Wild Weekend Blog and Facebook Hop

Head on over to About A Mom for the Wild Weekend Blog and Facebook Hop!

Wild Wednesday Blog Hop

Head over to About A Mom and link up your blog for the Wild Wednesday Hop!

About A Mom New Blog Design

My About A Mom blog has an awesome new blog design! It was designed by Erin from Samantha's Day Graphic Design!

Erin did an awesome job and was so great to work with! Please stop by her website and check out her work.

I will be shutting this blog down soon. Right now I am focusing my time on About A Mom. If you haven't already followed me over there, please do!

Please Check Out New Blog

I have finally posted to our new blog About A Mom. It's not perfect but I got tired of waiting and published the first few posts this morning. A new custom blog design is coming and I am sure there will be some tweaking along the way.

It would be great to see my Couponing Gibson Gal readers following on the new blog! I will be posting daily and look forward to sharing with you.

Check us out here!

My Velveeta Cheesy Skillets House Party

Last week I was lucky enough to throw a House Party for the new Velveeta Cheesy Skillets! House Party and Velveeta provided the food and party favors. They made it so easy for me to host a great party!

I was very impressed with the Velveeta Cheesy Skillet Meals. The meals come with the noodles, cheesy sauce packet & seasonings. All you have to do is add the meat. They could not be any easier to prepare. We tried several varieties at my party and they were all delicious. I know that the kids most enjoyed the Nacho Supreme. My mom and I preferred the Zesty BBQ Chicken.

I posted pictures from our party that you can check out on My Cheesy Skillets House Party Page!

Sign up for a chance to host your own House Party.

Is True Blood Worth Paying $16 A Month for HBO?

I find myself in a dilemma this week. Last season I let myself get hooked on the show True Blood, while I had a free 3 month trial of HBO through my satellite provider. I cancelled HBO after the trial offer to avoid billing $16 per month. We live on a pretty tight budget and do not afford many luxuries like paid movie channels.

This past weekend our satellite provider gave us HBO free for the weekend, which just happened to be the same weekend of the True Blood season premiere. They hooked me again! I have between now and Sunday to decide if I am willing to pay $16 per month just to watch True Blood.

Do I bite the bullet and allow myself this one indulgence?

None of my friends or local family has HBO, so I cannot go somewhere else to watch it.

Is there a way to watch True Blood online that I do not know about?

I have a few days left to ponder this decision and would appreciate your input!

I Am Sorry For Neglecting This Blog

This morning I realized it's been a couple of weeks since I have posted on this blog. I have had a lot going on and regret not sharing more of it with you. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been working on a new blog About A Mom, where I will be much more dedicated to posting daily. The site is still under construction but I see the first post on the horizon.

I have been struggling with doing my own custom design. So, I was so excited to find out last week that I won a blog design from Samantha's Day Blogger Design through a giveaway sponsored by Kelly's Lucky You and Simply Stacie. Samantha does original art work for her blog design which is exactly what I am looking for. I can't wait to see what she cooks up for me.

With this new custom blog design, I am sure to posting away very soon!      

My Oscar Mayer Kraft First Taste

I recently had the opportunity through Kraft First Taste to try the new Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Combo and Sandwich combo for free! I love it when I get to provide feedback when I really loved the product. This was definitely the case with the new Oscar Mayer Lunch Breaks.

I purchased the turkey and honey ham deli meat combo and they were both really good. My only complaint might be that the turkey was sliced a little too thin which made it difficult to pull apart. I was able to make 4 sandwiches from the package, but I tend to be a little heavy handed when it comes to lunch meat. I liked this deli meat so much that I purchased some the next week when I went grocery shopping. If you like to mix it up a little, I definitely recommend the new Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Combo!

