Showing posts with label Amazon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amazon. Show all posts

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Great Deal for those Xbox Fans

We love our Xbox 360 and use it everyday. It's not just for gaming. We use it for Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant, etc. We'd be lost without it and it's made our cut from cable/satellite much easier.

One thing that makes it do so much for us, and enhances all those Call of Duty games my husband and oldest son like to play online, is the Live membership. It usually runs about $60 a year, but I can almost always find it for less on Amazon (another reason I'm an Amazon Junkie!). Today I got an email from Amazon saying that the 12 Month Xbox Live Membership is discounted $20 today until February 1 (which is this Saturday) or while supplies last, making it $39.99! This is an awesome deal and one you'll rarely find! This deal is for the online code only (which works perfectly).

Just thought I'd share it! Tell your friends :)

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Getting on-board with E-books

 
I believe I've mentioned before that I'm a book lover. This is not just a mild interest, passing fancy, temporary fling.... I LOVE books. I've been a member of more book clubs than I can count over the years. Trips to the Library mean I come out juggling a tower of books if I didn't bring a bag. I've been this way for years. Hence the article on Hubpages I did last year on how to lower book costs.....

I'm the girl who, upon getting a new book in the mail, I get all giddy, open it up and then flip through the pages while holding the book up to my face so I can breathe in the scent with my eyes closed and get a goofy grin on my face. Are you getting the picture here? Haha! Yes, I know I sound like a nerd, and that's okay! ;)

Anyway, I will admit now that I was less than thrilled with the entrance of e-readers and e-books on the scene. How could anyone not want to hold an actual book in their hands? What about filling another space on that bookshelf (I keep running out of space and have to get more shelves, which I don't mind in the least!). And how about reading with a child? How on earth could that be any fun with an electronic device in your hands, rather than a big book with colorful pictures to flip through while cuddling with your little ones? In no way was I even tempted!

Over the years, without realizing it, apparently I have started to change my opinion a bit. Maybe it's because I'm a complete Amazon junkie (no, I'm not kidding, I love that site--which is why I became an affiliate shortly after starting this blog) or maybe the fact that they have some of the most popular e-readers on the market (i.e. the Kindle series) and all the buzz eventually caught my attention. At first, I thought nothing of it (at least nothing good). But then they started offering free e-books (and I'm all over free!) and the free Kindle App to go along with it so you can read from your computer, iphone, tablet, etc. Now I'm hooked!

One of the features I most love, that works on my tablet, is that I can even look up unfamiliar words in a book I'm reading by just pressing on it without having to go get my dictionary! And then some of these e-readers have gone even further and become tablets. You can surf the internet, play games, watch movies (and more!) on some of the Kindles. They've even brought out new models this month like the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G LTE Wireless, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 32 GB.

I should note that Barnes and Noble also offers free e-books on their website here. They also have an the Nook e-reader series, but I don't know as much about that. I've got the free nook app on my tablet also and have taken advantage of the free downloads they offer too.

Does this mean that I'm done with hard-copy, print books? No. I still love the feel of a book in my hands. But I do have admit that I can still get on-board with the e-book train now. Why choose, when I can enjoy both? Who'd have thought it? ;)
 

Monday, July 18, 2011

Freebie Deals on Amazon!

Amazon is giving away a free $5 credit for on-demand movies for those with Twitter accounts who will tweet about it. If you want to Tweet for $5, they make it easy by providing the link and the tweet for you with just the click of a button. Thank you, Pinching Your Pennies, for the heads up on this one. But you better hurry. This deal is only good until tomorrow, July 19.

Also, you can get a free $25 credit to My Habit, which is a branch of Amazon that specializes in men, women's and children's clothing, shoes and accessories. Their deals change daily, so if you don't see what you want today, check back again. With this credit, you can get some things for free. You have to be quick though, since these deals go fast. They refresh at 9:00 a.m. Pacific time. The promo code is SUMMER25, and is only good until August 1. Thank you, The Thrifty Couple, for sharing this one.

