Sharing My Two Cents

Free Coupon Project – The Beginning

2010-03-17T22:40:31Z

CouponKat inspired me to start a coupon writing campaign. I’ve done this off and on in the past with pretty good results. This time I’ll keep track of the companies that I write so that you can see my progress. Maybe I’ll inspire you to do a little writing yourself!

What is coupon writing campaign?
I’ll be writing (actually emailing) companies that manufacturer products and foods that our family uses. The emails will be compliments and might include future product suggestions. I don’t anticipate having to send any complaints, but if an issue arises with a product I purchase I’ll go ahead and write the company to let them know.

Uh-Why?
Companies like to get feedback. Positive or negative. The feedback lets them know they are doing something right; or if they need to make some changes with their products. What do I get out of it? Well…companies also like to say thanks to their customers and will send out high dollar coupons in return. Sometimes the coupons won’t have expiration dates or even better, they will be for completely FREE products. All of my compliments or complaints will be completely honest.

That sounds pretty time intensive.
It’s not. Most companies have a contact form on their website that’s pretty easy to fill out. I’ll try to email just one company a day during the week, time permitting.

Here’s what I’ve done so far and the response I’ve gotten. The dates in parenthesis are the dates that I emailed the company.

I was able to get a FREE bag of pretzels with the coupon from Snyder’s!

Snyder’s (3/3) Received a coupon for ANY Snyder’s Product FREE

Dannon (3/5) Received ten coupons for .50 off any Dannon yogurt

SC Johnson- Ziploc snack bags (3/7)

Prego Sauce (3/9)

Give it a try! Think of a company that makes a product you love. Have you told them that lately? Go ahead, it doesn’t hurt to give it a shot!

Free PowerBar Gel Blasts Sample

2010-03-17T22:00:54Z

A sample of PowerBar Gel Blasts is still available until 3/31/2010.

Free Sample of California Baby Shampoo

2010-03-17T21:38:16Z

Great freebie from California Baby! Receive a free sample of California Baby shampoo and body wash. Email your name and address to redbook@californiababy.com

I sent my request in and have already received a response back from them. Samples will be sent out this Friday (March 19th). So send your email now.

Menu Planning Monday 3/15

2010-03-15T16:15:21Z

Our favorite new recipe is BBQ Chicken Fingers. I made this last week for the family, and they ate it up fast, even the spinach. This is a keeper for sure. I rearranged last week’s menu plan a bit so we still have a couple recipes that I’m making this week that I didn’t get to yet.

This weeks Meal Plan:
Monday – Chicken Squash Bake
Tuesday- Chicken sausage, red beans & rice, corn
Wednesday – Italian Chicken & Asparagus
Thursday – Chicken Pizza
Friday – Breakfast Dinner & homemade blueberry muffins
Saturday- Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs & Rice, broccoli
Sunday – Crockpot Chicken Tacos

To see more weekly meal plans visit Organized Junkie

Monday Menu Planning 3/8

2010-03-08T23:29:18Z

I’ve been getting bored of a lot of the same recipes, so this week I have plenty of new recipes lined up to try. Thankfully the hubby and most of the kids are pretty open to trying my experiments

This weeks Meal Plan:
Monday – Macaroni & Cheese, hot dogs (going to Bunco tonight, so it’s just the kiddos and hubby)
Tuesday- Three Cheese Baked Spaghetti, green beans, french bread
Wednesday – BBQ Chicken Fingers, veggies of some sort
Thursday – Homemade cheese & ground beef and Buffalo Chicken pizzas
Friday – Italian Chicken & Asparagus
Saturday- Chicken Squash Bake
Sunday – Chicken, Broccoli and Fusilli in Garlic Cream Sauce

To see more weekly meal plans visit Organized Junkie

Seven Things To Do on a Rainy Weekend

2010-03-06T22:34:34Z

It’s raining here and we are stuck inside on what is normally a beautiful Saturday. We do a lot of things outside, but in honor of the rain, I thought of some things we could do to still have some fun.

1. Play in the Rain.

Yes, really. Don the raincoats, boots and grab the umbrellas. Go stomp in the puddles and act like a kid again. Then come back inside, dry off and relax with some hot chocolate.

2. Have a Game competition

Whether it’s pulling out the board games or time on the Wii (ours is broken…boohoo…) have fun playing as a family. Look for the games where everyone can compete and have a good time.

3. Movie night, in the middle of the day.

Pull out the beanbags, pillows and blankets. Pop the popcorn and get comfy with a good movie. If you don’t have a good movie handy and don’t want to run out in the rain, you can stream movies or shows instantly to your computer with Netflix.

