Postcard Giveaway

May 20, 2010 By

100 Postcards–sounds like a lot, right? I thought so too, but mine are almost gone! Last November I ordered 100 postcards using this photo of my kids (click over if you’re in email), and here’s how we’ve been using them:

  • Sets of 10 (along with postcard stamps) were tied with ribbon and given as gifts to Grandmas and Aunts.
  • The kids used them for thank you cards after the holidays and the twins’ birthday.
  • Just having a big stack of thank-you’s prompted me to send thanks more often. It was easy to send a quick note to a friend who helped out with babysitting or invited us over to dinner.
  • I’ve punched a hole in the corner and tied a card with ribbon to use as a gift tag, dressing up some candle freebies or baked goodies for teacher gifts at the holidays and during Teacher Appreciation week.

What would you do with 100 Postcards? If you’re a home- or small-business owner, postcards are a great tool for advertising your business. If you’re not, find a great photo of the kids or from your travels and print postcards online.

You can also win a set! Thanks to My Postcard Printing, the place for cheap postcard printing, I’m giving away a set of 100 Glossy Postcards, 4×6, with FREE UPS Ground Shipping. You have three chances to enter the giveaway to win the Set of 100 Postcards:

  • Simply leave a comment below, telling me what you’ll do with your postcards.
  • If you are a subscriber/Google follower, you get a second entry. Leave me another comment saying so, and THANK YOU for subscribing! If you’re new here and would like to subscribe, do so via email or RSS feeder and complete the form to get your second entry.
  • For a third entry, follow me on Twitter and tweet the following message (just cut and paste it): Enter @MoneywiseMoms to win 100 Postcards from @UPrinting http://tinyurl.com/100Cards Then leave another comment with your Twitter profile so I can find you.

If you’re reading this in an email subscription, you need to click over to Moneywise Moms to leave comments on this post. I’ll draw the winner at 10:00pm EST on Tuesday, May 25th. US addresses only, please. Thank you for reading Moneywise Moms, and good luck!
**This giveaway is closed. The winner was #49, Roberta.

Disclosure: My Postcard Printing is providing the prize for this giveaway and one set of postcards for me.

Filed Under: Giveaways

Peapod Grocery Delivery

May 20, 2010 By

This past weekend was busy, as I’m sure it is at your house. We managed to get almost everything on the “To Do” list done–I spent alone time with each child, did the laundry, we ran some errands and had a great BBQ night with our neighbors. But the task that sets me up for the week didn’t get done: grocery shopping. It was 10:00pm on Sunday night, and I sat in my pajamas at the computer…

The next afternoon, a green truck pulled up to our house in the pouring rain. We had just gotten home from the kids’ dentist after another packed day. When the delivery man brought bag after bag of fresh produce into the dining room, the kids went wild. “Look, strawberries!” “Mommy, I love green peppers!” It was great, and I didn’t have to drag three tired kids out in the rain to do my shopping. Now the fridge is full of everything I need for my gluten-free meal plan for this week and next, and I don’t need to go to the store for a while!

 My kids pointing to their favorite produce–click over if you’re in email.

A few weeks ago I attended a blogger tour at our local Peapod Delivery Warehouse in Maryland. I had used grocery delivery when I lived in California and was on bedrest during my twin pregnancy and thought that the prices were fine considering the convenience (more of a necessity considering our circumstances). I actually went to this event skeptical that someone like me (coupon-clipping, multiple-store-shopping) would use online grocery delivery…but I have to tell you–I’m sold. Not only do the drivers accept coupons when they deliver your order, but the weekly sales flyer is reflecting online, and they reward frequent customers with codes and free delivery. Just talking to the other blogging moms there, I was reminded that many families are even busier than we, and many moms can’t shop as I do. I needed that reality check. Back to the tour…

I loved the produce! My biggest complaint at the local grocery stores is the lousy produce. At Peapod, produce is kept at the correct temperature, and stays cold on its way to you, so the produce stays fresher longer. Tony, Peapod’s produce guru, gave a great tour and explained how the produce in stores is too warm, cutting hours and days off its freshness. I’ve also had trouble finding a good selection of organic fruit at my local stores without paying Whole Foods prices; online, you have a much larger selection. This is what I ordered the most of, to see if he was right, and my kids have been chomping on fruits and vegetables all week, as have I.

