The Spring 2012 edition of the AARP Savings Challenge is now history, and what a challenge it was! This time around the focus was on Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, challenging group members to find creative ways to save both money and the Earth’s resources at the same time.
Thank you to everyone who participated. With this Savings Challenge we passed a new milestone, smashing the 5,000 mark in terms of the number of members now officially enrolled in the Savings Challenge group. Welcome aboard to all of our new group members! But now it’s time for the hardest challenge of all: selecting the top three overall winners of the Spring 2012 Savings Challenge. With so many group members posting so many great tips and stories, the decision is particularly tough this time around.
There are, of course, the winners of the four weekly challenges who deserve consideration and another round of applause for their well-deserved victories:
Winning a Weekly Challenge is a proud cheapskate achievement, but it’s not a requirement for finishing in the Grand Prize Circle. As always, true Savings Challenge champions are recognized for their active participation in the community, creativity of their contributions, and for their ability to enhance the spirit and camaraderie that are hallmarks of the Savings Challenge.
There were so many strong contenders for top honors in this Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Challenge. Among those who deserve a special shout out: Baloar, ysq, Patty122, Ogden10, sgalbino, jeananddon, lindagcb, tincity2, CarolWells, anneappraiser, SavingGreyce, 11clouds, dlsamuels, AlicePeet, and so many more – thank you all for sharing your tips and special stories.
And I really appreciated the involvement of two top winners from previous Savings Challenges – Mack 59 and Marshadee2001 – who continued to share their great ideas with the group, even though under contest rules they weren’t eligible to compete for top honors this time around. Your continued involvement benefits all members of the Savings Challenge group.
A truly tough decision, but in the end the second and third place top prizes go to two longtime members of the Savings Challenge who this time around proved that they had what it takes to come out on top:
The Third Place Winner is gailcats, who week after week shared great ideas on everything from repurposing Victoria’s Secret boxes to making an end table out of a defunct microwave – now that’s the full spectrum when it comes to creative repurposing!
The Second Place Winner is lizard40. Always a powerhouse of good ideas for saving money and resources at the same time, from decorating with free paint and would be throwaway items to tips for getting the most out of food leftovers, lizard40 continued to be a supportive and very helpful member of the Savings Challenge community.
And finally, the FIRST PLACE WINNER of the Spring 2012 Savings Challenge is JeffW84! A newer member of the Savings Challenge group, JeffW84 came on like a cheapskate on steroids, sharing a plethora of tips and stories that were not only extremely creative and practical, but often entertaining as well. From photos of his “Road Kill Wardrobe,” to his priceless wisdom on repurposing would be junk (“Ask not what to do with this junk, but ask what this junk can do for you.”), JeffW84 captured the true spirit of the Savings Challenge: Saving Money - and Having Fun - at the Same Time.
Thanks again to everyone who participated. Have a wonderful spring and summer, but, of course,
Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager, The Ultimate Cheapskate
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