Great Quality, Cheap Makeup

Do you know about the brand Eyes Lips Face or E.L.F? If you're not, then let me tell you that you are missing out on something big! Let me start this out by saying that I was the biggest Bobbie Brown snob. It may have helped that I knew the girl at the counter, but nevertheless, I was spending bookoodles of money. My husband came across one of my Belk receipts for the Bobbie Brown makeup once and questioned why the makeup cost so much. I really didn't have an answer for him. "I don't know. Better quality maybe?" I said. Which got me thinking...there is absolutely no reason for me to be forking over $60-$70 bucks for that stuff. Then I came across E.L.F. I can't remember exactly how I came across it. It might've been in a Google search, but I am soooo happy I did. Most of their items are only $1. That's right! And those $1 items include: pressed eyeshadow, mascara, pressed powder, brushes, lip gloss ect. They also sell loose mineral eyeshadow, powder, concealer, foundation ect for only $3! They also have gift sets and makeup bags at various prices but nothing outrageous. I have now placed three orders with them and I have not been disappointed with one thing! Their makeup is comparable to the Bobbie Brown at not nearly the cost. This quote is directly from their about me page regarding how they are able to price their items so low:


We are often asked how we are able to provide our customers with such wonderful products, many for as little as $1. By developing quality cosmetics and the highest standard of service, but using the internet for branding rather than higher-priced advertising media; by sourcing the best ingredients at competitive prices; and by prioritizing our products, rather than their packaging, e.l.f. always provides you with quality and value.

Now I know for some of you, that makeup is your splurge item. And that's ok....I'm not asking you to give up what makes you happy. I would just like for you to consider these items. Place an order and see what ya think! Right now, if you place an order use the code carolina to receive 50% off. Shipping is only $5.95.

Just remember that these items would make great stocking stuffers. Or buy the gift sets!

Great Cheap Christmas Gifts or Stocking Stuffers!

I just came across this deal. Artscow.com is having a sale right now on personalized rubber coasters. Normally these coasters are $3.49 but now they are only .99 each with free shipping. Make sure to enter this code at checkout: 99COASTER (no limit expires 12/31/08). You can take any picture, upload it, and have it made into a coaster. Now I just thought that was the niftiest thing. This would be great if you bought a couple and gave them as a set! You could give them to the grandparents with pictures of the grand kids. Same goes for the mommies and daddies you know. Or you could get them for yourself! Below is an example. You can pick either square or round.

Sears.com has a great Companion 16 pc. Hobby Kit with Zippered Pouch for only $4.99!

Set includes magnifying glass, glue gun, glue sticks (3), tweezers, precision knife, precision pliers (3) (diagonal, long nose, linesman), Phillips precision screwdrivers (3) (PH000 x 40mm, PH00 x 40mm, PH0 x 40mm), slotted precision screwdrivers (3) (1.5 x 40mm, 2 x 40mm, 3 x 40mm), zippered pouch.

This would make a great gift for that tinkerer in your household. Just make sure to ship to the store so you get free shipping!

Do Your Research Before Giving That Gift Card

Yes, it's the easiest gift to give....the great ol' gift card. However, due to the current economic times, you're gonna have to do your research to see if the store will still be around to honor it. As scammy as it sounds, some stores are still selling gift cards even though they may be closing their doors come January 1st . Your best weapon against this will be your noggin' (a.k.a head). Below are a list of stores that may be questionable to buy gift cards from. Some of these companies will only be closing a couple of stores so if they offer online shopping you should still be able to use the gift card there.

Ann Taylor

Circuit City

Cache

GAP

Wickes Furniture

Lane Bryant

Fashion Bug

Catherine’s

Eddie Bauer

Talbots closing down specialty stores

J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)

Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)

Footlocker

Pier 1

Wilson's Leather

Zales

Pep Boys

Levitz Furniture

Home Depot

Macy's

Sharper Image

Dillards

Now please keep in mind that some of the stores in this list will only be closing some of their stores. However, these companies are not making public (believe me, I looked) which stores they are closing and what dates they will be closing on. Sooo....if it were me, I probably would not buy any gift card to any of these stores.

On the bright side, look for great store closing deals. (Yes, the cup is always half full :) )

Today's Deals

Welcome Kiddies! Below are some of the deals I've received today. Oh yeah and please remember, if you would like to take advantage of Ebates cash back and receive a $5 bonus, please click here

- Today, Ann Taylor (Ebates offers 4% cash back) is having a sale of an extra 40% off sale priced items. Some deals look to be good ones. Please check the deals here

-Newegg.com (Ebates offers 2% cash back) - has a OLYMPUS FE370 Silver 8.0 MP 2.7"230K LCD 5X Optical Zoom All-Metal Body Digital Camera on sale for $129.99 + free shipping click here (note: I have looked, this is the cheapest price out there for this camera)

- Candle Bay is offering their Erome Soy Jar Candles at a discounted price of only $4.00 click here ($10 off any purchase of $75 using code CB1075 10% off any purchase using coupon code CB2010 CBSHIP earns free shipping if purchasing more than $60.00 CB2015 = 15% off any order)
Candles make great gifts and stocking stuffers!

- Kohls (Ebates offers 4% cash back) is giving a sneak peek of their Black Friday deals. Please check out the deals here Some deals will also be available to purchase online from 1am-4pm Friday. Make sure you sign up for their email alerts so you can receive a 10% off coupon!

- Walmart is also giving a sneak peek of their Black Friday deals. Please click here and enter your zip code for your local ad

Saving Money on Your Christmas Shopping

Given the current economy I'm sure some of you are cutting back on your Christmas budget. *Raises hand* Yup I'm one of them. I put a firm rule in place this year to only spend $10 per person in my extended family (sisters, in-laws, parents, grandparents, niece/nephews, ect). Now just because you make a low cost budget, doesn't mean you have to buy cheap crap. I was able to successfully buy everyone something nice. Yes, that's past tense because all gifts are bought, paid for, and wrapped. I'll share with you what worked for me. Please note, I did not go to any store, I bought everything online.

First, before you buy anything online, sign up for Ebates (click link for a $5 bonus) and http://search.live.com/cashback. These companies provide cash back on your purchases. The reason I say sign up for both is, some stores work with one or the other....so make sure you are maximizing your cash back. For example, on http://search.live.com/cashback, Old Navy offers 15% back. So if you make a $30 purchase, you will receive $4.50 back. It is not immediate however. You have to wait 60 days to cash out. They give this waiting period to make sure you don't return the item. If you use in combination with discount codes, you can get some real good deals!

Now, lets go over some website retailers I used that offered good deals:

www.walmart.com (Ebates offers 2% back)- Of course Walmart is a good place to shop. What I have noticed is, Walmart online offers items on clearance faster online than in the brick and mortar store. So, whatever you're looking for, click to look in clearance first. When I was shopping for the nieces/nephews (ages 1 - 10) I searched the apparel clearance and was able to find a winter outfit for each of the children. The price range for each of the outfits was $6.99-$9.99.

http://www.target.com/ (Ebates offers 4% back) - Again, a great discounter and the same idea. Search the clearance first. I was able to find my son some great stocking stuffers. He's super big into spiderman so I was able to find him the webslinger (normally $25) for only $4.99. I was also able to find him a build a bear for $4.99 as well.

www.brylanehome.com (Ebates offers 3% back) - This is a great website for home items. Make sure you sign up for their email alerts so you can receive a promo code. Usually your first is between 20%-40% off. Again, we are going to be looking through the clearance. I was able to find some bed in a bag sets for $19.99 shipped. Now, just because it's on clearance doesn't mean you have to buy it. My rule of thumb was, if I wouldn't put it on my bed, I wasn't going to buy it for any family. So, I was able to buy 3 very nice sets for my in laws, and both my sister in laws + their husbands and still keep the $10 a person theme.

http://amerimark.com/ - This is a good website for the older crowd. (I will admit, I did find some PJs for me for $4.99. It really just depends on the style.) Once again, look in the clearance. I was able to buy our grandmothers very nice fleece robes for $4.99. Right now for free shipping put X1108L in the catalog code box when you check out. Also you can stack either of these discounts as well aamdma (for $10 off of $30) or AAMQ02 $5 off $25

These were the main places I used for my Christmas shopping minus the occasional sales. As Christmas gets closer, I will post more sales to help you out. Just make sure to check out your favorite stores at Ebates and sign up for emails from them so you don't miss out on promo codes and sales.

Homemade Betty Crocker Warm Delights

I've had this recipe laying around but I'm not exactly sure where it came from. It is frugal and super yummy!


Homemade Betty Crocker Warm Delights


Use any flavor of cake mix you like.
have a supply of ‘flavors’, syrups, jams or ice-cream sundae sauces (choc.,
strawberry, pineapple) marshmallow syrup, dry coconut, etc.
a can or two of canned frostings if you like (optional)

Recipe: at a ratio of 1 serving of Dry cake mix to 1/2 serving of water and
mixing, add the special sauce or ingredient of your choice, swirl it
through cake mix several times. Top with the final topping (Chocolate
syrup, etc.), bake in microwave oven for just seconds. Enjoy!

Here are samples I love to make and eat!

1:
1/2 cup Dry chocolate cake mix, 1/4 cup water, Mix until smooth. Drop a
heaping tablespoon of canned chocolate fudge icing and swirl through cake
mix. Top with marshmallow syrup (a jar of marshmallow cream that I dilute
with several spoons of water and stir till it will pour).
Bake in microwave for approximately 55-65 seconds.

2:
2/3 cup yellow cake mix, 1/3 water. Mix until smooth. Drop in sweetened
coconut, swirl. Top with marshmallow syrup. Bake in microwave for anywhere
from 60 to 75 seconds. Eat and enjoy!

