Chicken for Months

It really does pay to check out the grocery circulars....even the ones you don't shop. Last Sunday I just happened to check out the Publix paper. I normally don't shop them because they're usually more expensive on a lot of things. However, I did notice they were going to have chicken leg quarters for .59 lb. Now that's just crazy unheard of! It did take me all week, but I finally made my special trip today. I got 25 lbs of chicken (give or take some .ozs) for $14.97. I portioned them off into meals and put them in the big freezer. Woo hoo! I guess now I'm just going to have to find more recipes lol.

Frugal Travel

I don't know if you've noticed...but it's expensive as all get out to travel these days! DH and I haven't had a vacation since our honeymoon so we decided we were going to do something for Valentine's Day. I thought about it and thought about it. Then it came to me. DH's parents live out of state but are only like 2 hours away. We live in Georgia they live in South Carolina. They don't get to see DS as often as we/they would like. So, I thought maybe we could take the weekend to stay in the city (Greenville) while DS stays with the grandparents. That would be great, close, and cheap! Well....I thought cheap. The hotels are super nice which equals super expensive. One hotel was $189 a night...of course it was a 4-star and I found that on Orbitz! There was no way I was even going to think about paying that kind of money!

In comes Priceline.com Priceline has a great concept! However,in the past, I've been scared of Priceline only because once you name your price it will find who will accept it, go ahead and charge you, and you won't know the specifics on what you're getting until it's too late. I have now found a solution to this problem. I'm just sad I didn't find it sooner. There is this site called www.biddingfortravel.com . It is a forum where your fellow person posts what deals they got accepted on Priceline. So now, you know what ballpark to be placing your bids. You don't want to pay too much. It also educates you in naming prices for airline tickets and car rentals. Also, when looking for hotels, it will tell you in what city what hotels are shopped and how many stars they have. What a great idea! That takes away some of the apprehension of shopping with Priceline.

So, now knowing what hotels were going to be shopped, I went ahead and placed a bid in the 3.5-4 star categories. I was able to get a 3.5 star hotel for $50 a night over Valentine's Day weekend! I went to the hotel's website and the normal price is $109...so that's about 50% off! I am so stoked that we will get a weekend in the city and be grownups! I have been told that you can get some great car rentals from Priceline too. It's worth checking out!

Of course, me, I would bid low. The worse they can say is no. Oh yeah, and if they can't find you what you need at the price you bid, your card isn't charged.

WANTED: A Few Good Bloggers REWARD!!

Have you ever held or attended a home show party? You know, where either makeup, jewelry, handbags ect were sold? Those parties can be a lot of fun and rewarding for the hostess! However in some cases it can be a burden with clearing out your schedule, cleaning the house, getting snacks to serve...the whole nine yards.

I was trying to think out of the box for a solution to where one could host a party, get rewarded, but not really have to do a lot of work. Ah ha! How about using your blog to advertise a web show? In essence, all that would need to be done is a blog post advertising the "party" and your regular site visitors could be your guests. Then once they placed an order through my website they could leave a comment on your page saying so and you would get credit. So it'd kinda be like having a party on your blog. Ooooh this sounds like it could be interesting! I mean, there's nothing more frugal than getting free stuff for almost doing nothing.

So this is what I threw together:

Mary Kay Web Show

Here is a fun and easy way to earn free product:

Host a Mary Kay Web Show.

Just ask your friends to go to http://www.marykay.com/rebecca.sprouse on the date you specify, and for 48 hours, they can shop away (website has secure server and accepts credit card orders)!! Your guests’ orders will be processed and shipped by me. All they have to do is leave a message in your comments saying they placed an order so you'll get credit for the sale.

Hostess Credit

20% in FREE PRODUCT for all Website orders received

PLUS…..

An extra surprise bonus with at least one booking and $200 in total sales from your Web Show!

Guest Benefits

Your guests will receive:

· Free Shipping PLUS A Free Gift

· The opportunity for a free virtual makeover

· An additional special gift if their orders is over $40

· Mary Kay Hostess rewards when they book their own Web show.

· The opportunity to have their very own Personal Beauty Consultant

What a fantastic way to earn what’s been on your wish list or find that perfect gift for someone special!!

My website does have a secure server to accept credit card/debit card orders so I never see anyone's credit info. Also, if a buyer would like to pay via Paypal they may as well. Just during checkout they would click the "contact me for payment" and I can send them a Paypal invoice.

If you'd be interested in this, please email me at rebecca (dot) sprouse (at) gmail (dot) com

So, whattcha think?

Frugal With Time - Good Job Cleaning

The house was overdue for a good cleaning. Our dog had puppies and we are down to only three counting her. One we're keeping and the other has been very ill. She's getting better but that's another post. Anyways, my house smelled like dog and it was waaaaaay overdue. So, this weekend I took on the super deep cleaning.

I did all of the usual. Picked up, vacuumed, cleaned bathrooms, and did excessive amounts of laundry. I then brought out the steam cleaner. I HEART my steam cleaner! I actually got it from our AMEX points so I didn't have to come out of pocket for anything. I got the Bissell that has the spinning brushes.....LOVE IT. It really does get the floor clean.

