Aaron M/Flickr
I complied a big ‘ol list of July 4 freebies and deals. Check ‘em out!
Barnes & Noble has 21 American classic ebook downloads for free in celebration of the July 4 holiday. Expires July 5, 2010.
Here is a rare American Apparel coupon for 25% off red, white, and blue clothes! Expires July 5, 2010.
Through July 25 get free pancake puppies at Denny’s when you spend at least $2.
Borders has three coupons: 90% off clearance books, DVDs, and movies; 50% off Blu-Ray DVDs, and 25% off for military personnel
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog. Lots more deals slated for this afternoon so check back.
Martin Pettitt/Flickr
My frugal friends at Savings.com shared these Easter-themed coupons and deals this week.
Get 10% off all Easter baskets at GourmetGiftBaskets.com. Expires April 9, 2010.
Get 15% off Easter Photo Cards. Expires April 15, 2010.
Get 15% off any order at 1-800Baskets. Unknown expiration date.
Get 15% Off Flowers & Gifts at 1-800Flowers. Expires May 21, 2010.
Get $8 Off Mrs. Beasley’s Easter Basket at Mrs. Beasley’s. Expires April 30, 2010.
makelessnoise/Flickr
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
Decorating and dyeing Easter eggs is a wonderful frugal activity. For about $4-$7 you can buy dye, a dozen or more eggs that you are going to eat anyway, and create family memories.
Dyeing eggs
1. Boil or blow your eggs. Blowing out raw eggs requires putting a small hole in one end and a slightly larger hole in the other end. While holding the egg over a bowl, gently blow into the small hole so that the liquid egg goes into the bowl.
2. Mix warm water and a coloring agent. I use 1/2 cup warm water to one dye tablet. An egg dyeing kit at your local drug or grocery store is about $1.99 before sales. Each kit includes dye tablets and a dipping tool. The best part is the box. It comes pre-scored so that you can push out holes and then put your eggs in the holes for drying. This is the only product that I actually buy FOR the box, above. Many stores have post-holiday clearance sales and some start before the holiday. Buying your supplies at the last minute can lead to great discounts.
Tip: You can also use food coloring and the empty egg carton for drying to save even more money. Why buy dye tablets if you already have food coloring at home?
3. If you want to be more natural, use natural dyes to color Easter eggs. Use spinach for green, beets for pink and red zinger tea for lavender. Coloring the eggs in this manner is more expensive, but could be more educational.
4. Using some sort of dunking tool (use plastic gloves if you use your hands) put eggs in the dyeing liquid.
5. Wait a few seconds for light coloring or a few minutes for a deep hue. You can double dip but wait for the first shade to dry.
6. Take egg out and put in stand to dry. Drying times vary. If you want to eat the eggs later, do not put the eggs in the sun to dry.
Decorating eggs
1. Disney’s FamilyFun site has a wonderful list of Easter egg decorating ideas that include using cotton balls, string, elastic bands and thumbprints to enhance your dyed eggs. My favorites are:
- Dribble glue on the eggs. Let them dry, then dip in dye. Once the dye is dry, gently pull off the glue.
- Glue small stickers on the eggs. Ensure they are well stuck on. Dip, dry & peel.
- Glue string on the eggs. Let dry. Dip & dry. You may want to keep the string on for a new texture.
- Or… just forget the entire dyeing idea and paint the warm egg with crayon. The warmth of the egg melts the crayon.
2. Put bunny ears on the eggs and hide them. Eat lots of chocolate while you do this.
3. For more decorating ideas check out these Easter egg decorating instructions from eHow.
Is Vinegar Necessary?
All of the articles I found suggested adding vinegar to the dye mixture. However, this is not necessary for every color. My daughter and I experimented adding vinegar and it makes every color brighter except purple and red. For these colors vinegar makes the colors come out duller. Anyone a chemistry major? Why is this so?
faith goble/Flickr
St. Patrick’s day is Wednesday, Mar. 17. If you are planning to celebrate or hosting a party, keep costs down with these tips, courtesy of The Party Goddess.
- Wrap a wreath you already own in clovers.
- Hand out basic limerick guidelines as your guests arrive and hold a limerick contest after people have had a few drinks. Prepare a small prize for the limerick that gets the most cheers – a set of pencils, a bottle of Guinness, or a book of limericks.
