Facebook Follow Friday: Come and Link Up! 2/25

Would you like to have more Facebook Followers and be able to find new blogs or businesses? If so come and Join me Every Friday For "Facebook Follow Friday!"

1. Add your Facebook Link, when you add it, it will automatically appear on everyone’s page that posts this Linky so you do not need to add it more than once.

2. Click on the Top 3 and like/add them: The first one will be me, Shining2Save and every week I will pick 2 more randomly. Please also follow the two people above you if you would like so everyone will get at least a couple new followers. You can leave them a comment letting them know your following from the Friday Facebook Hop.

3. Add/Like as many people on Facebook as you like.

4. You do not have to make a post to join: but it is always a plus if you do so everyone else can see and join in on the fun.


Help spread the word and add this Linky to your blog! The more we spread it the more followers we will get!

Below the Linky box, you will see see “What is a blog Hop? Get the Code Here" Click on it and just copy and paste that code into your post and the same Linky will appear. Your blog visitors can add their Facebook URL to your list and it will show up on all lists!


Feel free to copy and paste these instructions or just post the button and link back to me.


Please only add your Facebook url.

Big G Hot Wheels Review & Giveaway

If you look in my cabinets you will see that General Mills rules the breakfast around here. My daughter eats Reese’s Puffs or Lucky Charms every morning and I love Cookie Crisp or Cheerios (I am such a kid). My daughter and I was so excited when MyBlogSpark asked me to do this review for General Mills. They sent me a prize pack that included 1 box each of Cheerios® 14 oz, Cinnamon Toast Crunch® 17 oz, Lucky Charms® 16 oz, Reese’s Puffs® 18 oz, and Cookie Crisp® 15.6 oz that each included a custom designed collectible Hot Wheels pullback racer.


First some info from General Mills:

Start your engines with Big G in the morning! Big G cereals have teamed up with Hot Wheels® to make family time at the breakfast table fun, offering collectible Hot Wheels® pullback racers inside specially marked boxes along with a unique access code to the Hot Wheels® Racing Circuit!


Starting January 24th, inside each participating cereal box (Cheerios® 14 oz, Cinnamon Toast Crunch® 17 oz, Lucky Charms® 16 oz, Reese´s Puffs® 18 oz, and Cookie Crisp® 15.6 oz), you´ll be able to "gas and go" with one of four custom-designed collectable Hot Wheels® pullback racers. Each car contains a code to unlock an exciting online racing game.

When it comes to meals, breakfast is important in helping kids fuel up for the day and Big G cereals provides a healthy breakfast choice for parents to offer their families. You can feel good about giving your kids a bowl of Big G cereal and they´ll be thanking you for a breakfast that is as tasty as it is fun!

Now my take:

Being that we are already fans of General Mills we loved this promotion. My daughter is such a tomboy when it comes to Hot Wheels. I think she has 50 or more Hot Wheels already. They are in a separate pack on the top when you open the cereal box so your child will not feel like they need to empty the cereal to find it. With each pullback racer they include a code (located on the sticker sheet that comes with the car) that unlocks a racing game online. My daughter got online and absolutely loved it.

Giveaway

One (1) winner will receive the same prize pack that I received.

Rules:
1. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
2. This giveaway will end on 2/26/2011 @ 11:59pm.
3. Remember to include an email address that you can be notified that you are a winner.
4. The winner will be chosen by random.org and notified immediately by email. The winner will have 48 hours of email to respond. If the winner does not respond within the 48 hours I will chose another winner.




Mandatory Entry


1. Share which Big G cereal is your favorite.


Extra Entries

2. Follow me on Twitter.

3. Tweet about this giveaway and include @marylynnA in your tweet. This is something that you can do once a day and come back and post me the status link to the tweet. If you don't know what a status link is, it is the time stamp of the tweet url.

4. Subscribe by email (Widget is found in the left sidebar)

5. Subscribe to Google Friend Connect (Widget is found in the left sidebar)

6. Become a fan on Facebook

7. Become a Follower with NetworkedBlogs

Disclosure: I received a prize pack from General Mills from MyBlogSpark and a prize pack to offer to 1 winner. I received no financial compensation for this review.

