by crystal on September 30, 2008
Guest Post by Monica from The Homespun Heart
One of my favorite Fall decorations
is a simple pumpkin! I
recently purchased a 3.4 lb. pie pumpkin at Wal-Mart for $0.78/lb. I thought it would be fun to see how much we could
do with just one pumpkin several days in a row to really stretch
the value of purchasing it! Join me as we follow the life of the this small
pumpkin…
When I first brought the pumpkin home, it made a lovely decoration perched on my porch.
A few days later, it made a fun greeting for a few ladies I had over for an Autumn in Avonlea gathering.
The next morning, it made a fun vase for our First Day of Autumn breakfast.
And, at lunch, a great hiding place for lunch during our scavenger hunt.
Next,
I cooked the pumpkin. (Just half the pumpkin and place cut side down
on a baking sheet for one hour at 350 degrees; I got about four cups of cooked
pumpkin from the two pumpkins I cooked.)
I used the cooked pumpkin and made some delicious Pumpkin Struesel Muffins.
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
1/4 c. margarine or butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. pumpkin
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Streusel Topping:
1/3 c. flour
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cold butter or margarine
For muffins: cream together margarine and sugars. Add all remaining ingredients and mix together. In a separate bowl, cut together streusel ingredients and sprinkle over muffin batter. Bake in prepared muffin tin at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Makes one dozen muffins. Original recipe from Quick Cooking May/June 2000.
We
were able to tie the muffins into our homeschooling this week by
having an ‘unbirthday’ party (we’ve been reading Ask Mr. Bear!)
Then we toasted the seeds for a snack. Here’s the recipe we used:
Sugared Pumpkin Seeds
2 c. pumpkin seeds (from two pie pumpkins; rinsed and dried on a baking sheet for 48 hours)
1 egg white mixed with 1 Tbsp. water (save the egg yolk for your next batch of pancakes or scrambled eggs!)
1 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
Mix seeds and egg white mixture. Add remaining spices and mix well. Spread on greased baking sheet and bake at 275 degrees for one hour stirring every 15 minutes.
I think I’ll send some in my husband’s lunch tomorrow. After
this yummy baking, we took a short walk outside and enjoyed coming into a
cozy smelling home!
All that from a $2.68 pumpkin!
How do you like to stretch a
pumpkin? I look forward to hearing your ideas!
Monica enjoys blogging about the simple pleasures of faith, family and home over at The Homespun Heart.
by crystal on September 29, 2008
Sign up here to get a free copy of Robert Allen’s book, Multiple Streams of Income. You will also get a free 30-minute phone consultation and be able to attend a free teleconference. I am not for sure, but my guess is that there will be valuable information in the book, phone consultation, and teleconference, but they will also likely attempt to upsell you. Unless it’s a really superb deal and you have the money to pay for it, please do not purchase something you can’t afford. 
That said, this book looks like it has some good information in it (I’m a big fan of multiple streams of income!) so do consider getting a copy if you are looking to learn more about earning from home.
More Freebies:
Free diabetes monitor and booklet (must qualify)
Free baby samples and more baby samples
Free sample of Pamprin
Free car care guide
Free Jungle Pond products
Free o.b. Tampon sample
Free books and sample units from Great Books Foundation (Thanks, Beulah!)
And while this is not exactly a freebie, for those of you looking to earn a little money from home, you can sign up for SurveySpot and earn a little money for taking surveys. I’ve not tried this particular survey website out myself, but I’ve heard from reputable sources that it’s a good one to sign up with. (I’d love to hear from any of you who have tried it out. Did you find it worth your time?)
by crystal on September 29, 2008
If you haven’t signed up for the Dinner Made Easy email newsletter, do so here and you’ll get a free coupon booklet with $10 worth of coupons in it.
Thanks, Thrifty Mommy!
Also, if you haven’t yet signed up for the Box Tops 4 Education email newsletter, you can do so here and get a free Fruit Roll-Up sample!
by crystal on September 29, 2008
Can I just admit that the razor freebies are probably my very favorite free product samples of all? And there’s good news today because we have not one but two razor freebies! Yay!
Sign up here to get a free Schick Intuition razor. No longer available!
Sign up here to get a free Schick Quattro Titanium razor or trimmer.
by crystal on September 29, 2008
photo by plindberg
My birthday is coming up in a few days and that has motivated me to scope out all the birthday freebies I can. Might as well take advantage of this once-a-year event, right?
Here are a few of my favorite birthday freebies:
Sheridan’s Frozen Custard–Sign up for their e-club and you’ll get a coupon for a free shake, malt, or concrete on your birthday. Plus, you’ll get a coupon for a free treat when you sign up and a coupon for a free treat if you refer another friend.
Baskin Robbins–Sign up for their Birthday Club and get free icecream on your birthday!
Caribou Coffee–Sign up for their eNewsletter and get a coupon for a free drink on your birthday.
