Frugal Forum December 9, 2012

Using coupons isn’t the only way to save. Many people haven’t jumped on the coupon bandwagon but know there are lots of other ways to save money. When shopping at any retail store ask if they have any coupons when you are checking out. You will be surprised how many times the cashier will reach under the counter to pull out a coupon for you. If you just want to shop at one place use Walmart’s price matching policy which will help you get the sales from other stores. I do suggest printing a copy of Walmart’s coupon and price matching policy and keeping with you. Stock up on items now that go on sale. Target is also price matching Amazon.com prices through December 16^th. Just pull up the price on your mobile device and they will match it for you. Target has a huge toy sale two times a year usually in early January and during the summer when items get marked down 75%. Fill your closet for the holiday and birthday gifts all at once and you never have to run out for a full-priced gift at the last minute. Ask about discount days for special pricing. Kroger has senior discount day the first Wednesday of every month where a senior can get an additional 10% off their purchase. My salon has a special on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday that isn’t advertised but told to me by my stylist. Many stores and service establishments give discounts on weekdays to get you in during their slow days. When purchasing big ticket items, plan ahead and don’t be shy about asking for a better deal. If they won’t come down on price, ask for a value-add like free delivery or installation. Here is a list of the best time to shop for certain products.

Appliances: Holiday weekends

Cameras and Camcorders: February and March

Carpet and Flooring: January

China and Flatware: March and September

Computers: August and December

Cookware: May, June and December

Dining Furniture: October and November

Electronics: Spring and early summer, also Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Furniture: January, July, and holiday weekends

Holiday Décor: Day after the holiday

Linens: January

Mattresses: May through August

Paint: Summer

Patio Furniture: After Labor Day

Plants, Trees and Shrubs: Fall

Small Appliances: December

Snowblowers: April

Televisions: Early spring, also six to 12 months after a particular model is launched

Vacuum Cleaners: April and May

Zales has $119 beautiful Infinity Sterling Silver necklace marked down to $24.99 just enter promotional code ZALESPECIAL at checkout. Plus go through ebates to get another 3.5% back. http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=18028886&kpc=1

Little Virtuous Sing along MP3 player was $34.97 now $12 at Walmart.com. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Little-Virtuoso-Sing-Along-MP3-Player-Red/21104520?wmlspartner=CY3NkS*Y9qw&sourceid=17856923473217925491&veh=aff

Magic School Bus The Complete Series DVD was $79.95 now $26.99 at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007I1Q4MM?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B007I1Q4MM&linkCode=xm2&tag=wwwthefruga05-20

Air Hogs- Hyper Active Vehicle was $49.99  now $19.80 at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007F9WVAG?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B007F9WVAG&linkCode=xm2&tag=wwwthefruga05-20

Yankee Candle get $20 off $45 purchase coupon http://www.yankeecandle.com/assets/email/dec412/coupon.html

American Airline would like to give you 500 AAdvantage Miles just for sharing your thoughts with them. https://www.facebook.com/AmericanAirlines/app_163166247155659

’tis the season to celebrate with all the cheer without any of the waste. You’ll earn 100 points now when you unwrap Recycle Bank’s tips for eco-friendlier gift giving (click ‘gift giving’) and another 100 points in greener entertaining starting on December 10th. https://www.recyclebank.com/seasons-greenings

New to Recycle Bank just sign up to earn points by taking surveys, signing up for free offers and pledging to do green things. These points can be redeemed for coupons, magazine subscriptions, samples, free items and more. www.recyclebank.com

The first 500 people who send a virtual hug each Monday at 10 am will receive a free Nestle Abuelita Kit. The kit contains mug, two packets of Nestle Abuelita Instant Chocolate Drink Mix and a coupon Giveaway. Expires December 31, 2012. https://www.facebook.com/Abuelita/app_242951145826922

$14.99 mail in rebate for OSKAR Fold Up snowbrush at Sears making item free after rebate http://c.shld.net/assets/docs/spin_prod_759261012.pdf

Amazon if giving away 5 free holiday day songs until December 25, 2012. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&docI

Megabus is giving away 200,000 free bus seats this holiday season for travel between January 9^th and February 28^th, 2013. Book now with promotional code TRYMEGABUS. http://us.megabus.com/Megabus%20Offers%20200000%20Free%20Seats.aspx

Buy one get one free Beef ‘N Cheddar or Turkey ‘N Cheddar sandwich at Arby’s coupon good until December 11, 2012 http://arbys.com/coupons/december-2012.html

Kids eat free every night at Bob Evans during the month of December with the purchase of an adult entrée. https://www.facebook.com/bobevans#

Every day at 2pm (CST) until December 25^th Target will reveal a new gift that will be given away. Just grab a ticket and see if you won today’s prize. https://www.facebook.com/target/app_477026305683428

Earn 5 bonus Disney Movie rewards points everyday through December 25. Just visit abcfamily.com/25days to find the Disney movie reward logo then click it to receive code. Then enter code on your account. http://www.disneymovierewards.go.com/

Elf” you and your loved ones and receive a FREE year-at-a-view calendar featuring your “elfed” photos. Simply upload your photos of choice, click on “Let’s Dance” and select the “Get Calendar” link in the upper right corner. The site will generate an exclusive promo code that can be redeemed for a custom ElfYourself calendar at your nearest OfficeMax store at the OfficeMax ImPress Print Center counter. Calendars retail for $6.99 and are limited to one per customer. http://hostd.oddcast.com/elfyourself2012/home.php

  A FRUGAL TIP 

Protect your privacy! Never use your real email address when requesting freebies. You can create free Hotmail or Yahoo accounts to use. You should also avoid giving out your phone number. Try entering 555-555-5555 instead. This will work on most forms