Frugal Coupon Living

Stretching Your Pennies, Saving Your Dollars

Archives for February 2020

I Heart You! Red Heart Earrings

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by Filed Under: Frugal Fashion, Online Shopping, Target

published date: February 03, 2020
modified datt: February 01,2020

These SUGARFIX by BaubleBar Mini Enamel Heart Earrings are an easy way to incorporate a little love into your day. These heart earrings put a sweet twist on open hoop earrings, swapping out the classic round shape for an open heart. Whether they’re paired with a simple jeans-and-tee combo or with a cocktail dress and heels, these heart-shaped earrings will add a sweet touch you’re sure to love.

Target’s budget friendly price is only $9.99 a pair, plus if you have Target Redcard, save an extra 5%!


You can also save 5% off your purchase with your Target RedCard. Learn more about What is Target Redcard? Find more Target Deals on Frugal Coupon Living.


WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

Highly Rated! Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Lip Color

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by Filed Under: Frugal Fashion, Online Shopping, Target

published date: February 02, 2020
modified datt: February 01,2020

This 5 Loyalist Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Lip Color is really popular right now on beauty bloggers and is under $8. Plus if you have Target Redcard, save an extra 5%!

Highlights:
• Gives your lips a perfect matte finish for up to 16 hours
• Available in an assortment of saturated shades
• Includes an arrow applicator for flawless application


You can also save 5% off your purchase with your Target RedCard. Learn more about What is Target Redcard? Find more Target Deals on Frugal Coupon Living.


WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

Surprise Birthday Party Hacks and Ideas

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by Filed Under: Birthday, Facebook, Hacks, Instagram, Party, Pinterest, Social Media

published date: February 02, 2020
modified datt: August 16,2022

Shhh, don’t blow it (pun intended!) Gift the person who has everything a party. These Surprise Birthday Party Hacks and Ideas will help you pull of the biggest secretly planned party that the guest of honor and party guests will love.

Surprise Birthday Party Hacks and Ideas

Does anyone else like giving surprises more than receiving them. Perhaps its the little bit of “control freak” in me. I really like to know what is going on but really like to surprise people with gifts, events, outings, etc.

What is a Surprise Birthday Party?

A secretly planned party for someone who is not told about it until he or she arrives. Typically when the guess of honor arrives, the crowd yells, Surprise!

Surprise parties are especially great for the person who has it all! The best gift you could give them is to gather all their friends and family together in one room. Everyone is there for them!

Planning a surprise party can be a little bit intimidating.  The key word is planning. If you are not a planner, step aside and fine someone who is.

First, you have to do everything you can to make sure the guest of honor does not find out. That can be a challenge, especially with technology today! It’s important to plan ahead. I suggest talking to all guests instead of sending out a mass invite. If you are talking to your guests, you can remind them how important it is that the party is kept a secret.

The day of the party, make sure you line up a chauffeur. Have someone drive them so they can’t bail on the location all together. Can you imagine if they texted you replying “they were too tired to go out tonight!” that would be a disaster.  When I had my sweet 16th surprise birthday, I tried to change the restaurant at the last minute. Luckily, my mom (my driver) would not let me change restaurant locations. You could also have the party at home. Everybody makes it home each day, no?

Before the guest of honor arrives, make sure you have parking under control. They will likely recognize cars so use side streets or additional parking lost. You could even bus people back and forth to the party.

Have a way to say “Surprise!”  Have huge balloon drop, noise makers, or even face masks with a photo of the guest of honor! Enjoy these Surprise Birthday Party Ideas and hacks. Let us know how it goes!

We love celebrations! Also take a look at our Retirement Party Ideas, Family Birthday Celebrations, and Half Birthday Party Ideas – for those 6 months to 100 years old!


Surprise Birthday Party Hacks and Ideas

Lets get ready to celebrate!  Copy these surprise party ideas that include invitations, party favors, party games and more. Enjoy these low-cost birthday surprise ideas that are easy to implement and everyone will love!

Invitations

I love the pun! “Shhh! Don’t Blow It!” Surprise Birthday Invitation. This invitation is no longer available on Etsy, but there are plenty of cute surprise party invitation ideas.

