October 2, 2015

Yard Sale Price Tag Printables

Earlier I shared my best yard sale tips for success.  I promised to share the custom tags I made with you.  When we're tagging, we usually keep all the tags for each size sorted in small ziploc bags.  I have also used a small tackle/organizing box {as pictured}.  This worked really well for me!



I am so excited to share these free printable price tags with you!  They're super simple - you can use with any paper you want.  I usually use colored copy or cardstock paper.  You can cut them with scissors or a paper cutter, just eyeball the size.  There's also space to write your name if you have multiple people at your sale.

For the low price points, each amount has its own document {24 tags per page}.  This is so you can print more of just the 25 cent tags without having to print more of all the price tags.  Tags for $3-$5 are on one sheet because I don't use as many of these.  For amounts over $5, I hand write a tag {I don't have many items above $5}.

25 cents
50 cents
$1
$2
$3-$5

Feel free to use these for your sale and share with your friends!  If you're going to share them, just make sure you link back here.  Thank you!

October 1, 2015

Keys to Yard Sale Success

Every year at church we have the Parkview Annual{ish} Mega Sale... well, almost every year {hence the "ish" in the sale name}.  I've organized the sale for several years and I have many, many years under my belt as a seasoned yard sale shopper.  As Michael and I are preparing for our move, we're trying to pare down our unnecessary "stuff" as much as possible.  I am a big believer that physical messes create mental messes, and vice versa... but I'm a horrible homemaker.  I think it's easier for me to keep my home organized{ish} when I have less of it to worry about.  I don't need the mental stress of so much stuff!  We have lots of things in our home that are still completely useful, but just don't get used/worn/watched enough to keep them around.


As I'm prepping everything for the yard sale, I thought I'd share some of my tips for yard sale selling success with you!  These will help you be a better seller and make the shopping experience easier for buyers {which means more sales!}.

1. BEFORE YOU START: Get your mind right.
Why are you having a yard sale?  Is it just for the extra cash flow?  Are your kids outgrowing clothes and toys?  Are you cleansing your life of a bad decor phase?  It's important to know WHY you're doing what you're doing.  Find your motivation and the whole process will be less painful!  For more, check out this great devotional from Girlfriends in God.  While a sale is an opportunity to make a little cash, it is also a great time to re-evaluate your belongings and re-focus yourself.

2. PURGING: If you don't love it, don't keep it.
Okay, so I know that sounds fairly simple but it can be tough to put into action.  Trust me, I feel you.
---That hideous sweater that you bought for that one ugly sweater party three years ago?  Get rid of it.  Easy peasy.
---That thing that someone gave you that one time that you never use but feel guilty getting rid of? GET RID OF IT.  It's not doing them any favors by collecting dust in your house.  Set it free and let it bring joy to someone else!
---Those clothes that you might wear once upon a time when you get back to the size you were when you were 17?  Yeah, you should get rid of those.  And if you do get back down to a smaller size, you can totally sell your larger items and go buy smaller ones.

You get the point here.  If it isn't bringing purpose or joy to your life, why are you keeping it around?  {I'm looking at you, backup dish drainer rack.  Seriously, who needs a backup dish drainer rack?! Apparently at some point I thought I did.  I'm clearly not doing dishes often enough to go through a dish rack very quickly.  That bad boy is going to the sale!}

3. PURGING: Are you reallllyyyy using that?
Okay, so I know I just talked about purging but we're going to talk about it some more!  One of the most important keys to a successful sale is having plenty of merchandise.

There are some things that I think I should probably get rid of, but I'm just not ready to get rid of yet.  For instance, we have approximately a million plastic storage totes {who doesn't}.  Whatever monster steals socks at some houses steals boxes and lids at ours.  I have a collection of boxes with no lids and a collection of lids without boxes - but they don't match.  How in the world does that happen?!  It's easy to use a box without a lid, but what about those random lids that don't have a box?  Michael and I put all of the homeless lids in a big black garbage bag with a note that said "Get rid of on September 30".  We put said bag in the garage... but then we got busy with the move and all and we haven't gone through the bag to try and find mates.  I went by the other day and added "2017" to the end of the note just for kicks.  We obviously won't be moving these to the new house though!  Setting things aside with a deadline helps us prioritize things we are on the fence about.  Hint: If it sits in the plastic bag for a month or 3 months or whatever your deadline is and you haven't gotten it out to use it, that's probably a good sign you should get rid of it!



