frugalness: Harris Teeter Super Double Coupons

.... yeah - that's right. Thanks Julie for the tipoff. I've been a little out of it these days!! But WOW that's an awesome deal at HT!!

Go HERE for the details, and be sure to find out if your store is participating!!

Seeds of Happiness - Freebies

Seeds of Happiness makes and mails handmade cards free of charge to any deployed US Service member for their birthday or any day that you want to let them know you're thinking of them.

Go HERE to check it out!!

*I want to thank Millie for emailing me about this today!! I'm happy to put this on my blog!

frugalness: TGIFridays BOGO coupon

Go HERE to get your BOGO coupon for June from TGIFridays!

frugalness: it's back, another HUGE discount on Flip Ultra

I've blogged about this 2 x's now, and this deal has returned... this time saving a whopping 100.00 on this Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 30-Minutes (White). BRAND NEW for $49.99!! That's a super huge savings!! The vender selling this product at this reduced price shows only 14 available at the time of my post...this sale won't last long!!

• Simple to use, pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording and digital zoom


• Holds 30 minutes of full VGA-quality video on 1GB of built-in memory; no tapes or additional memory cards required


• Convenient USB arm plugs directly into your computer for easy viewing and sharing


• Built-in software lets you easily e-mail videos, upload to YouTube and AOL, and capture still photos from video


• Watch videos instantly on TV with included cable

frugalness: Canon Selphy CP760 Pink Compact Photo Printer $39.99

Amazon has a 60% off deal on the Canon Selphy CP760 Pink Compact Photo Printer (3255B001) This is a GREAT deal on this printer!! It's so tiny, won't crowd your space, and it's reviewed as soooo easy to use!! Regular 99.99, marked down to 39.99!!

freebies and frugalness: Mothers Day goodies

Most Moms feel overloaded and rundown at some point. On May 8th and 9th ONLY - The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal by Renee Trudeau is offering a Free Book Download.

Help Mom to Create a Spa atmosphere at home! Old World Limited carries Bath and Body products every Mother deserves for Mother’s Day! And you can purchase it with a 15% discount, now through May 15th. The code is MOMS15.

Home Depot is offering a FREE workshop that shows women how to transform their outdoors - Outdoor Maintenance, Vegetable Gardening, and Outdoor Style Projects. Plan to go together as a Mom/Daughter activity…and it is FREE! May 14th from 7-8:30pm, check your local Home Depot to see if they're participating.

Think Thrifty Thursday - frugal is the new black

I dance a jig when I save money with coupons, and I have even been known to call a friend or two when I save a ton by using triple coupons... but it's not because I'm bragging.

I have often felt like I should just keep it to myself for not seeming like a bragger... It's evident that society places importance on material things, so it makes it harder to impress upon others the benefits of being even just a little thrifty. With todays barely surviving economy, thrifty is a little more accepted then it used to be.

I've noticed that more people are taking advantage of super double coupon days, or triple coupon days at local grocery stores. I notice spring sales at the local malls draw bigger crowds then in the days of the booming economy. There's also auto dealerships now offering "walk away with no strings" deals if you get laid off with your job during the first 12 months of your purchase of a brand new car. What major changes have you noticed since the economy has hit rock bottom? Have you or your neighbor or close friend/family been affected directly by job loss?

For us, it's been small adjustments here and there since we decided for me to stay home after the birth of our youngest. I work from home and make a modest income, but we have taken a 50k a year income hit due to job changes, and my staying home. While that sounds like a lot, we quickly learned to live within our new income without a terrible strain. Very similar to Julie over at coolmomguide, we made some changes quickly.

I ran across this article recently: Why isn't frugality more conspicuous? Thrift seems to go hand in hand with other virtues, such as modesty. In some instances, when a frugal lifestyle is forced on someone due to financial crisis, there is some embarrassment about the thrifty measures required to make ends meet. We even call these situations "financial embarrassment." Why do those who conspicuously consume make their consumption so visible? Presumably, they know that others want what they have. If you want to give frugality a positive spin, focus on the good that others want in their lives. Mention frugality and people don't immediately think of the good that results. They picture a frugal or "tight" person with tight, pursed lips, squinty eyes, wearing poor-fitting clothes. **

I think you'll be hearing alot more about being frugal. Frugal is the new black. Visit Julie at CoolMomGuide for more Thrifty Thursday.

**Thanks to stretcher.com for this article excerpt

frugalness: McAfee Total Protection 2009, REBATE!

Right now you can get McAfee Total Protection 2009 3-User
from Amazon.com and get a mail in rebate of 60.00!! Offer ONLY good for purchase from Amazon.com.

If you're interested in buying McAfee Total Protection 2009 3-User and taking advantage of this rebate, then click HERE for more details on the rebate form.

Frugalness: Think Thrifty Thursday

As part of my quest to be frugal and thrifty, I generally try to take advantage of multiple use items. I ran across a great idea last year, recycling crayons. I'm sure that most all parents at some point have tossed out their fair share of crayon bits and pieces. I know I have, and I'm thrilled to have found a fun new way to re-use them!

