Kelly's Thrifty Tips

TODOS -

I thought I would dedicate today's post to todos. I brought up Spring cleaning a short time ago, and it is a good time to get in gear with that, but I want us all to remember the fun todos. These are simply things that might be fun to do.

Get OUT! This snowy Saturday reminded me of how important it is to take advantage of the lovely weather we have been having. Arizona is simply loaded with lovely places to enjoy. Start taking advantage of the fabulous weather we have been blessed with. A change of scenery and a change of pace is an instant mood lifter. Doing something new is good for the mind, and getting out and moving around is definitely good for the body. Do things locally and save on gas. Get creative and have an adventure of your own.

1 - Open all the windows in your home and let the sun and fresh air stream through. Tackle a cleaning project when you can take advantage of the bright sunlight and fresh cool air. Yes...this is a chore, but a chore is so much easier to do when you have a that sense of flushing out the icky. No?

2 - If you have the yard, clear up an area and look into gardening. There are lots of great resources online that can help you. If you don't have much room, you can still garden by utilizing some large pots.

3 - Explore your neighborhood and take a nice walk. You might catch a yard sale or meet some new neighbors.

4 - Pack a lunch and take it to the local park with a book or camera. You can enjoy the fresh air, a good story or people watch. Just enjoying a change of scenery is such a lift after a gloomy gray winter.

5 - Have fun with the kids. My son used to love when we would go outside and play with squirt guns. I used to blow bubbles and he and his friends would run around shooting them down. There are lots of recipes for making your own bubble solution online.

6 - Check out your community calendar. Most towns and cities have one online. Look up your town's community calendar and see what is going on. There are always plenty of fun events for the kids and adults. I found several pretty awesome happenings just by looking up Prescott's calendar. You can find concerts, craft shows, classes, and more just by taking the time to look.

7 - If you have a GPS system or even a smart phone (you can get a free GPS app), you might like to try Geocaching. Geocaching is a treasure hunting game that you play by using a GPS system. People hide a cache at a site and log the coordinates in using a GPS. Then they post it on the Geocache site. You look for the sites in your area, and go on the hunt. For a real break down head on over to the Geocaching site here.

8 - Want to get out and about and tourist it? April 16th to the 24th is FREE NATIONAL PARK WEEK! Hooray! Yes, I get excited about this one. There are some wonderful parks here in Arizona, and now is the time to enjoy a slew of them for free! This year's theme is Healthy Parks, Healthy People. Follow the link below to learn more and get in on all the details. There is even an event calendar here with events for parks here in Arizona.

9 - Want a change of scenery without going too far? Why not check out the neighboring city or town. I am sure there are plenty of local attractions you can enjoy by just going a town over from your own.

10 - Local arts. Start checking out all the fabulous entertainment in your city. It usually doesn't take long to locate a fine arts association in your town. Support the local arts and enjoy some home entertainment. When it comes to live entertainment, the price is always right. Look for local concerts in the square, theater groups, art walks, and symphonies. You can enjoy some very high end entertainment locally and save on gas and ticket prices.

LINK: National Park Week



FREEBIES

I have to say that so many freebies come and go all the time that it is hard to keep up with them. I just may start posting them here whenever I see them rather just when I post on Thursdays.

CVS will send you a coupon via email for a free full size Essence of Beauty product when you like their Facebook page and go to their promotions page (link is on the left side of their FB page). You do need to enter your CVS loyalty card, and if you don't have that. Let me just say that you need to get one now! They are great for getting some extra special deals at CVS. Sign up at the link below.

LINK: Essence of Beauty Coupon

Sam's Club members can sign up now for a free sample of Huggies Supreme baby wipes. Yes, you do have to be a member and they are in limited supply, but a great little thing to have on hand for minimal work. :)

LINK: Sam's Club Huggies Supreme Baby Wipes Sample

Rewards Gold has another fabulous free magazine opportunity and this time it is for Forbes Magazine. These do not always last long, but I have noticed that you can usually get your hands on the financial magazines for longer than the fashion magazines. I get this particular subscription thanks to Rewards Gold and like it a lot. It is a simple process of joining up, referring friends, completing a watch survey and two reviews, and a free year subscription is yours. Not bad at all.

LINK: Rewards Gold Forbes Magazine

FreeCCM has a free song download of Laura Story's "Faithful God." You can also listen to her new album "Blessings" as well as download songs from Jonny Diaz, The Choir, David Walker, Derek Webb, and Cloverton. You can also still listen to Jonny Diaz's new album. Remember you do need to be a member, but it is totally free, and they are very good about only updating you once a week.

LINK: Free CCM


FREE ACTIVITIES



Check out Michaels for a great activity for the kids. They have an activity on April 16th where the kids can design and color their own canvas tote to take with them. This is for ages 3 and up while supplies last. Contact your local Michaels to see if they are participating. This event runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, but remember that it runs while supplies last. PS This canvas bag might make a nice treat for mom for Mother's Day.

LINK: Michaels Store Events

Loew's has some great Build and Grow clinics coming up. On April 23rd your kids can build a window birdhouse (apparently it sticks to your window so you can see the nest through the glass. On May 7th the kids can make a beautiful Happy Mother's Day flower vase. Follow the link below to sign up your children and get all the details. This is always a great treat for the kids and you truly can't get better than the free price. :)

LINK: Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

Speaking of free things to do don't forget that next Wednesday, April 20th, Ken Lain from Watters Garden Center will be at the Radio Shine studios giving us some of his tips and tricks that will help all of us gain some gardening success. You can bring your lunch making this a totally free event or order lunch for $8. If you would like to sign up for this awesome luncheon session follow the link below to our website, and you will get all the details under latest news.

LINK: How Does Your Garden Grow? with Ken Lain at Radio Shine

FREE WAY TO GIVE

Okay here are a few ways that you can give right now without taking a dime out of your pocket.

Like Rite Aid on Facebook and they will donate $1 to the American Heart Association's Go Red For Woman movement. They are giving up to $25,000. When I signed up they were at $4,108. Spread the word for a good cause.

LINK: Like Rite Aid and Give


For every person who takes the World Food Programme's short hunger quiz, a child will be fed. Test your hunger IQ and then spread the word! This quiz literally takes about three minutes. Not only will you learn a little more about the world's hunger problem but your participation will feed a child. How cool is that?

LINK: World Food Programme's Hunger Quiz - Feed A Child

Free Rice is a vocabulary quiz also from World Food Programme that donates 10 grains of rice per right answer. You can improve your vocabulary and help others. The Free Rice program has given 90,023,711,930 grains of rice to date! You can sign up with your facebook and track your progress, get friends involved, expand your vocabulary and best of all...give.