4. SORTING: One man's trash is another man's treasure... but some things are really just trash.  
There are always items I come across when purging that I don't need, but I also really don't want to mess with putting in the sale.  When I find 3 random packs of stickers or some old happy meal toys - I mean, yeah there's a chance someone could show up at the sale and want to buy them, but that's a pretty slim chance.  Those little, trinkety items that don't hold much value aren't worth my time and effort to tag {and then un-tag if they don't sell}.  They go straight to the "donate" pile.  Our church collects shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child every November.  These trinkety items and random things are great fillers for the shoebox ministry!  By the same token, I typically don't mess with much clothing anymore because I don't have as much luck with it.  I usually list it on our local buy/sell/trade site or just donate it to a local non-profit.



5. PLANNING THE SALE: Find some friends!
We have found that we get a great turnout at the church with our sale because we get lots of people together.  The more sellers you have, the more the word will spread and the more customers you'll get!  A central location {rather than just at a house} also provides more draw for customers.  Bonus points here if you can work in a way to help a local organization.  Like I said, our sale is at the church.  Sellers pay $20 for a yard sale booth.  All of the booth rental fees go directly to the church's children's and youth ministries {and we all know they can ALWAYS use a little moolah!}.  Also, having a multi-family sale means that you can sell AND buy, all in one spot.  It's a win-win, obviously {except for how sometimes I spend a good chunk of my profit}.

6. TAGGING YOUR ITEMS
My parents and I always share a booth at our yard sale.  That way, Dad is in charge of the checkout which leaves both mom and me free to help customers or other sellers.  This means Dad's pocket ends up with money for two different families.  We've tried several methods of tagging items, from colored tags to initials on things, you name it.  My favorite method used to be printing my own tags on labels.  We used to stick these labels directly on items - which you certainly can do!  We have found that the address labels don't un-stick very well, though.  Our preference now is to print the prices directly on bright paper or construction paper, then attach to items using masking tape {it removes easily}.  Each person in our booth uses a different color paper {and our names are on our tags too}.  This makes it easy to total each person's money at the end of the day.  These custom tags are super handy - I can print however many I need of each price and I don't have to worry about buying a whole package of pre-printed tags just to get more that say 50 cents.  Click here for free downloads of our yard sale price tag templates!



7. ADVERTISE YOUR HEART OUT
Okay, so the whole making money at the yard sale thing doesn't really work if no one shows up to shop. Word-of-mouth is the cheapest {uh, free} and best advertising around!  We have customers that come to the sale every year because they know we have a great group of sellers and a vast supply of items for sale.  I also set up a facebook event for the sale.  It's a great way to keep in contact with sellers AND amp up excitement before the sale.  In addition the the facebook event, I post graphics and advertising on my personal page and invite sellers, shoppers and friends to "share" the advertising.  I also post the sale on local buy/sell/trade sites and facebook.  Obviously our main tools are free - word of mouth and internet advertising.  We will sometimes put an ad in the local paper as well.  Make sure to advertise items that people will be interested in - kids items, tools and furniture are all great selling items for us!  Here are some examples of advertisements I've used for the sale:




8. SETTING UP: Organize for your shoppers
One of the main reasons I leave sales are because they don't have items priced or organized.  If it's difficult for shoppers to figure out your pricing, they won't buy as much.  If items aren't priced, people aren't likely to ask for a price.  Make sure EVERYTHING has a price.  If it's an expensive item, print out a description or write out some details and attach those.  An informed shopper is much more likely to purchase items.  For the love of all things holy, please don't use colored stickers with a color coded pricing system.  Maybe this is just me, but I hate those darn things.  My mother will occasionally use the colored pricing system and it drives.me.nuts.  {You know the sales where items have colored stickers then you have to find the "key" hanging somewhere that says yellow stickers are 25 cents, blue stickers are $1, etc?}  Colored stickers with a pricing system are fine, but for the sake of the shoppers - write the prices on each of the stickers {pretty please}!

