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We Paid Cash: A Sectional Couch

by Crystal on February 9, 2012

We paid cash!

A testimony from Stephanie, who runs Lilybean

My husband and I have not used our credit cards in some time, but we were still debit card addicts and never realized how those little purchases made it difficult to make ends meet at the end of each month.

Several months ago, I began using coupons and following a couple of money saving, frugal-living blogs. Something that always drew my attention was the ability for people to pay cash for large purchases (a concept that still seemed very unattainable for us due to the lack of extra funds at the end of each month).

We had wanted a sectional couch for our downstairs ever since we moved in two years before, and I asked my husband if he would be up for the challenge of going debit card free, using only cash for all expenses to begin saving for a couch.

He was excited at the prospect and we went shopping for couches to celebrate! We tried out as many as we could that were $1,000 or less. We figured we could put aside $100 a month, so it would take us less than a year. We narrowed our choices and got to work at home saving money.

Here is what we did:

  • Continued to coupon, made a shopping list, and stuck to it
  • Put our debit cards in our fireproof box to make sure we weren’t tempted to use them–this tactic helped the most!
  • Sold items on Craigslist — a large chair that we never sat in and would clear space for the new couch (along with some additional odds and ends) and set this money aside for the couch
  • Cooked large quantities of dinner and used the leftovers for lunches to avoid eating out — shopping in bulk and only buying meat on sale helped with this
  • I upped my Etsy Store presence to bring in some additional cash flow — I would take a slice of sales and put them toward the couch.

We had been saving for four months when my husband emailed me a link from Craigslist he spotted while posting an item to sell — it was the exact sectional we wanted and it was listed for less than 1/3 of the cost of new. It also included the ottoman which we had not planned on buying due to the additional expense!

We took a look and it was spotless, well taken care of in a pet and smoke-free home, and barely used.

We happily gave them the money we had been saving and used the extra for the hauling cost. It felt like such an accomplishment to snuggle and watch a movie as a family on a sectional couch that was paid in full! 

Stephanie Van Horn is a wife, mom to an infant daughter and chocolate lab, and an elementary teacher. She lives in Colorado where the best part of waking up is the mountain view. In her occasional free time, she runs a baby boutique, Lilybean, named after her daughter.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

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Free Beneful Dog Treats sample (Facebook offer)

by Crystal on February 9, 2012

Click on the “Like” button on the Beneful Facebook Page to sign up for a free sample of Beneful Dog Treats.

Thanks, Freebie Shark!

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Free Sun-Maid Recipe Booklet

by Crystal on February 9, 2012

Request a free Sun-Maid Recipe Booklet.

Thanks, Sample Stuff!

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Do-It-Yourself: Homemade Shower Cleaner

by Crystal on February 9, 2012

SimpleOrganizedLiving.com shows you how to make homemade shower cleaner.

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

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Taste of Home magazine for $3.99 per year

by Crystal on February 9, 2012

Get a subscription to Taste of Home magazine for $3.99 per year when you use coupon code MSMOM at checkout. You can purchase up to four years at this price.

(Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.)

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Enter the YoKids Sweepstakes on Facebook and you’ll receive a coupon via email for $1.50/1 YoKids Organic Yogurt.

Thanks, Common Sense With Money!

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Free ebook: Gluten-Free Appetizers

by Crystal on February 9, 2012

Download a free Gluten-Free Appetizers ebook.

Please note that the price is currently $0.00, but that could change at any time. Be sure to check the price before checking out to verify that it is still free.

This ebook is specifically for Kindles, but you can go here to download a free application that enables you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.

Find more free ebooks here.

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5 Frugal Valentine’s Day Treats

by Crystal on February 9, 2012

Want to make something special for your family for Valentine’s Day? Here are some delicious ideas:

Make Homemade Heart-Shaped Fry Bread — yummy!

Meek & Chic shows you how to make Sweetheart Pancakes.

Amy’s Finer Things has a recipe for Valentine’s Day Fruit Kabobs.

I Can Teach My Child shares a recipe for Stained Glass Valentine Cookies.

Whip up a batch of Maple Oat Heart-Shaped Scones from Life as MOM.

What are your favorite Valentine’s Day themed recipes?

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The best freebies from the past week

by Crystal on February 9, 2012

Here’s a long list of freebies that have been available recently that should still be available. Thanks to Kaley from Cha-Ching on a Shoestring for compiling these:

Free Samples

Free Life Choice Energy Bars

Free Olay 2-in-1 Facial Cloths

Free Pantene Aqua Light

Free Simply Right Formula

Valentine’s Day Freebies

Free Printable Valentine’s Mailbox

5 Fun & Frugal Valentine’s Day Ideas

Free Valentine’s Day Coupon Booklet

Valentine’s Day Idea Book

Color By Number Valentine’s Day Cards

22 Valentine’s Day Recipes

Free Educational Resources

President’s Day Holiday Helper

I Love Trucks Printable Preschool Pack

Angry Birds Preschool Printable Pack

Free After Coupon

$1.50/2 Mars candy coupon = free at Walgreens

Walgreens: Free St. Joseph Aspirin after Register Rewards

CVS: Possibly Free Hershey’s Bliss Candy

CVS: Possible Right Guard Moneymaker

Free Food and Drink

Bruegger’s Bagels: 3 Free Bagels on February 9th

Smashburger: Buy One, Get One Free

Auntie Anne’s: Free Pretzel On 3/3/12

Free eBooks

Simply Homeschool: Having Less Clutter and More Joy In Your Homeschool

Copycat Girl Scout Cookie Recipes

Gooseberry Patch Candy Cookbook

Other Freebies

5 Free Pampers Gifts To Grow Points

Free $5 Kohls Gift Card with E-mail Sign Up

Free Adobe Flash Builder for Students of the Unemployed

Free Blockbuster Express DVD Rental

Free American Virtue Magazine Download

Giveaways:

48-Hour Giveaway: Free ticket to the MomLife Bootcamp!

Valentine’s Giveaway: $25 CVS Gift Card (Two Winners!)

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Recyclebank: 40 free points

by Crystal on February 9, 2012

Recyclebank is offering 40 free points when you learn how to “green” your Valentine’s Day! Just complete a 5-question quiz to earn 20 points and submit a favorite recipe to earn another 20 points.

You can also earn 110 more points by following the steps outlined here.

If you haven’t signed up for Recyclebank, you can do so here. There are other opportunities to earn more points on the Earn Points tab. You can cash these points in for high-value coupons, free magazine subscriptions, coupons for free products from McDonald’s, and more!

Thanks, Capitally Frugal!

(Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.)

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