Sisterly Savings

Oh yeah! I am just loving my palm…just found an app where I can blog directly from my pixi! Too cool….See my other post why I think the Palm Pixi is the must have accessory for moms!

Ok, I REALLY,REALLY love my Palm now, too excited now- can u tell?

On Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 2 a.m., Daylight Saving Time begins so be sure to “Spring Forward” and set your clocks an hour ahead before you go to bed Saturday night! We don’t want to be late for Sunday Services!!

Thanks to all who entered our Jiffy Lube Giveaway!! Here are the winners, chosen randomly by ContestMachine:

Thanks to all who entered!!

Winners will have 48 hours to respond to winning email before a new winner will be chosen!

This is quite at the last minute I know, but I thought it would be a fun way to meet a few readers/bloggers!

I was selected as an event hostess for Eventful and have gotten a pass for 9 FREE movie tickets to an exclusive premier of  “Hot Tub Time Machine” a new sci-fi comedy starring John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Lizzy Caplan, Crispin Glover and Chevy Chase.

As special guests, we will have reserved seating & get Free Popcorn, Sodas and a T-Shirt!! I am looking for 4 more movie goers to come and enjoy a night out.

If your in Philadelphia (or any surrounding area) and would like to attend, please email me ASAP at sisterlysavings (at) yahoo (dot)com !! I have 4 tickets that are available, I will be bringing my daughters (12 & 15) so if you have a child you can certainly bring them!!

Date:  Thursday, March 4th at 7:30 pm

Movie Theatre: AMC Franklin Mills, Philadelphia
Woodhaven & Knights Road

I love FREE gift cards and here is another one that should get us some pretty good bargains!!

Register with TotallyKids to get a Free $10 gift card to purchase any item from TotallyKids- NO PURCHASE NECESSARY!! Woohoo!!

Note: Limit of one $10 GC per household, and gift cards are not stackable.

(Thanks, DealSeekingMom!)

Thanks to everyone who entered our Betty Crocker Giveaway! The giveaway was hosted on ContestMachine and a random winner was selected.

Winner is #5- Vicky Boackle! Congrats!

Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen!

Yes, things are looking a little different here at SisterlySavings! I guess too many snowed- in days caused me to think Spring and redesign the blog!

It’s not quite finished yet though, there’s a lot more in store and more work that needs to be completed, so please bear with us as we continue making changes.

I know the new changes will take a little getting used to (I know I sure did!), but the end result will be so much more easier to navigate through our site! For now, it will appear a little wonky as we don’t have the categories listed just yet ( hopefully I can set up a temporary section in sidebar for now) and we are missing a few other sections as well but they will be added soon!

The full layout will hopefully be complete sometime next week, and I can’t wait for the full design to be revealed:)

In the meantime, any feedback you have would be great! Is there something that you would like included that would be helpful or maybe any ideas you have? I’d love to hear them and I hope that you like the new look so far!!

E.L.F Cosmetics is running a new promotion where you can grab a FREE Festival Kit with any $15 purchase. Just use promo code MARDI at checkout. The kit includes a Punk Funk Eyeshadow Quad, Dramatic False Eyelashes and Copper Liquid Eyeliner.

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

Currently, my younger sister is having her 3rd child- she is now 4 months and with having 2 children already, we both are looking ahead and stocking up on small needed items before the baby comes to help her save money when the baby does come.

Baby formula is one of the items on her pre-buy list among a few other items that she can stock up on, so I am always on the prowl for a baby sale or comparing baby prices whenever I shop. I was particularly interested when I discovered that Toys R Us officially announced the debut of their own Babies R Us branded infant care line at its stores even though the brand has already been appearing in Babies R Us and Toys R Us stores since late last year.

Their brand, which costs almost 50% less than leading brands includes all the necessities , yet at a lower cost. The full line of baby products available include:

*powdered infant formula
*diapers
*baby wipes
*laundry detergent
*purified water

Me and my sister both know that you don’t always have to buy the higher priced product in order to get the best quality, and its good to know that the Babies R Us brand will provide a lower-priced alternative that matches the quality of the other trusted brands!

