FREE Cherry Lime-Aid on Saturday, 8-28 DALLAS/FORT WORTH ONLY

***PLEASE NOTE - THIS IS A DALLAS/FORT WORTH AREA FREEBIE ONLY***

Yay! There was a nice break from the heat for about, 16 hours, but now the index is going to go back up just in time for the weekend. Boo!

What should we do in the mean time? How about go to Fire House Subs, at any point in the day, and get a FREE 32 ounce CHERRY Lime-Aid - NO COUPON REQUIRED!!! (Note - yes, that is a legitimate email. I just screen-shot it so I could edit out my real name and email.)

I don't know what I love more - the fact that this is a freebie, the fact that it's a DFW Area freebie only, the fact that it's couponless so we can use other discounts if we've got them, or that Fire House considers a 32 ounce drink a medium.

Oh, wait. I like them all!!!

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!!! (wow, I just had a billy mays moment.) If it's your BIRTHDAY on Saturday, just flash your id or drivers license and you'll get a FREE SUB, just for having been born! (Well, that's truly an everyday birthday freebie, but if your bday is on Saturday then you can really make out like a bandit and get a free meal!) ((But I guess that you August 27th and 29ers could also give it a shot at getting your birthday sub too.))

Last thing about Fire House then I'll go - sign up here to get on the email list as to be alerted if the owners in your city decide to do something similar - and in doing so you'll get a coupon for a free drink with the next purchase of a sub!

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Are you new to couponing or Internet freebies? Sign up for a free email address here (so your real address won't be flooded with offers and junk everyday!) and then go here and here to have even MORE fun!

~K

A Perfect Storm Target Match-Up Post! (ie - get a super fun game on the cheap side)

(I'm sorry about all of the ' action going on in this post, something is up with blogger and it simply will not let me space this post the way I really want to.)

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I've said it before but I'm saying it again -I'm all about games. Right now at Target you can get The Game of Things, plus a card deck game, (a $32 value!) for only $9.99! (Or $9.94 after the bag credit. :p)

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The Game of Things is similar to most group games - you can make it serious, funny, naughty, opposite, whatever! The rules are sorta simple - pretty much everyone writes a response to the topic card and whoever is not matched to their response at the end of a round by the other players wins! (Actual rules can be found here, but I will dumb them down at the bottom of this post.)

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Right now Toys R Us has "The Game of Things" on sale in their weekly ad (page 11A, top left corner) for $14.99. (Normally $27!)

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AND go HERE for a $5 off coupon - making it $9.99 (Saving you, like, $17!) There is a 2 print-per-computer limit, so if you haven't used this one yet, you should be able to print it twice.

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Now, you can pick this up at TRU when you're there this week getting all the child-centric board games that count towards the Hasbro/Toys R Us rebate,

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OR,

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you can take the Toys R Us ad (actual print ad, not Internet print out, unless your store is lax on that rule) to Target to price match the game (also normally around $27) and get a free hasbro card game as well. (page 16 of this week's Target ad talks about the promo; The Game of Things isn't listed or shown on the ad but is a game by Hasbro and has a promo sticker/tag by its normal shelf price tag in-store. If you still aren't sure about this, go to a scanner or ask an employee to scan it for you - the promo should come up on their screen.)

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You may be squeamish about "doing this deal" at Target, because the new coupon and price-matching policies exclude other stores "buy-one-get-X" promotions AND they also exclude you from price matching and then using a Target coupon on said item being price matched. Plus its a bit involved and there are a lot of you out there who have been very turned off by Target lately.

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However, the buy-game-get-card freebie is Targets own promotion, so you will be able to price match, get the free card game AND use the manufacturer coupon to get everything for $9.99!

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Here's where it gets complicated - normal cashiers don't have the power to price match at their individual registers, so you can check out "up front" or just go straight to Customer Service, since you'll have to stop there anyway.

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AND ideally the way that Target wants its "guests" to perform price adjusting when using a coupon is to use said coupon at time of purchase at the front registers and then get reimbursed later, as to keep the wait time down for the rest of us in line at Customer Service, but they'll still take a coupon at CS. However, I see this as bringing in more people than necessary to error the transaction, so you need to decide if you want to make one long purchase at the registers and then get reimbursed at Customer Service (for convenience and sake of time), OR if you want to make this purchase first at customer service and then continue with your other shopping and do two transactions at Target, that is assuming that you are there to purchase more in the first place.

