Tips & Treasures

Alternate uses for rubber bands

2009-07-10T13:51:00.000-04:00

One of the best ways to reduce waste and to save money, is to use what you already have. And one of the best ways to make the most of what you already have, is to think about other ways to use those items.

Every so often I highlight a new item that you can repurpose around your house. What's up for today? Rubber bands. Exciting, I know!

Here's a quick list of a few alternate uses for rubber bands...

Decorate Easter eggs... wrap them around the egg a few times, dip egg into dye, then remove rubber bands when the dye has dried.
Wrap them around wrapping paper rolls to keep them from getting too ragged.
Hold wobbly items in place in your dishwasher with a rubber band.
Open jars more easily... wrap a rubber band around the lid a few times for a better grip.
Wrap a rubber band around your chimes during heavy winds.
Wrap a rubber band a few times around the edges of your hangers. This makes a non-slip surface so shirts stay in place.

Looking for more ways to repurpose items? Check these out:

Barnes & Noble 10% off coupon

2009-07-09T11:51:00.000-04:00

One of my most favorite ways to relax is to sit on the beach and read a good book. Gotta love the warm sun, the cool breeze and the sound of the gentle crash of the waves.

So peaceful and it's super easy to get lost in whatever you're reading.

Anyway... maybe you need some new reading material for those great beach days. Or maybe you're just snuggled with a book in a comfy chair at home.

Either way, take 10% off any one item at Barnes & Noble, now through 7/19/09. To take advantage of this offer click through and use code: U4W8R8B. You're welcome!

Show me the money... (Weekly Recap)

2009-07-08T09:03:00.000-04:00

How much extra money did you earn this week? How much did you save? Here's my weekly re-cap of money/gift cards earned, cash saved by using coupons, and freebies received in the mail.

It's fun to see your savings/earnings amounts all added up. It clearly shows that it's time well spent when you cut coupons, hunt for sales, and make little bits of money here and there. Here's my re-cap for last week, 6/28/09 -7/4/09.

Cash/Checks/Gift Cards Received

$0.30...... YouData (Earn cash by viewing ads... paid every Friday!)
$10.00.... Amazon.com gift card from Swagbucks (Earn gift cards for using their search engine! Sign up HERE, it's free!)
$1.00...... Diapers.com referral (Use code: NOWSAVE5 to take $10 off your 1st order)
$21.00.... Survey Savvy

Total: $32.30

Coupon Savings

$29.40... Acme
$5.00..... Payless
$1.65...... Kohl's
$12.95... TGI Fridays

Total: $49.00

Freebies

First aid kit
Fancy Feast Appetizers Cat food (I'll donate this since we don't have a cat.)

Total 2009 Cash/Checks/Gift Cards Received: $897.39
Total 2009 Coupon Savings: $1,421.64

Find my previous weekly re-caps here.

New Swagcode!

2009-07-05T09:20:00.001-04:00

Are you a Swagbucks user? I hope so... it's my absolute most favorite way to earn money online.

Well, today 7/5/09, they have a free swagcode for everyone! The code is: Independence.

This will get you 1 free swagbuck into your account. Making you 1 step closer to cashing out for cash, gift cards or other prizes!!!

Don't have a Swagbucks account yet? What are you waiting for??? It's a completely free search engine, just like Google or whatever you're using now.

The difference? You randomly earn swagbucks from doing searches. You can then use your swagbucks to redeem for cash, gift cards or other cool prizes.

Sign up for your Swagbucks account here.

I've earned well over $200 in Amazon gift cards since I started using Swagbucks last year!!! I LOVE it.

Oriental Trading: Take 20% off ANY order

2009-07-03T08:41:00.000-04:00

Just in case you're planning a party sometime soon, I have a great coupon for ya.

Snag 20% off any size order at Oriental Trading! Simply use coupon code: WCX8178 at checkout. Offer expires 7/6/09.

If you've never shopped at Oriental Trading, they are the headquarters for party supplies, decorations and favors. Oh and they carry about a gazillion other things as well. All, super cheap.

BONUS: Make your Oriental Trading purchase through your Ebates account and you'll earn 3% cash back! New to Ebates? Sign up for your free account and you'll earn a $5.00 bonus in addition to your cash back!

