Halloween Party? Here are some tips!

I wrote a post awhile back on some general household tips for Halloween, but as I start to think ahead to this Saturday, I thought those of you who are hosting a party for the ghoulishiest night of the year might need some help, too!

I'd like to tell you that I'm throwing a big bash, but truth be told, with getting costumes ready for the boys, writing Who Knew?'s new series of cookbooks, and two weddings to go to this October, I'm lucky I even remembered to buy pumpkins! Luckily my old college roomate is having a party--which is even better, because her name is Candy!

I called Candy and we talked Halloween parties (and old gossip) for a while... Visit the new Who Knew? website for some tips from her Halloween party and some parties I've had in the past. Let us know if you have more!

Sample New Proctor & Gamble Products

One piece of advice we always give our readers is to set up a separate email account for freebies. (It's also great to give out at stores and anywhere else you think might send you a lot of mail you don't want or sell your address.) The Proctor & Gamble newsletter, however, I get straight to my "real" inbox. It reminds me to collect my P&G freebies, it's a must-have coupon source for everything from fabric softener to cat food, and it also has some fun tips and tricks--and you know what household tip junkie I am! This month's free sample is for Oil of Olay bodywash. I'm hoping this one arrives before my other body wash samples run out! Maybe I'm just crazy, but I always feel better using a sample than something I paid for. Or maybe I just love saving that much....Click here to sign up for the newsletter and get their body wash sample, and enjoy!

A Sugary Cereal Trick

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! We've had two weddings in the month, and although it's been so much fun, it's eaten up a lot of time!

Bruce will be on HSN tomorrow morning selling Who Knew? II with our new calendar, so tune in while you're getting ready in the morning to see some fun household tips. You can catch him at 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. eastern time. Meanwhile, I'm sorting through a million recipes for our next set of books: an as-of-yet unnamed series of cookbooks. They're going to concentrate on teaching people how to buy in bulk and cook their meals once a week (or once every other week, or once a month) to save time and money later on.

If there are any tips you'd like to share about how you make coupons work for you, save on meals, or making cooking for your family easier (and you wouldn't mind us using them in our book) please share! Here's something my friend Tina shared with me--it's too late for my kids, but maybe not for yours! Tina is one of those super-parents who doesn't let her children eat sugary cereal, so she uses it as a reward!

Kids who are not used to having a morning sugar fix normally like sugary cereal brands as much as they like candy, so why not use it instead? That way, when kids are getting a sugary treat for being good, they’ll at least getting it from a food that is also enriched with vitamins. And if you’ve been wanting to wean your children off the sugary stuff in the morning, this might be a good way to start!

If You Only Join One Website to Save Money...

If my friends roling their eyes everytime I bring up yet another savings website is any indication, not everyone is as nuts about finding good coupons as me. But even if trolling the internet for coupons isn't your bag, there is one site you definitely need to sign up for: Fatwallet.com.

Fatwallet is one of the best ways to start saving money immediately and easily. All you have to do is log on to Fatwallet before making purchases at such websites as BabiesRUs.com, Payless shoes, Nordstrom.com, Buy.com, and Walmart. They'll give you money back on everything you buy--usually 2 to 8 percent, and let you know if there are any coupon codes for sales on the site. You can even earn cash back for using travel sites like Hotels.com, Expedia, and Jetblue.com, and if you use an online dating site, you can save a huge portion on your membership (Match.com gives you 30% back and Chemistry.com 50%!).

You'll need a Paypal account and will have to wait several weeks to get your money back. But when it's as simple as clicking through, why not? (For more details on how it all works, check out their FAQ page.) And if you do enjoy coupon clipping, they also offer printable coupons and one of the best user forums about recent deals on the web.

By the way, if you visit FatWallet before buying our book you'll save an extra 4%! Even we can't offer you that deal.

A face mask for every skin type!

Who doesn't love some time at the spa...even if that spa is your bathroom with a couple of candles?  With these homemade face mask recipes, you’ll  not only save money and get the same results as expensive store-bought varieties, you won't mind that you had to lock the door so your kids won't barge in.