Plato's Closet $1 Clearance

One of my favorite times of the year...

Plato's Closet $1 clearance event!

Do you see all of that clothing?? 19 items for $20.66 (high Illinois tax...)

I got 2 coats, 2 pairs of jeans, 10 sweaters, and 5 shirts. Some of the brands include Big Star, H&M, American Eagle, LOFT, J Crew, GAP, Forever 21 and others. I was most excited about the Big Star jeans. I didn't even look at the size and they fit perfectly! (My store does not let anyone try on items during this sale.) Those would have cost me at least $70 in a "real" store and were marked for $40 to sell at Plato's before they went on clearance. They are my favorite brand of jeans!

Check out your Plato's Closet and see if/when they do their clearance event. My store does it in the winter and the summer each year.

So excited to wear my new clothes!

If you've never gone to this event before, let me warn you, it gets a little crazy, because well, people are crazy! My recommendation: become one of those crazy people (just a little!) - grab first and think later. So if you see something that you think it cute, grab it. Later, when your arms are getting tired find a corner and go through what you have. That is when you get a chance to look at sizes, check for damages (like holes or broken zippers), and decide whether or not you really think what you grabbed is cute or not!

Have fun! I hope you'll be able to go to one too!

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My Couponing "Adventures" this Week

I've been loving Meijer for getting sweet deals lately! I've clipped a few coupons off mperks to use, but other than that I didn't bring in any paper coupons and worked mainly off the CATs (catalina coupons that print when you check out.) Here's my day 1 trip to Meijer. 

 

As you can see I spent $6.42 and got $13 in coupons back! I did not expected to get that many, but I got $4 for the paper products, $3 for the salty snacks, and randomly got a $2/produce, $2/carbonated purchase, $2/bakery. 

Of course I had to use those coupons so I went back today and here's what I got. 

 

I used $13 in CATs and only spent $1.33! Well, that was fun :) And they were running a buy 10 and get the 11th free - and pretty much everything was a part of that except for the paper products, so that helped too. From this transaction I got back $2 for paper products, $3 for salty snacks, and randomly got $2 on cheese, $2 on meat, and $2 on frozen food. Total I got $11 back in coupons. (I also got a $20 off coupon when you transfer a prescription...might end up doing that too for a free $20!)

So, totaling up both of these trips to Meijer I spent $7.75 and still have $11 in coupons to use there! 

Compared to Meijer, my Jewel trip doesn't look as exciting, but I did a lot of catalina deals there as well, as well as paper coupons I clipped/printed. Here's what I got. 

 

My total before coupons was $31.51. I used a $3/30 coupon and $3/10 cereal purchase I received in the mail. I also used coupons for the OJ, Life cereal, granola bars, vinegar, and cheese. I paid $19.51 after coupons and got back $10.50 in CATs, for a net cost of $9.51. Not bad, but not as good as Meijer!

And an online deal - I made a free card (with free shipping too!) that I'm going to hold onto until it's time to give it to a certain someone! :) I like these cards because you can personalize them with photos.You can get one too through Sunday 7/22 - Use code: CAJ2719 at Cardstore.com!

So maybe this motivated you to try couponing out?! It can be fun I promise and it's just so fun to save! Let me know if I can help at all!

 I would recommend organizing your coupons by inserts, like shown here.

And these are sites I am constantly checking like to use when looking for deals and planning my shopping trips! :)

• Mashupmom - great for Chicagoland grocery stores, especially Jewel and Dominicks
• TheShoppersApprentice - good especially for Meijer
• RainingHotCoupons and OneFrugalChick - online deals and drugstores 

Do you have any couponing tips or other favorite sites? I would love to hear about them!

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Loving the good ol' garage sale days of summer!

I love Fridays. No summer school. My husband's working so I feel like I can do whatever I want. So what do I do? Roll right out of bed and go find some garage sales of course! I missed the last two weekends being in Florida, so I had to make up for that time :)

 

There were free refreshers at Starbucks today from 12-3. I stopped by just about everyone I drove past! YUM

I got this cute little box that has hanging files inside for $1. It's originally from Target. I'll swap out my crate that I've been using for coupons and use this instead. It will look much cuter When I first bought this (like an entire 2 hours ago) I was thinking I'd re-cover it, not so sure on the shamrock thing out year long, but now I'm thinking maybe not. Thoughts?

