Read Through The Bible in One Year

My friend Amy is planning on reading through the bible in one year. Using the New International Version and posting the readings on her blog, she has invited others to join her. What a fanastic way to have accountability in reading your bible. I'm sure there will be quite a few lively discussions on the blog about that day's readings as well!

Check it out at I'm Going to Read the Bible This Year on how to join in on the readings and learn more about God and biblical events in the process!

Free Copy of What to Expect When Expecting

If you are pregnant or even nursing, you can sign up for the Duet Advantage Email list and receive a free copy of the book, What to Expect When Expecting.

It may not be free, but another great book, for the dads, is The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for the Dad-to-be. I know it was quite useful for my husband when I was pregnant with our first child. Not perfect, but definitely handy and explained some of our "moods" and "actions" a lot better than I could have explained it - since it was written for men to understand!

(Thanks Money Saving Mom!!)

Menu Plan Monday

I've been a "stalker" of Menu Plan Monday for quite some time. I've used several recipes found on the sites listed. I'm an Organizing Jumkie is a valuable resource! So now, it is with pleasure that I say to you, I'm coming out of stalker land and am joining in on Menu Plan Monday.

Why, you ask? Well, in an effort to get back into full-fledged menu-planning, keep in line with our budget & our health, as well as stream-line our shopping process, I think that being somewhat accountable to my audience of five, may keep me on the track.

So, without further ado, here is my menu for this week:

Sunday: Italian Cream Cheese Chicken and Pasta

Monday Soup Night: White Bean and Ham Soup - this will be great with the last of the Christmas Day leftover Ham!

Tuesday Italian: Real Meatballs and Spaghetti - this was so good the first time I made it. We have some leftover half-cooked meatballs just waiting to be cooked the rest of the way with some fabulous new favorite sauce! Well worth the "more involved" recipe!

Wednesday Chinese/Chicken: Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken

Thursday Mexican/Leftovers: Leftovers (I know, really creative for New Year's Day!)

Friday Sandwiches: Lunchmeat sandwiches, fruit, cottage cheese (kids) or small green salad (adults)

Saturday - Go with the flow: Sometimes leftovers, sometimes go out to dinner, sometimes whip something up. Try to be out and about, so can't plan Saturdays very well.

This is cross-posted to Moms of Hendersonville and So good, so good you see!

Winners of the 24-hr BP Gas Card Giveaway

Thank you all for your wonderful tips on saving gas at the 24-hr BP Gas Card Giveaway. A little savings here or there really add up!

And on to the random.org's fabulous picks!!!

The two second place winners of a $5 BP Gas Card each are:
#3 - Pooh Bear's Mommy who said,

"I save money on gas by taking the commuter bus to work...I live in Columbia, MD and work in Washington, DC (about a 45 minute drive without traffic)...the bus picks up about a mile from my house and drops me off about a 1/2 block from my office...I spend less on gas now than when I worked 10 minutes from home."

#5 - Painted Jeans, who said,

"Saving Money on Gas become the focus of our life, when gas was over $4.50 a gallon, and we only get 9 mpg! But, when we really tried, we actually starting spending less on gas than we did when it was $2 a gallon. We always used our Kroger card to get 10 cents off per gallon. We only drove on days we absolutely had to, and then tried to play ALL of our errands for that one day. We almost completely stopped eating out and going places that were unnecessary. I also planned my route to Wal-Mart to avoid stop lights and big hills, and doing this increased my average to 11 mpg. Where there's a will there's a way! Sad thing is, now that gas is cheap again, I'm back to my old habits, and still spending the same amount... since I'm hitting the malls & restaurants a little more often!"

And the grand prize winner of $15 in BP Gas Cards is:
#2 - Mommy!!! who said,
"favorite way to save money on gas... stay home. Plus it's much easier to stay home with two litte one's anyways. LOL"

Once again, great ideas everyone! Thanks to BP and BzzAgent who made this giveaway possible! I'll be mailing out the gift cards tomorrow! Congratulations winners!

Stay tuned to more giveaways, product reviews and consumer tips!

To learn more about gas saving and car maintenance, go to BP's website.

If you would like to become a BzzAgent and receive free products for your opinion, please click here,here, here or here. These are referral links and help me with incentives and small prizes! Thanks for helping me out and your own family by joining BzzAgent!

Gas Card 24 hr Giveaway!!

BP is one of the more nationally well-known gas companies. It is with them that you find BP gasoline with Invigorate^®.

BP gasoline with Invigorate^®, helps maintain, clean and prolong the life of your vehicle's engine. All three grades of gasoline contain a unique formula that, with continuous use, keeps new deposits from forming on engine parts and cleans away the old deposits, giving your engine the ability to run smoother, minimize emissions and burns less fuel overall.

With the way gas prices fluctuate so much and our economy having a slight crisis, who couldn't use a little boost? I have a few great prizes to offer three lucky readers! Two readers will receive a $5 gift card to BP Gas Stations and one reader will receive $15 in Gift Cards to BP Gas Stations.