Puzzles: B2G1 Free + Free Shipping

2009-07-02T08:47:00.000-04:00

I LOVE the Melissa & Doug Puzzles and other wooden toys. They are so cute and made with such great quality that they easily stand apart from other puzzles and toys.

Anyway, eToys has a hard-to-pass-up deal going on where you can buy any 2 Melissa & Doug puzzles or toys, and you'll get another one for free! And, like icing on the cake, they are offering free shipping as well!!!

No coupon code necessary for this promo, just click through above and add your three items to your cart. The free one will be adjusted at checkout. Offer runs through 7/11/09.

$1.00 off Gerber Graduates Smart Sips

2009-07-01T14:48:00.002-04:00

Have your toddlers or preschoolers tried the new Graduates Smart Sips drinks? We haven't yet.

Apparently these Smart Sips are milk drinks loaded with vitamins and minerals. And they come in Plain, Vanilla & Strawberry.

You can learn more about them here, if you want.

And then you can print out a great coupon for $1.00 off any one single serve Graduates Smart Sips.

Bath & Body Works FREEBIE!!!!

2009-06-29T19:18:00.001-04:00

Gotta love freebies!

And right now you can get a free Antibacterial Foaming Hand Sanitizer from Bath & Body Works!!!

To claim your freebie, simply print this coupon. Offer is valid with any purchase and is good in-store only.

Offer good through 7/5/09.

Also, note that their Signature Collection Classics are marked down from $9.50-$10.50 to only $4.00!!! So this would be a great, cheap product to purchase in order to get your freebie.

25% off & free shipping at Old Navy!

2009-06-29T14:36:00.001-04:00

Are you an Old Navy card holder? If so, you can take advantage of this great promo that they're offering right now.

Take 25% off your entire purchase! No minimum purchase required. What a fantastic deal... especially if you use it on sale or clearance items!

To get your discount online, simply use coupon code: THANKYOU25. To get your discount in-store, you should have received an email from Old Navy. You simply print the email and present it to the cashier.

This promotion runs through Thursday 7/2/09.

Old Navy has flat rate shipping, so it's $7 on any size order. But, since you're an Old Navy card holder, you can get free shipping on your order of $100 or more. Just use coupon code: MYCARD. And yes, you can use both codes!

BONUS: Make your Old Navy purchase through your Ebates account and you'll score 2% cash back! New to Ebates? Sign up for your free account and you'll get a $5.00 sign-up bonus in addition to your cash back!

Show me the money... (Weekly Recap)

2009-06-29T09:46:00.001-04:00

How much extra money did you earn this week? How much did you save? Here's my weekly re-cap of money/gift cards earned, cash saved by using coupons, and freebies received in the mail.

It's fun to see your savings/earnings amounts all added up. It clearly shows that it's time well spent when you cut coupons, hunt for sales, and make little bits of money here and there. Here's my re-cap for the past week, 6/21/09 -6/27/09.

Cash/Checks/Gift Cards Received

$25.00... CVS gift card (Cashed in MyPoints)
$0.61..... YouData (Get paid to view ads... quick & easy money... paid every Friday!)
$3.00..... PineCone Research Survey
$5.00..... Amazon.com gift card from Swagbucks (Earn gift cards for using their search engine! Sign up HERE, it's free!)

Total: $33.61

Coupon Savings

$3.00 Acme

Total: $3.00

Freebies

No freebies received this week.

Total 2009 Cash/Checks/Gift Cards Received: $865.09
Total 2009 Coupon Savings: $1,372.64

Find my previous weekly re-caps here.

Coupons for baby food, diapers, etc.

2009-06-25T16:01:00.000-04:00

Did you know that Diapers.com doesn't just sell diapers? They have all kinds of formula, baby food, clothing, toys, sippy cups, health care supplies, green cleaners, carseats, baby furniture, etc, etc. Really, almost anything you and your baby need.

Anyway, they have recently started offering coupon codes. And you know what is really great? You can combine their codes... so use as many as you need! Oh, and they also accept your manufacturer's coupons for formula, diapers & wipes. You just mail them in and they'll be applied to your account.

