Saving Money
Rick Dreiling, chairman and CEO of Dollar General, celebrated the company's 2009 initial public offering in front of the New York Stock Exchange in this file photo. Dollar General has one of our deals of the week, with $5 off a $25 purchase. (Business Wire/File)
Deals of the week: Dollar General, Cheez-It, and Barnes & Noble
In this week’s roundup, you can purchase a book of crafting inspiration if you take advantage of the Barnes & Noble deal. Use the craft coupons to save as you make your own items. And then snack on a free sample as you get your work done.
There is always a way to make your savings and deals mesh together. After all, I believe it’s all about the lifestyle you live, and that includes saving.
1. Free Cheez-It sample
Cheez-It is offering a Free Sample of Cheez–It on its Facebook page. Simply “Like” them and then vote for which cheese flavor you like best. Afterward, you will fill out the form for your freebie! Enjoy your yummy snack!
2. Great Barnes & Noble deal
Until Sunday (or until it sells out), you can visit Savings Lifestyle to see how to get a $20 credit to Barnes & Noble for just $10! This is extremely rare so hop on it if you are interested. I’m sure it will sell out fast!
3. Dollar General coupon
Dollar General is a great place to pick up everyday items. I often shop to get the plastic bins for shipping overseas for Operation Christmas Child. Well, using this $5 off $25 Dollar General Purchase coupon, makes it even cheaper. This coupon is only valid on 2/5/2011!
4. Craft store coupons
Craft stores are a great place to purchase crafting items, of course. I also purchase many home decor items here as well. Find several great Michael’s coupons that are valid until 2/5/2011 to save on your purchase.
Or, if you are near a Hobby Lobby, you can save 40% off a regular price item Regular Priced Item until 2/5/2011 as well. Both places usually take competitor’s coupons, too, so that can help to save even more if you live near one and not the other!
5. Dining deals and coupons
There are many great coupons to take advantage of if you are dining out in the weeks ahead. Get a Free Brownie Sundae at Chilli’s until 2/10/2011.
For an inxpensive breakfast option, get a free stack of pancakes with any entree purchase with this Denny’s coupon. This coupon expires 2/28/2011.
Use this B1G1 Free Panini coupon for Einstein Bagels to receive a free bagel thin eggwhite panini until 2/28/2011.
6. CVS deals next week
Looking ahead to CVS, you can free Trident gum, nearly free Garnier hair care, inexpensive Nivea Lip Care products, and an amazing price on Zantac for just $0.99. Find the weekly CVS deals at Savings Lifestyle here. We publish our best finds ever Thursday!
– Andrea Deckard does not represent or receive financial benefits from any products or promotions listed here. All offers listed above were verified and available at the time of publication.
Organic Valley milk cartons are on display at the Randolph Center, Vt., farm of Brent and Regina Beidler in this 2006 file photo. Sign up for Organic Valley’s Farm Friends newsletter and the company will send you coupons for organic products. ( Melanie Stetson Freeman / The Christian Science Monitor / File)
Deals of the week: Einstein Bros, Organic Valley, and a great Restaurant.com deal
With this week’s round-up, you will be able to eat for free or cheap. Purchase items for your home to feed your family inexpensively. And, even try for a sample that will allow for some pampering (or just good hygiene).
1. Einstein Bros Bagels coupon
Just purchase a drink and you will receive a free Bagel Thin Single and Light Schmear from Einstein Bros Bagels. This coupon is good through 2/20/2011.
2. Dining out deal
We love Restaurant.com Gift Certificates because we can have a night out for a lot less. Right now you can purchase a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate for 80 percent off! Use code MEAL during online checkout. This is valid through 1/31/2010.
Find more great restaurant and dining coupons at Savings Lifestyle.
3. Free cereal
What is better than getting something for free? Passing it along to friends! Request your Free Oatmeal Squares Cereal and also send it to up to 10 friends too.
4. Organic Valley welcome kit
Sign up for Organic Valley’s Farm Friends newsletter and receive a welcome kit. You will also receive great coupons for organic products! Be sure to select the “Farm Friends” box as you are completing the information.
5. Coupon booklet
Request this Home Made Simple coupon booklet. This is jam packed with high-value P&G coupons! You will receive the booklet via U.S. Mail within 4-6 weeks.
6. Great printable coupons
At Coupons.com, print out the following coupons: $1/1 A.1. Steak Sauce, $0.55/1 VLASIC Pickles, Peppers or Relish, $4/1 Glade Automatic Spray Starter Kit and several coupons for movies (click on “Entertainment” to find these quickly).
