MelissaStuff

$15 for $30 at Panacea I have to admit I’m not the most “hip” person when it comes to jewelry . I just don’t usually wear it. I like funky and when I have time, I do accessorize. But it just happens to be the first thing to go when I am busy and life is hectic – which is pretty much always at this stage of my life. But I do like shopping at Charming Charlie’s and I just found out that there is a new store in the same Watter’s Creek shopping area in Allen – Panacea – that is similar. The accessories and jewelry are organized by color. They’re fun and they’re inexpensive. Besides with today’s deal you’ll automatically get an additional 50% off .

This is exciting. If you didn’t read my recent post about Down East Basics and what a fan I am, you can do that here . I’m headed over to see what great deals I can find if you want to join me. If you’re lucky enough to have a real b&m store near you, you can actually use this discount in store as well. I need to go check out the online clearance before ya’ll beat me to the best stuff. Just use the promo code 30MORE at checkout. If you want to win a Down East Basics item , please head over and enter the MelissaStuff giveaway !

Hair Cut, Style and Tinsel plus $10 CPK Gift Card – $28 (or $19.60 with the promo code PLUMLOVE ) Located in historic downtown McKinney, the Lauren Reagan Nimmons Salon is the perfect place to pamper yourself and get a new hairstyle (or just refresh the one that hasn’t been trimmed in 6 months!). Today, you can get your hair washed, cut and – if you like – even tinseled ! If you’re like me, you don’t even know what “ tinseled ” is but it’s apparently the hip new hair accent. As you can see in these pictures you can do it big or do it subtle. Or you can leave it off all together and just get the haircut along with the $10 California Pizza Kitchen gift card ! I pay way more than $20 normally when I get my hair cut and I’ve never had my hair dresser tip me with a $10 gift card to a fun restaurant, so I won’t be passing up this deal. By the way, you can only use the PLUMLOVE code once per account, but you should also have a 20% discount that was automatically applied to y

I didn’t plan on being completely missing this morning. My son was schedule to have his adenoids out but I thought we would be in and out and he would sleep peacefully for awhile. Instead neither he nor I slept well last night – I mean multiple times getting up including a breathing treatment at 2 a.m. – and then we had to be at the hospital by 5:30. His procedure was over about 7:30 a.m. and he screamed solid until we got him home and into his bed about 8:15 a.m. He went to sleep. I laid down on my bed and four hours later I dragged my body out of that bed! He woke up shortly after and I’m supposed to have us packed and ready to leave town. AHHHHHH! Okay, deep breaths. At least I got 4 hours of sleep and my baby seems to be doing fairly well. I’ll post as much as I can this weekend. Don’t forget the LOW ENTRY giveaways that end today!

Monday is going to be a fun day – earn LOTS of Swagbucks on Monday as 7 separate codes equaling more than 60 Swagbucks are released. This Swagbucks Extravaganza will be fun for everyone. Because you are a member of MelissaStuff I get to share with you that the very first Swagcode that will be released will be posted on the Swagbucks   Twitter feed Monday morning at 8 o’clock. If you haven’t joined Swagbucks yet you can take this opportunity to get everything set up and ready so you can take advantage of these FREE Swagbucks on Monday. Use the Swagbucks promo code BIGTIMEBUCKS to signup and you will get an additional 70 bucks in addition to the regular 30 everyone gets for registering. That means you’ll start out with 100 Swagbucks just in time to earn 60 more Swagbucks on Monday. By the end of Monday you could be almost halfway to earning your first gift card!

  $1 for Adult Admission to the Dallas Zoo My boys love the zoo but honestly it gets so expensive to take all of them that we don’t go as often as I would like. But for $1 each , I could take them LOTS. Unfortunately, you are limited to three tickets with this deal, but that still drastically reduces the cost. Tickets are good any day, any time until February 25, 2012.

