Windows Phone 7 & XBox Live Gold Membership Giveaway From Wise Bread
Photo: Microsoft
Editor's note: Contest has ended! Congratulations to Annette D for this winning comment!
To celebrate the launch of the new Windows Phone 7, Microsoft is giving away a fabulous prize to one lucky Wise Bread reader!
Prize
One Wise Bread reader will receive
- A brand new Windows Phone 7 (approximate retail value $500).
- A 1 year Xbox Live Gold membership
- A 3 month unlimited Zune Pass -- which lets you download and stream unlimited music for 3 months and keep 30 songs forever after 3 months.
How to Enter
Simply leave a comment below telling us how you can "do more with less" in your life. The comment should be around 25-250 characters long (basically 2-3 short sentences will be perfect). Don't forget to fill out the email address box or else we won't be able to contact you if you win!
You can enter one comment per day until contest ends on 11/29/2010, 11:59 pm Pacific.
We will randomly select one winner at the end of the contest period and post the results here in December, 2010. No purchase necessary. Must be legal US resident and at least 18 years-old at time of entry. See here for detailed official rules.
"Do more with less" is a very broad topic! You can write about budgeting, decluttering your life, bargain hunting, frugal philosophies, green/simple living, lifehacking, and more.
How We Do More With Less
To help get your creative juices flowing, here's a story of how we "do more with less" when our family moved into a smaller house.
When we found out that we were moving from a 2-story farmhouse with four spacious bedrooms to a one-level ranch home with just three modest bedrooms, we were a bit concerned as to how we would make it work. Add in the news that we were expecting a 5th child, and it might seem like we were doomed to be forever frustrated with our living arrangements. Thanks to some innovative products on the market, the well-documented paths of a few who’ve gone before us, and a “can do” attitude, however, we’ve managed to feel secure with our new arrangement – as limited as it may seem, at times. Here is a list of proven strategies for taking a smallish home and making it larger than life.
Use That Outdoor Space
As more mega-mansions go into foreclosure, we are seeing the average home size come down considerable. There is nothing shameful about living in a house that’s less than 2,000 (or even 1,300) square feet – even with a big family. Perhaps the best way to conquer the issue of going insane with all the bodies around you is to take some time to step outside. If done correctly, your outdoor living space (which isn’t included in the original square footage of your home), can offer just as much usable space as your inside space. Great examples of this include the common patio, a gazebo, or even a play house. (If you have small kids, a basic metal garden shed can provide hours of sheltered outside play.)
Turn a Closet Into a Home Office
This idea for converting a closet into a home office is brilliant (and keeps your office clutter out of guest’s view.) If you really need that closet for your wardrobe, consider “adding” a closet as a recess into a wall that can accommodate it. More space can be gained by either removing the closet doors and replacing them with a curtain or getting those accordion doors that won’t stick out into the room too much. (See a great example of how to upgrade your existing office-in-a-closet at LifeHacker.)
Skip the Nursery
Yes, you really can store more than clothes and shoes in even the smallest storage closets. While I wouldn’t recommend putting a baby’s sleeping quarters into a closet (unless it’s a jumbo walk-in), the idea of using a closet for the changing table, dresser drawers, clothing and diapers is not a new one. If baby is a co-sleeper, or you opt for a small bassinet or a modern space-saving crib, you can most definitely skip a separate room for baby and use the first two years of life to come up with options for where he or she will sleep once older.
Stack Sleeping Space
Remember how you got away with sleeping in the same room with another almost-adult during college? The all-wonderful loft is still applicable! Whether you’re trying to cram 3 boys into a small bedroom (like us) or just want to give your tween more floor space for all their junk, a loft can literally bring the organization of a bedroom to new heights. (Check out this wonderful set of directions for a DIY version.) I would also suggest bringing back the bunk bed (or even a trundle) for kids that have friends sleep over often.
