ArtsCow Photo Book Credits!!

If you love to make photo books like I do, then you will love this! This will be great for Christmas!
Are you stuck for ideas on what to get for Christmas? Let us tell you, a picture is worth a thousand words. So imagine how many words a self-compiled photo book is worth to your friends and family. Claim six 20-paged 8” x 8” photo book credits and two 39-paged editions by simply validating the code below.

Coupon Code: 888BKS4U
Expiration Date: 11/8/2010
Effective Period: 30 days

TIP: Validate the code now and use the free credits on saved projects. Free credits will be automatically applied to your order.

Terms and Conditions

1.Only one coupon code can be redeemed per household.
2.ArtsCow has the right to terminate this promotion at any given time without prior notice.
3.Shipping and handling fees apply.
4.In case of dispute, ArtsCow's decision is final.

Shipping and Handling is typically about $7.00 to $8.00. I love this for gifts!!

Crayola Holiday Rebate Offer

Crayola has a new rebate offer. Go to this LINK to get the rebate form. Some of these items would be good for Christmas Gifts!

Pick N Save Double Days!! Did you go??

Did anyone go today?? I did. It's late and I am tired, so I am going to do a short report. :)
7 transactions. Saved 66%. I was shocked at how high prices are. I bought alot of treat things for upcoming events. Instead of showing each transaction I will just list. OOP was $83.95

2 loafs of bread
7 boxes of Noodles
4 boxes of Hot Choco
6 boxes of assorted cereals
1 gallon of milk
4 yogart cups
5 cans of Grilling baked beans
1 can of pringles
2 pouches of Brown Rice
2 boxes of Instant Rice
2 packs of Hot Dogs
3 packs of Danininos Yogarts
2 dozen eggs
10 pounds of chicken drums sticks
3 packs of Johnsville Brats
4 boxes of instant oatmeal
box of wheat thins
box of ritz munchables
1 box of toaster strudel
2 half gallons of OJ
2 boxes of Velvetta Cheese and Shells
2 cans of Campbells Chunky Soup
2 cans of Garden Broccoli Soup
6 bottles of snapple
1 bottle of apple juice
1 bottle of raspberry lemonade
2 cartons of Welch's Juice
2 packs of cheese slices
1 can of folgers coffee
1 can of maxwell house coffee
2 bottles of chocolate syrup
3 family size bags of veggies with cheese sauce
5 boxes of frozen microwave meals
2 candy bars
1 package of cotti salami
6 boxes of Bagel Bites
1 reusable coffee filter
2 bottles of Laundry Detergent
2 bottles of Dish Soap
1 8 pack of Toilet Paper
1 package of Dental floss
1 deodorant

So, was that worth $83? I felt like I could have done better, but with 2 kids and being exhusted didn't help. I did save over $162.00.

I did have a good mail day. I got another $10.50 check from a survey company and I got some coupons. Also, a woman at work gave me a frozen lasagna, so that is a free dinner. :)

Good night..I am beat!

Marie Callendar's IP Coupon $1.50 off!

New IP coupon at Marie Callendar's for $1.50 for the Oven Bake and $1.00 off for the Steamers! Follow this LINK for the coupons.

Free Doublicious Sandwich from KFC!

Check the Sunday Paper you got yesterday! The Parade and the USA Weekend both have postcards in them for Free Doublicious Sandwish from KFC with the purchase of a 30 ounce drink!

Free Speghetti with the purchase of a drink from Fazoli's Resturant!

For one day only, Oct. 25th, Fazoli's will have a Free Speghetti for World Pasta Day! Print this coupon and enjoy!!!

Trip to Walgreens

I made a trip to Walgreens.

Transaction One:
Husband's Rx, $4.18
Nivea Men's Body Wash, $2.50 on sale, $3.00 coupon off
1 can of pringles, .69 cents on clearance ( filler to use the RR)
Blistex, $2.59, $2.60 RR back
Benefiber ToGo Stick Pack, $7.99, on sale for $4.99, had a $2.00 off Walgreen Coupon, $1.00 Manu. Coupon
Total: $22.02
After Coupons and $3.00 RR I had from my last trip: $6.23
Got a $2.60 RR for my next transaction

Transaction Two:
4 boxes of the small Captain Crunch, $1.00, had a .50 cent coupon
2 Bottles of Men's Nivea Body Wash, $2.50 on sale, had a $3.00 coupon ( free after coupon)
1 Bottle of Dawn Dish Soap, .99 cents after Walgreens Coupon, had a .50 cents Manu. coupon.
1 box of Hot Choco. $1.00 for the box ( filler for the $2.60 RR)
1 box of Benefiber TOGO stick packs, $4.99, had a $2.00 off Walgreen Coupon, $1.00 Manu. Coupon
2 Packs of Nestle Butterfinger Snackerz, on sale for .50 cents each, had a coupon for 2/$1.00 off ( free after coupons)
Total before sales and coupons: $31.56
After sales and coupons: $2.31

Fun Pet Shop Stockpiling!!

