Chuck E Cheese on the Cheap

My kids LOVE going to Chuck E Cheese and truthfully, so do I, but we have to mind our budget hence how we do Chuck E Cheese on the cheap.

First tip - sign up for Chuck E Cheese coupon emails. You'll get monthly coupons that typically have better deals than the coupons found on the website. Every so often, like now for the summer, you will also get bonus tokens.

Second tip - eat at home instead of buying pizza at Chuck E Cheese (blasphemy, I know, but it saves money).

Now, there are several ways to get free tokens with which you can play any of the games at Chuck E Cheese:

Tokens for Good Grades
School aged kids can take in their latest report card and receive tokens. A trip to Chuck E Cheese is a good reward for making all As and Bs. Please be advised, you have to purchase a drink or slice of pizza to be eligible for this promotion. I recommend buying the cheapest thing possible. We get a small drink because it has free refills and the kids always get thirsty while playing.

Reward Calendars
Print these calendars, fill them out, and taken them in to receive free tokens. They have calendars for everything from cleaning your room to not picking your nose. There are also awards for being a good patient at the doctor's office or loosing a tooth. Each one gives 10 free tokens. Remember, you have to make a food purchase to redeem this reward.

Buy CEC String Cheese
You can buy Chuck E Cheese snack cheese at the grocery store and receive free tokens on the package. It makes a great snack for picnics or the kid's school lunch box and you can save up the tokens for your next trip to Chuck E Cheese.

BONUS - Right now you can play SkeeBall online and win tickets to cash in for prizes. Warning, this game is addictive.

I'm going to BlogHer in NYC

Two things on my bucket list: BlogHer & NYC. I missed out on that combo in 2010 and didn't want to miss out in 2012, so I'm going! I've know this for a few months actually. I bought the tickets on the last day of the Early Bird rate, but was afraid to announce it. Afraid of jinxing it. Afraid I would have to cancel due to budget concerns. Afraid of embracing my blog and where I want it to go. Investing in BlogHer, and it is an investment for those of us too small to get sponsorship, is a scary yet exciting step. Securing child care for the 3 nights and 4 days has been challenging, but it's done. Business cards have been ordered. Flight has been booked. Hotel is reserved. Money has been set aside for cab, food, parking, and a tad bit of sight seeing.

So a week from today, I'll be leaving the house before sunrise and driving 3+ hours to another state in order to fly directly to NEW YORK CITY!

What do you want to know?

I need to get back to blogging. I miss it. A lot.

Impediments have been or are currently:
being a single parent of 4 kids (with a 5th here for now)
going through a divorce
having a couple of really, really rough years
not having internet at home
wanting to write about ALL THE THINGS but struggling with the confidentiality aspect
having so many things to write about and not knowing where to start

And that's where YOU come in, my loyal readers. I know you're there. Thank you for checking in even though I haven't blogged in forever. Ask me questions and I shall answer. Any question. Any question at all. What do you want to know? I only ask that you sign your name. I'm not interested in feeding the trolls.