Ways To Cut the Cost on Your Utility Bills

Have you ever gotten one of your utility bills in the mail, opened it up, and felt like screaming at the top of your lungs? That happened to me yesterday as I opened my electric bill. Yes, I know that we are in the middle of summer, but $270? Really? Come on!

My electric bill got me to thinking about all my utilities in general and ways I can shave a few dollars off each month. Here are some ways that I came up with.

~Combining: There are some bills like your phone, internet, and cable that you can combine. Now these are not utilities, but most of us have them. Last month I was paying a $42 a month phone bill, a $35 a month internet bill, and a $55 cable bill–each through a separate place. However, my cable company offered me a deal where I could combine the three for only $89 a month. The old way I was paying $132 a month, and now I am only paying $89 a month. This also will save on gas since I only have one place to go instead of three.

~Cutting Back On Usage: This always will help save in the long run. Don’t take extremely long showers, or wash clothes every day to cut back on your water bill. When you wash dishes, turn the water off and on as you need it–don’t leave it running the whole time you are washing.

With the electric, make sure to turn off lights when you leave a room. If you are not in there, a light should not be on right? Keep your air conditioner turned up to a higher temp if you can stand it. When it runs constantly, that will cause the electric to go up considerably.

~Budget Billing: My state offers a budget billing program. This works by taking a year’s worth of bills and then adding the amounts together and dividing it by 12. This amount will be what you pay every month for twelve months. My gas bill used to be around $220 a month in the winter and only $20-$30 in the summer. We got tired of never knowing how much we were going to have to pay, so we signed up for the budget program and now we pay around $50 a month every month. Much easier to handle and plan for.

~Pay Your Bills On Time: I cannot stress this enough. Each of your utilities has a steep late fee whether you realize it or not. My water bill charges $9.50 late fee each month, the cable is a $7.00 late fee, and the electric is a $8.25 late fee. If I pay those late every month, I am shelling out an extra $25 a month! That is enough to buy at least a week’s worth of meat for my family at the grocery store! With that being only three bills, can you imagine if you pay all your bills late? Pay them on time and save yourself a ton of money in the long run.

So those are my tips for cutting the costs on your utility bills. What kind of steps do you take to cut costs on bills such as these?

Continue reading Ways To Cut the Cost on Your Utility Bills …

From Econobusters.

Cool Mom Picks gives lowdown on coupon codes

I am not a big fan of third-party coupon code and bargain sites. If I don’t know what the source of the information is, I’m hesitant to follow up. The coupon codes I personally use are ones that the retailers and services post on their web sites, in their twitter, send in the mail, email [...]

Continue reading Cool Mom Picks gives lowdown on coupon codes …

From Monroe on a Budget.

Reader Mailbag: How Many Questions?

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Replacing cable
2. Do-it-yourself wills
3. My no-generic items
4. Money goals after retirement
5. Tipping tip
6. Frugality and building relationships
7. 401(k), Social Security, and taxes
8. Selling a used car
9. Freezing baby food
10. Which card to pay off?

In case you are wondering, I get somewhere between 150 and 200 questions a week for the reader mailbags that I do. I can realistically only answer 20-25 of them.

When I get a question, I usually read it. If it’s someone going through something life-altering or very urgent, I’ll answer directly to them immediately. If not, I file it away in a folder. When I get ready to assemble a reader mailbag, I go through that folder and decide for each mail that I read whether a question makes for good mailbag fodder. If it does, I put it in the mailbag column I’m writing. If it doesn’t, I archive it. I usually do not get through everything in the mailbag before the column is full, so I leave the rest for next time.

Sometimes, I’ll pull out a question, start answering it, and find that it goes on for several paragraphs. I usually spin these off into their own posts.

If I don’t get to a question you asked, I apologize. It’s simply a matter of numbers. I could almost do nothing but reader mailbag posts at this point and still not answer them all. I usually just pick the ones that I like for some reason or that I think will provide an interesting answer.

I noticed you talked about possibly going “Cable-free” in your most recent entry. I agree! I use Netflix to get a movie fix, but there is also a great program called “PlayOn”. It works with the PS3/Xbox 360. It lets you stream Hulu, CBS, and a few other types of programs straight to your TV through the PS3. A little application gets installed on your PC, and then streams to the PS3. Check it out, I think you can get a free 2 week trial, too, before you buy. When I bought it, I think it was $30. One-time fee, no subscription. However, I have heard rumors of possibly free content on Hulu turning into paid content, so I don’t know how that would effect this program.
- Josh

The current generation of home video consoles – particularly the PS3 and the Xbox 360 – do a really good job of streaming media to your television for a very low cost. Netflix, for example, offers a streaming service with every subscription, even the $9 a month one (which gets you one disc at a time and unlimited streaming). If you have one of those consoles, it lets you access a good chunk of Netflix’s library while sitting at home – you just choose the item you want and you’re watching it within a minute or two.

