It's "Fun 2B Frugal"

Today's Giveaway: Oil of Olay Gift Bag
Ends 06/03/2012

Occasionally I like to interview people who inspire me or just help me find ways to balance life. Today I am sharing an interview with Rudy R; a couponing expert and blog owner of Fun 2B Frugal who taught me how knock my grocery bill from over $200 a week to an average of $70. You don't have to be a genius to save money, and it doesn't have to take up all of your time. Rudy taught me how study sale flyers and how to collect and use coupons. My children now call me "one of those crazy coupon ladies" and do not go to the store with me. Which saves me even more money. Ha!

Hi, Rudy. Thanks for taking time out from your frugal blog and business to spend time at The Balanced Writer. What first perked your interested in couponing?

What first perked my interest in couponing was hearing ladies at church talk about how much money they were saving. Then I saw an episode on Oprah that really got my attention. It was then I decided to learn how to do it.

How did you learn?

I learned how to coupon mostly on my own. I googled questions and read several different blogs, but most of what I learned was by trial and error. I think it was the best way for me.

Did you get a lot of support?

When I first started couponing, I think my husband was skeptical. Even after a few trips of saving nearly $100 he still wasn't seeing the big deal. It wasn't until he physically went with me on a trip that he saw the savings and the amount of products we were getting for our money.

Rudy R from Fun 2B Frugal

What kind of impact has it made on your living circumstances?

I don't take up an entire guest bedroom or garage, if that's what you mean! However, now when I shave I don't keep my razor until it's absolutely unbearable to shave with anymore! I change it very often. I also fill up my guest bedroom and bathroom with lots of goodies so when our guests come they feel like they are in a hotel, only they get full sized products!

You have lucky guests! Tell us about Fun 2B Frugal, the website.

Fun 2B Frugal is a site designed to help people in many different ways. First it shows people how to change their normal way of thinking and grocery shopping. It shows them how to fully take advantage of sale cycles and add coupons to get the best deal. When you learn how to coupon the right way, you can cut your weekly grocery bill 50 to 90%.

I know after taking your class, my grocery bill dropped an average of 70%. I have lots of food in storage, too. You're on Facebook, right?

We are on Facebook! Most people these days check their Facebook frequently throughout the day. When you "like" Fun 2B Frugal on Facebook, you can stay updated on all the current posts.

I follow Fun 2B Frugal on Facebook and catch deals I use almost daily. Now, I understand you offer classes regularly, even online?

I do offer classes, and they are fun! I am currently working on online classes, however, at this time I only offer the traditional class. If you are interested in hosting a class, you can contact me through Fun2BFrugal.com 

  

What's the best way folks can take advantage of your website?

The best way to take advantage of my website is to check it every day! So many different deals come out daily, and believe me, you don't want to miss a hot deal! Also, check out the coupon database. 

If you want to start out slow, just type in a few products to see if a coupon pops up for them. Then you can have your coupons in hand when you go to the store. The coupon database is key to finding coupons when you're not sure where they are.

Next, sign up for all the freebies I post, most of the time they come with coupons! Enter the monthly giveaway, and sometimes there might be a weekly special giveaway.

Also, sign up for the newsletter to get reminders and deals delivered to your inbox for free!

I'm all signed up for your newsletter. Love it. Okay, last question. What's your funniest ever coupon story?

My funniest coupon story. It would have to be when I was filming a video for the site at Dollar General. I was showing the clearance deals and telling people they can add coupons to clearance to save 90% or more. I picked up a bottle of Purex Fabric Softener, gave the clearance price, added the coupon to it, then when I gave the final price I realized it would only be $0.12! It just hit me what a good deal it was as I was saying it, and I dropped the bottle in excitement! I had just emptied my last bottle of softener that morning, so I was overly excited! We didn't show all that on camera, but maybe next time I will!

That would be my luck! Just .12 for a bottle of anything is super!

Rudy's Recommended Links?

The links that I recommend are: Fun2BFrugal.com! What else!?!

Thanks for coming by Rudy, and good luck with your coupon business. Thanks for the tips!

 **GIVEAWAY**

Today's giveaway is an Oil of Olay gift bag that will be mailed direct to you from The Balanced Writer. 

This gift bag contains several samples of Oil of Olay skin and shower products,  plus a small pedicure set. It comes in a dainty pouch tote. Great prize!

TO ENTER:

1. Follow this blog.

2. Leave a comment on this post and include a contact email. 

ENDS:

 06/03/2012

Good Luck!

