October Frugalistas 2021

[hjffkj]

So, what are every ones plans/goals for October? How are you guys planning for the upcoming holiday season and the new year, which is somehow quickly approaching?

As I said in a Sept post,  we as a family are refocusing on our frugal side.  We haven't been overspending for our income level but just for our personalities and I don't like it.  I haven't quite figured out how I want to go about it in oct though.  Do a stick to a specific budget amount for categories or do I just say things like 'no eating out' 'no purchasing new clothes' etc? I'll sit down with dh today or tomorrow to see how he wants to approach it.  We do have one planned bigger expense this month, which is dh and I are going away for 2 nights.  The hotel room should be paid for with points but the rest of the trip not necessarily.

Financial goals wise:  Ebay is back in full swing now that I am 100% done at my parents' house.  The goal for Oct is list 25 items a week and now that dh is working in the office I can convert his wfh office to my ebay office.  Once I get a table a lighting in there listing things will be easy.  I'll take pictures during the day and will list while I'm at dance waiting for kids. 

Christmas shopping is coming along nicely.  I'd like to be done the extended family shopping in oct so I can have nov for shopping for the kids, which I think is going to be very difficult this year.

[Soror]

October Goals:

-55.5% car fund (50% previous goal- currently at 45.7%)- *If* VipKid doesn't die at the end of this month I hope to get that to 58%+ but who the heck knows

-87.5%+ of home repair & maintenance fund (currently at 75%)

Still keeping an eye on job openings. If VIPKID goes under I hope I can move my new job earlier to get more hours in there. I am still considering a seasonal job locally. 

Dh has a pretty big item up on eBay that will cover half of what we need to fill the rest of the home fund and the medical fund. Fingers crossed and all that.

I only have a few more items to list around here. I might do that this month (not feeling overly motivated but we'll see)

I probably won't do any Christmas shopping until November (continuing to set money aside and grow the Crowdtap for some extra).

I have a bit set aside for Halloween. I'll likely take the girls trick or treating and to a pumpkin farm at some point.

No big expenses that I know of coming up (I keep saying that and things keep happening but maybe this month it will actually be true).

 

 

[WildflowerMom]

I'm going to try to jump back in this month!    Thanks for doing this every month!  

I am done Christmas shopping unless ds thinks of something else specific for me to get him.   I just need to grab a few things for his stocking like an eyeglass kit (he started wearing glasses and needs one for his vehicle), some food gift cards, etc.   I'll spread it out between now and Christmas.  

We got 2 out of 3 vehicles paid off this year and I really want to put a lot toward that last one and knock it out.   But dh is wanting to up our 401k.   I really think paying off the truck needs to be priority.   I so wish we lived somewhere that we could get by with only one vehicle. 

We need to rethink our tv subscription packages.  I could do with just youtubetv, so maybe I can talk dh into that, too.  

We just spent $600 in 5 days on our dog because she got pancreatitis.   Right now I'm making her food and I may keep that up.  If not, her new dog food is going to cost a lot and I hate to pay that for dog food when I could potentially make it for less.   I'm researching more about it tomorrow.  
 

[hjffkj]

@WildflowerMom sorry to hear about your dog.  specialty food is expensive so hopefully making it pans out.  Having all vehicles paid off sure is nice but depending on what the interest rate on the truck is paying it off sooner might not be the best financial decision.  Finances is such a balancing act.

 

[WildflowerMom]

7 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

@WildflowerMom sorry to hear about your dog.  specialty food is expensive so hopefully making it pans out.  Having all vehicles paid off sure is nice but depending on what the interest rate on the truck is paying it off sooner might not be the best financial decision.  Finances is such a balancing act.

 

I didn't think about the interest rate.   I need to look into that.   We also have a trailer to haul stuff that we need to pay off.   I'll do some thinking on that tomorrow.   
 

Specialty food is outrageous!   She loves what I'm feeding her now, but I need to add some things for nutrients.  I'm going over Dr Judy's pancreatitis recipe tomorrow and will probably try it this weekend.    

[historically accurate]

Whew! We made it through September. My mom is back in town, and we're going to do some touristy-type things in the area for a couple of days until she leaves. That's her treat though. 

October:

3 paycheck month for me - means debt will get an extra payment since that's where the majority of my money goes.

