Five Friday Freebies

Two weeks ago I posted about my Five Friday Favorites. I love sharing things with others when I find something great, so I wanted to share some freebies (yes with an "s" unlike the image above) with you today.

1. Since we are just a couple days away from July I wanted to share this free printable calendar with you.

This first freebie is from Jesse of Good Girl Gone Glad. Love her! I plan to put my printed calendar in a little square silver frame on my desk, I just need to get some more color ink for my printer first. How pretty would this look on your desk. You can find her post {here} to download your very own and share with a friend. :) She also has an Etsy shop with some super cute prints. 

2. Next up is some nail polish and pedicure cream from Julep which I found via Kelly at Fabulous K. When you click over to the website you'll be asked some questions about your personal style and they'll send you 2 free nail polishes as well as a pedicure cream for joining their Maven program. If you love beauty products, especially summer's fun nail colors, this is for you. Please note that while the first box of goodies is free you are becoming a 'Maven' which means there is a monthly fee for ongoing shipments. They offer the ability to get free months so you're rewarded for sharing with friends. I do not get credit for recommending them as I don't have an account with them.

3. If you love great type fonts to use for craft projects, business cards, to update your blog, etc. Melanie of Nicole's Classes shares 10 great free Script Typefaces. There is a link to each one where you can download it and although some have commented that the fonts require a fee, you can simply use zero in the payment box and you'll be able to download for free, unless you are feeling generous and want to donate.

4. Do you want your kitchen cupboards to look like this? If you enjoy an organized space, you'll appreciate these gorgeous labels which would add elegance to any kitchen. Jen from I Heart Organizing featured one of her readers' kitchens and also provided a free download to get these awesome goodies! Click {here} to download them. The creator of these labels is Jen of The Social Home and is where you can find her original post titled 'Pantry Pretty: Dollar Store Pantry Makeover'. It's swoon-worthy!

5. Last but not least, I have not one but TWO Starbucks freebies for you!! They expire very soon so if you want to take advantage, you'll have to jump on it this weekend. According to both the Starbucks Facebook page and the Target Facebook page, if you buy one Frappuccino at any Target location that has a Starbucks shop inside, you'll get the second Frappuccino for free. Now you can treat your hubby, BFF or your kiddo (they have non-caffeinated options such as strawberries & cream as well as vanilla bean and a couple others). It's pretty toasty here in FL, supposed to reach 95 tomorrow so you can bet I'll be snagging a couple of these! :) You have until July.2, 2012 to take advantage of this deal.

If you miss out on that offer, Starbucks is giving away a free tall cup of fresh brewed coffee to anyone who pops into one of their stores on July.4, 2012. Consider it their Fourth of July gift to you! You can read more about the details of this freebie {here}

If you don't have a Target store with a Starbucks inside, if you go to any regular Starbucks store and buy two frappuccinos you'll still get a deal. From now until July.1st you'll save $1 for each frappuccino you buy as long as you are grabbing 2 or more. You can see the details on Starbucks' website.

*Please not that I'm not compensated for sharing these companies or deals with you in any way.


What is your favorite freebie listed here? If you have any awesome links to freebies, I'd love to know about them, please leave them in the comments section or e-mail me. :)


Have a lovely weekend everyone!

XOXO




*header image credit  All other images belong to the mentioned websites and blogs.

Stationery Giveaway Reminder & Extra Entry

I just wanted to remind everyone that if you haven't entered our fabulous stationery giveaway with Pear Tree Greetings, you still have today and tomorrow to enter, ends 05/22 at 10pm EST.

Also, for those of you that have already entered as well as anyone that is new to it today, I'll be providing an extra entry for either today or tomorrow (depending on when you read this). All you need to do is leave a comment with the word 'FREEBIE' on the original giveaway post page HERE (please don't leave it on this post or it won't count). I will be drawing the lucky winner via random.org and announcing it on Monday!

The generous Pear Tree Greetings company sent me some little goodies in the mail this week that are simply gorgeous and of high quality. I can't wait to share them with you next week. :)

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*

Here's to a great weekend ahead!

Food, Inc: Watch it for Free on PBS Tonight

Have you heard about the movie Food, Inc? If you have been wanting to see it or just heard about it here for the first time,  it will be airing on PBS tonight for Free. Check your local listings for the exact show time.

Food, Inc., is a fascinating documentary about the food industry in the United States today and how it has changed over the years. It is an eye-opening and thought-provoking movie that changed the way I look at food forever. It will equip you with the knowledge you need to make the best, healthiest choices for you and your family and those that will help preserve out precious planet. Just in time for Earth Day which is tomorrow.

This PBS showing is free tonight only. So, DVR it and if you happen to miss it you can always rent it from Blockbuster. Either way, it's a must-see film.

Here's to Staying Healthy!

Starbucks Free Coffee Event TOMORROW!

Do you own a reusable travel mug? If you do you're in luck. Starbucks is giving away a free travel mug filled with coffee to each person tomorrow: April.15th only. All you need to do is show up. This is all in an effort to create awareness about the amount of waste that paper cups produce. I'm happy to hear this news!