LINK: Free Rice

And last but not least, don't forget Goodsearch.com and Goodshop.com. Goodsearch and Goodshop allow you to donate to your favorite nonprofit by simply doing what you do online every day...searching and shopping. Search through Goodsearch.com and your nonprofit of choice will get a penny per search. Here is how it works. Type in goodsearch.com. When you get the main page simply type in who you are searching for and verify. After that, you simply search. You can change each time you search or you can simply keep it the way it is. Each time you search, that charity will get a donation. This money can really add up. You can also shop via their Goodshop.com site and a portion of those sales go to your favorite nonprofit (the price doesn't change. It is just like if you shopped by going to the site directly. Read all about it at their website link below. And if you are curious as to how those gifts can add up, after you verify your favorite nonprofit, click amount raised. This will give you a current tally. Imagine, if you searched twice a day every day for a year, you would painlessly give $7.30, and if you shared this tip with your friends, the donations could seriously climb.

LINK: GoodSearch and GoodShop

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Christmas is just 16 days away! That gives you about 15 shopping or crafting days to go! There are gifts to buy and meals to make. Lots of fun and family time to be enjoyed too. There are also some great opportunities to give. So please look around and see where you might be able to do that as well.

Radio Shine is happy to once again sponsor the Christmas Cradle Project which will benefit local CPCs. We have a list of drop off locations all over Arizona. Please take a moment to take a look at that page and pick out a little something to help these pregnancy centers help these families. They consistently work to help the working poor, and this is a great opportunity to help. Follow the link below which will not only show you the needs but also the drop off locations in the area. If you have a Bible study or group and you would like to get involved, maybe instead of a gift exchange where you might get another coffee mug or candle, you might consider a baby shower and bring those gifts to a local drop off location.

LINK: Christmas Cradle Drop Off Locations

You might also want to consider the Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, and the Prison Fellowship Angel Tree. All of these fabulous groups are working to make Christmas better for many children. I understand that Toys for Tots is in a toy donation deficit of about 10%.

WEBSITE

With Christmas comes usually a whole new slew of clothes. Now just could be the time to get out the old to make room for the new. I found a great site for you! It is called ThredUP.com. Members at ThredUp exchange gently used clothes online. I have found that exchanges like this work really well with the younger kids clothes. Let's face it, babies and toddlers grow fast and don't usually wreck a lot of their outfits. They usually have well defined baby clothes. ThredUp is a great exchange option. Of course never underestimate the power of setting up an exchange with other mommies in your neighborhood, church or even work.

Anyway, members use Medium Priority Flat Rate boxes which at this time are $10.70. You pay $5 for your box and the shipping fee to get your box. Each member lists the items that are in their box, and some members even have pictures so you know what you are getting.

Of course I totally recommend trying to exchange through your own community first, but this is definitely another great avenue to explore.

LINK: ThredUP


WINTER WEATHER TIP

I have been going through tons of my magazines in order to minimize some clutter for my husband's sake (I am SOOOOO bad about clutter). While doing that I found some tips that I was totally jazzed about and just had to share.

With winter's bite really starting to sink in, I recalled the annoyance of a foggy window. Here is a great tip. Fill a spray bottle with three parts water to one part white vinegar. Before locking up your car for the night, spray the windshield with the water/vinegar mix to naturally keep those windows clear. This can be a great savings in two ways. You can save time in not scraping your windows like crazy or you can save energy by not having to run the defrost for a long period of time before you can actually get moving.

CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES

Last week I posted some links to some awesome Christmas cookie recipes which are great for cookie exchanges, gifts or just your own celebration. Here are a few more.

Holiday Peppermint Thins These looks absolutely amazing. They have a low prep time and look absolutely delicious.

Windowpane cookies This is a cookie that I have always wanted to make. They absolutely scream Christmas. Apparently if you can make a sugar cookie, you can make windowpanes.

Pecan Tart Cup Cookies I had to look for this recipe. This was a mainstay of all the cookie exchanges I have ever been involved in.


FREEBIES

If winter air is drying you up, you may be in want of a little sample of Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff shampoo. We've tried it, and I can tell you it smells GREAT and leaves your hair nice and soft so it really can work for . Check it out yourself by following the link below. This sample is available while supplies last.

LINK: Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

This is pretty neat. I don't know how long it will last, but check the link to Kroger's special freebie page where you can sign up for a free sample of Frieda Sheer Blond, and Prilosec (if you qualify through their survey. There is also a free subscription for American Baby!

LINK: Kroger Freebie Page

If you are a Sam's Club Member you can sign up for a free sample of Slim-Fast Peanut Butter Crunch Snack bar. You definitely do not have to be on a diet to enjoy these treats!

LINK: Slim-Fast bar

FreeCCM has a free download available of Sara Groves "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear." If you haven't picked them up yet, you can still download songs from Todd Agnew, 33Miles, Skillet, Fee, and The Choir.

LINK: Sara Groves Free CCM

New Release Tuesday has a free download this week "Angels We Have Heard On High" by Seabird, "Adore Him" by Kari Jobe, "The First Noel" by Revive, and "Body Language" by Qheem The Redeemed. Remember you do have to sign up to be a member. Membership is free, and I can attest to not getting any garbage from New Release Tuesday. All I get is great Christian music and news.

LINK: New Release Tuesday

The Parachute Band is offering 9 free songs from three of their CDs "Love Without Measure" which releases in January, "Roadmaps & Revelations," and "Technicolor." Three songs from each CD. All you have to do is go to their Facebook page and sign up.

LINK: The Parachute Band Free Music

iTickets.com has a free download of "Yaweh" from Hillsong Chapel CD of the same title. Again, you do need to be a member.

LINK: iTickets

Hear It First has an awesome 25 Days of Christmas celebration going on with different goodies each day. These are treats you can enjoy any day of the 25 days. Click on the link below to get more details. I think you do need to be a member.

LINK: Hear It First

COUPONS

Cellfire has more coupons up that you can download to your loyalty card. I understand that they do not have Safeway coupons anymore, but you can still get deals downloaded to your Fry's card. Follow the link below.

LINK: Cellfire

Print out some awesome coupons at Coupons.com. There are even loads of great candy coupons which maybe you can use to add to some Christmas stockings.

LINK: Coupons.com

Redplum has some great coupons too. Get them while they last.

LINK: Redplum

Have a great week!

