frugal tips – Page 5 – Luv Saving Money

6 Tips on How to Get a Stunning Figure Without an Expensive Gym

If your goal is to lose weight, you don’t need to spend a fortune on a gym membership or some
fancy superfoods that have to be imported from halfway across the world. What you need is a
well-balanced and rather simple diet, YouTube, and a lot of motivation. As long as you provide
your body with all essential nutrients and burn off more calories than you consume in a day, you
will be able to lose weight and tone up your body as much as you want.

6 Tips for Weight Loss That You Can Afford

1. Learn to control your portions
One of the main causes of weight gain is overeating that occurs simply because people don’t
understand portion sizes well. Specialized (and expensive) weight loss programs come with
exact portion sizes included. However, you don’t need that guide to understand how much is too
much.
This or this portion size guide will teach you exactly how much food you should be serving
yourself.

2. Use foods to enhance supplements
Did you know that natural foods are the best appetite suppressants? Avocados, eggs, and flax
seeds are only a few of the bunch. Eating these foods at the right times of the day will help you
reduce your intake of supplements.
You might still need to get some pills that will help you kickstart your weight loss program.
However, in a few weeks a well-planned diet can help you deal with cravings just as well.

3. Make YouTube your personal trainer
YouTube is definitely the best source of all things fitness.
Free videos available there show exactly how you should be performing every exercise. Many
YouTubers are also open to sharing entire classes targeting different zones in your body. All in
all, this web portal gives you all the benefits of having a personal trainer except for their
assessment of your form.

4. Ditch red meat
Cheap weight loss tips do not only include advice on cheaper alternatives to a weight loss
program’s components. They also explain how you can save money in your daily life and
enhance weight loss at the same time.
Giving up red meat is one of the best methods as this meat is full of fats, even the ‘best’ kind,
which is lean beef. This will cut your calories and boost your overall health in one go.

5. Buy in bulk

Buying in bulk is always cheaper and using the portion size guides from above will ensure
measuring the amount of the food you need won’t be a problem.
In this case, ‘buy in bulk’ means the same as ‘not buy portioned’ which pertains to all kinds of
foods. Salads are a particular concern as salad bars overcharge for them quite a bit. You should
always buy whole fruits and vegetables and make the salad yourself. Not only will this be
cheaper, but you will also get a chance to use a low-calorie healthy seasoning.

6. Exercise at every opportunity
If your work keeps you so busy you can’t find time for a daily workout, you should get creative
with your exercising methods. Any activity can be turned into a mini-workout. And the best
thing is that both an hour-long training or six sets of 10 minutes will be effective for boosting
weight loss.
Go up and down the stairs, do sit-ups and standing pushups while in the office, or take a walk
during lunch.

Amazon Prime Hacks You Probably Didn’t Know

This post originally appeared on the Dealspotr blog. Dealspotr is the most accurate coupon site that pays you to save. I’m @LuvSavingMoney on Dealspotr, use my link to join today and earn 5,000 bonus points.

Amazon Prime Hacks You Probably Didn't Know

Amazon Prime is a subscription-based membership program that offers amazing features and helps customers save a lot of money while shopping. So, if you already do a lot of shopping on Amazon, stop wasting money and become a Prime member!

For an annual fee of $99, members get awesome benefits while shopping for over 20 million items on Amazon. In general, the Prime members get free shipping and digital goods, and access to amazing deals and special promotions. But there are more perks that come with an Amazon Prime membership, and we lay them all out for you here.

1. Free Shipping

The number one reason most people become an Amazon Prime member is to get free shipping on all eligible items. Without Prime, you would have to order at least $35 of eligible items to qualify for free shipping within 4 business days. However, when you become a Prime member, you get access to over 20 million Prime-eligible items.

It’s important to know that Prime members will still have to pay a shipping fee for some items, so always make sure to check whether the item is eligible for free shipping for Prime members. You can do that by looking for a small Prime logo next to the item’s price. If you see it, there will be no shipping costs.

2. Share Your Membership

Prime Members are allowed to share most of their membership perks with household members (up to two adults). This “household member” term is just a phrase and you can actually share your account with anyone as long as you know each other’s birth dates. In addition, you’ll have to link your accounts in an Amazon Household and agree to share payment methods.

The shareable perks include free Prime shipping, exclusive offers and digital benefits, Twitch Prime, and Photos Family Vault.

3. Two-Hour Delivery

Amazon Prime focuses on products that customers need urgently. Prime members from certain cities can get two-hour delivery on some products free of charge, while customers from 14 metro areas are eligible for same-day delivery on more than a million items (on orders over $35).

These essential products include baby wipes, water filters, batteries, last-minute travel items like towels and sunscreen, and many others.

