Another great article sent in by reader, Edith.

We’ve all dreamed of winning the lottery and being handed that big check, but let’s be honest, the odds are stacked against us.  While we may not be instant millionaires, there are some great ways to improve your luck online.  You may not win a million bucks, but you might just hit the jackpot and score some free products, services or tickets!

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Facebook and Twitter are not just great sources to find sales info and great coupons, but also a great place for freebies and giveaways.  Don’t just follow national brands, but look into local attractions, restaurants and events.  There are often giveaways for free admission, free meals and more for answering trivia, replying to comments, etc.

BLOGS

We all know Mommy Octopus has some great giveaways, but check out other blogs too for fun giveaways.  The odds are much better than any national brand’s sweepstakes.

Here are a few of the things I have won in the past year:

Toys, Attraction Admission, Movie Passes, Gift Packs, & Concert tickets

While these freebies won’t make me a millionaire it is always fun to win!

What have you won this year?

Another great article sent in by reader, Edith.  Thanks so much Edith!  Do you have an article you’d like to submit?  Just use the contact form at the top and send it in!

We all face those endless summer days when it is just too hot outside to play, or we’re hit by a summer downpour and the kids get antsy.  You’ve played every board game and watched every DVD you own and need OUT of the house!  Here are some budget ideas to help get you through.

Chuck-E-Cheese

Chuck-E-Cheese, it’s not just for parties!  Stop by and let the kids play for free.  They can fill out rewards calendars found here and get free tokens to play games, or they can just climb around on the indoor play areas. You can also get some good coupons on their site, and especially if you sign up for emails, for food and token combos.  Great if you want to stop by for lunch or dinner and let the kids go crazy.  We visit CEC often and they have recently changed their pizza recipe and it is MUCH better! A great spot for hot and/or rainy days.

Public Libraries

Check out your local Library for Story time and other kid friendly events. Georgia public libraries also allow you to check out a voucher for free admission to Zoo Atlanta for your family (check your local library for details), and Georgia park passes to save you on entrance fees!  Also a great place to pick up a DVD for a rainy day along with your summer reading books!

Bounce House Centers

Places like Pump it Up and Jungle Jumpers are open during the summer for kids to come in and bounce!  Bring a book and let the kids bounce until they can bounce no more!  Check their webpages for times and fees.

Summer Movies

Check your local cinema for summer movie specials like free or reduced admission to special showings of kid’s films.  Also check out your local $1 (or $2) cinemas for kid friendly features. When it’s hot outside it’s nice and cool in the theaters!

Bowling and Skating

Check out your local bowling alley to see if they have any summer specials, ours is offering free bowling for kids!  Skating is another fun way to wear the kids out and stay cool and dry.  Our local rink offers deals such as $1 skates times and pizza nights!

Shopping Malls

Some malls have great play areas for little ones.  These can get crowded, so try and hit them early in the day before the crowds get there!

IKEA

If you happen to live close to and IKEA store you can stop by and drop the kids (potty trained only) off in the kids club area while you shop, hit the food court or just browse without little ones clinging to you!

Do you have any other great spots to cool off or stay dry this summer?  Please share them!

This year there are lots of great incentive based programs to help entice your child to read.

For those of us local to the Athens, GA area, the public library is sponsoring a reading program.
The more they read, the more goodies they get! This one is open to everyone up to age 18, so even teens can participate!

Borders is offering a free book to kids who read 10 books. Print out the reading form, bring it into a Borders after June 1st and your kids can pick a free book from the list on the reading form.  The program is open to kids 12 and under only.

Barnes and Noble is also offering a free book when you read 8 books and record them in the Reading Journal found HERE.
You can redeem this now through September 6th, but it is only open to kids in grades 1-6.

Remember, if you don’t want or need the freebie books your kids can always donate them back to the library or to other worthy causes, such as Books For Keeps.  Good luck, and happy reading!

Thanks Edith!

There is a great deal over at Vista Print right now where you can get 140 FREE Return Address Labels.  I LOVE getting FREE labels in the mail from various charities.  I LOVE labeling everything!  I thought I would share with you how I creatively use these labels.

Here are 10 creative ways to use Address Labels:

1. Label your kids school supplies. Such as their folders, scissors, calculator, backpack, and lunchbox.  In case they get lost on the bus or at school, they will get back to you!  I label the inside of the backpack for security reasons.
2. Put a Return Label on your DVD’s that you lend out.
3. Put a Return Label on the inside front cover of your books when you lend them out to friends or family.
4. Label your coupon binder and coupon accordian file.  There is NOTHING worse than losing it.  I think I would cry, A LOT!
5. Put a return label on the back of your I-Pod, or Smart Phone.
6. Personalized them. With customization tools, you can type more than the suggested address information on each line of the address label. “This toy belongs to:” replaces “The Smith Family” on line one and your childs name takes the place of the address information on line two. If you would like to put a phone number on the label, you can easily fit this information on the third line. If not, you may want to use this line to add another gentle reminder to light-fingered friends, such as “please return.”
7. If you bring food to a potluck dinner,make a dinner for someone who is ill,  or bring a dish to a party.  Put a Return Label on the dish that you brought.  That way if you leave it behind, the person knows whose it is.
8. Use them to label your kids sippy cups at birthday parties, the church nursery, or at a play date. This way you always know which cup is yours.
9. Use them in place of filling out your mailing address on Mail in Rebate Forms, or raffle entries.  Save your ink and the pain in your hand by using these in place of writing it all out!
10. The most obvious way to use these are for their intended purpose. To put on your outgoing mail as your return address.

This is how you order from Vistaprint:

Step 1: Head over to their website and click on Return Address Labels.

Step 2: Pick out your design (this is the one I chose to make labels for my son going to school.)

Step 3: Fill in the lines.  If you want it as a traditional return label, follow their directions to fill in your name and address.  If you want to use them for your kids, type in whatever you wish.  Be creative!

Step 4: Skip over the other offers that they will match to your address labels at a discount price. This will tax about 10 seconds.

Step 5: You’re done, Cash out.  You will pay $3 for shipping, but that is still a great price for customized labels!!

 Does anyone else have any great ideas for use of Return Address labels, I would love to hear them!

This is a guest post written by Lauren of I Am That Lady.  Be sure to swing by her blog to check out what else she has to offer.  Thanks Lauren!

Next month, we will be gone 4-5 days for a quick family vacation to Disney!  I am looking for fellow bloggers or really anyone that wants to write about ways you save money, favorite recipes, or anything kid friendly to fill in the gaps while I’m gone!  This is also open to those with a home-based business if you crochet, sew, or do something special, write about what you do and give us a special!  Email me at mommyoctopus at gmail dot com to setup your guest post!  I look forward to hearing from my readers that love to write! 

Here’s my 3 last year when we went to Disney!  Yes I was crazy and took a 4 month old.  It really turned out to be pretty easy and we still had a blast!!