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Shopping Without Spending Money

The other day, the guys did a few errands on their own so I could have some alone time in a few shops. It was so nice! One of my aunts sent me some maternity tops that needed to be exchanged. They were SO cute, but too big for me. So I went and just happened to be there for the Motherhood BOGO sale. I returned the 2 blouses, shopped the clearance racks, and ended up with two different tops and a pair of maternity capris. Woohoo! I'm so happy with them :) I love a good deal.

I have no idea why their mannequins look so... blah. Trust me, they look better on! But anyway, since I can't find our camera, here are the things I came home with:

And that was my little adventure shopping without spending anything :) BIG huge thanks and alofa to my Aunty Annie for making it possible. Have a beautiful weekend!

Thomas & Friends Playset $10

Thanks Hip2Save.com for another awesome deal!

Just bought this and finished up my Christmas shopping for Baby Boy!

Walmart.com has Thomas & Friends Playset Orig: $24.75 on ROLLBACK for : $10!

Choose site to store shipping for FREE shipping to your local Walmart store.

Manly Stocking Stuffer- FREE Spinner Ring

Thanks, Hip2Save for making me aware of this awesome deal!

Tanga is offering a stainless steel spinner ring for $0.00. Valued at $59.95!
Just pay $4.99 shipping for a sweet little stocking stuffer for a wonderful guy in your life :)

Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas....Cards

Have you joined Pampers Gifts to Grow? I usually check Hip2Save (she posts lists of codes. Awesome!) and do an internet search every few weeks to find new free codes. Joining Gifts to Grow is free and if you rack up enough codes you can get some great rewards. You can buy pampers products and receive codes on the packaging, and also collect free codes online.

I just cashed in some of my points to get our Christmas photo cards for FREE, all I had to pay was shipping!

25 Christmas photo cards from shutterfly.com $0.00
Order Total: $5.38 (shipping+ tax)



Aahhh... I love bargain shopping :)

Khol's $10 Snail Mailed Gift Card

Aahhh.... Hubby's day off today and the weather is beautiful! We decided to take a drive and ended up, wouldn't ya know it? At a store. My poor guys! I'm glad they put up with walking around while I'm oohing and ahhing over pretty things ;) 

Well, I had a special reason to go to Khol's today and that's because I signed up for their email newsletter and coupons through the mail. Last week, I received a $10 gift card from them! I was ecstatic! Apparently, they sent the gift cards out to everyone on their mailing list and they are good for any purchase, even sale and clearance items. So, yes, that's why, on my first day of feeling much better, I dragged Hubby and Baby Boy into Khol's.

We scoured the clearance racks, hoping to find something for Baby Boy's Christmas presents, Baby Boy's clothes, or some home decor. After some searching, I found the perfect teal/turquoise sheers that were marked down to $4.99 each (originally $10.99 ea). I have been looking for this color everywhere for the master bedroom, but they've always been so expensive. Using the $10 gift card, I ended up paying $1.06 for both curtains! Well, that set me up to feeling great for the rest of the day :). 

Well, hello my pretties

No, thank you, Kohl's :)

Stay tuned for a Love Dare post.

Cheapskate 101: Getting Something for (Almost) Nothing

Please welcome Barbie from Wannabe Cheapskate. I've asked her to guest post once a week about tips on coupon shopping and great ways to save moola for your family! If you're looking into teaching yourself how to super coupon shop or just find better bargains in general online or in stores, read on! Don't forget to check back here for more tips and visit Wannabe Cheapskate for more in depth posts on Barbie's deals. Here's her first post for you beautiful readers! Enjoy:

Cheapskate 101: Getting Something for (Almost) Nothing

Something for nothing -- sound too good to be true?  Not with Swagbucks!  Swagbucks is a search engine site.  You do all your searching through Swagbucks instead of google or bing, and you occasionally win Swagbucks.  Once you have enough Swagbucks, you redeem them for really great rewards, like Amazon.com gift cards or PayPal payouts.  I've earned $15 through Swagbucks.  No, I'll never get rich, but that's $15 that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise, and I got that money by doing something we all do all the time anyway.

