win-it wednesday

Photo by Luz A. Villa

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and I want to help you find the best deals this year so you can stretch your budget to be able to afford the things you love and give more to others. To help me do this, I’d love to hear what items are on your holiday wishlist so I can watch for deals and sales on the items you’re really looking to buy rather than trying to guess what they are! In exchange for your help, I’m doing a little giveaway…

Three lucky Deal Seeking Mom readers will each win a $50 Amazon.com gift card!

To enter, fill out all information in the form below (or click here to open it in a new window). Please note that incomplete entries will be disqualified.

Prize:
(3) $50 Amazon.com gift cards

One entry per person. This giveaway ends at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, 10/21 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. Winners will be randomly drawn using Random.org, and incomplete entries will be disqualified. Information will not be shared or used for any purpose other than prize fulfillment.

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!

If you love books, you’ve probably been to a Borders, but did you know that Borders offers two kinds of Rewards Benefits for their frequent book-loving shoppers? The first is a FREE Rewards program. You can’t help but sign up to enjoy the benefits of membership. Plus, Borders just started the new “Borders Rewards Plus” program for $20 a year.

Members of the free Rewards program will receive 30% off the list price of hardcover bestsellers and FREE shipping on online orders of $25 or more. If you’re a member of the Borders Rewards Plus program, you’ll receive 40% off the list price of hardcover bestsellers, 20% off the list price of select hardcovers, 10% off the purchase price of nearly everything else and FREE shipping on virtually all online orders.

Whether you opt for the FREE Borders Rewards or the paid Borders Rewards Plus program, you’ll receive fantastic benefits and savings, like in-store and online discounts, personal shopping days, FREE coffee, a FREE birthday gift and Borders Bucks.

Borders is also the home of the Kobo eReader, one of the most popular eReaders on the market. With a lightweight body and compact size, this eReader comes preloaded with 100 classic books to get you started reading right away.

Be sure to stay up to date with all the Borders news, check out the Borders Facebook page and become a part of their community. You can also get updates via Borders’ Twitter stream as well.

One lucky Deal Seeking Mom reader will win a Kobo eReader valued at $129.99 Additionally, five other Deal Seeking Mom readers will each win a one-year membership to Borders Rewards Plus program.

To enter, fill out all information in the form below (or click here to open it in a new window). Please note that incomplete entries will be disqualified.

Prize:
(1) Kobo eReader
(5) Borders Rewards Plus Memberships

One entry per person. This giveaway ends at 12 p.m. ET on Thursday, 10/14 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. Winners will be randomly drawn using Random.org and sent to Borders for fulfillment. Incomplete entries will be disqualified. Borders will add email addresses to their email list. All other information will not be shared or used for any purpose other than prize fulfillment.

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!

Join me every week for Win-It Wednesday. I’ll be posting 24-hour giveaways at 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET to give you plenty of chances to win!

Elmer’s recently sent me a box full of their new crafting products that are available at Walmart and challenged me to come up with a craft that fits my blog’s topic. So what did I create? A cute and useful coupon envelope to replace the ratty envelopes I’ve been using every week!

It’s really easy to make — in fact, I’m dying to go make one for every store I shop right now, but I have to write this post first, LOL.

So here’s what you need:

• Envelope Template
• Decorative Paper
• X-Acto Self Healing Mat
• X-Acto Knife
• X-Acto Scissors
• X-Acto Straight Edge Ruler

Optional:

• Letter Stickers
• X-Acto Circle Cutter
• Elmer’s Extra Strength Glue Stick

My first step was to print this envelope template on a heavy piece of paper to use as a pattern. I used the straight edge, X-Acto knife, and scissors to cut out the template very precisely.

Next I used the template to draw the pattern for the envelope on the back of my decorative paper, and then cut it out using the X-Acto Knife, straight edge, and scissors. I found that the scissors work best for the rounded corners.

Lightly score the dotted lines as indicated on the template on the inside of the envelope. This will make folding a neat edge much easier. Then fold in the sides and bottom flap.

