This sweepstakes is now closed. Random winner is… 263.
We are thrilled to kick off our series of holiday giveaways with this opportunity for you to win a Windows 7 phone. A smart phone is a seemingly-critical tool of rookie moms, perfect for reading Facebook or Twitter in bed during midnight feedings. And who has room to carry a phone, a camera, an address book, and a calendar in her diaper bag (or to remember to throw them all in?!)?
Is more more or is less more?
As a parent, sometimes more is really more. Like more hours of sleep. No way around it, that is awesome. Other times, we can do more with less (less time, less hassle, less stuff to carry). Yay for less.
Doing more with less
When Holden turned three, we had his birthday party at the playground nearest our house, complete with picnic tables, play structure, and sandy area. Rather than spend time and money assembling goodie bags, I sent each kid home with a sand toy. Done and done. Easy for me, useful for them {5 tips for a cheaper third birthday party}.
When Julian turned five, Whitney was tired of the large party (due in part to the blessing of 6 living grandparents within driving distance) so Julian had one friend sleep over instead. The overnight guest’s family came over for a pizza and salad dinner. Eight is enough, right? {add homemade flair to a party with no skillz}
Tell us how you do more with less as a parent — for birthdays or any days — and you can win a cool new Windows 7 Phone. (Like… can you stock the diaper bag with just the essentials? Is the cardboard box from your neighbor’s fridge still the word’s best fort? Are your date-nights-in reaching legendary status? Can you stretch a pot roast into five days of lunches? We want to know.)
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This giveaway is brought to you by the new Windows Phone 7. As part of Windows advertising on our site, they’ve provided the latest Windows 7 Phone for us to give to you and are kicking off our not-so-Secret Santa series of sweet presents with a bang. Less MIA. More PTA: Learn more about the Windows Phone online and see it in person at local T-Mobile stores. Answer our question in the comments before November 29, 2010 for a chance to win (25 words or more, please). If you have lots of great ideas, you can enter with a different one each day! We will randomly choose a winner. Winner must respond within 5 days or we’ll pick a second random choice and so on and so on. Read the official rules including 58 other awesome sites where you can try to win!
Sorry, not a parent, but I do more with less by trying to do eight million things at once! More things done with less time would be a lot easier with a smart phone, right now I have a lame flip phone that was free with my plan and I can only tweet/email/etc. when I’m actually at my computer. How 90′s. Thanks for the giveaway!!
I’m getting ready to do more with less as we speak! Happy black friday! My personal favorite is cyber monday, however, as I get to do all of my shopping in PJs
We do more with less (and spread the love) by extensively utilizing Freecycle – both giving and getting.
I do more with less redundancy by syncing my files using Windows Live Mesh.
I make my chicken stock when I have leftover bones from roast chicken then freeze it in ice cube trays to save time when cooking later on.
I would love to win this amazing phone! I could keep my busy family better organized, and get more done with my time.
doing more with less could mean budgeting and adhering to it. It allows us to save properly and spend wisely
So I’m out of town this weekend, and had to bring my laptop, which is obviously no problem. What sucked was all of the witty thoughts that popped into my head on my 10 hour drive that I couldn’t immediately tweet of FB. I needz a smart phone!
I do less with more, but cleaning out my closets and drawers and finding lost “treasures” which my daughter gets to enjoy
I am able to save money and do more for my kids in small ways that add up to big smiles. I make bake my children’s birthday cakes. I even make their birthday cards and decorations.
Christmas has us taking a look at sales and coupons and definitely shopping all year long for the best deals.
My husband will kill me for saying this, but he does more with less by owning only gray socks. Seriously. He bought 30 identical pairs of gray socks. Whenever one gets a hole in it, he still has umpteen zillion other matches for it, so he doesn’t have to chuck the whole pair. And yes, he is that cheap. (Which is why I’d like to win a new phone and not buy one!)
Traditional moose country do more with less- Save the moose nuggets from your yard. Shellac them and make gross gag gifts like moose nugget earrings or moose nugget swizzle sticks!
Having six children, I often do more with less at the grocery store. I check the sale ads, use coupons, stock up on what is on sale, and buy generic when it is not.
Instead of discarding paper after its no longer needed, the kids use the back side for their art projects. So often things get printed that aren’t needed and what a waste.
We prepare ahead of time and we figure out if it is going to cost us a lot of money we buy ahead of time and I always use coupons and try to win Birthday and Christmas Presents. I also Review Stuff that my family really needs. Thats how I do more with less.
freebiegoddess03@aol.com
i have to make do with less as i’m flat broke and it’s not gonna get better anytime soon
I took advantage of Black Friday to buy presents for Christmas, that way I buy more presents with less money!!
