Thursday, September 30, 2010

Drum Roll, Please...

I have told you that there would be a big announcement this week.

Well, today is the day.

And there are actually a couple of big announcements.

You can hardly stand it, can you?


ANNOUNCEMENT #1:

We going mass media around here.

Yep...finally you can find Mrs Nespy's Frugal World on Facebook and Twitter. Starting today you can follow me on Twitter and Fan me on Facebook.

Now, a bit of a caveat...

I cannot use either of these media products during my standard work day (which is why I have not used them until now). That means all updates via FB and Twitter will be in the evenings and on weekends. And my kids still come first, so it will be when I'm not spending time with them.

However, it will be another way for us all to be connected and share more offers and info. So, if you want to go ahead and sign up with me on either of those, you can use the links here or you can click on the links in my sidebar.

Great to have you along for the ride!



ANNOUNCEMENT #2:

We're doing another series of giveaways!!!


The Back to School Blowout was such a success that I've decided to do another series in November so that you can get all of your winnings before Christmas!

I loved introducing you to new businesses and products and getting to try some of them out for myself. And I appreciate the growth that happened with my blog during that time. You see, this blog grew by approximately 600 followers.

You know what that means?

That means that this blog is looked at by larger companies for giveaways. I love small businesses and will continue to feature as many as I can. However, they often cannot afford to do giveaways. Larger companies want bigger audiences and this is what your following me has done...afforded us all more opportunities for giveaways! HOORAY!

I still have companies contacting me and a few more I need to contact, but as of today these are the companies and shops that have agreed to participate in giveaways to you:


Etsy Shops:
The Cutting Etch
Simple Serendipity
Que Interesante
Ambernee Crochet
Poppin' Dots Boutique
Nevita
Floaty Toes Dry Goods
Blushing Dove Boutique
A Summer Afternoon
Magnolia Surprise
Just Peachy

Other Sponsors:
Curious Chef
Chunky Bling
Nacho Mama Tees
Gimme Jimmy's Cookies
Nordic Ware
Charm Factory
The Cream Perfume Company
Yoga Toes
Time Timer
Glee Gum
Crazy Dog T Shirts
Eclipse Spa
JumbieLand
Boogie Wipes
Vitalicious
Oliver's Labels
Dali Decals
Ecover
My Baby Clothes Boutique

Since I'm still waiting for responses from some others, so the list may not be complete yet!

It looks like you're going to be able to snag some great stocking stuffers and some gifts as well!

More details will come out about this as the time approaches, but are you as excited as I am? There are some really great prizes coming your way!


Button photo credit: Nossirom (isn't it beautiful?)
Posted by Kaye at 7:00 AM 2 comments Links to this post
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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

WFMW - Thred Up for Great Children's Clothes!

You've probably seen various blogs talk about ThredUP and wondered what it is all about.

Well, I'm going to be another one to talk about it, but hopefully you'll leave here with a better understanding about what goes on at ThredUP and why it might be worth your time to look into some more.

ThredUP is a website where parents go to swap their kids' clothes with one another. Simple as that. It works like this:

You sort your children's clothes into sizes and if possible, seasons. You sign up with ThredUP and they send you a 10-pack of medium Priority Mail boxes from the USPS. If you don't want to wait on the boxes, you can go to the post office and pick some up (they are free) before yours arrive.

You stuff as many of those clothes into the box while taking a rough inventory of what you're putting in it. You seriously stuff it but only with clothes that you would be happy getting (no stains, no holes, all buttons present, etc). I mean stuff it so you have to work to get it closed. People on the receiving end really like this.

You then list the contents and the box on ThredUP. The more specific you get the more likely people will pick your box because they have more confidence in what they are getting.

When someone picks your box, you have 48 hours to print the shipping label and packing slip (free to do at your home computer through the ThredUP site) and you leave it for your postal carrier to pick up. You can always take it to the post office yourself, but you need to tell ThredUP that you're doing this because they automatically schedule a postal pick up at your doorstep.

Ta-da. Clothes out of your way.

Now...you also get to pick other clothes out for your ever growing child(ren). You search the boxes based on gender, size, season, and mix of clothes (mostly tops, mostly bottoms, mixed, etc). You pay $15.70 to get this box of clothes. That's shipping plus $5 for administrative costs. You can prepay for purchases and save up to 13% and pay only $13.74 each.

