Gardening with Listia

I love to garden!  And every year, I tell the hubby we need to expand my garden plot.  So alas, here we are, September is coming to an end, and once again, I have given my hubby the job of helping me tear up grass!  I learned the hard way that buying pre-grown plants is expensive (plus the variety of plants is limited).  The past two years I have been growing my plants from seed myself (which is going very well).  This year I also learned how to save my seeds so I don't have to put out money every year for seeds.  I was also introduced to Listia (LOVE!!!!!!).  What is Listia?  I'm so glad you asked!  Listia is an auction site.  But you don't pay for anything, nope, you use credits to big on auctions!  When I signed up, I was given 500 credits!  To earn more credits, you can watch videos, complete surveys, list auctions, etc.  So why is Listia important to my gardening?  Over half of my seeds for next year have come from auctions I have won!  Yep, free seeds for this lady!  Some of the seeds I have obtained are plants I have never grown, so this should be a great learning experience for me.  Wish me luck!

Anyways, back to my garden.  This year I grew radishes,onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini.  I was growing corn until some silly dog decided to roll around on top of the corn!  Next year, I plan on growing collards, kale, mustard greens, onions, a variety of peppers and tomatoes, green beans, corn, zucchini, beets, radishes, pumpkins, and watermelon.  I may even try my hand at potatoes!  My daughter and I are also experimenting with apple and peach seeds from fruit we picked ourselves (my kid is certain she has the skill level of Johnny Appleseed).  Our garden is huge learning process every year.  

What re your favorite crops to grow?  What tips do you have on growing them?

Click here to sign up for Listia

Saving with Ibotta

I know you've seen one too many bloggers post about Ibotta and how great it is, right?  But what is it?  Ibotta is an app (that you can download for free on your smartphone or tablet) that gives you money back when you buy certain products.  Think of it as an instant rebate!  Ibotta offers cash back for products most of us buy on a regular basis; diapers, paper products, food, etc.  You complete the offers, purchase the product, scan your receipt and the product bar code, and then Ibotta issues you the appropriate cash back amount which you can instantly transfer into your PayPal account.  But wait, there's more!  You can also earn extra cash back by completing bonuses!  I just got over $60 worth of products for less than $20 with coupons, Ibotta, and Target's new Cartwheel program.

Here's my Ibotta trip(s):::

Cottonelle, Scott's Toilet Paper, Viva Paper Towels, Huggies Diapers, Huggies Pull-Ups, Huggies Baby Wipes, Poise Liners, Cottenelle Wet Wipes, Colgate Optic 360 Toothbrush, Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste, Kleenex 4 Pack, Kleenex, Kotex U Tampons

I paid $52.48 out of pocket.  My total before coupons, my Cartwheel savings, and my Target Red Card savings was $67.37.  Every product I bought was eligible for cash back from Ibotta, even some bonuses.  There were 4 bonuses I was able to cash in on; $5 Autumn Stock Up, $20 for 10 Offers, $2 Hug Your Baby, and $3 Freshen Up!  After my Ibotta rebates and bonuses, I only paid $13.23 for everything!  Not too shabby considering the diapers and pull-ups were $17.98 together.

Not earning cash back with Ibotta yet?  Sign up here!

UPDATE (Nov. 15, 2013): Ibotta has updated (Ibotta 2.0).  You can now earn money by shopping at Lowe's or Home Depot.........and by eating out at your favorite restaurants!

Buy Meat on the CHEAP!

For a while, I have been interested in a company called Zaycon Foods.  Then today, I saw a segment from Good Morning America on another blog about them.  So I checked it out.  I could go on and on telling you about them, but I'd rather show you.  Check out this video from Good Morning America that describes just who, and what they are:

So now that you know who they are, sign up and start saving!

New Ibotta Members get a $10 Bonus!

Ibotta is giving all my friends $10 when they sign up!  Anyone with a smartphone or a tablet can join.  It's so simple, you get paid to buy the brands you already buy!  If you haven't signed up yet, now is the time.  They don't offer this $10 bonus all the time, so grab it while you can.

Movies Starting at $.98 on Amazon

Head over to Amazon to snag some cheap DVDs or Blu-rays.  Right now you can use coupon code 4OFFDVDS to get $4 of a select DVD purchase.  If you are looking for a Blu-ray, use 6OFFBLRY to get $6 off!  Grab some great family movies for under $10, including Horton Hears a Who for only $.98!  You can  use both coupons codes at checkout.

