Free or Cheap Fridays: Craigslist and Freecycle

Kids stuff is expensive, especially since they outgrow their clothing and get bored with toys so quickly.  Even if you don't have children you can find some great things on Craigslist and Freecycle.
It doesn't cost anything to be on either of the websites and you can browse what other people have posted or even put up a request for something specific.

Craigslist has been a great way to buy and sell things for Garrett and even myself.  When he was done with his baby swing we sold it and made some money to stick in his college fund.  I found a great Little Tikes play castle being sold for $20.  They can retail for $80 or more.  Besides their for sale section they have a Free section.  I've scored a brand new pair of Havanias flip flops that retail for about $20. 
If you're more adventurous you can check out the barter section and barter with people to exchange items and services (such as landscaping, plumping or graphic design).


The there's Freecycle.  We ended up with some many things we know other people could use but wouldn't really want to pay for.  I got so many samples of formula even though I was breast feeding.  Through Freecycle I was able to donate them to someone who needed it.   You can automatically post your "OFFER" and see if people are interested or wait until someone makes a "WANTED" post asking for a specific item.  You'd be really surprised what you can get through Freecycle.  Someone posted an offer for a frog pod for the bathroom, I jumped on it and it's great for storing tub toys. 
When I needed a scrap book I posted looking for one and was surprised that several people were willing to give me one.


You'll be surprised at what other people in your community are willing to give you for little or no money.  And when you're done with an item you can pass it on to others. 

Free or Cheap Fridays: Facebook fan pages

Facebook can be annoying.  People posting too many things about Farmville or pictures of their kids (I know I'm guilty of the latter).  There is also an upside to all those Facebook fan pages; you can get some great coupons and free samples from them.

Groups like McCall's Patterns have a pattern of the week that you can buy for $2.99 that week (instead of the regular $15-$20).  Origins lets you get a free sample for liking their page.  They tend to change their samples fairly often so you can get new samples all the time.

Just friend the Origins page on FB to get this freebie

 
One of my favorites is the Bath and Body Works page.  They constantly have coupons for free items.  I've gotten a small candle and a 2oz bottle of their new lotion. All for clicking that little like button.

One of the great things about Facebook is that if you get tired of reading their pages you can hide it from your feed and choose when you want to read their fan pages.  Just make sure you check back for all those great offers.

Free or Cheap Fridays: A Valentine's Day freebie for YOU!

I've raved about Swag Bucks before, this time you are benefiting from my Swag points.   I'm giving away a $10 Starbucks gift card that I got from searching the web.  I post all the time about how I'm able to get free or cheap things and I wanted to show you just how easy it is to get a great freebie online.  Consider this my Valentine's Day gift to 1 lucky reader.

So what do you have to do to get an entry?
Just follow my blog and comment on this entry.

Want even more chances to win?  Here's how:
1: Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about the giveaway
2: Follow me on Facebook and post about the giveaway
3: Post about it on your own blog or website

Make sure to leave a comment (with a link) for each entry so I make sure you get all your chances to win. 

I'll pick the winner on Monday at 7pm EST using the Random Number Generator and post the entry on Tuesday morning.

Free or Cheap Fridays : Rewards Cards

They take up room in your pocket and are annoying to carry around but boy do they save you money.  Just about every store has a rewards card, if they don't offer you one you can ask about it.
I only have 1 rule about rewards cards: Don't pay for them unless you shop at that store frequently.  Most stores are free but occasionally you find places, like Game Stop, that make you pay for their rewards program.

From Babies R Us to Sephora you can get rewards cards just about anywhere.  Plus if you download the Key Ring app for your smartphone you can easily see what current offers and coupons they have and even use them right from your phone.

The 1 on the right side indicates and additional offer or available coupon.

When I signed up for the Panera card I got a free coffee drink.  Gymboree sends me coupons that I use on sale items (and save even more).  Sephora gives you a free gift when you get to either 100 or 500 points ($1=1 point) you also get notices about giveaways for beauty insiders (their name for the card holders).  My points don't expire so even if I don't get makeup very often I can still get a freebie. 
My favorite card has to be the Godiva rewards card because it gets me a free truffle every month.  Just go in, show them your card and pick out which truffle you want.

Even my health insurance company has it's own version of the CVS card which helps me save even more money on medicines (since they are tax deductible) I may buy and keeps track of what we buy to make it easier to submit to our flex spending account. 

It doesn't cost anything to sign up for these and with my Key Ring app they don't even take up any extra room in my pocket. From coupons to freebies to member exclusives it just makes sense to take the 2 minutes to sign up for these cards.

Free or Cheap Fridays: The Sale Rack

Yes, we know, we've heard it before.  Shop sales.  But I'm not talking about the once or twice a year holiday sales that stores have (and I hate those because there is nothing worse then a hugely crowded store while trying to find what you are looking for).   I'm talking about the sale rack. 
I always make a beeline for the sale rack anywhere I go.  The items there are marked down sometimes as much as 60-70%.  But check those signs because items on the sale rack are usually marked down even more.  

I've gotten a $50 Ann Taylor top for $10 on the sale rack.  Or a pair of $35 jeans for $8 at Old Navy.  Even my mother likes to tell the story of the $2 top I found.

Then there was my recent purchase at BabyGap.  For $30 I got 3 pairs of pants and 2 tops.  The shirts are for him to wear now and the pants are 18-24 months and 2T. I'm also lucky enough to have a small child and I can gauge what he'll be fitting into.  I buy in advance.  The "winter" stuff is going on sale.  Who says jeans are just for the winter?  Snatch those styles up.

I don't mind wearing a style from last year because I tend to stick with more simple and classic looks.  I rarely ever pay full price for my clothing.  Even TJ Maxx and Marshall's have sale rack.  Can you argue with a $150 Michael Kors top for $10?
You just have to have a little patience to look through the racks but it pays off in the end.  Since I buy off season my son has things that most other children don't have because it isn't out now.   And that $30 of stuff we bought at BabyGap...would have been about $180 if we bought it all full price.

Free or Cheap Fridays : Coke Points

I've decided to start a new series on this blog.  I've been told I'm very good and finding ways to get things for free so I thought I'd share some money saving tricks to get freebies.
I already posted about Swag Bucks and how I get lots of free things just for searching on their site.
Another way I like to acquire free things is through Coke Rewards.

We don't drink soda often, but Ben does like the occasional bottle of Coke.  Sometimes even work provides soda and he brings home the caps.  Each cap is worth 3 points.  There are even cokes on cases of Coke and while it may not seem like much it adds up.  I've gotten free magazine subscriptions and items on SnapFish.
Plus when you're done you can use the bottle caps to make mini pincushions.

Besides, if you're going to drink soda why not get some free stuff out of it.