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.
Win this book today at FrugalFestival.com
WE ARE HAVING A FOOD SWAP AT FRUGAL FESTIVAL FOOD! on June 25 in LA. Wahoo!
Don’t forget to enter your recipe in our contest to win fabulous prizes!
A new site makes saving money on groceries easy and helps you plan your grocery trips.
The winners of yesterday’s contest for “Vegan on the Cheap” have been announced!
Today’s lightening giveaway is for “Gluten-free on a Shoestring.” Don’t miss out!
Bring your homemade jam, bread, herbs, and other goodies to swap! Credit: jeffreyw/Flickr
We are super psyched to announce there will be a food swap at Frugal Festival Food on June 25!!! Make sure to reserve a spot now.
A swap item worth trading for. Credit: knitgirl63/Flickr
Another story that caught my eye in the May issue of ShopSmart magazine is where NOT to shop online. The thing is, I totally disagree! What do you think?
- Warehouse clubs – ShopSmart argues that non-members pay a surcharge of 5% online, wiping out savings.
I say, do the math. If you’re spending less than
I share five must read blog posts about saving money every Friday.
Wonder why your gas bill is so high? Here are 10 culprits. (Change of Address)
Itching for a new wardrobe? Find a swap near you on Swap.com, which recently acquired my Frugal Festival! co-sponsors from 2010, The Swapaholics. The link even has a guide on how to host your own swap. Cool beans!
Be a frugal traveler without missing out. Here are seven tips from Lonely Planet, including three tips I never thought of. Thanks to my Dad for sharing this one!
Biggest drugstore mark ups. These 11 products are marked ups as much as 399%. (WalletPop)
Morbid, but true. Don’t take your passwords to your grave, or you’ll cause your family additional strife. (MSN Money Central)
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
LA Swapaholics Sip & Swap
Last week I went to a great swap run by The Swapaholics, co-hosts of last year’s Frugal Festival. Swaps come in all different sizes and shapes. Some are free. Some you have to pay to get in. Some are in person. Some are virtual. You can swap everything from houses to horses. Either way, swaps are a big money saver.
To get the most value out of a swap, here are the five things you need to know:
- The merchandise is tied to the people who attend the event. If you are looking for plus-size clothes and everyone at the swap is pencil thin, you won’t find anything but accessories. The best way to find the kind of swap you want is to search online for “swap”+ “your city”+ “qualifier.” The qualifier is the kind of swap that you are looking for such as mom, kid, toys, plants, plus-size, books, or recipes. So you might search “swap Los Angeles kids.”
- I believe in swapping karma. (more…)
Clothing swaps have given way to swaps of make up, vegetables, and cars. Credit: alanadanielle88/Flickr
This post was brought to you by Workwear, specialists in uniforms and corporate clothing.
Think swapping is just for clothes fanatics? If you’ve ever used Netflix, Craigslist, or attended a garage sale, you are a swapper. I recently talked to Melissa Massello, co-founder of TheSwapaholics, which was recently acquired by Swap.com, about swapping beauty products, vegetables, and cars. Full disclosure: Melissa and I co-hosted a swapping event called the Frugal Festival this past July. At the end of our interview, I pulled together resources to find a swap near you, what to bring to a swap, and swap tips for newbies.
Clothing swapping is fast becoming main stream. Clothing swaps have been around, as one blogger said, for as long as women knew their friends had closets. (more…)
Smashbox - Here are three Smashbox beauty coupons you may be able to combine for a triple savings whammy!
Back to school deals - Here is my latest round up of back to school deals through August 7, 2010, including a free backpack at Office Depot with a $10 purchase. Nice!
Free kids clothes swapping trial - Here is a swapping coupon for a free trial membership at ThredUp, and online site that facilities the swapping of children’s clothes.
Check back this afternoon for the latest coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
Yazmin Cruz
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
The Frugal Festival was the first time I had been to any kind of swap. That day, as volunteers and I sorted through clothes, the anticipation built in the room. Come the swap start the anticipation turned to excitement as hundreds of people rushed in the doors to swap. I didn’t swap then, but got my first swapping experience this past weekend.
I was invited to a garden swap in the Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Highland Park, California where gardeners exchanged everything from tools to produce.
I must admit I was a skeptic. I didn’t think I’d end up liking it as much as I did. I don’t even like participating in Secret Santa come Christmas time because I usually end up with the worst gift. But not this time.
