December 26th...A teacher's Black Friday!

I was one of those people standing in lines and shopping all night on Black Friday; however, I almost get more excited for December 26th. On December 26th I plan for the next Christmas with my students. Most stores deeply discount their Christmas merchandise. My favorite things to buy for the next year:

1. Thank you cards: At Christmastime I receive gifts from my students and make it a goal to write a thank you card before the break. These thank you cards are so much cheaper the day after Christmas.
2. Ornaments/Crafts: Many teachers have their students make gifts for their parents at Christmastime. This is the perfect time to buy DIY crafts or ornaments that the students can make for their parents.
3. Gifts for students: When teaching 20 or more students, it is important to be thrifty with their Christmas presents. I usually look for gifts that can be used for the next year. I try to buy more than I think I will need (you can always have a stockpile).
4. Christmas Wrap/Bows/Tags: My students always wrap the presents they make for their parents. I always make sure to buy different bows, wrapping paper, and gift tags.

I teach at a Catholic School and am fortunate enough to celebrate Christmas with my students. Have a Merry Christmas and remember to plan ahead for next Christmas!

A Rudolph Christmas!

If you walk around my house at any point in the year, you will definitely find Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer somewhere! My dad and I have always loved watching Rudolph and collecting Rudolph items. This year I knew exactly what my door had to be since this is the 50th anniversary of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The door started with mountains of white paper in the shape of triangles layered on top of each other. I printed the characters from the internet and laminated them. The students created Christmas trees in the style of Rudolph with construction paper and glitter glue.Appropriately the door states "There are no Misfits in 4th Grade." Finish this door off with silver and gold tinsel! Merry Christmas!

Building to a great Halloween!

This post is so late but my phone crashed and I thought I had lost the picture. Each door I do, I try to cater to what the students will enjoy. I always start with the hit movie of the year. This year's hit was the Lego movie! Each student received a template and they were able to disguise the figurine in any "school-appropriate" costume. Here's the results!

#ThriftyAppThursday Gas Buddy

Another Thursday, another day at a conference for me! I am at the Kentucky History Teacher Conference this time. As I was leaving Louisville, heading toward Frankfort, I began to notice the effect of our non-existent price gauging (sarcasm intended).

My #ThriftyAppThursday has to be Gas Buddy!

This app is simple and user-friendly! Once the app is loaded, the user simply clicks "Find Gas Near Me." The app will wasn't to use your current location. 

Once the app searches around you, a list will be generated with gas prices and the distance to the gas station.

A few notes:

They will want you to create an account; I have skipped this and have not had any issues. 

If you create an account, you can update the gas prices and try to earn prizes.

#ThriftyAppThursday Groupon

Another busy day strikes again! Here is the #ThriftyAppThursday...Groupon! I use this app almost everyday, even if it is a quick check to see what is new. 

After you have created your account and chosen your city, you will be taken to the "FEATURED" tab. This tab includes groupons that are being highlighted in your city. While you are looking through the pictures, notice the search bar that can be used at any time. I love the ability to search for products and places. The best part, groupon searches all the cities scouring for the word/product.

Groupon is not just about local products and services. The "GOODS" tab has national deals that will be shipped directly to your house. Groupon will tell you the original price, new price, and how many have been purchased.

This next section is one that I search frequently and hope to try out soon. The next section is "GETAWAYS." You search by city, region, or type of hotel. On the website you can even choose your dates of travel. Some of the groupons are deeply discounted. A helpful hint: never just go by the groupon reviews. Do a web search of the hotel of the groupon and look at reviews. Also, when you click on a getaway, the app usually tells you the percentage you are saving (some hotels use groupon but do not give you a discount).

New to me on groupon would be the daily "FREEBIES." I just discovered this section of the updated app. I cannot wait to explore (seems a lot like RetailMeNot).

One last thing...

(Image Courtesy of http://4thofjuly-pictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/4th-of-july-pictures.gif)

Happy Birthday, America! Please remember and pray for those who fought/are fighting for our Country's freedom. Also, please pray for those countries that do not have freedom. God Bless America!

#ThriftyAppThursday meijer: mPerks

This #ThriftyAppThursday really did start on Thursday, but is being finished on Friday. I took the screen shots on my phone and was waiting for them to upload (they were taking a while). So of course, I walked away; started a new craft for my classroom (post to come); and then my friends came over to swim, which extended into dinner, firepit and summer fun!