There are several options out there for streaming other kinds of media to your PS3 or other console, too, like Hulu.

A friend of mine recently bought a Playstation 3 because of these arguments. He has no intent of playing games with it. He’s using it to watch Netflix ($8.95 a month) and Hulu (free) on his television at his convenience, as well as watch DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. Considering he’s doing this at the same time as getting rid of his cable box (that had a DVD player in it, since he doesn’t own one), he estimates his break-even point will be in about five months and he’s not going to miss any programming that he actually cares about. Sounds like a good move to me.

Is there a simple, frugal way to do a will for yourself? I have a few assets, no spouse or children. I would want my estate to go to my sibling,
- Mary

You can certainly write a will yourself. All you essentially have to do is list your assets, name your beneficiaries (your sibling), name your executor, and have two witnesses sign it in front of a notary. The difficulty with this is that if anyone chose to challenge this will, the witnesses would have to testify to your state of mind, and lawyers are creative folks who will find a reason to challenge if someone is paying them to find it.

I don’t think in your case you have too much to worry about, but you might want to consider using a service like LegalZoom as a compromise. They’ll help you set one up for a pretty reasonable price.

I know you have experimented in finding ways to save money – making food at home and making your own laundry detergent for example. A few weeks ago I recall you saying you hadn’t found a way to make a cheap shampoo so this created a question for me – What are some of the items you do not buy used or make or refuse to use the generic of? I know some people find it gross to wear shoes from the thrift store but I find that they can be a good buy for nice shoes. I personally love soda so while I am cutting it out if I’m going to buy a drink its going to be a big name brand.
- Katharine

I won’t buy generic garbage bags. I’ve had too many disasters with garbage spilling all over the floor due to cheap bags.

I am very picky about dairy-based food items. I won’t buy them if I can’t clearly see that they don’t have rBGH or other added growth hormones in them. I’ll often choose organic milk because of this.

I strongly prefer local produce when in season, to the point where I’ll happily pay more for something grown locally that morning rather than something grown far away a week ago.

If I’m buying pure luxury items, I don’t skimp. For example, I figure if I’ve decided to have a good beer, I’m not going to go cheap and get something awful. I’m going to get something tasty.

I think that largely covers it, at least in terms of the examples I can think of.

Everyone agrees that during our working years it makes sense always to try to spend less than what’s coming in. But what happens after retirement? My wife and I have small pensions, I have Social Security (she may start collecting in two years, or may wait), and we both have saved money in various retirement vehicles. The usual advice I’ve seen is to take out no more than 4% of savings each year. But that’s with the goal of preserving principal, as I understand it. We could live comfortably now taking no more than that (though we expect our medical expenses to increase as we get older). We do not have heirs we need to provide for. The causes and family we care about we’d rather help now while we’re living.

Our question is: How do we set money goals now? A lifetime of frugality means we don’t want to throw away the money we’ve slowly acquired, but we also don’t want just to sit on it. There aren’t a lot of material things we need and don’t have. We could travel more, we could go to more concerts and theater, we could buy art, but we don’t feel stongly impelled to do so. We’re lucky to be happy with the things we have!
- Michael

If you’re happy with what you have, don’t spend it. Hold on to it, make sure that you’re both sustained through any lifespan that you might have, and then give a large gift to a charity in your estate.

Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t help a charity now. For example, some charities can borrow against such pledges for improvements now without taking a dime from you or can move forward with projects based solely on pledges. Other charities offer charitable annuities, where you give them some lump sum of money and they give you payments for the rest of your life. I know, for example, that Consumer Union (the makers of Consumer Reports) do this.

My concern would honestly be that you have enough money to splurge on stuff for the sake of splurging now, only to find one of you alone in fifteen years without enough money to make ends meet. I don’t think that’s a fate either one of you want. I’d consider an option that allows you to give while you’re alive without abandoning your security.

