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.
I would love to see a segment on party planning on a budget. 🙂
With the holidays coming up, a vlog on frugal holiday entertaining would be very timely 🙂
How about a vlog on passing frugality on to your kids. You know, how to keep them from being caught up in all the commercialism of today’s society, teaching them the value of a dollar, giving them skills to do their own frugal shopping… things of that sort.
I would love to see a blog detailing how you organize your coupons/weekly ads to be most efficient for getting deals.
beccaparadis at gmail dot com
How about a vlog on grocery stores sale pricing with coupons versus wholesale stores without? I think a lot of people are assuming they are getting the best deals by buying in bulk (I used to think I was pretty smart) but if we actually compared brand name items bought with coupons with bulk item pricing, I bet it would be pretty eye-opening.
In fact my wholesale store membership ends this month and I will NOT be renewing.
Good luck with whatever you pick!
-Rachel
http://commoncentsical.blogspot.com
I would love to see a behind the scenes vlog..how your organize yourself at home to be more frugal and prepare for shopping, your process your little tips and secrets from your everyday life and to give us a glimpse of who you are.
I would love a vlog of you showing us what you consider your top ten frugal ideas at work in your home. It could cover a range of topics from frugal cooking, organization, and more. It would be nice to really see via video these ideas at work, as well as see what YOU consider to be some of your most practical, effective frugal home ideas that we can do too! It could even turn into several blogs, like an idea vlog a day or something. Just an idea!
-Nancy
I think that since this will be _visual_, it calls for something extra special. Something that lends itself to being shown instead of/in addition to being described.
How about giving a tour of your garden, and then giving tips of how to set up a frugal garden? Or a vlog about frugal gardening tips? This can involve your veggie garden or flowers, etc.
Melind! I think you beat me to the punch! I check the comments before I posted and you weren’t there, but then you posted right before me! Oh well, seems we have a good idea! I just need to type faster!! 🙂
-Nancy
Would love to see a video of how you decide your menu for the week and lunch packing for the kids.
I would love to see a segment on how to find the frugal buys in the grocery store.
sorry….. had to do it…..shameless plug………
I am having a Giveaway!!
This Giveaway will celebrate my 6 month Blog Anniversary.
I have a box full of all kinds of goodies up for grabs. All you need to do to enter is do a post about my Giveaway in your Blog. Then leave a comment here on my Blog to let me know you completed the task. That’s it!!
Tell all your Friends and Blog Buddies. I want lots of people to enter!!
HURRY……..the deadline to enter is September 8th.
The winner will be picked the morning of September 9th.
http://thebarberbunch.blogspot.com/
oh…. I would also like to see a vlog on how you do your menu planning.
🙂
I think a lot of folks could benefit for frugal ways to maximize pet care. If you have a lot of animals it can be hard to keep up with food expenses, vet expenses, etc.
I would love to see a video blog about Halloween. We usually have a big party for Halloween and need to do it cheaply. Not only for the party but also how to save on costumes and treats to the Trick-or-treaters.
What about a vlog about how you organize your kitchen, what supplies are necessities in a frugal kitchen, how you deal with spices and their shelf life, your pantry “must haves” etc.
I would love to see a vlog about ways to be frugal as a blogger!
🙂
lori at thecowboyshack dot com
I’d like to see a vlog on comparison clothes shopping for kids — say how to get the look your daughter loves at abercrombie compared with the frugal version from other stores.
gchen@syracuse.com
I think a v-log on v-loging, since I have no idea even where to begin LOL!
Laundry would be a great vlog – how you save money on laundry supplies and if you make your own or use earth-friendly substitutes for laundry detergent, fabric softener. How do you schedule your laundry time? How do you organize the laundry tasks to save time. How do you sort dirty clothes & clean clothes? Laundry is every mom's duty, but probably one of the least favorite. I'm always looking for tips to help me be smarter (& faster) about doing the laundry! And of course I'd love to win a Flip so I can star vlogging myself!
I would love to see a post on going green on a budget.
Some of those ecofriendly products are so expensive. Which ones are necessary and which ones are fluff. Example: the plastic containers used for kids’ lunchboxes. Do I need to invest in the fancy Whole Foods non-toxic ones or are the grocery store options marked #5 just as good. I just bought my kid’s Sigg bottles and my 6yo lost his in a week. Argh!
Thanks for asking!
Amy
Would love to see a vlog on frugal travel/vacation tips – we’re planning to drive to Disney World in February and need some money saving tips! Thanks!
I would like to see some frugal ideas on cutting clutter and storage. I see so many magazines and articles talking about clutter and how to get rid of it with kids but none that are budget friendly (meaning buy this #30 toy sorter that holds a handful of action figures when you have a room full!) Bah! four kids in my house means lots of clutter! papers, toys, shoes, clothes, you name it! A vlog with practical tips and ideas would be excellent especially with christmas coming up when MORE CLUTTER will make its way in!
I’m sorry it posted my comment before I got all my info in! Let’s try again! (only count this one please!!)
I would like to see some frugal ideas on cutting clutter and storage. I see so many magazines and articles talking about clutter and how to get rid of it with kids but none that are budget friendly (meaning buy this #30 toy sorter that holds a handful of action figures when you have a room full!) Bah! four kids in my house means lots of clutter! papers, toys, shoes, clothes, you name it! A vlog with practical tips and ideas would be excellent especially with christmas coming up when MORE CLUTTER will make its way in!
writingcreations @ gmail dot com
Hands down, I want to see your kid’s bento set-up. Did you get the fancy bento inserts? Show us all the cool, frugal ways to pack a fun lunch.
Coupon Organization Ideas: Tips for keeping track of coupons.
The challenge is not finding these coupons in newspapers, magazines, and mailers. It’s organizing them so that you can utilize them in a timely fashion and take advantage fo the savings that are offered.
