Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Wordless Wednesday Part Two! Trick-or-Treat

Not the best picture of the ensemble, but we will take it again another day for ourselves:


Wordless Wednesday! Happy Halloween!



Sunday, October 28, 2007

What an Awesome way to Recycle Plastic Bags! You won't believe it!

You have to check this out! This person makes bags (reusable) out of Plastic Bags and has a link to an Etsy store that makes designer types wallets and handbags out of this process using plastic bags. My words can not do just, just go check them out for yourself! I am definitely going to try this one! AWESOME! The only thing I can say, as well as, GREEN!!!!

Recycle Plastic Bags, the Fashionable (really!) Way!

Love Antiques? I have THE Event for you!

I don't know about you, but I adore Antiques, Art, A good deal and FUN! Well, I just discovered a place, actually an EVENT, that you can get all of this in ONE place! It is an end-of-the-month event that happened the last Saturday of this month (Yesterday, October 27th) and the last Saturday of November on the 24th (mark your calendars and don't miss it!)...Uptown Saturday Night located in The Nation's Oldest City: in the antique district concentrated along San Marco Avenue in Florida ! This is one of the Events in St. Augustine.

Now let me tell a little bit about what you may find at Uptown Saturday Night...
First of all, I have to mention (being the "Thrifty" person I am) FREE PARKING! Normally for an event of this nature, you would most definitely have to pay for parking, thus taking some of your "spending money." Well, not at Uptown Saturday Night!

Next, speaking on the "deals and fun" you may find...Wow...too many to list; however, I will give it a try:
You will find Art Galleries, Antique Stores and Unique Shops at Uptown Saturday Night! From one end to the other you will find: Antique Workshops on Various Antique Topics, Exhibit Openings from Florida's Finest Artists (you can even MEET the Artists!), as well as, Book Signings by Authors! You will also find that all participating shops have wine and refreshments available! What more do you need to attend this fine, fun, and fabulous event? I am ready to go right now!!!!

Also, while you are enjoying all these treats there will be live street music for a party-like night atmosphere.

Come on out and give yourself a much needed, relaxing treat! You deserve it!

I personally would love everything, but most of all the Antiques, Art and FREE Parking! :-)

Don't forget...Uptown Saturday Night, the end of EACH Month in The Nation's Oldest City located in Florida on San Marco Avenue (the antique district).
Mark your calendars for November 24th! You may have missed the October 27th event, but don't miss November's!

What do you like most about Uptown Saturday Night? Drop me a comment if you have attended or even if you have not, tell me what you would like?

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Okay, Less than Two Months til Christmas! YIKES!

It is true, there is less than two months til Christmas. Time to Panic, Thrifty-style! :-) I would suggest anyone shopping ebay to start now to allow time for slow shipments for your purchases. Online shopping is totally my first choice; however, you need to leave room for error and time so you don't have to panic!

Also, if you at least start now...you will be able to spread out your spending instead of that last minute shopping that tends to hurt folks by opening credit accounts or using credit cards for buying gifts or items for parties. This is a Thrifty No-No! Well for me it is, I have a panic attack at the thought of using a credit card for a gift. Actually, I do that for any credit card use. I always think, I would rather have that interest for other things than to hand to the credit card companies. Now, I am not saying I am 100% against credit card usage. I just think, if I am going to use one, I have to KNOW before I use it, how it is going to be either paid off at billing time or at least know when it can be paid off, in order to give the least amount of fees to the credit card company.

Anywho, get ready for all the fun as well! I am not a scrooge, I really love Christmas, love the get-togethers, church, spending time with family, the decorations, watching my son's eyes light up at all the beauty of the lights!

Have fun and start now if you haven't already!
59 days til Christmas! (Ooops...sorry to end on a Yikes!)

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Thrifty Hooray! Paid off the Truck!