Work Where You Live
Since home offices are very common – regardless of whether you actually work from home – they have placed extra organizational pressure on small family homes. We took a different approach with our home office, and actually placed it in our living room! By using very nice wood furniture that matched our living room décor, we were able to integrate it into the end of the room that foot traffic did not occur. Why would we do this? For one, it helps us to keep an eye on the happenings in our home. Secondly, it really does save space (have you ever calculated the room that an additional 3 walls takes up in an already small home?)
Get a Mini-Bath
The most difficult part of having a small home is our ONE bathroom. With seven people sharing it, life can get pretty crazy! While we don’t have the room to get an additional bath (or even a traditional “half bath”) we have considered just having an extra toilet in the laundry room. While some additional plumbing will need to be done, and we’d want to hang a shower curtain in the corner to provide some privacy, many older farm houses have a similar arrangement, and it’s worked well for those “emergency situations” that are bound to happen with small kids in the home.
This giveaway is brought to you by the new Windows Phone 7. Less tech tired. More tech trendy: Learn about Windows Phone online and see it in person at local T-Mobile stores today.
i do more with less by staying as organized as i can
How to do more with less? Easy! I post a message on my social networks about the party I will host on my house, and all my friends know about it and know they’re invited to! That way I don’t have to call everyone anymore! :D
I can do more for less at the grocery store. I save and use coupons,trade coupons and watch for super sales and stock up. I also follow blogs and enter sweepstakes to win items that I can't afford to purchase.
Doing more for less means delegating more responsibilities to the kids so my time can be used more productively.
I don't go shopping for entertainment (just necessity), so that saves us a lot of money! :)
I donate my time to the local food bank and when they need extra help around the holidays
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
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.
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!!
I actually had my hours cut at work and wondered how my grocery budget would survive. But really all it took was learning to cut back on prepared foods and doing more of my own cooking, which of course I now have the time for.
Having six children, I try to make every penny count. We buy clothes either on sale or at thrift stores, and then pass it down to younger siblings. We shop store ads, use coupons, stock up when items are on sale, or buy generic. With a large family, you definitely learn to do more with less.
Build menus around dishes you know how to make. If you're feeling daring, add one or two new recipes. Plan as many make-ahead dishes as you can. This means knowing what you can and cannot freeze and how long things keep. Here's a great site to hopefully answer some of your questions: National Center for Home Food Preservation.
"Do more with less" are words to live by in my book in any given situation! I am a well organized person, I like to know what I have..whether it be in my drawers, cupboards, or closet. Sometimes when someone has to much of any one thing or things, they tend to not use up what they already have and that just leads to nothing but waste!
I love going to bookstores and libraries and browsing the stacks. I used to spend a lot of time doing this. Now, I tend to spend my browsing time on my library's website looking for downloadable books and audiobooks. I find that even though the selection is quite restricted compared to the brick and mortar store or library, I have plenty of worthwhile selections, new releases and classics. I am able to spend less time in browsing and more actually in a book. And, due to limited competition, I am able to check-out newer books much more quickly than the library's wait list for the paper versions.
You can always do Less is More with small children. They aren't worldly yet. You don't need to throw huge birthday parties for a two-year old. My kids know that on their birthday it is a small family affair and it's more about individual attention and praise than "things/gifts". Start when they're young.
I do more with less by shopping wisely and using coupons coupons coupons.
I can easily save hundreds at the grocery store by using coupons.
I also enter giveaways to win stuff! =)
I'm used to doing more with less. I don't have a large budget for holiday shopping, but comparing prices, using promotional codes, and shopping during sales makes everything work out okay. It takes some work but it's worth it!
We simplify our financial lives by automating everything. It is so handy.
We do more with less by not going out to eat as much and not buying things that we absolutely don't need.
I do more with less by doing contests, using tons of coupons/groupon, freebies and also trading goods amongst friends. It not only feels great to do more with less but it's a ton of fun too!
We do more with less this year by doing double trash duty!! Before the trash and recycleables are taken to the final bin an adult double checks to ensure that nothing is being wasted or needlessly thrown away! You'd be surprised at what gets by if you're not carefull.