Anyways, after getting the whole house it was time to mop the kitchen. I really do despise mopping the kitchen. We have ceramic tile and I hate hate HATE the grout! I stopped, and thought to myself..."I wonder if I could mop the floor with the steam cleaner?" So I did. Surprisingly, my floor is spotless. The spinning brushes really did a better job than any mop could. Plus, my back wasn't hurting! That was just a plus in itself. For this experiment, I did just use the carpet cleaner, but it was the antibacterial pet kind. I'm contemplating using either a white vinegar solution (1/2 white vinegar 1/2 water) next time (since I know it's safe with carpet cleaners) or do some research into using up the remainder of the Lysol solution I have. I'm thinking if I put the water in the tank first then put the Lysol in last, it might not foam up too bad. We'll see. I'll probably just end up using the vinegar.

Using the steam cleaner also ended up being a huge time saver! Since it sucks up the water, the drying time for the floor was cut in half! Plus all I had to do was push the cleaner back and forth it did the work for me. Since this cleaning was just an experiment, I think next time I'm going to use grout cleaner. I think I'll put it in a spray bottle, spray the grout, then have the steam cleaner come scrub it and suck up the residue.

Free Diet Dr. Pepper

Came across this offer this morning. You can select to receive either a coupon for 1 free 20 oz Diet Dr. Pepper or 1 2 liter.

Click Here

Urban Naturals Giveaway

Here recently, Jennifer over at Urban Naturals gave me a chance to review some of their all natural products. I was able to try out a facial bar soap, a lotion bar, some lip gloss, and some bar soap that promised to help eczema. Oh my God, talk about some great products that really delivered! I couldn't believe how great these products really were!

DS has some pretty bad eczema. I was all for the chance to review a product that would help it out. We have tried so many products that it's not even funny. The eczema bar soap (called Jonathon's Tangerine Creme Cookie) really did help DS' skin to start to look better. It's starting to lose the roughness. We're really hoping the continued use will help it go away *crossing fingers*.

Like many of you, I am very cautious as to what I put on my face. I'm constantly in front of people at work, and I just don't have the time for breakouts or allergic reactions. The facial bar soap from Urban Naturals was totally awesome. My face really felt clean! The soap did not dry out my skin or leave a film.

I thought the lotion bar was such a neat concept! It was a literal bar that you rubbed between your hands. The friction from your hands melted the lotion just enough to go on to your hands. It stays a solid. Before I could use it, my husband actually snatched it from me and took it to work with him. He thought it was a great idea because he could keep his hands from drying out without losing that masculinity. He said he was able to use it at work without catching flack from the guys. I'll probably end up buying another one so I can have one in my purse.

Oh and I can't forget about the lip balm. I am a snob when it comes to lip balm. That could be because I am a lip balm addict and I have like a million tubes all over the place. Needless to say, I've tried a lot of different brands. I have to say, this stuff was awesome. Never mind the fact I have a million tubes of other brands....this cherry vanilla tube was in my pocket at all times. I used this stuff over and over again! It had a very nice, smooth feel to it....not greasy and my lips feel great!

Frugally speaking, Urban Naturals' products are priced right as far as all natural products go. Using all natural products shouldn't break the bank and Urban Naturals understands that. What's so frugally great is the fact that bar soaps do last longer than liquid making these a greater choice! You should really check them out! Your skin will thank you! Also, make sure you keep checking back to their website. Their new liquid lotion will be debuting soon!

Oh yeah, Valentines Day is coming up! What could make a better gift than an all natural gift basket!

Urban Naturals Giveaway

Urban Naturals wants to give you a chance to try out their super great products. This giveaway will include:

2oz peppermint pumice
2oz facial bar
2oz baby soap
1 lotion bar
1oz healing balm
1 tube of lip balm.

So how do you win this awesomeness?

Go to www.urbannaturals.net. Look it over, come back here, and leave a comment telling me which product you like the most.

For Extra Enteries You May:

Follow My Blog
Follow me on Twitter (copperbrickroad)
ReTweet this contest on Twitter (@copperbrickroad)(Once per day)

**Make sure to leave a seperate comment for each entry to maximize chances of winning.**

One winner will be selected randomly using Random.org.

This contest starts today and will end on 2/2 at 11:00pm EST.

----------------------------

There was no monetary compensation received for this review.
I received Urban Naturals soap for the sake of completing this review.
Receipt of these did not sway my opinion.

---------------------------

New Me Challenge Weeks 1/11-1/25

I have been having to go out of town the past couple of weekends so I was prevented from posting my New Me Challenge. Sorry about that.

So far so good I think. I've been using the Wii Fit and walking and I even got a really good cleaning session in tonight. I'm actually kind of sore. I have notice my portion sizes have gotten smaller....I'm feeling full faster which I find a significant plus. I am having a problem though. Giving up the Cokes is proving not to be as successful. I keep coming back to them. Probably because it's super convenient at work. I am however only sipping on 1 throughout the day so I guess it could be worse.

I still haven't weighed myself. I have noticed my stomach is looking like it's losing inches however in my thighs it does not. Not really sure what's going on there. Course, I could just be being self conscious. I've always had the thunder thighs.

Smart Shopper Giveaway Winner

Congrats to CVSer in training! She won the Smart Shopper!
No worries if you didn't win, I will be posting a new giveaway here soon!

OMG I Won An Award!

I was so excited to receive the "Your Blog Is Fabulous" award! That really was a big deal to me. A tremendous thank you goes out to the Grocery Price Blog! Thank you so much!

