The Water Secret!!!

If you order The Water Secret by Howard Murad, M.D. from any online retailer (I found the best price on amazon.com), you can forward your order confirmation email to TheWaterSecret3@murad.com and they will send you free full size Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture (a $65 value) - at no cost, not even shipping.  The book is only $12.89, and has been reviewed pretty highly, so this ends up being a really good deal.  Make it better?  Change your swagbucks to Amazon gift cards and use them to pay for the book.  If you choose to go through a different retailer, go through ebates.com (you can get 8% cash back through barnesandnoble.com). 

Sounds too good to be true?  This is not even the best promo they have run for this book.  The last promo was buy the book, forward the order confirmation to them and get $200 worth of Murad products in the mail.  I was not sure it would work, but I received the package in the mail today.  I think the products and the book together will make a really nice Christmas present.  Also, it looks like you can do this one time for every book ordered, so if you think it is a really good deal, buy several books and get several pricey moisturizers (I am kind of kicking myself that I didn't do this with the previous deal). 

Gilt Groupe

Based on the fact that I essentially have no Christmas budget, I have been doing a lot of online research on how to stretch a buck.  The next few posts will be dedicated to some of the great things I have found. 

One thing I have done is sign up for a lot of sites that offer really nice things at a deeply discounted price.  One of the sites I signed up for was the Gilt Groupe (and through the referral link I used I got an automatic $20 credit - I don't know it it is still available).  Well, I almost immediately ordered 2 "Where the Wild Things Are" 15 inch plush characters from Crocodile Creek for two of my nephews.  After using my credit, with shipping I paid $1 OOP. 

The reason I am blogging about this is because I am so impressed with the customer service at Gilt Groupe.  I received an email yesterday saying that they had made an inventory error and one of the plush toys I had ordered (the "Max") had run out of stock.  It went on to say "Your credit card will not be charged for this item, nor will you be charged shipping.  As a token of our sincere apologies, we will be sending you a complimentary set of four, 7" Wild Things (Bernard, Moishe, Max and Sipi) as a gift."  Well, I checked the retail price of this gift and it is almost $50!!!

So I was already getting over $50 worth of merchandise for less than $20 (even if I didn't have the credit), but as it happened, I will be getting half of my credit back (I am still getting the other 15" plush), being credited back my shipping, refunded my $1 OOP, and getting 4 toys free.  Amazing!  Now I just have to figure out which toys to give which nephew!  Needless to say, I will be using Gilt in the future and highly recommend that you join.

ebates

I have neglected to mention this before, but if you shop online and you are not yet a member of ebates, click here to join immediately!  I believe they are still giving you $5 just for joining.  Then, everytime you are going to buy something online, go through the ebates link and you will get a percentage back on your purchase.  Ebates sends out checks quarterly (I believe the one for this quarter will be sent out in February).  This is such an easy way to save money!  I kick myself when I forget to go through ebates before buying something online because it is like throwing money away. 

Examples are 2% cash back from walmart.com, 5% cash back from sephora.com, and (WOW) 40% cash back from Yves Rocher.  The site also contains coupon/promo codes to each of the sites it links to, saving you even more time and money.

Cheap Eggs!

There is currently a printable coupon on smartsource for $.55 off two dozen eggs.  If your store doubles (or triples) coupons, this could score you 24 eggs very cheap!

Amazon Deals

My mom forwarded me an email she received from Amazon, letting her know that they have a program in which you can send in your old DVDs and games and get Amazon gift cards in return.  This program could help declutter your home, recycle unwanted items AND help with your Christmas budget all at once.  Information about this program can be found here.

Also, remember to join Swagbucks - I mentioned last summer that I was trying to see how many swagbucks I could accumulate through not doing anything.  Although I slacked off for several months, just by using the toolbar, I made more than 1500 swagbucks, which I converted into $15 worth of Amazon giftcards (and still have some bucks left over).  I combined this with a daily deal on Amazon and got a bargain on some really cute earrings for my BFF. 