Apply glue to each side flap and fold the bottom flap up to stick them together. As you can see in the photo, I attempted to use the scrapbooking tape for this, but it’s not really strong enough to form a good bond. I recommend using the Elmer’s Extra Strength Glue Stick for this step.

I then decided to add a little extra color to my envelope, so I cut out some circles using the X-Acto Circle Cutter. This little gadget is amazing! I couldn’t cut a neat circle for anything, and this made it so simple.

Apply the circles to the envelope, and then I added some letter stickers to make it obvious that this is my CVS coupon envelope. Didn’t it turn out cute?

These would make such a thoughtful and inexpensive gift for your favorite couponing friend, or they’d be perfect for making an envelope budget a little more fun!

Elmer’s will be selecting one blogger participating in the Elmer’s Crafting Challenge to receive $1,000 to donate to the charity of his or her choice. The winning craft will be selected based on the level of creativity and innovation demonstrated in the craft. Whether I win or not, I enjoyed this project so much, and I hope many of you will try your hand at it too!

Three lucky Deal Seeking Mom winners will each receive an Elmer’s Prize Pack that includes:

• 4-pack X-ACTO Decorative Edge Scissors
• X-ACTO Self Healing Mat
• X-ACTO Retractable Craft Knife
• X-ACTO Craft Swivel Knife
• Craft Bond Scrapbooking Tape: Repositionable
• Craft Bond Extra Strength Glue Stick
• Craft Bond Wet & Dry Dual Tip Glue Pen
• Craft Bond Permanent Tape Runner

To enter, tell me what kind of crafting you do most often. Are you a scrapbooker, creating lifelong memories, or perhaps you make seasonal crafts year round?

Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please CLICK HERE to visit the original blog post to enter. Email entries will not be counted.

Methods of entry:

1. Leave a comment. What kind of crafting do you do most often?

2. Join the Deal Seeking Mom community on Facebook for more conversation, additional deals and a peek at the freebies I receive in the mail each week. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so!

3. Follow @DealSeekingMom and @Elmers on Twitter and tweet the following. Be sure to come back and leave a separate comment with the link to your tweet!

Enter to win 1 of 3 @Elmers Craft Prize Packs from @DealSeekingMom: https://bit.ly/9UA4yy

4. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry! Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you’re already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you’re already subscribed. Lovin’ my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.

Prize:
(3) Elmer’s Craft Prize Packs, as described above

This giveaway ends at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, 10/7 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I’ll use Comment Contest to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!

Join me every week for Win-It Wednesday. I’ll be posting 24-hour giveaways at 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET to give you plenty of chances to win!

Eureka claims their new Eureka AirSpeed Bagless Upright Vacuum cleans carpets better than Dyson DC14, DC17 and DC25 at one-third the price. Does it really perform that well? Well, they sent my mom a vacuum to put it to the test, and here’s what she had to say about it:

I love the new Eureka! It was very easy to put together — no tools required. It comes with a quick start guide, and you are up and running in minutes. Plus it has a customer helpline if you have any questions at all.

It sweeps great. You can adjust the sweeper height with your foot instead of having to bend down. I like the way you flip a switch and your tools are working, and it has a super long hose to reach all your hard to reach places. It comes with many extras like the 3-position wand to set it at the length you need, crevice tool, and dusting brush.

My favorite part of the sweeper is the Turbo Nozzle. It is a an attachment that fits at the bottom of the hose and gives your furniture and steps a good cleaning. I hate to do the steps and this attachment made the job so easy! There is a maintenance schedule located on the back side of the dust cup which tells you when to clean each part of the sweeper, and it has a nice brush to clean the filters to maintain suction. It also has a two year warranty.

So it gets my mom’s stamp of approval! Priced at just $119.96, it’s definitely a quality vacuum at a bargain price.

One lucky Deal Seeking Mom reader will win a Eureka AirSpeed Upright Vacuum

To enter, tell me what area of your home gets the most foot traffic and could benefit most from a powerful vacuum.

Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please CLICK HERE to visit the original blog post to enter. Email entries will not be counted.

Methods of entry:

1. Leave a comment. What’s the highest-trafficked area of your home?

2. Join the Deal Seeking Mom community on Facebook for more conversation, additional deals and a peek at the freebies I receive in the mail each week. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so!

