Sign Up For Birthday Clubs (Original Post 07/01/2009)

I wrote about why you should sign up for newsletters. Now I am going to let you know why you should sign up for Birthday Clubs.

The number one reason is you get free stuff. They are like tiny little presents in your email. You get these nice birthday greetings and sometimes a little something extra.

My birthday is this week and I will tell you, I was impressed with the amount of things that I am getting for free.

Here is a list:

Benihana - Free complimentary meal (up to $30)
Baskin Robbins - Free scoop of ice cream
Moe's Southwest Grill - Free entree
Cold Stone Creamery - Free Like It with one mix in
HomeTown Buffet - Free buffet meal
Arby's - Free Swirl Shake
Joe's Crab Shack - Free Appetizer
Buffalo Wild Wings - Free Dessert
On The Border - Free empanadas or dessert
Red Robin - Free Burger
Daphne's - Free entree
Qdoba - Free burrito
Denny's - Free dessert
Ruby Tuesday - Free burger
Del Taco - Free shake
Black Angus - Free steak dinner
Famous Dave's - anything from a free dessert to the All-American Feast (they scan and pick your "prize")
Marie Callender's - $5 off your entree and free slice of pie
TGIFriday's - Free dessert

Most of these expire a week after my birthday, so the odds of me using all of these are pretty slim, but since it is just myself, my husband and son, the free meals will make for an inexpensive meal out.

So go ahead and sign up. Sign your family up too. These are nice birthday treats. My husbands birthday was last week, so we get to double up.

Here are a couple other sites that list birthday clubs.

http://www.freebirthdayclubs.info/
http://www.freebirthdaytreats.com/

Arts Cow (Original Post 06/29/2009)

There is this great site called ArtsCow.com. They are a digital photo print site and they have some fantastic deals on gifts. If you sign up for the newsletter, you will be notified of all these great deals. They usually run a few a month.

The items are made in Hong Kong, so it takes awhile to receive them (about a week or two) but the prices are great.

This is a great site and the items are really nice. I ordered a glass cloth and a photo book from them a few months ago.

Why You Should Sign Up For Newsletters (Original Post 06/06/2009)

"I don't want all that crap in my inbox, besides, I don't have time to read it." That is what everyone always tells me about newsletters. I am going to tell you why you should sign up for these newsletters.

First of all, don't think of it as crap or spam. It's not. They are very informative and helpful on keeping you up to date on products and services that you use. When signing up for newsletters, open another email account. You should have an extra email account for freebies and such anyway. Nobody, likes spam and extra emails, and when you are trying to get through the important stuff, you don't want to go through emails that you can look at later. You can have the newsletters sent to the 'other' email address and go through them when you have time.

When signing up for newsletters, make sure that they are something that you want info on. Usually, you can look at a sample newsletter. The best newsletters to sign up for are vacations, stores, food, restaurants, services and recipes.

Signing up for these types of newsletters brings you a lot of information, bargains, deals, coupons, rebates and freebies. I am always getting lots of coupons, freebies, and great deals sent weekly to my email. I don't have to hunt around for them. They are there when I get on my computer.

Newsletters are an excellent way to save money and stay on a budget. Last year, my family was able to take a wonderful trip to Ireland, because I signed up for Sceptre Tours newsletter. Some grocery stores have newsletters, so you can check the ads and plan your meals and shopping trips. Certain products and restaurants will send coupons with their newsletters. You will be notified of company changes, new products, store openings, samples and sweepstakes.

So, next time you are asked to sign up for a newsletter, think about all the info you are missing out on, and go ahead and sign up. If you find, you don't like it, you can always unsubscribe.

Bookcloseouts.com (Original Post~5/22/2009)

Bookcloseouts.com is my all time favorite place to purchase books. They have great prices and deals every month. My husband and son love to read and they read so quickly. They both go through books so fast, it sometimes gets a bit expensive to keep up with their hobby.

I have been purchasing books through them for about 2 years now. I have even passed this information to my sons teachers who have since started purchasing books through Book Closeouts.

Although the books that they have are not usually the newest titles, you will be able to find some wonderful books. Book Closeouts has mostly overstock books and some that have been discountinued and the inventory changes all the time. Sign up for the email and you will be notified of new offers. 

Getting Vitamins for Cheap (Original Post~5/20/2009)

Staying healthy is not always inexpensive, but you can get vitamins and herbal supplements for a good price. Puritan's Pride is a great website that offers deals on these items. If you sign up for the newsletter, you will be notified of great deals that will save you even more money. One of their most popular deals they have is Buy 1, Get 1 Free or even better, Buy 2, Get 3 Free. So go and check it out and stock up on your vitamins.

