Category — Frugal Tips

With the slump in the economy, consumers like you and me are watching every penny we spend on birthdays and presents during the holiday season so it’s important for us to get up to speed with sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

Typically the Black Friday sales ads come out with the Thanksgiving newspaper, however, over the years these sales have been leaked to the public so consumers can plan early for their purchases. I’ve listed below a few of the popular websites that list Black Friday Sales Ads. Most of these sites state that the posting of these sales does not confirm the advertisement is official…in other words, buyers beware. Just click on the logo to go to that site. Also be sure to check out the comments before you leave. There are sure to be some awesome resources left by others.

BlackFriday.info is affiliated with KeepCash.com which provides daily deals and as a convenience, also allows registered users to create a shopping list. You do not need to register to see product images or Black Friday ad scans. If you plan on shopping online, BlackFriday.info also has Online Deals from retailers that will be posted Thanksgiving morning and running right up until Cyber Monday. They suggest bookmarking this page since these deals sell out quickly.

Black Friday 2008 provides retailer’s Black Friday advertisement scans in .zip or .pdf formats and there is no registration required to download.

Deal Taker has a huge list of rumored Black Friday sales ads with comments from members. If you’d like to have full access to the Black Friday discussion areas, you’ll need to register. It’s free.

GottaDeal.com has some full page Black Friday ad scans, however, you’ll need to register to see them.

Black-Friday.net also offers registered users the convenience of creating a shopping list and it seems to have a fairly good selection of Black Friday ads to browse. Registration is free as well.

Now if you’d like to avoid this rush of people and would prefer to shop online, Cyber Monday is the ticket for you. Retailers are offering special deals throughout the day. Sales for Cyber Monday aren’t normally announced early so it’s not as easy to plan ahead. I found one site that I thought might be helpful.

From their site:

On the day of Cyber Monday there will be hourly specials and exclusives from your favorite online retailers. Sneak peeks of the hourly deals will be shared via email alerts so make sure to sign up for special savings and the latest offers.

Another option for saving money over the holidays is Craigslist or eBay. Whether you’re looking for new or slightly used items, they have just about anything at a fraction of the normal cost.

Stick around because I’ll be sharing some more options later this week: Pledge to Buy Mom Made and Regiftable.

Do you know of some Black Friday or Cyber Monday sites I might have missed or something you’d like to add? Please leave a comment. I’d love to hear about it.

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

Subscribe for delivery of new posts via RSS or email

Not too long ago, I made a comment to my husband about this very subject. Packaged products seemed to be getting smaller, but the pricing either stayed the same or increased. For instance, has anyone noticed the smaller tubs used by Dreyers Ice Cream? Manufacturers are using more subtle changes as well like indents in the bottom of peanut butter containers and thinner cereal boxes.

Why? Manufacturers state it is the increase costs for supplies and transportation causing them to take action. Apparently consumers would rather pay more for less, than more for the same. 

Most consumers don’t even notice. What do you think about this?

Check out this CNN video that shares even more:

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

Subscribe for delivery of new posts via RSS or email

If you’re looking for a few great tips on how to save money when it comes to birthday gifts, check out this quick 1 minute video by Erin at Coupon Cravings. 

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

Subscribe for delivery of new posts via RSS or email

So how many of you have seen this little piggy spreading the word about CoolSavings on tv? Just in case you’ve missed them:

I’ve seen them, but never went to CoolSavings.com to see what the buzz was about until recently. This site is packed full of all kinds of savings from printable grocery coupons to rebates. If you’re a frugal shopper this is definitely a site you’ll want to check out. Registration is required to see all the deals, but it’s free.

Some other features that caught my eye were the recipes, savings tips and the online community. The recipe section is slick. Enter your zip code and all these recipes pop up which is great, but it also tells you where some of the ingredients are on sale. Some of the saving tips up right now are Back-to-School, Gas-Saving and Target’s Best Deals.

If you want to get more involved there is a great online community that provides even more savings tips.

To find local business offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

Subscribe for delivery of new posts via RSS or email

Ok so do those handy little chip clips disappear around your house too? I swear they are hanging out with that missing sock! I went to put up a bag of chips jus the other day and yep, the clip was nowhere to be found. So being the genius that I am, I pulled out the tape and slapped a piece on. Of course, every time the bag gets opened, a new piece has to be put on because it always gets ripped. Well I subscribe to the Uncluttered Blog and today I found this great video they had posted that made me go “duh!” Take a look:

Yep “duh” fits really well right now!

To find local birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets from businesses in your area, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

Subscribe for delivery of new posts via RSS or email

Aren’t these just adorable? My sister-in-law has a passion for cooking, especially with her two daughters. They make cupcakes, cookies and all kinds of goodies that they generously share with the family. So it was no surprise when one of the girls had a birthday and my sister-in-law decided to buck the custom standard of either buying a store bought cake (usually ice cream) and made this delightful creation with her daughter.

I ooohed & ahhhed over the flip-flops in awe of their creativity. She finally relented and told me it’s a Betty Crocker recipe so I thought I’d share it with all of you. It’s the perfect cake for a summertime birthday party and it saves a bundle over buying it in the store!

My sister-in-law also co-owns a soy candle business and I will posting a product review/giveaway about them on July 6th so be sure to check back soon or subscribe to my RSS feed to receive updates.

WALL-E is coming to theatres this Friday and I think I might be more excited about this movie than my kids! Some day I would love to be in one of those brainstorming sessions with the Pixar team to see them in action. Maybe some of their creative vibes will splash on to me! By the looks of the previews this is sure to be a…as my kids would say…ginormous hit! He is just so darn cute!

Wouldn’t it be grand to watch WALL-E with your free birthday ticket? Some of you can! In Texas check out City Lights Theatres’ Birthday Club they have a location in Georgetown and Weatherford, but you’ll need to sign up for their birthday club online. In San Francisco there is The Balboa Theatre. No need to sign up, just show your photo i.d. Then in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin there is Sturgeon Bay Cincema 6 which requires an e-mail almost a month prior to your birthday. Harkins Theatres gives a free popcorn when you come in on your birthday as well.

I’ve checked with some of the big chain theatres and so far no luck with a birthday ticket freebie, but I’m working on it. In the meantime, the best deal that I’ve found in my area (Phoenix, AZ) is with AMC Theatres: $5 for each person regardless of age, before noon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’d also recommend signing up for their MovieWatchers program. We’ve been taking advantage of the $5 deal and earned ourselves a free movie ticket.

Don’t forget…if you’re looking for a free birthday meal to go with the movie, visit Free Birthday Treats.

Have fun and enjoy!

Yikes! Now this was one heck of a shocker! So what can we do to help cut down those fuel costs?

Here are a few sites that provide some great info from tire inflation to speeding:

• Fuel Economy - We Test the Tips - What Really Saves Gas? And How Much? - Edmunds
• We Test the Tips Part II - Save Gas with Smart Driving and Slick Aerodynamics - Edmunds
• 6 Gas Saving Myths - CNN
• Government’s Fuel Economy Website
• NPR’s Gas-Saving Tips: Fact or Fiction

Every penny counts right?