How It's Going

Hubby's new job is going great, and I'm so thankful for that.  Yay for a full time income again! He's working at a manufacturing plant in the next county over that does all kind of metal stuff.  I know they do CNC work, die cast, and stuff like that, but I'm not sure about everything they do there.  I know they do welding and stuff, too, so they might mess with Tube Bending, piping, and stuff like that, too. All that I really care about is he's setup with a steady job now, and we don't have to worry about the weather screwing everything up again.  This Summer has been especially tough on the construction industry with our state already well above the yearly average rainfall totals.

There is only one downside to him returning to work this week.  I've been spoiled to having him around the house to help out so much with the kids, and we're all having to readjust.  On top of that we're adjusting to him being on 2nd shift, and that's been especially hard on our oldest.  She's used to curling up on the couch after dinner and reading stories with Daddy before bed.  She's had a hard time settling down for bedtime after having her routine thrown for a loop.

Adorable Personalized Easter Baskets

Every year I make Easter baskets for the kids in my family.  It started when my sister-in-law was little.  She was 7 when Hubby and I got married and the only kid in the family at the time.  Now we’ve got a few little ones running around, so I’ve carried on the tradition with them.  I love making the baskets, but this year I just don’t think I’m going to have time.  I’ve been seeing the commercials for personalized Easter baskets from Personal Creations, and I love them. I’ll definitely surprise them all by sending a personalized Easter basket, and I can be assured all the kids will get adorable baskets they will love.  I especially love that each basket can be personalized with the child’s name and can be used well past Easter!  It’s absolutely impossible to find anything pre-personalized with my daughter’s name on it, so I’m definitely ordering her one with custom personalization!  Now I just have to figure out which one to get her!

Repurposing Day

I put freebie hunting on the back burner this week because I've got some other stuff going on that is more important, and between work and a fussy little one I haven't had much time to split between everything.  I did manage to do a little bargain shopping at Dollar General last night, but I didn't make an extra trip.  We were stopping by to pick up a few things we needed, so I hit up the Valentine's Day clearance section.  I always wait until everything is marked down to 75% off before I start my after holiday shopping.

I grabbed a 2 rolls of  hearts and kisses ribbon to add to my craft supplies for .30 each (will be great for corker bows), let Ellie pick out 3 sheets of stickers that have worked wonders to improve her mood, also .30 each, and then I noticed some gift sets on the bottom shelf that were also marked really low.  Clearance gift sets are always great because they're perfect to throw in my gift cabinet.  If I forget to buy someone a present or I'm low on cash I can make a quick trip to my gift cabinet and find some stuff to throw together a cute gift basket. I picked up 2 shower gel sets (8 gels each) for $1 each, and a 30 shadow makeup set for .50!  The sets each retail for $8 a piece, so I'm happy with my savings.

I spent today rearranging my craft and gift cabinets while I added my new purchases.  Then during nap time I set to work repurposing some items.  I mixed together a few paint samples I had until I found a color I liked and painted a small wooden shelf I had Hubby turn into a wall mount coat rack. He added a piece of decorative trim (also scrap leftover from work) and some cheap but pretty knobs I picked up on clearance.  I'll hang it on the wall behind the living room door tomorrow after it's dry.

Hubby came home from work last week with some extra large dowel rods that were cut to the wrong sizes, so I wrapped them in a tan ribbon and made my own curtain rods for our bedrooms to replace the metal ones that have seen better days.  These days I think I'm saving more money by repurposing than I am with clearance and coupon shopping!

Pre-planning for Spring Yard Sales

I haven't had much time this week to hunt for freebies and coupons because I've been concentrating on other things I can do to save money.  Financially we're back in a good spot, but that doesn't mean I don't want to continue living frugally.  The more money I can save now the better off we'll be in the long run.  It would be nice to take a trip to Disney with the little one in a year or two without having to dip into our emergency savings.

I started the week off by organizing Ellie's room and pulling out things she no longer needs.  I threw away a few things, and everything else was sorted into donate or sell.  I did the same with all the closets in the house, and after filling the Blazer (with the rear seat folded down) completely full today with a donation load I still have 8 nice size boxes and 3 plastic containers sitting in my dining room to add to my yard sale stash.  Ben won't be working tomorrow because of the rain, so we've agreed we'll spend the day going through the rest of the house getting rid of things we've held onto but don't need.

It's tough to get rid of things that have sentimental value, but if I kept every single item that connected me to some memory I would need a house many times bigger than my 800sq feet of space, and I would go insane from all the clutter.  I'm practically ready to have a breakdown over the current amount of clutter we have, so this clean out is much needed.

