Kelly's Thrifty Tips

In the past two months, there have been some dramatic changes in the world, and these have brought about some changes locally. I don't know about you, but it is getting harder to buy cheap. What I have learned in my recent trips to the supermarket.

1- A list is a real must for keeping yourself on the spending track. Stick to it, and you will be better off. It is when we get sidetracked by goodies (which can even include a great sale) that we can start to go over our limits and bend our budget. I am pretty strict with myself about shopping, and I have thought I can get away without a list...I CAN'T.

2- If at all possible, combine your shopping with either errands or do it all in one day. I like to put a styrofoam cooler in the car and shop at all my stores and be done with it.

3- It is now more important than ever to know your prices and buy when those faves of yours are at "your price." For example, I don't buy a lot of canned soups, but I will buy them when I have coupons and they are on a price that is good for me. I will buy Chunky soup like crazy during Football season, because I can always find lots of coupons and get them at a sale price of $1.00. If I cannot get an item at my price, I do not buy it. When the item IS at my price, I buy A LOT! :) This is why I totally stocked up on Ravioli when it was on a crazy sale of 69 cents when you bought 10 participating items (the deal also included a buy later catalina at Fry's for $3.00 off a future order). Needless to say, I bought 10. Normally my price for Raviolis is a dollar so this deal was practically a joke.

4- Meat prices are going up so again, when you see your price GRAB IT and grab a lot of it. Also do not pass up the manager's mark downs. You may find your favorite cuts at your favorite prices. Just freeze it up when you get home. I do this all the time.

5- Get comfy with the fruits and veggies that are on sale. You can still get good nutrition and buy fresh fruits and vegetables, but you may have to enjoy different varieties as you wait for your favorite to cycle through the sales. And of course you can definitely enjoy frozen and even canned veggies because they are processed within hours of processing. For recipes, I have found that I can buy frozen chopped veggies and really save that way.

6- Coupons are your friend, do not leave home without them. Truly if you are going to hit the store, bring your coupons with you (what works for me is just leaving them in my glove compartment). I try to stay away from quick stops at the grocery store, because it means I am shopping outside of my usual shopping trip and probably coloring outside the lines of my budget, but there are times when I pick my son up from school and will make a stop at Albertsons (it is on the way home) because I need to grab hamburger buns or something like that. On these occasions I may take a quick look around, and I have often found a sale or two that have worked with my coupons. I have also found great manager markdowns that I have been able to get an even better deal on because I had corresponding coupons.

BUYING SOCIALLY

Since the Superbowl, more people are becoming aware of social shopping sites like Groupon. Groupon is a great way to get a local and occasionally a national deal by using the power of collective buying. It is like buying in bulk online. Here are a few sites to check out:

Groupon: I imagine at this point if you caught the Superbowl commercial or if you are just browsing on the internet, you have probably seen Groupon. Groupon can connect you to some amazing local deals. As far as us in AZ, there are great deals in the Phoenix area as well as Tucson, but you can often find some nice online deals with Groupon as well. Sign up and they will email you the deals or log in and check out what is up.

LivingSocial: Living Social shares local deals with you. You decide what to buy and if you refer some friends to the deal you got and three buy using your link, YOU get yours FREE! Either way you are already getting a great deal, but by spreading the word socially you are sharing a good deal with friends who may want in on that deal and helping them and maybe yourself.

Woot: Woot is the original daily deal site. Sign up with Woot and get in on some amazing deals. From midnight until 11:59pm or until the deal is sold out. You never know what you will find, but you will definitely find some cool things (from electronics to toy gadgets) and great prices.

Jasmere: I love Jasmere. Jasmere hooks you up with online businesses that they have checked out thoroughly. Jasmere works online like Groupon works on the street. Jasmere brings a daily deal to you for fabulous web based specialty shops. If you like the deal, you sign up for it. If not, pass on it. Get friends to join Jasmere, and get $10 credit. When you see a deal you like on Jasmere, buy it at the current price. The more people who buy the deal will bring the price down and you will not be charged until the deal is over, and you will get it at the lowest price.





