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Kate from TheShoppingMama: The Best Family Travel Gear

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

With the Spring Break season in full swing and summer vacation a few short months away, it’s travel season. I can speak on this with some authority because I live a few miles from the beach and the tourists have invaded. So, for me, the travel season means traffic jams, crowded grocery stores, and figuring clever ways to beat the heat and the crowds. Of course, traveling with kids comes with its own perils. Many of them, in fact, but there are some amazing products on there to help ease the pain a bit.

maclaren volo

A great, lightweight stroller is an absolute must have for any family, but it’s never more important than when you’re traveling. My pick for an on the go stroller is the Maclaren Volo. It’s uber light at only 8.4 pounds, folds compactly and has a carry strap. Which I’ve actually used and it was a total lifesaver. $119 (at Babies R Us) might sound like a lot for a basic lightweight stroller, but if you’ve pushed a cheap knock off you know it’s worth it for the nice smooth ride and maneuverability. The generous storage basket is also great for all those souvenirs you pick up along the way!

EveryWear

If your traveling with smaller toddlers or babies, a good comfortable baby carrier is a lifesaver. After all, if you wear your baby you can have your hands free to take all those vacay pics you’ll upload to your computer and never print.  One of my favorites is the lillebaby EveryWear Carrier because it is so lightweight and can fold up to fit in your diaper bag when not in use. You can wear your child in 3 different positions (depending on their age) and use it with the hip carry up to 43 pounds. (As if you didn’t already feel like a Sherpa lugging everything but the kitchen sink on vacation.)  The EveryWear is available at giggle.com (5% cash back!) for $100.

peapod

Whether you’re traveling to a beach house, hotel or staying with family, the PeaPod is a genius product that may change your life. It will certainly change your sleep habits for the better, and as any sleep-deprived parent knows that is like finding the golden ticket. The PeaPod travel bed is like a mini little tent just for wee ones that folds up to fit into a tote smaller than a backpack. It comes with a blow up mattress that is actually quite cushy so it‘s the perfect place for tots to sleep when on the go. And at $89.95 at One Step Ahead, it’s cheaper than most travel cribs See, I told you it was genius!

And, if you are traveling to the beach, I’m sorry but nothing says family beach vacay like the LL Bean Tote. These things have been around forever and there’s a reason. They’re awesome. And surprisingly affordable especially with 2% Cash Back from ShopAtHome.com. (The Large Tote with Monogramming is $36.95.)

No matter where your travels take you, have fun! Yes, traveling with kids can be a challenge, but it’s also extremely rewarding.

Happy Shopping!

The Shopping Mama

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Crystal from MoneySavingMom: 5 Tips for Finding Great Travel Deals

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

My husband and I love to travel. However, we rarely pay more than half of what the retail price is for airfare, hotels, and car rental. How? Well, here are some simple ways we save:


1)      Order Online.

We’ve done a lot of comparing and have found that you can almost always beat the prices you’d get over the phone or through a travel agency if you purchase airfare, hotel rooms, or car rental online. Some of our favorite sites to use are: Hotwire.com, Orbitz.com, and Travelocity.com.

Each site is a bit different and will offer you different rates and options. When we are making travel arrangements, we always check all three sites to compare prices and options.

Do note that some travel sites add the tax already into the final price shown and others don’t add this in until you checkout. Make sure that you know if there are any extra fees which will be added in when you’re comparing prices.

2)      Choose a Package Deal.

You will usually save a substantial amount of money by purchasing airfare, hotel rooms, and car rental as a package deal. In fact, it’s usually a savings of 50% or more off the retail price to go this route. And sometimes, it’s even greater savings than that!

Even if you don’t really need to rent a car, but it would be nice to have, it’s worth checking into. Many times, you’ll actually save money by renting a car—as opposed to just getting a hotel and flight package.

3)      Be Flexible with Dates and Times.

