Friday Fun: Summer Festivals

Summer has arrived! And with it, the influx of many local fairs and festivals. What better way to spend a Friday or Saturday afternoon? Since many of these festivals are free, its a great date idea, or even a family outing!

Bring your lunch and have a picnic near the event (this will prevent you from buying expensive festival food). Take pictures of the unique costumes and events going on.

Click here for a directory of more than 40,000 festivals world-wide. Another good place to look is your local newspaper. Try searching through its online listings, or get the Sunday paper which usually lists the week's events.

Friday Fun: The Library isn't just for Nerds

I love libraries, and anyone who knows me can ascertain the fact that I consider it quite a fun trip to visit one. Before you stop and label me a nerd (even though it may be partially true), here's why libraries are so great in my book!

1. They are FREE. When you are living on a budget, you have to remind yourself sometimes that no, you cannot buy everything you heart desires. That's where the library comes in. As long as you return your items when they are due, you can check out zillions of books, movies (and yes, there are some good ones there!), magazines and even paintings! (The latter part is definitely true- I once checked out a lovely painting for my bedroom for 3 months)

2. They are CLOSE. Just about every city has a local library nearby, or at least a branch. If not, there is probably something known as the book-mobile that comes by once a week. I grew up in the country suburbs, so visiting the local branch was quite a drive. However, the book mobile came once a week and parked right in front of our grocery, which allowed me access to books. You can reserve a book online to come through to you on your bookmobile just like you can request a book from another branch to be sent to your local one.

3. Activities and Groups. Libraries are great places to visit for their many scheduled activities and reading groups. For kids and teens, there are usually quite a bit of programs going on (especially in the summer months) that are free. I remember attending a craft event at my local library while I was in high school, and we learned how to make personalized stationary and envelopes, which I thought was pretty cool in those days (ok, I still do!). For adults, believe it or not, I have seen a free belly-dance class offered at my library. It was pretty awesome to peek in and see so many ages of ladies shaking their hips to upbeat music.

4. A Wealth of Knowledge. I have to admit, I get quite obsessive about things sometimes. When there is something that I am interested in, such as the writing syndicate that created Nancy Drew, I research the brains out of it. From backpacking and camping to cooking and housekeeping, the library is the perfect place to fill up with more knowledge. Because sometimes, the good old internet doesn't quite cut it and you need a book or two to show you the how or why.

All this talk about libraries is certainly making me want to get some books! I hope this post finds you well this, um, Saturday (I do seem to be getting behind on my days of the week posts!), and that you and your family found a new way to have fun this week without breaking the bank!

To find a local library near you, visit www.publiclibraries.com!

Free Money? It's Possible with YouData!

I've decided to start a series called Free Money? It's True! as a continuation of my post about online offers. If you haven't read about how you can make 500$ doing these, click here.

Today, let me introduce you to a program called YouData. This program actually pays you for viewing ads! I'm not joking! You create what's known as a MeFile and basically sell your attention to different advertizers. Now, you certainly won't earn a living off viewing ads, but expect to pick up a couple extra bucks each week for a few minutes of your time. The best part about YouData, in my opinion, is that you get paid every week. This is a really easy program that anyone can use to earn some moneey for that mocha when you have some down time. To sign up and create your own MeFile click here and start getting some free money now!

Free Money? It's true!

How many of you would prefer to have some extra cash in your pocket right about now? I know I would! Enter the world of online and free money offers.

There are numerous legitimate online companies out there that will offer you a reward or cash in return for completing one or more of the special offers from various advertisers. One of these such companies is Consumer Gift Center. This website is currently offering a 500$ Visa for the completion of 10 offers. Wait, you're thinking There must be a catch. Why else would someone throw money like that away?

The catch, if you call it that, is you must successfully complete a total of 10 offers from their advertisers. These range anywhere from free to under 10$. Although you will pay for the offer up front, the reward more than covers the initial cost, meaning you make money!!

So why don't more people do this? First, only one reward is allowed per household. Second, many people don't want to bother with it. Third, those who do often forget about the offers they signed up for and end up paying more than they bargained for. The key to avoiding this is keeping track of all the offers you complete, and canceling the free trial or membership before added fees start kicking in. The result? Free money in your wallet!!

To complete this offer yourself, click here!
Remember to read the fine print on the terms and conditions if you are unsure about anything.

If you are still unsure about whether or not this is legitimate, visit this blog, that explains in further detail about completing online offers like this one.

HOT DEALS: FREE Medium Pizza

Dominos has issued a new code for a FREE medium one topping pizza (carryout only- additional delivery charge applies). Enter the code BAILOUT to get yours! This is a limited time offer, so don't wait!

Note: not all Dominoes are currently participating in this promotion, so double check to make sure it works. If so, happy free pizza day!

Budget Wednesday: Free Online Budget Software- MINT

Your budget is something that should be on the top of your priorities, everyone knows that. But it can get hard juggling so many aspects of your money life sometimes! Life intervenes, and well, we never seem to get to it like we want to.

Enter Mint.com. Its a free budget tool designed to help you keep track of all your finances in one place. The best part about it? You can view multiple bank accounts, credit card accounts and even pending college loans all in ONE place, with ONE login! Mint.com helps you budget by showing you where you've spent your money and providing pie charts to track your spending habits and trends. You can set up a budget and see whether or not you are on track in each category. There are so many cool options to this free online budget software, you really have to sign up and explore for yourself. So, what are you waiting for? Go check out this cool site here!

Free Pancakes at IHOP!! Tuesday Only

For those of you with an IHOP nearby, you'll like this deal. Tomorrow (Tuesday Feb. 24) is National Pancake Day and IHOP is giving away millions on pancakes from 7am until 10pm. Get your free short stack of 3 pancakes on this special day! No coupon required! I love pancakes, so my husband and I are actually contemplating waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to feast on these mouth watering, taste-bud gasping famous pancakes! :-)

Hot Deals: CVS 2/22-2/28

Below are some of the CVS deals happening this week. CVS has easily become one of my favorite places to snag great deals. If you don't already have a CVS card, make sure you sign up for one before purchasing any of the items listed below, as they will not work without one.

1.99 for laundry detergent (X-tra 2X), one bottle= 32 loads. I know I'll picking up one of these!

Buy one Kellogg Cereal, get the second one for 1 cent. (There will be coupons for Kellogg cereal .70-1$/1 in this Sunday's paper, making this deal even better)

1$ for Kraft Mac and Cheese.

Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste 4 oz. $2.99, get 2.99 back in Extra Care Bucks (makes this FREE since you get all your money back for store credit). There are also multiple coupons for Colgate in this Sunday's paper, meaning you will make money on this!!

Of course, there are many more deals available, so check your local ad and see if there is anything else you like. Remember to buy the largest circulating paper in your city to get the most coupons (i.e. I buy the Cincinnati Enquirer instead of the KY Post). I hope this helps you in some way this week!

Stay tuned for more Hot Deals!