3 Boys And A Dog » Frugal / Freebies

Have You Looked at Savings.com?

Momof3boys — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000

When I went to Blissdom earlier this year, the Savvy Blogging dinner was sponsored by Savings.com (among others of course) so that was the first time I ever looked at it. It is truly an amazing website! As they say:

scours the web to provide savvy shoppers with coupons & deals for thousands of online stores.

They seriously have a TON of stuff. Savings.com even has Home Depot Coupons like 10% off and even 70% off!

You know, it should be easier than ever to save money these days with the amount of stuff online. But, if you are like me, you have no time to spend scouring the internet looking for the deals. You have tried reading blogs that have them all spelled out, but since those blogs typically have 40 posts (or more) per day you just get overwhelmed and watch your feed reader fill up. I know exactly how you feel! I have felt the same way, too. This is why I love that I “found” Savings.com and BillShrink.

Real Quick, lets run through a couple of my money saving tips:

Don’t buy online unless you get free shipping! Many stores have a thing where if you spend a certain amount, you get free shipping. At the office stores, buy an extra ink. Why waste money on shipping when you can get products for it?
Don’t spend more than 10 cents for pictures. You can even get them cheaper than that many time! We all know how expensive scrapbooking can be. Don’t get caught up wasting the money on silly things. Walgreen runs sales on their photos pretty much every week!
Pick a temperature and stick with it! It takes less money to keep your a/c running at a normal temperature than it does to keep it off until you just can’t stand the heat anymore then turn on the air conditioner. Why? Because it is easier to maintain a certain temperature than to try to cool an entire house back down!
Cook REAL food! It is just plain cheaper to cook actual meals than to cook premade ones.

That’s all I have. I am not a frugalista, I am just poor. LOL! I would love to hear your money saving tips! Do you have a certain website that you just couldn’t live without?

*brought to your by your friends at Savings.com*

I am going to let you in on a SECRET!

Momof3boys — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:37:29 +0000

A super secret sale. That is right, for the first time ever, I have a post going live at MIDNIGHT! Why? Because my TOS affiliate newsletter stated:

Here is information for the super secret sale; please do not post before 12:01 a.m. on July 1.

So, you are getting it right after 12:01 am on July 1st.

1776 was a spectacular year, and it is a smashing, save-more-money price!

Grab your subscription to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine during their four-day Fourth of July sale, and check out the craziest price on July 1 only! Receive a 2-year subscription, free Homeschooling with Heart tote bag, and five FREE E-Books for just $17.76! You can get a new subscription OR renew a current one! How great is that? You know I am renewing my subscription today!

While supplies last. U.S. and Canadian residents.

July 2 through July 4 the unprecedented savings continue. The sparks are flying at TOS Magazine . . . join in the celebration and savings! Get the details here at July 4th

*DISCLAIMER: These are affiliate links. I LOVE The Old Schoolhouse Store and Magazine and completely recommend them to EVERYONE. I use affiliate links to make a couple pennies if my readers choose to purchase through my links. That is it.

No related posts.

GIVEAWAY: Eco Friendly Lunch Box by EasyLunchBox

Momof3boys — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Although I am a homeschooling mom, I am also a public school mom. Zachary goes to public school and Tank will be going in another year(YIKES, BTW!). I have the worst time trying to get breakfast made for Tripp and Tank, something fun set up for Tank, homeschool work laid out for Tripp, backpack packed for Zack, and school lunch packed for Zack all before the bus arrives at 7:10 am!

The EasyLunchbox system makes it simple to organize, and quickly pack healthy lunches without wasting money, time, paper or plastic.

Zack likes to eat lunch at school “like everybody else”. but he also enjoys a homemade meal every once in a while. I hated sticking each item in a plastic baggie, loading in plastic spoons and forks, and shoving them all in a paper bag. Zack would complain that everything was mashed or crumbled and not the right temperature. I don’t know who was more excited when these green lunch boxes showed up at my house, Zack or me!

But the EasyLunchbox System is not just for kids. Adult size meals fit perfectly too! Plus, the custom carrying bag is plenty large enough to hold several of the simple two piece EasyLunchbox containers… great for picnics! Or just put one in and have room for a drink and mid-day snack!

Just some info:

EasyLunchboxes.com was launched in December, 2009 and is quickly becoming the new favorite among affordable and green lunch box solutions!

Named a ‘top 5 Eco-Friendly Mommy Must Have” by Parents Ask, the EasyLunchbox System has been rated TOP CHOICE by many independent reviewers. Read their reviews HERE .

FDA approved. No BPA, phthalates, lead, vinyl, or PVC. Safe for dishwasher and microwave.

Dishwasher and microwave safe!

Mom Says: I LOVE that packing a lunch saves me money! As I am cleaning up from supper at night, I can start packing these eco friendly lunch box containers! One for Zack and one for Ricky to take to school. Plus, if I am feeling a little frisky I can pack one for Tank and Tripp and let them have a picnic lunch during our day! I know that what I cook is much healthier than quick lunch meals the boys can make at home and the junk the school offers!

Now, I know that all of you want a set or two of these!

Where to buy: Purchase them straight from EasyLunchBoxes!

How to win: Oh, did I not mention this? One of my very lucky readers will win a complete 4-container set PLUS a cooler bag in the color of their choice! Retail Value $21.90

REQUIRED COMMENT: To be eligible you must visit EasyLunchBoxes, look around, then come back and let me know what you learned or found interesting!

BONUS ENTRY #1: Follow me and EasyLunchBoxes on twitter and tweet about this contest. You may use the following tweet if wanted:

RT: @momof3boys3702 & @EasyLunchBoxes are offering me a chance to #win eco friendly lunch boxes at #3BoysandaDog http://tinyurl.com/24kauf7

BONUS ENTRY #2: Fan / Like EasyLunchBoxes on FaceBook

Other bonus entries:

#1. Spread the word about this review by: email, forums, blogging, Digg, or putting the link in a meme. (one entry per thing done)

#2. Follow my blog.

#3. Subscribe to my RSS feed.

#4. Fan Me on FaceBook

#5. Put my button on your blog.

#6. Put my In The Kitchen With Kelli button on your blog.

#7. Leave a comment on any other post (excluding giveaways!) Be sure to leave a comment here saying which post.

CONTEST ENDS: June 11th at midnight CST

open to USA and CANADA

Technorati Tags: GIVEAWAY, Lunch, EasyLunchBox, breakfast, backpack, system, money, paper, everybody, meal, temperature, kids, custom, piece, container, room, snack, EasyLunchboxes, Mommy, Parents, CHOICE, Read, vinyl, Safe, Dishwasher, supper, Purchase, Retail, Value, Kitchen, Kelli, CONTEST, ENDS, June, CANADA, meals, solutions, reviewers, readers, forums, giveaways, boxes, microwave, blog

Just In Time for Summer got2b and CVS coupon!

Momof3boys — Sat, 29 May 2010 15:00:00 +0000

You don’t see things like this from me often because I am not a frugalista, but I don’t pass up good deals either! As a Bzz Agent, they occasionally send me a super good deal. THIS is a super good deal.

Get a free göt2b® smooth operator MOUSSE with the purchase of any full-size göt2b® product. To sweeten the deal, check out a CVS Pharmacy near you the week of June 6th when all göt2b^® products are on sale for only $3.99! So, you get a free smooth operator MOUSSE and one product for only 3.99. Plus, use some of your extra bucks and walk out of there with two new products that cost you zip!

Just print the following coupon and take it to your local CVS any time between now and July 1st!

If you find this coupon useful, please leave me a comment so I can share it with Bzz Agent.

Coupons Do Work – If you Know How to Use Them

Freebie Fridays: May 7, 2010

Momof3boys — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Lots of fun things today! Click away. If you hold the CTRL button when clicking the links (underlines words) it will open them in a new window, leaving this one open to make it easy to come back.

Free Paper Airplane Template Downloads
Free Four Wheeler Magazine (I got this one for the boys!)
Free ‘Life’s a Dog’ Bumper Sticker
Free ‘I Served’ Military Bumper Stickers (Choose Iraq, Afghanistan, or both)
Free eCookbook: Celebrate Mom: 26 Terrific Mother’s Day Recipes, featuring 52 pages of Mother’s Day recipes + RecipeLion Quick and Easy Recipes newsletter for FREE! Click Here
Get Your Hands on the Latest in Hair and Skin Care, Cosmetics, Styling Tools and More! Experience Celebrity Beauty Expert Ken Paves. Click Here
Join Home Depot’s Home Improver’s Club and get money-saving offers and time-saving tips now! Click Here
Free Febreeze Sample: Get the # 1 Air Refresher sure to Eliminate Odors! Click Here
FREE! Try Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner! Sign-up today. Click Here
Free Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Crackers. Get a 3-Pack of Mac & Cheese Crackers Loaded with Cheddar. Click Here