I can't believe I forgot to blog about the fact my husband and I paid off the Truck on Monday of this week! Yippie! One debt gone, only a whole bunch left to go, but this is still a huge celebration! Over the summer time we paid thousands on the truck simply by not going shopping, eating out, and saving on gas and sitters! In the summer I am a SAHM, but only for those two months. Since it is for two months and I still get paid, we make the most of the extra money mentioned above. As you can see, we put it all towards the truck and paid it off two years before it would have if we had of only paid the monthly payment! I am very proud of this. Next, we have a credit card that we used for plane tickets to bring in my father-in-law two years in a row to watch our son. It was a savings at that time to have him cook for us and watch our son while we worked. How awesome was it that his grandpa from another country could watch him and save us money? We didn't bring in the father-in-law this year because we are saving any monies in that amount for US to go to Romania this coming Summer so we can see all the relatives!

Okay, just wanted to share this celebration and what a weight off the old shoulders! One less monthly payment!

Thrifty Tip Thursday: Rain Barrels! Save $ on Watering your Landscaping!

For the first time in a while here in NC we are getting a really good rain, started yesterday. We are in a serious drought here. With these thoughts in mind, I thought, hmm...I need to research a way to save water and reuse. Through listening and talking to others, Rain Barrels are a great way to go. You can save money on your water bill, as well as, helping the environment and conserving water! We definitely want a Rain Barrel for next year. A little late this year, but hopefully we can get one in time for the spring!

A Rain Barrel is neat, you put it under your gutter system and it collects water from water running off your home. It has a spigot on it and you can use this water on your landscaping and gardens! It may not be drinking water, but you sure are helping the environment by recycling the water by redirecting it to your lawn and gardens!

I found this website on Rain Barrels that I found useful and you may too in my research! Rain Barrel Guide At Rain Barrel Guide you can find out the uses of the Rain Barrel, as well as, information on where to buy one! Some look very nice and would blend in with your home and not look odd.

UPDATE: After posting this, a reader posted a comment that recommends www.AquaBarrel.com!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Back to the Clothesline!

I mentioned Clotheslines yesterday for my Monday Mommy Tip!

Well, I should have included the link that follows here for how clotheslines are now versus when you were "growing up!" Clotheslines are so much "cooler" now. They are retractable and can be indoors or outdoors. That way you don't stare at a string going across your backyard or wherever. When you are done drying, well, no one knows you have a "clothesline!"

Check out more inexpensive clotheslines in different lengths on Ebay:

Retractable Clotheslines

To add to this tip of using your dryer less, I should also mention, that you wouldn't have to fully dry your clothes on the clothesline, but if you just dry partially, then put in your dryer to fluff and finish the laundry. This alone would be very helpful to your electric bill and environment! All this talk and savings, I believe I will start with a small line for my washer/dryer area for the small things, and in spring upgrade to a larger outdoor one. I believe it will be fun and refreshing. Back to a "simpler time." Not so simple I am certain, but that is what folks always say. :-)

Monday, October 22, 2007

Monday Mommy Tip - Clothesline

Hello one and all! It is that time again: Monday Mommy Tip with Mommy Community!


My Mommy Tip for today is:

Get old-fashioned and "Green!"

Break out the old "Clothesline" to dry your clothes. Give your dryer a break and get outside and enjoy the fall weather! Now, have I done this lately, nope, but I have friends that do! When we get a fence next year, I will do this. We live close to others and don't want them to have to look at our clothing, but seriously, when we get a privacy fence, "Clothesline" it is!

Oh yeah, you will save money also on your electric bill! Always a nice side-effect!

Saturday, October 20, 2007

In need of more Frugal Thrifty Blogs?

I just joined Frugal Hacker and have added their badge to my blog here. It will be located on the left bar at all times when you are in need of some Frugal Blogs! Need to take a Surf on the WWW, why not Surf Frugal?

The badge below and in the left sidebar will take you to a plethora of Frugal and Thrifty-like blogs! Wonderful Resources all! I will be checking them out daily, as new blogs are added daily!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Very Excited to be a Blogger for Smorty!

Hello everyone!

