Winner of the $25 Amazon Gift Card Announced!

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winner of Thrifty Momma Ramblings Countdown to Christmas $25 Amazon gift card giveaway. My bed was oh so warm and snug, and I didn't want to get out of it. Hey at least I'm honest. I have already emailed the lucky winner so check your email and junk folder. Without further delay, the winner is.....................J Billiris!!! Congratulations on winning and again check your email.

I want to thank everyone for entering this giveaway. I'm so happy to have so many people who stop by and read my little ole blog. I have big, big, BIG plans for it next year. Keep coming back as there will be more giveaways next year as well as other great changes to this blog. I have officially finished my shopping as of yesterday. All presents have been wrapped, and some were already exchanged. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! If you don't celebrate it, then just insert your holiday name instead.

Thrifty Momma Ramblings Countdown To Christmas $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

I'm making my list and checking it twice...Thrifty Momma Ramblings is hosting another giveaway!!! {naturally sung to Santa is coming to town}

I promised my readers one more gift card giveaway before Christmas. I know all of my readers and followers are on Santa's nice list. I am giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner in time to use before Christmas. I am not promising what you buy will arrive in time before Christmas. I don't own a sleigh or any flying reindeer. I will email the code before Christmas. Think of it as a buy what you really wanted but didn't get for Christmas gift.


GIVEAWAY RULES:
Just leave me a comment telling me if you have started your Christmas shopping or not. I would love to read more than thanks or you rock! I already know I rock. This giveaway is only open to US residents 18+ please. Make sure you leave your email in your comment. Only one entry per person or email address please. I am including extra entries so check below. The lucky winner will be pulled by Random dot org.

The giveaway will end on December 23rd at 11:59 PM CST! Again only open to the US. Please no anonymous posters. Thank you. No purchase necessary.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
2 Extra Entriess- Blog about this drawing on your blog linking back to this post. Leave me a comment with the link that I can follow and see it.
1 Extra Entry- Subscribe to my email list located at the top right hand side below header.
1 Extra Entry- Retweet this contest or follow me on Twitter (You can do both but you only get credit for one.)
1 Extra Entry- Follow my page on Facebook or Share on your wall (You can do both but you only get credit for one.)

Earn Money While Christmas Shopping

If you aren't taking advantage of reward programs, then you are missing out on free money. I don't mean doing offers where you have to pay like trials, but just for doing the things you already do like shopping or reading emails. You can do those offers especially if it's for something you will use. I have taken advantage of deals where I wanted to try a new service and then I earned points on top of it like Netflix. Many banks have reward programs on their checking accounts and credit cards. I bank with Capital One and earn over 10,000-20,000 points yearly for banking. Some cable companies are offering reward programs. I have a Charter bundle package and I also earn points with their reward program. I don't know if all cable or phone companies offer reward programs. I would check and most are free to sign-up.

I'm part of several reward programs like My Points, Big Crumbs, and now Ebates. I received a $15 bonus for signing up with Ebates. I had to spend $50 online before Christmas. I already made the requirement since I had certain presents to buy that I could only find online. I love to snag deals online as well as in the stores. I spent $60 yesterday on presents and will receive double rewards since it was Cyber Monday. I also use My Points when shopping and it just depends on who is offering the better deal. I can't cash out my Ebates since I just joined. I want to share with you the other rewards I'm getting to use for Christmas shopping. I love using these programs which really helps to lower my Christmas expenses. What are you waiting for and start earning rewards while you shop! I know there are many reward programs available, but these are the ones I have used and know have been around for many years. I am looking into Swagbucks.

• Charter- $25 gift card and $10 gift card
• Capital One- $50 gift card, $25 gift card, and $10 gift card
• My Points- $25 gift card and $10 gift card
  
• Grand Total- $155 in rewards= FREE MONEY!

Black Friday is Coming!

Yes it's that wonderful time of the year again where you begin to make those infamous Black Friday plans. It's just as important, if not more important, than your Thanksgiving Day plans. I'm actually getting a bit of a late start on making my plans. This year I already promised myself one store fighting the crowds. The rest of my shopping will be done online.

