We frequently cook skillet meals and divvy them up to last him through the week. The Mediterranean angel pasta called for boneless chicken breast. We had enjoyed a whole roast chicken for dinner the night before so the hubby just pulled a little meat from there—it probably wasn’t the full amount in the “recipe” but it worked for our budget. It was tasty (thought I’m sure it would have been better with more chicken), quick and simple to prepare.

Spencer pitches in quite a bit around here, but he’s not a big cook. I was cracking up at the questions he threw me every step of the way—he actually dug around to find the exact size pan listed on the box. In the end, he really enjoyed the past and was surprised at how easy it really was to make. He really wasn’t in the mood to cook but said it wasn’t so bad. High praise, indeed.

In addition to the Mediterranean Chicken with angel hair pasta, meal varieties include Spicy Citrus Glazed Shrimp with angel hair pasta, Herb Crusted Chicken with mushroom risotto and Tuscan Chicken with penne pasta. I’m also loving the other goodies they sent along. I am a major fan of bamboo so the cutting board & flatware are awesome. I haven’t had a real use, yet, for the tiny plates but they’re so stinking cute. And, you can enter to win one of your own! Simply leave a comment here, and tell us which flavor you’d most like to try.

You can earn additional entries by:

• Subscribing to our site by email or RSS
• Following Inexpensively on Twitter
• Writing about this giveaway (blog, forum, public Facebook note)
• Tweeting about this giveaway: Win a Good Earth gift pack from @Inexpensively! {link}

For your extra entries to be counted, be sure to leave an additional comment directing us to your entry. Only one additional entry per method (i.e. While multiple tweets are appreciated it, only one will count as a drawing entry.) The contest runs until 8/3/10 at 11:59am est. One winner will be notified by email on 8/4 and receive a Good Earth gift pack. Winner will have 48 hours to complete the claim form or a new winner will be chosen.

There are numerous products and tools designed to help you live your life. Some will work, while others won’t. Each Tuesday, we’ll share something we’ve tried so you won’t have to spend money until you know it’s worth it! Our selections usually include items that will also save your family money while others will save you time or just make your inexpensive life easier to manage. I was provided with a free Good Earth gift pack to facilitate this review, but the opinion is 100% real.

1. One Dish Dinner
2. Leftover Ham for Breakfast, Lunch And Dinner
3. 5 Everyday Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

“I really like this shirt, except for…”

“I would get these pants, but I don’t like…”

“I wish this outfit had…”

Enter Fashion Playtes.

They’re throwing a life raft to a mom at the end of her rope. Girls have the opportunity to design their own clothes, and have them custom made just for her! The hubby & I bought her a gift certificate for Christmas—it said “Since we obviously can’t pick out clothes you like, we thought you could design your own.”

Stacia used her certificate (along with a bonus Fashion Playtes sent a long for our review) last month, and she couldn’t be more thrilled with her selections! She had a lot of fun choosing outfits, tweaking colors & adding embellishments.

Each item on the site starts with a base style & price. You can change the color, add ribbons, sparkles, ruffles & more to finalize your design. Girls can even customize the clothing label—imagine how cool a tween would feel walking around with a Designed by Me label on her shirt.

We anxiously awaited her shipment, and it arrived about 3 weeks after she placed her order. This is stated clearly on the site, but it is still a bit of a bummer to wait so long after such an exciting ordering experience. Of course, as I reminded my daughter, custom orders will take time.

She just couldn’t wait to try on her new clothes. I only hoped the quality wouldn’t be too awful, but I didn’t have high hopes since the prices seemed a bit too low for custom designs. However, we were both pleasantly surprised! The order arrived a few days sooner than expected and the quality is fantastic! The material is thick & looks great, with tight stitching—I honestly expected thin shirts & shoddy work. I am thrilled to be wrong.

Stacia chose a matched lounge set, adding a bit of color to the hem. She is very much into basics, but we tend to find a lot of frills when we shop in stores. She also chose a black tank with a polka-dotted hem. That one surprised me, but she loves it! She got a little fancier with her bag. She chose a terry bag for our pool & water park trips, adding a crystal flower to the front. She loves it so much, she has decided to save it as her school bag.

In fact, all 3 girls want to design their very own first day of school outfits. I guess we better get started on that—they go back to school in 48 days (not that I’m counting or anything)! At least we’ll have a coupon to use to save us a bit of money. It can get a little pricey if they add too many embellishments. That’s probably my only complaint. Of course, it’s still better than buying perfectly good clothes that she hides in the bottom of her drawer.

