FREE personalized video message from Santa!

Just start here, type in your child's age, name, what they want for Christmas, etc. Then they will be able to watch a video of Santa's message personalized for them! This is such a cute idea and its FREE too!

Readers Tips-Saving Money over the Holidays!

Thanks to all of you for entering the Burt's Bee Give-Away! I now have so many new ways to save during the Holidays!

Here are some of my favorites:

"I started saving for this Christmas last January, when I stocked up on holiday bubble bath & body butters at 80% off. I am so happy now to go to my "storeroom/closest" and pull out cheap gifts!"

"We had a clothing swap with friends. It's so great to have all new items AND to get rid of clothes that were in a bag at the bottom of my closet."

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"I've saved by using all the cool coupon tips from all you lovely ladies. I always used to think 'all that work to save $0.50, big deal' Now I know better!!"

"I bought things at Goodwill that were new, but were just leftovers from Target. This allowed me to only spend a little over $100 for all my gifts for extended family and in-laws. My husband and I aren't exchanging this year, but wanted to give more to those less fortunate instead of getting each other something we don't really need."

"This Christmas season our family decided to do a name swap so we're saving money that way by only buying a gift for one person."

"Instead of doing treats or gifts for neighbors, we had a neighborhood charity night -everyone gathered for cocoa and donated items to the needy."

"Me and my children saved coins we found around the house, on the concrete at store parking lots, money we found in the our car. We collected over $100 in three months and bought Thanksgiving dinner."

"I save at Christmas by giving home made presents using materials from thrift stores or just materials saved from the garbage! That way I keep Christmas eco-friendly and thrifty!"

"Many of my close friends decided to have a "no gifts" year. We're having a holiday potluck/recipe exchange instead. It's really removed the pressure!"

"I manage to save on wrapping paper this year. I saved the colored comic section in the Sunday's paper each week and I'm using it for wrapping paper like we did when I was a kid. Recycling at it's best."

"Shopping all night the day after Thanksgiving is always a tradition my sister and I do. Bonding fun and GREAT Deals!"

Stockpile Organization is key!

I finally got around to organizing my stockpile!!!!

Send a FREE postcard to U.S. Military Personnel Stationed Overseas!

What a great way to send out encouraging words to all the brave men and women that serve our country!

Want to send a free postcard?!?

• Choose your design here.
• Personalize the postcard by writing your very own message.
• Hit "send".

It's that simple!

My hubby is active duty in the Marines... so I understand how IMPORTANT these little acts of kindness are. You really have a chance to bring a smile to a strangers face and most importantly show appreciation for all they do!

FREE printable Calendars, Greeting Cards plus more!

One way I have SAVED so much this holiday season is by making things myself, from Holiday cards to ornaments. Its actually really fun getting the kiddos involved, of course they enjoy it too!

There is one website I use quite often to help simplify this process...

mintprintables.com has been a great resource for me. They offer tons of printables. You can choose to make your own stationary, calendars, greeting cards, gift tags, Holiday printable and more! The best part is everything on their site is FREE to use!

I just saved myself $50 a month!

Today I went through all my bills to see which ones I could possibly lower. At first I felt overwhelmed looking over everything... and suddenly thought to myself baby steps-Meaning SLOW down! I don't know about you but sometimes I get in the habit of trying to do so much all at once that I never get anything done.

I made a promise to myself- Focus on trying to lower 2 bills today. Did I accomplish this?!?
Well look below and see for yourself.

My husband and I have T-Mobile as our Cell Phone provider. We signed one of those lovely 2 year contracts and so at this point we aren't able to go look for a lower plan elsewhere. Anyway I called T-Mobile customer care and talked with a nice lady. I basically told her that were a military family living on a tight budget. I added that we have 3 kiddos and with Christmas coming up this time of year is rather difficult for us. I asked if there was anyway she could lower our cell phone bill. At first she acted as if there was not much she could do. After explaining further about wanted to stretch our hard earned dollar she put me on hold to see what could be done. Well to make a long story short she was able to lower my phone bill $30 without even changing the plan!

Moral of the story-It NEVER hurts to ask... nicely of course!

I also called my cable company and got rid of all our movie channels. That was a luxury we can afford to live without. Now are cable bill is $20 less per month!

Today I lowered two bills and managed to save myself $50 per month!

I challenge you to start going over your bills.
Do you have anything you can lower or get rid of completely?!?
Let me know in the comment section below!

