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This Spring Cleaning Tips post was written by PennySaverUSA staffer Carissa, who has an infant baby daughter

Keeping things organized is key to maintaining a clean home with a baby around.

My beautiful, 10-month old daughter Mackenzie is still not at that stage where she can clean up after herself, so the onus is on mommy and daddy.

That said, it’s never too early to start laying the groundwork for when she’s older and more understanding. My bundle of joy can better be described as a hurricane of cuteness, because in the wake of her playing and discovering new abilities with her many toys, it’s as if a hurricane tore through our living room.

Here are some tips we’ve found to making clean up a breeze:

1. Assign everything to a designated place

• Baskets, drawers and bins are great for keeping stray toys off of the floor and out of the way.

2. Play and Put Away

• As they get older, make rules that they must put one set of toys away before they start playing with another. Otherwise, you’ll be tripping over legos, Barbie dolls, building blocks and stuffed animals all in one step!

3. Stick to a schedule

• By making cleanup time a routine, you are more likely to keep things from getting out of control. After dinner, before bath-time, or right before bedtime are the best options, since those are the most constant to your little one.

4. Start involving your Child and Play the Clean-Up Game

• We clean up with our baby, almost as if it were a game. Right now, we’re hitting some speed bumps with this, because as we put a toy back in the bin, Mackenzie just takes it back out…  The ultimate goal is to have them follow you in putting their toys away. That way when they hear “clean-up” or “clean-up time,” they can associate it with putting away their toys.

5. Celebrate their Progress

• When they do a good job and are following the instructions better, make sure to congratulate them and make them feel good about what they’ve accomplished, and they’ll definitely be more excited to clean up the next time.

Please visit PennySaverUSA.com’s Kids Korner section for all of your baby needs.

If you are the type that loves a playful and exuberant pup, then our latest Pet of the Week is right up your alley.

Assist PennySaverUSA.com in finding our latest Pet of the Week Junior a nice home.

Meet Junior, a 1 ½ year old white & blue Pit Bull Terrier.

He was left to the Burbank Animal Shelter by a family who had to move, so he is looking for love and commitment.  He has a lot of energy, is talkative and loves to play with his Kong toy.

Seeing as how Junior is a strong dog, we recommend an adult family with a yard and a lot of time to spend with him.

Additional training will bring out his great qualities plus allow him to channel some of that energy! Come by the shelter and meet Junior- ID #A042017.

Burbank Animal Shelter

Location: 1150 N. Victory Place, Burbank, CA 91505

Contact: http://www.thevbas.org | 818-238-3340 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 818-238-3340 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Adoption hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-3pm. Closed major holidays.

Adoption Fees: Dogs $104, Cats: $78, Bunnies: $30 (prices include spay or neuter, vaccinations and microchip.)

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This week’s user-submitted Pet of the Week comes from PennySaverUSA Facebook fan Shawn. Shawn was gracious enough to share this touching story of how he came to adopt Archie (pictured to the right).

Click the image to share your story of pet adoption with us on the PennySaverUSA Facebook wall.

Read it in his own words:

A couple years ago, my mom’s dog passed away with cancer. The tumor was the size of a golf ball, and was lodged in his throat. Sad to say he could not eat and each time he tried to eat he would cough it up, so we took him to the hospital, so he could go to the better place.

A couple weeks later, we did a Leukemia walk at the Rancho Cucamonga baseball stadium.

My mom had to use the restroom, but while we were standing around, this big beautiful red-haired husky walked past us and then sat down.

When my mom came out of the restroom I told her I wanted to look at this dog and she was ok with it … unfortunately we didn’t grab any information about this dog, but we knew it was upsetting my mom because she wanted this dog.

So what did we do? We went to the Rancho Cucamonga animal shelter, saw the dog, and she adopted him right there on the spot!

His name is Archie, and we have had him for about 2-4 years already

Click the image above to find local pet groomers on PennySaverUSA.com.

Things can get quite messy with dogs running around the house.  It’s an unavoidable fact that you will probably never have a spotless home when you share it with your four-legged friend. But you can try! Here are some quick spring cleaning tips to help keep a clean house with dogs around.

Daily

• Vacuum and sweep your pets’ common areas every day. Stick with the areas where your pup hangs out the most.
• Use a pet brush to brush your dog or cat’s coat to help reduce the amount of shedding.
• Use a wet, unscented fresh wipe to wipe down your pup’s paws, especially after being outside. Fresh tip: Soak paper towels in a mixture of water and lemon juice and store in a large ziploc bag.