Yes I will be shopping at Wal-Mart which I know many people hate this particular store. I have my eye on a few items like the sheets, jeans for hubby, video games, and a couple of toys. I haven't had to deal with any stampeding crowds since Wal-Mart has always let people in before opening the pallets. So people would crowd around the hot items they wanted, and many were very friendly by handing out the stuff to others around them. The electronics department would hand out coupons, but I have yet to buy any big items like tv's, video game systems, or such. I mainly hit the bedding, clothes, and toys on sale plus any dvd's and games. Many times I could still find everything I wanted on sale the next day and not fight any crowds. I get what I want and get out. The older the kids are getting, then the less toys I need to buy. I give out more gift cards to my nieces as they prefer Itunes and such.

If you haven't already seen the ads, which I'm sure the avid shoppers already have, there are a couple of good websites to see the ad scans. I am not getting paid for this post, and these are sites I have bookmarked for every Black Friday. One site is BFads and the other site I frequent is Black Friday Info. Happy shopping and remember that nothing for sale is worth hurting someone else over. Be courteous as everyone is just trying to save a buck.

Winner of the $50 Gift Card Giveaway!

First I would like to thank everyone who entered. I was not expecting this big of a response to my little ole giveaway and I feel honored to have generated such a buzz! Again thank you to all the posters who made this a big success in my opinion. I do have more giveaways lined up in the near future plus many posts on saving money, generating a little extra money, and such. Please keep coming back and visiting my blog. I really appreciate the comments and sharing with others.

So without further delay, the winner of the Get a Jumpstart on Christmas Shopping $50 Gift Card Giveaway! is..............drumroll....................Maggie at Tethered Mommy! Congratulations Maggie and I have emailed you and she has received my email. I am so excited you won and she already picked the card of her choice! I used Random.org to pick the winner of this giveaway. Thanks again to everyone who responded and I appreciate the support.

Get a Jumpstart on Christmas Shopping with a $50 Gift Card Thrifty Momma Ramblings Giveaway!

Christmas is right around the corner so Thrifty Momma Ramblings is hosting a $50 gift card giveaway for one lucky reader to get a jumpstart on Christmas shopping! You can be totally selfish and use it for yourself if you choose. I will post the list of stores you can choose from for your gift card. The rules are super easy and this contest will end on Sunday, November 6th at 11:59 PM CST. So basically midnight. The winner will be announced on the blog the following day and I use Random.org to pull the lucky winner by number.

Giveaway Rules:
To enter this drawing all you have to do is leave a comment about how you would spend the $50 gift card if you won. As I said, you could use it on holiday shopping, regift to someone else, or use it on yourself. No anonymous posters please. You don't have to have a blog but leave your name at least in the comment. All anonymous poster comments will be deleted. I hope you enjoy the giveaway. This giveaway is only open to United States (US) Residents! Only one entry per comment, but and I have included a a couple of extra ways to earn more entries.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
2 Extra Entriess- Blog about this drawing on your blog linking back to this post. Leave me a comment with the link that I can follow and see it.
1 Extra Entry- Subscribe to my email list located at the top right hand side below header.
1 Extra Entry- Retweet this contest or follow me on Twitter (You can do both but you only get credit for one.)
1 Extra Entry- Follow my page on Facebook or Share on your wall (You can do both but you only get credit for one.)

Stop reading already and leave your comment for your chance to get a jumpstart on Christmas shopping with a $50 to one of the following stores of your choice. Thanks so much to all my readers. I wouldn't have much of a blog without you guys. Good luck!

$50 Gift Card List:
1) Wal-Mart
2) Target
3) Amazon (online)
4) CVS
5) Walgreen's
6) Best Buy
7) Rite-Aid
8) Itunes

$25 GC Winner Announced!

I'm sorry this is a little late today, but I got busy with some other jobs I was doing. Then I spent the day with my favorite little man and it was a lot of fun. I just wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful comments. I enjoyed reading them all, and will be doing more giveaways very soon. I have a couple lined up so I'm hoping to have them posted early next week. I used Random Org to pull the winner. Drum roll please.........................Julieh (honeypie411) is the big winner. Congratulations! I sent her an email, but if she doesn't see it for some reason then please let me know which store you would like the $25 gift card for. Again thanks so much to all my readers and I hope you keep coming back for more posts about your favorite topics. The main topic of course is saving money, but I am really enjoying writing about my weight loss journey. I will keep sharing as I progress.