You can use this feature via their website or their Amazon Prime Now app (available for both Android and iOS).

4. Early Lightning Deals

Amazon Prime is built around exclusivity, and members get better terms and perks when accessing Amazon deals.

Therefore, you can get Prime early access to Lightning Deals – a section listing bargain prices on household and kitchen items, electronic products, tools, video games, sporting goods, and more. Lightning Deals are located on the front page of the Amazon Gold Box and are limited in quantity. You have to be quick – these deals disappear as fast as lightning.

With that being said, Amazon Prime members get 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals that enables them to shop before regular old Amazon customers.

5. Shop on the Prime Day

On July 15, 2015, Amazon launched Prime Day to celebrate its 20th birthday. This was a huge promotional event and had more deals than the Black Friday. As a result, all members enjoyed cheap prices and purchased many items.

With such a success, Amazon has decided to keep this special day. Each year they offer better and bigger deals. This event is only available for Prime members, and they can save more money than the cost of their yearly subscription. Make sure to mark your calendars for Prime Day 2017!

6. Unlimited Photo Storage

Another perk of being a Prime member is the unlimited photo storage where you can store all your photographs free of charge. You can upload your pictures through the Amazon Cloud Drive, your web browser, or the Amazon Cloud Drive Photos app (available for iOS and Android).

7. Music Streaming

CDs? No. Everyone streams music these days. And services like Apple Music and Spotify provide an unlimited library of songs for a price of $9.99 per month.

However, all Amazon Prime members will be able to access Amazon Prime Music and enjoy listening to over 2 million songs. In addition, there is even an Amazon Music app available for both Android and iOS devices.

8. Book Lending

Prime members can borrow free books from the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library for free. There are literally thousands of eBooks available to download to a compatible device that is linked to your Amazon account. In addition, Amazon Prime members can download one free Kindle book per month using Kindle First. They can choose one the following featured books to download before their official release date.

9. TV and Movie Streaming

In the past few years, Amazon made huge investments in streaming movies and TV and became one of Netflix’s biggest rivals. Amazon Prime Video contains thousands of movies and TV shows that the Prime members can access free of charge.

In addition, Amazon started producing their own original series’ that members can stream through the Amazon Video app (available for both Android and iOS), via their website, or through devices such as Fire TV Stick and Fire TV.

You should also know that Amazon offers video-only subscriptions for people who only want access to TV and movies. The video streamlining “membership” costs $8.99 per month — which turns out to be over $100 per year. Its annual price costs more than the entire Prime Membership. Therefore, simply pay $99 a year and enjoy TV and movie streaming perks, along with the other amazing Prime benefits.

10. Free Audible

Prime members also have a free access to short-form audio programming with Audible Channels and a rotating selection of more than 50 audiobooks across 9 Prime-exclusive channels.

The Audible Channel contains a refreshed selection of distinctive comedy, original programs, lectures, and audio editions of news and articles from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, McSweeney’s, Charlie Rose, Foreign Affairs, The Onion, etc.

11. Get a Free Month of Prime When Delivery is Late

Amazon is famous for its fast delivery, and they almost never miss a deadline. However, the delivery person is only human. Sometimes there can be a delay, and your item may not come on time. If that occurs, thanks to the Guaranteed Accelerated Delivery policy, you will get a one-month extension on your Prime membership free of charge. To activate this policy, you’ll have to locate your order in “Your Orders,” and report the problem.

12. College Student Perks

The Amazon Student program enables students to get a free 6-month Prime membership. You just need to sign up with your college email address (.edu) and you’ll become a Prime member free of charge. In addition, after the 6-month trial expires, you can purchase an Amazon Prime membership for 50% of the price.

13. Check Fake Reviews

If you are suspicious about a product and think that the reviews are fake (which is becoming a common thing), then make sure to check it via Fakespot . You just have to copy the Amazon link through Fakespot and it will show you a grade of authenticity and quality of the product’s reviews.

14. Use Paribus or Keepa

In the past, Amazon had a policy that enabled customers to get a partial refund when a price drops. However, with this policy out of the picture, it is even more important to start paying attention to prices when they change.

Paribus is an amazing app and a website that keeps track of the price reduction of many online retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, BestBuy, Sephora, Target, and others. Simply put, it scans your email for receipts and tracks the item’s prices. If Paribus discovers that the price went down, it will alert the retailers on your behalf and ask for a refund. And in return, they take a 25% commission off of your refund – which is a fair deal.

Keepa is a modern Amazon Price tracker that has been optimized for Chrome and Firefox. It is efficient, elegant, and easy to use.

