The more videos I make for WalletPop, the sillier I get on screen. This week’s video is about scoring end-of-summer deals.
Do you have a budget? Do you like it? I explain my 15-minute budget in this 1-minute video. The first time I tried this budget I saved $2,000. Let me know if it works for you!
I’ve made a lot of videos for WalletPop, but this one is my favorite. Check out my spin at the end! Hehehe. Joking aside, this video shows super basic tips to turn $20 Target jeans into designer. The tips also work to spruce up worn out denim.
I’ve gotten free subscriptions to OK! and Forbes by paying close attention to special offers and particular websites. This video has my best tips for getting free mags.
I recently filmed a short video for WalletPop.com about where to find the best freebies online. Click on the video below to watch.
If you are new to clothing swaps or missed the Frugal Festival, this video explains what a swap is and how they work, plus shows you how much fun this year’s event was. If you attended the Frugal Fest on June 19, look for your cameo. There are a lot of them! Click on the video below to watch.
If you missed my interview on NBC last week about the Frugal Festival, watch it below. The volume is really low, unfortunately.
rockinfree/Flickr
Get a free 30-day newspaper subscription to USA Today’s e-edition when you register on their site.
Here is a Borders coupon for 40% off the list price of any item, good through Saturday!
A 3.5-ounce serving of Carvel’s new low-fat ice cream is free today only!
MyPublisher has a buy one get one free photo deal on photobooks, which make a great Mother’s Day gift.
Wienerschnitzel chicken corn dogs are now just $.79 everyday!
Snag a free episode of the amazing Discovery Channel series Planet Earth. And it’s in HD!
Today is the last day of an Old Navy sale to get 15% off online. But if you can wait until Friday and shop in line, you’ll get 30% off everything!
The Restaurant.com 80% off sale was extended through tomorrow, April 30!
Check out all the deals and coupons on my WalletPop blog.
“We’re about to spend three months living completely out of trash starting with nothing at all, starting with an empty apartment,” says a man at the beginning of I Love Trash. “We’re going to get everything to fill our apartment…from the trash. All our clothes and bedding and food and toys and games and entertainment all out of the trash,” the man continues.
The folks behind I Love Trash sent me a link to their 1:15:45 film after watching me going dumpster diving. Their video gets good about 2 minutes and 30 seconds in.
Quick TRUE or FALSE quiz. Every American creates 4.5 pounds of trash per per day. (more…)
Reactions to a video of me going dumpster diving got a wide variety of reactions, from intrigue…
Wow! It is amazing how many things get tossed out, but I don’t know if I could go dumpster diving.
..to disgust…
This is just not right. I don’t eat food that falls on my floor at home or that grandson has sneezed on. No way am I going to eat food from a dumpster. If I was homeless, maybe. Thankfully I am not in that predicament.
…to understanding…
my son bragged about our dumpster finds once, and the church gave us a care package for Thanksgiving!
…to outrage…
I worked at Starbucks for several years, and you would all be sickened at what was thrown out. Perfectly good baked goods are thrown out by every store, every evening. TONS OF THEM. Giant garbage bags full of them. The poor, minimum wage baristas are generally not allowed to take any of it (although I often broke the rules and took stuff anyway). There oughta be a law against this waste.
…to another kind of outrage…
What you are advocating is highly dangerous. Let me explain. I operated grocery stores for over 60 years. What was safe to eat, but damaged or close to its ‘do not sell’ date was marked down and sold in the store or was donated to charity. What we threw in the dumpster was often contaminated or unsafe to eat. Contaminated with what? Spills of household chemicals like bleach, soap, cleaning supplies, dirt, insects, and poisons. Unsafe to eat included foods that contained salmonella, botulism, or listeria. Salmonella and listeria can make you very sick or if you’re young or elderly kill you. Botulism will kill you even in small amounts. Yes, sometimes an employee will put something good in the dumpster and not all food there has these bacteria, but, can you tell the difference? Foods that have been recalled often go into the dumpster. When they are recalled, there is a serious safety reason. There are hundreds of recalls a year that you don’t hear about. If you wouldn’t buy it because it was recalled, why would you eat it for free? Do you have a death wish? What you are advocating is much like playing Russian Roulette. Sure, when pulling the trigger, most people will get off. Then again sometimes you are just out of luck. Is it worth it to take a chance on the safety of your loved ones or yourself?
…to practical…
Why don’t more people start groups like FoodNet (Nebraska) and then people who really need food could pick it up for free and not have to dive in dumpsters. I use to help with this group and we would pick up unused food from various restaurants, cafeterias, and grocery stores and take it immediately to a refrigerator or freezer (if needed). I was able to take some of the food for my family and we never got sick. I wish there were more groups like this one.
To be clear, I am not advocating dumpster diving, which is illegal. I sought to tell the story of Allison Burtch, who believes passionately in dumpster diving as a way to take individual responsibility for the waste our country’s food system produces, for better or worse.
Comments in order were left by Blakely, Lynda, prettybama, Chrystal, Ron, and Amy.
If you haven’t watched the 2:49 video, click more to see it. (more…)
Okay folks, here is my first video for WalletPop. I was nervous watching it for the first time with my Mom, who I impersonate in the video. But we both liked it. What do you think?
UPDATE: Just wanted to share this amazing coupon story from reader Kristin:
Loved the video. I am trying to get into using coupons more and I signed up on couponmom.com but it’s still a little confusing to me. I am wondering if I should look at other sites. Anyway, I tried this last night. I had two coupons for corn starch and then I saw that the cornstarch was on sale at Ralphs with the club card for $1.99. I asked if they double coupon and they said yes, up to $1.00 and you can use up to two coupons per item but only one gets doubled. So after my coupons and the sale, I ended up getting a $3.99 container of cornstarch for free! It was exhilarating!
im trying to get my husband involved too.
Watch this video if you are loyal to brand names. Atlanta’s consumer advocate Clark Howard talks for 1:13 about a new site that sells brand name groceries and products, like Tide, for less than he has been able to find anywhere else. Plus you can get coupons for these products, too.
Thanks, SpendLessTV!
I learned about this video through SpendLessTV, which shares clips about saving money from all sorts of stations.
This 4:29 video follows filmmaker and director Karney Hatch as he fights Bank of America over his overdraft fees, something I’ve been writing about. I highly recommend it!
Related:
Debit cards are a cash cow for banks
Banks agree to lower/eliminate bank fees
This 2:20 minute video from SpendLessTV is pretty darn helpful if you are trying to get out of a cell phone contract. It suggests a few ways to do the deed that I’d never heard of. And it has practical advice that is easy to follow.
WalletPop has a fun video testing which dish washing method uses the least amount of water. The tester cleans dishes in a soapy basin, in a sink with running water, and in her dishwasher. The results surprised me!
Thanks, Scott!
