That $3 Amazon.com credit burning a hole in your pocket?

Remember the $3 Amazon.com MP3 credit? I just realized that Amazon.com also has a page of 50 albums downloadable for $5 -- and some of them are really great CDs! The list includes one of my all time favorite Christmas albums -- A Charlie Brown Christmas. Check it out here.

Already spent your $3 credit? No fear: Amazon also has many album downloads for my favorite price: FREE! Just scroll to the bottom of the 50 for $5 page to see the free sampler albums.

Free music!

Longing to hear the Sounds of the Season? (Or wishing for some music to block out "Jingle Bells" after your trip to Walmart?)

Amazon has the deal for you. They're offering $3 in Amazon MP3 downloads -- for free! This offer is good through Nov. 30 and has to be redeemed by Nov. 30, so hurry and get your free tunes.

What can you get for a dime?

At Food Lion this week (9/23-9/29) you can get a box of Food Lion brand Macaroni and Cheese for a mere 10 cents. The sale is "while supplies last," so if you're interested, move fast!

Free on Facebook

Back when you were in grade school -- and friends were oh-so-important -- adults would tell you that you can't buy your friends.

Unless, of course, you're a major corporation trying to boost your Facebook presence.

Texas Pete is offering its Facebook fans a free coupon for hot sauce when they reach 100K fans. If you're a fan by then, then you're in luck.

Coupon Extravaganza

If you don't have a newspaper subscription, today's a great day to pick one up at the store.

There are five -- FIVE -- coupon inserts in today's paper! And some really good coupons to boot.

Still Swaggin'

One frugal habit I definitely maintained during my summer hiatus is searching the internet using Swagbucks. I'm just a few Swaggies away from the 500 mark!

What does that mean in real dollars? 500 Swagbucks is worth:

• $40 in Barnes & Noble gift cards (125 SB for a $10 gift card)
• $55 in e-gift cards to Amazon.com (45 SB for a $5 gift card)
• 33 new trees planted (15 SB per tree)
• $165 in gift cards to Fragrancenet.com (15 SB for a $5 gift card)
• $300 in e-cards to Restaurant.com (40 SB for a $25 gift card)

All that for an activity I'd be doing anyway?! Definitely works for me!

I'm still alive

And back in the frugal saddle. I took a graduate class this summer that took up all my free time plus some. It also made me very thankful for my pantry stockpile -- I was too busy to do much grocery shopping. Clipping coupons? That was out of the question with multiple reviews and papers due. But we were still able to eat well and well within out budget because I had an ample stockpile from previous sales.

Now that life is back to normal, I'm still in laidback coupon mode. Perhaps it's just that I've matured some in my coupon clipping methods (for me; to each his/her own). When I started, I clipped everything -- things I used often and items I'd never tried before. After all, I reasoned, you never knew when there was going to be a killer sale.

But when I look at my cupboards, now back to a "normal" level since we've worked to eat them down over the summer, I really don't want to go back to buying any and everything that's super cheap. Eating healthy foods is important to us, so I've started skipping over the coupons for highly processed junk foods. Simplicity is important to me, so I'm less likely to try something "just because" and have it take up space in the house.

But I'm still all about saving money, and getting the things I love for less. That won't change.

My father's frugal wisdom

This is a day late, but thanks to this wise advice from my dad, I'll never be a dollar short. :)

Once, in high school, I came home from my retail job rejoicing over a shirt I bought for $.99. "What a deal!" I thought. "Just 99 cents! I saved about $15 buying this shirt on clearance."

But Dad looked at it from another perspective: "If you buy something you don't need, you didn't save $15. You wasted $.99."

His wise words dampened my spirit that day, but they have bolstered my bank account many a day since. One of the greatest keys to frugality and financial prosperity is self control. If you need it, buy it, and try to get it for a good price. But if you really don't need it, it'll never be a deal no matter what the price tag says.

Thanks, Dad.

Love a product? Want a coupon? Check the website.

By now you know matching coupons with sales is one of the best ways to stretch a dollar.

But what if you don't have a coupon for a favorite product? Before you give up your quest, do a online search to find a product's website. Often manufacturers will offer coupons on the product's page that aren't offered elsewhere.

