Shopping — Page 54

{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

FAN-tastic Freebie Friday!!! {Big List}

Here ya go Sunshine and Sippy Cups fans!! Thank you guys so much for all of your support, you rock. Yes, you. You’re awesome.

Here is a sweet list of deals and freebies for today!

*FREE waterbottle with purchase at Victoria’s Secret Pink!

*Fun site to track your baby’s firsts! Sign up here at Moment Garden to build an online timeline of your little ones days to share. Love this!

*Be Rewarded at Swagbucks.com! Start earning bucks today and you’ll soon be cashing out for FREE Prizes. My favorite is the Amazon Gift Cards. Click Here.

*Over half off some super amazing wall decal designs at Moolala, the best named deal site out there!

*Enter to win a super amazing “Bump” prize package here. So much good stuff!

*FREE keychain light by filling out this form .

*Want FREE cash back checks just for shopping?? Get Up to 25% Cash Back at Over 1200 Stores – Sign-up Free at Ebates.com! Click Here! Todays daily double is at Drugstore.com!!

*Enter to win a Mothers Day Prize package of your choice. I chose the sweet baking prize!

*Get your FREE sample of Purex Detergent with ZOUT!! If you missed it last time, grab it today.

*FREE sample of Invisible Glass window cleaner, repels water on your windshield!

*Register for the FREE Puppy Chow® Healthy Start Program® to receive monthly advice customized to your puppy’s age, samples, and a $2 off coupon! Click Here.

*Some super cheap magazine deals today here !

*Test new products for FREE, plus get paid to give your opinions about them! Sign up at Synovate to get started. And check out my post about the new products we are testing at my house right now!

*FREE Cookie plus bonus sandwich coupon at Quiznos! Free Quiznos Coupon.

*Enter to win a Polaris ATV and over 400 other prizes in the Dial for Men 30 Days of Dirt giveaway. Click Here.

*Lots of freebies right now at Curves! Get your FREE one-week guest pass today! Click Here.

*Check out the AMAZING selection of cards at Tiny Prints, and personalize some Mothers Day cards for only .99 cents each right now! Use coupon code MDAY99.

*Check out todays new freebies at Woman Freebies, Click Here to see freebies from Panda Express, John Frieda, Calvin Klein and more!

*Get your first box of kids clothes swap for FREE at ThreadUp! I’ve used them and love them. Click Here.

*Why wait for the Sunday paper? Print FREE coupons for the products YOU want today! Save on your favorite brands. Click Here.

*1 FREE calendar or 3 for just $15.99! Click Here!!

*Enter some sweet new contests, get FREE baby stuff, and get your questions answered. I love this site : Click Here to check it out.

*FREE sample of Ocean Spray new Sparkling Juice, on Facebook. While you’re there, stop by Sunshine and Sippy Cups and say hello!

*10 FREE Pampers Gifts to Grow points: 4W34A9BD99YDFWY. If you’re not signed up yet, you can get started now: Join Gifts to Grow now to get 100 Free Points. Click Here.

*Free at-home coupon class – Get hundreds of dollars a month in free items by learning how in this FREE couponing ecourse. (click here) Click Here.

*This one is actually kinda fun, and it is an AMAZING deal too! Take a quick personality quiz. Get handpicked styles from your own personal stylist. Choose your favorite shoe for just $39.95. Click Here!

Ok guys, thats all I’ve got for now!! Check them out, and leave me a comment if you find something here that you LOVE! I like to hear what types of deals you guys like the most, so I can post the things you’ll like. I see TONS of deals, freebies, and giveaways every day, and it’s hard to decide what to share… Thats why you see SO MANY posts from me some days… I can’t decide, so I post lots :)

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the sunshine!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on April 8, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies | No Comments

{Sale} BIG Blow Out Event!!

There are always so many amazing deals at Zulily, and they always find the absolute cutest, most original designers! And right now they have a BIG Blow Out Event going on that you have to check out!

If you haven’t used Zulily before, read more…

Zulily is fabulous! It’s a new online store offering daily sales events on top-quality apparel, gear and other goodies for moms, babies and kids. We carry the best brands at the lowest prices. Members enjoy savings of up to 90% off retail prices. zulily loves to find deals on favorite styles, and we love introducing our members to exciting new brands, too.

The BIG Blow Out Event going on now features great buys for mom, baby, the home, and the rest of the family! You can search by category, and then by size, so you can find just what you’re looking for in the HUGE selection of deals available!

So go check out Zulily and sign up for a new account if you’re not a member yet… It is super quick, and once you’re signed up you can access the sales!! And if you see a deal that you like, you can send an email to any friends that you think would love it too, and get referral rewards for spreading the love.

I have found so much cute stuff for my little girl through Zulily deals. And, even when I don’t take advantage of one of their deals, many times I go sign up for mailing lists of the brands they feature, because they find so many fun companies that I never would have found on my own :)

Posted by Meagan Paullin on April 7, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes | No Comments

Why I have mixed feelings about “Extreme Couponing”.

Have you been watching the new TLC show Extreme Couponing? I’ve only watched some clips online, and have mixed feelings about it. I think that it is great that it has helped make couponing a bit more “trendy” with all of the attention. I also like that it does share some great tips and tricks, and I’ve learned a lot of new stuff.

What I don’t like is the “extreme” focus of the show. I mean, how many people really have the time and effort to spare that it would take to leave a store with $150 worth of stuff for $5 or $10 bucks, really? And even if you could find the time to do it once, this isn’t really very realistic. This is why…

The average household couldn’t spend that much time on a weekly basis just to get their food free. Plus, another big problem that I see is that the things that they purchase are not going to work to make meals each night, you know? I understand that they probably stockpile their great buys, and put them together with other products… But you will still need to have “regular” grocery shopping trips to get needed ingredients and produce, right? Plus, it seems rather greedy to wipe out whole shelves in the store, leaving nothing for the next mom that comes through with a coupon.

So, as I said, I have mixed feelings on this. What do you guys think?? I’d love to hear your thoughts!!

AND…. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a coupon junkie too, so here is a list of new coupons you can get today!!

*WeUseCoupons is a super cool site for coupons and info on maximizing them!

*Check out the new high-value printables at Coupons.com.

*Save grocery coupons directly to your supermarket savings card with Cellfire. Click Here. (Love this one!)

*Check out all of the new coupons and freebies over at Freeflys, they posted a bunch of new stuff today.

*Visit Penny Pincher Gazette for Free Printable Grocery Coupons! Click Here!