A quick(ish) post for your Wednesday with some recent frugal wins.
Free Anniversary Cheesecake
The restaurant where we go to celebrate our wedding anniversary each year always asks (when we’re making a reservation) if we’re celebrating a special occasion.
Yes indeed! It’s our anniversary… and we almost always get a free dessert. This year, it was cheesecake.
Desserts are expensive, and we rarely buy them at a restaurant—this little slice of cheesecake would have been $14!!!!—so it feels like a fun financial win to get something delicious for free.
A Discount on Already-Discounted Sneakers
John needs white sneakers for business-casual events. The problem with white sneakers is that they never stay white. Also, for what he’s using them for, investing in a high-quality pair doesn’t usually make sense.
So we went to a local discount store, and he found a pair of Nautica shoes that fit the bill.
There were a few small scuffs from people trying them on in the store. He knew they would come out with a bit of scrubbing. And, let’s be honest, after a day of him wearing them, there would be more scuffs anyway.
But, as my mom would say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
He asked at the checkout if he could get a discount because of the scuffs and ended up getting 10% off!
Hey, 10% is 10%.
Sale Prices and $10 in Bonus Points
A few weeks ago I needed to get a few items at a local drugstore and managed to find everything on sale. Hooray.
On a whim, I decided to check my points app for that store, and there was an offer for $10 in points if I spent $40.
I spent almost exactly that amount (on things I needed that were already on sale)… AND got $10 worth of points.
Second-Hand Clothes for a Growing Boy
Everything Indy owns seems to be getting too small.
When I was on the Finance Girlies podcast a few months ago, they asked if there was one category where I rarely buy new. My answer: my son’s clothes.
Aside from the occasional pair of shoes or sports club jersey, basically everything he owns is second-hand.
I figure I am renting clothes at best. He wears things out quickly, and he hits growth spurts suddenly and without warning.
He’s also quite particular about the fabrics he prefers: breathable athletic wear, preferably Nike or Adidas.
I wanted to find two more pairs of shorts and two more T-shirts to see him through the summer. Success! And for a literal fraction of what these items would have cost brand new.
Clearance Gatorade
Indy also loves Gatorade.
We rarely buy it—a few times a year, if we’re out on a hot day and he’s thirsty. But the week both kids were away at camp, we spotted limited-edition Team Canada World Cup Gatorade on clearance.
(I guess now that the World Cup is over, people aren’t feeling quite as patriotic about the team?)
It was 99 cents, so we picked up a bottle.
On his way home from camp, Indy happened to mention wanting Gatorade and was very surprised to find out we just so happened to have a bottle waiting in the fridge!!
Bonus Frugal Find: An Aritzia Sweatshirt
Belle buys a lot of her own clothes these days. She has an eye for fashion and the “in” brands, which tend to come with a hefty price tag.
Before heading to Europe, she splurged on an Aritzia sweatset. I had never even heard of Aritzia before that point, but apparently it is a VERY BIG DEAL.
Last week, she wanted to add another item to her collection and found a sweatshirt she loved that happened to be on clearance.
These sweatshirts are usually almost $100 (insert yikes emoji), but the colour she wanted (in the size she needed) was…50% off.
Yes, please.
Technically, this is her frugal win since the money was coming out of her bank account, not mine, but I was happy for her!
Your turn.
- Have you had any satisfying frugal wins lately?
- Do you ever ask for a discount when an item has a small flaw?
- What‘s one category where you almost never buy brand new?
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I’ve never heard of Aritzia either. But I googled it – I do like their clean and elegant fashion designs! We don’t have it in Switzerland (or Europe) yet. My brain immediately went to “Aryzta”, the huge Swiss bakery company headquartered just outside Zurich. Not quite the same!
I’m always surprised how generous the stores are about giving a discount when there’s a small flaw. I expect something like a 10% discount and they usually go higher than that.
I also love your approach to Indy’s clothes. Kids grow so quickly that buying second-hand makes so much sense, especially when they are particular about what they like.
