Free Samples-June 30th

Looking for samples that aren't totally lame?? Here you go!

Schick Quattro Titanium Razor Trimmer-you'll need to upload a picture and "play" your movie. Once it's done, SAVE it and you can then order you free sample. Hubby needed one so I was happy to see this.

14 Day supply of Nature Made Vitamins- I may have done this one before, but I think it was from Wal-Mart. My request went through just fine.

Sample of Ziploc Bags and $5 in coupons from Clean Home Journal, SC Johnson. Hurry! It's the first 10,000 people only. If you qualify, the Ziploc sample is 50 bags. Not bad, huh? :)

Huggies Diaper and Wipe sample from Wal-Mart. I'd hurry on this one too. Diaper samples at Wal-Mart go quick!

Pond's Clean Sweep wet cleansing towelettes for face cleansing and removing make-up. This one is also from Wal-Mart. Sorry, no link for the Celine Dion fragrance (lame!).

Don't forget the Dunkin' Donuts sample from my previous post. Thanks to Free Grabber for the leads!!

Have a great week!!

Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Sample

Coffee sample anyone??

Free Admission-Dallas Museum of Art

Tomorrow is Tuesday July 1st, the first Tuesday of the month. That means the Dallas Museum of Art has FREE admission. Check out the Dallas Museum of Art's website here.

We went in June and had so much fun. It's super kid friendly! Lots for kids to do, story times, toddler room, etc.

Make the day even more "reasonable" by packing a picnic lunch. We ate ours in the beautiful Scuplture Garden. There is lots of shade, sculptures and waterfalls.

You will need to pay for parking. We used the museum underground garage for $5. It's shaddy (as in not sunny) which is a PLUS in North Texas in July. Total cost for the day $5 parking and gas to get there! Don't forget that you can also ride the DART downtown.

46 Cent Profit a Target

My son turned 2 this weekend (sniff sniff), so we ran to Target for toys. I love to use the $5/25 Toys coupon there!!! Other than toys here's what I got:

2 Powerades- $.79 each
minus (2) $.75 mfg coupons
=$.08 total

3 Band-Aids-$1.97 each
minus $5/3 Target coupon
minus (1) $1.00 mfg coupon
=$.09 profit

2 Tylenols-$.97 each
minus (2) $1/1 printable coupons
=$.06 profit

2 Clean & Clears-$.97 each
minus (2) $2/1 printable coupons or use this $3/2 printable coupon
=$2.06 profit

Skippy Peanut Butter-$1.67
(on sale last week, no coupons)
=$1.67

End result.......... I carried over a profit of $.46 to my toys purchase and got all the pictured stuff!!! I will say that Target's coupon policy is to price adjust coupons down to the price of the item, in that case I should have only paid $1.75 for the peanut butter and Powerades. I figure this trip makes up for the times when they have refused to accept coupons with overages at all. Thanks to The Centsible Sawyer for the printable leads!

I know there are copies of the Target coupon policy floating around, but I would really like to find one on the Target site and print it from there. Any leads???

I got my $5/25 Target Toy coupon here, at A Full Cup. It doesn't expire until October 1, 2008. I've used several already for spring and summer birthdays. It will come in handy for Christmas if you're a savvy shop ahead kind of person, like I am!!

No Groceries for 3 Weeks!

I went "grocery" shopping finally yesterday for the first time in 3 weeks! No, we weren't starving and, yes, I did go shopping the past 3 weeks. I went to Wal-Mart, we had to buy milk ($3), I went to CVS here and here, then I went to Target and finally I went to Target and CVS. See, I shop a lot. If you'll notice the pictures I usually picked up milk, bread or fruit while I was "free shopping".

I added up all my misc. trips and spent only $32.44 OOP. Now, my budget is about $35 a week. So over the past 3 weeks I would have $105 to spend. Subtract the $32.44 and I could have spent $72.56 to catch up.

Yesterday's total???? $64.28..........that's $8.28 under budget! I am pleased with myself. My average for the past 3 weeks has been $32.24 a week. That's for groceries, diapers, TP, you name it for a family of 4.

First, I went to Kroger and spent $26.46. Some highlights: I found the Land O' Frost free lunchmeat, but only got 2. I finally found some cat food I had a free coupon for, so I got 3 more bags of free cat food, a free yogurt (it was on sale for $1.25 because it expired soon, I stacked a $.40 e-coupon with a $.50 regular coupon that they doubled, so I really made $.15 on it), Totino's pizzas are only $.70, that's about all that was super exciting.

I had loaded a cooler with ice in the car before I left, so I packed all the cold stuff up and off we went to........ Albertson's.

