Like Wisk on facebook and you’ll be able to print a $1 off coupon.  Be sure to hit the back button to see if you can print two.

In case you’re not able to print coupons try these steps instead.  Click on the “download coupon” screen.  The next screen will say “Your Coupons Are Waiting!” At the bottom of the screen, click “Help.” You’ll be able to enter your mailing address, and your coupon should arrive within 5-7 business days.

Enjoy the coupons!

Last year I read about Robyn’s 38th birthday celebration, which was to complete 38  random acts of kindness.  Robyn was pretty creative at fulfilling her tasks and it looks as though she and her family had a great time blessing others.  Many people’s lives were touched by their acts of kindness and many more will be affected by reading her post.

We’ve heard stories of people paying it forward by paying someone else’s tab in the fast food drive-thru or at a restaurant. Some of you may feel discouraged by this because you don’t the extra money to help out someone else. I want you to know that random acts of kindness don’t have to cost anything.

Here are some inexpensive ideas to get you started . . .

1. Collect shoes for Samaritan’s Feet.  You can host a shoe drive in your church, school, or community.
2. Visit a neighbor. Maybe take some baked goods. 
3.  Give compliments. Something as simple as “That color really looks good on you” can brighten someone else’s day.  (I need to work on this one.)
4.  Sing or play a musical instrument at a nursing home.  When I used to visit my grandma, I would play Christmas songs and other music on the piano.  It was a small act that brought joy to many.
5.  Send a card.  A simple “thinking of you” or “praying for you” goes a long way to making someone feel loved.
6.  Right a wrong.  Have you hurt someone else’s feelings?  It’s never too late to mend broken fences.  Make an effort to restore a broken relationship.
7.  Rake leaves, plant flowers, or make repairs on an elderly person’s home.  Many times they don’t have the physical ability or the money to pay someone for the work.  It would mean so much to them.
8. Divide up your overflowing flower bulbs and share with someone else.
9. Pick up trash. This could be in your neighborhood or just a place you have noticed that needs cleaned.
10.  Mentor a child.  You can be a blessing to a child in need.
11.  Babysit for a single or stressed out mom (for free, of course).  Having a few hours alone can really help someone to feel refreshed.
12. Make cards and letters for deployed military or veterans.
13.  Pass out sandwiches and hot chocolate to the homeless.
14.  Volunteer at the homeless shelter.  You can serve food or just be someone to talk to. 
15.  Write thank you notes for your child’s teacher and school administration.  Educators have a tough job with little thanks.
16.  Donate gently used toys, coats, and blankets to a ministry such as a women’s shelter.
17.  Offer to run errands for someone. Call your neighbor to see if they need anything. This would be especially helpful to an elderly person or a mother with young children.
18. Save expired coupons to ship overseas to military families.
19. Take a friend out for coffee.
20. Make homemade bread, muffins, or goodies for work and put them in the breakroom.
21. Deliver dinners for Meals on Wheels.
22. Crochet hats for cancer patients or sew blankets for children who are hospitalized.
23. Clean houses for cancer patients.
24. Donate old towels, rugs, blankets to an animal shelter.
25. Volunteer at the local animal shelter.
26. Give someone the benefit of the doubt. We all make mistakes and are in different stages of life.
26. Get those free items with your coupons even if your family doesn’t use them. Donate the items.
27. Let someone go in front of you in line.
28. Take dinner to someone that is sick or is unable to cook for themselves.
29. Play some games at freerice.com. For each question you answer correctly, rice will be donated to the hungry.  Sometimes I’ll play this game while I’m watching tv.  It’s so easy to make a difference.
30.  Help others learn to save money.  

Added later: Oops, I just noticed there are two of #26. haha I guess you are getting more than 30.

And just for fun . . .

32.  Get involved in a church or community service project.  When you get together with others, you can do a lot of good.  Elevation Church just had their yearly Love Week where they encouraged their congregation to volunteer in their city of Charlotte, NC. Over 33,000 hours were volunteered. That’s awesome!

I know there are many other ways to show kindness without spending much money. Can you help me add to this list?

This is a rewrite from a post I did last year while working for another company.  Image by sxc by andreyutzu.

Yesterday when we were leaving for church I heard a cat meowing.  It was a continuous meow so I went to the woods to investigate and found a kitten about 25 feet in the air.  I figured she would be down when we got home from church.  A few hours later, she was still in the tree.  Throughout the day, I went outside to check on the cat and she had not budged.  My husband and I tried to coax her down.  The problem was that she would move to come down and then she would get spooked and go up into the tree even further.  I called the fire department and they said there was nothing they could do. 

Fast forward to today.  The kitten was still in the tree.  I called the fire department again and explained that it had been over 24 hours.  I also called the animal hospital, animal control, police department, tree cutter, and other places trying to get recommendations of people to call.  I posted pictures of the kitten on facebook to see if anyone knew what we should do.  I even posted and tweeted to local news channels.  My friends encouraged me to do more tweeting on the matter and so I did.  What did I have to lose? 

While all this was going on my husband got out the ladder and although he couldn’t reach the cat, he was trying to talk her down from the tree.  He even cut down a tree and tried to lean it up against the other one so that she could walk down it at an angle.  This cat wasn’t coming down and at this point she had been in the tree for over 30 hours.

