Free Movie for NYE

Here is today's Redbox code- good for one free movie from your local Redbox. When you go to make your order press the button that says, "Rent with a Promotion Code" and then enter this code in 2HVM4L.

The code is good through midnight tonight so get your movie for your fun evening. They had tons of family moves and ones just for the grown-ups too! Happy New Year, everyone!!

Side Note: 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 accounts to charge to. The charge will be zero as long as you return your movie on time for the next day.

Delicious Oreo Biscotti

I didn't get to do as much holiday baking as I would have liked to this year, but I did manage to squeeze in a couple of yummy treats. These Oreo Biscotti were so delicious and tasted so much better than the ones that they sell in the store.

This was my first attempt at making biscotti. It has been on my list of things I would like to try making and this recipe looked super easy and tasty too.

I crushed my Oreo cookies in a zipper bag and used my rolling pin as a hammer to break them. I baked the cookies and then gave them ten minutes to get cooled off. Then I cut them with my bread knife and baked them again, letting the cut side get its turn to bake. It resulted in a yummy cookie, perfect for dipping in your coffee or milk.

I drizzled the cookies with a little melted chocolate chips (with a teeny bit of shortening to thin it out). It was a little gloppy in the beginning, but I got the hang of the drizzling eventually.

I packaged these up in a promotional tin that I had decorated. We get a lot of promotional materials from companies and I had a tin from Reynolds that I wanted to reuse. I took a page out of Meredith's book and covered the top with a circle of red & white wallpaper. I tied a bow on it and tucked the cookies inside.

For our sweet postal lady, I purchased a little mini bucket from Dollar General. I used more of the paper inside of that and tucked them in the bucket with a note from our family.

The cookies were a huge hit and I only ended up with a few to take home after our family get together. The last few were ate by me- a nice reward for all my hard work!

New Year's Eve for a Frugal Gal

We are excited that my in-laws have volunteered to keep the kids for us on New Year's. Getting a babysitter for the holiday is tough and a sleepover at Grandma's will insure that we get a full-fledged celebration in as a couple.

Lots of people dine out and spend oodles of money on drinks or cover charges to go to the latest hot spots in town. We spend our New Year's at home and avoid the crowds and the drunk drivers on the road.

A few years ago, I started doing a special dinner for us to celebrate the holiday. This one night out of the year, we don't eat our usual bargain-basement fare. No, we splurge and have delicious foods like a fabulous steak dinner with a bottle of wine. The celebration is completed with cupcakes purchased from the bakery to end our old year in a sweet way.

Maybe that doesn't sound that exciting to others, but when you are constantly crunching numbers for your grocery budget to work, a little vacation from that can be a wonderful way to celebrate the new year. It is a bit of a splurge, but it is a lot less than a splurge would be if we went out to dinner.

If you think about it, a dinner for two with a bottle of wine would cost between $50-60 for a meal. The food might not even be superb for that price and who knows how long we would wait for a table? We certainly wouldn't get to have seconds and service, on days like this, is typically slow and has usually left me with little to be desired. We usually are paying the tab and saying to each other, "The dinner was good, but I really love the A, B, or C that we eat at home."

Sometimes I feel like I am running a factory here because I try to make so many of the foods that people buy. Our desire to keep our grocery budget low has taken some of the fun out of cooking for me. I will admit, that there are times where I feel like cooking is just another chore to complete for the day.

That is why, when it comes to special date nights like these, I love to splurge and purchase fun ingredients that can showcase what I can really cook. This year we will be enjoying marinated steaks with blue cheese butter, baked potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and crusty bread.

Our evening is spent watching movies (rented from the local library) and playing our favorite board games.

No, it isn't a wild night on the town, but it will be a wildly delicious celebration to ring in the New Year!

Sound Off: How do you keep your NYE fun and frugal?

Freebie Friday: December 28, 2007

Special thanks to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for aiding us in compiling our freebies this week!

