elana's pantry / Flickr
This post is brought to you by Best Kept Secrets, online supplier of candles – ideal for pumpkins!
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Halloween is only a couple days away. If you�re still looking for cheap Halloween custom ideas there�s no time to waste and if it�s pumpkin carving ideas you�re in search of we�ve got them. But what will you be doing with all the leftover pumpkins you�ll have after Halloween has come and gone?
Here are some ideas to make your dollars stretch. (more…)
pacdog/Flickr
Is your fridge too big? My sister is considering downsizing her big city fridge (it’s about half the size of a normal fridge) after a conversation with a friend.
I have a German friend, Walli, who has a smaller refridge which sits in a larger closet-like space in her kitchen. She said the huge refridge was “the first thing I threw out” when she moved into her house in NY. Hers is about the size of my fridge, which makes so much more sense for a 1-2 person household and a smaller kitchen.So I am supporting (more…)
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A recent infographic from SiteJabber.com, a review forum for products, reveals interesting statistics about how we research items we are considering buying searches products online before purchasing.
What surprised me was that by gender and age group, we all use the Internet to research products with the same frequency. But when we sort the population by education, there are marked differences. While 56% of people with some high school education use the Internet for research, if you are a college graduate, that percentage jumps to 87%.
Some 58% of adults research products online daily, and 24% post reviews or comments online.
This next stat might explain why the BargainBabe.com Facebook page has taken off recently. A third of adults use blogs and social media to gather info about a product. And almost half (47%) of those say what they read influences their spending decisions. SiteJabber.com relied on reports from the PewInternet.org, a research project of the Pew Research Center, for the data presented in this graphic.
I certainly spend time online looking for info about a product before I buy. I’ve heard from car dealers that nearly everyone who walks onto the lot has already done online research, which makes sense because information empowers you to haggle.
I usually Google the product I am looking for plus (more…)
Free drink at Taco Bell – Get a free drink at Taco Bell through Nov. 25, 2010 or when 500,000 of these free drink coupons are redeemed. The freebie is for an Orange ‘n Cream beverage.
Free shampoo - Get a free sample of John Frieda shampoo and conditioner when you share a little info about yourself. Unclear when this will expire.
Free pads and tampons – Get a free three-item sample pack of pads and tampons from Kotex. Unclear when this will expire.
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog. Stay on top of the latest strategies, coupons, and inspiration to save money everyday with BargainBabe.com’s email list.
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
CVS - Highlights include Mars, Nestle Fun Size, or Hershey’s Snack Size, 9.24 – 12.5 oz. or Twizzlers Strawberry, 22 oz. as low as $1.50 each with coupons and Extra Bucks, All laundry detergent for $3 after coupons and Extra Bucks. Get all the CVS coupon deals on BargainBriana.
Walgreens – Highlights include Ricola free after coupons, Angel soft toilet paper for $4.49 for 12 rolls or $.37 per roll, and Campbells Condensed soups (mushroom and chicken) for $.29 after coupon and in-ad discount. Get all the Walgreens coupon deals on CommonSenseWithMoney.
Rite Aid – Highlights include Edy’s All Natural Fruit Bars for $1.50/box, Kleenex Tissues for $.80 per box with coupon, and Mentos gum for free with coupon. Get all the Rite Aid coupon deals on CouponCravings.
New to coupons? Check out my post on coupon clipping basics. If you want to take advantage of these deals, make sure to save the coupon inserts you receive in the mail or with your Sunday newspaper. Here’s a great suggestion for how to handle coupon organization.
Sign up for the BargainBabe.com email list to receive more strategies, coupons, and inspiration to save money everyday.
elana's pantry / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
This creamy soup is delicious and can be ready in minutes if you sub in store bought broth and pumpkin puree. To save money make your own chicken broth and reuse your Halloween pumpkins instead of buying pumpkin puree. It will take you more time but the result is well worth it. For more comfort food recipes try Bargain Babe’s chicken stew with carrots or her easy and cheap eggplant Parmesan. (more…)
An extremely resourceful homemade bat costume. Credit: L Marie/Flickr
Vote on which Halloween costume Bargain Babe should dress up as on Oct. 31, 2010. I narrowed the dozens of amazing reader Halloween costume suggestions down to five of my favorite ideas. (It was very hard to choose!) Whichever costume gets the most vote is what I dress up as. I’ll even post pictures of myself in costume!
Voting below. The five costume contenders are…
1. A vending machine, as suggested by Lindsay. Using double sided tape, she stuck candy, Advil, and chips to her top. She dressed in all black and attacked to her upper arm a small canister with a coin slot. Through the night, people bought things from her. A costume you can profit from!
2. The economy, as suggested by Chrystal. “I’m going to dress up as the economy this year. I figure cutting a piece of Styrofoam into the shape of a headstone, painting it gray, writing (more…)
This weekend I saw more than 1,000 carved pumpkins at a local Halloween attraction. The pumpkins, carved by children, local businesses, and volunteers, dotted a quarter-mile loop in a nearby park.
I snapped almost three dozen pictures of my favorites, below. If you are looking for jack-o-lantern carving ideas, the designs below range from goofy to scary, simple to ornate, plus many that are unrelated to Halloween! If you are looking for Halloween costumes or Halloween coupons, these links are your best bet.
The headless horsemen no more! This was one of my favorites.
