Coupons & samples through TiVo

With Fall TV premiering this week, I am SO ridiculously excited for today because I have SIX shows going on tonight, 4 of which are premiering. Woot! I am SO thankful for my TiVo on days like that. Tonight, while I was going through my TiVo I noticed an ad for Pretzel M&Ms. I clicked on it and it allowed me to request a $1 off coupon via email! How awesome is that? I can't say TiVo is the first place I think of when I want samples and coupons but I've also requested samples through my TiVo before too. If you have a TiVo, what have you requested and received? I'm not sure if other DVRs offer samples and coupons. If you have some other brand of DVR and service, do you get coupons and/or sample offers through it?

Shut the front door!

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Remember my Crest money maker at Rite Aid? Yeah, so I had no idea that it would qualify for TWO SCRs when I bought it. Usually I get an email notifying me that my SCR submission has been received and approved but this time, I didn't get one so I decided to check. When I first checked, I only noticed the first one which said I didn't qualify. I was annoyed because I thought there was a mistake. I even dug the circular out of the trash and prepared for a fight when I noticed that what I didn't qualify for was something I wasn't going for anyway so it wasn't a big deal. The deal was even sweeter when I noticed that I qualified for not one, but TWO rebates so that makes my money maker even better at $2.26! Woot! I love surprises like this.

New! Resources

I just added a new feature to this blog: Resources

I understand that there are many merchants out there with complicated sales and promos. I'll try to explain how some of those deals work, jargon, abbreviations, etc and hopefully you can better navigate through them in Bargain Tutorials found under Resources.

Also in Resources, you'll find helpful links.

You can access Resources any where on this blog by clicking the link on the top of the page.

Enjoy, and I hope it helps!

Rite Aid deals tutorial

I understand Rite Aid deals can get pretty confusing. In fact, I recently had a RA manager comment about how much of a pain the deals can be and he personally would rather they just put things on sale instead of making customers jump through hoops. I can't say I really blame RA...after all, you can't just expect them to hand out steals. Here's a little tutorial on how things work. Hopefully it'll help you score a great deal there.

First of all, some terminologies. I've bolded the abbreviations as that's what I'll use in my posts. I'll also try to post this list of terms in the bottom of my Rite Aid posts for references.

* W+ = Wellness + - Rite Aid's loyalty program
** SCR = Single Check Rebates - Rite Aid's rebate program.
*** +UP = +UP Rewards - Rite Aid's promo coupon program
**** RAVV = Rite Aid Video Values - get coupons for watching ads

Now, I'll break things down and explain what things are. A glossary of sorts. I'm going to list things in order of how basic it is.

W+ = Wellness + - this is Rite Aid's loyalty program. Basically, start here because you will need this card to trigger the deals. Wellness + works similar to grocery store club cards. You sign up for a card, which you can do in store or online here. Either bring the card (and you'll get one that's credit card size and 2 smaller, key chain cards) with you to the store when you shop, or remember the phone # you signed up with and they can look it up that way. Once they've inputted your card in the register, if the item you are buying is on sale that week with W+ then it will automatically ring up the sale price.

Use this card every time you make a purchase, including prescriptions at Rite Aid because you get reward points. It's a tier system so you get special coupons after you reach a certain amount of points. Points reward details can be found on their website here.


SCR = Single Check Rebates - this is their rebates program. It sounds confusing but it's actually ridiculously EASY! The weekly ads will tell you which items qualify for SCR, plus they also have a separate flyer that lists all of the SCR for that month/period. Once you buy something that has a SCR, all you have to do is go to the SCR website here, create an account or log into your existing account, click on #2 Enter Your Receipts, click on the icon that matches your receipt (you can do this with in store or online purchases) and type in your receipt info. That's it! They will figure it all out for you! They figure out what qualifies for a rebate, and how much. They will send you an email confirmation, and you can either log back into your SCR account to request a check, or they will automatically send you a check when that specific rebate cycle/month is over. The only trick is, you can only request ONE check per rebate cycle. Hence the name Single Check Rebate. So you have to make sure you are absolutely DONE shopping for that cycle before you request your check or just let it be, and they'll send it to you when that cycle is done. You can certainly input more receipts if you make multiple trips to buy SCR qualifying products, but you can only request one rebate check per cycle.


SCR qualifying items will be marked like this in the circular and often on the shelf space:



+UP = +UP Rewards - coupons! Here's what happens and how it works: When you buy qualifying products, and it'll be in the circulars and in most cases, the shelf space where the item is will be marked with a special yellow tag indicating it qualifies for +UP Rewards, a special coupon will print out at the end of your receipt. You MUST use your W+ card to qualify for the +UP Rewards coupons. What these coupons do is give you a certain amount off on your NEXT purchase at Rite Aid. Of course, be mindful of expiration dates. Just tear them off the end of your receipt and save them for use on your next purchase at Rite Aid.

A qualifying item will look like this in the circular:

She shelf space of the item will often have a tag that looks like the price inset in the ad.

Note: +UP Rewards don't help you in your current purchase, and it doesn't actually affect the cost of the current purchase, but many bloggers, myself included, often factor that into the final price of an item or order. It only benefits you in your next Rite Aid non prescription purchase because it's a coupon you can use next time.

RAVV = Rite Aid Video Values - these are also coupons. Basically, if you go to the RAVV site and watch some ads (they range from 15 seconds to around 3 minutes) you will be rewarded with a coupon to use at Rite Aid for the item that you just watched the ad for. They are manufacturer's coupons that can only be used at Rite Aid. Each coupon has a unique barcode so it can only be used once. While you are watching the ads, you also earn points that when you reach a certain amount, you get a $ off general use coupon for Rite Aid. (You'll need to create an account for that.) Keep in mind you must keep the browser/tab of the ad you're viewing in front otherwise the ad pauses. You must also pay attention to at least the very end of the ad because you'll need to enter a code presented on the screen within 30 seconds or you will not get a coupon. The RAVV coupons are of benefit especially when you stack them with W+, SCR and +UP deals. Of course, you can get even more of a deal when you can find other coupons & rebates to stack with the savings Rite Aid provides.

In short, these are the steps to scoring the best deals at Rite Aid:

1. Make purchases using Wellness+ card
2. Purchase items that qualifies for Single Check Rebate
3. Purchase items that qualifies for +UP Reward coupons (which prints out with your receipt)
4. Use $5 off/$25 purchase coupon Rite Aid often releases (if your order is over $25. Make sure you give the cashier this coupon first.)
5. Use any +UP Reward coupons from previous purchases
6. Use manufacturer coupons
7. Save any new +UP Reward coupons that prints out for future use
8. Submit receipt info for Single Check Rebate
9. Submit for any manufacturer's rebates (if applicable)

Sometimes Rite Aid will have other additional promos such as if you buy X amount of any specific brand or type of item, you'll get a gift card. In those cases you submit for them through the SCR website just like you would submit for a SCR.

I hope this tutorial is useful in helping you score some good deals at Rite Aid. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I read each comment left on this blog and reply as necessary. You can also contact me via email or Twitter.

Happy bargain hunting!

Did I have a money maker at Rite Aid?

I'd forgotten to snag a few things at Rite Aid last night so I went back there today. It was a good thing I did, because I think I have a money maker situation.

I dug through my coupons last night and came up with a few of them I could match up at Rite Aid so I took them with me. Here's what I scored:

(Keep in mind, purchases were made with the W+** card.)

Crest 3D White toothpaste - $2.99
$0.75 coupon from Sunday ads (I believe it was the 9/12 Smart Source)
Paid: $2.24
$1.50 + UP Reward*** earned (I don't think this was mentioned in the ad, I was surprised to get it. The deal is, if you buy $30 worth of specific P&G products you get a $10 +UP Reward, but I don't think the ad mentions you get anything for buying Crest, yet the $1.50 +UP Reward I got was for Crest.)
$2.00 SCR* #54
Final cost: $1.26 money maker!

Reese's Pieces - $2.99
$0.50 coupon from Sunday ads (I believe it was the 9/12 Smart Source)
Paid $2.49
$1.00 +UP Reward earned
Final cost: $1.49

Out of pocket amount due: $4.73
$3 +UP Reward from last night's purchases used
$1 +UP Reward from last night's purchases used

Total: $0.73
Used free $5 gift card from this promo : entire order free

The toothpaste was a $1.26 money maker. If you factor in my gift card usage, my purchases was a $1.99 money maker, not including tax.

I am, a happy bargain hunter. :)

Terminologies:
* SCR = Single Check Rebate - Rite Aid's rebate program.
** W+ = Wellness + - Rite Aid's loyalty program
*** +UP = +UP Rewards - Rite Aid's promo coupon program

A Comedy of Rite Aid

I went over to Rite Aid tonight to score some deals (which I'll mention later) when the funniest thing happened to me.

After I got what I needed, I headed over to the cashier to pay for my stuff. The cashier asked me for my Wellness + card and I handed it to her. She scanned it and handed it back to me then proceeded to scan my purchases. I made sure she scanned my coupons, and silly me, I neglected to do the math in my head beforehand. I had too much on my mind. Nonetheless, all of my coupons rang up and the total looked about right so I didn't think anything of it. I paid for my stuff and waited for my receipt. One of the items I bought should've gotten me a $3 UP reward but it wasn't on my receipt so I asked the cashier...who even asked me to make sure. When she realized that the coupon didn't print, she immediately paged the manager on duty. The manager arrived quickly along with another, younger employee. My cashier explained the situation to him, we all studied the item I bought along with the ad to make sure all was right. This is where the humor kicks in:

The employee that arrived with the manager promptly started giving me a spiel the moment he 'overheard' my cashier mention the UP coupon didn't print.

"There's actually nothing we can do about it, you'll need to call 1-800..." he said.

I looked at his name tag and his title said Associate. Uh, ooook...but your Manager is standing right in front of me, studying my purchase and receipt to actually try to figure out what the problem was. He's providing, oh, you know, customer service? Not customer dismissal. Who the heck are you to disprove him?

I said nothing. I ignored him right after 800 because like I'm going to commit a phone number to my memory while someone rattles it off.

It turns out my Wellness + card didn't scan. My cashier clarified that she did indeed scan the card, and I backed her on it. But wait! There's more! Associate boy wasn't done. "Well sometimes when you press the discount button, it..."

"I didn't press the discount button," my cashier said.

If I wasn't so frazzled, I would've high fived my cashier.

The manager asked for my patience and explained he'd have to refund my entire order, and ring it up again properly. It was a huge pain in the ass and I really felt for the manager and cashier. The whole ordeal was a pain but they got me taken care of and for that, I'm happy. In the end, I saved 33% off my order, and provided me some humor. Ah, to be young, cocky, and to know it all...I'm starting to sound old.

Anyway here are the deals I nabbed:

Kraft Mac n Cheese BOGO
Trident Gum = $.17/ea ($3/3 then used $1 off/3 coupon from this Sunday's coupons, plus $.50 coupon from Rite Aid Video Values and got $1 UP Reward.)
Children's Mucinex $8.99 - $1.50 Rite Aid Video Values coupon, $3 UP Rewards

Coupon Jargons

Are you a little lost when it comes to the myriad of coupon jargons? Thankfully, the Consumerist has a list for you.

