This Giveaway is Now Closed! Winners have been contacted.

Who doesn’t love a good chicken dinner? Even better if it’s free, right?

GIVEAWAY: I have a $10.00 Gold’n Plump Chicken coupon to give away to one lucky reader. Gold’n Plump has graciously offered to provide a $10 coupon good for any Gold’n Plump product. For those couponers out there, it’s a manufacturers coupon with no expiration date. How cool is that?

With the grilling season upon us, Gold’n Plump Chicken is the perfect solution for a fast, easy, and delicious meal. If you haven’t followed them on Facebook yet, don’t wait. I love the information they post, and it’s one of my favorite fan pages. Gold’n Plump has helped sponsor and promote BLEND: Better Living, Exercise and Nutrition Daily events in Central, MN which elevates them in my book!

I cook with Gold’n Plump chicken all the time, and love their ground chicken which I blogged about in my Chili Recipe, Chinese Chicken Dumplings Recipe, and Chicken Enchilada Recipe.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Step 1: Simply leave a comment (and your email) below to be entered in a random drawing for the $10.00 coupon. If we reach 100 comments, I’ll ask Gold’n Plump if they’d be willing to send more coupons. That means you need to share this with your friends and family.

Step 2: When you refer others, tell them to mention your name in their comments and the person who refers the most people will win $10 Gift Card to Cashwise! Compliments of me, Confessions of a Mom.

Are you feeling lucky? The winner will be randomly selected on Saturday, July 23rd at 11:59pm. Good luck!

This is a guest post by One Girl Ideas; read her full bio at the end of this post.

I just found out about a neat event at Online Trading Academy in Minneapolis. They’re hosting a women’s only trading seminar with professional trader Debbie Hague (and Mom of 6) on April 29th from 9:30 – 2:30. On top of a yummy Greek lunch, you’ll learn the ins and outs of short-term investment tactics – like the pro traders but not the risky stuff. And the best part is…you don’t need a huge portfolio to get started. Learn how to make an extra $100 a day…or more if you’re really into it. Really, you don’t have to be a mom but this is a WOMEN ONLY EVENT.
You’ll learn:

• How to apply a pragmatic, effective investment methodology consistently makes money
• How to short the market and use other tactics, just like the pro traders
• How to avoid expenses and mistakes that can reduce your earnings
• How to make money regardless of market conditions without making risky moves

Who Should Attend

• Busy moms who want to make money from home without losing their freedom
• Active investor moms and women who want to take their trading to the next level by learning the secrets of the pros
• Women who want to make more money from their portfolio and control their Financial destiny!

You can get a FREE pass to the event here. Or call 952-814-4410 or email Minneapolis at tradingacademy dot com for more information.

Here’s the contest information:
If you tweet this:
Are you going to the Mom Trader event on the 29th? http://bit.ly/i1hWrN #momtrader
You’ll be entered to win a free Proactive Investor Class at Online Trading Academy in Minneapolis. Remember, this is only good for the Minneapolis location!
One Girl Ideas: I for one like to think outside the box! That’s what inspires me. It generates BUZZ, THOUGHT and CREATIVITY. Finding the Next Best Thing, Ideas, Latest Trend or Gadget is what gets me up in the morning and never lets me sleep at night. There is never a dull moment around me; I am constantly on the move! I’m a Creative thinker, Super Crafter of Many Projects, Mom Blogger Wanna-Be, Social Media Junkie, Geek Girl who loves to ride my snowmobile and ATV! But most important I am a Wife, Proud MOM to my Teenage Son and 2 of his Friends who have become my sons also and not to forget my Diva Bulldog Diesel! You can visit her blog, find her on Facebook, and follower her on Twitter.

I am so excited. I found out that Pamida is offering to triple coupons two days a week through the month of November! It’s no secret I’m frugal, and I love extreme couponing. Therefore, it’s no wonder why this bit of news has me running for my coupons and scissors. Last week I did a trial run and scored some really good deals. Now that I have a feel for the store, the brands they carry, and how the process works, I’m excited to give it another try.

