mamasaysmine

February is almost over (hooray!) and that means that, no matter what the actual temperature is, I begin to crave Dairy Queen. When I was pregnant with Hurricane Eva, I probably kept my local DQ in business… it was within WALKING DISTANCE, people.  True to form, she continues to crave ice cream, especially that DQ soft serve.

Since my local DQ is now a short drive away, it makes sense to go there for dinner AND dessert, right?   Dairy Queen is making that easy for you - they’re introducing a new Sweet Deals Menu.  Pick any two items for $3, any three for $4 or any four for $5.  Cheap eats!  You could definitely feed a family for not a lot of cash, and a trip to Dairy Queen says summer like nothing else.  (even in the midwest in March, when it is especially needed)

My pick?  I’d share with Hurricane Eva and get the cheeseburger, salad and two chocolate dipped cones.  Yum!

Sweeten the deal by joining Dairy Queen’s Blizzard Club for a buy one, get one free coupon. 

Thanks, My Penny Pile, for the DQ tips!

Check out Deal Seeking Mom’s post here on how to get a free Victoria’s Secret PINK tote (when you join the PINK nation by March 10).

Plus, go here and print out a coupon for a free sample of PINK energizing lotion. Quick, this coupon expires March 2.

Victoria’s Secret does a great job with freebies and deals, so I really recommend joining their mailing list.

Enjoy, mamas!

One of the hard things about being crafty can sometimes be the start-up expense.  

While I get vast amounts of joy from skulking around the craft store, not everyone finds that a soothing way to spend 20 minutes, and not everyone compulsively saves their 40% off coupon every week at Michaels. (really, if you use it on something that’s under $5, you’re building up a nice little craft stash…)

But I digress.

Here’s a fun little blog I’ve stumbled upon, written by a former art teacher - 4 Crazy Kings. I particularly enjoy this post about making crowns out of takeout coffee sleeves. Talk about saving money on supplies! If you used things like magazine cut-outs for the decorations, your only supplies would be glue and elastic. And coffee, but you’ve already taken care of that, right mamas?

Seems that several of you want more info on couponing.  While I’m not the gal to go to, I can put you on the right track.

First, coupons.com.  Easy and accessible online coupons.  

Second, the previously mentioned Money Saving Mom.  If there’s an internet printable for an item, she’s found it for you and linked to it.  Again, perfect for the lazy among us.  (I count myself in this company)  One thing that I love about Money Saving Mom’s coupon matchups is that she lists the advert (either P&G or SS, I can’t for the life of me remember what those stand for right now) that each of the paper coupons came from.  The one thing that drives me nuts is that my paper doesn’t always have the same coupon inserts.  This, of course, is not her fault.  :)

Third, I just found a great new blog, thanks to Baby Cheapskate - Coupon Cravings.  Looks to be another great site for saving money, including great links internet printables. She has a list here of 20 Frugal Moms to Follow on Twitter (if you’re into that kind of thing) - I’ve checked out all of these blogs at one time or another, and they’re all great. For those of you who are just starting out, browse for a bit and then pick a few to follow regularly. Following 20+ deal sites can be a bit overwhelming to start out.

And finally, a little tip from a coupon slacker:  find an organizational system that works for you.  

Here’s what I do:

First, I clip all coupons.  I’ve been burned so many times by not getting rebates plus overages on items because I had thrown away a coupon.

I have my coupons organized by expiration date in two separate mini files (about $3 at Office Depot) - one file for food items and one for non-food items.  I had to do this to control the sheer volume.

Third, when I’m making my list, I put a little “c” next to items I have a coupon for and note any special sizes etc. that the coupon applies to.  (example:  cheerios, c, 14+ oz)

Plus, I write my lists on old envelopes and put the coupons in the envelope for each store.  Again, I just need to control the clutter.

Hope this helps, mamas! 

Speaking of coupons… 

Real Simple (seriously, one of my favorite magazines) is giving away a free receipt organizer when your purchase Kenmore appliances (I guess a free organizer can’t hurt if you’ve already shelled out for a new fridge), Smart Ones, Over the Moon milk, or Triscuits.  Just go here and fill out the form.  You purchase must be made before March 22 and postmarked by April 6, so get crackin’, mamas.

I’m going to disclose something here.

I sometimes hate couponing.

Sometimes I find it overwhelming and irritating.

It requires a level of organization that I find best suited for obnoxious, government-run contracts, not shopping with a two year old.  (those of you who have worked for public service agencies under government grants will know what I’m talking about)

However, the thought of getting food for pennies on the dollar is just too tempting to pass up.

I have to give a big bloggy kiss to my two favorite sites for coupon match-ups - Money Saving Mom and Freebies 4 Mom.  I don’t have the patience or time to sort through all of the ads and all of the print and online coupons, but these fabulous women do, AND they share it with us.  I’m certain there’s a special place in heaven for these women, and you won’t even need a coupon to get into the VIP area.

In honor of my love-hate relationship with coupons, I’m giving away over $120 in coupons - they all expire at the end of March or later, so you should have plenty of time to save, save save.

To enter, leave me a comment about what you’d like to see discussed on this website by midnight, Sunday, March 1.  I’ll pick a winner at random and announce Monday morning.  

Want extra entires?  Subscribe to my feed and blog this giveaway for an extra entry each.  If you blog me, make sure and leave the link so I can check up on you.  :) 

Congrats to #37, Lynne, the winner of the $10 Starbucks Card giveaway!  Lynne, send me your mailing address and I’ll get the card right out to you - there’s still some February to get through! Turns out, mamas, that you all love Starbucks more than any other giveaway I’ve done… more, even, than Pampered Chef.  Either that, or February is universally despised and the thought of surviving this particular month brought out the mamas in droves.More giveaways to come later today! 

Quiznos is giving away a free sub to the first million people who register here.

Kudos to my husband’s co-worker for the tasty tip! 

It really isn’t easy being green.  Especially being green and fashionable.  Especially if you’re a parent.

Plus, you might struggle with being green and  loving deal-a-day sites like Mama Bargains.  (and I do love love love Mama Bargains)

Solution?  Green Baby Bargains.  Same concept as Mama Bargains, but all the products are green.  (or, mostly green.  a recent bargain was a diaper bag with some vinyl on it, but it was mostly green, and, frankly, vinyl is pretty darn helpful when you’re dealing with a changing pad) 

Truth be told? These sites can be pretty bad for you if you lean at all toward shopaholic tendencies. You know, how much can you afford to save?? But, if there are a few things that you’re shopping for and you’re aware of the best price out there, when you see a deal here, it’s worth jumping on. ( a recent green bargain, steel baby bottles at more than 50% off made for a great baby gift for my preggo sister)

So, shop frugally mamas, but don’t stop shopping.

I have to give a shout out to Money Saving Methods.  You know the friend you have who has all the answers but isn’t a know-it-all?  This is the bloggy version of that, only it’s all about saving money (um, yeah, just like the name says).

I’m telling you, if there’s a deal to be had in the universe, it’s on this site.  Not only that, but if the process is at all complicated, she spells it out step by step. Last month, we scored $100 free by opening ING trading accounts for myself and hubs, and I would have never attempted this (it involved actually buying stock) without her guide. (WITH her guide, it was incredibly easy)

Click and give her some love, why don’t you?