Mom is Broke

Free 20 Page Photo Book for your Soldier Over Seas

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:48:00 +0000

This amazing new program is designed to provide comfort and support for our troops stationed anywhere with an APO/FPO or MPO mailing address. You can make a 20 page soft cover photo book using your own digital pictures and send it to your family and friends far from home. Each free book can contain approximately 50-60 photos. The USO even pays for the shipping! It’s a $17 value, ABSOLUTELY FREE*.

Each book is 5 x 7 and includes 20 pages (additional pages available at extra cost). It's designed to be lightweight and fit neatly into fatigue cargo pockets. It’s a great way to share memories of home with those far away.

* Economy shipping method is paid by the USO and is free to you. Other shipping methods are available for an extra charge. Limit one free 20 page Personal Soft Cover Book per customer; this offer does NOT apply to any other products. Free book contains 20 pages and approximately 50-60 photos; additional pages available for $0.20 each page. Additional books available at regular price.

Health and Beauty Free Samples

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:10:00 +0000

Health & Beauty Samples this week.

Burt's Bee's Toothpaste Sample

Crest 3-D White Strip Sample

Lever 2000 Soap Sample (with Costco membership)

Aveeno Nourish + Shampoo Sample

Kotex Sample Packs

Free Axe Detailer Shower Tool

if you are one of the first 1000 callers Monday morning

To get the freebie:
Call 1-877-329-3225
Press 1
Press 2

Depends Sample

Prilosec OTC Sample

Under Jams Sample

Tide Plus Febreeze Sample

Tampax Pearl Sample

Trojan Condom Coupons here

LifeStyles Condom Sample

Archiver's Coupons thru 2/28/10

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:03:00 +0000

Here are the two newest Archiver's coupons that are good through 2/28/10. Including free card stock with a cardstock purchase. Plus 30% off any one item. You can print your coupons here.

$.25 Malt-O-Meal Cereal @ Wal-Mart

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for this great deal. I will be heading to my local Wal-Mart this afternoon now!

Many Walmart stores have Malt-O-Meal cereals priced at $1. Use the $0.75/1 Malt-O-Meal printable coupons here, here, and here to get these for $0.25 after the coupon.

Pampers Points

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:03:00 +0000

Here is a list of Pampers points to use on the Pampers web site. I personally don't have any kids in diapers anymore, so I took all of these codes, entered them and took the 200 points and just donated them to UNICEF. They will use the donation to help give vaccinations to pregnant women in third world countries. I don't plan on keeping up with my Pampers points, so I figure might as well put them to good use. If you don't have little ones in diapers anymore either, might be a good way to spend 20 minutes to help other women around the world.

Codes:

GTGPLAY2USA2010

GRATUIT89102009

GROWWITHVILLAGE

JOINTHEFUNGTG09

JUSTBECAUSE2009

OHAMANDAAWGTG08

STARTEARNINGNOW

THRIFTYMOMMYGTG

WELCOME2GTG0809

WELCOME2VILLAGE

WELCOMEBONUS089

XKCMYXFVD96VXVK

Pets

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:24:00 +0000

Pets are a funny thing, some people get very attached to their pets and buy them clothes and expensive food. Others keep them outside and barely give them any human contact. Some families never have any pets at all, and yet others are hoarders of pets collecting every living thing they can. And the sad bunch is the group that really want pets, but are allergic to them.

Pets enrich our lives everyday. It could be talking to your goldfish while feeding it in the morning, petting the purring cat on your lap, throwing a ball for your dog, or playing with the hamster outside his cage. I think it is kind of weird that God made some animals so right to be domesticated pets. Do you ever wonder when he was creating the animals, he said "I will make dogs to be man's best friend". Sure they help us hunt and protect our homes, but don't you think it is kind of weird how they were created to help humans?

Pets are also very medical. They help people overcome depression, nerves, and help us to heal. And they never ask for anything in return except food and clean water. We are constantly leaving them, and when we return they are not angry with us for being gone all day, they greet us with wagging tails.

