Did you know that Dollar Tree takes coupons?

I have been back in the states now for a couple of months and am learning new things all the time. One thing I found out recently was that Dollar Tree takes manufacturer's coupons. This can make for some good deals. Here are two that I was able to score this week.

I bought my Sunday paper at the Dollar Tree for $1. I cut 2 coupons and used them the next day when I was out running errands. $1 off 1 Speed Stick deodorant and $1 off 2 Hormel pepperonis. 3 items we would have bought at some point anyway for $1 plus tax. This worked out as a pretty good deal to me. I actually went back and got three more papers so I could get more free deodorant and cheap pepperoni.

Did you know that the Dollar Tree took Manufacturer coupons? Did you know they carried name brand items that coupons could be used for? Have you scored any amazing deals there?

Have a super fabulous day!!

Quilted Northern Deal

For a limited time Quill.com has the 30 pk Quilted Northern on sale for $13.99 shipped to US addresses. This works out to about $.47 per roll and cheaper than I can get at the commissary locally.
Limit 1.

Also if you use Shopathome.com you can get 3% cash back. If you are not a member you can use my referral link below to sign up.

Vitacost.com - Raw Honey, Pasta, and Tea

If you are new to Vitacost and sign up through a referral link you will get a $10 off $10+ purchase coupon code in your email. I found a way to get a great deal on a few items.

Here is how one deal can work out today:
1 - Sign up for Vitacost as a new member using a referral link
2 - Check your email for your coupon code
3 - Add items to cart (any close to $10 will work but this is one with things I would like to get)
          YS Eco Bee Farms Raw Honey -- 22 oz normally over $7 on sale for $5.91
          Annie's Homegrown Gluten Free Rice Pasta and Cheddar -- 6 oz on sale for $2.19
          St. Dalfour Organic Vanilla Tea -- 25 Tea Bags on sale for $2.12
          Any 2 Free Samples

The above works out to $10.22 total.
4 - Add the coupon code for your $10 off during the check out.
5 - Shipping is a flat $4.99 unless you spend over $49 which then it is free.
6 - Your total on the above order is $5.21  (less than just the raw honey would cost at the sale price)

Have you ordered from Vitacost.com before? I do regularly and love it. I love the fact that the shipping cost is the same to my APO address as it is for any US address. I also like that I can get things from there that I cannot find locally.

Badger Sunscreen Deal

This weekend only iHerb.com has Badger sunscreen on sale for $3.00 for a single unit. This is a great natural sunscreen and a great price.

If you have never ordered from iHerb.com before you can use my referral code JIJ590 in the coupon area when you checkout to save $5.00 on your first order.

You can also add a free sample to your order here.

A couple other good deals that I was able to get in on:
BeeCeuticals Organics, Hand Salve, Orange & Honey, 2 oz - $0.90

St. Dalfour, Organic, Vanilla Tea, 25 Tea Bags, 1.75 oz - Buy the tea get a tea cup for free - $3.99
other flavors available but I LOVED this flavor

Shipping to the lower 48 states is free if your order is over $20 and weighs under 10 lbs.

After you sign up and place an order you can also sign up for the rewards and get your own code to pass out to others. For your first order I would be grateful if you would use my code JIJ590 which helps me out and also gives you a discount.

Glasses Online

*this is the pair of glasses I ordered from Coastal



Today I had my first eye exam since high school. Yes that was a long time ago since I am going to turn 32 in February. I walked in thinking it was going to be an easy exam. It took me almost 2 hours to go through all sorts of tests and now I have to go back for a peripheral vision test and a scan of my head. I did walk out with a prescription for glasses. They are supposed to help me see things up close better. I priced glasses at the on base optical shop and it would cost me $300 for the pair of glasses that I liked. They charge separately for frames and lenses. It is a lot of money. If I end up buying them I will have to buy them out of our tax return as I don't usually have that much free money to spend. I did some research online and there are several online places to buy glasses. I decided to try out a could of them. I ordered a free pair from Coastal.com, a free pair from Firmoo.com, and a $6.95 pair from Zennioptical.com. I am a bit nervous trying online places especially ones who send free glasses with just the cost of shipping. These places include the cost of basic lenses in the cost of their frames. You would pay a extra for coatings or better lenses. I figured since my first prescription isn't very high I would be able to get away with the basic lenses.

