What to do with extra school supplies?

The stores are still practically giving away school supplies this week. Here are 3 things you can do with the extra school supplies you bought.

1. Donate them to a food pantry. Food pantries often give out school supplies this time of year.
2. Donate them to a local school. Each year teachers spend hundreds of dollars of their own money to buy school supplies for their classrooms.
3. Save them to put in a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child- coming in November.

Frugal Friday: kid's activities

Here's a few free or nearly free activities we have done so far this summer- with more on the way. (Also check out my other blog.)

1. Check out a State Park or National Park- we happen to live right next to a National Park.
2. Go berry picking- fun for the kids to see where fruit comes from beside the grocery store.
3. Find a friend with a pool- bring your own lunch and snacks.
4. Arrange for a tour of your local fire station- they are happy to oblige.
5. Visit a farm- we are going to visit a local farm next week.
6. Have a picnic lunch on the front lawn.

Check out more Frugal Friday at Life As Mom.

Frugal Friday: Trash Treasures

I admit it- I pulled a couple things out of the neighbor's trash. But I knocked on the door and asked first. One was a plastic bench-type toy box that was dirty but otherwise fine. The other was a Rose Petal Cottage play house that is usually $60. Half of it was broken so I threw it away, but my daughter doesn't care. Do you trash pick?

More FF at Life As Mom.

FF: Do you shop outlets?

Do you shop for clothes and household items at retail outlets? I have to say I'm not that big a fan except for when they're having really good sales. There are two I know about right now at Aurora Farms Premium Outlets- don't know how long they will continue.

First, at the Children's Place outlet- they have some misc. winter clothes marked down to $0.99 plus you can use a coupon if you are on their mailing list. Second, at the Crocs outlet they have some various adult and kids Crocs shoes marked down to $4.99 (which is a steal for brand-name Crocs). Also Jibbitz (the little charms you put on Crocs) are only $1 there.

More Frugal Friday at Life As Mom.

Frugal Friday: greeting cards

I never buy greeting cards if I can help it. I go to American Greetings create and print and search for "free" cards. Especially for cards that go with a gift. You can personalize and print from your computer. (maybe this makes me cheap, not frugal- ha!)

More Frugal Friday at Life As MOM.

Marc's trip this week

Did I ever mention I love Arnold Bread? It is low calorie, high fiber and has no HFCS. The best price I found is at Marc's- loaf of Arnold bread is $1.88 and the Sandwich Thins (my favorite- only 100 calories!) are $2.28 at Marc's.

My deal of the week at Marc's was 2 packages of baby portobello mushrooms for $1. I love baby portobello mushrooms and I plan to make an egg and mushroom strata for Easter.

More Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Frugal Friday: Re-purposing Items

I am a bit of a pack rat, so I often save containers and boxes and things thinking I will "re-purpose" them later. My favorite re-purposed item is a baby wipes box turned into a coupon organizer. Voila!

Got any great ideas for "re-purposed" items? Please share a comment! Get more Frugal Friday tips at Life As MOM.

Shopping For Grocery Markdowns

One thing I have slowly learned over the last several months is how to shop for grocery markdowns. You have to get to know your stores and your store policies. The best time to shop for markdowns is usally the first thing in the morning. Here's a list of a few places I shop for markdowns. (I am in the NE Ohio area). Leave a comment if you have any other finds.

1. Giant Eagle. My local store usually has 2 or 3 grocery carts located near the health and beauty section. You can find anything from canned goods to organic products. Also if you check the meat case in the morning you can almost always find good deals on meat with that day's date. I have also heard you can get Deli markdowns around closing time but I don't shop that late. I occasionally find some markdown bananas or bagged salad but it's kind of rare.

2. Marc's. I usually try to stop at Marc's one morning a week when they first open to get score some $1 produce bags. You never know what the will have but I have gotten apples, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, etc. for $1 a bag.

3. Aldi's. The Aldi's store near us has a shelf for markdown items- not usually much to pick from though.

4. Krieger's. Krieger's Health Food Market is a local market. They usually have a reduced produce section- although I have found the produce to be pretty ripe!

5. Target (and/or Walmart). Check the endcaps of the non-main-aisle shelves for the red price stickers. You can find all kinds of things on clearance at Target. Ditto for Walmart.

6. Schwebel's bread outlet. I never pay full price for bread. You can save 70% or more on outlet bread.

More Frugal Friday ideas at Life As Mom.