Thanks for your support!

I'm taking a one week break from blogging.
See you on Sunday!

Trade at Work

I travel with my work, so I don't really get to participate in this too much. But try having a trade shelf at your work. If you have any foods, coupons, samples, magazines, books, etc. that you don't use or want, bring them to work, set them on the 'trade shelf', and a co worker just may find something they want or need. And of course, vice versa..you may discover items of interest as well.

This is especially beneficial if you are an avid coupon collector because there are plenty out there who aren't interested in this obsession, I mean, uh hobby. They may not mind grabbing those coupons out of the Sunday paper every week and bringing them up to the office.

Has anyone else tried this with their co-workers?

Get It For Free 01/25 - 1/31

CVS

Digital Converter: Spend $40
(Sunday and Monday only)
$40 Government Issued Coupon
FREE after coupon

Gillette Shampoo: Spend $4.99, Get $3 ECB's.
(Limit 5)
$2 off Gillette Shampoo (1/18 PG)
$2 off 2 (12/28 PG)
FREE after ECB's and coupon

Mentos Gum B1G1 FREE: Spend $1.69
$1/1 (12/14 SS )
FREE after 2 coupons

Gillette Fusion Razor: Spend $7.99, Get $4 ECB's
(Limit 1)
$4 off Gillette (12/28 PG)
FREE after coupon and ECB's

(Monthly Deal) Children's Throat Cooler Ice Pops 6 ct: Spend $4.99, Get $4.99 ECB's (Limit 5)
B1G1 Free Coupon here.
MONEY MAKER after ECB's

(Monthly Deal) NasoGel Drip Free Gel Spray 1.52 oz.: Spend $7.99, Get $7.99 ECB's
(Limit 2)
$2 Printable here
MONEY MAKER after ECB's and coupon

(Monthly Deal) Nutra Trim Chewing Gum 48 ct: Spend $3.99, Get $3.99 ECB's
(Limit 2)
FREE after ECB's


Walgreens

Printer Cartridge Refill: Spend $5.00
$5 January Easy Saver Rebate (# 15)
FREE after rebate

Reynolds Aluminum Foil: Spend $0.89 w/ Walgreens Weekly Ad Coupon
$1/1 (12/7 SS)
FREE after coupons

Hershey's Candy Bars B1G1 FREE: Spend $0.89
$1/2 Reese's Whips (1/4 SS)
FREE after coupon

(Monthly Deal) Auto Expressions Vent Fresh Elite Auto Air Freshener: Spend $4.99
Get a $4.99 Rebate
FREE after rebate

(Monthly Deal) Orajel Medicated Cold Sore Patch (8 pack) or Cold Sore Brush (.05 oz): Spend $8.49
Get a $8.49 Rebate
FREE after rebate

(Monthly Deal) Revlon Matte Collection (lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, or pencil): Spend $10
Get a $10 Rebate
FREE after rebate


Rite Aid

Veet Bladeless Razor Kit: Spend $3.99
Get $3 Rebate #61
$2/2 Veet, Get is here.
MONEY MAKER after rebate and coupon

Fructis Body & Volume Shampoo or Conditioner, 13 oz.: Spend $2.99
Get $2.99 Rebate #71
$1/1 Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner, exp. 1-31-09 (RP 10/5/08, 11/9/08, 01/04/09)
MONEY MAKER after rebate and coupon

Thanks to Deal Seeking Mom, Mommy Snacks, and Slickdeals!

Save On Printing

Here are few ways and places to save on ink:

• Don't forget to always print in black ink if possible. Those color ink cartridges are more expensive and use up a lot of ink.

• Even better - print in grayscale. Just a little lighter than black and doesn't use as much ink. I tried this last night and the quality is great!
  

• Check Ebay or Amazon.com for cartridges, you may find them at your own price.

• Charley H. reminded us to look at the store brands before automatically going to the brand names. They are the same thing!

• Office Max used to give a $3 coupon when you gave them your old recycled cartridges. I went back last week and they don't do that anymore! Call around to a few of your local office stores and see if there are any incentives to recycling our cartridge.

