Get a Jumpstart on Christmas Shopping with a $50 Gift Card Thrifty Momma Ramblings Giveaway!

Christmas is right around the corner so Thrifty Momma Ramblings is hosting a $50 gift card giveaway for one lucky reader to get a jumpstart on Christmas shopping! You can be totally selfish and use it for yourself if you choose. I will post the list of stores you can choose from for your gift card. The rules are super easy and this contest will end on Sunday, November 6th at 11:59 PM CST. So basically midnight. The winner will be announced on the blog the following day and I use Random.org to pull the lucky winner by number.

Giveaway Rules:
To enter this drawing all you have to do is leave a comment about how you would spend the $50 gift card if you won. As I said, you could use it on holiday shopping, regift to someone else, or use it on yourself. No anonymous posters please. You don't have to have a blog but leave your name at least in the comment. All anonymous poster comments will be deleted. I hope you enjoy the giveaway. This giveaway is only open to United States (US) Residents! Only one entry per comment, but and I have included a a couple of extra ways to earn more entries.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
2 Extra Entriess- Blog about this drawing on your blog linking back to this post. Leave me a comment with the link that I can follow and see it.
1 Extra Entry- Subscribe to my email list located at the top right hand side below header.
1 Extra Entry- Retweet this contest or follow me on Twitter (You can do both but you only get credit for one.)
1 Extra Entry- Follow my page on Facebook or Share on your wall (You can do both but you only get credit for one.)

Stop reading already and leave your comment for your chance to get a jumpstart on Christmas shopping with a $50 to one of the following stores of your choice. Thanks so much to all my readers. I wouldn't have much of a blog without you guys. Good luck!

$50 Gift Card List:
1) Wal-Mart
2) Target
3) Amazon (online)
4) CVS
5) Walgreen's
6) Best Buy
7) Rite-Aid
8) Itunes

Black Friday Shopping Tips

Ok so not everyone feels like waking up before dawn and camp out in the cold to save money for Christmas presents. Then there are those of us that get a sort of rush during this time of year. I'm one of those that love shopping the Black Friday sales. I'm going to share some tips with you, and you can share your own in the comments.

*Preview Leaked Ads- this is my favorite part is seeing all the leaked ads before they come out. I prefer Black http://www.black-friday.net/ This way I can to start planning my shopping list as well as which stores to hit.

*Planning- once I have my list made then I know which stores to hit. I also can see which stores have the best price on the item I want to buy. CVS allows you to shop their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving day which makes it easier for me. I will hit them first thing when they open so I can beat the crowds. I also check which sales start at what time like Wal-Mart opens at midnight. This is great for me since I don't want any of the doorbuster items this year. I am planning on doing most of my shopping online this year so no lines or crowds. Then I can go back to bed when I'm done. I will still hit some stores on Friday morning at a decent time.

*Price-Match Ads- this will help you save time and money. None of the stores will price match any ads that offer special deals like gift cards when you buy xx item, spend xx amount, or even doorbuster (early bird) deals. They will match the other sales.

*Shop Online- many of the stores will offer the sales on their website. Again less time in store and you can shop in your pj's. Who doesn't love that?!! The only drawback is that many items will be sold out quickly since you are competing with more people. Don't forget that Wal-Mart is offering free shipping on almost everything online so this is a huge savings.

*Amazon- I love this website. Many times they will have many of the same deals on video games and movies that the other stores are offering. I have done very well the last 2 years buying many presents. I will mention that many times they can be sneaky having an item priced very cheaply and hours later it's almost retail. So if you see something you like at a great price then snag it!

*Mapping- for stores like Target and Wal-Mart it's a good idea to get a map when you walk in the store. They will usually let you know where the items are in the store. Toy deals can be in groceries and video games in clothing. It also helps if you can talk another person into coming with you. That way if you want a TV then one person can wait for it while someone waits for a must have toy.

The last tip I can give you is to have PATIENCE and smile. While it can be frustrating for someone to cut you off or be rude, just remember that it's only stuff. Life is too short to dwell on negatives, and just be happy to get any good deals that you can snag. Most years I can get everything I want, but I've missed out on some items. Such is life. I always have fun, and I love how much money I can save.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #75

Today's thrifty living tip is use cloth napkins and dish towels over paper napkins and paper towels. This will save you lots of money over your life. I still use paper towels from time to time, but a super sized pack will last me for months. I usually buy one or two of those 8 roll packs on sale at CVS yearly. I have the same pack of napkins I got on sale over two years ago. I just rarely use them. I would much rather use my cloth napkins and towels.

I buy the dish towels on clearance and stock up. I make my own napkins by cutting out the size I need and serge the edges so it doesn't ravel in the wash. These napkins will last for years. If it's a big spill then I find the dish towel will clean up the spill quicker, and I don't have to waste several paper towels. When they get to a point that I can't use them in the kitchen, then they become cleaning towels. I really try to use them up as much as I can before discarding. We all know it's better for the environment, but it's also much better for my pocket book.

The Free Christmas Spending Challenge

So you are probably wondering what is a free Christmas spending challenge. It's a challenge that I'm doing this year to pay for Christmas with our pocket change and the things I get for free. This includes gift certificates I redeem from My Points and other reward programs. I am also using the change we've saved in a jar. I normally use this money to pay for presents for our family like DVD movies and games. This year we are on a tight budget like most people so I decided to spend less. I can still give nice and thoughtful gifts without spending a fortune.

I give gifts to around 30 people which includes my family, hubby's, teachers, mail lady, and such. My hubby and I aren't exchanging any presents this year unless I can score some great deals on DVD movies and/or games, but I'm not holding my breath. I also buy items for gift baskets that I get for free or almost free. I get lots of compliments on my gift baskets from my friends and family. I have Tupperware left from in my inventory that I will give as gifts. I do plan on making homemade treats this year like chocolate covered mint patties, peanut butter balls and fudge.

I already have several gift certificates saved up. I redeemed 2 $10 Subway gift cards and a $10 Chili from My Coke Rewards. I just ordered another $10 Chili gc so I plan on giving those 2 to a couple. I'm hoping to get the Snow White blu-ray DVD combo pack that will be on sale at Wal-Mart on Tuesday for $9.96 plus tax after I use the $10 off coupon I printed. That will make another wonderful gift. I also got stainless steel water bottles on clearance. I just requested a $50 check from my bank since I use a free checking rewards program. I am getting a $25 CVS gc from My Points which I will use to help pay for the great deals I'm getting. I also did the CVS Monsters vs Aliens deal this past week. I paid $6 for that movie which is a great stocking stuffer for my son. My son's Christmas and Birthday is already paid for with all those Bionicle Legos we scored last October so click here to read about that great deal. I'm glad we saved them so that is a huge help to our Christmas budget. I found a couple more gifts I had bought but didn't give them last year. I have a bad habit of forgetting what I buy people earlier in the year, and then buy something else when it gets closer to Christmas. I will report back and update my Christmas spending challenge especially when it gets closer to Christmas.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #36

Today's thrifty tip is make a grocery list before you go to the store. I know that sounds like common sense, but many people think I only need 1 or 2 items and I won't forget. Then you end up buying something you don't need and not the actual item you really did. I've done it and more than once. I also like to look at the sales papers to decide if I could use extra of an item that is marked cheaply. If I have coupons, then I can usually get the item almost free or free. Don't overlook the drug stores like Walgreens and CVS. Sometimes they have a better sale on groceries than the regular stores. Make a list and don't forget to take it with you. Yes, I have also done that more than once.

More Great CVS Savings

I decided to stop at CVS yesterday since I got some good cash register receipt coupons. I also found a rain check from two years ago. That's the great thing about their rain checks is that they never expire. You gotta love it. Mine were for Schick Quattro Razors for men and I had a quantity of four. I didn't have any coupons, but it did have a $5 ECB when you buy one. Well the check was for $1.99 each! I was able to get all four, and I got the $5 ECB. I got four razors for $3.xx! I also had coupons for a Tylenol 10ct vial and a Fusion Shaving cream. I did have $1 coupons for both. I also got a couple more boxes of Puffs tissues.

Fusion: $3.49- $3.00 coupons= $0.49
2 Puffs: $1.76- $.50 cents coupons= $1.26
4 Quattro Razors- $7.96- $7 ECB (I had this amount)= $0.96
Tylenol: $2.49- $2.50 coupons= penny overage
Grand Total with tax: $3.12!!!

I got $5 ECB from the razors. I saved a total of $45 with sales and coupons. I just can't say it enough. I LOVE CVS!

My Freebies for the Week

I went yesterday to do my weekly big 3 shopping. Yep each week I hit Rite-Aid, Walgreens, and CVS to get the weekly deals.

First Stop- Rite-Aid:
1 Crest Whitening w/ Scope [$3.19] -75 cent coupon

Total- $2.65 w/ tax
I'm getting $3.19 back with rebate so free and made a 54 cent profit!

Second Stop- Walgreens:
Cheerios [$1.99] -$1 coupon (printable)
Pert Plus [$3.79] -$2 coupon

Total- $3.00 w/ tax
I'm getting $3.79 back from Walgreens FAR so I made a $2.00 profit. If you have that TMF rebate you can get even more. I already did one.

Final Stop- CVS:
2 Glade Air Fresheners [$1.76] -88 cents BOGO coupon
2 Puff Tissues [$1.76] -50 cent coupons (2x 25cent)
4 Crest Whitening Toothpaste [$7.96] -$4 ECB & -$2 coupons (2x $1)
Dove SkinVitalizer [$9.99] -$3 ECB & -$3.50 coupon
6 L'Oreal Vive Shampoo [$20] -$9.99 x3 BOGO coupons -$6 coupons (6x $1)
Colossal Express Mascara [$4.99] -$2 ECB -$1 coupon
Infusium Family Size Shampoo [$5.99] -$3 coupon
2 Intuition Razors [$7.98 ($3.99 raincheck)] -$6 coupons ($3x 2)

Total- $14.65 w/ tax
I also had a $5/30 CVS receipt coupon I used. None of the items were free but they were very cheap after coupons and ECB's. I used all my ECB's this trip since I wanted the lowest out of pocket cost.

Today's Shopping Trip

I went shopping today to grab all the deals for this week. I first went to Rite-Aid and bought the Garnier Shine and had a $1 off coupon. So total was $3.25 and I am getting back $3.99 with rebate.

Then I went to Walgreens and bought the Airwick Flameless Candle and Glade Scent Candle. I paid $6.46 with tax and I'm getting back $4 in rebates so total is $2.46 for both items. That was 99 cents each. I also bought 3 Glade refill candles for $2.45 after rebate and coupon. They had 2 of them on clearance for $1 and I got one free with that coupon. I like to give the Trio candles as presents to the lady that delivers my mail and such.

I went to CVS and got the following:
2 Trident gum
2 Colgate Total toothpaste
4 Herbal Essence Shampoos (they have one that I can't get anywhere else)
2 Bic Soleil Razors
1 Schick Intuition Razor (have rain check from last sale)

I used $15.74 in coupons and 9.79 in ECB's so grand total was $6.42! I spent $16.13 total on everything and I'm getting $7.99 back in rebates for a grand grand total of $8.14 for all of it! The razors are going to be part of those Christmas gift bags. I also had to do some Wal-Mart shopping and bought 5 Skintimate Shaving creams that were $1.47 each and after $1 coupons I got them for $2.54 with tax. Those will also go in the gift bags. I missed that sale when they were $1.74 each and I think that was Walgreens. I don't know how I missed it, but this is still good. My nieces love the smaller ones to use when they sleep at a friend's house.

Buying for Charity

I know I've posted before about how I give away some of the great deals I find to charity. But I came across a great blog called Coupon Cravings. She had this great giveaway about how much could you buy at CVS for just $5 for charity. I wanted to post about it earlier, but I was kinda busy so it ended before I could.

I think this is an awesome idea so it inspired me today. I already had plans to get the Pert Plus shampoo and Sure deodorant that is B1G1F this week. I bought 18 bottles of Pert Plus and 6 Sure and my grand total was a -.63! I had to buy a candy to get my total over 0, and it was a whopping 20 cents! I have NEVER done that well before. I normally have a $1 or right around a dollar total or higher. I was psyched! I promise I didn't clear the shelves and left plenty for other shoppers so please no nasty comments. This was $85 worth of items before sale prices for FREE! I didn't post this to brag, but to show that a lot of good can be done getting these great deals. If I gave the shelter $20 then that money wouldn't go very far. Instead I can take that same $20 and buy $100 or more of items to give to them.

Second Week of July- More Great Shopping!

This has already been another great week of shopping all the great sales! I mainly shop the drug stores each week. I also snagged an awesome deal at Wal-Mart with a set of Speed Racer twin sheets. They weren't marked but rang up at $7! I got the last set at my store. I also got the matching comforter for $18 so a total of $25 for bedding is fantastic. Here are my deals for today.

Rite-Aid I spent $23.16 and am getting back $17 in rebates so I spent $6.16 for all this (once I get my check).

2 Herbal Essence Shampoos
1 Gilette Clinical Deodorant
1 Infusium Shampoo
1 Pro-Health Toothpaste and Mouthwash
1 Venus Razor

Then we went to CVS and got the following:

4 Bic Soliel Razors & Cartridge Refills (8 $4 coupons)
2 Olay Ribbons Body Wash (2 $2 coupons)
1 Olay Face Wash ($1 coupon)
1 Olay Moisturizer ($1 coupon)
2 Febreeze Fabric Spray (2 $1 coupons)
3 Febreeze Air Effects (2 free) & 50 cent coupon
1 Febreeze Candle ($1 coupon)
1 Febreeze Oil Warmer (got free with a coupon I requested a couple of months ago)

I spent almost $20 with tax for all of it and I still have $12 in ECB's to use. The most expensive stuff was the Febreeze and Olay. I got the face wash and moisturizer for me and the body wash will also go in the gift baskets. The bottles were huge and my sil will love them.

Picture Of My CVS Deals

Here is a picture of all the stuff I got for $15. I forgot to take one and I had it all lined up for hubby to see when he got home. He was impressed how little I paid for all of it. Over half of it was for stuff to put in my gift baskets.

First Week of July- Great Shopping Day!

I already know I've had a post titled I love CVS but I really do love that store! I did most of the monthly deals and some of the weekly ones today. I saved a lot of money and am keeping a few items to put in my gift baskets I make for Christmas. I still need to get the Bic Soliel Razors monthly deal but my coupons haven't come in yet. They are well stocked at the moment so hoping that lasts. I also got some stuff at Rite-Aid today. I did 3 transactions at CVS.

Rite-Aid
1 Degree Clinical Deodorant- $6.99
2 RA boxes of Dryer Sheets (B1G1F) $3.19
1 Pert Plus (25% more bottle)- $2.50
1 Pert Plus Botanical- $2.50
1 Gum- 99 cents
1 Softsoap- $2.99

Coupons:
$1 Softsoap
$2 Pert Plus
$3 Pert Plus
$2 Degree
Total $8 in coupons

Grand Total with tax- $12.79 and I'm getting back $6 in Rebates from RA and $2.50 TMF Pert Plus Rebate so then grand total is $4.29! Not too shabby and I really needed dryer sheets and these were the huge 100 count ones! I would have bought more but these were the last 2 in the store. They were also out of the Dove Clinical and Oxy Freebies. Oh well.

Then I headed to CVS for the deals. I won't post them like above since it's too many to list but I will say I got the Free Liners, Tampons, 6 of the Sure Deodorants, 8 Softsoap bottles (B1G1F), 2 Coppertone Baby Sticks, Swiffer Duster and Refill, Right Guard Clinical Deo, and Vaseline Lotion. I got all of these items for $15! I am getting back a $2.89 rebate for the Sure. The total after the rebate for $12.11 and I have almost $23.49 in ECB's. I still need the Bic razors/refills and the CVS brand Face Wipes which I have a $2 beauty coupon to print. The coupon is too huge so I need to work on that later today. Once I get my rebates back then I spent less than $20 for all this stuff. I mostly spent money on the Softsoap body washes but these make great additions to my gift baskets. I spend around $5 per person and I give 6 of these away each year. I usually donate the extras to either the women's shelter or my Church.

I could have gotten my $12 total down to under $2 if I had used another $10 ECB but I wasn't thinking. I am still proud of how I did even with the extra $10 upfront. I still have it but just in the form on an ECB but I really like rolling the old ones into new ones. Share your totals and deals. I would love to hear about them.

I LOVE CVS!

This is by far one of my favorite stores to shop, and I also get a lot of great deals. I went on Sunday and got the freebies for the month of June plus a couple of deals for the week. Here is what I got:

5 packs of CVS Q-Tips (500 count)
2 packs of CVS Band-Aids
2 Listerine Smart Rinse Mouth Wash
3 Dove Deodorants
3 Colgate Brand Spongebob Toothbrushes
1 Colgate Advanced Whitening Toothpaste
1 Colgate Max Fresh Toothpaste
2 packs of Basic Paper Towels
2 packs of Duracell Batteries

I also did several transactions. I could have saved another $8 but I haven't gotten any of those $4/20 or $5/25 coupons in months. I had a $3/10 CVS brand purchase plus got $10 ECB for the Q-tips and band-aids were free after ECB. I had $1 off coupons for the Dove, $1.50 for the toothpaste, 75 cents for the toothbrushes, $1 for the mouth wash, and $1 for the batteries. I paid a grand total of $18.67 in 4 transactions for everything. I also have a $3.49 Rebate for the Listerine plus $22.00 in ECB's for the next trip. Once I get my rebate then I paid a little over $15 for almost $90 worth of items! I'm still very proud of my totals and most of them were $2 or cheaper. I also try to go in first thing in the morning so it's pretty empty and I don't have a huge line behind. The cashiers are so friendly and always shocked to see how well I do. One of them even asks for me tips. This is one of the many ways I help to stretch our dollars.

A Rebate & Coupon Chat

Another way I use to S-T-R-E-T-C-H my dollars is using coupons and rebates. Now granted buying store brand or using an alternative is cheaper, but there are many times I can get name brand for either Free or much cheaper than the store brands. If you can then why not. Another really great tip is not to be brand loyal. I do have certain brands I like more than others, but trying new brands can help save money. There are times that I liked the other brand more than my usual fave. I don't buy too much convienance food or condiments. They aren't healthy and it's usually cheaper to make your own scratch version. This is just something I do, and I don't have access to really great supermarkets like Kroger's, Albertson's, Save-A-Center, and many more. I have 3 local family owned stores and a Super Wal-Mart. So not a lot of choice but I still manage to do pretty well, but no double coupons except for Fred's Dollar Store. They are only up to 65 cents and 1 coupon per item. I find I save more with CVS and Walgreens.

So where do I get all these coupons other than the Sunday paper? I buy certain coupons off ebay, I post on coupon forums, and other coupon clipping sites where you pay for their time to clip them. You can also trade them on these coupon/rebate sites. There are lots of sites but I have a few sites that I like to frequent and get coupon previews so I know if I should bother buying the paper or save my money. I also get coupon inserts from the paper recycling bin. It's easy access (no digging in dumpsters or climbing) and free for anyone. I take a couple which are usually right on top when I'm dropping off my papers already. It's right down the road from my house. I can't always count on it, but I usually get extras each week. Some stores will even give you the coupon inserts on old papers if you ask. This will depend on the store and area.

I don't save hundreds of dollars off a single shopping trip, but I do save enough to make it worthwhile. To save the most is to combine a rebate with a coupon. Walgreens and CVS will allow you to use one manufacturer coupon along with one store coupon per item. I also shop at Rite-Aid and do their rebates each month. It's a great way to earn some free stuff which I also use as presents or donate the extras. Listed below are some great websites and just copy/paste the links into your browser. Enjoy!

http://www.mycoupons.com/boards/

http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/index.php

http://www.fatwallet.com/

*This is a great coupon clipping service. They are fast and have a great variety.

http://thecouponclippers.com/

*This is an online site or you can also join to get a paper subscription but I am a member of the online only. Lots of great deals/info posted here.

http://www.refundcents.com/

Friday was a Good Shopping Day

I love a great deal but I love freebies even more. I scour the sales papers each Sunday looking for good deals or ways for me to get the stuff we use anyway for free. Using coupons can stretch those savings more esp if you have store coupons and manufacturer coupons. CVS and Walgreens do allow both on a purchase. I LOVE CVS and it definitely pays to shop there if you have access to one or more. I also combine trips into one to save even more money but my Walgreens is across the intersection from CVS so it just makes sense to hit them both. I usually shop one day a week and do all the deals.

I printed out my $5/20 purchase coupon for Walgreens and bought the free after rebate items (toothbrush, kids mouthwash, and maxipads) and also bought the 3 boxes of TUFF kitchen trashbags that had the $4 rebate. So my total before coupon was $23.xx -$5 coupon for $18.xx and I'm getting back $15.97 in rebates! I spent $2.xx for all that stuff which was mainly sales tax.

Next I jumped over to CVS and bought the soft drinks on sale (yeah I know even cheaper if you don't buy them but it's a bad vice we have), 6 packs of the store brand toilet paper, and 2 toothbrushes. So total was about $45 with tax before my ECB's (extra care bucks) & coupons and it was $15.xx after all my rewards and coupons. Plus I got $4 in new ECB's so I was quite pleased. We have enough toilet paper stocked up for the rest of year. I also have lots of items stockpiled so we rarely ever run out of items. I get most of these items either FREE or almost FREE! I do take advantage of items that are completely free even if I don't need it then I donate those items either to my church or the local women's shelter. I can't always afford to give charities/organizations cash but I can afford to give them stuff I get free or almost free. They seem to prefer the items over the cash so it's a win/win for both of us. Anyway, I will try to post more about great deals I come across but all of these little things do add up to much bigger savings and allows us to help others. I feel like I'm saving us more money by not working since I have time to do all the shopping, search out the deals, and do the other programs to make money for the extras we enjoy.