How to Renovate a House on a Budget - Without Using Credit!

Since renovations have really been in the forefront of our minds lately (and realistically, running our lives), I figured I should write a post about how to create a nice home on a thrifty budget - without borrowing!  Here's how we've been able to pull it off:

1.  Start Saving Early! - 

About a year ago, Colin and I knew that there was a possibility we would be buying a home at our next duty station.  We also knew that houses come with increase costs.  Therefore, as silly as it sounds, we started putting $25 of each pay check into our savings account.  Sure, it's only $50 a month, but after a year, it magically turns into $600 that you didn't even miss from your checking account!  This is even easier if your online banking allows you to set up a direct withdrawal like ours did.  We didn't even notice the $25 being shifted after a while! 

In addition to this, we also started putting any checks we received into our savings.  This includes holiday money (yay for still getting money from your grandma on your birthday!), refund checks from rebates, closing accounts (like cable/electric), etc. etc.  Now, I understand that sometimes these checks are worth a lot, or you need a deposit from one thing to pay for the next.  Those checks can definitely be exceptions.

2.  Comparison Shopping - 

I am a huge believer in comparison shopping.  Now, I will admit that it takes a serious amount of extra time, but in the end I promise it pays off!  Every time we had something we knew we were going to need, I would look around online to see what the going rate was, and how I could beat it.  A lot of times a company you may never have heard of has a great deal on some wholesale product.  That's how we found our flooring!  I was determined to find someone who would sell us high quality flooring for under $2/ sq ft, and in the end I found it!

Something important to remember is that people have a lot of negative feelings about big box stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.), and rightfully so.  BUT if you cash in on sales and study the store policies, you can get some great deals there too!  For instance, Home Depot has a really great program where if you find an add where someone else sells something for cheaper, they'll match that price and then beat it by 10%.  I'm pretty sure they bank on no one taking the time to read newspaper circulars, so prove them wrong!


3.  Waiting for Sales - 

When you move into a new house and the inspector hands you a list a mile long of things that "should" be fixed, it can be seriously overwhelming.  I know I personally had a miniature heart attack during the inspection, and definitely started to get the "in over my head" feeling.  However, once I broke the list down and put it into categories, and realized that not everything was going to get done right away, it wasn't nearly as scary.

The first thing I did was write down exactly how much each thing would cost at two different places.  Then, I mercilessly scanned the weekly newspaper circulars in our FREE Friday newspaper for what was on sale that coming week.  So yes, our dryer went without a vent hood for an extra week, but we saved money in the long run.

Holiday weekends are especially great for this.  However, if it's something that has a rebate, make sure you don't forget to send it in.  We bought all of our paint for the whole house over 4th of July weekend because Home Depot was running a special where for each 5 gallon you bought, they gave you $20 back, and for each 1 gallon you bought, they gave you $5.  So we bought what we needed for every room (even though we haven't even painted them all yet!), and went home to put in the rebate!  Then, Home Depot sent us visa cards in the mail for $75 that we can now use anywhere! So yes, we may have bought more than we needed right then, but it saved us almost $100 in the end!

Now, I just have to note here that this can also go the other way.  Something that drives Colin nuts is when a sale is going on, I feel like I should cash in on it because I know we'll be paying more for it later - even if we don't have the storage for whatever it is, or the money in the budget.  Sometimes it's definitely worth it to go for it, but if it overextends the budget, remember that sales usually do come back around.  For instance, the 4th of July paint sale that I mentioned earlier came back for Labor Day.

4.  Prioritizing -

Colin is a huge believer in this one.  Prioritizing can be difficult, especially when you feel like everything needs to be done and it all feels important.  We took one day after we actually moved into the house to sit down and look at what needed to be done, then we made a list of things that needed to be done due to safety concerns, and those immediately moved to the head of the line.  After that, we made a list that was dependent on when things typically go on sale.  For instance, getting chimney's swept is cheaper in the summer because people aren't thinking about lighting fires, so have someone come out in July, and yard stuff is nearly always on clearance at the end of the summer/early fall, so work on the yard projects then.  We also planned all of our big projects around holiday weekends.  That way we could buy the supplies on sale.  Once we were done we had a whole years worth of projects prioritized by season and necessity. 