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

In the spirit of all things Christmas, I thought it would be nice to again give some link ups to some awesome homemade items you can make for Christmas for decorating, gifting, or enjoying on your own.

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

I love Christmas cookie exchanges. I used to work at an orthodontic practice back in Rhode Island, and we used to have an cookie exchange with all the assistants. This was such a great way to kick off the holiday. Here are a couple of recipes for you to try and maybe share with your own exchange or maybe wrap up as gifts for neighbors or coworkers.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

I got this recipe from Kellogg's. These are great because they are tasty and a no bake cookie!

Magic Cookie Bars

I get this recipe of the Eagle's Brand Sweetened Condensed milk every year. My son is an absolute nut for these cookies. Our only change is that we do not use margarine, we use real butter and we use chopped pecans. My son hates nuts, but he will polish these cookies off.

Butterball Cookies

These were a cookie staple back East. In fact, I had never even eaten a cookie like this until I lived in Rhode Island, but now I am hooked.

CHRISTMAS DECORATING

According to Good Housekeeping you can save money and maximize your decorating dollars by decorating just at the focal points in your home. These would be the front door, mantel, tree (of course) and dining table.

If you can't afford to pick up a wreath ask the person selling the Christmas trees if you can gather some of the greenery to make a wreath or use in as a centerpiece on your table or on your mantle. Most will be happy to let you take some for free.

Good Housekeeping has some cool wreath pictures that could spark some great ideas. Follow the link below.

LINK: Good Housekeeping Wreaths

How Cast has a really cool CD wreath. I am including a link to their instructional video. It is beyond something I would do, but still pretty cool.

LINK: Howcast.com How to Make a Christmas Wreath out of old CDs

Last week I was all about checking out the Black Friday deals. For the most part, I didn't go crazy, but there were things I wanted at several stores so it meant being up and shopping at midnight. Of course I am not done yet. I will be doing some final shopping online. I have about $130 in Amazon gift credits thanks to searching through Swagbucks, and I signed up for Amazon Mom and have free shipping for one more month. And for those orders that are not related to Amazon, I will take advantage of Free Shipping Day. Free Shipping Day is Friday, December 17, and according to the website freeshippingday.com more than 1,000 participating merchants will offer free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve (YES by Christmas Eve) in the continental United States. Make sure that the store of your choice is listed by hopping over to their website.

LINK: Free Shipping Day

Here is a great website for you to check out today. Today, tomorrow and the next even. Let's face it, it is Christmas season, and we are all doing a lot of shopping. You want to take advantage of all the deals you can find, and What's Cheap Today is going to help you do just that. What's Cheap Today has loads of deals found by members which will lead you to some serious money saving! Follow the link below. You will definitely like what you see.

LINK: What's Cheap Today



FREEBIES

Whiles supplies last, sign up for a free sample of Elizabeth Arden's perfume Pretty. I love trying out new fragrances over the holidays. It gives me a chance to figure out what I want for Christmas!

LINK: Pretty - Elizabeth Arden

Are you a recipe lover? If so you should sign up for this free Karo recipe booklet for cookies and bars.

LINK: Karo Recipe Book

If you are thinking that Thanksgiving and all the upcoming parties before Christmas are going to take their toll in the calorie department, you just might want to sign up for The Atkins Community. Sign up is totally free. With sign up you will get a quick start guide, three Atkins bar and lots more.

LINK: Atkins Community

Take care of the winter dry skin in a pinch with a quick free sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue. Walmart has the link up while supplies last.

LINK: Vaseline Intensive Rescue

This Friday at noon EST you can get a chance at one of 5000 Tide Stain Release Pre-treat sprays via their Facebook page. They will be giving out lots of products over the next several weeks so if you miss out on this one you can try for the next.

LINK: Tide Facebook

Got a dog or a cat? Sign up for a sample of Purina ONE at the Walmart link below. There are three page numbers. Click on number 3.

LINK: Purina ONE


Oh how I love free music! I found several free song downloads you just have to check out from Amazon.com

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Dream Child

Sixpence None The Richer - Silent Night

Veggie Tales -
Candy Cane Blues
For Unto Us A Child Is Born
Caroling Medly

FreeCCM of course is one of my favorite go-to spots for free Christian music, and this week they have another awesome song. This week you can download "God With Us" by Todd Agnew, "Joy To The World" by 33Miles, "Best Kept Secret" by Skillet, "Send Me Out" by Fee, and "Between Bare Trees" by The Choir. Follow the link below.

LINK: FreeCCM Christian Music




Okay this next group is not free but a great price for a CD download. How good? How about five dollars good? Right now you can download these CDs at Amazon.com for just $5.00.

Jars of Clay Presents The Shelter

Tenth Avenue North The Light Meets The Dark

Third Day Offerings A Worship Album

Chris Sligh The Anatomy Of Broken

Leeland Sound of Melodies

Michael W Smith Worship Again

Barlow Girl Home For Christmas

Sara Groves O Holy Night

Amy Grant My Best Christmas

Christ Is Come Big Daddy Weave

Build A Bear is a store that I only wish was around when I was a child. As it is, I made my own lamb several years, and she still sits prominently on one of my shelves. If you have a child who would like to build a bear or maybe needs some new outfits for their bear (or other cute little critter) then click on the link below for a printable coupon for $5.00 off a $25 purchase.

LINK: Build A Bear $5.00 Printable



GIVEAWAY




Okay. Everyone also knows that I love giveaways. One of my favorite review blogs is Simply Stacie and she is hosting a giveaway hop that seriously you need to check out. The giveaway runs from December 1st to December 5th. All the giveaways are gift certificates, gift cards, gift codes for websites or cash. This is so they can all be easily sent and in a timely manner. The entries are designed to be quick so you can enter them quickly. At just a quick glance I saw a $25 Visa gift card, a $20 gift code to Amazon.com, a $100 gift code to CSN stores, and lots more. Give it a shot. :)

LINK: Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! And I thought it would be a good idea to go over some nice Thanksgiving tips. First of all, no matter how you slice it and how many people are over for Thanksgiving, there are always leftovers sooooo I thought it might be a good idea to give some ideas on what to do with those leftovers so nothing gets wasted. In fact, even if you are going to someone else's home for Thanksgiving, you should take advantage of the awesome prices for turkey right now and make one of your own at a later date.

After the meal is through get all the meat off of that turkey carcass. You can easily freeze left over turkey by separating it into cup sizes, wrapping it up in foil and then putting it in a freezer bag. You can put the carcass in the freezer to and work on making a turkey stock the next day.