Guest Post by Kyle of RatherBeShopping

I got babies on my mind. It might be because I just finished changing my little girl’s diaper and the smell is still floating in the air. My wife and I actually have 3 kids. I can remember being so scared when we found out that we were pregnant with our first.

I was overwhelmed with all the stuff that needed to be done, not to mention the money it would cost. A car seat, getting the nursery ready, a stroller, a crib, clothes, diapers, you get the point. Where was the money going to come from? It really stressed me out. Then when we had our 2nd child, I was ‘Mr. Cool Daddy’ because my wife and I had it all figured out. We knew what we really needed and how to get it without spending a ton of money. A few tips.

1. Have a Baby Shower! This one is pretty obvious. A shower is a great way to get some of the bigger items you need and the smaller items that you had no idea you needed! Things like a nasal aspirator and various creams and lotions that I had no idea existed, but apparently we could not live without.

2. Shop Thrift Stores. Seeing that babies just kinda lay around and gurgle, they are not very hard on clothes. Hence, you can always find great deals on barely used baby clothes and gear at thrift stores.

3. Hand-Me-Downs. Nothing wrong with a hand-me-down. Our baby is currently wearing a lot of clothes right now that belonged to her older sister. My wife puts the nicer clothes away in a large Rubbermaid container for just such a use. She will also go into the container and give away some of the clothes to a fellow mother when she sees a need.

4. Shop Online. I did a lot of shopping online when we were getting ready for a new addition. eBay continues to be a great place to find deals. I bought a brand new highly rated Graco baby monitor on eBay a while back and paid half of what it would have cost at Babies R Us. I also buy all our diapers from Diapers.com. They offer free shipping, they often have coupons, and you can buy in bulk. I end up spending less than I would at Wal-Mart for the exact same diaper.

Here are some coupon codes that can help you save when getting ready for a new baby or with everyday life. Thanks again Jennifer for letting me do another guest post on your terrific blog

Sorry to leave you all high and dry for the past few weeks but its been an exceptionally rough beginning in February for me!!

First, my toothache, then the extraction. Now we are in the midst of a severe blizzard once again, (this weekend we just had one). Our roof is currently leaking due to the weight of snow and apparently roof needs some repairs!

Yes, its been quite the busy month, but soon I will be back and I do have some good news! We are in the midst of having the blog redesigned for even better functionality and with new features!! Revka of Berries and Cream Blog Design is working hard to meet all my demands. She is a WONDERFUL designer and does great work, not to mention is very affordable! If your looking for a new look for your blog, then you really need to check out Revka’s site!! I hope to have the new design up sometime this week:)

Thanks for all your patience!

If one of your goals this year is to watch your weight, eating yogurt as a snack can be a healthy and delicious alternative to helping you meet your weight loss goals this year! Fiber One wants to help you reach that goal by offering you a guilt free and all around great yogurt that is a good source of calcium and vitamins A and D.

Fiber One yogurt comes in a variety of flavors including, Strawberry, Peach, Vanilla and Key Lime Pie so you really can have your “pie” and eat it too! (Okay, bad joke!).

Right now, get amazing savings on Fiber One yogurt that you can score now through February 9th:

The Safeway family of stores ( Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, Genuardi’s) has a special deal where you can purchase (2) 4-packs of Fiber One yogurt for only $4! That’s only $.50 per serving.

So, instead of reaching for a chocolate snack bar that is loaded with calories, try reaching for a Fiber One yogurt- with only 50 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of fat there’s zero guilt!

*Giveaway*

1 lucky reader will win a Fiber One gift bag that includes :

*$50 Safeway (also good at Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, Genuardi’s) gift card that you can use to stock up on Fiber One yogurt and enjoy the everyday values that Safeway has to offer!

To Enter: ( Please note that entry #1 is mandatory!

Entry #1: Tell us which flavor of Fiber One yogurt you would like to try

Entry #2: Tweet about this giveaway, be sure to leave us your direct URL to Tweet. This method of entry can be done on a daily basis.

