Thrifty Tips Archives - Thrifty Minnesota

Ron’s Warehouse – Alexandria

March 9, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

For those of you in central Minnesota, you might already know about Ron’s Warehouse. For the rest of you, it just might be a place you want to check out or even road trip to.

Located in Alexandria, it has moved a few times but has been in its present location for many years, so hopefully it’s done moving. You’ll find it on the edge of town and, should you decide to visit, it’s important to note it’s typically not open on Sundays.

Ron’s has a little bit of everything. It’s almost a given that you’ll buy more than you planned. They have everything from furniture to food, toys to household items and everything in between. They sell things from stores that closed or had a fire or maybe some sort of disaster in their area.

A little more information from Ron’s:

Ron’s Warehouse Sales has been selling discounted merchandise since 1967. Although there is something new every day at Ron’s, you will usually find groceries, toys, giftware, clothing, furniture, pet supplies, cleaning products, health and beauty aids, hardware, office supplies, sporting goods, housewares, and a whole lot more.

Ron’s specializes in liquidating stocks from insurance losses, bankruptcies, trailer upsets, closeouts, railroad salvage, and salesman samples. Whenever you hear of a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, semi rollover, and any other disaster, there is a good chance we are there buying merchandise. Ron’s then offers this merchandise to the public at 30% to 70% off original retail. Most of this merchandise has virtually no damage as most of the damage is usually to the outside package or outside building. Ron’s also sells factory direct merchandise as well.

Ron’s Warehouse began in 1967 in a very small building on the east side of Alexandria. After several moves and expansions, we finally ended up in our current location on Hwy 27 E. Our main retail store is 34,000 square feet. Quite often we set up temporary retail stores at various locations. In 2000 we added a 35,000 square foot distribution/processing center out by Garfield, MN. We currently employ 35 people.

Filed Under: Groceries, Thrifty Tips

Dakota County Seed Library

March 7, 2019 by Kristi 2 Comments

If you live in Dakota County and have an interest in gardening, the Farmington Library is home to a seed Library. The seed library is put on by a partnership between the Dakota County Library and the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners.

Checkout process

Select your seeds.
Fill out a checkout sheet.
Drop the checkout sheet in the lockbox located near the seed cabinet.
Choose up to five packets per person to help us spread this resource throughout the community.
Any Dakota County resident may use the Seed Library – no library card required.

It might not be quite time to start the garden but the snow won’t be around forever, there’s dirt under there somewhere! Do you know of other places in MN that offer free seed libraries? We would love to let our readers know if this is a common thing!

Filed Under: Events, freebies, Thrifty Tips

Mike’s Discount Foods – Save BIG on Groceries!

February 23, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Groceries are a huge part of the household budget, and finding ways to save money on food can make a big impact. One of our favorite places has been sharing some great deals on FB this week, Mike’s Discount Foods

I’ve been connected to their Facebook page for quite a while. I love that they share not just pictures but prices! The great deals this week on fresh fruits and vegetables, even blueberries and pineapple have me wanting to make a special trip to do some shopping. For Valentines they had some great deals on flowers. They offer some senior citizen discounts as well.

We are on the opposite side of the twin cities from it, but whenever I get near one I make a point of stopping in. With five different locations to choose from, we’re still holding out hope one might open on the south end of the metro someday.

Mike’s Discount Foods Locations:

It’s not a quite a typical grocery store, although you could certainty make your list and head there. You won’t find everything, but you’ll likely come out with more than what’s on your list. Some of the use by and sell by dates are close and some of the canned goods might have a dent or two but there are so many great reasons to check out Mike’s! Plus if you check out their Facebook page for the location closest to you, they often post daily and weekly specials. Even if you aren’t on Facebook, check out their website as they also share deals on there.

Filed Under: Great Deals, Groceries, Thrifty Tips

Minneapolis Art Lending Library

February 17, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Do you get bored with the art on your walls and live in the Twin Cities? If you answered yes to both of these questions, the Minneapolis Art Lending Library is a great resource.

It’s a chance to change up the art in your house and it’s free! Similar to a regular library, you “check out” art. You can have the art in your home for up to three months, so a little longer than a book from a traditional library.

About the Minneapolis Art Lending Library:

The Minneapolis Art Lending Library (MALL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Their mission is to provide exposure for artists, build ongoing support of the arts, and share the joy of art with all members of the community through the free lending of artwork.

All residents of the Twin Cities have the rare opportunity to borrow original works of art for a three month period, free of charge.

The collection features a changing selection of over 100 contemporary artworks, with a focus on work from Twin Cities artists and includes paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, ceramics, sculptures, and more.

The location and the dates of the art lending library can be found here.

Filed Under: Minneapolis, Thrifty Tips

SPEND VALENTINE’S DAY AT BUCK HILL!

February 14, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Are you looking for some last minute Valentines fun? We have the perfect idea for you, BUCK HILL!

Bring your sweetheart, or just yourself, out to Buck Hill for Valentine’s! Buy One Get One FREE tickets at the tubing hill AND for skiers/boarders on the lifts starting at 4pm, today only! Now that’s a sweet deal! See you there! **Rental/Equipment are an extra cost, not included with lift ticket.

