13 Thrift Store Shopping Tips
Looking for some thrift store shopping tips? Save time and money with these 13 helpful hints!
Homemade Firestarters | Dryer Lint & Candle Wax!
I’m re-posting this tutorial I wrote previously on how to make homemade firestarters because camping season is HERE again!
This weekend I took my 4 boys out for our first ever family camping trip. It was all I could’ve hoped for – they were thrilled to cook hotdogs over the campfire on sticks, make S’mores, tell silly ghost stories, and listen to mom play old John Denver songs on the guitar. We swam in the lake until we were exhausted, and finally cuddled up in our tiny 4 person tent together while I lay awake hoping no critters would come looking for leftovers.
It was wonderful – memories they’ll have forever – just like I do from when I went camping as a kid with my parents. There was one thing, though, that I wished I had remembered to bring along – something to make the all-important campfire even easier to get going: My HomeMade Camp Fire Starters.
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As some of you know, I was a girl scout for many years. But this particular trick I learned from my brother (an Eagle Scout) during his boy scout days. It’s a little recipe for homemade fire starters, useful for taking camping with you, or just for a little backyard bonfire when tinder and lighter fluid aren’t at hand.
Step 1: You’ll need a cardboard egg carton and some of your old candles.
Step 2: Break up the candles into smaller pieces and melt over low in your oldest, yuckiest skillet or pot.
Step 3: Get the dryer lint out of the lint trap, or if you’re like me, get the whole bag of dryer lint you’ve been saving for this specific purpose. 
It’s very flammable, and smells nice to boot.
Step 4: Pack the dryer lint very tightly into each egg receptacle.
Step 5: Spoon the wax carefully over top the dryer lint, about 3 spoons per wad.
Step 6: Let cool completely, if I’m in a hurry I stick mine in the freezer for a bit, and then cut out your fire-starters.
Just toss one or two of these under your pile of firewood and light the cardboard. It will stay burning long enough to get the wood to catch fire really well.
You can also make a “bunson burner” for heating up food/canned goods by cutting a 1″ wide strip of cardboard in a long length. Roll it into an old tuna can until it’s made a tightly packed spiral. Drip wax over the cardboard and you’re done!
Happy Camping!
AMC Movie Tickets Deal: B1G1 Free Tickets (2/11 – 2/12 Only!)
AMC Movie Tickets Deals!
AMC is currently revving up for the Oscars by offering special deals on the following Oscar-Nominated films! You can get BOGO Tickets today and tomorrow only for the movie “Beasts of the Southern Wild” – this movie looks beautiful and poignant – have any of you seen it??
Redbox Codes Master List: 18 Free Rental Codes (Keep this list handy!)
18 Redbox Codes to get a Free Movie/Game Rental
We’ve listed the Redbox freebie codes before here on Time2$ave – but darned if those posts aren’t a little hard to find after awhile To help you go out this weekend and rent a movie – here it is again! I’ve dusted it off and prettied it up – now bookmark this already – so you’ll have it when you need it! (Sometimes I get bossy like that – it comes with the mom job 
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FREE Museum Day Today!
Today only, Smithsonian Affiliated Museums all over the country are offering FREE Admission! Just GO HERE and search for one near you – then print out the coupon you’ll need (otherwise you’ll have to pay full price).
The nearest one to me is the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge – which is actually supposed to be really cool and educational. Let us know if you have ever been – what do you think of it?
Halloween Costumes on a Budget (Homemade Costume Ideas, Cheap Deals and more)
These Homemade Star Wars costumes weren’t easy – but my kids loved them and they cost about $1 each to make!
As Halloween draws near – it’s time to start thinking about costumes. I have 4 boys who always want to be a popular superhero or cartoon character – never something easy like…. a mummy. (Hello? Stockpile of Toilet Paper all ready to go!)
But store bought outfits can be over-the-top expensive, starting around $20 and some going upwards of $50-$100… If you want to stay within your budget while still coming up with something your kids will love – it’s going to tkae lots of creativity and a little research. Here are some of my favorite ways to do Halloween Costumes on the cheap:
Buy Used:
Check local consignment sales, Yard Sales, Craigs List, Ebay and more to find gently used costumes for sale. In fact – I would definitely try Thred-Up, an online consignment store that is giving new users a $10 Credit right now!
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Buy AFTER Halloween:
I know – this may not solve your problem this year, but take your kids to the store with you after Halloween, when costumes are up to 75% OFF, and let them pick out what they’d like for next year. It’s true – they may change their minds by next year – but at that point you can present them with the following choices a) Last years store-bought costume or b) a Toilet Paper Mummy.
There are actually deals going on all year on costumes and dress-up clothes, if you know where to look. Luckily – we do! And we’ll do all the looking for you – just sign up to get your Free Newsletter HERE.
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Shop Online Specials:
Check Amazon, Daily Deal Sites and more for big markdowns. I’ve found great deals on Totsy and Zulily, plus Totsy offers Free Shipping to new customers.