This is my favorite purchase of the day. Both for $5. I'm planning on using these to make a beautiful shelf like the one over at I Am Momma Hear Me Roar. Looks simple enough! I'll have to show if how/if it works out.

I also got a Radio Flyer wagon for my sister-in-law who wants to use it at her wedding. Brand new for $20. And I got a couple Express shirts and two skirts. And I stopped my Michael's. I love that store - could walk around forever. I bought a pack of plain gift bags and was going to use a 40% off coupon on my phone, but then my phone died. However the cashier was super nice and gave it to me anyway! I love nice people :)

Oh, and did I tell you (no, I did not actually) that we are MOVING! Yup, so that shelf is a plan for our new house. Our own REAL house. It's quite exciting. We close on August 6th and have possesion on closing. (I'll take some pictures and share them with you then!) So that's exactly a week before school starts. At least I'll have some time to get the house somewhat unpacked / set up, but then I'm sure school will take up a lot of my time. Oh, and another great thing about our house - it's .6 miles from my school! So, I'll be walking to school, or at least trying it out. Look at me now, all going "green" and being healthy at the same time!

I'm actually heading off to go camping with a couple of friends for the night - like in a half hour, so I should probably start packing. Dang, it's been a long time since I'm been camping...and it's going to be hot - but hopefully fun too!

So, have you found any sweet garage sale finds lately? I love hearing about your good deals too!

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This Weekend's Garage Sale Finds

I had such a fun time checking out garage sales this weekend! Since I don't have summer school on Fridays I was able to get started Friday morning after my homebound tutoring session, which only lasted an hour since my student fell asleep - poor girl, am I really that boring?! :)

At one of the first sales I stopped at I found a ton of clothes. I didn't notice this until I got home, but I think we have more in common than the same size...ha! That's a LOT of pink :)

So, from left to right. Victoria's Secret bathing suit (NEW) - $1, gray Old Navy pants - $1, pink target jacket - $2, NEW with tags pink Express long sleeve shirt - $1, light pink Juicy Couture shirt - $1, pink Old Navy t-shirt - $1, Old Navy pink tank top with sequins NEW with tags - 50 cents, white with ruffles Old Navy tank - 50 cents, Jones New York pink sweater - $2, white target open cardigan NEW with tags- $2

And then I also found these picture frames. They're new and only were $2 each.

Saturday was another GREAT garage sale day. I went with my mother-in-law in Elmhurst area - there was three church sales going on and garage sales all over. We were doing great and found something at almost every place we went too!

Orange shirt - $1, Black express shirt NEW with tags (for $29.99) - $1, Limited dress pants - $5, Banana Republic brown sweater - $2, Banana Republic black beaded sweater- $2. Soooo I love Banana Republic and have a lot of their clothes...never actually bought anything from the store though. :)

 

And I'm quite excited about this one. I've never seen this model, and I guess it might be cool because it looks like it does a lot, but it's similar to one I had when I was little. We used it on apple and it peels off the skin in a long skinny strip and then the apple slices are curly - like a slinky! Have anyone else used this or something like it before?

 

And finally - this rechargeable vacuum - an Electrolux Pronto 2 in 1 for FIVE DOLLARS! I had used this before while babysitting and it was sweet because it's cordless and so small and lightweight. We have a vacuum, but I figure it's good to have a backup or just something to use in-between regular cleanings (ha - who am I kidding - I don't have regular vacuuming days). But for a quick deal it will be great. I didn't realize this was just a great deal, but then I checked online...they are selling for about $95!!

So, did you have good luck at any garage sales this week? I'd love to hear about it!

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What I Wore this Week

Here's the first official "what I wore this week" post! 

Also could be called, "look at all my awkward poses"!!! 

(Let's pretend Friday didn't exist - it was track day/green(earth) day/school spirit day...boring)

Which was your favorite outfit of the week?

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Which outfit was NOT thrifted? There is only one!

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Vote because it's fun! And I'll post later with the results and tell you a little bit more about which one was not thrifted and the deals I got on the others! :)

Updated 4/24: 
The favorite outfit of the week was Thursdays with a 43%! (It was my favorite too - glad we have the same taste!

And...most voters thought that Wednesday (67%) was the non-thrifted outfit - when actually it was Thursdays - which got 0 votes for which one was not thrifted!!!

