Replay Thursday! Savings tip replay: Smuggling snacks

It's Replay Thursday time! Each Thursday we "replay" one of our older savings tips so you don't have to worry about missing any of the goodies :)

Todays' tip is great. I wrote this a year ago, but still use this philosophy basically every time we go out. Especially since I'm pregnant, I always have to have snacks with me!

See the original post HERE.

Todays tip could get me into trouble :) Not that I'm typically a huge advocate of breaking rules, but for this tip, BREAK THE RULES!

Since it's now the weekend, I'm sure many of you will hit the movies, concerts/shows, or sporting events. As we all know, food is VERY pricey at these venues. Anyone who knows me knows that I am the QUEEN OF SMUGGLING. My husband and I rarely ever buy food at events...because I smuggle my own in!
Some of my best smugglers have been:

• a 2 liter of root beer, 
• burgers, 
• a 5lb bag of Sour Patch Kids, 
• ice cream, 
• a tupperware of dinner leftovers that I didn't have time to eat before the movie, 
• and - yes it's true - an entire Little Caesar's pizza.

It saves buco bucks, I promise! I don't want to jinx myself, but I've been a self-proclaimed smuggler my entire life and have never gotten in trouble. *knock on wood*. The worst thing they do is make you throw your food away.

Here's how I do it:

• Smuggle in a bag: Bring a big purse, bag, or diaper bag. Small ones don't work as well. Diaper bags are great because they expect you to have lots of bulky stuff in there :)

• Smuggle in a blanket: Wrap your item in the middle of a blanket and carry it with you. 

• Smuggle in your clothes: Wear a bulky coat with lots of pockets. This is an easy one. Once we got desperate and my husband simply walked in with 2 cans of soda in his back pockets...but that was a bit risky.

• Smuggle in a stroller: We took our stroller to a Bees baseball game here in Salt Lake. I smuggled lots of stuff in the mesh bag that hangs under the handlebars on my stroller. Since I was holding onto the stroller handles, my body was blocking the bag and they never even checked! You can even stuff treats in beside your baby and cover it with blankets.

• Another stroller note: Don't hide things in the obvious parts, like the basket underneath or cup holders. BUT...use these to your advantage. When you get to security, make it a point to show them the basket and cup holders. Say something like, "Oh and you can check my basket if you want." Often times they'll appreciate your honesty and won't even bother checking!

• The above note is same for purses. Hide things in the little inner zipper pockets or way down deep, and make it a point for them to check your bag. "Do you need to check my bag? Here you go (and open it for them). Sorry there's so much junk in there." Once again, they appreciate your willingness and tend to not check too thoroughly! 

• If you are bringing warm food into the theater be sure to keep it in a sealed container like tupperware. This locks in the smell.

• Make sure lids are on tight! You don't want any spillage.

• Bags are always better than boxes. Less noisy!

• Get creative. Maybe start small if you are nervous (bags of candy, a small can of soda, etc.) but then work up to more creative things. Who says you can't enjoy a Corndog at the movies??

• Don't take out your smuggled items until the theater or concert hall is completely dark. 

• Try to get rid of noisy wrappers that will cause lots of attention. I love ziplocks.

• If you are at a venue where they check bags (baseball games, concerts, etc.) this gets a little trickier. Use a big, deep bag, and just pile stuff on top of the item. 

• Girls: Take advantage of awkwardness! Put your tampons and pads on top of the food item. Often times security won't bother rummaging too deep if you have "personal items" in view. Smart, eh?

• If they check bags, they will often times check blankets. If you see them checking blankets, simply hold the item in your hand under the blanket, and shake the blanket out. That way your hand is still covered, and its holding on to the item so it doesn't fall out.

• If your husband is wearing a hat, hide a small item under his hat! Funny, but it works!

• Try to go in a line where the ticket agent looks nice. Try to find someone that's smiling or talking. 

• Be nice to the ticket agent. Strike up a conversation the moment you get to them; be extra nice and perky. They aren't typically used to this and it will A) make them happy and B) distract them. Though, you should always be nice to people anyway!!!!!!

