Cloth Diapers for Sale

The time has come. Well, actually it came and passed some time ago, but I am finally getting serious about selling my cloth diapers. I am getting rid of everything. I have two sizes of Chinese Prefolds and wraps sized Sm-XL. See more photos here.

They are well used, and priced accordingly. All are in fair or better condition. I am asking $125 (plus shipping) for the entire set. I am willing to separate. Email me for prices on separate items. stkappleto at hotmail.com

BOGO Dairy Queen Blizzards

Ice cream.....one of my many weaknesses. Join the Blizzard Fan Club and receive six BOGO coupons for Blizzards at DQ. One of the coupons will come now and the others will come later. Yummy!


Thanks to Laura Otera for passing along this deal.

Caregivers Marketplace 2009 Deadline

Just a reminder to those who participate in the Caregivers Marketplace rebate program, receipts for 2009 must be sent in with the 2009 Cash back form, and postmarked by January 31, 2010 to be eligible for rebate. Quite honestly I never realized that there were any calendar year restrictions on these rebates. My husband noticed the fine print when he was cleaning off my desk for me. Isn't he awesome?! :) I am getting my form together for the mail now.

Tuna Cheese Spread

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of HealthyTuna.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

Canned tuna is a frugal pantry staple in this household. I enjoy fixing tuna in a wide variety of ways, but one of my favorites is Tuna Cheese Spread. ( See the recipe below.) This is a fabulous appetizer dip when served with veggies, crackers or crusty bread. The creaminess of the cream cheese with the zip of curry powder are the perfect combination with tuna.


Tuna isn't just versatile, delicious and frugal. It also is good for you. Tuna contains those good brain building Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin D, and selenium. Recent studies have shown these nutrients to be beneficial to the brain development of babies and young children. There has even been a study that suggests that eating seafood while pregnant helps reduce the rate of postpartum depression. For more tuna recipes and the research on the health benefits of tuna, click healthy tuna.

Freebies and Coupons

My Inbox and Google Reader just seem to be bursting with great freebies and coupons this week. Here are a few of the best ones I've seen this afternoon.

FREE Flower Shears
One per household, while supplies last.
Hat tip to Proverbs Wife.

FREE $17 Congara Coupon Booklet
Coupons for bands like Hunt's, Peter Pan, Pam, and more.
Hat tip to Stretching a Buck.

Big Lots 20% Off Coupon
Good from January 23 until January 31.
Hat tip to Deal Seeking Mom.

Do you think retailers are trying to beat the January blahs by offering all these great promotions?

Crocs Mary Janes $14.99

I have to admit when Crocs first started to become popular I thought they were the ugliest things ever. Then we came across a knock off brand on a clearance rack for a couple of bucks, and figured they would be good shoes to wear around the house. They were. It is very convenient to have shoes that slip on and off easily. Not to mention the easy clean up for our constant battle with mud.

Then a few months ago I saw the Crocs deal of the week that offered sports logo Crocs for about $10. I got a few pairs for the family. I must say these are far more comfortable than the knock off brand. I've been told that they also last quite a bit longer too.

This week the Crocs deal of the Week is on their Mary Jane styled shoe. Womens sizes are $14.99. Girls sizes are $9.99. Shop through Ebates and earn a 4% rebates.

While I am still not impressed with the look of Crocs, I have to concede they have earned their popularity based on comfort and convenience. If you watch for sales they also can be very affordable.

10% Off Hometown Seeds

Still dreaming of spring. Although our weather has been much milder lately. Get 10% off your order with code thanks at Hometown Seeds now through February 28.

Free Desk Calendar at Walgreens

Now through Saturday, January 23, get a free desk calendar when you order online at Walgreens. There are three designs to choose from. Use code FRRE4U.

Free Skein of Yarn

How many times have I mentioned here that I'd love to learn to knit or crochet? 10, 20, 1000? I'm not sure, but it has been on my "to learn someday" list for a long time. Last weekend my daughter got a beginners crochet book and supplies for her birthday, and now we are attempting to learn together. Can't say that we've made anything, but a couple of chains yet, but it is a start.

So when Money Saving Mom shared that Caron International was giving away a free skein of yarn, I figured more yarn would be more motivation to keep at this newly acquired skill, and immediately requested my skein.

