5×7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

I have this horrible love hate relationship with greeting cards. On one hand, I adore them…love sending them, love writing them, love making them and, most of all, love receiving them. Seriously! Writing is a lost art. Whenever I sift through the daily junk mail and catch a glimpse of something hand written, it truly excites me. Being the weirdo that I am, I’ll read of the “other” mail first in order to savor that little bit of ink laden fun.

As for the “hate” part of this relationship…cards cost too much. I hate paying postage (um…billpay…hello?) I hate standing at the store, weaving back and forth through all of the other undecided people , trying to choose between the “I can’t live without you” card or the one that makes a horrible, mechanical fart sound upon opening. In all actuality, I’m probably going to put a cash gift in said card. Wouldn’t it make more sense to just write a small note and add the card expense to your gift…making it a bigger gift and a much happier recipient? Just sayin’…that’s all.

Believe it or not, I do have some social couth. I realize there are times when it’s appropriate to give a nice greeting card. Even then…I don’t want to spend three to six bucks on a folded piece of cardboard possibly topped with a ribbon or some annoying glitter that will just fall off anyway. So…when I find deals like “FIVE FREE 5X7 CARDS FROM SHUTTERFLY”, I jump right on them. Create your personalized cards and enter the code: DADCARD at checkout. All you will pay is shipping and tax (I paid $6.41 total.)  Hurry…this offer ends on June 9th…that’s only a few days away.

Think ahead! Create a few cards that you know you’ll need this summer…eliminate the last minute expense.

Honest Blogger Found Here: I received a monetary gift code for sharing this offer. As always, 100% my opinion.

You can choose multiple photos, change the background color, add a title…and have it printed in about an hour.

What are you waiting for? This deal only lasts through today.

Here’s your friendly reminder…

Remember that Redbox code you got last week from Facebook?

Yeah…today’s the day to use it.

What movie are YOU getting? Enjoy!

I’ll post a reminder. *wink*

They are giving away 100,000 coupons for a free bottle of Coffee-Mate Creamer…Today only!

I don’t know how long this will last, but hurry over and get yours. Says it will take 2-3 weeks to arrive in your real-life mailbox.

Hey Chicagoland…Northwest Indiana…Southern Wisconsin…Da Region…

Are you freezing your dupa off yet? Holy crap,  I am. We even had to turn the heat up *gulp* to a whoppin’ 69 today. Like a heat wave in here…let me tell you.  I’m sure NIPSCO is bearing it’s snarly teeth and grinning at all of us with these negative temperatures.

If you are anything like myself, all you feel like doing is bundling up in flannel pj’s, reading books, clicking through blogs and going to bed early. Bor-ing.

Winter is the PERFECT time to get to Chicago and enjoy the INDOORS. With parking and admission fees, I understand how spending a day there can be like taking a mini-vacation. That’s why you have to plan ahead and enjoy it on the cheap. The last thing you want to do, is have to pay for parking three different times because you are visiting three different places…only to realize they were all only a few blocks from each other.

How to start planning:

• Figure out where you want to go and visit the attraction’s website. Some will offer “free” days or printable coupons. Many will tell you exactly where to park, how much it costs and if it’s validated or not.
• How will you get there? Are you driving? Can you carpool with another family to share parking/gas/toll costs? How about taking the train and forming your visit around one of the stops. If you are planning to take the South Shore, and are bringing children, try to ride on a weekday as they have a Family Fare rate. It states:

“We encourage families to take day trips and give their children the opportunity to experience the benefits of train travel.  One child 13 years of age or younger rides free with each adult on weekday off-peak and all weekend/holiday trains.  An off-peak weekday train is any westbound train scheduled to arrive in Chicago after 9:30 a.m. and any eastbound train scheduled to depart Millennium Station before 3:30 p.m. and after 6:30 p.m.  At all other times children from 2 to 13 years of age must have a reduced fare ticket.”

Also, if a station has an attendant on duty, be sure to buy your ticket at the window. If you don’t, they will charge you an extra $1.00 when you purchase on the train. If there is no window attendant, you won’t be charged.

• If you are driving, compare parking rates. Weekends vary from weekdays; street rates vary from lot rates. Parking garages can suck down your money in a hurry.
• Planning on eating? Check out the restaurants within walking distance of your destination. Click through their websites for coupons or specials – or see if Restaurant.com has a certificate you can buy ahead of time…especially at the end of the month when they are 80% off! 

What to cheaply do:

• Art Institute of Chicago: Free Winter Weekdays – Jan. 3 through Feb. 4th – Normally $18 admission fee, children under 14 free. 2011 Free Hours: Target Free Thursday Evenings, offering free admission from 5:00 to 8:00, return on February 10 and continue through May 26. Beginning in June, free hours will move to the first and second Wednesday of every month with free admission all day long. If you can’t make it during a free time, and you are a Chicago resident, be sure to show your ID for a $2.00 discount. They also offer “Family Events” to cater to families with children.
• Garfield Park Conservatory: Admission is free and parking is free, just south of the Conservatory’s main entrance. Programs and events are planned there as well
• Adler Planetarium - Check the website monthly for Discount Days. Only on the discount days, you can buy a pass for two shows and the Atwood Experience – Adults $17, Children ages 3-11, $15 – which isn’t so bad considering you are getting free admission. Like any attraction, if you have a big family or planning on attending many times throughout the year, you may want to compare a Membership to individual tickets to see where you’ll get your biggest savings.
• Museum of Science and Industry: Free admission days: Jan. 24-28 & 31 – Feb. 1,8,14,15,22 – June 1,2,6,7,8,9 – Sept. 6-9, 12-16, 19-23, 26-30 – Oct. 31. I know the museums tend to be more crowded on free days, but try to get there early, or later in the afternoon. My thought is that many school groups would tend to be there towards the middle of the day. Also, since school is back in session during September, it may be more crowded. Before you go, just get it in your head that you will have to move slowly and display a little more patience on those days. Parking is $18 per vehicle.
• The Field Museum: 2011 Target Free Second Monday Dates: Feb. 14th & March 14th. Other 2011 Free Days: January: 3, 11, 13, 18, 19, 23, 24, 26, 31, February: 2, 3, 8, 9, 15, 17, April: 11, May: 9, June: 7, 13, July: 11, August: 8, 29, 31, September: 1, 6, 7, 12, 13, 20, 21, 27, 29, October: 3, 5, 6, 10, 24, 25, November: 2, 7, 14, 21, December: 1, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 20, 22. Parking is $16 for the first 4 hours, $19 thereafter. Avoid attending during Bears games.
• The Shedd Aquarium: Monday/Tuesday Community Discount Days: Jan. 23,24,25,31 and Feb. 1,7,8,14,15,28. Feb. 20-24th is the Community Discount Week. Bank of America also sponsors discount weekend dates (with card & ID). Again, avoid during Bears games.
• Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier: Kraft Free Family Night: Thursday Evenings from 5-8 (Free for everyone!), Target Free First Sundays: Free admission on the first Sunday for ages 15 and under – $10 for each adult. Here’s a coupon to print for $1 off each admission, up to four. Expires June 30, 2011.

Chicago Family Fun is endless. I have only mentioned the more popular attractions, but there are many, MANY lesser known museums and theaters that would probably be more “stroller friendly” and way less crowded. The Chicago Cultural Center would be a good place to start looking for these types of places.

Even if you don’t live in Chicago, take these tips and apply them to your own area. Overall, plan your trip, save as much as you can and JUST.HAVE.FUN!

More Frugal Friday

Today is Veteran’s Day. Unending thanks to those of you who are or have served this proud country in any branch of our armed forces.

Tomorrow’s my30th 35th 37th birthday. Three holidays right in a row…err…um…

You see, my dad IS a Marine. No, he’s not active in the military and hasn’t been since the 70′s. Though, if you know anyone who has served in the Corps, they’ll tell you “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” Am I right? That’s what my daddy always told me…so it HAS to be right because he’s ALWAYS right. Even after all of these years, I can still “see” the Marine in him – his loyalty to friends, his determination to figure out problems, his economical and efficient manner to do everything himself the original Cheapo McFrugalpants. Yup. That’s my dad. Quietly loving, caring and giving…that’s him.

One twist of fate and I may have never made it to this life. One word: Vietnam. Thankfully, my dad was too young for Korea and never made it to Nam. After all of the prepping, the training, the pumping up, the “YOU’RE GOING TO WAR SOLDIER” – he never went. His platoon was next to go…next…in…line. They were ready….they couldn’t WAIT! crazy, right? I know. Then came word that the war was over. WHAT? Disappointment was an understatement. Now, you and I may have a hard time understanding … and I’m sure 30 years later, they all look back and realize that pulling the long straw wasn’t so bad. But for these young men, they had to go back to running “The Hill”, lettuce fed fat camps and attending Sunday church services just so they could get a few more hours of sleep each week.

Dad did his training at Camp Pendleton in California and was then stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, which is where I happened to be born. My poor mother labored for days. Back then, it’s just what they did. And to be honest, I was destined to be a frugalite. If a baby was born on the Marine Corps birthday, they would give you ALL kinds of FREE things like a crib and baby supplies. If you know what it’s like to live on a military salary, you can imagine the push for me to be born on the 10th. Hey, do you blame them? Typical stubborn Scorpio…I held out...and, here we are today still lovin’ our free stuff.

Who says the military isn't fun?

So Dad, in honor of your loyal service, I want to say thank you and that I’m proud of you…and remind you to go pick up a free dinner at Chili’s, or  Applebee’s tonight or Golden Corral on Monday, Nov. 15th. Nothing says love quite like a free meal, right? Right. *wink*

For anyone else looking to celebrate today, The Happy Housewife has an awesome list of freebies HERE.

Oh, and I can’t go without wishing my father-in-law, Richard (Thailand – Air Force), a Happy Veteran’s Day…along with remembering his father, Dale (WW II – Army) and my grandfather, John (Air Force). Thanks to you all.

Print TWO of these coupons for $4.00 off any Wholly Guacamole Product. It’s okay if you don’t like guacamole no it’s not, they also offer Wholly Salsa and Wholly Queso! Unsure how long these coupons will last, so get to printing.

Do you shop at Kroger? If so, here’s how you can turn TWO free items into FOUR free items. Kroger Central Region sales run from Thursday to Wednesday, so you have until night time tomorrow to take advantage of this offer.

• Grab FOUR Wholly items of your choice, $4.00 or less – $15.96
• Minus the BOGOF Sale – Minus $7.98 Equals $7.98 total
• Pay with both of the $4.00 off coupons – FREE …plus 2 cents.

With holiday parties just around the corner, these will be VERY useful…especially for FREE!

Grab your parents, grandparents, friends, kids…whoever is or has served in our military at LEAST deserves a free meal on Veteran’s Day…don’t you think? All you need is proof of military service and you are on your way to one of these free meals – Choices HERE.

Be sure to thank a Veteran today!

Time to cash it in! This Sunday, November 7th from 11am to 9pm, Kids 12 and under can swap their sweets for a free bowl of noodles!

Sounds like a good deal to me!

Check with your local Noodles & Co. to see if they are participating.