"Helper's" are on sale for $1, but be sure to print a coupon from my coupon bar ($.80/3)! I stocked up on those and Betty Crocker mixes ($1/2 cookies and $.40/1 brownies is on my coupon bar at left). Blue Bell is $2.67 with coupon, click here. I also took advantage of a fun deal with Cool Whip/Jello and free cookies. I used $1 coupons on each the Cool Whip and Jello. Then for me it was just a bunch of staples (bread, eggs, rice...boring!). Be sure to get the free Kraft Singles coupon from the Parade last Sunday. I got free cheese for purchasing 3 Kool-Aids. Can you believe my kids have never had Kool-Aid? I daughter carried them home she was so excited!

Starting today at Albertson's C&H sugar is $.99, purchase it with the $.30 coupon from the paper (tripled) and you will only pay 9 cents!! This is today through Sunday, limit one. Also, they are running a gas discount promotion if you spend $50 or $100 on groceries.

Don't forget, if you go to Albertson's (or Wal-Mart, etc) get a Redbox movie code before you leave the house. I used the code "SUMMER" and the kids got Alvin. I have never once paid for a Redbox movie!! Read here about how I keep a code with me at all times. Between the movie and the Kool-Aid, my daughter had a great time. :)

Happy shopping!

LOST

Anyone else having LOST withdrawl symptoms??? I have begun my summer "project" of watching all of the episodes. I mean ALL of them, like from episode #1, season one. It's quite the summer task!! I am enjoying catching up on episodes I missed before I was hooked or when my kiddos were newborns. Anyway........check out ABC.com for lots of your favorite shows. If you haven't watched a show over the internet yet, try it out. I think it's great. You can watch it whenever you want and it's free! I hope I can finish before the season starts.....what do I have? Like 3 more months?

Laundry Day

Here's what laundry day looks like around here. No dryer! Well, I take that back, I dry socks, underwear, pjs, towels and sheets in the dryer. We have no clothes line and our HOA prohibits one.....so this is the best I can do. First I wash everything inside out in COLD. Then it's hung.

Here's the top 2 reasons why I hang dry clothes:

1. It keeps them looking great. No shrinking, minimal fading. They just look "new" no matter how many times my kids wear them. Ever notice how yucky a Ralph Lauren Polo collar looks after about 3 trips in the dryer, and you paid how much for it???? Hang them to dry! Also, I resell clothes on eBay and there are people who will pay a premium for line dried clothes. They just look so much better. No more lost bids for me.

2. It's takes no electricity to hang dry clothes (unless I run the fan in the utility). That means better for the environment (less carbon emissions, etc) and a lower bill for you! I love green things I can do that are easy!! To estimate your energy consumption for different appliances in your home go here. To read more about "vampire energy" go here. Did you know that a plasma TV turned OFF costs you $13.25 a month just to sit "turned off" in standby mode. What is you had 2 of these (I have none, boo hoo) that would be $26.50 a month just to plug in a TV. Okay, I'll step down from my energy soap box. But I will say this....in the above example, use a power strip. You'll notice the difference with your first electric bill. Okay, now I'm done.

The whole process of hand drying clothes takes no extra time. Most of the clothes are already inside out when thrown into the laundry basket. I just pull them straight from the washer to hang them, once dry they go straight to the closet. I would have hung them from the dryer anyway. See? No extra work, I just changed up the order of doing things. I hung the metal shelves myself (with a little help from my step-dad), and they added so much storage space to my small laundry room. They are also perfect for hang drying clothes. See it's a win/win/win...

I've only been doing this about a year, as far as being 100% committed to doing it with the kids laundry. I've been gradually hang drying my clothes and hubby has started to do his. :) My green habits are contagious. What change can you make today?

$1.00 Off Blue Bell Ice Cream

The Blue Blue $1.00 Off 1/2 Gallon Coupon has been reset. I guess it is monthly or every two months....? Anyway, this week at Albertson's, Blue Bell 1/2 gallons are on sale for $3.67 minus the $1.00 coupon=$2.67 Total!!

$2.00 off Easy Ups at Target

Here's two printable Target coupons for $2.00 off Easy Ups and $1.50 off Splashers. Since they are Target coupons you can "stack" them with manufacturer coupons at Target!

Be sure to check out Attention Target Shoppers for other good deals before you go.

Also, rumor has it there is a $9 pack of coupons in the Easy Ups packs at Target! They should be marked, and have Dora and Diego on them.

Betty Crocker Warm Delights Sample

Head over to Kroger's Sample Page and to sign up for a sample of Betty Crocker's Warm Delights Minis. I'm excited to try this, since I think the regular Warm Delights are too much for one person. :)

Speaking of Betty Crocker.....don't forget to save your Box Tops For Education. My daughter doesn't start school for over a year but I have begun to save them already. I average about $1 a week. They are on more than food.....tissues, TP, diapers, etc. If you don't have kids, drop them off at your local school or better yet, drop them in the mail. My favorite part is when I clip my $.10 box top off a product I got for free, it's a win/win for the consumer!

