7/23 Expressions

Frugal deeds for the day: I am having a frugal girl's day-out :) Since today is my firsty day off with my new work schedule; and I am sans my daughter and my husband - I have been pampering myself a bit. I woke up late, read my free newspaper (free for 3 months) with a nice cup of coffee. Then I headed to Publix with a free Blockbuster code and rented a chick flick for free. Next to Wal-mart to use my gift card for a few groceries. Then to McDonald's with a $1 off frappe coupon - and now I am home. I am waiting until just after lunch so the traffic can die down. Then I plan to stop at Stein Mart and to check-out their Red Dot Clearance and hope I find a few new pieces to add color to my wardrobe - and find a few pieces that would be cooler in this heat wave. I am hoping my scratch-off card with be the free $300 in spending credit :) I will be taking coupons and stuff from my pantry to Earth Fare - close to Stein Mart and will pick-up a few freebies/exchanges at Earth Fare. Plus, I plan to eat at their buffet for a healthy early dinner for me. After returning home - if it is early enough - I may stop at the library to stay a bit cooler and read. Since it is just me - I have turned the temperature up a few degrees to save on electricity. While it is not uncomfortable - by late afternoon, it is not as cool as we normally have it. After looking at last month's electricity bill - I am thinking we can all get used to having it a bit warmer for a 10% saving. I tried to use the $20 credit Target comp'd me for a gift card - didn't work - so, I can't say I am growing any fonder of them. Anyway, I did order an item my daughter wanted and will add that to her birthday stash instead. Out of pocket was just over $3 since the credit did not cover shipping and taxes - I have .01 left - but probably won't be going back to spend it . . . I did order a gift certificate at restaurant.com with a 70% off code for the double birthday dinner. For both orders, I went through either ebates or mypoints to earn a few cents back. And, I noticed my sleep is not as comfortable as it could be. Probably time to get a new mattress - but in hopes of extending the life of the mattress another couple of years - I went through mypoints to overstock and ordered a memory foam mattress for under $50 - and of course according to the site - I saved over $200 had I paid retail . . . may be? If it makes my sleep more comfortable, the $50 will be worth it :)