Monday, October 24, 2011

Free Book By Text!

Would you like a free copy of Katherine Schwartenegger's new book, Rock What You've Got? Simply follow the steps below on your cell phone, and you will recieve your book in 6-8 weeks! Happy reading! :)
 


Free Book ( Submitted October-20-2011 )
Text ROCKIT to 467467

1. Enter your age between 13-24
2. Enter the UPC of the Secret product purchased 037000124337
3. Enter the UPC of the Venus product purchased 047400505339
4. Confirm your address.

Book will arrive in 6-8 weeks.

Note: standard text messaging rates will apply.
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Free Entertainment!

Want to learn how to get music, movies, TV, and books that you'll love for free? You've come to the right blog! Read on to explore the wonderful world of free entertainment.

Music:
As iTunes has pretty much become master of the music downloading universe, my free deals pertain to iTunes. But for those of you who do not yet own an iPod, iPhone, or iAnything, I feel your pain. I have only entered into the iUniverse within the last year myself, and I distinctly remember feeling poor and jealous every time someone would flaunt their apple products. Don't worry though, many of my freebies throughout my post don't require any kind of apple device to get and enjoy. Please bear with me when I do include Apple freebies. Anyway, here's how to get some free songs from iTunes! Every Tuesday the Apple store updates their dowloads section with several new free songs from many different genres, including music videos! There are usually 6-8 free songs available every week. On the iTunes home page, look for the icon that says "Single of the week + more". It will be marked with a yellow tab that says FREE. I've recently got great new songs from Radiohead and Pearl Jam!
Did you also know that you can score a free song and app download every week, just by stopping by your local Starbucks?! I swear, it's true! Starbucks displays free download cards on the counter near their condiments. Follow the instructions on the back of the card to redeem the download from the iTunes store. Simple as that! I've gotten songs from great artists like Lady Antebellum and useful apps like Momento (a journal) and Shazam (a song identifyer).

TV & Movies:
Now I know Netflix has a free one month subscription, but once that subscription is over, you have two choices, either pay or cancel, neither of which leaves you with stuff to watch. If you want a similar (and in my opinion, better!) experience, Hulu! If you have not entered the magical world of Hulu, I insist you join now! http://www.hulu.com/ Hulu is a free internet service for watching TV shows and select movies. It also has a paid subscription for special privledges you don't get with free Hulu, but unlike Netflix it offers a huge variety of shows and movies for free! I have not yet seen the need to join their paid program, but they do have a free one week trial of that as well. I watch many current episodes of shows on my computer, many available the day after they debut on TV, perfect for if you missed your favorite show the night before! If you have an Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii gaming system, you can also use hulu through them and watch your faves on demand on TV. Beats the heck out of paying for cable!

Books:
Now one of the world's favorite pastimes, reading books, can be done through technology! Books can now be enjoyed on devices such as the Kindle, Nook, iPad, PC, and many smartphones. As amazing as the look and feel (and even smell) of traditional books are, you can't carry your whole library in your purse or pocket! Unless you have ebooks that is. Here is a list of free ebook downloads from BargainBriana, many from well known authors! I have recently savored Maid To Match By Deeanne Gist. Hope you enjoy! http://bargainbriana.com/tag/free-kindle-downloads

If you were bored before you began reading this blog, you now have much to do! :) Including checking back to my blog regularly to learn about the latest freebies. Enjoy life!

Mall Freebies, Swap Scores, & So Many Other Mind Blowing Deals!

When you head to your local mall, it's always easy to tell the hardcore shoppers apart from those that are just there for a casual stroll. I tend to be a stroller more than I would like, simply because I'm usually broke, but make no mistake, I am really a hardcore shopper at heart. Nothing makes me happier than perusing the isles while clutching a handfull of new shiny bags. So today, even though I had only loose change in my wallet, I hit the mall on a mission and did not leave empty handed! Here are a few tricks for getting great stuff absolutely free!

Mall Freebies:
As I've said before, magazines are a great way to find out about freebies! Nearly every major fashion magazine offers some free products and giveaways every month, but the best kind are the in store promos, because as long as supplies last, you are guaranteed to get one! This month (October 2011) Seventeen Magazine has partnered with the super trendy retailer Aeropostale to give away 15,000 of their brand new perfume called "Aero New York"! Pick up a copy of Seventeen today and bring the issue into Aeropostale to claim your free perfume! Hurry, it's only until November 1st, while supplies last. I got mine already and it is an amazing floral citrus sent!

