Black Friday and Cyber Monday steals and deals 2014

We'll have hardly eaten our turkey dinner when the Black Friday and Cyber Monday steals and deals hit the stores!  Some have even started already!

Here are some great places to help you get started on your Christmas shopping list!

1) Amazon - Amazon offers something for everyone. The leading online giants are offering great discounts on a wide variety of items from nearly all major departments, which includes; household items, electronics, clothing apparel, toys, jewelry, and books. The best deals are the Lionel Train sets and Kenneth Cole watches for men. 

The Deals:

Buy one Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Toys get one free 

Up to 40% off Lionel Train sets

Up to 40% off popular books 

Up to 30% off Dyson products 

60% off Kenneth Cole men's watches

50% off Hush Puppies for boys 

 

 

 

2) Old Navy - When it comes to clothing, very few places can top Old Navy. Old Navy is a perfect place to buy jackets, fleece, sweaters, jeans, and pajamas. Old Navy is offering 5 Day Deals for 50% off all sleepwear, and an Early Bird Special for 30% off the entire store. Enter the code EARLYBIRD to cash in on the incredible savings. They are even featuring a giveaway on Black Friday where one lucky store shopper will win a million dollars in their Overnight Millionaire sweepstakes contest. 

The Deals: 

30% off anything in the entire store

50% off all sleepwear

Deals starting from $4

 

 

 

3) Target - Target is quite diverse when it comes to selling products. They sell clothing, electronics, toys, back-to-school stuff, and outdoor patios. You can find a wide assortment of great deals for sweaters and artifical Christmas trees by shopping their online store. The deal on toys is perfect for surprising your nieces, nephews or grandchildren on Christmas Day!    

The Deals:  

Buy 1 toy get another from the same brand at 50% off 

40% off sweaters

50% off artifical trees

Handbags and wallets that are 50% for the second item

Boots that are 50% off for the second pair 

25% off Christmas stockings. 

 

 

4) K-Mart - The major retailer specializes in low prices for just about any item you can think of. K-Mart is offering up Black Friday deals for children's toys, Christmas products and Lego sets, and household appliances. The Lego sets make ideal Christmas presents for kids. 

The Deals: 

30% off on vacuums

40% off Lego sets

Board games for under $10

10% off Christmas related products. 

 

If you're already a K-Mart Member, you can enter the codeHOMETHX15 to receive 15% off a wide assortment of househould items. 

5) Best Buy - Best Buy specializes in electronics and all sorts of gadgets for the tech lovers. Best Buy is offering some fantastic Black Friday deals on tablets, Samsung products, and desktop monitors. If you're not that tech savvy, you can always contact their Geek Squad for more info on electronic items. 

The Deals:

Samsung Galaxy S 5 Cell Phone for $1

Tablets starting from for $49.99

Amazon Fire TV Stick for $24.99

 

 

 

6) Staples - Staples makes shopping easy, especially when all you need to do is click a mouse to complete a transaction! Staples offers a variety of office equipment, school supplies and electronics. The best deal, by far, is The Boxflex WR30M Pro Strapless Heart Rate Monitor. It was $129.99 before and is selling for only $9.99 during Black Friday. You can't go wrong there!

The Deals:

The Boxflex WR30M Pro Strapless Heart Rate Monitor for $9.99

Beats By Dre Executive Headphones for $159.99

Brother MFC-7360N Laser Multifunction Printer for $99.99

Circuit Expression 2 Cutting Machine for $159.99

 

 

7) eBay - eBay is the internet auction powerhouse, which offers a tremendous variety of online shopping departments. The major departments to pay attention to during Black Friday are electronics, clothing, fashion,  jewelry, and accessories for men. Samsung items are also on sale. The free shipping is the icing on the cake here! Start preparing your wishlist today. 

The Deals:

Invicta watches up to 90% off

60% off home and garden items 

Certified 1ct diamond stud earrings in 14K white gold with screw-backs for $695

Lenovo ThinkServer TS140 Tower Server System for $319 from $599

 

Other retailers offering up great deals, includes; Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Costco, Kohl's, RadioShack, Overstock, Game Stop, and through eBay.  

