The Road to Home

TravelPrep.Pad

When I travel, I have this constant nagging fear that I have forgotten something important, like my driver’s license. I can make list after list, but I still have a fear that I have forgotten something! TravelPrep.Pad is a nice “packing pad”. It has a pre-made list of common things that folks use while traveling. Perhaps it would give me the piece of mind to relax and not worry about that mysterious “forgotten” object!

Here’s How You Win:

• Leave a comment telling me something that you have left behind while vacationing. (I sure hope it wasn’t your kid!)
• Subscribe to my feed in order to gain another entry. Subscribe FIRST–BEFORE you leave a comment. Be sure to tell me in your comment if you have subscribed. I will be deleting duplicate entries, including entries that say, “Oh, by the way, I subscribed.” Read the instructions first!
• Comments will close on Monday, June 30th.

The Fine Print:

• The winner will be drawn using a random number generator.
• One Comment entry and One Subscriber entry per person, please.
• Duplicate Comments will be deleted.
• Drawing is open to bloggers and non bloggers alike.
• Open to US Shipping Addresses Only, however. Sorry.
• I will notify the winner by Monday June 30th via email. Winner will have 4 Business days to contact me with a shipping address. If I’m not contacted within that time frame, I will go on to the next random comment.
• I will not use your submitted email address to spam you in the future!
• Please don’t leave your email address in the comment box. That’s just a great way for bots to get your address to spam you!

Whew. That was a ton of information. Good Luck and Happy Commenting!

This week, I thought I would share an updated Kitchen tip. Those of you that know me, know that I am not the most organized in my kitchen, but we do have one thing that works really well. Our Bottle Brushes! When Baby Girl was born, we were faced with all these little baby accessories to clean, so we went in search of her own special little brush.Here’s what we came up with:

They have this great suction cup on the end, so you can stick them to the bottom of the sink and clean out a bottle with one hand. Perfect for when you are holding a baby with the other! They also have a “nipple brush” that nests inside the handle. Very convenient!

We no longer have bottles to clean, but we still keep a bottle brush by the sink. We upgraded it though! Since we don’t need the teeny brush, we upgraded to a built in soap dispenser model.

We use them for our regular pots and pans, as well. We throw them in the dishwasher (back when we had a dishwasher), and then stick them back up so they don’t lay with the bristles on the counter. At least this way, I feel like they are staying cleaner than laying around on the sink ledge! This is what works for me! To see more, check out Rocks in My Dryer’s Works for Me Wednesday!

One more thing! I am also searching for the perfect blog design. Have you used someone that you really love? Let me know in the comments!

Hey y’all! After having so many people email me yesterday over my Drugstore Game post, I decided that I would post some of my tips and tricks.

Ok. I don’t really have any tips and tricks of my own, but I will give credit where credit is due! Instead of writing a big tutorial on how to “do the deals,” I will point you to the places that taught me.

Hot Coupon World This is a great website for all things “coupon-y”. There are great FAQs on CVS and Walgreens under the “Drug Stores” forum. Each store has their own section, so you can learn the ins and outs of each one. You don’t have to be a member, but membership is free if you want to join in on the discussion.

Money Saving Mom This website gives “Deal Ideas”, usually at the top of each week. I have found several ideas on here that I hadn’t thought of. She also has tons of other frugal tips.

A Full Cup is another forum type site that has tons of deal ideas. While I like Hot Coupon World’s system just a bit better, it is worth mentioning that A Full Cup also has some great “deal ideas”.

So. Read the tutorials, check out the deals, and go shopping! If you have any questions, let me know. I’ll help the best that I can!

In the meantime, head on over to Rocks in my Dryer and share your tips and tricks for what is working for you!

This week Shannon, over at Rocks in My Dryer is hosting another backwards edition of WFMW. (You know, the kind where I get to ask YOU a question!)

So, here’s my problem:

We have only one bathroom in our tiny tiny duplex. We all three have to share it and I’m having a heck of a time keeping it clean. What are your ideas to help me keep the clutter and germs to a minimum? There is hardly any ventilation in there, so I can’t use bleach on a regular basis. Other than that, send your ideas!

What’s NOT working for you this week? Head on over to Shannon’s Place and join in!

Oh, and Just FYI, we have started potty training this week. Things are going well!

Here’s my tip:

Because I am very particular about the dryer sheets that my family uses, I usually don’t scrimp on them. That means they are fairly expensive. So in order to stretch their life a little longer, I usually cut or tear them into pieces before I add them to the dryer. I have found that the load does not suffer and I am able to get 2-3x the life out of my dryer sheets. I use the leftover ones to clean the lint filter.

So….what’s working for you? Head on over to Rocks in my Dryer to find more tips and tricks!

This week, our usual hostess is out trotting the globe, in Uganda, of all places! Melanie (aka Chilihead) has graciously and generiously offered to host us gaggle of geese this geek. I mean, week.

I have NEVER been able to pick-out, address, and mail Christmas cards in an efficient manner. I just can’t seem to get them out BEFORE the actual holiday! So I stopped trying. My family does not send out Christmas cards at all.