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If I were you (which I was, 'cause I already did this and it totally worked) I'd do the transaction first at CS and then continue shopping and purchase everything else separately, which looks like this: find the game (it's in a wooden box and can be found in the "party" or "adult" section of the game isle), pick out which free card game you'd like (you get to choose between scrabble slam, monopoly deal and something that is like pictureika; they should all be well marked that they are the free-game-with-purchase) and then go to Customer Service. Wait your turn (obvs.) and then let the service person know that you are going to price match the big item. They will scan the Game of Things, do some fancy button pushin' to adjust the price and then scan the card game, which will automatically show up as free. (They might go in a different order with the card game scanning and price adjustment, but that part should not matter.) Your total should say $14.99 (plus whatever your sales tax is; so in the D/FW area it'd be $16.23) - then when you go to pay hand over your coupon for $5 off. They'll scan it and then you're down to $9.99! ($10.84 D/FW - because the tax is adjusted to what you pay after the coupon) Done!

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I didn't ring this up at a normal register, because I thought the whole thing would give all parties involved - the cashier, the CS person and myself - a headache, but here is what it should look like if you choose to go this way. When you buy both games and use the coupon, the receipt will print out as all are apart of the special promotion - so there will be all of these fancy price numbers everywhere inside a separate box that is marked like so:

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-------Special Promotion -------

##### '''''''''GameofThings '''''$27.00 (or whatever price in which your target has the game listed)

##### '''''''''MFR Coupon '''''''''$5.00-

'''''''''''''''''''Refund Value ''' $23.12 (or some other number) T

###### '''''''Card Game ''''''''''''$5.24

'''''''''''''''''''Refund Value ''''$3.88 T

'''''''''''''''''''--------------

''''''''''''''''Package Subtotal $32.24

'''''''''''''''''''''Card Game Free $5.24-

'''''''''============

'''''''''''''''''''Package Total $27.00 (or again, whatever price yours is going for.)

'''''All Items Must Be returned For Full Refund

----------------------------------

'''''''''''''''''''Subtotal ''''''''''''''''$22.00 (unless you bought more stuff)

'''''%Tax on $22 '''''''''''''''''''$ tax amount

''''''''''''''''''''''''''Total ''''''''''''''''$ whatever total is

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THEN you'll go up to CS and price adjust the NORMAL PRICE, the one that is on the same line as the sku number and the game title (the one that I've highlighted in lime green for you). They should in NO WAY tell you any of the following:

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~ You can't do that. (Yes, I can because it's your matching policy, a current ad, your promotion, and a manufacture coupon.)

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~ The Price Adjustment is only on the $22 or only on the $23.24 so you'll be getting $7.01 or $8.25 back. (No, the $22 is the price after the Manufactures coupon, and the $*23 is the *stores promo price. Stand up for yourself on this one - point to the "MFR Coupon" words on your receipt and then point to your copies of the *New and Improved* Target Coupon and Price Matching Policies. The 5th Question states that MFR Coupons will be used AFTER the price adjustment, so then point to the original price.)

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~ You can't get the free card game. (Again, YES I can because the store promotion is valid on games over $10, of which this game still is after the price adjustment.)

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~ I don't get what is going on. (Speak more slowly. Tell the person that you would like to buy these two items but one needs to be price adjusted, but don't mention the coupon. Show them the ad and it's valid dates, then let the employee do their thing. Once it's time to pay, then pull out the coupon.)

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~ I can't price match the package total. (That's fine, employee, because you're not matching the package total, you are matching the original sales price, which is also currently the same as the package total.)

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The prices in *light blue on the fake receipt indicate what you would receive if you tried to return either game without the other. This is Targets part in trying to prevent anyone from "pulling a fast one" by buying both, keeping one, and getting the full price of the other back, or keeping one for free in the end.

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I hope that this hasn't left you completely lost. Getting a great deal sometimes doesn't seem worth it if you have to go through so much trouble. (Which I assure you this post just makes it all seem like a bigger hassle than it really is.) The Game of Things really is a blast to play with friends but because you run out of the included paper fairly fast (it comes with 500 answer slips - if you have 10 people play 2 complete games that's 10 slips per round, 10 rounds per game, times 2 games = 200 slips, or 100 if you go front and back) I personally would NEVER pay full price for it ever; why should you shell out $27 and then need to supply your own paper after 2 - 5 parties? But if I can get it for $10 AND get something else for free out of it then I guarantee you that everyone at that party will have heard about my great score by the end of the night.

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~K

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*And don't forget that there is also a $5 off coupon for Connect 4X4 on the same coupon site, which is also part of the free card game promotion.