Cyber Monday Mahem

   

While I’m not one to stand outside a store at 4:00 am for Black Friday bargains, I definitely get excited about “Cyber Monday.” Why? Because I can get great prices from the comfort of my home by shopping online!


Cyber Monday has become so popular and a part of our Christmas shopping lexicon that it’s even in Wikipedia now. The term Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday. Whereas Black Friday is associated with traditional brick and mortar stores, Cyber Monday symbolizes a busy day for online retailers. The premise was that consumers would return to their offices after the Black Friday weekend, making purchases online that they were not able to make in stores.

Each year www.walmart.com offers some of the best bargains and this year they’re in a price war with www.amazon.com I love that! Some of the common discounts include free shipping and percentages off the sales price. While I love going inside a real store and being able to touch the merchandise and get my picture taken with Santa, I REALLY love being able to stay home and shop in my pajamas!

Below are some really great web sites where you can see at a glance which retailers are offering discounts this year:

www.cybermonday.net

www.cybermonday.fm/

www.offers.com/cyber-monday/

www.cybermondayonlinedeals.com

www.dealtaker.com/cybermonday

www.visa.com/cybermonday

www.target.com/cybermonday



One of the great advantages to shopping online is that you can ship directly to your gift recipient, saving you hours of packaging presents, driving in crazy traffic to the post office, and standing in long lines during the busy holiday season! Some stores will even allow you to "double dip" which means you can stack discounts. Before you purchase anything online, remember to do an online search of the name of the store you're interested in buying from, along with the words "discount code" and you'll be pointed towards sites that give you special codes to use in the shopping cart to save even more money!

Some of my favorite discount code web sites are:

• www.currentcodes.com

• www.Couponcactus.com

• www.retailmenot.com

• www.couponcabin.com

• www.couponchief.com



Each year consumers spend more than $80 billion shopping on the Internet. It’s fast. It’s easy. No crowds. No searching for parking spaces. And who doesn’t love shopping in their pajamas? Unfortunately, one out of ten adults reported being victimized by online fraud in 2011, so you definitely need to be careful. Computer security experts have come up with some shopping tips to help protect you from cyber crime.

1. Investigate the vendor. Check the site for refund policies and contact information. It only takes a minute to review a company’s track record at www.bbb.org (Better Business Bureau).

2. Protect your private information by never giving financial information by email.

3. Start a paper trail. Print online receipts, product information and email confirmations.

4. Choose carefully where you shop. Only shop online at sites that provide password protection and encryption. When you see “https” you know the site is secure.

5. Protect your computer with antivirus software and firewalls.

The Internet has also made the world a much smaller place. There might be a company in Wisconsin who has exactly what your son’s school needs but can’t afford. www.throwplace.com is a great resource where charities, businesses, and individuals donate items and can get free items in return! Be sure to sign up your kids’ schools or your church!

The holidays are a busy time to be sure. Remember to pause and reflect on what’s truly important. Toss the guilt if you can’t buy the expensive gift for others that you wish you could. There is no shame in writing up some of those hand-made gift coupons, good for one back rub or car wash. People on their death bed never say they wish they had that gadget; rather, they often express regret for not having spent more time loving and serving others.

November deals

Since 2007, November means Daylight Savings begins.  November is now also officially “Movember” ….that is to say that men are wearing mustaches in support of prostate and testicular cancer research.  Wow, I’m glad we girls only have to wear a pink ribbon to show support for breast cancer research! 

You’re probably gearing up for Thanksgiving as well.  Here are some great web sites where you can find deals on turkeys and all the fixins, plus a few other fun Thanksgiving items:

www.SmithsFoodAndDrug.com/Circulars    coupons on turkeys and the fixins

www.BettyCrocker.com   free recipes, coupons

www.Pillsbury.com     free recipes, coupons

www.thanksgivingworld.com   all things Turkey Day

www.thanksgivinggreetings.net      free e-cards

www.theholidayspot.com/thankgiving/games    free Thanksgiving games

www.tnpsc.com/thanksgiving.htm    free Thanksgiving screensavers

And what happens the day after Thanksgiving?   The famous BLACK FRIDAY!  In a new retail development, Black Friday deals will be available from now throughout the remainder of the holiday season.