We send out Valentine’s Cards instead!

For the last few years, I have been successfully able to create photo cards to mail to our friends and family for Valentine’s day. I don’t have to worry about getting caught up in the Christmas rush, but the people that I care about still get to have a card from my little family.

That’s what’s working for me. What’s working for you? Head on over to Don’t Try This at Home to find more tips and tricks!

This week over at Rocks in my Dryer, Shannon is hosting a special edition of WFMW. This week she is asking all of her loyal traffic moochers readers to share their favorite internet resources for shopping!

So here are my favorite resources:

CraigsList is great for those hard to find items that may no longer be in production.

Etsy is a wonderful conglomeration of crafty stores that will surely satisfy any window-shopping you might want to do. You might even get lucky and find a super cute item to take home.

Cabela’s was a great source for us this winter. They carry all kinds of items from home decor to hunting paraphernalia. You can get your winter coat, your bedspread, and your huntin’ rifle all in one place. How could you go wrong with that?

LL Bean is another great clothing retailer. They do casual clothing that is really comfy. If you can catch them on sale, even better.

Red Envelope is a great gift-giving site. You can probably find something that will appeal to anyone from them.

3ButtonsN2Bows is a site I recently discovered.  They have designs that will coordinate with just about any fanciful decor that you can imagine!

Amazon is my catch all. I LOVE that you can buy almost ANYTHING at that store!

Now for the Window Shopping Portion:

Natural Pod is a great online retailer for cool toys for kids. They have tons of great wooden toys for all ages.

Think Geek is an awesome resource for that oh so nerdy person in your life. I love to look at the things that are on their site!

Mxyplyzyk (it’s pronounced “Mix-EE-plehz-ik”) is one of those off the wall cooky kind of shops. I love to browse their items.

So, these are some of the sites that are working for me. Which ones work for you? Head on over to Rocks in my Dryer to share your favorites!

With the HUGE success of the Backwards WFMW a few weeks ago, I have decided to squeeze one more week out of my topic! I got so many tips, tricks, recipes and websites that I thought I would share all of them with you guys!

Here is what y’all had to say:

• Use Cash instead of Debit or Credit.
• Cut out the Starbucks and Quickie-Mart drinks. Those are real money wasters.
• Even if you clip coupons, make sure that the store brands aren’t cheaper.
• Shop at stores that will double (or even triple) your coupons.
• Learn CVS and Walgreen’s. There are ways to get brand name products at very cheap (cheaper than store brands) prices. Sometimes, you can even MAKE money on these deals.
• Get a subscription (or borrow a neighbors’ or go to the library) to the daily newspaper. You can find all kinds of free and cheap activities to do.
• Cook at home and eat at home as much as you can.
• One reader suggested this: “Pork butt–cook in the crockpot until it shreds easily then use it to make burritos, sandwiches, pasta…pork is cheap and versatile.”

Websites you all love:

• http://www.likemerchantships.blogspot.com
• http://www.moneysavingmom.com
• http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com
• http://www.hotcouponworld.com
• http://www.afullcup.com

So, I hope that some of these things are going to work for me! If you have any advice, let me know. I’ll add you to the list! Head on over to Rocks in My Dryer to share your tips and tricks. Perhaps you will find something that will work for you!

(And while you are here, check out my movie poll over there! —–> )

This week, I want to share with you my new found love for my Giant Caribiner.

I got one of these two days ago for about $4 bucks. I can’t even tell you how much I am in love with it!

So far, I have used it to:

• Walk both dogs at the same time (what I originally bought it for)
• Carry shopping bags (Added Bonus function. It works on reusable totes and plastic shopping bags.)
• Attach my small purse to my diaper bag.
• Attach my purse or diaper bag to a shopping cart or stroller.

UPDATED TO ADD: Since you have asked, it is approx. 6 or 7 inches long. My hand will comfortably fit inside with room to spare. The rubberized grip is pretty nice to keep it from slipping in my hand. I purchased it at a big box pet store for about $4. I may go get more!

I can’t wait to find new uses for it too!

What is working for you? Head on over to Shannon’s site to check out tips and tricks from lots of other folks.

Be sure to check back for next week’s WFMW. I will share the advice that I garnered from last week’s Backwards WFMW!

This week over at Rocks in my Dryer, Shannon has organized another “Backwards Week.” This means that I get to pose a question for YOU to answer. So here are my questions:

• What do you do to save money?
• If you clip coupons, where do you usually shop to redeem them?
• What are your favorite “cheap knock-off” products?
• What is your favorite easy-peasy frugal recipe?
• What are your favorite frugal websites?
• Any other tips or tricks?

When you’re done here, head on over to Rocks in my Dryer to find out what is working (or not working, in this case) for other folks!

Oh yeah…I almost forgot!  The Bloggy Giveaways “It’s Your Turn” Giveaway Carnival is coming up.  I’m taking suggestions on things to offer for a giveaway!  What would you like to see being given away here?