Daily Deal Sites

Now that Christmas is around the corner, I would like to mention again that there are an expanding number of daily deal sites popping up all over the internet.  Here are a few that I recommend:

Groupon (the Columbus deal today is $25 for $50 to American Apparel)

Eversave (I think new subscribers to their newsletter automatically get a $2 credit, making your first purchase an even better deal)

Jasmere (a different concept where the price starts out really good, but continue to drop as more people order - and everyone ends up getting the best price)

Mamapedia (family oriented deals, sign up to recieve their deals and automatically get a $5 credit)

Livingsocial

DailyDealster

Starbucks Holiday Deals!

November 18-21 from 2-5pm, Starbucks is offering BOGO on their holiday drinks.  These include delicious concoctions such as Peppermint Mochas and Gingerbread Lattes, so if you are already a fan of Starbucks, I would highly recommend you take advantage of this deal. 

Also, Starbucks is doing a 12 days of Savings starting December 1st.  Just text 12DAYS to 29943 and you will get one offer via text everyday starting December 1.  Keep in mind that normal texting rates apply.

Black Friday

It has been a while since I have posted since I have had too much on my plate to fit it in.  However, the upcoming biggest shopping day of the year is almost upon us, so I once again feel inspired to write here.  This one is going to be VERY short, just to let you know that you can view many of the black Friday ads here.

In the following week I will post about specific deals that I believe warrant a mention.

Restaurant Week Columbus!

Ugh!  If only I wasn't holed up in my house studying for the Bar!  It is that time again when some of the best restaurants in Columbus offer prix fixe menus showcasing their cuisine.  From today (July 12, 2010), until Saturday (July 17, 2010), an array of restaurants are offering 3 or 4-course menus at $15, $20, $25, $30 or $35 (depending on their regular pricepoint, type of cuisine, etc.).  It is a great opportunity to get out and try restaurants around town - and it benefits the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.

Information about the event, including the menus and prices from participating restaurants can be found here:
http://restaurantweekcolumbus.com/

Some of the participating restaurants include:

The Worthington Inn
Polaris Grill
Columbus Brewing Company
Hyde Park
Mitchell's Steak House
Haiku
G Michael's
Lindeys
M
The Refectory

Diapers Galore!

Although my daughter is long out of diapers (thank goodness), I know for those of you who have children still in diapers, the cost can be exhorbitant.   Anyway, for those of you who still need to purchase tons of diapers, here is a great deal:  if you buy $25+ of qualifying diapers and wipes from Amazon.com under the "Subscribe & Save" feature, you should recieve 30% off  and free 2-day shipping.  Since Amazon already has discount prices on diapers (check out the Huggies Overnights), that by itself is a steal, but if you have it, the August issue of Parents magazine apparently has a coupon for 20% off a diaper purchase from Amazon.com, making the savings close to 45%!  

Update

Samples now available at Walmart.com: Purina One Smartblend dog or cat food and Secret Clinical Strength deoderant.  If you like Purina, there is also a $1 off Target coupon here. 

Swagbucks

Since I joined swagbucks a couple of weeks ago, I have accumulated 720 swagbucks for doing almost nothing except installing their toolbar.  This means I could have already gotten $25 in gift cards from redenvelope.com, a $25 gift card to restaurant.com, or even $5 cash through paypal.  Instead I am going to keep letting them add up and see what I can get (9,750 swagbucks = $50 Sephora gift card; 37,000 swagbucks = $300 Apple gift card).  If you are interested, you can join here:

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Rachel2778

Free Samples

I think I have mentioned that I was conducting an experiment to see how many things I could get for free.  I have succeeded doing this in two ways.  First, by using high value coupons to strategically purchase items that are on sale, thus making them free.  For example, yesterday I got two reach toothbrushes at Kroger and a bengay massage product at CVS for free - actually with overage since I got $2 ECB's at CVS.  If you knew how happy that made me, you would think I was pathetic.  However, if you think about the fact that the Reach toothbrushes are normally priced at $3.99/each and the BenGay product is normally priced at $9.99, I saved almost $18! 

