As I am looking for deals here in Scottsdale here, and trying to find fun activities, I have stumbled upon a lot of interesting sites. One I was just looking at is titled "100 Days, 100 Ways to Save: Summer in Scottsdale". Some of my favorite tips for freebies or cheapies from this site:

• If you're an Arizona resident, ask about a Locals' Discount when making summer reservations at Scottsdale resorts, golf courses, spas and other establishments.
• The Scottsdale Public Library presents fun, informative and free programs and events! You can check out the details at the library site here: library.ci.scottsdale.az.us
• The Scottsdale ArtWalk takes place every Thursday from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. along Main Street and Marshall Way in the downtown Arts District. The galleries open their doors and show off works by some of the Southwest’s most outstanding artists. The process is simple - proceed at your own pace, browse the galleries that catch your eye, and enjoy the many outdoor sculptures that are part of Scottsdale's Public Art Program. http://www.scottsdalegalleries.com/about.html
• The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa offers free Native American cultural performances every Friday at 5 p.m. http://www.scottsdale.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-scottsdale/index.jsp?null
• Want to explore the Desert Botanical Garden? Or maybe you'd like to discover your inner geek at the Arizona Science Center? Now you can - for free! Valley library card holders can check out the Culture Pass for free admission for two people to participating arts and cultural institutions. http://phoenix.showup.com/page/culture_pass
• The free Kierland Commons Summer Concert Series takes place every Saturday evening in the Center Plaza. http://www.kierlandcommons.com/
• The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) offers free admission every Thursday from 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. http://www.smoca.org/indexnew.php
• The Penske Racing Museum showcases and amazing collection of cars, trophies and racing memorabilia chronicling the career of one of the most successful dynasties in all of sports. The Penske team has more than 40 years of racing experience and over 300 major wins highlighted by 15 Indianapolis 500-mile victories. Admission is free. http://penskeracingmuseum.com/
• Enjoy free concerts every Sunday evening from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. Bring a blanket or folding chair, then relax on the lawn and listen to your favorite local bands. Train and carousel rides are $2.00 each. http://therailroadpark.com/
• Discover the beauty of desert plants at Desert Botanical Garden with docent-guided tours, family activities, events, an outdoor café and gift shop. The Garden offers free admission every Tuesday from 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.. http://www.dbg.org/
• Although Scottsdale is most well-known for its Sonoran Desert scenery, the area is also filled with lakes and rivers that are brimming with action in the summer. Canyon, Apache, Saguaro, Pleasant and Roosevelt lakes are all within a 40-mile drive of Scottsdale and have public beaches available for picnicking, swimming and fishing. http://www.arizona-leisure.com/phoenix-lakes-boating.html
• The Phoenix Art Museum, the Southwest's premier destination for world-class visual art, hosts major changing exhibitions alongside a permanent collection of more than 18,000 works. Enjoy the museum for free every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on the first Friday of the month from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. http://www.phxart.org/
• Dust off your picnic basket and head over to Chaparral Park and Community Center, where you'll have a 100 acres to play. You'll find a 10-acre lake for boating and fishing, a playground, ball fields, swimming pool and a four-acre, off-leash dog park. Don't forget your blanket and Frisbee! http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/parks/chap
• Running through the center of the city, the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt is an interconnected string of lush urban parks. Featuring lighted walking and recreation paths, fishing ponds, athletic fields, tennis courts, a skate park and see-and-be-seen dog park, this popular 11-mile urban playground is perfect for walking, riding your bike or spending the day. http://www.scottsdalecvb.com/desert-exploration/indian-bend-wash-greenbelt/
• The air-conditioned downtown Scottsdale Trolley is free and runs year-round. Hop on and off as many times as you'd like as you explore the Arts District, Old Town, Fifth Avenue Shops, Scottsdale Fashion Square and more. You'll be delighted at the myriad options you find in downtown, including 100+ galleries, 80 restaurants and nightclubs, and shopping that will test the skills of even the savviest retail browser. Daily: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; additional hours on Thursdays until 9 p.m. http://www.scottsdalecvb.com/transportation/resort-trolley/
• For more than 30 years, Harkins Theatres has brought back some of Hollywood's best family films to keep kids entertained and cool during the summer. Kids can enjoy a movie a week for 10 weeks, for less than $1 per film. http://www.harkinstheatres.com/summerMovieFun.aspx

So, there are a lot of FREE activities for us to try out!! I am excited to get started on this list!