Weekly

• Freshen up your carpet to get rid of the dog or cat smell. Fresh tip: Make your own carpet freshener using baking soda and scented oils and dust it over a pre-vacuumed area.
• Bathe your pup to help wash away the excess fur. If you’re not up for the task, you might want to take them to a professional pet groomer instead.
• Run dryer sheets over fur-covered furniture. You can also use tape, rubber gloves, or a lint roller. Fresh tip: Mix one part fabric softener to three parts water in a spray bottle and spray on carpets and furniture. Vacuum after 2-3 hours and see how much fur you just vacuumed up!
• Wash all your pet bedding. Fresh tip: Pre-wash using white vinegar! This will help get rid of the lingering smell in your washer, and it will help prevent lint and hair from clinging.

It may seem like a lot of work but a little bit every day will help you keep your home tidy.

EXPIRED: Congratulations to Patricia H.  for being the winner of this trivia contest.

First of all, we’d like to thank you for being a loyal PennySaver reader and visiting our blog! Here are the details for the contest.

QUESTION: What three animals move their front and hind legs on one side and then their front and hind legs on the other side when they walk?

PennySaver Trivia Contest (Prize is $50!):

• Enter by registering for a free PennySaverUSA.com account (if you haven’t yet) and leave a comment by clicking the “comment” link above with the answer to the trivia question by Friday, March 16 at noon PT.
• We will pick a winner from all the comments with the correct answer via random drawing.
• The winner will then be notified and announced as the winner in the PennySaver print publication!

Once you’ve entered our PennySaver trivia contest, we’d love for you to join the PennySaverUSA community for more special contests, discounts and offers:

1. Subscribe to our email newsletter to hear first about PennySaverUSA.com’s new contests and features.
2. Like us on Facebook to get exclusive offers, money-saving tips and more.
3. Follow us on Twitter to get news and information from around the web about couponing, pet ownership and more.
4. Add us to your Google+ Circle and join the frugal conversation.
5. Check us out on Pinterest to see our favorite vintage items.

Good luck in the PennySaver Trivia contest! Remember to check next week’s PennySaver print publication to find out if you won.

Congratulations to the previous three winners:

Week 3: Consuelo B.
Week 2: Heather D.
Week 1: Linda B.

The Largest Direct Mail Shopping Publication in the U.S. Continues to be Invaluable Resource for Local Businesses and Shoppers

BREA, CA (MARCH 19, 2012) – The Original PennySaver^TM, a Harte-Hanks (NYSE: HHS) company, is celebrating 50 years of helping people save money in their own neighborhoods. Since its inception in 1962, the iconic company has been the leader in servicing its local communities with classifieds, coupons, and deals for everyday needs. With more than 780 local editions and a reach of more than nine million circulation in California, The Original PennySaver is not only the largest direct mail shopping publication in the U.S., but it is also a brand whose classifieds have helped shape the lives of many.

In addition to its print shopping publications, The Original PennySaver has an impressive Web presence at PennySaverUSA.com and its associated websites. In April 2011, the company launched SaverTime.com, the hyper-localized daily deal site for California residents offering deals on everyday items, with nearly 30 local daily deal offerings.

“For 50 years, The Original PennySaver has been the expert in local classifieds, coupons and savings,” said Loren Dalton, President, Shoppers Digital and Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, California Shoppers. “We continue to be an affordable and effective resource for local businesses, and shoppers look forward to the savings offered in our print and online publications each week.”

The Original PennySaver has always been the champion of the little guy, trying to level the playing field for small businesses through print and online classifieds and coupons that are tailored to a specific targeted local community.  Other small business resources from PennySaverUSA include PowerSites^® and PowerClicks^®.  PowerSites are websites built and hosted by PennySaverUSA to give local businesses an instant online presence. PowerClicks lets the pay-per-click advertising be handled by PennySaverUSA so that small businesses can be more readily found by users of major search engines.

“I am very happy with my company’s PowerSite powered by PennySaverUSA, and believe it is the main reason I am getting more and more calls every week,” said Matilde Gutierrez of Matildes Housecleaning in San Diego, California.  “In fact, I have been so busy that I have had to hire an additional staff person to support the business.”

