Getting Paid to Shop & Free Gift Card

What is better than getting paid to shop? Ebates is a great place to get money back on places that you already shop. You can also find coupons or deals on the places that you shop all in the same place.

AND

Ebates has a new promotion through Tuesday, July 26th for new members to get a $20 gift card instead of the regular $5 sign up bonus.

Sign-up with Ebates and make your first qualifying purchase of $25 through one of their 1,200 participating stores and you’ll receive a $10 gift card bonus from Barnes & Noble, Target, Home Depot or Magazines.com.

Coupon for a Free Salad

VocalPoint is offering a free Bag of Salad!
Click here to get a free Bag
Fresh Express^® has developed a breakthrough, eco-friendly produce wash called Fresh Rinse^™ that is 7x more effective in cleaning salads than traditional chlorine wash,¹ but is still gentle on lettuce.

¹Based on average reduction of bacteria (Total Aerobic Plate Counts,
and indicator for the level of microorganisms on a product)

Extreme Coupon?

Running a household with 3 kids and 2 adults can be hard to do on a budget and with all the hype about extreme couponing I decided to try it out. I wouldn't call what I do extreme.. I would call it realistic but my haul this morning was enough to blog about I think.

Walgreens:

• 2 bottles of Fructis Shampoo $1.09 each - 1.00 coupon printed online @ coupons.com = .18 cents out of pocket
• 2 bottles of Finesse Shapoo $3.99 total after the BOGO (found this deal at http://www.mrsmoneysaver.com/)
• - $1.00 coupon from All you magazine May
• -$2.00 in MIR
• .99¢ total after the rebate
• 5 Boxes of Curad Band aids on sale at .99¢ - 49¢coupons = .49¢ x 5 = 2.45

So out of pocket today I spent $5.62 after rebate it will be $3.62
for 4 bottles of shampoo and 5 boxes of band aids

What deals have you found that are worth while?

Networking for Professionals

MITX today is the premiere Internet business and marketing association in New England, and they dedicated to creating opportunities for businesses and individuals to connect, grow, and thrive.
They do that by exploring trends, networking and creating opportunies for professionals. They allow professionals to meet and exchange ideas.With 250 member companies representing over 7,500 professionals, MITX is a dynamic and growing community of thought leaders, collaborators, and individuals in search of insight, education and opportunity.

If you are looking to change jobs or make a difference with your company this is the place to be.

Claritin Saving

This week Rite Aid has a coupon in the flyer for $4.00 a 24 ct or larger on Claritin and their will be a $5.00 Manufactures coupon in Sunday's paper. What a great way to save with Allergy season in full swing.

I am lucky enough to be a Buzz agent and to be able to offer you a $3.00 Coupon towards an Non-Drowsy Children's Claritin Allergy Product. Just Click here to print.

What a great product for both kids and adults.

Save 20% on Cross pens and accessories

It’s gift-giving season! Are you or someone you know looking for the perfect graduation gift or a last-minute Mother’s Day present?

Get free standard shipping and 20% off Cross pens and accessories by using the discount code “SHOPCROSS” on cross.com!

Stylish, reliable and always appreciated, Cross pens are available in 17 versatile collections, from classic to contemporary, making it simple to find the perfect pen for yourself or for a loved one. Plus, most Cross pens are engravable, so you can include a personal message to the lucky recipient that will always remind them of you.

But hurry — Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 8!

Allergies

I recently found out that my son has allergies and we were told by the doctor to use Children's Claritin. Just about the same time I was invited to join a BzzCampaign for Children's Claritin and it couldn't have been better timing.

Being new to giving my child medicine everyday I was nervous at first but the great thing is it has 24 hour relief, so you only have to give it once a day. I just love the way this product has allowed my son to feel like himself.

What works for your kids?

Customer Service

I think so highly of great customer service but it seems like lately the companies that I deal with are lacking in that. Why is that?

I went to Home Depot 2 weekends ago to purchase propane. I used the service kiosk outside only to find out that there was no propane. I went inside talked to customer service and was told my Credit Card would not be charged. However the next day the charge appeared on my statement. I called customer service at the local store only to be told that they have problem with the self service machine all the time and they don't like people to use it.....

So I still have a charge on my account, no propane and no apology.

Birthday Shopping

I have been trying to figure out what to get my son for his 4th birthday and I was coming up blank. I wanted to get something that will not collect dust. So I was thinking what was the toy that I loved as a child and it hit me. A big wheel.

So my search began. I checked all the local stores and came up dry. I started searching on the web and was surprised at the price. I ended up finding the best price on Amazon.

What is the one toy that your kids can't live without?

How to save online?

If I am buying an item online I try to get the best price possible. How do I do that?

1.) I go to Big Crumbs. Once you create an account you can earn money back on purchases made online. A great way to get a little back on items you would buy anyways.
2.) I google the place that I am shopping and add in the words coupon code. There are great places out there that share coupon codes for you to use. Like www.retailmenot.com/ or www.couponcabin.com.
3.) If it a place that I see myself shopping at often I sign up for their email news letters. Another great way to get specials or coupon codes

How do you save? Or get the best deal on items you are buying?

Crock Pot Cake

I love to cook in a crock pot. Coming home to a meal that is all cooked after a long day at the office is the best. However, my all time favorite crock pot recipe is not a dinner it is a dessert.

Decadent Chocolate Delight

1 package of Chocolate Cake Mix
8 oz sour cream
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup water
4 eggs
3/4 vegetable oil
1 (4-serving -size) Package chocolate-flavor instant pudding/pie filling

Lightly grease inside of slow cooker.
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Pour into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Serve hot or warm with ice cream. Makes 12 servings

Recipe was found in the Slow Cooker Recipe Collection Book

Restaurant cooking at home

I love to cook at home but like to have it taste like something you would get at a restaurant. Recently I have found an easy to make recipe that tastes just like a molten chocolate cake served at many restaurants. It is something that I can prepare while dinner is in the oven cooking and then I pop it in the oven while we eat. I get to server it hot as a nice treat after everyone eats their meal. (see my pictures below)

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Click here to view the "Crazy Chocolate Lava Cake"

Fruit flies with Composting

We have been composting for a couple of years now and our biggest challenge is the fruit flies. We have a container that we keep on the counter and it really needs to be taken out daily. The container we have outside is great but now we need to work on keeping the raccoons out.

My husband did some searching and came up with a solution to get rid of the fruit flies.

Ingredients:
Yogurt cup with cover
Vinegar
Dish Soap

You punch holes in the cover. Add Vinegar and a dash of dish soap to the container. Stir so bubbles form and place cover on the container. Then place where the fruit flies are present. Keep out for a couple days and change the ingredients if needed. The flies are attracted to the container but can't get back out.

Baked Ham Slightly Unorthodox

I just love the way All Recipes allows you to search by ingredients. I had bought a ham and was looking for a different way to cook it. In under 5 mins I had found a recipe that had gotten a tons of reviews and was on my way to making dinner.

The recipe called for cooking it in an oven bag but after reading the reviews I cut up the ham and marinated it in coke over night. Then this morning I put it in the crock pot. I will be cooking it on low all day for dinner tonight.

Do you have any recipes that you just love?