We’ve got a full day of soccer, from team photos to a game, and I wanted to grab something to eat this morning while I was out running errands. Our bank is near Dunkin’ Donuts and I remembered the flatbread ham breakfast sandwiches the hubby bought a few weeks ago. I know…flatbread sandwiches at Dunkin’ Donuts? Somehow that seems like a fast food oxymoron. If they start offering Chai Lattes at Jack in the Box I wouldn’t be surprised.

Dunkin’ Donuts has a free coffee special promotion. You’ll get a free medium hot coffee (and I can now say I am a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee convert) with the purchase of one of one of their new egg white variety DDSmart flatbread sandwiches, which saves you $1.79.

Today I tried the turkey sausage flatbread sandwich, which only has 6 grams of fat and 280 calories. It was well worth $3.29. There was more flatbread than filling as I finished the sandwich, but it was a delicious alternative to my usual drive thru breakfast choice of McDonald’s. My typical pick at McDonald’s sausage Egg McMuffin, which has a whopping 370 calories and 22 grams of fat. Yowza. Imagine that sticking to your thighs and I guarantee you’ll think twice before ordering.

Check out the entire line of DDSmart choices at Dunkin’ Donuts and don’t forget to pick up your free coffee with a flatbread sandwich this weekend.

This post was not solicited by a PR agency or Dunkin’ Donuts or Rachael Ray. I just was truly impressed with their new DDSmart line and their coffee!

I wanted to frame two favorite black and white family photographs, but inexpensively, for our hall bathroom, which I just recently painted a pale ice blue

So, where to start? I looked several places for plain black frames, from Target to TJ Maxx. I couldn’t find quite what I was looking for, which was a wide black wood frame with a white matte. Finally one day I was buying some cleaning supplies at Dollar General and I couldn’t believe it. I found 11 x 14 frames for $6 each!

I’d seen several very creative bloggers, such as The Nester, use scrapbook paper in non-traditional ways, so when I spotted a chic pack of black and white scrapbook paper at Target for $6, I snagged it. You can buy individual sheets for next to nothing at craft stores such as Michaels.

The 5 x 7 prints, which I centered on black and white polka dot scrapbook paper, were less than $3 total.

Are you with me? Here’s the breakdown:

2 11×14 black frames, Dollar General, $12

Pack of black and white scrapbook paper, Target, $6

2 5 x7 black and white prints, ordered online from Target’s photo center, $2.98

Here are the supplies (pardon the mysterious glare on the photographs.)

And here’s the finished product (I am no professional photographer, so I think the end result is much cuter in real life):

And one more:

Leopard top from The Children’s Place, GAP capri jeans, black Mary Janes from Walmart, and Green Dog brand leopard skort, all from Goodwill for less than $10.

One of my favorite places to go bargain hunting is at my local Goodwill. I usually go once a month on my lunch break to dig around for treasures. Typically I come home with something for my daughters. I’ve also picked up nearly new GAP jeans, Ann Taylor pants, and other name brand clothes for myself. Now I’ll wholeheartedly admit there was a time in my life when I would have turned up my nose at thrifting, but it can be addictive once you realize what bargains await.

Last week I hit Goodwill and the first thing I did was take note of what color sales tag was on sale for the day, as those items were on sale for half price.

My girls are cheetah/leopard crazy and my 6-year-old has been begging me for something leopard so I had to snag an adorable skort for less than $3. I also picked up a cute soft leopard swing top from The Children’s Place for my 3-year-old. Now she and big sister can be Cheetah Girls on the cheap! The GAP capri jeans in a 7 slim were a great a bargain and I was pleasantly surprised to find they fit my 6-year-old perfectly.

My deal of the day was a cute pair of George (WalMart) brand Mary Janes for my 6-year-old daughter. The bonus was I had no idea they were included in the “red tag” sale. The final price at checkout was less than $2 and they look brand new! How cute will these be with fun tights and my daughter’s school uniform khaki jumpers this fall and winter?

My total bill for these four items was less than $10! Shopping like this for children’s clothing can be addictive and I know it won’t be long before my daughters are label conscious and will ban me from picking up clothes for them second hand.

Here are some tips for shopping at Goodwill:

• Be sure to check out their monthly sales calendar. Each day has a different special promotion. Our local Goodwill stores also have a half-day sale the first Saturday of each month. The lines are long, though, so be prepared and you might not want to take small children.
• Sometimes children and toddler size clothes get mixed up on the racks, so don’t forget to flip through both sections if you have time.
• Check carefully for stains. Personally, if something is for “play” I don’t mind a small spot and many stubborn stains can be removed with a little TLC.
• Goodwill has an Internet auction site at shopgoodwill.com

Do you have a favorite local thrift store? I like shopping at Goodwill because the revenues fund job training and other services to prepare people for job success. What kind of deals have you snagged while “thrifting?”

I’m going to start a new feature here on Savvy Housewife called Save and Tell (original, no?) where I post links to good deals and have a little show and tell time for my own frugal finds of the week and encourage readers to do the same.

Why? Well, I love to save money, I love deals, bargains, clearance racks, you name it. I can be a Target snob, but I’m trying to cut back on the unnecessary purchases and open my eyes to new ways to save money and improve our household budget.

Here are today’s items for Frugal Finds Friday:

Print a downloadable coupon for a free McDonald’s chicken sandwich or southern style chicken biscuit with the purchase of any medium or large beverage. (Hat tip, Moms Need to Know.)

Amy Allen Clark at Mom Advice publishes a Freebie Friday post weekly that is definitely worth checking out (she is a master of frugality.)

Girlfriend get rid of those mom jeans! I heard a radio spot for Old Navy’s huge denim extravaganza tomorrow Saturday, August 23 (in stores only.) Pick up some fab jeans for yourself for only $12 and for your toddler or school kid for $7.

I love the occasional clearance bins at Publix. This week I picked up Cover Girl lip gloss and eyeshadow for $1, Scooby Doo vitamins for the girls for $1, and Cover Girl Advanced Radiance makeup for $2 after an instant coupon on the box. It pays to scrounge!

Do you shop at Dollar General? It’s a great place to stock up on cleaning supplies. This morning I picked up their in store brand of toilet bowl cleaner and spray bathroom cleaner (comparable to Scrubbing Bubbles) for $1 each and some great black picture frames with white mattes for my bathroom redo for $6 each. Rumor has it that my peacock fabric Vera Bradley tote bag I’ve been carrying this summer is actually a knock off from Dollar General. Shhhhhh, don’t tell anyone!

So, do you have any frugal finds to share with us?