And of course, compiling the list for free stuff on Black Friday is also one of my favorite holiday traditions! My sister-in-law is already planning our shopping route for Midnight (whatever happened to the good old times of getting up early… now it seems we won’t even be able to go to sleep?!)

I searched through all the Black Friday ad sites to compile the list of Black Friday freebies. It’s separated by free, free after rebate, and free with purchase. Be sure to check the ad scans for accuracy, and verify what time the price ends in your area.

You can see last year’s list of Black Friday 2010 Free Stuff to compare how the stores have changed their giveaways for free stuff on Black Friday 2011!

The deals listed are for Black Friday unless another day is specified. Black Friday 2011 is on November 25, 2011.

Bookmark this page, as we’ll continue to update the Black Friday list for 2011 right up until the big day!

Free Money

• American Express $25 Small Business Saturday Shopping Credit
• Free American Express $25 Gift Card from FedEx: Did you get yours in the mail yet? Don’t forget to pack it!

Free Stuff

AAFES

• Free Coffee (Midnight to Noon)

Half Price Books

• Free Tote Bag & $5 Gift Card to First 100 Customers

JCPenney

• Free Disney Snowglobe (While Supplies Last)

Michaels

• Free Jubilee Cricut Cartridge to First 25 Customers
• Free Godiva Bar to First 100 Customers

Rite Aid

• Philips Ear Buds
• Philips 3 Device Remote Control

Tanger Outlets

• Free $10 Gift Card to First 200 Shoppers @ 10 pm
• Free $20 Gift Card to First 100 Shoppers @ 2 am

Free After Rebate

Ace Hardware

• LED Flashlight
• Marlin 8 inch Lockback Stainless Steel Pocket Knife

CVS

• Hershey’s King Size Bars
• Mars Chocolate Singles
• CVS Alkaline Batteries, AAA or AA
• Carmex
• Soft Lips
• Kleenex Cool Touch Tissues
• Colgate
• Finish Quantum
• Excedrin Bonus Pack
• Advil & Advil PM
• Theraflu Travel Size & Warming Relief
• Cepacol
• Be Kool from Fever Discomfort
• Breathe Right
• Listerine Pocketpaks
• CVS Dental Flossers
• Pepto Bismol
• iChill Relaxation
• CVS Starbucks Double Shot
• Fiber One Brownies
• Balance Bar
• LA Looks Styling Gel
• Benefiber
• GUM Toothbrushes
• Sheets Energy Strips

Menards

• 3/4″ Roller Covers
• 3/8″ Roller Covers
• Smart Electrician Insulated Screwdrivers

Office Depot

• Software (QuickBooks Online, Print Artist, and More)

Pep Boys Auto

• Peak 50/50 Antifreeze & Coolant
• Peak 100 Watt Power Inverter
• Peak 1 Million Candlepower Spotlight
• Champion Premium Spark Plugs

Staples

• HP Everyday Photo Paper, 8.5 x 11, Glossy 50-Pack
• Kaspersky Internet Security
• McAfee AntiVirus Plus
• Norton Antivirus
• Titanium Antivirus & Internet Security
• Quickbooks Online 2012

Free With Purchase

AAFES

• Apple TV with Purchase of MAC
• $50 Gift Card with Purchase of iPod Touch

Best Buy

• $50 Gift Card with Purchase of Apple iPod touch 8GB
• $5 Gift Card with Purchase of Happy Nappers
• Free Smartphones (Apple iPhone 3GS, Samsung Infuse 4G, HTC Thunderbolt 4G) with Purchase of Contract
• Free Amp with Purchase of Paper James Pro Series Guitar

BJs

• $50 Gift Card with Purchase of Verizon Service
• Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Purchase of Lysol Spray
• Joy Dish Liquid with Purchase of Tide Laundry Detergent
• 9-LED Flashlight 6-Pack with Purchase of Emergency Kit

CVS

• $10 Gift Card with $30 Purchase of Marked Items

Express

• $25 in Express Cash with $50 Purchase

Kohls

• $15 Kohl’s Cash for Every $50 Spent

Michaels

• Crayola Glow Explosion Spin Magic Activity Kit with Crayola Activity Kit Purchase
• $5 Coupon with $25 Purchase (Saturday)

Office Depot

• Free 4GB Lexar SDHC Memory Card with Purchase of Camera
• Free HP Paper with Purchase of HP Ink & Photo Value Pack

Old Navy

• Kodak EasyShare Sport Waterproof Digital Camera with $40 Purchase

Pep Boys Auto

• Headlight Restoration Kit with Sylvania ZHE HID Headlight Purchase
• Oil Change with Purchase of 2 Installed Tires

Rite Aid

• $10 +UP Reward with Purchase of $50 Home Depot Gift Card

Sam’s Club

• $20 Gift Card when Signing up for a Plus Membership

Sears

• Thomas Kinkade Ornament with Purchase of Clothing (First 200)

Staples

• SanDisk 8GB SDHC Card with Purchase of Camera

Target

• $10 Gift Card with Purchase of Video Game (Just Dance 3, Zelda 3DS, others)
• $15 Gift Card with Purchase of Apple iPod nano 8GB
• $40 Gift Card with Purchase of Apple iPod touch 8GB
• $50 Gift Card with Purchase of Beats by Dr. Dre Solo Headphones

Toys R Us

• Teeny Pillow Pet with Pillow Pet Purchase
• Starter Kit with Crayola or Imaginarium Easel Purchase

Free Black Friday Apps

Amanda adds:

TGI Black Friday is a free app for iPhones and Androids that tracks all black Friday deals and locations, allows you to create a Black Friday shopping list, allows you to compare prices, and allows you to share deals on social media.

If you find more free stuff for Black Friday, please post them in the comments.

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© My Dollar Plan

And there’s no better time to focus on frugality than just before your spending kicks into high gear with the holiday season upon us. (Don’t worry, we’ll be back tomorrow to continue the gift guide series.) And now:

Festival of Frugality: Thanksgiving Grocery Price Edition

source: antonellomusina

In the spirit of Kate’s Editors pick, 8 Ways to Save Money on Thanksgiving Dinner from Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, the theme of this week’s Festival of Frugality is Thanksgiving grocery prices. Rock bottom Thanksgiving grocery prices.

Since I’m carefully tracking prices in my once a month shopping/cooking adventure, I thought it would be fun to share the lowest prices I bought our Thanksgiving groceries for this year. Check out the prices throughout the festival of frugal articles and let me know if you’re finding something lower!

