The Frugal Bookworm

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:00:00 +0000

In dusting off things around here at The Frugal Bookworm, I've decided to breathe a little life into "Thinking Ahead Thursday" again. Now that I'm back to work (school starts in less than a week!), I'm trying to crank up my "thinking ahead" processes. What helps me the most? I'm a list-maker. As I type that, I feel like I should say, "Hello, my name is Amy, and I'm a list-maker."

What are some of the benefits of list-making?

List-making is not a fine art. You can make as many lists as you want, or as few (I do suggest that if you're just starting out that you keep it on the few side).
You can make a list anywhere. I've made lists while sitting in the cry room with the Princess waiting for Sunday services to start. I keep a tiny little notebook and pen in the bathroom. You never know when inspiration will strike! :-) If you're waiting in a doctor's office or at the salon, you can take that few minutes to make a list.
You can make a list about anything. I keep a running list of upcoming holidays, who I need to buy or make presents for, and gift ideas in a Microsoft Word file on my laptop. Grocery lists, lists of errands to run, or a "bucket list" are other options.
List-making is frugal. You don't have to have fancy software to make a list. You can write on a scrap sheet of paper, on the back of an envelope (a favorite technique of my mom's), the cardboard that comes inside pantyhose (another favorite of my mom's), or in a notebook. My preference is a college-ruled composition notebook and a plain ol' pencil.
List making gives you a sense of accomplishment. Use a red pen, or simply use the same pen or pencil you made the list with to cross off items as you accomplish them. Something about that red pen (I guess it's the teacher talking) let's me know I've succeeded. I used to keep lists in Microsoft Word and delete the items as I completed them, but that didn't show me how much I had accomplished. There's a little ego boost that comes with seeing how much you've accomplished in one day.

What do you use to make lists? What are your favorite lists to make? Leave a comment, or if you have a post about "thinking ahead", please share it with us in the Mr. Linky box below.

Sweepstakes for Teachers!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:00:00 +0000

In addition to "Back to School" promotions, a lot of websites are running special sweepstakes for teachers.

Office Depot: Each day, ten teachers win a $500 gift card. Even if you're not an instant winner, they do have a coupon for a printer. Their captcha boxes are a little funky, so be aware when you go to their site. Right when I get ready to give up on the captcha boxes, they go through. Isn't that always the way it works though? You can enter daily.
Avery Celebrates Teachers: The grand prize includes a goodie bag of Avery products valued at $500, a SpaFinder^® gift card valued at $350, and a Starbucks^® gift card valued at $150. I don't know about you, but I would love that Starbucks gift card. You can enter this one daily as well.
Carson Dellosa Publishers & Scotch: You can enter once for a chance to win a $500 Back-to-School prize pack.

Back to School with Swagbucks!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:03:00 +0000

It's a big weeks for Swagbucks! Swagbucks is fighting the Back-To-School blues all this week with lots of fun promotions! First, you'll have the chance to win five different limited edition back-to-school themed Swag Bucks - if you snag them all, you'll earn a 50 Swag Buck bonus! Take advantage of sales in the Swag Store on all School Supplies and Cookie's Kids Merchandise, make sure you follow Swag Bucks on Twitter and Like them on Facebook for more rewarding opportunities. Plus, they're having another Swag Code Extravaganza on Thursday, where you'll get at least 5 codes for extra bucks. If you're not already searching and winning on Swagbucks.com, head over now and enter the code BackToSchool for 40 bonus bucks during registration!

Make it (Do) Monday: "Creature Comforts"

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Since I've been desperate for inspiration, I'm tweaking "Make it Do Monday" a little. Eventually I hope MI(d)M will be a grand "Monday Meme" that lots of people will participate in. But for now, it's baby steps. I'm tweaking "Make it Do Monday" to "Make it (Do) Monday". What's the big deal, you ask? I'm making the "do" optional, so you can either leave a link to something you've made or a way you "make do" with what you have. Genius, huh? Haha! Thank you, dear frugalistas, for being patient as the Frugal Bookworm experiences some growing pains.

