Free Redbox Rental - May 4th Only

The code for today's FREE Redbox rental is:

BT73H9

Remember that you can use this code once per debit/credit card, so if you have multiple cards, you can get multiple rentals. You can read about my previous experience using these codes here.

Come back every Monday for the weekly free rental code. This code expires at midnight tonight.

Virtual Great American Bake Sale Update

Just a reminder that the Virtual Great American Bake Sale is still going on. You can get all the details on my previous post here. As of last week $334 had been raised for Share Our Strength. These funds are typically used in the community where the bake sale is held. Since participants in this bake sale are from all over, Kate of Cooking During Stolen Moments, the coordinator of the virtual sale, has asked that the funds from this sale be used wherever the need is greatest.

The ebooks have all been re-uploaded and now include a foreword written by Food Network's Sandra Lee, who is also the national spokesperson for the Great American Bake Sale. Additionally, Sandra Lee has asked if we would consider asking people to subscribe to her new magazine. In return, Sandra will friend any new subscribers on Facebook.

That's it for this update. If you haven't purchased your copy of the ebook yet, head over there now. There are lots of great recipes and it helps support a good cause.

Spring Cleaning Party - Day 1 The Entry

Today is Day 1 of Simple Mom's Spring Cleaning Party. I have to say that I'm excited to finally be bringing order to my house. It won't be easy because our schedules are very full this week, but I have done some things ahead of time and will definitely be taking more time this week to get more done. I really NEED to get my house cleaned up.

For the first day I decided to clean up my entry way. It's a small space that tends to collect lots of stuff. As you can see in my before picture (below) the bench and table tend to get piled up.

Here is my after picture:

The bench and table have been completed cleaned off. I even cleaned out the bins under the bench and the bins in the coat closet. And yes, we even vacuumed up the dog hair. The only think sitting on the bench is a bag that I took out to my car on my next trip out.

I am so happy that I was able to get this area cleaned up. Since it's the first thing you see when you walk in the house I feel its important to keep it cleaned (even if I don't always manage to do that).

To see what everyone else is cleaning today, head over to Simple Mom and check out the links.

Menu Plan Monday - Week of May 4

This week we are busy several nights so you will see a lot of quick and easy favorites. We aren't really trying any new recipes this week because of our scheduling issues. Hopefully things will be a little calmer next week and I will be able to cook up something new.

Dinners:

1. Red Lobster (Sun - We celebrated Mother's Day a week early)
2. Meatloaf
3. Chicken Nuggets
4. Grab and go night (Wed - I have a class so I won't be home for dinner, my mom is picking Pumpkin up from day care and will feed her so hubby is left to fend for himself)
5. Spaghetti with Quick Corn Bread
6. Grilled Cheese
7. Burgers

Breakfasts:

1. Cereal
2. Granola Bars
3. Bananas
4. Apples
5. Yogurt

Lunches:

1. Leftovers
2. PB&J

To see more delicious menu plans, head over to Org Junkie for all the Menu Plan Monday links.

31 Blogs in 31 Days Blog Party

Trisha over at MomDot is celebrating her 31st birthday this month with a 31 Blogs in 31 Days blog party. To celebrate every day in May MomDot will highlight a blog that is hosting a giveaway and celebrating her birthday. This is in addition to all the great giveaways that will be going on this month at MomDot. How cool is that? What a great way to celebrate her birthday. So don't forget to head over there and check it out. I know I'll be stopping by every day to see whats going on.

Eat From the Pantry Challenge

Sara over at Learning The Frugal Life is having an Eat From the Pantry Challenge in May. My pantry is getting a little out of control so I've decided to join in the challenge. I tried to do this in April and it didn't work out as well as I had hoped. Although I will say that I did less grocery shopping in April. I'm trying to get to once a month shopping and I'm having some difficulties adjusting to that. At least I'm not hitting all the stores every weekend any more. That gets old after awhile. Besides, how much free shampoo does one family really need?

Ok, this is supposed to be about eating from my pantry. Since I have a VERY well stocked freezer and pantry it should not be that difficult to come up with good meals using our stash. My biggest challenge will be keeping out of the stores. I'm so afraid that I'll miss a deal. So my goal is to only do one run to Costco this month and one small grocery store run each week for milk, bread and produce. Our normal household budget would be $320 for May. That is for diapers, soap, food, cleaning supplies and so forth. For May I want to cut that down to $160. That's half our normal amount. I can do this.

During the month of May I will be posting weekly updates. I will try to do this every Friday, but it is possible that my posts may not get done until the weekend. It depends on just how busy I get. And yes, I realize that I have not posted my April monthly summary yet. I promise that I'm working on it and will try to have it up by Monday night.

If you'd like to join in the Eat From the Pantry Challenge, head over to Learning the Frugal Life and join in.

Yard Sale Tips

What a week. Thanks goodness Friday is finally here. And, since its Friday that means its Frugal Friday and time for a Frugal Tip. Last weekend we had a great time hitting yard sales and we plan to do the same this weekend. So, in honor of the opening of yard sale season around here, I’m going to give some yard sale tips. Remember, while you can get some great deals out there at yard sales, not everything is a deal. Check out the item and make sure it something you will really use before you spend money on it.

• Plan out your route ahead of time. To do this you need to know where the yard sales are that weekend. Look for signs while you’re out driving around, check the local papers, and check online. The Yard Sale Queen has a great list of online yard sale resources to help you find those yard sale.
• Make sure your car is cleaned out. You’re going to need room to haul your new found treasures home. Think of how upset you’ll be when you find a great deal on something you could really use and it won’t fit in your car. If it’s a large item like a piece of furniture, the yard sale host may be willing to help you get it home. It doesn’t hurt to ask, but its best if you have a plan in place already.
• Have small bills and change. Don’t count on the yard sale host having change. Sometimes they don’t plan ahead and have change or maybe the person before you bought something small with a large bill. It’s just much better all around if you have small bills ready.
• Have bags with you. I typically have my collection of reusable shopping bags in the car. This way I don’t have to count on the host having bags. Plus, even if they do, do you want more plastic bags cluttering up your house?
• Use a fanny pack or wallet that will fit in your pocket. It’s much easier to check things out at the yard sale if you’re not dragging a purse along. Stick with the fanny pack or small wallet and your hands are free to hold your purchases and check out the items.
• Have snacks and a drink with you. This will help keep you from spending too much money at a convenience store or fast food joint while you’re out yard sale-ing.
• Encourage kids when you see them participating in a yard sale. Kids are usually so excited when they sell their stuff and make a little money. For me, its worth spending a little bit of money, even if its on something I didn’t necessarily need, just to see the excitement on their faces when they sell something. Little things like that are priceless.
• Don’t be afraid to haggle over the price. They may come down a little bit and they may not. The worst they can say is no. Then you can decide if you really are willing to pay that much for the item or not.

Do you have more yard sale tips you’d like to share? Feel free to leave them in the comments. I’m always looking for more tips and tricks for yard sales.

For more Frugal Friday tips, head over to Life As Mom.