I have to tell you guys about the settlement for the old house.  The buyers were amazing people.  I never expected to feel so emotional, but I was at the brink of tears several times during the 90 minute settlement.

I walked into the conference room with my agent and it was CRAZY.  You would have thought I was a rock star.  They jumped to their feet and said “Oh my Goodness, we are finally meeting you.  We have been SO looking forward to meeting you and we can’t believe you’re finally here”.  I was so taken aback.  I mean ditto.  I couldn’t have been happier to meet them.

The husband had a 2 page typed list of questions for me.  He was very serious about his questions.  Some of the questions were so cute (Are there any neighbors that we need to be wary of ?).  I loved his questions and that he had typed them =adorable.  The wife was SO excited.  She said she was going to sign the papers extra fast so that she could go and see her new house.

The couple was in their early 40′s and have never owned a home.  Their teenage children (a boy and a girl) have never had their own room.  The husband kept exclaiming throughout the entire settlement “We just LOVE your home” and other things like “You have made our dreams come true”. I could cry just thinking about it (I actually am now ! ~ darn I’m a cry baby).  At one point he says “I just love my wife and I love that I am finally able to make her dreams come true!”  I mean really, how much more could they say to make me cry.

The husband and wife told me that if my children EVER want to visit their old home, that their door is always open to us (we wouldn’t impose like that, but WOW, how sweet).  They were SO appreciative of the new air conditioners that we bought for them.  After meeting them I am now so happy that we did that.  I would not have felt right about leaving the old ones.  The husband thanked me several times for them.  He was so cute.  He said “Some people like their fancy central air conditioning, but I like to have control over these things.  I like to know where it’s cool and where it’s not.”  Well, I’m one of “those people” who like the central air, but I can appreciate his wonderful attitude.

Well, hopefully I’m done crying for the day, but everytime I tell the story I break out in tears again. Ugghh, I wish I could stop that, but I’ve tried for years and I’m just a crier.  What a wonderful, beautiful experience. I’m so blessed to have lived there for 15 years. I brought my beautiful babies home there and they spent the first 4.5 years of their lives there.  I am so blessed to have been able to pass it along to a new family who will treasure it. It’s a wonderful gift. Darn, now I’m crying again…

It’s 6 PM. We are on our way out for a nice dinner to celebrate only having one mortgage.  It still hasn’t sunk in that we don’t have all of that pressure on us.  I’m more than willing to get used to the idea ~ he he! It makes me realize that I’ve felt an underlying level of constant stress making sure that all of the extra bills have been paid on time (especially when I was off of work for 3 months).  Whew, I don’t know how to act

We are now done with the burden of having 2 mortgages, 2 electricity bills and an extra home association bill.  We have been saddled with all of this for 6 months and it is finally OVER.  I’m psyched and I want to share the fun with you with a giveaway:

Settlement Day Giveaway #5 is a $25 Applebees Gift Card.  If you win and don’t have an Applebees nearby, I will be more than happy to substitute another restaurant gift card.  Since we’re going out to dinner to celebrate, I want to give you the gift of a dinner out with your family!

For a chance to win the gift card, just leave a comment below telling us what you WILL do to celebrate when you are debt FREE except for the house (or including the house- we’re not there yet).

You can gain an additional chance by being a Fan of MommyLuvs2save on Facebook here.  If you are already a fan leave an extra comment letting me know.

• You can get a third entry by becoming a subscriber to my FREE newsletter. You will be emailed all of the deals for the day each morning so you never miss a deal.  If you are already a subscriber, leave a separate email letting me know.
• You can get one additional entry by clicking on the share button above and sharing this giveaway.  Leave a separate comment to let me know that you did.

All of the giveaways end at midnight tonight.  Good Luck!!

This weekend, take an extra 50% off already reduced clearance clothing and clearance shoes at Babies R US.  Offer is valid in-stores only 5/11/12 to 5/12/12.

Head on over here to snag a coupon for a Free Dessert for Mom at Chilis w/ entree purchase!

**This coupon is good Friday 5/11 or Saturday 5/12

It’s 1:30 PM.  I am on my way to the bank to deposit the funds that we received from settlement.  We always tried to pay a little extra on the mortgage and it paid off in the end because we actually had some equity in it when we sold it.  That is such a blessing these days isn’t it? The money will be mostly used to pay down our current mortgage.  We may take some out to get a swingset and to pay off the air conditioning unit that we recently had to purchase for the new house, but the rest will go right on this mortgage.  I plan to hit it HARD every month and with God’s grace and your inspiration I hope to get rid of it as soon as possible.

