Boxed Set of Greeting Cards- I found this amazing set of cards at Costco for $12.99 and it is stocked with beautiful handmade cards for all kinds of occasions. This is a wonderful gift so that you always the right type of card on hand. These are a great communication tool for writing to friends and family without a constant trip to the store. It has come in so handy when she has a birthday party to attend or just wants to send a note to a friend.

Monogrammed Towels - I order them after the first month as an anniversary with our family gift. I find them very reasonably at Horchow, with free personalization and free shipping offers they are about $10 a piece or $20 for a set of two. Use this link and the coupon code “WELCOME” to save an additional 10%.

Memory Books - As a special memory book I have made pages on How Fast They Grow. These photo scrapbook pages are 12×12 and fit into the standard albums you can buy at Target. The website allows you to drag and drop the images from your computer and you can custom journal the script to personalize the information. Each page is about $6 printed, so you can make a very deluxe album for about $75 shipped. The owner of the website offered readers of my blog a discount by using the coupon code “TRIPLETS” and the pages arrived in the US Mail and are beautiful.

Personalized Stationary - My husband designed some amazing note cards, magnets, calendars and t-shirts at VistaPrint. The website has promotional offers that allow you to try many products for free and you just pay for shipping. We combined several gifts for Aupairs, teachers and other friends so that the shipping cost is reduced. The custom screened t-shirts are terrific if you have a photo of your children with your Aupair or Nanny. If you are already ordering photo holiday cards from them you can add on some other items for free. Note pads, post-it notes and the hats all turn out so cute when you use their own photograph. We made the cutest calendar magnets for the following year using a great photo of our Aupair.

Free Samples - About once a week I go to Start Sampling and sign up our Aupair for a bunch of trial sized merchandise. It arrives in a few weeks and gives her a chance to try products just for kicks. I use our mailing address with her name so that it is always fun to check the mailbox. The best offers are for health and beauty stuff like shampoo, shower gels and snacks. This would be a great idea for an elderly relative too!

Holiday Clearance - I wait until about 7-10 days past a major holiday such as Valentines, Fourth of July and Halloween and I stock up on decorative items and gift products at clearance prices. I keep these tucked away for the following year. Target and CVS clearance items at around 75-90% off and we just stash them for 11 months until it is time to bring them out again. This is true for winter items like hats, gloves, fuzzy slippers and OSU sweatshirts.

Custom Made Coupons - We had our kids make these on the computer and then we printed them on certificate paper from Staples. The offers were for random pampering like breakfast in bed, a morning to sleep in, a pay per view movie, an ice cream sundae, her night to pick a restaurant choice and a custom burned CD with her playlist.

Movie Gift Card - It will encourage her to go and see the latest hit.

Written by Helene, who is a “fly by the seat of her pants” mom with 6 kids, well really 7 if you count her husband. She is a die-hard bargain shopper, designer-clad domestic diva who writes reviews to maintain a sense of sanity and unleash her creative side. You can also keep up with their busy family at their blog.

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Here are some hints for Black Friday Deals:

Dick’s Sporting Goods

• Carhartt Workzone Jacket $39.98
• Nuvi 205 Wide GPS Auto Navigation System $149.98
• Adidas Beckham Gold Soccer Ball $9.98
• All Ammunition Buy 1 Get 1 50% off
• Goalrilla Inground BasketballSystem $599.98
• TopFlite XL3000 15 Pack Golfballs $5.00

Costco

• Colorado Clothing Fleece Lounge Pants $6.99
• Olympus FE-370 8.0 MP Digital Camera $119.99
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer Professional HD Series $229.99
• Sharp Aquos 52″ 1080p HDTV $300 OFF

Home Depot

• 22″ Fresh Cut Christmas Wreath $16.88
• 300 Light Isicle Set $6.99
• 4 Pack Tape Measure $4.97
• DeWalt 18V 3-Piece Compact Combo Kit $229.00
• Husky 26-Gallon Air Compressor w/ 6-Tool Bonus Kit $299.00
• Ridgid 4-Gallon Portable Wet/Dry Vac $79.00

JC Penney

• 4′ Pre-Lit Topiary Trees 2 for $88.88
• Sarah Peyton Fountains $8.88
• Swivel Sweeper $38.88
• Leg Magic by Fitness Quest $99.88

