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Twin Cities Frugal Mom

Living well and centsibly in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area

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Hello! My name is Lisa! Reintroducing Myself

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lisa baker profile 2022

Hello! Welcome to all my new followers and thank you to all who have followed me for a while. I thought I should introduce (or re-introduce!) myself.

My name is Lisa and I’ve had my blog twincitiesfrugalmom.com for almost 15 years. Yes – since (November) 2008! That’s when my firstborn was a baby, and I started my blog to share how our family was stretching our dollars (with a mortgage, daycare, etc.) while still having fun in the Twin Cities.

Since then I’ve published over 2600 articles about everything from saving money on groceries to recipes to just sharing about being a mom to freebies to discounts to showing off all the cool things we keep discovering in Minnesota and beyond!

SPAM Museum Austin

I grew up in Duluth, and moved to the Twin Cities right before having kids, so it’s been just as much fun for me as for my kids to explore all the fun things there are to do (especially the free stuff and the hidden gems)!

I also have 3 Facebook groups: Minnesota Money-Saving Moms, Minnesota Holiday Lights (the original one), and Minnesota Hidden Gems. I love when others post helpful stuff in these groups! I’ve also shared a lot of my tips on TV and while speaking in parent groups and at libraries.

saint paul date night tcfm

Since starting my blog I’ve gone from married, to divorced and single, and now engaged! So I understand the unique struggles that single parents have, though I know all parents have different struggles (my fiance and I are also parents of special needs kids though we feel blessed). But I also know good can come after challenging times – so if you’re going through something tough, hang in there!

I’m working on some really cool new stuff that I can’t wait to share with you, but for now, here are some things on my blog I recommend:

💵 The Ultimate List of Minnesota Family Fun
https://twincitiesfrugalmom.com/minnesota-family-fun-ultimate-list/

💵 Twin Cities Discount Guide for Families
https://www.twincitiesfrugalmom.com/twin-cities-discount-guide-families/

💵 Free or Discounted Admission Programs for Limited Income Families in Minnesota
https://www.twincitiesfrugalmom.com/free-discounted-admission-programs-limited-income-families-minnesota/

💵 Deals & Events Calendar
https://www.twincitiesfrugalmom.com/deals-events-calendar/

💵 10 Things I Do When Times are Tough
https://www.twincitiesfrugalmom.com/ten-things-i-do-when-times-are-tough/

💵 Month by Month Shopping Guide
https://twincitiesfrugalmom.com/deals-events-calendar/month-by-month-shopping-guide/

💵 Freebies for Kids & Families in Minnesota
https://www.twincitiesfrugalmom.com/freebies-for-kids-families-in-minnesota/

I also partner with businesses and brands so if you have a business to promote that’s a good fit here, email me at twincitiesfrugalmom@gmail.com! I have many options available, regardless of your budget.

Thanks for being part of this community!

To make sure you don’t miss an update here, sign up for my free email newsletter and get some freebies too like these printable Boredom Buster posters:

Boredom Busters Posters

Get this and other FREEBIES INSTANTLY by signing up here!

(If you’re already on my email list, check your inbox!!!!)

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Note: If you have any issues with accessing your free printables, email me at twincitiesfrugalmom@gmail.com.

Free Children’s Concerts with “The Jolly Pops” in April

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jolly pops square ad newsletter

FREE Children’s Concerts! Who doesn’t love that?

There are multiple FREE concerts with The Jolly Pops, an all-dad band, in April, all throughout the Twin Cities! Here’s the info:

Come rock with The Jolly Pops and Lake Area Discovery Center at their FREE children’s concerts across the Twin Cities Metro in celebration of the Month of the Young Child: April 13, 20, and 21 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.! 

PLUS, explore Lake Area Discovery Center’s Award-Winning Early Childhood Education programming serving infants through age 5 with 17 Metro locations. (Now enrolling for this fall!) ️
 
RSVP for the concert at https://bit.ly/3E7Y7LC, and share this post to spread the word! 

Explore a Parisian Courtyard at St. Michael Cinema 15 (Plus Get Great Deals)

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Have you been to the St. Michael Cinema? It’s probably one of the most unique movie theatres you’ll find near the Twin Cities.

The entrance is like a Parisian courtyard, and they also have a giant Eiffel screen, a drive-in, venues for parties, a bar, and more.

st michael cinema moulin rouge

PLUS – they have great deals!

Be sure to check out Bargain Mondays, when all movies are $5, plus you can get $5 snack packs.

st michael cinema bargain monday

And they have a $1 Kids Series! 

[Read more…]

50% Off a New Membership at Sam’s Club

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Sam’s Club memberships are $50 but you can get a discounted membership for HALF PRICE!

sams club 50 off deal

Right now you can get a new Sam’s Club 1-year membership for 50% off! It’s $24.99 (regularly $50)!

