Monday, January 31, 2011

Totsy

Totsy has $5 off and a one-year free membership to thredUP...a place where mom's can exchange kid's clothes online....check it out!

Open Your Mind and Free Your Soul...

It is far easier to sit back and judge and less easy to take time to understand. Take time to listen and understand. It is far too costly to your spirit to hold on to hurt, anger and judgement. It is in letting go and learning to appreciate that we begin to heal. 

Gaggle of Chicks

Gaggle of Chicks is offering 50% off Twin Sister Productions. You can receive $30 in credit towards some wonderful kids music for only $15. Turn off that TV, throw on the music and enjoy some fun and rewarding time with your little ones!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Snow Can Be A Drag But....

Go out and play! I am 36 yo and went sledding for the first time in years! My kids had a blast watching me be silly and I had a great time. Walking in knee-high snow is great exercise as is trying to throw yourself onto a sled with enough momentum to get down the hill! Best of all...this activity doesn't cost a dime! 

Some Great Deals This Week


Old Navy Deal of the Week...Women's Ruffled Henley's for $12.50

Extra 30% off Wear-Now Styles at Piperlime. Use code WARMUP

New Pampers Gift to Grow Code for 42 points! Sign up at Pampers and go to the Gifts to Grow Section. Enter in code VMF776C7HMXXT4A

Friday, January 28, 2011

Family Movie Night

Instead of taking the family out for a costly restaurant dinner how about a family picnic in. Order take-out from a favorite local restaurant, spread a blanket on the floor, turn on a favorite family movie, and enjoy some quality family time. It is one of my family's favorite past-times!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Make Money Doing Surveys

Anyone can make some extra money using their own computer with access to the internet. One of my favorite ways is by taking online surveys. If you like sharing your opinion about the products that you use and occasionally being given the opportunity to try out new products than taking surveys might be for you. Some of my favorite survey sites are Pinecone Research, Valued Opinions, Toluna, and Mindfield Online. Sometimes you need to wait for a survey panel to be open to join so I will do my best to keep you updated on which panels are accepting new members.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Subscribe to Daily Save Sites

Subscribe to sites like groupon, eversave, living social and mamapedia to score great deals in your local area. These sites provide great deals to local restaurants and retailers but also to unique and cool online stores. When subscribing make sure to subscribe to the correct local area if appropriate. 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Teach Your Children Well...

Teach your children the wisdom to save their money and the value of frugality. It is important for them to earn their own money and invest it in things that they find valuable. Encourage them to spend wisely and to take care of the things they spend their money on. Start with a chore chart. Give them a small allowance and have them store it somewhere safe. Then when your child asks you to buy them a special toy or article of clothing have them buy it with their own money. Not only will they feel proud of their independence but this will teach them how to be responsible with money. 

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Comparison Shop, Comparison Shop, Comparison Shop!!!!

The more you shop the more familiar you will become with both products and prices for those products. You will also know what stores provide the best selection of the products you buy. Always keep this in mind when shopping for everyday items. I tend to shop the big box stores for personal care items, products for the home and snacks/cereals for the family. I tend to shop the sales at the local market for meat and dairy. I am always on the look out for a good bargain wherever I am shopping and take advantage of it when I can. There are websites available that will break down some of the weekly sales flyers and let you know how you can get the most with your money...by shopping the sales and utilizing weekly coupons. My favorite site for this is SwagGrabber.com. Another trick is to know which stores provide their own coupons. I always check target.com for coupons before shopping there.  You can find them through a link about 3/4 of the way down their webpage. Also check coupons.com regularly for manufacturer coupons. This may seem somewhat time consuming but by doing the research you can keep a little extra cash in your pocket!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Making Money While You Shop

One of my favorite ways to score a little extra for my pocket is to make the most out of my purchases. I subscribe to Inbox Dollars, MyPoints, Swagbucks and Ebates. These sites all give you cash/points for shopping through their websites. Whenever I plan to make an online purchase I check these sites to see who offers the best incentive. Inbox Dollars and Ebates offer you cash back on your purchase. It is a percentage of your total purchase before tax and shipping. Swagbucks offers Swagbucks for purchases and MyPoints offers points for purchases. Inbox Dollars will pay the money you earn to you in a check and Ebates will either pay with a check or deposit money directly into your paypal account. Swagbucks and MyPoints allow to to earn gift cards and/or merchandise with your earnings. Just remember you have to use the link through their website to get the credit for your purchase. Use the points/money towards something exciting that you would not normally be able to purchase for yourself. I am using my money/points to an upgraded version of my DSLR camera!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Deals of the Day....

Did you know that Target.com and Walmart.com both offer deals of the day. On Target it is a link about 3/4 of the way down their homepage and on Walmart.com it is listed as the value of the day at the top of their homepage. Walmart also updates their web-only deals every so often so if looking for something in particular it is a good idea to scan this portion of the website as the prices are generally less than those in the store. 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Own yourself Not things

Saving money is a state of mind....a way of life....It is not about being cheap or stingy it is more about caring where your money goes. You should stay true to yourself when spending money. Which is to say that you should spend within your means and buy things that are valuable to you or meet a need that you have. Try not to buy things because it is what "the other guy" has....look for things that are unique and meaningful to you. For me this means not buying that million dollar pandora bracelet that everyone I know has but instead finding some meaningful and unique piece of jewelry on a website such as www.etsy.com. And if being ecologically friendly and/or socially responsible are qualities that are important to you than seek out companies that utilize these practices. Invest your time and money in the values that are important not the things that others value.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Using the Internet to Save Money

My first tip to everyone out there: Never buy anything online without first checking for a coupon code. I usually start with retailmenot.com If I cannot find either a discount code or free-shipping code from this website then I do a google search for a coupon code. (i.e. if shopping at Old Navy I would type "old navy coupon code" into the search engine.