Follow these tips to lessen your chances of being a victim:

1. Leave a radio on near the front door when you are gone.  Choose a talk radio station.  If a burglar hears voices he will go to another house.
   

   photo by gsloan

2. Put up alarm system signs and stickers in your yard and on doors/windows even if you don’t have an alarm system.  Generic signs are best because they don’t warn the burglar of exactly what kind of system you have so they are less prepared to disarm it.  These signs can be found at Amazon.com or possibly your local hardware store.
3. Burglars spend more time searching master bedrooms than any other room.  They spend the least amount of time in kids’ rooms.  Hide valuables inside a stuffed animal in your kid’s room not in your sock drawer.
4. Do not post on Facebook or Twitter that you are out of town.  Wait until returning from your trip to post vacation photos and do not post your home address.  Social media crime is becoming more common.
5. Use timers on lamps in front rooms when you will be gone.  Set them to come on at dusk and off around 10 or 11 pm.  Leaving the same light on constantly the whole time you are gone can signal a burglar that you are not there.
6. Keep the outside of your house well-lit.  Burglars often choose a house primarily because of poor lighting and seclusion. Motion-detector lights are worth the investment.
7. Get to know your neighbors.  The better they know you, the more likely they will keep an eye on your house when you are gone.
8. Get a dog.  Even a small loud, yippy dog can go a long way in preventing a break-in.  Animal shelters are full of dogs that would make great burglary deterrents.
9. If you do not want a dog, get a very large dog bowl and leash and put them outside the front door.
10. Take your phone off the hook when on vacation.  Some burglars may call first.  If you don’t answer they will assume no one is home.
11. Get an air horn.  If you hear someone breaking in while you are home go to the opposite side of  the house near a window and blast the horn.  These horns can be heard from a far distance and will scare off most burglars.
12. Put small gravel in your driveway and around windows and doors.  It makes  lots of noise when walking on it.  Thieves don’t like this.

• Chick-fil-a - free 8pk. of nuggets for all A’s and B’s.
• SBarro - free slice of pizza and soda to elementary students with A’s and B’s  and a free slice for one parent.
  

  photo by dok1

• Baskin Robbins -  free scoop of ice cream for all A’s and B’s.
• Krispy Kreme - one free doughnut per “A” up to a total of 6.
• Chuck E. Cheese - 15 free game tokens with all A’s and B’s.
• McDonald’s -  free Happy Meal with all A’s.
• Blockbuster - one free rental for all A’s from favorites section.
• IBC Bakery Outlet - free Hostess or Dolly Madison snack cake for all A’s and B’s plus a free loaf of bread for parents.
• Pizza Hut - free personal pan pizza and soft drink with three or more A’s.

• Limited Too - $5 off purchase with all A’s and B’s.
• Topps - free trading card gift.

Call ahead to make sure your local store is participating.  Report card must be presented.  Some stores only offer free items for students in kindergarten through 6th grade.

Homeschoolers don’t have to be left out.   Parents can print out their own report cards with forms found here.

1. Car detailing - Wash and vacuum her car.  Wax it if you are feeling energetic.
2. Rent a carpet cleaning machine and steam clean her carpets.
3. Cook her a nice meal either at her house or yours.   Wash all the dishes afterwards.  She will enjoy this just as much as an expensive meal out at a crowed restaurant.  Afterward play cards or dominoes with her.
4. Frame a nice photo of the family or grandkids and give it to her.  Frames can be found at thrift stores or dollar stores very inexpensively.
5. Give her perennial garden or house plants.  These are more frugal than cut flowers or annual plants.   Irises, amaryllis and tulips take little work and can last many years.   Put the plant in a nice pot from a thrift store.
6. Pack a picnic and take her to a nice park.
7. Give her coupons for various services you can do for her such as cleaning , cooking, babysitting or petsitting.
8. Make a music CD for her with some of her favorite songs or songs that were special to your family growing up.
9. Make a scrapbook for her with special photographs from the past.
10. Till a garden area for her and bring vegetable or flower seeds and help her plant them.
11. Make photo stamps for her at stamps.com using a special wedding, baby or pet photo or a photo from a favorite trip.
12. Help her clean out and organize overwhelming areas like a basement or garage.
13. Clean her gutters.
14. Wash her windows.

1. Buy seeds for the next year in late summer or early fall when the prices have been marked down.  Seed packets can be had for as little as 10 for $1. Store in a dry cool place until needed.
2. Make your own natural pesticide by mixing a few cloves of garlic, a small chopped onion, a few tablespoons of liquid dish soap and a quart of water in a blender. Strain this insecticide mixture into a spray bottle.  Spray on leaves, stem and base of plant.  Keeps in fridge for several weeks.
3. Buy a bunch of green onions.  Eat the green tops and save the white roots to plant.  After you get some growing just clip the green tops to eat and leave the roots in the ground to keep growing.
4. Grow lots of vegetables in a small space with raised bed square-foot gardening.  Create frames with old wooden bookcases, bed frames or assemble with scrap lumber.
   

   Square-foot Raised Bed Gardening

5. Get free manure for fertilizer from the nearest horse stable or pig, goat or cattle farm.
6. Use a eyedropper of weed killer concentrate right on the base of each weed to make it go further without any waste.
7. Use grass clippings as mulch on your vegetable plants.  This cuts back on weeds and helps improve the soil.  Ask your neighbors for theirs.
8. To protect tomatoes, berries and other fruits from bird-pecking, buy tulle from a fabric store and spread over the plants.  This is much cheaper than netting specifically made for this purpose.
9. To save the most money plant vegetables that are the most expensive in the stores.  Our favorite veggie to plant is Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes.  These plants are prolific and the tomatoes are sweet and delicious. Leaf lettuce and kale are also good to plant.  You might not want to waste your space on potatoes unless there is an uncommon variety that you like.
10. Plant more vegetables that grow quickly.  Radishes, leaf lettuce and summer squash can be ready to pick in 4 to 6 weeks.  Asparagus can take years to harvest.
11. Save eggshells.  Crush them and place around base of plants.  These will deter slugs and snails and add extra nutrients to the soil.
12. Plant a border of marigold flowers around your vegetable plants.  Marigolds help keep damaging insects in check.
13. If you see wilted poor-looking plants at a garden store, ask the manager to mark them down for you.
14. Save your paper egg cartons to start seeds in instead of buying peat pots.

