Author Archive

Redbox Code 08.11.08

Monday, August 11th, 2008

Today’s free code for a Redbox movie is H3BL13. This code is good for one free movie and you can use it until midnight tonight. Enjoy a free family movie together!

Side Notes:

– If you want to rent more than one movie for free, bring more than one credit/debit card. You can use the same promotional code, you just will need different cards to charge it to. The charge will be zero as long as you return your movie on time for the next day.

– When entering in your free movie code, you need to enter it FIRST before picking the movie. On the very first screen, click the, “Rent with Promo.” Enter in the above code and then make your selection- the amount should then total zero.

CVS Shopping & Savings 08.11.08

Monday, August 11th, 2008

I used to do a lot of CVS shopping, but with a fortress of toothpaste, deodorant, and toothbrushes in my closet, I took the summer off to enjoy the rewards from my past shopping. We were trying to enjoy being home more and saving on gas at the same time so CVS shopping took a backseat this summer.

I have been slowly whittling down my supply though so last week I started picking the shopping back up and am ready to get back in the CVS game again!

Here is what I bought this week and how I saved:

1 Alavert Allergy Tablets- $5.99, get $3 ECB, used printable coupon for $4 off= $1.01 credit
2 CVS SPF 50 Sunscreens- $4.99, on sale for $2.99, two minus $1 coupons (printed from CVS coupon machine in store) & $2 off 1 CVS Beauty Product =1. 98 for two or $.99 each
2 Right Guard Deodorants, $3.29 each, on sale for BOGO Free, $1 off & $.75 coupons in paper= $1.54 for two or $.77 each
2 Colgate Total White Toothpaste- $2.79 each, on sale for BOGO Free, used printable coupon for $1.50 off= $1.29 for two or $.65 each
1 CVS Ibuprofen- $3.19 each, CVS coupon on end of last week’s receipt for a free box= FREE
4 Oxy Daily Wash & Spot Treatment Products- $5.79 each, used $1 off coupon in paper, printable coupons here & here, got $6 ECB ($3 ECB when you buy two)= $8.87 for four or $2.22 each
Then I used the $2 off $10 coupon

After I used my ECB that I had from last week, I ended up paying $2.27 for my purchases & have $9 in ECB for next time. Total savings for this week’s purchases… $57.90!

I plan to head back this week to buy diapers. CVS is running a sale on Huggies Jumbo Packs for $8.99 each. In front of the diapers are $1.00 off coupons in a little SmartSource Coupon Machine so you can take $1 off each package, print out the $2 off $10 coupon, and get $5 back in ECB. Total spent on 3 Jumbo Packs of Huggies $16.97 or $5.66 per pack. Check Baby Cheapskate for a complete list of diaper & formula stock-up opportunities.

Be sure to visit Money Saving Mom for a complete list of ways you can save money on your CVS purchases!

Monica’s Favorite Note Cards

Sunday, August 10th, 2008

I am so excited to kick off our weekend guest posts with Monica, from the wonderfully creative blog, The Homespun Heart. I consider Monica to be one of my dearest blogging friends and an inspiration to me to be a more creative mother. I do hope that you will check out her amazing blog!

If you are interested in submitting a post on frugal living, creative/crafty parenting, or organizing, you can email your entries to me at amy@momadvice.com. Please include a bio with a link to your site and (if you would like) a picture of yourself to include.

This is one of my all time favorite craft projects to do! An hour or two spent making cards and envelopes is really fun for me.

I start with plain 8.5″ x 11″ cardstock. I really like this brand from Michael’s. They have a package of 50 sheets (which makes 100 cards) on sale periodically for $1.99 making it very inexpensive to make these cards! I have never tried the pre-cut paper, but my sister loves it – so whatever works best for you!

I slice the paper in half on a paper trimmer. Then, I fold each half in half again which makes your blank cards. Simply choose any photo you want to put on the front and attach with double-stick tape. I used to love using glue sticks – but have found the results with double-stick tape to be much better. Even though the tape is more expensive, I think it is worth it!

To make the envelope, select one full page photo from a magazine. Either take apart an envelope you already have that is the right size or print this template. Use template as a pattern and cut out the envelope. Fold side edges in first, then fold bottom flap up. Attach with double-stick tape. Fold top flap down – done!

