Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011 | Posted by
Your Frugal Friend, Niki |
InkGarden is offering a fantastic deal on holiday cards..you choose your savings!
For a limited time, you can order 10 of their stationary cards for just $1 OR you can order 20 photo cards for $1 (and you pay shipping). Use the code" HOLIDAYCARDS.
To start personalizing your card order today, click the box above.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of InkGarden.
Hey, frugal friends! It's about that time---time for your frugal tip of the day!
Next time you need to pick up a prescription, why not use the drive-through windows? I used to think that the people who used this service at the local pharmacies were lazy, but now I think they are smart!
Why?
People who must wait in the store tend to not sit in that waiting area, but instead walk around the store, browsing merchandise. The average person will end up adding $5-20 extra in goods to their bill. Whereas if you stay in the car you can drive away and come back when their order is ready. No extra shopping required!
Today is the last day of the month and couponers know that that means. Last day to print October's coupons from Coupons.com!
Click the box above so you don't miss out on the hot coupons available for October---before they are gone!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Coupons.com.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Tip of the day time!
When the weather turns colder and those beach days are just a memory, it can be tough for a kid to find some indoor fun. How about doing a fun craft project and making something to play with? I cannot wait to try out making our own moon sand.
If moon sand doesn't suit your kiddo's fancy, then try out one of the oodles and oodles of kid activities from Quirky Momma.
...the HEXBUG giveaway is:
Shelly
Congrats! I will contact you shortly to get your shipping information.
The average family has about 20 household accounts. Credit cards, utility companies, magazine subscriptions centers, and others are constantly filling our mailboxes with bill after bill, creating massive amounts of paper clutter in our homes.
Tired of the stacks of bills and reminder notes to pay them?
You need Manilla!
Manilla is an online service that keeps track of all your accounts in one spot that is completely secure. You can choose to receive your reminders via email or text message. And the best part? Manilla will retrieve all your account documents and store them for you. You can go completely paperless!
My hubby recently signed up for Manilla and he has been completely satisfied.
Do you want to try them out? Click the box above and get started today. Since it's free, what do you have to lose?
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Manilla.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Dixie Stone
Lindse94
Shutterfly Addict
Congratulations, my frugal friends! I will be in touch with details on redeeming your prize shortly.
Time for the money saving tip of the day!
Here in New Jersey the weather is taking some pretty drastic changes. This week we pulled out the sweaters. It just makes sense to clean out the closets when you have to switch out clothing anyway.
Most of the stuff that no longer fits or gets worn by any family member typically gets given away on Freecycle, passed along to a friend, or donated to Goodwill. But sometimes the article of clothing in question is flawed enough that it is no good for donation.
Should we throw them in the trash? No way!
Cut up old, damaged clothes into rags for a variety of cleaning jobs around the house. Free rags! Voila!
Swagbucks rocks! 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.
Since joining I have earned over $900 in gift cards!
As a frugal gal I had to give up my guilty pleasure of overpriced java, but with free gifts I can indulge at Starbucks. I also like to redeem my 'bucks for Amazon gift cards to score cheap/free books. And withRestaurant.com gift certs I earn, I can take my family out to dinner on the cheap!
Click here to sign up today. And once you join up you can refer friends and earn even more Swagbucks. How great is that?
It's so much fun whenever I realize that I have some extra candy left over from the trick or treaters. Most of the time I buy way more than I actually hand out, but I know it's that way every year. I use it as an excuse to make some really great baked goodies with them after the holiday.
I love how it gives me a little leeway until Thanksgiving when there's all kind of other good things around to eat. But there's no holiday for people with sweet tooths like Halloween! I found a few new recipes this year with my wireless internet Brooklyn that I couldn't wait to use until I had already given out candy to trick or treaters. I don't trust msyelf to bake anything with candy in it until after that. Or I would never have any candy to give to trick or treaters!
I think that sometimes my kids would rather eat the baked goods with candy instead of the actual candy that they get when they're trick or treating!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
A little girl at heart, I love fairy tales! So when I was asked if Free 2 Be Frugal was interested in reviewing The True Story of Puss 'N Boots, I was thrilled.
Sadly, the viewing was more than disappointing.