• Here are couple of other websites to find good deals on cartridges. Don't forget to go to Ebates.com, sign up, search for one of the ink websites listed below, purchase, and get a percentage back from your total cost.

http://www.inksell.com/
http://www.123inkjets.com/

At Walgreens this week:
Printer Cartridge Refill: Spend $5
$5 January Easy Saver Rebate (# 15)
FREE after rebate

What Are Your Favorite Products?

If you have any particular products that you really enjoy, try calling the company. You could ask if for coupons or free samples. I experimented with this today by calling Kellogg's, Coca Cola, Campbell's, Gatorade, and Rice a Roni. Basically, I just picked a few products from our pantry and got the phone number off the package.

Sooo...here are the results (I know.. exciting):

• Rice A Roni and Campbell's Soup are sending my coupons in the mail. WooHOo!
• Kellogg's, Coca Cola, and Gatorade gave me a spill about looking for coupons in the paper. Oh well.

Try calling a few of your favorite companies. And they don't have to be just food products, check out your toiletries and cleaners as well. Also, I had very little wait time when I made these phone calls, so hopefully that can be said for most other companies. What have you gotten from a phone call to a company?

Freebie Link Love

Check out Little Miss Know It All. She tells you how you can get a whole slew of mineral make up for only shipping ($3.50)!

Mommies With Cents tell us all how to get SIX FREE Valentine's Day Cards. How appropriate!

Chex Mix is a pretty good snack. Click here to see how Common Sense With Money gets a FREE sample!

This one will be over by the end of the day! Coupon Cravings shares with us how to get a FREE Redbox rental at McDonald's.

Freshen Up Frugally

Here are few ideas on how to freshen up with items you probably already have around the house!

Most of you probably get a Sunday paper for all those coupons. Before you go out and recycle all of those papers, keep a few handy to line the bottom of the drawers in your refrigerator. The paper will keep it nice and fresh. You can also do the same with your lunch bags you take to work. Crumble up some newspaper and throw it inside with your sandwich.

You can also freshen up your carpets with some common household items. First, a quite common and well known idea - sprinkle Baking Soda on your rug or carpet and vacuum. Now it's clean and fresh. If you don't have Baking Soda get a $1.00 off 2 coupon here. Take it to Walmart and get two small boxes for FREE

Now this second tip is where a little experimenting came into play. Use old herbs and spices to freshen and scent your carpet. You could try rosemary, thyme, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, etc. Or you may want to mix some and make your own scent creations. Then sprinkle and vacuum (BE SURE TO DO A TEST SPOT FIRST).

I chose cinnamon and it worked!! But maybe a little too well, I sneezed a couple of times, and as soon as my husband came in the door (in another room) he could smell it. And then I remembered how much he hates cinnamon...oops. So, my advice to you, is to try not to over do it, like I did :).

Walgreens Money Maker

Via Deal Seeking Mom on the blog Choyster Cash she tells you how you can actually MAKE $5 if you buy all the FREE after rebates online this month. Check out the details here.

SwagBuck Code Alert

Use this code before it's gone: BeRewarded

Don't know about swagbucks? Click here to find out more.

$0.30 @ CVS

• (16) Gatorade/Powerade = $20.00
• (2) Children's Throat Cooler = $4.99 Each
• (3) American Greeting Valentine's Day Cards = $0.99 Each
• 6 Pack CVS Sparkling Water = $3.97
• CVS Allergy Relief = $3.79

Coupons:

• BOGO Children's Throat Cooler. Get it here.
• $1.00 of Gold Emblem CVS Water (Got it from the machine in the store)
• $5/$30 off Purchase (received in my email this week)

Used $29.98 in ECB's

OOP: $0.30 Received $22.79 in ECB's

Check The Centsible Sawyer for more great CVS scenarios!

Bed Bath and Beyond Coupon

You can get a FREE Signature Collection Item with ANY purchase using this awesome coupon. But hurry, you only have until January 25th.

Alternate Entertainment

There are a lot of common forms of entertainment out there: movies, restaurants, Chuck E. Cheese, etc. Another form of entertainment you might want to check out in your community is the theater. There are many different venues out there from high schools to children's theater to your full out night- on -the- town theater. Do a little research in your town and check prices. You may find that going to the community theater may be cheaper than the movies or at the very least not much more money for a different sort of experience.

Here are some sites for the locals:
Studio Players
University of Kentucky Department of Theatre
Lexington Children's Theatre

FREE Redbox Rental

Need something to do on your day off?