I live on Long Island, NY and when out eating with friends, we just double the sales tax on the bill. Our sales is 8.625% and that would bring the tip to 17.25% which is great since we usually tip between 15 and 20%. If the service was lousy, go back to the 10% rule!
- Barbara

That’s a good strategy in a locale that has a good interest rate, so I thought I’d share it.

One thing I’ve seen recently is that some restaurants are starting to add a 15%, 18%, and 20% calculation to the receipt to aid in tipping. I am actually strongly in favor of that as it makes such calculations much easier.

I usually give the low one – 15% – for bad service (unless something degrading happened). I give the high end for great service.

I became frugal months ago, I like it and I feel I’m doing the right thing.

But people doesn’t see it this way, they see it as something bad, when people know I’m frugal they start to dislike me.

I don’t care about people’s opinion, but you always suggest building relationship with other people, everything goes smoothly until they know I’m frugal, then they start to have this bad image about me.
- Al

I don’t think there’s a need to bring up one’s frugality in an environment where you are establishing a relationship with someone unless it’s a “frugalites anonymous” meeting.

I’ve often heard that you should avoid talking about money, politics, sex, and religion when you’re first getting to know someone because those issues are sensitive and rife with disagreements. Frugality would fall under the money category.

You can certainly talk about some of the techniques that you use for things in life, but you don’t need to lead with them. Just focus on other areas of conversation and if you feel uncomfortable talking about something, lay low during that part of the conversation.

I have a question about my 401K that I wonder if you have any experience with. I currently contribute 17% of my check each week. That means I max out the yearly $16,500 contribution sometime in September every year. I also meet the Social Security tax limit at about the same time. This means for about the last 10 weeks of the year my weekly pay check is about $400 per week higher. However, I have been wondering if I would be better off tax-wise reducing my weekly percentage to have a smaller amount taken out year round. Or does it all equal out when my yearly federal taxes are done?
- Danielle

I don’t believe it would make any difference at all in terms of the total taxes you pay. However, it might result in a situation where your employer is not withholding adequate amounts from your paycheck over the course of the year, but most employers usually strive to withhold enough to ensure their employees get a refund at the end of the year, so your result would likely just be a change in the size of your refund (or the amount you pay in) versus the size of your checks throughout the year.

Another difference it would make is in terms of equaling out your paycheck over the course of the year. Depending on how you budget, that could be important, too.

I don’t think it’s something to stress out about in any case. The amounts we’re talking about are very small in terms of your annual income.

I have an older British sports car that I’m no longer interested in. I would like to sell it, and use the money to help replace my older everyday vehicle.

I know this is silly, but for some reason I dread the whole selling process. I ran an ad on craigslist, and I got a bunch of tire kickers that I really didn’t want to deal with. The result is that I’m now procrastinating in my efforts to sell the car, which doesn’t solve my problem.

The car is in decent shape and running order, but it is also old, so it has flaws that would be normal for a 35 year old car. I also keep thinking of small improvements that could be made to the car, and these become excuses to not proceed with the sale.

I’ve thought about trading this car in, but I’m assuming most dealers don’t want to buy an older car, and they also won’t give me even a fair price for it.

I believe this car is worth $7-8K, but I’m willing to take less to sell the car, so I’m not being stubborn about the price. I did turn down a sight unseen offer of $5K.

This all leads to my question for you: Do you have an recommendations/advice/strategies for selling a used car?
- Jay

The biggest thing you need to do is to determine the price that you minimally expect to get for the car. You seem to expect more than $5,000 but you’re willing to take less than $7,000.

My suggestion would be to figure out what you want to get out of it, add on about 15%, then list the car widely. If it doesn’t sell for what you want, keep trying.

I would also make sure that you’re not overvaluing the car. What is the car’s blue book value? Use KBB and get a good estimate.

We are expecting our third child this December and I am already starting to get the nesting urge! I consider myself pretty hand in the kitchen and cook all of our meals at home. I am not, however, confident in my freezing abilities and I would love to begin thinking about preparing some frozen meals for the cold winter months when I’m A) too pregnant and exhausted to cook or B) have just given birth!! I am looking for information such as: what containers work best for freezing, how long do frozen meals last, what recipes work well for freezing, can you freeze contents that you put in the crock pot, etc. I guess I’d love to see kind of a “Freezing 101″ post!!
- Carrie

I have indeed frozen baby food in the past and it does work. My intent is to have a more detailed post about this when our youngest gets old enough for baby food (probably this winter), but for now, here are a few tips that address your specific points.

