Save Big Money at Menards

Credit

I have to admit that I've learned something new about saving money this week that I didn't quite know existed! I wasn't sure that was possible, but alas a new rock has been turned. It's a fun little thing called mail in rebates from Menards. I know not everyone in the country has Menards so let me fill you in on these smart folks. Menards is kind of like Lowe's, but they also have the typical Walmart like sections with food, drinks, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. Every week, Menards has several items that will be free or just pennies after their mail in rebates. It gives you a store credit postcard to use just like $ at Menards. They also limit the amount that you can buy and receive a rebate for on each item (usually ranges from 3-20). You then take your postcard rebates and buy OTHER items that are free or almost free after rebate in order to roll your rebates just like ECBs or RRs at CVS or Walgreens. They also take coupons so it is definitely possible to get overages on your products. Yes it takes a little longer than a week to get your rebate, but you should ideally be able to do this once a month to get free items. You can even get free tools or building supplies as a part of this program!

My plan for this week will cost me about $20 to start, but will give me $27 in rebates back so I can buy other things later on this month or early August. I plan to use some of my rolling rebates to buy some school supplies for my classroom that I hope they will have on sale in the coming weeks :)

Have you discovered any new money saving tips lately? Even if you haven't, what are your tried and true tips to stretch your buck?

59 Buckets of Dirt on the Lawn...59 Buckets of Dirt

Sorry for the lack of posting over the past week. This house has been alive with home improvements. The fence is now in, the grill looks like new, the patio is finished, and the furniture is all in place. My outdoor oasis is complete and thank goodness relax time is finally here.

I'm sure by now you have gotten the drift that I am frugal, but this is not always a good thing. First piece of evidence, the fence instillation. I shared in an earlier post my determination to get the best price possible, but little did I know that $100 I didn't spend would end up costing me a great deal of pain and approximately 6 hours of time. If you've ever had a fence installed, you probably remember that they leave the dirt they dig up at the fence posts unless you pay them some money to take it away. My company was going to charge me $100 for dirt removal. I have some low points in my yard and I was thinking this would be a great way to fill the area in for just my labor. Uggggg I was correct, but my labor was certainly expended during my 6 hours spent moving said dirt to this area in 90+ degree heat. I felt like I was going to die. There were tears, 3 showers needed, sore muscles, and bumps and bruises. I even created the song that is the title of this blog post to the tune of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." It took 59 five gallon bucket trips to complete the job. The pressure was even higher to get all the dirt moved before the rain came on Sunday. Needless to say, it would have been $100 well spent. Although the low points of my yard are now filled and grass seeded, it probably wasn't exactly worth it. Chalk this one up to experience I suppose.

I did snag an AWESOME deal yesterday while shopping with my sister who is home from Ohio for a few days. We went to Big Lots in search of canning jars since everyone has told me they are ridiculously cheap there. The jars were a let down because it turns out I can get them cheaper at Walmart with the coupons that have been coming in the paper lately. The trip was not a total washout though. While looking at a dish chair my sister was considering buying for her apartment next year, I spotted something I've been searching for endlessly! A TAN PATIO UMBRELLA! I snagged a 9 foot wooden umbrella with tan fabric for under $50. I've been searching and most of the time there are insane colors or shotty craftsmanship umbrellas for around $65. I prefer a more neutral color since my patio furniture is black and has tan/gray/black cushions and I'd like everything to match. I couldn't believe it :) Check out the new look of the patio with this shady addition!

You can even spot the grill and fence in the background. Check out my next post for my grill rehab DIY project.