Get a Free Picture Canvas

Here is a great offer that I am getting and wanted to share. Canvas People is offering a free $55 Gift Certificate to redeem one free 8x10 canvas of your favorite digital picture. You do have to pay $14.95 shipping and handling but this is a great savings! You can order a frame for it as well, but I'm going to frame it myself since I already have a perfect one at home. This site is really cool. You can add special effects to the canvas. I think this is a great gift idea for anyone. Why not use a vacation picture which would make a great memory for hanging on the wall. This deal is also a great gift idea for grandparents. I'm buying one for my husband as a surprise gift so I can't get into more details just to be safe. He really doesn't read my blog but you never know. If you would like to browse or take advantage of this great deal then just click either on the picture above or click here to go to Canvas People. Enjoy this great deal.

$25 GC Celebrating TMR's Second Birthday!

I have been so behind on posting that I totally missed my 2 year anniversary. On 5/14/10 Thrifty Momma Ramblings celebrated it's second year! This is huge news! It's such huge news that I decided to give a $25 gift card to one lucky reader! I have a list of the following stores that the winner can choose to spend their $25 gift card. This drawing will end on June 30th at midnight CST. The winner will be announced on the blog the following day.

To enter this drawing all you have to do is leave a comment about my blog. It could be about why do you like, a favorite post, or whatever that is relevant to my blog. No anonymous posters please. You don't have to have a blog but leave your name at least. I'm planning to post some really great content for this blog like more reviews and giveaway's. I will also discuss my weight loss journey as I continue down this path. I've met some really great people and am enjoying writing this blog. I can't wait to see what this year will bring. Thanks so much to all my readers. I wouldn't have much of a blog without you guys.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
2 Extra Entries- Blog about this drawing on your blog linking back to this post. Leave me a comment with the link that I can follow and see it.
1 Extra Entry- Subscribe to my email list located at the top right hand side below header.

A list of the stores you can select your gift card from is listed below. Good luck!

1) Wal-Mart
2) Target
3) Amazon (online)
4) CVS
5) Walgreen's
6) Best Buy
7) Rite-Aid
8) Blockbuster
9) Academy
10) Michael's or Hobby Lobby

The Free Christmas Spending Challenge

So you are probably wondering what is a free Christmas spending challenge. It's a challenge that I'm doing this year to pay for Christmas with our pocket change and the things I get for free. This includes gift certificates I redeem from My Points and other reward programs. I am also using the change we've saved in a jar. I normally use this money to pay for presents for our family like DVD movies and games. This year we are on a tight budget like most people so I decided to spend less. I can still give nice and thoughtful gifts without spending a fortune.

I give gifts to around 30 people which includes my family, hubby's, teachers, mail lady, and such. My hubby and I aren't exchanging any presents this year unless I can score some great deals on DVD movies and/or games, but I'm not holding my breath. I also buy items for gift baskets that I get for free or almost free. I get lots of compliments on my gift baskets from my friends and family. I have Tupperware left from in my inventory that I will give as gifts. I do plan on making homemade treats this year like chocolate covered mint patties, peanut butter balls and fudge.

I already have several gift certificates saved up. I redeemed 2 $10 Subway gift cards and a $10 Chili from My Coke Rewards. I just ordered another $10 Chili gc so I plan on giving those 2 to a couple. I'm hoping to get the Snow White blu-ray DVD combo pack that will be on sale at Wal-Mart on Tuesday for $9.96 plus tax after I use the $10 off coupon I printed. That will make another wonderful gift. I also got stainless steel water bottles on clearance. I just requested a $50 check from my bank since I use a free checking rewards program. I am getting a $25 CVS gc from My Points which I will use to help pay for the great deals I'm getting. I also did the CVS Monsters vs Aliens deal this past week. I paid $6 for that movie which is a great stocking stuffer for my son. My son's Christmas and Birthday is already paid for with all those Bionicle Legos we scored last October so click here to read about that great deal. I'm glad we saved them so that is a huge help to our Christmas budget. I found a couple more gifts I had bought but didn't give them last year. I have a bad habit of forgetting what I buy people earlier in the year, and then buy something else when it gets closer to Christmas. I will report back and update my Christmas spending challenge especially when it gets closer to Christmas.

