Tax Day Deals

Happy Tax Day!  Whether you filed months ago or are completing your forms last minute today, everyone can benefit from some tax day deals.  For years all types of businesses have used April 15th as an excuse for a marketing promotion, and I say why not?  The more deals the merrier!

Here are a few links to lists of deals from the following sources:

ABC News
DealNews
Forbes
TIME

Some promotions are creative, like Hard Rock Cafe's Sing for Your Supper, where anyone who is willing to publicly sing one of ten songs gets a free entree tonight.

Others require you to download/print a coupon in advance, like Arby's free curly fries - coupon linked here.

High rollers can take advantage of the one day sale on Google Glass for $1500, which still creeps me out no matter how much it costs :)

What deals and promotions did you find today?

Miscellaneous Monday

Work has been pretty all consuming these days.  I started to think about what I should blog about today, and I realized that I could just share the intel about the free stuff I got today :)

1. Victoria's Secret - Ladies, sign up for their mailing list.  With a free card in the mail (that expired today), I scored a pair of free underwear (no purchase necessary!)  and I have another one that starts tomorrow. Also, for anyone who shops at Victoria's Secret regularly, check out the discounts on Retail Me Not.  They almost always have good discount codes to use.

2. CVS - I swear the goal was not just to recycle old posts, but I ran to CVS to pick up a few things for a work event tomorrow, and the very helpful cashier told me at the coupon center I could get a free roll of paper towels with my CVS card.  Major win. 

Happy Monday.  I hope you all have a great week.

Free Slurpee at 7-11

Text DIETCOKE to 711-711 for a free small slurpee at 7-11 in honor of the new Cherry Diet Coke flavored slurpees.  You're welcome.  Happy Monday.

Lancome at Macy's Gift With Purchase

This weekend I scored the Lancome gift with purchase available at Macy's. With only a $35 purchase, you get a wealth of high quality products.  I scored 2oz of Lancome body wash, 2oz of clarifying cleanser, Advanced Genifique concentrate, night lifting and firming cream, mascara, lipstick, and a cosmetic bag, all free.  For my purchase, I went with a basic high quality black eyeliner and a shimmery gold (technically burnt sand) eye shadow.  The splurge on these two products was totally worth it.  They are both staples that will last a long time and are great for every day wear, and are made that much sweeter by the high quality freebies that accompany them.

I have great memories of Lancome, dating back to a childhood trip to New York City to visit my Grandma. My grandma was getting a few products and had them do my makeup and then offered to buy everything they used for me.  Even at that age, I knew that was too generous, but we settled on the lip gloss and I was thrilled.

Visit your local Macy's soon if you're interested.  For the makeup option, they were out of both blushes and one lipstick (good thing I liked the neutral one better anyway!).  Supplies are genuinely limited.

2014 Olympic Games

Once every two years (it used to be once every four years until they split up summer and winter) the world has a great source of free entertainment - the Olympic games.  The summer Olympics tend to get more hype, but the winter Olympics provide enough variety that everyone can at least find a few events they enjoy.

We hosted a somewhat last minute gathering on Friday night for the Socchi Opening Ceremony, and it was a blast.  It was a great way to socialize and celebrate the Olympics.  Despite the technical glitch with the Olympic rings, I thought the ceremony was well done.  It's always fascinating just to see the parade of countries participating and how many athletes are representing each nation.

All of us figure skating fans get a bonus this year with the new team figure skating competition as well as the individual events.  The Olympics are a great opportunity to discover new sports as well.  Mogul skiing was a new one for me this weekend.  It just looks so incredibly challenging that you immediately have an incredible respect for the athletes.

Whether it's having a small party, making a special night for your family, or some enjoyable down time alone, I encourage you not to miss out on the enjoyment of the Olympics this year. 

Weekend Recap

I hope that everyone had a great weekend.  After another crazy work week for both of us, we stayed in on Friday and took advantage of the Papa John's Superbowl Deal and got a credit for a free pizza for next time.

Saturday was cleaning and starting to train for the two half marathons I'm running this spring.  My boyfriend suggested we see Lone Survivor, which sounded good to me.  In typical saver style, I told him that I had a certificate from Coke Rewards for one AMC Theatres ticket and a soda. When he went to redeem it, they actually gave us both tickets, which was unexpected but appreciated.

When we got to the theater, there were signs that if you text BEST to 242424, they text you back with a certificate for a free small popcorn.  They replied back with it right away, one time use, valid until March 6.  It's an AMC Theatres nationwide promotion, so make sure you take advantage of it if you have an AMC Theatres near you.