FREEBIES

Share a free sample of Quaker Oatmeal Squares with up to 10 friends. Follow the link below and get to sharing while supplies last.

LINK: Quaker Oatmeal Squares

Follow the link below to NeilMed Sinus Rinse which will take you to their Facebook page. Like them and sign up for a free sample. I swear by their netipot.

LINK: NeilMed Sinus Rinse

Miracle Whip still has samples available so go now while supplies last.

LINK: Miracle Whip

Icejump.com is offering a free pedometer. Stop by the link below and get the details.

LINK: Free Pedometer

Get your hands on a sample of Purex Complete with Zout. I found this freebie last Thursday evening, and it is still going strong so get it while it lasts!

LINK: Purex Complete with Zout

Join Chili's email club and get a free order of Skillet Queso and Chips.

LINK: Chili's Email Club Freebie

Mio is a cool water flavor enhancer, and right now they are offering a free sample to facebook fans. Check them out at the link below.

LINK: Mio

Get the Amazon Kindle version of Living Rich by Spending Smart - How To Get More of What You Really Want by Gregory Karp. This is an awesome book that will help you learn to save on every day expenses.

LINK: Living Rich by Spending Smart

Amazon also has a Kindle version of Money and Marriage by Matt Bell which will help a couple focus on their financial strengths. Bell also focuses on Biblical principals. This is a great read for couples who need some financial guidance.

LINK: Money and Marriage

Remember you do not need a Kindle to download these books. You can get Kindle on your Blackberry, iPhone, Android, iPad, and PC.


GREAT DEAL

Do you have some pics just waiting to get developed? You can get 100 pictures developed for just $5 with free shipping at Snapfish. Simply use the code PADDY20 before March 20th! Don't pass this up.

LINK: Snapfish Deal

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Because my son has a sore throat, and I keep seeing more and more people with colds, I decided that I would share some health tips. This isn't all about cold and flu symptoms.

Sore Throat - Oregano oil has been shown to be as effective at killing germs as streptomycin and some other prescription remedies. I have read two different ways to use it. One advises mixing two drops of edible oregano oil into 6 to 8 oz of water and gargling with this mixture three times a day. The other advises dropping four drops of edible oregano oil onto the tongue twice a day for two days.

Acne - Cod liver oil has been recommended by many as a great treatment for acne from the inside out. I have to admit, I have not tried this yet, but from everything I read this is a great treatment. Cod liver oil contains large quantities of vitamin A, D and Omega 3 fatty acids. These help your body more easily fight an accumulation of toxins.

Daily Health Boost with Green Tea - Research has suggested that drinking two cups of green tea can double your ability to destroy viruses before they can make you sick.

Garlic is another fabulous healer. It has a natural ingredient called allicin which kills bacteria again more effectively than many antibiotics. When my son had earaches growing up, we would mix garlic and oil and warm it slightly before putting it in his ears. The aches would be gone within days. Usually no more than two. It was great because we were able to avoid having to use prescription antibiotics.

Because I was thinking about health, I started to also think about screenings and thought I would share a few resources that can assist people with free or low cost medical screenings.

Go to the Well Woman HealthCheck Program that provides free cancer screenings to woman who qualify. Follow the link below to go to their website and get contact information to see if you qualify or to share with someone you know who would need this.

LINK: Well Woman HealthCheck

Vision USA provides basic eye health and vision care services free of charge to uninsured, low-income people and their families. It is a group of AOA doctors of optometry who donate their services.

LINK: Vision USA

Skin Cancer Screenings - American Academy of Dermatology works with many of their dermatologists for free skin cancer screenings. Follow the link below to look up the screenings in Arizona.