15. Subscribe to Washington Post

All Amazon Prime members receive a free six-month digital subscription to the Washington Post and a 60% discount after that. The digital access costs $10 per month, so after free six months, you’ll only pay $4 per month.

16. Save 20% on Diapers

If you are a Prime member you can sign up for Amazon Family to receive a 20% off diaper subscription. This can help parents save a lot of money while purchasing only the best diapers for their loved ones.

Takeaway Notes

If you are a regular Amazon customer, then getting a Prime Membership is a no-brainer. You’ll be eligible for free shipping on most items, enjoy photo storage, music, video, and audio streaming, and many other amazing perks mentioned in this article. And when you become a member, make sure to pay attention to the early Lightning Deals and the Prime Day when you’ll be able to save the most money.

This Is How We Do Football Game Parties Frugal Style

My family is a big football family. So the “Big Game” is a a big event in our family. Every year we have a Big Game party no matter what teams are playing. So the Patriots vs Falcon game was no different. Each year our parties consist of family, significant others, and a few friends. No less than about 18 and have been upwards of 25 people. This year, if my count was right, we had 22 people at our house for the Big Game. So how do we throw big game parties that makes them ask “Can we have it at your house again this year?” and not break that bank doing it? I’m here to share some tips.

Facebook Events

LOVE using Facebook events pages to invite people, keep people up to date, and keep track of info. No having to buy paper invites for an informal party. Facebook sends them event reminders when the event gets closer and people are more apt to RSVP I’ve found. AND…it’s free

Cover Dish

Don’t spend loads of money and stress out for two days over a big party. Tell everyone it’s cover dish and ask them what they’d like to bring. If people aren’t sure what to bring you can either appoint them items or give them a choice of a couple things to bring. I know my dad doesn’t cook much but usually has a steady supply of drink boxes and soda on hand so I usually appoint him that. Some have signature dishes like my cousin’s vegetable pizza or my aunt’s cheeseball. You can even tell people to bring chips and pretzels if you know they’re probably too busy to make anything or don’t want to put a more expensive item on their plate. If you take the Facebook Events tip and use it, you can create a “cover dish” thread so people can see what others are bringing and have an idea of what’s needed instead of getting phone calls asking what they should bring or ending up with 3 people bringing buffalo chicken dip.

We chose to supply the beer, buffalo chicken dip, and cupcakes.

Party Supplies and decorations

Sure you don’t have to have decorations but things like plates, napkins, utensils, and cups might be a necessity. I’m a couponer so coupon for some stuff. BUT I like to give those little extra touches that make the day seem a little more special. You can see in the picture in the cover dish section. I found super cute football plates, napkins, and cups at Oriental Trading.

I also got some paper football straws at Oriental Trading. The kids loved them. I think all the kids had them in their drinks.

The thing that got the most comments was the super cute football stadium cupcake stand I got from Oriental Trading. It was only $9.49, sturdy enough to hold 2 dozen cupcakes, and I’ll be able to use it again. I’ve made cupcakes for events before but they never went as fast at these did. I really think it had something to do with the presentation!

I also got the matching football cupcake wrappers and chocolate footballs from Oriental Trading! I got a big roll of disposable table cloth that looked like a football field too. It covered 2 – 6 ft tables plus the little 3 x 3 table we had and I still have plenty left for another football themed party or too. It made clean up so much easier too!

So to recap, I got: football field table cloth roll, football field cupcake stand, a big bag of chocolate footballs, football cupcake wrappers, 2 packs of football straws, a pack of 24 football cups, 2 packs of football napkins and 3 packs of football plates for $60! They have team specific supplies as well if your having a party when your favorite team is playing.

With the cost of the food/drinks we supplied and the party supplies from Oriental Trading we were able to host a great Super Bowl party for 22 people for about $125. That breaks down to only about $5.69 per person for what came out of our pockets!

I received the above mentioned products at no cost in order to complete an honest review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Fill Your Make Up Bag Without Emptying Your Wallet

Are you make up obsessed like me? Or maybe you just want to get some new lipstick and mascara. Make up can be expensive if you don’t know where to look. Here’s some ideas to help you save money while filling your make up bag.

make-up-bag-header-image

Drugstore Make Up Brands

When looking for drugstore make up brands don’t pay full price. Rite Aid, for example, often does buy one get one half off and buy one get one free deals. They also periodically do big discounts on Wet n’ Wild products. Add in coupons and your Wellness+ Plus Plenti Card and you can score make up dirt cheap. When coupons are available, you can get Wet n’ Wild very cheap.

Giant Eagle double coupons. When you see the 50 cents off Wet n’ Wild coupons in the paper clip them! It’s worth $1 off at Giant Eagle. You can get lipsticks, eye liners, lip liners, and single shadows for free with coupon and advantage card!

