FREE pre-natal vitamins & 14 day supply of antibiotics

Meijer is often the place we go to find just about anything. As a tightwad I'm always trying to find extra deals there. Here's a couple to be aware of in their pharmacy department. You can get FREE pre-natal vitamins and a prescription for generic antibiotics up to a 14 day supply. You can check it out for yourself here. I wish it would have dawned on me to mention this during the bad bug season but it's better late than never.

New Redbox location

Meijer on Alpine now has a Redbox vending machine! Here's a couple of codes I've posted before that will give you a free rental. You can use these with different debit/credit cards to get more rentals also.

DVDONME
BREAKROOM

If I get the Monday FREE codes early enough I'll also be posting those so check back to see.

Get paid to transfer your prescriptions!

There are so many stores offering this promotion now. Here's the scoop - It has to be a new prescription or you have to be transferring a prescription from another store. They want your business and they're willing to pay you for it. So depending on your insurance you could be making some grocery money. I did this at Rite Aid where I paid $4 for a prescription and got $30! I did this 4 times and made $120 in gift cards. I paid $16 for the actual prescription. Here's a couple of places you can transfer to and how much you can make. Just click on the link, print off the coupon and transfer away!

Kmart - $20 gift card - good through March 7th
Rite Aid - $25 gift card - good through March 31st

Walgreens often has specials on this and you can find the coupon in their easy saver rebate book that's available right by their ad in the store.
I've also done this at Walmart, Target and Meijer. I've seen coupons for CVS as well. Check the Sunday paper or their ads online to see who might have it going.

The Outhouse 500 in Coopersville

Here's an unusual annual event that is free to attend and hilarious to watch. Here's what the Coopersville website says about this activity - Activities begin at 8:00 AM in Historic Downtown Coopersville!

Join in with the hilarious and wacky fun of the 5th Annual Outhouse 500 on Main Street in Historic Downtown Coopersville! Hosted by the Main Street Merchants Association.

Teams parade, then race their uniquely decorated outhouses down Main Street!

The day begins with breakfast at the Country Cafe, Peppino's Pizza or the Coopersville Farm Museum. Suzi's Cakery has baked up a special batch of Outhouse 500 cookies and the restaurants will offer specials throughout the day.

The hilarious Outhouse 500 Parade and Races begin at 11:00 a.m. with the sweet sound of Master Saw Player Thom Eno on Main Street in historic downtown. Newly crowned Outhouse 500 King D-Dawg, sound technician and radio personality from the WLAV morning show will escort Outhouse 500 Queen, Rose Dunlap from WGHN radio in Grand Haven. You won't want to miss the parade as it's your first opportunity to meet the teams and learn more about their entry prior to the race.

Cooks serve up their favorite chili during the Rotary Chili Blast from noon - 4:00 p.m. in the tent in the North Main Street Parking Lot. Proceeds to benefit local Rotary service projects.

FREE children's activities, vote for your favorite decorated toilet seat from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at 305 Main Street, then bid on your favorite to take home at 1:00 p.m. at the North Main Street Parking Lot Beer & Chili Tent.

5th Annual Jaycees Winter Dance features dance music and fun at the Coopersville VFW, 511 N. 68th Ave. Proceeds from this event benefit local Jaycees programs.

Here's a link to the schedule of events

Downtown Winter Rail Jam

This weekend if you have some time and an interest in snowboarding or skiing you should check out the B.O.B. downtown. Here's a description from their website - HOSTED BY CRUSH AND THE B.O.B
The season will end as snowboarders and skiers rock the rails
as The B.O.B.'s surrounding parking lots are transformed into a
winter sports fanatic's dream. A 40 foot ramp will be constructed
and snow piles prodded into perfect position for this three day
family-friendly event. Locals and visitors clad in their winter
gear can enjoy music, food, riders, and raffle prizes with the
surrounding downtown skyline as the backdrop. The Rail Jam is
slated to begin with preliminary qualifying runs on the 27th,
and continue through the weekend with prizes being awarded in
many different categories for riders of all skill levels.
Sponsors will provide lots of swag and free giveaways,
the grill will be fired up, and music will be crankin'.

All Ages Welcome / Free Admission
The B.O.B.
20 Monroe Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Phone: 616.356.2000

FREE Boating magazine

Here's a one year subscription to Boating magazine completely FREE!