Want in?  Follow these steps:
1. Go to www.swagbucks.com.
2. Click the "Register" tab in the upper right hand corner.
3. Fill in your info.
4. You'll get 30 Swagbucks just for registering, plus another 50 on your birthday!
5. Download the tool bar to increase your earnings.
6. Whenever you need to look something up, go through swagbucks.  You can even make swagbucks.com your home page to make it easier.
7.  You won't win every time you search, but you'll win in multiples of swagbucks -- up to 50 per search, or even more!
8.  Once you hit 450 swagbucks, you have enough for a $5 Amazon e-gift card.  Or 700 will get you that $5 PayPal payment.

There are rewards that are not gift card related, but I prefer those to the others. I am on my way to another PayPal payment -- just under 200 Swagucks to earn, and I'll be there!  I usually win something every day; today I won 10 for searching "addicted to saving".

BUT WAIT!  THERE'S MORE!Every Friday is Mega-Swagbucks Day, when the Swagbuck winnings are more frequent and larger!

Get your swagbucks account started, and get searching!


Hey, it's Kilika here. Thinking of joining swagbucks because of this post? Click here to join up and Barbie will receive a few bonus points for the referral! You can also get your own referral code or banner once you sign up. Post it on your website or in emails so you can tell people about swagbucks and get credit if they join through your link! Just another way to rack up points you can trade in for free prizes. 
Have a beautiful, money saving day :)

Time to Brag

Woohoo!! Some friends and I went on a shopping trip. Fabulous people who feed my bargain shopping addiction ;) We always have fun, though! And sometimes, the bargain fairy is waiting, wand at the ready.
Speaking of which....

Guess who went to Lane Bryant and bought this:

Rosette shirt dress

I love how the front is embellished with ruffles and rosettes

And this: 

Sateen skirt. Not the exact print I have, but similar.

And paid this much:

Not the circled bit, that's how much I saved. Look higher and you'll see each item was $2.49 and with tax I paid $5.37! 

Ooh, I just love bargains! Each item was actually $9.99 which brought my total to $19.98 before tax. 

BUT I had a coupon for $15 off any purchase of $15 or more! Yay!

Everybody's penny pinching nowadays and I find it fascinating. 

How have you saved money lately?

Peaceful Space: Master Bath

On a recent thrifting trip I came home with these dried tropical-ish flowers. 

Oh yeah! Now that's my kind of bargain for meaningless dust collectors.

After arranging them a bit.
They're now adorning my island themed master bathroom. Aren't they lovely?

Why yes, that is a salsa jar that I hot glued shells to.

I had originally planned to cover the entire bottom half of the jar with shells but ran out and couldn't find the rest. I still may complete the bottom half if I ever find those stinking shells! I know I have them!
Anyway.
My solution to this was to stuff loose raffia into the jar to cover the stems.
I kind of love it. Odd though it is.


Aaahhh... hello pretty thrift store dead plants!

Top shelf.
Still working on it, but it's coming along nicely.
Tropical-ish "painting" was a yard sale find from last year. $4 I think.

My organic, homemade beauty treatments from American Samoa.
There's this amazingly talented woman who has a shop. She makes all the products and they're just lovely!
I was addicted, but now the cheapo in me is winning out and I'm making my own for less than a fourth of the cost.
Oh yes, I'm using the last of my supply sparingly....trying to draw out the inevitable.

Moisturizing oil body spray, lavender healing creme, my homemade soothing bath salts, moso'oi scented coconut body oil, more lavender creme, and my favorite products from that organic shop: Coconut oil based facial soap. I had nearly 12 bars and these are the last brave survivors.
Oh well, I use them for bathing now anyway, since finding the Oil Cleansing Method.



Ooh, my scent bug from Bath and Body Works with their home fragrance oils.
I have scent bugs in the guest bath and living room as well. All gifts from some wonderful family members.

The two oils used to scent the master bath are : 1)Caribbean Salsa  2)Sensuality: Black Current Vanilla. 

I mix them on the pad to create a unique fragrance. Mmmm... romantic and islandy.