5. Do the Work Yourself (or with friends!) -

 We have been so fortunate to have lots of great people come and help us with the dirty work of renovating a house (pulling up carpet, breaking up tile, chopping down trees).  Not only is it a great way to spend time with friends and family, but it's also much cheaper than hiring someone!  When we started this reno we were beyond beginners when it came to any household projects, but thanks to youtube and some parental direction we figured it out!  We have spent hours on end watching youtube about anything you can imagine (installing moulding, tiling entryways, installing new light fixtures where there wasn't one before) and it really has paid off.  Lowes.com also has great DIY videos with supply lists that I would recommend. 

The biggest obstacle that comes with doing the work yourself is buying the tools.  Now, borrowing is also an option, and one that we use frequently, but some tools are worth the investment.  We searched craigslist, garage sales, and pawn shops, but had a hard time finding inexpensive, used alternatives.  I'm pretty sure this is just a product of living in such a small area, but the end result was lots of tools that we had to buy new.  I had a hard time with this at first, but really once you buy a tool, chances are you keep it for life, so next time you work on a project the labor will truly be free!

6.  Get to Know Your Local Hardware Store - 

This one is so important!  I would recommend taking a trip to your local hardware store and just look around at everything.  Ask where they keep clearance items, and what their policy is on special orders.  For instance, our Home Depot (we don't have much else up here) has a clearance section for random items at the end of the isle by the light fixtures, but they also put all of the big clearance items (tools, cabinets, bathroom vanities), in the front of the store next to the contractor counter.  Knowing where these items are and checking them every time you visit can really help your budget.  We bought nearly all of our indoor and outdoor light fixtures from the clearance section and saved a bundle!

One important tip I learned from a Home Depot associate was that they tend to stock middle of the road products, and special ordering isn't always more expensive.  Therefore, if you have a price point in mind, ask someone about what they can do to help you meet it, instead of settling for something that costs more, or something that you don't really like.  When we were trying to find inexpensive door moulding, I asked someone about their special orders, and ended up finding something that I loved for only .51/ linear foot, when everything in the store that wasn't just a plain white line was over $1.  They set up the order, shipped it to the store for free in 1 week, and we got moulding for the entire house for less than $150. 





Now, obviously every case is going to be different, but these tips have worked for us (so far!) and we've learned an invaluable lesson about not buying what you can't afford, and the importance of saving for those good deals!  Not everything in your house has to be expensive, just look like it is :)  If you have any questions about our renovations, or would like referrals about products used, feel free to email me directly or leave it in the comments!

The end of an era :(

Last night, the magic died.  The last Harry Potter film is finally upon us, and we celebrated accordingly!  At the last minute, Colin and I decided to make an impromptu visit to Portland to watch with friends since he got Friday off from work (yay!)!  This is the last film, and the last time we can wear our shirts without looking like crazies, so we figured it was more than worth it :) 

After a three hour drive we (of course) headed to buffalo wild wings before the big movie with some of our besties! (I also reunited with my baby!)

If my old girl would make it up to WA we wouldn't even need to find a truck!  She could haul everything for us!

My first attempt at getting a picture of the boys.  Apparently saying "this is for the blog!" doesn't elicit the exact response I was looking for :)

Much better :)

The Winging Beauty!

After we had our wing fill, we headed to the movie!  For the first time ever, we didn't have to wait in a huge line outside, they let all Harry Potter moviegoers into their auditoriums to wait!  It was a much better system.  Much warmer.  After finding seats together, we conjured up some free popcorn from Yahoo!  with our wands.

After two hours and five minutes of pure emotional roller coaster, we gave our final review:

I'd say that was one successful conclusion to a Harry Potter lifetime of fun.  Now, please excuse me while I go read all seven books again and cry about how it's ended too soon. 