More FREE wendy's coupons

Thanks to whoever left the comment about more Wendy's coupons! I thought it'd be great to post it incase people don't see it in the comments section. Here's a link to get them. It looks like it's a good idea to check back often to see if there's anything new.

FREE cotton panty at Express

Sorry to all my guys but this one's for the ladies. Express retail stores have a coupon on the internet that will give you one FREE cotton panty from Feb. 27th through March 1st. There is no purchase necessary and only one can be used at a time. But I think you might be able to print off more than one and make more trips? If someone tries it please feel free to tell me if that works. Just click here and print.

FREE movie at GVSU

Thanks to Jen with Word on the Street for passing along this one..."There is a professor from GVSU who shows a series of free movies on the occasional Friday night. This Friday at 6pm you can see Water an Indian drama about an 8 year old child widow who must decide to throw herself on her husbands funeral pyre or marry his brother. It sounds pretty interesting. 109D of the Devos Center Cost FREE!"

Flicks for Chicks at Wyoming KDL

Here's what the KDL website says about this event:
Hey Moms, bring your baby and enjoy a quality chick flick on our big screen! The volume will be gentle and the lights will be dim; bring a picnic lunch or treat yourself to lunch from the Bookworm Café. The second and fourth Friday of each month at 11:00 a.m. This week, we're watching 27 Dresses.

So if you get this in time, check it out and let me know if you would recommend it.

Scrabble at Schuler's

If you like the board game Scrabble you might want to stop by Schuler's on 28th st. on Thursdays at 6pm and Fridays at 10am. You can meet with other Scrabble fans and play 'til your hearts content. The group will meet in either the Studio or the Chapbook Cafe.

E-mail club FREEBIES

There are so many different e-mail clubs that you can join and companies will send you free things as a welcome gift or thank you. Here's a list them to try. But I wouldn't suggest hitting them all at once. I did that when I first got started and ended up using some but losing others. They usually have an expiration date of 2 weeks after it's sent to you. So go slow and enjoy the goodies.

Wendy's
Burger King Kids Club
Texas Roadhouse
Fire Mountain Grill
Bob Evans BE-mail
Bob Evans kids club
Boston's Gourmet Pizza
Chili's
Marble Slab Creamery
Biggby
Red Robin
Moe's Southwest Grill
Fazoli's
TGI Fridays
Ruby Tuesday

Swagbucks offers FREE gift cards and more

I've recently signed up at Swagbucks.com to start earning points for FREE gift cards. This works a lot like mypoints.com. You can download their toolbar and use them for all your searching needs and earn points randomly. Here's some other ways you can earn points:
1. Shop online through their site
2. Trade in your old cell phone, mp3 player, video games and consoles
3. Invite friends to join
4. Get codes online for FREE swagbucks
5. Interact on their facebook page
6. Submit a poll idea
7. Comment on their blog

Check out what you can get with your swagbucks here.
If you'd like to try it you can also support me by clicking the icon below or the icon to the right in my side bar. It's free to join so no worries.

Top ten ways I save money

A lot of people wonder how I live the way I do. My husband and I have a 3br house, 2 cars and no debt beyond our mortgage and we pay extra on that every month. We also live on very little a year and sometimes go without paychecks because of my husbands job. So here's the top 10 ways I save money:

