Going Back to College

I have made several attempts to complete my bachelors degree but each time somehow someway life happens. Or I tell myself that is what happened. But this Summer I am going back to college. Only one class for now but its a slow start back into the mode of college. I really do love to go. The people, the learning and the positive attitudes are wonderful. 

I have taken many, oh so many classes and changed my major 3 or 4 times because I never felt it was what was right for me. Now through being a mom and blogging I have found out more about myself than I ever thought I would. Plus turning 30 last summer made me really think about what to do with myself. 

My brother in law went back to college and he works full time. So heck I think I can do it too! Its not just for me to get a great job but to also show my son that Mommy has a degree too. Hopefully I can bring my spell check with me lol I am a terrible speller. I loved college back when I was younger and now as a Mom I think I can take in more and be much better at the art of multitasking. 

Wish me luck as I take on Summer School and the path back down the road to a degree!

Texas Instruments TI-Nspire CX Graphing Calculator Review and Giveaway Holiday Gift Guide

The Texas Instruments TI-Nspire CX is one of the latest graphing calculator models used for mathematics, data, graphing, geometry, spreadsheets, calculating and much more. The calculator itself is very thin in comparison to some of the older Texas instrument models, making it sleek and easy to store. This calculator is great for almost every use and it's even in COLOR! No it's no longer in grey scale but in full color and it's the first model with a back light making it easy to read and it looks great.

When you first turn on the calculator you select the language you want to use and your location. Then it sends you to the home screen that has all of your applications listed. The middle of it has a track pad that you graze your finger over it to navigate and click the middle 'ok' button to select. The track pad makes it easy and quick to switch from each task, and is much smoother than figuring out which buttons to click to move the mouse to a different selection. One of the coolest features about this calculator is that you can connect it to your computer with a USB cord and download documents, games, and even pictures straight to your calculator.

The programming is simple and straightforward and easy to use if your new (or an expert) to the TI system. Another great thing about this calculator is it doesn't take batteries! With the calculator comes a rechargeable battery and the wall hookup to charge it. All around GREAT calculator and it has really helped me out in school. It looks nice, has great features, is easy to use and is also a fun toy to have. This calculator retails for $159 to $144 depending on the store and I would definitely recommend purchasing this calculator it's a great investment and is very helpful inside and outside the classroom.

Texas Instruments Ti-Nspire CX Graphing Calculator:

Screen size: 320 x 240 pixels (3.2" diagonal)

16-bit color

100MB of storage memory

Visualize in full color

Use digital images or your own photos

Rechargeable battery

Thin design

3D graphing

USB port for computer connectivity

Approved for standardized test

Easy to use computer features

This Texas Instruments Calculator would make an awesome gift for an middle school through college student. Its cool to use and needed for many college classes. You can purchase it at Walmart, Staples and many other retail and office supply stores.

GIVEAWAY

Win a Texas Instruments TI-Nspire CX Graphing Calculator

To Enter This Giveaway: (mandatory entry before extra entries)

Who would you win this for?

*Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on.

-Like TI Calculators on Facebook +1
-Follow TI Calculators on Twitter +1

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC ( right hand side) +1
-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1
-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1
-Share this giveaway on Facebook ONLY, using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day)

-Copy and Paste This Tweet on Twitter and leave me the link (to find the link click on the time stamp under your tweet. Can be done once a day for the duration of the giveaway)

#Win a Texas Instruments TI-Nspire CX Graphing Calculator from @ticalculators at @FrugalFamTree #Giveaway ends 12/20 http://www.frugalfamilytree.com/2011/12/texas-instruments-ti-nspire-cx-graphing.html


*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts December 14, 2011 and ends on December 20 , 2011 at midnight PST. Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize.

Gildan and My Stuff Bags Touchdowns for Tuition Sweepstakes

Gildan and My Stuff Bags are Teaming Up to Help Our Nation’s Children in Foster Care with Apparel Essentials. With each purchase of a Gildan college care package, one will be donated to My Stuff Bags.

Apparel company Gildan is donating a care package to My Stuff Bags (www.mystuffbags.org) for every college care package purchased during its Touchdowns for Tuitions Sweepstakes and Instant Win Game which was launched on September 15, 2011 and will run through November 15, 2011.

Gildan’s college care packages include a pullover hoodie, a crew sweatshirt, three T-shirts, a Gildan Bowl T-shirt, a six-pack of underwear (men’s packages only) and a six-pack of socks (2 packages for women only) ― available through the promotional period for $39.99 (a value of approximately $65) at http://gildanonline.com/store/carepackages2011.html. Ideal to cover the basics for any college student, this care package goes the extra mile. For each care package purchased, Gildan will donate a much-needed socks and underwear care package to My Stuff Bags (www.mystuffbags.org), a nonprofit organization providing children under the age of 18 with bags filled with the basics as they navigate through the foster care system and other child welfare agencies.

Your child in college will love to get a package from you full of the essentials to be comfy while studying or doing homework.  Knowing that one will be donated will make you and your college student feel even better!

Gildan launched a Touchdowns for Tuition sweepstakes on September 15 and it runs through November 15. The Grand Prize is a $10,000 college scholarship (regardless of the age of your child) and trip for a family of 4 to the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. Plus, daily prizes (up to 25 a day) are given away and include college care packages. In addition, they have made the college care packages available for purchase at $39 during the sweepstakes period (9/15 – 11/15) and for each one purchased we will donate a socks and underwear care package to My Stuff Bags , which is a nonprofit that helps kids in foster care with the basic necessities as they navigate the child welfare system.

