Free Games

Big Fish Games is offering two games for free. Use the following codes and get the full length games without spending a cent! Happy Gaming!

Free Fairway Solitaire Game. This game was voted #1 card/Marjong game of 2007. Use the coupon code FREEFAIRWAY at checkout for download of this game. http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/2427/fairway-solitaire/index.html

Free Hidden Expedition: Everest Game. This game was the First Runner-Up Best Hidden Object Game of 2007. Use the coupon code FREEEVEREST at checkout for free download of this game. http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/1658/hidden-expedition-everest/index.html?afcode=afcfa3267c69

Free NRA Membership

If you are like me and feel some concern about the erosion of your rights under the umbrella of "protection against terrorism", I encourage you to take advantage of this offer. The NRA (National Rifle Association) is offering a free, one-year membership. This is a $35 gift.

I am not a gun owner, however, I do support the right to bear arms (a Constitutional right). While sometimes I feel like Chicken Little ("The Sky is Falling" - "They are trying to take away our ability to protect ourselves"), I do feel it is important to protect and maintain our rights, one of which is gun rights.

The link is https://www.nrahq.org/nrabonus/accept-membership.asp

Ebates.com

One of my all time favorite websites is Ebates.com. This site offers rebates from hundreds of different on-line stores, including Staples, Macys, Borders, and Ebay, to name just a few.

The process is easy: scout out what you want on-line, then go to Ebates to see if the site you want to purchase from is an Ebates participating site. Click on that site through Ebates and you will get a rebate between 2% and 18% of your purchase price. (The amount of the rebate is site specific). Ebates will send you a check quarterly for all your rebates. I've been an Ebates shopper for the past year and have gotten $112 in rebates. Not bad for buying stuff I was going to get anyway!

If you aren't already an Ebates member, sign up here: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=Ty3h%2FrbEw5LX7REJn5Rp2Q%3D%3D. If they ask who referred you, use awanadalla@verizon.net. That way we both get a $5 credit just for signing up.

Happy shopping (and saving)!

Free Copy of "Confessions of a Shopaholic"

Sophie Kinsella's "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is a witty, funny book. As the title reveals, the book is about a young woman, Rebecca Bloomwood, who spends, spends, spends. While this is all well and good when she has the funds, this proves to be problematic when her money runs out.

While I haven't seen the movie (I heard it wasn't very good - and the timing was awful - how can we empathize with a rapid spender when the economy is in the tank)? The book is really a delight and I highly recommend it. Heck, for this price, how can you say no?!

The link is http://www.randomhouse.com/bantamdell/kinsella/shopaholicfriend.html. Sophie Kinsella is also the author of a host of other books, including Shopahollic and Sister, Shopaholic and Baby, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, The Undomesticated Goddess, and Remember Me. All her books are a fun, light read. Enjoy!

Rayovac AAA Maximum Plus Alkaline Batteries: 100 for $8.99

The Graveyard Mall is listing 100 Rayovac AAA Maximum Plus Alkaline Batteries for $8.99. What a deal! According to their site these batteries are "cosmetically imperfect". (Who knew there was such beauty discrimination in batteries)?! The details state:

• 100 unpackaged AAA batteries
• Cosmetically blemished, but otherwise new and in perfect working order
  Alkaline batteries
• Approximate ship date of May 01, 2009
• Batteries have expiration dates in 2010 - 2013 so they're good for quite some time.
• These batteries are new, not recharged and not tested and slightly used or pulled out of some camera. They are new, unused, have plenty of remaining dating, they just have cosmetic blemishes.

There were some comments on several other websites as to whether these batteries are used or not. According to http://buxr.com/, who contacted "Graveyard" directly, they are NOT used in any way (apparently there was alot of discussion on the meaning of the last bullit).