The only thing tricky about this recipe is to remember that whatever
measurement of cake mix you use, be sure to use 1/2 that same measure of
water. Be sure your cooking dish will hold the amount of cake (it rises and
can run over) and watch the baking time. Different amounts and different
sauces can cause it to need a few seconds more of baking time.

Stick a fork into the cake part to see if it looks like baked cake, if not,
add a few seconds cooking time. NEVER measure the cooking time in MINUTES!
Get inventive and try different combination. Really good and Cheap!

Give it a try!

Saving on the Power Bill

As I sit here in front of the fire it inspired me to pass along some power saving tips. Down here in Georgia it's starting to get insanely cold (25 degree nights). This can make it easy to get carried away on the power bill. I just got our power bill and was excited to see that I was able to lower it by $70. Here are some tips I use:

While you are not home, turn your hot water heater off. Surprisingly enough, this appliance is the one of the biggest power hogs in your home. It keeps the water in the tank at a certain temperature and whenever the water falls below that temperature, it turns back on to heat it back up. What's the point if you're not there? I know this may be difficult for some SAHMs but for my family who's away from home 8 hours a day, this works. Also, I turn it off while we're sleeping at night. You just turn it back on about 20 minutes prior to needing hot water (times may vary due to condition/age of water heater.)

Use your fireplace. If you have a safe, working fireplace, use it. We have been using ours and it does save. If you have ceiling fans, reverse the spinning so you can pull the hot air up and disperse it among the room. I live in a ranch home and have been able to open the other bedrooms, and turn on their ceiling fans to warm them up. I guess that all varies on the size of your home. Using your fireplace will allow you to keep your thermostat set lower (no higher than 68 degrees for maximum energy savings). Just remember to close the flue when the fireplace is not in use...the house will get cold in a hurry.

Use a programmable thermostat. We were able to find a programmable thermostat at Home Depot for $30. We use it to turn the temperature down or off when we are not here and it turns on just prior to us getting home. It also turns down while we are sleeping. It's very convenient and I've already made my money back.

Check your home for drafts. There's nothing worse than trying to heat your home only to find out you're working harder to get it done. Drafts can come from windows, doors, and your power outlets. Caulk around windows and doors. The plastic outlet covers for babies prove well for blocking out the drafts coming through the outlets. We use them anyway because we have a 2 year old, but it's a double use because it helps cold air to not come through. They're cheap too.

Unplug anything you're not using. Now this was something I really had a hard time wrapping my head around. I never knew that appliances pulled power plugged in even when they weren't in use. So unplug them or plug them into a power strip. When off, the power strip will not pull power.

Turn out the lights. This is an oldie but a goodie. If you're not in a room, make sure the lights are turned off. Also, make sure to utilize sunlight. Open a window to see what you're doing.

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. These do work. I am slowly transitioning to these bulbs as the old ones die. Just be careful when installing. These bulbs have mercury in them and if you bust them you'll have a health hazard on your hands. Please refer here for more information

Reduce using power during peak periods. I researched this and in my area the peak times are between 3pm and 8pm (these times can vary from area to area). During this time, power is more expensive to use. I make sure that we don't use a lot of power during these times (i.e laundry, dish washing)

Those were just some tips that we actively use. All you have to remember is to conserve. Also, you can always call your power company. They usually will come out and do a power audit on your home for free. They will tell you were you can cut back and what the bigger power guzzlers are.

Sweet Southern Corn Bread

If you grew up in the South, then you know what I'm talking about good ol' Jiffy corn mix. If you didn't, then you really need to keep on reading! I grew up on sweet corn bread. I LOVE sweet cornbread! For those of you who have never had it, it's really something you should try. It is very simple to make. Upon my internet travels today, I came across a Jiffy mix recipe. Yes, it is true that at my local grocery store, a box of Jiffy mix is .42. However, I figured this would be a good money saver. I already had all of the ingredients and I didn't have a lot to do today. So, I used this recipe:

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well with whisk. Whisk in vegetable oil and mix until dry mixture is smooth and lumps are gone.

If you wish to make Corn Muffins:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine above mixture with egg and milk. Mix well.
Fill muffin tins 1/2 full. Bake 15-20 minutes.
Makes 6 muffins.

I made a test batch first to confirm the Jiffy taste. I used a mini muffin pan and was able to get about 18 (this size works great especially if you crumble it into your chili). Sure enough it tasted just like the real thing. I froze the remainder to use for future meals. After confirming the recipe I then took out some sandwich bags and mixed several bags of only the dry ingredients. After sealing, I then took a marker and wrote the remainder of the recipe (wet ingredients and cooking instructions) on the bag itself. I felt this to be a great time saver. My husband gets home from work before I do. So, it's easy for him to follow the directions if they are right there in front of him. This is a great money and time saver. Just make sure to reuse the bags.

Here we go....

After many months of blog reading, I have finally decided to join the masses. Like many of you, I am living the frugal way. Soon, you will be able to follow me on my path of penny pinching. Some things I do may be common knowledge but I hope along the way I will be able to provide ideas that you can use. Please check back tomorrow when I will start passing along my ideas. Thank you for visiting!