Shopper Strategy

SodaStream – The New Love of My Life!

Denise — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:11:10 +0000

I have really been wanting to try the SodaStream so I’m glad to be able to tell you that it doesn’t disappoint! I was surprised and more than a little excited to see all of the amazing flavor choices that our SodaStream came with. In addition to all of these tall containers of flavor syrup, we also received a dozen sample size containers (like the 4 small white ones you see above) of their most popular flavors. The trial-sized samples contained enough to make four servings so that was more than enough for us to have a little fun with trying out the different flavors.

The SodaStream machine itself takes up very little space on the counter and is extremely simple to use. When you initially unpack your SodaStream from the box you must first twist the carbonator into place, but then you’re ready to go! Fill one of the two provided water bottles with regular water (I recommend using COLD water for best results) up to the fill line then screw it into place in the machine. Push the carbonator button on the top three times then add a capful of your favorite flavor syrup, put on the lid and shake gently to mix. We really liked all the flavors but my favorite is the Diet Cola and hubby’s is the Rootbeer.

It’s as easy as that to make your own sodas, flavored waters and energy drinks for much cheaper than you can buy them at the store. While I’m always thrilled to find a new way to save some money, I’m also super excited about being able to reduce our use of bottles and cans. The Clean Air Council reports that Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every HOUR. The SodaStream provides a fabulous way to reduce our impact on the environment in addition to saving us money and making it easy for our family to stock a variety of flavors in very little space.

The SodaStream comes with a 30 day money back guarantee and a two year warranty. The really neat thing is that you can exchange or refill empty carbonators at participating retail stores or through the SodaStream website. I found a nearby Staples and a Bed, Bath and Beyond that will exchange my canisters and they carry some select SodaMix flavors as well. There were many local retailers in my area including J.C. Penney, Target and Best Buy who carry the SodaStream unit as well as a variety of flavors.

Disclosure – I was provided with the SodaStream and flavor syrups shown above for the purpose of facilitating this review. I received no other compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Saturday Savings Coupon News Digest

Denise — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:44:43 +0000

Saturday Savings Coupon News Digest

Joe the Coupon Guy tells us how to save money on our last minute Super Bowl buys
NewsNet5.com
Joe the Coupon Guy has some ways for you to save some money on your trip to the store this weekend. First, remember to combine. For instance, CVS has DiGiorno Pizzas on sale buy one get one free this week (through Feb. 4). Combine that with a coupon …

20% Off Ice.com Coupon and Valentine’s Day Gift Guide Featured on CouponBuzz.com
Houston Chronicle
CouponBuzz.com recently announced a 20% off site-wide coupon for Valentine’s Day that they are introducing on their new webpage dedicated to Ice.com coupons. Today they created a special link on the page that will not only activate the 20% off coupon, …

The Coupon Lady
The Augusta Chronicle
My coupon story begins in 2010. My husband and I had taken a class to “live like no one else” and made the decision to have a goal to become debt-free. At the time we made this decision, I was working two part-time jobs. Things started to look good.

Workshop teaches how to survive the economic crunch
Richmond Register
Noe, a Madison County extension agent for family and consumer sciences, is referring to the popular TV show on TLC that has “changed the coupon world quite a bit,” she said. Having taught her coupon class in eight other counties, Noe heard a lot about …

Jail “rips” coupons to save on inmate meals
KFVS
That’s why to save a few bucks, or even a few thousand inmates are ripping (not clipping) coupons. “The jail administrator brought it to my attention a few weeks ago,” Sheriff Holder said. “He was looking inside these boxes and there’s a coupon in …

Coupon craze gets too extreme
Statesville Record & Landmark
Sparked by reality television shows and an economy that just doesn’t seem to want to turn around, the so-called “coupon craze” is leading some otherwise honest people to cross the line when it comes to getting their hands on those treasured coupons.

Coupons.com Names Top Frugalebrities
MarketWatch
“Celebrities may be thought of as living lavish lifestyles but the truth is, like most of us, many stars love a good bargain,” said Jeanette Pavini, Coupons.com Household Savings Expert. “Whether it’s shopping around for a deal, clipping coupons or …

Frugal Friday – Show Off Your Shops!

