Sunday, June 20, 2010

Fabulous Freebies

I have gotten some great freebies this week. I love going to the mailbox, because it's like a little lottery or slot machine just waiting to give me things! I've gotten a coupon for free shampoo or conditioner from Suave, free body wash from Old Spice, free feminine hygiene products from Playtex (two different kinds), and lots of little samples of things like shampoo and perfume.

I also won a free pedicure from the Spa at the Crescent Hotel in Dallas, and I bought a Groupon coupon for a free week of any of the spa services at Planet Beach Contempo Spa in Dallas for only $20. I plan to be pampered this summer. ;)

That reminds me...if you haven't checked out Groupon, it's really cool. You can buy a coupon each day for different things around your area. Here in Terrell I subscribe to the Dallas Groupon, which has a very eclectic offering of coupons. This is the first one I've bought but I've contemplated several others. Check it out and see if anything strikes your fancy. I also love Seize the Deal, which works in the same way. That's where I won the pedicure coupon.

Something else to consider trying out...Swagbucks. It's a search engine that pays you to search with them. You earn money in the form of swagbucks to redeem for prizes and gift cards. Take a look and see if it's right for you.

Stay cool...it's supposed to be 101 today in this area. Yikes!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Soleil 100 Days

Soleil 100 Days: "There are thousands of fun, sharable prizes in the BIC® Soleil® 100 Days of Sunshine promotion. Join now! www.FeelTheSoleil.com"

Back to Reality







I had the most wonderful time in Las Vegas last weekend...it was almost sensory overload. There was so much going on, everywhere you looked, so that I didn't even really know WHERE to look most of the time. We saw the Cirque De Soleil show "Love," based on Beatles music, and it was practically a religious experience it was so good. Excellent food, great shopping, and most of all, my wonderful and beautiful friends Angi, Michelle, and Jen to share it with. We were four best friends in high school, many moons ago, and reconnecting like this is exactly what we needed. True friendship knows no distance or time.

I can't say I found many "bargains" in Vegas (unless you count free drink coupons or some of the deals in the souvenir shops) but I have found out now that if you sign up on the different hotel websites, they will email you some awesome package deals and rates for stays there in the future.

I do have a few great deals to report. One of the most important things is that you need to sign up on the site http://www.houseparty.com/. They offer different party packages to help promote new products for different companies. I am hosting a Febreze party on June 26, and my free gift pack for the party includes about 5 new Febreze products for 10 people...so that is pretty awesome and totally FREE!!!

Another deal I want to help you get in on is at Blue Mesa Grill. I love Bobby Flay, and this is his chain of restaurants. If you go to their website, sign up to be a Chilihead. You will get an email with a coupon for a free appetizer. They have four locations in the Dallas area so if you are heading into town anyway, go eat there. It will be worth it, trust me!

Money Saving Mom has a great article on right now about signing up for freebies. I love freebies!!! I have signed up for a lot of sample sites and every day, the trip to the mailbox is like a little lottery. I've gotten so much neat stuff for free lately!! Check it out and see if this is something you'd like to try.

We have yet another trip planned for this month...the boys and I are headed to Beaver's Bend for some relaxation and fun...kayaking is my favorite up there! If you've never been, it's one of the most beautiful places on earth. It's in southeastern Oklahoma, and the water there is crystal clear (just like the air). The cabins we stay in are running a special right now, so take a look and see if it's a place you'd like to visit someday. I highly recommend it!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Busy week!

I've been very busy this past weekend and week...we took a Memorial Day trip to Oklahoma City/Stillwater/McAlester and had a wonderful time. The boys and I got to go through the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Museum and had an amazing experience seeing the site firsthand. I highly recommend it for you and your family.

As a result of being busy on the road, I haven't had much bargain shopping to do. I did find a great deal on a gorgeous Liz Claiborn carry-on travel bag and matching crossbody purse (BOTH for $57) at the Allen Premium Outlets. I also got a great BOGO deal on Van's shoes for my 11 year old at the same mall. I think we got two pairs of $60 shoes for $48 total. Not bad at all!

