The painting party! I had a great time. I promised I would post this for you. The cost was $35 which was well worth the three hours of instruction, supplies, and peace and quiet! If you would like to host your own event you can find them on facebook, by phone, or their web address. They dontated a percentage of the fee to the churches’ school.  Oh yeah, no talent required!

I was lucky enough to receive a gift card from Proflowers. They gave me $50.00 and it was enough to make my husband’s day. I say I am lucky because it isn’t often I get to splurge on sending flowers. I always thought it was out of my budget. I was able to send him orchids for his desk for $50.00 which included the $9.99 shipping fee. I figured they stay in bloom for a couple of months and it will remind him we value what he does for us. When I was asked to do this review, I asked if I could make one of your days by hosting a giveaway and they agreed. I have $100 to offer to one of you lucky winners. I mean if you look at what ProFlowers charges, you could potentially honor two or three of the people you hold dear.

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You can send love right now! Don’t forget to send flowers to your special someone for every special occasion. ProFlowers is offering fresh flowers starting at $19.99, plus they come with a Free glass vase. You can also check out their chocolates, bears, and other gift items which are perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Here is the contest link if you have not entered.

A little known, but particularly easy, way to earn gift cards is to register your Visa debit and credit cards with Visa Extras Rewards.  Most banks, including the small one where I bank, participate in the program.  Every time you make a purchase, you are awarded points which can be redeemed for hundreds of items, including gift cards.

Many people don’t realize it costs nothing to use your Visa debit card as a “credit card.”  How many times have you gone to the store and been asked “credit or debit?”  Did you know if you use your Visa debit card as “credit” and have it registered with the Visa Extras Rewards, you’ll earn points?  This program costs nothing but truly rewards.

By registering my Visa debit card a few years ago and using it for all my purchases (instead of writing a check), I’ve been able to redeem my points for a number of Barnes & Noble gift cards.  These make great presents for kids, teenagers, parents and friends … and it costs you nothing!

I also use my Visa debit card as “credit” to pay monthly bills and find the points accumulate quickly.  Think about how much you spend for groceries, household items, and monthly bills.

What could you do with these points?

Wrapping gifts can be expensive. Last year I shared my tips for creating alternative gift packaging. Below you will find a few tips from Mrs. Not Made of Money. Start looking for packaging ideas now!

It’s always a challenge in our house to stretch our holiday budget to its absolute limits. I am a stickler about staying within the confines of our budget so I have to be creative when it comes to finding inexpensive ways to wrap the gifts I give. My goal is to make the gift look attractive, but not pay more for the wrap than the gift! Here are a few ways I stretch the budget when it comes to gift wrap:

Wrap with newspaper
I love the graphic quality of newspaper. Begin by wrapping your package with sheets of newspaper. I prefer the sections that don’t have a lot of pictures like the classifieds, but use anything that appeals to you. Then, top the package with a mass of curling ribbon or other brightly colored adornment. Your packages will be so pretty that no one will ever guess that you chose your wrapping material because it was cheap.

Use butcher paper
Large sheets of white butcher paper create the perfect canvas for you to create custom (but cheap) wrapping paper. You can use acrylic paint to decorate your paper. Use stencils or stamps to apply the paper, or you can even paint a freehand design on the paper. Your cheap white paper can take on any look you like.

Use last year’s paper
If you know that you simply don’t have the time to do a lot of embellishing on your wrapping paper, you can always opt to purchase traditional wrapping paper. You don’t have to pay full price, though. Pick up your wrapping paper after Christmas has passed. Then, pack it away with your Christmas decorations. You’ll be totally prepared next year when you’re ready to starting wrapping.

Shop the Dollar Store
My local dollar store has fabulous themed wrapping paper for just $1 per roll.

