Our FREE Christmas!

Free . . . we bought presents for all 5 of our kids and didn't spend any money, none! Here's a peek into how we did it and to give you encouragement in planning for the next Christmas season so you can also have a free Christmas!

1. Set a limit on gifts. We only buy each child three presents. Well, Santa brings one and we buy them two. Keep the gift giving simple my friends. We have always kept Christmas small and intend to as the years go on. There is absolutely no need or reason to spend loads of money on Christmas presents or to have the gifts spewing out from under the tree. Set a limit and stick to it. It's best to do this when your kids are very young and they won't know any different as they grow up and it will obviously save you money.

Not a lot of gifts, right? No one seems too sad about that do they! They all loved their gifts and no one asked for anything more.

2. Plan ahead. Six months ago a friend gave me a bag of very cute dress up clothes. There was about 6-8 outfits in the bag and they were all in great condition.  The minute she brought them to my door I hid them away without any of the kids seeing them knowing that I wanted to use them as Christmas gifts. Tessa (4) and Claire (2) were thrilled with them!! We were also given a pocket knife a few weeks ago and saved that as a gift too.

If you get a nice hand-me-down or find a super cheap deal on some toys (have you seen the after Christmas sales?!) hide it away for Christmas, even if it is for several months or even a year. You will save big time!!

3. Use Swagbucks! Free gift cards for just searching the internet, you just can't beat that kind of a deal. That's FREE money people. I always use my swagbucks for Amazon gift cards as it is the best deal. Don't worry, you can get free shipping quite often on Amazon too.

We used some swagbucks to buy two gifts for Christmas this year. If you saved up your Swagbucks you could pay for your whole Christmas this way. To learn more about Swagbucks and to sign up (it's free) go HERE.

4. Use your credit card rewards. We had $100 in Visa gift cards from our credit card rewards. Again, FREE money for charging and paying off our credit card on time. We used this free money to buys gifts at TJMaxx and Wal-mart. FREE!

(Please note - We NEVER charge anything on our credit card unless we have the money to pay it off right away. I suggest you do the same. We might have a crazy amount of student loans, but have NEVER EVER had consumer debt or paid any interest on a credit card. Only use credit cards if you have the cash to pay it. End of story!)

Want to know some of the things we bought? Basketball shoes, transformers, walkie talkies, candy, purse pets, necklace, scrapbook pack, books, dress up shoes, second hand clothes etc . . . 

So there you have it . . . we spent about $120 -ish on gifts for our children for Christmas, but didn't pay a single penny for any of it. That's how we had a FREE Christmas! You can do it too!!

P.S. My husband and I don't really exchange gifts. With always having been students and now just starting our own business we are putting our money towards that. The only present under the tree for us this year was a homemade gift from our daughter and we love it that way!

Do you have a massive amount of toys in your house? Stay tuned for our 10 Toy Rule!! You'll think we are crazy, but you'll love it!!

Great High Value Coupons- Candy, Diapers, Toilet Paper Etc . . .

Have you stocked up on Halloween candy yet? If not here are some great high value coupons to print and take with you to the store.

- $2.00 off ONE (1) Nestle Candy Variety Bag
- $1.50 off ONE (1) Wonka Mixups
- $2.00 off ONE (1) Wonka® Best on the Block
- $2.50 off TWO (2) Nestle Candy Variety Bags
- $1.50 off any THREE (3) bags Skittles, Starburst, Lifesavers 


Here are some other household coupons with high values too! 


- $2.50 off Scott Tissue
- $2.00 off one Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers
- $2.50 off one Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers
- $3.00 off 12 hr Afrin Nasal Spray
- $1.50 off OXYClinical Product


There are 234 fabulous coupons available on Coupons.com right now.  Take a peek, print what you'll use and save yourself some money on your household products this month. 


The coupons will reset or change on November 1st so print them now and then check again in November. (I'll try to give you a list of the best coupons to print each month.)


A few tips about printing coupons:
* 3 coupons will print on each page so save paper and print at least 3 each time.
* You can print each coupon twice per computer (do you have more than one computer at home  or work?) by hitting your back browser after the first set prints.
* Stay organized and be sure to check the expiration date to use it in time.