Consumers have also remained loyal to PennySaverUSA advertisers, because they know that the small business offers found in print and online are not only credible, but are also valuable resources in their own communities.

“There are lots of interesting things for sale or even free,” said long-time PennySaverUSA reader Gail Powell of San Diego. “I have found roommates, purchased automobiles, clipped lots of coupons and even found jobs!”

Reading The Original PennySaver weekly is a ritual for many and often evokes nostalgic memories from the past such as buying that first car or finding a family pet.  It’s become so engrained in pop culture that movies such as Juno, books such as It Chooses You by Miranda July, and TV shows such as Saturday Night Live and Two and a Half Men have featured references to The Original PennySaver.

When reflecting on the past and looking toward the future, Dalton said, “Our mission of connecting buyers and sellers at the local level has not, and will not, change. We are grateful to our loyal advertisers, readers, site visitors, mobile users and employees who have been so critical to our success for the past 50 years, and we look forward to an even more exciting future.”

Company Origins

In 1962, Bob DeMarco launched the Huntington Beach PennySaver in California. A showcase for local businesses, customers used to go to DeMarco’s office and wait in line, cash in hand, to place their ads. Demand was so strong, that at his noon deadline at the end of each week, he would have to lock his doors. The Original PennySaver, as we know it today, follows a similar format as the original Huntington Beach PennySaver.

Company Milestones

­1962 –  Bob DeMarco launches the Huntington Beach PennySaver in California.

1973 – Harte-Hanks, a worldwide direct and targeted marketing company, purchases PennySaver from DeMarco.

1989 –  Harte-Hanks-owned PennySaver Group boasts a California shopper circulation of 3.3 million.

1996 – PennySaver launches its online presence with PennySaverUSA.com.

1997 – Harte-Hanks acquires the Vista-based PennySaver publication from ABC Inc., a subsidiary of Walt Disney Co.

2003 – PennySaverUSA breaks the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Temporary Coin Mural.

2004 – PennySaverUSA receives the Better Business Bureau Torch award in recognition of outstanding ethical business practices and commitment to service within the San Diego community.

2004 – PennySaverUSA breaks the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Permanent Coin Mural.

2005 – PennySaverUSA breaks the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Piggy Bank.

2008 – PennySaverUSA launches PowerSites product to help local businesses launch websites and connect with customers on the Internet.

2010 – PennySaverUSA launches PowerClicks product to help local businesses get found on search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo!.

2011 – PennySaverUSA launches SaverTime.com, a hyper localized daily deal site in California that offers savings on everyday expenses.

2011 –​   PennySaverUSA debuts two apps for iPhone and Android.  MOGASA helps users navigate the garage sale landscape with thousands of nationwide garage sale listings and Cha-Ching is a local coupon-finding app for those who enjoy scoring discounts and living large on less.

2012 – PennySaverUSA boasts more than 780 local editions and a reach of more than nine million circulation in California.

- more –

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL PENNYSAVER^TM:

PennySaverUSA.com™ and its Florida-based sister publication, TheFlyer.com™ are leading single print publications. The two publications reach over 11.2 million U.S. addresses every week. For fifty years, the PennySaver has helped businesses in California advertise to local communities while connecting buyers and sellers through local classifieds. Known as PennySaverUSA.com online, readers are enjoying the same local values as the publication has been trusted to deliver for decades. On the web, PennySaverUSA.com and TheFlyer.com are advertising portals bringing users local online classifieds, business listings, online coupons, and a range of business products and services like PowerSites™ that help small and medium size businesses build websites and establish a web presence to improve lead generation. For more information, visit us online at http://www.pennysaverusa.com or http://www.theflyer.com.

ABOUT HARTE-HANKS:

Harte-Hanks, Inc. (NYSE: HHS) is a worldwide direct and targeted marketing company that provides marketing services and shopper advertising opportunities to local, regional, national and international consumer and business-to-business marketers.  Visit the Harte-Hanks^® Web site at http://www.harte-hanks.com or call (800) 456-9748.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Karyn Ravin

Maletzky Media for PennySaverUSA

karyn@maletzkymedia.com

212-829-0150

The key to a successful spring cleaning experience is to go in with a plan.

In this latest installment of our Spring Cleaning Tips series, we lay out a few simple steps for helping you figure out and execute your plan.