What To Do With My Living Room

With all of the changes in my life, I am planning to rearrange my living room since I will be returning the hospital bed that my grandmother had used and was placed in the living room. I have been sitting here this morning mentally planning each furniture piece’s placement and still have not found a flow that I like. One piece that I really can’t decide on is where to place my TV. I am lucky enough to have one of those corner TV stands that allows me to not make it a major focus of the room. My living room is a long rectangle shape with the front door taking up one of the corners. I do however have to get it planned right since my furniture is heavy.I think moving around the furniture will help me be more relaxed when home.

This a post sponsored by CSN Stores for an upcoming giveaway. Stay tuned for more details.

It's Giveaway Roundup Tuesday!

Are you hosting a giveaway on your blog or website? List them here so that my readers have a chance to enter. Just leave a link below with a direct link to the giveaway. I will remove anyone who does not link directly to your giveaway.

If you are a blog or website owner that host a weekly giveaway linky and want to be included on my growing list of linky’s email me with an image, day of the week you post a new one, and a url. I will be glad to add you to the list.

My Absence

I am sorry that I have not been blogging a lot lately. I have been dealing with the illness of my grandmother. She was sick for about a month and lost her fight on Wednesday 2/16/2011 at the young age of 86. I am slowly trying to find my routine again. I choose to devote my life to my grandmother and daughter the last few years and have enjoyed every minute of it. Now that she has went to be with my mother and grandfather that died before her, I am having to learn how to live again for my daughter and me. The pain is still numb, but I know that she is no longer in pain herself and that means more than anyone can understand. I have seen her put up a fight that most would have given up on earlier. She went from someone that could walk with a walker all over to a woman who was determined to bounce back from hip surgery. She did get to a point where she was walking good with her physical therapist but her health started to fail and she got weaker. I treasure the times that I had with her and can’t thank our home health nurse, physical therapist, and medical assistant enough. I ask that all of you be patient with me in the coming weeks as I have to adjust to all of the changes in my life. I want to say thanks to all of my loyal readers.

How To Maximize Your Savings At CVS Pharmacy

What you need to know to maximize your savings at CVS

This is a guest post written by MidgetMomma from Luxury Living Frugal Style.

CVS is one of my favorite stores, most of my savings comes from there on our bath and body products, soda(hubbys addiction lol), diapers, you name it, watch for sales and just about anything can be free there if you have the right coupons. Once you get the hang of CVS it will be one of your favorite stores to shop at.

There are a few things you need to know to maximize your savings at CVS:

CVS Lingo:
Extra Care Card-

CVS's store card that is needed to score the deals. It is FREE to sign up for.

ECB

-Extra care bucks- "money" that you earn from buying certain products that you can use to buy other things at CVS

Money Maker

- When you get back more ECBs then you spent

B1G1 or BOGO

Coupon Policy:

Important things to know about CVS's coupon policy. You can e-mail CVS for their coupon policy, but they do not have it avaliable online.


Buy 1 get 1 free sales:
With a buy 1 get 1 free sale you can use 1 coupon per item

Examples:

Shampoo is on sale B1G1, you have 2 $1 off 1 coupons for the same brand you can use both coupons combined with the sale.




Pads are on sale B1G1 and you have a B1G1 coupon, you can use your B1G1 coupon with the sale to get both items free(just pay sales tax)


There is no limit with how many ECB's you can use, your dollar amount total just needs to be less then the ECB and coupon value amount or they will be adjusted down to the amount you have.




1 CVS coupon and 1 manufacturers coupon per item (ECBS are NOT counted as coupons, they are used the same way as if you were using a CVS gift card)



Use of $x off $x coupons:



When you get a coupon for $4 off $20 CVS coupon, the $20 total is counted BEFORE the use of manufactures and CVS coupons. Only one of this type of coupon can be used in a transaction

Internet Printable coupons:

CVS accepts IP coupons that are printed from authorized websites, copies of coupons will not be accepted

Competetor's coupons:

CVS does not accept competators coupons except for in the pharmacy. If you have a Rite Aid coupon for a free gift card with a new or transfered perscription CVS will honor those.

Overage:

CVS does not allow for overage, if product X is .50 and you have a .55 off 1 coupon the coupon will be adjusted down to .50

Extra Care Card Rules:

Cvs limits the amount of cards to one per person, however they do allow each person in a household to have their own Extra Care Card.