Today's "Make it (Do) Monday" is all about "Creature Comforts". It has nothing to do with animals...unless you ask a teacher's perspective (haha!). Since I'm going back to work today, I'm referring to ~~my idea~~ a teacher's creature comforts, and providing you with a great gift idea for your child's classroom teacher.
What are "creature comforts" to a teacher? It's the little things that matter...the tiny objects that make it possible for us to make it through the day. Some of these items I keep on hand for myself, just as a little pick-me-up when I'm having a rough day. Many of the objects can be obtained very frugally, and in fact, if you request free items, you can get these items for free! If you're frugal (like I am), you can make a gift bag for your child's teacher for well under $5.

Ideas and some of my favorite "Creature Comforts":

Hand sanitizer: You can pick up small bottles of Purell or an off-brand at the store of your choice. You might even be able to find a coupon for a freebie, or take advantage of a Bath & Body Works 5/$5 sale. Personally, I keep a couple of pumps of Bath & Body Works for my personal use and buy a huge pump for the kids. I can't afford BBW for everyone, but the scented hand sanitizers just give you a little bit of aromatherapy. And believe me, there are days a teacher needs that!
Hand lotion: Again, you can often get these as free samples or free by using a coupon for a trial size (rare, but hey, sometimes it happens!). My hands get so dry from using so much hand sanitizer and handling so many papers. My kids are probably used to seeing me do three things: 1) Blow nose, 2) use hand sanitizer, and 3) use hand lotion (Haha!). Seriously speaking, teachers are models of good habits for kids.
Cough drops / hard candy /throat lozenges / gum: I get severe laryngitis once a year, if not twice. Hard candy is nice to have on hand for when your mouth gets dry. Gum is also great, especially for those days that the cafeteria serves (or you pack) Italian. I've seen a lot of deals on gum lately, so keep watch on those coupons! Check out this post at Common Sense with Money about how to get a pack of gum for free.
Snacks: If you're a compulsive freebie-holic like me, you probably wind up with snack or food samples that you might not ordinarily eat. Put a protein bar sample in the bag for a teacher. Add a small pack of mints (like the Altoids you could get for free at CVS last week), a bag of chips, or a pack of microwaveable popcorn.
Emergen-C Samples: These are perfect for a teacher who feels like she or he might be coming down with something. In fact, if you head on over to Wal-Mart's page, you can sign up for free samples right now!
School Supplies: If you're following the deals right now, you can get free school supplies to put in your teacher's bag. Check out some of Mercedes's posts about how to get free Bic pens at Target or a free sample of post-it notes. Crystal from Moneysavingmom also has an article up on how to get free post-its and Scotch tape for $0.50 at Target.
Band-aids / antibiotic ointment: Kids ask for band-aids all the time! Think high-schoolers are too cool for kid-friendly band-aids? You would be surprised! A couple of years ago, I found cheap boxes of patriotic Band-Aids at a Big Lots store. When I ask, "patriotic or plain?", you would be surprised at how many kids pick patriotic! Plus, I'm not immune from a nasty cut from a file folder or a splinter from an old desk myself!
For more ideas, be sure to check out Education World's ideas for a Back to School "Survival Kit!"

What do you put it all in? You can make a gift bag (I love this tutorial on how to make gift bags from newspaper), use something you have on hand (think totes that you received for free or bought at a yard sale), or make a tote bag (see TipNut's list of reusable tote tutorials).

Let me let you in on a little secret...the parents and children who show appreciation towards a teacher are in that teacher's favor for..ev..er! In my first year of teaching, I had a student whose mother made all of his teachers flower pots with flower ink pens in them. Because I'm a Tennessee fan, he had his mother make mine an orange rose. I love that kid! I still treasure that ink pen! (~~Even though I accidentally knocked the flower pot off of a shelf and broke it.~~) It showed me that the student and his mother cared. The most important thing is that you let your child's teacher know that you're thinking of them (and if you pray, that you're praying for them.) Let them know that you're available to help, to purchase needed classroom supplies (like tissues and hand sanitizer, our two biggies!), and that anytime your child needs help or misbehaves in class, that you are listening!