Recycle old bags
Gift bags make wrapping presents incredibly easy, but have you noticed how expensive they are? It hardly seems fair that you spend two or three dollars on a bag that only gets used and adored for a minute. That’s why I re-use my old gift bags. Anytime someone gives me a gift in a gift bag, I save the bag to use on someone else’s gift later.

Sew re-usable bags
I found out about this idea last year. Basically, you just use whatever fabric you have on hand and sew a basic bag to place the gift in. Then you save the bags for the next year!

Cheap and Inexpensive Gift Wrap Ideas was reprinted with permission from NotMadeofMoney.com

I remind myself that I need to stop looking for the perfect gift? It isn’t a material item that our children will remember it is the time we spend with them.   The time we spend with those we love is the most important gift we can give them. It is often hard to be with all of our loved ones. It is easy to be virtually with those you love. We use skype all the time to see the people we miss. It is free. If your loved ones have a computer and they do not have a web camera it makes a super gift. The traditions that we have started with our kids is The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition with Blue Eyed North Pole Pixie-Elf. It is a book with an Elf that hides each night it tells Santa if they have been naughty or nice. We also make and decorate cookies on Christmas Eve and Read the Night Before Christmas. On Christmas morning Santa comes and delivers one special gift for each child and fills their stockings.   We also celebrate Hanukkah I make the Latkes and we play the Dreidel game. The kids do get small gifts each night but they are more excited about lighting the Menorah.

Here is the Latke Recipe I use

Sour Cream and Apple Sauce for dipping

1. Place the potatoes in a paper towel  and wring them extracting as much moisture as possible.
2. In a  bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.
3. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!

What are some traditions that make your holiday special?

In honor of Mothers Day, KODAK Picture Movie DVDs are buy one get one free with a coupon from April 14 through May 9!

Picture Movie DVDs combine your favorite photos with a song and are created directly on a Kodak Kiosk in a few minutes. You can find a Kodak Kiosk at a nearby Target or CVS (and these other retailers), and instead of spending the regular $15.00, this Mother’s Day you can make two for the price of one. Make one for your mom and one as a keepsake for yourself!

What you need to make a Picture Movie DVD:

• A print out of the coupon to redeem the BOGO deal
• 40 photos on a camera card, thumb drive or DVD
• A story you want to share

My suggestion, plan out what pictures you want to use before you get to the store. Save the pictures you have picked out to a thumb drive. This step will save you a ton of time in the store!

One of the things I wrote about was stocking up on gift baskets, cookie tins and packaging material for my baked goodies. These items can be expensive if you pay full retail. Buying a year in advance allows me to package my homemade goodies nicely.

Also, you can actually use some holiday baskets for other occasions! Just exchange the basket liner for a fabric napkin for a completely different look! The following basket I found at Cost Plus World Market for $1.04.

Another thing to look for are gift sets on clearance. I found the fragarance diffusers set at TJ Maxx for $4. The great thing about this set is that the diffusers are packaged separately within the package. I will take the set apart and have three small gifts that cost me about $1.33 each!

To learn more tips on gift stockpiling, head on over to Save at Home Mommy and read my guest post!

ToysRus will have a $25 gift card offer on the Nintendo Wii System 12/22 until 12/23. The reatil price is $199.99 and you will receive a $25 gift card at checkout. Offer good in store only.

ToysRus also has a coupon for 30% off Fisher Price Shake’ n Go  Extreme Speedway or the Imaginext Dragon World Fortress. This offer is good 12/22 only.

My Parent Rewards Card is now $10 off! Madame Deals informed you about the My Parent Rewards Card in November. Basically, it is everything a coupon book is… in a card form!

The really neat thing about My Parent Rewards Card is that is can be used in over 100,000 locations throughout the United States. The coupon books are usually limited to a specific region. However, My Parent Rewards card can go where you go; on vacation, a neighboring county or on a business trip.

Right now you can order My Parent Rewards card for $20. That will get you a whole year of 2-for-1 offers at Restaurants and golf courses and many other great savings opportunites.