When we started telling people we were moving to Scottsdale, AZ, lots of people laughed and asked how a deals blogger would live in Scottsdale. Apparently Scottsdale is generally a well off area. It is more "Tiffany and Co" than "Walmart" kind of people (in general). Honestly, the Walmart is pretty far from where I live as is the Target. BUT in just 2 short weeks living here, I have started to find the deals.

The first thing Wes and I googled and tried to find in Scottsdale was FREE, fun family activities. I should mention that Scottsdale is a suburb of Phoenix in the North East part of the valley. Phoenix is a huge sprawling metropolitan area and there is a lot of Phoenix information for me to wade through still, but Scottsdale itself, and nearby areas (like Fountain Hill) are somewhat lacking in Free family fun. At least at first glance. We have had to look for activities one at a time.

The first thing I wanted to find was a cheap or free way to cool off. Most homes here have pools int he back yard. The one we are renting does not. We have friends and neighbors here already that have offered us use of their pools, but I have as yet not taken anyone up on that offer (it's hard to take 5 kids to someones house to swim when you hardly know the people and the kids only kind of swim...) I found water parks and pools (looks like I need to figure out how to get discounts on some of those) and they were fairly pricey, so I began my search for Splash parks!

Right off I found one not too far from my house in Fountain Hill: Fountain Park, 12925 N. Saguaro Blvd. (Pictured above) We have been there like 5 times already. The kids love it, and the bonus for us is that there is also a Disc Golf course there around the lake (long time readers and friends will know that my husband, Wes LOVES to disc golf!). We played disc golf on the 4th of July. Had a blast, but lost 2 discs in the lake...might need a course further from water for future games... The splash pad there is really fun with lots of different water features. I recommend it as a great free, fun, wet, cooling family activity in Scottsdale.

There is only one other splash pad we have been to, and that one was at a shopping center: Scottsdale Quarter, 15279 N. Scottsdale Road. The kids loved that one because we went in the evening after Wes got home and after we ate dinner. It was Friday night and as it starts to get dark they have colorful lights that go on in the water area. The kids adored it. From my viewpoint, at first I was taken a back a little because Scottsdale Quarter is a little ritzy. And the splash area is basically right by the valet parking. So all the fancy dressed date night couples go to the valet to drop off their car, then they have to pass the water pad to get to the restaurant or club of their choice. At first I was a little antsy there (felt pretty under dressed), but then I just sat back and started to enjoy the pure people watching entertainment! WOW! I think I may need a bedazzler to fit in here! BUT, I Loved it!! People watching is awesome...Also a great FREE activity (Free if you can resist all the shops and restaurants).

And, I just found a great list of other splash pads in Scottsdale on azcentral.com (which is think is maybe the news?). I guess I have a few more places to check out now...

Omaha's Railroad Days are coming up this weekend!!!

Railroad Days is an annual Omaha event that is a lot of fun! And for a family (especially one my size), it is a great deal!! On Railroad days, you can buy a $15 family pass (good for 2 adults and the kiddos) that allows admission to and transportation between six of the area’s best attractions for families. (A $5 pass is also available for one additional adult with the purchase of a family pass.) The 6 attractions are Lauritzen Garden, The Durham Museum, Union Pacific's Railroad Museum, Joslyn Art Museum, RailsWest Museum, and the Historic General Dodge house. All are really fun places and they have special activities and fun for the family going on during Railroad days.

This is a GREAT way for a family to explore some of the great sites in Omaha for a low price! As mentioned, Railroad days is the weekend, July 14-15, 2012. Check out this website for more info! I hope a lot of your readers are able to take advantage of this fun, cheap family event! Wish I was there to enjoy it with you!!!

