Shopping — Page 52

{Awesome} Skip Hop Sale, up to 50% off!!

Check out the big sale on Skip Hop products… Up to 50% off!!

I am a HUGE fan of Skip Hop… They have great modern designs, so you can find a bag that doesn’t look so “baby” for toting around the massive amount of stuff that a little one needs to leave the house. And I had a hard time finding Skip Hop stuff on sale when I was pregnant, so this is an AMAZING sale, check it out here!

Plus, they are just a great company. Read more: “Based in New York City, Skip Hop is a company that’s all about details and safety. They fall in love with products before releasing them to the world. They’re parents themselves, after all. For every Skip Hop product sold, a percentage of profits support causes including The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and Baby Buggy.” I love a company that truly cares, and takes action to give back. This is a great company to support!

This is the diaper bag that I have, and we love it! It has an open top, so you can just kinda toss stuff in easily when you’re in a hurry, and it has a great magnetic closure to hide the mess :) I’ve used it for over 8 months, and it still looks brand new. Really great quality and amazing detail. You can buy cheaper diaper bags, but you’ll find out quickly just WHY they were so cheap. If you buy a bag from Skip Hop, it is the ONLY one that you’ll need. Seriously.

Here is another one I think is pretty great. I love that the style makes it look like more of a purse. If I needed a bag right now, I’d totally snag this, especially at this sale price! In fact, I’m kind of tempted to buy it anyway….

To check out the rest of the Skip Hop products on sale before they sell out, see the sale here. Let me know which one is YOUR favorite!

Huge Sale! 50% off the Prettiest Party Supplies!

Zulily is having a HUGE SALE on Party Boxes from ACME Party Box Company!

I am just in LOVE with this stuff. If you are not familiar with ACME Party Box Company, read more:

When you order coordinating party décor pieces from ACME Party Box Company, all the work decorating for a stylish party is done for you. Instead of focusing all your energy on finding the pieces to set up an aahh-worthy get-together, you can focus on the special touches that’ll surely bring a smile to your little one’s face.

With adorable themes to choose from, like dude ranch, circus, woodland, cottage floral and more, you’ll find a collection of items that’ll create a fun celebration to match their personality. Next time you’re throwing an adult party, ACME has you covered. There are plenty of elegant options to choose from for your next party with your girlfriends.

The goods from ACME are high-quality and eco-friendly, so your party will have a chic, put-together look that’s green as well. All of the kids’ centerpieces double as adorable heirloom wooden toys and each favor bag is reusable.

So head on over to Zulily and check out this amazing deal!

Party on!!

{Part 3} “How to Get FREE Stuff”

Welcome to {Part 3} of the series, “How to Get FREE Stuff”…

Cash Back Shopping Sites!

You can see my most recent check from Ebates in the picture above; I posted it so you can see that yes, these sites are legit, and you DO get real rewards!

I will admit that Ebates is my VERY favorite cash back shopping site, and I can’t believe that it took me so long to start using it! I do most of my shopping online since it is easier than going out with the kiddo’s, I find better deals, and especially- because I can earn rewards for my purchases!

Why would I use a cash back shopping site?

Well, if you’re going to shop online, and you’re going to buy it anyway, why not use one of these sites to get a reward back as a bonus? It’s like free money!

Now that I have been using some of these sites, I have started to buy some of our basics online too… I can stock up on shampoo, detergent, paper towels, etc, at a place like Walgreens, Right Aid, or Drugstore.com, and get cash back rewards on my purchase. This saves me time since I don’t have to get to the store in town, and gives me free cash. Awesome, right?

How do these type of sites work?

There are several different types of shopping sites: some give you cash back in the form of a check, and some reward you with gift cards.

When you get online to make a purchase somewhere, you just take a quick second to go to a site like Ebates FIRST. You type the store into the search box to see if it is a partner, if it is you click the link to visit the site, and you do your shopping just like usual! The site will track your purchase and calculate your rewards. Simple, right?

Plus, some of these sites, such as Ebates, will also post exclusive coupon codes that you can use on your purchase too!

Shopscotch (say the name, it makes you smile, love it!) is a really fun new one that I’ve just started using. It makes shopping and getting deals into a game almost :) It is built on the idea that all of the users are a community, and it lets you share deals and best practices with others, so you can all benefit! Plus, you earn badges and rewards for your activity. Very fun site.

