Freebie Friday

Get a free tote bag. These are great for grocery shopping and you are being green! I can never have too many bags. Other ideas, kids library bag, bag for the car with items to return, produce bag.. so many more.

http://www.wellcarenow.com/

Costco, Free Sample of Kirkland Signature Supreme Diaper

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11324601&search=samples&Mo=4&cm_re=1_en-_-

Men's cologne sample. Dunhill London.

http://sampling.pgprestige.com/html/dunhill/london/

Free tape measure. This is great another one, I am always wondering where mine is, usually in Will's room with his toys.

http://www.uniformschoolwear.com/FreeTapeMeasure.aspx

Anyone have kids that LOVE legos? Well sign up for a free Lego magazine. My son love's this magazine and enjoys checking the mail for them.

http://club1.lego.com/en-US/legomagazine/default.aspx

http://club1.lego.com/en-US/legomagazine/default.aspx

Thursday - Thanksgivings Coming!

I would love to hear what is your favorite item at Thanksgiving dinner? My favorite is my mom's Hash Brown Casserole, definitely a southern thing. YUM!

Blogger Giveaway: Look at this FABULOUS Thanksgiving platter. Go to her blog and leave a comment to be entered to win.

http://suburbsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/teaching-gratitude-and-giveaway.html

Freebies:

Print out this coloring page for the kids! I have printed these for the kids to color and I will get them laminated at the local teacher store. What great reminders to bring out each year. Of course I will do some FABULOUS embellishments. Look for that post!

http://www.coloringbookshop.com/colorpages/thanksgiving/turkey_placemat.html

Glad Plastic Bags- of course for your leftovers!

http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid56046.aspx

Coupons:

Save 35 cents on Pillsbury crescent rolls. These are my FAVORITE rolls at Thanksgiving.
http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13903&nid=10&zid=xh20

Save $1.00 of 2 Libby's Pumpkin Can's http://www.verybestbaking.com/promotions/newsletter/mot/email/oct_08DTR/thankyou/nrg.aspx

Lot's of Coupons from Betty Crocker : Frosting, Brownie Mix, Cookie Mix, Bisquick, cereals, frozen veggies.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/coupons-promotions/coupons/default.aspx?WT.ac=CP-Coupon-Link-10-23-07-coupons

Wasteless Wednesday - Save Your Corks

My husband and I enjoy red wine. After we uncork a bottle I save the corks. For a long time I had them in a decorative jar then I saw a FABULOUS idea at a friends house a wine cork board. I went home and made one that day and this is what I came up with.


Here is how you do it:

1. Find a large picture frame your are not using 11 X 14 or larger. I bought this simple black one at wal-mart for $5
2. I cut the corks in half (easy not to slice a finger, I assume no liability)
3. Remove the glass from the frame and discard (don't have any frugal tips for the glass)
4. Arrange the cut corks in the frame along the card board backing of the frame.
5. Once you have a good pattern remove one at a time and hot glue on the cardboard backing.
6. Enjoy your new cork board. I have mine over my desk with birthday party invites and announcements to display and remind me what we have coming up.

Tuesdays Tips - Save on Electric

I am feeling much better today, my mouth is still sore from the 2 fillings. I forgot how much those hurt! Too bad I didn't have any coupons for the dentist :(

Tip #1: Do your laundry in cold water. I started doing this a couple years ago. I do all my laundry except bed sheets and towels in cold water. It saves on your electric bill. I have noticed a difference in our electric bill being lower. This is a tip everyone can use we all have to clean our clothes.

Tip #2 : Adjust your thermostat. Here in Texas we are in the fall season which can range from 86 to 40 degrees. We have a programmable thermostat. During the day I have the house set for 80 degrees for the air conditioning and 70 degrees for the heat. I rarely have it cycle on during the day. I also open up the windows and let some fresh air in and it naturally cools or warms the house.

Tip #3: Replace your light bulbs. We've replaced many of our light bulbs with the new energy savings fluorescent bulbs. I haven't changed all the bulbs because it looks silly sticking out of ceiling fans and some light fixtures. But every little bit helps :)

Motivating Mondays

Do something good for yourself today. Being frugal is about spending smartly. For me I am going to get a smoothie today. A little indulgence, I am having dental work done and I will treat myself to the $5.00 smoothie normally I pass on.