• Lastly, don't sweat it if you get caught. JUST PLAY DUMB. "Oh! Opps, I didn't know food was allowed." "Oh sorry, forgot this was in here!" The worst they will do is make you throw your food away. I got caught with a package of licorice under a blanket once (because the package was poking out of the side - dumb!). All they made me do was throw it away. However, when I got to the garbage can I simply hid it better under my blanket again and went to a different door. Problem solved!

I have no shame when it comes to smuggling. It saves lots of money! I do believe in supporting businesses, too, so once in a while we will certainly buy a treat like ice cream or something a little harder to smuggle. But most of the time we bring in our own treats and it works like a charm.

Happy savings to you :)

Guess what I won?

Remember my big lecture on taking advantage of things? You know, contests, giveaways, freebies, deals, the whole nine yards.

Why, you might ask? Because once in a while you JUST MIGHT WIN SOMETHING! My husband just won me an ipad (I seriously cried, sooo excited), and he recently won an ipod touch AND a Wii.

It's not luck, it's odds. The more you enter, the better chances you have of winning something. 

I just got a call that I won tickets to this:

It's a fancy schmancy gala at the Children's Museum. I threw my name in a box and won tickets worth over $100!
So remember, in terms of Giveaways, contests, and anything else, just DO IT. You just never know.

On that note...don't forget to enter our giveaway!

Thanks :)

April Baby Bargain Forecast

Lauralee sent me this article that I thought I'd share:

BC Predicts: April Baby Bargain Forecast

MARCH 29, 2011 BY ANGIE 2 COMMENTS

What baby bargains will April bring along with those pesky showers? Here’s what you can expect in April, based on sales and deals we’ve seen in previous years:

Look for Easter sales (it’s 4/24 this year) starting just before mid-month. You’ll find them at Toys R Us and Babies R Us as well as other retailers.

The Spring Sale at The Children’s Place should go to “extra 50% off” by mid-month.

ShoeSteal.com released a 25% off coupon around mid-month last year.

Ann Taylor LOFT did a 30% off Friends and Family sale during week 3. Great place to pick up maternity clothing.

Earth Day is April 22. BC predicts there will be lots of fun and free stuff to do outside in your community. Spring festivals also begin this month in many areas. Check your local listings. Many have arts and crafts areas for kids.

Earth Day also brings deals on eco-friendly and organic baby items.

Look for free Mother’s Day Card offerings from Shutterfly, Snapfish et. al starting during the latter part of the month. Free photo book offers and “free shipping on photo gift” deals have also been known to surface.

Get a 31-cent scoop at Baskin Robbins on April 27 from 5-10 pm.

Everything at Old Navy in store and online was 30% off during the last week of the month last year. Spring clearance!

Consignment sales continue this month, though not in the same volume we saw in March. Check for sales near you in your local paper or at The Bargain Watcher andKidsConsignmentsSales.com. Garage sales begin in warmer areas. Check your local paper or Craigslist to find them. Try using the “find” function on your browser to search for specific items like “crib” or “stroller” in the sale descriptions.

Sales on outdoor play equipment continue. This is a great month to buy a swingset.

Heads Up: Free Comic Book Day is May 7 this year.

Easy way to unseal your envelopes

Today's tip is certainly creative:

Have you ever went to mail something, sealed the envelope, then realized you forgot something important to add?

It happens to me. Pretty much all the time.

I usually just tear open the envelope, throw it away, and use a new one...OR I tape it up and it looks really ugly.

Good news for you...

No more taping! No more throwing away!

Simply stick the sealed envelope in the freezer for about 3 hours, slip a knife under the flap, and ta-da! It should open right up. Reseal it with a glue stick and there you go.

Creative, eh?

You're Welcome :)

Thanks "Best Ever Home Secrets" by Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen

Easier way to enter our Giveaway!

Remember the great GIVEAWAY we have going on? Well, it just got better!

