Blog Archives

Save on Spa at Home

February 22, 2012
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One of the ways that I save money on spa-related services is by doing many things at home. You know, DIY. While I will splurge from time to time for a mani-pedi–usually before a big TV appearance or when I have a gift card to help offset the cost–for the most part it’s Leah’s Nail Salon and Spa at my house.

I’ve saved a ton of money over the years by learning how to do my own waxing. Perhaps that’s TMI for my Suddenly Frugal readers, but it’s the truth. I haven’t paid to have my legs waxed in nearly 20 years.

The best DIY waxing product I’ve found is from Sally Hansen, and it is the only brand I buy. There is a lavender scented wax that works amazingly well.

It just so happens that I got information in my inbox today from one of my affiliate networks about a $2 off coupon for Sally Hansen waxing kit. I never see coupons for waxing, except for inside the boxes themselves–they’re usually on the bottom of the instruction sheet, if you’ve never noticed. So if you are a DIY waxing aficionado like I am, I figured you appreciate this coupon. I’ve also included a coupon for Sally Hansen nails, just because.


$2.00 off any Sally Hansen Wax Kit
$1.00 off Sally Hansen Nail Treatment

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6 Fisher-Price Coupons

February 21, 2012
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(I just discovered that some of these coupons have already expired so I have updated this post to reflect that.)

When I was a kid, I loved all of my Fisher-Price toys. Thankfully, my mom held on to many of those toys–including my Fisher-Price house and school bus–and I was able to hand those down to my own daughters when they were little. Now those toys are sitting in storage in hopes that they will bring joy to a future generation–long, long off in the future.

Anyway, I say this because, I know, that when I have to shop for a new baby present or maybe a baby shower present, I do tend to go with the Fisher-Price brand, because it’s one I’ve known for years and trust. That’s why when I heard about these 8 6 coupons for Fisher-Price gear, through one of my affiliate networks, I just had to share them here with you.

Hope you can use these coupons to save some money on a future Fisher-Price purchase! Read more »

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Freebie Find: Kids Eat Free at Chili’s

February 21, 2012
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kids eat freeToday and tomorrow only–that’s February 21st and 22nd–kids eat free at Chili’s. You’ll have to buy an adult entree to get this freebie. But, hey, if you’re driving the kids to Chili’s to get them a free meal, you might as well sit down and have a meal yourself! Oh and be sure to print out this coupon from the Chili’s website!

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Paying for College

February 21, 2012
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I am stepping away from my usual DIY advice in today’s blog post to bring you my thoughts on affording to pay for college. I’m sure it’s a topic which every frugal reader with kids can identify.

paying for collegeMy eldest child is a junior in high school, which means my husband and I still have an 18-month reprieve until we have to take the plunge and start paying for college. Even so we are well into college visits, and have been working with our daughter to narrow her college choices and help her figure out what college would be a good fit for her. At the same time, we’ve really begun to crunch the numbers about paying for college, and what we’re coming up with is scary. Read more »

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DIY Cleaning Tools

February 21, 2012
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This past weekend felt like I was living in some kind of alternate universe on the DIY channel. In addition to researching how I could use a DIY approach to fix my dishwasher, which wasn’t cleaning the dishes, I also needed to figure out how to clean a new All-Clad stainless steel pan that I’d treated myself to as a late Christmas gift. (Don’t worry–I didn’t pay full price for this pricey pan. I had a gift card.)

I’ve never had a high-end cooking pan before, and I must admit that when I first took it out of the box, the pan’s using and cleaning instructions gave me pause: Read more »

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Extreme Couponing: Breakfast Cereal at CVS

February 19, 2012
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extreme couponingI just got back from a trip to CVS where I was able to accomplish some extreme couponing for breakfast cereal. This week General Mills cereals are 2 for $4 at CVS–limit 4 boxes purchased per trip–which in and of itself is a great price. You rarely find name-brand cereal for $2 a box. Here’s how you can turn this transaction into an extreme couponing opportunity.

Click over to SmartSource.com and look for General Mills’ cereal coupons. If you’re like me, you’ll find $1 off 2 boxes of General Mills cereal (shown above), and you’ll be able to print it out twice. If you buy the 4 boxes of cereal at CVS, instead of paying $2 per box, you’ll end up paying $1.50 per box, or $6 total for 4 boxes of cereal. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to print out this coupon again and again, and continue to buy 4 boxes at a time when you go to CVS. Even better: if you’ve got an Extra Bucks Reward you can apply to the transaction to make it free!

