Look off to the right hand side there. You’ll see a Networked Bogs logo and a button to “follow this blog”. In order for me to set up my updates to facebook, this application requires 10 people to verify me.
See, that’s where you come in. You move your mouse over there, click the button, and then one more time on the next page that comes up.
Then, hit your back button to come back here and keep readin’. Thanks for your help.
Ya’ll, I am flat out uninspired lately but some of the deals posted! I’ve had weeks where I can’t WAIT to shop 3 or MORE stores for freebies and bargains but for about the last 3 weeks there just hasn’t been much.
I’ll keep posting the grocery gigs, CVS Walgreens etc, but what ELSE would you like to see?
Free cultural opportunities? Those are someone tricky since they tend to be regional but I could take a tab. What can I do to make this blog more valuable to you? What are you tired of spending money on? What do you LIKE to spend money on?
You’re different, let me hear your voice. Holla.
Occasionally, when I copy a post from another person’s blog, the links don’t carry over and it will take you to the WordPress Advertising site. I realize that this isn’t very helpful and I apologize that I am not catching it.
But, you can help by telling me what link doesn’t work. I’ll fix it as soon as I see your note. (It’d be good for me to see if there’s a pattern to the ones that don’t copy over.)
That said, aside from general courtesy/appreciation, this is another reason that I link to the original posters page. If you’d like to print the coupon right away, you can hop over to their page and get it from there.
Please do visit the folks I am posting entries from – their blogs are amazing and I only cross post what I think is most beneficial to MY audience. After all, the whole reason I have this blog is because I feel that YOU are unique rockstars of limited funds and deserve a site created just for you.
Keep on rockin with your coupons,
Frankie J
My 4-year-old asked me to wish on a star the other day. I wished that soon I would be able to fit into EVERYTHING in my closet.
The holidays are approaching and I’ve been growing more and more irritated at how my clothes seem to be shrinking in the wash. It doesn’t help that the Halloween party I had for my kid left me with nearly two batches of leftover brownies (which made delicious breakfasts and snacks). The clothes in my closet span about 4 different sizes and I am on the top end of it, which is severely limited. Thank goodness I work from home in sweat pants.
Let me preface this post further by saying – I don’t DO diet supplements/liquid diets, etc. Many years ago I needed to take off about 20lbs so I tried Slim Fast. The first day I thought “Oh, this isn’t so bad!” But truthfully, I think I got through my 6pack and couldn’t bring myself to buy it again. I went through years of trying diet pills, and to look at me you can OBVIOUSLY see that they didn’t work. I’m curvy and cuddly and I’ve learned to (mostly) love and live with it. The problem is that I’m unpaid right now and I cannot bear the thought of buying a higher size – the highest size that my closet would have ever seen.
Suffice it to say that I’d given up on “diet aids” and “supplements” and it’s glaringly obvious that my metabolism isn’t getting any younger.
A friend of mine works at a marketing agency, which often results in samples of the products they’re promoting. One such benefit was the opportunity to try a weight loss shake called Safely Slim. Said friend tried it for a few weeks before ever speaking up about it. She likes it. At the time when she extended an opportunity for her friends to apply for a 2 month trial, she said she could not tell if she’d lost any weight (though it looked to me like she had), but since she liked the drink well enough and it’s actually good for her so she was willing to keep it up. The more I learned about it, the more interested I became:
From the pamphlet:
Safely Slim is the stimulant free complement to any diet and exercise program that hlps you attain a more toned body shape. it’s safe to use long-term since the unique fat-fighting compound ProTone is a natural blend of protein. We made Safely Slim an even more essential component of your diet by including 60% of the daily value for calcium. Dietary fiber and a prebiotic blend support digestive health while helping to keep you feeling full for longer.
With most diets, the average person sacrifices nearly a pound of muscle for every pound of fat lost. This ratio isn’t ideal or attaining the toned, shapely figure you’re working toward. The patented protein blend in ProTone can tip the scales in your favor. It’s been clinically shown to promote fat reduction while helping you retain muscle mass. In a 12-week study published in Nutriotion & Metabolism, subjects using ProTone lst about 80% fat to 20% muscle. Trading pudgy fat fr shapely lean muscle will change the way you look at dieting — and yourself.
So, that’s the pitch. I applied for the trial and was selected to participate. For the next 2 months, I’ll have a drink for breakfast and then later on as a snack between lunch and dinner.
The product, Safely Slim, is a powder drink mix (comes in Double Chocolate or Vanilla Ice Cream flavors) that is mixed with COLD water. Amazingly, it is NOT gritty in the least – and that was the first criteria for which I was ready to shoot this down. (Hey, I’m chubby because I LOVE food. If it doesn’t please my taste buds, it’s going to fail.) I’ve not yet tried the Vanilla, but the chocolate is decent! If it were heated, it would remind me of hot cocoa.
The next point that pleasantly surprised me about it is that it’s actually GOOD for you. So I figured, even if I don’t lose weight, it not only won’t hurt me, but hopefully I’ll come out healthier.
I want to give myself the best chance at losing, so tomorrow I’ll unbury the elliptical/coat rack and work out once a day. I won’t bombard you all with updates about my diet, but if this works, I’m proud to have the opportunity to share my progress with you – maybe even with pictures.
We all know that Wal Mart is the devil, right. Corporate bastards.
Today I went to Wal Mart, using the deals I listed in the Wal Mart gig as well as asking them to price match a few items out of the Kroger ad. No problem. And listen – I go in to every store organized. I know exactly how many of each item I’m buying. I hand them the coupons together, neatly so that they can be rung up easily. There is no need for confusion or for the person behind me in line to get pissed off for me taking too long – unless the cashier is clueless (which is not uncommon at any store).
The issue came at Wal Mart today when they went to ring up my coupons. The cashier as well – as the manager – thought that since they do not double coupons, this meant that they could not ring more than 1 of the same item with a coupon. In other words, if I have 5 of the same item, I can only use 1 coupon. Not so. I know this for a fact. They read the fine print, too. At some point later they decided they could accept one clipped coupon and one internet coupon. The fine print (on all these coupons) read “1 coupon per purchase” which they read to mean 1 per transaction. Again, not so, I assured them.
Taking the coupon policy with me would have done no good since neither one of the people there understand what the verbiage meant. They said the cashier could get wrote up if we do it wrong. I assured them that I’m not trying to screw anyone. I know the rules, I do this several times a week at several stores. They ignored me and the manager treated me like I was trying to pull one over on them.
IT TOOK THEM 50 MINUTES to ring up my transaction. Only 5 of that was to scan and bag my items. THIS WAS THE ONLY REGISTER OPEN besides the self-checkouts.
I was there with my 4-year-old. It was late and we were tired and I will NEVER do it again. Not going back.
Look, I don’t drop money on cereal because that’s stupid. I’m not bothered about what kind of cereal I eat, mostly. I get something decent for free with coupons and I’m cool with that. I’m not even awake when I’m eating cereal, you know? What do I care.
I am bothered to look hot when I go out. I won’t buy my clothes at Wal-Mart. (I might at Target but Target is the bomb, alright.) That said, I prefer to buy several pieces than to dump a lot of money into one. I buy good quality designer knock offs because I like the style but don’t care about the label.
If you won’t compromise on your style, check out the links below to get designer pieces for less.
6pm.com is a popular discount retailer, with most sales focused on shoes though they’re known to have some clothing and bags, etc on occasion. This weekend, you can purchase ALL Annie Footwear for just $5.95 each pair! That is legit AWESOME – to get a pair of shoes for less than $6!
Another favorite site of mine is Ideeli. They are pretty well known and I’ve placed several orders with them for jewelery and shoes. They’ve had Gucci, Calvin Kline, Betsey Johnson, Kenneth Cole sales all recently. They even had a Circulon cookware sale that I missed out on where I could have picked up an awesome 5.5qt $120 saucepan for like $37. I nearly fucking cried, okay. They occasionally get some great kids sales going, too. I can handle Ideeli’s prices better than most.
Gilt Groupe is very popular and has similar sales as Ideeli. I love their kids sales, even to window shop. Their prices range from between $50-100 usually to up in the thousands for high end watches. Their prices are still a significant cut from the label’s suggested price, regardless.
Editor’s closet has a variety of sales- skincare, home furnishings, clothes, shoes, etc. They have all the top names: Lacoste, D&G, Andrew Clark, etc. There’ve been several ALMOST buys for me there, but I’ve yet to pick anything up.
These sites are all invite only, but I’ve given you invite links for each because I’m fucking cool like that.
Badjoan is open to all without invitation. It’s worth checking out occassionally but I’ve yet to be tempted by their sales.
The best things in life are free, right? If we’re talking about a free ’68 Sting Ray and shots of Maker’s, then hell yeah they are.
If like me, you aren’t into whoring yourself and you don’t always know the bartender, you might like a way to make a few bucks now and then to tuck away towards your buzz.
Andrea at MommySnacks has put together a great post up about companies that pay you to take online surveys. Some of them pay more than others and its never more than a couple of bucks – but that’ll get you a can of PBR (or if you don’t have shitty taste in beer, maybe a Land Shark or Corona if they’re on special).
Not all of these sites accept applicants all of the time. In fact, Pinecone Research has recently started accepting new applicants, so you might hop on that train while you can.
Let someone pay you for your fucked up view. As my parents say, “Now, that’s my opinion and I agree with it.”
I subscribe to Real Simple and LOVE it. It’s a very well done (practical and not cheesy) magazine about living well and keeping trendy with some focuses on saving coin – but not to the point of say, reusing Ziplock bags. For example, they’ll show several types of a style (clothing & home decor) and how to accomplish it with varied budgets.
Whether or not you are a subscriber, they also have some great promotions via Real Simple Rewards.
For example, this month they have these:
Holiday Savings: When you send in receipts confirming purchases of $15 or more from participating brands, they’ll send you a $5 rebate (while supplies last, purchases must be made between 10/12 and 11/15, more fine print etc). Brands include Head and Shoulders, Eucerin, International Delight, Jergens, Uncle Bens, Nestle Toll House, etc.
Smart Shopping: Another promotion rewards you with a $5 Target gift card when you buy $20 or more from participating brands in a single transaction. A couple of these brands overlap with the promotion above, which is nice!
Encouraging Rewards: A breast cancer awareness themed promotion rewarding you with free notecards with $15 in purchases from participating brands, including Pyrex and Energizer.
Free Candy Dish when you buy any 6oz or larger M&M’s premium candies.
There’s also some contests to enter as well as other useful around-the-house tips.
What is up with everyone doing rebates these days? I’m not complaining!
I made an appointment yesterday for my daughter and I to get flu shots at the flu clinic at our Dr’s office tomorrow. Flu shots there are $30 each if we go there.
But because the county Health Department has the H1N1 vaccine (and it is required that all children at our Preschool have this vaccination) for free, we’re headed down there to get that. While we’re there, regular flu shots at the Health Dept are only $20. I understand you can get flumist for one and a shot for the other and have them both done at the same time. We’ll be doing this and cancelling our appointment at our primary care doc.
Incidentally, I know many CVS and Walgreens are doing flu clinics as well, most cost around $25 and some are even covered by insurances for around a $10 copay.
Shop to Rock 