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

WEBSITE TIPS

You have got to check out DODTracker.com. This website will give you up to the minute pricing and deal details on many, many websites. You can find deals on computers and electronics, music and entertainment, apparel, jewelry, and lots more. If you are looking for a deal this is a great place to stop.

LINK: DOD Tracker

Do you like Ebay, but want to do a little more good? Check out Goodwill's Auction site. I found amazing deals there. Seriously, just last night I quickly browsed and found a pair of stunning Chanel sunglasses (swoon), numerous designer bags like Coach, Dooney and Bourke and Fendi, and ooooh the antique selection is so fun to browse. I was especially smitten with the antique crank phonograph. Interested? Follow the link below.

LINK: Shop Goodwill Online


FREEBIES

Get a Bring Your Green To Work note pad from Energy Star. You can order up to 50. Free shipping. I have no idea how long this will last so go now. It is in the Buildings and Plants section or the 12th item down.

LINK: Energy Star Bring Your Green To Work Note Pad

Post-it is again offering Durable Tabs and Label Pads samples. With m y son back in school the tabs are really a huge help. This offer ends on 9/15/2010.

LINK: Post-it Samples

All-Bran has an awesome Promise Pack available again. If you haven't registered you can register on the link. The last promise pack included All Bran's drink mix, bar and cereal. I think coupons also were included. Follow the link below.

LINK: All-Bran Promise Pack

A sample for the ladies. For that...time. This is thanks to Walmart's sample program.

LINK: Free Sample for the Ladies

Walmart has Cheetos Mighty Zingers samples today as well. I just got a sample in the mail. It was one of those 99 cent bags. Check it out.

LINK: Cheetos Mighty Zingers

This Saturday's Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic for kids is an awesome school bus. This is too cute! Not only is there a secret compartment but there is also a chalk board roof. Follow the link below to check into signing up. September's is a leash hanger that is also pretty cute!

LINK: Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

Print out the coupon at the link below for a free LORAC mini gloss or eye primer at Sephora inside JC Penney. This is not good for JCPenney.com or Sephora.com. Only Sephora inside JC Penney. The coupon expires on 9/22/10.

LINK: Coupon for LORAC mini gloss or eye primer

Don't forget to log in to cellfire to put coupons right on your card.

LINK: Cellfire

You can also check into the websites for Safeway and Frys for more opportunities to print coupons and also load coupons directly onto your loyalty cards there as well. I load up what I can, you never know what you might end up picking up.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Happy Thursday! First of all, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has been taking the time to sponsor a child through this Thursday and Friday's Shine4Kids to Shine to Shine God's Love in Guatemala through Food For The Hungry. One of the reasons we try to save money in our home is in order to give more to those in need.

Thanksgiving is coming up, and there are some families and individuals out there may not be able to afford to have the traditional Thanksgiving at home or may not have anyone to share it with. Communities and churches have been stepping forward with Thanksgiving celebrations for those who might not otherwise have the opportunity. These dinners offer food, fellowship, and the opportunity to share time in celebration with one another. There are two I'd like to mention here. If you know anyone who would be blessed by dinners such as this, check out my list below:

Chino Valley:

TUESDAY 11/24---- Word of Life Assembly of God is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner on 11/24 at 4:00pm to 7:30 pm. This is their seventh annual Thanksgiving At Our House Free Community Thanksgiving dinner. Anyone is invited to come on down, spread the word and bring friends!
Address: Word of Life Assembly
590 W. Road 1 North
Chino Valley, Arizona

WEDNESDAY 11/25---- Sprngs Church will be providing Thanksgiving Dinner to the residents of Spring Valley, Cordes, Mayer and the surrounding communities. The dinner will be served at the Mayer High School from 4:43 pm to 7:30 pm,

Address: Mayer High School
17300 E. Mule Deer Drive
Mayer, Arizona

More Money Saving Tips---

Sandwiches-- Making your sandwiches out of meats from your butcher department is really a smart way to save. Think about it. Cook's Spiral Sliced Half Ham is on sale this week at Fry's for 1.47 a pound. It is already sliced up. This is definitely a deal over lunch meat prices. If you buy your chicken, roasts and ham on sale, and make sandwiches out of your left overs...we are talking huge savings.

FREEBIE UPDATES---
I have an update for the 50 free photo cards from See Here is now limited to 4 x 8 cards. The shipping is still free and the end date is November 30th. Again, a HUGE thank you to Freebies4Mom for spreading the word on this great deal! Once again, the coupon code is freebies4mom-1109. Linky: See Here

FREE SAMPLES---

Kashi TLC Chewy granola bar! These are absolutely delicious! Get clicking while supplies last!
Linky: Kashi TLC Chewy Granola Bar

Another big thanks to Freebies4Mom for that little deal!

Amazing pile of free samples at Vive Mejor! Right now you can get samples of Hellman's and Best Food's Lite Mayonnaise, Caress Skin Care, Ponds Rejuveness, and New Degree Women Fine Fragrance Collection. Get them while they last! Link: Vive Mejor

BARGAIN PRICING!

