Wednesday, December 31, 2008

After Christmas Shopping and the Freebie Blogger

So I'm on vacation from nearly everything in my life, so blogging hits low on the priority list. Still, I have to mention this: I have a bargain shopping addiction. I'm on a super low budget, so I'm pretty good at not spending money, but I have to wander through the mall instead of the dollar store as preventative medicine. Why does it seem so much easier to NOT buy a $40 shirt than a $1 bag of candy?

I generally avoid great sales when I don't have the money. Still, I wandered through Kohl's this last week and loved their clearance clearance sales. Any clearance item was off an extra 30%, so instead of $10, it's $6...my sis-in-law picked up an adorable jacket for $2.40....

If there is any item you need, shop now while even the sale stuff is discounted!

For other great deals and finds, check out this site, the Freebie Blogger. Everyday she posts free things, from free music downloads, to free printable handouts for teachers, to free coupons or promotional codes. She doesn't have a button yet so it's not in the sidebar, but seriously, check it out!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Anyone want coupons?

Ok local Provo money savers--

i won a giveaway a few weeks back for 100 coupons, and I made good use of some this past week but a lot expire in the next few weeks and I won't be using them. There are coupons for just about everything here, from frozen food to breakfast sausage, from huggies diapers to air fresheners...
way too many to post here!

If you want any coupons, post a comment with something you're looking for specifically or drop by and sort through them yourself--or even take the whole thing!

Merry Christmas and happy money saving :o)

Monday, December 15, 2008

CD and MP3 winners!

Thanks to all who entered!

To those who chose not to play, just remember that you can't win if you don't enter! ;o)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

10
16

Timestamp: 2008-12-16 06:22:30 UTC

Congrats to #10 Stacie for winning the CD and #16 Deanna for winning 3 MP3s/sheet music!


Keep watching this space for more great giveaways, tips, and tricks!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Scrapbooking, anyone?

Don't forget! The CD and MP3 giveaway ends Dec. 15th! Thanks to all who've entered so far, and to the rest of you--this may be your lucky day!

Those of you who know me know I'm not a scrapbooker (my husband loves this about me!) but I keep stumbling across amazing scrapbook giveaways...so, if you haven't gotten lucky and won anything yet (or are looking for non-mom giveaways!) check these out.

Best of luck!

Jill's Scrappy Daze







Rica's Haven




























Sunday, December 7, 2008

***GIVEAWAY*** CD from award-winning inspirational song writer!

Looking for the perfect way to get into the Spirit of Christ this season? I have a great chance for you! Award-winning songwriter Jeanni Gould is giving away a CD of inspirational music. Even better, there are two chances to win: a second winner will receive any three MP3s or sheet music of his/her choice!




Jeanni Gould is the author of three books for LDS Young Women which include programs for personal progress, Young Women in Excellence, and New Beginnings. Each themed program includes everything from planning to invitations, an original song to creative refreshments. Each book is also available on cd-rom, which includes the performance tracks and printable versions of every program.

Jeanni is the winner of many songwriting awards, including the LDS Church Music contest. She felt highly honored to receive Pearl Award nominations for Best Inspirational Album 2004, Best Sacred Song, and Best Artist. Listen to a clip of "Ask in Faith", which was nominated for Best Sacred Song!




Jeanni's latest cd, A Woman's Heart and her previous CD We Are Daughters feature songs that have touched the hearts of many thousands of listeners. Both cds include a variety of performers and song styles.




So many of her songs are my "favorite" so I had a difficult time deciding which to feature here.

In the spirit of Christmas, her song "Glory" tells the story of the nativity just as I would imagine the angels singing it.


"Only this morning" is an Easter song about Christ first appearing to Mary at the tomb.


Written about a single woman, "A Single Heart" shares the dreams of wishing for family and children to hold.


I should probably limit this to three, but I find it just so difficult to decide! I'm also including "Pure as Prayer", a beautiful love story Jeanni wrote for her parents about the kind of love that lasts.


How to enter: Visit Jeanni's site (www.jeannigould.com) and post a comment below about your favorite song. Click on any cd image to hear audio clips. Post one comment per entry, and make sure to include an e-mail address if your e-mail is not publicly available on your profile!

Extra entries:
(1 entry) Grab the button for 5 Things Cooking and add it to your blog
(1 entry) Become a follower of this blog
(1 entry) Subscribe to my RSS feed

(3 entries!) Send an e-mail to Jeanni sharing your thoughts and comments!
(5 entries!) Buy anything from Jeanni Gould during this giveaway.

Giveaway ends 12pm EST on December 15th!
Winners will be chosen by random number generator. Good luck!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Who wants a $10 gift certificate?

So I have a chance to giveaway three $10 gift cards to Restaurant.com! Yay!

Have you ever used Restaurant.com? You buy a $25 gift card for $10 (or a $10 for $3). Each "gift card" is more like a coupon for that price off a certain minimum purchase. BUT, there are still some great deals out there! For instance, with this "Feed it forward" deal, you get the $25 off coupon free, which has a $35 minimum purchase. So take your husband or a friend to dinner, enjoy (and doggy bag!) $35 of food, and only spend $10!

I can pass on three of these a day, so there's room for everyone! Post a comment if you're interested, and make sure to leave your email address if I don't already have it. Know someone who might be interested? Send them here to share the love!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Introducing: 5 Things Cooking!

