racoles / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Spring break is fast approaching and it’s time to start making plans. On a budget? No problem. You can still have fun. Follow these five tips to get the most for your buck and then check out our cheap Spring Break suggestions below.
Here’s what do do:
1. Be sincere with yourself about how much money you can afford to spend.
2. Start planning. The sooner you do this, the most likely you’ll be to find deals on hotels and flights.
3. Book flights and make reservations right now to get the lowest prices available. Word on the street is that the cheapest fares are released for bookings on (more…)
Michelle's ice cream-filled freezer!
I recently talked to Michelle of WickedCoolDeals.com about the safe way to buy coupons on eBay, putting four kids through college, and the 20 jars of peanut butter in her pantry. Michelle, 46, is a marketing consultant, stay at home to four kids, and blogger who lives in Connecticut. I edited and condensed this interview. How did you get into saving money? I had four kids in five years. I was shocked to learn that we were spending close to $1,200 a month on food and baby diapers. We were both working. When you’re busy you don’t really know how much you’re spending unless you look at it. I said this is ridiculous. I became a student of how am I going to get this expense down. What were some of the first changes you made? I started reading blogs. I had no idea you could print coupons online. Where do you print coupons online? Coupons.com is the best. I like SmartSource, RedPlum. I also go to manufacturer websites. I’ll do a Google search for a coupon. Where else do you get coupons? We get two (more…)
Don't mess with me. I'm serious about Silly Bandz. Credit: glassblower/Flickr
Today there are 13 hot deals and freebies!
Borders bankruptcy – Borders filed for bankruptcy today, which means you do NOT want to be holding onto a Borders gift card. Some locations are staying open as the retailer is restructuring, but I wouldn’t take a chance.
Today only! Free movie at Meijer - Get a free movie rental from Redbox’s at Meijer grocery stores using code 2MEJ5ER.
Free History Channel Membership - Get a free trial membership to The History Channel, which comes with a monthly magazine. If you decide to continue, it is $24 for two years. Or just cancel the bill and unsubscribe to the emails. (more…)
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
This list now includes grocery coupons for Wegmans, as per Ellen’s request!
New grocery coupons – Print the latest coupons for groceries from Coupons.com.
Ralphs - The Ralphs prices assume coupon doubling up to $1. Get all the Ralphs coupons later today.
Safeway/Vons - Get all the Safeway/Vons coupons and deals later today on Mrs. Money Saver.
Albertsons - Get the full list of Albertsons coupons later today.
Whole Foods - Get Whole Foods coupons later today. Organic whole chickens are on sale for $1.69/lb this Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 only. Limit 10 per person. This is a STEAL!
Publix – Southern Savers posted this week’s Publix grocery coupons. Highlights include mussels for $5/lb, Ball Park Franks for $.94 with coupon, and Ronzoni pasta for $.19-free. (more…)
More than 75 percent of all taxpayers get a refund, according to Turbo Tax, which says refunds averaged $3,000 last year. Three-fourths – could that be true? If it is, what are you going to spend your refund on?
If you’re still filling, here are three tax credits and one deduction to watch out for (in a good way). I summarized these tax tips from H&R Block.
- Energy credits. If you made an energy-efficient improvement to your home in 2010, you might be eligible to claim the non-business energy property tax credit. It is for (more…)
biblicone / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
I know a lot of people who gave up their landline because they didn’t want to pay a monthly bill for a phone they were rarely using. Now, they solely rely on their cell phones.
If you’re looking to save money by giving up your land line, consider Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers like Vonage, Skype and magicJack. To use these services, you must have access to a computer with Internet and contrary to popular belief, some allow you to make emergency 911 calls. Below is a price comparison of their services and a description of how they work.
Vonage
A phone, high speed Internet and Vonage adapter is needed to use this service. Before purchasing the equipment, log onto their site to test whether the speed of your Internet connection is ideal. I have DSL and my Internet did not pass their Internet speed test. To receive or make incoming calls, your computer doesn’t have to be (more…)
Look below for a Gap coupon for 40% off. Credit: 365 Things/Flickr
Free makeup foundation – Get a free makeup sample of Maybelline FitME Foundation when you join Freeflys.
Free Broadway show tunes – Join TheaterAdvisor.com and get 15 free Broadway show tune downloads.
Free photo products – Vista Print has six new free photo deals. You pay for shipping and handling, which is usually about $5.
New grocery coupons – Print dozens of new grocery coupons through Coupons.com, which just restocked its coupons.
Kids clothes swap via mail – Swapping kids clothes through the mail is apparently so popular that there is a new competitor (to ThredUp) in town - OutGrowingIn. Joining is free and shipping on boxes of kids clothes is $3 each.
Restaurant.com coupon - Get a $25 gift certificate to one of 18,000 restaurants across the country with Restaurant.com coupon MENU. Expires Feb. 17, 2011.