Update (6/25/08)-This sample offer is expired. :(

Double Coke Rewards Tomorrow

If you participate in the Coke Rewards Program, you'll get double points tomorrow June 25th. BUT....this is for the codes from 12 packs only!!! I usually stash all of mine in a drawer and enter them every month or so, so I have some to enter! I do like the Coke rewards program. It's one of the VERY FEW that I actually participate in and have stuck with. It's even better now that I get my Coke "free" or cheap at CVS, etc.

$5 Off At Party City

Here's the coupon I used when I went to Party City last weekend. It expires Sunday the 29th. I don't see Party City coupons a lot so I was very pleased to see this. For once it was when I needed it! I received it for signing up with their Party Club.

$5 off $25 at Party City

I was able to walk out the door for under $35. That's for party supplies, a few decorations and ballons. I even got my son a HUGE Elmo ballon ordered!! He'll love it! That has to be a Party City record ($35) for me.

Since I save all the unused party supplies in the pantry, I will be able to use some of those (large plates, flatwear, etc) this weekend. Plus, since my son is only turning 2, we'll just be having a small family gathering with snacks, cake and play time with cousins. I don't think anyone will care I didn't buy the large Elmo plates and instead used the large blue plates from last year, or that we're using 3 types of forks. Just remember, when it comes to kids parties, think of the "big" picture. Spending less will be best!

Free Stuff Worth Your Time!

Here's some freebies that I've come across in the past few days. Sometimes it takes me that long to find enough "good" ones for a post.

Free pack of Stride gum, it's a cheesy trial, choose "Settle" to get a sample. It's find of funny to have the guy dance Techno....you'll see.

Free American Greetings card from my favorite sample site, Wally World. Head over to Wal-Mart's sample page to see if you've missed any other good samples. These were both thanks to Freebies 4 Mom.

Free sample of Pledge Multi-Surface Wipes and a free sample of Spitz Sunflower Seeds. Thanks to Money Saving Mom for those!

Request a coupon for a free bottle of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce.

Free Christmas Ornament from Holiday's at Home. Sounds fun! Be sure to read the "fine print" on this one.

And finally my favorite one, order free wildflower seeds from Bert's Bees and attract honeybee's. Yippee! Burt's Bees has the best lip balm. :) The last two were from freegrabber.com.

Ideal Bite

I found a cool site for you eco-friendly types. It's called Ideal Bite. You can sign-up for daily (Monday - Friday) "green living" tips. I can't wait to start reading them! They said they are "a sassier shade of green".........cute!

Sunday Shopping w/o Kids ($15.80 OOP)

I had a bit of a frugal "power shopping trip" yesterday while both kids made brownies at Grandma's. I made it to 2 CVS's (3 really, #2 was OUT of Charmin), Party City, Target and I tried to go to Toy's R Us but I choose one out of business.

Anyway, My first trip to CVS was $.17 OOP and the second was $4.02. I did the first transaction (cotton swabs, 8 Soyjoys, 2 Colgates, Glade) to "make" some more ECBs for the second transaction (3 Charmin and 1 Bounty Basic).

Target, was just milk, fruit snacks, Johnsons's and Pampers's deals (from Target coupons) and a bunch of misc. coupon stuff. I went to one of my favorite Target's with a HUGE "trial size" isle. No troubles with my coupons on this trip, yay!! Target OOP total was $11.78. That's what the milk and diapers alone would have been on a good day.

Be sure to enlarge my photo so you can really appreciate my efforts. Ha Ha! :)

I'll try to get my free Thomas the Train while I'm out again tomorrow. I also have a $3/3 gift card/coupon that my son got for his birthday. I guess it's because I signed him up for the Toy's R Us Birthday Club.

I'm almost sick of shopping!

Sweeps & Stuff-June 22

I wasn't overly impressed with the sweeps listed with the coupons today, but here goes!

Pepcid has a Road to the Gold daily sweeps for cash prizes, you must have a UPC to play. Here's a hint.....use Google to do a UPC search. Or, you can mail a request to Pepcid and wait for a snail mail reply. You also get a $3 off coupon, once you've registered. Nevermind, here it is, $3 off Pepcid....I did the work for you. :)

MET-RX also has a Shaping Every Body daily sweeps. You need a code, but they will e-mail you one for free, once daily.

Crisco is having a Grill-A-Day Giveaway , it does require a UPC (purchase). Hmmmm....try Google? It's a daily sweeps.

You can get a FREE lemonade stand, from Sunkist and C&H sugar. You will need to pledge to donate the profits to charity. But, what a terrific summer idea for kids!!! You can always "donate" some money to the kids piggy banks after they donate their money to charity. :)

Okay, here's the one I was super bummed about. There was a free travel bag giveaway from HealthZone365. It was limited to the first 15,000 requests. I logged in and entered at 7 am.....and they were all gone! How many early birds are there on the East Coast?? Hehe.