So go save yourself some money!

Friday, February 18, 2011

We're Getting Chickens!

I'm sure I've mentioned here before that we've been working to become more self-sufficient. We started canning and preserving a few years ago (easy, fun and so delicious). But we've decided we can do more than grow fruit trees and plant a garden. So.....we've decided to get some chickens.

We have a huge yard (almost half an acre), our house is in a residential agriculture zone so we don't have to pay for any permits. We only have to make sure we stay within the allowed number of chickens for our lot size (probably about 12) and we have to build their coop at least 50 feet away from any structure. No problem!

We did some online research and then we got a book: Raising Chickens For Dummies from Amazon. Right now we're trying to decide what breed of chickens we want. We know we don't want any roosters (I'm sure the neighbors wouldn't like that much, especially since they already get annoyed by our rebellious and overly energetic dog--who's nearly 8 but still acts like a puppy). We'll probably go for the chicks, but that will mean waiting several months before getting any eggs.

At best, we'll get more eggs than we need and sell the extra to neighbors, all the while decreasing the amount of those pesky squash bugs and other pests in our yard (which will be eaten up by prowling chickens). At worst, this will all be a great learning experience--whatever the outcome--for us and our children. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! I hope....

Hubby is building a coop this weekend based on the information we've gathered from our research thus far. It's all very exciting. We'll see how it all works out though. I'll be sure to keep you all updated!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Last Minute Shoppers Will Jump on This Deal!

I remember the days when I left everything to the very last minute when it came to Christmas. But with the popularity of shopping online, I've jumped onboard and have gotten things done in record time this year (a record for me anyway). I almost wish I had waited though, when my brother-in-law mentioned a deal he got on Amazon today. I checked and it's still there! What's the deal you ask?

It's a Playstation 3 160 GB for $298.30. That by itself isn't a bad price, but it comes with a $100 promotional credit toward the purchase of items shipped and sold by Amazon.com. If you're like me, and use Amazon for anything from diapers, to movies, to books and even clarinet reeds, then this is an awesome deal. I nearly went for it myself when reality sat in and I realized we'd spent our Christmas budget and I'm supposed to be budget-wise. Haha! Darn that voice of reason!

Anyway, if you have a gamer in your household and have been thinking about getting one of these, this would be the perfect time. It also has a built-in Blueray player, which by itself is a great thing.

Just thought I would share, just in case any of you out there are seeking some deals for you last minute shopping! Good luck to you!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Finally Done with Christmas Shopping!

I think this is the earliest I've ever finished my Christmas shopping, but man, am I glad to have it behind me (now it's the thought of the wrapping that's intimidating). I did a lot of my shopping on Amazon (love those Lightning and Gold Box Deals they're doing for the holidays), through book clubs (buy one, get one with free shipping for members), Kohls (with those coupon codes from RetailMeNot), The Children's Place (yes, with coupon codes and clearance deals) and Barnes and Noble (with a 30% off one item coupon code: H4W9V7M--which I got for signing up for their kids club).

Oh, and speaking of some of those Amazon deals, I found The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Two-Disc Special Edition) for only 17.99! So if you're a Twilight fan, I'd jump on it before that deal is gone. This could also be a gift idea for the Twilight lover in your life.

I've definitely gotten my money's worth this year and I've got more to show for it, too. Which is a good thing considering that I've got a larger family this year! We're actually spending less money this year, compared with last year, but I don't think anyone would notice. Not only that, but our kids are great and are thankful for every thing they receive (and if they weren't, I'd seriously consider giving them coal instead! Haha!).

So how are all of you making out? Got any tips you can share? I'm wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Whatever holiday you celebrate, may this season bring you only good things!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Great Deal on a Stand Mixer on Amazon!!!