So i've decided that this site is getting scattered...so I've been working on a new site, just for recipes and cooking tips! I hope you like it :o) That site will have e-mail links for submitting recipes as well as letting you subscribe through readers. For those of you who don't use readers, they're amazing! Basically, it takes the highlights and puts them on a page in your email account (like yahoo or gmail) and lets you browse through blogs just like news headlines. It's great if you regularly read lots of blog and don't want to list them all on your personal blog.

So, let me know what you think! And yes, I finally added a fun header here. Maybe I have a future in graphic design...anyone else want a fun new header? Maybe i'll host my own giveaway...

5 Things Cookings button

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Keeps on giving...

So gas prices have finally gone down (I filled up for $1.80 the other day!) but every little bit helps.

Chevron is having another promotion where you can win a $5 Chevron gas card. To get your free card, all you have to do is register and answer three trivia questions correctly and mostly likely you will win a card. This offer is good in AL, AK, AZ, CA, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, KY, LA, MD, MS, NV, NM, NC, OH, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, and WA. The offer expires 12/31/08, but if this is like the last promotion, they will only have a certain number of cards available. Don’t forget to verify the email that they will send or you will not receive your card!!

* It looks like there might be a certain number available to win per day since people who are playing in the morning win and people who play in the evening don’t. But I can’t be sure.

Monday, December 1, 2008

The Season for Giving

Ok, I've gotten lots of questions about the giveaways I've been winning (baby shoes from See Kai Run and a $50 gift certificate to WalMart!). There are tons going on for the Christmas season, but there are always things to win. For the most current list of giveaways, check out the "Mom Giveaways" button on the sidebar of this blog. She keeps track of when each giveaway ends, what you win, and how to enter. Be careful, because it gets addicting! Still, I've found that five minutes every day or so entering only the contests I really would like to win has paid off :o)

Some blogs are sponsoring "12 days of Christmas" type giveaways. You can find the button for the "Christmas Giveaways" on the sidebar. There is also a series of giveaways from Lil' Peanut patch.

The Lil' Peanut Patch



Good luck to all of you! Let me know if you win anything :o)

Monday, November 10, 2008

Saving $$$ on groceries and dates!

Thanks to everyone who voted--hopefully we can pass some useful ideas around! I've had a few friends email some great sounding recipes, so I'll post those this week. I'll also put a link up for you to submit ideas, requests, and recipes of your own!

The vote was unanimous for saving money on food and groceries, so I'll pass on a few tips for the week:

1. The Bargain Scout. Lindsay's sister compiles lists of some great deals and coupons on her blog that can really come in handy--props to all of you who were able to stock up on diapers!

2. Pinching your pennies. This site lets you enter your zip code and select stores in your area, and then searches through the current ads for each store and posts the best deals. Products are separated into categories and rated on a scale from "buy this only if you're desperate" to "great buy! stock up!" It also has a feature that lets you print out your grocery list based on your selections from this list. Much easier than keeping track of newspaper ads!

3. Shortcuts.com. This site lets you search for a store in your area where you have a frequent shopper card (a la smith's student card or fresh values member). You enter your card number and select the coupons you want, which are loaded online to your card and automatically come up when you scan your card at the store! You also get e-mail reminders when coupons you have selected are about to expire. I find that it helps to print out a list of what coupons I have just so I can check it when I'm at the store, but it's still easier than keeping track of a bunch of coupons.

4. Frugal mommy. This wonderful woman posts giveaways for free giftcards and products, but also has a section dedicated to free samples and coupons. Great if you are looking for a discount on a particular product or are willing to try something new if it's free.

5. Free samples. Lots of places offer these, but the most common is Walmart. Only a few products are offered at a time, and it takes a few weeks to ship, but hey, it's free! Some of the most common products offered are feminine hygiene and diapers, and hey, who hasn't whined about having to buy that stuff? Synovate global opinion panels is a survey group I've mentioned before that's also great for free sample for product testing.

6. Prescriptions. If any of you are on prescription meds for anything, make sure you're getting the best deal! I fill my prescription at Smith's, but ask them to price match for Costco (and you don't need a membership!). Smith's price per month: $42.50 Costco: $7.00. Many stores will price match for ads if you bring it in, so don't be afraid to ask! It's more convenient to shop in one stop, and you never lose for asking.

7. Citydeals. I'm not finding the great deals I used to, but every once in a while it surprises me. This place offers gift cards at a reduced rate. Search by zip code or type of card and see what interests you. Eric and I often use this for date planning: decide we want to go mini-golfing, find a $20 gift card to Boondocks for $15, order it to be shipped for same day pickup to one of several local stores, and go on a date for less! It regularly costs $3 shipping, but only once per order. Shipping takes three days on average unless you select same day pickup. Same day orders must be placed by mid morning for pickup after 4pm. I'm famous around our house for buying $40 gift cards to Rodizio's Brazilian grill for $28...bring on the feasting!

8. Christmas Giveaway! this site is giving away a ton of prizes over the next few weeks as well as donating to help out families in need for christmas. Can't get better than that!

Just a few thoughts for now. Again, I'll get a link up for you to post your thoughts and share suggestions! Happy saving.

P.S. for all you crafters, there are some GREAT Joann's coupons this week including 10% off your entire order including clearance deals...I have links for these if you're interested!