1. Set up a budget, stick to it, and revisit it when necessary
-This s really important. You need to know where your money is going in order to save it. There are tons of tips on budgeting but I suggest looking at Dave Ramsey products to help you out.
2. Set up automatic payments for as much as possible
-By doing this you can be sure that you won't be paying late charges again. And if your budget is set up and you're sticking to it then you'll also know that you have money to make the payment.
3. Use the envelope system
-Using your budget you can begin to put cash in your envelopes for things like groceries, gas and spending money. This will help you to not overspend. Once the cash is gone you're out. And it wouldn't hurt to put any plastic you might have in the freezer.
4. Get rid of the extras
-Think of all the little luxuries you might pay for and cut out as many as possible. Cable can go because you can watch regular TV or catch it online. Cancel your subscriptions to magazines and newspapers. The library carries all of these and you can get a lot of the magazines for free just by checking out my site. Get rid of your netflix subscription and start using the library or redbox. Again, my site can show you lots of ways to get free or cheap movies.
5. Learn to do it yourself
-Home Depot is a great resource for this. Their staff can give you instructions on almost any project you face. When we bought our house I wanted to refinish our hardwood floors. I had never done this before so I went and asked an associate at the Home Depot. They told me everything I needed to know and more. And now I have a beautiful original hardwood floor. You can find a lot of resources at the library as well as online.
6. Don't do anything without a coupon
-My husband was teasing me the other day saying that when I die I'll get the plot half off because I had a coupon. When we're going to go out we do it based on our coupons. I have an Entertainment book and a Local First book that have already paid for themselves. Actually the Entertainment book was free. For example, Valentines day was a huge coupon day for me. I started by renting a car for the weekend using the Hertz deal I posted earlier. Then I took my husband to Louis Benton Steakhouse using a gift certificate from restaurant.com that I got 70% off and got cash back using cashbaq.com. Then we went to the opera which I had a buy one get one coupon for. I saved so much money just by using coupons and deals. And we had a great time.
7. Make your money work for you
-I put away money every month to save for a new car when our current ones finally die. Once I've reached a good amount I switch it to an account that will make me extra money. Now I don't get into investments because I'm a simpleton but I do understand CD's and the like. This last year alone we made $500 on one account. One time we used Home Depot's special of Buy now pay in one year. We already had the money to pay for it but we put it into an account that would end before it was time to pay up. We made about $100 because we did that and still got what we needed.
8. Use what you got
-A lot of people struggle with being content. They feel that they never have enough or what they "need". The truth is we usually have more than enough. Dust off those old board games instead of spending $50 on a new video game. The car you have is still running and could last a little longer with minimal cost so don't go buying a new one because you'd like a change. The bottom line is you've probably already got something to do at home and that thing you want to replace can probably last longer giving you more time to save money for it.
9. Empty your pantry first
-Just because it's Monday doesn't mean you HAVE to go grocery shopping. Look at your cupboards and get creative. Try using as much as you can before grocery shopping again.
10. Gifts can be made and bought cheap
-I have most of my upcoming celebration gifts already because I plan ahead. I shop all year round at thrift stores and garage sales looking for what I need. I'm a frequent shopper at the Saturday night madness sale at Salvation Army where the color tag of the week is just .49cents. I've also gotten really big into making my own stuff. There are lots of books and resources at the library to help you with this.

That's just a sample of the ways I've saved loads of money. Give at least one of these a try and see how it works. And keep checking this site to help you save money as well.

Coupons for FREEBIES at Denny's

Go here to print off some coupons for B1G1 meals at Denny's. You can get a Grand Slam, lunch entree and breakfast order with these. Just remember you have to Buy one to get one. But you need to print these and use them quick. They expire on the 27th. And they each have specific times on them also so don't miss that before you head on in.

FREE subscription to Elle Magazine

Here's a link for a one year FREE subscription to Elle magazine.

Kraft singles offers FREE Jonas Brothers download

Head to this website to get your FREE download of a Jonas Brothers song. Go to the bottom of the page and look on the right side. You should see a place for you to enter a code. Type in 21000 02373 and hit enter. This should work. Let me know if you have problems.

Williams Sonoma Technique Class

All the technique classes are FREE but they do ask that you call and register. They are having one on March 1st called Chicken Essentials. Here's their description of it.

Chicken can be anything but ordinary when you learn new ways to prepare it. We will show you how to spice up your dinners with our favorite chicken recipes using some basic ingredients. Learn how to make chicken moist, flavorful and exciting again with recipes the whole family will love.

Each technique class offers how-to demonstrations, recipes and samplings of the completed dish.

The only one we have around is:
WOODLAND MALL
3195 28TH STREET SE
GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49512
(616) 956-2297

CVS Extra Care Bucks pays you back!