A few weeks ago there was a plethora (at least I think plethora is an adequate word) of great magazine deals at Amazon.com! There is a really awesome one right now. You can get or give TWO years of Redbook for just $5.00. That is because right now, Amazon has it for $10.00 with a special deal today for an additional $5.00 off. This would definitely make a great and inexpensive gift! I think this is just for today so you definitely want to act now. PS on this one...the one year is $8.00!!!!
Link: Redbook Magazine 2 year sub

GIFT IN A JAR RECIPE OF THE WEEK!


This week's gift in a jar recipe is for Snow Ball Cookies.


Snow Balls Mix

A favorite recipe to share with friends.

1/2 C powdered sugar
2 C all-purpose flour
1 C chopped pecans

Combine the confectioners sugar and flour and place into a 1 quart canning jar. Put the chopped pecans on top.

Include the following instructions with your gift:


Snow Balls Mix

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease cookie sheets. In a medium bowl, cream together 3/4 cup of shortening and 1/4 cup of margarine. Stir in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extracts. Add the contents of the jar, and mix well. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool, and roll in confectioner sugar. Makes 4 dozen.

Another great freebie I love is printable gift tags. My son and I are especially fond of the Suessville gift tags. We have been using them since he was quite young. One of the things we like to do as a craft together is print them up and then color them with colored pencils. I have looked around for some others you might want to try out.

GIFT TAGS:


Suessville - Great gift tags you can color that are lively and fun. You can use a hole punch to add a ribbon or just tape them directly to the gift. Again, these are black and white which really make for coloring fun.

Mint Printables - These are in color. There are Santas, snowmen, angels, and more. Again, just pick and print.

Free Printable Gift Tags - There are too many to even described. These again are already colored. They have a number of tags you can print out for any occasion.

MAKE YOUR OWN GIFTS


Well, really you aren't making your own. You are making them for others. I found an absolutely fabulous craft in Family Fun magazine for what they call Snowball Soap Surprise. This is sooooo easy and a great craft for the kids. I also found it at several other blogs. Here are the directions:

Snowball Soap Surprise

What You Need:
Food processor or cheese grater
4 (4.5-ounce) bars of Ivory soap
8 tiny plastic toys (you can get some little action figures, toys at a thrift store, little rubber balls, or toy rings. Really there is no limit to what you can pick up for this suprise).

1. Use a food processor fitted with the grater attachement to shred four bars of Ivory soap (you can also grate the soap with a hand grater). Pour all the pieces into a large bowl.

2. With your hands, mix in about a half cup of lukewarm water, a little bit at a time, until the mixture is squishy and claylike.

3. For each snowball, scoop up a heaping handful of soap and mold it into a ball. Poke a deep hole n the center with your finger, insert a toy, and refill the hole. Lay the finished snowballs on a cookie sheet and let them dry thoroughly.

Once they dry they even look kind of flakey.

I have seen some variations on this idea. Aunt Pitty Pat soaks her soap bars over night and has the kids form them into balls with no suprises but a really cute poem. Link: Aunt Pitty Pat Snowball Soap. The New Unschooler uses pretty much the same recipe. She adds 1/4 cup of water per cup of grated soap, puts a toy in and has the soap dry out in the sun.

Felt Finger Puppets
These are adorable and I have found crafts that you can sew or glue. These are simple to make and easily will make the kids smile. I found two sites that really had some awesome ideas, but trust me, there are plenty out there.

Make and Takes has an awesome craft to make felt Star Wars finger puppets, and they are darling! All the directions are at their site. Link: Make and Takes

eHow also has a great set of instuctions for finger puppets that require a little bit of sewing. Check it out at their site: Link: eHow


GROCERIES

Don't forget to load up your loyalty cards with the new Cellfire coupons. They are up now! Link: Cellfire

What is for sale?
This week I was pressed for air time so I only have a top six. That is two for each store.

Fry's--
(Manufacturer coupons all value at $1.00. Accept competitor's coupons)
-- Jennie-O Frozen Turkey 37 cents a pound
-- Cook's Spiral Sliced ham $1.49 a pound

Safeway
-- Broccoli and Cauliflower Crowns 68 cents a pound
-- 10 pound bag of Russet Potatoes for 97 cents each

Albertsons
-- Asparagus and greenbeans 99 cents a pound
-- Betty Crocker Cake Mix or Ready to Serve Frosting 69 cents each when you buy 5

Lastly, if you are having Thanksgiving in your home and are going to have children at the dinner, you may want to check out this awesome website I found. It is the Thanksgiving Page from Holiday Zone. There are loads of printables from cross word puzzles, word searches, coloring pages, and a Thankful list.
Link: Holiday Zone - Thanksgiving Page



Have a great weekend! Since I wont be back for two weeks, I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving too!