The more flexible you are, the more possibilities there are for you to score a great discount. When you’re searching online for deals, I recommend inputting different dates and times to see if there is a significant price difference. Oftentimes, just being willing to go 12-24 hours sooner or later, you’ll be able to save $300 or more per person on a package deal.


4)      Use a Coupon Code.

When you’ve chosen which package deal you’re interested in, do a quick search for a coupon code. You can find these codes listed on Cash Back sites like ShopAtHome. You can’t always find a coupon code for the travel site you’re booking through, but it’s worth checking on if it will save you $50—as the coupon codes often do!

5)      Shop Through a Cashback Site.

After you’ve compared prices, found the best package deal, and applied a coupon code, the final way to save is to shop through a cashback site. Do not overlook this important savings tip! Considering that most travel packages are around $300 or more per person and ShopAtHome offers at least 1-3% cashback on orders through Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, and Hotwire.com, your cashback earnings on travel purchases can quickly add up to a nice little bonus savings!

MoneySavingMom.com

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Koupon Karen: Where Can You Find Coupons?

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Koupon Karen is back one final time to tell you about coupons.  They are the most important thing when it comes to shopping!!

Coupons can save you money, there are no two ways about it.  But it can also be time consuming to gather everything you need.  I try to make it easy for my readers by telling them what coupons to use. But what is really helpful is knowing where to find them and then having them on hand.   You can find coupons in so many places so you should always have your eye’s open.

coupons

So where should you be looking?? Here are some places I like to get my coupons from:

(more…)

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Carrie from MoneySavingMethods: How to Make Money with ShopAtHome.com

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

I am assuming since you are reading this blog, you are a fan of Shop at Home.  One of my favorite aspects is the online shopping.  If I am going to be buying something online anyway, why not get a percentage of it back for myself?

But, I must say, the piece of ShopAtHome that has benefited my family the most is their Refer a Friend program.  And, thankfully, not only has the program benefited me but also the friends I told.  For every friend referred, the referrer gets $5 when your friend shops and they also get $5 free to shop their first time.  It is wonderful to know I have financially benefited my family but also am helping others save a little bit extra when they shop, too.

For those of you who have not utilized the Refer a Friend program of Shop at Home or any other company, I hope these helpful tips can help you see the many different ways you can benefit yourself.

First of all, although ShopAtHome’s Refer a Friend might be the one we are most familiar with, there are many others.  Whenever you are a member of any online website, always check to see if they have a Refer a Friend program.  What type of sites and companies have I found that may have Refer a Friend programs?

-          Banks

-          Cable/Satellite

-          Survey Sites

-          Photo Sites

-          Credit Cards

-         Market Research Companies

-          Mystery Shopping Sites

-          Web Search Sites

-          Shopping Sites

So, how can you benefit from these programs yourself?  Here are some of the easy methods that can help you tell others about them yourself thus earning your family extra money.

-          Use an Email Signature

  • This is something that will automatically attach itself to the bottom of every email you send to friends, family or anyone.  They are easy to set up you just never know when someone might click on the link.

For example, if you use Yahoo Mail, you would go under Options – Mail Options in the upper right side of your screen.  Then choose the option for Signature.  You can then select Signature and type whatever you want and save it.

Here is an example of what mine would look like if referring Shop at Home.  This signature would automatically appear at the bottom of every email I send out.

Carrie

I earn money when I shop at my favorite online stores.

Here is $5 Free so you can try it, too.

SAH Button

-          Utilize Social Media

  • If you have a Facebook, Twitter or other social media account, you have an advantage allowing you to share your Refer a Friend programs with many people at once.

Many of the Refer a Friend sites offer Facebook Connect options where they will automatically share via your wall thus referring people.  But if they do not, it is very easy to log in and quickly leave a quick comment on your wall.

Did you recently shop via Shop at Home and earned 6% back?  Leave a comment stating what happened and linking with your refer a friend embedded link.  Here is an example of something I might leave on my wall:

Carrie on Facebook

Did you earn for a survey you just took?  Let everyone know and attach your Refer a Friend link.  You just don’t know!  Maybe someone will register.

