Happy Friday! Tired of Carrying the Diaper Bag?

Well, I can't tell you how to not carry a diaper bag at all, without saying...stop carrying a diaper bag! :-) What I can share with you on this Friday is a way for YOU (Mom or Dad of a toddler around age 2) not to have to haul around the bag. As you know, once the baby can walk, this also tends to be a time you don't need to haul so much stuff around anymore. On the flip side, you still need to carry a changing of clothes, snack, extra pull-up or diaper, wipes, etc...whatever it is you still like to be safe by having with you at the toddler stage! Well, I have good news for those who haven't figured this out already! I want to give credit to my sitter for this one! Thanks!

Okay,what is it already? Well, simple...get your toddler a small BACKPACK! They get to act like a "big kid" or "school kid" by carrying it. They WANT to carry it and how awesome to have his/her "stuff" in it! Moms, you can finally have your handbag BACK...full sized, not the downsized one! :-) Dads, you can still be your cool self with nothing over your shoulder!

I just had to share this because I really enjoyed shopping the other day and knew my son was content and excited to be a "big kid" carrying his Bob the Builder Backpack! He also has Spider man for the sitter's house!

My son is 2 1/2 but I am certain, had I known this, he would have gladly carried a backpack when he was even a few months younger than 2!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Want a "Deal" on Original Art? Buy Directly from the ARTIST!

Seriously, if you want the best "deal" on Original Art or Limited Edition Art Prints or any form of Art for that fact...I encourage you to always check buying directly from the Artist before you buy from another party such as Galleries, etc... There is NOTHING wrong with buying from Galleries, etc...; however, prices are higher than the Artist would charge if you bought directly from him/her. Galleries charge sales fees that may be hidden or the Artist has to raise the price to cover their "fees" with the Galleries or salespersons that take a percentage of the sale! Just wanted to FYI you on these factors when purchasing Art and/or Handmade items!

I also would like to point out what made me think of this post and encourage you to check out an Artist's GLASS work while you are here! An amazing Glass Artist at that! My favorite pieces by A Slice of Glass is her Stained Glass wall/window hangings! Quite impressive! This is an Art form that I don't trust myself with as I would be sure to cut myself! Kudos to A Slice of Glass!

Again visit:
A Slice of Glass' Etsy Shop (Etsy is the internet's Best place for handmade, that I am aware of to buy and SELL)
and
A Slice of Glass' Blog (This is a look into who the Artist is! She is a new blogger...let's support an Artist!)

Tightwad Living on an AOL Forum! Cool!

While doing a morning net surf...I ran across AOL's personal finance section, and I kept narrowing down until I found an interesting forum! Titled: "Tightwad Living!" I thought I would share this will you all as it might be an interesting read. I will check it out further after work as I am running late this morning! :-) Enjoy!

Ebates!!!! Interesting way to save on the net!

I have noticed quite a few other Thrifty and Frugal blogs having an Ebates logo on their side bars. I thought I would look into what it is all about and signed up for myself! It is kind of cool...you get percentages off from hundreds of online retailers (great and small) and you can earn from referring folks (so my logo/link is below). It is quick...you simply type your email address and create a password and you are in! That is when you can view the deals! I know that lately I have done a bit of online shopping for DVDs as I am sure you remember from my earlier posts; as a result, I will be shopping only through ebates from now on and give the site a true test run! They also give you a $5.00 sign up bonus. Now I will let you know when they actually give that to you. So, it looks like this will be a post that has a later follow-up post!

Check these guys out and post your thoughts in the comments jar!

Posh Mama! A Great FREE Social Networking Site!

I have been a member of Posh Mama since back in the summer when the site turned 3 months old! I am proud to still remain a member! It is a free social networking site and online magazine that supports its members in various ways!

Posh Mama is an online magazine and social network exclusively for women from all around the world. The network is a supportive, interactive, and highly engaged community of Posh Mamas who share information on fashion, beauty, style, home interiors, art, book reviews, author interviews, fitness, nutrition, unique products for women, cool gadgets, high-tech toys and important product recalls. You don't have to be a "Mother" to be a "Posh Mama". Come hang out with me at www.poshmama.com.

Tuesday Toot!!! Got a few items for our travel this summer!

This week's Tuesday Toot with Mommy Community is that I have gotten a couple items out of the way for our travel to Romania this summer:


We bought a portable dvd player for my son so he can watch "Bob, Thomas, Barney, etc..." on the plane!



We also bought my son's carry-on piece of luggage will be a rolling spider man bag! :-) He rolled it all through Target! So cute!


I am just excited to have a few items for our trip checked off! So Toot Toot!