Cold Stone Creamery–Sign up for their Birthday Club and get a coupon for a free Creation on your birthday.
Red Robin–Get a free burger on your birthday when you sign up for their eClub.
Moe’s Southwest Grill–Sign up for Moe’s email newsletter and get a coupon for a free entree on your birthday.
Belfonte–Sign up here to get a coupon for a free 1/2-gallon of ice cream on your birthday.
Rubio’s–Sign up for Rubio’s Beach Club
and get a coupon for $7 off anything. Sadie, who emailed me about this
deal, said she got a 2-taco plate completely free with that coupon!
Ben and Jerry’s–Get a free ice cream treat on your birthday when you sign up for their Chunk Spelunker Club (Note: The site doesn’t say anything about this, but I read it here. I’m waiting to see if I get a coupon for my birthday.)
I read here that you can get a free meal at Taco Bell on your birthday. Does anyone know if that’s true? I couldn’t find anything on their website.
There are many other great birthday freebies listed here and here. What are your favorite birthday freebies? Did I miss any really good ones?
by crystal on September 29, 2008
photo from BlingSlings
Guest Post by Marie Cluff, owner of BlingSlings
As a mom of a one-year-old boy, I had to make the tough
decision of whether to stay at home or work. My husband is currently in
school right now, and our budget is extremely tight. I felt the need to
help my family, but just couldn’t imagine being away from my son so I
knew the best solution was for me to find something I could do from home.
I started
making baby slings about a year ago, giving them as gifts for baby
showers. I decided that selling them would be the perfect way to make
some money and still be able to stay at home! I had come across Etsy
before and loved all the homemade products that are sold there, so I started my own shop there, BlingSlings.
Etsy is a site where you can buy and
sell homemade items. You can easily create your own store for free! It
costs 20 cents to list an item and then there’s 3.5% sales fee when you
sell an item. It is considerably cheaper than eBay and I also think it’s much
“prettier”.
I found it very easy to get started with Etsy. You just go to etsy.com and in
the top right hand corner you can register. It is very self-explanatory
and has a guided process you go through. They also have great help page which answers any questions you might have and gives excellent tips!
Etsy is the perfect way for an artsy-crafty person to make money. However,
it is by no means easy
money; you have to work hard getting your name
out there and making quality products that people want to buy.
Just
because you think your product is great doesn’t mean others will. Some
of my very favorite slings which I assumed would sell out instantly, didn’t
sell at all. I found it helpful to look up other products similar to mine and see how
they have sold. This is a good way to decide whether you have a market for
your product or not. You also have to remember that you may not sell your
stuff right away. I have already sold quite a few products, but it took
some time for people to “find me”. I am constantly advertising my
shop by:
- Handing out business cards
- Making fliers and posting them wherever I can
- Networking on MySpace and other internet sites
- Relisting my products on Etsy regularly
- Giving my slings as gifts for family, with business cards
- Posting often about my store on my blog
Etsy is a great starting place for selling your handmade products and it is a
wonderful way to make money from home doing something you enjoy. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have if you are interested in trying your hand at Etsy. Just email me: blingslings @ hotmail.com (remove spaces).
Marie is a mother to one cute little boy and wife of three years to an amazing husband. In addition to running BlingSlings, she writes a family blog.
by crystal on September 29, 2008
Here are the best deals at Walgreens this week, with thanks to Mercedes from Common Sense with Money for her help in compiling them! Stop by her blog for her insightful article, Six Things Keeping You from Cheaper Diapers.
WEEKLY DEALS
Puffs–$0.89 with in-ad coupon
Use 0.25/1 from 9/28 inserts
$0.64 after coupon
Gillette Shampoo–on sale 2/$10
Buy 2 and use 2 $2/1 coupons from 9/28 inserts
Submit for October Easysaver Rebate–$5 back when you buy 2
$0.50 each after coupons and rebate
REGISTER REWARDS DEALS
Buy 1 Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush at $4.49, Get $4.49 Register Rewards back
Use $0.75/1 coupon from 9/28 inserts
Free
plus small overage after Register Reward and coupon
Buy 10 cans of Pringles at $1 each, Get $3 Register Rewards
Use 3 $0.30/3 coupon from $08/31 insert (expires 09/30!)