And the last thing, I remembered the $5 Lysol Rebate this morning (after seeing the big ad with the coupons). You are required to purchase 2 different Lysol products and take you kiddo to the Pediatrician. This offer is running until March 31, 2009. So unless my kids get sick, next week is my last chance for this one. My kids have only been to the doctor for one sick visit each, EVER. They were both this year after my daughter started pre-school.....hmmmm. Anyway, after I printed my rebate form and looked around and signed up with HomeSolutions News and got a link to all of these fun coupons.

Happy Sunday!

Post Number 101-June 21st

It's the first official day of summer!!!! Yippee!!!!

Why You Should Have An eBay Store!

I just read a great article by Lynn Dralle, aka, The Queen of Auctions. I also talk about her here. I think she's super cool. She wrote about why she thinks eBay is reporting 60% of auctions go unsold and how to "overcome" that by opening an eBay store. It's true!!

Check out this eBay auction. I bought the Pottery Barn pasta serving dish at Goodwill last week for $.99. I listed it for $9.99, the auction ended Tuesday afternoon with no bidders. So, I "moved" it to my store and priced it at $14.97. It sold within 24 hours!! Now this doesn't happen all the time, I mean as far as the 24 hour thing. But, the whole concept is true. Even when I take a break from auctions, I still sell, on average, one thing a day from the store. I sold 3 store items today!! :) And I sell the weirdest stuff. Stuff headed for the trash, stuff from the trash (recycling really.....I've made $50 and counting). I started doing this from following Lynn's free advice from her e-zine that she writes each week. I read "between the lines", looking at the auctions, seeing what kind of stuff she sells, etc. Because of her, I invested $20 in some silverplated flatware a few months ago. I bought what I thought was 2 complete sets from one estate sale. It was 2 partial sets and a lot of misc. pieces. I listed them mostly as one or two pieces together. I've made almost $200 so far and have a ton left in my store (a few more hundred $$ I would guess). Also......I paid back my "investment" in one auction, there was one spoon in the lot I bought from the estate sale that sold for $25 from the store (it went unsold at auction for $15)!

More about "The Queen", last year Lynn made $100,000 on eBay. I think that's after eBay and PayPal fees. Last year she was listing 100 items a week. So I figure 30 new items listed a week equals $30,000, 60 new items $60,000, right? Anyway, since eBay has lowered their listing fees, she's taken it up a notch and is listing 200 new items a week!! Can you imagine? Although she has 2 school aged children and I have 2 pre-schoolers at home with me 24/7.

You can't make money on eBay unless you list. And, the more you list, the more you sell!

P.S. This was my 100th post!!

Target-June 19th ($4.21 OOP)

It was a bit of a rough trip to Target yesterday. The associate called the manager immediately when I handed her my coupons. She was trying to talk the manager out of taking them even though they were scanning and matched the products. I will admit I print in black and white and print on draft. Haha. I'm cheap, huh? She kept scanning and then digging back in the pile, "Well look at this one", etc. My total....$25. No way!! The associate complained, "Well, this is how we are losing money". By me using legitimate coupons? Is she trying to help Target's bottom line by "scamming" me on my savings? What a concerned associate!!

So I asked the manager to re-ring me. We moved to an open register, so I wasn't the biggest pain. Anyway....correct total? $15.38!!!! I used the last of a gift card and only paid $4.21 OOP. Yay, Target!

The register is always the toughest part of couponing. I have everything in order and know my prices, but I also have to entertain/keep an eye on the kids. Yesterday when I was re-rung, she asked me to place my coupons with each of my items so we could scan them together and be sure nothing was missed (like the $10 just before). It seemed to work. I think I will try it again, maybe change my routine? I never spend more than $35-40 a trip, so it would be easy. Anyone else have a good routine that helps you watch your savings at the register?

Before I went, I printed Target coupons at A Full Cup to stack with my coupons and looked the weeks deals over at The "Cent"sible Sawyer.

Don't Mess With Texas-Litter Bag

This one is for Texas only.....sorry guys! But look at the cute litter bag I just got for the car!!!! I was looking at litter bags at Wal-Mart on Sunday and didn't get one. I thought they were way too expensive. And see? All I had to do was wait a few days and a free one came my way. Have I mentioned how CUTE it is?

Just click here to order yours. It says one per person, so I ordered my hubby one as well. I picked out the cute skulls pictured at the right.

Thanks to Freebies 4 Mom for the heads up!

Remember to recycle your paper, cans and bottles when you clean out your car's trash!

P.S. It comes with a bumper sticker too....I hope it's cute as well. :)

Free Women's Day Magazine

Okay, so you're probably wondering how many magazines can I read right? Remember magazines have coupons (and sweepstakes and articles and other stuff) and then I donate them to the library when I'm done.

Anyway, get you free subcription to Women's Day and let's all give a big thanks to Denise at The "Cent"sible Sawyer.

Haircuts

Yesterday I finally got my hair trimmed. It had only been a year! Haha. I went to a student salon and only paid $6.50 (with a $1 saving coupon!). The only draw back was the wait....other than that she did an AWESOME job. I highly recommend trying one out sometime.