Here's a quick list of some of the coupon codes offered right now...

Take $1.50 off one Extra Large case of Huggies with code: SAHUGGIES
Save $2.00 when you buy 2 Pampers Splashers with code: SASPLASHER
Get 15% off Seventh Generation Wipes & Cleaning Supplies with code: SASEVGEN
Take $5.00 off your Earth's Best baby food purchase of $25 or more with code: SAFOOD
Save $3.00 when you buy 2 California Baby items with code: SACABABY
Melissa & Doug puzzles are Buy 2, Get 1 FREE with code: SAPUZZLES
Crayola products are Buy 2, Get 1 FREE with code: SACRAYOLA
Take 10% off all potties with code: SAPOTTIES
Get 15% off nursery furniture with code: SANURSERY1
Or if you spend over $400 on furniture, you can get 20% off with code: SANURSERY2
Save 15% on all rain gear with code: SARAIN

There are tons more coupons available, and like I said, they can be combined. Find a link to the complete coupon code list on their homepage.

Don't forget that, as always, Diapers.com has their terrific next day free shipping on any order of $49 or more.

Are you a new Diapers.com customer? Snag yourself a whopping $10 off your first diaper order when you are spending $49 or more. Simply use coupon code: NOWSAVE5. (Note that the order doesn't have to be $49 worth of diapers, but must contain diapers.)

What happened?

2009-06-25T14:54:00.001-04:00

Sorry, I've been on a bit of an unexpected blogging break. I think I've posted twice in the past 2 weeks. And those have only been my Weekly Recaps of savings and earnings. Oops.

I've been quite busy with my two little ones. My youngest at a year and a half has really taken a liking to climbing. So I now spend half the day chasing after him and pulling him down from standing and jumping on the furniture. It doesn't help that my 3 year old encourages him greatly.

Oh, and I've also been quite busy with surveys. Any other online survey takers getting a large amount of surveys in their inbox lately? They seem to come in a never ending train. Of course, I don't need to complete each and every one, but I'm trying to do as many as possible to earn more cash because I'm trying to pay down debts and beef up our savings.

I'm working hard at that, not only because we need to, but also because I really want to move. And of course, moving costs money. And this is not any old move. We're talking from NJ to possibly GA, SC or NC. We'll see. So I've also been spending way too much time browsing real estate in each of those areas.

During my little blogging break I also took a little weekend trip to the shore. We had an awesome time and the kids LOVED playing on the beach. The next time you're at the beach with little ones, I highly recommend this...

Dig a giganto whole in the sand, just deep enough so that the water comes up from the ground. It keeps the kids contained and thoroughly entertained. They splashed around in there for HOURS... two days in a row!

Ohhh, and another reason for my absence. I joined PaperBack Swap and I LOVE it. I'm getting rid of old books that were laying around and collecting dust and I've gotten some great books to read in return.

So I've been hiding behind a few books and only occasionally peeking up at the computer to look at just a few more houses... and maybe throwing some toys and/or food towards the kids in the hopes that they'll let me keep reading for just a bit more.

Ok, so wow. Yea that's alot of excuses. And I can keep throwing them out there. Like about how my kids both came down with the coxsackie virus and were horribly weak and feverish for a few days. Thankfully, they seem to be over it and are back to their usual wild selves.

Anyway, I'll be getting back into regular posting. Sorry to be gone so long and sorry for this very long-winded explanation.

Show me the money... (Weekly Recap)

2009-06-25T13:58:00.001-04:00

How much extra money did you earn this week? How much did you save? Here's my weekly re-cap of money/gift cards earned, cash saved by using coupons, and freebies received in the mail.

It's fun to see your savings/earnings amounts all added up. It clearly shows that it's time well spent when you cut coupons, hunt for sales, and make little bits of money here and there. Here's my re-cap for last week, 6/14/09 -6/20/09.

Cash/Checks/Gift Cards Received

$1.00..... Diapers.com referrals (Take $10 off your 1st purchase with code: NOWSAVE5)
$0.19..... YouData (Get paid to view ads... quick & easy money... paid every Friday!)
$5.00.... Amazon.com gift card from Swagbucks (Earn gift cards for using their search engine! Sign up HERE, it's free!)

