Cheap Ways To ...

I've never participated in this before, but next week is "Orlando Restaurant Week." Go to this website to purchase tickets to visit restaurants with a fixed price for a three-course meal. Click on the restaurant name to see their menu for the fixed price ($10, $15, $25 or $35). Some restaurants are including a lunch option.

Sounds fun, but we really don't have a free night to participate. We do have reservations at a new restaurant downtown called Citrus for Tuesday night (my birthday). We are using a $100 gift certificate that Jeff bid on and won for $50 at his school's fundraiser recently. Not a bad way to go!

Posted by Cara Davis at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thursday, May 7, is National Mom’s Nite Out. Apparently, we need a night off so badly we can't even spell correctly.

From the website: The evening will consist of local events held across the country, as well as mom-organized parties and virtual activities. To allow moms everywhere to join in on the fun, mothers will be invited to throw their own mom’s nite out event by downloading party ideas and elements from The National Mom’s Nite Out website. The night of the event moms can join in the fun through online chats, Skype and Twitter tweet-ups.

Personally, that afternoon I'm picking my Mom up from the airport and we're going to head over to the Children's Orchard, a resale shop that's featuring a special Mother's Nite Out sale and multiple giveaways from various vendors.

What are your plans?

Posted by Cara Davis at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out this lovely blog post from Mom it Forward, as she guest posts on Makes and Takes. She shares 10 tips for raising children who are aware of the needs around them and proactively seek to meet them.

Posted by Cara Davis at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Visit Cheescake Factory between now and Mother's Day and pick up a complementary "Guest Card" which gets you a free appetizer or dessert on your next visit:

• Small Plates & Snacks with a purchase of two $9.95 entrees, or
• a free slice of cheesecake with every $30 purchase.

So ... not a great deal since all the strings are attached, but if you're eating there anyway and spending the money, these cards might come in handy.

Posted by Cara Davis at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kirby Trapolino is living on $30 worth of food for 30 days to help bring awareness of the plight of the world’s poorest who live off of an average of $1 per day. He's calculating what he would have spent on food during that same time, and donating that to the orphanage he helped found in India.

This blog chronicles his 30 days (he's on day 23), lists what he bought for $30 and includes recipes and pictures of what he's making.

Posted by Cara Davis at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Office Depot is providing free copies of resumes, up to 25 single-sided pages, as well as free faxing to five different domestic numbers, up to 25 pages in total, now through the month of May.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Posted by Cara Davis at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fly to Los Angeles from these cities on Allegiant Air and pay $15 each leg plus taxes, fees, etc.:

Bellingham, Wash.

McAllen, Texas

Northwest Arkansas (XNA)

Billings, Mont.

Medford, Ore.

Sioux Falls, S.D.

Des Moines, Iowa

Missoula, Mont.

Springfield, Mo.

Fargo, N.D.

Monterey, Calif.

Wichita, Kan.

Grand Junction, Colo.

Posted by Cara Davis at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A friend turned me on to e-Mealz.com -- a subscription site that combines meal-planning with the current deals at store of your choice.

For $1.25 per week you login to your account for ...

1. a family-friendly, concise 7-day dinner meal plan for 4 to 6 people, or a 5-day dinner plan for 2 people (with concise and easy to follow recipes and directions)
2. a complete, corresponding grocery list - just print and go shopping!

Looks like a great time-saver, and if you're following a special diet, they include those options as well (low carb, points, vegetarian, couples-only). They also have holiday menus.

I'm a big believer in menu-planning as a way to save money. Has anyone tried this service? Let me know what you think!

Posted by Cara Davis at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brie Cadman for DivineCaroline.com writes about 20 healthy affordable foods, which include:

1. Oats
2. Eggs
3. Kale
4. Potatoes
5. Apples
6. Nuts
7. Bananas
8. Garbanzo Beans
9. Broccoli
10. Watermelon
11. Wild Rice
12. Beets
13. Butternut Squash
14. Whole Grain Pasta
15. Sardines
16. Spinach
17. Tofu
18. Lowfat Milk
19. Pumpkin Seeds
20. Coffee

Posted by Cara Davis at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Love making lists? This is a fun, easy and addictive way to make them. http://printablechecklist.org/

Posted by Cara Davis at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Visit Snagfilms.com for more than 600 full-length documentaries that you can stream for free, including Super Size Me, Run Granny Run and Air Force One. Films are organized by title and subject, and you can post your favs to your blog or Facebook.

