The $1 Give

Most of my posts are about freebies and giveaways, things you can get. In this season, it is so easy to get The Gimmies, you know the syndrome, we have all seen it in our children and have most likely seen it in ourselves from time to time. While there is nothing wrong with getting, sometimes it is better for us to give. It makes our hearts feel good and it can cure a case of The Gimmies in a flash.

To that end, I want to tell you about The $1 Give, the brainchild of a couple of Mom Bloggers. The premise behind The $1 Give is that if we all band together to each give one dollar every day in December we can make a difference. They will have a featured charity each day and ask that you give $1 to each cause, for a total donation of $31. The theory being that if enough people participate our $1 can add up to a lot of good. I think this is a wonderful idea and plan to participate myself and would encourage you all to at least consider donating as well. I know money can be tight in this economy and especially this time of year, but if you can help on a small level maybe we can all make a difference collectively.

Free Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper is giving away coupons for a free single serve Dr Pepper (I believe they mean a 20 oz bottle by this) through Monday November 24th at 6PM EST. The giveaway was scheduled to run for a day on Sunday the 23rd, but, as I can attest, they seem to have had some technical difficulties, and so have extended the giveaway.

To get your free Dr Pepper you need to visit the Dr Pepper website and sign up. The process does not seem to be trouble free even yet, as I have been unable to get my form to submit. But I am hopeful, as I was unable to even access the form on Sunday.

The promotion is a result of Guns 'N' Roses newest album being released. Apparently there was a statement made by Dr Pepper that if the album actually did release in 2008 they would give America free Dr Pepper. If you care to learn more you can read an article here.

Now everybody sing along with me...I'm a Pepper, he's a Pepper, she's a Pepper. Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too? Enjoy!

Thank you Emily for notifying me of this giveaway.

Godiva Truffle Break

Who would like some free chocolate? I know, I know...stupid question! Well, if you are in the vicinity of a Godiva store on November 20th (Thursday) from 1PM to 3PM you are in luck. Godiva stores will be handing out free truffles. Not only is it chocolate, but it is sinfully good chocolate!

Not sure where the closest store is? Check out Godiva's Store Finder here to see if there is one near you. The offer is good at Godiva Boutique Stores.

Jewelry

Hey girls, we all like a little bling, right? I have found though, that as a busy mom, I don't like to wear my nicer (read more expensive) pieces everyday for fear of loss, breakage and fingerpaint. That is why I like Silver Jewelry Club. They offer low cost jewelry made with sterling silver and semi-precious gemstones. They will tell you that their jewelry is free (see the link to the left) and it is, but you still have to pay S&H, so your cost comes to $6.99 per piece. While it is not entirely free, I feel that the price is reasonable and the quality is good, though not excellent (hey, what do you expect for $6.99?). I have ordered from them before a have been thoroughly satisfied. They have jewelry to suit every taste, most with gemstones, some pieces are made solely of sterling silver. The format is unusual, they offer a piece for 15 minutes and then it is gone (it may pop up again later), they offer 4 pieces at a time. They also have a preview button to see what is coming up over the next hour or two.

I find these pieces to be nice for everyday wear and have been known to keep a pair of earrings or a pendant on hand for a gift. One caveat, if you want to order a ring, make sure to check the size, the size listed in the description is the size you are ordering, there is no choice. You can visit them here

Free Sterling Silver with real Gemstones, no catch, no gimmicks, no obligation

or click on the banner to the left. I will leave the banner up, so you can access the link quickly if you want to find it in the future.

Free photo book from Snapfish and Oprah

A great big thank you to Brenda for alerting me to this deal.

It seems Oprah had a piece on her show today about organizing kids artwork by taking digtal pictures of their art and having it made into photo books, so the art can live on, but you no longer have to store the original pieces.

As a special bonus, Oprah and Snapfish are offering viewers the opportunity to receive a free 20 page photo book! You can make a book of kids art, as was suggested, or just assemble some of your favorite photos together. You do need to pay shipping and handling, but, from what I have heard the cost of shipping is running at about $8, a huge bargain if you wanted to make a book to give as a gift for grandparents or just to keep for your family. The retail price for these books at Snapfish is $29.99!

I have not created my book yet, but wanted to post this deal right away, because time is of the essence. You must go here Free Photo Book before midnight on Friday November 14th and you much complete your order by Sunday November 16th.

Family fun on a budget

We all know sometimes entertainment for kids can be expensive, so when I was clued into a free kids activity last year by my friend Emily, I was thrilled.

Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics are recommended for kids in grades 1 through 5 (per their website), but my older two started attending at age 5, while still in preschool. This is an event for a child and caregiver to attend together. There is a scheduled craft, generally of the woodworking variety, and your child gets to bring home what he or she has made. On their first visit my boys received an apron and each time they complete a project they receive a badge to sew onto their apron. They have made things like squirrel/bird feeders, periscopes and trucks. These events occur on Saturday mornings approximately twice a month. Registration can be completed online and is very simple.

Home Depot Kids Workshop, this event is recommended for ages 5-12 (per their website) and is also an event for a child and caregiver to attend together. The kids received an apron there as well and each project completed earns them a pin to place on their apron. The boys have brought home projects like pencil holders, race cars and flower boxes. We do not have a Home Depot close to us, but my parents (who live an hour away) do. It has become a fun adventure to go to Grammy and Granddad's for an overnight and then they all go to complete a project together on Saturday morning, before coming home again. The Home Depot lists only one event a month on a Saturday morning, but at the one my children attend, they run clinics twice a month; once with the monthly project and once with leftover kits from previous projects, a sort of pot luck project day. Home Depot is not terribly user friendly in their registration process; they do not offer online registration, nor do they allow phone registration as a general rule, they prefer you come to the store and sign up at the customer service counter. They have taken phone registration for us as a special circumstance, when my parents couldn't make it to the store to register the boys.

Overall, we find these to be a wonderful diversion on a Saturday morning. The projects are cute, the boys get a wonderful sense of accomplishment from having created something, they enjoy the special time with parents or grandparents and the price can't be beat!

My father has started carrying a couple of extra tools to these events. Generally they supply hammers, wood glue and paper towels. He brings his own pliers and a utility knife (like a Leatherman or Swiss Army knife), as he finds that they are sometimes handy.

Build A Bear Giveaway

The Integrated Mother is hosting a giveaway for a $10 Build A Bear gift certificate. There are several ways to win, the first of them is super easy; just go to The Integrated Mother, check out the Build a Bear website and leave a comment on the giveaway thread on her site. The others are not much harder than that! Hurry, the giveaway ends tonight, November 7th.

Starting small

I have discovered that there are so many wonderful giveaways and sample offers on the internet. So many, in fact, that a person would never have the time to sort through every one of them and sign up for each one. That is where this blog comes in. I will post some of my favorite freebie offers, blog giveaways and contests here. While I can't promise to find every wonderful deal, I will do my best to help compile a list of some really great offers and giveaways.

The first couple of sites that come to mind are a couple of the first sites I started my freebie journey at.

Bloggy Giveaways This is a wonderful site that highlights mostly small businesses (though there are some larger corporate giveaways as well). There are multiple giveaways each week and the entry process is simple and straightforward.

Start Sampling This site has endless opportunities for samples (you may be limited in the number you can request per day), coupons and trial offers. I have been a member for years and have always been pleased with the samples offered. They do have a rewards program, but generally all of the rewards are sold out when I check for availability.

I am always looking for new freebies, giveaways, coupons and contests. If you know of a good site, please drop me a line.

I look forward to sharing some of my favorite sites and opinions with you in the days and weeks to come.

Rebecca