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Freebie Friday (February 17-23, 2012)

February 17, 2012
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Here are this week’s freebies. Enjoy!

Free Stuff

  • The Great Backyard Bird Count starts today, courtesy of the Audobon Society, Cornell University, and Wild Bird Unlimited, and runs through Monday. It’s free to participate.
  • “Like” Redbox on Facebook and get a coupon for a free night’s movie rental.
  • February is American Heart Month. And CVS wants to help keep your heart healthy by offering free health screenings all month long. Here’s the deal. Every weekday in February, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., you can stop in to your local CVS location for $100 worth of health screenings done for free–no appointment necessary.Please check the CVS website to see if a location near you is participating.
  • Get a 7 Day Free Gym Membership Pass for 24Hour Fitness; Click Here to access that pass, which will entitle you to enjoy all the free exercise classes you want, and you can workout at any of their club locations. Note: you may have to go through as many as 3 steps/click-throughs to get this freebie. Be patient; it’s worth it.
  • Right now you can get your Federal Tax Return completed via Turbo Tax for free. This is a deal that came through my affiliate networks as did this freebie: H&R Block 2012 allows you to file your federal tax return for free. (State returns cost extra.)
  • Staples is offer free shredding through the end of February. Bring in up to 5 lb. of bank statements, tax returns and more, and Staples will shred it for free. This shredding usually costs $.79 per pound. This freebie ends on 2/29/12.

Free Food

  • Enjoy breakfast on the house this weekend at IKEA. Ikea’s free breakfast is happening Saturday, February 18th and Sunday, February 19th. You must eat by 11am to enjoy your free eggs, hash browns, bacon, and coffee.
  • Get free peppercorn shrimp at Panda Express on February 22nd. (Print out this coupon to get this freebie.)
  • Sign up for P.F. Chang’s Warrior Rewards program, and you’ll get a coupon for free lettuce wraps. Yum! Lettuce wraps are my favorite item on the P.F. Chang’s menu! Free makes me love them even more!
  • As part of its commitment not to raise prices in 2012, Steak ‘n Shake announced that Kids Eat Free on the weekends. That is for Dine-In only, and you’ll get a free kids meal for every $8 you spend.

 

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Yes, It Really Saves Money!

February 16, 2012
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Turn down the thermostat to save money. This is advice that anyone trying to live frugally has been hearing for years–you save about one percent of your heating costs for every one degree you lower the temperature. I know that when we first became frugal-living advocates in 2007, we kept the house so cold that my kids had to wear their jackets indoors during the winter. (See this segment on the “CBS Evening News” on green teens to see just how cold my younger daughter Annie looks under the blanket.)

I’ll admit that as we started saving money, my income started going back up, and things in the bank account were looking good, I got a little lazy about the thermostat. While I rarely pushed it above 71 in winter or below 68 in summer, I wasn’t being as diligent about raising and lowering it overnight or when we would be gone for hours at a time. (The programmable part of the thermostat has been wonky from the start so we do things manually.) I even started washing some clothes in hot water–gasp–mostly because I’d heard that hot water was the best way to clean the unmentionables and get rid of any lurking bacteria.

It probably helps that home heating oil prices have been on the decline so that if I was becoming lazy about my energy use I wasn’t really feeling it in my pocketbook–that is, until last month’s oil delivery.

I’d heard on the morning news that while gas prices had been holding their own (though now they are forecast to rise precipitously through the spring) and energy costs for those using gas and electric were down, homes that used heating oil were not so lucky. Boy was that news right!

After the oil guy filled our tank, he left the receipt tucked in our front door. I opened it and noticed that he’d filled 169 gallons of our 425 gallon tank, and the price per gallon was $3.99. When the oil bill arrived in the mail a few days later, it confirmed the whopping oil bill I suspected we would be facing–$676!

That’s it, I told my family, I’m going to do an experiment this month by returning to our frigid frugal ways with the thermostat and see if I can’t save us some money on home heating oil.

The day after we got the oil bill, we moved my office out of the cold upstairs office, where I needed to run a second heater just to keep my fingertips from falling off from the cold. Nowadays I’m working downstairs in a Southern-facing, sunny room that is home to my treadmill desk and happens to be on its own heating zone.

