12 Free Lightbulbs!

Just got word of a really great deal for local readers! You can get 12 FREE CFL light bulbs! Basically Beacon Hill Elementary and M & R Lighting have partnered with PUD to get these energy saving light bulbs out to people in the community. There is NO COST to people who participate. And not only are you getting 12 free light bulbs but for everyone who participates they will donate $3 to Beacon Hill Elementary School. What a great idea for a fundraiser. Deadline to participate is February 4th. so hurry! More info below.


BH lightbulbs

Online Christmas Shopping

I just started my Christmas shopping today. Thrillingly, I did it in my jammies while I was eating breakfast. Online shopping is equally as frugal as physically shopping in the store and much more convenient. You also get the added benefit of having a delivery guy bring packages to your door. It's almost like getting the presents twice! But there is one little tidbit you should know. When you're at check out and they ask for a promotional code for extra savings, don't be discouraged if you don't have one. Just do a google search (ex: "Bath and Body Works promo code") and up will pop several codes you can choose from. Find the one that offers you the best savings and plug it in. I just took advantage of a buy 3 get 3 free from Bath and Body Works and used the promo code "F103373" to get another $10 off my purchase. It ended up covering shipping, tax and a little bit off my bill. What a deal!

All Generics Are Not Created Equal

I was in a rush yesterday to grab some last minute nasal spray for one of my kids as they went off on their vacation with Grandma. I was closer to Safeway, which I hardly ever shop at, so I decided to stop in there to get it. I always buy the generic version because early on I learned that when you compare ingredients, generic has the same darn thing. The only thing missing is the brand name. I finally found it and looked at the price, expecting to pay the $1.78 that I find it at Win-co, and HOLY MOLY that same exact generic nasal spray at Safeway was $4.99. I had never compared generic prices before. I was always under the assumption that generic was cheapest wherever I went but let me just tell ya, shop around for your generics just like you would for your brand names. As I started to compare their other generic prices with the prices I find in my other stores I was floored. So remember that generics are not a blanket statement for "cheap".

Free Ice Cream! Yep, that's what I said.

WALMART’S FREE ICE CREAM SUNDAE EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: Walmart invites families to come have a free ice cream sundae* with Breyers new and exclusive flavors, and Blue Bunny Premium Ice Cream and new All Natural Frozen Yogurt topped with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, Reddi-wip, and Fresh Strawberries. The “Free Ice Cream Sundae” event will give moms some sweet inspiration topped with even sweeter savings.

*While supplies last.

WHO: Suitable for all ages

WHEN: Saturday, May 22 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

WHERE: More than 2,000 Walmart stores nationwide

Participating Store Locator

Free Bowling This Summer

Kids across the country will get two free games of bowling EVERY DAY this summer. Check out this link to see if there is a participating bowling alley near you. I'm so excited for summer!

Coupon Savvy

A while a go I had a local friend write a Couponing 101 article for me and a lot of you have become fans of her blog. BUT, she's had a bit of a technical error since then and had to move her blog to a different location. So if you are looking for Coupon Savvy in Cowlitz County you can find her here now. And if you haven't checked her out yet, head on over and take a peek.

Free Movies Again This Summer

Regal Cinemas is gearing up for another summer of free movies. I think it's so cool that they are doing this for the kids this summer. What fun to spend an afternoon at the movies with the kids, especially for free! Go HERE to find a location near you and to see what's playing.

Hitting The Road

Are there any readers in the Silverdale, Washington First Class Co-op? I'll be there on Wednesday and Thursday and would love to meet you! Send me an email and let me know.

A Money Saving Project for You!

A reader had a GREAT idea! Wouldn't it be super if we could put together a resource that lists bargain grocery stores all across the United States with reviews from people who have been there and shopped? That way you can come visit, click on your state and find out where people are shopping in your area.

I'm loving that idea!

It's going to be an enormous task so here is where you can help.

Send an email to gaylebryant4(at)gmail.com and let me know:

1. the city and state that the store is located in.
2. Name of the store, address, phone number, and link to it's webpage (if it has one)
3. a review of your experience shopping there. Include any info that would help like what products you normally find, is there a special day for bargains or a special hidden spot in the store for markdowns?

This isn't a place to locate a deal that may run out, just a resource so that others in your area can find the outlet stores or cheapest places to shop for groceries. So don't send me any tips with expiration dates, or coupons that run out. Just store locations where you regularly find the best deals.

Finally we can have a resource all in one place, ALL across the States, that will save ALL of us some money. Let's help each other out.

Isn't that a great idea?

For more Works For Me Wednesday ideas go HERE.

A Chance To Win

My friend Sharon at Simply Canning is having a Spread The Word Birthday Bash where you can win a $20 Amazon gift card. Go check out the details HERE and enter to win!

Budget Cookbook and FREE e-book!

Ok, I'm really excited to tell you about a fellow blogger friend who went big time and is having a cookbook published. Erin, at $5 dinners has not only been blogging but she's been in numerous articles, TV spots and magazine mentions telling everyone how she makes dinners for her family of four for $5 or less. She has some unique and yummy recipes on her site and now she has them all conveniently put together in her new book...


