The Good Life For Less

One of the most important elements to a successful Super Bowl party is the food! If you like to splurge, you've got more options, of course. But I always suggest going simple here -- chili, chips, salsa, dip, cheese, crackers, cookies, fruit/veggie tray.

Most of the time, making appetizers yourself is cheaper, especially if you are cooking for a big group

Making salsa will save you money and it's healthy and easy. Click here for some recipes.

Also buy in-season fruit to save money. The cheapest and best fruit to buy in February (according to bestfruitnow.com) are mangos, grapes, and naval oranges/Cuties.

If you are having many guests -- buy in bulk! Sam's Club and Costco have great deals on chips, cheese, meatballs, etc. No membership? Get a one day pass at the door and pay an extra 10 percent upcharge on your items. However, depending on how often you go there or how much you are buying, it may be cheaper to just buy the membership.

You can pick up alcohol, beer and wine at Sam's Club even if you don't have a membership -- a great money saver for everyone.

For some of the best deals at grocery stores this week I called in the help of my co-worker and fellow deal-finder, Toby Collodora. This is what she found:

• Avocadoes: Making guacamole?  Aldi has the best deal on the key ingredient this week -- 39 cents each.  I know some people are skeptical of Aldi, but I've gotten some great produce from there.  Just check it carefully to make sure you're getting the best quality, as you would any fresh fruit or vegetable.  Runner-up: Cub, with avocadoes for 48 cents each.

• Chips: What would a party be without some kind of chip and dip situation?  (Also, goes well with the guac.)  I'm excited about Target's Tostitos deal this week -- Two bags of chips for $5 -- and if you buy two, you can pick up a free jar of Tostitos dip.  Makes for an easy side for those who aren't into guac.

• Cheese: This is a good week to be needing cheese, which is something I seem to need for every single party food I make.  Whether it's for pizzas, dips, nachos or salad, it's going to be easy to find a good deal.  Both Cub and Target have Kraft for $2 for 8 ounces of shredded or brick cheese. (You will need a coupon from the back of the ad at Cub.)  Walmart's got the same cheese for $1.88 and Rainbow's got Sargento cheese on sale for $1.99.

Don't want to cook that much?  Here's some simple grocery picks:

• Pizza: Jack's pizza -- $1.99 at Rainbow.
• Pizza: DiGiorno 12" pizza -- $3.97 at Walmart.
• Pizza Rolls: Totinos -- 3 for $8 for the big bags at Target.
• Veggie Tray: Farmstand 40 ounce tray -- $9.98 at Cub
• Meat and Cheese Tray: Hormel's Party Tray -- $15 at Walmart (where they also have an apple and caramel dip tray for $11 that looks delicious.)

• Read Part 1

Are you ready for some football? It's going to be a bittersweet Sunday for me. I like watching the Super Bowl, but I'm not as excited since the Vikings won't be playing in the big game. But there are plenty of things you can do to still enjoy the day with family and friends that don't cost a lot.

Decorations On A Dime

An important part of getting everyone involved in the game -- the decor. You can dish out for the expensive stuff, but dollar-store finds are just as good. Pick up streamers, banners, paper plates, cups and napkins in your teams' favorite colors if you can't find any inexpensive football themed accessories. Click here for some crafty decoration ideas.

Frugal Fun

As if the game and commercials weren't enough, you need something to keep your party-goers engaged -- especially those that may not follow football closely.

I would suggest something my friends and I did while watching a recent Vikings/Packers football game. Make a 10x10 square grid (or print it off here), then number it randomly using numbers 0 through 9 on the bottom and then again side of the graph. Let each axis represent one of the two teams.

Next, put your guest's names randomly in the squares. Those whose names are in the squares with the last digits in the score at the end of each quarter, wins a prize. (For example if the score is 14-7, you would look to see who is in the 4-7 square. Score is 7-14 -- look in the 7-4 square; 21-14, look in the 1-4 square and so on.)

For more game ideas for kids and adults click here.

Prizes for the winners can be anything from peanuts to pencils, and mini-footballs to team gear. You can also get creative and save some money and reward the winner of each round with beer/food brought to them anytime they want during that quarter, or they get the best seat in the house and their own personal tray of football snacks so they won't have to get up and miss the action.

Speaking of snacks, check back tomorrow and I'll post some of the food deals going on for Super Bowl Sunday.

• Read Part 2

Here's another great dining deal. If you head into Pei Wei Friday you will get a sample of their new dish -- caramel chicken -- and get a voucher for a full size entree of it to use the following week (02/01 - 02/07).