 Monday: ($1 shirt - thrifted; $2 Express dress pants - thrifted)
Tuesday: ($2 Express shirt - thrifted; $2 New York and Co pants - thrifted)
Wednesday: ($0 sweater - Macy's when they had the "buy denim - get a $10 coupon" sale. I bought capris for $8, got a $10 coupon, used it to buy this sweater for FREE!; $2 Express dress pants - thrifted)
Thursday: ($10 Forever21 shirt; $18 Banana Republic dress pants - outlet store)

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What I Wore (on Thursday)!

Lately, I've been noticing quite a few bloggers who do "what I wore" posts...and got to thinking - hey, I wear clothes everyday, maybe this is something I could do! Also, it could be good for me to document my clothes choices, because I'm pretty sure I wear the same things over and over again...

So here's what I wore on Thursday!

 

I really love this shirt. It's so flowy and silky. I have fun playing with it... 

Shirt: Forever 21 ($1 - Plato's Closet) 

Black pants: Express ($2 - Neat Repeats thrift store) 

haha, and I put on some shoes later!

.  

And I liked the way my hair turned out,. It was day 2 of "dirty" hair, so it definitely needed to be pulled back! I used about 3 bobby pins to fold over the hair as you can see, and after the picture was taken I added a hair tie because I wanted to make sure my ponytail would stay in place all day! 

So I'll try doing this for this next week and post it all at the end of the week and you all can let me know if you like it! :) 

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$.01 Beauty Box - nail polish!!

I'm so excited! I signed up for a beauty box from Julep just last week and it came already! Right now you can sign up and get one for just $0.01 ($40 value) with the code SHAREONMARCH! (current codes are COLORS4ONE or COLOR2012) FREE ($40 value) with the code FREEBOX - just pay shipping which is around $4.


If you want to continue receiving beauty boxes, you will be charged $19.99 monthly (They will contact you each month before they charge your card) OR you can cancel your membership (877.651.3292) when you receive your box and you'll pay nothing more! And get excited because there is a 3rd option, invite 2 friends to Julep Maven and when they sign up you will get an additional free month!

Check out my box!!! And it looks so cute.

 

The nail polish is worth $14!
I'm super excited about the sparkly purple nail polish!

 

For $.01 you really can't go wrong, and simply cancel when you receive your box OR invite 2 friends to also get this sweet deal and get your next one free!YAY! Go ahead and sign up here. Don't forget to use the code SHAREONMARCH! (current code is FREEBOX)
 

(This is not a sponsored post - I haven't done any of those - I just think it's a really sweet deal! If you use the link I provided I will get a credit toward a beauty box - which would be so exciting! If you sign up feel free to leave your friend link in the comments and maybe we can all help each other out!)

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Thriftiness: Free Birthday Cards & 25 cent Coldplay!

Free Cards from Cardstore.com! Use code: CCE2246, Valid 3/8 thru 3/14 for the 1st 25,000 Cards Ordered Daily!

I just ordered mine today. It's 100% free, even shipping, and you get to have fun with the card and add pictures and cool things like that! :) Cardstore.com has SO many different options - it was harder for me to choose a couple to show on here than it was to actually pick the one I created! :)

 Coldplay's album Mylo Xyloto is only 25 cents on Amazon today - yes, 25 CENTS for the entire album! :) love me some coldplay... My all time favorite song is "Yellow" by them...speaking of yellow thing...

Random "me" fact for the day: I really like lemon juice. Like drinking lemon juice straight. Right now that's what I'm drinking, a small glass of lemon juice! haha!!

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5 Money Saving Ideas for a Thriffty Thursday!

Here's some very random thrifty Thursday ideas for you all! Is any of this new information for anyone?

 1. Freeze shredded cheese.

My husband and I go through cheese like crazy! I like to stock up when I find the 8 oz bags for 99 cents or less and then I end up saving about $1 on each bag - and I don't have to run to the store when I realize we are out of cheese (again). Don't freeze chuck cheese, it will get crumbly - still good, just a strange texture. Oh, when you freeze cheese it will be good for 3-6 months past the expiration date.

2. Search for coupon codes before you checkout - especially if you see a box for coupon codes!

It's easy, just do a google search - "store/site name" coupon codes. RetailMeNot and CouponCabin are good ones.

3. Use Swagbucks.

I downloaded the Swagbucks toolbar and automatically do all my searches from swagbucks. I've had the toolbar installed for a few months now and have already earned enough 1072 SB - enough points for $10 in Amazon credit. This honestly took NO effort, I get $1 SB each day for using the toolbar (as soon as I open my browser) and I randomly get SB for searches. Check it out here.