The next amazing freebie I scored was a lovely 2oz. body lotion called Be Enchanted from Bath & Body Works! They released a free coupon for it, only good until October 16th, but don't worry if you missed out. They have reduced the price on that particular hand lotion to just one dollar! Not quite as good as free, but still wonderfully affordable for this popular brand.
One location you can always find a wonderful sweet surprise for free is See's Chocolates! They give a free chocolate everytime you visit. I know it's tempting, but just try not to abuse this sweet treat by visiting too often. :) Today the lovely clerk recommended I sample their Pumkin Pie Truffles, and she was right, they were decadent!


Swap Scores:
I am absolutely loving my newest swap site makeupalley! I have arranged 7 more swaps for a total of 10 in just a week. There are products I have always wanted to try and people are willing to trade them for things that I no longer need! It's just so neat, eeek! Here are the fabulous products I will be recieving, so you can get an idea of what the site has to offer.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturiser
Pangea Organics Egyptian Fennel, Grapefruit & Sweet Orange Lip Balm
Rimmel Metallic Stars Roller Shadow in Gold Star & Star • Eye Shadow

Victoria's Secret PINK Fresh & Clean - Body Mist
Physicians Formula Concealer Twins in Yellow / Light
Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain + Balm - Lust
 Pop Beauty Glitter Stix in Sage
Kate Spade Twirl Rollerball
I am soooo looking forward to recieving all my new products! To keep me occupied in the meantime, please share your freebie and cheapie success stories with me!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Food Freebies!

A quick update on some excellent food freebies and discounts!

Through October 16th, score a restaurant.com $25 gift certificate for only $2! Incredible deal, score it while it lasts! http://www.restaurant.com/consumer-promotion/cj_dlp.asp?prti=1647&aid=10665295&pid=3772966

By liking the Quick Check facebook page, get a coupon for a free 20 oz. Dr Pepper! Great for all the addicts out there! http://bargainbriana.com/page/2 

Here's the new weekly listing of coupons from http://www.coupons.com/ including $1.00 off Garnier Fructis products.

Hope you enjoy these fabulous savings!


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

New Website Obsessions!

Scouring the web for great bargains has become a huge passion of mine, right up there with shopping in actual stores. :) While few things can compare to the thrill of trying on a big find and realizing it fits perfectly, online shopping is almost as satisfying. Plus there's the added anticipation of waiting excitedly for your lovely scores to come in the mail. So here are four websites I discovered in the last couple days that are already having a profound impact on my freebie finding. They're truly awesome!

First let me tell you about http://www.makeupalley.com/ It is a new swapping website I discovered that deals exclusively in cosmetics! It is completely free to join and international, but the majority of the members are from America, so for those of us located in the USA, it really helps keep the cost of postage down. I only joined yesterday and have already set up swaps for 2 amazing items that I have long been dying to try: Organix Brazillian Keratin Therapy Conditioner, and Burt't Bees Natural Acne Solutions. Great quality products traded for items I no longer need. Soooo happy!











Whether you are single, married or have a family, I think we can all relate to trying to plan a delicious, tasty and INEXPENSIVE meal and not knowing where to begin. Problem solved! This fabulous blog: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/ is all about how to plan wonderful dishes on a shoestring budget. It includes gorgeous step by step photos for each recipe and has a breakdown of the per ingredient costs that goes into the recipes. It could not be simpler to use, a perfect blog in every way! I recommend trying one of Beth's latest recipes for fall: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2011/10/sausage-kale-soup-845-recipe-105.html Sausage and Kale Soup, only $1.05 per serving!


Would you like to earn points towards getting fabulous prizes like gift cards, books, and electronics, just by doing everyday webvactivities like using a search engine, watching videos or taking polls and surveys? Of course you would! Introducing... Swagbucks! Swagbucks webiste is free and safe to join and you can complete dozens of activities every day to earn points. To learn more visit their website at: http://www.swagbucks.com/ Then follow the Official Swagbucks Blog to learn about promotions and free codes for scoring swagbucks! http://blog.swagbucks.com/category/swag-codes-2 
For lots of tips on how to most effectively use the Swagbucks website visit: http://frugalfabulousfinds.com/category/swagbucks/ and http://bargainbriana.com/tag/swagbucks 
I have only been a member for 4 days and have already earned over 100 Swagbucks! If I continue at the same rate, I will have over 600 swagbucks a month, and nearly 7,800 a year, enough to earn either the $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift cards I have on my wishlist. Pretty Fabulous! Here's some other prizes that also look great, from left to right, 399sb, 3,849sb, and 15,999sb.