Start Your Christmas Shopping Now

I worked retail for a lot of years and the Summer is the time of year when stores start to get rid of their inventory to make room for the holiday season.


This is especially true for toys.  I was at Target today and noticed that there were a lot of toys on clearance.  If you have some money saved for the holidays, this is the time to start using it.  You can get most of your shopping done before November if you take advantage of these markdowns.  


When you shop, make sure that you check the clearance racks and keep everyone that you are shopping for in mind.  Check the internet as well as the brick and mortar stores.  You will be surprised that there are great deals online also.


Make sure that you make a list of all the people you need to shop for, set your budget and start shopping.  I hope you find some great deals and come out below your budget.  Happy Shopping!

Ireland Vacation (Original post 5/13/2009)

Last year, my family took a vacation to Ireland. This is a vacation that I never would have dreamed we could have taken, much less afford to go on. I was lucky to find a great deal and was able to take this dream vacation. I received and email from Septre Tours and they had a great deal that I could not pass up. A couple of days ago, I receieved another email with a similar offer that I used and I wanted to share with you. The deal is $499, per person for 6 night stay in a townhouse, air and car in Ireland. This is a remarkable price and they have other offers available too.

Ireland is wonderful place to visit. I wish that we had more than a week to visit. I will definitely be visiting again. We stayed in Waterford, which is a beautiful town. Everyone there is so very friendly. I hope that you are as fortunate as I was to take advantage of this offer. If you do, let me know about your trip.

Christmas Shopping in July?

Summer is the time that most retail stores start thinking about Christmas inventory.  So a lot of stores, especially Target, is starting to clear the shelves so they can fit all the seasonal product.


This is the perfect time to look for gifts for family and friends.  Toys are especially going to be clearanced out.  Since so many new toys will be released around the holidays, stores really need to make room for all the new product.  


Summertime is the perfect time to start shopping the clearance areas in stores.  You will find some great deals and you may even get your holiday shopping done early.  Most of the time, I will have my Christmas shopping done before Black Friday.


To keep track of your gifts, make a list of all the people you need to shop for and set a budget for each person.  Find a place in your home, like the garage or a closet and put all the gifts in that one place. Make sure your gift stash is a secret place so no one knows goes snooping around.  If you make sure all the gifts are together, you won't forget and have to buy twice.  Keep a copy of your list with you and place a copy with the purchased gifts. 


On a side note, I found out yesterday, that if you don't use a bag or bring your own bag to Target, you get $0.05.  So, make sure you bring your own bags or if you only have a few items, like I did yesterday, tell them you don't need a bag.

Silver Jewelry Club (Original Post 04/27/09)

This is just a really quick post on one of my favorite places to buy jewelry. It is Silver Jewelry Club. This site is a sister site of Peora. Silver Jewelry Club has jewelry that they have for free, all you do is pay for shipping and handeling at $6.99. The regular price of these items are $45 - $60. They have rings, earrings and necklace pendants. They have beautiful pieces and are of great quality. And of course, my big thing, they make great inexpensive gifts.

Review~e.l.f Cosmetics (Original Post 04/24/09)

I decided to do a review on e.l.f. cosmetics. This Christmas I had bought some things for myself and my family. I absolutely fell in love with the make-up. Now, I don't wear make-up often, so I have a hard time paying a lot of money for cosmetics that I don't wear all the time. So e.l.f. is perfect for me. If you don't know about this company, they sell their cosmetics for $1 each. They have a mineral and a studio line, that cost $3. Not too bad of prices. I have used all three lines and love them. I will do separate reviews on products later, but overall, the make-up is excellent. It is worth more than the $1 to $3 that you pay. The studio line is their professional line and these are wonderful and professional products. The brushes are awesome. The mineral line is my all time favorite. I have used Bare Minerals for years and this is up there with that. Another thing that I love about e.l.f. is that they have deals all of the time. Some are Buy 1 Get 1 Free, half off, if you spend $20, you get aRestaurant.com gift certificate, and movie tickets. So, try them out and tell me what you think.

Free and Inexpensive Summer Activities

I am so very excited that there are so many free and inexpensive Summer activities.  There is bowling, movies, crafts and even reading programs.  Here is the list that I have.


Regal Theaters~Starting today, June 21st, every Tues and Wed they will be hosting the "Summer Movie Express".  The family friendly movies are $1.  Some of the movies include, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", "Megamind", "Despicable Me" and "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs".


Michael's~Starting today, June 21st thru July 30th, Michael's is hosting its "Passport to Fun". Free crafts featuring 18 countries. The activities are the following:
June 21 11 am – 2 pm
The Knack Passport to Fun Sweden Dolls & Flag FREE Make-It Take-It
Make a fun craft project from Sweden. Design your own Swedish dolls and flag. While supplies last. Ages 3 and up.

