Herron Hacienda | Faith, Family, & Frugal Finds in Michigan

~ Champps Restaurant = Awesome! ~

I just read about THE MOST AMAZING mother's day deal for a restaurant.  Champps Restaurants announced that for each mother who eats in their restaurant on mother's day, they will receive a $15 gift card which gives her $15 EACH MONTH for the next year!  How awesome is that???  I am trying to figure out how I can possibly squeeze in a trip to the closest Champps on an already busy Sunday.  You should definitely check this deal out if they have a location near you!

~ Leap Frog = A++ ~

I have a motto I follow in life - "It never hurts to ask."  This motto has saved me a lot of money (remember my sweet Old Navy deal after Christmas?). 

I also do not hesitate to contact a manufacturer when I am dissatisfied with a product.  This usually results in a coupon to replace the item for free.  For example, I opened a pack of Kraft singles last month to find every slice w/ mold on it.  They were awesome and sent me a coupon right away to replace it.

I have now applied this concept to dealing with Josiah's toys.  We had used some of his birthday money to buy the Leap Frog Tag Junior for him in September.  It was great timing for our car trips back and forth to Michigan.  He loves reading and it is nice for him to read on his own occasionally.  A little over a month ago, I had purchased a new book for him.  A day later, his Tag Junior unit just stopped working.  What's a mom to do?

Contact the manufacturer, that's what!  I emailed Leap Frog and explained my dilemma and sought out advice on how to fix Josiah's unit.  They replied with a couple of ideas.  I tried these, but to no avail.  Leap Frog generously offered to replace Josiah's Tag Junior with a brand new one - even though it is past their warranty period!  They made an exception.  I had some steps to follow to receive it - one of which was to scan my receipt.  Of course, I no longer had this.  I did happen to get it at Toys R Us and used my rewards card.  I found the purchase on my account and provided that as proof of purchase.  Leap Frog immediately sent out the new unit! We got it today. 

Thanks, Leap Frog, for your A++ customer service!  This mom won't forget it!

And remember, it never hurts to ask!

~ Getting Closer...~

I am saving up my Amazon gift cards to purchase this!  Right now, my balance is $48.22, so I am getting closer.  It won't be much longer.  I have another $25 pending from survey sites I regularly complete surveys for.  I also just redeemed another $5 thanks to Swagbucks!  I am averaging about one gift card a week with them - Woo Hoo!  That will put me at $78 with only another $25 to go!

I am also starting to look forward to receiving my "big fat check" from Ebates!  They come out quarterly.  I have quite the nice check coming when I combine my online purchases, travel reservations and referrals.  It will be over $200!  No - I don't spend like crazy, but I am very strategic!  You should check it out for yourself.  It is worth it if you shop online or make travel plans.  I have earned almost $350 back since joining in mid-November!

It takes some extra brainpower to figure these things out, but being a SAHM, I can use the challenge!  I love getting stuff free, replenishing my gift fund and earning gift cards for free date nights.  I also like hearing my husband tell me, "you are so smart!"  :-)

~ Couponing in the News ~

Coupon users got some positive press tonight on NBC Nightly News.  Check it out...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

~ Making the Most of Swagbucks ~

I received another $10 in Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks last week!  I am now saving up for a Eureka Monster Steam Mop!  If you haven't joined the bandwagon, click below to get going!

I had a friend ask me last week how I end up getting enough swagbucks together to redeem prizes.  Here are some of my methods:

1) Never waste an opportunity to earn bucks.  Even if I just want to see how many points I have accumulated, I put something simple like "hi" into the search bar just to get to the swagbucks site.  At least 50% of the time, I end up scoring points!  My friend actually tried this after we talked last week and she scored 50 swagbucks!

2) Download the tool bar.  Almost every single time I pull up my internet browser for the day, I earn 3 bucks.

3) Follow the twitter.  They often have codes posted or links to the blog w/ hints that there is a code.

4) Sign up for the newsletter.  You get emails about swaghunts to earn extra points.

5) I try to remember each day to go through the no obligation offers on the site.  At the end of skipping them all, I am rewarded with 1-3 swagbucks (hey, it adds up!).

6) Invite your family and friends.  I am kicking myself for being slow on learning this.  Every time one of your family or friends who used your referral win bucks, you do too.  This is a huge opportunity!

