The Mary Kay company was started by Mary Kay Ash 50 years ago using her life savings. It is family owned and operated, and is based on the principles of faith first, family second, career third.
Cosmetics and facial care are one area that I tend to neglect when money is tight, so I was excited to learn that Mary Kay has an entire section of their site called Beauty on a Budget! If money is tight learn the basic beauty items you shouldn’t do with out, or check out the 90 different products they have all under $10.
Shop for Charity
Mary Kay Consultant Brittany, is partnering with us on this one and offering a 20% discount to Southern Savers readers during this giveaway only. Plus every order $20 or more gets FREE shipping! All proceeds from this party with benefit Hannah House Women’s shelter.
Looking for a new look for summer or products that will protect you from the sun? Check out the great Summer SPF products such a tinted lip balm spf 15, day solution spf 25, and the tinted moisturizer spf 20.
Visit her Mary Kay website to claim your 20% discount enter the coupon code SOUTHERN SAVERS. Note: The discount will be applied at the time your card is charged, so if you don’t see the discount as you checkout don’t panic Brittany will get it all set us!
The Giveaway – over now
Brittany is giving away (2) Customized Mini Compacts filled with your choice of the following:
- (1) Cheek color
- (3) Eye Shadows
- Brushes
You have 2 chances to win (feel free to do as many as you like)
1. Tell me what product you want to try the most from Mary Kay.
2. Follow Southern Savers on Facebook, Feed Reader, or Daily Email and leave a comment below that you are.
Interested in starting your own home based business? As a beauty consultant, Mary Kay consultants earn 50% commission on all products sold and team building commission from their corporate office. Learn more about how to become a Mary Kay consultant here.
Tastefully Simple offers a wide selection of convenient, easy-to-prepare foods designed to help people spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the rest of their lives (which is just what every busy parent needs). Their products are available through independent Tastefully Simple consultants primarily at home taste-testing parties nationwide.
Their products are so awesome because they can either be enjoyed right out of the package or prepared in a snap! They sell everything from beverages and breads to fun gifts!
If you have never tried their seasonings and mixes you are missing out! We have a number of their classics: Onion Onion, Garlic Garlic, Beer Bread Mixes and more. Most of their appetizer and bread mixes require adding one or two ingredients and you’re ready to go. The thing I love the most though, is that every item they sell can be used in tons of different ways. They even have recipes and ideas online. You select the product you have and the meal type you are trying to make (i.e. sides, entree, dessert) and it will give you a long list of ideas.
Shop for Charity
Sarah, a Tastefully Simple consultant, has set up a party online for us. Order anything you like off her site and enter host Southern Savers at checkout. All host proceeds will go to Hannah House Woman’s Shelter in Columbia SC. So have fun shopping and help to pamper these special ladies!
If you are browsing their catalog for the first time, I would highly recommend looking at their spices! Also don’t miss their sale section, they have a number of things 50% off or more.
The Giveaway – over now
Tastefully Simple is giving away $20 gift cards to (5) Southern Savers readers!
You have 2 chances to win (feel free to do as many as you like)
1. Tell me what product from Tastefully Simple excites you the most.
2. Follow Southern Savers on Facebook, Feed Reader, or Daily Email and leave a comment below that you are.
Stay up-to-date with Tastefully Simple’s deals and specials by following Sarah’s Tastefully Simple Facebook page!
Kids are so excited when school lets out for the summer, but it only takes a little while before the boredom sets in. Here are some great things to do with your kids this summer to keep them and your budget happy this summer, because your budget may be limited, but fun doesn’t have to be!