I Can't Believe I Won!

I posted last week about the $50 Amazon giveaway that World of Mom was hosting on her blog, and I was the lucky winner! It was a great way to start my Thanksgiving Day. I have to give her a big THANK YOU and, I had a lot of fun spending it today. I was able to buy several great DVD movies that I wanted but was too cheap to buy. I rarely win anything so this was a wonderful surprise and I'm still smiling.

Win a $50 Amazon GC at World of Mom!

I was visiting my friend at World of Mom and she is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate! This is perfect and just in time for the holidays and Black Friday. The rules are also extremely easy and it's open to everyone. Just create a post on your blog linking back to her post (1 entry per blog), and then fill in the form with your name and site url. Also leave a comment on the post. That's all there is to it. I told you it was easy. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 26th, which is the day before Thanksgiving. Good luck and I know that I would love to use the gc to buy some video games.

Click Here for $50 Amazon Giveaway

BoomerTowne Bites the Dust!

I have been meaning to blog about this for a couple of weeks, but it does seem that BoomerTowne has shut down for good. I had $300 in pending gift cards that I will never see which is sad. I knew something was wrong when it was August, and the May rewards were still pending. I'm sorry to everyone I referred that wasted their time and will never get their reward. They were sending them out prior to May, otherwise, I would never joined in the first place. It's very upsetting when a site just disappears in the night and no message or warning. I did send an email to the company that was in charge of rewards but this is the reply I received below.

Thank you for your e-mail.

While Laughlin/Constable was hired by the owner to develop and maintain certain aspects of the site, Laughlin/Constable does not own the site; was never responsible for any aspect of the points program; and no longer is working with the owner or manager of the site.

The owner has not returned our calls and has not left us with forwarding information.

Regards,

Paul

Marketing Your Business

There are many great ways to market your business like the more obvious business cards, but there are also other creative ways. You could give away personalized pens, magnets, shirts, hats, or even calenders. I even had some calender magnets made to give to return customers. I was also thinking of handing out punch cards. For each customer that buys $25, then they would get a punch. After the card was filled, they can receive $25 gift certificate or Tupperware of that value. It would be a great way to stand out from the crowd.

$50 Gas Card Drawing Ends on Labor Day!

The drawing ends on Monday Labor Day at midnight CST. All US residents can play. The top prize is a $50 Gas Card. Don't get left out of this great drawing. You can read the post by clicking on it below.

Click Here

Win a Free Laptop

I have my cable, internet, and phone service all bundled with Charter. I have just one bill a month, and they provide me with wonderful service. I find their internet service to be very fast and reliable. I was paying almost $80 a month just for telephone service with BellSouth. Now I get all the same extras and unlimited long distance for only $30. I also have my bill drafted each month which is even more convenient.



Right now is a great time to order any new service from Charter. They are offering a great promotion called Charter Laptop-a-Day Giveaway. This is only for online orders and all the offers are listed on the page. You will receive a Shell gas card valued up to $100, and automatically entered to win a HP Compaq Presario C770US Laptop! They are giving away 30 laptops in 30 days. This would be a great laptop to either keep for yourself or give to one of your kids for back to school. This is a really great deal, and go to the page to read more about the offers and rules. All the specifications of the laptop is also listed on the page. If you need a new service, then why not get paid with free gas!

Only 2 Weeks Left!

Don't forget there are only 2 weeks left to enter the Tupperware Drawing. I have several entries already so don't miss out on these great prizes!

Top Prize- $50 Gas Card to Texaco, Shell, Exxon, or Chevron
2nd Prize- $25 Tupperware E-Gift Certificate to my site
3rd Prize- $10-15 Retail value of bowls

Again the ways to enter are as follows:

1 Entry- For every $25 you spend. Spend $100+ and I'll give you an extra entry. Instead of 4 then you would get 5 for $100+ order.

