Archive for the ‘Money & Finance’ Category

Sunday Savings

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

Baby Cheapskate shares how to you can save an additional $1 off of each package of Huggies Jumbo Diapers.

Freebies 4 Mom shares some fun sweepstakes you can enter- check for this every Saturday on her blog!

Mimi’s Jewel Box has an entry on how you can get 5 Michael Angelo meals for free (after the purchase of 5 meals).

Money Saving Mom tells you the deals this week for CVS & Walgreens– check here before doing your shopping!

Centsible Shopper tells you how to double-dip your rebates. (Thanks Hooray for Free-bates for this tip!)

Freebie Friday: March 28, 2008

Friday, March 28th, 2008

A big thanks to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for helping share some of her freebies with our readers. Heather has an awesome website and I love her post this week on using coupons at Bed, Bath, & Beyond or at Linens & Things. Check Heather’s site all week long for some excellent freebies!

Health & Beauty

Stetson Fresh (cologne for men)

Food

Fiber One Caramel Delight (Walmart sample)
Entertainment
Children’s Songs Personalized with First Name (short list, but check it for your child’s name!)

Free admission to Adventures in Travel Expo (Enter promo Code: NGFREE. This is at the Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C from 3/29/08-3/30/08)

Home & Garden
Kohls Save $5 on $5 purchase (when you sign-up for sale alerts)
Swingline Optima Desk Stapler (for taking survey)

Pet Care

Mark your calendars!! Receive a one-on-one beauty makeover from ULTA’s beauty consultants and learn how to get the latest looks with some of the best brands. Plus, you’ll receive deluxe samples from participating brands* to help you start off the season in style. Book your appointment now.
March 28 • Smashbox & NeoStrata
March 29 • Bare Escentuals, MD Formulations & Murad
March 30 • Stila & Fusion Beauty

Mark your calendars!! Starting March 4, 2008, bring the April 2008 cover of Seventeen or a printout of the seventeen.com home page to any Aéropostale store to receive one (1) “Miss Save the World” tank top (approximate retail value: $19.50 each). Forty thousand (40,000) will be given away. One per person. Giveaway ends April 8, 2008. While supplies last.

Mark your calendars!! Free ink refills will be available at Walgreens on April 2, 2008. They do not refill any Epson or Canon cartridges, but they do fill a number of Lexmark, HP, and Dell. Call your local Walgreens to find out if they fill your cartridge. You get 1 color OR black free refill per person so if you need two cartridges filled, bring a friend or you have to pay for the second one. Also, this deal is VERY popular, so don’t go in on free day thinking you’ll get your cartridge back soon. It’s usually returned to you later that day, even up to 24 hours-3+ days for busier stores. (Thank you My Coupons)

Here’s to the Heroes!!
Complimentary admission for active duty military representing all five service branches, active members of a reserve or National Guard unit, and/or up to three direct dependants. Valid for one complimentary single-day admission per person, per year, to one of the following Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks:
o SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego, or San Antonio
o Busch Gardens Tampa Bay or Williamsburg
o Sesame Place
o Aquatica
o Adventure Island
o Water Country USA
Offer valid between 1/1/2008 and 12/31/2008. Operating days and hours vary by park.
Please check with specific park for current operating schedule. Visit their site for more details!

Starting April 8, 2008, bring the May 2008 cover of Seventeen or a printout of the seventeen.com home page to any Steve & Barry’s store to receive one (1) Rose Ring in the color of your choice from the Dear by Amanda Bynes Spring ’08 collection (approximate retail value: $8.98 each). Ten thousand (10,000) will be given away. One per person. Giveaway ends May 8, 2008. While supplies last. Visit their site for more details!

April 12 – YMCA Healthy Kids Day

April 19 – Walmart 1 Million Reuseable Bag Giveaway starts at 8 am
April 29 – Ben & Jerrys 30th Annual Free Cone Day
April 30 – 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins to honor America’s firefighters

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Another giveaway? Say it isn’t so? This time I am picking ten winners for an amazing prize from Duracell! Each winner will win a set of rechargeable batteries and a portable c
harger. Head over to The Mother Loot and enter today!! Be sure to read our review on their awesome product!

