On a budget…

For some reason I was really itching to get out of here last night. Sean and I had spent most of the afternoon in the local libraries in search for information on grant writing. Thankfully when I came home a letter from Dick put me in the right direction. The Rehoboth Library really had nothing that I needed. The Lewes one didn’t either. They told me that the books I was looking for were up in Dover and the rest were on the Deltech Georgetown campus. I really didn’t want to travel that far so I wound up heading over to Atlantic Books and picked up a book that’s a complete guide to grants. It not only gives me a simple breakdown of everything I’m going to need to do but it also gave me a few samples so I can understand what I’m going to need to have listed, and how to go about grouping it together properly. The problem for me isn’t FINDING the grant resources, I’ve found a program that gives me thousands of listings for places to apply to, the issue was the actual write-up. While the Internet is typically a great resource for things, every “How to write a grant” website that I came across told me that I needed to purchase their eBook or the sites linked me to other sites that just kept sending me in circles. Either way I have the book I need and a few emails from Dick explaining how to go about every aspect of it so I’m sure over the course of the next couple of weeks I’ll have my formal write-up and then have the ability to start submitting to different companies.

On our way home we stopped at the market and picked up some things for dinner. I was really insistant that we BBQ last night considering it was the first nice 70°F day that we’d had in a while. So burgers and dogs were really the only menu items last night but that’s OK because there’s plenty left over to do it again tonight if we really wanted to.

After dinner I had the urge to get out of the house and something was pulling me in the direction of Dollar Tree. I knew that we needed a few house-hold items but I was shocked to find out that everything I needed was on sale. Yes, the dollar store was having a sale. The thing I like about Dollar Tree is the fact that it’s a TRUE dollar store. No matter what you pick up it’s only going to be a buck. And thanks to no sales-tax in Delaware, if you get 13 items you pay $13 dollars.

I went in for the basics, carpet fresh, toilet cleaner, air freshner, tissues, and a few odds and ends to complete my need to redecorate the bedroom. I was shocked to find out that almost everything I wanted was 2 for $1. So the simple break down went like this:

2 carpet fresh – $1
2 tissues – $1
2 air freshners – $1
2 bowl cleaners – $1
2 mirrors – $2
1 lotion – $1
Total: $8

How awesome is that?

I then took a trip over to Walmart, unfortunately the dollar store was out of a few items that I needed. There were also some decent sales going on so I picked up the items I couldn’t get at the dollar store, all of which were on sale for a whopping $1! I also loaded up on a few odds and ends for Sean to get by, that gave me another $10 worth of items.

I came home with about 10 bags filled to the rim and only spent $18! If that’s not shopping on a budget, I don’t know what is.

13 Responses to “On a budget…”

  1. mark says:

    I love the DollarTree they are unbeatable when it comes down to household cleaning stuff, especially when they are having a sale!!

    Enjoy that “I just got such a good bargain” feeling, it doesnt happen that often!

    Happy Bargain Hunting!!

  2. Bronnie says:

    That’s awesome!!! Our $1 stores have items worth $4.50, it’s stupid!! I never seem to catch them during sales.. lol. Mind you, I’m still living at home, so don’t need to buy all the cleaning products, my mum does. lol. *blush*

    Grants are hard work! They’re awesome if you can get one and well worth the effort, sorry I can’t help. Good luck!!

    Yay for BBQing… I love it. Feels very summery. 🙂

    Bronnie’s last blog post..13 of my current obsessions

  3. Becky says:

    I love the Dollar Store! Where else can you get Little Debbie cookies for just $1. I usually go in before work and pick up snacks for everyone on the shift.

    Yesterday must have been cook-out night here in NC. It was our first decent night in a while (weather wise) and I think everyone was cooking out cause we were so dead at Chili’s. Maybe one night I can be at a cookout instead of working!

  4. Krissy says:

    Bronnie – Not all dollar stores are the same, unfortunately. I’ve been to a few $0.99c and up stores and they really weren’t worth the time. Sure, you can pick up the bare necessities for cheap but it’s so much nicer to go to a store and know exactly how much I’m going to pay for everything. Especially for those awesome 2 for $1 deals on cleaning supplies. A lot of people say the best place to get your cleaning supplies are from the dollar shops. You’ll have to use twice the product to get the same strength (a lot of it is watered down) but it’s worth it to me considering laundry detergent is like $6 a pop for the stuff I usually use.

    Becky – I love to BBQ. I agree, the weather hasn’t been so nice over the course of the last couple days but April showers bring May flowers!

  5. Anesthesia says:

    I love dollar stores. They really rock. I bought 10 bags of glass marbles from Walmart for $4.99 a piece.. Then we go next door to the Dollar Tree and they have the same marbles for $1 per bag. I took the other ones back to Walmart and saved like $40 in the process!! How can you not love that?!

  6. Krissy says:

    Anesthesia – That’s the best feeling in the world.

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  8. Wow, a blogger from Delaware. I’ve only seen one other person besides me. lol.

    I love the Dollar Tree. I usually go in and buy tons of drinks to stock up my dressing room fridge.

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  10. filme says:

    I mastered the art of budget shopping whislt at university!

  11. you can pick up the bare necessities for cheap but it’s so much nicer to go to a store and know exactly how much I’m going to pay for everything. Especially for those awesome 2 for $1 deals on cleaning supplies. A lot of people say the best place to get your cleaning supplies are from the dollar shops.

  12. Monavie says:

    You just got to love a Dollar Store. ..Walmart is pretty awesome too but you have to watch what you spend. Its amazing the difference it can make! I got enough food to bring lunch to work for three weeks and it only cost me $30! I like Becky’s idea of buying snacks at the dollar store for coworkers.

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April 11, 2008

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