I just had to share my fun morning! I have several cats and it gets expensive to feed and care for them (I am not complaining! They are the best!) I am excited though because this morning my favorite pet shop had their once a year sale! I spent $129.86 for everything. I got 45 pounds of dry cat food, 340 pounds of cat litter, 3 cat toys, 3 free bags of cat food samples, 1 can of free cat food sample, a key chain (free gift), Cat door Decal and 1 gallon bottle of Nature's Miracle. This is enough food for 3 months and enough cat litter for 4 months would make it approx. $30 a month  for the next three months. :) Great deal! I have a feeling the litter will make it more than the 4 months...but we shall see. :)

Pick N Save Double Double Event Oct. 27th

I am excited! Pick N Save is doing a Double Double Event on Oct. 27th! This means that you can double up to 10 $1.00 coupon on a $25.00 order!  They also have 2 really great sales this week. They have eggs for .79 cents a dozen ( limit one) and General Mills Cereals Buy any 6 boxes and get a coupon for 1 Free gallon of milk, one free dozen eggs, 4 free yogarts, and 1 free toaster strudel!! They have chicken drum sticks .88  cents a pound. Grapes for .99 cents a pound. In their Cutback Coupon book, they have OJ for .98 cents ( 64oz). Michelina's Meals .88 cents limi 5 with coupons! You could make a great scenario using these deals!

Another Free Collage from Walgreens!!!

Walgreens is offering up a free 8×10 Collage Print. Just head on over here, create your collage print and use coupon code 8X10TREAT at checkout. Plus, choose in-store pick up and you’ll score FREE shipping! This promo is valid thru 10/23. I have done this so many times! It's great!!!!

Oct. Disney Rewards code!

The new 5 point code this month is  T2PW84BG6Y , you will find it in your monthly newsletter!

Another Great Mail day!

I got the new Crest Toothpaste Sample, $5.00 Chili's Card and $5.00 Chuck E Cheese Card from Coke Points.  I also used my Taco Bell Orange Creme Smoothie! That was good!!! The Toothpaste Sample came with 6 coupons! Also, I had a family member send me a pack of coupons! So, Another great mail day!

Cool Groupon!!

If you don't know about Groupon, I would like to explain! Groupon is a coupon buying group for different locations. You pick your location and then it gives  you a daily email letting you know about that days deal. You can then "buy" the coupon. Typically the coupon is good for 50 to 75% off! This means you need to use your credit card to reserve the deal.  I haven't purchased before, but today I finally bought a groupon for an upcoming hockey game! I am a hockey game lover but I rarely go because it's costly! Well, this gave us the tickets for 50% off! So I basically got 2 tickets for the price of one!

New to Groupon? Want to learn more about it? Go to this LINK and take a look at the program. I am hoping to see other Groupons that I like.

Free Taco Bell Fruitista Orange Freeze!!

Taco Bell has a cool new freebie! The first 500,000 people can go to this LINK and print a coupon valid for a FREE Orange ‘N Creme Swirl Frutista Freeze!

Trip to Menards!

I went and did a trip to Menards! I got some Christmas Gifts and some good deals!

Transaction:
2 Clear Vinyl Auto Mats, $5.00 and FAR
1 Can of Coffee, On sale $3.99
2 Cuddlee ( similar to the snugglee at Walgreens) $6.99, with a $5.00 rebate, ( will use for Christmas gifts)
1 pedi smooth, On clearance for $1.95 (I have wanted to try this)
2 LED Flashlights, $5.99 with a $4.00 rebate (save for camping)
2 Family Collage Photo Frames, $18.00 each and FAR ( these are really nice and they will make great Christmas Gifts)
1 jug of Cat Litter, $4.98

Total: $87.22
Used my $40.00 Menards rebate card from my last shopping trip
OOP: $47.22
And I am getting $64.00 in new rebates and 4 Christmas gifts bought!

Free Sample of Breathe Right Nasal Strips

Get a sample of Breathe Right Nasal Strips! Go to this LINK and sign up!

Double Coke Points on Powerade!! Oct.25th!

If you have any Powerade codes, Save them for Oct. 25th when they are worth double points!! If you aren't a member of Coke Rewards, you can join at this LINK

$2.00 IP coupons for Hungry Man Dinners!!

