Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 | Posted by
Your Frugal Friend, Niki |
![[wfmwbannerKRISTEN.jpg]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B8Bf7nWZtug/SZ9oMfo9wUI/AAAAAAAACVc/VJXTSL5Bel8/s1600/wfmwbannerKRISTEN.jpg)
Fall is absolutely my favorite time of year. The weather gets cool and crisp. All my favorite foods are in the market. The foliage puts on a beautiful show...
Of course there is one thing that I do not love so much about fall and that is fall cleaning. It has been many months and many dust bunnies ago since I completed my spring cleaning. And everything is covered in dust, including the walls. Today I had a brainstorm. If the walls are mostly dirty from dust, then why not use a microfiber cloth on them? But how can I reach all the way up to the ceiling?
Enter the Swiffer. I love my Swiffer. It quickly tidies up my hardwood and tile floors. But now it has an even better use. Slap on one of those dollar store microfiber cloths and glide up and down your walls. Instant clean!
Now that works for me.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009
So I bought my first "official" Christmas present for my preschooler today at Goodwill...a new in package game tin with the classic card games War, Go Fish, Old Maid, and Crazy 8's. It was $1.99. I try to save as much as possible and go thrifty on gifts. Of course there will be some serious hankering for newer toys. Here are a few things I am considering...
Fisher Price's Imaginext Space Moon Set. The Imaginext toys have went over well with our son in past years. Space is a big deal at my house right now. Don't all boys go through a phase with it? Aliens and astronauts and all that business? My only beef with it is that it seems to be one of those Target-available only toys. Not that I don't love Target or anything, but I do love competitive pricing! This isn't bad at $17.99 I suppose, but of course my son also loves the accessories, if you will...
Above is the Fisher Price Imaginext Space Shuttle and Tower. It is $39.99. Yikes. But it was very cool. Very cool.
And here is the Fisher Price Imaginext Space Vehicle. Not too shabby at $11.99.
And of course we would need the big ole Fisher Price Imaginext Space Alien. A smaller alien sits atop his head. This one would be non-negotiable. At $5.99 he would be well worth the joy he'd bring.
The entire set is a whopping $75.96. Ouch.
Moving along...the next object of my son's desire that I think is educationally worthy is the Fisher Price Trio set. Think Kinnex, but simpler. The basic building set for kids ages 3-5 is $30 and comes with a storage case. I am all about the storage case. Organization is my friend. My little guy hasn't seen this in person yet, but he has spent a fair amount of time drooling over the commercials.
So what about you? What are you considering leaving under the tree this year?
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Welcome to The Teacher Feature! If you are an educator, either a teacher or homeschooler, then you know how much supplies and resources can cost. Here at Free2BeFrugal you will learn how to acquire materials frugally or better yet, free!
One thing that I love about being a teacher is all of the events geared toward educators. Like today through October 7th is Borders' Educator Appreciation Week. Teachers (practicing and retired) can stop in this and receive 30% off almost everything in the store! They are also having some other events at participating locations. Check it out!
Monday, September 28, 2009
This week is a short cooking week for me as I was away for a long weekend. Back to reality today! And that means back to the kitchen...hehehe!
| DATE | BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | |
| SATURDAY | 9/26 | Mommy's Out of Town! | Mommy's Out of Town! | Mommy's Out of Town! |
| SUNDAY | 9/27 | Mommy's Out of Town! | Mommy's Out of Town! | Mommy's Out of Town! |
| MONDAY | 9/28 | Cold cereal, milk | Snacky lunch, fruit | Fried fish, Rice Cooker Mac 'n Cheese, stewed tomatoes |
| TUESDAY | 9/29 | Oatmeal, milk | Grilled cheese, fruit | Lasagna Soup, bread & butter, side salad |
| WEDNESDAY | 9/30 | Cold cereal, milk | Snacky lunch, fruit | Hoe Cakes, bacon, scrambled eggs |
| THURSDAY | 10/1 | Oatmeal, milk | PBJ, fruit | Spaghetti with meat sauce, garden salad |
| FRIDAY | 10/2 | Cold cereal, milk | Tuna sandwich, fruit | Cap'n Crunch Chicken with Honey Sauce, carrots, garden salad |
Don't forget to head on over to
for hundreds more menu plans!
Ahh, another good freebie week. More mags for me to devour, plus some other goodies.
- "Revolution", a book about mission trips
- Fiber one snack bar, cereal, coupon
- Total cereal, coupon
- PC World mag
- Ladies' Home Journal mag
- Popular Science mag
- Real Simple mag
- Vegetarian Times mag
- Field & Stream mag
- Better Homes and Gardens mag
- All You mag
- Lego mag, Bionicle comic book (guess who reads that?)
- Soap Opera Digest x2
- 2 greeting cards from Hallmark Connections at Walmart
- Notepad
*Not pictured...Quaker True Delights bar, coupon
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Happy Fall, Y'all! I saw a wreath that said that, but totally decided against buying it because I am a northeastern gal and didn't think I could get away with it. But I digress...
Today is the first official day of fall (yay) which makes me want to break out some fall recipes. Here are a few of my family's fall favorites:
- Pumpkin pancakes
- Easy 'n Topless Apple Pie
- Awesome Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Pie (dairy-free)
- Jewish Apple Cake
You know what works for me?
Coupons. Shocker, huh? Well of course I like coupons, I am a frugal blogger and all. But I really like searching online for a good printable when I just gotta buy retail. My favorite spot for finding them in a pinch?
You can't go wrong with these. Don't leave home without consulting them first.
Today while standing in line at the pharmacy I had an epiphany. My son needs the flu shot. Nope, that wasn't my revelation; I knew that already. Preschools around these parts require it. No, what my brain realized was that every year I pay $40 for a child flu shot. Pretty ridiculous.
Our pediatrician charges a copay for the doctor visit AND another copay for the shot itself. I still haven't figured out how they are allowed to double-dip like that. But every year I pay up. Because there is no alternative, or so I thought.
Walgreens now has Take Care Clinics for minor visits and shots. The clinic is staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. They do accept many kinds of insurance (although not mine because my HMO wants me to go to an approved list of doctors). They accept walk-ins 7 days a week. They take cash or credit. And they gave my son the flu shot for just under twenty-five bucks. And he left armed with 2 stickers and a goodie bag full of samples and coupons (over $30 worth, I might add).
Welcome to The Teacher Feature! If you are an educator, either a teacher or homeschooler, then you know how much supplies and resources can cost. Here at Free2BeFrugal you will learn how to acquire materials frugally or better yet, free!
Cold and flu season is coming. Are you ready? Are your students? Scholastic and Lysol are teaming up to help families prepare to prevent illness AND stock classrooms full of great books and materials. It is all part of the Healthier Habits Rewards Program.
It is easy! Let parents know you are participating and they can send in receipts for Lysol product purchases. Then send them in to earn rewards and perhaps win prizes.
P.S. Edited to add: Scholastic is also teaming up with Sunny D to provide teachers with books for classrooms. Save 20 UPCs from qualifying Sunny D products to get your free book set!
No luck at the yard sales this past weekend, but I did manage to stop by the good ole Goodwill and scoop us some goodies:
- I have this white dish set with a raised fruit pattern on it that I love. I've had it for years, but it is only service for 8 and over the years a few pieces have broken. When I entertain I sure could use more! Lucky for me it is a fairly popular pattern because I am starting to see it pop up lots of places but by bit. Here I grabbed 4 extra salad plates and 4 dessert plates, just 49 cents each.
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom computer software/music CD that I have been searching for cheap, $1.99
- Five brand new Dr. Seuss hardcover books for our family collection that I also use in my class, $1.99 each ("The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins","Oh Say Can You Say","The First Day of Octember", "Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog", "Great Day for Up")
- 3 brand new "I Spy" level one books (putting away for my lil guy for Xmas), 89 cents each
- 3 gently used "Confessions of a Teen Nanny" books for my teen sis, 99 cents each
TOTAL: $21.50
And a few clothing items were found at another Goodwill (why yes, I did go to two in one day) but I tossed them into the washer before remembering I wanted to take a pic. Sorry 'bout that.
