It has been awhile since I have done a Frugal Friday, but make no mistake I am always looking for a good deal. I had read a lot about people using cash back sites for online shopping, but although I do a lot of online shopping, I just never remembered to use any of them. But then ShopAtHome.com recently contacted me with a shopping challenge. Um, I’m sorry….did someone just CHALLENGE ME TO SHOP? Do you think it is possible for me to turn this into some sort of career?

I was given a $50 Target giftcard (shopping challenge AND Target, SQUEE!!) to see how far I could make it go using ShopAtHome.com. Their site offers coupon codes, free shipping codes as well as cash back on your purchases. It is super easy to navigate and find what you are looking for using the search function. Once you find the store you want, you simply click through the ShopAtHome.com link and begin shopping. Your cash back is credited to your account and will be cashed out once you hit $20.

In an effort to reign in the clutter monster that is constantly taking over our house, I purchased this ottoman:

I think it will also double as a “holy crap people are coming over and the house is a mess and I need someplace to pitch all this stuff” ottoman. Really, Target should consider calling it that. Cause I bet 90% of people are using it in that capacity.

I am so excited about the deal I got!! Normally the ottoman sells for $79.99, but it was on sale for $59. So right off the bat I have saved 26%. Then I got free shipping when I spend $50 on certain home decor. I can’t seem to figure out how much that saved me, but it weighs 33.5 pounds so I have to believe I saved a bundle. When I checked out, Target told me I had saved 34% so we will go with that. PLUS I get 5% back from ShopAtHome.com just for shopping. HOLLA!!

Do you want to take a shopping challenge? That is right, I have a $50 Target giftcard for you to give ShopAtHome.com a try. And I would like to talk a little smack and say that I don’t think you can beat my savings. Well, I guess you could shop clearance, but that seems unfair. So leave me a comment telling me why you need a Target giftcard and we will have a little throw down. Of course, the winner of the giftcard will be chosen at random, but the winner of the shop o’ thon will get bragging rights. Let’s see what you frugalistas got.

Winner will be chosen at random on Wed. Oct, 28th. Good luck!!

Disclosure: I was provided with a $50 Target giftcard in order to facilitate my review of ShopAtHome.com. The ability to shop like a rock star AND all opinions are mine.

   I have been waiting to write this post ever since I got my new washer and dryer. But of course it has taken until now for me to be ABLE to write this post. None of this makes any sense so let me back up.

WAY back in ye olden days when I had just one kiddo at home I went merrily along my way paying my water bill every month, paying little attention to what the amount was, just noting every month that it was about the same. Then baby #2 came along and several months after, my bill went up. By like $10 a month. Which isn’t a ton granted but I noticed the difference and called the water company. They asked me if I had added any people to the household. When I replied that I had they said that caused the discrepancy and it just took awhile for it to show up in the billing cycle. Although it doesn’t seem like it is THAT much different apparently each new person added means more laundry, dishes, etc. And even though that makes sense when your kid goes through 4 onesies a day because of various intestinal related blow outs, it doesn’t really ever go back down again. More people just equals more water.

So when Silas came along I waited for the water bill to go up. When my Frigidaire washer came I waited for the water bill to go down. You see they claim to use up to 82% less energy and 60% less water. Nothing happened so I assumed the cancelled each other out and was pretty happy about it because it seems to me all I do all day is dishes and laundry. Then again, a shower is rare so maybe that is where the grand savings is coming in.

But then, this month’s water bill came. And it has gone DOWN by $5 a billing cycle. Now you might scoff at $5, but recall I have added another human to the house. A boy human who seems to be a tad messier than I remember. Then again, I barely remember what I ate for dinner a few hours ago so who is to say. I expected my bill to go up, but instead it has gone down. And $5 a month equals $60 a year. Which equals a nice massage somewhere for this mama. And if my math is correct and it should have gone UP $10 as well, that equals $15 savings a month or $180 a year. And to me that equals a few pairs of shoes.

I am anxious to see what happens to our bill after summer when we do use water more cause of our lawn. Perhaps more massages and shoes are in my future…

This post was submitted to Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom.

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Washer/Dryer to facilitate my review. But the savings are mine all mine (shhh…don’t tell my hubby)

I have said it so many times I am like a broken record, but one of the best reasons to be frugal is because it allows you to have extra money to give back to those who have less than you. But I have the best kind of giving back opportunity EVAH. You get to give back to those who have less than you, but it doesn’t cost you a darn thing. How awesome is that?

My hubby and I (well mostly my hubby, but I am his arm candy) have had the opportunity to work with this a.maz.ing local organization called Kids Food Basket. In a nutshell, they provide food to kids who most likely aren’t getting it at home. The local school system is providing lunch and often breakfast, but then what. Well the founder discovered the “then what” and it was children digging through the dumpsters behind the school. Kids Food Basket was born.

Well Pepsi is giving away a whole bunch of money to different charities as part of their Pepsi Refresh program. And Kids Food Basket is in the running for a $50,000 grant that will provide FRESH fruits and veggies to the kids they serve. To say this is huge is an understatment. But here is the deal, the winner is chosen by vote. You can vote once a day two different ways. First, you can vote on the web at the Pepsi Refresh site. On the site, you can vote for up to 10 charities a day so poke around and see what else is out there. Just make sure to send one of those 10 votes our way. You can also vote by texting 101423 to 73774.