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As promised, "The Game of Things" Rules, as read by K:

1) First select a Reader (who can also act as the score keeper) for that round and then everyone gets a piece of included paper.

2)The Reader selects a topic card and reads it aloud - so it could be "Things you shouldn't do while skiing" or "Things you can always count on".

3) Everyone (including the reader) then thinks of and writes down their answer and gives said response to the reader, who then reads them all aloud.

4) Player A will now have the chance to guess who said what - however, you cannot guess the reader (and in turn the reader of the round cannot guess either, because s/he can see every ones handwriting). So if person A guesses person C said response 1 and is correct, then person C is now out and person A gets to guess until s/he fails to correctly identify another response, at which time the next remaining player has a chance to identify the remaining responses.

5) The end of the round features two players guessing who-wrote-what determined over three response slips, because one slip is the readers, thus making it an intentional throw-someone-off answer. Once the round is over, tally up all the points given, then select another player to be the reader/score keeper. A new round can start once everyone has fresh slip of paper and a new topic card has been drawn.

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Scoring: You get 1 (one) point for every correct person/response connection YOU make; 6 (six) points are awarded to the person who wins the round; The winner of the round is the person still standing, aside from the reader of course. Then you start another round until everyone has had a chance to be the reader; then winner of the game is the person with the most overall points.

Retail Sign-ups You Should Know About

Sure, daily e-mails and tons of catalogs can be hella-annoying, but they are often times the best way to save money when shopping as they are around to promote their newest items, which can also alert you about a sale. (Out with the old, right?)

Most of the time these mailers contain discounts or certificates in the form of cards, coupons or codes good for percents or dollars off, free shipping, free samples or full-sized products; sure it's a way to lure you into the store, but at this rate becoming a VIP has never been so easy! Carrie Bradshaw may have spent whole paychecks at Prada to have a BFF relationship with a clerk only to receive first-name recognition and a glass of champagne (which I suspect more to be "sparkling wine" than a true import), but I can get the royal treatment in my underwear while watching the news and eating an ice cream sandwich without ever entering my credit card info or having to make a shameful, "buyers-remorse" return.

But seriously, why pay retail?

Here is a (working) list of loyalty programs and mass email sign-ups that you should know about. (Did I miss any? Shoot us an email, startoutsaving@gmail.com, and let us know what store, what you have to do - sign up online? in store? - and the perks of signing up.) And don't miss this post about more ways to save at the mall.

~ K

Orange = Dallas/Fort Worth Locations of those stores that are less-widely available.
Green = Online only

~ American Eagle - All Access Pass (Scan your pass each time you shop and get a coupon in the mail every 3 months. The more points you accrue in a quarter - like jeans are 5 points, accessories are 2 - the more your coupon is worth the next cycle.) The Pass also works for purchases at Aerie (the 'intimates" store; see below for DFW lo-cals), 77kids (kids clothes) and Martin and Osa. (The Banana Republic of AE inc; Currently the only M&O in the Dallas Area is at NorthPark, but feel honored because the only other one in the state is in Austin. Sorry, Houston.)

~ Aerie - if your mall features its own, separate Aerie store (most likely connected to American Eagle, but definitely has its own store front) sign up to receive emails. They used to do this punch card freebie thing but now they send out emails every now and then for you to swing by their store and pick up a free item on a Thursday - some times it free panites, sometime its a candle. (3 Metro stores - Stonebriar, The Galleria and The Parks, all located right next to American Eagle.)

~ Ann Taylor - click here to get emails and here to get catalogs and mailers (coupons!) from Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, Ann Taylor Factory Store (aka - outlet) and the Loft Outlet. First sales, promos, new products, blah blah blah. I get regular email coupons to the factory/outlets ... I get coupons every now and then from The Loft and I get Ann Taylor coupons about 3 or 4 times a year.

~ Aveda - a salon and store that smells AMAZING. Great natural products for your face, body and hair; some stores are even full-service spas. Sign up here - emails for free "generous sized" product samples as well as invites to store events. (I just signed up - I already have a code for free shipping on a $40+ online purchase.) They also have a club that you can join to earn points for more free stuff - there is a one-time $10 "joining fee" and it seems like you get a lot, like points on purchases good for stuff later on and a surprise on your birthday! You can usually find a freebie out on the web if you search.

