***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***
*** WINNER #49 – Kendra ***
After settling in on my first solo flight since college (eeek!) two weeks ago, I pulled out my copy of Bargain Junkie: Living the Good Life on the Cheap
An easy, humorous read, Annie kept me entertained and opened my eyes to a whole new shopping culture. While Annie doesn’t share my simple living values, she does have some fantastic ideas to score a myriad of goods and services on the cheap!
From Annie:
It’s a humorous how-to book about how I live large by spending little. As a life-long upscale frugalista, I’ve managed to dress well, travel, educate my child, and eat out as often as possible without breaking the bank. I don’t believe happiness comes from owning a $4,000 handbag. I’m perfectly content with my silver Sportsac, which I scored on eBay for 12 bucks.
- My often unemployed husband created a cottage industry selling rare books he finds at yard sales.
- I always check Craig’s List for freebies, where I just got 30 bags of bark mulch and some patio furniture.
- I barter goods and services with friends. No money changes hands, but we each get a great deal, like the time I gave some public speaking lessons to a neighbor who then delivered a five-course chicken dinner with enough food for the whole weekend.
Interested in becoming a Bargain Junkie
Giveaway ends Sunday, July 25. I’ll let random.org do the honors at that time. Good luck!
I would love to discover how to decorate my home for cheap!
I never buy anything at full price. If I can use a coupon with a sale I’m a happy lady!
I’d love to learn more bartering skills!!
My advice is learn to cook your favorite foods at home.
I would definitely love to score a large dining room table and piano on the cheap. Actually I am looking for an old upright piano because the sound is better and am hoping to find one that was well loved by a family.
I can’t stand to pay full price for anything. I’m currently hunting for a dresser for my son’s room. I keep hoping to for a great curb-side find to fix up.
I would love to learn how to barter my skills for piano lessons for my kiddos.
@Bonnie, Hi Bonnie, I’m a piano teacher. We have a deal I found in a book, where people get a free lesson for every student they recruit for us. Find a teacher and maybe she would work with you.
Maria
I am not the best at being bargain-savvy, but my tips would be: don’t want what you don’t have and NEVER pay full price for anything, especially kids’ clothes!
@Vanderbilt Wife, Don’t want what you don’t have is the BEST advice.
I’m looking for a slide to replace the broken one on our playset. Hoping Craigslist will come through for me!
My best advice: I am shopping for my daughter’s homeschool curriculum on Ebay right now and am saving at least 50% over new prices. I wish I would have done this last year!
There’s nothing wrong with buying almost everything used.
Thanks for the chance!
My best bargin tip is to buy clothes at the end of the season. For example, I always wait until after the holidays to buy my kids winter coat for the coming year. I try to buy 2 sizes larger that what they are currently wearing. Same with swimsuits. I routinely save 75-80% =)
Thanks for the chance for the book!
One of my best bargains lately was a wood-burning kit I bought new. I use it to make $20-30 gifts for all occasions, on wood scraps I get free from a cabinet shop. I made one plaque to order which more than covered the cost of the kit, and I figure I have saved several hundred dollars in gifts that are worth more than I would have spent if I’d gone out and bought something.
I would love to learn how to barter my services for music lessons for my children. My best advice is to never turn away hand me downs. You never know what great stuff you could be getting.
I would really like to find a great deal on a high chair and johnny jump up for my 5 month old son! I haven’t bought anything baby related for full price, so I’m hunting the best bargain possible!
I shop thrift stores! Yes. Rarely is my closet filled with new clothes!
I love garage sale season, where I stock up on clothes for my daughter for the next year or two! I rarely buy anything new.
I use Freecycle.org all of the time! What’s better than free?
Thanks for the chance to win this!
I try to never pay full price for anything. I wait to end of season to buy clothes, use coupons as much as I can and hit the thrift stores.
Don’t buy it if you don’t need it and never pay full retail price…
I am truly new at this but I have discovered the savings that go along with coupon clipping. It takes me longer to grocery shop (to make sure I’m getting a good deal) but I am saving! Yay! Thanks for this opportunity.
My best cheap advice is to STAY HOME! You can’t spend if you don’t go. Shop from your cupboards. Heck, clean out a few cupboards and you may discover plenty of cheap things you forgot about!
