Freebies Sites

I have several "go-to" sites when I am looking for freebies and good deals. I have gotten a TON of free samples, full-size products, coupons, and smoking hot deals!

Below are a couple of my favorites:

Absolute Forum

Big Big Forums

I also "Like" many brand of Facebook because it is trendy for them to post freebies for their FB followers.

Happy Hunting!

P&G Everyday Coupons and Samples

Sign up with P&G Everyday to receive a ton of coupons and sometimes samples from your favorite P&G products!

I have been a member for years and have received hundreds of $$ in coupons and LOTS of samples!

CLICK HERE

Kroger and Coupons?

A few months ago, Kroger changed their coupon policy citing new lower prices in exchange for previously doubling coupons and accepting manufacturer coupons on top of digital coupons.

Now all coupons are accepted at "face value".

The store also has the right to refuse any coupon that will not scan.

(Source: https://www.kroger.com/topic/coupon-policy )

The "refusal" rule brings me to my story at hand....

Last Sunday I took my 13 year old daughter on a couponing excursion (hey, teach them young!). We first went to Walgreens where we looted $68 worth of HBA for only $30 (not my personal best, but definitely nothing to sneeze at). Walgreens had absolutely no problems with any of my coupons which had been cut from the newspaper. Next we went to Kroger. I didn't really have many coupons for Kroger, but I had a few that I wanted to use. I had about 4 digital coupons loaded on my Kroger card and about 5 manufacturer's coupons. My daughter and I carefully checked each item to make sure it was for what the coupon said. I am not a novice when it comes to couponing!

When I went to check out, all of the digital coupons worked by only ONE of my manufacturer coupons would scan! The checker handed me the coupons back and said she couldn't take them because they wouldn't scan. I was a little upset because there were items that I would not have bought without the coupons. She asked if I wanted to take the items off, but there was a line forming behind me and I didn't want to make everyone wait for just a few items. I just paid. I said to the checker, "So I guess ya'll aren't taking coupons from the paper anymore."

"Yes," she answered, "but only ones that scan."

I looked for a manager but none was around. This will make me think twice before shopping at Kroger. If I had clipped more coupons and had a ton of stuff in my shopping cart, I would have been WAY more irritated and angry, as would the people behind me because I would have made them remove everything I bought with a coupon.

Long story short, I will not be going back to Kroger to use coupons because I have better things to do with my time than carefully find items to match my coupons only to have them not work at the register.

I'm very disappointed in Kroger to say the least.

Any comments about Kroger and their coupon policy?

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Cooking Light Fast Meals Cravebox

Some of you may be asking, just what exactly is a Cravebox? Cravebox is a discovery service that helps you learn about cool new products and the great thing is that every box I have received is full of great values. I have yet to pay for a box that wasn't worth more than the amount I paid (usually $10-$16). If you like what you see below, head on over to Cravebox and check out what they have. This is not a subscription service because you get to pick and choose which boxes you receive. There are several instant boxes you can order right now that will be shipped shortly after you order. If you do order, I would appreciate you using me as your referral. Just put rebeccamarietta@gmail.com in the referral box. 

I have been really looking forward to the Cooking Light Fast Meals Cravebox. I had a feeling that it would be packed full of tasty goodies and I was right! When I opened my Cravebox, it was brimming over with awesome products. In fact I had to rearrange several times to get everything in the photo:

Oddly enough, I ran out of stevia for my coffee yesterday morning and thought I was going to have to go buy more at the store. Wrong! Inside this Cravebox was a box of Pure Via  and a box of Equal along with some great recipes to use with them. The Pure Via got used this morning.

I used this next product last night while grilling. There were two seasonings from McCormick - Southwestern and Moroccan. We love Southwestern at my house so this will be put to much use. I will have to study about the Moroccan seasoning more because this is new to me. If you have any recipes or ways to use this, feel free to leave it in the comments! 

Southwestern chicken on the grill last night:

There were several snacks included. I'm so glad they chose to throw in some Fig Newtons because that is one dessert I will allow myself to have in limited quantities. There were also some Zone Perfect Bars and Popchips.

Stash Herbal Tea Sampler, 18 count. I will pass this on to someone because I don't drink hot tea, but I'm sure it's very tasty if you like tea!

Finally lots, and I mean LOTS of coupons! There are even two coupons for FREE Triscuits.

This was a great box and I'm really happy with everything I found inside. Another great thing about Cravebox is that they send out boxes with full-sized products along with samples and coupons for the same price as other boxes that only include samples. You definitely get your money's worth with Cravebox!

Cravebox Book Lovers Box

One word about Cravebox, superb! I received my Book Lovers Cravebox today and it made my day. I had a tough day at school, so to come home and find such treasures at my doorstep was priceless. I immediately got the scissors and cut open the box. My first look inside my Cravebox was this:

I was super-excited to see the book inside. I had done some snooping last week online and already had an idea of the title of the book. Turns out I was right on. I am delighted to have this book on hand because it looks like an excellent read. The title is How I Came to Sparkle Again by Kaya McLaren. It is not the usual type of book I choose to read, but it is probably time I took a little break from serial killers and horror. 