First things first. I told my Omaha fans/friends that I would post some links to blogs that are local Omaha blogs. Here are some:

I mentioned the other day that I knew of one Omaha blog where the writer, Nicole, posts her favorite Omaha grocery deals each week. That blog is Mom Saves Money. She used to just post a few weekly faves, but it looks like she is posting more these days and it is more like what I do for weekly grocery deals. To give you an example of her weekly grocery deal posts, check out this one from last week. (Can I throw in a "WOW" you had some great prices this past week, and it looks like you still have through tomorrow to get these prices!!!).

Another local deals blog that I love is actually written by a friend (she was kindergarten teacher to my 2 oldest kids before she quit teaching to stay home with her little girl). Sarah writes a great deals blog called Becoming Sensible. You will find lots of great local deal there!

One more, I have actually never even seen this blog until today, but I googled Omaha deals blogs, and stumbled upon the Omaha Deal Diva blog. She obviously has a focus on grocery deals and matches the coupons you can use to the weekly deals. Great blog for finding the local grocery deals!!!

I will continue to post events and activities and freebies that are Omaha delas just as I post Utah deals because I know much of my readership is in Omaha and Salt Lake area. But I will not be posting Omaha grocery deals anymore, as I will now be posting the grocery deals in Scottsdale. Thanks for reading and I hope you will continue to read through my frugal journey in Scottsdale!

Please Note, I am still getting used to the prices and teh different grocery trends here in Scottsdale, so my deals will likely change over time. I have already learned that bread is much more expensive here than Omaha, and milk much less, but most other things are fairly comprable so far. That in mind, Here are my favorite deals in Scottsdale grocery this week:
Albertsons Market

• Albertsons Milk Gallon $1.57 (limit 2)
• Blueberries 18 oz 2/$4 (limit 2)
• Albertonsons Purified Drinking Water 16.9 oz 24 pk 4/$10
• Essential Everyday cereal 11.8-20 oz OR Kellogg's Cereal 9-15 oz $1.88
• Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Whole Grain White or Wheat Bread 20 oz $1.88
• Powerade Sports Drink 32 oz $.58 (limit 10)
• Donald Duck Orange Juice 59 oz $1.69 (limit 2)
• Prego Pasta Sauce 23.5-24 oz $1.49 (limit 2)
• Doritos 10.5-11.5 oz or Ruffles 8.5-9.5 oz $1.99 each (when you buy 3)
• Large Tropical Mangos 2/$1
• Albertsons Large Eggs 12 ct $.88 (limit 4)

Bashas
**Note that Bashas currently has a limited time deal where ALL Manufacturerers' coupons are worth $1. So if you have some of those $.10 or $.25 coupons, this would be the time to use them!!**

• Blue Bunny Ice Cream 1.75 quart $1.88 (This is their "Shocker coupon". I assume you have to have the coupon from the ad to get this?!)
• Fresh Ground Chuck value packs $2.39/lb (limit 2 value packs)
• Pepsi Product 12 packs 4/$9 (that's $2.25 each)
• Ruffles (8-9 oz), Doritos (10.5-11.5 oz), or food club corn chips (10-10.5 oz) $1.99
• Powerade Sports Drink 32 oz $.59 (limit 15) (penny more than Albertsons, but higher limit)
• Fresh Cucumber 2/$1
• Whole Seedless Watermelon $.15/lb (first 2 melons only)
• Driscoll's Premium Strawberries 16 oz package $.97 (first 3 only)

Fresh & Easy

• Peaches, Nectarines, or Plums $.49/lb (sold in 2 lb pack for $.98 each)
• Red Cherries $1.99/lb (sold in 2 lb pack for $3.96)
• Tomatoes on the Vine 16 oz $.98
• All Quaker Cereal or granola  bars 6.7-18 oz $1.99
• f&e chicken breast family pack (boneless skinless with rib meat) $1.99/lb
• (There is also a coupon in their ad for $3 off when you spend $30 or more there, and it looks like they have a rewards card you can get for "even more rewards". See info on that here.