Case in point: I recently blogged about deals involving Cottonelle bath tissue and Bagelfuls. I'd found good sales on those products, but wanted to find coupons to sweeten the deal. And did I! A Google search (well, a Swagbucks search actually, lol) for "Cottonelle and coupon" netted me the $.50 Cottonelle coupons. I knew there was a Bagelfuls coupon at coupons.com, but a similar search for "Bagelfuls and coupon" led me to Kraft's Bagelfuls page and ANOTHER $1 coupon.

Woot!

Bagelfuls = breakfast on the go

Bagelfuls are a godsend on mornings when I'm running late! Just pop them in the toaster oven or microwave, then head out the door.

But the price. At full price? Killer.

So stockpile them while they're on sale. In Wednesday's Lowe's Foods paper, there was a sheet of store coupons that are good for three weeks. The great thing about store coupons (at most stores) is that you can use them with a manufacturer's coupon for even bigger savings. That technique is called "stacking."

The Lowe's Foods store coupon is 2 boxes for $3. You can go to coupons.com and print $1 manufacturers coupons. Use the store and manufacturers coupon together, and you can get a box of Bagelfuls for $.50!

That's a price I'm willing to pay for convenience.

Here's another handy tip I learned from a friend: If you're worried about freezer space, just take the products out of the box. Trust me, the actual Bagelfuls don't need that big 'ole box. If you take the individually wrapped Baglefuls out of the box, put them in another bag and throw that bag in the freezer you'll be able to maximize your freezer space.

Stockpile Alert! - Cottonelle on sale at Harris Teeter

My mom used to always say you can never have enough toilet paper: You constantly use it, never want to run out of it and it never goes bad.

So when I find toilet paper for a good price, I stock up. And Harris Teeter has Cottonelle for a good price this week: a package of 12 double rolls or 24 single rolls for $5.99 (regular price is $10.99).

To make a good deal even better, print off these $.50 coupons from the Cottonelle website for extra savings! There were also coupons in a recent Sunday paper.

A good deal on chicken at Food Lion

Check out the Guiding Stars game on the Food Lion homepage.

Finish the game -- which helps you determine the nutritional value of certain groceries -- and you'll be rewarded with a $2 off coupon for Food Lion chicken breasts, tenders or snack wings (expires 6/16/09.) Or, you can be lazy and click the "skip the game" button to go straight to the coupon.

Be sure to match the coupon with this week's sale on split chicken breasts ($.97/lb) for a really good deal.

Chocolate Relief Act

Free doughnuts aren't the only sweet freebie around today.

It's Friday, which means Mars is giving away free coupons as part of its Chocolate Relief Act. Starting at 9 a.m until they run out, the maker of Twix, Dove, Three Musketeers, Snickers and other chocolaty goodies will offer 250,000 coupons for a free candy bar.

If you miss out on today's giveaway, don't worry. They're offering the deal every Friday through Sept. 25. Limit four coupons per household during the promotion; limit one coupon per email address each week.

Free doughnuts

What's better than Friday?

Nothing really. But there is a way to put some extra icing on the end of your workweek. Krispy Kreme is celebrating National Doughnut Day by giving away a free doughnut of your choosing to every customer who visits a store today (6/5).

Hum... do I want original glazed or lemon filled? Decisions, decisions...

Free and cheap summer family movies

If you're in the Triad region of North Carolina (Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem) and looking for something fun and frugal to do with the kids this summer, look no further.

Well, look one place further.

Amy at Goo Goo Buy Buy has compiled a list of local movie theaters that show free and/or discounted movies during the summer. It's a great resource. Some theaters show movies for free. Others offer the show, popcorn and a drink for a super low price. Either way, it's a great deal for some summer fun.

It's Sunday... should you get an extra paper or two?

One of the best ways to get coupons is to subscribe to your local Sunday newspaper. If you don't have a subscription, you can easily pick up a copy at a newstand or drug, grocery or convenience store.

But not all Sundays are equal: Some Sundays there'll be a bumper batch of coupons. On other Sundays (usually the ones before a major holiday) there will be famine in coupon land.

