Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Good LATE afternoon! I am sorry about just jumping on here to post. Let's get started! In case you are wondering...the above picture has nothing to do with my post. It is just cute. Kittens are cute and bring a smile to my face. Maybe they'll bring a smile to yours too. :) Actually, I do hope I can help with a few thrifty tips.

Let's talk about saving:



Yes...water. As I said on the air, I love All You magazine. Not only is it a great magazine for saving money and other information but it is also loaded with coupons! Literally well worth the price. Here is a little something I found about saving money the water way.

1 - If you wash your car at home, use a bucket and not a hose to wash with. A hose can go through up to 6 gallons of water in a minute! That is a lot of water!

2 - Conserve water when you water your yard by watering in the early morning or late in the evening. Let the ground get a chance to absorb the water rather than letting the sun do the job! Especially in Arizona. It doesn't take long! If you have sprinklers work the position of your sprinklers so to avoid watering your sidewalk and driveway which is a big waste. AND!!!! This is cool, if you raise the blades on your lawn mower to at least three inches it will encourage the grass roots to grow deeper which shades the root system and holds soil moisture better. Nice!


There are a lot of ways to save water in and out of the home. Remember, just because you aren't paying for it, doesn't mean you should waste it. I have a few more tips to share with you. Some I also found at American Water and Energy Savers. Great site with tons of tips!

Simple tips:

-- I learned this one as a tyke. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth. Once you are actually brushing your teeth, let's face it, letting the water run is just white noise and wasteful! So turn it off. Also you can use some of the rinse time to warm up the water for washing your face.

-- This was something we were very accustomed to when I lived in California, and really I want to get back into. Never put water down the drain when there may be another thing you can use it for. If you are washing some dishes by hand and rincing, use a basin and take that water outside to the garden.

-- I was once guilty of this. Avoid flushing the toilet when not necessary. In other words do not use the toilet to dispose of tissues (which I recently learned shouldn't be flushed - not tp, facial tissues) or insects. Use a garbage can.

-- Take shorter showers and loom into replacing your shower head with a low flow version. I am not saying don't get clean, but see how fast you can actually do everything and get out. There are a lot of ways to relax besides sitting in a nice hot shower. I'll share some if you'd like. :)

-- Automatic dishwashers and clothes washers should be ran when full and when properly set for the size of load you are doing. Don't overfill your washer with water when you have a light load. :)

-- Store drinking water in a pitcher in your refrigerator rather than waiting for it to cool on the tap. A fuller fridge works more efficiently as it has less room to try to cool (bonus).

Another little thing I have discovered while trying to be a better steward with my money is when to buy certain items. When to buy is an important part of smart shopping. There are tons of inside issues I had no awareness.

Here is something I shared this morning when reminded again by All You. May is a great time to buy picnic items, outdoor furniture and ...last year's sneaker styles. Seriously, I am pretty simple, and so is my son when it comes to our shoe taste, and it is certainly better for us to take advantage of these older styles rather than worry about a new style that isn't much different anyway.

And June...oh June is a great time to pick up swimsuits, summer wear, and also is a great time to buy tools for dad and tech items for your grad. Or tech it out for dad and tool up your grad. :) Either way, June is the time to pick up these items.

This reminds me of another deal. Right now, Children's Place is having a huge sale online right now. This is a great time to check them out. They have very reasonable shipping rates of $5 no matter what size your order is.

Hey, I was also talking about a freebie today. This is pretty cool. Burt's Bees is giving away 25000 bees wax lip balms in 25 days! Each day they are giving away 1000. It is a celebration of their 25 birthday and not easy to get! Well not easy to get for free. The giveaway starts at 9am EDT to 12pm EDT and so far...I haven't got it, but I am not giving up. Here is the link if you would like to try too. Burt's Bees 25

LAST Deal of the moment: Do not forget that right now Basha's is doubling coupons up to $1!!!! That means a 75 center can become 1.50 off! A $1 off is now $2!!!! This is just until June 2. So get there FAST! Can you imagine such a deal? I am beyond stoked, and I am totally bringing my $1 coupons to Basha's. Hope to see you there.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

A late good afternoon to you! I couldn't get online for a bit to add my tips, but I am here now and hopefully you have dropped by to see a thing or two! Hurry on over to register for the Home Depot Do-It Herself workshops! Today--yes today-- May 14 from 7 to 8:30am you can join in the workshop that focuses on lawn and garden maintenance. This really appeals to me because my yard could totally use a little TLC. This year I am taking a low key approach and trying to grow a tomato porch garden. This basically consists of a REALLY large pot that I got for my birthday from my dad and step mom and two tomato plants. One plant I picked up at Costco because it was already in a growing process and I don't have a green thumb. The other, my parents picked up for me at Lowe's and it is only a little grown which will require more ambition on my part. If I can handle my porch garden...I will tackle the yard next. Wouldn't this workshop be a great start? :) Registration is at the link above. You can find a location near you that is hosting the workshop. Now onto coupons. I said it once, and I am saying it again. Register with Cellfire and get yourself some more coupon access. There is nothing easier than logging these coupons onto your store loyalty card. This way, your coupons travel with you! They have a whole new batch up there from Best Foods, Chex Mix, Yoplait yogurt, Nature Valley Granola bars, and well... A LOT! Really, go check this out! How about a little linkage? Remember I talked about a link for a free pass to Sam's Club? Well here you go! Sams Club Free 1 Day Pass. At the very least, this is a great way to check out the store and maybe decide if you would like to be a member! :)
Also it has come to my attention that Arby's is going to have a cool FREE WEDNESDAY promotion this summer. These freebies will require a purchase and it is a while supplies last kind of deal and one per customer but who doesn't like some free food! You will want to check with your local Arby's but it is worth the look. According to the calendar this coming Wednesday, May 20 you can get a free cholcolate malt swirl shake with any sandwich purchase and May 27 will find you with a free regular roast beef with purchase of a softe drink! Also I found a nice little promotion club from Arby's where they will send you some deals here and there. You can find out about great deals and promotions before anyone else. It is called Arby's Extras. Click on that link and check it out. Simple form...great deal. I am sorry for not having any Basha's deals today. Here is a link to their website though! Basha's.
Have a great day! See you next week!

