Save it Saturday: Shoparoo

I love the different apps that are available for saving money, but this one really makes me happy because it benefits my child's school- without having to clip special labels or buy over-priced fundraiser items. I feel like it is a win/win because all I need to do to help their school is to shop as I normally would- and take a picture.

Using Shoparoo, you just take a picture of your receipt after shopping at certain types of stores. These stores include Supercenters, grocery, club, pet, dollar stores, convenience and drug stores. You submit that picture, and you're ready to roll. They will process it and based on your dollar amount and how often you submit pictures, your school is awarded points they can turn in for cash.

You also get to refer friends (even if they support a different school!) for points. The links above are my referral links (so that my kids get a  little boost for their school), but you are able to join and support your own school.

Like I said. Win/win ;)

Save it Saturday: DIY

{Shh, don't look at the calendar}

The regular Save it Saturday post didn't go up in time, but I wanted to share why:

We ordered new appliances for the kitchen (yay! My oven didn't heat evenly and we had burnt/raw food, and the fridge leaked and was breaking), to replace the ones that were here before we moved here (and probably here before we were born).

Taking new appliances into a crappy kitchen just didn't seem right, but we didn't have a huge budget to replace and repair everything. Thankfully, my husband is handy and can do minor construction jobs.

This helped offset the cost tremendously.. so far. We have hit some snags, and I wanted to share what I've learned so that if you take on a big job you won't have the same issue. 

1. Know exactly what you need. Don't assume that just tile and some grout is all that's needed for a floor. You may also need special boards, scraping tools, a level, a special tile cutter, etc. Look on websites and ask people who do these jobs what you really need!

2. Measure and round UP. Always round up when determining how much material you need. Worst case, you return unused stuff. Best case, you have just enough for the job you need. Going to the store to get even more material can be a hassle and make you wonder why you even tried. 

3. Get what you want- within reason. Sure there may be a tile that is 50 cents cheaper per square foot, but if you're doing this job you want it done for life- right? So though you should stay within a reasonable budget, don't cut costs just to cut them. You'll look at the tile for the rest of your life, and I'd rather you think "I put this work in for what I wanted" not "I really liked that other color better." 

4. Adapt a Zen like approach to chaos. Your house will be a mess. You will eat out more than you like to. Put on imaginary blinders if you need to. This part is temporary and you will get your house back to order (or even better!) soon. 

5. Do not take on more than you can do. Just because you may save money doing a DIY job, there are so jobs that are too difficult- no matter how many youtube videos you watch. Know your limits, or else you may end up with a bigger job that requires more money because you had to hire someone to repair your mistakes AND do the job. 

Good luck with your DIY jobs- link them below, I'd love to see what others have done! I'm about to get back in the black hole of my kitchen and hope that we make some more progress today :) 

Save it Saturday: Do Your Research.

Tax time always allows me to breathe a bit easier. We don't get back the refunds that some do, but the money we do get back is enough for us to splurge more than usual (as well as pay off debt and save). It's how we're able to replace our faulty appliances, how I'm going to sign up for my Praxis, and how we get to replace our stolen camera.

Replacing the camera wasn't an easy job though. My husband was convinced he needed a DSLR camera to do what he wanted (take great pictures from a distance, take print worthy family portraits, etc), even though the price was way more than I wanted to spend on a camera. I was worried that he was getting too much of a camera and that it would be difficult to just pull out and take pictures when we needed them.

I asked friends for their input, since I knew that if I had examples of other options that he'd be more likely to listen. He did, and because of that we saved a LOT of money. He chose not to get a DSLR but instead picked a point and shoot that had all the features he wanted. Since he was able to look into other options, and compare that to what he originally wanted he felt more in control of the process.

We also went in store to check out each of the cameras. He tried out many options before making his selection, and even then we shopped around for the best price. It took time and effort, but because of that we had more money left and he got a camera that was what he really wanted :) 

Save it Saturday: Handmade Cards

With Valentine's Day coming up, there are a lot of options. I've seen some really cute things on Pinterest that involve puns with candy or other things. I've also purchased boxes of Valentines with the latest character on them for my kids to hand out.

A little secret? It all gets thrown away. Some sooner than others, but in the end it's usually trash. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of just throwing away money (sometimes the sets can be pricey, and if you have more than 18 or so in a class, then you  need two boxes!), so I started working with the kids to make their own.  We use what we already have, so that saves the expense of buying cards or supplies, and I let the kids go to town.

I think it helps them to put thought and effort into a gift, they didn't just sign their name. It also entertains them ;)

I've decided to do this for other occasions as well. Why buy a card when the kids are more than happy to make one? It isn't a big savings over the course of a year, but I think that message it sends (to my kids and our recipients) is worthwhile.