Follow Rudy's Fun 2B Frugal on Facebook!

Best Selling Suspense Giveaway

One of my favorite genres is suspense, and one of my favorite authors is Inspirational Suspense author, Anne Patrick. Her books have phenomenal action, characters with depth, and her stories are clean. There's nothing preachy about an Inspie suspense from Anne Patrick, they're just great mysteries without any distractions. Yes, I'm gushing, because I love her books!

Anne Patrick, Award Winning Suspense

Anne is the author of more than a dozen novels including the award winning and bestselling FIRE AND ASH (one of my favorites) and KILL SHOT. Her books have garnered four-star and five star reviews and won tons of awards. She deserves them.

When she's not killing off people or falling in love with dashing heroes, you can find her surfing the web or spending time with family and friends. Born and raised in Oklahoma, she now makes her home in Kansas. Anne is one of the sweetest and friendliest people you could ever meet, and she is an amazingly talented author whose time (in my opinion) has come.

**E-BOOK GIVEAWAY**

ENDS 5/27/12

Win a copy of Anne Patrick's newest release! So jealous, because this one is on my wish list! 

When the skeletal remains of three young women are discovered on the vacation estate of a U.S. Senator, the local sheriff enlists the help of Special Agent Gabe Landry and a local forensic sketch artist to help him solve the murders. As a profiler, Gabe knows his skills are useless until they discover the identity of the victims.

That’s where the beautiful and talented Mackayla Kensington comes in. Mackayla is all too familiar with the heartache of not knowing the fate of a loved one. The brutal murder of her own daughter is the driving force behind her determination to bring closure to families missing loved ones. Using her artistry skills, Mackayla works frantically to put faces to the skulls so that their identities can be revealed and the killer can be caught. When the killer realizes how good she is, it appears she may be the next to die.

TO ENTER:

1. Follow this blog

2. Leave a comment with your contact e-mail!

One entry per person. Thank you!

Fish & Books

Last year I met my 2010 resolution to abstain from all seafood in order to show my concern for overfishing and other unsafe environmental fishing practices in the U.S. I'll be honest; this wasn't too difficult because I'm not crazy about fish--eating them anyway. 

Did you know studies show many of the fish we order at restaurants are not the species listed on the menu? Did you know that commercial overfishing along with ocean pollution has decimated populations of sustainable sea life? As a certified scuba diver, I can tell you that I have witnessed some of our empty reefs and ocean waters. Eating with wisdom is just as important as eating healthy. 

It's indisputable that fish is good for you, and I know that's the best place I can get my Omega-3 oils so I am back off the wagon this year. Safe fishing practices and focusing on eating fish that currently have a healthy population is the smart way to go. The general rule of thumb recognizes that smaller fish are more sustainable than the larger species. This year, environmental groups and research suggest that these fish are "in":

Alaska King Crab, Anchovies, Arctic Char, Barramundi, Bluefish, Catfish (farmed), Clams, Crab: Blue, Dungeness, King. Crawfish, Dogfish Hake Halibut (Pacific), Herring (Atlantic), Mackerel: Atlantic, Spanish, Mussels (Black, Green-lipped). Octopus (Pacific), Oysters (farmed), Pacific Black Cod (Sablefish), Pacific Cod (pot or jig caught), Pollack (Alaska), Prawns (trap-caught, Pacific), Rock Lobster (Australian), Salmon (Wild Alaskan), Salmon, Sockeye (Canada), Sardines (Pacific), Scallops (Bay - farmed), Shrimp (US farmed), Squid (Pacific), Striped Bass (hybrid), Sturgeon (farmed), Tilapia (farmed), Tuna: Pacific Albacore and Uni (Sea Urchin).

Being a couponer, I recently had the chance to try some of Gordon's Skillet Crisp Tilapia. Although I generally avoid commercial fishing companies' products because of their trawling and other environmentally damaging methods, I have to admit that it was the first time I actually really liked tilapia. So... I guess my next challenge is to learn how to cook fish properly so I can buy it from responsible, sustainable fish suppliers.

Summer is just around the corner, so enjoy some lean, healthy fish on the grill. Just know what you're eating and where it comes from! 

*****

First to Comment, First to Win

In other seafaring news, (in a way,) last month author MaryFremont Schoenecker gave me a copy of her Maine Shore Chronicles series, PROMISE KEEPER. Because it was third in the series and I was behind, I had a little trouble getting into it, but Mary has a beautiful voice. I loved the ambiance of her Maine shore community setting. I recommend the Maine Shore Chronicles if you enjoy cozy mysteries and a large familial cast. 