Hey, we're going for an island resort feel on a very tight budget. Work with me here! 

Second shelf.
My basket full of Bath and Body Works goodies. Also gifts. Wow, I have frivolent tastes. And some very wonderful family members (enablers) who know what I like!
And yes, I love homemade bath products, but this stuff is a deliciously fragrant habit I have not been able to kick yet.

I realize it may not be the 'thing' to decorate with things that would typically be in storage but, hey I'm in a teeny apartment and having them up here really frees up my limited space under the sink.
What's sad is that I used to have twice as much, but only now put up the shelves.



I love this Dollar Tree flower pot holding one of my repotted African violets.
It's twin is also holding a plant in the master bedroom.

And one look at the entire thing.
I'm feeling a little closer to Samoa already. *sigh*

Hubby saved the shelves from being thrown out at a construction site when we first got married. They're solid wood. And brand new. What, are construction companies crazy now, throwing away quality shelving??
Yes, I love my frugal man. And I love those shelves!

The green lei twisted with white flowers is actually from our wedding. Sent with beautiful aloha from my lovely Aunt in Hawaii who also blessed me with the sheepskin rugs I'm so crazy about.

The bamboo box on the commode was full of gorgeous tropical flavored tea from my sisters.
So I transferred the tea to a kitchen cabinet and couldn't wait to get the tropical looking box to the master suite. It's empty for now. I'll eventually find something to put in there.


Thanks for stopping by to see my progress! I'm really enjoying putting our home together :) Each room is an adventure. It's slow going but so far I'm extremely happy with the results!

Ooh, Guess what? In the first photos are the brown shelves from my To Do list in the sidebar! I get to mark that item off! Sweet!!

Linked to:

Weekend Bargains

Here are more bargains I found during a fun shopping trip with friends:

-Lovely starfish carving. A Big Lots find! Originally $20 marked down to $5! Slap some paint on it and it will be perfect in our slowly evolving resort style bedroom. 

And by ever evolving I mean that the only part of it that looks resortish at the moment is the plant on top of our mini fridge.

-Hanging votive candles. Thrifted for $2 each.

-Wrought iron candle stands. All three for $2. Well, what was I to do? I just had to bring them home.

-Watering can. I can't believe I finally have one! I love you, Big Lots clearance! $6 marked down to $3.

-More terra cotta pots for my plant addiction. Thrifted 3 for $2. 

Seems like the bargain fairy is hanging around :). She can stay for a while as far as I'm concerned, because I'm still looking for a few things!

What bargains did you find last weekend?

Thrifting Love

I have fallen in love with thrift shopping in the past few years. It started out as a necessity because brand new things can be so expensive, but now thrifting for my home has definitely blossomed into an enjoyable challenge. I haven't been able to go thrifting for several months (too long!) since we lost our car, but a new friend called and asked if I'd like to join her on an errand. Since it was Hubby's day off, my wonderful hubby took charge of our little man and told me to go enjoy some girl time. Woohoo!!

At first we were headed to the Farmer's Market but when we got there all the booths were closed up so we (very innocently) ended up at a thrift shop. We parked and set each other loose on the poor unsuspecting shop. I was amazingly glad I listened to my nudge because I found almost everything I've had on my mental checklist for the apartment! There are always little things you realize would make life a little easier as life unfolds in your home. And if those things happen to be at the right price, why not?

Here are my finds! Lots of necessities, but a few pretty decor items as well. And would you know it, they were having a huge clearance sale? Yellow tags were 50% off and orange tags were 75% off the ticketed price.

Magazine rack- $3.50 orange tag so paid 87 cents! WOW

Macrame plant hanger (New With Tags!)- $4 tag, but I got it for $3.00 yay! See, it pays to be nice.

Boys hat (NWT)- $1.00

Lazy Susan - $2 yellow tag so paid $1

Pretty glass jar- $2 orange tag so paid 75 cents!

Glass hanging candle holders- Six of them for $3

Gorgeous mirror- $3.