Health & Beauty

Free 8 Week Trial Membership to Bally Fitness
(Good from Jan 5- March 3, 2008)
Ulta free make-up gift from Smashbox (printable coupon good in-store Dec. 28-30)

Cooling Care Hydrogel Nursing Relief Pads

Dove T-Shirt Iron-On Kit: My Beauty Rocks & Be Unique, Get Real, See Beauty
Nautica My Voyage Perfume for Women

Food

Nutrition for your Kids:A Dietary Approach to Cancer Prevention (great recipe booklet with fun food art photos)

White House Foods Vinegar Tips with coupon

Old Country Buffet Free Meal for joining club

Carnation Family Favorites recipe booklet

Jiffy Mix Recipe Book

Campbell's Soup for Life Plan recipe booklet

Sun-Maid Raisins - 4 different recipe booklets

Ragu Soccer Mom Short-cuts recipe booklet

Entertainment

InstaSong free personalized song

McGruff's Surprise Party Comic Book

McGruff Trading Cards

Planet Heroes Ace in Space DVD from Fisher-Price
Time Out New York Magazine
New York Times (3 Month Subscription). Enter code: NYTE-XYZ4

Home & Garden

American Diabetes Association Free Address Labels

Staples Copy & Print Online free samples of personalized products

When Do You Let Your Car Go?

When do you decide to let your vehicle die? At what point does the fork in the road become clear? I was hopeful it would be clear after I finished paying my car off, but now I am not even hopeful that we can even make it that far. This is the closest I have ever been to owning a car, and now I am just hoping that it lasts until my last payment is over.

I have heard some squeaking going on for a long time, and we had decided it was most likely the brakes. But then we had just replaced the front brakes, so this theory wasn't making any sense at all. I was still hopeful it was just the brakes so we figured we would replace these after the holiday season.

Then we started to hear a sound like something was dragging under the car. Ryan assured me it was probably packed ice underneath, from all of our snow, so we decided to go with that theory. After all, it was the cheapest!

My car sat in the garage for three days after the packed ice theory, melting our theory in a puddle on the garage floor. Oh no, these things can't be quite that simple.

Our theory came to a grinding (pardon the pun!) halt that day, as the dragging sound persisted. Ryan and I rarely made eye contact. He would start to talk about it and I would look out the window. "It's Christmas. It's the end of the month. This isn't the right time."

But when are these scenarios ever the right time? When is a good time to hear a dragging sound under you car?

I took it into the shop yesterday and got a twenty minute rundown of everything wrong with the car from their technician, just an hour later. The rear brakes were shot, but worse, the calipers were cracked and broken. The cost- $575. That would have to be done today.

The car is due for its 100K tune-up ($340), the car is leaking oil and requires a new timing belt ($1,200), the front brakes have 20% left on them ($240). All of these scenarios need to be happening within the next six months in order to keep my car running smoothly.

According to my calculations though, I just need the car to run another six years so that we can pay down all of our debts. Six years seems like twenty now that I receive the estimate.

I agree to the rear brakes and then wonder what is the next best step to take. Do I ditch the car (a '99 Subaru Outback) or do I pay up and trudge on with my goals in mind?

Despite the bleakness of this, here is what I was thankful for:

1. It is the end of the month and Ryan is only paid once a month. This is a very lean time for us, and we were able to pay for this repair out of our account without putting it on the credit card. Although I felt sick as I handed my debit card over, I knew that we had that money.

2. Here is why we had the money...I have this site. No, I don't make enough for a full-time income, no I am not rolling in it (by any means- see above for car description for further clarification) but I am a contributer to this household. A little pipe dream paid for my beat-up Subaru to have a little surgery. That made me feel really good. I realize my husband pays for everything else, but when it comes to emergency situations like these, my paycheck is the one that pays the bills.

So we ponied up the money and I have my car back and now we are faced with the decision on how to proceed. We sat down and decided that Ryan could definitely fix the front brakes, but a new timing belt and small oil leak would need to be done by the pros. And a 100K tune-up...well, don't all cars need that?

With ten more payments to go, do I pay up or start hunting for something else? Sound off!

A Favorite Handmade Gift

Isn't this tote bag the cutest? My mother-in-law made it and it was my favorite gift of all. She makes the most beautiful things and has such a knack for sewing. I think she should quit her day job as a teacher and start crafting it up full time. Her aprons, baby slings, and bags are always such a hit with her family and friends. Too bad crafting doesn't have health insurance. I tell you, that health insurance stuff really kills a lot of great dreams.


