Credit Cards

While I am certainly NOT an advocate of credit card DEBT, I do believe that if you can trust yourself to pay off your card every month, you can rake in some incredible deals. Here's proof. Recently I used a $50 credit on one card to put gas in the van (didn't even fill it) and 2 months ago I used Wyndham Reward points to get a 2 night hotel stay for free. But the best was yet to come:

 Last fall I had signed up for an American Airlines Citi Card because they were offering 100,000 bonus miles if you jumped through a few hoops. (I actually read about the offer on http://www.bradsdeals.com/.) I was frustrated with some changes in the card I had then, so I took the leap. Over 100,000 miles are now sitting in my rewards account.

Fast forward to present: Alec Baldwin pops up on TV advertising the Capital One "Venture Match My Miles Challenge." Did you see it advertised during the final four playoffs?  They were going to match a billion miles (up to 100,000 miles per person) first come, first served. Could I do it again? I didn't think it would actually work, but I signed up online anyway. We got the card and I immediately turned in (online) the paperwork for the mileage challenge--proof that we had the 100,000 miles in our AA Citi account. I didn't get any kind of confirmation, so I was expecting the worst. Then the next day, Citi's website said the promo was over; they had given out all billion miles. Oh well, can't win them all, I thought to myself.

But GUESS WHAT?? Yesterday I got the confirmation email that our miles did post in time! And I got 10,000 extra miles to boot for using the card right way. Woot! So what's this frugal mama do? She immediately starts planning a surprise (almost free) summer vacation for the fam before the miles disappear in some black void I don't yet know about. Gotta love it!

Will I keep both cards? No. Once I use up the points, I will drop the American Airlines card a.) because it costs $89 a year-first year waived, and b.) Capital One has a much better system. At Capital One you get TWO miles for every dollar spent (as opposed to ONE dollar at AA), there are no blackouts and you can fly with any airline. You just exchange miles for credit.  Example: Buy an airline ticket for $135 on sale? Just add two zeros--13500--and that's how many miles you have to exchange for the $135 credit to your account. It is $54.00 a year, first year waived. But I have a year to decide if it's worth it. One caveat: you have to have a really great credit score to get the card. 802 got us there without a problem.

Tell me what deals you have received for being smart with your card. OR, tell me your credit card nightmare and why you will--Dave Ramsey style--never use them again!

Soup Diet update...or weight loss on the cheap...and new freebies!

Are you ready for the soup update? OK...first I did the 3 day diet, which I posted about awhile back, followed by 7 days of the soup diet. I lost a total of 5.6 pounds. Now I'm just trying to count calories and get outside for more exercise. Here's the original (though I have seen MANY variations) Cabbage Soup Recipe and Meal Plan:

Cabbage Soup Recipe:


6 large green onions
2 green peppers
1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
3 Carrots
1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms
1 bunch of celery
half a head of cabbage
1 package Lipton soup mix
1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.

Directions:
Slice green onions, put in a pot and start to saute with cooking spray. Cut green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take the seeds and membrane out. Cut the green-pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot. Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot. Clean carrots, cut into bite size pieces, and add to pot. Slice mushrooms into thick slices, add to pot. If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now. You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings. These have all the salt and flavors you will need. Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup cook for a long time - two hours works well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remember: This diet should only be followed for 7 days at a time, with at least two weeks in between.


Day One: Fruit: Eat all of the fruit you want (except bananas). Eat only your soup and the fruit for the first day. For drinks- unsweetened teas, unsweetened cranberry juice and water.

Day Two: Vegetables: Eat until you are stuffed will all fresh, raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. Try to eat leafy green vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn. Eat all the vegetables you want along with your soup. At dinner, reward yourself with a big baked potato with butter. Do not eat fruit today.

Day Three: Mix Days One and Two: Eat all the soup, fruits and vegetables you want. No Baked Potato.

Day Four: Bananas and Skim Milk: Eat as many as eight bananas and drink as many glasses of skim milk as you would like on this day, along with your soup. This day is supposed to lessen your desire for sweets.

Day Five: Beef And Tomatos: Ten to twenty ounces of beef and up to six fresh tomtoes. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water this day to wash the uric acid from your body. Eat your soup at least once this day. You may eat broiled or baked chicken instead of beef (but absolutely no skin-on chicken). If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for the beef one one of the beef days (but not both).

