Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Good times to buy items:

Woman's Day has some awesome money saving tips in May's issue. Mary Hunt one of my favorite thrifty tipsters wrote an article on ways to save money by buying things at certain times. Here are just a few tips that I thought I would share:

The cheapest time to do some shopping for air travel is on Tuesdays at 3:00 pm EST. This is because many of the major airlines announce their sales on Monday nights. The other airlines follow suit on Tuesdays which can make for a great time for a traveler to cash in. Also many people know this but the best times to travel are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays as there is less business travel on those days and so there are more seats available. It is also wise to book your air travel at the first flight out, because most people do not want to get up too early. Other good times are noon and dinner time. :)

Here is something I didn't know, Spring is a good time to purchase sneakers, and this is apparently because many athletic shoe companies sponsor walks and races. Apparently a lot of newbies buy shoes for these walks and it is a great time to pick up a deal.

Gardening Help:

I found something else really cool that I wanted to share today. This is great for anyone interested in setting up a community garden. The America the Beautiful project saves seeds from going to waste when seed companies discard them. The offer flower and vegetable seeds. People interested can go to their site and fill out an application request.


Freebies:

John Freida is giving away free samples of Luxurious Volume Full Splendor shampoo and conditioner. Link below:

LINK: John Freida Samples

Free CCM has more free music from the Catalyst Project. This week you can get A Thousand Amens by Doxology

LINK: FREE MUSIC

Get a free ream of Staples Copy paper after their Easy Rebate. Follow the link below for the coupon. This is too easy to pass up and ends on April 10th!

LINK: Free Staples Copy Paper


STRETCH YOUR FOOD BUDGET


When you want to save money, one of the important things to do is figure out what to do with leftovers. You have to check out thekitchn.com (yes that is kitchen without the "e"), because they have 75 tips for things to do with different leftovers from chicken scraps to spaghetti squash. Check out the link below. This is a perfect place to stop at when you are wondering what to do with certain items.

LINK: 75 Tips For Leftovers



Make sure to check out the new coupons available on cellfire.com for a new batch of coupons to load on your grocery loyalty cards.

LINK: Cellfire


Don't forget to check out Angel Food Ministries and Treasure Box for enough food to feed a family of four for a week on $30 plus service fees. Also check out Bountiful Baskets for some great veggies and fruits. Get to know the schedule for when it is in your area. For example, the pick up date in my area is this Saturday and the order time starts Tuesday morning until Wednesday. The next order will be in two weeks. If you check and your area is not available this week, check back next week.

LINK: Angel Food Ministries This month's menu order by April 15 (Menu Link)
Treasure Box Order deadline is April 11 (Menu Link)
Bountiful Baskets



And let's not forget free donating. It couldn't be any easier to donate to a favorite non profit. Next time you are going to make a search, take a moment and go to www.goodsearch.com. It takes a moment to type in your charity. After it is entered, you can do your search and 1 cent goes to your charity for each search. This really adds up, and it is completely free for you. Check it out, if 100 people did just two searches a day for a year, the non profit will get a donation of $730! And yes...Radio Shine is listed.

LINK: Good Search

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Last week I brought up that I made my entire week's dinners using food that I got through Angel Food Ministries. I have been wanting to bring up Angel Food Ministries, but I hadn't had the opportunity to try it. I was able to make a week's worth of meals and in fact, I have food left over for this week as well.



Kind of hard to see here but here is what I got:
8 pancakes
3 brats with cheese
1 bag of frozen corn
1 bag of frozen carrots
3 lb bag of russet potatoes
1.5 lb beef roast
1 lb ground beef
1 bag of chicken patties (9)
1 side of baby back ribs seasoned
1 bag of frozen chicken breasts
1 beef macaroni dinner
1 pumpkin pie
1 bag of wheat rolls
1 container of shelf stable milk
1 dozen eggs


Angel Food Ministries started in 1994 and they have worked tirelessly to provide food relief for many. It started in Monroe, Georgia and now is in 44 states! For 30 dollars plus a service fee of 2 dollars you get a week's worth of food for a family for four. Go online and check it out, and find the Host Site closest to you. I was thrilled to find a host site that was literally five minutes away from me. That was a blessing, but the nice thing is that you do not have to live in the area that you order from. You just need to pick up the food in the time frame they have posted. Each site also has their order deadline, so make sure you follow that when ordering. I believe you can order at the Host site, but I ordered online at my Host site's link. The link that I am going to post will take you to the site which also will show you what this month's offerings are. :)

LINK UP: Angel Food Ministries



FREEBIES!!!!

