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Bitten: A Cheap Mom’s Dream

Thursday, July 12th, 2007

Unfortunately, Sarah Jessica Parker and her PR crew have not emailed me yet, but I am doing a free plug for this awesome clothing line.

I had mentioned that I was excited to actually see the new Bitten line from Sarah Jessica Parker (carried at Steve & Barry’s). I had been meaning to head over there, but it is on the other side of town and life had gotten in the way.

Fast forward to my last mom’s group meeting, when one of the gal’s walks in looking like a true fashionista with the cutest shoes, jean capris and a cute tank. I told her how cute she looked and she says two words, that makes me head on the other side of town the very next day: Cheap & Bitten.

I headed there and got myself some of the cutest clothes. I got four shirts, a pair of ballet flats, and a pair of jeans for a little less than sixty bucks. While it is more than I typically spend over at my local Goodwill, the pieces could be used with the things I already had in my closet and I had gotten some money from a recent sale of my hair bows.

Here are the positives AND the negatives of this line of clothes. Note: Keep in mind that I am not all that fashionable. I am just a mom who likes to look a little bit current, but am also very traditional in my style choices:

Positives:

– It is cheap as heck! The clothing is cheaper than Old Navy and even cheaper than H&M; (which we don’t have in our area, but I have shopped the Ft Wayne, IN location). The shoe prices rival Payless Shoes too!

– They carry a broad range of sizes, all the way up to size 22. More importantly, they carry jeans for the petite girl. I have a long torso and really short legs. It is nearly impossible for me to get a pair of pants that do not require altering. They did carry the shorter lengths though and they also carried long lengths for you leggy gals (whom I secretly envy!)

– The store was clean and nice in our area. I am sure they maintain the same type of store all over, but I was actually really impressed with the style of the store and the staff at our location. It reminded me a lot of The Gap (but more affordable).

Negatives:

– I did not realize until I got the jeans home, and bought the size that fit justright (and I know you know what I am talking about when I say justright) and discovered that the jeans were made from 98% cotton. That was a big bummer, as I realized that I will have to care very well for these or have to forfeit them to the thrift store.

– The clothes are made about as good as any other deep discount line. I saw some strings coming loose on the sides of the seam of the jeans. The shirts seem to be better made than the pair of jeans I purchased, but you can tell that you are getting what you pay for. I have high hopes that these will last me until the clothing is no longer trendy, and I would feel comfortable donating them if I got a year or two out of them, due to the low cost of the clothing line.

There you have it! Hope this helps in making another fashion decision!

Sound Off: What brands are you willing to splurge for? If someone gave you a huge gift card (with no strings attached, of course!) what store would you pick?

Related Readings:

The Fashion Savvy Shopper
How to Be a Budget Fashionista
Me Time

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Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

Teaching My Kid to Say Thank You

Wednesday, July 11th, 2007

I decided to do some different types of thank you cards this year. I ran across a cute Martha Stewart stamp set with numbers on it, from the Michael’s Craft Store. The set included two sets of ten numbers (0-9) in two different styles for $14.99 for all of the stamps total. I figured I could use these in the future for each of the kid’s thank you notes and could also use them as invitations for our parties.

The blank note cards were on sale for $1.50 and included twenty cards. Each of the cards were stamped with the number “5” on it and we wrote out a note of thankfulness for the great birthday gifts he received.

It is important to me to teach my children to be thankful for what they receive. I believe it is the key to getting a lot of what you want in life. People take notice when you are grateful and will want to do more for you because they know how much you appreciate things. For me to just write a thank you note on his behalf, however, doesn’t involve him in learning gratitude. I want him to participate in helping with these, even if he can’t write yet.

Next to each of my notes, he drew a picture to help with the card. Of course, what he says the pictures are often become more funny than the picture itself. I ask him to explain what each picture is and write a subtitle. For this set of cards, here were some of his subtitled responses:

Picture of a Door: “You Can Always Come to Our House” (This sounded like he could write for Hallmark, don’t you think?)