Filed Under: Events, Great Deals, Thrifty Tips

Free First Tuesdays at Washington County Parks

February 4, 2019 by Laura W Leave a Comment

We love to get outside and explore different parks and trails in Minnesota, and here’s a thrifty way to explore Washington County Parks! On the first Tuesday of the month (non-holiday) you can get in free, with no vehicle permit required. Although it’s actually quite reasonable to enter the parks on other days as well (currently $7/daily or $30/annual), it’s nice to save money when we can.

The 2019 Free Tuesday schedule is as follows:

January 1
February 5
March 5
April 2
May 7
June 4
July 2
August 6
September 3
October 1
November 5
December 3

With several different parks to choose from, there’s plenty of exploring to do. Check out the full list of parks here and fill up your calendar with hiking, biking, camping, swimming, and more.

Do you have a favorite county park in Minnesota? We’d love to hear about it so we can add it to our list of places to check out!

Filed Under: Parks, Thrifty Tips

Open Knit Gathering

January 24, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Have you joined countless others and taken up knitting? It’s become quite popular and for good reason. If you want to join others, head to the Open Knit Gathering, taking place the first Thursday of the month. You’ll find this great event in the NE Minneapolis Arts district, more specifically Blue Sky Fibers. Just bring your project, and your needles and join the fun. It’s free so mark your calendar! The Open Knit Gathering takes place from 6-8 and more specifics can be found here on the FB event page.

Filed Under: Events, Thrifty Tips

ReStore Annual 50% Off Everything Sale

January 18, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

It’s time once again for one of our favorite sales. The ReStore Annual 50% Off Everything Sale! If you have plans to remodel, redo or just redecorate, you don’t want to miss this sale. ReStore carries everything from: appliances, furniture, windows, doors, lighting, tools and much more. A great place to find new and gently used home improvement products and building materials.

This amazing 50% off sale is one day only, January 26th from 9:00am-4:00pm. ReStore has two locations:

2700 Minnehaha Ave. in Minneapolis
510 County Road D. West in New Brighton

On the day of the sale, there are some special things to keep in mind, as it will be a busy day for shoppers and staff alike:

This is a one-day only sale, with special store hours.

It’s Pay and Carry Only: We take Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and cash. No Checks. No product holds.

Parking: If it’s busy, look for one of the parking attendants, and please follow their instructions. We have limited parking space and appreciate your patience.

Carts: We may not have carts available for everyone. Stay near your item, or talk to a volunteers, they will have tags to mark your item while waiting for a cart.

No Other Coupons or Discounts: No other offers are accepted during the sale.

Checkout: The lines may be long- we only have 3 registers. We will have volunteers helping to tally each sale before getting to the checkout register. If there are not enough attendants, you may be asked to help tally your items. Please be patient.

Amazon Paint and Paint Supplies: Amazon Paint and new paint supplies will not be included or available during this sale.

Check out the other tips and suggestions to help you navigate the sale here.

Finally, if you have some spare time on Saturday, you can also sign up to volunteer at the sale. The ReStore locations both operate with a small staff, and since this is their largest sale of the year, they could use extra pairs of helping hands.

Filed Under: Events, Great Deals, Thrifty Tips

A Free “No Registration Weekend for ATV Riders” in Park Rapids

September 3, 2018 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Do you love to drive and ride your ATV as much as we do? Watching my husband come in full of mud and laughing, wondering how much of a mess he created is always fun. Looking for somewhere new to ride? Put September 7-9th on the calendar and head to Park Rapids, ATV riders can ride Minnesota trails for free on ‘No Registration Weekend’. So many great places to explore and even more fun when you don’t have to pay the registration fee.

**All-terrain vehicle users registered for private or agricultural use can explore both the old and new trails without cost Sept. 7 to 9. Typically they would pay the registration fee ($60 for three years) to ride the public trails.

About the event:

Minnesota has 3,000 miles of state forest and grant-in-aid trails available to ATV users. The state also has more than 200 miles of new trails that were completed this year.

Out-of-state riders can explore Minnesota ATV trails that weekend as well, without the need for a nonresident trail pass ($30 annually). This is the fifth year that Minnesota is providing ATV riders with free access during “No Registration Weekend.” The date was pushed back from June so new trails could be completed, including the 159-mile route connecting communities in northwestern Itasca County, as well as a trail connecting Balsam and Bigfork.

Filed Under: Events, Sports, Thrifty Tips

National Get Outdoors Day

June 7, 2018 by Kristi Leave a Comment

This Saturday, June 9th is National Get Outdoors Day. Care to share where your favorite outdoor spot is? We’ve enjoyed several of the Minnesota State Parks, too many to choose from to say which one is our favorite. You can get in free this Saturday, a special way to celebrate National Get Outdoors Day.

Then there’s the north shore, even when the weather doesn’t cooperate it’s still fun. Or maybe you own some land and enjoy walking in the woods or along the river somewhere? Wherever you decide to go, take a few minutes to enjoy the wildlife and scenery. Take a couple extra photos or just sit and take it all in.

Filed Under: Events, Parks, Thrifty Tips