I just love the little button closure on it. I can see this going with me on lots of trips and it will make a great diaper bag as well.

Lucky for me...a gift card to Starbucks was tucked inside. Now I can tote my library books over to the coffee shop and enjoy a free latte. What could be better than that? In my opinion, handmade gifts are the best in the world!

Hundreds of Toys & Clothes for Christmas, But...

Running around in our diaper and playing with a plastic tote is much more fun! Throw in a hanger and tell them it is an oar...instant boat! Just goes to show how great the little things in life are!

Note to self- spend less next year!

**Visit Wordless Wednesday for more great photos!**

Welcome, CBS Early Show Viewers

It FINALLY aired! I am so relieved and happy with how the piece turned out. I hope you will get a chance to check it out. This is our first national coverage for our site.

I apologize that I didn't get a chance to share it with all of you, but with the holiday craziness I didn't have time to let everyone know. I also was afraid it might get pushed back again so I figured I would wait and share the clip when it was posted.

Here is the segment! Let me know what you think and a warm welcome to our new visitors who have found our website.

Thanks, CBS!!

Christmas Giving & Getting Recap

I wish I could have shared some of my gift-giving ideas before the holidays, but I didn't want to give away any surprises for family members who might be reading the blog. I tried to really be thoughtful about choosing gifts this year and I hope it showed!

Here are some of the gifts that I chose for giving:


Fashion-Conscious Sis: My sister-in-law loves buying new clothes, but just doesn't have the funds to be buying as often as she would like. She is always so complimentary of the clothes that I have and I have to tell her that nine times out of ten the item was bought on really reduced clearance or I buy my clothes from the thrift store. To help teach her the knack for finding a really good deal, I got her a copy of, "How to Be a Budget Fashionista." Along with the book, we included a gift card to Target. In the memo it said, "To help you be a budget fashionista!" She was excited about both purchases and I hope the book will help her as much as it helped me!

Forward-Thinking Mom: My mother-in-law has been admiring my cloth grocery bags since I bought them and I had always had in the back of my mind that I would need to get her some of these. She is an avid reader, like me, and I know how handy these bags have come in when I just did my library runs. I knew these would be used and loved by her as much as they are by my family. I got her three bags and was able to locate a coupon code for my purchase, which took twenty percent off of my total order.

Music-Loving Dad: Buying gifts for a music lover can be really easy, especially when you can find their musical niche. We got my father-in-law the new Eagles CD and the new John Mayer CD. He was thrilled and already listening to the albums before we even left their house.


Glowing Grandparents: I have to say that the best gift of all seemed to be my grandparent brag books that I created for each set of grandparents. I was so excited to give these out and the reactions were priceless, especially for our family who lived out of town. The photo albums had plenty of room in them at the end, so a big stack of pictures will make great gifts for them to add to their books to show off. Everyone seemed so impressed with how beautiful the album itself was, and the giant bows on the outside were saved and slipped back on carefully, which tickled me to death. One thing I know how to do is make a pretty bow!

Another hit was our first family Christmas photo that we took. I had hoped to buy some frames, but we got the flu and just gave the prints themselves out.

We also received lots of excellent gifts this Christmas, although our families were FAR too generous! I felt guilty with all of our loot making our car sag in the back on our trip home. The kids have completely new wardrobes and loads of really cool toys to keep them busy over the winter.

The biggest hits for our family were:


Despite agreeing to the pact that my husband & I would not exchange gifts this year, my husband did end up buying me one small gift that was a complete unexpected and happy surprise. "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby was all wrapped up for me and given to me this year. This book is SO excellent and a great book for anyone trying to figure out how to work all of those settings on their camera. I started reading last night and could not stop. I finally passed out after midnight, but not after getting all the tips I could out of it. Ryan is trying to help me accomplish one of my resolutions this year and I thought that was so thoughtful of him!
Emily & Ethan both are loving these pyramid blocks from Janod. They are carrying this toymaker at Target, but only just a few select toys. These pyramid blocks were on my list for Emily and none of us could believe how beautiful and sturdy they were. The kids are having a ball stacking these and filling them with all of their toys and dumping them out. They are just beautiful to look at and they all nest into one another. I don't know how long Target will have them, but I couldn't resist adding them to our list. I think these were a crowd favorite everywhere and I am sure they will be a hit when we have our friends over too!

