Thomas the Train is coming to Duluth in August! He’s returning for a stop on his Day Out with Thomas™: The Thrill of the Ride Tour 2014. And I have been provided with a family 4-pack of tickets to GIVE AWAY to one Twin Cities Frugal Mom reader! Since I have family in Duluth, I will be
I visited Sovereign Grounds Coffeehouse & Indoor Playroom in Minneapolis this week with my kids and a friend. I had heard it was a popular coffee shop in the Twin Cities for parents with young kids to visit together, and I needed to find a good, kid-friendly place to go in Minneapolis with my friend
I’ve put together a list of all the Twin Cities area summer county fairs this summer of 2014! For convenience, it can also be found as a page under the Deals & Events Calendar tab here: Summer County Fair List 2014 Like I did last year, I’ve included as much information as I could find
Sea turtles, stingrays and sharks – oh my! Our family was invited to visit the Sea Life Aquarium at the Mall of America with complimentary passes in exchange for my writing an honest review. Needless to say, our kids were super excited to visit, especially Thor, our 3-year-old, who couldn’t wait to see the sharks!
This is a list of Twin Cities area resources to help you get rid of yard waste, papers, clothing and any other type of household items you no longer need. This list will be added to and updated as needed. CLEAN UP YOUR YARD YARD WASTE COLLECTION SITES Each county offers free yard waste collection sites
Here is a compilation of this week’s great printable restaurant and retail coupons which are available in the Twin Cities area.
Between July 18 and September 1, 2014, shoppers who spend $250 anywhere in the Mall of America can receive two free unlimited ride wristbands for Nickelodeon Universe®. Two free wristbands will be distributed for every $250 spent (up to 16 wristbands per person) with redemption of their original, printed receipts at the North Guest Service Desk (Level 1). More details can be found here.
Photo courtesy of Carrie Rocha, PocketYourDollars.com
Looking for an affordable driving school option for your teen or even yourself?
There’s a new driving school called Passion Drive that’s new in Maple Grove and it’s $100 less than most everyone else. » Read more..
My kids and I love the Choo Choo Bob Store in St. Paul – for storytimes, all the fun train tables and other train fun! (See my review!)
Well, I just found out that this month that the Choo Choo Bob Store has just been named a Thomas Wooden Railway Specialty Station – one of only a handful across the entire country! Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway is introducing LOGAN, a new, limited release engine that is only available in Specialty Stations like the Choo Choo Bob Store.
This Saturday, July 26th at 1:00 p.m., everyone is invited to a special family event welcoming Logan! Event is free and open to the public! » Read more..
Admission to the Bakken Museum is FREE this week from Tuesday, July 22 to Saturday, July 26 for the Best Days of the Bakken! The Bakken is open its regular hours (10:00 – 5:00 T, W, F, & S and 10:00 – 8:00 Th) but hours of free programming each day are 11:00 to 4:00.
We visited the Bakken Museum a couple months ago for their free second Saturday event. We had fun exploring their theme in May: Wind and Weather!
Our kids enjoyed making wind turbines and kites.
Thomas the Train is coming to Duluth in August! He’s returning for a stop on his Day Out with Thomas™: The Thrill of the Ride Tour 2014.
And I have been provided with a family 4-pack of tickets to GIVE AWAY to one Twin Cities Frugal Mom reader!
Since I have family in Duluth, I will be going with my kids and reviewing my experience on ThriftyMinnesota.com (and sharing the link here!). We’re so excited to go!
Highlight’s of this year’s event include:
Here is a compilation of this week’s great printable restaurant and retail coupons which are available in the Twin Cities area.
Davanni’s - On BOTH Monday, July 21 and/or Tuesday, July 22 if you bring in THREE (3) healthy, nonperishable food items you can get a FREE 1-Item Solo Pizza (thin or traditional crust). Don’t want pizza? You can also apply the $5.34 discount to any other menu item. THE Deal is only good on eat-in or take-out (sorry, not delivery).
Denny’s - $5 Off $20 Purchase (exp: 7/20/2014)
Dickey’s Barbecue - Free Kids Meal When You Buy Adult Meal (exp: 7/31/2014)
White Castle - Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sriracha Chicken Sliders (exp: 8/3/2014)
Disney’s new movie, Planes: Fire & Rescue is now in theatres in 3D!