I grew up with pets. We always had a small dog in our home growing up. We also had our array of fish, gerbils, lizards and a hamster. My husband and I even had our two cats the year before we even got married, and got our first dog when we had our first "real" house with a back yard. Our first dog Dot passed away last year, mostly from old age. A month after she passed we adopted Bailey the black lab who was already 7 years old. And we still had Lucy the Collie/chow chow mix that we adopted when she was a puppy 12 years ago. Last month Bailey needed to go in for an emergency surgery for a large mass tumor right below her hip. It seemed to be doing better until a few days ago. And unfortunately we had to put her down this evening as there was nothing more the vet could do to help her.

So that is my thought process for this weekend. Pets touch our lives in so many ways. We only had Bailey for a year, but the house seems so incredible quiet without her. It makes you wonder why we put ourselves through this. We know their life expentcy is like 15 years tops, so why do we put ourselves through this pain? Because they become part of our family instantly. I am the one who talked my husband into getting Bailey. He really didn't want another dog so soon after losing Dot. But on the way home from the vet tonight, he said to me "Can we please get a small dog next time?"

How Far Do You Go to Protect Your Kids?

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:34:00 +0000

I know I personally would die for my kids, that is just the way Mothers are. But how far do you go when your kids are being bullied on the bus to school?

Here is the situation. My oldest son is being tormented by a (very manly) girl on the school bus to and from school. In September they were holding interviews for the two bus patrol positions. Three kids signed up for the job. My son, one of his best friends and this girl. The two boys got the job, and she started on her rampage. Now remember they are all on the same bus, so she lives in our development also. She and her little brother had spent almost every night in our backyard with all the other neighborhood kids playing football and other sports. Everything was fine until the whole bus patrol thing came up.

When the boys got their vests the trouble started. She would run to the vice principal, who is in charge of the patrols, and say that he wasn't doing his job and she should get it. It went so far as her mother coming in to complain about him. Now I do know my son isn't perfect, but he is a rule follower. If you are standing on the bus, he will give you a warning. And I think he was turning her in at least once a week for violations. My advice to him at that time was to have the other boy write her up for awhile to take the pressure off of him. It worked for awhile.

Now this week she has most of the older kids singing a rhyme about him. He has a name that is very easily rhymed with, and that does not help at all. He is a very emotional child and has been since he was a toddler. But I can't handle him coming home from school crying every night anymore. He wants to quit being a bus patrol so she will stop. Personally I feel that that would be like accepting defeat, and I don't think that it is a good option. This is why I need some advice from my readers, who are mostly Mom's too.

Do I go to the Mother of the girl to ask her daughter to stop? I do not know her parents at all, so there is no connection there that would make it easier. Or will this make it worse in the long run?

Do I go to the Vice Principal and ask him to talk to her? Or will this make it worse?

Do I let him fight his own battles and hope it works out in the end? Or will it just get worse for him?

I want him to be able to handle his own situations without stepping in to solve his problems all the time, but this has been going on since October.I don't want him to become afraid to go to school, or become depressed. I want to help him, but want to do it in the best way possible without hurting him in the long run. I know that things will be different next year on the middle school bus. He will have his best friend and older sister on the bus to watch his back for him. But I need the rest of this school year to go better. Have you guys come across this with your children? What did you do that worked or didn't work? What about the bullies in your childhood, do you still remember them? I don't want this to be a bad memory of his childhood. I just want my kids to be able to go to school without being teased so that they can get a good education and make a success of themselves in the future. I know he will survive through this, but want to be able to teach him how to handle himself with bullies. She is in the same grade as him, and will be in school with him for the next 7 years. That is why I am turning to my fellow bloggers for advice. Please comment if you have any suggestions, and maybe we can nip this bully in the bud together!

Some Free Stuff for You

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:53:00 +0000

Here are a few freebies to get you through the week.

Breath Right Sample

Cream of Wheat

SOS Night Fever

Taco Bell Fresco Taco

Poise Sample Kit

Uni-Ball Pen

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Journal

Einstein Bros Bagel

1/2 Gallon of Chocolate Milk

Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheet

Halo Cat Food

Post-its Durable Tabs

3 Atkins Bars & Starter Kit

Aveda Products

Depends Sample

Paying Kids for Weekly Chores

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:52:00 +0000

How come getting kids to do simple chores for cash is so hard? Do your kids do chores for money? What tricks have you used that work, and which ones really didn't work?

