My First Jamberry Experience

Hello my fellow frugal friends,

Have you heard of Jamberry before?  Did you read my Pre-Jamberry Sesh post?  If not, maybe you should!  So here is the deal, I hate painting my nails day in and day out because they chip or don’t work with what I am doing (that part rarely happens, but you can’t go to a funeral with Hawks colored nails, can you?).  Jamberry’s are vinyl wraps you can apply to your nails that last about two weeks on your hands and even longer on your feet!  Well, this is what they say..

I am here to be your tester.  I work in a bar… I wash my hands constantly and I manually clean all my dishes.  This should tell you that I spend a good portion of my day at work with my hands in water at some point.  I find that I have to re-apply nail polish more than once a week at this rate, which is not only time consuming, but annoying since promptly after I paint my nails I look like a 3 year old just went to town coloring them.

Here is my pre-Jam picture (which was on my Pre-Jam Sesh post):

Umm…yuck.  They are already chipping and the other side looked worse (mainly because I can’t paint my right hand for the life of me).

Here is my post- Jam hand:

My index and middle finger have Jamberry wraps on them, and the other three are with the same black polish as the above photo.  I literally just did these.  As you can tell, I have a dark soul- my Jams are black with some sparkle trickling down from the top.  But they have hundreds of different designs.

Level: EASY

Time: More consuming than I wanted it to be, but it was because I was learning the technique of putting them on and

everything.  If I did them again, it would take maybe 15-20 to do both both hands completely (estimate).

You may be wondering how this seems frugal at all, but if you go in for manicures or pedicures of any kind frequently, you could potentially be wasting TONS of money.  I have heard great things about these Jam’s, but I can’t completely tell you they are worth the money yet.  As the week goes on, I will post pictures of how my nails look so you can see the difference between the Jamberry nails and the at home paint job.

One set of wraps is good for two pedicures AND 2-3 manicures @ $15 per set of wraps.  This would make each application $3.25.  Now, occasionally some things are worth the money because they save so much time.  I rarely say this.  But to some degree, if for $3.25 every 2 weeks, I did my own nails and didn’t have to think about them again… that might be worth the money-  think, $1.62/week if they last two weeks.  Sometimes, just sometimes, that amount could be worth the time I spend painting my nails..and then cleaning the paint off my hands.

If you are interested in seeing how to apply them, here is a link you can check out:

http://goo.gl/gXKAjl

& if you are interested in ordering some Jamberry nail wraps to try out, check out:

http://www.onebeautifullife.jamberrynails.net

Anyways, you will be be getting a part two of this post probably on Sunday as that will have gotten me through the week and two busy shifts at work.  Have you tried these before?  Do you like them?  Are you thinking of ordering some?!?

Let me know what you think if you have or are going to!  Ta-Ta..

E.

9 Ways I Save on Groceries

Hello fellow frugal friends.

As a master shopper, I like to live by a few rules.  Here are my top 9 ways that I save on my grocery bill.

1.  Don’t buy soda or bottled water.  I know you think I am insane, but think about how much you spend to feed your caffeine addiction.  I used to spend around $2-$4 a day on soda.  Add that up through a month, that’s somewhere between $60-$120 a month on just soda.  If you add in bottled water the price gets even higher.  Think of this as a great time to kick your soda habit.  

2.  Check your circulars every week.  Check the circulars for each store, even if you don’t typically shop at that store.  I find some of the best deals and the most random stores that I don’t normally shop at.  This leads me to number 3.

3.  Don’t just shop at one store.  Many people think that the cost of gas will out way the idea of shopping at more than one store.  But if you live in a big town, there should be numerous stores within a couple miles of each other.  After you have checked out the circulars, buy the items that are on sale at each specific store.    For instance, I like to buy most of my produce from Top Foods (Haggen)  because I find that I can USUALLY get the best deal, and the best quality.  

4.  Buy less, shop more frequently.  Many people buy all their produce once a week and then end up tossing some of it because it goes bad before the next shopping trip.  Try breaking your shopping trips into multiple times a week, at least two times so that you can buy your produce and use it while it is as fresh as possible.  

5.  Make a list before you go.  Don’t go unprepared.  You need to write a list.  I am sure you have heard this a million times, but honestly… you will buy the Oreo’s and the Cheetos if you don’t make a list and stick to it.  

6.  Use coupons.  Seems crazy, right?  You can go to the Dollar Tree on Sunday and pick up the paper for a buck!  You can also find coupons online or you can do things like add Target’s cartwheel app and get extra discounts and percentages off your bill.

7.  Buy in bulk, only when it’s a good deal.  Buying in bulk isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.  But check out the price per unit because sometimes buying things in smaller is better and sometimes buying in bulk is better.  Before I buy cheese for instance, I check the price per unit and sometimes it’s better to buy the small ones, but other times buying in bulk is best.

8.  Don’t buy name brand.  There is no reason you can’t buy Haggen brand milk instead of Dairygold.  Plenty of store brand items are just as good as name brands.  Sometimes it takes some taste testing but most of the time, if you like one generic brand item, you will like most of them.

9.  Buy what’s on sale.  I try not to buy anything that isn’t on sale… why would I?  This is why you use your circulars and coupons.  If it’s not on sale, it will be in a few weeks, and unless it is an essential (milk, eggs, ect.) don’t buy it.  It can wait.  Just like texting and driving.

Hope some of these help you!  I am sure you have read ways to save before, but these really work for me (as proven by all the great deals I find).

Until next time,

E.