PS
Um, did I mention there was an ever so short teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises?  Yeah it was pretty much the most epic moment ever and I can't wait until Summer 2012!!!!

Whatever you do, DO NOT use Purex Laundry Sheets!!!!

Let me say it again - Purex® Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets are absolutely no good.  If you're unfamiliar with the product, it's a cloth like sheet that is supposed to be laundry detergent, fabric softener, and a dryer sheet all in one.  Sounds great, right?  Wrong.

A few months back, I received a free sample of this product and was super excited to give it a try.  After one wash that included a $150 duvet cover, two dresses, and a couple of Colin's shirts, I noticed that there was some kind of stain on all of the laundry after I took it out of the dryer.  At first, I thought it was chap stick.  It wouldn't be the first time something like that accidentally ended up the wash (chap stick, lil' kickers stamps, pens, I've ruined more clothes by not emptying pockets than I'd like to admit).  Of course, after I realized that there were no pants, I moved on to other theories.  I called both of my parents to ask if it was possible that the dryer was burning the clothes, or maybe the grease from the seal had gotten on them.  Of course, both are possibilities, so I did a test run of towels (sans the Purex) and nothing happened.   Since I couldn't see how something like a laundry sheet could do this, I dismissed it - but also stopped using the product just in case.

Then today my friend posted this picture on her facebook of her brand new sheets with grease stains all over them from a Purex Laundry Sheet!  Ah!  It's so satisfying to have confirmation, but also so frustrating to know that this product ruins clothes instead of cleans them.  I decided to check the amazon listing for Purex Complete 3-in-1 Spring Oasis, 20-Count Boxes, and found that not only were people complaining about the stains on their clothes, but also that it ruins front loading washers.  PLEASE steer clear of this product!

(Photo courtesy of Amazon.com)

New freebies!

Alright, it's been a while since I posted about any great freebies that I've gotten, so I have quite the list!  The best part is that some of them are still available for YOU to request!  I've received all of this awesome stuff in the last week and a half!

This week's haul!

Alright so lets start with this first lot.  Keep in mind that I got all of this stuff for FREE by following hip2save.  In this picture you see:

1 packet of Tide laundry detergent (2 loads worth)
1 package of Tide Stain Booster packs
1 travel size Secret deodorant
1 full size Febreeze woodwick candle
1 Febreeze flameless luminary starter kit (1 stand, two shades, 2 batteries)

1 packet of Wisk laundry detergent

1 package of Seattle's Best coffee (STILL AVAILABLE!)
1 can of Ocean Spray sparkling cranberry juice
1 coupon for a FREE bic lighter

2 Starbucks instant readybrew sticks

2 Coffeemate french vanilla packets

2 Gum soft tooth picks

*Not pictured because they didn't last that long - 2 biscotti :)

Now, the majority of these fun freebies (everything in purple) came in a sample pack I actually requested from the post office!  It's a program called Sample Showcase, and every now and then they release sample boxes!  So sign up, and then wait for the next showcase to roll around.  There were also various coupons in the showcase for the products listed.

The Seattle's best sample is also still available.  Head to their facebook page, "like" them, then take the "what level are you?" quiz, and they just may offer you a sample!  I haven't tried mine yet, but I'm super excited to see what "level 4" tastes like :)

The Ocean Spray, Tide, and Febreeze freebies were all from giveaways on their facebook pages as well, so seek out your favorite brands, like them, and sit tight waiting for them to give something away!  These facebook giveaways can often be frustrating because facebook tends to crash (especially with the more popular brands like Tide) when the event goes live - but if you stick it out, you can usually get a full size freebie for all of your patience!

The only thing I didn't mention above is a super cool freebie that I actually got for purchasing mother's day presents at drugstore.com.  Since at least one of the four mother figures in our lives is probably reading this, I don't want to go into too much detail about what I ordered, but let me assure you it was a great deal!  Mothers - avert your eyes!

