CSA shares for 2011--Get yours now!

I recently discovered a CSA program through Simply Wisconsin, LLC. Simply Wisconsin offers organic produce, eggs, meats, and cheese that are from local farms. To be honest, I have bought produce boxes in the past, and I wasn't sold on the idea. We are not what I would call "adventurous" eaters. I have two picky eaters, so I would find that some veggies would go bad before we'd get around to figuring out what to do with them. However, I wanted to give it another try.

Simply Wisconsin is offering a FANTASTIC deal right now on produce shares. Here's the deal. If you sign up and pay in full for any of their produce shares, you get $50 off at checkout. They are also offering a member wellness rebate for anyone in Illinois. You have to fill out a form, send it to them, and you will receive a check for $25 (single) or $50 (family).

For example, I bought the Basic 4 Produce Share for $230.00. With that, I will receive 4 types of staple produce items each week for 18 weeks. By paying early, I save $50, and after I receive the rebate, I will end up paying $130 for 18 weeks of fresh produce. That works out to $7.22 per week. GREAT DEAL for fresh, organic produce. There are lots of options, so you can find the one that works best for you.

There are multiple pick-up locations around the city (Chicago) and the northern suburbs.

As for the nitty gritty, you can call, fax, email, or buy a share online. If you choose to do it online, if you go through the Google Checkout, put in the code EARLY to get the $50 taken off. If you pay through Paypal, Simply Wisconsin will reimburse you the $50.

In order to get this deal, you must pay in full by January 15, 2011. No exceptions!

Amazon: Pamela's Baking Mixes & Bob's Red Mill on Sale

On Amazon right now, you can get some Bob's Red Mill product for 30% off and Pamela's Baking Mixes for 20% off.  Here's how you do it:

• Make sure you’re signed up for the free Amazon Mom program (this will give you free two-day shipping).
• For Bob's Red Mill: Add the Bob's Red Mill Product of your choice to your cart via Subscribe & Save.  
• Use coupon code BOBS2010 at checkout and it should bring your total down by an extra 15% with free shipping.
• For Pamela's Products: Add the Pamela's Product Baking Mix of your choice to your cart via Subscribe & Save.  
• Use coupon code PAMMIXES at checkout and it should bring your total down by an extra 5%.

With the subscribe and save program, you must remember to log into your account and cancel your subscription, unless you want to continue receiving these at this price.  Not all Bob's Red Mill and Pamela's Products qualify for the deal.  Make sure you see a Special Offer box beneath the description of the product outlining the deal. That will let you know that this item is included in the sale.

Here are two examples of the deals:

4-pack of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Brown Rice Flour for $7.30 shipped

6-pack of Pamela's Products Classic Vanilla Cake Mix for $18.53 shipped

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Top 10 Foods for a Healthy Heart

I thought I'd share a recent article my dad sent me.  Here's what it listed as the top 10 foods for a healthy heart.


1. Salmon 
Because it has omega-3 fatty acids 

2. Flaxseed (ground) 
Because it has mega-3 fatty acids; fiber, phytoestrogens 

3. Oatmeal 
Because it has mega-3 fatty acids; magnesium; potassium; folate; niacin; calcium; soluble fiber 

4. Black or Kidney Beans 
Because it has B-complex vitamins; niacin; folate; magnesium; omega-3 fatty acids; calcium; soluble fiber 

5. Almonds 
Because it has plant omega-3 fatty acids; vitamin E; magnesium; fiber; heart-favorable mono- and polyunsaturated fats; phytosterols

6. Walnuts
Because it has plant omega-3 fatty acids; vitamin E; magnesium; folate; fiber; heart-favorable mono- and polyunsaturated fats; phytosterols

7. Red wine
Because it has catechins and reservatrol (flavonoids)

8. Tuna
Because it has omega-3 fatty acids; folate; niacin

9. Tofu
Because it has niacin; folate; calcium; magnesium; potassium

10. Brown rice
Because it has B-complex vitamins; fiber; niacin; magnesium, fiber 

Saving for College When Buying or Selling Your Home

I received a mailing from upromise the other day, and I was about to throw it out when something caught my eye.  Did you know that you can earn money for your children's college savings when you purchase or sell a home?  I had no idea.  I can't believe I missed this!  So, now I am sharing this information with you.

Upromise is a site where you can save money for college.  I believe that anyone can open a upromise account, but the money has to go towards education.  It is not limited to your children's college education, it can go towards paying off loans, your grandchildren's education, your education, etc.  If you or someone in your family is planning on going to college, it may be worthwhile to open an account.  Now, I am the first one to tell you that money will not magically appear in this account.  You will have to take advantage of some of their offers to see real money.

Selling or purchasing a home would earn significant FREE contributions to your upromise account.  If you use either Century 21, Coldwell Banker, or ERA to buy or sell your home, the company will contribute 1/3% of the home price to your account.  In other words, for a home sale/purchase of $300,000, you would earn $900.00 of free money towards college.  You can earn up to $3,000 on each side of the transaction, bringing the grand total to $6,000 (by selling and buying a $900,000 home).  The one thing that you must know is that you MUST get a referral through the upromise site and that referral must be accepted by the office you choose BEFORE signing any kind of agreement with that office.  If you are thinking about buying or selling, it may be worth checking out.