Tuesday Toot with Mommy Community is where you get a chance to "Toot your own horn!" AKA: A day to share your pride in something you did that week...easier said "Brag on yourself and give yourself a pat on the back!"

Great Coupon Site! Rather Be Shopping!

I have visited Rather Be Shopping on several occasions and love the site and blog! Check them out today! You are for sure to find deals/coupons for your favorite stores! I know I will be frequenting the target.com deals/coupon page there!

Alrighty, I am going back to their site to see what I can find for electronic stores, etc...

I bought my son's Portable DVD player over the weekend at Best Buy! I am excited about having this for our trip this summer!

My husband's favorite store for Man Bargains! Harbor Freight!

My husband just yesterday purchased a large toolbox from Harbor Freight Tools! He LOVES this store like I love Target! :-) I just had to share if you have one in your area to keep an eye out...they sell tools, and many other items. Around the holidays they have random things as well that would be of interest to anyone even non-tool lovers! Toys even! :-) Odd I know...but he raves about it! But it only cost this or that much at Harbor Freight! :-) Guys like deals too! This one is for you all! And ladies that love tools also! I know I like the Dremel for drilling into glass, etc...

P.S. The Toolbox Cabinet (it is called) according to their website sells nationwide for $5000 (well something similar it says). My husband doesn't care about brand names for a toolbox so this was a steal at $399!

EntreCard: Your FREE E-business Card Advertising!

EntreCard

This is not one of my normal Thrifty Tips; however, I realize many visitors are also bloggers themselves and would enjoy and appreciate this FREE advertising tip! I have to say that EntreCard has Quality blogs for the most part! I have found the blogs I run across on EntreCard to be very interesting and loaded information I can use on many topics and interests! I love the control EntreCard gives you such as: where you want to advertise and who advertises on your blog! You will have to visit the EntreCard site and watch their video and sign up to completely understand!

I personally "discovered" EntreCard while on PoshMama's website. I kept seeing the widget (that you see on here as well now on the left column) and finally I clicked on the EntreCard "E" logo and found out more about it! I love it, it has given me more visitors, quality visitors actually! It is a great place to organize your personal favorites and even make blogging "friends!"

Give it a shot! Quite addictive...and best of all FREE!!! One of my favorite prices! :-)

Purchased DVDs for $3.99 each! Thank you Frugal Shopping with Julie!

Frugal Shopping with Julie pointed out an Excellent Deal on some DVDs at Best Buy!

Visit her blog today to see the post!

I immediately purchased a Veggie Tales DVD $3.99 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 2 DVD for $3.99 also Thank to her post! I am always on the lookout (as you see from my most recent posts) for DVD deals for my son!

Chef in Training! Wordless Wednesday!!!

Chef in Training! (I hope!) :-)

Happy Wordless Wednesday Everyone!

This picture is of my son with his Kitchen and Chef get-up! I just love it!

DVDs for my Son: Tuesday Toot!

My Tuesday Toot for this week is I bought my son two more DVDs ($5.50 each...not bad): A Muppets Movie and Bob the Builder ("Yes I Can!") Sorry, have heard the Bob song a million times already! :-) I could have done without the Muppets movie. He likes Bob the Builder better...so do I. I think the Muppets are more for older kids and adults. We'll just put it away for now. Maybe I can swap it on SwapADVD.com !

Also excited about a thought I had: To purchase a portable DVD player for our LONG flight ahead this summer. I have been wondering what to get to keep my son busy on a 7+ hour flight! Layovers and short flights, I am not as concerned. Any suggestions? He is 2 1/2. DVDs will keep him entertained but for just so long you know.

Paper Products! Don't be too Thrifty to buy Quality!

I had to share that I bought a different brand of Paper Towels from my norm and man, there IS a difference! I am sure many of you know that already!

I personally prefer Bounty Paper Towels and swear by them! They DO last longer, pick up better, and can even be dried out and reused just like the commercial says! Now that is a good paper towel!

Currently I am using another (competitor's brand) paper towel and am disappointed. I feel like I am using a sheet of computer paper! Tears easy, doesn't absorb, and the rolls run out far quicker. Don't even think about drying one out and reusing it!

Other Paper Products:

Toilet Paper/Tissue: I prefer Scott! It lasts WAY longer (and is septic safe) than other brands! Many argue the "ouch factor" as my friend states! :-) But it works great for us! Depends on what you like! I like products to last a while!

Facial Tissues: Easy one: Kleenex! Naturally! These guys have been around a while and know how to make 'em! :-)

I know this information may be a repeat (as you use them as well) but just was thinking about my current paper towels! :-)

P.S. I consider buying quality paper products to be a THRIFTY thing to do as it last much longer and is actually a savings overall!