- Create a vibrant green runner with sheets of wheat grass, rolls of sod, or vases of clover.
- Spray paint terra cotta pots gold and fill them with shamrock or clover plants.
- Serve a green cocktail. Start with vodka or tequila and add a splash of green juice, Midori, or Absynthe. Pre-make them in pitchers for faster service and garnish with fun green candy. Or make an Irish cocktail.
- Engage kids by having them decorate their own leprechaun hats. Provide plain hats and tools to decorate.
Here is a true or false quiz about St. Patty’s day that you can have guests take.
- A legend regarding St. Patrick is that he rid Ireland of snakes by ringing his bell.
- We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th because that is when St. Patrick died.
- The holiday got its American start in 1737 in Boston.
- The shamrock was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring.
- St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish.
- There are more Americans of Irish origin than there are Irish in Ireland.
- Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire Irish are the leading ancestral group.
- On St. Patrick’s Day, you can bring yourself good luck by finding a four-leaf clover, wearing green and kissing the Blarney stone.
Spring break is coming up and one way to save money is to earn a free night at your hotel. The Choice Hotels spring promo lets you do just that. The cool thing about the promotion is that once you earn your free night you can choose to stay at 1,500 hotels across the globe – gratis! Here’s how it works.
Stay two different times at any of the ten hotels in the Choice Hotels chain, including the Quality Inn, Cambria Suites, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, and Rodeway Inn. You can mix and match which hotels you stay at. Each visit has to be at least two nights.
Stay twice between now and April 30, 2010, and you earn a free night. You can find a great hotel rate on the Choice Hotels website, which searches the entire hotel chain for the best deal. Within any given city, you can search for hotels by radius or by proximity to prominent attractions, like SeaWorld in San Diego or Walt Disney World in Orlando.
Make sure to sign up for the Choice Hotels privileges reward program to get your free hotel night. You’ll need an address in the U.S., Canada, Mexico or eligible countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe to qualify for the promotion.
I read a striking statistic today. Spending on food and drinks is supposed to increase by 11.6 percent this holiday season – greater than any other category measured in a survey conducted by marketing firm IBISWorld. Total spending on gifts is shrinking by 2.6 percent.
That means the food at your friend’s holiday party is going to kick ass, but she won’t be giving you a present. To be fair, during this holiday season total spending on gifts ($82 billion) still whomps spending on food ($28 billion). But still – people are pulling back dramatically on gifts. The recession is over, folks!
“More people are pulling back the need to shop for unnecessary goods,” said Toon van Beeck, an analyst at IBISWorld. “It’s not all about giving someone a gift, but going back towards family values and spending time with friends.”
I’m curious if the BargainBabe.com community is pulling back their gift giving, or defying the trend.
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Staples announced their Black Friday deals via their Facebook page and Twitter feed this morning. The deals include:
- An HP Laptop with Intel Celeron Processor for $299.98 (reg. $599.98). The computer has a 15.6² screen, 3GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive, Windows 7 Home Premium. The price includes a $50 rebate.
- A Garmin Nuvi 255W GPS for $119.99 (reg. $219.99). It has a 4.3 inch screen and speaks street names.
- An eMachines 21.5″ monitor for $89.98 (reg. $179.98).
- An HP 8GB flash for $12.99 (reg. $34.99)
Staples’ holiday center has weekly deals and and an offer for free shipping when you spend $50 or more that ends Nov. 14, 2009. Every Wednesday there is a “Holideal,” a one-day savings bonus on certain items online and in stores. And everyday starting Nov. 30, Staples is giving away a $1,000 tech bundle as part of their holiday sweepstakes. The prize includes a Windows 7 HP laptop.
Here’s another way to say thank you to veterans today. For $11 you can ship a care package to a soldier as part of Operation Gratitude. Or you can donate items on the list below to help them fill their goodie bags. So far the organization has packed and shipped almost 500,000 packages total and more than 16,000 boxes this holiday season!