– Andrea Deckard does not represent or receive financial benefits from any products or promotions listed here. All offers listed above were verified and available at the time of publication.
Get a free greeting card from Shutterfly with a special coupon code. (Business Wire)
Deals of the week: Shutterfly, Sherwin-Williams, Parents magazine
This week’s deals are very much what I would use and request on a daily basis. The items listed below can be gifted, donated or enjoyed by you and a loved one. Having a healthy balance of all three makes saving money enjoyable in so many ways!
1. Magazine deal
Purchase a year's subscription to Parents magazine for just $1 from Barnes & Noble. Use code K9B9J4H to receive the discount! This could be a great baby shower gift for an expectant parent!
2. Free greeting card
Shutterfly is currently offering a Free greeting card for a limited time! Simply use the coupon code CARD4U to snag this freebie! Shipping will be only 99 cents! Find several more photo offers to get free photos in my post at Savings Lifestyle here.
3. Dining discounts
Get a free Loaded Queso Fries at Tumbleweed with a $9.99 purchase. The coupon is valid through 2/13/2011. Use this O’Charley’s coupon to receive a free appetizer with any purchase. This deal expires 2/18/2011.
4. Hot coupons
Print off this B1G1 Better Oats coupon. This product is often on sale for less than $2. With the coupon, you will pay just $1!
5. Beauty and hygiene samples
Select the Depend kit that is best for you and receive a free sample pack. Be sure to also request your free sample of CoverGirl Natureluxe Foundation Sample. The beauty samples tend to go fast so grab it if you’re interested!
6. Retail savings
We recently painted several rooms in our home. That made a huge difference without spending a lot of money. Use this Sherwin Williams coupon to save 30% off paints and stains. This is valid through 1/31/2011. I love the Bath & Body Works coupons! Use this one before 2/6/2011 and get a free anti-bac products with a $10 purchase!
Andrea Deckard does not represent or receive financial benefits from any products or promotions listed here. All offers listed above were verified and available at the time of publication.
In Utah, using a Zions Bank credit card at an El Pollo Loco restaurant can net you up to 50 percent discounts on offerings from local merchants. It's one example of a merchant-funded discount. (El Pollo Loco/Business Wire/File)
The great discount you've used – but never heard of
When it comes to easy ways to save money, merchant-funded discounts are often overlooked, but could be some of the slickest options out there. And while you may never have heard of merchant-funded discounts, there’s a good chance you’ve used them before. These networks provide employee discount programs to all kinds of companies, small and large.
So if you’ve ever bought discounted movie tickets or saved money on a gym membership through an employer, then you’ve used a merchant-funded discount. Here are three more ways to use them that you may not be aware of.
1. Credit card perks:
One great example, Zions Bank, has a cash rewards program set up with hundreds of small merchants in the Utah area. When you use a Zions Rewards card at one of these merchants, you get up to 50 percent off of purchases. This drives incremental business to the small merchants, via the marketing muscle of Zions popular local brochure. It also allows Zions to offer an excellent perk to set its rewards credit cards above and beyond what other banks are offering.
This program, and many others, is offered through the merchant-funded rewards network, Access Development.
If you live in Utah, this is incredibly useful. Why? Because all you need to do, literally, is shop at one of the points of sale listed in your network using your card. That’s it. The credit rebates will automatically show up on your card statement, like any premium cash-back credit card. Examples of retailers in the Access Development network include dining retailers such as Papa John’s, Tony Roma’s, Domino’s Pizza, and El Pollo Loco, as well as movie theater venues such as Regal and AMC. And those are just two categories.
Merchants receive analytical reports that show just how much extra business the program is able to drive to their stores. Both sides win.
2. Fundraising:
Tri Quest, a discount network for fundraising groups, provides discount cards that not-for-profit groups can use to raise funds. Here’s how it works: A sports team or youth group sells the cards to its members and supporters, which offer up to 50% discounts at thousands of different retailers. These are the sorts of savings opportunities that are typically only available through online rewards centers like ShopDiscover or Chase Ultimate Rewards, thanks to the negotiating leverage of large credit card companies. But the companies also agree to underwrite the fundraising effort by allowing the group to keep 60 percent of the purchase price as commission.
That premium is far higher than those offered by traditional stationary and gift-wrap selling programs. And these are national discount cards. They are basically an amped-up, paperless version of the old-fashioned coupon book – but more lucrative for the seller and the buyer.
3. Discounts on services:
Some companies offer ancillary services like roadside assistance and home security. While these are quality offerings, they’re more difficult to sell when times are tough. That’s why companies like ADT are starting to offer money-saving opportunities through discount networks. With the discount, savvy consumers are more likely to buy, and it helps the company make a sale that otherwise wouldn't happen.
These are just three of the ways you can make merchant-funded discounts work in your favor, whether you are a business owner, the head of the PTA, or just a savvy shopper. These programs are all over the place, so keep an eye out for any other organizations, service packages, and memberships that you belong to, since any of them may offer merchant discount opportunities that you aren’t currently taking advantage of.
In this December 2010 photo, rapper Cee Lo Green visits the Duracell Smart Power Lab in New York. A coupon deal for Duracell batteries is one of Procter & Gamble's offers in our deals of the week. (Stuart Ramson/Procter & Gamble/PRNewsFoto/File)
Deals of the week: Cream of Wheat, Duracell, Ziploc
I love to receive free samples in the mail. It’s a great way for me to try products before I commit to purchasing them. As you begin to request free samples and coupons, I recommend opening an alternate e-mail address so your personal e-mail isn’t inundated with ongoing promotions and offers. Read more suggestions in my tips to requesting freebies post here.
1. Breakfast Freebie
Complete the information for a Cream of Wheat sample. You can print a $1 coupon to use on your purchase too.
2. Free hand-washing timer
Request a timer for washing hands. This could help create a game for the kids to make sure they are washing their hands thoroughly.
3. UnderJams sample
Request a free UnderJams sample. If you don’t have a need for these for yourself, shelters always appreciate the samples and coupons!
4. P&G samples and coupons
Every month, P&G releases new samples to request. Sign up at P&G Everyday Solutions and request the newest samples and coupons!
5. Ziploc Gift Pack and coupons
Try for this Ziploc Fresh Start Gift Pack (limited to the first 3,000 people who register). There are also great SC Johnson coupons to print, including a $4 Glade Starter Kit coupon!
6. Recipe books and kitchen guides
Do you want free help in the kitchen? These recipe books or guides will help with that need! The free downloads include: The Happy Housewife's Guide to Dealing with Picky Eaters, After School Snack Recipes, California Olive’s Low-Cost Dishes Recipe Book, and No Yolk’s Fast and Healthy recipes.
Andrea Deckard does not represent or receive financial benefits from any products or promotions listed here. All offers listed above were verified and available at the time of publication.
A Trane ComfortLink II thermostat is displayed during a media preview event for the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 4, 2011. The wireless device has a personal computer application to control the temperature from any room in the house. But even a cheap programmable thermostat, starting at $20, can save you lots of money. (Steve Marcus/Reuters)
Four things you can buy today that will pay for themselves by 2012
While it is fun buying gadgets and gizmos that will help save the environment, it is even more fun when you can spend a dollar to get two dollars in savings. These items below will do just that. And for most people, they will pay for themselves within a year!
1. "SmartStrip" surge protector
Working as a full-time blogger, I spend a lot of time at my desk and have all kinds of peripheral devices being powered by a single surge protector. The SmartStrip is indeed very smart. When you power off your computer, it automatically powers off all the other devices plugged into it. It only costs $35, and for anyone who uses a computer on a regular basis at all, this will easily pay for itself in a year.
2. Water heater blanket
If you have an old water heater, you might want to get a new one. As with most appliances, newer is normally much more energy efficient. But a way to cut your energy bill without buying a brand new water heater might be to buy a water heater blanket. Depending on your water heater, the blanket could save you 10 percent or more on your energy bill each month. You can pick one up for around $20.
A quick way to tell if you might benefit from one is to just go touch your water heater. If you can feel the warmth from it, then getting a blanket will be a worthwhile – and money-saving purchase. Of course, you can also increase your energy savings by lowering the temperature on the water heater as well.
3. Battery charger
Battery chargers have come a long way. If you remember 15 to 20 years ago how terrible they were, you might be scared off from buying one. Thankfully, the technology has improved quite a bit and now they are a worthwhile investment for many families. You can get a charger for as cheap as $10 and if you or your kids use a lot of gadgets, the charger will be paying for itself very quickly!
4. Programmable thermostat
If you are looking for an easy way to lower your heating and cooling costs, a programmable thermostat is the way to go. Think about it: Why should your house be sitting at 72 degrees for 8 to 10 hours each day when no one is there? By pulling it down to 60 degrees or so when you are gone (or asleep) you can save a ton of money each month. You can find programmable thermostats as cheap as $20, and at that price, the little gadget should pay for itself very quickly.
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