The swap was free of charge and was organized much like the Frugal Festival. There was a specific area for everything people brought to swap like plants, seeds, magazines, produce and “worm tea,” which is worm pee used for fertilizing.
I arrived a little late but was still able to exchange the seeds I had brought with me. I had all kinds of seeds including dill, broccoli rabe, kale, and lima beans. I also had seeds that I’d harvested myself like basil and cilantro seeds.
Here’s my haul and approximately how much I saved:
- “Organic Gardening” magazine – $3.99
- “Sunset” magazine – $4.99
- Heirloom cucumber seeds – $2
- Organic Plums (10) – $6.90
- Organic Tomatoes (2 lbs.) – $5
- Aloe Vera plant – $4
- Organic Bay Leaves – $4
- Organic Pineapple Sage – $2
Total Saved: $32.88
My goods.
I am now a believer – swapping is the new shopping. If you’ve never participated in a swap, you must. BargainBabe.com writer Bobbi wrote a post on how to get the most out of a swap that is essential to read before heading to your first swap.
I already leafed through my magazines and found yummy recipes using my tomatoes and bay leaves, and I can’t wait to try my pineapple sage tea, which I hear is good for anxiety. The only thing I wasn’t able to get was the worm tea, but I hear the community garden is looking to have swaps every last Sunday of the month and you know I’ll be there.
What kind of swaps have you participated in and how much money have you saved?
If you are new to clothing swaps or missed the Frugal Festival, this video explains what a swap is and how they work, plus shows you how much fun this year’s event was. If you attended the Frugal Fest on June 19, look for your cameo. There are a lot of them! Click on the video below to watch.
Today only! Get 25% off with this Banana Republic coupon, which expires June 30, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Online only.
Got kids? Want a cheap source of clothes? Join ThredUp and get the Pro membership (worth $30/year) free for two months. It ends up being about $.81 per item of clothing. Cheap!
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
If you missed my interview on NBC last week about the Frugal Festival, watch it below. The volume is really low, unfortunately.
Will look cute for food.
The 25 VIP tickets to the Frugal Festival are sold out! However, you can still get a ticket to the clothing swap this Saturday, June 19 at the NoHo Performing Arts Center, 11020 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.
Raffle prizes and goodies for the reusable bags each swapper receives are arriving everyday in the mail! Today my two dogs nearly bit the FedEx delivery guy when they accidentally escaped. They look sweet, above, but have uncontrollable mailman phobias. Also, they only sit for photos when bribed with kibble.
I literally jumped out of bed at 6:43 a.m. this morning because I realized there are only FIVE DAYS UNTIL THE FRUGAL FESTIVAL! Breathe deeply, everything will be fine…
AAAAAAAAAAG!
To prepare for the one-day clothing/media/housewares swap we wrote a post about how the swap actually works (there are many ways to run a swap) on the Frugal Festival blog. Tip: you can take home whatever you can stuff into the free reusable bag you will receive with admission.
We also negotiated a hot 10% discount at the nearby thrift shop Someone Else’s for Frugal Fest swappers. Just another reason to come to the swap this Saturday, June 19 at the NoHo Performing Arts Center at 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood. Drop off is 10 a.m. to noon. The swap starts at 1 p.m. SHARP.
Buy your Frugal Festival ticket through Goldstar.
Just one week until the Frugal Festival Summer Swap June 19. I am so excited! Goodies and prizes from sponsors WalletPop, Savings, Lozo.com, Free Fun La, Holiday Inn Santa Monica, Yelp, Restaurant.com, and others are arriving everyday. We just got word at Mani-Kir Royal salon is raffling off a $25 gift certificate!
I’m making a stash of my stuff to swap, including…
- Two pairs of pumps, including one pair I wore twice five years ago. Psst, it’s okay to swap/buy used shoes.
- A gently-used copy of California Camping by Tom Stienstra
- A brand new pair of size 8-9 hot pink animal stripped slippers, above
- A handful of tops, blouses, sweaters, and other clothes
- A slim leather black belt with white stitching (actually, I’m on the fence about this)
What are you going to swap?
Details: the swap is June 19, 1-3 p.m. at the NoHo Performing Arts Center, 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood. Drop off is 10-noon same day. Tickets $5 if you have swappables, $10 if not, or $15 for a VIP ticket. Tickets sold exclusively through Goldstar.