Before, I would have to heat the whole house to keep my office warm. Now, once the kids leave for school at 7:30, the thermostat in the main portion of the house goes down to 65 degrees or lower–if it isn’t already there from the overnight hours. I start the day in my new office space with the thermostat at 68 degrees, and let the sun warm me up until about 2 or 3 p.m. when it shifts to a point where I’m not longer able to warm with solar energy. Then I might nudge the thermostat up to 70 for the last hour or so of the day. (FYI, I’m already wearing layers to keep warm.) Once I’m done working, the thermostat goes back to 65 degrees.

This has been the routine for the last 30 days, and today we got an oil delivery. Here’s what the receipt said:

  • 130 gallons delivered
  • Price per gallon: $4.19

So while the cost of oil has gone up $.20 in a month, we needed 39 fewer gallons this month than last month. By my estimations this month’s oil bill will come in at around $545–still high but $131 cheaper than last month.

My takeaway from this experiment? Turning down the thermostat really does save money! You can bet we will be continuing with our frigid frugal ways. What about you?

Image Credit: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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3 Tips for Talking About Money with the One You Love

February 15, 2012
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Talking about money issues — like budgeting or planning for retirement — with a partner or spouse is not always easy.  It can be emotionally charged for couples, no matter how long they’ve been together.

For couples just starting out–did you just get engaged at the holidays or on Valentine’s Day (congrats!)–or who are approaching their retirement, it can be tough to have those delicate conversations about money. Here are 3 tips from ING Retirement Coaches, all independent financial advisors, on how to talk money with the one you love:

  1. Get on the same page. Couples need to budget together and should regularly set aside the time go through expenses and talk about what money is coming in and what is going out. Go out to dinner and make it a fun and relaxed environment, and avoid times like after a stressful day at the office or when children are waiting for mom or dad’s attention.
  2. Factor individual financial styles. One person may enjoy spur-of-the-moment purchases while the other may prefer planning their spending in advance. This can create friction. Couples can set a certain amount of money each month for each other to spend how they wish. This allows for guilt-free spending that can accommodate any individual financial style.
  3. Guard and protect each other. One of the most powerful and important ways to protect each other is to make sure that wills are up-to-date, powers of attorney are established, and guardians are assigned for young children.

Bottom line: don’t wait to talk about money until you’re in an emergency situation. If you keep the lines of communication about money open all the time, then talking about money won’t be a taboo topic around your house.

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New Organic Coupons Plus Others

February 10, 2012
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Food shopping this weekend? Then you’ll want to check out these newly released coupons from one of my affiliate networks for an online shopping site.

You can get these coupons on Alice.com–this is the first time I’m bringing you coupons and savings from this site–and they’re quite good for saving money on peanut butter and organic food from Annie’s, among other products.

Let me know if you like this Alice.com site!

$0.50 off Skippy Peanut Butter

$0.50 off Wish-bone Salad Dressings

$1.00 off Annie’s Homegrown Totally Natural Rice Pasta & Extra Cheesy Cheddar Sauce Gluten Free

$1.00 off Annie’s Homegrown Organic Peanutty Granola Bars. Certified Organic

$1.00 off STACY’S® Parmesan Garlic & Herb Pita Chips

$1.00 off STACY’S® Italian Harvest Pita Chips

$.50 off Ragu Old World Style Sweet Tomato Pasta Sauce

$.50 off Ragu Chunky Country Garden Style Tomato, Garlic and Onion Pasta Sauce

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Freebie Friday (February 10-16, 2012)

February 10, 2012
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Wish I had more Valentine’s Day freebies to share with you, but they don’t seem to be as abundant as in years gone by!

Free Stuff

  • Free cooking class on February 12th at Williams-Sonoma on cooking winter vegetables. (Check with your local Williams-Sonoma store for details on this free class.)
  • “Like” Redbox on Facebook and get a coupon for a free night’s movie rental.
  • February is American Heart Month. And CVS wants to help keep your heart healthy by offering free health screenings all month long. Here’s the deal. Every weekday in February, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., you can stop in to your local CVS location for $100 worth of health screenings done for free–no appointment necessary.Please check the CVS website to see if a location near you is participating.
  • Get a 7 Day Free Gym Membership Pass for 24Hour Fitness; Click Here to access that pass, which will entitle you to enjoy all the free exercise classes you want, and you can workout at any of their club locations. Note: you may have to go through as many as 3 steps/click-throughs to get this freebie. Be patient; it’s worth it.
  • Right now you can get your Federal Tax Return completed via Turbo Tax for free. This is a deal that came through my affiliate networks as did this freebie: H&R Block 2012 allows you to file your federal tax return for free. (State returns cost extra.)
  • Staples is offer free shredding through the end of February. Bring in up to 5 lb. of bank statements, tax returns and more, and Staples will shred it for free. This shredding usually costs $.79 per pound. This freebie ends on 2/29/12.