Christmas shopping - goal is to be done by the end of the month. I have ideas for 90% of the stuff. I just want to say that I hate stocking stuffers.

Hopefully, we will hit 11% of big loan payoff. I was called for Jury Duty, and I don't get paid, other than the $15 a day, if I serve on the jury, so we will see how October's income goes.

0% card should go down nicely again due to child tax credit. 

Keep plugging away at medical bills. 

I plan to start listing ebay/FB sales again mid month in order to catch holiday shoppers. I have one big item to sell, a few little things, and a couple of sports things that we have for some reason or another. Kids have a lot of American Girl stuff. 

New funds to start thinking about: cats will need their annual vet visit in January - their fund is not ready for that, so I'll have to start channeling some money there. Driver's Ed for youngest is March of next year. Need to up Oldest's fund for books/travel to/from school - it's looking pretty sad and she'll be home in Dec with a return trip in January. I have to research German 4 options for Middle - we've been using CLRC and they don't have German 4. Then, I'll have to set aside $ to pay for it. Also decide if Youngest should start Spanish online or locally. 

Still need to look closely at my grocery budget - it's been uncomfortably tight since school meals ended.

[hjffkj]

gotta love those 3 paycheck months.  We don't get them anymore because dh gets paid on the 15th and last day of each month now. But I always loved them because I built my budget around 2 paychecks and then the third was always a nice bonus

[mommyoffive]

On 9/29/2021 at 4:24 PM, hjffkj said:

So, what are every ones plans/goals for October? How are you guys planning for the upcoming holiday season and the new year, which is somehow quickly approaching?

As I said in a Sept post,  we as a family are refocusing on our frugal side.  We haven't been overspending for our income level but just for our personalities and I don't like it.  I haven't quite figured out how I want to go about it in oct though.  Do a stick to a specific budget amount for categories or do I just say things like 'no eating out' 'no purchasing new clothes' etc? I'll sit down with dh today or tomorrow to see how he wants to approach it.  We do have one planned bigger expense this month, which is dh and I are going away for 2 nights.  The hotel room should be paid for with points but the rest of the trip not necessarily.

Financial goals wise:  Ebay is back in full swing now that I am 100% done at my parents' house.  The goal for Oct is list 25 items a week and now that dh is working in the office I can convert his wfh office to my ebay office.  Once I get a table a lighting in there listing things will be easy.  I'll take pictures during the day and will list while I'm at dance waiting for kids. 

Christmas shopping is coming along nicely.  I'd like to be done the extended family shopping in oct so I can have nov for shopping for the kids, which I think is going to be very difficult this year.

 

Can I ask you some questions about Ebay?

Are you selling  your own things?   

Are you sourcing things to sell? 

How are you handling taxes and keeping track of that?   You don't have to pay taxes on things that you bought and sold for less right?  Like you bought yourself shoes wore them and sold them for less than you bought.  

How do you pay taxes on things that you source just to sell?  Do you keep track of what you paid for it?  Or do you only track what it sold for?  Do you only pay taxes after you minus cog, fees, and shipping?  So only the profit of it? 

Do you have a store?   Does it make sense to do that?  

Do you have a link to your ebay store?    How much are you profiting after everything each month? 

 

I really want to get into selling online, I just don't know how it all works.  I don't have a source for buying things close to me, but maybe while running the kids around.  

 

[hjffkj]

10 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Can I ask you some questions about Ebay?

Of course!

Are you selling  your own things?   

Not really, unless it is something I no longer need/use.  But generally we use things until they are trash

Are you sourcing things to sell? 

Yes, I source from Goodwill and yard sales.  When I was actively sourcing I'd spend about an hour a day sourcing five days a week.  Right now I have enough inventory that still needs to get listed that I likely won't source again until november unless I'm organically out looking for something we actually need and see something for the business.

 

10 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

How do you pay taxes on things that you source just to sell?  Do you keep track of what you paid for it?  Or do you only track what it sold for?  Do you only pay taxes after you minus cog, fees, and shipping?  So only the profit of it? 