Fry's (Remember their sales are almost always WITH card)

• Sweet Corn 6/$1 ($.18 each)
• Tomatoes on the Vine $.97/lb
• Raspberries 6 oz $.97/lb
• Kroger Cheese 6-8 oz (shredded, sliced, block) $1.79
• Kroger Butter 16 oz 2/$4

This is a Kroger store like Baker's and has similar deals. This week there is a "Save $3 Now and $2 later when you mix and match any 10 participating items. So the following items are listed at prices AFTER the $.30 is taken off (meaning this is the price of the item IF you buy 10 participatimg items-any combo mix or match):

• Gatorade or G2 32 oz $.59
• Cheetos 9-9.75 oz or Fritos 10.5 oz $1.69
• General Mills Cereal 8.9-16.1 oz $1.69
• Totinos Party Pizza 9.8-10.9 oz $.89
• Ritz Crackers 7.5-16 oz $1.69
• Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks or General Mills treats 6-10 count $1.69
• Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Easy Mac 4 ct $3.69
• El Monterey Snacks 21-24 oz $4.69

Safeway (Remember their sales are almost always WITH card)

• Whole Boneless Pork Loin $1.88/lb
• Fresh Cucumber 2/$1
• Pantry Essentials Milk gallon (whole, 2%, 1%, fat free) $1.57
• Crisp celery $.99/lb
• Navel Oranges $.99/lb
• Coke Product 12 packs are buy 2 get 2 free (must buy 4)
• If you buy 2 Ragu sauces (2/$3) you get 1 Free Safeway Dry Pasta
• If you buy 1 package of Oreo cookies, you get another Oreo pack of equal or lesser value free PLUS a 12 pack of refreshe soda free.

Safeway coupons in the ad include (Note to get these you must have a safeway card AND the coupons):

• Yoplait gogurt or trix yogurt $1.88 (limit 3)
• Minute Maid Orange Juice 89 oz chilled $3.99
• Lucerne Ice Cream Sandwiches 24 ct $4.99

Sprouts

• Avocados 3/$1
• Cucumbers or Green Bell Peppers 2/$1
• Broccoli crowns, cluster tomatoes or green beans $.99/lb

***Remember that I generally just price match at Walmart as much as I can rather than go to all the stores separately! I LOVE being able to do that. You can also pricematch at Target, but I find it easier to pricematch at Walmart.

We have made it to Arizona!!

We are settling into out house here in Scottsdale. We have been here for a week and a half, and there are less boxes in the house, but that is of course a work in progress:

But to be honest, I have not been JUST unpacking. We have also tried to have a little fun and discover this new home of ours a little.
I am looking for lots of FREE activities to share about Scottsdale (a little hard to do, but I have found some so far). I am going to find out about where kids eat free here and when, and I just got my first set of grocery ads here the other day, so I am working on my first Scottsdale grocery deals.
For my OMAHA fans, I will continue to post the things I know about Omaha going on (like Railroad Days coming next week!), but I will not be doing grocery deals anymore. There is a blogger in Omaha that posts her favorite grocery deals each week-it is not as extensive as my long list, but will give you a few of the best deals. I will post her info later today along with a list of other Omaha blogs I know of!

As for me and my blog, we have moved to Scottsdale (for a year) and have a new adventure ahead!

AWAY WE GO!! More coming today!

Have I mentioned (10 or 20 thousand times) how much I LOVE Old Navy and Crowdtap?! And I especially love then together when Crowdtap lets me go try out a new Old Navy item! This time I got to go with a friend to pick out shorts, and I cannot wait to tell you about it! First off, check out this seasons selection of shorts here.

There are a lot of cute styles, but I have to admit, I was quite nervous that they would not have anything long enough for me. I have to have shorts that are knee length (or nearly knee length), and the options for that were few and far between. However, I was able to find a few options.


