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BlogHer was great in many ways. The Bumble Bee Tuna party was my absolute favorite event and the Hallmark party was really neat too! There is one thing that happened at BlogHer that I haven’t told you about yet. I went onto the second floor of the expo room to find a huge sign that read the Rachael Ray Show was taping and we should be warned that we might be on tv.  When I walked in, they announced that we could sit down and be in the audience for a special taping with The Rachael Ray Show’s Chef Wes. I love the Rachael Ray Show and I wanted to check it out so I found a comfortable chair and sat down. I met some really great women bloggers who were sitting near me, including Karon Warren and The Undomestic Diva, who is very natural on camera and I seriously envy her skills. They asked us to twitter in an ingredient for Chef Wes to use in the meal he would make for us. They randomly chose five and Chef Wes was to make something using those things. The ingredients were chocolate, olives, cilantro and kiwi and nutmeg. (Ewe!) They ran out to shop for the five ingredients. They asked us to wait thirty minutes and they started interviewing bloggers. They interviewed a lady and I was completely surprised that they walked right over to me! I told them who I was and they asked me about 8 questions! They interviewed about eight bloggers so I don’t know for sure if they will show me. They said the segment should air around September 20th.  We got to taste the omelet that Chef Wes made and it was fantastic!

Sarah wrote: “My husband lost his job in April and we are now in a big financial mess. After our house and what to do with it, we are trying to figure out what to do for medical insurance. I work but it’s not near enough to cover our expenses and insurance through my employer is $888/month which is a huge chunk of my paycheck so it isn’t an option. I love your blog because it helps me find the best deals!”

Hi Sarah! I completely understand your situation.  My husband’s former job would have cost us over $500 to insure our family. We found a program that we loved called Samaritan Ministries. ~ The Bargain Shopper Lady

A Health Insurance Alternative: Samaritan Ministries.

A few years ago, we decided to try a program called Samaritan Ministries. The cost is $295 a month for an entire family (3 or more). As a member of Samaritans Ministries, any visit over $300, will be reimbursed to us with a $300 deductible.

Any visit under $300, we pay cash. Doctors visits run us $44 a sick visit and $108 a well visit. We can get our shots at the doctor for $12 each or go to our local rec center and get them for $3 each. (Also check with your local library.) If the boys need three shots, going to the rec center would save us $25. I have done both and I have found that the rec center nurses have amazing rious “shot giving” skills. My son didn’t even cry one time, the nurse was that good at administering shots.

We have also learned that if the boys injure themselves (and it is not life threatening) to take them directly to a pediatric specialist. This skips the ER visit and can save thousands of dollars. Samaritans Ministries also gives us a $100 referral credit for anyone you refer to them. Samaritans Ministries has been a huge blessing for us and we love them!

Sign up for your local mall’s club program to get local promotions and deals. They are currently sending out $10 gift cards (via an email that you print out and bring to the customer service booth) for your birthday!

Target has great printable coupons! They have a $1 off produce coupon which makes a small produce purchase FREE! They also have $1 off their steak. If you scroll down a few pages, you will find $1 off any Quaker breakfast item. Get $1 off the Quaker Simply Harvest Granola bars! These are a favorite snack in my family!

If your family has recently become unemployed you might be wondering what you can do to make ends meet.

These thoughts were inspired by our readers:

Karie-Anne shares: Try and do all your errands at once so that you don’t waste gas. Keep a pad in your car to write down the local gas stations that tend to have cheaper gas prices.

Salvation Army and Goodwill make great spots for back to school, I also find “treasures” that we need in the house all the time. Wednesday is Family Day at Salvation Army so everything is half off. I find designer clothes for my kids all the time. Most major grocers have a seconds shelf, either dented cans, day old bread or turning produce. You can save a LOT of money by shopping these areas first before the rest of your shopping.

Ask for Help- If you need help with a school field trip, ask, if you need help with registration fees, ask, if you need some quick cash work, ask, you never know what you will find!

Register for Freecycle in your area. There are also great barter groups (you can find them listed on Craigslist.org).

Haley shares:  I would suggest looking into the Angel Food Ministries. They provide low cost food through their Non-Profit organization. You can order online or through a local site across 44 states and then pick up your food at your chosen site. You purchase the Signature Box for $30.00 which contains enough food to feed a family of four for a week along with a dozen eggs and milk. You can then add on boxes such as a grill box with steaks and/or hamburger patties, a fruit and veggie box, after school boxes with great and easy snacks for the kids, and more. It’s a great program providing a great services. Use coupon code ComeBacktoAFM15 for 15% off your online order.

Thanks Karie-Anne and Haley for those great ideas? Do you have an idea to share? Leave a comment! Stay Tuned for Part 3, coming soon!

I have Jimmy Dean Sausage coupons going out to Sarah, Karie-Anne, Pam and I was able to located one extra for Gis. If your name is listed, please send me your address!

It seems like almost everyone I know has had a season in their life when they have experienced being unemployed. It is not an easy thing to go through but it can be a time for a family to grow closer together. My husband is a full time phd student and has two part time jobs. (Actually three for the summer!) We have one more year of his phd and then he will get a teaching job. Sometimes when you can’t see around the corner, it can be hard. It takes a full trust in God. There are a few things that you will need to know:

• Sign up for Food Stamps right away. (Use Google to locate your program by state.) It could take up to 30 days to get these but they will give you some of the month before.
• Check to see if you have a local food pantry. (Google your town, such as Dallas Food Pantry).
• Sign up for Energy Assistance.
• Sign up for WIC if you have children under the age of 5. (This will get you free milk and other products.)
• You might be able to find housing assistance to help you with your rent for a month.
• Check to see if you qualify for Unemployment checks.
• Take a financial inventory. Make sure you have a budget written out and try to cut corners.

Do you have any other tips to share?

I have three Jimmy Dean Sausage coupons ($7.99 value) to mail out to three separate readers compliments of Jimmy Dean. If your family is unemployed just leave a comment letting me know and I will send you one.

BlogHer has been a really unique experience. I loved the Expo booths. I found Elmo! Photo 2: I love the Dora booth! Dora is celebrating their 10 year anniversary and they printed out personalized t-shirts for our kids! Photo 3:This is my newest friend Rebecca from Just Dance. She lost over 40 lbs doing the game for an hour a day and Just Dance sent her to BlogHer! How cool is that?

The Winners of the giveaways are:

Perricone Starter Kit- Carole H.

Evenflo Starter Kit - Melissa S.

You should both have an email from me!

Hillshire Farm has a great $1 off coupon here! Also get $5 more in coupons here.