What are some things to be aware of when using these sites?

I learned the hard way that you need to carefully read the rules on these sites, to make sure that you don’t miss out on rewards.

For Christmas, I ordered about $150 worth of merchandise from Shutterfly. Since Ebates had a promotion, and Shutterfly was earning you 12% cash back, I thought this would be a great way to save on such a big purchase.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware that you cannot use a “non-Ebates” coupon code on your purchase. This means that you can use any of the great coupon codes that they provide on their site, but not a coupon code that you have found on your own. This is because the partner companies will only provide cash back with APPROVED discounts. But it makes sense… I was using a photo book Buy 1 Get 1 FREE deal, and saved over $100 already, so it seems fair that I couldn’t earn cash back TOO. Just wish I’d known that at the time!

What tips do you suggest for using these reward sites?

I’ll explain how I use these sites, and what works best for me, just as an example. You’ll figure out what works best for you, based on what type of purchases you make, but this will give you a basic idea…

I always go to Ebates first, since most of the companies that I order from are partners there. I search out the company, check out the available coupon codes, and keep that in my mind. If I’m not too excited by the coupon code or the cash back percentage, sometimes I’ll also take a minute to check out ShopAtHome and Shopscotch and see what they offer. Then I make my decision on where to link up for my purchase.

If I have a coupon code of my own, (this usually happens with Shutterfly or Snapfish) then I’ll head over to MyPoints to do my shopping. MyPoints rewards you with points for your purchase, no matter what code you use! Those points are then redeemable for FREE gift cards, and I get a lot of these.

Another option that works great when you are using your own coupon code is Inbox Dollars. Inbox Dollars you earn cash back too. MyPoints and Inbox Dollars are similar in that they reward you for lots of different activities, not just shopping. So you can earn rewards pretty quickly. Check them out to learn more!

Now that you know how it works, I’m sure you’re ready to get started! (And, if you’re like me, this just gives you another reason to go shopping, lol.)

Here are links to the sites that I mentioned:

MyPoints: Earn points for shopping, surveys, offers, and ads. Points are traded for FREE gift cards to tons of great stores!
Ebates: Shop at 1200 Top Online Merchants and Get Up To 25% Cash Back! Click Here.
Shopscotch: Earn $5 today for signing up! Shopscotch is a “social” cash back site, and lets members share what they’re buying, and learn about great deals from each other! Lots of other fun stuff too. Click Here.
Inbox Dollars: Featured on the Good Morning America TV Show.InboxDollars pays members to read e-mail, take surveys, play games, shop online, and more! As a special bonus, anyone that joins NOW will receive a quick $5 in their account just by filling out their user profile, so signup right now for FREE. Click Here.
ShopAtHome: This site offers tons of other great features like giveaways, coupons, and more. Click Here.

I’d LOVE for you guys to share any cash back/reward sites that you are using to get bonus stuff back on your purchases. There are so many of them out there, and these are just the sites that I personally use…. So I’d love to hear your experiences with other sites too! Leave some comments and share your tips.

If you missed {Part 1} about Survey Sites or {Part 2} about Newsletter Freebies, make sure to check them out and leave some thoughts! And I always LOVE it when you guys shae my post on Facebook and Twitter! (Check out the new little Twitter box my the GFC!).

And don’t forget, there is a new giveaway, where you can win a swag bag just like the one that my guests took home from the Dinnertime Dillema House Party! Win it… Enter the giveaway HERE!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on April 13, 2011 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Freebies, Shopping | 3 Comments

Who Loves Free Stuff??

Yesterdays Freebies…

I love getting the mail on days like this. Every day there is at least SOMETHING, but today was a fun day!

Here is your daily FREE stuff list:

Free sample of John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start. Click Here.
Free Huggies Supreme Baby Wipes. Click Here. It asks you for your Sam’s Club number, but you don’t need one.
Free Special K Cereal sample! Click Here.
Join Crowdtap. Earn cash, money for the charity of your choice, collaborate with brands, and have the chance at house parties and product testing. Click Here.
Free sample of HappyMe Skincare.
Click Here.
Todays DAILY DOUBLE at Ebates is Cabela’s!! Get Up to 25% Cash Back at Over 1200 Stores – Sign-up Free at Ebates.com! Click Here.
Get a FREE Mr. Potato Head with a $25 purchase of select Playskool toys on Amazon. Free Mr. Potato Head!
Free sample of Invisible Glass Cleaning Wipes at Freeflys.
Click Here.
Free Red Dress Pin for Heart Disease awareness. Click Here.
Free samples of Pantene shampoo and conditioner. Click Here.
Get 140 Free Return Address Labels from Vistaprint Click Here. These work great as labels on kids toys, or to use as package tags. Tons of cute designs too. I get these all the time!
Free 2 oz. Benjamin Moore Paint Sample. Click Here.
Daily deals on adorable stuff for moms and babies. Click Here.
New coupons and samples today at Women Freebies: Pizza Hut, Duck Tape, Coffee-Mate, and more. Click Here.

