Airfare

Hey gang!
Subject: NEWSFLASH: 3-Day Sale to the Eastern U.S., $69-$89 Each Way
I found this outstanding offer from Independence Air:
>
>LAS VEGAS/LOS ANGELES/SAN DIEGO--AUGUST 30, 2005-- Independence Air has
>just launched a 3-day sale with some of the best coast-to-coast fares
>we've seen.
>
>Fares from Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego to Washington D.C.
>start at just $69 each way. You can also fly to more than 35 other Eastern U.S.
>cities from $79 each way.
>
>Book by midnight ET on September 1, 2005. You can travel
>7 days-a-week from September 6 through November 15.
>
>Sample fares (each way):
>Los Angeles-Washington D.C. ... $69
>San Diego-Washington D.C. ... $69
>Las Vegas-Washington D.C. ... $79
>Los Angeles-New York ... $79
>Los Angeles-Orlando ... $79
>Los Angeles-Pittsburgh ... $79
>San Diego-Boston ... $79
>San Diego-Tampa ... $79
>Las Vegas-Atlanta ... $89
>
>Sale fares may require you to purchase up to 7 days in advance of travel.
>
>For full details and restrictions and to purchase directly through
>FLYi.com,
>click here: http://www.travelzoo.com/Newsflash.asp?204142
Happy traveling!
CENTserely,
Sister Thrifty

Freebies

Hi Everyone,
I LOVE a good freebie. I LIVE for a good freebie! (Well, ok there are more important things in life, but I really do love them!) Here are a few for ya this week:
Take Kraft Foods, for example. They publish Food and Family, a full-size, 60-pages, high quality magazine. Every issue (five a year) contains family-friendly recipes complete with detailed instructions and excellent photographs. This is more than a magazine, it’s really a cookbook. I’d never tell them, but it is so good, I’d gladly pay for it. But it’s free. You can sign up at www.kraftfoods.com/free or call 1 800 521 4403.
If you upload pictures to your computer, you can get an amazing software program that once cost nearly $100, absolutely free. And it’s a good one. Go to www.google.com, click on "more" then scroll down to find "Picasa." With this free download you will be able to find, edit and share your photos.
It’s an excellent program and completely free.
How much would you love a desktop index program that finds anything on your computer’s hard drive in less time than it takes you to type in a keyword?
You could pay $79 for "X-1," or get the Yahoo download version absolutely free at http://desktop.yahoo.com. Now you can quickly locate almost any file on your computer, including email, spreadsheets, images and Microsoft Outlook contacts, quickly and efficiently.
For free grocery coupons check out
http://microsite.coupons.com/gmsa/Login.asp?pid=10268&ZID=ac71&NID=4
And finally, if you live in the San Diego area and are interested in attending "Time Out For Women" on September 17th, you only have a few days left to get the Early Bird registration price. Check out
http://deseretbook.com/time-out/event?event_id=145 It's going to be a
full day of wonderful speakers, musical performances, friendshipping and sisterhood.....I promise! I'll be there!
Enjoy those last few moments of August....
CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty

Payless Shoes

Hi everyone!
Just a quick reminder that Payless Shoe Store is having their semi-annual BOGO (Buy One Get One 1/2 off) Sale until September 5 nationwide. Good time to pick up some extra school shoes for the kids or those cute sandals you wanted but couldn't justify buying. :)
If you shop at Staples, Office Max or Office Depot, be sure to sign up for their frequent buyer club. It's free and you start earning discounts immediately. Nowadays you don't have to even carry their store card in your wallet...just give them your phone number and they'll be able to pull up your account. Grocery stores and most other stores will do the same.
Have a great day out there in shopping land!
CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty

IRA

Hi everyone!
Back to school already??? Wow, this summer sure went by fast!
Looking for easy, arty, FREE, after-school activities? Go to www.thetoymaker.com where you can get more than 50 whimsically illustrated patterns for foldable paper toys. Kids print the templates, color them, then cut, fold, and past to make such nifty contraptions as a Tooth Fairy gazebo, boxes featuring dreamy pop-up scenes, bug boxes, paper airplanes, ornaments, etc.
One of the many new tax changes that could help your wallet in coming years is called the "Retirement Savings Contribution Credit." Basically, if you’re not a big income earner and you are putting money in a retirement account, you may get a break on your taxes, but this one won't last very much longer.
Here's the deal: If you save money in a 401k or an IRA, the government will match your money as much as 50 percent. If you are single and you make $15,000 or less, you get a 50 percent match from the government of up to $1,000. If you’re married, the maximum you can earn to get the credit is $50,000 combined. If you're married and your earn $30,000 combined, you get the maximum benefit. So, as you make more money, the match goes down. The credit is in effect until 2006. Here's a chart that spells it out for you:
Income for Married Couples Income for Singles Income for Head of Household Credit Rate AGI up to $30,000 AGI up to $15,000 up to $22,500 50%
$30,001 to $32,500 $15,001 to $16,250 $22,501 to $24,375 20%
$32,501 to $50,000 $16,251 to $25,000 $24,376 to $37,500 10%

