McD’s has Free Mocha Mondays until August 3

I learned today from Lynette Chandler from MomsGadgets that McDonalds is offering a promotion on their Mochas. So I went into my local McD’s to check it out. They had a poster that said Free Mocha Mondays. The promotion ends on August 3rd and it’s only for the 8oz  (small cup), but who’s complaining for free?

If you’d like one, walk into your local McDonald’s one of these Mondays, 7am to 7pm (I believe are the free hours), to get yours.

Since I, for one, love their Mochas ~heavenly! I had to pass this along.

Enjoy!

Originally posted 2009-07-13 18:55:53. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Do Coupons Really Save You Money?

As we transition into a new year many will set goals to reduce household spending and reduce debt. This is a good time to consider the use of coupons to reduce spending and how to get started.

In this tough economy, couponing has is receiving serious consideration in many households. So do coupons really save you money or Are They a Waste of Time? The short answer to this question is yes. But, you have to have a system in place for cutting them and storing them in order to have your coupons accessible so you will use them.

When I started using coupons years ago, they were really only available in the newspaper. You could cut them out of the Sunday paper and they were good for a month or two. Now, the availability of coupons is endless. They can still be found in the newspaper and magazines, but are now in abundance in printable form from websites and in the form of online coupons that are great when shopping on the Internet. With so many choices for coupons, there’s no reason not to be saving every time you shop. Here are some ways that coupons can save you a lot of green. 

1. Cut out coupons for the grocery store. People have to eat. It’s a fact of life. Those coupons in the Sunday paper are good for everything from cat food to candy bars (not that you should eat a lot of those). Snip all that may apply to your household needs.

2. Get organized. Make your own coupon organizer or use a ready-made coupon organizer like the highly-acclaimed Couponizer. The Couponizer does the organization for you – it makes it easy to categorize your coupons by type and/or expiration. Every time you go to the grocery store, you can easily pull out the stack of coupons that pertain to the goodies in your cart or coupons that will soon be expiring. The feature I appreciate most about The Couponizer is that it lays flat in my cart so I can be hands-free and not have to fumble with the accordian type that I used to use.

3. Use coupons for other things besides the grocery store. Coupons can be found in magazines on advertising pages and in amongst your mail on other days of the week. There are coupons for restaurants, car repairs, mattresses and carpet steam cleaning. Everyone will need car repairs at some point (especially after your last payment) so those auto coupons can come in handy.

4. Present your coupon before you buy in some instances. This applies to restaurants and car repairs. If you have any questions about the coupon’s validity, ask before you spend the time shopping. If you can have your brakes serviced for $100, be sure that it includes both sets of brakes and the rotors and/or brake pads. Know what you are getting so you can judge if the coupon is a good deal.

5. Look for other bargains to pair with your coupons. Coupons can be just like money – it burns a hole in your pocket. If you have a coupon for 20 percent off your purchase at an electronics store, shop the store circular to see if they have anything on sale that you want to purchase. Save that 20 percent off coupon for when that laptop you want goes on sale. Now, you’ll get an extra percentage off the total price.

6. Use store incentives. Some stores (mostly grocery stores) offer coupons and discounts just for signing up for their store incentive card. Just by walking in the store, you receive a discount on many items they sell. In combination with a coupon you can save more.

Coupons can save you money on clothing, groceries, automotive needs, toys, travel, movies and more. Be sure to read coupons carefully for restrictions and black-out times. To get the most bang for your buck, keep your coupons in easy reach when you’re leaving the house, or keep them in the car. Afterall, unless you’re shopping on-line you will always be using coupons while out and about.

Capture the Magic ~ Give your kids photo proof that Santa is real

I’m taking a break from organizing to tell you about this amazing website ~ Capture The Magic ~ where you can actually photograph Santa in YOUR house to give your kids proof that Santa is real.  Seeing is Believing!

You know how it goes … your kids want to stay up on Christmas eve to catch Santa in the act of leaving their presents. As parents we do our best to set the stage like putting out cookies and milk and carrots for the reindeer. I actually eat part of the carrot and take bites from the cookies to keep the magic alive for my kids.  I love to watch the wonder on their faces as they imagine that Santa was actually in our living room.

Now with the help of Capture The Magic you can actually give your kids photo proof that Santa was actually in your home.  Seeing is believing! Here’s how it works:

1. You take a photo of your living room
2. Upload the photo to the Capture The Magic website
3. Select a Santa image from the website that fits your living room photo (100’s to choose from)
4. Merge and blend the Santa image with your photo
5. Purchase your photo for just $9.95 (the 2nd photo is free)
6. Download your photo

Imagine the look on your kid’s faces when they see a picture of Santa in their home? Sure to be a hit for Christmas 2009. You’ve got to see it for yourself. Visit Capture The Magic!

Say Goodbye to Greeting Card Clutter

In every home that I visit, unused greeting cards abound. Here’s what happens. You try to plan ahead and buy cards for loved ones who have a special day coming up. You take the card home and throw it in a pile until you need to send it. Then when that time comes you can’t find the card amidst the clutter and have to go buy another.  So when the first greeting card reappears, the need for that card no longer exists, so it either stays in a clutter pile or goes into the dark hole of unused greeting cards and is soon forgotten. Add to this disorganization the embarrassment of forgetting to mail the card at all. Does this sound familiar? 

What is lacking here is an organized system for remembering to buy the card, actually buying it, storing it until it needs to be sent and then sending the greeting card. There is a better way.  

Sending greeting cards is a process just like any other, like bill paying or any work process. In order to eliminate the greeting card clutter and avoid the embarrassment of missing an important occasion, and last minute trips to the store or post office, is to develop a greeting card sending system. You can be prepared for any card occasion with a just a little organization planning.

The Greeting Card Organizer is the answer to stress free card sending. This sturdy 3-ring binder provides categories for the storage of up to 240 cards. The binder gives you easy to use sections to organize your cards for every occasion and makes it easy for you to see when you are low on cards for a specific occasion.  

 

 A feature that I really like about this organizer is its undated perpetual calendar for recording important occasions by month and day.

I recommend keeping the Greeting Card Organizer in close proximity to where you enter your home with purchases, so that the card can make it into the organizer as soon as it comes in the door. The binder can easily be stored on a shelf or cabinet for easy access when it’s time to retrieve and mail the right card. Be sure to keep stamps, return labels, notecards, pen and calendar close by so you can do the action of card mailing all in one sitting (or action), rather than running all over the house to find the supplies needed.

With a system in place, you will be able to shop when you can find the best selection of cards for your loved ones. The Greeting Card Organizer is the home for incoming greeting cards that you are waiting to be sent. So when the next special occasion rolls around and you need to send a card, all that you’ll need to do is to reach for the Greeting Card Organizer. You will never be a last minute card shopper again.

To learn more visit The Simplified Home.

Originally posted 2009-08-06 22:33:33. Republished by Old Post Promoter