I’ve hinted about it for days now, and finally here it is – your chance to win a $500 Walmart gift card!!!
Just in time to make your holidays a little happier, Nickelodeon and Walmart have teamed up to offer this fabulous contest hosted by the Elevenmoms.
Yep, that’s right – each Elevenmom is giving away one $500 gift card on her blog, so you have 20 chances to win! Find details on the Elevenmoms site on how you can enter to win each one. Please note that you may only win once.
So who wants to add $500 to their holiday budget? You didn’t really think I was going to make this EASY for you, did you? You’re going to have to work a little bit for a prize this big.
In light of the tough economic times, this contest is all about discovering new ways to help each other save money. Yesterday I wrote a post detailing seven easy ways to cut at least $1 from your budget per day in the hopes that it would inspire you to participate in The One Dollar Give. I only just scratched the surface though, and I know that you all have some amazing tips to share as well.
So there you go – holiday-themed or not, I want you to share your best methods for cutting back by at least $1 a day!
Methods of Entry*
Every reader can submit up to three (3) different tips to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, or three for up to a total of 3 entries!!!
YOU MUST LEAVE A TIP WITH EACH ENTRY. ENTRIES THAT DO NOT FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES BELOW WILL BE DELETED.
1. Leave a comment sharing your best money-saving tip to cut at least $1 a day out of your budget!
2. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email and leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so along with another money-saving tip. If you’re already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you’re already subscribed along with another money-saving tip. Lovin’ my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.
3. Spread the word about this contest in some manner and come back and leave a link in a separate comment along with another money-saving tip. If you have a blog, you can blog about it. But if you don’t have a blog, you’re not at a disadvantage. You could review and Stumble it. You could Twitter it. You could post about it in a forum. Use your imagination!
*Please read the rules for entering and the timeline information carefully as this contest differs from the usual giveaways that I host.
It is important that you leave a separate comment for each type of entry because each comment is equal to one entry. Sorry to harp on this, but it really is that important to tally and select the winner easily, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me simplify the process!
Prize:
1 $500 Walmart Gift Card
This giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, December 15th. The judges will select ten of their favorite entries to be highlighted on Deal Seeking Mom, and I’ll use Random.org to select the winning comment. The winner will be posted on Tuesday, December 16th, and the prize will be mailed out on December 17th. Good luck!
While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!
Related posts of interest on Deal Seeking Mom:
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Plan a menu and check out books at the library!
I have been using the freecycle site to post and to get reusable items. feels great when you can give something to someone to use instead of keeping it unused in your closet
We burn wood for heat; I grow a vegetable garden and freeze and can produce, sauce, jelly, pickles and more; I have chickens and get my eggs from them (not meat!); I use only energy-saving light bulbs; I recycle as much as I can; I cut and use coupons; I wash my laundry in cold water.
i don’t look at the glossy ads that come with the Sunday paper. it keeps me from looking at the enticing goods and telling myself, “Wow, we REALLY need that.”
Make your coffee at home, it will taste better anyways! Also, when dining out order water with your meal…easy way to save 2 or 3 bucks!
Thanks, Amber
amberd_short@hotmail.com
I bundled my TV, phone and internet service with Time Warner and save $60/mo
I am so excited to start couponing and saving money. I am a teacher for an inner city school, and I just found out that the district is cutting 400 jobs and that I will be getting a pink slip, since I have not been there more than three years! So with that said, I would love to have the gift card! Our way to plan for this is to save money- I have just found your site and began couponing! I love shopping at walmart, cvs, and walgreens using coupons!
we also changed our cell phone plans, and have no home phone!
so many ways to save moeny!
Best of luck to everyone!!
stephanie
What an awesome giveaway. My money saving tip is to take a refillable cup with you when getting coffee or a soda. I drink 2 to 3 sodas a day from the fountain and this saves me a a ton of money per week. Not only does it save your wallet but also the enviroment.
subscribed to email list.
Don’t shy away from buying Generic products, that can save you a $1 or $2. Thanks!
I subscribed. Thanks !
We are renting and have really drafty windows, so we put plastic over the windows during the summer (to keep heat out) and during winter (to keep heat in).
I subscribed! My tip would be when you are heading out on a trip plan ahead of time and have snacks and drinks already purchased. This way you don’t fall into the trap of gas station foods or drinks that are way overpriced.
