Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 | Posted by
Your Frugal Friend, Niki |
Snapfish is holding a hot summer promotion! Every day new customers can sign up and get 50 free prints AND the free item of the day. Today it is a 12x18 photo collage. Yesterday it was a mug. Who knows what tomorrow may bring?
Click here to join in on the freebies!
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Monday, June 29, 2009
Ever have a hankering for a snack that is both salty and sweet? I do, I do!
I recently had the opportunity to taste test Natrue Valley Granola Nut Clusters thanks to the folks at MyBlogSpark. They come in 4 awesome varieties: Nut Lovers, Honey Roasted Peanut, Roasted Cashew, and Roasted Almond. The bite size snacks are little balls of granola mixed with your favorite nuts, and are lightly sweetened with honey. It even comes in a resealable pouch, making it easy to stash in your purse or diaper bag and take it on the go!
My personal favorite was the Nut Lovers. It was bursting with cashews, peanuts, and pecans. I love pecans! My hubby, best friend, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying these snacks and will be keeping them in our pantry in the future for sure. The only thing that we were disappointed with is that they contained something called "soy protein concentrate" so my son who is allergic to soy couldn't indulge along with us. With all the nuts in this snack I would have they had enough protein on their own without the soy.
Want to try these for yourself? Click here for a $1 coupon for Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters!
Good Monday Morning, my frugal friends! We have a house guest this week...here's a look at what we're serving up:
Hungry for more menu planning inspiration?
Breakfasts
*Yogurt with fruit
*Cold cereal with milk, fruit
Lunches
*Chicken salad on whole wheat, fruit
*Turkey and cheese on whole wheat, carrot sticks
*Grilled cheese, tomato soup
*Tuna salad on whole wheat, pickles
*PBJ, fruit
*Hot dogs, baked beans, s'mores
Dinners
*Refried bean soup, chips and salsa
*Creamy chicken burritos, Spanish rice
*Baked pancake with berries, bacon
*Baked ziti, meatballs
*Chicken parmigiana, spaghetti
*Zesty Onion Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
Snacks
*Popcorn
*Chips and salsa
*Pretzels
Hungry for more menu planning inspiration?
Head on over to view hundreds of meal plans at Organizing Junkie!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
As I type this I am listening to the raucous sound of not one, not two, but THREE dogs playing. Nope, I have not lost my mind and adopted another puppy. But----my best friend is visiting from out of town for a week and brought her new fur baby with her. The threesome are getting along famously and having a howling good time!
Speaking of dogs, here's a free sample of dog food to try for your pooch. And if you are hitting the road with your canine soon, you should sign up to receive a Bark's Buckle Up Pet Safety kit. And don't forget to become a fan of Cloud Pet on Facebook to get your free foldable water bowl while you're at it!
I'm not typically one for buying packaged goods for snacks, but every now and then I like to treat my family to a guilty pleasure. I don't want to spend a ton and run up our food bill so I turn to Little Debbie. We buy these at Save-a-Lot or our local dollar stores. They are very affordable.
My personal favorites are the Peanut Butter Toasty crackers. Perfect for snacks on-the-go! The fudge brownies are a real treat and just the right size for indulgence. Hubby loves the Pecan Spinwheels with a cup og joe. My grandmother is obsessed with the Zebra cakes. We are sure to pick some up to bring when we visit her!
Recently Little Debbie launched a new line of 100 calorie goodies, which is pure genuis! Makes me want to indulge more often...
Friday, June 26, 2009
Lookin' for some great freebies to sign up for? How about some money-saving coupons? Then look no further than my Freebie Round-Up over at Happy to Be at Home! I love writing guest posts at one of my very favorite sites.
Wow. Seattle's Best Coffee really wants you to come on out and try their beverages! How do I know? This is the third time in the past month they have released a coupon for a freebie!
Click here to print your coupon to enjoy a FREE 12 ounce beverage at a Borders Cafe near you. This really rocks because I have a friend coming in tonight from out of town and we love to catch up over coffee!
It's Frugal Friday!
Last weekend my hubby and I were looking for something fun to do. We had a little extra pocket money and wanted to go somewhere. What kind of fun could we have as a family that wouldn't be too pricey?
My hubby is crazy over movies and loves going to the theater, but that can add up fast! $10 a ticket (plus a visit to the concession stand) was more than we wanted to spend. Then it hit us! We have always wanted to go to an old drive-in movies to check out the old-time fun our parents had always raved about. A quick visit to Drive-ins.com showed that in our entire state only one was still open. It was a half hour away! The tickets were just $8 per adult and kids were $3. We could bring our own snacks and beverages, too. So much cheaper than the movie theater. And here's the kicker...