Holiday Money-Saving Tips

Turkey: $0.58 per pound

• Flexo presents 20+ Christmas Gift Ideas Under $100 posted at Consumerism Commentary.
• Dough Roller presents How to Buy Gift Cards Online at a Big Discount posted at Dough Roller.
• Fanny presents 10 Ways to Save Money on Holiday Shopping posted at Living Richly on a Budget.
• Melissa presents Six Inexpensive Ways to Buy Toys for the Holidays posted at Mom’s Plans.

Chicken Broth: $0.33 for 14 oz

• Peter presents 100 Frugal Gifts You Can Give This Christmas: The Expanded Great Big List of Homemade, Creative and Frugal Gifts posted at Bible Money Matters.
• Marie presents How to Have a Cash Only Christmas – No Credit, No Debt posted at Money Spending Mommy.

Cutting Costs

Sweet Potatoes: $0.99 for 3 pounds ($0.33 per pound)

• Brian presents Saving on Energy Costs: Simple Ways to Save posted at Wallet Watcher.
• Squirrelers presents My Starbucks Customer Experience: Loopholes and Deals are Fun! posted at Squirrelers.
• FMF presents Six Unusual Ways to Save at Club Stores posted at Free Money Finance.

Russet Potatoes: $1.49 for 10 pounds ($0.15 per pound)

• Beating Broke presents Couponing Doesn’t Need to Be Extreme posted at Beating Broke.
• Sustainable PF presents Like the Latte Factor Only Better posted at Sustainable Personal Finance.

Frugal Living

Pumpkin in the can: $0.99 for 15 oz

• SB presents Living Well on Less Than $10,000 a Year: Habits of Skilled Visa Workers posted at One Cent at a Time.
• Kelsey presents Waste Not, Want Not: Part Two posted at Money Mum.
• Pam presents Swap and Save posted at Frugal Living.

Butter: $1.99 for 16 oz

• Paul Vachon presents How to be Healthy and Lower Your Healthcare Costs posted at The Frugal Toad.
• D.J. presents Pack Your Own Lunch and Save Money posted at The Family Wallet.

Other

Cream of Mushroom Soup: $0.59 per can

• Aloysa presents When Not to Go Cheap posted at My Broken Coin.
• Miranda @ Financial Highway presents 45 Ways to Save Money posted at Financial Highway.
• Darwin presents MAJOR Financial Miscalculations We’re All Making posted at Darwin’s Money.
• Money Beagle presents I Saved Three Cents Per Gallon At Speedway And I Have No Idea Why!!!! posted at Money Beagle.

Cranberries: $0.99 for 12 oz

• Evan presents Don’t Assume Your Time Is Worth a Monetary Amount posted at My Journey to Millions.
• Ashley presents Cities Turn Off Street Lights to Save Money posted at Money Talks Coaching.

What are the lowest prices you are finding for Thanksgiving groceries?

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© My Dollar Plan

In a nutshell, you can now price match from competitor’s ads at Wal-Mart cash registers without bringing in the ads themselves. You just tell the register clerk what the price is that you saw at a competitor, and they will ring it through. Have I grabbed your attention yet?

What Walmart Will Match

Let’s begin with what the Walmart price match program will accept before we go into all of the fine print jargon. Walmart will accept price matching from the following:

• Specific item with a specific price: This covers most items in the sales ads you get each week.
• Buy One Get One Free Ads: These have to specify an actual price though.
• Preferred Shopping Card prices for a specific item: You see these in Kroger, Randall’s/Safeway and other ads for stores who have loyalty cards.
• Fresh produce and fresh meat offered in the same unit type: You must match the product lb. for lb. or ‘each for each’ when it comes to produce and meat.

The advertised price must be from a local competitor’s advertised price for that particular week, and the item purchased must be identical to the ad in size, quantity, brand, flavor, color, and anything else it might need to match.

What Walmart Won’t Match

If you pull up the webpage with Walmart’s ad match policy, you’ll see that actually there is not a lot of red tape. Here is what will not be price matched:

• Items without a price in the ad: You see this most often with Buy One Get One Free sales.
• Items that require a second purchase to get the ad price: Buying something of another product in order to get a discount on this product.
• Items that don’t have a price and require a purchase to get them for free: You see this at a store called H-E-B as well as Kroger where if you purchase one item you get several items for free.
• Items that require a purchase to get a competitor’s gift card: Most notably you find these deals at Target where if you buy two of “x” product you will get a $5 Target gift card.
• Going out of business or closeout prices.
• Percentage off sales with no price specified: This is for items that are 40% off, but there is not a specific price.
• Competitors’ private label price promotions: You cannot use pricing for Randall’s/Safeway’s private label Lucerne in order to receive Walmart’s private label for the same price.
• Internet pricing: You won’t be able to match Amazon prices.
• Misprinted ad prices of other retailers: Sometimes mistakes happen in the printing of ads, though I don’t know how you or the cash register person would know this.

A Few Clarifications

I had a few questions about the above information, and gave it a try for myself a few weeks ago at Walmart. Some of my questions were which stores are considered “local competitors” (i.e. can I use drugstore and dollar store grocery sales ads?) and whether or not H-E-B’s 5 items for $5 would yield me a cantaloupe for $1. During my experiment I found that I was able to price match using the CVS ad. I snagged a great deal on some 24-pk. Cokes for the refrigerator. CVS had them on sale that week for 5/$13, and this was not in conjunction with ExtraCare Bucks. $2.60 per 24 pack is a great price! Unfortunately I did not find anything in the Family Dollar ad to price match in order to determine if I could use it. Also, cantaloupes at Walmart were also priced at $1, so I could not test that scenario out either.

Stack Walmart’s Coupon Policy for Extra Savings

Walmart also has updated its coupon policy recently and accepts competitor’s coupons (with several exceptions), competitor’s checkout coupons (“catalinas”) that are printed out from the cash register at other stores (with several exceptions), and printable coupons (with a few exceptions).

I am personally excited about the last one because while I don’t shop at Walmart often, the last time I did I tried to use a printable coupon they would not allow it.  Another notable change is the following, “If coupon value exceeds the price of the item, the excess may be given to the customer as cash or applied toward the basket purchase”. This is in addition to all of the other ‘normal’ coupons accepted.

For my trip last weekend I found a Family Dollar coupon for $0.50 off of Special K Cereal, and was able to use that with Walmart’s new coupon policy. Pretty exciting!

My total savings from the price matching and the coupons I used was $14.42. It may not sound like much, but I only had to make a trip to one store. In my book, that’s doing pretty well!

Have you tried out Walmart’s new price match guaranteed and/or coupon policy? How did it go?

More Couponing Resources You May Enjoy

• Tips and Tricks for Super Couponing
• How to Use Coupons After TLC’s Extreme Coupon Show Fraud
• Printable Grocery Coupons

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© My Dollar Plan

I didn’t expect much from the book, but I actually enjoyed it. I hate grocery shopping, and I’m always looking for ways to spend less on groceries. Not just less money, but less time too! After reading the book, while I was skeptical about the savings, I decided to implement the plan to give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised.

