My belly needs room in this year's contest!
This year’s annual Halloween costume contest has a big – pun intended – twist. I’m pregnant! As you can see from the photo, my belly will play a role in whatever I dress up as for Halloween this year. Here’s how the contest works:
You suggest your most zany and frugal Halloween costume for me to wear.
The most unusual and fun costume is what I’ll dress up as. Bonus points for a costume my husband and I can do together.
I’ll prance around town in your costume and post a picture of me in costume. No matter how silly it is!
Comment with your idea for a Halloween costume by Oct. 19, 2011. That gives me about a week to put the winning costume together.
Interested in more preggo details?
Today is the last day to win $500! Credit: Sister72/Flickr
This is your last chance to win the $500 back to school savings spree at Sears and Kmart, which each donated a $250 gift card for this giveaway. So far more than 300 fans have entered the contest. Whoo!
To win the $500, do two things:
- Join our BargainBabe.com deals email list (if you already receive a daily or weekly email from BargainBabe.com, just see the next bullet point).
- AND leave a comment with your strongest memory of school, whether it be the day you aced a test, overcame the school bully, or fell in love for the first time.
EXTRA ENTRIES (leave a comment for each extra entry so we can count you):
- Get an extra entry for tweeting: “I want to win a $500 back to school savings spree at @MySears and @KmartDealsnNews on the @bargainbabe blog http://bit.ly/qaNBor”
- Get an extra entry for an update on Facebook about the contest with this link: http://bit.ly/qaNBor
- Get an extra entry for following @Bargainbabe on Twitter
Comment, join our email list, tweet, and Facebook by Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST to be eligible to win!
This prize for this giveaway was donated by Kmart and Sears. I received no compensation to run this contest. Interested in sponsoring a giveaway? See my blog advertising page.
Ready for school? Credit: orangeacid/Flickr
Don’t forget to enter to win the $500 back to school savings spree with $250 gift cards donated by Sears AND Kmart, which I’m working with on this giveaway.
To recap, here is what’s on the “must have” list for back to school shopping at Sears and Kmart.
- Sears – Some of the best clothing deals are on BONGO, American Star, and US Polo Assn. I saw stylish BONGO tops and graphic tees for $10-$18, American Star vests for $23 (vests are back in style), and polos for $15-$20.
- Kmart – The back to school 2011 gear at Kmart spans everything from school supplies, to backpacks, lunchboxes, gadgets, and dorm decor. I saw notebooks, pens, and binders – school supplies that I didn’t even know Kmart sold! Dozens of backpacks and totes are $10-$30, though most fall in the $13-$20 range. There was a wide selection of laptops, netbooks, tablets and desktops, plus memory sticks and ereaders. Dorm decor included the practical (sheets, bedding) to the personal (bean bags and lava lamps). Should your kid need paper plates, baggies, and plastic utensils, Kmart’s Smart Sense line has you covered. Is it me or has Kmart thought of everything?
To win the $500, do two things:
- Join our BargainBabe.com email list (if you already receive a daily or weekly email from BargainBabe.com, just see the next bullet point)
- AND leave a comment with your strongest memory of school, whether it be the day you aced a test, overcame the school bully, or fell in love for the first time.
EXTRA ENTRIES (leave a comment for each extra entry so we can count you):
- Get an extra entry for tweeting: “I want to win a $500 back to school savings spree at @MySears and @KmartDealsnNews on the @bargainbabe blog http://bit.ly/qaNBor”
- Get an extra entry for an update on Facebook about the contest with this link: http://bit.ly/qaNBor
- Get an extra entry for following @Bargainbabe on Twitter
Comment, join our email list, tweet, and Facebook by Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011 to be eligible to win!
This prize for this giveaway was donated by Kmart and Sears. I received no compensation to run this contest. Interested in sponsoring a giveaway? See my blog marketing page.
Two free DVD rental codes at Blockbuster Express below.
There are 26 coupons and freebies today. If you shop online, get a cash back rebate on every purchase through Ebates or Shortcuts. It’s free to join!
Free $5 Amazon video credit - Get $5 in free Amazon video credits (for streaming movies) when you link your Amazon and Twitter account.
Free Yoga magazine - Get five issues free of Yoga Journal in digital form from ValueMags.com. No credit card necessary! Though you will be contacted about other publications.
Free Sesame Street MPSs - Get five songs free on Amazon from Sesame Street. Unclear how long this freebie will last.
I’m super excited to introduce My Coupon Database to BargainBabe.com. Basically, it’s a place where you can find all your grocery and drugstore coupons! No need to visit Coupons.com, then SmartSource.com, then…My Coupon Database pulls from dozens of coupon sources and is the most complete database of coupons that I know of.
Here’s how to use this FREE coupon database:
1. Scroll your mouse over the Coupons tab above. The first option on the drop down menu is Coupon Database – click on it.
2. That will take you to the page below. Browse the grocery and drugstore coupons.
3. If a coupon is underlined, click on it to print. If not, My Coupon Database will tell you which insert to pull from your stash to find your desired coupon.
Voila! It’s that easy.
Tip: Narrow down your search by typing in the Description box, or by choosing a specific Coupon Source. Insert = coupons that come in the Sunday paper. Cellfire ecoupons = mobile coupons you can print out. Magazine Coupons = various coupons that you can find in mags like Glamour, All You, and many more. You can also narrow down a coupon search by the date the coupon was released, the value of the coupon, or how long ago a coupon expired.