My grandmother taught me to “save steps”. During chore time around the house, always have something with you to be returned or replaced as you move from area to area and room to room.
I do more with less money by using coupons. It’s amazing how much money can be saved with a little planning. It really pays off and makes me feel like I’m really saving.
txhottie_86 at yahoo dot com
I try to multi-task whenever I possibly can
One example of me doing more with less is simply turning off and unplugging electronics and appliances. Sometimes people forget and it adds up to the costs. As time goes by, spending a few little seconds on turning appliances off can really make a difference and save more money, more money to spend on stuff I want! I only turn things on when I need to!
I am trying to do more with less by entering to win wonderful freebies!
m and ms are probably my favorite more with less candy. i use them to decorate cakes, i use them in counting games with kids, and they just taste good
I am almost the last person I know that doesn’t have a smart phon, Luddites excepted, of course. While keeping up with the Jones’s doesn’t interest me much, updating my FB from the bank does!
I do more with less money for Christmas gifts. All year I take surveys that pay in Amazon.com gift cards. I will be purchasing a $99 Cuisinart Food Processor for my best friend this year that comes with free shipping. I won’t pay a dime for it, and I still have a bit of Amazon cash left over.
txhottie_86 at yahoo dot com
Being a mom in general forces you to be able to think on your feet and be creative. I have always made my children’s birthday cakes and made all the decorations myself. Our parties are the big hit because we’ve even had a carnival in our backyard using recycled plastic bottles and boxes to create carnival booths. prizes were often freebies we found throughout the year at various stores.
I have six children, so it is imperative that I get more for less at the grocery store. I check the sale ads, use coupons, stock up on what is on sale, and buy generic on what is not. I also don’t buy it if it doesn’t add nutrition to our diet.
Doing more with less sometimes means reusing grocery bags, or buying the recyclable types and using those. Saves the environment and saves the grocery stores money, which in turn saves you money.
We do more with less by taking family vacations during the off-season.
I have a ton of old baby clothes in storage bins. I could give them to someone who’s expecting and consequently rid my life of extra clutter.
I take plastic shopping bags and cut them into strips. Then I use them when quilting by pinning them over the batting so it won’t get snagged while I stitch on my sewing machine.
I never pay full price for anything, unless we desperately need it and a bargain is not to be found. I use coupons and shop yard sales and thrift stores. We do pretty well on a limited bidget.
I recently chopped off 8 inches of hair, all the way up to my jawline. It’s SO much quicker and easier to do my hair now, which leaves more time and patience for all the other million things every morning. Plus, it means I can’t just toss my hair up in a ponytail every single day.
I make sure I don’t buy anything at regular price and nothing without a coupon!
As a parent i do more with less-
–Rent viedos from the library (no charge)
– Michigan Libraries offer one day free passes to museums and art galleries
-make art projects, with left over wrapping paper, ribbons…
-take advantange of story hour
One way we do more with less is with leftovers. Especially during Thanksgiving time. An example would be using ham for lunch sandwiches and using the leftover turkey for quesadillas or my favorite turkey and tortilla soup! Phone looks great!
We went shopping on Black Friday and did a lot more shopping with less money.
This phone would help keep me organized so that I can do more with less!
I do more with less by trying to only take the bare essentials on our trips. I hate when I have extra stuff weighing me down.
I do more with less while shopping, I will only buy something if its really need and on sale.
hlcsid at yahoo dot com
As a parent, number one rule is you used it, you clean it. Even my little ones (4+ year) I teach them to be responsible at that age!
Doing more for less means delegating more responsibilities to the kids so my time can be used more productively.
I use small hand towels instead of napkins or paper towels. Not only do I save money on paper products but it’s environmentally friendly!
I do more with less for my family by planning ahead and shopping clearance sales all year long for christmas and birthdays thanks so much for the chance to win eaglesforjack@gmail.com
I really like spices and herbs. If you buy them in the ethnic food section, especially the hispanic themed aisle they can be only 99 cents a bag! They add flavor to everything including cheap cuts of meat and inexpensive dishes
Its not about the fancy gadgets and disigner clothes its about the caring and time you spend with your kids that matters the most
Never throw away leftovers; always sort your trash for recycling; stuff like that.
I do more with less by shopping at discount clothing stores such as Ross and Marshalls. They carry name brand clothing at a cheaper price. I get so excited over the deals I find there and can honestly say those stores are my favorite to shop.
txhottie_86 at yahoo dot com
There has to be an app for finding your car in a parking lot.. Doesn’t there? How much time would that save me over the course of a year? Think of what I could do with that time!!
We do more with less by finishing all our holiday shopping waaay before the season gets underway. That way, we aren’t caught up in holiday mania or retail marketing when the gifts are being purchased, and we don’t spend as much money.