Here are some that are in my area but many are also nationwide:

CLiC Salons -this is where I went, the I.T.S. Academy.

Toni and Guy

Paul Mitchell Schools

Okay, so you get the idea. My mom had a cut with lowlights and highlights last week for $35!! It looks great!!!! Grab the phone book and give it a chance. Loose some hair....save some money.

I will definitely go back again in a few months, but right now my plan is grow my hair a bit more. I'm planning on donating my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. They only require 8 inches. Locks of Love requires 10 inches...meaning 4 to 5 more months of growing! Then I'll do something short with highlights or whatever.

Speaking of thrifty haircuts, we have also been clipping my husband and son's here at the house since they both wear it so short. That's been saving me about $20 a month for my husband and $15 every few months for my son....about $300 a year.

Monday's Mailbox Goodies

Here's what came in the mail yesterday:

My first Country Home magazine. I have a FREE 2 year subscription. Read my post here. I ordered it less than a month ago.....that was quick!

Coupon for a free box of Post Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. Hmmmm. I can't remember where that came from. Anyone know???? I mean other than coming from Post. :)

40% coupon for Michael's. Read my post here about their Saturday kids programs. When you sign up for The Knack e-mail list, they will mail you a coupon. I may splurge on some craft stuff since we're inside for a few more weeks with my son's broken arm. I'm trying to keep him clean and dry. :)

And finally, my Sticky Tabs that I posted about here came. That was almost 3 months ago! I did go back to the site. Looks like they have had huge response and have put the free samples on hold for a while to catch up.

Wal-Mart Samples June 17th

If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out the Wal-Mart samples this week. Just click here. They rotate in new samples and re-set some that we're "sold out". Today, I picked up 3 new samples! Cheerios Multi-Grain, Playtex Soft Cloths and Garnier Skin Renew were all new for me today!

2 Wal-Mart posts in a row.....what's come over me!

$4.62 at Wal-Mart-June 15th

I had to make a quick Father's Day run into Wally World yesterday, so before I went, I checked out this post at Money Saving Mom. I think I did pretty well!

2 Kashi Cereal- $3.12 each
- $2.00/1 coupon
= $1.12 (not free but it's the only cereal hubby will eat) each

1 Juicy Juice-$2.58
- $2.00/1 coupon
= $.58 (my second coupon didn't work, so I didn't get the 2nd juice)

2 Powerade-$.60 each
- $.75/1 coupon for paper
= $.15 profit each

2 Dr. Pepper-$1.00 each
- $1.00/2 coupon
= $.50 each

3 pack of cat treats (on clearance!!)-$1.50
- $1.00/1 coupon from paper
=$.50

2 Huggies clean team wipes-$1.72 each
-$1.00/1 coupon from paper
= $.72 each

1 Zout stain remover-$2.98
(will send in rebate from here)
=$2.98 OOP today

1 Excedrine Back and Body-$2.97
-$2.00 coupon from paper (I think)
=$.97 OOP today or $2.00 profit after rebate (from paper a few weeks back)

2 Cat Chows-$3.98 each
-$4.00/1 coupon
= $.02 profit each

=Subtotal $9.37 + Tax $1.20 =10.57 OOP today

I'll get $2.98 back from the Zout rebate and $2.97 from the Excedrin rebate, so my trip to Wal-Mart cost me $4.62 (only $3.42 of that was product.....the rest was tax, darn it!!)

Happy Father's Day!!

$1.00 off VitaminEnergy Drink

I'm not sure what this usually costs, but here's a printable $1.00 off coupon for VitaminEnergy Drink. The coupon expires August 31, 2008. Maybe it will be on sale soon....? Click here to print. You can print multiple copies!!

While I'm at it, here is a $1.00 off Juicy Juice coupon. You'll need to sign-up (or sign in) for the Juicy Juice e-letter.

I know that we all "sign up" for whatever we need to in order to print a coupon, but as the e-mails start coming your way, take a second to read them. That's how I find a lot of coupons and deals!

Kohl's Father's Day Sweeps

I must really have sweeps on the brain because I now see them everywhere!! I saw this one last night while at Kohl's. It's for a trip to New York to see a taping of Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay, cookware, cookbooks, etc......It is a Father's Day sweeps!

Just click here to give it a shot!

$5 off at Walgreens-June 13th ONLY

Yippee a Walgreen's coupon!! Just click here to get yours. If you do plan on going, be sure to look around for some good deals, coupons to print, etc. It's valid June 13, 2008 only.

Quick CVS trip for Garnier-June 12th

The Garnier face scrub works for the ECB deal!! I was so excited since I needed face scrub. My free sample that I was working on is almost gone.

