As part of the Walmart “11 Moms” national campaign,I was sent a very cool little camcorder by the nice people at Flip Digital in order to make video blogs (vlog). But that’s not all, I also have one to give away to you, my loyal readers!
The Flip Ultra is tiny-the size of your average point and shoot digital camera. It records 60 minutes of digital video (with audio) and runs on two regular AA batteries. I was pretty impressed that it actually came with Duracell batteries instead of cheapo no-name brand.
Operating the camera is simplicity itself-there are only a couple of buttons! To down load your videos you just use the USB plug that flips right out of the side of the camera-no need for additional cables. Just plug it in and the software resident on the camera downloads to your computer-you are off and running in no time.
The size is perfect for throwing in your purse or pocket and having on hand for all of life’s little moments that you’d like to capture on film.
I’ve been playing with mine quite a bit-getting ready to launch my first video blog entry (vlog).* The digital quality is great for such a bitty thing, although when you use the zoom function I find it to be a bit grainy.
This sweet little digital video camera retails for $149-and one of my readers will get one for FREE!
So I know you are all wondering: “What’s the contest? I want my chance to win!”
Since this is the highest dollar value item I’ve ever given away, I wanted to make it a bit more challenging than the standard “leave your name and I’ll draw a random number” give away. So I decided to make all of YOU help ME come up with some vlog ideas!
To enter you must leave an original idea** for what topic you would most like to see a frugal vlog on between today (August 30) and Wednesday Sept 3. On September 4th I will post a poll with all of the ideas. After five days of voting, the Frugal Upstate Readers will have decided which contestant gets the camera, and which Vlog I make!!!
GO!
*Note: If I can ever get my video editor program to work! Help!
**Note: No repeats! Read the rest of the entries to make sure that no-one else has suggested the idea before posting.
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I would love to see a V-Log on how to entertain young children around the holidays. I want to see ideas as far as baking cookies or whatever for Halloween or Christmas, coming up with fun games, and ofcourse all of the cool treats!
I would like to see a vlog on your husband or children’s responses to your frugality. What do they like/dislike about it or do they even notice a difference?
Another idea would be how to effectively save money when you are from a small town. Some rural areas only have one grocery store so we aren’t able to compare prices with multiple stores.
Thanks!
rebecca[DOT]witte8[AT]gmail[DOT]com
I’d like to see a vlog on general home repairs, the “stitch in time” type things. Unblocking your own drains, small roof repairs, fixing holes in the fence, that kind of thing.
Sorry if this is been suggested, tried to read them all but soooo many…. (great job Frugal!)
Here it goes…I just relocated from Upstate New York to Florida. One big difference, 2 ft snow compared to Hurricanes.
The first year we were Upstate (we lived on top of a mountain) we got snowed in for 2 days. We were camping inour living room melting snow on a propane grill for water!
Faye was our first experience with the with hurricanes.
Regardless of what kind of weather it is you need a Survival Kit. It is amazing how just before a storm the price of batteries and canned tuna double (both NY and Fl!)
I would like to see a vlog about Frugal Weather Survival Kits. Overall they are pretty standard where ever you live. Saving money and being prepared is a must!
Sure Walmarts could play a big role in this too (they did for me pre-Fay!)
Thanks for thinking of this contest and all your hard work!
@newoldmom
How to save money by planting an urban garden!
Tips, tricks, average money saved, but most importantly the time spent with family + learning experience.
Thanks!
Healthy but frugal meals and snacks– especially stuff for kids.
Sorry if this is a repeat. I would love to see a V-Log on your weekly ritual. How you organize your coupons, where you get them from. How you plan a menu. If you get any help from family members. The most time efficent methods. Something that newbies and old pros can both enjoy and learn from.
How about a look behind the scenes at the Milk Company….. My husband works at wal-mart and says that the Great Value milk is bottled at exactly the same place as the name brand milk….. Most people don’t realize this……….. They’re just turned off because the milk is “Generic”…. If you could get into the place and show it being done…………. If we all started buying the generic, I bet the prices would come down!
How about How to dress your teen in style on a budget? WOW, I try so hard to keep my kids in style by only buying when its on clearance and sometimes out of season for season to come….even thrift shops….this is a HARD thing to do!!
Okay, I give up trying to be original, so many ideas are gone!
I'd love to see back to school shopping – clothes & shoes done frugally. I feel like that's where I'm stuck, personally.
I would like to see a segment on legitimate work from home ideas. I would like to supplement my current self employment income by doing something else. Surely there are mom’s out there that have come up with ways to make additional monies to make up for the shortages. I’ve tried Craigslist, ebay, garage sales, flea market selling, rebating, filling out surveys, mystery shopping and a few other things, but I’d like to see what other things are available besides the obvious. What businesses are legitimate. I’m all the time clicking on a job listed online to find out it’s some sore of scam. How to tell the difference and what to look for….just my .02 worth and idea. Thanks….have a great day.
