TODAY ONLY FROM 4-7 p.m. get a free peach tea drink at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (not as pictured). No coupon needed, no purchase necessary. The freebie is 12-ounces. Valid only on Thursday, March 4, 2010.
Free address labels! This deal is for 140 labels through Vista Print, which charges you $3-5 for shipping. Not too bad!
Nab a free sample of the vitamin-packed powder packets known as Emergen-C, which has recently added four flavors.
If you don’t clip coupons, how are you going to get free tomato paste and Tylenol PM this week?
It doesn’t get much better than free candy, so check out this buy-one-get-one free candy coupon for Skittles and Starbursts.
Here’s another free sample, this this for PowerBar Gel Blasts, which give you an energy boost on long workouts.
Check out all the deals on my WalletPop blog.
My frugal friends at Savings.com shared these hot coupons with me this week, including four exclusive coupons.
Get free shipping on purchases of $30 or more at Avon. Expires March 11, 2010.
Exclusive! Get 15 percent off with free shipping at Bare Necessities. Expires March 10, 2010.
Exclusive! Get 15 percent off your order at Michael Stars. Expires March 15, 2010.
Exclusive! Get 20 percent off chocolate at Ghirardelli. Expires March 13, 2010.
Exclusive! Get $10 off orders of $75 or more at EpsonStore. Expires March 31, 2010.
My frugal friends at Savings.com shared some great coupons with me this week.
Get 20 percent off accessories of $30 or more at Verizon Wireless. Unknown expiration date.
Get free shipping on orders of $30 or more at Avon. Expires March 11, 2010.
Get $15 off $75 or more at Smashbox. Expires March 1, 2010.
Get 20 percent off orders of $50 or more with free shipping at Kate Spade. Unknown expiration date.
Get $10 off most orders of $64.99 or more with free shipping at GameStop. Expires March 5, 2010.
CVS.com is putting a bunch of CVS-brand products on sale by 20-30% off, including products for weight loss, dieting, hair loss, and smoking cessation. Plus, toothbrushes are as low as $.69 and vitamins are on sale.
A reader named Tami let me know about a fabulous sale + rebate offer that makes money and gets you free Olay Body Wash at Target. This week only!
Here’s another hot drugstore sale. All Rite Aid brand products are buy one get one 50% off Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 25-27, 2010.
Get a free sample of Tide Febreeze laundry detergent (not as pictured) when you sign up for the P&G email list. Already on it? You are still eligible.
See all the deals and coupons on my WalletPop blog.
This post is brought to you by BuildDirect.com, which sells laminate flooring and other building materials for less.
I really outdid myself with this week’s Friday Freebies, if I may say so. The list includes free candy, toothpaste, movie rentals, two magazines, free tacos, and free pretzels. Check it out!
Get 25 percent off regular-priced Gap clothes with a coupon that is good through Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010.
Get 25 percent off at Ann Taylor Loft when you buy pants. Once you put a pair of pants into your bag, everything else is on sale too!
Rite Aid’s medicine sale includes 20 percent off over the counter medicine through Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010.
The Walgreens sale is not as big as at Rite Aid – get 10 percent off through today, Feb 19 – but it applies to nearly everything they sell online.
This post is brought to you by Allegro Medical, a provider of ostomy supplies.
I found some great coupons for you, and more are coming so make sure to check my blog on my WalletPop blog later today.
All make up is 25 percent off at Rite Aid today though Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010. A professional make up artist who I met two weeks ago in New York recommended three drugstore beauty products over fancy designer make up.
Amazon is having a huge magazine sale with Seventeen for $7 and Esquire for $9. Get an extra 50 percent off many sale titles with code MAGFEB50.
You can get a certificate for a free contact lenses through Acuvue when you sign up here.
I found 16 spankin’ deals and freebies related to chocolate, flowers, and other Valentine’s Day treats, including a free $30 bouquet of roses with chocolates when you sign up for eBates. Seriously, this is a one-of-a-kind deal!
