31 Days: Day 2 - Fabulously Frugal

Today's post is all about saving money. I love to shop. I don't have all the money in the world. Quite frankly I live on a pretty strict, frugal budget since I'm in retail and y'all would probably be astonished at how far I can stretch my pennies. I like to call it being "fabulously frugal"! 

 (Yes, sorry if I just busted your bubble if you thought boutique owners lead glamorous lives and get to buy whatever they want. LOVE my job and business is great these days, but y'all I drive a normal ol' Camry [which I love] and have a small house so trust me, you won't see me on the cover of Fortune magazine any time soon. Whew, I wish!)

I do love to splurge, however. I believe in everything in moderation and I believe there is a difference between being "fabulously frugal" and being just "tight" with your money. As our preacher Jerry says, "You can't take it with you". I work hard so I can play hard and enjoy making purchases that support our local businesses/restaurants. Helping the economy right? I love those little luxuries such as splurging on a filet at a fancy restaurant, manicures and pedicures, a relaxing massage, investing in an awesome pair of designer shoes, investing in a pricey car seat for my wee little one, fun trips with the fam and awesome hotels, getting my hair cut & colored, etc... so this means I HAVE to be frugal in other areas. It's the only way I can do those other things. Those areas are usually home decor, kids clothes, and GROCERIES! I do not see any sense in paying more for groceries than I absolutely have to. I've been using coupons religiously for over a year now and have a full out 3 ring coupon binder. No joke. I usually spend around $100 per grocery shopping trip and always save anywhere from $40-$60. It's a must. Bi-Lo and Publix are my favorites.

Kids clothes is different because I'll splurge on certain outfits for Cade and adore buying him clothes, but when I come across a good sale, well then that's just icing on the cake. For instance I stopped by the local consignment sale that happens twice a year. Supported a great local school while scoring two reversible jon jons (one on the right is Kellys Kids) for $40. Since they are reversible, that's FOUR outfits making them basically $10 each. Oh and the turtleneck was included too! 

Later in the week Kohls  had some great 1/2 off deals. Scored these gold mercury votives for $5 each. Using them on my Fall mantle (pics coming soon) then we'll use somehow for Courtney's wedding too!

Also great clearance deals on Kohls.com. Got Cade several 3-piece pajama sets  next year for only $5.60 each!

When do you ever see a BOGO sale on O.P.I, my fav? Well I did at my local salon. 

How could I pass up pink sparkles? Never.

Then I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It's called Dented Deals in Abbeville (my hometown. Well I live in "rural Abbeville county" - a.k.a. "out in the country"). Dented Deals has those products that may have "dents" in them, yes, but most have NOTHING wrong with them. Dates are no where near expiration and diapers, for instance, are perfectly packaged. Oh and did I mention CHEAP?

You never know what they are going to have but while I had time to spare before my eye dr. appt yesterday, I ran in really fast. It was meant to be that I went in. 

I usually find beauty products, diapers and cleaning products on sale. They have baby formula sometimes but never Similac...and especially never Similac Sensative {after I stopped nursing, we started him with Similac Sensative. Tried to switch about a month ago to Target Sensative brand. It was a no-go, so Similac for another four months it is!) They had the small Similac concentrated cans and usually they are what? $5 a can? I paid .65 cent! Dates do not expire until 2013. Some cans have teeny tiny dents but most the labels are just upside down. Isn't that crazy? .65 cent! I inspected it like crazy and even asked the lady who worked there. .65 cent for basically 3-4 bottles when usually spend .96 cent per OUNCE! So yes, these will be perfect backups or perfect to send over to the sitter if needed.

Here's more savings I found...

(3) Aveeno Baby & regular sunscreen. Usually $9.99-$11.99 each. I PAID .99 each

Re-Nu 4 oz. $4.27. I PAID $1.99

(2) Huggies Little Swimmers $12.99 Diapers.com I PAID $2.99

(6) Similac Sensative Concentrate 13 oz. Retail price $5.29 Walgreens. I PAID .65 cent per can!

Seventh Generation All Natural 70 ct refill wipes. Retail $2.59 I PAID .99 cent

So I got $93.60 worth of stuff (that would have been one bag at Target, no lie) and only paid  $15.83!

My favorite site for couponing, Southern Savers, and Fantabulously Frugal. Oh and if you live near Abbeville you definitely want to check out Dented Deals. Not sure the best days to go, it's always random but some days you can rack up. One time I got the biggest box of diapers you can get, the ones that retail for $38, for only $19.99. 

 Next up I want to figure out the best ways to grocery shop and use better planning. Some weeks I go to grocery store only to come home and only have meals for three nights. So monthly meal plans? or weekly grocery trips? What do you find helps you save money the most money and is easiest? 

I'd love to hear your tips and I hope to post again once I figure out how to change my plan.

Until then, happy saving!

p.s. if you love saving on designer clothes, check out our SALE section over at Sugar's website. I added new sale items today and new things go on sale each week. Don't miss it!