Hey, a mama's got to brag a little...

Got broken Disney movies in your kiddo's movie collection? Broken DVDs and Blu-rays are inevitable when you have little ones. But not to worry!

Disney has a replacement program! Simply send in the damaged disk and a check or money order for $6.95 (or $8.95 for Blu-ray) and Disney will send you a replacement. That is MUCH cheaper than going out and buying it again in the store.

Do you have a regular movie night at your home? We do! Movie night typically means we all stay in and rent or borrow a movie (Redbox or the good ole library) and eat dinner in front of the tv. But here are a few tips to make a more authentic movie night experience for your fam:

-Serve popcorn in plastic tubs that look just like the real deal from the theater. I often see these at Dollar Tree and Target's dollar spot.

-Serve candy treats. Again, I have to give Kudos to Dollar Tree for having the theater sized boxes of candy, but for a mere buck.

-Turn off the lights. So simply and yet kids love that!

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In the busy-ness of the holiday season we get frazzled. Anxious. Overwhelmed.

And we forget.

To slow down. To refresh ourselves. To remember the reason for the season.

I love to take a few minutes each day to visit my favorite Advent site, Following the Star. It combines beautiful music, a daily devotion, and scripture each day of the season of Advent. They will even email you a daily reminder to visit the site and take some much-needed time for yourself.

It really IS okay to do, I assure you! Not so certain? Read my 3 Rules for Re-Gifting.

I had to laugh when I saw a friend of mine post this cartoon today.

If you DID go out and brave the crowds today, I hope you got some great deals. I went out for a bit (although not until a much saner hour than some of my friends went out..I rolled out at 10 am, not 4!)

Not to worry! You can still make your holidays merry and bright for the kiddos in your life. Check out 5 ways to save on presents for the kiddos.

Check out my easy peasy recipe for the best-ever smashed potatoes.

Cheap? Easy? Delicious?

Here are some of my very favorite dessert recipes I have tried out in the past few years:

Apple Butter Pie (also delish made with pumpkin butter!)

If you want to find some unique presents that won't cost an arm and a leg, may I recommend to you my favorite spots for frugal finds:

The day of the feast is near. Most likely you will have lots of leftovers. What will you make beyond the obligatory turkey sandwiches?

Enter LeftOver Chef!

You can search for recipes via ingredients you have in your fridge. Pretty neat, huh?

A Full Cup was one of the very first deals sites I started reading when I became a stay at home mom and started getting serious about savings.

Years later, they are still the cream of the crop in savings sites! So you're gonna want to check with A Full Cup to preview all the ads and deals for Black Friday.

This year Office Max is striving to make your holiday shopping more affordable by offering a fantastic deal EACH Friday through December 16th. You can sign up here to be the first to know, or you can stop by Free 2 Be Frugal to see what is in store for you!

Without further ado, here is today's hot deal:

KODAK Optical Digital Camera C1505, 12 MP (red) for just $44.99

This camera features 12 megapixels, automatic face detection, reduced blur, on-camera slide show, and one-button upload to share on YouTube and Facebook.

Want to set a table that looks fancy enough for a holiday gathering? It doesn't have to cost a lot! You can try these ways of gussying up your spread:

-Add lots of candles. Instant ambiance!

-Layer your plates. Place larger plates on the setting, topped by slightly smaller plates.

-Use cloth napkins.

-Make place cards with your guests' names on them.

-Use water goblets or wine glasses, even if you are simply serving iced tea.

-Set the table correctly. Ya know--with 2 forks on the left and your butter knife and spoon on the right.

-Lay the food out in matching serving dishes.

Sorry I have been MIA lately, but 'tis the season for a family-wide cold!

But this evening I am popping my head in to share some exciting news: Free 2 Be Frugal is hosting a giveaway!

One of the best things hubby and I decided to do to save money was to enjoy our coffee at home. Yes, we invested in a fancy Keurig coffee machine. And yes, we buy coffee creamers and flavorings. But even so, it saves tons of money compared to indulging in overpriced lattes out.

We love having fancy coffees, made right at home in our own kitchen, as often as we like! And we want you to try it out, too. So Free 2 Be Frugal will be giving away 5, yes five, vouchers for complimentary bottles of Torani flavored syrups. They have a wide variety of flavors, from Brown Sugar Cinnamon (O. M.G.) to Chocolate Macadamia Nut to Toasted Marshmallow to Gingerbread. And, they even have a full line of delicious sugar-free syrups, which this diabetic girl appreciates! When I used to go to the fancy schmancy cafe and order my $5 lattes, I only had a choice of 3 different sugar-free flavors. Now I can enjoy whatever flavor the mood strikes me!

-Visit Torani's web site and leave me a comment here to tell me which flavor you are dying to indulge in!

-Follow Free 2 Be Frugal on Facebook

-Follow Free 2 Be Frugal on Twitter

-"Like" Torani on Facebook

-Follow Torani on Twitter

Do you have scissors that are just plain dull? To sharpen them and extend their life, simply fold up a small sheet of aluminum foil 5-7 times and cut through the layers with your scissors. This will improve the cutting surface of most scissors and keep them cutting!

We are just 15 days away from the biggest shopping day of the year--Black Friday. And whether or not you are one of the thousands of shoppers who brave the crowds to shop around the clock that day or not, it marks the beginning of the shopping season.