Have you ever ordered glasses online? Did you like them?

If you order a pair from this link at Coastal I can get some referral credit to help fund a future pair. I would be so thankful if you would check it out or recommend this post to your friends to check out the links. The free glasses opportunities are for new customers only.

Schooling - Part 3

My financial aid portion was approved. I am now waiting on the 1st of February to be enrolled and then my books to arrive. I am so excited and scared. I know I will be able to do it but I know I will have to make an effort for time for myself so I can study. I am also excited to show S (the oldest boy) how Mom can still study and get good grades. I think this is going to be important for him because he has decided he doesn't like school and doesn't want to put forth an effort.

If you know a military spouse of an E1 - E5 or O1- O2 let them know there is money for school out there for them. Free money. Tell them to contact Military One Source and ask about the MyCAA.

Schooling - part 2

My school goal was approved and now I am waiting on the financial aid portion to be approved. I could start my online class as early as February 1. I am super excited and nervous.  I want so badly to be able to get a really great grade in the class so that I can get my certificate and possibly take another class come October/November.

Schooling

I was/am a licensed cosmetologist. I went to beauty school right out of high school. I then worked in a salon for 6.5 years. I really enjoyed being a hairstylist but it is really hard on the body and I am a bit over weight, which doesn't help. I have been a stay at home mom now since 2006 when I was put on bed rest while pregnant with T. I really miss being a hairstylist but I am afraid that being out of the business too long I will need to update my knowledge just a bit before going back into the hair business. I cannot really do that while I am here so I have decided to strengthen my knowledge by taking an online class in a different subject. I will worry about updating my cosmetology skills once I am back stateside. I know most of the basics are not out of date but there have been up and coming things like threading and new hair straightening techniques that I would hope to learn.

I found out that the government has some money set aside to help military spouses go to school for what they deem "portable" careers. This is free money to go toward and associates or a certificate in these "portable" careers. The program is called Military Spouse Career Advancement Account. I have signed up and am waiting for the approval to take an online course for a certificate in medical billing and coding. There are lots of schools to choose from and I am going to be taking mine through a stateside university continuing education program. Once you sign up for MyCAA then you choose the education path you want to do and submit it to the program for approval. Once it is approved then your financial aid portion is submitted and approved. I am hoping that I should be able to start my classes in February. I am a bit scared because I have not been to any kind of schooling since leaving beauty school back in 1999. I am excited because I will get to learn something new and hopefully something I could put toward job finding when we get back to the states.

If you would like to find out more about the MyCAA program visit www.militaryonesource.com.

Groupon- Vitacost.com $15 for $30 purchase

I love Vitacost.com because I can order organic spices in larger quantities and have them delivered to me. I cannot figure out where to buy bulk organic spices at a reasonable amount locally, so online shopping is the way to go for me. I love that the ship to my APO address as well and can get free shipping if I spend more than $49. Today on Groupon.com you can pay $15 for a $30 groupon to Vitacost.com. Hurry on over and get this deal here.

*p.s. If you would like a referral to Vitacost we can each get $10 after your first purchase. Just send me a message.

Applesauce

The commissary has bags of apples on sale for $1 a bag right now. This is an amazing price because they are normally over $3 per bag. I bought 6 bags today and have already turned 3 bags into 3 quarts of applesauce. I have been trying my hand at canning with a water bath canner. I have made some jams, preserves, syrups, and now applesauce. Some day I hope to move up with a pressure canner but I am loving finding new recipes that can help from having to buy items in the grocery store that have unnecessary ingredients.

Scentsy

My friend Heather just started selling Scentsy products so I decided to try some since I love to burn candles in my house. I spent $35 plus shipping for a mid-size system. This came with a mid-size warmer and 3 scents of my choice. I was pleased to find out that they would send directly to my APO address and it took only 11 days total from order placed til it was in my hands. I started using the Orange Dreamsicle today and my house smells amazing. These warmers plug into the wall and use a light bulb to melt the wax so there is no candle burning. I love this because I can keep the fragrance going and not worry about one of my kids blowing out my candles. They have lots of great fragrances and many warmers to chose from. Please take a few minutes to stop by her site and check it out. I am hooked and will be placing more orders in the future.