Do you have WAY to much Shampoo & Conditioner?!?

Right now my stockpile is overflowing from all the freebies and great deals I have acquired! I have TONS of shampoo and conditioner... and that got me thinkin! Are hair care products just for use on your head?

After reading a few creative articles the answer is plain and simple- NO!

Here are a few uses that have nothing to do with washing your hair!

1. You can use a little bit of shampoo to do your laundry. Baby shampoo is a good bet, but you can pretty much use whatever you have. Just be careful when using shampoo for oily hair. It can damage delicate fabrics, such as silk. But a shampoo formula for oily hair will do a great job on heavily soiled clothing.


2. Hard, rough and dry feet can be a problem. However, fear no more, hair conditioner has the ability to soften your feet right up. Coat your feet with hair conditioner right before you lay down to go to bed. Next, put on some cotton socks and wear them to sleep. By the morning your feet should be extremely soft and moisturized.


3. Hot or cold months have the tendency to dry your lips out. All you have to do is add a little hair conditioner to your lips to give them a moisture uplift.


4. After you shave your legs, rub a little hair conditioner onto them to add some extra softness.


5. Don't want to buy expensive makeup remover? Just use hair conditioner, it cleans it right up.


6. If you have a super sticky band-aid that just doesn't want to budge without taking some of your skin with it, just rub a little hair conditioner onto the spot where the band-aid and the skin meet. Wait a few minutes and the band-aid should come off easily. This works great on my kiddos!


7. Hair conditioner can clean and polish your best silver. All you have to do is put some hair conditioner onto a soft clean cloth and then rub onto the silver. You can gently wipe any conditioner that may be left on the silver. A very thin layer of conditioner will help to protect your silver from future tarnish.


8. Having trouble getting a ring off your finger? All you have to do is put some hair conditioner on the finger and then slide the ring right off.


9. You can hide some ugly scratches on your wood furniture by pouring a few drops of hair conditioner onto a soft dry cloth, rub the wood with the cloth and then use a second clean cloth to buff it up.


10. Shampoo can be used to wash your dishes if you happen to run out of dish washing liquid.


11. Ran out of body wash? Use some shampoo. It works just as well on your body as it does on your hair.

Travel & Trial Sized Freebies!!!

Anyone going anywhere over the holidays? Well were lucky enough to be heading to Jamaica over Thanksgiving. My dads birthday is November 22nd and he has started a tradition of having a huge family vacation every year.

Anyway this brings me to the point of this post-Travel sized Freebies! Right now I have been stocking up for our vacation. There are also lots of other uses for travel sized items from stocking stuffers to making gift baskets! Using a coupon on a Travel sized item is legit as long as the coupon doesn't exclude it. The stores that I personally think have the biggest section for travel sized items are Walmart, Target, and Kmart

Here is a list of some freebies you can acquire right now. Some of these items might not be found at all the stores mentioned above.

1. Aveeno 1oz Lotion .97. Use $1.50 off 2 from 9/28RP=2 for .44!



2. Colgate Kids Toothpaste .50. Use .50 off from 10/26SS=FREE



3. Crest White Strips (small travel sized box) price from $1.99-$2.99. I found these at CVS. Use $3 off coupon from 11/2PG=FREE plus possible overage!



4. Dove Shampoo and conditioner 2oz .97 each. Use $2 off from 8/17RP=FREE plus possible overage! Hurry this one expires soon!



