#using coupons

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Some financial advice that may be actually helpful

Based on one of y'all (sorry, I'm lazy, I'm not scrolling back) mentioning the terrible advice of "Make six figures."

Like, bitch. I'm TRYING.

But, let's say you live in a shocking world where you don't pull six figures out your bosses's ass every year. How can you make small financial changes that can lead to larger financial security?

These are all utterly subjective and based on things I've either actually done or just observed. I'm gonna try to skip over shit like, "shop for clothes second hand!" because shit like that can require a HUGE time commitment, and it's not even always worth it.

Anyway:

If your grocery store has a free rewards program (you put in your phone number or email address), get that set up. Yes, it will track what you purchase. But it also means when you get coupons in the mail, they're for things you actually buy. In our two-person household, we can save anywhere from 0-15 bucks a week depending on how coupons land.

If you can get a grocery card with fuel points (Fred Meyer and Safeway do it here in the PNW), you can save LOADS on gas. A dollar a gallon easily.

Also do any pet store reward programs that might be available. As the Bean does not require a great deal all the time, her rewards build up slowly, but every few months, we get enough points to get ten or twenty bucks off a purchase.

Do NOT buy in bulk if you're not gonna eat in bulk. Five pounds of rice is great if you eat rice regularly, but if you only have it every now and again, smaller portions of boxed rice are likely a better option. The same is true for any dried foods. Yeah, it's shelf stable, but it takes up more of the shelf. That could hold the stuff you actually eat steadily.

Frozen fruits/veggies are as healthy as fresh. And they'll stay ready to eat a lot longer. Consider that with how you eat and how much you eat a certain vegetable. It may be better worth your money to have three bags of frozen broccoli in your freezer than to keep buying fresh broccoli you forget to use in time.

If you're looking at a generic that says "Compare to BRAND NAME." It's the same formula. That's why they can say that. The reason it's cheaper is because the copyright or trademark costs money. Take that off, and boom. Cheaper cost for the same stuff.

If you have a car, know the way you drive it and how that can affect it. For example, if you do a lot of city driving, your transmission and (if applicable) stick shift are gonna wear down faster than you might expect. It's not always mileage. It's starting and stopping. However, if you drive long distances without stopping a lot (rural areas), your higher mileage car may not need any work on those things. Get your oil changed and your tires checked, and know what to look out for in terms of the kind of car you have and the driving you do. For example, we have less than 100k miles on our 15-year-old car, but we've mainly used it for city driving. We had to get the clutch re-built a few years ago, and last year we had to get the transmission goos updated because they'd run dry. These aren't surprising needs for a city-driven stick shift that's over ten years old.

There's a schedule to big shit going on sale in the US. Mattresses are a big thing around Memorial Day for some reason (Support the Fallen Troops by...fucking???). Electronics go big on sale before school starts and on Black Friday. Memorial Day is also big for cars, as is the 4th of July. If you hand make anything, certain colors of stuff go on sale before major holidays. Orange and black before Halloween. Red, green, and white before Christmas. Pastels before Easter. Etc.

Consider how much use a product will get before you decide you can or can't spend a little extra on it. Do 300-count sheets do the job? Yes. But speaking from recent experience, the 1500-count sheets feel so much nicer, which makes sleeping so much nicer, and I use them literally every single night, so the initial investment works out to basically the same even if I'd gotten cheaper sheets.

But also, stuff like sheets and comforters and stuff go on sale at various times! And your bed ain't gonna go through a growth spurt! Keep an eye out for those deals and scoop up the super soft stuff at a discount if you can!

And lastly on this main list, a very very important thing coming from a former poor kid: Fucking treat yourself. You know how much money you have. You know how much money you need. Maybe it's not hard to treat yourself because you're financially solvent, and in that case, this advice isn't for you. It's for those of us who have struggled to deviate at all from our list of NEEDS to give ourself even a very small WANT because WHAT IF I NEED FIVE BUCKS IN TWO DAYS. I get it. I do. To my bones. And I say fucking treat yourself, and if in two days, you suddenly need five bucks, do NOT feel bad that you got yourself a little something. You can't see into the future, and catastrophizing is so bad for you. Trust me. I know. Just. Remember, in all of this, give yourself a little focused care, okay?

All of that being said, a few more general points:

Dish soap is made to break up grease and oil, and it's commonly antibacterial. This makes it fucking perfect for cleaning your shower (covered in your greases and oils) and your bathroom in general (same reason). I don't recommend it for your toilet, but that's a personal preference based on zero research. The point is, most of your bathroom can be cleaned with dish soap. Get all your stuff off your counters. Make a thin layer with the dish soap. Let it sit for five to ten minutes. Scrub. Bonus: You can breathe the whole time.

Vinegar kills germs. Like, lab-tested kills germs. You can clean your kitchen with Vinegar and Borax (odor-reducer), and it costs a fraction of buying the kitchen-branded cleaners.

Borax is also great as an addition to laundry soap for odor-reducing reasons. So, even the cheap laundry soap is more effective with Borax.

