Wednesday, December 15, 2010

New tax law changes for 2010

There are some new tax law changes for 2010 that may affect many of us. You can check them out in this article.

Monday, December 13, 2010

New coupon code for Restaurant.com

The newest coupon code for Restaurant.com is GIVE. Using this code at checkout will give you 70% off the price of your dining certificate which means a $25. gift certificate will cost you $3. It sounds like a good deal to me.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

FEED IT FORWARD 2010

Restaurant.com is offering their Feed it Forward program where you can send $10 certificates to your friends and relatives absolutely FREE!! FEED IT FORWARD 2010

Sunday, October 24, 2010

19 Simple Ways to Winterize Your Home

I came across these tips from the Daily Green for simple ways to winterize your home. Each tip is a short paragraph along with a picture.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Dining out for less

Once you have signed up with Restaurant.com, they will send you special coupon codes very often. This morning I received one for 80% off (which means a $25 certificate costs $2) with code PUMPKIN. This is good until Oct 25.

South Florida Dining also sends emails once you have signed up. You can see their specials at any time by looking at the Blue Plate Specials at the top of their page. I love the $30 certificates when they are on sale for $9.99 and I find they run these specials often.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Save 70% at Restaurant.com

Restaurant.com has come out with a new coupon code, DINE, to save 70% off which means a $25. gift certificate will cost $3. Code expires 10/20/2010. Don't forget to enter the code which is DINE.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Ten ways to save on your utility bill

According to Financially Fit on Yahoo, these are ten good ways to save on your utility bills. Check them out.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Five money saving tips

Here are five money saving tips I found on Yahoo. They seem pretty easy and are found to save you a few $$.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Incentives to promote energy efficiency

DSIRE is a website with comprehensive information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. There are rebates shown, too, that you can check out.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Find estate sales, tag sales and auctions

Findestatesales.com offers information about estate sales, tag sales and auctions in your area. When you visit the website, you click on your state on the map to get started. You can receive weekly updates about sales near you if you sign up.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

South Florida Dines

SouthFloridaDines.com is a site similar to Restaurant.com. You buy restaurant gift certificates at a reduced price. Unfortunately for many of you, this site only offers coupons for restaurants in south Florida.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Yard sale treasure map

This is information I posted some time ago but I have had several people ask me about it so I feel it is worth repeating.

The Yardsaletreasuremap site is pretty amazing. You type in your address and you get a map showing you where the yard sales are in your area. Not only does it tell you where they are, it has the date and description of the yard sale!! To get the information on the sale, you need to click on the balloon with the number on it.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Thoughts on buying generic

I read this article from MoneyTalksNews with interest because they talked about buying certain generic products. I always wonder about the various brands so I found this article interesting. It could save us all quite a bit over the course of a year.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Finding the cheapest gas prices

I mentioned BillShrink in an earlier post for finding cheaper cell phone service but I have now realized you can check there for the cheapest gas prices in your area or on your next trip.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Living Social

Living Social website is geared towards certain cities in the US as well as several cities overseas. If you live near one of the cities mentioned or plan to visit one, you may find some great deals here. It is worth a check.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Thrift Stores

Thrift stores are a good place for deals and "interesting" items. You never know what you might find. Many of us don't live anywhere near a thrift store but now we can shop at the Goodwill store online. This is an auction site set up by Goodwill so all proceeds will go to Goodwill. Please be sure to note they do add a $3. handling fee to each item. The items come from various stores throughout the US.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Sell on Ebay for Just Ten Cents

Once again Ebay is offering to let you list an item for just 10¢--any start price. This only applies to Auction-style listings. This offer is good for three days only -- September 14-16, 2010. You would still be obligated to pay the final value fee.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Follow-up on making your own pizza

Another topping suggestion I received was for shrimp! This will keep your pizza a bit "lighter" if you are watching your calories or just simply not quite as hungry. Great idea and I plan to give it a try.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Homemade pizza

A great meal to fix yourself is homemade pizza. It gets expensive, especially for a larger family, to buy pizza out. You don't need to get overwhelmed at the thought of making the dough and kneading, etc. Just buy pizza dough already made in the bakery section of your grocery store or in the frozen foods section. If you don't find pizza dough, you can use the frozen bread dough and that works just as well.

Once you grease the pan (I use a cookie sheet or 9x12 cake pans), spread the dough around at the thickness you like. Of course, the thickness may depend on how much dough you have.