You can freeze stuff in about anything. We’ve used baby jars and ice cube trays in the past and both have worked just fine – just make sure you label stuff. The frozen food usually works well for about three months, from our experience. You can freeze about anything that would be all right for a baby to eat – just avoid the potential allergy foods. We’ve frozen stuff prepared in a crock pot before without any problem, as crock pot food is usually cooked at least as well as other foods.

The real key is to just make sure it’s pureed to a point that your baby can eat it. The younger the child, the more smooth and water-like it needs to be. Don’t hesitate to add water to any puree you make.

Good luck! Look for a better guide this winter!

I have just transferred a cc debt ($4800) to a new card with 0 interest for 18 months. I have another cc with about 4k on it with 16% interest. I have $300 a month to put toward these 2 debts. How should I divide the amount between the two?
- Henry

The first thing I would do is figure out what happens when that balance transfer expires. The big question is what happens if you haven’t paid back all of the transferred balance. Are you responsible for all of the back interest or not? You may have to call them to find out if you can’t get this information from the documentation.

If you will get dinged for that back interest, compare that interest rate to your 16% card. Which rate is higher? Pay down the higher debt.

If you won’t get dinged, pay down the 16% card first.

Got any questions? Email them to me or leave them in the comments and I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag. However, I do receive hundreds of questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.

Continue reading Reader Mailbag: How Many Questions? …

From The Simple Dollar.

And the Winner Is. . .

The winner of the Activity Bag giveaway is Jackie!

This is what she had to say:

Even on short trips (to the post office which is only 17 miles from our home to get the mail) or long trips we always take along Old Time Radio shows and books on tape to listen to. The materials in these items are better than what we can get anywhere else.
Congratulations!

Continue reading And the Winner Is. . . …

From Econobusters.

Jo-Ann college discount days

My sales and deals are usually for the Monroe, Mich., area, but this is definitely a sale worth noting even if your shopping has to be done in Taylor or Ypsilanti.
Jo-Ann Fabric announces in its mail-out flier this week that there will be college student discount days July 11-17 with 15 percent off your total [...]

Continue reading Jo-Ann college discount days …

From Monroe on a Budget.

Jo-Ann college discount days

My sales and deals are usually for the Monroe, Mich., area, but this is definitely a sale worth noting even if your shopping has to be done in Taylor or Ypsilanti.
Jo-Ann Fabric announces in its mail-out flier this week that there will be college student discount days July 11-17 with 15 percent off your total [...]

Continue reading Jo-Ann college discount days …

From Monroe on a Budget.

Jo-Ann college discount days

My sales and deals are usually for the Monroe, Mich., area, but this is definitely a sale worth noting even if your shopping has to be done in Taylor or Ypsilanti.
Jo-Ann Fabric announces in its mail-out flier this week that there will be college student discount days July 11-17 with 15 percent off your total [...]

Continue reading Jo-Ann college discount days …

From Monroe on a Budget.

Shoppers Voice Surveys

Shoppers Voice Surveys

Complete the survey and receive exclusive money-saving coupons, free product samples, and other special offers by mail and email. Plus, you’ll also be instantly entered into the Grand Prize draw for $10,000 cash. Click Here.

Continue reading Shoppers Voice Surveys …

From Frugal Simplicity.

Freebie Friday

This past week, my mailbox was FULL of great freebies. I really love filling all the freebies out and then watching my mailman’s face as he delivers package after package!

Right now, I am working on a baby package for my next door neighbor as she is expecting soon. This will be a lovely gift to give her full of great samples that she can try before buying the real product.

Here are the freebies for this week:

• Create a baby registry at any retailer and receive a free gift bag of Lansinoh samples and coupons when you add a Lansinoh Affinity Double Electric Breast Pump to your baby registry. Once registered,  mail in a printout of your baby registry to the address provided in the link. This offer is good while supplies last.
• Sign up for a complementary digital subscription to Inspired Magazine. Each issue is filled with easy, every day meal ideas. This offer is available internationally.
• This weekend, June 18-20, Dad’s can get a free bowl of noodles, soup, or salad at Noodles & Company. This offer is available at participating locations only.
• Get a free burger from Champps when you “like” their Facebook page then click on the free burger tab. This offer is available until 6/30 or until they reach 100,000 fans. Click here to find a location near you.
• Costco is offering a free sample of Starbucks Via Ready Brew. A Costco membership number is no longer required to sign up for this offer. Available to the U.S. only while supplies last.
• Homeschool Share is offering a free printable Preschool Grocery Lapbook. Included is printable play money, coupons, food groups, sorting colors and shapes, songs and more. You choose what you want to print and add to your lapbook. This offer is available internationally.
• Toys R Us stores will be having a Lego Family Creation Challenge on Saturday, June 19th. Their ad states “Build your own Lego creation, plus a Lego creation Dad will love! There will be prizes, giveaways, and more. Check to make sure your local Toys R Us is participating.
• Walgreens.com is offering a free 8×10 Photo Collage when you use the code GOBIG8X10. Choose in-store pickup to avoid a shipping charge. This offer is good through 6/19/10.
• World of Green is offering a free SoyClean BBQ sample to safely clean the grill without toxic chemicals for Father’s Day. Send your request for your free sample here. This offer is available to the U.S. and Canada while supplies last.
• Lawmed.com is offering a free ABC’s of Safety Printable Coloring Book. This offer is available internationally.
• Crohn’s Online is offering a free cookbook with easy to follow recipes for people living with Crohn’s disease. This offer is available to U.S. residents, while supplies last.
• GapeNuts.com is offering free coloring books, recipe books and teacher kits. Coloring & recipe books can be requested by email (info@gapeanuts.com) and teacher kits can be requested by mail. Click here for more information.
• You can get a free American Baby Magazine Subscription when you register at Family Planning.com. Just select it from the list on the first page. This offer is available to U.S. residents only, while supplies last.
• Kellogg’s is offering a free All Bran Promise Pack.  This offer is available to U.S. residents, for limited time.
• Walmart is offering a free sample of Purina One Dog or Cat Food.  This offer is available to U.S. residents only.
• Sign up to receive two free sample packets of Bull’s Eye BBQ Sauce. This offer is available to U.S. residents, while supplies last.
• Costco is offering a free sample of Dove Damage Therapy Daily Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. A membership number is not required. This offer is available to the U.S., U.S. territories, Puerto Rico, AA, AE, and AP.
• Now through 6/30, follow AmazonVideo on Twitter and receive $10 towards select T.V. shows. If you’re already a follower, you can still get a code by replying and sending them a direct message for a code. Come will come within 48 hours. Some shows include Curious George, HOUSE, Heroes and more.
• Mr. Food.com is offering a free Mr. Food Dessert Recipe eBook.  This collection includes cakes, pies, cookies, puddings and more.  International.
• Visit any of the 700 Whataburger locations between 7AM-10AM on 6/22/10 and receive a free Breakfast on a Bun. Whataburger’s Breakfast on a Bun comes with egg, choice of bacon or pork sausage, and a slice of American cheese on a toasted bun.
• Register and receive a free True Citrus Sample.  This offer is available to U.S. residents only.
• The first 5,000 to follow Cherry Secrets Inc. on twitter will receive a free Cherry Lotion.  It is unclear where this offer will ship to.
• If you are a dad, you can receive a free small breakfast at Ikea on Father’s Day. Free breakfast includes a small coffee. Information on this offer can be found here at the bottom of the page.
• Walmart is offering a free Bodycology Lotion Sample.  This offer is available to U.S. residents, while supplies last.
• HealthyPools.org is offering a free Pool Water Test Kit. This offer is available to U.S. residents, while supplies last.
• Dove is offering a free bathrobe when you create and upload a video or a photo with text, between June 1 and August 31, 2010. Video or photo must describe your experience using Dove Reinvented shampoo or conditioner. All videos and photos must show you holding the product. This offer is available to U.S. residents only, while supplies last.
• Fave Crafts is offering a free Father’s Day Crafts eBook with 10 homemade gift projects for Dad. This book includes projects for all skill levels. It is available internationally for a limited time.

Have a great weekend friends!

Continue reading Freebie Friday …

From Econobusters.

Freebie Friday

You will not want to miss out on Monday’s newsletter! We are talking natural hair conditioners! If you have not signed up for the newsletter yet, today would be the day to do so!

Here are the freebies for this week!

