Discounts, FREEBIES and the Daily Deals

Hi!
I am having too much FUN saving money and thought that I should post some of the websites I have been using.  "Daily Deals" have exploded over the internet since "Black Friday 2010".  These websites are location specific.  There are many other websites that have a daily deal...

The standard savings seems to be 50% off.  I've recently bought baseball tickets, paddle board rentals, Old Navy gift cards and almost a "couples cruise".   Some sites also lists freebies such as renting free Blockbuster movies.

The only "catch" is that the deals are available for a limited time only, sometimes only a day or two.  That means a constant check to your e-mail account.  And you need access to a printer because the redeemable vouchers need to be printed out.

I HIGHLY recommend setting up a separate designated (junk mail) account through msn, yahoo or Gmail.  This way you can quickly scan for daily deals and bulk "delete" your expired e-mail deals.

I also ALWAY look carefully at the return address from any "coupon" or "freebie" or "auction" sites to see if it matches up with the company on the e-mail.  If not I "spam" or "junk it".  There are many unscrupulous people out there trying to scam or solicit you.  So be careful not to reply to them.  Once you do, they have your e-mail and will send you All kind of junk mail or worse things.

Have fun!!!  (The websites are set for Seattle but you can easily switch it for any location.  Maybe where you might be traveling for vacation or a weekend sport trip.)

Coupon Deals Daily
Groupon
Urban Dealight
Good Shop  (This is part of Good Search where you sign up for a charity and they get a donation for every search you do.  Great way to support schools or a  favorite local charity.  They have so many stores that it's almost worthwhile to check this out before you go shopping. )

Ooops, I ran out of time.  I was going to add some of the couponing websites I use.  Maybe in a later blog or you can hunt the web for your own sites.

Anne

Posterity - Fels Naphtha Soap!

I thought I'd do a posterity blog this morning... 

WHY?  It is wisdom for the future...the passing on of knowledge to future generations.  Little things that made life easier for your grandmother, her best friend or mom that they learned through the course of their many years experiencing the daily "grind" of life.  Sure you can look up info on the internet or read books but these are my personal "hints of wisdom" or products that I would personally like to pass along to my friends and children....

Fels Naptha  soap.  Ah, I can see some of you smile when you read that name!!!  Memories flood of horrible, dirty stains that refuses to be removed...until attacked by that humble bar of soap!  Voila, a few good rubs on a damp shirt, a few scrubs and the stain is gone.  Fels Naptha is nothing short of a miracle soap.  It's a basic heavy duty bar of soap that one can use for day old blood stains, baby spit up stains, "ring around the collar" stains, grass stains, berry stains, juice stains and the list goes on and on.

My Original Fels-Naphtha Bar!

For you young'ums, this is called a washboard

I still have the original bar that I bought decades ago!!!  I bought it at QFC whenit was difficult to find.... but with the internet you can search  and  find "Dial Corporation 5.5Oz Fels-Naptha Bar 4303 Laundry Pretreaters" on Amazon for 50 cents!!!  OR call your local hardware store to purchase a bar for your "dirt patrol" arsenal as well as another bar to give away to a newly wed bride or a new mom! 

I'd love to hear about more posterity hints or products from you.  What have you learned through the school of life that you'd love to pass along to others.  You can either e-mail me or leave a comment.   Anne

Oregon Grape Blossoms - Yummy!

Blossoms ready to pick

Oregon Grape BUDs soon to bloom.

Did you know that the yellow blossoms of the Oregon Grape plants are edible?  The freshly picked blossoms have a tangy, slightly tart taste and a crunchy texture. They are delicious by itself or tossed in a fresh vegetable salad.   These blossoms may also be cooked.  You can stir fry the blossoms until the stems are soft or strip them off the stem using only the blossoms.

Although it's a bit late in the season, you might still find some freshly bloomed blossoms in the higher cooler elevations.

The video below is my first attempt at posting a video.  Sorry it is sideways, I could not figure out how to rotate it....I hope it doesn't give you a kinked neck..

Fiddle Heads Part 2: The Harvest

Chuck's Fiddle Head 5K walk.

Soaking in water.

Cut and cooked fiddle heads ready to put in jars.

The handful made 4 canning jars of processed fiddle heads!

It's not too late to gather fiddle heads.  Chuck took me for a 3 mile walk this Wednesday and I picked an armload of these fern shoots.  I wrapped them up in damp newspapers and put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator to be processed the next day!  It will take me about a week to complete the processing and then the fern shoots will be edible.   I love tossing them into stirfry or making them Korean style.  These can be used like regular fern shoots.

Photo updates: Rhubarb, peas & arugula

Arugala is May started in egg cartons.

Rhubarb plant with deer netting.

Peas...hopefully the deer and slugs won't eat them.

Rhubarb in May...It's going to be difficult not picking any this year!

Here are some updated photos of topics in earlier blogs.  You can see how the plants have grown..
My next blog will be Fiddle Heads Part 2: The Harvest.

Basic Emergency Preparedness

Hah! and I thought Spring was here... what a teaser having a hot Friday and Saturday. ...sigh.  So here's a different topic in honor of weather.....

Winter freezes, floods and other extreme weather have people talking about future food prices, Home Preparedness and Food Storage.  Hopefully you have "3 Day - 72 hour" survival kits  in your house and vehicle containing the basics...water, food, medical, emergency blanket and such.  Information on "How to put a kit together" is readily available in the phone book, on the web and throughout the community...

Learn proper storage techniques

Once the 3 Day kits are assembled, have you considered thinking more long term preparedness?  How long would your current supply of food last?  If you are contemplating a 6, 9 or 12 months storage of food for the first time, I would suggest  Making the Best of Basics by James Talmage Stevens.  It is full of practical information.

Only store what your family is willing to eat.

"Store what you eat, Eat what you store, 

Use it or Lose it." 

When shopping in WinCo the other day, I noticed 2 and 5 gallon containers, screw top lids (the best and easiest lid to use), bucket openers and oxy packets for sale.  It is very interesting to see these products available in a grocery store rather than only through specialty Food Storage suppliers.
 Some benefits of proper preparedness and food storage include...saving money (buy bulk products when they are on sale), peace of mind (There are no emergencies for those who are prepared) and convenience (No need to make that midnight drive to the grocery store) as well as being able to entertain unexpected company or help a neighbor.  As you prepare to store your bulk food, my greatest word of wisdom is to use Common Sense 101!!!

Here are 2 fun links to stores that I've used: Lehmans , Azure Standard 

Contact me if you for questions about food storage basics. 

Spring Blossoms

I think Spring has finally arrived at TCO!  Weather is predicted to move into the 60's this week. 

Returning from vacation, I was greeted by returning swallows and an orchard of blossoms....

Asian Pear Blossoms

Pear Blossoms

Plum blossoms

Cherry Blossoms