How have you "made do" this week? Any tips on something you've made that you want to share? Leave a comment!

Here she comes...Miss Frugalista!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:47:00 +0000

Good morning, Frugalistas! I'm sure some of you are wondering, "Just what has been going on with that Frugal Bookworm? Where is she?" Never fear, I haven't abandoned you! Our family went out of town for a couple of days for a little mini-vacation before school starts back. Yes, that dreaded "S" word is coming soon. In fact, I go back to work on Monday for "teacher workdays".

I wish I could say our mini-vacation was restful and relaxing, but it wasn't. I got a touch of food poisoning before we even left town, thanks to a "~~hot~~" roast beef sandwich! I was in a world of pain and the autistic Princess had more than one meltdown in public. It's good to go away for a couple of days, but I was so glad to get home! I crawled straight into bed when we arrived home Thursday morning! I'm feeling a bit better now, enough that I've actually been up since the clock went off (instead of going back to bed...you know bad habits are hard to break!).

What's coming up at the Frugal Bookworm? Some exciting things...stay tuned!

The Lending Library...favorite links, tutorials, and tips from my weekly "feed" reading.
Reintroducing "Thinking Ahead Thursday"... Why should you become a list-maker?
My first "tutorial" about what to do with all that paper left from printing coupons!

What's new in your world, or your blog?

From the Archives...

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:32:00 +0000

Are you new to the Frugal Bookworm? I wanted to share a few of my favorite posts from the archives, as well as a post or two I wish I had written! Hope you enjoy!

My very first post: "How did it get this bad?"
One of my favorite posts: "Repurposing Series: Bags, Boxes, Bottles, and Baskets."
A post with some interesting discussion: "Tackle it Tuesday: The Morning Routine."
A post I wish more people had read: "The Thrifty Heroines of Jane Austen"

What's your favorite post from the Frugal Bookworm? Is there a must-read post on another blog that you would like to share?

Back to School: Sales from the History Channel & Biography!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:14:00 +0000

Through Sunday, August 1, the History Channel is having a big back to school sale. You can get 25% off if you use the code BACK2SCHOOL. My suggestion is that you go through Ebates, and you get 5% cash back! Biography DVDs are also on sale, with some titles starting at $5! If you homeschool, teacher, or just love history, make sure you check out their clearance section! I saw one episode of World War II in HD for $1.99!

A Thursday Confession

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:03:00 +0000

I have a confession to make. My inspiration has been running a little dry lately. I blame in on the three-day migraine which kidnapped me last weekend (sadly, my mother also had a migraine during that time period too...thank God for my dad). My summer vacation is winding down, and I have to start shifting my focus to work. And I just can't seem to do it. Today's goal is to try to make my office a little more inspirational. I'm hoping that by ridding my office of some of the clutter it has amassed this summer that I will be inspired to get to work. What do you do when you've lost inspiration?

Tackle it Tuesday: The Morning Routine

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:53:00 +0000

As many of my dear readers know, I am a teacher. *sigh* I now have less than three weeks of vacation left before my first teacher workday on August 9. No more days of sleeping late and spending my afternoons reading, or ~~playing Frontierville on Facebook~~ chatting with my friends on Facebook.

It's time to roll back to reality, so for my "Tackle it Tuesday" I'm tackling a morning routine. I have had charts of morning routines and chores in the past, but lately I've been thinking about tweaking them. Enter the Fly Lady. As she advises, "Baby Steps, Baby Steps". Last night I whipped out a little "Things to Do" dry-erase board from Target's $1 aisle and set out my most basic routine.

My fibromyalgia has to be kept in mind while writing my routines and adjusting my schedule. My goal is to get up at 5:00 a.m. This week, I'll be getting up at 5:25, next week at 5:15, and the week before I go back to work at 5:00 a.m. I'm hoping this will give my body a chance to adjust to a set wake-up time without too much pain.