Those prices were for a DOUBLE FEATURE. Yep, 2 movies! What a deal! Next time your family is bored check out a drive-in for some old-fashioned family fun.
Wanna check out some other Frugal Friday tips? Head on over to Life As Mom for more!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Dear Niki,
I am starting to go organic for the sake of my family's health. Only problem is---this stuff is not cheap! Especially the milk, which we go through a whole lot of at our house. Any ideas on how to save on this staple? It costs more than regular milk, so does it ever go on sale?
I am starting to go organic for the sake of my family's health. Only problem is---this stuff is not cheap! Especially the milk, which we go through a whole lot of at our house. Any ideas on how to save on this staple? It costs more than regular milk, so does it ever go on sale?
-Helen
Great question! Milk is one of the very first food items that people make the organic switch for. Families with growing children tend to consume a good deal of it on a weekly basis. And with growing concerns of an overuse of antibiotics and hormones in traditionally produced cow's milk, more and more moms are choosing organic milk. The price doesn't come cheap, but there are some sources for coupons for organic groceries, including milk:
- Sign up for printable coupons at Horizon Organic's site
- Print coupons at Organic Valley' site(thanks Frugal Shopping with Julie!)
- Stonyfield Farms also has e-coupons
- Manufacturer coupons for organic milk and other products do appear in coupon inserts in newspapers from time to time
- Another source for manufacturer coupons for organics is coupon booklets in health stores and shops like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Wegman's
- Stack those manufacturer coupons with store coupons from Target, on occasion
- Check out this comprehensive list of organic coupon sources, compiled by Thrifty Mama
- And yes, organic milk goes on sale at supermarkets!
Remember when I told you all about Disney Movie Rewards? Guess what? It gets even better! Now when you see an eligible Disney flick at the theater you can turn the tickets into points. Click here for more details.
No yard sailing for me this past week because of the darned rain! Wah! But it did prompt me to seek out a new thrift shop, which I now love. It's a tiny little church shop, and it was seriously lacking in the clothing department but it made up for it in books. They were marked 3/$1 but the generous counterperson gave me them 4/$1 since I bought so many.
- 2 preschool teaching idea books (anyone who has ever taken a trip inside an educator's store knows these go for about $20 a piece...I got them for a quarter each!)
- 3 Eric Carle books for my classroom library (these hardcover classics were a steal)
- 7 Scholastic High Frequency Reader books (these easy beginning readers will be great for teaching my own son how to read)
My next stop was to the good ole Goodwill. Always a spot for great finds!
- 2 brand new books for future gifts, $2
- 3 books published by MOPS (rubberbanded together), $1
- Gossip Girls the novel (for my teen sis), 50 cents
TOTAL SPENT: $6.50
Stay up to date on everything frugal and free...
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And as always, you can subscribe to Free2BeFrugal so you never miss a deal!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Y'all know how I love free mag subscriptions, right?
Here is a TWO YEAR subscription to Parents magazine. I am pretty sure I will be reading this magazine for the rest of my life because I have signed up for this mag so many times. It is chock full of great advice!
Several months ago I learned about Swagbucks from Money Saving Mom. All you do is register (it's free) and use their search engine for all your internet searching. Certain searches can win you some Swagbucks, in demoninations of 1-5, 10, 20, 50, or 100. Swagbucks can be traded in for gift cards to great places.
In the past 2 weeks alone I have earned 2 ten dollar gift cards for Starbucks! As a frugal gal I had to give up my guilty pleasure of overpriced java, but with free gifts I can indulge. Whoo-hoo!
Click here to sign up today. And once you join up you can refer friends and earn even more Swagbucks. How great is that?
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For our family summertime means Reading Challenge time! Ever since I was in high school I have challenged myself to read 50 books over the summer. It was initially inspired by a teacher of mine and I enjoy it so much. Now that I have a son he does it too. Since he is just 4 we read to him books of his choice. I have even convinced my hubby to play along. Since he works so much we decided he could read 50 things, not books. So magazines and comic book count, too!
Here are a few ways we gather up all those books to enjoy adventure after adventure, escaping into the world of books:
- Yard sales are awesome for getting cheap books (I've scored them anywhere from 10 cents to a buck a piece)
- Thrift shops are also good spots for picking up really cheap books
- When I buy these books I try to go for paperback books instead of hardcovers, because when we are done I take them to our local paperback trader shop
- Amazon has books both new and used at a bargain
- Half.com is a division of ebay that sells books for much less than retail
- And last, but certainly not least, is the library! Not only can we choose from an entire building full of books, but our library is part of a whole system of libraries in other towns and cities and we can request books from those libraries to be transferred to our hometown one! And all for free!
Summer Reading Challenge works for me!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Huggies' Enjoy the Ride program helps you earn points to enter sweepstakes and play instant win games on their site.
