oh, what the heck!
Will college eventually be free? Credit: Will Folsom
This post is brought to you by Event Management Degree.
I was wide awake at 2 a.m. with my new baby, Lucy Ellen, when a story on my iPhone about free online college classes caught my eye. The classes are free, and job recruiters pay for leads to top grads. Sounds like a winning formula to me.
Could this model of higher education be the answer to the crushing cost of college? Something my husband and I are now thinking about. (A friend told us he’d saved every month and the account for his daughter, now a senior in high school, won’t even cover one semester of college. So much for a 529 plan!)
401K / Flickr
This post is brought to you by Bankers Life and Casualty Company.
Creating a financial budget that puts you first is essential for women who faced with the decision to help themselves or others would opt for the latter. Guilty.
Most of my life I’ve been told that a person’s budget is a reflection of their beliefs and morals and because of that I’ve struggled to put myself first. I’d be lying if I said I’ve figured out the perfect budget because there isn’t a one size fits all. What I’ve come up with is a budget that takes care of me first and also supports my beliefs. Here’s how I’ve allocated my money.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
Love book made from deck of cards
I am so glad that it is finally time to start making Valentine’s Day crafts. I just love them. Can’t get enough of those hearts and flowers and rainbows and paper doilies.
I found eight lovely and do-able Valentine’s crafts.
- Little felt heart pins. These are so simple and yet so sweet. Just a bit of felt cut into heart shapes, hand stitched and stuffed with a little pin backing.
- A garland of love. Print out pictures of your loved one(s) and cut into the shape of hearts. Glue picture on a heart shape red card. Tie heart onto a string. Make a garland of love. (more…)
A baby nursery for less than $260!
Remember my post from October about looking for a pregnant Halloween costume? Well, the time has *almost* come. Here are nine ways I’ve saved money in preparation for parenthood.
- We compared the prices of popular baby gear on Amazon, Babies R Us, and Target to make sure we got the best deal on a car seat and other items we wanted to buy new. You’d be surprised which retailer was the cheapest!
- I stalked craigslist, Freecycle, and my local Mommy & Me consignment store to furnish our nursery, pictured above, for less than $260. I can’t believe how much used baby stuff is free or extremely cheap. Here are more places to look to avoid paying retail for baby clothesand gear. (more…)
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
TFDuesing/flickr
If you want something you don’t have the money for, figure out how to make it. (I’ve already talked about getting things by swapping or repurposing).
Personally, I have found that learning to make something is the best way to go. I get what I need, and I know how to repair it. Here are my five favorite sites to go to when I want to learn new things:
- General instructions - Instructables - You can learn anything from how to carve a pumpkin to how to build your own computer to how to construct a rocket ship. Instructables has more pictures and instructions than videos.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
rachel_titiriga/flickr
I live in Southern California, the land of the lemon tree. With so many donations from friends, I have found tons of uses for the mighty little lemon.
Here are ten of my favorites:
- Lemon juice and salt on your copper bottom pans make an instant cleaning miracle. Just sprinkle the salt on the copper bottom, then squirt on some lemon juice and give a gentle scrub. Your copper will shine like the day it was made. This works on any copper surface, not just pot bottoms.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
Urban Woodstalker/flickr
Do you know the main idea that separates people who live over-budget from those who live under-budget?
People who go over-budget do so because they think they must have NEW stuff. This often translates into buying at the highest price. Go to the mall and buy a new shirt. Top dollar. Go to the car dealer and buy a new replacement part for your car. Super top dollar. Go to the bookstore and buy a just published book. Very expensive.
Some people feel that it is “bad” or “uncool” or “low class” to buy recycled, used, or discounted. Well, if you are super rich and have money to burn, then, be my guest and buy retail. I surely want to go to your yard sales and I certainly don’t want to try and balance your budget.
