Reader Tips & Picks
Creative & Affordable Graduation Gift Idea
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Tuesday, May 21st, 2013 at 2:49 pm.
Looking for a creative graduation gift?! Check out this clever idea that was sent to me by reader, Jodi…
Hi Collin! My oldest is “graduating” from Kindergarten this year and as a surprise gift, I purchased the book: Oh The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. I am going to ask each of his teachers for the next 12 years to sign it and write him a little note. Then on his real graduation for his Senior Year, I will present the book as a gift to my son. Currently, you can purchase the book for $9.99 on Amazon.com. I thought this would be a pretty inexpensive and memorable graduation gift.
Do you have any clever (and affordable!) graduation gift ideas?
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"Hipsters" to the Rescue: What are your "Hip" Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas?
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 at 3:14 pm.
Can you believe that the 2012-2013 school year is nearing an end and Summer break is right around the corner!?! As you may already know, during the week of May 6th-12th many schools will be honoring their teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week. With that being said, here are a few Teacher gift ideas I’ve received from Hip2Save readers over the years…
*For an end-of-year gift, change the note to say “Thank You for a reMARK(ER)able school year!”…and you have a cute but practical gift idea! (Thanks, Tera!)
*Use an empty spaghetti sauce jar with clearance jelly beans. Make a label and card to hang on the jar. The label could say “No beans about it (teacher’s name) RULES”. A cute (and inexpensive) thank you for teachers! (Thanks, Trudy!)
*Pick up an inexpensive movie and put a pack of popcorn and a $1 box of Movie Theater candy with it. Walmart and Target both have $5 movies and this makes a great teachers gift! (Thanks, Suzie!)
To get ya thinkin’, you may want to start off by printing these cute Thank You Notes and personalize them for each of your kiddos teachers. If you have any other creative, affordable, or meaningful teacher gift ideas, be sure to share them in the comment section below! And, if you’re a teacher, what gifts do YOU personally enjoy receiving?
To all of you teachers out there…. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! You are so valued and appreciated! 
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Reader Tip: FREE BeFiT Fitness Videos
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Thursday, April 25th, 2013 at 12:08 pm.
If you’re looking for a FREE way to exercise from the comfort of your own home, you may be interested in checking out this awesome reader tip I recently received from Hip2Save reader, Darla! Check it out…
I was looking online for workouts I could do at home, and came across this “channel” on YouTube called “BeFIT” that has a huge selection of full length workouts you can stream for free. There are options to upgrade for a fee, but you certainly don’t have to. I started doing the Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred, which is currently in stores to buy. (I think this one is up for a limited time, but it’s free right now!) I have bought workout DVD’s in the past, but I certainly won’t anymore now that I know about this!
Head on over here to browse through all the FREE videos available!
(Thanks for the heads up, Darla!)
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Spread the Word about Your Business…
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 at 3:28 pm.
With both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day right around the corner, I thought it might be fun to create a place for all of you to share your small and/or home-based businesses (i.e. Etsy, Avon, Scentsy, etc.) with other readers and/or to offer Hip2Save readers a special discount on products that you sell. I have posted something similar in past years and it has always been quite a hit! 
OK, so have at it and feel free to share your small business with the Hip2Save community!
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To Tip or Not To Tip?! Check out the FREE Interactive Tip Guide and Share Your Thoughts
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 at 3:34 pm.
I posted this topic last June and it generated such an awesome discussion amongst Hip2Save readers! So… I thought I would re-highlight this topic for those of you who are new to the site or may have missed this post last year.
Although I am an avid couponer and am always looking for ways to cut back on spending, I am NOT cheap when it comes to tipping. As a former waitress, I know how important tips are in the lives of those who work in service-based industries. Although I almost always tip at least 20% when dining out, I am sometimes a little more perplexed as to what to tip in the following situations: Purchasing food to-go, Hair Cut for yourself and/or your kiddos, Assistance with baggage when staying at a hotel, Purchasing espresso from Drive-Thru Coffee Shop, etc.
Needless to say, I was excited to discover the Interactive Tip Guide created by a design team over at Hospitality Management Schools. Just head on over here, scroll down to the orange Tip Guide button at the bottom of the page, and then select a category (choose from travel, cosmetics, restaurants and more). This guide tells you how much to tip, when to present the tip, and even has some basic tipping rules:
* Do tip pre-tax.
* Do tip at buffets.
* Do tip when using a discount or voucher like Groupon.
* Don’t tip the owner.
* Don’t tip extra when gratuity is already added on the bill.
* Don’t leave a bad tip if you plan on visiting the establishment again.
So take some time to check out the guide and then come back and share your thoughts. Think about the following questions: What services do you believe require a tip, how much do you tip, do you tip even if the service is horrible etc?
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How Much Do You SPEND to SAVE?
