3.14.10
Got Giveaways?
Are you hosting a giveaway on your site/blog? Here’s your chance to share it with my reader friends.
Please be sure that your linky is to the giveaway offer and not your homepage.
Good Luck to those of you that enter!
3.14.10
Weekly Store Deals Round-Up
There are several store chains out there and it’s impossible for any one blogger to find/type them all up. I have been so blessed to have several bloggers help me in creating a compiled list of store chains with weekly deals for them. You can check out the list HERE. Hopefully you’ll find a store near you! Several more have been added since last week.
If you’d like to be added to this list, please read my posting HERE.
This will be posted each Sunday along with a link for those that just do random deals or do not want to be added to the list. For random deals, please feel free to leave a linky that’s to the posting and not your homepage.
Thank you to everyone for helping my readers in saving money at the stores near them!
(Bloggers: If you sent over a request and don’t see it listed, please email me again. It might have got lost in the shuffle.)
3.14.10
Edible Arrangements: Free Samples Today, March 14th
Edible Arrangements has it posted on their facebook page that they are giving out Free Samples of Chocolate Dipped Fruit today, Sunday, March 14th.
Thanks for sharing, Mojo Savings!
As with all promotions, you may want to call ahead to be sure your local branch is participating. You can check to find a location near you.
3.13.10
Hot Printable Coupon – $1.50 Off Oscar Mayer Bacon
UPDATE: I think this one has reached its print limits. Sorry if you missed it!
Kraft is currently offering a $1.50 off Oscar Mayer Bacon Printable Coupon.
Thanks for sharing, One Momma Saving Money!
This one won’t last long so hurry over and grab it before it’s gone!
3.13.10
Free Seeds and Gardening Freebies
My son and I had such a great time planting seeds this week. So I was really excited to see that there were some companies that were offering Free Seeds right now so some of you could have some Gardening Fun, too.
Tomato Heirloom is offering Free Basil Seeds when you sign-up for their newsletter. Note: After you sign-up for their newsletter, they’ll give you instructions on how to get the freebie. You do need to mail in for them so you’ll be paying the cost of postage stamps. Just letting you know in advance. Considering most of our seed packets cost at least $1.79 in our area, it’s still a good deal to me.
The Dinner Garden has several distributors that will give you Free Seeds if you stop by. Don’t have one near you? There’s a form to fill out and they’ll mail them to you, free of charge.
Thanks to $5 Dinners and Money Saving Maine-ac for the freebie find!
Also, $5 Dinners has some great Free Garden Planner Printables.
Were you able to find any other Gardening Freebies lately?
3.13.10
Sunday Coupon Preview and Discounted Newspapers
Want to know if you should pick up some extra Sunday Papers tomorrow? Check out Sunday Coupon Preview to see what inserts are projected to be in this Sunday’s paper. (Keep in mind, coupons can vary by region.)
Just you all know, there are a lot of coupon inserts in this week’s paper. I highly recommend picking one up or finding someone who isn’t using their coupons.
Also, for those of you that don’t receive the Sunday Paper yet, I’ve found good deals with a company called Discounted Newspapers. I was able to get over 56% savings on our Chicago area papers through them. I ordered an extra subscription and even if I only use one coupon from each week, I pay for that extra paper. Plus we get extra highlights from all that is going on in our area.
3.13.10
RedPlum: Another Source for Coupons
You’ll hear me mention quite often how you should regularly check Coupons.com for new printable coupons, but another good resource is RedPlum.
RedPlum doesn’t have quite as many coupons as Coupons.com but there are some good finds there sometimes.
I’ll keep my eyes open for any deals to match the current ones on RedPlum for you. These are the ones I saw for my area:
$1.50/2 Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, All Bran or Raisin Bran Cereal Printable Coupon
$3 Off Monistat Printable Coupon
$.55 Off Earth Grains Bread or Thin Buns Printable Coupon
$1 Off Filippo Berio Olive Oil Printable Coupon
and several coupons for DVDs.