The following items will be accepted until Dec. 5 for holiday care packages:
- Electronics: DVDs, CDs, batteries of all sizes, computer flash drives, headsets (earpiece and microphone), used cell phones, video games and systems, iPoids, PDAs, ink-jet cartridges
- Games: travel-size board games, handheld electronic games
- Food: single serving cereal, individual packets of hot cereal, trail mix, beef jerky, nuts, energy bars, sunflower seeds, candy, ready to eat tuna or chicken salad kits, girl scout cookies, packets of powered cold drinks, tobacco products
- Toiletries: commercially sealed lip balm, roll-on deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, individual packets of moist towelettes, travel size containers of foot powder
- Clothing: screen printed t-shirts, socks, baseball hats, knit hats and gloves, knit scarves, neck gators
- Letters: holiday greeting cards (blank), unsealed personal cards and letters
- Misc. items: beanie babies/webkinz, small novelty items, disposable cameras, prepaid phone cards, bandana coolers/cool-ties*, mini-battery-operated fans, hand and foot warmers
Operation Gratitude is a 501(c)(3) organization; all donations are tax deductible as provided by law. Please make checks payable and send to:
Operation Gratitude
16444 Refugio Road
Encino, California 91436
Thanks, Linda!
Veterans can get a free cinnamon roll French toast breakfast at Ruby’’s Diner on Wednesday, Nov. 11 until 11:30 a.m. Dine in only. Must have this coupon to get the deal.
Thanks, Tina!
Related:
Veteran’s Day edition – freebies galore
Military families get into parks free
In honor of Veteran’s Day next Wednesday, Nov. 11, I’m going to highlight the best deals and freebies available on that day. The holiday is particularly ripe for bargains so if you are a veteran, take advantage!
At Applebee’s, veteran’s can choose one of six dishes and eat free on Nov. 11. The dishes include a 7-ounce steak, bacon burger, chicken tenders platter, oriental chicken salad, fiesta lime chicken, or three-cheese penne. One of the following proof of ID are required, including U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card, U.S. Uniform Services, Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), Veterans Organization Card (i.e., American Legion and VFW), photograph of you in uniform, wear your uniform, DD214, or a citation or commendation.
In Chicago, Uno Chicago Grill offers veterans a free personal pizza or entree when you purchase an entree or pizza of equal or greater value.
In northern Virginia, Masala Wok is offereing a free entree on Nov 11th to veterans.
In the midwest, Hy-Vee supermarkets with in-dining services will offer veterans a free breakfast on Nov. 11, 2009. Choose from scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrown casserole, biscuits and gravy and more served with a free small beverage.
In Fairfax, VA, the NRA is sponsoring a free shoot and meal for a limited number of veterans on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 from 6-9 p.m.
In Birmingham, AL Bargain Mom has a list of freebies museums and other deals for veterans.
The Freebie Queen found these freebies:
In Buena Park, CA, veterans and active duty military personnel get into Knott’s Berry Farm free Nov 1-26, 2009
Free Knott’s Berry Farm admission for veterans, active duty military 11/01-11/26/09
In Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williamsburg offers free admission for veterans, active military Nov. 6-11, 2009
Free Colonial Williamsburg admission for veterans, active military 11/06-11/11/09
At Sam’s Clubs, disabled vets can get a free Hugo folding cane on Nov. 11, 2009
Free Hugo folding cane for military veterans @ Sam’s Clubs 11/11/09
In Fall River, MA: Get free Battleship Cove admission for veterans, active duty, reservists on Nov. 11, 2009
Free Battleship Cove admission for veterans, active duty, reservists on 11/11/2009
In Ashland, NB: The Strategic Air & Space Museum is free admission for veterans on Nov. 14, 2009
Strategic Air & Space Museum free admission for veterans on 11/14/2009
Slickdeals.net also found these veteran’s deals:
In Chesapeake, VA, Natural Elements Spa & Salon will provide FREE services to Military Veterans on Wednesday Novemeber 11th, 2009 for both active duty and retired military from 10 AM – 3 PM. Veterans interested in FREE services of Elemential Facial, Body Bliss Massage, and Hydrofying Hair must call Natural Elements Spa & Salon for their appointment. (757) 436-1141.
In Greenbay, WI, veterans and their families get into the zoo free on Nov. 11, 1009. For info call (920) 434-7841.