Follow @CVS_Extra on Twitter and you’ll get a 25 percent off code for their entire website. What a way to attract new followers!
Get 33 percent off at Borders now through Feb. 11, 2010.
Restaurant.com is 80 percent off now through Feb. 14, 2010.
Do you surf? Get a free subscription to Surfer Magazine when you share a few questions about your job.
Here’s a Michaels coupon for 40 percent off, good through Feb. 20, 2010.
I’m not sure when Spa Week morphed into Spa Month, but it has. Spas across the country, from LA to NY, are offering steep discounts to get customers, especially new ones, in the door in February. Start looking for spa deals near you. Here are a few I found.
At Lauren’s Salon Spa in Los Angeles you can get one of the following treatments for $50: 60 Min De-Stressing European Facial, Waxing Package including Full Leg and Bikini Wax, Sassy Highlights for the Holidays, or Wash, Cut, Condition and Blow-Dry. That’s a great price for LA!
At Le Petite Rose in San Francisco you can get a 50 min relaxation massage for $55, normally $65, 60 min relaxation massage for $65, normally $75, or chocolate rose facial for $58, normally $68.
At Salon Roi in D.C. you can get a color or partial highlights with blow dry, or any 50 min facial or 50 min massage for $50, normally $90 – $163, or manicure and pedicure for $35, normally $58.
At the Skin Therapie Spa in Coral Gables, FL, you can get a Valentine’s spa package including a rose aromatherapy facial, full body swedish massage, and manicure and pedicure for $165.
At the Veria Wellness Center in Chicago chose from 10 classes including yoga, pilates, meditation, or mommy and me for $10, or get a 50 min signature facial or massage for $50 each.
You can find the deals I mentioned above and look for ones near you on this page.
Thanks, Tina!
krossbow/Flickr
I’m not sure if getting six colds this flu season makes me more or less capable of writing this post. Yes, I get sick a lot, but that means I’m always testing home remedies to get better on the cheap. Either way, I know first hand that getting sick eats up valuable time off and costs a lot of money. Here are a few remedies to recover your health.
Note, I am not a medical professional and this is not intended as medical advice!
1. Avoid sick people. Seems simple but it is hard to pull off because sick people hide their illnesses like the plague.
2. Drink orange juice or take Vitamin C. I like the powder Emergen-C packets but they are expensive.
3. Get extra sleep. Even if it’s only 30 minutes, extra rest always helps.
4. Wash your hands. My doctor told me last month that it is the vigorous rubbing that washes off bad bacteria, not that I’m giving up water and soap just yet.
5. Drink tea. You can make pots of super cheap tea with fresh slices of ginger, lemon, and honey. Tasty!
6. Avoid extra sugar. Not sure how true this one is because organge juice has a lot of sugar in it, as does honey (obviously).
7. Gargle with salt water. Years ago my doctor told me to use hot water (though nothing close to what would burn your mouth) because the heat takes away tonsil soreness temporarily.
8. Rinse out your nasal passages with a Neti pot, which is becoming more popular thanks to Oprah. Running salt water through your nose to loosen mucus is not fun, but it’s better than getting a bacterial infection due to a clogged nose!
9. Make a heating pad for sore backs. Get a small towel very damp then microwave it for 30 seconds. It should be pipping hot. VERY carefully apply it to a sore or aching back, making sure that it does not burn the skin. Add more water and re-heat as needed.
What do you do to stay healthy? Do you make your own throat lozenges? Do you eat fresh garlic? Do you use a cloth hanky instead of disposable tissues? I’d really like to try your suggestions!
UPDATE: Readers shared a lot of great suggestions, some of which I’m pasting below.
Jenni Porter has an unusual suggestion:
When anyone in my house (four kids and 2 adults) has the sniffles, we swear by sticking cotton swabs in the hot/warm salt water and swabbing out the snot in our noses. Salt shrinks nasal passages and kills bacteria: excellent for snotty noses that might lead to something more sinister. NO ONE in our family has been on antibiotics since I started doing this last spring at the onset of the Swine flu.