Movies
Regal Summer Movie Express $1 Movies
Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse, 10 Movie Tickets for $5
Bowling
Kids Bowl Free – 2 Free Games of Bowling Per Day
Free Brunswick Bowling – Free Game Every Day
Museums
National Air and Space Museum (Washington, DC)
Jacksonville Maritime Museum (Jacksonville, FL)
Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame (Aiken, SC)
Columbia Museum of Art (Columbia, SC) – free admission on Sundays
McKissick Museum at University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC – free admission always
Greenville County Museum of Art – (Greenville, SC) – free admission always
Mint Museum – free admission Tuesday 5-9 pm (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Greenville Museum of Art (Greenville, NC) free admission always
Knoxville Museum of Art (Knoxville, TN) – free admission always
Tennessee State Museum (Nashville, TN) – free admission always
Imagine It! (Atlanta, GA) – free admission on the second Tuesday of each month
Center for Puppetry Arts Museum (Atlanta, GA) – free admission on Thursday afternoons
Workshops
Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic, Saturday Mornings
Home Depot Kids Workshop, First Saturday of every month
Apple Workshops or Summer Camp
Michaels Craft Workshops – The Knack
AC Moore Craft Classes for Kids – Wednesday from 3-5 pm
National Parks
Blue Ridge Parkway
Shenandoah (Virginia)
Kings Mountain (South Carolina)
Cape Hatteras (North Carolina)
Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Tennessee)
Chattahoochee River (Georgia)
Little River Canyon (Alabama)
Natchez Trace Parkway (Mississippi)
New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park (Louisiana)
Hot Springs (Arkansas)
Padre Island National Sea Shore (Texas)
Other Things
Volunteer at a local Organization
Go Geocaching
B1G1 Minor League Baseball Tickets w/ Kraft Singles Wrapper – Tuesday Nights
Georgia Residents – Free Family Pass to Zoo Atlanta from Library
Now that season one of Extreme Couponing is over, I thought we would take a week and actually teach you the “real” way to coupon! Most (if not all) of this has been covered over the years on Southern Savers, but it never hurts to have a refresher.
Can you do what you saw on TV?
Yes. But do you really want to? Sadly, watching an episode of Extreme Couponing won’t teach you much on how to save on your entire grocery and household budget. You will be a pro at buying Powerade, Rolaids and floss though! If you’re goal is to go into a store and get $1000 in groceries for $8, that’s pretty much all your gonna be able to get. Your family however is not gonna be happy if this is dinner.
Remember that what you watched were planned and calculated trips where the goal was to spend nothing. In reality we should aim to save 50-70% off ALL of our purchases each month. It is very easy to do, just make sure that you are starting first with a realistic approach.
Check out this recent trip for me. We got a ton of produce, meat and even paper goods. This is an awesome trip! It would never be “TLC worthy” because I spent money, but we got a ton of stuff that we needed and still saved 60% or $93!
How do we get started??
As I talk to groups and just different people around town I keep getting the same few comments. “I see what you save every week but I just can’t figure out how you do it” or “Can you just come shopping with me once?”
Here is my secret: If it is not listed on Southern Savers for that week, I don’t buy it! It’s a pretty simple secret. To be able to shop this way I had to build a stockpile. When something is listed on Southern Savers as a great price I don’t just walk in and buy 1, I go in and buy enough of that item to last me until the next time I am going to find it on sale again. Generally that is about 6-8 weeks. Remember everything listed on Southern Savers is a rock bottom price for that store, so if it’s on the list go ahead and grab it if you need it.
The concept of making a grocery list of things that you are out of, is the way that grocery stores want you to shop. Publix even has nice little shopping list pads they will send home with you. If you are out of an item then you are going to put that item into your cart no matter the price. If I ran out of peanut butter for example, I would go out immediately and buy it no matter the price or else lunch as we know it would stop in our house.
If you are just starting out then continue to make a list of what you need, but along with your list add in the items that are on sale this week. I don’t care if you just bought it at regular retail price last week, odds are you didn’t buy enough for six weeks, buy it now on sale and stock up so that you don’t have to get it again in a couple of weeks. Slowly you will find that your stockpile is growing and your “needed shopping list” is shrinking. It will take the full 6-8 week sale cycle before you will have everything you use on a regular basis stocked but once you reach that point it is a wonderful day. Now you are no longer at the mercy of the regular retail price and you can name your own price for everything you use.
One disclaimer – only stock up on items that you use. Even though I make the lists for you, I only end up grabbing maybe 12-15 different items on a normal trip. If you buy everything just because it is 25¢ you will save nothing in the end. One exception, if the store is going to pay you for an item (overage) then grab it and think of charities that can use it. The local shelters here are in need of everything from coffee to toothbrushes. Read More→
Even though school is out, reading shouldn’t be! Summer reading is vital for improving your child’s literacy skills to prepare them for the upcoming school year.
There are a ton of great programs to keep your child’s brain active this summer. These programs encourage your child to read by providing fun incentives.
Read 8 books and record them in the printable journal and get a free book when you turn in the list to a participating Barnes & Noble store.
Log in the minutes your child reads online. When you child reaches their weekly reading goal they win digital prizes.
Border’s Double Dog Dare Challenge
When your child reads 10 books they get 1 free. Just list the books on the entry form and then use the coupon for a free book.