~ Bath and Body Works - sign up for emails and home mailings. I get coupons about every two weeks in my inbox and about once every other month for free travel or trial size products as well as c's for % and $'s off my total purchases. Plus, when I check out at the store, I usually get another coupon that will start in a few weeks. (You can ALWAYS find great c's online too - just search a little bit.) This is one of those stores where you can also add a coupon to an in-store promo - so lets say that there is a "buy 2 get 1 free" promo and you have a "spend $X get a free ___" coupon - make sure that your two non-free items equal the amount or more that you are required to spend and then you can get 2 free items. Score! Also, if you ever have a coupon for a free item with ANY purchase, think small - nail files, found by the register are only $1. Check the clearance bins, get a gift bag, look around the store for a "sample" (2oz bottle) of the "newest flavor" ... err ... "smell" - those are usually at the register and are also just $1.

~ Barnes & Noble - has a membership program - you do have to pay a yearly fee, but the coupons and discounts are outstanding - like 40% off best-selling hardcovers and 10% off in the cafe. PLUS, as a member you can add your email to get even more coupons (good for both online and in store). It is a $40 yearly fee, so that might be something to think about if you don't really buy that many books.

~ Bebe - sign up in the bottom right corner on the main page. I'd assume emails about sales and new merch. (just signed up - within 10 minutes I received a free shipping coupon in my inbox.)

~ Bed, Bath & Beyond - click here to sign up for both online and snail-mail offers. I get more coupons from them than I do any other retail outlet and I get them like clock-work. I usually get "20% off any single items" (you'll get one as soon as you sign up) but my roommate in college, who lives in Houston, only gets 10%'s in via snail-mail. Maybe they like me more? Every now and then I also get $10 off a $50 purchase or 15% of my total. They carry a pretty good selection of Yankee Candles and also have a "Scent of the Month" thing where they'll knock 10% off the price of 3 different scents AND you can use your store coupon on top of that.

~ The Body Shop - register here for an account to get home and email; other perks: discounts, latest news about new products and sales, quick online check-out process and you can store a list of your favorites. (So important when shopping online. I hate buying something only to remember once it gets to me how much I hate it and then I have to drive to the mall to return it which defeats the point of buying it online to begin with!)

~ Borders - of course, why pay to have a membership at a bookstore when Borders has a free program? I know I've seen coupons for %'s off certain books as well as free and bogo items from the cafe floating around the interweb. Pick up a card from a store, then register it here and get started saving! Apparently you can also use the card at Borders Express (inside airports) and Waldenbooks (remember those? the really small bookstores, or "booknooks" in the local mall?) AS WELL AS online retail stores like Anne Taylor, Brooks Brothers, Kohl's and more when you sign up here. Holy crap, I don't shop at Borders, there aren't any close to me, but I'm thinking I need the card!

~ Build-A-Bear Workshop - click here for e-mail sign ups; I've seen a lot of good coupons flying around the web lately for things like "$5 off a $10+ bear" or "$10 off of $50". It seems like the emails would be the same from the "Stuff Fur Stuff" thing, but I'm not sure. (Which, if you don't have one of those cards, get one. I'm 24 and childless but I can usually accrue enough points over a year's time to get some pretty good coupons towards future purchases.)

~ Chico's - I don't shop there, but maybe you do? Bottom left of the mainpage is an email sign up; They also have a loyality card program called a "passport". Free to join, no fees ever; looks like the benefits include an email preview of new collections, as well as sales and other "offers." (read - discounts!) Once your merchandise purchase (total, not one trip) reaches $500, you will receive 5% off every future purchase, double discount days as well as invites to special parties, event and sales. There is also a "birthday bonus", although you have to have made a seperate purchase in the prior 12 months.

~ Coach Factory Store - IE, Outlet; here is the sign up form - I've seen some some pretty good coupons AND they stack on sale and clearance prices too. The bf bought a purse for his mom for Christmas already - originally $315 last year, it hit the outlet for $255, was on sale down to $170 and we had an AWESOME coupon that got the price down to $95.

~ Coldwater Creek - another store of which I do not shop, but I'm thinking that maybe I should due to all the coupons you can find in magazines like O and Better Homes and Gardens each month. I can't find anything about a store program... but there is an email sign up at the bottom right of the home page. Maybe all of those magazine coupons can really work when paired with a sale. *I got an email 2 days after signing up to receive emails for 25% off my next purchase (valid online, in-store and on catalog orders) that expires in about 2 weeks AND it doesn't have a minimum that I need to spend. Score!