I have come to completely rely on the stock I have made rather than buying soup broths or stocks. It is really easy to do. If you have a crock pot, I highly recommend using it, because it couldn't be any simpler. Just put the carcass and some veggies in the crock pot and cover it with water. Cook it on low all day. A crock pot will use less energy than putting it on the stove, and you don't have to watch it at all. After 8 or more hours, strain the fluid out and put in containers to freeze. You can use this stock later as a base for soups, gravy, or for your liquid when doing other crock pot cooking. Seriously since I started doing this, I never buy canned broth any more.

Now when it comes to the left over turkey there are many recipes you can try. My family loves to make turkey sandwiches, but even that can get old. For me a turkey sandwich tastes best the first day. Here are some recipe links you might like to try.


Turkey and Mashed Potato Croquettes (here is a great way to use some leftover turkey and left over mashed potatoes). This recipe came from About.com from Diana Rattray

Stuffing Frittata (another great recipe which will give you a way to get some use out of that tasty leftover stuffing). I found this recipe at My Last Bite.

After Thanksgiving Turkey Salad recipe. Why not enjoy something with a little nut and crunch? This recipe really looks tasty, and I picked it up at CDKitchen.

Turkey Tetrazzini II Kind of self explanatory here. Just another way to use up that yummy turkey. This came from All Recipes which has loads of amazing recipes you will want to check out.

Now for those people who may not have someone to share Thanksgiving with or who may not be able to afford the celebration, there are several communities offering a free Thanksgiving meal for their community. Here are some details:

Word of Life Assembly 8th Annual Free Thanksgiving Dinner

Word of Life Assembly of Chino Valley, welcomes the tri-city community to Thanksgiving Dinner on Tuesday, November 23rd from 4-7:30pm. Enjoy smoked rotisserie turkey and ham, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, yams, dressing and dessert. We are honored to bless those in our community who can not provide for themselves. We also will deliver meals in chino Valley and Paulden to the homebound. Come join us for a wonderful time of food,fellowship and fun. Jump castles for the kids! 590 W Road 1 North, Chino Valley, AZ For more information 928-636-4224

Fourth Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner - Mayer, Cordes Lakes and Spring Valley

Tuesday, November 23rd will be our fourth annual Community Thanksgiving dinner for Mayer, Cordes Lakes, and Spring Valley. Don't miss out on a hot meal for the holidays. Because of the generous donations from many, we have been able to feed 100s of people who might not have a hot meal for the holidays. Begins at 5:00 pm at Mayer High School. Call for more information: 928-533-4451

Church on the Street annual Thanksgiving Feed (November 26)

All are welcome! Come join us in fellowship, food and the love of Christ as we feed Thanksgiving dinner to the public the day after Thanksgiving day (Friday 26th) at 11:00 am at Joe's Place 105 West Carleton St, Prescott.

Those who would like to volunteer please call pastor Wes at 928-771-8428.


FREEBIES


Burt's Bees is giving a free sample of their lotion. Follow the facebook link, take the quiz, and get hooked up with some fabulous Burt's Bees moisturizer.

LINK: Burt's Bees Moisturizer

Sign up with Beyond Bodi Heat for a free Bodi Heat patch. One per household.

LINK: Beyond Bodi Heat

While supplies last, Sam's club member can get a free sample of Dove hair care.

LINK: Dove Sample from Sam's

If you are still on the look out for a calendar, you can get the 2011 Unity Calendar: The Year of Abundant Living.

LINK: The Year of Abundant Living Calendar

Want a little help with your Thanksgiving cooking? Follow the link below for a free Martha Stewart e-cookbook.

LINK: Martha Stewart Cookbook

Get Sara Groves O Holy Night Tour - The Prison Show album for free straight from her website. Follow the link below.

LINK: Sara Groves CD O Holy Night

The free download of the week from FreeCCM is Skillet's "Best Kept Secret."

LINK: FreeCCM

Amazon has a free album download of Veggie Tales "The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree."

LINK: The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree

Here is another free way to help those who are less fortunate. Image links to Marine's Toy's For Tot's site

Okay you facebook people! Here is a great opportunity to do some good without spending a dime. Pier One Imports is the official drop off for Toys For Tots, and they are also doing something special. For each new fan they get on facebook, they will donate a $1 to Toys for Tots up to $100,000! I don't know where they stared in the fan zone so even if they are past 100,000 fans, please like them because this is for every NEW fan. This is going on from November 1 to December 1.


And please do not forget to search through Goodsearch.com. This is another painless way to give that I cannot suggest enough. Simply put Radio Shine in the charity sight, click verify, and every search will give a penny to Radio Shine. Those pennies add up, and especially so when you also shop through Goodshop.com. Again, put Radio Shine in the charity box, click verify, and Radio Shine will receive a percentage of that sale at no additional cost to you. It is a completely painless way to bless. Also when you shop through Goodshop.com you also will have a chance to receive special discounts. I do hope you check it out. Follow the link below. Check this out, if just 100 of Radio Shine's listeners did two searches a day through Goodsearch (again putting Radio Shine as the charity), Radio Shine could earn $730! With shopping, it goes up from there!

LINK: Goodsearch

BLACK FRIDAY

The day after Thanksgiving is swiftly approaching. Get some Black Friday sneak peeks by following the links below.

GottaDeal
Bargain Finders
BlackFridayAds
TheBlackFriday
BlackFriday2010 (has a contest too!)

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

This weekend, I was visiting my family in California and my niece told me about all the money she has spent recently on her car. I imagine there are a lot of people in the same boat right now, and because of that, I just have to tell you about this site. Check out repairpal.com the next time you are going to get repairs on your car. With repairpal.com you can see if you are being charge a fair price for car repairs. It is simple and straightforward. Check out the site for yourself. :)

LINK: Repairpal.com

Can you believe that we are just weeks away from Thanksgiving? And shoppers know what that means. We are also weeks away from Black Friday! Crazy! Here is your website tip. There are many, many Black Friday sneak peek websites that give you some clues and more on what Black Friday sales are coming your way. Check out Black Friday 2010 for your sneak peek now. You can just search like crazy online too for other sites and links.

Who loves free food? I do! If you like Jack in the Box is offering two free tacos (limit two per person) just for the asking on November 16th after 2 pm. Mind you, do check with your local Jack in the Box because this offer is limited to participating locations. So once more: TWO TACOS AFTER 2PM AT PARTICIPATING JACK IN THE BOX LOCATIONS.