Some examples of my CVS Shopping trips in the past few months. I am sharing my favorite ones with you:)


5 Wisk @ 5.00(spend $25 get $10 ecb deal)
5 L’Oreal Eye Shadow @ 2.19
1 L’Oreal eye liner @ 3.37
1 L’Oreal powder @ 3.75
1 L’Oreal Lip gloss @ 3.49
Coupons Used: 5 $2/1 Wisk, 4 $5/2 L’Oreal cosmetics, 10% CVS cosmetic coupon(from signing up for the beauty club)
ECB used:$9.00
Total-5.73 (CVS gift Card)
Total Saved: 133.67

Transaction 1


14 Mentos @ b1g1 @ 1.79 (used 14 1/1q)
1 Schick Hydro Razor @ 8.99 (used 4/1q)(get 5.99 ECB)
1 Oral B toothbrush @ 23.00(had a raincheck get 13ecb back)(10/1q)
3 reese’s @ .50
1 butterfinget @.89
used 18.98 ECB
total-..39on cvs gift card
total saved-71.47

　








Transaction 2
1 oral b toothbrush @ 23.00(10/1q)(raincheck got 13 ecb back)
used 13 ECB
total-0
total saved-32.99

　








　

It's Giveaway Roundup Tuesday!

Are you hosting a giveaway on your blog or website? List them here so that my readers have a chance to enter. Just leave a link below with a direct link to the giveaway. I will remove anyone who does not link directly to your giveaway.

If you are a blog or website owner that host a weekly giveaway linky and want to be included on my growing list of linky’s email me with an image, day of the week you post a new one, and a url. I will be glad to add you to the list.

Facebook Follow Friday: Come and Link Up! 1/28!

Would you like to have more Facebook Followers and be able to find new blogs or businesses? If so come and Join me Every Friday For "Facebook Follow Friday!"

1. Add your Facebook Link, when you add it, it will automatically appear on everyone’s page that posts this Linky so you do not need to add it more than once.


2. Click on the Top 3 and like/add them: The first one will be me, Shining2Save and every week I will pick 2 more randomly. Please also follow the two people above you if you would like so everyone will get at least a couple new followers. You can leave them a comment letting them know your following from the Friday Facebook Hop.


3. Add/Like as many people on Facebook as you like.


4. You do not have to make a post to join: but it is always a plus if you do so everyone else can see and join in on the fun.


Help spread the word and add this Linky to your blog! The more we spread it the more followers we will get!




Below the Linky box, you will see see “What is a blog Hop? Get the Code Here" Click on it and just copy and paste that code into your post and the same Linky will appear. Your blog visitors can add their Facebook URL to your list and it will show up on all lists!



Feel free to copy and paste these instructions or just post the button and link back to me.



Please only add your Facebook url.

It's Giveaway Roundup Tuesday!

Are you hosting a giveaway on your blog or website? List them here so that my readers have a chance to enter. Just leave a link below with a direct link to the giveaway. I will remove anyone who does not link directly to your giveaway.

If you are a blog or website owner that host a weekly giveaway linky and want to be included on my growing list of linky’s email me with an image, day of the week you post a new one, and a url. I will be glad to add you to the list.

Play The 100% Juice Aloha Instant Win and Sweepstakes

Play their instant win game to win Dole Fruit Bowls, All Natural Fruit in Plastic Jars, or a gift card for one of the great places below. New prizes make a splash each week!
WEEK 1: The Home Depot
WEEK 2: Amazon.com
WEEK 3: Cooking.com
WEEK 4: Nike®
WEEK 5: Bath & Body Works
WEEK 6: Kodak Gallery
WEEK 7: Macy's
WEEK 8: iTunes®
WEEK 9: Netflix®
WEEK 10: Spafinder.com
WEEK 11: REI
WEEK 12: Fandango

Also, when you play the instant win game you are entered to win a $15,000 Hawaiian Retreat.

Play through April 7, 2011.

New Coupons.com Coupons From This Week

Here is a list of what coupons are new on Coupons.com this week.