-          Create ONE page where you list all your Refer a Friend programs.

  • Blogger is free to set up and quick.  You can create one page and only update it when you find a new Refer a Friend program you like.

sample blog

Go to Blogger.com and click on the Create a Blog button.  You can pick a name, a web address and set it up in minutes.  They even have basic designs to pick from on their site.  Then, just add your links and you have another great resource to share your Refer a Friend links with everyone.  In fact, you may want your Email Signature to point directly to this new site you created.

-          Business Cards

  • If you do decide to quickly set up a spot for all your Refer a Friend links, consider ordering Free Business Cards that link to your blogspot address.

Why would you do this?  If you go out to eat, pay bills via the mail or any other number of activites, you have use of business cards for your Refer a Friend programs.  Everytime you pay your bill and leave your tip, stick a card in.  Paying a bill?  Drop a card in the envelope.  It is quick and easy.

Want to know where to get Free Business Cards?  Log into your Shop at Home account and search either VistaPrint or Overnight Prints.  Both companies offer this option.

business card

And, don’t forget about the good old fashioned Word of Mouth technique.  If you are talking to someone and sharing about the programs you use, make sure to let them know you will send them an email with the details.

I hope this post encourages you to utilize Shop at Home’s Refer a Friend program and begin sharing all the wonderful programs you use with others!

Money Saving Methods

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Kate from TheShoppingMama.com: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Kids

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Irish or not, who can resist the fun that is St. Patrick’s Day? Between festive wear, shamrock crafts and kid-friendly reads there’s plenty of ways to spread green cheer with your little leprechaun.

Green Gear

daddys pot of gold shirt

No St. Patrick’s Day is complete without some green in your wardrobe – and this especially applies to kids. First stop for affordable holiday tees: Old Navy.  I love the Daddy’s Pot Of Gold shirt for the wee lasses (it shimmers… everyone say “ooooh”) and the Mom’s Good Luck Charm is perfect for every little one. At $7.50 a pop (plus 5% cash back from ShopAtHome) you can feel okay making this purchase even if your little one only wears it once or twice. If you insist on being more practical, a classic green polo or striped tee is perfect for the holiday.

Get Crafty

Anyone who knows me will agree that I am a bit challenged in the craftiness department. I just don’t have that gene. But, with a little inspiration even I can engage the kids in a little arts and crafts project.

Here’s an easy one that you can do with little to no skill and very few supplies: cut a piece of green construction paper into the shape of a shamrock. (If you’re as lame as I am, you can even print out a shamrock shape to use as a guide.) Have your toddler find green items from magazines and catalogs – he’ll love ripping the magazine up and you’ll love that this doesn’t require having actual craft supplies on hand – and then glue them onto the shamrock. I freely admit, this will not wow the neighbor when it’s hanging on your fridge, but it will cost next to nothing and is fun. And, of course, if you have actual crafty things, have your toddler decorate his shamrock with green glitter, felt, tissue paper or pipe cleaners. You can even raid your kitchen for green goodies like Fruit Loops.

shamrock cookie cutter

Speaking of the kitchen, I prefer to eat my way through holidays so another great way to get your kids involved in St. Patrick’s Day is baking and decorating cookies. Grab an affordable shamrock cookie cutter, green food coloring, icing and sprinkles and you have an afternoon of messy fun with your kids. And, of course, all the fun that comes with eating your creations.

There are lots of amazing resources for crafts with kids online so my lame festive ideas are just a jumping off point.

Books o’ Fun

the luckiest st patricks day ever book

If your child is old enough to wonder why you’re suddenly celebrating all things green, there are a couple fun children’s books to consider adding to your library. And, as you know, the great thing about books is they’re relevant and fun to read year-round and regardless of the proximity to a holiday. The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever tells the tale of the Leprechaun family celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a parade. The rhyming story and bright illustrations will delight preschoolers and young grade schoolers, in particular. Interactive, lift the flap books are always a hit, and Hooray For St. Patrick’s Day is no exception as your child searches for the hidden leprechauns.