The kids received a set of these Imaginarium cardboard brick blocks and they have been a huge hit over here. The kids have been making walls out of them and knocking them over. These are such a cool gift and so durable too! I don't know where I am going to keep this 45 piece set, but we will find a home for these so the kids can keep occupied!

Some other great gifts we got was a gift card to the gas station, gift cards to Starbucks (of course!), sewing supplies (to accomplish my other New Years resolution!), Leapster games for Ethan, and two great games for our Wii system.

Sound Off: What are some great gifts you gave or got in your family? I love to make lists of ideas for next year!


**Visit Scribbit's Winter Bazaar for more great ideas for the winter season***

Santa Spotting

We went to a friend's holiday open house and Santa happened to stop by to see the children. As we were too sick to make it over to see our amazing mall Santa (he truly is!), we decided this was a perfect opportunity to get the kid's special visit in with Santa.

Pictured here is how polite our son is... some of the time anyway! He is raising his hand and saying, "Excuse me, Santa! Santa, excuse me! I need to speak with you"

Ethan quickly plops down in Santa's lap and talks his ear off. A last minute change of plans occurrs where his original plan of getting a Monster Truck was now changed and he wanted a Hummer Truck that he could ride in (price tag of $300). He says Santa told him to write it all out and he would see what he could do. Unfortunately, Santa already shopped and Santa did not have $300 in the Santa fund to spend. What can I say? Our Santa is cheap.
Emily is watching Ethan talk with Santa and is really excited to see him. I mean, you can just see it in her face. I know that this is the year that we get that amazing shot of her with Santa. This will not be a repeat of last year. She is going to look so cute on Santa's lap....Oh! We are getting excited now. I hand her over to Santa and all of a sudden...
Santa looks at me and says, "Oh no! There is something wrong with this one" (All pictures can be expanded for real-life detail and trauma we invoked on our child)

Better luck next year, I say! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Cheeseburger in Paradise

I couldn't resist? I apologize if the song is now stuck in your head.

Since we have been sick, I have been all about simple cooking and quick dinners. I have had this recipe in my "to be tried" pile for quite some time, and it seemed like the perfect meal for this busy time of year.

Unfortunately, I can't add this one to the Aldi Queen blog. It contains two non-Aldi ingredients- shell pasta (which could be subbed with a rotini or elbow mac from Aldi) and a can of cheese soup (currently not available at our Aldi).

Regardless, this is a quick and easy pantry meal. It is like Hamburger Helper, but definitely has more of a distinct flavor than those flavor pouches that come in a box.

The best part about this dish...only one pan to clean up! That is why skillet dinners get two thumbs up in our house.

Enjoy a stress-free night of cooking!

Cheeseburger Pasta

1 lb ground beef

1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cheddar cheese soup
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can beef broth

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup ketchup

2 cups medium-size pasta shells

Brown the ground beef. Add all other ingredients and heat to a boil. Cook over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes or until done, stirring often. (Amy's Note: This took a little over fifteen minutes for me, uncovered)

Freebie Friday: December 21, 2007

Thank you again to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for her help with compiling our freebies for the week.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Health & Beauty

Huggies Diaper Walmart sample (size 1 or 3)

Elle fragrance by Yves Saint Laurent (send sample to yourself & a friend)

Daisy fragrance by Marc Jacobs

L'Oreal Skin Genesis

Food

South Beach Living Foods Sample Pack (drink mix, granola clusters, and coupons)

Promise Activ SuperShots (coupon for free product to first 500 each day)

Juicy Juice Sippy Cup and Nutrition Guide

Jolly Cook Cookbook (requires confirmation link by e-mail and subscription to e-newsletter)

Just Like Sugar

Fiber One Cereal

Entertainment

Free audio download of, "You are Special" by Max Lucado

Free issue of Bridal Guide

Liz Magazine

Poster from Snowmass, Colorado for signing-up for e-newsletter

Amazon Unbox Free Download of Mary Tyler Moore Show Episode 14: Christmas and the
Hard-Luck Kid II

Amazon Unbox Fre Download of Looney Tunes Gift Wrapped

Small Business Marketing for Dummies book (when registering for MicroSoft's Small Business monthly newsletter)

Free 8x10 from Walgreens (Use code VERYNICE- valid only through 12/21)

Pet Care

Petpick-Ups Mitts

Friskies Indoor Dry Cat Food

Yummy Chummies Gourmet Dog Treats

When Do You Have the Talk?

