Bargain Shopping Paradise

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 2/15-2/21

2012-02-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

February 15, 2012

Welcome to this week's Wallet-Friendly Wednesday! This is an opportunity for you to share your latest bargain shopping finds, thrift store outfit deals, DIY projects, side-of-the-road pick-ups, consignment shop steals . . . ANYTHING you've done that's saved your money. Use your imagination! Share whatever you've done to save money recently! List it here so that other Bargain Shopping Paradise readers can get inspired. It's a great way to share ideas, and I love seeing how creative everyone gets when it comes to saving money! Please only list family-friendly links. Include your blog name and the name of your "brag" in your link.

Here's some of what was shared recently...

Adorable heart garland from Nap Time Creations...

Tips for finding cheap--but gorgeous--decorative pillows from visit ready...

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out all the other creative ideas that were shared during the previous WFW!

Follow me on Twitter where I'm tweeting all sorts of deals, all the time!

If you've never bragged about your bargains before, start now! Simply blog about your most recent bargains and link back here! I'll feature my favs from your links in next week's WFW post. Can't wait to see your ingenious bargains!

This Wallet-Friendly Wednesday post is brought to you by . . .

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 2/8-2/14

2012-02-08T10:22:00.001-05:00

February 8, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day...a little early. What are your plans for V-day this year? Are you splurging big-time to declare your love, or keeping things minimal and special? Whatever your plans, make sure to snuggle up to those you love this year, and don't miss out on an opportunity to tell them how you feel. My mom always made Valentine's Day special by giving us cards, making or buying a cake, and maybe getting us a little present or something. We always had someone who made us feel special on V-day. I'm kind of determined to keep that tradition going for my kiddos. I have a heart-shaped cake that I'll be making, and I have cards for everyone. I can't wait to share the love! :)

On a completely different note...I had a hankering for some pizza yesterday, so I totally made up a new little recipe! Wanna hear it? Here you go...

WHOLE WHEAT TORTILLA PIZZAS

Items needed:

Whole wheat tortillas--as many as you'd like

Pizza or spaghetti sauce (whichever you have on hand)

Store-bought pesto sauce

Kale or spinach

Mozzarella cheese

Crushed walnuts

Meat, if desired (sausage, chicken, or pepperoni)--I left this out, since I was only making a couple of tortillas

Preheat oven to 400º. Place tortillas on a baking sheet, and spread 1 dollop of pesto and 1-2 dollop(s) of spaghetti or pizza sauce over the tortillas. Spread it to within a 1/2 inch of the edge. Then sprinkle shredded spinach or kale over the sauce, then crushed walnuts. Now, layer mozzarella cheese over the entire tortilla, followed by meat (if desired). I like to sprinkle a little pizza seasoning over the top. Then, pop the pizzas in the oven for around 10 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown. Remove from oven, slice up, serve, and enjoy!

Check out this super cute DIY car play mat from Nap Time Creations!

Sew Passionate shared how to add a trim to a bed skirt:

I've been dying to try this, so I was excited when Small Fine Print shared her recipe for homemade liquid laundry detergent!

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out all the other creative ideas that were shared during the previous WFW!

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 2/1-2/7

2012-02-01T06:30:00.002-05:00

February 1, 2012

It's a new month...a new week! How are those New Year's resolutions holding up these days?

Welcome to this week's Wallet-Friendly Wednesday! This is an opportunity for you to share your latest bargain shopping finds, thrift store outfit deals, DIY projects, side-of-the-road pick-ups, consignment shop steals . . . ANYTHING you've done that's saved your money. Use your imagination! Share whatever you've done to save money recently! List it here so that other Bargain Shopping Paradise readers can get inspired. It's a great way to share ideas, and I love seeing how creative everyone gets when it comes to saving money! Please only list family-friendly links. Include your blog name and the name of your "brag" in your link.

Here's some of what was shared recently...

So, I love this blog planner that Between U & Me shared! Holy cow, this could revolutionize my blogging! Thanks for sharing!!

