Thursday, October 29, 2009

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

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There are so many things I want to share with you today that I touched on during this morning's show. I found some more cool ways to stretch your food dollar, a cool offer from Special K, some awesome music downloads, free food, and more tips for saving energy. In addition, I have my top 10 deals for groceries. I am going to get right on it, because we have the Newsboys "The Way We Roll Tour" this evening, and I want to get this in before then. I really hope we get to see a bunch of you there. :)



Stretch Your Food Dollar:
I think most of us know that storage is important for keeping your food fresh so you can eliminate waste and save money. I use freezer bags for my meats, containers for leftovers so I can reheat and eat or even freeze up things like soups for later, but I never thought much about fruit and vegetable storage other than throwing them in the crisper and taking them out. Well, I learned a few things this week, and of course I want to share them with you.


First, I found some awesome tips in All You magazine. I have shared with you in the past how much I love this magazine. In addition to fabulous money saving tips, it is just loaded full of coupons! But...I digress. I found this amazing article by Mary Ostyn who is VERY adept at saving money. Here are some tips from her for keeping produce fresh:


Fruit: Fruit keeps best when it is removed from the plastic bag (from the store) and put in the crisper drawer (I have NEVER done this! I think I have been using the bags kind of as a organizational device...THAT stops now).
In addition to fruit being better off removed from the bag and in the crisper, you can also do this will green and red peppers.

Tomatoes also should be removed from the bag and stored on the counter (I bet they look kind of pretty that way). Apparently the cold has a negative effect on their taste and texture (it also is really bad for the plant - mine is all crumbly looking after this week's cold).


Avocados should also be stored out of the bag and loose in the vegetable bin in the fridge.

I found a little something called the paper-towel method thanks to Mary. This is backed up by many other sources I found online. Basically you can keep zucchini, cucumbers, green beans and grapes fresher longer by placing a paper towel in the bag they came in and leave the bag open. Mary also suggests this method with lettuce except in that case you close the bag. She also recommended using a salad spinner after washing greens because too mach water will also shorten the stability of the lettuce. I also found during my reading that if you buy packaged salad mixes that a paper towel can help them stay more stable as well.


Vegetable separation: Keep garlic, onions and potatoes away from the other veggies and store them in baskets in your pantry. I should know this. Well, I did know about potatoes, but I did not realize this about my onions or garlic. I keep both in the fridge! Also keep the onions away from the other veggies as they can cause spoilage because of their fumes.


Other tips I found:

Cheese - Once opened put in a zipper baggy with a paper towel. Put in zipper baggy with paper towel that has been soaked in white vinegar (smelly in the bag but not supposed to effect the taste of the cheese).


Ice Cream - Keep the frost out of ice cream by placing a paper towel ball in the ice cream container. Deli Meats and Bacon - Keep deli meats and bacon fresher by removing them from their packaging and putting them in cleaned out cereal bags (from the box cereals). I am not sure how well this works, but I am going to give it a shot. :)

Bread - Freeze bread that you are not going to use in a week. If it is a bread like raisin bread, freeze it in baggies by the slice or in whatever serving size you are likely to use.

Okay...that is a good start I think. I found a lot more great ways to save by keeping track of freshness and eating on time, but I have a lot more of today's tips to go over.





Free Food: Don't forget that this Saturday, October 31st, Taco Bell will be giving giving one Black Jack Taco per customer while supplies last from 6:00 pm to midnight. Remember, one per customer. :) These look pretty yummy! Follow this link to find the store near you click this linky!!!! Taco Bell

Betty Crocker Potatoes are available for free right now (again while supplies last) for people who sign up for their Dinner Made Easy newsletter. Click on the link and see if you can get in on this:
Betty Crocker

Money off Jeans!:
A lot of people know about the Special K challenge where you incorporate their cereals and products into your life and lose weight. Well they are upping the ante by also offering a $10 voucher to use towards the purchase of a new slimmer set of jeans. All you do is mail a form and five Special K tokens that are located on their packaging. Here is your link: Special K

Free Music!: I have said it many times, Free CCM is one of my favorite places for free Christian music downloads. Well they have an awesome new site and you really ought to check it out. The free music right now is Fee's "Arms That Hold the Universe" and The Afters "One Moment Away." You do have to re-register even if you have registered before, but you also have another opportunity to sign up for their newsletter and get a special code for 10 more free downloads that you can use on iTunes!