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Monday, April 8th, 2013 at 2:54 pm.
Don’t you think that this is an interesting question!? Based on the emails that I have received recently and in the past, I know that many of you ponder this question as well… how much do we all spend (both in dollar amounts and time) in order to save?
How much do you spend each week, month, and/or year getting organized and prepared to save? What are your expenses when it comes to saving (i.e. printer ink, paper, gas to drive to the store etc.)? How do you cut down on these expenses?
Please share your tips below!
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“Hipsters” to the Rescue: April Fool’s Jokes Needed
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Wednesday, March 27th, 2013 at 12:51 pm.
If you have been following Hip2Save for any length of time, you likely know how much I love April Fools Day! It is literally one of my most favorite days since it’s typically filled with lots of laughs, smiles and just pure fun… it makes me feel like a kid again! With that being said, I’d love to hear your fun April Fool’s pranks, jokes or tips that you may have (as always, please keep them family friendly).
Stay tuned for an upcoming, fun April Fool’s Day…no joke!
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Plan an Educational & Fun Easter Egg Hunt
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Tuesday, March 26th, 2013 at 9:53 am.
If your kiddos are on Spring Break this week and you are looking for a fun Easter activity to do, check out this super cute idea I received from Lindsay over at Little Sprouts by Lindsay…
It is Spring Break this week in our school district and I wanted to come up with a fun game for the kiddos to play. I wanted a game that incorporated some learning/review from school, but also fun to keep their attention. I had different aged kiddos here so I had to make it “fit” to everyone.
This is what I did:
I took some small pieces of paper and came up with 26 different learning/review questions and/or statements. Here are some of them I used (you could come up with a billion if you had the time):
*Name three fruits
*Name a jungle animal
*Count to 65 by 5′s
*Name the city you live in
*Write your phone number
*What two colors make purple?
*If there are 5 bunnies and they each have three jelly beans, how many jelly beans are there in all?
*Write your address
After I wrote each one down, I put it inside a plastic Easter egg. I then took a permanent marker and numbered all the eggs. I split the kids up into teams and gave each team a clip board with a piece of notebook paper numbered 1-26 (the number of eggs I had). I hid the eggs around the house. The difference in this hunt is that you have to go around with your team, find an egg, read the paper inside and write your answer on the corresponding line on the notebook paper and then finally, PUT THE EGG BACK so the other team can get to it.
The team that finds all the eggs and answers them wins! At the end of the hunt, I read aloud each question and each team said what they had! This turned out to be a fun game and the kids didn’t even know they were working on reading, writing, teamwork, basic skills, listening and so much more!!! You could make this as big or small as you wanted to. You don’t even need teams, just do it with a few kids. And, you can adjust it to any level!
*For even more ideas, you may want to check out these 30 Popular & Fun Easter Activities & Crafts for Kids over at TipJunkie.com.
Do you have any fun Easter Egg Hunt ideas or games? Please share!
(Thanks for the cute idea, Little Sprouts by Lindsay!)
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“Hipsters” to the Rescue: Share Your “Hip” & Frugal Tips on Stain Removal, Cleaning, + More
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Monday, March 25th, 2013 at 3:16 pm.
Check out this email I recently received from reader Linda:
I don’t know if you want to [check out my] hip ways to save…For example, with bar soaps in the shower, they would always “melt” away so quickly. I put mine on a sponge and it seems to last forever! The sponge soaks up the water so it doesn’t get slimy and it doesn’t melt away. Great $ saver!
I also unplug all the appliances I’m not using and it was a noticeable reduction in my electric bill (I unplugged my toaster when not in use, etc.). I saw that tip on the Oprah show years ago too, so unplugging the humidifier or phone chargers when not in use, really does help!
I’d love to hear other people’s tips too – on stain removal, cleaning tips, how to get products to last longer, etc!
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What are YOUR Price Points for Baby Items?
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Wednesday, March 20th, 2013 at 2:15 pm.
Check out this email I recently received from reader, Madison…
My hubby and I are currently pregnant with our first baby. I would love to hear from your readers and get their input on how to save money when it comes to everything baby. Freebies, nurseries, diapers, formula, clothes, organization, etc… Any and all information would be greatly welcomed and appreciated! Your blog is the best and I know you and your readers will give me tremendous advice!
Since all of my kiddos are out of diapers and I don’t regularly purchase baby items (except for my new niece Charlie ), I am having a hard time coming up with good price points for the mentioned items above. So if you have a baby or toddler, please help Madison and other new mommies out by sharing your stock-up prices and any other money-saving tips/advice that you can offer a first-time mom. I would also love for you to suggest must-have baby items (i.e. for me, it was my Sling and a Bumbo Baby seat) and baby items that you may feel are totally unnecessary.
And congratulations to Madison and all the other expectant Hip2Savers!
