Bargain Hunter’s Guide: Find The Best Bargain Sales By Month
These frugal bargain shopping strategies will help save you money by knowing when to shop at the end of the season! Save money by knowing when to buy products at the right time of year.
‘Shopping’ Articles
Coupons, links to great deals and tips on how to save money when you go out shopping. Great for people always looking for the best for the money.
How To Save Money When Clothes Shopping
Shopping for clothes. Some of us like it more than others. Some of us get sucked into paying outrageous amounts of money just because “it’s in this season”. Follow these helpful tips so you can start off with a good selection of clothes, and learn how to keep only the best of the best in your closet.
10 Frugal Beauty Tips – Fun Ideas For the Fashionista a Budget
A lot of people don’t associate being frugal with fashion friendliness. Most fashionistas will argue that the more expensive, the better. That doesn’t always have to be true, use some of these tips to stay “à la mode”, not “à la broke”.
1. Buy To Last
When you are buying clothes, try to purchase durable products, even if they are more expensive. Well-made clothes have heavy seams and added reinforcement at stress points to ensure the product survives daily use. Avoid items with flimsy seams or fabric that won’t wash well.
2. Get Student Haircuts
Student hairdressers will often give you a free or discounted haircut. Find your local beauty school and see what their policies are for giving walk-in or appointment based haircuts. Some will even do colors, manicures/pedicures, and waxing.
3. Buy Vintage or Hand-Made Jewelery
Most specialist vintage boutiques usually have the reputation of being pretty pricey. A lot of flea markets have sellers who have a passion for vintage items and usually offer them at lower prices. It’s a good way to find items that might not be collector quality, but they will still capture the character and beauty of a bygone age. Also, when it comes to hand-made items websites like etsy.com or ebay are another great resource for jewelry that would normally cost three times as much (if not more) in a store.
4. Lotions Have Many Uses
A cheap generic product, such as an unbranded baby lotion, is a great fallback item that can be used as an everyday moisturizer and skin lotion. Some other uses include: cleanser, massage oil, shaving balm, and frizzy hair control.
5. Classic Shoes or Trendy Shoes?
Every season there is a way to buy shoes that are classics, but still fit the current trend. The best bet is to usually go middle of the road – try to find something that will go with many different outfits – without appearing too in fashion. A classic mid-heel in the latest color can mean you’ve bought to last, but it’s a good way to look up to the minute.
6. When washing – Turn It Out
Before you wash your knitwear or brushed cotton, make sure you turn the item inside out. This helps prevent piling and bobbling of the material, which can makes clothes look over worn.
7. DIY: Make Your Own Stuff, Save Money
- Clothing – Plenty of women’s magazines have free patterns so you will only end up spending money on material. Buy materials from markets and discount material stores. Find a pattern that suits you and use it several times.
- Jewelry – You can make your own jewelry at a fraction of the price with wire, elastic, beads and jewelry fasteners. Save broken necklaces, bracelets or earrings for spare parts you can use to make something completely new.
8. Have A Rummage
Once or twice a year, make a point of visiting a garage, church or rummage sale to stock up on essentials like scarves and other key pieces. Choose colors that will compliment your existing clothing.
9. Lovely Lashes
Turn ordinary (cheaper) mascara into the lash-lengthening variety by dusting your lashes with loose translucent powder before you apply the mascara. This will help the mascara stick to the whole lash and is a great way to get the effect of an expensive product at a fraction of the price.
10. Splurge on Shampoo
Good quality shampoo does not contain detergent ingredients that strip hair, so if you’re budgeting, it’s better to buy a good shampoo than conditioner. Conditioners are pretty much universal in their hair-smoothing offerings, so don’t worry about trying cheaper versions.
Related Articles: Recommended links:
How to buy Used Shoes: A Guide to Used Sneakers, Boots and Children’s Shoes.
The debate on whether or not it is a good idea to buy used shoes has been around for quite awhile. Here is some insight into helping you shop smart when it comes to buying used shoes.
General Tips on buying Used Shoes
How do I pick the right pair of used shoes?
Where should I buy used shoes?
What are the different kinds of wear, and how do I fix them?
How do I clean used shoes?
Leather Shoes vs Sneakers – What is the difference when buying used?
Tips on buying rain boots and snow boots.
Tips on buying Used Shoes for your children.
What do the experts say about buying used shoes for my children?
How do I know what used shoes to buy for my children?
How often does my child’s shoe size change?
Hand Me Downs for Children.
How do I pick the right pair of used shoes?
If you have a name brand of shoes that you know fits well, stick to that brand. Different brands of shoes fit people differently, and the safest way to know that you won’t have to return that pair of used shoes you bought is to buy a brand you trust.
Where should I buy used shoes?
The best place to buy used shoes is in person at a thrift store or garage sales. You will get to try them on before you buy them, usually there is a better return policy, and you can see the wear and tear the shoes may have gone through up close. You will find a better variety buying online at ebay or craigslist, but you’ll want to make sure you know exactly what size of shoe you’re looking for. This is wher knowing what brands fit you will really comes in handy. Also, pay close attention to any photos the seller may have, this is the best way to see any wear and tear before you buy.
What are the different kinds of wear, and how do I fix them?
