Getting Fabric for Free? Check for its Prior Care, First.

After reading Money Saving Mom's post on "5 Ways to Save Money on Sewing Supplies," I wanted to take it a step further and discuss what to look out for when it comes to old fabric.

Have you ever been the benefactor of old-but-new-to-you or vintage fabric? There are some great prints out there that have been discontinued or ones that harken back to days long past. Wouldn't it be great to repurpose those for a new project? Absolutely! However, a few words of caution.

I suggest investigating the fabrics before accepting or purchasing them. Many folks store fabrics in the wrong place or under the wrong conditions. When considering the purchase of an older fabric, or one that doesn't come from a store, look for the following:

1. Is one part of the fabric a lighter, or washed out shade, from the rest? That tells you that the folded piece may have sat near a window. The sun is horribly destructive to fabric. This can happen to new fabric, too! I know you've seen younger people who have baked in the sun and look many years older than they truely are. The same thing happens to fabric, but without the overly revealing swimsuit or fragrance of coconut oil.

2. Look at and listen to the fabric. Pick it up and feel it. Is it cotton, but it feels rough / crackly? Can you hear it crack a little? That means it was stored in too hot an area (think attic), and is no good. It will probably rip (and leave a little dust when doing so) with very little force. I had a quilting teacher in Columbus, OH who told us the story of one of her customers. The woman had such an addiction to building her stash (and hiding it from her husband) that she stored her fabric IN THE ATTIC OF HER OLD GARAGE. Oh, that poor fabric! Well, guess what? Her husband found out. How, you ask? He learned of her stash when the weight of the fabric become too much for the old garage, and the attic and roof collapsed onto their cars. It has been nearly a decade since I heard that story, and it still gives me goosebumps.

3. If you're just not sure, and you're talking to the owner, ask! Ask where / how she stored her fabric. Her honesty and potential lack of knowledge on how to properly care for a fabric stash could save you some heartache in the middle of a project.

4. Even if your fabric comes from a store, check the outside of the bolt compared to the inside. Some smaller stores showcase their fabric in their front windows to lure in customers, and the fabric suffers sun damage. That amazing mark-down may come at a higher price later. Most good fabric shops know better and wouldn't do such a terrible thing to good fabric.

So, whether you are saving money by getting fabric at a tag sale, or are the beneficiary of your friend's sewing room purge, make sure that old fabrics, threads, etc. are going to last as long as they were intended. Otherwise, you'll lose time and money, and to me, that's more frightening than sun-washed fabric!

**EXPIRED** Free Cup of Yoplait Original Yogurt

Visit Yoplait's site to get a free cup of Yoplait Original Yogurt.

You can even share with a friend or point them to SAHMonomics for the link.

Use their Calcium Calculator to find out if you are getting enough Calcium every day.

Enjoy!

**Expired** Walgreens - Free 8x10 Collage Print. (Expires 5/07/11)

I'm working on a photo project with my daughter. There are so many places that offer free photos or discounts on photo processing, sometimes offering anywhere from 10-20 prints free. 

Right now, you can get a free 8x10 Collage Print. Visit Walgreens Photo site to order and be sure you choose in-store pick-up to avoid paying for shipping.

To create a Collage Print, just click on "Get coupon code", and follow the instructions. If you are new to the Walgreens Photo site, you'll need to register. They offer frequent photo deals, so it's definitely worth the time. Make sure to use coupon code FREECOLLAGE at checkout. Limit one free 8x10 Collage Print per account. Offer ends May 7th. 

If you sign up for e-mails from Walgreens, you can learn about future photo offers like this one!

**Expired** Free ebook: 31 Days to Clean (today only!)

Free ebook: 31 Days to Clean (today only!)

I just learned about a new ebook, 31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way. The author is giving away a free copy, today only!

Sarah Mae is giving it away today. To get a free copy, you just have to post about the ebook on your blog or on Facebook or Twitter and link to her site and then send an e-mail with a link to your post to sarahmae@likeawarmcupofcoffee.com. She’ll then send you a free copy!

Thank you to Money Saving Mom!

Quick Tip: Save Time and Gasoline by Calling Ahead

So, I needed to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy today. I went in for a refill five days ago. According to insurance, it wasn't  quite time to pick up the script, so the pharmacist provided four pills at retail price and faxed the Dr. for the refill. Fast forward five days to today. I stop in to pick up the refill, and surprise, no word back from the doctor. Turns out, the fax has been sitting on his desk for the last five days waiting for him to approve it.