One of the features I like about the Peapod website is called Nutrifilter. If you have special dietary needs, such as peanut-free, gluten-free, low sodium, etc. you can set a filter so that when you search for foods it highlights those items which fit your category. I set my Nutrifilter to gluten-free, and it helped me find a safe soy sauce. I couldn’t believe how quickly I did my shopping, compared to my normal method of running from store to store buying loss leaders. It’s a great service for busy times of life so you can spend more time on yourself and your family. The website automatically saves your shopping lists, so you can use them again or edit as needed. You can order or edit an existing order up until 8:00pm the night before you’re scheduled for delivery.

You can check out Peapod on their Facebook page and Twitter account, where they announce special coupon codes and deals, and this summer they’re launching an App so you can just tap items into your shopping list the minute you remember them. Right now, Peapod is delivering to the Mid-Atlantic area, the Chicago area, and much of New England. Enter your zip code for more information. If you’re a Giant shopper in the Mid-Atlantic, you’ll also earn that .10 off gas by using your Bonus Card when you order.

If you’d like to give Peapod Delivery a try, you can use coupon code BLOG2010 to get $15 off your first order. This code is good through June 30th, and it will cover the delivery charge and more. I also received a flyer with my first order (where I used that code) which gives me FREE Delivery for the next 60 days on orders over $100, so it’s a great time to try out the service!

Disclosure: Along with the tour of the Peapod warehouse, I received lunch and a goody bag containing fruit and some logo swag such as a mug and a t-shirt.  Peapod also gave me a $50 gift card.  They did not ask me to write about my tour and the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Filed Under: GF, Smart Shopping

WFMW: Blogging Tips

May 19, 2010 By

For months I’ve been wanting to write a series of Blogging Tips, to cover topics I’m asked and emailed about all the time, but I just haven’t found the time. I think I’ll devote a bunch of Wednesdays to some quick snippets and call it Blogging Tips that Work for Me. Hopefully they’ll work for you too. Back when I did my reader survey (in January), it told me there were a LOT of bloggers who read MoneywiseMoms. Whether you’re writing a personal blog or are trying to make some money with your blog, hopefully you’ll find these tips helpful. And if you have questions, just leave them in the comments and we’ll help each other out. So here we go!


Tip #1 is….Use blog memes as accountability for yourself, both personally and professionally.

For example, each week I post my Meal Plan Monday, which means that I have to take time over the weekend to plan out the week’s meals and make a grocery list. I did this for over a year before I started blogging, but it wasn’t until I had the accountability of that Monday post that I did it regularly. And, without fail, if I don’t take the time to do the work, don’t put up the post, our meals are helter-skelter all week (usually ends in take out or something expensive and/or unhealthy).

When you make a regular post on your blog, not only does it keep you accountable, but your cheerleaders step up and encourage you (readers making comments). It helps keep you motivated and feels great. That’s why I’m telling you that I want to use WFMW to post these blogging tips (they’re just sitting here in a notebook!); it will keep me accountable and I have a small goal each week. If you need ideas for a meme, check out this huge list of blog memes. You’re sure to find one that matches your blog genre or writing style. You can set tiny goals for yourself personally–with cooking, organizing, or gardening–or choose one that helps you grow professionally in your posting and writing. You can also use blog memes to Increase Your Traffic/Subscribers.

What memes are you participating in?

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips (not just blogging–all types!), head over to We Are That Family.

Filed Under: Blogging, Making Money Tagged With: ,

Safeway this week 5/19

May 19, 2010 By

NOTE: Safeway deals are also applicable to their partner stores: Dominicks, Genuardis, Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb, Randalls, and Carrs.