This is a great high value coupon! Go to this LINK and print your coupons for $2.00 off ONE Hungry Man Dinner! You can print it twice!!

Free Dole Real Fruit Bites!

Hurry because this will not last long!! Go to this LINK, and sign up for a free sample of Doles new Fruit Bites!

More ways to save.....and other frugal ramblings....

I am tired but I can sleep so I thought I would ramble to my readers.

I have always used the library...for books, stories on tape for my kids, games, computer games and DVD's. Recently, I learned how to use our library's SHARE program. This share program links all southeastern Wisconsin Libraries together. So, I log in online, type in the movie I want to see or book I want to read, and then request a hold. When the movie/book becomes available, they ship it to my local library, I can keep the movie for a week and return it. I can keep the book up to a month. Of course, my tax dollars pay for it and all the work is done by the library workers! I just pick it up! The down side is that I have to wait for a short time until it's my turn to get the movie/book, but I don't mind. It's FREE and I get to enjoy current movies, new release books even if my own local library doesn't have it!! If you live in southeastern Wisconsin and want to see if your city participates in the SHARE program, go to this LINK and check!

Also, my husband and I are trying to decide if we want to renew our museum membership. If you have read my blog in the past, we purchased the Museum family membership when they offered a great deal. We were planning to see the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit, but it was $26.00 a person! Then we got an offer in the mail, $100 for 2 Dead Sea Scroll Tickets, 2 IMAX theater tickets and a 1 year family membership. We decided to join. For that $100, our family has been to several museums for free!  We saved well over $300 in admissions! We have enjoyed it soo much! We have traveled to 2 different states ( for business) and spent some family time at different museums learning! It's been great. So, now we have gotten our renewal. It's offering $130 for 2 years. We have to decide if we want to do it again. Money has been tight lately, but our kids have really really enjoyed it. And we still have 4 museums we haven't been to that we want to explore. Those museums alone would cost us over $130 in admissions.

Other than that, I got my $40 rebate from Menards. I got a bunch of Coke Points..so I cashed in for a $5.00 Chili's Card and a $5.00 Chuck E Cheese card. :)
I hit 5,000 on swagbucks...I will be close to my $50 gift card soon, then I am going to use it to go Christmas Shopping.

Also, I have to note, my stockpile helps another friend...I won't give details, to protect privacy...but it's great to know that even when money is tight, I can help someone who may be struggling too.

Hope everyone is doing good! Stay Frugal!

RedPlum has several new coupons!!

Go to RedPlum and pick up lots of new IP Coupons!! Here is the LINK!

BOGO Arby's Coupon!

Follow this LINK for a IP coupon for BOGO Free Beef and Cheddar Sandwich!

Success Rice $1.00 off IP Coupon and $1.00 off Reach Toothbrush IP

In most areas, this coupon is .50 cents but if you use the zip code  98102  you will get a coupon for $1.00 off of one!! Which is great! Go to this LINK to get there!! It's on the 4th page.


 There is also a coupon for $1.00 off one toothbrush, which can make for a cheap toothbrush!

Quick Trip!!

I ran to get a few of the freebies I had coupons for. No photo..it's been a long night. :)

Walgreens
3 bottles of Gillette Body Wash 3/$10.00, used the $2.00 off each bottle of Gilette coupons, $3.00 RR back
1 box of Advil Tablets, $3.99, Free after coupon
4 Butterfingers Chocolates, on sale 50 cents, used a BOGO coupon
1 bag of freeze pops, on clearance for .50 cents
Total: $6.27 after coupons, then I got a $3.00 RR back

Sentry
1 Tide Stain Release, on clearance $5.24, had a $3.00 coupon
1 box Nabisco Triscuit Thins, $3.19, Free after coupon
1 box of Wheat Thins Stix, $3.19, Free after coupon
Total after coupons: $2.48

Walmart
1 bottle of Gain Dish Soap, .97, coupon for $1.00 off
4 Littlest Pet Shop Sets, $5.00 on sale, had BOGO coupons
1 box of guaze, $2.22, had a $2.00 off coupon
Total after coupons: $11.47

So my OOP: $20.22   And I have $3.00 RR for next time. I think that wasn't bad since the 4 Littlest Pet Shop toys would have been $20.00 full price.  :)

See the new INBOX dollars ad??

On the right side of this blog is a box. It's a new survey/email program. It actually pays cash. I started it about 3 weeks ago and I have $8.29 already. There are surveys, cash tasks, emails and other things you can do to earn. You need $30 to cash out, so it may take some time, but it's free money! If you are interested, click on the box and sign up! You will get a $5.00 cash bonus for signing up!