My 7th Generation loot

Drugstore.com is running a great deal right now where if you order $40 worth of products from their website, you get a free 7th Generation lunch sack filled to the brim with freebies.  Now, don't let the name of the website deter you, they have all sorts of great gift packs.  I ordered mine on Monday and it got here yesterday (FREE shipping!), so there is still time to get your moms some great gifts!  The 7th Generation promotion (one of my favorite green brands) is going on through May 4th.  Here's what came in my bag:

1 Funky Monkey dried banana fruit snack pack
2 Balance bars
1 Kind+ bar
1 Luna bar
1 Numi organic tea bag
3 Fish oil pills
1 trial size Buddy Wash dog shampoo
1 Goji Berry green tea water enhancer tablet
1 Teeccino herbal coffee pack (Chocolate flavor! Yum!)
1 Package of Emergen-c
1 package of Clean Well sanitizing wipes
1 package of De Luxe rosemary mint shampoo and conditioner
1 packet Fekkai shampoo
1 packet Fekkai 3 minute hair repair mask
1 packet 7th Generation disinfectant wipes
1 bar of Kiss My Face soap
1 pack of Puristics feminine hygiene products
1 box of 7th Generation organic tampons
1 Crystal natural deodorant
1 Burt's Bees foot cream
1 bottle of Dream Water sleep supplement
1 bottle of Weleda body oil

My oh my what a list!  And possibly the best part about this deal, is that you can pair it with other deals.  Before placing your order, be sure to check out Retail Me Not for any coupon codes that may work for your order, and search drugstore for any other brand deals they may be running.  Of course, you'll get free shipping as well.  I was actually able to get great gifts for all 4 mothers, plus these great freebies, for under $40!  *New customers get $5 off their first order too!

Make sure to check out all of these great deals, and don't forget to add hip2save to your bookmarks - it really pays off!

If you place an order through drugstore.com, come back and let us know what great deals you scored!

BzzAgent

BzzAgent is a website that creates "bzz" about products simply by word of mouth.  Once you sign up and qualify for a campaign, they send you FREE products to use and share with your friends.  The only thing they ask in return is that you spread the word about whatever it is they sent you.  Usually, your bzz kit comes with coupons to give away as well.  You can bzz about the product on facebook, twitter, your blog, their website, or simply in those regular every day conversations! 

As you participate in more and more campaigns, you start to earn honey combs.  The more honey combs you earn, the higher your bee status is.  This gives you early access to new campaigns, guaranteeing you the opportunity to get more free stuff! 

Just today, I got my first free bzz campaign kit!  It was for Cover Girl Natureluxe makeup.  They sent me a full size foundation and lipstick (which I love).  I haven't tried the foundation yet - so I'll have to give an update on that later.  The kit also came with a bunch of $2 off coupons.  So if you'd like one, just email me and I'll send it your way! 

My campaign package!

After doing a little price checking research, the foundation goes for about $11 and the lipstick for $6 at Target.  I think it's a little pricey considering the size of the products, but if it works well, then I guess it's worth it! 

Make sure to check out BzzAgent, and let us know if you qualify for any campaigns!

Rewards Programs

Since I didn't post about anything thrifty on Sunday, I'm going to take today to talk about some great rewards programs I'm a part of.

The first is Swagbucks.  I have very mixed feelings about this program.  There are lots of ways to earn "swagbucks" (points), but to be honest the only thing I really use is the search feature.  You can rack up the bucks by watching different ads on SBTV, answering polls, buying products through different websites, printing and using coupons, finding swag codes (on facebook, in your sawgbucks mail, etc.) and filling out surveys.  I did the survey thing for a while, but eventually I stopped qualifying for them and just sort of moved on.

So lets get back to the search feature, and of course the rewards!  After reading rave reviews on both Totally Target and hip2save and deciding to join the program myself, I installed the toolbar on my browser.  Now, instead of using google, I just type whatever I'm searching for into the toolbar, and every now and then I earn bucks!  You don't earn bucks every time you search, and when you do seems pretty random, but eventually it pays off.  Granted, it's not as good of a search engine as google, so if I'm looking for something super specific, I still revert back.