A while back I found a "paid to blog" site, Smorty. I signed up knowing my blog was "too young" but I thought I would go ahead and get my information in their system and "wait it out!" They really did approve my blogs (I have two that I entered into their system) without me having to email anyone or having to re-enter my information. With a few blog for money sites I have used, I had to re-enter/submit my information in order to get approved. It is not a huge deal, but it was refreshing to check back in with Smorty and already have jobs waiting for me!

Smorty is very easy to use, you get paid to blog by simply writing your opinions of the opportunity (advertiser). There is general guidelines rather than detailed guidelines according to opportunity. This is nice so you do not have to look up the details every time you create a post. You know what is expected of you and it allows you to write a quality post.

I personally love using Smorty because they pay on a WEEKLY basis through PayPal! They give the advertisers five days to approve posts, which means, you get paid quicker!

Thank you Smorty for being a blogger-friendly paid to blog system!

Friday Faves-Halloween Candy and Fav Trick-or-Treat TREAT!

This week's Friday Faves with Mommy Community is: What is your favorite Halloween Candy?

My personal favorite is anything chocolate and I especially love Popcorn balls!

I would like to add my favorite items I ever got when I went trick-or-treating as a kid:

#1: Polaroid Picture of myself with cousin and sister: This lady in the neighborhood took a picture of each group of kids and gave it to them as their trick-or-treating "treat" along with a hand-full of pennies that she collected throughout the year AND a can of soda! Wow! What a stop that was!

#2: My Aunt (Mom's sis) growing up was our next door neighbor and she ALWAYS (and I think still does) gives out gumball machine prizes. She saves up quarters and other change and goes to the little machines and gets rings, figurines, or whatever is in those machines, and trick-or-treaters (myself and sis and others of course) would get a little bag that had the gumball machine prize along with candy! Another cool WOW!

#3: This is NOT what I got trick-or-treating but it most certainly deserves the number three spot (would be higher if I got it as a kid myself): My Mother NOW (she loves it) goes to Staples, WalMart etc...at the beginning of the school year and buys tons of notebooks, pencils, pens, erasers, etc... school supplies! She gives out these EVERY YEAR now to the kids who trick-or-treat her house and they LOVE it! No Candy! Some kids make her a regular stop and one year she ran out of the notebooks and said do you have anymore notebooks? He counted on that...my Mom felt bad, so the next year she stocked up on even more and made sure that boy got his notebook. She is a SMART shopper and gets items seriously less than a dime a piece! She and my sister always stocks my classroom each year with their smart shopping!

Okay, I love to talk about memories such as this! I hope this might give you all some CREATIVE alternatives at Halloween! Surprise a kid or two!

REMINDER: Get your candy checked each year! Look up local facilities in your area that checks trick-or-treating candy. Like hospitals, police stations or wherever. We always stayed in our neighborhood so no worries, but today, got to be more safe!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Need $$$ for your baby/kids items right away?

If you are in need of some extra cash or even if it would be nice to have a few extra bucks and you have baby or small children items then you need to check out Once Upon A Child!

This is a store that will pay you on the spot for your baby and children items! I am not sure how much money you will get and for what amount, but you could contact your local Once Upon A Child to find out the details!

Hey, if you are looking for a business venture, they are a franchise as well! If you have the means and are driven to start your own business, it looks like an interesting, useful and profitable one!

I found out about this store from my Mother and Sister who does shop at a Once Upon A Child where they live. Mom and Sis did confirm they do, in fact, pay you on the spot for the items you bring in and without an appointment. Of course, if it is within their safety guidelines, and saying it is something they are in need of for their store. I think it sounds really cool. My Mom and Sister have bought my son some toys, etc.. from there and all in fantastic condition!

Check them out:
Once Upon A Child

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Being Thrifty by Thrifting!

For us, I like to find children's books, and children's Large toys (like outdoor play pieces, table and chairs, etc...) at Thrift Stores! We are lucky to have one really huge awesome Thrift store near where we live! We donate there (receive a tax receipt) and all the money they make goes to Alzheimer's research! So it is a win win win! Also, some thrift stores have higher prices than others, these guys have low prices because it is largely voluntary based!

Here is my favorite Thrift Store, maybe someone convince them to expand to your area! They will even come and pick up large donations at your house (if you live in the area of course).

