A Handmade Christmas: Hot Chocolate Card Kit

 

By Jessica from Preserving Life’s Moments

Hot chocolate is one of my favorite things to drink in the winter so I instantly fell in love with this idea and replicated it this holiday season. A Hot Chocolate Card Kit is the perfect little gift to hand out to your neighbors, co-workers, or friends.

Supplies:

• scrapbook paper (1 piece in each size: 8.5″ x 5.5″, 3.75″ x 5.25″ and 3.75″ x 1.75″)
• ribbon
• adhesive
• hole punch
• stamps and/or stickers and/or embellishments
• hot chocolate packet
• candy cane

Step 1: Score your largest piece of paper (8.5″ x 5.5″) at the 4″ mark and the 8″ mark (you can use a

FREE GlamNatural Blush Sample (1st 15,000!)

Hurry on over to the YouBeauty.com Facebook page and click on the “New Free Sample” tab, then “like” them and fill out the sample form. The first 15,000 to do so will score a FREE GlamNatural Blush by Garden Arts Cosmetics sample!
* You’ll receive a confirmation via email. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.

Walgreens: Advil Congestion Relief Deal Starting 1/1/12!

 

You can get a good deal on Advil Congestion Relief starting 1/1/12. These will be on sale for $5 with a $3 Register Reward when you buy (2), so you can grab them for as low as $1.50.

***DEAL IDEA STARTING 1/1/12***
Buy (2) Advil Congestion Relief $5
Total = $10
(2) – $2/1 Advil Congestion Relief, Cold & Sinus Or Allergy Sinus, Any – 12-11-11 RP x3/4
Total = $6, Get Back $3 Register Reward
= $1.50 EACH!

There is also a $1/1 coupon for Advil Congestion Relief HERE. I’d print this one now as it probably won’t be here starting 1/1/12.

NEW Desitin Soothing Rash Bath Treatment Printable Coupon

There is a NEW Desitin coupon available to print for Desitin Soothing Rash Bath Treatment. I see this one at 30303 if you don’t see it.
-$1.50/1 Desitin Soothing Bath Rash Treatment

How to Shop at Aldi and is it Worth it?

I was browsing through our forums and stumbled upon Aldi.  “Is Aldi worth it” people have asked me.  It’s all about learning how the store works and whether it’s right for you.  Here are some Aldi Basics:

• Bring your own bags, as you do all of your own bagging after the cashier throws everything into a cart. (regular grocery bags are for sale at the checkout. When you buy the last few of an item, take the box it came in.)
• Leave the checkbook, credit cards and the, *GASP* coupons at home. Aldi doesn’t take ANY of those!!  But they do accept Debt Cards (you must enter your pin), EBT cards and of course cash.
• Pay attention to the times and days it’s open, then go early in the week and day. Lines tend to be longer in the afternoon when people get off work.  Also, I suggest if your a once-a-month Aldi shopper to go later in the month.  The reason is simple, government assistance comes once a month, usually early in the month. (This includes SNAP.)  The lines will generally be longer at that time, so to avoid waiting and long lines it’s best to go late in the month!

Walgreens: Alka-Seltzer Plus, One A Day As Low As .66¢ beginning January 1st!!!

 

Walgreens has a nice Register Reward coming up on 1/1 on various health products including Citracal, One A Day and Alka-Seltzer. You’ll get a $5 Register Reward WYB $15 worth of participating products.  There are various coupons you may want to print for this one. We also have a $2/1 Alka-Seltzer coupon in the January Coupon Book coming our way; if that one works with the Alka-Seltzer Plus we’ll have a super deal!
Here are the coupons you’ll want to print for this deal…
- $1/1 Citracal Product coupons
- $2/1 One A Day Product
- $1/1 Alka Setlzer Plus
-$1/1 Bayer Aspirin Advanced

***DEAL IDEA STARTING 1/1***

Sunday Insert Coupon Preview 12/25: Nothing!

Again, because of the holiday weekend, there will be NO coupon inserts in this Sunday’s paper.
Even though there are no coupons this week, don’t lose hope! There will be five different inserts on the January 1st. So make sure you pick up an extra paper that day!