I am very careful with the Freebies I sign up for. One good thing to do is have an account that you set aside just for your freebies. Remember you can sign up for free email with gmail.

LINK UP: Gmail



Free Coupons - I don't know who has gotten in on this but you can get an awesome FREE $10 General Mills Coupon Booklet. I love finding as many coupons as I can get my hands on! **Big thanks to Hey It's Free!

LINK UP: General Mills Coupons

Free Kashi Products - I love Kashi GOLEAN Crunch cereal and their TLC bars are amazing. The first time I tried Kashi TLC bars was from a free sample. I don't know if you have seen their commercials on television, but right now you have the opportunity to try one of their products for free. You choose one of three.

Your choices:

GOLEAN Crisp Toasted Berry Crunch Cereal
TLC Dark Chocolate Coconut Fruit and Grain Bar
GOLEAN Crunch Honey Almond Flax Cereal (what I ordered!)

LINK UP: Kashi Free Sample

Free Sample of Head & Shoulders Shampoo - If you are a member, sign in. If you aren't, totally sign up, because you can always count on some amazing samples from P&G. Today you have the opportunity to hook yourself up with a sample of Head & Shoulders shampoo. I love samples like this, because they are great to have on hand when traveling or just when you find out you are facing an empty bottle of shampoo in the bath.

You can choose from Smooth & Silky, Classic Clean or Dry Scalp Care

While you are there you might also want to check out the coupon links and other free samples. They also have a sample of Pamper's Cruisers.

LINK UP: Head & Shoulders Sample

Free Gas-X Thin Strips - This is so easy to fill out. Gas-X Thin Strips are easy to use and you can try them out for free.

LINK UP: Free Gas-X Thin Strips



Free Breathe Right Sample - I don't know if it is this time of year or what, but this is definitely the time to check out Breathe Right Strips. If you know someone who has entertained the thought of purchasing these little guys, but they didn't want to commit to the price without knowing if they work get them over to this sample. It is just two strips, but I think that should be enough to get you in the know. :)

LINK UP: Breathe Right Strips

Free Redken Style Connection Sample - This is totally while supplies last so don't wait!

LINK UP: Redken Style Connection

Free sample of Arm & Hammer Advanced White Toothpaste - This is while supplies last, but the sample is for a week's supply. I have relatives who exclusively use this toothpaste. Might as well check it out.

LINK UP: Arm & Hammer Advanced White Toothpaste


Free Breakfast - Oh yes, they are doing it again! Denny's will be offering Free Grand Slam breakfasts on Tuesday, February 9th from 6 am to 2 pm!

LINK UP: Details for Denny's Free Original Grand Slam Breakfast!


Free Short Stack of Pancakes at IHOP- February 23 from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm. All they ask is for people consider giving a donation to support local children's hospitals.

LINK UP: IHOP Free Short Stack of Pancakes



Free KIND Bars at Starbucks - On February 5th, Starbucks will sample KIND bars at all of their 7000 locations!

LINK UP: KIND Bars


Free Pants - Okay this is a win kind of thing, but on February 7th during the Super Bowl, Dockers will air a commercial. The first 2010 people to register after that commercial airs will win a pair of pants. Actually this will be in the form of $30 gift code for Dockers Men's Soft Khakis. I figure I'll be watching the game anyway, I might as well try to win.

LINK UP: Dockers Soft Khakis Giveaway 2/7

Free sample Purex 3-in-1 Complete Laundry Sheets - This is still available and really a great freebie. I have heard a lot about these Purex 3-in-1 Complete Laundry Sheets. They have the detergent and fabric softener in one sheet. This is a great way to try it out or again keep it on hand for travel.

LINK UP: Purex 3-in-1 Complete Laundry Sheets

Free Music Download - Stephanie Smith song "Heart Attack" at iTickets

LINK UP: Stephanie Smith "Heart Attack"

Free Music Download at Free CCM:

Download Phillips, Craig & Dean "Counting On God"

Anthony Evans "Amazing God"

Free CCM is also still offering songs from Disciple, Building 429 and Laura Story.

LINK UP: Free CCM



I'll be back with the sales after today's spot. :)