Deals, Deals, and More Deals!

The basis of this blog has never been to share frugal finds or deals around town. However, the deals I found today directly relate to homeschool and well frankly, I am just too excited about the deals I got today to not share with all of you. :)

The first huge deal of the day was at Borders bookstore. I went in with the intention of buying The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition). Because the library in our new town does not carry this book, I wanted to get a copy of my own. I have been saving up my e-Rewards points to get $15 off a book at Borders. Which considering after the $15 off a new copy of TWTM at Borders is cheaper than Amazon, I could justify my purchase and a trip to Borders. But of course, since I was there and my family and I had time to kill I spent some relaxing time looking at books while my kids listened to storytime. I ended up buying some Singapore math workbooks for this summer to help my boys stay practiced with their Math. I also found some helpful teaching resources for next year. I am such a homeschool Mom, I love books and teaching resources. :) When I went to pay for my haul the lady at the counter mentioned something about me being ready for the summer. I then casually mentioned that I was a homeschooler and these were teaching resources for my kids. She then replied that Borders has an educational discount which they extend to homeschoolers. Now, I know I have read on other blogs and homeschool forums that Borders offered this reward but honestly with everything else going on in my life I must have forgotten. The manager informed me that I needed to bring in proof of homeschooling to get the discount card but she would kindly offer me the 25% discount on all of my educational purchases today. Holy cow!! With the huge stack of books I was purchasing, a 25% savings was huge!!! Score 1 for the bank account!

My second deal of the day was at a local thrift store. At thrift stores I always head for the book section first. Like I said, I am a sucker for books! :) Since my husband was with me today, I could sit down and really look through their stash; something I am not able to do when I take the kids on my own. I found a bunch of Dora and Diego books which my kids and I love, I also found construction books (Tonka, big machines, etc) which my boys love. All of these books were not marked with a price and when the cashier rung them up she charged me a quarter for each book. Lastly, I found a Wordly Wise B book which normally sells for $6 or more. I bought a NEW copy today for .25. Yep, one little quarter. Nothing more nothing less. Yeah! Score 2 for the back account!

Also at this thrift store I found an amazing deal on canning jars. Now I know this isn't homeschool related, but if you homestead or grow a garden and can you can relate to my excitement. The jars were marked at between fifty and sixty-five cents each. I chose a few of the pint jars that were marked fifty cents. Upon checking out, I causally asked the cashier (who knows me because I am in this store once a week or so) if she would give me a discount on the rest of the canning jars that are back on the shelf. She replied that yes, she could sell them to me for a quarter each.  I about fainted! I got about 8 pint and 22 quart canning jars for a quarter each. If you can regularly, you know what an awesome deal this is. When I brought the jars home to show my Mom, she was so shocked to hear that they came down on price for me. She didn't think you could bargain with them at all. All I can say is, it never hurts to ask. What did I have to loose? Nothing! But man, I sure did gain (and save) a lot by asking. Our garden is packed full this summer, these canning jars will come in very handy this fall when I am elbow deep in tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and beets to just name a few. Score 3 for the back account!

I consider each of my purchases today a huge blessing. God knows my needs and provides them to me at a price I can afford. He opened the doors for me today to supply the things my family and I need to continue down the path He has set before us; homeschooling, homesteading, and happiness.