Samples and Freebies

We found several 'new' Web sites over the holidays and after some exploration thought we'd pass along a few that seem to keep current with special deals, give aways, freebies and samples.

Several times today I saw mention of stopping by Chick-fil-a tomorrow (Jan. 1) between 10:30AM and 6PM to get a coupon for a free sandwich - if you're in the area of one of their stores it may be worth stopping to get a coupon for lunch another day!

Here are some fun places to explore and register with for savings alerts - have fun:

1. This has become one of my favorites because of the 'freebie' tips and overall money saving content. There is one posting on their blog with a list of several places to request free samples - love those. Register to receive their e-mail updates: http://www.freebies4mom.com

2. Another good one to register with for updates:
http://www.frugalfreebiesanddeals.com/

3. This links you to another site with a lengthy list of freebies to request if you'd like:
http://www.momadvice.com/blog/2008/12/freebie-friday-december-26-2008.htm

4. You have to register here, but you get access to freebies, samples and coupons:
www.startsampling.com

5. For all the couponers out there, be sure you register to request your free $10 worh of Pillsbury coupons and recipes by mail:
http://freecoupons.pillsbury.com/PB1Coupon/Default.aspx?source=497

6. And, make sure you're saving your sales receipts on your Proctor and Gamble product purchases to work towards receiving $120.00 in coupons when you buy $50 of their products:
http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/en_US/jsp/EDS_Page.jsp?pageID=Year-of-Savings

Happy New Year all!

Discounted Gift Cards at Restaurants.com

Hi all - at www.restaurants.com you can now purchase gift cards for many area restaurants at a discount. Most of them are $25 for $10 or $10 for $3. I purchased 3 different ones - saving up for the date nights to come. :) Just wanted to pass it along.

Dave Ramsey Items on Sale for $10 each

Most of Dave Ramsey's Financial books,CDs and DVDs are on sale for $10 each. If you buy 10 items, you will get 2 free. And, if you buy $65.00 worth of items you will qualify for free shipping. These make excellent stocking stuffers and holiday gifts for friends and family. Now is the time to do that holiday shopping.

Be advised: Dave Ramsey does not believe in the use of credit cards, therefore purchases must be made using your bank Debit Card or your Paypal account:

https://beta.daveramsey.com/shop/c10.html?store=ep&ictid=sml

Gently Used Clothing, Furniture and Home Decore at Well Springs, Duluth

Thursday, Friday & Saturday, November 20, 21 & 22, Well Springs (an upscale thrift shop that sells donated gently-used clothing and home furniture) is having a sale. Already great prices are now even lower.

Specializing mostly in Gently-used Women's clothing, they also carry some beaustiful used furniture, antiques, and home decor at fabulous prices. This is a great way to decorate for the holidays and pick up some chic winter clothing at real deals!

Well Springs is located in the Publix Shopping Center in Duluth, at the corner of Old Peachtree Road and Buford Hwy.

Bring in a donation to the store, and recieve a $5 coupon to use on your purchases!

Saving money, the first step

If you are serious about saving nickles and dimes, there are a few things you can do to prepare yourself, get organized, "get ready, get set, GO!".



1. Set up a new FREE email account with google. Just click on the top of the google page where you see gmail, and set up an new FREE email account. This account is the email address you will give every retailer, website, savings club and reward program. In other words, there will be nothing in that mail box EXCEPT ways to save money. Make it a cleaver name, like Iluvcoupons@gmail.com, or couponchristian@gmail.com, or maybe watchmesavewithcoupons@gmail.com. Then, give this email address to Kroger, Publix, Ingles, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Long Horns, ShortCuts.com, and the Coupon Mom. Your new email address will be full of money saving tips and coupons.



2. Buy the Sunday paper (and extra copies) and keep the whole circular. Even if you clip a few coupons you want to use this week, keep the circular. You will want to get more coupons out of it later. There are many ways to organize the past circulars. I file mine by month in a file folder. Others hole punch them and keep them in binders. Whatever works for you.



2. My favorite website is COUPONMOM.COM. This website will give you a list each week (comes out on Sunday mornings) of all the local grocery and drug stores and let you know what is on sale that week, where you can find a coupon, the final price and the percentage saved. This is a FREE website, so you have nothing to loose, but lots of money to gain.



3. When you are on the COUPONMOM.COM website, don't miss this: extra info on the left hand side of the page, in blue.

a. Coupon Database. This where you can find a coupon. For instance: You need to buy cold medicine, kleenex, cough syrup and soup. (Obviously you are feeling bad). Go to the Coupon database and type in Sudafed and a list of all the ciruclars from the past that still have an unexpired coupon for Sudafed will be in there. Go to that circular (yes, you are suppose to be saving the circulars) and cut out the coupon you need. Repeat for Kleenex, nyquil, soup etc. This will save you a lot of money.



b. Coupon Mom Blog. This is also on the COUPONMOM.COM website, on the left hand side in blue. This is a place where the Coupon Mom and her readers can blog great deals. It will tell you about money saving tips, deals and other things that are unadvertised. On the blog this week, I found out about Walgreens offering a $5 off anything coupon if you know the right code (the code is on the website). The catch was that this coupon was only good for two days. (sorry, already expired).





On your next day off, spend a few minutes setting up your new gmail account, giving this new address to companies with savings programs, and navigating the coupon mom website.

You'll find these few minutes very informative, and well spent.

B

I've been invited to share

Hey guys,
Since I've been called THE COUPON QUEEN, cheap, thrifty, a good steward, El Cheapo, tight, Scrooge, Miser and many other words for a person who believes in saving money, I have accepted your invitation to share some ideas on how to save money.

Even been in line to pay, with the exact same items as someone in front of you and they got out for half as much, and now your wallet is empty, and they have enough left to move on to the next store? I hate that feeling. I hate knowing I was dumb enough to pay more than everyone else.

I love coupons, sales, and recycling. Thing is, most of this stuff seems natural to me. I've learned that not everyone thinks that way.

So, since you've asked, I am going to log on pretty often and share some tips on things you can do to stretchhhhhhhhh that dollar and you'll be the one everyone is watching to see how you do it.

Let me know if you have any specific needs, and maybe I have an idea for where to find it cheap, when to get it, or how to search for best price on it.
Bev

50% Off Offers

The Fish radio station has a discount program going called 'Fishin for 50% Off'. The offers change weekly on Fridays, but offer the opportunity to buy various restaurant and retail certificates valued at $50 by paying $25 plus a processing fee. May make a good Christmas gift for someone.

To find what's available each week, go to their Web site:
www.thefishatlanta.com
Look on the left-hand navigation list and click on the Fishin for 50% link.

More Kroger Couponing

Another Kroger-card coupon loading option Web site is Proctor and Gambel products Web site, P&G eSaver:

http://www.pgesaver.com/Sites/PG_eSAVER/Page/HomePage/

Heck, there's even a site to load the Kroger deals directly to your cellphone (I think you can load to a PC too if you prefer)
http://www.cellfire.com/

Kids Eat Free - restaurant tracker list

I got this online from a local subdivision: http://www.lansdowne-suwanee.com/kids_eat_free.php
You might want to call ahead and check before you go but I thought this was good information.

SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY:
Fieldhouse near Hamilton Mill has kids eat free (1 child per adult).

SUNDAY:
El Rey Mexican Restaurant 1475 Buford Drive (near Russell Rd.)770-682-0015 Kids eat free all day: one per adult, 10 and under
Mama Fu's 6590 Sugarloaf Pkwy.Kids eat free
Buffalo's Cafe kids eat free; one per adult

MONDAY:
Durango Steakhouse825 Duluth Hwy, Lawrenceville kids eat free Monday through Wednesday; one per adult
Moe'sHwy 124, SnellvilleMonday nights--Free kid's meal with purchase of adult meal
Fratelli'sMonday nights--Kids eat free

TUESDAY:
Roadhouse Grill Tuesday Nights kids eat free; up to 2 per adult
Durango: see Monday
O'Charley'sKids eat free2 kids per adult entreeMall of GA locationHwy 124,
SnellvilleBeef 'O Brady'sKids eat free, one per adult
Tony's Sports Bar and Grill 2590 Peachtree Industrial, Duluth678-475-0455Kids eat for 99¢ every dayFree kids buffet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-8pm

WEDNESDAY:
Durango: see MondayMoe's - Mall of GA - Kid's Eat Free with purchase of adult meal on Wednesday nights

THURSDAY:
Tony's: see TuesdayCedar Creek Grill2750 Buford Hwy770-622-9907Free Kids Meal on Thursdays, starting in April!

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY:
Fieldhouse near Hamilton Mill - Kids' meals are only 1.99 including drink

EVERYDAY:
IHOPKids eat free EVERYDAY from 4-9pm; One meal per adult entree
Lefty's BBQ, BufordKids eat free ALWAYS; under 9, and one per adult purchase of $7 or more

AGES 3 AND UNDER EAT FREE ALL THE TIME:
CiCi's pizza
Stevie B's Pizza
Golden Corral - Tues is family night (special foods)Ryans
Sonny's BBQ

NOT FREE, BUT SPECIAL DEALS:
Joes Crab Shack: while there if you complete a coloring page, you get a mailed coupon for free kid's meal
Folks Southern Kitchen: kids meals always $2.69
Tony's Sports Bar and Grill 2590 Peachtree Industrial, Duluth678-475-0455Kids eat for 99¢ every day and free on Tues/Thurs

Great new coupon resource that is FREE

If you use a Kroger card, here is a way to get coupons put on that card so you don't have to clip them to use them:

www.shortcuts.com

It is free and pretty easy to use. Eric and I share our Kroger card, so I can load up the coupons and he can shop and get use of them.

Hope to be back by Sunday night for FPU class, otherwise Eric will be there!!

Christel

Deduction and Donation Tracking

A Dave Ramsey group garage sale is about the only way I am going to get involved in a garage sale. I gave up on the idea as a money making venture years ago. Instead, I donate just about everything (unless it is something expensive and esoteric and more suitable for Craigslist).

I have been very happy using It's Deductible for many years until this past year when it became so tightly integrated with TurboTax that the only way you could print out your IRS Tax Form 8283 was to buy TurboTax (and then also the State version). So, I have been shopping for different donation tracking software and found this article:
http://financialsoft.about.com/od/taxdeductionsforcharity/tp/Tax_Deduction_Tracking.htm
They also recommend DeductionTraQ (looks like it has the most features) and TaxCut DeductionPro (which is an H&R Block product).

I found I had always hugely undervalued my non-cash donations so now I rely on software with an extensive database that they guarantee.

Any Outdoorsy People?

Okay, I know we live in Georgia...but there have to be a few of you who like to have fun outside! There is a great website that sells outdoor gear and clothing at excellent discounted prices. It is www.steepandcheap.com. They put up one item at a time and sell it until it's gone. Then they put up the next one. For example, right now there is a Marmot down coat that is originally $155 and they're selling it at 53% off for $72. There are 421 left.

So it's fun (and/or addicting) to check back throughout the day and see if there's something you may want. I've seen all kinds of fun things like sunglasses, sleeping bags, swiss army knives, hiking boots, running shirts, etc. If you're planning a ski trip or have relatives that could use some quality items like these, this is really a great deal.

Remember: ONLY do this once you have a fully funded emergency fund and are totally debt free! Then again, think about if you were to put that $72 in a mutual fund and let it grow for 85 years....Just a thought. But it never hurts to look!

http://www.steepandcheap.com/

PS (now there are 410 jackets left)

Insurance Calculator Online

I checked out some resources at the FPU site and here is an online insurance calculator from the provider that Dave endorses, Zander

http://www.ipipeline.com/iquote/e-needs.htm

It asks some good questions, some he did not touch on last night. You can also get a quote from a TON of providers there also:

https://www.zanderins.com/term/instantquote.aspx

It asks for a phone and email, but there is nothing that says they will contact you, if you like the plan they show, you can get an applicaton right away. Just to get an idea of what might be out there. If you know of an agent that could help out, please let me know.

JCPenney Friends & Family Event Today (Oct. 26/27)

Get the same discount (an extra 20% off) as employees today only. I have a printable coupon I can forward or use 'FAMEM' as the promo code if you shop at jcp.com.

way to get and give stuff!

Hey all, I just got permission to post, so hopefully this works.

Anyway, I have been using freecycle.org for over a year to get and give stuff for my family.

www.freecycle.org is the website to get to the main info about the way it works, but basically you join a yahoo group and get emails from group members (they post to the group not directly to you so your email is fairly safe) and they let you know what stuff they have and if they need anything. If you see something you want or can give to someone, you will reply to that email and it will go directly to that person only, not the group, so that saves a ton of email replies. I have gotten tons of clothes, toys and I have gotten rid of TONS of junk in my house, it is amazing what people will take. I got a whole kitchen playset with tons of stuff with it, clothes/shoes for the kids, and a free playset (metal one that has some rust, but hey it was free!) that the kids in the neighborhood love to play on. It is amazing what people will give away, at one point someone was giving this HUGE plastic playset, over 500 dollars, just because they wanted to build a pool and it would not fit in the backyard anymore!

Anyway, I am also part of 2 other groups that work just like freecycle but are not listed there, if you want that info, just email me!! They are yahoo groups also and you can also have just a daily digest to see what is out there. When I really need stuff, I just post wants to the lists, some groups have different rules on how many wants you can post.

Hopefully this will help out someone! This is also a great way to get rid of stuff after a yard sale, you post a "free sale" note to the group for a time After your sale, say Sunday from 1-4 and let people pick through what is left, most of the stuff will go then. After that, I would donate the rest!!
Go with God!!
Christel

Gardeners Discounts and Free Goods

Any gardeners out there feeling the financial pinch, but still wanting to play in the dirt?
Me too! Today I went by Randy's Nursery in Lawrenceville and was thrilled to find everything they have is 25% off --- and this is a perfect time to plant trees, shrubs, perennials - all of it!

I need some compost for the bed by our mailbox so I thought I'd see if Gwinnett County had any locations where I could pick some up for free. No luck nearby, although both Dekalb and Cobb have sites if you have time to drive there.

I did find a list of 6 different places in Gwinnett to get free mulch if anyone is interested. You can see the list at the Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful Web site :
http://www.gwinnettcb.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80

Half-Price Event Tickets

Have you ever heard about AtlanTIX? They are the discount ticket arm of the Atlanta Coalition of the Performing Arts offering half-price theater, dance and cultural event tickets.

If you register online they'll send you daily e-mail notifications listing discount tickets for events the next day. Or, they have 2 same-day ticket booths - one at Lenox, the other at Underground Atlanta. The list changes daily, but they offer a wide range of choices based on what's going on around town: local childrens shows/plays , the Aurora Theater here in L'ville, the Shakespeare Theater, Alliance Theater etc.

Hey, when you're on an entertainment budget, half-price sure sounds good!
Check them out at :
http://www.atlantaperforms.com/Discount-Tickets/AtlanTIX-Half-Price.html

Dining and Drug Store Savings

A few money saving tips for today - I'll let the moms chime in with the places where Kids Eat Free lists.

1. Dining out coupons through restaurant.com:
This site sells discount coupons for various restaurants: www.restaurants.com
The first of the month is the best time to buy as the quantity is greater for the best deals. If you want to better the discounts, sign up at www.couponmom.com to save an additional 40% off what you see on the restaurant site. (So, for example if you consider buying a $25 certificate for $10 , sign up at coupon mom THEN buy at the restaurant site and pay $6 for your $25 coupon.)

2. For 'hidden' Walgreen discounts, go to their Web site and check out their rebate/ easy saver catalog: http://www.walgreens.com/store/rebateclub.jsp
You'll find additional coupons that are valid for an entire month and can be combined with manufactures coupons for the same product (how does FREE sound to you?) There are also products that are Free after Rebate. We think these items will be worth a few moments of our time completing paperwork so we can donate them to shelters / food pantries etc. as the needs come up - pretty cool...these giving back opportunities only cost us a small abount of our time.

3. CVS offers a rebate / discount club as well through their member Extra Care card which requires registration. You will get discount offers via both e-mail and direct mail. In addition, register your Extra Care card online and get involved in their Extra Bucks Reward Account. This program either basically pays you back base don what you spend over the couse of a quarter, or you can receive extra bucks now coupons when you buy specific products each week. Get all the rest of the details at the CVS site: https://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/user/extracare/extracare.jsp

Remember: Hebrews 12:11 - Discipline and the rewards!

Welcome SUMC FPU Members!

Hello everyone!

During our breakout session last night, we talked about how nice it would be to be able to have an ongoing dialog with our SUMC FPU groups. Last nights conversation was about discounts at restaurants...when are the Kids Eat Free nights? Where? What about Buy one Get one free specials? All of that great stuff.

So, ta-da, we now have our own Blog. Our hope is that this site can be used to share all types of things: money saving tips, coupons, sales and SUCCESSES that we can all use to motivate our progress.

With that introduction, we open this site to all SUMC FPU current and future participants. We hope you find it useful!

Doug and Marty