$2.00 off One Woolite All in One Carpet Cleaning


$1.00 off Schiff Mega-D3™

$2.00 off Schiff MegaRed

$1.00 off any Schiff Vitamin or Supplement

$1.00 off one (1) Simply Saline product

$0.55 off on VLASIC Pickles, Peppers or Relish

$0.75 off Any ONE (1) SHAKE 'N BAKE Product

$0.50 off New Hostess SmartBakes™ Streusel Cakes

$0.55 off 3 boxes of JELL-O Gelatin or Pudding

$1.00 off any Urinozinc Prostate Formula

$0.50 off the Feb issue of Better Homes & Gardens

Check out my site weekly for an updated list of new coupons as they become available.

Check Out Sunday Coupon Preview

This week it looks like there will be two inserts (1) Smartsource and (1) Red Plum. You can go to Sunday Coupon Preview to get a list of what coupons will be included. Make it part of your routine weekly to check this site out. You can use it to judge how many papers you will want to buy.

Zulily - Daily Deals For Moms, Babies and Kids

Zulily is fabulous! It's a new online store offering daily sales events on top-quality apparel, gear and other goodies for moms, babies and kids. They carry the best brands at the lowest prices. Members enjoy savings of up to 70% off retail prices. Zulily loves to find deals on favorite styles, and they love introducing our members to exciting new brands, too.

Zulily is not a traditional online store. Instead, they feature new items every day. They find great buys from lots of brands and work with them to ship you the goods. Zulily events last 72 hours . . . then they're gone! New brands move in and get their three days on the site.

Each weekday, they offer at least five limited-time shopping events. Membership is free.

Facebook Follow Friday: Come and Link Up! 1/21

Would you like to have more Facebook Followers and be able to find new blogs or businesses? If so come and Join me Every Friday For "Facebook Follow Friday!"

1. Add your Facebook Link, when you add it, it will automatically appear on everyone’s page that posts this Linky so you do not need to add it more than once.


2. Click on the Top 3 and like/add them: The first one will be me, Shining2Save and every week I will pick 2 more randomly. Please also follow the two people above you if you would like so everyone will get at least a couple new followers. You can leave them a comment letting them know your following from the Friday Facebook Hop.
3. Add/Like as many people on Facebook as you like.
4. You do not have to make a post to join: but it is always a plus if you do so everyone else can see and join in on the fun.

Help spread the word and add this Linky to your blog! The more we spread it the more followers we will get!

Below the Linky box, you will see see “What is a blog Hop? Get the Code Here" Click on it and just copy and paste that code into your post and the same Linky will appear. Your blog visitors can add their Facebook URL to your list and it will show up on all lists!

Feel free to copy and paste these instructions or just post the button and link back to me.

Please only add your Facebook url.

4 Tips To Plan A Frugal House Party Without Building Up Debt

Author’s Bio: RP is a guest writer for various finance related Communities including CDFA, FCB, Debt Consolidation Care etc. She is a PG degree holder in Marketing and Finance and right now working in a reputed bank as a relationship manager. She is well equipped to write articles on debt consolidation , debt settlement, frugality, savings, economies of states etc.

Do you want to throw a house party to bid farewell to 2010 and welcome 2011? Are you a bit hesitant as it will cost you a lot of money? If yes, then stop being hesitant and follow these tips to throw a frugal house party without compromising on the enjoyment.
 

1. Plan a suitable budget – You need to plan a suitable budget before you begin with your arrangements. To plan the budget, decide how much you can spend and based on that allocate exact amount for each item such as, food, drinks, decoration, gifts, etc. It will help you arrange the party without building up debt on your credit cards that’ll be difficult to pay off later.
2. Reuse items for party decoration - If you search in your home, then you’ll find a lot of items that can be reused to decorate your house party. You can find party streamers, gift bags, balloons, ribbons, strings, etc., that you can use to decorate the party. Instead of hanging streamers and balloons all over the place, you can create a focal point in your house party celebration. You can keep a beautiful artifact at one corner and focus a bright light to highlight it. Complete the decoration by lighting candles and hanging red Christmas lights all over. It will create a great ambiance without costing you much.
3. Do not plan an elaborate menu – If you’re thinking that it is must to serve an elaborate menu on a house party, then you’re wrong. When you’re throwing a party at your home, try to keep it simple. While planning a budget party, you can arrange for finger foods and appetisers. They are easier to serve and eat as you can have such food while chatting with your friends. You can also ask your friends to bring their favourite desserts. In this way, there can be variety of items and your friends will also feel happy to be able to contribute to the party.
4. Stock the bar well – You can cut down the cost of beverage by keeping only one or two signature drinks instead of having a full bar. You can also keep non-alcoholic options as well. A great way to cut down expenses is to ask your guests to bring beverage of their choice and you can mix it to create a unique fruity punch. You should order drinks in a way that they are adequate but not excess.