Do you live in or are you going to visit Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, or Kentucky? Then this app is for you, sorry to those that this app does not apply to but I had to share this beneficial app that I use all the time. The meijer app contains mPerks. When you first download the meijer app you have to register with your cell phone number and create a pin (I'll explain why later).

Next you will find the homepage of meijer there are several things happening on this page. Meijer shares important information on the homepage and also have specific coupons that they are highlighting.

Click on the three horizontal lines in the upper left hand corner. This will show the menu. There are valuable tabs on this page but my favorite is mPerks. Now you may be at the point where you want to know more about mPerks and why you had to use your cell phone number to register.

The reason for using your phone number is because mPerks collects coupons and rewards personalized for the user. You are able to clip coupons and keep them in coupon bank. 

Clipping coupons is simple, just click on the coupon to clip it. When you go to the register, you click on the mPerks icon on the screen, type in your phone number and pin, and then your coupons and rewards are automatically applied to your order.

This is a great app to have on hand when shopping in meijer. My mom and I were shopping there a few weeks ago and I found the clearance clothes. They had some capri pants in a rainbow of colors. The pants were originally $20 and were on clearance for $10, which is great. At this point, you all know me, that was not enough of a savings. So, as our cart is filled with pants in all colors for my mom and myself, I pulled out my mPerks app and searched for an apparel coupon. I found the coupon and we purchased each pair for $6. I use this app before I go grocery shopping and during grocery shopping. This can help you plan your shopping trip. They also have prescription rewards that you can earn by filling your prescription at meijer.


I have some wonderful crafts and finds coming up. I will try my hardest to not have #ThriftyAppThursday on Friday next week!

#ThriftyAppThursday Amazon Edition

This week's #ThriftyAppThursday features the only company with a smile right on their box. I chose this app for the week because all teachers do in the summer is sit by the pool, eat bon bons and smile, right? Wrong! If you are like me, I spent all day in a professional development conference (hence the late post) and I need a smile on my face. Luckily the conference I am attending is all about technology in the classroom which pumped me up for this #ThriftyAppThursday.

The first thing you will find when loading this free app is the homepage. When looking at my homepage you will see at the top where my amazon says "prime" underneath. Now this is where the thrifty and crafty teacher looks at practicality and convenience and paid full price for something. I know, do not click the "x" on my page, it started out as a thrift! During my freshman year of college, I discovered that any .edu email address will get you free amazon student for a year, which includes amazon prime. This is how they get you. I love amazon prime and now pay for it each year. I am in the process of making my decision because the price has been raised to $99; which equates to $8.25/month. Here is what you get with amazon prime: unlimited streaming of their prime instant videos (hopefully more will be added with the price increase); kindle books lending; and, my personal favorite, free two-day shipping on all prime products! This is a choice you have to make but back to the home screen. The homepage has many features including recommendations...

a search bar...

and search by category.

Here is the part where you go, "okay now I know about amazon prime (jeez, Megan, do you work for them) and I know how to navigate the homepage, but how is this going to save me money?" No, I do not work for amazon and I know I have talked extensively about prime but I love the convenience and teaching the navigation helps me cater to my "digital immigrant" audience (those who did not grow up with technology).

I do not use this app much when I am at home, but when I am standing in an aisle debating on a purchase, especially a book, I whip out my phone and either type in the name of the product or simply scan the bar code.  

I sift through all the products and choose which one matches what I am currently holding in my hand. Once you have chosen the product, there will be a description of the product. I chose to search for The Cat in the Hat because I love books and use this app frequently to see if I can buy the book cheaper online (sometimes the book series is just too good to wait, though). The description will even show you the different dates that you can receive your products (always pay attention that next day and two-day shipping can be outrageously expensive).

Do not just click buy now! This is what you have been waiting for! Click on the "New & used" button. This is the place that will actually show you the prices of the same product available for purchase. Please do not look at this and go, "oh, look it is only a penny, that is the one I will buy." The penny price does not include the shipping and tax.

Here is the finally place that you go when comparing in-store and amazon prices (unless you decide to purchase from amazon). On this screen, notice that you can choose from: all offers, new, used, and collectible. This is where you can see the importance of shipping costs. The penny book is actually $4 with shipping. Now is time to compare the in-store and amazon prices and time to make your choice!

Check back next week for another #ThriftyAppThursday!