2 Garnier Face scrubs $5.99 each
1 Listerine Smart Rinse $3.49
=$15.47

I used two $1.00/1 Garnier coupons, the $3/$15 CVS coupon and $8.98 in ECB. I paid $1.49 OOP (I know I could have done better!!!!!!!). I am out of Listerine coupons...bummer! I got back $13.49 in ECB. So with my "Wylie Mom" math, that's a profit. $13.49 ECB made minus $8.98 ECB used=$4.51 ECB profit, minus $1.49 OOP.....for a grand total of $3.02 profit!!!! I didn't really feel like getting it any closer to zero today. :)

The best part of the deal was the it's not labeled as a participating ECB deal item so there was plenty in stock. I also found a "new" CVS that on Tuesday had NOTHING merchandised/labeled for ECB. Poor management I guess but good for me, since the ECB items should be more plentiful and in stock there.

P.S. I recieved a $5/$30 CVS coupon in my e-mail box this morning. It's good through Sunday. Keep an eye out!!

Land O'Frost Sweep & Coupon

Attention North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Arkansas residents!!

Enter the Land O'Frost sweepstakes, grand prize is a trip to Vegas! Once you're done you'll also recieve a $1.00 coupon for Land O'Frost 1lb Deli Pouches and a coupon for a FREE package of Land O'Frost Taste Escapes. Looks like everyone is a winner in this sweepstakes!

If you do purchase the Deli Pouches with your $1.00 off coupon, be sure to look on the package for you PIN number, then enter it here. You might win $50,000.

A big thanks to Heather over at Freebies 4 Mom for this one!!!!

UPDATE--This coupon offer is no longer available. :(

eCoupons at Kroger

I have to admit that this whole eCoupon thing is new for me. It takes me time to add a new "step" into my routine. I was at Kroger 2 weeks ago and gave it thing a try. WOW!!!!!!

Here's what I did for my "test run", I bought some Wisk laundry detergent. Something we all use, right? Wisk is usually $6.29 at Kroger. He's what went down:

Wisk Sale Price $3.49
-$1.50 eCoupon
-$1.50 coupon from the paper
=$.49 OOP paid for 50 ounces of Wisk....that's 32 loads!!!!

The eCoupons are available in 3 spots:

Unilever eCoupons
P&G eCoupons
Shortcuts eCoupons

What I've started to do is check what's available, load my coupons and print the "shopping list" with the coupons I've loaded. It's not long....only a few items. Then I label it Kroger on the top (just in case) and stick it my Kroger ad in my filing cabinet. Then I "worry" about it when I make my grocery list. Be sure to match the eCoupon with your printable and newspaper coupons for maximum savings!

After getting the ads this week, looks like I'll be heading to Kroger this week. I can't wait to try to use eCoupons again!!

Sweeps found in Glamour

A few months ago I signed up for a free subscription to Glamour magazine. Other than fun mindless reading I noticed a few sweeps to enter. They are all located online here, or just go to the ones that interest you below.

Enter to win $500 Banana Republic wardrobe from The Fabric of our Lives.Com. Just click here. I love Banana Republic!! You can enter this one daily.

Enter to win a babysitter, personal assistant and a trip to the salon from Mirena. Click here to enter. I know we would all love to win this one!

Enter to win a gift basket full of Nivea goodies.

OB tampons is giving away a Toyota Prius, give it a shot here.

Aquafresh is giving away a basket full of white goodies (to match your pearly white teeth), just go here to enter.

There are even more things to win from Glamour magazine if you go Glamour's contest page, trips, shoes, clothes, sunglasses, etc.

Here are a few more sweepstakes entries you may have missed. Remember....you won't win if you don't enter!

Free Magazine Subcription from AdPerk

Any of these magazines sound good to you? Parenting, Redbook, Ode, Popular Science, Good Housekeeping or Field & Stream?????? How about for FREE?

Here's what you do: Visit AdPerk and watch about 12 commercials. They range from 30 seconds to about 2 minutes. You have to enter a code after each one. That's it! The advertisers will pay your subscription. I did this last night while making dinner. Quick and easy if you can multi task. It will take about 20-30 minutes.

I should have my first copy of Good Housekeeping arrive in about 6 weeks. The best part is you can do this again. AdPerk has about 9 more magazines coming soon, so I'll keep checking back for Smart Money.....it's listed as a coming attraction.

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for this great deal!!

Don't forget, magazines are a great place for coupons. Especially when the magazines are free. :)

***** Father's Day Gift Idea!!!!

This could be a great gift idea for Dad.....no, not the Good Housekeeping! Maybe Field & Stream or Popular Science.......Make a cute insert for his Father's Day card saying a subscription is on the way.

15 Cent Profit at CVS (June 8-14)

Here's how I did this week at CVS. I started with one $10 ECB and did 3 transactions. I kept them close to $15 each and rolled all ECBs into the next transaction.

