Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours - despite a tough economy, financial worries and stress, we still have so much to be thankful for...let us not forget that!

A dog-gone good holiday present!

Small Paws shares the love by cutting dog adoption fees in half

'Tis the Season...

Just a reminder to all of my budget-conscious readers out there; it is once again time to buy The Entertainment Book filled with coupons for your specific metropolitan area (as well as some travel deals across for hotels, cruises, etc. when you leave your hometown for the great unknown!). Every year I mumble about forking over $25 (or is it $30?) for this thick coupon book, but I always get well beyond my money's worth during the year. Be sure to check with your local schools or non-profits - often they sell these as a fund-raiser!

It just makes "cents"!

So here's a rather sweet deal for the holidays! If you are not familiar with Coinstar, you probably just haven't paid attention to it...they have bright green kiosks/machines everywhere, most likely in your favorite grocery store. You pour in your loose change and it gives you several options - 1) a receipt for cash (they do charge about 8.5 cents on the dollar for the convenience of the service) that you cash in at the store's service desk; 2) you can donate the $ to charity (hit button for selection) or 3) you can get a gift card...

Ah yes, behind door (option #) 3 is the big deal for now! If you opt for a gift card, Coinstar will add $10 to it when you cash in $40 worth of coins. There's a nice little addition to your holiday purchasing!

Out damn spot! (or how to survive holiday spills)!

Here in Phoenix, most of us have heard of the "Queen of Clean" - local author, radio personality and all-around expert on all things requiring cleaning! Thursday morning, she offered a few big hints for the holidays including how to recuperate from red wine spills: pour club soda (or white wine believe it or not!) and then salt on the spill and it will prevent stains (then pat dry). Check out www.queenofclean.com for more amazing hints from Linda Cobb, the "Queen of Clean"!!

A coupon reminder!

Just a subtle reminder... many grocery stores are offering great savings for your holiday cooking/baking/dining pleasure! The best is accepting all competitors' coupons...keep an eye out for these deals...I've saved well over $200 with these offerings!!! :)

Holidays...more about personal time and less time in the kitchen!

Now I am all about holidays and food and I love the smell of the turkey on Thanksgiving day...BUT there is still the clean-up, the time spent getting it all together (and making guests visit in the kitchen while you - well, ok, in my case, while my husband works). I wouldn't really want to go out for the holiday meals, but all of the grocery stores in the area offer amazing meals pre-prepared for you at reasonable prices - turkey dinners, prime rib and ham...with nice side dishes and dessert...Is the quality family time worth the fact that you didn't prepare it yourself...ABSOLUTELY (in my humble opinion!). Let me know what you think!

Saving food = Saving money!!!!

As seen on AOL (quoted):

Post-Lunch: Clean-Up
iTouchless Airtight Bag Re-Sealer, $25.99

The iTouchless Bag Re-Sealer claim:
Bag re-sealers provide an inexpensive and easy way to perfectly reseal unused portions of food packages in seconds. It creates an airtight seal that locks in freshness. You simply seal along the edges of any bag and it is sealed airtight in seconds.

How we used it:
To seal our left-over brie and to re-seal an unrelated bag of chips in the pantry.

Our collective verdict:
It works. You just have to have some patience. Word of advice: you may not get it to work in the first try--the trick is to move slow and at a consistent pace because, glide too briskly over one spot, and the plastic won't melt to seal there. This is a great little stocking stuffer for all the cooks in your life.

Tips for use:
After much practice, this tool could become very useful in helping you to keep food fresher for longer. Remember to position the re-sealer a little beyond the bag's edge for a truly airtight seal at the corners.

Snack time!

OK Facebook afficianados! For a limited (and I'm not sure exactly how "limited" it is!) time, if you become a Facebook fan of Outback Steakhouse, you can get a free Onion Blossom appetizer! Yum!

Save your pics as digital! :D

Photo Changer
This easy-to-use digital converter lets you archive photos on your PC, so you can include them on websites or in emails and newsletters. You can also make additional prints to share with friends and family. Scan 3" x 5", 4" x 6" and 5" x 7" photos with a single pass – 5 megapixel resolution, automatic exposure control and adjustable color balance ensure great results. Get it now from Plow & Hearth for $109.99 (reg. $149.95)

What a great way to finally archive those pics that are sitting in your "to do" box!

Holiday non-alcoholic drink alternative! (cheap too!)

Yes, I know...I am sadly delinquent in posting to this blog! My apologies to all faithful followers! :D Meanwhile, for your holiday enjoyment check this out!:

Looking for a festive alternative to alcoholic drinks this holiday season? Worried about catching the flu during party season? 7UP has you covered on both counts: The soft drink company is bringing back its Pomegranate 7UP, but this year, it comes loaded with Vitamin E. Pomegranate 7UP Antioxidant blends the classic lemon-lime soft drink with pomegranate flavor for a look and taste that is perfect for holiday toasting.

Free ways to "waste" time!

Ready for some free fun? Check out:

http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,169112/printable.html

You will find "40 Fantastic Time-Wasting Websites" - turn photos into cartoon characters, make a comic scrip (no really!), find funny typos and find free games...and much more! Way to vegetate! :)

To buy or not to buy...?

Here's a cool deal:

Visualize this - you are in a store and you think you have found the deal of all deals! Text to frucall.com to check prices via cellphone (you need to text the item's bar code # and standart text charges apply) OR call 888-363-7822 to check toll-free. The service will provide you with the cheapest price from major online retailers to help you make your purchase decision! Ka-ching! :)

Your Home Movies on DVD for free!

So Blockbuster is giving you a chance to test iMemories for free ($20 value!) - you can ship your film, videotapes, etc and it will be digitized and saved online to allow you to creat customized DVDs (original materials area returned to you)!!!!
Check out iMemories.com/Blockbuster - note: only one offer per househould (just in time for the holidays!) :)

Yum - free samples!

Don't miss the "Holiday Taste of Sam's Club" 11/20 - 11/22 - food samples, cooking demo, meal & decorating ideas and more!!!! (OK - I am not a member and not a fan per se, but free always catches my attention!)

I am still alive!!!!

Yes, I am terribly delinquent on posting these days...my job has me on flight after flight (penny pincher note - what a deal for saving those frequent flyer miles!) :)
I will still be posting new info for you but please feel free to send me good material as I am sometimes out of the loop these days (one must work to survive!) Thanks!