1stopmom Thoughts

I Wonder...

2009-11-12T21:37:00.002-06:00

Well I am watching Survivor and they had a challenge where one team won a picnic and chance to go down a rock slide. I don't know why I was picturing a hill with all these jagged rocks. I was wondering "why do think a rock slide would be exciting". But it turned out to look pretty cool when got to the spot. The rocks were really smooth looking and the water just flowed down it. It looked really beautiful and peaceful. I wonder will I ever get the opportunity to go down one? Are there even any in the United States? I think I will have to look into that :)

Where am I?

2009-04-02T18:20:00.002-05:00

First I would like to say hi to those of you who still stop by here. But I am officially staying over at 1stopmom now. You can find me there or on my giveaway site. Of course you can always find me on Twitter :) Stop by and visit!!

I Never have but I want to try

2009-02-06T20:15:00.005-06:00

Since the beginning of the start of the new year I have been thinking alot about stuff I never did. But my list is not just what I never did but what I would love to try. Playing paintball is at the top of that list. I don't know if it is because I am a big kid at heart or because I have seen a few people do it (Chef Gordan Ramsey, Doug on King of Queens and Keyshia Cole). I think it would be so much fun. Especially if my husband is on the other team! We love competing against each other. There is this site called Ultimate Paintball that carries everything you need from vests to dye paintball to masks.

I am so not the average wife because I actually wonder if I could convince my husband to have a paintball party for his birthday since it is in the summer. We could round up all the cousins and it could be boys vs girls. Of course you know the girls will win :)

Just a few freebies

2009-01-24T20:59:00.000-06:00

Quaker's Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond True Delights
Crest White Strips
Mini Football
Child Safety Package
Dog's Life Subscription
Rachel Ray Nutrish Dog Food
Boost Kid Essentials Drink
Hansen Junior Juice
Orville Redenbacher's Popping Corn

Taking matters into my own hands

2009-01-22T16:03:00.004-06:00

I like to try a little bit of everything when it comes to making a little extra money. I am currently using a few survey sites, a blog over at Today.com and swagbucks. Between the money and gift cards I am doing ok. But I decided to take the plunge and start my own business, 1stopmom Gift Shop. I sell baby gifts and I launched it a few weeks ago. I am still sorting through the different companies you can use to run a store. There is etsy, ecrater and buyitsellit to name a few. So far I like buyitsellit the best.It is very easy to use. My plan was to have the store right off of my 1stopmom domain but I have ran into a few problems with plug ins. Buyitsellit is free and I think a nice starting point. I have my employer identification number and my seller's permit. Now I am working on my logo and brochure. I most admit this journey is not only scary but fun. I am just flowing with creativity. My shop sells baby diaper cakes and wash cloth lollipops. Feel free to stop by and check it out. All comments and suggestions are welcome.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-22T23:54:00.002-06:00

Since I am busy at a few other places,
Consumer Queen
My Precious Pennies
Mom Giveaways
1stopmom Giveaways and Reviews
1stopmom
And trying to get a business up and running, I decided to take a little vacation until after the holidays.

Happy Holidays everyone, see in 2009!

glitter-graphics.com

Today.com

2008-12-07T16:08:00.005-06:00

When it comes to making money online every little bit helps. If you are blogging it makes sense to Get paid to BLOG at Today.com If you blog every day, the very least you can earn is $30 a month. The only requirement is your posts have to at least be 100 words. You are able to earn more with the visits to your blog. You can easily increase visits by joining Entrecard and Link Referral. I have noticed a lot of the bigger blogs make the move and you can barely tell the difference. I moved one of my blogs over to Today.com So far so good in my opinion. I had no problem importing my existing posts over. It is a good idea for beginner bloggers as well. It is very simple to set up and use.

Freebies

2008-11-30T15:20:00.003-06:00

GlowStick from Life Gear
Trojan Condom- can choose from 3 different types
Heating Pad-Beyond Bodi Heat
Magnifying Ruler-MailFinity.net
Placemats, Napkins-Hoffman

Black Friday

2008-11-22T18:52:00.005-06:00

Black Friday is almost here. If you want to check out which stores have the best deals you have got to check out this site I found. This site loads quickly and has the Black Friday Ads all in one place. You can even follow them on Twitter and stay up to date.

