A Lot of New freebies

Received:  Tom’s of Maine deodorant sample, necklace, Guideposts magazine, Working Woman magazine, Popular Science magazine, Nescafe Memento samples, Herbal Essences free product coupon, Oscar Meyer free product coupon

Requested:  another free card from Cardstore.com with code:  CCK2248, free downloadable lesson from Carson Delosa,  6 issues Working Woman magazine I said no to all the offers, but selected a $10 gc to a shoestore, Nescafe Memento samples, Vi-John’s Simply U shampoo and conditioner samples,  Glade free product coupons from BzzAgent, Purina Healthy Weight cat chow sample, Finish Dishwashing booster sample,

Freebies!!!

Received:  $50 Starbucks gift card (contest prize!), Parents magazine, Woolite Extra Dark Care detergent sample, another Honey Nut Cheerios sample, Ladies Home Journal magazine, Woman’s Day magazine,

Requested:  Post-It Super Sticky Full Adhesive sample

Runner by William C. Dietz

This is a story set in a future where Earth’s technology has allowed humans to colonize the universe for thousands of years, but has also forgotten that technology.  A little boy is identified by his caretaker monks as a reincarnated guru.  The monks hire a messenger to protect him from a rival sect who also identified a boy as the reincarnated guru, and to deliver him to another planet.  There, he will undergo a test to be sure he’s the right guy.  Along the way, the duo is joined by others who join the cause to keep the boy safe.  It was an interesting journey, but really hard to follow.  I also reread Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card, and much preferred those stories.

A few books for the week

Judgement Call by J.A. Jance:  I thought this was one of the better books in the Sheriff Brady series.  The high school principal is killed, and the investigation reveals lots of layers.  Lots of plot twists made the ending really interesting.  I don’t know how writers can keep up with subplots and false leads.  There was only one instance where I thought she dropped the ball, and it wasn’t significant.

XO by Jeffrey Deaver:  This is a Kathryn Dance novel, and Lincoln Rhyme and company make an appearance.  A young singer is being stalked, and people around her are dying.  Her friend, Kathryn, happens to be in town, and horns in on the case.  Deaver had way too much fun comparing the victim to Taylor Swift.  I didn’t think that character was well-developed.  It was a decent story, though.

Storm Cycle by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen (her son):  I have got to remember that she really throws a lot of romance into her books.  And there was double the romance in this one!  Rachel Kirby is a genius who developed an innovative way to utilize computers, in part to research a cure for her sister’s fatal disease.  As she seeks out this cure, she’s caught up in a race to make millions and a search for an ancient Egyptian doctor’s possible treatment for her sister’s disease.  The action was good; the romance too predictable and contrived.

More Ways to Save Money

Cardstore.com has beautiful cards that can be personalized with your own text and photos.  They offer free shipping to send the card to you, or will charge the price of a stamp to send it to someone else.  The cards themselves usually run about $2.99, but they typically offer a free card about once a month.  If you plan ahead to the next occasion you’ll need a card, you will seldom have to purchase one.  The code right now is FRIEND12, which expires 8/5/12.

Recyclebank  offers opportunities for learning about going green and rewards you points for actions.  You can redeem the points for gift cards, high value coupons, magazine subscriptions and more.

I just won a $50 gift card to Starbucks from entering a contest listed at Penniless Teacher.  I’ve also won a $100 Walmart gift card, a case of cookies, and some other cool stuff by entering contests.  Blogs often have few people who enter contests, so the odds are really good.

MyCokeRewards is another place to enter codes that you find online or on Coke products to get gift cards, magazine subscriptions, or high value coupons.

Freecycle is a great organization that gives people the opportunity to pass on used items, avoiding the landfill and saving money.  You can post requests and offers, though general courtesy is understood to post an offer before posting a request.  Additionally, it is expected that if you receive an item from Freecycle, you won’t be selling that item.  Be sure to let someone know where you will be picking something up for safety’s sake.

School Supply Deals

At Office Depot, I picked up 3 ten-packs of store brand pens for 25 cents each.  We got to choose from black, blue, green, and red ink.  I also picked up 10 folders for a penny each.  Since it’s teacher appreciation week, I got a discount on duck tape, bringing it down to $3.18 a roll.

At Staples, I got 10 more folders for a penny each, 2 Avery binders for $1 each, a post-it memo book for $1, 2 four-packs of glue sticks for $1 each, 4 packages of 5 Bic 0.7 mm Mechanical Pencils, and a mini-poly snap envelope for $1.  I couldn’t find the personal tissue packs for a penny each, and spent quite a bit of time at customer service getting prices adjusted.

Just a word of advice, Roseart crayons, Office Max pencils and crayons, and Scholastic crayons go straight in the trash when someone brings them in to my classroom.  They just don’t work!

It’s Teacher Appreciation Day on Saturday morning at Office Depot and Staples here in Farmington!