Add some sauce - I prefer the Ragu Pizza Sauce (not the Pizza Quick Sauce). Then add your favorite toppings - browned Italian sausage, pepperoni, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, anchovies, browned hamburger, etc. You can add whatever you like. Once all your ingredients have been added, sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese over the top and bake at about 450 degrees until the crust is well browned on the bottom. Then ENJOY!!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Free shipping at Snapfish

You have 3 more days to enjoy FREE SHIPPING on your order from Snapfish. Use coupon FREELDSHIP for free shipping on your order, now through September 13th.

If you are not already signed up for Snapfish, you should be eligible for some free prints just for opening an account (which is free). Sounds like a deal to me!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Have you found Etsy?

One of my very favorite places to browse is Etsy. I love to shop there or even to just look around. It is like going through a wonderful craft mall but you are sitting down to look at everything.

I have to admit that I do have a shop on Etsy (which is now in vacation mode as I begin transforming into a snowbird) but I also love to shop there. The items you find are usually top quality and you can find things you'll never see elsewhere. From time to time I will mention more specific shops.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Coupon map

Couponmap.com is exactly what it sounds like. You type in your zip code and a map comes up showing you where the deals are in your area.

For example, I typed in a zip code, and it came up with AMC movie theater offering free popcorn, $100 cpn good on a TV at Best Buy, $10 off $50 purchase at JC Penny, $10 off $50 purchase at Office Depot, etc. I'm sure the offers change periodically.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Expiration dates, Sell by Dates, Use by Dates

I'm sure others besides myself often struggle with sell by dates, use by dates and just plain expiration dates. I recently read an article on the Yahoo Care2 Green Living Blog that explained these things very well. Hopefully if more people read it, less good edible food will be thrown out. I found it very helpful.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Finding estate sales, tag sales and auctions

When you visit the EstateSales.net website, you can click on your state on the map to get started finding estate sales, tag sales, auctions, and other types of estate liquidations. You can receive weekly updates about sales near you if you sign up.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Follow-up on previous posts

I recently received another deposit in my PayPal account from Big Crumbs. This time I got over $4. which was nice. I don't make huge purchases but I do often purchase fabric or printer cartridges on Ebay and this is where my rebate comes from. It can add up quickly so be sure to check it out.

Big Crumbs gives you rebates on purchases you make at many stores on line. So far the only store I didn't find listed was LL Bean. You just have to sign in to your Big Crumbs account and then use their links to get to your store to shop. It's simple and painless but it's not always easy to remember to go through them. Then they automatically deposit your earnings into your PayPal account each month.

The other reminder is to be sure and have an extra email account to use when you sign up at these various websites. Big Crumbs doesn't send out many emails and you need to use your PayPal email when you sign up there but other sites like Groupon or Kraft First Taste generate a lot more emails and it can be a real nuisance if they all come in to the email account you use every day.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Tracking all the deal sites

DODTracker.com website claims to track all the other deal sites and brings them to you in one place. I just read about this site and I haven't really tested it out but then again, each of us has different preferences so I may like one that you don't and vice versa.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Economical stew

One of the most economical and tasty dishes I make is probably my Hamburger Stew. I'm not a great cook but this is one of the few dishes I "just make." Ingredients can vary, depending on what leftovers you have in the refrigerator. The last time I made the stew, I added some pieces of zucchini just because we have lots of fresh zucchini from the garden. Another time I might add leftover corn or green beans. Below is my main recipe and then add your own extras.

With the cooler weather approaching, this is a recipe to keep in mind.

Hamburger Stew

1 lb hamburger browned
1 Small can diced tomatoes
1 Med onion chopped
4 Carrots cut up
2 Med potatoes cut up
1/2 - 1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 can peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Add any other vegs you might have on hand

Mix all ingredients in large pot and let simmer for 1 - 2 hrs on low heat. You may need to add a small amount of water if needed.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

More free photo prints

This is more information on an earlier post mentioning free prints. I came across more places that offer free photo prints to new customers who sign up. For example, ArtsCow.com offers its members 600 4x6" and 600 5x7" prints (1,200 total) for free. Additional places to get prints for free are listed below.
Snapfish.com offers 50 free prints
CVS.com offers 50 free prints
PhotoMama.com offers 50 free prints
ClarkColor.com offers 20 free prints
MyPhotoAlbum.com offers 20 free prints
Shutterfly offers 50 free prints
Winkflash offers 50 free prints via coupon code "WF95WF27"
Ritzpix.com offers 16 free prints

Friday, August 20, 2010

Deal site

There are so many sites out there offering you "deals" that it would take you all day to check them all. Over time I think we each find our favorites. I recently came across the Red Plum which offers a combination of deals and store coupons. You can check each of these out for yourself and see what one is your favorite.