One last tip – Instead of sending expensive invitations, call your friends and invite them for the party. You can also send e-mails to invite your guests. In this way, you can send personalised invitations as well as save a substantial amount on your house party celebrations.

It's Giveaway Roundup Tuesday!

Are you hosting a giveaway on your blog or website? List them here so that my readers have a chance to enter. Just leave a link below with a direct link to the giveaway. I will remove anyone who does not link directly to your giveaway.

If you are a blog or website owner that host a weekly giveaway linky and want to be included on my growing list of linky’s email me with an image, day of the week you post a new one, and a url. I will be glad to add you to the list.

Get A 1-Year Subscription To Cosmopolitan For $5

Right now, you can get a 1-year subscription of Cosmo for $5. This would make a great birthday gift.

Couponing 101: Where Do I Get All Those Coupons

To begin couponing and to keep your coupons maintained, you have to know where to find coupons. There are numerous ways to get them.

Newspapers: This is the most popular method of finding coupons. You can either buy them on Sunday from your local store or subscribe to your local paper. If you are interested in subscribing you can get a discounted subscription. I can get my local paper for a discounted rate (Sunday delivery only) for $6 a month (prices my vary by city). That is a savings of 45% off a normal subscription price. If you chose to get your papers at a local store, beware that there are people who take inserts out of the top papers on the stack, so aim to get your paper deeper in the stack.

Printable Coupons: There are some websites that offer printable coupons. The first time you print you may have to download their coupon printer. They usually have a great selection of coupons that are available, some that are not in your local newspapers coupon inserts. I usually scan these sites once a week to print out any new coupons that I would be interested in. There are downsides to using printable coupons. You can use up printing paper and printer ink, if you are not responsible and only print what you need. Keep in mind that not all stores accept internet coupons, so be sure to check your local stores coupon policy. Below is links to some sites that have printable coupons.

Coupons.com
Red Plum
Smart Source
All You Magazine
Pillsbury

Digital e-Coupons: Some store loyalty cards have the option to load e-coupons on to them. These coupons will come off when the cashier scans the item and you can see it on your receipt. These coupons do not double like some manufacturer coupons do and digital e-coupons can not be used with manufacturer coupons on the same item. You can load your cards with these e-coupons at sites like Shortcuts.com, Cellfire, Upromise, and Kroger. If your store has a loyalty card, check their website to see if they have digital coupons available.

Facebook: Some manufacturers will offer coupons that can be printed directly from their Facebook page. You, of course, have to “Like” their page first. Go to some of your favorite brands Facebook page and “Like" them and you will be alerted in your News Feed when they post one. Here are a few brands you can go and "Like" now.

V8 
Frito-Lay                                        
Dollar General
Lean Cuisine
Wendy's
Kmart
Right @Home
Paper Mate
Dannon Light & Fit
Ozarka Water

Friends and Family: I get a lot of coupons from friends and family. When I first started to use coupons, I put the word out to pass any unused coupons my way. I now get a large envelope (or two) full a week now. Get the word out to your fellow church members to. I get a majority from mine.

Coupon Trains: This is another great way to get coupons. A coupon train is when a group of people mail coupons to each other and pick coupons they are interested in and replace them with coupon you won't use. You can find a coupon train by Googling the term “coupon train” or forums like these, We Use Coupons and Mommy Savers.
 
Manufacturers: They love to hear honest feedback of their products. If you have a brand that you couldn’t imagine living without, contact them and tell them why they are so special to you and they just might email or mail you a coupon. It is not guaranteed that they will offer a coupon every time, but it is worth sharing your HONEST feedback with them anyway. You can find most contact info on their websites.


Buy Coupons: There are coupon clipping sites that offer whole inserts and clipped coupons for you to get for a small clipping fee. This is an affordable way to get coupons. They all usually ship very quickly (check each sites shipping time). Sites like Coupons and Things by Dede, and Coupon Carryout are two you can buy from. There are sellers on eBay that also sells coupons. Just search for the term “coupons” on the home page of eBay. 