One cool thing is that you don't have to wait 'til the next time you buy Huggies to start enjoying the perks of this program! Here are some bonus codes right now that you can enter:
BBLPG NZFFN QLPGB (1 pt)
BFMXQ HPBXB BGPGB (1 pt)
BFMRK PDQZK KPPGB (1 pt)
BFMRK PDQZK KPPGB (1 pt)
I sure did keep my mailman busy this week! Here's a look at the bundle that was delivered to my house:
- Bodycology lotions and more sample
- Fiber One sample pack (cereal, drink mix, cereal bar)
- Gain laundry detergent sample
- 2 boxes of Playtex tampons (2 varieties, 3 tampons in each)
- Pampers Swaddlers diaper, plus $6 in coupons
- piggy bank from Suave
- Fisher Price princess DVD
- Parenting magazine
- MORE magazine
- Ode magazine
- Woman's Day magazine
- Time Out NY Kids magazine
- Soap Opera Digest magazines (2)
- Ohip travel atlas and activity guide (we're roadtripping there next month to visit friends!)
Wanna get in on some of this freebie action?
I have shared right here on Free2BeFrugal!
Here's a special offer you're gonna love:
The magazine, Vegetarian Times, is now free for the taking when you buy an Annie's Naturals product! I have been looking for a "free" way to score a subscription to this one for a long time. This mag is chock full of recipes!
Thanks for sharing, Coupon Cravings!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Recession got you down?
You're not alone! Just ask Kat Griffiths, ex-shopaholic wife and protagonist of "The Penny Pinchers Club". In the hilarious novel, Kat is bound and determined to change her spendthrift ways to save up for what she is sure is her upcoming divorce. In joining a group of eccentric coupon clippers she enters a world of frugality she never knew existed! This book is chock full of thrifty tips and is uplifting because by the end Kat realizes that there are some things money cannot buy.
This fantastic summer read by Sarah Strohmeyer is a perfect pick-me-up and will not disappoint!
Is it raining where you are? Ever since June has come it is rained every single day at some point. Not the greatest way to start off our summer vacation, but the gloomy weather is good for one thing - movie watching! Why not rent a free one today (or tomorrow)?
Thanks to Frugal Living and Having Fun, I found out there is a code floating around that is good for one free rental good until the 23rd. Today's code for a FREE movie rental is...RBXTHXU6
For detailed information on how Redbox kiosks work, check out The Magic of Rebox!
Happy Monday Morning to ya! Here's what's cookin' this week at our house:
Hungry for more menu planning inspiration?
Breakfasts
*Eggy Muffins
*Breakfast cookies, milk
Lunches
*Turkey and cheese on whole wheat bread, applesauce
*Grilled cheese, tomato soup
*Tuna with whole wheat crackers, cheddar slices, pickles
*PBJ, shake
Dinners
*Hot dogs, pretzels, pickles, watermelon
*Goulash, bread and butter
*Pancakes with strawberries, eggs, sausage links
*Pretzel-Crusted Chicken, glazed carrots, corn
*Tuna casserole
*Chicken stew, bread and butter
*Zesty Onion Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
Snacks
*Homemade trail mix
*Watermelon
*Mixed nuts
*Brownies(with black beans!)
*Chocolate Chip Cookies (ala Deceptively Delicious...with chickpeas!)
Hungry for more menu planning inspiration?
Head on over to view hundreds of meal plans at Organizing Junkie!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Everyone's noticing frugal girls lately. Here are a few thrifty chicas who have been gettin' some press lately:
ABC News highlights several penny-pinching ladies here. Congrats to Frugal and Fabulous, Coupon Mom, The Frugal Girl, The Non-Consumer Advocate, and Moneywise Moms!
Stretching a Buck is getting noticed over at NBC4i on First at 4 for couponing and deal-finding savvy!
Deal Seeking Mom is also getting some airtime over at NBC4i for her freebie finding skills!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Check out these free family fun activities:
Rave Motion Pictures are hosting a free family film festival on Tuesdays and Wednesdays all summer long.
U.S. National Parks has 3 weekends that are fee-free.
REI wants families to check out their Passport to Adventure program. Choose a local hike or bike-ride route, write about it in a adventure journal, and receive a prize.
Bass Pro Shops has some crafty weekends in store as part of their Family Summer Camp.
Michael's is a craft store that loves kids! Once or twice a month (year-round, actually) they have free craft workshops as part of their club, The Knack.
Lowe's likes to help children Build & Grow. Twice a month (all year long) they host clinics where kids can construct wooden projects.
Home Depot also helps littles learn to create at Kids Workshops (twice monthly).
Need more inspiration for summertime activities that are free and fun? Look no further! Here are some and here are some more!
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