Great Gifts for Kids

Good day everyone!

I wanted to share with you 2 of my favorite children's toy retailers:

They both sell wonderful toys and activities...often handmade...but nothing you would find on the shelves of the big box stores.

Toys that spur on hours of imaginative, open-ended play!

The other wonderful thing is right now (for just a few more days) they are both offering some pretty great discounts!

Magic Cabin is offering on orders of $65 or more free shipping plus a $10 Reward Card!

Hearthsong is offering free shipping and a $10 Reward Card on orders of $65 or more!

And on top of that....everything is 20% off!!!

Plus if you have an account through:

ebates (free and a great way to earn cash back for your online shopping) you can receive 6% cashback on your Hearthsong purchase!

Big Crumbs offer the same thing, but a 7.2% cashback on your Hearthsong purchase!

Happy Shopping!

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A Little Excited...

Update: DON"T BUY THESE STOOLS! THEY ARRIVED AT MY FRONT DOOR WITH A BIG STICKER SAYING -USING THESE WOULD EXPOSE US TO LEAD! I WILL BE RETURNING THESE! I WISH THE WEBSITE WOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT BEFORE I ORDERED!

We are seriously lacking in the large furniture department now that we've moved into the house. I love old character pieces that are found at antique stores, flea markets and occasionally garage sales...plus it's the right price!

There are a few things that we need to buy new...like matresses, a couch and barstools. The barstools are on that list simply because I need 5.

I've given up on my dreams of some cool vintage industrial drafting stools...as pretty as they are....$2000 for a set of 5 wasn't.

I have ALWAYS liked these stools from Pottery Barn:

But still, $249 each x 5 = not happening

I found unfinished ones for less...like around $90 each.

But today...I was innocently looking on jcp.com in their Outlet section...and came across these lovelies:

Wednesday Deal Only: $39 each!!!!! Already finished...Antique Black!!! I could buy 5 for less than 1 at Pottery Barn! Man, I love knock-offs!

I grabbed the phone and called my husband shouting "EMERGENCY"...I'm sure that didn't thrill him...but he did say I could order them! YEAH!

I can't wait for these babies to arrive!

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A Tip...

Something I have recently learned about the grocery store I usually shop at (Cub Foods) is that if you buy a Cub gift card they give you an extra 10%...so tonight I bought a $100 gift card to pay for my groceries and they gave me $110 to do my shopping...So, if I was to do that every week, by the end of the year Cub would have given me an additional $520. If you're not a coupon clipper this is a good way to stretch that grocery budget. The other grocery stores in town "match" deals...it's worth it to ask if they would match this deal. If you don't live where there is a Cub Foods, keep your eyes open for similar deals! Happy Shopping!

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Another One For the Toolbox

Here is another great site for coupons and deals:

Budget Helps

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Thrifty Thursday

Most all of us do not have an unlimited budget to buy groceries with. But how do you feed a family, entertain, provide for the food pantry and take meals to other families on a budget? It is absolutely possible and not as hard or time-consuming as you may think. Here's what I do and some of my favorite resources...

• Do a little comparison shopping before leaving the house...use those grocery store sale inserts from the newspaper. Here they are in the Wednesday papers (a lot of times you can view them on the stores website too). See what's on sale...is there anything in the meat dept. that's on sale that you use frequently that you could buy a lot of and stick in your freezer? For me that would be boneless skinless chicken breasts and whole chickens (we buy a quarter of a cow each year from my dad). Just make sure to have the meat dept. wrap it well and stick it in a freezer bag before you throw it in the freezer. What about great sales on "pantry items" that you use frequently, like noodles, sauces, etc?
• Start keeping track of prices in a price book-just a little notebook is fine-this way you'll know if a sale price is truly a sale. For example, I've learned to stock up when the toilet paper we like is less than .50 per roll.
• Start couponing...this is huge and was a big shock to me how cheap or free you can often get things. Here is a great post about acquiring coupons. If you live where there are Kum and Go Gas Stations, they give a free paper if you buy at least $15.00 worth of gas...do it on Sunday and get your coupons free!
• Coupons are all over the internet. Here is a list to get you started:

Coupons.com (click on "see all" on the link on the left side of the page)

Smartsource

CoolSavings

Eat Better America

redplum

Target Coupon Generator at A Full Cup

Mommy Saves Big

The Coupon Loop (a very comprehensive list)

This list could go on and on, but I need to stop somewhere! A few tips: most coupons can only be printed a set number of times from one computer (it gets reset every so often). Print in grey scale if you can, so you don't use up your color printer ink!

• Organize your coupons! I use a zipper "traper keeper" type binder. I use baseball card plastic sleeves to organize so I can see them quickly! Money Saving Mom uses a plastic shoebox and envelopes. I've used a small accordian file system too...it fit easily into my purse. Whatever works for you!
• Take those store flyers again and match up coupons. It's amazing to me how often you can get things for pennies or even for free.
• Only buy things that you will use yourself. It is not true that there are only coupons for junk food- many organic and health food companies have coupons out there. If you can't find coupons from a specific company-send them an email telling them how much you like there product and that you were wondering if they offer any coupons. It doesn't hurt to ask!
• Only buy things that you will give to the food pantry (or the animal shelter). You will come across coupons every month that you personally won't use, but someone would. Matched with a great sale and/or store coupon you can provide for your local food pantry for very little out of your pocketbook each month.
• Only buy when you will make money. There are instances when combining store sales, manufacturers coupons and store coupons you will actually make money. If you won't use it, give it to someone who will!
• There are so many WONDERFUL bloggers out there who have used their precious time to match up coupons and deals for you. Here are some of my favorites:
• Money Saving Mom
• The Centsible Sawyer (I linked you to her Wal-Mart deals page, but make sure to check her other pages)
• Attention Target Shoppers
• The Grocery Gathering at Be Centsable
• Make a menu and a grocery list. Base your menu off of what's on sale. Make a shopping list and stick to it! (And eat something before you go!)

My advice is to start slow...it definetely is learn by trial and some error...it's ok, you will get it. I started at Money Saving Mom and went from there. Good luck!

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