This is a HUGE giveaway and it’s super simple to enter. Simply “like” Kastel International on Facebook and choose your favorite three items. That’s all it takes and you could win some amazing products!
Archives for March 2011
Celebrate Kastel International’s New Site & Enter to Win $1,200 Prize Pack
March 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment
CVS Deals 3/27 – 4/2/11 *All Under $1*
March 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Buy 1 Colgate MaxFresh, MaxWhite, MaxClean 6 oz or Manual Single Pack Toothbrush – $2.99, Get $2 ECBs (Limit 2)
Use $1/1 coupon from the 3/27 SmartSource insert
Free after coupon and ECBs
Buy 1 Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Mascara – $9.99, Get $7 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $5/1 coupon from the 3/20 SmartSource insert
Free plus overage after coupons and ECBs
Buy 1 Halls Cough Drops (30 ct) – $1.87, Get $1 ECB (Limit 2)
Use $0.75/1 coupon from the 3/27 SmartSource insert
$0.12 after coupon and ECBs
Buy 1 Skintimate Moisturizing Shave Cream or Gel – $3.49, Get $2.50 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $0.55/1 coupon from the 3/27 SmartSource insert
$0.44 after coupon and ECBs
Stove Top Stuffing – $0.77
Use $0.50/1 Printable
$0.27 after coupons
Diet Pepsi 2 Liter $0.88
Use the $0.55/1 coupon from the 3/6 SmartSource insert
$0.33 after coupons
Walgreens Deals for 3/27 – 4/2/11 *All Under $1*
March 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Buy 2 Colgate Dental Care – $3 each, Get $4 Register Rewards
Use 2 $1/1 coupon from the 3/27 SmartSource insert
Or use 2 $1.50/1 coupon from the 3/27 SmartSource insert
Possibly free plus overage after coupons and Register Rewards
Speed Stick or Lady Speed Stick Deodorant – $1.99, Get $1 Register Rewards
Use $0.50/1 coupon from the 3/27 SmartSource insert
$0.49 after coupon and Register Rewards
Buy 2 Edge or Skintimate Shave – $2, Get $4 Register Rewards
Use 2 $0.55/1 coupon from the 3/20 or 3/27 SmartSource insert
$0.45 each after coupons and Register Rewards
Ban Deodorant – $1.49 with in-ad coupon
Use $0.75/1 coupon from the 3/6 SmartSource insert
$0.74 after coupons
Orbit Gum – $0.99
Buy 2 and use Buy One Get One Free printable
$0.49 each after coupon
Snickers Creme Chocolate Eggs – $0.29
Buy 2 and use $1/2 coupon from the 3/20 RedPlum insert
Free after coupon!!! Yum!
Gain Dish Soap – $.89 with in-ad coupon
Use $1.00 P&G Everyday Savings Booklet
Free after coupon
Live Giveaway for 100 UPrinting Postcards
March 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I’m excited to be hosting a live giveaway! It has been a while since our last one and this one is for 100 postcards from UPrinting! This giveaway is quick and easy with no hoops to jump through.Giveaway ends today, March 25, 2011 at 3 pm EST.
These post cards may be used for anything you can dream up. Here are a few ideas I’ve thought of:
- Birthday/Shower invites
- Church happenings
- Easter pics to family
- Business promotion
- Birth announcement
Here’s what one lucky reader will win:
- 100 Postcards
- 5×7 14pt cardstock gloss
- Front only printing
- 2 business day turnaround
Here’s how to enter:
Simply fill out this form once and let me know what you would use the postcards for if you won. There are options for extra entries but you only need to submit the form once.
This giveaway is for residents of the continental US only. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate. This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting. No monetary compensation was given but I will receive a set of postcards for hosting. The opinions expressed about UPrinting are completely my own.
Free Earth Fare Cereal or Granola With Purchase
March 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Get a free Earth Fare cereal or granola with any $5 purchase. To get your coupon simply login to Earth Fare, click on Quimby the dog, and print your coupon! The coupon is valid 3/23 – 3/27/2011.
If you don’t have an Earth Fare near you you should still be able to use it at any store that takes competitor coupons (such as Publix). Enjoy!
8 Ways to Save Money on Kid’s Clothes
March 23, 2011 by 6 Comments
As I’m shopping for new kids clothes I’m finding that it is both a fun yet painful experience. Kids clothes are cute but not worth going in debt for! In order to save money I have sat down and tried to think of several ways that you can still dress up your little prince/princess without breaking the bank.