Use the code K6W3G4 to get a FREE movie rental at your local Redbox. You will find many of them at Wal Mart and Mc Donald's. To find locations near you click here.

This Weeks Frugal Experiment

This a a blog about deals and steals as well as experimenting in frugality in our daily life. Stay tuned this week for our experiments and reports on the following:

1. Trade at work
2. Save $$$ on printing
3. Community theater groups for entertainment
4. Get coupons and free samples from your favorite companies
5. Whiten your nails and add vinegar to your bath
6. Freshen your vacuum cleaner, floors, and refrigerator.

Contact me at rmbronson@gmail.com if you are interested in doing a guest post on your own Frugal Experiments!

Get if For FREE 01/18 - 01/24

CVS

CVS 24-hour Allergy Relief 5 count: Spend $3.79, Get $3.79 ECB's
FREE after ECB's

(Monthly Deal) Children's Throat Cooler Ice Pops 6 ct: Spend $4.99, Get $4.99 ECB's (Limit 5)
B1G1 Free Coupon here.
Money Maker after ECB's

(Monthly Deal) NasoGel Drip Free Gel Spray 1.52 oz.: Spend $7.99, Get $7.99 ECB's (Limit 2)
$2 Printable here
Money Maker after ECB's and coupon

(Monthly Deal) Nutra Trim Chewing Gum 48 ct: Spend $3.99, Get $3.99 ECB's
(Limit 2)
FREE after ECB's

Check out the ad here, thanks Slickdeals!

Walgreens

(Monthly Deal) Auto Expressions Vent Fresh Elite Auto Air Freshener: Spend $4.99, Get a $4.99 Rebate
FREE after rebate

(Monthly Deal) Orajel Medicated Cold Sore Patch (8 pack) or Cold Sore Brush (.05 oz): Spend $8.49, Get a $8.49 Rebate
FREE after rebate

(Monthly Deal) Revlon Matte Collection (lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, or pencil): Spend $10, Get a $10 Rebate
FREE after rebate

Check out the ad here, thanks Hot Coupon World!

Rite Aid

Soft Light Longlife Bulbs, Spend $2.00, Get a $2.00 Rebate
FREE after Rebate

Mentos Gum $1, Spend Tax only after:
$1/1 Mentos Gum (SS 12/14)
FREE after Coupon

Check out the entire ad here at I heart Rite Aid!

A Couple of Flopped Experiments....

These are a couple of things I tried..but I was lacking in materials. But check them out, you may find that these things work for you!

Aw, that's gross. Yes, I'm airing my dirty laundry. It was an obvious cliche, so I thought I would just get it out of the way. If you are keeping up, you know there are few things I wanted to try this week. First, over at this blog, I learned to add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to a medium sized load will brighten your whites. So what do you think....

Not bad huh? :) Ok, I realize that I don't really have anything to compare it to (I didn't have enough whites to do comparison loads). What do you think? Have you tried this?

Try this. To fight the static that makes your skirt stick to your legs, take a wire hanger and run the flat side between your pantyhose and skirt. I tried this (sorry no source, I heard this a long time ago), but, I have NO pantyhose and have not had any for years. But I tried it anyway and the results go like this... there was a little bit less static after using the hanger, but it wasn't completely gone. I probably would reach for the Static Guard after this experiment.

$0.08 @ CVS

Wow. Sorry about the big flash reflecting off the Cheez-it's there. Here is the low down...

• 2 Pack of Cheez-Its = $6.00
• 3 Pack of Wrapping Paper = $0.69
• 6 pk of Gold Emblem Water = $3.97
• (4) Colgate Toothpaste = BOGO ($2.79)
• Orbit White Gum = $1.29
• Coca Cola = $1.59

Coupons:

• $1.00 of a 6 pk. of Gold Emblem Water (received out of the coupon machine @ the store)
• (3) $1.50 off Colgate (1 was from the newspaper, the other two printable. Sorry, can't find where they came from!)
• (1) $1.00 off Colgate Toothpaste (1/04)

Used $10 in ECB's

Gift Card used $2.67

OOP: $0.08
Earned $5 ECB's

75% - 90% off Hickory Farms

Go to the Hickory Farms site and get some amazing deals. You still have to pay shipping but, these are great gifts or something yummy to snack on!