AFC: A Full Cup, a popular coupon website / forum
Blinkies: Coupons dispensed by small, red machines with a blinking light attached to shelves.
B1G1 (or B1GX): Buy One, Get One (or some other quantity) free. Also written as "BOGO".
Catalina: A coupon dispensed at checkout from a special printer after your transaction is completed.
Coupon Binder: A binder kept by many couponers. It generally contains flexible plastic pages (the type used for baseball card collections) where coupons are stored by type. Other items in a binder might include weekly store circulars and supplements, a calculator, price book, and so forth.
CRT: Cash Register Tape. It's your receipt, often required for mail-in rebates.
Dead: A coupon deal that has expired.
Deal: Refers to putting together a transaction in a certain way to maximize savings, or a special sale/event where coupon use can maximize savings.
DND/DNT: Coupons labeled "Do Not Double" or "Do Not Triple" at the top.
DND5: A coupon labeled with "Do Not Double" at the top but with a bar code beginning with the number 5. DND coupons with a 5 at the beginning of the bar code will still generally double or triple at most stores.
DND9: Same as DND5 but because the bar code begins with a 9, these coupons will not double or triple.
Doubles: Coupons where the face value is doubled up to a set amount by certain retailers (Harris Teeter, for example).
ECB: Extra Care Bucks. These coupons are specific to the chain drug store CVS and you must use their "Extra Care" loyalty card. They can be spent just like cash on most items (there are a few exemptions, like cigarettes). You earn ECBs in two ways: CVS will run deals on certain items, for example, buy two get $2 in ECBs, which are supposed to be spent on your next visit. You also earn quarterly ECBs, which are based on 2% of your out-of-pocket spending at the store.
Filler: A small item purchased to reach a minimum purchase amount necessary to get a deal or if your total out-of-pocket cost is less than zero (most stores will not allow you to have a negative total).
GDA: Good Deal Alert. This is a heads-up from other couponers that there is an item or sale/event at a particular retailer where your out-of-pocket cost will be extremely low or possibly, zero.
Frees: Items that will be completely free after the coupon is deducted from the cost or on-sale price.
Hang Tag: A coupon hanging around the neck of a bottle (salad dressing, etc).
HCW: Hot Coupon World, a popular coupon website / forum
IP: Internet Printable coupons.
MIR: Mail-In Rebate.
OOP: Out-of-Pocket. Your cost after coupons, catalinas, ECBs, etc.
OOS: Out of Stock.
Overage: This occurs if your coupon value exceeds the item price. Commonly happens when a store runs a sale and the shopper uses a coupon. Overage may or may not be applied to the remaining sales total, depending on the store. For example: CVS runs a sale on M&Ms for $.49 and the shopper has a $.55 coupon; the coupon would generate $.06 overage, which may or may not be applied to any remaining balance to be paid.
OYNO: On Your Next Order. A coupon (most usually a catalina) that gives you a certain amount off your next order or transaction. You generally get these after meeting some sort of requirement, like buying a certain number of products or spending a certain amount of money.
Peelie: A coupon that is adhered to a product and that must be peeled off to use.
Price Book: A notebook kept by many couponers documenting weekly or monthly prices of items they purchase regularly and what the best price is that they've found on it. This enables the couponer to track whether the price is going up or down, and what savings they're seeing if a store puts the item on sale.
Rolling: Rolling savings generated from one transaction into another; for example, using a $3 OYNO catalina from your first transaction to pay for part of a second transaction.
RP: Red Plum coupons that come in the Sunday newspaper, or that can be printed online.
RR: Register Reward. These are specific to national drug chain, Walgreens. Like ECBs, they can be spent just like cash on most items (with the same exemptions) but unlike ECBs, you Walgreen's doesn't have a loyalty card that you must use to obtain these. You earn these from purchases only and there are no quarterly RRs.
SS: Smart Source coupons that come in the Sunday newspaper, or that can be printed online.
Stacking: Using both a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon on one item.
Stockpiling: Buying up multiple items or large quantities and storing them for future use.
Super-Doubles or SD: Special coupon events where a retailer will double coupons with high face values. For example, if a retailer normally doubles coupons up to $.75, during SDs, they may take double coupons with face values of up to $1.50 instead.
Tearpad: An in-store display with coupons that can be torn off.
Triples: Special coupon events where a retailer will triple the face value of a coupon up to a certain limit.
V: Valassis coupons that come in the Sunday newspaper.
Wine Tag: A coupon hanging around the neck of a wine bottle.
WYB: When You Buy. An action triggered after you meet a certain threshold. For example, "Get 2 bottles free when you buy 3."

Zhu Zhu Pets deal @ TRU

Hi all!  I'm so sorry I've been slacking on posting deals or at the very least, mailbox love lately. Things have been crazy, we're dealing with colds and such it's just been chaotic to say the least since school started.

Anyway, I came across this deal today that I just had to share with you if you have a kid in your life that loves Zhu Zhu Pets:

Toys R Us currently has a Buy One Get one 1/2 off deal on Zhu Zhu Pets and accessories (through Sept 18, 2010.)  Combine it with a $5 off $25 coupon (good through Sept 26, 2010) and you've got a pretty darn good deal on your hands, in plenty time for Christmas. :)

Samples: Shout Color Catcher

Snag a free sample of Shout Color Catcher and 55 cents off coupon from their Facebook page here.

Source: Hip 2 Save

Mailbox Love

I know I've been slacking on everything...on updating mailbox love, and deals. I don't have much of an excuse for mailbox love other than things being SUPER crazy and busy around here, but as for deals, the truth is, there just haven't been very many noteworthy and worthwhile deals around lately. Even I haven't seen much to request for myself. (And I only share the goodies and deals from resources I trust and that I would be willing to request for myself.)

Over the past few days, here's what I've received:

1. Nordic Naturals samples
2. Emergen-C samples from Walmart
3. Lanacane sample
4. Nexxus hair care samples plus a $3 off coupon that doesn't expire till March 2011!
   
5. Entertainment Weekly mag (free!)

Have you been getting goodies in the mail lately? If so, please do share!

I'll continue to share deals and freebies as I see them. In the mean time, be sure to follow me on Twitter! I'll often times post deals there, especially if I'm on the go or in a rush. I wouldn't want you to miss out on a goodie. :)

All-Bran & rare coupon!

Got a birthday for a special someone coming up?  Click here to nab a 50 cents off coupon for Cake Mate Numeral Candles.  It's a SmartSource coupon so have your printer ready when you click.  I've seen these candles go for about 98 cents at Walmart so it's a score!

Click here for a sample of Kellogg's All-Bran cereal.

Source: Hip 2 Save

Aveeno Nourish + sample

Score a free sample of Aveeno Nourish + shampoo and conditioner, along with a coupon here!

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

1. Woman's Day mag (free!)
2. Olives recipe book
3. TWO solicitation mail from State Farm...again! From 2 different agents!  Does anyone know who I can contact to get them to STOP sending me these junk on a near weekly basis? It's not only wasteful but it's driving me crazy!

So, what goodies did you get today?

Mailbox Love - belated Saturday ed.

I didn't actually check the mail Saturday, my husband did. I'm told I got a free sample of Cheetos Zingers from Walmart. I only say that because I never actually saw the sample. It was consumed by my sneaky progenies before I even got to see it. Harumph.

Mailbox Love & coupons alert!

In the mail today:

• September issue of Parenting: early years magazine

In the mail yesterday:

• Coupon for $2 off Always pads at Walgreens

Coupons alert!