Online Coupons are Awesome

Momof3boys — Tue, 04 May 2010 16:52:28 +0000

This is a guest post by Wilson Philsing

Until recently I have never been an avid coupon clipper. I know that by just throwing the coupons away I am probably irritating some people. I have been told that it is just completely ridiculous to not utilize a way to save extra money. The truth of the matter is I am a very busy person, I work two jobs and have three children. Therefore, I usually have a lot more things to do on my list other than clipping and sorting through a bunch of coupons.

A friend of mine turned me on to getting coupons online. I have had satellite internet service for quite some time, but usually my kids use it more than me. A while back I decided that I would take my friend’s advice and check out coolsavings.com and coupons.com. I was amazed at how easily I could find coupons that I actually needed. The best part was I could print the ones that I wanted right then. On top of that I also found coupons that required no clipping at all. This is something called electronic coupons and can be used to purchase items online. Some were even for free or reduced shipping.

Since then I am completely addicted. There is not a day that goes by that I do not check to see what new coupons are available that I may want. I never knew that couponing could be so easy and fast with my hughesnet internet. If I would have discovered this a long time ago, I could have saved myself a lot of money.

You still will not find me clipping and sorting through the coupons that I get in the mail. I seriously cannot find the time. Nevertheless, do not be surprised to see me at the grocery store with my freshly printed coupons in hand.

*This post is linked to Madame Deals Linky*

Coupons Do Work – If you Know How to Use Them

Freebie Fridays: April 16, 2010

Momof3boys — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I don’t have as many this time, but hopefully you will find one or two that jump out and grab you. I am not getting any feedback on the Freebie Fridays posts, so I am not sure if my readers like them. Please let me know if you want them to stay around.

Several of the giveaways from last week’s post are still active! Check the dates!
Comfort your baby with a Johnson’s Baby Relief Kit! Get one today! Click Here
Mold, mildew, soap scum… with a Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner, you’ll never have to worry about them again. See for yourself by signing up to get one today! Click Here
Springpad is a free personal organizer to keep favorite web pages in one place: recipes, notes, restaurants, books, movies, music, tasks & more. Click Here Then, be sure to follow me to see all the things I have saved!

That’s it, y’all! I hope you see something you like!

Freebie Fridays – April 9th

Momof3boys — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000

I have a whole new slew of freebie and contests for you. Have fun!

Sign up for the RecipeLion Quick and Easy Recipes newsletter and receive 17 Excellent Easter Recipes’ eCookbook free. Click Here – Hurry! Expires 4/10
Subscribe to the FaveCrafts Quick and Crafty email newsletter for FREE and receive TWO FREE Easter Crafting eBooks as a welcome gift. Click Here Hurry! Expires 4/10
Win the Ultimate Dream Prom Sweepstakes! Click Here Expires 4/16
Get a Blood Sugar Tracking Tool to Help Manage Diabetes. Click Here
Complete a short survey for a chance to Win $1,500 Cash! Click Here
Get Great Healthy Tips For Free From Vital Juice. Click Here NEW!
Get a OneTouch® UltraMini® Meter At No Charge to You. See if you qualify. Click Here
Try Quaker New Chew Fruit Snack Bar with Chocolate Click Here
Get a certificate for a FREE sample of Enfamil baby formula. Click Here

The following cost, but are such great deals that I thought you might want to know.

Gevalia – 3 Boxes for $3 + Free Mug + Free Shipping. Click Here
All 2010 Entertainment Books – Just $15 + Free Shipping!! Click Here

That’s it! Stayed tuned for next week! Remember, let me know which ones you are liking the best so I can be sure to find them.