Ebay will send you a 1099-k if you sell over $600 on their platform, facebook, poshmark, and mercari will do the same I believe.  I haven't done taxes yet since I started selling in January but I do track everything.  What I paid for it, what it sold for, cost of shipping material, mileage used during sourcing and shipping.  Taxes are on profits. Other things you didn't mention above are car mileage, equipment cost like ink for printer. Also, home office deductions:  I use one room in our house for my business so I can deduct that percentage of sq footage from utilities, home maintenance, etc. So, I keep records of ALL things related to the house; electric,   mortgage interest, any repairs, etc

Do you have a store?   Does it make sense to do that?  

I don't have a store yet and haven't decided if I need one

Do you have a link to your ebay store?    How much are you profiting after everything each month? 

When I am actively listing at least 5 items a week I net roughly $1000/month. I'll send you a link privately later today.  My username has my  very unique maiden name in it so I don't want to publish that publically.

I really want to get into selling online, I just don't know how it all works.  I don't have a source for buying things close to me, but maybe while running the kids around.  

I am happy to answer any questions you have.  There are also tons of youtube videos by resellers who break things down nicely. I do a lot of my sourcing when my oldest dd is at dance.  The kids have even have fun helping me. 

 

 

[hjffkj]

don't know why it split that quote.

[Carrie12345]

I’ve been staying away because I feel like I’ve been the opposite of frugal for the past couple of months. That’s not *entirely true, but I do feel like I’m hemorrhaging!

Ive been filling my budget buckets for things for the new house, bulking up food storage with a focus on things that can be moved most easily, doing some needed work on the current house, and getting Christmas shopping rolling. Oh, and I paid more to fix my car than it’s worth, but I don’t want to take on a new car until after we sell the house.  
Not exactly inexpensive. I want to fast forward through these next few months!

My goal for October is to work on NEW budgets. It looks nearly certain (but knock on wood and all because life is crazy!) that dh will be getting a payout and leaving his job before the end of the year. It is good news, but I now have to learn how to adapt to an irregular income. That is not exactly my forte.

So many moving pieces that aren’t going to sit still until March! But I need to start getting REALLY real now.

Current score: Walmart keeps pushing me to have non perishable groceries shipped, so I have an impressive collection of good moving boxes. Also, all the plastic bags from pick ups are making great packing material.

[hjffkj]

October is going to be a month of productivity!!  One the to do list today...

1. blow out dryer vent in hopes that is the only issue with the heating.

2. If not, schedule repair man to diagnose issue

3. Spend 30 minutes getting ebay office back in order and pick 10 items to list this weekend.

4. Sit down with dh tonight and talk about finances for the rest of the year

[hjffkj]

19 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

October is going to be a month of productivity!!  One the to do list today...

1. blow out dryer vent in hopes that is the only issue with the heating.

2. If not, schedule repair man to diagnose issue

3. Spend 30 minutes getting ebay office back in order and pick 10 items to list this weekend.

4. Sit down with dh tonight and talk about finances for the rest of the year

it is not the only issue 😞 well waiting for repair man to get back to me so I can mark #2 off my list

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

 

Thanks for all the info. 

 

Anyone else what do you do with the things of your own that you are selling?  Do you record anything for taxes? 

[heartlikealion]

Hope you don't mind me sporadically popping in. I hope to make some profit from an upcoming craft booth. I have no idea if many people will even attend the fall fest with the intention to buy from the booths (and bring much cash). 

I am trying to stop myself from buying combos when I'm out in public. They are more bang for your buck, but then I end up getting a soda and fries that I probably shouldn't get, anyway. Even better if I plan ahead and just make food. Yesterday I got just a burger and realized what a rip off that was. 

Any leftover items I should be able to keep or gift. 

[hjffkj]

21 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

Hope you don't mind me sporadically popping in. I hope to make some profit from an upcoming craft booth. I have no idea if many people will even attend the fall fest with the intention to buy from the booths (and bring much cash). 

I am trying to stop myself from buying combos when I'm out in public. They are more bang for your buck, but then I end up getting a soda and fries that I probably shouldn't get, anyway. Even better if I plan ahead and just make food. Yesterday I got just a burger and realized what a rip off that was. 

Any leftover items I should be able to keep or gift. 

Don't mind at all!  Welcome.  Good luck with selling at the craft booth.  I've never done anything like that.  

Eating out is the worst!  I almost ALWAYS regret it once I realize how much money I spent.  It isn't worth the convenience or taste for me 99% of the time.  A couple weeks ago, dh and I actually went to an upscale seafood restaurant we had never been to or normally would go to.  While there, we decided that price of the food was completely worth it because we simply can't replicate those meals easily at home in this phase of life.  So, we have a new goal of not eating out much specifically so we can go to more expensive places that have food that we wouldn't make at home, instead of eating out for convenience.

