Bucky the Bull with a heavy load

We had a great time out at Prescott Valley Days partnering with the Buck Up for Wounded Warriors organization to help raise money and support our military men and women. Believe it or not Bucky was actually smiling when we got off his back! Click here to find out more about Buck up for Wounded Warriors.

Nestle recalling Toll House cookie dough products

The Food and Drug administration along with the Center for Disease Control are investigating possible cases of E. coli illnesses from Nestle Toll House cookie dough. Nestle has voluntarily recalled several products from stores. To find out more about these recalled products click here.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

I am back from PA, and I had a wonderful time. It is always nice getting a moment or two away from it all. While en route to PA, I started noticing the need for thrifty travel tips. This I plan to delve into deeper, but I have a little travel advice for now. :)

I am not going to go into how to get the best price for your flight, because that can totally vary, but here are things you really should do to save money when flying.

1 - If you possibly can avoid checking your luggage...do it! This is not something my husband and I did, but after looking at the size of our luggage and comparing it to the size of other traveler's luggage, I'd say we could have. I think you really might want to think about saving by bringing what you can in a carry on. We really did have to pay an additional $25 per bag, and I definitely saw larger bags walking past us on the way onto the airplane. If you are traveling to some exotic and beachy location (yes...I know beachy is not a word), you can get away with packing lighter clothing and using a decent sized carry on. As we were hitting PA, we had to pack summer and non summer attire just in case.

2 - Bring snacks. Airlines are charging big money for little things like cookies and candy. I almost choked when I saw a little container of instant noodles was going to cost $3! Can you imagine paying that kind of money for a styrofoam container of dried noodles? I checked at Walmart on a whim, and they were 28 cents each! So at the very least, if you want instant noodles, bring them from home and ask for hot water from the flight attendant.

3 - Bring your own entertainment. Bring books, magazines, and even your MP3 player to keep yourself entertained, because a lot of flights do not provide in flight entertainment any more. I was in a sea of DVD players on my flight. It was a pretty long one too. My son is flying to Boston soon, and you can bet he will be more than ready. On some flights that are longer and do provide entertainment via television or movies, you can often use your ear buds from your MP3 player, so it comes in handy. Just be sure to pay attention to the rules about when to use the electronic devices.

4 - Bring something to keep you cozy. A small pillow or a blanket will keep you warm, and save you money on those flights that do not provide them without a charge. As I mentioned, we could have purchased a blanket set for $7, but chose not to.

I do plan on getting back to saving money on travel, but this immediately hit me as I was traveling so I thought I would share.

FREEBIE LINKAGE

I talked about the special Glidden™ promotion coming up, and I do hope you check it out. Here are some details: Starting June 25 you pick out the color and they will send you a free quart. Well, they say they will send you a free quart, maybe it is a coupon. Either way, this is an amazing deal! A great way to color your summer! :) Here is your link: The Glidden™ National Paint Giveaway

Sorry so short today, but as it I am posting this late. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Green Tea Coca Cola?

As strange as it may seem Japan will soon have a new Coke product on the shelves. Green tea Coke. Click here to read the full story.

Lazy Bees?

The owner of a flight center at an airport in Massachusetts got quite a suprise when he discovered around 10,000 bees on a wing of an airplane. Click here to see what was done to fix the situation.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

SAVE MONEY!!!!

Who doesn't like the dramatic hamster? :)

I'm sorry for not posting this sooner. I am squeezing it in before the end of my work day though.

Today I talked about the latest Home Depot Kids Workshops. These really are incredible. This really is a wonderful way for your children to learn a new skill while being completely supervised. And really, is there anything better than getting something handmade from your child? Check with your local Home Depot. They have a new workshop for kids on the first Saturday of every month. This Saturday, June 6th your child can make a hardware sorter. This is a perfect gift! Check it out!


Next month on July 4th, your children can make a cool picnic caddy! Here is that little beauty!