Here's my basic routine:

Get up when the alarm goes off and make the bed. (I have a bad habit of laying in bed for another ten, fifteen minutes, trying not to fall asleep and whining about getting up). Since I have my bi-level machine (Darth) for sleep apnea, I know if I get up, empty the water out of Darth, clean the mask, and make-up my bed, it's nearly impossible for me to go back to bed.
Devotional time / prayer
Wake up the Princess and get her dressed (Swish & Swipe while I'm waiting on her to get dressed...she's autistic, we don't hurry these things along)
Exercise (Leslie Sansone - Walk the Walk: 1 & 2 Mile video)
Shower & get dressed

Today I'm going to be working on a project list of the little things I need to do before I go back to work. I've come a long way since the summer began (thank you, Darth!), but I still have a few things that need to be done. Next week, hopefully I'll have an evening routine too! Wish me luck!

What's your morning routine? What's your evening routine?

5 Things I Hate / 5 Things I Love

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:37:00 +0000

I'm taking a cue from my friend, Holly,with this blog entry.

5 Things I Hate

When my brain works faster than my computer...
The fact that I only have about three weeks of vacation left...*sigh*
When my shoulder wrenches up and I have no range of motion in my right shoulder or the right side of my neck (which is a pain when you're right handed!)
When I feel like no one is listening to me
The horrible realization that I need to get myself back into a set bedtime / set wake-up routine before I go back to work.

5 Things I Love

Mysteries: The Closer's new season has started, Poirot is back on Masterpiece Mystery, and I've read six of the Sookie Stackhouse books in less than a week
Lazy rainy afternoons...yesterday afternoon was spent with a book (Lovely!)
My newfound love of decoupage
Cool cotton sheets on warm summer nights
Cherry pie

Saturday Savings: American Girls Finds!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:20:00 +0000

A Brief History:
The American Girl dolls premiered in 1986, when I was at the ripe age of six. Needless to say, I've been a fan for a long time. When I hit my history fascination about the age of six, our local librarian introduced me to the series, and Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly became my best friends. We couldn't afford the expensive dolls when I was young, so I often designed replications of the doll clothes for my own dolls. I had a "Hot Looks Mimi" doll that became my version of Kirsten, and I used my little Barbie knitting spool to make her scarves similar to Kirsten's winter scarf.

In graduate school, I specialized in early American history. During my first Christmas in graduate school, my parents surprised me with my favorite doll, Felicity, and her Christmas ballgown. And the next Christmas, her friend, Elizabeth, joined my collection. On a school teacher's budget, I surely can't afford the expensive clothes and furniture, but I have found frugal ways around it, which brings me to my "Saturday Savings" edition!

Living the Frugal Life
A couple of years ago, my mother called me from a yard sale. She'd found Molly, Kirsten, and another Felicity doll for $25 each. I told her to buy them, and I would pay her back. Now, I have all three of my favorites! A rocking chair purchased for $2 at a yard sale makes a nice seat for Kirsten, and a fancy settee purchased for $10 at a crafts store makes a period seat for Felicity and Elizabeth. This morning, I made a major score at my neighbor's yard sale. I got Molly's stage and movie seats for $20 total! They are both retired pieces, and if you check Ebay, the stage alone is listed at over $100 and the seats at nearly the same price! I was so excited! A little vacuuming and dusting, and it will be as good as new! Plus, I can use the stage with its "Movietone News" background as a teaching tool for World War II. I'm thinking of having students write their own "Movietone News" scripts and use puppets or the dolls to talk about them.

Here are a couple of pics from Ebay to show what my stage and seats look like:

What bargains have you found at yard sales lately?

Welcome to the Lending Library!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:35:00 +0000

Welcome to the lending library! With my "bookish" theme here at the Frugal Bookworm, I thought the "Lending Library" was a snazzy title to share my favorite web reads of the week. This week's edition is personal productivity. As many of my readers know, I'm undergoing treatment for sleep apnea, and my energy is slowly returning. In the many months I was sick, however, I let a lot of things go! I've been struggling to get back on track and become more productive!