Grocery Shopping Strategy

The biggest takeaway I had was converting to a once a month shopping trip. But not just your typical once a month shopping trip. Here’s the grocery shopping strategy in a nutshell:

1. Create an Inventory. Write down everything in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer by category. I was surprised to find out we actually had quite a bit of food on hand, even though it felt like we had absolutely nothing to eat.
2. Review Current Ads for Loss Leaders. This was easy using one of the weekly price monitoring services. I have a local favorite, but Coupon Mom covers most areas.
3. Plan a Monthly Calendar and Meals. Using the list of inventory and loss leaders you created in the first two steps as a basis, plan out meals for a month. But plan it around your schedule for the month. For example, I had to include ingredients for my chicken chili that I enter in our neighborhood Halloween chili cookoff. This was pure torture. However, I’m hoping this step is repeatable and I can use it in future months with just a little tweaking.
4. Make Your Grocery List. I used the free printable shopping list that works with the book. Since it’s available in a word document, I customized it based on what we typically buy and the order of our store.
5. Shop Once and Don’t go Back. Go shopping. And the most important part, don’t go back to the store for the whole month. You know the drill, you run in for 2 things and drop $50.

Shopping Strategy Add-Ons

In addition to the focus on the monthly shopping trip, there were some additional tips worth mentioning:

Maintain a Price List. So that you know when to stock up if you see a sale, they did recommend keeping a price book. Mine is very basic, but it does help me decide which things to buy at the grocery store versus buying at Costco.

Couponing. The book touches on couponing, but it doesn’t make that the focus of your purchases. You can add coupons and price matching to your shopping trip, but you don’t have to make yourself crazy over it.

My Monthly Shopping Trip

After spending a considerable amount of time planning and preparing, I shopped at two stores: our grocery store and Costco. Since we had to stock up on quite a few things to last us a whole month, some of the items were cheaper buying in bulk: our milk, cheeses, chicken, pickles, and steak. Everything else, we bought at our grocery store.

Time Saved. Normally, I waste at least an hour every week at the grocery store. On my big shopping trip, it did take longer, I spent about an hour and a half at the grocery store. But if it works, that should save me at least 2-3 hours by the end of the month. The best part though, was not having to set foot in the grocery store last weekend!

Money Saved. Typically, our weekly grocery bill is around $100 and we drop another $100-$200 or so at Costco each month. Around $585 for the month last time I checked. Our bill for the “big shopping trip”: $200 at the grocery store on my 6% cash back card and $100 at Costco. If we don’t go back to the store for the rest of the month, we could save about $300 for the month, which actually is about half our typically grocery bill.

Action Plan

Now, I can’t tell you this isn’t going to be perfect. After two weeks, we ran out of milk. So we might have to make a mini-trip to the store for milk and some fresh produce (our fresh fruits and vegetables will not last a whole month). However, I do enjoy the free time I have when I use to grocery shop. And it’s really nice to know what we’re having for dinner (and that I actually have the right food in the house to make it!)

Whether or not it will last beyond this month is anyone’s guess…

Have you tried once a month shopping? What was the result?

More Ways to Save Money on Groceries

• 11 Ways to Save Money on Groceries
• 6 Ways to Change the Impact of Food on your Budget
• 16 Ways to Save Buying in Bulk
• Ideas for Frugal and Easy Cooking

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© My Dollar Plan

After our last car died just one month after purchasing our new home we weren’t prepared to purchase a vehicle. We did not want to incur any more debt and so that is why we made a rushed decision to purchase this truck (it was within our small cash reserve price range). Now we are in a different position. We’ve paid off all of our non-mortgage debt ($25,000), and vowed to pay for everything in cash in the future. My husband and I have the money set aside to purchase another car…but honestly, we just don’t want to. It may happen in the next several months, but we are not rushing into anything.

As such, we have become (if not temporarily) a one car household since our truck broke down. Aside from the monetary benefits to this which I can immediately calculate—insurance on only one car instead of two, registration and other stickers on only one car and not two, one oil change every 3,000 miles, less car accidents and also not having to purchase a second used vehicle—I have been surprised at the other benefits a one car household has brought us.

6 Benefits of a Single Car Household

1. More Time Together. When we each had our separate cars we went our separate ways in the morning to work, came home from work, and immediately began to make dinner, sort mail, decompress, turn on the television, or whatever else we wanted to do. Now we have this special time carved out to spend together with limited distractions. It’s nice to be able to ask about each other’s days when we have nothing else to do but sit and listen to one another.
2. Time Accountability at Work. I’ll be the first to admit that I am one of those people who likes to leave work about fifteen minutes early. Sometimes I work later, but many days I find myself itching to leave. It is not something that I am proud of, but now it is not something that I can do at all. My timeliness or tardiness is now tied into my husband’s, and it works very well for accountability. I don’t want him to ever be late or to have to stay late at work, and vice versa. So we are becoming stellar employees!
3. Brown Bag Lunches. I am usually good about packing a brown bag lunch but would find myself at a sandwich shop about once a week. My husband either didn’t eat lunch or went out to eat 2-3 times per week. Now that one of us is without a car during the day we have made it a top priority to pack each other’s lunches and breakfasts, which saves money and means we eat healthier during the day.
4. Less Shopping. This is one of the blessings of owning one vehicle. I work a compressed work schedule, so Monday through Thursday Paul drops me off at work and picks me up again. On Fridays, he takes the car all day while I am home. Then on Saturdays and Sundays we coordinate. I guess I lost count of how many errands I used to run when I had a personal vehicle waiting in the driveway. Now I prioritize my errands and condense them into one shopping trip a week or every other week—it is so liberating! I have freed up much more time to work around our home, write, and blog. Not to mention we have been spending less money.
5. Feeling Antsy Now Leads to Exercise. Since I cannot just hop into a vehicle when I am home all the time now, if I get antsy I go for a bike ride, a walk, a run, or a swim at our local pool just two blocks away.
6. Getting to Know Our Community. I must admit, I never even thought of this one as a result of having just one vehicle. However, I find myself getting to know our neighborhood and community much better than when I had my own vehicle. I am spending more time at the pool or walking and waving to the other runners. There is a library and a YMCA within biking distance (less than a mile away), and even a local convenience a few blocks down the road. I would have not considered using these in the past but now I gladly take advantage of what our neighborhood has to offer.

Are you a one car household? What other benefits have you discovered?

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© My Dollar Plan

Whether you’re in school yourself or gearing up to send the little ones off for another year in the classroom, this time of year also brings with it a load of expenses – but expenses should also be looked at as opportunities to be creative and save a little money. Below, my favorite back-to-school savings tips.