LINK: Skin Cancer Screenings



FREEBIES

If you like to cook and like new recipes, sign up now for Sorrento's limited edition cookbook "For The Love Of Lasagna." There is a part where it asks for a promotion code, but a code is not necessary.

LINK: For The Love Of Lasagna Cookbook

Right At Home is back with a free Pledge Microfiber Cloth to the first 3,000 to sign up. Take a chance and see if you are one of the pack.

LINK: Pledge Microfiber Cloth

I am always looking for a planting opportunity. Red Robin is offering Heinz tomato seeds at their website while supplies last. When you get to the website, they have a slide of different promos. Just look for the one for Heinz tomato seeds and sign up.

LINK: Red Robin Heinz Tomato Seeds

Sign up for a free Organizing In Style booklet which comes with $35 in savings and great organizing tips. Get yours while supplies last.

LINK: Organizing In Style

Wow! I was going to share a free sample from Walmart for OXY Clinical skin care, and it went too fast! Soooo I rushed over to their website, and at least right now they are offering a free sample there. So sign up in a hurry!

LINK: OXY Clinical Sample

While supplies last, sign up for a sample of Parent's Choice Baby Formula. These samples are great to have on hand when you want to have some formula quickly at hand or of course just to get a try on. :)

LINK: Parents Choice Baby Formula

Jiffy has updated their recipe book with new recipes that will utilize even more of Jiffy's fabulous boxed mixes. Get in while supplies last.

LINK: Jiffy Recipe Book

If you haven't ordered one yet, there is another chance to pick up a sample of Shout Color catcher. This is a great little laundry helper in that it will snag the dye from something that is runny and keep it on the catcher rather than your other clothes.

LINK: Shout Color Catcher

Here is another free magazine subscription, American Baby. Definitely a great magazine for parents of wee ones, and while supplies last you can get a free subscription. American Baby has been around for quite some time. I heavily relied on it back when my son was a wee one.

LINK: American Baby Subscription

Free CCM again is one of THE best stops for your free Christian music downloads. This week's newest download is "Light Up The World" by Desperation Band. And of course, they still have some wonderful downloads still up from Gateway Worship, Cloverton, Know Hope Collective, Parachute Band, Jonny Diaz, Todd Agnew and Sara Groves! That is quite a song collection right there.

LINK: Free CCM Music

Amazon has a couple of new free Christian book downloads that you can download to your Kindle, Kindle App on your smart phone or download with a Kindle App to your computer.

Calm My Anxious Heart - A Woman's Guide To Finding Contentment by Linda Dillow

Moms' Ultimate Guide To The Tween Girl World by Nancy Rue

Michal by Jill Eileen Smith

Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang

Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins

The Secret (Seasons of Grace Book 1) by Beverly Lewis

Kelly's Thrifty Tips - Give A Little Bit

Before I get started with some thrifty tips, I wanted to offer up a few ways that you can give in a way that will bless and cost you nothing.

Dress For Success: Dress for Success is an organization that is all over America as well as moving on in some other countries as well. Dress for Success strives to help disadvantaged women achieve independence by providing attire, career assistance and also networking support. From today, February 24 to 27 they are having SOS Weekend which stands for Send One Suit. You can bring a nearly-new dress suit in to any Dress Barn to donate to Dress For Success. They have all kinds of needs too. Suits, pocketbooks, and shoes. Check out the Dress For Success website for more and for Dress Barn locations go to Dress Barn's website.

LINK: Dress For Success
LINK: Dress Barn

Donate used cell phones to Shelter Alliance for recycling. Domestic violence shelters can earn up to $30. Go to the website to print out a prepaid shipping label.

LINK: Shelter Alliance Donate Cell Phones

Are you an avid reader? Consider donating your books to soldiers. Books For Soldiers helps you donate to a soldier or a whole unit. For soldier's security, you do need to register. Get details and get started at the link below.