See more tips about couponing here.

FREE Cold/Flu Meds at Rite Aid! No Coupons Needed!

This is my favorite week at Rite Aid. I always look forward to their week of amazing Single Check Rebates on their cold and flu medicines. You purchase the designated product and then sumbit for the single check rebate to get the items for FREE!

If you've never submitted a rebate with Rite Aid it's very simple, go here to find out more. You will enter information from your reciepts each month, then submit for your check at the end of the month and an actual check gets sent to you in the mail! You'll get all your money back on these FREE rebate items!

So here are the great rebate deals this week:

Sucrets 18 ct. $2.99
Get a $2.99 Single Check Rebate #9
=FREE!


Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Lip Butter Dark Chocolate and Peppermint 0.35 oz. $1.99
Get a $1.99 Single Check Rebate #10
=FREE!


Blistex Ointment 0.21 oz. $1.49
Get a $1.49 Single Check Rebate #11
=FREE!


PediaCare Children’s Cough Syrup or Multi-Symptom Cold 4 oz. $4.99
Get a $4.99 Single Check Rebate #12
=FREE!


PediaCare Gentle Vapors Vapor-Plug Unit Nightlight Mini Waterless Vaporizer $6.99
Get a $6.99 Single Check Rebate #20
=FREE!


Antiox Immune Support Shots 2 pack $2.99
Get a $2.99 Single Check Rebate #13 (limit 2)
=FREE!


NeilMed NasaDOCK plus Drying Stand $5.99
Get a $5.99 Single Check Rebate #14
=FREE!


MeilMed Nasa Mist Spray All-in-One 6 oz. $9.99
Get a $9.99 Single Check Rebate #18
=FREE!


NeilMed NasoGel Moisturizing Spray 1 oz. $5.99
Get a $5.99 Single Check Rebate #19
=FREE!


Comtrex 24 ct. $3.99
Get a $3.99 Single Check Rebate #15
=FREE!


Kids-EEZE Soft Chews 12 ct. $4.99
Get a $4.99 Single Check Rebate #16

=FREE!

Emergen-C Immune Booster Shots Citrus 2 pack $3.49
Get a $3.49 Single Check Rebate #17
=FREE!


Now these are all the Single Check Rebates that will end up in FREE products. To find out more deals or how to even make money on some of these rebates go to Hip2Save.com.


As I'm sure you can imagine these items will be snatched up off the shelfs very quickly so head there early in the week or call to see when the shelves get restocked.


Hopefully you won't get sick this cold and flu season but if you do you're medicine cabinet will be stocked and ready!! Don't forget to submit your reciepts!

Vista Print Sale! FREE Stuff

Vista Print is at it again with their great deals. I've told you have much I like this company before (see HERE). They are offering many items for $0, just pay the shipping!!!

Think about all the great Christmas presents you could take care of with this kind of a deal - Personalized Calendars, Mugs, Mouse Pads, T-Shirts etc!!!

Take a look and get something crossed off you Christmas list early!

Protecting Your Identity Online

Money Saving Mom had a great guest post about protecting your identity online and I really liked the tips that were shared.

It's best to protect ourselves now and never have to worry about cleaning up the mess that someone made in our name.


You can read the article HERE.

Got Groupon?!

I've got great plans to post a fun, easy, and fabulous crafty tutorial for you, but things have been getting a tad bit busy around our house this week. Hang tight for that fun tutorial. It's coming soon!

In the mean time. . .  have you joined Groupon yet? If not you really should. I'm pretty sure that at least a few of the deals you see each week will make you giddy.  Don't buy them all of course, only the ones that you will actually use and will save your family some money.

I checked Groupon today for my city and there was a an awesome $20 certificate for only $10 at a restaurant that was recently featured on Man v. Food.  50% off -Yeah! We recently saw the episode that featured this restaurant and quickly scribbled the name down and put it on our list of restaurants to hit before we move in 10 months!

I was so excited to get this deal today!!! Now we can try this restaurant for half the price. I'm dying to try it!