9. AT THE ACTUAL SALE: Preparation is key!
Go into the sale with a game plan.  Are you willing to wheel and deal?  Is it worth it to take less money but get rid of the item?  How long are you going to be at the sale?  How many snacks will it take to get you through the long day?  It's important to have your priorities here - and by that, I am obviously talking about the snacks.  We usually eat breakfast before the sale, get drive thru lunch and have snacks on hand throughout the day.  It can be tiring wheeling and dealing so make sure you have plenty of nutrition to make it through the day.  Caffeine is your friend here.  The more prepared you are for questions, pricing, dealing, etc - the more smoothly the sale will go.  Make sure you come prepared with plastic bags, change, an apron/change box for your money, etc. {Keep your money on you if possible during the sale.  Not everyone is as honest or nice as you and I.}  Make it easy for buyers to figure out what to do, where to go, what the prices are, etc.



10. POST-SALE: "What you gonna do with all that junk, all that junk up in yo' [sale]?"
My friends from the Black Eyed Peas have clearly experienced the frustration of the post-sale conundrum.  I always go into the sale with the mindset of emotional freedom from the "stuff": it needs to be gone.  After the sale, I will go through and pick out items I want to save.  These may be things I was on the fence about selling, high-value items, or things I think will sell later {either in another venue or at the next sale}.  Probably 90% of the leftover items, though, go away.  Most places have someone who will come pick up your yard sale leftovers for free so you don't have to deal with them!  Goodwill, AMVETS and local non-profits are great places to start if you are looking for someone to pick up donations.  In our small town, we don't have these larger corporations.  We do, however, have a group of boy scouts that have a big sale every year.  They will come pick up and load your leftovers and make them go away.  We love helping them out and it saves us from having to haul the leftover items anywhere!  If I have any high-quality clothing items left, I'll pull those and put them aside for our local clothing ministry.  Most of the rest of the stuff just goes to Goodwill {or a similar store} because it's easy to take it all to one place.  MAKE SURE YOU TRACK WHAT YOU DONATE!  Any items you donate to a non-profit organization are tax deductible!  I like to take pictures of my donation so I can remember better what I sent {I make a list as well}.


AAAANNNND a bonus tip for you from my fabulous mother....
11. Have a drink and an advil before the sale starts!
Actually, come to think of it - that's probably a good idea before you start purging, sorting and pricing items as well.  {This tip is hilarious because it's actually probably fairly useful... but moreso because my mother doesn't touch alcohol, but her advice is to start drinking.  Touche, mama dearest... touche.}

September 29, 2015

Our $2,500 Wedding


Hubby and I have been married just over a year now… we got married on July 4, 2014.  We joked that we picked a holiday so neither of us could forget the anniversary… but seriously.  Also – how fun is it to have an extra day off work and fireworks every single anniversary?! Score!

From the day we got engaged to the day of the wedding was 2 months and 3 days {yes, we are certifiably insane, thanks}.  We dated for about 4 months before getting engaged… I would not normally suggest that dating/marriage timeline {ha!} but that’s a story for another day.  We are both frugal people.  Our life goals encompass more than expensive wedding meals and a grand ballroom.  When we were planning the wedding, I read that the average couple spends something like $27,000 on their wedding these days.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!  That’s just not us.  We knew it wasn’t us to spend that kind of dough on one day and it wasn’t us to want some grand soiree.

We didn’t set a firm dollar amount budget for the wedding… Instead, we tried to keep everything as inexpensive as possible, while still ensuring the wedding experience we dreamed of.  If there was an item or activity we really loved, we were certainly willing to splurge on it.  If it wasn’t something that made us jump for joy {hello, custom printed napkins?} we gladly struck it from the list or found a frugal alternative.

