Kickin The Winter Blues $1000 Cash Giveaway

Welcome to the Kickin The Winter Blues Giveaway

Hosted by Jenn’s Blah Blah Blog and Pink Ninja Media
 

One of the easiest ways I find to coupon is how I organize my coupons! I have found leaving the inserts whole every week and saving them in a file cabinet. I simply write the coupon insert date on the front. When I am researching coupon deals online and it indicates, 3/11 Smart Source, I can go right to that insert and clip the coupon! It also saves time up front clipping coupons you may not need as well a having all the coupons, just in case you need one you may have not clipped!    
           

About our Sponsor: Rather Be Shopping Have you heard of the best place to save money, find online coupons, search coupon codes, and find coupon codes that are updated daily? You might have heard it mentioned on TodayShow.com, L.A. Daily News, MSNBC, Woman’s World, and Readers Digest to name a few. If you haven’t been there yet and love to save money! You should visit Rather Be Shopping. Kyle from Rather Be Shopping is awesome and takes pride in saving money, and it shows. He keeps Rather Be Shopping updated daily with the best online coupon codes, printable coupons, savings, bargains, and for those new to online shopping learn “How Coupons Work.” Don’t forget to get geared up and save on the go with the FREE Rather Be Shopping Coupon App for your iPhone. About the Giveaway: We are super excited to bring FIVE lucky people the chance to win some serious cash! The 1st prize winner will receive $500 Visa Gift Card! How exciting is that! Check out how the break down will work.

• 1st Prize: $500 Visa Gift Card
• 2nd Prize $200 Visa Gift Card
• 3rd Prize $150 Visa Gift Card
• 4th Prize: $100 Visa Gift Card
• 5th Prize: $50 Visa Gift Card

Giveaway will run from 02/27/2013 at 12:00am EST - 03/28/2013 at 12:00am EST, open WORLDWIDE! To enter you must be at least 18 years of age, and use the Rafflecopter below. Remember you do not have to complete all entries on the Rafflecopter, but by doing so you are gaining more entries into the giveaway and increasing your chances on winning. There is plenty of time to enter this giveaway as it will run for 4 weeks. Those of you who wish to take advantage of daily entries be sure to visit daily and grab those extra entries

Special thanks to our fabulous Co-Hosts:

Pink Ninja Blogger, Simply Shawn N Jenn, My Four Littles, Moms Vacation Spots, My Simply Walk, Adventures of a Military Family of 8, PrewChatterly, One Proud Momma, Coupon Gator Mommy, and Happy Home and Family

Thank you for making this event so much fun! Maybe you will be one of the FIVE lucky readers will receive cash! Good Luck!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2d03cb113/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This blog was not compensated for being part of the event, nor are we responsible for shipping the prize to the winner. This event is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google or any other social media network. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email. The winning email will come from jennsblahblahblog@hotmail.com. Be sure and add it to your safe list. We sure would hate to have to redraw another winner. If you have any questions about the giveaway you can contact Jenn from Jenn's Blah Blah Blog at jennsblahblahblog@hotmail.com. Good Luck.

A Donkey Kong Cake

 

For my son's 7th birthday, we did a Donkey Kong cake!  I had to go to a special candy store to get the candy bananas.  To make the sides look like a barrell, I used Kit Kats.  Top it off with Donkey Kong!

A Spiderman Cake

 

For my son's 4th birthday we celebrated with a Spiderman cake!

Honey Bunches of Oats - A Review, Giveaway, & Contest!

UPDATE:  The winners are tartar95@, Elisabeth, and Kbroderi@.  Please e-mail your mailing address to spendless2savemore@gmail.com to claim your prize

So I thought I would post a picture of 2 things that make me smile; my sweet baby girl and Honey Bunches of Oats!  With 50 million smiles and counting, Honey Bunches of Oats is introducing a new way to smile!  Crispy mango flavored flakes combine with real coconut shavings and coconut flavored granola clusters in NEW Honey Bunches of Oats Tropical Blends.

• 10g Whole Grain
• 120 Calories
• 6g Sugar
• 9 Essential Vitamins & Minerals
• 4 Wholesome Grains
• Heart Healthy

To be honest, I am not a fan of coconut.  But I do have to say that the taste of coconut was not overwhelming and I liked the cereal.  My 7 year old (aka official taste tester) really liked the cereal.  He ate it everyday before school!

