Holy Freebies, Batman!!

Maybe there is something to this freebie thing....
In one day, I scored the following:

-2 Bath and Body Works travel sized products worth $10 total--you can find the source for this coupon here. I printed one for me, and one for the hubby so I could get two items. Expires on 2/20/12.

-Purex Ultra Packs sample--found here.

-2 copies of Consumer Action Handbook--this is a government produced publication that tells you filed complaints with product brands...could be useful...I ordered one for me, and one for the hubby. Found here. Order processed.

-Free 12 month subscription to Ladies Home Journal—unknown if I will receive this. You can try it HERE.

-Destination Weddings and Honeymoons subscription, digital, received--from www.valuemags.com

-Parenting: The School Years (12 months digital subscription)—received, from here.

-More magazine 12 month hard copy subscription—processed. The details are here.

-Marie Claire magazine digital—received

-Food Network magazine digital—received

-Nylon digital magazine—received

- Cosmo digital magazine—received

-1 issue Reader’s Digest humor magazine digital—received

(I found the above 5 on SlickDeals' Freebie Forum under "Free Magazines." The site in on my link list.)

-2 humorous birthday cards from cardstore.com. Promo code MCSFC0212. (Expires TODAY.)

I am not going to turn this blog into a site purely on deals and freebies. That's not the point. My point, however, is this.... We live in a "I want this now" kind of society. We want what we want, when we want it, doesn't always matter the cost to ourselves, our financial peace, our families, etc. And even when we attempt to be frugal, we occasionally want to splurge. I know I do. But, I am learning a few things:

1) I DON'T have to have "it" right now, whatever "it" might be. "It" is just stuff. Things aren't important. It's not worth it to spend the rest of my life in debt and losing sleep at night because I just HAD to have this or that.

2) Splurge. Everyone needs to once in a while. But, look to find ways to spend little on those splurges, and see if you can find them for free. Case in point--I LOVE magazines, but I hate paying money for something that is predominantly advertising. I never knew how many free mags I could get online, without giving them info about accounts, and without getting a bill. Sure, maybe some are digital, but it's FREE, and it's a SPLURGE, whether or not you physically spend money. I got $10 of Bath and Body Works stuff today for FREE--just by doing a few minutes of research online.

Find new frugal ways to have fun.......you never know, it might just be free!

Freebies--Too Good to Be True?

I discovered, about a month or two ago, that with a little work, you can snag a fair amount of "freebies" online. It takes a fair amount of research, planning, checking of websites, and time filling out information, but it is doable. There are inherent pros and cons, such as needing to create a junk mail account for "special offers," etc., but I'm experimenting to see if this "Freebie Quest" is really a good idea/use of my time, or whether it is more trouble than it is worth.
So, I'm using some blog space to keep track of what I snag on an occasional basis, mainly for my benefit, but to see whether or not my skills improve, whether or not I abandon this idea, and if it does improve, whether or not others have any interest in this along with me.
So, what I snagged for free this week/will be arriving at my door soon (hopefully)....
-2 free years of Better Homes and Gardens magazine (hard copy--offer expired, no auto renewal)
-9 months of digital Saveur magazine (a digital subscription, no auto renewal)--RECEIVED
-a free sample of Quaker Oat Squares cereal--offer expired
-American Baby magazine subscription (hard copy)--always available
-BabyTalk magazine subscription (hard copy)--always available
-a hard copy issue of Bridal Guide magazine (hey, why not...no fees, no renewal, no bills...will be fun to see how trends have changed since I got hitched)
-100 free business cards from Ink Garden, and a $16.98 promo code due to an order error (offer expired)--ORDER SHIPPED
-supposedly, a subscription to Fitness magazine (I'm a little skeptical of this ever arriving)
-2 textbooks for my teaching job, thanks to an awesome book rep--SHIPPED
-a free $49.99 scarf from Sneekpeeq (expired)
So...we'll see what arrives (and what doesn't.) I might give up on this if I don't see results, but if nothing else, it should be interesting to see whether or not I can make anything of this practice, and at the very least, you, my dear reader, will get a first-hand review of the art of snagging freebies. (I will never, ever, attempt to get something for free that asks for my bank/credit info--never, EVER--and neither should you!!)
**Interested in snagging freebies? Most of my info comes from some of the links I have on my sidebar, like Raining Hot Coupons, the Freebie forum, Free Magazines, etc.

After Five Long Years...

After five years of my hubby encouraging me to do this, I finally began work on our family's 72 hour kit this morning. It's not completed, and there's a lot of work to do, but since we buy loads of stuff in bulk and stockpile, I was amazed at how much we already had that was usable.
A 72 hour kit, or "bug out bag," is a container with preparations in the event your family needs to seek alternative shelter. Will you likely use these emergency supplies? Maybe, maybe not. But, in the event of a natural disaster/emergency, I love the idea that our family will be prepared. This would be great even for the small problems in life, like lengthy power outages (which we have a lot around here).
I put off doing this for years, feeling like it was too daunting a task, too expensive, etc., etc. But, thanks to Pinterest, I found some inspiration and loads of great ideas to get started. Some are not comprehensive--some don't mention clothing, or pet preparation, etc., but you can fill in the gaps as needed for your family.
I really encourage you to do this for your family. It's not much, doesn't mean you are prepping for doomsday...this is just for a short term emergency. I hope you never need it, but if you do, you will be ready to face the challenge ahead. It never hurts to work on becoming more self-reliant, and your family will be grateful.
Some helpful links:
One Item a Week 72 Hour Kits
72 Hour Kit List
72 Hour Kits for Babies

Gratuitous Begging for Comments/Followers

Hey all,
If you're reading this blog, please feel free to comment/follow me via Google. I see I am getting pageviews, but would love to know who is reading! I love discussion/comments so much!!