I was fortunate to be invited to a prescreening of the new Planes: Fire & Rescue movie in 3D this week before it was officially released. My kids and I enjoyed the movie and I’m excited to be able to finally share my review!
In “Planes: Fire & Rescue,” world-famous air racer Dusty (voice of Dane Cook) returns from the first Planes movie, now facing engine damage and a new life as an aerial firefighter. » Read more..
I received an email from Staples with the following info about some great deals going on this week. There are 5 Staples store locations in the Twin Cities area: Roseville, Woodbury, Bloomington, Apple Valley and Minnetonka.
From notebooks for 17 cents to 
backpacks for $29.99, Staples back-to-school deals, beginning on Sunday, July 13 through Saturday, July 19 offer tremendous savings opportunities for school essentials including:
$5 and Under
I like to take my kids to the Minneapolis Farmers Market and Farmers Market Annex regularly in the summer. We love all the fresh produce, flowers, meats, as well as the wide variety of handmade and other unique items for sale.
A regular “must” for me when we first arrive is a fresh bratwurst and lemonade from the Untiedt’s hot dogs and brats stand ($8 for both). Their bratwurst is sooo hearty and good and the lemonade is the BEST lemonade I’ve found anywhere. I just wish they sold a bigger size!
A Grab Bag Sale is happening at 7 Once Upon a Child locations in the Twin Cities this Saturday, July 19th! These events only happen a handful of times per year so check it out!
All day long! Put as many clearance items as possible in a bag for just $15. Yeah! Only $15!
Once Upon A Child – Participating Locations » Read more..
It’s heartbreaking hearing reports in the news about children dying from heatstroke after being left unattended in vehicles. Parents are humans too but it’s a mistake no parent can bear to make.
Kars4Kids has made available a free Bluetooth enabled app developed for this purpose that will signal an alarm as soon as the phone has been disconnected from the car (i.e. car has been shut off).
They have also provided this poster you can download and display wherever it might be helpful.
Since this free app is obviously not intended to replace a responsible parent, also check out this list of helpful tips to help parents not forget their child in their car.
Kars4Kids is a national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that funds educational and youth programs through its car donation program. Visit their website dedicated to this child safety campaign for more information.
FREE pedicab rides for 3 days in Minneapolis!
This Sunday, July 13 -Tuesday, July 15 (12-8 p.m. each day), Yoplait Greek will be pedaling fans around the downtown Minneapolis area for FREE on Yoplait Greek-branded pedicabs (pedicab rides typically range $20-$40 per trip).
While on board, all riders will also be able to participate in the Yoplait Greek Taste-Off, a side-by-side, blind taste test of Yoplait Greek Blueberry and Chobani Blueberry fruit-on-the bottom. All you have to do is hail one of the specially marked Yoplait Greek pedicabs and you’re on your way to your destination of choice. » Read more..
Here is a compilation of this week’s great printable restaurant and retail coupons which are available in the Twin Cities area.
Arby’s - Buy 1 Get 1 Free Orange Cream Shake (exp: 7/15/2014)
Boston Market - Buy 1 Get 1 Free Individual Meal (exp: 7/13/2014)
Chick-fil-a - Free Meal When You Dress up Like a Cow on 7/11 Only
Chili’s - Free Chips & Choice of Dip with Adult Entree Purchase (exp: 7/13/2014)
Red Lobster - Free Appetizer or Dessert with 2 Adult Dinners (exp: 7/13/2014)
Schlotzsky’s - $2 Off $10 Purchase (exp: 7/16/2014)
Now through July 13th, download the ebook Rich Kid Smart Kid for FREE at www.richdad.com.
Gain valuable insights on how to approach your children’s financial education with this free download.
I just downloaded the book and it’s a 279-page pdf. You have to register for the site (and select a password) but it’s pretty simple. » Read more..
I recently reviewed ABCmouse.com as we’ve used it in our home for a few months now. (You can see my review here and enter my giveaway for a 1-year subscription by 7/10!)
ABCmouse.com just shared some exciting news with me. They have just launched ABCmouse.com® for Libraries™, a fully featured, free-for-libraries version of ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy! » Read more..