Have any of you seen or heard about these? If you don't have a travel mug at present, this would be a super-chic way to tote your coffee around town, and it's pretty affordable.

DCI I Am Not a Paper Cup 10-Ounce Porcelain Travel Cup with Lid

Cool, right? They do not contain BPA and are great for anyone who wants to reduce their carbon footprint in style!

Do you think you have an idea of how many paper cups Starbucks' drinkers consume in a day? Click on this 60 second VIDEO to get the big picture. Their motto for this campaign is, "One person can save trees, together we can save forests!"

This year we celebrate Earth Day on April.22nd. I hope you'll join in by consuming one less cup.

Starbucks will give you 10 cents off of every cup of joe anyday you pop in with a travel mug too!

This global movement is taking place in locations around the world including East China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, UK, Ireland, Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico.

You might remember just last month I posted this Starbucks Freebie for their free pastry day. I certainly hope this continues as a trend. Their specialty coffees and treats are yummy but pricey so every little big is appreciated.

For those that like the taste of an iced frappuccino but just don't see yourself forking out the cash for one anytime soon, here is a great recipe so you can get your Starbucks fix for just pennies.

Enjoy your free java!

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Starbucks Freebie!

Ladies, I hope your week is off to a great start. I have something that might make your Tuesday a little sweeter. It's Free Pasty Day at Starbucks! I follow them on Twitter and they have a fabulous coupon that they tweeted yesterday which is good tomorrow ONLY until 10:30am and while supplies last.

{Must purchase a brewed or blended drink to receive the free pastry.}

It's good in both U.S. and Canada. So print out the coupon from the link below and bring it in for your free goody!

STARBUCKS COUPON

Enjoy!

Save MORE Money This Year!

Some of you probably already know that I am a bit of a coupon queen and I get a thrill out of saving money and fabulous free finds. Many of you voted on our blog poll and asked for more money saving tips, among other topics. So, I wanted to share some quick and easy tips to keep and put money back into your wallets this year!


Over the past year alone, I've saved hundreds of dollars on groceries, clothing and I've received 10 free magazine subscriptions (some full and some partial) and have also received a lot of free goodies by using rewards cards/points and filling out free product mailers too. It ALL adds up!  Now here is how you can do it too.

TIPS TO SAVE MORE MONEY 

1. Sign up for EBATES today!- What is ebates? It's a simple website that you log into first before selecting the online retailer you want to shop at. You'll be automatically directed to the site from ebates and will receive a percentage of your purchase amount back just for logging in there first! They make money on referring you over to the site and then give you a kickback, so it is legitimate and the best kept secret!


You can save anywhere from 1% to 21% of your purchases! You can also earn $5 for each qualifying person that you refer to the program. I don't spend a lot of money online but we do buy our vitamins, some rental car reservations, some flights, clothing, and other necessities. Every cash back amount helps to add to the greater total. This is FREE money, no sign-up fees are involved and it takes me an extra 10 seconds more than it would to log into the retailers site directly. It's SO worth it and I found it at the referral of a fellow coupon queen! I signed up in mid-2009 and have already made back $36! Hubby has his own account and has earned $25. What a great way to set aside that free money to use for this year's Christmas gifts or towards a vacation!

2. My FAVORITE Website- I have a favorite website, it's true. It's not for home decor or clothing but rather vitamins, supplements and personal care items. The website is  Vitacost. They beat amazon.com and every individual retailer or store front on price and shipping costs. You can save up to 78% off of items that you use everyday! Their shipping is a flat rate $4.99 and they often have free shipping specials or you can find coupon codes online for free shipping, free prevention magazine subscriptions or other great goodies. They ship most items in just a couple days and I've never had a problem with their service or products. They also offer a money back guarantee, are a completely secure site and are on the Inc 500 hall of fame. Check them out HERE. The best part is they are listed as one of the stores under ebates so you can get 5% cash back on your purchase too!


* I am not compensated in any way for recommending Vitacost.

3. Print Online Coupons- There are so many websites with great coupons to be had. Some may think, why waste my time coupon clipping? Well, when you can save 40-50% off of your grocery bill by piling a manufacturer's coupon on top of a store coupon on an already on-sale item, it makes for a sweet deal and a lot more money in your bank account for something wonderful. Below are a few of my favorite coupon websites.

CLICK ON EACH NAME FOR THE LINKS TO THE SITE

COUPONS.COM 

TARGET COUPONS 

REDPLUM COUPONS

SMART SOURCE

PUBLIX GROCERY  

COOL SAVINGS 

FREE STUFF

*For a specific store or item, just type it into google and then add 'coupons' to the end of it and you'll see websites with free coupons for organic products, brand name items, etc.

 Use a small expandable file folder to store your coupons. You can file them by store or by item category. I always categorize and place the ones that will expire soon at the front. Be sure to look at the store's flyer before heading over so you can get organized before you go.