*HOT* Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Nabisco Crackers Coupon (New Link!) + Walgreens Deal

Yay! Not only can you print this buy 2 Nabisco Crackers 9-16 oz, get 1 FREE (up to $2.50 value!) coupon on Coupons.com (use zip code 18045)… but you can also head on over here to print another set of these coupons! You can then use this coupon to score the following deal at Walgreens this week:
Nabisco crackers 6-16 oz on sale 2/$5
Deal Scenario:
Buy 3 boxes of Nabisco Crackers 2/$5
Total = $7.50
Use the buy 2 get 1 FREE coupon found here  or here (will deduct $2.50)
Plus, use the $1/2 Walgreens coupon found in the December Coupon Booklet (will deduct $1.50)
Final cost $3.50 total – just $1.17 per box!

Disney Movie Rewards: Add 25 More Points

Wow!  Here’s another code that you can add to your Disney Movie Rewards account!  Just go here, log into your account, and enter the code CHEER11 in your account to score 25 points! Yep – it’s as easy as that!

Walmart.com: Disney Cars 2 Crayola Light Up Tracing Desk Only $5 (+ Free Site to Store Shipping!)

 

Wow! Note sure how long this will be in stock, but currently Walmart.com is offering up this Disney Cars 2 Crayola Light Up Tracing Desk for only $5! Even sweeter, choose FREE site to store shipping! Note that shipping to your home is over $5 , so it’s not really a deal if you choose that.
As a price comparison, Amazon has the same Tracing Desk priced at $31.97.

Recyclebank Green Your Seasons Challenge: Earn 90 New Points = More High Value Coupons

 

Yay! It looks like the “New Year” level has opened up on the Recyclebank Green Your Seasons Challenge and you can earn an additional 90 points! Just head on over to Recyclebank or click the banner above and create an account (if you haven’t done so already).
After you are logged in, click on the “Earn Points” Tab at top and then click on the banner image (like the one pictured above) to enter the Green Your Seasons Challenge. Then, click on the “New Year” link at top to earn 90 points for taking quizzes, making pledges, and more (like below)!

 

If you’re new around here, you are probably wondering what the heck RecycleBank is!? RecycleBank partners with cities and haulers to reward households for recycling; households earn RecycleBank Points that can be used to shop at over 1,500 local and national businesses. Once you have signed up for an account, you can start earning points immediately by clicking on the “Earn Points” tab and taking quizzes. You can then use your points to purchase high value coupons for groceries and/or discounts at online stores. After signing in, click on the “Get Rewards” tab and you’ll be able to start scrolling through the rewards they have available.

Free Self Serve Coffee on Christmas Day & New Years!

'Tis the season for a hot and tasty freebie. Warm up and celebrate the holidayz with FREE SELF-SERVE COFFEE ALL DAY on Christmas Day, and again on New Year's from 4PM on December 31st to 4PM on January 1st.

*Offer applies to one 16 oz. self-serve coffee per person. While supplies last. Sorry, no rain checks. Offer good any time Christmas Day and from 4PM on 12/31/11 to 4PM on 1/1/12.

52 Free kindle ebook downloads

These kindle ebooks can be read on the kindle, but also on your computer with the kindle program, or the kindle app on many different mobile devices. Also, kindle book prices change very frequently, so make sure it’s $0 before you checkout.

• Pixel Perfect Holiday Puzzles Puzzle Game
• Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
• Clay’s Way by Blair Mastbaum
• Reunion by Jeff Bennington
• Season Of The Harvest by Michael R. Hicks
• Code Blue by Richard Mabry
• Tigers in the Mud by Otto Carius
• Practice Cake by Dalya Moon
• Slow Burn by E.B. Walters
• The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Joyce Magnin
• What Your Son Isn’t Telling You by Michael Ross

Printable Coupons for French's Products!

Here is a round up of French’s coupons that are available to print:

• $ .75/1 French’s Dijon Mustard
• $ .50/1 French’s honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
• $ .50/1 French’s Worcestershire Sauce
• $ .50/1 Frank’s RedHot Sauce
• $ .30/1 French’s French Fried Onions
• $ .30/1 French’s Mustard

New $2/1 Benefiber Coupon (No Size Restrictions) = Cheap at Walmart!

 

There is a great new coupon for $2/1 ANY Benefiber product + No size restrictions! I’ve seen the Benefiber Flavor Stick Packs for around $2.50 – $3.00 so a great deal after this coupon!

**Hot Rite** Aid Shopping Trip and Scenario!

 

 Items purchased:

8 packages of Holiday Peeps – $.50 (Reg $1.00 each)
1 package of Orbit Gum – $1.00 (Reg $1.29 each)
4 packages UP2U Gum – $1.00 (Reg $1.49 each)

Coupons Used:
$1.00/2  Peeps Printable Coupon -Facebook Coupon- NLA
$.25/1 Orbit Gum  - Rite Aid Video Value Coupon
$1.00/1 UP2U packs from SS 10/9 (exp 12/31)

Paid $.75
Received $3.00 in +UP Rewards

Total before Coupons and Sales – $15.25
Total Trip OOP – $2.25 Money maker

Disney Movie Rewards: Earn 5 More Points + Mystery DVD Only 75 Points (First 5,200!)