Kohl’s

• Apt 9 Rossi Leather Handbags $27.99
• Boy’s & Girl’s winter playwear - entire stock 50% OFF
• Candie’s tank tops $11.99
• Children’s wCrank flashlights - set of 2 $12.99
• Entire Stock Blankets 50-60% OFF
• Entire Stock Leather Outerwear for Men 60% OFF
• Entire Stock of Magic Gloves for Her $1.99
• Junior’s shoes - selected styles by Sketchers $19.99
• Juniors - Abbey Dawn Hoodies $23.99
• NCAA Windshirts and Fleece for Men $19.99
• Oversized fleece throw blankets $4.99
• Totes Toasties Slippers for Her $3.99
• Apt. 9 Bath Towels $6.99
• Entire Stock Bedding Sets 50% OFF
• The Big One Bed Pillow $3.99
• The Big One bath towels $2.49

Old Navy

• Men’s & Women’s Solid & Striped Cotton Sweaters $10.00
• Graphic Tees for the Family $5.00
• Kids & Toddlers Logo Hoodies $7.50
• Women’s Fleece Hoodies & Pants $10.00
• Free Samsung Pebble MP3 Player (w/ $20 Purchase)

RadioShack

• TDK DVD+R Discs (50-Pack) $7.99
• Gigaware 1.3MP PC Camera $14.99
• Nikon COOLPIX S550 10.0MP Digital Camera $149.99
• Uniden DECT 6.0 Digital Answering Machine w/ Extra Phones $49.99
• Apple 8GB iPod nano (Black) $149.99
• Home iH4 Clock and Audio System for iPod (w/ iPod Purchase) FREE
• DualShock Wireless Controller for PlayStation3 $29.99
• Motorola H375 Bluetooth Headset $9.99

Target

• Infant and Toddler Boys’ Fleece Hoddie or Pants $6.00
• 1,000 Thread Count Sheets $59.99
• Lexmark Printer, Scanner and Copier $39.99
• Kodak MX1063 10.3 MP Digital Camera $89.00
• Fly Fusion Pentop Computer $29.00
• Magellan RoadMate1200 Touch-Screen GPS $99.99
• Singer Portable Sewing Machine - 2250 $65.00
• Virgin Mobile Wildcard Mobile Phone $39.99
• Dyson DC07 Vacuum - Pink w/free $100 Target GiftCard $349.00
• Shark Stick Vac - Purple $10.00
• Crock-Pot 5-Qt.Stainless Steel Slow Cooker $14.99
• Step 2 Wagon For Two $47.00

Toys R Us

• Barbie Sing-Along CD Player $29.99
• Disney High School Musical Alarm Clock with iPod Dock $39.99
• Sakar Digital Photo Frame Keychain $9.99
• Air Hogs Havoc Heli Laser Battle R/C Battling Helicopters $42.49
• Barbie Princess 2-Pack Dolls $9.99
• Buy 1 Get 1 Free Power Rangers 3″ Micro Animal Zords $8.99
• Cars Mountain Challenge Playset $19.99
• Fisher Price Activity Walker $12.49
• Fisher Price Little Mommy 4-in-1 Deluxe Playset $29.99
• Just Like Home 120-Piece Play Food Set $8.49
• Little Tikes Cook ‘n Learn Kitchen $49.98
• Star Wars 10″ Transformers Millenium Falcon w/ Figures $19.99
• Step 2 Woodland Climber $199.99
• You & Me Baby So Big Doll $7.99

Wal-Mart

• Disney Lined Character Clogs $4.00
• Boys Track Suits $4.00
• Girls Track Suits $4.00
• High School Musical 3 Light-Up Tee $5.00
• Infants/Toddlers 2-piece Cotton PJ’s $4.00
• Men’s Fleece Sleep Pants $4.00
• 500-Thread Count 100% Cotton Sheet Set $20.00
• Dell Inspiron 531S Desktop PC with Micrsoft Office Home & Student Edition and 19″ LCD Monitor $598.00
• Samsung 10.2MP Digital Camera (model BL103) $69.00
• Philips 7″ Digital Photo Frame w/ Alarm Clock $89.00
• Mainstays Papasan Chair $30.00
• GE 0.7 Cubic Foot Microwave $25.00
• Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker $20.00
• 12′ Trampoline with Safety Enclosure $140.00
• Samsung 32” 720p LCD HDTV $498.00
• Hot Wheels Mega City Pack $20.00
• LeapFrog Leapster - Green $30.00
• Littlest Pet Shop VIP $7.00
• The Wave Hi-Tide Caster Board - Red $45.00
• VTech V.Smile PC Station $30.00

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Being a family with twin toddlers (one of which is going through multiple messes a day), we go through a lot of diapers! Thankfully, I just discovered Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program. You can sign up to automatically to receive a new shipment of diapers every one, two, three or six months. You get free shipping, a discount on each Subscribe & Save order (15% for diapers) and you can cancel anytime. (Like when they are finally potty-trained!)

I signed up to receive a shipment of Huggies every month. Now there is no more lugging boxes home from Target! Amazon also offers household/cleaning supplies, vitamins, beauty supplies and various food items in the Subscribe & Save program. You can view their entire list online. Obviously, this is a must have for our family!

by Laura

I want you to know about a video series for children called Signing Time! We used it with my daughter and nephew who are 3 months apart. What an incredible tool sign language was for both kids. It made living through toddlerhood in tandem much more manageable.

In addition, my daughter had a cleft palate and was unable to talk for several years, so signing was a great way for us to communicate. Signing Time! made is easy and fun for both the kids and adults to learn American Sign Language. Even 5 years later, it is a guaranteed half hour of peace in our home! I would highly recommend the shows they produce, along with the books and other interactive items they use to teach sign language. The flashcards are a great tool to keep the kids entertained at restaurants and are very portable.

by Aly

I once had to core and slice 3 lbs. of apples for my son’s pre-k class and I was so thankful to have purchased this apple corer from Crate & Barrel. It has been such an easy device to use in our kitchen. In one quick motion I can remove the core and have 8 slices ready to serve. Initially, I was surprised at how heavy the cast zinc was, but it has been very durable.

The blades are stainless steel and are not super sharp to touch, but the cover allows you to store it safely. Plus you can sit the apple on the cover when slicing, which eliminates the need for a plate or cutting board underneath. It is simple to clean and the over-sized handles are easy to manipulate. For under $15 this was a purchase I wish I’d made years ago!

by Emily

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And then I realized the misconceptions that were out there about My Points so I thought I would share.

First of all, I get spammed to death anyway. Or I get a healthy amount. I don’t consider the My Points emails to be spam. I choose the categories of emails I am interested in receiving. I don’t have to receive emails about auto repair or do it at home dialysis if I don’t want to. Personally, I have the floodgates on their filter wide open, I’ll take their surveys, I’ll open every single one they send.

Why?

Because each time you open of their emails and hit the click through link embedded in the email, you earn Points. The points can then be cashed in for gift certificates to a multitude of retailers. I just received a $25 gift certificate to Bath and Body Works because I read a bunch of emails over the past six months.

The husband and I used to eat out twice a year for free courtesy of My Points. Macaroni Grill, Red Lobster, places like that are among the many you can find on their site. When Hurricane Katrina struck, they gave us the option of donating out points which they turned into cash and donated ours to the Red Cross. It wiped out our points but it was a nice thing for a e-company to do, we thought.

Some people really don’t want the extra email. But for those of us just goofing around at the PC most of the time anyway, I have five minutes to open a couple of emails, and visit a couple of sites. Sometimes it’s stuff I would even buy and if you do buy stuff through the links they send you, or through the My Points website, they give you TONS of points. Don’t get me started on how many points they’ll give you if you launch Lending Tree via My Points and get your mortgage via Lending Tree.

It’s a lot of Bath and Body Works, let me tell you.

If you don’t mind a couple of extra emails (or a bunch of extra email depending on how you set the filter), My Points is a pretty good deal.

So what’s the dealio, you ask? It’s simple. You apply and get approved for an American Express card (no annual fee the first year!) and after you make one purchase, they will credit you 25,000 points, which is enough for one free domestic round-trip airline ticket (or a $250 gift certificate). Yowza!

Naturally, I applied, I’ve been approved and now I’m just waiting for the card so I can make a purchase, get my points and then procure (and totally hoard) a plane ticket!

Now, I don’t know how long they’re going to run this promotion so if you want to take advantage of it, you might want to shake a tail feather (Offer valid for U.S. customers only).

Before you apply, however, I recommend you go to Bankaholic, where I learned about this promotion, as there is more detailed information, promo codes etc. there that you should know to insure you secure this particular offer.

One cool bonus, however, is that if you rent an apartment that you find and research on Rent.com, they send you a $100 gift card. Here is how it works — register with Rent.com and do your apartment hunting online with them. Then, when you actually rent from a leasing agent at the residence you found on rent.com - TELL your leasing agent. After that, go back to Rent.com and fill out the info to “claim your $100 reward.

We moved in April 7th and our card arrived last week in the form of a Visa card with a $100 available balance. Can you say family dinner out that night? It’s a pretty nice reward for doing something I had to do anyway - find a new apartment.

So if you are moving, check out Rent.com. They’ll give you a $100 just for letting them help you find a new place. Sweet!