Open Mic 1/28/10

microphone

Open Mic is a post every Thursday that is a mini-version of a discussion board. You can leave a comment with whatever coupon, money-saving or debt reduction tips or questions you have and other readers chime in and answer. 

When you leave a comment you’ll be able to choose whether you’d like to be emailed follow-up comments or not. Getting comments via email is a great way to stay connected without having to visit the site a bazillion times (although I don’t mind if you come a bazillion times).

As always, I look forward to hearing the voice of the Pocket Your Dollars community. Read through the Open Mic archives here.

Your turn: Leave a comment with your money-saving, coupon or debt reduction question, thought or suggestion. 

Two tips: 1) If you are reading this via email or an RSS feed, click on the title “Open Mic” to come back to the site and leave a comment and 2) If you are concerned about your privacy, just reference yourself by your initials and know that I will not share your email address with anyone else.

About Carrie Rocha

I am passionate about helping people live within their means so they can get out and stay out of debt. I live in Minneapolis, MN with my husband and two little girls.

Comments

  1. Nichole says:

    We need to replace our windows, including the frames (not just the inserts,) We’ve had estimates from the big window companies, and they are cringe-inducing. $30,000 and up. Our handy skills are very limited and I wouldn’t even attempt this. Does anyone have any good ideas? Thanks!

    • Becky says:

      A friend of mine just got all her windows replaced at a deep discount because she has an older home so there was lead in the stain and she has small children. Almost all paint / stain prior to the mid-70′s has lead in it. There are also programs to help homeowners make their homes more energy-efficient – low interest loans, matching, funds, etc. Are you in Minneapolis or St. Paul? If so I could direct you to an agency that administers these programs for homeowners.

    • Sidney says:

      I had my windows replaced a couple years ago. Same situation initially – called some of the big companies in the area. Some of their sales tactics during the visits were enough to turn my stomach (I was single at the time, so I’m not sure if some of their tactics were worse because of that…) – and the prices were nearly as bad. The place I ended up going with is called Showcase Builders – the man who came to do the estimate was the actual owner of the company. He basically said “here’s the estimate, give me a call if you have any more questions or if want us to do it” – NO PRESSURE! And, his estimate was about half of what the other places were starting at for the basically the exact same windows! I’ve been extremely pleased with the windows and all of my interactions with the people at that company. I’d definitely recommend them!

    • Angela says:

      Check with your city, a lot of cities offer home inprovement programs to help homeowners with remodeling projects. The NW suburbs have a low interest

    • Angela says:

      Check with your city to see if they have any home improvement programs available. A lot of cities are partnering with agencies for various ways to help homeowners pay for projects like replaceing windows.

  2. Nate says:

    For those of you with young kids: My wife went to Childrens Place yesterday and found that all of their winter clothes were $2.99 for small kids and $3.99 for bigger kids. She made a pretty big haul and saved a total of about 75% over full price. A few of the items were 90% off!

  3. cindy says:

    I went to Goodwill in Woodbury yesterday (off Woodbury Drive) and it appears they sort clothes by color. It was sort of okay, my son likes black tops, but you have to look at the shirt to see what size it is. I mean, the price tag does not reveal that info.

    Also, when I got to the counter, I got asked if I was a senior. The senior age starts at 55. Apparently seniors get a 25% discount on Wednesdays. I didn’t see any other discount info or color coded price tags.

  4. Beth says:

    For the last week when I try to print a Target coupon it says” OOPS, the server has experienced an unexpected error” I tried the second computer in the house and have gotten the same thing so I know it’s not my computer. Has anyone else gotten this message and do you know how to fix it? I usually have no problem printing Target coupons. Thanks

  5. Mary says:

    In response to the Goodwill shopping, you should pick up a store calender. They might be available online. It will show you the schedule of discounts. At the St. Cloud store, all jeans are 50% off on Thursday. Every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday one of the colored tags is 50% off. So on Sundays, it can be a little crowded but worth it. There are green, red, yellow and blue tags and I believe they reflect when the items arrived in the store.