Here are a few suggestions I came up with but please, let me know if you have anything to add to this list!
ThredUp: Kids Clothing Swap
This is an online website that helps parents swap kids clothes. ThredUp has extensive list of available boxes that you can buy. They have a review system similar to eBay that allows users to be able to find popular swappers. Many of the boxes I looked at included a picture along with detailed description of what was included (brands, sizes, etc.).
ThredUp.com also allows a listing of toys that fit in a USPS box so this may be a good way to look for children books or small toys.
Currently, ThredUp.com has a promotion going where you can get 2 months free of PRO membership when you use coupon code “mysavings”. While ThredUp is free to use, the PRO membership does cost extra. The PRO membership feature allows you to view detailed pictures of the items as well as a few other personalized features that are still being developed.
When I signed up a few days ago they gave me a $5 credit to use on my first box purchased. I used the coupon code and the link above and I got an extra $5. I’m not sure how long this extra bonus will last so if you are considering ThredUp you may want to go and sign up now.
Children’s Consignment Sales
I have had my fair share of exploring children’s consignment sales recently…and let me tell you, I scored big! I think that consignment shopping is great way to shop for gently used clothing for yourself or your kids. If you love to search and hunt for a great bargain then this will be right up your alley. I’ve noticed that children’s consignment sales come twice a year, once in Winter and once in Spring. So check local bulletin boards and church signs for consignment sales in your area. You can also check ConsignmentMommies.com for consignments that have been posted in your area.
My only warning with consignment sales is to check and double check each garment for stains or holes before you leave. The policy is usually unstained, like new items but some moms don’t listen or perhaps don’t notice and a few stains appear throughout the racks.
This is also a great place to score used pack n plays, books, toys, high chairs, etc.
Zulily: Daily Deals for Moms, Babies, & Kids
Zulily is a daily deals site for mom and the kids. It’s a free membership site where each day, you will be able to buy great products from brand you love at 50-90% off. That’s right, 90% off! I think this is a great place to buy fancy baby shower gifts at a fraction of the cost.
Once you are a member you can invite others and if they join you get $15 per person!
One of my favorite things about Zulily is that they have mom’s clothes too (even maternity clothes!).
Yard Sales
Try not to turn up your nose at yard sales, they often have great items for amazing prices. Baby furniture, books, toys, and decor are also usually for sale for peanuts. This is the ideal place for play clothes here. You may be able to find t-shirts or shorts for a dime or a quarter that have a lot of life left in them.
Totsy
Totsy has been in the back of my mind for a while but I’ve recently checked it out for myself to see what all the excitement was about. Totsy is a site that hosts flash sales – that is a sale that lasts a limited number of hours (usually 72 hours for Totsy) and where you can score an amazing 40-90% off retail on higher end goods that might otherwise be outside your price range. This is great for companies who need to sell of their extra inventory, for Totsy who runs the company, and for the moms and dads who shop and score fantastic deals.
Totsy claims to be 100% and for every sale they make they plant a tree. How nice is that?
Totsy has a great referral program, for every friend that you refer who makes a purchase you get $15. For disclosure, my referral link is included above so if you sign up and make a purchase I will get $15 credit in my account. Win-win!
Buy Quality Clothes
Buying sturdy clothes will only save money if you get a good deal on those long-lasting clothes. Be ready to shop ahead for next year, check out my post The Best Time to Buy Everything for a few more details. Shop the clearance racks and become familiar with your favorite store’s sale patterns. If you have your eye on something that isn’t on sale watch and wait approximately 6 weeks from when you first spotted it and come back on a Thursday for the best chance of hitting the clearance rack first. Weekend sales usually start Thursday afternoons.
If you buy clothes online be sure to never, ever, ever shop without a coupon code or without shopping through a cash back site like Ebates. Many online retailers often have good sales and clearances with a wider selection than a local store.
Care For The Clothes You Have
When you take care of the clothes you have you give them a longer life and a larger value. Go back to the old-fashioned idea of play clothes and dress clothes. At our house we often wear jeans a couple of times before they get washed. Another way to care for clothes is to treat stains right away so they don’t have time to set it. If you have a long sleeve t-shirt that gets stained beyond repair just layer a short sleeve t-shirt over top.