And for each box you send out, you can choose another one.

There is also a PRO membership level where you get dibs on new listings, get to look at "Golden Threds" (which are listings from sponsors of new clothing that are hidden among the listings from time to time), and you get to see more details about each box than non PRO members. The PRO membership costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 for a year. You can decide if you think it is worth the cost. However, if you invite people and they sign up and complete the registration process, you get free months of PRO membership, so you might never have to pay! =)

What are the obvious questions:

How do I know what I'm getting?
Well, I personally only choose those boxes where I feel I have enough details to make that decision. Most others are the same way, which is why when you are listing a box, you should include enough details to really describe the clothes.

What do I get for my $15.70?
A good sized box full of clothes. Obviously as the clothes get bigger, fewer items fit into a box. You can certainly get more newborn clothes in a box than size 8. However, typically size 8 clothes cost more, so I figure you're really still getting your money's worth.

Are there any ways to tell if the sender is reliable?
Each box has to be reviewed by the recipient. That means you get graded on the quality of the contents and get rated on style. You can view comments that others have left about each member to know whether you feel you trust their boxes or not.

Is it worth it?
This is something you're obviously going to have to decide for yourself. However, I will show you the contents of two boxes I have received.



This one is pants for Abigail. All 12 month size because although she is (as of yesterday) 15 months old, she has stubby legs.

You can see there are 20 items there. That's just $0.79 a piece. I can't get this good of pants at my local consignment shop for that--and I have to pay tax at the shop!


Here is a partial box for Patrick (sorry...I couldn't get the picture to rotate). Of course not as much fits in this box for his size. However, there is one set of long sleeve/pants pjs that are not in here because they are Star Wars, and he was wearing them when I took the picture. There is also a set of shorts and a sleeveless tshirt for play not pictured because I forgot to get them out of the "summer" pile before taking the picture. That's $15.70 for 13 pieces. Only $1.21 an item. Those three pairs of jeans alone would have cost me $13.50 plus tax (minimum) at my local consignment shop. Thinking of my price at the consignment store, if I consider my store credit for selling the items I sent out (50% of sale price) and adding $15.70 out of pocket, I still would not get this amount of clothing for him.

So for us...definitely worth it.

It might work for you as well. If you sign up now, you can get one month free of a PRO membership to try out. If you get other people to sign up, you might not have to pay for it ever, but at least give it a try for a month to try it out. If you don't like it, go to the standard membership and only pay for the boxes. Doesn't hurt anything to try!

So ThredUP is definitely working for us. Head over to We Are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else too!

Posted by Kaye at 7:00 AM 0 comments Links to this post
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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Tuesday Free For All - 9/28

FREEBIES:


SWEEPSTAKES:


GIVEAWAYS:
If it's giveaways that you want, don't miss all of the great ones that are going up at this site for the next month! Check this post for details and my right sidebar for current giveaways!






*Huge thanks to my sources: Thunder Fap, PointClickHome, Elle, Woman’s Day Magazine, The Freebie Blogger, Deal Seeking Mom, Couponing 101, Free Sample Freak, The Good Deal Gal, A Few ShortCuts, Friend Family Savings, Better Homes & Gardens, SwagGrabber, Budget Help$, Mommies with Cents, & "Deal"icious Mom

Photo credit: Eda Cherry
Posted by Kaye at 12:01 AM 5 comments Links to this post
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Monday, September 27, 2010

Baumgartens - Now THAT'S What I'm Talking About!

During part of the Back to School Blowout series of giveaways I featured a couple of product lines by a company by the name of Baumgartens. They are the maker of the PenAgain product line as well as the Conserve brand of green cleaning produts.

If you remember my review of the Conserve products (if not, you can click the above link if you want), I did not really have the greatest experience with their glass cleaner. I wanted to. I really did. I tried it on several different types of fixtures and prepared two different bottles of cleaner to try to get it to work. But I couldn't. The pictures on that post are proof that I just could not get the results that one would expect with a marketed brand of cleaners.

And unfortunately it projected a bad shadow on the other products.

The other products in the family worked wonderfully, but since the results of those were harder (or impossible) to photograph, you were left to view photos of an unsuccessful attempt to use their cleaners.