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 1/25-1/31

2012-01-25T09:40:00.000-05:00

January 25, 2012

Well, I think we're FINALLY all well again! Yay! That feels really good. It took a good month before we were all better, but we made it.

Welcome to this week's Wallet-Friendly Wednesday! This is an opportunity for you to share your latest bargain shopping finds, thrift store outfit deals, DIY projects, side-of-the-road pick-ups, consignment shop steals . . . ANYTHING you've done that's saved your money. Use your imagination! Share whatever you've done to save money recently! List it here so that other Bargain Shopping Paradise readers can get inspired. It's a great way to share ideas, and I love seeing how creative everyone gets when it comes to saving money! Please only list family-friendly links. Include your blog name and the name of your "brag" in your link.

Here's some of what was shared recently...

I'm in love with someone else's mirror. Is that ok? Check out this absolutely gorgeous "Gold & Gaudy Mirror Makeover" at Our DIY Diaries:

And these are the most adorable little pants cuffs from Naptime Creations:

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

Follow me on Twitter where I'm tweeting all sorts of deals, all the time!

If you've never bragged about your bargains before, start now! Simply blog about your most recent bargains and link back here! I'll feature my favs from your links in next week's WFW post. Can't wait to see your ingenious bargains!

This Wallet-Friendly Wednesday post is brought to you by . . .

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 1/11-1/

2012-01-11T17:29:00.000-05:00

January 11, 2012

Happy New Year!! The holiday season flew by for me this year. We were all ill right around Christmas and New Year's--actually, we're still sick. But, still...the holiday season flew!! I wasn't ready for it to be over. But here we are in 2012. What are your resolutions for the new year? To get more organized? To loose weight? To spend more time with your family? What is it that you want to accomplish this year? I'd love to know. I have a list in my head about 3 miles long. Maybe I'll tackle just one or two. :)

Welcome to this week's Wallet-Friendly Wednesday! This is an opportunity for you to share your latest bargain shopping finds, thrift store outfit deals, DIY projects, side-of-the-road pick-ups, consignment shop steals . . . ANYTHING you've done that's saved your money. Use your imagination! Share whatever you've done to save money recently! List it here so that other Bargain Shopping Paradise readers can get inspired. It's a great way to share ideas, and I love seeing how creative everyone gets when it comes to saving money! Please only list family-friendly links. Include your blog name and the name of your "brag" in your link.

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

Follow me on Twitter where I'm tweeting all sorts of deals, all the time!

If you've never bragged about your bargains before, start now! Simply blog about your most recent bargains and link back here! I'll feature my favs from your links in next week's WFW post. Can't wait to see your ingenious bargains!

This Wallet-Friendly Wednesday post is brought to you by . . .

Free Lansinoh Nursing Gift Bag ($20 Value) with the purchase of 3 nursing items from Motherhood Maternity. Use code JANOFFER at checkout, valid 1/11/12-1/31/12.

No WFW this week

2012-01-05T15:34:00.000-05:00

I'm so sorry for not posting a new WFW yesterday! Yikes! We've been sick around here since Christmas, and are just now getting well. I'll post a new link party next week, so be sure to check back then. Hope you're all having a great 2012!

Save 15% off your entire purchase @ Old Navy (ends 1/2)

2011-12-30T14:01:00.000-05:00

Use code ONEXTRA at OldNavy.com now through 1/2/11, and get an extra 15% off your entire purchase, including sale items. Ebates.com can get you an extra 2% cash back on your OldNavy.com purchase.

Last day for $2 gift certificates @ Restaurant.com!

2011-12-30T13:16:00.000-05:00

Get $25 gift certificates from Restaurant.com for only $2--today's the last day! Use promo code SALE at checkout. Want to get an extra 15% cash back on your purchase? Visit or join Ebates first!

22% off at CanvasOnDemand.com--LAST DAY!

2011-12-29T20:32:00.000-05:00

Turn your photos into works of art with Canvas On Demand! First, join or visit Ebates.com, to get 7.5% cash back on your purchase and then use coupon code JOLLY22 to get 22% off your order! The deal ends today!!

