FrugalThrifty

Monday, March 11, 2013

10+ online freebies that you'll actually want (plus tips and tricks for online freebies)

         Online freebies: they always seem like a scam and if not probably not worth your time right. Well, sometimes they can be but if you know where to go they can be worth your time.

But first a few tips on getting freebies:
    -start by making a new e-mail specifically for giving to the companies. That way your actual      e-mail wont get blasted with spam.
    -never give away your credit card info or SSN if it's really a free sample they won't need any of that info
    -if your leery about something don't sign up for it. Your information is a valuable thing.
    - If you don't know where to get started go to some well known freebie websites. http://www.thatfreebiesite.com/ is a great one to check out.

So after searching the internet I found some really great freebies to get you started.

            The first is one that lasts for a year. Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine is great for project ideas, color combinations and quick fixes. It's not just a big catalog. Sign up for it here!

             Next are some coupons. One is for a free mini bon from Cinnabon  and apparently they'll send you another special offer on your birthday as well. The next is for a free coffee at Dunkin Doughnuts. Lastly is one for a free Arby's roast beef sandwich with the purchase of an soft drink.

Beauty and health care product companies always have freebies on the net. Miss Jessie's has some really cool samples of hair care products. You get to pick up to three for free! Another is U by Kotex they are giving away free bracelets for there gen. Know Campaign check it out

For all of you crafters out there here are a few samples to help with that. One if for a free tube of acrylic paint click here. The other is for free wallpaper samples. It's cool because you can choose the color and style of multiple samples. For the wallpaper samples click here.

How about a movie night. Netflix is giving away a one night free movie rental here!

Or a free sample of vita-squeeze here!

Last but not least, my personal favorite from Pink Dog bakery. They will send you two free doggy cupcakes. Click Here!

Buffalo Cauliflower

                 I am officially in love with cauliflower! It offers such a great alternative to higher calorie foods. I had to try it out in a recipe and it works great. So I decided on buffalo cauliflower. One cup is about 120 calories, just 2 weight watcher points, and its super simple to make.

Here's what'cha need:
-1 1/2 cups water
-1 cup flour
-2 1/2 tsp garlic powder
-6cups cauliflower
-3/4 cups Hot Sauce
-1 tbsp melted butter

Start of by pre-heating your oven to 450. Then mix the water, flour, and garlic powder together in a large bowl. Stir until smooth then add the cauliflower. You can coat each individual piece if you'd like but my method saved a lot of time. Keep stirring it around until all of the cauliflower is evenly coated. Then Spread it out onto a lightly buttered pan. Hint: if you want the clean up to be easy just line the pan with parchment paper. The pop in the oven for 25-35 min or until the cauliflower starts to turn a golden brown color. While they are cooking mix together your hot sauce and butter. When the cauliflower is done use a pastry brush to spread the buffalo sauce all over your cauliflower. The more the merrier if you like spicy. Then cook for an additional 5-10 min. The are best served with ranch. ENJOY

Sunday, February 24, 2013

5 faves, healthy snacks that don't taste healthy

I love food, I'm not afraid to say it, but with a recent diet I'm trying to cut back. So as inspiration for me and you I've decided to make a list of the foods I've been munching on for the past few weeks.
There are so many simple substitutes for things I love. For example Pickles are my fave, but all that sodium adds up. A simple solution is to cut a cucumber in half, pour some vinegar over it and sprinkle with a little dill. Delicious and way better for you. Which brings me to the first item on my list...

1: cucumber, cream cheeses crackers. All you need are crackers (I prefer whole wheat), ff cream cheese, cucumbers, vinegar and dill. In that order pile em' up and it tastes great!

2: My favorite fruit, oranges. Just put a little light whipped cream on top and they make for a great cool dessert/snack.

3: Pepperoni bagels: this is probably the least healthy out off all the recipes but it's great! I know it sounds weird but you have to try it. Take a whole wheat bagel, toast it. then spread ff cream cheese on it and finally add some pepperoni. delish!

4: marshmallow fluff and nanners: The best sandwich ever is when you take peanut butter, marshmallow fluff and bananas (thanks Gwen for the spelling) then put them all on bread. It's so so so good!

5: Last but definitely not least: soda cake!, I did an article on this in the past but here it is again, I can't get enough. You take normal cake mix and add diet soda. Cook by the normal instructions on the box and you have cake for half the calories no a third of the calories. Plus its light and fluffy can't get better than that!

If you have other healthy snacks Comment!

Friday, February 22, 2013

Paint Chip Heaven

I noticed that the ombre effect is really "in" right now and as I was shopping with my sister we passed the paint aisle. The rows and rows of color were almost calling me to it ✨. I've seen all the cool ideas on pintrest using these little cards of paint. It's about time I give it a try. So my sister and I (I have to give props to Hannah for putting up with me) stuffed our purses full of the best colors. Well actually I stuffed her purse because mine was in the car. We made it out okay, but I have to admit I felt a little like a criminal. All in the name of crafting right?

So I compiled my list of ideas and here's what I came up with...

-Party garland
-Lampshade
-mobile
-wall art
-jewelry
-Halloween costumes
-gift tags
-origami boxes
-kids crafts
-magnets
-calendars
- card or scrapbook décor
- bookmarks
-notebooks
-and much more.

I decided to take a crack at the last three, because they feel like stuff I would actually use. Anyways here's what I came up with. The instructions are pretty self explanatory.

If you have any more ideas leave a comment!!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Beer Bottle Recycle Project

Why do I have a painted beer bottle in a pot? Well it is actually watering my plants for me. Yeah, so we've all seen those plant watering orb globe things right. Well if not here they are. You fill them with water and stick em' in a plant and believe it or not they water it. My only problem is the orb is too small and I don't want to make 6 payments of $19.99 to get them.

My solution: beer bottles. All you need is some paint if you want to decorate them and you’re ready to go. For mine I used puff paint witch worked well and gave them a 3D effect. Here is what I came up with…

Just a tip: make sure you find a stable place for them to dry, I found this out the hard way.