And I was happy to settle on this pair here:

The friend I took with me was my daughter. She has sprouted in size and now is only slightly smaller than I am (much skinnier, but only a but shorter-we can now share shoes). She can get away with shorter shorts, so we were able to try a lot more options for her:




The ones she settled on were these:


All in all we had a BLAST trying on shorts at Old Navy and getting a new pair each. My only complaint was that there was not a big enough selection of long shorts. (Maybe I should have gone shopping in Utah?!)

Please note by way of Disclosure that I was given a coupon for me to get a free pair of shorts and for my friend to also get a free pair of shorts. Thanks Old Navy and Crowdtap for providing that!!

.

I feel so very very badly about my lack of posts!! It has been very busy and crazy here. I will do a personal update very soon, but today I want to tell you a bit about an amazing product, the EZstringer! How often have you lost the drawstring to a sweatshirt and had to sit there for hours restringing it?! I can tell you, I have done that A LOT!!!! With 5 kids I feel like I spend a lot of time doing little tasks that take a long time. That is one of the real time drainers, so I was SOOOO excited to be asked to review this product!

What is it?

This is how they describe their product:

EZstringer is a cool new product that restrings any drawstring in a manner of seconds back into clothing. As seen on the Discovery channel's, Pitchmen Show, and in Real Simple magazine as the problem solver of the month!

I would describe it as a time saving, genius invention!

What did I think?

This is a time saving, ingenious product! Really! Oh and BTW, I LOVE that the letter I got with the review was signed from Valli Ross (helping Mom of the inventor daughter). So not only is this a fantastic product that really I think everyone should have on hand, it is a family company where mom is helping daughter with her great idea! Way to go Mom!!!

I really love this product a lot and I want to show you how quick and easy it is to use. I think you will love it as much as I do once you see this:


Did you notice how QUICK that was?! Amazing!

How can you get one?

Well, you can buy a 3 pack of EZstringer's on their website here: www.EZstringer.com (for only $10)!! AND for those cases where you have totally lost the drawstring, They also have a 12 pack of drawstrings you can buy for only $9.98! LOVE it!! Can't wait to try it? Read on to see how to enter to WIN one!

How can I win a 3 pack of EZstringer's?

Enter below on the rafflecopter form to win your own 3 pack of EZstringer's.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
As the Rafflecopter form says, Please note that the giveaway will end on 6/9 at 12:01 AM EASTERN time. That means you have until 11:01 PM on 6/8 Central time to get in entries.  Please note that winner will be picked at random by Rafflecopter after the giveaway ends!  Also, Facebook is not affiliated with this giveaway and cannot be held responsible for it in any way.




I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

I just wanted to throw out a quick not to all my loyal fans to appologize for the lack of posts. As mentioned before, we are miving in less than 2 months across the country to Scottsdale, AZ. We are trying to sell our lovely home in Omaha is this tough selling market and it is much harder on me than I expected it to be. Thus the lack of posts. I am constantly worried about keeping the house perfect for showings and I am always improving things. It is really keeping me busy and stressed. I was just working on the Omaha grocery price matches for this week, and a videographer stopped by to video my house. It was unexpected and my house was not ready for the first time in 2 months as I have 2 sick kids today. So, it is being rescheduled and I need to make sure my house is ready for whenever they can come back (hopefully this afternoon or tomorrow-fingers crossed!!)

Anyway-my point is this, I will get the grocery deals up and I have a couple upcoming reviews and giveaways and will hopefully have the chance to search out some deals to share after I get the house perfect again! In the meantime, if you know anyone looking for a house to buy in Omaha, check ours out, and please feel free to share this with your friends and family: Our house listing.

Also, we are looking for a 4 bedroom house to rent in Scottsdale Arizona. If you know of any great houses in that area looking for great renters, let me know!! :) Thanks for you support and patience!

