Saving Craving! Savings tip: Cheap (or FREE) and easy hair product!

Use lotion as hair product

I used to use my husbands' gooey, stickey, thick, nasty hair cream on my son's hair. It never worked for very long, and whenever he'd wake up for a nap his hair would be matted and stiff. I didn't want to keep buying products and testing them...so I came up with my own!

Simply use...
ready for this?...Lotion!

I use baby lotion specifically because
A) it smells great,
B) it's super soft, and
C) it's cheaper than hair product, and I already have it on hand!

And guess what? It works.

I've used typical adult lotion as well, it just doesn't work as well in my opinion. Oh, and just for the record: the other day my husband tried this method and loved it; he's now using lotion rather than sticky cream, too.

Watch this video below for the tip:

Give it a try!

Giveaway update!

Ok folks! Just a reminder about our fab-u-loso GIVEAWAY happening right now...

We are giving away two - count them TWO - Manicure/Pedicure packages, featured by Apply'ed Beautiful Nails! This is hot, you want this. I promise.

I'm changing the entry rules. If you followed any of THESE guidelines, they still stand and your entries will be counted. Here are some simpler ways to enter as well:

1. LIKE Apply'ed Beautiful on Facebook (click HERE). Leave a comment letting me know you've done this.
2. VOTE for our site as one of your favorite money-saving sites (click HERE and simply click the "thumbs-up" symbol; no need to sign up for anything). Leave a comment letting me know you've done this.
3. Sign up for our daily deal/tip texts! (See HERE)

That's it!

I'm extending this giveaway, the winner will be drawn on Friday. Good luck to you all!

New weekly line-up!

I'm so excited to announce a new weekly line-up! We are constantly striving to make this site different from all those other savings sites out there. To help us accomplish this, I'd like to introduce you to the new and improved additions to your week:

Every Tuesday we will post a new recipe or food tip.

Every Thursday we will post an old savings tip, just so you can catch what you've missed.

Every Saturday we will post a new D.I.Y project or tip, a craft, home remedy or project, or anything else creative and savvy!

So what do you think?? We are excited about it, I hope you are too. If you have a recipe, craft, or savings tip to share, don't be shy...you (and your site!) might just get featured! Just email me at funcheaporfree@gmail.com

enjoy your week!

FREE Panda Express!

If you LIKE Panda Express on Facebook, you'll get a coupon for FREE Golden Treasure Shrimp (Click HERE) on March 9. Might as well, right??

(Thanks Bargain Divas!)

Newspaper subscription deal - perfect for coupons

For all you coupon-ers out there, here's a deal so you can get the Sunday paper!

Special Deseret News 3-Day-a-Week Subscription

$31.20

worth:	discount:	savings:
$52	40%	$20.80

Deseret News
www.deseretnews.com

Subscription customer service: 801.204.6100 or 1.800.662.9076

Your order will be processed automatically and your subscription will begin arriving by March 1, 2011. Your voucher is considered your receipt.

50 Cheap, easy, and adorable crafts!

I've always enjoyed this site. I don't craft, but I've shared a bunch of their crafts with you...and stored some mentally away in case I decide that I do like crafting someday :)
Just thought I'd share their top 50 recent crafts with you!

Good Morning Crafters, We thought you might be interested to know the 50 favorite craft projects at FaveCrafts.com, as voted on by your clicks. These are your favorite craft projects from the last few months.

1. Japanese Afternoon Quilt 2. Errands Bag 3. Warm Boot Slippers 4. Crepe Paper Rose Bouquet 5. Aconite Flower 6. Crochet Hexagon Rug 7. 6 Favorite Granny Square Projects 8. Mr. and Mrs. Snowman 9. Beginner Hat and Scarf Set 10. Heating Pillow 11. Turn Old Jeans into Potholders 12. 32 Low-Cost Clothing Crafts 13. Adirondack Slipper Socks 14. 24 Handmade Craft Ideas from 2010: A Year of Free CraftseBook 15. Pretty Mom Apron 16. Easy Retro Apron 17. Funky Ruffle Scarf 18. Inside Out Tote 19. How to Make Loop Flowers 20. No-Sew Personalized Throw 21. Water Bottle Storage Upcycle 22. Soda Can Coasters 23. Easy Recycled Fruit and Veggies Bag 24. Cozy Cabin Slippers for Men 25. Crochet Plastic Bag Door Mat

