Frugal Friday

My new best friend is my new search engine. I used to do all my internet searches through Google. And it worked fine and took me where I wanted to go. Well, three weeks ago I heard about Swagbucks, which is another search engine but with a bonus! You sign up with them and download their search engine toolbar. Every so often when you do a search through the toolbar you win a "swagbuck" or two. I usually win one or two a day just by doing a few searches that I usually do. Once you accumulate enough swag money you buy something through their store. There are many prizes to choose from but the two that interest me the most are the $5 Amazon gift card for 45 swagbucks or the $20 Target gift card which is 220 swagbucks. And the gift cards do come so they really do make good on their rewards.

You can earn more points by getting your friends and family to sign up under you. Whenever they win a swagbuck, you win one (up to their first 100). That is how I went from 30 swagbucks to now 133 swagbucks in a little over a week after telling several people about it.

I am excited about this because it is free money! Really, I did searches everyday anyway but now I am getting rewards for using a certain search bar. I can use these gift cards for Christmas presents, birthday gifts, or just regular household items that I need. I shop at Amazon and Target anyway so these gift cards will really come in handy. And from my math, I assume that I will be able to get at least an average of $10 in gift cards a month with my swagbucks so that equals to at least $120 a year...all for doing what I did to begin with. And if Amazon and Target don't excite you there are several more options for prizes. Click on the banner below to find out more!



Would you like to join in on this Frugal Friday blog carnival? Just grab my button on the right and post it in your Frugal Friday post, or just link back to this site somewhere in your post. Then come back here and leave a comment in the comment section so that we can all visit your blog and learn more frugal tips!

Do Mothers Get To Take Vacations?

You know how every so often you hear someone say "I NEED a vacation!" Maybe you even say it yourself and imagine a deserted island where you can lay in the sun with a nice juicy novel and, well, relax. I've been known to say it even. And now I get my wish! Next week we will be departing for a week long vacation to visit my husband's side of the family in Ohio. This is our first real vacation since having children, if you don't count the overnight trip we made a couple years back to a zoo a few hours away. And it's a long overdue trip, as we haven't ventured back there since moving three states away 7 years ago.

But I'm tired just thinking about my "vacation". I have many plans to get things in order before leaving so that we can return from our trip to a clean house and just zonk out for a few days. I keep making lists in my head of what we will need to pack and what we must not forget to bring. I dread thinking about spending ten hours in the van with three small children who are not used to traveling anywhere over an hour away. I'm nervous about farming our pets out to people while we are gone and especially nervous about the puppy who is still working on housebreaking and the dog which is much like Houdini and escapes the house whenever possible. I hate to think of how crabby the kids will probably be trying to adjust to a week away from home and sleeping in strange beds and just the disruption of their daily schedule. I imagine them whining and clinging a lot...to me. You see, hubby is looking forward to this trip (as he rightly should be - he misses his family) and doesn't even seem to be thinking of all that could go wrong.

And this, my friends, is where women and men are totally different. Men roll with the punches and take it as it comes and women prepare for the worst. We plan, organize, and think everything through to the last detail. We are the ones who have to remember to stop the mail while on vacation, remember to pack that extra package of diapers and not forget the wipes, decide how many pairs of underwear and sets of clothing we need to bring for each and every member of the family. Don't forget the toothbrushes and toothpaste. Remember the special blanket the kids like to sleep with. Make sure a fun goodie bag is packed for the van ride. Hostess gifts? Check. And the list goes on. So far, the plans leading up to the "vacation" have not been very relaxing.

But, while I am preparing for the worst, I am also hoping for the best. I keep reminding myself that for a whole week I won't have to be cleaning my house, or doing piles of laundry, or making three square meals a day and countless snacks. My mother-in-law is a great hostess and makes elaborate meals and entertains the children. We will get to see family and friends who we haven't seen for years. The kids will get to meet aunts and uncles and cousins that they have never met before. My husband will get to show off his children to many family members that have never met any of them before. So there is a silver lining.

But the question still remains...is there such a thing as an actual vacation when you are a mother? Because it seems to be quite stressful just preparing for one!

Christmas in...October?!

With all the Christmas talk over at my mom's blog http://www.marypotterkenyon.wordpress.com it has gotten me to think about my own Christmas stash. I may have learned from my mom that you don't start thinking about Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving (known by many as Black Friday) but rather the day after Christmas. Yes, that is right, it gives you 364 days to prepare for next Christmas! I buy all my wrapping paper and Christmas cards when they have 75% off Christmas items and stash them away for the next year. I would cringe if I was forced to buy those products at full retail price when I know just how cheap they go soon after the holidays.

And while I am trying to take a lot of the holiday focus off of gifts and more on family, traditions, and you know...the real reason for Christmas!... I do try to find a little special something for everyone in my family. With so many brothers, sisters, and children of my own the list can be daunting at times. Which is why it is great to think ahead. This year I was finished shopping for one of my sisters in June when I hit a good sale at the mall, combined with a few little things I found on clearance here and there. I have most of my mom's gifts already bought, and one thing for each of my brothers already. It pays to think ahead and buy those perfect gifts that you run across and stash them away. Then you don't have to rush about in December and pay full price for just a gift that has no meaning and was bought at the last minute. My six year old has a big 'ole dollhouse from Melissa & Doug coming her way that I bought last year at over a 50% savings. With the adorable little wooden dolls and furniture that comes with it I am sure I (oops...I mean she) will spend hours upon hours playing with it. So with many of my Christmas gifts already bought I will not be rushing around in December stressing over that perfect gift that I must find. Instead I will be decorating the house, baking goodies, and spending time enjoying the holiday season. Because for me my favorite part of the holidays is not the actual day of Christmas, but rather the month leading up to it when everything seems so magical and wonderful.