Some of my friends also did some tweeting and posting on facebook for me.  My friend and former editor Gayla was a big cheerleader and she also tweeted it for me.   My friends were also upset about the cat being in the tree for so long.  It has been said that you don’t see dead cats in trees so they eventually come down.  Well, that’s not necessarily the case.  Google it and you’ll be alarmed.

The tweeting was very successful.  I began tweeting with Kim Hughes of 704 Events.com and she put me in contact with Rob of Jackalope Jacks Restaurant in Charlotte.  Rob began working on getting a crew together to come rescue the kitty.  Before long a group of people was working to save the cat.  Dave Smith jumped out of his truck and was up the tree in minutes.

The problem is that the kitten was petrified and honestly, I don’t think she’s been around people very much.  She climbed further up into the tree when Dave tried to help her.

The rest of the guys were standing at the bottom in case the cat fell.

As you can imagine, this was making me very nervous and I was doing lots of praying for Dave’s safety.  Thankfully Dave and the cat made it down safely.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the cat on the ground.  She took off running after she got down.

In this world you will meet lots of people that will be ugly to you and that will let you down.  It’s nice to know that there are others in the world that help complete strangers.

A special thanks to:

Kim Hughes of 704 Events.com

Rob of Jackalope Jacks Restaurant in Charlotte

Tony Furr of Classic Auctions

Dave of Dave Smith Tree Experts

Have you witnessed any kind acts of service lately?

Right now Food Lion has the Ronzoni garden pasta on sale for $1/box.  On the shelf you should find a SmartSource coupon blinkie machine with a coupon for $1 off each box.  This makes the pasta free.  I had to pay only $.02 for tax.  

Enjoy the savings!

Thanks to my friend Tina for the tip.

I’ve been surfing around the web and here are a few things I found to share with you.

Use fabric scraps and paper towel tubes to make these eco-friendly DIY napkin rings from Pear Tree Events.  This is a great idea which allows you to inexpensively make color coordinated napkin rings for parties.

Someone at VBS made drop biscuits for the kids’ snack and they were so good. I was glad to find the recipe at Southern Plate.  While you’re at it, you might want to make some crock pot apple butter to go along with it.  Yummm.

I have some friends with ear wax problems, so I thought this information about Colace and over-the-counter drops was interesting and helpful.  Just fyi, in case you have the same issue.

Sweeties Sweets has some Pampers Gifts to Grow codes for points.  A few of them were expired, but there are still many that are good.

Money Saving Mom has info on how to get a free Wordlock Luggage Lock.

Enjoy!

image (c) Karen Weideman

School just ended here. It’s hot outside and I know many of you will be heading out on vacation soon.  Hotels are expensive enough, but the cost of eating out can cost you as much or more than your accomodations. 

Here are some tips for saving on food while on vacation:

1.  Eat out only once each day.  Try to pack something for the other meals.  (Some ideas are listed below.)

2.  Check the visitor’s center. Sometimes you can find half price coupons for restaurants.

3.  Give Restaurant.com a try. I have used their gift certificates in several different cities.  Browse their site for your vacation destination.  Many times you can pick up $25 gift certificates for only $3.  I post regularly on these so be sure to check out their sale info.

4.  Try to find a hotel with complementary breakfast. Many times their rates are the same as other hotels.  I have eaten at some hotels that offer bacon, eggs, sausage, cinnamon rolls, cereal, and the works.  It really saves a lot on your food bill.

5.  Consider staying in a room with a kitchenette.  If it’s too pricey, try some of the ideas below.

6.  Precook and freeze meals that can be reheated in the microwave.  Some ideas are quiche, meatloaf, spaghetti, burritos, soup, homemade macaroni and cheese, pancakes and waffles, muffins, bacon, and casseroles.  What dishes do you freeze that reheat well in the microwave?

7.  Pack an assortment of snacks and convenience foods or stop by the local store.  Granola bars, trail mix, apples, bananas, Easy mac, microwave popcorn, instant oatmeal, bagels, yogurt, cheese sticks, and precut veggies are good choices.

8.  See if the hotel has a grill that you can use.  You can cook all sorts of stuff on a grill. Some of my favorite grill sides are potatoes and cabbage.  Simply cut up the potatoes or cabbage and wrap them in tin foil with some butter and seasoning.  Yummy!

9.  Eat out for lunch.  For the most part, it is a lot less expensive to eat out at lunch than dinner. 

10.  Take a steamer, crockpot, or toaster oven with you.  Depending on the hotel’s rules, you might be able to make your dinner in the crock pot or steamer.  I have also heard about people using a coffee pot to cook their food. I have never tried that one before, so if you’re interested in that method, you might want to do some internet searches for information.

11.  Check the grocery store for inexpensive precooked foods.  Perhaps you could pick up a rotisserie chicken or fried chicken, some bagged salad, or potato salad. 

12.  Schedule at least one inexpensive dinner outing.  I’m thinking of something like Cici’s pizza.  If you get water, you can eat for about $5/person.

Well, I know that these tips only scratch the surface of ways to save on food while on vacation.  Tell us your tips. 

image sxc.hu

For today only, you can get 10 pairs of women’s Mudd brand sunglasses for only $9.99.  Woot!  Shipping is $5.99 for the first set and $1 extra for the second set. 

I just ordered a set for me.  If you’re considering purchasing these, you’ll want to do it now before they run out.  I don’t know about you, but I spend that much on one pair of sunglasses so getting 10 pairs for $10 is a real treat. 

Enjoy the savings!

Thanks Smart Couponing!