Get free shipping with orders over $25 or with your Amazon Prime membership!  Try Prime free for 30 days.  

Offer is valid through June 1, 2013.  Don't miss out! 

This Extra Baggage Has Got To Go!

For nearly 8 years now I have struggled with my weight.  I went from being athletic and 150 to well over 200 lbs after the birth of my daughter.  One year ago I began working with a personal trainer 3-4 times a week and I had started Weight Watchers.  I lost a quick 16 lbs.......and that is where I stayed.  Since then, my weight has gone up and down slightly, but there hasn't been any more weight loss.  At the start of May, I started a plank and squat challenge.  While I feel like I'm doing well, the scale has yet to tell me so.  My family has also cut out a large amount of sugar and we have started eating more fresh, local produce than we have in recent years.  Over the past few years, I have tried everything from magic pills, to super diets, to busting my ass at the gym.  Mr. T says I need to focus on my stress level before I can expect my body to change.  As much as I hate to admit he's right.....he might just be (but don't tell him I said so).  In addition to focusing on my stress levels, I am looking at what has worked for my body in the past.  It is time to get rid of this extra baggage once and for all.

How I Save Money on Clothing

Kid's grow like weeds.  We buy brand new clothes for our kids, and within months they no longer fit!  Clothing for kids can take up a big part of your budget.  For a short time after the birth of my son, my kids were getting only a few outfits a piece when I did buy clothing.  I have a set budget for clothing, so we did with what we had.  If you ask my husband, he'll tell you I complain all the time about how I hate paying a lot for kids clothing.  Eventually I was able to spend the same amount, but get triple the amount of clothing!  Want to know how?  Sure you do!  That's why you're here.........right?

• Clearance racks.  I love shopping clearance!  Walmart is notorious for leaving clearance carts full of $1 clothing.  I always hit these up.  I recently spent $6 on shirts for my son that would have normally cost me well over $35!  Target is another great place to find clearance clothing.  I like to check their website for clothing coupons before I visit my local Target.  They recently had a $4 off any 2 children's clothing items.  I was able to print 2 of the coupons and found 4 shirts for $2.20 each.  I paid $.80 for 4 shirts!
• Shop out of season.  This goes hand-in-hand with clearance racks.  Shopping for Winter clothes in Spring or Summer will save you a few bucks.
• Shop resale.  I love hitting up resale shops.  Not only can you find cheap clothes, but if you're lucky, you can find cheap designer or name brand clothing!  
• Shop online.  My newest favorite online clothing site is thredUP.com.  You get a $10 credit when you sign up (FREE clothes people!).  Plus when you invite your friends, you can earn more free credit!  You can also sell your gently used clothing from the comfort of your own home.
• Consign.  I recently have fallen in love with consignment sales.  My favorite is the Just Between Friends Sale.  You can sign up to sell your children's clothing and toys online.  Once they sell, you get a check mailed to you!  They have numerous sales a year all around the country.  Great way to get new clothes and make money off your old ones.  Plus, unlike other consignment and resale shops, you price your own items.
• Extend the life of your clothes.  Too often we find ourselves tossing out clothing because they have a hole in them.  Maybe it's getting too warm out to wear long pants?  I always take a second look at clothing with rips and holes.  Check to see if they can be stitched up or have a patch put over the hole.  My daughter once ripped her leggings on the knee.  Instead of tossing out the leggings, I cut them into shorts and hemmed up the bottoms.  My daughter loves leggings.  So every fall we buy her leggings.  By the time Spring comes, we cut them into shorts or capris so she can get another season out of them.
• Hand me downs!  Yep, I said it.  Hand me downs.  Save your clothes for the next kid.  I grew up wearing a lot of my big brother's clothing.  If you have two daughters a few years apart in age, it makes sense to just save the clothing for the second child. 
• Trade.  You can go online and find groups of mom's in your area who trade and sell their kid's clothing among themselves.  

What do you do to save money on your kids clothing?  What about your clothing?

Check out this article on Yahoo!

After I wrote this article, I was introduced to my local Goodwill Outlet.  This Goodwill isn't like the others......oh no.  They do not sort anything, nor do they wash it.  Everything is dumped into bins, and left for you to sort through.  The cost.......$.79 per pound!  I redid my family's wardrobe for under $30!  You wouldn't believe how many things are donated still with tags on them!  I also found out that my local Target donates excess items that they marked down on clearance, but never sold (and their out of season items).  A bargain hunter's dream!