Gearing up for back-to-school

1. Take stock of what you need: Even if your child’s school supply list is long, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Not everything has to be new. Chances are the crayons you bought your child last year are broken/used/lost after 12 months. But it’s quite possible their pencil sharpener is still in perfectly good condition. Maybe you buy your child new school shoes every year, but a growth spurt meant you bought an extra pair in April – and can still get several months’ use out of them this year.
2. Buy used: College students will recognize this tip as applying most to book-buying: it’s no secret that you can save 50% or more by buying used books online. But this tip can also apply to school uniforms, other school clothes, backpacks, lunchboxes and even some school supplies. Both Craigslist and thrift stores offer great deals on items that can be like-new. You might also be able to take advantage of church or community yard sales, or host your own swap meet.
3. Shop the sales: Nearly every store is having some great end-of-summer specials. I just bought 2 pairs of shorts for $6 each at Old Navy (I saved over $30 – and a Groupon meant only half of what I “spent” was my own money). If you don’t get the Sunday paper, buy one to check out ads for clothing stores, office supply stores and general merchandise stores like Target – you’d be surprised what you can save.
4. Go tax-free: Lots of states have tax holidays around this time of year. If you can, wait to buy big-ticket items like school uniforms and shoes. Just know that lines will be long – so get anything that’s not tax-free ahead of time if possible!
5. Group buy: Group buying sites are all the rage – but they’re not the only way to save money by joining forces with other people! If you’re friends with the parents in your child’s class, see if you can take advantage of volume discounts by buying multipacks of things like notebooks, pencils and binders. This might also be helpful if you have multiple children with similar needs.
6. Pre-buy when it makes sense: I’ve talked about how pre-buying can sometimes be a spending trap. But if you’re careful with your planning, it can ultimately save you a ton of money. If you know your child will need to replenish certain supplies partway through the school year, buy them now while they’re on sale and put them away until you need them. You can also take advantage of the tax holidays to pre-buy things like winter coats, and even some Christmas gifts (yes, we’re only 5 months away!).
7. Get creative: See what you have, what you can repurpose from around your house, and what one child can pass to another. Kids are more fashionable than ever these days – a really hip 4th grader might be interested in using an old purse as a lunchbox, or an old totebag as a backpack. I bet you have unused pens/binders/scissors in your office (or, more likely, in a forgotten junk drawer somewhere in your kitchen!). Spend some digging around your house before you hit the stores – you might be surprised at what you’ll find!

More Back To School Shopping Tips

• Back-to-School Shopping Tips to Stretch Your Budget
• 9 More Ways to Maximize Back to School Savings
• Back to School Savings Challenge

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© My Dollar Plan

With some very helpful suggestions on what you spend money on and what things to skimp on, we have the car packed and we’re off on our first family camping adventure.

Many of you who are familiar with our area asked about where we’re headed. We’re going to Point Beach on Lake Michigan. It’s where I camped as a kid, so I’m hoping my kids will develop some of the same fond memories.

Frugal Camping Tips

1. Camping Checklist. For car camping, just get a decent tent, an ice cooler (Coleman), a decent stove (again Coleman), decent sleeping bags and **(air) mattresses**, lantern and flashlights, some cooking gear and plastic storage containers, water container, bucket, and you’re good to go. You can probably get most of it at Costco and Wal-Mart or the local sporting goods store. Whatever you forget you can pick up later. Don’t forget those little luxuries like folding chairs and a portable fishing rod. – Garry
2. Get a Tarp. In case it rains, to have under your tent, and one for the top, just to be safe. The last thing you want is to be wet. And I think you need to dig a ditch around the tent for the same reason, but I don’t know how that works. – Ifi
3. Buy Local Firewood. Before you go, find someone in the area near your campgrounds who sells fire wood. Unload your vehicle at the camp site and then pick up the wood. Typically it will cost between $40 and $50 for a 1/2 a face cord, which will be more than enough for a three day camping weekend. You can save about $50 doing it this way over buying the bundles of wood from the campground. – Kenny
4. Shopping for the Tent. We bought a tent a month and a half ago from Amazon. It was a very roomy two person tent, easy to set up, and well rated there. – Richard
5. Camping Stove Fuel. You don’t need high grade fuel canisters to cook food. Propanes will suffice! Only time you’d need butane or high end fuel is if you were backpacking or in really high altitude. – by Paul
6. Washing Dishes. My husband and I LOVE to go camping; make a bottle of soapy water that you can squeeze out and use to wash/rinse dishes off–it will really come in handy. – Amanda
7. Food Checklist. I would go with a small charcoal grill for cooking out, and then just get hot dogs for the kids, as they usually last better in the cooler than other meats. Plus, you can grill fish if you plan to go fishing, and get fruits that will last without refrigeration as well for snacks. Don’t forget marshmallows as well, no camping trip is complete without roasting marshmallows. – Max
8. Camping Recipes. We had wonderful camping meals! If you are not familiar with cooking over a campfire bring a stove for sure, and a cooler with ice to keep fresh food fresh. Some light preparation ahead of time is needed but then you can still eat yummy food. Here are what we ate:
   • Chicken wings & rosemary infused oil + red potatoes in aluminum foil pouches over campfire
   • Scrambled eggs with fresh herbs from our garden on the stove
   • Baked Potato Soup – roux was made ahead of time, then add some campfire roasted potatoes, and crispy bacon bits
   • Ribeye Steaks & Bacon fat roasted shredded cabbage in an aluminum foil pouch over the campfire
   • Freshly made Guacamole & chips

   – Diana

9. Tips for Camping with Toddlers. Two nights of camping is probably the most I would do with kids. It’s a lot of work! I would bring a pot to boil water over the stove or fire so you can be sure to clean your sippy cups/bottles – we were stuck using cold water, and that made me nervous. Don’t forget dishsoap! Never can have enough wipes, papertowels, etc. You can find plastic tablecloths for the picnic tables, which is really nice with kids who don’t use plates yet. Also, pack light! We packed so much stuff we didn’t use – after 14 days of loading and unloading, that got old! We did use a pack n’ play for our son – not sure what your plans are for the baby. As kids, we always used cots. – Meagan
10. And a Cardboard Box. My parents use to bring a giant cardboard box along to use as a play pen/play house for the kids. At the end of the trip we’d just burn it in the fire since it was pretty trashed already. Check reserveamerica.com for making camp site reservations! – Megan

Based on all the great tips, we got a Coleman 8-Person Dome Tent from Amazon, a Coleman Cooler from Costco, and sleeping bags from Walmart, all when they were on sale.

