Recently, we had a semi-scary experience. Our credit card got denied when we tried to pay for some recent car repairs over the phone. Yikes. There’s nothing that really compares to the feeling of simultaneous panic and embarrassment when someone says, “Uh, do you maybe have another card you could put this on. It’s been denied…”

After a few quick calls to the bank, we figured out that no, we weren’t at our limit, but yes, they needed us to confirm some purchases because our spending habits had raised some alarm. Basically, we have spent so much recently, the credit card company thought someone had stolen our card and was using it recklessly all around town. Sheesh.

Now, just to clarify, we put a lot of big purchases, and smaller ones, on the credit card with the intent of earning rewards on the account (cash back) and then pay it off each month. That allows us to get a small amount of money “off” each purchase we make.

So, with all the things we’ve recently purchased for the kitchen project, our regular bills, and then some pretty expensive maintenance on the CRV, we’ve spent A LOT recently. Luckily, our bank was looking out for us and we were able to assure them that yes, we had magic beans, everything was okay.

So, needless to say, we’ve been trying to save our pennies any other way we can. And when I was contacted by Credit Card Insider to join their Splurge vs. Save blog campaign, I knew it was right up our alley. So, here’s a couple things we’ve saved on recently, and the splurge-worthy inspirations behind them!

1. The three-tiered serving stand.

I spotted a three-tiered stand on a design blog I follow (I can’t for the life of me find that photo!) and went in search of the perfect antique-looking stand I could use in our soon-to-be-white kitchen. I wanted it to hold fruit and maybe some little items like tea bags and sugar packets. I found this lovely one from Pottery Barn.

 Splurge! Pottery Barn | $129

But, $129 was just way too much to pay. So, I checked to see if I could find a similar one for less…and I did…also from Pottery Barn. Go figure, huh?

 Splurge! Pottery Barn | $69.50

This one was galvanized instead of silver, so it was a lot less money, but still, $70 for a metal stand seemed a little steep considering we have recently spent almost $10,000 in cabinets, appliances, flooring and more. (Yes, we’ve been really, really saving our pennies up for this kitchen!)

So, I decided to just check thrift stores for awhile and hope I’d find one there, until I spotted this look-alike find at Sam’s Club!

 Save! Sam’s Club| $24.98

Less than half the cost of even my cheaper inspiration, splurge-worthy piece? I’ll take it! So, we headed out and bought one at our local Sam’s Club (Thanks, Mother-in-law, for the card!) and now I’m anxiously waiting to get the kitchen done so I can set it up and fill it with fruit and other fun stuff.  For now, it’s just chilling in our basement waiting patiently while I wait impatiently up here.

2. Wooden Planter Boxes.

In the garden, I had thought about picking up these awesome pre-made wooden raised planter boxes this year since we’re so busy with the kitchen and didn’t have a lot of time to devote to building our own.

But, these wooden boxes by Gronomics from Wayfair were $130 each! That was way too steep for our bargain garden.

 

So, Wyatt made time to make us some FREE ones from pallets we scored from his dad. And now, the veggies look just as happy in their thrifty home.

All in all, no matter how much we save, we’ll still be spending  A LOT this year when it comes down to this crazy remodel project, but we’ll take all the savings we can get. Every little bit adds money back into the bank so we can tackle the next project…or give in and finally replace Rhonda the Honda. She’s still trucking down the road (after her most recent repair) at 310,000+ miles, but we know she won’t last forever so we need to start thinking about a replacement. Meanwhile, Harvey the CRV is doing well after his rather expensive but necessary windshield replacement and 100,000 mile maintenance.

So, what items have you saved on instead of splurged on recently? Or maybe you’re splurging? Let’s hear your best finds and tips for saving money!

*We were not compensated for this post, but were invited to participate in the Splurge vs. Save campaign by Credit Card Insider.