I went out to dinner with an old girlfriend, while visiting Utah this week.
She wanted me to try one of her kids' favorite restaurants, "Wingers",
because she was craving one of their famous desserts. After eating there
for years she didn't even know they had a program for kids to get a free
meal for their birthday! I was appalled she didn't know (I AM Sister
Thrifty after all.) So....for the rest of you out there, remember to ask
when you go out to restaurants if they have such a program. Sometimes they
even have free dinners for adults on their birthdays. AND sometimes fast
food restaurants have it too (like Burger King, for example.) They usually
have a card you fill out and then they'll mail you a coupon or card of some
kind. Cold Stone ice cream and Bruesters Ice Cream have it as well. Don't
be shy to ask!
That's it for today. Be good out there!!
CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty

Movies

Hi everyone!
Be sure to get a FREE "MovieWatcher" card to start earning free drinks &
popcorn at AMC Theaters around the country. Go to www.moviewatcher.com
They'll send you a coupon for FREE popcorn every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for the month of August! Every time you buy a movie ticket you'll earn points on future free stuff. Hey, you're gonna go to the movies anyway, so you might as well start racking up points. Regal Cinema also has their version of the same thing. Go to www.regalcinemas.com
A story in Smart Money magazine claims that August is the peak time of the year for home burglaries. In August, people’s patterns are so disrupted with last minute getaways and other end-of-summer tasks. Burglars look for all kinds of tip offs that homeowners are gone. For instance, if an answering machine is full, they know someone may not be there. Check your messages while you’re away to avoid that. If you have an alarm sign, put it in your yard. Burglars don’t pay as much attention to the stickers on doors, but signs in the yard will deter them as they case houses in a neighborhood.
Also, don’t put your home address on luggage tags when you travel. Put an office address or business card in the slot instead. And, have someone pick up your mail and newspapers while you’re gone. Don’t just stop the delivery.
Having a burglar alarm system can’t hurt either. Insurance companies often offer a discount on premiums if you have a burglar alarm. People are paying an average of $27 a month for service, when it costs the company about $2 a month. So, shop the market and pay $15 to $20 a month at the most.
Here's another scarry thought...Beginning in May '05 a new database became available to the general public, free of charge, that displays your personal information names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates). The database is
found at http://www.zabasearch.com/. I checked to see if I was on there,
and sure enough, I was. At least they got my birthday wrong so I'm now
younger. :) Check to see if your name and information is in their
database. If so and you want it removed, send them an e-mail atinfo@zabasearch.com to request it be removed.
Now for some good money-saving news!...Have you heard of Skype? It’s one of those companies that is sneaking up on the world without any advertising.
It’s basically an Internet platform that allows you to make long distance and overseas calls for next to nothing. If you call other Skype members, you pay nothing. For non-members, a lot of places in the world are 1.9 cents.
Sometimes people complain that it makes you sound tinny, but other than that the call is great. It’s an open platform kind, so you can also use your cell phone and potentially other devices to make Skype calls. These kinds of ingenious services could completely eliminate long distance from your life.
How great would that be? All you have to do is pay a $10 yearly subscription fee and you’re home free. Skype also has a new gadget called the "phone wizard." It allows you to switch back and forth from the local line with your long distance company to the Skype Internet line. You can buy the device for $56 and just plug your phones into it. Your phone plays double duty, saving you money on calls. These kinds of inventions are going to change the telecommunications industry.
That's it for today!
Have a great one!
CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty

Free American Flag

Hey everyone!