LINK: Jack in the Box 2 Tacos After 2pm

Try for your chance to win a sample of Thomas Coffee. There are 250 people chosen each month. I love coffee and will definitely give it a shot. :)

LINK: Thomas Coffee Sample

Looking for a calendar for the upcoming year? You can head over to Pilsbury's website, and sign up for one of their news letters, and an awesome Pilsbury 2011 calendar is yours!

LINK: Pilsbury Calendar

If you are a Betty Crocker fan, you can sign up for some of their email newsletters, and get their yummy 2011 calendar. Is it just me or is it almost crazy to think that we are that close to even needing a 2011 calendar?

LINK: Betty Crocker Calendar

At Everyday Health you can sign up for a free sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue (first 1 million). There is a limit of one sample per household.

LINK: Vaseline Intensive Rescue

Today is Veteran's Day and participating Applebee's restaurants are going to again offer free entrees to all veterans and active duty military who come in on November 11th.

They can choose from a special Veteran's Day menu which has lots of favorites like 7 oz House Sirloin, Bacon Cheeseburger, Fiesta Lime Chicken, Double Crunch Shrimp, Oriental Chicken Salad and more. The link below will have details and the menu.

Again, check if your Applebee's is involved in this event and make sure to bring proof of service which includes: U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card, U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), Photograph in uniform, Wearing uniform, Veterans Organization Card or DD214

LINK: Applebee's Veterans Eat Free on Veteran's Day

Chili's is also hooking up our veterans on Veteran's day. Again, proof of service is required, and it is limited to a specific menu (I will have a link to that menu here), but some of the items are Quesadilla Explosion Salad, Cajun Chicken Pasta, Chicken Club Tacos and more. Always check with your local restaurant for participation.

LINK: Chili's Veterans Eat Free on Veteran's Day

Golden Corral is having a Military Appreciation Monday on November 15th from 5pm to 9pm. Last year they honored over 335,000 veterans and active duty military with a free dinner buffet and beverage. Check to see if your local Golden Corral is participating.

LINK: Golden Corral Military Appreciation Monday

Dollar General is offering a 10% discount on Veteran's Day for Veterans, Active Military and their families. :) Follow the link to their website for details. Definitely again ask your local Dollar General if they are participating.

LINK: Dollar General

Let's not forget that EVERYONE gets free entry to US National Parks today! So if you are at home because you got Veteran's day off...go have some fun.

LINK: Free Entry to US National Parks on Veteran's Day

This Saturday, November 13th is Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic, and your child can make a fun periscope. November 20th workshop will be for a Snowman gift card holder. Check out the details.

LINK: Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

While supplies last, sign up for a Style-n-Smile magnet frame from Scholastic and the American Association of Orthodontists. Also your order counts as an entry in their $1500 gift card sweepstakes so you may want to take the leap. :)

LINK: Style-n-Smile Magnet Frame

If you know someone who is expecting, how about taking advantage of a free download of Sing To Me A Lullabye Album at the WIC website.

LINK: Sing to Me Lullabye Album Download

iTickets.com has a free download this week of "The First Noel" by Revive. This is a great song to start off your Christmas collection for 2010!

LINK: iTickets Free Song Download

FreeCCM has a free download of Fee's song "Send Me" from their CD "Hope Rising." Also still available are songs by The Choir, Israel Houghton, Lincoln Brewster, and John Mark McMillan.

LINK: FreeCCM Free Song Download

While supplies last take advantage of the opportunity for a free sample of Purina ONE brand pet food.

LINK: Purina ONE

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

I thought it might be nice to do a little something about reusing an item or two.

If you are like me, you may have a wallet that is a little tight because of loyalty cards and membership cards. If you are also like me, it may be hard to find those cards when you need them. Here is an awesome tip. Take one of those Altoids mint tins and use it to hold your loyalty cards. This is a great place to keep them where the cards wont stretch out your wallet, and they will be easy to locate. These tins are also great to hold mini boo-boo kits. You can put in some bandages, aspirin, cough drops, Rolaids, and those little wet naps. They can also be used as mini play tins by adding some crayons and some folded up paper or even some Soduku sheets or crosswords and some golf pencils to keep you or the kids busy when waiting.

Mesh bags. I am always gathering up mesh bags from onions, nuts, and fruits. Here are a few ways to reuse them. You can use them as a scrubber for pots and pans, attach them to your gutter top to keep leaves out but water will still go in, you can also use them to hold small items that you are going to wash in the dishwasher like baby bottle nipples and caps, when you gather up all those itty bits and pieces of soap that kind of make the soap dish look creepy, pop them in a mesh bag and use that to wash extra dirty gardening hands or even scrub rough tootsies (doesn't that sound so much nicer than rough feet?) and if you want to offer the birds a little treat, you can place some suet in a mesh bag and easily hang it from a tree branch.

Ketchup bottles. Reuse cleaned ketchup bottles to make fun bath toys for the kids or make pancake or cupcake batter squeeze out without the mess.


Website Tips (A little website for the kids and one for you!) -

If you have a child who is planning on taking the ACT, SAT or GRE you might want to direct them to Number2.com. Number2.com is a free site for SAT, ACT and GRE prep. They also have a great vocabulary builder section. Considering that my son is 15 and a sophmore in high school, we are definitely going to keep this site in my computer's bookmarks.

LINK: Number2.com

Nowadays families are super busy. There are sports events to go to, lessons, work, parties and so many other things to keep track of, and Cozi has a way to keep track of it all for free. With Cozi you can keep your appointments on track, have the kids schedules set and even color coded, you can plan and print out your shopping lists, and lots more. And it is all for free! This is such an amazing tool! Truly keeping things organized can keep the stress down, finances up, and keep you at peace! Follow the link below to check it out.

LINK: Cozi Online Organizer for Families

FREEBIES

Target has free samples now! These are great samples too. Follow the link below to get a sample of Tide Original with Acti-Life laundry detergent and Glad Odor Shield trash bags. With six foster kittens in our home, the odor shield bags would be a great freebie!

LINK: Target Freebies

The first 10,000 to respond to Right At Home will get the Touch-Up & Go Pack. This pack includes a canister of Scrubbing Bubbles Antibacterial Bathroom Wipes, a pouch of Pledge Lemon Clean Wipes, a pouch of Pledge Multi Surface Wipes and a canister of Windex Original Glass Wipes. Sign up now for your chance.

LINK: Right At Home Touch-Up & Go Pack.

The first 500,000 registrants will receive a coupon for a free bottle of Advil. This is definitely going to go fast so head on over ASAP.

