BookSneeze: Great Books are Contagious

If you are a fellow blogger, I highly recommend checking out BookSneeze. A program created by Christian publishing company Thomas Nelson, BookSneeze provides bloggers with free books in exchange for honest reviews. If this sounds familiar, it's probably because I have already posted reviews of two books I received through this program. Once you sign up for the program, you can browse the available books and select whichever sounds interesting to you. After you have read the book, simply post a 200 word review on your blog as well as on any retail site (such as Amazon.com). It's easy, and it's a great way to expand your personal library!

$10 off $10 at Aeropostale

Wow, Aeropostale has a printable coupon out right now for $10 off any purchase of $10 or more! The coupon is valid this weekend only (April 23-25). I was there this afternoon and they had quite a few items on sale. All tops were 50% off, and sundresses were priced at $14.99. I was able to get the sundress pictured to the left for only $5.19! (Yes, NY state charges sales tax on clothing, which is very unfortunate!)

While I was there, the sales clerk informed the woman who was in front of me in line that if she wanted to do the deal again, all she needed to do was print another copy and come back in. I think I may print another copy for myself and head back tomorrow to get a few camis, or maybe a pair of sunglasses, or maybe a new bag. Hmm decisions, decisions. Happy saving :)

(Thanks, Mojo Savings!)

Earth Day Promotions - continued

Well, dear readers, I was all set to come home from work and spend my daughter's entire nap compiling a comprehensive list of all the Earth Day deals. However, I have just discovered that Crystal at The Thrifty Mama has already done just that! Check out her post on Earth Day Freebies & Deals 2010 to see all the great stuff available today. What's your favorite Earth Day promotion?

Earth Day Promotions

While I don't have time to run through all the Earth Day deals right now (I don't want to be late for work!), I did want to quickly mention the promotion that Origins is running. The Origins Facebook page has all the details on how you can trade in your current skin care product (full or empty) to receive a free full size Origins cleanser. This offer is only good today, April 22. A big thanks to Albany Mommy for posting this deal this morning!

I hope to post about a few more Earth Day promotions when I get home from work this afternoon, assuming they are still running. Have a wonderful Earth Day, everyone!

Free Photo Strip from Wink

Money Saving Mom has all the details on how to get a Photo Strip free from Wink, shipped free as well. If you already have an account with Shutterfly, you will be able to use that to log in. This could make for a really cute surprise for Grandma on Mother's Day!

20% off at Michael's

Michael's -The Arts & Crafts Store is having a "Madness Week" with a Make Your Own Sale coupon for 20% off your entire purchase, including sale items! I'll be using the coupon to buy some ribbon to make more cute little hair bows for my baby girl. I also may be picking up some beads to make myself a few new pieces of jewelry. I love crafting :)

Cook Once, Eat Twice

What's for dinner? It's the question that plagues us all around 5 pm every single evening. I try to be good about meal planning, but one of my favorite tricks is to cook something one night that can be turned into something else quickly and easily another night. For example, if we have spaghetti & meatballs on Wednesday, I make enough extra meatballs so we can have meatball subs on Thursday or Friday.

One of my favorite cook once, eat twice meals is BBQ pork. Take a 2-3 lb pork roast and place it in a crock pot with 1 1/2 cups water mixed with 1 packet of onion soup mix. Cook on low for 7-9 hours, and about an hour before you want to eat drain the water out. Pour in a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (we like Honey BBQ), and let it cook for one more hour. Serve with whatever sides you prefer, such as sweet potato wedges and broccoli, and then place the leftover pork back in the crock pot. Let the leftover pork cook on low in the remaining BBQ sauce for another 1 to 2 hours. It will then be tender enough to be pulled apart, and you can use it for pulled pork sandwiches another night!

Do you have a favorite cook once, eat twice meal? How about any tips on making meal time easier? Feel free to share in the comments section.

Free Box of Kraft Mac & Cheese

Head on over to Facebook and become a fan of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Under the "Free Cheesy" tab you will be able to sign up to receive a coupon good for a free box or cup of Cheesy Explosion Mac & Cheese! Yum :)

Dinner at Friendly's

In light of my recent Dining Out on a Budget series, I wanted to highlight the dinner out my family enjoyed at Friendly's last night.
I received an e-mail from the Best Friends of Friendly's club yesterday containing a buy one get one free entree salad coupon. Seeing as I wasn't particularly in the mood to cook last night anyway, we decided to use the coupon right away.

Now, let me tell you that I am not usually a "salad girl". I rarely, if ever, order a salad as my entree and generally prefer burgers and fries to the green leafy stuff. However, since we had the coupon I ordered myself the Asian Chicken Salad, my husband got the Kickin' Buffalo Chicken Salad, and we both had water to drink. (Being only 10 months old, our daughter does not eat restaurant food yet so we did not order anything for her. Although we did bring along Cheerios for her to munch on!)