Denise — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:12:37 +0000

This week I bought a total of $164.12 worth of groceries and toiletries for $34.95, or 79% off. I love to see the deals that other frugal shoppers come up with because it’s so inspiring and I really dig having a visual way that we can all share our deals and Show Off Our Shops! Please post a link below to any or all of the deals that you’d like to show off this week. If you don’t have a blog to link up, just leave a comment and tell us all about your deals or upload a picture to Flickr or PhotoBucket and link to that

Final Numbers for January – Saved $1,210.93

My 2/1 Publix Trip – $77.41 for $20.77 or 73% Off

My 1/30 Walgreens Trip – $35.92 for $1.10 or 99% Off

My 1/30 CVS Trip – $50.79 for $13.08 or 74% Off

Enter to Win 100,000 Bonus Box Tops!

Denise — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:09:26 +0000

General Mills & Publix Return to School Enter to win 100,000 Boxtops for your school! Publix Shoppers located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee can signup then enter the 100,000 boxtop giveaway. Click the banner above for details. This is only available for Publix Shoppers located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

(All posts may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.)

Ed Hardy Bed of Roses Wallet $20 Shipped!

Denise — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:33:54 +0000

I absolutely love this Red Ed Hardy Bed of Roses Zip Around Wallet and I think it’s a great deal just in time for Valentine’s Day so I wanted to share. The 7″ x 4″ x 2″ tattoo print wallet has a lush gold interior and regularly retails for $68 but you can grab it now for just $19.99 plus free shipping! Honey, are you reading today?

(All posts may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.)

Restaurant Coupons for the Weekend

Denise — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:53:51 +0000

Tonight we’re going to head over to Ruby Tuesday to use a 25% off the entire ticket coupon that I got via email from the So Connected club (you also get a free hamburger on your birthday). My husband and I plan a Friday date night dinner out every week and even though we’re usually home pretty early and then right back to work, it is so nice to have some quiet time together without the kids underfoot and dessert on a dish I don’t have to wash! We usually check out the available coupons for our favorite local restaurants before deciding where we want to eat so we can save a few bucks, because we work hard to save where we can so we can spend where we want. Check out our Restaurant Coupon Database here so you can find the best deals near you!

Search and Win – It’s Mega Swagbucks Friday!

Denise — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:47:59 +0000

Every Friday is Mega Swagbucks Day where your odds of winning BIG Swagbucks is even better than any other day of the week. You can win 10, 20, 50 or more than 100 Swagbucks just for searching on any day of the week, but on Mega Swagbucks Day you can possibly win up to 1,000 or even 2,000 Swagbucks just for doing a simple search. You can redeem your Swagbucks for all sorts of prizes, but my favorite thing to do is trade 450 Swagbucks for a $5 Amazon gift card, then I save up the gift cards to buy birthday or Christmas gifts! So go ahead and sign up at Swagbucks if you haven’t already and get to searching! Then leave a comment and let us know how much you’ve won.

Tip: Download the Swagbucks toolbar to make searching even easier! Plus, it will alert you when there is something new on the Swagbucks blog or on their Twitter or Facebook pages. When you see a Swidget like the one below you can click the “SC” button at the bottom, then click on “Check if there’s a Swag Code” and it will tell you if there is one and where to go grab the code.

Sunday Newspaper Coupon Insert Preview for 2/5

Denise — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:58:57 +0000

There will be TWO coupon inserts this Sunday – one Red Plum and one SmartSource. Click here to see all of coupons that are reported to be in this Sunday’s paper! Here are some of my favorites that I’ll be looking for in the local paper (keep in mind that they vary by location):

Red Plum (RP)

Baskin Robbins Save $2/1 cake, minimum Save $12 cake (3/4)
Crave B1G1 soft treats for cats up to Save $1.59 (3/17)
Gillette Save $3/1 Fusion ProGlide Styler ets (3/31)
Gillette Save $3/1 Mach3 disposables(excludes 1ct), Sensor3 or Custom Plus3 ets (3/31)
Sally Hansen Save $1/1 Complete Salon Manicure (3/5)
Sally Hansen Save $1/1 Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips (3/5)
Subway Buy any 16oz+ drink before 11am, get a regular 6-inch breakfast sub or flatbread free (3/31)
Subway Buy any 6-inch or flatbread sub with any 16oz+ drink, get a regular 6-inch sub of equal or less price free (2 coupons) (3/31)

Click here for printable RedPlum coupons!

Smart Source (SS)

Bayer Save $1/1 Aspirin tablets 50ct+ TARGET coupon (3/31)
Betty Crocker Save $3/2 decorating items (5/31)
Duncan Hines Save $.35/1 cake mixes (4/30)
Infusium 23 Save $1/1 shampoo, conditioner or leave in treatment ets (3/4)
Mentos Save $.55/1 15pc+ bottle dnd (3/31)
New York Brand Save $.50/1 frozen product (4/30)
Snackwell’s Save $.75/1 bars dnd (5/31)

Click here for printable SmartSource coupons!

New to couponing? Check out our Couponing 101 page and learn how to save a little or A LOT! Also visit our Strategic Shopping page to learn how a few small, painless changes in the way you shop can result in HUGE savings! Find any coupon in our new coupon database, order coupons you need, and you can download the FREE coupon toolbar here.

Final Numbers for January – Saved $1,210.93

Denise — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:30:52 +0000

I’d been working really hard on keeping our spending below $100 for the month of January during the Boost Your Budget Pantry Challenge, and ended up doing so well at using money maker deals to cover staples like bread and milk that our spending for the month was only $14.77!! I was so proud of keeping the spending this low that I actually jumped at the chance to spend the savings on 40 pounds of hamburger and 30 pounds of bacon from Zaycon Foods that was just delivered last weekend. We still have plenty of chicken in the freezer from the previous delivery so I figure we now have enough meat in the freezer to make it through March and maybe a little further. I’m super excited that even with spending an unexpected $206.76 on meat, we STILL came in below our new monthly budget of $300! For the month of January we spent $221.53 to buy $1,432.46 worth of groceries, toiletries, and cleaning supplies, or a savings of 85%! That equates to an average of $1.02 per person for the month for our family of seven!

Do It Yourself Make Up

Rachel Franz — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:37:24 +0000

There are a few things in life that most women cannot go without. Yes, men of the world, only a few things. Aside from the reckless splurging on the 75% off Coach clutch or the home décor that is on major sale and completely necessary to pull the room together, women spend on their appearance, especially make up. The problem though is that, unlike the handbags and curtains, make up and beauty products rarely go on sale. What’s a girl to do? A girlfriend recently introduced me to a brilliant (and economical) plan – make your own!

Now I know what women think when they see a DIY (do it yourself); it looks like a great money saving idea, but we don’t like putting the effort forth to go out and buy the materials and make it. But the good thing about DIY make up and other beauty products is that most women have the necessary materials in their homes. If not, the ingredients are no farther away than a short trip to a drug store.

I have found a few websites that give recipes for home beauty products including DIY body scrub, perfume, shave oil, and facial masks, as well as lip/cheek color, eyeliner, and even bronzer! What I love about all of these home concoctions is that they isolate the necessary materials to make the beauty product, but leave out all the unnatural preservatives. So with these products, you will know exactly what’s going on your body, and you’ll be making both a healthy and inexpensive choice.

Now trust me when I say that these are easy to do. Nothing took me more than 15 minutes to make; some were even as simple as buying one natural oil and putting it on. As far as money goes, you could buy a bottle of activated charcoal for DIY eyeliner for $5 and that would make enough eyeliner to last nearly two years. But, as I said before, the majority of the ingredients are basic items found in any kitchen.

So ladies, go out and explore the possibilities of DIY beauty products. The best way to find these websites is a simple Google search. Check out “How to make your own beauty products from scratch”. That will give some general products, but the more specific your search is, the more specific your results will be. Make sure to experiment and share with others – that’s the beauty of it all.