Wow, I have been reading a sea of blog entries on teenage pregnancy since the whole thing with the Spears family has come out. Ironically, the feel-good movie of the year is, "Juno" which also deals with the issue of teenage pregnancy.

As a parent of children under five, I have not had the big talk yet. I am really curious who out there has had the talk and at what age you discussed this? Was it you and your husband together? Did the conversation stem from a particular circumstance or was it just something you decided to talk about with your child? Did you talk from the heart or did you tackle the discussion with some learning materials?

I guess what I am asking is, what can we as parents do to help prevent our children from being a statistic?

I don't say this to stir up controversy, but only to understand how other parents have dealt with topics such as these!

Amy's Deluxe Holiday Notebook 12.20.07

There were so many excellent reads this week that I am so excited to share! I hope everyone enjoys all of this reading material with a big cup of cocoa in your hands!

I am so inspired to make S'mores and there were two excellent ideas this week! For visual learners, here is a marshmallow tutorial!

I adore these candy-cane place card holders and the powdered doughnut idea would make a great snack for a school party.

I love this idea for what to do with leftover scraps of holiday paper. Inventive and very green!

I love these holiday decorating ideas. And these snowflake decorating ideas are so great too!

I might need to make some of these winter spice scones this month.

Who could resist one of these Cinnamon Rolls on Christmas morning?

This Peppermint Bark and this Chocolate Cookie Bark recipe looks heavenly!

I really love this idea for a gingerbread mobile, but I think my kids would eat it. Crazy kids!

These holiday photos are most excellent!

We ate off of plates just like these growing up. Great memories and would make a wonderful gift, paired with the placemat purse!

These skate ornaments are so vintage and precious!

I can think of tons of people to give these free gift tags to. So awesome! These eco-friendly tags are also an excellent choice.

These homemade napkins would make a lovely holiday gift for a newlywed.

Clean: The Cooktop

Every Sunday, I make it a ritual to clean a few important items in our kitchen. One of the tasks on my list is to give our stove and sink a deep cleaning. A week of cooking can really make my range look bad, but my deep cleaning gives it a nice clean top for the week. I combine this with a clean sink and I feel like my kitchen has gotten some great refreshing.

I just have a standard gas range so my routine is for this. I can post some directions I found for cleaning other surfaces, but will use my stove for this example.

1. First, I fill a sink with warm soapy water. I place all of the burner pieces gently inside of the sink and let them soak while I clean the the top of our stove. At this point, you can also take the knobs off and let them soak too. Just make sure the knobs are in the off position and pull straight out to remove (Side note: It is also possible to put these items in the dishwasher, but I prefer to hand wash them because I think it is more gentle on the pieces)

2. I then take my spray bottle filled with my homemade all-purpose spray and spray the top of my range. I let this soak in for a couple of minutes while I work on other tasks around the house.

3. Once the cleaner has done its work, I take a soft damp cloth and wipe off the cleaner.

4. If there are persistent spots that won't come up, you can try a couple of things to get them off. I pour a couple spoonfuls of baking soda on the spots and then make a paste out of this with a little water. Using the same soft cloth, gently try and get the stain up. If there is stuck on gunk, I take a different (but still gentle!) approach towards cleaning this. I use a Pampered Chef Scraper (if you don't have one of these, an old credit card is great) for getting this off. The important thing is that you are gentle with your actions, so it doesn't scratch up your appliance. Use the same gentle tactics on your glass oven door. I first try using my homemade glass cleaner. If that doesn't do the trick, you can try and get the gunk off with your handy credit card or plastic scraper. Be very careful though- you want to keep your stove looking nice!

5. Next, I use my stainless steel cleaner on my stove with one of my microfiber cloths. I just spray my cloth directly (very teeny tiny bit) and then gently remove any fingerprints that might have taken up residence on my appliance. Remember to chant, go with the grain, go with the grain, go with the grain as you are cleaning.

