Isn’t that the million dollar question! We are all curious, what do other spend! So we did a little research thanks to an email from a friend and here is a handy chart that shows you what the average family spent in 2009!
Look for fantastic recipes at ThePrudentWife.com to keep YOUR FAMILY’S spending in check for 2010!
After I wrote that whole article on DubLi, I failed to give you the information on the printer we ordered! It is a Dell 1230c Color Laser Printer. Directly from the Dell Online Store, so there is no question or worry on whether or not it is a scam. Regularly selling for $229, this is quite a deal, and it may end at any moment! We hesitated on a $100 printer 2 months ago, and lost out with our hesitation!
We were looking for an inexpensive LASER printer for our daughter’s school projects. This cost averages out to $25 per year, for high school, a bargain indeed!
This one may nail us with toner costs in the long run, especially since Dell and Lexmark try to make their toners unfillable! But for now, when Emily is in the thick of writing papers and preparing a High School Portfolio, for each year of high school. It is cheaper than running to town and printing each report and item for the portfolio, not to mention saving gas, time and money! So yes, it is a bargain indeed!
At The Prudent Wife, we are always trying to figure out how to live within your means, save money, eat fantastic food and pay off debt. No matter where you are on that continuum, there are times you need to spend money. Items break, printers need replaced, appliances fail, you know the story. You are getting ahead, surging forward in your financial goals, and suddenly something breaks.
I had been hearing about Dubli.com on the radio. Since we are searching for an INEXPENSIVE color laser for my daughter’s high school papers, it was a good time to check out DubLi and see if their claims are true.
So, off I went to the DubLi site. It suggested newcomers watch a video, explaining the DubLi process. Okay, I clicked and proceeded to watch an almost 9 minute video. Ugh. What unfolded was a complex system of reverse auctions, etc, where DubLi says they find the best price out there for you. The kicker, you have to pay 80 cents to see the lowest price on EACH item you select. They tell you that your time and gas are worth money. True. But is THEIR service worth the money?
The video continued on about all sorts of ways DubLi can “save you money” and “get you the best price.” They have special apps you can download that run constantly, alerting you when you are at the best price and on and on. They have rewards and this and that, droning on for almost 9 minutes….dreary indeed. This is “fun shopping?” Ugh!
Bottom line, DubLi will set your computer up to shop constantly and alert you!
Which is just what folks who are in debt and trying to get ahead DO NOT NEED, a constant alert to spend money.
Not only that, but DubLi is making a mint, each time you “click” and you can buy x amount of clicks for $200. You can spend some serious money just SHOPPING DubLi’s prices, especially if you are compulsive, competitive or even bored!
No thank you.
I will just mosey back to the Dell site and order my $99 laser color printer, and stay put. I don’t mind spending $99 for a printer….and that is all there is to spend on.
I also searched online and found a website, The Spin Factor, that seemed to think DubLi was just another complex scam. Not sure about that website, never having used it before, but there are plenty others that seem to point to the same things. It is always good to check out both sides of a new site - since you are putting your credit card information in and we live in the age of identity insecurity!
Again, the real reason I am not using DubLi, too many opportunities to spend money frivolously! No thanks.
Freebies4Mom blog has this phenomenal DEAL on it right now! Wow - we can’t thank you ENOUGH Freebies4Mom, y’all go visit her incredible blog and check out what Heather is sharing this week!
I am having computer issues right now and am going to try to cut and paste this, so you have it, and fix it later! Heather - if I blew it - tell me! Off to reboot….
Update: This offer will not go away, so please be patient and be aware that SeeHere is experiencing some technical difficulties due to high traffic.
You can order 50 free 4×8 or 5×7 photo cards including free shipping using the coupon code freebies4mom-1109 (type in that code) at SeeHere by Fujifilm. There is no catch, this truly is a freebie and I’m able to bring it exclusively to my Freebies 4 Mom readers thanks to SeeHere. I ordered my 50 free 5×7 photo cards and my order total of $39.50 was slashed to $0.00 with that coupon code. This coupon code expires on November 30 so you have plenty of time to design your free photo cards.
If you are new to SeeHere you can also get 100 FREE PRINTS from SeeHere.com by FujiFilm when you sign-up for a new account using the coupon code prints (but you need to order those 100 free prints separately from the 50 free photo cards).
You can design any photo card, but what perfect timing if you plan on sending out at least 50 Christmas cards. The photo cards include envelopes and you can choose 4×8 or 5×7 in either horizontal or vertical orientations. If you need to order a few more than 50 they are priced at 59 cents each for 4×8 and 89 cents each for 5×7.
I used the snowflake background and placed three photos on my card. I had fun using the photo editor to adjust the contract, brightness, and saturation of my photos to make them look better. Don’t be afraid to play with that photo editor because it’s easy to return to the original photo settings. And don’t forget to check out the frames, they have lots of options!
Here are my tips on creating your custom photocard:
* Background - I recommend that you pick a background first. These are fully customizable cards which means you control how many photos and which sizes they are. I love that you aren’t locked-in to the design like most photocards. I actually designed two different photo cards with two different backgrounds before finding the one I liked better. Don’t be afraid to experiment until you get the best results.
* Photos - You have a choice, pick photos from your SeeHere account or add them directly from your computer.
* Text - Create your own and you control the size, font, and color.
* Frames - Don’t forget to check out the frames, I was impressed with how many options there were.
* Speed - If you find that the SeeHere site is loading slowly then try again at another time. Don’t spin your wheels and get frustrated. Sometimes there are lots of people trying to access the site at the same time and this can slow things down. So try again during non-peak times (late evening, and early morning). It also may help if you download the SeeHere Desktop software, look for it under “Resources” at the bottom of the page. This lets you design everything offline, and then you just have to get online to upload your order.