In Scottsdale, AZ veterans can get a one-hour massages in its Student Clinic from Nov. 16 – 21.
Michigan veterans can get free plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Center for Aesthetics and Plastic Surgery, 2680 Leonard NE, Suite 4, Grand Rapids. This is for any Michigan vet injured while on active duty. The injury must be the type that is treatable with cosmetic or reconstructive surgery. The offer is good only throughout the month of November for scheduling appointments. The actual surgeries will take place sometime after the first of the year, most likely in January.
UCLA Athletics is giving away free tickets (one each) to veterans for the UCLA vs. Washington football game at the Rosebowl in Pasadena, CA on Nov. 7, 2009. Vets can also get a buy-one-get-one free ticket deal.
To get either deal, present valid ID or show up in uniform at the UCLA Central Ticket Office (M-F, 10am-4pm) or at the Rose Bowl on game day (general admission and reserved ticket offers). Two, call the UCLA Central Ticket Office during business hours at (310)UCLA-WIN to purchase tickets over the phone and pick up with valid ID or uniform at the Rose Bowl will-call on game day (reserved tickets only). Three, secure the promotional code from your military organization’s leader and click here to purchase your tickets online (reserved tickets only).
Viva Amore Bridal Salon in Watertown, MA (outside Boston) is giving free bridal gowns to engaged military personnel who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, or whose fiances are on active duty, according to The Boston Channel. There are a limited number of gowns and they are given out on a first come first-serve basis.
The gown giveaway takes place from Nov. 10 to Nov. 13. “To qualify, brides must be engaged, on active duty in the military, or have a fiancé on active duty in either Iraq or Afghanistan,” the story says. Bring military ID, your deployment papers, orders or other qualifying proof. You do not have to live in Boston to
Brides do not have to live in the area to participate. For more info, call Viva Amore at 617-924-4600.
The seafood restaurant McCormick and Schmick’s is giving veterans a free lunch or dinner on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. The special menu includes cashew-crusted tilapia, grilled Atlantic salmon, seafood fettuccini alfredo and cedar-planked salmon. Sounds tasty.
Anyone who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable is eligible for the free meal. Bring proper identification – a VA card, VFW card, American Legion card, discharge papers, DD214 or other Veterans ID – and show it to your server when you are seated.
To accommodate as many Veterans as possible, the restaurant will not seat parties larger than 6. The list of participating McCormick and Schmick’s includes dozens of restaurants in AL, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, TX, VI, WA, WI.
Thanks to Free Fun Guides for letting me know that all military families can get in free to all National Parks, Forests, Reserves, Monuments Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009 in honor of Veterans Day!
The fee waiver applies to entrance fees only. The deal applies to national forests, public recreation lands managed by Interior’s National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation and Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service. Many National Parks have military significance, including these.
The National Parks Traveler blog posted this list of parks having special events on Veterans Day:
World War II Memorial, Washington, DC – 8 a.m. color guard from the
Military District of Washington, special speakers, wreath-laying, and taps.
Contact: Friends of the National World War II Memorial, (202) 747-4258.Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC – 1 p.m. annual Veterans Day
Observance at the Wall. Contact: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund at (202)
393-0090.Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania – 10:30 a.m. wreath
laying at the National Memorial Arch with the Friends of Valley Forge Park
and the Korea DMZ Veterans Association. Contact: Ann Marie Maher at (610)
783-1006 or maher@valleyforge.org.General Grant National Memorial, New York – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. living history
displays and demonstrations of the evolution of the American Army during
the 19th century. Contact: Mindi Rambo at (212) 668-2208 or
mindi_rambo@nps.gov.
Thanks to the Miltiary Finance Network blog for a few Veteran’s Day discounts that I missed.
Lowe’s and Home Depot often give military members and veterans a 10 percent discount on military holidays such as Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and around the 4th of July. Be sure to ask and bring your ID!
The Golden Corral restaurant is serving a free meal on Monday, November 16, 2009, from 5 to 9 p.m. to anyone who served in the US Military. The deal is open to all veterans, retirees, active duty military members, and members of the National Guard or Reserves. Find a location near you. Because this freebie is not on Veteran’s Day it means you can get a second free meal – assuming you also got on one Veteran’s Day.