More free music is up for grabs at Amazon.com. If you click on the following link you will see 12 more downloads from artists like Rachel Lampa, Big Daddy Weave, and Jaci Velasquez! Link:
Amazon Free Chrisitian Music. One of the things I like is that you can listen first before you download so you know what you are getting. :)

Shopping:
How about a Sam's one day pass? Click on the link and print up the coupon and you will have the opportunity to shop at Sam's and see what it is all about. Sam's Club offers a free 1-day Sam's Club guest pass via this printable coupon. A 10% service fee does apply, excluding CA, SC, and Elmsford, NY locations. The pass expires on November7th. Link: Sam's Club

Crafts for Gifts:
When I was a single mom, I would make fudge as my Christmas gift. I picked up tins at second hand stores and passed them out to family, friends and my professors in college. Making a gift can be a great alternative to buying. With that in mind, I thought I would add a jar recipe today. These are those recipes you make with a mason jar that you can give to friends or family. It contains all the dry ingredients and the recipe for how to do it. You get the ingredients, jar, print out the recipe, make a label and your are good to go. Don't forget, I also included links to instructions on how to make a cool draft blocker and crafts to make with magazines. This week's jar recipe is for Butterscotch Chip Cookies in a Jar. This looks very cute and makes a nice gift. I picked this one up from allrecipes.com. A fabulous site for recipes! Link: Butterscotch Chip Cookies



Now onto the top ten:


Safeway:
Coupons are all worth at least $1.00 this week!!!
-- Boneless pork sirloing chops $1.49 lb

-- 80% Lean ground beef $1.49 lb

-- Gala, Granny Smith or Red Delicious apples 47 cents a pound

-- Hass Avocados 2 for $1.00




Albertons:
Up to 50 cent coupons are doubled, up to 33 cent coupons are tripled, and up to 25 cent coupons are quadrupled!

-- Sanderson Farms whole fryers 48 cents a pound (limit 4)

-- Dole Bananas 39 cents a pound
-- Coupon in the flyer for a 3 pound of Red or Granny Smith apples for just 99 cents!





Fry's:
All coupons will be valued at $1.00!

-- Fresh boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders for $1.77 lb
-- Northwest Bartlett Pears 49 cents a pound

-- Many items are buy 20 save $5 go to their online flier for these deals -
Fry's


Happy shopping and happy saving!!!




Thursday, October 22, 2009

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

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The internet was down in Yavapai County for a while today. Sooooo I am finishing this post off at home.


First, grocery deals:

Albertsons, Safeway, and Fry's are all having coupon deals. Basically everything is going to add up to a buck! Not bad!!!! Roll out those coupons!

TOP TEN:


Albertons - No Loyalty Card Needed:


1 -- Boneless Chicken Breast for $1.57 lb


2 -- Bottom Round Roast for $1.89 lb


3 -- Yoplait Yogurt 10/$4.00 must buy ten.


Safeway - Loyalty Card:


4 -- Bananas 3 lbs for $1.00


5 -- Ragu 16-26 oz $1.17 (great time to stock up)


6 -- Lucerne 18ct eggs (must use flyer coupon)




Fry's - Loyalty Card:


7 -- Boneless Half Pork Loin $1.69 lb


8 -- Select Post Cereal, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Nature Valley Nut Clusters, or Fiber Plus Bars. Buy 4 save $4.00 (limit two rewards)

9 -- Coke Product 12 packs 4 for $10.00 PLUS two free Cheez Its snacks with purchase of the four 12 packs.

10 -- Pumpkins just $4.99





I know that it is October 22, but time is flying and it is a great time to start that Christmas shopping. Even if the economy wasn't rougher than usual, it just makes sense to do what you can to save money. Seriously you need to take advantage of any bargain you can find. Today I talked about some deals that are running for a short time and can totally be parlayed for Christmas.