The Sandwich Combo was equally as good to me, but in my case since I no longer work outside the home it is not something I would purchase often. The sandwich kit came with round flat bread, Oscar Mayer chicken deli meat, a slice of cheddar cheese, packet of spicy mustard, Wheat Thins and Jello Chocolate Mousse and a plastic spoon. Really, it is everything you need for lunch on the go. For me, the highlight of this combo was probably the chocolate mousse since it was a product I have not tried before. I am now officially hooked! Priced $3 at my Wal Mart, I think this is a great alternative to the fast food run on your lunch break. It would also be great to take to the park with the kids.  

Overall, I was very satisfied with both products and appreciate that Kraft First Taste gave me the opportunity to try them. You can sign up for the Kraft First Taste program here to have your own taste test opportunities!


For a chance to win $1000 and to share your thoughts on Kraft products go to ChatThreads to participate.

All You Reality Checker

I recently signed up to be an All You Reality Checker. If you are not familiar with All You, it is a monthly print magazine that is loaded with coupons. As a Reality Checker I have been contacted on several occasions to give my feedback or opinion on different topics.

A few days ago, I unexpectedly received a package in the mail from All You. It included a large 80 count package of Sani-Surface Disinfecting Wipes and a note that All You will be contacting me soon for my feedback.

I have to say that this is a great product and I cannot wait to give my feedback! The wipes are generous in size at 8.2 x 9.8 inches and they are very durable. They have a pleasant odor and work great for cleaning and sanitizing a multitude of different surfaces. The packaging is also Eco-Friendly which is all the better. I will definitely be looking for these in the store when my free pack runs out!  

New Blog On The Horizon

I have been a bit absent from this blog lately, but for a good reason. I have made the decision to get more serious about blogging and have begun the process of designing a new blog.

I have done the following so far:

• Purchased the domain http://aboutamom.com
• Scoured the net for blogging tips for beginners
• Found some blog sites that I really like for inspiration
• Began reading the book "Google Blogger For Dummies" by Susan Gunelius
• Checking into hiring a blog designer vs. Using one of the free blogger templates available

I will be blogging daily about things that will interest a savvy mom and posting product reviews/giveaways. There is a lot to do before submitting my first posts. I am trying not to rush into it and instead am thinking long term when making decisions about the new blog. There is a lot to consider regarding marketing, social networking and monetizing the blog.

So, wish me luck and be patient with me! I would appreciate any tips or ideas that you might have for me! 

Keeping The Electric Bill In Check

My electric bill more than doubled this month from last month. It is the highest bill we have had in this house since moving in last August and it is not even summer yet. I am pretty concerned. I have to wonder if it is even correct, considering just how much it has gone up.

I am trying to come up with ways to conserve energy and keep this bill manageable. Our only cooling source in this old house is a window unit in the living room and fans in just about every room. I have been turning the air off at night and relying on the bedroom fans to keep us cool and so far it is working out ok.

I am washing in cold water and running the dryer only once, making sure to pull clothes out right away so I don’t need to run it again.

I will now make sure that I turn off the bedroom fans in the morning, since those rooms are not used during the day. Turning off unnecessary lights and the television when not in use should help. I will have to get use to not listening to the television when on the computer.

Do you have any suggestions on what else I can do to conserve energy? Every little bit helps!      

A Day of Freebies and Savings

Today's trip to Augusta was both frugal and a lot of fun! My mom and I first had lunch at Applebee's for FREE. We used a gift card that I won recently from a blog giveaway. Our meals were delicious!

Next stop was Publix where I saved 60%. I spent $43.84, including tax and saved $67.43. I was able to use a lot of my coupons with BOGO deals and Publix coupons this week.

On the way home we stopped at Arby's and used our coupons to pick up 2 FREE chicken salad sandwiches to have for dinner.  

It was definitely a great day of freebies and savings!

Win A Years Supply of Michael Angelo's

There is another great blog participating in the Michael Angelo's giveaway. I just entered at http://www.thedivinemissmommy.com to win a years supply of Michael Angelo's family sized meals. The winner gets 52 vouchers! I am so excited about this opportunity.

I am also glad to have found The Divine Miss Mommy blog. It is a travel blog for moms. I can't wait to read more of her posts! 

