Real Deal Roundup
 
Saturday, September 25th is Smithsonian Magazine’s 6th Annual Museum Day!  There are over 1,000 museums offering free admission.  Click HERE to find a participating museum in your area and get up to two free admissions.

For those of us in the Triad, here are the local participating museums:

High Point

Doll and Miniature Museum of High Point

High Point Museum

Greensboro

Blandwood Museum

Brock Historical Museum of Greensboro College

Greensboro Historical Museum

Weatherspoon Art Museum

Winston Salem

Museum of Anthropology

Old Salem Museums and Gardens

Reynolda House Museum of American Art

SciWorks Science Center

 
Thanks ya’ll!
 
Please see A Few Tips at the bottom of this post.

BC Powders (50ct) $4.99

-          Use $1 off coupon in September Walgreens Coupon Book

-          ALSO print $1 off 1 coupon HERE

-          Final price $2.99

Brita Pitchers (48oz) $14.99

-          Print $5 off 1 coupon HERE

-          Final price $9.99

Campbell’s Classic Bowl (15.4oz) $0.99 with in-ad coupon
(hopefully the store has ads at front)


-          Buy 3 Chunky Soup varieties

-          Print $1.50 off 3 coupon HERE

-          Final price $0.49 each

Carmex Skin Care Cream (4oz) or Lotion (5.5oz) $4.99

-          Get $4 RR

-          Final price $0.99

Dean’s French Onion Dip $0.99

-          Buy 2 dips

-          Print $1 off 2 coupon HERE

-          Final price $0.50 each

Degree Men’s Clinical Deodorant (1.7oz) $6

-          Buy 2 deodorants

-          Print (2) $2 off 1 coupons HERE

-          Get $4 RR

-          Final price $2.00 each

Degree Women’s Clinical Protection Deodorant (1.7oz) $6

-          Buy 2 deodorants

-          Print (2) $2 off 1 coupons HERE

-          Get $4 RR

-          Final price $2.00 each

Garnier HerbaShine Hair Color $5.99 with in-ad coupon

-          Buy HerbaShine Color Crème with Bamboo Extract variety

-          Print $3 off 1 coupon HERE

-          Final price $2.99

OR

-          Buy 3 HerbaShine Color Crème with Bamboo Extract variety

-          Print (3) $3 off 1 coupon HERE

-          Get $5 RR

-          Final price $1.32 each

Glade Lasting Impressions or Sense & Spray $6.99

-          Use $2 off 1 coupon in September Walgreens Coupon Book

-          ALSO print $3 off 1 coupon HERE
      (choose Lasting Impressions or Sense & Spray)


-          Final price $1.99

John Frieda Root Awakening products $5

-          Buy 3 Root Awakening products

-          Use (3) $3 off 1 coupon found in SmartSource insert (8/22)
      (sorry, no printable on this one)


-          Get $5 RR

-          Final price $0.34 each

Nabisco Cookies or Crackers (4 – 8oz) $0.99 with in-ad coupon (Sunday only!)

-          Buy Wheat Thins variety

-          Print $1 off 1 coupon HERE

-          Final price FREE

Pepcid (50ct) $4 with in-ad coupon

-          Print $3 off 1 coupon HERE

-          Final price $1.00

Quaker Instant Oatmeal  $2.50

-          Buy 2 Hearty Medleys variety oatmeal

-          Print (2) $1 off 1 coupon HERE

-          Get $2 RR

-          Final price $0.50 each

St. Ives Body Wash (13.5oz) $2.99

-          Get $2 RR

-          Final price $0.99

Starbucks Double Shot (15oz) $2

-          Print B1G1free coupon HERE

-          Final price $1.00 each

Suave Lotion (18oz) $3

-          Buy 2 lotions

-          Print (2) $1 off 1 coupons HERE

-          Get $2 RR

-          Final price $1.00 each

Suave Shampoo or Conditioner (22.5 or 32oz) $3

-          Buy 2 shampoo or conditioner (or 1 of each!)

-          Print $1 off 2 coupon HERE

-          Get $2 RR

-          Final price $1.00 each

Swedish Fish (14oz) $1.50

-          Print B1G1free coupon HERE (use zip code 78641 at top of page!)

-          Final price $0.75 each

V8 V-Fusion (46oz) $3.00

-          Buy 2 V-Fusion varieties

-          Print (2) $1 off 1 coupon HERE

-          Get $1 RR

-          Final price $1.50 each

Wisk Laundry Detergent (48 loads) $6.99

-          Print $1 off 1 coupon HERE

-          Get $2 RR

-          Final price $3.99

OR

-          Use $3 off 1 coupon found in RedPlum insert (8/29)

-          Get $2 RR

-          Final price $1.99

Zegerid OTC Acid Reducer (14ct) $10

-          Print $3 off 1 coupon HERE

-          At register, will print a $10 Mail in Rebate

-          Final price YOU MAKE $3.00

A Few Tips

·         RR stands for Register Rewards.  These are coupons that will print out at the
end of your transaction.  If you plan carefully, you can use RR from one transaction
to entirely pay for your next transaction.  I normally buy all my products that will
give me RR first and then come back for another transaction later and pay with the
RR from the first transaction. 
Please note that you cannot have more coupons than
 items, so plan accordingly or buy cheap “fillers” like chewing gum or individual
toilet paper rolls.