Catch up on the episodes that you missed

2008-11-22T17:42:00.003-06:00

I love to watch t.v. and even with dvr I am unable to watch all the shows I like. This is why I love the internet. There are so many places to see full episodes of your favorite shows legally.

A Little Bit about Me

2008-11-20T21:43:00.003-06:00

Meow Mix Sweepstakes

2008-11-17T12:25:00.002-06:00

Meow Mix Think Like a Cat Sweepstakes
Grand Prize :

Flat Screen TV
Blue Ray Player
Ball Tree Toy
Cat Tower
Heated Window Sill Cat Seat

The deals have started

2008-11-16T23:07:00.002-06:00

While going through the sale ads this weekend I noticed some of the great deals going on. I must admit I was surprised because Black Friday has not started yet. I have a pretty good memory when it comes to sales and I have noticed some of the prices are the best I have seen in years.

Target

Every year on Black Friday Target usually prices series dvd sets at $19.99. You can usually find Friends, Simpsons, etc. Well this week they have some dvd sets for $12.98! You can choose from Family Guy (seasons 1-3), Simpsons (seasons 1-9), Friends (seasons 1-10) and The O.C. (seasons 1-4) There are other shows available for $14.98. Gilmore Girls, Nip Tuck, One Tree Hill and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. As far as toys there is a Transformer Robot Fighters for only $7. You get two fighters. I think that is a pretty good deal. There is also a coupon for a free $10 gift card with a new or transferred prescription.

Best Buy
There is a great sale on select video games where you can get a free $15 gift card instantly. The gift card is a good idea for a holiday gift for someone else. There are also series dvds on sale for $14.99. Samantha Who, Grey's Anatomy, Smallville, Weeds, Two and a half Men and That 70's Show.

Walgreens

There is a coupon for a free $25 gift card when you transfer a prescription. It does not expire in seven days so this is a good one to clip and hold on to. There is also a coupon for $4 off all $9.99 toys. If you need an international phone card you can buy one get one free.

Have you heard about Ciao?

2008-11-09T15:15:00.003-06:00

This site is a community driven review and rating site of products and services. You are able to make money but review products or services you have used. The more people find your review helpful the more money you make. You are also able to make more money if you are the first to review a product. A great thing about this company is the payout is only $5.00

Vindale

2008-11-09T15:09:00.002-06:00

A survey site that I forgot that I am a member of is Vindale. You get paid for taking surveys and for referring others. I am glad that they do pay through PayPal because that is easier for me.

Win $10 at Just for Kicks

2008-11-03T18:20:00.003-06:00

Just for Kicks is having a "Sharing My Blessings" giveaway. The prize is $10 to your paypal account. One is the ways to win is to blog about the giveaway. Sounds pretty easy to me.

Family Free Day

2008-11-02T14:16:00.003-06:00

I am always keeping my eye for free things we can do around our city. With four kids admission prices can get pretty expensive. Luckily yesterday was one of those days. It was Family Free Day at the Zoo. I thought it was a really good idea and invited my dad along. Admission was free but I paid for parking, $10. All the free parking along the street was taken. Before we left home I made sure I fed the kids. I packed up a book bag with snacks, soda and water. This was to ensure that I would not spend any money on the overpriced snacks that the zoo offers. The kids managed to get to their grand dad and he bought them some cotton candy and popcorn. Because admission was free we even took a ride on the zoomobile. It gives you a tour of the entire park it was nice and relaxing. The whole afternoon was nice. Not only did we see a lot of animals and learned something. We all got some good exercise.

Win a 2 year subscription to All You Magazine

2008-10-17T14:01:00.002-05:00

A great way to save money and still enjoy the things you love is to find a way to get it free(legally of course). The Freebie Blogger is having a giveaway where you can win a 2 year subscription to All You magazine. Not only does the magazine have recipes and craft ideas but there are also COUPONS! And everyone needs coupons. To enter head on over to Freebie Blogger and leave a comment. Good Luck!

Don't forget to check those receipts!!