  I can’t believe this – I’m excited when Restaurant.com does 80% off, but I’ve NEVER seen 90% off. This is the time to buy your restaurant.com certificates and save on your meals out. If you aren’t familiar with Restaurant.com , they sell vouchers or certificates that give you high dollar savings at the restaurants of your choice. For example right now, you might pay $1 for a $25 certificate to The Melting Pot. The certificate will likely say something like $25 off a $35 purchase at The Melting Pot. They have different amounts and the restaurants vary in what deal they offer – sometimes its $50/$100 or even Buy one, Get one, etc. You can also go through Ebates or Shop at Home when purchasing Restaurant.com   deals and get cash back on your purchase, as well. There’s never been a better time to try these out!

Often I bring to you worthy causes that have touched my life through various ways – an online friend who is adopting, a couple I’ve read about who works in a specific ministry, a charity raising money to do something valuable. But today, the worthy cause that I am going to share is personal – because these are my friends!   That chick right there – her name is Mitzi and she’s absolutely precious. I can’t tell you how many times we have laughed over how similar her husband Shane and my husband Joey are. And then remembered those quirks are exactly why we both fell in love with them. He is an incredible man who loves Jesus and his family and has a heart for the needy.   That little boy with the soccer ball? Well, Riley will tell you that’s Z – his “best friend.” He is smart as a whip, kind, protective of his siblings and will fight for what he thinks is right. Oh, and he’s a Star Wars nut! I wish Riley had been able to spend more time with Z and had that "kind” party rub

Living in Texas where it was above 100 degrees almost every day this summer can make you long for fall – here it is still coming, we have hovered around 90 this week. But I know in many places it has fully arrived. I was super excited to receive this DownEast Basics sweater in the mail this week: If you could see me every day when you read the blog, you would know this is very ME. It’s made out of stretchy t-shirt material so it couldn’t be more comfortable and the handkerchief style with the front tie is very flattering. The worst thing in the world is to get a sweater or jacket and realize it was adorable in the picture or on the mannequin but it’s frumpy and unattractive on you! For those of you who don’t do ties . . . they also have this adorable cardigan: Seriously, I wish I could have gotten one of each – and maybe even in each of the colors they come in. When my SIL and I went on our blogging trip last April, we actually were able to shop in a c

If you’ve been watching Extreme Couponing you know that cutting coupons works. I don’t think the show is entirely realistic and it definitely doesn’t encourage healthy couponing and shopping habits, but the bottom line is that coupons save you money. I live on a $50 a week grocery budget which includes diapers, wipes, formula and hygiene items. This entire blog is dedicated to sharing the ways I make that happen along with other deals that help us save money in our budget so that we can give more when we feel called to. But the best way to get started is simply to start. The coupons listed below are high value coupons I would recommend printing. Look through them and start by printing anything you already purchase. Then once that becomes easy, you can start printing and cutting coupons for items that you frequently see on sale , especially clearance. Just doing those two steps will save you a bundle on your groceries, so let’s get started! Silk Soy Milk - $1.25 off 1 Half G

  I’ve never been a “ money trasher ” – in fact I’m not sure I’ve ever even let a CVS   Extracare buck expire! (But probably I have with all the having babies, being sick, etc. that’s gone on in the last five or six years.) But if you can promise not to throw your CVS   Extracare Bucks away in the future, they will give you a $2 ECB for FREE ! The website is sticking a bit. Looks like it might be a tad overwhelmed, but keep trying. It should go through.

  Vivitar Digital Camera – $69 Definitely starting to grab Christmas gifts when I can find a good deal. This is a nice one at Eversave today. Just $69 plus FREE shipping is a good deal if you or someone you know needs a new digital camera. If you have already made a purchase at Eversave in the past, you can support MelissaStuff and all of the fun deals we bring you by using this link to make your purchase. This deal will be available until it sells out or through October 5th.