[hjffkj]

And now the freezer part of the fridge is broken😓  Good thing I already have an appointment with an appliance repair guy, ha.

[Soror]

6 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

And now the freezer part of the fridge is broken😓  Good thing I already have an appointment with an appliance repair guy, ha.

I'm sorry it seems when it rains it pours.

[historically accurate]

My kids decided they wanted to do Halloween costumes this year. So, it'll take $ for that - not a lot though. Youngest is thinking Ruby Roundhouse or a goth dress - I told her to decide this weekend and we'll pull it together next week. Middle is thinking Stephen King's Carrie (so prom dress with red paint). 

hjffkj, sorry your appliances are conking out. So annoying.

[Soror]

-interest hit from checking accounts + Weekly payday from VIPKID---47.5% of car goal

-got some pears and apples from parent's trees- making lots of pear and apple treats 

-dd- needed $65 for FFA jacket (thus why I put extra in the school fund because something is always popping up)

-FINALLY received medical bills from EOB from JULY!!! Also, received bills from dc's Sep visit- those are the last EOBs we have outstanding. There are a couple of appointments not listed on the last EOB but I think I might go ahead and make the check for extra to cover those so I don't have to wait 6 months for the bill. It drives me absolutely insane. 

-hit Crowdtap Christmas goal but decided to double it- at 55% of new goal

-sorted through clothes for the fall/winter for the girls- there are a few things that they each need- we'll be hitting Goodwill first to see what we find. I would like a new pair of jeans and dh might need work shoes- (I never did buy him any a few months ago but I'm not sure how long his current ones will last). I budgeted extra in clothing this month. I think dd1 is good or good enough until Christmas we bought her some fall/winter stuff when school shopping. Ds won't hardly wear pants as it is- and hasn't grown a lot. I might buy him a couple of pants but probably not until next month when he actually starts wearing them.

[Longtime Lurker]

I was hoping to pay for our tree work out of the regular budget, but did end up needing to take $ out of savings for that. That is okay, as that savings account was intended for things like that; I was just hoping to leave it untouched. However, we are doing well otherwise! My goal for October is to start replacing the $ that came out for the tree stuff.

[hjffkj]

21 minutes ago, Soror said:

I'm sorry it seems when it rains it pours.

Yup! Thankfully we have a freezer in the basement and even an extra fridge, freezer combo so if it is broken we can just make due for a while.

[mommyoffive]

On Sunday, October 10th only, Dollar Tree is offering 10% off your entire purchase of $10 or more! To get this discount, you’ll need to stop by your local Dollar Tree and ask for the coupon at the checkout counter.

This would be a great day to stock up on school supplies!

Limit one per customer, valid in-store only.

 

from moneysavingmom.com

[mommyoffive]

I was just reading this.  Posting incase this would help anyone

Exclusive: Public Service Loan Forgiveness to get Education Department overhaul : NPR

[mommyoffive]

Kids went to gymnastics and dance this morning. Paid for those for the month.  I need to fill out the school funds paper work to pay for lessons.

returned some stuff.

Donated some stuff

Looking at a new van for us.  We want to get a 2021 or 2022 Toyota hybrid minivan.  Then we will keep my van too.  The hybrid van gets the same gas mileage as dh's car, but can haul more kids and gear.

[WildflowerMom]

Made a Walmart grocery order.  $200.  🤦🏻‍♀️ BUT there's 3 meals for next week that I'm doubling and putting in the freezer for when we inevitably have some winter ailment and don't feel like cooking, so it went over budget.  Good reason, though.   I'm also still buying ds' groceries even though he's moved out.   He tends to skip meals which isn't good for his T1D, so me keeping him stocked with some stuff helps with that.   
 

Spent too much on lunch, but we have leftovers.    
 

Hopefully no other spending this week by me.  

[historically accurate]

Made spaghetti for dinner and used the rest of the giant jar of spaghetti sauce (a Walmart substitution) to make 2 lasagnas for the freezer.