~ The Container Store - oh, how I love thee. Not just because you're a Dallas-based operation, but because you help feed my obsessive/compulsive behavior when it comes to organizing even the most mundane of tasks, like finding a cubby for the key we always seem to misplace. Um. Alright, anyway. This is one of those places that didn't really *do* coupons or *discounts* until Oprah discovered them or before the economy went south. (Two separate occurrences. Oprah finding out about the Container Store did not cause the Recession.) Now you can find a 20% off coupon every now and then - mainly when Oprah features them on her show. BUT do sign up for their emails because you'll get alerted to sales (like Elfa, their closet and storage system), special promos (like the holiday time gift card promo), back to school events (for those headed off and back to college - super fun, full of demonstrations, discounts and snacks) and more!

~ Dick's Sporting Goods - you could sign up for emails that will update you on sales and promos, or you could sign up here for Dick's "Scorecard" program - you'll still get the emails but you'll also earn 1 reward point for every $1 spent - when you get to 300 points a $10 gift certificate will be sent to you. (Score!) (You can sign up online or in store; in store you'll get your card instantly, online they have to mail it to you so you'll have to wait a few days/weeks; also their online shopping system doesn't accept the scorecard. Interesting.)

~ Dillard's - they have an email sign up (top right) that will notify you about sales and special promos, but I'm not sure how much further the program goes beyond that.

~ DSW (Shoes!) - I like shoes, you like shoes, but nobody quite knows how this "points" based system works. You get a "rewards certificate" for every 1500 points you earn, but what does a point mean? Oh well. I seem to get a certificate for every 8 pair I buy but there are other ways to speed it up - like shopping on double or triple points days. (Only a few a year ... and when sales start to slump.)

~ Eddie Bauer - I'm not a nature girl, heck, I don't even like to go outside to get the mail, but I LOVE the name of this perks program: Eddie Bauer Friends. Love it! (Although the PR Nazi in me wants to call it "Friends of Eddie Bauer" or "Eddie Bauer's Friends".) Anyway, get 10 points for every dollar spent and after *4 months you'll receive a $10 Gift Certificate for every 1750 points you accrue (or $175 spent), with a max of $80 in certificates every period. (But if you're spending $1400 a month on outdoor gear, we need to talk.) (*They have nicely defined that their earning cycles are March - June, July - October and November - February. My guess is because it's in keeping with the seasons.)

~ Express - I am almost sick at how many offers they send out via snail and e-mail - I can't keep up!!! FOR SURE enter your mailing address - you'll get the best coupons that way. One bummer - you can't use the coupons on sale merch. :-( Sign up here (on the "create new account" side.) They are also one of those stores that is really great about keeping up with sales, they are pretty regular and last FOREVER - every major holiday and then about every 8 weeks. When they are getting down to the last few days you get to take an extra percent off of whatever the already low marked down price is.

~ Field of Dreams - the self proclaimed "Ultimate Sports and Celebrity Gift Store" has an email sign up, at bottom of the home page. I'm going to go out on a limb and say no to the coupons but yes to the daily emails of "sale on this sweaty piece of equipment used by So & So once". They also get new things in and every now and then have celebrities come in to autograph things. Note, it's about 98% sports stuff, 2% non-athletic celeb's. (Galleria, Stonebriar.)

~ Forever 21 - click here to sign up for their emails - promos, sale alerts, new stuff and "special offers"; you can also get on the list for Heritage, Twelve by Twelve and faith21 at the same time.
~ Godiva - huh? What? That's chocolate!!! Yes, that's right - Godiva (pronounce Guh-dive-uh, not "Go-Diva", thankyouverymuch) - has a Chocolate Club!!! Sign up either online or in-store and score a free piece (1) of chocolate each month, a free gift when you spend $10 or more (only one gift per month - sometimes its a free chocolate dipped strawberry or a two-piece chocolate set.) in store and free shipping on an online order. If you sign up in store, you get a plastic card and key-tag, but all you really need to give is your email (or phone number) so I'm sure it doesn't matter where you register.

~ Kohl's - I don't really shop here that much, but if you sign up you'll automatically get a "$5 off your next in-store purchase" coupon (I'm sorry, I don't know how much you have to spend first) and another for 10% off your next online. I'm sure you'll also get catalogs and decent mailers.

~ The Limited - Sign up to be "an insider" at the bottom left of the home page. 24 hours after signing up, I already have 2 emails - one about a sale and another is a printable coupon for $15 off every $50 I spend, which I can for sure do.

~ Lucy - a female/yoga-centric athletic store. I've seen emails for "free wrist-bands, no purchase necessary" and other offers for freebies and discounts. Sigh up here! (2 DFW stores - Plaza @ Preston Center and the other is in Southlake @ the Town Square.)

