February Favorites & Empties

New You Tube Video:

http://youtu.be/sCN-kPmaG6w

DIY: Recycled Hand Soap Dispenser

I needed a new soap dispenser for the kitchen and I didn't want a breakable one since it always falls into the sink! I saw on Pinterest how you can repurpose just about any kind if bottle and the Wen shampoo bottles are not only the perfect size and shape, but the color allows you to put in any color of soap and it doesnt have to match!

So I started with the empty bottle and soaked it in hot soapy water for about 15 minutes. Then I sprayed the bottle with cooking spray and rubbed all the sticky residue off of the bottle. 

Once it was completely clean and dry I filled it with antibacterial soap from the Dollar Store. 

Then I put it to work! I think I am going to do the same for all of my bathrooms it is so easy and best of all FREE!!

Pink Week Day 5

TGIF everybody! I wanted to end the week with the a little rocker chic number. This hot pink zebra print cardigan is from Rue21, got it for $3 new. 

I paired it with a black tissue tee long sleeve shirt and motocross jeans both from Charlotte Russe for $5 each! My riding boots are Coach. These were a 2012 Christmas present from my Mom $155 on sale at Macys.

I love this necklace it was a handme down and the earrings were the biggest on a 3 pack from Rue21 $1.99.

Kept my hair natural today, a little wild.

No Friday could be complete with out a little refreshment. My new favorite Mexican Beer Modelo. 

Cheers & have a great weekend!

Pink Week Day 4

For Throwback Thursday I decided to wear my Dr. Martens. I noticed that these are back in style. I never got rid of mine they are so comfortable and made so well. 20 years later they are good as new.

The pink jeans are from Rue 21 for $5!

My shirt is an Old Navy black 3/4 sleeve tee on Clearance for $4.99.

I wanted to have edgy accessories so I mixed silver chains and leather with a string of black stones. The leather and crystal bracelet is from Mark and the Sterling Silver earrings I got at The Clothes Hangar a boutique that used to be at the San Antonio Airport. The sunglasses came from the $99 Cent Only  Store.

Pink Week Day 3

2/19/14

Remember when Isaac Mizrahi had his line at Target? I swear I wanted everything! 

I have had this jacket forever! This is actually an item I thrifted at Too Good to be Threw for $5. 

I paired it with my Stetson stovepipe jeans I thrifted for .25 cents and a white tissue tee from Old Navy on clearance.

 I got these shoes at Target new but they were 75% off and I believe I paid around 6 bucks. 

I kept the accessories simple, Avon sunglasses and cat initial necklace. The button earrings are vintage and were hand-me-downs from a friend of my moms. The Coach purse was a gift from my dad. 

Pink Week Day 2

Tuesday 2/18/14

This is the Walmart sweater I picked up in the pevious shopping haul. I saw this picture on Pinterest and I thought it would be a cute way to style this sweater for work. I paired it with dark jeans from New York and Company these were free in a clothing swap.

I added a silver beaded necklace I picked up at Kohl's for $4.99 and some rhinestone studded flats I got at Ross for $12.99. The good luck bracelet was a gift from my mom and the earrings are part of in a Avon set.

I really like the color of the sweater and I got a lot of compliments about my sweater and my bangs.

 

Pink Week Day 1

Monday 2/17/14

This outfit is almost completely thrifted. My jacket, striped shirt, and Nine West shoes were .25 cents each! The pants are from New York & Company, I bought them new for an interview on sale for $9.99.

This is the Karen Scott Hot Pink Blazer I found at the Family Thrift Outlet (FTO) for a quarter.

This Avenue black & white sweater was thrifted at FTO it is a little big but it is so comfy!

I don't even remember where I got the necklace and earrings but the stretch chain link bracelet is the one I got at Rue 21 recently and my ring is a Gucci ring I bought on my first trip to New York in 1999.

My bag is from Mark. I used to sell Avon so I know it was less than $20 but I have had it for years and I added the pink ribbon for a pop of color!

February Thrift Haul

Here is the link to my latest video

:http://youtu.be/VDWxAizrMdQ

We got off to a late start but there was still a lot of good stuff! At the thrift store we go to each day is designated a price but but Wednesday is the day that everything is quarter so I try to go once a month. We ended up buying 77 peices! My mom got 34 items, mostly long sleeve shirts for her husband and cute school clothes for her nephews and a few peices for herself. I got 43 items and as you can see by the video I got a little bit of everything! 