Here’s my step-by-step guide for finding great deals at Pamida:

1. Go to Pamida.com and search for a store near you. Obviously, if there isn’t one in your area within an hour’s driving distance, this probably won’t be a good deal for you. Unless, of course, you are planning to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday. Then search the locations near your travel route. Where there is a will, there is a way!
2. Next, pull up the current ad for sales. Go through your coupons to match up with sales items.
3. Keep in mind that you’ll want to find the highest value coupon for each item that does not exceed $1.00 Pamida will only triple $1.00 coupons or less, so your best savings will be in your $1.00 coupons.
4. Next, be aware there is a 3 “like” coupon limit per transaction. (Yes, you can leave the store and go back in for another transaction) You can only buy three products with the same coupon, but you can use one coupon for each.
5. The cashier will triple the coupons when you check out, but it will be your job to watch this closely, help when needed, and review your receipt before leaving the store.
6. You can get lots of free items, but only up to the price of the item. Therefore if an item costs $2.75 and you have a $1.00 coupon to be tripled, you will not make $.25 on this transaction. Sorry~ BUT the item will be free. Yeah!
7. Look through your coupons for items that may not be on sale, but might end up being free or very cheap anyway.

Last week I got 3 packs of wipes for free, 3 boxes of Triscuit crackers for free, and very low cost toothpaste, Planters nuts, and salsa.

Triple coupon days are every Sunday and Monday through November. Their sales ads seem to run Wednesday through Tuesday. You may go more than once. I’ve already written out my shopping list for this next week’s run to Pamida, where I plan to get lots more great deals. Please leave your questions or coupon success stories here. I’d love to hear from you.

photo credit: MissMessie

It has occurred to me that not everyone is aware of the site TotallyTarget.com, because not long ago I had no idea it existed. I love checking it for good deals, clearance items, and coupon help.

Don’t have a Target in your area? I still use it for coupon ideas, and I have actually found better deals at Cashwise, EconoFoods, or Walmart with the same coupons/product saving ideas.

Just today I got tons of free and nearly free items, including all the Rolaids our family could possibly use in a long time, lotion, shampoo, and deodorant. I was bummed that the clearance Jello that would have cost about 11 cents were gone when we got there, but we still got some great deals.

Do you have a site you absolutely love that helps you save money and find good deals? Please share it with us.

photo credit: dno1967

I promised to blog about a recent couponing class I took in my own town, Hutchinson, MN. I have been very interested in learning more about how those “crazy” women do it that I see on the news. You know the stories; $200 of groceries for $1.57 or some amazingly small amount.

I have also been watching other moms who blog about coupons and savings, but it all seemed overwhelming and quite frankly, incoherent for me.

I am happy to say that the couponing class was amazing, and I learned a ton. This is MY version of what I learned and what I feel is key to saving massive amounts on groceries.

1. It’s not about shopping sales or using coupons. It’s about finding as many “match-ups” as possible. This means that you look for sales or price cuts of items, find store coupons, and manufacturing coupons for the same product. Then buy as many products as possible.

• For Example, this week Cashwise had cereal on sale 4 boxes for $10. They then offered an “in store” coupon for 4 boxes for $6. Then I found manufacturers coupons for each of the four boxes I had to buy to meet the requirements, and I paid less than $3 for 4 boxes.

2. It is really important to get to know your local options rather than focus on what you don’t have in town. In my town, my options are Cashwise, Econo Foods, Target, Walmart, and Shopko. I have found very good deals at each one. I use the weekly ad/sale, as well as websites that announce sales. I then work to find manufacturer coupons for those deals, and again stock up on as many as I can.

• For Example, this week Target had a temporary price cut on band-aids. They also offered Target Coupons, and I found manufacturer coupons, so that when I left the store with $14 worth of stuff, I paid $1.98. If you factor in that I used a gift card that I earned on a previous shopping match-up, I paid nothing.

3. Buy more than one Sunday newspaper on Saturday. The inserts are in there, the newspaper is cheaper when it’s an early edition, and the more coupons you have the better the deals later.

4. Find some other people willing to do this with you and share their “finds”. We started a local couponing group and now I get an email or Facebook post about a local find.

• For Example, a friend told me about a recently clearance cart of salad dressing at Cashwise and pointed out that we all have multiple $1 coupons that make it free, after purchase.

5. Use Facebook and follow blogs for immediate notice of offers. This week I was online when two great offers came through. Many have a time limit or a print limit, so you have to use the tools available to you to get in on the deals.