How you can tell if the coupons will be bountiful or bust? Check the Taylortown Coupon Preview. Taylortown publishes a schedule of which inserts are coming out on certain days. It's a great way to plan ahead.

A confession

Bad: Today is the last day of triples at Harris Teeter. It's also the first day I've stepped foot into Harris Teeter all week.

Worse: They were out of the free-with-coupon Wacky Mac. I forgot to ask for a rain check so I can still get it BOGO (buy one get one free) once they restock.

Redemption: I got two containers of garlic salt and a package of Mentos gum for $0.16. :)

Happy birthday to you!

The best gifts are free and there are plenty of merchants out there who want to give you free or discounted treats to honor your birthday.

I know. My birthday is in the spring and, about a week before my day, my inbox filled up with coupons for free or discounted meals. I ate well in March: free burgers, free milkshakes, free panini sandwiches, free ice cream, free coffee and more!

You can to. To find a comprehensive list of birthday offers, visit www.freebirthdaytreats.com. The vast majority of the time, all it takes is to sign up for these merchants' e-clubs. (Hint: Use a separate email account other than your primary account so you don't get flooded with spam. Try Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail for a free secondary account).

In addition, here are a few more birthday clubs that aren't listed: Moe's, Lonestar Steakhouse, Carolina Cafe and Bakery, Mimi's Cafe and Fuddruckers.

Coupon Class Wrapup

A warm thank you to everyone who turned out for my first coupon class! It was a pleasure meeting you all and chatting about ways to save money.

One of the suggestions brought up during the class was starting a local coupon swap. I think that's a great idea and plan to investigate it further. I'll be sure to post any and all updates here.

Happy saving everyone!

The best way to get a discount? Ask for one!

The prices of many services seem like they're set in stone, and some very well may be. But if they aren't, a company isn't going to publicly announce that fact. You'll have to ask for a better price.

Case in point: May is car insurance month at my house. Instead of writing a check to our provider, we called around a few other places to ask what they'd charge for similar coverage. With that information, we went back to our provider and asked for a price match. The company didn't match the lowest price, but the agent did actively look for discounts that applied for us and lowered our bill $20. That's a win to me: $20 that stayed in my pocket and continued coverage from a company we've done business with for a long time.

The same principle applies when promotional rates expire. The special rate for my internet and cable service expired at the end of May. The company had sent a rather vague letter saying that when the promotional rate expired, they'd offer me another rate lower than the normal price but higher than what I was paying. But in the letter they never told me what the new rate would be.

When I got my statement, I saw the company increased my bill by $20. I called customer service and asked to speak to someone in the retention department. He outlined all my options. I took careful notes. Then I asked the key question: "Is that the best you can do?" In the end, I agreed to one of the plans he outlined, which will cost us only $3 more than our old deal and will last until May 2010.

The key to haggling is to not be intimidated. Companies want to keep your business. Your dollars help them stay in business, thus they're often willing to work with you as a customer to keep your business. And the worse thing anyone can tell you is "no." If they do... oh well. But they may very well say "yes" and drop the price or find some other way to work with you to improve your service.

Triple coupons at Harris Teeter this week!

Remember when triple coupons happened, oh, once every 2-4 months.

I'm glad that's a thing of the past!

Harris Teeter has ramped up the frequency to about once a month, and is tripling manufacturer's coupons all week starting today (offer ends 6/2). The grocer will triple up to 20 coupons with a face value of $.99 cents or less per day when you use your VIC card.

Utilizing triple coupon days is one of the best ways to get the most bang for your buck. Eggo waffles are on sale 3/$5 this week. That's a pretty good deal to begin with at $1.67 a box. But when you match that with the 75 cents off coupon that came out a few weeks ago, you'll save $2.25 ($.75x3=$2.25). That means free waffles!

But enough talk. Here's what you're really looking for: a list of great deals available this week.

Sort your coupons, check you cupboards and head to Harris Teeter. I'll probably see a few of you in the aisles. And feel free to come back by Love it for Less and let me know how much you saved!

You've got to know when to hold 'em - Part 2

If you're a new couponer, you'll see a recurring trend pretty early into your rookie season: Lots of coupons for a certain item or a line of products followed by store sales that lineup with those coupons.