Update: Check out Little People Wealth here to find out how you can make this deal even sweeter with coupons and rebates. And.. see what she got for $26 (over a $135 value!)

$0.79 @ Walgreens

• (4) Oust Air = BOGO ($3.79)
• Windex = $3.79 (I should've bought 2 because they are BOGO, but I forgot!)
• Orajel = $8.49

Coupons:
(2) BOGO on any Oust product (SS 11/23/08)
$0.40 off any Windex product (SS 1/11)

Rebates:
FREE Windex (SS 1/11)
FREE Orajel with Walgreens Easy Saver Rebate

OOP after rebates/coupons: $0.79

Quick Organizing Tip

This is an easy and organized way to keep your sheets together. Take your sheets that go together and put them in the matching pillow case. Now they can stay together and you don't have to worry about figuring out how to fold up that fitted sheet!

Make Plans for 01/20/2009

The easiest thing you may find to do is to head over to Krispy Kreme and get a one donut of choice for FREE!

Dunkin Donuts is sharing a donut named "Stars & Stripes" frosted and decorated with red, white and blue star shaped sprinkles for $0.89. between January 17th-20th.

If you live in Jonesboro, Arkansas you get a FREE Obama Berry Chill Yogurt at Berry Chill's Chicagoland.

Check out this link for some events around the U.S. that day.

Did You Get Your Digital Converter Box?

Hopefully, you have already called to get your goverment issued coupon (worth $40) to go out and buy that digital converter box. Remember February 17th is the tentative date on when all t.v.'s switch to digital signals.

If you have your coupon, but have not bought the box yet (like ourselves), then you are in luck. On January 25th and 26th CVS is running a deal on the digital converter box for $40! That means after your coupon, it's FREE. Check out the ad here.

Thanks I Heart CVS!

Another Swagbuck Code!

Here is the swagbuck code for today: GreenThursday
Do not copy or paste or use all caps. You have to type it this way. Alright, go get it!

Don't know about Swagbucks? Check it out here.

Swagbuck Code Alert

I don't know how long this one will last, but I just used it at 5:05 p.m. eastern time today and it worked. Try it out: LAVONNERULES

$10 in Coupons

This is actually floating around on several blogs right now. Click here to sign up for the Eat Better America newsletter and you will get $10 in coupons!

Gifts in January

Yes, I am already talking about gifts again, even though we just had Christmas. But if you like getting organized, you might want to hold on to these ideas for birthdays, anniversaries, or even Valentine's Day, which is coming up verrry soon.

So...below check out some clearanced items you may find in January as well as a few gifts that are only $10 and under (for those picky types :)...

January Sales:

• wrapping paper (check for plain colors so that you can use it all year long)
• ornaments and other Christmas decor
• lights (white lights are great for decorating for any party or just around the house)
• cookie tins
• candy
• some dish towels and placemats
• pajamas
• slippers
• robes
• coats
• winter boots

Gifts Under $10
These ideas are not meant to be CHEAP but CREATIVE. Consider your receiver when choosing a $10 gift.

• Homemade breads, cookies, or other dishes with recipe included
• Fill up a small basket of fruits, cookies, or some of that candy on sale after Christmas
• A coffee cup with a bag of coffee inside
• For a personal touch: A child's art work framed
• A makeup tote (fill it up with those great sales/rebates you find on makeup or lotions)
• Jelly with biscuit mix (it's all about the presentation)
• A boardgame or puzzles
• Nail polish with accompanying tools
• Cute slippers
• One pair of expensive socks ($10 socks have to be good)
• Good soap or body wash with a loofah
• A sewing kit
• Small clock or radio
• Baking pans with a bag of cookies and/or handwritten recipes
• Muffin mix with pan
• Movie theater gift certificates
• Pancake mix with some specialty syrup (or some that you made)
• Locally made sauces with basting brush or other kitchen tools
• Magazines, chocolate bars, or cookie mixes tied together with a bow
• A garden tool with seeds
• A journal with a special inscription inside
• Teacup with samples of tea inside
• Deck of cards and book of card game rules
• Cocoa mix in a pretty jar or mug
• Nice pens and stationary

Do you have any additional ideas? Leave a comment and share!