This change comes in the aftermath of Black Friday 2008 when a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death by a mob of riotous shoppers in New York.

Wal-Mart in particular will be keeping a majority of its stores open 24 hours this year to avert a similar disaster. The mega-retailer plans to open on Thanksgiving morning at 6 a.m. and keep stores open through Friday evening.

But there's no need to wait until then to steal a deal. Retailers are rolling out the deals right now. For example, I saw a laptop at Best Buy for $249 – without standing in the cold or checkout in a long line. It was part of a one-day sale that Best Buy was having to kick off the Black Friday shopping season.

Find more Black Friday deals right now at these websites:

• BlackFriday.info
• GottaDeal.com
• BFAds.net

CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty

5/15/07 Newsletter

"Deals that are nifty by Sister Thrifty"

Yahoo! Kills Off Photo ServiceFlickr won. That's the word from Yahoo!, where the older-style Yahoo! Photos is about to be shut down in favor of Flickr. It's an odd move, although with Photobucket growing so quickly, understandable. What will Yahoo! Photos customers do? Well they can always move to Flickr, but Yahoo!'s offering up other services as well. Check this out for more info: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2125982,00.asp
Now that the price of stamps just went up you might be interested in some free address labels to save your pennies. All of the web sites below offer free address labels:
http://www.cff.org/GetInvolved/MailingLabels/http://www.diabetes.org/main/mailinglabel/mailinglabel.jsphttp://www.makersmark.com/addresslabels/http://www.nfcr.orghttp://www.pva.org/site/Survey?SURVEY_ID=1701&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS
More free ice cream! Today (May 15) Haagen-Dazs is giving everyone a free scoop of their new flavors at all stores nationwide from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. Go to http://www.haagen-dazs.com/newflavorday/ to find a location near you.
I hear Hancock Fabric stores are going out of business, so if there is one near you, swing by and check out their clearance items! www.hancockfabrics.com
For a free Diet 7UP two liter bottle click on http://7up.com/Diet/Registration/CouponTwoLiterRegistration.aspx
A friend of mine is producing a new television series called Real Families, Real Answers. She's searching for families nationwide of all sizes, faiths, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, who are willing to share their life experiences. The series covers topics such as strengthening marriage, parenting, blended families, single parenting, protecting family time, dealing with loss, and more. If you or someone you know might be interested, please visit www.realfamiliescasting.com to apply.
That's it for now. Another quickie email until I finish the doggone manuscript I'm working on! Have a great week!
CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty

5/8/2007 Newsletter

"Deals that are nifty by Sister Thrifty"
Hi everyone! I'm busy finishing up a manuscript for my next book, so this e-newsletter is going to be SHORT! But sweet…

I just discovered this great FREE card that could possibly save your family tons of money on prescription medications. See if you qualify for it at http://tinyurl.com/3xg6y2

My hubby's birthday is coming up soon and I discovered a great web site that lists all of the restaurants in your area that will give you a free meal or dessert on your birthday. Check out http://tinyurl.com/3po8s Bluebell Ice Cream company will also give you a free half gallon of ice cream on your birthday by going to www.bluebell.com/Registration.aspx

Even if it's not your birthday you can get a free ice cream cone from Dairy Queen for joining their "DQ Crew" online at http://thedqcentral.com/