I chaperoned a couple of field trips this week, both to the Dallas Museum of Art. Today I bought a few gorgeous prints in the DMA Store, all clearanced out from the previous gallery exhibit "Through the Lens of Impressionism." I got about 6 5x7 prints from Monet and Manet, and one 8x10 print from Monet. All together the total was $10. I recently redid my living room in beachy, oceanic colors so all these impressionistic beach scenes will fit right in!! I would have never thought to look there for prints for my house. Just goes to show that bargains are to be had EVERYWHERE.

I've gotten several great samples and coupons in the mail this week from places I've registered with online. I got a sample size of Secret Clinical Strength, Purex 3 in 1, eb5 Facial Cream, a Neti Pot, and a great FREE coupon for a Yoplait YoPlus 4pack of yogurt.

Heading to Las Vegas soon...hope to have some great bargains to report from there as well. ;)

Thursday, May 27, 2010

How Neat...Nearly Free!

I had to go back to CVS today to spend some extra bucks before they expired. While I was there I decided to browse around with my coupon book in hand, of course. ;)

I wound up with two tubes of hand lotion that cost me .29 each, two more Suave deodorants that cost me .14 each, 8 Reach toothbrushes for 3.99 (two 4 packs with a BOGO coupon), a large bottle of Olay Total Effects 7 for $3 ($2 coupon and $2 extra bucks back), and a few more items from the 75% off sale in the L'Oreal cosmetic department, which netted me $3 in extra bucks so I spent $7 total on powder, blush, and lipstick. Not a bad run at the ol' drugstore tonight.

I will never run out of toothbrushes or deodorant...at least this year! I just can't help but get them when they are free or next to it. I will save some for charity donations or give them to my students. I don't believe in letting things go to waste.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

14 t-shirts+5 polos+10 tank tops+6 shorts+1 dress = $70

Have I ever mentioned how much I truly LOVE Target?

I recently stumbled upon a clearance rack in the boy's size 8-20 department of my local Target store and hit the motherlode. I found my two youngest boys (both youth size M or L, depending on how it's made) their entire summer wardrobe...for literally less than $70 total. I found them screen-printed t's, striped t's, Marvel Comics t's, and some solid and striped polos for $1.24 - $1.98 each!!! Seriously! I picked up 19 shirts, ten for one boy and nine for the other. I also got them four tank tops each for $2.00 or less each. I picked up three pairs of shorts for each boy for $4 each.

I went over to the ladies department and found me a really pretty dress on the 75% off rack for $6.48. I also found my great-neice a couple of tanks for $2 each as well.

At the register, the checkout lady though I was insane, but when she saw my amazing bargains she was ready to go shop herself. The grand total was $70 and change, for 36 articles of clothing. Not bad, not bad at all! ;)

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Terrific Tuesday

I got a lot of great deals today!!!



At lunch I went to CVS to pick up a few things I'd saved coupons for. I had about 4 BOGOs, a few $1 offs, and also found a 75% off sale on cosmetics. I wound up stocking the boys' bathroom with Gillette and Old Spice body washes. They were on sale for $4 each. I had 3 BOGOS and one $4 off, essentially making it to where I got 8 body washes for $12. In addition, I got $8 back in extra bucks, making it a net $4 for 8 body washes. I also got some L'Oreal mineral pressed powder and loose powder for $3.75 each, and had two $1 off coupons. These were originally priced at $14.99 each! I saved a total of $70 according to the receipt.



After a very long workday, I still needed to go to Target and Kroger. At Target, I found a beautiful Merona scarf on clearance for $6.04 and I used the $2.00 coupon from the 'net to get it for $4.04. I found a HUGE sale in the clothing department, with a lot of things priced at 75% off. I found a great Merona dress for $17 and got to use the $3 off coupon on that one as well. I got 5 12-packs of sodas for the kids for $15 with a $5 giftcard to boot, and I got the scrubbing bubbles deal where I stacked three $1.00 off coupons on the toilet cleaning gel, then got a $5 gift card for buying 3...AND I used the BOGO coupon to get a refill pack of scrubbing bubbles toilet brush pads FREE! I saved a total of $72 according to the receipt.

At Kroger, between the store specials, my regular coupons and doubling/tripling, and cellfire coupons, I saved a total of $68.

Not a bad day's work for groceries and cleaning supplies. I stuck to my list for about 90% of my purchases, which for me is NOT bad at all. I am a terrible impulse shopper. ;)