1. Come up with an objective for each room: While this step may seem obvious, it’s actually surprisingly easy to overlook. The last thing you want is to put in all this time, effort and money to get your spring cleaning done, only to discover that you put away things you still need or that you dislike the way your room now looks.

   Avoid that disappointing outcome by compiling a list of expectations for each room and perhaps draw up a little sketch of what you want each room to look like when you are done. Who knows, there might be some rooms that don’t require any spring cleaning.

2. Make your own cleaning products our use coupons to buy them: Last week, Brandi from The Reali$tic Couponer did an outstanding spring cleaning tips guest blog post for us about DIY cleaning products. As Brandi pointed out, it’s much easier than you would think to create your own products.
   

   Get everyone involved when doing your spring cleaning.

   If you still prefer to purchase store-bought cleaners, then it is imperative you use coupons. Do some research (Good Housekeeping has some good information), target which cleaners you need and what brands you prefer and then search for coupons of those products on the company’s web site or Facebook page, on PennySaverUSA.com or in your local PennySaver print publication.

3. Get everyone in your household to pitch in: Spending time, money and effort on spring cleaning and ending up with a rift that makes your living situation uncomfortable is, well, a disastrous result. Prevent that eventuality by including your housemates in all of your spring cleaning plans and asking them to participate. Just make sure to assign roles and responsibilities to help make the process efficient and keep people from stepping on each others toes.
4. Pick a date and stick to it: We’ve all been there. You say you are going to start spring cleaning this weekend, but then a friend calls with an invite to something fun or a relative calls and asks you to visit and you completely ditch your spring cleaning plans. This inevitably causes the situation to spiral and before long you are left with a mess that seems too overwhelming to attack.

   Stay away from this pitfall by dedicating a day to spring cleaning on the calendar and letting everyone know you are busy and unavailable that day. Unless it’s an emergency, make it a point to ignore all calls, texts and emails until you are done.

Sticking to this spring cleaning tips plan should get you on the right path. Please let us know in the comments if you have other suggestions.

Disclaimer: Feel free to look at previous Free Friday posts to see if you can find any other freebies that are still active, but only this week’s freebies are new. Many older ones will be expired.

Settling is not what we do here at PennySaverUSA.com. We are always trying to find new ways to enhance our user’s experience, and that even applies to Free Friday!

Get in the St. Paddy's Day spirit with free fries.

That’s why we are changing the layout of our popular blog feature this week and offering up freebies by category. Let us know what you think about the new Free Friday layout in the comments.

Food

Free French Fries at Burger King: The term “no purchase necessary” is like the Holy Grail of food freebies and that applies to this amazing offer. Simply show up at your local Burger King sometime this weekend (offer only valid March 17-18) and request your free value-size fries. What’s more – they’ll even throw in Heinz St. Paddy’s Day green sauce.

Drink

Free Gevalia Coffee from Target: Minimal effort (filling out a short survey) + Maximum Reward (a free sample of Gevalia) = Free Friday bliss. Just click on the “request sample” button at the bottom of the page and make sure to say you do drink coffee in the first question of the survey, or you can’t continue. (Thanks Living Rich With Coupons for the find)

Free Eavmor Water: This ain’t no tap water we’re talking about here, it’s “natural artisian water” with a “rare alkaline source”. To get the coupon for a free 20 oz. bottle, just scroll to the bottom of the page and provide your name and email address. (Thanks Free Sample Momma for this find)

Fun

Free 50 tickets from Chuck E. Cheese’s: This Free Friday offer requires a little work, but it will be well worth it once you see your kid smile after redeeming the tickets for a little prize. Simply answer five trivia questions about Chuck E. Cheese’s and bring in the form to a participating location and they will give you the tickets.

Get fragrance from Calvin Klein this Free Friday.

Free Movie Rental from Blockbuster Express: Simply use the code “ETTUBRUTE” through March 21 at any kiosk and you’ll get a $1 off. With some movies costing only $1 that means it’s free! (Thanks The Cents’Able Shoppin for this find)

Fragrance

Free Calvin Klein Beauty sample: We love freebies that don’t take any effort. This is one of those freebies. Simply visit this page, put in your name, address and email and they’ll mail you the sample. Easy peasy.

Photos

Free 8×10 photo prints from Walgreen’s or JC Penney: The Walgreen’s offer is only good through Saturday, March 17, and is available online with coupon code FREEONE. The JC Penney offer, meanwhile, is good through March 31, but can only be redeemed in-store.