And finally, if you're busy planning a wedding this spring or summer, check out all these wedding freebies:
Free Sample of Wedding Magnetshttp://www.magnetstreet.com/request/requestweddingpack/market/517/
-Free Organic Wedding Invitation Sampleshttp://www.organicweddings.com/wedding_invitations/paper_request.html
-Free Samples for Brides - Join Mailing List http://www.romanticflowers.com/samples_freesamples.html
-Free Wedding Invitations by Dawnhttp://www.invitationsbydawn.com/Custom/DawnUS/DD_Samples.cfm
-Your Weddings Registryhttp://www.yourweddingsregistry.com/
-Invites Galore Free Sampleshttp://www.invitesgalore.com/samples.htm
-Bliss Weddings Tips and Checklistshttp://www.blissweddings.com/
-Free Wedding Guidehttp://www.worry-free-weddings.com/request.htm
-Free Wedding Plannerhttp://www.usbridalguide.com/local/associate.html
-Create a Free Wedding Websitehttp://www.mywedding.com/main/couple_sites.html
-Free Silk Rose Petalshttp://www.iblossom.com/_contact.html
-Free Samples from the Petal Gardenhttp://www.petalgarden.com/silk-samples.htm
-Free Flower Petal Samples - emailhttp://www.weddingflowersandmore.com/silk-rose-petals.html
email: samples@weddingflowersandmore.com
-Petal Press Handmade Paper Sampleshttp://www.thepetalpress.com/PapersPage.htm
-Free Wedding Favor Sampleshttp://www.sophiesfavors.com/samples.htm
-Free Wine Glass Name Tagshttp://www.imageryproducts.com/sample_request.html
-Now and Forever Free Invitation Samples and Cataloghttp://www.now-and-forever.com/ left side-Wedding Freebieshttp://freebies.about.com/OD/weddingfreebies/Wedding_Freebies.htm
OD /weddingfreebies/Wedding_Freebies.htm
-Free One Year Subscription to Marriage Todayhttp://www.marriagetoday.org/site/PageServerpagename=magazine_subscribe
Free Brides Guidehttp://www.bridesguide.com/subscribe.cfm
-Free Macy's Wedding Dream Bookhttp://wedding.weddingchannel.com/promo/wishbook/order.asp
-Free Nancees Designs Wedding Plannerhttp://www.nanceesdesigns.com/Forms/register.html
-Free Ring Sizerhttp://www.weddingbands.com/ringSizer.asp
-Free Wedding Plannerhttp://www.sf.pii.orders.com/Events/Marriage/RP_Marriage/
-Free Wedding Songs CD when You Registerhttp://www.theknot.com/may_locations.html


That's it for this week! Gotta run!
Happy Mother's Day to all of you magnificent women out there!!!

CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty

4/28/07 Newsletter

"Deals that are nifty by Sister Thrifty"

Years ago I created a big spreadsheet for all the grocery stores around town, trying to decide which store was the least expensive. Of course, the price of items changed from week to week, making one store the better deal one week and a different store less expensive the next, depending on sales. One thing I noticed was that some of the best deals to be had consistently were found at the big warehouse clubs. My favorite is Costco. A study by the Economic Research Service at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture shows that you save a substantial amount of money shopping at warehouse clubs and Wal-Mart Supercenters. Hey, anywhere you can buy tires and cool whip is quite a store.

The study was done over a five-year period, and, on the same quantity of an item, you will save from 5 to 20 percent. As a result, those stores represent about a third of grocery store spending these days. Costo even pays cash back at the end of the year up to 2% of purchases. Alternatively, regular supermarkets use "high-low" pricing, where some items are extremely cheap and others are marked up significantly. The supermarkets tout the low, sale items in advertisements to lure you in, but they hope you'll buy the higher-priced ones when you're there. The only bad thing about the big clubhouses is you have to be able to resist some of that great stuff and be be able to control impulse buying.

What's going on with Vonage these days? People who have loved the service are upset that the company may go under. Some say it's highly likely that the company will go bust. Not only is Verizon attacking the company in court, but Vonage has also done a poor job of satisfying customers in recent months. You probably want come up with a back-up plan for when the company shuts down, and you might want o check out sunrocket.com. Sunrocket has a different business model, whereby you pay for a year up front. It's $199 a year, plus junk fees, and you get unlimited calling. It works out to about $17 a month. The one unknown is how people will port their numbers once Vonage goes bon voyage. The company won't be concerned with helping people port their numbers to another company once they've gone under. So, you probably want to make the switch now. Other VOIP services are Packet8 and Lingo. Check them out.

May 1st is National Pizza Day at Pizza Hut. They are giving away one slice of pizza (cheese or pepperoni) per person between 3 and 5pm. This is going to be nationwide, with advertisements on TV and in USA Today on May 1st.