Picture ?: Ethan begins laughing, “We don’t know what this is. It is a very strange thing.”

Picture of a Mommy with a giant dress:
Ethan: “This is mommy when you have a baby inside you.”
Me: (About to PASS OUT!) “But I don’t have a baby inside me.”
Ethan: “Yes, you do!”
Me: (Getting agitated) “No, I DON’T”
Ethan: “Yes, when you had EMILY inside of you. That is what I am talking about.”

Isn’t it fun what our children can come up with?

Sound Off: How do you teach your children gratitude?

Related Readings:

Why Being Thankful is So Important
Raising Creative Kids
Raising Financially Responsible Teens
I Heart You!
What is This Secret?

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Posted in Kids Crafts | 6 Comments »

Celebrating With Cheap Class

Tuesday, July 10th, 2007


Can cheap and classy go hand in hand? Maybe I am wrong, but I believe these two can be intertwined, as long as you can try to not look TOO cheap in front of your friends and family.

Ethan celebrated his 5th birthday and had a wonderful birthday party to remember. We picked the Fourth of July for celebrating because we figured the majority of the family could come since it is a holiday. We offered to host a cook out and everyone offered to bring a dish and their gifts for the birthday boy.

I decided to make this delicious birthday cake out of ingredients purchased at Aldi. The results were fantastic! This tasted close to a DQ ice cream cake, but without the make-your-teeth-hurt sweetness from that frosting. I would recommend this cake to any mom whose child doesn’t like real cake (my sister was one of those children) or as a fun summer party treat. We decorated it with little cars on top from the movie, “Cars.”

Price Breakdown:

1.5 packages of frozen burger patties- $4.99 each or $7.48 total
2 packages of beef hot dogs- $1.99 each or $3.98 total
4 packages of buns (hot dog and hamburger) $.65 each or $2.60 total
2 packages of ice cream sandwiches $1.69 each or $3.38 total
2 containers of whipped topping $.99 each or $1.98 total
1 package of cookies for crumbling $.99
2 bags of chips $.99 each or $1.98 total
Homemade Pasta Salad $3.50
Birthday Banner $3.99

Total Spent: $29.88
19 Guests= $1.57 per guest

Things that we omitted this time:

Friends- If we had a small family, I would feel really inclined to do friends at the party, but our family is big and just a family party for me can feel a bit overwhelming. We are doing little play dates with friends this week and maybe we can polish off the rest of the cake as a small celebration of his birth. My nephew & Ethan are just nine months apart though and are the best of buddies so he still felt like he had a friend there to celebrate. Of course, he was the center of attention and who could possibly love or appreciate you more than your family? No one!

Party Favors- I have never been a big fan of these, personally, and so I avoided this cash trap this time. It helped that we didn’t have friends coming and the kids had the best time playing with all of his new things that I felt like the party favors would have been lost in the fun anyway.

Paper Products- With the exception of the infamous birthday banner, I didn’t do paper products this time (other than paper napkins that I keep for such occasions). I did do two loads of dishes, but everyone pitched in with clean-up so it wasn’t a big deal at all.

The “Only Me Mentality”- I was thinking that I wanted to ask people to bring a dish since it was a cookout, but then thought that might give the impression that I am cheaper than my usual cheap self. Instead, when I called to share that we were having a get together, everyone asked what they could bring to the party. Usually, I would say to just bring themselves, but everyone seemed insistent that they did want to do something to help. And you know what? I pushed my pride aside and let them. Everyone had such yummy dishes and they were happy to share. And that made me happy to not have more dishes to have to cook. It helped that it was the Fourth of July and we would have probably done a family cookout together anyway. Combining the two events helped me feel a little less cheap.

I know many people forgo the dinner/lunch portion of the party, but we live a bit of a distance for our family to have to travel just for cake. I love to sit and visit and share food with everyone so while this could have been more affordable, I still feel like we did really well for the money and we hope Ethan will have many happy memories of his special day!