I'm always browsing on amazon to see what the current deals are, just in case something I've had my eye on for a while gets cheaper. Sometimes I get lucky, but mostly I just kill a little time in between my many other mommy duties. Today though, was a good day!

I've been wanting a KitchenAid Stand mixer for a few years now. I bake a lot of cookies, make a lot of mashed potatoes and mix a lot of various other doughs. It would really cut my workload in half. But I just couldn't drop that kind of money. The one my hubby wanted was $500! No way! I can just get mixing elbow! Haha!

But today (and I don't know how much longer) you can get the Professional Line, 6 quart stand mixer in either caviar (fancy name for a black color) or meringue (fancy name for white) for only $249 after a $50 rebate (the form in on the product page). That's 50% off!

If any of you are in the market for this, it's a great time to jump on it. It would be a great Christmas gift too (I got mine early haha).

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Savings for New Moms

As new mom of an 8 week old baby, I know how pricey things can be. If you're able to breastfeed, that's the ideal nutrition for your baby and a real saver on your pocket-book, but it's not always possible.

There are savings out there for moms who use formula, so be sure to take advantage of that if you can. A few websites out there where you can sign up for samples of formulas and coupons are:

Strong Moms (Similac)
Enfamil
Gerber Good Start

You can sign up at any one (or even all if you choose) of these websites for free gifts, coupons and samples. So be sure to take advantage!

Another great program out there to help you save on diapers is Amazon Mom. This is a new program that gives you savings of 30% on diapers. You get 3 free months of Amazon Prime Shipping when you sign up, plus earn an extra month free for every $25 you spend in the baby store.



So what are you waiting for? Go start saving! :)

Friday, April 17, 2009

Back to Writing

I've been thinking a lot about writing lately. I do consider what I do here as writing. After all, it's article writing in a sense. But truly, my first love has always been fiction. I've been blessed with an overactive imagination. My kids have always loved it when I come up with little "what would happen if..." stories for them, but that's not really the area I most excel in--though it is a lot of fun to make up a story that puts the wicked witch of Snow White as the good guy. Haha

I've had a story in my mind for several years now. I've outlined just about the whole thing in notebooks and know what I want to do with it in my mind. I also have a very rough draft of the first 80+ pages. The problem? I'm not such a good mommy when I'm in writing mode. I'm inattentive, impatient and totally absorbed in what I'm doing in front of me (lost in the world of my creation, is a good way to put it).

I thought about, and tried to put the story on hold while raising my munchkins, but it just won't stop running through my head. It's still there, no matter how many articles I write, different subjects I research, or boo-boos I kiss.

So, what to do? I got inspiration from reading an author's (whom I'm a huge fan of) website. She's written several books all while being a mommy to three (one less than me, but who's counting? LOL). She's become hugely successful and it all started with a dream (as coincidentally did my idea). If you haven't guessed who I'm talking about, it's Stephenie Meyer.

I actually haven't visited her site before yesterday, despite discovering and devouring her twilight series last year. When I did visit it yesterday for the first time, I found the story behind her popular series very inspiring.

I went to bed last night thinking about how I too, could try to make a go of my dream. Writing has always been a passion for me, and it's an incredible release. But the fact is, my family will always come first. I don't want to be a half-decent parent. I want to be the best mother. I'd started to assume that meant I couldn't do my book. But I think I was wrong. I think I just need to do what I've been fighting against, and create a workable schedule (I hate schedules--haha). I already know I have my hubby's support, and that helps.

This definitely isn't a get rich quick scheme, though if I'm lucky, and do it right, there is the possibility of making money at it. I think I'm going to go revisit those pages of my dusty novel--perhaps while the kiddies are still abed dreaming. I usually take that time to sleep too, but I know I could get by with a bit less sleep, and feel even more fulfilled than I already do (since I get a lot from being a mom).

If you're a writer looking to improve your writing skills or get your work published, there are some great places to start out there:

Writer's Digest is a great way to get started with access to books, magazines, competitions and more.