The second way to get free stuff is ordering free samples.  Obviously this route is for the more patient person since sometimes free samples can take 8 weeks to arrive, although in my experience it usually comes much sooner.  NOTE:  I have also read that some companies (depending on their goodwill) may respond to an email or letter with free samples or high value coupons.  This is not something I have explored yet, but very well might soon.

In addition to the awesome gillette fusion razor that I received a couple weeks ago, this week I have received a sample and coupons of the new Starbucks Via, a sample of the new Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets, and samples of Pantene shampoo and conditioner. 

Anyway, here are some links to free samples.  All you should have to do is fill in the form, and they will send you the product.  By the time it comes you will probably have forgotten you ordered it, so it will be like a present in the mail!

Free sample of Purex 3-in-1 Laundry sheets:
http://www.trypurex.com/Purex_3-in-1_Free_Sample/

Free samples of Hairtriggered shampoo and conditioner:
http://erik-prautsch.com/smoothsmooth_sample.php

Sign up at P&G and get high value coupons and free samples sent to you:
http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/index.jsp

Walmart.com links to free samples that change periodically:
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/In-Stores-Now-Free-Samples-And-Tools.aspx

Teecino coffee alternative free samples:
https://secure.teeccino.com/index.php?p=create_account&return=free_sample

Sign up with Quality Health and get coupons and free samples:
https://www.qualityhealth.com/login

That's all right now.  I will update periodically with new ones that come out.

Disney Fun For Kids

So I just stumbled across this link that will allow you to schedule a free customized (with child's name and occassion) call from Princess Tiana (from Princess and The Frog) or Woody (from Toy Story - although if I had to tell you that this is probably not for you).  I scheduled one for my daughter for tomorrow morning, so I will see if it works out (and if it does, watch out!  I will schedule one for everyone I know, child or not)  This is the link:

http://disney.go.com/charactercalls/bigkidcalls/

Advice for Selling on EBay

I have mentioned before that I have recently sold quite a few items on EBay to help make ends meet in this tough time.  Although I do not regret my decision, I would like to impart some of the wisdom I have gained in the last month of working with EBay and PayPal:

1.  Start at the lowest possible price you would be willing to sell for.

Several items I originally listed at the price I hoped to get, and they didn't sell, but when I relisted them (on a hope and a prayer) at $.99, they sold for more than I had listed them for originally.  The competition aspect of EBay entices people into bidding wars and, as a seller, you win. 

2.  Do not list an item lower than what you would accept for it.

I know this seems to counter the first point, but if you list something at $.99, and only one person bids, you will HAVE to sell at that price.  So only list something on the cheap if you can afford to lose it at that price.

3.  Make sure you build in enough cushion to pay for shipping.

I do not mean pad the shipping costs.  But remember that you will have to buy shipping materials, travel to the post office or UPS, and pay for an item to go wherever the buyer lives.  This can add up.  I have sold almost 70 items on EBay this month and my shipping costs have been more than $250 (and way more when you add in packaging).  Mis-estimating shipping costs has cost me money.

4.  EBay takes a fee, billed monthly.

I don't exactly know what the calculation is, but for my sales it has equaled out to more than 10% of my items.  If you get the buyer's money and don't realize this, you may not be prepared to pay EBay when they bill you for their services a month later.  Also, I believe you can start an auction at less than $1 and not be charged if the item does not sell.  However, if the item does sell, EBay is taking a percentage.  Also, if you start the auction at more than $1 and the item does not sell, EBay is still going to take a percentage.  Just a warning. 

5.  PayPal takes a fee out of every transaction.

I know, isn't PayPal owned by EBay?  And yet you have to pay twice.  PayPal will take a portion of every sale you make.  Again, I do not know what calculation they use to determine their fee, but mine has equaled around 10% of my sales (so this, combined with EBay's fees will put you out around 20% of your sales).