Erin is taking pre-orders right NOW! The book won't officially be on bookstore shelves until December 22nd and you can be one of the first to get it, just in time for Christmas Gifts or your New Years Resolution of saving money on your meals.

Go HERE to get your order in quick. For those who are pre-ordering, Erin will send you a FREE e-book on how you can save money on your holiday meals this season with recipes, frugal facts and tips.

Just A Little Housekeeping

I'm so excited for Christmas this year I can barely stand it. If I could get a tree today I would. My last craft bazaar is Friday (tomorrow). If you're a local come say Hi. I'll be at the Canterbury Inn Christmas Bazaar.

Next week I'm hoping to get your creative Christmas juices flowing. I'll be highlighting some great Christmas gift projects that would be fun to give or get and won't put you in debt.

I've also got three giveaways in the works that I'm really excited about. Use your winnings to treat yourself or start your Christmas giving. PLUS lot's of discount codes are coming with those giveaways. I love online shopping for Christmas. So much simpler, less crowded and I can do it in my pajamas.

Now I'm off to finish the last of my sewing projects before the bazaar tomorrow.

Check back later tonight for some great recipe links in The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Reality Check

Just thought I'd pop in real quick. I wish I had some great frugal idea to give you today but I pretty much avoided the kitchen except for necessities like say breakfast...lunch...and dinner. I've been getting my crafty on for a bazaar that my family and I do every year. So all day I've been down in the basement which houses my bedroom and sewing area, and I only emerged long enough to feed the masses. Well, I did also assign all of the daily housework to the kids (hee hee) and then a few independent school assignments so they wouldn't kill each other with idleness.

To those of you who have emailed me about sponsoring giveaways, I WILL get back to you.

I've got some plans in the works for some Christmas Gift Idea posts like I did last year. I've got some new ideas up my sleeve that might help you with your gift giving.

And I seriously get at least two e-mails a week asking me what I do for lunches so to answer you...

Monday...I can't even remember. But...

Tuesday we created a grilled cheese, bacon and tomato sandwich that was SO very good. It tasted like the grilled sourdough sandwiches that you can get at Jack in the Box.

Today we liked it so much we tried grilled tuna and cheese.

Tomorrows lunch is still a mystery.

And a confession? I was so busy today that I wore my pajamas until 5 pm when I had to take a shower to be able to go to church tonight. And I think it wasn't until about 2 pm before I realized I hadn't brushed my teeth.

How's THAT for a little dose of reality?

Fathers Day

Fathers Day is on Sunday and I never know what to get my Dad. I usually get him a gift card so he can get what he REALLY wants. So if you're stuck for Fathers Day, try Amazon's gift cards. Not only do they have everything from books, to golf equipment to tools, but you can find discounted prices so he can get the most with his card.

And it's easy to get your gift cards in time for Father's Day (June 21):

1) E-mail a personalized gift card for immediate delivery or...
2) Print a personalized gift card on your own printer

Click HERE to go directly to the gift card page.

Excuse Me While I Pat Myself On The Back

I finished my garden fence today. This was no small feat since I was on my own building it. It's way beyond my ability level to build stuff but I did it and I've been breaking my arm patting myself on the back today. It's definitely a girl fence but if it keeps the elk and deer out than I'm a happy girl. I should finally be able to get all my plants in the garden tomorrow.

Been cooking this yummy Crockpot Mac & Cheese today for the rest of the family while I'm off tonight helping a friend run through a dress rehearsal for her dance studio. (See my recipe in my previous Menu Plan Monday post.)

Hope your day has been productive!

Free Entertainement!

You know, I just love free stuff.

If you haven't heard about it yet, Regal Cinemas does a wonderful thing for nine weeks during the summers. Every Tuesday and Wednesday morning at 10 AM they have free kids movies. It's first come, first serve but it's FREE! It starts in June so go HERE to get all the details and to see if there is a participating theatre in your area. Then mark your calenders and stuff your purse full of dollar store goodies (because it costs too stinking much to buy their stuff) and enjoy a family movie.

Finally!

After months of coveting other blog buttons on all your sites I finally created one of my own. Please feel free to grab it and put it on your blog if you want to. So just scroll down on my right sidebar and you'll find it in all it's glory. A big thanks to a little tutorial I found right HERE.

Now if you've ever tried to work with HTML code you'll understand why I'm going to take two Tylenol and go to sleep now.

Whew.

Behind The Scenes

Some of you may only know me from this blog but if you ever want to know more about me than what we ate for dinner or how freaky I get when I save a few dollars you can read about the rest of my life here.

Just A Few Hours Left...

If you haven't already entered the Lunapad Giveaway, don't miss out. You can still enter until midnight PST. The three winners will be announced tomorrow.

Help A Girl Out?

Our local parks and rec department has contacted me to teach a class on creative savings but I have NO idea exactly what to teach. I've been living this frugal lifestyle for so long that it's just normal stuff for me so I have no idea what would actually be interesting or fresh information to someone else. It's just my life, you know? So when I was stumped I thought, "Well, I've got these Internet friends who might be able to help me out."

Any ideas?

If you had the chance to attend a class or workshop taught by me, what would you want to learn?