Friday, April 8, 2011
Bath and Body Works BOGO
Get this printable coupon to get a free travel sized item with any purchase at B&BW.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Kai-Lan Frugalista Find
Kai-Lan is a new fave among the preschool set, and this is a steal ($10.95, a 56% savings, free shipping) on this adorable Tolee's Tree House
. Great for a birthday gift or a big potty training reward!
. Great for a birthday gift or a big potty training reward!
"Extreme Couponing" - not a review, a discussion
Back in January or the end of December, I watched the first episode of Extreme Couponing on TLC and the show lived up to the hype. It featured people who spend 40+ hours a week collecting and clipping coupons, organizing them, and even more time in the actual store. Some people did this from what they saw as a necessity, a lost job, for example, some from obsession.
Like anyone who finds something worth doing and works very diligently at it, there are qualities to be admired in what they do. They work very hard to spend the least amount of money possible with the greatest return. Some even donate the surplus they gather, a very admirable thing to do! We call this "couponing for a cause" and it's wonderful to be able to bless people in that way.
Last night, I watched 2 episodes with my husband and we talked about what made these couponers "extreme." He calls me a "reasonable couponer." Doing my best not to have a critical spirit, I do want to express some concerns that I picked up on while watching.
One, anytime something becomes "extreme" in our lives, we run the risk of making it an idol. Even when something is good, when it takes a position in our lives that overshadows or takes the place of our focus on God we have made it an idol. Obviously this is from my perspective as a Christian, and one we as believers need to be reminded of frequently.
I also had to wonder what all of those kids were doing while their parents were pouring over piles of coupons. I usually take a couple of hours during the week to print coupons and cut them. I'd say 5-7 hours in a really big week. The average week, maybe 2-3 hours. Then I spend time making my grocery list and organize my coupons by aisle in the grocery store. My 3-year-old plays pretty independently when needed, so some of this is done while she is awake, but most of my couponing takes place during nap time so that I'm not taking too much time away from her. I'm blessed to have a husband that works from a home office, so I also often get to grocery shop during nap time, too.
If I was spending 30-40 hours a week couponing (not to mention the other things I'm responsible for like laundry, cooking, cleaning) what would my little one be doing? Watching TV? Running around unsupervised? Probably not learning much, not getting cuddle and story time with mom, and not being disciplined. Even writing this blog entry, I type a little while, then stop to wipe hands, type some more, help a doll stand up, talk to her about not yelling when frustrated, etc. I'm sure these things go on in the extreme couponer world, but I think it would have been helpful if they had shown what the kids were up to... were they all in school? There were some really little ones. Was there a mother's helper, a family member helping? I know that extreme couponing is not for my family because the reason I stay at home is to raise my children, and I do what I can to save us money (and even make a little if I can) and try not to let it interfere with what my kiddo needs. That doesn't mean I never tell her to "wait just a minute" while I'm making my grocery list, or zone out in the middle of posting a hot deal on amazon, though! If I didn't have kids and was at home for whatever reason, now that would be a different story!!
Now let's address thosehoards stockpiles. First, let me say, I am all about a stockpile of things we will need and use in the foreseeable future. We have a small stockpile of things like pasta, beans, evaporated milk, cereal, oatmeal, baby food, diapers, wipes and toothbrushes. Sometimes the stockpile has other things in it if it's free/super cheap and something we use. Beyond what we will use in the next 3 months (I'll explain why 3 months in the next post), we might donate the other items or I'll use them to make things to bring to a church gathering or for being hospitable to guests. A surplus is often a great reason to have a party and share your abundance with your friends and neighbors! We don't have a lot of extra in our budget for "entertaining" so it usually comes straight from the surplus.
As one reader on the Frugalista Find Facebook Page mentioned, "imagine all the needy people they could help by donating their extras." Not only are others not being blessed, but having such a stash can indicate an unhealthy fear about what the future brings. There's preparedness, and there's hoarding. I'm blessed to have a husband who would keep me accountable if I were to cross the line, and I think it's important to have someone in your life who can be honest with you if you've taken something to an unhealthy extreme.
Well, now it's your turn. What did you think about the show? Inspiring? Frustrating?
Like anyone who finds something worth doing and works very diligently at it, there are qualities to be admired in what they do. They work very hard to spend the least amount of money possible with the greatest return. Some even donate the surplus they gather, a very admirable thing to do! We call this "couponing for a cause" and it's wonderful to be able to bless people in that way.