I hope these ideas put a little spring in your step and get you in the St. Patty’s Day mood!

The Shopping Mama

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Crystal from MoneySavingMom.com: Feeding Your Family on $40 a Week – Cooking from Scratch

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

We’ve covered a variety of topics in this Feeding Our Family for $40 a Week series—from menu-planning to using coupons to  buying ahead. Today we’re going to talk about one final key ingredient to keeping our grocery budget low: cooking from scratch.

While shopping the sales and using coupons allows us to get many products for pennies on the dollar, we save hundreds of dollars each year by baking and cooking from scratch.

Many people assume that from-scratch cooking has to equal dozens of hours each week slaving in the kitchen. On the contrary, it actually can be done with minimal effort.

1) Use a bread machine.

We love homemade bread and cinnamon rolls, but I don’t have hours to devote to this each week. Instead, my bread machine has become one of best kitchen friends!

I rarely use the bread machine to bake the bread, but I constantly am using the dough cycle on it. In less than five minutes, I can have a loaf of bread started. The bread machine does the rest of the work. All I have to do is pull the dough out and stick it in a pan to bake

See our favorite Bread Machine Bread recipe here. We also love this recipe for Bread Machine Buttery Rolls and this fabulous Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls recipe.

2) Cook in bulk.

While once-a-month cooking might intimidate you, cooking ahead really doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start small: triple a casserole recipe, eat one for dinner, and stick two in the freezer. Or, mix up a double batch of your favorite cookie dough and freeze half of it in cookie dough balls.

Set aside one day a week to prepare food ahead of time and you’ll save a lot of time and a lot of money. Plus, homemade food trumps boxed and processed food every time!

You can see some of my freezer cooking recipes and successes and failures here.

3) Keep it simple.

Cooking from scratch doesn’t mean you have to have six course dinners every night. I recommend keeping it simple. Find some quick and easy recipes with only a few ingredients and stick to those most of the time.

We’ll often have some Italian Chicken (a bottle of your favorite Italian Dressing poured over chicken breasts and baked in the oven or crockpot), steamed veggies, fruit, and homemade bread (made in the bread machine) for dinner. This whole meal can be put together in less than 20 minutes. It’s nothing elaborate, but it’s filling, healthful, and delicious.

Who says homemade has to take hours?

MoneySavingMom.com

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KouponKaren (formerly FrugalRIMama): How to Use Free Samples

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

It’s Karen back to tell you about what to do with all those FREE Samples you’ve been sending for, or should be sending for.  But first I want to mention that I have a new blog name.  I am no longer Frugal Rhode Island Mama, I am now Koupon Karen!

I always jump at the chance to send for a FREE Sample, I mean it’s Free so why not, right? And you can find a ton of free samples all over the Internet and also in stores.  So what do you do with them once they arrive? Do you toss them in a draw or a bag in your linen closet?  Or do you put them to use right away?  I’m sure there are people out there thinking “What am I going to do with all this stuff now”.

Here are a few ideas I wanted to share with you about what you can do with all those fun FREE things you’ve been collecting:

1.  Put them in your travel bag.  You have to pay close attention to what sizes you carry on planes and the FREE Samples are almost always the perfect size.  Take two if you need to.
2.  Make up a basket of Freebies and display them in your guest bedroom for when you have guests just in case they forget something.
3.  Send a care package to a college student or someone in the military.
4.  Add them to a gift.  If your buying a bridal shower gift or a house warming gift and you purchase something that goes in the bathroom, make up a gift basket and toss in a bottle of shampoo & conditioner, toothpaste, lotion or whatever you may have that would be appropriate.  For a baby shower make up a cute basket with some onesies, bibs and a bunch of baby samples.  They are great for the diaper bag.  It will make the gift ‘cuter’.
5. Make an emergency car kit.  Toss in some food samples, tissue, band-aids and more.
6. For a couple just moving in together, give them samples of cleaning products and detergents to help them try out some different things.
7. Stocking Stuffers!!  Free samples make the best stocking stuffers and you can put in a lot since they are small!