We are about to be done with the burden of having 2 mortgages, 2 electricity bills and an extra home association bill.  We have been saddled with all of this for 6 months and it is finally (hopefully) about to be OVER.  I’m psyched and I want to share the fun with you with a giveaway:

Settlement Day Giveaway #4 is a $25 Walmart Gift Card.  I’m sure all of you ML2Savers can turn this into at least $100 worth of stuff if not more

• For a chance to win the gift card, just leave a comment below with your guess as to what % of our new mortgage we will be able to payoff using the money that we got back from settlement (if we used it all instead of getting a swingset etc…).  Don’t worry, you don’t have to be right to win.  The winner will be chosen randomly, BUT I will share the correct percentage with you when I announce the winner.
• You can gain an additional chance by being a Fan of MommyLuvs2save on Facebook here.  If you are already a fan leave an extra comment letting me know.
• You can get a third entry by becoming a subscriber to my FREE newsletter. You will be emailed all of the deals for the day each morning so you never miss a deal.  If you are already a subscriber, leave a separate email letting me know.
• You can get one additional entry by clicking on the share button above and sharing this giveaway.  Leave a separate comment to let me know that you did.

All of the giveaways end at midnight tonight.  Good Luck!!

It’s 12 noon.  You know what that means??? Settlement is over and I am getting ready to enjoy lunch out to celebrate.  Yes I am going by myself and yes, I am using a coupon (he he!).  We will probably go out for dinner to celebrate tonight (if the hubby wants to).  We are about to be done with the burden of having 2 mortgages, 2 electricity bills and an extra home association bill.  We have been saddled with all of this for 6 months and it is finally (hopefully) about to be OVER.  I’m psyched and I want to share the fun with you with a giveaway:

Settlement Day Giveaway #3 is a $25 Amazon Gift Card.  I’m sure all of you ML2Savers can turn this into at least $100 worth of stuff if not more

• For a chance to win the gift card, just leave a comment below telling us one thing you learned from reading ML2S every day.  Sorry, but I love to hear how the blog helps you guys
• You can gain an additional chance by being a Fan of MommyLuvs2save on Facebook here.  If you are already a fan leave an extra comment letting me know.
• You can get a third entry by becoming a subscriber to my FREE newsletter. You will be emailed all of the deals for the day each morning so you never miss a deal.  If you are already a subscriber, leave a separate email letting me know.
• You can get one additional entry by clicking on the share button above and sharing this giveaway.  Leave a separate comment to let me know that you did.

All of the giveaways end tonight.  Good Luck and stay tuned for another giveaway…

Yay, it’s 10:30.  You know what that means??? It’s time for the settlement for our old house.  I can’t wait to sign on the dotted line (probably 100 times or so).  We are about to be done with the burden of having 2 mortgages, 2 electricity bills and an extra home association bill.  We have been saddled with all of this for 6 months and it is finally (hopefully) about to be OVER.  I’m psyched and I want to share the fun with you with a giveaway:

Settlement Day Giveaway #2 is a $25 CVS Gift Card.  I’m sure all of you ML2Savers can turn this into at least $100 worth of stuff if not more

• For a chance to win the gift card, just leave a comment below telling us what you hope to accomplish financially during the rest of this year. 
• You can gain an additional chance by being a Fan of MommyLuvs2save on Facebook here.  If you are already a fan leave an extra comment letting me know.
• You can get a third entry by becoming a subscriber to my FREE newsletter. You will be emailed all of the deals for the day each morning so you never miss a deal.  If you are already a subscriber, leave a separate email letting me know.
• You can get one additional entry by clicking on the share button above and sharing this giveaway.  Leave a separate comment to let me know that you did.

All of the giveaways end at midnight tonight.  Good Luck and stay tuned for more giveaways…

Mindfield Online is another one of my favorite survey companies. I’ve tested a few products for them (they pay you and send you the product to test free!). I have even been offered some really high dollar surveys ($8 and $10). I’ve had readers tell me that they’ve been given $25 surveys to do. 

I love using my survey money to pay off debt or to get gift cards for restaurants so that we can go out to eat for FREE!

Target has another sweet daily deal if you are expecting a little bundle of joy.  Head here  and scroll down to Liz Lange for Target Maternity Extended-Sizes Black Pants. These pants are on sale for just $15 (regularly $34.99!) + FREE shipping!

Bath & Body Works just released a new coupon: Save $10 on any purchase of $30 or more! This coupon is valid through Sunday, May 13th.

*Darn, my printer is acting up and won’t print for me.  I REALLY wanted to print this one.  I hate it when that happens.

Amazon has the 500 piece Bendaroos set on sale for $5.97. It includes 250 Rainbow and 250 Neon Bendaroos. These ship FREE with Super Saver Shipping.