Stacia’s only complaint is that she wants more! More styles, more colors, more embellishments. She’s having so much fun with it, she wants to play with even more. And, she’ll have the chance when we place our next order for school clothes with coupon code inexpensive10—go ahead! That’s good for $10 off your order at Fashion Playtes.

Plus, ou have the chance to win a $20 gift certificate! Simply leave a comment here, letting us know which style you would choose to design. You can earn additional entries by:

• Subscribing to our site by email or RSS
• Following Inexpensively and Fashion Playtes on Twitter
• Writing about this giveaway (blog, forum, public Facebook note)
• Tweeting about this giveaway: Win a @FashionPlaytes gift certificate from @Inexpensively! {link}

For your extra entries to be counted, be sure to leave an additional comment directing us to your entry. Only one additional entry per method (i.e. While multiple tweets are appreciated it, only one will count as a drawing entry.) The contest runs until July 13th at 11:59pm est. One winner will be notified by email on July 14th and receive a $20 gift certificate to Fashion Playtes. Winner will have 48 hours to complete the claim form or a new winner will be chosen.

There are numerous products and tools designed to help you live your life. Some will work, while others won’t. Each Tuesday, we’ll share something we’ve tried so you won’t have to spend money until you know it’s worth it! Our selections usually include items that will also save your family money while others will save you time or just make your inexpensive life easier to manage. I was provided with a gift certficate from the company through Business 2 Blogger to try for this review, but the opinion is 100% real.

1. Fashion Fun on Limited Funds
2. Cutting Clothing Costs
3. Tried It Tuesday: Potluck Survival Guide Review

Of course, even without the House Party goodies, a game night in is great for frugal fun. A few snacks, drinks & board games you already own will be enough to entertain your friends throughout the evening.

Since this was a House Party, though, we had the chance to try a brand new game—the latest Trivial Pursuit game will be in stores later this summer. My party kit arrived a few days before the event and included:

• Trival Pursuit: Bet You Know It
• Taboo
• Catch Phrase
• Wheat Thin crackers
• Triscuit crackers
• Hershey’s Pieces
• Coupons, coupons and more coupons (Do they know me, or what?)

I added my standard party fare of chips, queso and cocktails—Pina Colada Punch in homage to the beach trip I was taking the following week (more on our budget vacation later!). Once everyone arrived, we settled around the table, where I had set out my new Hasbro games. I wasn’t sure we’d ever get around to playing once we started chatting, as frequently happens with my House Parties, but we decided to give the new Trivial Pursuit a shot.

Three hours later? We had played all three games! And, shared more laughs than I’d had all month. Much of that is the company, sure, but Bet You Know It lends itself well to an evening with good friends. Most Trivial Pursuit games leave me feeling a little (okay, a lot) moronic, but this is much different than any other. It allows you to play a bit to your strength, earn chips by knowing your friends well & buy the pieces that stump you with the winnings.

There is still plenty of your typical Trivial Pursuit fare—you circle the board in pursuit (oh, ha ha! I never noticed that before.) of filling your pie with 6 colored wedges. And, the colors & categories are apparently the same as always. Gotcha Baby happens to be an expert at colors & categories so we never even needed to consult the chart. I suppose it should come as no surprise that she was the big winner of the evening!

We also played Catch Phrase & Taboo—these games were not new to me, but I somehow didn’t own them. Both are always good for laughs. Although, the Taboo buzzer is extremely irritating at best. Unless, of course, you get to buzz an opponent! Catch Phrase is electronic—it’s part Taboo, part Hot Potato and a whole lot of fun.

Plus, it’s part of this month’s board game deal at Amazon. Get a free Sorry Revenge card game when you spend $25 on participating Hasbro games. And, as always, you get free shipping with a $25 purchase! There are a lot of great games on the list. What’s your favorite?

1. How To be Frugal on Friday Night and Still Have Fun
2. Date Night on the Cheap
3. Give Money By Playing Games

They partner with companies to provide permanent dropoffs as well as organizations to coordinate shoe drives. To bring awareness to their cause, they have created Barefoot Week—this year it is June 1-7. Barefoot Week encourages public participation in a variety of events, including Barefoot Sunday on June 6th—a way for church congregations to get involved.

I declared today Barefoot Day and had my children walk around—yes, even outside in parking lots—barefoot. Of course, they carried shoes for entering public buildings, but it was interesting to point out that we had to wait for them to choose their shoes or finding matching pairs when nearly 1.5 billion people around the world don’t even have shoes!