- Brand new with tags Mossimo knit top, purple, $4.99
- Brand new with tags Mossimo tee, white, $3.99
- New with tags red and white polka dot blouse, $2.99
- Gently used Gap Kids turtleneck, black, $1
- Gently used LL Bean Kids turtleneck, red, $1
TOTAL: $13.97
Have you tried Swag Bucks out yet? All you have to do is use them like you would any other search engine and certain search terms earn you rewards! Happen upon them randomly, or find them out through the grapevine.
What do you do with all these rewards? Well, you redeem them for gift cards and more. Just for searching the world wide web. How easy is that? I love that doing something I already do every day can earn me FREE gift cards and prizes. In the past few months I have earned hundreds of dollars in gift cards for both Starbucks and Amazon.com. How great is that?
To sign up click the banner above!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Okay, so while this isn't completely free I know every mom/wife buys this brand at some point you might as well get the FREE perk that comes with it this cold and flu season:
Purchase any Lysol product and mail in your store receipt for a free book "Germs! Germs! Germs!" from Scholastic (a $6.99 value). This offer ends on January 31 or when 5,000 books have been awarded. Write your name, address, phone number, email address, UPC code on a 3x5 card and mail it with your original receipt (with Lysol product circled) to: Lysol Book Offer, 557 Broadway, P.O. Box 711, New York, NY 10012
Thanks for sharing, Freebies 4 Mom!
This week is a short cooking week for me as I am off to MOPS International Conference Thursday to Sunday. But I hope to squeeze in 3 new recipes before I am off to Tennessee!
| DATE | BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | |
| SATURDAY | 9/19 | Cold cereal, milk | Leftovers | Family Fun Night at Church (Casserole Potluck and Make-Your-Own Sundaes) |
| SUNDAY | 9/20 | English muffin, cream cheese | After-Church Brunch | Homemade Beefaroni, bread & butter, garden salad |
| MONDAY | 9/21 | Cold cereal, milk | Snacky lunch, pineapples | Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu, corn, broccoli |
| TUESDAY | 9/22 | English muffin, cream cheese | Tuna pasta salad, peaches | Turkey Tacos, Salsa-Ranch salad |
| WEDNESDAY | 9/23 | Cold cereal, milk | Ham sandwich, trail mix | Huevos Rancheros |
| THURSDAY | 9/24 | Mommy's Out of Town! | Mommy's Out of Town! | Mommy's Out of Town! |
| FRIDAY | 9/25 | Mommy's Out of Town! | Mommy's Out of Town! | Mommy's Out of Town! |
Don't forget to head on over to
for hundreds more menu plans!
Friday, September 18, 2009
The freebies have been pouring in, as usual. Heavy on the magazines! Now that my son is in school 5 whole days a week I will have plenty of reading material for my mornings off. Nothing but me, tea, and lovely things to read...
- Good Housekeeping mag
- Kiwi mag
- Traditional Home mag
- PC World mag
- Mac World mag
- Parenting mag
- Soap Opera Digest x 2
- Oprah mag
- Ready Made mag
- Woman's Day mag
- Better Homes and Garden mag
- All You mag
- Field & Stream mag
- Always pads sample
- Prilosec OTC samples
- Geo Trax DVD (another Xmas present for lil guy!)
Get a jump on that Christmas shopping!
Print this hot, hot, HOT coupon for $20/$100 purchase of Fisher Price learning toys.
It's Frugal Friday!
Stop throwing out wilty celery and soft onions. Seriously, stop it. Have you ever noticed that you never ever get to finish off a whole bag of either one of those? While they might not be tasty for eating raw I am sure you cook with them, right? Simply wash them and dice them. You can toss them into a freezer bag if you plan on using them within the next few weeks. If you want to keep them for much longer I would suggest a quick flash freeze. Spread out the chopped veggies on a cookie sheet and let freeze a bit. Then transfer them into a freezer bag. This will ensure you don't end up with a big ball of frozen onions/celery.
When I need them for recipes I can grab them and add to a saute pan or soup pot. Easy peasy and no more waste!
Wanna check out some other Frugal Friday tips?