It's not a coincidence. From a marketing standpoint, the purpose of a coupon is to encourage a consumer (ie: you) to buy a certain product. The same can be said for a sale. I, admittedly, don't know all the business sense behind it. But I do know it happens. Often.

Case in point: Kraft recently offered internet printable coupons on a bunch of sites. That was savvy on their part. With Memorial Day around the corner, people are thinking cookouts, and a lot of the coupons were for grilling staples.

Now, check the local sales circulars. See a trend? A lot of Kraft products are on sale this week, about a week or two after the internet coupons were made available.

Now to my point: This is a relatively common occurance, especially with new products companies would like you to try and love. If you need an item right away, by all means, buy buy buy. But if you can hold out a few weeks, wait to see if the items in question go on sale somewhere. They often will, and that means bigger savings for you.

You've got to know when to hold 'em - Part 1

Your coupons, that is.

There were some pretty awesome coupons in last Sunday's (5/17) paper. Especially the $2 of A-1 sauce coupon. My husband LOVES that stuff.

Apparently a lot of other folks do to. The A-1 section at Harris Teeter Monday had a serious dent in it. And if you needed A-1 for Monday night's dinner, then using that coupon was a great way to get some for less money.

But if you wanted some for, say a Fourth of July cookout, then you should have held onto your coupons a bit longer to see if you could pair it was a sale for even greater savings.

The key to holding is the coupon's expiration date. If it expires this week, go ahead and use it. But if you have a few weeks before it expires, hang on to it for a bit. I often do this with coupons that are worth $.99 or less hoping that a grocery store will have triples before it expires. That's a great way to get the biggest bang out of your buck. (If a store doesn't have triples or a good sale before the expiration date, then by all means, use the coupon. Some savings is better than no savings at all.)

And that A-1 coupon? That special sauce is on sale this week (5/20-27) at Lowe's Foods for $2.50/bottle. The A-1 marinade is on sale Buy One, Get One free (regular price $3.15 each; sale price $1.57 each). Sunday's $2 off coupon makes the marinade free (if you buy one bottle at half price) and the sauce just $.50 a pop. Now that's a price I can stock up on!

Swagbucks, how I love thee...

I earned 25 Swagbucks today! 25!

I'm a big Swagbucks fan on normal, 1-5 Buck days, but I'm super stoked about today's windfall. Those 25 Swagbucks put me more than halfway to the 45 bucks necessary to earn another $5 Amazon.com e-certificate. Just for searching vocabulary words I would have had to look up anyway.

For those who may not know, Swagbucks is a search engine powered by Google and Ask.com that randomly rewards you with Swagbucks when you do internet searches. The Swagbucks can be redeemed for a number of prizes. I always go for the Amazon.com e-certificates because, really, what can't you buy on Amazon.

Go Swagbucks!

Finding the sales on your front door or online

As the owner of a journalism degree, a former newspaper reporter and an overall news junkie, I think everyone should have a subscription to their local newspaper. All kinds of good stuff comes in the paper: investigations into how your tax dollars are being spent, coverage of nearby teams and events, witty insights on local customs.

And coupons. Don't forget about the coupons.

But -- due to the same credentials listed above -- I'm also a realist and keen observer. I know that many folks, including many of my friends, don't subscribe. That also means they don't get the Wednesday sales circulars telling them what's on sale at the grocery store or the Sunday circulars showing what's on sale at the drug store.

And that's a shame. How will you know what's on sale without a sales circular?

Well, you go online. Most stores post their sales papers online. Shoot, many retailers will email it to you if you sign up for their email alerts. Check the website of your favorite retail establishment and look for a link the says "weekly sales" or something similar.

Then save all your pennies from those great deals and buy a subscription to your local paper. Seriously.

Fresh (and frugal) strawberry goodness

My husband and I discovered a new love when we were planning our wedding last year: the fresh strawberry cake from Maxie B's, a local bakery.

My mouth waters just thinking about it. But at about $5 a slice, it's a very rare treat.