6. Lastly, I drain the sink and give my pieces a good rinse with cool water. At this point, you can just let them air dry or you can give them a dry with a soft towel and place them back on the stove.

Cleaning Tips for Other Types of Stoves (thanks Martha!):

Stainless-Steel Cooktop Surface: Wipe with a sponge and a little dishwashing liquid or you can use a product for stainless-steel cleaning. Be sure to dry thoroughly afterward with a clean microfiber cloth; otherwise you will have streaking. To remove stuck on gunk, soak the area with a towel dampened with hot water to loosen the material and then gently scrape with a rubber spatula.

Glass Ceramic Cooktop Surfaces: Wipe with a very lightly dampened cloth. This type of surface scratches extremely easy, in fact, even the gritty stuff that can get pushed around with a dirty sponge can cause damage. You have be really diligent to clean spills as soon as they happen. If spills do harden. You can buy special cleaners for this type of surface (available at your local hardware store). Remember to never slide pans or metal utensils across the cooktop.

Porcelain Enamel Cooktop Surfaces: Clean as directed above, but realize that the porcelain enamel can become chipped very easily. If it does get chipped though, you can camouflage damage with a little appliance touch-up paint.

Sound Off: Do you have any tips for cleaning your cooktops?

(For more great tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer)

WSBT-TV: Is Buying in Bulk a Better Deal?

Today on WSBT, I shared tips for shopping wholesale. Be sure to visit my wholesale club shopping article and print out our free price book sheet for figuring out all of those prices.

Don't have price book? Check our Price Book 101 article for tips on getting started.

Hope you guys enjoy the segments!

Good News for Wii Shoppers

Although I admit the Wii is not necessarily the most frugal purchase, people are definitely on the lookout for them this holiday season. Unfortunately, people are forking over hundreds and hundreds of dollars for their game systems and it makes an expensive system even more expensive than it should be.

GameStop & Nintendo are teaming up to make sure shoppers get their Wii game system and are now offering rain checks on the systems. This means, instead of you standing in line for hours on end only to find out the store has run out of systems, you can take your raincheck and go home to be with your family.

The rain check program—available only through GameStop stores—will "guarantee" that consumers can get a Wii after Christmas. On December 20 and 21, consumers can purchase a Wii rain check ("while supplies last") for the full $249 price. The Wii systems must be picked up by January 29.

Of course, these will not be ready for the holidays, but a promise of a Wii could be all wrapped and tucked under the tree. How great is that?

**Special thanks to my hubby for the tip**

Frugal Hacks: Entertaining Instead of Grocery Shopping

Today on Frugal Hacks, I share a few ways that you can bypass time at the grocery store and spend it getting ready for all of those holiday guests.

Now if only I could find a way to bypass all of the cleaning that needs to be done too!

PS- Our last family member, my dear husband, has been struck with the stomach flu. Now that we have all had it, hopefully we can enjoy the rest of the holidays without illness. Fingers crossed for quick recoveries!

More Great Shopping Deals

I am trying to post these as I run across them for holiday shopping! I hope these are helping and let me know if you would like me to continue posting them.

This Webkinz Chihuahua is marked down to only $5.95, originally priced at $19.99. I hear it is the latest craze, although I don't know anything about these since my kids aren't old enough yet.

This retro Radio Flyer Rocket was originally $74.99 and the price is now listed at $35.00. Apparently it dipped just a tiny bit below that, but I didn't catch it when it did that. It is still a great deal though.

I am not sure if the orders will be here by Christmas or not, without paying extra to ship it, but some of us are probably already stockpiling for next Christmas (or birthdays!)

Happy holidays everyone and I hope you are scoring all of the best deals for your holiday shopping!

Ding Dong- Did Someone Order Groceries?

Grocery deliveries have become very popular as people have become more & more busy. I know when I was working, the last thing that I wanted to do was brave the grocery store after a long day at work. Couple that with a few children in tow, and I don't know if I would ever make it to the store at all!

One of my working friends has had that dilemma and recently ran across a grocery delivery program which has finally become an option in our area. Not being from a big city, we often don't have the luxuries of services like Peapod or other grocery delivery programs. Recently though, IndianaGroceries.com recently was added as a service to our small town and I am hearing the praises of how wonderful this option is.