Here is a summary of the book (taken from Amazon):

Set in a Colorado ski town, Kaya McLaren's How I Came To Sparkle Again is a remarkable breakout novel that chronicles three people and their journey from loss to love; heartbreak to hope

Jill Anthony spent her young adulthood in the ski town of Sparkle, Colorado.  But more than a decade has passed since she left when, only weeks after a very late miscarriage, she finds her husband in bed with another woman, she flees Austin, Texas for the town she knows:  Sparkle. 

Lisa Carlucci wakes up one morning after another night of meaningless sex, looks in the mirror and realizes that she no longer wants to treat her body like a Holiday Inn. She’s going to hold out for love.  The only problem is, love might come in the form of her ski bum best friend, who lives next door with his ski bum friends in a trailer known as “the Kennel.” 

Cassie Jones, at age ten, has lost her mother to cancer and no longer believes in anything anymore.  She knows her father is desperately worried about her, and she constantly looks for messages from her deceased mother through the heart-shaped rocks they once collected in the streams and hills of Sparkle. 

Three people at the crossroads of heartbreak and healing.  Three lives that will be changed one winter in Sparkle.  One tender, funny, tear-jerking novel you won’t soon forget. 

I can't wait to get started reading it!

Also included in the box were the most delicious little strawberry licorice bites from Natural Vines. They are so soft and tasty that I had to hide them from myself!

Some soy nuts were included:

A Gratitude bracelet from Alexa's Angels, which is very pretty. The bracelet retails for $10 on Alexa's Angels website:

Along with the bracelet was a coupon for alexas-angels.com for 10% off which doesn't expire until the end of the year. This will come in handy as I begin to think about Christmas presents.

All in all, this was a very nice Cravebox. It is always a pleasure to receive a surprise box in the mail, but this one seemed especially nice.

Couponing Tips and Hints

I know couponing has become "in" during the past few years. I, however, not giving in to being trendy or hip, have been successfully couponing for my entire adult life. Yes, I have been accused of extreme couponing in the past, in fact, it once took me about 10 years to use up all the Pledge that I bought on a trip to Fred's years ago. I have mellowed out some over the past few years, but the fact remains that coupons can and will save you a ton of money if you know how to use them and use them wisely.

I have the most luck getting freebies or near freebies at Walgreen's. Here are some things to remember when you go to Walgreen's:

• If Walgreen's has something on sale that you can B1G1 (buy one get one free), you can use two coupons. Since theoretically you are purchasing two products, you can use two coupons. For example, last summer I bought a certain brand of razors when they had them B1G1 and I had $4 off coupons, which actually turned into $8 off one package because the other one was free, which then turned into all free because they were $8 a package.  I have just recently used up the razors that I got a year ago!
• Walgreen's often times marks products as Clearance and you can usually use a coupon on this product and get them free or for pennies.
• Watch Walgreen's sale flyer for products that have Register Rewards. You can use Register Rewards like cash on your next trip to Walgreens. A while back Mitchum deodorant offered $4 Register Rewards if you bought two. I had some $2 off coupons for one. Combined I got several of these free if you count the Rewards. Be sure to check your local Walgreens ad, though, because I have noticed lately that this is not marked on shelves.

It takes some doing and time, but you can save quite a bit using coupons. I usually buy more than one Sunday paper since the papers themselves are so cheap and the savings in coupons more than make up for the price. I also have friends and family who don't use coupons but who get the Sunday paper, so I can get their coupons. One other important thing to remember is that if you can't get it free or close to free and you wouldn't normally buy it then you are probably not saving money.

Happy Shopping!

HyperSmash

Addictions? I Think So!

In the past few years, couponing, online sweepstakes, and freebies have become popular. What most people don't know is that all of this has been around for years. My entire adult life I have been using coupons, and even doing "exreme" couponing as they now call it. I have been entering online sweepstakes my entire adult life, as well. Freebies, too, are all over the internet and have been for years, you just have to know where to look. It is my intention to post great deals here on this blog, freebies, and awesome sweepstakes, so that others can partake in the fun.

It was a lot easier to win at sweepstakes, get more freebies, and do better with coupons before it became mainstream, but hey, the more the merrier, right?

Are these addictions for me? Probably. It is a great high when you go to a store and buy $100 worth of products but only pay $20. The looks you will get are priceless as is holding up the checkout line while the clerk scans all of your coupons. If you have ever played an online sweepstakes game and gotten a screen that says "Congratulations, you win!" then you know the quickened heartbeat of unbelief that you have actually won something, albeit something small. So am I addicted to winning? Yes, I am!