You get the free order with purchase of another entree. For more info on the deal click here.

Remember you can get the voucher on 01/29 only!

I've noticed quite a few dining out deals recently. Maybe it's because its cold and restaurants are trying to get people inside their doors. Whatever it is, I wanted to pass some of them on to you all.

Bakers Square is offering a free slice of pie every Wednesday with purchase. There is no coupon necessary. It's good for one slice of your choice, per person, per purchase, per visit. Click here for details. They are also celebrating 40 years, so you can also sign up for their eclub here and get more coupons.

Ruby Tuesday's is also offering a dining deal -- take 25 percent off your entire check when you use this coupon. (Expires 2/7) Click here to see restaurant locations.

I also found a great birthday deal from Benihana. If you register to sign up for their Chef’s Table (their marketing newsletter) you can get a complimentary Benihana Birthday Dinner certificate, worth $30 (excludes alcoholic beverages, gratuity and tax). It will be emailed to you for use during the month of your birthday.

As a tip, I also recommend signing up or creating a 'junk' email account when you register for any newsletter or freebie online. That way you can keep your personal emails apart from the marketing ones.

If you know of any other dining deals, share them in the comments section below.  

You've probably seen the commercials to get your taxes done for free, but you may be confused as to what you actually get for free and what hidden fees you may incur along the way.

Well I discovered that going straight to the source -- the IRS -- is the best place to look.

They will bring you to a service called Free File. The Free File program provides free federal income tax preparation and electronic filing for eligible taxpayers.

Click here to go to the site and see if you qualify and find a tax provider.

Also remember that most places claiming to give you a free way to prepare and file your taxes are usually referring to your federal taxes. State taxes usually cost extra to get done.

If you don't qualify, or prefer to get it done by someone professionally, right now Groupon is offing $50 off  (aka: 50 percent off)  Tax Preparation at H&R Block -- a $100 value. Click here to get more information on that deal or sign up to get future deals.

I'll start this blog by saying this deal is only good up to the first million people. So hurry!

Taco Bell is giving out coupons for a free fresco taco. These are the tacos that are on their drive-thru diet menu that contains 7 items with less than 9 grams of fat.

Click here to print off the coupon and act fast!

Got milk? How about for free? We all love getting something for free -- and its even better when it's something you normally would buy.

You can enter here to win free milk for a year and if you aren't an instant winner you at least get a coupon for free milk with purchase.

They will email you the coupons which will be along the lines of get a gallon of chocolate milk free with purchase of a gallon of white milk, or get a gallon of white milk free with $100 grocery purchase.

The deal and contest are through America's Milk Providers.

Enjoy that moo-juice!

If you got some 'spare' change for rental shoes, you can go bowling with up to 10 friends for free.

You will need to sign up by clicking here. It will bring you to a page to sign up for the AMF eClub. You will also get a gift on your birthday and other offers and deals.

Another bowling center, Brunswick, also has a club you can sign up for to get coupons for free bowling, food, and more.

Sign up for that club here.

Get your weekend out of the gutter and go bowling!

Now that a new year is here, it's time to tie up the loose ends from last year and start anew.

That means scheduling doctor and dentist appointments and turning in papers to use up last year's medical flex spending. But you also can't forget about your pets' health!

Right now you can sign up to get a coupon for a free pet exam at Banfield, a pet clinic located at PetSmart locations.

If you complete this form you will get a coupon that you can bring to your pet's first scheduled exam and get it free.

As a little treat, here are some other links to get your animals some tasty rewards.

• PupPeroni Coupons

• Free Treats from Halo Pets

As 2009 comes to an end, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite deal saving links from the past year. (You can always find the links right over to the right of this blog if you want a quick reference.)

•The Hunger Site - One of my favorites because it gives to others in need with just a click of the mouse. Read The Blog Entry

•Groupon - This site shows the buying power of a group and saves you big money! Right now they have a deal going through Jan. 3, 2010 -- buy two Groupons get $10 in credit. Read The Blog Entry

•ReUse Center -Find household treasures in salvaged materials. Read The Blog Entry

•Twin Cities Free Market - Get freebies from your fellow neighbors. Read The Blog Entry

•Restaurants.com -Cheap eats that always have good deals on certificates. Read The Blog Entry

•SmartBargains.com - Get closeout deals on brand-name clothes, household items and jewelry.  Read The Blog Entry

•Neighborhood Energy Connection - Gives you tools and ways to save money on energy. Also find out how get grants, tax breaks for upgrades. Read The Blog Entry

Enjoy and Happy New Year!