$0.61/can after coupons and Register Rewards
Buy 2 Qualifying Items, Get $1 Register Reward
Buy
3 Qualifying Items, Get $3 Register Reward
Buy 4 Qualifying Items, Get $5 Register Reward
Qualifying Items:
Febreze Air Effects–$2.49
Febreze Fabric Freshener–$4.99
Febreze Noticeables Refills–$3.49
Febreze Candle–$6.99
Swiffer
Refills–$3.49
Swiffer Sweeper Starter Kit–$9.99
Swiffer Wetjet–$17.99
Mr.Clean 2-pk Erasers or Liquid Cleaner–$2.49
Cascade Action Pacs or Gel–$3.49
*Deal*
Buy 4 Febreeze Noticeable kits
Use four $5/1 coupons from 09/28 inserts
Spend $7.96 out of pocket
Get $5 Register Rewards back
Buy 1 Gillette Fusion Manual or Power–on sale $8.99, Get $4 Register Rewards back
Use $4/1 from 9/28 inserts
$0.99 after coupon and Register Rewards
Buy 3 Qualifying Items, Get $5 Register Rewards
Buy
5 or more Qualifying Items, Get $10 Register Rewards
Qualifying Items:
Colgate Total Toothpaste 6 oz. 2-pk–$4.99
Colgate 360 Sonic Power Tooth Brush–$4.99
Colgate 2-pk 360 Clean–$4.99
Colgate Kid’s Battery Operated toothbrush–$4.99
Tom’s of Maine–$3.99
Softsoap Body Wash–$3.49
*Deal*
Buy 3 Softsoap bodywash
Use 3
$1
Softsoap printable
Use $1/1 coupon from October
Easysaver catalog (will take off $3)
Spend $4.47 out of pocket
Get $5 Register Rewards back
Buy 3 or more Qualifying Items, Get $5 Register Rewards
Qualifying Items:
Sudafed PE–$3.99
Benadryl–$6.49
Children’s Tylenol or Motrin–$4.99
Pepcid AC–$14.99
Mylanta–$4.99
Rolaids–$4.99
Imodium AD–$10.99
*Deal*
Buy 3 Children’s Tylenol at $4.99
Use $3/3 manufacturer coupon from 9/14 inserts
Use $1.50/1 Children’s Tylenol coupon from October Easy Saver catalog (should take off $4.50)
Spend $8.97 out of pocket
Get $5 Register Rewards back
Buy 3 Participating Products, Get a $10 Walgreens Gift card
Participating Products:
Pepto-Bismol–$4.99
Metamucil–$9.99
Fibersure–$9.99
Prilosec–$25.99
*Deal*
Buy 3 Pepto-Bismol at $4.99
Use 3 $0.55/1 from 9/28 inserts
Pay $13.32 out of pocket
Get $10 Gift Card Back
OCTOBER FREE-AFTER-REBATE ITEMS:
Loreal Cleanser Cream or Gel or 25-30 towelettes–up to $6.99 rebate
Use $1/1 from 7/20 inserts
Free plus overage after coupon and rebate
Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation–up to $7.49 rebate
Use $1/1 from 9/14 inserts
Free plus overage after coupon and rebate
Extreme Energy 6 Hour Shot–up to $3.99
Free after rebate
And, like last month, there are two more free-after-rebate items which are not listed in the booklet, but which are listed online at the bottom of the page where you input your rebates:
Nivea Men’s Body Wash 16.9 oz–up to $4.99 rebate
Free after rebate
LypSyl LypMoisturizer Honey Berry 1 oz.–up to $1.99 (Limit 2)
Free after rebate
New to shopping at Walgreens? Start here.
============================
Share Your Deals and Scenarios!
Have your shopping trip planned or did you come up with a great deal
scenario/idea? Just post about it on your blog and leave your link
below. **To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the
links, your link must link directly to your Walgreens deals post. Links
going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog
besides the direct link to your Walgreens deals post will be deleted.**
by crystal on September 29, 2008
Here are some deals at ShopRite which Jodi emailed to me:
Ban deodorant 1.5oz roll-on or 2.25-2.6 oz –$0.99
Use a $0.50/1 coupon (doubled)
Free after coupon
Citre Shine shampoo/conditioner 13.5 oz bottle–$1.49
Buy 2 and use a $3/2 coupon
Two bottles free after coupon
Colgate Total toothpaste, 6 oz.–$1.77
Use $0.75/1 coupon (doubled) from 09/28 insert
$0.27 after coupon
Lady’s or Men’s Speed Stick deodorant–$0.99
Use $0.50/2 coupon from 09/28 insert
$0.50 each after coupon
Let us know if you find any other great deals at ShopRite this week!
by crystal on September 29, 2008
Esther wrote:
I just joined YouData.com. You provide some information on exercise
habits, family size, etc. and then are paid to view online advertising.
It’s quick and easy and not terribly invasive to your privacy, and you
get real money transferred to your PayPal account based on how many ads
you click on. You can watch as many or as few ads as you want.
It does
require that you provide your cell phone and e-mail address in order to
prove that you’re a real person, but no mailing address info is
required and they just text an authorization code to your phone and
that’s it.
I tried to sign up for this but accidentally gave my home phone # instead of my cell # (oops!) and then couldn’t figure out how to change it to proceed with the registration and test it out. So, if you try this or have experience with this, let us know your thoughts!
by crystal on September 29, 2008
Giant Food Stores is running a special Triple Coupon promotion this week and tripling coupons up to $0.99. Some restrictions apply and you’ll need the special coupons from the flier. Get all the details here.
