free stuff

Happy Veterans Day (some freebies and deals)

Abby H.

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First of all, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has served our country and continues to serve.

This list of freebies and deals is primarily for businesses with locations in Southern CA, however there are some nationwide deals as well.

Applebees: Veterans and Active Duty Military can select a free meal from a limited menu for Veteran’s Day. Provide proof of service required.

BJ’s Restaurant: All veterans and active military can enjoy a complimentary entree under $12.95 on Friday, 11/11/2016. Please present your military ID to receive this offer.

screen-shot-2016-11-11-at-8-37-36-amBlack Angus: Free 7 oz. Top Sirloin Steak Dinner, available throughout the restaurant and the Bullseye Bar for Veterans and Active Military personnel who show proof of military service or military ID. Valid on Friday, November 11th, 2016 only. Offer excludes beverage. Offer does not include spouse and other dependents. Offer can not be combined with any other offers. Dine-in only. One offer per veteran/active duty military personnel.

Buffalo Wild Wings Free Wings: All day long on Friday, November 11, veterans and active duty military who dine at their local B-Dubs can receive a free small order of 10-12 traditional or boneless wings and a side of fries. At participating U.S. locations only.

California Pizza Kitchen: On Veterans Day, all veterans or active duty military personnel will be able to select a free entree from a special Veterans Day menu including pizza, salads and pasta. Please come in uniform or bring your military ID or other proof of service.

Denny’s All You Can Eat Pancakes: All active, inactive, and retired military personnel at all participating Denny’s restaurants nationwide will receive a free Build Your Own Grand Slam breakfast on Friday, Nov. 11, from 5 a.m. to noon. Diners must show ID to receive this offer.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit: Veterans and active military who eat at Dickey’s on Friday, November 11th, may enjoy a free meal which includes a sandwich, side and a Big Yellow Cup, up to a $12 total value. Anyone who dines with a veteran is offered a free Big Yellow Cup with applicable purchase.

IHOP: On Veteran’s Day between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., participating IHOP Restaurants around the nation will be honoring the brave men and women who have served, or are serving, in the United States Military by offering them free Red, White and Blue pancakes. Select IHOP restaurants will also offer a combo of two eggs, hash browns and choice of two bacon strips or pork sausage links as part of the Red, White & Blue Pancake promotion.  Promotion for retired and active duty military personnel.

Ikea Free Entree: Veterans can enjoy a free entree at Ikea. Please show some form of military ID.

screen-shot-2016-11-11-at-8-44-00-amMenchie’s Free Frozen Yogurt: On Veterans Day, all Veterans and military personnel with a military ID or dressed in uniform will receive a free six ounce frozen yogurt any time of day on Veterans Day 11.11.16.  Show a valid ID or be in uniform to receive.

 

img_7855Starbucks: On Veterans Day 2016, active duty service members, reservists, veterans and military spouses are invited to enjoy a free Tall Brewed Coffee.
Don’t Forget your Proof of service. Either your Active Duty or Retired Military ID Card, or a copy of your DD214. 

If you find a Veterans Day Deal, please leave a comment!

Score Free Makeup and more from L’Oreal USA

Abby H.

I’ve posted before about how I score so much cool frees tuff, but I wanted to update and share about one program: L’Oreal USA.

The makeup Giant wants women from across the United States 18+ to join and take surveys on products, daily skin care regimens, and test new products. When you take 5 surveys, you are eligible to receive a full sized L’oreal product (Of their choice)! They also do consumer product testing. They send you a product, you test it and complete a survey.

I recently completed a product survey. They mailed me products which I tested over a period of a month, then I completed a survey about the products I tested. The product surveys are long- they take about 20 minutes to complete, but, you get to try awesome new products, and as a than you, L’Oreal sends you some pretty sweet goodies.

Here is what I got as my thank you gift yesterday in the mail:

img_9874It may not look like a lot, but these three products have a value of about $90.00!

Lancome Large Shadow Brush $29.50
Lancome Color Design Eyeshadow Palette in Mauve Cherie $50.00
Maybelline Brow Drama $8.50

 

I’ve been part of their survey panel for about 10 years, and I’ve done four in home product tests. They can be hard to get into, however, the products you test are top quality, and the thank you gifts are pretty great!

And if you’re curious about why I got Lancome products, here is a list of companies that L’Oreal USA owns.

How to Save Money on Prescription Glasses and Contacts!

Abby H.

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Glasses and contacts can be expensive, especially if you don’t have vision insurance.  Here are just a few ways that we’ve managed to save money while getting Hubs glasses that are totally stylish.

