Wow, is my head ever swimming. It seems like I was in a rut in terms of how I was going to come up with a game plan for knocking out my student loan debt etc. Now that I'm starting to turn my dream into a concrete vision, all these ideas are swimming around in my head.
I am starting with small baby steps.
One thing that I like to do is to make a list of things that I'll be "needing" in the future. Here is a list of things that I will definitely be needing at some point, but I don't have to buy them right away:
First thing, the word "Einkaufszettel" is German for "shopping list". I still write it out that way, ever since I lived in Germany as a study abroad student.
In any case, these are things that I'll be needing to buy in the near future. The MAC lipstick and lip gloss are really nice, neutral colors that I can wear anytime. It's funny, because I'm almost out of both colors.
I almost stopped by work to buy some today after church. However, I didn't really have a piece about it and I kept asking myself the question: Do I really NEED this right now or can I wait just a little bit longer before I plunk down money for this?
My answer was: I CAN wait and I will wait a little bit longer.
One thing I have learned is that just because you have the money to buy something RIGHT NOW doesn't mean you have to. So I will wait until I'm completely out before I replenish my make-up inventory :)
I do wear braces, so dental floss is a MUST right now. I go through that stuff really fast. The same for the toothpaste. Since I'm paying out-of-pocket for my orthodontic care, I want to make sure that I get my money's worth and that means taking very good care of my teeth.
The toothpaste is gluten free and so is the shampoo and conditoner on my list. I do use the Raspberry Shine. Here's a photo again of the conditioner:
I was paying $8.99 a bottle for the shampoo and conditioner and probably about $6 for the toothpaste. They are gluten free products and those things are important to me. So I am willing to make the sacrifice for those things.
HOWEVER, a very sweet reader sent me a private email the other day and told me of a really great site, where I could get my conditioner for much less. The site is called Swanson Vitamins. Click here to visit their site. I found my conditioner listed here for about $4.98...yeah, my jaw dropped to the floor, too. With as often as I use this product and even factoring in shipping, I won't be buying it at my local store anymore.
There's also another site called VitaCost that has awesome natural and organic products at really great prices. Click here to visit them. The last time I checked I found my shampoo and conditioner selling here for about $4.98 a bottle and my special toothpaste for $3.98 a tube. the BEST part is that shipping is free on orders over $49 and they often have free shipping specials on smaller orders.
I don't normally spend that much at one time on my hair and body care products. However, with such great deals, I can afford to make a BIG purchase now, knowing that I'm saving a LOT of money in the long run.
Today is payday. I'll let you know what I end up ordering, what the total is and what I ordered.
UPDATE at 6:23 p.m Pacific Standard Time:
Hi everyone ;) :) Okay, so I ended up having to place my order as a "guest", but I was able to reset my password this afternoon after work. WOW, did I save a boatload of money...at least a lot for me.
After work, I went to my local store where I usually most of these products I'm about to tell you about. If I payed full price (including tax) for everything I ordered today, it would have been $91.99.
As it happens, with my VitaCost order I only paid $50.31. There was no tax and it was FREE shipping because I ordered over $49 worth of product :)
That's a savings of 45%. That is HUGE in my checkbook and that frees up that much more money to put towards paying off bills etc. I just placed the order this morning and it should arrive in 1-4 business days.
Here's the breakdown of what I purchased. I will highlight in BLUE what the regular retail was and factor in the taxes at the end. Unless otherwise specified, I only ordered a quantity of ONE of certain items. In other cases, I ordered multiples because it's something I know that I will use consistently.
South of France Bar Soap Acai Pomegranate - 8.8 ox
$3.94 / $6.39
Desert Essence Dental Floss - Tea Tree Oil - 50 yds
$2.29 x 4 qty / $3.99
GUM Eez-Thru Floss Threaders - 25 pieces
$2.96 / $3.29
I will say that this one came as a surprise, because I didn't even know that VitaCost carried this, but they DO :) :) :) I use these ALL THE TIME to help me with flossing. They're necessary in order to floss the teeth while going through the process of braces on the teeth.
Auromere Herbal Toothpaste Fresh Mint - 4 oz
$3.44 / $5.99
Desert Essence Organics Shampoo Raspberry Shine for All Hair Types - 8 oz
$5.29 x 3 qty / $8.99
Desert Essence Organics Raspberry Conditioner Red Raspberry - 8 fl oz.
$4.98 x 3 qty / $8.99
So here is the breakdown again. Hopefully it's a little easier to see this way:
Vitacost Order total (no tax/free shipping) - $50.13
Regular Retail (including sales tax 7.5%) - $91.99
That means I saved a total of 45%. What does that mean?
Serious CHACHING back into my wallet :) :) :)
I can hardly wait for my VitaCost order to arrive. When it does, I'll show you all a photo. In the meantime, enjoy this vintage beauty :) :) It's a vintage Ford Mustang that I saw in the mall parking lot a few days ago:
That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)
No comments:
Post a Comment