Free Gallon of Milk! Taking advantage of your Local Grocery Store Deals!

That is correct! My husband has just left the house for our Free Gallon of Milk! :-) Our local grocery store was/is offering a promotion for the purchase of 6 gallons of Milk...get a Free Milk! Save the tickets and voila! I know, doesn't sound like a whole lot; however, isn't it nice to get something you need and realize...hey, this time I don't have to pay for it!

Not to worry on the gas issue...we are only 2-5 minutes from nearly everything! When we bought our house a year and a half ago...that was huge buying feature: "Location, Location, Location!" It took having a baby 2 1/2 years ago to realize how important this really is! We are closer to our jobs, grocery stores, Target, restaurants, Doctor Offices, Great Schools, Dentists, Urgent Care, gas stations, banks, (soon a Walmart), you name it! We are blessed with our location and home!

Well, just thought I would share and encourage you to take advantage of those little promotions you see on the backs of your grocery receipts!

Happy Sunday! Have a great week!!!

Best place I found to buy Plane Tickets for us!

For our trip this Summer to Romania (to visit my husband's family) we had been searching for plane tickets for the best possible price and flight. We ended up finding the best deal for us on CheapTickets.com!!! They have searches where you can type in flexible dates (searching up to 3 days before and after the date you are seeking a flight)! Yes, I know the other sites do this as well, but not for International flights I found. You can flexible search on U.S. flights and Canadian Flights as well but that is all I saw.

We managed to get a good price on three tickets leaving on a Saturday and returning on a Friday! Fantastic! Decent Layovers! We are very pleased with our tickets with CheapTickets.com if anyone is searching for plane tickets!

Happy Valentine's Day! Be Creative! Give the Gift of Art!

Hello one and all!

Happy Valentine's Day on Thrifty Thursday!

Just thought I would add to my Valentine's Wishes...that you could get Crafty and make your own card!

Have you ever heard of Artist Trading Cards? These would make a very unique Card/Gift! Artist Trading Cards are 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches! They can not be smaller or larger than that size! They also should be able to fit in a plastic trading card sleeve (found at WalMart or anywhere trading cards (sports, etc..) are sold)!

You get a piece of Card Stock, cut it down to this size and go crazy creating a mini-masterpiece! Be sure to sign your name on the back along with a title and date! I guess this would be great to put "I love you!" Etc....

One of my favorite Trading Sites for ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) is ATCards.com! Artists and Crafters of all kinds join these forms and TRADE with Each Other! This could be a Valentine Gift for yourself! Joining a huge community of Artists and start your mini art collection now! I LOVE ATCs!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey, if you liked this idea, I would love to know...drop me a comment! I love to know who was here! Have a great day!

Tuesday Toot with Mommy Community!

Mommy Community hosts "Tuesday Toot" well...each Tuesday! It is where you get to "toot" your own horn as they say! You get to brag about something! Something we all tend to shy away from and this "allows" you to brag without guilt. In fact, it is encouraged!

Okay, so my Tuesday Toot this week is I signed up for EntreCard and am really enjoying this form of advertising! I have also signed up for ProjectWonderful! We'll see how all that goes! Anywho, I am proud of myself for trying out something new and being more active on my blog this past week! I had fallen behind as of Christmas! I would love to get my PageRank back up, so I am working hard to get it back to where it was once before!

ShopGoodWill has updated and has a sister site for BOOKS!

Exciting news that I must report to you! Well, maybe it isn't news to you if you frequent shopgoodwill.com !!! It has been a short while since I have surfed their site. I decided to continue my quest for inexpensive yet good DVDs for my son and remembered one of my fav sites: ShopGoodwill.com !!! When I visited, I see they have updated their site...looks better and is easier to navigate and understand for the shopgoodwill newbie! Also, I discovered on their site that they have a new sister site for just books (I also saw DVDs there as well) called: GoodwillBooks.com !! So everyone, if you are in need of books, DVDs, etc..give this new site a try! Also, if you just want to browse for nearly anything...check out ShopGoodwill.com !!!

Have a great Sunday!

Thrifty Sunday

Today, I am calling it "Thrifty Sunday" as today we stayed home and have went absolutely no where! By staying home, and staying off the internet even (can get some shopping damage done here as well, LOL), we haven't spent a dime today. With good reason, the bills I had to pay this past week were high leaving no money to budge for the weekend. No worries, next week will be back to normal and also our tax refund money should also arrive. The tax money will go to three plane tickets which will take the most of it and the rest pretty much will go to our house being refinanced!

Just thought I would drop a quick post on what we are doing today!