When our salads arrived we could not believe how big they were! After tasting them, we also could not believe how yummy they were. I may even order a salad by choice the next time we go to Friendly's! The salads were so big and tasty, in fact, that we didn't even have room for ice cream. And I always leave room for ice cream.

Anyway, when the bill came the total was $9.49 after tax. While it may tempting to tip based on that amount, it's important to remember that the server does the same amount of work despite that fact that you are only paying for one entree. We tipped based on what the before tax total bill would have been, and got our dinner for under $13!

Have you been able to dine out on a budget recently? Feel free to share your story in the comments section. Happy saving :)

Free Sample of Carefree Pantiliners

The latest free sample available at Walmart.com is Carefree Pantiliners.These are Ultra Protection liners with the tagline "Feels like a liner, protects like a pad."

(Thanks, Money Saving Mom!)

BumGenius Cloth Diaper Free with $10 Purchase

Green Diaper Store is currently offering a coupon code good for one free bumGenius all-in-one cloth diaper when you spend $10 or more on any bumGenius, Flip, or Econobum products. While I have not personally tried cloth diapers, I have heard nothing but good things about the bumGenius line. If you are interested in seeing if cloth diapering may be right for your family, this is really a great offer!

(Thanks, The Thrifty Mama!)

Snapfish: Free Shipping

Snapfish is my go-to place for ordering photo prints. At 9 cents a print, it's one of the least expensive ways to get my digital photos printed. However, shipping charges are always frustrating when it comes to any online photo printing service. That's why I was so excited to get the following promotion in my inbox this morning: FREE shipping on all photo products through tomorrow (Sunday, April 11) with promo code APR10BD. This is the grand finale to Snapfish's 10th birthday celebration, and I personally am looking forward to ordering a whole bunch of prints this weekend and not paying a dime to ship them!

***Please note: When you check out, remember to choose standard shipping. Under the shipping choices is a box to enter the promo code. You will then be asked for your billing info, and you will be able to see the adjusted shipping charges when you get to the review your order step. Double check your order to make sure the promo code went through properly.***

Babies R Us: Free Tote + 25% Off Clothing

In case you missed the Babies R Us post on Facebook this morning, I wanted to let you know about this great offer. Today through 4/22/10, bring in this printable Fill-a-Bag Clothing Sale coupon and redeem it at the guest service counter. You'll receive a free tote bag and an extra 25% off all the clothing and shoes you can fit in the bag, sized newborn through 48 months. I don't know how big the totes are, but hey, they're free! It doesn't say anything about not being able to use the 25% off on clearance items, so this could make for some really great deals. Happy saving :)

Book Review: Rick & Bubba's Big Honkin' Book of GRUB

I recently received a copy of Rick & Bubba's Big Honkin' Book of GRUB from BookSneeze, which is a program that provides bloggers with free books in exchange for honest reviews.

I was really excited about this book after reading the following description: "Rick and Bubba’s Big Honkin’ Book of Grub is exactly what a diet/recipe book should be—full of hilarious stories, good eating, and not a single mention of calories! New York Times bestselling authors Rick and Bubba are not ashamed to admit they eat for one reason and one reason only: they like the way food tastes. With family recipes from their wives Sherri and Betty (who have been keeping these two in grub for years) as well as the winning recipes from Rick and Bubba's Big Honkin’ Recipe Contest, this book is a keeper. So pull up a chair, grab a fork, and enjoy!"

I was extremely disappointed to find that there is only a small section of recipes in the back of this book. The description is very misleading as this is not a cookbook at all. It is midly entertaining to read Rick and Bubba's ideas of what makes good food, but I had been looking forward to trying some new recipes!

Price Chopper $5 off coupon

While I am a Hannaford girl at heart, even I have to admit that this is a great coupon. Become a fan of Price Chopper on Facebook and you can print a coupon for $5 off any 10 store brand items. If you buy yogurt or some other inexpensive item, you can get some nearly free products with this coupon!

(Thanks, Wicked Cool Deals!)

Happy Easter!

As we celebrate Easter, it's easy to get caught up in the egg dying, egg hunts, and Easter Bunny mania. It's also easy to let Good Friday slip between the cracks unnoticed. Traditionally, it is believed that Jesus died on the cross at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. As you go about your business today, take a moment at 3 pm to reflect on Jesus' sacrifice and prepare your heart for the celebration of his resurrection on Sunday. While the eggs and bunnies can create wonderful family traditions, don't forget to teach your children about the true meaning of Easter.

I will be taking a break from blogging the next few days to enjoy time with my family. I hope everyone has a happy and blessed weekend. Happy Easter! :)

Free Butterfinger Bar

Oooh I love free candy! Head over to Facebook and become a fan of Butterfinger. Under the tab "Bar Insurance" you will be able to click and be redirected to a page where you can file a "claim" about someone laying a finger on your Butterfinger. The first 100,000 to file a stolen Butterfinger claim (real or imagined) will receive a free bar. Yum! (As a side note - I sure hope this is not an April Fools' joke because you just don't mess with a woman and her candy!)

(Thanks, Mojo Savings!)