I base my write-up on the Washington DC area weekly ad.

This may be the least sales-iest weekly ad in Safeway history, but the Cheerios price is good!

Cheerios and Honey Bunches of Oats are $1.99/box. There’s a printable coupon for .55 off Cheerios which will double at most stores, making them only .89/box for the 14oz size. That’s a good price!


Chobani Greek Yogurt is .99, and you can print a Buy 2, Get 1 Free coupon.

Edy’s Ice Cream is $2.49 with in-ad SuperCoupon, limit 3. Did you know many ice creams are gluten-free? Good to know…

Fresh Express Salads are $1.00/bag.

Lucerne Milk is $1.99/gallon. If you weren’t aware, Safeway store brand milk is rBST-free.

Lucerne Natural Cheese Slices are $1.99/pk with in-ad SuperCoupon, limit 3.

Get 2 FREE Boxes of Nabisco Snack Crackers when you buy 4 12-packs of Coke products at $2.79/each.

DiGiorno or California Pizza Kitchen Frozen Pizza is $3.99 each. There was a $1.00 off DiGiorno Deep Dish coupon in the 5/16 insert, and a $1.00 off CPK in the 5/2 insert.

Save $3 instantly when you buy any 3 participating Pillsbury products like Cinnamon Rolls and Cookie Dough. Look for the shelf tags in that section, and be sure to load your Shortcuts and Cellfire e-coupons as well as use any paper coupons you may have.

    You can get two $5 off $50 Safeway purchase coupons in your local Entertainment Book.

    Add E-coupons to your Safeway card three different ways at Shortcuts, Cellfire, and P&G eSaver. You can also print paper coupons or load them to your Club Card at Safeway.com. I have used manufacturer’s coupons on products and still seen the e-coupon savings appear on the receipt.

    For coupon matchups at stores nationwide, check out BeCentsAble’s Grocery Gathering. For the other Mid-Atlantic chains like Wegmans and Harris Teeter, head over to Mrs. Moneysaver.
     

    Filed Under: Store Deals Tagged With:

    Super Double Coupons at Harris Teeter

    May 19, 2010 By

    Harris Teeter is doing Super Double Coupons (doubling coupons up to $1.98 face value!) beginning today, May 10 and running through Tuesday, May 25th. The limit is 20 coupons per customer, per day. Learn more about their coupon policy and find your closest Harris Teeter store here. You’ll find a list of double coupon matchups at MrsMoneysaver. including these FREEbies:

      • Classico Pasta Sauce
      • Kashi Cereals
      • Red Baron Pizzas
      • Vitamin Water

      Filed Under: Smart Shopping

      Quick Note to Email Subscribers

      May 18, 2010 By

      The service that most bloggers use to automatically send out our email subscriptions has been having problems lately, one of which is that AOL or Prodigy users are not receiving our emails. If your email address is one of those, you may not be receiving your regular emails from places like your bank, retail stores, etc. I’m still here, and I’m still posting!

      Hopefully this is a temporary situation, but in the meantime, you have two options:

      1. Switch to a free email provider like Gmail or Hotmail, but you’ll have to resubscribe your new email address.
      2. Bookmark the blog and check in once in a while to see what’s new.

      Hope this helps you. Please let me know if you have questions. Thanks!

      Filed Under: Uncategorized

      Kids Clinic at Lowe’s: Catapult

      May 18, 2010 By

      This Saturday, May 22th from 10:00-11:00am, kids can make a Catapult at Lowe’s Build & Grow Clinic. Check with your local store for participation and be sure to register ahead of time.

      Lowe’s runs a great clinic. Not only do your kids get to make the project, but they also receive a free apron, pair of goggles, project-themed patch, and a merit certificate for each project. My son enjoys collecting the patches, and I’m guessing the Catapult will be one of his favorite projects–and one of my least!