This week's freebies features a ton of stuff for your car:

Automotive Lubricant Sampleshttp://www.nyeautomotive.com/ask.htmSample Kit from Caplugs.comhttp://www.caplugs.com/kits.aspFree Car Care Guideshttp://www.carcare.org/car_care_guide/consumer2.shtmlCar-pons - Free Automotive Couponshttp://www.car-pons.com/Free Car Keychain for Surveyhttp://autosurvey.hitart.com/Sample of Armour All Glass or Cleaning Wipeshttp://www.aa-ownercenter.com/index.phpFree National Corvette Museum Magnethttp://www.corvettemuseum.com/freegift/Sample Bottle of Dri Wash 'N Guardhttp://www.waterless.8m.com/request.htmlFree Cheap Car Insurance Quoteshttp://usaautoinsurance.org/Automotive Interiors & Accessories, Inc. - Sample Request http://www.automotiveinteriors.com/samples/carpeting_$3.htmFree Auto Carpeting Sampleshttp://www.autostyles.com/acsallsamples.htmFree 2007 Fuel Economy Guide http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/feg_orderform.htmlSample of Knight Shield Professional Car Care Productshttp://www.knightshieldinc.com/ContactUs.htmFree MagnaFine Auto Air Freshenerhttp://www.magnefine.com/forms/form.htmlPennzoil More Miles Club http://www.pennzoil.com/moremilesclub/default.htmlSample of Speed Brite Auto Wax & Cleaner http://www.galladechem.com/speedbrite/sample.htmFree Tire Gauge Keychain for Car Ins Quote Survey http://yourcar.headplug.com/Free Automotive Film Sampleshttp://www.gilafilms.com/free-samples.htmFree Car Air Freshener Sampleshttp://airfresheners.homestead.com/Sample2.htmlFree Samples for Auto Body Shopshttp://www.autobodyonline.com/samples.cfmFree Swissol 60 Page Car Care Handbookhttp://www.swizol.com/E/US/KontaktHandbook.htmFree Water Washable Air Filter Oil Samplehttp://www.qwiktimeproducts.com/page2.html

That's it for now. Have a GREAT week!
CENTSerely,

Sister Thrifty

4/21/07 Newsletter

"Deals that are nifty by Sister Thrifty"

Did you all survive tax season? Whew! Would you believe that roughly 50 million Americans pay no income tax? You might assume that it's the rich who aren't paying, but you'd be surprised. If you make about $50,000, you've paid all of your taxes to the government after you've worked til April 30. If you make $100,000, you are done paying federal, state and local taxes on June 20. If you make $1 million, you're done paying August 3. So, if you look at people who make more than $100 grand, they're paying taxes at least about half of the year!
Does this week's Dow news mean anything?
Big news in the financial world is the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting an all-time record. But what is the Dow and should it make any difference to you? First of all, the Dow is not the stock market. It's a historical symbol that is not really important to regular investors. It represents the value of the 30 largest companies in the U.S. The S&P 500 is much more important in terms of financial outlook of the company. The most important thing is that you are diversified in your investments. Too often people go after one industry or what's considered the hot money trail, meaning "emerging markets." Back in the 90s, the hot thing was tech stocks. Then, we hit 2000, and people saw their stock values drop as much as 99 percent. You have to decide whether you are an investor or a gambler. A lot of people in the financial world want you to think it's too confusing or hard to figure out what to do with your money. The best thing to do is diversify: put your money in index funds, real estate, and actual gold & silver you can hold in your hands. Don't forget to keep some cash in a fire safety box somewhere in your home for emergencies too.
I just discovered this great web site where you can find free attractions anywhere in the country. Find out where to take the family for free near you or where you plan on going on vacation! Check out http://www.free-attractions.com/
Check out this article on how to save money on gasoline for your car: http://www.SavingSecrets.com/article_gasoline.html
There is an article in last week's Los Angeles Times that says the average person in the US consumes about 12 pounds of chocolate per year. (They haven't met some of us!) The article goes on to say that two confectioners, See's Candies and Guittard Chocolate Co. (with the support of Chocolate Manufacturers of America), are battling with the FDA to be allowed to put cheaper ingredients into their chocolate, like vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter and milk protein concentrates instead of whole milk. They say it won't taste "much" different but that it wouldn't be as intense and will have a waxy taste. Who needs it? Chocolate lovers arise! Go to http://www.dontmesswithourchocolate.com/ by April 25 and express your opinion to the FDA.
And now for some fun freebies!....
Don't forget Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's nationwide on April 25th!
Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors is holding their 31 Cent Scoop Night on May 2nd nationwide from 5 pm - 10 pm. http://www.baskinrobbins.com/Promotion/31cent.aspx
Free Smoothie at Smoothi King! http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/smoothie/lp/join/join.asp
If you live near a Sonic you can print out this coupon for free Tater Tots http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/681/cpnprttotsbdrb0.jpg Sign up your children for their Wacky Pack Birthday club and you'll get a free kid's meal for your child's birthday at http://wackypack.kidsbirthdayclub.com/sign_up.cfm