Day Six: Beef and Vegetables: Eat to your heart's content of beef and vegetables this day. You can even have 2 or 3 steaks if you like, with leafy green vegetables. No Baked Potato. Eat your soup at least once.

Day Seven: Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables: Again stuff, stuff, stuff yourself. Be sure to eat your soup at least once this day.

Click here for Mireille's Mimosa/Leek soup recipes (from French Women Don't Get Fat):
http://frenchwomendontgetfat.com/content/leek-soup-kick-weekend


You will notice the similarities. Basically, you can use the low-fat veggies you like; there isn't anything magical in the combination. Leeks do have a slight diuretic affect, and I love the flavor. I also prefer to puree my soup, it gives it a cream soup texture. I always feel so clean/invigorated when I use this diet. It is truly cleansing! Let me know if you try it and your results! Bon Appetit!

A few freebies:
Free diabetes awareness bracelet: https://www.qualityhealth.com/registration?rf=51052

Free Bausch and Lomb Biotrue sample (you must agree to follow up): http://www.facebook.com/biotrue?sk=app_154489001278513

Free sample of Orville Redenbaucher Popcorn: http://www.allyou.com/coupons-deals/daily-free-samples-00411000069695/orville-redenbacher-sample-00411000071691/?xid=freesamples-040111

Free sample of Flix Dental sticks: http://www.flixinterdental.com/sandwich/#freesample

Free sample of Boogie Wipes: http://www.boogiewipes.com/

Form for $10 prepaid debit card when you buy 10 select Kellogg's cereal (and you can do this 5 times!!): http://www2.kelloggs.com/AARP/rewards/

Want to learn more about trade options? Here's a link for a free CD:
http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/cart/fflandingpage.aspx?id=48&CODE=GA11CFS

Free hat and beef jerky, cheap printer ink and a grateful heart!!

I have been reminded recently (proabably becasue this is so hard for me) of the importance of a thankful, praise-filled life, not just when things are going well, but all the time. Most people are grateful when things are going their way, but openly praising the Lord when life throws curve balls is the mark of a true believer. "He inhabits the praise of His people." "I will praise the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips." "Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving."

Do we really understand this? Do we practice it? I hear obscenity constantly these days...from folks who claim to know Christ! "It's just a word," they say, "I have to be true to myself. You don't want me to be a hypocrite do you, lying about my feelings?"

Is it a lie to say that God is good, even when you are hurt? When you have lost something/someone dear to you? When things just aren't going your way? Of course it isn't! And it is what He expects of us. It is the only life in which He truly dwells.

Did you read the story I posted about Baby Miranda? What makes this story amazing is that Chad was giving the Lord His due glory even after losing his wife and infant daughter. A good friend of mine-younger than myself- was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Her facebook posts are filled with praise...God will use that! Horatio Spafford, who wrote the hymn It is Well with My Soul penned those words after losing his possessions to fire and his four daughters in a ship wreck.

These are people that we admire...BE that kind of person. Verbally, outwardly thank Him today, especially if things aren't going your way. He will dwell there and He will be glorified.

God is good, all the time!! I am such a blessed woman!!

Now, on to some great deals...and I promise I will update on the soup diet soon...

Do you have a paypal account (I do, and I use it often!)? Get a nice new baseball cap for summer just by watching a VERY short video: https://www.paypal-promo.com/advantage/

Right now ebates is having some super "real men" double-cash-back sales: 123inkjets, which sells printer ink, is currently giving 16% cash back!! Plus, use code FLWR123 to get 10% off and if you spend $55, you get free shipping. I have been buying ink here at 75% off retail store prices for several years now, so this deal is just the bomb.


If any of you are looking to buy new athletic shoes or clothing, Under Armour is offering 12% cash back and has some great clearance sales and free shipping on orders of $125 or more. I bought running shoes for Will last year and they were very good quality.