We weren't really hungry so we enjoyed our soda and held off on the popcorn, but have it to use for next time.  My boyfriend marveled that the entire movie experience was free.  It's nice when he appreciates my saving ways :)

Lone Survivor was amazing.  I highly recommend it.  The acting was top notch and the story completely draws you in.  The fact that the story is true makes it even more emotional and at times painful to watch. From what I'm told, it was an accurate portrayal of the SEAL culture and overall what happened.  I was in disbelief of the comm failures that took place, but I'm told that sadly those failures are not that uncommon. The film is a great tribute to the brave men of Operation Red Wings and a look into the struggles faced by the heroic men and women of the United States military.

Sunday was errands, cleaning, and then going to our friends' place to watch the Super Bowl.

How was your weekend?

Free Thing Friday - Super Bowl Edition

An occasion is always an occasion for deals.

Chances are you didn't get free Super Bowl tickets like this person by calling the phone number in the Old Spice commercial (good marketing), but there are still some deals you can take advantage of this weekend.

No matter who you're cheering on this Sunday (or if you're in it for the commercials), here are a few great deals:

Free Bloomin' Onion at Outback Steakhouse with any purchase on Monday when you say "Super Bloom"

Place any Papa John's order of $15 or more online this weekend with promo code PJMVP and get a free large pizza with up to three toppings on a future order (no additional purchase required for future order).

In addition to these two big national deals, there are lots of drink and food specials (often free food) and local bars and restaurants so spend a few minutes doing some internet research or making some phone calls to make sure that your Super Bowl plans don't break the bank.  Also, if your group supports it, consider getting together at someone's house or apartment.  Everyone saves big, and it's often more fun.

Volunteering - Give a Little, Get a Lot

Ok, this post title is cheesy, I admit it.  However, I honestly believe it is completely accurate so I'm keeping it.  Thanksgiving weekend was first weekend I can remember that hasn't included at least one day of volunteering, if not two.  I've volunteered for a number of great organizations recently, but I only took pictures at one event this past month, so that' s the one I'm posting about!

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is an art gallery in Washington DC with a focus on education.  Contemporary American art and artists have always been a focus for the Corcoran.  I volunteered regularly for two years as a docent at the Corcoran through The Junior League of Washington.  While I tranistioned to a different volunteer placement, I was excited to see an opportunity to volunteer at Corcoran Community Day.  The family events and workshops for kids were always my favorite parts of being a docent.

At this event, I worked in one of the workshops, helping kids create catfish out of recycled materials, including water bottles.  Inspired by Mia Feuer, an artist featured in NOW at the Corcoran whose work often depicts people's impact on the environment, we educated visitors about how people have polluted the Anacostia River to the point where catfish have been contaminated so badly that they should not be eaten.  We had a staff member from the Anacostia River Project there educating people as well.

I had to make a model before the workshop started.  Here it is:

I was pretty satisfied considering I can't remember the last time I did anything crafty.  One little girl seemed to like it, as she wanted to take it home instead of hers.  (I would have been cool with it, but her mom said no :) )

I had a great time working with and meeting families with kids ranging from toddlers to teenagers.  It was awesome to see so many families taking advantage of this FREE community day, and really just being good parents trying to educate their kids.

One little friend I spent a lot of time with was Noah.  Noah is an aspiring artist, and really had a great time.  He showed me some of his artwork from home that he carried with him in his backpack.  Superheros seemed to be his specialty, but he made a pretty awesome catfish.

The brightly colored electrical tape was a cool medium.  Also, note that Noah's mom was cool with me taking his picture and I only asked (or even thought to take one) after she asked if she could take pictures and took a bunch of Noah and me together.  What a cool little guy.

Anyways, to keep these posts somewhat informative, I encourage all of you to volunteer.  It's free entertainment, and it makes you feel so good to be able to be part of something good.

Free Thing Friday - CVS

Happy Friday, everyone! This morning I stopped by CVS and I was enticed by the big display near the Coupon Center.  

Every good saver who lives near a CVS (or approximately 25 of them, in my case) knows about the merits of CVS Extra Care Rewards.  It's a standard rewards program where you swipe your card at every purchase, and then quarterly you get a coupon on your receipt for money to spend at CVS based on how much you spent that quarter.