5. Hefty Ziploc (small size) Found near registers $1. Use .55 from 9/28RP=.45



6. Jergens lotion 1oz .50-$1. Use $1 off from 9/26 All You Mag.=Free plus possible overage!



7. Ziploc on the Go (9 pack bags) .97. Use $1 on 2 from 11/2SS. Final price .47 each!



8. Johnson's Soap Buddies(1 pack) Found in diaper/baby section .97. Use $3 off 3 from 9/14SS=3 bars for FREE!



9. John Frieda Frizz ease Mousse .97. Use $1 off from 9/26 All You Mag.=FREE!



10. Dove Deep Moisture Facial Lotion .99. Use $1 off Dove Face Care from 11/2RP=FREE!



11. OB Tampons trial size .97. Use $1 off from 9/28RP=FREE!



12. Kotex 16 ct $1. Use $1 off from here or from 11/9SS=FREE!



13. K-Y travel size $1.59. Use $2 off from 6/22SS=FREE plus possible overage!



14. Preparation H 10 ct wipes $2.97. Use $3 off from here. Final price FREE!



15. Wet Ones .97. Use .75 off coupon from here. Final price .22!



16. Scotch Lint Roller $1.49. Use $1 off from 10/5RP=.49!



17. All Small and Might Travel size detergent (Target) .97. Use $1 off from here =FREE!



18. Tylenol $1. Use $1 off from here=FREE!

**Remember that prices may vary a little from store to store.

For more Kmart Deals and Kmart Coupons visit the new Hip2Save.com

For more Target Deals and Target Coupons visit the new Hip2Save.com

For more Walmart Deals and Walmart Coupons visit the new Hip2Save.com

Cash in coins for an Extra $10 Amazon bonus!!!

Try CoinStar's FREE coin counting option and put the value of your coins into an Amazon.com E-Certificate. Cash in $40 or more and they will send you an extra $10 Amazon gift card! Check out all the details here. Offer good through December 7th!

CoinStar machines are found in grocery stores, convenience stores and other retail shops. To locate a CoinStar closest to you click here.

Now go look under that couch, mattress and anywhere else some lose change might be hiding.

All this for less than $10.....

Why of course!:)

I love shopping after holidays come to a close because everything is so inexpensive. No, I'm not talking about 50% more like 90%!!! All you have to do is be patient and wait. Never buy before the season ends, wait for about a week to 2 weeks then walk or should I say run into all the stores! I managed to snag decorations for next year, Stocking stuffers for my kiddos, dress up clothes, games and lots more!

I mainly purchased everything at Target but I also found a few great buys at CVS. Right now most stores have all their Halloween items clearance to 90% off. If I were you I would hurry in to see what treasures you can find. Remember to be creative and think out of the box. Hint... hint... Some Halloween items can be used for more then just Halloween!

Oh and if you were curious my total for all of the above was $7.49!

For more CVS Deals and CVS Coupons visit the new Hip2Save.com

For more Target Deals and Target Coupons visit the new Hip2Save.com

Are rebates worth doing?!?

In my opinion it depends. I always take into account the time it takes, if I used a coupon on the product, the rebate amount and the expense of the stamp. Then from there I figure out whether or not its worth it.

Here is a list of some current rebates that I think are definitely worth doing!

1. Try Jig-A-Loo for free. Mail in this form to get a full refund up to $4.99!


2. Purchase Betty Crocker Supreme brownie mix and get back up to $2.59. Print the form and check out the details here. Don't forget to print this coupon here for .55 off 2 packages of brownie mix. That will make the cost of the stamp free.


3. Try Sure with natural extracts deodorant free here and also try Sure Max free up to $6.99 here. Use this $1 off coupon to make this a moneymaker.


4. Try Alagio professional haircare free up to $6.99! See the details and print the form here.


5. Buy any 6 pack of ensure get up to $10 back. Print this form here. Register here to print coupons to make this deal a definite moneymaker!

Save those bananas!

Bananas I'm guessing are probably the number one fruit thrown out. They ripen and brown over a few days and if their not eaten allot of people assume to toss them in the garbage. In my opinion what a waste! There are so many thing you can do with overripe bananas... so next time your about to throw them out remember this post and look below!

Here are a few ideas that I use on a weekly basis-

• Freeze your bananas to use in fruit smoothies, muffins, pancakes and lots of other recipes. The best way to freeze bananas is by cutting them up in slices, laying them on a pan individually, putting the pan in the freezer and then once their frozen throwing them in a ziploc to put back in the freezer for future use. In my opinion that's the best way if you don't want them to stick together.
  
• Use them to make yummy banana bread. This is my kiddos favorite treat. Here is my favorite recipe and trust me Ive tried a few! If you love super moist bread then this is for you. It might not be the healthiest but it sure tastes good!

Flour's Famous Banana Bread
Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (If I want to be healthy I substitute 1/2 whole wheat flour or oat bran)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Beating the sugar and eggs for 10 minutes is the key to making the banana bread super moist. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

• My kids also love peanut butter and banana sandwiches and these always seem to taste better when the bananas are just a tad overripe.
  
• Banana chips are another healthy easy snack to make. Just slice them in small thin rounds and lay them on a wire rack so no part touches another. Season with cinnamon and sugar or with nothing... they taste great either way. Bake on very low heat at about 150 for 8 to 10 hours and leave the oven door slightly open to promote air circulation. When done store in a ziploc bag.