Yay, it’s 9:00 am.  I’m up, showered and ready to jump in the mini van to go to settlement for our old house.  I just called the electric and water companies to tell them to switch the bills over (Whew!).  We are about to be done with the burden of having 2 mortgages, 2 electricity bills and an extra home association bill.  We have been saddled with all of this for 6 months and it is finally (hopefully) about to be OVER.  I’m psyched and I want to share the fun with you with a giveaway:

Settlement Day Giveaway #1 is a $25 Target gift card that I will personally mail to you. 

• For a chance to win the gift card, just leave a comment below telling us about the debt that you’ve managed to pay off since you found MommyLuvs2save.  Don’t worry, a winner will be chosen randomly so even if you plan to start paying off your debt, you can still win.
• You can gain an additional chance by being a Fan of MommyLuvs2save on Facebook here.  If you are already a fan leave an extra comment letting me know.
• You can get a third entry by becoming a subscriber to my FREE newsletter. You will be emailed all of the deals for the day each morning so you never miss a deal.  If you are already a subscriber, leave a separate email letting me know.
• You can get one additional entry by clicking on the share button above and sharing this giveaway.  Leave a separate comment to let me know that you did.

All of the giveaways end at midnight tonight.  Good Luck and stay tuned for more giveaways…

Vitacost.com is offering a $10/$10 coupon via email, plus shipping today is FREE for orders of $25 or more.  They have tons of all natural and organic snacks, cleaners and other products to choose from.  I’ve ordered from them a few times and they ship quick.

My girlies won’t be seeing the Avengers movie, but I know it’s super popular and was a BIG hit this past weekend. Today you can grab several different Marvel Kid’s T-Shirts for just $7.99, including an Avengers T-Shirt!

Update ~ They had such a great response from this the other day that they decided to do it again today.  If you didn’t enter to win the other day, you can still do so today.

You can take a chance for FREE and enter to win a New iPad for FREE!! Simply “Like” Cinsay’s Facebook page then register to win yourself the New iPad.

Ends: TONIGHT May 10th at 11:59pm (CST).

 Do you have a graduate this year ?  Would you like to let the family know in style or perhaps invite them to a party?  If so, you may be interested in a deal that InkGarden has going on.

You can go on over here to snag 10 FREE graduation announcements or invitations.  You will just pay $3.99 shipping when you use the code GRAD50 . 

Target.com has a sweet daily deal today.  They have dENiZEN from the Levis brand – Girls Jeans on a BOGO sale! These jeans are regularly priced at $17.99, so after the buy 1 get 1 FREE sale, you’ll pay only$9 per pair + FREE shipping is included!

Head on over here to enter the Zinio Mom’s Day contest! Just for entering, both you and your mom will each snag a FREE lifetime subscription to VIVmag, an online women’s digital magazine. Plus, you’ll be entered to win a $200 flower bouquet (including shipping)  for your mom just in time for Mother’s Day!

Here are a few tips to help you plan and execute a good yard sale.  If you have any additional tips don’t hesitate to add it in the comments section:

1.  Collect Items ~ Put a box in your garage (or wherever) and collect items for your sale a month or two before the yard sale.  This helps you plan ahead and obtain more quality items for your sale.

2.  Price Your Items Right ~ Make sure that in your haste to make money you’re not pricing things too high.  Think “garage sale prices”.  What would you be happy to pay for each item? Make sure you price each item so that it will be easier on the day of the sale.  The dollar store and Walmart sell price stickers. 

3.  Pick a Good Location ~ If your house in a mile down a country road and you never see cars go by, it’s a good chance your garage sale will not turn out well.  Maybe you could ask a relative or friend if he/she would be willing to let you have a sale at their house?  It’s worth asking.

4.  Advertise Your Sale ~ Be sure to put up a good amount of signs with arrows leading to your house.  Do a drive to see if you can read the writing on your own signs.  You’d be surprised at how many signs that I pass that I can’t see the words from my car.  Studies show (and yes, they do study these things) that bright neon pink signs with black marker do the best job of attracting attention ! Don’t get too wordy with the signs (Date, Time, Address).  You can also use clear contact paper over your sign to protect it if there is rain before the day of the sale.  Consider advertising in a FREE newspaper.  You can also advertise for FREE on Craigslist.  I have done this before and had good results.

5.  Turn it into a Multi Family Sale ~  Ask if some of your neighbors are interested in having a garage sale the same day.  You will attract many more visitors if you are having a multi-family sale. 

6.  Get the Whole Family Involved ~ You can have the kids put out some of their own things or set up a lemonade and cookie sale.  It’s fun for them if they’re involved + you can teach them valuable lessons about making money.  You can also bring the grill out front and have hubby sell hot dogs.  They are a huge money maker at garage sales.  People are so busy going from sale to sale that they don’t take the time out to eat.  Sell hot dogs for $1 each.  If you buy a case of them, you will make quite a bit of cash.

7.  Have Fun ~  Make it fun!