Kool Aid Summer Fun

Kool-Aid is sponsoring Family Movie Night on hub..Friday nights @8est !!!

They also give some great summer fun tips like:

To get in some playtime with your kids, start a game of tag, hide and see, Simon says, or red light/green light!  Remember these games from your childhood?  None of them require a single item and they are FREE to play, no excuses now!!

Set up a kool-aid stand during a yard sale or on a corner street in your neighborhood!  Help your kids learn about selling and making change! 

Set up picnic play dates at local parks.

Enjoy summer evenings with family BBQ's, movie nights (rent them at the library for FREE), board games, or even camping out in your own back yard! 

What's your favorite FRUGAL thing to do in the summer???

Ultimate Online Savings

Here's a few tips to make the most of our techno world!

*  Sign up for your favorite retailer's e-newletter to find out about upcoming sales! (it's nice to have a seperate email address for this to keep your personal one from getting overloaded!)

*  Buy giftcards to your favorite merchants at up to a 60% discount off face value on sites such as:

giftcardgranny.com 

abcgiftcards.com

plasticjungle.com

*  Don't forget about rebate sites that will give you a percentage of your purchase back via check in the mail.  Check out some sites like:

bigcrumbs.com
                                                 ebates.com  (Get $5 today for signing up!!!)
shortcuts.com
shopathome.com
mrrebates.com

Goodbye Plastic, Hello Cash

I have started doing my grocery shopping with cash...it is saving me, BIG TIME!!!  Using my credit or debit card is so much easier to hand over to the cashier, but THAT is the problem!  When I have a limited amount of cash to spend, it's harder to "let it go"  Plus, actually handling the REAL money is helping me and my kids realize the true value of it!  Put your plastic away this week and use real money, let me know if it helps you too!

Wash that Produce !!!

I make a weekly trip to the farmer's market and load up on my produce.  I bring it in and immediately wash it, spread it out on a kitchen towel and then spray it with my 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water.  It kills bacteria and is SAFE to eat!  It is the same sprayer that I use to wash windows and countertops...super easy!

Join Mighty Dog Nation

I just met a Mommy blogger over at About a Mom and she had some great ideas!! I love this post:

Join Mighty Dog Nation to get an awesome welcome packet and voice opinions about important petcare
needs!  She just got her kit and it contained coupons for purina dogfood, a new pet id tag, and a new Kong toy!!  I just signed up and our Great Dane, Sophie, will be so excited to get a new toy in the mail!

Summer Fun with Bubbles

EVERY kids loves bubbles!

Make your own bubble juice with:  2Tbs regular dish soap
                                                     1 cup of distilled water
                                                     1 Tbs Karo syrup

Make bubble art:  Add food coloring to small containers of bubble solution, blow them toward a sheet of white paper, let them burst and creat wonderful rainbow bubble art!

Wanna be a volunteer?

Check out http://www.volunteermatch.org/ to find the perfect volunteering opportunity for yourself or your kids over the summer!  Helping others is sooo rewarding and the kids learn so much from it!