June 23 11 am – 2 pm
The Knack Passport to Fun Germany Hat & Bell FREE Make-It Take-It
Learn something new about German culture. Handcraft a traditional German hat and bell. While supplies last. Ages 3 and up.

Jun 25 11 am – 2 pm
The Knack Passport to Fun Egypt Hieroglyphics & Mummy FREE Make-It Take-It
Embrace Egyptian culture. Create your own stylish hieroglyphics and make your own mummy. While supplies last. Ages 3 and up.

June 28 11 am – 2 pm
The Knack Passport to Fun Bahamas Tropical Can Hug & Flower Lei FREE Make-It Take-It
Show your island spirit. Create a fanciful flower lei and festive tropical can hug. While supplies last. Ages 3 and up.

June 30 11 am – 2 pm
The Knack Passport to Fun Canada Moose & Maple Leaf FREE Make-It Take-It
Celebrate Canada. Craft your own fun moose and maple leaf. While supplies last. Ages 3


AMF Bowling~Sign your kids up for FREE bowling 7 days a week until 8pm.  This is valid until Sept 5th. You will receive a coupon in your email every week for this activity. 


Lowe's Build and Grow~As usual, twice a month, Lowe's hosts a FREE project for your kids to enjoy.  Make sure you sign up early. This activity is held on Saturdays at 10am.


Home Depot~Every first Saturday of the month, Home Depot hosts a FREE project.  This is year round.


Lakeshore Learning~Every Saturday from 11am to 3pm, there are FREE crafts for kids.


Bass Pro Shops~Now until July 10th, they will be hosting a "Family Summer Camp" with FREE crafts, activities and workshops Tues, Thurs, Sat & Sun. 


Here are some Summer Reading Programs that reward your child for reading this summer.

1. Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program 2011: Imagination's Destination

© Barnes and Noble

The Barnes and Noble summer reading program gives out a free book to each child who reads 8 books over the summer.

This program is great because the child gets to choose what book they want from a big list of titles. Also part of the program is parent activities that can be used to encourage children to read.

2. Borders Summer Reading Program 2011: Double-Dog Dare Challenge

© Borders

The Borders summer reading program gives out free books to children as well. After kids read 10 books, they're eligible to choose a book from the list of free books.

The free books on the Borders summer reading list include Danny and the Dinosaur, The Cat in the Hat and Ramona the Brave. Click the link above for a complete list.

3. Pottery Barn Summer Reading Challenge 2011

© Pottery Barn

The Pottery Barn Summer Reading Challenge 2011 challenges kids to complete one of their reading lists.

When a child successfully completes a reading list they'll be eligible to stop by a Pottery Barn Kids to get a free book.

4. Half Price Books Summer Reading Program 2011: Feed Your Brain

© Half Price Books

Half Price Books gives out free gift cards to kids who read books this summer.

When kids read for 600 minutes during June and July, they'll get a free $5 gift card to Half Price Books. One lucky kid in each age group and store will get a $20 gift card.

5. TD Bank Summer Reading Program 2011

© TD Bank

When your child completes the TD Bank summer reading program, they'll get $10 free!

Kids will need to read 10 books and have a new or existing Young Savers account at a TD Bank to get this deal.

6. National Amusements Summer Reading Program 2011: Bookworm Wednesdays

© National Amusement

For each book kids read and write a book report over, they'll get to see a movie at a National Amusements movie theater for free.

The movies are at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesdays this summer and adults and younger siblings will get in free as well.

7. HEB H.E. Buddy Summer Reading Club

© HEB

The H.E. Buddy Summer Reading Club sponsored by HEB grocery stores gives out a package of cool prizes for each child who reads 10 books this summer.

It's a mystery what the prizes are but I'm betting it includes a free t-shirt!

8. Chuck E. Cheese Reading Rewards

© Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese has a summer reading program where kids can earn free 10 Chuck E. Cheese tokens for reading each day for 2 weeks.

To keep all these activities in one place, print up a calendar and add each activity by day.  Have fun!


Summer Reading List compiled by About.com.


**I have found some other Summer activities.  Thanks Couponing To Disney.


Brunswick Zones~Kids get one free game a day with Ball Pass.


Cinemark~10 Shows for $5, or $1 per show. Ten weeks of films for kids. A different movie every week. Weekday mornings this summer.

Free Magazines (Original Post 01/08/09)

I hardly ever pay for magazine subscriptions. And I get a lot of magazines, but I get them all for free, or for very low prices. So, here are two magazine subscriptions you can get for free. Woman's Day and Shape. Click on the link to get a full year of each of them.

http://www.rewardsgold.com/mags/self_womday/index.htm

Enjoy! Free magazines are like ice cream for breakfast.