Now the exciting news!  Purex, Honey Bunches of Oats, and Outrigger Hotels and Resorts are launching a huge giveaway:  The 2013 Tropical Trio Sweepstakes!  One winner will be sent to Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach!  From February 13 - April 19 go here to enter!

Spend Less 2 Save More Contest 3 lucky Spend Less 2 Save More readers will receive a coupon for a FREE box of any Honey Bunches of Oats! To enter:

1. (Mandatory) Like Spend Less 2 Save More on Facebook and leave a comment on this post!
2. (Bonus) Enter the Sweepstakes here and come back to this post and leave a comment that you did!


Contest will end on March 1, 2013 at midnight EST. Winners will be posted at the top of this post and must e-mail spendless2savemore@gmail.com with address to claim prize. Contest is open to US residents 18 and over only.

Purex and Honey Bunches of Oats provided a free sample so I could review them. However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own as always!

Corn Flake Muffins

This is an easy recipe and you most likely have everything on hand in your house.  I had some corn flakes to use up so I wanted to try it out.  The results?  They were delicious, even my toughest critic (my husband) said they were "really good"!  I will definitely be making more of these!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups corn flakes, crushed
1 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.  Grease muffins cups or use paper liners.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in one bowl.  In other bowl combine corn flakes and milk and let set 2 minutes.  After 2 minutes beat in egg, oil, and vanilla.  Slowly beat in dry ingredients until just mixed.  Pour into muffin pans and bake for 20 minutes.  Enjoy warm.

Next time I make these, I think I will add a little honey to the wet ingredients.

New Dry Idea AdvancedDry Fresh - Review & Giveaway!

UPDATE:  The winners are:  acartwrightmorell@, Kbroderi@, and Laurasu82@.  Please e-mail your mailing address to spendless2savemore@gmail.com

Dry Idea has a NEW AdvancedDry Fresh brand antiperspirant and deodorant that offers odor protection for 72 hours as well as Pulse Activated Wetness Protection to keep you dry all day long.  New Dry Idea AdvancedDry Fresh will keep you feeling clean and confident all day long.  It is also formulated with Vitamin E for silky smooth application.

A while back I was able to try Dry Idea AdvancedDry when I WAS VERY PREGNANT IN THE HOT SUMMER!  I absolutely loved the product and am still using it today!  As you can see my last container was just about gone when my bottle of New Dry Idea AdvancedDry Fresh arrived for me to try.  I have to say that I love the new New Dry Idea AdvancedDry Fresh also!  It left my underarm skin smooth and I stayed dry and fresh all day long.  When you are chasing after 3 kids, working a full-time job, and managing a household, you need a product that lasts!  New Dry Idea AdvancedDry Fresh is great for busy Moms like you and me!

Purex is proud to introduce the Never Let Them See You Sweat® Sweepstakes featuring Dry Idea AdvancedDry Fresh!  One lucky grand prize winner will receive $500, while 10 2nd place winners will receive a $50 prize! Go here to enter!

Spend Less 2 Save More Contest
3 lucky Spend Less 2 Save More readers will receive a coupon for a FREE 6oz or smaller Dry Idea AdvancedDry! To enter:

1. (Mandatory) Like Spend Less 2 Save More on Facebook and leave a comment on this post!
2. (Bonus) Enter the Sweepstakes here and come back to this post and leave a comment that you did!
2. (Bonus) Like Dry Idea on Facebook and leave a comment on this post.
3. (Bonus) Post on Dry Idea's Facebook page a link to this post and leave a comment on this post.


Contest will end on Feb 24, 2013 at 9 pm EST.  Winners will be posted at the top of this post and must e-mail spendless2savemore@gmail.com with address to claim prize.  Contest is open to US residents 18 and over only.

Dry Idea provided a free sample of their AdvancedDry Fresh Roll-On so I could review them. However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own as always!