Starbucks - Bring in a reusable coffee mug and get a free cup of coffee.
Starbucks Store Locator

Cinnabon - Cinnabon is giving away two free cupcakes on April 15 from 6pm until 8pm at U.S. locations.
Cinnabon Store Locator

Taco Del Mar - Fill out a form on their website and they will email you a coupon for one free taco.
Taco Del Mar Store Locator

McCormick & Schmick’s - Free food with purchase. All bar guests get a $10.40 gift certificate to be used on a future visit.
McCormick & Schmick’s Store Locator

MaggieMoo’s - free slices of new MaggieMia’s™ Ice Cream Pizza from 3 to 7pm on April 15.
MaggieMoo’s Store Locator

1. stationery
2. stamps
3. beauty salon gift certificate
4. bedsocks
5. hand lotions and creams
6. scarf
7. special soaps
8. birdfeeder
9. reach extender
10. music CD
11. book on CD or tape
12. word search puzzle books
13. help with difficult household tasks
14. non-skid socks
15. jumbo-faced playing cards
16. sweet breads such as pumpkin or banana-nut
17. plants
18. large print books
19. a personal visit
20. scrapbook of family member photos
21. warm blanket
22. slippers
23. sweatshirt and/or pants
24. large-face electric clock
25. large-button TV remote

1. Wear your clothing several times before washing.  Washing breaks down the fibers and wears out clothing.  Take work clothes/school clothes off immediately when you get home and change to “play” clothes.  Febreze works well to freshen clothing between washings.
2. Wash clothing in cold water after turning them inside out.  This keeps colors from fading and reduces wear on the outer surfaces.  Cold water is not as hard on clothing as hot.
3. Wear darker clothing if you are prone to spills.  This is especially helpful with messy children.   If you have pets keep lint rollers handy to use instead of having to wash your pants every time they get near you.
4. Use thicker plastic or wood or padded hangers instead of wire.  Clothing will wrinkle less and will be less likely to get gouged at the shoulders.
5. Unbutton all clothing before putting in the wash.  Washers tug at the threads more on buttoned items.  Save all those extra buttons that come with new clothing in a special jar or drawer — this may keep you from having to replace an item in the future.
6. Keep a “Tide-to-Go” pen with you and immediately treat all stains.  This works well without having to wash the item right away.
7. Stop using liquid fabric softener.  These can leave spots on your clothes and are not really necessary.
8. Hang dress shirts but fold sweaters.  Hanging can stretch the delicate knits.  Dress shirts acquire lots of extra wrinkles if folded requiring damaging irons to be used on them.
9. Any clothing with zippers should be zipped up before washing.  The rough edges of the zippers can eat away at other clothing in the same load.
10. Air-dry items made from nylons or other synthetics and any clothing containing elastic.  Hot dryers can wear these out quickly.
11. Repair any small holes in clothing immediately before they become large holes that may be impossible to fix.
12. Wear undergarments under dress clothing to prevent sweat stains and friction wear and tear.  Undershirts, camisoles and slips can be much less expensive than outer clothing and it doesn’t matter if they get stained since no one but you is going to see them.

Hollywood Video - Free rental on your birthday. No sign-up needed.

Walt Disney World or Disneyland -  Free admission on your birthday.

Applebee’s - free dessert

Baskin-Robbins - Join Birthday Club and get free scoop email coupon good beginning 5 days before your birthday.

Blue Bell Ice Cream - Sign up for e-club and get a coupon for a free half-gallon mailed around your birthday!

Buca di Beppo - Join eclub for free dessert on your birthday.

Buffalo Wild Wings - Join club for free dessert on your birthday.

Captain D’s - Join Kid’s Birthday Club or D’s Club for free meal.

Cold Stone Creamery - Join Birthday Club and get free ice cream coupon by email.  Coupon good 7 days before til 7 days after birthday.

Dave and Buster’s - Join club and get $10 immediately and $5 game play on your birthday.

Friendly’s - Join birthday club and get free ice cream cone coupon good for one month.

Firehouse Subs - Show your ID on your birthday for a free medium sub.

Houlihan’s - Sign up on their website. Free entree coupon good for 2 weeks.

Marble Slab Creamery - Join fan club and get free ice cream.

Marie Callender’s -  Sign up on their website.  Get $5 off an entree plus a free slice of pie. Ages 12 and under get a free kid’s meal and a bakery treat.

Moe’s Southwest Grill - Sign up on their website.  Free meal on your birthday.

Orange Julius - Sign up for their club and get free food email coupon on your birthday.

On The Border - Sign up for their email club and get free food.

Outback Steakhouse - free dessert on your birthday, no sign-up needed.

Papa Murphy’s - Sign up for their email club and get free food.

Provino’s - free pasta dinner on your birthday, no sign-up needed.

Quizno’s - free cookie on birthday, free sammie for signing up on their website.

Red Robin – Sign up for their email club and get free burger.

Schlotzky’s - Sign up for their email club and get free sandwich.

Sweet Tomatoes - Sign up for their email club and get free meal.