Another Great Deal from Restaurant.com

I know I've had some Restaurant.com deals on here before, but this one is ridiculous. You can get a $25 gift certificate to a restaurant in your area for just $2. That's one hell of a deal. All you have to do is click on the link above and use the Promo Code "NAPKIN" when you check out. It's pretty darn simple.

Money Saving Tips for SAHMs - Promo Code Websites

I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted on here! I bet all 5 of my regular readers are terribly disappointed in me.

I don't know about you guys, but we buy a lot of things online. We buy presents online from places like Amazon.com and target.com. We also buy a lot of picture prints and picture gifts online. Our favorite is Snapfish. We just bought my mom a new mousepad with a picture of all 3 kids on it (presents are so easy when you have kids!).

While placing our latest order on Snapfish we thought about trying to find a promotion code to save some money. Much to my surprise, there are plenty of websites dedicated to sharing these promo codes for all kinds of websites. We used a code that saved us $10 for any order over $25. Not a bad deal for a 45 second Google search.

The website we used for our Snapfish order was RetailMeNot.com. This website claims to have coupons for more than 20,000 stores. Who knows if that is true, but there certainly seem to be codes and coupons for every major store I searched for. I also like the fact that people can click a single button to share whether or not the code worked for them. There is also a success rate displayed as a percentage.

I found a few more websites dedicated to sharing promo codes and coupons like DealTaker.com, PromotionCode.org and CurrentCodes.com. Anybody use any other promo code sites that work well?

Just a quick reminder. The Restaurant.com 80% off special ends today. You can grab a $25 gift certificate for just $2. Use the promo code SPECIAL to get this great deal.

Time Is Running Out

The Restaurant.com sale is almost over. Your chance to buy $25 gift certificates for $2 ends on Sunday. Remember to use the promo code SPECIAL.

And today is Friday (like you didn't already know) and that means you can get free chocolate at the Mars Company website.

Don't you just love great deals?

The Power of the Garage Sale

Garage sale season is kicking into high gear all across the country, and SAHMS are ready to find those great deals. We buy all kinds of stuff for our kids at garage sales: cribs, toys, clothes, bedroom furniture, strollers. It amazes me the kind of deals you can find with a minimal amount of work.

So I want to hear about your amazing deals. Ever find a perfectly good crib for $25? A full set of toy cars for a quarter? Share with others your bargaining skills. Maybe we can all get some good ideas of things to look for.

SAHMs Love Freebies

I found a new website the other day called Twimme. This website constantly updates giveaways, contests, freebies, etc. that are currently being tweeted on Twitter. So instead of wading through 500 updates from all of your Twitter friends (I'm still trying to figure out the lingo of Twitter), this site does all of the work for you.

So sit back, watch the giveaways update and save you some money!

Treat Your SAHM To Dinner For Less

Restaurant.com is having another ridiculous sale: 80% OFF. That makes for $25 gift certificates for a mere $2. This is a superb deal that you can't pass up. Just click on the box above, search for restaurants in your area, use the promo code SPECIAL and enjoy a nice meal out on the town for a pittance.

Guys, Mother's Day may have already passed, but just think of the brownie points.

SAHMs Need To Dine Out Too

I realize we're all on a budget around here, and the first thing that usually goes is dining out. Plus, it's never easy to go to a decent restaurant (and Applebee's doesn't count as a good restaurant) with kids.

But right now there is a deal going on over at Restaurant.com that is just too good to pass up. If you've never been to Restaurant.com before, here's the deal. You can buy $25 gift certificates to a number of restaurants for only $10. That's a pretty darn good deal.

There is a special going on right now, though, that makes it darn near impossible to ignore. If you use the promo code "TASTY" when you check out, you save 70% on each gift certificate you purchase. That makes a $10 purchase only $3. Which means you get a $25 gift certificate for only $3!!!!!!

I bought 3 $25 gift certificates for a total of $9! That is $75 worth of dining out for only 9 bucks! Sorry about all of the exclamation marks, but this is a hell of a deal.

The only catch is the promo code expires on May 16th. So you have 2 more days to take advantage of this deal. Get yourself over to Restaurant.com, use the promo code "TASTY," call up the babysitter and get yourself some much deserved me time at your favorite local eatery.

An Online Coupon Resource for SAHMs

I found a new website resource for coupons called WeUseCoupons.com. The website claims to be "an online community full of people who use coupons and discuss when and where to use them." The goal of the forum is to "provide a platform for you to learn how to use coupons as well as post deals you find anywhere and everywhere." Sounds like a good thing to me.

There are a number of interesting features on the site. One section divides deals and coupons by grocery store. So you can search for your favorite store and see what that store is offering by way of deals. There is also a similar section for drug stores.

They have a coupon database that allows you to search for hundreds of coupons by product (as well as a number of other characteristics). The problem is, I can't figure out how to use the coupons you find. I'm sure there is an explanation somewhere, but I sure couldn't figure it out.

For those new to the coupon game, they also have "virtual classes" that are essentially how-to articles. They cover a number of topics like "Saving Without Coupons," "Double Coupons," and "Why The Value Size Isn't Really A Value." Interesting stuff.

Tips For Saving Money on Groceries

When my wife and I decided it would be good for her stay home with our kids, we knew we were going to make sacrifices. Fewer trips to our favorite restaurants. Significantly less disposable income. We even traded in one of our cars to free up some more money.

Then my wife said something that has really stuck with me. She told me that one of her new "jobs" was to find ways to save money. That meant buying less and making our purchases have more "bang for the buck." As time has gone by, we've found a number of ways to stretch our dollars. Today we're going focus on the grocery bill.

One of our biggest expenditures every month is on food. Remember, one of those things you sacrifice as a one-income family is eating out. As a result, you spend more money on groceries (but save a ton of money in the long run). Here are a couple of ways to save money on your monthly grocery bill without spending a full day travelling all over town to buy a few items at 4 different grocery stores.

• Consider shopping at a discount store. For us, that meant Aldi (find your local Adli at http://www.aldifoods.com/. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical at first. I mean, the whole paying a quarter to get a cart thing is a little strange. But the savings were undeniable. Our food bill was slashed when we started shopping at Aldi. There are some things you can't find at Aldi and some of the products there are way below par (the pre-packaged filet mignon tasted a lot like hot dog), you have to understand there will be a trade-off for saving that much money.


• Coupons, coupons, coupons! You're not going to cut your bill in half by using coupons, but the minimal effort can save you a few dollars every trip. At that adds up. Look for websites that provide coupons (http://www.grocerycouponguide.com/ and http://www.couponmom.com/ for instance). There is really zero work for you. Just take a look at the sites before you head to the store (or before you plan your week's shopping list) and find coupons for things are plan to buy.


• Speaking of coupons, we've found that Hy-Vee actually has a coupon by e-mail service (sign up here). We signed up at our local Hy-Vee and have used a number of the coupons e-mailed to us. I'm not sure if other stores do this, but I would be shocked if Hy-Vee was the only one. Ask at customer service to see your favorite grocery store has this type of service.


• Finally, embrace the leftover! I know some people just do not like leftovers. They practically refuse to save anything from a meal to eat later. Seriously?!? As a single income family, that just isn't an option. We regularly make meals for dinner that will provide lunches for the at least one or two days during the week. The cost of making a little extra pales in comparison to the cost of making a full meal at lunch every day.
  

These are just a few ways to save money at the grocery store. I would love to hear other people's tricks and tips.