The Linkage: Follow this link for details, and be sure to check with your local Home Depot. You usually need to register for these so give them a call.

I also mentioned how I like to take online surveys. I got into taking online surveys because I loved getting to try free products and some sites actually pay you.

Things to Know:

1. Never pay for survey site addresses. There are tons out there and you can find their names for free (I am only listing my three favorites and also these three are not referral sites so I am getting nada for telling you about them).

2. This is not going to be a full time job, so don't ever expect a full time income. Again, they do not pay you a lot so remember this is not something you can earn a living on, but as I have said, these are companies that do pay so check them out. Some of the surveys pay and some enter you into a drawing.

3. The important thing to remember is that this is not just about making a little cash. You do a survey and you get compensated from the company, but they are looking for people who are honestly reading the questions and giving real and thoughtful answers.

4. Sometimes you will be sent a survey invitation and when you start taking the survey you may find out you do not qualify or your demographic has been filled. Don't stress it. Most of the time when that happens you will entered into drawings as a thank you for your time.

Here are my favorites:

My View - This site either gives you paid surveys or you enter surveys for drawings. I do them all, because the more they know about me, the more surveys I get. One note...NEVER rush through a survey to get it done. They can tell and you can lose your membership. This is about helping a company and in turn you get some money. My View pays through paypal so you do need a paypal account for it. With My View, I just survey and don't worry about it, and once or twice a year I see how my balance is and then have it transferred to my paypal account. I have used them for over two years, and I have never had a problem. I have taken surveys on dining out, movies, and many other things. It all varies.

Survey Spot - I love Survey Spot and I have a lot of friends who use it too. Survey Spot will send you survey invitations and when you complete one, you will often get asked if you want to do another until your surveys are all done. Some surveys are very long. You do need to be patient and answer all the questions. Because again, this is not just about you making money. You are being paid for your honest answers and consideration. Many of the surveys are for drawings and some are for money. Usually you have to build up to about $20 before they mail you a check, but they do pay. They really do.

Greenfield Online - This survey site is like the other two I mentioned. You can earn money, sometimes test a product, and sometimes be entered into a drawing. I have enjoyed the surveys that I have done with them.

More Ways to Save:

Exercise: Save money on exercising at a gym by taking a class at your local community college. Not only will you learn something new and make new friends, but you can also use the gym with your student ID!!! You don't have to be 18 to your early 20s to take classes. Also some community classes have classes like aerobics and weight lifting. So you will have an instructor there to tell you how to do things. This is definitey a way to get more bang for your buck!

COUPON LINKAGE: Do you live near an Orange Julius? I do!!!! And guess what? June 19th is Free Light Smoothie day at Organge Julius! Just click on the following link to their website and download the coupon: ORANGE JULIUS YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE COUPON! :)
More next week! See you then!

Boy, 11, told he may never walk becomes Golf champion

When Brandon Craggs, of England, was 5 weeks old he was diagnosed with Cerebal Palsy and doctors told his parents he would never walk properly or play sports. Not only has he proved the doctors wrong he has also just become a junior golf champion. Read more about it here.

National parks plan 3 free summer weekends

In a move to encourage people to visit national parks across the country, the National Park Service will be waiving entrance fees during 3 specific weekends this summer. The weekends are June 20-21, July 18-19 and August 15-16. Read more about it here.

Fun and Games!!

It's the annual Redneck games happening in Georgia on July 11. Read more about these games here.

Perfect Attendance!!

After 2,340 days Brittany McCalister graduated High School with a perfect attendance record, never having missed a day of school since kindergarton. Read the entire article here.

Kobayashi outeats Chestnut

In another classic matchup of man vs. stomach, eating titans Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut met to see who could devour the most pizzas. Click here to read the entire story.

Neighborhood Ministries Monday Ministry Spotlight

If you'd like to find out more about today's Monday Ministry Spotlight -"Neighborhood Ministries" click here.