Total: $6.19

Coupon Savings

$34.01...... Kohl's
$5.00........ Diapers.com

Total: $39.01

Freebies

No freebies received this week.... I haven't been signing up for too many lately. There are less offered and also less that I'm interested in.

Total 2009 Cash/Checks/Gift Cards Received: $831.48
Total 2009 Coupon Savings: $1,369.64

Find my previous weekly re-caps here.

Show me the money... (Weekly Recap)

2009-06-16T11:45:00.000-04:00

How much extra money did you earn this week? How much did you save? Here's my weekly re-cap of money/gift cards earned, cash saved by using coupons, and freebies received in the mail.

It's fun to see your savings/earnings amounts all added up. It clearly shows that it's time well spent when you cut coupons, hunt for sales, and make little bits of money here and there. Here's my re-cap for last week, 6/7/09 -6/13/09.

Cash/Checks/Gift Cards Received

$5.00..... TGI Fridays Bonus Bites card (Redeemed My Coke Rewards)
$11.00... Mindfield Online surveys
$2.00..... Diapers.com referrals (Take $10 off your 1st purchase with code: NOWSAVE5)
$0.05..... YouData (Get paid to view ads... quick & easy money... paid every Friday!)
$10.00... Amazon.com gift card from Communispace Chili's Chit Chat Community surveys
$5.00..... Amazon.com gift cards from Swagbucks (Earn gift cards for using their search engine! Sign up HERE, it's free!)

Total: $33.05

Coupon Savings

$2.70...... Acme
$8.21...... Best Deal Magazines (Family Fun & Reader's Digest magazines coupon codes)
$2.14...... Soprano's Pizza
$3.50..... Target

Total: $16.55

Freebies

Little Einsteins book from Enfamil Rewards program
2 Huggies Pull-Ups

Total 2009 Cash/Checks/Gift Cards Received: $825.29
Total 2009 Coupon Savings: $1,330.63

Find my previous weekly re-caps here.

Free gift cards & magazines from My Coke Rewards

2009-06-11T17:29:00.001-04:00

Do you drink any Coke products?

If so, I'm sure you are aware of their My Coke Rewards program. And hopefully you have been taking advantage to the free goodies you can get from them.

I've been a member with them for quite awhile now and I've redeemed for $1.00 off coupons for 12-packs of Coke. Also, I've redeemed for free 20 oz. bottles of various Coke products.

The latest goody that I've received from My Coke Rewards is a $5.00 TGI Fridays Bonus Bites gift card! Yay, I love their Jack Daniels Flat Iron Steak.... yummy!

It appears that the Fridays offer is no longer one of your redemption choices, but there are other gift cards. This is because they swap out the choices every so often, with many things only being available for a limited time.

One of the things that's always a redemption choice is a free 1-year magazine subscription. They have tons of magazines to choose from too.

Oh, and in case you're new to the My Coke Rewards program... You get points by purchasing Coke products and each one is worth a set amount of points.

Bigger products, like a 12-pack are worth 10 points and 20 oz. bottles are worth 3 points. Not sure what the others are worth. On each product is a code that you need to enter onto their site to get your points.

The points are then saved in your account so you can use them whenever you choose.

I would highly recommend signing up for this program. I've gotten so much out of it and I just love it. Even if you don't see anything in their catalog that you want... sign up anyway. Like I said, their choices are always changing!

Hurry! Get Reader's Digest for just $4.50!!!

2009-06-10T20:58:00.000-04:00

Sorry for posting this so late. But... today only... until midnight EST, you can get your hands on a full 1-year subscription to Reader's Digest magazine for just $4.50!!!

That is a spectacular deal, considering this would normally run you about $20 or so! AND... it is good for new or renewed subscriptions.

How do you get this great offer? Head on over to Best Deal Magazines and search for Reader's Digest. It will show up as priced at $5.29.

This, in itself, is a great deal. But then you can also take an extra 15% off with coupon code: PXSS614. This brings your final price for a 1-year subscription to just $4.50!!!

Hurry, offer ends at midnight 6/10/09.