Free stuff for Troops anbd their families at www.operationhomefront.org/Info/info_troopstuff.shtml
Check out the free summer camps for deployed parents at www.nmfa.org/site/PageServer


Clinique will give you a free Purse Size Perfume Spray (US) when you send an e-card:
http://www.clinique.com/happy_ecard/happy_video_landing.tmpl


Free 14-Day Supply Of Nature Made Multi Complete Multivitamins
http://www.naturemade.com/specialcoupon/entry.asp?ID=11&A=MEMBER
Free samples of Dove Cool Moisture shampoo & conditioner http://tinyurl.com/yq4osy

Get a free toilet scrubber (not that you WANT to scrub the toilet) at http://scotchbright.com/

Free Samples of Mountain Green All Natural Laundry & Cleaning Products
http://www.mountaingreen.biz/sample.html
That's it for today!
Have a terrific week!

CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty

4/18/07 Newsletter

"Deals that are nifty by Sister Thrifty"

Those lucky pennies have finally paid off...Spirit Airlines just released an incredible "one cent fare" sale. We're not kidding. You can actually fly between many U.S. cities and even the Caribbean for just a penny! Hurry -- though this sale was just announced, you must book your tickets by midnight tomorrow
(Thurs., April 19).
Do keep in mind that flights are available on very select dates April 21 - Sept. 30. You'll often find you can fly one-way for a penny but the return trip will be higher. Regardless, you'll be getting a terrific deal.
Sample one-cent fares:
Ft. Lauderdale to Cancun, Mexico ... $0.01
Ft. Lauderdale to Kingston, Jamaica ... $0.01
Atlantic City to Ft. Myers ... $0.01
Detroit to Boston ... $0.01
Detroit to New York ... $0.01
Myrtyle Beach to Detroit ... $0.01 Travelzoo Tip: Due to a high volume of traffic the booking engine may taking longer than usual to load.
For a complete list of fares and to book online http://www.spiritair.com/welcome.aspx?pg=salesinformation&number=294or http://tinyurl.com/28f766
Spirit Airlines
* Terms/Conditions:1 cent and $8 fares must be booked on spiritair.com between 10:00 AM ET on April 18, 2007 and 11:59 PM ET on April 19, 2007 for travel on the dates as specified by individual market and by market direction. Fares are for Deluxe Leather class travel and reflect the spiritair.com discount. Fares are each way based on roundtrip purchase, and roundtrip travel is required, but these fares may be combined with other valid and applicable Spirit Airlines fares on other days of the week. Three (3) Million Seat claim is based on the number of seats available at a $9 discount to the generally available selling price at the Spirit Airlines Reservations Center only for fares for travel April 22, 2007 to February 13, 2008 and when booked on spiritair.com. All fares listed on spiritair.com are per customer for each way of travel and include the base fare plus a federal excise tax. Fares do not include (a) a segment tax of $3.40 per U.S. domestic flight segment (a flight segment is defined as one takeoff and landing) of a passenger's itinerary; (b) up to $18 per round trip in local airport charges; or (c) a September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement originating at a U.S. airport. International itineraries do not include governmental taxes and fees (including U.S. government excise tax) of up to $125 per round trip. Additionally, if sold in, or travel originates in a country outside of the U.S., additional taxes may apply (up to 22% of the fare value per country). Fares are capacity controlled and subject to availability, and will be highly restricted around certain holiday periods. Previously purchased tickets may not be exchanged for these new sale fares. Certain restrictions apply. For best results, please book early. .

