brandi666/Flickr
Today, Jan. 29, 2010, is the last day of giveaways celebrating BargainBabe.com’s 1-year anniversary. To win, join my daily or weekly email list by 5 p.m. PST today.
Today we are giving away:
- 8GB iPod Nano in your color choice, courtesy of Savings.com
- $100 Sephora card, courtesy of Friendgiftr.com
- $50 Goldstar.com card
- A Bargain Babe hot pink T-shirt
- BargainBabe.com notepad, calculator and mouse pad
- The best of cheapskate monthly by Mary Hunt
- TheSmartestWay to Save by Samuel Freshman and Heidi Clingen
Thanks to everyone who joined my list and has been reading my money-saving blog for so long. I know a few of you have been around since I was at the LA Daily News!!!
Everyone who is on my email list – no matter what date you joined – is eligible to win. Winners are selected randomly with the help of Random.org and I email winners about their prize. Winners have 48 hours to respond or they forfeit their prizes so check your email daily for an email from me with the subject “You are a BargainBabe.com winner!”
This week I blogged about three great sales for WalletPop.com (think of this site as my other blog) plus a way I make money browsing the Internet.
Grab this Staples coupon for 15 percent off good through Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010. Thanks, Tina!
Get 25 percent off Aeropostale jeans when you donate gently used jeans for homeless teens in Haiti through Feb. 14, 2010.
There’s a big ol’ sale at Old Navy right now. Everything is 30 percent off Jan. 29-30, 2010. Nice!
Have you heard of Swagbucks? I’ve earned gift cards from Internet browsing by signing up with Swagbucks. Sounds like a scam, but it’s the real deal.
Comments streamed in for my contest to win a set of four-plastic EasyLunchBox containers and a carrying case. I asked readers to share a quick and healthy lunch they would pack if they won.
Kristin suggested:
I’d put a yummy salad with grapes and baby carrots in the bigger container and 4 oz of chicken in one of the smaller containers. And salad dressing in the other.
Or I’d put some turkey and cheese roll ups in the bigger container, grapes in a small one and some pretzels in the other. That sounds good too.
Jenny had a great idea:
Wow… so many choices! What my children would eat: 2 leftover taco wraps in the large section, with fruit salad and jello in the two smaller side sections (great thing about these packable lunch boxes: you could make your OWN jello the night before IN the lunchbox, thus not buying the individual snack portions of jello and saving more waste destined for landfills!)
Jen had a tasty take:
First off….. this lunchbox is a HOT item! What a wonderful idea!! OK.. what would I put in it!?
Bigger container: Spring Mix Salad, with some lowfat feta cheese sprinkled on top
1 side container: Raw Trail mix which includes walnut, golden raisins, pastachios.
2nd side container: Lite Annie’s Naturals Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing.
This simple and light salad is very tasty. You could throw an apple in your purse and chop that up and add it as well…. very yummy! Enjoy!
Tamara had some neat ideas, too:
large salad with tuna or beans to add protein. low salt pretzels. snap peas.
whole grain rice mixed with salsa, corn, and black beans. carrot slices. whole walnuts or almonds.
veggie wraps. salad. yougurt and granola.
Sherry had a great idea that has nothing to do with food:
How about freezing ice directly in one of the smaller compartments overnight? Then, when you add the rest of your meal in the morning, you can feel confident that it will stay cold until you eat it later in the day. Great for people who are ‘on the go’ and don’t have a fridge handy in the morning.
Lindsey has an idea for an unusual lunch:
Big Compartment: Pita bread sandwich with vegetables and sliced turkey breast
Small Compartment #1: tabbouleh
Small Compartment #2: baked banana chips
The winner is reader Sara, who suggested a lunch I’d never heard of before.
In the large compartment, I would pack an egg-less salad sandwich on homemade sourdough bread with red leaf lettuce.
In one small compartment I would have black bean, mango, and avocado salad. In the other I would have dried strawberries.
That is some combination, Sara! If you didn’t win, check out EasyLunchBoxes.com or do what reader Cindy suggested. Browse the plastics aisle at your grocery store for similar, multi-compartment tupperware options.
My frugal friends at Savings.com hand-picked some top performing coupons this week. If you shop online, remember to check their site for discounts.
Exclusive! Get 20 percent off footwear at Reebok. Expires Feb. 7, 2010.
Get a 10 percent discount with free shipping at Crocs. Expires Jan. 31, 2010.
Get 15 percent off sitewide at The Knot. Expiration unknown.
Get 20 percent off your order at The Limited. Expiration unknown.
Savings.com Exclusive! 15 percent off all flowers and gifts at 1-800-Flowers. Expires May 21, 2010.
Wow! We’ve given away a LOT of prizes this week to celebrate BargainBabe.com’s 1-year anniversary. You can see what’s left below. To win, sign up for my daily or weekly email list by 5pm PST today, Jan. 28, 2010.5 Bargain Babe hot pink T-shirts
The best of cheapskate monthly by Mary Hunt
- Five $25 Starbucks gift cards
- A years supply of Starbucks’ new VIA instant coffee (with 432 individual servings of instant coffee you’ll be wired!)
