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You are here: Home / Archives for Stretching Your Dollars

Walgreens: FREE 8×10 Photo Enlargement

November 30, 2013 by Tracy

Walgreens: FREE 8x10 Photo Enlargement

Walgreens: FREE 8x10 Photo Enlargement

Photograph Credit: Walgreens

Walgreens is offering a FREE 8×10 photo enlargement on any single photograph.

You will need to login or sign up for a FREE Walgreen’s account, upload your photograph, and checkout.

At checkout, enter promotional code TURKEY8X10, choose store pickup, and place your order.

This FREE offer is valid through Saturday, November 30, 2013 with a limit of one FREE enlargement per account. The order must be placed by midnight, but you may pick up your enlargement when you are by your selected Walgreens this weekend or early next week.

We use these FREE offers as Christmas gifts for the grandparents. Our parents love having updated pictures of their grandchildren, so using these FREE offers allows us to add another gift while stretching our dollars. Thank you, Walgreens, and happy savings!

Question: How do you use these FREE photo offers?

Filed Under: Walgreens, Drugstores, Stretching Your Dollars Tagged With: Walgreens

American Express: Small Business Saturday – November 30, 2013

November 23, 2013 by Tracy

American Express: Small Business Saturday – November 30, 2013
American Express: Small Business Saturday – November 30, 2013

Photograph Credit: Shop Small

In the midst of shopping season and wedged between Black Friday and Cyber Monday lands Small Business Saturday.

American Express sponsors Shop Small to support small businesses.

To encourage support, American Express will give their cardholders the opportunity to receive a $10 credit on their next statement.

American Express has embraced Small Business Saturday and encourages consumers to support these businesses on November 30, 2013.

Per American Express’ website:

Enroll your eligible American Express® Card to GET $10 BACK WHEN YOU SPEND $10 OR MORE at a qualifying small business location on November 30, 2013.

How it works:

1. Register any eligible American Express® Card until 11:59 p.m. MST on November 30, 2013, unless the registration limit is reached sooner.

2. Use your registered Card on November 30, 2013 to spend $10 or more in a single, in-store transaction at a qualifying small business location. Online transactions do not qualify. To view qualifying small business locations that appear on the Small Business Saturday® Map, visit ShopSmall.com.

3. Get a one-time $10 statement credit for that transaction from American Express® within 90 days.

In using time wisely and stretching your dollars, enroll your American Express card before heading out to your favorite small business on Saturday, November 30, 2013. Happy savings!

Question: Will you participate in Small Business Saturday?

Filed Under: Reward Programs, Stretching Your Dollars Tagged With: Small Business Saturday

2013: Black Friday Store Hours

November 16, 2013 by Tracy

2013: Black Friday Store Hours
2013: Black Friday Store Hours

Photograph Credit: iCLIPART

Not sure what to call this season anymore as Black Friday has expanded to include a few days on either side of the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Some stores are calling their event the After Thanksgiving Sale, but their on-line sale starts before Thanksgiving. *Hmm.* Since I am unaware of a new term given to this event, I will stick to Black Friday.

If you are interested in this craze of great deals which will save you lots of money when you time it right, then plan what you want to purchase, check your timing, and hunt for your favorites. The lines to some stores begin weeks, days, and hours prior to these sales.

To plan accordingly, here are the Black Friday Store Hours arranged by the time the stores open their sales.

Thursday, November 28

6:00 a.m.

    • Kmart

 5:00 p.m.

    • Toys R Us

6:00 p.m.

    • Best Buy
    • Walmart

7:00 p.m.

    • Old Navy

8:00 p.m.

    • J.C. Penney
    • Kohl’s
    • Macy’s
    • Office Depot
    • Office Max
    • Sears
    • Staples
    • Target

Friday

5:00 a.m.

    • Bass Pro Shop
    • Lowe’s

6:00 a.m.

    • Home Depot (normal business hours)

8:00 a.m.

    • Radio Shack
    • Walgreens

If you head out, be careful. Yes, the deals are great, but fighting, pushing, and trampling is not a way to using time wisely. Most stores are organized making this a time of fun, and I wish you lots of savings as you venture out, stretch your dollars, and use your time wisely. Happy shopping!