Last night, I watched 2 episodes with my husband and we talked about what made these couponers "extreme." He calls me a "reasonable couponer." Doing my best not to have a critical spirit, I do want to express some concerns that I picked up on while watching.
One, anytime something becomes "extreme" in our lives, we run the risk of making it an idol. Even when something is good, when it takes a position in our lives that overshadows or takes the place of our focus on God we have made it an idol. Obviously this is from my perspective as a Christian, and one we as believers need to be reminded of frequently.
I also had to wonder what all of those kids were doing while their parents were pouring over piles of coupons. I usually take a couple of hours during the week to print coupons and cut them. I'd say 5-7 hours in a really big week. The average week, maybe 2-3 hours. Then I spend time making my grocery list and organize my coupons by aisle in the grocery store. My 3-year-old plays pretty independently when needed, so some of this is done while she is awake, but most of my couponing takes place during nap time so that I'm not taking too much time away from her. I'm blessed to have a husband that works from a home office, so I also often get to grocery shop during nap time, too.
If I was spending 30-40 hours a week couponing (not to mention the other things I'm responsible for like laundry, cooking, cleaning) what would my little one be doing? Watching TV? Running around unsupervised? Probably not learning much, not getting cuddle and story time with mom, and not being disciplined. Even writing this blog entry, I type a little while, then stop to wipe hands, type some more, help a doll stand up, talk to her about not yelling when frustrated, etc. I'm sure these things go on in the extreme couponer world, but I think it would have been helpful if they had shown what the kids were up to... were they all in school? There were some really little ones. Was there a mother's helper, a family member helping? I know that extreme couponing is not for my family because the reason I stay at home is to raise my children, and I do what I can to save us money (and even make a little if I can) and try not to let it interfere with what my kiddo needs. That doesn't mean I never tell her to "wait just a minute" while I'm making my grocery list, or zone out in the middle of posting a hot deal on amazon, though! If I didn't have kids and was at home for whatever reason, now that would be a different story!!
Now let's address those
As one reader on the Frugalista Find Facebook Page mentioned, "imagine all the needy people they could help by donating their extras." Not only are others not being blessed, but having such a stash can indicate an unhealthy fear about what the future brings. There's preparedness, and there's hoarding. I'm blessed to have a husband who would keep me accountable if I were to cross the line, and I think it's important to have someone in your life who can be honest with you if you've taken something to an unhealthy extreme.
Well, now it's your turn. What did you think about the show? Inspiring? Frustrating?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
WIPES SCORE!
, get them for only $12.63 with free shipping! Something great to stock up on!
Toy Deals
There is a toy sale going on right now through April 11th on amazon, so I thought I'd post some of the Frugalista Finds available. The Plan Toy Wooden Trike
is $58.25. Pretend and Play Work Belt Tool Set
for your little carpenter/engineer, only $17.61, a 52% savings. Great summer toys! These all have free shipping.
is $58.25. Pretend and Play Work Belt Tool Set for your little carpenter/engineer, only $17.61, a 52% savings. Great summer toys! These all have free shipping.Guest Post & Tutorial
Hey, fellow Frugalista Find friends!!!
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| this is me :) |
{{I really want to thank Liz Ann for inviting me to be here today to share this cute, fun tutorial!!!! Liz and I both went to the University of Kentucky and were involved in Campus Crusade there. This picture is from one of our parties circa 2003 }}
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| EA, me, and our friend Annie |
Spring is officially here and we all know what that means!!!
April showers bring May babies....... OK, OK, that's not really the saying....... ;)
Recently, my husband and I were asked to help host a baby shower for some friends of ours. It was a very relaxed couple's shower: we grilled out, watched basketball, had ping-pong and darts, and had a baby pool full of drinks. :)
So, we planned to not play the typical "baby games". In lieu of the games, I made something else instead!