Coupon Blogs: There are some really good blogs out there that alerts you of printable coupons. One blog that I like the most is Free Coupon Alert. They usually update several times a week.

Twitter: You can search for the terms #coupons or “coupons” to find the latest tweets about coupons. You can also search for the brand that you are interested in to see if they have tweeted any new coupon links.


Next up, Couponing 101: How to Organize All Those Coupons

Facebook Follow Friday: Come and Link Up! 1/14

Would you like to have more Facebook Followers and be able to find new blogs or businesses? If so come and Join me Every Friday For "Facebook Follow Friday!"

1. Add your Facebook Link, when you add it, it will automatically appear on everyone’s page that posts this Linky so you do not need to add it more than once.
2. Click on the Top 3 and like/add them: The first one will be me, Shining2Save and every week I will pick 2 more randomly. Please also follow the two people above you if you would like so everyone will get at least a couple new followers. You can leave them a comment letting them know your following from the Friday Facebook Hop.
3. Add/Like as many people on Facebook as you like.
4. You do not have to make a post to join: but it is always a plus if you do so everyone else can see and join in on the fun.

Help spread the word and add this Linky to your blog! The more we spread it the more followers we will get!

Below the Linky box, you will see see “What is a blog Hop? Get the Code Here" Click on it and just copy and paste that code into your post and the same Linky will appear. Your blog visitors can add their Facebook URL to your list and it will show up on all lists!

Feel free to copy and paste these instructions or just post the button and link back to me.

Please only add your Facebook url.

Thank you and Have Fun Facebook Hopping!

Couponing 101: Treat Coupons Like Cash

Before I started using coupons, I looked at a coupon as if it were just a simple piece of paper that could just get you pennies off of your purchase. I didn’t realize the dynamics of how a coupon worked or even thought that one day my shopping habits would involve using them. I saw people at the checkouts with stacks of them in hand as people with too much time on their hands. Now, I am proudly one of those shoppers that people get irritated at for holding up the line because the cashier has a stack of coupons to scan through.

I first started to taking coupons seriously when I realized that my life called for a drastic budget change. I had decided to work from home and my income would take a hit because of my decision. Even with the realization I needed to start using them, I still didn’t understand them. I started to reading blogs about coupons and became amazed at how they can transform a families grocery bill. There were people actually buying a weeks worth of groceries for a family of 4 for half the grocery bill because they used their coupons strategically. It opened my eyes up to the saving possibilites that coupons provided.

During my wading through the internet to learn the best methods to cutting my grocery bill, one thing rang true with the pro couponers, Treat Coupons As They Are Cash In Your Pocket. What do I mean by that? It is simple, a coupon has a monetary value when a cashier scans it, so why not treat it for what it‘s worth. Say you have five $1 off coupons that you are using in one transaction, that is just like if you gave the cashier a $5 bill, only you got to keep the $5 in your pocket. Now think about coupons on a larger scale. On a normal grocery shopping trip to my local Kroger I usually have around $60 or more in coupons. That means that I just saved enough in my budget to pay my phone bill and have some left over to put toward another bill and I still got my necessities at the grocery store to have enough to feed my family.

$60 In Coupons= $60 In Cash Savings

$60 In Cash Savings= $60 Phone or Utility Bill Payment

It took my some time to get used to this mentality. When I finally got it, I started seeing my grocery bill change. I started menu planning, looking for ways to get more coupons, scouring for deals on the internet, and organizing my coupons in a more efficient way. It even gave me a chance to restructure my budget since I was not spending a ton of money on my grocery bill. I even started being able to put more into savings.

Thinking of coupons as cash in my pocket is the driving force for the series of post that I have entitled, Couponing 101. I wanted to start the new year off right and help others kick it off by saving them money in their pocket. If you have any questions or comments don’t hesitate to leave them below.

Tomorrow I will be sharing Couponing 101: Where Do You Get All Those Coupons?

It's Giveaway Roundup Tuesday!

Are you hosting a giveaway on your blog or website? List them here so that my readers have a chance to enter. Just leave a link below with a direct link to the giveaway. I will remove anyone who does not link directly to your giveaway.

If you are a blog or website owner that host a weekly giveaway linky and want to be included on my growing list of linky’s email me with an image, day of the week you post a new one, and a url. I will be glad to add you to the list.