A New Home for Money Saving Mom

Have you heard? Breaking news from the blogosphere:

Crystal has moved Money Saving Mom to a new, more friendly typepad home.

Update your blogrolls, bookmarks, and feeds. Here is the new address for this wonderful blog:

http://moneysavingmom.typepad.com/

Chicken: To eat, or not to eat?

This post over at Stretching a Buck has me rethinking my decision to give up Vegetarianism. What do you think?

Help! Where I can buy truly all-natural chicken breast that does not cost an arm and a leg? (no pun intended)

Thomas the Tank Engine- $2.99 Shipped

Special Value from The Learning Curve, while supplies last. Click Here!

Freebie Alert: Office Depot DVD+R 10 pack

Here is one I have not seen before:

Sign up for weekly email specials from Office Depot, and receive a coupon for a FREE Office Depot Brand DVD+R Media 10 pack. Receive the coupon via email, print, and redeem! Offer expires June21st.

Frugal Friday: Working From Home

I am constantly seeking new ways of becoming more frugal. It occurred to me that the biggest way my family practices frugality is something we have already been doing for quite some time.

My husband was a full time student for 2 years until an amazing job opportunity landed in his lap early last year. At the time, we were actually living with his parents while hubby worked part-time and went to school. The job involved a home office, which I never thought he would embrace.

Much to my surprise and delight, he accepted the job and we moved into our very own home a few months later. The house we selected has a fourth bedroom separate from the others that hubby uses as his office.

I realize this is not an option for many families, but if there is a way to implement a home office, I highly recommend it!

Consider these frugal benefits:

• No commute. This is by far the most obvious benefit, with gas approaching $4 a gallon. It also allows for more family time.
• No lunches out. I do have to keep the fridge and pantry well stocked for hubby, but we save a bundle over the convenience of fast food.
  
• No office coworkers. How is this frugal? Well, when I worked in the corporate world, there was always a birthday to contribute to, or peer pressure to eat out, etc.
• Fewer cell phone minutes. With easy access to a land line all day, and without a commute, cell phone usage was greatly reduced.
• Fresh brewed coffee at home. Commuting can lead to the inevitable drive-thru Starbucks run. I am guilty of this in the past.
• No office wardrobe to purchase and maintain. Every day is casual Friday at home! And we never use the dry cleaners.
  

And other perks:

• Baby naps, I go shopping!
• Hubby helps ME get out the door in the morning.
• His lunch break can be an impromptu lunch date with ME!
• He deals with the pesky door-to-door salespeople.
• Occasionally, the lawn gets mowed or other honey-do's are completed on his lunch break.
• With a home office, he is also able to continue his education online at Liberty University.

Working from home requires a great amount of self-discipline, so it is not for everyone. A strong marriage is crucial, and opportunities for my husband to get out of the house occasionally keep things balanced.

If you or your spouse work from home, what benefits or drawbacks have you noticed?

For more Frugal Friday tips, visit Biblical Womanhood.

To read other ways I practice frugality, click here.

Thrifty Thursday: Flower Girl Basket

It's Thrifty Thursday over at Comical Coupon Cents! I finally have something worthy of contributing to this Thrifty meme.

My husband's brother recently got married. I offered to help my future sister-in-law with the 4 flower girl baskets needed for the wedding. I designed a flower girl basket for my own wedding in 2004, so I was excited about the opportunity to contribute something special to Ashley's.

My goal was a beautiful, one of kind basket that would not break the budget. Baskets at David's Bridal can set you back up to 50 bucks.

So, I started at Hobby Lobby and picked up these Easter Baskets:



I added a whole lotta spray paint, some pretty ribbons, and silk flowers attached with a glue gun. The royal blue flowers complimented colors in the wedding. A satin pillow on the bottom completed the look. Here is the result:

The funny thing is, I am not a crafty person whatsoever. The cost for supplies was roughly $10 per basket.

The Bride was thrilled with the outcome, and they looked lovely in my daughters' hands!

Walgreens: $5 off $20 Friday 5/23

A great excuse to hit Walgreens tomorrow:

$5 off $20 Coupon- Print Yours!

WFMW: Tracking Those Freebies!

Retrieving the mail is much more fun when you open your mailbox to find it bursting with freebies. This happens a lot at my house. It's like getting a little present every day.

Since I discovered the blogosphere, I have requested and received a multitude of free samples in the mail. I am careful to select items I know will be put to good use, or passed on to others in need.





So many bloggers so graciously pass along the freebie offers, I find myself accidentally ordering things more than once. I am usually greeted by a "sorry, our records indicate you have already requested this sample." Oops.

There is a simple solution I should have thought of a long time ago! Keep a little notebook next to my laptop, and jot down the requested freebie after I order it.

I am not as concerned with tracking the ones I receive, since there is never a guarantee you will get every sample you order. But it is nice to know what samples you have taken the time to fill out, to avoid a wasted request. That works for me!

To save even more time when requesting freebies, check out my post on Roboform.

A Kid-Safe Candle for 88 cents!

I love this concept, a flameless candle. Click here for a $5.00 printable coupon. Rumor has it, this makes the Glade Wisp Flameless candle only 88 cents at Wal-Mart!

If your Wal-Mart gives you grief about internet coupons, read my take action post here.