There are coupons for 20% off diapers...any brand (assuming disposable diapers only) on Amazon.com in both the September issues of Parents and Parenting magazines. The codes are one time use only and is one per customer. Orders must be placed by Sept 30, 2010 and should qualify for Free Super Saver shipping.

Also in the September, 2010 issue of Parents magazine:

1. $2 off coupon for any size Tide liquid - exp Sept 30, 2010
2. 20% off coupons for JCPenney.com or in store - exp Sept 13, 2010

In Parenting: early years magazine:

1. $1 off Bagel Bites - exp April 30, 2011!
2. $1 off Sara Lee lunch meats - exp Dec 31, 2010
3. Three coupons for Pledge products worth up to $3 all exp Nov 30, 2010
   

Woot Offs

Woot Offs are still going on over on Woot and Kids Woot!

Swag me some Toy Story 3!

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If you're a Disney/Pixar and/or Toy Story fan, Toy Story 3 is available for pre-order off of Amazon now. I just pre-ordered mine, along with another item on my Christmas list. The total out of my pocket? Oh, $0.00. Thank you, Swag Bucks!

Kroger Sweepstakes

And again! I won something again! Not for spinning the wheel though. I won a free thinkTHIN nutrition bar just for logging into Kroger's Summer of Savings sweepstakes.

Don't forget to play Kroger/King Sooper's Summer of Savings Sweepstakes and the The Difference One Makes game daily to earn Box Tops for Education!

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

• Payment check from Opinion Outpost

What goodies did you get?

Mailbox compilation

I *almost* forgot to play Kroger's Summer of Savings Sweepstakes today. Good thing I finally remembered right before going to bed because I won again! This time I won a bottle of Hershey's Syrup!

Don't forget to play Kroger/King Sooper's Summer of Savings Sweepstakes and the The Difference One Makes game daily to earn Box Tops for Education!


Also, what goodies did you get in the mail today?

I got a Nexxus shampoo & conditioner sample.

Kroger Sweepstakes

Yay! I finally won something again on the Kroger/King Sooper's Summer of Savings Sweepstakes! I won a box of Kellogg's Mini Wheats cereal...just in time for those back to school breakfasts.

If you've been playing, have you had any luck yet? What have you won this round?

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

• Better than Ears dog treat sample from Walmart
• Free lamb cook book from Meat & Livestock Australia
• My first issue of my free subscription to Entertainment Magazine
  

Yay! I'm finally getting some good stuff after a bit of a dry spell. What goodies have you gotten lately?

Mailbox Love - The compilation post

Wow! Schools are rolling back in session in my area and this month with the past couple of weeks being full steam ahead so it has been absolutely CRAZY for me. Sadly, it's looking to be an absolute nuthouse for the rest of the month around here. It's been so nuts that half the time I don't even know what came in the mail when. (My husband has been checking our mail.)  I think I'm going to roll this all into one compilation post.

I think in the past couple of days I received:

• Target Up & Up products coupon book
• Costco coupon book
• Coupon for FOUR jars of Beech-Nut baby food (great for donating)
• My DH got his free Maxim mag

What goodies have you been getting?


Also, don't forget to play Kroger/King Sooper's Summer of Savings Sweepstakes and the The Difference One Makes game daily to earn Box Tops for Education!

Organic Valley Welcome Kit

If you subscribe to one of Organic Valley's newsletters, you'll have the option to receive a Farm Friends welcome kit which includes:

Rootstock Magazine, a Kid’s Activity Booklet, a Go Organic! bumper sticker, and a booklet of useful Organic Valley coupons.

Source: Hip 2 Save

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

• Grocery ads
• Parents magazine

If you've been requesting the goodies I posted on this blog, have you started receiving them yet? What have you received?

Good Belly Tote & foot cream

• Score a free tote from Good Belly when you refer 5 friends. (Just need emails.)
  Source: Freebies 4 Mom
  
• Free full size tube of Miracle Foot Repair (they'll email you a coupon)
  Source: Hip 2 Save

Swag Bucks goes back to school

It has been a super crazy weekend for me so I haven't been able to update this blog as timely as I would've liked to. In fact, I totally forgot about the Kroger sweepstakes resetting until today so I forgot to play yesterday! Ugh! Anyway, when I got a chance to log onto Swag Bucks last night and I won some SBs doing a search, I noticed something was different: the bucks looked different! Here's what I got treated to:

It looks different! I had no idea what was going on, but I was glad that I scored some SBs. I thought they were just changing the graphics to a new model just because but when I logged on this morning, I saw a post on their blog explaining that they are running a back to school promo. They've rolled out five new collectible Swag Buck bills in 6, 9, 14, 19 and 23. If you collect all five by the end of this week, you will be awarded 50 extra Swag Bucks! So get searching!

So far, as of this blog entry, I've collected 3 out of 5 bills: the 6, 9, and 14 bill. Hopefully I can get the last 2 and score a bonus 50 at the end of the week. :)

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

• Birthday card & coupon for one of my kids from Toys R Us
• Ace Hardware rebate check! (yay!)

What goodies did you get today?

Review: Denver Post ad package week 2

So here we are, week 2 of the Denver Post Yes ads delivery program. I am very happy to say that...

I have coupons!

This week's delivery included the SmartSource coupon insert which made me very very happy. I'm still uncertain whether or not it typically includes coupons, (I hope it does!) and whether or not it includes all of the coupons that's typically in the actual Sunday paper (I don't think it does) but hey, I'll take it! Thus, I won't be canceling it...not just yet anyway. I'll try it out for a while longer and see how it goes.

Kroger sweepstakes reset!

It's time to play Kroger/King Sooper's Summer of Savings Sweepstakes again! The program actually reset yesterday, but my weekend was so crazy that I totally forgot to play yesterday. I played today but didn't win anything, even though it looks like they added even MORE prizes and opportunities to win to the wheel! If you've been playing, what have you won?

The Box Tops Difference

Don't forget! If you have a kiddo in school or know of one, or just want to help out a school you can play The Difference One Makes game daily to earn Box Tops for Education for them. It only takes a few seconds and it's free! It's a great way to make a small, but helpful contribution to struggling schools who are always getting their budget cut.

Mailbox Love

Yay! I got my rebate check from my July Rite Aid scores!

What goodies did you get today?

Rayovac batteries $1 off/free!

