101 money-saving ideas...

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has submitted money-saving ideas over the past few weeks on this blog. We ran a lot of your tips in our Work & Money section this morning in a feature called 101 Ways to Save.

Click here to read it online!

Rebate on ammo...

For those of you with a hunter in the house, you may want this mail-in rebate from Winchester. Depending on the type of ammunition you buy, you can get up to $15 back by mail. The rebate is good on purchases from July 1, 2008 to Jan. 31, 2009. You'll need the receipt, UPC codes and form available below. Also, Winchester has a number of mail-in offers on its Web site here.

 



Document(s):
Centerfire08_pad.pdf

Save on Clif Kid products...

If your kids like Clif Bar products, the company is offering an October special on its Web site. Use the code SPOOKY8 at the checkout between now and Oct. 31 and you will save 15 percent on all Clif Kid products. You can check them out here... Of course, you'd probably have to order a few boxes to make the shipping worth it [fees start at $5.95 for orders up to $19.99], but maybe your kids eat a lot of these and it's worth it! Or you could always get together with a few friends, place one order and split the shipping fee...

Today's coupons are up!

Good morning everyone! Today's coupons have been added to the database!

I always tell people that the P&G Brandsaver insert comes on the first Sunday of every month, so I was kind of baffled by today's P&G coupons. But, the expiration dates on them are 11/30, which means you have six weeks to use those instead of the normal four. So I am not complaining! I have no idea about whether this mid-month coupon release will become a new thing. I certainly hope so!

As always, you can download the Excel version of the updated database below if you would like. Happy clipping!!



Document(s):
Find a Coupon 1012.xls

Teens are cutting back too...

Here's another bad sign for the economy: teens are curtailing their spending, too. Usually teens are seen as almost recession-proof, since often their money comes from mom and dad and they have fewer bills to pay. But the latest research I received from WSL Strategic Retail in New York says 84 percent of teens say they are being affected by rising prices. Thirty five percent are buying less expensive brands of clothing; 28 percent are buying less expensive brands of beauty products; 20 percent are cutting back on salon manicures and haircuts; and 19 percent are having had to cut back on sports and lessons that cost money.

We always think of kids as being "spendy" but I'm actually encouraged to see kids making adjustments so that they are living within their means...

Harris Teeter offering flu shots...

From now through Nov. 19, Harris Teeter pharmacy stores will be offering flu shot clinics to VIC card customers. Registered nurses will be on hand to administer the shots, which will cost $25 each with your VIC card, or free if you are a Medicare Part B, non-HMO recipient (just present your card before receiving your shot)

The FluMist vaccine is also available for $30 and pneumonia shots are available for $45. You must be a minimum of 8 years old to receive the flu shot and a minimum of 2 years old to receive the FluMist vaccine. More information on the clinics is available here.

There are clinics at certain stores on certain days. Please check the clinic schedule here.

The $9.98 store...

I'll bet most of you have never heard of Gary Cino. But I'll bet most of you have heard of Dollar Tree.

Cino founded The 98 Cent Clearance Center 23 years ago, eventually selling it to Dollar Tree. Well, the Sacramento Bee reports that Cino is back with a new discount retail store. This time everything is $9.98 or less. I certainly hope the added digit and decimal place weren't solely the result of inflation...

A deal at Costco...

Reader Michelle e-mailed me this week to report finding a deal on Starbucks gift cards at the Winston-Salem Coscto. Five $20 cards were $79.99. That's a $4 savings (roughly) per card, and it's something you might want to consider if you need to buy a bunch of smaller gifts for say teachers or other folks... What I do not know is whether this deal has appeared yet in our Raleigh and Durham Costco stores. Anyone??

Speaking of wine...

I heard yesterday from reader Beverly, who asked me about the best case discounts for wine in our area. I told her that most grocery stores are offering 10 percent, or 15 percent on a sale sometimes. I also said I like to wait for the Whole Foods big sale (which is usually between Christmas and New Year's) and the Southern Season annual sale. I think that in some cases the discounts go higher during those sales. But I thought I'd throw the question out there for all of you, since I am certainly no expert. Where do you find the best case discounts on wine?

Go stomp some grapes...

This afternoon, the Chatham Hill Winery is hosting a harvest celebration. The party begins at 12:30 p.m. at the winery (3800 Gateway Centre Blvd. Suite #310, Morrisville) and will include blue grass music and vendors who will offer samples and sales of various items such as locally-made artisan cheeses, chocolate truffles made by a Raleigh independent chocolatier, unique cupcakes made in Cary, locally made Mead (honey wine) and pottery. There will also be wine tours and a grape stomping contest beginning at 4:15 p.m. If anyone goes, send me pictures!

Friday freebies...

It's Friday, and here's a list of freebies!! There are lots of good ones this week!!

[EDIT: OK, some of these links seem to be not working for whatever reason, so I put in the actual URLs under each listing. Some of them are not pretty, but if you copy and paste them into your browser, they should work. Sorry for the extra step! Since the list is so long now, click Read More to see it...]

From my inbox...

There were a couple of interesting items in my inbox this morning...

*Right At Home, the e-newsletter of SC Johnson, has issued a new batch of printable coupons worth up to $30 on its products, which include Pledge, Shout and Scrubbing Bubbles. Click here... 

*Walgreens is offering 50 4x6 prints for $5 when you use the coupon code FALL4ALL in the online checkout process. That's good through Oct. 12.

*And Pillsbury/General Mills issued a new batch of printable coupons, too. Click here...

Starting a business?

If you are starting a business and looking for resources, you might want to check out the new FREE podcast series from SCORE. Each month, two new podcasts will be added, one on www.score.org and one on www.score.org/women. The first two podcasts are up now, one featuring Julie Brander, marketing expert with New Haven SCORE, sharing ideas on "Marketing Your Biz in a Weak Economy," and one featuring Peggy Duncan, SCORE blogger and productivity expert with Atlanta SCORE, talking about how to "Get More Done in Less Time." Check it out.

Get a free haircut...

Well, a kind of free haircut.

Herbal Essences is running a promotion where you can get a free haircut when you buy two specially marked bottles of Herbal Essences shampoo or conditioner. A scan of the fine print of the offer reveals that you actually get a voucher redeemable for a haircut. Once you buy your two qualifying products, you have to go to a Web site, enter the UPC codes, print a form and mail it in. Then you will get your voucher by mail. When you get your voucher, it will include a list of participating businesses where you can redeem it.

So... a bit of work for this one, and you have to go to a place that is participating in the program. But if you buy Herbal Essences anyway and aren't too picky about where you get your hair cut, I say free is free... Here's the Web site.

Something to do with plastic bags...

Maybe most of you know about this already, but today I found out about a plastic bag collection program for schools from Harris Teeter. The grocer is challenging schools to collect plastic bags. Those that collect the most get prizes. If you have kids, you might find out if their school is particiapting. Or, if you don't, you could find out if your local school is collecting... just a thought. The contest runs through Halloween.