Getting rid of all the junk I've kept over the years!
We do more with less by eliminating TV/SAT. We watch shows online if they pique our interest otherwise we spend the time investing in family time and time with friends and neighbors. In combination we also sold everything that wasn't necessary and moved overseas for a year debt free from the proceeds.
I can buy more groceries with less money when I match coupons with sales at Smith's! =]
Thanks for the giveaway!
I eliminated several sticky notes and went with a single planner to put all of my to-dos on. Now, if I can just find my planner...
AWESOME!
Exactly what I asked Santa to bring me 'this Christmas!
And my family and I 'do more with less' by using coupons for grocery shopping and buying in bulk!
Thanks for the great giveaway offering!
Good Luck and Happy Holidays to All!
Doing more with less is great because you learn to appreciate things more & learn your wants vs needs. Cost of living's gone up, but pay hasnt. We've cut down on food, and are eating healthier because of it. We eat to live, not live to eat as some say. We've also learned to grow our own food, and it's helping our son out, and bringing us even closer as a family. We have to bundle up instead of turning heat on, which saves money & energy.
I always use a "sniper" service when I bid on eBay (personal preference is EZ Sniper)- that way, if I get "bidder's remorse" before the auction closes I can just delete my bid (something you're not able to do when you bid directly thru eBay). I've saved all kinds of money doing this...
I do more with less by being organized so that I can better multitask
I do more with less by subscribing to blogs that focus on saving money or simplifying life (which often also saves money). Using an RSS reader to view blogs like WiseBread, The Simple Dollar, Frugal Dad, Becoming Minimalist, mnmlist, and Zen Habits, saves me time and money!
Thanks for the chance to win! My husband surprised me with this phone last week and I love love love it. I'd like to win one for him. I used a blackberry for nearly 3 years so I got a great deal on my new phone through Tmobile.
i give all the clothes no longer needed to goodwill. clip coupons and enter all the giveaways i can.
I do more with less by saving money wherever I can and spending it wisely, taking deals etc. into account.
I try to make do with what we have and try to win things to use as gifts. We have our own chickens and so we have eggs and I make our food from scratch and we don't go out to eat hardly ever.
In the Xbox realm, I try to do more with less by buying used games, and if I don't intend to replay a game, I trade it in to Amazon or on a used game site to get something new.
One of our toughest moments was combining two households.
But fortunately everyone gets along really well. We took our large porch and turned it into another bedroom, bought bunkbeds and extra dressers as well as a lot of organizational products from Ikea so that everyone still has their own individual space.
We do more with less by having family members vote on how we will spend our money. For example we have sometimes voted to go to a park for a whole afternoon of play instead of just a short visit to a video arcade.
I do more with less by using coupons. I also like to shop online for deals and find new uses for old things to make my dollars go further.
Doing more with less is the way to become your very best. Growing up in a lower class family, things have never been handed to me on a silver platter. The fortunate part of this is the motivation and appreciation for hard work and achieving my goals.
I do more with less daily. We cut out $150 from the monthly budget by getting rid of cable and our home phone. I barely even think about TV now. We still get the analog channels so if there's something on the major networks I really want to watch I can! We supplemented with Netflix streaming through our Wii (I'm playing catchup on a lot of TV seasons right now) and we rent movies at the local library which has a surprisingly great collection of new DVD's!
I do more with less by re-using what can be, instead of buying new/used. Think of re-purposing/multi-purposing items instead of single use.
Resealable bags (a la Ziploc) for packing clothes to get the air out, instead of special purpose bags.
Using mason jars and lids for storage/freezing, instead of special purpose vacuum bags or containers.
Just ideas.
I love bargain hunting. It's become one of my new favorite hobbies. We recently found a couch that was a steal on craigslist. This is one definite way I try to do more with less!
We buy medications for our dog online at e-vets, rather than the local vets' offices, as it is the same stuff, but much cheaper.
