Issue 19 - August 08 Newsletter

Happy August! SDBM has been an official site for one full year, and what an adventure it has been! SDBM has received both national and local media exposure (both on TV and in print) and currently shares valuable resources with thousands upon thousands of families a month. Thank all of you sponsors and contributors for all that you have contributed!

San Diego Bloggin’ Mama has become a great resource to talk about deals, so be sure to check it and subscribe to it so and you’ll have daily posts mailed to your house for free. Also, if you have not yet subscribed to be a free subscriber to SDBM Newsletters and Bargain Alerts, you’ll want to do so. You’ll receive a few e-blasts a month alerting you of updated deals, bargains, and valuable family-friendly events in San Diego. Can’t pass up free, now, can you?

We would also like to introduce Gabriela Dow, owner of Friends With Class, as our new SDBM Columnist. She will share with us her insight and behind-the-scenes scoop of her growing business designed to provide quality experiences and learning opportunities that San Diego folks have been raving about! Please feel free to send your questions to her or to the other SDBM Columnists: Contact@SanDiegoBargainMama.com

”She usually is able to cut her grocery bill by at least 25 percent. In a recent trip, a $135 total shrank to $79 after she used her coupons…“ Click here for more.

We asked you your favorite thing to do with your friends for Ladies’ Night out (mama friends/girlfriends). Congratulations to Aimee M. You’re the winner of a $25 gift card to Chelsea Premium Outlets (Carlsbad or Las Americas)! To read the entries click here.

In up to 100 words (over is OK too) describe what was the most frugal fun you have had with your family lately. Maybe you have cut back on gas consumption and ”staycations“ have become part of your summer plans. Where did you go? What did you do? What made it so special? Three random winners will receive:

Join Elizabeth Sanchez (San Diego mom), host of KCET's "A Place of Our Own", a daily half-hour national public television series developed to provide childcare providers with critical child-rearing information and tools to help prepare pre-school aged children for kindergarten.

Consumers are cutting back on their Starbuck’s consumption. Seeing slowed growth, coffee giant Starbucks has announced plans to close 600 of its stores around the country. TODAY’s Amy Robach reports.

Thank you, sponsors, for supporting San Diego Bargain Mama. Please remember to let these sponsors know that you saw them in San Diego Bargain Mama - The Newsletter for Moms who Love to Find Deals!

Friends With Class is San Diego's most unique catalog of classes and events. Our easy-to-use online catalog features activities that are either custom created or recommended by friends who enjoy quality experiences and unique learning opportunities.

As parents, we are always trying to balance what life can offer with our own every day responsibilities. So we decided to create a catalog of classes and events that would offer a fun way to meet others who also sought quality experiences with or without the kids.

We are always adding new classes to the online catalog: from CPR / Infant CPR to cooking classes, wine tastings, "Babyproofing Your Relationship," business seminars and always featuring special events to support local non-profits. Plus gift certificates are now offered for a thoughtful and unique gift that will be memorable for your friends and family!

At Style On a Shoestring we know that organization and functionality are important to parents. We’re parents, too. Imagine entering your child’s room where every toy has place and every shoe has a space. In addition to space and function, imagine a room that was designed with your child’s personality in mind.

We specialize in the small details that make a room both safe and individually yours. From computerized space planning to custom-made window treatments, we are there with you every step of the design process and installation.

Let us help you and your family make the most of your space. We do everything from bedrooms to family rooms to custom kitchens and baths. The initial consultation is free.

Please call us at 858.335.7033 or check out our website at www.styleonashoestring.com

Grocery stores have terrific sales each week – save a bundle by planning your meals around current sale items. Better yet, let Thrifty Kitchen do the work for you! For just $2.00 per week, Thrifty Kitchen subscribers receive weekly menus and recipes based on Southern California grocery sales, as well as a weekly guide to the best grocery bargains and freebies. Thrifty Kitchen meals average $2.50 per serving for a family of four, but you’ll never feel like you’re cutting back!

San Diego County families are packing up their picnics and taking advantage of free, family fun and enjoying the wonderful outdoors. Click here for details.

Parents and parents-to-be can receive a variety of classes at prices that are free or very affordable. Click here for details.

Friends With Class is San Diego's most unique catalog of classes and events. Our easy-to-use online catalog features activities that are either custom created or recommended by friends who enjoy quality experiences and unique learning opportunities.