But in the honesty of blogging, I had to post what I experienced. And they asked and expected nothing less of me.

Needless to say though, my review got their attention. Quickly.

I was immediately contacted by their PR staff, their Product Development Manager and their Vice President.

There were questions between us about whether there was an issue with my water or a particular batch of tablets. Or maybe it was the way I mixed it. They were surprised at my review because they had otherwise experienced nothing but positive responses about the glass cleaner.

So we started the process of checkout out the possibilities.

I sent them a quart of my tap water for testing. They sent me a quart of their water and another tablet for testing.

Guess what?

It worked beautifully.

It seems that my water performed well at their location and their water and another tablet did the job it was supposed to in the first place. What was it then? Maybe a bad batch of tablets? Maybe I really didn't mix it correctly that first day? Who knows.

I can now tell you that the glass cleaner works GREAT!

I tried getting pictures but there was nothing to see. Just a mirror. Just a window. In fact, it did a good enough job on my bathroom window that you couldn't see the window in the picture at all. There is nothing to show you as evidence, but by my word I will promise that the glass product does indeed work. Really, really well. And it still smells really nice. =)

And now that I can verify that it works (who knows what the original cause was?), let me also tell you that I am so very impressed with how this comapny handled working out the issues I had.

I am an engineer and have done a lot of process and product testing in my 10-year career (oh my...am I really that old?!). I fully appreciate the means and methods they used to eliminate causes and the concern that they had from my review. Sure, they want only good things mentioned about their products, but they really cared that the products work more than they were concerned about the exposure little old me was going to have.

This is definitely a company that I would recommend purchasing from. They truly care about their customers' satisfaction and their products. They really want to achieve their company goals without compromising on quality. So the next time you need a product that Baumgartens manufacturers, remember the concern they had when promoting their products, and that one single blogger's opinions were handled in a very prompt and courteous manner. They ensured that I was satisfied with the performance of their products.

This is an update to this post. I told them that with success I would post a follow up to my less than stellar review. I was in no way compensated for this review.
Posted by Kaye at 10:20 AM 2 comments Links to this post
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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Weekend Round-Up #51

Here are some great reads from my feed this past week!

FINANCIAL:


FAMILY/LIFE:


FAITH:


FUN:

Next week we return to regularly scheduled posting as the giveaways run their course and expire.

However, stay tuned, as this week I'm going to make an exciting announcement!

Photo credit: Mr Wabu
Posted by Kaye at 7:00 AM 0 comments Links to this post
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Friday, September 24, 2010

Giveaway - Halls Cough Drops! - CLOSED

Giveaway closed. Congratulations to Anonymous Commenter #65 ~eunice b!

So it's autumn again.

You know what that means, right? Cooler weather, the beautiful changing of the leaves, football, two birthdays and one anniversary in our household, back to school, and upcoming holidays.

Oh yeah. And allergies.

Lots and lots of allergy problems around here.

I have no idea what causes problems with people's allergies at this time of year, but I know that everyone suddenly has watery eyes, runny noses, coughs, and scratchy throats. You'd think it was spring or something.

Some people visit allergists. Some buy over the counter meds to treat their
allergies. Those items work. Really well. But they can be expensive.

You know what else works?

Halls.


Did you know Halls Cough Drops can help relieve your allergy symptoms? I didn't either until they contacted me to do this giveaway. As I looked into their research, I was surprised to find that such a simple, easy to obtain, easy to pop Halls could really relieve your allergy symptoms.

But they can.


The Review...
You know how I know? For the past two days I have been sniffling and coughing at work. Crazy change of the seasons and the effect that has on my body. I started using the Halls from the two packs I was sent for this review and you know what? The sniffling subsided. The scratchy throat was relieved. And of course the cough was diminished.

Of course I would never recommend you replacing your doctor's orders with a Halls, but which you are waiting for your medicine to kick in, try grabbing a Halls and see if it gives you the same temporary relief that it did for me (until your medicine begins to work). Since you already trust the brand and its reliability, you have no worries about side effects or questions about the ingredients.

And since there are so many different types of Halls available, you are sure to find one that works for you (and treats your taste buds). You can even grab some sugar free ones if you need to watch your sugar levels!