  6. Brandy says:

    Does anyone else make their own laundry detergent? I have been doing this for a couple years & it is a huge money saver. I grate & melt 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap into 3 cups of water, then add 1/2 cup of Borax & 1/2 cup of washing soda. Stir to dissolve. Add mixture to 3 gallons of water of warm water in an old (but clean) 5 gallon bucket & mix. Wait 24 hours & it will gel (usually). Even if it doesn’t gel, it works great! I use about 2 Tablespoons of gel per load, so it’s less than $.01 per load.

    • Angela says:

      Brandy- That sounds interesting where do you buy Fels Naptha Soap and the washing soda? then do you store it in the 5 gallon bucket also?

    • Mags says:

      How long does this last you and does it spoil? Do you have any issues with colorfastness? Thanks for the suggestion. I am anxious to hear about where you get ingredients (what is washing soda?) and how you store it.

      • Brandy says:

        I buy all the ingredients at Cub or Rainbow. Both have everything you need. All the ingredients are right beside the rest of the laundry products, but usually on the top shelf or bottom shelf. Yes, I just store the gel in the 5 gallon bucket & scoop out enough for each load. I have also diluted it with more water (need more per load then) & poured it into empty laundry detergent bottles. If you do this, you need to shake the bottle to remix before each use. I have never had any issues with colorfastness or it not cleaning well. I keep a bar of Fels Naptha & wet it & rub it on stains (if I catch them). My batch usually lasts me about 4 months for a family of 5.

        • Mindy says:

          I have make my own laundry soap too, but have been using ivory soap instead of Fels Naptha. I have used both kinds of soap and both seem to work well, but the ivory soap is cheaper especially when you can find coupons for it. Fels Naptha runs at about $1.07/bar whereas this week I can get a three pack of Ivory for $1.18 and will be using a coupon for $1/1 making it $0.18 for three bars.

    • JoAnna says:

      I have friends who do this but they do not know if it works with HE machines (they have front load but we have HE). Anyone here know?

      • Brandy says:

        I have a front load HE & it works fine. Just make sure you don’t over do it on the detergent. The 2 Tablespoons is what I use. It might be more for a topload since it uses more water. Thanks for reminding me to mention that.

    • Candice says:

      I use the same ingredients, only I make a powdered detergent. Just grate the 1 bar of fels naptha and mix with 1/2 c borax and 1/2 c washing soda. I use 1 T for each load in my top loading washing machine. Something I have discovered is unwrapping the soap and letting it dry out for at least 24 hours helps it to grate a little easier. I make a quadruple batch and store it in an ice cream bucket.

      I did have problems finding the fels naptha at my Cub (Lakeville). They carry it, but it was always out so I bought a case from soapsgonebuy.com (actually a friend and I bought 2 cases and split them so we could get free shipping). They were a few pennies more than the price at Cub, but I like having the bars on hand.

      • Jennifer says:

        I also make the same dry version. Fells Naptha, Borax and Washing Soda. I get the Fells Naptha and Washing Soda at Cub too, I haven’t been able to find everything at Rainbow. (ALSO, FYI, unless it’s on sale, I found that Target has the best price on Borax. It’s been hovering right around $2.99/box for a long time. Much higher at other grocery stores.)

        It works GREAT, and let me tell you, it smells AWESOME!!! I use a dryer ball ( http://www.nelliesallnatural.com/ ) its a natural fabric softener, so that’s all I need.

        It is a very inexpensive way to do laundry. Especially in the summer time when you can line dry clothes. I do still use lots of other types of store bought detergent/dryer sheets, when I can get them for free or very cheep. But if there aren’t good deals on store bought stuff, making my own is fun, it works great and goes a LONG way (you only use 1 Tbs of dry homemade detergent per load).

        • Tracee says:

          Jennifer what is the dry version? Do you have the measurements?

          • Jennifer says:

            One bar of Fells Naptha soap, finely grated (I put in my food processor)
            1/2 cup Washing Soda
            1/2 cup Borax

            Mix all three ingredients, you’re ready to go. 1 Tbs per load. It is safe for either top loaders or HE washers.

        • Angela says:

          Walmart has borax for $2.98 a box too. I checked last night. I couldn’t find the washing soda but I didn’t know what I was looking for, Now that I looked it up on the internet I think I did see it at Walmart.

      • JeniB says:

        Is it safe to use bleach with this when needed? Or do you find that you don’t need bleach with your whites anymore? Thanks for the recipe! I’m going to try this out.