I Luv BBW Rewards Club

If you would like to get free Bath & Body products, join the I Luv BBW Rewards Club! As a member of the I Luv BBW Rewards Club, you will receive either travel or full size Bath & Body products to try each month. It is free to join!

All you have to do is call Bath & Body Customer Service at 1 (800) 756-5005 or 1 (800) 395-1001 and press ‘0’. Tell the representative that you want to sign up for the I Luv BBW Rewards Club and they will ask for your Name, address and telephone number.

You will have a spot on the next round once it starts. Isn’t that great!

Get Coupons By Mail

There are several ways to get coupons by mail and free product vouchers. I don’t like to rely on just the coupons from my weekly newspaper inserts and printable online coupons. I have not ventured into electronic coupons on my smart phone yet. Although, it is something I plan to check into very soon.

One of my favorite sources is by requesting free samples. Most samples come with high value coupons. So although it may not seem worth your while to request a sample size of a product, you are getting much more than that with the coupon. There are a lot of good sample sights to be found out there on the internet and on Face Book.

Another great way to get coupons by mail is to contact companies directly. Most company’s web sites have ‘Contact Us’ links that you can use to send them an email, making it very easy. It is best to send a short email telling them what you like about their product. Complaint emails will not get your very far and it is not recommended that you request coupons. Most companies will send you a letter thanking you for your comments along with some coupons. I have received some really good coupons following this method, including some coupons for free products.      

You can request samples and coupon books from PG&E by visiting their web site http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/pg-brandsaver-samples-coupons.jsp.

SheSpeaks is a forum to provide your product opinions. I have been fortunate to participate and receive free full size product samples of Allouette Cheese Spread, Cascade Action Packs, and Johnsonville Italian Sausage to sample.  You can visit http://www.shespeaks.com to register.

Kraft First Taste is another great way to get free products. With Kraft First Taste, you get to be the first to try new products. I recently received a free bag of Kraft Naturals Cheese With A Touch of Philly and just got a double offer for Oscar Mayer products.  Visit http://www.kraftfirsttaste.com to register.

I just recently registered at http://www.viewpoints.com to provide product reviews and http://www.allyou.com as an AllYou Reality Checker and will let you know how these work out. Also, All You Magazine has great coupons each month. You can register with the online version of the magazine to receive daily freebie updates.

Publix has a few coupon clubs you can register for. As a member you will receive coupons and special offers, maybe even samples by mail. You can visit http://www.publix.com to register for the Family Style Magazine, Baby Club and Pet Club. 

As you now see, there are many ways to get coupons by mail. You don’t have to use up all of your printer’s ink printing coupons or buy so many newspapers each week.

Another Michael Angelo Giveaway

I have entered another Michael Angelo Giveaway that I would like to share. This Michael Angelo Giveaway can be found at the web site http://dearcrissy.com . Chrissy's giveaway is for a year supply of Michael Angelo's family sized meals. You get a total of 52 vouchers! With the cost of groceries getting so high, this is a very attractive giveaway offer. Hurry up and enter like I did!
 

Awesome Blog Giveaway

I have been entering a lot of Awesome Blog Giveaways this past couple of weeks. I have been very fortunate to have won several prizes already and will post again later to share all of my winnings! Throughout this process, I have found some really great blogs that I have enjoyed reading.

One Awesome Blog Giveaway of mention can be found at the Mom Spark blog http://momspark.net. She has a giveaway for a year supply of Michael Angelo's family size meals. The winner gets 52 vouchers for Michael Angelo's family sized meals. I just entered and hope to win. The deadline to enter is this Sunday, May 15, 2011 at midnight CST. So hurry and enter this Awesome Blog Giveaway before then!

Publix Savings

I had a pretty good shopping trip with my sister-in-law yesterday. We went into Augusta for the day and began our day of couponing at IHOP with the kids. All 5 of us ate for a total of $5.15, the cost of our 2 coffees, plus tip. We all joined the IHOP Pancake Revolution and received email coupons for free breakfast. We checked in with the manager upon arrival just to make sure that we would not have a problem with us all using our coupons. It was a great meal that we all enjoyed for FREE!