Finally we come to the blog http://bargainbriana.com/ . A fellow blogger like myself Briana has an extremely well organized site jam packed with freebies, coupons, and tips! Just today she added several new freebie deals that are just extraordinary! A few links:
Get a free sample of these amazing shower gels and body butters!
Also worth checking out, the great deals from Target. http://bargainbriana.com/target-deals-109 
BargainBriana updates with new finds nearly hourly, so make sure to check back conistently!


Let me know if you scored any of these great deals for yourself. I would love to hear about your freebie triumphs!


Sunday, October 9, 2011

Recipes Galore!

As I write this post, fall has just arrived, bringing with it a hankering for warm, comforting, delicious foods! As consumers we also want to eat as well (and healthfully) as possible, but spend as little as we can. So this post will be jam-packed with recipes, coupons, website links, and lots of mouth watering photos to get you cooking something fabulous. Remember: to eat well is to live well!

In keeping with the desire for great fall foods, my first link is for the wonderful website of Mr. Food. He has thousands of great recipes, and here is a link to download a free ecookbook for 28 delicious slow cooker recipes! http://www.mrfood.com/Slow-Cooker-Recipes/Slow-Cookin-Magic-28-Scrumptious-Slow-Cooker-Recipes-from-Mr-Food-Free-eCookbook/#



Next comes my alltime favorite recipe website: http://allrecipes.com/
This site is truly fabulous and 100% free. It has a huge recipe database and special features like a menu planner, and a "dinner spinner" which combines meal categories, cooking times, and ingredients to make a customized dish. I highly recommend signing ups for their recipe of the day email. There are too many wonderful recipes to even begin listing, but my personal favorite from this site is this baked shrimp and feta dish. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-shrimp-with-feta-and-tomato/detail.aspx
A great thing about the recipes is that people who have tried them add their own reviews about how they liked it and adaptations that they have made. With this recipe, I made a few small changes. I turned it into a shrimp scampi type sauce by putting it over cooked penne pasta. I swapped the vermouth in the recipe for white cooking wine, and the canned tomatoes for fresh tomatoes, but that's it. It's a really fabulous and flavorful dish!

I must admit, I have a Starbucks habit. Which is not exacly cheap unless you take advantage of every discount offer you can. One of my irresistable fall favorites from Starbucks is thier Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin. Since a bargainista can't in good conscience spend $2.25 a day on one muffin, I found this great recipe that replicates the taste exactly on food.com! http://www.food.com/recipe/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins-like-starbucks-189156 They are delicious; I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! To boost your savings, here is a coupon link for the cream cheese you will need. http://www.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=11540&zid=bm91&nid=10&bid=100910101658b00bfcb17518

The website http://foodgawker.com/ has by far the most glorious food photos I've ever seen! Not to mention the huge range of recipes that give super easy illustrated step by step instructions. Whether you've never even boiled water or you're an uber mega foodie, this site will have you whipping up a storm in the kitchen! I recommend the super healthy vegetarian red pepper and mozzarella lasagna. It has incredible flavor! http://lifecurrents.dw2.net/?p=5740
You can find a coupon for a tomato sauce you can use in the recipe here:http://www.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=11540&zid=bm91&nid=10&bid=100910101658b00bfcb17518

It's sister site: http://craftgawker.com/ has amazing ideas on how to make crafts, clothing, gifts, and some food crafts as well. I get so inspired every time I browse this site, and here is a great handmade gift idea for the upcoming holidays: gourmet bacon salt! http://formalfringe.com/2011/09/19/homemade-bacon-salt-bacon-salt-gift-tag-printables/


A recipe site with a more luxe, upscale vibe, I would recommend http://www.epicurious.com/ for impressive recipes for dates and dinner parties. The recipes are still fairly simple to execute, and the photos are divine! Try the Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes, a fun twist on a classic recipe. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Strawberry-Shortcakes-238533

If you are on the prowl for recipes that are guaranteed to always be healthy and easy, try Whole Foods recipes section. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/
I don't know about you, but I absolutely love fish tacos! This recipe is a healthy winner! http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/3080

Finally, you simply MUST sign up for Hungry Girl's email newsletter! http://www.hungry-girl.com/
HG is the source for all things healthy, tasty, and easy! She has several amazing cookbooks out, a new cooking show and her emails provide free recipes, shopping lists, and discount deals every day! It's food paradise! Try this easy 5 minute recipe for a pepperoni pizza wrap, only 234 calories! http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/under-five-minutes-pepperoni-pizza-wrap-recipe

Well, I certainly hope you have enjoyed some of my favorite recipe finds, and please share your favorite recipes and sites with me, by commenting or emailing. Then get in the kitchen and whip up a new fabulous find!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Coupon Scores & Freebie Finds!