Seven Ways to Stay Grounded by Staying Organized: This is a post I've had starred in my feed reader for a while, and I finally got around to reading it this week. The author provides some very basic advice for keeping your life in check. While I've been getting my energy back, I've done fifteen minute pickups instead of five, stopping to rest in between sessions. It's helped keep me from feeling too overwhelmed or over-exhausted!
The Fly Lady: Getting Started. This site has helped me so much! Remember, "You can do anything for 15 minutes!"
Lifehack.Org: This site is full of great articles about personal productivity, organization, and "getting things done".
Manage Your Energy: This is a really interesting article about tracking your energy to see when you are the most productive.

Do you have any sites you would add to our lending library? Be sure to leave a comment and let us know!

Saving Money on Gifts, Part I: Cutting Back

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Image by Free-StockPhotos.com

Welcome to a new series on saving money on gifts! Earlier this year, I wrote about looking for ways to cut my budget by saving on gift-buying. Lately, I have had a terrible time sticking to that goal! My problem, however, stems from not using a cash system and keeping better track of my receipts, rather than buying elaborate gifts. In this series, I'm not only trying to find some inspiration for myself but also trying to inspire you to think of new ways to save money on gifts! I'll be sharing some Frugal Bookworm and Looney-bin secrets to help you cut back on how much you spend on gifts!

At the foundation of it all, how can we cut back? The first thing we should do, is set a budget! Currently, my budget has around $40 a month in it for gifts. Normally, I don't spend all of that, but this month with two cousins expecting babies, I've gone over-budget for baby gifts! *smacks self on back of head* (If you watch NCIS, you know the Jethro head slap!) Here's what I'm committing to for August after I get paid at the end of the month...I'm going to put $40 cash in an envelope. When that money is gone, no more spending on gift items! If I buy something online, whatever amount I spend will go straight back into my checking account and be paid as a credit card payment.

You can also make use of a budget by budgeting what you want to spend on a particular gift. At our house, we do Halloween treat bags for one another. I'm going to set a $10 per person limit ($40 total for Mom, Dad, the Princess, and the Adorable Nephew). When that money is gone, it's gone! How can you keep track? Again, you can use the envelope system. I also usually set up a Word document listing what I've bought for each person's treat bag. That way, I can keep track of how much I've bought and what I've bought.

Now we've got the first step down, setting a budget. Please join me next week for Part II of the series as we talk about another key strategy: planning ahead!

What are your strategies for gift buying? Does the envelope system work for you, or do you use another system? Please share your thoughts!

Frugal Friday: Earning Free Giftcards!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:31:00 +0000

Friends who follow me on Facebook know how much I love Swagbucks! Swagbucks is a search engine that pays you to search! I've been a member of Swagbucks for a few months now, and I have already earned $90 in gift cards! What are some of the things I've been able to purchase by using swagbucks? Baby gifts (burp cloths and bibs that were on sale), a nice set of 13" Single Point Bamboo Knitting Needles Set, and toys for the little sister (Playskool Explore and Grow Busy Ball Popper).

My tips for earning Swagbucks:

Make sure you earn your daily bucks! I've made it a habit to earn my daily bucks when I check my e-mail every morning. You can get 1 sb for refreshing your toolbar, 1 sb for looking at no-obligation special offers (NOSO), 1 sb for participating in the daily poll, and 1 sb for visiting the trusted surveys site.
If you don't mind filling out surveys, check your trusted survey dashboard a couple of times a day! I've done some surveys that earned me over 200 swagbucks!
Don't oversearch! If you use swagbucks to search like you would with other search engines, you will earn swagbucks. A lot of people enter random searches, but if you oversearch, you can get "locked out" of swagbucks for a few hours. I usually search for general things while I'm checking e-mail or surfing the internet (around three times a day).
Most important, download the toolbar and use the swidget! I use the toolbar just like I would a toolbar from any other search engine, and its links help remind me to do my daily bucks! Sometimes, the Swag Guy (TSG) will send messages with special swag codes for you to enter on the home page. The swidget can be installed on your web page or facebook profile to alert you when there are new codes! I've also found the Swagbucks facebook page to be very helpful! If there's a bunch of people saying "Thanks, TSG!", you can bet there's a code out!

