Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Creative Spending

My almost 8 year old daughter's birthday is in early February, which presents certain logistical issues that can be difficult if proper planning does not take place.  For one thing, her birthday comes on the tails of Christmas, and it also hapens to be smack in the middle of the lean season for commissions.  However, she has never actually caught onto this reality.  I manage to put on quite the celebration for her.


This year she had some very specific requests, among them were new bedding for her room and earrings for her newly pierced ears.  So far, starting the week after Christmas, I have managed to get her 3 sets of stearling silver earings, 2 headbands, a travel game, and the longed for bedding.  Anyone want to venture a guess at my total out of pocket cost?

$20

How did I do it?  There were three separate transactions.  The first transaction was the earrings and the game.  I purchased them with Kohls cash leftover from holiday purcases, during their after Christmas blowout sale.   My total after my Kohls cash was used was just over $3.

My second transaction was at Old Navy, when I was shopping for myself with a gift card and I had a few extra dollars remaining, so I purchased the two headbands.  My out of pocket was about a dollar.

My third transaction I found the bedding on clearance at a store for which I had a gift card, applied the gift card to the total and paid $16 out of pocket.  Not bad considering this was a comforter, bed skirt, two shams and three throw pillows.

Just about anything can be accomplished if you take the time to plan appropriately.  Yes, I realize that I used a gift card intended for myself, but in reality I made a loan to myself.  Come summer, I will return to that store and spend cash on myself.  For now, I accomplished what I needed to without using a credit card and I will not be paying interest on her gifts for months on end.

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