For instance – right now on Amazon, you can pick up this DC Comics Boys Costume Trunk with (3) Super-Hero Costumes for only $19.34! *I have this at my house – and my boys play dress up with it all the time – it’s great! NOTE: Amazon prices can go up at any time
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Be like Sandra-Dee and make it “Semi-Homemade”:
One of my favorite ways to save on Halloween Costumes is to head to the thrift store and check out their selection. Or wander around and look for inspiration. The costumes will likelly be a little tattered or outdated – but they’ll make a good Starting Point! Let’s say you find a black graduation gown – thats’all you need for a cape for Batman, Vampires and all sorts of other characters. Maybe they have an old brown jumpsuit that looks pretty non-descript and may have once been Scooby Doo. You can easily turn this into a bear, a lion, a puppy dog,etc…. Just get out your hot glue gun and add things to it to bring it to life. The point is – at least with this method, you don’t have to start from scratch and you’ll only spend a few dollars!
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Homemade Costume Ideas:
If you’re really going to go gung-ho and have decided to make your own Halloween Costume – then make sure you read my post chock-full of Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas! Find a list of DIY Kids Costume, DIY Group Costumes, and DIY Last-Minute Costumes.
We’d love to hear your ideas too – how do you get costumes without breaking the bank?
Scarecrow Crunch Recipe (Festive fall treat!!)
So I have all this Brach’s Autumn Mellowcreme mix that none of the kids at Youth Group wanted for a prize on Wednesday night. (Go figure, right? They’d pick Reeses cups, Twixes and Snickers over this stuff? Weirdos…) So I decided this was the perfect opportunity to try to make Scare Crow Crunch!
All you need is a festive assortment of salty and sweet snacks – like:
- Harvest Mellowcreme Mix (or just plain candy corn is ok)
- Reeses Pieces
- Tiny Pretzel Twists
- Caramel Popcorn (like Poppycock or Cracker Jacks)
- Chocolate Teddy Grahams
- Nuts
- *Or just replace most of the above with Turtle Chex Mix
I happened to have a whole lot of turtle Chex Mix from a recent Walgreens deal – so I used that along with a box of Teddy Grahams, some leftover peanuts, a handful of chocolate chips, and of course – the Brach’s Harvest Mix. Stir it all together and see if it looks about right – maybe you’ll wander over to your cabinet and find some stale Halloween sprinkles from last year – you should probably throw those in too for extra pizazz. (I did)
Now don’t you dare tell your kiddos that this is Chex Mix and candy corn – because they’re smart and they’ll know you’re recycling stuff they weren’t all that excited about earlier this week. But you tell them it’s “Scarecrow Crunch” and they’ll be all over it! Note the greedy hands clawing at the bowl already in the top picture. Those guys LOVE this stuff! All their friends at school have been asking for them to bring extra to share – that’s how you know it’s a success
Talk Like a Pirate Day Freebie List: FREE Krispy Kreme, FREE Fish, Kids Apps, Eyepatch Tutorial & More!
Just a reminder that today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! We’ve added a couple fun Pirate Freebies to our Pirate Day Freebie Roundup List – so make sure you take advantage of all the fun! (Please leave a comment if you hear about any other freebies or deals happening today)
Krispy Kreme: FREE Glazed Donut when you talk like a pirate or wear an eye patch. Get ONE DOZEN Free Donuts when you come dressed in full Pirate Regalia! *9/19 Only, No Weapons Allowed
Long John Silvers: FREE Piece of Fish when you talk like a pirate *9/19 only
Chili’s: FREE Chips & Queso when you sign up HERE and FREE Appetizer or dessert coupon through 9/19 HERE
Arby’s: Last year they gave away a FREE Value Menu Item when you texted AHOY to 27297 – we’ll have to wait see if they’ll renew that offer this year!
TGI Fridays: FREE Appetizer or Dessert when you join the fan club HERE
Burger King: BOGO Whopper, Chicken Sandwich and more coupons HERE
Family Fun for Pirate Day:
- Pirate Eye Patch Tutorial
- Printable Pirate Scavenger Hunt
- Pirate Ship Cake
- Pirate Tricorne Hat Cookies
- Get a FREE or Cheap eBook about Pirates on Amazon HERE
FREE Pirate Apps:
- Find the Differences: Pirates (Android)
- Jake’s Never Land Pirate School (iPhone/iPad))
Text Like a Pirate:
Get this Say What? Pirate Pack translator app for just $.99 – plus you’ll get a FREE $1 MP3 Credit when you order it!
Basic Pirate Lingo:
Ahoy! – “Hello!”
Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, “Whoa! Get a load of that!” which today makes it more of a “Check it out” or “No way!”
Aye! – “Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did.”
Aye aye! – “I’ll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over.”
Arrr! – This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. “Arrr!” can mean, variously, “yes,” “I agree,” “I’m happy,” “I’m enjoying this Diet Coke.”
Pirate Jokes (Harrdy-haarr-haarr):
Q: What is a pirate’s favorite kind of cookie A: Ships Ahoy!
Q: Whay are pirates so mean? A: I don’t know they just aaarrgghhh!
Q: What to pirate’s like to eat? A: Barrrrbeque!