Make sure you check out more winning tips at Swagbucks! So have I piqued your interest? If so, run right over to this link and sign up today! It's Mega Swagbucks day, so you might earn some super swagbucks!

Walgreen's Deals: Week of June 27

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 20:44:00 +0000

Of course, I've read the weekly Walgreen's deals from MoneySavingMom and Mrs. Moneysaver. After working on my weekly shopping list, I've got a deal idea and a couple of other deals that you might not have read about yet. I've included abbreviations you might not know in parenthesis.

If you buy $25 or more in participating Playtex, Schick, Skintimate, Edge or Wet Ones Products, you get $10 Register Rewards (RR)

*TFB Deal Idea*
Shick Quattro Razor $8.99 ($2 coupon from 6/27 Red Plum Insert)

Shick Quatro Disposables $5.99 ($2 coupon from 6/27 Red Plum Insert)

Men’s Shick Titanium $8.99 ($4 coupon from 6/27 Red Plum Insert)

Skintimate Shave Gel $1.99 ($0.75 coupon from 6/27 Red Plum Insert)

$25.96 in total merchandise - $8.75 coupons = $17.21 out of pocket (OOP). After collecting $10 in RR, each item would be $1.80.

Walgreen's has the Oral B Pulsar 3D White Toothbrush on sale for $4.99 this week, with $2 in Register Rewards (RR). This week's 6/27 Red Plum insert has a $3 coupon on any one Oral-B Battery or Rechargeable Power Toothbrush. It will be FREE after the coupon!

Dawn Dish Detergeant $0.99 (Use $0.25 coupon from June Proctor & Gamble brandSaver or Home Made Simple Coupon book) = $0.74 after coupon. You might think this is still a little high for Dish detergent, but if you buy the specially marked bottles of Dawn, they will donate $1 to help wildlife. You can check out their program here, and choose to get updates on Facebook from Dawn about their work in the Gulf here. In fact, I just added their Facebook page to the Frugal Bookworm's Facebook favorites.

Edit: I just found a coupon in my coupon box from the last Proctor & Gamble brandSaver. If you have a Buy One Get One free coupon on the Oral B Pulsar toothbrush, then you can get THREE for FREE! *squeal* I'll be heading out early in the morning to try out this deal.

Free American Girl Sewing Patterns!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:02:00 +0000

I found this link through an ad on MoneySavingMom.com! If you go to Liberty Jane Patterns, you can get four free contemporary sewing patterns for American Girl dolls! In the right hand sidebar, you can add three free patterns to your cart (polo shirt, tank top, and trendy t-shirt). If you submit your e-mail address, you can also get a pattern for a spaghetti-strap tank top! Plus, if you check out her free patterns section, she has .zip files of some of the Pleasant Company Patterns. I had picked up a Felicity, Molly, and Kirsten dolls at a yard sale a couple of years ago, and now I can make clothes for them with these patterns! She also has tips and how-to videos! I am so excited! Even if you don't have an American Girl doll, you can buy an 18-inch doll and pretend by making your own period pieces!

The Sweepstakes Every Woman Wants to Win!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:01:00 +0000

Be sure to check out the sweepstakes every woman wants to win...a year of house cleaning from Murphy's Oil Soap! After you enter, print a coupon for $0.50 any Murphy's Oil Soap Product!

Super Duper Deal! Make $10 on the Sears Rebate Offer!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:45:00 +0000

As Money Saving Mom alerted us earlier this week, Sears is once again running their Men's Clothing Rebate. If you purchase $50 worth of Sears' men's clothing (with the exception of footwear and Land's End clothing), you can send in your receipt for a $50 rebate. Do I have an even better deal for you! This week, CVS has a special that if you buy two Sears gift cards, you can get $10 back in Extra Care Bucks.