Okay here’s how the Award works:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which you think are fabulous.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Now for the ten Blogs that I think that are fabulous this is really hard there are so many

1 Just Jingle
2. I Pick Up Pennies
3. Be Different Act Normal
4. For The Love of Cooking
5. Baby Cheapskate
6. Hot Chocolate, Caramel, Mocha
7. Just Wee Moms
8. Organize With Sandy
9. The Frugalicious Mommy
10. Prudence Pennywise

Great Book For Bloggers!

Recently Angie at the BlogCoach Community gave me the opportunity to review The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging which was written by the editors of The Huffington Post. If you've never heard of the Huffington Post, they give a background on the site in the book. The site has several celebrity bloggers I never knew even blogged (i.e Jamie Lee Curtis, Harry Shearer). I am so glad I got the chance to read it! It was a very educational book! I got soooo much from it!

I am not lying to you whenever I say this book should be the bible to the blogging movement. The first night I got it, I read half way through and actually had to email Angie to tell her that. As a relatively new blogger I certainly appreciated the light wit and the easy-to-understand wording. I mean, as I was reading, I felt like someone had sat me down and was talking me through it step by step. When defining technical terms, I really grasped what they were saying. I do have to admit, when I received the book and saw the front cover, I was really thinking the book was going to have more of that encyclopedia tone. You know, big words and a systematic way of talking. That just goes to show you really can't judge a book by its cover.

The book covers everything! It covers the history of blogs, starting up a blog (finding a subject), how to blog, how blogging works, how to attract more visitors, optimizing your blog for search engines, using sharing tools, how to make money with your blog, and so much more (yes, really...a lot more!). Now I'm being generic here so I don't ruin it for you, but I mean they get really specific like: describing the differences between the blogging sites (i.e Wordpress, Blogger) and about how important it is to have a personality in your writing…just to name two subjects. It was funny how as I was reading I had to grab my laptop and go to the sites they were naming. I'm such a nerd!

Now I know some of you regulars are reading this and saying, "Well, I know all of that." I am telling you though, it is worth everyone's reading. There is always room for improvement and the tips they offer you (especially their guide regarding comments) is really worth it. I mean, you've got editors from a pretty successful blogging site telling you what's worked for them. This book now sits next to my computer as a source of reference. It really is a book you can continue to look back to.

All in all, like I've been saying all along, it truly is an awesome book. It isn't expensive; however it truly is rich in information.

----------------------------

There was no monetary compensation received for this review.
I received a copy of this book for the sake of completing this review.
Receipt of this did not sway my opinion.

---------------------------

TJ Maxx to Offer 15% Off Thursday 1/22

Due to the 2006 security breech and as part of TJ Maxx's settlement, tomorrow, January 22nd is Customer Appreciation Day at TJ Maxx. You will receive 15% off! This is good on clearance items and it does not matter if you were/weren't effected back in 2006. It applies to all shoppers. There are no exclusions and it will be offered nationwide. No coupons are needed. Oh yeah and this also includes Marshalls, Homegoods, and AJ Wright stores too!

New Development

I am a firm supporter of Mompreneurs! When shopping online for things, I always try to find a mom who has what I'm looking for whether it be Ebay, Etsy, or their own personal website. I want to do my part because I feel as mommies we should stick together and help each other make it work for our individual families. In essence, we are a union.

I'm sooo jealous of you Mompreneurs. I want to be like y'all!

For New Years I didn't make a resolution, but rather, I made a request of myself. I asked myself to make a tremendous effort this year to get closer to staying at home with DS. As much as I do love my job, there isn't an opportunity (in the current position I'm in) to do it from home. As cheesy as it may sound, I miss my son sooo much while I'm at work. I know that people work in tougher situations than I'm in...but those 8 hour work days at up. I've been working since he was 6 weeks old and I haven't stopped. I feel like I've missed so much! Having that said, I'd been thinking of things I could do. My mommy gene hasn't kicked in yet, so I haven't figured out how to use my sewing machine, I haven't figured out how to make pretty scrapbooks, and I haven't figured out how to make one outstanding looking home. So that kind of scraped all of those options. What to do?

I finally came across a long standing company: Mary Kay. I'm sure all of you know of it and either know or known someone who's sold it. After looking over their products and their webpage, I saw they have a Beauty On A Budget campaign. It was like that spoke to me. You know I talk and talk about saving money. What would be better than selling a high quality product at budget wise prices? Totally excited about it, I spoke to a director about it and it seemed like a good fit for me. Especially right now, since I still do have to work until I have establish enough clientele to stay home. Mary Kay offers online ordering which I think is awesome.

I'm excited I have taken a step in the right direction. Like I said, I think this will be a good fit for me so we'll see how it goes. I would sincerely appreciate the word passed around so I can get this baby off the ground for the greater good (staying home with DS).

If you would be interested in looking at the extensive line of Mary Kay Products and to look over the Beauty on a Budget, please click here or click on the link in the left column underneath my followers! For an added bonus, all shipping (no matter the total) will be free.

Thank you for your support and reading my rant! :)

New Layout

So I guess you might have been taken aback by my new layout. I totally loooooooooove it! Vanessa from Paperback Designs put it together for me and it was extremely affordable! She was great to work with and she did everything including implementing it! I couldn't believe it! I would sincerely recommend her to anyone who was looking for a new layout. I hope y'all enjoy the new site as much as I do!