Recently our youngest went through a couple weeks of the yuck, having had a stomach virus one week, and a cold the very next. We had to get resourceful and fill in the time that would otherwise be outdoors or a playdate or even a trip to the library. We decided to give recycling our crayon bits a whirl!

Our little guy (3 years old) had a blast helping me peel, break, and sort them for the baking. I followed these instructions for the most part, I changed my oven temp half way through the project to 275 degrees because after 35 min the crayons were not even 1/2 melted. The montage below is a quick view of the process step by step.

I read somewhere else that you can use the silicone baking pans for more fun shapes. Just remember if you try this, the pan you use will forever be dedicated to crafts afterwards!

Related Links: Last weeks Think Thrifty Thursday

random: interesting read

Interesting reading about a North Carolina mom who utilizes paper coupons and e-coupons. Read here.



Thanks Luv2bFrugal for the info!!

free stuff: long distance calls for free?!?!

Use FreeVoiceLine.com to make free calls within the US and Canada. To use this service you simply enter your phone number and the phone number you would like to call at the prompt. FreeVoiceLine.com will call you first, then connect you to the number you're wishing to call.

Click here to view their privacy policy.

Thanks to The Freebie Blogger for the tip.

Frugalness: Think Thrifty Thursday

Julie is hosting a meme - Think Thrifty Thursday. She and I often compare notes on how and where to grab the best deal when it comes to toys, groceries, and in general "stuff". We often call ourselves Frugal Rulers and have tossed the idea around about making matching tee shirts to wear and shopping together on triple coupon days at Harris Teeter to warn them that we're coming!!

Right now, with the economy floundering, more then ever I’m on the hunt for great finds. I’ve written a few posts about my frugalness here and here if you want to check out some of the ways we pinch a penny around our house.

This Thursday’s Thrifty thought is directed to an obsession of mine, craigslist. I’m all about finding a great deal on there!! While toys aren’t necessities, I thought I’d write my post for this week about the activity toys we’ve really saved on with our mindful shopping. Here’s just 4 of the things I scored over the summer and fall for our toddler to have fun with!!

This desk by Little Tikes – in NEW condition (not one flaw!); I paid $15.00. I drove 10 minutes from my house to pick it up. They even put new batteries in the desklight to show me that it worked. Had I bought it in a store, I would have paid $69.99+tax. {SAVED $55.00}

This kitchen/laundry combo by Little Tikes – in NEW condition (seriously, looked never played with); I paid $25.00. I did not have to drive any at all out of my way, the seller met me near my oldest son’s school during my morning commute. She even gave me the info to call Little Tikes and order one of the missing pieces, and because I had registered w/ Little Tikes before online, they sent it to me at NO CHARGE!! The kitchen has interactive food, laundry with sounds, and the voice can be programmed to Spanish/English/French. This kitchen combo would have cost us $199.99!! {SAVED $175.00}

This slide by Little Tikes in excellent condition – no fading, no scratches and was used INDOORS ONLY!! I paid $10.00 and the seller lived one neighborhood away!! This slide sells new for $89.99!! {SAVED $80.00}

This train table, in good condition (some wood wear but minimal); I paid $50.00. This train table came with the ‘play board’ for the top, and we had our own trains. The bins came with it, and they were in new condition. I drove about 20 minutes from home to pick this up and the seller even loaded it in my car for me!! This table w/ storage bins would have cost us $200.00 in a store. {SAVED $150.00}

TOY SAVINGS ON JUST THESE FOUR ITEMS = $460.00!!

Granted, these are not necessities - but it was nice to provide them for our little guy at a very low out of pocket cost!!

free stuff: TV

Have you been to hulu?? There's alot of free movies on there!! I was surprised at how many there were, even some favorite oldies like Grease and Karate Kid. There's also a 'TV' button where you can search and find some of your favorite TV shows most recent episodes.

word of mouth sites

I thought I'd share some of the nifty sites I visit from time to time to get some goodies....

BzzAgent - word of mouth product testing. Free to sign up, no obligations. You chose what you participate in. This is where we scored our dandy 250.00 remote I mentioned here, with absolutely ZERO invested. Sometimes they do offer really expensive product testing that you have to pay a fee to participate in, but I always opt out of those. I'm more interested in the fun stuff. I've tested for free: Ziplock products, Scrubbing Bubbles products, Pledge products, Oust products, and several snack products. All they ask is that you give feedback, and pass the information you gather along by word of mouth. The really cool thing is that when you give feedback, you earn womlets....those are points. And guess where they go??? To MyPoints.

MyPoints - it's a fun way to earn more free stuff. If you buy off of amazon, ebay, target, etc., you may want to consider logging in to mypoints first then using their search engine to go to the site you want to purchase from. You get your purchase + earn points. The points transfer into the form of a giftcard. Also, they'll send you about 5 emails a week, each email you LOOK at (that's it) gives you 5 points. There's also several surveys you can do to earn quick points along the way w/o buying a thing. If I'm waiting on a file to upload for work, I may do a quick 2 minute survey and earn 50-100 points.

Psst... by General Mills - free product samples and coupons.