So. It was my birthday on October 5th, and I must report that I indulged in one of my favorite activites: Bargain Shopping!
With yet another $10 off coupon from Kohl's in hand, I got this gorgeous lace cami and flower earrings for $7.50, saving over $23 off the original retail price! Don't you just love them?! Some coupons allow you to use them online as well. To shop online visit: http://www.kohls.com/ and check out their great sale prices.












Next we move on to one of my new favorite websites: http://frugalfabulousfinds.com/
I only found out about it yesterday thanks to a good friend, and have already scored 3 incredible deals!
Possibly my favorite of all, I have always wanted to have professional holiday greeting cards printed up to send out to family and friends, but always put it off thinking it would be too expensive and complicated. Not anymore with this great free deal; I ordered them yesterday!
http://frugalfabulousfinds.com/20-free-photo-greeting-cards-just-1-49-shipped/
All you have to do is go to the link provided at the site, create an account with Fujifilm, upload a photo to the site and have fun making a custom greeting card from over 2000 designs! Then you enter the promo code: 25cards at checkout and boom, your cards are free and you only pay $1.49 for shipping. It doesn't get much better than that! Below is a thumbnail sample of the fall greeting card I designed so you can get an idea of the layout. Sorry, it couldn't get it to enlarge, but for those of you that will be receiving the card, we wouldn't want any spoilers anyway!
Another truly incredible link from this site is the silver an onyx stud earrings, a $60 value, absolutely free with the discount code 0801! Follow the instructions on the link and you can receive up to 3 pairs free and pay shipping: $5.95 for one pair, $9.90 for 2, and $13.85 for 3, fabulous value! Aren't they beautiful? http://frugalfabulousfinds.com/darcus-tori-100-off-black-onyx-earrings/

For free product samples, I also highly recommend you try: http://www.mysavings.com/free-product-samples-section/
I ordered several samples, including coffee, 5 hour energy, and cologne for my husband. My favorite item I ran across from this site is this coupon for a free 11x14 collage poster from Walmart (up to $6.50 value). It has a really fun and simple program that allows you to upload your own photos and create a poster, complete with colored borders and a title if you so wish. If you select the same day in store pickup option and pay in store, you can then use this great coupon to get $6.50 off! Such a great gift for special occasions! http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1388/wallyp.jpg



You must get in on these fabulous deals before there gone! I will be keeping you up to date and sharing more deals as soon as i find them. Take care, my friends, and keep bargain hunting! I want to hear about your bargain success stories and your favorite bargain websites. Please comment if you have something to share.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Must Have Beauty Buys!

I hope you enjoy the lovely and inexpensive beauty products posted here! Many of them have been personally tested by me, and the rest are products that I want to get, all of them cheap and chic of course. :)

Hair
1) David Babaii for Wildaid Bohemian Beach Spray $9.95
http://www.db4wildaid.com/product.aspx?id=95&bag=add

This great texture spray acts like a light hold hairspray and creates great beacy wave, plus it has an amazing coconut smell! I can't do without it!

2) Organix Shampoos and Conditioners $6.99
I love these organic shampoos and conditioners, they leave hair super soft and silky and they smell phenomenal! My favorite sents are teatree mint and coconut milk.

3)Suave Professionals Styling Gel $2.22

This hair gel is great for getting sleek and chic ponytails and buns to stay in place!

4) Hair Bungees $3.50


Hair Bungees are so awesome! No more tight elastics snapping while you try to put up your hair. They work well for all hair types.

Face
5) Clean And Clear Dual Action Face Moisturizer $5.97
I start every day with this Clean & Clear face lotion. It is gentle, non-sented, and very moisturizing, but not so thick that it will clog your pores or feel greasy. I put it on under my makeup to fight breakouts all day long!

6) E.L.F Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 $1.00
I know I have discussed this product before, but when it works so well and is only a dollar, it bears repeating! I use this moisturizer instead of foundation and it works remarkably well, leaving a light coverage, good for evening out skin tone, and some sun protection as well.

7) NYC Smooth Skin Pressed Face Powder $2.69

This NYC face powder is the best cheapie solution I've found to what can otherwise be an expensive product. It blends in naturally to your skin, evening out skin tone and reducing shine, without leaving that telltale dusty residue. I would recommend it for fair to medium skin tones with minor blemishes.

8) E.L.F. All Over Cover Stick $1.00
The creamy formula of this concealer stick wonderfully covers undereye circles and zits. For the money it's a good buy.

