Monday, December 12, 2011

Barnes & Noble One Day Sale



Do you have a reader on your Christmas list? Barnes & Noble is having a spectacular One Day Sale. Many books are 50% off and most toys and games are buy 2 get the 3rd free. They even have a great deal on the Nook. Buy the Nook and get a $25 Barnes & Noble e-gift card if you use your Master Card. So get the Nook and a gift card for e-books!

To make the deal sweeter...go through Ebates and get 10% cash back! If you are new to Ebates, sign up today and choose a $10 gift card as well. Hurry, Barnes & Noble sale is today only!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Coke Rewards- Free Coke 12 pack



If you have at least 30 points in Coke Rewards, you can get a free 12 pack box. Hurry before this offer is all snatched up. It can be redeemed twice per household.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Extra Money for Christmas

I will be hosting a wonderful giveaway if I can get 20 likes to the post on facebook. Everyone can use a little extra money for Christmas!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Black Friday Experience

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! If you went Black Friday shopping, I hope you were able to get everything you wanted. I had a wonderful experience. We moved to New Jersey 3 1/2 years ago and since then I have gone Black Friday shopping by myself. This year my husband went with me and we had a blast.

We started off at Toys R Us. We got there around 7:15PM and were number 25. When they opened the doors at 9:00PM my husband rushed off to the electronics line while I went off to the rest of the store. He was 5th in line and quickly paid and joined me in getting everything else. We found everything we were looking for and were in our cars by 9:30PM.

From there we went off to Walmart. We arrived and were in a long line (there were easily about 300 people in front of us) and it was about 10:15PM. We finally made it in around 10:55PM. With no carts in sight, we ran off to grab what we could. Luckily my husband found a basket (hey! it's better than nothing) and we continued our journey. Somewhere down the store a man gave up and just left his empty cart in the middle of the aisle and my husband grabbed it! We finished getting everything we needed (only one thing was already gone) and then the real fun began...

No one, not even the employees had any idea where or how the checkout line was working. No one new where it ended how to get there. They were so disorganized and there was a major communication gap. People were mad, yelling at each other to get in line, but no one knew how to explain which way the line ran. It was total chaos. We spent 35 minutes trying to decipher who was in line and how to get there. Once we were in line, the line wasn't moving at all.

I was really disappointed because this is my 4th Black Friday shopping at this Walmart and I had never seen such chaos. Luckily, an employee decided to open up a cash register by the auto parts and started pulling some of us to go pay there. We were saved! When we finally got out it was 1:30AM and even though I knew it was a long shot, off to Target we headed. We were in line and in the store in about 10 minutes.

Everything was very organized. We went straight to get what we wanted and were out in about 30 minutes and even had time to go to a different Target for one final look. We got everything except my daughter's Kindle. It was 3:30AM and I was exhausted (having been up since 6:45AM making Thanksgiving food). We headed home.

The best part, however, happened that afternoon around 4PM. My daughter kept searching all day to see where we could get her Kindle (she's stubborn, set in her ways and really wanted to start using it). My husband helped her search and off to Staples we headed. When we arrived, I took her to look at them and quickly found someone to help us.

Just our luck, the one helping us was the day time manager. He went off to get my request and returned to tell me they were all out. He was all set on selling a more advanced (and of course more expensive) model. I said no and he kept insisting telling me all the great features. I didn't want to pay that amount of money, so I said no thank you and was about to go on my way when he said he would knock $20 off the price and with a rebate they were offering, I ended paying less than the one I was about to buy.

So off I went happily with my daughter's new Kindle. All in all we had a great shopping experience, save a lot of money and the icing on the cake: I'm done Christmas shopping!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Check out my Facebook Page

Make sure you don't miss any deals and check out my facebook page. There are a lot of deals coming out and I haven't had time to post them here. Follow me on facebook to make sure you get them all.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

How Different Kids Can Be

Hello everyone! Tonight's post is about how different kids can be. My oldest daughter, who is 12, loves movies and the theater. She is very smart but does not like to challenge herself and just goes with the flow. For this reason her grades fluctuate and she is happy with this.

I used to constantly nag her about doing her homework and bringing up her grades and then I decided to back off. I didn't back off because I don't care or don't want her to try her hardest; I did it because I wanted her to realize she should do these things for herself not to get me to stop nagging. It actually worked. She's working harder and even asking for help when she doesn't understand something.

I know this technique might not work for everyone, and I was very skeptical abut using it, but in this case it worked. I know all kids can't be straight A students, but it is frustrating when you were and your kids don't show that same enthusiasm for school. It has been very hard for me to realize she is her own person and I can't be constantly trying to turn her into someone she isn't. I still monitor her grades and nudge her to do her best, but the fighting regarding grades has stopped.

My middle son, on the other hand, needs no nudging or nagging to get things done. He is in Kindergarten and doesn't get homework too often, but when he does he wants to get it one right away.  He missed school yesterday and when he returned today he got a "We missed you folder" with all the work for the day he missed. He got home and pulled the folder out of his backpack right away and began working on the assignments.

He gets a book from the library and wants to read it right away. He asks when library day is and gets all excited that he will be checking out a book! I don't have to tell him to do his work; he has to remind me he has work to do.

Yes, it's hard to deal with kids when they are so different. I am just learning to stop making comparisons and try to focus on the strengths each one has. It's a constant learning experience for both kids and parents.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Black Friday Ads

All the most popular released Black Friday ads are on my facebook page. Click like on facebook so you can follow them. If you would like a particular one posted on here, let me know and I will post it.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Just for fun Giveaway

I feel like you all deserve a little something, so you have until 10:00AM EST to comment on my facebook post for a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift card. Good luck!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Ebates

I just received a check from Ebates in the mail! I have been buying through Ebates and just got my quarterly check. If you are not shopping through Ebates, you are missing a chance to get cash back. Click here, and join now.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Old Navy Sale


Old Navy is having a great sale where most outerwear is 50% off. They are also having a 30% off sale where the discount will be taken at checkout when you use code ONFRIENDS. This coupon can be printed here and used in store as well.