High-End Cosmetics

If you must have the higher end make up but, you simply will not pay for it there are ways around that too. Glambot , for example, allows you to buy never used or partially used make up. Your teen can even sell make up to earn money for more make up. You’ll find brands on Glambot like: MAC, Bobbi Brown, Too Faced, and more. It’s worth it to sign up for their emails. They often have sales and coupon codes. Plus a $5 coupon here.

Urban Decay is a popular brand. They offer more discounts than people realize. Sign up for their emails to know about free shipping days, special deals, Family & Friends sales, etc. Check out the sale section for deep discounts on make up. Also sign up for the Urban Decay Beauty Junkies program. It’s free. You get free shipping on all orders and earn rewards that they call “UD kick backs”. The more points you accumulate the more deals you get.

Daily Deal Sites

Daily Deal sites like Hautelook and Zulily often have name brand and high-end make up featured on the site. Brands like Becca, Estee Lauder, NYX, and more. If you’re new to these sites they often offer a credit to your account that could be used towards your purchase as well. Check the beauty tab on each daily deal site.

Beauty Subscription boxes

Another option to consider is beauty subscription boxes. There are a number of them out there depending on your budget. Ipsy is one that is only $10/mo. You get a mix of full size and deluxe size samples each month along with a make up bag. Birchbox is another that is $10/mo however, they rarely have full size products. There are more expensive options like, Wantables, which will put you back $36 per month but, offers all full size premium samples. Walmart and Target also offer their own beauty boxes but they sell out quickly. They do not strictly contain make up. They will also include things like deodorant, shampoo, and other toiletries.

Beauty Store and Counters

Sephora and Ulta are big names in beauty stores. Ulta often offers coupons via email and printable on the website. Sephora has their own beauty rewards program as well. Brands like Clinique, Lancome, and Estee Lauder, to name a few, periodically have bonus buys to get more bang for your buck. They’ll offer free products, deluxe samples, etc when spending a specific dollar amount or buying particular products.

5 Things To Do With Broken Crayons

There’s nothing like a fresh box of crayons. But what happens when the kids bring broken crayon stubs home or you accumulate a box of crayon bits that no one wants to use? You could throw them away but, why not reuse them? Here are 5 things to do with broken crayons.

Make Chunky Crayons

There’s several ways to do this. Probably the easiest way is to take a muffin tin, peel any remaining paper off the crayons, break the crayons into small pieces, and place them in the muffin tins. The smaller the pieces the quicker they’ll melt. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes. May need to put in longer if you have bigger pieces. Once melted, allow to cool slightly then place pan in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. Chunky crayons pop right out.

Some other options: use candy molds, soap molds, or other molds that are heat-resistant.

Melted crayon art

Peel any remaining paper off crayons. Put them in a sealable sandwich bag. I let my kids smack them on the table with wooden spoons to make the crayons into tiny crumbs (pieces need to be very small to melt correctly). Pour onto a paper plate. Place paper plate on baking sheet and put in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 min. Give the kids a Q-tip and let them make designs with the melted crayons on the paper plate.

melted-crayon-art-collage

Melted Crayon Dot Art

Use supervision with this craft. Use 3 oz cups and put a different color in each cup. Place 3 oz cups on a baking sheet and melt the broken crayons for 10 minutes at 200 degrees. Use a Q-tip as a paint brush. Use a different Q-tip for each color. Dip Q-tip into melted crayon and make dots on paper to create a design. If the the melted crayons starts to harden, simply reheat.

Crayon Candles

multicolor-crayon-candle

You’ll need an empty votive jar, a votive wick, about 5 – 3 oz bathroom cups, and broken crayons with paper removed. Place votive wick in jar. Fill each 3 oz cup with a different color of broken crayon IE: one filled with orange broken crayons, one filled with yellow broken crayons, etc. Place one 3 oz cup on a baking sheet and melt in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. The smaller the pieces the faster they will melt. Once melted, pour that color into the votive jar containing the wick. Allow to dry Repeat with each color. If you don’t have empty votive jars you can use other heat-resistant glass jars such as mason jars, baby food jars, etc.

5. Crayola Crayon Maker

Ok so this one is not homemade but Crayola actually make something called the “Crayola Melt and Mold Factory” . They even have kits to make crayons shaped like crayon jewelry and other options. Though you would have to buy it, it could come in handy for the future to reuse old broken crayons to make new crayons in actual crayon shapes.

Helpful Hints:

There are several ways to get the crayons into small enough pieces to melt fast. You can use a cheese grater or mandolin slicer (adults only), Or put the crayons in a sealable bag and let the kids smack them with spoons until the crayons are pulverized.