Another area where they offer savings as well is by booking travel through their site.  The upromise site basically directs you to sites such as travelocity, orbitz, or directly to the airline.  You can choose where you want to go, but you have to log in to your upromise account first.

You might as well save where you can.  Free money is free money.  We could all use a little more of that!

When you have to buy, make sure you are saving!

My friend and family routinely marvel at the deals I get on the internet.  I will admit that I am a deal finder.  But the secret is, you can be too.  There really is no secret to getting the best deal you can on any item available on the internet.  Here is my tried and true method of saving.

1.  Locate the item you wish to buy.

 First you want to shop for what you are looking for, not what's the best price.  Price does play some role in my final choice, but the truth is that if I don't love what I am getting, I won't use it.   

2.  Find the website that has the cheapest price for that item.

Once I figure out what I want, I usually run a Google Shopping comparison by typing in the description of the product.  The more specific your description, the better your search results will be.  For example, tonight I needed to buy some tri shorts for my upcoming triathlon.  I found some Orca Race Tri Pants on Sierra Trading Post.  To make sure I had the best deal, I typed "Orca Race Tri Pants" into Google to compare prices.  Sierra Trading Post had the best price.

3.  Figure out if any of the "big 3" have cash back deals.

The "big 3" sites that I use are Ebates, ShopAtHome, and upromise.  By logging onto any of these sites, you can find out whether there are cash back options for ordering their site.  This means that you log into one of the "big 3" sites, find the store you want to purchase from, and then proceed to shop.  The sites will give you cash back on your purchase by using a tracking ticket (i.e. tracking your sale).  For Sierra Trading Post, I learned that Ebates offered no cash back, ShopAtHome offered 5% cash back, and upromise offered 3% cash back.  Once, I actually received 20% cash back from my Gap purchase.

4.  Determine whether the website has any coupon codes available.

This is an easy way to save LOTS of money.  Before you buy anything, always Google the name of the store and coupon (i.e. "Sierra Trading Post Coupon").  Usually, the first site it will pull up is Retail Me Not.  I love this site, because it will give you some indication if the coupon is good by showing how many people successfully used it.  On Retail Me Not, I will look for the best coupon code available.  I then try the code to see if it works by typing it into the site (you can usually find the box to type in the coupon code during checkout).  If it doesn't, I try another.  For my purchase tonight, the first code I tried didn't work.  The second, however, worked and saved me 25% off.

My purchase tonight went like this:

Original Price for Tri Shorts: $55.00

Sale Price: $32.95

Price with 25% off coupon: $24.71

Less 5% cash back with ShopAtHome: $23.47

I have used this time and time again, and I am amazed at how much I save.  These steps do not take much time, maybe 5 minutes, but they will save you a substantial amount of money over time.  If you are an internet shopper like me, that could amount to a big savings. 

American Eagle: 30% off + 20% off + 3% off + Free Shipping

Through tomorrow, American Eagle is offering 30% off all Clearance prices plus free shipping on any order! Follow the directions below to get an additional 20% off and 3% cashback:

::Sign up or login in to Ebates and search for “American Eagle” and click through to the site.

::Go to the clearance section of American Eagle and choose the item(s) you’d like to purchase.

::Go to checkout and you should see an additional 30% taken off the clearance prices and free shipping. Plus, use coupon code 32944527 to get an additional 20% off.

If you don't want to go through Ebates, just go directly to the American Eagle site, and you can still get 30% off plus free shipping.

I found some really cute jewelry and a couple of t-shirts.  It's worth looking if you are interested.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

A Tribute to My Dad, My Husband, and My Son

This Father's Day, I wanted to honor the three most important men in my life.

To My Dad:
     You are a man of character who taught me how to live, love, and accept responsibility. You always made me feel loved.  I always knew that my dad adored me, and that was a priceless gift to a young girl.  You taught me the important things in life--sports, how to be financially savvy, and how to buy a car. There is something very special about the way we communicate with each other. Sometimes we are the only ones in the room that "get" each other.  We have had so many wonderful laughs throughout the years.  I never tire of your humor even though I often roll my eyes.  I always treasure spending time with you.  But most of all, you showed me how to love Jesus, and for that, I am forever grateful.  Thank you for being my dad.

To My Husband:
     I am so lucky to be your wife.  Your heart is complex and simple all at the same time.  I love getting to know you more every day.  You are a man of courage, compassion, and character.  I love watching the way you love your children and witnessing how much they adore you.  I rest in your strength and your pursuit of what it means to live a Christ-filled life.  Although I am not as fond of your jokes, I admit that your quirkiness is charming.  Without it, you wouldn't be you.  I am so honored to spend my life with you.  Thank you for being an amazing husband and father.

To My Son:
    Although you are too young to read this, I want you to know my hope and prayer for you...that one day you will be a man who seeks after God's own heart.  I hope and pray that we can lead and guide you to become the man you were created to be: a man who is unique, confident, strong, loving, and compassionate.  My true desire is that one day, you will become a man of incredible character, just like the men that came before you.  I love you with all my heart.