Lady Que's Big Blog of Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Stuff.

Just a little corner of the net where I can hide away and exist I guess..

A little of this and a little of that- some of myself, some record of things I find interesting and helpful too.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Today's goodies 4/25

Today I received stickers from Dickies (a nic big vinyl one and a little one), PF Flyer, Bond and Spy. Wicked cool, Thank you companies!

Also, this weekend yeilded coupons:
Bolhouse Farms salad dressing
Apple and Eve juice
Amy's gluten free goodies
$15 off $15 at JCP (I got 2 free shirts!)
$10 off $25 at JCP
Free bodywash at Sephora
$10 certificate for Kroger/Freddy's goods (I found a piece of plastic in something frozen that was store brand so I called, and they sent me $10 to replace it! Woot for them!)

Free Samples received:

From BZZ Agent
NatureLuxe (Covergirl) Lipstick (Full size)
Natureluxe (Covergirl) foundation (full size)
+ coupons
This stuff is awesome! Defintely worth a try if you are in the market for a new makeup..

2 packets of Miralax
+coupon

Vocalpoint:
Free cup and drink mix

Now, onto the stuff I ordered... Sent emails to:

Annies
http://www.annies.com/contact
I Love their GF mac and cheese..

AXE
http://www.theaxeeffect.com/contact.html
I love this smell..

Aveeno
https://www.aveeno.com/contactus
Aveeno baths rock!

Arrowhead mills
http://www.arrowheadmills.com/content/about-us
Good line of Gluten Free products.. I do love this company!

Armour
http://www.armour-eckrich.com/armoureckrichcontactus.php

Friday, April 22, 2011

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Additional Props today..

Got an email from PFFlyers letting me know there are goodies on teh way! Woohoo guys! Thanks!

Thank you for contacting PF Flyers Consumer Support! We have sent out some PF swag that is on its way to you as we speak! Thank you for your interest in PF Flyers!

Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns by email or at 1-800-622-1218.

Sincerely,
Elvis
PF Flyers Consumer Response Team

Also received in the mail this week so far:

~10 pack of tide
~ Petco Hamster info kit
~Pantene shampoo samples

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Must give some props..

I must give some props to Bond Ltd.  for appeciating me as a gear mom, and sending me stickers. I like places that say thank you. And to BMX (whom I have ridden myself in races, and who I buy gear for my kids for).. Both sent great emails thanking me for being a gear mom and said they'd send me stickers ASAP.

Also, APO and Bacon Boards sending stickers, after I ordered tehir catalogs..

For the walk of shame: Subaru. When I asked for stickers to rep your brand (which I loved till today) I could have handled a sorry, we don't have stickers. What I don't appreciate was the how about you go BUY our crap for your kids birthday. Dude, when I buy my kids birthday stuff, it will be cool and appropriately priced. A simple no would have been enough. I won't be buying or reccomending tehir stuff to anyone, and maybe its just me but it rubbed me the wrong way. While not outwardly rude, a little marketing like a sticker here or we don't have any but we will take your request under advisement would go a loooong way.

This is what I got from them:
You or the kids may have some luck finding some stuff at your local hobby stores. 
Another idea is for their birthdays, please consider visiting our Website where you can purchase some cool gear for them!
Thanks again for contacting us.
Best wishes,
Kelly Shinault
Subaru of America, Inc.

Also: a note- Scion, rocks. They sent us a beanie, stickers, cards, a pen.. all kinds of goodies that we can use and I greatly appreciate. Buy Scion not Subaru.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Samples galore! Where to go..

Freebies are nice, but there are other ways to get free samples and product test trials as well:

http://www.houseparty.com/
This is a fantastic site, where you can sign up for product parties. You invite your friends, they supply most of teh goodies. For example, I did one for Philly Cooking Creme. I got coupons, wooden spoons, recipes, an apron, and all kinds of goodies. I made dinner for a birthdya party and shared the product with our friends.. All for free!

http://www.bzzagent.com/
Love this site.. they ask you to review products that they send, or that you use on a regular basis. When you do you get mypoints, which you can turn into gift certificates, but you also get teh products!

http://www.greenmomsmeet.com/
Still a little new to this one but you get to try green products and share and review.

More to come..

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Blue Star Free Museum Program

Washington State participating museums:
http://www.nea.gov/national/bluestarmuseums/index2011.php?st=WA#list
These museums offer discounts to military families:

Freebies 4/17

Target is giving away free reusable totes today for earthday

Free Goodnights Sample at Target
http://samples.target.com/

Free OxiBotanicals face stuff
https://oxygenbotanicals.wufoo.com/forms/z7x1s7/

Free Zantac
http://www.zantacotc.com/sample/?sc=ZANACQWEBBANVAL1103073

Free Digiblock Sample (math tool for kids)
http://www.digi-block.com/sample.html

Odd (wo)man out.