Today I browsed some of the pricing that was available on the grocery items. Like a grocery flier, the delivery programs do offer sale items. If you can focus your grocery shopping in that direction, you can come away with some surprisingly good deals. Here are some from this week's flier:

Jiff Creamy Peanut Butter- $.99
Eggs- $.99
1 gallon Skim Milk- $1.99
Secret Deodorant- $.99
Colgate Toothpaste- $.99
Broccoli Crowns (1#)- $1.89

Of course, when you browse many of the other items, they are not as good of prices. While some items are offered as a store-brand, other items are brand-name only so the pricing can be higher than making a trip the store yourself.

Here are a few tips for shopping grocery delivery websites:

1. Make sure you understand the fees that are involved with your shopping. Some may offer free grocery delivery, but they might charge something called a "bagging fee." The website for our area states that they charge a $3.99 fee for each delivery. Other sites do charge a service fee of $10 or more so acquaint yourself with all the fees before jumping in with your shopping.

2. When you receive your groceries, tips are appreciated and encouraged. This is another one of those small fees that needs to be considered when factoring in the costs of grocery delivery.

3. When you have totaled up all of your fees for grocery delivery, figure out how much you would actually save by using this. There are many fees that are involved with you going out and getting your own groceries too- time, gas, mileage on your car, and all of the extra browsing you might be suckered into at the superstores. If you are having a hard time being disciplined at the grocery store (or always forget your grocery list!) there might be some savings by using a service like this.

4. Coupon moms would not benefit from a service like this because coupons can't be factored in. Cherry-picking from various stores could not be done either, but grocery delivery services do offer sale items that shoppers can take advantage of.

5. Grocery delivery services are usually only offered with a minimum order. Read the fine print on how much you have to spend. If you are spending money just to get the delivery, it might not be worth the trouble.

6. Some grocery delivery programs offer perks to their loyal customers. The website for our area, for example, offers a $5 credit for every 5 orders (of $50 or more) you place with their site. With 5 orders of $100 or more, you can get a $10 credit.

7. A true advantage to online ordering is the ability to save your grocery lists. If you typically get the same things every single week, your grocery shopping can be done in a matter of minutes!

8. Check on the company's page if there are membership fees involved and the ability to cancel your membership. Some companies do charge a membership fee for their services so factor this into your cost too! Once you have factored in all the costs, see if the $1.99 milk is still $1.99- maybe it is $6, when it is all said and done.

9. Each state is different on this, but check and see if there is an additional fee involved for liquor delivery. One page I visited contained a $7 fee. That $4 wine might be a $20 bottle when the fees are all factored. Ouch!

10. Remember that you need to be home to receive the groceries or be subjected to a hefty fee. While there is flexibility with ordering, there is not flexibility with being home for delivery. Be sure you understand when you need to be home to accept your order.

11. If you want to try online grocery shopping, most sites offer a nice credit to get you started on your first shopping experience with them. They are trying to hook you in with their services, so maybe take advantage of it once and then see if it is worth the money and your experience with it. If it isn't positive or you can't justify the cost, at least you got a smoking deal on your first attempt!

12. Find out about referral programs. Friend referrals are big with companies and they need the business. You can often get a $5 (or more) credit on future orders if you refer your friends. Name dropping is definitely a good thing when it comes to your grocery budget!

Here are a listing of Grocery Delivery Sites:

Peapod (Connecticut, New York, Rhode island, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, the rest of the New England coast, Chicago and Milwaukee)
Safeway
Amazon Grocery (free delivery and savings for repeat ordering)
Sam's Club Click N Pull (not technically a delivery, but they do put together all of your groceries for you for free)
Schwan's (Frozen Food Shopping)
Simon Delivers (Twin Cities Shoppers)
Grocery Run, LLC (Michigan Shoppers)
Food Express (Florida Shoppers)
Roche Brothers (Massachusetts Shoppers)
Small Potatoes Urban Delivery (Seattle Shoppers for organic foods)
Indiana Groceries (Indiana Shoppers)

If you are an online grocer and would like to be added, just leave your web address and the area(s) you are available to in the comment box. I know this would help our readers out greatly.