One other thing I have done today (and the past week) is checking on ways to promote my blog. Ironically by spending all this time on finding ways to promote it, I have also neglected it. How odd is that? Goes to prove, blogging CAN and IS a full time job for many people! It is more than just writing a post here and there!

Great Blog and DVD site find!

I ran across a blog site called A Call to Higher Places and they had an ironic post on DVDs and a fabulous way to get them saving money like I enjoy! The site they blog about is Swap A DVD from the people at PaperBack Swap!

I am going to be surfing this site tonight after work as I can't wait to see if I have any DVDs to trade for some much important Children's DVDs like Elmo, Barney, and Thomas! The most popular characters in our house! :-)

Have a Wonderful Wednesday Everyone! Happy Swapping!

Elmo and Thomas & Friends DVDs

I forgot to mention for my weekend shopping post that I also purchased three DVDs at Target. I bought my son two Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs and one Elmo Movie. He loves them all. I am not spoiling him; I am spoiling myself and my sanity (so I don't have to hear the same thing over and over and over again)! :-) I am not one that likes my kid to watch TV at all; however, he is somehow obsessed with Elmo and Thomas and on occasion will cry to watch Thomas, and low and behold...of course it is not on. So I decided to break down and buy some DVDs to have on hand, just in case. I now realize it is something nice to have on hand and you don't have to worry about crazy commercials your child shouldn't see if you have it on a channel other than PBS. Some of those commercials scare me! :-) The DVDs weren't expensive, only $5.50 each for two of the three and $8.99 for the third one. Naturally the favorite is the more expensive one because it has the "sing-along" songs on it. :-)

Anywho...this DVD purchase now makes me want to go to our local thrift store this weekend on a quest for more kids DVDs like Seseme Street and Thomas and Barney, etc... Just to have on hand. I also love a good deal and am curious to see if I can find one on the DVDs! Any suggestions out there?

Weekend Shopping and Deals!

Not as much to report as the usual but here it goes:

At Michael's I found a miniature cross stitch set for $.10 (yep, ten cents)! My sister-in-law loves to cross stitch so it is a nice token gift to add with other items we will be packing this summer on our trip to Romania to visit my husband's family. It has been seven years since we last saw them in person!

Target deals: Well, this week they had a lot of great stuff but nothing I could use or was looking for.
Walmart deals: Now this is where I hit the jackpot, so-to-speak, this past weekend. I found some High School Musical Necklaces and Bracelets on sale for $3.00 each and comes with a metal tin with each. Regular price was $7.99. They also had some great deals on toys in their toy clearance aisle. I didn't purchase any but they had Bratz dolls for $7-$10 and were standard size with accessories. They also had many other dolls and toys at 50% and up off!

That is my weekend deals for now!

I am working on a painting for a gift right now as well which is a money saver and sure to be a huge hit for the recipient!

Taxes Filed! Phew!

Good news! I have completed filing our taxes and the federal has been approved, waiting on the state to be approved. It is nice to get them done so early this year. Well, I am comparing to how much I usually lag behind. My motivation this year was the fact we need money for three plane tickets to Romania this summer and this is the way we planned to buy them. Great news...we are scheduled to receive a refund that will cover all three plane tickets and money left over. That is to say they don't raise the plane tickets price before we receive the refund! :-)

Anywho, just wanted to send out a sigh of relief that I have completed our taxes.

Best wishes on all of your taxes!

Tax Time and Travel Questions!!!

I am excited about tax time because with any luck, we will get a refund that we will in turn use to buy our tickets for Romania! We are going this summer and I have been waiting for tax time since well, the end of December! :-) I have started our taxes and thus far it does look as if we definitely will get back enough money to buy our plane tickets so that is a huge relief. Now I just have to get our taxes officially filed and start teh waiting process for the refund. At that point, we hope to still be able to get a deal on tickets for July! I know it seems early but trust me, the ticket prices have already went up since a few months ago.

Does anyone have any advice on packing (must have supplies) and new regulations on baggage size/weight and what you can and can't take on the plane or even in regular luggage. It has been 7 years since we went to Romania and it has been 4 years since I have flown at all (Went to California for work at that time). I am very excited to travel once again, yet nervous!

Another question...any advice or secrets on what to take with a 2 1/2 year old that will be 3 at the time of travel??????? This is something I have zero experience with!!! :-)

I may have more travel questions to come, I hope someone out there is a seasoned traveler to answer my questions..I am sure there are others that could benefit from your responses as well! Thank you in advance!

LAST ONE! I knew I had one more! Anyone out there have a favorite store for buying travel clothes, etc...??? I found (through a lady at work) travelsmith.com ! Fabulous clothes and very packable! I am curious if there are more stores like this out there, net or otherwise!