I am the coupon queen!

The two bags of Lay’s are regularly $2.98, price matched to $1.99, minus two $1.00 off coupons, making them 99¢ each.

The two Lunchable subs are regularly $1.58 each, price matched to $1.00 each, minus two 75¢ off coupons, making them 25¢ each.

The fifteen Vitamin waters are regularly $1.18 each, price matched to 3/$1.00, minus five $1.00/2 coupons making them all FREE!

The four Sunkist tuna pouches are regularly $1.49 each, price matched to $1.oo each, minus 2 $1.00/2 coupons making them 50¢ each.

The mixed nuts are regularly $3.98, price matched to $1.99.

The Reese’s Dark Peanut Butter Cups are regularly 64¢, on sale  for 50¢, minus two 55¢ coupons making them negative 5¢ each.

My total should have been $37.88. I paid $6.27!

Michael found two books: one on pirates and the other a novelization of the tv mini-series “Taken” (75¢ each). I found the Harry Potter pillow for his office ($2.00). Michael and I each found a chick fiction book for me (75¢ each). A Candies top with a red tag (75%off) cost me $1.25. A ceramic Hobbit house for Michael to paint was $2.00. The two muffin tins were 50¢ each. Michael found the collection of four 80s pins for 50¢.The lovely background is a Vera scarf that cost $1.00.

This is the back of the pillow.

I teased Michael that it would take a year for him to paint this Hobbit house. Can we live there?

Michael knows this 80s girl so well. He found this four pack of buttons (complete with foil wrapped chocolate hearts that went straight into the trash) next to the register. The box was marked with the ridiculously low price of 50¢.

My total after coupon was $6.50: a great price for this trip. However, a notice on the door announced that after April 1st coupons can only be used on regular priced items. If I come across another coupons I’ll use it on housewares or books (two categories that rarely go on sale), but I won’t use them on clothing as the sale prices are so much better.

This was a good way to spend an hour with my dear hubby on a dim and drizzly Sunday afternoon.

I took Bijou out for a potty break and walked over to check out the dresser. It was a beautiful vintage pine dresser, dovetail construction, and built in tracks for the drawers to slide on. It even had the matching mirror! It was covered in 6 inches of snow, but I could tell it was in nice condition.

I knew Michael didn’t really want to carry the dresser in, but I had to have it. I started grabbing the drawers and bringing them into the heated hallway. It took five trips for the drawers and the mirrors. When Michael asked me what I was doing, he came outside to help. We carried the dresser upstairs. Well, he probably carried 75% of the weight, but whatever.

We left the pieces to dry overnight. This is what it looks like now:

So much better than the $20 Kmart TV stand we had before.

It also made our living room more organized. Michael put all our VHS and DVDs in the drawers.

This makes three dumpster salvaged pieces in our home – the other two are a nightstand I use as an endtable and a papasan chair in the bedroom for a kitty bed.

If I had bought this in a thrift store, it would have cost somewhere between $60 and $120. Not too bad for a few minutes of work.

After the apartment fire last May, I learned to let go of a lot of things. One was my mug collection. When mugs are 25 cents in a thrift store it’s easy to collect 50 or 100 of them. I liked this mug, but instead of buying it, I just took a picture of it. It still makes me smile and it’s not taking up cabinet space.

Kamilah says, “What kind of lame ass bamboo prison is this?”

We needed a new piece of office furniture after Michael finally convinced me to let him pitch out our dilapidated futon. I wanted to move the chaise from the bedroom to the office and then put a chair in the corner as an alternate bed for Kamilah.

This is my second papasan chair. The first (including black cushion) was purchased this Spring at Salvation Army for $22. This frame (sans cushion) was free next to the dumpster in the apartment complex.

I wondered what to use for a new cushion and had the bright idea to use a sleeping bag. I bought a navy one at Salvation Army for $2.50.

I made the mistake of laying it over Michael as he lounged on the couch last night. He claimed it for couch napping and nights when my snoring drives him from the bedroom. I pointed out the pink and blue flannel lining. He said, “I’m okay with that” and burrowed in further.

So I’m on the hunt for another sleeping bag or really large pillow in nice condition.

Update: I found another sleeping bag at Goodwill a few weeks later. It was also navy but kid sized (my size!), with a red and blue flannel lining. It makes a great replacement cushion for the second papasan in the bedroom which is for Kamilah’s use only. Plus, the sleeping bags can actually be used when we go camping.

1. As opposed to the unpopular one?
2. This shirt was sold at Walmart.
3. This shirt is for children.

This is wrong on so many levels, I’m just going to let the shirt speak for itself.

With the $5 coupon and 2 in-ad coupons, this is what I got:

Two pairs of flip flops: regular price $1.99, on sale for 49¢ each

Mixed nuts: regular price $2.50, coupon price $1.99

Three cans of tuns: regular price 99¢, coupon price 59¢

Bottle of pop (since Michael was going to buy one anyway): 79¢

Total before sales and coupons: $10.24

My cost after sales and coupons:: 53¢

That’s like paying for one pair of flip flops and getting everything else for free!

I tried them on. Hallelujah, they fit, they were the perfect length, but why were they still there? Are you can see in the photo the bottom of the right leg is damaged.

It looks like hot chocolate or coffee. So, I didn’t feel bad about lopping these off at the knees. To hem pants easily, try them on inside out, pin and cut accordingly. After you pin both sides, try them on again. I had both sides hemmed and realized that either the pants or my legs were 1/2 inch off because they hung wrong. I wound up ripping out a hem and redoing it!

Here there are finished. They’d be pedestrian with a plain white T.

I jazzed them up with a “Tokyo Pop” printed T-shirt. Paired with pink and black flip-flops, this is one of my new fave summer outfits. A light sweater or hoodie in black or gray will carry this into fall.

Total cost: $2.99 for pants, $2.50 for T-shirt = $5.49 (I’m sure I could have talked them down on price for the pants, but, hey, it’s a charity!)