Countdown to BIG News!

Exciting News Coming Soon!

Next Monday (9/26), I will be announcing some BIG and EXCITING news about the blog.

Psst....For a sneak peak at what I have up my sleeve, follow me over on Twitter.

Giveaway Reminder: Mani/Pedi for You & A Friend

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a manicure, pedicure and foot massage for you and a friend at Double N's Salon in Seattle. The giveaway ends tonight (9/20) at 5pm!

Head over to my post here to enter.

The Daily Double (9/20)

Head over to Eversave to get a $50 voucher to Abe's Market for $25 ($22 for new members). Abe's Market offers a TON of natural products. You can get cleaning products, beauty products, yummy food, toys, etc, etc. They really have it all. I have heard great things about Abe's Market, but I can't decide how to use my voucher. Have you ordered from them before? Any favorite products to recommend?

Go here to get this deal.

The Fine Print

May buy up to 2 Saves

•

Use one Save per purchase at www.AbesMarket.com

•

Save is valid sitewide at www.AbesMarket.com, however, it cannot be combined with other coupon codes

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Free shipping for orders over $49 before voucher is applied

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$3.99 flat rate shipping applies for orders under $49; Code cannot be used toward shipping

•

Code available immediately after purchase on Eversave

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Promotional value expires
on Dec 31, 2011

Over on Plum District, you can get a personalized framed print from Frame the Alphabet for $60 ($135 value). Use the code "fabulous" for an extra 10% off, brining the price down to $54. I absolutely love these prints. I bought one as a gift for my husband a few years ago and it is one of my favorite pieces in our home. These make wonderful wedding gifts!

Go here to get this deal.

The Fine Print

• May not be applied to taxes & shipping
• May not be combined with other offers
• Limit 1 per person, may buy additional as gifts
• Flat rate shipping $15
• May not be applied to taxes & shipping
• Limit 1 per person, may buy additional as gifts\nFlat rate shipping $15
• Expires 03/18/12

The Daily Double (9/19)

SaveMore is offering a great deal on wall decals today. You can pick up a voucher for StickOnWallDecor.com. You can get a $20 voucher for $7 or a $60 voucher for $19. Plus, if you are new to SaveMore you will get a $10 credit making this deal either FREE or just $9. The adorable decal above costs $60, but you can pick it up for $9 + FREE shipping!

Go here to get this deal.

I mentioned the Groupon deal that I picked up on Flirty Aprons in my wedding shower post earlier today. And lo and behold, it's back. Get a $30 voucher for just $15. This deal is listed under Houston, but it's an online deal so anyone can purchase it. These aprons almost make me want to cook dinner. Almost.

Go here to get this deal.

A Some-What Frugal Wedding Shower

My sister and I threw a wedding shower a couple weekends ago for Lindsey, the soon-to-be wife of our cousin Ryan. Ryan and Lindsey are having a 1940's vintage inspired wedding next month and we wanted to pull that idea into the wedding shower. Everything turned out so beautifully that I just have to share.

I picked up some perfect invitations at Target back in March! They were on 75% off clearance and only cost $0.98 per pack. They were printed on recycled paper and fit with our color scheme perfectly.

We bought three huge boxes of mason jars on craigslist to use for decorating. We used the largest ones for flowers and the smallest for candles. We got the flowers at a roadside stand which also saved us a bunch of money.

We used the pint size jars as cups. I picked up some green striped straws at the party store for $2.99. I made a Beer Raspberry Punch which was pink and looked so cute in the jars. I had bought a flat of raspberries for $10 at the produce stand earlier this summer and flash froze the berries to use in the punch.

We wanted to give Lindsey a momento of the shower, so I picked up a Groupon for Flirty Aprons ($15 for a $30 voucher). We had all the guests sign the back of the apron with a fabric pen. These aprons are so cute to begin with and with the added personal touch, I hope Lindsey will remember the shower every time she wears it.

For the favors, we filled pint jars with beans and added a notecard with a recipe to make bean soup. I picked up the cheapest jars I could find at Walmart (poorly reviewed for canning, but perfect for our purposes) and got 15lbs of beans at Cash & Carry for $15. These were on the way to being super frugal favors, but then I found the cutest cards at Target and I couldn't resist. I'm embarrassed to admit how much I spent on them (cough$0.50eachcough), but they completely made the favors and I got tons of compliments on them.