  $35 for Baby-Safe Carpet Cleaning in 3 Rooms I love the ad for this deal – it says you clean your baby’s clothes, high chair, bottles, but you let them crawl on that carpet? I have actually thought that myself on more than one occasion. We put in new carpet the month Weston was born, but some of the places we have been I’ve had to just ignore the floor so I wouldn’t hyperventilate over the germs, diseases and who knows what else was down there! With Baby-Safe Carpet Cleaning , you don’t have to worry. Not only will they come clean your carpets, they use baby friendly, non-toxic cleaners that will also be safe for your baby. If you’re in the Dallas area and you have little ones, you might want to try this out .

LOVE this deal . Can’t believe they brought it back. Just a few weeks ago, they ran a similar deal 100 prints for $1 and 200 prints for $2. I did them and so did so many of you. But if you’re like me, you’ve got more pictures that need to be printed. So I’m super excited they brought it back. From now until October 5, you can get 100 4" x 6" prints for $1 with code ALLPRINTS100 , 200 for $2 with code ALLPRINTS200 , or 300 for $3 with code ALLPRINTS300 . It looks like you can use all three as long as you use them in separate transactions. And any prints over the amount of the sale are regular price.

    $10 for 2 Hours of Childcare AND a $10 California Pizza Kitchen Gift Certificate My friends and I have been to Stonebriar Mall many a time. Most times it comes to a screeching halt with grumpy kids and mommies scrambling to keep them quiet, happy or just not lost. There’s a great new service at Stonebriar though – Zippi Dida will watch your child while you shop. The kids will have as much fun as you do and everyone will go home much happier campers! With today’s deal, you basically get two hours of childcare for FREE with the California Pizza Kitchen gift card . . .  if you’re new to Plum District   you’ll also get a $10 credit for signing up which would make it completely FREE.

Free P&G® beauty products Free sample of Disney® Vitamin Gummies Free sample of Dove® Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Smoothing Cream Free sample of Carols Daughter® Hold & Control Free sample of Ultra Sheen Supreme® Flat Iron Spray

It’s the time of the month for me to update all of my online and printable coupons . So far I have: 1. Logged on to Cellfire and added all of the new coupons to my cards. 2. Printed $1/1 Right Guard coupon from Redplum . 3. Added deals to my YouBucks offers at Coupon Network .  4. Shortcuts also had some good coupons that I could add to my Kroger card. 5. Now I’m about to go check out Coupons.com they always seem to have some good coupons . I make sure I print from there every time I do all of this updating.

$1/1 Johnson’s Baby Product I try to grab these coupons for Johnson baby products at every opportunity because I always end up using them on clearance. Even when my “babies” don’t need this kind of stuff anymore, I’ll keep picking it up for shower gifts or donations.

  Need return address labels for those Christmas cards that are just around the corner? Or just need more labels for your kids clothing, bookbag, lunch, cup, etc.? I’ve even seen people use these on their dishes for potlucks or in the front of the books they loan out. The labels are fully customizable so there are a million ways they can be used. Order today and they’ll be completely FREE – just pay shipping that is usually somewhere around $3.

Yesterday I ran a Facebook competition for anyone who purchased the Plum District   2 Movie Tickets and Dinner . . . the winner won a second set of 2 Movie Tickets and Dinner . Congratulations Lanny Morrow! And because together Plum District and I were feeling extra generous, I also drew a second name to win the same prize. The second winner is Cheryl Spofford! Seriously, I drew those two numbers in just that order. Congratulations to the winners. For those of you that may have missed out on yesterday’s deal , it’s still available. Get the details here and you can get your own set of movie tickets and dinner for just $.50 , yep FIFTY CENTS!

$6 for Halloween Nail Shields Today SaveMore is offering Halloween Nail Shields for just $6. If you are a new customer at SaveMore , you will get a $10 credit and be able to get these for FREE! If you are a returning SaveMore customer , you can support MelissaStuff by using this link to make your purchase and you can refer your friends to earn additional credit to spend at SaveMore ! **NOTE: If you live in the state of Texas, you will be charged $.99 in sales tax upon purchase of the actual nail shields.**

  $12 for $25 at Once Upon a Child McKinney I LOVE Once Upon a Child . The only problem I have once I get in there is deciding what I am actually going to buy because there are so many great items. The best way to use these certificates is to wait and combine them with a sale . Unlike most companies who do the daily deals , Once Upon a Child allows you to use these with any other promotion they are running. Last time, I waited until they had 70% off redline items and I RAKED it in.