I like this carving idea, especially if you paired it with a pumpkin carved with the words "whooooo!"
What a menacing face!
Like this, but in a box. Jaimesrabbits/Flickr
Free Halloween tote bag – You pay for shipping (about $7) but that’s all as part of this Vista Print free Halloween tote bag. There are some really cute designs to choose from!
Free sample – Get a free sample of Wisk laundry detergent from Target when you share a little info about yourself. Available until samples run out.
Borders coupon – Get 30% off the list price of all hardcovers online with this Borders coupon. Expires Oct. 19, 2010.
Edible Arrangements coupon – Get $15 off a $25 box of chocolate-dipped fruit (a dozen of ‘em!) with this Edible Arrangements coupon. Fruit selection varies. Expires Oct. 24, 2010.
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog. Stay on top of the latest strategies, coupons, and inspiration to save money everyday with BargainBabe.com’s email list.
Ellen isn't the only one annoyed by bank fees. Credit: Betsssssy/Flickr
Reader Ellen emailed me an inspiring story this morning.
Hi Julia: In questioning a rogue fee attached to my savings account, I found out that I fell prey to not reading the fine print, a.ka. “terms and conditions apply.” Sure the fee was only $9.00 but in this economy every dollar and cent charged by a bank deserves an explanation. What I found out floored me, though, given the greed of banks it probably shouldn’t have surprised me.Here goes. (more…)
UPDATE: Reader Paul Engelberg is the winner of a $25 Groupon gift certificate as part of this dealigee contest.
PREVIOUSLY: Join dealigee by Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 and you’ll automatically be entered to win a $100 Groupon gift certificate (details below).
dealigee is a FREE online marketplace to buy and resell vouchers from Groupon,LivingSocial, DealOn and more. On dealigee you can resell any deal you bought but can’t use, buy deals you missed, or find that great deal you have been looking for.
dealigee provides its members with easy to use and safe marketplace features like PayPal payments, social deal sharing through Facebook, Twitter and more. Registering for the site is simple – all you need is a Facebook ID, and buying/making an offer is a breeze as well.
The added bonus as a buyer on dealigee is the chance you might get to buy a deal for even lower than it sold for on Groupon or other daily deal sites by making an offer. Buyer protection is guaranteed by dealigee when users pay through PayPal for the purchase.
dealigee is currently available in Chicago, New York and San Francisco, and the site has plans to expand soon to additional cities. Here are some current dealigee deals for NYC:
61% Off Brazilian Keratin Straightening at Sergio Limpopo
$60 Honey Milk Soak, Pedicure and Foot Massage at Queen Jane Day Spa
Check out dealigee now and share it with your friends! It is a great way to get your money back on deals you bought but can’t use, or buy that awesome deal that you missed.
The dealigee giveaway works Groupon style, as in the giveaway is ‘ON’ only if 100 people or more sign up. Share the sign up link on Facebook or Twitter to make sure we hit 100!
This is paid content. Interested in an ad? Read my blog advertising page.
Malingering / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Smoothies are always refreshing on a warm day, but hitting the fancy smoothie stores is like hitting the coffee shops: it adds up fast. A 16-ounce smoothie can run you from $3 to $5 not including the extras like vitamins and protein powder.
Homemade smoothies are cheaper as most of the ingredients are already at your disposal and you have more control of what goes in to your smoothie as some stores add fruit with syrup to smoothies instead of fresh frozen fruit.
Here are some possibilities, but remember that you can always mix and match to suit your tastes. If you freeze the fruit in small chunks first your smoothie will stay cold much longer. (more…)
If you haven’t joined Groupon, here is a peek at some of the deals this “social coupon” site offers. If you live in a big city where there are literally DOZENS of similar sites offering similar deals, sign up for Yipit.com, which aggregates all the deals in your town. Okay, onto the deals.
For folks in San Diego, pay $15 for $35 worth of wine tastings at Witch Creek Winery in Carlsbad or Julian.
In Los Angeles, get into the Saugus Car Show Oct. 22-23 for $7 (tickets are normally $15).
In Houston, (more…)
The question is generic or brand? Credit: kalleboo/Flickr
I share five must read blog posts about saving money every Friday.
The ever passionate Donna from Surviving and Thriving rants about people who think they are broke – but aren’t.
This is a post I’ve been meaning to write forever. The coupon policies of Target, Walgreens, Walmart, Kmart, and CVS. Luckily, PennyPinchinMom has it covered!
Melissa at Saving Cents with Sense has a stalwart policy against buying generic. It may change your mind about my recent post on the value of generic food stuffs.
The Digerati Life shares how she cut spending on television and Internet service by $100 per month.
Consumer Reports names the two worst credit cards on the market. One has an interest rate of 59.9%! If anyone has such poor credit that this is all they qualify for, you are better off dealing with cash.
Stay on top of the latest strategies, coupons, and inspiration to save money everyday with BargainBabe.com’s email list.
Office Depot coupons – Here are two awesome Office Depot coupons for $10 off $20.
Pumpkin carving ideas - Need more ideas before you carve your Halloween pumpkin? Here are 10.
Old Navy $10 sweaters – The Old Navy $10 sweater sale is this Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010 from 7-10 a.m. only! In stores, not online.
Free movie soda – Get a free soda at Regal Cinemas, United Artists, or Edward Theaters tonight only when you buy popcorn (and a movie ticket).
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