Sound Off: Can cheap & classy go together? How do you save money when it comes time to celebrate?

Related Readings:

Kid’s Party Etiquette for Parents
Ten Easy Steps to Great Kid’s Party Pictures
Find an Activity
Birthday Party Ideas
McDonald’s Birthday Parties
Simplifying Gift Giving

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Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

Life’s Little Miracles

Tuesday, July 10th, 2007


My garden grew something! If you know me, you know what a miracle it truly is! Here are some of my cherry tomatoes I picked for my salad yesterday.

Related Readings:

Overcoming My Fears: Gardening
Gardening Update & Fun Summer Reads
Still Alive

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Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

Product Review: Munchkin Fun

Monday, July 9th, 2007

The Munchkin company sent me a package of some of their products to try for review. All I can say is, “WOW!” They offer some really great products and I find them to be very affordable. Included within the box were the following products:

TravelWare Re-usables–Munchkin’s re-usable cups, bowls, spoons, and meal time sets have stepped it up a notch with improved Dora Diego and SpongeBob graphics that will fascinate your child and encourage them to play favorites. Ideal for meals on-the-go, they are durable enough to wash and re-use, yet affordable enough to lose. Bowls include snap-tight lids to prevent spills and cups are perfect for home-made juices.

Snack Catcher– Available in four bright colors, the new and award-winning Snack Catcher cup keeps bite-sized snacks inside the container until little fingers pull them out, even if it tips over so less spills in the car or plan! The soft flaps make it easy to access and the little finger cleaning bumps are a special plus for keeping nearby surfaces cleaner. This is one snack holder that will catch mom’s attention and keep messes to a minimum while traveling.

Bling Pacifiers– Your baby’s eyes will sparkle at the sight of glittering BLING™ pacifiers. Besides looking cool, they feature a silicone orthodontic nipple and breathable shield that reduces skin irritation. These sparkly, fun pacifiers are oh-so-fitting for your little prince or princess! Check out all the available styles!

iCrib Sound System– A 2006 JPMA Innovation Award Winner! The iCrib™ is a compact crib sound system that lets you choose the music that soothes your baby to sleep – because some kids are a little bit country, and others a little bit of rock ‘n roll.

Of all of the products, I loved the iCrib Sound System and the Snack Catcher the most! All of the products were really neat, but the snack catcher was a great item that we use a lot with my daughter. The snack catcher is the perfect size for little hands and gives her the opportunity to have snacks, just like her brother, somewhere other than the table. We take this with us a lot of places because of the convenience of the size and how much our daughter likes it.

The iCrib Sound System is very cool for the hip parents. You can download lullabies onto your iPod and it attaches via a small cord inside to make a small baby sound system that can be attached to your baby’s crib. The Munchkin website also offers Baby Mozart downloads to get your collection started.

We want to thank the Munchkin company for giving us the opportunity to try the products and hope that you have the opportunity to check them out at your local stores! They are neat and innovative products for parents today!

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Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Washing Your Child’s Lovies

Monday, July 9th, 2007

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

(The Velveteen Rabbit)

Do you see anything strange hanging on our line? Emily’s rabbit makes an appearance there quite regularly, and it always cracks me up to see him pinned and waving in the breeze by his ears. There is just something so comical about that.

Since Emily was three weeks old, she has been in love with bunnies. Before she was born, my grandmother and I were antique shopping and ran across a cute little gift shop. Inside the gift shop was a bunny that I pointed out to her and said how perfect it would be for a little one to carry around since it was smaller than a blanket. She ended up buying one for Emily and she absolutely loved it. A girlfriend also happened to send a very similar bunny to us as a baby gift for Emily. She always had one of these little guys tucked under her arm since she was really small and now we can’t go anywhere without them. Her rabbits remind me of my favorite story growing up, “The Velveteen Rabbit.” I was never attached to anything in this way, but I always wished I loved something like that.

Emily’s bunny collection has grown and now we have four bunnies in tote with us on any given day. She likes to chew on their ears and drag them around on dirty floors. With all the love they receive, they need frequent baths.