If you shop online, there is free shipping on all orders over $50 (this doesn't require a code). Also if you use Shop at Home you get 3% cash back, but if you use Upromise you get 10% cash back! Great time to stock up on winter clothes.

Shop at Home

ShopAtHome Banner

Are you still skeptical about Shop at Home? Do you dislike having to install toolbars on your computer? Well I've got great news! I dislike toolbars as well. I usually stay away from anything that asks me to download toolbars. Thus, I've been using Shop at Home without downloading the tool bar. I still get all the cash back deals and I don't have to deal with downloading anything I don't want to.

Now, the real question is does Shop at Home actually work? I'm happy to report that I just received my first check today. They pay on your earnings on a quarterly basis and I just got my check for this past quarter. So it does work! Now every time I have to buy something online I verify if they are available through Shop at Home. I also look through all the coupons they might be offering on Shop at Home as well. I can usually get it cheaper, even with the shipping, than actually going to the store plus I get cash back in the process!

Don't wait any longer; click here and start using Shop at Home now.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

$5 Bounty Coupon




Today at 1:00PM EST Bounty will be giving away 5,000 $5 coupons! Don't miss out!

Disney's Rock Star Mickey

Has your little one been asking for a Rock Star Mickey for Christmas? This week starting Sunday, November 6, Rock Star Mickey will be available at Shoprite for $39.99. So make sure to check out the toy section when you do your grocery shopping.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

$13 for a 1 year Subscription to Family Fun, Parents and Family Circle Magazine



JDeal is offering a 1 year subscription to these three magazines:

Family Fun
Family Circle
Parents


for only $13. As an added bonus, you will be helping out the American Heart Association because a portion of each sale will be donated. Click here and take advantage of this offer now!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Shop Taste of Home Sale

Shop Taste of Home's $5 sale is back until November 7. They have lots of books for $5 and if you buy $20 worth you can get free shipping with code LST88. As an added bonus, shop through Ebates and get 5% cash back. These titles go fast so hurry and don't miss out!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Cash Fan Giveaway

Hello everyone! If you aren't following me on Facebook go click "like" right away. If we can get 400 fans by November 15 I will have a cash giveaway just in time for Christmas. This is also a great way not to miss all my deals since sometimes I don't have time to post great deals here. Thanks to all!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Consignment Store Shopping

I love being able to save money on clothes for my children and they love when I can get them lots of clothes. To accomplish this, I go to consignment shops. I shop at a wonderful one not to far from my house called Kid to Kid. I've even sold them a few things I have for store credit (you get a higher percentage when you sell for store credit).

The trick to shopping consignment is getting to know the store. This particular store in my area gets a lot of known brand of clothes and shoes and they sell them at a great price. I first visited the store a few times just to look around and see what they had,  just get a basic feeling for the store. I also ask the employees for information. The most important question I always ask is when they usually get their biggest amount of inventory. They accept inventory every day of the week but they have some days that people seem to prefer to come in. They tag and place items for sale within a day so I know if I go in the next morning I have a better chance of getting items that just came in.

I also get information about special events. This store has a Halloween costume event labor day weekend and a winter coat event about three weeks later. I make sure to arrive at the store at opening time on event days. That way I have a better opportunity of getting what I'm looking for.

Today I went looking for a winter coat for my 5 year old and a couple of long sleeve shirts. I was able to get him a Land's End coat in like new condition for $15. I also got him 5 long sleeve shirts (all famous name brands) and the most expensive was $4.99. He was so excited to get "new" clothes today. As an added bonus, I browsed the girl area to see if by any chance they had any size 14 for my daughter (something that hardly ever happens). Today I was in luck!

She had told me as I left the house that her hoodie was too short on her and she really needed a new one. I had told her we could probably check online when I got back or go to some store tomorrow but when I saw a hoodie size 14-16 with the original tags still on, I grabbed it right away. It was only $6.99 and I have a happy tween, which is priceless.

Now, I will admit that I am very picky about what my kids wear. I will look for the bargains but I won't let them look like their clothes is used. So for me to buy at this store I make sure the clothes is in "like new" condition. They do an excellent job with having that kind of clothes and only a few times have I seen anything that looked used.

So if you haven't shopped on consignment, try it out. Just make sure you get to know the store and see if they have clothes, shoes, toys or accessories to your liking. Most areas have various different types of consignment stores; it's just a matter of finding the right one for you.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Swagbucks Events

If you have been following the Swagbucks page and blog this week, you know we have two teams on swagbucks and are playing to see which team wins and get 25 extra swagbucks. I'm on American Swag and we are seriously behind! So if you are on team American Swag and have not been using Swagbucks as much as you should get moving! If you're on team National Bucks, go out for a long walk or drive (just kidding)!

Other than this fun competition there are 5 Halloween collector's bills that you can collect by searching. If you get all 5 by October 31, 12AM PST you will get 13SB as a bonus. So search, search, search.

A new feature was added yesterday to SBTV. Now you can watch a complete cycle of SBTV up to 50 times per day, instead of 25, for a total of 150SB per day. Just in time for Christmas!

If you still haven't joined swagbucks now is the time because with these new competitions and features it is faster to earn enough swagbucks for your most wanted gift cards. Click here and start today.

