Kelly's Thrifty Tips

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



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




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



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



All of these are fairly simple.






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

Sincerely,

Kelly :)

Casting Crowns Concert - September 18 - At Phoenix First Assembly

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

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

For now I thought about Christmas.



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



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



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



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



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



yourname(AT)yahoo(DOT)com



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



Typical blog giveaway rules:



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

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

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

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

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



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



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



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



Top Sales at our BIG THREE



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



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



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



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



Safeway



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


5 -- Navel Oranges 2 lbs for $1.00


6 -- Bananas 59 cents a pound



Fry's


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

-Cambpells Chicken Noodle and Tomato Soup 10.75 oz
-Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Original 7.25 oz
-Yoplait Yogurt 4-6 oz
-Budget Gourmet Entrees (Michelina's) - Selected Varieties



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



9 -- Betty Crocker Frosting 2 for $3.00



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

Swimming Lessons Anyone?

There's nothing new about a 7 year old learning to swim, unless of course, it's an 800 pound grizzly bear taking the plunge. Click here to read the entire story.

Let's Talk Turkeys!

A Washington town has decided to spare the lives of several wild turkeys by putting them up for adoption. Click here to read the entire story.

9 lives? Not for this Cat

A woman's pet cat has been found alive, buried beneath debris 26 days after an Ohio fire. Click here to read the entire story.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Good afternoon!!!!! I apologize for not getting on here sooner. On to the savings!!!!!

First of all, if you want to start working on saving money for the upcoming holidays, one of the best places to find that extra cash is in your grocery budget. It really is THE best place to cut your budget. One of the ways I do this is by cooking out of my pantry. If you stick to purchasing items while they are on sale, you can build up a pretty substantial pantry and most people can cook out of that pantry for at least a week if not more. According to Tips To Organize Life your pantry should have these items:

Dried herbs and spices
Dried pasta
Rice
Beef, chicken and vegetable stock
Condensed soup
Canned beans
Spaghetti sauce
Liquid condiments (such as hot sauces, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and the like)
Extra Virgin olive oil
Canned tomatoes

Myself, I also add canned tuna, Spam (yep Spam), canned mixed veggies (they go great in soups), sugar, and when I can get them cheaply cake mixes and other dry desert goods that can be used in a pinch for holiday baking.

I also consider my freezer part of my pantry and like to have frozen veggies and various meets that I have frozen.

If you are unsure of what to make with your pantry items, you may want to check out Recipe Matcher. It is a simple site that can show you what to do with those goodies. List each ingredient (even your seasonings) and you will be directed to recipes that use those items and they will also tell you what you haven't listed that the recipe requires. I love this site!

Unfortunately, I have to cut this short, but I will finish this posting tomorrow, before I leave I did want to add the link for the free chocolate!!!!! THAT begins tomorrow morning!

I'll finish posting tomorrow!

Have a BEAUTIFUL day!!!!!