Carol Lee said:
I’m not a medical professional either, but I highly recommend Echinacea w/Goldenseal capsules at the first sign of a sore throat or cold. Three times this flu season, I’ve felt as if a cold was coming on, so I popped just one of these capsules and Voila! no cold! It’s not recommended to take them continuously, just take one if you think you might be catching a cold. I hope it works for you as well as it has for me. The brand I take is NatureMade – 305 mg Active. PS I always wait for a BOGO sale to buy my supplements, especially since you don’t have to buy two of the same thing.
Marie has a simple technique for office workers:
In the office I started using a headset on my office phone. It has cut down on colds to only 1 a year ! People think nothing of picking up a handset to talk but I have never had anyone put on my headset to use my phone. Also wipe down my keyboard and desk area with disinfecting wipes during the day.
Living Doll knows of something better than the Neti pot:
Nice tips! I want to add that the Netipot is kind of old school. A better design is the Nasal Rinse : http://www.neilmed.com/usa/sinusrinse.php. A friend of mine recommended this to me as I occasionally getting pounding sinus headaches. This will give you relief within 1-2 uses and doesn’t require taking any medication (which I try to avoid). They are pretty cheap and you can easily clean it after using, tuck it away and re-use.
Pre make up (post cut)
Post make up (and blow dry)
Anthea King did my make up on the Better Homes and Garden set yesterday and she shared lots of great money-saving secrets while painting my face. Anthea is a big fan of drug store make up, believe it or not. Three of her favorite drugstore products that she chooses over pricier, designer brands are…
- Aquaphor healing ointment from Eucerin. “All the pros use it,” Anthea said while dabbing it on my lips. It’s about $5 for 1.75 ounces.
- Maybelline Volum’ Express Mascara. “It’s my favorite mascara,” she said, applying coats on my top and bottom eyelashes.
- Covergirl bronzer. “The thing you want to avoid with bronzer is anything orange-y,” Anthea said while rubbing a bit on her hand. The Covergirl bronzer left a warm sheen on her hand. “There’s nothing else like it on the market.”
But Anthea does not buy all her make up from the drugstore. Products that come in close contact with skin,like foundation and moisturizer, she pays more for.
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.
mikebaird/Flickr
This is a guest post from John Rowley, a fitness and nutrition expert at the American Institute of Health care & Fitness. His tips to get a million dollar body on a budget are quite practical. I just signed up to ride a 56-mile leg of a triathlon in May, so I’m going to need his advice!
1. Productive Activity
You do not need special equipment for an aerobic workout. Activities most take for granted can become part of your exercise routine.
• Brisk with no risk. Walking is still one of the best and safest forms of cardiovascular exercise that almost everyone can take advantage of. Take a brisk walk every day, through your neighborhood or take laps in a local mall.
• The real stair master. A stair master machine costs thousands of dollars but climbing real stairs is free. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, or make a full workout of climbing the stairs at home, work or a close by stadium and you will master the stairs. This is the real deal when it comes to stair masters.
• Get in the game. If you have children, don’t just watch them play, get in the game. Play tag or kickball and have fun and get fit at the same time. Take a walk to the park, dance around the living room with the kids or take a family bike ride. Don’t have kids? Try chasing your puppy around the park, backyard, house or apartment for a very challenging work out.
2. A modest investment for lifetime fitness
If you’re looking for fitness on a budget, these exercise products may be the ticket:
• Adjustable Dumbbells. PowerBlock makes an adjustable dumbbell that takes up the space of two dumbbells but are adjustable. Pull the pin and you can raise the weight from 5 lbs to 100 lbs. or more depending on the set you get. You can use them for a full body workout and they have free online videos to guide you through various work outs. Dumbbells cost less than most gym memberships and once you own them you don’t have to pay for them again.
