A Matt Kramer Savings Strategy

A while back, I mentioned our search for dining room chairs in a post.  To make a long story short, nothing compared to the dream Pottery Barn ladderback chairs that matched the planked PB table.  So leave it to my husband to be creative and figure out how to purchase these chairs while staying within budget.

The solution - Ebay.  When he mentioned, Ebay, my response was, "I already looked, and they are just as expensive."  His response, "Amanda, you need to think outside the box."

His idea - buy PB gift cards at a lower value than they actually are worth (i.e. paying $115 for a $200 gift card).  Genious really!  So Matt went on a gift card bidding frenzy for a week or so, and we became really intentional about checking the mailbox every day.

Research other possibilities - Beforehand, he did research to learn that not only does PB accept PB gift cards, but they also accept PB Kids, Williams Sonoma, and West Elm gift cards.  This enabled us to expand our search options and save a lot of money too.  Also, you can purchase coupons on Ebay too (i.e. 10% off cards) which is another way to get to the price you want to pay for an item(s).

Disclaimer - For those of you who don't know, Matt once had an Ebay business but that has since taken a backseat in recent years to his other entrepeneaur ventures (i.e. collecting satellite dishes, stripping copper from TVs), although he is still Ebay savy.

The End Result - We purchased the dream chairs about two months ago (using the gift cards pictured below) and love them.

The cashier asked me if we had been saving up for a while when I handed her these.
Haha.  If only she knew...

Not only does this Matt Kramer savings strategy work for Pottery Barn purchases, but it also works for places such as Best Buy and Kohls (he actually bought his laptop for college this way).  If you have the time and patience, this strategy can really come in handy when making a large purchase. Unfortunately, for some places (i.e. Target and Walmart) this strategy doesn't work as well since those cards usually sell really close to face value.  But you never know, unless you check!

Happy saving, searching, and bidding! :)

Fall

Fall is our favorite season.   We are loving it and have been incredibly blessed with an Indian summer.  I'm a little distracted by Sunday night football right now, so this post will be short and sweet.  We can't get enough of ...

Fall drinks - chai tea lattes, pumpkin steamers, apple cider, and coffee for my coffee-loving husband.  Yum! 




Apple orchards - We visited the orchard where we were engaged two years ago on September 19.  The owner still remembers us. Following the apple orchard excursion, we spent several evenings making and canning homemade applesauce.  Helpful hint:  1 bushel of apples = ~20 pints of applesauce.  Go and visit your local apple orchard; you won't be disappointed!



The exact spot where "Marry Me?" was written in apples.

Being outdoors - Fall runs have been so relaxing, and I love hearing the leaves crunch stride after stride. We've also been doing some yard work too - oh the joy of being homeowners.
 

Evening kayak rides

Football, fall candles, cornstalks, pumpkins, homemade soups, fall candles, harvest time, homemade breads, flannel sheets, oranges, browns, golds, reading, bonfires, boots, sweaters, the list could go on and on and on... Although, I must admit, the days could be a little longer. 

Stay tuned for the next post.  I'll be sharing one of my husband's creative savings tips.  Until then, GO Pack GO! :)

Reggae, Running, and Relaxing

Last weekend, our fall travels brought us to Cincinnati, Ohio.  There are so many things we love about Cincy (too many to name really) including (but not limited to):  family time, visiting our friend Adam, Skyline Chili, Graeter's ice cream, and the warmer temperatures (usually). 

We now have one more fav to add to the list - the Reggae Run.  It's basically an all uphill 5K.  They aren't little hills either, more like 1/2 mile or longer.  There wasn't a flat part on the course, and we will definitely be doing more hill workouts in the future.  It was so good to hear Bob Marley singing "Every little thing is going to be alright" as we crossed the finish line, breathing heavy but having fun at the same time.  Oh yes, one other thing you may not know about us; we love reggae music.  It truly bums us out that there isn't a reggae station in the Twin Cities, but once in a while Cities 97 will give us our reggae fix. After the race, there was a huge after party with lots of food and of course a reggae band.  We stayed long enough to visit most of the tents (and gain back the calories just burned) before rushing away to watch the Badger Game.  Oh yes, I failed to mention that it was a great weekend for Wisconsin sports, and we were thrilled to be able to follow each of our teams (both real and fantasy)! :) 

Special thanks to my family and Adam for such a wonderful weekend.  We look forward to running the Reggae Run in 2012 as well as another visit between now and then.  According to cousin Nina, "we need to check our winter calendars."  Love you guys and miss you already!

The Reggae Runners before the race - Mimi, me, Matt, Adam, Mom, and Dad

So great to see Adam! It had been way too long.

Sisters - Mom and Mimi

Getting ready for bedtime with the twins.

Elle was too focused on the game to notice her big cousin.

Kindergarteners are pretty smart.  They came up with this one all by themselves.  :)