It was a treat for us to shop at Publix, since we don't have one in our town. There were a lot of BOGO items and we checked the web sites http://www.iheartpublix.com and http://www.southernsavers.com for corresponding ad coupons. There were a lot of good printable coupons this week. My total bill was $101.63 and I paid $45.45 for a savings of $56.18. I am happy considering I purchased a few non-sale items we needed that I did not have coupons for.

My sister-in-law is getting into couponing which is great for thier family of 5. She did quite well yesterday, also. I have an agreement with my brother that he will cut my grass if I keep them in the know regarding coupons and freebies. I think I am getting a pretty good deal!

I won the FTD Facebook giveaway a few days ago! I was able to send my grandmother a dozen mixed rose bouquet for FREE. She was so excited to get it yesterday! I guess I will have to keep entering sweepstakes and giveaways. 

This And That

It's been a super busy week! It started off great by winning two different blog contests that I had entered. I won $100 Walmart gift card from Savings & Stewardship blog and Plasticjungle. I can't wait to get it so I can put it toward a new lawn mower! I also won $50 in dog food coupons through My Pet Savings! I was truly blessed this week. My recent good fortune has motivated me to enter more giveaways and I have found quite a few. I just entered a giveaway on http://www.christianclippers.com/ for Dora’s Bath Time Buildable Playset. I am crossing my fingers on this one!

I finally got my new printer from Cannon yesterday and it is all set up in working order. Yay! I can print coupons again!

Last week I sent Blue Bell a product compliment email and today received 6 $.55 coupons from them. My Bi-Lo will double them, so I will definitely be using them. They mentioned in thier letter that I can write again in 6 months and they will send me more coupons. I will be doing that.

Got 2 free bags of Frito Lay chips for mom and me from the Frito Lay FB page today. I called my 12 year old niece and walked her through ordering her coupon. Her mom will be so proud of her!

I hope to get some followers to this blog soon. I joined the BlogFrog group and hope to get some interest there.

I think it's time to heat up some left over spaghetti and get ready for the weekend!

Mother's Day Giveaways

I have been very busy the last couple of days entering various Blog Giveaways and sweepstakes. I entered a great Mother's Day Giveaway through the blog Christian Clippers! Check it out at :  http://christianclippers.com/2011/04/mothers-day-giveaway-extravaganza-280-prize-pack.html/comment-page-99#comment-38169

Frustrating Afternoon

A couple of weeks ago my Dell All In One stopped working. I felt so bad when I did my shopping last week without the benefit of online coupons. They really make a difference in adding to my coupon stockpile. We finally made the trip to nearby Thompson over the weekend and picked up a new Cannon Pixma MP250 printer. I just spent the last couple of hours attempting to install it. After installing and uninstalling the driver a couple of times and exhausting the online help tools, I broke down and called Customer Support. I spoke to Mike who basically walked me through everything I had already done and it was finally determined that I have an equipment malfunction. So, Mike was kind enough to arrange for a new printer to be shipped out to me tomorrow. I just hope it will get here in time to print my coupons for shopping later this week! This new printer needs to start paying for itself!

On a high note, I got my Sample Showcase sample box in the mail today. It included a sample of Secret deodorant, Noni's Biscotti, Wisk, Coffeemate Vanilla creamers, and Sunstar Gum Soft Pics. I look forward to trying out these products and providing my feedback!

The dogs let me sleep in this morning, so I missed out on the Gillette Fusion giveaway on FaceBook. I should not complain though, as it is not often they let me sleep in. 

This evening I plan to participate in a live chat with Frugal Living through Blog Frog from 8 - 9 PM EST. One lucky participant will get a $250 Philosophy gift basket. I love Philosophy and am crossing my fingers for this one! Wish me luck!
     

Happy Easter

He is Risen! Happy Easter to all. I had a lovely Easter get together with my family over the weekend! Although, now that my son is grown I do miss the days of Easter baskets and egg hunts. Our children grow up much too fast.