Rayovac has a $1 off coupon on their Facebook page. "Like" them, then scroll down. On the left side of the page towards the bottom should be an icon that says "Save $1.00" click on that and then click on it again to get a $1 off coupon via Smartsource. (You'll need Java to print it.) Target and Walmart have some Rayovac batteries for around 97 cents (check Target's Dollar Spot) thus making it free batteries!

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

• P&G Brand Sampler (that was fast!)
• MegaRed Omega-3 samples
• Valpak coupons

What goodies did you get today?

Safeway Refreshe sample

Is it hot enough out there for you yet?  :)

Score yourself a sample of Refreshe beverage from Safeway.

Famous Footwear 20% off

Now through Aug 14, 2010, shop Famous Footwear's current ad and get 20% off either online or in store.  Click here for the ad and printable coupon or use the code SCHOOL3 to shop online.

A few Emergen-C samples

Here are a couple more Emergen-C sample offers for you (this is in addition to the one I posted earlier today):

• Emergen-C Bone Up bone health samples from Walmart
• Emergen-C start up kit (with 3 sample packets) on Facebook - this one is a bit of a pain to get but I'll share it with you anyway and you can decide for yourself whether you want to go through the hassle or not.
  First you have to "Like" them on Facebook, then allow their app access to your basic profile. That's pretty standard with Facebook promos. Here's the part that's a pain: once you've done the standard stuff you have to share the promo with at least 1 of your friends (you post the info on their wall) and then when they click on the link that's posted on their wall, they get a form to fill out to request the sample. If you want a sample, you'll have to have them do the same thing you just did and share it with you on your wall so that you can get a link to the form to fill out.  Furthermore, if your friend clicks on the link, it automatically makes them approve the app and it has access to their basic info.  They don't even have to click anything to approve the app.  (The app is removable via Application settings.) Didn't I say it was a pain? Um, yeah. You can share it with up to 10 friends. Here's a FAQ on the promo. (Yeah, it's THAT much of a pain that they needed a FAQ for it. So you decide if you want to go for it.)

Mailbox Love

In today's mail:

• Payment check from Opinion Outpost
• Kellogg's Special K Protein Meal Bar sample 

What goodies did you get in the mail today?

Tons o goodies

To make up for the tardy Mailbox Love post, here are some goodies to fill your mailbox with love. :)

• Redken Time Reset Hair care Samples (Facebook)
• Emergen-C Blue sample
• Anthony's Pasta Meal Planner
• Free NasaFlo neti pot (Facebook)
• Nature's Bounty adult gummies sample

Source: Hip 2 Save 

• Post-It Super Sticky Note sample

Mailbox Love

I'm so sorry I didn't report yesterday's Mailbox Love. Things got a little chaotic around here.  All I really got was the Home Made Simple Coupon book, which is awesome!

What goodies did you get?

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

• Samples of Kraft Bulls-Eye BBQ Sauce (the Kansas City one was YUM! and it was HFCS free too!)
• 1st issue of my free subscription of Woman's Day magazine

What goodies did you get in the mail today?

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

• Kotex Lightdays sample from Costco
• $5 off Build A Bear

What goodies did you get today?

Free cookies & Kelloggs coupons

• TODAY, Aug 2, 2010 ONLY - "Like" Nabisco cookies on Facebook and score a coupon for free cookies! It's a Smartsource coupon so no download necessary, but Java is required. You may only print it once. The coupon is for buy 1 package of Nabisco cookies and 1 gallon of milk get 1 package of Nabisco cookies free. Coupon expires August 20, 2010.
  
  
• Kellogg's Fuel for School program has a bunch of coupons available. Among them are $1 off 2 pkg PopTarts, $1.25 off 3 pkg of cereal, and more. You may print each coupon twice. Simply select the coupons again and print them again.

Review: Denver Post ad package

(Click to enlarge)

Remember my post about the Denver Post having a new program where they will deliver just the ads and coupons for free? First of all, I'd like to apologize because I got the program name wrong. As you can see in the picture, the program name is actually called YES! (short for Your Essential Shopper) not Perks like I'd originally thought.

Second, today is August 1st which means it's the first day of the program delivery. I was SO excited about it that I couldn't wait to tear into my bag of goodies. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. As you can see in the pictures, there are no coupons. What you see in the picture, an Ulta ad, USA Weekend Magazine, Parade Magazine, Kohls ad, and another general ad was pretty much all that was in the delivery. (There was also a plumber's magnet, and Safeway ad that didn't make it in the shot but it's really nothing to write home about since I get grocery ads, including Safeway in the mail every Tuesday anyway.) That's it. No coupons at all like I was told...twice...once in the voice mail they left me and again when I called to inquire about the program. At first I thought, well maybe there weren't any coupons in this week's paper. It happens. Well, according to Sunday Coupon Preview, that's not the case. In fact, there were TONS of good coupons in the paper today. What a ridiculous let down. I'm so annoyed and I feel like I just got a bunch of trash. I think I'll give it one more week. If next week's delivery is suckage, I'm going to cancel my 'subscription.'

Organizing samples

For the longest time, I just threw my samples haphazardly into a bathroom counter organizer but it really wasn't working well. It would hold the flat samples fine, but the bottles, not so much. A few days ago, while at Walmart, I came across these plastic shoe boxes. They were $5 for a pack of 6 boxes with lids and I'd originally got them to organize my cake decorating stuff, but since I had some left over, I decided to use them for my samples. It's working out great! Most of the samples I have are toiletries anyway so I have them organized now...much more than it shows in the picture...I just threw that together for the pic op. I have them flat organized by shampoo/conditioners, bottles, and lotions. It worked out great until my clumsy husband knocked them off the counter before I got a chance to find a spot for the boxes. *sigh* I guess it's back to square one, but at least I have a spot for them and a system. :)

I don't really have an organizational system for food and other edible samples I get because those never last in the house. With kids, a husband, and dogs, I'm lucky if I even get to see it long enough to post about them on Mailbox Love, but with toiletry samples, I do hang on to them for a little while, especially shampoos and conditioners. I find the samples are the perfect size for travel so I hang on to them for such occasions or when we have guests, or if momma is just too plain lazy to get around to restocking, I have something handy to tide us over.

If you're a samples junkie like me, do you have an organizational system for your samples? What is it like?