Entry #3: If you have a blog, write a quick blog post about this giveaway.

Entry #4: Sign up for our newsletter located in our sidebar with pink envelope.

Giveaway ends February 9th at midnite!!

Disclosure: VIP coupon, Gift card, Information, and Giveaway have all been provided by Safeway and Fiber One through MyBlogSpark!

Thank you to all who entered our giveaways! Here are the winners who were chosen by random.org!

The Coupon Mom’s Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half winner is :

#21- Darcy

McDonald’s Free Food Coupons winner is:

#111- Randy Bailey

All winners will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen!!

Sorry for the lack of posting the past week but I have been suffering with an abscess since last Saturday. I went in to dentist on Friday because I was experiencing pain and was prescribed antibiotics & painkillers which thankfully didn’t cost much considering how I don’t have any insurance for myself.

By Saturday, the whole right side of my face swelled up so bad, even closing my one eye that I thought I was having an allergic reaction to the meds. But as my sister pointed out, if it was an allergic reaction, it wouldn’t be just on the side of the abscess.  That did make sense:) The medication didn’t quite agree with my body either as I was soo nauseaus.

The good news is that both my girls were steadily taking care of me and watching over me, bringing me whatever I needed and taking care of their 4 yr old brother while I  napped. They even did the dishes and tidied up! Now I remember why we have kids in the first place!!

My face now has  just started to “de-puff” yesterday and I am at least able to eat solid food so all is well now,lol.I can also open my eye all the way which is a good sign.

Since the swelling went down however, I noticed that I have these wrinkles all around my eye from my skin being stretched!! Can u believe it? As if I needed to add a few more!

The dentist did say that we will need to pull the tooth (scheduled for tomorrow) so I am not sure if I will be here or not and hopefully will not be in that much pain or have any more swelling- I am not a spring chicken anymore and I really don’t want to spend my weekend like last!!

When cold weather hits and the kids start getting sick, how do you prepare and stay informed?

If your little one has a cough, should he go to school? Does your child have a fever or is it the flu?

These are valid questions for any mommy and Triaminic has come up with a pretty cool tool to help you out in times of colds & flu-like symptoms: The Cold and Flu Tracker where you can access state-by-state info on symptoms in your area and stay informed.

When I clicked on my area, Philadelphia, I found out that that we are at a moderate level right now- what a relief for me! By being aware of the activity in your area, you’ll be able to prepare for when cold and flu symptoms appear.

If you have any doubts as to whether you should keep your child home, take a look at the  sick day guidelines written by the National School Nurses Association for more information. It would even be a good idea to print the sheet out and place on your refrigerator!!

And if you are facing cold or flu like symptoms, try Triaminic Thin strips, the best way to administer the right amount of cough and cold medicine to your child without worrying about giving too much or too little. I like the idea that they are portable as well and can fit right in my purse or my daughter can keep them with her in her backpack

Need tips and more information? Visit  Triaminic.com to find more cold and flu related information and print a  FREE $1.50 printable coupon!

This post is sponsored  but  no product for the post  was provided. All views and opinions with regard to the product or company itself are my own  and were not influenced nor reviewed by the company prior to posting.  Triaminic provided me with the  information.

Hey everyone, I really need some help here with an amazing opportunity that has been presented to my daughter, and I’m 50/50 on my decision. My husband is 100% on the no side, so I’ve decided to ask you, as mothers, what your decision would possible be. Let me give you a little background first:

My 15 year old daughter attends a 25,000 a year private school. Now I certainly cannot afford this school, but she was placed in a program called Stepping Stones that helps them achieve academic success and helps them get tuition. My daughter gets practically a full scholarship because of her high grades- she is currently a high honors student and we have been very blessed to receive such a wonderful education for her for the past 4 years.

This school offers a lot of opportunities that many schools don’t offer and last year my daughter got to visit Puerto Rico with her Spanish class last summer and she had an amazing time:)

For 2 years now, she has been taking Mandarin Chinese as a 3rd language because she is interested in possibly becoming a translator as one of her  career goals. This summer, the class is planning a trip to China for 2 weeks in the summer at a total of $4000 (not including passport).

