Did you know that there are a ton of money saving resources on the web. If you know where to look you can save money on gas, cars, clothes, videos, shoes, textbooks and a bunch of other stuff. My mother just started a coupon club for women at her local church and they call themselves the Deal and Dollar Divas. These women know how to be thrifty and are learning to be good stewards of there money by not paying too much when a deal is to be had.

The websites I use the most are www.mommysavesbig.com, www.currentcodes.com and www.bradsdeals.com. These sites are good for downloading coupons for things you would buy either online or that you can print off coupons to shop in stores. The Deal and Dollar Divas recommend www.couponmom.com and www.grocerydeals.com which are great for planning your meals with the deals of the week at local stores, as well as downloading coupons. www.smartsource.com is the source for downloading coupons found each week in the newspaper. For more about the best secrets for finding a good deal be sure to read “Get a Great Deal on Anything” by Andrea Cooper by clicking here.

Again, on behalf of the Simplicity Brides bloggers, we would like to congratulate Kasie Bryant for being one of our winners of the “Name our Girl” contest. Kasie sent her submission for the name “Bella” on June 10, 2008. The marketing team at Simplicity Brides, narrowed the submissions down to the top 5 names and, at our National Conference in June, our teammates and partners voted for the most fitting name for our new brand icon. We agreed that the name meaning “Beautiful” best described the girl who wants to be healthy both on the inside and out. She wants to create a healthy home that lasts a lifetime. Ms. Bella Gourmet is the name! Kasie will receive a $50 American Express Gift Card.

Here is Kasie’s entry:

“No matter what persona we try to show, women are naturally sensitive and delicate. This “new girl” image is the perfect picture of our inner delicacy. Inside, there is beauty in all of us just waiting to be discovered and released. I think her name should be “Bella” which means beautiful. We can be beautiful brides, beautiful wives, beautiful mothers, beautiful lovers, beautiful teachers…… There are endless possibilities to what we can do as women. And the most beautiful part is that this is true and unique for each one of us!”

We would like to thank everyone who submitted their ideas.

On behalf of the Simplicity Brides bloggers, we would like to congratulate Sabrina Rodriguez for being one of our winners of the “Name our Girl” contest. Sabrina sent her submission for the name “Bella” on June 3, 2008. The marketing team at Simplicity Brides, narrowed the list to the top 5 submissions and at our National Conference in June our teammates and partners voted for the most fitting name for our new brand icon. We agreed that the name meaning “Beautiful” best described the girl who wants to be healthy both on the inside and out. She wants to create a healthy home that lasts a lifetime. Ms. Bella Gourmet is the name! Sabrina will receive a $50 American Express Gift Card. We would like to thank everyone who submitted their ideas.

I’m not sure if I’m alone on this but personally, I get confused in grocery stores. Even with the clearly marked aisles, I still have spent many trips aimlessly searching for an item that just doesn’t seem to be where, in my mind, makes the most since. I tended to do most shopping spur of the moment, so, when I would go grocery shopping, I tended to be wearing my work clothes and uncomfortable heels that seem to add more frustration to my searching. I just wasn’t a planner.

I decided to change my ways. In fact, planning ahead has made the entire grocery shopping experience more fun and efficient. Planning is two-fold. First, I know you have heard it before, but making a list helps me prevent forgetting something that I really need and that I would have to return for later. Something else that has been key to my new grocery shopping outlook is mapping. I have mapped my local Kroger. I recently sketched a picture of the aisles and what is found down each one. I used the signs as help but I also indicated those items that I frequently need that seem to be in an unusual spot. This way, when I take time making my list, I simply group the items by where they are found. I make my shopping list section-by section and get through the aisles much quicker without having to back track for items that I forgot.

It may sound simple but, hey… sometimes it takes me a while to catch on.

Pink Apron Preview, hosted by Simplicity Brides, received a warm thank you from an attendee recently; I just wanted to share…

From: marshell sartor [mailto:bubblesthe1unv@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 4:36 PM
To: Info
Subject: his and hers aprons

Hello,

My name is Marshell Sartor.  I wanted to send this email to thank simplicity gourmet for the inviting me to the show and for the vacation package and also the free his and her aprons.  So here it goes: Thank you very much!

from Marshell

Just wanted to let everyone know that one of our new bridal teams, the engaged team of Chris & Danielle, received very high praise from an attendee of one of their very first solo shows last night. I want to congratulate them on their outstanding performance and let them know how very proud we are of them! Welcome to our family, Chris & Danielle!

From: Meredith Baldwin [mailto:mfbaldwin@bellsouth.net]
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 8:33 AM
To: Info
Subject: Chris and Danielle

 Just wanted you to know that I went to a show in West Memphis, Arkansas last night and Chris and Danielle are awesome!!!!   Had a lot of fun. Thanks!!

 Meredith

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