Holiday How-To #2: Mr. Potato Head like you've never seen him before... *Edited with new info!*

***EDITED INFO...

Ok, so after posting this, I went to Wal-Mart - totally excited to score 2 Mr. Potato Heads for a buck, and the crankypants old lady at the checkout informs me they do NOT price match for Dollar General. Stupid radio ad says, "We will match any competitor's price." So, sorry if any of you tried this at Wal-Mart and it didn't work. But, if you've got a Dollar General - then hop to because the deal will still work there!

So, ever since Summer from Le Musings of Moi announced her Holiday How-To blogging carnival that's going on through the whole month of December, I've got ideas for holiday how-to posts just coming out my ears!

Coming up in the next few days you'll find these holiday how-to's on my blog...

*How to make a fun, inexpensive gift for your child or a child you know
*How to prioritize your week so you don't get overwhelmed with all the holiday hullabaloo
*How to let Healthy Choice take away some holiday stress (this one includes Healthy Choice coupons for one lucky reader)
*How to make some of my favorite holiday foods.
*How to put your Christmas ornaments up without putting up a tree to hang them on because your child will climb to the top of it, get tangled in the lights because they look like a "pitty neckick" (translation - "pretty necklace"), or choke herself with garland.

Today's idea is all about how you can get your child (or a child you know) a Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head doll for just 50 cents, and at the same time, you can get another Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head to donate to a child this Christmas.

This really takes care of two things for us this holiday season:

1. You're getting a fun, brand-new, not annoying or loud toy for your kiddo, or for some little munchkin on your Christmas list for a whopping 50 pennies. I don't even know if Goodwill would sell you Mr. Potato Head for that cheap. Even if they do sell them for 50 cents, this way you're guaranteed to get one that won't have snot from someone else's kid on it.

2. It allows you to give this holiday season without breaking your bank. So many of us are not in a place where we can just bust out the checkbook and give to charity right now, but what a great opportunity this would be to help out a little cutie pie in your town this Christmas.

I think most communities have toy drives going on this time of year, and they usually want new, unwrapped toys. If you're unaware of any, contact your local Salvation Army, shelters, children's hospitals, or your local Child Protective Services office - they're always in need of toys this time of year.

Ok, so how do you make this magic happen? It's easy.

First of all, go to www.coupons.com and print out 2 of the $2 off Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head coupons. The site allows you to print just two.

Next, head on over to your local Dollar General store where these toys are currently on sale for $2.50. So...$2.50 minus a $2.00 coupon = 50 cents.

Now, if your Dollar General store is out of them (like mine was), go to www.dollargeneral.com and print out the ad (or, pick up one of the actual ads if you're in the store) - the Mr. Potato head sale price is on page 7. Take the ad to Wal-Mart, where they match any competitor's prices from a print ad.

Now grab 4 quarters and a few pennies for tax and go get you some Mr. Potato Heads! I would also recommend getting yourself a chocolate bar while you wait in line. You deserve a tasty reward, you frugal woman, you!

Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?

Woo hoo! Time for another Writer's Workshop with Mama Kat. This week's prompt:
What are you afraid of? Bop on over to Mama's Losin' It to check out more Writer's Workshop submissions. You'll be glad you did. Pinky promise, dude. ;)

There are a few things that scare me in life. Some? Well, some worse than others. But, I feel like keeping this post humorous and not too heavy, so here are some of my more petty fears. We'll save some of the deeper, darker ones for another day.

Ok, so - what freaks me out?

Let's start with crickets. Those nasty, nasty, creatures. If I'm camping, crickets are one of my favorite sounds. But, if one gets in my house? Oh, you better watch OUT. I know they're small. I know they're harmless. But, you can never tell which way the darn, frickin' things are going to hop. So, I'm afraid to whack 'em, because I'm afraid they're going to do their crazy, spastic cricket jump and land on my face or something. Crickets just give me the heeby jeebies. As do any spiders that are not daddy long legs. And, while we're at it, let's add earwigs and centipedes to the list.

Let's see, what else scares me...

Sharts. I'm afraid of getting a shart in public. Seriously, people. This is no joke. I could be walking along in Wal-Mart, just happily cruising the aisles - joyous that I am alone, without a screaming child and without a husband who thinks he is being sneaky by putting powdered donuts and a box of 87 hot and spicy barbecue chicken wings in the cart, thinking I won't notice - and feeling like I have to toot. Farting in big places is not a problem, if you know it will be quiet fart (SBD, anyone?). There are so many people around that, shoot - who is actually going to know it's YOU, right?! But, if you shart (it's when you think it's just a fart, but you actually...uh, need I say more?), then there's no hiding it. And I do NOT pack my purse the way I pack Kaylee's diaper bag. I do NOT pack an extra outfit for myself. So, this is something that scares me.

I'm also afraid of following too closely behind people on the highway, which is why I always give a minimum 2 second following distance, just like I was taught in driver's ed. I know EXACTLY where this fear stems from. I was the passenger in my friend's car when we were on a very crazy freeway, and there was a domino effect car crash in which we rear ended someone who rear ended someone else. Car got dented up, but we were fine and dandy. But, she was following waaaay too closely, and I think we could have avoided the collision had she had at least a safe distance between the cars. Now, this fear puts my husband into fits of laughter when he drives and I'm his passenger. If I the person in front of us taps their brakes and he doesn't slow down at all, my arms instinctually flail about as if I'm about to brace for impact.

I'm also afraid of scary teenagers, public transportation, and someone busting into my house while I'm sleeping.

What scares YOU?