$10 off @ Kirkland's Stores (12/30-1/1)

2011-12-29T20:18:00.000-05:00

Kirkland's has just released an in-store coupon for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more. To print one for yourself, click here. Enjoy!

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 12/28-1/3

2011-12-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: I apologize everyone! I thought this had posted yesterday, but it apparently only saved as a draft. Sorry for my tardiness!

This is the last WFW of 2011! 2012, here we come! This New Year seems to be coming all too quickly on the heels of Christmas, for me. Do you feel that way? I feel like I'm barely done celebrating Christmas! Of couse, we spent most of this holiday sick--I'm still getting over some horrible virus that makes it feel like my throat is covered in daggars when I swallow. Ugh! But, the New Year is coming nonetheless. What are your New Year's resolutions? Do you believe in them? Do you stick to them? Do you make them, but rarely see them through? I'm curious. But, now on to the main event...

Welcome to this week's Wallet-Friendly Wednesday! This is an opportunity for you to share your latest bargain shopping finds, thrift store outfit deals, DIY projects, side-of-the-road pick-ups, consignment shop steals . . . ANYTHING you've done that's saved your money. Use your imagination! Share whatever you've done to save money recently! List it here so that other Bargain Shopping Paradise readers can get inspired. It's a great way to share ideas, and I love seeing how creative everyone gets when it comes to saving money! Please only list family-friendly links. Include your blog name and the name of your "brag" in your link.

Here's a sampling of what you all shared last week:

These snowflake lanterns from Everything Under the Moon are absolutely A-DOR-A-BLE!

Also check out her cute snow glitter ornaments.

Nap Time Creations shared some homemade stars and bows. They're so cute!

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 12/21-12/27

2011-12-21T11:05:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas, once again! I truly love this time of year. Is your tree up and decorated? Do you have lights on your house? Is cousin Eddie on his way? Well, I hope not. :) Guess what. I still don't have my Christmas shopping done. Am I late to the game or what?! I did score some great Amazon deals a bit earlier this month, but that's it. Between illnesses, and other things going on with our schedule, we just haven't been able to get out yet. I hope all the great bargains haven't passed us by! What great deals have you scored this holiday season?!

Welcome to this week's Wallet-Friendly Wednesday! This is an opportunity for you to share your latest bargain shopping finds, thrift store outfit deals, DIY projects, side-of-the-road pick-ups, consignment shop steals . . . ANYTHING you've done that's saved your money. Use your imagination! Share whatever you've done to save money recently! List it here so that other Bargain Shopping Paradise readers can get inspired. It's a great way to share ideas, and I love seeing how creative everyone gets when it comes to saving money! Please only list family-friendly links. Include your blog name and the name of your "brag" in your link.

Here's a sampling of what you all shared last week:

Ornament inspirations from Nap Time Creations:

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

DEAL ALERT: $1 dining certificates (ends 12/24)

2011-12-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

$1 for $25 gift certificates @ Restaurant.com with coupon code JOY. Get xtra 30% cash back thru Ebates! http://t.co/uoCefY4k

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 12/14-12/20

2011-12-14T15:55:00.000-05:00

December 14, 2011

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season. Is all your shopping done? How about the gifts--are they wrapped? I'm behind the eight-ball with all of that. The shopping is not at all done. The wrapping? Yeah, right. But, we'll get there. And like many of you, we're on a tight, tight budget this year. I'd love to hear what you're doing to save money this Christmas. Pass along your wonderful ideas! I'm all ears!

Welcome to this week's Wallet-Friendly Wednesday! This is an opportunity for you to share your latest bargain shopping finds, thrift store outfit deals, DIY projects, side-of-the-road pick-ups, consignment shop steals . . . ANYTHING you've done that's saved your money. Use your imagination! Share whatever you've done to save money recently! List it here so that other Bargain Shopping Paradise readers can get inspired. It's a great way to share ideas, and I love seeing how creative everyone gets when it comes to saving money! Please only list family-friendly links. Include your blog name and the name of your "brag" in your link.