As a military wife you get used to people moving on, changing up and being 1500 or even 5000 miles away . So when you have a chance to make friends you try to.. maybe that's just me. But what I have discovered is a passive 'its like you moved, you don't exist' type of attitude after a while. If you don't do what people want and cater to them, you get marked off the list and they move on to the next sucker, I mean friend. 90% of the time there is no thanks, no reciprocation. I have been invited to parties, all so that people can sell me crap. I have been asked to babysit, help out with gas money, do this or that, volunteer to help with this project or that event. But the consistency is this: No thanks from when I do help, just an expectation that I will keep doing whatever it was without any kind thought or god forbid, payment for services. OR I get dumped, but not to my face. Its a covert set you to the side, not respond kind of dump.

I will admit I have been a party to that too... when one of the wives here decided she wanted to use me as her personal commissary at 10 pm on a school night repeatedly, I finally stopped answering the door. I tried to say no, but she never heard it, just asked for something else.. The first few times I shares what I had, all in the name of trying to be a friend, and fellow military wife who knew how tough it was. Never a thank you and never any offer to help out in return or repay the MULTIPLE times she had received kindness. And I came to find out I was not the only one who was getting hit up. And with each new wave of wives, she got a new group of patsies.

I am a patient person, a giving person. I am not healthy, and sometimes I try to do more than my body wants to because I want to be there to help. I have been in the position where there was no one, with little kids at home, husband deployed, everything falling about my ears and nobody I felt I could turn to for help. I hate to see anyone go through that.. But now I am so beaten down that when I do rarely go to any event I sit quietly and don't say much of anything at all. I have been told it comes off as aloof.. but to be honest I am just uncomfortable saying anything, because even a statement like the sky is blue plays telephone and by the end of a night its something altogether different. So I stopped going to things, took myself out of the equation, and left it all to those who can play the game or who are more naive than I, and think that they too can make a difference. I obviously can't anymore because I don't know how to play this game.

But I have to be honest, and tell me how many of you out there feel this way too: I feel burned, and I am giving up. I always heard wives talk about the drama, and the backstabbing and the PITA of it all. I think I understand now. I started out in the mindset that I could change things, I could help just one person, just one, and it would be worth it. What I got was drama, hate mongering, completely made up gossip, overwhelming demands with no offers of help, people who wanted to take all they could get and never be thankful, and people who treat me like a leper because I wanted to help.

It took me a lot of years to give up, but I concede. I am tired of trying, and being left out. I am tired of helping and never being thanked- just two words, thank you, but they never came, and they won't. I always thought I was a nice girl, a friendly, dependable, knowledgeable, loyal, loving girl. That's what a person should look for in a friend, right? I guess not.. maybe its just me. So I yield.. I will focus on other things.. take up other causes, but this one, I leave on the curb. Free, take at your own risk.

You know what sucks about the whole thing? I have very few friends any more, and all the ones I do have are no where near where I am. I'd like a good cup of coffee with my best friend, and a chance to just be me, no strings, no what can you do for me, no gossip or drama. Just two good friends, hanging out.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Tap Rock: A+ on the salad guys..

They introduced a new spring salad with poppyseed dressing, strawberries and almonds (pictured below) and I fell in love. I like it well enough that I wanted to share.. and those of you in teh Kitsap Penninsula area, definitely check out The Taprock. They have wicked good food and we never have a wait, its sort of a hidden secret.





Next, thanks to a friend who ordered several of these to try with us, fruit candy that looks like sushi and that you make all by yourself! Its a gel based sweet, and you make them in a dish that comes with it. Even the salmon roe are awesome! You rock Katie..  These are awesome! (and the ones one the plate we actually made in our own kitchen!)

The lesson here, don't be afraid to try something new!

Friday, April 15, 2011

What are your saving this week..

So far I am averaging about half off this week with coupons.

I saved nearly $70 at the commissary off a $170 bill, and $20 at Albertson's off a $30 bill.

With all the hubub about extreme couponing, and mega savings and so on, I thought I might share some tips on how teh reasonable couponer, or someone like me, goes about it all..

1. Figure out your current budget.

2. Figure out why you want to save and what you are willing to invest: time, initial money, etc.
 i.e. I only spend about 4  to 5 hours a week, clipping, sorting, organizing, printing if I get stuff online, and searching for deals. I save because I have a good sized family and every penny helps... the money I save on feeding them helps us to afford a membership to the science museum, etc.