We borrowed a stove, lanterns, and cooking gear from our parents, and picked up a new portable grill at a garage sale. After picking up the rest of the miscellaneous items, I think our trip should only cost a couple hundred dollars (although I haven’t added it all up yet). However, since most of the items were a one time purchase, all of our camping trips after this one should be very cheap!

Now it’s time to hit the beach…

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© My Dollar Plan

Small companies and businesses take a lot of time and energy. You have to be passionate, diligent, and patient. You have to wear the hat of many different skilled employees, such as marketer, public relations person, CEO, CIO, etc. But perhaps most of all, you need to find a way to legitimize yourself in the eyes of your target consumers on a very low budget in order to thrive. Yet if you succeed in this, the results can be quite rewarding: be your own boss, make more money, and set your own hours.

Here are some resources to help you start-up that pet project of yours. Good luck!

Start Up Resources

1. Small Business Administration (SBA): Check out the SBA website, for many free and low-cost resources for start-up companies. Free resources include:  the Small Business Training Network (SBTN) with free courses such as accounting, marketing, and “Winning Government Contracts”; law and regulation compliance assistance, sale leads and more.
2. Free Websites and Blogs: One way to quickly open up shop and legitimize your business is by starting a website. You can do this for free using Microsoft Small Business or WordPress (the one I recommend).  Also, add a blog function to your website by periodically writing articles in your subject area. This will increase your legitimacy as an expert in your line of work. Next, submit your website/blog to google, to increase traffic to your site, thus increasing exposure.
3. Free or Low-Cost Business Cards: There are many websites that offer free or low-cost business cards, which can increase your exposure as well as add to your company’s legitimacy. Check out Vista Prints, where you only need to pay shipping (approximately $3.99), Overnight Prints, or BizCard.
4. Open a Free Email Account: Add an email address that is just used for business purposes to a contact page on your website as well as on your business cards. You can get a free email account at Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. Or, if you want to have your email account correspond with your business name to look more professional, you can use the Google Apps for Business email program.
5. Free Accounting Software: Keeping track of expenses and profit is extremely important, especially in the beginning when you need to determine if your new business venture is making sense or has the potential to create a profit. Microsoft Office Accounting offers free software for small businesses, or you can check out a discounted version of Quicken with the business option.

What other free services have you found for your business?

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Making the Decision

I’ve always known that when I left DC I would probably move back home, if only temporarily. I’ve never really lived in my hometown as an adult, so I wasn’t sure what part of the city I would want to live in. It would be difficult to find and rent an apartment from across the country. Plus, the housing market here is such that I can probably afford to buy a place sooner than later – so I didn’t want to waste money renting unless it was absolutely necessary and/or an apartment that I loved for a great price.

My parents were always very gracious about allowing me to move home. They knew it would make the relocation easier, plus save me a ton of money both during and after the move. Since I wasn’t getting my own place, I could sell all my furniture in DC, and avoid moving it OR buying replacements. In addition, I’m avoiding rent and utility bills – a huge savings given the DC rental market, and a big help since I needed to find the cash to buy a car and pay for related expenses.

The Boomerang Child

Over the past few years, lots of websites and news articles have been buzzing about the phenomenon of the “boomerang child” -  a child that returns home after college or even some years of living on their own. This phenomenon has grown in the light of the recent recession – many children simply can’t find jobs that pay enough to support themselves, so they come back to mom and dad.

I don’t exactly consider myself a boomerang child, and I don’t think my parents do either. I make more than enough money to support myself – I’ve done so for four years in a much more expensive city. But we all recognize that I could save some mega cash by staying here for even a few months. While I know of at least one family friend who thinks I’m too old to live at home, it’s an arrangement that has so far worked out for all of us. I’m still working through things like how to fit a whole apartment’s worth of stuff into one bedroom (and, um, borrowing some space in my brother’s room – thanks bro!), but in general I’ve been thrilled with the decision and experienced a relatively easy transition.

Tips for Cohabitation

If you are a parent or a child considering cohabitation, consider the following:

1. Set some ground rules. Part of the reason my living at home has worked out so well is because I’m a pretty low-key and generally responsible person. I save money diligently so we won’t get into a situation where my parents are essentially subsidizing a lavish lifestyle. I spend a lot of time with my family anyway, and would do so even if I wasn’t sleeping in my parents’ house every night. I don’t go out and party a lot (or…really ever), and never get home past 12 or so if I am out. I would imagine that adult children with an active social life and/or no job could cause a few more issues for their parents than I have for mine. If parents expect children home by a certain time, to save a certain amount of money or to contribute to household chores beyond keeping their own room/bathroom clean, that needs to be stated up front. Parents have the right to require pretty much anything of someone living in their home  - and children have the right to refuse to follow parental rules after a certain age, but only if they’re also willing to completely support themselves in a separate residence! One note on this: my personal opinion is that everyone should be entitled to a certain amount of privacy, even if they are living at home. But others disagree, which is a perfectly fair position, especially if the parents provide financial support to the child beyond a place to live.
2. Work out space issues. If certain places need to be designated family space vs personal space, do so. Make sure everybody feels like they have enough physical and emotional space to keep their own life. Decide where the child’s things will go – if separate storage space is necessary, the child should pay for it if possible. For my part, I was glad to be able to keep things like kitchen wares in their boxes in a corner of our garage. I don’t need them here, but it’s nice to know they’re all packed up and ready whenever the time comes to move again!
3. Work out the finances ahead of time. Living at home is saving me some money, but my hope was that it would also help my parents out a tiny bit – after all, taking on a renter or roommate is always a good way to save money on housing!  My personal belief is that living together works out the best when the child can save money without costing the parents much (if any) money. As I  mentioned above saving money by lowering expenses should also translate to actually putting money into a savings account (or paying off debt or otherwise improving the child’s overall financial picture) – and the parents should feel free to make this a condition of the cohabitation if the child might otherwise spend it on nothing. The whole situation gets a lot trickier when parents are providing partial or full support. Adult children living at home should at least offer to pay a small amount of rent – even $100 or $200 a month can go a long way toward increasing the household budget without being a major burden on the child. At the very least, the child needs to cover increased utilities such as water. All parties should also agree on things like meals – will the child pay for all their own meals? Contribute to household grocery bills? Something else entirely? Whatever it is, it should be established up front and stuck to by both parties.
4. Have some idea of an end-date. We all agreed that I would live at home for at least a few weeks when I first moved – long enough to figure out where I wanted to rent, if I did decide to do so. But we also agreed that I could stay here semi-indefinitely if it was working out for everyone. That being said, I know that I’d like to buy a house sooner than later. Some work and life events are preventing me from doing so right this minute – I won’t know for at least a year if I’m going to settle in the city long term. But once those things are worked out, I will be moving to my own place, whether it’s a rental or something that I purchase. At the most, I plan to be home for two years - an amount of time that we’re all comfortable with. For others, a shared house might only be comfortable for a few months. Regardless, set expectations for everyone ahead of time. Parents should feel free to be firm with the children if they don’t move out within the agreed-upon time frame!
5. Do what works for you. I got some raised eyebrows when I told friends I was moving home, and I’m sure my parents did too. We like being together and keep similar enough schedules that this works for us. So don’t worry about people will say or think, or the reasons behind your decision to have parents and adult children live together. In some cases it might be to help the child stay afloat, in others to take care of ailing parents or help them save money – whatever it is, the right living arrangement is the one that works for you.