Sam's Club Gift Card

If you happen to be visiting Sam's Club before 01/31 then you might want to check this out. If you buy $50 of P & G products (which isn't that difficult to do if you happen to be stocking up on some things), then you are eligible for a $10 Gift Card!

Click here for the four simple steps to claim yours!

More Freebies....

Febreeze Sport




Rachael Ray Dog Food



Thanks to Budget Helps and Common Sense With Money for the heads up on these.

Dates To Remember

Here is a reminder of a couple of timely freebies:

Starbucks: FREE tea and food samples are being given out at participating stores TODAY. Read this for details about the freebies as well as $2.00 Tazo Tea Lattes. Be sure and call ahead to make sure your store is participating.

Suave Hair Care: Tomorrow only go to www.suave.com to sign up for a coupon for one FREE hair product from Suave.

What a deal Rite Aid! What a deal.

(5) Excedrin Extra Strength = $1.99 Each
(2) Campbell's Soup at Hand = $0.99 Each
Ziplock Freezer Bags = $1.99
Ziplock Twist 'n loc = $1.99
Electrasol = $4.49
Freestyle Lite Glucose Monitor = $9.99

Coupons:

• (5) $2 off any Excedrin (blinkie at Kroger)
• (2) $0.50 off Campbell's Soup at Hand (1/11 - received at the Coupon Club today. Thanks girls!)
• $0.55 off any Ziplock container (1/11)
• $0.40 off any Ziplock bags (1/11)
• $2.50 off Electrasol (1/4)
• $5/$25 off total purchase. Get it here.

Rebates:

• Electrasol $2
• Glucose Monitor $9.99 in the package

Total: $11.14
After Rebates I PROFIT $0.86 (minus 1 stamp for the Monitor rebate)!!

(2) Huggies Jumbo Packs = $9.99 Each
(2) Kotex Pads = $3.00 Each
Arm and Hammer Essentials = $2.99
Basil Pot = $0.49

Coupons:

• (2) $1.50 off any Huggies Pack (1/11)
• (2) $1.00 off any Kotex package (1/11)
• $1.00 off Arm and Hammer Essentials. (Printed off coupons.com. It's not showing there now)
• $5/$25 off total purchase (sign up at www.riteaid.com to receive coupons)

Rebates:

• Caregiver Marketplace $1.00. Find it here.
• Buy $25 worth of Kimberly- Clark receive $10. Rite Aid Rebate #48
• $2.oo off Huggies
• $1.00 of 2 Kotex Pad products
• Arm and Hammer Essentials $2.99 (I found this in a shopping cart. It looked like it came out of a package or in the mail)

Total: $18.47 + tax
Total after Rebates: $1.48 (add tax and 2 stamps for rebates). Not bad!!

• Factor in all the details such as stamps, and I paid about $2.00 for both transactions!
  
• Without coupons, sales, and rebates both transactions add up to $154.78!!

This Weeks Frugal Experiment

This a a blog about deals and steals as well as experimenting in frugality in our daily life. Stay tuned this week for our experiments and reports on the following:

1. An unknown grocery rule (if it exists).
2. Naturally cleaning your toilet...and keeping your laundry whites white.
3. Reducing static clean without the spray.
4. Items that go on sale in January as well as other gifts under $10.
5. A simple way to keep all your sheets together.

Contact me at rmbronson@gmail.com if you are interested in doing a guest post on your own Frugal Experiments!

p.s. If you were anxiously waiting for the guest post from Justin on discount bread stores this week, not to worry he will post on that soon. He is currently taking a very difficult Hebrew class that is taking up a lot of his time. But stay tuned he still plans to do a write up on his trip to buy bread!

Keep These Foods Fresh For Longer!

There are a lot of tips out there about how to preserve foods longer. And in fact, I have several tricks up my sleeve, but today I am going to share with you FOUR common foods that you can keep fresh for longer - and that you probably have in your kitchen right now. This may be old news to you or maybe you have never heard of it before. Whatever the case, share it with a neighbor, friend, or co-worker who might just benefit from these quick kitchen tips.

Do you eat tortilla chips? I do. Quite often in fact. However, sometimes I find that they become a little stale before I can get through the whole bag. Instead of throwing away a few servings of chips, stick them in the oven at...

• 350 degrees for about 5-7 minutes.