From groceries on the cheap to free baby items to deeply-discounted strollers – you’re bound to find some hot steals on our blog, San Diego Bloggin’ Mama.

Back-to-school savings are around the corner. Every week the following stores will be offering rock-bottom prices on certain school supplies to lure you in, but beware, you savings sleuths, as the greatly discounted items are often the least visible, so use the circulars (in the papers) and scan the shelves well. SDBM's fav's are in this order: Target, Staples, Office Depot, Wal-mart, Dollar Tree.

Loads of bargains for everyone! Kobey's Swap Meet at the Sports arena is San Diego's largest outdoor market and the third largest on the West Coast, drawing in more than 1,000 sellers weekly! Admission: 50¢ Fri., $1 Sat. & Sun., children 11 and under are free How would you like a BYGO (free!)? For your coupon click here.

Need help losing the "baby weight"? The PACE for Moms program has been created by for moms by moms who know how intense and demanding motherhood can be. What we offer is not a diet plan, but lifelong strategies for healthy eating and physical activity. Do you need support learning to exercise with a baby, dealing with problem foods, or controlling portions? We can help.

If you are overweight (BMI between 24 and 39.9) and between 6 weeks and 12 months postpartum, you may be eligible to participate in the PACE for Moms research study, funded by the National Institutes of Health. Through your participation, you will help us develop a PACE for Moms program to be available to the general public in 2009.

Success By Health is committed to creating successful individuals by way of health. We feel that the power lies in the grasp of the individual to enhance the health path of their lives and the lives of others. An independent distributor of the Shaklee Corporation, Success By Health offers home care, personal care, beauty, skin care, nutritional supplements and air and water products to create healthier lives. Please visit our site at www.successbyhealth.com and make a commitment to a healthier, vitalized 2008!

We are a new and unique children’s party rental business. We offer fun & affordable themed party packages that include great dress-up, games, decorations, props, activities, party ideas, and more. You can also get your coordinating party supplies and party favors from us for added convenience. And we rent coordinating look-alike character mascot costumes at a fraction of the cost most entertainment companies charge to send a character to your party. Let Party Pax help your next party or playdate go the extra round, but without the extra cost, time, hassle and stress!

Kids Stuff Etc. is a highly popular resource and classified ads publication serving San Diego North County that is a "must have" for bargain hunters! Over ten thousand readers each month enjoy this freebie that offers loads of information to parents, such as classifieds for kids’ merchandise, ads for schools, children’s extra-curricular classes, and party services. Also, you’ll find ads that include valuable coupons to some very popular stores that cater to children and parents. You can find copies sent out monthly to establishments such as pediatric and OBGYN offices, daycare centers, movie theatres, and gyms. It’s available for viewing in its entirety at: www.kidsstuffetc.com.

Playhouse Café, a gourmet coffee shop for families is open! Playhouse Café offers:

Come join other moms in San Diego and check out CityMommy! CityMommy is a free social networking site for moms where you can:

Ladies Who Launch is an online and in-person network that provides women with the inspiration, resources and tools to move in the directions of their dreams. Through the "Ladies Who Launch" incubator workshops, thousands of women across the country have started their own businesses, expanded their current business and have created a new lifestyle where work is fun, creative, and meaningful. A four-week-long workshop that meets for 2 hours once a week (cost is $250) provides:

All across the country, Baby Loves Disco is slowly, but surely, transforming the hippest night clubs into childproof discos. Toddlers, preschoolers and parents, alike, can find a break from the routine playground circuit, and let loose for some post-naptime, pre-dinner fun! Make no mistake, this is NOT the Mickey Mouse Club, and Barney is banned!!! Baby Loves Disco is an afternoon dance party, featuring real music, spun and mixed by real DJ’s, They blend classic disco tunes from the 70’s and 80’s, and guarantee that you’ll get those little booties moving and grooving.

Fun Freebies:

Freebies from the Grocery Store

Whether to keep the kids entertained or to just get you back in the grocery store, freebies are fun to find. Read about some ways to score freebies that just might leave you returning home with a little extra value. Click here to read.

Free Admission at the New Children's Museum

The New Children’s Museum announces free admission on the second Sunday of each month, sponsored by Target. Target Free Second Sundays will allow all children and families in the community to enjoy the Museum, and ensure that cost is not a barrier. The Museum’s entire exhibition, childsplay, will be open during Target Free Second Sundays.

