Thursday, September 12, 2013

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Money Saving Mom

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:: Sign up for MyPoints and earn free gift cards!

Back when my husband was in law school and we were living on our bare-bones beans-and-rice budget, we rarely ever had any extra cash to use for dates. However, I didn’t let that deter me from coming up with creative ideas for fun dates.

We’d take a picnic to the park, we’d go to the library and browse books, we’d take walks. If we could scrounge up a few dollars, we get a meal or two at a fast food restaurant with coupons or hit the $0.99 bowling night.

One of our favorite things to do was to head to a bookstore and get an iced coffee and just spend a few hours looking at books. We’d browse the shelves and then take a stack of books to a cozy corner and read for a while.

We usually paid for our drinks with a gift card I’d earned from MyPoints so the whole evening ended up costing us nothing out of pocket and would be a very relaxing and refreshing time for us to spend together away from the pressures and deadlines of law school life.

If you are strapped for cash but would love to also get to have a bookstore date on occasion, I’d definitely recommend MyPoints. It’s free to sign up for and you can earn points to cash in for gift cards by reading emails, printing coupons, playing games, searching the web, and taking surveys. MyPoints

It takes a bit of time to accumulate enough points to cash in for a gift card, but if you have more time than money right now, it’s a great way to be able to enjoy a few free dates every year. Plus, when you sign up during the month of September, they are running a promotion where you can earn 50 extra points every day if you’re one of the first 500 people to click on the “Lucky Leaf.”

Thanks, The Freebie Blogger!

(Note: The links in this post are my referral links. Read my disclosure policy here.)

   

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Have a more disciplined, productive year! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life!

:: I got 106 diapers for $7.98 out of pocket at CVS!

I loved this email from Jessica:

Just wanted to share my good diaper transaction with you!

First . . . I had been inspired by numerous mentions on your site about “just ask – you never know!” (I particularly remember one time that you got free bananas just because you asked for a discount on them – ha ha.) When our baby was born, I updated my Pampers account with her birthday and contacted Pampers to tell them she had arrived, and asked for coupons to buy their diapers for her, mentioning how well Pampers had already worked for my son. They mailed two coupons for FREE diapers to me, and I had been saving them for a rainy day.

Huggies diapers were on sale for $9.49 (yes, that’s a sale price around here!) and from having signed up for a CVS card, I had a coupon for $3.50 off one package. I also had Kimberly-Clark manufacturer’s coupons – the ones you mentioned in this post. I took at look at all the shelves to make sure I didn’t miss any clearance items . . . sure enough, there was an extra-large package of 56 Huggies slip-on diapers on clearance for $11.99 (normally $23.99) which I could save for when our baby girl is wearing size 4.

So I was able to use a $2.50-off Kimberly-Clark coupon and the $3.50-off CVS coupon on the clearance item, another $2.50-off Kimberly-Clark coupon on a second package of Huggies (size 5) and I used the coupon for the free Pampers diapers for a third package (size 6 – night-time wear for my son, which would have cost $12.49.) I also made sure that the cashier signed us up for the “double rewards” promotion that CVS is running for ExtraCare members.

Lastly . . . I wasn’t expecting any ExtraBucks from this transaction, but for some reason, I got $5 back! The receipt didn’t say what it was for, but it certainly was a great bonus – even though I can’t say that I planned it! So I was able to take home 106 diapers for $7.98, which is pretty good for an in-store deal, on brands that both run rewards programs. -Jessica

   

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:: Has Amazon changed their Subscribe & Save policy?

Kate emailed this to me this week and it’s the first I’ve heard of this:

Maybe you already know this, but I have just discovered that even if you press “order” for the first time on a S&S item, the price is not locked in.

We all already knew about this for subsequent orders, but now it seems that there’s no point in your posting price drops for S&S items, because the price can change up until the day it ships.

For instance, I subscribed to Happy Baby Mango Pouches for the first time this month. The price was $10.88, and I found that out from a deal site (probably yours) and subscribed. Well, it’s now a day before my cutoff date for shipping, and the price has risen to $11.39.

Not cool. If the price isn’t locked in when you hit “Subscribe” for the first shipment, what’s the point? The only way to actually save money is to either watch for the warning email and go through it and hope that five of your “new” subscriptions are still good deals, or do your order the night before your shipping date and hope the prices don’t change in between.

Wondering if your readers are aware of this? -Kate

Have any of you had this happen to you?