Had to make up a profit/loss statement for VIPKid for the hospital financial aid dept. It's kind of silly since I haven't taught a class in months (although I am still getting incentives to open slots), but self employment $ was on last years tax returns, so they had to know if my business is rolling in the dough this year. 

Most of the way through making up a menu plan today. Going to do school planning stuff tomorrow. 

DH went in to work for a few hours today. Great to get the OT especially since he is off on Friday to take MIL to a doctor's appointment.

[mommyoffive]

Score Free Tacos on National Taco Day - We've Got All the Deals! (hip2save.com)

[heartlikealion]

On 10/2/2021 at 9:08 AM, mommyoffive said:

On Sunday, October 10th only, Dollar Tree is offering 10% off your entire purchase of $10 or more! To get this discount, you’ll need to stop by your local Dollar Tree and ask for the coupon at the checkout counter.

This would be a great day to stock up on school supplies!

Limit one per customer, valid in-store only.

 

from moneysavingmom.com

Wow. I’ve gone in there multiple times lately. I wish they carried more at our locations like the mini Halloween trees. 

[mommyoffive]

1 minute ago, heartlikealion said:

Wow. I’ve gone in there multiple times lately. I wish they carried more at our locations like the mini Halloween trees. 

We don't have one in our town, but do in the town my kids do things in.  I love the Dollar Tree.  I wish I was there today getting this coupon.  I have noticed how much their stock changes.  Where my kids do their things there are 2 Dollar Trees right by and they don't have all the same things there.  And their items sell out and then they don't get more.  Like I bought some holiday window clings for my kids and went back a weekish later to get some more and they were no where to be found in either location. 

[heartlikealion]

23 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

We don't have one in our town, but do in the town my kids do things in.  I love the Dollar Tree.  I wish I was there today getting this coupon.  I have noticed how much their stock changes.  Where my kids do their things there are 2 Dollar Trees right by and they don't have all the same things there.  And their items sell out and then they don't get more.  Like I bought some holiday window clings for my kids and went back a weekish later to get some more and they were no where to be found in either location. 

Yeah we don’t have one in my town either but I go into them when I’m in other cities. I couldn’t find certain things this year that I’ve bought before this time of year (fall ribbon). I always buy their boxed milk to keep in my cupboard til we need it. 

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

Yeah we don’t have one in my town either but I go into them when I’m in other cities. I couldn’t find certain things this year that I’ve bought before this time of year (fall ribbon). I always buy their boxed milk to keep in my cupboard til we need it. 

I noticed this last week that they have juice in mine.  Several different kinds of Old Orchard juices in the big containers.  We don't drink juice much but I thought with cold and flu season coming I should start getting some.  These would easily be 3-5 bucks at the regular stores. 

[hjffkj]

Our freezer started working again!! hooray!  But we did have to spend $279 on a new dehumidifier today.  October isn't allowing me to make it frugal so far.  And our grocery bill was $100 more than it normally is for the week. We did seem to get more food than normal so we'll have to see if I can stretch this weeks groceries a bit into next week.  If not, I'm going to have to redo our budget entirely.

 

I sold something for $50 on ebay that cost me 99 cents.  I will start listing things tomorrow while I'm waiting for kids at dance.  I'm feeling really motivated this month to get back into the swing of things.

[mommyoffive]

14 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

Our freezer started working again!! hooray!  But we did have to spend $279 on a new dehumidifier today.  October isn't allowing me to make it frugal so far.  And our grocery bill was $100 more than it normally is for the week. We did seem to get more food than normal so we'll have to see if I can stretch this weeks groceries a bit into next week.  If not, I'm going to have to redo our budget entirely.

 

I sold something for $50 on ebay that cost me 99 cents.  I will start listing things tomorrow while I'm waiting for kids at dance.  I'm feeling really motivated this month to get back into the swing of things.

Yay, boo.  Ugh.  Was it a whole house dehumidifier? 

Are you seeing a lot of increased food costs near you?  I have spent a lot in grocery last month, but it was stocking up on sales.  Stocking up on snacks to take when we are out and about, and foods for meals on the go.  Going back to in person dance means my kids eat dinner away from home each day.  I am going back to shopping at Aldi a bit more on the things that are cheaper than Walmart.    I need to grab a bunch of on the go foods this week and keep up the stockpile.  It does make it easier for the kids to make their own meals. 

What did you sell? 

