Free Greenies Coupon

Click here to sign up for PetSmart Pet Perks, and you'll be able to send a printable coupon for a free Greenies pet treat product to four friends. Coupon is redeemable at PetSmart stores only. Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Garden Update

Well, I am officially back after my brief week-and-a-half hiatus. I am excited about what I have in the works for my blogs - and obviously, the news yesterday got my week off to an unbelievable start! So I'm back, and getting caught up on the emails and comments that came in while I was away.

Now, on to an update about my garden! Remember how I planted corn salad, radishes, and fava beans about 3 weeks ago? Well, here's a photo of what my planter looked like this morning. I've been so pleased with how well these are doing. The tall row on the far right are the fava beans, the other two rows are radishes, and there are also some teeny corn salad plants poking through, but they're too small to really see in the picture. So far, so good - they weren't joking about these plants being good for winter coastal weather, either. We've had all manner of hail and thunderous downpours this last week, so these hardy plants have already taken a beating from the elements.

If you're growing your own produce, I'd love to hear how your garden is doing!

I Won The Delicious Moments Contest!!!

I have some amazing news! My entry in the "Delicious Moments" contest received the most votes, and I have won $10,000!!! Click here to see my winning video. Thanks so much to all my readers for voting and spreading the word. I can't believe it!!! And like so many good things in my life, this was also the result of using coupons. You see, back in September, I read this post on Resourceful Mommy offering a Wal-Mart gift card & a booklet filled with free coupons to the first 75 people to send in a video. So I sent in a video, hoping to be one of the 75 and win some free coupons. Never did I dream that I would end up actually winning the grand prize! Once again, clipping coupons paid off big time!!

Bonus: I submitted the video on my birthday. Best birthday present ever!

So thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your support! This is a major deal and will have great positive impact on my life. Being the frugal person that I am, lots of people are curious as to what I'll do with the winnings. My plan for right now is to put it into a savings account and then weigh up my options as to what will be the best investment. There are several possibilities - for example, anyone who has been to my house knows that there has never been a driveway here. So putting the funds towards installing a driveway (and garage, if zoning permits!) is one option. Of course, I will keep everyone posted!

I'm 1 of 15 Contest Finalists - Please Vote & Help Me Win $10,000! Voting Ends 11/09

I am 1 of 15 finalists in the ConAgra "Delicious Moments" Facebook contest. The entry that receives the most votes will win $10,000, so if you could please click here and vote for "Submitted by Beeb Ashcroft", I would be so appreciative! It's an easy one-click vote, one vote per person. The photo above is a screenshot of my video, so you'll know what it looks like. Voting ends Monday, November 9th. I'm so touched by all the support I have received - that's a prize in itself regardless of the contest outcome, so thank you!

Fruit2day Free Coupon Giveaway

I hope you've been enjoying all the fabulous guest posts during my brief hiatus! Things are going great here as I work on some exciting projects for my blogs. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week - but in the meantime, I thought it would be fun to have a little giveaway. During the All You Grocery Challenge, I mentioned a few food items which I had received as samples in order to write a review of them for Contest Corner. One of these things was a drink called Fruit2day, and I have a free coupon to share with one of you good for one free Fruit2day two-pack - click here to locate a store near you that carries these. This coupon expires December 31st.

Here's how to enter:

1. For your first entry, just leave a comment telling me what your favorite fruit is!

I am also giving away another coupon on Contest Corner, so if you'd like to double your chances, click here to enter that giveaway as well!

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Link to this post on your blog, then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet!
4. Post my button on your website - just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

<a href="http://www.supercoupongirl.com"><img src="http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv279/supercoupongirl/scg.gif" border="0" /></a>

Rules, regulations, and other important stuff: Giveaway ends on November 22nd at 11:59 PM, PST. Winner will be chosen the following day via Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond to my notification email, or a new winner will be chosen in their place. Giveaway is open to US residents and APO/FPO addresses.

Guest Post: Decorating Your House for Pennies

Today's guest post comes to us from Nadia of A-B-C Frugality!

Decorating Your House for Pennies-Part One: The Basic Principles

Free and Low-Cost Ways to Transform your Humble Home into a Holiday Paradise

Some people think that living the frugal life means a barren home, tasteless decorating and a minimalist attitude towards home décor. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, being frugal opens up one’s eyes to the world of possibilities that exists in using just about anything as a form of accent for one’s dwelling. As a military family, we’ve lived in just about every type of housing imaginable, from a 1700 sq foot double-story home to a teeny tiny apartment, and never once failed to furnish some sort of décor for our humble housing. Following are some helpful tips that we have both researched and learned over the course of our lovely living experiences:

Some Basic Principles for Inexpensive Decorating:

o Be creative: You’ll find this is a theme in most of our articles, including this one. Frugality is about thinking outside the box and discovering that almost anything can be redesigned to serve another purpose after its intended life has been worn out.

o Designing is in the Details: This is all about YOU. Your home should make a statement about you: who you are, where you’ve been, what your passions are. Don’t feel boxed into how you think your home “should look” according to the latest Good Housekeeping. Be yourself, and make your home YOUR home.

o Try to pick a neutral color scheme. I’m a little weird when it comes to this, but I try to follow my own advice every once in a while. I pick one or two key colors for each room of my house and build from there. My kitchen is red and black, my living room is red, my bedroom is brown, etc. If you have a main color in your head for each room, its easier to shop and look at things with a discerning eye to know whether or not they’ll look good in your home. For example, I know that a red vase might look good in my brown room as a complementary color, but a blue throw isn’t going to harmonize quite as well in the bedroom.

o It’s okay to Shop…if you know when to do it. Some of the best accent pieces in my home have been purchased from stores like Ross or Marshalls a few days after the holiday has passed. Five years ago I scored a beautiful three tiered harvest-adorned candle holder at Ross for under five bucks, and I still use it each year.

o Yard Sales and Thrift Stores are my best friends: You can score amazing finds at these two shopping locales. Some of the best items to look for include random pieces of dishware (pretty bowls or teacups for displays), throw pillows in decent condition (the key here is mostly that they are clean smelling… we’ll talk about why later), tablecloths or bed linens (relatively clean so they can be made into curtains, if desired) and pretty glass bottles or vases.

o Don’t underestimate the Dollar Store: This is my favorite place to pickup fake flowers. Since I have little kids, its not exactly practical to be running to the store every three days for fresh flowers, and that can get rather costly as well. I prefer to buy the nicer-looking fake flowers from the local dollar store, since they’ll last forever. Different seasons bring different varieties and hues, but they pretty much have a great selection year round. I like to stick with solid hues: a white bouquet, a red bouquet, an orange bouquet; this way I can mix and match according to the holiday or occasion.

o Buy Décor that can be displayed for multiple holidays: The abovementioned candle holder is adorned with fall colored leaves and tiny pumpkins; it gets put out in September with the harvest decorations and lasts through Halloween and Thanksgiving. By buying items that are color themed, ie, brown and orange for the fall, red and white for Christmas through Valentines Day and possibly even 4^th of July, you’ll get the most use out of your decorations.

o Take good care of your decorations. I try to carefully pack away my decorations in newspaper after each holiday and keep them away from moisture and bugs (*Military Mama Tip: Be careful to make sure and label the boxes fragile so multiple moves won’t take their toll on your treasures) so that they’ll last as long as possible.

o Take advantage of the best resource you have—sunlight: Sunlight is my number one accent in all the rooms of my house (wherever it is that we are calling home at that particular moment). Open the shades and let it cast it’s beautiful glow on your belongings. Sunlight makes everything appear more open and spacious, plus it’s good for your skin, kills germs, and can help you sleep better at night. And bonus: If you have good enough sunlight, you won’t have to use the lights in your home hardly at all during the day, saving on your electricity bill. So open those drapes and let it shine!

I hope you enjoyed learning a couple of my helpful ideas for inexpensive decorating. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my blog and subscribe to our feed so you won’t miss any of the helpful frugal living advice we have to offer. Part two will be available shortly!

Nadia is a young Army wife and stay at home mom to two adorable little kids. She enjoys bargain shopping and finding the hottest and cheapest deals for her readers, and blogging about her frugal living adventures as a military mama at A-B-C Frugality. When she’s not blogging or chasing a naked toddler, you can find her working hard to finish up her Bachelor’s degree in Education or reading the latest Twilight book.

Guest Post: Five Things to be Thankful for When Living on a Budget

Today's guest post comes to us from Kathryn of Become.com’s shopping blog Pocketchange!

Trying to save money is always a challenge. It takes work, patience and strategy to live both comfortably and frugally, however there are a few things that make this much easier. In honor of the upcoming holiday season and the Thanksgiving spirit, here are five things I am thankful for that help us spend wisely but live richly!

1. Online Shopping – Sales are at our fingertips! We no longer have to spend a day at the mall searching for the best sales and lowest prices, which takes a lot of energy and persistence. Whether we follow a news feed of deals, search for products or use comparison shopping engines, we are able to quickly discover where we should make our next purchase and how little we can get away with spending.
2. Discount Stores – Stores that sell items in bulk, such as grocery warehouses, and stores that sell the surplus products from more expensive department stores are treasure chests for good deals. If you have the patience to look around, you can get great quality items at huge discounts. This is the easiest way to purchase nice brands without spending a fortune, and personally they are my favorite shopping destinations!
3. Coupons – Why wouldn’t you want to save money on everyday items? Although the savings might be fifty cents here, a dollar there, coupons can add up quickly and will result in a great percentage of monthly savings! I never overlook mailing inserts or grocery store ads because they have great deals on items I will be purchasing anyway, so it is a great bonus to save a few dollars.
4. Holiday Sales – Holiday season means shopping season, as we are giving gifts to family, friends, coworkers and neighbors. Luckily, if you start shopping early you can find some great holiday deals. Whether it is a free shipping offer for an online purchase or a special gift set product in the stores, now is a great time to save a little on the items we purchase for our loved ones. Knowing you scored a great deal can add to the joy of watching someone open a gift that they love!
5. Friends – The “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” idea couldn’t be truer for a bargain shopper! Borrowing, sharing and trading items that you and your friends no longer use can be a great way to get some new items without even opening your wallet. I love handing over a sweater that I don’t wear anymore in exchange for a purse my friend put back in her closet.

Living on a budget does not have to mean living with little, and for this I am quite thankful!

This guest blog was written by Kathryn Ek, holiday season enthusiast, experienced bargain shopper, and writer for Become.com’s shopping blog Pocketchange. Visit Pocketchange for more great shopping advice, and visit Become.com for all of your comparison shopping needs. Happy Holiday Savings!

Guest Post: What To Do When Products Malfunction

Today's post was written by The Wanna Have Fun Hen at FiveHens.com!


About Five Hens:

There are five hens who all have a slightly different outlook on life. We have a lot in common with each other and a lot of differences as well. We wanted to cluck a bit about the things that happen in our lives in the hopes that you might find our insights (and rantings) useful…or at least funny.

Everyone seems to be on a budget these days. We could all use new ideas on how to save money. Recently I found out, if a product stops working before it should, you might be able to get it replaced (I do not save receipts).

Last week, my son’s LeapFrog Leapster game cartridge stopped working. I called their toll-free number and they agreed to send me a new one, if I mailed them the old one. I just saved $24.00.

About 4 months ago, my Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner stopped working. I found their toll-free number on their website and called them. They asked for the model number and agreed to send me a coupon for a free one. I just saved $2.

Every little bit of money helps when you are on a budget. How do you save money these days? Do you know of other companies with similar policies? Leave a comment and share them with us.

By the way, here are the customer service numbers if you happen to need them:

Leapfrog: 1-800-701-5327

Scrubbing Bubbles (SC Johnson): 1-877-506-7352

And, if you want a coupon to save $7 on the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner Starter Kit, here's the link to it.

Guest Post: Storebrand Formula - How Does it Stack Up?

Today's guest post comes to us courtesy Devon of Mama Cheaps!

When I was a Mama-to-Be, I just assumed that I would breastfeed. I didn't really give it a second thought. When that turned out not to be the best option for us, I was faced with an important decision to make. What kind of formula should I feed Lily Bean? Of course I wanted only the best, while at the same time, I wanted to save any money I could. I had received some samples while pregnant of Similac Advance and Enfamil Lipil. They are very similar formulas from two different companies.

I signed up for the Enfamil Family Beginnings
and Similac StrongMoms programs. Both send samples and valuable coupons for formula. They were a big help, but as the coupons starting to come fewer and farther in between, I started to look for something more economical. I started to investigate the various store brands out there.

In the end, Biker Bob and I decided to go with Costco's store brand, Kirkland Formula with Iron. I'm happy to say, after several months on this formula, Lily Bean has done great, no problems at all! We had compared ingredients with the Costco brand to Similac and Enfamil and found them to be nearly identical. In fact, Costco's formula even has a handy comparison chart on their label:
As you can see, it's pretty much the same.

Here's the big difference: THE PRICE. The Costco brand is less than HALF the price of the Similac and Enfamil. Here's how it breaks down (these are the prices that I got today at Costco and my local Giant Grocery Store):

Costco: Formula comes in a 2 pack. Two BIG (25.7 oz) cans (51.4 oz total) for $19.95.

Enfamil: ONE 25.7 oz can is $23.69.

Similac: ONE 23.2 oz container is $21.19.

And there you have it, Costco is the clear winner.

Of course, your pediatrician will tell you what's the best choice for your baby, and breastfeeding is still the best option. But if your doctor gives you the go-ahead, and formula feeding is your choice, there are great deals out there!

Devon posts regularly on her blog,http://www.mamacheaps.com/. When she is not blogging or designing personalized candy wrappers for her store,Winterwood Press, she is spending time with her husband and her 13 month old daughter.

Happy Halloween!

Jai and I at the Roloff Farms pumpkin patch last year

I hope everyone has a spooktacular Halloween today! If you're looking for some frightfully frugal and fun Halloween ideas, I recommend this article over at The Dollar Stretcher. However you spend the day, have a ghoulishly good time!