and today I'll be showing you how to make a
Wish Tree
All of the Supplies
Container/Flower Pot of your choice (has to be tall enough to hold tree branches)
3 bags of river rocks*
1 floral foam core*
1 bag Moss rocks(5 total) *
8 inch piece of floral wire
Napkins in a fun print
small bottle of Acrylic white paint
Mod Podge (Matte or Gloss)
regular paint brush
Foam paint brush *
4-8 tree branches
Pack of white cardstock (or your choice of color)
Paper Cutter
Cute pack of paper (for backing)
Glue stick *
Stapler or Hole Punch
Ribbon (I used twine)
*All items purchased at the Dollar Store for $1 :)
How to Make the Tree:
1. Place the floral foam in the bottom of your container
2. Stick the branches into the foam. Trim them to the desired look you want (might have to step back and eye them).
3. Wrap the floral wire around the branches at their base (where they meet the foam) to stabilize them.
4. Pour the bags of river rocks on top. Smooth them around so you won't see the foam or wire.
5. Place the moss rocks on top of the rocks (not necessary to have, but very cute I think).
How to Make the Decoupage Planter:
1. Place the planter on a paintable surface (since it was for a BOY, I wanted to make mine more masculine). Wipe the surface clean with a wet paper towel and let dry.
2. Using a regular paint brush, completely cover the planter in one coat of white acrylic paint. Let dry and repeat with another coat.
3. Cut the napkins into strips. Take apart each strip until you only have one layer leftover (with the design on it).
4. Paint Mod Podge onto the entire surface of the container.
5. Begin placing the napkins onto the container (I placed mine horizontally) end to end. It's like putting together a puzzle, and some pieces may need to be cut to fit.
6. Once the entire container is covered in napkins, use the foam brush to put another coat of Mod Podge on top to seal in. Let dry approx. 30 minutes.
How to Make the Wishes:
1. Type out the wishes using a computer word processor (Word, Pages, etc). Print out as many copies as there will be guests. See photo for ideas.
2. Use the paper cutter and trim the papers with the wishes on them. Leave a good inch of space all the way around.
3. Glue the wishes onto the cute patterned paper and trim an inch all the way around.
3. Take a hole punch or stapler and place a ribbon at the top for hanging.
At the shower, have everyone individually or together (it's fun to do as a couple) fill out the wishes. Once they are done, they can hang the wishes onto the tree. After opening presents, the future mom & dad can read them out loud or take them home and read them in private. {{ It was fun to see who was serious about their answers and those who liked to think they were "funny" }}
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| The hosts with the momma-to-be |
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| The happy parents |
Hope you enjoyed the tutorial !! Please stop by my blog and come follow me for other fun tutorials, stories about life, adventures in traveling, and lots of photos!!
Thanks again Liz!!!!
{Please be respectful of my designs and only use this tutorial for personal use. Not intended for commercial sale or manufacture, even on a home based scale. Make them for yourself or as gifts, but I'd appreciate not using my design and instructions for profit.}
New GTG Codes
A couple of new Gifts to Grow points!
WELCOMEGTGPTS10 (10 points) - Added 04/05/11
GTGREWARDS4MOMS (10 points) - Added 04/04/11
WELCOMEGTGPTS10 (10 points) - Added 04/05/11
GTGREWARDS4MOMS (10 points) - Added 04/04/11
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Zulily faves of the day
A hodge podge of cool things on zulily today. You'll have to look in the "last day" section for some!
Monday, April 4, 2011
48 - 100 calorie packs $11.32
If you're a 100 calorie pack devotee, you know this is a great price for 4- 12 packs of a variety of Fudge Shoppe 100 Calorie snacks.
Choose "Variety Pack" and "9 oz packages" to get the Subscribe and Save deal of only $11.32 with free shipping!
Choose "Variety Pack" and "9 oz packages" to get the Subscribe and Save deal of only $11.32 with free shipping!
Free Shout Color Catcher
This a new offer for the Shout Color Catcher! I've tried it myself and think it's great to toss in whenever there's anything red in the wash, just in case.
You can get Cascade Complete All in 1 Pacs, Phosphate Free, 48-Count Container
for only $8.60 when you subscribe and save and clip the coupon on the page. This is the price you'd see in your local big box store, so if you don't have access to one or if you have to drive to get there, save your gas and get this with free shipping if you have Amazon Mom!
for only $8.60 when you subscribe and save and clip the coupon on the page. This is the price you'd see in your local big box store, so if you don't have access to one or if you have to drive to get there, save your gas and get this with free shipping if you have Amazon Mom!
Free 2 8x10 or 25 4x6!
Ritzpix is offering free 2 8x10 or 25 4x6 prints after entering coupon codes RPNEW25 or TRY63B78 respectively & free store pick-up.
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