By the way... that coupon code is good on most magazines through 6/14/09. So just in case you're interested in any other magazines, you can take an additional 15% off those as well!

Edge Shave Gel $1.00 off Coupon

2009-06-10T14:53:00.000-04:00

You know, it's funny that one of the most Googled ways that people find my site is by doing a search for Edge Shave Gel coupons.

Interesting, right?

Of all the things I blog about, of all the coupons, coupon codes, great deals and all of the ways to make money online that I blog about on a daily basis. Many of you guys are most interested in saving money on shaving supplies.

Go figure.

Anyway, you can save $1.00 on your purchase of any Edge Shave Gel. Just grab this handy dandy printable coupon.

You're welcome.

Family Fun magazine... 1 year... just $4.88!!!

2009-06-08T17:12:00.000-04:00

In my previous post I mentioned my never-ending stack of magazines. I love them and I find them pretty valuable for finding recipes, decorating and organizing tips, coupons, crafts and other activities to do with my kiddos.

Anyway... out of my nine different magazine subscriptions, I think I love my Family Fun magazine most. It's full of great crafts and activities for kids of all ages. I'm always getting good ideas from there. In fact, I end up tearing out half the pages to save them for reference in the future.

So I figured I'd share this great deal on Family Fun magazine. This week only Best Deal Magazines is offering a 1-year subscription to Family Fun magazine for just $4.88.

Simply use coupon code: FUN at checkout. Offer good through 6/14/09. Don't miss this great deal!

Opt out of paper-wasting phone books

2009-06-07T18:20:00.000-04:00

One of the things I've really been bothered with for the past few years was phone books. I didn't want them, didn't use them, and hated the waste that they were.

But every single year, there on my doorstep would be, not one, not two, but THREE phone books that I didn't want. There's the Yellow Pages, then there's the Verizon phone book and then there's some other smaller book that I think is in addition to the Yellow Pages.

I hate the waste and the deforestation, but you know what the biggest issue is? I don't even have Verizon phone service. And I haven't had their service for several years now.

I use the internet for everything and I never, ever use the phone book. All it does is take up valuable space on a bookshelf because I feel too wasteful to simply throw it out immediately. Ha. It's like I figure if it sits there till next year, when the next one comes, it's not being wasted quite so much.

Anyway, I'm trying to catch up with my ever-increasing magazine pile and I was just reading the April issue of Reader's Digest (pg. 129). In it, there is a handy little tip for opting out of phone book delivery! Finally!

Interested in opting out too? Simply go to yellowpagesgoesgreen.org. Fill in your name and address. Then they will send you an email to confirm your opt out decision. Easy enough.

Show me the money... (Weekly Recap)

2009-06-07T14:06:00.003-04:00

How much extra money did you earn this week? How much did you save? Here's my weekly re-cap of money/gift cards earned, cash saved by using coupons, and freebies received in the mail.

It's fun to see your savings/earnings amounts all added up. It clearly shows that it's time well spent when you cut coupons, hunt for sales, and make little bits of money here and there. Here's my re-cap for the past week, 5/31/09 -6/6/09.

Cash/Checks/Gift Cards Received

$4.00..... Diapers.com referrals (Take $10 off your 1st purchase with code: NOWSAVE5)
$0.58...... YouData (Get paid to view ads... quick & easy money... paid every Friday!)
$6.00..... Caregiver's Marketplace (Rebates for purchasing diapers & other health items)
$10.00... Amazon.com gift cards from Swagbucks (Earn gift cards for using their search engine! Sign up HERE, it's free!)
$3.00..... Rite Aid Single Check Rebate

Total: $23.58

Coupon Savings

$22.00... CVS (Includes $10 Extra Bucks redeemed & CVS $5 email coupon)
$2.14...... Soprano's Pizza

Total: $24.14

Freebies

No freebies received this week.

Total 2009 Cash/Checks/Gift Cards Received: $792.24
Total 2009 Coupon Savings: $1,314.08

Find my previous weekly re-caps here.

Earn Cash with MindField Online

2009-06-04T17:11:00.002-04:00

I just cashed out with one of the survey companies I've been working with recently. I haven't posted about them before because I always like to check these companies out for myself before I tell you about them.

