Too Much Good Stuff Giveaway

This post brought to you by ampm. All opinions are 100% mine.

I won!  I played the Instant Win game on the ampm facbook page, and I won a corn dog.  I've never had a corn dog from ampm, but from everything I'm reading they're pretty good.  I just need to find out whether or not I'll actually be able to eat it or if I'll have to give it away to someone.  I checked their website and can't find out whether they're all beef or not.  And then there's the fact that I'd have to take a road trip to redeem my winnings, since there's no ampm close to me. (insert sad face here) because they look like really nice convenience stores with all kinds of snacks, beverages and hot food prepared on-site.  It actually looks like the perfect stop on a road trip.

But anyway, here's the deal - right now you can enter the ampm Too Much Good Stuff giveaway for your chance to win instant prizes.  They're giving away 15,000 bottles of Pepsi Max and 10,000 corn dogs.  Entering is easy - simply 'like' their facebook page, click on the Too Much Good Stuff Giveaway link on the left side, and enter your email address to get started.  Then you get to spin the virtual slot machine to see if you win.   If all three reels match - you win! Whether you win an instant prize or not, you're still entered into the sweepstakes for some cool prizes like Apple iPod Nanos, Apple iPod Touches, Apple iPads or an Apple MacBook Air and the grand prize trip to Las Vegas.  I wouldn't mind going back to Vegas - especially if someone else is paying for it.  How about you?  And I'd take an iPod Touch... *crossing my fingers*

Must be 18 or older to play and 21 or older to win the trip to Vegas, and you can play once per day.  So what are you waiting for?  This giveaway ends 8/31/11, and they've got some Good Stuff to give away.  Go see if you can claim your share.

Tools for Better Blogging

Image by Colin ZHU via FlickrI really need to check out this list of 15 Must-Have Tools for Better Blogging. It's a list of tools, sites, and plug-ins that 'most bloggers have never heard of' and are supposed to help increase the engagement of your blog readers.

Quickly glancing through it, I recognize and use a few of these, Zemanta and Google Analytics to name a couple.  There are several that I've not heard of, and I really want to check them out.

How many of them have you heard of or do you use?

Manage Your Phone Calls with Google Voice

I was talking to a friend this weekend, and she mentioned that she had purchased a cheap cell phone and some prepaid minutes because she's trying to sell something and didn't want to give out her 'real' phone number.  Not a bad idea really, and I think those cheap no contract phones can be a good thing, as you can tell from the previous couple posts.  But now she doesn't need the phone any more, but she bought minutes that need to be used or they'll expire - therefore not really being a good deal at all.

I mentioned that she should have (could have?) just signed up for Google Voice and given that number out instead.  The calls could have come into her regular phone, because Google Voice lets you forward calls to any or all of your regular phones.  Just link them with your Google Voice number and decide which phones should ring when a call comes in to your Google Voice number.  And, of course, these settings can be changed at any time.

Of course, Google Voice has all kinds other features like voicemail, text messaging, call screening, call blocking, caller ID, the ability to record custom greetings for different callers or groups of callers, and even the ability to embed a widget in a web page so all callers have to do is click to call you.  For free.  And that's just the beginning, really.  Google Voice offers so much more than I've even begun to mention.

So maybe I was wrong.  She shouldn't have gotten a Google Voice number to give out instead of her 'real' number.  She should get a Google Voice number and start using it for everything.  And me?  I've had a Google Voice number for a couple years - and I really, really need to start using it!

Any big Google Voice users out there?  What do you think?  How do you use it?

Straight Talk about Cell Phone Plans

This post brought to you by Straight Talk. All opinions are 100% mine.

Here's another option for saving money on cell phones.  Straight Talk offers no contract plans that can help cut your cell phone costs way down.  They have an  “All You Need Plan” that meets even the needs of heavy phone users with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data.  Or you can get their  Unlimited Monthly service for only $45 which includes calls, text, picture messaging, and web.  Imagine getting everything you need for only $45 per month - with no contracts, no surprise bills and no credit checks.  Even 411 is included free - no extra fees.  I'm really liking the sound of that.  You can even call a friend in another country with their flexible prepaid calling service that gives you low international rates.

I would really love to try this, but it almost sounds like it's too good to be true.  Great prices but no reception, right? No - they promise great nationwide coverage and excellent reception/connectivity.  Even the Fantasy Fishing guys are hook, line and sinker in love with Straight Talk, and you know they need their phones to get a signal out in the middle of nowhere - or at least in the middle of a huge body of water.  Here are what some other Straight Talk customers have to say about the reliability of Straight Talk:

Straight Talk also offers phones all the way from reconditioned phones with camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability for about $10 - perfect for kids or people who are really hard on their phones, because it's really not that expensive to replace the phone.  They also have amazing smart phones; touch screen phones, and app capable phones with features like voice navigation, camera, video recorder, music player, instant messaging, and Bluetooth, so you can have whatever you want - just no big bills and no contracts.

Get a Great Deal with Net10 Unlimited

This post brought to you by Net10. All opinions are 100% mine.

We've been talking about upgrading our cell phone plan.  Currently we have 1200 anytime minutes and unlimited texting and messaging, but we don't have a data plan.  To upgrade our three lines - to 1500 anytime minutes, unlimited messaging and 5GB data per line - we'd have to pay $180/month.  And that doesn't include all the extra fees that always show up on the cell phone bill.  It's really hard to justify that.

That's why I'm thinking this NET10 Unlimited Plan would be great.  The plan includes nationwide coverage and unlimited talk, text, and data, for $50 a month.  Unlimited.  I didn't realize until I watched this video where they help a man see the Light about how much money he could be saving every year that the $50/month is all you ever have to pay.  There are no extra fees or charges, and 411 is included!  I always get frustrated when my husband calls 411 and those extra charges show up on our bill.  And those government fees and taxes?  Frustrating.  I love the idea of knowing exactly how much the cell phone bill is going to be every month. 

There are no contracts to sign, and you can switch between plans anytime with no penalties or fees, and you can get phones from trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung, anywhere from simple phones for under $15 to smart phones for less than $60.  This sounds like a smart way to upgrade the plan.

Here are 10 Good Reasons to switch to NET10:

I have a hard time arguing with the price - unlimited talk, text and web for $50 a month with no contracts or hidden fees.  Unlimited everything for all three of our phones - $150.  Period.  You know how I like to save money!  It almost sounds too good to be true, but there are real NET10 customers who say it's not.  They're happy with the service.  They're happy with the price.  You really can get unlimited cell phone service for a reasonable price.  Check out www.net10.com to see how it works.

NET10 can also be found on facebook and twitter.