Go see what your city has to offer today on Groupon!

Click on any of the blue Groupon words to get there (but I'm sure you figured that out, huh?)

FREE Gain Dishwashing Liquid

My favorite thing about couponing is when I can stockpile an item with a great deal and then not have to worry about purchasing that item for several months or even a year later (like I did with Purex).

There is a new Gain Dishwashing Liquid Coupon (11oz) available in the 8/29 Proctor and Gamble coupon insert. Use this $1/1 coupon to get Gain for FREE at Walmart. Their Gain is on regular price for .97!!

Don't get the newspaper? No worries, I don't either! I just went to Ebay, and searched for the coupon there (Click HERE to find the listing). I was able to purchase 20 Gain coupons for $5.50. Now instead of paying .97 for each bottle I'll only be paying .27 each (because I had to purchase the coupons)!! The coupon doesn't expire until 9/30 so there is plenty of time buy them, have it shipped to you and to do your shopping.

20 Bottles for $5.50. LOVE it! See how fun couponing can be!

** Tips about purchasing coupons on Ebay**
I avoid bidding on coupons. I'm not patient enough and usually want to get the coupons fast and get my purchases done. So instead I search by clicking on the "BUY IT NOW ONLY" Button.


I also use the right hand pull down to search by "nearest distance" so I get my coupons faster. This isn't too important with this deal as .97 is Walmart's regular price right now and you have until 9/30 to use them.


This will likely be a popular coupon as it gets you a free product. If you wait to long to purchase the coupons it's likely the Price will go up as the demand does.


YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary. If you've taken time to check out some of the coupon blogs I recommended you may have seen this phrase be used. It means that each store price and cashier's attitude and policy might vary (even though they should all be the same).

The price of Gain at your Walmart might be a bit different than mine and some cashiers won't let you use a coupon that has a value more than the price of the product you are purchasing. Thankfully I've never had this problem. Just ask a manager and kindly remind the cashier that the manufacturer will be paying them the $1 instead of you paying it and it is a proper and honest transaction.

Coupon Etiquette- Even though you might have 20 coupons please be kind and don't clear the store shelves. This deal goes on for a month so you could use 10 coupons now and come back later or go to another store in a few days.


Have you caught the coupon bug lately?


Thanks to Hip2Save for spotting this deal!

Chili's - Free Queso and Chips!

We LOVE Chili's!! We were so so sad when the Chili's near us in Portland closed down, but we've moved and are near one again. Even better than Chili's is going to Chili's with coupons!

All you have to do is sign up for their email club and you'll be able to print a coupon for FREE Queso and Chips. Free appetizer  - can't beat that!

I'm on a few other restaurant email list and am always getting great coupons in my inbox. So go ahead, sign up and save yourself some money on your next date night!

Frugal Habits Follow-Up: Reader Tips!

I loved reading the fabulous frugal tips people left in the comments of my Four Frugal Habits post. You all reminded me of many things I already do and gave me some great new ideas too, so ThAnK YoU ladies!

Just in case you didn't have chance to read the comments let me share the frugal habits our friends shared. They are all so great.

1. Thrift Store Shopping!! My mom was an avid thrift store shopper growing up. I even remember her giving classes at our church about thrift store shopping. You never know what treasures you will find, clothes or home goods. If you are in need of another 9x13 glass pan or other bake ware check out the thrift store. You're likely to find what you need for a fraction of the box-store price!

Still need to do school shopping for the kids? Check out my post on buying clothes second-hand!

2. Cloth Swim Diapers! Several people said that they use cloth swim diapers. Awesome!! It makes perfect sense. I remember seeing them in Target a few years back and thinking that was a nice concept, but didn't have a baby that needed them at the time. Ahh, I wish I would have just bought a few then so I didn't forget about them.

Although kids may be back in school now my guess is that most of us are still boiling in the sun and that swimming is still on our agenda even if just on the weekends. Here are a few cloth swim diapersthat I found. Adorable fabrics huh?!

