I love shopping with FREE money!

Woohoo! Just finished placing multiple online orders with multiple companies with gift cards, LTBucks, and Rewards Cards! Woohoo how fun is that??!!
I earned $240 in Rewards from my Gap Visa over the last few months (they were running a special where you got 5X the points you normally do on purchases). I had until July to use them (which with that much money it would probably take me that long(!) because truth is, there isn't that much I usually find in the Gap or Old Navy stores that I want to buy. I know I can use them at their other stores like Banana Republic (which I like, but truth is , I just haven't been shopping much to know if there was anything in the stores I wanted). I never shop at Piperlime, and I typically don't shop at Athleta because I think its too expensive. HOWEVER, when the Athleta catalogue comes I usually browse through it and usually see some comfy looking things I like, but again the prices are too high so I don't feel the need to buy them. Weeellllll, with this FREE money, I figured that was the PERFECT time to buy something that interested me from that catalogue that I would normally never buy with real money. Soooo, I did!   They also have free shipping and returns so its worry free! If I don't like it or it doesn't fit I can just return it, and they will even put my points(that were used on the Rewards cards) back into my account, so I'll get replacement cards if I don't keep the clothes.  Great, worry free plan!   What fun too!  Buying 4 items and only paying $8!  And then buying a $90 sweater but only paying $30 of my own money for it!  I can love a $30 sweater, but it would take a lot for me to really feel that it was worth $90 if I was paying all of it myself. So what fun, I got something with my free rewards that I never would have gotten otherwise. PRESENTS! woohoo!   (you know I'm frugal right? ha ha)  I love being frugal. Being frugal allows me to live the lifestyle I have with no worries about debt or expenses. It also allows me to afford splurges if I really do want them, however, most cases, I still get the good deal!

Besides using $240 of free money, I also have almost $200 of LTBucks to use. These are rewards I get at my gym for being a member and also for having my friends join. I can use this money for services like training sessions, discounts at the on site spa, or on products in their online store. We have already gotten two Lululemon tank tops for me, and several workout tech shirts for my husband. Plus I got him a heartrate monitor but we returned that because it wasn't exactly what he wanted. Well, this week I ordered him another shirt, love it when free stuff arrives in the mail! So I still have some more shopping to do there, but am waiting for some more products to pop into the store that interest me.

I also just placed an order for these adorable Lululemon crop pants online. I got a gift card for Christmas from one of our partners so , again, it would be something I normally wouldn't pay $88 dollars for (can get athletic gear much cheaper at Academy or Dick's), but the fabric is soooo nice and they are so cute, so I am excited to get them and they will have only cost me about $13!  Totally great!

Also this week, I went to Dick's and used a $10 coupon and bought lots of stuff on clearance. Because I spent over $100 I got another coupon that is good next week for $25 off my puchase! woohoo, how awesome is that?! so that Nike sweatshirt I was eyeing, but didn't want to pay $44 for, will soon be mine next week for only $19! yippee!  Plus my hubby is going to go buy a new golf thing tomorrow and I know after that big purchase we'll be getting some more of those $10 or $20 reward coupons in the mail, hee hee!

I love free stuff!

Speaking of free stuff, last weekend my daughters and I all had free lunches at Schlotsky's because I had 3 coupons for 3 free pizzas! and I had a Groupon for desserts at ExpressOh (so not really free, but still half price) so we got treats afterwards too :)

I am the Groupon Queen and proud of it!  ;D

Well, I was having fun doing my 'free shopping' so I thought I'd share a post about it.  It pays to use reward programs, that's for sure!