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Good morning!!!! Let's get started!

First, I was talking this morning about my tomato growing progress. It is slow, but it has definitely gotten me excited about the possibility of growing a more substantial garden next year. Five tomatoes is nothing to sneeze at for me. Actually a live plant is pretty awesome for me. I am not usually too good with plants. Until I get a handle on growing my own luscious tomatoes and yummy veggies, I have decided to avail myself to the Farmer's Market in Prescott. Did you know that there are 53 Farmer's Markets in Arizona? I found a great site to share with you so you can look up the one nearest you! Keep in mind that these do not all run, but many do! Go to the United States Department of Agriculture site for Agricultural Marketing Service. Here is your link: Agricultural Marketing Service. Click on the line that says "FIND A FARMER'S MARKET IN YOUR STATE." With this site, you can really narrow down a search for your state and city.


Birthday freebies are the best freebies, and thanks to the 10 o'clock news I discovered another site that lists great birthday freebies by state! You can even narrow down categories. It is FreeBirthdayTreats.com! You can search for adults, children, and even pet birthday treats! This isn't all about just swinging a free dessert so be sure to check it out! Here is your linkage: Free Birthday Treats

Definitely do not forget to hook yourself up with the awesome free music opportunities at freeccm.com! This week, you can download Phillips, Craig & Dean's song "Your Name" from their album Top of My Lungs, Todd Agnew's "In The Middle Of Me" from Reflection of Something, Bart Millard's "My Jesus I love Thee/'Tis So Sweet" from Hymned 1, and Derek Webb' s "A Love That's Stronger Than Our Fear" from The Ringing Bell. This is a great site from INO Records with great Christian music news, contests and free legal downloads! Here is your linkage: Free CCM Remember you do have to register.

Top Ten Sale Faves:

Safeway (need customer card):
1- 80% Lean Ground Beef - $1.47 lb (This is definitely the time to stock up!)
2- Yellow Nectarines - 79 cents a pound
3- Sanderson Farm Whole Chicken - 69 cents a pound

Safeway also has a great sale on Oscar Mayer products. Buy 5 and save $5.00! This is an optimal time to pick up some of their fabulous lunch meats for back-to-school lunch deals. After the buy 5 save $5, Oscar Mayer sliced beef bologna adds up to $2.49, sliced bacon $2.99, beef franks $2.00, fun pack lunchables $1.99 and Oscar Mayer Deli Shaved lunchmeat $2.49.

Safeway is also offering coupons in their flyer. My favorites are:
Lucerne Butter $1.49 (limit 1)
Barilla Pasta 69 cents (limit 1)
Lucerne 18 count eggs 99 cents (limit 1)

Don't forget that you can also go to Safeway's website and load coupons onto your loyalty card or even print some to bring into the store. Linkaroonie: Safeway Also remember that you can load even more coupons onto your loyalty card via cellfire.

Top Ten Sale Faves (cont):
Albertsons (no loyalty card needed and Wednesdays are 10% off for senior citizens!):
4- Boneless skinless chicken breasts $1.57 lb (THIS is AWESOME!)
5- Cooks Shank portion ham (bone in) 99 cents a pound
6- Honeydew melon 39 cents a pound

In addition, check out Albertons flier for coupon savings including;
Aim or Pepsodent 6 oz toothpaste 47 cents (limit 2)
Bush's Beans 57 cents (limit 6)
Hormel Little Sizzler sausage 77 cents (limit 2)
Iceburg lettuce 47 cents (limit 2)
$5 off a $50 purchase
$10 off a $100 purchase

This is not a coupon but I cannot continue without mentioning that Albertonsalso has London Broil for $1.67 a pound. This has become one of my new favorites, because it is so inexpensive, but it tastes amazing. I have taken to letting it marinade in some balsamic vinegar from morning until cooking time and then bake it at 275 for about 3 hours. The balsamic vinegar marinade gets the meat so yummy and tender! You slice this baby up like you would a roast and eat up. A half usually feeds my husband, son and myself with leftovers that go very nicely on top of a spring mix salad for lunch or a light dinner for two. :)


Top Ten Sale Faves (cont):
Fry's (loyalty card needed):
7- Hebrew National beef franks, Polish sausage or Knockwurst 2 for $5.00 (one is regularly $5.99!)
8- Boneless half pork loin 1.88 lb (limit 4)
9- Bartlet pears 77 cents a pound
10- Kroger organge juice 64 oz for 99 cents

There are also some other great deals at Fry's like:
Fry's instant oatmeal priced at just 2 for $3.00. I love this stuff.
Eggo waffles are also on sale at 2 for $3.00
Doritos are just $1.97 for 11.7 or 14.5 oz sizes
Fry's apple juice is $1.99 for 64 oz

And there are many, many more deals. Dont forget that you can also log more savings on your Fry's card via cellfire and go directly to Fry's website to also upload deals via the P&G eSaver.

Happy Saving! See you next week!