The Daily Special & Free Coffee

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Check out my interview on The Daily Special! I am around 2:05 in the segment and I share some tips for spring cleaning and healthy eating!

A big thanks to Elastic Waist for including me on their site!

While you are waiting for that to load, you can pick up some free coffee. A big thank you to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for alerting us that this freebie was available!

PS- I loved that they included a picture of me in my red coat! You know you can’t resist!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

Last year was my first year attempting to garden. Despite my black thumb and my so-so efforts to find a good place to plant, I still had plenty of herbs and tomatoes to choose from. I enjoyed a BLT (made with that yummy faux turkey) with a homemade peppermint mocha almost every day of the summer and I was so thankful that I could pick those tomatoes out of my very own yard thankyouverymuch after seeing the prices at the grocery store. Ridiculous!

My dream was to supply the whole block with produce from my garden. Oh the shame, that I only had one bowl of tomatoes on any given day and very little to share. No baskets of produce overflowing, but I was so grateful to have my bowl of tomatoes to enjoy on my salad and for my sandwiches.

Year two and I am looking forward to another year playing in dirt, but this year I am going to make more of an effort and actually dig up some grass for a sunny spot in our yard. The spot I planted in lacked enough sunshine to get the perfect tomatoes although my parsley grew into giant shrubs while basking in all of that shade.

Here are some links I have been enjoying while doing my gardening research:

How to Build a Square Foot Garden (@ Frugal Dad)

Planting a Kitchen Garden (@ The Kitchn)

Recycle Stuff for Your Garden (@ Nature Moms)

Container Gardening (@ Frugal Life)

More on Building a Square Foot Garden (@ Being Frugal)

Time to Start the Seeds (@ You Grow Girl)

A Total Garden Transformation (@ The Lylah Blog)

Make Your Own Compost Bin- Easy (@ Shakyard)

Sound Off: Do you garden? What will you be planting this year? Have the rising grocery prices determined how much you will be doing this year? Share your thoughts!

Redbox Code 03.24.08

Monday, March 24th, 2008

Today’s free code for a Redbox movie is LK8LV1. 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.

Freebie Friday: March 21, 2008

Friday, March 21st, 2008

A big thank you to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, who helped supply our list of freebies this week. She does such an amazing job keeping everyone up-to-date on the latest freebies. Check her site regularly to access all the latest freebies!

Health & Beauty
Colgate Total toothpaste (Walmart sample)
Redken (for those with curly hair)
Degree deodorant (free sample with sweepstakes entry)
Dexatrim Max2O (Walmart sample)
Ultra XCID Antacid (Walmart sample)
Men’s Rogaine Foam

Dial Antibacterial Soap

Free antibotics from Publix (thank you to our reader, Colleen, for sending me that one!)

Food
Entertainment
Drop Everything And Read Day Kit (from Beverly Cleary)
John Adams Greeting Card (customize w/photos, includes 2-way postage)
Bridal Guide Magazine (1 free issue from StartSampling)
CosmoGirl and Seventeen magazines (3 free issues from StartSampling)

Free admission to Adventures in Travel Expo (Enter promo Code: NGFREE. This is at the Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C from 3/29/08-3/30/08)

Two Free Tickets to a March 22nd New Jersey Nets Game or a March 26th Chicago Bulls Game (you will want to pick the tickets up to guarantee your seat)

$5 Amazon Gift Card for TiVo Subscribers- With your TiVo remote Press the TiVo button
Then scroll down to “Showcases & TV Guide” and select “Corolla the X”
Then select “Get a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card” TiVo members can opt in to receive a $5 Amazon.com gift card via email within 2 weeks. This offer will be available to the first 5,000 viewers, who respond to this offer, beginning March 20 thru March 26, and available to the next 5,000 viewers, who respond to this offer, from March 27 thru April 2. Limit one gift card per household. To get your gift card, your TiVo must be activated and subscribed to the TiVo service and must also be hooked up to either an active phone line or your broadband network.