3. e.l.f. $1 Make-up! I had totally forgotten about this great company. I've purchase make-up from them before but it has been a while. e.l.f. sells their make-up for only $1 (mineral wear and studio make-up is a few dollars more). I really liked their make-up. I though the quality was good and the variety and colors they offered was great.


You do have to pay for shipping, but do a quick Internet search for a free shipping code and you can get makeup for only $1!! How great is that?! e.l.f. is having a 30% off sale on their Studio line of make-up and they are offering FREE Shipping on any order over $30 (use code: THRIFTY). Check out what e.l.f.has to offer!


Thanks for sharing your frugal habits! I'd love to hear more ideas if anyone has them.


**Speaking of Frugal . . . I just purchased a huge bottle of Ibuprofen and two sets of ear buds using Amazon gift cards I got from Swag Bucks. That means I got them for FREE!!! Learn about Swagbucks HERE or HERE. ***

School Supplies Comparison Chart

If you are still needing to purchase school supplies to get your kids ready check out Save at Home Mommy's School Supply Comparison Chart.

She's already compared the prices at the stores to help you find the best deals. Don't forget you might need to be replacing supplies throughout the school year so stock up on a few items while they are at great low prices! Last year we replaced glue, crayons and markers a few times.

Four Frugal Habits

I was putting on my make-up this morning and got to thinking about some of my frugal habits - all those funny little things I do to save a penny or a dollar or two. So here are a few of my frugal habits that have saved our little family some money over time.

Four Frugal Habits
1. I use Wet-n-Wild eye liner and eyeshadow. This makeup has been around for centuries and it's still as cheap as ever. I don't remember how much it cost exactly, but I'm pretty sure only about $1.50 - 3.00. It works well and I like the colors (greens and browns in case you're curious). Plus, if my kids destroy it or is shatters on the bathroom floor it doesn't break the bank to replace it.

2. I wash out swim diapers and reuse them. If you don't have kids you are probably curling up in a ball and shaking your head at hearing that, but think about it - swim diapers only hold in the poo, not pee (sorry if that is too much information). I actually got this idea from blog hopping a while back and I love it. Swim diapers are so expensive and if they aren't soiled then you can rinse them well and let them dry out and use again. Rinse, Repeat, and Save!!

3. I mop with water and dish soap. I must admit that I LOVE the clean scent of Pine-Sol, but a small squirt of dish soap and a bucket of hot soapy water does the trick to get my floors clean.

4. We cut our own hair. I grew up in a home where my mother was the one who cut everyone in my family's and all the neighborhood's hair too. I've since continued the tradition. I cut the girl's hair and trim my own bangs and my husband cuts his own hair and my son's.

If we went to a cheap salon it would cost about $60 every six weeks or so (I think my numbers are conservative here too)! Yikes we can not afford that. So who cuts my hair? My mom, just like she always has for the past 27 years of my life. I don't live by her any more, so I just wait until she comes to visit.

So there you have it. A few of my funny frugal habits. I have more, but will save them for another day.

What are your frugal habits? I'd love to hear so I can adopt some of them as mine!! Will you share with me?

Find out more about getting movie tickets for FREE by clicking HERE!

30 Swagbucks Just for Signing Up!

If you haven't jumped on the Swagbucks bandwagon yet you should!

I'm am loving searching through Swagbucks and currently have earned enough bucks for $30 dollars worth of Amazon Gift cards. I'll probably use them to buy some pull-ups and spatulas for the kitchen.

I also like getting the $5 pay-pal cards as you can get alot of great deals on kids clothes through Ebay.

I just wanted to let you know a few more things about Swagbucks and how you can win even more bucks everyday. (If you missed the first Swagbucks post and want to learn more click HERE.)

1. When you sign up you automatically get 30 free Swagbucks! Sweet!
2. Invite your friends to sign up through your link and you get rewarded up to 1,000 bucks just from them searching! On the Swagbucks site click on 'Ways to Earn' and click on 'Invite Friends'.
3. From the Swagbucks site click on 'More' to read the FAQ and Winning Tips. They are so helpful.
4. An easy way to get 30 more bucks a month is to take the Daily Poll. It takes about 4 seconds to vote and you get 1 buck. Doesn't seem like much, but everything adds up quick. You can find the poll under 'Ways to Earn'
5. Fridays's are Mega Swag Bucks Days and your chances for winning are a lot higher. I've already won over a total of 30 bucks today!

