Get a coupon for $2 off a Kashi frozen entree when you register on the company’s site. They were giving out free entrees, but ran out.
To get the coupon, which they mail to you, share your name, address and email. Ends March 15, 2009 or while supplies last. If you already got a free entree you are not eligible to receive a $2 off coupon.
Caveats: one per household. Must be 18 or older. Wait 2-3 weeks for delivery.
Thanks, Shasta!
Hi folks,
Just wanted to let you know I am having technical difficulties with my email software, FeedBlitz. More readers are having problems opening links, from my emails, but the site is working fine so I’m not sure why FeedBlitz is so slow. Thanks for your patience while I figure this out.
~Julia
Job hunters can get 25 free copies of their resume made tomorrow, March 10, 2009 at FedEx Office (formerly Kinko’s). If you want to make more than 25 copies you pay the regular rates. The freebies are for one-sided, black and white copies.
If you need help writing your resume, go early. The stores will be packed Tuesday.
Find a FedEx Office near you. Note, not all locations are open 24 hours.
Thanks, Eli!
Readers left so many great comments on my recession garden post last week that I wanted to point out some of the best. If you don’t already read the comments, click on the comments link at the bottom of each post. Bargain Babe readers have a lot of info to share!
FrugalDad said:
Tomato plants need lost of sun and water. They are suscpetable to a yellowing fungus disease; if you see this, cut off the diseased part immediately. Improve your soil by composting kitchen and yard waste.
WWillowbeth suggested taking a Master Gardner class, which are offered at state universities:
Katie said she had good luck growing herbs, which can be expensive to buy:
You can buy these for fairly cheap and already started from places like Lowes, Osh, Home Depot, etc. It’s great because when you buy them already started (but young) you can use them right away and more will still grow. It saves so much money vs. buying fresh herbs from the grocery store or farmers market because you just cut off what you need (less waste!). Also, several different kinds of herbs can be planted together in a large pot. Wonderful for patios and small spaces!
Patricia has a tip for buying plants in LA:
For Bargain Hunters…the healthiest and most economic seedlings can be purchased at some local Farmer’s Markets from “Peter” (Culver City, Torrance Wilson Park). Vegetables seedlings are 6 for $5.00.
Sarahliz recommended two books that have greened her thumb:
For someone who’s serious about getting into vegetable gardening I’d highly recommend two books: Steve Solomon’s Gardening when it Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times and Toby Hemenway’s Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture. They present two completely different philosophies on gardening but I think the information from both is really solid and useful. Taken together they give a lot of solid information that can help you develop your own gardening philosophy.
You may have noticed there is a new yellow button on the right side of Bargain Babe. It says Donate. The button is for readers who want to support my blog financially. I’m proud to say I have already received my first donation!
Donations are one way I make ends meet. So if you like reading Bargain Babe, or have saved money using my tips, keep it in mind. Thank you.
~Julia
aka Bargain Babe
The economic forecast is not all doom and gloom, according to Time Magazine. There are five reasons for hope:
1. The Stock Market Is No Longer Overpriced
2. The Government is on the Case
3. Consumers are Adjusting to the New Economic Reality – And Fast
4. Reinvention and Change are what the U.S. is all About
5. O.K. I Couldn’t Think of a Fifth Reason
Read the whole story, including explanations for each reason.
My reason for hope is that I am relatively young and I believe the economy will recover in time for me to build a comfortable retirement. What is your reason?
I learned how to ride a bike at 3 to keep up with my older sisters. But I really learned how to ride from my Dad, a lifelong cyclist who has covered 300 miles in a day.
My Dad’s motto on the bike is “never stop pedaling.” I started riding with him because my public high school offered six classes a day. To squeeze in symphonic band, I skipped P.E. and made up the credits by cycling with him.
It wasn’t easy to keep up with him and on most rides I did not. Oh, who am I kidding? I never once kept up with him.
But yesterday, I was pretty sure, he would not be able to keep up with me. I was in near-peak shape and he was recovering from a sore back. Rain had prevented him from riding in weeks.
Mid-morning we set out for a hilly 38-mile ride and right away he started complaining that his legs were tired. On the first set of hills he begged off our original route and suggested an easier, shorter ride.
“I’m afraid I won’t make it,” he said.
“If it’s just fear, we should try it,” I replied.
“I don’t want to walk up the hills.”
So we agreed on the shorter ride, and I took off. A few miles down the road I stopped to wait for him because I did not know all the turns. He rolled by and sized me up.
“I may be up for the longer ride,” he said. “It’s such a nice day.”
Red flag No. 1.
On the next set of hills I leave him behind. At one meeting point he tells me to wait at the next peak in case he doesn’t makes it and needs to turn around. He makes it.
On the flats and rolling terrain he tucks in behind me and stays out of the wind, saving enough energy to keep up. On the hills, however, I pull away. Then we come to a T.
Turn right for the easy way home. Turn left for one last monster 2-mile hill.
“I could go either way,” I said.
“Well I suppose I could try the hill,” he said.
Red flag No. 2.
At the bottom of the hill he tells me to start without him.
“My quads are dead,” he said. “But wait for me at Inspiration Point.”
Ten minutes after I summit Inspiration Point he rolls up. We stretch for a minute before beginning the final leg of our ride, a twisty 3.5-mile stretch with a few bumps and a fast finish.
The whole ride I have been thinking about the finish. It is where my Dad always – always – sprints past me. But today, I think, he won’t even be close enough to make a move.
I am dead wrong. He stays about 30 feet behind me until we approach the final half mile. Then he latches onto my back wheel.
Red flag No. 3.
On the down slope where he usually makes his move, I glance back three times. He doesn’t budge.