I Heart Ink Garden

So, I am contemplating starting a super small business, and I wanted to get some business cards to be able to market it, but didn't want to spend a lot of cash (who does)?
I saw a promo code today for 100 free business cards, either one or two sided, on Raining Hot Coupons, and found the cards I was drooling for--I had looked on VistaPrint, which I have heard oodles about, and really didn't find the right thing that struck my fancy (plus, their free cards carry ads...lame).
I made my card, looked at it a bajillion times, and I submitted my order. Then, I looked at it for the bajillion and one-th time. I realized, somehow, my English professor self missed a typo.
Ever though it was only $4.99, I panicked. We are rationing money, and I didn't want $4.99 going into business cards that weren't going to work. Their policy online states that they don't allow order changes once submitted, so I thought I was doomed--and called Customer Service anyway.
I was surprised to get a human--not an answering service--on the first ring, and Angela settled everything for me, and she says the order is canceled. It's still listed on my bank's online information, but it takes the bank a long time to fix errors on cards, so we'll see. If that goes through OK (which I think it will), I will be singing Ink Garden's praises even more--I will sing them anyway, seeing as it was my fault, and they still attempted to fix the issue anyway.
I think the offer for the business cards is for a limited time, so hurry over to Ink Garden, with my blessing!
(This post is NOT sponsored by them...I just was majorly impressed today.)
UPDATE: Even though the typo was may fault, they are giving me a $16.98 gift certificate, when my original order was only $4.99!! FABULOUS!!!!

On Doomsday Preppers....

Apparently, there is a new show on the National Geographic Channel called Doomsday Preppers, documenting the lives of "preppers" who take emergency preparation to societal extremes.
I admit, I have not watched the show (yet). But it has garnered a lot of attention, particularly now that our country has experienced several natural disasters (like Hurricane Katrina, tornadoes, flooding...), and the assertion that Rand Paul made a while back stating that the government supposedly finds a few months' food storage to be terroristic activity (I'm not buying it, but he said it, and it caused an uproar).
I am not, in any way, shape, or form, prepared for a catastrophe. I don't even have completed 72 hour kits. We don't have a back-up heat source. In the event of a tornado, we would likely become, to use the academic term, screwed. For a long time, I laughed at the ladies of my church who pushed food storage and at the time found it to be antiquated knowledge from a bunch of women who were running scared and living still in the Great Depression.
And then, I became a wife. And a mom.
I didn't grow up with traditional "food storage" in my home. Preparing for, buying, and maintaining a food storage is hard on a tight budget, and our family home was very small. But, that motivated me to start one of our own, and it has become my passion. I'm not the type to keep tons of wheat on hand. If we had to rely on wheat, we'd die. Simple as that. But, we do have some on hand that we are learning how to grind into flour. We keep several months worth of canned goods, pastas, meat, flours, sugars, and baking mixes on hand. We have #10 cans of staple items around for some semblance of a long term food storage (it's meager, but would be good for a couple months, I would think). In the event of an emergency, knowing I could feed my family is something that is priceless to me.
I will never be the type to hoard ammo, or build a fall out shelter, or cry and wail in the streets waiting for doomsday. That's not me. But, we do occasionally go without power here in the sticks for a few days, and we have been snowed in for a week...small things happen. And that is what I want to prepare for, for those moments where we don't want to leave our home and want to hunker down. I am hoping to dedicate myself to my husband's goals of creating 72 hour kits and carrying emergency ready-to-eat meals if we need to leave our home for whatever reason.
On some level, I am discovering a passion for being a (small scale) prepper.
Maybe those featured on the show are extreme. I haven't seen it, so I can't judge. But, I don't get the ridicule of those who have food storage, or water for an emergency, or things "just in case." Even I have been made fun of for our small provisions. My thing is, in the event of an emergency, even if someone chooses to live in a fall out shelter, if they are one less mouth/family to feed and for the government to worry about, what is so bad about that? I hope I can dedicate myself and learn to cultivate this passion I have for being prepared.
Some interesting info I found today:
Emergency Food for Babies
Freezer Bag Meals
One Year Food Supply for One Adult
Stocking Food for Small Spaces and Budgets

Simplify, Simplify....

I desperately want to simplify my life.
And you know what? When you have debt, are behind on bills, have little children, or are balancing managing a household with a part-time job...well, it's so very difficult.
We all have wants and needs, and sometimes, those can dominate our lives. I need our family to be out of consumer debt. We need to catch up on some bills that we are behind on. I want to have a more organized home and daily life. I want to learn new skills and talents that will enhance our home life. I need to work on being a better mother. I want to make more money to help our little family conquer financial goals. I want to start a small business. I need to do more activities and projects with my children. I want to improve my cooking abilities. I need to work on increasing my children's educational opportunities. I need to work on my relationship with my husband. I need more time with him. I want to build upon our food storage. I want to learn a new routine when it comes to keeping my home clean and maintained. I need to learn to live a frugal life.
Yeah, see what I mean?
It's so hard to simplify when wants and needs get into the way, and when they ALL have merit and good intentions. My wants and needs are so intertwined.
Any idea how to strike a balance between accomplishing goals and learning how to simplify life?