Many of you have become followers of both Fun Cheap or Free and Deals to Meals' sites, but didn't leave comments (naughty you!). That's ok, I'm feeling generous today :) To make entering our giveaway much easier here's what you need to do:

To enter a FREE 3-month membership to Deals to Meals:

1. Simply fill out the form below to enter
2. For a bonus entry, become a follower of BOTH sites (click HERE for Deals to Meals, and for FCF click the follow button on the right side of this site). 

Easy enough??
Good luck to you! The winner will be randomly drawn on April 9.

Full Name (Req'd)
Email Address (Req'd)
Are you a follower of BOTH Fun Cheap or Free and Deals to Meals' websites? (Bonus entry for following both sites)	Yes No thank you Not yet, but I will be by contest's end
**By entering this contest you will also be signed up for both sites' emails. You can simply unsubscribe if you prefer not to continue to get the emails.

Put a website form like this on your site.

Easter Event at Discovery Gateway in SLC

This looks like it could be fun!

 

Here Comes Peter Cottontail—to Discovery Gateway!

Friday, April 8, 2011
12:30-2:30 pm
$5 Members
$7 Non-Members, plus Museum Admission

Hippity-hop on down to Discovery Gateway next Friday for a special Easter treat. We’ll be making bunny crafts with the Easter Bunny! Be sure to bring your camera for some cute Easter pictures and a plain basket that we’ll transform into a bunny basket.

Space is limited, so call Rebecca at 801-456-5437 ext. 122 to register today!

 

801-456-KIDS | 444 West 100 South | Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 | www.discoverygateway.org

Foodie Tuesday recipe: Vanilla Syrup

Because I love you guys I'm gonna share this recipe with you. This is a family recipe for Vanilla Syrup. We seriously have this stuff on tap at my house. It is my

husbands absolute favorite. Once you try this you won't ever settle for that "other stuff" unless you have to! Ok, maybe you will have to have maple syrup every once and awhile just to remind yourself what you are not missing out on.

(drum roll please)

TaDa!

VANILLA SYRUP

1/2 c. real butter

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in microwave. Add sugar and buttermilk. Heat another 45 seconds until sugar dissolves. Add baking soda. Heat 15 seconds. Stir (it will foam). Add Vanilla. Serve hot.

You can serve on waffles, pancakes, german pancakes or french toast!

Money saving tip: Buttermilk can be expensive and sometimes hard to find so here is a tip. For every cup of buttermilk you need take a cup of regular milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or another acid like vinegar). Stir the lemon juice into the milk and let it sit on the counter for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!

Foodie Tuesday recipe: Quick & Easy Sunday Pork Chops

Welcome to another Foodie Tuesday! Today I'm going to share a quick, easy, and gorgeous meal with you. I make this all the time, I hope you like it!

A few Sundays ago I needed a QUICK "Sunday" meal. By quick I mean,

went-to-church-totally-forgot-to-prepare-anything-for-dinner-come-home-starving, quick.

Ever have those days?

Here's my go-to for a quick, "fancy", delicious meal, all made with ingredients that I have on-hand! Note: I am not a very good cook, so I'm sure I'm doing a lot of this wrong. Just know that it hasn't killed us yet, it actually tastes good, and in my mind there is rhyme and reason to my methods :) Aight?

Here's what you need:

• Pork chops 
• I stock up on these when they are a good price, freeze them in baggies of 3 or 4 chops, and write the date on the bags. I vacuum seal them and they keep FOREVER in the freezer.

• Potatoes 
• I buy the huge bags from Costco and keep them in the fridge. They last forever. Seriously, months and months.
• Whatever side you prefer
• Veggie, salad, rolls, wild rice, etc.
• Gravy flavoring or bullion flavoring

Here's how you do it:

• Thaw your chops. 
• I usually need these to thaw FAST so I'll keep them in their freezer bag (I have a vacuum sealer that I seal my meat in. LOVE LOVE LOVE it), put them in a dish of warm to hot water, and let them sit. I know some people say this is a no no, but hey, it works for me! Every once in a while I'll dump out the (now cold) water, refill it with warmish/hotish water, and flip the bag of chops over. They seriously thaw out sooo fast.