[hjffkj]

54 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Yay, boo.  Ugh.  Was it a whole house dehumidifier? 

Are you seeing a lot of increased food costs near you?  I have spent a lot in grocery last month, but it was stocking up on sales.  Stocking up on snacks to take when we are out and about, and foods for meals on the go.  Going back to in person dance means my kids eat dinner away from home each day.  I am going back to shopping at Aldi a bit more on the things that are cheaper than Walmart.    I need to grab a bunch of on the go foods this week and keep up the stockpile.  It does make it easier for the kids to make their own meals. 

What did you sell? 

No not a whole house one, just a portable one for our basement.  

So, this week I went to Acme for some God awful reason so I'm not sure if it was just because it was Acme or because of increased prices all around.  Probably a combination of both.  But the Walmarts in our areas are very poorly stocked again.  This happened at the beginning of the Pandemic and then it started up again about a month again.  I can't find about half of what I need on any given shopping day. Normally, if I can't do Walmart I do Food Lion, which the grocery bill is always the same as Walmart and I haven't noticed a significant difference until today.  So, I'll be keeping track of the grocery spending pretty closely just out of curiosity.

I sold 2 Andrea by Sadek knick knacks a frog and bunny. they were listed together

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

No not a whole house one, just a portable one for our basement.  

So, this week I went to Acme for some God awful reason so I'm not sure if it was just because it was Acme or because of increased prices all around.  Probably a combination of both.  But the Walmarts in our areas are very poorly stocked again.  This happened at the beginning of the Pandemic and then it started up again about a month again.  I can't find about half of what I need on any given shopping day. Normally, if I can't do Walmart I do Food Lion, which the grocery bill is always the same as Walmart and I haven't noticed a significant difference until today.  So, I'll be keeping track of the grocery spending pretty closely just out of curiosity.

I sold 2 Andrea by Sadek knick knacks a frog and bunny. they were listed together

Hard good seems like such a profitable area.  

Yeah we only have one store in our town, so unless we are out somewhere else we don't usually go to other stores.  It is nice to be able to do some other stores and take advantage of their deals and markdowns.  

How is dance going?  Are you girls doing shows this year?  Nutcracker? 

[hjffkj]

58 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Hard good seems like such a profitable area.  

How is dance going?  Are you girls doing shows this year?  Nutcracker? 

For me, hard goods is really profitable because of the way our Goodwill prices them. Almost nothing is more than $2. And it isn't something a lot of other resellers go after so I find a lot of neat pieces.

Dance is going well. My brother's kids go to the same school and they live across the street from us so we split the driving. It means I'm only doing 3 days a week instead of 5! My dad who is 11 is in nutcracker. She has two parts  angel and party boy. She's excited because she was the only kid in her class to get two parts. How is dance going for your kids? 

[EmilyGF]

We finished our spending log for September and discussed the totals! Whoot! I am sure we spent less because of being accountable. 🙂 I just started the spreadsheet for October.

I got the part time job, but am turning it down because the hours are too many and at a bad time. I also took the YouScience aptitude test for $29 and am going to focus on looking at things that could eventually lead to something in a field that actually makes sense for me. So much for early pay offs at this point, oh well.

I took my three daughters to the thrift store and we stocked up for fall with long sleeved shirts and sweaters. We got some Christmas mugs (I've been wanting some for a while, but never wanted to spend $14 on one!). I even scored ds9 a White Sox hoodie for $5 (he's a superfan).

Emily

[Carrie12345]

Lowe’s opened their sign up for 10% off for first responders later this month!  
I got excited about trying to shave some cost of major appliances, but the discount is for regular price only, no stacking deals. If I’m patient, I can do a lot better than 10%. So I’m kind of sad.  
(We did find a way to make our own appliance storage arrangements, for free, so yay.)

But any first responder families in the market for something that doesn’t usually go on sale can go to the Lowe’s site to get verified now!

[Soror]

Had a spendy weekend (covered by the budget but took a good hunk out of eating out). I did a Spartan Race out of town yesterday (the closest one and it was 4.5 hrs away). So, there was extra gas money (we took the car to save on that), dinner out afterwards (took breakfast and lunch with me), and a few drinks (at the Dollar General close by as the Festival was $9-$11 for 12-16 oz drinks- I should have packed more ice). I almost didn't go. Wasn't in the mood and didn't want to spend the money. I signed up almost 2 yrs ago but with the pandemic couldn't do it last summer. But I'm so glad I did. 