6. Organizing is key. I have chosen to organize my coupons by subject. I have been able to do very fast match-ups this way, but most couponing sites like TotallyTarget.com will reference publish dates (i.e. Sunday paper they came out in)

Do you have some additional tips you can share? Maybe something doesn’t make sense. Please share your thoughts. I’ll help if I can. I am new at this and have plenty to learn.

photo credit: MissMessie

Minnesota’s Hometown Hero, Lindsay Whalen is back in Minnesota and playing for the Lynx. This has Hutchinson natives and residents very excited, since Lindsay is originally from Hutchinson, MN where I live.

Lindsay Whalen Day!

What’s more exciting is that Lindsay is coming back for a whole day on Friday, May 7th and bringing with her every conceivable television news station and sports commentator. A caravan of  news trucks, hopefully including ESPN, will be arriving in town to cover the event, as hundreds, if not thousands of people turn out to welcome and cheer for Lindsay! It will be an exciting day for Hutchinson.

Win Tickets: Let’s celebrate! Join Lindsay’s Hutchinson Facebook group, called “Show Your Support-Lindsay Whalen Day -Back in Hutch May 7th. Leave a comment here (or a comment on the related Vivid Image Inc post) that you “Liked” her fan page, along with a valid email address. If you have a fun memory of seeing Lindsay play in Hutch or for the Gophers, leave it in the comments section. One lucky person who has done these steps will be selected at random from the comments section (either here on Confessions of a Mom or Vivid Image Inc ), awarded a pair of FREE Tickets to the Lynx Opener which is on May 16th, and notified via email on May 4th! Winner will have 24 hours to reply to email, or another winner will be chosen.

The events on May 7th are all FREE to attend, so I want to encourage people who are fans of Lindsay’s, fans of the Lynx, love basketball, and/or who are within driving distance of Hutchinson to come join us! There will be a HUGE pep rally with bands, food and fun at the Hutchinson Events Center. The event center parking lot will be roped off for some fun basketball related activities. There’s also an event at Zella’s that evening too.  Lindsay will be attending events and signing autographs. Lynx tickets and memorabilia will be available for purchase, along with Lindsay’s newly available #13 Lynx jersey. This event is sponsored by the Lynx, as well as Zella’s, Hutchinson Leader, KDUZ Radio, and MidCountry Bank of Hutchinson, MN.

A few months ago, I wrote about our family considering switching to an alternative heat source for our Minnesota home. We are convinced that a flex fuel, corn stove is what we want, and our decision to move forward is prompted by three key factors: our current fuel bill,  the projected rise in fuel costs next year, and the money saving opportunties available to families like yours and mine.

Our Current Fuel Bill

I’m sad to say that we currently pay over $800 to fill our gas tank (we live in a rural home), which lasts us two months during the winter season, if we’re lucky. I estimate we spend about $3,000 /year filling our fuel tank.

Breaking News

I welcome all ways to save on heating costs; a relief with the recent news about gas prices. Oil is projected to go up to $100 a barrel, and the tax bill that passed its first hurdle this week, the Cap & Trade Bill-HR 2454, is threatening to raise everyone’s home heating bills by up to 60% this next year! This worries me. A lot.

Earn Free Fuel for a Year

According to American Energy Systems offering this opportunity, your entire fuel bill could be free in 2010 just by referring your friends and family to their website. If they purchase one of their products, you will get a reward check in the mail. Refer 50 friends (and if they buy) that is $2500.00 in YOUR pocket. To get started, fill out the referral section here.

Bonus Tax Credit

Some alternative energy appliances, like flex-fuel stoves qualify for a major tax refund (up to $1,500) making this option very affordable for us. We will be selecting a stove or fireplace that qualifies for this tax credit.

Extra Bonus Heat Savings

Flex-fuel stoves, like the ones that burn corn, often save owners up to 60% on their heating bill. I’ve taken the time to talk to several corn stove owners, who all love their stoves and verify the savings. Any way that I do the math on this one, I calculate that the savings from these three facts (referral reward, tax credit, lower fuel cost) will help us pay for the cost of our stove in a year. The cost of the Magnum Baby Countryside stove we are considering is about $1,800. I would like to have the Magnum Fireplace Insert, but I’m not sure if it will work in our existing gas fireplace spot yet or if it will be enough to heat our entire home like the Baby Countryside. I’m excited for next week, when the owner of American Energy Systems is coming to our house for a visit. I’m even more excited to embark on our journey to use corn to heat our home!

You can follow along on our jouney, as I plan to blog our way into a greener way of heating our home and saving money. Like you, I have more questions than anything about how this will all work. I do know this, we can NOT use popcorn in a corn stove.