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Reusable Bag Discounts

Around 100 billion plastic bags are used in the US each year—that is a staggering number, especially considering that they are made with petroleum (a very expensive product right now). In some countries you are actually charged per plastic bag that you use. Ireland, for example, has a per plastic bag tax of $0.15 that was introduced in 2002. This resulted in plastic bag use plummeting by 90% within just a few months and 95% after several years. Many countries also have what’s called a PlasTax, such as Switzerland. Even IKEA in the United States charges $0.05 per bag used.

Even though IKEA charges in the US, most US retailers have plastic bag reduction programs that offer a monetary incentive instead. It should be noted that most websites of these companies do not discuss this discount, so please check out your local store’s policy.

• Target: Bring in any reusable bag and you will save 5 cents off your total purchase per bag. However, the bag must be cloth (not paper or plastic).
• Whole Foods: Get a $0.05-$0.10 discount per each bag used per shopping trip. This depends on your local Whole Foods store, so be sure to check.
• CVS: To participate, you must have a CVS ExtraCare Rewards card (free), as well as a leaf-shaped Green Bag Tag Card which can be purchased. I got mine for free because a coupon at one of the in-store coupon scanners (looks like a Redbox) gave me a coupon for a free one. Typically they are $1.00 each. For every fourth visit where you use a reusable bag, you will receive $1 ExtraCare Buck (store credit) for your next purchase. You must scan this Green Bag Tag to get the credits.
• Trader Joe’s: Many Trader Joe’s stores offer a $0.05 discount per disposable bag. Again, check with your local one to see their policy.

Reusable Mug Discounts

Do you lurk at coffee shops? I generally stop by our local Starbuck’s several times a month as it’s on the way to work and it’s a nice treat. If you don’t frequent a large franchise coffee shop, it is worth it to check with your local coffee and tea shops to see if they offer the same discounts.

• Peet’s Coffee and Tea: Bring in your own coffee mug for a $0.10 discount. Even better, reuse one of their coffee bags and receive a $0.25 discount.
• Starbuck’s: Bring a mug of any sort and get $0.10 off of your cup of coffee.
• Seattle’s Best Coffee: Same idea, and same discount.

Bring in Old Product for Discount on New

• M-A-C Cosmetics: M-A-C Cosmetics offers the Back to MAC program where if you return 6 M·A·C primary packaging containers to a M·A·C counter or M·A·C Cosmetics online, you’ll receive a free M·A·C lipstick of your choice. You can fill out the form online from the link above.
• Office Depot: bring in your old tech gadgets, like printers and printer cartridges ($3 per cartridge), and receive instant credit or in-store credit for future purchases.

Cash Back Programs

Sometimes it’s nice just to get cash back for your used items, which is what these following stores offer.

• Play it Again Sports: This retailer buys, sells, and trades used sports equipment. You can choose several options: have your used equipment purchased from you, use it to trade up to something better, or donate for a tax break (if you itemize your taxes).
• Local Dry Cleaners: Many local dry cleaners will accept wire hangers back and pay you cash for them. Check with yours.

Please add to this list below!

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That’s right—people have been taped committing coupon fraud and this has been aired on television. At the moment the Coupon Information Center (CIC) is investigating TLC, and the outcome is probably not going to be good. The allegation is that one of the show’s extreme couponers practiced “UPC decoding”, or figuring out which barcodes can be used for other products than what the coupon was intended to be used for within the same brand.

Unfortunately what this means for fellow couponers is that there are more strict terms to using coupons and possible store policy changes that have all ready gone into effect or probably will in the near future (a few sour grapes, right?). I’d like to first discuss the type of fraud that is going on, how to spot counterfeit coupons so that you don’t get caught up in this mess, and then ways manufacturers are changing coupon fine print in order to fight back.

Types of Coupon Fraud

There are many different types of coupon fraud, which cost manufacturers and retailers an estimated $300-$500 million each year. Unfortunately a ‘perfect storm’ has been created by the TLC Extreme Couponing show and the downturn in the economy. The result is an increase in media attention on this topic, an increase in manufacturer and government investigations of coupon fraud due to profit loss, and an increase in coupon fraud activity committed by desperate consumers who have seen a loss in pay, jobs, and inflation. Below are several ways coupon fraud is being committed.

• Using Coupons for Unintended Product: Companies do not refine each of the barcodes to match the specific product that the coupon is intended for. This means that some coupons meant for one type of product will not beep at the cashier if used for another type of product within the same brand. Even if the coupon does beep, oftentimes cashiers will push buttons on their machine and force the coupon through. Obviously this is fraud and costs manufacturers money; manufacturers often issue coupons for products that they are specifically looking to sell, or need to move inventory on, etc. If the coupon campaign targeted for one product is used for another product all together, then the manufacturer benefit of the campaign is lost.
• Purchasing Coupons: Coupons have always had language in the fine print forbidding the selling of them. However, people sell coupons on eBay. eBay even has a policy that allows for this, because people are ‘selling their time’ when clipping the coupons, and not the actual coupon itself. I suspect that this will result in a lawsuit from manufacturers in the near future.
• Creating or Altering Coupons: Many arrests have been made of people who have either altered a coupon or produced a brand new one that was not issued from the manufacturer to begin with. The most suspect ones are the .pdf versions that are circulated innocently between coworkers, family, and friends. One such fraudulent Tide Detergent coupon cost P&G an estimated $200,000 in December 2010 in redemptions.
• Coupon Clearinghouses Redeeming Coupons Untouched by Consumers: Once coupons are redeemed by consumers they are packaged into bundles by the retailer and sent to coupon clearinghouses for sorting. Credit is given and recorded for the retailer, and then this information goes to the manufacturer who in turn reimburses the retailer. One such clearinghouse, International Outsourcing Services (IOS), milked this system by redeeming coupons untouched by consumers. They mixed these unused coupons in with the normal ones, and cost manufacturers an estimated $250 million over ten years.