New Coach Bag Giveaway

Angie over at 5 Vinez Monkeys is giving away an authentic Coach bag. I thought that was super nice of her!

Anyways, I wanted to post why I feel I need a new, free, Coach bag. I have explained that since I am a frugal mommy, I have never indulged myself ever in the history of my life with something so extravagant. Right now, I'm not carrying a purse. I'm not carrying one, partially because I don't have one nice enough to carry to work and partially because I'm using a diaper bag when I'm not at work. Just a wallet for me here. I don't have a nasty purse to show you. However, I do have the reason why I don't have a Coach bag. You ready?There's your reason right there and I wouldn't change one thing. Thanks for the chance to win Angie!

The Smart Shopper Giveaway (CLOSED)

When I saw this product I just knew I must have it. It is the coolest most helpful gadget!

The most frugal way to shop is of course with a list. If you have a list you're less likely to stray towards impulse items and less likely to forget something. The SmartShopper takes list making to the next level. Upon the push of a button, you tell it what you need, it will search its pre-programmed data base for that product, and then put it on your list. Of course if you're buying an obscure item, you can voice program it in so no worries. You can also tell the SuperShopper if you have a coupon for that item. So now, there's no more forgetting about your coupons! Oh yeah, and you can tell it what errands you need to run as well. Once it's time to go out, you just hit the print button and out comes your list...but WAIT...that's not all it did. When you look at the list, you'll notice your items have been broken up into categories such as errands, packaged meat, breads, ect. It has also marked which items you have coupons for. How cool is that!? The printer does not require ink. You'll only have to buy extra thermal paper after you run out of the 3 rolls that are already included. The SmartShopper includes wall mounting screws. However, it is light enough to mount on the fridge. I had some thin, large sticker magnets I just peeled and stuck on the back of it. It's in a central location so when I open the fridge and see we're out of something, it's right there. For a demo, click here. For the SuperShopper website, click here.

Recently, I sat in on a sales presentation for grocery cart advertisements. You know, the ones that go on the front end of the cart? One of our agents wanted me to listen and see what I thought. Being my first grocery cart ad presentation, there were a lot of statistics regarding grocery shopping that I was completely oblivious to. One that stuck in my head was that the average person/family, goes to the grocery store 3-4 times a week. Wha?! 3-4 times A WEEK?!? I actually had to stop the man to ask if he was saying that right. I was just floored. If you are one of these people, you REALLY need to get this product. I mean, think of how much gas and time is wasted going back and forth to the store. The money saved by buying this product would totally exceed the price paid out for it.

I would like to share this awesomeness with one of my readers (I will even throw in the magnets). I am going to start the contest today and end it on Saturday 1/24 at 11pm EST.

To enter:

Leave a comment telling me how the SmartShopper would improve your life.

For Extra Enteries You May:

Follow My Blog
Follow me on Twitter (copperbrickroad)
ReTweet this contest on Twitter (@copperbrickroad)(Once per day)

**Make sure to leave a seperate comment for each one to maximize chances of winning.**

One winner will be selected randomly using Random.org.

----------------------------

There was no monetary compensation received for this review.
I received a Smart Shopper for the sake of completing this review.
Receipt of this did not sway my opinion.

---------------------------

Leg Huggers

Recently, I got the chance to review Leg Huggers' bamboo leggings. When I first heard about these I was disappointed to hear they were only available for lil' girls (very cute designs by the way). I thought these were a great concept and would be just as great for lil' boys. I voiced my concern to Leg Huggers and I volunteered my son to be the boy guinea pig. DH, however, was not so excited to see DS walking around in these butterfly print leggings. After explaining to him what I was hoping the greater good would be, he agreed only if I promised not to take DS in public with them on and if I took any pictures, there couldn't be any including DS' face. It wasn't the concept of the leggings it's just DH is waaaaaay to macho to be having his son wear butterflies. For me, I just wanted the kid's legs warm I didn't care what was on 'em. I did however think it was absolutely hilarious. I was laughing at him the whole time.

So, here we are. My son who is actively potty training has used these leggings. Talk about super easy. As you may already know, if you've potty trained before, time is of the essence. When they've gotta go, they've gotta go. These Leg Huggers make it so much easier and minimize the accidents. There are no pants you have to fight to get off. DS had no problems wearing them. His legs stayed very warm. I loved these leggings!! In the end DH was amazed on how well the leggings worked. However, he's asking for a Spiderman pattern.

In addition to the visible benefits, they also wick away moisture, protect against UV rays, resist odor, are antibacterial, and do not contain and pesticides or chemicals. Hopefully Leg Huggers will soon start to make boy prints. If they do, you can bet I'll be buying more. For right now, I highly recommend these to that lil' girl in your life!

Leg Huggers is offering my readers a 10% discount off these great lil' bamboo leggings by using promo code momleg10 (Good Thru 3/1/09). You may purchase through their website: www.LegHuggers.com



Update: I was contacted by Leg Huggers letting me know that they will be releasing 12 new prints here soon and 6 will be for boys. Yay!!

----------------------------

There was no monetary compensation received for this review.
I received a pair Leg Huggers for the sake of completing this review.
Receipt of these did not sway my opinion.

