Melissa and Doug Folding Castle 45% Off

One of my readers sent me this deal she just picked up for her son, and I just had to share. (Plus we LOVE Melissa and Doug toys at our house – don’t forget to enter my Melissa and Doug giveaway!)

The Melissa and Doug Folding Castle is currently on sale on Amazon for $54.99 (normally $99.99). She comboed this great deal with $35 in Amazon gift cards that she has earned for FREE using Swagbucks to score this $100 castle for $19.99! WOW! Good shopping Mom! I bet your son will be a happy on Christmas morning.

If you still aren’t using Swagbucks, check out this post so you can learn how you can help pay for free Christmas too.

Thanks Emily

Make Money by Saving Money

When my daughter was born, we decided  I would stay home with my daughter and work from home. Obviously, the change left a dent in what was our dual income pre baby. A dent I will never regret, however, a dent that made me decide to take up another job as a couponer. While I don’t bring home as much money, in my new “job” I contribute everyday in small ways by saving money on purchases. So, like everything else I do, I went at it all in, and today I find myself telling my readers about all of the awesome deals I find in my lengthy searches

It isn’t always easy to save money – although sometimes it is so easy, I wonder why anyone pays full price for certain items – but it does “pay.” One of the most obvious ways to save money is to use coupons. In order to be an effective couponer you MUST have a system. Otherwise you end up with all these tiny scraps of paper all over the place. (Even with a system, this happens at my house, but I am working on it.) Some people prefer to leave coupon flyers intact, and cut them out as needed. Others (like me) cut everything out and organize in a mini file folder. (Hint – I saw mini file folders in the $1 section at Target last week.) Still others only cut the things they use all of the time and trash the rest. There’s no wrong way, just figure out what works for you and go for it.

The next obvious way is to use online coupon codes. As online shopping has become the norm, online coupon codes have become common practice. In additon to online coupons for clothes and fun stuff, there are online coupons for HP, furniture,  food, housewares and other things you have to have for your household to run. Looking for a computer? You can even find Dell discount codes. Pretty much anything and everything you can think of. In fact, I make it a practice to NEVER buy something online without searching for a coupon code first.

To make online coupon codes even better, I recommend shopping through a rewards site like Ebates. Sites like Ebates actually give you a percentage rebate for shopping at various stores, and then every few months a check arrives in the mail. Whether it is $2 or $20 it’s still a rebate on money you were going to spend anyway, so it’s like free money.

Obviously, if you read my blog you know there are a lot more ways to save money, but the point is by saving money you can contribute to your household budget whether you work full time, part time or not at all. You can make money by saving money every day.

Disclaimer – brought to your by your friends at Savings.com.

10 Tips for Being Fashionable on a Budget

My mom always told me that if you have a few key pieces of clothing from the latest brands/trends and you work those into your wardrobe, everyone will assume all of your wardrobe is from top brands. I have lived by this rule my whole life owning a few pieces here and there that were a little splurge and filling in the basics with sales and discount items, and I have always been complimented on my attire.

Here are my top 10 tips for being fashionable on a budget (more ideas here):

1. Hello Sales Rack – I always shop from the back of the store (sales) to the front. This helps me fill up on the sales stuff first.
2. Plan Ahead – Adults don’t change size too often, which means you can buy basics when they go on clearance at the end of the season. Then next winter you will be ready with a new coat or a new bathing suit for summer.
3. Outlets – Going to the outlets is like a full store of sales clothes! Hint – you can get your few trendy pieces from my mom’s tip here to save even more!
4. Ebates – When you shop online, go to your favorite store by clicking though Ebates first. By taking this extra step, Ebates members receive a percent back on your purchase automatically – sometimes just 1-2% sometimes 10% or more. If you aren’t an Ebates member yet, sign up now and get started saving on your online purchases.
5. Fill in your Basics at Target – Thanks Mom.
6. Coupons – Some stores put out lots of coupons, some only a few. Know the frequency of coupons for your fav store and shop accordingly.
7. Buy gift Cards on eBay – Did you know people sell gift cards on eBay? Did you know they sell them for less than face value? Search for gift cards to your favorite store on eBay and save 10% or more on the gift card’s value.
8. Keep Your Receipts in a Safe Place – Mandy stores will offer a price adjustment if the price drops with in 7-14 days, but you will need your receipt to take advantage of this. Know your store’s policy and don’t loose those receipts.
9. Resell Fashions – Everyone has fashions sitting in their closet collecting dust. If the clothes are still in wearable condition (be honest), but you don’t wear them take them to a consignment shop and resell them. I just collected $75 from consigning some of my old threads, now I get to go shopping for something new.
10. Check TheSuburbanMom – While fashion isn’t my focus, if there is an amazing deal out there, I am sure to post it. So always check TheSuburbanMom for deals.

Disclaimer - I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Gap Outlet blogging program to be eligible to win a $20 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Friday Freebies

Here is an idea – instead of keeping any freebies you get right now, how about giving them to an organization collecting for Haiti such has Harvest Time International? (At least the ones that make sense to send, of course!)

I have collected 6 in store freebies this week that I am taking to Harvest Time – Free Niva Body Wash (full size), Johnson’s Buddies (soap), 2 Band-aid First Aid kits and 2 Neosporin lip care!

Here are some online freebies:

• Gold Bond Hand Sanitizer - this is a Walmart giveaway, these always come quick!
• Mozart Download from Baby Einstein - did you know Mozart’s birthday was January 27?
• Free 8×8 photobook from Shutterfly – If you have never made a photobook from Shutterfly and you would like to, email me at jen at thesuburbanmom dot com I can invite you to recieve a free 8×8 book! (This has expired – sorry)
• Free Bagel and Cream Cheese - Sign up for Bruegger’s emails and get an email right awar for a free Bagel and CC!
• Free Elphant Charm from Banana Republic - You have to spend $75 to get this, but right now Bing has 25% back so you can Bing to save on your $75. (Charm would make a cute little gift…)
• $15 off $15 at The Limited - Or the coupon expands to $30 off $100 or $50 off $150!

Ok – those are my favs for now! Happy Friday!