Buy It:
Visit almost any local pharmacy, grocer, or gas station to pick yours up!

Win It:
Halls has offered one of my readers four (4) packs of Halls. Great to have on hand for allergies. And if this isn't allergy season for you (or you're lucky enough not to worry about allergies), go ahead and enter. Your kids are bound to bring some type of crud home from school now that they've started back again.

Mandatory Entry (must be completed before any others are considered):
Visit Halls Wellness Center and tell me something you learned.

Additional entries:
  1. Visit Halls Product list and tell me your favorite.
  2. Follow Halls on Facebook to get some credits and comment here telling me you did.
  3. Sign up for Halls Newsletter and Coupons. Let me know you did.
  4. Follow my blog (via Google Friend Connect in sidebar or RSS at top of blog) and comment telling me you did.
  5. Promote this giveaway via your blog (post the URL in the comments)
  6. Promote/link to this giveaway via Twitter (post your tweet in comments) - one post per day. Leave a comment with each tweet you make.
  7. Link to this giveaway via Facebook (leave a link in comments)
  8. Tell me how you found this giveaway
  9. Enter any of my open giveaways (1 entry per giveaway entered) - tell me which one in comments
  10. Post the Back to School BLOWOUT button (right sidebar) on your blog - leave me a comment to tell me you did so.
  11. Grab my regular Mrs Nespy's Frugal World button (right sidebar) for your blog - leave me a comment to tell me you did so.
Giveaway Rules:
Giveaway will run until September 30th at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org. US only. Commenter must either leave email address with each comment or make sure email address is attached to your profile. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to return contact before another winner is chosen.

This post is part of my Back to School BLOWOUT! Click for more details!

Back to School BLOWOUT!
Posted by Kaye at 7:00 AM 78 comments Links to this post
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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Check Them Out - MatSack

One item that all children seem to need as the school year rolls around is that famous lunchbox. Although school lunches can be affordable, it is still the most gentle on the wallet to send lunch to school with your kids. And that way, you can send the type of food you want them to eat and not leave their lunch entirely up to their (not usually best) choice.

The old brown paper bag has fallen by the wayside. Not only is it uncool, but it is also a poor choice for preserving the environment and a poor choice for the frugal family. You can buy all types of lunchbox or lunchbag choices, but why not choose one that serves many purposes?


Introducing MatSack. MatSack was created so that a child does not have to place their edibles on a surface with a questionable history. You can reduce the germs your child's (or your) food comes in contact with by simply choosing this type of lunchsack rather than another.

And with six different styles to choose from, you are bound to find something for everyone in the family (since we're all being frugal and taking our lunch, right?).


The MatSack is constructed of a durable polyester exterior and includes a water resistant interior and placemat surface as well as closed foam insulation for mold prevention. The mat itself is washable. It is sized to hold a 16 oz drink upright and the small webbed pocket on the back is perfect for any additional accessories you need to carry. There is a nametag included in the design as a should strap and backpack clasp for carrying options.

And the creators of MatSack have now designed a smaller version, the SnackSack, with elementary students in mind.

The creators of MatSack are offering a great deal to my readers. Enter the promo code NYMetro when checking out to receiving 15% off the total cost of the order (savings calculated at the end of the order process).

Posted by Kaye at 6:45 AM 2 comments Links to this post
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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Giveaway - Jumpstart.com Virtual World! - CLOSED

Giveaway closed. Congratulations to The Teacher's Wife!

Patrick cannot wait to turn 5. We've promised him that when he turns 5 (in just over a week!), he will be allowed to play video games (time limited by Mom and Dad of course). However, we have allowed him onto the computer to play at some educational sites.

One of those we have allowed is Jumpstart.com. I was contacted by Knowledge Adventure, creators of the award-winning JumpStart and Math Blaster series of educational children’s games, to introduce me to their exciting Jumpstart virtual world. So not only do they create exciting CD games that are fun and educational for your children, but they have created this virtual world geared toward kids ages 3-10 to add to their impressive lineup of products!

In this world, kids can create avatars called Jumpeez for themselves and explore magical worlds, discovering and unlocking games, videos and storybooks that teach everything from math to reading. Over the next year, they will be adding more features, portals and learning games to this site.