Comment on this post with your favorite way to save money on gas by 9:00 am CST on Wednesday, December 17th and I'll use the amazingly convenient random number generator to pick a winner and contact you on Wednesday afternoon.

One comment per person, please. But, if you post about this giveaway on your blog, comment again with a link to your blog AND another way to save money on gas, and I'll add another entry for you. You do not need to have a blog to enter. Only US shipping addresses, please.

Please be sure to leave your email address, either in your comment or have it accessible so that I can contact you if you win. Good luck!


---If you would like to become a BzzAgent and receive incentives and bonuses for giving your opinion, please contact me at iwishihadknownthat at gmail dot com and I will send you a referral link.

Freebie Friday and Giveaways

Hey everyone!

Don't forget to take a look at the Freebie Friday. There are a lot of great freebies out there and it should only get better as the season gets closer to Christmas!

Also on Mom Advice, is a fantastic giveaway! Who couldn't use a $500 gift card to Walmart? I know I can think up many ways to use the gift cards from the frivolous (toys for the kids and us parents) to the practical (groceries). All you have to do is post a comment on your Christmas money saving tip. Don't forget to take a look at Nickelodeon's website, they have a lot of great resources for kids. If it weren't for Nickelodeon and Walmart and of course Mom Advice, this fantastic giveaway wouldn't be available.

One of my holiday tips is that I save up money all year long for Christmas. Out of each paycheck, we put a certain amount into our ING account. So, not only will we have saved up enough money to use for Christmas presents and other Holiday ventures, but with ING Direct, you get interest as well.

If you would like to open an ING account, and receive an extra $25 in your account for free, just for opening, let me know and I will send you a referral link. I also get a small incentive through this, so helps us both out!

Stay tuned for a Giveaway for a gas card to BP stations!

Awesome Giveaway!!

Whose kids don't like yogurt in some form or another?? My friend, Jen is hosting a fabulous Giveaway on her blog. Go check it out!! She is an awesome mommy and funny writer! While you are there, check out some of her other posts as well!

Good luck!

PS. I completely agree with her review on drinkable yogurts. My kids would drink a whole pack if I let them!

Walmart Online Consumer Panel

I love giving my opinion as most of you know. I belong to a few consumer panels, but when I found out on IMommies about Walmart's Online Consumer Panel, I immediately rushed over to the site and signed up!

How exciting to get gift cards (who knows what the denomination will be, but even $5 is nice!) and other prizes to just give something I like to do anyway! Around here, we got to Walmart at least twice a week. It is our one-stop shop. Groceries, household and personal items, everything! It makes it quite easy to shop, so the gift cards would be quite useful in our household!

Thanks to iMommies, I find some of the greatest deals out there, whether it be coupons or consumer panels, I know I am in good hands searching their site or adding them to my google reader. Check them out for yourself!

Honey Bunches of Oats

A great deal on Honey Bunches of Oats. You can print this coupon for $2 off a box, up to 2 times per IP address. I did this the last time they were available and bought the cereal at Walmart for $0.26 a box. Yay!!! It's also great if you find it on sale, then you can save even more!

Netflix

Sometimes you just want to relax and watch the "talking tube", yet nothing is on! That is when Netflix is a great service. They have various packages to suit your movie watching desires and size of your wallet. You can stack up several movies and wait until that day of boredom arrives (without incurring late fees), and the little red envelopes are just waiting for you to open them up and enjoy a show!

I love how I can put a bunch of movies in my queue and as soon as they receive my last one watched, a new one is sent out to me. No going to the store and standing in line, no worrying if you have the right change or enough in your bank account. No, you don't get to choose instantly like you do if you go into a store, but you also don't have to wonder if the movie will be available either.

One con to the Netflix program is the movies available to view online. There isn't a great selection, so you must really be desperate or willing to watch something different, which isn't always a bad thing. It's good to broaden your horizons, right?

Another reason to try Netflix is that they give you a 2 week free trial period. Take note, they know who you are, so you won't be able to sign up several times to keep getting the trial, but once is still a great deal. Also, if you cancel, there are no fees, and they will keep your queue for you! All you have to do is sign up again (and again, no fees) and your queue is just waiting for you.

I haven't tried Blockbuster online yet, but have heard that they don't compare to the empire Netflix have become.

Have you tried Netflix or Blockbuster online? What do you like or dislike about these programs?

Starting Out

Every new blog has a starting out point, and this is mine! There are so many products out there, I have no idea which one to purchase. It is a tough choice sometimes even just choosing the right silverware for ourselves, our kids or that beautiful couple just starting out their life together. What about sheets? Toys? The best brand of coffee or place to shop?


In our world of consumerism, and wanting the best bang for our buck, it is hard not to get lost in it all, or get confused trying it out. Is that promotion really a good deal afterall? I hope I can relieve a bit of that pressure just a little more.
If there is a product or service you want to know about, please let me know! I will do my best to review it myself or find others who may know about it first hand.

The world is open and this space is ours. So, come on over, rest awhile and enjoy your time as you learn about new and exciting products, which ones to purchase or even stay away from. Put your feet up and let's chat!