3. Find your coupon sources:
~Sunday Papers
~online (smartsource.com, redplum.com, coupons.com, coolsavings.com and company websites)
~Hangtags and on shelves
~Coupon trains (A group of people , say Mary, Jane , Sue and Ann. Mary sends what she doesn't need to Jane, Jane sends to Sue, Sue sends to Ann, and Ann then sends to Mary. Each week everyone sends to tehir person, and takes what they need from what they get and forward the rest on)
~Newsletters: Many like Organic Valley send coupons in their newsletters (both email and paper)
~Facebook: Like your favorite products for opportunities for freebies and coupons
~Freebies: Freebies often come with a sample AND coupon
~Savings cards: Many stores send coupons to tehir savings club members, and allow them to bank points for purchases to get additional discounts
~Points Programs: Mypoints and Best Buy, many other sites offer points which you can redeem for giftcards or discounts
~Give your feedback! If you love a product or have had trouble with it, email teh company! They need the feedback (one of mine was used in a company marketing bit) and they will replace things if there is a problem.
~Birthday programs: Anything from ToysRUs to Applebees... many places send you a coupon for a birthday goody!

4. Figure out what it is you want to buy, and multitask (legally of course).
If you want to get a new XBOX 360, multiply your discounts: for example if you go to bestbuy.com you can buy it online topick up in the store. But make sure that you have a best buy rewards card, upgrade (its all free) to a gamer's account card. Then make sure that you have a mypoints account from http://www.mypoints.com/.  Go to MyPoints, click their link to Best Buy online, and you get anywhere from 1 to 10 points per dollar that you spend. You also earn points with the Best Buy card. Then when you get there they have a 5 minute policy- if it takes more than 5 minutes to get your item, you get a gift card for $5. They also price match, so if you find itat sears for $20 less, print out proof or take in their flyer. When we got our Xbox I got 1500 mypoints, Best buy Points (extra because we have a gamer account) , the $5 because it took them 10 minutes to find it, and it was 10 less elsewhere so they matched it. I wound up getting a gift certificate for Best Buy, a gift card from MyPoints, and I got it for $15 less than it was originally marked.

*You may not stack most coupons, so be sure that you follow the rules when multitasking- don't try to get something free by using 3 coupons on one item, because its fraud.

5. Prepare : Get to know sale cycles, and use your coupons in conjunction with sales to get the best deal. Also remember that you can use coupons on most clearance, which leads to big savings. If you know you have things you want to get that are one sale, get  those coupons ready.. I use envelopes and some short accordian folders to keep my coupons organized, and I have an envelope for each store before I go, and one for coupons I am using - just takes one and keeps them all collected. Its really helpful too because you can write on the envelope what your shopping list is! (Or you can paperclip it  to the front of the envelope and reuse it over agin.

Also get to know clearance cycles: for example, wrapping paper, decorations and so forth usually go on sale in January. Stock up ahead if you can.. I buy clothes and so forth a year ahead for my kids, so I can hit the clearance.

6. Remember savings etiquette: Don't clear the shelves, and if you have extra coupons you won't use by teh expiration date, pay it forward. I leave my extras right there on the shelves for others, and I have noticed that others have started to do it at my commissary too, which helps me!


7. Last but not least if you want to see some savings, and even make some money and are willing to put in a little extra effort, check out http://www.volition.com/ Where you can find out about secret shopping opportunities. They also have coupon info and freebie info, but best of all they have mystery shopping reviews, from people just like you. You can get info on what companies are good, pay well, and which ones are stinkers.

If you go the mystery shopping route (and know up front, NO COMPANY should ask for money to be able to shop for them. If they do, walk away.) However, http://www.mysteryshop.org/ offers a silver and gold certification, which includes study materials and a test for certification (its about $25 bucks) You don't need it to shop, but I get more and better shops with a silver certification.

Does anyone have any suggestions for additions to this?

Free Samples 4/15

Garnier Fructis Shampoo sample
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid97078.aspx?cm_mmc=dt-_-pure%20clean-_-walmart-_-static&wmlspartner=TnL5HPStwNw&sourceid=05557717191246952500

Diabetes Support Wrist Band
http://www.sansum.org/newsletter.php

Free Planet Protector's Kit (for kids)
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/education/kids/ppcform.htm

Factor Tree...


I sent this site to some of teh teachers I work with on a regular basis and so far 3 of teh responses that I have gotten back have been quite favorable! Everyone seems to like how easy it is to use, and a free trial to check it out is even better. That math we all like :)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Bzz Agent for today..

Today I got a box from Bzz Agent (http://www.bzzagent.com/) with Biotrue eyedrops, contact cases, and coupons WOOT! Lovin' it so far..

Also got accepted for the Singer sewing House Party (http://www.houseparty.com/). We'll see how that one goes, I am pretty excited for it. Love to sew, love to share sewing, and several people have asked me to help tehm learn so maybe this is a good chance to start giving lessons.

Also found a couple good deals:

Till April 16  you can get 75 4x6 prints at http://www.walgreens.com/ for 9.99 when you order online and use the code TRAVEL75

1/2 off canvas prints at http://www.cafepress.com/ through Apr 13 using the code THXMOM