shopping

Collecting Vintage Vases & Candy Dishes

I’m starting to collect vintage flower vases and candy dishes to use for a Vintage inspired themed wedding next Fall. Think 1950’s soda fountain meets candy counter!

Now to find a place to store them between now and then. I’ll be making some other DIY things for the wedding too. Check back for an update on what those may be. If you, too, are inspired by lovely vintage pieces, be it a piece of jewelry, a vase or a china pattern, I think you’ll like what I’m working on!

Use vintage candy jars that you can find at thrift stores or garage sales for a Candy Bar at a wedding or your next vintage themed event.

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Extreme Couponing!?! Not so extreme with these strategies!

Coupons…are they your friend or do you despise using them?

I personally love to save money, so I shop with coupons all the time. Until now, I haven’t been strategic about my shopping though.
That is about to change!

When I shop for groceries, personal items and household items at any of my local stores, I always pay attention to the percentage and dollars saved by using brand coupons, in store coupons and store savings cards. I get really excited when the percentage of saving is more than 20%. I am super excited to see this percentage go up to 50%, 60% or even 75% off with the strategies I’m sharing below and will share in future blog posts.

The trick and key to using coupons to save the maximum amount of money when shopping for every day items and groceries…is actually pretty simple.

Most Sunday papers come with coupon inserts. There are 3 types of inserts;

R…or the Red Plum insert
SS…or the SmartSource insert
P & G…or Proctor & Gamble.

All of the coupons in these inserts can add up to hundreds of dollars in savings each month. What would you do with an extra $300 a month? Think about that for a minute… Start saving the inserts I mentioned above (with a sticky note, write the date of the Sunday paper they were in, i.e… 8/24 and file them away for the time being) and waiting until the products you normally buy go on sale, you will save the most money.

Another key to maximize your savings is to have multiple coupons and then when you shop, purchase as many products as you have coupons for. For example…if you have 5 coupons for $2.50 off of Kellog’s brand cereal, use all 5 coupons and buy 5 boxes of Kellog’s brand cereal. Basically, you stock up and always have a supply of the products (non-perishable, of course) you use most or love on hand. When you run low, you take from your own supply, then when they go on sale again AND you have a coupon, you shop for them and re-stock your stash. This means, you may shop for random things at different times, depending on what is on sale and what you have on hand for coupons. But by doing this, you will save the most and always have pasta, sauce, cereal, toothpaste, deodorant, etc…on hand when you need it.

I will share more about this exciting money saving topic in coming blogs, so check back often. I have also signed up to be an Extreme Coupon Instructor in the Denver area. The class will be FREE to attend. I’m excited to teach you more about using coupons to maximize your savings and keep your hard earned cash for other things that will bring you joy and happiness!

Summer…where has it gone?!

Wow! Summer has flown by this year. At Little Miss Idea, we’ve been busy helping our clients get organized, plan their summer parties and get caught up on all kinds of administrative & daily tasks. Summer is my favorite time of the year, with so much to do…festivals, weddings, bridal showers, parties, BBQ’s and more! My next favorite time of the year is Fall. I love the change in seasons and welcome the cooler temp’s. If Summer got away from you and you could use some help this fall, please keep Little Miss Idea in mind for any of your needs. We’d love to help you get organized, shop for your upcoming dinner party, get your holiday card/gift list started or updated well before the rush…whatever you may need help with, just ask! On a personal note, I will be embarking on a cross country road trip with one of my best girlfriends in September. I’m really looking forward to our one on one girl time and seeing what we can discover along the way. I love road trips. They remind of youth and feeling free. If you haven’t taken a road trip in some time, I highly recommend it. It’s good for your soul to get out on the open road. Even if it’s only a few hours away…it will do wonders for your spirit. Enjoy the rest of your Summer, with or without a road trip. If you do take one, I hope it leads you on an unexpected adventure!

