Frugal Forum January 12, 2012

One of the top ways of saving money is to be organized. Think of how many times you needed toilet paper and ran to the store to pay full price. Just like a boy scout being prepared will save you lots and lots of money. In past post I mentioned going out and buying your wrapping paper, gift bags, bows and Christmas decorations now. I always go back and remember what I used for this past season and what needs to be replaced. I have a box that is full of gift bags, tape, ribbon, cards, and especially gift card holders. Getting them now for 75% off or 90% off will be a huge savings but having them already on hand will also make the holidays less stressful. Don’t rule out getting presents for birthdays at Christmas sales. Yesterday I bought beautiful spa socks and spa cremes in a nice basket(didn’t look holiday at all) for 75% off. I always like to have a supply of little gifts for a nice hostess gift or just someone’s birthday you forgot about.

ShinDigZ is having a $1 sale for personalized banners. I have ordered these in the past and they are high quality. You do have to pay for shipping but think about your child walking up to the house on his/her birthday and see a big banner saying Happy Birthday!

$2 coupon for White Cloud Tissue Paper


OpenSky is another reward site but it is very unique with products from Martha Stewart, Brendan Brazier plus many more. One product that you can purchase with the full price going to Save The Children Charity is Valentine’s Day Cards designed by Julianne Moore based on her new children book Freckleface Strawberry. You get 30 cards for $25 with full purchase price of each box of cards benefits children living in poverty through Save the Children’s U.S. Programs. It is nice to purchase something you need get a bonus of doing something good.


Get up to 75% off business purchases at Staples coupon.
500 full-color business cards for only $9.99 regularly $39.99
100 8.5 x 10.98 Flyers $19.99 regularly $45.99
1 Custom short sleeve T-shirt $7.99 regularly $16.99
plus many more - check it out
(make a cute Best Mom t-shirt or Best Dad t-shirt for Mother’s or Father’s Day)


Looking to get in shape. Check out Kellogg’s free, customizable Special K Plan. Create your unique weight-mangaement plan, plus find tools, recipes and a mobile app to help you start the year with success. You also can print off a $1 coupon for any two Kellogg’s cereals. (pair this coupon with Kroger’s get $3 off your shopping trip when you buy four Kellogg’s products)


Don’t forget to send that free greeting card (with envelope) plus free shipping from Cardstore.com. Just enter promotional code FREECARD121 at checkout after you enter your shipping information. You do not need to put in credit card information the order is free.


Vote for your favorite Smucker’s Unstoppable Family Photo and you could win a coupon for a free 4 pack box of Uncrustables Sandwiches. I did it and didn’t win but maybe you will.


Don’t forget today is the start of the free coffee tasting event at Starbucks. They said they will even send you home with a little something as a Thank You.


Buy one get one free Crave Treats for Cats coupon

They are on sale for $1.25 at Krogers

H&R Block will offer free preparation of 104EZ forms at Walmart through Feb. 29. Block will have kiosks in about 250 Wal-Mart stores. See if your Walmart is participating.

Like Thomas English Muffins on their facebook page and try to win a free package of Thomas’ English Muffins or Bagles (awarded in $5 coupon)

25% off your purchase at Sherwin Williams coupon
(just look under household)

Huge discounts on wedding dresses at The Limited

Valentine’s Day coupon from Coupon Network for Nestle Crunch, Nestle Butterfinger Hearts or Wonka Fun Dip, Nerds

Get a 11 oz photo mug for just $1 at York Photo just enter promotional code MUGYORK. If you are not a member yet when you sign up get 40 free 4x6 prints.