Here's a sampling of what you all shared last week:

Tree skirt ideas from Nap Time Creations:

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

DEAL ALERT: 50% off pizza (today only)

2011-12-08T11:16:00.000-05:00

Today only--get 50% off any pizza at menu price with your online order at Domino's! Apparently, it's World Domino's Day. Who knew? Help them celebrate by making dinner easy tonight. :)

DEAL ALERT: 40% off @ Shutterfly

2011-12-08T07:41:00.001-05:00

Shutterfly | Get 40% off holiday cards, photo books & calendars. Use code: MERRY40, ends Dec 11 | Pass on the savings.

Combine this offer with an extra 8% cash back through Ebates, on your Shutterfly purchase!

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 12/7-12/13

2011-12-07T09:37:00.000-05:00

December 7, 2011

Suede Flower Leather Obi Belt Tutorial from Cat on a Limb:

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

Affordable & Memorable Christmas?

2011-12-01T06:30:00.001-05:00

If you're visiting Bargain Shopping Paradise, you're probably looking for ways to save money. And we're all looking for ways to save money especially during the Christmas season. We want Christmas to be memorable, but we also really want it to be affordable, too. Who really wants to go into hundreds and thousands of dollars of debt over the holidays? Am I right?!

I know many of you may not be religious at all, but I found some great ideas through a Christian parenting newsletter. They recently shared "18 Affordable Ways Families Can Prepare for Christmas," and it's a great read. They share affordable—and often FREE—ways to decorate and celebrate.

I hope this helps get you in the mood for the holidays without breaking the bank.

DEAL ALERT: Real Simple for $12--LAST DAY!

2011-11-30T20:54:00.001-05:00

I just got word! Real Simple is just $12 – Final Day! I am a Magazine.com affiliate, and they just sent me an e-mail to let me know about this deal, so I wanted to pass it on to you. Today's the last day!

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 11/30-12/6

2011-11-30T09:53:00.000-05:00

November 30, 2011

I hope you all had a marvelous Thanksgiving! I ate entirely too much food--especially for someone who's trying to loose the baby weight still! Ugh. Oh well. It was good! That's all there is to say. There is so much to be thankful for—freedom and family just to name a couple of things. We're trying to cultivate a spirit of overall thankfulness in our house. We go on and on with strings of things we're thankful for. It's cute to hear what my almost-3-year-old comes up with--things like comfy beds, trees, birds in the sky, pillows, Daddy's new (used) motorcycle, etc. I love to hear how their minds work! And, now we're on to the Christmas season! My goodness! I do love the Christmas season. I'm excited because we're not traveling anywhere this Christmas! We're having our very first just-our-family Christmas at our house. This is the first one in 10 years! WOW! I'm beyond excited! Although, it dawned on us a while ago that the burden of providing presents would fall solely on our shoulders this year. :) Oh dear! We're not wealthy people, and we didn't have a lot of cash set aside for presents. Thankfully, there's Swagbucks! I use it as a search engine, and have lots of Amazon gift cards saved up! So, part of the Christmas presents will be absolutely FREE, just from searching the Web via Swagbucks! In fact, we're not planning to spend much out-of-pocket money at all on Christmas—if any! It doesn't get much better, or more wallet-friendly than that!

Welcome to this week's Wallet-Friendly Wednesday! This is an opportunity for you to share your latest bargain shopping finds, thrift store outfit deals, DIY projects, side-of-the-road pick-ups, consignment shop steals . . . ANYTHING you've done that's saved your money. Use your imagination! Share whatever you've done to save money recently! List it here so that other Bargain Shopping Paradise readers can get inspired. It's a great way to share ideas, and I love seeing how creative everyone gets when it comes to saving money! Please only list family-friendly links. Include your blog name and the name of your "brag" in your link.

Here's a sampling of what you all shared last week:

Fabulous FREE tools for creating wonderful Christmas memories from Sprik Space!

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

DEAL ALERT: Free car seat canopy!