26.  10 Free Crochet Patterns for Beginners 27. Handmade Paper Rose 28. Mini Crochet Hearts 29. Reusable Snack Bags 30. Twists Fringe Rug 31. Mop or Sweeper Cover 32. Reusable Coupon Envelope 33. Perfect Fitting Pajama Bottoms 34. Funky Fresh CD Holder 35. 15 Free Baby Afghan Patterns 36. 8 Free Pot Holder Patterns 37. Snowflake Table Runner 38. 6 Easy Crochet Bag Patterns 39. Glistening Snowflake Placemat and Coaster 40. How to Make Homemade Soap from Scratch 41. Hip Hobo Bag 42. Cupcake Bath Bomb 43. Natural Baby Blanket 44. Scrunchy Scarf 45. Top 15 Gifts for Women 46. Crochet Flower Dish Cloths 47. 9 Easy Crochet Patterns 48. Sassy Sewn Apron 49. Fabulous Pair of Crochet Slippers 50. Polka Dot Rose Teapot

Get paid to take surveys

PineCone Research is growing and needs new survey-takers! They pay $3 a survey. They are usually quick, you can do them in your spare time while browsing the internet. They enter you into drawings and contests each time you take a survey, and sometimes you get products sent to you to try out. It's pretty cool! They are accepting applicants for a short time. Here's the info:

PineCone Research is growing and we invite you to help!   We are offering select members the opportunity to recommend membership to a friend or relative who is NOT a member of their household. 

Do you know of households that would like to join the PineCone Research Panel? If so, please FORWARD A COPY of this email to each household you would like to refer so that they may click on the registration link shown below.  That household should complete the registration form themselves and submit it. REMEMBER THAT ONLY ONE PERSON PER HOUSEHOLD MAY REGISTER. Multiple registrations of the same Household will void all registrations.

Here is the link to the registration:

www.pineconeresearch.com/signup/ds632.aspx?&sid=BGR

B1G1 FREE Chipotle coupon!

Chipotle is AHH-SUM. If you LIKE them on Facebook then watch a video, they give you a B1G1 free coupon! Totally worth it! (The video is pretty short).
Click HERE to get yours. Mmmmmm....

FREE ihop on March 1

Get some free grub and donate to a good cause!
Click HERE for more info

FREE sample of Kirkland diapers!

Just a reminder while I'm at it...Costco coupons are OVER on Sunday, so you'd better hurry and take advantage! My favorites this month include $6 off Huggies diapers (boo ya!) and $2 ink refill. Remember to refill your ink, it's so much cheaper!

Also, you can get a FREE sample of Kirkland diapers! I like them better than Huggies personally, but they aren't on sale this month so I recommend stocking up on Huggies. In the meantime, grab your FREE sample!
Click HERE
(Thanks Bargain Divas)

Check out today's coupons & deals

Don't forget to check out today's coupons and deals! Here's a sneak peek:

• 15% off Kohl's coupon
• Michaels coupons (40% off + 2 more)
• 5 ice skating admissions + skate rental for only $15
• Tai Pan Trading coupon
• $39 unlimited pass to Raging Waters + sports games
• This week's restaurant coupons
• 10 Free cards from Shutterfly
• B1G1 pizza from Pier 49
• 6 Einstein Bros Bagel coupons! ($1 bagel+shmear, $4 off bagel bucket, $3 off lunch sandwich, etc)
• 40% off Joann Fabrics coupon
• 30% off photo books from Picaboo
• 9x7 photo books $8.99 ea including shipping

Saving Craving! Savings tip: Take advantage of the library

I took a little trip with my son to the library recently. I've only done this a handful of times with him, surprisingly! I just never thought to "hang out" at the library until my friend posted a picture on Facebook of her 1 year old having a blast at the library. Now, it's one of our favorite Fun/Cheap/Free places to frequent!

You can get used books for cheap, can check out materials for FREE rather than buying books, and it's a fun/FREE place to come to get out of the house and play! Who doesn't love that? Check out this video of how our journey went:

Refer friends, get $10 to CPK!

PLUM REWARD: Refer Two Friends and Get a $10 California Pizza Kitchen Gift Card

View Deal $10

Refer 2 Friends To Earn This Deal

I recommend you sign up for Plum District Daily Deal (click HERE). If you do, and then if you get 2 friends to sign up, they will send you a $10 CPK gift card for FREE! Woo hoo!

It's free to join, so why not?!

Thanks for joining to help me get my $10! Click HERE to sign up.

$10 Dinner recipes!

These all look so yummy and amazing. Click on the link to get the full recipe, and enjoy!

Photo by: MATTSBELLY

Ten-Dollar Dinners Keep that budget under control with these easy-to-make meals that won't send your bank account into a tailspin. Make More with Less popular recipes • Chicken Enchiladas I • Spaghetti Carbonara II • Spicy Rapid Roast Chicken • Five-Veggie Stir-Fry • Thirty Minute Chili

Please vote for us!!

Please vote for Fun Cheap or Free as one of your favorite money-saving sites!! Pretty please? Thanks!
(Click HERE)

Giveaway update...each winner gets both a mani AND pedi!

Thanks, Jenny, for being so generous!
She has updated the giveaway prizes. There are still two winners, but now EACH winner gets both a manicure AND pedicure! WOA NELLY! Better get entering, this is going to be a hot ticket item. I've updated my original post, so click HERE for a reminder of the entry details. Good luck!

Giveaway #3.........FREE Mani & Pedi, 2 winners!!

I'm so excited to announce this giveaway! The 3rd of FIVE giveaways is...

A FREE manicure & pedicure for two lucky winners!
This giveaway is offered by Jenny Hansen, owner of Apply'ed Beautiful nails.
Here is how to enter (each method = 1 entry)

1. LIKE Apply'ed Beautiful on Facebook (click HERE) - you need to leave a comment letting me know you've done this.
2. SEND an email telling family or friends about www.funcheaporfree.com! Every 5 email addresses you send it to = 1 entry! Just add funcheaporfree@gmail.com to the BCC list so I can see how many people you sent it to!
3. POST about FCF on your blog, site, or Facebook! You need to leave a comment with your URL and let me know you've done this.
4. And of course, FOLLOW this site or LIKE us on Facebook (click HERE)

Winner will be drawn on MONDAY. Good luck to you all!

Here is more info about Apply'ed Beautiful:

"Apply'ed Beautiful is Jenny A Hansen's home nail salon where I work with a close clientele.
I do Bridal Parties, Nail Parties, and Exclusive clients privately in their home.
I am know as "The Nail Critic" . My Blog is all about Educating Women in the Nail Style World. What is good, bad, healthy, unhealthy, damaging, safe, in style, out-dated, and if there nail tech is well educated or not.
I help empower women who care about their style and health to find, and how to find, healthy, in fashion nail salons and nail techs."


Like on Facebook: 
http://facebook.com/applyedbeautiful
Twitter: 
http://twitter.com/applydbeautiful
Apply'ed Beautiful Blog- "The Nail Critic" :
http://applyedbeautiful.com 
Email: ApplyBeautiful@Gmail.com

How to make your own blog button

I have been asked this many times! I have scoured the internet and found THE BEST tutorial from this site. Here's what the tutorial says:

A few weeks ago, I posted about my new button and promised I would give easy directions on how to make your own button, so here ya go!


1. Create your button picture: Begin with a picture or your logo, no larger than 150 pixels wide. Why 150 pixels? Most sidebars are only 200 pixels wide, so any larger and your button will be cut off on one or both sides. You'll probably want to include the title of your blog, as the point is to help increase your blog traffic, right? Most of the buttons I've seen have been squares--150 x 150--but my button didn't look right as a square, so a vertical rectangle it was! Tip Junkie's buttons are all horizontal rectangles. I created my button picture in Photoshop 7.0 (which I'm still plodding my way through).

2. Host your picture:Find a place to host your picture. I use Picasa for all my normal blog pictures, but I couldn't find direct links to my pictures on Picasa, so I usedPhotobucket. I made a new account for this blog and it was quick and simple. I uploaded my button to Photobucket and copied the direct link to the photobutton. Here is a screen shot of my photobucket album showing the direct link you'll need to copy. 







3. Create HTML for your button: Copy the following code and replace yourblogURLwith your blog's URL and yourimagedirectlinkURL with the direct link URL in Photobucket (the quotation marks are necessary).



4. Place the button in your sidebar: In your blog, choose Layout or Customize and in your sidebar, click Add a gadget and choose HTML/Javascript. In the title area, you can write whatever you'd like--Take a Button, Grab my Button, or don't use a title at all--whatever suits your fancy. Then in the HTML box, post your HTML from the previous step. Save it and preview your blog to make sure your button shows up on the sidebar and that the button takes you to your blog. Here is a screen shot of my button HTML 







5. Create your text area for your button: Again, choose Layout or Customize and in your sidebar, click Add a gadget and choose HTML/Javascript. If you leave out the title, the text box will appear directly under your button. In the HTML box, paste the following code:

<textarea rows="4" cols="20">

Then paste in your HTML from step # 3 and close with

</textarea>

Click save. and now, drag this HTML box under your button HTML in page layout. View your blog and make sure the two appear together. Here is a screen shot of what my text area looked like in Blogger. 







VOILA! You now have a button for others to post on their blog! Please let me know if you have any questions and also if you use the instructions to make a button!! Enjoy!!

p.s. It isn't 100% necessary, but I'd really, really appreciate your link back to me if you make your own button! THANKS!!

And the winners are...

Thanks to our random number generator, we have two winners!!! Becky was actually drawn as one of them...but since she can't win her own prize (haha sorry Becky!) someone else got an extra shot!!
Oh, are you ready? You sure?

Congrats to:
 Lillith Bear and 

Ganine Medina 

Woo hoo!

I know personally that you both are loyal followers, and I'm so happy for you that you won this prize! Becky is great and you will love your pictures. Be sure to share some with us when you get them so we can see how great they turned out. :)

Just email me with your preferred contact information, and I'll pass it along to becky. Congrats again, and thanks for following FCF!

For everyone else...stay tuned to hear what our NEXT giveaway will be, it will be announced tonight. I'm excited, are you?!

You may need to fix your facebook page!

DailyPress posted this awesome article, I'm so glad they did! I made the change and see a dramatic difference in who I see on my front page! Click HERE to see the original article. That way you can be sure to get the word about FCF's daily deals. Spread the word!

Is your Facebook newsfeed boring you? You may need to change your settings

Do you keep seeing the same posts from the same people on your Facebook newsfeed, and wonder if all your other friends decided to go silent simultaneously?

Facebook recently changed newsfeed settings so it defaults to only showing posts from pages and people with whom you interact with most, or with whom you've recently interacted.

To get back to normal, log in to Facebook and scroll down to the bottom of your homepage. Click "Edit Options" at the bottom right corner of your newsfeed, and change "Friends and pages you interact with most" to "All of your friends and pages."

You may have seen some of your friends posting notes about this; there's an effort going on to spread the word. Many users are posting this as their status:
"Noticed that you are only seeing updates/comments from the same people lately? FACEBOOK MADE A CHANGE. You only see posts from people you interact with regularly. To change this, scroll down to the bottom of the news-feed on the homepage and click on 'Edit Options', click 'Show Posts From' & change the setting to 'All Of Your Friends and Pages'."

What's bad about the change is that, for instance, business pages might be hidden from your feed if you haven't commented/interacted with that page for a while. (HINT, HINT. ALL the Daily Press pages could use some love). Businesses will see a big drop in traffic from Facebook, as well as the number of impressions each post garners.

Facebook, why are you messing with a good thing? First you change the Fan Pages, now this? What's next?

Check out today's coupons & deals

Head on over HERE to see today's coupons & deals! Here's a sneak peek of what you'll find:

• B1G1 free pizza from Pier 49 Pizza
• Einstein Bros Bagels coupons (including $1 bagel & shmear, $3 off any sandwich, $4 off a bagel bucket, etc.)
• $7 Boho headband (reg $15)
• $39 for 1 month of unlimited power tone classes
• 40% off Joann Fabrics coupon
• $50 for $120 worth of Hairstyling
• 50% off Wiseguys Comedy Club
• 30% off any photo book from Picaboo
• 20 9x7 photo books $8.99ea including shipping
• This week's restaurant coupons from Citi Weekly

Free day at the Zoo today!

Don't forget, today is a FREE DAY at the Hogle Zoo! Click HERE for details. Will I see you there?? Sure hope so! [dress warm, and expect crowds. Lovely :)]

Giveaway winner drawn tomorrow!

Better hurry and enter while you can! We're giving away TWO free photo sessions which includes edited cd of pics. Click HERE for details on how to enter. Winner will be drawn midday tomorrow, so you'd better hurry and enter!

Good luck :)

D.I.Y bath paints - Cheap, Easy, and Fun!

Lauralee found this awesome Bath Paints tutorial HERE and we thought we'd share. Looks so fun, and easy!!

Good Clean Fun!!!

Why not turn bath time into a fun, creative art time with bath paints.
We came up with this fun project to help persuade 2 year old Charlie into taking a bath (older kids will love these too). Heeagerly jumped in the tub and didn't want to get out.

We found several recipes that called for using dish detergent to make your tub paint. That seemed too harsh for paint that would be all over our kids. We used Suave Kids free and gentle body wash. It is clear and gentle on their skin. Great for tub paint! We found that this recipe cleaned up easily, but you might want to test it first on your grout.
Our recipe:

• 1/2 cup body wash
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• food coloring

Mix the cornstarch with the soap. You may need to adjust the amount depending on your soap. Mix it in one tablespoon at a time. Divide mixture into smaller bowls. We used small containers with lids to save for future baths. Add a drop or two of food coloring to each bowl and stir.

Give it a try, let me know what you think!

Wal-Mart shopping trip: Price-matching magic, & clearance craziness!

I just got back from my "monthly" Wal Mart stop. I really don't like grocery shopping much, so I do 1 big trip to Costco, 1 big trip to Wal Mart and only necessary as-needed visits in between. When I do go, I make it COUNT!

Here's how I saved today at Wal Mart:


Before going shopping I always log onto DealsToMeals.com first. I hate coupon-ing, I don't have the time, patience, nor will-power to drive to 10 different stores each week. D2M scours the ads for you, lists the best deals at each store, you make your grocery list, print it out, and price match everything at Wal Mart! (is how I do it, anyway.) ONE store, ONE stop, MAJOR savings. Me likey.  Their membership is only $4.95/mo which I think is completely reasonable, you can cancel at any time. I'm a true believer in price matching, remember?

• Heading to my first destination I ran into this baby:

A discounted rack of goods. Always take a look!! Remember my love for the discounted bread isle?? The deals weren't as good as I would've hoped this time, but I did get those tasty flavored waters at the bottom for a good price. 

 Next I hit up the baby section. I needed a few things, but I try to stop here anyway just to check out the clearance. I found this awesome rack:

And got some super cute (and surprisingly nice for Wal Mart...) cargo pants for $3, and I bought that monkey 2piece outfit to save for a baby gift. Two pieces? $3? Yes puh-lease.

Next I spotted this guy. Pants and sweatshirts for $1. My son sleeps in sweats so $1 sweats is a good deal. They had this girl rack + a big boy rack. The boy rack wasn't marked as $1, but I took a girl pair to the front and she rang the boy ones up as $1 too. Remember to take action and ask for the deal! They might just give it to you, and probably will!

Thanks to D2M I spotted this amazing price-match deal: Kraft 18oz BBQ sauce (any flavor) on sale at Smiths for just $0.69 each!! AHH!! STOCK UP FOR YOUR LIVES, PEOPLE!! That's a crazy-good deal! The usual price is $1.22ea.

 Even the no-name brand cheap-o stuff is more.

 I wish now I would've bought more, honestly. 

Oh well. Anyway, next I hit up the produce section. Wal Mart does NOT have the best produce, I'll be the first to admit it. But if you're there anyway, might as well get what you need, right?

Thanks to price-matching here are the deals I got:

Cilantro reg $0.54 each, got 4 for $0.99

Mangoes reg $1.18 each, got for $0.50 each (they were big, yummy looking ones too) 

Oranges reg $0.48 each, price-matched at 6lb for $0.99! Yes, this is for real! It's from Rancho Markets, my favorite little secret. 

**UNFORTUNATELY they wouldn't price-match this one, I got a strict cashier. Apparently Rancho sells them in 6lb bags, and Wal Mart just sells them loose, so they couldn't honor it. If there had been a male checker I would've gotten him to price-match it, not even kidding. Oh well, next time. 

Not that I'm profiling, but male checkers could care less and will nearly always price match ANYTHING, no questions asked!

It was a great shopping day, if you ask me. I didn't use any coupons, I was in and out in 30 minutes, I got everything I needed, and guess what? I saved $43.11 on my bill, just by price-matching and by buying the clearance items. My total bill was $88.14 so I saved 1/2 on my bill by doing virtually nothing!

Woo hoo!

So now are you a believer?
This isn't a one-time bonus shopping trip or anything, this has definitely happened before...like, every time I shop. Seriously. Maybe I pay more than coupon-ers do, but for me, my time is more valuable and my sanity :)

So that's how I do it!
Good luck to you next time you price-match :)