~ Lululemon Athletica - sign up here for emails about new products and events, as well as tips about sales. (Galleria, NorthPark)

~ New York and Company - (Does anyone else remember when this was Lerner New York?) Sign up for the Rewards Club card and get coupons via email and snail mail; exclusives about new sales and items and events, blah blah blah. "Terrific Discount" on your birthday and a $25 off coupon for every 5 purchases.

~ Origins - sign up here to get on their list. Definitely submit your home mailing info - coupons, promos, a gift on your birthday ... woohoo!

~ Payless Shoesource - I haven't shopped here in a long time, but if you sign up for their email program, they are to email you about sales, new styles and every now and then, coupons. (email sign up is at the bottom of the page.)

~ Pier 1 - I'm not sure what I just signed up for ... but I clicked both email AND home mailings so maybe some coupons and catalogs? (I like catalogues - It's mail with pictures and shopping.)

~ Sephora - I'm not the biggest makeup person, but I do shop there because they have an amazing selection of perfume and cologne. I like this store because you get 3 samples of your choice with any purchase. Click here to get emails - news on store openings and events. BUT, click here to join the "beauty insiders" - for each purchase you make you'll get a point-per-dollar-spent added to your "beauty bank", which can be redeemed for a "deluxe sample"at 100 points, or, you can save up to 500 and trade them in for a full-sized product. (Both the 100 and 500 point "prizes" change every few months. So you'll keep spending, of course.) You'll get (different) emails about insider-only products, advance purchase opertunites AND a birthday gift. (woohoo!) AND if you spend over $350 in a calender year (Jan - Dec) you'll automatically be enrolled into the VIB - Very Important Beauty Insider program. But, if that's all too much for you, there is also a catalog that you can sign up to get - free tips, the latest on makeup and skincare, etc. (Sign up for an account, then request a catalog.) If you don't live close to a Sephora, JCPenny has started opening (smaller versions) inside their stores, but i'm not sure if the Beauty Insiders club works at those locations. (Or, if your mall has both a, Penny's Location and a Sephora store - like Stonebriar - when they have a give-away or promo, collect from both. Why not?)) But you could always shop online - there are tons of free shipping codes out there AND you still get 3 free samples of your choosing with any order.

~ Toys R Us - Rewards - Honestly, I have no idea what this is about. All I know is that they said are you a member and the next thing I knew I had a new plastic card to keep up with.

~ Urban Outfitters - Catalog sign up, email sign up. Emails will be sent to tell you whats new, when exclusive sales and promos start and you'll also get alerted to special "in-store events." No evidence of coupons at this posting.

~ Victoria's Secret - FOR SURE sign up for their emails and home mailings - I get things all the time for free panties and lip gloss as well as coupons for %'s and $'s off. BUT make sure to sign up for Pink Nation too- it's more of a younger brand geared for college students (you know, get 'em while their young and you've got 'em hooked for life) but anyone can join. (One Warning - sizes are typically in juniors - so one smaller than what you'd normally wear - and only go up to an L in tops and bottoms.) A new offer is usually posted mid-month for offers like free beauty products, t-shirts or underwear when you make any other pink purchase. Or sometimes the price has been rolled back for members and a coupon is also included. You can usually stack these with any other "Pink" in-store offers - like a free panty or mini-dog when you buy any pink product. *TIP - when it says ANY Pink Purchase, go for the cheap - get the $1.50 sucker or $5 hand lotion - totally works and why not? The name of the game is "Mall Freebies."

~ Williams-Sonoma, Inc - the parent company for Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids (2 -Knox & Cole, Stonebriar), PB Teen (3 stores world-wide: Chicago, Atlanta or NYC), West Elm (Mockingbird Station), Williams-Sonoma (duh) and Williams-Sonoma Home (Shops at Legacy). Click here for email and catalog requests, and go here specifically to get a PB Teen Catalog. I get a lot of emails about whats new, in-store promos, when a new sale has started and I some times get discount codes for online orders. (It cuts out the middle man in furniture buying.)

~ Yankee Candle Co - there is an email sign up at the bottom of the page; this is one of those stores where you can regularly find printable coupons that work both online and in the store if you just type it into a search engine - like "$10 off a $25 purchase" or "$1 off any tart or votive". I know I've also received snail mail (coupons!) from them before AND I know I've used their c's on top of store sales before. *Important note - their coupons only work at their physical store locations and online - I know that Bed, Bath & Beyond as well as Target and other stores sell a select line of their products, but you can only use these coupons at an actual-factual Yankee Candle Store.

more to be posted later this week. (This is a slow but steady process. Thanks for understanding!!!)