I should be blogging tomorrow about Tuesday's Tips. Hopefully I will be feeling good after my dental stuff. Now, that is something I HATE spending money on.

Freebie Friday

Free sample of Gain Detergent. These are some of my favorite samples. I love trying the new smells for the clothes.
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid49638.aspx



Now this is an interesting sample Kick Butt Energy Balls. I had to order a sample just to see what this is. Mommy needs some energy!
http://funenergyfoods.com/html/request_a_sample.html



Free Huggies Diaper Sample. Frugal Tip: With baby #1 I bought nothing but Huggies diapers. Now on baby #3 I buy the Wal-mart parents choice brand or the Target Brand. They work great no leaks or diaper rash and I save 50% from the name brand. The baby's bottom doesn't know the difference.
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid55756.aspx



For those pet owners, here is a Free Dog Tag.
http://www.sobe-dog.com/tags/

Feature Blogger Giveaway

A friend of mine Alicia has a business called Carolina Sunshine Designs



She creates one of a kind art from wall art, canvases, invitations all the way down to purses and custom shirts. She have been in business for about 5 years and loves creating something new and unique! Please take a look at just a few of the things she had done, and let her know if there is anything you would like customized for your personal taste. She also does home accents and children's furniture as well as all sorts of fun seasonal decorations!

http://carolinasunshinedesigns.blogspot.com/



She is doing a giveaway of this FABULOUS purse. So go sign up to win!

Wasteless Wednesday

My husband and I consume a lot of Diet Coke. In the evening when I am picking up after everyone I find half full or half empty (depends on how you look at it). I get upset when it is wasted and I have to pour it down the drain.

I did an experiment. I bought the plastic bottles that hold about 10 oz. When someone doesn't finish it goes back into the fridge. It worked! It also reduced the amount we were drinking each week. So two things were accomplished.

You can also try this with the large bottles. I think these taste better than the metal cans.

Try it and tell me if works!

Tuesdays Tips "Girls Night In"

I love having dinner with the girls, but it gets expensive fast. With a frozen drink or martini at $8 or more a pop, plus a meal you are easily out $40 or more. Instead of meeting the girls out, have a GIRLS NIGHT IN.

• Get the girls together, meet at each others homes and rotate homes each month
• Have a theme example : Tex-Mex, Chinese food, Fondue, Desserts
• Each person is assigned an item to bring plus a part of the drinks for that night
• Watch a favorite TV show together or play a game (Bunko for large groups)

Think about the savings! This is a great way to have a good time and for those on tight budgets can also enjoy girls night in!

This has me thinking I so need to plan one of these! Maybe a holiday theme around Christmas for us local blogger buddies?

Here is a freebie contest I found. One of my favorite bloggers, McMommy has a BFF that makes these cute clothes and she is giving it away just leave a comment to be entered. The contest ends today: http://themcmommychronicles.blogspot.com/2008/11/story-of-my-bff-and-how-you-will.html Here is a link to Lil Palm clothing to see all her cute stuff http://www.lilpalm.com/

Big Item on "Want List"

To start off the post here is a photo of my current counter tops. We've done a lot of updating with this house but the light teal blue doesn't match the warm colors we've updated to. Can't you just see shinny granite and a slate back splash?

We went out this weekend to do some comparison shopping for my big item on my "want list" the granite counter tops. Here is some of my tips:

• Look and price the alternatives, pro's and con's.

• Check out Lowe's and Home Depot they will give you some free kitchen designing booklets to help you in your search

• Look at model homes for free ideas on trend or look online. Here is my favorite site: http://ratemyspace.hgtv.com/

• Get at least 3 estimates! No less. You can use them to negotiate for a lower price.

• Make a list of any other items that need to be upgraded when you do this project. Example: new sink, faucet, stove top, vent hood, back splash. Add those costs in to the project cost.

• Slowly update the appliances. We are changing out the appliances from white to stainless steel. As you can see from the photo we did the big item the fridge. We negotiated a floor model when they were getting rid of last years models. We got it 40% off the asking price!

• Eliminate surprise costs and know exactly what to budget for.

Our update: Well we are still in the planning stage and really l0oking at which material we want to use. This is a big purchase for the kitchen and most expensive upgrade.