Mama Money Bags

You know that saying, "There's no such thing as a free lunch?" It's wrong! Read  Mama Money Bags  to find out why. On Tuesday, July 10, you can eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner for free (well, the entree at least!). All you need to do is wear something cow-themed. Since my family has been going to Cow Appreciation Day for at least a decade, we have an entire bag of goodies set aside for the big day. Here's my kids from a couple years ago. The visors are handmade--I drew on cow faces after turning over free visors we got who knows where. The necklaces are just stuffed cows held together by rubber bands, and another is pinned to my son's hat. And my youngest is wearing a swimming cover-up with black spots taped to it. I've seen some amazing cow costumes over the years, but since I don't want to buy things we rarely use, we make do with creating our own. I even have a shirt with a cow on the back that I wear on Cow Appreciation Day year...

It's the last day of school over here. The big kids are already off to their last day of sixth and seventh grade, while the kindergartner and I are chilling this morning until it's time to get ready. So, what does all that mean for my  Mama Money Bags ? Let's be honest: summer is an expensive time. Thankfully, the kids are home with me because I usually transition to second shift at work. That saves a TON on camp fees. The big kids are doing one week of camp for just $65--and that includes lunch and breakfast--but it's a subsidized program through the county's intermediate unit. And my youngest may go to our local bible school with my eldest as a teen volunteer--another $20. Overall, I'll try to keep spending low, while still incorporating fun. We have some passes lined up through the local library's Museum Passport Program . Our YMCA membership starts up again soon, so that means lazy days by the pool. I usually make a calendar of fun stuff for us to...

I did some Cheap Mom shopping yesterday. You see, I had the $10 CVS coupon that I got from taking a survey (previously mentioned in this post about "making up" money ). Since it expires in about a week, and because I noticed our shampoo stockpile was getting very low, I stopped at CVS on my way home from work. I bought three bottles of Pantene and a bag of Tide Pods--I'll be sure not to eat them. All that right there retails for almost $20 at CVS and I spent $1.06! How? Here's a quick rundown so you too can learn how to fill your Mama Money Bags: - Pantene was on sale for $4 each with $3 ExtraBucks when I bought three. I looked in the ad and on the signs in front of the product. - There was also a $1 Pantene coupon that I loaded onto my CVS card via their app. - Making it $11 minus my $10 ExtraBucks, for a total of $1.06. - The three bottles resulted in $3 ExtraBucks being printed out. - There was a $2 Tide coupon that I also loaded onto my CVS card via t...

Tomorrow, Friday June 1, is National Donut Day. I don't really know why donuts need a day of their very own, but guess what it means? Freebies! To quote Homer Simpson, my husband's favorite cartoon character, "Woohoo!" In my neck of the woods, that means freebies from a variety of places. First, I'm headed to Edible Arrangements for a free edible donut--which isn't really a donut at all, but they must have wanted in on the game. It's a slice of an apple dipped in chocolate. A store opened up right around the corner from my home, so it will be my first visit there! Next up is Duck Donuts for a free plain (boring) donut--I think they'll sprinkle cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar on it if you ask. (Still boring.) But you can't complain when filling your Mama Money Bags! If I'm not sick of donuts at that point, I may treat myself to a coffee and get yet another donut for free at Dunkin Donuts . I'm expecting Wawa to also offer some sp...

I went shopping the other day by myself. My favorite kind of shopping--when I head to the stores with multiple freebies and coupons. See all that stuff? Two Victoria's Secret undies ($10.50 each) and $5 facial mask, $2.99 card from Hallmark, $5.50 lotion $12.50 shower gel from Bath and Body Works. About $42 worth of items for--wanna take a guess? $1.06! How? You know when those cashiers ask you for your phone number or email at checkout? Well, you should be giving it to them! Then, months later after you haven't been a very good customer (because you are a Cheap Mom and didn't have any coupons) they send you really really good deals to get you to come back into the store. Gap just sent me $20 for FREE this way! I bought my youngest daughter two shirts, a pair of leggings, and a dress for less than $5. Anyway, for this latest shopping trip: --Victoria's Secret sent me a coupon for two free undies with any purchase, so I bought the facial mask (on sale fo...