2011-11-29T09:36:00.000-05:00

Visit www.carseatcanopy.com, and use promo code CHRISTMAS to get a free car seat canopy with cozy minky interior. You'll be responsible for shipping, but the canopy is totally FREE! Get one for your kiddos, or get some as gifts!

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 11/23-11/29

2011-11-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!! Are you all gearing up for the big day tomorrow . . . and the day after? We have plans to travel to my folks' for Thanksgiving, but one of my kiddos came down with a fever yesterday, so our plans are on hold. Boo!!!! So, we're sitting tight right now, and hoping that this nasty bug goes away REALLY soon.

In honor of Thanksgiving and the much needed break it will be for many of us, I'm taking a break today. So, no WFW again until next week. Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas last week! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 11/16-11/22

2011-11-16T17:40:00.000-05:00

November 16, 2011

Ok, so I absolutely LOVE all these fabulous ideas for using old wine corks! Check them out...

These Fall letter wall tiles are super cute! I love how easy they are!

Check out the ideas for coping with Winter from Bender Oaks Gifts.

These DIY children's seat cushions are awesome! Thanks for sharing, Eye Heart!

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

Wallet-Friendly Wednesday, 11/9-11/15

2011-11-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

November 11, 2011

Well, I'm a little behind the eight-ball today. So sorry I'm late in getting this week's WFW up. I hope you all had a happy and fun Halloween! We had a blast. My dd was the sweetest little Snow White ever, and my ds was an adorable little bumble bee. It was a nice, mild evening, and we were able to sit outside, in front of our fire pit, and greet our neighbors. I hope you all had a fun time, as well!

Welcome to this week's Wallet-Friendly Wednesday! This is an opportunity for you to share your latest bargain shopping finds, thrift store outfit deals, DIY projects, side-of-the-road pick-ups, consignment shop steals . . . ANYTHING you've done that's saved your money. Use your imagination! Share whatever you've done to save money recently! List it here so that other Bargain Shopping Paradise readers can get inspired. It's a great way to share ideas, and I love seeing how creative everyone gets when it comes to saving money! Please only list family-friendly links. Include your blog name and the name of your "brag" in your link.

Here's a sampling of what you all shared last week:

I LOVE this no sew scarf from Thrifty and Fabuless!

Take a look at this darling "tree love" embroidery pattern from Cat on a Limb:

Thank you all for sharing your amazing, wallet-friendly ideas! Don't forget to check out the previous WFW to all the wonderful projects that were entered.

$40 Curb Appeal Makeover

2011-11-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

We've lived in our house for just over a year now, and have slowly been making improvements. It's a small 1956 ranch, and there weren't a lot of improvements made since the house was built. Little things have been maintained here and there, but we had our jobs cut out for us when we moved in. Our first big project was the kitchen...which is almost completely done, now! Yay! That consumed a lot of our time and energy for the first 10 months we lived in the house.

We recently decided to give our little house a curb appeal makeover...on a budget. We haven't had a lot of discretionary money to just throw at the outside of the house yet, but we found out that a little bit of cash can go a LONG way. Over the past year, we added a couple of trees, and a hydrangea. But, I've had a vision since we moved it, of painting the front door red, and the shutters black. Here's the before:

Note the faded blue shutters--though you can't really tell, they were chipped, faded, and pretty much falling apart. The door is still builder-grade white. The previous owners had replaced the front door, but the white just wasn't doing any thing for me. I'm still not sure what to do about the metal awnings over the doors. Do we rip them off? Paint them? I'm open to suggestions. Notice the boxy bushes all along the front. Eventually, we'd like to just rip them all out and replace them with some better plants. Also, notice that there are no trees in the front yard...at all. It's pretty barren.

So, we purchased a $30 can of "Red Delicious" paint from good ol' HD for the front door, and a $9.99 can of black exterior paint for the shutters. We added our own time and energy, and here's what we got:

My husband and I laughed, because we thought our neighbors are not going to notice this at all. They're just going to think it's looked like this all along! WE notice it though--so much better, and so budget-friendly.