LINK: Books For Soldiers


GREAT GIVEAWAY SITE


How long has it been since I have posted a cool giveaway site. I think it has been a while so how about a fabulous one? Check out Blog Giveaway Directory which truly can be your one stop, blog giveaway place. I have mentioned time and time again how much I love blogs and how you can not just learn a thing or two but also win a thing or two. Check out Blog Giveaway Directory where they will point you to some amazing giveaways. You can win clothing, gift cards, food, entertainment items like books and movies. The possibilities are endless!

LINK: Blog Directory Giveaway


FREE SAMPLES

While supplies last you can sign up for a free sample of New Fragrance Shampoo from Creme of Nature. We are talking yummy Sunflower and Coconut! Doesn't that sound amazing?

LINK: Creme of Nature Shampoo

Join Kraft First Taste and you can take advantage of some amazing offers. It is lots of fun getting the chance to try a new product and give your opinion. If you haven't signed up, check them out and sign up. If you have signed up in the past, go sign in and check your account. You may have an offer for a coupon for free Philadelphia Cooking Creme.

LINK: Kraft First Taste

Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic has another event this weekend. The Build and Grow Clinics are a great activity for the kids. This Saturday they will make a wooden race car with a pull back motor and on March 12 they can build a shoot around basketball game. These are all free fun for the kids. Don't miss out. Follow the link below to sign up.

LINK: Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

Another fun free event is at Target. Target will be hosting Dr. Seuss Story Time from 9 am to 11 am at your local Target. Encourage your child's love of reading and maybe get some fun giveaways and snacks too. Contact your local Target to see where their reading event will be located.

LINK: Target Read Across America

More awesome music awaits at Free CCM. You can download Cloverton's "Take Me Into The Beautiful" as well as Know Hope Collective "Build Us Back," Parachute Band "Peace On Earth," Jonny Diaz "What I'm Waiting For," Todd Agnew "Reach Down," and Sara Groves "When It Was Over." The Cloverton song requires you to go on a special link and put in your name and email and the download link will be sent to you. The other downloads are free on the FreeCCM website.

LINK: Free CCM Free Music Downloads

iTickets.com has a free download of Brian Doerksen's "The Jesus Way"

LINK: Free Music at iTickets

Learn to make some tasty restaurant treats in a healthier way. Not only are these recipes better for you, they will eliminate your need for some of the more pricey restaurant options because you can make them at home. Download the free ebook from Fave Diets called "28 No-Guilt Copy Cat Restaurant Recipes." Making these great recipes at home will definitely help take a bit of a load off of your wallet. When you go to the page just click to download you do not have to join anything even though a pop up opens. Just close it.

LINK: Recipe Book

Go to the Redbox Facebook page and click on Freebie today to get your free code for a free movie tonight! Remember it is only good for today (February 24th)

LINK: Redbox Freebie

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

After all the yummy candy indulgence that Valentine's Day brought, I thought I would share with you an awesome fitness site. FitDay.com is amazing. It is a free online diet and fitness journal that helps you keep track of calories, exercise, goals and lots more. Seriously it is a fabulous fitness tool that you can enjoy for free. It has very extensive information that will really help you make wise decisions and stick to your fitness goals.

LINK: FitDay


Lately I have been thinking about preservatives along with prices. Prices are still one of the highest concerns for me. This has caused me to start looking into what I can make at home rather than pay for the convenience of premade. Here are a few recipe links that I have found.


MEATBALL RECIPE



Back in the day, I used to make meatballs, sausage and peppers. For convenience sake, I stopped making my own meatballs and started buying frozen. They were definitely convenient, but not necessarily a good value. One of the good things about frozen meatballs was that they taste great. I had no idea that they did. I finally realized that if I can make meatballs fresh, I can certainly make them and freeze them for later. There are a lot of great recipes out there, but one that I liked is from Tammy's Recipes. Tammy has a lot of fabulous recipes. Even if you do not want to try your hand at meatballs take a browse around her website. You will not be disappointed. The link here is for a spaghetti and meatball recipe, but it is separate so check out the meatballs they are good for anything. I also have a great Italian meatball recipe that I got from Cooks.com that is pretty awesome too.