Yankee Candle Coupon



Do you love Yankee Candles? There's a coupon right now where you buy 2 and get 2 free. Perfect for Christmas. Click here and print your coupon now.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

1 Sale A Day Flash Sale

1 Sale a Day is having a flash sale today. For those of you unfamiliar with this, they sell a new product every 30 minutes. They periodically do this for the different tabs they have. Today it is under the 1 Sale A Day tab. Don't miss out! I have gotten great deals from them. Go here and check them out.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Cellfire Bonus Coupon for Shoprite Shoppers

If you use www.cellfire.com to get Shoprite coupons delivered directly to your loyalty card, there is a bonus coupon today! It can range anywhere from $0.75 - $3.00. So make sure you log on today and get your bonus coupon.

If you are not using cellfire, you can get the coupon as well if you register today.

New Savingstar Coupons



Savingstar has new coupons for Chewy Granola bars, Quaker Oatmeal, Smart Balance peanut butter and others. Head over to Savingstar now before they are gone.

If you still haven't joined Savingstar, it is made up of electronic coupons. You don't get the discount at the register, instead you get it in your savingstar account. Once you reach $5 in savings you can have it deposited to your bank, paypal or request a check. It's a great way to save without having to clip coupons. Give it a try!

Friday, October 14, 2011

At Wits End

I thought that being home would be a great way to get closer to my kids. I'm here for them in the morning. I'm here when they get home from school. When my daughter was younger she used to practically beg me to be home for her. Now I'm here and instead of her appreciating it, she sees it as my being here because of her brothers and not for her.

She thinks I'm doing it for them and doesn't see that I mainly do it for her. She says I do it because they are little and I never did it when she was younger. She actually resents me for it. When she was 4, I divorced her father and had to work if I wanted any sort of a life for her. Her father kept the house we used to live in and I had to rent an apartment for the two of us and work as hard as I could to keep her in the private school she was accustomed to so the change wouldn't be so drastic.

At that point in our lives, it wasn't possible for me to stay home. Now, my husband has a decent job and even though we could use the extra income I have stayed home. The one that benefits the most is her. Now she can be a part of all her after school activities and know that I will pick her up. I can volunteer to help at school and I'm even attending the PTO meetings. At the same time, however, I am also helping out with school things related to my Kindergartner.

Because of this, she says I only do it because he is in school now. I don't believe it would be fair to help out at her school and not help out at his if I am available. She doesn' see it that way and won't agree to disagree. She wants to bring it up all the time. She brings it up when we are discussing something else and always end up swelling a simple disagreement into a giant argument. I'm really tired of arguing with her. She really is a good girl but lately it's like someone is feeding information into her mind and she's trying to make it her reality.

I hope this phase (everyone labels it that) passes soon.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 5 disc blu-ray

My family has movie night every Saturday night and the Pirate of the Caribbean movies are a family favorite. On October 18 the new Pirates of Caribbean movie will be available on dvd and blu-ray. The one guilty pleasure we always buy are dvds and blu-rays. We collect them and have way over 500. So, it is awesome whenever I can get a coupon to buy a movie. In this case it's $5 off the 5 disc blu-ray combo pack which includes a DVD and Digital Copy. So if you are a movie collector as well or just love a good deal print your coupon here.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Shopping for Christmas Gifts

As Christmas approaches, I look at every sale I can possibly think of. I compare prices in store and on line. I also keep all receipts. I have been known to buy something at a great price and then walk into a store and find an unadvertised sale where the product is much less, and run back to the previous store to return my purchase. I also use Amazon a lot.

If you use Swagbucks you know those swagbucks accumulate quickly to obtain those $5 Amazon gift cards. If you are not using Swagbucks, you still have time to join and get a good amount of gift cards accumulated for Christmas. Just click here and check it out.

Like I was saying, I love to use Amazon. I go through and look for the items I am interested in. If I find something at a really great price, I buy it right away. If I see something that I think I could find at a better price, I add it to my cart and then save it for later. The great thing about doing this is that any time you go back to Amazon and check your cart, everything you saved for later appears underneath your cart. If anything has increased or decreased in price it will appear across the top of the page. It's a wonderful way to keep track of those continuous changing prices on Amazon.

Another thing I like to do is look for toys where you normally wouldn't. I love looking for toys at supermarkets. Last year my local Shoprite had Sing-a-ma-Jigs for $6. We got them in every color for my son. He loved them! This year they have the Let's Rock Elmo for $49.99.

For clothes I like to wait until the Black Friday deals come out. Most of the time, that Saturday after Black Friday or that same Friday in the afternoon a lot stores have great sales. That whole weekend is great for sales and the wonderful thing now is that most of these sales you can get online. So if you don't like the crowds, you can shop from the comfort of your home. I, however, love the crowds. To me it's all part of the fun of Christmas shopping.

If you have any great tips for saving money on Christmas gifts please leave your comments below. Also, if there is something you are really looking for and can't seem to find a good price leave a comment below or on my facebook page and I will do my best to find the best deal possible. Happy Shopping!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

No More Rack

No More Rack sells famous brand products at great discount prices. If you haven't looked into this site head over and check them out. The sales last 1 day and start at noon. They have lots of great products and are great for buying those Christmas gifts we all want to find at wonderful prices.

They also have a friendrack where you can get great products for free depending on how many friends sign up. New products are constantly being added to friendrack. Your friends don't even have to make a purchase, just sign up. If you sign up through this link you will help me get free products that I can use in my giveaways as well. So click here and check them out today.





Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Let's Rock Elmo

Let's Rock Elmo is adorable and my 2 year old and 5 year old are totally in love with this toy. Kmart.com has it for $56.99 and if you use code KM2011 you get an extra $5 off a $50 order. Get it through store pick up and shipping will be free. As an added bonus, if you buy through www.Shopathome.com you will get 8% cash back. 

All the other accessories that play along with Elmo like the guitar, microphone and keyboard all on sale as well. This is a great opportunity to get this hot toy for a great price! 

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Softsoap® Pampered Hands Foaming Hand Soap Printable Coupon

Save $0.70 on Softsoap®. CVS has a deal this week, with two coupons and the ECB you get back you end up getting two of these for $0.60.

Buy 2/$6.00 - 2(0.70) coupons = $4.60
Get $4 ECB and it's like getting 2 for $0.60.

Hurry and print coupons now. Click here.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Nature Valley Bars - Oats 'n Dark Chocolate Review




I went shopping with my daughter this weekend to get her snacks for school. She participates in lots of after school activities so she always carries snacks with her. As she was picking out her granola bars, I came across these Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars. The flavor was Oats 'n Dark Chocolate.

I have eaten their other flavors and I must say I love Nature Valley bars. To me they seem to have just the right texture. They also seem to be just hard enough. Not too soft, but not so hard you feel your teeth breaking. I just had to try these.

I am a 100% dark chocolate lover. Some people feel that some varieties are too bitter but I love it. I'll think about it and maybe even turn down a piece of regular chocolate, but give me dark chocolate and I will accept it every time. I took these home and just had my first pack.

I must say I was not disappointed. In fact, it has no bitter dark chocolate taste at all. It's also not overly sweet that you feel like you had too much chocolate. It has the perfect blend of chocolate and oats and I loved every bite. I did, however, feel that it crumbled a little easier than other varieties, but other than that I have no complaints. This will now become my new favorite snack.


Monday, September 19, 2011

Walmart Free Samples and Coupons

Walmart has free samples for Poise pads and Playtex tampons. They also have coupons for Kraft Parmesan Blend, Black Magic and Sara Lee Bread. These samples and coupons never last long so click here to get them now!

New Coupons

Lots of new coupons have been added to Coupons.com. They have new coupons for cleaning products that include: Scrubbing Bubbles, Pledge, Windex among others. Head over there and get your coupons now before they are all gone.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Tween Issues

Before I start this post I want to let everyone know that I will be covering the topic of cutting and tween / teen suicide throughout this post. I don't usually write about this sort of topic, but I had an issue this week with a related topic and felt the need to share. After all, this blog is called the Surviving Stay at Home Mom and this is all just part of the survival process.

This week I received a call from my daughter's school. The call came from her school counselor. The call began with the counselor saying, "First I want to let you know that your daughter is OK." Immediately my mind started racing. I thought maybe she fell, broke an arm, broke a leg, was in the hospital or something similar. After what felt like forever she said she had to talk to me about an incident that happened at school.

There my worry turned to anger. Now I was thinking she had done something wrong. She got in a fight or disrespected somebody. But, what she proceeded to tell me caught me completely off guard. She went on to say that a few of my daughter's friends had approached her to tell her that my daughter had suicidal tendencies and had admitted to cutting herself. The strange part about this conversation is that the more she spoke, the angrier I got. Not at my daughter, but at the counselor for believing the girls.

She then continued to tell me that she called my daughter to her office and asked about it and my daughter completely denied it. Again, more anger bubbled up inside of me. Now a lot of you are probably thinking that I shouldn't be angry at her because she is trying to help my daughter. I mean after all when this sort of thing happens aren't parents the last to know? Don't parents always think this sort of thing would never happen to their children?

In my case, however, I knew she was wrong about all this and she should believe my daughter and not these girls who called themselves her "friends". She then asked if I had seen any changes in my daughter. Angry as I was, I gathered myself and told her that contrary to other people, we have no family nearby; thus, we do everything together as a family. Nobody watches my children for me. I don't have a babysitter. I don't have close family or friends I can leave my kids with and because of this we are all together, all the time. We all go grocery shopping together, to the movies, the mall, and so on. We are together 24/7 except when they are in school.

She said she understood, but that she had a boss and she had to report to her boss (the principal) and that I had to go to the school talk to the principal and pick up my daughter. When I got to the school, I spoke with the principal and discovered the issue was much bigger. I had to take my daughter home and have her see a professional counselor. The counselor would evaluate her and if she felt my daughter was not a threat to herself or others she would write a letter. Once this letter was released to the school, my daughter could return. At this point I was outraged, and the principal must have noticed because she then smiled and said that they were taking the necessary precautions to keep my daughter safe because they just cared about her well being.

Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying that when a parent gets this type of news they should just say that's not true and sweep it under the rug. Cutting and suicidal tendencies are serious and they should be taken seriously. No parent wants to believe their child is in such a bad place that this seems to be their only way out. But in my defense, and this is why I reacted the way I did: I have always been an avid reader on all these subjects and know there are particular signs and behaviors associated to this type of situation.

Most cutters cut their arms or legs. They wear long sleeves because of this. My daughter loves to wear spaghetti straps and short shorts. Cutters have feelings so overwhelming that they cut themselves as a way to release all the pressures they feel. My daughter is chatty and happy and always laughing and being silly. Sometimes I have to tell her to be quiet for a little while because she talks so much. She has an opinion about everything. Everyday she comes home and has something to tell me about her day at school. She's not quiet, reserved, a loner, etc. The only time she's alone is when she goes to bed. She is always in my room (as are all my kids). So for her to be doing this sort of thing would have to be while we are all sleeping, but my husband is the type of person who gets up 100 times a night to make sure all the kids are still breathing.

