Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Hear Susan Boyle's new single - White Horses



The Lady is not disappointing us. Just "leaked" - the single "White Horses" from her upcoming album "I Dreamed a Dream." The album has topped the best selling album charts, yet isn't set to be released for another two months! You can pre-order the album here or click on the link to my recommends on the top right hand corner of this page.

At the time that I got this link from YouTube, there were only 169,473 views after being posted for about a day. However, this song is posted on a zillion places, so I expect it has already been heard and loved by millions.

Here is a clip of Susan arriving in Los Angeles the day that the single was released.

For those of you who somehow or another never heard of SuBo (Susan Boyle), here is the post that I originally wrote just days after Susan gave the performance that changed her life forever.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Thrift Store Shopping links and tips

I just LOVE thrift stores. Nothing like stumbling upon a great thrift store while strolling through a undiscovered area of any town.

The only thing that beats finding a new great thrift store is finding a new great article with links on how to FIND new and great thrift stores. Let's face it... you can stumble around many a town looking for a thrift store and not find it without a map. Kind of like the fellas who were trying to find a waterway through the American continent. I'm sure they would have liked a link to a nice google map.

Well, the good folk at Webfloss (great site for all kinds of nifty thrifty ideas) wrote an article on how to shop at a thrift store. The article outlines some very good shopping strategies (especially if you have kids).

One of the tips is to check for functionality - make sure that the zippers, snaps, and buttons are in place and working. I know I need to do this and yet, just the other day I failed to check and ended up with this fabulous hoodie with a broken zipper. Now I have to decide whether to cut it into rag material or replace the zipper. Replacing the zipper will cost more than I paid for the hoddie. Oh, how I wish I had just checked the zipper in the first place.

The article ends with links to sites that help you find thrift stores in your area.

Some of these links were brand new to me!! Yes... imagine!!

My favorite way to find a new thrift store is still The Thrift Shopper which I wrote about here. But some of the other links are worthy of perusal (Goodwill locations, Thrifty Planet, and Habitat for Humanity stores.

If you are a thrift shop owner or a fan of a particular thrift shop, then I suggest you get yourself listed on all of these links.

If you are a thrift store shopper, then don't leave home without consulting some of these links to see what new great thrift shop might be on the block next to where you are headed.

Save Philly's Free Library System

I just found out that Philadelphia is "threatening" to close down their Free Library System on October 2, 2009, due to lack of funds.

People of Philadelphia and the United States... Wake UP!!

The Free Public Library system is one of the best uses of my tax dollars. I have personally saved well over a quarter of a million dollars by using the Public Library System. Inside a library, anyone can learn about anything. The books don't have to be approved by the state. YOU don't have to be approved by anyone to sit in a library and drink of the knowledge of the ages. Even if closing the libraries is just a "ploy" to get money... what a scary ploy. How can we all just sit here and go, "Oh yes, that's fine. Close down our libraries. No biggie. We have the internet."

You have to understand that a library is more than just a place where you can check out a free book. A library is the keeper of the knowledge. It is a place in the community where knowledge is important. A place where there is agreement that knowledge is power. It is a place where you can meet. It is a safe place for your children to go after school. It is a symbol that we are a free nation with free ideas and free speech. Libraries don't cost that much to run. Out of the billions and TRILLIONS that are being spent on destructive programs and bailouts, how can there not be enough money to keep the lights on in our libraries?

You must ask yourself.... "Who would benefit from a population that doesn't have access to knowledge?"

People of Philly.... have you lost sight of what Freedom consists of? Ensure your libraries stay open and free!

Click here to find out what you can do to help.

Friday, September 11, 2009

McDonalds Afterschool Snack Coupons

OK... this is a hard post for me because I really am not a huge fan of McDonalds food (or any fast food for that matter), but this is such a great little deal that I have to pass it on.

The McDonalds Afterschool Snack Coupons will be available starting October 1st, 2009

You pay $1 for a book of 12 coupons. The coupons are for:
- 3 baked pies
- 3 small apple juices or juice jugs
- 3 small cones
- 3 apple dippers or small fries

Now, let's face it, McDonalds KNOWS that most people can't walk in and just get ONE thing... but if you do and can, then this is a great little deal.

From what I have heard, the coupons are good til the end of 2009. To buy the coupon books, you MUST go to a corporate McDonalds, not a franchise.

Free Night of Theatre 2009 USA


Theatre Communications Group has announced that Thursday, October 15th, 2009 is the date for their 5th Annual Free Night of Theatre throughout the United States.

Last year, 650 theatre companies in 120 cities gave 65,000 audience members free tickets and a chance to experience live theatre.

This year, the expectations are for more companies, more cities and more free tickets.