9) Maybelline Great Lash Mascara $3.23


This product may quite possibly be the #1 beauty secret of women across America!To lengthen lashes for a natural and non-clumpy look, this baby gets the job done. I prefer the waterproof formula in Very Black, but there are several color and formula options to suit every need. A winning bargain for sure.

10) Cover Girl Blast Cream Shadow
One of my new favorite products, this eye shadow and liner duo is a totally convenient time saver! It glides on smoothly and looks incredibly sexy. I recommend the plum and silver duo pictured above.

11) Rimmel Metallic Stars Roller Eyeshadow $3.95
Apparently this fabulous roll on eyeshadow from Rimmel is hard to come by in the United States! Fortunatley Amazon came to the rescue, but they only have a few left in stock, so buy it before it's gone ladies! The reason this stuff is so awesome is that the powder formula glides on silky smooth and stays put for hours, giving great color saturation. For someone who hates fussing with makeup brushes (and spending loads of money) this is the best solution.

12) Burt's Bees Lip Balms (from) $2.99
Being more of a balm/gloss than lipstick gal, I have been absolutely in looove with Burt's Bees lip products for several years. The original beeswax lip balm is just the right amounts of moisturizing and pepperminty, and with all natural ingredients what's not to love?! Truely an earth changing revelation occurred when the good folks over at Burt's decided to add color to their lovely formulas, and the Natural Tinted Lip Balms were born! Go pick up a tube today, you won't be sorry...

13) Avon Be Blushed Cheek Color $8.00

Avon has many extremely high quality inexpensive and innovative products, but surprisingly out of all the abundant options, my favorite has become this great cream blush. It blends right in to any skin tone and looks like a natural flush. A must try if you are tired of powdery, flakey blushes.
Nails
14) Wet N Wild Nail Polish $.99
There are several good brands of 99 cent nail polish, but my favorite is Wet N Wild. The formulas are smooth, dry quickly, and come in a wide array of colors, my personal faves being Bijou Blue and Eggplant pictured above. As glamourous as designer brand nail polishes may seem, one doesn't need to spend $20 a bottle to get glam results!

15) Sally Hansen Salon effects Nail Polish Strips (from) $9.00
These innovative nail care strips may actually be the best thing to ever happen to at home nail care! They go on easily (and come with extras in case you mess up) and look as good as a professional manicure. I'd recommend this product to nail divas everywhere!

16) Priti Nail Polishes and Polish Removers (from) $12.50

Even though the products at Priti NYC are somewhat more expensive than I would usually purchace, I cannot say enough positive things about this company, so they've made my list! For the best natural, chemical free polishes and products in absolutely gorgeous colors, please check out Priti.

Body
17) Softsoap Coconut Body Wash/Scrub $2.98

This creamy and heavenly sented scrubbing body wash has become my go to favorite. This is the low, low price of awesome!

18) Ecotools Love Heels All Intensive Cream $5.99


Now I know this says heel cream, but I use it as a leg moistuizer as well and it feels just fabulous! The whipped luxurious peppermint formula has a great tingle and turns skin extremely smooth after it dries.


19) Philosophy Bubble Bath $16

Again, a bit more than I would normally advise paying for such a product. However Philosophy makes such luxurious all natural products in such a spectrum of different sents, that I simply have to recomend them. Merely visit their website and you will fall in love!

20) Various Fragrances
I am a self admitted fragrance hoarder, prefering to have many sents to fit different occasions and moods than to be loyal to one perfume. Here are some of the best inexpensive ones I have run across.
There are so many amazing fragrances out there that don't cost an arm and leg!
Sadly, two of my favorites, Sinful and Eye Kandy, were discontinued when Anchor Blue went out of business. Fortunately, I found a website that still sells them for $19.95.

I also love many of Victoria's Secret Body Sprays, my fave sents being Love Spell and Pear Glace, $12.http://www.victoriassecret.com/beauty/body-splashes-and-mists

Of course, who could forget Bath and BodyWorks in the fragrance category! The travel sizes are an especially good deal at only $5.00!
Secret Ninja Ultimate Cheapie Fragrance!!!
So, when I was in junior high and my parents idea of fun was to browse the 99 Cents Always Stores, I stumbled across the holy grail of all inexpensive perfumes! Jordache makes "textures" of famous perfumes and out of all of them, the Cool Waters is truly a winner. I have used this stuff for nearly ten years and never gotten tired of it. I found it on Amazon for $5.00, but if you have a local dollar store at your disposal, look for it there.

Well, I certainly hope you have enjoyed my list of must have beauty buys, and really, pick at least one item to try... you'll be glad you did!
Until next time, many X from your BARGAINISTA GUIDE TO ALL THINGS AWESOME, Amanda.