Ceramic party snack serving tray- $2 yellow tag so paid $1

Shoes (NWT)- $2.50

Large plastic tray- $1.50 yellow tag so I got it for 75 cents!

Not pictured: Leather men's overnight shaving case (NWT)- $1 for my wonderful travelling businessman hubby. My girlfriend found this, I never would've spotted it and Hubby loves it.

My grand total: $17.99 and several of these things are brand new!

My hanging candles, pretty jar and pretty mirror.

Oh, I have lovely plans for you, my pretties. Mwahahahaaa......!

I just love this 4 piece snack tray! I have visions of serving gourmet looking treats on it during a Twilight party. Ha! We shall see.

Yeah. The plant hanger is nearly 15 bucks brand new!

I'm so happy with my new shoes :). Brand new in a feisty color, how can you go wrong?

And, thanks to this plastic platter, now my downstairs neighbors won't get showered with the runoff water from my large shrub outside. I feel guilty every time I water it and most of the moisture sprinkles down to say howdy to the doorstep below us.

My 87 cent magazine rack has the normal shelves and an adorable little drawer.

Can you hear it? 

It's screaming for paint. Well, I say let's put it out of it's misery. Soon.

Top view, lots of room for reading material.

Each side has cork board which I'm not too crazy about, but for the price, I'll figure out something.

I'm really liking the nonessential handles, though. Not sure why. I just do.

And no, your screen isn't dirty (at least I hope not) the photo is blurry. 

Thanks for stopping by to look at my lovely thrift shop finds! And thank you Amanda for feeding my thrifting addiction! Later then :)

Chadwicks Coupon Code $15 off $15 or more

I just ordered these two pieces of gorgeous jewelry for less than $10 shipping combined! They were in the clearance section at Chadwicks and I used a coupon code CHFORYOU15  for $15 off any purchase of $15 or more. It expires at midnight tonight so click on over and check out their sale. You never know what you might stumble across.

I love love love pearls. My favorite are black, peacock green, chocolate and champagne pearls, but sometimes the way white pearls are used in a piece are just perfect.

Here's the first piece. Seed pearl earrings which I snagged for a whopping $1.32

And the second half of my order, a coral and cz ring which cost me a whole $1.66

I love all the semi precious stones: coral, jade, amber, tiger's eye, turquoise, etc. I've only recently begun to hunt for pieces with genuine semi precious stones, but on a tight budget the search (or acquisition) goes slowly. I don't mind, though. Once in a while, these amazing coupon codes are released  for different online stores and then the hunt is on! I don't always find something, but when I do, it gives me amazing satisfaction to know I found something I love for such a great bargain.  The biggest part of this order was shipping. Aaahhhh... I cannot wait to get these in the mail!

Products Ordered:		Description:	Color:	Price Each:	Your Price:	Shipping Status:
2155-00595-1265		EARRINGS	PEARL	$7.99	$1.32	Instock
2155-71608-1265		RING	CORAL CUBI	$9.99	$1.66	Instock

Merchandise Subtotal: $17.98 Promotion Savings: ($15.00) Estimated Shipping: $6.99 Shipping Surcharge: $0.00 Tax: $0.00 Your Subtotal: $9.97 Order Total:                           $9.97

Many many thanks to Heather at My Sweet Savings for another great deal!

SCORE! Catherines.com Coupon Code: $15 off $20

Thanks to Heather at My Sweet Savings for the heads up on this great deal!
Using coupon code 777004847 at Catherines.com, I was able to snag this super bargain.
The code takes $15 off any purchase of $20 or more! So of course, you know I was looking for something I liked for as close to $20 as possible. Bingo! These gorgeous capris were on clearance marked down to $21.59 from $36! I also chose 'ship to store' (one of Heather's suggestions) and got free shipping on top of it. Great quality capris for seven bucks? Oh yeah!

WOOHOO! Pardon the shouting, but bargain shopping gives me a thrill.

Order summary

merchandise:

$21.59

shipping & handling:

free

order discount:

-$15.00

sales tax:

$0.52

order total:

$7.11

Medco Health Store $10 off

Thanks to Hip2Save for the heads up on this great deal at Medco Health Store. Go to Medco's site and use coupon code: MHS10 for $10 off of any purchase of $10 or more.