"But Gayle, you can make your own laundry soap if you--" Yes, I know. And it's cool you know that. But it takes TIME to make laundry soap, and time is the only thing less reliable than money when it comes down to it.

Look up "No Buying" options in your area. This is usually a Facebook group or maybe a subreddit. The goal is that no one in the group wants to buy or sell anything. They just have stuff they want to get out of their house. It's not a 24/7 goldmine, but it's a once-a-day scroll through that could lead you to a pricey item for free!

If you have stuff that says "handwash," and you think, "Okay, I want to, but that's a whole new task." Nah. Just take a shower and bring it with! Hell, wear it in if you have to. I do this a LOT. Use the water and your soap (which, as it's likely a body wash or soap, will break down those skin oils and such) and give it a good washing while you stand there. Then, squeeze out the excess water and toss that thing over the shower rod. If you have a drying rack, use it. But if you don't, just leave it where it is and leave the fan going. It'll take care of itself. Just double check the label to know if hot water is a bad idea and if you need to lay flat or hang dry. If you need to lay flat, super squeeze the water out and lay it flat wherever you can.

And, lastly for this long post: If you need the expensive shit, buy the expensive shit. I have celiac and MCAS. My bread is five bucks a loaf. Peanut Butter fucks up my histamines. Almond fucks up my histamines. I need five dollar bread and fucking cashew butter to make a fucking sandwich. But the other option is getting sick from putting stuff in my body my body will fight against, and trust me, those urgent care visits stack up.

#financial advice #but like in a if it helps way #if none of this helps #it's not good advice for you #saving money #using coupons #self-care

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

i think that in small tightknit communities, all residents should receive a coupon book on their bday that allows them to commit [x] number of nonviolent crimes per year

#'tsk tsk the Johnson boy is breaking into the cemetery to perform Midnight Rituals again' #'oh leave the boy alone he just had a birthday' #'but MOM why can i go with my friends to break into the old haunted saw mill?' #'well jason you should have thought of that before you before you graffitied ACAB on the side of the police station' #'but MOM it was an act of political protest' #'i know sweetie and i respect your freedom of expression #but the fact remains you used your last coupon. no trespassing in abandoned factories until you turn 17' #'but MOOOOOMMMM' 'sweetheart ur bday is in 7 weeks pls chill ur ass'

[astraltrickster]

Enjoying the [MYTHICAL CREATURE] vs. [UNEXPECTED WILDLIFE] polls? Having fun with the discussions?

Good news: I made a ranking game with 40 different unexpected visitors for you to choose between! Some extant, some mythical, some extinct, some pop culture - this game will put them in pairs and ask you to choose:

It's a Sunday afternoon. You hear an unexpected knock at the door. Which of the two options presented would surprise you the most to find on your doorstep?

Have fun!

#fairy vs walrus #walrus vs fairy #quizzes #i have a free blaze coupon in my email i might just use on this #yeah i think i'm gonna #i want more info #as a side note i'm FASCINATED by the implications of the fact that 13 complete rankings in #the [REDACTED TO AVOID SKEWING RESULTS] is at the BOTTOM of the list

[inkz123]

Cute Ink using washi tape and markers💕

#fanart #ink sans #traditional #i got alcohol markersss #there was a huge sale at a store and i snagged a huge set for like #8 bucks??? #hecc yea for sales and coupons #theyre no copic markers #but theyre pretty alright for practice #also i love washi tape #but i dont see much cute patterns that i can use for art #if i find some theyre usually way too espensiv #i cri #i think bucket hats r cute

[wrexwas]

KIRIKO KAMORI (家守 霧子) in LE SSERAFIM (르세라핌) 'Perfect Night' OFFICIAL M/V with OVERWATCH 2

#THE FREE DONUT COUPONS MADE ME LAUGH because the friend group calls her healing ofuda “coupons” #her two-tone hair is adorable and I LOVE seeing her use the kitsune for frivolous reasons haha #overwatch gifs #kiriko overwatch #kiriko kamori #overwatch x le sserafim #overwatch

[plushieanimals]

💕 aurora brulée bunnies 💕 coupon

#bunny #the coupon! yay! 15% off! lol #someone actually has used it already! #bunnies #plush #rabbit #rabbits #plushie #plushies #aurora #plushcore #plushblr #pastel #pastelcore #spring #easter

[bamsara]

There needs to be a thing where people who get coupon codes from purchases (not the advertised codes stores send out in emails, but the rewards kinds that usually expire before people can use them) but know that they aren't going to use them, can collectively add them to a rotating database for people that could use them that periodically removes codes that don't work/are used up and have a search function for people who need discount codes for certain stuff/sites

Anyway here are some Hot Topic discount codes for whoever is fast enough:

Code: BT2-5G7N7FQ52H $30 off a $75 purchase (ends 9/6/23) Code: J8C97WJP $15 off of a $50 purchase (ends 8/31/23) IM NOT SPONSERED BY HOT TOPIC I just bought the freddy plush backpack and sunmoon plushies with rewards and coupons I had saved up and they gave me these and i know im not gonna use them before they expire. Let me know if you used these so I can cross them out for others