Make your coffee at home instead of going to those fancy coffee shops. It will save you much more than a $1 a day.
Since my husband and I are just students we have been learning a lot about going green and saving money. We read that even when appliances are turned off but still plugged into the outlet they still use energy and run the meeter. We have taken out all the appliances we are not using and turned down the heater just a few degrees at night and have changed out bills from $197 and $98 to $98 and $18. A good way to save while celebrating the holidays. Oh and I beleive that cuts about $5.97 per day out of our budget!
Courtney´s last blog post..Holidays
I blogged about this give away and subscribed to your great blog! http://joeandcourtraines.blogspot.com/2008/12/500-walmart-gift-card.html and another money saving tip is to shop at thrift stores for kids. My husband and I saved over $100 by purchasing a used play kitchen, play dishes and other items for our little girl. Guess how much we paid?! $4!!! I kid you not! Then I cleaned it up myself and its as good as new!
Courtney´s last blog post..Holidays
coupons and cvs shopping for stockpiling those are both great ways that I use.
danielle´s last blog post..Sick babies…
Get new inerts for the 3 toilets I have where you have to jiggle the handle! My water bill is outrageous and this would save at least $1 a day in wasted water!
i shop for Christmas gifts and gifts to have on hand for other occasions all year long and never pay full price for them
after various holidays through the year i buy trinkets for my grandkids to give as treats through the year or to fill their gift bags at Christmas–if you look closely you can usually find items that don’t have the holiday’s theme on them
I don’t really like the taste of our water out of the faucet, but I don’t want to spend money on bottled water. We have found that when we put our tap water in old juice containers in the fridge and get it really cold it tastes quite good, so that’s the water we drink, even when we go work out. My husband also always takes his lunch to school, and I buy him snacks and drinks to keep in his small fridge at school so he isn’t tempted to use the vending machines.
To save a over a dollar per day, I take the train to work instead of driving and parking in the city! Huge savings over time!
I already subscribe! I save over a dollar per day also by making my own coffee at home and adding fancy cremer at home instead of buying a expensive latte at the coffee shop!
The two biggest ways to trim dollars from my budget are staying home and better meal planning! I definitely make more trips out than necessary. There are times when I can have my husband pick things up at the store on his way home, but I selfishly want him home earlier so I go to the store myself during the day. Really it would be best for everyone for him to stop because he’s far less apt to impulse shop like I do (blush) and it would save gas. As for the meal planning… I have an autistic son who is SUPER picky with eating and we’ve developed a really bad habit of just making 5 different things to eat for dinner every night. Everyone just picked what they wanted and I would make up to 5 different things for dinner. It goes without saying that this is very expensive. I’ve started making larger batches of some foods like spaghetti and freezing half. This is something everyone can eat and I can buy some ingredients in bulk which cuts the cost also.
Chrissy´s last blog post..WoOoT WoOoT! $50 make me holla!
I prep snacks for the week on Sunday and keep them in handy single serving containers rather than paying extra for the single sized packs at the store…
Steph´s last blog post..Simple abundance – finding gratitude dispite the hustle and bustle
Our Cub Foods sells 93% lean ground turkey from their meat case for $1.69/lb regular price – I have switched all of our recipes that call for ground meat to this much more affordable option!
Tweeted about this giveaway: http://twitter.com/psmom/status/1057239713
Steph´s last blog post..Simple abundance – finding gratitude dispite the hustle and bustle
When you must go out and do something do more than one thing and save on gas!
Thanks for the chance to win such a great gift!
I love to make dinner enough for 2-3 nights and I add a couple of things on the 2nd and/or 3rd night to make it a little different that saves alot on my grocery bill especially for meat
One money saving tip that really helped me this year was to start buying presents for people in July and just buy a few presents each month. By spacing it out and looking for things on sale it wasn’t a blast to our checking account in December. Also we choose names for our big family gatherings!! I could sure use this card to start saving in January!
Thanks, Brenda
cbdayton@gmail.com
I finally wrote a post! http://southernfrieddreams.blogspot.com/2008/12/500-walmart-giftcard-giveaway.html
My money-saving tip is a bit subtle, but I think it can pay big dividends: try to set aside time every single day for quality family time — everyone in the same room … with the TV off. Play games, read aloud, play tag or hide-and-seek, or just talk about your day. Not only will you bond and build memories as a family, but you’ll also save on electricity by turning off unnecessary lights, televisions, stereos, and other electronics in the rest of the house. You’d be surprised how much power is being used when everyone’s doing their own thing in a separate room.