Free Samples are a great way to try out a new product before you buy it.  This can save you a lot of money.  Just because your best friend likes it, doesn’t mean you will.  You can also save a lot of money on things you don’t use often.  For instance, if you only use lotion in the winter, send for all the free samples of lotion you can find and you’ll never have to but it!

My favorite Free Sample is shampoo.  I like to change what I use every month and the free samples are a great way to find out what I want to buy (or try to score free) the next time there’s a deal.  My daughter’s favorite free sample is cereal!  She loves the little size box and trying something new.  We then tape the box and she uses it in her play kitchen!  See two uses for one free sample!

I’m sure there are way more uses for free samples and if you have an idea leave a comment and share.

You can find a nice list of free samples on my site and also right here at ShopAtHome.  I’m sure there’s something you’ll like. And maybe you’ll get lucky and score a FREE Full Size sample!  Those are the best!!!

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Carrie from MoneySavingMethods.com: Fun Ways to Save with Photo Cards

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

It seems like one Holiday is over, and another is right around the corner. I can hardly believe that I am already thinking about Valentine’s Day and my children’s cards.

Every year, the kids get to take Valentine Cards into their class and Sunday school class and give them to their friends. My children just love this and especially enjoy coming home and going through their own cards that they received from friends at school.

It is a special and fun day for them!

And, I am sure you have spent the money before to buy the traditional Valentine cards at your local grocery or drugstore. They are quick and easy to pick up. But, on average can cost $6.99 to $9.99 a box or more. If you have multiple children in multiple classes ( school, church class, mommy and me preschool ), this can add up.

So, the last few years I have gotten my children their cards for free and they have been personalized photo Valentine cards. The comments they get each year are numerous!

Here is how you can take advantage of personalized photo Valentine’s, too!

Many and most photo sites offer Free Prints to new members. In addition, it is usually one account per person (please read their terms/conditions to verify per company). This means that you and another adult in the home can each have an account.

Upon opening your account, take advantage of your free prints to print Personalized Photo Valentine Cards.

Since most prints are 4X6, the key is to create a 4X6 Valentine image/photo on your computer and upload that creation as your photo. Then, print it as many times as you need it. 24 kids in the class? Print it 24 times. If there are still extra free prints as part of your intro, then upload actual photos you need printed to utilize all your freebies.

Here are some ideas that I have used or am using this year for my children. Feel free to copy mine or create your own! You aren’t that creative? Do a generic search on google titled, Valentine Card ideas. See what comes back! Then, let those give you inspiration.

beemine
And, don’t use this idea strictly for Valentine’s Day. I was able to send over 70 Birth Announcements out for nothing when my youngest son was born. I created a 4X6 Birth Announcement and the printed them with my intro offer. I finally bought some blue ribbon from a local fabric store, punched holes in the top and tied bows on the top of each one to really dress it up.

berryvday
Finally, the great news is that ShopAtHome offers cash back bonuses on your orders with these companies. Since you get your prints free, this cash from ShopAtHome helps cover the shipping charges thus making these Valentine cards $0 or even money makers, depending on the company and shipping charges incurred!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Money Saving Methods

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Crystal at MoneySavingMom.com: Feeding Our Family on $40 a Week, Part 4

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

We’ve talked about a lot of things in this series, from menu-planning, to using coupons, to planning your menu based upon what you have on hand and what is on sale at the store.

Today were going to talk about one of my biggest secrets for grocery saving success: practicing the Buy Ahead Principle. What’s that, you ask?

Well, basically, other than dairy products and produce, I aim to never pay full price for anything. Instead, I try to buy enough of a product when an item is on sale at its lowest price to tide me over until the next sale.

grocerylistPhoto Source

For instance, in this shopping trip picture, you’ll see that I mainly stocked up on cereal. In fact, I bought 16 boxes of cereal–enough to last us for at least 6 weeks, likely longer. Did we only eat cereal that week? No way! We actually only ate a few boxes of cereal that week and the rest of what we ate mostly came from items I’d stocked up on during previous sales.