The site offers a number of places to explore. The section for the youngest children, called StoryLand, is geared toward your 3-5 year old children. You will also find MarineLand and AdventureLand, which are perfect for K-2nd. Your older children (grades 3-5) can explore FutureLand, and still have loads of fun. The newest addition, and one of the most popular is the Enchanted Sanctuary, where kids can hatch and raise their own dragons and unicorns!


We were offered a free membership to try out this world with Patrick.

Immediately he was intrigued. He had loads of fun creating his Jumpeez and naming him and still enjoys changing up his look and clothes from time to time. He has spent a lot of time in StoryLand and there learned a lot about how to navigate around the entire game there. After playing there for one try at the game (about 45 minutes), he (at a later occurrence) decided to venture out into the rest of the virtual world. He loves all of the areas...even the ones that he is too young to really grasp what to do. He hasn't figured out that he can talk to other players or interact with them at all. He's just content to run around playing games and flying and checking on his dragon (it was hatching earlier this week) and throwing water balloons.

By visiting areas for older children though, he has learned some valuable computer skills, like how to use the keyboard and hand-eye coordination to manipulate his Jumpeez.


He begs to play this game now. And we're good with it. He is having fun, he is learning, and he is developing some important computer skills all at the same time. Our agreement right now is that he can play on Saturdays while Mommy and Daddy are watching football. =) And only then for a limited time, of course.

However, I would definitely call this game a success in our household.

Buy It:
Visit Jumpstart.com and buy a membership. Prices range from $7.99 for one month up to $149.99 for a lifetime!

Win It:
Knowledge Adventure has agreed to giveaway one three-month membership (a $24.97 value) to Jumpstart.com to one reader at Mrs Nespy's Frugal World! This membership includes up to 6 players in a household who can maintain individual players and stats. Also included are access to the rest of the Jumpstart site including four downloadable games that included thousands of additional lessons!

Mandatory Entry (must be completed before any others are considered):
Visit Jumpstart.com and tell me something you learned.

Additional entries:
  1. Buy a membership at Jumpstart.com and comment here letting me know you did.
  2. Follow Jumpstart on Facebook to get some credits and comment here telling me you did.
  3. Sign up for Jumpstart's newsletter (left sidebar at the bottom). Let me know you did.
  4. Follow my blog (via Google Friend Connect in sidebar or RSS at top of blog) and comment telling me you did.
  5. Promote this giveaway via your blog (post the URL in the comments)
  6. Promote/link to this giveaway via Twitter (post your tweet in comments) - one post per day. Leave a comment with each tweet you make.
  7. Link to this giveaway via Facebook (leave a link in comments)
  8. Tell me how you found this giveaway
  9. Enter any of my open giveaways (1 entry per giveaway entered) - tell me which one in comments
  10. Post the Back to School BLOWOUT button (right sidebar) on your blog - leave me a comment to tell me you did so.
  11. Grab my regular Mrs Nespy's Frugal World button (right sidebar) for your blog - leave me a comment to tell me you did so.
Giveaway Rules:
Giveaway will run until September 30th at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org. US only. Commenter must either leave email address with each comment or make sure email address is attached to your profile. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to return contact before another winner is chosen.

Disclosure: I was provided with a JumpStart membership at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

This post is part of my Back to School BLOWOUT! Click for more details!

Back to School BLOWOUT!
Posted by Kaye at 7:01 AM 22 comments Links to this post
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Check Them Out - Between You and Me Journals

Don't you want each gift you give really mean something to the recipient? Don't you want to really hit a homerun each and every time?

I found a gift that could easily do just that. A gift that could really capture the present in a snapshot and become a real family keepsake.

They are called Between You and Me journals and I think they are phenomenal!

These journals are filled with open ended questions and sentences to finish so that the giver can fill it out and the recipient has a treasure that can really last a lifetime. You can click here to see a sample of the questions for the "Mom" one.

You can choose from Mom, Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Grandma, or Grandpa to capture wisdom through the generations. You can even freeze your children in time with the Son and Daughter journals that they fill out about their lives. There are Sister and Brother ones to really grasp a hold of that special sibling relationship. There is one called Reunion to pass around at a family reunion to really capture lots of memories and stories of the entire group. There is a Girl one for best girlfriends and a Honey one to share intimate thoughts with your sweetheart. There are even ones for Mom and Dad in Spanish.