So together we ended up paying $19.25 plus tax for our shopping spree!

Crazy right? So I am seriously running out of room so I will need to start an eBay or Etsy store soon! 

Let me know what you think? Have you ever bought clothes online or sold clothes on consignment at a store like Clothes Mentor or Plato's Closet? That might be a good idea for a future video!

XO

Deanna :)

Couponing 101

We have all seen those extreme couponing shows on TV where people are buying hundreds of dollars of groceries and then only paying fraction of the cost using coupons. And I am guilty of wasting an entire Saturday afternoon watching the shows hoping for tips to do the same. 

I am still not an extream couponer but I do save quite a bit using coupons here is link to my latest video:

http://youtu.be/ns-p0BdUB5o

I guess you could say I am a lazy couponer, but where I live in San Antonio,  TX we don't have many options for groceries. HEB has monopolized the city and our only other option is Walmart & Target. We also have a few La Fiesta stores and a few Whole Foods and one Trader Joe's. So in my situation it is more efficient to keep things simple and use coupons for the things we need and use. So I get one newspaper and then the leftovers from my moms paper. I also use a coupon database, my personal favorite is www.mylitter.com

If I am brand specific I will visit the manufacture website and sign up for their newsletters or reward programs. That is why I would suggest getting a seperate email address just for shopping so that your personal email does not get inundated with ads. 

Just a as an example, my dog Frida is on prescription food. I never thought I would find a coupon but I looked up the manufacture and sure enough there was a $7.00 coupon and I was able to print two! I also signed up for email alerts for future savings. 

This just proves there are coupons for almost everything!

  

If you shop at HEB there are still ways to maximize your saving by taking advantage of the Meal Deals and Combo Loco's! Especially if you have a coupon for the product that you have to buy to get the free items that is the only way you can stack coupons at HEB. Here is how it works..there was a Combo Loco that when you buy a 22oz Hellmann's mayonnaise and get a Wataberger mustard and ketchup for free! If you had the $.50 coupon from the Sunday paper for Hellmann's you could pair the deal together to increase the savings.

Reward Programs:

If you are ready to take your couponing to the next level then reward programs are the way to go. There are several stores that offer rewards, most have a card or a key fob that collects and lets you keep track of your savings.

To give you a better idea of how the programs work I would recommend checking out these videos from www.southernsavers.com they do an awesome job explaining the programs and giving great couponing tips!

Walgreens Balance Rewards:

http://youtu.be/plQOuVfk5_c

CVS Extra Care Rewards:

http://youtu.be/JqZXcHB4N0E

I just started using the Walgreens program but I have been a loyal CVS customer for years and I love the reward program. Here is a look at my savings:

This is just from CVS this does not include the manufacture coupons I used during checkout! I mostly buy my cosmetics and toiletries at CVS here is an example of my most recent shopping spree...

I received an email from CVS giving me $5 off of a $15 purchase. So I decided to buy the following items:

Mabelline mascara:           $7.49

2 Right Guard deodorants $6.00

Clear Shampoo.                $5.00

                              Total:  $18.49

I had the following coupons:

CVS $5 off $15

CVS $2 off Maybelline mascara

MC $2 off Maybelline mascara

MC $2 off 2 Right Guard deodorants

MC $2.50 off Clear Product

Total :$ 13.50

So my total was supposed to be $4.99 +tax but I was thrown a curve ball this is what ended up happening...

Maybelline mascara:           $9.49

2 Right Guard deodorants $6.00

Clear Shampoo.                $5.00

                              Total:  $20.49

This is what was applied:

CVS $5 off $15

CVS $2 off Maybelline mascara

MC $2 off Maybelline mascara

MC $2 off 2 Right Guard deodorants

MC $2.50 off Clear Product

CVS $5 off $15

Total :$ 18.50

Making my total $1.99 +tax

So you always have to be prepared for glitches along the way but it is defiantly worth it and sometimes it even works in your favor! 

I hope this was helpful and inspires you to give it a chance. I recommend starting small and not to get overwhelmed. Buy what you need and save along the way! 

XO Deanna