Crystal Paine, the brainchild behind the mega-site Money Saving Mom, is at it again. This time, she has a short book full of advice on enjoying Christmas called Celebrating and Savoring a Simple Christmas. It’s only available for in Kindle edition, and through Thursday, it’s only $0.99. (After that, the price will go up to $4.99.) If you don’t have a Kindle, you can use one of the free Kindle reading apps to read Kindle material on your computer, smartphone or tablet.

I received an advance copy of the book to review, and thought that as usual, Crystal shares some great ideas. She covers everything from setting a budget, frugal gift ideas, decorating, and even how to clean your home in two hours. The best part about her book is the end of each chapter, in which she gives concrete, practical steps to implement her suggestions.

My absolute favorite part of the book is Chapter 10, which is about teaching children to be givers. The opening anecdote about Crystal’s oldest daughter is very touching. And I love that Crystal includes a section on being respectful. Despite her own very strong Christian beliefs, she not only mentions other religions, but includes the “Santa’s real/not real discussion” – which I personally find relevant since it’s of great interest to my own children.

If you are interested in feeling less stressed, less overwhelmed, and more peaceful this Christmas season, I highly recommend Crystal’s new book.

WIN IT!

Crystal is generously giving one CFO reader a FREE copy of her new book, Celebrating and Savoring a Simple Christmas. To enter this giveaway, simply fill out the form below. The giveaway ends at noon PST tomorrow (Wednesday, 11/14). Good luck!

RSS and email readers: Click here to reach the form.

One entry per email address. I’ll select the winner using Random.org and announce them here on CFO as well as contact them by email. Winner must respond within 24 hours, otherwise their prize will be forfeited and a new winner will be selected. Additionally, these guidelines apply to all giveaways here at CFO.

Shutterfly has a new program on the Shutterfly Facebook page called Thank the Troops:

It’s more than a card, it’s thank you for our freedom.

Over 1.5 million troops serve our great nation. Many of them will be overseas, in harm’s way, and away from their families over this holiday season. Our mission is simple — to send a thank you card to every American hero. To succeed we need your support. Just select a card from our 4 different designs, add a personal message (or photo) and click send. Shutterfly will print and ship your card to the troops at no cost to you.

It’s perfect for Veterans’ Day and there is a share option when you complete your card, so you can share the program with your Facebook friends and family.

WIN IT!

Shutterfly wants to give one lucky CFO reader a $50 off promo code that you can use at Shutterfly.com for $50 off your total order of $50 or more. To enter this giveaway, simply follow the directions in the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RSS and email readers: Click here to reach the form.

I remember watching the very first episode of Friends, and was a huge fan for the first few seasons. I even sported “the Rachel” {hairstyle} for a couple of years. So I’m happy to help Warner Bros. promote the release of Friends: The Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set on November 13. To celebrate the release, Warner Bros. has a Mashup Clip Countdown that lets you relive all your favorite Friends moments. A new clip will be unlocked each week!

There’s also a fun widget with character trivia and more:

WIN IT!

One lucky CFO reader will win a Friends prize pack, featuring two oversized cappuccino mugs and a picture frame just like the one on Monica’s door. To enter, just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RSS and email readers: Click here to reach the form.

I can’t believe we’re already a week into November – the days are just flying by! And Thanksgiving will here before you know it. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the DIRECTV Classic Men’s Collegiate Basketball tournament will take place in Anaheim, California.

Right now, the DIRECTV Classic is hosting a food drive in partnership with the Orange County Food Bank. The holiday season is a crucial time for all food banks throughout the nation and the DIRECTV Classic is proud to give back to the Orange County community during this time of need. Individuals who bring a can of food or non-perishable food item to the Anaheim Convention Center Box Office to buy their tickets will receive half off their single session ticket (for adults), and children under 18 will get in FREE!

The DIRECTV Classic will be played on November 22, 23, and 25. The participating teams are Cal, Saint Mary’s, Xavier, Drexel, Drake, Rice, Georgia Tech and Pacific. It is a great family-friendly event!

WIN IT!

Five lucky CFO readers will win a pair of single-session tickets, and one lucky grand-prize winner will win two All-Tournament Passes. To enter, just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RSS and email readers: Click here to reach the form.

There were Target coupons for various Purina products in the newspaper last weekend (10/28). Since I won’t use them, I’m giving away my five sheets to the first person to email me at cfoblog {at} gmail {dot} com – the subject line must state “Purina Coupons Giveaway” and you must include your mailing address in the email.

I’ll update this post when I have a winner. Good luck!

We have a winner – congratulations, Karrine!