Guardian Angel Thrift

They have this link on there for "GoodSearch!" Apparently if you use this search engine to do your searching, somehow money goes to different charities. What is it going to hurt to search for a few things, if someone may get some help that they need? Give it a try, why not?

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Save the Watts from my local Electric Company!

My local electric company has a fantastic website for "Saving the Watts!" It is a campaign to save energy and money! Great tax tips, big projects and info for saving money right now. Granted they are mainly referring to lowering your electric bill with them; however, I don't see why these same tips wouldn't work for everyone! We have all heard some of them like the Compact Flouresant Bulbs, but they have so much more! Check them out!

"Save The Watts"

"Save the Watts and Save the World!"

Sorry, Heroes fan here! :-)

Saturday, October 13, 2007

For Fun, here is my Fridge Door! LOL

Mommy Community.com wants to know what your fridge door looks like! So I am excited to share! I thought this was a fun, quick post to participate in; however, not so short for me, let me tell you a story about this Fridge!

When we bought our house, it had a fridge, the owners didn't leave it, called they brought it, wrong one and old (not even close to the correct one we had saw), then finally third time, we thought got it right. Anywho, over time, we realized it still wasn't the same one, but we were like whatever. Then after one year (almost to the day) of living in our house, the other one BROKE DOWN and we were forced to purchase a new one (having to open a credit card for Lowe's, totally against my financial frugal beliefs but you have to have a fridge!)! Get this, it arrived the next day in the morning one hour before my son's two year birthday party! Now, without further adu, here is my fridge, a few months old and not paid for!!!

(note: click on images to see them larger!)


and now the SIDE! What you are really after! LOL




Although, it goes against my financial beliefs to charge...we in this instance had no choice but still pursued the best "deal" got a $100 gift card and opened a charge that is no interest, blah blah blah, as long as it is paid off in six months. Yep, we divised a plan to have it paid off within 5 months! And we have back up plans as well because the charge card interest will be crazy after the six months...scary stuff! Also, the Fridge is Energy Star! Be Green!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Awesome Blog about Saving the "Green" way!

I have to highly recommend Green-Talk.com What an EXCELLENT blog! You can find so many great ideas about the environment and saving money by being green with this blog. Super nice folks as well. I found information that I didn't know about. I love blogs, you can truly learn a lot from each other!

Need a Hotel for the Holidays and SAVE $$?

Hey guys and gals! Are you thinking about traveling for the upcoming Holiday Season? I found this cool site that you can locate and book your hotels for your destination, as well as, your entire vacation while you are at it. With Hotel Reservations you can get savings up to 70% you have to at least check it out. The best part is it is Worldwide. For our family, we are always looking for a way to save money when planning for our trip to Romania next Summer! We are bookmarking this site for their savings to come back to when we book...just thought I would share it with anyone that might need the site now! You can even view the website in 15 different languages and currencies! This makes shopping easier and you don't have to sit there with a little conversion chart or calculator. You can also reserve flights and cars while you are at it, and plan your entire vacation. They are open for phone reservations/bookings, as well as, online 24 hours a day 7 days a week! Now that is Customer Support!

Very importantly: you can plan an entire vacation for the entire family with their easy to use search tool for Vacation Packages which include flight, hotel, car, and any vacation rentals you need. This is a very detailed service. You can have your whole trip taken care of with a few simple clicks of the mouse.

Another cool feature that I really like and will be using is their Destination Guide. The Destination Guide is for Researching Cities you think you would like to visit! For example if you wanted to travel to Romania like we are going to next Summer, you can view information such as local customs, major cities within that location, language, currency, weather, food, bank information, Holidays, "getting around" information, and much much more. This type of information is so necessary for anywhere you want to travel, especially when traveling worldwide. They have done the tough job for you and better still, all in ONE location! HotelReservations.com!

They also have one feature I haven't noticed on other sites and that is a Complete Activities Guide according to when you are going to be in your destination. You can know all the movies, events, musicals and all other happening occurring where you will be before you get there so you can really plan ahead! I can't stress enough, all in ONE place!