You can participate in Barefoot Week with your own barefoot day or go barefoot online—change your Twitter, Facebook or blog avatar to a picture of your bare feet to raise awareness for Soles 4 Souls. Kick off your shoes, clean out your closets and find a location near you to donate shoes to someone in need.

To bring awareness to Barefoot Week, we’ve got a fun giveaway—check out these Vans, autographed by Rascal Flatts! You have the chance to win the shoes, featuring autographs from the members of Rascal Flatts. To enter, search for Soles 4 Souls collection locations near you, and leave a comment here telling us how many pairs of shoes you plan to drop off!

You can earn additional entries by:

• Subscribing to our site by email or RSS
• Following Inexpensively on Twitter
• Writing about this giveaway (blog, forum, public Facebook note)
• Tweeting about this giveaway: Win a pair of Rascal Flatts autographed shoes from @Inexpensively! http://bit.ly/aRNRgL

For your extra entries to be counted, be sure to leave an additional comment directing us to your entry. Only one additional entry per method (i.e. While multiple tweets are appreciated it, only one will count as a drawing entry.) The contest runs until June 7th at 11:59pm est. One winner will be notified by email on June 8th and receive a pair of size 11 Rascal Flatts autographed Vans shoes. Winner will have 48 hours to complete the claim form or a new winner will be chosen.

I won these shoes in a giveaway at Blissdom earlier this year. I was not asked to write about the program or compensated in any way—I just thought it was a fun way to tell you about Soles 4 Souls!

1. How I Bought New Shoes for Less Than 50¢

Mineral makeup is the perfect solution since it is light on my face but provides the coverage I need. I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to try a few brands as I learn the ropes of daily makeup. However, I find it messy to work with and tend to spill more than I wear. When my Everyday Minerals arrived, I was completely thrilled to discover a different kind of container to help prevent spillage. The face and cheek containers are wide & flat, with a sliding top (like a salt shaker!) to keep your precious minerals from pouring out in storage or travel.

Best of all? This large container of organic, vegan color is only $8! In my sample collection, I received 2 cheek colors and 2 eyecolors. I loved the neutral shimmer in the Sea Horse & Lip Lock eye makeup. Many mineral makeups turn out a little too glittery for my tastes, but their pearl collection provided just the right amount of shimmer for an everyday look. I’ve been using my small, sample container for about a month with plenty left in the container. Their price for this size? $2.50! Seriously—I checked twice!

You can see why I’m completely sold—low key, neutral makeup that’s environmentally friendly, organic and natural for the price of drugstore makeup? Oh, but it gets even better. Through their Beauty Perks & Special Invitation program, you can receive 25-45% off your purchase when you buy 5 or more full sized containers in one purchase. They also have featured specials and a First Look club that sends sneak peeks, promotions and special coupon codes. (This month they’re offering a 25 color eye collection to their subscribers for only $29!)

You can also try one free sample with every order (the $5 fee deducts at the checkout). It’s a great opportunity to try new colors—just pay shipping. Plus, right now, you have the chance to win the Resort Collection for free! This set is an awesome quad of shades consisting of spelunk, kayak, parasail and late checkout. It come with a custom bamboo eye brush for dipping into the sifter hole! Simply leave a comment here, and share your biggest makeup challenge. You can also earn additional entries by:

• Subscribing to our site by email or RSS
• Following Inexpensively on Twitter
• Writing about this giveaway (blog, forum, public Facebook note)
• Tweeting about this giveaway: Win a collection of Everyday Minerals makeup from @Inexpensively! {link}

For your extra entries to be counted, be sure to leave an additional comment directing us to your entry. Only one additional entry per method (i.e. While multiple tweets are appreciated it, only one will count as a drawing entry.) The contest runs until May 18th at 11:59pm est. Two winners will be notified by email on May 19th and receive a collection of Everyday Minerals makeup. Winners will have 48 hours to complete the claim form or a new winner will be chosen.

There are numerous products and tools designed to help you live your life. Some will work, while others won’t. Each Tuesday, we’ll share something we’ve tried so you won’t have to spend money until you know it’s worth it! Our selections usually include items that will also save your family money while others will save you time or just make your inexpensive life easier to manage. I was provided with a free Everyday Minerals makeup set from the company for the purposes of this review, but the opinion is 100% real.