---------------------------

Sales I Came Across 1/16

Just some sales I came across this morning.

Wilson's Leather is having an extra 70% off their clearance. This includes jackets, and accessories including handbags so you may wanna check that out. I did see some nice stuff.

EToys is having 50% off sale items. Use promo code EKNCPNJ4 I'm not exactly sure what all items this applies too. However, I was able to find the Leap Frog Tag Reading System for $25 after discount. (I bought the books to go with it from Amazon. $13.99 and free shipping over $25 so that's like 2 books.)

If you like sausage, Hickory Farms is having 75% off everything on their site. You can get an additional 15% off with coupon code SIZZLE

Keeping the Kids Safe for Free

It was too cute. DH came to me and wanted to add something to the blog. He's our tech guru at our house and he wanted to share something with you mommies. Now we all know what a wonderful blessing the internet can be and we also know what a hazard it can be as well. There's a million and one products out on the market right now that either monitor or change settings on your computer for you to keep those hazards away from your children. Of course those products do come at a premium. However, DH brought up the website www.opendns.com . With this website it gives you step by step (including picture tutorials) on how to change your DNS settings so that you may filter out the following for FREE:

Web Content Filtering Categories:

Adult Themes
Adware
Alcohol
Auctions
Automotive
Blogs
Business Services
Chat
Classifieds
Dating
Drugs
Ecommerce/Shopping
Educational Institutions
File storage
Financial institutions
Forums/Message boards
Gambling
Games

Government
Hate/Discrimination
Health
Humor
Instant messaging
Jobs/Employment
Lingerie/Bikini
Movies
Music
News/Media
Non-profits
Nudity
P2P/File sharing
Parked Domains
Phishing
Photo sharing
Podcasts
Politics
Pornography
Portals

Proxy/Anonymizer
Radio
Religious
Research/Reference
Search engines
Sexuality
Social networking
Software/Technology
Sports
Tasteless
Television
Travel
Video sharing
Visual search engines
Weapons
Webmail

Now I know what you're saying as you're reading this...because I said the same thing to DH. "That sounds really difficult...I'd be scared I'd mess something up". DH assured me that it was super simple and that the picture tutorials really helped.

All you have to do was change your settings, make an account with OpenDNS, and simply control your settings from your dashboard. Upon my further research, it OpenDNS did not look as intimidating as once thought. A super plus is that OpenDNS also offers free Webinars to learn more about the system. As far as reputation goes, OpenDNS is partners with NetGear which is a very reputable router/computer product company. I really think it's worth checking out...if not for your family do it for DH so he feels like he really contributed. :D

Cheap, Baby!

I received an invitation to baby shower the other day. The baby shower was for one of DH's further down the line cousins that I have met like once. Her baby is due 2/16. I knew we weren't going to able to make it but felt like I needed to get a gift. This situation makes getting a gift kind of awkward because you're not really sure how much to spend and of course in this situation her registry was shock filled full of the expensive stuff. What's a girl to do?

I consider Children's Place more of an upper scale children's store only because a majority of their items are pretty pricey considering how hard a child (my child) works their clothing. However, when their clothing goes into clearance, you can find some pretty good deals. In this baby situation, I pulled up the Children's Place website. Sure enough newborn winter stuff was on clearance. So, I bought the following items:


Velour Hat Normally $3.50 Sale Price $1.39
Bib (Don't worry I got blue) Normally $3.50 Sale Price $1.39
Velour Shirt Normally $9.50 Sale Price $3.49
Velour Pants Normally $9.50 Sale Price $3.49
2 Pack Socks Normally $3.50 Sale Price $1.39


Velour Blanket Normally $12.50 Sale Price $5.59

I also found a promo code for 10% off NEXTJ78

Total price normally $42. My price with all discounts $ 15.06.

Of course shipping was $5 however I did take advantage of the clearance and found 3 pairs of cargo shorts ($6.29 ea) and 3 t-shirts ($3.14 ea) for spring for DS. Couldn't understand why they were on clearance. So I ended up getting an extra $1.38 back from Ebates. They give back 3% cash on Children's Place orders. Not much, but hey, it adds up.

So I ended up getting DH's cousin some pretty nice practical stuff and she'll never be the wiser it was all on clearance. So in the end, what was the point I was trying to get across? Always shop clearance first! I have noticed that websites will put their stuff on clearance way before the store will. Walmart is very true about this. So look it over, you never know what you'll find.

Only Good 1/14 - Free Bottle of Suave!

Hey y'all need to take advantage of this today! You can get a coupon for a free bottle of Suave Shampoo, Conditioner, Hair Spray, Body Wash or Body Lotion....your choice but you must sign up today 1/14! Just sign up at this link and they will mail you a coupon to redeem for one of their products up to $3. You have until Feb. 28, 2009 to use your coupon and it should arrive in your mailbox in 2 to 4 weeks.

Free Open Source Programs for Windows Users

Unfortunately, this list is isolated to PC users (Sorry Macs). I came across a very long list of free open sourced programs for the Windows platform. These programs are free to use and don't require any licensing.

The list covers programs from chat clients to mp3 managing software to podcasting and even graphics editing plus much more! The biggest name on this list is Open Office. If you've never heard of it, Open Office's series of programs are similar to Microsoft Office. So, if you don't have Microsoft Office, you don't have to fret when someone sends you a Word file. Just download this Open Office and it will open the Word file for you.