Want to thank me for bringing this wonderful freebie to you? Tell your friends about it and send some new readers to my blog!
Did you miss out on last week’s free $15 gift from Kodak? Well, they are giving away another 100,000 free $15 gift codes. Just go here to sign up for yours. There is a limit of one per person, so you should be able to register an account and get a free $15 for each person in your household.
Be sure to place your order through Ebates or ShopAtHome to get 10% back, too!
I used my free $15 gift code to order a bunch of photo prints of my children and my sister’s wedding. I still had to pay shipping, but it came out to be an excellent deal even paying shipping. I already received the pictures in the mail and was very happy with the results.
Could you wear the same dress, every single day, for an entire month?? Maureen Rice tried this challenge and emerged a woman changed forever.
While you may not feel as compelled to buy new clothes, it is still a fascinating look at how clothing makes us feel!
Wow! Starbucks is jumping on the bandwagon for FREE food this summer! Yeah! Not only have they retooled all of their morning pastries and taken out the nasty high-fructose corn syrup, trans-fats, colorings and flavors - but you can try one for FREE this Tuesday, July 21, 2009. You have to purchase a beverage to get that free Starbucks pastry.
Really, what is NOT to love with this promotion from Starbucks!
Drop by McDonalds for a FREE Mocha each Monday! Woo hoo! McDonalds will send you off with a FREE 8oz sample of their McCafe Mocha - such a sweet deal! Offer good Mondays - July 13, 20, 27 and August 3, 2009.
Being the eternal purist when it comes to my coffee drinks, our McDonalds let me order a PLAIN decaf latte for FREE! So be sure to ask on the other flavors - but be gracious if it is only the McCafe Mocha! (Not putting that pump of syrup in saves them money!
What do I think of the McDonalds espresso drinks so far? Hmmm. I was a cappuccino aficionado since my beach days in Southern California. I bought my first espresso machine in the mid 1980’s (am I really that old!) I used to know every cappuccino joint from the beach to Palm Springs! Eventually became a Starbucks fan when they opened in So Cal, and we actually found where we live in TN, because I begged my husband for something “normal” and the nearest Starbucks was an hour away! We fell in love with the area, never made it to Starbucks that day, and settled here! So yes, I love cappuccino and have enjoyed them for years!
My first McCafe drink was merely okay. It seemed like a lot of hype, for a lackluster product. Ever the coffee purist, I never drink the syrups and flavorings - so I really taste the basic espresso and milk formula of the drink. Details matter. A few months later, I tried my second one. Improvement! I was actually VERY impressed that McDonalds could put out a decent espresso drink. I immediately thought of the dry stretches of land on the drive back home to CA and thought - wow a McCafe in the middle of the uninhabited desert of New Mexico or Arizona would be really nice! So for those that have to get their fix, it is a definite option. If you are a syrup and flavoring lover - you will probably find the McCafe just fine.
Truth be told, my absolute FAVORITE cappuccino or latte now is from Earth Fare, our local health food store. Organic decaf beans and organic milk make the BEST cappuccino or latte out there!!! Yum! Alas, my habit is all but gone now…and a latte or cap is a rare treat - and normally DECAF!
But give McDonalds McCafe a try - it is worth it - especially for FREE on Mocha Mondays this summer!
Hey everyone! Just found out today that Arby’s is doing FREE Wednesdays this summer! It is a purchase, with purchase. Today was a free roast beef sandwich, when you purchase a drink. With an UNsweet Iced Tea and a medium drink, we got two sandwiches - lunch for less than $4. Can’t say I am a huge Arby’s fan (haven’t been in years) but it makes a fun summer date with the kids - especially if you are out and about anyway!
Arby’s is offering FREE items (with purchase) all summer.
July 15th- Free Regular Roast Beef with soft drink purchase
July 22nd- Free RoastBurger with soft drink purchase
July 29th- Free FruiTea with sandwich purchase
August 5th- Free Regular Roast Beef with soft drink purchase
August 12th- Free Roast Chicken Club with soft drink purchase
August 19th- Free FruiTea with sandwich purchase
August 26th- Free Roast Beef ‘n Cheddar with soft drink purchase
There is NO Coupon Necessary as long as your Arby’s is participating. Call ahead to make sure they offer this special! A huge thanks to STL Mommy for posting this schedule!
Don’t forget to Join Arby’s Extras they frequently send out great coupons.
Well, just got back from the Farmers Market in Johnson City. Welcome to a new feature - what I am buying each week at Farmers Market and then I will be including how to use them!
Goal - to encourage you to shop local, get great deals and feed your family the best of what the Lord has put on this earth to eat! This is dedicated to my beloved best friend, Christa, back home, so she can begin to search out inexpensive produce and figure out what to do with it. She is back home in California, we are in Tennessee, so there will be huge differences in what we have available. Yet having visited farmers markets from coast to coast, they all have common items across the US! Join us for the adventure each week and learn some new recipes and exciting ways to use all that fresh, local produce!
We live in the Appalachian Mountains, so our FMs are slowly gearing up. Each week, a few more booths are open. They are not at full capacity yet. The veggies are slowly coming in and we are waiting on rain in the mountains! As always, I diligently search out the unsprayed, locally grown, essentially organic - although **NOT** certified organic produce.
All this for LESS than $20!Again, our farmers market is not all the way up to speed yet, and some of these prices are a little higher than they will be July/Aug/Sept! Had I bought this organic at the store - it would have been closer to $45.00 at yesterday’s prices!
Visit often for recipes and ideas, and how to use YOUR Farmers Market to provide the best locally grown, seasonal produce for your family!