Party Décor

Foil balloons are so easy to access now and best of all they can easily be blow up with a low-cost balloon pump. Spell out your statements with this Surprise Balloon Banner.

X facts for X number of years. In this creative party décor idea from Marta Writes, this photos of number-related facts gives party guests something to do early on while waiting for everyone else to arrive. This can easily be done on a word document.

Party Perfect Orlando has a beautiful display of memories over the years displayed in a photo luminary tablescape. Follow this tutorial on how to make photo luminaries using Vellum Paper.

Party Games

Having something to do at the party is important. You can invest lots of money into entertainment or quickly pull them together on a budget. These low-cost games are perfect for kids, teens or even adults. They use common supplies around the home or ones you can easily access at a craft store, Target/Walmart or even The Dollar Tree.

Don’t get bored. Included these 16 Party Games for Kids Printable PDF with directions and supply list. The kids will love each and everyone one of these games. Play them all or pick the ones you love.

Hosting an adult birthday party? Adults like games too. Everyone on the guest list will love this low-cost entertainment. Save these 17 Adult Party Games Printable PDF with game instructions and supply list.

How well do you know the guest of honor?  Some of these answers might come as a surprise. Print your game from Play Party Plan and honor your birthday person. See how many answers you know to these questions. Who got closest to 21?

Surprise Party Ideas

Go incognito with a mask. The birthday boy or birthday girl will have no idea why 100 clones of him / her on the the room! These are so fun and we truly thing worth the investment! | This shop owner is taking a break, you can find more face masks on a stick here.

For an outdoor party, get festive with a Happy Birthday song. Light sparklers to set the mood! This would make the perfect opportunity for some of the best surprise party photos!

Party Food

Of course your #1 surprise birthday party food idea will need to be anything the birthday person loves! They are other cute ideas to fit the surprise party theme.

Choose your number, but have blow pops and suckers on your table. You even have Hershey kisses for years that kiss a**. This plays with the number of your themed birthday party. | DIY Inspired

Personalize your menu. Include a few of his (her) favorite things in the party foods. Of course this requires planning. Since it’s a surprise party, the hosts really need to know the person of honor. | Source Unknown

Guest Book

Don’t let these memories go down the drain – must like those years of your life must have… considering how many candles we see on that surprise birthday party cake. All humor aside, look at these surprise party ideas for a guest book.

Build a memory with a Jenga Game guest book. It comes a game later and who wouldn’t love to re-read through these memories (again and again) during a family game night?  | Source Unknown

Set up a chalk board with instructions for guests and ask everyone to stick a photo into a guest book and leave a message for the birthday boy / girl. You will need an instant Polaroid-type camera.

Layout envelopes in the shape of a number representing their year of life. The envelopes can comprise of several words of love and affection from you, family, and friends. You can make this before the party and as guests arrive they can add a index card or small letter inside the envelope. Easy and low-cost party decorations and a really cute gift or message for the special birthday person. | Source Unknown

Balloon Ideas

Hang a Balloon Chandelier full of memories. Grab some photos, helium and relive those moments.  Follow this DIY balloon tutorial.

If you plan on dropping balloons, you can buy a balloon bag. You can also make your own balloon drop with this tutorial. We also have a balloon drop tutorial in our  Family Birthday Celebrations.

Mask the party entrance with a waterfall of balloons. This is perfect for the front door or if your birthday kid is at home, use it on their bedroom door. | Source

Surprise Party Cake Ideas

If you have a surprise party, you need a surprise party cake! A Pinata Cake is a perfect birthday cake for the occasion!

Speaking of Surprise birthday cakes, make a cake of candles. Simple and fun! Have a fire extinguisher near by with all those candles!

Toss his face on a a stick with these photo cupcake toppers! These make me laugh so much… you too?

Scavenger Hunt

As if a surprise wasn’t enough to cause a heart attack. Take your guest of honor on a birthday treasure hunt too fun something fun at the end!

Have your guests hide in a room and remain quite, while the birthday boy / girl goes on a scavenger hunt to finally find them! Use our printable Birthday Scavenger Hunt. | Source Unknown

Sometimes a surprise is in the birthday treasure hunt. Send your child on an at home Birthday Scavenger Hunt with 20 birthday treasure hunt riddles and clues.