The Retail Price is $50.00 + tax $0.00 = $50.00. YOUR NEW MEMBER PRICE: $24.99! 

You can also get this same deal on Groupon.

I joined this past summer and I LOVE it. I get many affordable items there including hot rotisserie chickens for $4.99, discounted gas, gift card deals and much more.

sams club gift cards

Get the deal now!

Sam's Club

You will receive your Club membership activation voucher by email, along with: – Complimentary card: One free additional household membership – Perks like curbside pickup for a $4 fee and Scan & Go™ contact-free checkout

Click here to see the deal and grab it before it’s gone!

Sam's Club Deal

(Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no cost to you. All opinions are 100% mine.)

Free Italian Ice at Rita’s on Monday, March 20th

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ritas italian ice march 20

Every year, Rita’s Italian Ice celebrates the first day of spring by giving away free Italian Ice. 

Get a FREE regular-size Italian Ice (your choice of flavor) at Rita’s Italian Ice locations March 20th, 2023 from 12:00 – 8:00pm! They also have a new secret flavor!

In Minnesota, there are locations in Eagan and Apple Valley. Read my blog post review about them here.

Like freebies? Get more here:

Freebies for Kids & Families in Minnesota

freebies for kids in minnesota

Panera Bread – Get Free Unlimited Drinks for 2 Months!

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Panera Bread is offering FREE unlimited drinks for 2 months if you join by March 18th, 2023!

The drinks included are charged lemonades (that means caffeinated!), iced and hot coffees, iced and hot teas and fountain drinks.

panera unlimited st patrick

Sign up by March 18th and get all the drinks you want from these choices for 2 whole months. But if you don’t want to continue after that time, be sure to cancel before then or you’ll be charged $11.99 a month. It’s $119.99 yearly if you want to continue and pay annually.

This deal is only for new subscribers.

panera unlimited sip club

You can get refills once every 2 hours, and unlimited refills while you’re in the cafe.

There are other perks like Sip Club Saturday deals, VIP challenges and more.

Get the deal here!

(Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no cost to you. All opinions are 100% mine.)

Target Car Seat Trade-In Event April 16 – 29 (Free Recycling & Save 20% on a New One!)

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It’s back! Target’s Car Seat Trade-In Event returns April 16 – 29, 2023, where you can recycle used car seats for free, plus get a coupon for a new one!

All car seats collected through this popular program will be recycled so that each component will see a second life. And what’s super neat is that when you recycle your car seat, you get a 20% coupon for a new car seat, stroller or other baby gear item!

Target Car Seats 2020

From Sunday, April 16th to Saturday, April 29th, you can head to your local Target store to recycle your old car seats and redeem a coupon on their Target app or Target.com/circle for 20% for one new seat, stroller or select baby gear.

target car seat

Coupons can be used in store or online and will be redeemable through May 13, 2023.

I also recommend that you combine your savings with using your RedCard, which saves you 5% on all purchases (I love mine!).

LEARN MORE ON THEIR WEBSITE HERE.

(Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no cost to you. All opinions are 100% mine.)

Save Money on Gas with the Upside App

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I previously posted about a way to save money on gas and it’s still a popular deal – the Upside app!

upside app

So here it is – a link to sign up for the Upside app and earn up to $.25/gallon cash back on every fill-up!

Click here to sign up for the app and start saving!

Here’s how it works:

  1. Go to the app and claim an offer
  2. Pay as usual
  3. Check into the app and submit your receipt
  4. GET CASH BACK!

upside app gas station

How do you get cash back? Through paypal, an e-gift card, or as a deposit to your bank. So yes – it’s real money.

On the Upside website you can see what kinds of offers are available in your area. Here are some deals in the Twin Cities:

get upside map twin cities

There are many offers in the Twin Cities. Gas stations include Speedway, Holiday, BP and more. There are also restaurants included, such as Dunn Brothers! (Yay, coffee!)

You can also use the app to compare gas prices.

Have you signed up yet? If not – try it out! It’s FREE.

Let me know what you think!

(Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no cost to you. All opinions are 100% mine.)

Where to Find Coffee Flights in Minnesota

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I had my first coffee flight in 2022 at The Annabelle House in Osseo, a cute coffee shop with breakfast and lunch items as well. It was DELICIOUS and super fun to sample different coffee drinks in one order. This was a Halloween-themed flight in October:

annabelle house coffee flight

Then I discovered and tried a coffee flight in Hastings at Froth & Cork, another cute coffee shop with many other menu offerings. This was a Valentine’s Day-themed coffee flight in February:

coffee flight froth cork

I have since been OBSESSED.

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