Check it out everyone! Hotel Reservations!




Brought to you by our new friends at Hotel Reservations

Water Saver Aerators! Save a little on your Water Bill!

Here is an environmental friendly tip along with the fact you can save a little bit on your water bill. I love ideas like this, and we do this one! (Actually, nearly everything I post about we do to save money, I'll tell you if we don't!)

Water Saver Spigots are just little sprayers you attach to your sink faucet.

Here is a link to some ebay auctions that has pictures and descriptions of these nifty little gadgets!

They have excellent water pressure and can swivel all around the inside of your sink to clean it. This is even greater for folks that live in older homes that do not have a sprayer! Even if you DO have a sprayer (and we do) it is a great tool and I can totally see how it saves water. A lot of times you simply, run the faucet and maybe splash water about where you need it to go even if you have a sprayer because it might be something quick you are doing and who wants to drag out the sprayer. Well, with an Aerator, you just pull it down and it sprays like a sprayer and swivels. When not spraying, the sink works normal with normal water flow. My husband installed one for my mother (only need a wrench and a little pressure to install). She LOVES it because her 1940s home will not accept a sprayer (plumbing issues with old pipes and pricing of course etc...). She hadn't had any form of sprayer for MANY MANY years and now is delighted with this simple Aerator!

Just thought I would share this little tip that can be so helpful. The Aerators will attach to bathroom sinks as well; however, they aren't very attractive looking but for a kitchen sink, they are just fine and look fine even!

Friday Favorites with Mommy Community: Holidays!

This week's favorites question is: What is your favorite Holiday?

My favorite Holiday, I know this will be repeated several times but of course: Christmas for me! I love the music, decorations, all the celebrations across families and church and even the workplace gets involved! It isn't just a day, it runs for several months, plenty of time to stress, and then enjoy!
Reminder: "Jesus is the Reason for the Season!" Such a peaceful time of year, well, at least for my family!

I like all the Holidays, but that is my favorite! I always hope for Snow, however, in NC, it is unlikely, especially lately with the warmth going all the way into the winter months! I still enjoy the cool crisp weather during the Christmas Holiday season!

Alrighty! What is Your Favorite Holiday?



P.S. Speaking of Holidays, I finally found at least a wig for my son's Halloween costume. An Elvis one! He is soo cute in it! I think I am going to make his jumpsuit! I just can't settle for the store ones! LOL I want some cool pictures for the Kitchen!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Just bought a great Router today!

I am very excited to report that we (my husband and I) finally replaced our old router that went out on us with a new one. We bought a Netgear N something...it has better range than our old one did and man, so much faster! Now I can blog more frequently. It has been a challenge the past few weeks to a month to get my blogging done, as well as, my ebaying! Now I feel like "I'm Baaaack!" so the blogs will be far more frequent than the past weeks. I am so excited! I had missed having a computer in the kitchen, nightstand and the living room! Now it is all back to "normal" at our household. Also, had forgotten how nice it is for my husband and myself to be on the computer at the same time. What a relief. We have to use the computers at the same time, because we don't want to miss time with our two year old, so we wait til he is sleeping, this way we can work on the computer at the same time, boy I missed that!

Anywho, just had to share my excitement of getting a new router that hopefully will be more reliable than the former one.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY! Yippie! The world is good again!

Monday, October 8, 2007

Monday Mommy Tip with Mommy Community: Pride in your child's Masterpieces!

Hey all!

It's Monday again!

Time for Monday Mommy Tip; hosted by Mommy Community!

My Monday Mommy Tip is one I may have shared in a different way somewhere else on this blog; however, never hurts to repeat, it was some time ago!

I think it is wonderful to honor your child's artwork and self-esteem to get their best piece of Artwork and FRAME it and hang in a "seen" place in your house. Don't hide it in a "guest room" put it in the kitchen, living room, or somewhere others CAN see it! Your child's self-esteem will shoot through the roof with pride and worth towards their artistic abilities! All children ARE artists! They see life in such a different way that when we become adults, we miss the world around us the way a child sees it! Get a frame, MATTE the work! Make it important! If your child gave you the work and says, hey I made this for YOU! Feel pride and know that is like them giving you a million bucks or better, THEM! You can make, even a piece you think is not so great looking, look fantastic with a nice matte and frame! This is a famous work by a famous artist (your child)! Treat it as such! I am certainly not suggesting every piece they give you, include your child in the decision making, as to what they see as their best piece and why. When guests come over, go the extra mile and have your child "explain" the piece and be "Art Smart!" Talk about the lines, colors, emotions in the piece. Have fun with your new found gallery curator!

Alrighty, obviously this is something I love and believe in...I will stop because I can blog all night about it! Not to worry, I have kept every piece of art my child has created at Daycare, Home, and Church! He is only two! No, again, you don't have to do that, just take pride in one piece! You child's self-esteem and pride will definitely be the end reward!

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Christmas Gifts for my Husband....I've got it!

Hey Ladies out there! Are you searching for gifts for him? Well, I have found this one site that I know my husband, being he is a mechanic and all, would absolutely salivate over! Seriously! I know, even myself, I would love to have a lot of what the Car Guy Garage has to offer.

For instance (and I am dreaming a bit here, this is more for me!) I love their 50's Retro Style Garage Flooring! AWESOME! I LOVE a vintage look, as our kitchen is done in the 50s style! To top that off, I would love to have their Very cool Gas Pumps with Various uses such as display and TV holder! WOW! Now, wouldn't that be your guy's DREAM! Now, these may be for more of those folks with deeper pockets than I, but sure would love those items!

On a realistic level, and more of a real present my husband would love to have would be the Peg Boards for the Garage! What man with a garage has Enough Peg Boards? There is always a new tool or gadget that needs hanging up! Our garage is crazy looking and peg boards would be a stress-reliever! Also, I have to add, there is a coupon on the Peg Boards! You know me, Thrifty! :-)

Go check out Car Guy Garage now and check out their 1,000s of products to make the garage another room in your house. Take a look around Car Guy Garage and imagine and possibly go ahead and purchase the gift you would like for that guy in your life?

Best wishes on your Holiday Shopping! Thrifty thought, start now!!!!
Brought to you by Car Guy Garage

DIY Blog! Do it yourself!

Anyone out there love to DIY? (DIY=do it yourself) It is great for saving money, sometimes, on labor! Notice I said SOMETIMES! That is because, sometimes it is just too hard and it would have been easier to just pay someone else to do the job, and sometimes it might even cost you more to DIY. For the most part, if you love projects, you can do it yourself and save money. In our household, we do as much DIYing as we possibly can. Landscaping, Painting (inside and out), Repairs, Building things (i.e. sandbox, toy box, garden bed box, lots of boxes! LOL).
You get the picture, and deep down, I do feel we saved "big time" on those items.

To help you get started, I would like to point out a great blog from AOL's/HGTV's very own Eric Stromer! From there you can get all kinds of tips and tricks of the trade, and even gain ideas on what you can do next in your home, and potentially save money and best of all...Have Fun!

Eric Stromer's Blog

Friday, October 5, 2007

Collect $$$ from those who want to help! Check out Chipin! What is your event?

I saw a chipin widget on someone else's blog and thought, that is really cool...do I have an important event that I might need financial help on? The answer, of course. My husband is from Romania. He lived there until we got married a little over 6 years ago. He has not yet went back to see his Mom and Sister yet. It was always one delay after another, and now with a two year old and living frugally to get by, it always seems to get delayed again and again. So this is our "event!" We had planned to go anyway to Romania this coming Summer of '08, but if anyone wants to help out, the money wouldn't be for us, guaranteed any money we happen upon will go to his family. Romania, luckily is finally in the Euro; however, still sooo far behind in the world and still rough for those folks. You will be happy to know he has seen his Dad three times since living here in the U.S. His Dad is the only one who can ever get a visa to visit...his Mom and Sister probably won't ever until they are really really old. Long story, I am sure many understand all that stuff, if you know international folks at all. I am not complaining, just giving the background on why I would make such a "widget" for my blog! Thanks Chipin!