6.  PayPal will hold your money.

If you are new to selling through EBay, or have any negative feedback, or for any other reason PayPal deems sufficient, they will hold your incoming money for up to 28 days.  Nope, there is no getting around this because you agree to it when you use PayPal.  And you still have to send the item even if the money is held (i.e. pay for shipping out of pocket).  However, you can get them to release money earlier if you (1) get positive feedback from the buyer or (2) can prove that the item was delivered 3 or more days earlier and the buyer has not complained. 

7.  Spend the extra money for delivery confirmation.

For the reason stated above, pay a little extra for delivery confirmation.  It can be entered into every seller transaction on PayPal, and provide proof that an item was delivered.  This will allow you to ask PayPal to release your money before the allotted 28 days.  This is important because many buyers don't or forget to leave feedback.  Delivery confirmation is usually $.75 or $.85 and can also help you out if you end up dealing with a sketchy buyer.

8.  Call PayPal to release your money.

If you know that you sold something and it was delivered, or you received positive feedback, and PayPal has not released that money, call them.  Releasing funds after either one of those is satisfied is supposed to be automatic, but it sometimes isn't.  So if you want your money, call them (don't waste your time through their "forums" or automated customer support) and they can release the money while you are still on the phone.

9.  PayPal takes 3-4 days to transfer money to your bank account

Even though they can take it out immediately.  Just so you know if you are really in a tight spot and need the money asap.  And it takes longer to get a check.

That's all I can think of right this moment, but will add on if any other thoughts hit me.  Hope this helps & have fun selling!

Father's Day

Just in case you have forgotten, Father's Day is this Sunday, June 20.  I keep getting reminded by emails from different companies that are running specials that I will share with you.

1.  Graeter's is letting you buy one sundae and get one free (valid through 6/27/10) using this coupon (restrictions noted on it):

http://www.kmschwartz.com/12all/index.php?action=message&nl=58&c=2870&m=1028&s=ee899f328f3fa30e6f35a587dcf3dc76

If you don't have a Graeter's in your city or near you, I really feel sorry for you.  Their black raspberry chip may be the best ice cream ever.  Also, if you go, sign up for their sweet rewards program - it is a frequent buyer program (even if you think you wouldn't use it that much, you would be surprised how it can accumulate over time).

2.  Spaghetti Warehouse is letting dad's eat free (their original recipe spaghetti or 15-layer lasagna) on Sunday.
I don't know if restrictions apply, but I assume that you must purchase an entree to get this deal

http://www.murgent.com/users/job_link.php?job=4876-EC-100603-00&tr=17aa0746&mqcid=165283742

3. The Columbus Zoo is doing a Father's Day Special.  Another website reported that dads get in free on Sunday, but it is not explicit from the posting on the zoo's site:

http://www.columbuszoo.org/events/06-20-10/fathers_day_celebration.aspx

4.  Chuck E. Cheese has pictures that your kid's can color for dad:

http://static.contserv.us/static/chuckecheese/300087368/fathersday.pdf

I will add more as I come across them.....

Here's more:

5. http://tcby.com/external/uploads_tiny/files/Father's%20day%20releaseFinal.pdf

TCBY is giving away a free cup or cone to dad.  Restrictions may apply, check site for details.

6. http://www.medievaltimes.com/baltimore/specialoffers/dads-free.aspx

For my friends in the D.C. area: On Father's day, dad gets into Medieval Times free with the purchase of one full price adult admission.  I have never been, but if it is anything like Tournament of Kings in Las Vegas, I would highly recommend.  I believe the closest one to D.C. is in the Baltimore area.  Check the link for more information.

7.  http://photo.walgreens.com/walgreens/storepage/storePageId=SpecialOffer?ec=fb_09142009

At Walgreens.com (online only), use the coupon code in the link to get a free 8x10 collage print.  Only good through Saurday June 19.

8.  http://smokeybones.fbmta.com/members/ViewMailing.aspx?MailingID=32212259386

At Smokey Bones Dad eats free Father's Day with the purchase of another meal.  Restrictions apply.  Check the link for details.