VocalPoint - I just joined this one. It's another product sample testing site. I read about this one in a local magazine about how moms are turning to these types of sites to 'get paid to shop'.

All in all - I may spend about 20-30 min a week surfing through these offers. BzzAgent sends me product testing offers by email, and those are about 1 x a month. Others just send them directly to me in the mail, with no strings attached. I like how the sites allow you to do a quick set of surveys to describe your interests and then they gear your product testing around things you already enjoy or buy.

green it up with recycling

We have been home bound for 4 days with our little guy during his yucky cold. We've been coming up with ideas to keep the indoors fun... so, this morning we did some recycling. We took all of our broken crayons and turned them into a new set of crayons!
I got the idea from here last year... My little guy had a blast helping me peel, break, and sort them for the baking. I followed these instructions for the most part, I changed my oven temp half way through the project to 275 degrees because after 35 min the crayons were not even 1/2 melted. I read somewhere else that you can use the silicone baking pans for more fun shapes. I may run and grab some heart shaped ones and do those for Valentines day! Just remember if you try this, the pan you use will forever be dedicated to crafts afterwards!

random: getting down with being frugal

I'm frugal, more frugal then I ever thought I'd be! My mom's super proud, she used to tell me 'you'll understand some day' when I would roll my eyes at her for clipping coupons or seeking out the best deal. I used to think of being frugal as being cheap - but it's really being sensible, no matter how big or little your income is. How smart is it to pay more, when you could be paying less all along? My friend Julie has even recommended that we get some trendy shirts made about how it's cool to be frugal.

Anyway - this week I followed MoneySavingMom's advice and headed over to Walmart after printing off some of the e-coupons as well as looking through ones I'd clipped already. I left with 4 bags of goodies that retailed for just under 40.00, and I paid 18.47. One of those goodies was a clearance Thomas the Tank Engine toy for the little guy (5.99). Some other items included a small bag of Iams cat food (had a free coupon!), Pillsbury Cinnamon Cinnabon Rolls (free coupon!), Goody's Ouchless bands (.19 after savings!) and many more deals just like that.

So - this weekend it's triple coupons up to .99 cent at Harris Teeter and Bloom stores, Friday-Sunday. I've calculated in the past 3 months that using coupons, sales ads, and finding in store specials - we've saved almost 400.00 in shopping savings alone (groceries, toys for Christmas, bedding, cleaning supplies). That's a good bit!!! It gives us more to put in the dining out budget when we save on the necessities. Lowes Foods recently had triple coupons, and SuperKmart had triple coupons up to $2.00 last week. I left there with 1 months supply of cleaning items, cat litter, bottled waters, non-perishables, toiletries - and paid nearly nothing after coupon savings. I generally don't buy things just because I have a coupon for them, unless it's what we regularly use OR if I'm going to get it for nearly free.

Call me silly - but the way I see it, if the manufacturers are providing ways for us to cut corners... these days with prices going no where but up, we really can't afford to pass them up! I even get over 50% of our organic foods for less, I write the manufacturers (Full Circle, etc) a quick email from the contact us link on their sites and request coupons or free product trials and they almost always deliver. After writing them once, I become a regular on their mailing list and receive coupons by mail directly from them almost monthly.

A friend of mine suggested once that I join a company where you do free product testing, I did and we've received lots of goodies for FREE (no strings, only brief feedback is required) as well as lots of coupons and samples. The coupons and samples are yours to keep and either pass out to other people, or use for yourself... again - no strings. One of the products we received 100% free to keep, was a 250.00 all in one remote control . There are a few other word of mouth product sites that I've joined, but I've yet to see alot of product testing. Once I do - I'll share those too. The good thing about the ones I have joined, is almost all of them like you to do a survey so that they fit the product testing to your likes/interests in food/electronics/etc. Most people that I've told about this think it takes up alot of my time, but I seriously spend maybe 15-20 min one time a week. And I get rewarded with lots of freebies and fun stuff to try! Someone's getting stuff for free, someone's gets to test products for free, so I figure - why not me?

green it up with frugal

I came across two green tips for household cleaning and I thought I'd share them. Green Daily posted a Borax article recently, and it included a link to 2 other helpful sources... This one for uses for Borax and this one for Safe Alternatives in household cleaning. I've been making alot of my own household cleaners lately, and this was a great little bit of info! After reading several articles recently about Fire Retardants - it has me thinking about things in general... things that are on my floor, things that my kids are exposed too. So, to hop back on my tree hugging freakbox - I am doing what I can to change our house. It gives ME peace of mind.

green it up with frugal

I came across two green tips for household cleaning and I thought I'd share them. Green Daily posted a Borax article recently, and it included a link to 2 other helpful sources... This one for uses for Borax and this one for Safe Alternatives in household cleaning. I've been making alot of my own household cleaners lately, and this was a great little bit of info! After reading several articles recently about Fire Retardants - it has me thinking about things in general... things that are on my floor, things that my kids are exposed too. So, to hop back on my tree hugging freakbox - I am doing what I can to change our house. It gives ME peace of mind.