H-E-B Grocery stores mail kids a package of cool prizes after they read 10 books. Just fill out the form and mail it in. The package arrives in 3-4 weeks.
Half Price Books Feed Your Brain
Read for 600 minutes in June and July to get a $5 gift card to Half Price Books. Complete the form and take it to your local Half Price Books.
TD Bank will deposit $10 into a new or existing TD Young Saver bank account when they read 10 books. Just fill out the form and take it to your local TD Bank. If you are creating a new account you will need a picture ID for your child.
Chuck E Cheese Reading Rewards
Earn 10 free tokens when you child reads for 2 weeks straight. Food purchase is required. Just take this form to your local Chuck E Cheese.
Complete a reading list and get a free book. Just fill out the form and take it to a local store.
Don’t forget to also check out your local library for their summer reading program!
Do you know of any other programs?
Need something to do this week? Tomorrow, June 21st, is a National Park Free Entrance Day in honor of of the first day of summer.
This means you can get in free to most parks that normally have entrance fees. Make sure to call your park before heading out, and then enjoy your free day!
After Tuesday, there are two more free entrance days this year:
September 24th – Public Lands Day
November 11-13th – Veterans Day Weekend
If you’ve hung around Southern Savers for any amount of time, you’ve heard of Thirty-One and I’m sure a lot of you use some of their great stuff!
Thirty-One is a direct selling company that sells cute totes, bags and accessories. Their product line ranges from products for women, to teens, to kids. You could buy a bag for yourself and get your daughter her own bag so she can be “Miss independent.” You can even get your favorite Thirty-One purchases personalized! Their mission is to celebrate, encourage and reward women through offering quality products and an outstanding opportunity to become successful business owners.
You’ll find that these products are great to use for this summer at the beach, the pool, or just to tote things from one place to another in a fun, colorful print!
Shop for Charity
Heidi is also hosting a party for Southern Savers Readers until 6/28! Just go here and click “shop now” at the bottom and shop away! She is donating all proceeds to Hannah House women’s shelter in the form of Thirty-One products. So, go ahead and shop under “Southern Savers Bash” and help brighten the day for these ladies!
This June, they have a great special going on! With any order of $31 you get a large utility tote for only $9 (this is a 70% savings!), and there is a special Pink Circle Spirals print in the large utility tote just for June!
The Giveaway – over now
Thirty-One Consultant, Heidi, is giving away 5 awesome gifts from her Thirty-One website to (1) lucky Southern Savers Reader!
Tote-Ally Awesome Beach Bag (Circle Spirals)
Picnic Thermal Tote (Circle Spirals)
All In One Organizer (Circle Spirals)
Mini Zipper Pouch (Circle Spirals)
Large Rosette (Pink)
You have 3 chances to win (feel free to do as many as you like)
1. Tell me which one of the above Thirty-One products is your favorite.
2. Share the giveaway on Facebook
3. Follow Southern Savers on Facebook, Feed Reader, or Daily Email and leave a comment below that you are.
You can stay on top of future sale and deals from Thirty One by following Heidi’s deals on her Facebook Page.
Update: These are all gone now.
Target is offering a free sample of Jif-to-Go right now. Target samples go quickly, so start your Monday off by heading over and getting yours while you still can!
Starting Sunday June 19th there is a fun Challenge starting to encourage us all to be better at couponing and saving money. Every year All You Magazine runs the Grocery Challenge, and it is time yet again for this years competition.
Before you think that we are running down aisles playing some version of the supermarket sweep, let me tell the goal of this challenge to see how creative and healthy you can get to feed your family on a limited budget.
The Challenge:
Live for one month on a budget of $25 per person in your family per week. So, for example you have a family of 5 then try to live on $125 a week for groceries. Personally this is incredibly easy for us, our weekly budget is only $50 a week (or $10 per person), but for some of you this is a great chance to really start to focus on the big picture.
If you win, you get a $1000 Grocery gift card and get featured in an issue of All You. Last year one Southern Savers user came in the top 10, I firmly believe we can see at least one more top 10 placement this year!!
A big tip:
Use this as a chance to really look at what you are buying. If you are saving a ton and finding that now you are able to buy more but you are saving more, then now is your chance to focus on buying the deals that your family needs and not just every deal that is great price. The first things to go in our purchases when money is tight: juices, sodas, non-healthy snacks, and special seasonings.
If you want to try for it, go ahead and get registered so you are ready for Sunday!