Spotting a Counterfeit Coupon

As consumers, we need to become even savvier and be able to spot counterfeit coupons when we see them. Here are some clues:

• Counterfeit and fraudulent coupons are posted on the CIC’s own version of “The Most Wanted List”.
• Print at Home coupons that show up on the screen are suspect. Typically when you click to print a coupon online (not the .pdf versions, but the other version from a website such as coupons.com) a mini printer will show up and your coupon will print. You never actually see the coupon itself. If you do see the coupon, then suspect that it is fraudulent.
• Printable, high-value coupons for cheap products are always a sure sign.
• Coupons that give you a completely free product with no purchase necessary (you can get these types of coupons, but it is only safe to assume it is legit if it is through the manufacturer’s website, by mail directly from the manufacturer, or in the Sunday inserts)
• Coupons offered for printing directly on internet coupon forums.

Changes to Coupon Fine Print

Manufacturers are fighting back. On top of offering reward money (typical amount is $2,500) that leads to the successful prosecution of individual(s) responsible for producing counterfeit coupons, manufacturers have also made several notable changes to the fine print of coupons. Because these changes are so recent, it is worth it for you to take a few minutes and re-familiarize yourself with any coupons that you typically use as they may have changed. New fine print I have come across (these include the P&G coupons, Ensure, Colgate, Scotch-Brite, etc.) are:

• “Limit of 4 Like Coupons in same shopping trip”
• “Limit 1 coupon per transaction”
• “No more than four (4) coupons for the same product in same transaction”
• “You can only redeem one coupon per day”
• “Void if transferred, sold, auctioned, reproduced, or altered from the original” (bold represents the new word in this phrase)
• “Coupons not authorized if purchasing products for resale”
• “if a product costs less than face value of coupon, consumer is not entitled to any money back”

More Couponing Articles You May Enjoy

• Tips and Tricks for Super Couponing
• Coupon Industry Fights Illegal Extreme Couponing
• Saving Money for the Person Who Doesn’t Have Time for Coupons

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© My Dollar Plan

I personally had never sold items on Craigslist before, and I had bought only a few, mostly inexpensive items. I learned many lessons from selling about 8 pieces of furniture in just a few days, and hope you can benefit from them! These tips will help you maximize revenue while also making efficient use of your time.

10 Tips for Craigslist Sellers

1. Start early: It takes a LOT of time to create good listings, respond to inquiries, set up viewing/pick-up times, and actually get the items out the door. The earlier you start, the more time you have to wait for the right buyer – if you are in a hurry, you will have to bend to negotiations! I was afraid to start too early, because I didn’t want to get rid of things I was still using, like my dresser. But towards the end, I ended up having to drastically reduce prices or just give things away in an effort to vacate my apartment by the deadline. If you are selling multiple items, identify those that you can do without, and list them immediately. 
2. Use separate listings: I initially just listed all my items under one big “moving sale” listing. It was fast, easy….and highly ineffective. Almost nobody inquired about my items, and the people who did were MUCH more interested in getting a deal than acquiring my stuff at fair prices. After a day or two of no luck, I took the time to list my big items separately. Almost immediately, I began fielding very serious inquiries about every single one of my listings – so skip the bulk listings.
3. Research prices: I had no idea what to sell some of my items for. At a yard sale I participated in last fall, I was shocked at the prices that one of the other sellers was setting – I thought they were WAY too high, and yet she sold almost everything without lowering them! I was clearly lowballing the market for used items. Before I listed any items, I did my best to look up the price of the new item, and then look up similar items for sale on Craigslist. I tried to price competitively with the other used items and anywhere between 25% and 50% off of the new items, depending on the size and condition of the item. I purchased a daybed off Craigslist for a VERY good price last year – it was almost brand new, but the seller was moving out of the country unexpectedly and had to get rid of it. Before selling it, I researched similar items to confirm my suspicion that it was way underpriced when I bought it – and made sure to reflect that knowledge when I resold it for more than I purchased it for 9 months ago! Also, don’t undervalue how much people will pay for already-assembled items. I had an Ikea bookshelf that ended up selling for only $20 more than the new item – but it was already assembled, versus the new one coming flat-packed.
4. Test the price waters and relist: Simply put, many inquiries in a short time might mean you’ve underpriced the item – and too few is an almost sure indicator that you have overpriced it. I ended up cancelling one listing and relisting the item for almost 50% more – and even at that price, I received over 10 inquiries in the first hour. I ended up selling a four-year-old leather ottoman for only $15 less than I purchased it for! If you have some time before you need the item out, err on the side of overpricing – you can always lower the price if you don’t sell it in a day or two.
5. Include pictures: Some people won’t even look at a listing if pictures aren’t included. And others will look at the listing, but ask you for pictures before they even consider buying it. Save yourself time, and open yourself to more buyers, by just including pictures from the start. Like many of my tips, it will take a few extra minutes of work, but potentially result in extra money in your pocket.
6. Use keywords: Craigslist buyers all work in different ways – some just browse by category. Others narrow by price or location. Others search for general terms (“table”) or specific items (“IKEA Leksvik table”). The more information you include, the more likely it is that some searcher will land on your listing. Also, make sure you post in the right category – furniture, household items, etc.
7. Provide details: Provide as much information as you can up front – dimensions, color, condition, etc. This will save you from having to answer the same questions over and over, and help ensure that you only field emails from serious potential buyers. If you have other listings for matching items, mention them in each ad. This will help encourage buyers to purchase multiple items.
8. Respond strategically: You will get lots of emails, especially if your items are competitively priced. Some will be obvious spam. Others will be people trying to negotiate with you. I ignored both of these types of emails. If anyone offered to pick up tomorrow, next week, or basically any time other than “today” or “ASAP,” I move them to the end of response list. I responded first to people who expressed clear interest and could come look in the next 12-24 hours. I usually told at least two people they could come take a look but I would sell it to the first person who arrived and was interested. I would then tell 3-5 more that I had other interested buyers but would let them know if the item was still available in 24 hours – I would then suggest a time for them to come take a look if the item was indeed still available. The rest of the inquiries only received a reply if the item was still available 2 or more days after listing and/or all of the initial buyers failed to pan out for some reason. I got burned early on by replying to only one buyer at a time, and going 3 or more days sending back-and-forth replies or having them cease communications with no warning. I later started replying to more people just to make sure that SOMEONE would ultimately take the item off my hands by the time my move-out date arrived.
9. Be creative: One person came to look at an item, said she wanted it but didn’t have cash on her and would go to the ATM and come back. I was a little afraid that she wouldn’t come back, and wanted to close the deal. So I asked if she had a Paypal account she could use. 5 minutes later, I had brought her a computer and was $60 richer, without having to wait an extra 30 minutes to see if she would come back…or start over if she didn’t.
10. Understand when to give up: At some point, it will become clear that an item will just not sell. You can lower the price and try again. If it is a smaller item (clothes, kitchen accessories, etc.), you might have better luck at a yard sale. Some items just can’t be sold – in that case, you can try Freecycle, donate to Goodwill or another charity (don’t forget to get a receipt for a tax deduction!), or just avail yourself of the trash.