If you are like me, we go through batteries like crazy! This seems like a pretty good deal. This deal can be found at http://www.graveyardmall.com/raaaamaplalb.html

Free Video Download from Blockbuster

Blockbuster is offering a free video download of the film "Journey Into Amazing Caves". Here's the description:

Filmmaker Steve Judson, who received an Academy award nomination for his documentary Dolphins, explores another variety of inner space in this film, shot in the high-definition IMAX process. Dr. Hazel Barton and Nancy Aulenbach are scientists brought together by their interest in caves -- Aulenbach researches the life cycles of plants and animals that thrive in caves, while Barton believes study of the ecosystems of caves might provide valuable information on treating diseases in humans. Barton and Aulenbach are joined by veteran spelunker Janot Lamberton as they explore spectacular cave formations in Arizona, Mexico, and Greenland. Journey Into Amazing Caves is narrated by noted actor Liam Neeson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Sounds interesting. You can get it here: http://www.buxr.com/deal/free-download-journey-into-amazing-caves_21504

Free Downloads

There are alot of cool downloads available now. Some of the most interesting/useable are:

Amazon offering 756 free mp3 songs. I know I'm pretty sheltered so I don't know many of the artists listed but it is an opportunity to try out some new music. The link is here: http://www.amazon.com/Free-Songs-Music/b/ref=amb_link_83144631_11?&ie=UTF8&node=334897011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1H3KHRHXYY8NNRTZ649G&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=466465171&pf_rd_i=507846

Another music give away is "Smile, Smile, Smile" by Dan Zanes, formerly of the Del Fuegos. This is some cool kid-friendly music that even I can listen to! It can be downloaded here: http://www.amazon.com/Smile/dp/B001WAGLWI/ref=nosim

Free book download or hard copy of Retirement for Dummies Book. Especially in these difficult economic times where alot of people have lost a good portion of their life savings, this book may be helpful. The site is located here: http://www.realforme.com/register/

Amazon is offering a free game download: Big Kahuna Reef. Just add to your cart, checkout, download, and install. Looks like fun! The link is http://www.amazon.com/Big-Kahuna-Reef-Game-Download-PC/dp/B001K7HV3Q/ref=pd_sim_vg_4

Free U2 Album: "Get On Your Boots". Sign up and reply to your email and you get 7 songs. The link is http://www.nolineonthehorizon.com/mailers/signup.php

Free download of Corel Paint Shop Pro X. This is a great program that allows you to turn your photos into professional looking pictures. The link is http://www.download3000.com/download-paint-shop-pro-count-reg-16532.html

Freebies You May Actually Use

I am an avid freebie seeker, however, I have to wade through alot of junk to find a few gems. I'll make a commitment to periodically post links to those I think will be of the most use or are the best deal. Here's some of my recent finds:

• I recently got a free sample of Kellogg's All Bran Fiber Pink Lemonade Drink Mix from Walmart and I love it! Each serving has an incredible 10g of dietary fiber. (We should all have 25-30g of fiber a day and most of use don't even come close to that). Kellogg's All Bran has a host of other fiber rich products. If you haven't tried them, here's even more incentive. For purchases made through 4/30, they are offering a complete rebate on any one product (up to $4.99). Details and the rebate form are located at http://www.all-bran.com/All_Bran_Rebate_Form.pdf


• Kraft Cheese is offering a product rebate on one package of KRAFT 2% Natural Cheddar Cheese (Shreds or Chunks). It is good on any one product purchased between 3/15/09 and 9/30/09. Rebate form is located here: http://brands.kraftfoods.com/purekraft/naturalcheese/pdfs/RefundOfferForm.pdf

Earth Day Freebies

Earth Day 2009 is April 22. In celebration of this day, numerous companies are giving away freebies. The following is what I've located so far:

• Reynold's Wrap has a new product that is made from 100% recycled aluminum. Go to http://www.reynoldsrecycled.com/index.html and sign up for an email reminder to go to their site on 4/22 for the rebate form. They say quantities are limited.
• Disney Store is offering a free gift (word is it's a water bottle). Bring 3 plastic bottles to a Disney Store on 4/22 and you will receive your gift. Details are here: http://disneyshopping.go.com/disney/store/Category_10002_10051_59503_-1_59503_____Disney-Store
• The Home Depot will be giving away 1 million CFL bulbs on April 19th. The offer is one per person. (http://www.buxr.com/deal/free-cfl-light-bulb-home-depot-april-19th_20505/type/freebie)
• Dunkin Donuts is offering small iced coffee for 50 cents on April 21. Portion of the proceeds to benefit Homes for Our Troops. The press release is located here (https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/press/PressRelease.aspx?viewtype=current&id=100139

Edible Arrangements

I got creative for Easter and made a fruit bouquet for dessert. These can be purchased already made, just like a floral arrangement. The Edible Arrangement website is http://www.ediblearrangements.com/. While they make beautiful arrangements, they are rather pricey for me.