I did not preview this DVD before watching it with the kiddo and I regret that. Although the movie was in cartoon format and rated G, we found it to be quite strange. The characters looked and sounded pretty creepy and there were some rather dark moments. I also felt that there was some uncalled for innuendo included. The princess was drawn as an extremely busty and curvaceous gal and my son commented on how "sexy" she was. She spent an awful lot of screen time shaking her rather large booty. And for some reason, the queen and king in the movie seemed to be totally out of it (hubby and I didn't know if they were supposed to be drunk or just plain stupid) and slurred their words.
Now I know the story is a French tale, however, the French music just didn't seem to fit into the cartoon and the "weirdo music" (as described by my 6 year old) was not enjoyed at all.
We only made it halfway through the movie before my son got up and walked away to go play, having lost interest. And I gladly shut it off because it was just odd.
Now this is not the version coming out in theaters soon by the folks behind Shrek, Dreamworks Studios. This is a version made by Phase 4 Films that is now out on DVD/BluRay. I'm sad to say that this movie just didn't rate with our family. But I have high hopes for the other version coming out soon.
*Disclosure: I was provided with one complimentary copy of this DVD in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed are 100% my own (and my family members', too).
Time for your frugal tip of the day!
Halloween will be here in a few days. But you SHOULD be looking ahead to the next holiday to start preparing now. Thanksgiving can be a pretty big expense if you have extra guests over for dinner. Make you list now and start buying the ingredients you'll need a little each week. This way, you can avoid that big ole food shopping bill the week of Thanksgiving.
You'll be thankful you planned early!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Are you a voracious reader? Do ya love free stuff? Me, too!
That's why I am part of the Blogging for Books program, hosted by WaterBrook Multnomah publishers. I get the latest Christian titles free of charge.
And now you can join, too!
Did you ever wish that you could know ahead of time what kinds of coupons are going to be in the weekend newspaper? You can! Sunday Coupon Preview gives you a sneak peek so you know whether it's worth picking up a paper (or 2, or 3!)
Just click the box above and start scoping out those coupons. And if you like, you can even sign up to get weekly previews sent to you via email.
Here's your money-saving tip of the day:
Lots of people of talking about refinance these days. And what they say is true; rates are much lower than they were several years ago. But before you jump into refinancing your mortgage, consider something.
Refinancing is essentially like getting a brand new loan. That means you are adding time, years actually, to your mortgage. And maybe that is okay with you. But for some people, depending upon your age and your financial situation, it might be unwise to lengthen the amount of years you will still be trying to pay off your house.
Time for the tip of the day...
Cranking up the heat will crank up your utility bills!
Instead of putting your heater on blast, try some of these other ways to keep warm:
-Outfit all the beds in your home with flannel sheets. They are oh-so-warm.
-Wear a sweater or sweatshirt around the house over your clothes.
-Keep plenty of throw blankets around for watching tv, reading, etc.
Monday, October 24, 2011
The folks at Coupons.com just added some great new coupons---a lot are for Glade products, which I love! This is the time of year that Glade rolls out their product line in yummy seasonal scents like Holiday Baking, French Vanilla, Apple Cinnamon, Holiday Cheers, and more.
- $1.00 off Glade Sense & Spray refills
- $1.00 off Glade PlugIns Scented Oil refills
- $0.75 off any Glade Automatic Spray refill
- $0.55 off Glade Premium Room Spray
- $0.55 off Glade Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator
- $1.00 off 2 Glade 4-oz. Jar Candles
- $1.00 off Glade decor scents holder or refills
- $1.00 off Glade Press & Spray starter kit
- $1.00 off Glade Fabric & Air Odor Eliminator
- $3.00 off Glade Lasting Impressions warmer
- $2.00 off Glade Sense & Spray starter kit
- $1.00 off Glade Scented Oil Candle refills
- $1.00 off Glade Scented Oil Candle holder
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Coupons.com.
Time for the tip of the day.
I have a confession to make.
I own a Keurig. Yep, last Christmas my hubby and I decided to invest in a fancy new coffee maker. And we have to buy those tiny little K cups to go in it. But let me explain...
When all my not-so-frugal friends started getting Keurigs, I was skeptical. The machine cost a pretty penny. And how would we budget for all those refill cups? But then I started to see it as an investment.