Beer & Wine Tasting

Does your birthday guy or gal have a special drink or love cocktails? If you have something brewing for the adults, change the party location. You can bring the winery or brewery to your house. Try a wine tasting party or even a beer Oktoberfest party.


Surprise Birthday Party Ideas and Tips

We love these Family Birthday Celebrations for times where you aren’t hosting a party! Pin to Pinterest.

And for small recognition, look at these Half Birthday Party Ideas. Pin to Pinterest.



WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

Last Updated on August 16, 2022 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living

How Does Instacart Work?

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by Filed Under: Facebook, Frugal Living, Hacks, Instagram, Pinterest, Social Media, Store Deals

published date: February 01, 2020
modified datt: February 01,2020

What is Instacart? Instacart is service for online grocery delivery. How Does Instacart Work? Customers select groceries from various retailers, a personal shopper will do their shopping and deliver groceries, often on the same day, when they are finished. How many hours could you get back in the day/week/month not grocery shopping? Read these testimonies to see how this Mom Hack could benefit your home and bring time back to your family.

As many of you know, I no longer do my own grocery shopping. When we jumped from 3 to 5 kids (twins, wink), I had to GLADLY let some responsibilities go and grocery shopping was one of them. In fact, this lovely Saturday afternoon, I am perfecting this informative post and simultaneously doing my grocery shopping – all from the comfort of my couch while watching a move with my older girls.

Who is winning, I am winning. My family is winning too!

I use Peapod Online Grocery shopping to order my groceries, but a few of you asked for suggestions because you did not have Peapod. Hence, What is Instacart?

… and why I might leave Peapod after writing this post.

What is Instacart?

Many of you may have heard of Instacart, but do you truly know WHAT it is? Instacart is a service that offers to do the grocery shopping for you. This is great for busy moms who just don’t have time to grocery shop.. or for moms who are not interested in the grocery store crowd.

I want to walk you through HOW this works so that you too can take advantage of this great service if you so desire.

Get Instacart Products You Love

The best part of Instacart is that you get access to the products that you love. You don’t have to scrimp on items that you hate because Instacart allows you to choose products you want. Shop for 1,000s of name brand products in your favorite retail stores – Whole Foods, Costco, Kroger, Publix, Wegmans, Aldi and more. Shop multiple stores at once in one delivery (more on that later.)

Same Day Delivery

Perhaps the most genius part of Instacart is that your groceries get delivered right to your front door. As a bonus incentive, that you don’t see many places, get same-day delievery. You can have groceries at your door in a matter of hours.

Save Time and Money

You may be wondering WHY Instacart would be a company you’d trust to do your grocery shopping. Most people choose Instacart because they get to save time and they get to save money. As I mentioned above, I save time because I can grocery shop from my phone app or computer while sitting and watching a movie with my kids. I also spend less time in the store buying extra things that were not on my grocery list or weekly menu plan.

How Does Instacart Work?

Now that you know a little more about Instacart, you may be wondering how it would work if you were to use it. Perhaps this is the most amazing part of Instacart is that it’s so easy! Follow along as I teach you how Instacart Works.

The companies that Instacart works with include Kroger, Whole Foods, Aldi, Costco, and any companies that are local to you. There is a small fee associated when you use Instacart. When you first sign up with Instacart, it’s free for 14 days. So it gives you two weeks to test it out. For me, that is at least four grocery runs in a two week period. That gives me four opportunities to see if I like this grocery delivery service.

How Much Is Instacart Express?

There are different delivery fees associated when you order through Instacart. The fees are based on how soon you want your groceries and peak hours. These delivery fees range from $3.99 to $9.99. Think delivery feeds are dumb. We can erase them. Join the Instacart Express membership club, which can save you a lot of money in the long run and will give you free delivery on order over $35. Instacart Express is $99 per year or $9.99 monthly. If you divide $99.00 by $5.99 (per delivery), you will get your money’s worth in about 16 deliveries. For me, that is as little as 5 to 8 weeks.