I do more with less in all aspects of my life...I can take garage sale items and turn them over for a profit on ebay...I also do online searching and surveys to earn Amazon gift cards so I can get my kids what they want. I am very good at making something from nothing!
always clip coupons - those savings add up!
i do more with less by using coupons to save money on household products and food..this is a great way to stretch my budget..saying this i do need a new phone and the windows 7 phones seem great..would love to win this
Do more with less by using less hot water when doing the laundry and then line drying. Most clothes will get adequately clean even in cold water (with or without detergent specially formulated for cold water) and you'll definitely realize energy savings. If the weather is cooperative, line dry clothing as much as possible, especially the lighter weight items, and you'll be more gentle to your clothing and your energy bill.
We recycle our handbags. Sounds crazy I know! When ever my daughter wants a new handbag, I have her sell her old ones on ebay then we go to the outlet malls and get her a new one. I normally can sell the old handbag for what I paid or more since I get them when they are on sale.
Thank You!
I donate to Goodwill and get rid of clutter in the house. I also use coupons to save money and get some great deals. Less is more.
I do more with less by combining my errands into one drive and trip so I save gas. An example would be going to the store, post office and barbershop in one trip, rather than going at different times of the week. This way, I can do more with the money I have because of the less money I have to spend on gas! The phone looks awesome on the commercials, hope I win!
To be eco-friendlier and save on the electricity bill, I change my light bulbs to compact fluorescent or LED bulbs.
This is an amazing prize pack.
I do more with less by being satisfied with relatively simple things. I night at the bar or the club is nothing compared to hiking through the woods, or entertaining company at home.
Thanks to Roomba, I'm doing more cleaning with MUCH less effort!
Instead of birthday presents for my son we ask for donations to a charity he picks. Last year he chose a local children's shelter. This helps the shelter and also teaches him and his friends to help others.
I need organization in my life! I need to do more with less! I really need this phone!
more with less for me is about using coupons and trying to get the best deal. I always ask myself..Do I really need this?? And If so can I wait until it goes on sale. I have saved so much using coupons which has helped me to have extra money to get other things that I need
i go to dollar store and buy things i need for party and everyday stuff .
I shop with coupons and shop deals, I buy clearance all year long for christmas thanks for the chance to win
I do more with less by cooking from scratch as much as I can. It's much less expensive than processed foods and it's healthier too!
I do more with less by using coupons, buying store brands and shopping in consignment stores. We only go out to eat if we have a BOGO coupon. Living on a tight budget is worth it so I can stay home with our children.
We are pretty ruthless about getting rid of something before something new comes in, it's the only way when you have very limited storage. We also try to get things with more than one purpose so we don't waste $ or room.
I do more with less by shopping wiser. Shopping discount chains and the like save me more money.
I definitely would do more with less clutter in my house. I would feel better about myself and it would help me become motivated about finishing some tasks I have ignored.
When I babysit, we do simple crafts using whatever we can find around the house. While it's great to have a ton of supplies, sometimes using less is much more fun and rewarding as well! We really enjoy turning simple items into cool projects! Thanks!
More for less mean having an emergency kit in my car when I travel, and also carrying our own snacks and drinks so that we don't have to make expensive stops.
my ipod touch really made me aware of how much can be done on one tiny thing. and the old stuff really isnt necessary. so in a perfect world one would exist with very little clutter. how amazing it is to live today.
Doing more with less could be decorating the christmas tree as a family. More work done in less time, and lots of family time together.
We do with less by shopping sales and using coupons. My husband does the car maintenance. We save energy by turning out thermostat down and use energy saving bulbs, toilets and shower heads.
Using lots and lots of coupons!
Me and a bunch of friends get together a few times a month for a pot luck dinner. No one has to cook too much at once, but with enough people its a feast! A lot of fun, too!
I do more with less by cooking from scratch, buying used, and utilizing resources like the library for books and dvds. I also combine sales with coupons to get the best deals possible!