Sears Price Protection Policy

My husband needed a new shovel two weeks ago and we purchased one at Sears. Of course that same shovel went on sale this weekend.

It turns out that Sears has a Price Protection Policy. The policy states that "if an item you have purchased from Sears goes on sale for a lower price within 30 days of your purchase, Sears will refund the difference." Just take your receipt to the Sears store where you made the purchase and they will refund the difference between the original price paid and the current reduced price. If you made the purchase online, you need to email the sales check number and the item for which you are requesting a price adjustment to priceprotection@customerservice.sears.com.

Sears also has a Price Match Plus Policy for competitors' prices. They will match the price plus give you 10% of the difference if you find an identical item at a local competitor retail store. All you need to do is bring in the sale ad to Sears and present it at the time of purchase or within 30 days after your purchase. This policy also applies to some online competitors. Check out the policy for all the details for online competitors.

Saving on Holiday Gifts- Build It Yourself Lego Table

Lego tables typically retail for around $100. Find out how to make your own Lego table for about $44. The project looks really easy to do, there aren't many materials to buy and the table looks great when it is finished. Thanks to Stimey for this awesome frugal project!

Saving on Holiday Gifts- Give Used Toys

I saved $80 on my Christmas shopping this year just by sending an email. I thought the Ikea Lomsk Chair would be a perfect gift for one of my children but the $79.99 price tag put it way outside of my holiday budget. I thought that surely someone had to have one of these bright orange and red chairs and wished that they didn't. I checked Craigslist and I found one but the seller was located too far away. So I send out some emails to local parenting listservs hoping that someone would have one they wanted to sell. No one offered to sell me one but someone offered to give me one for FREE! I cleaned it up and it looks like new.

I have no problem giving my kids used toys as gifts, especially on big ticket items. It saves a lot of money, it is good for the environment and the kids don't care as long as all the pieces are there.

Sources for used toys:
Craigslist
Ebay- Watch the prices. They aren't always good.
Freecycle
Freepeats
Consignment Sales
Yard Sales
Parenting Listservs

UPDATED TO ADD: There is a discussion going on over at Baby Cheapskate about giving used gifts! Check it out here.

Laundry Detergent Samples- Perfect for Travel

I love free samples and one of my favorites is laundry detergent samples. I have an HE washer, so most of the sample aren't suitable for me to use at home but I request them anyway. They are perfect to take along when you travel. Most hotels with guest laundry facilities charge a couple dollars for a single-use package of detergent. Take some of these samples along and save yourself some cash. The packets are small and really durable (they made it through the mail in an envelope without exploding) but I still pack mine in a plastic bag, just in case.

Start stocking up for your next vacation! Request a free sample of Tide Total Care here.