  7. Eva says:

    Brandy, Do tell this sounds great … and a fun “science” experiment the kids could do while saving us $$s!

    Also, having an oopsy moment remind me the whole lingo of purchase vs transaction. See County Market has a BOGO on gloden plump chicken so, if a coupon says consumer 1 coupon per purchase does that mean I can only use 1 coupon or 1 coupon per package of chicken?

  8. Doni says:

    To make the quaker oatmeal deal at cub even better, use the coupon from the store coupon book. ( located when you walk in) 1.39 each when you purchase 5. use 5 of the 1 dollar off quaker oatmeal. You can get them for 39 cents each. Also the ready made pie crusts are on clearance 4 for 1 dollar. use 2 of the 50 cents of 2 and score 4 for free.
    They can be frozen. I spread butter on them then cinnamon and sugar, Roll them up, slice and bake for a quick and easy cinnamon roll.

    • Priscilla says:

      Are these the Pillsbury pie crusts?

    • Katie says:

      My Cub had the pie crusts for $1 each (wish it was 4/$1). I picked up 6 and used 3 of the .50/2 coupons. At the checkout, I rec’d a coupon from Pillsbury for $4 off my next order. So $6-$1.50-$4=$.50 for 6 of them. Not bad.

  9. Natalie says:

    Has anyone tried the TurboTax Freedom edition? Does it also maximize deductions? Were you happy with it?

    • Ashley says:

      I used it earlier this week and found it to be fairly easy. It does go through all the deductions to see what you qualify for and I thought it explained terms very well. It asks for your prior year adjusted gross income at the end, so have last year’s form handy.

  10. AJ says:

    Good morning fellow PYD readers! Today I have a comment and a question for you.

    My comment is this: I have seen many of you thank Carrie in the comments sections at PYD. I too want to take a moment and recognize Carrie and let you know I appreciate the great tips! I love the honest and ethical money saving advice you give. I believe your character and integrity as a person show throughout the entire site! I also see that same character and integrity in the PYD readers! This past week, Martha from Burnsville, confirmed that for me. Without any benefit to herself, she contacted me and offered to help me out. I’m hoping to “pay it forward” very soon!!!

    My question is this: How many Sunday papers do you buy? How do you determine that number? We are a family of 5; 2 parents, 2 school age children and 1 baby. How many papers should we be buying? The jam I found myself in this past week (that Martha helped me out with!) was due to the fact that I had only purchased one Sunday paper and didn’t have multiples of a particular coupon.

    • Lisa says:

      I look ahead of time what the coupons are at taylortownpreview.com. If there are lots of coupons that we’ll use, I may buy a total of 6 papers, especially if there are 3 or more inserts. I try to get Sat. Star Tribs for .50, but often they are missing inserts.

    • Jennifer says:

      We are also a family of 5, all three of my little ones are age 3 and under. But I generally get a total of 8 papers in a combination of ways. I ALWAYS get the early edition of the Sunday Star Tribune on Saturday, since it is only $0.50 (vs. $1.75 on Sunday) and it almost always has at least one of the inserts. Since the Star Tribute has so many more coupons and sometimes even higher value coupons than the Pioneer Press does, it’s worth it to me to get one out of two inserts with better coupons. So I may pick up four Stars on Saturday and then three Pioneer Press on Sunday (plus I have one PP delivered) so I will end up with 8 papers, four of each type of insert, depending on the weekend, four of some inserts and 8 of others. Usually then my OOP expense each weekend is $5.00, which some will say is high, but I really use alot of coupons and I save so much money using them that I feel these papers pay for themselves within one shopping trip to CVS or Rainbow. HTH!! :o)

    • Sara says:

      Wow! You guys are serious!

    • Nicole Good says:

      Hi AJ,

      I too have a family of 5 (Hubby and Me and three kiddos 6,4, and 1.) I usually buy 1 Early Sunday for 50 cents and I have my Sunday delivered. Depending on where you live..check your local papers. We have a paper that’s delivered on Mondays that usually has a Smart Source in it. Also, my inlaws are all PYD Fans, so if there are particular coupons we are looking for we share. AND, there are many coupons available online (Carrie often links to these sites) and once you sign up at the various sites, they’ll send you email reminders. Hope that helps :) Good Luck; and happy savings!!