Buy 2 $25 Sears gift cards, receive $10 ECBs
Shop at Sears through Ebates to receive cash back
Use Sears gift cards for men's clothing purchase through Sears (through June 20)
Send in rebate form or submit online
Receive $50 clothing voucher as a rebate from Sears and you've made $10 in CVS ECBs (You've made $10 on the whole deal!)

I am super-excited to share this with you all! My mom and I will order my Dad some great shirts and pants, and we'll make $10 in ECBs to use at CVS! Wow!

Make it Do Monday!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:44:00 +0000

Welcome to "Make it Do Monday", a new feature at the Frugal Bookworm. If you're a child or grandchild of someone who lived through the Great Depression and World War II, I'm sure you've heard the saying "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." In a consumer-driven society, Americans would do well to listen to the advice of past generations. Here at the Frugal Bookworm, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" is one of my favorite sayings, and our new weekly feature, "Make it Do Monday", will be built on those very principles.

Side note: Last year, the Non-Consumer Advocate had a challenge using our favorite saying. Make sure you check out her informative post. I also highly recommend you follow her blog...I just became a subscriber today!

How can we "make do" with what we already have? My advice...repurpose! There are so many things we already own that we can repurpose and give a new life! Be sure to check out my series from a couple of years ago--how we can repurpose bags, boxes, baskets, and bottles.

Lately, one of my favorite things to repurpose with is gum containers! I love Mentos and Eclipse gum containers. The Eclipse ones (the big ones which hold 60 pieces) are especially a favorite! The label tears off easily, and you can peel the sticker off the top. After finishing the gum, I wash the gum containers out. I've used these containers in my desk at work for push pins, erasers for pencils, and paper clips. You can put a piece of white plastic in one and tie it on the side...it's a perfect dollhouse trash can! I've also used several to organize hair clips for my little sister, while using the outside of the container to hold elastic hair bands. If you have anything small that needs to be organized, they're perfect! They're also white, so you can label the outside with a sharpie. Instead of buying tins and organizing containers at expensive stores, make it do with what you have on hand. Be creative! Look around your house for other small containers. What can you "make do" with?

Bits & Pieces

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:10:00 +0000

Good morning, lovelies! As you might have noticed, the Frugal Bookworm has been undergoing a few cosmetic changes. Be sure to drop me a line or leave a comment and let me know what you think! I'm also announcing our Facebook page! You should be able to do a search for the Frugal Bookworm on Facebook, or go to our page directly here. This is going to be a summer of frugal fun, so make sure you stay connected to the Frugal Bookworm!

Tonight I'll be teaching a class on coupon savings at our church. I'm really excited but a little nervous too! Check back here tomorrow for the handouts I'll be passing out! I just pray that it's a blessing to the 40+ ladies who signed up! Wow!

Coming later today..."Make it Do Monday!" MIDM is a new feature at the Frugal Bookworm, and each Monday, we'll be looking at how we can "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!" Now, let's all go have a cup of coffee, get up, get motivated, and get excited!

T.G.I.F.! Hallelujah, it's Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:35:00 +0000

Thank God it's Friday! As a working woman, Friday is one of my favorite days in the week (next to Saturday and Sunday, of course). This is the final Friday of the school year; in fact, this is the last day of school for our kids. Okay, I know what you're thinking: "June?! She's getting out of school in June?!" Yes, I'll be the first to admit that I have come to regret my "snowcation". Our school system missed nineteen days overall. It seems like this year has gone on for...evvvvvv....errrrr.

At this point, I am suffering from severe burnout, although I have completed several activities for the coming school year. I hope that by working ahead some this summer, I will be more capable of keeping up with the blog and having a little more time for myself. My summer will certainly not, however, be all work and no play! I plan on spending some quality time with the Netflix and the pool!