MAGAZINES:
I am a magazine freak. Truly I love them all. I get quite a few for free, but if I can't get it for free I often purchase my magazines through school fundraisers. This is a great way to help out the kids and the school and get a pretty awesome deal. Another great way to get magazine subscriptions is through Amazon.com. Especially right now! Amazon.com has a couple of really awesome deals you are going to want to check out.

One of the things I like about Amazon is that they are affiliated with GoodShop.com so you can purchase your goodies and a portion of the purchase goes to the non profit of your choice.

All you do is go to
www.goodshop.com type in the store name in the the "Search for Store Name" box or use the drop down menu to find your store in the "Find Stores from Store List" box. And make sure to put who you support in the final box. When you have Amazon in, click go! :) It will take you to a page that says GoodShop This Store. Click on that yellow button and it will take you directly to Amazon. Now you can simply type in the two Amazon deals I mentioned today in the search bar or simply go to my links below.

First deal mentioned was that Amazon is giving 50% off select magazines with code OCTMAG50. One such magazine is:
Good Housekeeping. Sign up for one year at $7.97 and use the code OCTMAG50 at check out which will give you 50% off the magazine! This is going to take it down to $3.99 for a year!!!! The year subscription values at $30 and is well worth it. This magazine is packed full of information and articles that are focused on family. They always have great reviews. I also almost always find coupons in this magazine. It pretty much is a magazine that can pay for itself.

Now to make it really easy peasy linkwise:
Good Housekeeping - $7.97

Don't forget the discount code: OCTMAG50 This code is going to get you the 50% off. You use this code at check out! :)


Not all magazines at Amazon.com qualify for this code. Here are a few others that qualify and will reduce to a pretty nice price (the price listed is the price before the discount):


House Beautiful: $10.00

Better Homes and Gardens: $14.97

Country Living: $10.00

Smart Money: $10.00

Popular Science: $10.00

Discover: $19.95

Ready Made: $11.97

Kiplinger's: $12.00



The next awesome magazine deal is Sunset! I just love this magazine. Sunset covers every cool thing the West has to offer from traveling, food, day trips, awesome recipes and more. It is one of my favorite magazines, and well worth the normal price but this deal is unbeatable at $5.00! That is $5.00 for a year's subscription a discount of 92%! This deal is only good until Saturday at 11:59 pm according to Amazon.com, and I do not know if that is all time zones or not so get on it fast! If you added the Good Housekeeping, simply search for Sunset next. You will not miss it. :)



Now again to make it linkable if you are getting just the Sunset alone:
Sunset - $5.00 I mentioned that you can get these magazines for yourself or make them inexpensive gifts that keep giving. To give them as a gift just check out the details on the magazine page. You will see that Amazon.com has a way for you to print out a personalized gift card or you can even send them an email notification. All very easy to do. I love giving and getting magazines for the holidays. This way makes it really easy and a great way to save.

Don't forget to pass along your magazines when you are through. I usually give mine to my husband to take to work. You might also want to consider donating them to the Salvation Army, a school, library, senior center or community center. There are limitless ways to share the magazines once you are through. Of course you can also recycle the magazines too. You can also turn those magazines into crafts. You know...if you get good at it, maybe you could gift with your crafts. :)
I found some really cool ones that I am definitely going to try out.


1 - Magazine trash can - I got this cool craft from Diy Life.

2 -
Magazine coasters - Also from Diy Life.

3 - A Magazine Bowl - I found this at Cut and Keep.

4 -
Make a Dollhouse - This is very cute. I found a great how to make the house from Cookie Magazine and a great way to decorate with the use of magazines at See the Woods and the Trees. This is an awesome afternoon activity and a great inexpensive dollhouse.