My point is she is almost under actual 24 hour surveillance at my house because of how we all interact so much. This is how I know my daughter could not be doing this. Anyhow, I called the psychologist for an appointment and managed to get a $350 appointment for the following day so that she could get her letter and return to school by Friday. As I sit to talk to to my daughter about this situation, she tells me another friend of hers was sent home after the same girls said the same thing about her.

At this point I am so upset about all this that I just say I don't want to talk about it anymore and just want to wait for her appointment. When we go to the appointment, the psychologist tells me that she doesn't understand why my daughter is there since she presents no signs of a suicidal person or a cutter. I tell her I know this but the school has decided to ignore me and my daughter and believe the girls who were showing "concern" for her well-being.

Cutting and suicidal tendencies are extremely serious things and any parent who gets this sort of call should treat it as the serious matter that it is. My anger at this point, however, is that because this was completely made up by these girls, I can consider this a form of bullying against my daughter and her other friend. A form of bullying where the school administration has been involved, my daughter (as well as her other friend) was caused to miss school and I had to pay an unexpected (non-Emergency) expense.

I understand where these things have to be taken seriously, but the proper investigations should also be conducted by the school before going to the extreme of keeping the child out of school and forcing them to a psychological evaluation. Laws and regulations are meant to protect the kids but I also know they are meant to keep the school or anyone else involved from being sued, but automatically concluding that all cases are extreme without the proper investigations can end up harming the student as well.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

So Happy

I am so happy to be getting so many followers as a result of this great giveaway! Please also remember to "like" me on Facebook. I hold giveaways whenever I reach a fan milestone and sometimes I give away amazon gift cards just for fun! I know times are hard and we all do what we can to save money and put food on the table.

Knowing there are others out there willing to share their experiences, not only with saving, but going through regular family situations seems to make things a little easier. With all the technology around us we can all reach out now and help each other have a better day! Also on my Facebook page, if you have any particular topic, deal, recipe or anything you can think of that you would like me to write about leave your requests. We are all part of this blog.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Phineas and Ferb

Do your kids love Phineas and Ferb? My husband rented the Wii game last week for my son to try out: Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension. He loved it and Amazon has it for $29.99. Great price to get as a Christmas gift and you can get free super saver shipping.

Would you like to buy the movie too? Amazon also has the DVD for $16.99. My kids love getting movies as gifts. That way they have new options for movie night.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Justice Sale



Do you have a daughter who loves Justice? Get great deals today. Shop at Home has 15% cash back from Justice. You can also use code 767 and get 40% on you purchase. Make sure you check the clearance section while you are there. Prices start as low as $2.99 once you take 40% off.

So head over to Shop at Home and shop Justice today. Click here to get started!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

School is in Session


Labor Day weekend is over so most schools have probably started by now. In my case, my kids went back to school today. My 7th grade daughter and Kindergarten son were up bright and early this morning. My daughter wasn't too excited since today is also her birthday, but my son was full of excitement. He met his teacher yesterday and even gave her a hug.

As the kids head back to school I am full of mixed emotions. Happy they are getting one more year of education and new experiences. Sad to have my little boy leave my side after the last year and a half of doing everything with him on a daily basis. Excited to have my 2 year old all to myself for those ours. Worried about helping not one, but two children with homework and projects ( I am a very hands-on mom when it comes to school work). I'm also trying to figure out how I will divide up my time to volunteer to help out at two different schools.

But all these emotions are part of the back to school package. I am, however, looking forward to having some quiet time as the house can get pretty loud with three kids running around. Maybe I'll actually have some time, while the little one naps, to get a new hobby. Yet, even with a few hours to dedicate to my youngest and try new things, school time is the busiest time.

Driving kids to and from after school activities, going to parent/ teacher conferences and Back to School Night and attending choir or band concerts, sports events and school plays take up a lot of time. Add to this cooking, cleaning, laundry, preparing lunches and helping with school work; the day can become extremely hectic. That's why I can understand parents looking for a way to lighten the work load.

Some parents get tutors for their children. Tutors are not just for students that need extra help in certain subjects. Parents get them for many reasons. Sometimes to take a breather from being the one that does everything with the child, some children respond better with a tutor than they do with a parent. Other parents get them to help teach the child learn extra information and of course some get them for the child that needs a little extra help to understand the class and succeed.

I am all for the parents that need a little extra help, getting it. What I have a little concern with is leaving this all in the "hands" of computers. Don't get me wrong, we live surrounded by many technological advances that I love. I also have educational games and programs my kids use to expand vocabulary, practice math problems and improve reading skills. Lately, however I have seen parents talking about new apps so they no longer have to practice spelling, multiplication tables and vocabulary with their children.

Are we really going to leave our kids to be taught completely by computers? Are we really so busy that we can't practice multiplication tables with our kids? Some of the best memories I have are of my parents helping me with my homework. I remember eating breakfast and my dad practicing my spelling words with me just before school. I remember and do the same with my children so they can have those same wonderful memories.

As parents, we need to give our children the best of ourselves. Children love video games and computers, but they also love to have attention from their parents. So let's make this school year a fun experience for our children but also get involved and help them succeed.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Money Maven's August Celebration Giveaway Winners


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Huge thanks to everyone who joined our Money Maven's August Celebration Giveaway! We have over $1500 worth of prizes and a total of 47 winners!




To our sponsors we appreciate your support and hope that you will be part of another giveaway with us in the future.




All winners will receive an email and has 48 hrs to to claim their prize. please check your inbox (including spam folder please) tonight.