I have to admit that Deal News is still my favorite deal site. Yesterday I got TWO St Johns Bay men's polo shirts for $.99 each plus shipping. My total for the two shirts, including shipping, was under $8. That's tough to beat!!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

New posting schedule

I will now be posting just every other day (even numbered days). At the moment there isn't a lot of interest in these posts so that will work just fine for you and for me. If interest increases, I will try to go back to the daily posts. Thank you for your follows.

Paperback Book Swap.

If you aren't able to make it to the library or if you just don't feel like getting out, visit www.paperbackswap.com and find your books there (small shipping fees apply). When someone requests your book, you mail it out to them. You then have a credit and you can choose a book you like. The owner of that book will mail it to you for free. Neat concept!!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Free collage and free shipping

Snapfish has just launched a new website. To celebrate this, they are offering a free 8x10 collage and free shipping today. If you are new to Snapfish and you are just signing up, I believe you will also be eligible for some free prints. I just ordered my free collage and it was relatively easy. Just use the word GRANDSHIP as you coupon code when you check out.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Digital photos into prints

While a few people print their own photographs on their home printer, most people now either send their photos to a nearby store by uploading the photos to the store's website, or they take their camera disk to the store to have the prints made.

I prefer to upload my photos to one of the online companies and then order prints and have them sent to my home. I have been know to try several different companies since most of them offer free prints the first time you use them. Sometimes they will also email you with an offer to give them a try again. I recently got one of these emails from Snapfish offering me 30 free prints if I came back by the end of August. Of course, I couldn't resist getting all those free prints!! The offer did not include shipping charges so I still had to pay shipping.

York now offers 40 free prints on your first order.

Another site to try is www.snapfish.com or www.kodakgallery.com A third place to try is Shutterfly.
These sites usually always offer free prints on your first order so just compare to see who currently has the best offer.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Lower those power bills

Last year I happend to watch an Oprah show where the topic was lowering your expenses. She had one guest who had cut her power bill in half. That caught my attention so I listened. This lady really went to the extreme but it made me stop to realize how many things we "turn off" but they still are using power - coffee maker, microwave, TV, computer, etc.

I can't easily unplug my microwave when it isn't in use so I leave it plugged in but I did start unplugging the coffee pot each day. If you use the timer on the pot, then you'd probably rather leave it plugged in. The lady on the show even unplugged her TV after each use and I didn't think I wanted to do that either. But if you are more careful to turn lights out when you leave a room and unplug the things you can, I think you, too, would find some savings on your power bill.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Follow-up on previous posts

Today I'd like to post follow-up information on previous posts. I find myself checking the Dealnews.com website at least 3 to 4 times a week and sometimes daily as there are such good specials listed on that site. In the past week I ordered a one year subscription to Outdoor Photographer for $3.99 and I ordered a free sample pack of chewing gum.

Also in the past week I received money in my PayPal account as a result of using Big Crumbs. Big Crumbs gives you rebates on your purchases if you go through their website to make the purchase. My purchases aren't big so for this month I got $.98 but every little bit counts. Even purchases through Ebay count for credit on Big Crumbs.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Free shipping on internet orders

The next time you are going to place an order on line, checked for free shipping offers at freeshipping.org. It can save you quite a bit if you can eliminate all or part of the shipping charge on your order.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Free Meals, Free Passes, Etc.

