AMC Summer Movie Camp

Check their site and enter your zip code for locations near you.


All admission and concessions proceeds* from AMC Summer MovieCamp will benefit Variety – The Children's Charity and the Will Rogers Institute.

Families, schools and organizations alike are invited to see great kids' movies during AMC Summer MovieCamp. Available at select AMC theatres, this fun-filled program brings you:

• $1 movies from June 17 – August 5
• Shows starting at 10:00 a.m. every Wednesday
• Great field trip opportunities – groups can purchase tickets one week in advance starting June 10 at the box office or online at participating theatres

*Excluding applicable taxes & operating costs

Source: AMC Theaters

FREE- Regal Family Film Festival

I have participated in this for the last two summers and it has been awesome, saving me a bunch of money! It's also nice to get the kids out of the house. This FREE Family Film Festival starts when school is out around May 2009. It is held for nine weeks during the summer.


When school's out, kids around the country come to selected Regal Entertainment Group theatres for our Free Family Film Festival. It's a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and their parents.

Since 1991, Regal has provided this service to the community, and best of all it's FREE!

Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival.

First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer.

Check the Regal Entertainment Group site often for dates and locations and times. Have fun!

Catch a Matinee

We never go to the movies and pay the evening price of around $8 a ticket. We always go to the matinee before 5 p.m. and pay around $5 - $5.50 for each ticket. If you're lucky, there may be a theater in your area that even runs movies for $1.00. Matinees aren't just for senior citizens or little kids. The prime evening slot for movies begin after 5 p.m. and that is when you will pay the highest price for a show. During the day is also another good time to go to the movies. They aren't as busy either. You can also go grab lunch someplace and get a lunch menu price for dinner quality entrees.

Team Up For Babysitting

Every parent knows that a good chunk of any entertainment budget gets eaten up just by paying the babysitter. Ask your friends, relatives, or a neighbor and trade off watching each other's kids. How about getting a group of four or five together and you watching everyone's kids on one night a month and be on a rotating basis with the others. That way, everyone gets their turn watching kids once a month and you also get to go out. If you normally spend $10 to $20 a week on a babysitter, you could save $560 to $1,120 per year with your team.

Watch for Discount Days

Many places offer special discount days, such as theaters, museums, galleries, zoos and parks. They may offer standing room only or pay-what-you-can nights. Some even offer free admission on certain days of the month.

For performances, ask about free or drastically discounted admission to dress rehearsals.

Work or Volunteer

Is your cash-strapped teenager always wanting to go to a sports event, concert hall, or a theater? There is a way they can still go and make a buck at the same time. Have them check out part-time jobs at a sports venue, concert hall or theater. Even if they get a job emptying trash or tearing tickets, they might be able to catch a good portion of the show. They could volunteer and inexchange for passing out play bills at the door, they could sit in on the performance when their work was done.

When I was in high school, I worked at the theater and drive-in during the summer. I absolutely loved working there. It not only gave me the money for things that I needed, such as gas money, extra spending money, but I purchased everything myself during my Senior year. I bought my graduation announcements, cap and gown and even my own class ring. It teaches them responsibility and they have their own money. The best part about working at a theater and drive in..... I got into ALL the movies for FREE! My family also got in free to see them too!

Purchase Discounted Products with Blemishes

You can purchase seconds and blemished, refurbished, or discontinued items directly from the manufacturer. This is a great way to get deep discounts on products that are perfectly functional and otherwise would not make it to retail stores because of minor imperfections. Here are some easy steps to help you in your purchasing.

Know exactly what you are looking for.

Get as many details about the product as you can. If you are looking to buy a particular washer, know the make, model, ID number and color.

Compare prices and know what the product costs at a retail or discount online store. It makes no sense to buy a blemished or discontinued product directly from the factory if you can get the same product down the street in perfect condition for the same price.

It's best if you know the terms that companies use to describe defective or blemished products. (The next section contains a list of words that companies often use to describe seconds, defective merchandise and cosmetic blemishes.)

Know what kind of defects you are willing to tolerate.

Visit factory outlets. Many larger manufacturers have affiliated outlets where they send all their discontinued or imperfect items. Often the problems with these items are invisible to the consumer except in the discounted price tags.

Contact the factory directly. Many companies are not large enough to have an affiliated warehouse. In these cases, the best way to find a great deal is to contact the factory directly.

Have all your detailed information on hand when you call or visit the outlet store or the factory itself.

Common Terms

Find merchandise with "cosmetic blems;" these generally don't affect the quality, specifications or functionality of the merchandise.

Look for the cosmetic blem - crooked seams, mismatched colors, small stains or anything that makes the appearance slightly less than perfect.

Look for a defect that will usually affect the product's performance in a "structural blem."

Determine how aggressively you plan to use the product. Because many products are designed to a standard that significantly exceeds normal use, you may get away with a structural blem.