LINK: Advil

While supplies last you can get a sample of Ester-C Gummies. Now is definitely the time to take advantage of all the vitamins you can get. LINK: Ester-C Gummies


I have to bring this up again, because if you haven't signed up yet, you definitely want to take advantage of a free sample of Taster's Choice little coffee singles. This samples if for six varieties. These really come in handy when you want a coffee but you are on the go.

LINK: Taster's Choice Singles

Free CCM has a new download this week for 33Miles new song "What Grace Looks Like" from their new CD "Today." Great title! You can still take advantage of their other free downloads from Caedmon's Call, Bart Millard, Disciple, The Afters, Phil Wickham and Sara Groves.

LINK: Free CCM

iTickets.com has a free download of "You Belong To Me" from Michael W. Smith's CD "Wonder." This is good if you missed it on hear it first! You can also download "Your Will" by Ken Reynolds Featuring Darick Rutley from Gotta Have Gospel 8.

LINK: iTickets free music

And speaking of Hear It First. Really you must sign up. This week's download was Matthew West's My Own Little World. Just sign up for their news letter and get to download new music EVERY Tuesday! You can also listen to Matthew's new album "The Story of Your Life" AND enter to win a special Matthew West prize pack. Seriously...do you want to pass this up? PS I also got to download "Love Amazing" by Circleslide.

LINK: Hear It First

Here is another interesting treat. If you can't make it to the Make A Difference Tour or if you want to just enjoy the music in advance. Go to Hear It First today at 5 pm Pacific to watch the Make A Difference Tour. There is a suggested donation of $10.00.

LINK: Hear It First Live

PREREGISTER FOR THE EVENT HERE: Make A Difference Tour

Kelly's Thrifty Tips -

This is how I feel. Not really how things are though. I am just dramatic. :)

I apologize for not getting this posted at my usual time, but I have been kind of in non-stop mode. We are heading off to the Women of Faith conference today. I had to pack this morning, put laundry away, get my son set for school, and inform him of what he needs to do for tomorrow (as he will be heading off on his own to the bus). My husband will be home for backup, but as a mom, I worry. And as a mom, I will probably be calling or texting my son tomorrow to make sure he is okay. Ahhhh me...such is life. :)

For the past few weeks, I have kind of dabbled in prepping for Christmas. Last week, I talked about getting some seasonal jobs. This week I thought it would be a good idea to bring up one of my favorite Christmas links. Organizing Your Way has a free Christmas Planning ebook as well as some fabulous printable planning sheets that can really take the edge off of your Christmas planning. There is a To-Do list, a Christmas Card List, a Shopping List, Budget Planner, Baking Planner and more. I mentioned this fabulous resource last year, and I wanted to give you the heads up again. All of these will really help you get it together for Christmas. I highly recommend checking these out. The holidays go so much more smoothly when we take a little time to just plan.

LINKS: Organizing Your Way Christmas Planning Printables

FREEBIES -

FREEBIES TO NOSH

ZonePerfect is giving away Cookie Dough Nutrition bars through their facebook page starting at 3pm ET (we are talking noon in AZ) to their first 40,000 fans to sign up. :)

LINK: ZonePerfect

You can get free chips and a regular fountain soda at Quiznos when you buy a regular sub, large sub or a regular chopped salad! Follow the link to print your coupon which also has all the details. This coupon expires 10/10/2010.

LINK: Quiznos Coupon

DOLLARS OFF

Check out the Dollar General's facebook page for a printable for $5.00 off the purchase of $25 or more! This coupon is only good for 9/30, 10/01 and 10/02.

LINK: $5 off $25 Dollar General

FREE PRETTY

Get a free 10-day supply of Get a free 10-day supply of your ideal liquid foundation shade from Estee Lauder starting October 1st to October 31st. The offer is of course good while supplies last so I wouldn't hold out too long. For locations go here: http://www.esteelauder.com/storelocator For more info check out their facebook link below.

LINK: Estee Lauder

RANDOM FREENESS

Okay this is a freebie you give. You can send a friend, loved one, or even a co-worker a package of Kleenix. I suppose this may seem kind of silly, but let's face it, cold season is hitting, and who wouldn't like a little box of Kleenix on hand. Again this isn't a freebie for you, it is a freebie to give. Of course you can ask someone to send you one. :)

LINK: Kleenix Softness Worth Sharing

Earth's Best Organic has a free sample of their baby formula. Just like them on facebook to get the deal. This is again the kind of freebie that comes in handy for say...the diaper bag. Follow the link below.

BABY CUTIE FREEBIES

LINK: Earth's Best Organic Formula

Get a Beechnut Stage 4 Toddler Welcome Kit when you sign up for Beechnut's newsletter.

LINK: Beechnut Toddler Welcome Kit

MUSIC

FreeCCM's new download for the week is "Sometimes A Begger" by Caedmon's Call. And you can still get free downloads from Bart Millard, Disciple, The Afters, Phil Wickham and Sara Groves.

LINK: FreeCCM

iTickets.com has a download of "Real Life" from Lincoln Brewster and Jesus Is My Denomination by Mike Abrams.

LINK: iTickets

Sign up for the Hear It First newsletter and get free music downloads every week. This week I got Michael W. Smith's "You Belong To Me" and "Children of the Light" by Lecrae.

LINK: Hear It First


LISTEN FOR FREE

Want to check out Michael W. Smith's new CD "Wonder"? You can listen now at New Release Tuesday.

LINK: New Release Tuesday

PICTURE PERFECT FREEBIE

Head on over to Walgreens website to order a free 8 x 10 Collage Print. Use the code FBCOLL at checkout and set it up to pick up at the store so you pay no shipping. :) This is good TODAY only (10/01). Well it was good yesterday, but I'm not on the air on Wednesday. This can make a really cute gift for grandparents. :)

LINK: Walgreens 8 x 10 Collage

That is all for today folks. I have something special cooking up for next week though. See you then!

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Okay. We are definitely nearing the big back to school countdown. Last week I talked about getting a total inventory of all the kids clothing. If you haven't done it yet, seriously do this. Figuring out what your children need can keep you from over spending. This week I highly recommend doing the same thing with your kids school supplies. In fact this is something to keep in mind for next year. On the last day of school. Separate the pencils, pens, papers and folders and put away what you think is in good enough condition for next year. We do this every year which usually makes going through all the school supplies pretty easy. I like to box them up if possible. It keeps us from looking around the house for things like the special calculator that my son had to have for Algebra. :)

Now for shopping. Shop around because there are deals everywhere. If you have a computer look around online at the online fliers. If you have a good idea of size, check the online clothing sales too. When it comes to clothes, take advantage of thrift stores, yard sales, rummage sales and consignment shops. Now is a great time to pick up some great items at these outlets as people are thinning out closets and making donations in preparation for back-to-school shopping. Hit those clearance racks at the retail stores. I have been continually stunned at the amazing deals I have been finding at retail stores. I went to a GAP outlet about a month ago and was quite literally stunned by the great deals out there in the clearance sections.


