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Freebie Friday: January 26, 2007

Friday, January 26th, 2007
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Is it Friday already? This week has flown by and I am excited to share all of these great freebies with you. It happens to be a good week for freebies this week so I hope that you really enjoy these.

As I was sitting at the dentist’s office this morning, I noticed that they had a big stack of the new Michiana Family Magazines out. My dear friend Betsy is running this magazine and she is doing such an outstanding job with it. We are honored to be included among her writers and to have the opportunity to share more ways to save money with some of the local residents. Welcome to all of our new readers. Please be sure to introduce yourself or just leave a comment and let me know that you are out there. It helps to have the community support in our efforts here at MomAdvice.com. Please be sure to be looking for the March issue of the magazine. We will be including frugal ideas for organizing all of the clutter in your house. Don’t worry if you don’t live in this area! These articles will be appearing on our site too in the months ahead.

Now here is this week’s round of freebies:

Receive a coupon for a free jar of Prego Spaghetti Sauce. There is a printable form to print out to receive this freebie. You will need Adobe Acrobat to print out this form. This offer expires 03/31/2007 or while supplies last.

Fill out the form to receive a free sample of Advil Pain Reliever and a coupon for $2 off your next purchase. The coupon will come to you as a free downloadable coupon after completing their form.

Receive a complimentary subscription to Boating Magazine. You can answer, “No, Thank You” to all of their offers. This is good for a one-year subscription.

This freebie seems almost too cool to be true. If you register on this site, you will receive a free Chinese Hand Painting Silk Handkerchief. This should be mailed to you within two to three business days.

You will need to go to a dealership for this freebie, but this site is offering free tickets to the Chicago Auto Show (great freebie for the local residents here!)

Receive a complimentary subscription to Vacations Magazine. Simply answer, “No, Thank You” to all of their offers. This is good for a one-year subscription.

Nature’s Bounty is offering a free sample of their Omega-3 Fish Oil Caplets. Please allow four to six weeks for delivery.

Kenmore Appliances is having a free House Party on Saturday March 10, 2007. It is a play date of sorts that they are sponsoring. They suggest getting dirty doing fun science experiments, let the kids watch “Grossology” (a new Discovery Kids cartoon) and relaxing with your friends while your washer cleans up the mess. You will receive a free DVD featuring three episodes of Grossology, enter to win a contest for new laundry products & a new washer and dryer, sample new Spray & Wash Products, and use their new free website tools.

You will need a company name for this freebie, but this company is offering a free 128 MB USB flash drive.

RogerOger is offering a free full size bottle of Windex Multi Task Sparkling Lime. Please allow four to eight weeks for delivery.

Dawn is offering a free Kid-Friendly Sponge. This will be available while supplies last. Please allow six to eight weeks for delivery.

Get your free 2007 Dessert Calendar from Mrs. Smith. Supplies are limited- order today. Your order will arrive in two weeks.

Sign up to receive a free sample of Garnier Nutrioniste of Ultra-Lift or Skin Renew.

Receive a complimentary subscription to ReadyMade Magazine. This is good for a one-year subscription while supplies last.

This one was posted before, but just in case you missed it….Banquet is offering refunds on their Banquet Wings, Drumsticks, or Crock Pot meals. You can receive a refund or a coupon booklet by visiting their site.

In appreciation of all the great teachers across the United States & Canada, AMC & Paramount Pictures is offering an exclusive opportunity to see the new Freedom Writers movie for free between January 26th to February 1st. You must present a school-issued ID or pay stub and a valid photo ID. Visit their site for more information.

Purina is offering a free print publication of the Dog’s Life Magazine for free.

Enjoy your freebies, everyone!

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Posted in Freebies | 6 Comments »

Getting the Silent Treatment

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

Have you felt like I have been giving you the silent treatment on my blog? I feel like my blogging hasn’t been at its best, but all of those things that you put off because they cost money or time, seemed to demand my attention these past couple of weeks so I have been busy doing those things instead of my normal socializing. The things that I had to accomplish these past two weeks:

– Going to get my eyes examined. It had been since 2004 since my last visit and I had a baby between now and then. Did you know that your prescription can change just from that alone? I needed to get in and get this taken care of for quite some time now and they happened to have an opening that day so I got this done. Unfortunately, it took an hour and a half for this visit. I needed my eyes dilated and this required some waiting time. Imagine a baby screaming every time the doctor looks at her or talks to her. Imagine even louder screaming when the doctor tries to check my eyes. Yes, that visit was most unpleasant, but it is finally done. All that time and effort only to discover that my prescription is exactly the same. Well, I guess it will save on glasses then!

– My daughter needed new cloth diapers. It was evident that she was outgrowing them because she was wetting up her back and soaking through them because they were too small. Although cloth diapering saves us a lot of money, the initial investment is a bit of a sticker shock when you move up sizes or when you begin the first time. I bought my diapers off of another cloth-diapering momma and was able to save quite a bit of money. I am now trying to unload our last round of diapers to hopefully help us break even. Imagine diapering your baby for free? That is basically what we are doing by buying used and selling them back.

– I have an oil change scheduled for tomorrow. I called around and priced out who could offer us the best price and found it at Bittersweet Automotive (the only competitor being Wal-Mart) in Granger. Although changing our oil costs us some money, the results have been great for keeping our cars running longer. I always try and be very prompt about scheduling these. I would hate for my car not to run because I was too lazy to make it over for the oil change. I have had experience with this, as I was not very responsible when I got my first car, and my cars never lasted very long.

– I also have a dental appointment scheduled for tomorrow. I hate getting my teeth cleaned, but would hate getting them filled or replaced more. Hopefully there will be no cavities and I will be able to enjoy some time away from the dentist for a few months.

– Grocery shopping and menu planning. Although this happens every couple of weeks, I was trying to incorporate many more recipes to our plan this month so that I could share them with all of you through my blog. That takes a bit of planning, but hopefully we will have lots of new dishes to share with you.

– I had to write an article for the site and it is done. Be looking for that in the next week! I am sharing some frugal ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day without totally busting your budget.

– Tonight I will begin working on this week’s Freebie Friday. I don’t get to do this until late in the evening or on Friday itself because the offers come and go so quickly. I apply to each of these myself to make sure you don’t get error messages or find out that the offer wasn’t available in the first place. Besides, who loves a freebie more than me?

I still have laundry, house cleaning, and bill paying to do…but, it’s a start in the right direction.

I am looking for feedback from our readers and am asking for suggestions on future article topics. What are you interested in reading about? What free downloads would you like to see added to our Downloads section? Please let us know so that we can improve the site for 2007!

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Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

Cloth Diapering Mommas- Diapers for Sale

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

Our daughter is moving up a size in diapers. Anyone who is interested in taking these off my hands is welcome to them. I accept PayPal payments to advertise@momadvice.com. Please just send me your name and address and I will calculate shipping for you.

Fuzzi Bunz Size MEDIUM

9 White Fuzzi Bunz. All are in good condition- normal pilling from regular use, but they were used in a large rotation. One of the Fuzzi Bunz has a label that is only halfway attached and one has some light staining. All diapers are $10 each.

1 White Fuzzi Bunz that is in good condition- normal pilling from regular use. The stitching is coming loose on the back of it though so I am only asking $8 for this one.

2 Periwinkle blue Fuzzi Bunz that are in good condition- normal pilling from regular use. One has no staining the other has a small stain that could be sunned out. Both are $10

3 Pink Fuzzi Bunz in good condition- normal pilling from regular use. Asking $10 each.

2 Butter Yellow Fuzzi Bunz. Good used condition- normal pilling from regular use. Asking $10 each.

1 Sage Green Fuzzi Bunz. Good used condition- normal pilling from regular use. Asking $10 each.

5 Purple Fuzzi Bunz. Good used condition- normal pilling from regular use. Asking $10 each.

Bumkins Medium Diaper Covers

1 Pink Nova Print (see Bumkins.com for the pictures) in EUC asking $8

1 Pink Fish (Dr Suess) print in EUC asking $8

Bummis Medium Super Whisper Wrap

1 White Bummis Super Whisper Wrap in EUC asking $8

Hemparoo Inserts Medium

I will include these with the purchase of a Fuzzi Bunz for an additional two dollars. These have staining on them, but are in good condition.

Happy Shopping!!
Amy

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Frugal Momma’s Test Kitchen: Roast Chicken Recipe #2

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

I have started sharing my roast chicken recipes because a whole chicken is so darn cheap and so good! Last week, I shared my Roasted Balsamic-Glazed Chicken recipe that I happened upon through the Food Network website. If you haven’t tried it, I do highly recommend that one.

This recipe came out of just the types of ingredients I happened to have on hand. Grocery day was looming, but still so far away, so I had to be a little more creative in the kitchen. Time was also in short supply so this recipe had to be quick and require no monitoring on my part.

The chicken turned out moist and delicious. Despite dumping an entire contents of a dressing packet on top, the chicken is not salty at all and just leaves a pretty crust on top of the chicken.

As with all my recipes where I use a chicken in the slow cooker, I always make a rack of tin foil before putting the chicken in so the meat doesn’t become soggy. Simply ball three pieces of tin foil up and make a rack for the chicken to rest on. Place the chicken on top and when it is done cooking, remove the tin foil and you should have a lovely broth on the bottom to spoon over mashed potatoes.

Hope this recipe is a hit in your house too!

Amy’s Quick & Easy Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken
3 lemons
1 packet of Italian seasonings dressing packet (zesty or plain)

Clean chicken and remove the giblets and extra fat on the chicken. Make a rack out of tin foil by balling three pieces of foil up and putting them inside of your slow cooker. Rest the chicken on top. Cut the three lemons in half. Juice two of the lemons over the chicken and then rest them around the chicken. Put the other two halves of the third lemon inside of the chicken. Empty the seasoning packet on the outside and inside of the chicken. Cook on low for six to eight hours.

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Posted in Food & Recipes, Main Dishes | 2 Comments »

LetterPop! Makes Family Newsletters More Bearable

Monday, January 22nd, 2007

I am probably among the select few who do not publish a family newsletter detailing the events in our family over the years during the holiday season. First of all, I don’t think there is anything all that interesting going on in our lives that is newsletter worthy. An exciting day for us would be going to the supermarket tantrum-free or getting together for a playgroup with my friends. Not exactly newsworthy! Maybe we are just too boring and other people are much more exciting.

We have received very sweet and heartfelt letters from family & friends though and I do appreciate their efforts. For long-distance buddies, this has been a great way to feel a part of their lives. For others, it offers a humorous slant into their homes and makes me chuckle. I have received some rather amusing letters too detailing not just the positive things in their family, but the negative too (“Johnny received a D in his class this semester and is now grounded off of the television until he can bring his grades up. Suzy continues to be lazy and we are trying to encourage her to get her rear in gear or else she won’t graduate.”) To be honest, the last letter usually cracks me up the most. I figure, at least they are being honest!

Now there was a time when I did a newsletter for the website and we have gotten lots and lots of emails questioning when the next newsletter will be. I am sad to say, but I am not sure when we are going to get back on the newsletter wagon. With the growing number of accounts, it has become a huge expense for us to do and consumes much of my time during the month. The newsletter has sort of been replaced by the blog. With running a website, a blog, writing the articles, and running/moderating a forum discussion my time has become far too limited to expand it further or to justify the expense for my sporadic newsletters.

My husband did happen upon this great service from a company called LetterPop! though and I thought I would give it a test run with a smaller version of a newsletter to see what you guys thought about it. Is it easy to navigate? Do you have trouble reading the newsletter? Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

I think LetterPop! is a great free alternative for publishing our newsletter, but I need your opinions too! Let me know what you think!

LetterPop! is currently in beta testing right now so not all of the features that it will offer are currently available. They are offering FREE accounts though for this first year, so get it while it is free and publish up some of your old family secrets. They have great holiday templates and you can include pictures of your sweet little angels in your updates.

Visit our test-run newsletter and let me know what you think. This is a much shorter version than I will be issuing monthly, but it is a great way for you to sample the service and maybe create your own free account.

Thanks to LetterPop! for offering such a great & invaluable service! I hope Johnny & Suzy’s mom find it- I would hate to be without their yearly updates!

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Freebie Friday: January 19, 2007

Friday, January 19th, 2007

February 3rd is All Things Baby day at participating Wal-Mart stores. Between the hours of 10 Am and 4 PM you can receive bundles of information, helpful ideas & solutions, and product samples. Please visit this link for more information.
Enjoy a free subscription to Grand Magazine, the official magazine for grandparents, by filling out their quick form. This would make a great gift for the grandparents in your life!
Fill out the form to receive a free sample of Claritin RediTabs Tablets. Please allow two to six weeks for shipment.
Request to receive a trio of sample products from Jergens.
Sign up to receive an email for a free welcome gift for joining Fazoli’s E-Family.
Click here to receive a free subscription to Dime Magazine.
The first 5,000 to register can get TaxCut Online Basic for free, plus a twenty percent discount on all TaxCut Premium products.
Register to receive a free Tropicana product when they launch their new spring flavors. Click on the, “Big News & Free Product” link once the page has loaded.
Try the new Degree Ultra Clear Deodorant for free. This sample will arrive within four to six weeks.
GM is offering a free travel mug to thank you for visiting their site. Once the page has loaded, this freebie should pop up on the left side of your screen. Please allow three to four weeks for delivery.
Get a free one year subscription to Games for Windows Magazine. You will need to become a member of Start Sampling in order to receive this freebie.
Get a free one year subscription to LEGO Magazine. The link is underneath the “Club” category.

Click the email address and forward your contact information to the company to request a free sample of Bug Away. Make sure to tell them your preference of either Tall Kitchen (Indoor) or Large Trash Bag (Outdoor) samples.

Depending where you live, this site should give you a coupon towards your next purchase of Malt-O-Meal cereal. Some people only received money off of their coupon and others have received a coupon good for up to $4, depending on their location. You will need to register with this company, but they offer tons of coupons on their site.

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Are You Looking for Redbox Codes?

Wednesday, January 17th, 2007

I love using the Redbox kiosk that is located within our grocery store. For those of you who live in the Michiana area, these kiosks are located inside Martin’s Supermarkets.

We tried a movie club, but we didn’t watch enough movies to really justify the cost. We also rent a lot of movies from our local library, but sometimes you want a new release that day.

Redbox has been a great alternative for us. You can rent the movie, as long as you want, for only ninety-nine cents a day. Since we typically keep our movie one night, it is only a dollar to watch a new release. You can reserve your movies online through the Redbox website, or you can just pick a movie when you get there.

Recently I discovered this great website called Inside Redbox. I have been using this site for several weeks now and I absolutely love it. The website shares all of the current coupon codes for the month. People can add codes they have used or report codes that no longer work. I have been using these codes for my movies and we have yet to be charged for a single one.

If you like movies and you like free, then please visit Inside Redbox.

As a side note, the reason I had not posted this site before was because I was afraid that it might be shut down with the traffic they would receive or that Redbox, the actual movie company, might be upset that people are sharing these codes. Luckily, the guy who runs the site recently reported a great conversation he had with the VP of Marketing at their company…Guess what? Redbox loves the site and so do we!

Please visit Rocks in My Dryer for more great ideas!

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Posted in Freebies | 4 Comments »

Birthday Freebies

Tuesday, January 16th, 2007

Today is my birthday so I wanted to remind you guys of this great post that lists all of the wonderful things you can get for FREE on your birthday. Who doesn’t love a freebie on their special day?

Don’t forget to read the comments so that you can get the scoop on other freebies that weren’t covered within my post!

I will be back to blogging tomorrow!

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Posted in Freebies | 8 Comments »

Freebie Friday: January 12, 2007

Friday, January 12th, 2007

Get a free sample of Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners

Family Circle Magazine is offering free sample of Swiffer Dusters.
I was ineligible for this offer because I have applied for it before, but if you didn’t get this deal earlier you can get it now!

Get a free sample of Metamucil. This Fiber Starter kit includes a sample of wafers, powder, & capsules plus calcium. There is also a guide to explain how to eat a high fiber diet. Please limit one per household. This sample will arrive within four to six weeks.

Receive a free sample of Maximum Strength Pepcid AC by filling out their quick form.

Scholastic Books is offering a free digital audiobook download. They offer over ninety books and these include many of the classics for kids. This does not require putting in your address or credit card information.

The current coupon code for a free rental from Redbox is ICICLE.

This freebie, offered by RogerOger, is for the new Swiffer CarpetFlick. I hope this is the real deal because this would be a fantastic freebie! Please allow four to eight weeks for delivery.

Please complete the form to receive a free sample of Estroven PM and a money saving coupon from the company.

Try a free sample of Digestive Advantage Lactose Intolerance Therapy pills. Please allow up to four weeks for delivery. Currently the only sample available is their pills for children.

Get a free sample of Move Free Advanced for joint care relief. Please allow up to four weeks for delivery.

Try a free sample of Viactiv Flavor Glides Vitamins. Please limit one per household and allow up to four weeks for delivery.

I am very, very excited about this freebie. Get a free copy of An Inconvenient Truth on DVD. There is no catch, just fill out the form. They should send you a confirmation email for this one. I do want to note, a nonprofit organization runs this venture and they are trying to get as many people to watch this as they possibly can. I understand it is a very inspiring movie full of information that we should all be seeing if we want to preserve our earth. Please do not apply for this freebie because you just want to sell it or don’t care to really see it. These people are doing this to help spread the word about caring for our earth, so please be respectful of their time & efforts. Many thanks to them for making sure these get in the right hands!

DVDPlay is offering a free movie rental using the coupon code DVD123. Please visit their site to find a location near you.

Get a complimentary subscription to Spin Magazine. Just answer no to all of the extra offers when filling out the survey.

Bicardi Silver is giving away Shake Up the Party cards. Limit one per household and no purchase is necessary.

Sign up to receive a free ten count pack of Charmin Freshmates. Please allow six to eight weeks for delivery.

Try a sample of Kotex Maxi Pads or Poise Ultra Plus Pads from Sam’s Club (you do not need to be a member to apply for this freebie.)

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Posted in Freebies | 4 Comments »

Frugal Solutions for the Swiffer

Thursday, January 11th, 2007

I love my Swiffer WetJet and have used it for a couple of years now. Unfortunately, like all of these types of products, I need to purchase refills on the solution and the mop pads.

Once I ran out of the solution though, I began filling it with my own homemade solutions. I have done every type of solution known to man. I have filled it with a mixture of hardwood floor cleaner with water, a vinegar & water solution, and other floor cleaners in our cabinets. They all worked wonderfully and cost us a fraction of the cost. As a disclaimer though, the company suggests that you use only their cleaners, otherwise you risk clogging the unit and they will not warranty the product anymore.

I also did not want to pay for the pads, as they too cost quite a bit of money for something you just throw away. I tried using microfiber cloths, but they wouldn’t hang onto the mop head well. I then tried just using the regular pads (as they cost a little less) and ended up with a soaking mess.

The solution that I found works better than anything I have ever tried and I promise you, if you buy these, you will never have to buy the disposable stuff again. These terry mop heads fit my Bissell Steam Mop (which they no longer sell) and they fit on the Swiffer WetJet PERFECTLY!. They have a little adjuster on it that can help you hug the mop head tighter and they do not come off. They are made out of terry cloth and when you are done with them, just throw them in the wash with your towels. I had bought several packages, for fear that they would discontinue selling these like they did my steamer, and I absolutely love them. This is a great reusable solution that will cost you much less in the long run. You receive two mop heads in a package and they are currently listed at $9.70.

Product endorsement over- hope you can try these! You won’t be disappointed!

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Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

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