Bloggy Giveaway: Win a Rejavanate Reusable Tote Bag

As part of the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival, I've got three reuseable tote bags from Rejavanate to give away!

Rejavanate totes are made from recycled burlap from coffee bean bags.  They're helping to recycle some of the 800,000 tons of burlap that would just go to waste.  The totes are assembled by The ARC, a non-profit organization which helps 140,000 developmentally disabled adults find jobs.

These are unique, sturdy bags that will help you help the environment.  I was impressed that they mailed me the totes in a box they had recycled!

I am giving away THREE of these cool Rejavanate totes.

So here's the deal:   Please fill out the form below. (If you can't see the form, you'll need to click here.)  I promise that your e-mail will only be used to notify winners.

Please share something you've re-purposed in the form.  Maybe you've taken a baby bottle drying rack and now use it dry your tot's mittens.  Maybe you've turned cereal boxes into magazine holders.   Please share!  I will randomly select three winners for the totes, but I will be sharing my favorite ideas for re-purposing items that you send in a future post.  (If you have something you'd like to share from your blog, please include the link).

Rules:  Contest is only open to those who live in the United States.  Please enter only once per household. You must use the form to enter the contest. Entries made in the comments will NOT be accepted. Contest ends Friday, Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. CST.  I'll contact the winners by e-mail and announce them in a future post.

Be sure to come back to the blog to see what great ideas people  have for giving old stuff new life!

And don't forget: There are lots More giveaways at the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival!  There are dozens of fabulous prizes there not just this week... but every day!

Halloween Goodies Abound!

When most people think of Halloween, they think of getting the kids dressed up and going from house to house trick-or-treating.

But there are other ways to load up on candy - ways that are simpler and kinder to us folks in the colder, northern climates.

Many shopping malls and even grocery stores are having family-oriented Halloween events this week where the kiddos can trick-or-treat at well-lit, safe locations and get lots of fun goodies. Check out the Boo Bash at Kowalski's that TopazTook told me about.  In my area, I know that both the Grand Rapids Central Square Mall and Ogle's Foods both have Halloween events going on this week, so check the Sunday paper for details.

And for all you folks who wait until the last second to get ready for Halloween, I've found a few things for you, too! 

Still haven't carved your pumpkin?   Check out these super-cute Disney stencils you can print out from Huggies.

Need a really scary costume on the cheap?  Check out the free Halloween masks here.

Not going anywhere and want to be entertained? There is plenty of eye candy at Ben & Jerry's Halloween site.

And here's another deal for you:  Donate $1 to the Have It Your Way Foundation and Burger King will give you 8 FREE value-size french fry coupons! (Can you say "stocking stuffers?")  Check with your local Burger King for details.

Know of any other Halloween treats?  Please share!

eBay: It's a Buyer's Market

I've noticed an interesting trend on the morning news shows and women's magazines:

They all recommend selling things on eBay to raise extra funds in these tough economic times.

I have dabbled in eBay. I've bought and sold about two dozen items in the last year - mostly Minnesota Twins gear and baby stuff. And while I've made slightly more money from the sales than what I would earn from selling the stuff in a garage sale, I've found it to be more work than I need right now.

I'm finding that the eBay market is a bit flooded... and the fees are a little spendy. Now this isn't true with every category, but it has been my experience. I've had a few items that despite being listed at rock-bottom prices, did not sell despite numerous listings. And when I do a search of similar items, it seems other folks are selling them for literally pennies.

It's an interesting situation. Hundreds of thousands of people are listing things on eBay in an attempt to raise some extra cash... and none of it is selling because no one has any money.

I'm not going to write-off eBay forever, but I am going to hold off listing things there for awhile. I've been having better success with my local children's clothing consignment shop and other online classifieds, so I'll stick with those for now. I've also been donating things I don't need. If I can't sell it, at least I can feel good about helping others.

On the other hand, if you do have a little spending money, now is a great time to find bargains on eBay and elsewhere. It's definitely a buyer's market.

Free Reusable Tote from Target

When I first read about getting a FREE reusable tote from Target over at Attention Target Shoppers, I was totally pumped!

You see, earlier this year, I was able to score a FREE Target Retote reusable shopping bag by taking the cover off my Newsweek, turning it into a pre-paid envelope, filling it with five clean Target plastic shopping bags, and dropping it in the mailbox. The Retote bag by TerraCycle is incredibly durable and roomy! Perfect for Target trips!

So I was pretty excited to see at Ginger's blog that TerraCycle and Target were doing the promotion again, only this time, with People magazine.

But then, AFTER I purchased People magazine (something I never do!), Deal Seeking Mom reported that you don't even have to buy the magazine! That's right, you can just stick all those bags in your own envelope and mail it to them to get your coupon for a free reusable tote! Read all the details here.  (Note that this offer is limited to one bag per household.)

So, I was a bit bummed about that I bought the magazine when I didn't have to, but at least I can say I know a little celebrity gossip now. And buying the magazine is still a better deal than buying the tote outright, so I did save a little bit of money.

Anyway, wanted to share this with you so you could take advantage of this deal.

Stick around... I just may be giving away some other handy reusable totes next week!

Weekend Reading

It's been awhile since I've participated in any blog carnivals, so this week, I was graciously included in two of them!

Check out Money Hacks Carnival: The 1925 Railroad Edition hosted at My Two Dollars.

Be sure to read the Festival of Frugality: Extra Money Edition over at Mighty Bargain Hunter.

As if that's not enough frugal reading for you, I thought I'd share a few other things with you:

Donna Freedman at MSN Money's Smart Spending blog had a great piece called Recession is Good for the Soul that featured... well... ME... You've probably already read the posts she talks about, but be sure to read the comments because they're quite thought-provoking!

Wise Bread asks the question I've been asking myself since this whole housing debacle began: Should We All Just Stop Paying the Mortgage? 

Chief Family Officer and I share a similar problem: Our Biggest Spending Pitfall: Eating Out. 

Happy Reading!