Today’s Target daily deals is offering ELF Eyeshadow Palette 32 Piece for $2.37 was $5 plus free shipping

Frugal Forum January 9, 2012

Like Ann Taylor Loft on their facebook page and when they have reached 1 million followers they will send you a coupon for $50 off $100 purchase.
https://www.facebook.com/LOFT?sk=app_157987357565755

Maidenform is offering $10 bras through January 10th. Use these promotional codes to get an additional 20% off RSIM0112 and try SLICKFREESHIP for free shipping. I haven’t tried these yet but good deal. www.maidenform.com

Buy three Skinny Cow lowfat cups get one free coupon
http://www.skinnycow.com/coupon-email/default.aspx

Buy one get one free Land O Lakes Fresh Buttery Taste Spread mail in rebate
http://www.landolakes.com/Offers/BuyOneGetOne.aspx

Spend $50 on Johnson & Johnson products (not including coupons) from January 8 through March 8 and get $45 worth of coupons in the mail. http://coupons2.smartsource.com/smartsource/index.jsp?Link=UTC6JZR3QERES

Text “bodega” to 827438, you’ll get the following Target mobile coupons:
$0.50 off 2-pk. 32-oz. Windex Original glass cleaner
$2 off 144-oz. or larger Arm & Hammer laundry detergent
$1 off 76-ct. or larger 13-gal. Glad kitchen bags
$1.50 off 10-ct. Sharpie permanent markers
$1 off 30-pk. Quilted Northern bath tissue (soft & strong or ultra plush)
$5 off Just Dance video game (Michael Jackson, The Black Eyed Peas, or Just Dance 3)
$2 off 12-pk. Viva paper towels
$5 off 92-ct. or larger Huggies Little Movers or Snug ‘n Dry diapers
15% off Munchkin bath accessory
$3.50 off 56- to 72-ct. Huggies Pull-Ups Learning Designs training pants
$0.50¢ off Planters Nutrition bonus can
Buy Two, Get One FREE Room Essentials kitchen tool

Reach Total Care floss on sale for $2.99 at Walgreens
Use $1 printable coupon
http://www.coupons.com/alink.asp?go=13903xh2010&bid=1077460001
Receive $2 in register rewards
Final price FREE

Go to Starbucks for free coffee tasting on Thursday, January 12 through Saturday January 14. Vote for your favorite roast and they will even send you home with a little something as a Thank You. http://roast.starbucks.com/en-us/
From 1pm to 3pm Better Homes and Garden are giving away their Scented Wax Cube samples on their facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/BHGLiveBetter?sk=wallc

Free sample of Crystal Light Energy
http://www.apfco.com/promos/w1390/index.cfm

Free Cheese and Queso at Chili’s with an adult entree good until January 11.
http://campaign.chilis.com/freequesojan9-11/

Free Shout Color Catcher sample
http://www.shoutitout.com/en-US/Promotions/Pages/ColorCatcher.aspx

Hasbro has some high value coupons to print (look under toys)
$5 on one Electronic Catch Phrase or Taboo game
$3 on one Jenga or Cranium Brain Breaks game
$5 on one Pictionary game
ttp://www.coupons.com/alink.asp?go=13903xh2010&bid=1077460001

Check out Best Buy’s deal of the day-
Bissell Pet Hair Eraser HEPA Bagless Upright was $149.99 now $99.99 with free shipping
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Misc/null/pcmcat248000050016.c?id=pcmcat248000050016&AID=10923734&PID=3629532&ref=39&CJPID=3629532&loc=01

Target deal:
Buy 10 Weight Watchers Smart One at $1.89 each making it $18.90
Use $3 off 10 Weight Watchers coupon
http://www.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13903&zid=xh20&nid=10
Use $3 of 10 Weight Watchers Target coupon
www.target.com
Receive $5 Target gift card when you buy ten
Final price 79 cents each