Within the last couple of months I've been trying to use the CVS Extra Care Bucks program and it has been fantastic! It's simple really...whenever you're at a CVS next just go to the counter and ask to sign up for the program. They'll give you a set of cards to use right then. Next you'll want to keep an eye out for sales that give you even more discounts when you use your card or that will give you what they call Extra Care Bucks. ECB's are great! Sometimes they help you get things for free. You'll want to pay attention to the order you purchase things so you can maximize them, though. For example, today I went with coupons in hand and my ECB card ready to go. I already had $12 in ECB's from previous purchases. This is like having $12 on a CVS gift card. So I went in and bought a Schick Intuition razor ($8.99 and I get $4 in ECB's), a bottle of VO5 shampoo (on sale for .77cents and I had a $1 coupon that printed off a previous receipt), CVS childrens chewable aspirin ($1.99 and I get $1.99 in ECB's) and 3 Cadbury eggs (.49cents each with my CVS card). When all was said and done I gave the cashier a quarter for everything I just listed along with my $12 ECB's. When my receipt printed out I got a total of $5.99 in ECB's to use the next time around. It's worth checking out if you can handle the mental workout. Here's a couple of links here & here that will probably explain it better. The biggest cost was just to get the ball rolling. So my first purchase was the most I've spent there. Now I just keep using my ECB's to make purchases on other items that will give me more ECB's.

FREE subscription to Car & Driver

Here's a link to get a one year subscription to Car & Driver.

The Producers for $5

Don't forget that the Civic Theatre sells tickets for $5 to their dress rehearsals on Wednesdays before a show opens up. Next week will be one of those times. The Producers will be starting on the 6th. I believe it is on Wednesdays that they offer this but it wouldn't hurt to call ahead. Be sure to be there early! They are on a first-come first-serve basis and they can go quick. You can call them at 222-6650.

Help with home repairs

I don't know if you saw the front page of the Home/Garden section of the paper this week but there was an interesting article about an organization called Home Repair Services. I've been checking around their site and this seems like a fantastic organization. They have a list of free classes here that you might want to look at if you're needing some help. They're called Fix-it School Classes. They have a lending tool library, low cost building materials, financial counseling for homeowners and even low cost services. Check out their website here.

Great Clips haircut for $4.99

Great Clips put a special coupon in the Sunday paper that you might want to check out. They're offering a haircut for $4.99. Don't wait too long, though. This coupon expires March 10th.

Here's where you can find one:
4034 Alpine Avenue NW
Comstock Park, MI 49321
647-0315

Standale Meijers
315 Wilson Ave. NW
Standale, MI 49544
791-7850

Knapps Corner Meijer
1997 E Beltline
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
365-9005

5150 Northland Dr NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
988-1020

8407 Cottonwood Drive
Jenison, MI 49428
667-9050

2500 E Beltline Ave. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
285-6445

Grandville Meijer
3434 Century Center Dr. SW
Grandville, MI 49418
988-1183

4485 Canal St.
Grandville, MI 49418
261-4601

Dr. Seuss birthday party at Meijer

As I was flipping through the Sunday paper that my wonderful relatives gave me I found the Meijer ad and went looking for goodies. I saw that they are having a Birthday party for Dr. Seuss. The paper says it's on February 28th from 11am-2pm. There will be free stickers, coloring books and activities. I'm not sure if this is at all Meijer locations or not because that wasn't specified in the ad. But this sounds like a fun event for the kids.

FREE roastburger at Arby's

Make sure you read this right...It's a free ROASTBURGER not roastbeef sandwhich. But you can get one of these when you purchase a drink with this coupon. How about that for a cheap lunch?

Tuesday is FREE pancake day at IHOP!

Don't forget that Tuesday is the day to get FREE pancakes at IHOP. Please consider making some donation to the children's hospital, though. That's the reason they're giving them away.

2 more FREE magazine subscriptions

I've just recently started getting my free subscriptions and I get so excited every time one comes in the mail. I feel like I'm beating the system. What a rush! Maybe I need to get out more. Either way, here's a couple more I found:

Sign up to receive special offers from WeddingStand (via online newsletter), plus a FREE one-year subscription to the leading wedding source, Bridal Guide Magazine.