Because I am rather thrifty, I set out to make my own. (Posted are pictures of my arrangements). Thanks to the people on this website: http://ediblecraftsonline.com/edible_creations/project_5/index.htm. They provide great directions! These instructions are clear and complete. I do, however, have some lessons learned:

• Make sure you use SHARP knives! The knives in my house are notably dull (I recieved a knife sharpener as a birthday gift)! It was very frustrating to do this project with unsharp knifes!


• If possible, buy your pineapple already peeled and cleaned. After the fact I did see the grocery store offers them, however, they were rather small and would not have worked with the cookie cutter I used. In the summer Walmart has large pineapple and the cost is minimally higher than the whole pineapple.


• Use fruit that is just ripe (as opposed to very ripe). My melon was very ripe and that made it more likely to droop.


• Next time I will make more kabobs and topping with strawberries. This fills the arrangement and you see less stick. I think I'll use grapes.

Old Time Radio (OTR)

Before the days of television, video games and the internet, people used to sit in front of their radios and listen to shows, such as Sherlock Holmes, Superman, Father Knows Best, and Blondie. Once tv became popular in the 1950's most of these shows went off the air. Thanks to the internet, these shows can still be enjoyed today.

As much as I love tv, I find that I tend to use it as background noise rather than visual entertainment. Now I listen to OTR when I'm doing crafts, cleaning, and, most enjoyably, as my nightly bedtime story. Listening to OTR is fun and entertaining. I really like to listen to OTR with younger children. They enjoy havng someone tell them a story and it introduces them to entertainment of a time gone by.

There are a multitude of sites that offer free OTR. Some of my favorites are:

http://www.radiolovers.com/
http://www.oldtimeradiofans.com/
http://www.best-otr.com/
http://www.megaloradio.com/

Notes on DIRECTV

As a birthday gift to myself, I upgraded to DirecTV HD. Initially, I had major issues with DirecTV's cusomer service and their inability to create a work order that reflected what I wanted. After much time spent and threats (promises) of discontinuing service, they finally got it right! While I still feel their company has some serious customer service issues (smack talking and blame gaming between customer service and the technicians), I am very pleased with my new tv!

I did find out some interesting and insightful info from the technician who installed the new HD dish. The following is a compilation of info I've learned through this process. Some of these are DirecTV specific and others are relatable to any cable provider.

• If you are having any kind of issue with your service, ask to speak to the Customer Service Retention Department. This department is willing to play 'Let's Make a Deal' to keep you as a customer. Even if you aren't thinking of taking your service elsewhere, ask them what they are willing to do to keep you as a customer. By asking them what they could do for me, they credited me $15 per month for 6 months. Further, they credited me the entire $199 charge for the HD/DVR upgrade.
• Each of our tv's has a receiver. However, two of the receivers I have are in rooms that aren't used all that often. One is on the back porch, which is used only during the summer months. The other is in the spare room my mom uses when she comes to visit once or twice a year. I thought I had to pay for these receivers to be active year round (to the tune of $5 rental fee for each receiver). Turns out you can suspend service when those receivers are not in use. Then, when you do want to use them, just call in and have them reinstate service. This will save me about $90 a year.
• The technician left me the old, working receiver. While I don't have a summer home or cabin, turns out that, if I did, I could relocate the dish there. All you have to do then is take the dish, position it so it gets signal and take one of your home receivers with you. This way you can have DirecTV service whereever you go.
• The technician also set up my tv remote so I can have wifi access. This way I can change the channel anywhere in the living room or any other room in the house. This is really handy if your furniture is placed so you don't have a straight shot at the tv.