Mailbox Love

Yay! Finally some goodies in the mail again.  In the mail today were:

1. Squeaky dog toy ball from Purina Beneful WagWorld.
2. Pack of Dentyne Pure gum.

What goodies did you get today?

Mailbox Love

Nada. Nothing but junk in the mail today.

How about you? Any goodies?

Making Sports photo trading cards

For many families with young children, the summer sports season is wrapping up.  That also means team and sports photos.  We all want to savor those special moments, and to also share them with friends and family.  I'm no different.  When my oldest wrapped up t-ball this week, I wanted to do something special to preserve those memories.  I'm a bit of an hobbyist photographer and my kids are not surprisingly, my favorite subjects.  They've been trained to not even think anything of having my camera shoved in their faces.  To them, it's as natural as a kid begging for ice cream on a hot day.

I got the idea to turn some photos into trading cards from one of my kid's teammates. They'd ordered some cards through the team photographer, but cheap ass me only ordered a couple of prints, figuring the cards were a gimmick.  When I saw them, I thought they were so cute that I decided to give it a shot to make my own.  (Really, there's no shortage of photos I've taken this season. I'm sure I annoyed the opposing teams plenty by sticking my butt in their faces while trying to get a great action shot.)  I'm fairly savvy with Photoshop so I knew it wasn't going to be too much of a challenge, but when I came across this easy to use template and interface from HP, I figured making it myself from scratch was little more than reinventing the wheel.

So if you have a little one in sports or know of one, give it a whirl.  HP has templates for a wide variety of sports from baseball to basketball, to hockey and more.  Give it a try!  It's free!  All you do is upload the photo, pick your design, type out your text, save it (you might want to format it in Photoshop....I did) and send it to print with your favorite photo finisher.

Quiznos $2.99 Meal Deal

Quiznos is running a Meal Deal promotion.  For just $2.99 you get any small sub, chips, and a regular fountain drink.  Click here for the coupon. 

Note/tip/hint:  coupon expires exactly 1 week from the day you click on the link. ;)

Making up for lost time

Yeah, I know I said there was a shortage of good free stuff up for grabs lately, but I might have stumbled on the mother lode today.

Here are some goodies that should still be available! (Many of which are restocks and new links.)

• Playtex Sport Tampon
• Rachael Ray's Nutrish dog food
• Aveeno Nourish shampoo & conditioner
• Purex Complete 3 in 1
• StayFree w/Thermo Control
• Dove Conditioner
• U by Kotex
• Flexitol Heel Balm
• John Freida Root Awakening
• Kotex sample pack (different from the U by Kotex offer)
• Nexxus

Source: All You

The Children's Place - up to 30% off!

For 3 days in stores only, The Children's Place is having a sale that's up to 30% off!

Spend $60 - 30% off
Spend $50 - 25% off
Spend $40 - 20% off

Coupons for this sale can be found here.

The fine print: *Valid now through July 31, 2010. Limit one coupon per customer. Coupon must be relinquished at time of purchase. Cannot be combined with any other offer except in-store PLACE Card credit application discount

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

• A piece of junk mail
• Stride Rite ad/coupon, same one as this one I got in my email

Anything good in your mail today?

The Children's Place - 20% off!

Here's an awesome 20% off coupon to The Children's Place!  Even better? It works at their outlet stores! AND it's good through Sept 1, 2010!

Source: Live FabuLESS

Box Tops 4 Education - The Difference One Makes

Here's another easy opportunity for you to earn Box Tops for Education for your school of choice. (I posted of one with Kroger here if you missed it.) This one is called The Difference One Makes and it basically involves playing a game. You simply enter in your email address, select the school of choice, and a rotating tic tac toe sort of game shows up. You get to control when it starts and stops. If you match 3 pictures in a row, you win Box Top credits for your school of choice! How easy is that? Even better still, you get to do it once a day so you get a daily shot at scoring free points for your school!

Grand Prize - 500,000 Bonus Box Tops
Weekly Prize - 5,000 Bonus Box Tops
Instant Prizes - 450,000 Bonus Box Tops

I just won 15 Box Tops for my kid's school!  I'm excited!  Especially since school budget cuts are so rampant these days. :(

Mickey Moms Club magnet

(Click to enlarge)

Remember I mentioned I got a magnet from Mickey Moms Club here? Yeah, well, I finally got around to uploading the pic of it. :p

I remember seeing one on a minivan at my kids' school a few months ago and was jealous that that mom made the panel. Now I know it was a consolation prize lol.

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

1. Taking it to the Street tip & recipe book from Kikkoman
2. Easy Seafood Meals recipe book from SeaPak
   The strange thing about this is, I don't really recall requesting it before and I JUST requested one today. A few hours later, voila! There's one in my mailbox. Weird. :p  Anyway, if you haven't requested yours, in addition to recipes, there are two coupons in there each for $1 off any 2 SeaPak items.

What goodies did you get today?

Recipe freebies

Here are a couple of recipe freebies for ya:

• Kitchen Basics Healthy Cooking with Stock
  (Source: Freebies 4 Moms)
• Easy Seafood Meals from SeaPak
• Jiffy Mix recipe book
  

New Swag Bucks video ads

If you're on SwagBucks, have you been checking those video ads? (They're in the middle of the front page, on a yellow strip under "Special Offers.") They seem somewhat random and regional so just because someone you know sees a vid doesn't mean you will, but it never hurts to check. I haven't seen any for a few days, then today, BAM! Several new ones sprung up for me. Here's what I'm seeing:

IKEA - 4 SB (new)
V8 - 4 SB (new)
bing - 2 SB (common)
Scion - 2 SB (common)
Reebok - 4 SB (new)

That's an easy way to earn 16 SB!

Are you seeing any new video ads?

Birthday Clubs

Like burgers? If so, here are some restaurants that offers free burgers on your birthday!

• Red Robin
• Ruby Tuesday
• Fuddruckers

Source: RedPlum


Other birthday clubs:

• Kmart birthday club - Get $5.00 Birthday Bucks, birthday crown, and certificate
• Toys R Us Geoffrey's birthday club - birthday coupon and most TRU stores may give the birthday child a crown
• California Pizza Kitchen CPKids birthday club - free CPKids meal on birthday

Where are my goodies?