What's on our list this year? Check back soon for our 2011 Holiday gift Guide and check out the hottest toys that we think are worth the money!

If you have fans in your bathroom or kitchen, be sure to turn them off as soon as you are able to. After running for just one hour, those kind of little fans can force out the heat of your house right out.

Scary doesn't say it.

You see, my identity had been stolen two whole years before I was ever aware that it had occurred! One day I was perusing my mail pile when I saw a letter from a collection agency. At that time I had exactly one line of credit-a bank issued card with a $200 limit-that I paid off each and every month. I was completely baffled as to why a collection agency would be writing to me.

The letter indicated that "my" store credit card at a very fancy schmancy high-end department store was now in collections. Payments were being made for a brief time, but then they stopped. And they couldn't locate where I had "moved to" until now. I had never even stepped foot inside that store, let alone applied for a credit card!

Several calls later I was able to talk to someone from the department store was inquired if it was possible that the authorized user on the card could have been the one to accrue the charges. When she told me the name of the "authorized user" I was in shock. It was the name of a girl I had waitressed with two years beforehand. One day she called out from work and we never saw her again. I didn't think twice about it at the time. I had no idea where she went to or why. I had no idea that she had somehow, unbeknownst to me, stolen my identity.

The department store sent me a copy of the application "I" had supposedly filled out, along with a copy of "my" driver's license. It had all my personal information on it, with one exception. It had a photograph of the waitress I had worked with previously.

I. Was. Furious.

Now this was long before people really knew a lot about identity theft. My local police didn't quite know what to do about it. The state police didn't know how to handle it. It took two more years of letter-writing and phone calls to absolve myself from that debt that did not belong to me.

And then several other times over the next two years I would get a collection agency letter here and there. They were mostly for unpaid utility bills in a state I had never lived in. It seems the girl rented an apartment in my name, as well.

I have since learned to make sure to get a copy of my credit report each and every year. You can look online for sites that will provide you with a free credit score. This way you can know exactly what kind of activity is going on in your name, on your credit. It is crucial to see that activity and know what your credit score is.

At tax time, do your normally get a nice big check from the IRS? If you do, then you have plenty of room to adjust your taxes being taken out from your paycheck. Ask your HR rep to help you re-fill out that form to have less taxes taken out. This will make each check a little more money. You could probably get an extra $40 or $50 a month this way.

There are times in your life when a big celebration is warranted. Baby showers, bridal showers, christenings, and the list goes on and on. You want to share those special moments with all of your family and closest friends and they just won't all fit in your house. But banquet halls and caterers can be so spendy.

Fear not! There are lots of options for finding a less expensive venue for your party. Many churches, community centers, fire halls, and VFWs will often rent out their spaces for a fraction of the price you might pay elsewhere.

Right now Vistaprint has a super deal on holiday card writing essentials. For just $4.99 you get:

-20 holiday cards

-140 address labels

-1 engraved pen

To take advantage of this frugal deal, simply click the box above and start designing your holiday cards!

What's all this you keep hearing about Swagbucks? What's all the fuss?

Sign up and use Swagbucks to do your searches instead of your old search engines. Why? Because with Swagbucks you can earn points and points turn into goodies. My favorite goody to redeem points for is a gift card, without a doubt! I have earned over $1,000 in gift cards for places like Amazon, Starbucks, and Restaurant.com.

Yep, FOR REAL!

I'll admit, I was skeptical when I first heard about it. But this is the real deal. Frugal gal's honor! Your goodies are shipped to you free of charge. No credit cards are involved. You don't have to subscribe to anything to order anything. Just search and win!

Thanksgiving will be here in just a few short weeks and that means there are good deals popping up everywhere you look on certain items. You will also start seeing plenty of coupons for them, too! Take advantage of these deals and stock your pantry and freezer with:

-Canned soups

-Canned pumpkin (I will buy enough of this stuff to keep us in pumpkin for the next year!)

-Cranberry sauce

-Evaporated milk

-Canned veggies

-Spices

-Sugar

-Flour

-Turkey

-Ham

-Potatoes

-Celery

If you've got pets, then you know that taking them to the vet can be a hue money drain. But can you avoid it? Yes you can!

-If it is time to get your dog or cat spayed or neutered, start looking around for a vet alternative. Many animal shelters offer clinics to the general public that cost much less than what it would cost at the vet. I recently booked our kitten for a spaying for just $75.

-And if your cat or dog's rabies shot is expired or will expire soon, read your town newsletter and the local newspaper to see when the next free rabies shot day will take place. Our town's public works department hosted one of these a few weeks ago.

Filing for bankruptcy is a big step.

Huge.

But if you are overwhelmed with debt, it might be the only answer left. There are basically two kinds of bankruptcy: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13.

Chapter 7 is total bankruptcy. It stays on your credit report for 10 years. If you qualify, all or almost all of your debts will be canceled. This included your mortgage and car loan. Yes, you will lose your house and automobiles. You will probably only have to go to court once and it takes about $300 to file.

Chapter 13 is a bit different. It stays on your credit report for just 7 years. You may choose to exempt some debts that you would like to continue to pay on, like your house or car. IT requires you to repay some of your other debts, too. You will work out a much-reduced repayment plan for the debt left over that could not be cancelled.

Some debt cannot be cancelled. Examples of these would be child support, student loans, and tax debt.

Either type of bankruptcy will require two educational course: a credit counseling course before filing and and a financial management course after filing.