Zoetrope is a great place to network with other writers and share work. Though it is not one-sided and you require work on your side. The site is entirely free.

WritersNet also has it's value for the writer, publisher and literary agents out there with its resources and discussion forums. Another free site!

WritersMarket is a great resource if you're wanting to know where to submit your work. You can even try it online risk free for seven days. If you buy the book, I believe they give you a promo code to access their internet resources for less.

You shouldn't have to spend a lot of money, or even any at all to make this happen though. Your local library and the internet are great places to look for information when your wallet is empty. If you do have some money to spend and want to comparison shop to get more for your money. Amazon and Ebay are good places to look.

So that's what's been on my mind today. I'm glad to have shared it with you:) Keep dreaming and make it a reality!






Saturday, March 7, 2009

Let's Talk Video Games

Whoa! I can't believe how expensive these things are when you buy them new! My sister bought my son a $50 video game and within a week it was toast. My daughter, two at the time, thought it looked pretty tasty and tested her new chompers out on it. My son was devastated and I vowed I would tell everyone to only get used games from then on out (we were already doing this ourselves).

The cool thing about the used video game market is that most of the video game stores will give you cash or credit for the old games you're tired of playing. They also offer membership cards which will give you more credit on each item traded in, and also gives you a lower price on the used gaming products you buy in their stores. We've taken full advantage of this and saved mega bucks. Our kids don't care if the games they're getting once belonged to someone else, so long as they're getting one and it works--and all games are guaranteed by the stores.

Our favorite places to go when we have a little cash to burn, or if we want to unload our old games, are Game Crazy and Game Stop. They each offer a one year subscription (with membership) to a gaming magazine (different ones), so your kids--or even you--can see what's new and sometimes even get coupon offers inside them.

One nice thing that Game Crazy does is fix your scratched video games. If the scratches don't go too deep, they have a pretty good success rate. We've saved many a game this way, and we got it done for free with the membership. If you don't have a membership, last I checked it was only a dollar for them to fix each disc for you. They also will do CDs and DVDs, so that's pretty cool.

If you're not into trading for games, or you don't care about memberships, you can also find games for good prices on Video Gamesby clicking that link for Amazon. Ebay is also a great place to either sell your old games or buy some new-to-you games.

Don't forget that you can also save or make money on your video games or equipment by going to the pawn shop, too. If you go this route, don't necessarily take the first offer they give you. It doesn't hurt to ask for a better deal. What's the worst they can tell you? "No"?

Anyway, these are my tips on cheap video game entertainment. Make a buck or save a buck. Do with them what you will.


Thursday, March 5, 2009

Blogging Shmogging

I have to say that I do enjoy writing here. However, there is a not so fun side--and that's working to get my blog on the radar--but it's not too tedious. I've spent a lot of time promoting my blog on Link Referral and I've signed up with Traffic Swarm, Technorati, Easy Hits4U, Traffic Splash, I Love Hits, Dragon Surf, Blog Top List, Blog Catalog, and Ongsono. I've also been promoting myself on eHow when it's relevant, and posting my link in my article resources there when my article has to do with something I've discussed here.

I found a new site for website/blog owners called The Website Owner Zone, where you can make connections with others and promote your blog. It looks interesting and I'm trying all I can to get the word out there, since I am hoping to eventually make money doing this.

My husband is talking about looking for a second job until his first one's hours pick back up. I really hate this idea, since it would mean we wouldn't see him much. My family is so important to me, they're all I have that really matters. When you grow up the way I did, you never take that for granted. They're what I've always wished for, and I still can't believe how lucky I am to have them.

But anyway, off the mushy stuff. I was just really hoping I could help him, and others too, by starting up my writing again and making a profit off the advertising and affiliate programs. I'm using Google Adsense, AdBrite, and Amazon. I've also applied for the Ebay affiliate program. I hesitated, but figured it couldn't hurt to put a paypal donate button here too. These are all places I found while researching how to get a blog off the ground.