Do you shop ahead of time or do you enjoy the rush of the holiday shopping? And are you one of those brave people who venture out on Black Friday? I love to read your comments!

Look What Was Delivered Today...

If you go back to my Wednesday post and read through the comments you will notice that some commenters were confused and thought my hubby got me those flowers, instead of realizing it was the TOPS group that gave me the bouquet. I see now that I wasn't clear in my post. I happened to casually bring up those comments to my husband and he read through them and that was that.

So was I ever surprised today when the floral delivery van pulled up and there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers...sent by my husband! I don't know if your comments guilted him into it or if he just never realized how much I love a fresh bouquet of flowers but boy do I feel special this month - three bouquets of flowers in ONE month! And one made extra special because it was from my husband!

These pictures just don't do it justice but they give you a glimpse of the beauty that is now adorning my hall table!

Frugal Friday

Are you a bookworm that balks at paying full price for a book? Do you love to collect books but have an empty wallet? I want to let you in on a little secret, Paperback Swap http://www.paperbackswap.com is one of the easiest ways to get a book that you have been wanting without paying full price. It is so easy too! When you sign up you post 10 or more books of your own that you no longer want. Members will order your books and all you do is mail them off. Once your book is received (or if you print your own postage...once it is printed) you earn a credit for your book. You can then use your credit to purchase any book you want through their site. So for the cost of postage you are able to get a different book! I have been doing this for four years and have only lost one book in the mail, which proves the members are all honest and that this site works!
My biggest tip is to start a wishlist on there and once those titles become available you get first dibs (depending on if you are first on the list or not). I have gotten several favorite books this way, one of the most recent being "Home Comforts" which sells for over $30! It is not only paperbacks at that site either, hardcovers and books on tape are also listed. And one of the best ways to get more credit is to pick up books at thrift stores or garage sales for 25 cents and post them for other members to order, or else just go through your overflowing bookshelves and declutter books you no longer want. Not only do you get books you have been wanting but it is also fun to open your mailbox on those days that the books arrive!
There is also Swap A CD which my husband loves and Swap A DVD which we haven't joined yet. If you do decide to sign up with Paperback Swap (and you won't be sorry you did!) please use my e-mail address as your referral babys_mama1 "at" yahoo .com Let me know what you think about that site if you do join!

Do you want to join the Frugal Friday blog carnival? Steal my button at the right of the screen and post it with your Frugal Friday post, or just link back to here. Then come back here and add your website to the Mclinky below so we can check out your frugal tip of the week!

Flowers twice in one month?!

I love fresh flowers. My hubby has given me flowers maybe three times in our eight years of marriage so I don't count on him showering me with fresh flower bouquets on a whim. But I have been blessed by receiving two bouquets of flowers just this month! One was when I bought our van, details can be found in a post I did at the end of September. The other was just this past Tuesday when I met my goal at TOPS and became a KOPS. The bouquet is beautiful and makes me smile every time I see it.

TOPS is a weight loss support group that stands for Taking Off Pounds Sensibly. While I never had a lot of weight to loose after the birth of my third child last year I had a little baby weight that I hoped to get off. And I am not good at loosing weight because I just love to eat. I love food of all kinds and sweets and treats and goodies. I realized that I would benefit from having support and having to weigh in weekly. So I joined our local TOPS chapter, which happens to meet right down the street from my house. Every Tuesday night we weigh in and then have a small meeting afterwards. The women there are so encouraging and there are so many helpful hints and tips that they share at the meeting. It does encourage you to try to loose weight if you know you have to face the scale each week and it feels wonderful to be able to say "I lost this week!" at the meeting. And if you gain they don't scorn you but instead encourage you. It works! In the past year I have lost 30 pounds and just recently reached my goal weight (set by me and my doctor) and became a member of KOPS (Keeping Off Pounds Sensibly). And that was why I was awarded a beautiful bouquet of flowers at the last meeting.

Losing weight is a lifestlye change. Too many people go on diets and loose a bunch of weight and then crash and gain it all back. It just is not realistic to limit your food intake so much for the rest of your life, which is why diets just do not work. TOPS tends to work because they teach you to make lifestyle changes that you can keep for the rest of your life. You can lose the weight you want and then keep it off with a few different lifestyle changes. For me it was making sure I took the time to exercise and also cut out a lot of the sweets and fatty foods in my life. I am not deprived, I am just aware. Instead of eating out of the bag of chips I will put some in a bowl so I am aware of how much I am eating and am done when my bowl is empty...not when the bag is empty! Instead of eating a sugary snack I will snack on an apple or eat some fresh vegetables and dip. Little changes like that make a big difference.

If you have been trying to loose weight or are interested in finding your local TOPS group check out http://www.TOPS.org

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch