Do you like to bowl?

Join AMF's e-club and get a free gift for joining, a gift on your birthday and special offers for bowling!

http://www.amf.com/

PS, my free gift for joining was a coupon for 1 free game for every paid game of bowling for up to 10 people!

Make money online

Upon the suggestion of the person behind a GREAT blog I follow, Cheap By Choice, I joined Inbox Dollars. You can make money online, not a lot, but hey, if you're just sitting around bored online, you might as well make some money, lol. A lot of it is by taking surveys, sure beats those myspace and email surveys that don't pay anything. I like the program, check it out, here's a link:

Product Review: Dove Volume Therapy

I have very fine hair and have tried just about every supposedly volume-building shampoo and conditioner on the market, I finally found one that works. I recommend this product to anyone struggling with fine/thin hair. It left my hair weightless and bouncy. Best thing is that there are constantly coupons in the paper and at the website, www.dove.com

Enjoy!

CVS and Walgreens deals this week!

For those of you who play The Grocery Game (http://thegrocerygame.com) you know that there are no new lists this week, however there is an excellent blog where you can find them, www.thethriftymama.com. Check it out!

Military and Sea World

Hey military members and families, only a few more days to take advantage of your free 2008 Sea World admission. Visit www.herosalute.com for more info. (this also applies to other Anheuser-Busch theme parks, kudos to them for being so supportive of our troops!

SoCal Weddings

My friend Deanna just opened up her wedding business. She did a beautiful job planning her own wedding and I know that anyone who has her assistance in planning their wedding will be a lucky couple! If you know anyone planning a wedding in Southern California, check her out, http://www.weddingsbydeanna.com/

Drugstore.com sales

Drugstore.com is having a super sale. 70% off clearance, free shipping (orders over $25), free gifts with purchase AND 5% cash back! Check it out!

Merry Christmas and photo deals!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are enjoying your day with the ones who matter most to you.

Now for the photo deals:
Walgreens is offering 10 cent 4x6 prints from their website with the code REASON. The catch is that you have to order 50 or more. Good through 12/27.

CVS has a better deal, 10 cent prints (any amount) through 1/1/09. No code needed, just order online, choose pick up in hours, and get all your 4x6 prints for 10 cents each. Now I'm off to order prints!!

Oh, I hear tomorrow (day after Christmas) is another crazy mad shopping deal day so if you brave it, good luck!

Got missing money out there?

Claim it! Unfortunately I did not have any but I did find some for people I know!

Go to www.missingmoney.com to see if you have any unclaimed funds from old utility deposits, forgotten bank accounts, undeliverable tax refunds etc.

Need a laugh?

I got this chain email from a friend (thanks Theresa). I usually don't read chain emails but this one is very funny and worth it. I think I have seen it before but it doesn't matter, it got just as many laughs this time. Enjoy!


To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice!

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks . Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

5. In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write ' For Marijuana.

6. Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk and see how many looks you get.

7. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

8. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go'.

9. Sing Along At The Opera.

10. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.

11. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'

12. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'

13. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.'

And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity
14. PICK UP A BOX OF CONDOMS AT THE PHARMACY, GO TO THE COUNTER AND ASK WHERE THE FITTING ROOM IS.

Send This E-mail To Someone To Make Them Smile. It's Called.... THERAPY

Save $20 on orders of $50 or more at CVS.com

Just sign in, fill your cart with $50 worth of non-prescription items and save $10 automatically (savings will appear in your cart) then use code MASTERCARD10 and pay with a Mastercard and you will save another $10.

Free 5x7 or 8x10 photo print at CVS

I just picked up my free 8x10 from Walgreens today, now I get to order one from CVS. Yay! Just enter the code ENLARGE at checkout. (online, http://www.cvs.com/) Expires 12/24

FYI, CVS has a surcharge of $1.49 on all photo orders less than $5 that you pick up in-store, it is cheaper to have the photo shipped if all you are ordering is a free print. I got my 8x10 shipped for 99 cents. Have it shipped to the grandparents or family as a nice little surprise!

Got a gamer in your life?

Game Crazy is offering buy 2 get 1 free on all used games. Not a bad deal if you know someone who likes video games. Be sure to call your local store to make sure the deal is happening in your region. No codes or coupons necessary. Expires 12/25.

Hey Bank of America customers.....

Did you know that you can get free admission to over 70 museums around the country the first weekend of every month with your Bank of America card? These include the "fancy" ones like the Birch Aquarium in San Diego and the Bronx Zoo and Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

To find the museums near you that you can visit for free go to:
promotions.bankofamerica.com/museums

Have fun! I may have to open a BofA account now!

Free 8x10 photo print at Walgreens

No purchase necessary. Order online and enter code FREEGIFT at checkout through Dec. 20, 2008.

www.walgreens.com

New Year's Resolution

Today I am pledging to do something each week that makes me a better person than I was the week before and record it in a journal. I was aiming for each day but that may be too ambitious when recording it becomes part of the pledge.

Military Appreciation at Boomers!

Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Dec. 21 (okay so only one weekend left on this).

Free unlimited play wristband for active duty (by presenting valid active ID). Family and friends can puchase a wristband for a discounted price of $15.99 up to 6 people. There are locations in San Diego, El Cajon and Vista.

My favorite quote....

is a very famous one by Ghandi, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." I try to remember that whenever I get mad at random people, really I wish people would treat others with respect all the time, but I guess that should start with me.

As they say in the military...."Lead from the front."

There's one to live by!

Teaching kids to help others.

I thought this was a cute idea, it not only teaches kids to re-use and be mindful of consumption, but also about helping others. Once done you can hang the hands on a string and try to do one each day, or each week or month if you want the giving to go beyond Christmas.

I truly believe if you teach your kids to enjoy the great feeling achieved by helping others, they will want to continue that through their lives.

"Cut out your child's handprint from card fronts of Christmas cards. On the back of each hand write a kind act your family can do for others."
~Helen Coronado, author of Eco-Friendly Families. Source: Woman's Day Magazine vol. 72 Issue 3

Line cutters and India.Arie

We finally got our lights up last night. Yay! We had to take one strand of LED lights back to Wal-mart because only one half of it worked but other than that it was great.

While I was getting my "return sticker" from the return guy at wal-mart (he stops you before getting in line and gives you a yellow sticker if you are returning something) this rude lady and her (grown) son walked around me and got in line with their item. Then when I get in line (after the cutters) she yells at the man to give her a sticker. Some people. I was kind of mad, it ruined my mood and I had to leave the store. I didn't think it was worthy of making a scene though.

On the way over to Michael's after that I listened to "Better People" by India.Arie and it made me feel better and put things into perspective for me. I felt great by the time I entered Michael's so thanks India.Arie for putting music out that can help us remember what is really important and what we should let roll off our shoulders. It is especially helpful during this time of holiday shopping madness (and rudeness).

The Holiday Project

Enrich your life and someone elses this Christmas!

Info from The National Holiday Project website:

The Holiday Project's mission is to enrich the experience of the holidays by arranging visits to people confined to nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions

Each year, more than
three million people spend their holidays confined to institutions, 60% never receive visitors.

This is a nationwide program, to find a group near you visit http://www.holiday-project.org/

Product Review: Tyson Quesadilla kit

So convenience costs money, this I know. Sometimes I buy those "dinner kits" for the days I have to work. It is still cheaper than going out to eat and much easier than cooking a full on meal.

Here's what I thought of this product: Average.

The quesadillas tasted good but like most of these products, there was not enough "filler" for the quesadillas. It was supposed to make 6 but there was only enough chicken and veggies for 4. The fifth one I filled with the excess cheese from the kit and the 6th one I put honey and jam in for dessert.

All in all I would buy this product again but I was still a little disappointed by the amount of chicken and veggies. Sorry for the lack of "after" pictures, my camera battery went dead while they were cooking.

Betty Crocker Coupons

$12 in coupons on popular brands from BettyCrocker.com

http://www.bettycrocker.com/coupons-promotions/coupons/default.aspx?WT.dcsvid=Mzc5Mzg0Mzk3MwS2&WT.mc_id=Newsletter_BettyCrocker_12_04_2008

Free Arby's Mint Shake

Go to www.arbys.com and sign up for Arby's extras and they will send you (email) a coupon for a free mint shake. You get your coupon within 24 hours.

Chuck E. Cheese offer

Print, have your kids color, and take this activity page into Chuck E. Cheese for 12 free tokens (valid til Dec. 24, 2008)

http://email.chuckecheese.com/static/chuckecheese/549380/Colorpage.pdf?roi=echo4-4399876202-3812129-8091269f97a4c7bad12fc6b5f5cffdc7&

My pasta storage solution....

Here's what I did to store my pasta. If you know me, you know how much I love pasta so I keep a ton of it in the house! Now with whole grain pasta I am losing some of the guilt so my pasta addiction is even worse. I have more pasta than this that I am trying to find matching containers for! The downside to keeping your pasta on top of the cupboards? Climbing up there every time you want to use it! Its a pretty funny site, me balancing on the sink trying to pull down a container or pasta. It saves me tons of space though. If you don't have cabinets with space at the top, you can store it on top of the fridge.

Recipe Review: Stovetop Easy Chicken Bake

Link to recipe: http://brands.kraftfoods.com/stovetop/ (click on hearty meals)

Occasionally I will try new recipes. When I do I will do my best to post them here and let you all know how they turn out so if they are great, maybe you will want to try them.

This recipe was surprisingly good although I put my own twist on it. I used more veggies. I used a 16 oz bag of frozen cauliflower (my favorite veggie) and a 12 oz bag of mixed carrots, green beans and corn. I am glad I did because it was great.

One warning, I pulled the casserole out of the oven at 30 minutes as directed and looked at the chicken, it was still practically raw. So I cooked it for an extra 30 minutes and it came out perfect. Just make sure you look under all that stuffing and make sure your chicken is cooked!

I am including a few pictures, one before the casserole went in the oven (2nd pic) and one when it was done (1st pic).

KMart Super Double Coupons

According to the Kmart ad insert in this Sunday's North County Times, Kmart is doubling coupons up to and including $2. This can mean some great deals for you coupon cutters out there. They reserve the right to cancel or modify the program at any time and I am not sure if it is country-wide or limited to San Diego County so I recommend calling the store to verify their coupon policy before you head out with your coupon organizer!

Good luck!
Visit www.kmart.com to look up your local store and find their telephone number.

Making crafts from Recyclables!

I found a great website with tons of crafts you can make out of recyclable/reusable materials in your home. Check it out! I especially like the tote made of plastic shopping bags.

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/recycling-crafts/index.shtml#bottles

Cyber Monday Deals - Thats today folks!

Well today is supposed to be the "black friday" of online sales.

Here are a few deals that I found:

CVS is having a great online sale, up to 85% off. www.cvs.com
Today only, 12am-midnight
Free standard shipping on orders of $49 or more
PLUS save $10 automatically when you sign in and purchase $50 or more in items then save ANOTHER $10 when you use coupon code MASTERCARD at checkout then use your mastercard to pay.
Thats $50 in items for $30 and free shipping. Not too shabby.
Oh, and you earn triple extra bucks on all online orders through Dec. 6.

A link to Staples Cyber Monday deals: http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/products/081130/merch021941/index.html?cm_mmc=sbd_acq-_-product_120108-_-delivery_inactives_24+_con-_-num&cm_lm=ex:pinksadity@aol.com

Fashion Bug is offering free shipping today along with holiday sale prices.
www.fashionbug.com

Shutterfly.com is offering up to 50% off holiday photo gifts and free shipping on orders of $25 or more, til Dec. 3.

Overstock.com is offering 15% cash back when you pay using paypal.

For even more deals visit www.cybermonday.com

Happy shopping! No crowds or parking lot hassles!

Cool sight in the sky....

So I hear that Jupiter, Venus and the moon will be close together and look pretty cool from Earth tomorrow night (Dec. 1) so if you look in the sky and see the planets shining down on you (looking more like big bright stars) thats Jupiter and Venus. Awesome.

Please Consider Rescue

Looking for a dog or cat? Please consider rescue. Check out http://www.petfinder.com/, a site that is responsible for connecting so many available rescue dogs (and cats) to loving homes. You can search by location, size, age, breed, or all of the above to find the pet that is perfect for you. Please help give a dog or cat a second chance without putting money in the pockets of breeders or pet stores which encourages them to make more of already over-populated species. Instead, when you pay an adoption fee to a rescue or shelter, the money goes right back into their efforts to save more worthy animals. I got my own perfect pet Roscoe (see pic) from an animal shelter. I couldn't ask for a better dog.

Good time to clean out the pantry

Thanksgiving just passed, Christmas is coming. Its a good time to clean out your pantry and help those in need. With the economy in trouble and many losing their jobs, more and more families are signing up for food, and the food banks around the country are struggling to keep up.

Help make Christmas brighter for someone and get that unwanted food out of your pantry at the same time. I just cleaned mine and I am taking the donations to the grocery store today!

To find a food bank near you visit www.feedingamerica.org and enter your zip code in their "food bank locator"

Lets all remember what is really important this holiday season (believe it or not, it is NOT black friday deals) and help our neighbors.

MCRD San Diego, T-shirt Design Contest

For all you graphic design guru's out there.

From mccsmcrd.com

SUPER BOWL PARTY T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST
.. Released: 10.29.08
.. Transmission broadcast from: MCRD San Diego

WHEN WHERE AND WHAT TIME
.. Now - 12.12.08
.. MCRD San Diego
.. Online voting begins 12.17.08 - 01.16.09
RESTRICTIONS
.. Open to all eligible patrons (active duty, reservists, retirees, DoD and their dependants)
.. Must be 13+ to submit a design
.. Submit your original art as a .jpg attachment to: mccsmcrd7@yahoo.com
.. Final winner determined by online voting




MCRD San Diego is holding their first ever "Super Bowl Party" t-shirt design contest. Where you're the designer and everyone else is the judge. Contestants will create a design that embodies the spirit of MCRD and troop appreciation.

The winner will be determined by online voting. Prove what it takes to outdesign the designers. Why do it you ask? Because we think fostering in-house creativity is a building block to bigger things.

The winner gets a $50.00 gift card to the MCXchange and their design printed on all the t-shirts being given away at the Super Bowl party. The vanity prone get to see it on the shirts at the gym. Serious types get some street cred for their portfolio.

OFFICIAL RULES
T-shirt must have the following elements included in the design:
Event name [ You come up with the name, be creative ]
The date, February 1, 2009
It has to say "MCRD, San Diego" on it somewhere
It has to say "Troop Appreciation" on it somewhere
MORE RULES
All artwork must be in JPG format. [ No other formats are acceptable ]
Send art as an attachment to: mccsmcrd7@yahoo.com
All artwork must be in digital format
Don't send us paper art or Crayola drawings
If you need to get something digitized go to your local copy shop or your friends house and scan it
Confine the design to a 15" x 20" (38cm x 50cm) area
Make sure it's at least 150 dpi
Limit your colors to six. Trust us, this is still a whole lotta color. Just check out the sample below if you don't believe us.

Why I recycle.

Do you recycle? Why or why not?

Yes, I recycle everything I can, from water bottles right down to the cardboard rolls in my toilet paper. I do it because I think it is important for each of us to take personal responsibility for what we consume and how we dispose of it, and I love my country and don't want to see her landfills take up more and more of this beautiful land.

Do you teach your kids about recycling and reducing their footprint on the earth?

I don't have kids but I am trying to teach my husband and the children in our family.

What kind of stuff do you reuse? How do you reuse it?

I reuse containers (plastic ones like butter and sour cream) to hold leftovers, then I wash and recycle them. I re-use paper from work that is to be thrown out - usually has but a speck of ink on one side, so I bring it home and use it to print out assignments and such for an online class. I reuse cardboard and cardboard boxes for shipping and art projects. Oh and a no brainer, I use canvas bags when I shop.

What kind of stuff do you buy that you feel reduces the amount of overall waste from your household?

I buy the concentrated soaps and laundry detergent, I buy water by the gallon or use my Brita pitcher instead of small bottles, I try to buy the product with the least amount of excessive packaging when faced with a cost-effective choice. I hope someone has more ideas because I would like to reduce further.

Why do you feel it is important or not important to reduce, reuse and recycle?

Personal responsibility is big for me. I think I need to be responsible for the trash that comes out of my house, and it is not someone elses responsiblity to sort it for me. I am responsible for the footprint I leave on the earth and whether or not I leave it better or worse (even if just a little) for the children in my family and yours.

Go Sam's Club

Sam's Club is hosting 3 military appreciation days, Nov. 17, Dec. 1 & Dec. 15, military with proper ID can go in and do their shopping these days even if they aren't members. They will also waive their 10% non-member service fee on those days. (During regular club hours).

Check it out. I love to see big business doing something to show appreciation for those who protect this country and the capitalist society here which allows them to prosper.

Make money on those old books

So I visited www.cash4books.net, they buy old books. Might as well make some money on them. All you need is the book's ISBN. I tried several books but out of about 5, they were only buying one. They offered me $2.49 for it (I think it was Dog Training for Dummies). I decided to keep the book but I know where to go if I need some cash for my books. As for the books they are not buying right now, I recommend either holding onto them and trying again at another time or donating them to your local library.

Nov. 10 - Birthday number 233!

Happy Birthday Marines. I just want you to know how proud I am that you are America's Marines. I love you all and am so grateful to you for keeping me safe. You are a blessing to this country, all of you brave men and women willing to stand up for something greater than yourselves. Not everyone has that kind of courage. I am in awe of all of you.

Free Sample Sites

I really love the ones that post stuff that is truly free, no catch but so many of these truly free deals are lost amidst the "sign up and complete these requirements and we will consider sending you a free sample of something you really didn't need in the first place" offers. I'm sick of it.

I have found a couple great sites, one of them being "Hey, Its Free"
They send great free sample offers to my inbox daily so I don't even have to do extra work to find them. The offers are generally quality and catch free. If you decide to check them out make sure you take a look at their "free birthday meals".......so many restaurants will give you a free dessert, appetizer or meal during the week of your birthday and/or just for signing up for their E-club. Awesome right?

Judging others

So I was just thinking........uh oh watch out, another random thought! Anyway, it seems like everywhere I go (on or off the net) people are constantly judging other people for what they look like, wear, how they talk, i.e. little petty stuff. I know we are all guilty of this to a certain extent but I also know that when I catch myself doing it I feel like a big huge ball of ignorance, and when I see other people doing it, I try to stay away from them. I mean, who am I do judge someone for what they look like, what they wear, how they talk? I wear sweats and PJ's most of the time, and I am super nerdy/corny. Love it or leave it right? We all have our hang-ups.

I have learned to ask myself 3 questions when I catch myself pre-judging someone I don't know:

1. Do I have any clue why this person looks/talks/or acts the way they do? Do I know their background?

2. What am I getting out of this? Does it make me feel better to put someone else down? (nope, it makes me feel worse, actually)

3. Who the heck am I? Just another soul wandering the universe, I have no right to judge.

Now when it comes to serious stuff, I may throw my 2 cents in if I think it will be constructive, but if a person is not hurting anyone and I am spending time judging them, it must be time to get another hobby or find some other way to keep myself busy.

Maybe instead of judging people we should all think about what we can do to put a smile on that persons face, if only for a minute. Who knows, might be the only time they smile all day, and I bet it will make you smile too =).

Chew on that.

Springing for the good stuff.

So I'm not real particular about what kind of dental floss I use, I just buy whatever. Well I was at the dollar store and they had a few different kinds. I decided to buy a brand called Butler because it had about twice as much in it for the same price. This stuff is thin, its like flossing my teeth with sewing thread. ugh. Next time I'll spring for the good stuff. Why am I so cheap? lol.

Telemarketers on my cell phone?

So I get a call today with a recording asking me to extend my car warranty......

I press number 2 to speak to an operater because we are on the do not call list.

Him: Hello would you like to extend your car warranty today?

Me: No, I would like to know what company this is please.

Him: click - yep he hung right up on me.

I need caller ID.

Have you made the switch?

....to re-usable grocery bags that is.I switched and I love it.Here's why:

1. It is important to me to reduce, reuse and recycle. I don't take our resources for granted and I respect our land enough not to want to fill it with trash if I can avoid it.

2.They hold so much more, what used to take 10-12 plastic bags now takes 3-4 "green bags"

3.They are multi-purpose, I can use them just about anytime I need a good canvas bag, the beach, road trips, you name it!

4. They are cheap, I get mine at the commissary for 70 cents, most places have them for a dollar or less. For me it was too easy a switch not to make and it is so good not to have to mess with those flimsy plastic bags anymore.

Every once in awhile I will buy more than I can fit in my green bags, those times I will usually grab one or two plastic bags as well and reuse them in the bathroom wastebaskets.

Military deals & discounts

I just wanted to take another moment to let you all know that I will also be posting about various deals I find for our military, so if you are military and like saving money, you may also enjoy this page!

Here we go!

Welcome to my new blog! I love couponing, finding deals, recycling and inspiring others (or at least trying to) to live a simple, fulfilling life like I try to do every day. It is very rewarding! Serving others is a passion of mine, living green is another passion and not to mention living cheap! We all like to save money right? Well lets try to do it together. I hope my blog will one day prove worthy of your bookmark =)