This weekend we'll hit up the garage and attic.  I'd love to haul that stuff out to sort tomorrow as well, but it will be impossible with the rain.  I'm already making a list of things from both locations that can be moved to my yard sale stockpile.  Why does Ben need a millermatic welder when he doesn't weld? Why do we have 2 bouncy seats in the attic that we never used? Why are we holding onto things we don't even like just because someone gave them to us?

My yard sale stockpile may actually take up more room in my attic this winter, but if I take the time to sort things now, organize the boxes, label them, and make a list of what I plan to sell it will be much easier to accomplish my yard sale goals when warm weather arrives in the Spring.  I won't feel overwhelmed at the massive amount of stuff I need to sort and tag then if it's already done when it's time to setup.  I can concentrate more on making money to go into our vacation savings instead of stressing over it all.

Free Thrifty Tips eBook Download

Let's face it. If you're visiting this blog there is a 99.9% chance you're looking for a way to save money. Whether you're a thrifty shopper by nature, someone who needs to find a way to cut back on your spending, or someone who enjoys finding a good deal we're all after the same thing. We want to get the best deal on everything. We want quality products for a great price, and we want those items to last us as long as possible. We all just want to save some money.

You also know, whether you're a pro at saving or just starting out, that there are many ways to save money. Coupon clipping and bargain shopping can definitely help, but there are many other ways to save money that may surprise you. I've been given the opportunity to share a free eBook with you that will outline some ways to help you save, many of which you probably wouldn't even think about.

The Thrifty Tips eBook, brought to you by OfferBug.com, is packed full of ways to save on things you use in your everyday life, financial and legal aide, clothing, household items, entertainment, insurance, credit cards, and many other things.  This eBook is available as a free pdf download to my subscribers, so grab your copy today!  It's an interesting read that is sure to teach you a few new ways to save money!

Just click on the banner below to visit the eBook download site.  Right click and depending on your browser choose "save as", "save target as", or "save link as" to download the book.  Don't forget to subscribe to Freebies & Fabulous Finds and follow us on Twitter to learn many more ways to save money!

So Much Happening

I’m so sorry I’m having a hard time keeping up with freebies and coupon deals as of late.  I’m still super busy with real life over here, and I just haven’t had the time to devote to my hunts as I would like.  Plus it doesn’t help that everything seems to be going wrong.  If it’s not one thing it’s another! 

I’ve been having problems with my hosting for my other blogs, one of my blogs got hacked, and my entire account was suspended until the issue was resolved.  Then we went a few days without internet due to an outage that I thought was never going to end.  Thankfully Charter finally got that fixed, but as soon as that was over something else has to pop up.  My camera died the next day.  I think I need to break down and buy the casio camera digital I've been thinking about getting. I'll just have to save up some more cash first. Then the dog thought it would be fun to knock my cell phone into a glass of soda.  It’s not fun having to dry your phone out hoping it works because you can’t afford to pay $500 to get a replacement.  The insurance wouldn’t cover it since it would be considered “water damaged”, and even if it did the $50 deductible is more than I initially paid for the pre-owned certified phone after my contract renewal bonus.  Luckily the rice drying trick really does work, so if you don’t want to spend the cash for a new replacement phone take the battery off and place the phone in a bag (or cup) of rice for a day or two!

When I thought that was be the end of it I was wrong.  The fuel pump went out in our car, so I had to put some bills on hold until next week to pay for that!  Needless to say I haven’t really even thought much about my blogs while all of this has been going on, and for that I am sorry.  I’m hoping for a much better week next week, and I’m very thankful the weekend is here.  Hopefully tomorrow I can find time to jump online to do some deal searching!

Keeping Track Of Savings

It’s the time of the year when I sit back and look at how much money I’ve saved by being a thrifty shopper.  I do keep to a tight budget, and whenever I save money on a purchase I drop the extra money into my savings box.  I let it accumulate throughout the year, and in January or February I add it up and figure out what to do with it.  I use to use most of that money to pay for our taxes since Hubby and I have both been self employed part time for years.  This year is different because Hubby was laid off from his full time job in September, and his side business came to a halt as well.  Construction is still in the dumps around here.

The good news is without Hubby’s extra income we really won’t have to worry about paying into the government this year.  The other good news is the lack of income has also caused me to be much more frugal with my purchases, and I’ve found I haven’t had to touch my cash stash very often.  I added it up today, and I have over $600 saved up!  I know what I’m going to do with my cash.  I’m going to put it into the savings account, and hopefully I won’t have to touch it.  If we do need it I know it’ll be there, though.

I know I’m not the only person out there who does this.  A friend of mine coupons like crazy (something I would do if any of the stores around here allowed us…most of them ban mass amounts of coupons at once), and she saves whatever grocery money is left over from her budgeted amount each week.  She saved so much this past year she's thinking she's going to buy a honda snowblower just in case we get hit with another bad winter next year. Personally we don't need anything like that because we hardly see snow in any given year, and this year was a fluke. She lives a few hours away in the mountains of NC, though, and they do get quite a bit of snow each year. She's saved enough money that she's able to provide something for the family that could make their life easier next year.

So what do you do with the money you save by using coupons, taking advantage of sales, and shopping wisely?  Do you set that extra money aside to use for something in particular?  Do you keep track of your savings?

Getdietsolutions.com Free Information & Cheap Prices

Last but not least when searching for quick weight loss pills I came across getdietsolutions.com. Like the other diet pill and suppressant sites I've shared this one also has prices much lower than MSRP as well as reviews of a large number of diet pills. They also have helpful articles related to weight loss and the use of diet pills.  Check them out for more information.

Free Full Color Sample Pack From PrintDirectForLess.com

If you’re in need of printing services for items like business cards, brochures, club flyers, magazines, or more check out PrintDirectForLess.com. You can request a free full color sample pack, and you'll also receive $100 in store credit to use towards your purchases. Note that the $100 credit has to be used over multiple orders as you can only use $10 credit per purchase.

Also, if you need to create a mailing list they offer free mailing lists services.  Check out the mailing lists section for more information.

Another Black Friday Under Our Belts

Did everyone have fun yesterday?  I admit this year I did not venture out into the crowds and chaos to do my Black Friday shopping, but I did take advantage of a few Black Friday deals online.  I just didn’t have the cash or the time to plan a Black Friday venture to the store this year, but a lot of stores were giving away free shipping for online orders of items already greatly discounted. 

 

If you picked up some really great deals I’d love to hear about them.  Where any stores in your area running extra promotions?  I’ve had a few people tell me that some stores were giving out extra freebies to all Black Friday shoppers as they came in the door!  A local mom and pop shop gave goodie bags to all patrons that included a gift card and some promotional items like the ones you pick up at tradeshow giveaways with their store logo.

 

If you didn’t get a chance to do any shopping yesterday don’t worry.  Cyber Monday is on it’s way, so you still have the opportunity to pick up some great gifts for a steal without having to fight crowds and stand in line.  Personally I prefer the online shopping myself!

Keep An Eye Out For The Sales

This is a great time of year for shopping for anything and everything because it’s time for Black Friday sales!  We have quite a few Black Friday sales going on in our area this weekend, so be on the lookout in your local stores and papers for ads announcing when their Black Friday sales are.  I keep a list of things to look for during the sales because you can get some really great prices on anything and everything.

 

Last year I didn’t get to go shopping because I wasn’t dragging a newborn out in the wee hours of the morning, but the year before that I got some really great deals.  We saved over 50% on a new TV, and I was able to pick up some petite clothing for my sister-in-law at a really cheap price. A lot of people don't really think about buying clothes during Black Friday sales, but you really can find them on sale. I always check both online and store sales for clothes for my sister-in-law because she is very petite person who has a hard time finding clothes that fit without shopping in the little girl's section.  I have a better chance of finding these clothes on sale when other sales are running, and more people seem to be interested in the big ticket electronics items during these sales which normally means I’m not stuck pushing through a crowd of people to shop for clothing!

Sunday Blog Contest Roundup

Are you running a contest on your blog or have you entered one you’d like to share with other readers?  Here’s your chance to promote the contest and extend your audience.  Just fill in your name and link below to share your contest with us. 

 

Bloggers running contests, please leave a comment stating what your contest is about as well, so we can get the word out! It doesn't matter what you're giving away. From diet pill weight loss to kids toys to pet supplies...it doesn't matter what the product is. We want to see them all!

 

Share Your Finds

I have decided to try something different here.  I normally tend to keep the comments turned off on this blog because I receive so many spam comments that I just don’t have the time to moderate them all.  I have been wanting to turn commenting back on, so I did a little experiment.

 

Blogger now has a spam filter, so I decided to turn commenting back on for a few days to see how well the spam filter handled the spam I was receiving.  I’m happy to say that things are looking good, so I’m turning the commenting system back on.