Sweepstakes is open to residents in the continental U.S., the Gildan Touchdowns for Tuition Online Sweepstakes and Instant Win Game will culminate in one family winning a Grand Prize package that includes a college scholarship of up to $10,000 for a child attending college, plus a trip for four to the Gildan New Mexico Bowl including a three-night stay. For the grand prize college scholarship, Gildan will contribute $1,000 for every touchdown scored during the Bowl game, up to a maximum of $10,000. Additional daily instant win prizes will include the Gildan college care packages and discounts that can be applied to online purchases at www.gildanonline.com.

Those interested in registering to win can do so at either www.TouchdownsforTuition.com or on the Touchdowns for Tuition Sweepstakes page hosted on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/gildanonline.  Once registered (providing a name, email and address) entrants can play the instant win game and receive immediate notification as to whether they have won a Gildan college care package.  At least 25 instant-prize winners will be selected each day to receive college care packages. Registrants can enter once a day, for each day that the contest is running. Those who do not win instantly are still entered to win the Grand Prize and will receive discount coupons, as well as a link to purchase care packages for each child attending college.

 I reviewed a few Gildan products and my favorite are the socks. They are very comfy and durable in the washing machine. They did not shrink at all. Plus I love that they have pink toes and heels!


*I was not paid or compensated for this post. The opinions in this post are 100% mine and may vary from other opinions. I was provided for free some Gildan products for sharing this information.

100 Days of Sizzle Gorton's Seafood Grilled Sweepstakes and Blog Giveaway

Gorton's Seafood 100 Days of Sizzle Grilled Giveaway

Every day between May 31st and September 7th Gorton's Seafood is giving away FREE Gorton's Grilled, and 3 lucky winners will win our Sizzling Beach Bag Grand Prize!

1 Grand Prize Winner Each Month! A custom Gorton's beach bag made from recycled sails by Gloucester's own Second Wind Sails! Each bag comes filled with summer beach essentials - an Amazon Kindle 3G, an Amazon Gift Card, and a Fisherman's Beach Towel ($400 value)!
10 Daily Winners of Gorton's Grilled Seafood! Gorton's will be drawing 10 winners every day for 100 days - each will win a FREE product coupon for 1 Gorton's Grilled Seafood item!



You can enter the Sweepstakes hosted by Gorton's Seafood on their website or on Facebook.

We are huge Gorton's Seafood fans in my house. So far I have gotten my son, my mother in law, my mom and Sam all to try Gorton's Seafood. It delicious! I love the variety they offer. My son loves the fish sticks and I love that they taste so good. My favorite is the Tilapia fish sticks. My mother in law loves the Butterfly Shrimp but I cannot eat those. Sadly I am allergic to shellfish but oh my do they smell soooo good!

For the 100 Days of Sizzle Grilled Giveaway hosted by Gorton's we celebrated by trying some of the Grilled products. Thankfully they make them since our grill is no longer working, not good for the summertime!  We tried the Salmon Classic Grilled fillets. We paired it with Jasmine rice and fresh green beans for a tasty summertime dinner with out having to fire up the grill! On days where its 100 plus degrees no one wants to go stand near hot grill to cook.

Pic from the site but basically what we had just not as picture perfect!

Another great thing about Gorton's is the resealable bags! I love this feature. Since my son usually has his own designated bag of fish sticks it makes it much easier to grab a few toss them in the oven then seal up the bag for next time. One of the recipes we have tried form the Gortons Seafood website is the Fish Sticks Pizza. My son loved it and I used regular sliced bread since I did not have English muffins.


GIVEAWAY on this Blog:


Enter to win 2 FREE Product Coupons by mail. There will be 3 winners!

To Enter This Giveaway:

What is your favorite seafood?

 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if not in GFC profile*

 

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on. 

-Go to http://www.gortons.com and sign up for the e-newsletter +1
-What Gorton’s Seafood recipe is your favorite? +1
-Tell Gorton's Frugal Family Tree sent you with a Facebook Wall comment +2

-Enter the 100 Days of Sizzle Grilled Giveaway +1 

-Like on Gorton's Seafood Facebook +1
-Follow Gorton's Seafood on Twitter +1

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC ( right hand side) +3

-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +2 for each share you do. (can be done once a day)

-Add our button to your blog and leave a link of where it is located +5 (right hand side) 

 

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts July 30, 2011 and ends on August 11, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. I was provide the item in this review for free by the company or PR firm representing them. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others

Chegg Rent Your College Books Save Lots of $$$

Last semester I used Chegg to rent my college books instead of buying them. I saved over $75 on just one book! Previously I had to buy them and then sell them back to the book store at the end of the semester but I lost a lot of money in the process. Text books seem to have a the new edition each year and professors want the newest material available. This tends to make the book you buy for one semester worthless in the eyes of the Buy Back stores. I am so excited to have found Chegg. I will use them again this semester for all my books. Plus they plant a tree in your honor for your book rental. I had my planted in the Tahoe National Forest. Currently they are having a Sweepstakes running for every book rental you have the chance to win instant prizes such as Apple Macbook, Nikon CoolPix Camera, XBOX 360 Console, Samsung TV and many more! The grand prizes are MtvU Spring Break Trip, Grammy Experience or $5,000 for college! Rent your books now to see if you win! You can click here to gain access to this money saving site!

Sell back your Used Text books and Books

As a college student one of the biggest expenses is my books. Some books can cost more than the class fees! I have found and recently sold back one of my textbooks. The site I use here is very simple to use. You type in the ISBN number of the book and they will quote you on how much they will offer you. I recently received $26.98 for one textbook! The payment arrived in my paypal, you can also have your payment sent as a check. Shipping is free, all you do is put your books in a box you already have and print the shipping label from their website. I opted to have them mail my shipping label and order form which came quickly in the mail.
They also take regular books not just text books, so grab your used books and start typing in ISBN numbers to see how much you can earn! Also helpful for getting a little shopping money and clearing out the pile of textbooks your college student kids leave around the house! =)