Free and Cheap Holiday Cards and Labels!!

by: Valerie Hoff | Anchor/Reporter

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:26:00 -0800

 A few years ago I ordered some adorable return address labels customized for my family, with caricatures of our family for the holidays. 

They were kind of pricey (25.00 for about 70 labels). Well, it turns out Vistaprint.com has them FREE right now!  Its online office supply/ stationery retailer that is always offering promotions for one thing or another in hopes of getting us to buy more of their products. 

I've also gotten Christmas cards from Vistaprint  in the past.  Starting December 3rd, go to www.vistaprint.com/11alive  to get a special discount for 11Alive Values Blog Readers! 

And by the way, if this offer later expires,  remember to go to  www.retailmenot.com for all the latest coupon codes!

Ok, I just saved you lots of money to spend on your loved ones, save in the bank or give to charity.. Happy Holidays!!! 

• CLICK HERE to comment on this blog entry.

Be Neighborly: Cyber Monday can Help Georgia Businesses!

by: Valerie Hoff | Anchor/Reporter

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:31:00 -0800

If you're doing a little Cyber Monday shopping, you can get some great shopping tips and help from a couple of small business people right here in Georgia.  

I like  http://wantnot.net/ and http://www.couponsdrawer.com for a couple of different reasons:   I interviewed Mir Kamin of  http://wantnot.net/  awhile back and she is a great writer on lots of different blogs, her site can be very useful but its also pretty funny at times.. so take a look.  Mir lives in Athens, GA!

Sometime in the future we hope to interview the creators of  couponsdrawer.com  It's another website full of online shopping deals and codes.  The creator of this website is a quadraplegic living in Toccoa, GA who was injured in a diving accident many years ago. 

Oftentimes when you use the coupon codes provided by a certain website, that owner of that website ( a sometimes VERY a small business owner) gets a very small commission.  So while the biggees out there have their place,  why not click on a neighbor? 

PS.. did you know you can print coupons here on  11alive.com as well as atlanta.momslikeme.com

...as long as we're on the subject... :)

• CLICK HERE to comment on this blog entry.

Jessica Sure Can Stretch A Dollar!

by: Valerie Hoff | Anchor/Reporter

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:43:00 -0800

Jessica Dauler calls Black Friday her favorite shopping day of the year.

Dauler created the website, Jessicashops.com ,which compiles a weekly list of deals, sales, store closing and money saving tips each week. 

She told me she doesn't plan to hit the mainstream malls this Friday.  Instead, she plans to start at Discover Mills, where Sak's 5th Avenue's Off Fifth store and Last Call at Nieman Marcus open at midnight.  Next, she plans to go to the Tanger Outlet Mall, and if she has time, the North Georgia Premium Outlets in Dawsonville.  Dauler said she anticipates great deals at Filene's Basement, Leomann's, TJ Maxx and Marshall's as well. 

Sounds like a plan to me!!  To learn more shopping tips from Jessica Dauler, go to jessicashops.com

• CLICK HERE to comment on this blog entry.

Free and Cheap Cosmetics Means More Money in Your Wallet

by: Valerie Hoff | Anchor/Reporter

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:10:00 -0800

Being on TV, especially anchoring weekends, means the makeup bill mounts every year (At least it's tax deductible) but I have gradually moved away from some of the lines the Consultants tell us to use and into the  drug store lines.

I keep telling everybody about the drugstore rebate programs and how you can "roll over" the same few dollars dozens of times.  Well, when I learned about those programs 6 months ago is about the time I all of a sudden realized I just might be able to live without Bobbie  Brown and Laura Mercier for a while.

I had Buy One Get One Free Coupons for Cover Girl Makeup and ended up loving the AquaSmoothers Foundation.   I got it FREE because the makeup was on sale BOGO too.  Similar coups led me to more and more Revlon Colorstay products, great Rimmel stuff (especially lipliners) and I've gotten probably every tube of drugstore brand mascara known to man in the past few months with coupons combined with store specials.

The other day I interviewed Paula Begoun, who this year published her 7th edition of the popular book, "Don't Go To the Cosmetics Counter Without Me."  She is a big advocate of the same costmetics lines and many others.  "Wasting money is never beautiful!" she said.  She and Dermatologist Dr. Anna Pare also advocate plenty of sunscreen, the best anti aging cream ever made!

CVS, Walgreens (abbreviation is WAGS) and Rite Aid offer Free Skin Care Products pretty regularly  if you collect their affinity points.   Here's an example: CVS Extra Care Bucks print out on your store reciept (along with great coupons)

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN GET THIS WEEK and it's not too late to do this but items might be gone from stores( Sale always starts Sunday in Atlanta at CVS):

Loreal Age Perfect ProCalcium Sheer Tint Moisturizer 15.99

ECB's            15.99 (extra care bucks if you have a CVScard)

If you have a Loreal  1.00 off coupon and have already accumulated the ecb's to spend, you  just made  $1.00 in CVS play money. (Extra Care Bucks, aka ECBs) You spent 14.99 and 15.99 in bucks print on your receipt!

You can take that 15.99, buy 20.00 worth of Duracell batteries,  and that pays 15.00 in ECBs.  So you just spent the same dollars twice and got it back for next week's sale!!  

The battery deal is a favorite among couponers, it doesn't get much better than that.  It means 75% off your batteries for Christmas stuff, and if you add coupons to the deal some people have gotten them free.   I used four $0.75 off of one Duracell coups from newspaper inserts and got a great deal.

MORE GREAT COSMETICS FOR LESS $$$:

• CLICK HERE to comment on this blog entry.

Pre Black Friday Bargains!! Toys Under 10 Dollars!

by: Valerie Hoff | Anchor/Reporter

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:48:00 -0800

I don't normally shop Black Friday because really small children don't require toys like Wii and Playstation where a 25% discount can make a huuge impact on your budget.  Play Doh is relatively cheap till it ruins a rug!! 

Now, as Nicholas is about to turn 4,  I'm starting to get it: the bigger the boy, the pricier the toy!    But I still think his favorite Christmas present will be the firefighter outfit  I bought at a Cancer Society Consignment Sale in Octoberfor about 3 bucks.

Here is how to save a ton of money on gifts BEFORE Black Friday:

Go to the Stores and check out the Clearance Racks (This is the First Place serious bargain shoppers go every time they shop, every season, every day, every shopping trip)

TODAY at Toys R Us:   That wildly popular Live Elmo Toy that dances, says "I love  you" and blows you a kiss was about $59.00.  The Clearance Rack had last year's version of Elmo and Cookie Monster for $9.99.   These toys are for TODDLERs, get the cheaper one!!

There were Fisher Price beginner computer icons for 3 year olds at 66% off as well ($9.99,  they retail for 29.99) and lots of pool toys for next year.

WALMART has a big list of toys for $10.00 and under, including:

Play Doh Magic Swirl Ice Cream Shoppe

Candyland

Trouble

Candyland

Memory (5 bucks clearance for the Spiderman Version)

• CLICK HERE to comment on this blog entry.