Beauty On A Budget!

There are very few things that I will pay regular price for.  Almost everything I buy is on sale and then I use coupons as well.  I learned very early on that you didn't have to sacrafice quality to get a good deal.  Quite often when you are couponing you can get brand name products at a better deal than generic or store brand.  The cosmetics above were on sale this week.  There was also an in store coupon for $1 off each item.  I also used a $4 manufacturer coupon off of each one. When you use a store coupon and a manufacturers coupon, this is called "stacking". I buy a coupon clipper subscription to the local newspaper, which means that I get 5 Sunday papers with coupon inserts every week. As you can see from the picture above, I spent $6.75 and saved $31.80.  This added up to a total savings of 87%!

This is how I shop for my clothes and shoes as well.  Quite often people don't realize how well you can dress and take care of yourself on a tight budget.  

How To Have A Great Spring Break Weekend On A Budget

Since I learned how to super coupon a few years ago, I have learned many ways to save money in almost every area of our lives and have a great time.  Our spring break weekend this way is a great example.  Our hotel that we are staying at this weekend I am receiving a discount of over $30 a night because of a rewards/discount program available by mentioning where I am employed at.  It is always beneficial to check out what types of discounts are available to you depending on where you are employed.  We will also be saving money, because the hotel we are staying at includes an evening reception and full breakfast at no extra charge.  This is very important to us traveling with a family of 5.  This means that in the evening we can go down for evening appetizers/snacks and 2 drink tickets for each person staying in our room.  It is one of the things that our boys get most excited about because they get to hang out and drink rootbeer.  My husband and I can enjoy an adult beverage or choose to have soda too depending on what we feel like.  In the morning we get to enjoy a full breakfast bar with cereals, yogurt, pastries, waffles, sausage, fresh cooked potatoes or hashbrowns and a chef to make custom omelets.  This means we get to fill everyone up on a fantastic breakfast before we get to enjoy a great day out.  This saves us buying breakfast out that for a family our size saves us about $50-$60 each morning.  Usually everyone fills up enough that we can either have snacks or a very light lunch.  Plus swimming in the hotel pool is always fun for the kids while my husband and I can soak in the hot tub at the end of a fun filled day.

I also sign us up restaurant reward programs where from time to time I am emailed a deal for a meal.  This time we have a voucher for a free full meal at Fuddruckers. 

Another great restaurant that is a great treat for us to eat at is Tucanos.  The food is amazing and the kids can pick and choose what they do or do not want to eat.  Children age 6 and under are free (this saves us the price of 1 meal) and they also have a birthday club that I sign each member of the family for.  They then send you a card the month of your birthday that gives  you a free adult meal.  You take the card with you and this saves you the price of one of the adult's meals which will save us and additional $21.95.

I then purchased gift cards for Wahooz Family Fun Zone at a discount that is going to save us an additional $24.

 

I have also printed off coupons for Chuck E Cheese for gaming (I think we might skip here this time, but have the coupons printed just in case).

We also have coupons for Build A Bear. 

Each year our weekend varies slightly depending on the mood we are in and depending on what activities fit best with the weather.  However, I have found their are always reward programs to sign up for, discounts and coupons available and other great ways to save money available.  You really can make a couple nights away and family fun activities affordable if you do a little planning.  Our boys cherish this annual tradition and we have a ton of fun.  Oh, and of course, mom might get to do a little shopping!