Tips for Saving at the Mall

How do you shop? Window shopping is fun and finding something on clearance is super great ... but this is my best shopping tool:

Oh yes. That is a binder clip. It's super cheap and I look like an idiot when pulling it out of my purse (ahem, my Burberry purse) and its loaded with a thousand pieces of paper and those plastic coupons you get in the mail. But when I go to the mall, move out of my way, 'cause it's on y'all. My favorite day to go to the mall is on Thursday - because it's still mid-week and typically the slowest of days - but also because most sales, promotions and freebies happen on Thursdays.

To become a "Mall Master", sign up to get on lists or reward/loyalty programs for stores that you frequent. Make sure you start a new "coupons only" email because you will get stuff everyday and it will drive you crazy. But print out the things that you like immediately (because I've found that sometimes I can lose them amongst the other e's) and hold on to them - you never know when you'll need to kill a few hours.

Also, just look around the web - I spend about an hour a week on the computer looking for last minute coupons online at sites like http://www.retailmenot.com/, http://www.printable-coupons.blogspot.com/ and by just google-ing a stores name and with the word "coupon" behind it. I don't think I've shopped at Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, American Eagle or Express without a coupon in years.

Find a few good coupons but they all say that they can't be combined? Not a problem - most stores will let you do multiple transactions in one trip, lest I've never had a problem with it. (Especially in this economy.) I sometimes get the stink eye from a shopgirl, but I just tell myself that she's jealous and I move on. :-)

And while you're shopping, keep an eye out as to what is being put in your shopping bag. Bath and Body Works LOVE to give away coupons - look before you leave and if its a good one, ask nicely and you could even score more. Many stores have those stupid phone surveys printed on the bottom of the receipts - but if you take the time - about 5-10 minutes - to tell them about your trip (most are touch-tone answers to pre-recorded questions) they'll reward you with instant coupons, like $10 off of your $50 purchase. Once, A and I were at a store, I purchased something, she did my survey in the fitting room and then 5 minutes later was checking out with it.

Its also important to know a stores return and mark down policies. (You don't have to carry them around like Target and Walmart, just be mindful.) Like, Victoria's Secret won't refund an item if you received a freebie with it - so if you bought a pair of panties to get the Pink Nation freebie or you spent $75 to get the After Thanksgiving Day "tote full of goodies" - UNLESS you return the freebie too. (Exception - if you only needed to purchase one item to get said free thing but you purchased something else on the same sale that would also count towards the freebie; if you spent way over the purchase amount - so if you spent $95 and got the tote, you could return something for $20 or under, but over $20 dips into the original $75.)

Most stores even have mark down policies - so if you purchase something and it goes on sale within 14, 30, 60 or even 90 days you can bring the receipt back for a one-time price adjustment, and there is no need to bring the item in! (Altho you may have to find one on the sales floor for the cashier to compare.)

Are you a student, AAA member or out-of-towner? If you're really going to drop some dough (or you are a cash-poor student) ask if that store offers an extra discount; I've done this plenty of times, and you won't know til you ask, right? J-Crew offers a 10% (it could be more, but I haven't been a student for a few years) discount with a "valid" student ID. (But really, how do they know if its valid? Well, unless it's in big print when it will expire ... but all's fair in love and shopping, right?) AAA also has discounts associated with certain stores - I'd do a long post but not everyone is a member so I won't waste my time. (Well, maybe I'll do a post down the road. Whatever.)

If you know you're going out to the mall, check their main website and click around anything that reads "mall info booth", "concierge" or "special mall info" - you're looking for clues as to email clubs and coupons. Some, like Chelsea Premium Outlets, require you sign up for an account (free) and bring in the proper email before they hand over a coupon booklet to you; others just want you to flash your drivers license - if you're a "visitor" from more than X amount of miles (usually 50) out-of-town, then you can claim a free coupon book - this is a MUST DO in Vegas - show your ID at every casino VIP booth, concierge stand and Mall/Shopping staffed Info booth you can - you'll get bogo's and % offs on everything from shows to food to retail.

Yet other malls just have coupons (that you need to redeem for more coupons) just hanging out online, like this one. Also, some state tourism boards have set up special websites just to focus on their shopping. (I bet you can't guess who I'm going to link back to...) That's right, there is a site for shopping deals and coupons for my state - this sub-section is just what is available in the Dallas area, brought to you by http://www.shopacrosstexas.com/.

Is it a better deal to get it online? Well, that depends. Factor in things like shipping and the possible cost of making a return - find out those two pieces of info before you even start looking to save the pain of more steps later. You can usually find free shipping deals if you look hard enough online, but what if something arrives broken, too small or you simply changed your mind?