There aren't any specifics yet, but save the date and check back for more developments. I'll be sure to write more when I know more.

I just LOVE live theatre!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Sell your CDs, DVDs and Games if you live in the United Kingdom


Do you have unloved CDs, DVDs and Games that are sitting in stacks, bags and boxes around your house? Have you made drink coasters, mobiles and other useless pieces of artwork out of them in an attempt to save them from the landfill? Because you spent your hard earned cold cash for these shiny disks, does it just seem WRONG to toss them into the waste basket and be done with them?

If you have said "yes" to the above, you may be in luck if you can also say "yes" to the following question: "Do you live in the United Kingdom?"

For those of you lucky enough to be living in the land where the Beatles strode across Abbey Road, there is an awesome online service that will pay you Pounds for your disks.

MusicMagpie (not to be confused with the singing group Magpie Music) is a smart, fast-growing company that will buy up your legal disks (no pirated copies here.)

Apparently user friendly, MusicMagpie, will instantly give you a price (in pounds... not dollars), send you a prepaid mailing label and then a cheque (no dollars, so no "checks") upon receipt of your items.

According to their website: "Musicmagpie allows you to convert all your unwanted CDs, DVDs, or Games into cash (UK Trades only at present). For all CDs, DVDs, or Games sold to us, the disk must be in a perfect playing condition and it must have all the original artwork, covers and booklets. The case must be structurally sound although we accept it may have some blemishes incurred during day to day use. "

The company also will buy your used cell phones (or mobiles as they are called in the UK.)

I do like the part that says "UK Trades only at present" because it gives me hope that this brilliant idea will become available here in the United States. Meanwhile, for my readers in the UK, enjoy!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Free Kid's woodworking clinics - Lowe's and Home Depot

When my kids were little, they loved going to the Home Depot Kid's Workshops. They had the bird house, mail box and tool carrying case they made at the clinic for years. I think we still have the apron with their name on it that they got that day.

Home Depots offer their free workshops on the first Saturday of each month between 9am and noon. You can check for your local Home Depot on their website.

Lowe's has gotten wise and are offering similar workshops called, "Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics." They are offering their clinics on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.

These free activities are a great way to teach your kids about how to hammer a nail and make a simple wooden "something." The wood is pre-cut and the instructions are easy... but the kids DO have to put the project together. A great parent and child activity. The workshops are geared to kids between the ages of 5-12. The materials, safety glasses and aprons are free.

I do suggest making sure that your local Home Depot or Lowe's is having a workshop on the day that you plan to attend. Also, preregistration and early arrival are wise.

Of course, if you can't get it together to take your little loved one to the store, then you can just buy the Home Depot Ready-to-Assemble Kits and the Lowe's Kid's Starter Tool Kit online. Then you can have some cool parental and child (non-bargain but cool) quality time in the comfort of your own garage.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Fake Antivirus Programs

This very helpful tip was offered up by The Remote Help Expert

Fake or rogue antivirus programs, also called scareware (you'll see why in a moment), are applications that pretend to detect and get rid of viruses, while actually being malware themselves, or being completely useless other than to scare the user into paying to download or unlock the full version of the "antivirus" to "remove" the "infection" the computer is plagued with.

Be very careful with this, as it is currently the most common type of infection going around - a rising trend. Assuming you have an antivirus solution in place - and I hope you do - know how it behaves and learn to recognize that it is not what is making an alarming pop-up window come into view all of a sudden and tell you there is an infection in your computer, and maybe prompts you to do a scan or simple starts a fake scan with lots of alarming results.

Once you've learned to recognize a fake antivirus in action, you have only two valid choices, and I'm deadly serious. The choices are based on your personal knowledge of malware and how to get rid of it. A) If you're not sure what to do, save any open files, turn off your computer and contact an expert. B) If you know what to do, well, do it!

I'll tell you what are NOT valid choices though: 1) Clicking on the "OK", "Scan", "Yes", "Download" button that the suspicious window contains, 2) Even clicking on the "X" on the upper right corner of the window to get rid of the pop-up, 3) Entering your personal and credit card information to purchase the "antivirus" so you can disinfect the computer, 4) Ignoring it hoping it will go away and continue using your computer. All those are invalid options.

Here's a list of trusted antivirus software vendors - you can use it as a starting point to recognize the legit ones: http://www.ccssforum.org/trusted-vendors.php

Hope this helps.

Bobbi's Bargains in Top 100+ Most Popular Personal Finance Blogs list!


Oh wow! I'm excited. My lovely little blog that is dedicated to helping you spend less money, has been included in the list of the "Top 100+ Most Popular Personal Finances Blogs" at WiseBread.com.

Yipee! Toss the confetti (but only if it has been recycled and is biodegradable!)