P&G Brand Saver Gain Dish Soap Deal!

If you got the P&G Brand Saver Coupon Packet in yesterday's paper, you will want to get the $1.00 off any one GAIN dish liquid coupon. Since it is any size, you can buy the smaller size bottle at Super Walmart ( and probably other stores) for the price around .97 cents! Making it free!

Good Walgreens Deals this week!

Walgreens has Old Spice Body Wash and Gilette Body Spice on sale. It's 3 for $10.00 and you get a $3.00 RR back. In the Sept 2010 P&G coupon book, there is a coupon for BOGO on the Old Spice and  $2.00 off Gilette.

So, your senerio would be:
3/$10.00 ( 2 Old Spice and 1 Gilette)
-$3.33 BOGO coupon on Old Spice
-$2.00 Gillette coupon
= $4.67 for 3 bottles
That is $1.55 a bottle and you get $3.00 RR back!!

Also Walgreens has Halls Refresh Cough Drops on sale and in the Smart Source coupon packette from Sunday, there was $1.00 off 2 bags.

So, your senerio would be:
2 bags at $1.00 each ( $2.00)
- $1.00 coupon
= $1.00 for 2 bags (.50 cents each)
and you get a $1.00 RR back!!

Also, Sinex is on sale for $5.00 ( not in the ad)
there is a coupon for $4.00 off in the P&G Brand Saver Coupon Packet.
Making the product $1.00. And if you buy 2 you get a $5.00 RR back!!

Senerio:
2 Sinex Vicks Medicines $5.00/each
-2 $4.00 off coupons
= $2.00 OOP
and because you bought 2 you will get a $5.00 RR back!!

Great Mail Day!

I got my free sample bar of Life Quaker Granola Bar, my free coupon for Advil ( full size bottle), coupon for free Victoria Secret Underware and my photo books! YEAH!!!

****I have yet to actually pay for a pair of VS underware...LOL*************

Frugal Eyeglass Experiment.... Would Online Glasses be as good as the ones at Eyeglass Stores??

Well, My daughter was saying she was having trouble seeing and my husband's glasses were scratched and he has been complaining for some time about getting new ones. I called my insurance to find out that they don't cover much when it came to eye care, so I had to find a way to save some money.

First of all, I called 3 different optical places. The first said that they charge over $180 for an full eye exam and they didn't do any basic type eye exam.  The second place said $59 for the basic eye exam and $89 for a full eye exam. The third place said $49 for a basic eye exam and $66 for a full eye exam. So, we discussed having the entire families eyes examined.  My husband, since he hasn't had his eyes looked in 4 years, got the $66 dollar exam, the rest of us got the $49 basic.

We found out that my son didn't need glasses, my eyes changed only slightly, my daughter did need her first pair of glasses and my husband's eyes changed dramatically.  So I started asking about the cost of glasses. WHOA!! The costs were high! They quoted me about $170 for my daughter to have a basic cheap pair of frames with lens and my husband would be between $500 and $775 due to his bifocals.  I was stunned! So, I paid for the exams, asked for the prescriptions, and copies of the exam reports. $211 out of pocket for the exams and came home to do some research.  I found some great online discount sites for glasses.

The first site http://www.glassesunlimited.com/ had great prices and a great selection. We checked out a few more, like http://www.eyeglassdirect.com/ and then found this site, http://www.zennioptical.com/home.php .  We decided to take the risk and buy from these places to see if they would be just as good as going to Lenscrafters or  Stein Optical?  My concerns were that we didn't know if they would be good quality or if they would be made right. It's not like you can try them on or have them adjsted.

We orders a pair of rimless no line bifocals for my husband. The pair we picked for him shipped were $47.47 shipped. They even came with magnetic attaching sun glasses! The glasses were very similar to the pair he liked at Lenscrafters.

We then ordered my daughter a pair from Zenni Optical. She had seen a pair of cute pink glasses at one of the mall stores and I wasn't going to pay the $170 that they told me it would cost. So, on Zenni, she found these http://www.zennioptical.com/images/frames/1317/images/more_detail.jpg. We ordered those for her, They came to $37.90 shipped.

Ordering was pretty simple and easy, even for my husband's bifocals. The only thing we wish we would have done at the eye doctors is ask for the Pupil Distance (PD) because we had to do that here at home and weren't sure we would get it accurate. (Thankfully we did!) Other than that, everything we needed was on our prescription! Pupil Distance is the measurement between the middle of your eyes. We had to do this at home, which took some practice.