9.  http://www.due-amici.com/

If you are taking your Dad to brunch Sunday, Due Amici is a great restaurant in downtown Columbus, Ohio.  To celebrate Father's Day, they are giving away one free brunch cocktail to dad between 11am and 4pm.

10.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Champps-Americana/88603434198?v=app_4949752878

Not Father's Day specific, but a great deal.  Go to link and become a fan of Champps on Facebook ("like"), then give them your name and email and you get a free burger - coupon will come via email.  Only available to the first 100,000 fans or until 06/30/2010.  Check the link for details.

More Inconvenience?

I don't think I have mentioned this before, but the house I currently live in and rented throughout law school is being sold by the owners who live out of state.  Because I didn't want to have to move prior to taking the bar, I decided to remain a month-to-month tenant (even though I really can't afford this place), until after the bar, or the house is in contract.  That means two things: (1) that people come through looking at my house all the time and (2) that the interior of my house, as it is currently furnished, is visible on both zillow.com and realtor.com.  Both of these things make my life slightly more weird and inconvenient than it is normally (and my life is generallly weird and inconvenient).   Also, I am a fairly neat person, but it makes me really self-conscious about my cleanliness when strangers are coming through and judging my house. 

Anyway, there was another showing of my house this evening, so my daughter and I had to vacate the premises and keep ourselves occupied for an hour.  Before we left the house I realized our pantry was lacking a lot of ingredients, we decided to go down to Kroger.  However, once there, I realized that my wallet was also lacking a lot of ingredients (money).  So, I purchased 3 10/$10 items (Kroger potato chips, Kroger english muffins and Kroger sandwich bread), and paid with [cringe] change.  Yes, with change.  At least it wasn't in pennies.

I put together some really cheap sandwiches with some other ingrdients I had on hand and we had what my daughter likes to refer to as a "ladybug picnic" at the park.  So it didn't turn out that badly after all.

Sidenote:  In anticipation of today's house showing, I mowed my lawn for the first time!  Since I have lived here, I have had a service do it, but now that I realize how dire my financial situation is, I decided to do it myself (since my daughter's father is lending me a mower, it saves me $120/month).   I have come to the realization that I am not good at mowing.  However, I was made to feel quite a bit better when I told a friend about my problems mowing and he asked "well, is the grass shorter?" To which I answered in the affirmative.  His response: "then you are just fine at mowing."  Thanks MJ :)

Yummmm...Great Deal

I just came back from dinner with my daughter and have to share what I think is an amazing deal. I know, I know...I should not be going out to eat when I am living in abject poverty, but with a deal this good, I just can't resist. Also, I had to walk up to the post office to send some things I sold on EBay (my car is in the shop - AGAIN), and the local PO is right next to the restaurant.

So, for your Columbus-odites, La Chatelaine restaurants (I am in no way affiliated) have happy hour between 4-7pm Monday through Friday. To me this means half off appetizers, which includes my favorite: L'assiette de Fromage. Usually $8.75, it is Brie, Roquefort and Swiss cheeses served with sliced bread and grapes. A delicious and substantial summer meal. So, my daughter and I get to indulge for around $4.40.

Since I usually only eat about half, I take the rest to go with a white baguette (only $1.95 - I think that's cheaper than Kroger), so I can have a second meal out of it. If you happen to be imbibing (it is a happy hour deal), they have $3 off bottles of wine, $1 off glasses of wine and $4 martinis.

La Chatelaine has some other delicious food to eat at happy hour or not - you can find their menu here: http://www.lachatelainebakery.com/  I think they have Worthington, Dublin and Upper Arlington locations.

NOTE:  Make sure you tip your servers well!  You are getting a great deal, so don't let the people that wait on you suffer.

Busy Busy

So I didn't post yesterday because everything's so busy around here. Studying for the bar, working and trying to figure out what to do until I get a full time job (anyone know of anyone hiring? lol). Anyway, I made a post last week about signing up to get a free Gillette razor and guess what came yesterday?