I also found a useful website called Self Promotion. On there, the site owner gives you lots of useful tips, including a way to find out if you're listed yet with the big search engines. I found that I was with most of them, but not with Open Directory, so I submitted my site for approval there, too.

I also learned that I could submit my eHow articles to the search engines and to Pingomatic for driving traffic there, too. So I think I've been accomplishing quite a lot, and I'm happy to share these tips with all of you so that you don't have to do all the digging:)

One downside of all of this work is that I feel like I'm dropping those juggling balls when it comes to the homemaker side of things. I've told my family that I know I'm not quite as available as I was before, but once I've got this up and running, it will be mostly about maintaining. I hope that's right. I'm wondering how long it takes to get it up in the air though.

I'm enjoying writing again though. It's such a great release and even if this doesn't all go the way I'm hoping it will, I won't regret it. Plus, if I help anyone with what I'm doing here, that's payment in itself. If I can make money from home doing what I love that is a bonus!

I did have a company call me, I believe they said they were "Orange Soda." The guy was really nice and offered his company's services to promote my blog, though he said it would be easier to do with a website. When I asked him how much the services would cost though, there was no way I could do that. I'll just have to try this all on my own. So far, everything I've done here hasn't cost me a penny, and I like it that way! Saving money is definitely a plus!

Well, good luck to all you bloggers and siteowners who are working to promote your sites! I hope this has been helpful for you. I'll be looking for more ways to help us out here. Until then.....

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

New vs Used

Okay, now I know as much as the next person that you can't get everything used, like underwear for example. Haha. I don't care how much you boil it, if it's been on your unmentionables, I don't want it anywhere near my unmentionables;) And I personally prefer my shoes new, unless they're given to me by someone I know (and they don't have really stinky feet), and they're still in good shape. The shape is important because, let's face it, they're only comfortable after we've worn our foot print into them, and unless someone has your same footprint, it's just not likely to work right the second time around. Also, I've got a phobia against foot fungus.

But actually, there are a lot of things I don't mind getting used. I love hand-me-downs for my kids, so long as they're in decent shape (so they don't become targets for the lucky kids who have never even had to think of hand-me-downs). It's pretty cool when my friends have been able to pass things on to me, too and vice versa.

I also like getting good deals on other used things, and I've listed a few places to get great used things for a fraction of what you'd pay new.

You can find just about everything you want, that someone else no longer needs at thrift stores. I've actually found clothing in there with the tags still on--no kidding. But they also carry furniture, electronics, books, games, movies.....you name it. Sometimes you just get lucky and hit the motherload.

A friend of mine got a baby exersaucer in nearly new condition (because really, how long do they actually use it?) along with some other baby goodies for free just because she happened by when someone was waiting in line to drop off some things at a thrift store, and she asked if she could have it. I'm probably not that brave...but I'm sure it would have still been a great deal once it made its way inside the store.

Yard sales and swap meets are other good places to get things, and more often than not, the price is negotiable. I've actually made money doing both of these things, and I have to tell you that I never refused an offer that I felt was good enough, simply because I didn't want to pack those things back up again. I wanted them gone.

If you don't want to go outside looking for your deals, you can find plenty of them online. We got a killer deal on a bunkbed set that had the attached dresser and desk with it. We'd priced the same set new for about $800 and then bought one in great shape from KSL Classifieds for $300. Check out the classifieds for your area, you'll be surprised what people are willing to settle for.

You can also find Used Items on Amazon and Ebay. With Ebay, you can either bid for your deal, or you can find one for a set price. On Amazon, the price you see is the price you get, but you have several vendors competing so the pricing is competitive.

So I'll leave you on this note. New is not always better (unless it involves the unmentionables or old stinky feet). Happy hunting!