So when The Pioneer Woman Cooks! posted this recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cake -- and I realized that all the ingredients were staples I already had in my cabinets -- I decided I had to give it a shot. If it was only half as good as Maxie B's version, I'd just eat two slices. ;)

Based on the reaction of our dinner guests, it was a success. My brother-in-law quickly claimed half of the cake to go back with him to his apartment.

Some of the ingredients are things I bought a while ago, but this is me we're talking about, so it's a pretty solid bet I bought them on sale or with a coupon. Probably both.

Let's see what I remember:

• The Gold Medal flour was $.99 from Harris Teeter's holiday baking sales.
• The Argo cornstarch was free during triples at Lowes Food.
• The sugar was super cheap during holiday baking sales.
• The vanilla is Aldi's store brand, but I just bought a new bottle of McCormick's at Harris Teeter during triples for when that one runs out (gotta love a stockpile!).
• The eggs were $1/dozen at Walmart.
• The powdered sugar was on a "we're no longer carrying this brand" clearance at Harris Teeter.
• The cream cheese wasn't on sale when I bought it -- but it is on sale this week at Harris Teeter 4/$5 (pair that with the Kraft printable coupons for Philadelphia cream cheese if they're still available for a great deal).
  
• The strawberries are a container I picked up on sale at Lowe's Food last week. I would have preferred some fresh picked ones from the Farmer's Market, but I was too lazy to get out of the bed yesterday and go...

Take into consideration the fact that I used just a fraction of the above ingredients for the cake, and I think I found a tasty and frugal alternative to Maxie B's. It may not be as pretty -- hey, I'm not a professional baker -- but it's not going to last that long at my house anyway!

Loving it for Less,
Lanita

Rain checks on a rainy day

It's raining today, a gentle downpour that is (thankfully!) washing pollen away.

When it comes to shopping, a rain check doesn't have much to do with the weather. But it is a great way to take advantage of a good sale after the fact.

A rain check is a voucher that allows you to receive the sale price for an item after a promotion has ended. Retailers usually give them if an item on sale is out of stock. Just ask a cashier or the customer service attendant to write you one.

I love rain checks. I consider them my own personal sale, redeemable when it's most convenient for me.

My advice to you: Always ask for a rain check, even if you plan on checking the store again during the week of the sale to see if the store has restocked. A few months ago, Harris Teeter had chicken breasts on sale buy one, get two free (each package rang up a third of the regular price). It was a popular sale; the first time I went by the store, it was sold out. I got a rain check.

The next time I popped in they had restocked, and I bought enough chicken to stock my freezer for a while. My supply is about to run out, but I still have the rain check from my first trip to the store. Since I have it, I'll be able to restock my freezer at that rock-bottom price.

Be sure you check to see if a store's rain check has an expiration date. Locally, I know Lowe's Food's rain checks are only good for 30 days. But other stores -- like Harris Teeter, Food Lion and CVS -- don't have expiration dates on their rain checks.

Loving it for less,
Lanita

FREE coupon class May 30

Have you always wanted to learn how to use coupons but didn't know where to start?

I'll be happy to show you!

I'll be teaching a coupon class May 30 at 10 a.m. at Piedmont International Church. The class will start with the basics, like "Where do I get coupons?" and teach you tips and strategies for saving money at the grocery store, drug stores, department stores and more. We'll also cover the art of stockpiling - buying enough groceries and household items at the lowest possible price to last you until they fall to rock-bottom prices again.

Best of all, the class is a price that the savvy and not-so-savvy shopper can instantly afford: It's free!

Piedmont International Church is located at 206-D S. Westgate Drive in Greeensboro, N.C.

Have other questions? Drop me a note in the comments field.

Loving it for less,
Lanita

Hold on to your receipts

Don't throw away your receipts, and keep an eye on sales paper even after you've bought something.

Sometimes, even after you've made a purchase, you can still get it for less.

Quite a few stores will give you a price adjustment if a purchased item goes on sale within a week or 14 days of the purchase date. Taking advantage of this offer is pretty simple too. A few weeks ago, we bought a new fan at Target. The very next Sunday, the fan went on sale for $5 less. I took the receipt to the Customer Service desk, showed it to the clerk and she deducted $5 off of our card. No problems, no hassels.