The rewards are really the best part.  Some require way more bucks then they're worth, but there are some great gift cards.  Already I've earned $25 in $5 amazon gift cards at 450 points each (just for searching the web!).  Of course, if I had saved my points and traded them in for a $25 gift card, instead of 5 $5 ones, I could have earned way more, but what can I say - it's the instant gratification of it all!  :) 

Once you get rolling, you can start referring your friends, and swagbucks will give you a buck for each buck they earn!  This is really the best way to start getting bigger and better rewards.  That being said, here is my referral link :)  I would love the referrals, but feel free to join through the website itself if you'd like. 


So that's it!  Research it, check it out, sign up, and tell us what you think!

Freebies in the mail today!

I got a great surprise today when a fed ex truck pulled up to my house!  Three days ago I requested sample paint from Valspar through Lowes for FREE.  I definitely did not expect a whole package to show up at my door so soon!

Not only was there a free jar of paint, but there was also a book of paint samples, a color matching strip, two mini rollers, a mini paint pan, and a $5.00 Lowe's coupon!

Want to know the best part?  YOU can still get these freebies!  Every day, for 100 days, at 9am central time, valspar is giving the first 100 people the same samples I received!  And you get to choose the color!  Here's the website:

Valspar Paint

On a slightly less exciting, but still FREE note, I also received two Skin So Soft samples in the mail yesterday.  A few months ago I submitted a story on their website about using their product as a child instead of bug spray because I'm allergic to deet, and they sent me samples as a thank you!

Now, what color are you going to choose for your FREE paint sample kit?

Walmart paid ME to shop there today!

I am so excited to share the great deals I got today!  I want to start this off by saying that moral ambiguity aside, I'm not a huge Walmart shopper.  In my personal experience, I have found that places like Target and drug stores (if you participate in their rewards program), often have better deals.  That being said, while I was organizing some coupons that came in the mail today with a One Beyond cat food sample, I noticed that the coupons for FREE cat food I had clipped from the paper earlier had an expiration date of today!  So I rushed out to target to get some deals!  Colin and I have been talking about switching the cats to an affordable natural food, and these free coupons were just the push we needed. I also took with me one target coupon for $5 off a grocery purchase of $20 or more, two target coupons for $2.00 off One Beyond, and two manufacturer's coupons for $4.50 off the same size product, a coupon for a FREE three pack of the new Jello temptations product, and a buy one get one free coke coupon, just in case ;) (I plan on doing a larger post about target shopping, but for the sake of understanding this good deal - at target, you are allowed to use one target specific coupon, and one manufacturer's coupon per item).


When I got there I realized they were out of the smaller sized boxes of food that the free coupons were for.  Bummed, I grabbed the bottles of coke, and the larger bags to use with the stacked coupons I mentioned above.  At the register, everything rang up at $20.68!  Totally over excitedly, I handed her my grocery coupon first, and then the rest.  Since Target doesn't apply overages, I ended up with a balance of ZERO on my receipt, paying only something like $.71 in tax!  Woo!!

My target deal

Hyped on the good deals I just got, I decided to head up the street to Walmart.  I was so happy to find not only the pudding, but also the FREE boxes of cat food!  This is when the magic happened.  According to the new Walmart coupon policy, they are awarding coupon overages to the rest of your order.  Since everything I was purchasing was for free, I didn't really think about it, and was more worried about having to fight someone about not paying for a single thing (I've had some bad experiences with Walmart cashiers and coupons).  I anxiously awaited her response, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the value of my FREE cat food coupons was actually $3.00, and since they were on sale for $2.50, she actually owed me $1.00!  She was also surprised, so of course she called a manager over, and he verified what the screen was saying, and handed me four shiny quarters!  What a great bargain!

My Walmart purchases

Has anyone else gotten any squee! worthy deals this week? 