This is a great list and fits just about anything you may need. You may see the list here

The Pot-Tee Prize Potty Training System

We are currently trudging the uphill battle of potty training DS. If you are currently enduring this or have been there before, you understand how difficult and trying it can be. I recently got the chance to review the Pot-Tee Prize Potty Training System.

The Original Pot-Tee Prize Grab Bag gives you all the tools you’ll need to easily and effectively potty train your child in one convenient, cheerful package. Naturally, this critical step in your child’s early development can be stressful and time consuming. Our system adds structure to the potty training process creating a positive and memorable experience for you and your little squirt.

Whimsical Sticker Chart and Matching Stickers
Let your child select a sticker or a prize each time they use the potty, or you may want to offer a prize after every 3 stickers or so.

Guide
Filled with proven facts to help ease you and your child through the transition from diapers to undies.

Diploma
Every graduation deserves a diploma and graduation from diapers to underpants does, too!

Pot-Tee Prizes
A variety of fun reward prizes in a canvas bag to delight your child and positively reinforce their appropriate behavior.

It really couldn't have happened at a better time! This system has significantly helped DS! He actually wants to go potty now rather than me begging or forcing him to go. Having that said, this system has proved to be a real time saver (not having to sit around begging and waiting) and that's really important to me being a busy mom. The purpose of this product is to use positive reinforcement in the form of a prizes to increase your child's pottying. The Pot-Tee Prize Potty Training System is really such a great concept! Of course, I'm all for something that will encourage the pottying. The sooner we get rid of the Pull-ups the better!

The grab bag includes many different prizes that DS has loved! I hang the grab bag on the back of the bathroom door so when it is closed, DS can see it as an added motivation. After he potties, I usually treat it as a secret where he has to reach his hand in and grab something without looking at it. He loves this approach! We also use the sticker chart as well. I allow DS to place the stickers on it. He looooooves stickers! So this in itself is great!

If you're currently potty training or soon will be, I highly recommend you get this system! You may purchase The Pot-Tee Prize Potty Training System through their website. As an added bonus, my readers will receive a $5 off discount by entering promo code MWS.

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There was no monetary compensation received for this review.
I received the training system for the sake of completing this review.
Receipt of this did not sway my opinion.

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Super Good Deals!

Just a couple of deals I came across:

Select Comfort (The folks who make the Sleep Number Beds) are selling His and Hers robe sets. They normally cost $179.99 but they have them on sale for $29.99+$6.95 shipping. Click here

You better believe I got me a set!

Need a nice backpack? Rei has their Traverse Daypack on sale. These normally cost $69.50 however it's on sale for $19.83. Click here. You can do free ship to store or pay for shipping.

Rei also has their Orage Nadine Jacket on sale. Normal price: $110 Sales price: $31.83 click here

Shoes.com is having a sale of up to 60% off and then with promo code entshoes09 you can get an additional 20% off. I searched through and saw several pairs of cute shoes under $25

Just came across these this evening and thought I would share.

New Me Challenge Week of 1/5-11/11

I am making small changes instead of making huge ones I know I won't be able to keep. I have increased my snacking at work so I'm not just eating breakfast and lunch. For my snacking, I went to Aldi and got carrot sticks, low-fat ranch dressing, and caramel rice cakes. I'll tell ya what, I am pleasantly surprised on how the rice cakes tasted. To me, they kind of taste like honey comb cereal. At 50 calories a piece, I can deal with that. Every time I feel myself getting hungry I snack on these. I am slowing making my portions smaller and I am trying my hardest to only have one serving. I have also been looking for low calorie meal ideas so I am really trying to work on that. Also, I have been using Splenda more in the cooking.

As far as exercising goes, I have been walking and I did get DH to go out walking with me which was a significant plus. I have been working on the Wii Fit. I just got My Fitness Coach but I haven't gotten to try it out yet. When I post next week I'll let you know how it went.

Everything is going so, so....nothing really significant to report yet. I haven't decided how I'm going to weigh myself yet. I don't think I wanna do it on a weekly scale. Maybe monthly?

Winner Chosen for the Sapphire Earring Giveaway!

Congratulations to 60-60!

I will be posting several other giveaways including another jewelry giveaway!

Thank you to all who entered!

Parent Reviewers

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies

I was doing my daily read of all the blogs I follow (yes I do read them) and I came across the Be Different...Act Normal blog. She had posted another blog that had all of these recipes posted for homemade Girl Scout cookies. I just had to share them with you just in case you don't follow them.

Do you even know how wrong this is? I mean, aside from being totally frugal....Girl Scout cookies are the best and if you read my previous posts, I am trying to lose weight! Arg! This really has become a common theme though. As I'm restructuring my eating, I'm finding that I'm looking at more food blogs. Ha! Smart huh? In my defense however, the food blog surfing started when I was trying to find low calorie recipes.

While I deal with my issues, go check out the cookies here. *Thinking out loud* Hmm...maybe it'd be ok if I used Splenda and other low calorie ingredients.

My Favs

Attention Etsy Sellers & Mompreneurs

If you have a product to sell that you would like more publicity on, please contact me. I'd love to do a review and a giveaway for your product. As you may already know, word of mouth advertising is often the cheapest and most effective way to market your product.