    • Theresa K. says:

      I also purchase 8-10 papers, depending on what’s in them. Hopefully, the Saturday paper has most of the coupons for .50, we get one Sunday paper delivered (Strib) and the rest I purchase at Dollar Tree on Monday morning for a discounted price. We have 2 adults and an 18y and 20y in our house. I also buy for others, at times.

  11. Martha says:

    Hi,

    Has anyone out there tried and had success or failure with freezing Pillsbury tubes crescent, grands, pizza?

    Thanks

    • Carrie Rocha says:

      Martha – I freeze tubes of biscuits without a problem. You an thaw them in the fridge for a day or two before baking, but sometimes I take the whole frozen log of dough out of the canister, cut biscuit-sized portions with a knife and bake them at a slightly cooler temp for a little longer. They have turned out fine.

  12. Keeping Costs Down in Andover says:

    AJ

    I echo your comments 100 fold … it simply inspires you to not only save money but to help others too!

    We are a family of 5 and I get 2 papers … BUT I also have an internal network of savers that we meet and swap coupons … then we take anycoupons over 3 months and mail them to the military families.

    Hope that helps!

  13. Sara says:

    I’ve been trying to track my spending/savings and wonder if anyone has a great way to do this at Cub? They switch out their shelf tags and there doesn’t seem to be much on the receipt that really helps me out. I’m looking for a savings per product and not just my overall transaction.

  14. Angie says:

    Olay Quench Rebate ? – yesterday I purchased from Walgreens the quench body lotion for $7.99 and received the quench body wash free a $4.99 value. Does anybody know how this will work for the rebate from Olay. Will I just be receiving the $7.99 back since that’s all I paid for. I also had q’s of $3.00 for this purchase, will play into the rebate amount by chance. Do I need to go buy another lotion for the 2 free…. I’m a little confused about what I should fill out on my rebate form. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.

    • Kimmerr77 says:

      The rebate is for the price of the Quench lotion. The price that the register rung it up as.
      And you can get two on the same rebate. Yes you have to buy two to get the two free. Q’ don’t matter. Just put the price that you circled on the receipt next to the item list. Hope this helps.

  15. Mindy says:

    Become a fan of Babies R Us on Facebook today and receive a $5 e-coupon. Looks like it is good for in-store purchases too,

  16. Sarah says:

    Does anyone make their own fabric sofener? I heard vinager works but have never tried it.

    • Karen says:

      We have used undiluted white vinegar for fabric softener for years. We had a traditional washing machine before and a HE now. I just fill the softener dispenser with vinegar. Clothes smell clean, not like a pickle. We still use a dryer sheet in the winter, mainly for static reduction. I have had appliance guys tell me fabric softener is hard on machines and gunks everything up.

  17. kj says:

    Has anyone shopped at the Snyder’s stores that are closing? I have heard that they have 25%-75% off.

    • Jaime says:

      Honestly, I went to the one in Shakopee and didn’t get anything. Their prices are SO much higher than Walgreen’s and CVS (especially with RRs and ECBs). Even with coupon match-ups, I didn’t find anything worth my while.

  18. kkkk says:

    where is the Walgreen children coloring book (with coupons) are found? i even asked the manager he doesn’t even know. is there a specific name for it? or any coloring book? i was in in the children book section. …can anyone help guide me ?

  19. Teresa says:

    Nichole – If you have older wood windows, they are very easy to restore to almost new condition (patience, but no skill required – I’ve done it). With today’s epoxies, even most rot can be repaired seamlessly. Many old houses have windows made from old growth wood that is very hard and can’t be replicated today. Once restored, they can last another 100 years (versus vinyl that will last optimistically 15-20 yrs). Often, money is better spent upgrading your storm windows.

    On another note – last month I installed a water saving shower head as a test. I thought I’d hate it (it took some getting used to, but now I don’t notice it) and I was dubious about $$ saving claims. It made a noticeable dent in my water bill.

  20. Patty says:

    Nichole-my brother is a contractor & he usually charges less than those big companies. He does not have the overhead costs that some companies have. If you have any questions just let me know. Him & my dad replaced all my windows a few years back.

