Money Saving Tips!

Recently Hubby and I decided to discontinue our cable service due to the fact that we hardly ever watched tv anyway! It was a bit scary for us regardless because in our 10 years of marriage we've always had cable tv. But, we thought to ourselves, "Lets just give it a try for a few months and see how it goes..." We laughed at ourselves the first day our cable was disconnected because we felt a bit lost, which is indeed funny because we were only going about our usual day and activities. Just not having that option was quite weird. We knew we had made the right decision a few weeks later when we were on vacation and staying in a hotel that had full service cable. We had been hanging out for a few hours waiting for some family to arrive and I looked over at Hubby and said, "you know... look at us, we even HAVE the option to watch tv and we're not!!"

Tip #1: Cutting the cable!
Now granted, there ARE some shows that we enjoy watching... and can you believe it??! We haven't missed one episode of anything! Come to find out, you can pretty much watch ANYTHING you want via the internet! Sites such as hulu.com, justin.tv, channelsurfing.net (for you sports fans!) and even YouTube are great sources!! With a few cables and some great speakers, we hook our laptop up to the tv and voila! I challenge you! Cut the cable bill!!

Tip #2: Check your local library!
I made a trip to the library yesterday to borrow some books I've been wanting to read. Skip back a few days: I'd been scouring ebay for some good deals on these particular books. I had been telling myself "No more than $5/book!" when a lightbulb went off in my head! "DUH! Check the library!! Hello... free!" Not only did I walk away with some of my "must reads!" but I also walked away with several Baby Einstein DVD's for my daughter to watch! They also had a huge assortment of DVD's that Hubby and I can go back and check out!!

Tip #3: Check your local library!
I know, I know... I said this already! But speaking of my local library! I discovered a great Fall Baby Storytime class for Baby Girl and I! I've been looking into getting into some Mommy and Me classes, but they don't offer them for free! And not always cheap either! We will be attending our FREE Storytime tomorrow morning! Excited!!

Freebie Friday!!

-Honey Nut Cheerios, sample plus coupon
-Always Thin Flexi-Style liners
-Nestle Abuelita Granulado
-Slim-Fast 100-calorie Peanut Butter Crunch Time Snack Bar
-Curel Itch Defense Lotion
-free ebook, 25 Quick and Thrifty Crochet Patterns

Name Brand versus Generic!!

First, let me start off with this thought that I've been pondering as of late...

Just because something is cheaper
doesn't mean that it is the best deal!

I've been putting this thought into my purchases lately. Lets talk about vacation, for example... hotels! Just because Hotel A is cheaper per night doesn't mean that you will get the most for your money staying there. Hotel B might be $20 more per night, but Hotel B has more comfortable beds, better soundproofed rooms, a great complimentary breakfast buffet, etc. Don't you think that Hotel B is a better value?? To me, if you spend your money on Hotel A, you are actually kind of wasting it. Just something for you to think about...

With this thought in mind... my friend gave me a great idea to start reviewing brand name products with its generic counterpart. I have to admit that I'm a brand name snob when it comes to certain items... it's so hard for me to try the generic when I'm so in-love with the brand name!! However, with my husband as my shopping partner this weekend, I stepped out in faith and allowed him to choose the ever so horrible... I can hardly say it... generic COFFEE!!

Now, the ONLY reason I went with it was because the generic coffee was labeled with this statement:

"Roasted by Starbucks Coffee Co."

I have to admit, I was skeptical!! My husband, of all people, should know better than to try generic coffee!! He's been lured by the price tag before, and it got us nothing but a trip to the trash can!

The Generic was $5.00/pound,
and Starbucks coffee was $8.00/pound.

As soon as I walked outside, I opened the bag to give it the smell test. It smelled pretty good, but I wasn't sold yet. However, after sitting in the car for a while with an open bag of fresh coffee beans, I began salivating and craving a nice, hot cup of joe. I'd say it definitely passed the smell test!

