Knoxville Coupon Fair: Mark your calendar

I am very honored to be a part of Second Annual Knoxville Coupon Fair scheduled for Saturday, February 26th from 9am-noon at Faith United Methodist Church in Knoxville. I will be sharing some tips and suggestions for Couponing for Charity. The event is FREE and childcare will be provided. There will be tables to swap coupons and freebies, but we're also asking those who can to donate one free item they've gotten through couponing to charity. I'll be giving some suggestions the next few weeks of what you can bring.

Here are more details: Local coupon and money saving experts will be present to give one-on-one attention to participants. Attendees can browse the booths, ask couponing questions, and hone their money saving skills. People new to couponing will especially benefit from the many instructional handouts that experts will provide. Participants are encouraged to bring extra coupons and “freebies” to trade.

Coupon Bloggers and Resource Booths participating in this year’s event—Margaret of Blue Frog Creations, Gabrielle of Couponing in Critical Times, Katie of Coupon Katie, Jennifer of Coupon Mommie, Christy of Coupons are Money, Melissa of Frugalissa Finds, Hannah of Frugally Farming Family, Isha of Knoxville Mamabelle, Kathryn of Knoxville on a Dime, Julie of Sharing Savings with You, Earth Fare, KARM Thrift Stores, Knoxmoms, Kroger of Fountain City, One Call Club for Seniors, Rebecca’s Coupons and Forms, Regions Bank, Silver Lining Quality Children’s Consignment, and Three Rivers Market.

Topics to be addressed—Organizing your coupons, Learning the Coupon Lingo, Shopping at Walgreens and CVS, Couponing at Target, Saving Money on Organics, Meal Planning, Growing and Preserving Your Own Foods, Healthy Lunch Options, Saving Money on Items for Babies and Children, Learning New Coupon Technology, Group Buying Sites, Couponing for Charity, Thrift Store Shopping, Consignment Shopping, and Saving Seniors Money.

Faith United Methodist Church is located on the corner of Dry Gap Pike and Rifle Range Road at 1120 Dry Gap Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918. For more information, contact Gabrielle Blake at Couponingincriticaltimes@gmail.com or phone Faith United Methodist Church at 865-688-1000. In the event of inclement weather, please go to the church website at www.faithseekers.org for updates on cancellation or rescheduling.

Frugal Fun for your Christmas Day Celebration

The Knoxville area money saving momma bloggers are back with another great post for holiday preparation. This one is from Isha at Knoxville Mamabelle: Frugal Fun for your Christmas Day Celebration.

She describes her family tradition for creating laughter and special memories on Christmas morning. My mom is the only one who can play the piano. Maybe we can talk her into playing a few songs for us and giving each person a part of a song to sing. We'll probably read a portion from the advent book from church as we light all five candles.

I like the idea of doing a craft as well. I saw a great idea in December Family Fun magazine about gathering all the miscellaneous packaging from toys and then making a robot out of it (or whatever creative ideas come to mind). All those annoying twist ties on kid toys will finally have a purpose!

We also like making snowflakes, but hers look seriously intimidating! They are gorgeous though!

What are your favorite Christmas morning traditions?

Thank you to all the women who have contributed posts for this series. I believe we still have two left; so check back again next week: Coupon Katie, Coupon Mommie,Couponing in Critical Times,Coupons Are Money, Frugalissa Finds,Frugally Farming Family,Knoxmoms.com, Knoxville Mamabelle,Knoxville on a Dime, Sharing Savings with You.

Online Holiday Shopping Tips

As I mentioned Monday, several of the Knoxville money saving momma bloggers have teamed up to bring you a slew of great ideas this holiday season to save you time, money, and head-aches. Today's tip comes from Kathryn at Knoxville on a Dime.

She has some great tips for getting the best deals online, including how to best comparison shop, avoid shipping costs, find discount codes, shop group buying sites, and score good Cyber Monday deals. Probably my favorite tip is about discount codes. I too am a fan of Retail Me Not. Never buy before checking the codes

If you're still making your plan for Black Friday, Frugalissa Finds had this great post. And check back Monday for great things to do around town for the holidays from Knoxmoms.

My First Article in the Knoxville News Sentinel!

I've been freelance writing for several years now, but today marks the first time one of my articles has made it into the Knoxville News Sentinel. Yeah! The title is: "East Tennessee money-saving momma bloggers share tips." It was my opportunity to highlight the talents and contributions of several of the talented bloggers in our area. Unfortunately, I couldn't include them all, but so is the reality of print media.

Click here to read the article. I do want to clarify that I had asked them their "unique monthly visitor" numbers and what was published was their "monthly traffic" numbers. The numbers should be much higher for everyone (in the thousands to tens of thousands).

It includes profiles on: Living on More for Less (note: she recently changed her website and this is the correct link), Coupon Katie, Frugally Farming Family, Couponing in Critical Times, Knoxville Mamabelle, Frugalissa Finds, Knoxville on a Dime, Adventures in Momville, and Coupons are Money. Though not featured in this article, you should also check out Coupon Mommie, Sharing Savings with You, and Dollar out of a Dime. What impresses me most about all these women is the spirit of collaboration. Some might consider us competitors, but there is truly a sense of camaraderie among us.

I also hope you enjoy my video featuring a few of them below. Feedback appreciated.