    • Theresa K. says:

      Agreed, Patty! Ask around your circle of acquaintances and you should be able to get the name(s) of an individual who does this work. My husband is a HS wood shop teacher and he does that sort of thing in the summers for a part-time summer job. His work comes solely from word of mouth and from people who cannot afford (or even get a bid from) larger companies. I also know several construction guys who look for this sort of work during slow building seasons (or non-existent building seasons in recessions!). Be sure to get recommendations from people they have done work for!

  21. Andrea says:

    I am also wondering about the Snyder’s stores that are closing. And can you still use coupons at them? Thanks.

  22. renlyn says:

    Nichole, We had our windows replaced in 2 rounds as we could afford them easier that way as we paid cash for them. We used Window World in North St Paul they are $189 for most windows, we had 2 oversized windows so I believe they cost us $239 a window. You can have your windows “wrapped” for an additional fee and we chose not to do that, however, in hindsight it would have been worth the additional dollars as then the windows are complete and no maintenance, instead of the usual maintenance of scraping/painting. We also had our sliding glass door replaced which was a little more than I wanted to spend but well worth the extra dollars as they fixed the issues that came up due to the age of the house, if we would have done it would have been a nightmare. I highly recommend them as we have not had any issues with our windows and our energy usage is about what it use to be due to the efficiency of the new windows.

  23. Shelly says:

    RE: opps for Target coupons
    Same thing happened to me, so I just went to the Target.com web site. They have a coupon button and the coupons I needed were there. Not perfect, but I’m not a computer person so it worked for me

  24. renlyn says:

    I deliver the PP and at our hub we have tons of papers left over as we deliver both the PP and Tribune, you could leave a note for your delivery person to see if they could give you extra coupons with your paper, I have not had anyone ask me that but thought I would put it out there as a suggestion and you could always give them a little ($tip) for delivering them. You could also call the hub to see if you could stop by and get some of the extra coupons from the papers. I know that our papers are dropped off at one of the paper recycle containers usually on Wednesday so you if you don’t mind digging through container you will find plenty of extra coupons. The paper containers are usually at one of the local schools.

  25. TT says:

    Wondering if anyone else ordered the free Lego magazine subscription that was advertised in the beginning of December and have you received the magazine yet?
    Thanks!

    • AJ says:

      I ordered it too. I got an e-mail, but so far NO magazine. Guess we’ll have to keep waiting!

    • Maureen says:

      I ordered the Lego magazine. We just received our second month of it.

      • TT says:

        I emailed customer service at Lego around 1:00 today and notified them that I hadn’t received the magazine yet. They already responded back to me and said they would send me out the issue I missed (magazines are sent every two months).

        Thanks.

  26. Lisa says:

    Target coupon OOPS! When you go to the site and get the target coupon page/site, save the site to your favorites. Then when you see the coupons on the site and you do get the OOPS!, go to your saved favorites and it will pop-up. Easiest way for me to avoid the problem.

  27. Chris says:

    Sarah – Yes, I make my own fabric softener. I mix 2 cups baking soda, 2 cups vinegar & 4 cups water in a gallon milk container or used vinegar container. (The vinegar makes it very foamy, so add slowly & carefully.) I have a top-loading washer and put about 1/4 cup of this mixture into a Downey ball at the beginning of each load. The baking soda tends to settle to the bottom, so I shake the jug each time I use it. I also make my own laundry detergent with the bar of soap, borax & washing soda recipe listed above. Using both of these, has saved our family so much money. Our clothes come out soft without the strong fragrances found in some other laundry products.

  28. Susie says:

    Does anyone know of any deals for dining out in the Twin Cities tomorrow? Our family is heading down to see a Children’s Theater performance and would like to find an inexpensive place to stop for dinner. Thanks!

  29. Jill says:

    I have so many coupons I don’t use, I’m wondering if anyone would like to trade via snailmail? Basically, I’d like to offer a envelope stuffed full of potluck coupons…ones I have that know I won’t use, for some on my list of needed, included but not limited to pampers, huggies, pantene, suave, right guard, toothpaste and more……if you are interested, please email me directly jill@hydrohaven.com.