Try "seconds" - products with irregularities or minor cosmetic or structural flaws. Labels are usually marked in some way so that consumers can identify flaws, such as "odd-sized."

Get a bargain with "overstocks." These products are almost always first-quality items. Often manufacturers will overproduce and then need to dramatically reduce prices in order to deplete excess inventory.

Be a little behind-the-times - but richer - with "closeouts." These are products that are usually first-quality items, but no longer included in the manufacturer's product line.

We have purchased a couple of different washing machines, a refrigerator, and a stove at a really great price by looking at their "markdown" section in the store. They all had something very minor that was nothing. I think the washers both had a very small dent in the bottom corner located on the back part of the washer towards the floor. They were going to be up against the wall anyways and noone was ever going to know it was there. It was something that would not affect the way the washer would work. Our refrigerator was missing a very small plastic piece that holds the shelf up in the freezer. It is the end that has the automatic ice maker and since I knew I would not be placing anything heavy on that end of the shelf, we went ahead and purchased it and saved a couple hundred dollars. When we have purchased items on markdown like this, we have always ended up getting a more expensive brand, better item than we normally could have afforded and it brought the cost of the item down to what we could afford.

We have purchased items like this at Lowes, H. H. Gregg, and a local appliance store. We've also found a place that sells items from Habitat for Humanity. Brand new doors, light fixtures, mismatched colors of paint, doors, sinks, many other items at very cheap prices.

Insulate Water Heater

If your electric water heater was built before 2004, it would be a good idea to have added insulation. Wrap it in an insulating jacket such as a Thermwell blanket. You'll save 10%- about $30 annually on your water-heating bill.

Use Cold Water Wash

You can save 50% of the energy you would otherwise use for hot water just by using cold water in your washer. Set your dryer on the moisture sensor, not the timer, and you could cut your energy use by 15%.

Faucet Aerators

Try one of the cheapest green gadgets available.... faucet aerators.

They screw into your faucet threading which results in cutting the water flow from 3 to 4 gallons per minute to as little as a half-gallon. They blend water and air, reducing the flow without sacrificing pressure. I use these in the kitchen and the bathroom, especially where the kids are using the most water. I have two boys that help with the dishes and it has cut down on our water usage tremendously.

At 50 cents to $3 a piece, they are well worth the investment. It won't take long to reap the benefits of this tip. Standard faucet aerators will allow flow rates of 2.5 gallons of water per minute. For bathroom faucets, it is suggested that a low-flow aerator that delivers 0.5 to 1 gallon of water per minute will deliver the same force of spray, but often in a more pleasing fashion. You may want to choose one in the kitchen with a higher flow rate of 2 to 4 gallons per minute if you regularly fill the sink for washing dishes. If you let the water run while washing dishes, I would suggest using the lower flow rate of 0.5 to 1 gallon per minute may be more appropriate. Some kitchen aerators will allow you to flip between two flow rates without affecting the water temperature.

Fifteen percent of average household's daily water consumption is through faucet use. In a family of four, where each person uses the bathroom sink for 6 minutes each day, using 0.5 gallon per minute (instead of 2.5 gallon per minute aerator) would reduce the daily household water consumption by 48 gallons per day, which totals 17,520 gallons annually).

Save Money on Electricity

Appliances that include a clock or operate by a remote, as well as chargers, are sucking electricity even when you're not using them. Of the total energy used to run home electronics, 40% is consumed when the appliances are turned off. The obvious way to pull the plug on so-called energy vampires is to do just that -- pull the plug.

Or buy a device to do it for you, such as a Smart Power Strip ($31 to $44, at www.smarthomeusa.com), which will stop drawing electricity when the gadgets are off, and pay for itself within a few months.

Source: Kiplinger.com

Beauty Quick Tip

Have you ever sneezed after applying mascara and then you have it all under your lower lash line? Have you ever bumped your cheek with your mascara applicator and had a black smudge on your cheek? Normally, I would take a cotton swab and put some make-up remover on it for the mishap. It can work great, but it will also remove the make-up underneath the mascara such as the foundation and the concealer.

Someone suggested to me the other day to let the mascara mishap dry completely and then use a longer bristled eye shadow brush to sweep away the mistake. Isn't that cool?

Whisk away the mishap and the concealer stays intact. Got to love it!

Making Play Dough

I haven't seen a child that did not like to play with play dough or clay. As a mom of three children and three grandchildren, I know that play dough can become a mom's best friend or worst enemy. It depends on how you handle it.

Create a play dough kit for some entertainment with your children. It will contain all the essential items needed for creative play with this fun substance. Take the kit out when it's time to play and when playtime is over put it up until next time. Have very specific rules for the play dough kits and hopefully, your carpet or tables won't get ruined by their creations.

You can have a fun activity ready for your little one.

Supplies.