Requesting yours is easy. Simply fill out the form on Carnon Internaional's Facebook page. There are two types of yarn to choose from. Now, I think I'll go make myself a chain.

The Frugal Map

Have you checked out The Frugal Map? What a great idea this site is! It arranges frugal blogs by location. This is such a huge help when you are looking for coupons and deals in your area! I love it. You can search by location and by type of store, and there is also a feed of current hot deals from the bloggers in the network! I think this site is going to be great!

Note to Self.....

Last April we bought a new to us high efficiency washer. In Temptation We Could Not Resist, I shared how buying that washer was not really part of our of our financial plan. I predicted that it would not be a purchase we'd regret. I was right.

Overall I have been extremely pleased with the washer. It's huge capacity (compared to my old washer) is its greatest asset. I so enjoyed washing a few loads of laundry and filling the clothes line in no time at all. It wasn't until fall that we realized we had a problem.

Our normal sized dryer could not keep up with our extra large sized washer. It wasn't much of a problem when the weather was nice and I mostly used the clothes line. When the weather turned wet and cold, and the dryer was used for every load, the ball bearings gave out.

Tim fixed the dryer, but we realized eventually we would have to invest in another dryer. We were hoping to postpone it until we had taken care of a few other things. I tried to keep the loads smaller. I really did, but it is hard when time is short and the piles of laundry are high.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed the same warning symptoms and knew that the dryer was about to go again. I babied the dryer, causing stacks of laundry to grow everywhere, but the dryer quit on me this week.

We had the cash for another dryer, but that cash had been put aside for a new mattress. Oh we were so looking forward to sleeping on a new mattress....instead we have a new dryer.

Tim actually got a fantastic deal on the dryer (meaning we still should be able to get the mattress soon!) He went to a scratch and dent appliance store, and got a new (although blemished) Maytag Centennial for $299! It has a huge capacity, 7.4 cu. ft. The reviews are mostly positive, and that surface blemish it has saved us at least $100.

Tim installed it last night. Needless to say I am putting the capacity of the washer and dryer to the test today while tackling the ridiculous amount of laundry that has piled up.

New Year, New Routines

I do not normally make New Year's resolutions, but this year I did. Well, not resolutions so much as changes in our routines.

The last few months there have been things that I saw that we needed to change. Things with the kid's school, with my own spiritual life, and with housekeeping. Though I saw the problems, with the hustle and bustle of fall and then the holidays, thinking about it was all that I got done.

I have discovered that January is a wonderful time to make changes. The rush of the holidays is over. Outside work is at a minimum, and thanks to the deep freeze we are living in this particular January, we are home a lot. It is the perfect time to institute new routines, that hopefully will be established habits by the time things get a little busier around here.

The best new routine that has been started this month is a rotating schedule for the kids for housework. I have four kids, and there are four public areas of the house: the kitchen, office, living room, and bathroom. Each child is assigned a room for a week.

So far, it has been working wonderfully. The house is in much better shape. I'm able to work one on one with the kids to teach them household skills with this system. And I don't have to listen to the, "It's not fair. I emptied the dishwasher last time," or "He didn't pick up as much as I did," complaints that were so common place before. Why didn't I do this a long time ago?

I know it is still early, but I am hoping these routines stick. So far this month we have kept the house cleaner, spent more time reading the Bible, exercised more (thanks to the Wii Fit Plus,) and filled in some gaps in the kid's school work. It is a good start to the new year.

Gurney's up to 70% Off Sale

It is freezing here. The forecast is calling for more snow and frigid temperatures, but I am thinking spring!

It is time to clean out my tub seed starter, and take an inventory of my seeds and supplies. Soon I will be starting cool weather seedlings such as cabbage and broccoli. Before too long it will be time to start the warmer weather vegetables too.

Starting plants indoors is good for my soul, and helps me get through these dark and cold winter days. Seed companies are also enticing you to start thinking about your garden early. I have a huge stack of seed catalogs that have arrived in the last month. Call me strange, but I love looking through them and dreaming of green gardens and fresh veggies on the table.

Currently Gurney's is adding even a little more incentive to start early on our gardens. They are offering an Early Bird Sale with mark downs up to 70%. Offer expires 1/09/10.

It may be cold here. There may be a ton of snow coming, but I am dreaming on spring. And stocking up on my garden supplies by taking advantage of this great sale.