Money Mavens Group:




MadameDeals, This Mama Loves Her Bargains, Living on Love and Cents, Coupons are Great, Mom on Dealz, Stretching Your Budget, Saving Toward a Better Life, We Use Coupons, The Coupon Challenge, Just Trying to Save Money, A Frugal Chick, Time 2 Save and Cincinnati Cents.

Congratulations!!!




Win $25 Amazon Gift Card from Madame Deals Lillian Hudson
Win Mario Party for Nintendo DS from The Coupon Challenge jennifer dansberger jones
Win Mario Party DS from This Mama Loves Her Bargains Jennifer Hall
Win Super Mario 64 for Nintendo DS from Living on Love and Cents Lisa Danielle Grice
Win 100 Cut Coupons from A Frugal Chick Susan Bode
Win 100 Cut Coupons from Just Trying to Save Money Jessica Bern
Win 100 Cut Coupons from Mom on Dealz Rene Vogt
Win a Mario & Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story for the Nintendo DS from Saving Toward a Better Life Jennie Meyers
Win 100 Cut Coupons from The Dealyo Louis/td>
Win $25 Jockey Gift Card from Time 2 Save Cari Griffin
Win 100 Cut Coupons from Stretching Your Budget Sally Grubbs
Win $10 Amazon Gift Card from Coupons are Great nicole chandool
Win 100 Cut Coupons from Cincinnati Cents Barbara Blanton
Win 100 Cut Coupons from The Giveaway Train Dawn S.
Win an iPod Touch $230.00 from Born 2 Impress Adrianna P. S.
Win an authentic black leather Coach purse. It's a cute little purse for on the go, with a fold over flap, and of course the Coach "C" pattern. Value $200. from Crunchy Frugalista Chelsea Spurgeon
Win 10 Disney Cars Birthday Invitations includes envelopes. Prize Value $12 from Moms Saving Money tammy dodson
Win $20 Amazon Gift Card from The Frugal Free Gal tiffany pandolfi
Win an Ultimate Body Applicator. This wrap will help you to tighten, firm, and tone in just 45 minutes. The value of this wrap is $29! From Wrap Yourself Skinny by Jennifer stacy
Win a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate from The Tween & Me Christina SLiney
Win a $15 Walmart Gift Card from Slick Housewives ellen
Win $10 Amazon gift card from Frugal Mom Rocks Amanda Starr
Win $10 Amazon Giftcard from Yanky Texan April Brenay
Win $10 Amazon Gift Card from Melissa's Bargain Blog Colleen Schindler
Win $25 Amazon Gift Card from Mummy Deals Zeny Saligumba
Love is Photography is a new Etsy Shop that offers various photos taken over the years. They are all downloadable files that once purchased will be sent via e-mail. One winner will get to choose any 1 photo from Love with Katie Julie Lynn Bickham
Win a bow a month club membership $75 value. A hair bow mailed on the first of the month for a year as well as a special birthday bow in their birthday month. Also another one will win one tutu of your choice... up to a $40 value. From Priss Pot Creations Bow Month Club - Linda Meyers-Gabbard ; Tutu - Holly
Win a mark Powder Brush from Bountiful Beauty with Mark Beauty Products Casey Lynn Everidge
Win a 1 inch glass tile necklace with a beautiful daisies that includes a 24" sea green color ball chain. From Glass Creations ellen levickis
Win a $25.00 E-gift card for Restaurant.com from Coupon Clipinista bridget carty
Win a Starfish Hand Stamped Sterling Silver Necklace $30 from Kristy Lynn Jewelry Anggela Aranda
Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card from Just Married with Coupons Beatrice Zink
Win $50 in Coupons from Going Crazy!! Wanna Go??!! Renee Hanf
Win $10 Amazon Gift Card from Insights by April Lisa Danielle Grice
Win $25 Restaurant.com Certificate from Deal Hunting Diva Kristie Betts
Win $5 Amazon Gift Card from ISave "A 2 Z" Elissa Mahler
Win $25 Restaurant.com Certificate from Centless Deals Amy Bailor
$12 Worth of Cell Phone Accessories from CellPig.com + FREE shipping!! Use for any cell phone accessories from A Proverb's Wife Stephanie Hirsch
Win $25 Amazon Gift Card from Shereen Travels Cheap Alicia Ebaugh
Win $10 Amazon Gift Card from The Surviving Stay at Home Mom Nikki Field
Win $10 Starbucks Gift Card from Frugalista Chick Shannon Gallagher
Win a set of handmade Labor Day "stars and stripes" themed placemats. Or win one set of Cancer Awareness placemats. Retail value: $40 from Lesson's Learned Kelly Paradise and viola harris
Win an anklet made from Light Sapphire Swarovski Crystals and Swarovski Pearls. It has a sterling silver lobster clasp on the end and is 9 1/2 inches long. This is a One-Of-A Kind Anklet, Value $24.00 from Belly Charms Amy Knight
Win a Gold Leaf Necklace with Pearls and Swarovski Crystals, $18.00 value. This intricately detailed, lightweight metal leaf measures 1 3/8 inches tall. I wire wrapped two 4mm Swarovski Red Magma crystals and 2 8mm plum glass pearls, which resemble berries next to the beautiful leaf.The chain is 20 inches long and closes with a hook and eye clasp. From Jewelry 4 Change Alexandra Houseman
Win 2 inserts from the current newspaper from 2 Kouponing Ks Judy Zajac




Friday, September 2, 2011

Fan Giveaway Results

The winner of the $10 amazon gift card or $10 paypal is:

      Kimmie Barnes

She has been notified by email and remember you have 48 hours to get back to me.

Congratulations!