Freezing is super easy too. I fill the sink up half way with water, put the meatballs in a freezer bag, and submerge the bag enough in the water to get the air out and also making sure the water doesn't go in. This has worked like a charm.



HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP


Another thing I have wanted to make of my own is laundry soap. I have found lots of great recipes and this one below I have found all over. This one in particular I got from the Duggar's Favorite Family Recipes. :)

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar (can get at some grocery stores and many hardware stores)
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (this is not baking soda make sure you buy the right stuff)
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

HOMEMADE YOGURT


I am a true lover of yogurt, and though I am thankful to find it on sale fairly often, I was thrilled when I found a totally easy recipe. This is from one of my favorite bloggers, Kristen The Frugal Girl. This is a recipe that you can do without any fancy equipment. Check it out here.

GRANOLA BARS

Kristen also has a fabulous recipe for granola bars. I only by these when they are on a super sale and I have coupons with this recipe, I won't have to. My son loves them. Check it out here.




FREEBIES

Okay this is again one of those deals that you need to go to Facebook for and you need to be there at a certain time. To show appreciation to their fans, Tide is offering a bottle of Tide Stain Release to the first 5,000 fans to respond at 3:00 pm EST. Give it a shot by following the link below. Don't forget to "like" them.

LINK: Tide Facebook Freebie

Join P&G Everyday Solutions, and you can request a huge variety of coupons that will be mailed to your door. They also have a great quarterly free sample program.

LINK: P&G Everyday Solutions

If you didn't order these last week, I highly recommend ordering Love Handles Cards from Dr. David Jeremiah. I ordered mine last Wednesday, and I got them this Wednesday. They are really cool. You get to see how men and women approach things and how to merge those ways together to better your relationships. Truly I highly recommend this set.

LINK: Love Handles Cards

Join Benihana's Chef Table and you will get a $30 Benihana Birthday Certificate.

LINK: Benihana

Sign up with Rewards Gold, refer three friends, take a survey and do two reviews, and you can get a subscription to Forbes magazine. It is VERY simple. I have been fortunate to get many subscriptions through Rewards Gold, and I cannot recommend it enough. Follow the link below.

LINK: Rewards Gold subscription to Forbes magazine



Download the Parachute Band's "Peace On Earth" at FreeCCM. As usually FreeCCM still has some of their amazing download offerings from the last few week's artists Jonny Diaz, Todd Agnew, Sara Groves, Phil Wickham, Chris Rice and The Afters.

LINK: Free CCM Music downloads

iTickets.com has some wonderful music downloads this week with "Show Me" by Audrey Assad, "Attention" by Know Hope Collective, and "Be Lifted High" by Bethel Live.

LINK: iTickets Music downloads

New Release Tuesday Members can download "Skeleton" by Hawk Nelson from their new CD "Crazy Love" and "Gave It All" by Parachute Band from their CD "Love Without Measure." Join up, it is free to join, you get great music and great CD previews too.

LINK: Free Music Downloads from New Release Tuesday

Tips on a good Dining out Experience

Some interesting tips provided by waiter's and waitresses to help you have a better dining experience. Click here to read the entire article.

Credit Card Crisis

Here are some credit card purchases that experts say cash-strapped consumers should avoid at all costs. Click here to read the entire article.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Here is a great website for saving money. Mashupmom.com. Mashup Mom is a website with all kinds of valuable information. There are printable coupons, e-coupons, store deals and freebies, and information on working from home. Seriously, this is a fine site that you are going to love.

LINK: Mashup Mom


RECYCLING ORGANIZING TIP

It is cold and flu season which means if your family is anything like my family, you are using a lot of tissue. Instead of just throwing the empty boxes out, consider cutting the tops off and using them as organizers in the various drawers around the house. They are great in the bathroom to organize make up, brushes, curling irons and hair accessories. They also work great to keep an underwear and sock drawer in order. Don't cut the tops off and use them to hold the plastic bags you take home from the store for later use. Keep them in the laundry room to toss in lint from the dryer. When it is filled up, toss it out.