Michigan Guide & Travel Maps

Pet Care

PetPlace.com eCourses (“5 Habits of Highly Effective Dog Owners” and “10 Habits of Cat Crazy People”

Mark your calendars!! YMCA Healthy Kids Day on April 12

Mark your calendars!! Receive a one-on-one beauty makeover from ULTA’s beauty consultants and learn how to get the latest looks with some of the best brands. Plus, you’ll receive deluxe samples from participating brands* to help you start off the season in style. Book your appointment now.
March 28 • Smashbox & NeoStrata
March 29 • Bare Escentuals, MD Formulations & Murad
March 30 • Stila & Fusion Beauty

Mark your calendars!! Starting March 4, 2008, bring the April 2008 cover of Seventeen or a printout of the seventeen.com home page to any Aéropostale store to receive one (1) “Miss Save the World” tank top (approximate retail value: $19.50 each). Forty thousand (40,000) will be given away. One per person. Giveaway ends April 8, 2008. While supplies last.

Mark your calendars!! Free ink refills will be available at Walgreens on April 2, 2008. They do not refill any Epson or Canon cartridges, but they do fill a number of Lexmark, HP, and Dell. Call your local Walgreens to find out if they fill your c
artridge. You get 1 color OR black free refill per person so if you need two cartridges filled, bring a friend or you have to pay for the second one. Also, this deal is VERY popular, so don’t go in on free day thinking you’ll get your cartridge back soon. It’s usually returned to you later that day, even up to 24 hours-3+ days for busier stores. (Thank you My Coupons)

Here’s to the Heroes!!
Complimentary admission for active duty military representing all five service branches, active members of a reserve or National Guard unit, and/or up to three direct dependants. Valid for one complimentary single-day admission per person, per year, to one of the following Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks:
o SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego, or San Antonio
o Busch Gardens Tampa Bay or Williamsburg
o Sesame Place
o Aquatica
o Adventure Island
o Water Country USA
Offer valid between 1/1/2008 and 12/31/2008. Operating days and hours vary by park.
Please check with specific park for current operating schedule. Visit their site for more details!
********************************
Another giveaway? Say it isn’t so? This time I am picking ten winners for an amazing prize from Duracell! Each winner will win a set of rechargeable batteries and a portable charger. Head over to The Mother Loot and enter today!! Be sure to read our review on their awesome product!

Redbox Code 03.17.08

Monday, March 17th, 2008

Editor’s Note: For some reason, I am having problems with my email and have not received any messages since Friday. We are trying to figure out what the problem is so I apologize if I haven’t gotten back to you on a message. Please know that we are still trying to work out the kinks and I promise to reply to messages once this has been figured out.

Today’s free code for a Redbox movie is 92X7WF. 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.

Freebie Friday: March 14, 2008

Friday, March 14th, 2008

We have a whole bunch of freebies for you! A big thank you to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for fattening up our list this week! Heather was very busy serving up some very crafty posts on her exciting Craft Week. Be sure to browse her crafty archive for lots of great ideas for projects to do around your house!

Health & Beauty


Entertainment
HP free instructor-led online classes (digital scrapbooking, photography, software, etc.)

Free magazine subscriptions at lowpricesubs (Family Fun, Wondertime and others)

HOME magazine subscription (from RewardsGold for completing survey)
Hallmark magazine subscription (from RewardsGold for completing survey) OR

Hallmark Magazine subscription (from Free Biz Mags)

Today’s Diet & Nutrition magazine subscription (from Mercury Magazines)

Getting to Know: Breaking a Stubborn Habit book

DVD for Teachers (can get a new DVD every year that you teach!)

Horton Activity Book & Tip Sheets (sponsored though Energy Star- these are on backorder, but you can place your order for when they come in or download them)

Sport Diver Magazine

Free admission to Adventures in Travel Expo (Enter promo Code: NGFREE. This is at the Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C from 3/29/08-3/30/08)

Two Free Tickets to a March 22nd New Jersey Nets Game or a March 26th Chicago Bulls Game (you will want to pick the tickets up to guarantee your seat)


Home & Garden
Pet Care
Start Right water conditioner (for pond or aquarium owners)
Doggie Delightz

Mark your calendars!! FREE Photo with the Easter Bunny at Walmart on March 15 & 16

Mark your calendars!! See your local JC Penney advertisement for details. They will have free chocolate candy bars at the door on March 15 and 16, and included is a coupon for 10%, 15%, or 20% off.

Mark your calendars!!
YMCA Healthy Kids Day on April 12

Mark your calendars!! Receive a one-on-one beauty makeover from ULTA’s beauty consultants and learn how to get the latest looks with some of the best brands. Plus, you’ll receive deluxe samples from participating brands* to help you start off the season in style. Book your appointment now.
March 28 • Smashbox & NeoStrata
March 29 • Bare Escentuals, MD Formulations & Murad
March 30 • Stila & Fusion Beauty

Mark your calendars!! Starting March 4, 2008, bring the April 2008 cover of Seventeen or a printout of the seventeen.com home page to any Aéropostale store to receive one (1) “Miss Save the World” tank top (approximate retail value: $19.50 each). Forty thousand (40,000) will be given away. One per person. Giveaway ends April 8, 2008. While supplies last.

Mark your calendars!! Free ink refills will be available at Walgreens on April 2, 2008. They do not refill any Epson or Canon cartridges, but they do fill a number of Lexmark, HP, and Dell. Call your local Walgreens to find out if they fill your cartridge. You get 1 color OR black free refill per person so if you need two cartridges filled, bring a friend or you have to pay for the second one. Also, this deal is VERY popular, so don’t go in on free day thinking you’ll get your cartridge back soon. It’s usually returned to
you later that day, even up to 24 hours-3+ days for busier stores. (Thank you My Coupons)

Here’s to the Heroes!!
Complimentary admission for active duty military representing all five service branches, active members of a reserve or National Guard unit, and/or up to three direct dependants. Valid for one complimentary single-day admission per person, per year, to one of the following Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks:
o SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego, or San Antonio
o Busch Gardens Tampa Bay or Williamsburg
o Sesame Place
o Aquatica
o Adventure Island
o Water Country USA
Offer valid between 1/1/2008 and 12/31/2008. Operating days and hours vary by park.
Please check with specific park for current operating schedule. Visit their site for more details!
********************************

Don’t forget to enter our own personal giveaways! The Geek Squad is offering one lucky reader a gift card for $169 to be put towards the Geek Squad helping put in a wireless network in your home! How cool is that? To enter this giveaway, please leave us a comment by March 19th at 8PM on The Motherloot. In your comment, please share one thing you would like our new resident Tech Mom to cover about computers– ANYTHING you are struggling with understanding is fair game for discussion on future features… Enter To Win!

Today is the LAST DAY to enter our Horizon Organic Milk giveaway!! Why buy milk when I could just give it to you for free? Hurry over to The MotherLoot for contest details on a giveaway for three containers of Horizon Organics Plus with DHA!

Frugal Family Fun

Thursday, March 13th, 2008

My husband builds some amazing forts for the kids using sofa cushions, comforters, and lots of fluffy pillows. Throw on a DVD from the library and you have your very own movie theater! The kids had a great time with daddy while I was gone last night. Aren’t dads just the best fort builders?


When the kids climb in bed, my husband and I pretend it is summer and sip our Magic Milkshakes. We sip these as we catch up on our work in the evening or just spend time chatting while we slurp our shakes down. The Midwest folks have spring fever so we do what we can to make it feel like it is hot outside!

Why Buy Milk? Let Me!

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008


Why buy milk when I could just give it to you for free? Hurry over to The MotherLoot for contest details on a giveaway for three containers of Horizon Organics Plus with DHA!

And while you are perusing our site, be sure to enter our Geek Squad Giveaway and check our latest review entries for fun children’s soaps and a great phone for work-at-home moms!

Sound Off: Let’s have a frank discussion about organic milk (without being mean or bullying anyone!) Do you buy organic milk or organic food products? Do you have a selective list of organic products you buy or do you go all the way with organic eating? How has this impacted your health or your grocery bill?