Well of course with me out of work, there was no way we could afford it but I just found out that her sponsor is willing to pay for the entire trip because it’s an amazing opportunity and she is such a great student and would represent the school well. What a huge blessing for us!

So what could I possibly need advice on? Well, it’s out of the country- to a foreign land and with all the terrorist events going on these days, my hubby is pretty adament about not letting her go. Also I’m worried about any illnesses she may pick up and the likes.

I know this is a truly once in the lifetime opportunity that is fully paid for, but I am having jittery /mixed feelings about the trip altogether. Am I being too overprotective? Should I just let this offer pass by or take it? Please tell me that I’m not being over rational here! What would be your advice and thoughts on this? Right now I need some serious mom thoughts on this, so please, PLEASE leave a comment.

I will be praying long and hard on this over the next few weeks and ultimately I know the Lord will decide in the end and I will keep you updated with the decision. And who knows, if she does go, maybe we can make a blog up about the trip and document her trip daily- this will be my subtle way to make sure she is safe everyday!!

Calling all travelers!

Lonely Planet invites you to join the Travelers’ Pulse Panel!

Our panel is a discussion forum where we engage travelers and listen to what you have to say about travel – where to go, how to plan, and other creative travel ideas. We’ve always got interesting topics up for you to comment on, like our current survey on what you’re looking for when you take a trip to a theme park.

Joining the panel is free and if you’re accepted to be a panelist, we’ll send you a FREE Lonely Planet 2010 calendar as a gift to welcome you on board!  Not only will you get to talk about travel, but we regularly run promotions exclusively for panelists where you can win prizes like Lonely Planet products and Amazon gift cards.

If you’d like to join this panel (numbers are limited) all you need to do is click the link below and take a short survey to register. We’ll look at your responses and depending on your age, travel experience and country of residence you might be one of the people we’re looking for!

The type of people we need on the panel changes from time to time, so if you aren’t suitable for our panel this time we may contact you to participate in future.

https://www.travellerspulse.com/R.aspx?a=56&Source=BLOG

Wonderful news! Dave Ramsey will be hosting a seminar at our church, here in Philadelphia! He will be at the Calvary Chapel in March and I am pretty excited and can’t wait to attend!

It will be my first time attending a seminar by him, but I have heard great things and I even bought one of his books last year, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness.

A lot of people have really broke free from debt using his system and guidelines so I am curious to see him live to see what it really is all about.

Has anyone here used his system and has it worked for them? Please leave us your testimony below. I really would love to hear about it!

Back in December, I introduced you to Lila.com, where parents write real reviews online in their community. When you join and completed 10 reviews, they offered a Free $5 target gift card and mine came today!

Many people had emailed asking if it was a legitimate offer so here is proof (sorry about quality of picture, I used my phone and uploaded via email):

It arrived in a letter that looks as though it came directly from Target and at first glance I thought it was a credit card application and I even felt the card inside. So be on the lookout for it your mailbox if you previously did this offer.

If you didn’t do the offer, you still can as it appears to be ongoing. Just visit my previous post here.

And for those of you who asked before, I cannot find anywhere on the site where it states for every 10 reviews you’ll get another gift card. So I’m not sure if offer is valid for first time reviews or ongoing reviews.

Would like to get more Free Gift Cards like this one? Visit our Free Gift Cards category for valid offers that I have confirmed and received from!!

This Giveaway is Now Closed!

Cottonelle is getting to the bottom of a great debate raging across America and wants to know: how do you roll? Over or under? I personally am an “Team Under” gal!

To enter, just go to http://www.cottonellerollpoll.com/ to leave your vote in the great debate: are you team under or team over?

Then come back here and leave us a comment telling us your choice to be entered to win 1 of 10 Cottonelle gift baskets randomly chosen on January 29, 2010 from all entries!

So, How Do You Roll?

Good Luck!

Please Note: By posting this information, I am entering a contest for a month’s worth of Cottonelle toilet paper as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club. No compensation has been provided.