If you are interested, please contact me at rebecca (dot) sprouse (at) gmail (dot) com

Free Spaghetti From Fazoli's

So it looks like Fazoli's is giving away Spaghetti for the price of a drink. So what's that, at the most like $2?? Seems like a good deal to me. I've never eaten there but I mean, you'd really have to try hard to mess up spaghetti. All you have to do is go to this website to sign up to have the coupon emailed to you. Need to know if there's a Fazoli's near you, click here. This offer is good until Jan 19th.

Zen Class Nirvana Organizer

Oh my God y'all. Talk about the last bag you'll ever have to buy! Now I don't know about you, but I have several diaper bags. I have the same complex with my personal purses as I do my diaper bags. I go through a big bag stage where I just have to have all the room. However when I'm not able to find things quickly, I move to the small bag stage. Then when I'm not able to put everything in my small bag, I go back to my big bag stage. I'm sure this is a compulsive problem I need to get checked out for....but it is what it is. Maybe not though...now that I have this Zen Class Nirvana Organizer. It's big and small. How's that you ask?



This baby has a million and one pockets for everything you can think of. It can be hung on the back of your car seat as an activity center for your child or you can keep it packed, snap it up, carry it, and go. I really loved it as my purse/diaper bag. It even has a cup holder!! Who'da thunk it?! I was able to have both worlds. It was small on the outside, however when you opened it up, it was large enough to carry everything I needed then some. Below you can see all I managed to put in there. The first picture of the bag I have is closed up with all of these items in there. See, small and big but not bulky! It's super great! I wish I'd heard of this bag first before I spent the money on the big and small bags.

Contents

1. My large checkbook wallet
2. My cell phone
3. Coupon book (ALWAYS have this with me)
4. Puddin' for DS
5. Digi cam
6. Sunglasses
7. Book for DS
8. Pull-ups
9. Wipes
10. Lip Gloss (various other makeup)
11. Antibiotics from being sick

And there was still some room to spare!

I would highly recommend this bag! It's got the room and the craftsmanship. Not only that but it's very neutral and dad can even use it! To buy your bag, please go to Zen Class' website here.

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There was no monetary compensation received for this review.
I received a Nirvana Organizer for the sake of completing this review.
Receipt of this did not sway my opinion.

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Free Tax Advice

Oh yes...it's that time again....taxes! For some of us, it's something we look forward to. Correction, it's the check we look forward to. Others totally dread it. Either you have to pay taxes or it's just the total confusion of filing them. Well, if your situation is the latter, have no fear! Turbo Tax is offering free live tax advice. You have the opportunity to ask one question and discuss it with a real Turbo Tax professional for up to 20 minutes. This apparently is a $29.95 value.

This opportunity is open until Jan 31st. All you have to do is click here to submit your question and they'll call you back in 24 hours!

Homemade Pancake Syrup

So I'm sure you just read the title and think I'm some kind of maple syrup harvester. Sorry to disappoint. Sadly, there's only so many hours in a day. One thing that's sure NOT to disappoint is the homemade pancake syrup I made the other day.

DH is very spontaneous when it comes to cooking. He doesn't make sure all the ingredients are in the house prior to starting a project. The other day was no different. DS wanted some pancakes and that's DH's specialty. So in the kitchen DH was throwing together the pancakes only to call to me and ask "Hey, do we have anymore pancake syrup other than this little bit?" My response "Did you look?" knowing there wasn't any as I walked into the kitchen. "No...." he responded. "Of course you didn't" I mumbled under my breath. I love him to death....but dang it helps to think past the end of your nose sometimes. DH responded "But I need some"....like I was going to be able to pull pancake syrup out of thin air.....or could I?

I remembered that I'd seen a recipe in this great book called Not Just Beans - 50 Years of Frugal Family Favorites. (This is a super great book and recommend it highly) I swished through the pages to see what the recipe consisted of to see if I could make it. Lucky for them, I did. So off I went making the syrup.

Homemade Maple Syrup
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup of water
1/4 tsp of maple flavoring (vanilla may be substituted)

Stir ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, and cool. Pour into serving container. Makes 1 cup.

I didn't have maple flavoring so I used vanilla instead. I also tripled the recipe. While it was still warm and liquidy, I poured it into the old syrup bottle (make sure you use a funnel). Once the mixture cooled, it took on syrup consistency and even though I used vanilla, it did taste like the normal pancake syrup. DH was very happy with the outcome and like I've stated before, that man will tell you if he thinks something tastes bad. It was super easy to make and saved me a trip to the store and of course some money. It's worth making just so when you have friends over for breakfast you can nudge them, wink, and say "Yeah, I made that".

Super Quick Cheap Pizza

In a previous post, I discussed pizza and how it's a go to food for us busy moms. Instead of buying it, I will share a recipe I found for some super quick pizza I found on recipezaar. I like this recipe because it is really fast to make, the crust isn't crumbly like most homemade pizza, and it's really cheap. I do keep the Ragu "Homstyle" pizza sauce around the house only because I haven't found a really good homemade pizza sauce yet. The sauce is only a little over $1 and there's usually enough for more than one pizza...of course that depends on how big of a pizza you make too. The pizza I made for my family was made by doubling this recipe. If followed exact, this will yield about a personal sized pizza.