This info was really helpful to me. I'm not sure why DirecTV doesn't make this knowledge more accessible to their customers. But, as I said, they seem to have such major communication issues internally, it's no wonder they don't communicate well with their customers. If you have any other lessons learned, please leave them in the comments.

Free Audiobook of Marley and Me

Get a free audio download of Marley and Me at http://www8.garmin.com/audible/. I spend a great deal of time in my car and regulary listen to audiobooks. I don't have a Garmen system but apparently you can get audiobooks sent directly to your GPS or a multitude of other mobile devices. You can load on your computer as well.

Just skimming their site, it seems like they are rather pricey. But, considering I borrow audiobooks from the library, I'm not sure what the standard rate for this kind of thing is. In any case, enjoy this freebie!

Free Kids Music Download

Mega Bloks is offereing free download of six children's cd's, each containing 20+ songs. These downloads include such classics as "The Wheels on the Bus", "Twinkle, Twinkle", and "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain". I know when my kids were little, they LOVED having their own music. The download can be located at http://www.megabrands.com/en/familyfun/music.php

Free Summer Bowling Pass for Kids

I know those of us with kids are always looking for something to keep them busy over the summer months. Check out www.kidsbowlfree.com . This site offers 2 free games of bowling a day all summer long. Further, they offer a deal for the family pass. This offer is only good at certain bowling alleys; the site provides a list of sites. The closest to us are in York but they suggest checking back often because they add sites frequently.

Is This the Year To Buy a New Car?

Thinking of Buying a New Car This Year?

As we all know the automotive industry is having a VERY bad year. If you have the money, this may be a good year to buy a new car. Many car companies are offering great deals (0% interest on 5 years) and prices are lower than ever. If you need even more incentive, the IRS just released notice that you may be able to deduct state and local excise taxes paid on the car purchase on your 2009 tax returns.

Accprding to IRS Tax Notice IR-2009-30, the deduction is limited to the state and local sales and excise taxes paid on up to $49,500 of the purchase price of a qualified new car, light truck, motor home or motorcycle.

There are some restrictions for those making over $125,000 and the vehicle must be purchased after Feb. 16, 2009, and before Jan. 1, 2010, to qualify for the deduction.

I don't know about you but it makes me take a closer look at that Saturn Sky I've had my eyes on!

Consumerist Website

Another staple of my daily reading is the Consumerist website. They provide an incredible amount of useful information. (They are affiliated with Consumer Reports). The site offers a range of info, including suggestions on how to save money, product recalls, and how to productively launch company disputes.

http://consumerist.com

Bargainist Website

Anyone who knows me has heard me talk about the Bargainist website. It is one of my absolute favorites and I review it every day. They do a great job of locating deals (on-line and some coupons). I highly recommend checking them out.

Pay Yourself With Coupons

As an incentive to save, I pay myself for the effort. I have a seperate "coupon" savings account. Anytime I save using coupons, bonus points, rebates, refunds, etc., I deposit the amount saved into that account. I keep my coupon account at the credit union (not my normal banking institution). At the end of the week, I total up my savings and write a check to myself from my bank to the coupon account.

For example, last week I saved $54 using coupons and bonus points at the grocery. Then I received a $25 rebate from Olay, and a $70 debit card from Verizon. I deposited $149 into my coupon account.

While this is really just consolidating the savings into one place, I find it motivating. Saving money really can be a game and I, for one, like to reward myself for playing. If you are a savvy consumer, it really doesn't take long for money to add up. In 9 months time, I've saved close to $1,500.

I'm also moving into paying myself for NOT buying things. I find I spend ALOT of money on just stuff - stuff no one really wants or needs. (I have a hard time passing up bargins. I find myself coming home with random things: a new shirt for my daughter, a toy for one of the grandkids, etc). Rather than spending that money, I'll start putting aside that money into my coupon account. That way I will reward myself for showing restraint AND saving for something I'll really want in the future.