Frugal Patti

Head over to the Kashi website and register for a free frozen entrée coupon. Just by providing your address and email address, they will send you a coupon for one of their frozen entrees. What a great deal!

The fine print:  Offer valid until March 15, 2009 or while supplies last. Available to U.S. residents only. Must be 18 or older to receive coupon. Limit one coupon per family, household, address, or email address. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.

Each month Walgreens offers a booklet of great rebates, which will have at least a few “Free After Rebate” items. We only have one week left in February, but there are still six great (and free) items that you can pick up this month. You may also wish to review the rest of Walgreens EasySaver Catalog for additional rebates.

1. Zucol Cold Care Lozenges, 18 Pack
2. Revlon Age Defying Spa Concealer or Spa Foundation
3. Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves Shampoo, Conditioner or Stylers, 6.8 to 13 oz.
4. Revlon Creme Lip Gloss
5. Walgreens Multi-Purpose No Rub Solution, 4 oz.
6. ThermaCare Trial Size Neck, Shoulder & Wrist Heat Wrap

For additional savings, make sure to select the Walgreens EasySaver option to receive your rebate on a Wagreens Gift Card. For selecting this option, you will receive an extra 10%. What a great deal!

I would sincerely like to thank the Cheap Cindy blog for this award. It is an award that celebrates good attitude and gratitude. I am truly honored. I’m passing this award onto 10 other bloggers who I feel also show a good attitude and gratitude.

And the winners are…

1. A Frugal Housewife
2. Cheap Livings
3. Couponing Finance Diet
4. Fabulously Frugal Dolly
5. Frugal Fancy
6. Frugal Girls
7. How to Save
8. Ideas Free an Frugal
9. Moms of Faith
10. Tickled Pink Housewife 

Congratulations! Now it’s time for you winners to spread the love. Here’s what you do:

1. Put the lemonade logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate 10 other bloggers who you think demonstrate good attitude and/or gratitude.
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Comment on their blog to let them know they have received this award.
5. Link back to this post and the person whom you received this award from.

Freelance work (writing, programming, web development, admin support, sales & marketing, finance, management, legal, etc) can also be a great way to learn extra income from home. In these opportunities you will need to bid on each job that some lists on the freelance sites. The freelance sites will list the work needed by each prospective employer. They will describe what you need to do, hopefully in enough detail that you will know how much time and effort that job will take. From this you will bid on the job (usually a flat amount for the complete job). You’ll be asked to write a proposal including the amount you bid on the job, something about yourself and why you think you should be selected for this job, and any other relevant information you would like to ad. It usually takes a few (if not many) bids for each job you are awarded. Some of the companies you can register with are odesk.com, elance.com, getafreelancer.com, and ifreelance.com.

Many people have hobbies that can easily be turned into extra income. Do you make your own soap? jewelry, wood craft, pottery, a needle craft, etc? These hobbies that you enjoy doing in your spare time can be turned into extra income as a side business or the beginning of a larger endeavor. At one time ebay.com was the easiest way to sell items online. Etsy.com is now an available alternative for homemade items. They only sell homemade items, craft supplies, and vintage items, so the typical person that is shopping is only looking for those types of goods. Etsy has gotten great press on shows like Martha Stewart, and continues to advertise through press releases and TV news shows. Since the prices are quite low in comparison to others like ebay, almost anyone can give them a try for only a small investment.

Consignment stores are available in most towns. Each consignment or 2nd hand store usually focuses on either different types or sub-niche markets. Most of the stores in my area are for clothing. Some will focus on children’s items, some will focus on women’s (sometimes men’s too) mall brands, and others will only sell high end designer labels. There are also other consignment stores that will sell children’s toys and/or furniture, household furniture and decorative items, or even sporting goods. I’ve heard so many newscasts lately pointing out how much you can save when you purchase from these stores, but money can be made by selling your items also. If it’s something that you don’t really need, why not make a little extra cash in this economy? I do offer you one caution when consigning your items. Many of these stores are privately owned and thus make many of their own rules. Make sure you read the fine print before you sign any agreements and that you are ok with the company’s policies. These policies can vary greatly from store to store.

Mystery Shopping or Secret Shopping can be a great way to either earn a little extra cash, or receive free goods or services. I have been a mystery shopper on and off for about four years. I have received a gourmet dinner with my husband, a day at a theme park, a workout at a gym (plus $20), and payments for reviewing other businesses. These are fun to do, and often interesting to learn what is important to the business. You can also feel good that you are making a difference by noticing and reporting details that the business owner may know be aware of (like a tree that needed to be trimmed and was covering the businesses sign). To be offered the greatest amount of jobs, you will need to register with many companies. You don’t have to pay for these jobs either (there are many scams out there), so care must be taken. These companies are available on the internet for free. 

For additional information you can refer to the following article with all the detailed information you need: How to Earn Extra Cash Through Mystery Shopping.

When we think of frugal living, most people only consider living on less and doing without. I do strongly feel that living excessively is a waste of both time and money, but just as strongly feel that we should not live in lack if it can be prevented (and only for as long as we have to). In this difficult economic time that we care living in, it’s even more important than ever to have a “side gig” to earn some extra cash. This can be a part time job outside the home, or one of the many money making ideas available on the internet. Over the next few weeks I will be sharing the ways I and others I know of have been able to make some extra cash. Whether you need that extra $20 for your family’s expenses or are able to save it for future needs, a little extra always comes in handy.

I read an account of a lady that didn’t get along well with her mother-in-law the other day. She was told by her aunt that “10% of life is what happens and 90% is how you react to it.” I’m not sure if I completely agree with the percentages, but do feel that most of what we go through on a daily basis is how we decide to react to the stressors in our lives. We all have difficult things happen in our lives (although some more than others). When we have a difficult person that we work with or in our family, getting laid off from a job, a personal or family illness, or something horrible happening in the news; we have to deal with these situations the best we can. Naturally, we have to grieve losses in our lives, and I’m not saying that we shouldn’t deal with our feelings. On the other hand, we can’t let a bad situation take over our lives. Consider if your actions are productive, are they making you feel better or worse? Write a list of productive things you can do to help the situation. What can you learn from this? If you don’t know how to deal with your feelings, often putting your feelings on paper will help. If laid off, what can you do to find another job or train for another career? There are always options, but it may take some soul searching to find the one that is right for you.

I have to say after watching the festivities of the day; I do have hope for our new President. Although I did not vote for him, I was impressed by the actions of our new President and First Lady. They showed grace and elegance. They show so much value in their family, you can only feel how blessed their children are to have these parents. During President Obama’s first speech he blamed our countries financial situation on “greed and irresponsibility” of some. I loved hearing his optimism for the American people. We have been a great people in the past and we can be in the future, but this must be earned. America is full of risk takers and doers, and we can bring this country back to what we all want it to be again with some hard work. Our new President has some views I agree with and others I don’t. Please join me in praying for both our new President, and our wonderful country. God Bless the USA!