Here are some tips for cleaning your child’s stuffed animals:

– For smaller toys, like beanie babies, you can actually throw them in your dishwasher. My girlfriend’s daughter loves to tote these around and she just puts them in the dishwasher on the top rack. The chemicals that help whiten the dishes, will also help whiten the stuffed animal. Allow the stuffed animal to air dry. Other smaller toys, that your child puts in their mouth, can also be thrown in the dishwasher for a quick and easy way to keep them clean.

– For larger stuffed toys or ones that have been loved a bit too much and could fall apart in the washer, you can stick the stuffed animal in a paper bag with a little baking soda. Shut the top of the bag and shake the bag until the animal is coated in the baking soda. Let the animal sit in the bag for about a half hour and then take him out and give him a quick swipe with a towel, to get any lingering baking soda residue off. He should smell nice and fresh.

– In most cases, you can throw the stuffed animal in a pillowcase and run the delicate cycle in your washer. Before you throw the animal in, make sure that all of the stuffing is sealed in and all body parts are attached. Perform any emergency surgeries before the washing, and then run the cycle. Avoid the dryer, if at all possible, and allow the animal to air dry. In our situation, we have a back-up that we can use, but if you don’t the waiting-to-dry process can seem like days. If you have a clothesline, you can hang the animal out there and let the sun dry the animal. Trust me, it is a lot quicker and time is of the essence when it comes to your child’s most loved items!

– If you have animals that are collecting dust (this is most likely not the case when it comes to the lovies), you can use your vacuum hose and suck the dust off of the animal.

Sound Off: Does your child have an animal that they carry around with them? How do you care for your animals and how do you distract your child while they are being cared for?

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Posted in Cleaning | 3 Comments »

Bread Machine Calzones with Dipping Sauce

Sunday, July 8th, 2007

Bread Machine Calzone

1 1/4 cups water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered milk
3/4 cup sliced Italian sausage
3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted

To Make Dough: Place water, yeast, sugar, flour, salt and powdered milk in the pan of the bread machine, in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select Dough cycle. After cycle is completed, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Meanwhile, brown sausage for about 8 to 10 minutes in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain excess fat and reserve.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Shape dough into a 16 inch by 10 inch rectangle. Transfer to a lightly greased cookie sheet, and spoon pizza sauce lengthwise down the center of  the dough, followed by the browned sausage and the cheese. Make diagonal cuts 1 1/2 inches apart down each long side of the dough rectangle, cutting to within 1/2 inch of the filling. Criss-cross cut strips of dough over the filling and seal edges with water. Brush top of calzone with melted butter.  Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Exquisite Pizza Sauce

1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
6 fluid oz warm water (110 degrees F)
3 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
1 TBS minced garlic
2 TBS honey
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
¼ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp dried red pepper flakes
salt to taste

In a small bowl combine all ingredients in order listed above, making sure to break up any clumps of cheese.  Cover the sauce and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Spread sauce over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.

Posted in Aldi, Main Dishes | 2 Comments »

Free Hanes Underwear

Sunday, July 8th, 2007

Thanks to Meredith over at Like Merchant Ships for the tip! Wal-Mart is offering a free pair of Hanes underwear on their website. Be sure that your computer does not block pop-ups because the form comes through as a pop-up. Please allow up to four weeks for the delivery of this freebie and limit one pair of undies per household.

Ladies, for your husband’s sake, please don’t pick the Granny Panties version. Go for something cute! They are free so a walk on the wild side will be appreciated and inexpensive!

I figured this freebie would be gone by next Friday! Enjoy!

Sound Off: What is your idea of a perfect date night with your husband? How do you guys keep things fresh when you have been married for years and years?

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Posted in Freebies | 8 Comments »

Taking a Look at Our Electrical History

Friday, July 6th, 2007


The comment thread on electric bills has sparked a question. How much is my average electrical bill in the summer and just how much did my frugal endeavors help us decrease our bill? I took a look at our 36 month history and this is the actual breakdown for how much electricity we used.