Where to Save on New Bedding.. $240 Savings!

Hello fellow frugal friends,

As fall approaches, many people like to change their bedding and house accessories.  My cutie baby niece has finally outgrown her baby crib and for her birthday got a new bed from grandma and grandpa!! What a lucky girl.  Well, with a new bed comes new bedding!  Where do you shop for a two year old who needs new bedding?  Macy’s of course!  I was surprised when my sister said that is where she wanted to go, but she made the right call. 

We started looking at bed in a bag combo’s because it comes with almost or everything you need, and for a two year works just fine!  I mean, we were at Macy’s so what kind of deal was I expecting?  We found a deal so much better than I could have ever imagined.  We ended up getting a bed in a bag for $17.99!!!!!  

 

 

 

So sorry for the poor photo quality, but this is a 6 piece set, which originally cost $260.00, was marked down to $39.99 with an additional discount (I believe 30%), and then because the Macy’s card was used, there was an additional 10% off!  This is almost a $250 savings!  They had tons of different styles and sizes for beds.  

 

They also have pillows at a great price as well- $8.99, with a savings of $11  Hit up your local Macy’s and check out what new bedding is in store for you!  If you find any great deals, let me know!

 

Enjoy yous shopping day!! : )

Until next time friends,

E.

14 Meals for $13…Find Out How & Where!

Hello fellow frugal friends,

I have been out and about in this nice weather, staying as cool as possible!  I went to my local favorite, Haggen (Top Foods).  I was able to score fourteen meals…. 8 dinners and 6 lunches for $13.  This is about $1 a meal … a little less. 

Each package of turkey was 0.99.  They are 8 oz each, so for 2 pounds of meat, I paid $3.96.  Normally each package was $2.99, so I saved $2 a pack.  I paired this with a package of bagels (not shown) and will be making turkey bagel sandwiches.  I will definitely have lunch meat left over for the following week.   

I also got 8 hamburger patties for $5.74 and an eight pack of burger buns for $1.39.  The patties were normally $7.74 but had a two dollar mark down sticker.  This is eight dinner meals for less than $8.  Is there even a better way to get eight dinners for summer time?

I try to get to Top Foods around noon after they have marked down their items.  Today they really didn’t have all that much, but what I did get was a great deals.  Hope you can get there and check out what they have.  I see no reason in paying full price for something when I can get such a great price on lunch and dinner at a discounted price.

Until next time,

E.

Try Julep for as little as $3.28!

Hey fellow frugal friends 🙂

TWO posts in one day.. But this one is as good as it gets! If you want to try JULEP out, you can sign up to receive their monthly boxes and the first one you can get for $3.28 by using promo code HELLOYOU.

Here is the link to use me as a referral! Try it out. You can cancel at any time, so if you don’t like it after one box (the cheap one), you can cancel.

http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/1136186/

(If you use this link, I get a referral bonus.. so please, do it for me.. Haven’t I gotten you lots of deals before?)

Anyways, I should be getting my box sometime in the next 5-10 days… I’ll let you know what I get as soon as I get it!

Until next time my friends,
E.

4th of July weekend savings!

Hello fellow frugal friends,

Hope your 4th of July weekend has been filled with fun, family, and a remembrance as to why we get to enjoy this time with our family and friends! While I was out and about this weekend, I made my way into the mall for the first time in I don’t even know how long. I wish I could go in more, but they never have prices I am willing to pay for something that I want/need. While I was there, I realized it was a holiday weekend, and that the sales were AMAZING! Check out what I got, where you should go, and the screaming deals that you can find!

So first of all, the last time I shopped at GAP I was about 20..so around six years ago. This is probably when my frugal adventures started, but I still thought $15 for a t-shirt was such a great steal. Now… six years later, I walk in to find that all the clearance is an additional 40% off. I found these two pairs of jeans, normally $69.99 for $11.98 & $13.98. Yes, you read that correctly. Can you believe I scored jeans from GAP at that price. They had tons of different styles and plenty of selection between men and women. I also managed to get a new sports bra for less than $5, and a pair of tights for 50 cents. Those are normally $10, so I would say the savings on those are pretty decent! Oh!, and the best thing about these jeans is that they sit high on your hips, hiding your plumbers crack should you have one ; ) Hey, I’m not judging!
Next best thing was the sale Old Navy was having. The tanks in this picture are normally $10, and I scored them for $2 a piece. They also had kids (boys) cargo pants for less than $4 (normally $20). I managed to get a few new black work shirts for $6 each as well. While I don’t typically spend that much on a shirt, I am required to wear black, they were still a good deal, and to be honest, my boobs look great in them (TMI?)… haha. Any ladies needing maternity clothes, just know they had tons of mark downs on their maternity clothes!!
Macy’s had sales on so much stuff, I couldn’t even remember or write it all down. One thing that I remember well was that if you had a WOW! pass or your card, you received extra savings this weekend.
JC Penny’s had plenty of sale options, but nothing stood out.

Friends, this is a great time to get back to school clothes, or just some new stuff for yourself. Places are doing what they can to drive in business, and if they got mine, you know that means they had sales that were worth checking out!

Now, outside of the mall, I can tell you that SEARS is having a great sale on clearance items in their small appliance/home fashions dept., as well as their clothing clearance. Take an extra 20-30% off the already reduced prices. I drove their today, and it looks like they are also having a sidewalk sale, which means, they are looking to make room for new stuff and want the old out (in case you need a translation…should be great prices).

Have a great rest of your holiday weekend! Be safe!
Until next time,
E.