    • AJ says:

      Jill,

      I would be interested in a snail mail coupon exchange. Not sure how to “e-mail you directly” ??? Can you please contact me: jnbbsmom @ hot mail dot com

  30. Sue K says:

    Question about the homemade fabric softener. How well do your stains come out when you use this. I’m asking because I know that vinegar is used to set colors (dyes) into fabric.

  31. Debbie B says:

    About the restaurant question: Restaurant.com has an 80% off deal through 1/31 — use the word BONUS. Check to see if there are any restaurants that sound of interest to you. Make sure you read the details — not all can be used on weekends, and typically there is an additional purchase required beyond the certiciate. But if you can get a $25 certificate for $2, it may be worth it!

    About savings on clothes: There is a relatively new “Savers” in Apple Valley. You can also bring in donations. When you bring in donations, you can ask for a coupon for 20% off your purchase (which you can use on that visit or on another visit). This store is organized by area (women’s tops for example), then size, and then color.

  32. sally says:

    I am looking at the walmart ad. It says nabisco cheez nips 8 oz. $1.00 & can be used for the keep your jingle rebate. The site says 11.75 oz. & 12 oz. for the reduced fat. Am I looking in the right place? Can you use the 8 oz.?

  33. Monica says:

    Off, off topic BUT since so many of you live in the Twin Cities, I thought, perhaps, someone could point me in the right direction. I will be hosting a brunch at my home next Saturday and will be serving turkey sandwiches. I’d like to add a “fun” condiment and thought about serving a cranberry sauce of some sort. Does anyone have a yummy recipe or know where I could purchase one without breaking the bank too much…Kowalski’s, Byerly’s, Cub, etc… Thanks so much!

  34. Monica says:

    Off, off topic BUT since so many of you live in the Twin Cities, I thought, perhaps, someone could point me in the right direction. I will be hosting a brunch at my home next Saturday and will be serving turkey sandwiches. I’d like to add a “fun” condiment and thought about serving a cranberry sauce of some sort. Does anyone have a yummy recipe or know where I could purchase one without breaking the bank too much…Kowalski’s, Byerly’s, Cub, etc… Thanks so much!

    • Shelly says:

      You may be looking for something much more “upscale”, but this is the one I almost always use. 12 oz. fresh cranberries. 1 medium orange, quartered. 3/4 – 1 cup sugar ( or use organic blue agave and then you can use less sweetener). Put cranberries and orange (quartered with seeds removed) through food processor. Stir in sugar to desired sweetness. Mix well and refrigerate overnight. Can be frozen. Makes 2 1/2 cups. I like it in this simple form, but you can add whatever flavors to spice it up – cloves; maple syrup; fresh garlic; fresh ginger; cayenne, etc.

      • Monica says:

        Thanks, Shelly! That sounds like the perfect recipe…Taste-tested and simple to make:-) I’m thrilled I can make it ahead of time, too. I have lots to accomplish between now and next Saturday’s brunch and appetizer dinner (I’m the “unofficial” volunteer coordinator for Hudson’s Hot Air Affair. I feed my volunteers brunch and then invite them and whomever else over for appetizers and board games Saturday night.) If you have any other taste-tested, quick, easy, and large quantity app recipes, send them my way…inasuitcase at hot mail. Thanks!

  35. Kierstien says:

    My husband also makes our own detergent and i really like it and agree it is a lot Cheaper then buying the other stuff. Does anyone know of any SCENT free bar soap to use for this? My baby needs scent free soap so wondering what others use.

  36. Kaia says:

    Hi all,

    We get the Sunday Star Trib delivered, and for a few months they gave us a great introductary offer which was about $1.35 per paper. The special rate is over and now we will be paying $2.05 per paper – but I can buy it myself for $1.75. Does everyone else pay more to have it delivered???? I figured it would be the same or even a little cheaper to get it delivered.

    • Traci says:

      We pay more to get it delievered too, I also thought it would be cheaper to have it delievered but not so :(

      • Traci says:

        Well I thought you couldn’t get a better deal but I was wrong, I called the Star Trib and told then I was canceling and why (found a better deal, 99 cents for 26 weeks) he said that i better do some more investigating that no one could offer a better deal than them and that he was putting that on my acct. that I found a better deal elsewhere. (he acted like i was trying to pull one over on him)
        Whatever I say! I did see that its an introductory rate so I wonder what it will be after the 26 weeks? Well anyway I’m still saving alot for at least 6 months!