1 Entry- Open an Online Gift Registry. If someone buys you an item from your registry, then I'll give you 1 more entry. We have Wedding, Baby, and more.

1 Entry- Open an Online Party. You can invite anyone in the 48 US States by email. For every order you receive, then I'll give you 1 more entry.

2 Entries- For each person that opens an online party of their own from yours. They must mention your name, and you must have an active online party to get the entries.

5 Entries- For signing up as a Tupperware Consultant. Email me at the top if interested that says under Contact Me. We have a new consultant bonus when joining.

1 Entry- Write a 50 word post on your blog about my Tupperware Drawing. You can copy/paste the prizes and please link to the this url= http://www.thriftymommaramblings.com/2008/08/enter-great-tupperware-drawing.html
Just leave a comment or email me with a link to the post on your blog.

This drawing ends ends at 12AM CST on Labor Day, September 1st 2008. The drawing will be held the following day, and all winners will be posted here. Click on the catalog either at the top or the text link below to enter. Good luck!

Direct Link to My Tupperware Site

Shopping for Golf Equipment?

Golf is a relaxing sport that many men really enjoy playing. Even more women have started playing. There is a great website called, TheWorldofGolf.com or TWOG.com, for all your golf equipment needs. They have great name brands. Spend $50 or more to receive Free Ground Shipping. If you aren't sure what to buy, then just give them a gift card to the site. It's never to early to start planning your Christmas shopping.

Enter the Great Tupperware Drawing!

I'm sorry this is going up so late tonight. It's been a hectic day. As promised here is the post that has all the details regarding the drawing. Drumroll.......

This drawing lasts for the rest of the month of August. It ends at 12AM CST on Labor Day, September 1st 2008. The drawing will be held the following day on Tuesday. All winners will be notified through email so please give me one that won't go to your spam folder. I will also post the first names here on the blog!

Top Prize is a $50 Gas Card to the following gas stations: Texaco, Shell, Exxon, or Chevron
2nd Prize is a $25 Tupperware GC to my site
3rd Prize is a Bowl Set retailing for $10-15

Finally here are the ways to earn entries:

1 Entry- For every $25 you spend. Spend $100+ and I'll give you an extra entry. Instead of 4 then you would get 5 for $100+ order.

1 Entry- Open an Online Gift Registry. If someone buys you an item from your registry, then I'll give you 1 more entry. We have Wedding, Baby, and more.

1 Entry- Open an Online Party. You can invite anyone in the 48 US States by email. For every order you receive, then I'll give you 1 more entry.

2 Entries- For each person that opens an online party of their own from yours. They must mention your name, and you must have an active online party to get the entries.

5 Entries- For signing up as a Tupperware Consultant. Email me at the top if interested that says under Contact Me. We have a new consultant bonus when joining.

1 Entry- Write a 50 word post on your blog about my Tupperware Drawing. You can copy/paste the prizes and please link to the this url= http://www.thriftymommaramblings.com/2008/08/enter-great-tupperware-drawing.html
Just leave a comment or email me with a link to the post on your blog.

So now you are wondering how do I get to your Tupperware site? You can click on my Tupperware Banner to the right side. I also have a banner and link below. Good luck! My tupperware site url is: http://my.tupperware.com/BCLAUSE so if you see that name, then you are on my site when shopping.


Direct Link to My Tupperware Site

$50 Gas Card Drawing Starts Tomorrow!

I'm a little later than promised but the drawing will run the whole month of August and last day will be Labor Day. Then the drawing will be held the next day on Tuesday September 2nd.

I changed the top prize to a $50 Gas Card! The 2nd prize will be a $25 Tupperware GC to my store, and 3rd prize will be a bowl set retailing for $10-15. So 3 people will win, and all the details will be given tomorrow on how to earn entries into the drawing. I hope everyone is as excited as I am! I changed the top prize since the gas prices are so expensive. The winner will be able to choose from a Chevron, Exxon, Texaco, or Shell card.