Here's what I was able to get. A few things that are always good to stock up on. C'mon, getting 2 personal care items for less than $3 including shipping is a sweet deal!

This shipment includes the following items:
1	Johnson's Baby Deep Hydration Intense Moisture Body Wash - 20.3 fl oz	$5.99
1	Always Ultra Thin, Overnight, Flexi-Wings, Pads - 28 ea	$5.69

COUPON CODE: MHS10

Medco Health Store  Subtotal:	$11.68
Medco Health Store Standard Shipping:	$0.99
Estimated Tax:	$0.00
Discount:	-$10.00
Total:	$2.67
Total Savings:	$1.50

So, check it out and maybe you'll be able to get some household necessities at a great price.

Peaceful Space Inspiration

Now that I am no longer surrounded by the clutter that comes with moving from a house to a little apartment, I can focus on making our rooms conducive to relaxing. It's going to take lots of planning and a little ingenuity, but I'm excited about it! I'm hoping to have at least the beginning of projects to show for it when next week rolls around. Here's a little peek, though:

Living room inspiration: Peacock color palette with Polynesian patterns.

I have a vague idea of how to implement this, and I really hope it all comes together! I'm nervous about it though because everything might not work as a whole, but oh well. There's only one way to find out, right?

Tapa designs. I love the traditional designs of my culture, but I'd like to create my personal interpretation of them using traditional shapes and one of my favorite palettes: peacock colors.

Guest bathroom inspiration: Maroon powder room. Elegant and feminine. I'm thinking luxury and velvet like these drapes below. The femininity will hopefully be balanced with the deep strong maroon color. That's what I want, anyway. We shall see what we can come up with.

The cottage look above isn't me, but I adore the idea of personalizing the area around the mirror by draping some fabric. It adds a feminine touch too, I think. I don't know how I would do this, but I love it.

Master bedroom inspiration: Resort Spa. I imagine teal like the ocean and tan like the South Pacific sand; a peaceful, light space with soft colors of the ocean incorporated throughout the room. I want to feel like I'm on a getaway at a fabulous, relaxing spa resort while staying away from nautical or overdone seashell themes.

I love the thought of sheer curtains at every corner of the bed. So luxurious and resort-ish, isn't it? And it also makes me think of the sea breeze playing with the sheer fabric and the tropical sunlight shining through. We don't own a canopy or four poster bed, but I would like to use this somehow.

The combination of bamboo runner and candles is so lovely and relaxing.

These baskets remind me of honey colored wood that I saw everywhere on the island where I grew up. The gorgeous natural polished wood was crafted into supporting pillars in family meeting houses, or traditional tiny wooden benches that were used as pillows by the older generations of islanders. It just makes me think of home.

Master bath inspiration: Spa massage room. 

I see bamboo, tropical flowers and aromatherapy. 

I doubt I'll be able to afford a bamboo piece like this, let alone have the space to put it up in our little bathroom, but the clean lines and beautiful bamboo wood grain is inspiring. And I do need some sort of storage. Right now the only place to put things is in the double cabinet beneath the small sink.

Our master bath suffers from lack of towel storage as well. I like this idea...maybe not in a basket, though.

This, as well as the other candle/bamboo runner photo in the bedroom inspiration is the sense of calm and pampering and tropics that I would like to have in the bed and bathroom.

Whew! I love having all this together so I'll have a visual reference as I work on adding these touches to each room. Our toddler's room is the only one that is on track with it's theme, which is Learning Playroom. It definitely needs tweaking, but it has everything he needs, unlike the rest of the rooms. So, I decided to focus on slowly bringing the rest of the apartment along before I do anymore to the nursery. After all, the adult spaces need to be inviting too! We are not allowed to paint, which makes it even harder to add personality on a budget. At least I can look back at this and refocus once I get going. It's easy to get lost in a redesign, no matter how small it is, but now I'll have my inspiration post to help me get back on track. Don't forget to check out tonight's Spa Night post on a homemade acne spot treatment!