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One way to make mail lucrative and fun is to fill your inbox with rebate checks. Every year I send away for reimbursement of money paid for products, wait the 30, 60, 90+ days, and then receive a check ranging anywhere from $3.00 to $75. The checks of higher denominations do not occur very frequently (only if I have purchased a new electronic of some sort), so I end up receiving lots of checks of $10 or less. But checks or lower denomination can really add up: between September 2009 and March 2010, I received a total of $222.49 in rebates.

Why Would a Company Give Away Products?

Rebates only entice me when they are for the full cost of the product, except in the rare circumstance that I am purchasing an electronic (even then I like updating my phone with a new one that is ‘free after rebate’). I am sure there are many other people like me out there, which begs the question: why would a company give their product away for free?

Manufacturers and retailers offer rebates on products for various reasons, all of which will benefit them either directly or indirectly. Perhaps they need to move inventory, create a buzz (a popular Black Friday strategy), mine data, earn money through interest between purchase and redemptions, temporarily inflate sales figures for a period of time (before rebates are redeemed), or are banking on the fact that most consumers do not take the time to send in for their rebates. In fact, many manufacturers bank on this last one. Rebate redemption rates are reported all over the place due to industry secrecy. From what I’ve read, I think it’s fair to estimate that 40% of rebates are never redeemed.

Make a Profit from Rebates

People make a profit from rebates. You might wonder how this could possibly happen as it appears they would only get back the amount that they paid in, and in some cases, even less. But that is not true—you can make a profit off of rebates.

Of all of the rebates I have ever submitted for, only a handful has given me the rebate minus any coupons I have used. In other words, if you use coupons when purchasing a product, you will most likely be reimbursed for the full cost of the product. The coupon savings will be income earned for you. Also, any CVS ExtraCare Bucks or Register Rewards you receive as a result of purchasing the product are above and beyond getting the product for free after rebate.

I have dallied in profiting from rebates by making a few dollars here or there. For example, I purchased a Phillip Sonicare electronic toothbrush, which after rebate and ExtraCare Bucks from CVS, was free. However, I had a $7 manufacturer coupon for this product and still received the full rebate, thus making a ‘profit’ of $7.  

Make Sure You Receive Your Rebate

I have a confession to make: in the last five years or so that I have done rebates, I have not tracked a single one. Perhaps I have missed one or two, but in general I have had good luck with receiving my check in a reasonable amount of time.

There is nothing more frustrating than purchasing a product under the false assumption that you will be getting it for free, taking the time to fill out paperwork, and then never receiving your money back. The FTC suggests making a copy of the receipt and all necessary documents so that if you do not receive your rebate, you have backup documentation. They also suggest keeping track of when you should receive your rebate and then filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, the state Attorney General or the local Better Business Bureau if the issue is not resolved.

Also, if you suspect that your rebate is overdue, you can track your rebate online through several sites such as rebatetrack, and rebate-tracker.com.

Do you send in for rebates? I’d love to hear your successes and failures in doing so.  

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Of course, now I’m on the lookout for ways to rent the movies inexpensively.

If you are a movie buff, there are some great deals right now to get movies for cheap, especially if you want to see of the Oscar movies that won last night.

Cheap Movie Deal from Groupon & Redbox

I know some of you like Redbox, so here’s a great way to rent cheap DVDs:

Groupon is giving a 3-for-1 deal on Redbox rentals today. But it gets even better, here’s how to stack the deal to score super cheap DVD rentals:

• Redbox Groupon. Login to your Groupon account (or you can open one if you don’t have one yet). There will be banner on the top with a link to the Redbox offer. For $1, you get 3 one night dvd Redbox movie rentals. You can buy 1 for yourself and 2 as gifts. The codes expire June 1, 2011.
• Discover. Buy into the Groupon deal with your Discover Card through Shop Discover to get 20% cash back.
• Referrals. If your friends and family also like to rent DVD movies cheap, you can refer them to the Redbox deal for $1, and you’ll get $10. There are no limits.

Amazon Prime Free Movies for a Month

If you’re like me and love downloading cheap movies online, Amazon Prime just sweetened their deal. I know many of you use Amazon Prime for the free 2-day shipping during the holidays.

Amazon Prime just added unlimited streaming of their movies and TV shows (they have more than 5,000).

So if you already have Amazon Prime, it’s free! If you don’t already have Amazon Prime, here’s how to get your free movies:

• Amazon Free Movies for a Month. Sign up for the Amazon Prime 1 month free trial.
• Streaming Video. The free trial includes the streaming video for movies and TV shows.

Amazon Prime Membership Types. The movies are only included for Amazon Prime paid memberships (at $79 per year). It’s not valid for the free Amazon Mom or Amazon Student accounts many of us signed up for last fall.

Amazon Versus Netflix. Obviously, the Amazon Prime offer is going to make you recalculate your Netflix subscription if you have one! For those of you who use Netflix, are you going to switch?

We bought Roku players for our families for Christmas, now I’m thinking that Amazon Prime memberships will be the perfect gift to go with them this year!

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Here are some free Valentine ideas and deals you’ll want to check out today.

Valentine’s Day Music Freebies

Amazon: Amazon is offering two different Valentine’s Day freebies on music today:

• Free $2 MP3 Music Download. Get $2 off an MP3 music download with the code VDAYMP3S.
• Free Valentine Music. Looking for love songs? Amazon is offering free Valentine’s Day music today.

Valentine’s Day Movie Freebies

Redbox: Free Valentine’s Day DVD rental when you send a virtual Valentine. You’ll get a redbox promo code for a with every card you send.

Valentine’s Day Coffee Freebies

QuikTrip: Free coffee at QuickTrip on their fan appreciation page on Facebook.

Caribou Coffee: Buy one, get one free drink for you and your friend. You can print the coupon, or just show it on your mobile phone.

Valentine’s Day Meal Freebies

Qdoba: Buy one, get one free entree when you kiss someone in line at the register. You don’t need the coupon.

IHOP: Buy one, get one free entree when you print out this coupon and bring it in.

McDonald’s: 12 free menu items when you buy a Valentine’s pack for $1.

Valentine’s Day Desert Freebies

Denny’s: Free Sundaes for you and your friend when you send a free Valentine card.

Bakers Square: Free slice of pie when you send a free Valentine card.

Have you found any other Valentine’s Day Freebies? If so, add them in the comments!

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