Saving Freak

Memorial day is here again.  Please remember to thank someone today who has served in our countries military.  They represent the best and brightest that America has to offer and their sacrifices make it possible for the rest of us to enjoy our freedom.  To celebrate this day I am posting another round of free samples and coupons.  I have been running across some free magazine subscriptions that look interesting so i will be posting those as a part of my Memorial Day free samples

Magazines

American Baby Magazine

Cooking Pleasure Magazine

Handy Man Club of America Magazine ( I am getting this one for my wife)

National Home Gardening Club

North American Fishing Club

North American Hunting Club

History Channel Club

Remedy Magazine

PGA Tour Partners

Free Samples/Coupons

Free Honey-do list maker from Bounty Paper Towels

Free Lipton Nascar Pitcher (purchase necessary)

Free sample Excedrin Extra Strength pain reliever

Coupon for $1 off Quaker Life cinnamon cereal

Free Sample Dove Body Cream Oil

and a free sample of Splenda No Calorie Sweetener flavors for coffee

A lot of people as for my help to find a good deal on whatever is pressing in their life.  I really don’t have time to help everyone so I will usually refer them to a specific blog post that applies to their situation.  However, if you are a regular visitor to the site who comments frequently then I take that commitment to my site seriously.

Yesterday Tina commented on my post about wanting to find a  better price for the Westin Resort.  She had not been able to find a price better than $149 per night.  This particular hotel was the only one that would work due to its unique experience.  Originally I commented back with a better deal but I decided to take it a step further and show the process I go through to find my own travel deals.

I first went through my usual process of checking the travel sites.  Just pick a few they usually give you aproximately the same deal (if you are a looking for a specific hotel that is).  After looking at site after site I found Tina had done her due dilligence and I got the same price she did.

I then went to google typed in coupon codes and started looking for codes to the travel sites to try to get a discount through them.  I found codes for orbitz, hotels.com and cheap tickets.com .The discounts varried from 10%-15% off.  I thought I had found the deal I was looking for, BUT, I was wrong.  None of the sites allowed you to use the code with Westin Resorts.

I did notice you can use Ebates to get 3% cash back at a few of the travel sites.  So I thought at the very least you could use Ebates and then use a rewards card and get somewhere between 4% and 8% back.

Ultimately, I thought this was a cop out and should only be used as a last resort.  So I went looking for coupon codes for the Westin and Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which is their parent company.  Finally I hit pay dirt.  I stumbled upon a link that gets you 20% off the price on their site.   This price just happened to be $20 less than the travel sites.  So after the price drop and the 20% off the price came out to $103.20 per night a 31% savings.  If you use a good rewards card you could grab another $3-$5 and get that price below $100.

I hope seeing this process helps a lot of people find a better way to get travel costs down.

Wednesday again and there are some great deals online this week.

A friend asked me to find some good deals on bedding sets so I went out to Amazon and found the Renaisance 600 thread count sheets for $49.99, Pinzon 400  thread count Egyptian cotton sheets for $29.99, and the Pinzon 440 thread count stripe sheet set for $34.19.  All these prices were for queen size they may vary depending on the size of the sheets.

Also in Bedding Linens ‘n Things has the Lexington 8-piece comforter set for $49.99.  Use coupon code “26620000008″ to get 20% off.  Shipping starts at $9

Until midnight tonight Spirit Airlines is offering the Ocho and the temple of Savings sale.   You can fly for $8 each way between select cities.

For the men out there Sears has its 95 piece mechanics tool set for $59.88, but first activate this coupon to get an extra 10% off and drop the price to $53.89

No matter what anyone says when my wife saves up to 60% off at the Victoria’s Secret Semi-Annual sale it is always a gift for me.

Coupon Codes

PetsMart has 15% off  with no minimum using code “PETWINNER”

Office Depot has 10% off with no minimum using code “99012634″

If you buy a large specialty pizza at Papa John’s you can get a large one topping pizza for $0.99 using code “VISA03″ OR if you just want to get one pizza with five free toppings use code “PIZZA3″

If you go crazy at the above mentioned Victoria’s Secret sale you can get $15 off $100/ $30 off $150 /$75 off $250 using cod “SP811005″

JC Penney always runs a special sale on Wednesdays (one of the reasons I write this post on wednesdays) and you can get an extra 15% off with code”FLWRJCPC”

Hope this helps you save some money on things you NEED.

I absolutely killed it at the grocery store yesterday.  I was so impressed with my haul that I called my good friend Joe Sangl to brag about the amazing amount of food that can be purchased if you are willing to couple the sales with coupons.  My wife and I are going to be hosting 5 teenagers at my home for the weekend for an event through our church so a good bit was snack food, but it also included dog food and yogurt which are items that we go through like crazy in my house.

The most interesting thing about this shopping trip was that I accomplished it at Bloom.  For those who are not familiar Bloom is an upperend grocery store.  Their main selling point is convenience.  The store is laid out logically, the carts have maps of the store on them so you can find items quickly, and they even have touch screen monitors where you can look up a recipe and, once found, a little printer prints it out for you with where all the items are located in the store.  Overall Bloom is one of the best shopping experiences around.  The trade off is you pay a little more for every day items if you do not shop the discounts.   So, of course, I shop the discounts and boy did it pay off this week.  Here are the numbers:

Regular price for all groceries after taxes - $67.18

Weekly promotional disounts - $29.02

Manufacturers Coupons- $10.05

Store Coupon - $10.00

Grand total - $18.11

That’s right $67.18 worth of groceries for $18.11.  That is a 73% savings off the regular price.  The key to this whole equation is the $10.00 store coupon.  You see Bloom has a rewards program called the Breeze Card.  They are still working on how the program works, but by signing up you are immediately put on the mailing list to receive $10 off coupons ( you have to spend $35 to get $10 off).  You get these coupons in groups of four and can use one each week over the course of a month.  If Bloom is doing this I will bet other grocery stores will follow or are already using similar promotions.  Check with your favorite chain to see if they do any special promotions for people on the mailing list and you could save a ton!

Here are all the major retailers that I could find that will give you some perks for spending your stimulus check with them.

Food

Kroger
The Deal: Kroger, which operates stores in 31 states, is offering its customers a 10% bonus added to the purchase of $300, $600, or $1,200 Kroger gift certificates. (That’s like getting $330, $660, etc.) The cards can be used at any Kroger-owned store, including City Market, Fred Meyer, and Fry’s Food.
The Fine Print: The program has a per household limit of $1,200 and expires July 31. Customers who don’t have a hard copy of their checks (i.e., those who received their checks via direct deposit) can buy their gift cards with cash, personal check, or credit card. The gift cards can’t be used to purchase alcohol, lottery tickets, pharmaceuticals, or tobacco.

Safeway
The Deal: Starting May 14, all Safeway stores will cash your government stimulus check for free and give Club Card customers a 10% off gift card. Deal applies at all Safeway-owned stores including Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, and Pak ‘n Save.
The Fine Print: Deal ends July 19. Gift card expires 2 days after being issued.

ShopRite
The Deal: ShopRite is offering its Price Plus members the opportunity to receive a 10% bonus with the purchase of every $300, $600, or $1,200 gift card. ShopRite will also cash your rebate check for free with a gift card purchase. Price Plus is free to join.
The Fine Print: ShopRite’s offer expires August 2. If your refund check was deposited into your bank account, ShopRite requires a copy of your bank statement as proof of direct deposit. You can then purchase gift cards with cash or bank debit card only. Gift cards cannot be used to purchase alcohol, lottery tickets, tobacco, postage stamps, money orders, bus tickets, fuel and Metro passes, or additional gift cards.

SuperValu
The Deal: SuperValu is offering a 10% bonus with the purchase of every $300, $600, or $1,200 gift card.
The Fine Print: SuperValu’s offer is valid through July 31 and can be used at all SuperValu stores including Acme, Albertsons, bigg’s, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw’s / Star Market, Shop ‘n Save, and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy.

Apparel, Home & Electronics

Meijer
The Deal: Meijer is offering a 10% off coupon with the purchase of every $300, $600, or $1,200 gift card. The coupons may be used with your next “general merchandise and apparel” purchase. The gift cards must be bought with credit card, cash, or personal check.
Small Print: Meijer’s bonus coupon offer expires May 31. Reward coupons cannot be combined with other offers and cannot be used to purchase alcohol, tobacco, prescriptions, gas station and C-Stop items, baby diapers and wipes, and park and entertainment tickets. In addition, they cannot be used for any online purchases, making this one of the most restrictive “bonuses” we’ve seen.

RadioShack
The Deal: Use your stimulus check or IRS tax refund on any $50 or more purchase at RadioShack and get 10% off that purchase. No product exclusions apply.
Small Print: Offer ends July 12. The unspent portion of your check is converted into a prepaid Vision Silver MasterCard that can be used at any store. There is a $2,500 maximum redemption per refund check.

Sam’s Club
The Deal: In addition to free stimulus check cashing, Sam’s Club is offering non-members free annual membership with the purchase of select products. Current members will receive a $40 gift card with their purchases.
The Fine Print: Deal ends May 31 and only applies with the purchase of select items including BF Goodrich tires, a Brighton Patio dining set, Serta mattresses, select Samsung LCD TVs, a Blue-ray home theater system, Nikon digital camera, and more.

Sears / Kmart
The Deal: Purchase a Sears or Kmart gift card with your government check and receive a 10% bonus added to the total value of your gift card.
The Fine Print: This offer is valid through July 19. To qualify you must convert the full value of your stimulus check into a Sears, Kmart, or Lands’ End gift card. The gift cards have no expirations dates or fees and at the time of this writing can only be purchased with a hard copy of your government check.

Staples.com
The Deal: Staples.com is offering special coupon codes designed to stretch your rebate check. Although promoted as a stimulus check deals, these coupons aren’t tied to your stimulus check. Coupon codes “74894″ and “80486″ take $150 off furniture purchases of $1,000 or more and $40 off purchases of $300 or more, respectively (they expire May 18 and May 25). Also, use coupon code “31831″ when you spend $499 or more with your credit card and you’ll pay no interest or make payments for 6 months (expires June 30).
The Fine Print: To date, all of Staples’ coupons exclude laptop and desktop purchases.

Wal-Mart
The Deal: Wal-Mart will cash your rebate check for free, no purchase required.
The Fine Print: None, but your bank will also cash it for free if you have a checking account.

Travel & Transportation

Rosenau Powersports
Deal: Michigan-based Rosenau Powersports will double your stimulus check up to $600 with the purchase of a new motorcycle, scooter, ATV, or watercraft when you use coupon code “SACP-040814″.
The Fine Print: Coupon valid for newsletter subscribers only and must be claimed 10 days after your rebate check date. Select vehicles may be excluded.

Zonder.com
The Deal: Use coupon code “TAXES” during checkout at this travel search engine and take 10% off bookings of $600 or more.
The Fine Print: Deal ends August 1. Proof of tax rebate not required.

The American Girl doll is a phenomenon.  The dolls are well made and come with a book that explains what life was like in the country and time period for the outfit the doll is wearing.  The books are very educational and many homeschooling groups have created history classes for young girls based off the American Girl dolls.  The problem is the Dolls can cost upwards of $100.  This does not even count the accessories and clothes that can be purchased (which can cost more than the clothes on the children buying them).

So how do you save on these expensive toys?  Well there is always the clearance rack, but I suspect that many parents have already been there and done that.  Ther two places I looked first were Amazon and Ebay.  Each led me to some great results.

Amazon — Amazon’s biggest asset in this arena is that people sell things used.  With the used dolls going for much less than the brand new ones you can save a bundle on the dolls themselves.  Amazon also puts items on clearance regularly so you can save money on brand new doll clothes there.

Ebay — Ebay of course has a ton of used items.  What really caught my attention here was the number of knock off accessories and clothes there were.  As with any high quality item there are going to be imitators that sell at a considerable discount.  With Ebay cluing you in to all the off brand names you can search for great deals locally if you do not feel comfortable with the Ebay format.

Overall these two sites could save you hundreds if you have an American Girl enthusiast in your home.

International travel is a very sticky endeavor.  You have to make sure you have your passport (which these days is no small task) and make sure you do not get ripped off.  The truth is there are traps all over the place to traveling internationally.  Even the cruise industry is really sneaky with the way it does things.  So how does an amateur avoid all these extra fees and weird tax policies?

Get a travel agent.

Yes I said it.  An experienced travel agent can be a real asset when planning overseas vacations.  For a small fee you can save yourself hundreds of dollars.  Just a few examples of things I had to search long and hard for that could be common knowledge to a good travel agent.

–The cruise industry started adding a fuel surcharge that did not appear until after you had booked your cruise.

–England is one of the most expensive places to fly.  It is less expensive to Fedex your bags to your hotel and then fly into France and take a train to England.

–Your cell phone will cost you a fortune to use overseas and on a cruise (even if you are docked).  You are better off going prepaid

I am sure there are tons more of these little tips that are annoying and require way too much time to hunt them all down.  An experienced travel agent can really save you in these situations.

The problem is, the travel industry is in the dumps with the emergence of the Internet.  So finding a good agent can be difficult.  The best way is to get a recommendation from a friend or family member.   This way you know that you are getting a quality person.  If your friends and family do not travel then you can try the ASTA.  This is a reputable group and can really help you narrow down your choice.  If you are looking to take a cruise a good place to try would be the CLIA.  In searching on these pages I picked up a lot of great info and was cued into some good travel agents.  Happy Vacationing!

Standard travel is different depending on with whom you talk.  For me standard travel, in the realm of vacations, is limited to either driving or flying to somewhere inside the U.S.  If you do not live in the states this would mean inside your country or, in the case of Europeans, continent.  This is by far the least expensive way to vacation.  By staying in your own country you do not need a passport to travel.

When staying in a hotel, flying, or renting a car I have yet to find a better way to score a deal than using Hotwire and Priceline in conjunction with each other.  You can see my post on this strategy Here.  In that same post I explained how VRBO.com works.  This is another great way to save money on housing while on vacation and is a recommended site.

For the more adventurous I have recently learned of the National Parks and Federal Recreation Land Pass.   This looks like a great deal if you enjoy the out doors and go to national parks frequently.  For $80 a year you plus three adults can get into the parks for no charge (kids under 16 are free).  This also covers standard amenities fees at any of these parks.  BUT WAIT!!! If you are a senior (62+ years old) the deal gets really sweet.  Instead of $80 the pass is $10.  And instead of being a one year pass it is a lifetime pass.  This means you can camp at national parks for a one time fee of $10.  Now in many ways this is not a great deal because you paid a lifetime of taxes for this to be available, but why not take advantage of what is there.  Either way for most families this is a good deal when you consider how much a week long stay could cost you.   A good example is everglades national park.  You can enjoy the great out doors and the amazing environment of the everglades and then easily take a day trip over to Miami for some urban fun.  Just one trip would more than pay for the $80 pass and any more you made during the year would just be a steal.  You can check out all the park locations here.

Since we talked about standard travel today I will be covering a little bit of what I consider non-standard travel tomorrow.  See you then.

I don’t tend to take very long vacations.  There is so much going on that missing a bunch of days just does not work.  Each year my wife’s family plans a one week vacation, usually to the beach.  I tend to be there for half the week and am back home for the other half.  I do however like the idea of taking more weekend getaways and such especially during the summer.  For this reason I have become somewhat of a travel connoisseur.  I can find great rates on travel for just about anywhere, especially given enough time.  I have talked about travel a few times before and will be doing the same for the next couple of days as we approach the vacation season.

As I stated previously I do not take long vacations but for those who do I would start out by looking at Tug2.net.   This is a timeshare site where you can purchase timeshares second hand (instead of from the developer).  By doing this you can save a bundle if you like the idea of a timeshare, but the costs involved seem too high.  The other options available here are to rent a time share or to swap weeks with people.  By renting a timeshare you can try out a specific resort without taking the burden of a contract.  The big advantage here is that most people who are renting their time share are trying to get rid of it.  So if you fall in love with a particular area you can many times purchase the timeshare, at a very discounted rate, from a person who is desperately trying to drop it.

Swapping weeks is for people who already own a timeshare and are tired of the location.  By doing this you can check out other places without having to sell your timeshare and purchase another one.  Many people purchase timeshares just to be able to swap with other owners.  This way they get to travel to many different resorts and enjoy varied destinations.

You should never buy a timeshare from a developer.  Always get it from someone who is tired of the timeshare and trying to dump the liability.  Tug2.net and Ebay are by far the best two places I have seen to purchase timeshares second hand.

Mother’s Day is here once again and I know many of us have not gotten anything for mom yet.  Hope some of these Mother’s Day deals help.

Linen’s N Things has 20% off one item using coupon cod “MOM08″

1-800-Flowers has $10 off on select flowers plust you can get a $10 gift card for  your next purchase

For the do it yourself mom, you can get $5 off a $50 purchase at Home Depot using code “SPRING08″

If you don’t get to see your mother very often why not take a flight to see her for only $37 one way with United’s Farewell to Spring sale

If you want to get really techy you could create a web based tribute to Mom with 30% off domain registrations at Godaddy.com using code “gdp0505q”

If you are brave  you can purchase some clothing for mom at Bedford Fair for 40% off using Code”942416″ (ends tomorrow)

And if you still forget about Mother’s Day it will take a few days for Mom to talk to you so take her out for an iced coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts.  Next Thursday (5/15) is free iced coffee day at participating stores.