This is a great resource for checking where and when kids eat for free at your favorite restaurants. If you are open to any restaurant, as long as it has free kids meals, simply search by zip code for what’s closest to you. The name of the site is Kids Eat For, and I’m planning to use it soon. I’ve actually already done a little searching and planning. Enjoy!

My 10 year old daughter decided she wanted to host a HalloTween party this year. We decided the garage would be the best place, since it’s big and we wouldn’t have to worry about spills, make-up smears, etc. To make it more fun, we decided to decorate the garage to make it creepy (not gross). We dug through the Halloween tote and took out all the saved decorations, lights, and masks that we could use. Then we got creative.

First, we took some black garbage bags and cut them into strips width-wise to create long black streamers which we taped up. We also put blankets up on a clothes wire to separate the “excess garage stuff” in the third stall.

We also used fake spider webbing all over the garage walls. It sticks great to rough plywood, and there’s plenty of nails and other stuff to wrap it around. I also replaced the ceiling light bulbs with red colored bulbs for a creepier look ($4 spent thus far).

We also used white sidewalk chalk to draw spiral patterns all over the garage floor for a really funky-fun look on the dance floor. We borrowed a disco ball from friends so that there will be colored lights twirling by the dance floor. We strung streamers and decorations across the ceiling, right above the dance floor for a festive look.

Next, we brought in all the patio furniture and created a seating area. I found an old white plastic patio table that the kids can all sign and write on during the night.

I moved our electric fireplace out for heat, as it is expected to be very chilly this week. Plus, the flames add extra “creepiness” and the top of the fireplace is a great place to set up the music and speakers. Our friends have another fireplace, which we are going to borrow for a second source of heat and place on the other side of the garage.

I brought in our wood sculpted bear, gave him a cape and a mask, and we have an instant monster by the fire place.

You can’t escape having a large garbage can for plates and candy wrappers, but who wants a plain one? I found an old pair of green tights, stuffed them with plastic bags, and then tied them to the garbage can so it looks like a pair of legs are sticking out. I know the kids are going to get a kick out of this one.

I contemplated putting ruby red slippers on and crushing the legs under our giant bird house with a “wicked witch of the west” sign. I opted for practical, since we needed the garbage can in there and I was running out of room.

Then we raided the adult winter snowsuits, stuffed them with stuffed animals, duct taped some gloves on and we had some more creepy monsters for the garage. Oh, need something to fill out the masks? Use your soccer and volleyballs. They work great!

Next I built a mummy. My daughter and I visited one of those fun, but very expensive Halloween stores for ideas. We loved the mummy, so I decided to make one. I used two giant stuffed dolls my girls had and wrapped them in a white table cloth. I used a rubber band to define the neck/head. Then I wrapped it in toilet paper and used some medical gauze to wrap the head. I used some white spider webbing and added a black spider to the body. I bought a  styrofoam headstone at the dollar store ($1 dollar spent). Then we laid it by the entrance to the garage, which we decorated in a wall of glittery streamers.

Next, we moved the patio table inside, gave it a new table cloth that my friend picked up at a second hand store and donated to the cause! We replaced batteries in the “monster hand” bowl and strobe light which will add extra fun to the dark space. The batteries are definately an expense!

I moved my card table and chairs out, along with a light for a game table area. We put a black lightbulb in the lamp so the cards will glow. (another $4 spent)

We are going to serve decorated cupcakes we made and froze ahead of time, pizza, nachos/dip, and of course, candy. I am going to make a green sherbet and ginger ale punch in my large punch bowl, which we will call chilled slime.

I know these pictures don’t do the space justice. It is much scarier without the light that I needed to take these pictures. So without further adu, here’s the rest of the pictures.

My friend at Grocery Price Blog sent me an email this past Monday reminding me to stop by McDonald’s for my free latte. I thought to myself, yeah, but in rural Hutchinson, MN will they know what I’m even talking about? I decided to put my social networking to the test and drive through McDonald’s on my way to an appointment. According to the email from Grocery Price Blog, there was no purchase necessary. When I pulled up, I asked if I could get a “free Monday latte” and the lady answered “sure, just pull up to the last window and we’ll have it ready”. I happily sipped on my 7 oz free latte as I drove away. Since the offer is done on August 3rd, I thought I’d send this out with a link to the details on my friend’s Grocery Price Blog.