Hey everyone, @OrganizerSandy has entered to win $50K for charity from the #SXSW Pepsi Refresh Contest! It’s a virtual food drive but this one is different. Instead of spending $1.00 on 1 can of food did you know if you donate $1 to a food pantry they can buy a whole case of food? You really should out her video here!

Please vote for her mission by tweeting : I vote for @OrganizerSandy & @ConsumerQueen Pepsi Refresh #sxsw team! #RefreshCQ

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of HealthyTuna.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

As a family we have been trying to eat healthier.  I must admit that I am the stubborn one when it comes to trying new things.  So when I saw this recipe I thought it would be a great opportunity for me and my family to  to try tuna.   This is also a great recipe for any get together!

Southwest Tuna Salad (StarKist)
Ingredients:
1 (2.6-ounces) pouch of Chunk Light or Albacore Tuna (if using cans, drained and chunked)
½ cup black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup low-fat Ranch dressing
1/4 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded
2 ½ cups (4-ounces) lettuce, washed and torn
½ cup whole kernel corn
¼ cup salsa
Directions:
In a large salad bowl place lettuce, tuna, beans, corn and ranch dressing. Top with salsa and cheese. For two small salads, divide all ingredients in half.

Not only will this taste great, it’s great for you.  Did you know that eating fish will help you fight help heart disease (America’s #1 killer)  Study’s show that people who eat fish reguraly have lower levels of heart disease markers!  Did you also know that fish is an important food for women to eat during pregnacy?  Eating fish while pregnant or breastfeeding has been shown to increase developmental scores by 25% by the age of 6 months!  That’s a huge increase! There is a big misconception that pregnant women should stay away from seafood! While it is true that they should stay away from fish high in mercury like shark,mackerel,swordfish,& tilefish,it is actually smart to eat some sea food during your pregnancy! Some say women who skip seafood put themselves in danger for depression but you should always check with your Dr. before consuming anything while pregnant. You can get more information on these types of studies here !

For more benifits of seafood check out healthy tuna

This year Christmas has been tough for allot of families due to the economy. We have been fortunate this year to have my blog which has helped us out tremendously this year! God has truly blessed us and that is why my focus this year has really been giving back to others and teaching people to pay it forward!

The reason for this post is, I have heard allot of negativity this year about giving. It has really saddend my heart that there are so many people in need and charities are hurting and people are worrying about their own families therefore giving is the last thing on their mind! I hope to bring back the spirit of giving by making you think outside the box and showing you their are ways to give without spending allot of money!

Fast Fixin has a company Christmas party every year for their employees. I was very excited to hear that this year instead of playing their traditional ” Dirty Santa ” employees will be bringing a toy to donate to their local charity! I thought this was a great idea and it shows how much they care about their community!

This brings me to my list of 5 ideas that could help you make a difference in someone else’s life this year without burning a hole in your own pocket!

1. Charity Dirty Santa- If you are having a normal Dirty Santa , change it up! Bring a wrapped gift for Charity along with a card with a special message from you! Keep your card and put the presents in the middle! Play dirty Santa as usual but the gift you end up with is the gift that will be donated in your name. Not necessarily the gift you brought! It would be fun to see people fight over what is donated in their own name!

2.Shop with coupons! There are many Health & Beauty aids and food items that you can get free or cheap when you use your coupons! Use these items to donate to your local shelter! You can check out our Grocery Store Forums to see what items you can get free or cheap in your area!

3. Use your time !There are many places and shelters that you could volunteer your time to this year! Serve meals to the homeless, sing Christmas carols at a nursing homes, read books to neglected children,driving an elderly neighbor to the grocery store or to run errands, be a candy striper or spend time with people in the hospital that have no families! Be sure and get your children involved!

Read the rest of this entry »

I am posting this on behalf of one of my moderators who have been with CQ for a long time! Britta I hope this helps!

Baby Asher was diagnosed with a brain tumor on October 5^th, 2009. He was only 11 months old (his birthday is Nov. 3rd) when it was discovered. On October 9^th, he underwent brain surgery and the tumor was completely removed.

The name of the tumor is Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) and it is malignant. This is a very rare tumor to be seen in a child, the average age of people with this type of tumor is usually 40 yrs+up. It is even rarer to be seen in the brain.

The doctors are a little baffled on how to treat Asher since they have no cases to use as reference material. They decided that he’ll go thru radiation, but it’s not sure yet for how long. Ashers mom has been unable to work since he was diagnosed with the cancer, she has been staying with him day and night at the hospital, she has unpaid leave from work to take care of her son but no income besides help from family and friends and her small savings to meet the basic expenses such as rent, utilities.

If you would like to help this family out by sending a donation or have any connections with a doctor who may know more about Asher’s case that can help, please contact this family! The grandmother has a been a long time member of ConsumerQueen.com and was dedicated to finding and posting deals to share with everyone! She was also moderator of our Walgreens and CVS forums!

Paypal account Ashersmedicalfund@gmail.com

Anyone looking for a Money Maker? Jean Chatzkey just asked me if I had any NY readers for the following Money Makeover for the Today Show! (Please remember this is for current already Savvy couponers and frugalistas, this is for families that need help.)

From Jean:

“Do you want to cut your insurance costs? Looking for ways to slash your grocery bill? Need a plan to tackle your credit card debt? Want a new car but are confused about what you can afford? If you have a money problem we’d like to help you solve it. If you live in the New York area and you’d like to join me on the Today show  for a Mini Money Makeover, send me an email (with a description of your financial problem) to askjean@jeanchatzky.com.”

I hope someone will be able to take advantage of this!!! She is very good! Tell her your heard about it from The Consumer Queen !