Again, you can do each thing once a day. For infinity. Ok, until the end of August. Yesterday Kids Food Basket was in 240th place. Today they are in 28th. Can you help me put them in first? We love this organization so much that tonight my dear hubby dressed up as a juice box and threw out the first pitch at the local minor league game. That is some serious love. If he can make a slight fool out of himself to help kids not go hungry, can you send a little text? Thanks so much for your help!!

photo courtesy of my lame phone

*this post is submitted to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom

   It is almost midnight and I just got home from an amazing event on the other side of the state where one of my favorite local organizations won the 2010 Governor’s Service Award for Outstanding Volunteer Program. My hubby just happens to be president of their board so he got to hang with the governor all evening. I was his arm candy. So congrats to Kid’s Food Basket and all their amazing volunteers.

Anyway, it is super late and I have no posts waiting in the wings so I thought I would instead let you read other people’s brilliant ideas and I can go to bed. It is a win-win. Well at least a win for me anyway. Hopefully you will find some good stuff as well. So here are some great outdoor summer fun activities I am looking forward to trying with my kids.

• Homemade Sidewalk Chalk from Petit Elefant
• Life-size Bubble Recipe from Petit Elefant
• Painting with Water from 4Tunate
• Everything from “2 Weeks of Summer Camp” at Impress Your Kids
• Totally ripping off my friend Parenting in Blue Jeans’ Summer Bucket List

What about you? What “frugal” things do you like to do in the summer?

This post is linked to Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom.

    Do you Groupon? It keep hearing and hearing and hearing about it. Unfortunately it hasn’t made it to Grand Rapids yet (lets make that happen shall we Groupon), but I am waiting for the moment when I can get a massage for pennies on the dollar. How about Seize the Deal? They are supposed to be “coming soon” as well. Come on people, mama needs a massage!! Thankfully we have Hop In Deals although I haven’t found any massages yet.

Basically these all work in a similar way. There is a deal of the day that is at an incredible discount. The way these companies negotiate the discount is by promising the merchant that a minimum number of people will sign up. You sign up if you want the deal and if enough other people sign up, it is yours. The minimum isn’t reached? The deal is off.

I have seen deals for restaurants, dental work, hair salons, and yes, massages. It is a great way to save money on things you would do anyway or maybe a way to treat yourself to something special (like a massage- are you sensing a theme?). Even if you don’t see your cities listed, get signed up through the links above. That way you will be the first on the list to get deals when they come to your city?

Have you tried any of these sites for deals?

For more frugal tips, head over to Life As Mom.

It is really weird cause it seems like my World Vision trip was so long ago. I really hate how easily I have slipped back into my middle class American existence. I still think of my World Vision kids every day. One’s picture is on my fridge. Another is my screen saver and my Twitter ID. They also slip into my mind every time I find myself moaning about the fact that it is hot out or that my dryer is on the fritz. Thankfully I often catch myself mid-moan and remember how most of the world is living.

I mentioned when I was down in the Dominican Republic how amazing the work that World Vision is doing in teaching job skills to people, especially women. Many housewives who were relying on their husband’s unreliable source of income suddenly have the ability to start businesses that will provide steady income to their families. This is especially important as we kept hearing story after story of husbands who had abandoned their families for various reasons. World Vision’s whole philosophy rests on the age old wisdom that instead of providing man with a fish they should teach them how to fish.

I cannot tell you how much I love, love, love that philosophy. Not to get off on a political rant, but giving handout after handout so often keeps people in the cycle of poverty. And World Vision believes so strongly that this is NOT the way to solve global poverty. Here is a statement from their microfinance website:

“Small loans by themselves are not enough to end global poverty. But when these small loans are interwoven with other poverty-fighting efforts like clean water, health, and education, the result is a world-class approach to community development.”

I saw this philosophy in action. I tasted it in the cookies one group made for us as they learned about baking and cake decorating. I saw it in the faces of women beaming with pride as they showed us their purses and bedspreads they had sewn. I heard it in the pride in their voices when they talked about their beauty salons that had started out in their front room and expanded to a store front all done with microloans. It is amazing what is being done with small gifts invested in someone’s dream of a better future for their family.

So maybe you read about my trip and thought that it was great and all, but you just weren’t up for making a monthly commitment. You can still make a huge difference in the life of a family half way around the world. Head over to their microfinance page and you can browse through entrepreneurs and help to underwrite his or her loan. You can search by business type, gender, loan amount and countries. This is a new site so only a few countries are represented. Unfortunately the Dominican Republic isn’t on there, but I am hoping as the site grows it will be added. Once you fund a loan you will receive updates on how your shared business is growing. And once it is repaid (the current repayment rate is 98.7%), your donation recycles over and over again to help more entrepreneurs in the same country.

The minimum donation is $25. I think that is a pretty frugal way to invest in an entire community’s future. Need more inspiration? Check out these success stories. Or if you feel so led, change the life of a child through sponsorship. I know for a fact your life will be changed as well.