I have a killer giveaway for a bundle of Western Digital Hardware over on Geek for the Real Girl! Make sure to enter!!!
All posts by NerdMom
Free Amazon MP3 Credit
You gotta love it! Just tell Amazon and Unilever what you think is the perfect component of a care package to get $2 Amazon MP3 Credit
Coupon Strategies and a Giveaway!
We all know that I love a good coupon! Coupons can be an integral step in any smart living strategy. A little thought and planning means that you can make coupons work for you with very little effort!!!
(Continue reading at NerdFamily Food! And make sure you visit NerdFamily Things to get a chance to win the coupon holder!)
Swagbucks Coupon Holder Giveaway
If you saw my piece on Central Valley Today you saw my awesome Swagbucks Coupon organizer! I love Swagbucks and have earned many, many dollars in Amazon gift cards over the years! I encourage you all to sign up and give it a whirl. It is free and fun! If you sign up now you can use NERDMOM to get an extra 100 Swagbucks!! That puts you well on the way to a $5 Amazon gift card!
If you would like to win a fabulous Swagbucks coupon organizer it is super easy to enter my giveaway! Make sure that you leave a comment for each entry!
Mandatory Entry – Watch the video and tell me 1 way a person can earn Swagbucks.
Extra Entries:
-Join Swagbucks for 5 extra entries!!!! (Make sure to enter NERDMOM to get an extra 100 Swagbucks)
– Subscribe to my email feed.
– Follow me on Twitter.
The giveaway will be closed Friday, October 12th.
(Disclosure: Yes, Swagbucks gave me the coupon holder, no they didn’t ask me to write about it and I did include affiliate links in this post;)
Coupons, Coupons, Grocery Coupons
We all know that I love a good coupon! Coupons can be an integral step in any smart living strategy. A little thought and planning means that you can make coupons work for you with very little effort!!!
Guidelines for good coupon use
* Compare prices! Coupons don’t always make it cheaper, look at the store brand.
* Make sure it is something you will use! A deal is only a deal if you would have bought it anyway!
* Wait for sales but keep an eye on expiration dates on family favs.
* Hold on to coupons for things you might want to try.
* Carry your best coupons with you! You never know when you are going to pop into the grocery store or see something unexpected on clearance.
Sources for Coupons
* Extra Bucks (CVS) & Register Rewards (Walgreens) are post purchase coupons.
* Sunday Paper
* Various Websites Like: 
, Store Sites, Manufacturer sites
* Blogs: MoneySavingMom, Saving The Family Money & various others have matchups
Note: Printing coupons & clicking through on freebie offers are a great way to support your favorite bloggers! Also, looking for specific type of coupons? Let me know & I will do a post with them!
Contesting Monday 10/8
So here is the deal. If you are hosting a giveaway or have a post about someone’s giveaway just leave a link. Make sure this link is to the giveaway post itself and not just the blog or it will be deleted. If you listed it last week but your giveaway is still open, list it again! Also your link must be to something family friendly or it will be deleted.
So now you need to add your giveaways and go enter some giveaways! Let them know that Contesting Monday sent you!
Back on Central Valley Today
I am back on Central Valley Today!!! And if you wanted more details about Layaway Issues or Smart Holiday Shopping Strategies make sure to check out both pieces over on NerdFamily Things!!!
8 Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping
Ok, if you read my piece on Buyer Bewares on Layaway have no fear. I don’t like to just point problems out without offering solutions.
1. A savings program! If this was earlier in the year I would recommend doing a Christmas Club savings program. (My bank: Fresno County Federal Credit Union has one. Tell the Jacqueline Cromwell sent you;) Since it is a little late in the year do an envelope! Just put aside a little every pay period (in addition to anything you have already saved) and that is your Christmas fund! That is it! No debt!
2. Make a detailed list of everyone you are buying for and anything you are planning on buying. If you don’t know what to get them that is fine. Make sure you have any sizes or likes, etc. And put a maximum dollar amount for each person. Even your kids and spouse!
3. Start browsing so you know a good price on your items when you see it!
4. If shopping online make sure to use Shopping portals like Ebates and use coupons!
5. Watch for free shipping deals. Shop at Target.com to get free shipping with $50 purchases. Amazon has free shipping with a $25 purchase. You can even get a trial month of Amazon Prime
6. Consider buying online and having them shipped directly to friends and family out of town. When I began doing that I saved $20 each on average! By the time I shopped, packaged up at home and then paid for shipping it got pricey and labor intensive.
7. Keep an eye out not only for Black Friday deals but those that come before and after. Many stores will be advertising their best price of the year at other times to motivate shoppers to come in at other times. Be aware of that and take advantage of it!
8. And lastly, always remember…. It is the thought that counts and not the money you spend that counts!!!!!
Happy Sukkot!
Sukkot started at sundown on tonight! This is a holiday I don’t know a lot about but the family and I are having a ball learning more about it!
The Buyer Bewares on Layaway
Layaway sound delightful but it doesn’t come without issues. Buyer must beware!!! And there are lot of layaway options that are more economical and just better money practices.
Buyer Beware:
1. Start up fees! Some stores have fees associated with setting up layaway. Some are percentages (like Best Buy) and some are flat fees. Sometimes that goes toward the final price, sometimes it is just a paid fee.
2. Some stores have a cancellation fee in addition to the start up fee. So if you find it for a better price or just end up not having the money, you are still out some money!
3.These may not be the best prices for the season! Some stores will offer price matching through out the season but some won’t. Plus you have to take in the new ads with lower prices and convince them to adjust your layaway price, if it is even an option. Last year Walmart did advertise the price adjustment.
4. Layaway may not be the best deal on top of the prices! There are great cash back deals. I use Shopping Portals, coupons, and credit card rewards.