Well, this past week both pairs of glasses arrived. I was very impressed! Both glasses looked great on my husband and my daughter. My husband said that he hasn't seen this clearly in years. My daughters frames are very nice, and they don't look cheap. We did have to adjust the arms on my daughters glasses just a bit, but they are very nice on her! The shipping wasn't too costly. Each pair came with a plastic case and cleaning cloth.

The upside is we saved ALOT of money on frames and lens. They look great and both my husband and my daughter are very happy with the quality and look.

The down side is that it takes 3 weeks to get, but for that amount of money saved, it's worth it! My husbands glasses cost under $50. The mall store quoted me  $500 to $700. So, I could buy 10 to 14 pairs of online glasses to spend as much as the mall!!! Whew!!

So, if you have to buy glasses, consider buying online. It was pretty easy to do and saved my family a lot of money!

Free 3 month subscription to RedBook!

Valumags has a special offer. A 3 month subscription to Redbook. Go sign up at this LINK! Hurry, this will not last long!

If you are a Vocal Point Member...or an IP Coupon

...Check your email..there is an email out there that links you to a free box of Barilla Pasta! Email is titled," Pass the Pasta" Samples.

If you aren't a member of Vocal Point, or you didn't get the email, you can print an IP coupon for $1.00 off! Here is the LINK!

Good Article about Freezing Food

Great Article about freezing food...do you freeze produce??
Follow this LINK!

Free Bottle of Advil

Click on this LINK and go to Advil. The right hand side column button Sign up Now and get a free bottle. This offer is Limited to the first 500,000 people, so hurry! I found that Internet Explorer is slow so you may want to try Firefox or another browser. The website states: If you are one of the first 500,000 people you will get a coupon for a FREE bottle of 24 ct Advil Tablets or 20 ct of Advil Liqui-Gels!

Great Deals at Menards this week....maybe Christmas gifts??

Menards has a great deal this week if you have readers in your family!  Menards has LED Book Lights Free after rebate. You have to buy $10 worth of other items to qualify for the rebate. You can buy up to 4 book lights, so I am going to buy 4 lights, and use them as part of the christmas baskets. They also have LED Flashlights for .19 cents after rebates.  Those will make good small gifts for the men and people who camp.

For the $10.00 seperate purchase, I will check their clearance section because they typically have some good deals there. Also, they have paper towels for .40 cents a roll again...so you can buy some of those too.

Great Target Coupons! Also great Target Deals!

If you have a Super Target, there are some great grocery coupons out there! IF you have a regular target, you can still get the appearel coupons.  Go to Target.com and click on the "See More" tab, then click on coupons. There are coupons for $1.00 off produce ( so buy $1.00 worth of produce and pay nothing), $1.00 off any bakery item ( so buy something close to $1.00 and get it almost free), $2.00 off any children's demin ( so look for some clearance, if there is any, and use the coupon) and $3.00 off any adult demin item ( again look for clearance)

Go to this LINK for the Target coupons.

Also, there is a great deal on Mott's Items this week. 
Buy 5 Select Mott’s items $1.75 each = $5 Target gift cards
Participating items shown in ad:  Mott’s Apple Sauce 6pk, Mott’s Apple Juice 64 oz,
Deal Scenario:  Buy 5 Mott’s Apple Sauce and/or juice $1.75 each, Pay $8.75
Get back a $5 Target gift card. Which is like paying .75 each for them!!

I think I might have to stop at Target on the way home from work!

Frugal Notes...

Yesterday, I got some goodies in my mail box...First, THANK YOU PENNY for the toy coupons. Second, I got my coupons for Free Triscuits Thin Crisps and Wheat Thin Stixs. Third, my daughter got a birthday coupon from Kwik Trip for a free Orange Juice or Milk! I also got a Free Sample of WISK Laundry Detergent. So, it was a good mailbox day!

Then today, I took those toy coupons that Penny sent me and went to Walmart. I used the BOGO Littlest Pet Shop coupons and picked up 6 LPS sets for $15.00. That will cover 3 Christmas Gifts.  Also, I am keeping an eye on sales for the U-Build Games. :)

I am still behind on Christmas Shopping, before when the kids were young, I had more time to just shop at my leisure to find things, now that I work 3 jobs, I don't have that kind of time, so I am changing my stratedy.

Another Cool Gift Card at Coke Rewards!

Coke Rewards now has for a limited time $5.00 gift card for Chili's Restaurant for only 140 points! 

Also, if you do My Points, you can cash in for a $10 Chili's Gift Card for 1,500 points and get 100 bonus points back!!