2008-10-14T18:07:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you can get so caught up with saving money, comparing prices and using coupons that you forget to do one important thing. Check your receipt. I can not stress this enough. You would not believe how many times I have been overcharged for something and would have never caught it had I not checked the receipt. I know sometimes you are in a rush and need to get home to start dinner but this is a great habit to pick up. If you can't watch the cashier while she is ringing everything up then take a minute and look your receipt over once you are in your car and before you leaving the parking lot. Some store even have policies where if you are overcharged for something you get the item for free! I have gotten ground beef and roast free as well as ice cream because a store forgot to take down sale signs from the previous week. You should never rely on a computer to charge you the correct price because mistakes will happen. Besides in today's economy do you have any money to spare?

May just be a rip off

2008-10-13T08:37:00.003-05:00

On September 5, 2008 I signed up to sell ebooks. It seemed really harmless so I gave it a try. As of October 13, 2008. I have not made any sells. When I went to the 2dollar biz website it was not online. Unfortunately I think this was a scam. Well, lesson learned and I am glad it did not cost me more than $2.39.After researching a little I found quite a few sites that talk about 2dollar.biz.

scam.com

Positive thought shop

workathometruth

Repair instead of replace

2008-10-11T14:38:00.000-05:00

You can always find a reason to spend money. The fabric on the couch is worn ,those are missing buttons or that shirt is stained could be the reason why you are considering to replace something. You can easily fix these problems and save money too. If the fabric on your couch is all stained and worn consider a slipcover. There are so many different designs that you are sure to find something you like. It will look like a new piece of furniture at a fraction of the cost. Buttons can easily be replaced on clothes and give it new life. You can get buttons at a craft store or even a thrift store or yard sale. Depending where the stain is on a shirt you may be able to hide it. You can always find something you can iron on over the stain. If you have your own printer you can even by your own iron on paper. If you choose this method you can really personalize it with a photo or design you like. I believe repair instead of replace can be used with almost anything. Nine times out of ten a repair is much cheaper.

Noodles and Company Birthday Meal

2008-10-08T11:41:00.002-05:00

Tuesday night I went to Noodles and Company to use my free entree birthday coupon. I didn't expect much I mean it is only noodles. The staff was really nice and had no problem taking my coupon. I got the mac and chesse with parmesan chicken. They cooked it up really quickly. The size of my dish was huge! I really got a lot of mac and cheese. I had to split it with my hubby. Oh my goodness that was some good mac and cheese. It was creamy and not too cheesy.(I am not a huge fan of mac and cheese and rarely eat it) It was honestly cooked to perfection. The chicken was nice and juicy too and cut into strips which I appreciated. My overall experience was pleasant and I really enjoyed the food. I would definitely eat there again.

Some recent freebies

2008-10-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Eucerin Calming Creme

Scented bookmark

Swedish fish t-shirt

$10 coupon book from betty crocker

Digilake coffee mug

Kashi Dark Chocolate Cookie

Birthday Burger at Red Robin

2008-10-06T08:21:00.002-05:00

Even though my birthday was on the 25th of September I did not get a chance to use my Red Robin free burger coupon until October 2nd. I have to say the bacon cheeseburger I had was the best ever! It was cooked to perfection and I loved every bite. I had never been to Red Robin before but I will definitely go back. Not only do they have bottomless fries, but they make the most delicious strawberry lemonade I ever had. The staff there was super friendly and my drink was refilled as soon as I set it down. The restaurant was very clean and I really enjoyed the interesting decor. All the flat panel televisions was nice too. My hubby said they even had one in the men's room.

Free stuff on your birthday

2008-09-22T08:12:00.003-05:00

Next to Christmas I spend a lot of money on birthdays. A great way to save money is sign up for free stuff on your birthday. Here are a few I found.

Free mega bar meal at Old Country Buffet
Birthday mailer from Target for kids only
qdoba mexican grill
free cookie at Quiznos
Schlotzsky's free sandwich
Red Robin free burger
T.G.I Friday free dessert and appetizer
Sonic free meal for the kids
Memphis BBQ
Noodles and Company free dish
Perkin's for the kids
Thanks to Hey its free for the list, :)
If you know of any freebies please share