The 10 Second Rule

Photo courtesy of Foto Search

 

Did you ever go to church on Sunday and hear a sermon that you felt was directed to you? That is how I felt this Sunday. I left church feeling so inspired and encouraged to do good in this world despite all the horrible news stories lately. Right now we have a priest that I absolutely adore! He is an incredible speaker and he tailors his sermons to all age levels. I actually get giddy when they say he is the priest at the mass I am sitting in, makes it all the more enjoyable (even though I had to tell my four year old to be quiet like a billion times)!

Rewind to this past Wednesday. I was on my way to work and stopped at the post office to mail some EBay sales. By the way, I love going to our post office at 7 am and using the automated postal machine! I then got in the car and decided to do a “quick” stop at CVS to get some sale items. As I was checking out, the cashier fainted on me! Before I could react she got back up. I asked her if she was okay and she assured me she was and continued with my order only to faint again! This time she did not get back up, so I quickly ran to the back of the store to get the pharmacist. By then she was already getting up. She was okay and the manager finished the transaction for me. I told her to go sit down and get something to eat. As I left CVS, I felt good!

Now back to Sunday in church, the 10 Second Rule. The priest asked us for Lent to practice the 10 Second Rule for the next 40 days. If you have a thought in your head that you should do something to help another person, act on it! Within 10 seconds of having that thought, do it rather than dismiss it! 

I think we encounter situations like this every day. Perhaps you are in the grocery store and someone cannot reach an item, get it for them. Or if you see a neighbor struggling to shovel their driveway, grab your shovel and go help! Imagine how cool this world would be if everyone acted on their good thoughts instead of dismissing them and going to the next aisle or going back in your warm house.

Are you inspired to follow the 10 Second Rule for the next 40 days? I am and I hope you join me!

And She Is Off...

 

 

My baby girl is 7 months old today and she is crawling!  She has been in position for well over a month rocking back and forth.  I thought she was going to take off earlier, but she took her time (which is fine with me), but there is no holding her back now!

 

She is 100% sweet, baby cuteness and knows how to melts this Mama's heart to pieces!

Slow Cooker BBQ Short Ribs

So last winter we split a half of a cow with my sister and her family. Within a year we have managed to eat our ¼ portion of our cow. The only thing left in my deep freezer is 5 lbs of ground beef and a package of short ribs. I have never cooked short ribs before so that is probably the reason I left them in there a year till the end! Well last night I took the plunge and finally cooked them up and to my surprise they were delicious and my husband and family enjoyed them! Here is my recipe:

2-3 lbs of beef short ribs

1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (Ours is Sweet Baby Ray’s)

1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

¼ cup flour

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup honey

¼ cup diced onions

Directions:

Put short ribs in slow cooker place onions on top of ribs. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and then pour over short ribs. Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours. We served ours with some white rice! Enjoy!

Keep Up on Health Insurance Trends

If you are like me and carry the health insurance for your family, you more than likely took a "pay decrease" this January due to rising health care costs!  I am thankful for the wonderful coverage I am able to obtain through my company, but I do not like the fact that the cost increases every year.  Add onto that now I have an additional dependant, YIKES!  Here are a few trends that you need to look out for that just might save your some money!

1.  Employer Rewards For Healthy Habits

 

A recent study indicates that 22% of companies will offer incentives to encourage employees to take care of their health.  By 2016, 64% of companies plan on rolling out such a program.  My employer offers cash incentives for joining work sponsored weight loss programs and discounts at local fitness clubs, it may be little, but add up a lot if it keeps you healthier and away from doctor visits and co-pays.

 

2.  More Mistakes on Claims

 

Insurance companies are denying fewer claims, however human errors are on the rise.  Do not assume that because you have been reimbursed for a claim, that it is the correct amount.  Double check it and notify your insurance company for any errors.  I am constantly calling our doctor's office and insurance company to question charges and payments.  Recently our dentist charged my husband for x-rays he never received!  I would have paid for it had I not read the line items on the statement!

 

 

3.  High-Deductible Policies

 

To cope with rising insurance costs more people are opting for policies that have lower monthly payments but higher deductibles.  If you are healthy then this may be a good idea.  I am however very careful and still carry an expensive HMO plan.  With a husband and three young kids on my policy, one bad trip to the emergency room with a hospital stay could definitely add up.  Be cautious in choosing your policy and make sure it is best for you and your family in the long run!