Because I stock up on items when they are on sale at my target price (providing I can afford it in our $40 per week grocery budget), my grocery shopping trips will usually look quite strange and will certainly not be the basis for a balanced menu. But you can check out some of our menus here to see that we do eat a fairly balanced diet. Well, at least we’re certainly not subsisting on Easy Mac and Jell-O every meal!

How do we have varied menus when I buy such an odd assortment of groceries each week? It’s because the majority of our meals are based upon what we already have in our refrigerator, pantry, and freezer–our stockpile of items which I’ve purchased in bulk at 60-100% off the retail price.

For many people who are used to buying only what groceries you’ll use in the next few days, practicing the Buy-Ahead Principle can seem mind-boggling. However, I highly recommend you at least give it a try as it can save you a great deal of money. In fact, I would estimate that we routinely save at least $30-$50 each week by doing so.

However, if this is a new concept for you, don’t go out and spend $500 tomorrow trying to build up a stockpile. Instead, just designate a small percentage of your grocery budget each week to buying extra of those heavily-discounted items which you know you will use sometime in the next few months.

For instance, if toothpaste is on sale for $1.50 and you have 5 $1 off coupons, go ahead and buy 5 at $0.50 each. It will likely take you a few months to use all that toothpaste and, by then, there will have been another sale you can take advantage of. Instead of paying $2.50 per tube of toothpaste every time you need it, you’ll pay $2.50 for five tubes of toothpaste.

These little $1 and $2 savings really start to add up. And once youve built up a good stockpile of items, you’ll find that you rarely ever will pay full price for anything again. Plus, you wont have to run to the store every time you run out of toilet paper. Instead, you can just run to your storage closet and get a package from your stockpile that you got on a great sale!

MoneySavingMom.com

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Karen from FrugalRIMama: Saving Big at Rite Aid!

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

It’s Karen from Frugal RI Mama and I’m excited to be back again blogging for ShopAtHome.com!  This time I’m going to tell you about how you can save money at Rite Aid with their Single Check Rebate program.  It works pretty much the same way as CVS’s Extra Care Bucks and Walgreen’s Register Rewards except these are not instant, these actually come in the form of a rebate check.  But it’s super easy to submit, I’ll tell you all about it.

rite-aid

At the beginning of each month, Rite Aid will put out a Single Check Rebate (SCR) book in the front of the store with the weekly store ads.  This book will contain every rebate for the month.  Some of these rebates are only good during certain weeks and others are all month long.  Now Rite Aid makes it pretty easy for you to know when the best time is to buy these products because they will also tell you each week in the weekly ad if an item qualifies for a Single Check Rebate.

When you get the weekly ad you’ll notice that some products will offer a Single Check Rebate with your purchase.  For example, Colgate Total is on sale for $2.99 and you can submit it for a $2.00 Single Check Rebate.  Now there is also a coupon for $1.00 off Colgate Total so if you combine that then you’ll end up getting it for FREE after you receive your rebate. Not everything will be FREE after the rebate but any money back in rebate form is money saved!

Now in order to receive the Single Check Rebate you must enter some information from your receipt online.  There is no cutting UPC’s or sending in your receipt.  All you need to do is open an account online at www.riteaid.com where it says Single Check Rebate and then each time you purchase something that has a rebate, just enter the receipt information and at the end of the month you can request your rebate check!  It’s VERY easy.  But you must make sure you do not request your check before the end of the month otherwise you can’t submit any more rebates for that month.  You have 30 days after the month ends to submit all your receipts and if you don’t request your rebate check at the end of the month, they will automatically send it to you 30 days after the month ends.  So that’s even easier!

So next time your looking through the Rite Aid weekly ad, notice if any of the items are giving a rebate! It’s another way to save money on everyday products!

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