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Posts Tagged ‘Free stuff’

Father’s Day gifts for the frugal shopper, and neat ideas for the NEW DADDY!

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Last month we posted some ideas for the frugal shopper looking to get mom something special for Mother’s Day, and now, with Father’s Day fast approaching, we’ve decided to post several links to websites that have some great tips for the gift givers!  For ideas on inexpensive gifts for Father’s Day, check out the following links:

  • Better Budgeting - Some great ideas here!  My favorite is the idea of yard service.  This is great for the father who doesn’t relish the idea of getting out in the heat and working in the yard.   A truly thoughtful gift.
  • About.com - As for this website, I personally like the “week of special lunches”, since Jerrill takes his lunch to work everyday.  I think this might top my list for next years Father’s Day!
  • iVillage.com - This has some good tips for the 1st Father’s Day for a new dad!  The big idea here is keeping it simple and inexpensive, and I wholeheartedly agree, since most men I know wouldn’t want you to break the bank on their Father’s Day gift anyway.  Men are men.  If they want something for themselves, they generally go get it!
  • Associated Content - This has some sweet ideas and some funny ideas for the new dad.  I LOVE the “new dad diaper changing survival kit”!  This is a great little funny gift for the dad with a sense of humor!

So, with my baby about to be born any day now, you might be asking what your favorite southern woman has done for her man on Father’s Day.  Well, I have 2 presents in store for him (I don’t mind sharing…he’s a little busy with baby stuff right now, and won’t likely be reading this week’s posts, haha).  The first is a picture frame that will have our first family picture in it, that he can take to work.  The second is my favorite however.  I have had his wedding band inscribed, something personal from just me to him, because even though it is Father’s Day, the joy of our baby would not have been possible without our love and devotion to each other, and it’s always good for couples to remember that.

Hope these links help you find the ideal and frugal gift for your dad!  Good luck!

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Posted in Wild Card Wednesday | 2 Comments »

AAA is more than just for flat tires…

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Today I wanted to talk about the advantages of a AAA membership.  The cost of the “Classic” membership, AKA the cheapest membership runs between $65 and $85 a year (for the first person, with additional members costing a small additional fee), and comes with many more advantages than just flat tire repair. 

Along with the companies distressed driver services (roadside breakdown, flat tire, a dead battery and car keys locked in the car, to name a few), they also offer features like Triptik, their online travel planner (which my mom has used for years and loves it) maps and apps for your GPS and your iPhone, and tour books!  On top of all this, some local AAA offices are affiliated with your local DMV and can allow member drivers to take care of vehicle registration, lost license plates and car stickers and transfer out of state vehicles (a serious pain in the neck, if you’ve never had to do it)!  Another benefit?  They have recently added identity theft monitoring with specialized people in their fraud relosultion support department, which is a free program included in your membership…all you have to do is sign up!

The other great benefit to a AAA membership?  All the discounts!  Discounts can range from 10%-30%, depending on the location, and can include locations like hotels, rental cars, gym memberships, restaurants, sporting events, prescription medicines etc.

With all of these benefits, a Classic AAA membership seems like a great deal, and, if you have your budget on track (i.e. no debt except the house), this should be a great way for you to save some money!  Now, if your lifestyle dictates that you’re on the road a lot (salesman, for example), then you should consider this service, out of debt or not!

On a personal note, your favorite southern couple is fast approaching the due date of their first child, and therefore, will likely miss a post or 2 in the upcoming weeks.  If, you, our wonderful readers, visit the site and find no post for the day, please be assured that we will be back soon, and will post pictures of the newest addition to our clan as soon as we get the chance.

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Posted in Mucho Moolah, Monday's Money Saving Tips! | Comments Off

Something sweet? How about free doughnuts TODAY!

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Today’s article is about National Doughnut Day, which is today, June 4, 2010!  The article, Honor history and eat a (free) doughnut, by Teresa Mears, tells the history of the doughnut (who knew that National Doughnut Day started in 1938 as a fund-raiser for the Salvation Army??) with regard to the U.S.  and all kinds of other fun facts for the reader.  I loved all the trivia!  What did I love more?  The info about free doughnuts, since as most of our readers know, we’re love deals and freebies!  So, where can you get free doughnuts?  Read on:

  • Krispy Kreme – 1 free doughnut per customer, no purchase necessary!
  • Dunkin’ Donuts – free doughnut WITH the purchase of a beverage!
  • LaMar’s – 1 free Ray’s Original Glazed Doughnut, no purchase necessary!
  • Shipley Do-Nuts – Free glazed doughnut WITH purchase UNTIL noon!

