Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Time to re-purpose the old blog...

I think I need this space back. It was great for being my deal dumping grounds while I was growing my couponing skills but now that I've got that down I'll leave it to the pros :)

Instead, I've decided to make this blog a little more personal. If you don't like it, feel free to unsubscribe or quit following. I'll probably still post my shopping trips and deals from time to time because I don't intend to become less cheap at any time in the future. I just don't want that to be my focus anymore.

In case you're wondering, current focuses and goals for myself include:
  • More crafting- both with and without kiddos. I grew up in a crafty household, and while I'm quick to admit that I'm not artistic by any means I can still pull out a good craft once in a while.
  • "Re-fashioning" myself. I have had 3 adorable kiddos in the last 4 years but that's done a number on my body and my wardrobe. One of my personal goals this year is a new style on the cheap. I'm going for modest, late 20's, "I'm a mom and it must be practical but I still want to look cute" and CHEAP.
  • Get in shape. Sure, I'd love to lose weight but making that a goal is a surefire way to disappoint myself. Instead I'm going to focus on getting outside more, exercising more, and eating better. I guess that means the real goal overall is a healthier me.
  • Continue to hone my shopping skills. I've been at the couponing thing now for 3 years and while I'm good at it, I want to focus more on cutting my OOP and stockpiling the right amounts. I think having a specific goal here will help me continue to improve. I'm currently on a "shopping break" which means nothing but dairy, bread, and produce (and the occasional needed item).
  • Sweeping. Not sweeping the floor sweeping, but entering sweepstakes and playing instant wins. I've been fooling around with this for a while and had small wins. In November I won my first major prize (a trip we'll be going on next month, I'll share more details when we get back). December was good to me as well. Of course, I'll be sharing some of those kinds of things here as well.

If you stick around, you can expect updates on all of those kinds of things.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Did you get a Keurig for Christmas?

I did, and I'm thrilled with the ease and convenience- I sure don't feel that way about the crazy prices of some of the K-cups. Maybe you've been looking for a deal too? Have I got one for you- I just bought 101 k cups for $29.57! Want to know how?

First, you'll need to register your machine at Keurig. You should be able to find the machine's code either behind your drip tray or on the back of your machine. They'll email you a personal one-time use code for 2 free boxes when you buy 2 boxes.

Next, you can pick out 4 boxes of k cups in their shop. I added a 5 k cup sampler to my order for an extra $2.97 but you don't need to do that...I just thought it'd be fun to try a little bit of something new and since I was putting in an order now (with free shipping) I might as well try it out, right? This is replacing my Starbucks budget for the next two weeks so a little splurge won't hurt.

Head on over to view your cart. Apply the code you received in your email to make 2 of the boxes free, it will take off the lowest priced of the boxes (don't worry about having a sampler in there- it took off 2 of my 24 count boxes, not the cheaper sampler). Now, apply CHEERS11 for an extra $3 off your total (expires 1/11/11). At this point you can checkout.

Want to see how it worked out in the end? Here's my order:

Unsweetened Black Perfect Iced Tea (24) $11.80
Big Easy Bold Coffee (24) $0.00
Italian Roast X Bold Coffee (24) $0.00
Creme Caramel Coffee (24) $14.80
Chai Tea (5) $2.97
Product Sub-Total: $67.10
Discount: $37.53
*Estimated Taxes: $0.00
Shipping Charge: $0.00
Order Total: $29.57

*Final taxes are calculated upon shipment and will be reflected in your Shipping Confirmation email.

Disney Movie Rewards: do you use this?

I really like this program, it's nice to earn points from something we buy anyways (although a good number of our Disney movies are bought with coupons, received as gifts, or picked up at goodwill). Even if you don't buy the movies, they give out a lot of points for free. I was recently working on updating my own account and came across a good number of codes that are currently available and FREE.

If you haven't been doing this, now is the perfect time to sign up because there are quite a few codes for you. (If you have been doing this, please double check your account before trying these codes. Putting in the same codes too many times can get your account frozen. You can fix this with a phone call but checking before hand will save you the hassle and only take a few extra seconds.)
  • Step 1: Register at Disney Movie Rewards
  • Complete your profile to earn 25 points, and then enter the following codes
  • REX for 25 points (new members only)
  • FM39V03SSW for 5 points
  • FPSNN83JX9 for 25 points
  • 9FTMRYWEK for 50 points
  • 9EKSMN38SH for 50 points
  • COOL for 50 points
  • D11M20R01NY for 50 points
  • CHIHUAHUA for 25 points
  • then fill out a survey for an additional 100 points
That's a potential 405 points absolutely free! What can you get with 405 points? Nothing super fantastic unless you're looking for 30 free photo prints, Disney mini posters, stickers or something along those lines. I tend to cash out around the 550-750 point range, they have a few older Disney dvds that are kind of fun. Of course, I'm sure there will be more free points released in the future- making it easy to earn enough for something (possibly a Christmas gift you can mark off your list for free this year?). I've got my eyes set on some of the Handy Manny dvd's at 750 points that I know my boys would love.

A HUGE thank you to the wonderful people at SD that keep the DMR thread up to date with the latest codes! While I didn't find all of these codes there, I do frequently check for new codes there and frequently benefit from their hard work :)