Save it Saturday: Save your Trash!

The saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure" isn't new at all. It's all about realizing that something's value is related to how useful someone can make something. If it isn't useful to you, it becomes trash, and leaves your home, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't have a use.

I just think that there are times when we are too quick to call something trash, rather than figure out a purpose for it. When we put out our trash each week (even with recycling- our area only collects specific things), so much goes wasted. So I've been working on trying to collect things (thankfully I have the basement space to do so) and turn them into something I can use.

• I've used the tin cans for various things from Girl Scout Projects to organizing my workspace. I keep saving them because I know that I'll find another use for them, like these lanterns on Pinterest. 

• We garden each year and I make pickles from the cucumbers. Only I can't keep them in the house because the kids eat them all. This year I plan to make refrigerator pickles so I've been keeping pickle jars to reuse for that, and I can save my canning jars for things I really need to preserve for a longer time. 

• I've posted a tutorial for a diaper box. These boxes also make great moving boxes, and even if you don't make it over- they are great for storing things. 

• I've found that the little Greek yogurt cups are the perfect portions for snacks, especially for the toddler. They also make great water dishes when the kids are painting.

• I've made scarves from old shirts (some results were better than others ;) ). 

• I keep ice cream tubs for a variety of reasons! They are good popcorn bowls, buckets for the park, or even for when sick kids need a bowl near them while sick (though after that they find their way in the recycling bin). 

Do you hang onto things? What kinds of trash have you made into treasure? 

Save it Saturday: My Points

If you are a BzzAgent, you probably have a MyPoints account already. If not, I recommend signing up!

With BzzAgent you earn MyPoints when you take surveys, submit Bzz, and more, but it's something you can use even if you aren't a BzzAgent (though I recommend doing that too ;) ).


I get daily emails from MyPoints. It can be overwhelming if you don't check your email daily, but most have links to click to earn 5 points. I can earn 20+ points a day just from those emails with no other action needed. If you want to put more into it, you can take surveys, use their toolbar, and buy giftcards to earn points back.

I've earned a lifetime of 13,000 points which can translate to about $75 in Amazon giftcards just for clicking links in emails (and being a BzzAgent). It's not going to make you rich, but every little bit helps support our family of 5 (and things like this are great for splurging without hurting the budget).

Save it Saturday: Aldi

One thing I mentioned in my Menu Monday post is that I do a lot of my shopping at Aldi.

Shopping at Aldi is a bit different than a typical grocery store:

• They are smaller and most products are the Aldi brand. 
• You use a quarter to get your cart, and bring it back to get it back. 
• You bring your own bags (or buy at the counter)
• You bag your own groceries
• You can only pay with cash, debit and EBT cards.

These things are really not that much of an inconvenience (and you saw how much I bought!). I pack up my bags, make sure I have a quarter in my pocket, and I get to bag things in a way that makes sense to me rather than hope the bagger doesn't put my bread with the 2 liters.

If you are a stickler to brands or need to use coupons, you may not find it to be as great as I do. I don't have the time to shop sales and coupons (or, I don't want to make the time to do so), and I am not picky about brands. I've tried a variety of the Aldi products and have only had an issue once.

I bought a box of taco shells and every single one was broken. I emailed the company, made nachos rather than tacos, and called it a day. Because of The Double Guarantee, I was sent a replacement product and could have gotten my money back. They are so sure you'll like their products that they will replace it if not. 

A friend recently tried it and found she saved $100 just by shopping at Aldi. It isn't for everyone, and sometimes the deals are better than others, but it fits our lifestyle and has saved us money in the process :) 

Save it Saturday: Amazon Student

If you're a student- Amazon Student is a really good investment!

I've used Amazon in the past as a student to buy textbooks, office supplies, and even random things for projects (Need astronaut ice cream? They have it!), and the 2-day shipping makes it really convenient because there are times things will come up and I need them pretty quickly.

By joining right now you'll get to try it for free for 6 months! Just think of how much you'll save in shipping :)




*Disclosure: Link is my referral link. Please read my disclosure policy if you have any questions.

Save it Saturday- Endorse

One of the best ways to save money, is to earn it back on things you'd buy anyway. That's what Endorse does. It is an app that you download to your smartphone, and upload pictures of your receipts to after you're done shopping. New offers are available on Thursdays and you have 6 days from when you make a purchase to upload your receipt (though I do it the day of since it is just easier that way for me).

I was able to try Endorse as a BzzAgent, but have kept using it since the campaign ended. I haven't earned a lot back, but everything I have earned has been on products I was going to buy already- so to me it is worthwhile to use it. Every little bit I save (or earn back) helps! The link above is my referral link, if you refer people you earn $1 if they download the app, so once you've tried it you can refer friends and earn even more :)