      There are so many opportunities for FREE family fun on the weekends, which I love to share with you. If you haven’t yet, subscribe to Moneywise Moms via email or RSS Reader and get the posts delivered to you daily.

      Filed Under: Frugal Fun Tagged With: ,

      Meal Plan Monday: Trying Gluten-Free

      May 17, 2010 By


      It’s been a long time coming, but I need to do a little experiment with my diet–try gluten-free for a few weeks. I’ve done the elimination diet for dairy and other allergens, but never wheat/gluten. I’m curious to see if gluten-free helps, so I’m going to go strict for three weeks and see if it makes a difference. I’ve been putting it off because it’s intimidating to me, and I didn’t know how to deal with just grabbing something to eat as a snack/meal, etc. Yesterday I sat down and planned out a few weeks’ meals, and then my husband and I brainstormed snacks, breakfasts and lunches. I was really inspired by this post by Abbie at Organizing-Life; it spoke to where I am right now, both physically and mentally. I’ve been experimenting a bit with my allergy meds going into my yearly physical in June, and having tried a gluten-free diet for a bit will be another piece of data to share with my doctor at that visit.

      Luckily, a lot of our family favorite recipes happen to use rice, potatoes, etc. so I’m not trying a bunch of new recipes all of a sudden:

      Monday–Chicken, Peppers and Potatoes, frozen peas

      Tuesday–Pineapple Pork Chops, brown rice, green beans

      Wednesday--Mexican Breakfast Casserole, black beans

      Thursday–Chicken, quinoa (my kids like it!), broccoli

      Friday–Chicken & Brown Rice Casserole (we never got to try this last week because I missed the window on getting the crockpot going), salad

      Saturday–I’m going to Momz Share, a meet-up of local DC mom bloggers. Hubs is making hot dogs, corn on the cob and salad.

      For more meal plans, see the big linky at I’m an Organizing Junkie. For gluten-free recipes, head over to Simply Sugar & Gluten Free.

      Home Made Simple

      Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

      All You Grocery Challenge & Giveaway

      May 15, 2010 By

      Many of you already know how to save big while eating healthy as a family, and now you can be rewarded for doing so! Enter the 2nd Annual All You Grocery Challenge. I’ve highlighted the entry guidelines below, and I think you’ll like how doable this is. If you’re already spending less than the suggested amount for your family, you’re halfway there! If you’re not, this is a great time to take the Challenge and whittle your food budget down for the summer:

      Challenge Dates
      The Grocery Challenge starts on June 20 and ends on July 17. The deadline to join the Challenge is June 16th.

      Challenge Details 
      During each of the four weeks, you can spend no more than $25 per family member per week on groceries. You should not count household supplies or toiletries in your total, and it’s okay to grow your own food, barter, or use stockpiled items. More details are found in the FAQ.

      Track Your Spending
      When the challenge begins, you’ll receive an email from All You with a Spending Log to help you track your spending, since you’ll have to send in your results at the end of the Challenge. The Top Ten finalists will also need to submit their receipts, so hang on to them! Contestants are judged 50% on staying within the financial guidelines, 25% on creativity, and 25% on healthful choices.

      Prizes
      The winner will receive a $1,000 Grocery Card and appear in the November issue of All You Magazine. Two top finalists will each receive a $200 Grocery Card.

      Giveaway
      To get you excited about the Grocery Challenge, All You is offering one of my readers a 1-year subscription to All You Magazine. If you’re not familiar with All You, it’s one of my favorite women’s magazines for recipes, realistic fashion advice (meaning the models have my body type and not Gwyneth Paltrow’s), and high-value coupons. If you’re already a subscriber, you can give it as a gift or just extend your own subscription. You have four ways to enter the giveaway:

      • Leave a comment telling me one way you save money on groceries.
      • Go enter the All You Grocery Challenge, then leave a comment telling me you did.
      • Tweet this (just cut & paste it): Take the @AllYou Challenge at @MoneywiseMoms & enter to win a 1-year Mag Sub  http://tinyurl.com/allyousub Then leave another comment with your Twitter link.
      • Post a link to this post on your own Facebook page, and leave a comment with the link for me to see. Just say something like, “Learn how to save grocery money at Moneywise Moms” or “I want to win an All You subscription.” Thanks for sharing MoneywiseMoms with your friends!