I can’t tell you what we spent exactly - I tried to track every penny we spent on the wedding, but when you plan a wedding in 3 months, sometimes every penny doesn’t get tracked.  The total cost of the wedding, though, was under $2,500!  We also sold some of the décor items after the wedding and made a few hundred dollars back.  I think our out of pocket total was probably closer to $2,000.

Having a frugal wedding means that sometimes you have to think outside the box!  It also means you will be doing a LOT of the work yourself.  If you’re not comfortable planning, building, scheduling, ordering, etc… this may not be the route for you.  I’ve broken down our major expense categories and how we saved money in each.  The numbers in each category are rounded up.


ATTIRE {Total spent: $500}
I went to a couple of local bridal shops to try on wedding gowns.  Once I found the style I liked, I ordered the gown off eBay.  Someone had purchased it new, then never worn it.  I got a brand new dress for a fraction of the price!  Side note, I also ordered a few cheap {$50 or less} dresses on ebay, but my mom wanted me to have the slightly more expensive new dress {~$200}.  A local woman altered my dress so it fit perfectly.  I bought the guys’ ties at Kohl’s and Michael’s whole outfit at JC Penney.  The groomsmen all wore the tie we bought with jeans and plain dress shirts.  The bridesmaids each bought a navy blue dress from wherever they wanted.  We had a fairly casual wedding and I’m certainly not a matching-dresses-from-David’s-Bridal kind of bride.  I could have saved a little money here by not buying the cheaper dresses at first, but we still didn’t spend $500 total {and I ended up donating the first dresses locally}.

This was the morning of our wedding I believe.  Don't leave projects until the day of the wedding.
Seriously - what was I thinking?!
DÉCOR {Total spent: $200}
My mother was a SAINT with the décor.  We {and by “we”, I mean SHE} decorated hundreds of glass and tin containers to use as centerpieces and décor around the ceremony and reception.  I literally didn’t make a single one.  It was fantastic.  We bought lots of craft supplies at Hobby Lobby and off local buy/sell/trade sites and made just about everything.  The reception tables were covered with brown paper from Menard’s.  We used the glass and tin containers, added flameless candles and sat them EVERYWHERE.  I was also fortunate enough to borrow some wedding decor from one of my bridesmaids {who got married two weeks before we did}.

INVITATIONS {$200}
My mom and I made the invitations.  We used cardstock from Hobby Lobby.  I designed the invitations and inserts.  We used twine to tie the reception details to the main invitation.  To further save on money, we hand delivered all of the invitations we could.  Stamps are expensive, yo!


CEREMONY & RECEPTION LOCATIONS {$450}
We went with local venues for both the ceremony and reception.  The ceremony was at our church.  We rented a local barn for the reception.  It was about a 10 minute drive from the church.

FOOD {$125}
One of the perks of the reception location was that they let us bring in our own food.  We planned our ceremony for 7:30pm so that we didn’t have to serve a meal at the reception.  Our immediate family made tons of desserts for the reception.  We also had several snacky foods to complete the salty and sweet spread.  Honestly, we weren’t missing anything by skipping the meal.  Really the only food products we bought were paper goods and beer.  Priorities.  {And you better believe those napkins were not monogrammed.}

PHOTOGRAPHY {$425}
My new{ish} sister-in-law Erin is a great photographer!  She took our engagement photos, then agreed to shoot the wedding.  We definitely saved money over a “professional” here and I loved that we were comfortable with her.  She was way more fun than a stranger!


PEOPLE
I have to take a moment here and point out how much we did NOT do for our wedding.  We didn’t order/buy a wedding cake {a friend made it}.  We didn’t pay a calligrapher {a friend calligraph-ized our place cards}.  We didn’t pay a wedding planner/coordinator {I did all the planning and a friend was the day-of coordinator}.  We didn’t buy readymade décor {my mom and I made most of the décor ourselves}.  We didn’t hire musicians or a DJ {our family friends are so talented}.  I didn’t go to a beauty shop {a friend did my hair}.  I didn’t pay a make-up artist {holla to my Mary Kay lady/bestie/MOH}.  I didn’t buy an expensive bouquet {my photographer made my bouquet… year, she’s obviously uber talented at… just about everything}.  Can you see the trend here?  We were able to keep our wedding low budget ONLY through the immense help from our friends and family members!  If we didn’t get the chance to say it enough, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for making our day so special!