I haven't been able to confirm this yet...7-Eleven is celebrating its 78th birthday and the 40th birthday of the slurpee. Each participating 7-Eleven store will offer 1,000 customers a free 7.11 oz slurpee drink of their choice this Monday, July 11th only! Woohoo!
Too bad I didn't know about this one in time for the 4th of July....well, better late than never!
FREE American Flag Decals . These go on the inside of windows and use no adhesive, static holds them in place and can be easily removed and reapplied hundreds of times. They're also including generic American flags only, waving flag static clings, and vinyl flag decals which range in size from 2"
up to 12". God bless America and we stand united! Send us a S.A.S.E.
self-addressed stamped envelope and receive up to 10 free decals and stickers ($20 Value). Show support for America and US troops by displaying these flags. Please allow 1-3 weeks for delivery and you may send multiple requests. You will not be placed on any mailing lists.
Mail your requests to:
Street-Signs-USA.com
c/o America Stands United
PO Box 2490
Binghamton, NY 13902-2490

A Sister Thrifty fan sent me this tip:
Ok ladies, I saw this and thought some of you might be interested.
Lucky magazine has promotions now and then for free stuff w/ purchase. Their latest is a free Philosophy "Falling in Love" gift set ($45 value) with any purchase on their site.
It includes a 2 oz perfume spray and an 8 oz shower gel in the "Falling in Love" scent. Here's the set picture:
http://www.philosophy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=25730&langId=-1&parentCategoryId=24506
You can buy anything on the site to qualify for the set, one of the cheaper item is the "Kiss me" lip balms for $10.00.
Shipping is $4.00
The promo code is luckymag
I bought the lip balm and the total came to $14.00 for everything. I'm going to put the gift set away to give to my mom for Christmas.
www.philosophy.com

Another Sister Thrifty reader sent this tip:
My husband recently discovered that amazon.com is a great place to buy diapers. we just ordered a value pack of pampers baby dry 156 count for $30.
they also include free shipping and are tax free making them an even greater deal. they have lot's of sizes and brands. check them out!
My sister-in-law swears by www.drugstore.com.
She lives in a busy metropolitan area, so traffic and driving are a nightmear. They carry everything, and their prices are comprable to my local Wal-Mart, and in some cases cheaper. Plus with free shipping on orders of $50, it makes it pretty easy. Plus no dragging kids to the store, no gas,
traffic, parking lots, less temptation to purchase things you don't need.
It is amazing what you can find online.
Have a great week!
CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty

CARS

Hi all!
I found this great web site where you can get coupon codes for all kinds of companies on-line where you might want to buy stuff. It looks like they keep the site updated very well too. Check out www.dealunion.com
Here's a real frugal tip...What do you do with foam packaging peanuts? You can store them for the next time you send a package, or deposit them at most recycling centers across the nation. Here's an even better idea. Why not use them in potted plants to help with soil drainage? Instead of adding the traditional gravel to the lower 1/3 of the planting container, add unused foam packaging peanuts instead. As a low weight, high volume alternative to potting gravel, you'll find your pots will weigh substantially less, making
gardening a little less burdensome. This volume drainage alternative also
helps stretch valuable quality gardening materials for other plants. The insulation properties of the peanuts also help to sustain plant roots during cold winter chills.
Furniture retailers have been closing left and right because the industry is in complete turmoil. At the same time, two furniture retailers are going great guns in the industry. They are so successful because they have such big stores. They are IKEA and Nebraska Furniture Mart. These companies sell unbelievable amounts of furniture. The Nebraska Furniture Mart has up to 14,000 people inside at one time, and is growing to be the size of a mall.
The whole idea is to "sell cheap and tell the truth," which is the motto of Nebraska Furniture Mart. People drive thousands of miles to visit these places and buy the furniture. IKEA also ships its goods cheap by sending them disassembled. So, when it arrives you have to put it together. Costco Wholesale is also doing well selling furniture because the mark-up on the merchandise is so small. Consider these companies when buying furniture these days, and you’ll pay much less.
Car sales have been extremely generous over the past month. It started when GM announced it would offer the "employee discount price" to customers. It was very successful because the prices were better and because there were no games. You knew exactly what you’d be paying. It caused Ford and Chrysler to match the deal. GM has now realized that people will buy more cars if they don’t have to play games over prices. So the company will now adopt much lower list prices on cars and try to get dealers to adopt no haggling policies. Old habits die hard, so we’ll see how this goes. But be aware that GM is at least trying to have lower prices and fewer games from now on.
In local San Diego news...
The school year is fast approaching. Does your child need a little extra help staying ahead of the curve? Darcy Tanner is now available to tutor your elementary school student in all subjects or your middle school or high school student in English (including writing and literature). She has a degree in English from Brigham Young University and experience teaching English. For more information call her at 760.672.3325
Ok doky, that's it for this week!
Have a great weekend!
CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty