You never know until you try it!

What in the world am I talking about???? I know could be any number of things huh?

But... I'm talking about trying to get valuable coupons from your favorite companies!!

So the other night I thought about all of the items our family uses and eats/consumes a lot of... a lot of those things I get coupons for almost weekly in the Sunday paper or they are readily available on the internet to print... others are not...

So I decided to Swagbuck search the companies and contact them... (as a P.S. I think I hit two searches using Swagbucks that night)  Anyway, every one of the companies has a "contact us" Link... I didn't use 'Coupon' on a single one of them, (some of them have drop down choices of why are you contacting them).  I used 'other'.  So I told them about my family situation and that I spend hours doing coupon match-ups trying to save as much money for my family as possible. That I would GREATLY appreciate any coupons they may have to offer to their loyal consumers.

I received (and still receiving) lots of emails back explaining to me that they either don't send out coupons and where I might be able to find them, though in my note to them I even stated 'besides looking in the Sunday paper and on the internet'.... or I got back a thank you and yes, you will have coupons to you within 7 to 10 days.

The coupons started to roll in!!!  I know I have more on the way and I know a lot of the companies I contacted will not be sending me any... but.....

YOU NEVER KNOW UNTIL YOU TRY IT :D

Just in today's mail -

Quite a few from the Henkle (dial) for various products, a book from SC Johnson for their various products, Johnsonville 2 - $1.00 off coupons... This envelope made me laugh I got something from Bimbo Bakeries, I was like WTH is that? LOL  2 - $1.00 off for Thomas' Products, 2 FREE Picsweet frozen veggie items, 55c off Lindsay products, 3 - 50c off Kimberly Clarke products listed on coupon and 3 - 75c off coupons for McCormick spices or seasoning packs.  I also received a couple weeks back 2 FREE 8th Continent Soy Milk Coupons.  Since our grocers double here this little stack is worth over $45!

So my thought is, what do I have to lose? A little bit of my time? I just copy and pasted my note so it really took me no time at all zipping thru their links... what took me the time was thinking about all the items in my fridge, pantries and cabinets. :)  But well worth the time - most of these coupons don't expire for a couple of years :)

Promo codes, eat out cheaper, save those rewards!

Today is a combo post on how you can do three things at once, save money, earn money and earn reward points!!

Pretty cool!

I talked about ebates the other day...ebates - so as a refresher... first time you sign up they give you $5.00 in your account... you earn money back on your online purchases by going to the stores via ebates. They pay you out quarterly and you get a % back on your online purchases your were going to buy anyway, just by clicking through ebates

Today's lesson - how to eat cheaper, while getting that % back and if your bank offers rewards for purchases.. getting those rewards up!!

Restaurant.com - its a great place to buy restaurant gift certificates and using for your dining out. They are currently running a promotion (and do often) for 80% off. So right now you can get a $25.00 gift certificate for $2.00 by using the promo code 'Dine'.  When John and I go out, this is how we manage to do it... a lot of the restaurants have certain dining purchases and/or times you can use the certificate. Like you may see you have to buy two drinks, or you have to spend $35.  Whatever, its way cheaper than had you just gone to the restaurant without the certificate. John and I are pretty good at sticking at the requirements. So if it's gotta spend $35 - we spent $2 on the certificate, another $10 on the meal plus tip (please remember to tip your server at the total cost of the bill) so about $19 oop (out of pocket) instead of $42 oop! Good deal!!

Now by clicking through ebates I earned 15% on that $2.00... I know, I know you are all rolling around on the floor laughing! It's only .30c.. but that is another .30c being banked on my return!

Now if you also have a bank that pays you rewards for credit purchases... make sure you pay for it via paypal as a credit charge, this way you are earning your reward points!!  Again the purchase is small, in this example, but those reward points add up!! Also when you use that certificate for your meal and 'charge' it... more rewards points!

If you don't have a rewards point card with your bank - see if they offer one. Pay everything you can as credit, bills, groceries, gas, everything you can. My bank charges a $25 annual fee for the card... I think I got about $150 in Gift Cards last year.. so well worth the $25!

Also when you are buying online... see if that store offers a promo code... you will see I do everything I can to optimize what I do... so I open up Swagbucks I type in (as an example) Restaurant.com promo code (Hopefully I've earned some Swagbucks doing that). If there is one out there you will find someone has posted the code!  Then I open up ebates via Swagbucks to find the online store I want to buy from - this example Restaurant.com... click the link buy my certificate and pay via my debit card as a charge instead of a debit!! Woo hoo!!

We really love these  Restaurant.com certs... we don't eat out often because of the cost, but when we do, we almost always have one of these or some sort of coupon! These are awesome gifts too and inexpensive! We did a whole bunch of these for John's clients... at $2 a pop, if they didn't use them it wasn't a big deal! Plus he could write off the expense :)

OK so happy shopping!! Don't forget all those tips...

PHEW!!

Today a long day! First to drive out to old Scottsdale for a doctors appointment. Haven't been in a couple of years... not good! 

Maybe I've been afraid? I know I've been busy and then there was that pesky insurance lack there of problem...

So afraid because last time I was told if the lab came back abnormal it was time to remove my baby makin parts... worries me just slightly... and not because it's surgery... I've had a few myself... not NEARLY as many as lil Miss R, but a few.

I guess I'm more worried about genetics... my 'mom' was 29 when she had a total removal... her weight got out of hand... my 'sister' had one somewhere in her early 30's... her weight got out of hand... I mean seriously out of hand... my 'mom' who was skinny, skinny, skinny as a kid and into her early mid 20's...  was over 200 last I knew... my sister has always been heavier than I, but I know she was getting up to that range...

Me never weighing more than 130 (and that was pregnant) doesn't like this idea... I'm 120 now.. gained 10lbs in the last year which irks me to death because I don't eat... but I'm getting older... anyway, I don't want to gain that much weight.. my back is bad enough, I couldn't imagine. 

I have to go get my girls pancaked too, that is always a good time. I don't know why they insist on doing this to me... (let me explain)... I've been having this done since I was 24. Breast cancer runs in my family. My grandmother died at the age of 48 of breast cancer. My 'mom' had lumps removed in her 30's.

I was sick and went to the doctor when I was 24 and he said that my left breast was inflammed. So off to get squished. The doctor said she couldn't see anything but she felt something deep so she ordered and ultrasound... there, they found many fibroid cysts.  The doctor said she couldn't see anything but she felt something deep so she ordered and ultrasound... there, they found many cysts. They are super deep so they never come up on mammography... and why I say I don't know why they do that instead of an ultrasound... anyway... I'll play along since I'm concerned about the left breast.

Then off to get some free stuff at Target!! I got a Procter and Gamble coupon booklet in the mail the other day and the first set of coupons all expire 2.28.11 so needed to see if I could get some freebies... love that they don't say not for trial size... so go to the travel size area and free stuff!!  Also printed the Target Web coupons for their ibuprofen which is .99c a box (normal price) for a 24 count... coupon $1 so free ;)  Had a covergirl coupon in the booklet, found clearance nail top coat, free!!  The only thing I paid for today was one banana as I was using it as a filler... lol...  I got a bar of Irish spring soap, 3 boxes of Kleenex, a bag of Planters Almonds, 3 tubes of Colgate toothpaste, a trial size secret deodorant, trial size tide, one target brand dental floss, 3 vitamin waters, 2 boxes of ibuprofen, always panty liners, covergirl top coat polish, for free (just tax) and one banana for .24c... I should've spent $28.28 not including tax but including the banana :)

Then off to feeding therapy with Reiley. She did pretty well today, but sadly she got sick... she was swallowing some food and I don't know if it felt funny but she makes this noise when something is bothering her when she tries to swallow, gagged and got sick... poor girl.. but she took another bite of tuna (Starkist Tuna Pouch which mommy got for free btw) but after that one she decided she was done. We SOOO need to get an iPad.. her therapist uses one during therapy with her.. she loves it!  Gotta save up those rewards points on my bank account and trade them in for Target Gift Cards so we can get one!

Off to Trader Joe's as when she does well we go there as a reward so she can push the little grocery carts around... then to visit Grandpa for about 20 minutes with a promise to come back on Sunday... then to drive to CVS to pick up some of her medicine.. which sadly was not ready as promised... grrr... but not a wasted trip since that is where I picked up the free almonds... LOL!

Then home! PHEW! Friday's are always crazy!!

Free samples and giveaways on Facebook!

Besides doing coupon shopping, Swagbucks and Ebates, another thing I do consistently is free samples and/or giveaways on Facebook.

Is there a product you've wanted to try out? And no you're not going to get a free sample of the newest hybrid SUV you want... but maybe a new shampoo, or non alcoholic beverage?

Well companies often offer free samples of these products allowing you to try it before you buy it! Usually along with the free sample, a coupon comes with it... not always, but more times than not!

Walmart offers free samples, Costco sometimes, Sam's Club... you can also find MANY sites that tell you about Free Samples. I follow many of them on Facebook... one of my favorites is I love Free Things http://www.ilft.com/  I follow Vlad as he posts on Facebook about free samples or giveaways. 

Now here is one thing that really irks me personally about giveaways on Facebook... ya, its a little frustrating when the companies website doesn't work because of the millions of people hitting their server at the same time trying to get whatever they are offering... but that's not what really irks me... what irks me is all the people BITCHING and blasting the wall of that company that they can't get whatever.. HELLO people.. they are offering something FREE... they DON'T have to do that... so stop your whining and bitching and stop being so rude!  I mean seriously you will have to check it out sometime.. People writing F*** You "Name of Company"... how childish and really stupid... it's a giveaway, meaning some people will get what they are offering and most people won't.  Get it?!

One recent giveaway I did was Petrol Jeans... thank you again to my over 20 friends (the required number of people to say I sent them) I won a brand new pair of their jeans!! Score, I was so happy!!  Up until the other day when I got a free pair of Jeans at Target from my coupon shopping, I only had one pair! 

I haven't won a whole lot on Facebook, a $50 gift card to Amazon (again thank you to all my friends for helping me with that), the jeans and a Tide to Go pen!  I have received lots of free product coupons, free product samples and amounts off coupons.

Wonder what I do with all those free samples? Most of the items are personal care, so shampoo, condition, lotion, toothpaste, deodorant, that kind of thing... I use them in my hospital bag. They are perfect for travelling too, so if you are going on a trip throw them in your bag and you are set! No need to go to the travel section of the grocery store and buy expensive little travel sized things (well unless you have a coupon to make them free)!

So go do it, see what you can win, and get for free, its a lot of fun, and can save you some money too!

My FREE Petrol Jeans!

Search and Win - YES it really does work!!

Last March I ran across someone talking about a 'search and win' site... I was like OK what is the catch? I did some research and even found a video from a new station that tested out Swagbucks!

Swagbucks is one of many search and win sites, but honestly been the easiest one I've tried, and I've tried a couple since finding swagbucks.

So basically you just use their toolbar search like you would 'Google' and sometimes you win Swagbucks. You accumulate these Swagbucks and then trade them in for prizes - me I pick Amazon and Barnes and Noble gift cards.. there are Starbucks, Target, Walmart, iTunes, too many for me to list... Amazon is the easiest at 450 Swagbucks for a $5 gift card. When I 'search' I use the toolbar as a spell checker, or if I want to go to ebates I type in ebates in the search bar, I never type in the web address of anything I want to go to anymore, because I can easily win Swagbucks by searching where I want to go! :)

You can also win Swagbucks but finding codes that they put out throughout the day. By watching what they call SwagTV, doing trusted surveys, daily polls, daily deals, NOSO (No obligation Special Offers) and Special Offers.  Now if you hit the link for NOSO, Daily polls, Trusted Surveys, and refresh your toolbar everyday you win one point for each of them.

If you have people sign up under you, you win their searching points up to the first 1000 points.

Best way to get points is to link your Facebook account with your Swagbucks account. This way you will get more referrals. They hit your link, sign up and if they start searching... points for both of you!  You will want to like 'swagbucks' and swagcodez on facebook too for alerts of Swagcodes.

Honestly it's free money! I'm going to post a picture of what I just received today, all using gift cards I earned in just 3 months.  FREE!!

I also earned enough Swagbucks to buy Barnes and Noble gift cards and traded those in to get my step-daughter a NOOK for Christmas - YES, A $140 NOOK!  I also earned enough to buy my sons 12th birthday gifts, all magic stuff $45 worth, my daughters 4th birthday gift, almost every single one of her Christmas gifts, (approx $100 worth) and about another $40 for the boys Christmas gifts. Without Swagbucks Christmas would not have existed... we were even approached about being placed on a list to receive presents for the kids and we were able to turn it down thanks to my Searching and Winning with Swagbucks! No joke.  No spam, no cookies, no not joking totally serious!

Pictured below the breadmaker, a slicer guide and cookbook is on the way - thank you Swagbucks!!