Monday Ministry Spotlight with Fellowship of Christian Firefighters

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Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Good afternoon! Let's talk about what I gabbed about today. We are going to hit staycations and a few Mother's Day deals at the grocery store! I am stoked how about you?


Some of you have heard of Staycations, but how many of you have actually put this money saving "getaway" into practice? There are so many things you can do. It all depends on where you would like to focus. Some people enjoy their staycations simply by relaxing at home but also comitting to doing nothing more than relaxing, and if I had a pool, I just might join those ranks. Others actually set up trips to museaums, local festivals, head out to do some camping or even spend some time in a nice resort. Your options literally are limited to your imagination. You can enjoy some away from home time without breaking the bank, and you can do it fairly local and enjoy the exciting feel you get from just getting away. I like the idea of going somewhere new and even a touristy place, because nothing firms up that vacation feeling more than being around a bunch of picture taking tourists! P.S. I am totally one of those picture takers.


Advantages:

--- This can be a great money saver because you can do things locally and save money on even the travel aspect alone.

--- A "staycation" enables you to positively impact your local economy whether you are enjoying the sites close to home or a few hours away. If you are going to spend it, why not spend it here?

--- You can even eliminate some of that traveling stress by doing your own "staycation."

--- A vacation around home can open your eyes to the great cities, towns and attractions that you might have otherwise missed.


Now on to planning, and really you do want to plan things to do. Because it can be all too easy to just chill out at home and let that free time slide by. Don't forget a camera! You want to take some pretty and some goofy pictures. Or is that just me? Get into the excitement of getting away and look up some great places to go. Here are just a few things I found in a short little browse:

LINKAGE:

Check out the Arizona Travel Guide for things to do. You will find shopping, dining, travel tours and more. Also follow this link to What's Happening. This is a great way to find special events, festivals, and special museum exhibits.

Be sure to check out Things To Do and click on your state on the map. Of course ours is Arizona. A quick click on Arizona led me to things to do in Arizona. You can click on the region you would like to explore and find out all kinds of great things to check out in your desired destination. Some are VERY inexpensive.

Here is something cool I located: I clicked on Phoenix and Central Arizona Region and found the Arizona Science Center. Check it out: Arizona Science Center
The Arizona Science Center features a five-story giant-screen theater, over 300 hands-on exhibits, and a 200 seat digital planetarium. (Description from Thingstodo.com) And coming up is a trip that kids of all ages will enjoy they are having a Lego Castle Adventure. Be sure to check out the website for details. This starts May 24 to Sept 7. Plenty of time to enjoy some summer exploring!

Other interesting Arizona things to do:
Schnepf Farms - Ooooh the joys of fresh veggies and fruits!
Heard Museum - Enjoy some contemporary and traditional Native American art.
Fort Apache Historic Park - Guided tours or self guided walking tours through history.
Sharlot Hall Museum - Explore human and natural history and enjoy story tellers, exhibits and theatrical performances.
Phippen Museum - A fabulous museum where you can enjoy some great Western art.
London Bridge - Yep, that is right THE London bridge. You can't pass this up.
Hoover Dam - (from the website) Hoover Dam is a testimony to a country's ability to construct monolithic projects in the midst of adverse conditions. Built during the Depression; thousands of men and their families came to Black Canyon to tame the Colorado River. It took less than five years, in a harsh and barren land, to build the largest dam of its time. Now, years later, Hoover Dam still stands as a world-renowned structure. The Dam is a National Historic Landmark and has been rated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders.
Grand Canyon Railway - Really how can we not add something about the Grand Canyon. :) I really want to do this. My son and I have lived here almost two years, and he hasn't seen it yet. The last time I saw it I was 18. :)


Lastly I really want to make sure you check out this cool website. Great Outdoors has a list of the top 50 campsites in Arizona. There are phone numbers included in the details. Camping is really a great staycation idea and I can't think of a better way to get to know a state better than camping. :)


Oh did I say lastly...I have one last thing for real. This has nothing to do with vacations and getting away it has to do with mom. Please don't forget that Mother's Day is going to be here on May 10. Let those special moms out there know they are loved.

You can run off to Fry's and get a Mother's Love boquet for $9.99 or a 12 stem bunch of roses for $8.88. You might even want to get mom a mini pot of roses for just $4.99!

Albertsons also has a dozen rose bunch in assorted colors for $8.88, fresh tulips in a 5-stem bunch for 3.99, and cool 12-inch message cookies for $6.99. And this Saturday from 10am to 2pm many Albertson's are having a kids cookie decorating time. Do check with your local Albertons.

Basha's has my favorite chocolate covered strawberries for 99 cents each! Or you can chocolate up your mom with a 15 count of Rocher chocolate for $4.99

Safeway has a Mama Mia boquet for $10.99 or premium dozen roses for $9.99 plus you can get $4.00 off when you buy 2 Hallmark cards. VERY COOL.

Don't forget there are a lot of great goodies you could make for mom too. Check out the fliers and see if you might be able to pull of a nice home made goodie or meal for your mom.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day! Have a happy Mother's Day!

Monday Ministry Spotlight with L.I.F.T.

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