Reminder! Through December 25th, Disney Movie Rewards is offering up 5 points daily (or 15 points over weekends) that you can enter into your account! You’ll just need to visit ABC Family’s 25 Days Of Christmas home page, scroll down, and click on the Disney Movie Rewards logo… then just log into your Disney Movie Rewards account to snag your 5 points!

Plus, today ONLY you can snag a Mystery DVD for only 75 points!  This selection includes G-and PG-rated titles. Each DVD reward will be randomly selected from the available inventory and may not be returned nor exchanged for another title.  Limit one redemption per member. Note that this is only available to the first 5,200 and when I tried to snag one it gave me an error, so I  am not sure if they are already gone?! The site is also running extremely slow for me.
* Codes posted Monday through Thursday are valid 9:00 a.m. PT – 8:59 a.m. PT. Codes posted Friday are valid 9:00 a.m. PT through the following Monday 8:59 a.m. PT. Limit one code per member account per day. Must be a Disney Movie rewards members. Promotion ends 12/25/11 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Walmart.com: *HOT* Planet Earth: The Complete Collection Only $11.97 Shipped

Yay! This is back in stock… hurry to order before they sell out again!

Wowie!! This seems like one heck of a deal! Currently, you can head on over to Walmart.com to score Planet Earth: The Complete Collection for only $10 – down from $79.98! Wow!! Even sweeter, shipping is just $1.97 to your home.

From the makers of “Blue Planet: Seas Of Life,” comes the epic story of life on Earth. Five years in production, over 2,000 days in the field, using 40 cameramen filming across 200 locations, shot entirely in high definition, this is the ultimate portrait of our planet. A stunning television experience that captures rare action, impossible locations and intimate moments with our planet’s best-loved, wildest and most elusive creatures. From the highest mountains to the deepest rivers, this blockbuster series takes you on an unforgettable journey through the daily struggle for survival in Earth’s most extreme habitats. Planet Earth takes you to places you have never seen before, to experience sights and sounds you may never experience anywhere else. Episodes include: Disc 1 – “Living Planet,” “Mountains” and “Fresh Water” Disc 2 – “Caves,” “Deserts” and “Frozen Worlds” Disc 3 – “The Great Plains,” “Forests” and “Jungles” Disc 4 – “The Shallow Seas” and “Ocean Wide, Ocean Deep” Disc 5 – “Planet Earth – The Future”.

Christmas Clearance Schedule: 50% off Dec. 26th, 75% off Dec. 30th!

Walmart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Target will all have Holiday clearance 50% off or more starting Dec. 26th! Kmart’s is usually only 40%.

When stores open on Monday, Dec. 26, all Walmart stores will feature 50% off select Christmas candy, toys, and seasonal home décor. Select tops and bottoms for the whole family will be priced as low as $3 to $9.  Here’s the deals I found:

• Kids and Baby Licensed Sleepwear - starting at $6
• Old Spice Fresh Collection Gift Set with Bonus Magazine Subscription - $11
• The Best in Beauty Allure Award-Winners Gift Set with Bonus Magazine Subscription - $10.25
• Hamilton Beach 7-Quart Portable Slow Cooker, Black Ice - $30
• Tramontina 15-Piece 18/10 Stainless Steel Cookware Set - $50
• Kodak C1550 16MP digital camera - $79
• Gerber Clip Knife Gift Set - $12

The savings continue! On Friday, Dec. 30, seasonal décor items will be reduced to 75% off!  But by then most the good things may be gone.

Halo Heaven: 50% Off Entire Order + Free Shipping on $20 Orders = Lots of Bargains

Wouldn’t these be adorable for ♥ Valentine’s Day ♥ !?

Wow!  Now through December 31st, Halo Heaven is having a Closeout Event and offering up 50% off your entire order when you use the promo code 2012 at checkout!  Even sweeter, you can snag FREE shipping on $20 orders (after the coupon code has been applied).  As I’ve mentioned previously, Halo Heaven offers adorable dress up and clothing items at a greatly discounted price…and they’re OH so cute!