The most obvious type of wear on sneakers is where the sole glues to the shoe. This is the weakest part of the shoe and usually goes first. I find the best way to fix this is buy applying a small amount of hot glue on the inside of this area, then letting it dry. This technique works the best on suede and canvas, but should not be used on leather.
On leather shoes especially, width is a very big concern. If there is typical wear on the buckling, this means that the wearer’s feet were too wide. The same can be said for someone wearing shoes that are too wide, irregular wear on the buckling is a sure sign of this. Make sure you take a lot of consideration into foot width, if you buy too wide, or too small, you will wear out your shoes much quicker.
How do I clean used shoes?
Invest in some disinfectant spray. A big bottle, and a couple of sprays can go a long way into lasting you throughout your used-shoe buying career. For an even cheaper alternative use rubbing alcohol. Here is a great article on this topic: How to Clean and Disinfect Used Shoes.
Leather Shoes vs Sneakers – What is the difference when buying used?
Choosing the right kind of footwear is very important. Sneakers tend to have more give and can be a better choice, whereas leather shoes with tight laces can be a lot stiffer, making it harder to find a good fit.
Tips on buying rain boots/snow boots.
These are great shoes to buy used, as they rarely get worn all the time, and they’re usually outgrown after the season. Obviously make sure the fit is exactly to your needs, or if you’re buying online, make sure you know the proper measurements. Another useful online buying tip is to use the geography of the seller to your advantage. If the person is selling snow boots, but lives in southern California, chances are these boots are a lot less used than the seller’s in Minnesota.
What do the experts say about buying used shoes for my children?
This is a highly debated topic. The argument seems to be split right down the middle. Some podiastrists say that buying used shoes for your child can harm their foot development due to the wear on the shoes. While this is true, other podiatrists argue the point that children outgrow their shoe sizes so fast that there is hardly any time to wear them out.
If you are going to buy used shoes for your child, make sure they are “first generation” of use. You don’t want to buy shoes that have been handed down 3-4 times, as this will have plenty of wear and could end up harming your child’s feet.
How do I know what used shoes to buy for my children?
Make sure you check the tops of shoes you’re buying for your children, as these will receive the most wear. Be very choosy about the types of shoes you buy for your children, you want to make sure that they have as little wear as possible, this will help prevent any problems your child’s feet could have with very worn shoes.
It is not necessary to buy shoes for your baby before they are walking, this is even potentially harmful to them.If you need to keep their feet warm use either booties or socks.
How often does my child’s shoe size change?
Children go through three or four size changes in the first two years. they outgrow shoes before they outwear them.
Hand Me Downs for Children.
Keep a box full of hand me down shoes that will allow your younger children to grow into. This is a good way to know exactly how much wear these shoes have gotten, as opposed to having to trust someone else.
Remember, buying used shoes really isn’t that different than buying the brand new ones (keep in mind how many people try on shoes that are sold as “new” at department stores). In the end, the most important thing to remember is that a better fitting new shoe is much better than a used ill-fitting shoe.
Please take all of these tips at your own discretion as everyone’s feet are different, and may react to many different types of shoes. Use common sense when buying used and hopefully some of these tips will help you along the way.
100+ uses for Avon’s Skin So Soft
We have found one product that has many uses. Did you know that AVON’s Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil is more than just a bath oil? Check out the list below and you will be amazed.
Personal Use:
- It’s a bath oil and after shower moisturizer.
- It can be used to remove makeup.
- Great tanning oil (no sunscreen).
- Hot oil treatment to soften cuticles.
- Great massage oil for tired muscles.
- Cleans off tape marks left from bandages on skin.
- Cleans ink off the skin.
- Insect repellent.
- Helps relieve itching caused by dry skin.
- Cleans oil and grease off of skin.
- Painting something? Use Skin-So-Soft to remove paint from the hands. (Instead of turpentine).
- It soothes light sunburn.
- Rub hands with it before washing, it helps get them cleaner.
- Rub on dry, cracked skin….helps heal skin in 2-3 days.
- Put 1-2 caps full in liquid soap and use it for shaving legs and under arms. Helps razor glide and leaves skin feeling smooth.
- Pour a little into your Foot Saver to help moisturize your feet while you relax them.
- It removes chewing gum from hair, skin, and most non-pour us surfaces.
- Cleans permanent ink off stamps.
- SSS Original Bath Oil works GREAT on Head Lice. Saturate head and let it set for 15 minutes. Then rinse under an outdoor faucet. Shampoo hair a couple of times to get the oil out, but the lice should be gone and stay gone!
- It kills ants instantly.
- Spray on skin to relieve dry itching skin. Helps skin retain its elasticity.
- Wash hair with shampoo and conditioner like always and after it dries….Use about the size of a dime of SSS and rub it in your hair. It goes straight in and leaves hair as shiny as the ads on TV, not greasy at all, just soft and shiny.
- Use bath oil towelettes — cover window sill with towelettes to keep ants out.
- Sometimes, using bath oil, like Avon’s Skin So Soft, will work to loosen the glue which holds the nits to the hair. There is a product called Neon Nits, which when sprayed on the hair, will highlight the nits so you can see them to then snip them out with a small scissors.
- Psoriasis on elbows. Try Avon’s Skin-So-Soft bath oil spray on affected areas.
- Bath use, fill bath with water and a little skin so soft, very relaxing and gets rid of dry skin. Read the rest of this entry »