- Four stainless steel VIA coffee mugs, shown above
- Who can resist a Bargain Babe hot pink T-shirt?
You can’t win unless you sign up for my daily or weekly email list! The drawing is at 5pm PST Jan. 28 so get to it!
I was very skeptical when I first heard about EasyLunchBoxes, a multi-compartment container that claims to save time, help the environment, and make you eat healthier. Ya, right.
Buuuuuut, EasyLunchBox creator Kelly Lester has some good points:
- her box, above, is easier than packing a brown bag lunch
- her box eliminates the need for plastic and paper bags
- lidded compartments expand your lunch options, creating more opportunities for healthy food
So I asked Kelly to send me a sample so I could check it out for myself. What I received was a plastic container similar to anything you can get at the grocery store. But it has three compartments and one lid. So all your food is together, but separate. With compartments instead of bags, you have more lunch options. Who ever tried putting hummus in a plastic baggie? The container is easy to wash and packing is quick.
A 4-pack of the containers goes for $14 on EasyLunchBoxes and an insulated carrying case is another $8. I’m giving away a free container set and carrying case to a reader who shares a tasty, healthy lunch perfect for the EasyLunchBox.
Here’s mine to get you started:
Cheese and lettuce sandwich
Hummus
Carrot sticks
Simple and delicious! Leave your suggestion as a comment!
Get a coupon for free Hersey’s Pieces bag candy.
Restaurant.com certificates are 80 percent off until Jan. 31, 2010 with this coupon code.
Home Depot sends special coupons to those on its email list.
Buying your Valentine’s lingerie? Check out Charlotte Russe’s intimates sale with $2 panties and $5 bras.
Now until the end of the month new gym memberships at 24 Hour Fitness are as low as $30 a month with no initiation fee.
Here is a Borders coupon for 33 percent off, good through Feb. 1, 2010.
Check out all the deals on my WalletPop blog.
The top five winners from Tuesday’s giveaways each won a $15 Quiznos gift card, including Suzanne from Northridge, CA; Sharon also from Northridge, CA; Christine from Monterey Park, CA; Michelle from Puerto Rico, and William from Los Angeles.
Two other readers won a copy of “A woman’s guide to investing,” by Virginia Morris and Kenneth Morris and a Bargain Babe hot pink T-shirt.
Wednesday’s winners include Lonnie from Moorpark, CA; Louise from Harbor City, CA; Dolores from Colonia, NJ; Krystal from Clearwater, FL; and Ann from Portland, OR.
I’m still waiting to hear back from some of the other winners to see who gets what prize, including a $50 Amazon card, $15 Save-a-Lot gift card, $20 Dollar Tree gift card, 1001 ways to cut your expenses by Jonathan Pond, The Complete Single’s Guide to Dog Ownership by Betsy Rosenfeld, Savings.com red canvas reusable bag and water bottle, and a Bargain Babe hot pink T-shirt.
Yesterday’s winners were notified and the giveaways were restocked for today! Join my daily or weekly email list by 5 pm PST today, Jan. 27, 2010 to be eligible to win:
- $50 Amazon card
- $15 Save-a-Lot gift card
- $20 Dollar Tree gift card
- 1001 ways to cut your expenses by Jonathan Pond
- The Complete Single’s Guide to Dog Ownership by Betsy Rosenfeld
- Savings.com red canvas reusable bag and water bottle
- Bargain Babe hot pink T-shirt
If you are new to BargainBabe.com, we are celebrating the blog’s 1-year anniversary by giving away tons of stuff to readers everyday, Jan. 25-29, 2010. Thanks for joining us!
UPDATE: Reader Kittie asks, “I get your emails. Am I signed up to receive the prizes?”
The answer is yes, Kittie! If you are signed up to receive my emails and are currently receiving them you are eligible to win the daily prizes I am giving out to readers to celebrate BargainBabe.com’s 1-year anniversary. Just check your email inbox everyday for an email from me.
i yudai/Flickr
Consumer Reports just updated their sales calender showing when is the best time to buy about 55 items like cars, clothes, furniture, and more. February includes houses and condos, humidifiers, indoor furniture, treadmills and elliptical machines.
Consumer Reports also shares these tips, which don’t fit so well into the monthly lists.
“Airline tickets tend to be least expensive to buy on Tuesday afternoon through Thursday. Worst days to fare shop are Saturday and Sunday.
“CDs and DVDs generally come out on Tuesdays and might be on sale for the first one to three weeks.
“Jewelry sales are common, except around Valentine’s Day and the December holidays. So plan to buy early or hope that your beloved will settle for an IOU.”
The web is buzzing about the week of giveaways on BargainBabe!
Bargain Briana featured the giveaways on her blog. (Briana does an amazing job of sharing coupon stacking deals and I especially love her Friday Freebies list.)
Tia Savings Cents gave us a big ol’ birthday mention, too.
I Pick Up Pennies highlighted the giveaway at the top of her links to “super cool posts.”
Mr Free Stuff duly listed the BargainBabe.com freebies on his site.