Don’t forget to also check your Sunday Papers as some of them still carry the Red Plum inserts.
3.13.10
Jewel Deals and Free Jose Chimichangas
I had all intentions of getting the Jewel Deals typed up this week and then I was hit with a terrible head cold late this week. The store deals are a lot more involved and I couldn’t find the necessary concentration to get them done.
But thankfully Alli of Couponing For 4 is always so generous in allowing me to link up to her for them.
So check out Couponing For 4s posting on the Weekly Jewel Deals. Also, don’t miss out on her posting on how you can grab some Free Jose Chimichangas after Catalina this week.
For those of you with a Dominick’s nearby, Alli also types up Weekly Dominick’s Deals.
Thanks for letting me share these, Alli!
3.12.10
Marching Into Fitness: Little Changes, Big Rewards
One of the mistakes that I find myself often repeating when it comes to altering my diet and fitness levels is that I take it on full force at a gazelle level and burn out quickly. I get so excited about my latest ambition to succeed at a healthier lifestyle and instead of setting off at a jogging pace, I take off at a sprint. This would be OK if it were a short little race but honestly, altering a lifestyle is more like taking on a marathon. You have to pace yourself. I mean, it’s not like I just overnight starting making unhealthier eating choices or not allowing myself to find time throughout my day to exercise. So I can’t expect myself to just change every bad habit overnight. (Though I wish I could!)
I have to keep reminding myself that little changes will bring big rewards and the most important thing I can do is to have patience and to continue to praise myself for each little accomplishment I make along the way.
I had really great success this last summer when I took on some little changes to my eating habits. I didn’t just completely stop eating junk food and switch to veggies or tofu or anything. But I just made tiny changes over time. Once again, I’ve taken on this same mindset and have had luck with eating healthier and squeezing in some exercise since I’ve been back from the Blissdom conference. I thought I would share some of the things that I’ve been doing. (But please, keep in mind something very important; you must never change your diet or exercise routine without consulting with your physician first. Also, what works for me, may not work for you. You must find what works well for you and keeps you the healthiest.):
1) Cut back on “nibbling” on food when I prepare meals – This is a tough one for me. I often find myself distracted when I cook and that seems to lead to eating part of a meal before I even get to the table! So now, I either chew gum, nibble on fruit or just altogether force myself to be conscious of what I’m eating. It also helps that I did a Freezer Cooking Session and I’m spending less time cooking this month.
2) Serving Food Family Style – I used to dish up the plates trying to take a guess at what everyone would like and to the amounts they’d eat. Now, I serve everything “family style” and we just take little bits of food at a time. If I do go to add food to my plate, I’m very aware of anything extra and take note of it—am I really hungry or did I not allow myself time to digest what I already ate? I also seem to have less food to throw away from our plates and more leftovers when we do this. But you have to be careful not to allow yourself too many extra servings, which can happen with the food being so easily accessible. (Ask your Dr./Nutritionist what are healthy portions for you to follow.)
3) Cut up fruit/veggies at each meal – Every night at dinner, I cut up a big bowl of fruit and/or veggies. I serve up what I think is a healthy portion of my other food and then when I feel like I’m still hungry, I choose to eat from the fruit/veggie bowl instead.
4) Quit eating what’s the kids leave on plates – I have a hard time throwing food out. So I let the kids choose what they want now (again from the family style serving). I always make sure they get their proper nutrition but by letting them make their own choices, there’s less to throw away. Also, I tend to put less on my own plate in case they pick something and don’t end up liking it. Otherwise, it’s so easy to end up eating way too much.
5) Choosing healthier foods – Overall, we eat fairly healthy as a family. But I am making even more of a conscious effort to make sure our snacks are healthy and that “junk food” or candy etc is something we have just at random or as a treat. Side dishes are more along the lines of yogurt, steamed veggies, or fruit and sometimes cheese or pickles, as opposed to fried or greasy foods.