The company is MindField Online Internet Panels. I've been a member for about 5 months now. And I just cashed out for $11.00 that will be deposited into my PayPal account.

Not too bad, considering I've barely done any of their surveys. Mostly because life has gotten busier with my two little ones and lots of birthdays and holidays and such.

So there were tons that I deleted from my email without even trying to qualify for them. And then there were several that I didn't qualify for.

Anyway, this is how my earnings with MindField break down. I did a total of 4 surveys... earning $5.00, $1.00, $1.00 and $3.00.... for a total of $10.00. Then I got another $1.00 for referring someone else to them. So $11.00.

I like this survey company for several reasons...

They tell you in the email how long the survey will take. So I can decide if I want to do it then, or later or not at all.
They tell you in the email how much you will be paid for that survey. Again, it leaves me to decide if it's worth my time. Also, it's just nice to know these things ahead of time.
They have a low cashout threshold of just $5.00! Meaning, that's all you need to earn in order to cashout.
You can choose to be paid via a check in the mail or via your PayPal account.
The payments for each survey are a decent amount. You're not working for pennies.

If you're interested in signing up, could you kindly use my referral link, so I can get credit for referring you? Thanks!

$1.00 off coupon for Cranergy

2009-06-04T10:36:00.000-04:00

Snag yourself a printable coupon for Ocean Spray's Cranergy. They call it the "Natural way to energize."

Click here to print your coupon for $1.00 off.

Enjoy!

Make your own Maple Syrup... minus the HFCS!

2009-06-03T14:11:00.000-04:00

I just came across this great recipe for making your own maple syrup.

It looks easy and yummy and super cheap. Oh and it doesn't have the nasty High Fructose Corn Syrup in it!

Find the recipe over at Mama's Money Savers. It's a guest post by The Frugal Girls.

Earning money at home...

2009-06-03T09:43:00.002-04:00

I love that I can earn money while staying home with my kids, even if it's small amounts here and there. Because, you know what? Those small amounts add up to bonus cash that we otherwise wouldn't have!

So anyway, I wanted to post a list of everything that I do to earn money...

Search with Swagbucks and earn free gift cards!
Complete online surveys from various companies (a great list is on my left sidebar)
Refer others to Diapers.com and earn $$$ off my next order (and they get $10 off with code: NOWSAVE5)
Earn cash for reading emails from MyPoints, Send Earnings, Inbox Dollars, & Snap Dollars
Rebates for Huggies diapers & Pull-Ups through Caregiver's Marketplace ($0.75 per pack!)
Earn cash back from online shopping through Ebates & Mr. Rebates
Viewing ads on YouData
Ad revenue on my blog through various affiliate programs
Collect My Coke Rewards points from Coke products for free items, gift cards & Coke coupons
Collect Gifts to Grow points from Pampers products for free items & gift cards
Collect Box Tops for Education labels as a free donation to a local school
Linked my credit cards & store rewards cards to Upromise for cash back
Earn cash for completing free offers at Cash Crate
Submit rebates for products at grocery & drug stores
Complete surveys about TV shows and earn free gift cards at Reward TV
Use a credit card with a rewards program and earn gift cards
Collect points through Stouffer's Dinner Club and redeem for free items
Shop with store rewards cards to earn $$$ off future purchases
Play free games on Winster and earn gift cards! (I'm addicted to the slots)

I think that about sums it up.

Just by doing these small things, I've earned little bits of income that have added up to $768.66 in just the past 5 months. And that doesn't even include all that I've earned and haven't redeemed or been paid yet. So the figure is actually much higher. Gotta love it!

Save $10 at Bath & Body Works

2009-06-01T13:32:00.001-04:00

Bath & Body Works has a new coupon out for ya. You can save $10 off your purchase of $40 or more!

This coupon is good through 6/14/09. To use the coupon in-store, print it here.

To use it online, simply use coupon code: TAKETEN at checkout.

Oh, and if you're purchasing online, be sure to make your purchase through Ebates so you'll get your 5% cash back! If you're new to Ebates, you can sign up for free here. You'll get a $5.00 sign-up bonus in addition to your cash back!