Free Stuff, Cash Back, Gift Cards

Who doesn't like to get a bit of extra money for doing things that they would normally do?  These are some of the ways that we get a bit of extra money for doing the things that we would normally do.

Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a search toolbar similar to others. This one once downloaded though gives you points for your searching that you can redeem for prizes and gift cards. They also have a referral system so you can earn extra points when others sign up under you and win points. I earn enough points on average to earn myself a $5 Amazon.com gift card. It isn't much but it helps a bit when I would be searching and shopping anyway.

Mypoints
Mypoints is a deal website that allows you to earn points from shopping online or getting emails about their deals. I would sign up for this one with an email that you don't mind lots of emails going to. Several of their emails have a click here and earn 5 points just for clicking, no purchase necessary. You can also get points for printing grocery coupons and redeeming them. The points can be redeemed for gift cards. They also have a referral system to help earn extra points (if you would like a referral you can send me a message with your email and I will send you a referral). I earn about 1 $25-$50 gift card per year.

ShopAtHome
ShopAtHome is a newer one to me. This one you can get a $5 sign up bonus when you sign up and place an order within 60 days. This site gives a percent of your online purchases in cash back. They also have some coupon codes available for a good portion of their affiliates. Just go on to their site and put in whatever online retailer you are planning to shop through and they will tell you if they have any coupon codes and what percent of your purchase you will get back. This one takes $20 in cash back to get your first check so I have not cashed out yet (I am about half way there now).

Ebates
This is another shop online and earn cash back site. They also have coupon codes for their affiliates. You would sign up and search for whichever retailer you are planning to shop through and it will give you their cash back percent. The cash out point for ebates is only $5 so it is easier to get paid quicker on this one. They also give you an option to get your cash back via paypal.

Usborne Books and More
I found these great books and signed up to sell them. They are an awesome quality and they have books for all of my children. I signed up and got their starter kit which included a great variety of books. I did have to sell a small amount of books to keep the discount of the starter kit but I ordered that amount in books for my own house. I now am set up and can get a discount on any of the books I want to order for my children. It does cost extra if you want to keep your website up and running after the initial starter period. I have received one outside order and the commission I earned paid for my website to stay active. If nothing else check out my website and enter the free monthly drawing for a chance to win free books.

Vocalpoint
This website doesn't earn you cash back but you can sign up and they send samples and coupons in the mail. The samples I get usually has a single size sample then a higher value coupon for myself and a few lower value coupons to share with your friends. They also have a message board and surveys that you can take to shape future programs.

Do you know of any other discount or freebie sites to help with the budget?

Cloth Gift Bags

I had a bright idea a few years back when wrapping a bunch of gifts for Christmas that wasting all that paper to wrap gifts was horrible for the environment and my wallet. I talked to my mom and asked her if she would be willing to make me some gift bags as a gift for Christmas. She did over the past couple years. I now have bags for Christmas in holiday/winter prints and birthday bags with birthday/party prints. I love them. They almost completely eliminate the waste of wrapping paper and tape. It helps keep our garbage can free for other household waste and I love all the different prints. The design is pretty simple. It is basically a pillow case with a drawstring. A little tip for keeping your bags though is to either make a special bag for the receiving person to keep or let them know before handing over their gift that you will need your bag to be able to reuse. I have found that adults are OK giving the bags back but children like to have a bag they can keep. Depending on the size the drawstring can be removed and used as a pillow case or the drawstring can be left in and the bag used for kids carrying around their prized possessions.

These are also a great money saver. If you buy your fabrics after the holidays when the prints go on sale or use a coupon you can get the fabrics for just a couple dollars a yard at most fabric stores. A yard of fabric can make a few different sized bags. Also watch for different types of yarn, ribbon, or cording to go on sale and pair it with your fabric. Right now is the perfect time to look for clearance holiday fabric to start on bags for next year.

I store all my bags in a Rubbermaid type container in the storage closet. This keeps them all together and makes for easy access. I haven't sorted mind into size differences yet but you could always do that inside your box as well.

  If you do not have a sewing machine or would just rather buy bags they sell these WrapSacks online for ease. You could also buy reusable shopping bags or tote bags to use as cute gift bags.