I would like to see a vlog about an organization system/storage system for a small space (closet, part of the garage) when you buy lots of deals and have stockpiled diapers, Pop Tarts, cereal, etc. It would ideally include instructions on how to determine how much space you need and how to create it on a small budget. It would also be great to know how to keep track of expiration dates on stockpiled food.
Lets talk about Christmas…Making our list, checking it twice…Gonna find the best deals…. What is your strategy? How do you work the sales? Do you put items aside all year long??
HELP!
I loved your frugal food series…I would love to see a vlog that highlights the best recipes from that series and shows you making them. That would be fun and helpful!
Home haircare/haircuts on a budget would be a topic I would enjoy as well.
How about a demonstration of how you utilize your bread machine? I picked one up at a thrift shop, unfortunately no directions included. I know you have mentioned using it often in your blog, sometimes just to make dough, and then bake it in the oven. I also just read a method for baking bread in the microwave after you have prepared dough the traditional way? Have you ever tried it? Anywho, I would love to see a video of the whole bread machine process and maybe it could be worked into a comparison of buying pre-made, cost, nutrition, etc. Thanks!
I’d like to see a vlog comparing different budget programs, like quicken or quickbooks. I think lots of people want to budget but don’t know where to start or think it’s to tricky. you could compare the systems and their features, costs, how user-friendly they are, etc.
I would LOVE for someone to show me how to actually USE quicken or a tool like it – I always set it up but never really know how to use it.
I would like a blog on how you organize coupons or tips you have BEFORE heading to the store to shop. With a baby, things can seem to get kinda crazy.
pheobiejenkins@gmail.com
I would love to see a blog on income-producing hobbies/working from home. How can I make some money while I am home all week??
How about how to save big on BIG ticket items and home rennovations?
Here is how we do it and you could use any of these ideas:
DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND USE COUPONS.
HERE IS HOW I DO IT:
1)BE SURE I KNOW WHAT/ HOW TO DO IT ( FOR PROJECTS)
* http://www.ehow.com/
* http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page
* http://www.howtodothings.com/
* http://www.wonderhowto.com/
* http://www.instructables.com/
2) READ REVIEWS OF PRODUCTS AT:
* http://www.resellerratings.com/
* http://www.about.com/
* http://www.epinions.com/
* http://www.consumersearch.com/
ONCE I KNOW WHAT I WANT THEN I,
3) COMPARE PRICES AT THESE SITES:
* http://www.bizrate.com/
* http://www.mysimon.com/
* http://www.nextag.com/
* http://www.pricescan.com/
* http://shopper.cnet.com/
THEN I LOOK TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY DEALS AT THAT STORE BY VISITING:
* http://www.bargainist.com/
* http://www.coupons2grab.com/0-beststore-discount-coupons
* http://www.retailmenot.com/
* http://www.rather-be-shopping.com/
THEN I SEE IF THAT STORE IS A MEMBER OF A CASH BACK PROGRAM LIKE THOSE FOUND AT:
* http://www.ebates.com/index.do
* http://www.loyaltymatch.com/LoyaltyMatch/goHome.action
* http://www.mrrebates.com/
* http://www.quickrewards.net/index.html?spi=new
I LOOK TO SEE IF IT IS OFFERED AT:
* http://www.buy.com/allcategories/default.html
* http://www.eforcity.com/
BUY AND/OR GET REBATES FROM:
* http://www.ebay.com ( for example- we were doing lots of renovations- I bought 5 Lowes – also good at home depot) 10% off coupons for $3.50. Saved lots using them)
USING THESE TIPS- WE HAVE SAVED HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS AND MADE INFORMED DECISIONS.
KARO pray@inbox.com yahoo group: Super Savers Sharing
I think you should do a FAB FRUGAL MAKEOVER!!!
Immerse yourself in one Mom’s life for a day and point out as you both go through her average daily activities – exactly where she could cut corners and SAVE! Saving money, time, and effort by maximizing her efficiency! Sometimes we just need a fresh set of eyes on our habits to see what we could live without. The top ten money saving tips you discovered throughout the day could be highlighted at the end of the VLOG, and I’ll bet that many of them would be applicable to most Moms. You could give a cute turn with something like a Stop sign you hold up to the screen when she starts doing something inefficient like a money traffic cop, run with it!
Long time reader, first time commenter. I would love to just see a “day in the life of…” post. You get so much done throughout the day and I just want to see you do it all.
I am a newly wed and still domestically challenged! I would love it if you showed how to make something…anything from scrath. I need to learn how to cook!
Thanks,
Tatiana
tatiana_kalil@yahoo.com
Please do a vlog on how to remain frugal while trying to find fun activities to do indoors during the upcoming cold weather. It’s a bummer to lose the free outdoor fun!
I would love to see how you organize your coupons.
Also, while in the store how do you keep the ones you will use separate? Mine are in a pencil case and stuffed in my pocket, not the best strategy
I think vlogs on frugal DIY tip for around the house would be fantastic!
Susan
http://frugalfloridian.blogspot.com
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