·         The “Final Price” in this listing takes the RR discount, even though you will not be using it during that transaction.  It reflects the net price of that item.

·         Most printable coupon sites will require that you download a “coupon printer” the first time you use them.  This is a safe download that simply tracks how many times you’ve printed.  Most coupons will allow you to print two copies (this is usually done by hitting the Back button on your browser and refreshing the page after the first copy prints).  If you have more than one computer in your house, it can sometimes be advantageous to print two copies on each computer.

·         Remember that you can repeat a deal depending on how many coupons you have unless there is a limit on the number of items you can purchase.  For example, Wheat thins for $0.99 and you know of a $1 off printable coupon – if you have 3 computers in your house, you could print 6 coupons and buy 6 boxes for free!  BUT, Walgreens may have a restriction on the number of boxes you can buy at the $0.99 price, so be sure to look before you checkout.

·         There are many more deals posted on larger sites such as Southern Savers or Wild for Wags, these are just a sampling of what I think are the best deals available.

Thanks ya'll!
 
Instant Win games are a cool way to get additional coupons for products you like, as well as the chance to win some great prizes.  Unfortunately, they can also be quite time consuming to fill out the required information.  Is it worth the trouble?  You’d certainly believe so if you win!  Plus, I’ve found a few that are really valuable for extra coupons.

General tips for Instant Win/Sweepstakes

·         It is highly recommended that you download a software that will auto-fill your personal information.  The down side is that they don’t work 100% of the time (especially if it is a Flash game).  The upside, it will save you TONS of time in typing.  The one that I use is called RoboForm.  I have used it for years and have had no problems with viruses/malicious content from the download.  It can be safely downloaded HERE . Just click on the Download tab, no need for the Pro version.

·         It is also highly recommended that you set up a different email account for your entries.  Most of the sponsoring companies will send you newsletters after you sign up for the sweepstakes.  I use Gmail for mine, because I think they have a better spam blocker for adult content.  But don’t forget to read those emails because sometimes you will get coupons!

·         I use Outlook mail client to set up a calendar to remind me to do my daily entry.  The nice thing is that you can set up an event to reoccur for the length of the promotion.  For example, the Sobe contest that I love ends on 9/11/10, so I have the event scheduled to expire on 9/11/10.  Takes the guesswork out of things! (thanks Clinton for reminding me of the Calendar tool!)

Current Instant Win/Sweepstakes

Remember that all of these can be entered daily.

·         AARP – chance to win a cruise or an instant win prize, fun little game for the instant win.  And no, you do not have to be of retirement age! – ends 9/17/10

·         Bed, Bath and Beyond – cool Grand prizes plus a chance to be an Instant winner of a Gift Card – ends 9/7/10

·         Breyers – spin the Wheel of Delight daily for 3 chances to win an instant prize plus one entry into a sweepstakes – ends 10/1/10

·         Coke – this one’s tricky – there are several instant win games. Once you are signed up, go under the Spend your Points tab and select Instant Win.  Without codes from caps, you can only enter 5 times per day, but you can enter any of the games any number of times up to 5.  Spend them all on one or spread them out, your choice.  To get the 5 free chances, you have to click Rules under any one of the games.  Scroll down to section 5c and choose the Click Here link, enter the code as seen.  Do this 5 times.  Then, enter the game of your choice.  Yes, a little work here, but some of those prizes could be worth the trouble!  Each game has its own expiration date.

·         Ghirardelli – vote for your favorite new flavor and get a chance to win some free chocolate!  You also get a coupon for your trouble if you don’t win – ends 9/20/10

·         Hellman’s – enters you into a sweepstakes plus three spins to win an instant prize – ends 1/4/11

·         Honey Nut Cheerio’s – this one has a fun game to play, but your score does not affect your chances of winning (thank goodness).  You are playing for a year’s worth of cereal! – ends 6/28/11

·         Lindt – chance to win a trip to Switzerland or a trip to NYC to see Roger Federer play! – ends 9/12/10

·         Nestle – sweepstakes and daily prizes – ends 10/15/10

·         Office Depot – use the Shoppers entrance, win a Gift card – ends 9/5/10

·         Play-doh –  you do not have to purchase to play, click on the link to get a free code.  You get three chances, the same free code works each time – ends 9/30/10

·         Quiznos – trying for gift cards, but you still get a coupon if you don’t win – ends 9/20/10

·         Sobe – this one’s my favorite!  Play the neat little game, and you can win free drinks or a Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupon.  I have won several of the coupons (be sure your popup blocker is turned off before trying to print!) – ends 9/14/10

·         Spy the World this is just a daily sweepstakes entry, but the prize is awesome! – ends 9/20/10

·         Wet Ones – chance to win a grand prize or daily prizes – ends 9/20/10

There are TONS more instant win/sweepstakes out there, so this will get you started.  I’ll try to post some more every few days as others expire.