It only takes 450 bucks to get a $5 Amazon Gift Card and there are a zillion other prizes and gifts to get too. Hope these few tips help!

To sign up click on this logo.

A Few More Money Saving Tips!

As Money Saving Week comes to a close here at The Family Scientista I wanted to leave you with a few more tips on how to save your family money.

1. Make a Budget and Stick to it! Budgets keep you accountable for your expenditures and give you a visable record to keep track of how much money you spend and save! My husband and I just use a simple Excel spread sheet to keep track of our expenses, but there are other pre-made budgeting tools out there that I'm sure are great too (quicken, mint.com etc. . .).

2. Don't be Afraid of Rebates! If you get into the couponing scene you will notice that sometimes the best deals you can get are combined with a rebate - from the store or a manufacturer. I have submitted for tons of rebates over the years and have always gotten my money back! As long as you submit the proper receipts, forms etc you shouldn't have a problem. Always make a copy of what rebate you are sending in for so if something doesn't go quite right you have a record of it!

Just last week I purchased 5 bottle of Purell from Office Depot and with the rebate they are FREE! Can't beat that.

3. Buy Second Hand! Buying second hand is a fabulous way to save yourself some money. Whether it be clothes, furniture or household items be sure to shop around at second hand stores, thrift stores, garage sales, craigslist, ebay etc. . . before you go out and pay full price.

We bought 2 end tables, 2 dressers and a large mirror for only $40 at a garage sale before my husband started dental school. We saved a lot of money buying used and only spent a few hours of time and $12 on paint to fix them up.

If you haven't already you can read my post about buying second hand clothes for kids by clicking here.


4. Enter Contest and Giveaways! This might seem like a funny way to save your family money, but from experience it truly can pay off. You never know - you might just win! Here are a few things my family has won in the past.

- My mom entered a contest at Fred Meyer for a family trip to Disney Land. Well, she WON!! Our family of 6 got to go to Disney Land with all expenses paid - something we would have never bee able to afford on our own. We actually were on our trip when I had my 8th birthday!

- I entered a contest at a store in the mall when I was a teenager.  I won a brand new Columbia coat and I got to pick which one I wanted! It was well over $100.

- Just a few years ago there was studies coming out about how much money a stay-at-home-mom would make if she got paid. There was a magazine that was giving out "daily paychecks" to stay at home mom's who entered the contest and I WON! I got a check in my name for $396!! Wow, that was such a huge financial blessing for our little family!

Speaking of Giveaways - There are only 8 entries so far on my money saving giveaways. Your chances are pretty high to win, so if you haven't already entered go HERE to do so!!

I hope you've learned at least one new way to save money for your family this week! I'd love to hear your favorite ways to save money. Please share. We always learn best from each other!


In case you missed it, here are my money saving posts from the week!
* Couponing Basics
* Money Saving Giveaways
* Swag Bucks - Earn FREE Gift Cards
* Date Night Bargains


Don't forget about the great deal on address labels - only $3.17 for 140 customized labels! Click HERE!

Money Saving Giveaways!

I've got some great giveaways to jump start your couponing experience and to save your family money!

Giveaway 1:

A fabulous Coupon Class DVD (a $17 value) from the ladies at Fabulessly Frugal. I bought their DVD when it first came out a few months ago and I instantly fell in love! It's an hour and a half long and I imagine it's very similar to attending one of their coupon classes in person! I've been couponing off and on for a few years and I still learned new tips and tricks that have helped me in my couponing endeavors. This DVD is the perfect place to educate yourself about couponing!

Here are some of the topics that are covered in their DVD:

Gathering Coupons

Organizing Coupons

Couponing Lingo and Ethics

Using Coupons Effectively

and much more that will teach and inspire you in saving money by using coupons!

Thanks Fab Gals for donating a DVD for my giveaway!