7) Read the blog.

8) Don't forget to see if you are the 30 minute random winner.  One of these days, it just might be you!

9) Remember to use swagbucks every time you search the internet.  Can I tell you a secret?  Sometimes I use it even if I know the site address, just to see if I get lucky.  Many times, I do!

Those are my friendly tips.  It works!  It has been less than a week and I am already half way to another amazon gift card.  Steam mop, here I come!

~ Go Kinderglo! ~

***Update...

We have had quite the evolution of child friendly night-lights in this household! 

We started off w/ the safe and convenient rechargeable night lights offered by Ikea.  Josiah loved his "glow ball" and I liked that it charged during the day (when I remembered to plug it in) rather than eating batteries.  He eventually broke it though.  We ended up getting another one since it seemed to work for us.  Well, he broke that one too.  So we were back to square one.

Night light number 2 was the infamous Tyke Light which is conveniently offered at Wal-Mart.  We bought this when out of town over the summer and needed something.  Josiah loved it.  I wasn't crazy about the hard exterior, but it was fine.  Somehow, this light broke in the fall less than 6 months after we bought it.  Once again, I bought a replacement.  This light is battery powered and has the compartment locked w/ a screw.  One night, Josiah used his amazing toddler power and somehow broke open the battery compartment with his bare hands!  So that light is gone now.  :-(

The third light we got was the highly rated Cloud B Twilight Sea Turtle.  I caught this on sale at Amazon and went for it.  Josiah does LOVE this turtle and it projects a really neat night sky on the ceiling.  It is not super bright.  This leaves us with a scared toddler with a cool night sky in his dark room - but still scared!

I think I finally found our solution last week!  I had followed some links for night lights and came across Kinderglo and their fun and unique night lights.  I had trouble deciding between the Brontosaurus and T-Rex.  I love that the light can rotate through different colors or just stay on one color the whole time.  The exterior is softer than the Tyke Light.  It recharges during the day and does not use up batteries.  It also has an automatic off after 30 minutes.  Josiah loved his little Brontosaurus from first sight!  He would carry it around all day (making it a challenge to get fully charged).  Sadly, after the first night, his new little bedtime buddy was not working.  :-(  I emailed the manufacturer and they IMMEDIATELY mailed me a replacement along w/ a mailing slip to return the damaged light.  We have had no problems with the new little dino.  I highly recommend picking up one of the many varieties of Kinderglo lights available!

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Andrea shared a website in her comments for a night/morning light.  These are a whole other world  of tools for your toddler.  While the link she shared looks great, I am personally inclined to go for My Tot Clock.  I like it's versatility for use during the day and night (for time outs even).  The biggest thing I don't like is the price.  I have heard from other moms it is worth saving up for though!

~ Steam Mops ~

In some kind of crazy conspiracy, I actually got control of the remote over the weekend and was watching HGTV.  I think they must've had a commercial on there for a steam mop.  This sent me on a fact finding hunt. 

Are these mops that great? 

Do they really clean super well? 

Do they actually disinfect dander, dust, etc without chemicals? 

Are they affordable? 

I personally HATE cleaning floors, but also don't like them to be dirty - particularly with a kid in the house.  I was surprised to find the answer to all of these questions seems to be YES!  I am now on a mission to save enough Amazon gift codes to buy one!  How about you?  Anyone out there own one of these and have any suggestions or comments?  Would love to hear your thoughts/experience!

~ March Savings ~

Here are my stats for groceries in March! I *heart* excel!

Total Shelf Cost - $1014.01

Total Coupon Savings - $338.62

Total Savings - $678.52

Amount Paid - $343.48

Rebates owed - $7.99

Savings Rate - 66.91% Woo-hoo - I think this is a personal best!

~ I *heart* Rite Aid! ~

I hit the jackpot at Rite Aid tonight! Free baby wash, free mascara, free shampoo and conditioner and free candy! My savings percentage was in the 90%! WOO-HOO!

~ Have You Tried Swagbucks? ~

I LOVE Swagbucks.  I am constantly searching the internet and when I search through their site, I earn free stuff!  They just revamped the system and I think you win more!  Proof?  I already earned another $5 gift card to Amazon!  You should check it out for yourself!