Aritzia is very popular among high schoolers for their sweat sets! I mean, if you’re going to spend big money on clothes, I guess I appreciate they’re comfy?!
I swear Indy looks taller every single morning at this point. It’s a bit shocking and really reinforces my plan to buy second hand!
My daughter went to sleep away camp recently. They had sweaters… But she preferred last year’s colour. Which was on a steep discount of 10 euros. I bought her a really really big pink sweater. Let’s hope she keeps liking pink.
I tend to buy mostly second hand for the kids, except trousers / shorts for my oldest. He has very sensitive legs and it’s hard to predict what he’s going to like. So those I buy on sale and make sure I can return them.
Yay for last year’s model. That is a great form of cost savings.
Good point about wanting to be able to return certain things. That is a big advantage of buying new.
Great deals! I’m not bold enough to ask about a discount for a scuff or discoloration.
I used to buy a lot of things second hand for my kids, but boys teen clothes are hard to find in the thrift stores around here. I need to buy new ( esp when three boys outgrew their shorts at the same time…). I try to buy my daughter’s dresses used- she’s hard on them and I don’t want to spend more than a couple bucks on something that will get ripped or stained. And I’ll buy pants for myself used- losing and gaining weight lately means I need to keep switching sizes. And I wear out knees quickly for some reason.
An accidental frugal win: I ordered five boxes of peanut butter crackers from Target ( a favorite for snacks and lunch), and they only sent four. So I hopped on the app, reported one missing, and the nice chatbot said it would fix it. It sent me five new boxes ( not just the one). The message in the app said to keep everything from the order, so we’re set for crackers for several months.
I don’t know if I’ve ever worn out knees (the inside thigh seams YES), but my son sure wears out the knees in his pants! It’s getting better as he’s a bit older. Though in the summer, when he’s in shorts, his poor bare knees bear the brunt of any athletic injuries inside of the fabric of his pants.
That’s SUCH a good outcome with the crackers. Not only did you get 4 for free, you don’t have to think about snacks for double the length of time. Win, win.
T is similarly hard on clothes – but also doesn’t have a ton of preferences about what he wears (and is in uniform 5 days a week). So I get a ton of clothes via Vinted / the reuse festival. There’s a brand I particularly like that makes long and slim cargos, hoodies, etc. Apparently they don’t even sell kids clothes anymore but there’s a good supply online. His party is this weekend and I HATE plastic tat party favours – so I found secondhand sweatshirts (which look brand new) from the venue as a favour.
T is going to a family ski camp with his cousins and I’m in charge of getting ski gear for everyone on the cheap. 4 kids, 2 adults. I feel like now is the time to make offers b/c people might not want to store it til its in demand at the winter.
I 100% agree about plastic party favours. Sweatshirts sound great!!
This is definitely the best time to look for winter gear. Also… how fun!!! Has he been skiing before??
No, never! It’s a church-owned facility that our cousins found – they have ski lessons and activities (pool, indoor tennis) during the day, with activities in the evening. Some of their church pals have been and said it was great. I wasn’t sure he’d be keen but he was super excited. We’ve also booked a week of Outward Bound sleepaway camp for the summer – hoping the cousins will go as well but if they don’t, T says he’s still keen. He’s done a week at my parents solo, but not done more than 2 nights elsewhere, but fingers crossed it’ll go well. He’s a pretty go-with-the-flow kid and will love all the camp activities.
SO FUN! And an awesome time for you to enjoy some kid-free time knowing he is living his best life and getting to experience so many new, exciting things. Win, win.
The illusive shorts for Indy!! Glad you found some!
My most fun frugal win recently was using birthday rewards for free drinks at both Tim Hortons and Starbucks! It was a fun addition to a special day!
Hooray. I love birthday freebies and always feel a bit bereft I don’t live in the US for all the birthday options. Good to know about Tim Hortons!
And I need to remember to cash in on my Starbucks reward next year. Didn’t even cross my mind when we were away and I celebrated my birthday out of the country. But they definitely have Starbucks EVERYWHERE.