• Season ONE SIDE of your chops. 
• I like to do crushed rosemary, and I also have an amazing rosemary garlic seasoning that I'll use. A little salt/pepp, and you're done. 

• Heat a big skillet on medium high and drizzle some olive oil in it once it heats up a bit. 
• You don't need much, just a few tablespoons or so. You can always add a little later if needed.

• Put the seasoned side of your chops down in the pan. NOW season the other side.
• I do this so all your seasonings don't come off in the glass dish it thawed in!

•  Leave it on medium-high (I leave it on number 6 or 7 out of 10). Let your chops sizzle, pop, and fry for a few minutes - maybe 4-5.
• It. Will. Splatter. A lot.
• I have these nifty metal mesh splatter guards that help. A bit of splattery oil gets through still, but at least it won't burn you.

•  If your side dish is quick, get that started now. Here are a few tips for my favorite QUICK sides:
• For frozen veggies: Put a few tablespoons of water in the bottom of a microwave-safe dish. Put your frozen veggies on top of the water. Cover (I use a plastic plate) and microwave for 3 minutes on high. This will steam them to perfection. 
• I do my green beans for 4 minutes because they are generally tougher.
• Bread or rolls: Get a bread maker. Enough said. My mom bought me one from a thrift store for $4 and it came with the instruction booklet and recipe booklet. I use it any time I have to make dough. You simply throw in the ingredients, forget about it, and 1.5 hrs later you have dough that's been kneaded and risen for you! Shape the dough how you want, bake on a tray in the oven, and enjoy.

• Rice: I like using wild or brown rice when I have time, white rice when I'm in a hurry. Cook as directed, or you can simply throw it in a rice cooker (my favorite method). I like to add a little chicken bouillon for flavor. I just throw a few teaspoons in the water before I even start to cook the rice.

•  Potatoes: To do baked potatoes I'll do them two ways:
• Quick method: Wash them off, pat them dry, stab them a few times with a fork, then microwave on high 5 minutes. Flip them over, do 5 minutes more. Add more time as-needed.
• Longer method, but just as easy: Wash/dry them, stab with a fork, then put in a 400 degree oven for 1-1.5 hours. I don't wrap them in foil or anything.

Other than mashed potatoes, my husbands favorite way to eat them is like this:

•  I wash them, pat them dry, then dice them up small (I did really small this time because I needed them to cook FAST). Put them in a bowl with enough olive oil to coat them all. Add seasonings (I do rosemary, garlic, and a little salt). Mix until evenly coated. Broil on low in the oven (on the middle rack or lower). The time depends on how many potatoes you have, and how small you diced them. Just keep an eye on them. When they start to get a little brown on one side, stir the potatoes and put them back in. Check them by poking with a fork. Broil until they are soft and yummy.

Now that the sides are taken care of...

• After your chops have been sizzling, flip them over. You want the side to be browned. If it's not yet, just let them sizzle for a minute or two longer. Sometimes I might add a little more oil if the first side soaked it all up.

 Doesn't that look delish already?

• Brown the other side the same way. By this time they should be pretty close to being cooked through. Cut with a knife, make sure there is NO PINK. If there is pink, turn down your heat a bit and let them sizzle until cooked through. 

•  I put them in a dish with a lid to keep them warm until my sides are done, if they aren't already.

•  Once your chops are removed, you are going to use the yummy stuff left behind in your pan to make some easy gravy! My husband LOVES gravy with his chops.

•  I buy this stuff from Costco and love it. They have both brown and poultry flavoring.

•  In the still-hot pan I just add some water (I start with about 2C), gravy seasoning to taste (a few good hearty shakes of the container), and cornstarch throughout the process to get it to the thickness I want.
• I like cornstarch better than flour because flour has such a strong taste, in my opinion.

•  Keep the heat on medium-high. Add water and whisk the yummy bits and grease off the bottom of the pan.

•  Add a few good shakes of the seasoning,

•  Keep the heat up, 

•  And keep whisking until it's how you like it! Add more water if it's too thick, cornstarch if it's too thin, and seasoning if it's too bland. It's pretty hard to mess this one up, which is why I make it this way.

I add my cornstarch just a teaspoon or two at a time. It tends to thicken up on its own.

•  Once the gravy and chops were done, I checked my potatoes. They were perfect. We like to eat these with ketchup, just fyi.

• I steamed some frozen veggies, and had a complete, gorgeous meal!

Next time you see pork chops on sale, grab a bunch and keep them on hand for a quick, easy, tasty dinner. Happy saving - and cooking - to you!

Free Easter Printables

My friend Whitney designed this super cute Easter Printable Banner and Poster that you can print for free and I wanted to share it with you all!

You can download them here

Weekend craft, adorable flannel rosette wreath!

 I did a craft! I did a craft! 

Sound the alarm! Someone call my mother! I DID A CRAFT!

Can you tell crafting is not typically my thing?

I don't know if it's the nesting instinct in me because I'm pregnant or WHAT...but something crazy got into me this weekend. I had some great coupons to Joann Fabrics and went wild! Plus my son was sick this weekend so it was a bit more low-key than usual. 

This craft is so easy, anyone could do it. TRUST ME.

I got the idea from the two tutorials I mentioned in our Super Savvy Saturday post this weekend, the tutorials are found here and here. I added a few twists of my own. 

I'm just like that. :)

Here's what you need:

• I went to Joanne's and got 1 yard of cream flannel and 1/2 yard of green. I chose flannel rather than felt or paper because A) it's softer, I wanted a softer look and B) it was cheaper!
• I wanted mostly white with a few green "splotches" throughout. Printed fabric would look really cute, too!!

• I specifically chose a bolt of green that was almost out. I got the "remnant" discount price and got it 1/2 off the sale price, only $0.83 for the green! The white was $2.49 on sale from $4.99. 
• I used my 25% off coupon to get a discount on all items in my cart, so they went down in price even more. (Sign up for Joann's email list to get coupons too!)

• I went to the dollar store and got a 13'' wreath frame ($1) and some silk flowers ($2 for two bunches). I didn't end up using the flowers, but if you were to buy them, the dollar store is a good place.   All you need is a hot glue gun and a good movie, and you're set!

Here's how I did it:

•  Trace circles in your fabric. I used a good ol' glass for mine.
• Trace lightly. I had to trim the pen mark off a few of my circles so it didn't show, but you don't have to perfect with the circles anyway which is great.

•  Be sure to fold your fabric so you get at least 4 circles for each cut you make.

 Trust me people, you need a lot of circles. I lost count but I'm guessing about 100.

I did less green circles because I only wanted them periodically.

• I didn't cut all my circles, I only did about 20 white and 8 green at a time. I didn't want leftovers...but that's just me.
• Once you have your circles, start gluing!

Fold them in half like a taco.

I made sure the fuzzier side was OUT.

 Then in half again.

 They look like a fortune cookie on the inside.

 Put down a blob of hot glue, and stick!

 Put one right next to it and it starts to take shape.

 I found that by sticking my fingers in the "fortune cookie" before gluing helped me get the shape I want.

 This is how it started looking after I glued a bunch. CUTE, right??? I was dying.

 After watching a LONG movie, I had my finished product!

 I decided to glue some of my dollar store flowers on the wreath,

 But I ended up not liking the look. So I pulled of the flower part, left the leaves, and 

TADA!

Super cute, easy project!

You could use this method for so many things. 

See how cute it looks when there are just a few circles glued together?

Here are a few things I plan to make using this method:

• Headband
• Flower accents for a blanket I'm crocheting
• Necklace maybe?
• Picture frame for a wedding gift
• Baby shower decorations
• Pom poms for my baby's room
• Flower pin to put on a dress or sweater

The possibilities are endless, though! I encourage you to try it, you won't be disappointed. Try different fabrics and let me know what works for you. I'm curious :)

My wreath is enjoying the sunshine on my front door, and yours could too. Happy saving, and crafting, to you!

FREE National Parks days, mark your calendars!

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

NPS/DAN NG

Yosemite Falls is visible from numerous places around Yosemite Valley, especially around Yosemite Village and Yosemite Lodge. A one-mile loop trail leads to the base of Lower Yosemite Fall.

America's Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees.*

Mark your calendar for these fee-free days in 2011:

• January 15-17
  (Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday weekend)
• April 16-24
  (National Park Week)
• June 21
  (First day of summer)
• September 24
  (Public Lands Day)
• November 11-13
  (Veterans Day weekend)

Making the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors with their ownspecial offers.

Here’s a tip – many of your 394 national parks NEVER charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

Thanks for the reminder, Todd & Erin!

Free concert on April 2 in Park City, UT

Hey locals! Want something fun to do this coming weekend? Check out Spring Gruv! I wish I had found it sooner, I already missed most of the concerts. There's still some fun stuff to do, see below:

Canyons presents the 4th annual Spring Grüv. For 10 days we'll be having 3 huge, free concerts in the Resort Village, as well as the famous Pond Skimming Contest and Red Bull Schlittentag! 

Celebrate. Compete. Watch. Ski. Ride. Grüv.

2011 Schedule:

Saturday, March 26th:
Pond Skimming Contest & Free Concert by Los Lobos

Sunday, March 27th:
Free Concert by John Popper & The Duskray Troubadours

Saturday, April 2nd:
Red Bull Schlittentag & Tosh Meets Marley Celebration Tour Concert.

Sunday, April 3rd:
Red Bull's "Under My Wing" With Grete Eliassen Movie Screening

NOTE: No outside alcohol is allowed in for our spring concerts. We will have food and beverage options available in the Resort Village, so don't worry! And, please carpool!

SpringGruv.com

Our new GIVEAWAY...free membership to Deals-to-Meals!

For those of you who have read THIS post, and THIS post, and even THIS post...you know I'm a big fan of Deals To Meals...and especially love using them to Price-Match.

Our new giveaway is for a 3 MONTH MEMBERSHIP to Deals to Meals - FREE! This is awesome!

To enter:

You simply have to be a follower of D2M (click here) and Fun Cheap or Free (see right hand side of this site). That's it! Once you're a follower of BOTH SITES simply leave a comment and let me know.

***For a bonus entry, LIKE funcheaporfree on Facebook:***

Here's how D2M works:

• Every week D2M looks at all the ads from the grocery stores in Utah, Washington, Oregon, Nor Cal, So Cal,  Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas (Wheew!). 

• You choose the store(s) you want to see

• They sort the ads by GREAT deals vs GOOD deals in a spreadsheet for you.

• You go through the spreadsheet, click the little box of the items you need for that week, and it adds them to a "grocery cart" for you.

(Here's what my shopping list looked like last week)

• You print out your "grocery cart" list, and there you go! (I take that list to Wal Mart and price match it so I don't have to go to multiple stores...but that's just me.)

• No need to clip coupons, no need to spend hours scouring ads yourself, you simply SEE what's on sale & what the best deals are, and stock up on them while they're hot.

So easy and so useful! I needed some produce last week, so here's how D2M's shopping list helped me save last week (refer to shopping list above):

I went to Wal Mart and the Cantaloupes were $1.50 ea. 

Because of D2M's list, I price-matched them at 4lb for $.99!

The bell peppers were on sale for $0.98, 

But because of D2M's list, I price-matched them for $0.89!

Cilantro was $0.54 each, 

But I price-matched them for $0.20 each!

Mangos were $1.18 each,

But I price-matched them for $0.33 each! Yikes!

I also got 4 huge packages of fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Typically $1.99lb on sale, I price-matched them for $1.33/lb! I froze them in individual baggies and now have a few months worth of chicken in my freezer.

I also got Strawberries at $1.50 ea, that's a great deal right now too.

My best deal of the day, though? Malt-o-Meal cereal. I buy the huge bags, they are typically between $4-$5 each.

Because of D2M's list, I price-matched them at $2.50 each...that's about 1/2 the price!!

Click HERE to learn more about D2M, and good luck on the giveaway! 

We will draw a winner in two weeks.