Free Food

  • Get free Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream Ben & Jerry’s ice cream on Valentine’s Day at participating Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops! If you’re a Stephen Colbert fan, you can watch his video announcement of this freebie here. (Thanks, Southern Savers!)
  • Free food at Qdoba for a kiss. That is, when you buy an entree at Qdoba on Valentine’s Day and share a kiss with someone, you’ll get another entree for free--perhaps for the person you’ve just kissed?
  • When you purchase a dozen doughnuts at Krispy Kreme for Valentine’s Day, you’ll get a dozen free Valentine’s Day cards–each with a coupon for free doughnuts. So you can keep those coupons for yourself and get free Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the future, or you can give them away! Either way, it’s a win-win! (Thanks, Baltimore on the Cheap.)
  • Use this Quiznos coupon to get a free cookie at Quiznos on Valentine’s Day February 14th. (Thanks, Cities on the Cheap!)
  • Sign up for P.F. Chang’s Warrior Rewards program, and you’ll get a coupon for free lettuce wraps. Yum! Lettuce wraps are my favorite item on the P.F. Chang’s menu! Free makes me love them even more!
  • As part of its commitment not to raise prices in 2012, Steak ‘n Shake announced that Kids Eat Free on the weekends. That is for Dine-In only, and you’ll get a free kids meal for every $8 you spend.

 

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Guest Post: Compulsive Shopping

February 9, 2012
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Today’s guest post is on finding a balance with compulsive shopping, something former spendthrifts are likely to identify with. This guest post is from the Frugal Dad. FrugalDad.com is a site that offers personal finance advice and the newest money saving coupons & deals and recently listed Suddenly Frugal as one of its top 50 frugal blogs–actually, Suddenly Frugal came in at #23.

Shopping is a natural thing, but few people know that it can become very dangerous if some boundaries are crossed. Compulsive shopping is a behavior disorder that makes people spend money shopping just to achieve a feeling of accomplishment. Compulsive buying disorder, or CBD as it is medically known as, can become very dangerous if not detected and treated adequately.

Symptoms

There are many symptoms that can indicate if a person suffers from compulsive shopping. The most obvious symptoms of CBD are:

· An urge to buy various things, regardless whether you really need them or not;

· Trouble managing money and making savings;

· Accentuated feelings of anger when you cannot afford an item.

Causes of CBD

The causes of CBD are mostly emotionally-related. Loneliness is one of the main causes, especially in the Christmas period. Anxiety and stress are also on the list of the top factors that can lead to this disorder. Even though CBD affects both genders, studies have shown that the syndrome is more specific to females, 80% of the patients being women.

Phases

There are four main phases of the compulsive buying disorder:

1) Anticipation – This is more of a mental phase, making the person eager to buy something;

2) Preparation – In this phase the plan is made and the details such as shopping location and payment method are set in order;

3) Shopping – The third phase is represented by the shopping process itself;

4) Purchase – The last phase is the act of making a purchase. This phase usually represents “the dose” the patient needs.

Sometimes a fifth phase is also present, consisting of an after-purchase melancholy or depression. However, this phase may come only later on after the initial phases.

Fighting CBD

Since CBD is considered an addiction, just as smoking or drinking, the first way to fight it is to acknowledge its presence and be determined to get rid of it. A very strong will can help you defeat compulsive shopping, but what do you do when you simply can’t control yourself?

Here are some tips and tricks that will make it a bit easier to overcome your shopping addiction:

· Plan your shopping sessions. Make a list before going out and only take money for the items on the list, nothing more;

· Don’t shop alone. Having someone with you when you go shopping will abolish your will to make excessive purchases and will also distract your attention;

· Avoid temptations. Stay away from garage sales, promotions and most importantly, never go shopping on pay day;

· Give up your credit cards. Even though this may sound a bit extreme, it’s a very efficient way to prevent “accidental” over-shopping;

· Seek professional help. Don’t be ashamed to seek assistance if you feel you may be a victim of CBD. A psychologist will help you identify the causes that might eventually lead to a more aggravated form of CBD and eliminate them.

Post-treatment is also very important. Once you go over CBD you’ll end up with more free time so make sure you find something to fill it with in order not to get tempted to go shopping. Allot some time to your hobbies, go out or start exercising, anything that will keep you busy and distract you from shopping.

References:

http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/hints/shop.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1805733/

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/CompulsiveShopping.aspx?page=1

Further Reading:

http://www.livescience.com/2338-truth-shopaholics.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsive_buying_disorder

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Free Bagels on Thursday

February 8, 2012
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free bagelsIf you live near a Bruegger’s Bagels location and you like bagels, make a note to stop by on Thursday, February 9th before 2 p.m. That’s because Bruegger’s is giving away three free bagels to customers to celebrate its nearly three decades of being in business.

You can get this freebie by heading over to Bruegger’s Facebook page. Once there, if you haven’t already hit “Like,” you’ll need to do that. Then click on the Birthday Bash tab so you can print out the coupon for 3 free bagels. Remember: this coupon for 3 free bagels is good only on Thursday, February 9th before 2 p.m.

Thanks to Hip2Save for a heads up on this deal.

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Save on Valentine’s Day Flowers

February 8, 2012
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valentine day flower giftOne of the most popular Valentine’s Day purchases is a bouquet of flowers. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will buy nearly 100 million roses for Valentine’s Day, spending about $1.8 billion in the process. That’s a painful number, whether you’re frugal or not.

Given how popular flowers are and that you may be considering buying some for that someone special on Valentine’s Day, I’ve put together these 5 tips on how you can save on Valentine’s Day flowers in 2012. Read more »

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Groupon for Valentine’s Day Flowers!

February 8, 2012
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Groupon valentine's day flowrsWere you planning on buying that someone special some flowers for Valentine’s Day? You won’t be alone–36 percent of Americans are planning to buy flowers as a Valentine’s Day gift this year.

It’s a well-known fact that flowers are usually quite pricey around Valentine’s Day, so that’s why I was so excited to hear about this Groupon for Valentine’s Day flowers. Right now Groupon is offering $20 for $40 worth of flowers from FTD.

Buy this Groupon ASAP–the close date is Friday but it could sell out sooner–This Groupon is still going strong and is available through Saturday, March 10th!

The best part is that you have until April 9th to use it. So you could cash in this Groupon for Valentine’s Day or use it for Easter, which is April 8th this year! Unfortunately, it won’t help you for Mother’s Day (May 13), the other big flower-giving holiday.

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Twit Pic from 10! Show

February 8, 2012
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frugal valentines day gift ideasHere I am in action on the 10! Show yesterday, via a Twit Pic from @the10show!

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Valentine’s Day on a Budget

February 8, 2012
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vaseline lip therapy

Visit Vaseline Lip Therapy on 2/14 @ 1 p.m. to enter to win one of these beauties!

So many people have emailed, asking for details on where they can buy, order, or get the products that I’d highlighted in yesterday’s 10! Show segment on frugal Valentine’s Day gift ideas. So I figured I’d write up a blog post that recaps that TV segment and provides the links that people seem to want.

Americans are expected to spend close to $18 billion for Valentine’s Day 2012, with the average person shelling out about $125. You don’t have to spend nearly that much if you take a frugal approach to Valentine’s Day dinners and gifts. Here are 3 areas where you can find big savings and still show that special someone how much you care. Read more »

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VIDEO: Frugal Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

February 8, 2012
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Yesterday, I did my monthly frugal-living segment on the “10! Show” on NBC 10 in Philadelphia. I hope you got the chance to watch. If you didn’t, please enjoy the video segment. I hope it will help you find some frugal Valentine’s day gift ideas–for him and for her.

View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.

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Extreme Couponing: Office Supplies

February 7, 2012
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This past weekend I purchased a scanner at Staples for less than $3. No, that is not a misprint. Literally, I spent less than $3 out of pocket for a brand-new scanner that I will be using in my home office. Considering that this scanner’s listed retail price at Staples was $99, that’s some extreme couponing to be able to get a scanner for under $3.

How did I do it? Well, I was able to stack free shipping, coupons, and rewards points onto a single transaction that brought my purchase down to barely nothing. I almost didn’t save this much, though, so let me back up a bit and explain how I was able to target my savings and save 98% on office supplies. Read more »

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Free Frozen Yogurt at Yogurt Land!

February 6, 2012
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free frozen yogurtToday is National Frozen Yogurt Day. To celebrate Yogurtland locations are giving away free frozen yogurt, with toppings, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. As with most freebies not all Yogurtland locations are participating in free frozen yogurt day. So reach out to your local Yogurtland location ahead of time so that you don’t show up, expecting free frozen yogurt, and end up getting disappointed.

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