1. 5 Everyday Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
2. Tried It Tuesday: Potluck Survival Guide Review
3. Timberdoodle Brain Box Review & Coupon

Gasoline is one of life’s necessary expenses that really irritates a frugal control freak like me. I can’t control the prices, I can’t predict a sale and I can’t just do without. So, what’s a money saving gal like me supposed to do?

Well, ask the experts, of course! The fabulous folks at Ask Patty & Motor Oil Matters have provided a few car care tips to help you improve fuel efficiency. We may not have control over how much we spend on gas, but we can have an impact on how long it lasts!

Pump high-quality gasoline

I struggle with this one a lot, because that $.20/gallon really adds up. However, Ask Patty tells us all gasolines are not the same, and no matter what grade of fuel a vehicle requires, it’s important to use a high-quality gasoline. Industry research confirms that a clean engine can result in better fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and overall optimal engine performance. Fortunately, keeping the engine clean of performance-robbing “gunk” helps it perform better. Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines contain a patented cleaning system that not only cleans, but protects critical engine parts against gunk to help improve engine performance as you drive. I wonder if a once a month premium fill would have any effect.

Properly inflate tires

Keeping tires in good shape & properly inflated is essential for automotive safety, optimum driving performance and potential cost savings, including better fuel mileage. Tires should be inflated to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations printed on the vehicle door placard or in the owner’s manual. The U.S. Department of Energy says properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage by around 3.3 percent. That makes a really big difference over the course of a year! Regularly inspecting tires will also prevent major problems down the road (literally!) since you’ll be able to spot problems & replace tires before they go flat—or worse, blowout on the highway!

Let the car breathe free

Check that the air filter isn’t clogged. According to the Department of Transportation, replacing a clogged air filter on cars with fuel-injected, computer-controlled gasoline engines can improve acceleration time by around six to 11 percent. This kind of engine is prevalent on most gasoline cars manufactured from the early 1980s onward. Tests suggest that replacing a clogged air filter on an older car with a carbureted engine may improve fuel economy two to six percent under normal replacement conditions or up to 14 percent if the filter is so clogged that it significantly affects drivability.

Regular tune-ups pay off

Before taking a long trip, visit a trusted professional to make sure your car is properly tuned. Depending on the kind of repair and how well it is performed, regular vehicle maintenance can improve gas mileage by an average of four percent, according to the Department of Energy. We’re definitely taking Serenity (yes, I name my cars!) in for a check-up before we make the long haul for our beach vacation.

Motor oil matters

Having the oil changed regularly is one of the most important things you can do to extend the life of your vehicle’s engine. Changing oil removes contaminants and dirt that may have collected. Premium motor oil, such as Pennzoil or Quaker State, is designed to keep the engine clean and protected. This can maximize fuel efficiency and result in a longer running vehicle. I learned all that on Shell’s Motor Oil Matters website—you’ll find great answers, tips and a fun quiz to show off what you’ve learned.

Plus, they want to help one lucky reader use what you’ve learned with a $35 Jiffy Lube gift card! To enter for your chance to win, head over to Motor Oil Matters & take the M.O.M. Knows Best quiz, then leave a comment about your experience—tell us the most surprising thing you learned, if it answered a long-burning question or what you scored on the quiz. I scored 5 out of 7, which they tell me is not a passing grade—oops! (That’s why I consulted the experts to give you tips on car care. I clearly still have a lot to learn.)

You can also earn additional entries by:

• Subscribing to our site by email or RSS
• Following Motor Oil Matters and Inexpensively on Twitter
• Writing about this giveaway (blog, forum, public Facebook note)
• Tweeting about this giveaway: Win a $35 Jiffy Lube gift card from @MotorOilMatters and @Inexpensively! {link}

For your extra entries to be counted, be sure to leave an additional comment directing us to your entry. Only one additional entry per method (i.e. While multiple tweets are appreciated it, only one will count as a drawing entry.) The contest runs until May 3rd at 11:59pm est. One winner will be notified by email on May 4th and receive a $35 Jiffy Lube gift card (check for locations in your area), delivered by My Blog Spark. Winner will have 48 hours to complete the claim form or a new winner will be chosen.

I received a Jiffy Lube gift card from Motor Oil Matters and Shell Lubricants as compensation for this post, but any opinion is 100% mine.

1. Online Shopping Tips for Black Friday & Cyber Monday
2. 3 Ways to Give the Gift of Charity
3. Tips for Freezing Perishable Items

If you didn’t win, there’s still a chance for a great deal on Simply Go-Gurt. We have coupons available, if you haven’t already received them—be sure to check it out!