Posted by Cara Davis at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This article has gotten quite a bit of face time in newspapers and websites across the U.S. It says that web services we take for granted now (like free photo storage on websites) might come with a price tag soon.

"Eastman Kodak Co. says it'll begin charging $4.99 to $19.99 annually for its previously free online photo-storage service, Kodak Gallery.

"If you don't pay by May 16, the company warns, all your photos could be deleted."

In response, Shutterfly.com's CEO sent an email out this weekend to its members promising continued free high resolution storage.

"As a father of three boys, an avid photographer, and someone who knows the importance and the satisfaction of sharing life’s joy, I want to assure you we understand these are not just photos, but your treasured memories."

Posted by Cara Davis at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here are some fun Easter finds on the Internet. And one creepy one. I'll just start with that one:

Easter Bunny Photo
Upload a picture of your house and the wizard behind this website will photoshop in a picture of a costume Easter bunny hiding eggs in your house, or just snooping around. Nothing will give your child a better sense of safety and security on Easter morning than a creepy picture like this. A sure winner!

Now, onto the fun stuff:

Silk-Dyed Eggs
Use silk ties from the thrift store to create gorgeous prints on your easter eggs. These are anything but your ordinary Easter fare.

Max and Ruby Printables
Nickjr.com has some cute free printables and coloring pages for Easter here.

Magic Boxes
Okay, these aren't exactly Eastery but they're a great idea for any holiday or special gift.

Posted by Cara Davis at 08:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I picked up this shirt for $1.98 at Target a couple days ago. I also bought a black & gray one in the same style. They had infant and toddler sizes. They are on the 75% off rack in the baby/toddler clothes section. Happy shopping!

Posted by Cara Davis at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Visit MimisCafe.com to download a coupon for a free appetizer with a $10 purchase. (Not valid on holidays.)

Posted by Cara Davis at 09:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bring a friend to Denny's tomorrow between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. and order a Grand Slam breakfast, and your dining partner will receive one of their new Grand Slamwiches at no charge (it's a scrambed egg, with sausage, bacon, ham, and American cheese on potato bread with mayonnaise and a maple-spiced spread.)

Posted by Cara Davis at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the most unique gifts we received when Madilyn was born was a personalized engraved block with Madilyn's initial, name and the details of her birth. The block sits in her room as a beautiful and unique reminder of the specifics of her birth. The company, Craft-E-Family, that made the block is a family-owned operation out of Indiana that specializes in personalized wooden crafts, and they have something for every occasion. If you're looking for a unique gift idea, this is a great place to start.

There are similar companies who sell on eBay, but I can attest to the quality of this product, and it's comparable to the prices on eBay.

I recently bought one-sided blocks that spell the name of a new baby we're buying a gift for, and today I looked at their "holiday blocks." One set of Holiday Blocks ($32) can be arranged to spell more than 150 different holidays and occasions. Perfect for someone who loves to decorate seasonally.

These ideas aren't necessary cheap, but they aren't expensive either, and they're made in the U.S. and they're unique, which makes them a CheapWaysTo winner.

Posted by Cara Davis at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm hoping to make these sweet little treats for Easter this year. The baskets are made of marshmallows, butter and chow mein noodles. The recipe is at landolakes.com.

I've also seen some adorable "cake pops" on Bakerella. They're beautiful and look delicious.

What treats are you making this Spring/Easter season?

Here are some other ideas from the Internet, thanks to Make and Takes by Marie and her Marshmallow Bunny Treats post:

* Carrot Napkin Holders by Busy Bee (via Flip Flops)
* Bite Sized Easter Brownies by Designer Girl 007
* Easter Basket Cookies by Bake at 350

Posted by Cara Davis at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Take an extra 50% off sale items at Sak.com with the code found on this link.

Posted by Cara Davis at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sign up to receive Crazy8.com's email newsletter and they'll email you a code to take $10 off a $30 purchase. It took me less than a minute to sign up and receive the email. The $30 mark doesn't include shipping, and shipping is $5, so really the promo code only lands you $5 off.

(The fine print: The promotion only valid for new email addresses and is only available online at crazy8.com. Offer is not valid in Crazy 8 stores. Existing and re-subscribed email addresses are not eligible for discount. Offer valid until April 26, 2009. Coupon is valid for one transaction only and only one coupon may be redeemed per customer.)

Posted by Cara Davis at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)