GO GIRL!
raceracegirl@yahoo.com
I would love to see a vlog on your frugal gift giving tips or tricks. Specifically for extended family with the Christmas season coming up.
Lori
I would love to see something on home office organization and how that leads to more productivity and/or savings.
How about a Vlog about shopping at a resale store and show us how it’s possible to dress your kids in trendy (oftentimes namebrand) clothing for MUCH less!
What about a vlog detailing and showing how to remain frugal while your kids do sports or other activities.
For example, if Princess does ballet, you could show how to make the equipment last longer and how to get more out of the classes and studio time. Or how to assemble a frugal girl scout uniform.
If Buddy played football, for instance, discuss and show how you maintain the equipment for that.
Maybe along those same lines, discuss frugal activities and sports to get your children involved in or way to make more expensive sports frugal.
I’d love to see that vlog.
I’d like you to do a vlog about getting tech toys cheaply. How do you find the cheapest internet and phone service? What’s the cheapest way to store your photos, music and video?
bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com
I would love to see a vlog on kids birthday parties on a budget – goodie bags, snacks, etc… also I would love to see holiday entertaining done frugally.
Thanks for the time you put into your blog!
ColleenM
What are some of the little things a person can do to get started on the frugal journey (other than washing out ziploc baggies)? Do you remember those things that pushed you forward and made you say, “Yes, I can do this!”
And keep in mind that not all of us have families with young children. My push came after retiring and realizing that I needed to develop better habits if I want my money to last as long as I do.
I would like to see a blog on effective ways to pay all bills each month using frugal skills. A lot of people are not paying thier mortgage due to the high cost of gas and medical care. They are ending up homeless. Please help with your talent. Annette
With winter around the corner and the prices of heating oil and natural gas very high, a vlog about strategies for minimizing heating expenses would be useful for many people. I remember that you had some blog posts on this topic after moving into your new home. You could include in the vlog some of that info plus tips based on the experience of your first winter there. – Mac
How about wants vs needs, and how to decided the difference, or frugal ways to have fun ( ie movie, craft, games etc)
Looks like you’re getting some great ideas! I should have clicked over before most of the more common ones were taken…{{scratching head}}
How about frugal ideas for combatting the ever increasing price of diapers these days.
I’ve seen several requests for party planning on a budget, so I thought I would insert my shameless plug here: http://problemsolvinmom.blogspot.com/search/label/party
since I just did a couple of posts on the topic…
Great idea for entry into your giveaway, I can’t wait to see your vlogs!!
I would like to see a vlog about recycleing. In every sense of the word. Is consignment worth the time and energy, is salvation army or others a better bet just get a tax write off, Yard sales. Not to mention the fact they have freecycle and cheapcycle yahoo groups. I need to clean house before the holidays but want to save time , energy and make not only my purse feel better but the enviroment too. What recycleing efforts make the biggest impact?
I would like to see a vlog about freezing dinners. I know there has to be a simple way do do this-but I just don’t know what items freeze well or really how to do it.
After some sleep I have some more ideas. How about a going into someone’s home who wants to be save more but doesn’t know how and helping them. ( ie go food shopping with them ) so people can see that you can change.
Also I think it would be great to later interview other moms, I use some stuff from your site but have to change it alot as were a family of 9.
I’d love to see one on your gardening. I think a lot of people have heard of square foot gardening but don’t know what it really looks like set up. It is also a gardening method that many can do even if they live in the burbs.
I would love to see a vlog on local shopping and how to make it frugal. Wegmans doesn’t do real sales anymore, price chopper does. Side by side what do you think. Target vs. walmart vs. K-mart. What about childrens clothing brands…quality vs. price?
jenarow at yhoo dot com
I would like to see a vlog on canning. I am planning to start a garden soon and have no idea how to store the fruits of my labor (actually they will probably be vegetables).
Thank you.
Andrea
amattes@aol.com
wow some great ideas already…I would like to see a vlog on how folks keep track of bills, paying off credit cards…like the snowball method. Maybe just a bunch of different ways to keep track, like what do you use microsoft money, a notebook, coupon holder, so you know when to pay it w/o getting a fee. there is so much to remember just with Drs. appts. and such keeping track of the bills is a costly task if not kept up on so maybe you could share some ideas
thanks kate
JTouchette@twcny.rr.com
How to be frugal without looking cheap!
I want to save money, but when it comes to entertaining or giving gifts, I don’t want to look like a scrooge!
onlycancan at hotmail dot com
My idea is to do a vlog on home improvement/decorating frugally. Some of my favorite posts of yours were when you were getting ready to move into your new house and you and YB did a lot of it yourselves. You could do a show and tell of what you both did and how much you saved, etc.
Nicole
Like Breagha said, as this is visual, I think the vid needs to capitalize on that.
Also, since it’s your first one, I think it needs to be really special, and a good jumping off point for future vlogs.
So, to that end, I would love to start at the beginning…where you make your blogging magic happen. I’d like to see where your computer is, how you organize your desk and surrounding areas. I’d also be very curious to see/learn how you plan your blogging topics.
My idea would be to see a vlog on recycling of everyday things as I believe that are young adults have lived in a throw away world. Also one on reusing of foods ex. the little leftover roast, pork chops(sweet sour pork over rice) and leftover veg.
I would love to see a vlog of a frugal/cheap outing with the family. Where do you go when you spend time with your family outside of the home? Is it possible to go do things that require nothing but gasoline to get there?
homemakerhero @ gmail . com
Vlog on how to organize appliance/home stuff instruction manuals. I have a “central command” notebook and have all major appliance instruction manuals in one area. Everyone needs help with how to organize the home – and it starts with the instruction manuals!