#i should honestly make a pinned post or something that i just collectively update with my coupon book #you guys have seen my dumpster diving posts and shit you dont know how nutty i can be with coupons and codes #sara shush #edit: AHA turned reblogs off so people dont see this post long after the codes have been used wondering why they arent working

[comfortfoodcontent]

1993 Toys R Us Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Comic Ad

#coupons #toys r us #sonic #sega #sega genesis #sonic the hedgehog #sonic 3 #sonic the hedgehog 3 #comic ads #print ads #video game magazine ads #video games #1993 #90s #1990s

[thefaeriecreek]

anyway, what if AU where the most proud character works a miserable service job- specifically a Chuck E Cheese type theme restaurant.

his nametag says ravioli. he demanded they fix it and they printed out a new tag that also said Ravioli.

#loz #botw #revali #breath of the wild #greedy gibdos feed hut #botw modern au #greedy gibdos feed hut is so fun to say tho #the uniform shirt is printed to look like gibdo wrappings #look you know you want Revali explaining why you cant use expired coupons to brainless customers #art #thefaeriecreekart

[stabbyfoxandrew]

oh yes, of course. thank you docs.

#god i wish i knew of a good alternative for docs. i'm Sick of it. #but also everything i write is in it. and i like being able to look at my stuff on my phone and laptop and tablet. #that's the reason i don't use libreoffice or openoffice or whatever it's called. #also i want to get scrivener bc a friend gave me their nano coupon code but once again... i can't use it on my phone >:( #basically >:( #diaerie #this is from angel neil btw...

[cherriko-art]

Mi-an vs the ADHD builder with Chronic People-Pleasing Syndrome™

#cherry draws #my time at sandrock #mtas #mtas oc #mtas builder #mtas mi-an #mi-an #Literally how it played out in my game #I think it took over a week for me to finally build the stage drop (for a 2nd time) #sorry mi-an gotta do every single side quest before the main quest #also fck arvio and his stupid deliveries #can't believe that pretty boy paid me in COUPONS #I mean I still used it to grab all the salt for a week but STILL #vivi: that boi needs to do his own damn work #PREACH GRANNY #cherry ocs #I need better clothes asldf;sja

[cozylittleartblog]

everyone say Thank You Etsy. you can use this code as many times as you want over the next two days, and with most Etsy shops - and it's an etsy coupon, so I still get the full order amount!!

these sales are part of a new marketing strategy for Etsy, and they are hugely beneficial to artists such as myself. they're doing another one because the last one was so successful, so please consider taking this opportunity to make a purchase, even if it's not from me! if you're not interested in making a purchase or don't have the money, reblogging is free! 💙

SHOP HERE !!!

#etsy #small biz #artist alley #support small artists #small business #etsy sale #you can even use it between shops - so if you spend $20 in two different shops the etsy coupon will still apply! #so go make a fuckton of $40 purchases and save as much as you can dshjbhjsfghjbdfg #etsy is going hard on the actual artist support lately i kinda love it #free coupons for shoppers and the opportunity for sellers to save on fees if people purchase through our specific shop link ? hell yeah #get your holiday shopping done Now this is a good time for it #the last one got me like 40 entire sales in two days which was REALLY GOOD

[upathosarts]

kuro appreciation day or something

#im not great at traditional so if it looks wonky. yeah #also ill be honest i didnt have a ruler for the grid in the back i was using a lego brick and a dominos coupon #i forgot to bring so much to my dorm #claudine saijo #saijo claudine #revue starlight #shoujo kageki revue starlight #revstar #starira #claudine saijou #saijou claudine #my art

[scarah-screeeaaammss]

spotted the count fabulous bag (count bagulous) at hot topic and had i been a weaker man I would have gotten it

#monster high #i want all of the monster high bags and this one might be my fav #wasnt sold on it til i saw it irl #but like the others ill probably still skip on it bc while it is cute it is also expensive and idk if id use it much #but either way i still want it lol #i also saw the blind bag coin purses and damn. if i had had a coupon or something i would have gotten one #but i cant justify $20 on one item rn #monsterhigh #mh #count fabulous #personal

[egoarc4de]

stripes

#my art #orz #supermega #matt watson #orz orz orz #need more free supermega post coupons #using that one photo as the main ref u know the one. #i love drawing clothing patterns so i had to ! #originally it was gonna be more similar to the ref but i got bored n wanted to make the colours more fun #anyways. #my art's been all over the place but wow! #i am drawing again #it feels nice #i am experimenting more w things #it's fun #i want to have bright fun wacky colours!

[jayaorgana]

Au where instead of Tahiri having to abandon ties with her family in order to become a jedi, Luke just sets the Tuskens up a PO box in Mos Eisley and now every couple of months fifty or so Tusken raiders and Bantha's show up at the Mos Eisley post office to pick up letters from Tahiri and also their junk mail which they may or may not think Tahiri is sending to them also

#they're like 'we don't know why she keeps sending us coupons but we appreaciate the thought' 'she probably just like the colours Sliven' #pippa.txt