Sound Off: Have you used a grocery delivery service before? What has been your experience?

Shopping Deal for Tween Mommies

Barbie Girl MP3 Players were extremely marked down on Amazon.com. Normally priced at $79.99 on their site, these are now $19.99 plus they are eligible for free shipping!

If you are looking for an MP3 player with more holding power, the 1GB version is marked down to $29.99 (versus the original $99.99 price tag).

Apparently, these are running for at least $50 in the stores, so it sounds like a great deal for tween moms everywhere.

I hope this helps someone out there!!

Redbox Monday Rental Code

Here is the new code I received from Redbox. Good for one free rental today only (expires at midnight on 12/17). Use promotion code: 6K3FS8 when checking out!

If you want to get these codes yourself, sign up for their email or text messaging services. Each Monday they send out a code for a free rental. You can sign up through their homepage.

Looks like they have added some holiday rentals too! Enjoy!

Christmas With the Clarks (Or the Endless Flu Epidemic)

Well, I thought the virus had left after my deep sterilizing around here, but it appears to have only just begun...

We kept the kids home from church yesterday since Emily was still recuperating, and we didn't want to bring anything else home from any other kids. The snow was thick and heavy on the ground outside. The children were so antsy and we figured...let's just go ahead and open our Christmas gifts.

We have five Christmas functions to go to so we are always running around like crazy people around the holidays. Since we had a day at home, it seemed like a perfect day to open our Christmas gifts.

For the kids this year, I purchased toys from the Mr. Imagorium Wonder Emporium movie. They had re-released vintage Fisher Price toys in their original packaging for the holidays. The toys were such a hit with the kids, especially the circus top. The kids have been fighting over it since we got it.

Unfortunately, in efforts to reduce choking hazards, all of the pull toys only had about six inches of rope on the ends of them. Emily was particularly frustrated with her slinky dog, who refused to follow her as she hunched over to pull him.

The pull toys have been rigged with mommy's ribbon stash since there is no way the kids can pull them around the house. I was disappointed by this, but understand the safety standards.

The kids happily played with their toys all afternoon, which gave us a break from the whining and crying in our house.

Suddenly, Ethan stops playing and says, "I think the water is sloshing in my belly." What happens next begins another round of horror that I won't share. Let's just say that the night was long and the wash has been running all night and day.

The flu prevails- poor Ryan is doomed!

Happy holidays at the Clark house!

New Camera- Day One

Love, Love, Love the new camera! Obviously, these are our first pictures from it, but I am having a blast pretending to be a photographer with it. My kids enjoy being my little models too so it makes it even more fun.

In this picture, you can see that our tree is up, but still not decorated. Emily is really into destroying things right now and waiting until the last minute to hang the ornaments just makes my day a little easier. I did wrap and put the tree up, but am daily handed shredded gifts that she has lovingly tore apart for me. Maybe practicing opening gifts with our Christmas countdown wasn't such a good idea? I will get the ornaments up, but our tree might look a little strange with none on the bottom this year. All in good holiday fun though, right?

The second picture is of Emily in her super cute sock monkey pajamas that she got for her birthday. I am sure these will be making an appearance on Christmas day since it has been rumored that Santa will be bringing her a sock monkey this year.

This was the night we gathered the kids up to take them on a tour of the Christmas lights in a nearby neighborhood. Ethan thought it was funny to go in his pajamas...Emily was less impressed since she takes Ethan to school sometimes in these.

This was a fun year to see the lights since Emily really got it this year. She kept saying, "Oh, WOW!" while Ethan was far less enthusiastic ("Are we done yet? Is it almost over?") I can see how this age gap might bring on some new challenges as they get older.


Oh, and have I introduced you to my third child yet? She is a new addition the family and I love her so! My best girlfriend presented me with a brand-new purse (and matching shoes, no less!) for our gift exchange. Only a girlfriend who knows me so well would present it with the price tag still ON so she could show me what a most excellent deal she scored on this purse. And it was a most excellent deal, even better than any deal I had run across this year.

I just love the festive pom-poms and the knitted look on this bag. The brown boots that match are equally rockin' and make me feel like a superstar momma!

Don't we all deserve a little of that once in awhile?