Or don't toss out that dryer lint. There are actually some things you can do with it.

Dryer Lint Crafts - PlanetPals.com has some craft recipes that help you make clay, paper, and paper mache.

Dryer lint can be used as a compost ingredient.

Dryer lint can be left in the trees for birds to use as nesting materials. This works great for the birds but the draw back is it also provides some cozy materials for mice. Weigh this into the equation before you spread the lint out for this use.

I have also seen dryer lint suggested as a great fire starter for camping or for the fireplace. Some suggest putting some lint inside toilet paper or paper towel tubes, and filling the ends of the tubes with newspaper. The tubes can be inserted into the wood as kindling. I also read about filling up cardboard egg carton slots with dryer lint, covering the lint with melted wax, letting this dry and then separating each egg cup by tearing them apart and using those as starters as well. Some are for these methods and some are against it. Do you own searching and check it out. By the way, safety was not an issue. Some people just felt it didn't work well where others felt it did. I do know that one of our listeners, BJ uses egg cartons and melted wax as starter so that definitely does work. The lint is just an added part. If you do use dryer lint for burning, I have been told that cotton lint is the way to go. Stay away from polyester lints as they can be smokey.






FREE SAMPLES

Walmart.com has another free sample of Maybelline FIT Me foundation. Sign up and get all 18 shades. This is a whiles supplies last so don't wait on it.

LINK: Maybelline FIT Me Foundation

FREE FOOD

Taco Bell is giving a coupon to the first 1 million people to like them on Facebook. This coupon is worth one free crunchy taco. You do have to print the coupon. You will probably notice that they have over a million people already liking them, but this is new so give it a shot.

LINK: Taco Bell Free Taco

Like Cheez It on Facebook and vote for their new flavor, and while supplies last you can get a free sample. I love Cheez-Its so this is a freebie, I couldn't pass up. Hurry though.

LINK: Cheese It Sample via Facebook


FREE FAMILY RESOURCE


Dr. David Jeremiah has Love Handles. No not the belly kind, the kind that can lead to relationship bliss. Here is a quote from the website: Love Handles” provides twenty-five key topics where the two divergent views can be looked at and the “perfect blend” can be found to promote harmony in a relationship. Learn how to “get a grip on bliss” with “Love Handles.”

LINK: Love Handles

FREE ENTERTAINMENT

I just love, love, love FreeCCM. They always have interesting music news, interviews and even devotionals, and of course there is the plethora of free music! This week's newest free be is Jonny Diaz song "What I am Waiting For." There are still some great flashback tunes from Todd Agnew, Sara Groves, Phil Wickham, The Afters, and Chris Rice.

LINK: Free CCM Music

For a limited time you can download a 4 song EP from Abandon Kansas via Amazon.

LINK: Abandon Kansas download

If you are new to Amazon On Demand you can sign up and get $5 credit. This credit has to be used by March 31, 2011 and cannot be used on every video on demand (the video will tell you this). The credit will be applied to qualifying purchases through their video on demand.

LINK: Amazon Video On Demand promo

Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics has a special project on February 12th. Your child can build a music box with a heart shaped lid. It is very, very cute. While at the sign up page you might also like to sign up your child for the class on February 26th to build a pull-back #48 race car. Check out the link for all the details and to sign up. Classes begin at 10:00 am, and remember you must follow the link to register.

LINK: Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

Send a virtual Valentine from an app on the Redbox facebook page, and you will get a code for a free Valentine's movie rental for you and your recipient will get one too! This rental code will only be good on Valentine's day. There are several varieties to send, and they are awfully cute. Even the intro is pretty sweet.

LINK: Free Redbox rental code when you send a Valentine