[mommyoffive]

2 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

Lowe’s opened their sign up for 10% off for first responders later this month!  
I got excited about trying to shave some cost of major appliances, but the discount is for regular price only, no stacking deals. If I’m patient, I can do a lot better than 10%. So I’m kind of sad.  
(We did find a way to make our own appliance storage arrangements, for free, so yay.)

But any first responder families in the market for something that doesn’t usually go on sale can go to the Lowe’s site to get verified now!

Usually there seems to be good deals before Thanksgiving.  But with everything going on this year, I don't know that there will be any.  I hope you can find some good sales.

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, Soror said:

Had a spendy weekend (covered by the budget but took a good hunk out of eating out). I did a Spartan Race out of town yesterday (the closest one and it was 4.5 hrs away). So, there was extra gas money (we took the car to save on that), dinner out afterwards (took breakfast and lunch with me), and a few drinks (at the Dollar General close by as the Festival was $9-$11 for 12-16 oz drinks- I should have packed more ice). I almost didn't go. Wasn't in the mood and didn't want to spend the money. I signed up almost 2 yrs ago but with the pandemic couldn't do it last summer. But I'm so glad I did. 

Yay for you for doing the race!  Did you love it?  Do you want to do more? 

[mommyoffive]

Buy 2 Toys, Get 1 Free at Walgreens | In-Store & Online (hip2save.com)

[prairiewindmomma]

Heads up that both amazon and Target  are running "deal days" in October. Amazon's started today. Target's start on the 10th.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/04/business/black-friday-amazon-deals/index.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/29/holiday-shopping-2021-target-kicks-off-deals-oct-10-with-price-matching.html

I've picked up things I normally buy on amazon today, and looking at prices, I'm saving 30-50%.  Not everything is a fantastic deal right now, but it's certainly worth a look. 

[mommyoffive]

7 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Heads up that both amazon and Target  are running "deal days" in October. Amazon's started today. Target's start on the 10th.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/04/business/black-friday-amazon-deals/index.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/29/holiday-shopping-2021-target-kicks-off-deals-oct-10-with-price-matching.html

I've picked up things I normally buy on amazon today, and looking at prices, I'm saving 30-50%.  Not everything is a fantastic deal right now, but it's certainly worth a look. 

What did you get today for the good prices?

[Soror]

On 10/4/2021 at 7:48 AM, mommyoffive said:

Yay for you for doing the race!  Did you love it?  Do you want to do more? 

Yes, had a blast. Looking into more races, luckily or unluckily there aren't many close to me.

[prairiewindmomma]

14 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

What did you get today for the good prices?

EcoTools makeup remover, EcoTools makeup brushes, Anker battery, a mini Christmas tree, and ??? (If it comes to me I will post here).

There were the usual Beats headphones, Deva Curl hair products, Echos, kindles, Levoit air purifiers, and robot vacuum sales as well. 

Edited October 5, 2021 by prairiewindmomma

[hjffkj]

well dh and I may have to cancel our 2 nights away next week if my niece is still in the hospital.  Not happy about that at all but not spending the money will be a plus.  Gotta spin it positively somehow.

[mommyoffive]

4 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

well dh and I may have to cancel our 2 nights away next week if my niece is still in the hospital.  Not happy about that at all but not spending the money will be a plus.  Gotta spin it positively somehow.

Thinking of your niece so much and sending her so many prayers.  I hope you can get all your money back.  Hopefully you can go another time.  Although I think it was Halloween related right?  It is so great that support your niece and her family through this.  Always a pro of having family nearby.

Edited October 5, 2021 by mommyoffive

[hjffkj]

6 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Thinking of your niece so much and sending her so many prayers.  I hope you can get all your money back.  Hopefully you can go another time.  Although I think it was Halloween related right?  It is so great that support your niece and her family through this.  Always a pro of having family nearby.

thank you for the prayers.  we should be able to get all our money back.  It was Halloween related but getting away with dh is the important thing not what we do.  If this gets cancelled we will likely postpone it to Feb when we're going to a Tool concert.   That was going to be just an evening out but we can easily turn it into a few nights away.

Yes, it is great having family so close and being able to help and support each other when we need it