If I had our wedding to do over again, I would make a few tweaks.
-I would probably start the ceremony a little earlier than 7:30pm {6:30 maybe?}.  By the time we got pictures taken and got to the reception, it was pretty late.  We had planned to have live music at the reception, but ended up with just the DJ playing.  It was a great atmosphere, but I would have enjoyed more time at the reception.
-I would have started pictures earlier in the day.  I thought we were starting with plenty of time, but it ended up that we ran out of time and had to cut the time slot for Michael and I’s pictures alone together.  We got together with our photographer a few weeks after the wedding and took more pictures of just the two of us.  Still, it would have been great to have more photos of just the two of us that day.
-I would take more time off work the week of the wedding to get things ready.  I only took off the day of the wedding {a Friday}.  I should have taken AT LEAST another full day off work to get things ready.  There were little things that didn’t get done that would have been nice.

That being said, we made such great memories at our wedding!  More importantly, it was the start of our marriage.  Throughout our engagement {and even on the wedding day}, my mantra was “as long as we end the day married, nothing else matters”.  That really kept me focused on the important thing {MARRYING THIS STUD} and helped to minimize my stress levels… I mean, as much as any bride’s stress can be minimized.


I am so glad we didn’t do things “just because that’s what people do at weddings”.  We truly made the experience our own and I wouldn’t have it any other way!  We had some traditional elements and some very non-traditional ones.  It was a perfect combination of our personalities and truly ended up being the family-like atmosphere we wanted to share with our guests.

Looking back, I am so glad we were smart about our finances with the wedding!  Our marriage is so much more than a wedding – and I have such special memories from that day {ones that would not have been improved with designer ANYTHING}.

*Photo credits for the photography here goes to Erin Miller.*

September 24, 2015

Rules for dating my son {guest post}

My great friend, mentor and Realtor Libby Zeigler recently searched for dating rules for her sons and couldn't find any she liked.  Being the creative momma she is, Libby took it upon herself to write some rules to help young women understand the reason for her spiritually grounded {albeit socially backward} dating philosophy.  I don't have any kids yet, but I love, love, LOVE the heart that shines through in this article.  It is obvious that these parents have put a great amount of love and deep thought into the parameters they have set for their children.  I made irresponsible decisions as I teenager that I would gladly take back.  Given that I'm not into the whole time travel thing, I pray that my story may shine God's light into the darkness that others may experience.  I pray that one day my kids have adults like Libby and her husband Bobby in their lives to support our parenting and boundaries.  L & B - you guys are rock stars in my book and proof that strong Christian families are alive and thriving in our often questionable culture.  Thank you for sharing this article with the Borrowed Blessings family!


1. You may not. 
If you are unclear about what this means, let me help: You may NOT date my son. You may NOT think of him as your boyfriend, or refer to yourself as his “girlfriend”. He is NOT your “Hun”, “Boo”, “Sweetie” or anything other than your FRIEND. Don’t even BEGIN to think of uttering the words “Nobody will love you like I do”. . . those words are reserved for the one who carried him in her womb for 9 months, gave birth to him and calls him “Son”. 

2. If you break Rule 1, there are a few things you should be aware of: 
*I will find out. 
*I am menopausal, which means I’m a little crazy most of the time. Some days I forget to take my “Let’s Not Kill Anyone Today” pill. You’ve been warned. 
*My son has 2 older sisters who love Jesus, but know how to throw a mean throat punch and are VERY protective of their little brother. You’ve been warned. 