4. Turn the heat down (when you're not home and when you're sleeping)
I feel like this is a "duh" thing to do, but sometimes you get just so busy you might not think about it! We keep our apartment at 60 degrees when we are at work or sleeping and it really hasn't gotten too cold.

5. Doing any crafting? Don't forget your coupons!  

Check for the weekly Michaels coupon, Hobby Lobby coupon, and Joann's Fabrics coupon. These are  usually 40% off one item coupons that come in the Sunday paper and online! (Joann's does not have online coupons though - but I have linked where to find the most current Michaels and HL coupons above)

*and* if you are a teacher, don't forget to use your teacher discounts! Michael's and Joann's give 15% off and Hobby Lobby gives 10% off.

What did you think of the random frugal tips? Anything you didn't know/think of before?

Would you like to hear more next week? :)

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Our Craiglist Bedroom Furniture

For today's Thrifty Thursday post I would like to show you our bedroom set

My thrifty tip of the day: check out craigslist...and often! We searched craigslist for a couple of months before we found something we wanted that was also in our price range. Craigslist is really great for furniture, because you can get really high quality stuff while paying even less that you would in a store for pieces that are not as expensive!

You can see most of the items in these two pictures! It's a bit of a tight squeeze in our apartment right now, but it works! We got the queen sized cherry bed, the dresser and mirror, the armour, and two nightstands for $500, which is a lot less than what were we considering paying on cheaper (and fewer) items!

Oh, are you wondering why we have one nice night stand and the other is a dinky plastic one? Haha, the other nightstand is currently serving as an end / coffee table in our living room.

  

The comforter set, the bench, and the lamp were all wedding presents!

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Thrifty Thursday: Plato's Closet - $1 clearance event!

Welcome to thrifty Thursday! 

See all the items in the picture below? I only paid seven dollars for everything here! You can't even do that well at thrift stores! :)

Plato's Closet has a $1 clearance sale twice a year when all clearance items are only a dollar!

The items I got included 4 dresses, express jeans, lucky jeans, and a Columbia coat!

Check your Plato's Closet to see when they have their $1 sale! The Chicagoland Plato's Closets will have another $1 sale July 7th and 8th.

Here's my haul from this past summer sale- including express jeans, gap jeans, and seven jeans, express and forever 21 shirts, and - of course - more dresses!

And here I am wearing my $2 outfit for the night! Back in the summertime...

Have you ever been to a Plato's dollar clearance event? Be sure to mark your calendars for the summer!!

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TV stand - before & after

Finally! Remember on my "thrift store goodies" post, I said I picked up something for a project but was waiting to show you! Well, now it's ready so get excited!

We had been looking at TV stands but hadn't found one we really liked...and I had been looking around different blogs and kinda wanted to try to make something myself.

So, when I found a stand at Goodwill for $30, I just knew I had to try! Here's what it looked like...

So, what do you think? Improvement? :)

Here's a small overview of my process.

First I sanded it down a bit (not quite enough though, especially on the silver doors...which I had to re-sand and do later because they were peeling very badly!)

Next, I got ready to paint! I used some paint that my in-laws had left over from painting their walls - Behr Antique White - not sure if it was the best type of paint to use on this project...because of the peeling I experienced, but that also might be because of a poor sanding job. I taped the doors to paint them, see, still way too shiny...little did I know that would be a nightmare!!!

The paint started peeling off in stripes after in dried, so I had to sand the doors down and pretty much remove all of that silvery stuff...it was annoying! Lesson learned: sand WELL and use good paint!

Got some new hardware for the drawer and doors at Wal-mart for $11. My dear hubby helped me put them on as it was quite difficult since we needed to make new holes. But he was great at that!

Then, I started to distress it by adding some paint. I believe it was actually a rust primer spray paint that I used. I would spray it on a plastic bag first and then rub it on the edges and lightly across the entire thing. The plastic bag worked great because the paint didn't soak into it entirely, which gave me time to apply it to the TV stand.

I also took off those crazy looking feet! And, there you have it! Our new TV stand for $42!

I know it's not perfect, but I love it! And our TV (actually our friend's TV that we are currently borrowing) looks much nicer on a stand than sitting in the corner!

Linking up at some of these lovely parties!

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