Earlier this week I took the time to send out a couple of emails to restaurants that I have recently had a poor service experience with. I was surprised by the quick response I got from KFC. They sent me a letter of apology, an assurance that the general manager was made aware of the problem, and a $5.00 gift certificate. Kudos to KFC for thier excellent customer service!

On Friday I took my Bichon Frise Winston in for much needed grooming. The groomer buzzed him but left his head a little too poofy. He looks like a bobble head dog! It is hard to look at him without laughing!

I visited the Kraft First Taste web site a couple of days ago and received an offer for a FREE bag of Kraft Natural Shredded Cheese With A Touch of Philly. Can't wait to try it!

I am going through a little withdrawal today. Since it is a holiday, there are no coupon inserts. :(

Good Night All and God Bless!

     

Internet Overload

I have been scouring the internet for several days searching for couponing, frugal living and free sample web sites. It is amazing how saturated these areas of interest have become. There have been some winners and also a lot of losers. My new twitter account has been a great source for finding freebies and deals.
This week I have "liked" a few Facebook pages in these areas of interest and look forward to finding more quality bloggers.

 I tried out a couple of the survey web sites, the ones that reward you with points that are exchangeable for cash or prizes. I cannot say that I am very impressed with what I have found. When you compare time spent with the reward offers, it just isn't worth it.

Yesterday, I ordered my PG&E sample box for this quarter and look forward to getting it in the mail. By checking a few favorite sites daily, I have been able to order new free samples just about each day. Even if it is not something I will use, I can always find someone who can. 

My weekend trip to the grocery store was pretty good. I spent $61 for $108 worth of groceries. Matching up coupons with the advertised sales paid off pretty good. I shopped at Bi-Lo and they had a lot of BOGO items. They also double coupons up to $.60.

I will continue to search what is out there on the web and share my favorite finds with you real soon! 

TGIF???

Well it's the end of the week, but Friday does not hold the same reverence it once did. For all of the years that I worked, friday afternoon was sought after all week long. When in my 20's and early 30's it was all about Friday happy hour. Here it is Friday evening and I have no plans but to get caught up on watching my DVR programming. Friday may as well be Tuesday these days. I don't have a set schedule anymore and really nowhere that I have to be. This was something once dreamed about, but now that it is here prematurely, I want nothing more than to go back to work. I guess we don't always really know what we want.

I got a couple of free samples in the mail today. About once a week I sign into a couple of favorite freebies web sites and request any new free samples that are being offered. Hey, it's free and I have the time! Anyways, it's always a nice suprise when you get something free in the mail. One of my favorite samples web sites is http://www.womanfreebies.com/. 

Unfortunately, I received an email today from http://www.shespeaks.com/ advising that I was not selected for thier latest program for Hormel Complete kids meals. What a bummer, as I was looking forward to passing these on to my nieces. Last month though I got to participate in a Johnsonville Italian Sausage program and received 3 FREE packages of sausage and 5 - $1.50 coupons. I found a great deal at my local Ingles supermarket for $3.00 a package and used a couple of the $1.50 coupons for a great deal. I shared a few coupons with my sister-in-law and her mother. The sausage was delicious! In fact, I used some this evening to make spaghetti. 

I guess it's time to start watching my shows. More to come....          

Introduction

My name is Angela. I moved from Florida to Gibson, GA in September of 2010. This is my first experience with blogging. Since I left work last year on disability and have so much free time available to me, I find myself getting involved in a lot of new things. My life is filled with loving and supportive family, a wonderful 24 year old son and my gracious and awesome God! This blog will be dedicated to sharing tidbits about my life here in Gibson and my newfound passion for couponing and saving money which really has been a result of necessity. I have interests in baking, cake decorating, paranormal romance novels, martial arts movies, murder mystery (books, television & movies), knitting and scrapbooking. I have two adorable dogs, a Bichon Frise named Winston and another beautiful rescue dog named Lilly. I will try to keep my posts interesting and informative. Take care for now and nice meeting you!