Quick Tip: Carry Store's Coupon Policy in Coupon Caddy

I've heard and experienced that many cashiers aren't familiar with their own store's coupon policies.
This can be frustrating when you have your stack of coupons ready to go and it all comes to a screeching halt. You've got other folks behind you in line giving you the evil eye and you just want to give up and go home. Well, don't! Keep a copy of the store's coupon policy (generally found on their website) in the back of your coupon caddy, envelope, etc. The cashier will either become more knowledgable about policy, or will be so intimidated by the fact that you know their coupon policy, chapter and verse, that he will just put your coupons through out of sheer embarrassment! If that, too, fails, then ask to have the store manager ring you up at customer service.

Here are links to some stores' policies.

Walgreens
CVS
Rite-Aid
Kroger (Digital Coupon Policy)
Target
Fred Meyer
Publix
Marsh

Quick Tip: Simplify Washing to Get Better Looking Towels

Unless you don't mind a bunch of lint balls covering your towels, or if you use your towels until they've gasped their last breath, then you'll like this.

Have you ever noticed that when you wash different colored towels together, even the older ones will transfer little lint balls to towels of other colors? I hate that. I cannot stand seeing all those little lint balls on the towels! The next time you get new towels, buy all the same color. You'll no longer have to wait till there are enough dirty from the same color to make up a load, and no more lint ball transfer!

Also, remember to limit the use of dryer softener sheets when washing towels (or fleece). The softener sheets prevent towels from absorbing as much water as they normally would. (The softener sheets just flat out ruin the appearance of anything fleece, over time, so I wash fleece separately and use no dryer sheets at all.)

If you are asking for towels for Christmas, a house-warming party, or whatever the occassion, make sure to ask for towels that are all the same color to make wash day a little easier.

Diana

Put Some Pep in Your Housecleaning Step!

Put some pep in your housecleaning step!

I know that I always get more done around the house when I have to music to bop along to and I've found a new site to help with that. My friend Christine brought walk by jog fm to my attention, and I thought it would be a great way to put some pep in your housecleaning step. You can always use your MP3 player, or even stream music from your favorite radio station or Pandora.

Whatever you do to get a little motivation, choose something fun and you'll be sure to be more productive when you are doing your daily chores!

Enjoy!
Diana

Contest Corner - The Best Giveaways on the Net!

I'm a big fan of Money Saving Mom. Each week, she gives a forum for other blogs to list any contests or giveaways they have posted. I've seen these in the past, but rarely entered any of the contests. This week, I decided to give these other hardworking bloggers some love and enter their contests.

One blog that I tried was Contest Corner. They have "The Best Giveaways on the Net!". This week, they are giving away a D-Link Day/Night Security Camera. Contest Corner provided the following information about the camera.

The D-Link DCS-932L Day/Night Security Camera retails for $129.99 

and is available at Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot and Amazon – 

click here to visit Dlink.com for more information and to purchase.

Contest Corner, like other blogs running contests that I've come across, are using "Rafflecopter" for entries. By performing various tasks, most of which are to help advertise the blog or the company providing the prizes, you gain entries. For example, on Contest Corner, you can earn entries for liking their Facebook page, Tweeting about the contest on Twitter and posting the link to your Tweet back in the Rafflecopter, subscribing to a an e-mail or RSS feed, etc. In fact, I'm earning an entry right now just for telling you about their contest on my blog!

Not everyone will want to do all activities, but the more activities you complete, the more chances you have at winning the prize. This particular contest, at present, has received over 2,000 entries. As nationwide contests go, that's not a huge amount, so your chances are pretty good, though I'm not going to mathematize (our own family word) for you. Some entry methods are able to be done on a daily basis during the life of the contest. For example, you can Tweet about the contest once / day to earn an additional entry. I have seen some contests / giveaways that have fewer than 100 entries.

Yes, contests and giveaways are fun, but they serve other purposes and anyone who spends even a small amount of time purusing blogs will recognize that bloggers have contests to boost readership. Some bloggers will also get free product to try and write about, and the manufacturer often gives an extra item for the blogger to give away. Also, the contests often require that the reader likes a Facebook page, Tweets about the contest, or writes about it in the reader's blog, all promoting the blog with the giveaway, the company who provides the prize, or the manufacturer of the product. Some readers seems to get a bit bent out of shape about this, but I don't see why. If a company is giving away an item, and a blogger is willing to try out that item to promote it for the company, then if I'm going to try to win the item, the least that I can do is help promote them a little in the process. Many will help, few will win, but c'est la vie, right?

So, now that you know a little more about contests and giveaways on blogs, go forth and win!

Enjoy!
Diana

*STILL ACTIVE* Sierra Trading Post $10 Off Coupon!

There are lots of nice things that one can find at Sierra Trading Post.

Use the link below to get a $10 coupon, and I'll get one, too! And, if you are a Upromise member, you can find further Sierra Trading Post savings through the Upromise site.

Enjoy!

Sierra Trading Post