New Contests and Sweepstakes:

Enter To Win a One Of 12 $100 Great Clips Gift Cards. Click Here.
Enter to win a Polaris ATV and over 400 other prizes in the Dial for Men 30 Days of Dirt giveaway. Click Here.
Win FREE Laser Hair Removal. I really want to win this for summer :) Make sure to click the box that says, “Yes you can contact me” or they can’t let you know if you’re a winner. I enter this every month, lol. Click Here.
Win a $10,000 Deck Make-over from Thompsons Water Seal. Click Here .
Win a Mexico Vacation package. Click Here. Oh my, how I need a vacation! I’ve been entering vacation contests like crazy lately.
Play the Fast Five Instant Win Game. Click Here.
Cuisinart Giveaway from RecipeLion. Click Here.
Win a $500 Leap Frog Easter Basket! Click Here. This is a kind of fun contest :)
Win a Memories of a Lifetime Prize Package. Click Here.

PLUS, more good stuff:

And, don’t forget to check out {Part 1} of my new series, “How to Get FREE Stuff” posted here, and watch for {Part 2} today! If you love it, please use the social media buttons on this page to share it on Facebook and Twitter! You can share any of my posts that way… It makes you a great gal for sharing sweet deals with your friends, and helps me get out there and meet new freebie-lovin’ faces!

And, the new giveaway started yesterday. Enter here to check it out… You can win a House Party Philly Cooking Creme Set.

And stay tuned… I have so much fun stuff lined up for the next few weeks!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on April 12, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Shopping, Contests | No Comments

How to Find Coupons: 11 Sources for Big Grocery Savings

So many people think that using coupons is “too hard” or “too time consuming” or even “too confusing.” I assure you ladies – that is NOT the case! I take about a 30 minutes each week to {mostly} plan my meals for the upcoming week, then about an hour to clip, print, and digitally load coupons for my grocery trip. Matching things up and planning ahead save me around 40% each time I shop – and that’s a lot of extra room in my budget to do fun stuff – from little things like seeing a matinee with my little girl or getting a pedicure for some “me time” – to building our vacation fund for summertime. Sounds worth an hour or so a week, right?

Sundays are the day that I clip my new coupons for the week, put together a menu plan, and make my shopping list

If any of you ladies are like me, then I’m sure that you’ll appreciate this list of awesome coupon sites that I use. I clip what I can use from the Sunday paper, but of course that alone isn’t enough, right? We usually only have a couple of coupon inserts, so after browsing them, I head on over to these coupon sites and print out all of the new savings to use in the upcoming week :)

And, you can sign up with Sunday Coupon Preview to get, well, just what the name says… They alert you each week when the early preview is available for the weeks Sunday paper coupons. Really helpful.

Pin or bookmark this page, to make it easy to come back each week to get all of the coupons you need in one spot. It doesn’t take long to browse for your favorite products, and you will definitely love it at the end of your transaction… They’ll start scanning all of those coupons, and it feels like such an accomplishment to watch your purchase total go down lower, and lower, and lower…. If you have any other great ways you use to get coupons too, be sure to leave a comment and let me know so that I can add them to this resource!

Here is a great resource list for new coupons this week:

CELLFIRE: Save grocery coupons directly to your supermarket savings card with Cellfire.
COUPONS.COM: Free Coupons! Save on your favorite brands. Print free coupons before you shop.
A FULL CUP: Great resource for printable coupons, as well as sale match-ups and tips!
INBOX DOLLARS: There are a lot of ways to get freebies and earn cash here – But a super awesome tool is that you can find your favorite coupons here, and get PAID when you print them!
GROCERY COUPON NETWORK: 100% FREE registration to receive free printable coupons, exclusive email savings, recipes and helpful grocery savings tips.
SWAGBUCKS: This is another site that offers lots of ways to get freebies, and also pays you for printing coupons on their site – very cool!
PENNY PINCHER GAZETTE: Visit Penny Pincher Gazette for Free Printable Grocery Coupons!
RED PLUM: Print Free Grocery Coupons from RedPlum!
VOCALPOINT: Vocalpoint was made for smart, deal-savvy women like you. Coupons, Samples, Tips, and more cool stuff.