Old Navy, Kohl's, Banana Republic, Gap and Target are some of the stores who have a price adjustment policy. Just be sure you check online, the back of your receipt or in-store postings to see what the eligible time frame is.

Know of more stores with a price adjustment policy? Let me know in the comments!

Loving it for less,
Lanita

Cheap ice cream tastes better

Not cheap "what is this stuff? This ain't ice cream" ice cream.

Cheap "I can't believe I got this creamy goodness for less than $1" ice cream.

Food Lion has Edy's ice cream on sale Buy One Get One (BOGO) free this week (5/13-5/19). That knocks the price of a container down to $2.70. That's not bad... cheaper than getting a single cone at Ben & Jerry's.

But if you combine that sale with this $2 off Edy's ice cream store coupon available online, that melts the price for a half gallon down to $.70.

I'll certainly give three cheers for that price - Hooray!!

Loving it for less,
Lanita

Coupons + Sale = MAGIC!

Well, maybe not magic. After all, it's no mystery that the best way to get the most bang out of your buck is to pair a kickin' sale with a great coupon.

Here's my latest frugal tale:

It took about a year for my stockpile of trash bags to run low, but this week the time had come for me to start looking for a good deal to replenish my supply.

Hefty must have been peeking in my cabinets and knew I was running low. The company issued $1 coupons in a recent insert. Now I just had to bid my time until the perfect sale came along...

Harris Teeter didn't make me wait long. They ran Hefty trash bags BOGO (buy one get one free) this week. The original price for a box of 45: $7.99. The BOGO sale slashed the price in half to $4. With the $1 off coupon, I ended up paying $3 per box.

I bought three boxes. Total price paid: $9.69 (including tax). Total amount saved (with the sale and coupons): $15.09. The next time I'll need to buy more trash bags: 2010.

Loving it for less,
Lanita

Want to get paid to search the internet?

I thought it was too good to be true. A search engine, powered by Google and Ask.com, that would pay me to do the online searches I would be doing anyway?

I signed up.

I'm happy I did.

The site is Swagbucks and I'm here to sing its praises. It works just like any other search engine; I even added it to my Mozilla toolbar so searching using the site is as easy as searching on Google. But with Swagbucks, when you search on the site it rewards you with bucks that can be redeemed for gift cards, sports collectibles, music, books and more.

It only takes 45 Swagbucks to earn a $5 e-gift card to Amazon.com. I typically earn between $1 and $5 a day. In the two months I've been using the search engine, I have about 100 bucks - that's worth $10 to Amazon.com - just for doing searches I would have been doing anyway.

I'm saving my Amazon gift cards for a things I want but am too, uhm, frugal to spend "real" money on. I introduced it to a friend last night as a way to buy people gifts without having to dip into her household budget (just imagine how much you could save at Christmas if you have a load of Amazon.com gift cards saved up!)

Check it out.

Loving it for less,
Lanita

Welcome to Love it for Less!

Yeah, it was me.

I’m the woman in the line in front of you at the store, handing the cashier more coupons than dollar bills.

But you’ve got to admit, you were a little impressed when the cashier said I only owed her 95 cents for all those bags of groceries, right?

Wondering how you can do it too? You’ve come to the right place.

My name is Lanita, and I don’t think I’ve ever met a coupon I didn’t like. I created Love It For Less to show you how you can buy your favorite brands and shop your favorite stores for less money -- because having money left over for something else is never a bad thing.

My friends will tell you: I was thrifty way before the Great Recession made it hip. I grew up watching my mom carefully comb the grocery and drug store sales papers looking for the best deals. I used to help her clip coupons and organize the family budget. She was a stay-at-home mom with three children working to make a household go on just my dad’s income – and she was successful.

I never forgot the lessons I learned at her knee, and once I left the nest, I adopted many of her frugal habits as my own. That came in handy when I became the Greensboro News & Record’s Savvy Shopper in 2007. I loved showing my readers the best ways to stretch their dollars and get more for less.

Today’s tough economic times are turning more folks into frugalistas. I say the more the merrier! I’ll share my money-saving tips, and I look forward to learning from you too.

Loving it for less,
Lanita