Top 10 bargain Ideas

Today my post is going to be all about bargain ideas. I pulled some of these ideas from my Pinterest boards and just had to put them all together on one blog post to share.

Here are my top 10 bargain ideas from my personal catalog and Pinterest:

Picture courtesy of holycrickey

10. DIY Air fresheners - original pin here. I spend a lot of money buying refills to my air fresheners and if you have the empty bottles to many of these oil infused ones, you can actually refill them by purchasing your own oil scents. You can get these scents at some whole food stores (like peppermint  vanilla etc.) and even some mall stores and Wal-marts will carry the oil scents.

With this thank you card, I used the
cut outs from the card I received from
the individual I sent this to. It was a nice
extra touch.

9. Make your own cards. I don't have much of a crafty gene, but I could pretend that I did when I started making my own Birthday/Thank you cards. These help save a lot of money and make the person you are giving them to feel a touch of warmth because they know it came from you. You can buy blank cards at the dollar store in packages, or at craft stores. You can usually get about 30 to a box for about $10. Pair with a coupon to save %40 like I did at Jo-Ann. Then use ribbon, scrapbook paper, or cut outs to create a unique cute handmade card. Here's another DIY card idea.

8. Wrapping made easy and cheap! I am a firm believer in not spending $500 on a roll of wrapping paper. I recently started wrapping gifts in some left over tissue paper I had from after my wedding. Then used some ribbon and viola! I had a great looking gift wrap and cost much less. You can go to the dollar store to get some tissue paper or if you are an on-line shopper like me, you can go to Papermart. This place is amazing and has great prices! Pair your tissue paper with a cute bow or wrap it in a ribbon. You can use ink stamps on tissue paper as well to add some more pizzaz. Do a Google image search for "stamp wrapping paper" and you can get a ton of ideas. You can also use magazines, check out my blog post here.

7. Save money on dinner by crock pot cooking. You can cook for many people at once, in one dish, and do it in a very inexpensive way. Slow cookers or crock pot cooking can change the way you feed your family if you just give it a try. It's very easy and you'd be surprised what you can cook in them. This blog has so many slow cooking idea's, you will never get bored. I've tried many of them and they are all really good!

Photo and blog by
'TheCountry Basket'

6. DIY Foam soap refill. Stop buying the expensive foam soap. Use your old bottles to make refills at home. This is very easy and will save you tons. This blog goes into detail about how to refill those bottles you already have at home and how to even add colors to match your rooms. This is one trick I keep up my frugal sleeve.








5. Buy in Bulk! This is not a new concept or is it a difficult concept. When you can buy in bulk. You will save so much money and spend less time at the store. My one piece of advice with this, is make sure it's a good deal. My husband likes to think that everything in Costco is a good deal because it's bulk. Sometimes it's not. For example I have found that speciality items (like chips, candies, 100 calorie snack packs) are not unless you have a coupon. Take time, plan your shopping trip and do your homework. Once you do this it becomes second nature. Also, if you are at the store, and there's a good deal stock up! This is where tip #4 comes in handy...

4. Freeze what you can when you can! There are so many things that you can freeze that most people didn't know about. Until recently I would let bread go moldy because we didn't use it before it expired. Now, when I buy bread (I try to make it when I can) I immediately put it in the freezer. I just microwave it for about 5 seconds and it's ready to use. Here is a great blog that breaks down things that you can  freeze to help save money.

3. Make what you can when you can. Things like breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins and so much more can be made at home and be better for you too. Those boxed items may seem like a good idea, but there can be so many ingredients that you don't know what you're getting. If you try making stuff at home, it may take a tad longer but you will save money and help you and your family in the long run by knowing what is in your food!

2. Make your own cleaning supplies. There are so many ways that you can make great cleaning supplies at home with just a few ingredients and save a lot of money. Baking soda, Dawn dish soap, and Hydrogen Peroxide are just a few ingredients that go into many of these cleaning solutions. There are so many blogs out there that show you how to make your own laundry detergent, bathroom cleaner, shampoos, spot remover and so much more. Recently, I had an accident with my cat, and though I was going to have to throw my mattress away and get a new one. After spending $2 I was able to remove the stain and the odor. I was relieved and now making so many of my cleaning supplies. Here are few blogs to start you out.
Hydrogen Peroxide is magic!
77 Ways to use baking soda 
Make your own Laundry Detergent

1. Become your own manicurist. Do NOT Pay to get your nails done on a regular basis unless you are pampering yourself. Everyone can have the talent to paint their nails, it just takes time. I understand getting yourself pampered is one thing, but to pay $35 to have someone paint your nails is insane. Infact there are so many blogs out there (including my own) that will show you fun tutorials using regular or gel nail polish. It's very easy to learn and for most people that I have spoken to who have adopted this mindset use the time as a relaxing experience. Spending time pampering yourself always feels good, especially when you know you are saving money. Plus, there is no better feeling than having people compliment your nails and you being able to tell them you've done them yourself! Below are some of my favorite blogs for nail tutorials.

My own - Fab & Frugal Gal (I had to plug my blog in here!)
Nail Slide
Chloe's Nails
Neverland Nail Blog