We had a Mr. Coffee before. Cheap, reliable....boring. We wanted fancier coffee options. We wanted flavored coffees, cappucinos...you get the picture. So we didn't use our Mr. Coffee too much and we bought our coffees out whenever we had the extra spending money. And THAT just isn't frugal.
Now that we have our Keurig we make our coffee at home. Here's how we make it more affordable than buying fancy coffees out:
-We often shop for our K cups at Bed Bath and Beyond. They almost always have coupons for 20& off circulating. We get them in the mail all the time. They even accept expired coupons. This is great because you don't often see manufacturer coupons for K cups.
-The patent recently ran out for K cups. What does that mean? Companies other than Keuirg can now make their own versions of K cups. Walmart sells them and instead of paying $10-12 a box, you can now pay around $7-8 a box. By the way, most boxes have 16-18 cups.
-Although Keurig does not typically circulate coupons for their K cups, some coffee companies like Folgers and Millstone now make K cups. And you can frequently find coupons for those brands of coffee. You can use those coupons for bags, cans, or K cups.
-Finally, you don't have to buy K cups to use the machine. You can always buy the reusable mesh K cup (retails at $14.99) and add in your own favorite coffee you already buy in a can or bag. But it will be fresher and faster than brewing it in your old coffee maker. I love that the Keurig can quickly brew one cup at a time. My coffee is made fresh and fast every single time.
And since hubby and I most often drink our coffee on our way to work in the morning, we buy travel cups. We tried the reusable ones, but we had a bad habit of leaving them sitting in the car and not bringing them in to get washed with the dishes. So now we buy the disposables. I know, I know. Not the cheapest or most environmentally friendly option, but in this busy season of our lives it works for us. Dollar Tree sells 6 packs of the travel cups and lids. This is much cheaper than name brand disposables. And EVEN after buying these supplies each week, it is STILL cheaper than buying coffee out at Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and the like.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
My son was absolutely dying to host a costume party for Halloween this year. And what kid wouldn't want to invite over his friends to dress up, play fun games, and check out brand new toys? Yep, brand new toys.
Just in time for Halloween, the makers of HEXBUGS came out with Nano Zombie bugs that glow in the dark, have exoskeletons, and come complete in their very own coffin case! And they also came out with glow in the dark Nano Galileo bugs, too. These creepy micro robotic creatures crawl around in glow in the dark habitats in an eerily realistic fashion. And we were lucky enough to get a bunch to share with our partygoers!
Check out some pics from our party:
The kids really dug these bugs!
Even our kitten loves HEXBUGS!
She has been trying to catch one all day...
Draw the curtains, turn out the lights,
and watch those HEXBUGS glow!
These limited edition Zombie HEXBUGS have glowing exoskeletons!
How would YOU like to a Glow in the Dark HEXBUG of your very own? To enter, please do any and all of the following:
-Leave a comment here telling me about the creepiest bug you have ever seen.
-Follow HEXBUGS on Facebook (but you gotta leave me a comment letting me know!)
-Follow HEXBUGS on Twitter (once again, leave me a comment letting me know you did!)
One lucky winner will be randomly selected and
announced right here on Saturday, October 29th. Good luck!
*Disclosure: The good people from Mom Select at BSM Media and MommyParties provided my family and our party guests with complimentary toys from the HEXBUG Nano collection. These are my honest opinions.
It's fall, y'all!
And that means Canvas People are having their Fall Sale. What does that mean for you, my frugal friends? Right now you can get either a free 8x10 photo canvas (you just pay shipping) OR you can order a bigger sized canvas and get a whopping 40% off your order, plus FREE shipping.
It's a win-win situation, no matter which frugal deal you choose!
Transform your fabulous fall photos into masterpieces, or create a piece of art for someone as a holiday gift. Canvas People make high-quality photo canvases that are just right for any occasion!
Simply click the box above to start creating YOUR masterpiece.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Canvas People.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Canvas People.
Tip of the day time!
You know, there is no rule saying you HAVE to go out and buy 5 giant bags of candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters. Why not shop your pantry first? I keep a basket in my pantry and toss in all those snacks my kiddo was dying to try and rejected. There is a good amount of fruit snacks, fruit leathers, granola bars, etc. that we tried out in the past few months (got them next to free with sale and coupon stacks, but still don't like to waste!). So I fill my Halloween bowl with those first, then fill it up with candy, as necessary.
Waste not, want not!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Money-saving tip of the day comin' at ya!
Did you know that other stores besides the supermarket often take coupons? If you are not sure, just ask! I know in my area drug stores take coupons, too. Family discount chains like K-Mart, Target, Walmart, Family Dollar, and Dollar General also accept them.
Some K-Marts even participate in double coupon time periods, so keep your eyes and ears open for those!
I love trying new products and checking out new-to-me websites! Right now a cool site called InkGarden is letting people try them out for free (you just pay shipping, typically $3-6). Pretty cool, huh? These have great gift-giving potential!
You could try your hand at creating any of the following custom products:
-Notebook
-Mousepad
-Ceramic Mug
-Biz Cards
-Placemats
-Notepad
-Note cards
-10 Holiday Cards
-10 Invitations
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of InkGarden.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of InkGarden.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
I love me some photo holiday cards! Love to get them in my mailbox, love to send out my own, and I especially LOVE to order them from Shutterfly. Their quality is phenomenal. They are printed on a nice heavyweight card stock, with bright and colorful quality photographs, and nice sturdy envelopes.
Last year was my first time ordering my Christmas cards from Shutterfly. And they were a huge hit! It was so hard to choose a favorite card design--they offer so many styles. I'm still on the fence about what this year's DiSilvio Family card will look like!
How would you like to try out Shutterfly and get 25 FREE holiday cards?
3 lucky Free 2 Be Frugal winners will get to do just that. Here's how to enter for your chance at free holiday cards:
-Leave a comment on this post and tell me what kind of cards you usually send out for the holidays. A family newsletter? A photo montage of the year in review? Kid pics? Pet pics?
-Follow Free 2 Be Frugal on Facebook.
-Follow Free 2 Be Frugal on Twitter.
-Go visit Shutterfly and leave me a comment to tell me which design is your favorite. Maybe while you're there you might want to also check out their photo books or other greeting cards.
Winners will be announced here on October 28th--good luck!
Dotty Holiday Monogram Christmas Card
Make a statement with Shutterfly Christmas photo cards.
View the entire collection of cards.
Swagbucks rocks! 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.
Since joining I have earned over $900 in gift cards! As a frugal gal I had to give up my guilty pleasure of overpriced java, but with free gifts I can indulge at Starbucks. I also like to redeem my 'bucks for Amazon gift cards to score cheap/free books. And withRestaurant.com gift certs I earn, I can take my family out to dinner on the cheap!
Click here to sign up today. And once you join up you can refer friends and earn even more Swagbucks. How great is that?
What's my favorite kind of home decor? Great photos of my family--hands down!
So when the folks at Easy Canvas Prints asked me if Free 2 Be Frugal was interested in trying out their photo canvas service, I jumped at the chance. Seriously, I was jumping up and down! I had long wanted to check out another photo canvas company. Years ago I ordered one from another company and it was seriously disappointing. Very poor quality. Very chinchy.
Not the case with Easy Canvas Prints!
The quality is phenomenal--from the ease of ordering, to the excellent customer service, to the finished product. I would recommend this company over and over again. And I will definitely use them again in the future.
I chose one of my favorite pictures of my two favorite guys, my son and hubby, taken when we were on a fall camping trip several years ago. It's a treasured pic in our family scrapbook and now I get to see it in the hall every morning when I wake up.
Please excuse my yucky photo, taken with my cell phone. I am having some technical difficulty with my digital camera at the moment. But in person, this is truly breathtaking!
Right now Easy Canvas Prints is offering a good promotion--get 25% off your order AND free shipping. That is a great value! I hope you'll give them a try. Photo canvases make great gifts, too, and with the holiday season around the corner it would be a good idea to take advantage of their current offer.
*Disclosure: Easy Canvas Prints offered me one complimentary custom photo canvas in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed are 100% my own.
Tip of the day time!
Halloween is just around the corner. Can you believe the prices on some of these costumes? All for a mere few hours of wear...
Now before you write me off as the Grinch Who Stole Halloween, I am not suggesting you make your kiddos skip trick-or-treating. No way! But why not ask around and see if any of your friends, neighbors, or relatives still have their kiddos' costumes from past years? I'll bet they are in great shape!