However, not everyone takes advantage of the new(ish) coupon centers.  You scan your rewards card and it prints out customized (or sometimes not customized...) coupons for you to use that day.  To me that's worth 60 seconds to see if it's something valuable.  Even better, lately they've been enticing people to use the coupon center with an awesome coupon that everyone gets for a product for free or close to free.  I've gotten a brand name 2-liter of soda for less than 50 cents, and today, the deal at this location was for Extra Strength Pain Relief Capsules (ie generic Tylenol) for free ($4.99 off the item which is $4.99).  Totally worth a minute of my time.

Check out the coupon center on your next trip, or stop by a CVS when you're nearby.  It's worth popping in to see if they have this (or another) free offer.

Redbox Deal and This Is 40

Friday night was a redbox and dinner at home kind of night. Redbox by design is a great source of super low cost entertainment.  $1.20 for a movie instead of spending $12 per person for tickets speaks for itself.  However, the deal gets even better when it's free.

There are a number of promo codes floating around out there.  DVDONME has worked for me in the past for a free rental.  You can use it once per credit/debit card.  Since I've already used it for all of my cards and my boyfriend's cards as well, I did a little hunting for new codes.  I found a large list and tried a few of them with no avail, but then entered the next one DVDNIGHT and it worked like a charm - free movie!

My chosen selection was This Is 40.  I went with my boyfriend's pick for last time, and thought this movie looked hilarious.  He was hesitant because the Rotten Tomatoes rating was so bad, but we figured for free we had nothing to lose.

Overall?  Mixed opinions.  Pros: Great cast, some hilarious one liners, and awesome cameo by the Philadelphia Flyers.  Cons: An uncomfortable amount of tension in the majority of scenes and too many subplots that weren't completely developed.

It was entertaining, and a good movie to just rent (especially for free) instead of seeing in the theatres.

Free Money Friday - Capital One 360

It's time for another Free Money Friday!   First and foremost, thanks to everyone for the support and positive feedback on this new blogging adventure.  I've only rolled this out to a limited group at this point, but have gotten a number of really kind responses.  I appreciate all of you!  One that sticks with me is a friend who told me that the blog was great, that I am so good at this stuff, and he wishes he were.  I responded that he can be.  That's the whole point of this.  Anyone can do this stuff, and I want to make it even easier for everyone.  You don't have to be a financial genius, you just need to be aware of things and keep it on your mind.

Now, it's time for the free money of the week:)  Many years ago (when CD interest rates where around 5.5%, sigh....), my sister introduced me to INGdirect.  They offered great interest rates on savings accounts and CDs, and the online site linked easily to any checking account for easy, quick transfers back and forth.  In 2012, INGdirect was merged into Capital One, becoming Capital One 360.  The name is different, but everything else is the same.  

Through my referral link, you can get your hands on some free money:

The link will show you the account options and your bonuses, but just to give an overview of the bonus amounts and account types:

• $25 bonus for opening a savings account.  "No fees, no minimums, and no need to change banks."  I have a savings account with them, and right now the interest is .75% APY which is better than either of my CDs!  Their rates are continuously competitive.  Check out www.bankrate.com to see how interest rates for savings accounts (and anything else!) compare.
• $50 bonus for opening a checking account.  "No fees and no minimums."
• For those with kids, $25 bonus for opening kids savings accounts.  "No fees, no minimums, and kids get their own sign-in information."  I love this!  What a great way to start kids on the right track with money.  

The referral offer doesn't have an expiration date, but I always recommend taking advantage of these opportunities quickly because you never know how long they'll keep the offers open for.

Visit CapitalOne360 for more information.  Happy Free Money Friday!

Free Money Friday - Upromise

What could be better than free things?  Free money.  Actual free money. 

Upromise – This site is terrific.  It’s also completely legit.  Created by SallieMae, the idea is to provide savings/earnings to spend on education, but the money can be used for absolutely anything!  You can earn money by:

• Shopping online retailers (almost all major ones) through their site and getting a % of the amount you spend back

• Linking credit or debit card, and then getting a % of the amount you spend dining, on travel, and shopping at certain places back.

The money in your account can either go to pay off student loans, start a 529 College Savings Account (for you, a child, or anyone else), or get a check from them.  I’ve always opted for the check option and just got one from them for $48.

Sign up with my referral link - http://t.co/qELcGwRkSw and you will get an automatic $5 in your new account.  My coworker recently signed up through me and it worked. Offer is only valid until 9/14/2013 so sign up soon.  There is seriously nothing to lose.  You can learn more about Upromise at upromise.com, but make sure you sign up through my referral link so you get the free $5.  

Simple little free things can add up quickly, and this one is incredibly easy.