 

 

Some new free stuff

Received:  Dwell magazine, a little fabric carrier, Kind bar, Purina cat food sample, cardstore card, McDonald’s chocolate chip frappe (from a BOGO coupon), my new logo:

Ripe Concepts developed the logo–they sent 2 different designs, but I loved this one!  They were really friendly and easy to work with.  I’d definitely recommend them if you need any design work done.

Requested:  Little League Collectable Pin, coupon for free quart of paint from ACE Hardware on Saturday

Books I’ve Read Lately

*Aunt Dimity & the Village Witch by Nancy Atherton:  This was the latest in the Aunt Dimity series, and I loved it.  Every so often, I start a book by hearing my “reading voice” as I’m reading, and then the voice vanishes as I become immersed in the story.  To me, that’s a good book.  I always find a few faults with this series; mainly that her boys that Lori dotes on are usually on their own somewhere.  In this one, Lori becomes involved with a newcomer to Finch who is trying to solve a mystery created hundreds of years ago.  The whole village becomes part of the search for clues–which are found a little too easily, in my opinion.  But in a book that deals with a dead main character who communicates by journal, you have to put aside those suspicions.

*Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling:  One of my favorite blogs, Nice Girl Notes, is having a book study, and I thought it would be fun to join it.  Yeah, who am I kidding?  I can’t read 2 chapters at a time!  The author of this book is a writer and actress on the show, The Office.  I didn’t like the few episodes I saw, but I liked this book.  She’s self-depreciating, but in a gentle way, and funny.  She tells about her life through incidents and lists, and even includes pictures.

* One Book in the Grave by Kate Carlisle:  The latest in the bibliophile series (at least until Aug. 7th), Brooklyn finds a friend who died 3 years ago actually faked his death.  Murders take place all around her, and she focuses on keeping her friends and family safe while figuring out where her relationship with Derek is headed.  My aunt brought up a point that in every book in this series, Brooklyn has one incident where she gets a shot in at Christianity.  I noticed it in this book.

* Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes:  This is a young adult novel.  It actually took me until the middle of the book to figure out it was a vampire book!  Every other day, Kali is a typical teenage girl.  On the off days, she’s an immortal hunter of demons.  Not a social joiner, she makes some unlikely friends, and becomes involved in figuring out a conspiracy.  Humorous and fast-moving, it was a fun book.

A couple more freebies

Received:  Febreeze Air Freshener, coffee at Durango Joes today thanks to Vectra Bank

Requested:  Nescafe Momento sample, Huggies Pull-ups sample, Parents magazine 7-issue subscription, Pet Safety sticker

Saving Money on Groceries

Þ  Don’t be choosy!  It’s fine to stick to one or two brands that work much better than other brands for a few items.  Branching out for other items, though, will save you money.  When one of 5 brands goes on sale, has a high-value coupon, or offers a sample, you have a better chance to get it more cheaply than if you will only buy one brand.  An example?  Laundry detergent.  I buy All, Tide, Gain, or Purex.  When All goes on sale at Target for $3.99 for 24 loads, and I use a $1 off coupon, that’s a good deal.  When Tide goes on sale for $5.24 at Safeway, and I have a $2 off coupon, I get another good deal.  When I get samples of Purex, Gain, and Tide in the mail, I get free loads of laundry.  Combine them, and I save money.

 

Þ  Use coupons! The best way to get coupons is to ask for them.  Printed coupons are not accepted as often as other coupons.  Ask your friends and family to save coupons for you.  Email or write companies that make products you like.  Request them online.  At Target, you can use their printable coupons (http://coupons.target.com/#?lnk=GlobalPromise|&intc=263580|null) with a manufacturer’s coupon at the same time.  You can use Safeway’s store coupons with manufacturer’s coupons, too.  Here are some websites that I like to check in with daily (click on the images to visit the sites):

 

 

             

 

Þ  Request samples!  Normally you get to try the product or get extra of something you already use…plus a coupon!  Some samples are even full-size products.  I request samples even if I won’t use the product to get on a mailing list for other samples.  Then I give away what I don’t use.  The websites for coupons also blog about samples.

 

Þ  When requesting coupons and samples, don’t give them your real:

• Birthdate: choose a birthday similar to yours to use for all of your requests
• Phone number: sign up at www.google.com/voice for a “junk” phone number
• Email:  Sign up at www.hotmail.com for a “junk” email

 

Þ  Earn free gift cards!  When you read emails, search, make online purchases, or enter codes from products or online, you get points.  When you get enough points, you can redeem them for gift cards.  Sites I use are (click on images to visit the sites):

 

 

                            

 

                                                

 

Þ  Once you’ve gotten started, you’ll see more ways you may want to try saving money—rebates, the drugstore game, using coupons at stores and restaurants, and more.  Some may be worth your time and effort, and some may not.  Anything you do, though, will help save money on your groceries!