Pull them out of the oven and you have warm and crisp chips ready to go!


Another tasty treat you may have lying around is cheese. And cheese molds...ewww. But, if you are anything like our family, cheese doesn't last too long, so worrying about mold is usually not a big issue around here. However, if you are a little more disciplined about rationing your cheese, here is an interesting idea on keeping that mold away.

• Take a sugar cube and wrap tightly with the cheese or you could just stick it into a container with the cheese.

Pretty simple right?

Wait a minute! What if you don't want to go out and spend money on sugar cubes? Well, you are in luck because you can make your own! I am still in the experimenting phase of this, but let me share with you what I have learned so far.

• All you do is mix sugar and water in an ice tray. The trick is getting the correct ratio for the sugar and water. I have heard a three to one ratio and I have also heard that you want to make sure your sugar is clumpy and not runny.

• Let it sit for a day - and then you should have your very own cube.

Here is a link on where I received my info on making sugar cubes.


Next up - fresh celery. In my house, I eat celery, my husband does not. So that leaves quite a bit of celery for one person to eat. The solution is simple:

• wrap your celery in aluminum foil and it will stay fresh for weeks!

Lastly, let's consider our bags of sugar sitting in the pantry. A quick and easy way to keep your sugar from clumping, is to...

• stick a saltine cracker right in the package.

So next time you are out to dinner and they give you all of those cracker packages for your soup, hang on to one and put in your sugar container!

As apart of our experiment, we have wrapped up some cheese and celery using our preservation tricks as well as the way we have wrapped them up in the past . We are planning to find out how long these foods will stay fresh using these new tips. Stay tuned!

FREE Gift Certificate from Sam's

Between January 15th and January 21st you can receive $25 Gift Certificate from Sam's for signing up as a new member! Remember my post on What Can Half Do For You? Speaking of that, this would be a great time to go in with another single, couple, or family and split the membership fee, share a gift certificate, and stockpile together!

Rite Aid Coupon

If you already signed up with Rite Aid and received and used your $5/$25 coupon, then you are in luck, because you get ANOTHER one. Click here to get your $5/$25 Rite Aid Coupon that doesn't expires until 03/31/09!

Thanks to Deal Seeking Mom!

What can HALF do for you?

What are some items in your home that you use only HALF of to help save some money?

Here are few things I have found:

1. Use half a cup of detergent
2. Fill up your dishwasher with only half the dishwashing liquid it asks for
3. Don't use a whole paper towel for tiny spills (if you use them at all!)
4. How much shampoo or body wash are you squeezing out of that bottle?
5. Cut your electricity bill in half by turning off unused lights, unplugging electronics when being unused, and keeping your thermostat at 68 degrees.
6. Cut your water bill in half by taking shorter showers, not running the water while brushing your teeth, and only running your washer and dishwasher when full.
7. When eating a snack, don't eat directly out of the box or bag. Put a portion on your plate.
8. Consider your recipes. Does that dish really need that much cheese? (My husband would say yes. Ok...I would too)
9. Take some scissors and cut your sponges in half.
10. Cut your t.v. watching in half. It's important to be frugal with your time too.

These are just few. What are your ideas to cut things in half to save money (and time)?

Here are a couple of links to some interesting articles on this topic:

Cutting Food Expenses in Half
A study done on dividing your money

Frugal Finds, Part Three

And...lastly, we have a slew of coupons here. These are as good as cash, check them out!

• Super Pretzel
• Quaker Oatmeal
• Velveeta Cheese
• Johnson and Johnson Products
• Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner and Refill
• Hostess 100 Calorie Packs
• If you sign up as a new member to Rite Aid here, they will send you $50 worth or coupons and a $5/$25 coupon which is great to pair up with those rebates!

Did you find any coupons out there? Let me know, leave a comment or contact me at rmbronson@gmail.com.

Thanks to Money Saving Mom and The Centsible Sawyer!

Frugal Finds, Part Two

FREE samples often come in handy. Check these out:

• Cards: Two FREE Greeting Cards by using the code 2freesheknows. Go to the site here. Thanks to Hey, It's Free!
• Cereal: Get a FREE sample of Barbara's Bakery Organic Cereals here.
• Toilet Paper: Sign up for a FREE Charmin Extender here.
• Drink: Click here to receive a FREE sample of Ensure.
• Snack: Try either Quaker Chocolatey Drizzle or Cheddar Cheese Rice Cakes here.
• Sachet: Get a Sachet Scent from Bath and Body works here.
• Cologne: Nice. Fill in your info to get a FREE sample of Stetson Cologne here.