5 - Magazine Gift Bows - I found another cool activity at How About Orange. I have also seen ways to make beads from magazines, purses, stickers and lots more. This is just a little side note I wanted to pass along. :)


Back to the deals for shopping...
Build a Bear has an awesome coupon you can print out for $5 off the purchase of an animal priced $10 or more. This coupon expires on 10/31/09 which is of course well before Christmas, BUT imagine taking one of your children to Build a Bear with this coupon to make a special stuffed animal for a sibling? Or you can build a nice stuffy for your own child. It is really fun and what a bargain! I love these because it really is fun making them for someone you love.

Link:
Build A Bear $5 off $10 or more stuff animal. Find a Build A Bear Workshop near you.

Join Snapfish and get 50 free prints and a free photo gift! I do not know how long this will last so get in on it. Every day there is a new photo gift. As of this posting it is a photo calendar! Photo gifts are really some of the best gifts I have ever gotten. I love Snapfish too.


Link:
Join Snapfish and get 50 free prints and a free photo gift!



Home Depot Kid's Workshops! November 7th the kids will get to hone their skills and build an awesome trivet. Maybe this would be a nice gift for the holidays for a special relative?
Link: Home Depot Kid's Workshop


Free Music! I am always a fan of some free music. Here is what is up for grabs this week:


iTickets: Lincoln Brewster - "God You Reign" or Constant Recourse - "Hold On"

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Free MP3 of "Child of the Night" Just click on link and enter email. It will immediately give you the download link.

Free Food!!!!!
Kids 12 and under eat free at Ikea! No adult purchase is necessary! Seriously! Check with your local Ikea to be sure they are participating. Here is the link for Tempe: Ikea Tempe

Head on over to Barnes & Noble on October 24th and get a free Kids-size Hot Chocolate and small cookie. Limit one per customer. Bring your coupon. Coupon Link:
B&N


Have a great weekend!


Wednesday, October 21, 2009

The Power Of Prayer

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THE POWER OF PRAYER

It has been said that,
"Seven days without prayer, makes one weak."Sometimes you hear someone say,
"We've done all we can. The only thing we can do now is pray."
Prayer really should be our first resort rather than our last resort.

Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer, as a model prayer and Jesus himself
often went off to pray, setting an example for us to do the same.

In Matthew 14:23, it says,
"And when He had sent the multitudes away,
He went up into a mountain apart to pray:
and when the evening was come,
he was there alone."
(KJV)

If Jesus needed to go off and pray, how much more do we need to? Praying should not be something we do out of duty and routine. Prayer is talking and listening to our loving, all knowing, heavenly Father.

The book of James tells us to pray for wisdom
when we don't know what to do (James 1:5).

In Philippians 4:6,7,
prayer is connected with receiving God's peace.

In Ephesians 6:18,
prayer is a very important part of battling the forces of evil.

We are also told to pray for those in Authority over us
(I Timothy 2:1,2).

Prayer shows our dependence on God,
His power and His wisdom.
Prayer is powerful and so important.

Studies have been done in the medical field
showing the power of prayers.
They used two groups of people to observe the difference between
the group that was being prayed for and the group that wasn't.

There was a marked difference in the recovery of those who were
being prayed for, and they weren't even told that they were being prayed for.

Most hospitals realize the importance of prayer in the healing process
for their patients, and welcome pastors and chaplains to be a part of the
healing team.

It has been said that,
"If you are too busy for God, you are too busy."

In the midst of our busyness let's remember how much we need God
and need prayer and make a daily practice and our first resort instead of our last.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Kelly's Thrify Tips

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Saving on Energy:

First things first...I received a call from a wonderful lady who said that it is not a good idea to close vents in unused rooms as it can make your system work harder, and we definitely do not want that! I would say that I am going to follow the professional advice on this one (she works for a heating and cooling company). So I am going to follow her advice and keep to keeping our temps at 68 degrees in the winter. Lots of people do suggest closing vents so you may want to speak to someone in heating and cooling and get their advice. :)

Other ways to save on the energy...

-- Dress warmer during these chillier months.

-- Use heavy curtains in the winter months to keep drafts out.

-- Open up and let the sun shine in on those sunny days.

-- Drop some energy use during the week by having a TV less night. Read a book, play games with the whole family. This is a great way to save energy and do something positive for the whole family by spending that time together.