If you are new to ebates, you will automatically get a $5 bonus. Basically, ebates gives you cash back on online purchases if you go through their site. If you shop online anyway, it's to your advantage to use them. You even get cash back on ebay and groupon purchases! Ebates sends out bonus checks every quarter; I just got one for $95.00!! When you refer others, you get bonuses. It's a total win-win. Click here to get started:
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=RK%2BpzCmL3Dx9e3JkIY7z%2Fg%3D%3D

Get a full year subscription of Budget Travel magazine for $2.99 with the code BUDGET:
http://www.tanga.com/products/budget-travel-magazine-subscription--26

Pemmican Beef Jerky is giving away 4200 free bags today only (4/1)...one every 20 seconds. Sign up here:
http://www.pemmican.com/

There is a great new blog for all us Walmart lovers: http://www.iheartthemart.com/ Great deal finder...and written by a man no less!! Who knew one could be so thrifty??

Sear's Outlet, Home Depot, Quiznos and more freebies

Lowes and Home Depot are both having some amazing weekend sales, including 50% of many annuals. If you are wanting to get your flower beds ready, now is the time (well, except for you Mainers who are getting more snow...)

Free sample of Wellness petfood: http://www.facebook.com/wellnesspetfood?sk=app_10442206389

Free sample of Eucerin skincare: http://www.facebook.com/EucerinUS?sk=app_150701131641056

I've signed on to another "deal" site called offandaway. It's an auction type site that let's you buy bids for really high end hotels. I haven't bought any yet, but if you are looking to do something really special for an anniversary or something, this would be a cool way to get it. A few days ago, a California hotel went for $14.00!! Most aren't that cheap, but it's still worth looking into. Check it out here: http://www.offandaway.com/invite/patriciacliff

For my triad friends: I had the opportunity to check out the Sear's Outlet on Bridford Parkway (it's connected to the K-Mart right there on Wendover). If you are looking to purchase any appliances, I HIGHLY recommend that you check there first. They have many items that are either returns or new-in-the-box discontinued products for 50% off or more. I was VERY impressed with the selection. And it's next door to Ollies (think Big Lots), so you can check that out also. While I was in the area, I used a coupon: http://quiznosqclub.com/?imm_cid=9R-9W&imm_mid=5299:138983_CD4262&imm_kwd=&flow=prtc&imm_hid=779223035&c1=5299:138983_CD4262&c2=&c3= for a small Quiznos sub and cookie for $2.99. I had an old gift card (from our wreck 2.5 years ago!!) and I wasn't even sure if there was anything left on it. I checked, and ended up paying 13 cents for lunch. Nice day out:)

Then I went to Wal-Mart and bought my husband a new wedding band. White gold, just like the old one that is in the Atlantic somewhere....and it was on sale!!  Don't tell him...he's on a trip to DC and I think I'll ask him to marry me when he gets home:).

Soup diet update tomorrow....

New freebies for you!!

Free sample of Carefree:
 https://secure.startsampling.com/sm/carefree101645/captureAddress.iphtml?item=101673&source

Free sample of Fred's brand diapers (you get two):
http://www.ahp-dsg.com/Fred-Diaper-Page/Fred-Diaper-Page/landing.html

Free sample of Aveeno haircare: http://www.aveeno.com/1005/haircare-free-sample

Facebook freebie..."like" sweet tweets and get a free sample:
http://www.facebook.com/SweetTweets?sk=app_153973997993205

2 free issues of Wood Magazine:
https://www.valuemags.com/freeoffer/freeoffer.asp?offer=Wood_rdc

I have been getting many free products in the mail--hope you've been checking out http://www.freebies4mom.com/ or your other favorite sites. In the last week I've received a box of 8 full size Nestle candy bars, the Target makeup bag with 6 products in it, a Wisk sample, a Stevia sample and a penlight! Always a nice surprise when the mail has something besides bills.

Today at CVS I bought $43.00 worth of items (two boxes Kelloggs cereal, 2 full size Bioluxe haircare products, a Colgate toothbrush, Halls cough drops, Skintimate shaving cream and a big bag of Wonka jellybeans ) for $1.40 out-of-pocket AND got back $4.50 in ECBs for the next shooping trip. I want to stress that this is pretty much a weekly occurance for me at one of the 3 drugstores. If you are new to the game and follow sites like http://www.southernsavers.com/, you will catch on very quickly!!

Also got out to my first yardsales of the season. The best deals: a new hoodie for Abby, $2; a like new black dress suit for Lee, $2. Why pay more?

I will be teaching a few couponing/bargain hunter classes in the near future and will let you all know when this happens.

Happy shopping:)!!