3. If you ARE “The One”: 
*You will wait for him until he’s allowed to date – and that’s not going to be until he’s AT LEAST graduated from High School and his father and I are confident in his ability to make solid decisions that honor Jesus and reflect his desire to follow God’s plan for his life. 
*You will NOT encourage him to disobey his parents, sneak around behind our backs and break Rule #1. 
*When the time is right, you will be welcomed into our family with open arms and taught how to throat punch anyone who hurts him. 
*If you are The One, we have been praying for you since our son was born. We will love you as one of our own children. We want ONLY what is best for him, and trust that you do as well. 
*You will get a man who understands what it is to respect authority, patiently wait for God’s best, hasn’t been conditioned to fall in love and then fall out and then fall in love again and then break up and then commit to a girl and then walk away. You will get a man who has a WHOLE heart... not pieces of a heart that’s been broken over and over. You will get a man who can’t wait to experience a lifetime of “FIRSTS” with the ONE he has been waiting for. If you are THE ONE... you will wait... and my son is worth the wait.

For all my pinterest lovers out there, we also have a graphic to share!

Do you have similar expectations for your kids?  Share this great article and make sure to follow me at the top of the page!

September 22, 2015

Bargain hunting at Kohl's {with insider secrets and discount code savings!}

So, in case you've been living under a rock or haven't visited our blog before, my husband and I are purchasing and renovating our first home. It's super fun... sometimes.  The renovation process can be tough at times though {uh, like when you have to scrape your just stained kitchen cabinets}.  I've found that shopping for decor is a fun way to break up the tough moments - and it's a great way to get design ideas!  As I'm shopping, I'm trying to only buy the things I really LOVE... we're trying to minimize the amount of stuff in the new house.


Kohl's is one of my go-to stores for home decor {and lots of other random things}.  Their prices, when matched with coupons, are unbeatable!  They are also great about letting you return things even if other stores won't {i.e. you can't find your receipt, you bought the item 10 months ago, etc}.  I worked at Kohl's for a few years in college, so I have some insider tips to share with you!

1. Don't assume things are a good price.
Okay I know I just told you that their prices are unbeatable.  The prices are unbeatable, but make sure you shop when those prices are active!  Kohl's runs some REALLY good deals, but then they also have some weeks where the prices are not good deals at all.  Don't buy something the first time you see it unless you REALLLLLLYYYY love it.  Wait it out for the bargain!


2. Apply for a Kohl's charge card!
I am a big fan of all things budget-related by Dave Ramsey... {Dave, if you're reading this please scroll to the next point.}  Let me just step out of that Dave Ramsey bubble for a minute, because he does not approve of charge cards.  The way to get the best savings at Kohl's is by using their charge card.  There are times when you can get equally good deals without one, but typically charge card users get higher percentage discounts.  {When I worked there, associates also earned a small bonus for each charge card they got a customer to open.  It'll really make your cashier's day if you help them reach their daily goal.  This alone is NOT a good reason to apply for the card, but if you're going to apply anyway you might as well help someone's goal!}


3. Use the Kohl's app.
Kohl's puts out LOTS of coupons and coupon codes, so it can be nearly impossible to keep track of them all!  When you're ready to shop, open the Kohl's app then check out all the savings under Deals & Coupons!  There are TONS of codes here that you may have missed in the huge pile of Kohl's emails.  See the graphic above to find the deals on the app.

4. Sign up for Kohl's emails.
Kohl's sends exclusive coupons and discounts to their email members!  It's free and easy to sign up.  You also get a 15% off coupon when you join {which you can do here}!  This leads me to my next tip....

5. Use a secondary email address.
Kohl's {and other retailers} send a LOT of emails, so I would use a "junk" email for this.  If you only have one email address, I suggest setting up a second email address to use for stores and mailing lists.  This keeps your primary email from getting clogged up and potentially missing important emails.


6. Join the Kohl's "Yes 2 You" Rewards program.
The rewards program works alongside the charge card and Kohl's email program.  You earn points every time you shop (in store and online) then they email you a $5 coupon every time you earn 100 points.  Again - don't spend money just to earn their rewards.  BUT if you're purchasing an item anyway, you might as well earn some extra rewards!  You also get a $5 reward coupon when you join!