Earth Day = FREE Stuff

#47 – Free stuff for you and the Earth on Earth Day – this Sunday, April 22nd

Celebrate Earth Day with free coffee and more!

You can get a free hot or iced coffee from Starbucks (select locations only) or Caribou Coffee this Sunday, April 22nd. Just bring in a reusable mug. Also, the Starbucks Foundation is giving $…4 million in funding to nonprofit organizations, and you get to help decide where it goes. There’s still time to opt in through the Vote.Give.Grow. program. When you do, your registered Starbucks Card becomes your Community Card, and you get to vote each week through the end of April on where you’d like the money to go. I love that you can choose where your money will go!

Below are some more freebies to celebrate Earth Day but to use all year long!

1. Free Reusable Bag From Target

Visit your local Target store on Earth Day, April 22, and get a free reusable bag at guest services.
This Earth Day freebie is only available while supplies last.

2. Free Orgins Cleanser

Fill out the form and bring it into a local Origins store along with any current skincare product (full or empty) and they’ll give you your choice of two different Origins cleansers.
This is only valid on Earth Day, April 22nd and are only available while supplies last.

3. Free Reusable Bag From the Disney StoreBring in 5 plastic shopping bags into your local Disney Store on April 22nd and you’ll get a free Earth Day reusable bag.

4. Free Packet of Sunflower Seed From Pottery Barn Kids

Stop into a nearby Pottery Barn Kids store on Saturday and Sunday (April 21-22) and pick up a free packet of sunflower seeds from PBK and National Geographic. There are many free events for kids at Pottery Barn Kids all during the year.

5. Free Tote Bag From Jo-Anns

Stop by your local Jo-Ann fabric and craft store and if you are one of the first 50 customers on Sunday, April 22nd, you’ll get a free tote bag. No purchase is necessary and are only available while supplies last.

6. Free Entrance Into National Parks All Week – Love this one…get outside!

This Earth Day freebie will really help you celebrate the Earth! Go out to almost 400 national parks this week (April 21-29) and you don’t have to pay an entrance fee. Check with each national park as well because there are many free events happening this week.

7. Free Verde Energy Audit App for iPad until Earth Day

The application walks you through the process of listing your personal electrical usage,
and together with your local KWh cost found on your electricity bill, Verde will calculate your total energy consumption and make suggestions on how you can make changes to save money and energy!

8. Register at Recycle Bank to earn points and get rewards

Take everyday green actions to earn points, which add up to discounts, coupon savings, gift cards, or prizes. Love savings, gift card and prizes!

9. Receive up to $50 in printable coupons for Earthbound Farms

Enjoy all the great FREE stuff that is earth friendly on Earth Day and be part of making the world we live in a better place for generations to come!

Beauty Bargain…today only in PA

#53 100% Natural Beauty products for a bargain…love it!

If you are in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, then you’ll want to check this deal out. Living Social is offering $50 worth of 100% natural beauty products for only $25. We all know that “natural” or 100% pure is normally very expensive. So if you love using natural products, this is the deal you won’t want to miss. You can get a last minute gift for someone on your list and also one for you…without any guilt and feel great about being good to your skin. Check it out!

Merchandise Shelf Stocker

#58 – Re-stocking merchandise during the holiday season

If you are a night owl and feel more productive after most stores close, being a merchandise restocker at your local Walmart, K-mart, toy store, or even your local grocery store might be something to look into. During the holidays they sometimes have a night crew to re-stock the shelves from the busy shopping days. You would probably get a discount at any of these stores while you are working there too. I was a “merchandiser” at KB Toys back in the day to make extra money at night after my day job. I enjoyed seeing all of the toys and filling the shelves so that “Santa” could buy things that were on the kids’ lists and make sure they were under Christmas trees for all the “nice” boys and girls that year!

Holiday Ideas to Make Money Now through January

#61 – People are busy…

And…the holidays just make normally busy people even busier, adding stress and angst during a time that should be filled with love, fun and good times. Why not start an “Errand Running” business that offers different types of services from picking up dry cleaning, prescription drop off and pick up, grocery shopping, gift buying, gift wrapping and delivery…if you think about the types of errands you normally run, I’m sure you will be able to come up with a great business plan that would be a huge help to these already busy folks.

