Barkonomics:Tips for Frugal Fidos Book Review

I love my dog.  He is seriously part of our family!  What would I do without him? I ask myself this now, but when my husband wanted to get the dog I was less than enthusiastic.  Dogs are expensive!  Vet bills, registration, food, toys....the list goes on and on.  Where can we go to find a way to take care of our furry friends without breaking the bank? For a frugal mama like me, this was an important question to answer!

I came across Barkonomics: tips for frugal fidos. This book has so many wonderful tips on where to get your pet supplies for less, how to save on adoption fees, vet fees and so much more!! I learned a lot that I didn't know before! You can get your pet's medications at the drug store, instead of paying the more expensive vet prices!  In some areas (including mine!) you get a discounted registration price when you have your dog spayed or neutered.  And of course it is so much cheaper to obtain a dog from a local shelter than to purchase a pure breed dog or even one at a pet store. And a bonus-a lot of shelters these days micro chip your pet, making it easy to identify your dog and contact you should it run away.


Barkonomics is organized into different chapters, and in the table of contents each chapter has a list of some of the types of tips for each category.  This makes it super quick and easy to find a quick tip whenever you need it! The authors Paris Permenter and John Bigley, did a wonderful job of carefully explaining the best process for choosing your dog, feeding it, caring for it and more, all with frugal living in mind!!

Paris and John love their dogs, and even have their own website, dogtipper.com.  This website is a great place to find dog tips, and to help you live a more frugal life with your Fido!  There are even great giveaways!!☺ There is a lot to see so make sure you stop by dogtipper.com to check it out!  Also find them on Twitter @DogTipper and click here for their Facebook page! 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com and the Tomoson weekly featured sponsor Favorite Wigs - Shop Name Brand Wigs at Low Prices! Large Wig Selection of Forever Young Wigs, and other Quality Wigs. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

This week's Savvy Savings and Scholarships Offers

Check out this weeks Savvy Savings and Scholarships for Frugal Family Fun in your area!

Atlanta: $17 for: Creative play time at Farmhouse in the City ($35 value) A whimsical art and play studio with fun for old and young alike Boston: $25 for: Family fun time at Paradise Mini Golf ($50 value) Tropical island fun without having to leave the mainland Charlotte: $25 for: Family membership to Carolina Raptor Center ($50 value) Take your child on a flying, soaring adventure Dallas Fort Worth: $75 for: Sustainer Membership to the Dallas Museum of Art ($125 value) From Chihuly to Matisse, inspiration and fun for your little artist Denver: $10 for: Family day pass to the Denver Firefighters Museum ($20 value) History, fun and playtime... perfect for your little fire chief Houston: $20 for: Day of unlimited rides, buffet and beverages ($50 value) Food, games, and fun for the whole family Indianapolis: $60 for: Family membership to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis ($120 value) Sparking children's learning through play Minneapolis: $85 for: 3-Play A Subscription Package to Children's Theatre Company ($172 value) A world of enchantment awaits on the stage New York: $17 for: Admission ticket for 1 adult and 1 child to Galli Theater ($35 value) Experience the magic as classic fairy tales come to life Philadelphia: $25 for: Annual Circle of Starts Membership to Betsy Ross House ($50 value) Step into history with your little one San Diego: $42 for: Family membership to New Children's Museum ($85 value) From Trojan Horses to balloon sculptures, this is a museum designed for creative young thinkers San Francisco Bay Area: $35 for: Hands-on discovery time at Habitot Children's Museum ($135 value) Hours of fun for small hands and growing minds Seattle: $16 for: Family 4 pack of tickets to Little Red Riding Hood at Thistle Theatre ($32 value) Let your little one be entertained by one of their favorite tales shown through puppetry Tampa: $35 for: Family of four membership to Pier Aquarium ($50 value) Immerse your little Flipper in this watery world of fun

Savvy Savings and Scholarship Offers

Tomorrow is the big day - Savvy Savings and Scholarships is launching in 10 cities!  Savvy Savings and Scholarships offers great deals and scholarships to help your family have fun in your local city! Each week, they offer parents savings up to 90% on a fun, family-friendly activity selected by the Savvy Source editors.You can click here to sign up for weekly alerts to let you know what you can do in your area!

This week's Savvy Savings and Scholarships Offers

• 
  
  
  Atlanta: Show and museum ticket to Center for Puppetry Arts
  

  The magic of the theater comes alive with 'Wake Up Your Weird with Lolly and Leslie'
• 
  
  
  Boston: Admission for 2 to Boston by Little feet
  

  A child's eye view of Boston just for walkers age 6-12
• 
  
  
  Denver: Family premier membership to Butterfly Pavilion
  

  Let your child's imagination take flight
• 
  
  
  Minneapolis: Passport Deluxe Membership to Minnesota Children's Museum
  

  Sparking children's learning through play
• 
  
  
  New York Metro: Family membership to Brooklyn Botanic Garden
  

  An urban oasis for the entire family
• 
  
  
  Philadelphia: Admission for 4 to the Adventure Aquarium
  

  Immerse yourself in a watery world at Adventure Aquarium
• 
  
  
  San Diego: Admission for 4 to San Diego Natural History Museum
  

  A pint-sized science adventure
• 
  
  
  San Francisco: 5 pack of tickets to the Bay Area Discovery Museum
  

  An award-winning museum for little explorers
• 
  
  
  Seattle: Family fun membership to Imagine Children's Museum
  

  Where fun begins and learning never ends
• 
  
  
  Tampa: Basic Membership to Great Explorations Children's Museum
  

  Stimulating learning through creativity, play, and exploration

(From savvysource.com)

               

 

www.savvysource.com

              

Taking Family Game Night on the Road! Review and Giveaway!

Family game night is a great way to keep your family close and have fun together! And there are great games for any age group! Hasbro knows that families travel alot, and so to take the fun of some of your favorite games on the go, they have created some great new card games!!


I got to try out three of them: Sorry Revenge, Yahtzee Hands Down and Mille Bornes Card Game.  Here is a bit about each one!


Sorry Revenge:

Win the race to flip all of your pawn cards home and sweet revenge is yours! Take turns to play number and action cards to change the play pile’s total. Get the pile to 21 without going bust to get one of your pawn cards home. But watch out – someone could play a SORRY! card and steal your win!

Includes 109 cards, 1 reminder card and instructions. For 2 to 4 players.

Ages 6 and up.

This game is a fun alternative to the regular Sorry! game, and is really easy to learn how to play! It gets everyone excited and involved, and is great for many families!

Yahtzee Hands Down:

Keep your wits about you and your eye on the cards! Collect dice cards to make classic combinations: 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind, small straight, large straight, full house and YAHTZEE! Re-roll by discarding cards you don’t need and taking a chance on new ones. But here’s the twist – pit your hand against another player’s. Score high and win the Combo card points. It’s great YAHTZEE fun in a card game!

Includes 12 combo cards, 12 chance cards, 84 dice cards, 1 starter card, 1 reminder card, 1 combo sheet and instructions.

For 2 to 6 players.

Ages 8 and up.

I love the original Yahtzee! This game is a fun twist and it makes it a refreshing new game while still a bit like the original! Also easier to keep the pieces, since you don't have a bunch of dice to keep track of!

And also I played Mille Bornes Card Game!

Put your foot down… it’s time to play MILLE BORNES! Play distance cards and speed towards the finish line, or put the brakes on your opponent with nasty hazards! Drive carefully, because they’ll be playing hazards on you too. Out of gas? Play a Gasoline card. Got in an accident? Play your Repairs card. Be the first player to travel 1000 miles and win!

Includes 115 cards, instructions and scoresheet.

For 2, 3, 4 or 6 players.

Ages 8 and up.

I had never heard of or played this game before, but I was so excited to try it out! This was definitely my favorite, because not only are you playing to stay alive, but you are trying to set your opponent back too!  This game is fun no matter if you have 2 or 6 players! What a great way to pass the time!

Hasbro would like to help your family have your own Family Game Night with these great card games!! Here is how you can win!:

*MANDATORY ENTRY* THIS MUST BE DONE FOR ALL OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT. PLEASE BE SURE I HAVE YOUR EMAIL TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!  

Go to Hasbro.com and tell me any game you would like to try!  Tell me in a comment below!  Be  sure I have your email so I can contact you if you win!

Extra entries: (leave a separate comment for each:)

Follow @FrugalFamilyFun on Twitter 1 extra entry leave me your twitter name

Follow @FamilyGameNight on twitter, 1 extra entry leave me your twitter name

Tweet about this giveaway. Include the link to this giveaway, @FamilyGameNight and @FrugalFamilyFun Can be up to 5 times daily, tweets must be at least 1 hour apart for entry. 1 extra entry for each tweet.
leave me the link to your tweet

Subscribe to our email updates, via google reader, or via RSS feed , 1 extra entry for each

Put our button on your blog, leave me the link to the blog THIS WILL BE CHECKED. 3 extra entries

Blog about this contest, including a link back to this giveaway worth 5 extra entries.  Leave me the link in your comments to the post

Like Family Game Night on Facebook leave your facebook name, 1 extra entry

sign up for Hasbro's Email updates by clicking here

tell me email used to sign up for 1 extra entry

Follow us via Google Friend Connect, worth 3 extra entries and leave me the name you used.


Contest begins now and ends August 26, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST. Winners will be selected via Random.org and will be notified by email. Winners must respond within 48 hours or forfeits prize. Good luck!

Hasbro provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product

Stevi B's Pizza Buffet

 I wanted to pass along information regarding Stevi B’s Second Annual Free Pizza Day – celebrated this year on August 19.  A twist has been added to this year’s event. Instead of a “build your own” pizza, the giveaway will one of Stevi B’s surprise specialty pizzas To-Go. Customers will not know what they are getting until they are in line at Stevi B’s. Considering all of the pizzas are made with fresh ingredients and are delicious, no one will leave disappointed. 

Beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 19, Stevi B’s will give the first 100 customers a surprise specialty pizza To-Go at each of its locations. 

There are currently 36 Stevi B’s locations throughout the U.S.

I was not compensated for this post. It is simply to share frugal things with others!

Frugal Family Fun this Summer!

Summer is finally here. For most of us, though, that doesn’t mean an exotic vacation or an extended getaway. According to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor survey, 68% of consumers say they will not go on vacation this year, primarily for financial reasons. So what are some fun affordable options for having fun this summer?


Heading to the park, the beach, or even your own backyard can be a transformed into a mini-vaca. Or pack a lunch with favorites and hit the baseball field with the whole family. A quick tip: choosing natural and sustainable fibers like cotton for outdoor activities is key to beating the heat and staying comfortable.

For more tips on a family friendly summer, including some little known facts please visit http://inr.synapticdigital.com/Cotton_37407/. You can also download this content at www.thenewsmarket.com/spendthesummerwithcotton

More Mileage For Your Money

I have a big Thank You for Allison White, a PR Rep for Uniroyal Tires. She is is working on a campaign with Kim Danger of mommysavers.com all about family savings!! Allison introduced me to More Mileage For Your Money It is the site Kim Danger is doing! There are all kinds of great stories, coupons and more on the site!!

More Mileage for Your Money covers topics from saving while traveling in the summer to shopping and cooking efficiently. There will be a new series beginning in January. Their 2009 series included topics such as: getting your finances in order, pampering yourself for less, back to school on a budget and more. You can check out the site

Kim wants to show families that a budget doesn’t have to put a damper on family fun. Some of her tips include:

· Set up a neighborhood scavenger hunt. It will encourage them to work together in teams, with older kids helping out the younger ones. Divide kids into two teams and give each team a big bag and a list of things in your neighborhood, ranging from very easy to difficult to find.

· Have a fun family theme night at home. Get creative with food, activities and game games. Turn off cell phones, televisions, computers and other distractions so you can give loved ones your full attention.

· On a rainy day, built a fort with things you have around the house. Serve lunch and make shadow puppets in the fort.

Uniroyal is also having two giveaways that last all year. There is a monthly drawing for a $100 gift card, available at Uniroyal Tires As an extension of the 10^th anniversary of the Uniroyal Soccer Program, Uniroyal will give away a soccer ball every day in 2010!! So be sure to check out More Mileage for Your Money and Uniroyal Tires!!

All photos from Uniroyaltires

Hot Deals at Safeway!!!

My favorite store to do all my shopping, hands down, is Safeway. I really don't know why, other than their bakery has delicious stuff, I know where to find most things and they have the brands and things my family likes and eats. Go to Safeway's Weekly Specials and enter your code to find some great finds!! I found lots of great deals in my area!!

Photo from Safeway.com