Frugal Column January 8, 2012

I laughed when I watched the new show “2 Broke Girls” last week. The show is about a rich girl whose father is in jail for embezzling people’s money ultimately making her family broke. She is now a waitress trying to make ends meet last week she discovers coupons. At first she is ashamed to be seen using coupons but when she sees how much money she can save she is hooked. When I was growing up there was a stigma that if you used coupons you were poor. Now when shopping you will see many women and men walking around with their coupon binder or coupon folders in their shopping cart. Many of us have come to conclusion that not using coupons is really throwing your money away. My favorite place to find coupons is the Sunday paper but there are other avenues to get more coupons. Different stores have electronic coupons that you can load right on the store’s loyalty card and mobile coupons that load on your smartphone. To load digital coupons on your Kroger Plus card just go to www.kroger.com and register your card then you will be able to click on a coupon which will automatically be deducted from your total at the register when you purchase the qualifying product. There are two more sites that also let you load ecoupons onto your Kroger Plus card they are www.shortcuts.com and www.cellfire.com . I do want you to remember that you cannot use a paper coupon with an electronic coupon and the electronic coupon will be deducted first. One other downfall is an electronic coupon will not double. So load your coupons wisely. RiteAid just introduced their new program called load2card. This allows Rite Aid Wellness plus members to load, manage and redeem digital coupons via their wellness card. Just go to www.riteaid.com and register your wellness card and start adding savings right to your card. Now one of my favorite stores to use mobile coupons is Target. Get deals sent to you twice a month and redeem them at the register right from your phone’s screen. Send HELP to 827438 for information or STOP to 827438 to end. You could receive up to 5 messages per month. Message and data rates may apply. The internet has given us the opportunity to print coupons right from home. If you look at your Sunday paper’s inserts you will see that each insert has a website where you can also print off additional coupons. The inserts we usually get are www.redplum.com and www.smartsource.com. A couple of other websites for coupons are www.coupons.com and www.couponnetwork.com these are reputable coupon sites where you will not get a fraudulent coupon. When printing a coupon off the internet make sure it has a barcode, expiration date, says manufacturer coupon along with little dots in the expiration date box. Remember sometimes if it is too good to be true it probably is a fake. These sites will also only let you print two copies of a coupon. I always tell everyone coupons are everywhere if there is a product that you like go to their website 80% of the time they will offer a coupon for example www.kelloggs.com have many printable coupons available. Now into the next generation of couponing http://SavingStar.ojrq.net/c/21545/17146/758 Saving Star. Saving Star gives you the option of loading your stores loyalty cards for example: CVS Extracare card, Kroger Plus Card and Rite Aid Wellness card and linking ecoupons to your stores cards. When you use your loyalty card and purchase an item that you have loaded an ecoupon for, it will automatically add that coupon amount to your Saving Star account. When you have reached the minimum of $5 you can have that amount sent to a Pay Pal account, Amazon.com gift card, right to your bank, or American Forest.org charity account. You will not see a deduction to your bill. The plus to this is you will be able to use a paper coupon plus use your ecoupon from Saving Star. Come see me at The Fayette Mall on January 13 from 4pm to 8pm and January 14 from 10am to 3pm where I will be demonstrating SC Johnson’s new product All-In-One Cleaning System while giving away free refill samples.

January 14-16 our National Parks that usually charge an entrance fee are offering fee-free days. http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm

Visit Penquin Palooza during Winter Family Days – January 4 to February 29 when up to two kids get into The Newport Aquarium in Newport, KY for only $2 each with every adult who pays full price. www.newportaquarium.com

Watch Showtime for free today. See if your TV provider is participating. http://www.sho.com/site/freepreview/home.do

CVS Deals:
Listerine Total Care on sale for $3.99 receive $2 in extracare bucks use your $1 Sunday paper coupon making the final price just 99 cents.

Lady Mitchum Deodorant on sale for $1.99 use 75 cents coupon making the final price just $1.24
.
Walgreens Deal:
Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Toilet Cleaner on sale for $8.99 use $4 Sunday paper coupon making the final price just $4.99.

Rite Aid Deal:
Visine $2 Store coupon in weekly sales flyer match with $2 manufacturer coupon in Sunday’s paper for a good deal.