To mail, tape back closed and use a label on the front for addressing. I love giving a stack of these for a gift, and you can see more of that in the related links below.

There is a step-by-step photo tutorial that I did a year ago, the links are below listed as Steps 1-4.

Enjoy!

Here are some previous posts about this very topic:
Homespun Wrapping
Gifts for Nursery Volunteers
Step One
Step Two
Step Three
Step Four
Christmas Cards

Monica is a stay at home mom to three little ones ages 3, 2 and 6 months! She loves to bake, offer hospitality, create fun memories for family and friends and is an avid crafter! She also loves blogging at The Homespun Heart!

Freebie Friday: August 8, 2008

Friday, August 8th, 2008

I have been thinking about some things and different ways I can interact with each of you more and wanted to run some ideas by all of you.

I was thinking of opening the Notebook Experiments up to everyone so that everyone could link to things that they tried in our notebook entries. Would this be something you guys might be interested in doing or do you just like me doing these solo? I would love to see what you all are creating and what projects have inspired you, so please let me know if you are interested.

I am also looking for some guest posts and would like to have a guest poster each Saturday. If you are interested in submitting a post on frugal living, creative/crafty parenting, or organizing, you can email your entries to me at amy@momadvice.com. Please include a bio with a link to your site and (if you would like) a picture of yourself to include.

I would like to especially thank Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for her great list of freebies! Heather also has a great reminder on remembering that coupons are also advertisements. What a great reminder for all consumers! Thank you, Heather, for all you do!

Health & Beauty
Sephora Vanilla Cupcake bath & shower bubbles – birthday treat
Sunsilk – request all 5 samples

Food


General Mills Pssst – new program where you get to try products for free
Kraft Food & Family magazine & free samples
Wendys – get printable coupons by email
Organic Valley Ovie’s Underground – kids club

Entertainment
Family Circle – 2 free issues from StartSampling
Star Wars Clone Wars Pocket Models – enter zip for store near you
LEGO Digital Designer Software – free to download from LEGO
August Horse Print on Ziggity Zoom – high quality print to frame

Home & Garden

Mark Your Calendars
August – September – Walgreens Take Care Health Tour
August – Staples Teach Appreciation Day look up the date of your store’s event
August – Ultimate Lunchbox samples @ Walmart
August 9 – Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic: make a mini school locker 10 to 11 am
August 16 – Michaels Back-to-School Event: make a beaded key chain 1 to 4 pm
August 23 – Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic: make a GMC truck 10 to 11 am
September 27 – National Museum Day

Amy’s Notebook 08.07.08

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

This zebra cake would be a real crowd pleaser (@ Baking Bites)

I am loving this big boy room makeover (@ Mama K NJ)

I love these crocheted vases (@ My Lifetime via Craftzine)

Next year I want to grow enough tomatoes to can (@ The Artful Parent)

This sock monkey tutorial is great (@ Web Goddess)

This ragamuffin basket would look so cute in my daughter’s room (@ A Soft Place to Land)

These apple stitched cards would make a great teacher gift (@ Make & Takes)

I had never seen making crayons in a large baking dish, but I might have to try this (@ Daily Danny)

I might be sprinkling some cinnamon in our sandbox this summer (@ Parent Hacks)

I love these frozen ice blocks and might have to do this one day with the kids (@ Pepper Paints)

This is a great post on how to budget your money (@ Organizing Connection)

We might have to do some Preschool Olympics here while watching the show (@ Let’s Explore)

I really love this post office bag (@ elisie marley)

I still would love to try making soap sometime & these cupcake soaps are so cute (@ Soap Queen)

These felt crayon rolls would be a cute gift (@ Skip to My Lou)

My kids would love these homemade circus animal cookies (@ Vanilla Joy)

I love these fifty ways to have fun by yourself (@ The Simple Dollar)

These jam jar muffins would be a hit at any picnic (@ Cookbook Catchall)

WSBT-TV: Online Family Planners

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

This morning was a tad more exciting than I had planned for it to be. Our power went out about 2 AM and I had to set an alarm on my phone to get up by 5:30 AM to head over to tape today’s segment. We still did not have power when I woke up and I did my best to get ready by candlelight and then put together a bag to take over and get ready in the bathroom before taping the segment. I managed to make it in though and share about some really great online family planning tools.