School supplies can be purchased all over, but it is important to get going while the sales are in full swing. Shop at the grocery store, office supply stores, drug stores and mass merchandisers like Walmart and Target. The important thing is to know your prices again, and do not be afraid to shop at more than one store for the best sales. If you take the time to plan your route, you can usually take advantage of the sales without wasting gas. When buying school supplies don't forget things that might not be on your child's list now but your child will need in the future like report covers and index cards. You can find these items for a seriously good price now so take advantage while they are inexpensive.


PS I have noticed lots of great deals on hand sanitizer and tissue too. You might want to pick up some of these deals for your child's classroom. I know my son's teachers have appreciated it.


And don't forget whether you are shopping for school clothes or school supplies, bring your lists!

FREEBIES

While supplies last get your hands on a sample of Oxy Skin Care. The sample will arrive in two to three weeks!

LINK: Oxy Skin Care Sample

If you like Estee Lauder, you may want to head to their counter today (July 22nd) between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm to get a ten day supply of Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye or Face Serum. No purchase necessary!

LINK: Estee Lauder free 10-day supply Advanced Night Repair Eye or Face Serum

For the time being YOU can get a sample of Nexxus Therappe Shampoo, Humectress Conditioner and the new Humectress deep conditioner from Walmart.com. I love this stuff! I have no idea how long this Walmart free sample will last so hurry on this one!

LINK: Walmart Nexxus Samples

Walmart also has a free sample of Schiff Mega Red Omega 3 Krill Oil. Check out the details at the link below.

LINK: Walmart Mega Red Omega 3 Krill Oil

Nature's Bounty is offering a free pedometer again! We got one a little while ago, and my son loves it. If you have wanted an easy way to monitor your steps and walking this is a cheap way to get at it.

LINK: Nature's Bounty Pedometer

Choose You is a movement created by the American Cancer Society that encourages women to put their own health first in the fight against cancer. Choose You challenges women to make healthier choices, and supports them in their commitment to eat right, get active, quit smoking and get regular health checks. Register now and you can get your own Choose You flower pin. A pretty little reminder of how you should do things to improve your health.

LINK: Choose You Pin

FreeCCM has a free download this week of Todd Agnew's "Give Me Jesus." They also still have songs by Chris Rice, Laura Story and Jeremy Horn.

LINK: Free CCM

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Before I go into the post, I just want to remind people that this time of year is a high volume time for the cat populations at the Yavapai Humane Society. I imagine it is pretty high everywhere. Because they have so many cats on hand, Yavapai Humane Society has a special deal. All cat adoptions have been dramatically reduced. The normal adoption fee for kittens is $95 and adult cats go for $75. right now kittens will be $47.50, adult cats $37.50, and there will be no fee to adopt a senior cat five years of age or older! I was just there yesterday, and it was crazy crowded with fabulous felines!

www.yavapaihumane.org


One of the best ways to trim any budget is with the grocery bill. It is one of the easiest ways to make adjustments, and it is definitely a budget item with more flexibility than say your rent or mortgage. I am pretty proficient at saving money on meat by knowing my price limits, when to buy, and when to stock up. Sadly this just doesn't help me when it comes to steaks. The fact is I just do not know what makes a good steak, but I know what doesn't taste good. This breaks down to I don't realize it until it is too late! This caused me to look for tips on picking good meats and cooking them. Here is what I found.

1-- For good high-quality beef, look for fine needled graining of fat or marbling throughout the meat. Also be aware of the color of the fat around the outside. It should be white. Any other color signifies lesser quality.

2-- A great cheap steak is a "Chuck Eye Steak." This steak is cut next to the ribeye. It is not as pretty but supposed to be very tender and great on the grill.

3-- To save on stew beef, buy a chuck roast and cut it up yourself.

4-- Talk to your butcher. Your butcher can give you insight into what is the best cut of meat for your budget without sacrificing taste.

5 -- Sirloin is a good cut. Choose top sirloin or butt steak which are both fairly tender.

6-- Another good buy is flank steak which is great for marinades and dry rubs.

7-- Brisket is always a good buy and tastes amazing when you braise it.

8-- Cheaper chicken is the legs, thighs, and wings. These are also the parts that have the most flavor. I have really learned to embrace these darker meats. You can save lots of cash by exploring your recipe options.

9-- It is also cheaper to buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself or bake it and make use of all the leftovers. I have made at least four different meals out of one 4 pound whole chicken.

10-- Tip for roasting chicken. For a juicer chicken roast the chicken breastside down for part of the cooking.

11-- Buy turkey legs for a bargain price and use them to make soups and casseroles.

12-- Tasty and reasonably price are pork loins which are often boneless and center cut.

13-- When grilling, the fresher the meat the better.

14-- Braising makes even tough meat tender. There are lots of great tips out there for this technique. Here is a link to a great video how to: Braising

15-- I found this awesome handy Cooking Method Guide that matches cooking methods to various cuts of beef. I picked this up from the Beef It's Whats for Dinner website. Check out the link below. It is a great tool!

LINK: Matching Cooking Methods to Beef Cuts Ensures Success

Here is also a link on knowing your cuts and how to cook them!

LINK: Knowing Your Cuts and How to Cook Them



All Things Free:

National Donut Day is June 4th and in celebration, participating Krispy Kreme shops will be offering a free donut to their customers. Follow the link below to their page where you can find a link of participating stores.

LINK: Free Donut at Krispy Kreme


Dunkin' Donuts will also offer a free donut on Donut Day, but theirs is with the purchase of a beverage, and honestly if you like great coffee this is not going to cramp your style!

LINK: Free Donut at Dunkin' Donuts with beverage purchase


If you have cats or dogs, you might like to pick up the free sample at walmart.com for Purina Smart Blends. These samples are great to see how the food is beneficial to your pet, and they are handy to have around when you suddenly realize you need to pick up some food for your pet.

LINK: Purina Smart Blends for Dogs or Cats

Taster's Choice has free samples of their awesome coffee singles again! If you haven't tried this yet you might want to sign up. My mom loves these. Follow the link below.