I think that's something that retailers are starting to recognize with the number of consumers who have Internet enabled smart-phones; not only has the game changed due to the economy and technology, but we are more informed as shoppers now more than ever. We can instantly find out if someone else has a better deal than what you're offering, including the parent companies own website, and we can do it right in front of you. Don't be afraid to do some cost comparisons and show a cashier, sales-person or manager what you've found while in their store - they have daily sales quotas to hit and giving you a discount right there is better to them than you walking out of the story completely.

With that said, you may still need to order online from time to time, and with those online orders come the dreaded thoughts of making a return. If you want to return an item and not pay for it, you have to go to the store which uses gas and the carbon footprint and walking past the store displays of other crap you could buy, blah blah blah. Sometimes it is a hassle. But, if you want a same-day return that is done right in front of you instead of trusting the mail and whoever opens and checks your return, then it is the lesser of two evils.

I've never had a problem with Target accepting a return from an online purchase - they've streamlined the process where you can use either your original, email or account record receipt (all printed and brought with you), or if the item was a gift that didn't include a gift receipt they'll walk you through the process of how to obtain one online (usually about 5 minutes). You still have 90 days to make the return and you might be slapped with a 10% restocking fee on some items (electronics, furniture), but if something is damaged, they'll make it right. Walmart (shutter) makes it easier with their "Site to Store" program - instead of having an item shipped to your home where it may be left outside or take a few extra days, they'll include it at no extra charge on a mack-truck delivery within two weeks of your order and notify you when it gets to the store of your choice. The process seems a bit safer than traditional shipping but a downside is that you have to go to the store to pick your item(s) up during said stores "s2s" hours and you can only have someone else pick up your stuff if you included them on the original order. You have 30 days to pick up your package and when you do, you stand there in the store with whomever is on duty at the time checking all the boxes and their contents to make sure everything looks alright from the start; if there is visible damage the employee can help you on the spot instead of taking it home and then having to come back. But should something still not work, you still have the same 90 day return policy and it starts the day you pick the boxes up, not the day you placed the order.

Other retail establishments won't even offer the choice of making a return to your local haunt - instead you have to do so by mail using the "convenient" "pre-printed" return envelopes and mailing labels that they provided with the original shipment. Order by phone or online with Victoria's Secret and you're able to use up to 3 discount codes at once ( free shipping, free panties, free tote bags, free lip gloss, etc) but if you need to return those $10 thongs or that $45 bejeweled bra and you're looking at $7-12 just to send it back using their return slip. Not to mention you have to take the time to fill out a check-list of sorts that contains each item number that you are to cross-reference with each item you are wanting to return and then give a reason as to why (they've thought of all the answers for you, you just need to list the corresponding number) and if you don't do so then your return won't be accepted.

I once partook in the catalog/Internet "X panties for $X" amount promotion but ended up returning two pair because they weren't what I ordered. By the end of everything I was actually charged a second time for the same order, because individually each was $9 but when buying 7 the for $35, each was brought down to $5 each. Had I just purchased 5 individually I would have been charged $45. So in my sending back two, I wasn't refunded the $10 I spent, rather charged $10 more because I was keeping the rest. Too many people over the years had caught on to this sort of "buying at a discount" and in my not returning everything, that is what they thought I was doing. You can bet I'm going to avoid buying online from them in the future.

All in all, we have a lot of choices now, and the retailers know it. They all want our business, not just for the day, but for life. So you shouldn't be ashamed for wanting to get the most for your money, rather, you should feel smart for getting great deals and making the people behind you jealous by how much you're not spending.

~K

Studio Movie Grill

I love going to the movies during the week, but sometimes its hard to squeeze everything AND a movie in before bed time.

Enter the Studio Movie Grill, where you can eat real food (that doesn't suck!) AND watch a first run movie at the same time. Oh, and they have a full bar. During the month of October, all shows Monday - Thursday are only $5 per person (vs the normal $9.75) AND there are daily specials:

~ Monday - $2 off Marg's (frozen and on the rocks.)
~ Tuesday - $2 off 14oz Draft Beer; $2 off Burgers (excludes kids burgers)
~ Wednesday and Thursday - All You Can Eat Pizza ($9.49 a person) ((The best thing about this deal, it includes all of these really great speciality pizzas, not just cheese and pepperoni. AND, a pizza off the regular menu is more expensive than the all you can eat pizza. Love it!))

There are 5 locations in the Dallas area (Sorry Fort Worth) and 2 in Houston.

Have fun, and let us know what you saw!!

~K