4/11/2007 Newsletter

"Deals that are nifty by Sister Thrifty"
Hi gang!
The kids are on Spring Break this week, so this newsletter will be short and sweet:
Google has released a new product called Goog-411, which is a free telephone based information service that could replace toll 411 calls. This is great if you are driving around and want to call ahead to make a reservation at a restaurant or something. By calling the toll free number from your cell phone, you say the business you are looking for and they will connect you for free. http://labs.google.com/goog411/ There are many people who are not into computers or the Internet, but they make a lot of long distance calls. So, how can you get unlimited long distance calling without using Internet telephony? There is a gadget called the "Chatterbug" that hooks into your phone jack and it is always $9.95 a month. You don't need a computer or any other lines or wires. All you need is the jack. If you have questions, you can call customer service at 866-690-3919. Lots of retirees have two homes. You're allowed to register two addresses and you never pay more than $9.95 a month as long as you take the device with you to each place.
Tuesday, April 17 - 12:00 Noon - 8:00 p.m. is Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day! Every year two real guys named Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield celebrate the first anniversary of their ice cream shop by giving away free ice cream as a way to say Thank You to their customers. This year, over 350 Ben & Jerry's shops around the country will celebrate Free Cone Day. To find a location near you click on
http://www.benjerry.com/sugarland/index.cfm
The YMCA is also making April 17 special by celebrating health and wellness of young people through a variety of fun, physical activities. YMCA Healthy Kids Day encourages kids and their families nationwide to stay active, connected and healthy. The YMCA Healthy Kids Day event is celebrated annually. Activities at participating YMCAs will vary and may include games, sports, health screenings and more. http://www.ymca.net/about_the_ymca/ymca_healthy_kids_day.html
Not to be outdone, throughout the month of April, get 2 knives sharpened for free at your local Sur La Table.
Bath and Body Works is having The Ultimate Beauty Cravings Event on April 14 from 9-11 a.m. Pamper yourself while sampling the best products and learning tips and tricks from our own beauty experts. You'll receive complimentary breakfast treats and a Free gift (over a $20 value) just for attending. For more info check out http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/home/index.jsp
Have a WONDERFUL week!
CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty

April 2, 2007 Newsletter

"Deals that are nifty by Sister Thrifty"

Happy Easter!!
The Easter Bunny wanted me to give you this special gift for Easter…a $10 gift certificate for Ted's Montana Grill, just for being you! Hopefully you have one near you so you can enjoy this! http://www.tedsmontanagrill.com/tmg_adv_wp.html
And now for a few items to help you and the Easter Bunny be ready for this Sunday:
$1 coupon on any Wonka Golden Egg Product for Easter


http://www.verybestkids.com/celebrationcorner/

Free Personalized Letter From The Easter Bunny
http://www.icontactedyou.com/Easter.htm

$1.50 coupons for Hershey's Easter Candy.


http://www.hersheys.com/easter/

Ashley Cardell: Free Godiva Chocolate Pearls (US &Canada) http://www.ashleycardell.com/gourmet_chocolate.html