Yep! My new razor and coupons for other gillette products. That was impressively fast!!!


Also, I said I would keep you updated on my swagbucks progress, and I already have 202 (remember that I installed the toolbar and essentially have done nothing else). That means I already could be getting a $5 gift card to some places, but think I may let them accumulate a little longer and see what else I could get.


Reading another blog (http://www.swagcodes.com/), I was turned on to a site called instant cash sweepstakes (instantcashsweepstakes.com). You can accumulate money by taking fast, multiple choice surveys and by referring other people. Apparently you start with a few cents a day, but quickly can start making several dollars a day for very little effort. Try it out: http://instantcashsweepstakes.com/invitations/ref_link/11473

Things to do in Columbus

I have lived in Columbus for a while and thought I would compile a list of fun things to do in the summer for families, or really anyone who likes these kinds of things (especially OSU students who get discounts on admission - check out http://www.explorecolumbus.com/).

First of all, I would like to recommend the Topiary Garden. Number one reason: its free! It is essentially just a pretty park at the old Columbus Deaf School in downtown Columbus. It is a topiary garden shaped to look like Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon at the Grand Jatte, and if you go to the top of the little hill and look at it from the perfect angle, it is truly impressive (National Geographic for Kids a couple months ago recommended it). Also, the little pond has weird fish and cute duckies in it, and children can run all around the garden. Information about the park can be found at http://www.topiarygarden.org/
Note: it is located in a neighborhood that is a little hit or miss, so I would recommend going when the sun is up.

Other great options:

The Columbus Zoo. What I believe is the best zoo in the country (sorry San Diego - but the votes are in), is located right north of the city. They have a vast array of animals including manatees, elephants (I think there is a baby right now), monkeys and [new!] polar bears. It has a great set-up and lacks that nasty zoo smell. Normal admission is $12.99 , children 2-9 and seniors over $60 are $7.99; parking is $5. I also think that if you show your AAA card, you get $1 off each admission (not verified). OSU students can buy their tickets at the Ohio Union with a valid student ID for $5 each. If you plan on visiting the zoo several times this year, becoming a member would be more financially prudent. More information is available at http://www.colszoo.org/

COSI (Center of Science and Industry). A great interactive children's museum (but really interesting for adults as well), COSI spans a giant space that includes their regular exhibits such as Space, Ocean and Time, as well as an IMAX theater and rotating exhibits (right now is the return of the Titanic exhibit). Admission is not cheap - for regular exhibits only (no IMAX, no visiting exhibits), it is $13.75, ages 2-12 are $8.75, ages 60+ are $12.75. Membership is a deal if you have a several person family and plan on visiting more than once. I probably saved over $150 with my membership last year. OSU students can get tickets at the Ohio Union for $5. More information available at http://www.cosi.org/

The Columbus Museum of Art is housed in a beautiful building on East Broad Street. They have a fairly good regular collection, and get in some very interesting exhibits. Admission is affordable at $10, students with ID and seniors over 60 $8, kids 6-17 $5, under 5 is free. OSU students can get free passes at the Ohio Union. Best deal: I believe the entire museum is free for everyone on Sundays. More information can be found at http://www.columbusmuseum.org/

The Franklin Park Conservatory is also located on East Broad Street- just much farther east. It is a lovely set up of different climate zones and the different plants that live in each. Additionally, there is a giant Palm House where some people have events, and a cafe and gift shop. I would recommend going when they have the Butterflies and Blooms exhibit in the spring, but it is lovely year round. Admission is $11/$9 for students and seniors/ $6 for children age 3-17. OSU students can get $3 passes at the Ohio Union. Parking is plentiful. More information can be found at http://www.fpconservatory.org/

Those are my summer recommendations. There is also Zoobezi Bay, which is adjacent to the zoo and looks extremely fun, but I have not been so I can not say from personal experience. Additionally, it is very expensive. But if you are looking for a water park, this has to be the best in Columbus and their pricing and more information is at http://www.zoombezibay.com/

Email me if you have other recommendations and I will post them.

Groupon

Oh...I also wanted to let everyone know that if they have not signed up at http://www.groupon.com/, do so immediately. All they ask for is your email address and your city, and they email you a fantastic local deal everyday that you can take advantage of (they offer the deal, you purchase it, and once a specific number of people have committed to doing so, "the deal is on" and you get your groupon). It can range from things like $10 for $20 worth of items at a bakery to 70% off boot camp to a huge discount on a spa day. It is great for people who don't get out much because they are on a tight budget.

Note: Best to keep a lookout for something you may be spending money on anyway (your favorite restaurant perhaps), rather than the mistake I made of thinking $25 for $149 worth of ballroom dancing lessons would be a fantastic idea. I am sure for someone who is not a single parent and has time to have leisure activities, that would have been a fantastic deal, but as it stands, I really just donated $25 to the dance studio (although they were nice enough to say I could use the $25 I spent to to pay my daughter's preschool ballet registration for next fall, so it may not be a total loss).

Grocery Coupons

As I have admitted, I am fairly terrible at saving money. I am a careful coupon cutter and such, but I do not plan meals well and I tend to buy a lot of things I don't need when I am at the store because my eyes wander. However, I think I had two fairly successful grocery store trips this week. The first was to Kroger:

Where I bought all of this for $4.11. Now I actually made a mistake buying the peirogies. I wanted to get them and had a $1 off coupon, but when I got to the register, I realized the coupon was actually $1 off 3. I bought them anyway because my daughter wanted pierogies. So, with a BOGO on Sobe Lifewaters that were on sale for $.88, a $1 off 2 bags of lifesavers that were on sale for $1 each, $2 off a Loreal children's shampoo (bonus that it was Toy Story themed), and the $3.99 pierogies, once I used a $3 Catalina that I had obtained from my last shopping trip, it came to a whopping $4.11. Notice that if I hadn't bought the pierogies, everything else would have been free.

I also went to Walmart today. I love the deals at Walmart, but hardly make it out there because it is 5 times farther away than my local Kroger. But since I am trying really hard to watch my money, I thought I would make the effort to go out there. This is what I purchased there:

With coupons and roll-backs, all of this ended up being $31.94. Even though I was trying to keep my shopping to under $30, I think it ended up well. I purchased:

Strawberries (roll-back to $1.47)

Bananas ($.47/lb.)

Pears ($1.47/lb.)

Breyers Ice Cream ($1.98!)

Minute Maid Lemonade and Limeaide (2/$2)

409 Cleaner & Clorox Cleaner with bleach ($4.69 & I had a $1 off coupon)

Bandaids ($1.50 & I had a $1 off coupon)

Olay face wash ($4.47 & I had a $1 off coupon)

Dove Deoderant ($2.47 & I had a $2 off coupon)

Sour Cream ($1.44)

Lender's Bagels ($1.43)

Maple Syrup ($1.98)

Mustard ($1.28 & I had a $.50 off coupon)

Bic Soleil Razors ($3.97 & I had a $2 off coupon)

Red Baron Pan Pizza ($4.98 on roll-back and I had a $2 off coupon)

Trix 6-pack of yogurt ($1.96)

2 Taco Bell meals ($1.50 each and I had a $1 off 2 coupon)

Michelina's Breakfast ($1.00 & I had a $.50 off coupon)

Pierogies ($2.16)

Now, I got different Pierogies (we usually get Mrs. Ts), so I hope they are good. Also, the price of Mrs. T's Pierogies at Walmart was $2.98 I think (non roll-back), so they are substantially less expensive than Kroger (which prices them at $3.99 I believe. But I was still unwilling to buy 3 boxes to use my coupon, so I decided to try the less expensive brand. You may think I am pierogie obsessed, but the truth is that my daughter just discovered them and is a big fan.

I could have saved a bit more money had I purchased some of the personal care items at Walgreens, but dealing with their incompetence (I will have to write a whole different post about that when it is resolved) was unbearable, so I figured spending the extra dollar at Walmart was worth it.

More Free Stuff...Maybe?

I spent a good chunk of today trying to send out items I sold on EBay. While I have actually had quite a lot of luck in my auctions, and all of my buyers have been extremely prompt in paying, it seems that PayPal enjoys keeping my money for as long as humanly possible. I have to actually call them on the phone every time I get positive feedback to ask them to release the money that was paid to me the moment I made the sale. And then they take their good old time transferring it to my bank account (curious that they can take it out instantaneously). Nonetheless, I have great hopes that everything will work out. But a warning to those of you who have never sold on EBay: selling large quantities of items is incredibly time consuming (even more so if you have not already amassed a horde of shipping supplies).

Also, an update on swagbucks: I have made 105 swagbucks in two days. I don't know if this is a lot or a little, but most of these have been awarded simply by installing the swagbucks search bar and using it. I think that a $5 redenvelope.com gift card is available at 140 swagbucks, so thats not so shabby for essentially no work. I will keep you posted on how many I can acquire with zero effort.

So my new (and hopefully not just temporary) obsession: being a very careful spender. I recently stumbled across a blog called http://moneysavingmom.com/ and I was inspired by the way she can save money. I mean, it is truly ridiculous. Just as an experiment tomorrow, I am going to go to a few stores and see how much stuff I can get for no money (or pennies on the dollar). From what I can tell, I should be able to walk away with a bottle of Bayer, a bottle of BenGay, 2 reach toothbrushes, a bottle of Vaseline with Aloe lotion and Dove deoderant all for free because of strategic coupons and deal watching. I additionally am going to try and score 2 SoBe Life Waters for $.44/each (usually $1.50), some Bic Soleil razors for $1.49 and 2 bags of Lifesavers for $.50/each.

I will let you know how it goes. Money saving for me is usually an epic fail.

Free Stuff

I really like getting something free (even if it is something I don't really need), because it makes me feel like I have beaten the system. However, Gillette is giving away something that people can really use: their new fusion proglide razor if you register with proglidechallenge.com. You need a pin if you are a new customer and you can automatically get one if you enter the sight through here: http://www.brownsgab.com/2010/05/28/get-a-brand-new-gillette-fusion-proglide/ There are limited supplies and they are going fast.

Trying Something New

I hit a wall today when I realized that I really have no money. I have spent my entire life in school or with a full time job. My decision to take the last three years to go to law school has not yet seemed to financially pay off. So when I ran a budget for what I need to survive even through the summer, the impact was pretty bleak. My absolutely necessary expenses are three times what my income is. As I said, pretty bleak.

So I have spent the day on the internet. First I was really just applying for jobs (this activity is not unique to today - I spend most of everyday looking and applying for jobs). Then I started looking for coupons and other ways to save money on household necessities. This was a fun activity (well far better than being rejected from job after job)! I found some very useful tips on saving money and realized that I have been unintelligently grocery shopping my entire life. Do you know that there is such a thing as "stacking" coupons? Meaning that you can use several coupons for the same item? Apparently there are people out there that do this quite successfully - sometimes either getting things for free or even making money.

Anyway, from that point (gaining coupon expertise) on, I started looking at other opportunities. I have started selling mass amounts of my personal items on ebay (which is not as lucrative as I had hoped, but it is something AND it makes my house feel bigger now that a lot of the clutter is gone). Monitoring my auctions on ebay has become one of my favorite activities. Lame. After this, I was somehow pointed in the direction of swagbucks.com, and hope to see how that turns out (apparently doing certain things can earn you swagbucks that you can cash in for gift certificates and other items). http://www.swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=1956592

Now I am starting this blog. I decided it would be an interesting way for me to keep track of my experience trying to make it through - essentially working part time, studying, and trying to keep a roof over mine and my daughter's head. Maybe through maintaining this log, I can prevent you from making some of the mistakes I make and tell you what has worked for me.