For the food, we went for ease over frugality which was definitely the right choice. We did save money where we could.

* I made the blackberry pie using blackberries from my yard.
* We picked up a package for chicken on 50% clearance to make the chicken salad.
* We used some loaves of bread that Franz bread sent me for the sandwiches (win your own here).
* Most of the rest of the ingredients came from Costco, which saved us money over the grocery store.

All in all, I think this party turned out great. I love throwing parties, but it can get expensive. With some advanced planning, I was able to save money and still throw a beautiful event. Thanks for letting me pat my own back (and my sisters') and show off our hard work.

What are your best tips for saving money on party planning?

Reusable Bag Challenge Update

I feel like such as a failure! It is already the 18th of September and this is my FIRST update on my month long challenge to use only reusable bags. I'm so sorry for the lack of posts.

Luckily, I have not been a failure at ditching the plastic bags. I have been doing a really good job of remembering my reusable bags or skipping the bag altogether when I'm just getting a couple things. I've had a few cashiers seem annoyed with me, particularly on larger shopping trips where I am using multiple reusable bags. But overall, it has been a very positive experience.

And I have to admit to 3 APBIs (Accidental Plastic Bag Incidents).

One was at the party store very early in the month. I was in my husbands' car and didn't have any bags with me. And I was buying too much to carry. But this incident did make me throw a couple of the bags that scrunch up really small into my purse so I'm always prepared.

Second time was a Barnes & Noble. I wasn't even paying attention and was in my car before I realized the cashier had put my book in a plastic bag.

Last time was at Fred Meyer. I was juggling unloading my cart, my toddler, and my coupons and didn't get the bags to the cashier until she had already put one plastic bag of items in my cart.

Not too bad considering how rarely I was using my bags prior to this challenge. My main obstacle is still remembering to put the bags back in my car, but I'm working on it.

So how are you doing? Have you reduced your plastic bag use this month?

Franz Bread Review & Giveaway (5 Winners)

Franz Bakery is a Northwest company that has been baking bread since 1906. Today United States Bakery/Franz Family Bakeries is the largest family-owned independent bakery on the West Coast. The company serves all of Oregon and Washington as well as northern California and parts of Idaho, Montana and Alaska. They ensure quality and freshness by baking in small batches and locating their bakeries near each distribution area.

With their new line of organic breads, Franz Bakery continues this committment to quality and freshness. The breads are made with 100% all-natural organic ingredients and baked in small batches. Franz Bakery is also committed to sustainability. They are working to reduce emissions by a third, return water to its natural state and offset their electrical use by purchasing wind credits.

Franz Bakery recently sent me an awesome box filled with their new line of organic breads. I've been a Franz bread fan for a long time and I'm was excited to try their new organic line. I received:

* Franz San Juan Island Organic Nine Grain Bread
* Franz Willamette Organic Great Seed Bread
* Franz Big Horn Valley Organic 100% Whole Wheat Bread

This bread is so yummy! I've been enjoying a slice of the whole wheat (toasted and spread with Laughing Cow cheese) with my lunch every day. It is so filling!

I used the Great Seed and Nine Grain for chicken salad sandwiches at a wedding shower I threw this past weekend. The recipe for chicken salad called for pecans, but my sister refused to let me put them in (citing the purity of chicken salad!). But the breads are full of seeds and grains that added a perfect flavor and texture to the sandwiches to make up for the lack of pecans.

GIVEAWAY

Franz bread wants to give five (5) Coupon Newbie Blog readers a chance to try out their products. Five winners will be chosen to receive a coupon for a FREE Franz product.

Mandatory Entry

Leave a comment letting me know your favorite kind of sandwich.

Additional Entry

Head over to Facebook and Like Franz Bakery. Come back and leave a comment letting me know.

This giveaway will be open until Friday 9/23 @ 5pm. The winners will be chosen via random.org. You must include your e-mail address with each entry so I can contact you if you are the winner.

Disclosure: I received a box of Franz bread products to faciliate my review. All opinions are my own.