An errand service is something to think about…ask your friends and family who are busy, if a service like this would benefit them and save them time, then ask them how much would they pay to get some time back in their week. After all…time is money. If you could save someone several hours in the week so that they could spend more time doing something they enjoy, I’m sure you could make some money doing this as a business. Of course…make sure you do your research, check online to see what other services like this charge and compare the type of “errands” offered and if there is normally a charge for miles, a per errand charge or if they charge by the hour, etc… depending on where you live, you may want to limit the area that you service. Gas prices are expensive and you’ll make more money if you don’t have to put lots of miles on your car to do this. If you can run errands for more than one client in the same trip, you will also maximize your time and efficiency. Maybe try to organize errands for clients who live in the same are for the same day? This is a great time of year to offer this type of service and it’s also a great way to make some money, doing something that you already do for yourself!

Denver…H & M Grand Opening Party next Wednesday, 11/9/11…VIP Style!

#63 – Party…VIP Style for FREE

If you live in the Denver metro area, you won’t want to miss the H & M Grand Opening party which is being held, Wednesday, 11/9/11, the night before H & M, Denver opens to the masses. To get on the “list”, make sure you register, as your name must be on the list or you will be turned away. Space is limited, so if they fill up, check back for cancellations. You can only register one person on the link, so if you’d like your “crew”, your mom, your boyfriend or husband to come with you…make sure they register too. The invite is non-transferable and you must have an ID that shows the name you register with and be 21 or older (that must mean cocktails are being served!) to be admitted. The party is FREE and is being promoted by 303 Magazine. H & M is also offering a 25% off discount to everyone who attends on top of their already fantastically low prices, so you definitely want to get on the “list” for this one.

What a great way to get out for a fun evening and do a little shopping…maybe even get a headstart on your holiday shopping. Hey here’s an idea…if you are looking for a part-time holiday job and live in Denver, go check the store out next Wednesday to see if you might like to work there. Then go back on a day when it’s not so busy, and see if they need some help…you might be pleasantly surprised if they do need your help. Little Miss Idea will be there with some friends enjoying the evening and shopping the deals for sure!

Cash for the Holidays…tis the season!

# 66 – Be a Personal Shopper

How many times have you heard, “I have no idea what I’m going to get so-and-so for…” depending on the holiday in question?! You could offer to be a personal shopper for friends, colleagues and even strangers. You will need figure out your fee structure for shopping and then if you need to ship items, you’ll also need to come up with shipping and handling fees. If you decide to deliver in our local area, make sure you account for mileage and how much gas costs and charge accordingly for a local delivery.

I’m not sure what the going rate is for a personal shopper and this could vary greatly depending on what part of the world you live. So do your research and get a good idea what other personal shoppers are charging in your area and in other areas that may be comparable. You could get this started by word of mouth but you may want to think about setting up a simple Word-press site and then set up a Pay-pal account so that you can take payments online from your customers. I would recommend that you collect payment before you actually purchase anything. I think it would be a good idea to come up with a questionnaire that cusotmers fill out and send to you on your contact form (on your site). .This will help you know the type of person you’ll be shopping for,what their budget is and if there are any items that are totally off limits. Follow-up is key for any kind of service business, so make sure you check in with your customers after you deliver the gift or gifts to make sure they meet their expectations and they are satisfied. This will help you get repeat business too.

If you are notoriously a great bargain shopper and frequently find great deals on fantastic gifts that your friends and family always love, this might be right up your alley. I believe people who are busy and time is not on their side, would welcome this service as helpful and cost effective. Time is money to many people. If you love shopping, always find great deals and think you could fit this service into your life why not try it? Wouldn’t it be great to actually “make” money while you’re shopping with someone else’s money?!