7. Sign up for text messsages.
This is just like the other programs above - another way to get more discounts!  Sometimes the email and text coupons are the same, but they sometimes offer a better deal on a different platform.  Sign up for all the programs to get the best spread of deals!  Text SAVE07 to 54657 to sign up.  You also get a 15% off online coupon when you join!

8. All clearance is not created equal.
You might think clearance prices would be the same from store-to-store or online.  However, they are NOT!  Different stores in the same region price clearance at different times/rates.  When I worked at the store in college, we had just opened.  Our location always had deeper clearance markdowns than other stores in our area.  The stores also typically have much better clearance prices than the website does.

9. Use all the deals you can!
There are some deals you can stack and some you can't.
In store: You can stack as many "dollar off" coupons as you have.  This includes Kohl's Cash and deals such as $10 off $30 of kids clothes or $15 off $50 of electronics.  You can typically only use ONE percent-off code per transaction.
Online: The website changes how many coupon codes you can use at once.  Currently, you can use 4 coupon codes on any one order {including Kohl's Cash codes}.  Sometimes at the holidays this number changes.


10. Use ebates!
If you're shopping online, use ebates!  It's a completely legitimate way to earn money back on lots of online retailers.  I have earned a total lifetime amount of $450 - for real.  450 bones, cash money in my pocket!  Ebates also offers extra discount codes.  To use ebates, you click through the ebates website to go to Kohl's then shop like normal.  Every time you do this, you earn a percentage of your purchase back on ebates {the percentage varies - holidays always have higher percentages!}.  Then ebates deposits your quarterly earnings into your paypal account.  It's a pretty sweet deal!  To sign up for ebates, click here. {Disclosure: This is an affiliate link.  I earn rewards for you joining.  I wouldn't advise it if it weren't legitimate though. Promise!}  Ebates was started in 1999 and has given out almost 19 million dollars in cash back since their inception - daaaang!  I also know some people use upromise for cash back into their kids' college funds.  I've heard this is a good program, but I have not personally used it.

11. Online shopping, in store returns.
I love online shopping, but returns are a pain in the tookus when you have to pay to mail them back!  Kohl's lets you return anything you purchase on their website to any store.  I use this regularly when I can't decide between two items on their website - just order both then pick which one you like better in person and return the other!

*****CURRENT KOHL'S DEALS AND PROMOTIONS*****
Now that you're equipped with all the best shopping tips at Kohl's, I'd love to share some of the current deals with you!  I've gotten all of these codes through one of the avenues above {the text message program, ebates, etc}.  The deal, expiration date, and promo code for each promotion are listed below.  Keep in mind that all of these stack on top of the sale prices!


Extra 20% off select already reduced items - Expires TOMORROW, 9/23/15 - Promo Code: TICKTOCK
Check out this promo ASAP, it's a 2 day only event!  Over FOUR THOUSAND items are reduced plus they get an extra 20% off!

20% off Everything - TODAY ONLY 9/22/15 - LEAVES
15% off $100+ - Exp. 12/31/15 - CATCH15OFF
15% off Nunnbush Footwear - Exp. 10/14/15 - NUNNBUSH15
15% off select Harvest Essentials, Home Decor & Cold-Weather Bedding - Exp. 9/24/15 - HARVEST15
15% off Costumes & Hallowen Merchandise - Exp. 9/23/15 - SPOOKY15
15% off all Seventeen Bedding - Exp. 9/30/15 - SEVENTEEN15
$10 off $30 Women's Juicy Couture Apparel - Exp. 9/23/15 - JUICY10
$10 off $30 Baby & Toddler, Maternity and Baby Gear - Exp. 9/23/15 - BABYSALE10
$10 off $30 Juniors' Suit Separates - Exp. 9/23/15 - WORKWEAR10
Free gift with purchase when you buy: Dream on Me crib, Juicy Couture watch, Escada Joyful fragrance, Guess Girl fragrance, Ermenegildo Zegna UOMO fragrance.  {See app "Deals & Coupons" for details.}

Don't forget your 3% cash back on top of all these deals!  Sign up for ebates here!

If you enjoyed this information and want to learn more about saving, check out this post about Target's bargains!