Frugal — Page 19

$40 worth of FREE printables!

I remember making these types of books with crayons and construction paper when I was little…

Get FREE Fathers Day Coupon Book Printables!

Sample...

How fun is this? Just go on over to Lettering Delights, and click the “Try Now” button in the corner by this set, and you can download and print the whole book! Free Fathers Day Coupons.

Want More Free Stuff Too?

And, if you’re a new visitor like I was, sign up for an account {super quick and easy} to get access to $40 worth of other printables like fonts, banners, and frames. Really cute stuff, and some are going to be PERFECT for my little ones first birthday decorations.

You get a total of 9 free {very cool} fonts, some printable paper packs, invitations, and more.

Super cool, right?

So check it out, and get your FREE STUFF too. If you love crafty freebies, then check out this one too: Free Craft Newsletter Subscription Offer, plus videos, free offers, ideas, and more! Click Here to check it out!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on June 13, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Fun Stuff | No Comments

Wake ’em Up Coffee Smoothie and More!

Summer Smoothies!

Smooth Banana Smoothie

Preparation Time: 5 min

Ingredients

2 cups lowfat milk
2 medium-sized ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
¹/3 cup chocolate-flavored syrup
2 large scoops frozen vanilla yogurt

Instructions

In a blender, combine all the ingredients and blend on medium speed until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Or, try this one:

Wake ’em Up Coffee Smoothie!

Preperation Time: 5 min.

Ingredients

1 cup milk
¹/4 cup instant coffee granules
¹/3 cup sugar
1 envelope (1-1/4-ounces) chocolate or vanilla instant breakfast drink mix
3 cups ice cubes

Instructions

In a blender, blend all ingredients except the ice until well combined.
Add ice and blend until well combined and slushy. Serve immediately.

Yields about 1 quart, or 3 to 4 servings each.

They sound super yummy right? And super easy. That’s my favorite combination in the kitchen.

To get more simple recipes like this from Mr. Food, get some of his FREE e-books filled with recipes. I love ’em.

The Let’s Get Grilling guide has tons of great easy recipes and tips to help you plan some pretty awesome summer BBQ’s.

The Decadent Desserts free cookbook is filled with yummy goodies that are simple enough that you can try a new one each night. Seriously, super quick and easy.

Blue Ribbon Casseroles is honestly one of my favorites. I love being able to throw a bunch of good stuff into one big pan, bake, and serve. That’s my type of cookin’.

The Mr. Food Best Brunch recipes book is a really good one too. Find some really good make-ahead dishes, some super yummy sticky buns, and more!

What I do:

I went through all of these ebooks, printed off all of the recipes that I liked, and put them all in a big 3-ring binder, to have a new cookbook. I VERY seldom buy cookbooks anymore, since there are so many great recipes to be found online, and lots of great ebooks like this!

Another option is to just download the ebooks, and then check ’em out once a week and print out just a couple new recipes to try. These are such timesavers, and they’re great budget recipes too. They all use simple, but good, ingredients.

Which one is YOUR favorite??

Posted by Meagan Paullin on June 13, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Fun Stuff | No Comments

Credit Karma: Reader Story, plus seen on CNN, USA Today, and more!

Ok, I’ve told you guys about Credit Karma before.

It is an amazing site where you can get a FREE credit report and score, and they’re actually free, no strings.

I get asked ALL. THE. TIME. about how to get a free credit report, since all of the major places you hear advertised want your credit card info, and to enroll you in some BS when you try to get it.

Random and only sorta related pic...

I used to advise you to just get it directly from the companies, since by law, you are able to get one copy per year FREE from each one. But then I found Credit Karma!

This is SO much better than how I had been doing it! They not only give you access to your report for free, but they give you a really cool chart to access, comparing your score to averages across the country, and other details. It really is a super cool report, and gives you a credit score and tips to raise it!

Read a Sunshine and Sippy Cups readers story here:

Several years ago I found myself in a messy divorce that sadly landed my
credit in the garbage. I spent some time researching a way to monitor and
improve my credit and came across Credit Karma. And from that day forward,
it has changed my life!

The site is free to join, NEVER a fee or charge to review your scores,
monitor your credit, etc. I log on every month to check my score and ensure
my report is accurate. I have also utilized their “savings” suggestions and
have saved at least $500 on insurance(home and auto). And by monitoring my
credit and working to improve the huge financial burden that my ex-husband
“left” me, I was able to improve my score by 3 points in just a few months.

I continue to utilize them and my scores continue to improve.

I highly recommend this site for anyone and everyone that wants to take
control of their credit and stay “in the know”.

A Credit Karma Fan,
Dana Partaker

You want to check it out for yourself?

Head over to Credit Karma today and get started. It is 100% legit, so it is safe to enter your info. {If you’re worried, Google it and you’ll see it’s safe!} Then verify your info by confirming with the email that they send you, and you get to see a very cool, colorful, and easy to understand layout of your credit score info!

If you have any questions about how this works, feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll get back to you!

I know you guys spend a lot of time trying to save money for your families by doing things like clipping coupons and searching for deals. Saving money that way is super important, but the money that you can save in the long run by improving your credit score is HUGE.

Another way to improve your families income is by educating
yourself. Look into some online accounting degrees
that can really help you make it through these tough economic times.