For some reason this posted early yesterday and went out to email subscribers weird, so I am reposting it today with the full list. Here are my favorite deals in Omaha grocery this week:

Hyvee

• Fresh Ground Beef 85% lean $2.48/lb
• Hy Vee fruit snacks 10/$10
• Prego Pasta Sauce 23.5-24 oz $1.48
• Midwest Country Fare vegetables 16 oz $.88
• Sun Chips or Lay's Kettle Cooked chips 8.5-10.5 oz $1.88
• Bush's Baked or Grillin beans 21-28 oz $1.68
• Sara Lee honey wheat bread 20 oz $1.48

In addition to their regular week long special, HyVee also has a 4 Day Mega Meat Sale Wednesday 4/11-Saturday 4/14 that includes the following:

• Ground Chuck 85% $2.88/lb
• Mix and Match 7-Up, A&W, Sunkist, Squirt, Dr Pepper, RC or Diet Rite 6 pack 16.9 oz bottles 5/$10
• Sweet Mini Peppers 2 lb bag $3.49

AND In addition to their regular week long special, HyVee also has a 2 Day Sale Friday 4/13-Saturday 4/14 that includes the following:

• Era Detergent 50 fl oz $2.99
• Ken's Dressing 16 oz $.99
• Ocean Spray 64 fl oz $1.88

No Frills Fresh

• Dole Greener selections or classic Romaine salads 9-12 oz $.99
• Pepsi Product 6 packs .5L bottles $1.98
• Our Family 24 pack water bottles $1.99 (limit 1)
• Jack's Pizza 12 inch Pizza $1.99
• (Bud Light or Budweiser 24 pack is $14.99 with in ad coupon -limit 1-I don't drink so I have no clue how good this is...)
• Robert's Sour Cream or Cottage Cheese 24 oz $1.77
• Our Family Grape Jelly 32 oz  $.99
• Tropical Mangoes $.88 each
• Idaha Russet potatoes 5 lb $1.99
• Stacy's Pita Chips 8 oz $2.48

Bag N Save

• Our Family Large dozen eggs $.89
• Springhill Bacon 16 oz $1.88
• Homemade Fruit salad (in deli) $1.99 (first pound)
• Grape Tomatoes 10 oz $.79
• Kellogg's Cereal Bars and Pop Tarts 50% off
• Cucumbers 2/$1

Baker's (Remember their sales are almost always WITH card)

• Kroger Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $1.99/lb (sold in 3 lb bag for $5.97)
• Red Tomatoes on the Vine $1.48/lb
• Baker's Milk $2.69 (gallon)
• Doritos 10.5-11.5 oz 2/$4
• Haas Avocados 10/$10

Aldi

• Strawberries 16 oz clamshell $1.29
• Pineapple $1.29 each
• Cantaloupe $1.29 each
• Navel Oranges $1.48/ 4 lb bag ($.37/lb)

Super Saver

• Beefsteak Tomatoes $.97/lb
• Sara Lee honey wheat bread 20 oz $1.48
• Shedd's Country Crock 45 oz $2.48
• Coca Cola 24 pack cans $5.98
• Malt O Meal Cereal (Golden Puffs, Frosted Flakes, Honey Nut Scooters, Berry Colossal Crunch, Cocoa Dyno-Bites, Frosted Mini Spooners 18-21.5 oz) $1.77
• Nissin Top Ramen Noodles 3 oz 6/$1

Fareway

• Roberts Chocolate Milk gallon $2.99
• Rotella Vienna Bread $.99
• Roma Tomatoes $.88/lb
• Calidad Tortilla Chips 12 oz bag 3/$5
• Chairman's Reserve Pork Steak $1.99/lb
• All Natural boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.88/lb

AND In addition to their regular week long special, Fareway also has a 2 Day Sale Friday 4/13-Saturday 4/14 that includes the following:

• Fareway Ketchup 20-24 oz $.67
• Fareway Milk Half gallon $.99
• All Natural fresh boneless chicken breast $1.69/lb

***Remember that I generally just price match at Walmart as much as I can rather than go to all the stores separately! I LOVE being able to do that. You can also pricematch at Target, but I find it easier to pricematch at Walmart.