Sponsored: $500 Coupons.com Giveaway and the Best Frugal Advice My Mom Ever Gave Me (Ends 5/7) U.S.

I am so pleased to be working with Coupons.com and the Fashionista Events Group on behalf of this sponsored post.

Well, that is my mom, and she taught me practically everything I know about frugal living.  That's right.  Things were tight when we were growing up, and I often didn't have all the nicest things in the world like my friends did.  We didn't have cable TV, Atari (remember those game systems?), and all the sugar cereals that were advertised on Saturday morning cartoons.  We had an old-fashioned TV set, and we were not the first ones to get a VCR nor a fashionable car.  We went on vacation during the summer, and we always had picnic lunches and stayed in Motel 6.  We even went camping.  (Some of this was my dad's doing, but that's another story.)

I think the thing my mom taught me about frugal living was that you don't always have to have everything that is the latest trend nor the passing fad.  You don't have to be first on the block to get the new electronic gadget or be the first to have an in-home spa or anything else fancy.  There is nothing greater than spending time together as a family and waiting for the price to go down and maybe even buy something "second-hand."

I am very proud to state that I am passing this frugality my mom instilled in me to my daughter.  There she is at a great event that cost us nothing since I am a blogger (that has become my newest frugal way of living!).  She continually asks for this game or that toy or even that special thing that her best friend has.  It was just the other day that she asked me if we could get a DVD subscription service, and I told her "no."  I proceeded to give her the reasons, and she knew there was no point in fighting it.  Mom's mind was made up!  I know for a fact that the frugality that my mom instilled within me continues to this day.  I still have the mindset that if it is not necessary or too expensive, there is no reason to get it.  However, as I have gotten older, I have also discovered that quality can be just as important.  The key is quality at a good price.  

I am pleased to give my wonderful readers a chance to win a some fantastic gift certificates supplied by Coupons.com.  Five will win $50 e-gift certificates from Kohl's, and five will win $50 e-gift certificates from Nordstrom.  All you will need to do is enter on the rafflecopter below, and you will be entered to win.  This is open to U.S. only, and it will end May 7 at 9 P.M. Pacific time.  What a perfect opportunity for you to cash in on great Kohl's offers for your next quality, frugal item!  You, too, can put into practice what my mom taught me so long ago!  So be sure to enter today.

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I wrote this blog post on behalf of coupons.com, and I was compensated for my time.  All opinions are 100 percent mine, and I was not told what to say nor how to say it.  

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"Advice is for Winners: How to Get Advice for Better Decisions in Life and Work" by Raul Valdes-Perez Book Review

Summary (from Amazon): Advice is for Winners explains how to be more proactive and more skilled in seeking advice from others for better decision making in life and at work. The book describes the many benefits of advice and why people often fail to seek it. Dr. Valdes-Perez offers a comprehensive view of advice as a creative and fulfilling intellectual, emotional, and social process. After reviewing insights from the self-improvement and scholarly literature as well as folk wisdom, he lays out principles and steps for doing it right?as a lifelong habit. The author draws on his experiences as an observer, traveler, father, academic research scientist, board member, and software internet entrepreneur. Dr. Valdes-Perez was co-founder, chairman, and nine-year CEO of Vivisimo, bought by IBM in 2012, and was a 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He was on the computer science faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, where earlier he completed a PhD under the Nobel Laureate Herbert A. Simon. He remains involved in new start-up ventures and lives with his family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.


Advice Is for Winners by Raul Valdes-Perez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book has been on my shelf for a while, and I am so glad I finally got the chance to read it.  This is a very well-written book about a topic that is sometimes overlooked and under-appreciated--the giving and receiving of advice.  In this day and age, all too often it seems to be stressed that advice is something you do not need.  After all, we are a self-reliant people, and the seeking of advice is no longer necessary.  Not so according to this author!

Advice is something that is an art form in many ways, and I am often not too good at doing it.  I was glad to read some concrete information that could help me to know when and how to seek advice.  The author's advice was practical and down-to-earth.  He gave plenty of examples, and I very much appreciated his view.  My opinion has changed concerning the giving and receiving of advice, and I plan to implement some of what he has said in the near future.  At times, I got a little bored during certain sections that didn't apply to me, but the nice thing is that the book is so well-organized, you can find what you are looking for quite easily.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

View all my reviews

About the author (from Amazon):

Raul Valdes-Perez was co-founder, chairman, and nine-year CEO of Vivisimo, bought by IBM in 2012, and was a 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He was on the computer science faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, where earlier he completed a PhD under the Nobel Laureate Herbert A. Simon. He remains involved in new start-up ventures and lives with his family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Book website: http://adviceisforwinners.com.




Buy the book and visit the author's Amazon page.