   

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:: The best freebies from this past week

Here's a long list of freebies that have been available recently that should still be available. Thanks to Kaley from Cha-Ching on a Shoestring for compiling these:

Free Samples:

Free Sample of Garnier Fructis

Free Sample of U by Kotex

Free Sample of Airborne

Free Sample of Maybelline Foundation

Free Sample of Energems Energy Bites

Free Sample of Snapple K-Cups

Free Sample of Clear Scalp for Men

Free Six-Pack of Zevia Soda

Free Full-Size Clairol Root Touch-Up

Free Downloads, Books, and Magazines:

Free Magazine: 4 Issues of Rachael Ray

Free Magazine: 1 Year Subscription to Baby Talk

Free Magazine: 6 Month Subscription to American Baby

Free Magazine: Subscription to Thriving Family

Free eBook: Clutter Free with Kids

Free eBook: A Life Worth Reading

Free eBook: 5-Minute Personal Coach

Free eBook: The Question that Never Goes Away

Free Download: Because of Winn Dixie Printables

Educational Freebies:

Free Homeschooling Curriculum and Resources

Free Stossel in the Classroom DVD

Rapunzel Printables

Apple Learning Printables

Farm Educational Pack

Preschool Baseball Unit

Brave Educational Pack

Baby Animals Educational Pack

Prewriting Practice Printables

Store Freebies:

Free Advil at Walgreens

Free Planters Nutritional Energy Mix at Walgreens

Free Pampers Wipes at Walgreens

Free Colgate Rinse at Walgreens

Free Probiotic at CVS

Free Copy Paper at Staples

Free Reynolds Baking Cups at Target

Free Up & Up Pain Reliever at Target

Free Got2B Conditioner at Target

Bic Crystal Pens at Target

Free Bic White Out at Target

Free Smucker’s Topping at Target

Free Bic Razors at Target

Free Beech Nut Fruities at Walmart

Free $5 Gift Card at Land’s End

Other Freebies:

Free Online Chore Chart

Recyclebank: 180 Free Points

Earn Free Gift Cards with MyPoints plus 50 Free Points per day

   

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:: Free Pre-Writing Practice Printables (Solid & Dashed Lines)

:: Free Twinings Tea samples

:: Free Estee Lauder Modern Muse perfume sample (Facebook offer)

:: Free Constitution Day Printables

:: Free printable Shape Coloring pages

:: Make It From Scratch Week: Homemade Bath Bombs (Day 3)

I’m pretty stoked because today’s Make It From Scratch project is one I’ve been wanting to make for a very long time. And it didn’t even involve chocolate! :)

What was it that I made? Homemade Bath Bombs!

They were really simple to whip up and I cannot wait to try them out.

What I love most about them is that there are pretty much endless color and scent combinations for these. Plus, they would make really cool gifts. Wrap them in cellophane, tie them with a bow, and add a cute gift tag and it’d be a fun and unique gift!

Are you participating in the Make It From Scratch Week? If so, link up your blog post about today's Make It From Scratch Project. Don't have a blog? Tell us about what you made in the comments.


   

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:: Gretchen’s $49 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Aldi

2 Flour Tortillas – $0.99 each

1 Strawberries – $1.49

1 Mini Marshmallows – $0.89

1 Cantaloupe – $0.99

1 Grapes – $1.58

1 can Corn – $0.49

2 Avocados – $0.33 each

1 Lemon – $0.39

1 Raisins – $2.79

1 Chocolate Syrup – $1.49 (not pictured)

Total with tax ($0.91): $13.66

Dillons

1 Kroger Peanut Butter – $2.47

1 Kroger Value Vinegar – $0.97

0.53 lbs Broccoli Crowns @ $0.99/lb – $0.52

1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99

1 Organic Green Pepper – $0.75

1.09 lbs Pears @ $0.99/lb – $1.081

1 Nature’s Own Hamburger Buns – $2.79

1 Kroger Chocolate Chips – $1.59

1 Organic Potatoes (3 lbs) – $2.49

2 Ramen Noodles – $0.20 each

1 Cucumber – $0.69

1 Dillons Milk (gallon) – $1.99

1.87 lbs Sweet Potatoes @ $1.09/lb – $2.04

0.47 lbs Roma Tomatoes @ $0.99/lb – $0.47

1 Kroger Cheese – $1.67

1 Cream Cheese – $1.99

Items Part of the Mega Sale (Buy 5, Save $5):

