Are you still looking for a backpack for your little one??  Or maybe just an extra for when the first one gets ripped, tattered, dirty and beaten up in about 4 months.  Well head over to Disneystore.com

You can buy this adorable backpack (or many others) for $16.50 and pick out a lunch pail to go with it for free.  Plus use the promo code SCHOOLSHIP and get it all shipped to your front door for free.

So for $16.50 you can get a backpack and lunchpail and save on the gas and frustration of going to the store in search of both.

Pixi Ultimate Lip Collection for $14 and free shipping.  Pick a color that fits the girls in your life and put it away for Christmas I’m sure this would make any teen happy or me for that matter.

While you are over there make sure you print out some of the coupons that are available like the Chef Boyardee, Bic, and Bagel Bites.  There’s lot of good deals to have.

The lucky winner of my $40 CSNstores.com giftcard is drumroll please!!!!!!!

MrsBlack!!!!!!  Congrats Nicole please get in touch with me and give me the email address you’d like your gift certificate sent to.  And of course you are expected to let me know what you got and how the service was.  LOL

I’d like to thank everyone for participating and make sure you stick around for my Homemade Christmas gift series and for a giveaway in the future (I’ve got something working)

Have you entered my giveaway yet for a $40 gift certificate to CSNstores.com??  If not what are you waiting for?  You could get up to 5 entries.  Check out the post here to get all the details and leave your comments.  You have until this evening so get going!!!!!

Yup that’s right head over to Target online and check out their Back in Black deals.  They are also offering an additional 20% off all clearance.  You can also use this code TCJAS2IP to get 20% off regular priced jewelry, shoes, accessories, and men’s wear.

So head over and check out what’s sale and remember Christmas isn’t really that far away.  My hubby would love this TomTom that is on sale for $69.59

Ok so it’s not feeling like Christmas unless you celebrate Christmas on the sun.  But Christmas 5 short months away so I say lets think about.  One of the keys to staying debt free is to not overspend on gifts in order to do that you need to plan.  Start shopping now look down the clearance aisles and make a list of people you’d like to buy a gift for this year.  Keep it tucked in your purse and cross off the people as you find gifts.  Even if you are paying full price at least you are spreading that spending out over 5 months and not charging it all come December.  But you’re not here to talk about paying full price for gifts so lets see if we can come up with some frugal ideas:

• One of my favorite gifts growing up was what my mom called the creative gift.  Every year I got some sort of art/craft gift and they were always my favorite.  Now is the perfect time to do this for any of the kids on your list.  Next week Staples is supposed to have the free bag (backpack or shoulder bag) after rewards again so you could pick up a backpack to fill or wait a few weeks and find a backpack on sale.  Start shopping all the back to school sales now by the end of the summer you’ll have accumulated a mountain of crayons, paper, glue sticks, scissors, markers, etc.  Once you’ve got lots of goodies stuff them all in the backpack or a rubbermaid container and put a bow on it.  I guarantee it’ll be a hit with the kids on your gift list.
• Consider making gifts for friends and family.  You can really save quite a bit of money on homemade gifts and they are always appreciated.  Almost everyone has a child, grandchild, or pet in their lives so you could make them a photo gift (either by hand or online) and it’ll be a hit.  Keep your eyes peeled as you will see companies like Shutterfly, CVS, Walgreens, and many more will start putting photo gifts on sale pretty cheap.
• Since you are thinking about homemade gifts think about your cooking skills.  Do you make fantastic cookies or great freezer meals depending on the people on your list making an extra casserole when you cook dinner and giving that to your friends/family for Christmas might be greatly appreciated.  Or if you are like me and don’t have much family local and no one that would appreciate dinner with no work then test out a few cookie recipes.  I’ve made cookies, chocolates, covered potato chips, chex mix and mini rum cakes for my neighbors, hubby’s coworkers and mailed some to family and they are always appreciated.

I’m going to do my best to showcase one homemade gift each week between now and sometime before Christmas LOL.  I make no promises but I’m going to try and get one posted a week to help you complete your Christmas gift list on the cheap.  If you have any suggestions or would like to share something you do I’m open to guest posts or would be happy to share your ideas in my next post.

I’m so excited to be bringing you this giveaway!!!  CSNStores.com and I are giving away a $40 gift certificate to any of their 200+ stores online.  You can get a head start on your holiday shopping or finally buy yourself something nice.  CSNstores.com has everything you could need from dinnerware to outdoor toys to office supplies.  Personally I’ve been looking through all their stores and found tons of things that I love.  I know that this cereal dispenser would make breakfasts so much easier in my house.

So you are thinking that’s great how do I win??  Well it’s simple and you of course can get multiple entries.

1. Leave a comment telling me what you would buy.  There are lots of great things and I want to know what you would love to have.
2. Like LivingonaBudget over on facebook and leave a comment over there letting me know
3. Share this giveaway with your facebook friends leaving a link back here.
4. Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
5. Become a follower here and let me know in the comments

There you go 5 ways to get entry into this drawing.  Just make sure that you leave me some way to contact you.  The winner will be emailed the gift certificate so I will need your email at some point.  If you like me over on a FB or share on FB please leave your comments over there, if you blog about it please leave your link to it here.

I will announce the winner on Sunday 7/25 so check back to see who the lucky winner is!!