Home TwinCitiesFrugalMom.com

Twin Cities Frugal Mom

Living well and centsibly in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area

You are here: Home / Archives for TC Frugal Mom

Thrift Store Shopping Series Part 1: Kids Clothes for Less!

By

This is part 1 of a fun 3-part feature I’m writing about savvy thrift store shopping, featuring SAVERS thrift stores!

Those of you who have read my other posts about thrift store shopping know I’m a huge fan of SAVERS. Well, SAVERS graciously provided me with $100 in gift certificates to shop with a fellow mom and share how many great clothing items we could find. I shared the certificates with Kathy, a busy mom with THREE kids – ages 11, 8 and 1! We both easily filled up our carts with many great deals on clothing for all of our kids. I shopped for Halloween costumes for my kids, ages 4 and 1, which I’ll be detailing in part 2, and Kathy bought some back-to-school and fall/winter clothing which we’ll share here!

Savvy Thrift Store Shopping Fact #1: You can easily fill up your kids’ wardrobes with low-cost, quality used clothing at SAVERS. [Read more…]

New: Print coupons directly from my site!

By

Now you can view and print coupons directly from my site, courtesy of coupons.com! I recommend clicking “See all coupons” to pick and choose all the coupons you want. The coupons are on the right side of every page. I added this feature to help all of you save money on everyday needs!

Coupons printed earn commission for my site at no cost to you. For more information, see my PR and disclosure policy.

Happy Labor Day! Check out these facts about working in the U.S.

By

From the website EasyFinance. I love reading and sharing their articles and infographics like the one below. Many interesting facts; for example, “50% of the population in the United States lives on $46,000 or less.” Times are tough for people! All the more reason to share ideas about frugal living and how to live well for less! [Read more…]

Five Things to Do in the Twin Cities on Labor Day Weekend

By

It’s Labor Day! There are MANY things to do in the Twin Cities area this weekend.

Here are five ideas:

1. Visit the Minnesota State Fair. Last day is Labor Day so if you’re looking for fun things to do in the Twin Cities on Labor Day Weekend, it’s a great option! It’s “Kids & Last Chance Day” and all horse shoes & rodeos are free! Kids ages 5-12 are only $7 (discounted from $10) and like every day, kids under 5 are free!

2. Visit the Minnesota Zoo. Last day to see the dolphins (they’ve moved since this post) and the Dinosaurs (for the Dinosaurs, $4 each admission, children under 2 are free)! Since this post, they have more and more to see. Check out their website to see what they have in store for things to do this Labor Day Weekend.

3. Visit Historic Fort Snelling and the Sibley House Historic Site for special event “Life in the 1800s from Cradle to Grave.” Open 10-5 today. A free shuttle will be available between each site.

4. Check out sales for Labor Day at thrift stores which have 50% off clothing, shoes and home items. (Savers is one of my favorites.)

5. Visit a beach, park, or just grill in your own backyard or with friends! It’s a beautiful, warm day and there are many great outdoor sites in the Twin Cities area. I like the Three Rivers Park District – check out their website for a park near you.

While you’re at it, check out these fun facts on Labor Day and why we celebrate it!

What are some fun things to do in the Twin Cities on Labor Day Weekend that your family enjoys? Share below.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

By

These indulgent Banana Chocolate Chip muffins make great use of those too-ripe bananas sitting in your kitchen! I got this recipe a while back from a friend, Kim.

I also included a better-for-you version (scroll to the bottom).

Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

1/4 cup sour creamBanana Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup wheat germ (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 cup mashed bananas
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips [Read more…]

Saving at Savers Thrift Store

By

saving at savers thrift store

On Labor Day, Savers has a 50% off sale on all clothing, shoes, accessories & home/bath items! This makes saving at Savers Thrift Store even more simple. If you need to get some last-minute back-to-school shopping done this is a great sale event! Plus, Halloween costumes and decorations arrive in Savers stores on September 1st, so you’ll have a great early selection!

My family had a great shopping day at Savers Thrift Store on Wednesday, August 15th. How? We got $102 worth of clothes for our family for $51! It was a sale day for Super Savers club members featuring 50% off clothing, shoes, accessories & home/bath items if you spend $50 or more! (Join this free club and you’ll get email alerts about sales and events just for members!) [Read more…]

Little luxuries: Ten things I buy that cost more (and how to save on them)

By

Some little luxuries are worth spending more but there are still ways to save on them. Part of being frugal is deciding where to spend less money, and where to spend more.

Susan Gregory Thomas suggested this in her post “Little Luxuries Lift You Up” on dailyworth.com, a website about money written by women for women. Even when money is tight, if you can, it’s worth saving even just a few pennies a day for that special lipstick or other treat that lifts you up.

These are 10 things that to me are worth the higher cost. Call them “treats” for myself and my family, or just call them wise buys. Though I’ll buy clothes at thrift stores and use coupons wherever I can, some things are not worth buying cheap, especially when you consider their long-term usefulness and life improvement value. For example, why buy something cheap if you’re going to have to keep replacing it, if you could just spend more money up front for an item that lasts longer? [Read more…]

Confessions of a Frugal Bride: Spend Less on a Wedding

By

I just read two articles on the interesting site Easy Finance; one on wedding costs and one on future college costs for kids. They really made me think about how we could spend less on our weddings and be a frugal bride!

After looking at the average wedding price tag of $26,984 (see infographic below), and then seeing the current yearly costs of college tuition ranging from $17,131 to $38,589, I couldn’t help but wonder “Why are people spending so much on weddings when that money could put to better use, like saving for a down payment on a house, college for their future children, or retirement?”

Sure, it’s not as much fun to put money into the bank as it is to spend it on a fancy reception or wedding ring. But with the rapidly rising costs of everything nowadays, from medical expenses to home repairs to college tuition, is it really necessary to spend so much on one day of your life? Is it the cost, or the people and celebration itself that makes it memorable?

Confessions of a Frugal Bride

We had a great wedding and it cost under $4000. Though honestly, I think it was still too much (we split the cost with my parents). For me, getting married wasn’t about the wedding itself. It was about simply being married and looking forward to spending our lives together. [Read more…]

“Just Between Friends” Back to School Sale in Hopkins this weekend, Aug 16-18!

By

I just found out about this sale event from a friend this week! (Thanks, Kathy!)

Just Between Friends Sale in Hopkins, MN – August 16-18

Hopkins Pavilion
11000 Excelsior Blvd
Hopkins, MN 55343
See their Full Sale Schedule
(half-price sale begins August 17 at 7:00pm!)

Just Between Friends sales are happening all over the country including right here in the Twin Cities, and you can buy all kinds of gently used items for low prices directly from other moms and families in the area!

At a Just Between Friends sale you can expect to find everything you can possibly imagine for your kids, but primarily kids clothing, toys, baby equipment, strollers, maternity wear, shoes, costumes…and the list goes on and on! [Read more…]

Use Meetup.com to find many local groups for Moms (and Frugal Moms!)

By

This week I attended my first “Meetup” with a local mom’s group I found on meetup.com. At least a half dozen of us moms met at a park in our community while our kids played together at the playground. It was very casual and informal, and nice to meet others who live near me.

find local mom groups

I discovered meetup.com a few months ago while searching the Internet for low-cost activities for moms & their kids in the Twin Cities. Since my husband and I both work outside our own city, I wanted to meet other moms in our area while introducing my kids to other kids their ages as well.

[Read more…]