Eye Exams: If you don’t have vision insurance, call around to find one that fits your budget. There are two types, depending on what type of corrective lenses you wear- Glasses or contacts).  Many Wal-marts have independent optometrists inside, as do some JCPenney locations. Then there are stores like Lens Crafters. Don’t forget there are also stand alone doctors of optometry all over too. All of these places will preform an eye exam without buying glasses. If you are 65+, you can obtain a free eye exam from Eye Care America. Kids 6 months-1 year can obtain a free eye exam from InfantSEE.

We buy glasses from Coastal. Hubs has a crazy rX, so he can’t get the $35 glasses, but a new pair usually runs him about $50 (which includes both the lenses and frames!), which is a pretty sweet deal. And the best part of Coastal is, once you sign up for an account, you can score $20 off for every friend you refer who makes a purchase! They also sell sunglasses too.   In addition to the glasses, each order comes with some pretty cool extras.

screen-shot-2016-10-23-at-8-18-50-amA pretty sweet new hardshell glasses case (which he needed!) and a Eyeglass Maintenance and repair kit:

  • 1 20ml spray bottle of anti-reflective eyeglass lens cleaner
  • 1 cleaning cloth
  • 2 silicone nose pads with 2 screws
  • 25 eyeglass frame screws
  • 1 CC key chain accessory that contains slotted and Phillips hex head screw drivers

If you are looking for more styles of glasses, Warby Parker has a lot of on trend styles of frame, however they can be a little more expensive than Coastal. They also have a few in store location across the country.

I’m always on the look out for vision freebies. Walmart has a freebie here for a free lens cleaner and cloth. When contact lens freebies are available, I will post them. They are usually available once a year or so.

We buy a years supply of contacts at Costco from their vision department. Costco has the cheapest contacts around. If you don’t have a Costco membership, the next cheapest place is Coastal.

If you are thinking to yourself, “I’ll just get the lenses replaced in the frames I already have, that’s got to be cheap!” Think again. I looked into it last year because hubs has two sets of frames he LOVES. It was over $300 per pair. OY VEY. And that was the cheapest after calling around, including the place we bought the glasses originally.

And if you are wondering what to do with all of the old eye glasses in your house that are no longer your current prescription…. The Lions Club helps recycle eyeglasses and get them into the hands of the needy. You can find out more about how and where to recycle your unwanted eyeglasses here. You could help a person in need get the glasses they can’t afford!

What are your tips for saving on glasses and contacts?

**This post may contain affiliate links, for more information about how we use affiliate links, please visit our Disclosure page.**

Freebies!!

Abby H.

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I’ve been trying to get Halloween costumes done, as well as some other stuff that requires a lot of time, so I haven’t been posting much, but I found these two articles with tons of freebies that I wanted to share! You know how much I love a mail box full of free stuff (it’s def. better than bills, right?)!

I signed up for tons of freebies, so I can’t wait for them to arrive!

Save time and money with Google Express ($10 Free!!)

Abby H.1 Comment

google-express-logoHave you heard of Google Express? It’s an awesome way to shop from home (or from your phone too) and have groceries, office supplies, and more delivered to your door.

Google Express has partnered with 20+ stores to bring you an easy solution to busy living!

AND- New customers can score $10 off their first purchase of $10+! Just click here and you are all set to go! There is a $4.99 delivery fee, but you can get that waived if you do the free trial of Google Express shipping. I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to cancel before the trial is up- and canceling is easy,just a few clicks and you’re done (We tested it on a friends account after her order was delivered!).

Here are the stores partnered with Google Express:screen-shot-2016-10-10-at-10-43-27-am
I like that I can order diapers from Target and use my referral credit- in fact, that’s what I’ve been ordering! Bitty has sensitive buns and the UP&UP brand are the only ones that work for her.

I’ve also been using my referral credits to pick up stocking stuffers for the kids. Boy Child is obsessed with Legos (so is his Daddy), so I’m trying to pick up a few small sets for his stocking.

And once you sign up and place your first order, you’ll get a referral link too! You can share it with friends and family and start earning more $10 credits!

Another reason I love Google Express is that we live upstairs… Carrying all that stuff upstairs with a wiggly little strapped to my front is hard. Having boxes of diapers delivered to my door is a huge help!

 

Disclaimer: My referral link is in this post, if you sign up and use your $10 credit through the links above, I’ll receive a $10 credit, which is awesome, because diapers don’t grow on trees. That being said, I only recommend products and services that I feel are a good value for my family and readers.