Thanks to Coupon Maximizer for most of these!


Thanks ya’ll!
 
So, if you spend as much time on the internet as I do, Swagbucks is the way to earn some cool stuff while doing it. 

Here's the deal:  Sign up for Swagbucks (banner below).  Download the toolbar (optional but highly recommended). Set as your home page (also optional but highly recommended).  Take a tour of the site (it can be a bit overwhelming with all the different ways you can earn Swagbucks). Start earning!  Some of the ways to make money - using their search engine (you can win Swagbucks randomly, I won 10 this morning!), do the daily poll, visit the daily NOSO (no-obligation special offer), shop at your favorite stores, take surveys, trade in old video games, and various special offers. 

Truth in advertising: Some of the special offers will have pages (and pages) of special offers to rifle through before you are credited your SB.  Annoying, yes! However, you can skip every one of those offers if you aren't interested and they aren't all that bad.  I did have one this morning that ended with a "Page cannot be displayed" which means that I didn't get my SB, but it only happened once.

What's it Worth?: I just started yesterday and I already have 170 Swagbucks.  At 450 SB I'm getting a $5 Amazon giftcard!  Seems like the most popular rewards are the Amazon and Starbucks gift cards, but they have so much more than just gift cards! Clothes, magazine subscriptions, movies, music, school supplies.  They even have a Jonathan Stewart rookie card that I have my eye on!

In case I didn't mention it, you get a bonus for signing people up too.  So here's my link, help me get that gift card!  Once you sign up, sign your friends up so you can get a bonus too!

Thanks ya'll!
Picture
 
I'm gonna share something that I recently took advantage of myself...magazine subscriptions.  There are several really good deals out there.

First up, for my friends who are doing so well on their program, Weight Watchers magazine!

Here's the Deal: Tanga has a deal that gives you a one-year subscription for only $2.99! On the site the price shows up as $14.99 with free shipping.  Use the code LOSE to cut it down to $2.99, plus you can get up to 4 years at that price!

Truth in Advertising: This is a bi-monthly magazine with 6 issues per year.  It may take up to 14 weeks to get your first magazine.  Also, there is a possibility for this deal to sell out or expire early due to enormous volume, so you must act FAST to get the offer. This site accepts Paypal!

CLICK HERE for the Weight Watchers for $2.99 Real Deal! (thanks to Southern Savers)

Next up, Family Fun magazine.  This magazine is designed for parents who have kids aged 3 - 12.  Issues cover learning activities, reviews of children's books and toys and more!

Here's the Deal:  MagazineDealsNow has a one-year subscription for only $3.95, which is a 60% savings!  The best deal is the four-year subscription for a total of $13.74, which is 65% off the publisher's price! Also, a bonus that I just found - use code MPS10 for 10% off your order! 

Truth in Advertising: This magazine has 10 issues per year.  This site accepts credit cards, but not PayPal.

CLICK HERE for the Family Fun for $3.95 Real Deal! (thanks again to Southern Savers)

While you're at MagazineDealsNow, check out the large selection of other magazines available for under $10.  I just picked up a year of Backpacker magazine for $3.56 after using the MPS10 promo code!


Thanks ya'll!

 
 
So have you ever heard of the coupon phenomenon?  I hadn’t…then I started perusing some blogs as an off-shoot of my very favorite food blog (Annie's Eats) and found, very quickly I might add, that I have just been an IDIOT for paying retail all these years!!

I have heard people say that they think coupons are a waste of time because, really, who cares about saving $0.25 at a time?  And of course we all get mad at the person with piles of coupons who then pulls out a checkbook at the grocery line (don’t be mad at them, the store should have more lines open!).  So there is a certain stigma associated with being one of those people.  Well, folks, I’m here to tell you that we’ve got it all wrong!  Those people are laughing at us…all the way to the bank!  Over the last few days, I have been overwhelmed with all of the information that these CP (my abbreviation for Coupon People) are willing to divulge to the “beginner”.  I am in AWE of some of the hauls that they bring in.  And there are hundreds if not thousands of sites out there ready and willing to help YOU become a CP too!  So….

With the support of my family, we’ve pledged to never pay retail again (if we don’t have to!).  And, hopefully to help my friends who would never have the time to sift through all that information, I am starting this blog to sacrifice myself to finding and sharing the REAL DEALS out there.  That’s right, I’m a martyr.  Call me Saint Lisa!