4 Motts Fruit Snacks – $1.29 each, used 2 $1.10/2 printable - $0.74 each after coupons

2 Honey Nut Cheerios – $1.49 each, used 2 $1/1 printable - $0.49 each after coupons

2 Gillette Fusion Shaving Gel – $1.99 each, used 2 $2/1 coupon from the 9/1 P&G insert – Free after coupons

2 Kettle Chips – $1.49, used 2 $1/1 printable - $0.49 each after coupons

4 Barilla Plus Pasta – $0.99 each, used 2 $1/2 printable - $0.49 each after coupons

1 Malt O Meal Golden Puffs Cereal – $2.88

Total before sales and coupons: $74.14

Total with tax ($3.21) after sales and coupons: $35.85 

Total for all grocery items: $49.51

Menu Plan for this Week:

Breakfasts

Cereal, Oatmeal, Toast, Fruit

Lunches

Macaroni & Cheese, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Sweet Potatoes, Scrambled Eggs & Cheese, Fruits & Veggies

Dinners

Chicken Fajitas, Corn Bread, Fruit

Hamburgers, Chips, Tossed Salad, Steamed Broccoli

Salad Bar, Pumpkin Muffins

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares, Tossed Salad

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole, Green Beans, Sliced Oranges

Baked Potatoes, Rolls, Carrots

   

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:: Apply to host a free Chinet Bakeware Holiday Bake & Take House Party

Apply to host a free Chinet Bakeware Holiday Bake & Take Party. If you’re selected as a host, you’ll receive a free party pack that contains:

  • Chinet Bakeware pans
  • Chinet Bakeware apron
  • Chinet® grocery totes
  • Chinet napkins and plates
  • Chinet Bakeware coupons
  • And more!

Thanks, Family Savings!

  

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:: Walmart: Current Deals

Here are the best deals at Walmart right now with thanks to Heather from Passion for Savings for her help in compiling them. The prices below are based on Northwest Arkansas region. Please keep in mind that Walmart deals vary by region so the prices listed here will not be valid at all stores.

Barilla Pasta – $1.28
Buy 2 and use $0.55/2 coupon from the 9/8 SmartSource insert
Or buy 2 and use $1/2 printable
As low as $0.78 each after coupon

Colgate Mouthwash – $2.96
Use $2/1 coupon from the 9/8 SmartSource insert
$0.96 after coupon

Gerber 1st Foods 2 pk. – $0.98
Buy 2 and use $1/2 coupon from the 9/8 RedPlum insert
$0.48 each after coupon

Gerber 2nd Foods Baby Foods – $0.63
Buy 2 and use $1/2 coupon from the 9/8 RedPlum insert
$0.13 each after coupon

Gerber 2nd Foods 2 pk. – $1.08
Buy 2 and use $1/2 coupon from the 9/8 RedPlum insert
$0.58 each after coupon

Nissin Chow Mein or Chow Noodles – $0.82
Buy 3 and use $1/3 coupon from the 9/8 SmartSource insert
$0.49 each after coupon

Frank’s RedHot Sauce – $1
Use $0.30/1 printable
Or use $0.35/1 coupon from the 9/8 SmartSource insert
As low as $0.65 after coupon

See the full list of Walmart deals here.

Find

Did you find a great deal at Walmart? Just post about it on your blog and leave your link below. To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Walmart deals post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your Walmart deals post will be deleted.

  

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:: Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: Spent $8.81 for $42 worth of products!

Target Shopping Trip

Up&Up Bleach – $1.79 (I tried to use the $1/1 mobile coupon on this but the computer wouldn’t accept it. I needed to buy bleach anyway though, so I just went ahead and paid full price.)

1 C9 Top – $6, used $3/1 Target mobile coupon – $3 after coupon

1 Market Pantry Pasta – $1.04, used $0.75/1 Target mobile coupon – $0.29 after coupon

1 Market Pantry Pasta Sauce – $1.52, used $0.75/1 Target mobile coupon – $0.77 after coupon

2 Smuckers Toppings – $1.79 each, used 2 $1/1 Target printable AND 2 $1/1 printable - Free after coupons

GE Light Bulbs – $2.79, used $2/1 Target printable - $0.79 after coupon

2 Nivea Lotion – $4.80, used 2 $2/1 Target printable AND 2 $2/1 printable - $0.80 each after coupons

2 Purell Hand Sanitizer – Marked down to $1.74 each, used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 7/28 SmartSource insert – $0.74 each after coupons

3 Tone Bodywash @ $3.54 each – On Sale Buy 2 Get 1 Free, used 3 $1/1 printable AND 2 $1/1 Target printable - $0.69 each after coupons

2 Up&Up Hand Soap – $0.89 each, used 2 $0.50/1 Target printable - $0.39 each after coupons

Used $5 Target gift card from last week’s shopping trip

Total before coupons and gift card: $42.20

Total with tax ($1.65) after coupons and gift card: $8.81

   

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