Here's my review:

Paul Fontaine has been shot, and the woman he loves may be involved. Mary Freemont Schoenecker's next edition in the Main Shore Chronicles features Paul and his quirky family trying to sort out their personal lives as illness and marriage plans overwhelm them all. Luckily for Paul, his Tante Margaret is able to harness her psychic abilities to help him face the truth as he journeys to Florida in search of a stolen painting.

Mary Freemont Schoenecker has created characters as comfortable as the company of old friends. Paul is as emotionally fragile as his ailing father back at home, as he must come to grips with whether or not his beloved Suzanne is involved in an art heist. He is underwhelmed by the officials investigating the case, but his passion for both truth and love carry him through. Along the way we meet a colorful, spry Floridian ensemble, ready to keep him comfortable until he is ready to return home again.

I did not read the first installments of this series, and I wish I had. The Maine shore and its accompanying culture and heritage make for a beautiful setting. The mysterious art world heist kept me fascinated as I got to know the extended Fontaine family. Sharing Paul's crime solving journey was an enjoyable ride into the Keys and hurricane season.

If you would like my pristine copy of PROMISE KEEPER, comment on this post, and I will ship you the edition. You may find that you're a new Mary Schoenecker fan.

LDS Author Giveaway Hop

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/02/lds-author-giveaway-hop-featuring-books.html

Click for more giveaways and great blogs!

Welcome to the LDS Authors Hop, a book giveaway focusing on LDS authors who write either for their faith or for the mainstream market.

You'd be surprised how many popular authors today are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). Ever heard of that book series called Twilight?

Stephanie Meyers is one of many writers who share this unique, worldwide faith. Two of my favorite LDS authors are Joyce DiPastena (Medieval) and Marie Higgins (Contemporary and Historical romance). Check them out!

**GIVEAWAY**

Today's giveaway is a copy of my new paranormal e-book, DEATH CHEATER. Here's the catchy blurb:

Athena Gray lives vicariously through her sister because people in general avoid her. Whether it's strange things like dead butterflies fluttering to life, or the time she saved her dying grandpa just by willing him to live, Athena knows that she is different. The only person who doesn't seem to think so is Dan, the most popular boy on Omega High School's baseball team.

To Enter:
 

Follow this blog. Comment on this post to win. Last, don't forget to leave a contact email address so I can send you your copy!

Good luck! 

~Danielle Thorne

What's a Mormon? Check out the Mormon faith or view my profile at Mormon.org.

 

 

PREF: How I Defuse Stress and Anxiety

It seems like everybody's scrambling. I think most people are so stressed out they forget about patience, could care less about anyone else's problems and while we're at, nobody sleeps at night either.

This past year I found myself spinning in the same relentless cycle. At some point driving from point A to point B and flipping out because I was not going to be on time, I realized that all I could do was be prepared and plan and then I had to let go. Else go on blood pressure medication.

After some thought, I came up with the acronym, PREF:

P-Plan

R-Relax

E-Execute

F-Flex (As in, be flexible!)

PREF-ing with some friends. 2009

I came to understand that we're doing it all wrong. For some reason, "relaxing" doesn't happen until everything is over, said and done. Why? All it does is give us gray hair! As long as we plan and prepare our days and weeks, there's no reason to fall apart when the rest of the world does. I've learned to do the best I can and then just take a long, deep breath. I relax, even as I'm executing my day. Of course, I have to take a second breath sometimes and remind myself to be flexible. We can't control the universe. Things happen.

Since imprinting PREF into my subconsciousness, I handle stress a lot better. I'm able to remind myself I've done all I can and it's time to carry out the plan with a smile on my face, even if things change. My recent foray into fitness (I'm up to 2.1 miles now!) and trying to eat healthy seem to help, too.

My parents PREF-ing on the front porch.

There are some days I'd be better off writing PREF on my hand in black Sharpie, but for the most part, this little mantra really helps me uncoil when I feel myself getting all wound up. Try it. Memorize the steps, and see if it helps you get through your day. And remember, "relax" is step two!



P.S. Don't forget the dark chocolate. Up to 1.6 ounces a day!

Try some melted dark chocolate over plain air popped popcorn for a healthy, relaxing snack. I love this treat. It's divine!

~Danielle Thorne