LINK: Taster's Choice Gourmet Coffee Singles

Addison Road's new CD is coming out very soon, and right now you can get a free track at FreeCCM! The song is "Change in the Making" from their upcoming CD "Stories." FreeCCM still has free music from Jonny Diaz, 33Miles, Mike Farris and Joy Whitlock.

LINK: FreeCCM

iTickets.com has a great free download this week from Carolina Story's album When the River Met the Sea. The song is "The Apple." Check it out.

LINK: iTickets


This is free with purchase. Spend $10 at a Bath and Body Works store or online and get a full-sized body care item free (up to $13.00 value). If you make your purchase online, simply add a $10 item to your cart, pick you full-sized body care item, and use the code FREEBC at check out. If you are heading to the store, print the coupon found at the link below. Offer good until June 10th.


LINK: Free Full-Sized body care item with $10 purchase

Shopping

Don't forget to load up your store loyalty cards with coupons from Cellfire. Truly Cellfire is one of THE easiest ways to use coupons. I have also been lucky to have coupons from Cellfire taken off my order as well as my own clipped coupons. Follow the link below to get started.

LINK: Cellfire

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

I will be back to post on what I talked about this morning, but in the meantime, here are a few goodies!

REBATES AND COUPONS

Jennie-O is giving away rebates that can hook you up with a FREE (yep free) Jennie-O product up to a $5.00 value. All you have to do is join their new Wellness Group. The rebate is for the first 5000 so you definitely want to get going. Once you sign up, simply sign in and click on coupons. There you will get the form to fill out for your printable rebate. Another plus is right now Safeway has Jennie-O Store Extra Lean Ground Turkey Breast (20 oz) for $4.99!

LINK: Jennie-O

COST PLUS World Market has a printable coupon for $10 off a $30 purchase. The coupon expires 3/15. They always have something interesting to check out and some pretty cool prices. There is one right over at the mall here in Prescott, so I am definitely picking this up!

LINK: Cost Plus World Market Coupon

The Children's Place has a 15% printable coupon available now too! This is definitely the time to take advantage of some great deals. The coupon is good until March 16th!

LINK: The Children's Place

Aeropostale has an printable coupon to be used in stores only for $10 off a $50 purchase. They also have a buy one get one deal on polo shirts. I don't have a store near me, but if I did, this would be printed up and out the door. Coupon expires on February 28th.

LINK: Aeropostale $10 off $50


FREE SAMPLES


Sam's Club is offering a free sample of Member's Mark baby formula. You do not have to be a member to get in on this deal, but I definitely would not wait on it too long. Follow the link below.

LINK: Member's Mark Formula

Got a facebook account? Do you like Zone Perfect? Zone perfect has been offering their first 30,000 fans a free ZonePerfect Indulgence nutrition square sent right to their address. They are also donating a dollar for each fan up to 30,000 to the Save the Music Foundation. I like both music and ZonePerfect so this is a win win! They have about 3000 slots left so you will want to do this fairly soon.

LINK: ZonePerfect


I do not know how long this will last but there is a deal right now for a free South Beach Living S'more bar. Who can pass up a deal like that? Really, who can pass up smores of any kind? Again, I am not sure how long this will last so give it a shot.

LINK: South Beach Living S'more Bar Sample

Walmart's website is giving us some more great free samples. Head on over to get a sample of Olay Total Effects Body Wash. I was just thinking, do they even call it Oil of Olay? Did I just totally date myself? Link up below (click on request a free sample when the page loads up)!

LINK: Olay Total Effects Body Wash


Walmart's website also had a link to get a free sample of Tide Plus Febreze. There are also a lot of coupons to check out too.

LINK: Tide Plus Febreze

iTickets.com has a free download this week for Starfield's Rediscover You from their new CD The Saving One. It is a beauty.

LINK: iTickets Download of the Week

FreeCCM has downloads for Chasen, Chris Rice, Phillips, Craig and Dean and Stellar Kart! I love this place! Don't forget, you do have to be a member, but it is totally free. :)

LINK: FreeCCM music!


LOSING WEIGHT FRUGALLY

I have recently started the Special K diet plan. Basically it is a two week thing, and it is a nice way to kick start some weight loss. One of the things that stood out to me was the 90 calorie snacks which you can get in by eating one of their bars or a 90 calorie serving of their crackers. I picked up some of the bars as they were on sale and I had amassed quite a few coupons, but the crackers were out of the question as they were pretty pricey (over $3.00 a box). I decided to come up with some 90 calorie snacks that fit my tastes but also fit my budget. When the diet is through, I will up the snacks to 100 calories.

The most important thing to do is take the time to figure things out. Do not pay for convenience. Just because you can buy a box of bagged 100 calorie snacks doesn't mean you should. You pay nearly double for what you would a regular box that isn't bagged and get much less. Take the time to plan, and you will not regret it. The bad eating choices and spending choices are usually due to not planning.

Good low cal snacking

Air popped pop corn

You can have 3 cups of air popped pop corn for only 93 calories. You can also add seasoning like Kernel Season's pop corn seasoning to flavor it up. If you like your popcorn cheesy you can add a 1/4 teaspoon of their nacho cheese seasoning is just 2 calories. You can easily add two of those and still be below 100 calories. There are 100 servings per bottle. If you like it sweet, they have a caramel seasoning for 5 calories per 1/4 teaspoon.

Cheez Its (Reduced Fat)

Save on spending money for the 100 calorie packs and figure out the calories and add your own snacks to the bag. I am not a math whiz but I figured about 22 crackers would be about 100 calories, because they are roughly 4.5 calories per cracker.

Gingersnaps

If you want something sweet. Eat three Nabisco Gingersnaps for 90 calories.

Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses (because sometimes you just want chocolate)

If you have to have something sweet, you might want to go for the dark chocolate Hershey's kisses. Dark chocolate is better for you and four kisses will get you a tad over 100 calories.

Plums

You can have three average sized plums at 30 calories each. That is filling and sweet. This is definitely a good way to go for a snack.


Want to know the calories in your foods? A great resource is CalorieKing. At Calorie King you can look up the calories in different foods and also see what kinds of activities you would be able to do to burn it off.

Have you ever been totally excited by an exercise video and then find yourself doing the exercises for a week or two and then dropping it because it just doesn't suit you? I recently found ExerciseTV. This is an amazing resource for FREE online exercise videos. Definitely worth checking out, because it is not only free but there are so many options, you will have a hard time getting bored.