3. Follow @DealSeekingMom and @EurekaClean on Twitter and tweet the following. Be sure to come back and leave a separate comment with the link to your tweet!

Enter to win a @EurekaClean AirSpeed Upright Vacuum from @DealSeekingMom: https://bit.ly/9VmzRh

4. Join the Eureka community on Facebook. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so!

Prize:
(1) Eureka AirSpeed Upright Vacuum (ARV $120)

This giveaway ends at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, 10/6 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I’ll use Comment Contest to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!

Join me every week for Win-It Wednesday. I’ll be posting 24-hour giveaways at 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET to give you plenty of chances to win!

Hungry Jack and Adam Gertner from the Food Network are challenging you to “Use Up the Box” and create your own recipes using Hungry Jack Pancake Mix, Instant Mashed Potatoes or Syrup. Who knew you could do so much with those three things? From salad dressings and glazes made with the syrup to fruit-filled breakfast and dessert crepes using the pancake mix, my mouth was watering as I thought of all the ways I could incorporate Hungry Jack into my everyday cooking when I started to think outside the box.

To enter, submit your recipe to Hungry Jack’s “Use Up the Box” website in any of the three categories before 12/17, with a grand prize of $6,000 towards a year’s worth of groceries and two runner-up prizes of $100 in each recipe category.

I thought this recipe for Beef Stew with Herbed Potato Dumplings was perfect for the cooling autumn weather and so inventive. I’d never considered using both potato flakes and the pancake mix to make dumplings, and they are sure to warm up mouths both big and small after an afternoon of playing in or raking up the fallen leaves.

Beef Stew with Herbed Potato Dumplings

BEEF STEW
7 tbsps. Pillsbury BEST All Purpose Flour, divided
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 1/2 lbs. stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tbsps. Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil
2 (14 oz.) cans beef broth, divided
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen vegetables for stew

POTATO DUMPLINGS
2 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1 cup Hungry Jack Instant Mashed Potato Flakes
1/2 cup Hungry Jack Buttermilk Complete Pancake & Waffle Mix (Just Add Water)
1 tbsp. minced green onion
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1. Combine 3 tablespoons flour and seasoned salt in large resealable plastic bag. Add beef cubes. Seal and toss to coat.
2. Heat oil in 6-quart Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and cook until well browned on all sides. Add 2 1/2 cups beef broth, garlic and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover; reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour.
3. Stir frozen vegetables. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Whisk together remaining beef broth and remaining flour in small bowl. Add to stew, stirring until gravy thickens.
4. To prepare dumpling batter: Whisk eggs and water in medium bowl. Stir in potato flakes until moistened. Add pancake mix, green onion, parsley and garlic salt; mix well.
5. batter by tablespoonfuls onto simmering stew. Cover and simmer over low heat 13 to 16 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.

Ten lucky Deal Seeking Mom readers will each win a Hungry Jack Pantry Party Kit that includes:

• Hungry Jack Mashed Potatoes (26.7 oz.)
• Hungry Jack Original Pancake & Waffle Mix (32 oz.)
• Hungry Jack Original Syrup (27.6 fl. oz.)
• $10 Walmart gift card
• Recipe Cards

To enter, tell me what recipe on the Hungry Jack site or which if your own recipes do you think would be perfect to “Use Up the Box”?

Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please CLICK HERE to visit the original blog post to enter. Email entries will not be counted.

Methods of entry:

1. Leave a comment. What recipe would you make to “Use Up the Box”?

2. Join the Deal Seeking Mom community on Facebook for more conversation, additional deals and a peek at the freebies I receive in the mail each week. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so!

3. Join the Deal Seeking Mom Forums to chat about your great finds, special coupon codes, and chances to win exclusive giveaways. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve joined or that you’re already a registered user!

4. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry! Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you’re already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you’re already subscribed. Lovin’ my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.

Prize:
(10) Hungry Jack Pantry Party Kits, as described above

This giveaway ends at 8 a.m. ET on Thursday, 10/7 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I’ll use Comment Contest to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!