I wish I lived somewhere with more options, because Restaurant.com once again is offering $25 gift certificates for $3. Just use promo code "FORK" when checking out!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Restaurant.com: $25 gift certificate for $3!!!
I wish I lived somewhere with more options, because Restaurant.com once again is offering $25 gift certificates for $3. Just use promo code "FORK" when checking out!
Picaboo: Buy 1, Get 1 Free (all Classic Photo Books)
Picaboo once again is offering their "B1G1 Free" deal on all classic photo books, using promo code "BGSPRING" through March 14th. I took them up on this offer back in the fall, and that's what my husband and I gave as Christmas gifts to all of our family. We put pictures of our little Levi's first year, special moments with family, etc... with Bible verses on each page. The grandparents loved them, and so did all of our siblings! And we loved being able to do something special for only half the price... Picaboo has been my favorite photo book site, because it allows so much freedom in creating exactly what you want!
What kind of photo books have you made, or would like to make? (I've heard of people even doing family recipes in the book!)
* This post contains my Picaboo affiliate link. Various deal sites sometimes offer referral credit, and I want to always let you know if I would be earning credit, but it's not my main motivation with most deals!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
$1/1 Reach Floss: Free at Target & Wal-Mart
Print this coupon for $1/1 Reach Floss, and you can grab some floss for FREE at Target or Wal-Mart (both places have it for $.97). I stocked up last time this coupon was available, because my dentist reprimanded me for needing to floss my teeth more often (I only have to floss the teeth I want to keep, as my mom used to tell me!).
Thank, Money Saving Mom!
Get More Free E-Books...
Here are some more free e-books currently available at the Amazon Kindle Store...
- "Gray" Matter by David Levy & Joel Kilpatrick
- "Whisper on the Wind" by Maureen Lang
There are also classics like Pride & Prejudice, Sherlock Holmes, Wizard of Oz, Anne of Green Gables, etc... that are pretty much always free! Have fun reading!
Don't have a Kindle? Download the Kindle app for free to your PC, iPhone, iPad, smartphone, etc... at the Amazon Kindle Store
Book Review: "Mine Is The Night"
I received another free book last week, "Mine Is the Night" by Liz Curtis Higgs, and was excited to get an adult fiction book to read. One of my favorite ways to relieve stress is to read a good book and take a hot bubble bath. 433 pages later, here's my review of the book...
"My first reaction to "Mine Is The Night" as I took it out of the package was, 'wow, elegant woman on the cover, but this book is THICK!' And as historical fiction goes, that can be good or bad. Great if it keeps the reader intrigued and transports them to another time in our world. But in the case of this book, not so great if it takes a really long time to get the story going... I was on page 150 and the only thing keeping me going was the fact that I had to finish the book to write my review so I could get another book. If this had been a library book, I would have just returned it.
I love classical literature, but this followed too closely with descriptions of rooms, dresses, expressions, thoughts, etc... Detailed and vague all at once. It took the first 200 pages to lay the groundwork of places and people for the second half of the book. It wasn't until the last 2/3 of the book that you realized (all of the sudden) very clearly that this is a parallel story of Ruth/Boaz from the Bible. So subtle, and then suddenly so obvious like it was a rush to cram it in. At that point, the story that was actually getting good, all the sudden turned predictable. I love the story of Ruth in the Bible and her courage to go to a strange land as a widow, following God and her mother-in-law. It's more how the book just suddenly makes all these associations back-to-back that made it feel cheesy.
As a mom, a 433 page book better keep things going, or I don't have the time for it. This might suit the taste of some people who like to linger through a book, but since I can only grab a chapter here and there, this book stayed tedious until almost the end.
Feels so weird to write a more negative review, but I definitely won't be recommending this book to anyone anytime soon.
Chipotle: B1G1 Coupon
If you head over to Facebook and watch this short video, you'll be able to print off a coupon for B1G1 Chipotle Burrito/Bowl/Salad (good through 4/9).
My hubby LOVES Chipotle, but we don't go often since they don't release coupons often. Most of our dates are in the $5-$8 range, so this coupon is perfect!
"Drugstore Deals": Worth the Hassle?
A few months ago, someone asked me if I shop any of the drugstore deals/scenarios, and I said no. I explained that it wasn't worth my time, especially since I have a little boy, and going in and out of stores on snowy winter days is personally stressful. I also made a commitment with my husband back at the start of this couponing adventure to buy only things we need/use. Occasionally I would find a great deal and stop by to pick up a specific item, but in general decided that drugstores were not helpful to my budgeting/couponing.