• Resistance tubing. These stretchy tubes offer adjustable resistance when you pull on them. Use the tubes for a full body work out and when you are done they fit in a draw. Choose from varying degrees of resistance, depending on your fitness level.
• Jump-ropes. Skipping rope can be a great cardiovascular workout.
• Exercise DVDs. Turn your living room into your own private health club. There are plenty of options to choose from so you are sure to find one you enjoy.
3. Be creative
If you’d rather not spend a penny on exercise equipment, use ordinary household items for a full body work out:
• Canned goods. Turn caned goods into custom dumbbells.
• Milk, juice or water jugs. Fill empty containers or jugs with water or sand and seal the top with duct tape. When your fitness level increases, simply add more water or sand.
• Step stools. Use a sturdy step stool for step training — an aerobic exercise resembling stair climbing.
• Kitchen Chairs. Turn chairs into a dipping station, use the chair for incline push ups, etc.
• Parks. Many parks have trails that you can walk or run and the have various stations that allow you to work every body part.
Start off the New Year with a personalized fitness plan, courtesy of Curves.
Grab a free sample of NicoDerm to help you kick your smoking habit!
For a limited time, get two boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios free from Walgreens when you buy a gallon of milk.
Check out the load of kids stuff on sale at Sur la Table.
Yes, I shop at Anthropologie. No, I do not pay full price. Here’s how.
Check out all the deals on my WalletPop blog.
Save on cosmetics, skin care, make up, vitamins, baby products, and more at CVS for two days only. The discount does not apply to in-store purchases or prescriptions. Use code 2DAY20.
If an item is already on sale, you will get the bigger discount of the two but CVS won’t let you combine them. (So you can’t get 20 percent off on top of, say, a 30 percent off sale.)
The sale starts today and ends tomorrow, Nov. 10, 2009.
Caveats: Not valid on the following brands: AeroGarden, Alli, As Seen on TV products, Beauty 360 products, Burts Bees, Conair Infinity, DS Laboratories, Epilady, GHT, Jitterbug, Kelemata, Kidco, LaRoche-Posay, Lierac, Lifetone Fire Alarm & Clock, LipFusion, Maxoderm, Medela, Medical Nutrition Products, Olay Pro X, Omnilux, OXO, Philips Heartstart Home Defibrillator, Rapidlash, Resperate, Rock Hard Weekend, Sinupulse, Skin Doctors, Vichy/Dermablend, Violight, Zanfel, Zeno.
Thanks a bunch, Tina!
I was at the doctor’s last week for my annual check up and she asked me if I wanted a flu shot. Already? Jeez louise. I decided to wait until October, but I am a big advocate of getting the flu shot after I came down with influenza and strep at the same time two winters ago.
For those of us who don’t have access to a free shot, here is what people are charging.
Costco has the best price for the flu shot at $20 a pop; the pneumonia shot is $35. You can find a vaccination event at Costco here.
Walgreens is giving flu shots for $25, a slight drop from last year’s standard $30 charge. A benefit of the recession!
Rite aid has the flu shot for $30 and the pneumonia shot for $45.
Wal-Mart has select flu vaccination events. You can check for one near you.
If you are unemployed and uninsured, you can get a free flu shot.
My doctor is charging $28 plus co-pay, a drop from last year. What is your doctor charging?
CVS is charging $30 and have them available without an appointment at MinuteClinic locations inside certain CVS’s. Most MinuteClinic locations are open seven days a week and offer evening hours. On September 15th, more than 9,000 flu shot clinic events will be held in select CVS’s. Call 1-888-FLU-SHOT or go to CVS to find a list of vaccination locations.
Still looking for a place to get a flu shot? Try FindAFluShot.com, which lists clinics by proximity to your zip code. Unfortunately, the listings don’t include prices so you’ll have to make some calls.
Caveats: some states or pharmacies may have restrictions on who can get the flu shot. Ask ahead of time to avoid headaches. No pun intended!
Thanks, Laurie!