Update:  I forgot to mention that both of the larger bags of cat food had target specific peel-off coupons on the front for $2.00.  Since I already had more than enough to get them for free, I get to use them next time with my left over manufacture's coupons! 

New Close-to-Freebie! Hurry!

There is a great new deal going around at dollardays.com!  Dollar Days is a wholesale retailer, and they are currently offering free shipping on all back to school and office supplies (there is a big ad for this in the middle of their site).  To make the deal sweeter, there are also some coupon codes you can use to get nearly free products in bulk!

DOLLAR20 for $20 off your order
124QDD for $12 off your order
DOLLAR10 for $10 off your order

Just make sure you order more than the promo code is for, even if it's just a few cents!  Keep in mind, if you do order something and the total is below $1, you will have to use a paypal account instead of a credit card.

If you get something like bulk glue, tape, scissors, paper, pens etc.  think about donating part of your order to a local school, as I'm sure they're in need at this time of year!

*Disclaimer:  The site is moving unbelievably slow  due to the influx of people trying to order, so just keep at it.  I don't know how long this good deal will last!

UPDATE:
If you sort by popularity, a lot of low priced options pop up.

Update Take 2:
After spending the day fighting with the site on and off, I finally placed my order!  I got 2 glue sticks, 2 reams of paper, a roll of packing tape, and 2 pairs of scissors for .51!

(Thanks, Hip2save!)

Freebies!

Who doesn't love getting things for free?  A few months ago I started following a blog called hip2save.  The blogger, Collin, posts deals of all sorts, but what initially caught my eye was all of the freebies you could supposedly get.  Of course, I was skeptical.  I started requesting some of the things she posted on her site, and before long I got into a fairly regular routine of expecting free things in the mail every other day or so.  It's sort of like Christmas each time you check the mail!

I recently went on a 10 day trip, and just have to share what I came home to!  I apologize about the picture quality, but I had to use my phone.  Here's a list of what you see:

1 beauty bag courtesy of Target filled with:
           1 packet of Fekkai Shea Butter Shampoo
           1 packet of Fekkai Shea Butter Conditioner
           1 sample of Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in hot pink
           1 travel size bottle of Pantene  Pro V Color Care shampoo
           1 travel size bottle of Nivea Express Hydration lotion
           1 stick of Neutrogena Natural lip balm
           1 book of over $25 in coupons for Target
1 packet of Oxy Clinical face wash
1 packet of Oxy Clinical clearing treatment
1 coupon for $1.50 off of ANY Oxy Clinical product (no size restriction)
1 box of Burt's Bees Acne Solutions Kit including:
           1 bottle of cleanser
           1 bottle of moisturizing lotion
           1 bottle of spot treatment
1 Staples rebate check for $11.98 used to buy two FREE reams of paper from staples
1 Bath and Body Works card for a FREE signature collection travel size item of my choice (no purchase necessary)
1 Victoria's Secret card good for a FREE pair of lace waist cotton hip huggers (no purchase necessary)
1 coupon for FREE Temptations by Jell-O 3 pack
1 coupon for $1.00 off a Temptations by Jell-O 3 pack
1 April issue of Family Circle (I got a years subscription FOR FREE with no strings attached)

So as you can see, it was quite a good haul!  It was exactly what I needed to see on our entry table after flying 6 hours and driving 3, only to find out that I'm locked out of my own house without a phone!  Something so ridiculous could only happen to me.

Even though packets and small bottles of product may seem useless, remember that if you're taking a flight, with new size restrictions for carry ons, these can really come in handy!  Also, the travel sized items like lotion are great for purses!

If you do decide to start following hip2save (and I highly suggest you do!), it's a good idea to make a new email to use when you sign up for freebies.  I haven't gotten any snail mail junk, but it does sometimes require you to sign up for product emails and that sort of thing.

Hopefully I'll be posting many more blogs filled with good deals and freebies!  And feel free to comment on good deals you've gotten, or websites you know about filled with deals!