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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!!

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Free appetizer from Outback

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

Grocery store coupon source

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

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.