-- Turn that tap off when brushing your teeth. Most people know this, but how many people actually do this? I still have to remind myself. This is not the same as when you wash your hands though. Proper handwashing technique involves using RUNNING water which you can see here at this link from the Mayo Clinic: Hand Washing- An Easy Guide

-- Run dishwashers and washing machines on full loads.

-- Add steam to your air by using humidifiers, boiling some water on your stove (be sure to not have it where any children can get to it), open up the bathroom door after a shower to let the steamy air out. Humidity keeps the air warmer.

-- As I mentioned before use draft stoppers. Last week, I left a lot of links to how to make your own. Of course you can buy them too.

-- Wash clothes in cold water. Of course use hot for those things that really need to be sanitary like underthings and towels.

-- We use the miocrowave to heat up hot water. It takes up less energy than the stove.

Now how about doing something good for others?

I talked this morning about the Lunchables Lunch Note Promise campaign. This is the deal. You promise to put an encouraging note in your child's lunch box, and they will give a free meal to a child in need up to 100,000 promises and meals. They are up to 35,668 promises at the time I post this. I just checked out the Lunch Note Promise map. This tells you how many promises have been made in each state. So far, Arizona has 532 promises. Wouldn't it be cool to really bring that up? All YOU have to do is go to their website and make the promise. Think of how cool this will make your kids feel: Lunch Note Promise

Free Music:
I am a huge fan of iTickets.com. Not only do they list Chrisitian concerts and events in the area, but they have a free music download every week! This week they have TWO songs, Rolling Stone by Out of Eden and Alive Again by Matt Maher. You do have to register to do the download. Link: iTickets

How about TEN free songs? Go to the Creation Festival Tour website to download TEN songs free. This is via Itunes. They have downloads for Jars of Clay, Jonny Diaz, This Beautiful Republic, Thousand Foot Krutch, VOTA, B. Reith, Kathryn Scott, Blue Tree, Don Poythress and Brian Doerksen. That is a lot of songs. Link: Creation Fest

Are you interested in more free music? FreeCCM.com has music right now from MercyMe, Derek Webb, and VOTA. Their music changes a lot too so don't forget to keep checking back with them. Again, you do need to register. Link: FreeCCM

Still want more free music? Check out one of my favorite sites: Hear It First. They have amazing Christian music news, artist interviews, videos, CD previews, contests and free music every week! Membership is totally free and completely worth it. I get emails just about every week with free song downloads. I also thrive on the CD previews! Link: Hear It First
Ohhhh! I forgot to add that they are having an awesome CD giveaway right now too! You can win a CD a day for a year. Again, this is a site you will need to register with so keep that in mind.

Want an email for all these contests and special sites. You can get free email from Gmail. That way you will have a designated place for newsletters etc. :) Link: GMAIL

Now a quick loook at sales:

Fry's 49th Anniversary Truck Load Sale -
Fry's has so many amazing things on sale this week, you simply have to go check it out. Here is my top three.
-- A MUST for my house - Chunky Soup - Select varieties 99 cents each limit 24!
-- Fry's canned veggies- Select varieties as well 50 cents each
-- Healthy Choice or Marie Calendar Entrees - Part of the buy 10 deal - Just $1.67!
-- Fry's Broth- Select Varieties 50 cents (great time to stock up for your holiday meals)

Safeway -- COUPON REMINDER- Safeway has a huge coupon deal going on where coupons from 20 cents to 99 cents will become $1.00!!!!
-- Large Green asaparagus 99 cents a pound (GREAT DEAL)
-- Lucern 1 Gallon milk $1.37 (limit 2)
-- Rancher's Reserve Beef Bottom Round Roast $1.99 lb

Albertsons -- COUPON REMINDER - 50 cents (doubled), 33 cents (tripled), 25 cents(quadrupled)
-- 93% Lean Ground Beef $1.67 pound
-- Boneless Pork Sirloin Chops $3.99 lb buy 1 get 1 free!!!!
-- 5 for $5 Sale on items including Chunky soup (limit 5), Sargento Shredded Cheese (limit 5), Coffee Mate 16 oz (limit 5) and more items.