According to a recent article in Time magazine, you can see about the possibility of earning free meals, passes to amusement parks and other deals at mysteryshop.org. I must confess that this is NOT anything I have tried but since it appeared in Time, I can only assume it is a legitimate site. If you have the time and interest, it could possibly prove interesting and money saving. Again, use that extra email account and be sure to read all the warnings on the home page about spam and fraud. They indicated that they NEVER request any money from anyone so be aware of that as well.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Another Freebie source

ImegaDeals.com has a special section just for freebies. Again, this is one of those places where I always use my extra junk mail email address.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

More coupons you can print

I found the link to coupons.com in a recent Time magazine article. I have checked it out and liked it since you can choose what coupons you want. When I looked, almost all the coupons were for $1.00 off although sometimes you had to buy two of the item to use the coupon.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Compare rates on your wireless phone or cable

According to an article in Time magazine recently, you can compare wireless plans and cable options at billshrink.com. I went to the site and gave it a try. It did ask for an email so once again, I used my junk mail email account. I compared cable service for when we are in Florida and they came up with about six options, one of which was cheaper than what we paid last year. It's worth checking out.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Try Sam's Club for Free

Sam's Club is offering a free trial membership August 6, 7 and 8, 2010 only. You can get the details at the Sam's Club website. There are pictures on their home page that are like a slide show so you may have to wait a few seconds for the free offer to show up.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

List for free on Ebay

Once again Ebay is offering up to 100 free auction style listings, no matter what the start price. The offer is good from today through September 7, 2010. You will still have to pay the final value fee if your item sells but there is no cost to list the item.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Free appetizer from Outback

Sign up for Outback Rewards and receive a coupon good for a free appetizer from Outback.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Grocery store coupon source

SmartSource.com is a website where you can find additional grocery coupons. Another good source is usually the Sunday newspaper.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Gift card exchange

The gift card exchange at Plastic Jungle is not something I've tried but it looks interesting. I'm not a big gift card fan myself because I always worry the recipient won't use all the $$ on the card but I know many others love them.

You can also find great deals on gift cards and discount cards at Ebay. I have purchased several 10% or 20% off cards for either Lowe's or Home Depot through Ebay.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

One Sale A Day

The link to One Sale A Day was sent to me recently (thanks, Ed!). I have visited to site since it was referred to me and it does look interesting. I think it could yield some good deal possibilities.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Free directory assistance

According to the latest issue of AARP Bulletin, you can call 1-800-GOOG-411, give your location, and speak a name or business category. You will then get a list of matches, and the service will dial your choice. The big advantage over 411 is that it is FREE!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Find Yard Sales in Your Area

The Yardsaletreasuremap site is pretty amazing. You type in your zip code and you get a map showing you where the yard sales are in your area. Not only does it tell you where they are, it has the date and description of the yard sale!!

You can also check out yard sales on Craigs List or your local newspaper.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Compare grocery store prices in your area

When you visit Mygrocerydeals.com, you can compare advertised grocery deals in your area to maximize your savings. You see current advertised deals at your favorite local stores after you put in your zip code.

You do need to "join" which is free. This is another time where I used my junk email account I guess you'd say. As you join, they ask if you want to pay to upgrade but I just stuck with the free membership.

You choose which store specials you want to see. There is also a section with coupons you can print out. You can also sign up free to have them email you your store's weekly flyer when it is released. I will have to check my junk email account for this.

I just learned about this site and have not actually used it yet. I live in the middle of the Adirondack Mountains where the nearest grocery chain store is an hour away so there isn't much to compare. As soon as we return to Florida, I expect to be a regular user of this account.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Thrifty fun

While surfing the net recently, I came across this page of tips on a site called Thrifty Fun. There are some neat ideas on her I thought you might like to try.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Coupon Master

I have to admit I have only used this site once but the service was excellent and I do know of someone else who has used it with good experience. Coupon Master lets you buy the coupons you need. If you live close to grocery stores where you can take advantage of the sales, this site will be helpful. It works best when you can check the sale flyer as soon as it comes out and then order your coupons so you have them before the sale ends.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Craigs List

Craigslist allows you to post a free online classified advertisements. There are ad sections for household items, sporting goods, housing, personals, services, community, gigs, résumes, and discussion forums. It has about the same sections as your newspaper. Best of all, the ads are FREE. It is heavily used and I've always had a good response to any ads I have placed.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Shutter offers 75 prints for FREE

Shutterfly.com offers 75 4x6" prints for free if you use the coupon code "FACEBOOK75". There is a $3.99 shipping charge added to the order. This offer expires July 25, 2010.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Freebies

Almost everyone loves a freebie! I found this site called the Bargainist that usually has a freebie or two I want to try. Check it out once in a while and see what you can find.