Do you have any FREE samples to share? Leave a comment or contact me at rmbronson@gmail.com

Next, Coupons... (stay tuned)

Frugal Finds, Part One

I am a little overwhelmed by all of the FREE items and GREAT bargains that are floating around our there. I will try my best to round them all up so you can see them here.

First, RESTAURANTS and STORES

• Fazoli's: If you didn't see it in the paper, then check this out. Go to Fazoli's here, sign up, and receive a coupon for a FREE spaghetti entree with the purchase of a drink. But hurry, it expires 1/19! Click here for Fazoli's locations.
• Friendly's: Friendly’s is running a Cones for Kids promotion through February 13. Just donate $1 for the Easter Seals Camp and get 5 Valentines good for FREE kid-sized cones PLUS a coupon to save $5 on a $25 purchase. Click here for Friendly's locations (sorry locals, the nearest one is in Ohio). Thanks Coupon Cravings!
• BJ's: You can shop at the warehouse BJ's with no membership fees! Click here to get your one day shopping pass. It expires on 3/4/09. Also, BJ's is one of the only warehouses that actually accepts coupons. Visit Common Sense With Money for a few good coupons to use!
• IHOP: IHOP is taking donations for the Children's Miracle Network on February 24th and exchange they will give you a FREE stack of pancakes from 7am - 10am. Yum! Thanks The Centsible Sawyer!
• McDonald's: McDonald's offers a free small coffee from 5 am - 7 am every morning. Thanks The Centsible Sawyer!
• Bowling: Lucky Strike Lanes is offering one FREE game and one FREE shoe rental valid for Monday through Thursday and expires 1/31. All you have to do is print out this certificate. For locations click here. Thanks to The Centsible Sawyer!
• Captain D's: Sign up with the Captain D's Club and receive a coupon for a FREE Fish and Fries or a FREE chicken and Fries! To join click here. Thanks to The Centsible Sawyer!

Keep in mind, you should always check with the establishment in your region to make sure they are participating in these promotions.

Have any other restaurant or store deals? Leave a comment or contact me at rmbronson@gmail.com.

Next, FREE samples.... (stay tuned)

Quick, Get Your Free Code Before Its Gone!

Here is a free code to get a free Swagbuck: freeswag

Don't know about Swagbucks? Click here

Party Like It's 1969

This is a really cool promotion. The Old Spaghetti Factory is celebrating it's 40th anniversary by offering 1969 prices January 6, from 5:00 p.m. to close. The meals range from $2.35 to $3.45 and kids meals are $1.85. Check out the delicious menu here and locations here.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Free Wii Game!

I just thought I would share this with you. Thanks to all of you that have signed up with www.swagbucks.com using this referral. We were given a Wii for Christmas this year (Thanks Kay!), and we were able to get this game for FREE! If you would like to know more about Swagbucks click here. Thanks again!

Free haircare!

Mark your calenders for January 14th. On that date, go to Suave.com to get a coupon for free shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, and other suave hair products up to $3!

Thanks to Be CentsAble!

This Week's Experiments

This a a blog about deals and steals as well as experimenting in frugality in our daily life. Stay tuned this week for our experiments and reports on the following:

• Four common items in your kitchen that you can help increase its shelf life.
• A guest post from my husband on his trip to the Bread Discount store.
• The benefits of dividing your foods and products in half.

Contact me at rmbronson@gmail.com if you are interested in doing a guest post on your own Frugal Experiments!

Share Food Program

What is it? It's called the Share Food Program and for $18 and 2 hours of community service you can get a box valued at $35-$40 full of meats, fruits, vegetables, and staples.

Who can participate? Anyone!

Where do I get it? Go here and here to find a host site in your area. Keep in mind that this program is very geographically limited and you may not find one in your state. Even if you don't find one in your state, be sure and contact friends and families that may be able to participate in this program.

How can I get involved? Go here to find out how to be a host site.