Freebie Fridays: April 2, 2010

Momof3boys — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 15:52:00 +0000

That’s right!! It is back! Some of my readers have asked what happened to Freebie Fridays, so after much thought, I have brought it back. (UPDATE: Sorry, scheduled it wrong when putting it together… will actually come out on Friday next time LOL)

Sign up for DailyWorth, a free daily email about money management for women. Click Here
Free eCookbook: The Ultimate List of Healthy Snacks: 40 Healthy Snack Recipes, featuring 48 pages of healthy snack recipes + FaveDiets Quick and Healthy Recipes newsletter for FREE! Get this brand new FREE eCookbook collection of healthy snack recipes. You’ll find recipes for all your snacking needs! The eCookbook has stunning colorful pictures and step-by-step instructions for superb healthy snack recipes like Baked Sweet Potato Chips (page 13), Red Licorice Candy Bars (page and Cheesy Pizza Mix (page 17). Click Here
Limited Time Offer – Spring Samples Click Here
Free eCookbook – 33 Secret Restaurant Copycat Recipes Click Here
All Purpose Absorbent Towels – Sample 8 Piece Set! Click Here
Subscribe to the FaveCrafts Quick and Crafty email newsletter for FREE and receive the Beautiful Beads eBook as a welcome gift. Click Here
Take our Survey & Sample Swiss-made Bath & Body Products. Click Here
Try LYSOL Disinfectant Spray in your favorite scent, FREE*! Keep your family healthy with Brand Name Sanitizing Spray. Click Here
Choose the Better Cereal & get 2 Boxes of Your Favorite! Click Here
Try New 99% Natural Plant & Mineral Based Cleaners. Click Here
Sample Sweet Fruit Jelly Lip Gloss Click Here
Paying too much for Auto Insurance? Get a Free Quote and start saving today! Click Here

I hope you find one, two, or twelve that interest you. Be sure to give me some feedback so I know which types of freebies you are interested in seeing!

Coupons Do Work – If you Know How to Use Them

Momof3boys — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:35:33 +0000

You know that while I am not a big spender, I am not a frugalista! Please welcome Claire to 3 Boys and a Dog to help us understand the whole couponing craze! ~Kelli

When I started my saving money journey many years ago, I firmly believed that coupons were not effective money-savers. I also thought they were a terrible waste of time. I was staunchly “anti-coupons”, and I believed strongly that a no-brand policy in my purchases was the real way to money saving. If you had asked me then why I thought coupons didn’t work, I would have gladly told you the following things:

Why I Thought Coupons Didn’t Work

With coupons, you spend money on brand-name items you don’t need simply because you have a coupon that takes a few pennies off the higher purchase price.
Coupons trick you into buying more than you need – in quantity – in order to fulfill the restrictions of a particular coupon. For example, you buy two boxes of cereal instead of one because you have a coupon that is good for $.75 off on two boxes – but you never needed two boxes!
Ultimately coupons aren’t worth it because generic is just as effective, and always costs less.

It wasn’t until I stumbled upon some saving money blogs a few years back that I began to realize how dead wrong I was. It turned out the problem wasn’t with the coupons, the problem was with how I was using them. Although some of my earlier thoughts about coupons may make sense in isolation – after all, is it really worth it to clip one coupon that saves you only $.25? – the key to effective couponing is combining multiple couponing tactics to get BIG savings. By doing this, you can save far more than you ever will buying generic. Going a step further, once you get good at the couponing game, you can easily bring home hundreds of dollars a month in freebies. Let’s revisit the three reasons I used to think coupons didn’t work in light of what I now know.

Why I Know Coupons Really DO Work

Brand-name items serve up more coupons than generic items. Thus, if you know how to use coupons well, you can consistently get brand-name items for much less than generic items.
Buying more than you need is key to developing a full, low-cost stockpile of grocery, household, and toiletry items. A well-stocked stockpile means that you never have to pay full price for anything.
Brand-name items sometimes really are better – and getting them for less than generic makes it a win-win!

If I’ve swayed you at all to becoming more interested in testing out the waters with couponing, you likely are now looking for real strategies you can use to actually make coupons work in your daily life. Here are a few good ones:

Simple Couponing Strategies to Save Big

Combine coupons with store deals: Using a manufacturer’s coupon on top of a price markdown at your local store means double the savings.
Combine coupons with store reward programs: Many stores have their own reward programs – like the ECB program at CVS or the Register Rewards program at Walgreens. Using a coupon on top of this type of promotion can regularly get you free or low cost products.
Use two coupons when a store has a Buy-One-Get-One deal (one for each item) to save big.
Combine a coupon with a mail-in rebate.

If you’ve never gotten into couponing, and still think that it seems like a waste of time for a small pay-off, I encourage you to try one or two of these couponing strategies today to see if they help you find bigger savings. If you’re like me, you just might get hooked!

Claire teaches a FREE coupon class at her blog, Saving Money Plan. A new class is starting right now!