Wise Bread included the giveaway in their Best of Personal Finance Roundup
Frugal Focus mentioned a number of my giveaway posts.
Secrets of a Stingy Scoudrel author Phil Villarreal blogged about the giveaways.
Free Money Finance (@fmfblog), MSN Smart Spending (@smartspending), Wise Bread (@wisebread), Spendless TV (@spendlesstv), Shoe String Magazine (@shoestring), and Fast Food Maven (@fastfoodmaven), Common Sense With Money (@commnsensemoney), Sally Evans (@sallyevans), Broke Socialite (@brokesocialite) and others tweeted about the giveaway. Crystal Paine and Lara Star posted it on their Facebook pages.
Four of the five winners from yesterday have already gotten back to me so the last winner has another 24 hours to reply to my email or I will move onto the runners up. To be eligible to win prizes today and the rest of the week, sign up for my daily or weekly email list.
So far Wendy from Irvine, CA claimed the $20 Target gift card, Susanne from Redondo Beach, CA snagged the $10 Marie Callender’s gift card, Robin from Valley Village, CA will receive a hot pink Bargain Babe T-shirt, and Josha from Pensacola, FLA gets The 99 Cent only cookbook by Christiane Jory.
The only prize from yesterday that has not been claimed is Secrets of a stingy scoundrel by Phil Villarreal. Hilarious read.
- 8GB iPod Nano in your color choice courtesy of Savings.com
- $100 Sephora card courtesy of Friendgiftr.com
- $50 Amazon card
- $50 Goldstar.com card
- $25 Starbucks gift card (5 of them!)
- $20 Dollar Tree gift card
- $15 Quiznos gift card (5 of them!)
- $15 Save-a-Lot gift card
- 4 Bargain Babe hot pink T-shirts
- Savings.com red canvas reusable bag and water bottle, BargainBabe.com notepad, calculator and mouse pad, 4 Starbucks VIA mugs, 1 can of Starbucks instant VIA coffee, and five books.
- Five $15 Quiznos gift card (five winners)
- A woman’s guide to investing by Virginia Morris and Kenneth Morris
- One Bargain Babe hot pink T-shirt
To win, sign up for my daily or weekly email list by 5 p.m. PST today, Jan. 26, 2010.
If you don’t win one of the five Quiznos cards, consider entering their Choose 2 sweepstakes. Basically you enter your email, watch one of their commercials, and then answer questions about it. Every correct answer is worth one entry into a drawing for $4,000 in cash, kitchen appliances, electronics, 500 tree plantings, or $4,000 in Quiznos gift cards. That’s a lot of sandwiches!
It has been a year exactly since I left my steady job as a reporter at the Los Angeles Daily News and launched BargainBabe.com. I’ve published 1,012 blog posts, learned how to write a monthly business budget, and surpassed my earnings at any previous job.
Thank you to anyone who has sent me a tip, signed up for my email list, or told a friend about BargainBabe.com. You rock!
Blogging is different than any job I’ve had. I’ve learned a more diverse skill set (writing is only about 33% of what I do) and put in more hours than I expected. My income fluctuates and maintaining my focus is challenging.
But blogging satisfies me. I’ve made many new friends, been exposed to great opportunities, and am constantly learning. Through blogging I discovered my down-to-earth writing voice and re-created my career.
Coincidentally, my birthday falls near BargainBabe.com’s anniversary. Over the weekend I went dancing with girlfriends to celebrate. I was telling one friend about an upcoming business trip to New York.
“What are you going to New York for?” she asked.
“I’m going to be in a magazine shoot.”
“What?”
“A magazine shoot – for Better Homes and Gardens.”
“WHAT?”
I laughed. She hugged me.
“That’s awesome, Julia!”
“I know, I know,” I said, thinking of all the ways it could fall through.
“No, you need to stop and realize your dream is happening, Julia. Everything you set out to do, it’s happening.”
I dismissed her then. There is a lot I haven’t accomplished! But now I realize she is right. So I’m taking a moment to appreciate my success.
…
…
…
Ahem. Back to work. The blog must go on!
PS. Giant, heaping, armful of thanks to Andrew, Ginna, Julie, Sean, Sarah, Aicha, my Mom, my Dad, Greg, Alex, Meital, Mariel, Steve, and Connie for your help and support.
If you live in Long Island, tune in tomorrow to hear me on KJOY 89.3 with Steve and Maria at 9 am EST. I’ll be on for about 5-10 minutes talking about bargains and how to save.
Get 33 percent off the list price of many items at Borders with a coupon here.
Buy a sandwich and a soda at Subway and get another sandwich free when you build a sandwich.
Check it! Get 20 percent off your entire purchase at Ulta Beauty online with a coupon code here.
You can get a free lightbulb from Target when you print these coupons.
Did you know Target has a trade-in program for iPods, iPhones, and lots of other gadgets? When I compared the value of my ancient iPod to other sites, Target came out ahead.
Now through Jan. 31 get 15 percent off your order of Ghirardelli Chocolate. How sweet!
For more deals check out my WalletPop blog. Thanks!