More and more traditional institutions have started offering flexible online college degrees, which is what I did when I went back to school. Next week I’ll graduate, and will have completed my whole degree online :) If you have questions about that too, ask me in the comments and I’ll get back to you!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on June 11, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Reviews | 4 Comments

{Sneak Peek!} Sunday Coupon Preview

Shhhh….

Did you know you can sneak a peek at tomorrows Sunday Paper coupons today?!

Yep, Sunday Coupon Preview lets you learn what coupons are coming in the next Sunday paper, so you can check your sale ad’s from Wednesday, and match ’em up with the coming coupons!

Sneaky, right?

So check it out, and see what you can expect to get tomorrow. This is great for those of you who don’t get a paper delivered, so that you can decide if it’s worth it to you to purchase it at the store.

This is a great help to me when planning my weekly trips!

And, if you’re looking for more printable coupons to add to your Sunday clipped coupons, check these out, they’re some of my favorite trusted coupon sites…

Meagan’s Favorite Coupon sites:

Coupons.com: Get coupons from a trusted source! Click Here.
Coupon Alerts: This is a super cool site that offers printable coupons as well as e-coupons, and updates non-stop! Click Here.
Cellfire: No need to print, clip, or carry! Load coupons directly to your store card. Click Here.
Kellogg’s: Get up $10 in product coupons just for signing up, plus you’ll be on their mailing list, and will get more! Love it. Click Here.
RedPlum: Tons of great family brand printable coupons! Click Here.
Right @ Home: Sign up for SC Johnson company coupons, samples, and more! GREAT coupon resource for products like Glade, Pledge, and Scrubbing Bubbles! Click Here.

Couponing can seem complicated when you’re a newbie. But really, all it takes is 5 or 10 minutes to browse a few sites, and print out a handful of coupons for stuff you’ll be buying anyway. Put ’em in an envelope with a list on the front, and then hand ’em over to the check out clerk. You’ll see some savings add up quicker than you thought, and soon enough you’ll get hooked!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on June 11, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Shopping | No Comments

You guys love it: Coupon Network!

Quite a few of you ladies have suggested this site to me, and I finally got a chance to check it out….

And I can see why you guys love it! There are a ton of coupons here that I haven’t seen on all of the other sites. Great selection, and very simple to navigate too.

Coupon Network is where sophisticated busy moms and dads go to save money and improve their family’s quality of life – with the most value and the most brands.

Click Here to check it out today, and see what all the excitement is about!

Take a bit today to go and check this out, and see what you think. I’m pretty sure you’ll be a new fan too. And if you guys EVER have suggestions of new pages I should check out, or anything cool that you think I should share, ALWAYS feel free to leave comments, or email me at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com with ideas!

If you think it’s cool, odds are many of the other readers will too! I hope you’re all having a great weekend so far…. Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it!

You know, you can enrich your deal-finding experiences by educating
yourself. Look into some online accounting degrees
that can really help you make it through these less than stellar times.
More and more traditional institutions have started offering flexible online college degrees. If any of you are thinking about going back to school to help increase your families income, and improve your future, now is a great time to get started!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on June 11, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies | No Comments

Quick Beginner Couponing Tips!

Check out some of my favorite coupon sites, and get the newest coupons to save YOUR family more money on groceries!

You don’t have to be a couponing expert to save money. Start small:

Check out these sites, and find coupons for products you KNOW you’ll be buying anyway.

Add them to your store reward card or print them out and clip.
Put ’em all in an envelope, make a list on the front of which coupons you’ve got, and make sure to pick up those items while shopping.
Hand your envelope to the check out clerk.
See your savings add up!
It really is that easy peasy, I promise :)

So, here are some great coupon sites you can use to get started:

I’m sure you’ve heard of Coupons.com, they’re a big one. Browse through their selection, and print out your favorites.

Cellfire is a really cool one that I’ve become a big fan of. You simply choose the coupons you like, and then add them right onto your store reward card. Then they are AUTOMATICALLY applied to your purchase, without needing to clip and carry any coupons at all! Some stores even let you stack these on top of your printed coupons!

Sunday Coupon Preview is a really cool site, it allows you to get a “sneak peek” at the coupons coming that out in the next Sunday paper. Very cool, check them out!

RedPlum Coupons is another really great site for printable coupons. I find a lot of our favorite brands here!

So, go and check them out, and discover which sites will work best for YOUR family. And if you have any other sites to suggest, leave me some comments!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on June 10, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Shopping | No Comments

Bubblegum Diva: Clearance starting at $5.99!

Bubblegum Diva

Zulily has an amazing sale today on Bubblegum Diva fashions for little girls!

Their clearance event has prices starting at ONLY $5.99! And this stuff is darn stinkin’ cute too, you don’t want to miss it.

Dogwood

They’ve also got a sale going for little guys too!

Dogwood fashions are on sale up to 60% off! These run in sizes from infant through size 14.

Head over to Zulily to check out these deals and plenty more!

And hurry, because the sales are over fast: both of these events END on the 13th. {If you’re not a member yet, it’s super easy to sign in and check stuff out. And they NEVER spam you or anything. You just get one email each day, with the new sale events going on, so you never miss anything good. I get amazing deals through Zulily that I could never afford otherwise!}