Many of these sites will have similar coupons. But if you usually buy multiples of an item, such as 3 or 4 packages of lunch meat when they’re on sale, then being able to print out the same coupon on a few sites can be pretty handy.And even if you’re new to couponing, you can still save lots of money without too much work. Just scroll through some of these sites, and print out a handful of coupons for products that you would buy anyway. You’ll be surprised at how fast the savings start to add up!

Even more savings – if you shop online a lot, start at Ebates. You get a free $10 gift card when you sign up. They have all of the best online coupon codes in one place. AND you earn totally free and easy cash back every time you shop! Honestly, I’ve gotten into the habit where I don’t even want to shop in-store anymore, because I calculate the cash back I could be earning if I ordered online :) So, I do the “site to store” option at as many places as possible, like Walmart… I can order online and get cash back, not wait in line, and pick it up easy peasy with no shipping fees. Seriously – if you’re an online shopper at ALL, you need this if you’re not using another cash back site, or you’re just throwing away free money! {Click here to learn another way to earn freebies from Walmart.}

And if you love coupons, freebies, and deals (of course you do!) – check out the {Intro} post for my weeklong series “How to Get FREE Stuff” to learn more ways to save! And another great way to get high-value brand coupons is to sign up for their newsletters, and I’ve put together a HUGE resource of newsletters in this post.

{Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. I only share sites and services I use and can honestly promote because I love them – some are affiliates, some are not. But they’re all great tips – hope you enjoy!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on April 10, 2011 Filed Under: Food, Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes | No Comments

Shopscotch Makes Me Smile!

The most fun you’ll have shopping online!

Have you joined Shopscotch yet?

The fun name is reason enough for me to get signed up, but it’s also a really fun new cash back program too. Read more:

“Get extra cash back from hundreds of top brands when you buy through Shopscotch. Join free today and get $5.00 Credit! Shopscotch is a social cash back shopping site. Members earn cash back for making online purchases, and are able to share their earning activity within the community, allowing others to see where people are shopping and how they are benefiting from the program. Sounds fun, right?”

Shopscotch has partnered with hundreds of top brands including eBay, GAP, Staples, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Macy’s and Apple. And they continues to add new stores every day!

Unlike other cash back programs out there, Shopscotch members don’t have to wait every quarter before they can cash out. Shopscotch members can redeem at any time, and be paid within 7-10 days, which is pretty cool. And I love the idea of having a social network of shoppers on the site, and learning from their tips. Super cool.

To get started with Shopscotch, sign up HERE. Say the name, Shopscotch. It’s another one, like Moolala, that makes me smile every time I say it :)

Posted by Meagan Paullin on April 8, 2011 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Shopping | No Comments

Easy Apricot Chicken Recipe + Coupons and Tips!

This recipe comes from one of my favorite sites, ReadySetEat. Have you signed up for their newsletter yet?

Sign up for the ReadySetEat newsletter today. We’re serving up quick and easy dinner recipes you can make in 30 minutes or less, plus coupons and savings based on your ZIP code and favorite grocery store. Click Here.

Every newsletter is packed with really easy to make recipes {which is great, because I can actually make them, lol}, coupons to purchase the ingredients, and tons of cool tips and tricks.

Here is the recipe for Apricot Chicken that just came out today… I am super excited to make this tonight!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Pure Wesson Canola Oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts {4 breasts = 1 pound}
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

1. Heat oil over a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken with Italian Seasoning. Add to skillet and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until center is no longer pink.

2. Stir the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl until well blended. Add to the skillet with the chicken. Cook 3-4 more minutes until the sauce is thickened.

Eat, and enjoy! Easy, right? Plus, they have side dish ideas, and coupons too!

You can save your favorite recipes to your own “Recipe Box” for easy access later, participate in panels to give your feedback and opinions, print coupons, and get samples! They have some new fun newsletters coming out soon with ideas for healthy kids meals and snacks too. Love it!