My bi-level or bi-pap machine, Darth (as I affectionately call him), has made my life so much more enjoyable. It's cut down on the scary heart palpitations and high blood pressure I'd been dealing with, and I feel much more rested. My students have even noticed that I have more energy, and I look forward to handling some of those exercise goals in my New Year's Resolution. Most importantly, I've realized not to punish myself for not fulfilling those resolutions all year long. They are goals to aim for, and I should not beat myself up for not fulfilling them. In one way, I guess you could say that I finally realized the importance of making my health a top priority. With the sleep apnea, I was physically unable to meet all the challenges I set for myself, and it's not worth sacrificing my mental health to beat myself up for things I haven't been able to do.

I'm looking forward to dusting off the blog and getting things rolling again!

Upcoming Series

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Tue, 25 May 2010 11:57:00 +0000

I've been throwing around a few ideas for upcoming series on The Frugal Bookworm. I would love to have your input on which series you would like to see first!

Trimming the Fat in Your Budget (Cutting back)
Spending Less on Gifts (covering how to save money on gifts, greeting cards, and wrapping)
Frugal Crafting (how to save money on craft supplies)
The Voracious Reader: How to Save on Reading

What do you think? Which series would you like to see first?

The Results are in, and zzzz....

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Sat, 15 May 2010 18:18:00 +0000

Drumroll, please...the results are in! I have sleep apnea! I went for my first sleep study a couple of weeks ago, and after the diagnosis, I went again last night to sleep with the aid of a bilevel machine. ~~Yes, I did feel a little like Darth Vader.~~ I'm so glad just to know what has been causing my exhaustion, forgetfulness, and general malaise. I have just been praising God for allowing the doctors to find out what is wrong with me!

In a couple of weeks I will get my own bilevel machine and begin the process of adjusting to it. Do you have sleep apnea or know someone with it? Do you have any natural remedies for sleep apnea or other recommendations? I would love to hear from you!

Shaking off the Dust

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:38:00 +0000

As famous author John Steinbeck wrote in Of Mice and Men, "The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry." When I started 2010 journey and my fascination with the number 30, I didn't realize that some of my "best laid plans" would go awry. When I wrote about my bum ankle a couple of months ago, I didn't realize my ankle served to portend of things to come. My sense of balance, quite literally, was off, leading to the ankle injury, thanks to a sinus infection I've struggled with for the past couple of months (three rounds of antibiotics in two months), and I'm still not 100%. I'm regaining a little life, if only by the grace of God and sheer will.

If you noticed in a post earlier today, I've seen some rather "fishy" comments around here. I strongly suspect my high-school students have found my blog by "googling" my name. Thankfully, I have controls on comment moderation (thank you, Blogger!). It's amazing how you notice grammar and writing structure and can connect the dots, if you will, as to whom the possible culprits are.

I finally finished the never-ending biography of Queen Elizabeth I! It was incredibly thorough and well-done! I had never realized what a temper the great queen had! Whew! I would not have wanted to incur her wrath! I also finally got around to reading Julie & Julia. I read it straight through one evening, because I could not put it down! It's a great book, especially with the whole "approaching 30" theme that I went through earlier this year. Stay tuned...I'm going to pass my copy along to a reader very soon!

So since I'm shaking off the dust here at TFB, I wanted to keep you updated. I'll be doing some personal finance updates soon, as well as some resolution updates. I've also got a lot of ideas for expansion here at the Frugal Bookworm! Hang in there! I'm still alive and writing!

Comments on the Frugal Bookworm

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Looney) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 22:47:00 +0000

Please be aware that comments on the Frugal Bookworm are moderated. I've recently changed comment moderation to only allow comments from people with an Open I.D. Insults and rude comments will not be allowed on this blog. Furthermore, if you are going to leave a rude comment, at least use proper grammar! Comments are welcome and enjoyed; however, let's remember the golden rule. Treat people as you would like to be treated. Anonymous comments will be recorded and tracked.