We are trying something new at our house this week. I have to admit I stole the idea from the Duggar's book (that my husband got me for Christmas). Now you can say whatever you want about the Duggar's, but seriously, they must be doing something right. They have 19 kids and they are all well behaved and their house seems to run much smoother than mine. So I am going to try a few of their suggestions in their book and see if they will work for my family.

What we are trying is having the kids do their chores, but instead of paying them cash every week, we put it into a "Mom & Dad Checking Account". I had extra checking registries and gave each child one of their own to keep track of their cash. I showed them how to enter it into the registry with the money that I already owed them for chores and babysitting. I printed out blank check and deposit slips from here so that they can make deposits from birthday money and such. And they can then write me a check if they want to buy something.

I am hoping that this accomplishes a few different goals. One, the learn how to balance a checkbook. Two, they learn to save up their money before buying something. Three, they will know where their money is at all times and not losing it in the laundry or in their bedrooms. And finally, I don't need to always have cash on hand to dole out to them every Friday (our payday).

I am also thinking that I will make them their own personal cash cards out of old Target gift cards. That way they will need to remember pin numbers and not lose their cards if they want to withdraw money.

So far the first week of implementing the new bank, the kids are faster to do their chores and babysitting when I need them to. They happily run to the drawer where their registries are and add the amount into the balance. My five year old told me about five times today how much money he has in his account now. He even offered to buy at McDonald's because he would still have enough money left over to buy the things that he wants.

I am just hoping that they continue to do their chores!

Hello?

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:45:00 +0000

With the coming of the new year, I have been thinking about how much I do miss this web site. I noticed that I still have 47 followers even though I have not posted in over eight months. I am thinking this might be the time to make my comeback, but on a smaller scale.

I think I started this site for the right reasons, to help others who are having financial issues like my family was. But then I think I got greedy and tried to figure out ways to make money doing it. And I think that was my fall. Tis better to give than to receive, right? I have learned my lesson, and have changed my ways.

I will not be posting everyday, but will try to post every weekend. I am hoping my loyal followers will have some good tips for me like you always do. If you write a blog and would like to be a guest poster during the week, let me know.

So, what have I been doing for the last 8 months. Well.....I am still working at the same full-time job I had got while writing. It is still going great, and we are busier than ever. That is a good thing to have a little job security. My husband did start up his used car dealership back in May. And last month was their best month so far! It is just my husband and his father running the dealership and a friend of his and his son rent the attached repair shop in the back. They seem to be busier than they have ever been. Working a full-time job and your husband in the first year of a new business can be quite challenging. He is working at least 11 hours a day, six days a week. We are lucky enough that he is home to get the kids on the bus in the morning, and I am home by the time they get off in the afternoon.

Which bring me to the kids. They are all doing great. A honor roll for my oldest her first year in middle school. The boys are in elementary school and doing great grades too. I am still driving them to all their different activities, and with the foot of snow we had over the Christmas break, even that has been challenging lately.

Financially our family is doing a little better. We are still frugal, or as my friend at work called me today, cheap. But we keep saying that as soon as the economy bounces back, we will now know how to live and we will flourish because of it. I am just waiting for that day now......any time now......please.....

The good and the bad....

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:50:00 +0000

The good:

Remember back a few weeks ago I told you that my family was working on some real big changes and I had to wait to tell you about it? Well, we opened our own used car lot! It has been in the works for about a year now. Looking for the right spot, clearing everything with the state and city, getting the money. We officially open on May 1st. I have been there cleaning and scrubbing every surface in the building. The guys that were there for the past year didn't know what a vacuum cleaner even looked like! We are headed back up this morning for a full day of painting walls.

The Bad:

I am going to have to take a break from this web site for awhile. With the new business needing all my spare time right now, I will run myself ragged if I don't take a short break. I will be back, and I will be posting pictures of the new place when it is presentable. I know you all understand, this is our chance to get back to where we were before the housing market went in to the toilet.

So...if you happen to be looking for a good used car, and honest salesmen, in a family friendly car dealership......

Rotter Auto Sales
132 19th Street
Forest Lake, MN 55025

RotterAuto.com (coming soon)

I'll be back in a little bit......................

New Archiver's Coupons

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:36:00 +0000

Here are four new Archiver's coupons:

One for 30% off any one item

exp. 5/31/09

One for free cardstock with cardstock purchase

exp. 5/31/09

One for 5 free digital prints

Exp. 5/31/09

One for one free color copy

exp. 5/31/09

So these coupons are good for a full month. Must be time to start scrapping again.

Weird Picture Wednesday

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Almost time for the garden foods! Check out this green/red pepper. Weird.

Living Green Expo this Weekend!

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:40:00 +0000

It's that time of year again. Time for the Living Green Expo at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds this weekend! I LOVE this free expo. You can always find something new that you haven't seen done before. Try new organic foods, and make you think differently about the little things that can make a huge difference. I plan on being there on Sunday, so if you see me, be sure to say HI.

The annual Living Green Expo is a free, family-friendly event that inspires people to lead healthier and more sustainable lives.

May 2-3, 2009
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Minnesota State Fair Grounds (Saint Paul)
Free admission Getting There: Directions

Ride FREE to the 2009 Expo with a Go Greener Pass from Metro Transit.
Plan your route
Download your Go Greener Pass

Weird Picture Wednesday

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Do you think this is in a showroom somewhere? I can't imagine somebody walking by and saying "I have been looking for a good sheep's head chair. Hey there's one!"

Happy Earth Day 2009

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:51:00 +0000

Get out there today on your walk, and pick up trash along the way.

Bring in your cans to the recyclers today.

Bring in your bags of clothes to the thrift store today.

Challenge yourself to see how much you can recycle today.

See how much water you can conserve today.

Change out your light bulbs to CFL's or LED bulbs today.

Make a difference today.

Photo Coupons

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Here are a few great photo coupons thanks to Karen.
Spring is always a great time to get new pictures taken.

JCPenney Portrait Studio
Free 8x10 portrait and free sitting fees
http://www.jcpportraits.com/coupons/coupons.html
Expires 5/30/2009

Target Portrait Studio
Free 8x10 portrait and fee sitting fees
http://www.targetportraits.com/coupons/coupons.html
Expires 4/30/2009

Flash Digital PortraitsFree framed 5x10
http://www.flashportraits.com/Promotions.shtml
Expires 5/22/2009

Earth Day E-Cards

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:35:00 +0000

How do you save paper while still sending your friends a great message about Earth Day? Send an e-card. No paper needed, just a few minutes of your time to create them.

Click here to go to WWF's Earth Day e-cards, and send them to all your friends. If they are eco-friendly friends, they will enjoy the thought. If they are not currently eco-friendly, maybe they will see how cool it is to become eco-friendly.

Help spread the word. Send an Earth Day e-card today.

Free Earth Day E-Book Download

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 10:51:00 +0000

Just in time for Earth Day, Grist.org is giving away free downloads of their environmentally focused book, “Wake Up and Smell the Planet: The Nonpompous, Nonpreachy Grist Guide to Greening Your Day!”

This is a great call to action to not just be eco-conscious one day each year, but to be earth-friendly every day!

Downloading the book will also register you for a drawing for a trip to the 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee this year on June 11 - 14 — tickets and airfare for two included. Good luck!

Click here to register.

Archiver's $3/$15 Coupon

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:46:00 +0000

Here is the newest Archiver's coupon.

Click here to print your $3/$15 coupon.

It expires 4/22/09.

A Few Freebies to Get You By

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:37:00 +0000

Not to many freebies this week. I've been swamped at work, I was hoping to find a coupon for a free adult beverage somewhere. No such luck. Guess I will just have to go buy my own.

Metropolitan Home magazine subscription

Esquire Magazine Subscription

Cruise Travel magazine Subscription

Old House Journal Magazine Subscription

Prilosce OTC sample

Better Than Ears dog treat samples

Triple Flex Soft Gels samples

Lemonade Stand Kit

Free episode to watch Handy Manny Earth Day

Free reusable bag when you design one online

Weird Picture Wednesday

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:00:00 +0000

This has to be the most unique hair-do I have ever seen. Look closely, the only part that isn't hair is under his ear. I hope he really likes tennis.

Easter Blessings

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:18:00 +0000

Have a wonderful Easter

with your family.

Easter Basket Challenge

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Here is my personal results from the Easter Basket Challenge. I took pictures off all three kids baskets, and priced out what they each got and how much I ended up spending on them.

Ali's basket: Basket - $.99 90% off clearance Target last year
Tank Top - Free Aeropostale coupon
Shorts - $1.94 clearance at Target
2 Goody hair elastics - $.12 each at Wal-mart with $2.00 off coupon
Small chocolate bunny $.33 3/$1.00 at Wal-mart
Wind up bunny - $1.00 section at Target
Peeps - $.88 Wal-mart
Giant cookie - $1.00 Wal-mart
Bottle lotion - $2.00 - Cub Foods with coupon
Laffy Taffy - $1.88 Wal-mart
Chocolate Bunny $2.99 - Target
Total for just Ali - $13.25

Matt's Basket: Basket $.99 Target clearance

Tag spray - $1.25 - Cub Foods with coupon

Big bag of Pony Beads Kit - $3.99 Wal-mart

3-pack Golf Balls - Free with coupon to local store

Bag of Tees - $1.99

Cadbury mini eggs - $1.88 Wal-mart

Giant Cookie - $1.00 Wal-mart

Mini Chocolate bunny $.33

Wind-up bunny $1.00 Target

Big Chocolate bunny $2.99 Target

Peeps $.88 Wal-mart

Aeorpostale hat $4.97 - 70% clearance

Matt's Total - $21.30

Timmy's Basket: Basket $.99 Target

3-pack Play-do - $1.88 Wal-mart

Giant cookie - $1.99 Wal-mart

Addition Flash Cards - $1.00 Target

Stuffed bunny - $1.00 Target

Small chocolate bunny $.33

Wind-up Bunny - $1.00 Target

Bubble Wand - $1.88 Wal-mart

Giant Chocolate Bunny - $2.99 Target

Peeps - $.88 Wal-mart

Giant Cookie - $1.00 Wal-mart

Bag of peanut butter cups - $1.88 Wal-mart

Timmy's Total - $16.82

I will post pictures on Monday with what the Easter Bunny does to our house in the morning. It's pretty funny, and the kids enjoy it more than the actual candy I think.

Cheap Way to Dye Easter Eggs

michelle.rotter@comcast.net (Mom is Broke) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:58:00 +0000

My family has been dying Easter eggs in this fashion for about four years now. I have to be honest, covering the kitchen table in newspaper, digging out old coffee mugs, and soaking color tablets in vinegar does not sound like a good time to me. Plus that much vinegar makes the house stink for a couple of days. A few years back I found out how to "Tye Dye" Easter eggs, and we have been doing it ever since.

All you need is a sink, a strainer, hard boiled eggs, vinegar and regular food coloring. Start by hard boiling your eggs, and let them cool completely before coloring. In a strainer over the sink place the first egg. Cover the egg in vinegar. Vinegar is so very cheap, and we all have it in our house already, don't be afraid to really cover the whole egg. Be sure to do it over the sink for easy clean-up.

Add drops of food coloring, one by one. You can do just one color, or multiple colors. Experiment with colors.

When you have all the colors you want, slowly and gently wiggle the egg in the strainer. The more you wiggle it, the more the colors will blend. The less wiggling, the more of a tye dye look you will get.

My older kids do everything but covering with vinegar. They add the color and wiggle the eggs. They also rinse the strainer between eggs to not mix the color to much. You must rinse between eggs, or they will all come out muddy looking.

Ta-da, tye dyed Easter eggs. This way is neater, just rinse it down the sink. Quicker, it took us about 30 minutes to do 24 eggs, 8 per kid. And I think they are more unique than regular eggs dipped in cups. You can still use the crayons to write on them, or rubber binders to make stripes. This is mostly just a different way to do the actual dying. Plus you don't have to spend the $4.00 to buy the dye kits anymore!

Our short video of wiggling the egg.

How do you dye your Easter eggs. Do you have a new way for us to try next year? Leave a comment and share.