2 Movie Tickets and Dinner = $15 If you haven’t done this, hurry  and do it now! It doesn’t really get better than this. If you already have an account then you should open an account for your husband or your best friend or your mom. Use the code PLUMLOVE – to get this deal for just $10.50 ! 30% off the already incredible price . (If you are new to Plum District you’ll also get $10 off . . . so $.50!) AND if you purchase this deal today, go to the MelissaStuff Facebook post here and leave a comment. I will be giving away one of these deals to someone who purchases one. Theoretically, you could get 4 movie tickets and $40 to Steak Kountry for just $.50 !

  Here’s another great FREE sample . . . Zantac heartburn relief .

  5-hour Energy is one of the energy options I received from Zech, the gym owner at Anytime Fitness of Mckinney . My husband actually loves these when he’s working lots of hours and I can get them cheap or FREE sometimes with the deals at CVS . But today, you can get a FREE sample online . Hurry over before they’re all gone. Thanks, My St. Louis Mommy

  4 Tins of Ouchies bandages – $10 Don’t forget to do this deal if you are interested. It ends tonight at midnight. I think these would make great stocking stuffers AND it’s something you use and would have to buy anyway, so you’re killing two birds with one stone. Hurry, purchase these today and you can get 4 different packages of Ouchies bandages for just $10 (plus shipping which should be around $5). Definitely more than I pay for regular band-aids but then again, these aren’t regular band-aids either. This deal is good ends tonight at midnight.

  2 Movie Tickets and Dinner = $15 This deal just got even better – use the code PLUMLOVE – to get this deal for just $10.50 ! 30% off the already incredible price . (If you are new to Plum District you’ll also get $10 off . . . so $.50!) AND if you purchase this deal today, go to the MelissaStuff Facebook post here and leave a comment. I will be giving away one of these deals to someone who purchases one. Theoretically, you could get 4 movie tickets and $40 to Steak Kountry for just $.50 !

  2 Movie Tickets and Dinner = $15 This would make a great, cheap date night . Get 2 movie tickets to AMC theaters plus $20 credit at Steak Kountry for just $15. The tickets will be mailed to your address so factor that in . . . but if we lived closer, my husband would totally do this deal. $15 is less than we pay to go to the movies together alone!

  $5 for 1 Admission to the Dallas Arboretum The Dallas Arboretum is always fun and during fall, it’s even more beautiful! If you’re going to pay to go to a pumpkin patch, I would recommend going to the Arboretum instead. For this price, you won’t be able to get in to any of the local pumpkin patches for any cheaper. These vouchers will be good through November 14 (with the exception of Halloween weekend.) If you are a returning Groupon customer , please use this link to make your purchase and help support MelissaStuff in bringing you the best deals .

  4 Tins of Ouchies bandages – $10 I don’t know a child who doesn’t love band-aids . My boys ask for them ALL the time. We have to tell them if it isn’t bleeding then we’re not going to waste a band-aid. Christmas is just around the corner so the wheels are already turning in my head to figure out the best deals and how to do what I want to do for everyone as economically as possible. Using deals like this is one way I make Christmas affordable for us. Today you can get 4 different packages of Ouchies bandages for just $10 (plus shipping which should be around $5). Definitely more than I pay for regular band-aids but then again, these aren’t regular band-aids either. This deal is good until midnight on Monday, September 26.

  $25 for $75 at Picaboo (Books, Cards, and Calendars) While I wish this deal was good on prints, it is still a steal if you need photobooks to give as Christmas gifts . . . Christmas cards . . . or one-of-a-kind 2012 calendars!

  Seems like it’s hard to find deals on socks or find them on clearance . . . especially the cute ones. But today Mamapedia has a $20 credit for KidsSocks.com for just $12 . I have used them before and their full prices aren’t all that cheap, but they run specials all the time and combining the two you can get some good deals on fun, cute leggings and socks.