    • JoAnna says:

      You should call to see if you can get a better deal!! We pay $103.48 per year to have the Wed, Th, Fri, Sat and Sun Star Trib delivered to our house.

    • Cherie says:

      Hi. I told my hubby that I wanted a subscription to the Star Tribune Sunday paper for our anniversary and he ordered it here for .99 a week. http://www.subscription-offers.com/newspapers/star-tribune/
      Supposed to be getting my first one delivered this coming weekend
      ~Cherie.

    • Karen says:

      I just had to call the Star Trib a few weeks ago because I noticed our rates had gone up drastically. When I spoke to them the gentleman simply said, do you want to pay your old rate? I said sure and he took care of it. Apparently you just have to ask! I pay $25 for 13 weeks of Wed-Sunday delivery. I’d just give them a call!

    • SarahBB says:

      We live in Dakota county. About 8 mos ago a deal was offered to Dakota County residents– 2years of PPD Friday and Sunday only–for 99cents a year–that’s right a total of 2 years for $2.00. I also get the Sunday Trib for 99 cents a week for 26 weeks.

      • Kimm says:

        Wow! Great deal on the PP! I thought I got a good deal….I get the PP (Thurs, Fri, Sun) and the Strib (Sun), all delivered. I just paid the Strib bill for $26.00/year (.50 week). I believe I pay the same for the PP.

  37. Rob says:

    Does anyone have an extra Kelloggs “Toy cash Token” they’d be willing to mail me. I have 4 but need the fifth to send for the rebate and can’t find them at any stores now.
    please respond to lucki-charm @ comcast.net Thx

  38. Kierstien says:

    Has anyone became a fan of facebook for the babys r us thing and gotten an ecard? just wondering thanks!

  39. Andrea says:

    Kierstien…the website said it would take a couple days to get the ecard?? I haven’t gotten mine either.

    • Kierstien says:

      oh okay thank you! i plan to use mine online in conjuntction w/ free shipping on a few items! Some cute baby dishes (for cherios etc) that i can get for $5 and free shipping! Hope its still avail when i get the e card!!

  40. Patty says:

    I have a coupon for Inspector Hector color changing hand soap – has anyone been able to find it anywhere? I’ve checked Cub, Target, Walmart and Walgreens.

    • Cath says:

      Patty, I just saw the Hector Inspector hand soap at my SuperTarget (West St Paul, MN) today. I noticed it because someone had started pumping one of the them on the shelf and of course my kids started sticking their hands in the blueish goo. HTH!

  41. Susie says:

    Brunswick Bowl (Blaine, I think) has a coupon good for bowling on Feb. 7th (Super Bowl Sunday) for $.44 a game. I think you need to sign up for coupons and offers to be emailed to you in order to get the online coupon.

    http://www.bowlbrunswick.com

  42. Nate says:

    Free Bagel from Einstein Bagels with coupon here:

    http://bagels.static.contextoptional.com/einstein_coupon2.html

  43. Chris says:

    I have not experienced any issues with removing stains while using vinegar as part of my fabric softener. My husband’s clothes get very dirty from work and they come out of the wash clean. I’ve used a stain treatment on occasion while washing clothes if I feel it is needed. I’ve been using this softener & detergent for over 6 months and definitely wouldn’t go back!

  44. jenny says:

    i am now on the web with a phone and not a computer and i was wondering if you all could share again some of the links to your other favorite coupon site. thanks

  45. Valerie says:

    Would like to know if anyone on this thread is from the East Coast. Prices are so high out here. Seems like you all get better bargains then here.

  46. Rachel M. says:

    The last two weeks I’ve been getting the Star Tribune Smart Source insert in the mail on Saturdays. I’m loving it and hope they continue. I can’t remember the company that puts out the Saturday ads, but I want to send them an e-mail to encourage them to continue!

    Also, I am sending an e-mail to Rainbow’s regarding their policy to double 10 coupons. It’s less work for me (I only have to do 2 trans. to get everything on my list instead of going out to the car and coming back in to make more since they are doubling more coupons). I’m sure it’s less of a headache for the cashiers too!