You might have noticed that there's been a shortage of deals postings around here lately. It's not because I don't want to post good deals or freebies, it's because there just haven't been much going 'round the past week or so. It's like it's hot then it's cold. I think it goes in waves. That or I come across some screaming good deals that either doesn't pan out or that it makes you jump through so many hoops, a circus poodle gets less of a workout that it's not even worth it. (I personally test and try each deal I post on here so I am extremely picky about what I share with my readers. I don't want to waste your time.) I'll definitely keep you guys posted whenever I see something good come up.

In the mean time, don't forget to do your daily Swag Bucks where you can easily get 3 Swag Bucks each day by clicking through their No Obligation Special Offers, Trusted Survey, and Daily Poll. Plus there is "Midnight Madness" where you have a higher chance of getting SB via searches. Don't forget to check the video ads as well.

Then there's also the Kroger Sweepstakes. Don't forget that! There are still 46 days left on that promo! You can win up to 2 prizes each cycle and the new cycle starts August 8!

Mailbox Love

In the mail today were:

1. Grocery ads
2. 20% off Gymboree
3. Bodycology cucumber melon hand & body lotion sample from Walmart

What goodies did you get today?

Mailbox Love

I've been getting a lot of junk in the mail the past few days. Today, I got 2 junk letters from State Farm (they send me solicitation junk at least twice a month) a couple of catalogs...which reminds me I need to get my name off those mailing lists.  The best part was this:

• All-Bran Complete Wheat Flakes and Bran Buds samples, two $1 off coupons, and an eye mask! 

What goodies did the letter carrier bring you today?

Kroger Sweeps

It's time to play Kroger/King Sooper's Summer of Savings Sweepstakes! If you've been playing, what have you won?

No more winning for me. I'll have to wait till August 8th when they start their new round.

Talking yourself off the ledge

I know I post bargains, sales, and goodies on this blog, but if there's one thing I've learned from bargain hunting is, there's no point in doing it unless you NEED the item. Otherwise it's a waste of time, money and effort. There, you heard it from me here.  In other words, I don't want you to spend the money on the deals I post if it's not something that's right for you.  I love a good deal and often times, it's very hard to resist....especially with all those back to school sales going on right now!  You saw how many pencils I bought!  What I am desperate to resist are clothes.  My kids do not need new clothes. The clothes they have now are fine and even when they need new clothes, I'd taken advantage of so many deals in the past that they're set for a long while.  I stumbled upon this blog today with an article on how to talk yourself from buy, buy, buying. I hope it helps you save a few pennies. :)

TSG has a sense of humor

(Click on image to enlarge)

Only because it's amusing what I get Swag Bucks for. I often get a good laugh at the stuff I search for that nets me Swag Bucks. It cracks me up. It's rewarding and comical. Who knew?

Kroger Sweeps

It's time to play Kroger/King Sooper's Summer of Savings Sweepstakes! If you've been playing, what have you won?

I got my husband into playing it too and he just won a pack of Ball Park franks!

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

• Coupon for a free kids meal to California Pizza Kitchen as part of their CPKids birthday program
• $3 off coupon for Olay Facial Moisturizer

What goodies did you get today?

Mailbox Love

3 pieces of junk mail, plus the coupon for a free bag of Natura pet food.

What goodies did you get today?

Aaron Brothers Penny Fram Sale - Last Call!

This is the last call for this round of Aaron Brothers' Penny Sale! If you're not familiar with the sale, it's buy one frame, get the second one (of equal or lesser value) for just 1 cent. The sale ends August 1, 2010.

Click here for locations.

Denver Post Perks

If you live in the Denver area, or in an area where the Denver Post services have I got some awesome news for you!

Starting August 1, 2010, the Denver Post will start their Denver Post Perks YES! delivery program. (Their website says it's just for subscribers, but that's not the case starting Aug 1.) Here's what it is: your local carrier will deliver a special bundle of ads, coupons, and magazines including Parade and USA Weekend. It's NOT the full Sunday paper so if you want the paper and comics, you'll have to buy that. It is just the ads, coupons, and magazines and it is all free with no obligation! If you would like to have this service, you'll need to contact the Denver Post Customer service at 303-832-3232. It's a quick and painless process. They'll just ask you for your name and address.

Enjoy your coupons!

Kroger Sweeps

It's time to play Kroger/King Sooper's Summer of Savings Sweepstakes! If you've been playing, what have you won?

I don't get to win anymore. :(  There's a max of 2 prizes per participant (by that they mean per card # and email address) and since I won my max of 2 prizes from the wheel, I no longer qualify, but it's looking like they're going to reset the prize pool on August 8th.  When I try to log in and play, I get a message telling me to come back then. Don't forget to play!

Mailbox Love

Nada.
Absolutely nothing good in the mail today. All junk. :(

Hope you got some goodies today. :)

P&G Brand Sampler reset

P&G Brand Sampler has reset! (They provide samples and coupons on a quarterly basis.)

Here are some stuff up for grabs this time:

• $2 off Gillette Fusion ProGlide
• Pantene shampoo & conditioner samples
• $1 or $3 off coupon for Tide Stain Release
• Prilosec OTC sample
• Bounty paper towel coupon
• $0.50 off coupon for Bounty Quilted Napkins
• $1 off coupon for Cheer detergent
• $0.75 off coupon for Zest

You don't have to request everything, just what you want...or all of it. :)
Get yours here!

10% off Stride Rite Outlet

If you haven't shopped for back to school shoes for those kiddos yet, here's a coupon for an extra 10% off that's good through July 25, 2010.

Kroger & Box Tops for Education

If you have a child in school or know of a child in school, chances are you're aware of Box Tops for Education.  If you don't, it's basically a program from General Mills that for every specially marked box top you give to a participating school, the school can cash those in for money to be used to purchase educational material for the school.  With education budget cuts all over, it's a very helpful program for schools.  Now Kroger has teamed up with General Mills.  When you register your Kroger shopper loyalty card here, they will instantly send 5 points to the school of choice. Plus there are also special deals when you sign up such as extra bonus Box Top points and coupons. It's a great way to help out schools.

Mailbox Love

It was a slow day for my mailbox today. I mostly got junk mail, but I did get one thing that was exciting to me.  A local gas station sent a coupon for $2 off 10 gallon of gas, plus a free bottle of 20 oz Coke or Aquafina.  Woot!  I will definitely take it! That's almost a free gallon of gas. :)


What goodies did you get today?