Teachers: Score a Free Taco at Rubios!

Abby H.

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Back to school has started for most of us, but by 9/8/16, most teachers will be ready for a little pick me up! Check this pretty long list of folks that qualify for a free taco on September 8th in honor of Teacher Appreciation Day!

While you are checking it out, scroll at the way to the bottom of the page and join the Beach Club. You’ll score a free taco, as well as all sorts of awesome perks through the year (Like free noms for your birthday!).

Freebies!

Abby H.

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Everyone loves free stuff, and everyone loves opening their mailbox and finding something besides bills!

Here are just a few of the cool free samples and goodies that I’ve found online!

 

If you’ve found freebies online recently, please share a link in the comments section below!

How do you get so much free stuff?

Abby H.2 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-04-24 at 11.31.34 PMIf you’ve been around for a while, you may notice I post photos on Social media- a lot of it is stuff I’ve gotten for free.

If you’d like to fill your mail box with goodies, here are a few companies that have great, FREE programs where you can earn free stuff!

L’oreal USA: The makeup Giant wants women from across the United States 18+ to join and take surveys on products, daily skin care regimens, and test new products . When you take 5 surveys, you are eligible to receive a full sized L’oreal product (Of their choice)! They also do consumer product testing. They send you a product, you test it and complete a survey.

Vocal Point is a multi-faceted website. One of its greater aspects is that it’s connected to Proctor and Gamble (P&G), and they often times have new or improved products to test and share with consumers. The members of Vocal Point can opt in to receive these items, and them share their opinions with other members of the Vocal Point community.

The Good Housekeeping Beauty Lab: The Beauty Lab needs female testers age 35 and up to help in our evaluations of beauty products. Some evaluations may require testers to visit the Good Housekeeping Research Institute at 300 West 57th Street in Manhattan, but for other evaluations, products can be sent by mail. There is no cost and very little time involved, and participants may keep beauty product samples.” If you’re interested in participating, please contact ghribeauty@hearst.com or 212-649-2408.  I do 1-2

Bzzagent A WOM (word of mouth) website that helps spread the word on tons of great products. Sign up for campaigns when there are products that interest you, use them, and share your opinions (as well as coupons and samples!) with others in person or via the Internet. This sharing is called “buzz”, and the more you buzz and report your buzz, you earn Mypoints points, and chances for early invitations for more campaigns. I’ve been a Bzzagent for about four year, and I receive about eight campaigns per year.

Smiley360  is much like BzzAgent, in that it is also a WOM (Word of Mouth) website. Sign up for campaigns and you will receive samples to use, and coupons to share with friends. Report your sharing and earn points!
From their website, “Do you love to try new things? Haven’t you ever tried a new product and thought, “This would be so much better if…” Well, as a smiley360.com member, you can provide that kind of feedback directly to the source. Your opinion matters. And as a fringe benefit, you’ll earn status in the smiley360.com community, which has its own perks, rewards, and opportunities. It’s a win-win situation, really.”

Moms Meet- Read my post here.

Ralph’s Free Friday Download– Learn more here (one of their prior offerings that has info on the post about the program).

There are websites like MySavings that have a free sample section that is updated several times a day.

PinchMe offers free sample boxes once a Month- some months there are tons of samples, some months not so much, it just depends on your demographic and what they have.

Proctor and Gamble (P&G) offers samples once per quarter. Sign up here.

50% off at Schoola!

Abby H.

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SQUEE! It’s back! 50% off at Schoola!  Just use Coupon Code  SPRINGBRK at checkout. And in addition, if you are new to Schoola, they are offering $20 free and free shipping when you sign up here.

In addition to offering awesome gently worn kids clothes, Schoola also gives a percentage (40%) of each sale to a school. So you can feel good twice: Once while your saving $$, and again because you are helping support a school in need.

To get started, click here. And I can’t wait to see what you have scored!

It’s BACK! Free FroYo Day!

Abby H.

Is it wrong that I look forward to this every year?

Screen Shot 2016-01-25 at 10.37.39 AMFebruary 1st is National Frozen Yogurt Day and that means free Fro Yo at Menchie’s!

It’s from 4-7pm on Monday, February 1st!

Fine Print: The first 6 ounces are free on February 1, 2016 from 4pm – 7pm. Additional ounces are at cost to the consumer. Limit one cup per guest while supplies last. Flavors are available at participating locations, while supplies last.

This is going to be a great after school treat for our family! As more Free Fro Yo offers are announced for other fro yo companies, I’ll post!