6/27/2007 978 $72.46
5/29/2007 888 $66.90
4/27/2007 804 $61.86
3/29/2007 1043 $76.66
2/27/2007 1051 $77.16
1/30/2007 1248 $89.11
12/27/2006 1252 $88.87
11/21/2006 837 $63.42
10/24/2006 839 $63.56
9/27/2006 1198 $85.55
8/25/2006 1282 $90.71
7/26/2006 1043 $76.06
6/28/2006 885 $66.37
5/30/2006 894 $66.93
4/27/2006 681 $53.91
3/28/2006 841 $64.06
2/27/2006 798 $61.40
1/27/2006 824 $62.93
12/28/2005 740 $57.46
11/28/2005 864 $65.06
10/24/2005 700 $55.00
9/28/2005 1240 $87.64
8/26/2005 1292 $90.80
7/28/2005 1415 $98.37
6/27/2005 1112 $79.89
5/31/2005 728 $56.49
4/27/2005 707 $55.17
3/29/2005 755 $57.55
2/28/2005 745 $56.94
1/27/2005 1004 $72.58
12/28/2004 1116 $79.34
11/23/2004 809 $60.84
10/25/2004 765 $58.18
9/28/2004 1239 $86.74
8/26/2004 950 $69.33
7/29/2004 1247 $87.35

You can see how much our electric bill has gone up and down these past three years. I can’t really put my finger on one single thing that we did to he
lp our decreases, but I believe a number of things we did have helped contribute towards our lowered electric bills.

1. We got a new air conditioner. When we bought this house, it had a beast of an air conditioner. The air conditioner was the original to the house and our house was built in 1967. The energy it took to run it cost us extra money. The new air conditioner is much more energy efficient so it has helped our electric bills greatly.

2. We got a programmable thermostat. Unfortunately, I am home almost all of the time so there are no real set days where no one is around. It does help to program times in when we really need the cool air (when we are up and around in the house) and to be able to turn it off or down (when we are sleeping).

3. We do not use the dryer in the summer. This is a new rule this summer, but it is working well so far. It isn’t just to help with the electric bill though. It is also a secret getaway for me. I can go outside and away from everyone with an excuse that I *have* to do everyone’s laundry. No one can argue with that and it has become a great place to brainstorm new ideas for our site.

4. We open our windows when we can. We actually found screens to all of the windows in our shed, that we didn’t even know we had! We put all of our screens in and have been opening more windows to allow that cool night air in. I am not fond of our loud birds in the morning, but it is worth it to keep our bills down.

5. We are gradually making the transition toward the CFL bulbs. I have been researching prices on these and have found the best deal at our warehouse store. If you don’t have a warehouse store, look for the larger packages, as they tend to offer more savings, versus the single bulbs. When a light bulb needs replacing, we have been replacing them with the new CFL bulbs instead.

One of our contributors towards our bills being higher has definitely been the impact of the rising gas costs. If you take a look at the majority of bills now, compared to the years past, you will see a jump in your fuel surcharge. It costs the companies more to provide these services, and that has translated into higher gas prices. This, lucky for me, translates into higher bills.

As you can see, I am an open book when it comes to my bills. I think it helps me to reflect more on ways that I can improve this category and it also helps hold me accountable towards making these bills lower.

Have you ever taken a look at your electrical history? It is a fun way to see how you can make a positive impact towards lowering your bills.

Related Readings:

Saving on Utilities
The Benefits of Line Drying Your Clothes
Winterizing Your Home
How to Construct an Airing Rack

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Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »

Freebie Friday: July 6, 2007

Friday, July 6th, 2007


First, I just want to welcome any new South Bend Tribune readers. Our website was featured today and you can read the article here. Many thanks to Kim Kilbride for sharing our site with the community.

Thanks to everyone who answered the electric bill question last week. It was so cool to see how awesome everyone is doing with their electric and to get some tips for keeping the bills down.