Be sure to read my entry on picking an online family planner and to get the scoop on all the great features. These are some really great tools to help busy moms stay organized…and did I mention that they are free? You can’t beat it!

You can find my WSBT segment here. Please excuse the hair and makeup for the day! I am just happy I found some matching clothes!

Giveaway: Tori Spellings Autograph & Mott’s Goodies

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

I have been hard at work on updating The Mother Loot with some new reviews:

Disney Music Rocks

Unleashing Our Hidden Rock Star

Method Baby Products

We are also running an AMAZING giveaway this week for a slew of Mott’s for Tots goodies and an autographed play date planning guide from the very famous Tori Spelling. Any former 90210 fans out there? Come on! Wasn’t that one of the best shows on television? I wonder if the new version will be half as good as the original cast. Doubtful!

If you want to be entered in the giveaway, head over to The Mother Loot and get your entry in and read the full contest details. We look forward to sharing more giveaways with you throughout the year. It is one of my favorite things to do on here- truly!

Me On You Tube: Choosing a Coffee Maker

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

One of our most popular articles on our site is the Frugal Mom’s Guide to Coffee so I thought it would be great to do a segment on coffee as a You Tube clip. This segment breaks down the cost comparison between a drip coffee maker and a pod brew system. I tried to share some of the features that I love on my coffee maker and how to care for your coffee maker so you always have a fresh cup.

If you are in the market for a new coffee maker, I did find the best price on my Cuisinart Brew Central Coffee Maker at Sam’s Club. My local price is listed as $54.86. In the departments stores I have seen this model range between $80-129, but if you know of anywhere else that carries it cheaper, please leave a comment!

I got the opportunity to plug my experience with my coffee maker for an article in Woman’s World Magazine. The article is set to hit the newsstands on August 18th with a cover date of August 25th. They found me when looking for a frugal mom who was a self-confessed coffee fanatic and I guess they thought I fit that bill perfectly!

As I had discussed before, I will be working with Wal-Mart to provide content for a new You Tube channel. I wanted to include a list of the participants because they are all so great and I am excited to see what each of them comes up with! I look forward to working with each of them and please check their sites out for more money-saving tips!

GeekMommy’s WebLife
The Domestic Diva
Jessica Knows
Classy Mommy
Being Frugal
Deal Seeking Mom
Frugal Upstate
Keeping the Kingdom First
Coupon Cravings
The “Cent”sible Sawyer

How many coffee drinkers are in your family and what coffee maker works well for you?


Redbox Code 08.04.08

Monday, August 4th, 2008

Today’s free code for a Redbox movie is 172GJZ. This code is good for one free movie and you can use it until midnight tonight. Enjoy a free family movie together!

Side Notes:

– If you want to rent more than one movie for free, bring more than one credit/debit card. You can use the same promotional code, you just will need different cards to charge it to. The charge will be zero as long as you return your movie on time for the next day.

– When entering in your free movie code, you need to enter it FIRST before picking the movie. On the very first screen, click the, “Rent with Promo.” Enter in the above code and then make your selection- the amount should then total zero.

MomAdvice Monthly Recap: July ’08

Monday, August 4th, 2008

July was a great month and I hope that you will take the time to subscribe to all of our feeds. We would love for you to subscribe and add us to your regular reading.

These were our top entries & articles for the month of July:

Ain’t No Party Like a Lego Party
What in the World is Twitter?
6 Months Until Christmas
Easy & Quick Birthday Gift
Can I Green My Sink Routine?
Frugal Family: The Summertime Edition
The Summertime List & Summertime Games
Vrooming Through Our Debt
Sponge Ball Bullseye
Dad’s Day Out & Mom’s Day In

A big thank you to our top referrers for the month of July:

Freebies 4 Mom
I’m An Organizing Junkie
Baby Cheapskate
Frugal Hacks
Parent Hacks
The Homespun Heart
Money Saving Mom
Don’t Try This At Home
Days To Come
Frugal Upstate