Don’t have one of these shops near your house?  Check with local mom and pop shops to see if they’re celebrating the day!  If not, explain the day and see if you can get a freebie (or freebie with purchase).  Hey, it never hurts to ask!  Have a great National Doughnut Day and happy eating! 


A special thanks goes out to Amy for bringing such a yummy article to our attention!

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Posted in Friday's Financial News! | Comments Off

Update on Microsoft Office for free!

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Today we’re sharing an article titled Like free software?  You’ll love Microsoft Office 2010, that is an update to a previous post on our website. 

As of this past Wednesday, Microsoft released its Office 2010 Suite to businesses around the globe, and is planning a release date in June for individual consumers.  Why is this big news?  Because this release includes an online component called Web Apps…for FREE! 

So, what are Web Apps?  They are applications that have the ability to create, edit, view and share files online, similar to GoogleDocs, that are accessed on Microsoft’s SkyDrive website.  And the best part is that you don’t have to buy the software suite to be able to use the online tools!  Microsoft has made the decision to offer most of Office 2010 (some things are disabled) for free to anyone in an attempt to compete with (squash??) the rising popularity of Google Docs. 

Basically, they want you to use their software!  They want that brand loyalty to continue!  They DO NOTwant you to switch to Google Docs or Open Office!  Microsoft finally realized that in order to keep their brand in use and popular with the younger and future generations, they were going to have to offer some things for free.  On top of that, they are offering free storage space on their SkyDrive website for your documents, so you don’t even have to save it to your own PC (which is a little weird to me, but I’m  skeptic). 

For those of you that want “your own copy”(those of you who are even more skeptical than me), there are some acceptable price point packages.  For a middle of the road package, you can get Microsoft Office Home and Business, which sells for $279 in a box (in the store), or $199 for a product key and includes Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010, and Outlook 2010.  If that is more than you need, you can pay $149 for the box version or $119 for the product key card version of Microsoft Office Home and Student.  This package offers Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010, and the Office Web Apps.  The best part about this package is that it is available in a Family Pack, allowing use on three computers in one home, and let’s be honest…for the average user, this would be all you’d need. 

Our suggestion is to use the Web Apps tools online for free.  Learn to do what you need within the free version (as there will be disabled parts) so that you can save a bundle! 

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Posted in Friday's Financial News! | 1 Comment »

Saving time and money!

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Today I am adding a new category to our posts: Saving time.  I feel that saving time is a great compliment to saving or making money, because the more time you save on “grunt work” tasks, the more time you have to strategize on your savings and the more time you have to work and make money.  It’s a win-win!

So, as many of our regular readers now know, we’re expecting a baby this summer!  This means that we’ve been getting up to speed on ways to save on babies/children, and I can’t think of 2 things mothers and fathers need to save more than money and time!  As such, I have 2 great tips to share today!  We are attending a maternity fair (kind of like a career fair) very soon, which is a great way to save some money.  There is no admission charge, and many of the vendors offer giveaways, so you could end up with lots of free stuff!  The main sponsor of the fair, in this case a hospital, is also offering a grand prize that includes labor and delivery of your baby!  Obviously, not everyone will win, but it’s worth a couple of hours one day to try! 

Now for the time saving part…IF you do decide to check out vendor sponsored maternity fairs, or food fairs or career fairs etc., be sure to take address labels with you.  Many of these places expect a name and address to register you to win their prizes, and if you have address labels with you, you will save yourself plenty of time, so you can see/do more things at the fair!  It will make your life less stressful! 

As humans, we are always coming up with ways to save time.  Hopefully, this will benefit you in more ways than just trade shows and fairs!  Good luck!

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Posted in Mucho Moolah, Monday's Money Saving Tips!, Time saving tip! | Comments Off

Friday’s Financial News… Microsoft for free…

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Today’s news isn’t financial news in the strictest sense. I ran across an interesting article titled Microsoft Office to go online — for free By Jon Fortt. This article, as the title indicates, is about how Microsoft has decided to make some of the Microsoft Office products available for free on the Internet, which I am positive has caused a great deal of happiness for many people throughout the country!

Basically, Microsoft has been watching other companies like Google and Open Office provide free versions of “Office” like products for years (I myself use Open Office instead, and am happy with it so far) and are now getting in on the action. Their free versions of the Office software will be limited, with the ultimate goal being to up sell people into full versions of the software. However, for those of you who like Microsoft Office and don’t want to pay the premium for all the bells and whistles, this new free version (available sometime in the first half of next year) just might be for you. I know some of you might be worried that it will only be available in IE, however Microsoft says it will support Firefox and Safari as well!

Just something to keep in mind. Not only is this a great way to save some cash, but it’s also interesting that Microsoft, “king of the paid software”, is giving anything away for free!

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Posted in Friday's Financial News! | 1 Comment »