As someone who really cherishes family bonds, I cannot tell you how awesome this gift is. It's one that seems okay now, but in a decade will provide smiles, laughs, tears, and warmth. It's really the gift that continues to give through time.

And as a genealogist, Chip can tell you that a tool like this would be so completely priceless in capturing family and relationships and timelines and stories.

Those stories you want to tell your grandchildren? Start recording them now.

Sand Dune Publishing is offering readers of Mrs Nespy's Frugal World a deal. The journals usually run $14.95, but with the code Mrs. Nespy you can save 13% and reduce the price down to $13.00 a piece. The code is good through Monday, September 27, 2010.

I cannot express to you how awesome these are at full price. A discount makes them almost irresistible!
Posted by Kaye at 6:30 AM 0 comments Links to this post
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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Giveaway - Tukaiz Products! - CLOSED

Giveaway closed. Congratulations to Anja M. and lori!

Okay, so if you have been at this series of giveaways AT ALL, you know I like personalized stuff. Have I said it enough yet?

So when looking for back to school items for this series of giveaways, Tukaiz Products were a perfect fit!

Whether you are looking for folders or notebooks for back to school, calendars or posters as gifts, or invitations, notecards, holiday cards, or postcards, they have something special for you.

For review we were generously sent one folder and one notebook personalized. I selected a folder with a baseball player and a notebook with a leopard on it.

Yeah, yeah. I know they are supposed to have last names on their jerseys, but Patrick doesn't care and I would not have been able to show you a picture if our last name was on the back (since you don't know what that is). =)


Patrick was very pleased with having these items just for him with his name on them. He currently uses the folder to hold art projects and such that he has created and wants to keep. His notebook is used for writing and drawing and such when he's feeling artsy.

Because what kid doesn't like to have something that belongs just to them and is labeled that way. MADE to have their name on it, I tell you.

What's great about Tukaiz Products is that there truly is something for everyone. Kids. Adults. Him. Her. Musicians. Athletes. Bakers. Businessmen. If you have any interests at all, you will find something there that you like.

Buy It:
Visit Tukaiz Products and buy some products for your family or yourself (or both)!

Win It:
TWO winners will win a credit for one notebook and one folder (like the ones we sampled) chosen and personalized by you and shipped directly to your door.

Mandatory Entry (must be completed before any others are considered):
Visit Tukaiz Products and tell me what your favorite product and design is.

Additional entries:
  1. Make a purchase at Tukaiz Products and comment here letting me know you did.
  2. Fan Tukaiz Products on Facebook and comment here telling me you did.
  3. Follow Tukaiz Products on Twitter and let me know you did.
  4. Follow my blog (via Google Friend Connect in sidebar or RSS at top of blog) and comment telling me you did.
  5. Promote this giveaway via your blog (post the URL in the comments)
  6. Promote/link to this giveaway via Twitter (post your tweet in comments) - one post per day. Leave a comment with each tweet you make.
  7. Link to this giveaway via Facebook (leave a link in comments)
  8. Tell me how you found this giveaway
  9. Enter any of my open giveaways (1 entry per giveaway entered) - tell me which one in comments
  10. Post the Back to School BLOWOUT button (right sidebar) on your blog - leave me a comment to tell me you did so.
  11. Grab my regular Mrs Nespy's Frugal World button (right sidebar) for your blog - leave me a comment to tell me you did so.
Giveaway Rules:
Giveaway will run until September 30th at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org. US only. Commenter must either leave email address with each comment or make sure email address is attached to your profile. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to return contact before another winner is chosen.

This post is part of my Back to School BLOWOUT! Click for more details!

Back to School BLOWOUT!
Posted by Kaye at 1:18 PM 71 comments Links to this post
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Tuesday Free For All - 9/21

FREEBIES:


SWEEPSTAKES:


GIVEAWAYS:

If it's giveaways that you want, don't miss all of the great ones that are going up at this site for the next month! Check this post for details and my right sidebar for current giveaways!