Goodies

• Snag yourself a free sample of Nexxus Therappe Shampoo and Humectress Conditioner from Walmart.
  
• Here's a sample for OXY Clinical acne treatment.
• Printable coupons for OXY Clinical and OXY Maximum can be found here.
  
• Then treat yourself to a free flip flop cookie from Cookies by Design.

Kroger Sweeps

It's time to play Kroger/King Sooper's Summer of Savings Sweepstakes! If you've been playing, what have you won?

I actually won something today! Two things, actually!

I won a Schick Hydro 3 or 5 Blade Razor just for logging in today, and I won a Free 20 oz Coca-Cola Sparkling Soft Drink from spinning the wheel. Woot!

Sample: True Lemon

Snag a sample of True Lemon right over here!

No idea what True Lemon, True Lime, or True Orange is?  Yeah, neither did I. :p  They are basically crystallized pieces of citrus fruit that you can use in beverages and other recipes. When signing up for the sample, be sure to use an email that you can access. For example, if you have a junk email that you use to sign up for things, make sure you use one that you remember your log in info because they will send you a confirm email which you'll need to click on a link to confirm in order to get your sample.

Walmart Customer Service

Time and time again I read about Walmart's poor customer service, and really, considering how HUGE Walmart is, it's really not surprising if their customer service is lacking. Truth be told, when I had troubles placing a photo order through their site last night, I expected crappy, "big company" customer service.

I normally don't go through Walmart for my photo finishing needs. Reviews from some trusted pro photographer sources (who do recommend commercial retail finishers) say Walmart photo finishing doesn't yield very good results. I went with Walmart because after much research, they were the only ones that had what I need at a convenient and reasonable price. I needed to turn one of my kids' photos into a baseball card. I could've designed them in Photoshop myself like I usually do with most cards and it's not exactly hard to do, but Walmart had them readily available for a great price of just $0.09 per sheet of 2 cards, with free shipping (promo is good through July 31, 2010.) I had everything designed and in my cart when it wouldn't let me complete the order. For several hours, it stuck me in a perpetual loop telling me that things in my cart had changed since I entered the ordering process. Needless to say, I was beyond frustrated so I went to bed and vowed to try again in the morning during normal business hours...but not before I fired off an email to their photo customer service to not only notify them of the issue, but in hopes of getting some kind of advice on how I can get my order to go through. They were to get back to me within 24 hours, which while not ideal, it was fine since I still had plenty of time to take advantage of the free shipping promo.

I tried my order again in the morning to no avail so left, vowed to just design them myself, and pay the little extra to have it done at Costco Photo like I often do. I came back in the early afternoon to try one more time before I quit for good and behold, the problem was fixed. Soon after I'd placed my order, Walmart photo's customer service emailed me back and much to my surprise, it was not only a nice email, but what surprised me the most was the fact that they admitted to having problems...something most companies will not address or willingly admit to the customer. Here's the response I got:

Thank you for contacting Walmart.com regarding the photo order error.

We are very sorry for this issue, it is a known issue and we are told that at this time it has been fixed. We see that you did place a successful photo order today and want to follow up to ensure you received a final resolution to your concern. If no further action is needed and you feel your issue has been resolved then no response is necessary.

Why yes, thank you! Thank you for getting back to me even though I'd successfully placed my order and clearly the problem I'd been having had been resolved. Importantly, thank you for acknowledging your errors and admitting to it. We all err. We all screw up. But few admit to it. So yeah, cool and thanks for admitting things didn't go right and not pinning the error on the customer, making them feel like an idiot for something that was not their fault. Thumbs up, Walmart.

Generic meds on the cheap

It's not a surprise that medications are EXPENSIVE, but you shouldn't have to resort to Mexico or Canada to get your meds. ;)  Consumerist provided a list of affordable options right here, state-side. 

Walmart
30-day supply - $4.
90-day supply - $10

Target
30-day supply - $4.
90-day supply - $10

Walgreens
30-day supply - $9.99.
90-day supply - $12.99
Membership: ($20/year individual, $35/year family)

RiteAid
30-day supply - $8.99.
90-day supply - $15.99

Kroger
30-day supply - $4.
90-day supply - $10

CVS
30-day supply - N/A
90-day supply - $9.99
Membership: ($10/year per person)

Meijer
Free Antibiotics, Pre-Natal Vitamins, and Diabetes Management Supplies

Kmart
$5-$25 including some non-generics in the women's health program
Membership: Free

Wegmans
30-day supply - $4
90-day supply - $10

Publix
Free Antibiotics

Of course, prices may vary depending on local and state laws.

I had no idea that some stores have antibiotics for free!  Of course none of those stores are in my area. Harumph!

Source: Consumerist

Ziploc coupons & bonus menu plan!

Snag yourself a coupon for $1.50 off any 2 Ziploc products by clicking here. (To snag 2 coupons, just hit the back button on your browser after the first one has printed. Of course you should maximize your paper by first figuring out how to load your paper so that it prints double sided and so the coupon prints on opposite ends of the paper. :) )

After you've used your brand spankin' new coupon to score 2 packages of Ziploc products, head over and snag a free copy of their Back to School Menu Plan. You will need the UPC codes off the packaging and then you will be directed to the Menu Plan and have the option to download the .pdf file. It over 20 pages of colorful, fun, and great ideas and recipes! Now of course if you want instant gratification and don't want to wait till you make a run to the store, you should check your pantry and kitchen to see if you already have some Ziploc products with UPC codes. ;)

Mailbox Love

I scored a good amount of coupons in the mail today, all from Bricks. :)

1. $1 off Kraft Homestyle Mac & Cheese
2. $1 off Aquafresh Extreme Clean
3. $1 off Aquafresh iso-active (if you got this one too, it should stack with the one found here from Rite Aid)
4. $1 off Sensodyne
5. $1 off Pronamel
6. A car magnet from Disney Moms Club! (I'll post a pic of it later. I applied to be on the Moms Panel last Fall. Unfortunately, I did not get selected to be on the panel, but they sent me a car magnet. :)

What goodies did you get?

Free WordLock on FB

If you're on Facebook, then you can score a free WordLock luggage lock here.

Source: Hip 2 Save

Mailbox Love

In the mail today:

1. Products test kit from MySurvey
2. Dove Daily Moisture shampoo & conditioner samples from Sam's Club
3. Right at Home coupon book

What goodies did you get?