And the Old Navy Game Continues...

Just got a short update on Old Navy's plans for the week. They have announced the following:

Update (5/28/09): Old Navy continues to offer a fresh serving of coupons every week at OldNavyWeekly.com

With skirts and dresses just $15 in store and the fabulous $75 off $100 coupon back, this week at OldNavyWeekly.com may be our most exciting yet. Hope you’re ready for all the fun to come when we refresh the site this Sunday.

According to this post that they released today, it looks like they are refreshing on Sunday, not the usual Thursday. However, I'm planning to check tomorrow just in case there is an "extra" refresh.

[Note: These coupons are good in the US and Canada, but not online.]

What To Do When the Shelves are Empty (CVS)

Chances are, if you are regular CVSer like me, you find great deals on products, and then get to the store and find some of them sold out. Usually, if the product is not on the shelf, there will be no more until the great deal is over. I've been frustrated by this several times. I recently learned that rainchecks are the answer. I knew that I could get a raincheck at the sale price. What I didn't know is that the ECBs are also included in the raincheck, so when there is a great deal or a moneymaker that includes ECBs, but the product is gone, don't despair. Just ask the cashier for a raincheck, and be sure that they include the ECBs.

I Love Getting Paid to Shop!

There's a great money-maker at CVS this week. I plan to check it out this evening, but here's what I'm hearing via the grapevine...

There is an Extra Care Bucks offer this week that gives you $10 ECBs when you buy two Neutrogena products. It just so happens that the 1 oz. Neutrogena bottles of sunscreen are approximately $2 each this week. So, buy two of them for about $4 and get $10 ECBs. That's a money-maker of $6, plus you get some good sunscreen.

A New Way to Dine Out

Do you ever wish you could enjoy dinner at one of those 'nice' restaurants, but find yourself ending up at the local pizza shop because that's just as far as your budget can stretch? We've discovered a little secret to dining out for less.

www.restaurant.com is a great place to find gift certificates at a discount. Usually we think of gift certificates as something to give to someone else, but when you can get them at a discount, why not use it yourself? Just yesterday, we purchased two gift certificates for ourselves. One is a $25 certificate, and we paid $2. The other is a $10 certificate and we paid 60 cents. I'm not kidding! $35 in gift cards for $2.60. That's a good deal! Now, do be careful to read the fine print before purchasing. There is usually a minimum purchase, and sometimes restrictions on days that the certificate can be used. With the required minimum purchase, you'll still have to pay at least $10, plus what you paid up front for the certificate, but that's okay by us. We're happy to enjoy a $40 dinner for $15. No complaints here. We can hardly eat at McDonalds for that price!

[Note: If you go on the site, you won't see prices quite this low. When you check out, use the promo code SPECIAL, and an 80% discount will be applied.]

[Note #2: Sorry, the link was wrong. It's fixed now, and should take you to the correct site. Happy eating!]

Eating Organic

Are you convinced that because you want or need to eat organic foods, there are no deals out there for you? Organic & Natural Food companies also participate in the coupon craze. You can get good deals too!

Organic Valley just reloaded their coupons this week. Check it out.

Free Chocolate Friday!

Who doesn't love a free chocolate bar?! Check out www.realchocolate.com every Friday morning until mid-September. The first 250,000 visitors each week get to request a coupon for a free bar. What are you waiting for?

(Offer open to US residents only. Maximum of one coupon per Friday, and four total per household.)

Old Navy Coupons!

It's Thursday... and that means that sometime today, Old Navy will be reloading their online coupons. Not familiar with the Old Navy coupon site? Check it out here: www.oldnavyweekly.com. Every week, Old Navy posts various coupons on this site. Note: They are hidden, and you have to find them by interacting with the site. The coupons are limited in number, so once a certain number of people get a coupon, it will become unavailable. Everything from 5% off your purchase to $75 off a $100 purchase can be found here! Yes, that's right. Some big coupons show up from time to time. The biggies are very limited, and usually go very quickly, so I never get them, but there's always something you can use. Always check the site before heading to Old Navy. It's rare that there is nothing available. The best news is, you can even use the coupons on clearance items!

Happy hunting... and shopping!

(Coupons valid in US & Canada, in-store only.)

Free Tim's!

This is just one reason I wish I lived close to a Tim Horton's! It looks like Manitoba stores are giving away lattes, which are even better than iced coffee, in my opinion. :) So, call a Tim's near you. Find out if they are participating. And go enjoy a yummy drink! Good tomorrow only, from 12-5 pm.

Free Ice Cream!

Any ice cream lovers out there? Friendly's is having free ice cream day on June 6th! Participating locations are offering a free scoop of ice cream to customers from 12-5 pm. No purchase necessary! Check here for details.

Welcome!

I'm excited that you have decided to join me on the journey of "Frugal Living for Generous Giving". My hope is that I can share some thoughts, ideas, and encouragement for how we can save our pennies in order to benefit others. Please catch that little detail... it's not minor, it's central. We're saving so we can be giving generously.

How did I ever get started on this? Well, I've always been a "saver". I'd rather save money than spend it. I like to have a rainy day fund, and I like to have a plan for emergencies. I have lived on a budget for years, and don't mind it at all. In fact, I can live on a rather tight budget and be okay. However, something changed when I got married 2.5 yrs ago. I married a "giver". Andy loves to give. It can be money, it can be gifts, it can be anything he sees that someone else needs - he gives! He is SO generous. It's something I love about him. It's a great gift that God gave him. It's also a gift that began to highlight how selfish I was. Andy didn't mind giving until we had nothing left. I, on the other hand, preferred to keep our rainy day fund and just not be quite so generous. After all, it's not expected, is it? Well, it didn't take long for me to learn that telling Andy not to give was like cutting off his right arm. It's part of who he is (a wonderful part of him, I might add...) and I realized that I was hindering what God wanted to do in and through him. I needed a change of heart. I asked God to help me bless rather than begrudge this integral part of who Andy is, and He has. What joy I have found in giving freely to others!

As we started on a track of more unity in our desire to give (and as my joy in this area grew), I began to wonder how we could find more to share with others. The answer seemed obvious - either earn more money or spend less. Well, earning more isn't a viable option right now. Spending less didn't seem to be either, until I did some further research.

And thus began my intensified journey into frugal living. I use a combination of shopping strategies, store sales, store rewards, coupons, rebates, freebies, and other little tidbits along the way to help keep our costs lower. At the same time, we're taking steps to become debt free (check out www.daveramsey.com) so that we can free up money that would otherwise be used for interest on loans.

I am no expert. I know very little, but what I do know, I want to share with you. If you have comments or thoughts along the way, please leave them here. I'd love to hear from you.

(A note to my Canadian readers... While it's easier for me to find and post info that is relevant to US residents, I'll do what I can to keep a little Canadian content on here as well. )

Let the journey begin!