Giveaway 2:

A Box of couponing goodies and 6 coupon inserts mailed to your front door. All the items in the picture below I purchased using coupons and I wanted to share my couponing spoils with you. You'll also get 6 coupon inserts to get you started with your coupon stash!

Let's take a peak at what kind of deals I got on the items above by combining coupons and sales. All these items are included in the giveaway package. My purchase price is in blue.

Johnson's Buddies Bar: Reg $1.00, I got it for FREE

Reach Toothbrush: Reg $3.99, FREE

Benedryl Itch Stick: Reg $2.37, FREE

Crystal Light: Reg $2, FREE

Olay Cleanser: Reg $5.99, $1.33

Advil PM: Reg $4.99, $0.50

Kotex Pantiliners: Reg $1.00-1.99, FREE

Right Guard Deodorant: $3.99, FREE

Gillette Fusion Razor: Reg $9.99, $0.99

Kleenex: Reg $2-3, $0.33

Crest Pro Health Toothpaste: Reg $3-4, $0.37

Pull-ups Wipes: Reg $2.00, $.50

Cover Girl Powder: Reg $6-8, $.30

Cover Girl Mineral Blush: Reg $10-12, $.50

Do you want to win one of these great money saving prizes?

Here's how:

1. Leave a comment 

( I will need an email address to get your mailing info - you can leave it now or later if you win.)

Want more chances to win?

Leave a new comment for each additional entry option you choose to do below and let me know what entry method you used.

2. Become a follower or subscribe to my blog.


3. Use one or more of the blogger share buttons below to share this giveaway post with your friends!

This is a new feature to blogger and it's so simple to use. You'll see the share button at the bottom of this giveaway post. It will be right after my name and comments link. Just click on the email, blogger, twitter, facebook etc. . . button to share it!

4. Visit Fabulessly Frugal's site and see all the great features they have to offer!

The giveaway will end on Tuesday August 10th at 8pm EST! So be sure to enter before than.

I will announce the winners Wednesday morning- Aug 11!

Good Luck! I hope you win.

Be sure to check out my Couponing Basics post from Monday!

Second Hand Clothes For Kids

Tessa drew on her shirt with permanent marker, Dominic cut a hole in his pants and Macie drew a kitty face on the thigh of her jeans. Buying new clothes for my kids just isn't worth it.

80% of the clothes my children wear are hand-me-downs or purchased second hand. It just makes sense. Why pay full price when the wear and tear happens so quickly? I know my 4 year old doesn't care if his jeans are $5 or $15 and neither do I.

Second hand stores are my favorite place to buy kids clothes (garage sales, thrift stores and eBay are also great). The clothes are typically name brand and in great used condition. Prices will range depending on the clothing size. I like paying $2.50 - $3.50 for shirts and $5-7 for pants.  Much more affordable and makes our small clothing budget stretch even farther.

The atmosphere is typically comfortable and child-friendly. All of the second hand stores I've been to have child play areas and they are used to curious toddlers and crying babies. Definitely one of the easiest places to shop with kids in tow.

My favorite store for kids is Once Upon a Child. Last Saturday I went to their 70% off sale. It was a mad house. The aisles were packed and too many hot sweaty bodies brushed up against mine. I waited in line for 45 min to get to the register. (Thankfully my husband was at home with the kids that morning.)

Paying $35 for 23 clothing items (avg. $1.52 an item) made it all worth it! I also bought 2 pairs of soccer cleats and 2 pairs of shoes (20%off) for $21. I saved a total of $80 off already fabulous second hand prices. I can't even imagine what full price in a department store would have been.

You can also sell your gently used items to second hand stores. Most will give you a store credit toward your next purchase.  Others will give you cash on the spot or send a check in the mail.

Now is a great time to shop second hand. Many are having sales to clean out their inventory to prepare for the Fall season.  Ask around or check the Internet to find stores in your area.

Second hand for adults? I like Plato's Closet and thrift stores. Bargain shopping for new clothes at Ross, Marshall's, or TJMaxx is affordable too.

Have you shopped second hand lately? What are your favorite stores?