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!

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. :)

Sharpen those No. 2s - Walgreens

Are you thinking about school supplies yet? If not, you should! Back to school sales are starting now!

This week, July 4-10, Walgreens has no. 2 pencils (10 pk), mechanical pencils (5 pk) and ball point pens (10 pk) for 19 cents each pack with a limit of 3 packs each. No coupons necessary. Check out their weekly ad here.

Be on the lookout though.  I'm sure all you shop savvy readers already know this, but keep an eye on the register to see how things ring up. Just because something is an advertised sale item doesn't mean it'll ring up correctly. For example, the PaperMate pens that are on sale for 19 cents at Walgreens this week...I grabbed some blue ink ones and black ink ones just to mix it up.  The blue inks rang up correctly, but the black ink pens rang up as $1.49/pack.  Why the different ink pens rang up differently, I don't know. The ad does not specify ink color on sale.

4th of July sales - Kohl's

My husband desperately needed some new jeans so I took advantage of some 4th of July sales to snag him a couple pairs. I found what he wanted at Kohls.com (is it bad that I went there because that's where his mother always buys his jeans?) and I went on a search for savings options.  They mentioned a free shipping offer on the front page. Momma likes free shipping. Free shipping is how I roll.  Unfortunately, 2 pairs of jeans still came up $2 short of free shipping so I was off to the clearance section to find myself something. Three tops for me later, I had enough for free shipping, but I wasn't done yet.  I had a 15% off shopping pass that said it was good online as well, only I couldn't figure out the code to use it online.  I tried everything including the UPC number to no avail so I had to do some sleuthing...and I found something even better!  A 20% off code!

In the end, I saved over $30 on my purchase!  That's almost a free pair of Levi's! Plus, shopping through Upromise gave me another 3% back.

Speaking of Upromise, here's a tip for you:
Every time you shop, check your merchant through Upromise and/or Ebates. They'll give you cash back.  Here's the skinny.

So for those of you who may be shopping at Kohl's this holiday weekend, here are some codes for you:

Free shipping with $75 purchase: SEND2ME
20% off through July 4, 2010: TOPSECRET
15% off through July 5, 2010: LOWEST4U

Kohls.com allows you to stack 2 coupon codes per order so you can stack the free shipping code with a % off code to sweeten up the savings!

Source for the % off codes: RetailMeNot

Deals be runnin' with the devil: Zhu Zhu pets

I've held off on these for as long as I possibly could, but after much debate with my husband over IM, we caved and bought a pack of these rodents for our kids for their upcoming birthdays.

Target's deal of the day is a 3 pack of Zhu Zhu Pets for $15.99.

Use the code MT9ZC7RW at check out for an additional 10% off. Shipping is free. By the time it was all said and done, after tax 3 Zhu Zhus for around $15. My last check on Amazon, just one of them goes for $11, so that's a pretty good savings...even if you do think it's Tickle Me Elmo fad redux. :p

Source: Couponing to Disney

P.S. Don't forget to shop through sites like Upromise or Ebates. Shopping at Target.com through Upromise will give you 2% back for college. Ebates will give you 3% cash back.

Airfare: Southwest $39 one way

Southwest Airlines is celebrating their 39th anniversary by having $39 (one way) sale! You must book by 11:59pm PST on June 24 for travel between Sept 8- Nov 17, 2010. Deal does not apply if you travel on Friday or Sunday.
Click here for list of qualifying cities as well as terms & conditions.

Source: Consumerist