Check out these *HOT* bargains…

Closeout Dress Up Shoes $1.75 – ONLY $0.88 after discount

Closeout Nylon 9″ Butterfly Wands $1 – ONLY $0.50 after discount

Closeout Birthday Tutus $2.50 – ONLY $1.25 after discount

…and LOTS more!  Be sure to head on over here and browse around.  These items would make perfect birthday presents, Valentine’s Day goodies, and more!

Pam Cooking Spray: Mail-in-rebate

Pam Cooking Spray has a mail-in-rebate for up to $4 in value.  This rebate is good on any purchase of Pam Original, Olive Oil, or Butter. Purchases must be made between October 1, 2011 – April 27, 2012.
In order to receive your rebate you must include the following:

• Cash receipt of purchase between 10/1/2011 – 4/27/2012 (with purchase price circled)
• Completed Rebate Form (must be received by May 27, 2012

Get Your Gifts Wrapped!!!!!!!!

Hopefully by now, your Christmas presents are purchased. Some of you ultra-organized folks likely had them purchased and wrapped months ago. But some of the rest of us are just now getting around to thinking about wrapping gifts.
If you’re one of those people, don’t despair! Here are six simple and frugal ideas to dress up your packages without spending a lot of money:

Make a Bow Out of Wrapping Paper

Use Old Maps as Gift Wrap

Make Your Own Gift Bows

Use Newspaper as Gift Wrap

Dress Up Brown Paper Packages With Yarn

Use Buttons to Create Designs

You can find more frugal gift-wrapping ideas from The Happy Housewife and My Blessed Life.
Do you have your gifts wrapped yet? Or am I the only person who still has some gifts left to wrap?
photo by yvestown

Ann Taylor Coupon Code: 50% off Entire Purchase

Ann Taylor is having an awesome sale right now! Get 50% off your entire purchase when you enter the coupon code WINTER50.
This shirt is on sale for $28 – making it $14 after the coupon code. There are several great deals like this one if you want to stock up on some clothing.
Heads up, this coupon code excludes new arrivals. You can also get FREE shipping when you spend $150.
Better yet, get 2.5% cash back when you shop through Ebates.

BestBuy.com: Madden Football Nintendo 3DS Game Only $4.99 Shipped + More

Wow!  If you’re looking for a deal on a Nintendo DS or 3DS game for Christmas, you may want to head on over to BestBuy.com and snag the Madden Football Nintendo 3DS game for only $4.99 shipped (regularly $29.99!). This same game currently sells for $27.38 on Amazon and has positive reviews, so this seems like a great deal!
*You can also go here and browse through other games available for $4.99 from BestBuy.com; however, several of the games are only available for in-store pick up, so you could choose to pick-up to get in time for Christmas.

Pampers Gifts to Grow: New 5 Point Code

Wow! There’s yet another new Pampers Gifts to Grow code available! They just keep popping up! Just enter code TWITJBAD21W2011 to score 5 more points! Be sure to enter the code now, as it is only valid for a limited time.
* If you’re new to the pampers Gifts to Grow program, then go on over here to sign up (you’ll score 100 points just for joining)! The Pampers Gifts to Grow Program rewards you every time you purchase Pampers diapers, training pants and wipes! Once you’ve become a member, you can start collecting points. Just find the Gifts to Grow code inside each package and enter the code online to accumulate points, then redeem your points for rewards!

Best Buy: FREE Movie Download (1st 60,000!)

This offer is available again and limited to the first 60,000, so HURRY!

“Shake & Bake have decided that 9 sounds MUCH better than 8, so we’re gifting 60,000 CinemaNow codes today!”

So… just go here, “like” Best Buy on Facebook (if you haven’t already) and enter your email address and they will email a unique complimentary movie download code. Act fast – only available to the first 60,000!

Rite Aid: Cortizone and Planters Peanuts Coupons

As I mentioned over the last few weeks, Rite Aid will be hosting the 25 Deals of Christmas through 12/25 and offering up exclusive coupons to Rite Aid Facebook fans every day! Today’s coupons are valid for $2/1 Cortizone 10 product and $1/1 Planters Peanuts.
To snag your coupons, head on over to the Rite Aid Facebook page, “like” them and then click on the “25 Deals of Christmas” tab; be sure to print them now, as there are limited prints available! And remember, these are Rite Aid store coupons that can be stacked with regular manufacturer’s coupons for even more savings.