Dell coupon – Get free shipping on all laptops and computers with this Dell coupon. Expires Feb. 21, 2011.
Wed only! Gap coupon - Get 40% off one regular priced item on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011 with this Gap coupon.
stepnout/Flickr
Here’s a novel way to save money on groceries. Type your grocery list into GroceryServer.com, then watch as it matches sales and coupons to your items. To use the site enter your zip code – full registration is not required. A search near me returned more grocery stores than I realized existed in my town! I submitted this list, which I plan to buy later today: (more…)
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
Thanks to everyone who joined the BargainBabe.com daily or weekly email list and participated in this contest! I know everyone is eager to find out if they won the $100 Amazon gift card, so I’ll get right to the point! I used Random.org to pick the winners and runners up for each category. The winners have 48 hours to respond to my notification email or the prize goes to the first runner up, and so on.
The winners are… (more…)
VirtualEm/Flickr
This is a guest post by longtime reader Ellie. Thanks go to Diane who pointed out Ellie’s passion for food and suggested she share her own recipes!
I’ll start with a comfort food that works well all year and is also kid friendly, plus it’s a one dish meal! My kids would eat it as often as I was willing to fix it, so that’s always a good indicator. It’s also economical! We always just called it “Hamburger Goop” (that’s kid speak!). This recipe doesn’t need to be exact. That’s what “goops” are all about. (I usually make this in an electric skillet, but it could also be made in a large skillet on the stove top.)
Ingredients
1-2 Tbsp. garlic oil (I make this with half olive and half canola oils, plus 3 or 4 smashed cloves garlic, and keep it in the fridge to be used for sauteing, adding to recipes, etc. I even use it when making omelets or frittatas, or even scrambled eggs. Oils with fresh garlic cloves must be kept in the refrigerator.)
1 med./lg. onion, peeled and chopped (more…)
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
This list now includes Staples coupons each week!
Target - This week’s list of Target coupons includes Degree deodorant for $.22 when you buy two with coupons, Wishbone Salad Dressings for $.23 when you buy two with coupons, and Lipton tea bags (16-count) as low as $.67 when you buy two with coupons.
Staples – Hip 2 Save lists the hot Staples coupons whenever they pop up. Check back later today and again this week for freebies and deals at Staples. (more…)
Lint from Melanie's new Target sheets
Reader Melanie wrote in with a frustrating experience she had at Target. And she is fighting it!
Hi Julia. I have a question for you. You talk a lot about Target. I am sure you are familiar with their Home products. My question is would you be surprised if you learned their sheets come from Turkey?
I bought a set of Target’s flannel sheets. I brought them home and washed them before I wanted to use them. I have a sheet cycle on my 2 month old washer and then I put them on sensor in my new dryer. Twenty minutes later I checked the lint tray as I expected some shedding being that the sheets were new. The tray was beyond being full. I emptied it and rechecked in five minutes. It was full again. I went back five minutes later and again it was full. I emptied it and started the dryer again. I checked again and the dryer didn’t seem to be warm. Well, the dryer broke (more…)
Discover
This is a guest post from NerdWallet, a site that compares rewards credit card offers.
The piece missing from almost all credit card comparisons are the online rewards shopping portals. To help customers save money, numerous credit card companies have loyalty programs such as hotel rewards or frequent flier miles with their own online malls. With these online shopping portals, consumers can make all kinds of purchases at discount prices, or they can earn bonus rewards that can be exchanged for cash, gift cards or credits on their statement.
A lot of these programs boast their 2% cash back and 5% rewards on everyday purchases, but say little about their online malls. It’s really a shame because their customers could be saving (more…)
I spotted this funny Valentine’s Day card this weekend at an awesome craft-art store in Providence, RI called Craftland. If you’re not local, this is definitely a card you could reproduce at home. Will your Valentine take it the right way? Hmmm…while you decide, take a gander at these three Valentine’s Day resources. Being short on cash doesn’t mean you are short on love!
- Send your Valentine a free love song through Amazon. I used this $2 MP3 credit to send my honey a song.
- From winter picnics to improv comedy and double dates, here are nine frugal Valentine’s Day dates you still have time to plan.
- Go the simple route and make an origami heart with wings, an edible cookie bouquet, or a pop out card with these five homemade Valentine’s Day cards and gift ideas.
If you submitted a request for an “I BRAKE FOR BARGAINS” bumper sticker, check your mail! I dumped a huge stack of envelopes at the post office Saturday morning.
While stuffing envelopes Friday, I was bewildered to receive requests from as far away as Russia and comforted that some readers were as close to home as Warwick, RI. One envelope sent to a reader in Puerto Rico came back to me even though it had sufficient postage. I put it in the mail again so hopefully this time the bumper sticker will make it.
My bumper, above, now looks like this. Yeah!