Transaction #1

1 Folgers-$10.00
2 Brut Deodorants-$3.39 each
=$16.78
Minus the following coupons:
$3 off $15 CVS coupon-hurry they expire this week!!!!
(2) $.55 Brut coupons from last Sunday's paper
$10 ECB
=2.68 OOP and I received $6.00 back in ECB (from the Brut)

Transaction #2

2 Honey Nut Cheerios-$3.33 each
1 Nature Valley Granola Bars-$3.34
2 Nivea for Men Shave Gel-$2.59 each
1 Coke for a filler (not pictured, I drank it!!)
=16.57
Minus the following coupons:
$3/15 CVS coupon
(1) $4.00/2 Nivea Shave Gel from last Sunday's paper
(2) $1.50 off Cheerios from Pampers packs
(1) $.65 off Nature Valley Bars from here
And they adjusted my ECB down to $5.92 (from $6)
=ZERO OOP and I received $10.00 in ECB back (from the Folgers/Cereal)

Transaction #3

1 FAB Detergent-$1.99
1 Listerine Smart Rinse-$3.49
2 CVS Brand bandages-$1.99 each
1 Nivea Men's Body Wash-$4.99
1 Orbitz Gum (filler for my hubby)-$1.19
=$15.64
Minus the following coupons:
$2.00 printable Nivea Body coupon from here
$3/$15 CVS coupon
$10.00 ECB
=$.64 OOP and $13.47 back in ECB (from the Smart Rinse, bandages and Nivea)

Total OOP for the week, $3.32......so I made a 15 cent profit this week!!!!! I started with $10.00 in ECB and ended up with $13.47, minus the $3.32 cash out of pocket, equals 15 cents profit. I also was happy to get rid of the $10 ECB, I now have 3 smaller increments to work with next week. Yay CVS!!!

Samples-June 10th

Who needs free samples? I sure do. It seems as if my mailbox is getting lonely these days. Let's see what we can do about that! Let's start with ones from Wally World (the first 4):

Vaseline Lotion for Men

Benefiber

Nature Made Multi Vitamins-liquid softgel variety!

Playtex Gentle Glide

Nordiac Naturals Omega 3-thanks to Freebies 4 Mom

Stayfree-thanks to Homemaker Barbi

Toilet Paper-I want to see this one.....Thanks Homemaker Barbi!!

Kwik Kafe coffee-thanks to Money Saving Mom

Alaway Eye Drops-thanks to Money Saving Mom

Home Made Simple Coupon Book-also thanks to Money Saving Mom

Have a good morning!! :)

Planet Green

I have a new "addiction", it's Planet Green, the new channel on cable. I can't stop watching it in the evenings after the kids go to sleep.

I've been watching "green" home makeovers, rain collection systems installed, detailed segments on composting, etc. For those trendy types, they even have a show called Hollywood Green.

I visited Planet Green.com last night and joined their online community. When you do that, Planet Green and Sunchips will donate a $1 to help rebuild Greenburg, NC's tree canopy. Greenburg is a town that destroyed by a tornado and is being rebuilt totally eco-friendly.

To find the Planet Green channel in your area, click here. Here's what Planet Green says about themselves.....

"Planet Green, the first and only 24-hour eco-lifestyle television network, invites you to enjoy the freshest, ecoist shows on TV. From gear to gourmet, renovation to innovation, find out what's cool, what's hot and what's next. For more ways to make your world more beautiful, watch Planet Green in the stunning clarity of HD. It's an eye opening experience."

I agree!!!!! I hope this show can help people make changes in their lives......just make one small "green" change at a time. Don't try to got from 0 to 100 overnight, you need to go from 0 to 1 then 2, etc.

Bummer!!

Today was the second Sunday in a row a pack of coupons was missing from my paper. Today to make it even more cruel, there was one page of it included.......I got just one coupon for some Omega 3 butter. I'm so sad!!

On the bright side, my Mom always gives me her coupons. So, I won't go totally without. I guess I shouldn't be coupon "greedy". Hopefully my missing coupons are in good hands!! :)

I hope the coupon thief didn't strike at your house. :)

***UPDATE-After listening to my hubby and The Thrifty Mommy, I just called and used an automated menu to report my incomplete paper. It took about 4 minutes to find the number and make the call. Another paper will be here within an hour! I'm impressed. Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday Sweeeps

Here's two sweepstakes to start your weekend.

The first is from Splenda and can be entered daily. Prizes include (high end) Kitchen-Aide mixers, Krups coffee maker, etc. Fun stuff we all wouldn't mind having to use.

The second you might have already seen, is at the International Delight coffee creamer site. They have games that you can play for instant prizes. My step-mom, Irene, won $20 a few days ago!!!!!!!!!

She also won $25 from another sweepstakes about a month ago, so keep playing. Someone has to win and it might as well be me (or you). I don't spend more than 5 minutes a day entering sweepstakes. I usually just come to my own blog, hit the "sweepstakes" label and enter a few from there. Good luck!!

Free (Kids) Six Flag Tickets

Keep an eye out for specially marked Lunchables. My sister-in-law, Allie, just found a FREE kids pass (11 and under) and $10 off an adult for any Six Flags Theme Park in her Lunchables yesterday. She found them in the pizza "meal kit" Lunchable that comes with a drink. She said they don't expire until October so be on the lookout all summer.