Thank you to everyone who has been voting for CureDuchenne . We are currently in the front running of the voting. However, we have a long way to go before this competition is over. Did you know that you can vote once on each of the participating Cadillac dealerships? That means you can make four times the difference in just a few seconds. Just click on each of these city links and then click the “Vote” button under CureDuchenne . The first time you do it on each site it will ask you to confirm the app and give it approval to post that you have voted on your Facebook account. Houston Austin Dallas San Antonio

Is your school like ours? We can no longer take any kind of edible “treat” for birthdays or parties. We just started Kindergarten so that’s quite the change from all of our preschool days. My default position is to just not celebrate at school and wait and do things at home. But my child may not think that’s the best plan in the world. When I saw today’s SaveMore deal I thought it might be the perfect solution. For $12 (or just $2 if you haven’t used your $10 SaveMore signup credit) you will get a set of 10 Christmas cards with music CD . This is an inexpensive way to celebrate and still be able to celebrate with something small.

  Lil-Lambs Consignment Sale is half-price today! Yesterday when I worked there was a TON of good stuff left at great prices even before the half-price discount. I saw a size 7 pair of Gap jeans for boys – the trendy ones with the holes in them but backed with more jean material behind the holes – in like new condition for $4! On the same rounder there was a great plaid shirt – kind of the Van, Tony Hawk, Quiksilver look – possibly had never been worn $3. Seriously some awesome deals . On the girls end there were 2 beautiful Janie and Jack dresses (high dollar boutique brand) for $12 each before discount. Head over soon and get in on the best deals . Not every item is half-price but many are – look for the Discount: Yes to know which ones will give you the lowest prices. Greenville Oaks Church of Christ 703 South Greenville Avenue Allen, TX 75002

Anyone remember the SWAGG giveaway we did awhile back? Well, it’s time for a new one. If you don’t remember, SWAGG is a website and app that allows you to keep track of all of your gift certificates in one place. You can pull up the barcode on your cell phone and scan and use the card at the appropriate store without carrying all of the cards on you. In addition, you can give and receive gift cards through the app. Perfect for a last minute gift or an out-of-state family member. SWAGG gave me a $50 gift certificate to use just to try out the service and see what I thought about some of the new features. When someone gives you a gift card, you can choose which store to  use it at. This time, I chose to use it on a GAP gift certificate. I looked and looked and waited for a good sale to make the GAP prices more reasonable so I could stretch my $50 as far as possible. Unfortunately, I just could not find one. Instead I realized, because GAP is a part of the same group of

As we kick off this Team Escalade Texas competition this week, I wanted to have my sweet friend share her personal experience with Duchenne. (Taylor Fetrow with his sister when Make-A-Wish and Cadillac provided them with an Escalade for a week as part of his wish.) In 1997 my 3 year old son Taylor was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. We had been pushing for answers for 18 months regarding some significant delays we had seen in him. He couldn’t keep up with other kids his age, had difficulty with stairs, didn’t care to run & jump & skip & climb like most typical young boys. Finally after many blood tests & consultations we had a fabulous doctor that was able to connect the dots. We immediately met with a Neurologist who gave us the devastating news that our son had an incurable disease that would cause every muscle in his body to eventually “die” & at some point he would be unable to walk probably by the age of 12, he wouldn’t be able to shake

I am working the Lil Lambs Consignment Sale this morning and there are some awesome deals that I'm surprised are still here. Lots of older girl clothing and boys 4-7 . . .  Gymboree,  Children's Place, brand new items! Greenville Oaks Church of Christ Allen, Texas

If you’re interested in going on a date this weekend – who isn’t – but need to save a little money to pay for the baby sitter, here are a couple of good deals in the DFW area.   $11 for $22 at Braza Dancante Villages in Allen   $15 for $30 at Yellow Rose Steak and Chop House Parker Square in Denton