I use ebay for kids’ clothes. It really does save us money. I’d love to learn more money saving tips for everything.
I buy clothes at the end of the season for next year.
I consider myself a pretty savvy shopper, but I need to learn some tips on discipline. I seem to do really well for a month or two or three, but as soon as life throws curves at me, I get off track, and it is difficult to get back on track again.
We have regular swap parties in our family. My sister’s grown daughters are great fashion finders so I’m always swapping for anything of their’s! I also love books and my sis’s boss gives her tons (she gets them from her used bookstore owner boyfriend). I haven’t paid for a book in years!
Learn to cook your favorite meals at home!
I would love to score a good deal on a chest freezer! Then I can save even more money by buying more in bulk.
I’d love to know how to take those yard sale treasures and decorate my home. I don’t seem to have an eye for that!
If you are looking for furniture, try a sit like craiglist.com. Sometimes you can get really good deals!
My best tip is not to eat out and to plan your meals.
I want to learn lots more though!
My whole lifestyle is frugal…but my most used trick of the trade is grocery and drugstore couponing.
My best bargain advise is to look at everything before you throw it out. Most everything can be re-used for something else. And use what you have. My best tip would be to buy seasonal candy the day after a holiday. Stick to milk or solid chocoaltes and hard candies. They freeze well, and I never have to run to the store for bunnies, hearts or santas at the last minute!.
Coupons have saved the most money for me. Also, GroupOn, SocialLiving and other group buying sites, so my family can eat out (my personal favorite thing to do!) and do activities for a fraction of the normal cost.
I would love to win this book! I go to garage sales, thrift stores, use coupons and add to sales to get things free or cheap. I also try to use up leftovers as I HATE throwing food away. I grow a garden and can and freeze the excess-always looking to save money!
My best bargains have been found at garage sales. Two years ago, I bought a Eureka vacuum cleaner for $2 because the woman said it broke when she first used it and she simply bought another one. I spent about $2.50 on a belt at Walmart and it works great.
I check the mark down section of my grocery store every time I go. I’ve found some remarkable deals in those baskets!
My weakness is kitchen items. I hope to learn how to limit my purchase of times I find such a great deal on!
I use coupons–think of it as free cash.
She sounds like my kind of people! I’m open to learning more about all she has to say.
I really like the bartering idea and my best tip is NEVER pay late fees!
One way that I save money is using my credit union’s free BillPay feature for bills that don’t have online payment options. I just enter the bill info using my online bank access and they type out the check and pay for the stamp! Saving the price of a stamp with each bill per month adds up!
kristencwiseman at yahoo dot com
I would love to learn how to eat out, with a frugal twist. Thanks for the chance.
I love thrift stores!
Don’t be brand loyal.
Use coupons and scour clearance racks!
It’s simple, but I figure we save $25 a month by forgoing salon haircuts. My husband is strictly a buzzcut kinda guy, and I just need a little trim here and now. By cutting each other’s hair, we get more time together and save money!
I am always watching people’s trash piles the night before trash pick-up….it’s unbelievable what some people throw away!!! And the thrift store is always my favorite place to shop!!
I need a couple more small kitchen appliances…I never have any luck at Goodwill.
I’ve lost my best re-sale shop for kids’ clothes and now I’m in search of other great deals.
I can’t begin to even remember all the stuff I’ve scored on the cheap for just taking the time to do it. Clothes at yard sales that are just piled high, no one wants to go through them, it’s hot, etc. I have sat down and dug through them and found GREAT stuff for usually just a few quarters, same for kitchen dishes or gadgets, scored a huge George Foreman grill at a yard sale for $5. I dress my kids from yard sales all the time. I like Kohl’s end of season clearances, last Sept., I got almost $600 worth of clothes (so said the bottom of the receipt, like I ever would have paid full price!) for $80. Started off this summer with alot of new clothes for everyone thanks to that. I always use coupons, hardly ever pay for makeup, deo, etc. Love to have the book, always interested in learning more.
Meal plan – that’ll save you tons on groceries!
Thrift stores rule!! And just changing paintings, furnishings and clothing around will give you a whole new home and wardrobe. Love the book!!