Community Connection:

Goldstar Events Near You

SDBM subscribers have given great feedback about Goldstar. We would love to hear how your events were and which you chose! Check out the new events for the summer! Discover a great way to save 50% off in your area while enjoying music, performing arts, spas, and much more:

Friends With Class Charity Event Helps Children in Africa

Our long-time friend, Kathryn, created WalkTheirWalk last year: a walk-a-thon that brought over 200 walkers together and raised more than $27,000 to make schools and fresh water accessible for all children living in Zambia.

In the 15+ years that we've known her, she never ceases to amaze us. So we were not surprised that after a trip to Zambia, Africa she was inspired to do something to help improve the quality of life for children in the village that she visited...

Please mark Saturday, September 13, 2008 on your calendar and click here to sign up with the Friends With Class walking group.

Plan Ahead for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Walk

Please support The Breast Cancer 3-Day, a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and National Philanthropic Trust, funding important breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment. San Diego Dates: November 21-23.

Get the Word Out About Your Family-Friendly Business

Are you involved in a business or social group whose goal it is to help families save money and time, or are you a business that needs moms wanting to make money from home? If so, we would love to hear from you and know just what you do. Also, would you like to have SDBM share your business with several other moms at upcoming events that promise to each attract several hundreds of moms and caretakers of young children? If so, please email Advertise@SanDiegoBargainMama.com.

Members’ Input/Tips:

Read some of the comments left at San Diego Bloggin’ Mama daily blog:

"The motivated women in my Ladies Who Launch incubator assisted me with strategic planning for my business and Amy Selbach was a very valuable resource for PR and business ideas."

~ Pollie Gautsch, G&A Legal

"I really love this site. The prices are great and it is super fun checking to see what next sale is around the corner."

~ Julia

"I am pregnant with twins... I will for sure keep this site in mind!"

~ Erin

"I always wondered why a retailer of women's clothing would serve donuts/muffins prior to women trying on clothes in front of those horrible mirrors. Still, there I stood, salivating by the seduction of a sale at Nordy's."

~ Mimi

"This takes the cake! I am so excited to hear about Freepeats! I have a 1 yr. old and one on the way and will not be going back to work, so I need all of the goodies I can get. THen, I am sure I will have stuff to pass on! Cool!"

~ Lisa

For Your Reading Pleasure:

Staycation 101

”Skyrocketing gas prices and the plunging dollar have made ”staycation“ – the idea of vacationing close to home – a hot topic this summer. And we're lucky – sunny San Diego has everything a vacationer could want….“ Read Gary A. Warner’s article as seen in the San Diego Union Tribune.

Time and Money $avers:

Sell or Buy Gently-Used Strollers

Joggermom opened a new division called Stroller Exchange. It is a website that sells used strollers and accessories. It is a 1-stop-shop to buy or sell your quality used strollers & accessories. How it works is that you list your stroller with a description, price, pictures & contact info. All listings are FREE until October 1st and then will run $15.00 for 45 days. The site is quick, easy to use, and best of all it is FREE! The listings vary from baby strollers, to bike trailers, to "wanted" strollers and even "FREE“ strollers. A quality stroller is a must-have! Go to www.strollerexchange.com.

Make it at Home:

Summertime Activities

CreativeKidsatHome.com is a great resource for creative kids and their parents. ”The kids are out of school and they have the long lazy days of July and August ahead. They could spend their summer days in front of the TV or your children could be using their imaginations to create projects that are a reflection of their own unique talents.“

Just for Fun!

Sand Fantasy

You will be blown away (lol) by this sand artist at work. Click here for YouTube.

Have a YouTube that you'd like to share? Please do so at Contact@SanDiegoBargainMama.com.

"If you’re looking for something more in life, you’re likely to find it in something less."

~ The Ultimate Cheapskate, Jeff Yeager

Forward this newsletter to your friends and family, please!

Subscription Information:

The San Diego Bargain Mama Newsletter goes out monthly. Bargain Alerts are sent out periodically as well. If you were forwarded this online version of the newsletter and would like to subscribe, Click here.

San Diego Bargain Mama assumes no responsibility for the advice given. You, as readers, must determine what is best and safe for yourselves and your family regarding what you do with the information you receive both from this newsletter and in its links and resources. The information passed on to you is sent as researched to the best of our knowledge, but we suggest that you confirm it's validity, as the terms are subject to change.

San Diego Bargain Mama assumes the right to deny advertisement of products or services on the Newsletters, Bargain Alerts, and website if they are deemed inappropriate and/or are not kid-friendly.