6) I’m eating a little slower – It used to be a guarantee that I’d always be the last person done eating at any meal. But just over pregnancies and then trying to make sure I got myself and the little kids fed, I think I’ve almost trained myself to eat faster. I’ve been trying to make an effort to pace myself and actually try to enjoy my meals than to inhale them now. 
7) Squeezing in exercise when I can – I have a hard time getting in full exercise segments, as I mentioned, so I now opt for “Time for 10″ with the kids or even use the Just Dance
I actually did an entire series on 30 Ways (Ideas) for Losing a Pound last year. They mostly focus on eating habits and not diet/nutrition advice. I’ve had a lot of readers email me that they’ve had really good luck with them. But again, keep in mind the important fact that you must consult your physician before making any changes to your diet or exercise routine.
I hope that by sharing some of the little changes I’ve been making that it will help inspire you to seek out a few of your own so you can slowly start working towards a healthier lifestyle. I’d love to hear what works for you, as well. I’m hoping that you’ll also find those little changes that add up to big rewards in the end!
3.12.10
Giveaway Winner!
Here is the winner of the giveaway for the Simply Preggo t-shirt:
ecampbell34@
Congrats on the win! I’ve sent an email requesting mailing address and tshirt choice. Winners have 48 hrs. to respond before I choose a new winner.
I’ve had to redraw a few winners lately. So make sure if you sign-up that you are checking your email inboxes and giveaway winner notifications so you don’t miss out!
Also, I’ve had several fabulous sponsors send me some more giveaway opportunities. So get ready to see a lot more giveaways here soon!
3.12.10
Amazon: Fitness DVDs on Sale
Amazon is currently having a sale on a large selection of Fitness DVDs
Some of them included?
Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred
Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom
The Biggest Loser: The Workout – Weight Loss Yoga
So if you are in need of a new one, check out what’s included. Shipping is free with Amazon Prime or with $25 in Qualifying Items.
I just thought I’d mention these since it is my “Marching Into Fitness” month. I also have a new segment in the series coming real soon!
3.12.10
Lowe’s Free Build and Grow Clinic on Saturday, March 13th, 2010
Lowe’s is having another Free Build and Grow Clinic on Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 10-11AM.
This time, they are making a Tabletop Basketball game. This might be a fun little thing for the kids to make for themselves or for a surprise gift for someone else.
Thanks, Money Saving Maine-ac!
Make sure you sign-up as there are limited openings. The first 50 kids that sign up for each workshop will get a kit, work apron, and safety goggles for free. Also, be sure that your local Lowe’s is participating.
Looking for more free activities? Common Sense with Money has a nice round-up of other free activities to check out this weekend.
3.12.10
Jamba Juice Printable Coupon
Jamba Juice has a Five Fruit Frenzy Smoothie available for a limited time. They are also offering a $1 Off any All Fruit Smoothie at Jamba Juice Printable Coupon.
Thanks, Coupon Gal!
Coupon is valid through 4/10/10.
3.12.10
Jewel Store Shoppers: Coupon Booklet with $20 in Savings
For all of you with a Jewel nearby, they are offering a $20 in Savings Coupon Booklet by mail when you fill out this form.
You can also view the brands that are included.
3.12.10
Ace Hardware Lookout Alert: Rakes for $1.99 After Rebate
When we were at our local Ace Hardware Store this week looking for seeds for our garden, I noticed that their sales ad had a Rake for only $1.99 after a $5 rebate. It was for a 22″ Spring Brace Rake or 24″ Poly Rake.
I just wanted to share it will all of you so you could also check your local Ace Hardware to see if they were offering the same promotion. Ours was good through 3/31/10.
If yours is like ours, you can actually file your rebates online if you use your Ace Rewards Card. (which is free to sign-up for.) I was so happy to hear that I didn’t need to mail in my receipt, UPC, etc. I typically don’t take advantage of rebate offers because I’m not the best at mailing everything in.