4. Head to the Library.

I’m a bookworm and I love to read. Nothing is better than curling up with a good book on a rainy day. And since I love a good deal, nothing can beat a free book from the library. If you have a Kindle, search online for free book downloads.

5. Mall Walk

Head indoors to the local mall to get some exercise. Most malls have play places for the kiddos to play around on for free. Bring some quarters if you want to let them ride any rides (our rides here are .75 each. yikes!), or just leave the cash at home and make it a free day. You can get some exercise in with a few laps around the mall, and the kid can burn off some energy playing. Just make sure to keep the shopping to window shopping only

6. Bake

Break out the cookbooks and have a cooking day. I have 4 boys, but even they love to help me cook if I am making something tasty. Enjoy some yummy goodness and teach the kids some cooking skills at the same time. Cookies and muffins are always a hit at our house. Muffins can be made healthier with shredded/pureed carrots, chopped apples, applesauce or even jarred baby food. Get creative with the food you already have in the pantry and refrigerator.

7. Make a Mess

This last one would make my husband cringe. My 3 year old is a HUGE playdough fan. Yes, it’s messy, and if not careful, can get everywhere. I’ve got cleanup down pat and the few minutes I have to spend picking up with him is worth the hours of playtime. If you don’t already have playdough it can be made with a few simple ingredients. Let the kids get creative with some simple tools. Cookie cutters, plastic cups and matchbox cars can all be used in play.

Sunday Coupon Preview is Up

2010-03-04T18:35:54Z

A preview of this weekend’s coupons is up at Sunday Coupon Preview. Looks like a fairly good weekend-there will be 3 inserts coming out; Redplum, Smartsource and Proctor & Gamble. Note: Sunday Coupon Preview does not have the Smartsource coupons listed yet.

You can also check out the 2010 coupon insert schedule to see which weekends will have coupon inserts available.

HOT TIP: Need extra copies of the newspaper? My friend (a new couponer!) was able to get extra copies of the Sunday paper at Wal-Mart for $.99 each plus tax.

Find Money Saving Deals in Your Area

2010-03-03T17:26:45Z

I love this idea. Bargain Briana created a “Frugal Map” where users can easily find local frugal bloggers. It’s a great way to find someone who shares deals and freebies that are only in your area.

The map is pretty new so it is still growing. If you are a frugal blogger (or know one, tell a friend) you can submit your blog to be added to the map. I’d love to see the map filled up with bloggers in every state!

This Google Queen is Trying Something New

2010-03-03T17:10:25Z

For months now many of my favorite bloggers have been talking about all the free gift cards they’ve been earning with something called Swagbucks. Gift cards they’ve been able to use to buy diapers, food, clothes and more all for free.

So last week my friend and I finally took the plunge and we both signed up. The gist of the program is you use the Swagbucks search engine to do your searches instead of Google or Yahoo or some other search engine. You earn points or “Swagbucks” which can be redeemed for prizes. They have dozens of different prizes and there truly is something different for everyone. I’m saving up for a $10 Starbucks gift card.

Is there a downside?

Well…the Swagbucks search engine is powered by Google and Ask.com. I’ve noticed that the results have quite a bit of sponsored results (ie. ads) in them, but they are pretty easy to spot and ignore.

Is it worth it?

I think it might be. It’s not even been a week so time will tell. I use Google many times each and every day. So far I’ve earned 297 Swagbucks in just six days. To earn a $5 Amazon gift card you need 450 Swagbucks. I’m almost there! Not too shabby for something I’m doing anyway.

Full disclosure here: there are a variety of ways you can earn extra swagbucks (like recycling, shopping etc…); one of which is having friends sign up under you. I made sure to sign up under a local frugal blogger I follow, and I have 1 friend signed up under me. You’ll find your swagbucks grow really fast that way.

Free Chick-Fil-A and $100 Gift Card for San Diego Residents

2009-03-25T17:08:10Z

Save Your Receipt Day is coming to the Chick-Fil-A on Marron Rd in Oceanside TOMORROW, March 26th, 2009. How does it work? Come by on March 26th, save your receipt, and receive your entire purchase for FREE during the week of March 30th (except on Sunday, they are closed). We love Chick-Fil-A in our house, so this is a great deal. If you don’t live in the area, keep an eye out for this deal at your local Chick-Fil-A. Each restaurant runs their own deals, so you may get it at a different time.

Test a HP printer and get a $100 gift card. This is for those living in San Diego or Washington. I can personally vouch for this program. The printer I use here at home I received free after a product test a few years ago. IMommies has more info here.

Ok, I’m done now, off to make some homemade baby food for the little one.