]]> http://inexpensively.com/deals/reviews-giveaways/yoplait-simply-go-gurt-giveaway-winner/feed/ 1 http://inexpensively.com/deals/reviews-giveaways/stop-shop-promotion-plus-win-a-gift-card-at-november-sunflower/ http://inexpensively.com/deals/reviews-giveaways/stop-shop-promotion-plus-win-a-gift-card-at-november-sunflower/#comments Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:35:11 +0000 November Sunflower http://inexpensively.com/?p=10308 Related posts:

1. Shop for a Cure
2. How to Stop Shopping Momentum in its Tracks
3. Shop Early and Save

I am allowed to pick ONE November Sunflower reader who will be sent a Stop & Shop Gift Card to spend however he or she wishes at their local store. The gift card I got is from General Mills; Stop & Shop, and the information was provided by General Mills and Stop & Shop. The Stop & Shop gift card you will receive will delivered by MyBlogSpark.

How can you enter** to win this fabulous $20 Gift Card? Visit November Sunflower for your chance to win! A winner will be chosen at random on Earth Day (April 22, 2010)! This will leave you plenty of time to use the gift card to purchase 5 General Products to automatically be entered to win a Hybrid Card. Which leads me to how I am able to offer such a great giveaway!

Thanks to MyBlogSpark, General Mills and Stop & Shop, I have been given the chance to participate in a great promotion. I just received my Stop & Shop gift card by Fed Ex today, and now I can go purchase five General Mills items, use our re-useable shopping bag (which we got from Marshall’s, shhh, don’t tell Stop & Shop), and we will be entered to win one of two hybrid cars.

The promotion starts on April 16, 2010. We will be getting Cheerios, Kix, Yogurt, Nature Valley Nut Clusters and MORE YOGURT. LOL. Kids eat it every, single day!

Now the fact is, you can participate at your local Stop & Shop from April 16-29, 2010. You can either purchase 5 General Mills Brand items from the two lists below, OR just go and fill out an entry form at your local Stop & shop store. Two Hybrid cars are going to be given away. For details about the sweepstakes, see in-store for complete rules.

I’m just lucky enough to have my Gift Card now so I can go buy some items that we need already and be automatically entered to win. For those who want to enter the car giveaway at your local Stop & Shop by shopping for 5 products, here are the two lists (one for each week of the promo) of products you can purchase to get your automatic entry:

Week 1 (April 16-22):

Cascadian Farms Cereal

Cascadian Farms Frozen Veggies

Progresso Light, Reduced Sodium & High Fiber Soups

Betty Crocker Specialty Potatoes

Betty Crocker Boxed Muffins

Betty Crocker Cookie Pouch

Nature Valley Crunchy, Sweet & Salty, Trail Mix & Yogurt Bars

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters

General Mills Fiber One Chewy Bars

Betty Crocker Gushers, Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot or Fruit Rollups

Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers

Yo-Plus, Yoplait Fiber One or Yoplait Delights Multi Pack

Yoplait Original, Light, Thick & Creamy, or Whips

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits

Totino’s Pizza Rolls 90ct.

Cheerios 18 oz.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch 24.9 oz.

Honey Nut Cheerios 25.5 oz.

Kix 18 oz.

Lucky Charms 24 oz.

Multigrain Cheerios 16.2 oz.

Week 2 (April 23-29):

Cascadian Farms Cereal

Green Giant Veggies

Nature Valley Crunchy or Sweet & Salty Granola Bars

Green Giant Boxed Veggies or Prepared Veggies, Simple Steam Seasoned Veggies or Rices

Green Giant Wanchai Ferry Entrees

Yoplait Frozen Smoothies

Totino’s Pizza Rolls

Pillsbury Savorings

Fiber One Muffins

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Pillsbury Sweet Rolls

Yoplait Greek Style Yogurt

Yoplait Kid Multi Pack

Cheerios 14 oz.

Cocoa Puffs 16.5 oz.

Honey Nut Cheerios 17 oz.

Lucky Charms 16 oz.

Multigrain Cheerios 12.8 oz.

Reeses Peanut Butter Puffs 18 oz.

Don’t forget to check out our coupon database for savings & printable coupons on participating products.

**If you are not willing to provide your name, address and phone number, please do not enter this contest. All are needed once I choose a winner—I have to enter them into a form so you can get your gift card sent to you from MyBlogSpark.

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Related posts:

1. Shop for a Cure
2. How to Stop Shopping Momentum in its Tracks
3. Shop Early and Save

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