Monday, June 27, 2011

Yard Sale Update!

We had a yard sale this past Saturday with mostly children's clothing and then toys and other random items.  My goal was $100; however, I made $84.  I am very pleased with this as there was a large High School yard sale seconds away.  I am happy to also clear out a lot of items and what didn't sell was donated to a local center where all the money made goes to Alzheimer's research.  A great day for sure!

We are enjoying my sister-in-law here visiting from Romania! This is her first ever visit to our great nation!  I did wait to have the yard sale because my husband told me they don't have such a thing in his home country that it would be interesting for her.  I believe it was.  She also got to see lots of people and get a feel for our currency.  She also saw how exhausting a yard sale can be but also how rewarding of what you can accomplish in 4-5 hours. 

Today, I wait for a call from the A/C repair guy.  Our upstair A/C decided to stop working last night.  Praying the bill will not be high to fix it.  We made the time fun by "camping" out downstairs.  My son was soo excited to see that tent come into the living room.  Funny, he didn't sleep in it though.  :-)

Have a great day!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Happy Blogoversary Today: Thrifty and Creative! 4 years old!

Thrifty and Creative, the Blog is 4 years old today!!!

It is hard for me to believe I have had this blog for that long!  I am very proud of myself because many times I have dropped some internet things I have started...but this blog is one that I have kept up with.  Granted, I do not update daily like I once did, but I do make it a point to have a couple per month and to not skip a month.  I also try to make an extra effort when I run across an idea for a post to do it right then.  This is why some posts may not be so wordy, but I "get to the point" of what I wanted to say.

Thank you to my loyal readers!  Here's to many more!  Cheers!

Sincerely,
Melanie (Thrifty and Creative)

Friday, June 17, 2011

Storm Door Update: Lowered Electric Bill!

Installing a storm door this past tax season has been our latest smartest move on cutting energy costs!It is unreal that a door can do that! 

About our door and why this storm door is a savings on the electric/energy bill:
Around the front door was not very insulated and you could even feel wind when it was windy out.  With the storm door...nothing..it's great.  We can also keep our A/C temperature at 76 whereas before couldn't go lower than 78 or the bill was high.  So now the bill is basically the same as it was But no worries about keeping cool and curious...will the A/C ever stop turning?  This may not sound like savings but it is to be able to keep it cooler for the same amount and high temperatures lately.

Last month's bill was only $97.00 (with some hot days).  This coming bill is only $157.00 and that is w/ some 100 degree weather days and many 90 degrees.  This house (upstairs/downstairs) has been a battle to lower the bill but I am happy with what we have done thus far.  The next energy saving effort won't be for a while, but will be insulating the garage to cool the hobby room above and I know it will work.  So far our baby steps here and there to heat and cool this house are paying off with lower energy bills!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Got my first Sunday Newspaper today!

I subscribed to the Sunday paper just a week and a half ago. Today was my first of 13 weeks.
I was just curious of the coupons and flyers that are in them.  We used to get the Sunday paper years ago and stopped when we needed to save money to move into another house.  Well, with the interest in couponing lately...I wanted to see what the newspaper has to offer since every couponing site recommends the Sunday paper.

So far I am pleased...it is just one week but I can tell already that there are enough coupons plus to pay back the subscription.  I am not going to get rich from it, but it is definitely worth the subscription.  I also enjoyed looking through the sales flyers.  Great way to know where the deals are and where to spend your coupons.  I just have to master my organizational skills for this one. 

I have also subscribed to "All You" magazine as it is stated to have a lot of useful coupons in each issue...comes out once a month and is fairly inexpensive.  I will let you know what I think when I get my first issue...might be a month or so before I get that one. 

I have saved a little bit here and there so far with my couponing...I have a long way to go.  The way I see it...as long as I am only buying what I normally would buy and can manage a coupon for some of the items...then I AM saving.  If I start buying things I would never buy...even cheap with coupon...then I am spending more than necessary.

Keep in mind I am a "rookie couponer" but excited to give it a real try!

Have a great week!
Enjoy these beautiful days outside!
Melanie :-)