    Anyone have any experience with http://www.mypoints.com? I signed up today (not knowing if it’s a good idea or not) and found out that they give points for printing and redeeming coupons from smartsource.com and coupons.com. How they track it, I don’t know. In doing some research on the internet I read some good and some bad. Hmmm…

    • Cherie says:

      Yes, I have been using mypoints since 1999 and have redeemed my points for many $50 gift certificates over the years. The coupon printing hasn’t been on there all that long but looking at my account statement, I get extra points for printing at least 10 coupons a month and truthfully I don’t think I have used all 10 at the store but got the points for printing them. For your interests, check all the boxes and you will get more “bonus mail” emails to click through. I just click the orange box on the bottom of the email and then delete it, the page comes up in a new window and I look at it if it interests me but most of the time I just X it out. As far as the surveys go, I haven’t “qualified” for many of them by answering a bunch of demographic questions first, so I have just started answering that I work for an advertising agency when that comes up in the first couple of questions and it redirects me to the “sorry you didn’t qualify” page sooner and pick up my 10 points. :) I do as much of my shopping online by clicking through mypoints first. I just make sure that my points show up for my purchases. I have had to contact customer service a few times and the points were then added. If you are interested in signing up, let me know your email address and I will send an invite, I could use the extra points for signing you up. :) Take Care. Cherie

  47. Katy says:

    I would love to swap coupons with someone, but think I need to find someone without young children-I would be interested in diapers, wipes, pull-ups and various kids things. I have plenty of pet coupons that I will not use and some others. Email me at nehkmb@msn.com if you are interested.

  48. Nancy says:

    We are vacationing in Florida in March. Anyone know of any good sites or discounts for car rentals?

    • renlyn says:

      Costco & Sam’s usually has some really good deals on car rentals. When we were there a couple of years ago we found that renting a car off of the airport was much cheaper than it was at the airport. I also google cheap rental cars and a bunch of websites come up some as low as $8.99, however, that is for the really small economical cars! Good luck

    • Christine says:

      Nancy,

      Typically Alamo has the lowest rates. I do agree with Renlyn, off airport will definately be less expensive. The reason for that is airports charge extra taxes that are not included in your daily rate. You will also find additional taxes on off airport cars that will not be wrapped into your rate, but they are usually less than the airport car. Also if you have AAA, they offer a discount through Hertz. Usually your car insurance will cover any accidents with a rental so you don’t have to spend extra on accident waivers. Check with your car insurance though, they may also have a restriction on which companies to book through.

    • Shelly says:

      I rent a car about 3 times a year, and I have always found Enterprise to be the best price. And they have are so friendly at our local St. Louis Park location. They also come pick me up and drop me off which is great if it’s during the day, and I have a hard time finding a ride. I often use my Costco discount, but – since I always rent there – I get lots of internet deals directly from them. And, there is usually some great coupons in the Entertainment books if you have one or know someone with one.

    • Shelly says:

      by the way – we are AAA members, but their disounted rates haven’t been able to come very close to Enterprise deals….

  49. Ruth says:

    Just ordered “ALL YOU” mag from amazon for $34 for two years and will get a $10 amazon certificate bringing it down to $24 then I used a Swagbucks gift card to save another $5 making it $19 for two years. I am excited to get this mag and it’s coupons.

    • Cherie says:

      Thanks for reminding me! I was going to post this last week about the All You mag. I ordered it through http://www.myreadforthecure.com 6 issues (1 year) for $10. For every subscription you purchase, 10% will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. There are several other magazines to choose from.
      Take Care.
      Cherie

      • Theresa K. says:

        FYI, The Read for the Cure offer is $10 for 6 issues or 1/2 year. A great donation to a fine cause, for sure, but the wording on the page is misleading (not intentional, I’m sure). A year’s subscription to All You is 12 issues. I’ve been tracking offers for this magazine and haven’t ordered yet. The Amazon deal today seems like the lowest I’ve seen so far.

  50. Sarah says:

    There was a Jingle Rebate a few months back which expired and now there is another current one expiring in February. Is the manufacturer allowing two rebates to the same address (previous rebate and the new rebate)?

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