Thanks Allie!!!!!

Don't forget to use a coupon when you get your Lunchables. :)

June 6th-Krispy Kreme Doughnut Day

Today enjoy a free doughnut at Krispy Kreme!!!! Be sure to check that your local store is participating first. Also, visit the Krispy Kreme website, sign up for their e-mail subscription and you'll recieve free doughnut coupon.

Yummy!!

Saturday Stuff for Kids

The first Saturday of the month is always a fun day, here are a few reasons why:

The Home Depot offers the coolest workshop for kids. It's designed for ages 5-12 but both of my kids have gone (my daughter several times) and loved it. The free kids workshop is always the first Saturday from 9-12. Tomorrow's project is a Catamaran!!

Michael's has a craft workshop as well. Michael's is from 10-2. Tomorrow the project details are "Bring the whole family to Michaels® and create two projects for FREE! Make your own paper flowers and chenille stem bugs powered by Klutz Chicken Socks".

We have never been to one of these but it looks like so much fun. I'm really wanting to take my daughter soon.

Bank of America has a "Museums on Us 2008" program. They offer free admission to museums all over the country with your BofA debit or credit card the first weekend of the month. Here in my area, it includes the Dallas Museum of Art. We went this last Tuesday for free. It's FUN, FUN, FUN. My kids had a blast! They walked all over exploring, did crafts, and even caught Story Time!

If you are in the DFW area, The Dallas Museum of Art is always free the first Tuesday of the month. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it in the sculpture garden!!!!! Even my hubby thought that was fun.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more ideas in you area. Check your local paper, community webpage, and of course other blogs!! :)

Am I being too cheap???

Those who know me well, know I'm really cheap. But, have I become too cheap, frugal, thrifty, or whatever you want to call it?

Once I was done with my 3 CVS transactions for the week, I looked over my receipts and was a bit upset that I almost spent $7 OOP. Of course after thinking about how I shopped 6 months ago, I felt a little better. Here's what my $7 got me:

I did this in 3 transactions, rolling all my ECB bucks and using a $4 off $20 coupon each time. And coupons of course!

3 packs of Pampers
3 Listerene Smart Rinses (one beyond the ECB monthly deal but hubby LOVES them!!)
3 Bounty 8 roll packs (that is 24 rolls of paper towels!!)
1 Charmin 9 roll pack
6 Chex Mix

There might have been something else...but I think that's it. I know I could have done better but when I really thought about it, most people would be excited about ONE pack of diapers for $7.

Anyone else feel "bummed" when you don't get everything for free?

CVS Welcome Coupon-Exp 6/8

Just in case anyone needs it, here's a CVS Welcome Coupon. It's a $4 off of $20 coupon. I think it expires 6/8/08. That will get you through this week's deals. I did the Pampers and Bounty/Charmin deals as well as stocked up on Chex Mix. :)

Click here, Click here!

Free eBay Selling Advice From The eBay Selling Coach

I got the coolest free e-book today thanks to Money Saving Mom!!! It's an eBay selling guide by Suzanne Wells. She's the "eBay Selling Coach". I'll take any and all free eBay advice. It came via e-mail within an hour or so, super fast!!. And it's 66 pages long!!! After reading about 13 pages I decided it was definitely a keeper and worth printing. This way I can highlight and flag favorite pages. I have a binder that I file all my eBay tips in. I'll print it tomorrow and start to go through it later.


I also get free tips from reading Debbie's eBay blog here. She also has a website with more selling tips. That part does cost money......but the blog it free!!

Another great eBay inspirational read is Lynn Dralle's free e-zine. She's the "Queen of Auctions". The e-zine comes out weekly, on Thursdays. You can sign up here . She has all kinds of eBay training tapes, videos, etc. that cost money as well, lots of money!! I'm sure they are awesome but I'll just read the free e-zine for now, thanks!! :)

5 New Sweeps

Here are five new sweepstakes:

Enter here for a chance to win a trip for 2 to the 2008 World Series. From One-A-Day and MLB. I noticed this in with the coupons yesterday.

Another sweepstakes I noticed is here. It's a "green" sweepstakes from Silk. You enter a UPC for a chance to win a "Green Home Makeover". Also for each entry, they will sponsor 30 extra kilowatt hours of green power. That's about what a house uses in one day. Want to do more? Switch to a renewable energy (green energy) source at home. We use Green Mountain Energy.

UPDATE......here are 3 more I missed earlier!

Resolve is giving away cleaning supplies and 6 months of cleaning services. This is a daily sweeps. Coupons available to print as well.

Celebrate Dairy Month (June) with the Dairy Smart Dairy Strong $7500 sweepstakes. This one can also be entered daily.

Lastly, enter for a chance to win a trip to New York with friend from Softsoap. You can also print $1.00 coupon when you're done!

That should do it! :)