Tag: #PlanWishPolishland

5 Ways to Save BIG at Michaels!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I am excited to share more of my money-saving shopping tips with all of you. I love going to Michaels for planner supplies, craft tools, and home goods. There are so many fun items to look at, but I always make sure to stick to my budget and only buy the items I really want and plan to use. Luckily, Michaels runs amazing sales and offers coupons on a regular basis, so there is always a way to save money. Today I’ll share how I maximize my savings at Michaels so you can live a fabulous and affordable life, too.

I am not affiliated with or sponsored by Michaels. I simply want to share my money-saving tips with all of you!

1. Always Use a Coupon

Michaels always has at least one coupon available for use each week. You can find the coupons available in your local area by visiting the coupon page on the Michaels website HERE. Michaels also has a free rewards program that sends out exclusive coupons to its members via email and snail mail. I recently received a flyer in the mail that had three exclusive coupons for the month of July. I was able to get 25% off my total purchase including sale items! You can learn more about the Michaels Rewards program on the store’s website HERE.

2. Shop the Entire Store

When I go to Michaels, I make sure to look at every section in the store even if the items I plan on purchasing wouldn’t normally be there. This is because products often get put on seasonal and holiday displays, on the end of aisles, and in hidden clearance sections. For example, I often get asked where you can find the $1.00 sticker books sold at Michaels. Unfortunately, I can’t give you one answer! I’ve found them in the kids section, on holiday displays in the center aisle, on seasonal displaces in aisles, and more. The trick is to look carefully in each section, because you never know where an item will be. Plus, while Michaels will often have a dedicated section for clearance, it can pop up behind the aisles and in the regular sections as well. Keep an eye out for the red and yellow clearance sings, and blue clearance price tags!

3. Become Familiar with Sale Promotions

My next tip is to familiarize yourself with the sales that Michaels runs each week. Even if you don’t plan to shop, take a look at the weekly ad. Michaels tends to recycle and repeat its sale promotions. For instance, washi tapes often go on sale for 50% off, and a few times a year they are 60% off. If you know that you want to pick up new washi tapes, wait for the sale to take place. Once you know what the regular Michaels sale promotions are, you can time your purchases so they line up with the sale. Of course, if you need to buy something at the last minute, this tip won’t be as helpful. Thankfully you can still use a coupon!

4. See if You Qualify for a Special Discount

Michaels also offers special discounts for teachers, members of the military, and senior citizens. You can learn more about these special discounts on the Michaels website. Click HERE for information on the teacher discount, HERE for information about the military discount, and HERE for information about the senior discount. What’s even more exciting is that sometimes you can stack this discount with a coupon! Make sure to read the fine print on your coupon for any exclusions.

5. Use Ebates to Earn Cash Back When Shopping Online

If you can’t get to a Michaels store in person, you can shop online now! Michaels does offer cash back through Ebates. You can sign up to Ebates for free using my referral link HERE. If you have any questions about Ebates and how it works, check out my blog post HERE.

That wraps up my shopping tips for Michaels! I hope this post helps you to save some extra money at your next Michaels shopping trip. As always, if you have any more tips, please share them in the comments!

Want a savings guide for another store? Let me know in the comments!

5 Ways to Save Money on Etsy | #PlanWithPolishland

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Welcome back to another #PlanWithPolishland post! Thank you for all the support on my Erin Condren Life Planner Unboxing & Review (see it HERE if you missed it). Today I wanted to share some helpful tips on how to save money on Etsy. When I first joined the nail polish community, I was amazed with all of the indie nail polish makers. Now, as I explore the planner world, I am blown away by the stickers that are specifically made for the Erin Condren Life Planner (hereinafter “ECLP”). One of the reasons I wanted an ECLP was because I wanted to make my planner a hobby – I wanted it to be functional and helpful, but also a creative outlet. Stickers are a great way to dress up your planner, so I did a ton of research to decide which shops I was going to place orders with right off the bat. The only issue is, stickers can get really expensive, especially when buying from Etsy shops. I didn’t want to give up such cute stickers, so I came up with a plan to make this new sticker habit both fabulous and affordable!

5 Ways to Save Money on Etsy | #PlanWithPolishland

1. Earn Cash Back on Ebates  Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

If you’re a longtime Adventures in Polishland reader, you’ll know that I am a huge fan of the website Ebates. Ebates is a reputable website that allows you to earn cash back on many of the purchases you make online. All you have to do is sign up, log in to Ebates, and click on the store from which you’d like to purchase. Then Ebates tracks your order and gives you money! Etsy was recently added to Ebates, and you can earn 1% cash back on all Etsy orders. While 1% may not seem like a lot, it’s still money back in your pocket. I highly recommend signing up for Ebates, and if you use my referral link by clicking on the Ebates banner above, I get credit for you!

2. Always Use a Coupon Code

Etsy sticker shops are really great with coupon codes. There is almost always an active code available, and it’s really easy to find them! Make sure you are following Etsy shops on social media, specifically Instagram. Many shops have an Instagram specific coupon code listed on their profile. In addition, a lot of shops have Facebook groups that keep you informed of upcoming releases and sales. I highly recommend joining those groups. Not only will you get money-saving coupons, but you’ll get to know the shop owner and other planner lovers. If you’re not personally on social media, you can still visit a shop’s Instagram page through your web browser or do a classic Google search. Those few extra minutes of looking online could save you a few dollars!

3. Buy More Less Often

An added expense to shopping online is always shipping. This is especially true if you are located in a different country than the store from which you are purchasing. Thus, plan out your purchases and buy more stickers less often. This will ensure you pay the lowest shipping price, and you will get enough stickers to last you a long time. To keep track of the stickers you want to buy, keep a Pinterest Board or add stickers to your Etsy cart for later purchase. Focus on buying a large order from one shop at a time, and make use of those stickers before buying anything else.

4. Only Buy What You Will Use 

This sounds very straightforward, but sometimes this is not an easy rule to follow. There are so many cute stickers on Etsy, and I would love to buy them all. However, I have no need for stickers that are purely decorative. Sure, it would be fun to have macarons or princesses all over my planner, but I focus on buying stickers that are functional. That’s my personal planning style right now. How many times have you heard someone say, “I have no idea when I’ll use this, but I just had to have it!” Don’t be that person! We’re on a budget here! If you want those princess stickers make sure you have a use for them, even if it’s just to decorate. Be honest with yourself and realize that once you click that purchase button you can’t get that money back.

5. Get a Planner Buddy 

Last but not least, find a friend with similar interests! I highly recommend having a planner buddy who is local. This will allow you to split shipping costs with her, and you can also split sticker sheets. For example, some shops have sampler sheets with a variety of different stickers, but you might only want to use half of them. See if your planner buddy will use the other half. If so, you just saved 50% on your purchase! A planner buddy will also hold you accountable for your purchases, and is someone who can share your hobby with you.

That brings us to the end of this #PlanWithPolishland post! I hope you found these tips helpful. The best part is, all five of these tips can be combined to save you the most amount of money possible. I’ll admit I’ve already made a few Etsy sticker purchases, but I’ve followed these steps and feel like each purchase is justified. I am uploading all of my sticker hauls on my YouTube channel, so make sure to SUBSCRIBE to know when those videos go live. My first haul will be embedded in this video below for your convenience!

Do you shop on Etsy? How do you save money? What are your favorite shops? Tell me in the comments!