Head on over to Money Saving Methods and sign up for the $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, kids books and Cherrios giveaway that Carrie has going on. You can get up to 6 entries so maximize your chance of getting some great books for yourself and your kids.

Before I get started with the great freebies out there let me point out some great deals to make sure you've found them.

First there's a great deal on Huggies at Target this week. Buy 3 Pull Ups or Diapers and get a $5 gift card. Use the $3/1 coupons found on the coupon bar on the right [it will give you 2 coupons per computer] and that gives you an even better deal. Then remember to turn in your receipt to Caregivers Marketplace and get even more money back.

Second, there are great deals on RSVP Pens for $1 and reams of paper $2 after EasyRebate at Staples. Thanks to Common Sense for Money for posting both of these great deals.

Now, onto our regularly scheduled program:
I hope that you are finding some great deals for these summer months. Stick around 'cause I think there are going to be some more great finds.



Try out Shop4Freebies - there is a new list of free stuff every day! That is a Cool Idea!!

FREE Will and Trust Kit from Suze Orman with the Gift Code People First [thanks Money Saving Methods]

Two FREE Sample Packets of Emeril's Original Essence

Coupon for a FREE full size OPI nail laquer or American Crew sha ve cream from a Beauty Brands store near you

And, as always, don't forget to go to the Mars site on Friday to register for your coupon for your FREE chocolate. Yummy!!

One thing I love about the blogosphere is that everyone is great about helping out the next person. This is extremely helpful when it comes to Mystery Shopping because it can be focused very regionally. Some companies that work great for me in Virginia may not be what you are looking for in Texas or South Dakota or Ohio. So, I'm going here are some blogs that I follow who also include information about Mystery Shopping. Check them out and say hello.

• Carrie @ Money Saving Methods
• Jen @ Real Women Real Money Work From Home
• Nicole @ Nicole's Nickels

Carrie has great tips in general for saving money. Nicole also includes giveaways and store deals. Jen's blog is focused mostly on surveys but you'll also find money saving tips, focus groups, and mystery shopping info.

Mystery Shopping is a great way to be able to eat cheap or free with a little preparation on your part and some work on the back end it can be fun and a great way to get out and enjoy a night out with your family and friends without feeling the pinch in your wallet. 

I didn't do as well last month picking up Mystery Shopping jobs so this month I'm going to work harder. Where do you find mystery shopping jobs? I'm going to post some here this week and I'll point you to some other bloggers in different areas of the country that post their mystery shopping success. 

A lot of the companies have regional clients so Your Mileage May Vary. My first suggestion is to either decide that you're going to use your own email account or get a new (free) email account just for your mystery shopping jobs and make sure you are going to check it regularly. That means every day if you are going to be serious about picking up shops. I started slow and used my own private email to begin so I stuck with that and it works fine for me. Other's, like Carrie at Money Saving Methods uses a different email for each of her projects.

Here are a few sites to start with:

• Game Film Consultants
• ICC/ Decision Services
• BARE International

In my area Game Film does a steak restaurant chain. I picked up a shop from ICC for a wine warehouse and BARE does restaurants and banks. Mystery Shopping has been an extremely Cool Idea for me. It has allowed me to add to our income, cut expenses if we eat out on someone else's dime, and has a flexibility that allows sometimes allows me to include my family. Please make sure that you read the guidelines for each shop as some don't allow other people with you, but on the whole most restaurant shops want you to look like the typical diner. So, give it a start and see how it goes and I'd love to hear what you think.