I have recently found a great group on Facebook that actually allowed our family to have an extremely frugal Christmas! I want to share it with all of you, so that hopefully it will benefit you, whether you are in search of a particular item, or are looking to earn some cash selling some of your belongings.

It is called Beg, Barter, Buy & Sell in Cypress,TX. This group is made up of primarily Cypress residents who list things they have for sale or trade. You can also list things you are searching for, which is how I found a very cool Transformers toy for my son for Christmas without having to pay an arm and a leg for it!

I have been able to sell a lot of items in the group which also helped fund several Christmas purchases. Our Christmas was almost paid for by sales I made in the group! How cool is that? I won't have any credit card bills to pay off next year because of Christmas overspending! (But you may remember that my husband and I don't use credit cards any more and we have paid off all of our credit card debt!) This has been a great way to stick to our goals of not using credit cards to pay for things.

I think we'll see a lot of great things coming across the page now that Christmas is over and people are making room for all of their new gifts, so it would be a great time to check out the page!

There is also a group for Kid stuff, Multiples, Antiques, and other specific categories, as well as other areas of town so there's something out there for everyone.

Note: As with any personal sales transaction, within this group or Craigslist, please think about your safety. I always meet in a busy public location for transactions and do not give out personal information on the group's main page such as telephone numbers, addresses and when you will or will not be home!

I had to share this deal today because I LOVE to support small business! Freckles is a small children's clothing boutique located here in Cypress, TX, that is actually owned by one of my husband's former co-workers! Yea! You can find their store at 25712 Northwest Freeway, Suite D, Cypress, TX 77429.
 

If you haven't signed up for Living Social yet, go HERE first and sign up! It's FREE and they'll keep you posted on their deals for your area.

Then head over HERE and snag $30 worth of cute kids clothing for only $15 from Freckles Boutique!

Living Social has this *HOT* deal for you today! Get vouchers for 5 Big Macs and 5 Large fries for only $13 (reg $26)! This comes in the form of tear out vouchers - 10 total. (So don't worry, you don't have to eat them all at once!) These should be here before Christmas, too, so they will make great stocking stuffers for the big guys in my house! Yea!

This is a national deal and they are limiting sales to 1 million vouchers, so do not wait on this! (Use those links up there to get there quickly!)

Right now you can grab a $20 credit to Old Navy for only $10 from Groupon!

This is a great help for buying Christmas gifts. I would hurry though because this is the kind of deal that doesn't last long!

Here is a great deal to Beyond Paradise Nursery located at 21206 NW Freeway,  Cypress, Texas 77429 (or Katy - 25445 Westheimer Pkwy., Katy, Texas 77494.)  For the next couple of days, you can get a Groupon for $15 for $30 worth of merchandise from Beyond Paradise Nursery. Limit 2 per person, may buy 1 for a gift. Limit one per transaction.

I LOVE poinsettias during Christmas, so I think I will use my deal for those! The certificates don't expire until March 2012 though, so you could even save yours to spruce up your flower beds in the spring.  

What would you use this deal for?

Living Social has a great deal for you if you're in the market for a new mattress! Get $150 to spend toward a new mattress at Mattress Firm for only $40! This deal is good for over 70 Houston area locations, so check it out HERE!

In case you wait until the last minute to buy candy, here's a great coupon you can print to score some cheap candy!

Go HERE and print your $1.50/1 bag of MARS candy! Most places have their candy for $1.99-2.49 per bag right now, so using this coupon will make for a "sweet" deal!

Use zip code 99218 if you don't see this coupon available to print. Also, don't forget that you can print two coupons per computer!

Papa Murphy's has a brand new location in Cypress, TX, and today (10/25) they are running a great special for their Facebook Fans!  

Go here to 'like' Papa Murphy's Cypress TX page (not necessary to get the deal, but a great way to hear about special offers)- and please let them know that Simply Cy-Fair sent you! (Don't forget to 'like' my page on Facebook as well - sometimes deals are only posted there.)

Today visit Papa Murphy's Cypress store and you can order up to FIVE Large 1-topping pizzas for only $5 each! Just tell the cashier that you are there for the "Fast Five Facebook Fan". What a great deal!

Their pizzas are assembled fresh upon order, and you take it home and bake it.  You can even call ahead and order so it's ready for you to pick up when you get there. You can also refrigerate the uncooked pizza at home for up to 24 hours before you bake it, so plan ahead! Go HERE for coupons and to sign up for their eClub where you get special offers emailed right to you.

This week is going to be C-R-A-Z-Y for my family so I am definitely going to use Papa Murphy's to ease my dinner stress this week!

Today on Groupon, you can snag a $45 credit to Retail Therapy (formerly Box of Chocolate) for only $20! This is a fantastic deal because you're getting a discount on top of a discount by buying gently used items.

Specializing in women's and children's clothing, Retail Therapy is located right here in Cy-Fair at 10782 Grant Rd.,  Houston, Texas 77070.                              

Have you tried Restaurant.com yet? Now is a great time to try them! Get almost all of their gift certificates for 90% off using code WOW at checkout. There are several Cy-Fair area restaurants available!

Here's how it works:

1. Go here and search for restaurants available in your area.
2. Purchase the denomination of Gift Certificate you want.
3. Add it to your cart, proceed to checkout and use code WOW as your promo code. You will see your total drop by 90%. (Right now, $25 gift certificates that are normally $10 only cost $1!)
4. You will now have this certificate listed in your account. Print the certificate before you go to the restaurant.
5. At the restaurant, order at least the minimum required total to use your gift certificate.
6. Present the certificate when you order.
7. Pay your check total remainder when the bill comes.

It may seem too good to be true, but it's not! Just make sure you read the minimum requirements that are written so you know what kind of deal you're getting. Some $25 gift certificates require at least a $35 minimum purchase, but some require more.