FREE one year subscription to Motor Cyclist

FREE Quiznos sub

Sign up for their e-mail list here and you'll get a coupon by e-mail for a FREE small sub. This coupon will expire 5 days after you get it so be sure to print and go soon after. The site also says you can send a FREE sub to your friends so you can share the wealth. Here's where you can find a Quiznos near you:
3555 Alpine Ave NW
Grand Rapids Michigan 49544

146 Monroe Center St NW Ste 160
Grand Rapids Michigan 49503

4485 Canal Ave SW Ste C700
Grandville Michigan 49418

1633 28th St SW
Wyoming Michigan 49519

5751 Byron Center Ave SW
Wyoming Michigan 49519

FREE Redbox rental

Every Monday I get a new code to rent a movie FREE at Redbox. If the timing is right I'll try to post these when I get them. Sometimes they come later in the day when I won't be near my computer for awhile. But today I've got it. So if you'll be near a Redbox vendor you can use this promo code - s39xkt. This will get you a free rental for just one night. Make sure to have it back by 9pm the next day. The coupon expires at midnight central time. You can find a Redbox at these locations:
Walmart
3999 Alpine Rd
Comstock Park,MI 49321

Meijer
315 Wilson Ave NW
Grand Rapids,MI 49534-3554

Meijer
2799 10 MILE RD NE
ROCKFORD ,MI 49341-9100

Walmart
4542 Kenowa Ave SW
Grandville,MI 49418-9523

Meijer
5500 CLYDE PARK AVE S.W.
WYOMING,MI 49509-9525

Dino exhibit cheap!

Tomorrow is the first Monday that you can head to the Public Museum to see the new dinosaur exhibit. I am excited about this because Mondays are free to Grand Rapids residents. I believe you will be charged $2-3 for the exhibit but that's a fraction of the normal admission price. Just wanted to remind everyone.

Kids workshop at Lowes

Make a 48 Race Car from 10 to 11 AM on Saturday at Lowes. Make sure to be on time since supplies are on a first come, first serve basis. Click here to sign up.

Coupons can go farther!

If you're into coupons than you're going to want to check out Family Dollar, Dollar General and Save A Lot. All three of these stores accept manufacturers coupons. They all carry name brand items on a regular basis at a much lower price than the main grocery chains. If you find yourself with coupons but no sales than head to one of these stores to save some cash. Here's a list of locations in our area:

Family Dollar
619 Leonard St Nw
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

3450 Remembrance Rd Nw
Walker, MI 49534-2206

55 Leonard St Nw
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-1031

530 Division Ave S
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-5134

1423 Grandville Ave Sw
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Dollar General
3579 REMEMBRANCE RD NW
WALKER, MI 49544-2207
(616)735-1713

425 STOCKING STREET
GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49504-5501
(616)233-2516

2444 PLAINFIELD AVE NE
GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49505-3874
(616)365-8174

919 SW 36TH STREET
WYOMING, MI 49509
(616)249-0690

3125 28TH ST SW STE 2
GRANDVILLE, MI 49418-1199
(616)261-1517

Save A Lot
555 Center Dr
Walker MI 49544
Phone:(616) 647-4256

4180 Plainfield Ne
Grand Rapids MI 49525
Phone:(616) 447-8938

1258 28Th St Sw
Wyoming MI 49509
Phone:(616) 530-7620

7500 Cottonwood Dr
Jenison MI 49428
Phone:(616) 667-7340

730 28Th St Se
Grand Rapids MI 49548
Phone:(616) 452-0363

FREE Kashi frozen entree

Here's a link to get a coupon for a FREE frozen Kashi entree. This will come by mail not e-mail in 2-4wks. I've seen these at WalMart and Meijer. This is good until March 15th so don't miss it.

W magazine FREE

Here's another magazine for FREE. With “W” magazine you go behind the runways and sit front row at the world’s hottest shows to get the first looks at the most fabulous fashion. In each issue of W, you’ll discover fashion that is elegant, opulent, and colorful, plus people, parties, and Hollywood: all like you’ve never seen them before.

FREE Women's Health Magazine

Here's a link to get a one year subscription to Women's Health Magazine for free.

Meijer 10 for $10

Be sure to check out Meijer this week. They have several good deals running. Here's some highlights:

100% all natural Tyson boneless skinless chicken breast - $4.99/bag
Aunt Millies bread - 10/$10
Betty Crocker mashed potatoes - 10/$10 - You may have a coupon for this also
Yoplait yogurt - 10/$5 - Lots of coupons out there for these
Freshlike frozen vegetables - 10/$10
Grands biscuits - 10/$10
Puffs facial tissue - 10/$10
V8 Splash or smoothies - 3/$5 - Check out meijermealbox.com for extra Meijer coupons