Thursday, September 1, 2011

New Coupons

Hurry over to Coupons.com and print new coupons. There are coupons for:

Simply Orange
Lactaid Products
Welch's Juice
Totino's

and lots others, but hurry before they are gone. Click here and start printing now.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Fan Giveaway

I promised a special giveaway once we reached 250 fans on facebook. I will be giving away a $10 Amazon gift card or $10 through paypal (winner's choice).

To enter, just leave a comment below with your name and email. The giveaway will run from 8PM ET (August 31) to 8PM ET (September 1). The winner will be chosen by random.org. The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Good luck everyone and thanks!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Money Mavens August Celebration‏ - Reminder

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There are only two days left for our huge Money Maven's August Celebration Giveaway! If you haven't join this amazing giveaway, make sure to do so now! We have over $1500 worth of prizes to give away and we're so excited to draw the winners. We will have a total of 47 winners! Again contest ends on 8/31/11 at 11:59pm EST.




Money Mavens Group:




MadameDeals, This Mama Loves Her Bargains, Living on Love and Cents, Coupons are Great, Mom on Dealz, Stretching Your Budget, Saving Toward a Better Life, We Use Coupons, The Coupon Challenge, Just Trying to Save Money, A Frugal Chick, Time 2 Save and Cincinatti Cents.

Huge thanks to our sponsors! Check out the great prizes that you can win!




Win $25 Amazon Gift Card from Madame Deals
Win Mario Party for Nintendo DS from The Coupon Challenge
Win Mario Party DS from This Mama Loves Her Bargains
Win Super Mario 64 for Nintendo DS from Living on Love and Cents
Win 100 Cut Coupons from A Frugal Chick
Win 100 Cut Coupons from Just Trying to Save Money
Win 100 Cut Coupons from Mom on Dealz
Win a Mario & Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story for the Nintendo DS from Saving Toward a Better Life
Win 100 Cut Coupons from The Dealyo
Win $25 Jockey Gift Card from Time 2 Save
Win 100 Cut Coupons from Stretching Your Budget
Win $10 Amazon Gift Card from Coupons are Great
Win 100 Cut Coupons from Cincinatti Cents
Win 100 Cut Coupons from The Giveaway Train
Win an iPod Touch $230.00 from Born 2 Impress
Win an authentic black leather Coach purse. It's a cute little purse for on the go, with a fold over flap, and of course the Coach "C" pattern. Value $200. from Crunchy Frugalista
Win 10 Disney Cars Birthday Invitations includes envelopes. Prize Value $12 from Moms Saving Money
Win $20 Amazon Gift Card from The Frugal Free Gal
Win an Ultimate Body Applicator. This wrap will help you to tighten, firm, and tone in just 45 minutes. The value of this wrap is $29! From Wrap Yourself Skinny by Jennifer
Win a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate from The Tween & Me
Win a $15 Walmart Gift Card from Slick Housewives
Win $10 Amazon gift card from Frugal Mom Rocks
Win $10 Amazon Giftcard from Yanky Texan
Win $10 Amazon Gift Card from Melissa's Bargain Blog
Win $25 Amazon Gift Card from Mummy Deals
Love is Photography is a new Etsy Shop that offers various photos taken over the years. They are all downloadable files that once purchased will be sent via e-mail. One winner will get to choose any 1 photo from Love with Katie
Win a bow a month club membership $75 value. A hair bow mailed on the first of the month for a year as well as a special birthday bow in their birthday month. Also another one will win one tutu of your choice... up to a $40 value. From Priss Pot Creations
Win a mark Powder Brush from Bountiful Beauty with Mark Beauty Products
Win a 1 inch glass tile necklace with a beautiful daisies that includes a 24" sea green color ball chain. From Glass Creations
Win a $25.00 E-gift card for Restaurant.com from Coupon Clipinista
Win a Starfish Hand Stamped Sterling Silver Necklace $30 from Kristy Lynn Jewelry
Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card from Just Married with Coupons
Win $50 in Coupons from Going Crazy!! Wanna Go??!!
Win $10 Amazon Gift Card from Insights by April
Win $25 Restaurant.com Certificate from Deal Hunting Diva
Win $5 Amazon Gift Card from ISave "A 2 Z"
Win $25 Restaurant.com Certificate from Centless Deals
$12 Worth of Cell Phone Accessories from CellPig.com + FREE shipping!! Use for any cell phone accessories from A Proverb's Wife
Win $25 Amazon Gift Card from Shereen Travels Cheap
Win $10 Amazon Gift Card from The Surviving Stay at Home Mom
Win $10 Starbucks Gift Card from Frugalista Chick
Win a set of handmade Labor Day "stars and stripes" themed placemats. Or win one set of Cancer Awareness placemats. Retail value: $40 from Lesson's Learned
Win an anklet made from Light Sapphire Swarovski Crystals and Swarovski Pearls. It has a sterling silver lobster clasp on the end and is 9 1/2 inches long. This is a One-Of-A Kind Anklet, Value $24.00 from Belly Charms
Win a Gold Leaf Necklace with Pearls and Swarovski Crystals, $18.00 value. This intricately detailed, lightweight metal leaf measures 1 3/8 inches tall. I wire wrapped two 4mm Swarovski Red Magma crystals and 2 8mm plum glass pearls, which resemble berries next to the beautiful leaf.The chain is 20 inches long and closes with a hook and eye clasp. From Jewelry 4 Change
Win 2 inserts from the current newspaper from 2 Kouponing Ks



To Join This Contest Click here


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Great Deal while Preparing for Hurricane Irene

Today as I prepared for Hurricane Irene, I found that thanks to couponing I had most things in my house already. The one thing I was most in need of was AA and AAA batteries. Mainly because my kids have too many battery operated toys that they actually use. My flashlights have batteries but I wanted to be safe.