      I’ll choose the winner of the magazine subscription on June 16th at 10:00pm EST using Random.org. US addresses only, please. If you’re reading this from an email subscription, you’ll need to click over to Moneywise Moms to enter. **This giveaway is closed. Jessica Kok is the winner! Jan–you don’t have an email on your profile, so please contact me!

      Disclosure:  This post contains a referral link from All You that enters me in a contest with other bloggers for a gift card.  The giveaway prize was provided by All You and I received no compensation.

      Filed Under: Giveaways

      Free Gardening Workshop at Home Depot

      May 14, 2010 By


      Home Depot is offering a Do-it-Herself Workshop on Thursday, June 3rd at 7:00pm. These are offered nationally, so register at your local Home Depot. This one, about Eco-Friendly Gardening, sounds great:

      • Learn how to plant and maintain an edible garden
      • Create raised garden beds that allow you to start with balanced soil, no matter what’s underneath – even cement
      • See the difference using rain barrels can make for your water usage
      • Learn all about composting to create endless nutrient-rich fertilizer

      This is right up my alley since I’ve started our Square Foot Garden and am only using organic materials. I still need to learn how to incorporate composting into my tiny kitchen.

      Just curious–are there any NoVA moms who’d like to meet up at this and have drinks/dessert afterward? I’m thinking either the Annandale or the one close to Fair Lakes? Leave me a comment or email me, and I’ll put it together.

      *Disclosure: This banner/link is served by Logical Media, of which I am an affiliate.

      Filed Under: Around the House Tagged With:

      Deal on Leapster Bundle

      May 13, 2010 By

      Leapfrog has a Make Your Own Bundle Sale running right now–and when you add a 25% off coupon code and 11% cash back from Ebates, it’s a great deal! If you’re looking for a Leapster system, this is a great price since the game system alone is usually $50-60 and the games can run anywhere from $10 with a good sale to $22 regularly-priced.

      With this deal, you’ll get the Leapster Game System, one accessory (carrying case, headphones, etc.), and your choice of 1-3 games. You get a 10, 15, or 20% discount depending on the number of games you choose, and if you choose three you’ll pay about $90 for the whole bundle and then get another $10 back from Ebates (plus another $5 if you’re a first-timer).

      Here’s how to make the deal work for you:

      1. Log in to your Ebates account. If you are a new Ebates member, you’ll also earn a $5 cash bonus when you complete this online purchase!
      2. Find Leapfrog.com using the search window on the front page. Then click “Shop Now” to open your tracking ticket; this is how Ebates tracks your purchase to award you 11% cash back.
      3.  On Leapfrog’s front page, scroll down to the bottom and click on the graphic that says, “Make Your Own Bundle.”
      4. Choose your Leapster system color (blue/green or pink/purple), then your games, and your accessory. I recommend the carrying case, but some parents like the headphones or charger.
      5. When you view your Cart, add the coupon code CONNECT25 to get another 25% off the entire purchase. You’ll also get FREE Shipping because your order is over $40. Complete your purchase, and within a day you’ll see 11% of your purchase (plus your $5 bonus if you’re a first-timer) credited to your Ebates account.

      If you’ve considered getting a Leapster System, $80 (after Ebates cash back) for the system, 3 games and an accessory is an amazing deal. Thanks so much to Robin for the email!

      *When you sign up with Ebates using my referral link and make a purchase of $20 or more, you earn a $5 bonus and so do I. Thanks for supporting Moneywise Moms!
      Filed Under: Smart Shopping Tagged With: ,
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