Super Easy Pizza Crust

1 1/2 Cup of your copycat Bisquick
1/3 cup of very hot water

Stir together Bisquick mix and very hot water; beat 20 strokes until soft dough forms
Press dough in pizza pan.
Spread pizza sauce over dough.
Top with ingredients of your choice (i.e. cheese, beef, veggies)
Note: If you use any meat, make sure it's cooked prior to placing on pizza
Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.
Enjoy!

Dear Target.....

If you would like to keep up with Walmart....please do not insult your customers by offering a 3 piece small plastic mixing bowl set for $26. It really does piss us off....especially after we're looking to replace a great glass one that broke.

New Me Challenge 1/4

Today was the official start of the New Me Challenge for me. We were out of state for a majority of the weekend for a funeral so today was a real busy catch up day. As you've read in previous posts, the weekend (usually Sat.) is my preparation time for the week. Anyways, I did manage to get in 15 minutes on the Wii fit this evening. I had DS laying on the couch coping my every move and clapping when I got done. Don't worry, during that 15 minutes I did work myself. I ran and I hula hooped. Tomorrow we will be walking. DH promised that he would at start walking with me so we'll see how that goes.

Homemade Bisquick Mix

As a working mom I need all the shortcuts I can get. Bisquick is a very easy, quick, universal product to use. However, if you use it as much as I do....it can get rather expensive. Sooo....I would like to share with you a recipe my grandmother passed along to me. This is a copycat Bisquick recipe. All you have to do is throw this all together and store it either in a ziplock bag or tupperware.

Copycat Bisquick Mix

8 Cups of Flour
1/4 Cup Baking Powder
1 1/4 Cup of Non Fat Dry Milk
1 Tablespoon of Salt
2 Cups of Vegetable Shortening

Mix together dry ingredients then cut in the shortening until it looks like a coarse meal. Store.

Super easy to throw together and super easy to use. I swear this stuff is a life saver for me.

Super Shopper ALERT!

We all know how expensive clothing can be. So I wanted to make you aware: if you have a Steve and Barry's close to your home (store locator here), you need to go check them out. They are closing their doors and they are having super deals. So far I have hit up three of their stores. 1 near my office, 1 near my house, and 1 while I was out of state. I have found some super deals. 1 big deal being 3 pairs of jeans for me for $10 (a little over $3 a pair) and the same deal for some dress pants for work. They have stuff for everyone in the family. I was also able to find DS some PJs for $2.00 (very cute by the way). 2 of the stores I went to looked really picked over while the one I went to out of state had a lot to choose from. So I guess it's pretty much hit or miss. You're bound to find something if it's only a hoodie to wear around the house. I did ask the cashier at one of the stores when they're planning on closing and she told me mid January. That could be just for their store because the first S&B I went to has already closed. So I'm sure they will all be closing soon. If you do have an S&B near your house...it's worth checking out.

Sapphire Earring Giveaway *Update* This Contest Is Closed

If you're into competition and finding a good price on jewelry Bidz.com could be your answer. If you look hard enough you can find some pretty good deals on some very nice jewelry. Of course they do have some of the cheaper costume jewelry sprinkled in there as well. Shipping can be a kicker so make sure you are indeed getting the nicer stuff or very cheap costume jewelry.

To get the new year started right, I have a pair of princess cut black sapphire earrings on 10k gold posts to giveaway. Bidz.com has them valued at $119. (Picture enlarged to show detail)

To enter you may select one or all of the following (to maximize your chances of winning):

1. Leave a comment giving one example of what you'll be doing to save money this year.

2. Follow This Blog if you aren't already (leave a comment saying you did)

3. Follow me on Twitter if you aren't already (leave a comment saying you did)

4. Twitter RT @copperbrickroad Super Sapphire Earring Giveaway (1 RT per day and leave a comment each time you do)

1 winner will be selected randomly (random.org). This contest will end January 10th at 11pm EST. Make sure I can contact you in case you win!

Turkey....It's What's for Dinner

This time of year, you can find turkey pretty cheap. I came across 11lb Butterball turkeys at Aldi for .99 lb. I looked at them and said "heck yeah...I can do something with that". So I bought three. I guess I should add in there that I had never cooked a turkey in my life! I'd never even seen one cooked on the Food Network either. Sad, I know. What kind of woman am I that I'd never cooked a turkey. And even more, what kind of woman am I that I'd never cooked a turkey and I go ahead and buy 3?!


Well today I took on the challenge. It was kind of intimidating....but it really wasn't that bad. I just googled around and got the basic concept. After that, I realized that Butterball puts instructions on the turkey. Wish I'd looked at that prior to my googling. Ah well. So, I followed the directions and put them together with some of my personal touch. Surprisingly enough, it came out edible! It actually looked good. I sincerely surprised myself.....and my husband. I called my husband in to look at my beautiful turkey. He sliced off a piece and said "Wow...that's really good". Mind you, my husband doesn't just say nice things because he's my husband. He will actually tell me something is bad with great detail. He actually laughed at me while I was taking a picture of it. Sometimes I think he should be a food critic haha. So we had a good dinner with some biscuits, veggies, and homemade mac and cheese. What's great about this meal is the extent of leftovers we will have. I will be able to make a couple of more meals from the inital $11 turkey.