Bonus: The Getting Started, Organization, and Store Coupons buttons take you to posts on BargainBabe.com that explain these topics!
I pay a monthly fee to have My Coupon Database on BargainBabe.com and receive a small fee when you print a coupon. Thank you for helping me make blogging my full time job!
UPDATE: Reader Renee says My Coupon Database has been a huge help. She writes:
Thank you for organizing and sharing the coupon database. You have saved my family so much money ! Your site is a blessing to us.
Renee’
maigi/Fotolia.com
Word just in from Phil at Feedblitz, the software program I use to send daily and weekly BargainBabe.com emails. Images may not be showing up if you opted to receive (or it somehow got changed) a text version of the BB email:
Either they changed their account to be text only or their email app has chosen to display text instead of HTML.
The subscriber can log into feedblitz and make sure they have HTML selected as their format preference at My Account | Profile
To recap, here is what you need to do:
Time is almost out to win a $250 Amazon gift card!
This is your last chance to enter the BargainBabe.com contest to win a $250 Amazon gift card! It ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. EST/8:59 p.m. PST.
Start by liking our Facebook page, where you’ll find the top deals from the blog (and exclusive coupons). We are SOOOOO close to hitting 3,500 fans, which is when the prize doubles to a $100 Amazon gift card. At 4,000 fans, the prize becomes a $250 Amazon gift card. Tell all your friends about it so you can win big!
Extra entries for:
- Tweeting about the contest: “Easy contest to win a $250 @amazon gift card going on at @bargainbabe. Ends tonight 8/2 so enter NOW! http://bit.ly/pWONVS”
- Following @BargainBabe on Twitter
- Joining our daily deals and steals email list
- Sharing an update on your Facebook page
- Blogging about the contest
Leave a comment for each additional entry so we can make sure to give you credit. The contest ends Tuesday Aug. 2, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Good luck to you all!
Wahoo! If you missed this year’s Frugal Fest, watch it on video! Many thanks to Herber Lovato for making this piece. Love the music!
I was invited onto NBC to talk about the Festival the night before (June 24, 2011). Check out my conversation with Ana Garcia on Nonstop LA!
View more videos at: http://www.nbclosangeles.com.
Big news as we approach Frugal Festival Food! on June 25 in Canoga Park!
LOZO is raffling off five $50 American Express gift cards to celebrate it’s upcoming new tool that finds coupons for your grocery list. You get one free raffle ticket with admission so everyone is eligible to win!
The Stand is bringing free hot dogs and chili to share with everyone at the Festival. YUM!
Filter your coffee - and email - for best results. Credit: tuchodi/Flickr
Longtime reader Diane shares her tip for never missing a BargainBabe.com email (emphasis mine). Setting up a filter will help you keep track of all Bargainbabe.com’s money saving tips. It’s easier than you think and saves so much time! Thanks for your readership, Diane!
I want to report that there are some days, like today (May 24), when I don’t get my daily BB e-mail. When this dawns on me, I know I can go to BargainBabe.com, but sometimes I don’t realize until a day or two later that I didn’t receive it. To help me, I have created a filter that does the following to each day’s blog: Star it, Apply label “Bargain Babe”, Never send it to Spam, Mark it as important, Exclude from SmartLabel categorization. This way, if I haven’t received it, I know specifically where to look for it. If I still can’t find it, I know it wasn’t sent and then can go to the URL.
I wonder if any of the other readers also have noticed some skipped days. ~Diane
It sounds like Diane uses Gmail, which is free and a great tool for reading and managing email. Other programs, like Outlook, may offer similar filtering options. MakeUseOf.com has tips to set up email filters in Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo.
You’ve no doubt noticed Yazmin Cruz’s byline on BargainBabe.com during the past year. Now, Yazmin is taking on a bigger role compiling some of the weekly coupon roundups, such as Monday’s drugstore coupon roundup, Wednesday’s grocery coupon roundup, and Friday’s blogosphere roundup. She will also be helping me manage advertising on BargainBabe.com and continue to lead our social media outreach.
I’m excited about Yazmin’s growing role on BargainBabe.com and hope you are too. Welcome aboard (again) Yazmin!
VIP tickets are available again for Frugal Festival Food!
NEWS FLASH! We have 5 additional VIP tickets available for Frugal Festival Food! on June 25. VIP tickets include swag bags worth $60!
Just announced are the titles of 90 books about cooking and eating that we are giving away free to Frugal Festival Food! attendees.
And just to clear the air, this year’s Festival is NOT a clothing swap.
My very special roommate and I eloped recently. As thrilled as I am to share my happy news, I also wanted to brag about how we had a fabulous wedding for less than $1,500!! The trick? Simple and small.
Flowers - I paid $45 for my bouquet of white hydrangas and roses and a matching boutineer. I also bought two small pots of daffodils at the grocery store on sale for $3 each to decorate the appetizer table.
His suit – My roomie wore his sharp charcoal gray pin-stripped suit that he had tailormade years ago during a work trip to Bahrain. It’s impossible to resist him when he is wearing this suit. Dry cleaning was $6.
My dress – I found a cute white number at TJ Maxx but had doubts. My friend Mary provided a second opinion: “Let’s go shopping.” I found the perfect dress
AMagill/Flickr
I’m taking next week off for a luxuriously long (one whole week!) vacation with my special someone. We’re heading to Vermont for hiking, snowshoeing, massages, and lots of down time. I. CAN’T. WAIT.
See you after Easter!
~Julia
aka Bargain Babe