Aaaaannnnddd... I had my first cup of it this morning and I have to say, it is QUITE DELISH!! I really cannot say that I notice a difference in flavor!! I am fully a happy camper!!

So, where can you find a bag of this cheaper "roasted by Starbucks" coffee??

At Costco!! Kirkland Signature is Costco's brand name. I definitely recommend it!!

A Cool Site!!

Are you a surfer mommy? I am... at anyway... Here's a website, WhiskeyMilitia, that sells surf/skate brand clothing and gear for a fraction of the price! It's a really cool site, selling only one item at a time, on a timer. When the time runs out, a new item is put up for sale! I haven't purchased anything yet, but I've got my eyes on this site! Remember... Christmas is rolling around the corner!! No need to be cheap, but definitely FRUGAL!

A Lady's Got To Do What A Lady's Got To DO!!

I really need a vacation from vacation, but my to-do list is overwhelming me!! Here is my list of priorities before I can even think about blogging again!!

-laundry
-baby girl
-dishes
-baby girl
-clean my house
-baby girl
-rework my budget for September
-baby girl
-menu plan
-baby girl
-grocery list
-baby girl
-coupon organization
-baby girl
-actually EAT something!!
-baby girl
-report to you

It really shouldn't take too long... :o)

Free Chick-Fil-A!

I just went to Chick-Fil-A today and am so excited about this deal that I HAD to come home and write about it!! At my Chick-Fil-A, there was a sign that said text CFA118 to 411427 to receive freebies and specials! I did it and got a FREE Chick-Fil-A Sandwich!! Now, this text was specifically for my store and I can't find anywhere online that talks about this promotion. But, I would imagine that your stores have this offer as well. So next time you are in your neighborhood CFA, look for this deal!!

September 1st!

I'm so sorry, to those who follow, how uninvolved I've been with this blog as of late. I have been really busy with out-of-town friends and family for the last three weeks!! September 1st is a new start though... company will be gone, Hubby goes back to work and I will be back in action... and back in "sweet" routine!!

...sigh...

Vacation is Oh, So Fun! But there is nothing like getting back to the good ol' routine!! Right?? So, please don't give up on me!! Check back September 1st!!

Back AND Behind

I'm back from vacation, sort of, and SOOO behind on things (as you can imagine), so it will probably take me a while to really get back into the swing of things (including my daily blog post). Plus, my brother is coming to visit for a few days, and I consider that vacation for me still! :o) However...

I have a few things on my mind that I wanted to share...

I recently decided that I need a shopping cart liner. It's been so great to have Hubby around this summer because he has been able to watch Baby Girl while I go grocery shopping. But now the summer is coming to an end, and back to work he goes... I have to readjust my grocery shopping game plan. She is a 7 month old big girl, and can now sit in a shopping cart all by herself. I didn't really want to spend a lot of money on one and always think to myself "geez, that's a lot of money for some material and elastic." So voila! I'm gonna make one. I purchased a McCall's pattern from ebay for $6.00 and have some cute material already on hand... am hoping to get started on it this week (my last week to shop by myself)!

Speaking of ebay... it's my new recent RE-discovered fav!! Really... there are so many ebay stores these days, you should NEVER pay full price for baby toys and such ever again!! You can find everything brand new and cheap!

I recently bought this playmat for Baby Girl!! It has been a Godsend. It is easy to pull apart and store and so easy to keep clean... and with our hardwood floors, Baby Girl can crawl and tumble all she wants without hurting herself!! I'm thinking about adding this to my list of Favorite Things!!

.::On Vacation::.

For those who follow... I just wanted to let you know that I've been on vacation!! Woo Hoo!! I'll be back on Monday!!

Freebie Friday!

Once again, it was pretty skimpy this week in Freebie Land, but here's what I found... Enjoy!

-Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solution, it's finally working!!
-Somersault Snacks
-John Frieda Brilliant Brunette
-Kiwi Splash To-Go
-Nestle Calendar with $20+ in coupons