Hurry to get FREE Ziploc Samples + Coupons!

The first 20,000 who register here will receive a FREE holiday gift pack from Ziploc with samples and $8.50 in coupons.

Even more Target Deals...

Alright one last deal that I had to mention . We ended up purchasing 2 packages of Goodies Ouchless ponytails for .99 each and 1 package of black elastic bands for $2.19. My total came to $4.17. I used three $2 off any Goody Ouchless product coupons bringing my total down to FREE plus overage! The coupons did beep for the products priced at .99 but not for the one over $2. She pushed them through anyway. If you don't want to deal with that then buy items a little over $2. I personally think .19 for elastic hair bands is a great deal. They also had clips and other hair accessories around the same price.

***You may even be able to find better prices at Walmart or Kmart.

***These products would make great stocking stuffers!

For more Kmart Deals and Kmart Coupons visit the new Hip2Save.com

For more Target Deals and Target Coupons visit the new Hip2Save.com


For more Walmart Deals and Walmart Coupons visit the new Hip2Save.com

Target Deals...

Next we went to Target to snag some great buys!

We purchased 15 greeting cards for .50 a piece (pictured above) for a total of $7.50. Then we used three of the buy 4 greeting cards get 1 free printable Target coupons which automatically take off $9.99 per coupon used. Check out all the details on this here. Using three of those Target coupons deducted $29.97 minus $7.50 for the cards gave us a total of 22.47 in overage we could use! Coupon Corrected - 5th card free with coupon.

After calculating this we decided stocking up on Christmas presents would be the best way to spend the extra money. First we went into the clearance Halloween section where everything was 50% off (wished it was 75%) hoping to find some cute dress up clothes for my kiddos. All the costumes were still a little high priced but we did find Halloween treats for .50 that will be great stocking stuffers. We also came across a few swords and masks for my boys. They love playing pretend with these type of items and I love the fact they have great imaginations!

Next we went over to the toy section to check out all the sales and clearance items. I also printed off a bunch of Target toy coupons before we left that I was on the lookout for. I did come across Cranium cariboo which is a cute magical treasure hunt game designed especially for young children. It normally retails for $24.99+ but luckily it was on sale for $17.99. I also had a $5 off target printable coupon that was good for this specific game. We were able to purchase the game for $12.99... not bad for a Santa present!

For more Target Deals and Target Coupons visit the new Hip2Save.com

My quick run to Walgreen's...

I finally have gotten back into the swing of things. Yesterday I managed to get most of my coupons organized with the binder method which I love and I also was finally able to make a list of the great deals out there not worth passing up.

Bright and early this morning Off I went or should I say we since my hubby a little hesitant decided to come along. First we hit up Walgreen's...

We purchased 6 Walgreen's brand diapers that were on a buy one get one free sale this week. They were $8.99 each for a grand total of $53.94. With the sale though my total came to $26.97. Then I used the $2 pharmacy coupon pictured above which took off $12. Final total $14.97 + tax! Not as great as the FREE diaper deal but not bad for six packages of diapers!

Check out all the Walgreen's deals here.


For more Walgreens Deals and Walgreens Coupons visit the new Hip2Save.com

Preview of Sunday (11/2) Coupons...

There will be three nice sized coupon inserts in the Newspaper tomorrow. This is definitely the week to purchase a few!

Here are the ones I'm exited about-

SmartSource

• Bic Soleil System Razor $3
• Bic Soleil System Refills 4 or 8 pk. $3
• Birds Eye Steamfresh Meals for Two $1.50
• Glade PlugIns Scented Oil Holder FREE up to $8.99 with purchase of PlugIns Scented Oil Refill
• Glade Scented Oil Candles Holder B1G1F up to $7.99
• Glade Wisp Flameless Candle Starter Kit $3
• Hormel Chili Master Chili $1
• Russell Stover Sugar Free Candy, 3 oz. bag B2G1F
• Whitmans Sugar Free Candy, 3 oz. bag B1G1F
• Woolite Rug Stick $3
• Charmin Ultra Soft Bath Tissue $1
• Charmin Ultra Strong Bath Tissue $1

Red Plum

• Advil Cold & Sinus, Allergy Sinus or Childrens Cold $1
• Dove SkinVitalizer $3.50
• Johnsons Baby Product except trial size $1
• Joint Juice $1
• Nestle Coffee-Mate Liquid Creamer .50
• Nescafe Tasters Choice any 5.3 oz.+ $1
• Purina Mighty Dog Canned Dog Food FREE up to .99
• Smart Balance Cooking Oil or Pan Spray $1
• Smart Balance Peanut Butter $1

Proctor and Gamble

• Cascade Complete Gel, Powder or ActionPacs $1
• Crest Whitestrips Premium, ProEffects, Daily Whitening Multicare $5
• Clairol Perfect 10, Nice n Easy, Natural Instincts or Hydrience Hair Color Product $2
• Febreze Air Effects $1
• Head & Shoulders 23 oz.+ $3 on 2
• Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner, or Styling Product except trialsize $2/2
• Iams Smart Puppy or Kitten Food $5
• Mach3 Disposable, Sensor 3, or Custom Plus 3, 4 or 8 ct. $2
• Olay Bar Pack, Body Wash or In- Shower Body Lotion $2
• Olay Definity Facial Moisturizer or Facial Cleanser $3
• Oral-B CrossAction Power or Power Whitening Brush or Refill B1G1F
• Swiffer WetJet Starter Kit $3

Anyone buy groceries through Amazon?!?

Having 3 young kiddos has made me realize the convenience of purchasing items online. You can buy practically everything on the Internet, from groceries to houses!

Amazon has a huge grocery section and offers items in bulk quantities. Their regular priced items don't seem like the greatest deals especially when I compare them to grocery store sales paired with coupons. They do though have numerous special offers and promotions that can add up to some great buys. On top of that if you sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime you will get three months of FREE 2 day shipping!

Here are a list of some great grocery special going on now-

• Buy $39 worth of select Splenda items and save $15 when you type in the code SPL08OCT.
• Save 20% when you buy any eligible Silk Soymilk products buy using the code SLK08OCT.
• Save $15 when you buy $39 worth of select Frito-Lay Chips or Snacks, including Sun Chips, Doritos, and more. Type in code FRT08OCT.
• Buy any of the Ragu Pasta Sauce pouches featured on this page and save 25% using this code RGU08OCT.

Check all the sales and specials out here.

For more Amazon Deals and Amazon Coupons at the new Hip2Save.com

Grab the new issue of Cooking Light!

I have always loved the magazine Cooking Light and now have reason to LOVE it even more! The new issue has a coupon pull out section with...

• Weight Watcher candy Buy 2Get 1 Free
• Weight Watcher snack cakes $1
• Kozy Shack $.25
• Pledge $1
• 2 Glade scented oil warmer & refill Buy One Get One Free
• Palmers lotion $1
• Refresh eye product $1

I also found other coupons in different sections. Its worth taking a look especially if you like the magazine. They have some great budget friendly recipes and tips. Go here to sign up for 2 FREE trial issues.

Entertaining my kiddo's for FREE... is it possible?!?

My 7 year old son had Teacher in service yesterday and today making for a very long four day weekend. Having two younger siblings made it that much harder to think of fun FREE ways to entertain them all. We managed to keep a smile on all our kiddos faces while still keeping our pocket book in check!

Some ideas...

• Fly a kite. All my children love to do this even though some have not mastered the skill!
• Take a long bike ride. My son just recently learned to ride without training wheels so as you can imagine he is always ready to hop on his bike and go for a ride.
• Play board games. They are fun for the kids plus they help with numbers and reading. Sorry is one of our favorites!
• Go to the library and check out books as well as movies for FREE. You should also check your local library for story time hours and other FREE activities they have going on.
• Watch your FREE movie from the Library with blankets and pillows. Don't forget to close the blinds and pop some popcorn. My kids love it when they feel like they are actually at the movies.
• Go to the park. Get involved and play hide-n-seak or tag.
• Bake cookies or other goodies. Have the kids help you with all steps (measuring, stirring) in the recipe.
• Keep your eye out for FREE activities going on where you live. We attended a free Pirate festival this weekend. We didn't have to pay for anything except of course the corn dogs and funnel cake we couldn't resist!
• Arts and Crafts are a must in our home. You can do them for free by just looking around your house for things you no longer use. Another way to get a few things is to head over to Michael's and have the kids pick out a few inexpensive items. When checking out just make sure to use the 40%-50% off coupon found in their ad in most Sunday papers.