What kind of community service is involved? From what I understand pretty much anything you do from volunteering at a homeless shelter to cooking for your sick neighbor counts as community service.

You also can donate money to the program, volunteer to assist with events, and order online.

Click here and here for more information...

I am not as familiar with this program as I am with Angel Food Ministries. However, the website has a lot of great information and it sounds like a great program. If anyone has had any experience with this organization, I would love to hear from you at rmbronson@gmail.com or you can leave a comment!

Mostly Food and Drink @ CVS!

1st CVS Gallon of Water = $1.39
2nd CVS Gallon of Water = $0.69
1st Gold Emblem Apple Juice = $2.59
2nd Gold Emblem Apple Juice = $1.29
Gallon of Milk = $3.49
Nutter Butter = $1.00
Cheez It = $1.00
Betty Crocker Warm Delights = $2.19
(2) 90 ct. Pepcid AC = $15.00 Each
Garnier Fructis Shampoo = $2.99
(2) Orbit Gum = $1.29 Each

Coupons:

• $10/$50 off total purchase (received out of CVS machine)
• $5/$25 off total purchase (received in email)
• $5/$25 worth of medicinal products (received in mail)
• $3 off CVS brand purchase. Get it here.
• $5 ECB (received in email)
• $1 off a Nabisco produce when your purchase milk (on the freezer door in the store)
• $2.00 off any Pepcid product (received in a Pepcid package a while ago)
• $1.00 off any Pepcid product (not sure what date this came out, but couponmom.com reports there is a $4.00 off coupon in todays insert)
• $15.98 ECB's used

Original Total: $50 and some change
OOP: $1.23
ECB's Earned: $13.00

Staples Rebate

At Staples in this Sunday's ad....
Pentel Hyper G retractable gel pens, medium 4 pk., FREE after rebate.

Angel Food Ministries

Many of you know about www.angelfoodministries.org. If you don't, let me tell you a something about it.

What is it? This is directly from their site: Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States.

Who qualifies? Anyone!

How much does it cost and what do I get? For $30 you can get a box of quite a variety of food that is worth around $60. Additionally, they have meat, fruit/vegetable, and the occasional coffee/dessert box. This month they even have a Convience Box that contains fully cooked meals that you just heat and serve. These specialty boxes can range anywhere from $20-$28. Click here to see this month's menu.

Where do I get it? When visiting the site here plug in your city and state, and a list of churches in your area will pop up on the screen. Each church has a different set of deadlines and pick up times so contact them for that information.

How can I get involved? Click here to find out how your church can become a host site.

For additional information visit the website or check out the FAQ page.

Get These Freebies!

Walmart has the Airwick Lumin Air Wick Candle for only $4.99 and Kmart has it for $4.97. Team up with the coupon from Smart Source dated 12/07 for $5/1 Airwick Lumin Air Wick Candle. Now it's FREE!

If you got the $3/1 pint of Ben's and Jerry's coupon (the offer is expired now), then hold on to it until next week when Walgreen's has it on sale for $3! It's FREE!!

Look on the left in my sidebar for a link to coupons.com. You will find a $0.50 coupon for any Cottonelle Toilet Paper. Kroger has the 4 pk. for $0.99 and they will double the coupon! This makes it FREE and it's great for the locals because we didn't receive the $0.50 Cottonelle coupon in the newspaper a few weeks back.

Get your FREE sample of TheraCran here.

Get your FREE book - What To Expect When You Are Expecting - Grab it here.

Get a FREE sample of Gold bond here.

Get a FREE sample of Olive Oil here.

Get FREE sample of Peanut Butter here.

Get a FREE copy of Navigating Your Health Benefits for Dummies here.

Get a FREE Dr. Pepper coupon for Arby's here.


Thanks to Coupon Cravings, Hey It's Free, and Kingdom First Mom!

$0.18 @ Kroger

Cottonelle 4 pk. Toilet Paper = $0.99
Ben & Jerry's Cinnamon Buns Ice Cream = $3.69

Coupons:
$0.50 off Cottonelle (I got this coupon from my parents in Nashville. This coupon didn't not come out in the papers in our area). Also, don't forget this doubles at Kroger.
$3.00 off 1 pint of Ben & Jerry's Get it here.
$0.50 off Cottonelle from www.shortcuts.com

OOP: $0.18, 96% Savings!