Trade with Friends or Family
This is probably the most obvious way to save money – don’t spend any! If you have friends or family that are willing to pass on to you their hand-me-downs, graciously accept! Do the same for them if they have another child that could benefit from some other clothes you have. This is also a great way to encourage a new mom and get rid of clothes you just have sitting in storage. My sister-in-law gave me some of her maternity clothes (2 big bags!) and I am very grateful not to have to buy too much else.
Extreme Couponing 101 – Get Organized
March 23, 2011 by 3 Comments
Get Organized
Having a clear strategy is key in getting maximum savings with minimal effort!
This is my favorite method and I hope it will help you to organize your thoughts and coupons. 🙂 The binder method is composed of a 2” 3 ring’ binder with clear plastic binder pockets that act as mini-folders for each of your coupons. This is a great way to see and grab coupons as you need them! One option is to separate your coupons by category within store. I usually make the same trip through my local grocery store so I put them in that order. You can also have sections in the back for each store’s weekly coupons. This way if you don’t redeem all of your weekly coupons in time you can easily weed them out and add new ones. I also keep various coupons in the very back of my binder for storage even though I’ll never take my binder to those stores (Hallmark, Victoria’s Secret, Lowes, etc.) Clipping and organizing coupons this way is the easiest I’ve found!
This is my Coupon Clutch
I want to share with you the Coupon Clutch. It makes couponing easy and even fashionable! If the thought of lugging a big binder into Harris Teeter mortifies you, you are not alone. I hated the thought but luckily I bought a Coupon Clutch before I ever had to. With the Coupon Clutch your binder will travel in style and incognito. It looks like a purse until you open it up at your shopping cart.
The Coupon Clutch is handmade in the USA. It features a soft, padded outer cover and two interior pockets. These pockets are great for storing pens, calculators, and my favorite…for storing the coupons I’m using that shopping trip. Once I have the matching item in my cart I slip the coupon into the small pocket in the front until I reach the checkout.
The Coupon Clutch retails for $29.95. However there are different purchase options available, you can purchase just the Coupon Clutch, or the Coupon Clutch along with a variety of different size pages for organizing. I highly recommend buying the plastic binder sheets from here as well. They are much thicker than sheets I’ve purchased elsewhere and for nearly the same cost. If you are a talented and crafty person you could buy the pattern to make your own Coupon Clutch.
No matter which coupon organization method you use it’s important to do what works best for you. Once you find that system couponing will become even more enjoyable!
If you have any questions about the binder method or the Coupon Clutch just let me know through the comments or my contact button and I’ll try to respond as soon as I can. Feel free to share ways you’ve found to be helpful in organizing your coupons!
View other lessons in this Extreme Couponing series:
Lesson 1: Change the Way You Shop & Coupon Vocabulary
Lesson 2: 10 Coupon Myths Debunked
Lesson 3: Where to Find Coupons
Lesson 4: Get Organized
Lesson 5: Creating Your Price-List
Lesson 6: How to Maximize Coupon Savings
Extreme Couponing 101 – Where to Find Coupons
March 22, 2011 by 26 Comments
Where to Find Coupons
There are many ways to get coupons and several of them are free! Remember as a couponer, you’ll want to get between 4-6 copies of your favorite coupons. this is so when you head to the store to get FREE toothpaste, you’ll be able to get 4-6 tubes instead of 1.
Sunday Paper
Tucked neatly inside each Sunday paper are “Coupon Inserts” which will contain Smart Source (SS), Red Plum (RP) or Proctor & Gamble (PG). Before you order a subscription to your paper ask them two questions- Do they offer a Sunday or weekly only subscriptions? and Do they offer a discount if you buy multiple copies of Sunday’s paper? Remember, it’s a huge benefit to have multiple copies of coupons!
Other stockpiling Sunday paper options:
- Pick them up at the dollar store for an even $1.
- Ask local coffee shops if you have have theirs (maybe offer to recycle papers for them as a trade).
- Have friends and family save them for you. Most people won’t mind helping out.
- Go to recycling centers and get them (before to ask the attendant if this is allowed before you start “dumpster diving”).
- Get to know the newspaper carriers, they may be willing to give you inserts from papers that they don’t sell, also ask the convenience store clerks too…the store only has to turn in the top portion of the first page of the paper for credit.
- See if your work subscribes to a Sunday paper and ask if you can have the insert.