Head on over to Life As Mom for more!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Borders and Seattle's Best Coffee are at it again! Now through September 24th their medium beverages are BUY ONE GET ONE FREE. Take a friend to tea or treat your hubby to coffee.
Just don't forget to print this coupon.
You know what works for me?
When stuff gets put away. Does that sound impossible to you? I used to think it was in my house, but not anymore! Not since I found a catch-all basket.
A friend of mine at church kept trying to find a home for this giant basket. Now don't get me wrong, it was a nice basket but it is huge with a capital H! No one ever wanted it for anything and there was no real need for it at church anymore. So she threatened to throw it out (which I suspect she did on purpose, knowing how I get about that!) so I plucked it from her hands and said I would put it on Freecycle it. Someone could surely give this giant a home.
When I got it home I admired just how nice it was, the lovely white paint job on it, the sturdiness of it with its rather large handle. And then it hit me. It would fit just so in the corner of our staircase landing. Mabe instead of piling our stuff on the steps we could toss it in the basket. When it fills up, we could take it to the top and announce to the entire family that everyone needs to claim their belongings and put them away.
So we tried it. And you know what? It worked. I have not tripped on any junk on our steps in weeks!
When stuff gets put away. Does that sound impossible to you? I used to think it was in my house, but not anymore! Not since I found a catch-all basket.
A friend of mine at church kept trying to find a home for this giant basket. Now don't get me wrong, it was a nice basket but it is huge with a capital H! No one ever wanted it for anything and there was no real need for it at church anymore. So she threatened to throw it out (which I suspect she did on purpose, knowing how I get about that!) so I plucked it from her hands and said I would put it on Freecycle it. Someone could surely give this giant a home.
When I got it home I admired just how nice it was, the lovely white paint job on it, the sturdiness of it with its rather large handle. And then it hit me. It would fit just so in the corner of our staircase landing. Mabe instead of piling our stuff on the steps we could toss it in the basket. When it fills up, we could take it to the top and announce to the entire family that everyone needs to claim their belongings and put them away.
So we tried it. And you know what? It worked. I have not tripped on any junk on our steps in weeks!
That works for this mommy.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Welcome to The Teacher Feature! If you are an educator, either a teacher or homeschooler, then you know how much supplies and resources can cost. Here at Free2BeFrugal you will learn how to acquire materials frugally or better yet, free!
Often times teachers desire things in their classroom that may not be provided by their school district. Things that have great value for lessons. Things that can be costly.
But they don't have to be! Think outside the box, teachers. Pricey parent/teacher shops are not your only options! A teacher friend of mine recently pointed out that IKEA is not only home to great home furnishings but many quality wooden children's items as well.
Here is what is on my shopping list for my next trip to IKEA:
- An easel (dry erase AND chalkboard) for only $14.99 AND other easel accessories
- Wooden toys, ranging from $5.99 to $12.99
- Train sets, ranging from $3.99 to $9.99
- Farm play set for $14.99
- Finger puppets for $4.99
Do you think you could be saving more on your groceries? How about gasoline?
The folks at Stop & Shop thinks everyone can, and will, save more by shopping their stores. They offer a Stop & Shop card which unlocks extra savings beyond their weekly circular sales, including:
• Double the number of deals in store
• Free antibiotics
• Exclusive online offers
• Gas savings and rewards
• Cash back for schools with A+
• Weekly Card specials
• Free antibiotics
• Exclusive online offers
• Gas savings and rewards
• Cash back for schools with A+
• Weekly Card specials
Want to try them out? Free2BeFrugal is giving away two $10 gift cards to Stop & Shop.
There are 3 ways to enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post telling what item is on your shopping list come fall
- Follow Free2BeFrugal on Twitter (leave a comment to tell me you did)
- Subscribe to Free2BeFrugal (leave a comment to let me know)
The 2 winners will be selected and posted here on September 22nd . Good luck!
Do you use Swagbucks? It is a search engine powered by Google and Ask. But THIS one earns you prizes! 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 like:
- Amazon.com
- Starbucks
- Target
- itunes
- Cash via Paypal
- Cash via prepaid Mastercard
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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