I would like to mention that I have set up an extra email account for myself and I use this account whenever I sign up for a freebie or fill out a survey. Many of these companies add your name to a mailing list and you can end of with a LOT of unwanted emails. By having a spare account, you avoid a great deal of aggravation. These email accounts are free at Yahoo, HotMail or Gmail.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Get your favorite TV shows without paying for cable

An article in today's MoneyTalkNews, explains how to get TV shows without paying for cable. We have actually looked into this and tried it at our place in Florida so I can tell you it does work. You certainly don't get as many choices as on cable but we were able to get 7 or 8 channels there and it is FREE. How many channels you can get depends on where you live. The links for all this information are in the article.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Free admission to 100 National Parks

The U.S. National Park Service has announced they will have free admission to more than 100 parks nationwidefor a couple days in August, in September and November. You can get the details and dates at their website www.nps.gov.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Flight deals

Whenever flying, it is good to check as many places as you can for the best buy. Besides the more common Orbitz and Expedia, you can also check Fly.com and Kayak.com

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Free business cards

You can get 50 free business cards from Moo and Etsy. You can upload your own photo to use and they will personalize them for you as well.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Free credit report

In the past I've fallen for the ad on TV saying you can get a free credit report. In order to get that report you have to provide a credit card number for a trial membership in that organization. I forgot to cancel my membership and after 30 days, I started getting a monthly charge on my credit card!! Luckily, they reversed the charges when I called but this is a very misleading ad.

You can actually get a free credit report through this official site www.annualcreditreport.com. It is sponsored by the three major credit reporting agencies and it is free.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Free directory assistance

I don't know about you, but I don't like to pay the phone company an extra fee when I need directory assistance. You can find the phone number you need for free at www.free411.com.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Fabric shopping

I live in a very rural area and the closest quilt shop is about 1 1/2 hrs away so I do a lot of my fabric purchasing on line. Fabric is one of those things you really want to touch and feel before purchasing but I've found if I stick to name brands I know, it works our quite well. Of course, I'm always looking for a deal as well. One of my favorite spots to look for fabric is QuiltShops.com.

This site is linked to about 200 quilt shops. You can search by color, manufacturer, design (apples, bears, tulips, etc.) or sometimes I put in something like "sale apples" because I only want fabric on sale. It's a great place to window shop and find new designs even if you're not in the market for new fabric at the moment.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Great deals

Thanks to a tip from my son (thanks, Brian), I think I have found a new favorite site to visit for fantastic bargains. Dealnews comes up with some unbelievable deals.

When I first visited the site, I thought it was mostly electronics but it isn't. Be sure to scroll all the way down the page. They seem to often have offers with a super cheap price and sometimes it even includes free shipping. They do sometimes mention freebies, too. Check it out.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Free Cycle

Free Cycle is a website where people can give or get stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer and membership is free.

You can sign up to receive emails when someone makes a new post. This is a good idea if you are even considering looking for something because then you know immediately when something you can use is listed. If you are like me, I would never remember to check the site each day to look for something. I get the emails and for my area, this means 3 or 4 emails total a week average. I'm sure there are areas that might be much busier.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Fight breast cancer with a click!

The Breast Cancer Site is another one of those places where you can help others without shelling out any money. You just click on the link and money will be donated to fund programs to provide mammograms to women in need. You can go back and click each day to increase your donations.

You will note the tabs across the top of the page and each of those is a place where you can contribute to other worthwhile organizations.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Coupon clippers website

If you like to use store coupons at the grocery store, a website to check out is kraftfirsttaste.com. Here you are able to print out coupons for new products from Kraft. I've only been on the site a short time but the coupons seem to be at least $1.00 off on one.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

New restaurant.com coupon code offers 80% off

Restaurant.com has come out with a new coupon code which is FUN. It will give you 80% off which means you can get a $25. gift certificate for $2. This offer is good until July 12.

When they have these fantastic sales, I have purchased generic gift certificates to use later so I can take advantage of the sale. When you use a certificate, it has to be for the specific restaurant you are visiting. If you purchase the generic, you can then use it later to purchase the specific certificate you want. The certificates are all good for one year from the date of purchase.

FYI - I did purchase several when we were in Florida a couple of years ago and then it turned out we didn't use them all. I contacted restaurant.com to explain and they refunded my money for the unused certificates.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Free listings on Ebay

From now through July 12, Ebay is offering free listings, no matter what the starting bid. You will still have to pay the final value fee but there is no charge to put to list up to 100 auction style items. If there is something you've been thinking about trying to sell on Ebay, now is the time to do it. At least if it doesn't sell, you're not out anything.

You can always list up to 100 items per month for free if the starting price is $.99 or less.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Homemade Tea

Last year someone gave me a few mint plants. I planted them and by this year, they seem to have multiplied with no help from me. The other day as the temperatures were warming up, the thought of a tall glass of iced tea seemed appealing so I got on line to find out how to make some mint tea. It was so simple. I just picked a few leaves, added water, brought to a boil and simmered for several minutes and I had tea. One of the places I found the instructions was at ehow.com.

You can also dry the mint leaves to use during the winter although this is not something I've tried yet.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Improve your vocabulary while donating rice to the hungry

freerice.com is an interesting concept and from what I've been able to find, it is legitimate.

There is a vocabulary word on the page and you are to click on the correct definition. If you get the answer right, you get a harder question. If you get it wrong, you get an easier question. For each correct answer, ten grains of rice will be donated to the United Nations World Food Program.

It's fun and yet you are helping others at no cost to you. Thanks, Paige, for telling me about this!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Inexpensive way to eat out

If you read yesterday's post and checked out Brad's Deals, you may have seen the offer from Restaurant.com. I love the coupons from there!

These days many of us find the cost of going out to eat a bit more than we want to spend. At this site, you can purchase a $25 gift certificate at a restaurant in your area for just $10. However, I want to quickly add that I have NEVER paid the full $10 for one of these certificates. Once you purchase one certificate, they will email you discount coupon codes fairly regularly.

Right now if you type in the word FREEDOM, you will get a 50% discount which means you will get a $25. gift certificate for $5. This offer expires today, July 6, but I'm sure they will quickly replace this offer with a new one. Just Google "restaurant.com coupon code" to get the latest code.

You usually have to spend a minimum of $35. to use the coupon but this still means a very inexpensive dinner out. Sometimes you might even have to get dessert to make the minimum. I don't know about you but this is something I can handle with no problem.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Some of my favorite websites

The nearest mall is over an hour away from my home in northern New York so when I need something, I often shop online. Before I make a purchase, I try to check for coupon codes to see if there are any deals out there. One of my favorite sites for codes is Brad's Deals. My son told me about this site (thanks, Brian). It always seems to be current and they come up with some fantastic offers. If you haven't been there before, be sure to check them out.

Another site that I've used is Imega Deals. There are usually some good buys here as well. In addition to the regular coupon codes, Imega Deals has a section for Freebies. If you look along the left side of the page, you will find the link for Free Stuff. I just checked it this morning and it doesn't look like anything new has been added lately. I don't think companies are offering as many freebies now as they did a year ago.

Don't forget to log into Big Crumbs BEFORE you go to any shop to make a purchase! They even give you credit for Ebay purchases but you have to log in before you bid.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Free Arby's Junior Deluxe Sandwich on July 5

I just came across this offer and I'd like to share it with you. www.facebook.com/arbys It is only good for July 5 and I believe you need to purchase a drink to get the free sandwich.

Sunburn help

This morning I came across a web page that listed ten ways to soothe a sunburn using things you have at home. Try as we will, we just sometimes forget to put on the sunscreen and we end up with a burn so these ideas may come in handy. The article was written by Barbara Brody, Woman's Day magazine, so you may have seen it in there. If not, here is the link: http://health.yahoo.net/articles/beauty/10-ways-soothe-sunburn

Thursday, July 1, 2010

New venture

I've wanted to give this a try for some time and now as I sit here, "what should I write?" I'd like to make this blog a helpful tool for all of us. I'm not sure if you would call me frugal or a cheapskate, but I love to find good deals and save money. Whether it is clipping a coupon or finding a bargain on line, I'm always happy to find it. I also like to hear about new ideas or find interesting new websites.

I hope to share my finds with you and hopefully you will contact me with finds of your own which I can then pass on to others (giving you credit for the find, of course).

I recently signed up at Big Crumbs to get money back on some of my online purchases. By logging in to this website first and then going to the store where I wish to shop (this also includes Ebay shopping), I receive a rebate back on each purchase I make. Sometimes the rebates are only a few cents but after a month of accumulations, it often adds up to several dollars. Your rebate is then deposited into your PayPal account. Now there is free money available for more shopping!!