Moral of the story is, call the pharmacy (or other service provider) ahead of time to make sure that everyone has done their job, and in the event they have not, then you can save yourself the trip. I usually do this, but since I was in the neighborhood, I broke my own rule of calling ahead.

Quick Tip: Separate e-mail Address for Coupons / Offers / Freebies

I'm getting ready to take my own advice. If you are new to couponing / offers / freebies, or even if you're not, you really need a separate e-mail address for the influx. Some companies will allow you to opt out of receiving e-mails when you request to print a coupon from their site or ask for a freebie, but others do not. You can opt out later, but generally not until you receive your first e-mail. Typically, coupons offered by the manufacturer direct from their website are higher in value than what you'll find in the Sunday paper, so there really is value to receiving these e-mails. Also, you can get neat samples to try like the one I received yesterday from Breve Creme Coffee Creamer for a free full-size pint and five 55 cent off coupons.

The coffee cup was the shipping "box" for what you see arranged on the table.

The environmentalist in me says boo to the extra packaging on this Earth Day, but the bargain shopper and  deal finder says "cute and eye catching design".

So, the bottom line is, if you don't want to miss an important e-mail from your friend, family member, or bank in the potential sea of money saving info coming from your favorite brands or manufacturers, take a moment to open a second free e-mail through your internet service provider or another e-mail provider such as Google, Hotmail, or Yahoo!.

Quick Trip to Albertsons. Saved 79% and 85%

Click on the photo to get a better look at the savings!

Receipt #1: (left) I purchased 22 items, spent $31, saved $47.63 for a $79% savings. 


Plus I received a 5% off Catalina for a future purchase AND the cashier and I both missed a 55 cents off coupon on one package of meat. Even after almost two years of pairing coupons with sales, I still miss those peelies! I did catch two others that the cashier missed. Those were each for a free four-pack of King's Hawaiian Rolls with the purchase of meat. What I didn't notice is that the price for those was $1.09 each and the "free with purchase" coupon took off $1.00. I didn't see the peelie to see if it had a limit. Yes, it's only 18 cents, but it all adds up over time. It also looks like on my receipt, the cashier missed using one of my three doubler coupons. That's another $1.00. Since we get reimbursed for the deposit we pay on recycling for cans and glass here in Oregon, when I take in my recycling receipts to cash in and visit the pharmacy, I'll take my receipt from this purchase, along with the 55 cent peelie, and mention both the King's Hawaiian Rolls and the $1.00 doubler coupon. That will be $1.73 in my pocket.


I also used a manufacturer's coupon for a free full-size bottle of Nestle Coffee-Mate Fat Free French Vanilla that I got from either a Facebook or Coffee-Mate website offer. Be on the lookout for free or money off coupons on your favorite products' websites or Facebook pages! I also got brats, steak tips, and sausage crumbles that were all on sale and three boxes of Wheat Thins Crunch Stix. See scenario for the Wheat Thins below.


Receipt #2: (right) Two items, paid 98 cents, saved $5.60 for savings of 85%.  


Since Albertsons has a limit of three doubler coupons per transaction, I did a separate transaction. These were the new Nabisco product called Wheat Thins Crunch Stix. The come in four flavors, Chipotle Pepper, Honey Wheat, Fire Roasted Tomato, and Cinnamon Kick. The 4/17/11 Sunday paper had a $1.00 coupon for this product, and the Sunday paper also had three Albertsons doubler coupons which will double any manufacturer's coupon up to $1.00. Albertsons had the Stix on sale for $2.49 / box, so with stacking the manufacturer's and Albertsons coupons, I paid 49 cents per box. Not bad for a tasty new treat!


I will say that as far as the meat goes, if you work full-time or in the morning, it is hard to catch good meat markdowns since early morning is when most meat departments do their markdowns. However, you can send a relative or a friend who is available and split the purchase. If purchased on a Friday, you can hang with your friend or family member on a Saturday for a freezer cooking day. Put together some dishes that you both like using the meat one of you purchased, then split the bounty.


You can save money the way I did today. I follow various blogs via Facebook that post sales and coupon match-ups so all I have to do is buy the Sunday paper, or order my coupons online. You don't have to cut out ALL of the coupons, just the ones you need. Share other coupons you're not using with your friends. My friends and I even print coupons for each other since most sites have a limit. Shh! Don't tell. :-) I'll talk about these websites, how and where to buy coupons, and more in future posts.


Questions? Post in the comments section below and thanks for following SAHMonomics!