I use my hot tea bags more than once. The second time around requires longer steeping, but it tastes just as good as the first cup. Considering I’ve developed a huge tea habit, this actually saves me a lot!
Lindsey´s last blog post..I thought I saw a puddy cat.
I make shopping lists and only go once a week. It saves money, those $2 and $3 purchases every day really add up!
I’m a subscriber, too.
Second tip: We use the library for books and movies. A lot of people don’t realize that libraries have a pretty impressive collection of both new and old movies. If they don’t have something you want, most participate in an interlibrary loan program that can get the movie for you. You might have to wait a few weeks, but once you are in the system and now what you’ll want and when it’ll be out , the waiting is minimal and the savings are huge!
Lindsey´s last blog post..I thought I saw a puddy cat.
We have really cut down on the number of electrical lighting decorations used this year which cuts down on the electric bills considerably. This year I made a beautiful, inexpensive “living” evergreen wreath!
Start with a circular oasis. Collect evergreen and herb clippings from your yard (ie: bayberry, holly, juniper, sage, etc.) and insert them into the oasis until it’s covered. Add berries, dried flowers, etc. To finish put a candle in the center and set up on a pillar cake stand. Beautiful and inexpensive! Be sure to soak oasis once a week and mist daily to keep it green.
Never go shopping without coupons! A major grocery store where I live doubles coupons and it really cuts down on groceries. Just using 7 coupons a week ($.50 that double to $1) would save that dollar a day. Also, for every $50 in groceries bought $.15 off a gallon of gas is earned.
Save money at the grocery store by sticking to a core group of staples and then add a treat every other week like ice cream for the whole family.
Reading magazines online instead of subscribing is a great savings which adds up over the year.
No more coffee on the run for me. That saves over $3.00 a day.
Zipporah Sandler´s last blog post..15 Christmas Decorating Ideas by: Guest Author – Lesley Dietschy
My holiday tip is:
I save up my coins all year long, then in December, I go to Coinstar and buy a bunch of giftcards. It is so easy to do and it doesn’t seem like you’re spending much. The coins really do add up and whatever I have saved up is how much I spend on Christmas gifts (cards) to give away!
We rely on only a cellphone at the lowest rate to save on phone bills.
I’m a subscriber.
My tip is to use reusable water bottles, rather than individual plastic bottles that my son ends up throwing away everytime.
I could turn the heat down a little and put on a sweater!
Give up the daily soft drink from the vending machine. Drink water that you bring yourself, it’s healthier, too!
My second money-saving tip can help shave more than a few dollars from the grocery bill. Identify one or more convenience foods that find their way into your grocery cart on a regular basis — then find a way to bake or make it yourself. For example, my husband has been taking instant oatmeal packets to work for breakfast. Instead of buying the pre-made packets, buy some regular quick-cooking oats. Measure out a serving of oatmeal into several plastic bags, then add brown sugar and cinnamon for a quick and easy substitute.
If your children usually eat granola bars, pop tarts, cookies or popcorn, try substituting with homemade muffins or granola. Set aside one morning a month to make a few batches of these snacks, then pop them into your freezer. When they’re hungry, all your kids have to do is grab one and go.
Just a few extra minutes of prep adds up to lots of savings over several weeks!
Drive slower. Driving slower uses less gas. Less gas needed = less money spent.
turn off the water while brushing your teeth
Use cloth diapers. We’ve saved a decent amount of money on kiddo1, but now that we’re expecting kiddo2, I’m very excited to NOT have to buy either disposable OR cloth (since we already have them)
I have saved more than 1.00 a day by making my own baby food from vegetables from our garden and our fruit trees. I have figured it up and we save about $3.00 or more a day just in baby food!!
I shop only 1 day a week and with a list. the planning of shopping trip really helps. For the store I fold a plan paper into 8 -10 sections and break up the store by isles. then fill in the needs per isle with a c/o for coupon next to couponed items. I always get home with what I need and it helps to not impulse buy.
To save money, we only eat our lunches out on occasion. It is a big money saver for my husband to take leftovers in his lunch each day. I know we save more than $1 a day just doing this.
Amy´s last blog post..Free Movie Monday
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