I pulled out this weeks ads because I have a half photographic memory. I can remember I saw something but can't remember the exact place; thus, I knew I had seen batteries in one of the ads. Lucky for me, it was at CVS. Lucky because it was the first ad I pulled and also because it is right at the corner of my street.

So, Duracell coppertop batteries were 2/$6.00. They were 4-packs. I needed to buy 4 packs to be safe (2 AA and 2 AAA). I had a coupon for $1.00 of one pack (yes, this is one of those times where I wished I had more than one coupon). But that's OK, because with tax, the total came to $11.84.

Now I know you are all thinking that this is not a deal at all. Especially when Saveology has a deal of 40 AA for $12. As I was on my way to the cash register I remembered my $10 CVS gift card that I bought for $5 a few weeks ago. I immediately used it and paid just $1.84.

So if you factor in the cost of the gist card, in an emergency I bought 16 batteries (two different sizes) for $6.84. That sounds like a good deal to me. Usually when you have to buy something in an emergency you end up paying full price. Was this the best saving ever? No, but it was the best saving given my situation.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

More Coupons at Coupons.com

Coupons.com has some new coupons:

$1.25 off any 2 Smucker's ice cream toppings

$1.00 off 2 (3oz or larger) Folgers products

Click here and get these before they are gone.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Saveology Offer for New Sign Ups


Saveology has a great offer for new sign ups. Pay $5for a $10 Gift Card to be used at  Chili’s, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Macaroni Grill, among others. Hurry and grab this special offer because it will definitely go fast! This offer is for new members only, so click here and sign up today.

Great 1 Day Sale Deal


Are you always running out of battery on your portable electronic devices? Are you tired of carrying so many charge cables? Here is a great deal to charge most portable electronic devices and it's solar powered! Only $9.98 with shipping (4.99 the device + 4.99 shipping). Go here to get yours now.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Supermarket Trip without Coupons

Yes! You read the title correctly. I made a trip to the supermarket without any coupons. Even though most supermarkets have done a good job of stocking up their international aisles, being from Puerto Rico, there are still many things I can only find in certain supermarkets. I usually plan my shopping trips so I buy everything at the supermarkets that accept coupons and the unusual items at the smaller Hispanic markets, that don't accept coupons.

Today, however, I bought everything at Supremo. This is a supermarket that recently re-opened in the area and has lots of things from Puerto Rico and other Caribbean and Latin American countries. They were having what they call their 88 sale.  Most items in the store were $0.88 and some were $8.88. Among the things I bought were $0.88 cans of Goya pigeon peas, 2 fresh whole chickens at $0.88/lb, pork loin chops $0.88/lb, green peppers $0.88/lb, a dozen eggs for $0.88 and all my other food and seasonings for a total of $64.46. First time I have ever been to a supermarket for all my shopping needs and spent this amount without any coupons.

So you see, if you take advantage of sales, you don't always need coupons to meet your shopping needs.


Small Shopping Trip to Walgreens

OK. So I hadn't been shopping at Walgreens in quite some time, simply because the closest one to my house was in a direction I hardly ever take anymore. They recently, however, built one two traffic lights away and another one right next to my husband's job.

Two nights ago I was getting all the kids school supplies ready only to discover that because I always buy more than I need when I find a great sale, I thought I had dry erase markers and I didn't.  I remembered the coupon from a few weeks back for $2 off 2 packs of dry erase markers and immediately went to my coupon binder (yes, I use the binder method) to get it. With coupon in hand and binder as well, just in case, off I went to Walgreens.

When I got there I only found 1 pack of colored dry erase markers, the ones my daughter needed. I was sad because I wouldn't be able to use my coupon and I needed these markers this weekend because I won't have time to get them later. When I looked closely at the package I realized it was the one that has a $3 coupon in the Walgreens August coupon booklet! I got the coupon and was happy that my markers were going to be only $0.99.

With markers and coupon in hand I went off to look around and see if there was anything else I needed worth buying. I found myself in the shampoo section to find that Herbal Essence Shampoo was $3.00. I remembered my coupon for a free Herbal Essence Shampoo and got it right away. The best part about this was that it has $1RR. So I paid $1.48 for both items and got $1RR. That's like getting both items for $0.48! It's the little things that make me so happy!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Pampers Gift to Grow Rewards

I love Pampers Gift to Grow Rewards. If you are not already a member head over to www.pampers.com and become a member now. Enter codes from pampers products you buy and get points. You get 100 points for joining.

I just started potty training and got a great Diego potty seat for 1000 points and free shipping. Just to get you started here are a few points you can enter right away.

2beginearning10 - 10 points
BABYISDUEANYDAY – 5 points
TWITTERBOTLEPAC - 5 points
4XGHB4HPE7PB7NK - 10 points
WELCOMEGTGPTS10 - 10 points
                                    GTGREWARDS4MOMS – 10 points
                                    pampers4momjfm1 - 10 points
                                   CONGRATS2NEWMOM - 10 points
                                   GTGWELCOME10PTS - 10 points
                                   PAMPERSGTG10PTS – 10 points
                                   PAMPERS4MOMSOND – 10 points
                                   2BEGINEARNING50 - 50 points
                                   GIFTSTOGROW4MOM - 50 points
                                   10ptsfreecode4u - 10 points
                                   JOINNOW4REWARDS - 50 points
                                   PUNTOSPARAMI123 - 10 points
                                   GTGCOUPONPOINTS - 10 points
                                   WELCOME2PAMPERS - 50 points
                                   GETSTARTEDNOW10 - 10 points
                                   WELCOME2VILLAGE - 10 points

If any of these have expired, please let me know so that I can remove it from the list.