*Huge thanks to my sources: Thunder Fap, PointClickHome, Elle, Woman’s Day Magazine, The Freebie Blogger, Deal Seeking Mom, Couponing 101, Free Sample Freak, The Good Deal Gal, A Few ShortCuts, Friend Family Savings, Better Homes & Gardens, SwagGrabber, Budget Help$, Mommies with Cents, & "Deal"icious Mom

Photo credit: arimoore
Posted by Kaye at 12:01 AM 2 comments Links to this post
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Monday, September 20, 2010

Giveaway - Bella Viva Orchards - CLOSED

Giveaway closed. Congrats to Hifam, trixx, Yona, WWillows6, SalanderServant, and Norma!

Everyone wants to send their kids off to school with healthy choices in their lunches. The search for healthy snacks that can survive in a lunchbox or lunchbag can be a difficult one though.

I have found one product that will do the job.

Bella Viva Orchards offers a wide arrange of healthy products farmed by the Martino family in California's Central Valley. From their store you can pick up organic dried fruits, fresh fruit (also organic), and nuts in a variety of forms including gift baskets, fruit trays, chocolate fruits, and the trail mix that they sent me to sample.

Their High Performance Human Fuel Fruits & Nuts Trail Mix is comprised of a mix of almonds,peaches, apricots, nectarines, pears, cherries, and plums. Each bag starts off as 1 pound of fresh fruit from California and no sugar or flavor is added--it's simply the raw deliciousness of the ingredients pouring out.

And this stuff can be eaten by almost anyone. It's certified Kosher and of the top 9 allergens in the US, only one can be found in this bag! In fact, none of the other 8 are found anywhere around the manufacture of this product, so there is no fear of contamination for those who are affected by severe allergies!

Our experience?

This stuff is good. Really good. It's great to see a company that allows the natural flavors of food to be what they were meant to be and allow us to just enjoy them.

These are pretty big bags, so I don't think I would include an entire bag in my child's lunch (unless they were a teenage athlete or a 15 year old boy--you know, because they eat everything they can get their hands on). However, it would be great to split up into smaller bags or to have sitting in my desk for a snack for the week. The only danger in that is that it is high enough in calories (all good, healthy calories, but calories nonetheless) that I would have to try to control myself and keep from eating the entire bag in one sitting!



Buy It:
Visit Bella Viva Orchards and buy some snacks of your own!

Win It:
Six (yes, I said SIX) readers will win one pack of trail mix like the one we sampled.

Mandatory Entry (must be completed before any others are considered):
Visit Bella Viva Orchards and tell me what other product you'd like to try.

Additional entries:
  1. Make a purchase at Bella Viva Orchards and comment here letting me know you did.
  2. Follow Bella Viva on Facebook and comment here telling me you did.
  3. Visit Bella Viva Orchards and sign up for their newsletter. Let me know you did.
  4. Follow my blog (via Google Friend Connect in sidebar or RSS at top of blog) and comment telling me you did.
  5. Promote this giveaway via your blog (post the URL in the comments)
  6. Promote/link to this giveaway via Twitter (post your tweet in comments) - one post per day. Leave a comment with each tweet you make.
  7. Link to this giveaway via Facebook (leave a link in comments)
  8. Tell me how you found this giveaway
  9. Enter any of my open giveaways (1 entry per giveaway entered) - tell me which one in comments
  10. Post the Back to School BLOWOUT button (right sidebar) on your blog - leave me a comment to tell me you did so.
  11. Grab my regular Mrs Nespy's Frugal World button (right sidebar) for your blog - leave me a comment to tell me you did so.
Giveaway Rules:
Giveaway will run until September 29th at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org. US only. Commenter must either leave email address with each comment or make sure email address is attached to your profile. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to return contact before another winner is chosen.

This post is part of my Back to School BLOWOUT! Click for more details!

Back to School BLOWOUT!
Posted by Kaye at 7:00 AM 170 comments Links to this post
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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Check Them Out - Elements of Earth

If you are looking for "Vintage & Handcreated Items For Odd People" or some dreadlock items, Elements of Earth is a great place for you to look around. Specializing in customer service and getting the items the customer needs for a price they can afford, this shop can easily ride on its pristine etsy feedback.

Here is just a sampling of the eclectic items at Elements of Earth:




Elements of Earth is offering Mrs Nespy's Frugal World readers a special promotion. If you enter code "COILY1" in with your order, you can get 20% off your entire order! And they ship internationally!

Seriously...go check them out.