4. Redeem Rewards Points- There are so many rewards points clubs available via credit card companies and air miles providers as well as valued customer points for free merchandise. The great part is they all equate to free stuff or in many cases free money.

My husband and I love to travel and have been on several trips (many were international) on airmiles from all of the points that he has collected over the years. It's a great feeling to get ready for a trip and know that the airfare is already covered. Likewise, there are other programs that provide valuable rewards for your patronage too.

My credit card and debit card are tied together in a rewards points program so that every dollar I spend equates to points. I have already scored $75 worth of Target giftcards as well as a $10 Starbucks giftcard too, just for spending money that I was going to spend anyhow. It just encourages me to use that particular bank account and credit card for my purchases instead of the others. Check out your bank and credit card company's offerings. Perhaps it is as simple as switching from one type of account to another. Just be sure that you are not paying a fee or premium or higher percentage for such a program, otherwise it would outweigh the benefits.

Last week, I discovered a fun points program to get free organic food. If you like Organic milk and yogurt, Stoneyfield Farms has a program running until the end of March. They give you a specific points allotment for every code off of the lid you enter in which translates to free products like organic chocolate, baby products and even books. Point redemption starts at just 25 points and many items provide 4pts each! I just purchased a couple items and already have 7pts, I know the next 18 pts will come quickly because we eat a lot of yogurt.

5. Pay As You Go- My husband and I went from spending $75 per month for our combined cell phone bill to spending only $8 each per month, that's a savings of over $700 per year! How did we do it? We traded in our AT&T family plan with roll over minutes (that we never used) to a pay as you go plan called Go Phone with AT&T. It took us about a month to adjust to the plan but it was well worth it.


We spend less time talking while driving (well actually neither of us talks on the phone while driving anymore) and we do not need a texting plan. Let's face it, we all got along fine before the ability to 'text' became available. I check my voicemail from our home phone so it's free and we only use them for emergencies, when meeting a friend or when lost and needing direction. You can add minutes as often or as little as you like and the purchased blocks of minutes last about 3 months which is perfect for us.


I thought it was drastic when we first did it and it was uncomfortable for a few weeks but I'm so glad that the money we are saving is going towards a trip and not to a telecommunications provider. It also lets me be more productive by not spending time on the phone.


An alternative to this is to eliminate a land line in your home and exclusively use your cell phone to save over $40 per month!


What is your favorite tip for saving money? It doesn't have to be one listed above. Do you have a favorite coupon website or a unique way that you and your family cut costs? Leave a comment, we'd love to hear from you!

FREEBIE- Martha Stewart Cookbook!

In the sprit of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to continue my theme of giving by offering you all a fabulous freebie, something that everyone can use this Thanksgiving.

HERE is a link to a copy of Martha's downloadable Thanksgiving cookbook! It's a PDF, so be sure to save it to your computer.

I don't know about you, but ALL of these recipes look amazing! I'm not sure which one to make first! One things is for sure though, I will be trying out a few of these soon! Part of my New Year's resolution for this year was to experiment with more recipes. I'm sure hubby will be happy!

Which recipe do you think you'll try first? Let us know!

BTW-If you haven't already filled out our first blog contest (our other freebie) click HERE to enter! Contest ends today at 6pm EST.

Happy Cooking!

Freebie Friday- Glidden Paint & Chocolate!

I believe that taking advantage of coupons, deals, freebies and other promotional offers is a great way to save money for the things you really want. I'm calling today Fabulous Freebie Friday because there are a couple free offers running that you'll want to take advantage of.

Mars Chocolate is giving away chocolate every Friday until the end of September. It's true! I've tested is already for you and I know it works. Here is the link: http://www.realchocolate.com

Visit the site and fill out the brief information required and you'll receive a coupon for free chocolate in the mail. Mine took about a week. Fill one out for each of your kids and your spouse too-you'll get a coupon for each person. (Up to 4 per household)

Glidden Paint is running a campaign from June.25-July.2nd where you can receive a free 1 quart can of paint in any color you choose and they will mail it to you! The finish is eggshell and there are many colors to choose from. If you want to be really accurate-go to your local Lowe's or Home Depot stores and get the exact paint chip then visit:

https://www.glidden.com/promotions/free-paint-giveaway.do

Wondering What to do with a quart of paint? Ideas below:

1. Paint a small piece of furniture like a desk, small chair, or even a smaller dresser to give it new life. I painted out an old antique dresser with a few coats of white and replaced the hardware. It looks amazing, you'd never know it was the same dresser!

2. Use the paint for a smaller accent wall in a bathroom or small office area. If you've finished every room in your home, could you use it in your laundry room for an accent wall?

3. Use old carpet remnant to make a rug and then use a stencil to create a pattern and use the paint to add a pattern to the rug.

4. By creating your own stencil or purchasing one, you can give a piece of furniture like a coffee table or end tables new life by simple creating a pattern on the tops of them or even a dresser or nightstand.

5. You can also use this paint for stencils on your wall too, such as writing words like dream, sleep, etc. in a bedroom or insipiring words in your home office.

Happy Friday Everyone & Enjoy your Freebies!