A Must Read for All Holiday Shoppers! Save Money on Black Friday!

I just have to remind you to check the Christmas Countdown Banner at the bottom of Thrifty and Creative here...now think about...hmmm...that isn't a lot of time, is it? So go ahead, Scream real loud! YIKES! The closer the time approaches, the more likely it is you will need to save money, make money, and get some deals! I just had to blog about this site I feel lucky enough to stumble upon...Black-Friday.net!

This is like every Holiday Shopper's DREAM site! It is a dream, because all deal shoppers know that on Black Friday(the day after Thanksgiving) is the day you get the best and most unbelievable deals! You can look up the ads in Advance of Black Friday, and believe it or not, there are a TON already listed! You won't believe the stores this site has the ads for! I am truly amazed and will be signing up for their email updates for when new ads are listed. You can go ahead and make a plan of attack for your Black Friday Shopping; OR, simply shop online with Black-Friday.net and not have to wake up at crazy 4-5am to be close to the front of all the lines! I have to admit, I love Black Friday, it is so much fun to get out and shop and be elbow to elbow with like shoppers! Everyone is wanting that deal, or special something!

I was dumb-founded with the fact they already have two of my fav stores listed: Check out Toys R Us's Deals and Best Buy's Specials! I mean, it is time to plan plan plan! Make your lists, check them twice, and break out the map! Be ready this year with black-friday.net!

Brought to you by: Black-Friday.net

Friday Favs with Mommy Community! Favorite Snacks!



My favorite snack is:
Chester's Flamin' Hot Cheetos! Yummy!!!!

After Chester's I really can't think of any other favorite snack! When I think of Chester's Flamin' Hot Cheetos, my mind is clouded to anything else! Nothing else can compare or compete! I am not huge on snacking, unless something is just there and I am hungry! LOL Hence, we don't buy snacks for our household...saves money and keeps us a bit healthier!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Thrifty Tip Thursday: Email Forward w/$$ Saving Tips!

Sorry for blogging a forward I got in an email; however I felt it was so appropriate to this blog! I couldn't just pick one or two of these, I thought they were all interesting and something you all may want to give it a try!
P.S. Not sure where it originated...checked the email throughly and couldn't find an annotation.

1. Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set
heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No
soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really
works.

2. Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal , mash till they are all
broken up. Add remainder of ingredients , reseal , keep mashing it up
mixing thoroughly , cut the tip of the baggy , squeeze into egg.

3. Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store , whip it with
your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to
frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar
and calories per serving.

4. Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits , pancakes , or muffins that were refrigerated, place
them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will
keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

5. Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet
newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with
mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening
plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

6. Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you
can't see easily.

7. No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

8. Keep Squirrels away
To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with
cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the
squirrels won't come near it.

9. Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty
paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent
or flattened to get in narrow openings.

10. Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a
clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when
wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ta da! -- static is
gone.

11. Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot
water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your
ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right
out.

12. Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove
box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works
better than a cloth!

13. Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something
inside , just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or
two. Viola! It unseals easily.

14. Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than
shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way
to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it
in your hair...

15. Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies , take a small glass fill it 1/2' with
Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid , mix well. You
will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

16. Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it
'home', can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so,
especially if it rains , but it works & you don't have the worry about
pets or small children being harmed!

17. INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things
around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and
he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean.
(I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He
told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to
the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh
material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like.
WELL...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through
it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh
that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film , but
it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft
and static free - that nice fragrance too, you know how they can feel
waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on
your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer
units to catch fire & potentially burn your house down with it! He said
the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep
your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out & wash it with hot
soapy water & an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six
months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long!
How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know
dryer sheets would do that. So , I thought I'd share! Note: I went to
my dryer & tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran
through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh
screen. I washed it with warm soapy water & a nylon brush & I had it
done in 30 seconds.
Then when I rinsed it the water ran right Thru the screen! There wasn't
any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!