I’ll definitely ask for a discount if something has a flaw. Why not? And I agree- buying new clothes for kids who are going to outgrow them quickly doesn’t make sense.
When I was up in Indiana for the wedding, I forgot my trusty Athleta skort, which was supposed to go with two outfits, the bridal shower and rehearsal dinner (NOOOOOO!) so I had to borrow clothes from my sister. She had a couple nice dresses that I really liked, and she said she got them for $6.50 each at the thrift store. AND, my daughter just went to Goodwill and found several things she liked. So I’m motivated to go look for clothes now.
That is a really nice restaurant, that always asks if it’s a special occasion!
First, hooray for being able to borrow clothes! And second, hooray for your daughter finding things she liked at a thrift store. It’s such a thrill (and a good way to save money).
Aritzia started in Vancouver so it’s huge here. They have plans to build a 40,000 sq. ft. flagship store downtown in 2027. There TNA brand sweatpants were all the rage when my daughter was a teen back in the early-2000s at the price range of $65.00 CDN. They have beautiful window displays and the clothes are well made, just way out of my price range!
Frugal wins are cheaper cell phone, internet and car insurance bills. All these items were renewed in July and it was so nice to see a reduction rather than an increase to the monthly charges!!
Oh my goodness, that is a MASSIVE store. My daughter would love it; I’d hate it!
Let’s just say she does not have enough fun spending money left to get anything else at Aritzia! I’ve never seen a single item second hand, though they are incredibly well made, so I’m hoping they last her a very long time (and I assume people keep them, hence not winding up at thrift stores).
What in the world is that 14% tax?? Yeppers, I pulled out a calculator to see the percentage!
So we have what’s called a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)… AND IT’S 14%. There’s a 5% federal portion and a 9% provincial portion.
It ranges by province (some don’t have provincial tax), so there are provinces with a 15% rate, and some (Alberta) with only 5%.
It’s… A LOT.
It is and it isn’t a lot. Government services require funds and I know we love to complain, but both the federal and provincial governments do a lot. Sales tax is fair way to tax and basics aren’t taxed at all. I mean I would prefer if it was hidden in the price just so I wouldn’t be constantly calculating the ACTUAL price
Such a great point.
Yes! I am so thankful for the social security networks we have here in Canada. Things like free healthcare (as flawed as it can be!) are so important to me both practically and ethically.
And I could not agree more about wishing the price you saw on the shelf was what you paid (this is how it tends to work in Europe and I LOVED it).
The fewer new kid clothes that you buy the better, for exactly the reasons you say. None of it is going to last very long – best case is that they grow out of it. Plus when we look at family photos it’s fun to see items jump from the older cousins to the younger ones over the years.
Belle’s fashion sense plus her genetic predisposition to getting a good deal = that girl is going to have a killer wardrobe.
Haha! She has told me that with some of the money she makes babysitting she wants to buy me some clothes that don’t embarrass her. Hey, if she wants to pay to upgrade my wardrobe…!
She parts with her money more quickly than I do and definitely cares about fashion more than I do!
I’ve never heard of Aritzia, but even as a teenager I was fairly out of the fashion loop : P
My frugal things:
1. I went to a swimming lake with a friend (you have to be a member but I was able to come as a guest). I paid for the ticket but we brought food and drinks with us and, aside from some coffee and cake, we didn’t buy anything else there.
2. I went on some walks with my parents and we brought food, water and coffee in a flask.
3. I went to a work event yesterday and lunch was provided. They encouraged us to take home leftovers so I took a salad and some drinks.
Frugal fail: I left my suitcase in the airport! Frugal win: I reported it to lost property and my dad was able to pick it up. I had to pay a fine, but that’s cheaper than having to replace the clothes and books inside. I feel very dumb!
Leftovers make me so happy and leftovers of food I didn’t have to buy or cook is even better!
Eeks. Too bad about the suitcase, but thank goodness you got it back. These things happen to all of us, so don’t feel bad! And it has a mostly happy ending (aside from the fine).
I love a good bargain and I always check the store apps too.
Also I managed it that my husband to also sign up and check the stuff. Yeah.