15 Unique Easter Egg Hunt Ideas
1. Hidden Easter Basket Clues:
When your children get up on Easter morning don't just let them search for their Easter basket- give them a plastic egg with a clue inside. This should lead them to another plastic egg, which leads to another and so on, until finally leading them to their basket. Use up to about a dozen eggs per child. They'll have so much fun they'll almost be disappointed when they get to the basket at the end. When they get older have them make up clues for each other.
2. Hidden Easter Basket Spider Web:
While your children are sleeping, hide their Easter baskets in the house and tie a long string to each one. Loop the strings throughout the whole house, around and over and under furniture so it looks like a huge tangled spider web eventually leading to their rooms. Tie the end of each string to the doorknob of the child whose basket it's attached to, so when they come out of their rooms on Easter morning they can follow their own string throughout the house to find their Easter basket. Place some extra treats along the way to make it extra fun.
3. Odd or Even Egg Hunt:
For this game you must write ODD or EVEN numbers on each egg. When the kids are lined up for the egg hunt give each an odd or even number assignment. They can only get eggs in their assignment
4. Math Egg Hunt:
Hide plastic eggs with numbers in them, ranging from maybe 1 to 5 then, limit the children to how many they can find, like maybe 6 or something then after they're all found, total up the numbers that are in their eggs and the one with the highest number wins a prize. Have candy in the plastic eggs too, so that everybody will end up with something
5. Color- Coded toys:
Hide small toys inside plastic eggs. If your gifts are child exclusive ( such as Matchbox car for a boy or Barbie accessories for a girl) give them a special color egg to find. If they find colors not intended for them, they must be quite about it, and they'll think they are in on a special secret.
6.Secret Prizes:
Hide plastic Easter eggs with little notes inside, telling what the prize is. It can be in the form of a poem or just a clue (like this hippety hop). Buy little items such as candy eggs, toys, or little stuffed bunnies or chicks for prizes. Make sure everyone gets at least one prize.
7. Secret Notes:
Put little notes in plastic eggs. Things like "You have to give Aunt Mary a big hug" or "You get to take a piece of candy out of Andys basket" or "You must do one favor for uncle Tom". Have some prize eggs too that have numbers inside which match a gift.
8. Designated Color Egg Hunt:
Keep your egg hunt equal for all of the kids by painting ONE color of egg child. At the start of the hunt, give each child a different colored egg for their basket. Tell them this is the color that they're supposed to hunt for (any other colors don't count) and also the number of eggs that are hidden. The first child to find their eggs wins a special prize.
9. Find Your Name Egg Hunt:
Before your party write each person's name on one egg. The person that finds their first wins a prize.
10. Winning Numbers Egg Hunt:
Fill plastic eggs with small toys, temporary tattoos, stickers and wrapped candies for the hunt. Along with plastic eggs, hide a few real colored eggs. These eggs should have numbers painted on them and whoever finds one can exchange it for the corresponding numbered prize (stuffed animals, chocolate bunnies, Easter books ,etc.
11. Checklist Egg Hunt:
For large Easter Egg Hunts, make checklists for each child. Give each child a basket with a checklist and pencil in it and instruct the kids to find ONLY what is on their checklist and no more, otherwise someone else would be without enough. Make all of the checklist the same for each child and make sure you have enough eggs hidden so that everyone can complete theirs. You can have a grand prize too, for whichever child completes his checklist first by finding all of the items on it the fastest! The checklists could read something like this. ___Find 2 blue eggs___Find 3 pink eggs___Find 1 yellow egg___Find 2 orange eggs___Find 4 purple eggs___Find 3 green eggs
12. Indoor Egg Hunt:
Is rain going to ruin your Easter egg hunt? Just hide jelly beans inside the house and have your adults or kids hunt for them. Depending on the egg of the participants you can make the hunt easy or hard. Ever try and see a black jelly bean on a black object? Have fun!!
13. Night-time Egg Hunt:
For older kids (or adults), try an egg hunt in the dark! Give everyone a cheap flashlight to look for their eggs. Or try a glow in the dark egg hunt and paint every egg with glow in the dark paint.
14. Reverse Egg Hunt:
Have your children make at least five eggs each and hide them around the house. When they are done hiding them, the parents look for them and the child whose egg is found last wins a prize.
15. Treasure Map Egg Hunt:
Make up treasure maps for your egg hunt. Draw the maps to scale with each tree, bush and flower on the map and let the children plot out the hiding spots of all the eggs they find on their maps. Or you can plot the hiding spots on the maps when you hide the eggs –then give a copy of the map to each of the children and let them go to town finding the eggs by using the map. Obviously, this works out best if you are using large area for your egg hunt.
Have a GREAT Easter!

CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty