It's been a long time since I blogged, but I couldn't resist putting up this great deal I found. I hope it lasts long enough for some of you to take advantage of it....

I just scored 4 pairs of crocs for $16.

Here's the info:
Crocs is having a buy one get one sale on some of their outlet models. You can get an additional 36% off when you stack the codes MYCOUP20 and CROCSHOLIDAY. Plus shipping is free when you choose economy shipping.

Go to crocs.com.
Bonnie

Collecting coupons

Today's assignment is to go to Wal Mart and buy the All You magazine. the November issue costs $2.49 and has nearly $50 in coupons in the magazine. You won't use all those, of course, but you will use enough to pay for the cover price of the magazine and it's a pretty good magazine, as well.

I usually buy 3 or 4 copies and then file them with my sunday paper coupon inserts. When you see a good coupon deal, you can refer back to the magazine and cut out coupons you need.

To get started on coupon deals follow any of these blogs "A Thrifty Mom" "Moms by Heart" or "A Frugal Friend." Lots of times they will list a deal and list that there is a coupon to use with the deal from the "All You Nov" magazine. You will be ready with those coupons on hand!

Bonnie

Get paid to shop

Walgreens just paid me several dollars to shop! I got 4 Dove Shampoos, 4 Dove Conditioners, some cough drops, a vitamin C drink and 4 bars of soap. I paid $6 after using all my coupons and I got Register Rewards of $14.50! That's payment of $8 to buy that stuff. It was really fun.

This has taken me a while to build up to. But it's been worth it. So today we're going to have a beginning lesson: pop on over to Walgreens and buy a couple of Register Rewards items. The register rewards items have red signs by them that indicate how much the RR will be. (RR is the coupon you get after purchase) At Walgreens, go to the dental floss. There is one that is on sale for $2 and gives a $2 RR. Then buy a package of Emergen-C. They are in the vitamins section- 2 small bottles wrapped together- on the bottom row. They are in a green packaging. $3.50 with a 3.50 RR. Also buy Halls Refresh- $1 (with a $1 RR) , in the cough drops section. Buy those 3 items, will cost you about $6.50. Then you will get $6.50 in coupons to use at your next visit. Take those and buy some things you need, so you won't have to make another trip.

After you get the hang of this, money making becomes easy! Good luck!
Bonnie

Free chicken?

I hope you got your free Grilled Chicken today at KFC. I did, it was very tasty. For tomorrow, head on over to Walgreens and find a Free Effects Chapstick. Buy it for $2.99 and you will get a $3 coupon printed when you check out. The take the $3 coupon and get some Halloween candy. Give it a try! It will lead to confidence shopping at Walgreens and huge savings. I have even been making money on some of the deals.

Bonnie

Back from break!

I've been out of the blogging world for a while, time to start up again.

Freebie: Grilled Chicken at KFC on Monday. Just drop in for your free piece of chicken!

Also, in the last few weeks, I've experimented with the Register Rewards program at Walgreens and I have learned a lot. Looks for tips and tricks in the next while. If you find yourself at Walgreens soon, pick up a bag of Halls Refresh- in the cough drops section. They are on sale for 99 cents. After you purchase a $1 Register Rewards coupon will print out at check-out. You can use that for your next Walgreens purchase and you just got the cough drops free. Try it with that item so you can get comfortable with the program and we will keep going to bigger and better deals!

Bonnie

Free Panda Express today!

Go here: http://pandaexpress.com/PX/Facebook/SweetFire_Chicken_Breast_SweetFire_Friday_Final.jpg
and print the coupon, take it to Panda and enjoy! You may want to call your local Panda Express to be sure they are participating.

Bonnie

(almost) Free Cold Stone today!!

Today from 5-8pm Cold Stone is offering a 3 oz yummy sounding creation for almost free! You are asked to give a donation to Make-a-Wish, and you can get one per person. Take some spare change and enjoy free ice cream!

Bonnie

Wednesday musings

I got a great deal at Walgreen's yesterday. It was my first experience with using their "registry rewards" deals. I bought a bottle of shampoo for $2.99 and got a $2 coupon to use on my next purchase of anything at Walgreen's.

This page gives you all the info you need to get started with bargains at Walgreens. See if you can find a great bargain this week, like 99 cent shampoo! After a while, it will be habit to see these deals and pick them up.

Bonnie

Free Chocolate

Go to https://realchocolate.com/ and sign up to get your free candy bar (I always get PB M&M's with my coupon). This is my favorite freebie! So easy and so tasty. Use your autofill to fill in the info after you put in your birthday and this takes less than 30 seconds to do!

The best freebie of all is time with a new baby. I have a new grandson and he's been dominating my time for the last week. So let's get back into the freebies and savings with some chocolate today!

Bonnie

Friday free chocolate

I hope you got your free chocolate today (see previous Friday postings). I went out there just a couple of hours ago and still got one, so there may still be time.

Today, go sign up for mycokerewards. It's easy and fun. Use your autofill to fill out the info and then start saving your Coke/Dasani/Sprite/etc bottle tops and 12 pack codes.

Bonnie

Free Marie Claire magazine!

Now with your new email and toolbar you're ready for your first free offer. I'm a newbie at blogging and I don't know how to paste a link, so I'm sending you to www.momsbyheart.net. Go there and scroll down to the free magazine subscriptions entry. Click on the link that says HERE and you will go to a form to fill in your info. Click on your autofill link in your toolbar and most of the info will be filled out for you!

Look for any information that was not picked up by the autofill. I usually find that I have to put in my birthday manually and sometimes my phone number. But the autofill saves a ton of time!

It may take a few weeks to get your first free magazine, but it is so nice to have something fun and free waiting for in the mailbox :)

Let me know how your first free offer goes for you!
Bonnie

Wednesday task

Today I would like you to get the Google toolbar for your internet browser. Install it and then right click on it and go to Google Toolbar options. There should be a choice for "AutoFill." Go there and fill out the information. Now you can autofill in forms so that you don't have to type your name and address over and over.

This step took me weeks to do- I don't know why. But now I love it! It's huge time saver and allows me to get more free stuff. Today I got free baby formula in the mail and in the last week I have received the magazines Golf Digest, Business Week, Family Fun and Oprah, all for free. Oh, and certificates for 5 free 20 oz Cokes. Install the toolbar and fill in the autofill stuff!

Bonnie

Tuesday task

OK. Let's get setup to get freebies, coupons, offers and to enter contests now and then. The first step is to decide on an email address that you want to use to get lots of promo type email. I use my regular email and have lots of things to sift through every day and I don't mind it too much. Others like to set up a special email account just to use for these types of things. Today's to-do item is to choose and email address that you will use and remember it. Next step tomorrow.
Bonnie

The great Monday freebie- another one!

First Monday of the month means free Redbox rental. Use this Promo Code when you check out and get a 1 day movie rental free- T46T3Q7.

Bonnie

The great Monday freebie!

Put on your favorite team T-shirt, hat, or whatever and head over to Chick-Fil-A for a free chicken sandwich tomorrow, Labor Day, Sept 7! Anything that has a team logo on it will get you the free sandwich. Gotta love it! Eat more chicken.

Bonnie

Super Saturday

Today's freebie is the elation that follows one of the best football games of my life! I love being a BYU Cougar, I love watching college football. It's great to see those kids experience their dreams coming true. That's what it's all about!

Go Cougars!
Bonnie

Friday free chocolate

Beginning at 7a MST, go to https://realchocolate.com/ and sign up to get your free chocolate. This is my favorite freebie! So easy and so tasty.

Bonnie

Thursday fun

Check out this URL for a fun way to earn some free football stuff:
http://www.totallyfreestuff.com/index.asp?ID=18540

I should have a pair of free socks earned here soon, and it's kinda fun.
Bonnie

Wednesday receipt news

Don't forget to look at your receipts! I scan all of my receipts now for coupons or survey offers. Today I used a Cafe Rio receipt to get a free dessert (lime pie- it was delicious.) The last time I went to Cafe Rio, there was a survey offer on the receipt. I went online to the address, answered a few questions and got a code to use for free chips and salsa or a dessert on my next visit.

Look on the back of your receipts, too. Sometimes the offers are printed there.
Bonnie

Tuesday Tidbit

OK, take those Coke codes and go to mycokerewards.com. Find the "sign up" link, click it and fill out all the information. They will need your address so they can send your free stuff there. When you're done signing up, enter your codes! Sometimes the numbers and letters can be hard to read. If it looks like an O, use the number zero instead of the letter o. It's hard for me to tell H's from K's, so I always try both if it won't take the code.

When you have 24 points or more, go to the "spend your points" section of the website. For 24 points, you will find a free 20 oz bottle of Coke or another Coke product. Click on "get it" and follow the instructions. In a few weeks, your coupon for a free Coke will come in the mail! It's so much fun to get them!

Bonnie

Monday magic

Stock up on soda at Albertson's. Both Coke and Pepsi products are on sale. 12 packs are buy 2 get 2 free, ending up at about $10 for 4 12-packs. That's $1.25 a 6 pack, really good deal! And save those Coke packages (or at least the end part that has the code) to get points for free Coke later. Look for the MyCokeRewards code.

Get the soda and the Coke codes today. Tomorrow I'll explain how to use the codes.
Bonnie

Free one night movie rental

How about a free movie rental? Go to your nearest redbox and use the promo code DVDONME . You will need to swipe your credit card, but you will not be charged if you return the movie by 9pm the next day. This code will only work once per credit card. But it does work! I love this freebie!

Bonnie

Friday freebie

This is a different kind of freebie- one that everyone has access to- your local public library. I can get DVD rentals free at my library, they have fun kids programs and obviously, lots of books. Check it out (double meaning).

I've also recently found audio books online that I can listen to free. I'm listening to A Tale of Two Cities currently and it's very nice. Google "free online audio books" and see what you can find. I've found something I like on audiobooks.org and on freeclassicaudiobooks.com.

Happy reading and listening!
Bonnie

Thrifty Thursday

Friday morning, go to realchocolate.com and fill out the information to get your free chocolate coupon. It will come in the mail in a few weeks.

Also, start saving the lids to bottles of Coke products, and the codes that are printed on 12 and 24 packs of Coke. I'll show you how to turn those into free Coke. For now, just start saving them.

Bonnie

Wednesday- Albertsons quest #2 for beginners

Here's quest #2. If you have room in your freezer, go to Albertson's and buy 25 Banquet frozen dinners. That's all. Get your $10 coupon.

If you do not have a freezer, or just don't like those dinners, buy 25 bottles of Hunt's ketchup (24 oz) and get your $10. I wonder if that's a year's supply?

One more option, in case you don't like either of those. Buy 13 bottles of Peter Pan Peanut Butter (18 oz) and get your $10.

Have fun,
Bonnie

Tuesday- Beginner bargain shopper quest

For those of you who see those ads in the mail today and say "I don't have time" or "it's not worth it to go to a different store," I have a quest for you. Go to Albertsons and spend $25- only on certain products- and get your $10 for your next trip and just see what you think.

Most of the items will be displayed at the same area in the store, so it's easy to find the right products. Here's one list:

2- Rice Krispies
2- Frosted Flakes
2- Froot Loops
2- Corn Flakes
2- Frosted Mini Wheats
Buy those 10 boxes of cereal, each are on sale at 2 for $5. 10 boxes will be $25. Buy those and watch the little printer by the receipt machine..it will spit out $10 for you. Take the cereal to your car, go back in and get $10 of ice cream or chocolate (large bag of Hershey's kisses is on sale for $9.99)...free. Pay with the coupons you just got. Wasn't that fun? Kids are happy- got their cereal. Mom's happy- has her chocolate.

Free food is fun.
Bonnie

Bonnie's bargains

For lunch or dinner on Wednesday, you can head over to Arby's for a free Beef n Cheddar with purchase of a soft drink. I heard a rumor that you can get a drink for $1. Bargain! Even if the drink is a little more than $1 :)

The magazine Town & Country is available free- a 3 year subscription. Go look at the website totallyfreestuff. There's a link there. Its really quick and easy, you don't give a credit card number.

Bonnie

Saturday- thinking about "couponing?"

Want to start using coupons, but feeling overwhelmed? I understand. I felt that way when I started and still feel that way sometimes. It can be a big time investment to "coupon."

So start slow. Buy a Sunday paper and take out the coupon inserts. Label the coupon inserts with the date- I use an address label so I can quickly see the date of the insert. File them somewhere for future use.

That's it. You are well on your way.
Bonnie

Friday chocolate

Go to realchocolate.com and get your free chocolate. Enter your info and a coupon comes in the mail in a few weeks. Hurry, only the first 250,000 people are eligible :)

If you drink Coke products, go to mycokerewards.com and sign up. Start saving your bottle lids and your 12 pack box ends and enter your codes here. It only takes 24 points to get a free 20 oz bottle of Coke. A 12 pack is worth 10 points.

This week I had a free Coke and candy bar on my trip to the grocery store! And if I can do it, well you know the rest.
Bonnie

Thrifty Thursday

It's a great day to be a Wal-Mart shopper. At the AF store, there are still tons of school supplies on sale. 15 cent notebooks, 75 cent filler paper, $1 package of pens, markers or colored pencils. And good deals on binders and other stuff too. We ended up taking things back to other places- should have just gone to Wal-Mart in the first place.

Bonnie

Tuesday tidbit

"You can't run from trouble. There ain't no place that far."

The place where you find this quote is a great place to run. It may not take the trouble away, but it sure helps me deal with it.

Where is this quote displayed?

Bonnie

Monday's money saver

My money saver for today is a Southwest Visa card. I build up points for free flights and have redeemed many free round trips over the years. Cash-only budgeters can't take advantage of this money saver, you have to be very disciplined with any credit card. But if you can be disciplined, you can fly for free every now and then.

Bonnie

Sensible Saturday

A new experience for me- bird watching- or as the expert bird watchers call it- "birding." We say 55 different types of birds. It was lots of fun, and free. People love to share their hobbies and passions with others and I got to see and hear about birds from the experts. It was fun. If you're looking for something to do for free, ask a friend what they like to do and maybe tag along.

Friday Freebie

Free chocolate! Google "mars chocolate relief" and register to get a free candy bar. The first 250,000 people each Friday get free chocolate. I just got mine and Renee got hers.

My friend Renee introducted me to the Godiva chocolate club. I went to a Godiva store, signed up and got a free chocolate. Mmm. And now I can get a free chocolate each month and cool discounts on Godiva chocolate. Join online!

In the not so freebie realm, I tried the new velvet cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. It was amazing! So good! Not free, $$ wise, and not free, calorie wise, but very worth it :) Save up some money and calories for that one.

We're off to find more San Diego/Escondido freebies and discounts.

Bonnie

Thrifty Thursday- a few $ at a time

I saved $6 yesterday. I got a free roast chicken club for lunch at Arby's. I did have to pay $1.50 for a drink :) That saved me $2.50 on lunch and then I brought an empty water bottle with me to the airport. Saved $2.50 (at least) on a bottled water.

By using my SW Visa for purchases over the last while, I have earned a free round trip flight on Southwest. Off to San Diego to see Renee! $6 may not seem like a lot, but if I save $6 every day for a month I'll have $180. That money is going into my cruise fund.

Bonnie

Waiting for Wednesday

Super deal today! Go to Arby's and buy a soft drink of any size and get a free Roast Chicken Club sandwich! Great meal, great price. Enjoy.

Bonnie

Tuesday's Tidbit

Walt Disney said this about dreams:
"People often ask me if...I could tell others how to make their dreams come true. My answer is, you do it by working. Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it and work at it until it's done and done right."

Back to work!

Monday's money saver- school supplies

Today let's make a list of the school supplies that we will NEED this year. Get out the ads from the Sunday paper, from the mail, or just look online for sales. Most of the supplies you need are on sale right now. Buy them now while they are 5 cents. (I'm not kidding- go look at the staples ad) If you buy them the day the kids need them for school, you won't have time to look for bargains.

Best wishes,
Bonnie

Intro to 7 1/2 cents blog

7 1/2 cents. What does that mean? It's a lyric from "The Pajama Game." My parents taught me this song when I was a little girl and I've wondered if 7 1/2 cents here and there can add up to something substantial.
I found the answer. It can! I have used money saving ideas from lots of sources and saved my family lots of money- even if it's just a few cents at a time.
I began with one idea that sounded interesting to me (searching on Swagbucks) and implemented it. Then I added another. This blog is share ideas and discoveries on how to save money. After all, the more I save, the more I can spend at Disneyland :)

Bonnie