To make a long story short, in January there were a couple of deals (like FREE Special K cereal, Edy's ice cream, and Lay's Stax) that I stopped by Rite Aid for... and my adventure in couponing expanded once more! To see if shopping at a drugstore was actually saving me money (as well as not wasting my time), I kept an Excel spreadsheet of items purchased, as well as their regular store value (at Walmart/Target). Rite Aid offers "+UP Rewards" on varying products every week, which means if you buy and item, a coupon prints off on your receipt for a specified amount, which you can use at Rite Aid on your next purchase. It cannot be applied to tax, and expires in a few weeks. So by shopping sale items that offered +UP rewards, rolling them to the next purchase, etc... We also have 3 RiteAid's locally, who are very coupon friendly. Here is the grand total for January/February:
Spent $31.78 Out-Of-Pocket (OOP)
Bought 121 items valued at $336 (without tax)
That's a 90% savings!!! 90%!!! Wow. So I guess I was wrong. Drugstore deals can be a budget saver if you stick to things you need/use/donate/gift.
So what kind of items did that cover? I won't list them all, but here are some of them...
- 16 boxes of Special K cereal
- 7 tubs of Edy's Ice Cream
- 17 cans of Lay's Stax (we're always having teens over!)
- 8 bags of Combos
- 1 Tide laundry detergent
- 4 Purex laundry detergent
- 4 Quantimatic Finish dishwasher detergents
- 4 Gillette deodorants
- 1 Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor
- 6 Stayfree Pad packages
- 21 J&J Baby washes/lotions (bought in multiple trips at multiple stores so I didn't deplete one store--so excited about having wonderful baby shower gifts!!!)
- 8 Nivea Lip Balm (for me and as gifts)
- 2 Colgate toothpastes (w/ bonus toothbrush)
- 3 vitamins
- And the list goes on...
Our make-shift pantry downstairs (we don't have one in our kitchen) and our deep freezer are getting use! And I'll keep on watching for RiteAid deals!!!
FREE Fries at Chick-Fil-A (Friday, 3/4)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
$.88 Crunchwrap Supreme at Taco Bell!!!
This week only (through 3/5), you can grab an $.88 Crunchwrap Supreme at Taco Bell!!! Yummy. Does that mean I don't have to cook one night this week?
Back in the Saddle...
I think I finally am going to be able to get back into the blogging saddle... I started the year of 2011 with the grand plan of intentionally blogging for one hour everyday, along with scheduling the other priorities I needed to tackle each day. I thought I started small (what's one hour, right?). On my list of other things were important things like:
- adjusting our monthly budget (we revise it twice a year or so)
- meal planning, two weeks at a time
- freezer-cooking more foods (to put in my new freezer)
- reconnecting with a few friends on a regular basis via Skype or phone
- occasionally doing sewing projects (I love sewing)
- reading a book for fun
I have had to let go of some of those plans. Between family health issues, weather, new stages in life, church things, etc... The last eight weeks have flown by, with not as much done as I wish... Or atleast I feel that way. I'm sure many of you can relate! Diapers have been changes, food has been cooked, the house has been cleaned (sometimes), and some of those projects have happened, but not in my timing. My heart has been anxious, my mind has been fretting.
God showed me a few weeks ago something I have been missing: time with Him. My relationship with the Lord is the only thing that can keep me calm in the midst of life's storms. And I've been putting other things before Him. Like my family, my home, my physical image (my body refuses to go back to pre-maternity weight/look :-p)... all good things, but not if I'm focused on those solely.
So as I life starts to settle back down (hopefully!), and as I learn to shift around my priorities and expectations, I look forward to blogging again, but not at the expense of my health, my son/husband, and especially my daily time with my God!
- adjusting our monthly budget (we revise it twice a year or so)
- meal planning, two weeks at a time
- freezer-cooking more foods (to put in my new freezer)
- reconnecting with a few friends on a regular basis via Skype or phone
- occasionally doing sewing projects (I love sewing)
- reading a book for fun
I have had to let go of some of those plans. Between family health issues, weather, new stages in life, church things, etc... The last eight weeks have flown by, with not as much done as I wish... Or atleast I feel that way. I'm sure many of you can relate! Diapers have been changes, food has been cooked, the house has been cleaned (sometimes), and some of those projects have happened, but not in my timing. My heart has been anxious, my mind has been fretting.
God showed me a few weeks ago something I have been missing: time with Him. My relationship with the Lord is the only thing that can keep me calm in the midst of life's storms. And I've been putting other things before Him. Like my family, my home, my physical image (my body refuses to go back to pre-maternity weight/look :-p)... all good things, but not if I'm focused on those solely.
So as I life starts to settle back down (hopefully!), and as I learn to shift around my priorities and expectations, I look forward to blogging again, but not at the expense of my health, my son/husband, and especially my daily time with my God!
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