Once again, this is information that came to my "inbox" as a forward sent around at work, I found it interesting; however, can not verify any of it; however, if you can; drop a comment in the "Comment Jar!"

Have a Thrifty Day!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

I signed up for PayPerPost!

I am so excited to share with you that Thrifty and Creative is now an "Approved" blog with PayPerPost! In PayPerPost terms: I am their newest "Postie!"

PayPerPost is a site that hosts bloggers and advertisers, bringing the two together! The advertisers need some buzz about their site, product, blog, or business. The bloggers are looking for a little cash to keep the blogs rolling. Combined this equals a beautiful relationship! I love my blog, but of course, I would love to make a few dollars to keep it rolling and it gives me an excuse to blog to my husband, oops...need to blog a little bit, don't forget, I can make some extra cash! Who will argue with that? :-) I will be using the extra cash to help with our bills and outrageous daycare expenses!

Now that you know the "gist" of what this site is about, please allow me to rave about it for a moment, if you will. First of all, I signed up and put their "PayPerPost Direct" widget/button in my left tool bar before I was approved. You are allowed to do this, even while you are awaiting approval. At the time of my submission, I knew my blog wasn't "old" enough, but I signed up just so I could grab this widget/button for my blog as motivation to do a great job on my blog! By the way "old" enough is 90 days! (There are other rules as well, check PayPerPost to get the details!) "PayPerPost Direct" or "PPD" is simply a "direct" way for advertisers or anyone wanting a buzz to their site or blog, to go through PayPerPost and pay you directly to blog for them. It would be extremely flattering if someone chose "YOU" and wanted you specifically to blog for them...so if you sign up and get one of these offers, by all means, don't turn it down!

I would like to tell you what I love MOST about PayPerPost. I love their "customer love" as they call it. The customer service or "help" section is truly first class and so very helpful. No matter what my crazy question or simplicity of my question, they were always very cordial and helpful. They kept me calm as I waited with extreme excitement. They kept me positive and hopeful when I would feel like, oh no, I am not going to get approved. Really, I am just an anxious person that just couldn't wait to get started. They never got tired of me, and I can't stress enough they were/are so helpful. I am certain I will need them again! I never felt that they were impatient one second with me.

I should add that I found/discovered PayPerPost on another blog, doing this very same entry post. The blog was ClickNewz.

I hope that you found this post informative about PayPerPost, if
for some reason you would like to know more about my personal experiences with PayPerPost, by all means, drop me a comment!

get paid to blog

Til next post!
Stay Thrifty and Start Earning with Your Blog with PayPerPost!


Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Moving my Ebay Widget! Auction Deals on Fabric!



Hello all, in the past I have had my ebay widget on the bottom of my blog. I am no longer going to have this at the bottom, I am just going to add it in this post and it will be archived into my blog! I may find another way to add it for easier access to my deals on first quality/high end fabrics!

The Best and Cheapest Bath Toys are all around you!

The "Bath" toys I am referring to are "EMPTY BOTTLES!" I am so serious, my son has all kinds of wonderful little bath toys, that he will play with for a day or so and then never look at again. Why? Because he is so obsessed with empty plastic bottles. Now your beautiful Bath and Body Works Bottles don't have to be tossed out! My son is two years old and as any mother knows, this age (as I am assuming other ages as well) loves to pour water. Well, don't need anything special for that. Think about it, they get to work on their pouring skills, hand eye coordination, sink/float, bubbles created by submerging the bottle. The Bath and Body Works ones are very clear and your child can see the water going into the bottle, and much much more that their little imaginations come up with.

Hey, they also make great bottles to "rinse" the shampoo out of your child's hair.

Notes: I of course, make sure the bottles are Super Clean! Also, I do NOT NOT NOT NOT, leave the caps with the bottles, just the empty bottle, no caps. Obvious reason but I'll say it: So your child won't put the cap in his/her mouth and become a choking hazard.

Just thought I would share this idea for anyone who may not already do so. I know, before my son, I hated throwing out (even to recycle) those pretty bottles. I guess it is the Art in me that I see them as pretty, but I am sure I am not the only one!

Happy Bath Time!