Subway breakfast review

On Friday I picked up my free breakfast meal from Subway and brought it the office. I got the bacon, egg, and cheese on flat bread  adding spinach, red pepper and tomato; it came with a free small coffee. Normally the combo is $3, which is a pretty good deal in my book, but today it was free because I reserved my free breakfast with their promotion.

My breakfast experience: I thought the flat bread sandwich was tasty and healthy, especially once I added some veggies. I appreciated the Subway coffee to-go-cup because it wasn't styrofoam and it didn't use a sleeve. Sleeved coffee is just the darnedest thing to fit in a car cup holder. I just hate it. Instead the coffee cup was made of a thicker cardboard that was well insulated, fitting very conveniently in my vehicle - so props on that.

What I don't like about the Subway breakfast is the wait in line. Call me antsy, but I'm normally in a rush, especially at breakfast. It's difficult for me to have enough time to get out of my car, and tell the person what I'd like in my meal, grab my own coffee and then hop back in my car. If it's a morning before work, I will pretty much never have time to go through this process unless it's my day off, but that's just my personality.But despite my my constant state of rush and tardiness, this $3 combo is a still good deal.

Speaking of good deals, I've been CLEANING UP at yard sales lately, purchasing outdoor yard equipment. Check back for my next post on The Thrift World for more word on that. Until next time...

Get a free Subway breakfast! Plus, win a gift card!

I try not to make freebie posts a main part of The Thrift World because many of them require you to jump through hoops, such as registering for unwanted deals or services, or pay a hidden fee. Not so with Subway's free breakfast promotion.

This is how it works, customers can register to pick up their breakfast now through May 18th and then pick up their free breakfast until May 19th. You do need to provide an email address, but otherwise there are no hidden fees.

To get the deal, go to their website www.getyourfreebreakfast.com, choose a conveniently located store, pick when you want to go get it, and choose your sandwich. Boom, you're registered! I was pleased to see you also get a free small coffee...I mean, you can't argue with this stuff. I am registered to get my breakfast tomorrow morning, and I will do a short follow-up post about the experience.

To all my readers, today I am offering your chance to win a $10 gift card to Subway! Here's how to enter:

1) Like The Thrift World on Facebook (1 entry)

2) Share my blog with your friends via any type of social media (1 additional entry)

3) Post a comment telling me what you did.

I will choose a winner at random using a random number generator. The winner will be announced Sunday, May 19th so be sure to check back! Good luck & thanks for playing!

Don't yard sale that! Sell used items for more

It's yard sale season again, arguably the best season there is. But don't put dollar price tags on all your stuff just yet. Your stuff has value, and if you're willing to do a little leg work, you could reap some cash from your unwanted goods.

What to Sell:

Electronics

I sold this beat up glide chair
quickly in a Facebook group

Your 2-year old cell phone that is slightly beat up, your brand spankin' new phone you just cracked on the sidewalk, your netbook you've since replaced with something a bit snazzier, your 20 gb old school iPod: my advice is, don't take these items to the recycling center just yet. I urge you to spend 5 minutes on Craigslist, Amazon or Ebay looking up your device's value. Most people would never guess that people still pay for older electronics. I recently sold my 3-year old netbook (for which I paid $200) for $100 solid on a yard sale Facebook site. My boyfriend bought an iPhone 5 and dropped it, cracking the screen in every which direction. We sold it on Ebay for more than he paid for it. It might not make sense to you, but people want your old electronics because they have value.

Home Goods
No, I'm not talking about my favorite retail store, I'm talking about your extra coffee maker, microwave, toaster, home decor, old wheel barrel, grill, or other household items. Believe it or not, there IS a market for this stuff. Again, the first thing you need to do is check online before you take it to Goodwill. With home goods I've had a lot of success selling my items on Facebook group sites and Craigslist.

Clothes
I must admit I don't sell my clothes, but I still believe they have value. My friends and I have quarterly clothing swaps (no, I'm not joking). We gather at someone's house and everyone brings clothes they want to get rid of and we spread them out throughout the house by category: tops, pants, skirts, dresses. Then we eat some food, and go back to our piles and root through everyone's stuff. I've never left a clothing swap empty handed, and I always leave with stuff I like much more than the stuff I brought. Another option for folks who have name brand clothes in good condition: take it to your local consignment shop. Every consignment shop has different rules, so call ahead and ask before you stop in with all of you stuff. Sometimes they only take clothes during certain hours when specific staff are available.

Textbooks
If you are still in college or fresh out, your textbooks may have value. I've even had some success selling old editions for high prices. Amazon is your baby on this one. It's very simple to list a textbook on Amazon because you only have to list the condition and name your price. Sell it quick, and list it for less than other people's asking prices. Look to sell it in August or January for the best turnaround. Here are some other tips on textbooks: How to Save Major Cash on Textbooks



Where to Sell it:

Craigslist
What to sell: Household goods, lower-priced electronics
How to Use it: I LOVE craigslist, but it's important to stay safe. Never allow anyone into your home. Always meet in a public place. I'd also recommend reading my previous blog post: Craigslist: How to not get scammed


Ebay
What to sell: Nearly anything small in size (you don't want to ship a bookshelf), or things of high value. If you have electronics worth over $150, stick with Ebay for secure payments.
How to Use it: The most valuable feature on Ebay is to see what items have sold for in the past. On the main page search bar click "advanced settings" then check the "completed listings" box and search again. Now you know what people will and have paid for your items. If you want to sell your item, price it lower than that price.



Amazon
What to sell: textbooks, electronics in good condition, smaller items in size.
How to use it: Always do a quick search to see if your item is listed, and if it is, click the "sell on Amazon" icon on that product's page. If your item isn't selling on Amazon, try Ebay. Amazon is the easiest site to use but the fees are the highest.

Facebook groups
What to sell: household items, electronics
How to use it: Log in to Facebook and then in the search bar type in your town or nearby city name + yard sale. In my town you can search "Berks County Yard Sales" and a couple groups come up. Read the site rules posted at the top, and then take photos of your items and post them on the site. Simple, easy, local.






Have you had luck reselling items? Please leave a comment & share your story with our thrifting community!

Shopping homemade doesn't break the bank

It's a common misunderstanding that if its homemade, its expensive. That's just not the case anymore.

Ever since the era of the great recession & Pinterest, miniature craft shops have been popping up in the homes of mothers everywhere. And they know as well as we do, price matters... so if you look in the right places, you can find these amazing items for slammin' prices. One of the reasons I love shopping local/handmade is that your product is unique and sometimes you can even personalize it.

Take this sign decor. I asked Kristin of Lil' Red Brick House to make a sign for my boyfriend. It lists all the quirky names he has for his house in this subway style piece of art. Kristin asked me what style I'd like it in as well as what colors she should use. Oh, and what size do I want? Hey, when is the last time Walmart asked you those questions?

My sign looks authentic because it is authentic. Forget the machine made reproductions. Handmade art is the real thing and its done by people who would say they are wired to do it.

"I've always been a diy (do it yourself) girl," Kristin said. "Even when i was 5, I remember constructing barbie houses from leftover cardboard scraps. So, I would say it's just nature to me. "

We don't even think about it sometimes but another benefit to being thrifty is it is (oftentimes) environmentally conscious. Like Kristin using scraps of wood for her projects, reusing an item cuts down on waste - the waste of creating a product that eventually ends up in a landfill and the waste the manufacturer creates to produce it. It's the same thing when you go to the thrift stop or buy something second hand. You are helping reduce waste.

"I really love the idea of being able to take wood that has been thrown out and able to recycle it into something great. Recycling, composting, reusing, re-purposing (if you can put them all together) is something I am becoming passionate about" Kristin said.

The unique quality, the personalization, and the respect you're giving the environment are just a few benefits to shopping local, handmade. And if you haven't done it before, today is your lucky day.

Lil' Red Brick House is giving The Thrift World readers a special offer to shop in her store. Kristin lives in Lancaster, so if you live in the area, you can skip on shipping and pick it up out her way. Want something personalized? Click the "contact" button on the left hand side & she'll make something special just for you. Support local art today! 

Lil' Red Brick House etsy store
20% off Promo code: ttw20off

Credit Card Disconnection: Get in tune with your purchases

I've told people I pay my credit card bills in full every month, but recently I realized I was telling a lie. Sure, I pay the balance that's due each month, but I noticed I still have a remaining balance on my card. When I pay my monthly balance, I am not paying for all the money I spent in the past month...I'm paying for stuff from last month. 

On one hand this is nice because it gives a buffer of time before I need to pay for those purchases. If I pay the balance off in time, essentially, those purchases are interest free for an additional month. But this convenience has another implication: being 1 month behind, I am becoming more disconnected to my purchases.

Studies often claim people who use credit cards will spend more money than they would have with cash. One reason that's often stated is that people have access to more funds than they do with cash. They feel more powerful and capable than they do with cash, and I think it's because people become disconnected with their spending.

When you pick up your credit card, you may see a beautiful landscape scene, your initials  or even a picture of your dog, (all made possible with personalized credit card designs...). But what you don't see is your balance. Compare that to looking in to your wallet, where you see exactly how much money you have on hand. You are connected to your money because you can see it and you can feel it. Looking at a credit card doesn't tell you a thing related to your budget. The fact is, you could have absolutely no money and still have a credit card in your hands. It's quite deceiving, really.

When I saw that paying my credit card meant paying last months bill, I realized it's another effort by the credit card companies for consumers to become even more disconnected with their purchases. I don't feel as accountable for my purchases because I'm not immediately paying them off. By next month, I won't remember what I bought anyway, I'm just paying a balance.

Auto-pay is even worse. If you have your credit cards all set on auto-pay, you might completely forget what you spent your money on, and you don't even have to look and face your purchase history.

Here are some tips on how to avoid this credit card disconnection.

1. Cancel auto-pay.

2. Every month LOOK at your purchases on your credit card bill.

3. Pay your current month's balance.

Get connected with your finances, otherwise you'll lose a grasp on where your money is going. And trust me, that's not a good path to go down.