frugal friday
>> 1.04.2013 –
frugal friday,
frugal living
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We live on a tight budget now that I'm staying home and John is working a less-than-fulfilling-but-at-least-it's-something job. Yes, I know that I could go back to work and make more money to contribute to our family, making things less "tight" and more managable, but John & I both feel that I belong at home for this season of our family's life. To make ends meet we've learned to live more frugal than ever before. And though I don't like running out of food money before the month's end or not having the funds for cool date nights, I have actually found joy in bargain hunting. I see it as another little way that I can contribute to our family.
I thought it would be fun to share some "Frugal Living" tips with my blog peeps. I'll do these periodically on Fridays to a) give me something to blog about and b) give me another reason to use picmonkey and make a super sweet button. These posts won't be anything mind-blowing; rather, they're easy, commonsense ways to save some dolla dolla bills.
Now it's time for the very first
(...drumroll please...)
Today's tip is for fellow mamas, aunts who spoil their nieces & nephews or anyone who shops for little tikes. Did you know that Gymboree is having their "big red balloon" sale right now?
This sale only comes twice a year and it's one that you DO NOT want to miss. I hit it up last winter by accident on a mall trip with my mom. I ended up completely stocking Luke's closet for summer and didn't pay over $40. FOR EVERYTHING. The items for sale during this "big red balloon sale" are past-season clothes, with fall items discounted 20-50% off and last summers stuff at deep discounts (70% on average). I'm not sure how long the sale lasts, but I suggest you check it out. NOW. And if you can't get to a Gymboree store, check out the sale items online. There aren't as many offerings on the web as your local store, but you'll still find great deals on good stuff. This is what I've gotten for Luke at my local Gymboree:
The one downside of buying a season ahead? You're not totally sure what size your little one will wear. I've always just estimated Luke's size when buying ahead of time and have luckily been spot-on. However, if you save your receipt Gymboree will give you a store credit, even if you need to return your items six months later. All of my purchases for Luke this time around were 2T sizes; I figured even if he wasn't in these tops this summer, I could add a long-sleeve shirt underneath for fall/winter use.
Have fun shopping, friends! :)
I love this post! Both Darren and I work full time and still have to live frugally. Maybe I need to head out to the mall. :)
great tips! I'm an auntie who is a sucker for Old Navy's big sales on baby clothes, often finding items for under $5, I love it!!
I used to do a lot of shopping at gymbo when Parker was Luke's age! It was great! I loved the golf like 2 years ago. I still rebuy those same outfits at the outlet yearly. I'm a sucker for coordinating girl/boy sets so I definitely hit up their sales sometimes. Gymbo is pretty good quality when it comes to stain removal making it last longer for baby #2 or making it ebayable! :)
Thanks you much for the insider tips! We had no idea about this sale but were planning on going to the mall today to return some holiday gifts. I got some GREAT deals on summer outfits and stuff for THIS winter! I really appreciate the heads up.
I'll have to check out Gymboree this weekend! Thanks for the tip! We've been extreamly blessed so far because we've been able to wear all hand=me-downs from my niece- I've never gone shopping for her and probably only bought 4 or 5 articles of clothing ever... But I think this summer we are going to start being off-season with my niece size-wise. Sad day.
Also, I would love a coffee date and chat sometime! :) Agh, I'm so sorry you've had eating issues as well! We did go through the crunchy phase when PFB was about 10 months old. It was ridiculous. At that time freeze dried fruit from Trader Joe's and Costco became a staple in our diet because I couldn't get her to eat real fruit. The freeze dried stuff is still a staple. Every once in awhile I can get her to eat a couple bites of banana or apple (she does eat strawberries but they are too expensive out of season) but the freeze dried stuff is my main source of fruit these days. (Well besides the fruit I have pureed in the baby food for her that I still make because its the only way I can get any veggie or meat in her. Unfortunately I have yet to find freeze dried veggies...)
Feeding my child has been the most frustrating part of motherhood for me. Earlier on we had to see GI specialists and speech/feeding therapists and all sorts of things. Guess what- there is nothing physically wrong with my child (I could have told you that...) she just has behavioral eating issues. Glad we spent that money to confirm my mommy diagnosis. I hope we both find a good ped soon! I'm not sure what we're going to do either, but its going to be different like you said!