You could even host a costume swap party and invite your guests to bring all their old costumes and accessories (capes, hats, masks, etc.). Everyone could go home with "new" stuff to outfit their kiddos this Halloween.
I managed to scoop up a really nice costume for my son at a yard sale last weekend. It still had the original hanger and bag! And at $3, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
This fall, Vistaprint is offering 6 of their popular, personalized products for free. All you pay is shipping. What a great deal!
You can get:
-a photo wall calendar
-a photo flip book
-a tote bag
-a t-shirt
-a set of business cards (you get 250)
-a set of invitations (you get 10)
I have taken advantage of this deal in the past and I received a fab set of "business" cards. I use them as mommy cards to hand out for playdates with my kiddo's playmates. They are awesome!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Vistaprint.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Vistaprint.
Tip of the day, y'all!
Try this nifty little tip Frugal Friend Maria shared with me:
Remember when free checking used to be a perk at most banks? Now it seems like so many of them are not only charging for checking, but they are also instituting a myriad of other fees for every little thing! When shopping for a new bank, keep in mind that small banks can be ideal. They tend to be very loyal to their regular hometown customers and have less fees and more perks.
Credit unions also have their own perks!
When it comes to banks, bigger simply isn't better.
Thanks for sharing, Maria.
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Monday, October 17, 2011
Click the box above to grab yourself a coupon good for Chili's famous Chips & Queso appetizer--for FREE!
And that's not all. You can sign up for Chili's e-newsletter and get coupons for free food emailed to you every couple of weeks. This past week, I got a coupon for a FREE dessert. Yum!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Chili's.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Chili's.
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Tip o' the day, coming your way!Want to make a big ticket purchase without paying a big ticket price? Why not try to bargain with the salesperson or dealer? But remember--take cash!
Many stores are happy to give you a deal if you pay cash instead of by credit or check.
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Saturday, October 15, 2011
Here's your money saving tip of the day:
School picture day is coming up. Will you be shelling out the money to get them? They are so overpriced, even their so-called "value packages", where they simply get you to buy more photos than you'll ever know what to do with.
But of course you'll want to mark the momentous occasion of your child getting another year older with a fresh set of photos for you and your family to enjoy for years to come! What to do? Schedule a portrait elsewhere. I particularly like Picture People, but Target, Walmart, JC Penney, Sears, Olan Mills, and others do a fine job for a fraction of the price you'll pay at school. And most offer deals and coupons throughout the year.
Annual "school pictures" don't have to be taken at school!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Tip o' the day, coming your way!If you have pets, then you have to take them to get rabies shots. Now, you could very well take them to their vet to get them. Or, you could get the shot for free. How?
Many towns offer a free clinic day you may take your cats and dogs to where a vet will vaccinate your pet free of charge. The shot lasts 3 years for adult animals; 1 year for young kittens and pups. And you don't even need to go to your own town's event. These free clinic days are not highly publicized, and so they are not terribly crowded either. I found out about the last one I went to in my town's free newsletter. I have gotten word of them in other towns by catching a flyer posted to a telephone poll or visiting a town's website.
So if your pet is coming up on an expired rabies vaccine, ask around. I'll bet you can find one free somewhere near you soon!
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Thursday, October 13, 2011
Pot Roast and Meatloaf and Cream Puffs, oh my!
Grandma's Back to Basics All Natural More Than Just a Cookbook is chock full of recipes that give a nod to times gone past. Author Teresa Thompson has suffered from food allergies for years, and concluded that the preservatives and additives in today's prepared food were to blame. So she decided to experiment and try cooking the old fashioned way. No artificial sweeteners, no MSG, etc.
I sure do wish I had gotten my hands on a cookbook like this years ago, when my son was sufferin from food allergies! What a treasure! Now he has outgrown those allergies, but these recipes still had me intrigued. I tried several and was delighted with the results.
*Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the aforementioned book as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. The opinions expressed are 100% my own. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.
Tip of the day, y'all!
Try this nifty little tip Frugal Friend Tammy shared with me:
Lots of people have long switched from mailing their payments to online bill pay. But so many companies still send all that paper to your home for your records. Before you toss them in the can, salvage those free envelopes and store them away for later use. As a mom to littles, I am always needing an envelope to send in school lunch money, book orders, and more!
Thanks for sharing, Tammy.
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