Coupon Deal - Check out The Real Meal Deal buy five of any of these frozen foods:
Van de Kamps Seafood
Lenders Bagels
Aunt Jemima Breakfast
Hungry Man Dinners
Duncan Hines Oven Ready Brownies
Mrs. Paul’s Seafood

Print out the form and send in your receipts for $5 in coupons!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

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Good morning! Today's Thrifty Tip is about saving money by saving energy. With our Arizona mornings getting brisker and more on the chilly side, it is a good time to start thinking of ways to save on heating, cooking, and whatever else you use energy for.



I have some awesome tips that I got from one of my all-time favorite books "Frugal Living For Dummies" by Deborah Taylor-Hough. I stumbled on this book at The Local Bookie, a used bookstore in Conway, New Hampshire. This bookstore was a must stop for me when I lived in Rhode Island and spent a little time enjoying the factory outlet shopping in North Conway. I picked this beauty up for a steal at 50 cents, and it has been one of my constant companions when it comes to saving money.




Last week when I woke up feeling downright chilly, I decided to focus on ways to save energy. Here are a few things I practiced when I lived in a third floor converted attic apartment, was a single mom, and saving money and energy was a HUGE priority.



1- Use a draft stopper in front of outside doors to help keep cold air out and warm air in. I did this in a variety of ways. You can purchase a draft stopper at some stores, craft shows or online. They are roughly 33 inches long and made with sand and some pretty fabric or even in animal shapes. You can totally spend the money and have something that is quite cute and decorative and functional for between $15 to $30. Or you can do what I do. Make your own. I would take the sleeves from sweaters or sweatshirts that we no longer used, cut them and fill them up with plastic grocery bags and tied the ends off with ribbon or would stitch them. This made them pliable and I could kind of smoosh them under the door a bit. These were not stunning looking, BUT I never kept them out for viewing. It was more of a night thing and something I put at our back door. If you want to keep them out and can be a little more creative than myself, I have a link here with directions on how to make your own from eHow or a cute draft snake from one of my favorite sites TheDailyGreen.com and finally a draft snake or dog from craftycrafty.com.

Link: How To Make A Draft Stopper
Link: How To Make A Draft Snake
Link: How To Make A Draft Snake or Dog



All of these are fairly simple.







APOLOGIES: I have to come back and finish this post. I did want to get at least part of it out. We lost internet access for a while there, and I was unable to complete my thrifty tips post. I will complete it on Tuesday.


Sincerely,

Kelly :)

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Casting Crowns Concert - September 18 - At Phoenix First Assembly

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

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This year is flying by! I can barely believe it is October 1st! The cold bedroom gave me a sharp reminder though. It was not as cold as I have experienced when I lived in Rhode Island or Maine, but I am assuming my blood has thickened or thinned since I have moved to Arizona because I was FEELING IT!!! I am hoping to find some great money saving thrifty tips for heating next week.

For now I thought about Christmas.

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Doesn't that snow look pretty? I love Christmas! I love celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus. I love hearing amazing Christmas music. I love the lights that people put up on their homes. I also love giving gifts during the holidays. Of course with the economy, gift giving can be a challenge. I thought it would be nice to cover a way to win some gifts today. Well, you may not win today, but you could.



I have been entering blog giveaways for a little under a year now. I am a voracious reader and I found that I could fuel my reading appetite more inexpensively by entering a blog giveaway or two. I began entering giveaways at book blog review sites and then discovered that other blogs also reviewed new products and held giveaways. Since entering was so simple, I gave it a shot. Since that start, I have won books, CDs, DVDs, bath products, gift cards, awesome camping gear, stationary and holiday decorations. I have friends who have won Kindles, vacuums, hotel stays and more.



I thought it would be fun to share a site with you. The first site I discovered was A Blog of Goodies. As I write this, A Blog Of Goodies has 265 giveaways posted. A Blog of Goodies is a place that bloggers go to to list their giveaways. So it is a perfect stop. Each giveaway is listed with the prize name and end date. Some will also list the host blog name. You simply click on the link and it will take you to the blog that is hosting that particular giveaway.