• Giveaway of the Day is offering a free download of Picture Collage Maker. This software is a way to build any photo collage and scrapbook project whether you are just starting out or have been collaging for years. This offer is good for today, June 4, 10 only.
• Visit a participating Krispy Kreme on June 4 and receive a free Glazed Goodie.  Click here for participating locations.
• You may be able to find the Tresemme Hairspray Trial Size at Target for around $.97.  Visit Tresemme’s facebook page and “like” them to get a $1/1 coupon that you can print twice.  Get the trial size for free after you use this coupon.  Prices may vary per location.
• The first 200 people in line at a participating Old Navy on 6/5/10 will get a free Gift. $500 & $200 shopping sprees, Old Navy Famous Jeans, or Graphic Tees are some of the prizes. Click here for a participating location near you.
• You may be able to find the 64oz bottles of Welch’s Grape Juice for around $2 at the Family Dollar.  Get it for free after using this $2 off printable coupon.  Prices may vary per location.
• California Ripe Olives is offering a free Olive Recipe Book.  This is available to U.S. residents only.
• Walmart is offering a free Starbucks Ready Brew Sample.  You can choose from Colombian or Italian Roast.
• Sign up to receive a free Pocket Size New Testament. This offer is available to US residents only.
• Join the Steak ‘n Shake eClub and receive a coupon via mail for a free steak burger and fries along with other coupons to use throughout the year.
• Enfamil is offering a certificate for a a free formula sample. Just print the certificate here and take it in with you on your child’s next doctors appointment. This offer is available to U.S. residents only, for a limited time.
• Get a free product printable coupon good for one box of Ideal No Calorie Sweetener (max value of $3.99). This coupon expires on 6/30/10.
• Join the IHOP Pancake Revolution on Facebook by “liking” their page and get a free meal on your birthday for signing up, and on your 1 year anniversary of joining the Pancake Revolution.
• Walmart is offering a free sample of Purina One Dog or Cat Food.  This offer is available to U.S. residents only.
• Sargento is offering a free Grilling Recipes eBook.  This offer is available internationally.
• Walmart is offering a free sample of Cottonelle Ultra Toilet Paper and Fresh Moist Wipes. This offer is available to U.S. residents, while supplies last.
• Walmart is offering a free sample of Three Dog Bakery All Natural Dog Cookies. This offer is available to U.S. residents, while supplies last.
• Join Papa Murphy’s eClub and receive an email for a printable coupon good for free cookie dough during your birthday month.
• On Saturday, June 12 at 11am, Borders is having a special Toy Story 3 event to celebrate the movie’s release on June 18. Kids can do crafts, storytime, games, receive giveaways, and more.
• Your Dollar General may carry Cream of Wheat 3 packs for $1. You can get this for free when you use this $1/1 printable coupon.
• Grace To You is offering free soft cover religious books: Is It Real?, Our Sufficiency In Christ and Anxious For Nothing.
• Teachers and school organizations can request a free Sustainable Poster Packet that includes posters on renewable energy, clean water, and sustainable food. This offer is available to the U.S. only.
• ChristianAudio.com is offering a free download of the audio book “Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit” by Francis Chan. This download is available for the month of June when you use the code JUNE2010.
• One Seed Chicago is offering a free seed pack. This offer is available to U.S. residents while supplies last.
• Similac is offering a free Sling Pack for new moms when you print out the certificate and use it at the time of discharge from the hospital. This offer is available at participating hospitals only.
• You can request free Glidden Paint Samples, June 1st through 7th.  You are able to get 2 samples for both you are a friend. Just click here then click “Get Your Free Testers”.
• The entire family can enjoy a free family summer camp at Bass Pro Shops, starting June 5th. Kids will get to enjoy free crafts like coloring their own backpack, painting a wiggle fish, designing their own birdhouse, making a camping photo frame, creating plaster animal tracks and making a leather key chain for Dad (while supplies last). The whole family will enjoy learning the basics of hiking, camping and fishing. Other workshops include bird watching, archery, animal identification and plants & insects. New this year, families can learn important summer safety travel tips for their pets. Kids will earn a collectible pin for every workshop completed (while supplies last). Plus, throughout the event, families will love the time-honored tradition of making campfire s’mores. “Camp” is in session at the 54 Bass Pro Shops across the United States, including two stores in Canada, on Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 2 PM, and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-5 PM.
• Kids can hit the lanes for free games this summer at all 93 Brunswick Zone and Brunswick Zone XL centers. Every day this summer, students age 18 and younger can bowl one free game whenever lanes are available. Shoe rental is not included. To claim their games, students just need a Student Ball Pass, which you can get for free at any Brunswick center or online here.
• Take your kids to the movies for free this summer at Regal Cinemas. Every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 a.m., you will be able to see a selected G or PG movie for free. (Note: Tickets and seating are first-come, first-served and are limited to theatre capacity.)

Have a great weekend friends!

Continue reading Freebie Friday …

From Econobusters.

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