Free Personalized Luggage Tag (Facebook)

Hurry on over to the Accorhotels Facebook page, “like” them and click on the My Travelino tab to snag a FREE personalized luggage tag. Just fill choose from one of the 3 pictured tags, enter your name and email address and your luggage tag will be shipped to you for free!

Free Batteries at Blockbuster on 12/25!

Have you ever realized after all the gifts have been unwrapped that you forgot to buy batteries?  I can’t tell you how often this has happened to me! This year Blockbuster has us covered!

Don’t let a little thing like “batteries not included” ruin your Christmas cheer – on Christmas Day, Blockbuster L.L.C. will be giving away free batteries in all stores, while supplies last. Open from noon – 10 p.m., Blockbuster will power up those Christmas toys with two packs of either AA or AAA batteries. And for those with even more needs, additional battery packs will be available for only $0.99.

Groupon: *HOT!* $20 In-Store Old Navy Voucher Only $10 (Valid 12/22-1/28)

Yay! This *HOT* Groupon offer is back again… 
Groupon is currently offering up a $20 Old Navy voucher for Only $10! That means you can score 50% off any in-store purchase, including last-minute holiday gifts, clothing, and accessories! Even sweeter, this Groupon can be used on sale items! WooHoo! Please keep in mind that this Groupon is only valid from 12/22/11-1/28/12.

Fine print: Expires Jan 28, 2012; Limit 1 per person, may buy 1 addt’l as a gift. Limit 1 Groupon per visit. Purchase of Groupon may take up to 24hrs to process. Valid from 12/22/11-1/28/12 at US Old Navy Stores only. Product restrictions apply. Not transferable. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. $20 minimum purchase required at Old Navy. Good for $20 of merchandise: $10 Paid For value (never expires) plus $10 Discount Offer value (expires 1/28/12).

Kohl’s: Did You Receive a $10 In-Store Coupon?!

Wow! If you are signed up for Kohl’s.com emails AND have a Kohl’s charge card (I think this is a requirement?), you may have received an email today with a *HOT*  $10 Promotional in-store gift coupon! Quite a few readers have emailed me about receiving one, so I thought I should post since lots of you may have deleting thinking it was trash. Also, it may have gone into your spam folder.
The subject line of the email is “$10 Gift + Use It With Your 30%, 20% or 15% Off!” and you can also search the email address it came from kohls@email.kohls.com .
To use the $10 Promotional Gift, print the page in your email and take it to a Kohl’s store near you! * Coupon can ONLY be used once. One coupon per customer.
Come back to let us know if you also got this email!

Lowes Foods Matchup 12/21 – 12/27

Things to remember, Lowes Foods doubles manufacturer’s coupons up to .99 of face value. Limit 20 doubled coupons per Fresh Rewards card each day. You can also download e-coupons to your Fresh Rewards card for additional savings, go here to get your coupons!  

Fresh Rewards E-Offer:

Florida's Natural OJ $2.49, limit 2

Buy 3, Get 2 Free:

Coke, 12 pack cans (limit 10 per household) - $5.79

Buy 2, Get 1 Free:

Doritos - $4.79

BOGO:

Oscar Mayer Bacon - $3.50

$1/1 Oscar Mayer Bacon printable
$0.55/1 Oscar Mayer Bacon, exp. 12/31/11 (Kraft Food & Family)

Breyers Blasts - $3.40

$1/2 Breyers Blasts printable
$1.50/2 Breyers Product printable

Green Giant Canned Corn or Green Beans - $0.78

My Coke Rewards: *HOT* FREE Coca-Cola 12-Pack Only 30 Points (88% Off – Today Only!)

WooHoo! This *HOT* offer is back again today only! If you have some points saved up in your My Coke Rewards account, you’ll want to hurry and snag a coupon by mail valid for one FREE 12-pack of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola ZeroTM, Sprite, Fanta, Pibb Extra, VaultTM, Mello YelloTM, Barq’s or Fresca for only 30 points (regularly 240 points) – today only! That’s 88% off!

Just head on over here, login to your account, and look for the offer on the home page to snag your coupon!

*Coupon expiration date is three months from point redemption

$3.00 off Zantac Coupon available!

Some are reporting a $3.00 off coupon coming from the magic coupon machine in CVS. According to CVS policy, you should be able to pair these two coupons together for $6.00 off Zantac! Just click the image above to get your coupon today!

You can also use the $3 coupon at Rite Aid this week:

Zantac $8.99      
Buy 1 and Receive $2.00 +Up Reward
Use $3.00 off Zantac Product- Click the image above!
Pay $5.99 OOP, Receive $2.00 +Up Reward