This post is part of my Back to School BLOWOUT! Click for more details!

Back to School BLOWOUT!
Posted by Kaye at 7:00 AM 0 comments Links to this post
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Saturday, September 18, 2010

Giveaway - DiamondEarrings.org! - CLOSED

Giveaway closed. Congratulations to Nancye!

Diamonds are a girl's best friend, right? At least that's what I'm told. And I will take them over man's best friend any day. =)

But diamonds--as beautiful as they may be--are expensive. I'm not saying they aren't rare and beautiful and worth it, but I'm telling you that if I wanted to get my hands on some diamonds right now, I would have to organize some type of complex heist because we just simply cannot afford them right now.

And that's okay.

Because it doesn't mean you can't at least look sparkly. You can still "frost yourself" (one extra entry for the first person to correctly tell me what movie that phrase is from). =)

DiamondEarrings.org is out to help all of us "frost" ourselves for next to nil. "For a limited time" all you have to do is advertise their site by posting it on your website, blog, Facebook, twitter, or wherever else you can find online. You tell them you want a pair, show them the link where you posted the info, and pay shipping charges of $3.77 and a lovely (large) pair of simulated diamond earrings are yours.


Look at the gorgeous princess cut stones. I don't care if they aren't real...they are really pretty. And since princess is my cut of choice (my engagement ring is a princess...the only part of my ring I got to choose), they delight me that much more.

These are about 1/2 carat each I would guess, just comparing them to my engagement ring. I don't know if all of the ones they are giving away on their site are identical (in size and cut) or not.

However, I do know that I would wear these out and about with a really nice outfit. I will be honest...up close, they don't look like real diamonds. But that is because I know what real princess cut diamonds look like. And I don't expect anyone (but maybe Chip) getting close enough to my ears to be able to tell! So these would definitely do for me!

DiamondEarrings.org has generously sent me this pair for a review and is offering one of my readers their own pair (free--with no shipping costs). Cool! And what's doubly great...even if you don't win...you will only have to pay $3.77 for yours! If you take advantage of some of the ways to enter this giveaway, you're already halfway to getting them that way anyway!

Buy It:
Visit DiamondEarrings.org and get your hands on a pair for shipping only!

Win It:
One winner will win a free pair (no shipping!) via DiamondEarrings.org.

Mandatory Entry (must be completed before any others are considered):
Tell me what your personal favorite piece of jewelry is.

Additional entries:
  1. Publicize DiamondEarrings.org on Facebook and comment here telling me you did (send me the link, please). If you don't win, now you're only shipping charges away from owning a pair yourself!
  2. Use twitter to link to DiamondEarrings.org and comment here telling me you did (send me the link, please). If you don't win, now you're only shipping charges away from owning a pair yourself!
  3. Follow my blog (via Google Friend Connect in sidebar or RSS at top of blog) and comment telling me you did.
  4. Promote this giveaway via your blog (post the URL in the comments). If you link to both this giveaway and their website, if you don't win, you are only shipping charges away from owning a pair yourself!
  5. Promote/link to this giveaway via Twitter (post your tweet in comments) - one post per day. Leave a comment with each tweet you make. Does not count toward getting a pair using their site.
  6. Link to this giveaway via Facebook (leave a link in comments). Does not count toward getting a pair using their site.
  7. Tell me how you found this giveaway
  8. Enter any of my open giveaways (1 entry per giveaway entered) - tell me which one in comments
  9. Post the Back to School BLOWOUT button (right sidebar) on your blog - leave me a comment to tell me you did so.
  10. Grab my regular Mrs Nespy's Frugal World button (right sidebar) for your blog - leave me a comment to tell me you did so.
Giveaway Rules:
Giveaway will run until September 27th at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org. US only. Commenter must either leave email address with each comment or make sure email address is attached to your profile. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to return contact before another winner is chosen.

This post is part of my Back to School BLOWOUT! Click for more details!



Back to School BLOWOUT!
Posted by Kaye at 8:00 AM 96 comments Links to this post
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Weekend Round-Up #50

FINANCE:

FAMILY/LIFE:

FAITH:

FUN:

FAVORITE NEW SITE OF THE WEEK:

Photo credit: Mr Wabu

Posted by Kaye at 6:45 AM 0 comments Links to this post
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