Today’s question is, “What is the one area in your budget that you really need to work on?” We all have a problem area in our budgets and it will help me to know what people need help with! As always, you can leave comments anonymously, so it is safe to share on our blog.

Here’s your weekly dose of freebies!

Health & Beauty:

Get a free sample of Stayfree Dry Max. Offer good only while supplies last!

Sign up for a free sample of Dove Cool Moisture shampoo. Please allow up to four weeks for delivery and limit one sample per household.

Try a free sample of John Frieda Frizz Ease. Please allow up to four weeks for delivery and limit one sample per household.

Sign up to receive a free sample of Ultraswim shampoo. You will have to fill out a short survey for this freebie.

Food

This is a free with purchase deal, but you can print out a coupon for a free appetizer at TGI Fridays with a minimum of a $15 food purchase.

Please take this brief survey. Your input will help us serve you better in the future. As a thank-you, you’ll receive a FREE copy of the American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook. This 375-page book provides more than 200 delicious recipes that also happen to promote lower cholesterol. In order to receive your free cookbook, please answer all 5 of the questions below.

Sign-up to run with the CLIF BAR Pace Team and we’ll send you a free CLIF BAR Training Kit, which includes free samples of our products and some handy dandy training tips. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.

Entertainment

Do you think Michigan is amazing? Better yet, do you have a story that tells us why you think so? We’re looking for posts that fit one of the five blog categories (people, places, events, organizations, things) that explain why Michigan is such an amazing place to be. Our staff will pick the most amazing stories submitted and post them on the blog. If we pick your story, you’ll receive a free t-shirt! But even if we don’t, we’ll still send you a small gift for sharing your story with us. At the end of every month, five published stories will be chosen to contend for the “most amazing find” of that month, and then be voted on by our readers. The winner of that vote will receive an amazing Michigan-themed gift basket loaded with a variety of prizes and goodies. Stories should be no longer than 300 words and may include a photo.

Home & Garden

Feeling overworked or overwhelmed? Life getting you down? It’s time to turn the tide and look on the bright side. Gather your friends together, celebrate your commitment to each other, and learn to reinvent yourselves by hosting a Kitchen Table Group House Party. By hosting a party, you’ll receive a copy of the uplifting and inspirational new book, “This is Not the Life I Ordered: 50 Ways to Keep Your Head Above Water When Life Keeps Dragging You Down” by Deborah Collins Stephens, Jackie Speier, Michealene Cristini Risley, and Jan Yanehiro. The four women wrote the book after realizing just how cathartic it was to share their life experiences with one another. In addition to a free copy of the book, your guests will be eligible for special discounted offers, and a special guide for starting their own Kitchen Table Friends group. Participants will also be eligible to enter the national Reinvent Your Life Contest, with the grand prize being an all expenses paid trip to San Francisco, lunch with the book’s publisher, a VIP Pass to the annual Professional Business Women of California Conference, a complete cosmetic and wardrobe makeover, and a silver necklace and bracelet autographed by the authors. Leave your email address to apply for this freebie. You will be notified if your application is accepted!

Another house party opportunity. On October 6th, gather your guests for a celebration of food, friendship, and national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Host a Pink Plaid House Party, and you’ll get a FREE copy of the new Better Homes and Gardens Pink Plaid Cookbook: Celebrating the Promise. Partygoers will share recipes, party tips, information on breast cancer, and ways to support the cause. You and your guests will also receive special gifts and offers from Better Homes and Gardens’ sponsors.

Don’t have a Sam’s Club membership? Use this free printable pass to make your purchases. Note: there is a 10% charge added since you are not a member.

Get a free sample of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. Please allow up to four weeks for delivery and limit one sample per household.

Pet Needs

Wal-Mart is offering a free sample of Whiskas Purrfectly Fish cat food. Please allow up to four weeks for delivery and limit one sample per household.

Request a free sample of Sheba Premium Cuts cat food.

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Posted in Freebies | 5 Comments »

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