--Large plastic tub or storage container with a lid.
--Fresh supply of play dough or clay -- can be homemade or store bought.
--Inexpensive or old cookie cutters
--Cutting utensils such as plastic butter knives, pizza cutters, etc.
--Plastic coated place mats to protect their work surface
--Optional: garlic press, forks, melon baller, rolling pin, or other items.

You will enjoy making this homemade play dough with your children. It's inexpensive, fun and an educational activity for your children.

Here is the recipe for play dough:

1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of salt
1 TB of oil - any oil will do
2 TB of cream of tartar
1/8 to 1/4 tsp of food coloring paste

Less coloring will produce a pastel color and more will produce bold colors. You may need to experiment a little.

Mix all the ingredients into a pan and blend with a whisk.

When all ingredients are blended, place the pan on the stove on medium to medium-high heat.

You will need to mix continually until the mixture thickens. It may take 3 to 4 minutes.

When the mixture starts to clump and is difficult to mix, take the pan off the stove.

Pour the dough on a floured surface and when it is cool enough to handle start kneading like bread dough.

Remove from the floured surface when the dough is no longer sticky. Knead away from the floured surface until all the flour on the dough is absorbed and the dough is smooth and pliable.

You're done!

To store, keep in:

A plastic wrap
A plastic bag
Or an airtight container such as Tupperware.




In another storage container, place all of the other goodies. The standard items can be dull butter knives, pizza cutters, rolling pin, and cookie cutters. Make sure that you have a plastic placemat for each child could work on.



Another important issue, which will help keep your sanity is clearly defined rules. The children need to know that misuse of the items would cause the play dough to be put away. Have rules such as: No play dough off of the placemats; If you drop dough, you must pick it up right away; Only 5 minutes per tool if someone else would like to use it; Everyone cleans up their own space.

Of course, you will want to create your own rules and guidelines that will fit the needs of your home. You will find that because the play dough kit is easily portable and it's all contained within the storage box, it's easy to remove the kit when play is out of hand and put it away for a specified amount of time.

Watch This Link of an 8 yr. old making Playdough

Help Stamp Out Hunger

Please support the National Association of Letter Carriers and Campbell's Soup Company to help stamp out hunger. In addition to your contributions, Campbell will donate 1,000,000 cans of soup to support the drive. Just place non-perishable food items in a bag by your mailbox before your mail delivery on Saturday, May 9th.

For more information, visit: www.HelpStampOutHunger.com

Source: myFirstforwomen.com

Keep Soft Drinks from Going Flat

This tip came from Rachel Ray this morning while watching the Rachel Ray Show.

How many times have you opened a two liter soft drink and put it back in the fridge and return to it a few days later and it has lost all of the fizz? It's then nasty and we have to throw it away.

According to Rachel, before putting the lid back on the bottle, sqeeze the bottle until the drink reaches the top of the opening and then put the lid back on the bottle. The bottle is going to be flattened and look a little weird. That's okay! She says you will also be able to fit them into your fridge a little easier and they won't take up as much room.

When you return to your favorite soft drink it will be nice and fizzy!

Thanks, Rachel!

Source: RachelRay Show

Keep Ice Cream Fresh

This tip comes from the Rachel Ray show. I was watching her this morning and she offered this great tip.

Have you ever bought your favorite ice cream and taken a couple of spoons out of it and put it back into the freezer and then gone back to it a couple weeks later and it has started to dry out? Follow this simple tip and it will be as fresh as the day you purchased it.

Before replacing the lid back on the ice cream container, put a sheet of plastic wrap over it and then put the top back on the container. Place in freezer and it will be fresh the next time you get ice cream.

Thanks, Rachel!

source: RachelRay.com

Make Your Own Liquid Soap

1 bar (3.5 oz.) soap with moisturizing cream
3 cups water

Makes 3 cups

Directions:

Shred bar of soap. Place in large bowl. Add water. Microwave at high 5 to 6 minutes, or until soap is dissolved, stirring every 2 minutes. Let stand until cool. Fill soap dispensers.

Credit Karma-FREE Credit Score

You can get your FREE credit score at Credit Karma.There are no obligations to sign up for anything and you will not be billed for your score.

Get Paid for Your Old Books

"Do you have books in good condition? Go to cash4books.net, type in the books’ ISBN numbers (which you’ll find on the back cover or on the copyright page in the front of the books), and see if you can get cash for them. Complete the transaction online, print out a prepaid mailing label, pack up those books and send them in. In just a few days you will either receive a check in the mail or a deposit to your PayPal account. You won’t pay a cent— not even for postage... Your humble columnist has been cleaning out her burgeoning library, pocketing more than $200 so far."
Mary Hunt
Woman's Day magazine, Sept 2008

Inexpensive Cheese Sauce

Do you have a recipe that calls for cheese spread or perhaps Velveeta? I don't know about you, but I really do not like paying almost $5 for a box of Velveeta. I have found that if you use the Ragu cheese sauce in a jar, it works great! It is also great on nachos! I love using it on broccoli and cauliflower too.