Free Two Week Trial of Instacart Express

Benefits of Instacart Express

  • Free deliveries on any and all orders above $35 (typically $3.99 to $9.99 for non-Express)
  • No surge pricing – save even more during peak delivery hours
  • Reduced service fees (typically 5% for non-Express)
  • Shop from multiple stores and still get free delivery on the whole order

Consider it your Amazon Prime of grocery shopping.

Are Prices Marked Up?

Because this is a company and companies need to make money, it’s important to note that in some cases Instacart prices are marked up. You are not paying the exact price from the store, you are paying the price that Instacart offers. So if there is a sale that week, it might not be noted on the Instacart app. Instacart does, however, have their own Instacart coupons – so take a look at those closely and maybe meal plan around what you see is on sale.

There is an easy way to check price differences for yourself. Order on Instacart and see your bill, then the following week, shop with the same list in your grocery store. How did you find the prices compared? Decide if that difference is worth your time and energy. Did you find yourself buying more in the grocery store when you were physically in the store? These are all things to consider.

Convenience of Shopping

It’s easy to see that a lot of reasons people use Instacart. It’s very convenient! You may find that this is a very convenient way for you to shop and save time and money.

I found it best to quote a friend I interviewed for this post…

I used Peapod and loved it but one day my delivery window wasn’t available, so I switched to Instacart Express because of the quicker delivery window. I also like that I can order from multiple stores. I almost always order as much as I can from Aldi and the rest from Wegmans (usually for gluten-free and other items I can’t find at Aldi). Aldi saves me money and Wegmans provides the items I can’t get at one store. It is nice being able to shop at two stores and not get charged extra! In 60 order, I have saved 99 hours at the grocery store. That is 99 hours I get back with my family or doing personal things.

How long would it take you to shop at two grocery stores? How many hours can you get back NOT going to a grocery store or two? What would you do with that returned time?

Her testimony of shopping two stores at one time almost has me canceling my Peapod membership!

Friendly Instacart Shoppers

Another reason people use Instacart is that the shoppers are friendly. Someone else is going to the store and shopping for your groceries. They are driving them to your home and dropping the groceries off. If you want to make income for grocery shopping for someone else, you can also sign up for Instacart Shoppers too and earn money while shopping for someone else.

Download the Instacart App

This grocery delivery store isn’t just in big cities though, it’s also in some small towns across the USA. You can easily download the Instacart app and grocery shop right from your phone, just enter your zip code. If you’re into saving time and money, then downloading the app is a smart move! You can grocery shop when you have downtime. It’s pretty awesome!

Get Started with Instacart Today!

Instacart Contact

If you have issues with the Instacart app, deliveries, orders or want to get the Instacart Express best price, use the Instacart Contact.

You can visit https://www.instacart.com/help to report a problem or get the Instacart email. You can also call…

Instacart Customer Service Phone Number 1-888-246-7822

I hope this helps you understand Instacart and how it can benefit you and your life. You may find that Instacart is truly the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Let me know if what you like about this grocery delivery service and if it benefits you. I love hearing from your own personal experiences!


I hardly ever go to the grocery store and use Peapod to get our groceries from store to home. Take a look at Peapod Online Grocery Delivery. Pin to Pinterest.

Learn more about or try out an Amazon Fresh Trial. Pin to Pinterest.



WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

Last Updated on February 1, 2020 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living

Wish List | Sunglasses Holder

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. Read my privacy policy and disclosure policy here.

by Filed Under: Amazon, Fashion, Frugal Fashion, Online Shopping

published date: February 01, 2020
modified datt: January 30,2020

Are the number of sunglasses you own adding up? I find I have “frugal” pairs lying around. In order to keep them from getting scratched, grab this frugal-friendly, designer-inspired 4 Slots Foldable Checkered Sunglasses Travel Organizer Case. It can store 4 pairs of sunglasses and glasses in one convenient and unique design case whether at home or while traveling. The brown luxury checkered pattern is suitable for men and women, and perfect for gift giving.



Remember you get FREE Shipping on Amazon when you spend $25 or FREE shipping with Prime.

Grab a FREE Trial of Amazon Prime!

As a reminder, Amazon prices can change at any time. This price was current at publishing time. Be sure to confirm the price before purchasing to ensure this deal has not changed.


WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.