10 Free Books For Military Members or Spouses

Another military wife on a board that I am part of shared with me that you can get 10 free books/playaway audio books from Military One Source per year. If you would like to order go here and check out their list of books. I ordered our books for this year and hope they get some other options next year to order. Shipping was also free.

Overseas Commissary Score - Quaker Products

Today I went to the commissary to get some milk and as I walked in I got a great deal on some fruit and Quaker products. They had the Quaker chewy granola bars 10 count on sale for $1.50 a box with $1.00 off two coupons. Next to them they had buy 5 Quaker items and get $3.00 off produce. The strawberries were marked down to $2.09 a pound. If you buy 10 boxes of granola bars and 3 containers of strawberries with 5 granola bar coupons and 2 produce coupons the total was $10.27 plus the checkout fees.

You could also do this with the Quaker instant oatmeal for a little bit more. The oatmeal was on sale for $1.79 a box. If you buy 10 of these and 3 containers of strawberries with 5 $1.00 off 2 oatmeal coupons and 2 produce coupons the total would be $13.17 plus the check out fees.

Half A Pork

I was looking on our local ad list yesterday and noticed a local farmer selling half a pig for 75 Brittish Pounds (or about $115). This is an extremely great deal because it works up to less than $2.50 a pound of meat which is considerably less than the commissary. I wrote to the farmer and asked him what all this included since I have never ordered directly from a farmer before. He said it would include all the meat from your half of the pig (approx. 50 lbs) already cut up and bagged including pork sausages from the excess. Once The Man gets home from his TDY we are going to do this as I would love to have a ham, pork chop, or ribs since we havent been able to swallow the price of pork here.

Classico Pasta Sauce

I am amazed at this pasta sauce. I have been buying the cheapest kinds in the cans but decided to try something new when I found a coupon to make this sauce about 20 cents more than the cheap brand. I was excited to pick up the jar and see the pieces of garlic in the sauce. We love garlic in our house. Then I read the ingredients and there is no added preservatives and I can understand all the ingredients in the jar. This is a plus since we are trying to be thriftier and healthier. The jar is unique in the fact it is a mason jar although the company says not to reuse them for canning. It would be really nice if they would make them in actual jars that could be reused to do home canning.

Money Back For Shopping Online

I signed up S for outdoor soccer through the youth center. He needs some soccer shoes and the selection is limited for my price range around here. The store on the base usually only gets one option and they sell out quick. I have found that shopping online if they will ship to an APO is cheaper and a lot less stressful. I found that through adidas.com I could order a pair of soccer shoes for $28 + $5 shipping. Adidas.com had sent me a coupon code for 15% off because I had not shopped on their site in a while which brought my total down to $28.80. I combined this with Ebates to get 6% of my total back as well. Ebates cash back will be $1.19 if shipping is not included or $1.44 if they include the shipping in the cost. This is quite reasonable to me and their shipping is quite fast. I should have the shoes in a week or two.

Sign up with Ebates today and after your first qualifying purchase of $20 or more you will get a $5 bonus.

I Like Candy..... A Lot

One thing I like about holidays is that after the holidays the candy goes on sale. Living overseas the candy doesn't get as cheap as it does in the states but it still goes on sale. My middle son and I took a little trip to the store today and bought a bunch of marked down Valentine's Day candies. They were all marked 50% or more off the original price. Now to figure out where to hide it so that the kids don't try to eat it all in one sitting.

Usborne Books & More

So I decided to become a consultant for Usborne books and more so that I could get some great learning books for my boys but also to help earn a few dollars extra towards paying off debt. I am still waiting on my kit as mail can be goofy coming from stateside to the APO address. Once I get my kit I will spend time learning all about the company and hopefully it will give me some ideas on how to host home shows. I am hosting my own eshow right now but so far I am the only person who has placed an order. Hopefully just one of my friends will place one so I don't feel like a total loser. If you would like to look at my website you can find it here. If you find something you would like to buy you can do that through the website and it will be sent straight to your house. If you just browse at the selection please take a minute to at least sign up for the monthly drawing for $50 in books. I think this is a great incentive from the company. I cannot wait to get my package in the mail. Even though the books will be for the kids for fun and to learn from I am like a kid in the candy store when I get packages in my mail box.