Refer a Friend to Groupon and Get $20

I like deals like this, I get to tell my friends about things I enjoy and get paid to do it... and you can too.  If you haven't already joined Groupon, what's keeping you?  Sure not all of the deals are GREAT but it's that one that's awesome that makes it all worthwhile, when you really can get dinner at your favorite restaurant for half off or pay $15 for a manicure AND a pedicure.  If you are already a member (or after you join) go tell your friends about Groupon and earn your $20.  I believe, Groupon typically pays you $5 for every friend you refer, so this is a nice little bonus they having going on this week through March 21.

Salon Style on the Cheap

My hair stylist quit on me!

Well she didn't quit on me so much as she left the state, she moved and I didn't find out till my salon called to confirm my appointment with some other stylist.  It only took me 7 years to find a stylist I really love, so now I'm back to square one.  The salon she was at was a bit on the high end and honestly I just couldn't see paying their prices for someone else, especially not someone who's fairly fresh out of Beauty School.  I'm still not sure who will be going my hair next, but it'll probably be a few weeks.  I'll wait till I can stand it anymore then try out a few options.  One option I'm considering is checking out one of the local Salon Academy's.  After posting on Facebook about my predicament Laurie over at Passionate Penny Pincher told me she'd had good luck with one of the local salon academy's so I'll probably give them a try.

Huntsville has several different Beauty schools now where you can go and pay a discounted fee to have a student provide your service.  Like I said, I've never gone to one of these before but I'm thinking there are some advantages and some disadvantages.  The disadvantage being that you never know what you are going to get and you are taking a pretty big risk that they could screw up your hair... but then I've found I'm taking that risk any time I go to someone new (and occasionally when going to someone I've gone to for a while).  The upside is that their are trained professional instructors looking over their shoulder which should give them a bit more incentive to "do it right".  Another upside is the cost which is usually less than half of what you'd pay in a professional salon.

Today on Living Social our local deal is $15 for a manicure & pedicure at The Salon Professional Academy.  That seemed like a really good deal to me (since it's about 1/2 what I would normally pay for one of those services alone) and I also figured it was a really good way to check out one of these local schools and see how I feel inside of it without the risk of having to carry around a bad haircut for a month or more.

Sign up for the ReadySetEat newsletter and get some great ConAgra coupons in your email. They also have great recipes on their site that you can link to your favorite store to help you find items that are on sale.

Rent the Runway

Now here's an interesting concept.  Why pay full price for a designer look that you are only going to wear once?  Rent The Runway allows you to rent designer dresses and accessories for 4-8days for 10% of the the retail price.   Membership is free so keep your wardrobe fresh with your favorite designers! I'm thinking this is a great idea if you've got an event to attend and need a dress. They even give you a back-up size at no extra cost!  I so rarely wear dresses that this is the ideal thing for me.... now I just need an event to go to.

It looks like they have all sorts of looks from just a fun & flirty night out to something much more formal, with rental prices as low as $40.  Check it out for yourself, here.

Swagbucks Code on the Blog

You've got just under an hour (as of this posting) to get your butt over to the Swagbucks Blog and grab the latest Swagbucks Code, worth 6 Swagbucks. Swagcode is good till 2pm PST

What is Swagbucks You Say?

Swagbucks is only the best way to earn a little extra cash while you are spending time on the internet.  Ok, so not exactly $cash, but you can trade your Swagbucks in for Gift Cards on Amazon, Paypal and several other places as well as just save them up and trade them directly in for cool stuff.  If you aren't a Swagger, you should be, and you can go here to sign up.

Weight Watching on a Budget

Today is Day 2 of my SERIOUS effort to really start shrinking my size without shrinking our wallet.  Yesterday, I did rejoin Weight Watchers.  I've success with their online program in the past and knew it would be worth taking another look at, even though it would cost me a bit.  They are running a deal right now that if you sign up for 3 months, you save about $24.  I figured this would give me enough time to get working on things again and get back in some good habits.

Step 2 of changing things is getting back into a good exercise routine.  The last time we made a household decision for positive changes in our health and weight, we joined a local gym and found a trainer.  Unfortunately, I got sick just a few months in and had to drop out of training.  This time around we aren't willing to spend that kind of money, so I'm going to use what I have.

Wii - We have the Wii and the Wii Fit Plus.  While I enjoy playing the games on the Wii Fit Plus and I know it can be somewhat of a workout, it feels like you end up wasting too much time in between exercises.  So, I'll probably use it some, but there are better ways, even on the Wii.

DanceDanceRevolution Hottest Party 3 - if you've never played this, you are missing a fun workout.  I like to dance so this works for me. Even better, I picked up this game with the dance pad on sale on Amazon just before Christmas last year and got the whole thing for under $25. 

EA Sports Active 2 - I actually have the original one. We bought it back when we bought the Wii and I've barely used it.  It is an excellent workout.  This is what I did today and burned about 107 calories in 25 minutes.  Granted it's not much better of a workout than just hopping on the treadmill for the same amount of time, but I felt like I worked up more of a sweat than I would on the treadmill and I got a more even workout.

Speaking of The Treadmill - we have one of those and I do actually use it.  I find the only way I will use it is if it's in the living room facing the TV.  Lately, however, I've gotten into watching a few shows on Hulu, and I've found I can set my laptop up on the magazine rack of my treadmill and watch shows while I walk.  I like to watch "Biggest Loser" while I walk, it motivates me.

So these are my tools by which I hope to lose some weight without losing my wallet.  I woke up this morning to an infomercial for "Insanity", which looks like a great workout and a lot of fun.  Infomercial price was about $120.  I'm still considering it somewhat, but I think I'll check out Ebay and see if someone is maybe selling their used copy.  What can I say, I've gone cheap!

FREE Photo Magnet

Sign up for Kodak Gallery and snag a FREE Photo Magnet, just pay $1 for S/H.  After all, you need something to hold up the artwork on your fridge!

Surveys for Fun & Profit

If you enjoy filling out surveys there are several sites currently offering incentives for the info you are willing to provide. Some sites offer straight up cash, but most have some sort of points system involved where you earn points based on the surveys you fill out and those points can be cashed in later for prizes (and sometimes cash).

If you are interested in these types of opportunities, here are a few sites you may want to check out:

• Survey Spot
• Mindfield
• e-Poll
• MySurvey 2011
• Panda Research (pays cash $3-$75/survey)
• Opinion Surveys
• Dollar Surveys

Bare Escentuals Giveaway

Head on over to Facebook where Bare Escentuals is giving away a FREE Trial kit to 1,000 fans. Just "like" them then fill out the form. Enter by March 20.