Once you hit the blog that is hosting the giveaway, read the details. Some have entries where all you need to do is post a comment like "Enter Me" followed by your email address (they ask for this so they can contact you). Some request that you go to the company's site and learn something about the product and come back and post what you learned. You do not have to be a blogger to enter these giveaways but it does help with increasing your chances (often blogs give you extra points for posting about your giveaways), and you just might find you would like to start a blog. Some people create a google account for entries or just post anonymously (but always leave a way to be contacted with that email).




Speaking of email. Here is the trick when posting your email address to a giveaway. You will notice as you enter giveaways that a lot of people post like this.




yourname(AT)yahoo(DOT)com




By spelling out the @ and "." you foil the little email grabbing spiders so they do not get your email. Some people also use a special email account just for giveaways which can be very convenient for checking if you win a giveaway as only those kinds of emails will go there. If you are loooking for a free email site, I would suggest
gmail. You can also seach online for other email sites. I use my regular email, and I haven't had a problem.



Typical blog giveaway rules:




---READ THE GIVEAWAY DETAILS. :) Some blogs will void an entry if it isn't done how they request. These are not jump through hoops things, they really are simple. Just be sure to follow their directions.


---Most giveaways end at a certain time and give a winner a set time to respond to an email stating you won. So be sure to answer those emails when you win.

---Some blogs that are hosting giveaways only announce winners on their site. So you want to make sure you keep track of what you enter so you can check back on blogs that do this.

---Again some blogs offer ways for extra entries by following them, subscribing to their blog, tweeting their giveaway, following them on Twitter, posting about their giveaway or even emailing some friends about their giveaway. You do what you want to do. :)

---Most blogs will want your email address in order to contact you. Just disguise it: yourname(AT)yahoo(DOT)com.



Another blog I mentioned today is
A Christian Writer's World ~ Characters Who Grip Your Heart. I love this blog, because author Lena Nelson Dooley interviews some fabulous Christian authors and has a nice giveaway every week. It is a great way to learn about Christian books and the authors who write them. You also get some pretty neat tips from those authors.



Now onto the freebiness - Don't forget that today, October 1st from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm you can get a free cookie at
Mrs. Fields! You can also get $5 off an order online if you use their code 9TEN at check out.



And for the Coffee Lovers, if you stop in at Starbucks between
October 2 and 5 and take part in their VIA Taste Challenge, you’ll get a coupon for a free Starbucks Tall brewed coffee on your next visit. Not too shabby. :)



Top Sales at our BIG THREE


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Albertsons has an awesome pile of coupons for you in their flyer. Be sure to pick it up. Two of my top ten are in there.



1 -- Buy 1 get 2 FREE Petite Sirloin Steak (Boneless). This is so yummy, I freeze them up and they are perfect for a fajita, kabob, steak salad, or enchiladas. Also good for grilling! ;) (Limit 1 coupon per customer per transaction).




2 -- General Mills Cereal 9.6-12.25 oz. Select Varieties (Limit 4).




3 -- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Pork Loin Roast Boneless Sold in the bag. $1.57 lb




Safeway




4 -- 93% Lean Ground Beef $1.99 lb (Save up to 3.00 a pound)



5 -- Navel Oranges 2 lbs for $1.00



6 -- Bananas 59 cents a pound




Fry's



7 --- 20 for $10 mix and match sale!!!!


-Cambpells Chicken Noodle and Tomato Soup 10.75 oz

-Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Original 7.25 oz
-Yoplait Yogurt 4-6 oz
-Budget Gourmet Entrees (Michelina's) - Selected Varieties



8 -- Betty Crocker Cake Mix 77 cents (good time to buy since there will be lots of holiday baking ahead)




9 -- Betty Crocker Frosting 2 for $3.00




10 -- Suave Hair Care or Body Wash $1.28. I don't know about you, but I can always find a Suave coupon and they are a great deal even when not on sale.