Embracing Beauty Coupon Databases
Printable Coupons
eCoupons
These are coupons that you can load directly onto your store card.
shortcuts.com
cellfire.com
pgesaver.com
upromise.com
Organic Coupons
Some of these will be mailed, some printed, and some loaded to your store card.
All You Magazine
$100+ worth of coupons each month, plus frugal articles, recipes & more! Sold at Walmart or you can click here to buy All You at a discount!
Blinkies
The little machines in the grocery isle with a red blinking light that hands out coupons.
Catalina Coupons
You know those extra strips of paper you get with each receipt? Those are Catalina Coupons and can be very valuable.
Peelies
Found sticking to the product itself.
Grocery Store Websites
More and more grocery websites are offering printable and downloadable coupons directly from their site.
View other lessons in this Extreme Couponing series:
Lesson 1: Change the Way You Shop & Coupon Vocabulary
Lesson 2: 10 Coupon Myths Debunked
Lesson 3: Where to Find Coupons
Lesson 4: Get Organized
Lesson 5: Creating Your Price-List
Lesson 6: How to Maximize Coupon Savings
Interview with CEO of Faithful Fish, Chelsea Eubank
March 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A few days ago I was on a small conference Q and A call with Chelsea Eubank of Faithful Fish Clothing and I just want to share with you a little bit about her and her ministry. This amazing woman of 23 years has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Extraordinary Teens, a guest on the Dave Ramsey show (my dream!), featured on Fox & Friends, and numerous other TV and radio spots. I felt blessed to have the opportunity to talk with this passionate young woman! She has been through so many hardships in her life yet she has trusted God and grew because of her experiences. She is the CEO of her own Christian clothing line and recently she has started the Wear It Wednesday movement where more than 500,000 young people signed up! This is an amazing little idea that has grown wildly. I encourage you to check out Wear It Wednesday and her clothing line, Faithful Fish.
Chelsea with Tim Gunn from “Project Runway”
Here is a little interview I had with Chelsea after the conference call.
Where did you come up with the name faithful fish? Because Faithful Fish’s trademarked logo is such an iconic Christian logo I guess the word fish just had to be in the name. Then I was running and kept thinking of names that went with fish and the bible verse about “Fishers of Men” popped into my head, I could actually feel the light bulb go on. Now I can’t even imagine having another name.
What has been the hardest thing to overcome when starting your own business? The vision to provide a b
randed Christian logo’d clothing line that expresses the customers positive values and lifestyle doesn’t resonate with everyone and trying to market a Christian clothing line has been a big disadvantage in the retail store space. Stores are concerned that if they bring in a faithful line they will offend other customers. But I have a vision a BIG vision, a HUGE vision and I truly believe that we are ready to have a Christian clothing line that can compete with secular clothing lines like Ralph Lauren or a company like American Eagle. It just seems that we need a line that represents our positive values. So to actually answer your question just to keep being positive even when things aren’t going as quickly as you want them to.
What keeps you motivated to do what you do? It is so much fun and I also get to work with people who are just as jazzed as I am about being faithful. Faithful Fish also gives a portion of all sales to charities so that is a true motivator. I also believe that we are offering something that is not in the market place and Faithful Fish is meeting a need.
If you could tell my readers one thing what would that be? From my personal experience of losing my Dad on the phone with me when I was 17 and then losing 3 family members within 5 months of each other I know that God doesn’t do these bad or tragic things to us but that he helps us through these hard times. He held my heart when it was broken and didn’t let the pieces fall to the ground.
What is your favorite Bible verse? Fruit of the Spirit. I love that it talks about all of God’s positive values. So many people say that Christians don’t want this or don’t like that but The Fruit of The Spirit shows all of the positive values that God represents and wants for us. (Gal. 5:22-23)
Okay, and a question for me…what was it like to meet Dave Ramsey? : ) He is so very nice and a believer like us. After talking his “Financial Peace” course I also felt that he truly has a calling to help people in their lives in a very relevant way. He helps people become good stewards. To then be able to be on his TV show and his radio show really was a miracle.
Thank you again Chelsea for your time! God Bless!!
Giveaway Winners Announced
March 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Crane humidifier – Elizabeth K.
SwaddleDesigns Ultimate receiving blanket – Amy P.
Preggie Pops – Jessica P, Elizabeth K., Kathryn, & Rachel.
Boogie Wipes – Sandra U.
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