Posts with the label money saving thursday
Showing posts with label money saving thursday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money saving thursday. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
How to Pick a Ripe Watermelon
Have you ever chunked an unripe "green" watermelon? Cutting a watermelon to find out it is green or half-ripe and tasteless! Very disappointing to say the least. I've always used the finger-thumping method as I'm pretty good at it. I need a foolproof method that's easier, 100% reliable, money-saving and never disappointing! Nowadays with watermelons close to $10 a piece, it is more important than ever to know how to pick a ripe one!
I read several tips in Southern Living and saw an article on facebook that I put to the test. The tips to picking a ripe watermelon I tried are:
1. Look for a yellow belly which means the watermelon has been in the field a long time hence riper. See the yellow?
2. Look for scarring on the skin of the melon, the blacker the scars, the riper the melon.
These two pictures are opposite ends of the same watermelon. Some yellow belly and an impressive scar pattern! How did this seedless watermelon taste? AMAZING! The sweetest, juiciest, early "May" watermelon I've ever tasted. The appearance of the inside of the watermelon looks questionable but trust me, the taste is delicious! My family and I enjoyed every ounce of the goodness!
I was pretty pumped that I had found a method other than thumping to pick a ripe watermelon! I couldn't wait to try out this new found skill again. I walked into the BI-LO strutting like a peacock with a fanned tail. This trip to the same store picking from the same watermelon bin turned out quite differently. I went thru the same process looking for a definite yellow belly and dark black scars, no thumping.
Found one! Brought it home. GREEN AS A GOURD! Had to chunk it! Now...
I read several tips in Southern Living and saw an article on facebook that I put to the test. The tips to picking a ripe watermelon I tried are:
1. Look for a yellow belly which means the watermelon has been in the field a long time hence riper. See the yellow?
Found one! Brought it home. GREEN AS A GOURD! Had to chunk it! Now...
I'm a yellow-bellied, black-scarred, finger- thumping watermelon picker!
Is there a foolproof method out there for picking a ripe watermelon? I'm not so sure! What's your watermelon picking secret? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment and share it with us folks who are ready to give up!
Let them ripen before picking please,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Friday, December 19, 2014
Easy Appetizer for The Office Potluck
So you need a quick, easy appetizer for the office potluck. I have just the things you need to make a 2-minute Dip that will make you the talk of the office! All you need is one 8 oz. pack of cream cheese, Three Onion Rub and a Garlic and Brie Baker. Where do you get the rub and the baker?
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| ORDER THE RUB HERE |
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| ORDER THE GARLIC & BRIE BAKER HERE |
Simply place the cream cheese in the Brie Baker. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tbsp. Three Onion Rub onto the cheese. Season to your tastes using as much or as little rub as you like! Pop into the microwave covered on HIGH for two minutes. Remove, stir and serve with your favorite party crackers! Delicious!
You might also like a small bamboo spoon to stir with and the bamboo platter to serve your jaw-dropping magic dip on....Make this easy appetizer for the office potluck just minutes before serving in the office microwave. Too convenient, too easy, 2 minutes!
Star of the party,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Does your Internet Provider give you Rewards?
It's Thursday and that means time to save some dough! My local telephone and internet provider Windstream just came out with a nifty new program. Designed to "Thank You" for your business by giving you a "gift" for accumulated points. If Windstream is your carrier, you can sign up for the program here. Here's how it works:
My favorite reward is ACCOUNT CREDITS! I might also save up for a gift card or two. Windstream can't thank you unless you join. If your carrier isn't Windstream, call and ask if they have a rewards program. If they don't, you should surely suggest it! Mention what Windstream is doing to make their customers happy! Saving money and great communication services are a win/win! BA, BA, BA, BA, BA I'm loving it!
Get money, Be happy,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Money-Saving Thursday #4: Tips for FREE Hilton Hotel Stays
5 Tips for staying free:
- Join the Hilton Honors Program
- Book as many stays as possible at the Hilton Family of Hotels. You receive points/bonus points for every stay
- Use your American Express card to maximize your points with Membership Rewards. Receive 1 point for every dollar you spend on the card. AMEX runs bonus points offers too!
- Redeem hotel stays when points are on sale
- Sign up for Hilton Honors emails to receive news of discounted rooms
I've taken some pretty sweet family vacations with FREE hotel rewards. We stayed at the Double Tree Times Square in New York FREE! Everyone wants a reward program that works for them...this one is it!
Racking up the points,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Money-Saving Thursday #3: How to Lower the High Price of Gas
Grocery Fuel Programs
Because we all love to eat!
Join any of these programs by simply obtaining a membership card from the specific store brand.
BI-LO. I rank this fuel reward program #1. Bi-Lo is the best I've found to lower the high price of gas for three reasons:
- Weekly incentives to maximize your reward. Bi-Lo rewards .05 per gallon for buying certain foods. For example, this week, they offer rewards for buying lunchbox supplies for back to school. Save .03 to .05 off per gallon of gasoline when you purchase specific items. Deliciousness and savings too! Look for the red circular bubble in their weekly flyer to spot even more deals.
- Save .05 per gallon for every $50 spent at Bi-Lo. These seem to add up quickly!
- Bi-Lo fuelperks can be combined* with BP Driver Rewards to DECREASE your gas bill twice as fast. For every two times you buy 20 gallons of BP gas, receive .05 off per gallon. Think of it as double dipping since BI-LO and BP are partners in their gas reward programs. *Can't be combined at the pump. You must go in the store to use both rewards at the same time.
Don't have a BP rewards card? Sign up for one here or pick up one at your friendly neighborhood BP station.
TIP: Check with your local grocery store or favorite gas station to see if they partner with other gas reward programs. They may combine rewards too! And...you never know until you ask.
TIP: Check with your local grocery store or favorite gas station to see if they partner with other gas reward programs. They may combine rewards too! And...you never know until you ask.
These are other fuel reward programs I use regularly and highly recommend to lower the high price of gas:
Share your fuel tips in a comment. I'd love to know of more ways to save money! Check out other ways to save at Money-Saving Thursday.
Fun to save,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Money Saving Thursday #2: Eating FREE on Vacation
The trick to eating FREE on vacation is joining chain restaurants clubs and using coupons. Many restaurants have clubs but I'm sharing my favs. These restaurants continually prove to me they don't send junk mail! I receive valuable coupons and you can too! Coupons can be printed or conveniently shown to your server right on your smartphone for redemption. It's that simple! Below are a list of restaurants with FREE food.
Chili's Email Club Receive a free endless Chips and Salsa with registration. Requires the purchase of one adult entree. You will receive coupons from Chili's 1 to 2 times a week for FREE food options. Their Molten Cakes are to die for plus they have a $20 Dinner for Two that is awesome. Find a Chili's close to your vacation here.
Red Lobster Email Club. Get a free appetizer or dessert with the purchase of two adult entrees. Receive emails for special food events and discount coupons. Find a Red Lobster for your vacation here.
Arby's Get Deals. Receive a free roast beef sandwich with the purchase of a drink when you sign up. Arby's is always sending a free coupon for their latest taste crazes too! Find the nearest slicer here.
Long John Silver's Coupon Club. Get a free drink for signing up. LJS sends emails about current promotions and deals. For example, they have $1.99 Fish & Fries this week. This is my Dad's favorite place for fish. LJS gives Dad's a FREE meal on Father's Day. Score for Dad and me! Search locations here.
Longhorn Steakhouse eClub. Free appetizer with purchase of adult entree. Receive occasional coupons for free appetizer or dessert. Search for a Longhorn Steakhouse here.
Other perks of these restaurants and clubs:
- Serves FREE Water. Make FREE Lemonade by adding FREE sugar packets and FREE lemon to your FREE water.
- Sends FREE birthday coupons so it's sweeter if your vacationers celebrate birthdays in the same month!
- Join the clubs with multiple email addresses for more FREE stuff.
- Welcome customers to share food.
- No plate charge for sharing food.
- Allows customers to eat from the kids menu.
More tips:
- 50 or older? Always ask for a senior drink. They are usually FREE or reduced price.
- The Combination Meals (sandwich, fries & drink) are not always the best value. For example, you can get the same or comparable food individually from the value menu at Wendy's, Burger King and Arby's cheaper than ordering a combo.
- Dipping sauces. Save your extras on vacation or for vacation. Extra sauces are .25 each.
- Check your local newspaper for chain restaurant coupons like Steak n Shake and McDonald's. McDonald's has Buy One Get One FREE coupons a lot!
- Pack individual Crystal Light or Koolaid packets to flavor FREE water.
- 55+? Look for restaurants that offer reduced senior pricing like IHOP, Outback Steakhouse (AARP members), Golden Corral, Arby's, Carrabba's Italian Grill (AARP members receive 20% off) and Applebee's.
- Save 25% at Papa Johns on pizza when ordering online. Use coupon code AARP25
- Take advantage of the kids menu whenever possible
- Pack some sandwich food and have a picnic at a rest area
Like these tips? Make sure you don't miss another Money Saving Thursday, join this site or sign up by email. Scroll down and look on the right side of the page to see how!
Getting hungry writing this,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Money-Saving Thursday #1: Things to Do for Free on Vacation
ROAD TRIP!
One of the best, least-expensive vacations I can remember is a road trip we took in 2009. I had just quit work for personal reasons. We needed a vacation on a shoestring. The trip turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences ever!
Our destination was Illinois for a Drum Corps International performance. What fun we had on the way! We happened upon Metropolis, Illinois, home of Superman. Who knew this town even existed? We had all this fun for FREE! Check out the Visit Metropolis website for lots of "Places to Play" around the novel city for FREE.
Next stop: St. Louis, Missouri. The Arch is magnificent. The downtown area has a beautiful park. We passed through quickly (no one to meet in St. Louie) but had a fun-filled day with everything we did again FREE! See me and my mom counting our money at Hooters! We stayed, ate and bought our gas on this entire trip for just over $500 for four people. Be sure to check out next Thursdays money-saving tips where I'll share how to accomplish this fabulous feat using my favorite restaurant clubs, hotel rewards and gasoline perks. Check out 25 Things to Do in St. Louis.
I love history and architecture! Our stops in Springfield, IL brought us to the Home of Lincoln and the Illinois State Capitol. You must visit the Lincoln House Museum (free), the Executive or Governor's Mansion (free), Dana-Thomas House, a Frank Lloyd Wright design ($15 for families) and the Illinois State Capitol (free).
CHICAGO has so much to offer! We simply spent a leisurely day on the waterfront FREE! The beauty of the area is worth way more than what money can buy.
We just couldn't get enough of this road trip. On the way home, we stopped at a Dairy Farm and finally downtown Louisville, Kentucky, again, all FREE!
We did SO much in seven days! I got exhausted making these collages. This blog was a great walk down memory lane for me. I had forgotten some of the amazing things we did for FREE on this vacation. I hope these links help you plan your trips to these locations. You can always find things to do for free on vacation!
Leave me a comment with your favorite free thing to do on vacation.
Good memories,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
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