 

I’m doing this because I want to give you guys the chance to share any freebies, coupons, or contests you may have to share!  Whether it’s a coupon to purchase acne products at a discount, a blog contest, or anything feel free to share it. I promise to publish all comments that aren't spam, offensive, rude, harassing, or racist.

Free Diet Pill Information

I wish I could say I had a nice freebie to share with you tonight, but I can’t say that.  I’ve spent most of my day curled up on the couch feeling horrible with a head cold watching the little one learn to walk.  At least that was a nice highlight to my crappy day. 

 

Since I don’t have a freebie or coupon to share tonight I thought I’d share a link with you that gives you information about which diet pills are safe. I think free information can be just a great as a coupon sometimes because it can help you make your purchases wisely!

Free Information On Malibu Horizon's Non 12-Step Program

My dear readers I have something rather important to talk about that is dear to my heart. I'm talking about drug additions. I've never personally had a drug addiction, but I have been the person who was on the other end begging one someone dear to my heart to seek help. After years of battling a meth addiction and being turned away from multiple detox programs he was finally able to find the help he needed, and he lives a drug free life today.

 

That is why whenever I see anyone offering free information on their drug rehab programs I like to get the word out. There are so many people in this world today who are dealing with addiction, and so few of them seek the help they need to live a normal drug or alcohol free life. If you know someone like this please feel free to share this information with them.

 

Malibu Horizon runs a non 12 step program with an emphasis in "alcoholism, opiate, benzodiazepine addiction with an emphasis on depression, anxiety, coping and communication skills as well as learning boundaries with others." If you or someone you know is looking for a program to help overcome these addictions check out the Malibu Horizon website. They offer free information on their program, what it is, and how things are done. You can download a pdf of their program and take a tour of their facilities all for free from the privacy of your home.

Free Samples of Hugo Boss Fragrances

Just fill out the short form to receive both samples.  You'll receive a sample of Hugo Boss Bottled and Hugo Boss Bottled Night men's fragrances.  When you've submitted your request make sure you save your request ID.  With this ID you can visit tntsampletracking.com to find out where your sample is!  I love the idea of being able to track your sample as it's on it's way to you!

Ladies can check here to see if you are eligible a free sample of Boss Orange Fragrance.  It is only available to certain countries right now (Sorry USA is excluded).  If you are eligible just fill out the form to receive your free sample.

So Sorry

I fully admit I haven't been searching for freebies or coupons over the last few days. Real life has thrown itself at me full force, and the little one is still refusing to sleep. That is definitely leaving one tired Mommy who hasn't had time for much of anything. As I type this I should totally be in bed as it's 1:35am, but I'm stuck waiting on laundry to finish washing so I can throw it in the dryer before I drift off to sleep. This week has been pretty darn stressful. If things don't let up soon I'm going to be foregoing my freebies search a little longer while I spend what for ways to remove acne scarring not just my face but my entire body has erupted like a pimple volcano over the last few days. Stress always does that to me, and I am NOT a pretty sight right now! Cross your fingers things will return to normal in a few days for both my sake and yours. When things calm down I'll be back to the freebies and coupons hunt as usual. Until then feel free to share any contests, freebies, or coupons you may want to pass along by hitting the handy dandy "Email Me" button on my sidebar. I promise to post anything shared that isn't a scam.

Use The Search Please

For those of you who keep sending me emails asking me things like where can i buy apidexin please use the handy dandy little feature called my search bar.  It is easily located in the sidebar at the very top under “search this blog”.  You’ll find a ton of results for various diet pills and the places I have found selling them for the cheapest prices.  I would love to have the time to reply to each one of you individually with the links to all my various posts on the subject, but I honestly just don’t have that much time in my day.  I have a family and an 8 month old who demands most of my attention, so what time I get online is too short to spend it replying individually to each one of you. 

If you are looking for prices for a diet pill that you cannot find via my search then you may feel free to email me.  I will do whatever I can to find those prices for you!

Free Merchant Account Reseller Business Info

There are tons of people everyday looking to get out of their 9-5 jobs for something they can do at home.  Some find the internet full of opportunities to succeed.  If you’re looking for a way to start your own business check out r3sellers.com for revenue opportunities with becoming a merchant account reseller. There is a free interchange whitepaper for download with info on how to understand interchange pricing and merchant accounts.

Thermogenicfatburner.com

I thought I was done for the night, but I have one more website for you. It's another diet pill site that lists the cheapest prices of thermogenic fat burners like Lipovox and Apidexin. The website is thermogenicfatburner.com, and they've also got a bunch of fat burner reviews if you're still looking for one and unsure of which one you may want to spend your money on.