So I sprint. My bike computer reads 29.6 miles an hour. My legs are killing me but I take a deep breath and tell myself I only have a quarter mile to go.
Just then, a flash of red zips by. My Dad.
Drat! I forget my legs and peddle harder until I begin to gain on him. But by the time I catch him he is already coasting. I finish ahead but the real race is already over. My Dad, who turns 64 later this month, is still faster than me.
Going into the ride I thought it would be an emotional milestone to finally surpass him on the bike. But as I choked back a sob, I realized it was crushing to still be No. 2.
I recover as we zip downhill together through the twisty Berkeley neighborhoods that rise above the San Francisco Bay.
“I thought your legs were dead,” I said.
“I guess I had a little more left.”
My Dad is still a faster sprinter, but I am the better climber. Next time I’ll chose a ride that ends on a hill.
Starbucks has four new “breakfast pairings” that include a coffee drink and food item for $4. The combo saves up to $1.20, according to Starbucks. The $4 pairings include:
- bacon or ham breakfast sandwich and 12 oz coffee
- sausage or turkey bacon breakfast sandwich and 12 oz coffee
- cinnamon coffee cake and 12 oz latte
- oatmeal with sugar, nuts and dried fruit and 12 oz latte
My choice would be the oatmeal and latte. But I’m curious. Are they are any good? Share your review by leaving a comment.
If you heard me on Marc German’s show on Talk Radio One, welcome! Below are links to all the tips I mentioned. If you missed the show, listen to the podcast here and look for the March 5 show.
If you like what you heard, sign up for my free email updates. Join by March 23 for a chance to win a $25 Starbucks card!
Recipes for food left in my kitchen
Hi folks,
To fix the problem readers are having with links from my emails, I added a direct link to Bargain Babe at the top of every email. When you open your email look right under my picture for this:
“If you are having problems opening links, go straight to the Bargain Babe homepage.”
If you click on the homepage link it will take you to directly to my site, so you won’t have to open each post individually. Another solution is to bookmark BargainBabe.com by clicking Ctrl + D when you are on the site. (Apple + D from a Mac)
I know it is frustrating when the links don’t work properly. I will contact the email software company to see if there is anything else I can do.
Thank you for your patience while I resolve this issue.
~Julia
aka Bargain Babe
Toned arms are all the rage thanks to our first lady Michelle Obama, who sure can lift weights. Did you SEE the cover of Vogue?
Here are some free exercise resources to fight flabby arms. (You can avoid buying weights by using canned goods to start.)
The American Council on Exercise has workout suggestions for every body part, including arm workouts. Each exercise has detailed directions, pictures, and a graph that indicates how difficult it is. Nifty!
Web MD suggests four basic arm exercises (modify the last two if you don’t have a bench).
About.com has a slew of exercises if you have a home gym or membership.
And of course there is my favorite: a video workout from the guy in 80s spandex who created eight minute abs. (below)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSby1UUhyts
I read an interesting essay in Newsweek that says psychology plays an important role in charity. The more direct a connection we have with the person in need, the more likely we are to help them.
But what I found most interesting was the essay’s final statistic: people who give are more likely to be happy. Reading this made me wonder if frugal people, i.e. you and I, are more likely to give than the spendy?
In other words, are we one big, cheap, happy family?
And yes, I will admit that while writing this post I took a moment to donate $250 to my favorite charity, Heifer International (which gives animals to poor people so they can sell eggs/milk/wool), so I could vote affirmatively. Peer pressure also increases donations!
[poll id="10"]
Does anyone know of a Web site where you can enter in the food you have in your fridge and it creates a list of recipes you can cook?
Wait…I think I found one. LeftOverChef.com lets you enter whatever meat and side ingredients you have, then shares recipes. Since I am dreading eating rice and beans again tonight (I gave up meat for Lent without much thought to my stomach) I am going to test it out.
I hope they do not require you to use every ingredient – cranberries, brocoli and peanut butter would not be so tasty!
The 220 results I got hone in on apricots, for some reason. Apricot Honey Oat Bars sound tasty enough, just not what I wanted for dinner. They also suggest a vegetarian chili that I could pull off.
I did a second, more detailed search using the keyword “vegetarian” and including just the dinner-like ingredients I want to cook with. Were the results more appetizing?
Yes. The vegetarian lasagna sounds tasty, though it requires a trip to the grocery store. The minestrone soup I could make with some substitutions, thereby avoiding a grocery trip. Put it on the stove for an hour, toast a roll from the freezer and I’m good to go!
Caveats: I had to register (free) to access the recipes.
Hi folks, just wanted to let you know that I am going to be on Talk Radio One again tonight at about 9 p.m. PST. Hope you can tune in! ~Julia
PS. If you have a burning bargain question, call in at 213-341-4353.
PPS. If you missed my first appearance on Talk Radio One on Feb. 20 you can listen to it here. (I come on a little more than halfway through.)
UPDATE: April 4 and 5, 2009 are the last free dates. Stay tuned to see if they extend this deal.
PREVIOUSLY: Here is one fabulous reason to have an account with Bank of America. On the first weekend of every month – including the upcoming one – you can get into more than 70 museums across 18 states for free.
The deal includes museums in AZ, CA, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NJ, NY, PA, RI, TX, and WA. Click on your state to see the list of participating museums.
Show your Bank of America card to gain entry. Probably not a bad idea to print out this page as a friendly reminder for the museum.
Caveats: excludes ticketed shows and special events.
Thanks, Dave!
Find your County Extention Service! http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/
Every county in the US has one, all associated with a State University. The have Master Gardener programs that can help you get started, give free advice, offer you free classes on gardening, water use and composting. They can tell you what to plant and when. You will have a green thumb in no time.