Question: Will you head out to the stores for Black Friday deals?

Filed Under: Shopping, Black Friday, Holiday, Event Planning, Stretching Your Dollars Tagged With: Black Friday

Olive Garden: FREE Kid’s Meal with Purchase of Adult Meal Coupon

August 31, 2013 by Tracy

Olive Garden: FREE Kid’s Meal with Purchase of Adult Meal Coupon
Olive Garden: FREE Kid’s Meal with Purchase of Adult Meal Coupon

Photograph Credit: Olive Garden

On our last visit to Olive Garden, Paul and I used a FREE kid’s meal with purchase of adult meal coupon. We included Mr. 8 and Miss 6 in our date night as we headed to a planetarium showing using our science membership.

Available again, Olive Garden has this FREE kid’s meal with purchase of adult meal coupon valid Mondays – Thursdays until September 29, 2013.

The fine print indicates a limit of one coupon per visit with a maximum of 2 FREE kids’ meals. Therefore, a family or group of 2 adults and 2 children under the age of 12 can dine at a cost of the two adult meals.

Combining Coupons and Promotions

When Paul, Mr. 8, Miss 6, and I dined, Paul and I combined our coupon with the 2 can dine for $25 promotion. That promotion provided an appetizer or dessert along with 2 adult entrees, unlimited breadsticks, and our choice of soup or salad. Mr. 8, Miss 6, and I ordered the salad while Paul chose the minestrone soup. 😉

Though the 2 can dine for $25 promotion may not be active at this time, the NeverEnding Pasta Bowl promotion for $9.99 is currently available. So, if both adults order the NeverEnding Pasta Bowl, then 2 can dine for $20 and 2 children under age 12 get a FREE kid’s meal.

By combining a coupon, promotion, and our science membership, our group of 4 received dinner and entertainment for less than $10 per person for the evening.

Sharing Coupons and Promotions

In stretching our dollars, we challenge ourselves to see how much fun we can have spending the least amount of cash. With our game, we do not lie, steal, or cheat. We pay for parking, tips, and fees when appropriate.

Getting in on the fun, our children like to know how much we save verses how much we spend. Mr. 8 is great at figuring out how much we would have had to spend if we had not used a coupon or promotion. Realizing the importance of using money wisely, Mr. 8 often asks to present the coupon as his part of helping to save.

In stretching your dollars, bring your children along on your quests to save money. They will one day have their own accounts and realize the value of their earnings. Sharing your savings strategies will prepare them for when they are on their own. Happy teaching and stretching!

Question: When you have a choice, do you prefer a salad or a soup?

Filed Under: Stretching Your Dollars, Restaurants Tagged With: Olive Garden

Restaurant.com: $4 for a $25 Gift Certificate – August 31, 2013

August 24, 2013 by Tracy

Restaurant.com: $4 for a $25 Gift Certificate – August 31, 2013
Restaurant.com: $4 for a $25 Gift Certificate – August 31, 2013

Photograph Credit: Restaurant.com

Since Restaurant.com had a glitch with their website, they are apologizing with a $4 for a $25 gift certificate offer. To snag this deal, do the following:

  1. Sign up or log into your Ebates account*
  2. Select Restaurant.com for 1.5% cash back
  3. Sign up or log into your restaurant.com account
  4. Add a $25 gift certificate to your cart
  5. Enter promotional code BITE at checkout
  6. Pay $4 for a $25 gift certificate
  7. The certificate will be added to your account to view and print

This deal is valid through Saturday, August 31, 2013.

* This link is a Using Time Wisely affiliate. By accessing that site through the link, you support Using Time Wisely at no cost to you. For more details, you can view my disclosure policy.

These gift certificates make wonderful birthday or anniversary gifts, date night options, vacation solutions, and family activities. In stretching your dollars, $4 for a $25 gift certificate is an 84% savings. Happy stretching!

Question: How often do you use a coupon when you dine out?

Filed Under: Stretching Your Dollars, Restaurants Tagged With: restaurant.com

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