The 3 day diet, and a general update

Absolutely gorgeous day here in North Carolina. While it's not as warm as I would like, I am reminded that my Maine friends are still under several feet of snow and I am looking at these:

So, what's going on at the Cliff house? Life has been fairly routine lately, and who can complain about that? We did have a little scare a few weeks back. Lee, my youngest, fell and cut his leg, requiring 10 stitches on his left shin. That wasn't the scary part, however. When they x-rayed the leg to make sure there was no chip in the bone, they discovered a "suspicious lesion/tumor." Thankfully, it turned out to be a non ossifying fibroma...which is benign and generally causes no problems. What a blessing!

On the frugal front there is too much to report, so let me just tell you what is planned for today:

1. Planting tomato, cuke and pepper seeds inside that will be transplanted outside in less than a month.
2. Hanging 3 loads of laundry on the clothesline.
3. Baking homemade cupcakes and cookies.
4. Making a crockpot of homemade granola.
5. Going for a 2 mile run.
6. Making a menu and grocery list for the coming week and checking out the deals at http://www.southersavers.com/ (not just for southerners!!)
7. Cleaning out one closet to get ready for a yard sale.
8. And last but not least, ending my 3 day diet. There are many variations of this out there and it's been around a long time. It's time to get the winter weight off and this is how I jump start. I'll follow it by a cleansing soup routine (more on that later). Here are the basics:

3 Day Diet Menu:

Each meal (3 meals a day only) for three days eat:

One of these: medium apple, orange, kiwi, grapefruit or cup of melon
One of these: regular size can of tuna, hard-boiled egg, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, one ounce of hard cheese, Tbsp peanut butter
One of these: slice of toast, 5 saltines, half a bagel
4 cups of these, raw or cooked: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, lettuce, cabbage, celery, onions, any greens (I don't usually have these at breakfast, although you can)

Only condiments are herbs, vinegar, lemon juice, hot sauce and salt (minimal)and pepper.

Drink 8 glasses of water.

You may also have 1 cup of black coffee or tea with every meal, no sugar or creamer, but you may use sweetener.

You may have a half cup of vanilla ice cream or vanilla or plain yogurt (frozen or regular) with supper.

When I did this the first time I was in college. I guess my metabolism was much higher then, because I was hungry a lot and I would easily loose 6-7 pounds. Now, I do this and am never hungry and I only loose 2-3 pounds. As you can see from the menu, this is hardly a starvation diet and it always gets me motivated. I absolutely love the soup cleanse, my own version of a cross between the cabbage soup diet and the Mimosa/Leek soup that Mireille Guilano uses in her best seller French Women Don't Get Fat. Stay tuned...I will tell all.

Little foxes spoil the vines.

We all know the scenario by now: put that $4-a-day-latte toward your mortgage payment and you'll shave off 8 years of payments, right? We've heard these stats so often that we tend to glaze over when we hear them. So why then am I blogging about it? I suppose it's because I need to be reminded. You see, I'm not the $4-a-day-latte kinda gal. I buy generic coffee and brew it a home. I don't spend $30 a week on my nails--and if you look at them, you can tell. But you know what? I'm almost certain that on most weeks, I waste at least $25.00. It might be a meal at a restaurant when I have plenty of food at home, or maybe some too-good-to-be-true deal at a yard sale. Maybe I kept the heat up high and took extra long showers...or I succumbed to the candy at the check-out counter. I don't keep track, but I am certain that cumulatively I waste at least 25 bucks. So what does that look like over time?

$25 X 52 weeks = $1300.00 X 10 years =$13,000.00 or X 30 years = $39,000.00. Adjust that for inflation, and you're talking a serious chunk of change. It really could put a dent in that mortgage. Here are a few other stats I saw recently:

Expense Today Over 10 years Over 30 years

Pizza delivery $25 a week $18,661 $158,731

Coffee/donut $4 a day $22,389 $190,453

Smoking $35 a week $26,125 $222,223

Manicure $40 a week $29,857 $253,969

Lunch at work $10 a day* $37,322 $317,462

Golf $75 a week $55,983 $634,924

*work days only

Maybe you don't have a problem with this, but I'm pretty frugal, and I know I do. Dave Ramsey has a saying, "Live like no one else today so you can live like no one else tomorrow." We all like to complain about how the cost of living is rising...how about we put all that effort into saving instead?

Share one thing you've cut back on this year...and figure out your 10 year savings. That should make you smile!!