This year is flying by! I can barely believe it is October 1st! The cold bedroom gave me a sharp reminder though. It was not as cold as I have experienced when I lived in Rhode Island or Maine, but I am assuming my blood has thickened or thinned since I have moved to Arizona because I was FEELING IT!!! I am hoping to find some great money saving thrifty tips for heating next week.
For now I thought about Christmas.
Doesn't that snow look pretty? I love Christmas! I love celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus. I love hearing amazing Christmas music. I love the lights that people put up on their homes. I also love giving gifts during the holidays. Of course with the economy, gift giving can be a challenge. I thought it would be nice to cover a way to win some gifts today. Well, you may not win today, but you could.
I have been entering blog giveaways for a little under a year now. I am a voracious reader and I found that I could fuel my reading appetite more inexpensively by entering a blog giveaway or two. I began entering giveaways at book blog review sites and then discovered that other blogs also reviewed new products and held giveaways. Since entering was so simple, I gave it a shot. Since that start, I have won books, CDs, DVDs, bath products, gift cards, awesome camping gear, stationary and holiday decorations. I have friends who have won Kindles, vacuums, hotel stays and more.
I thought it would be fun to share a site with you. The first site I discovered was A Blog of Goodies. As I write this, A Blog Of Goodies has 265 giveaways posted. A Blog of Goodies is a place that bloggers go to to list their giveaways. So it is a perfect stop. Each giveaway is listed with the prize name and end date. Some will also list the host blog name. You simply click on the link and it will take you to the blog that is hosting that particular giveaway.
Once you hit the blog that is hosting the giveaway, read the details. Some have entries where all you need to do is post a comment like "Enter Me" followed by your email address (they ask for this so they can contact you). Some request that you go to the company's site and learn something about the product and come back and post what you learned. You do not have to be a blogger to enter these giveaways but it does help with increasing your chances (often blogs give you extra points for posting about your giveaways), and you just might find you would like to start a blog. Some people create a google account for entries or just post anonymously (but always leave a way to be contacted with that email).
Speaking of email. Here is the trick when posting your email address to a giveaway. You will notice as you enter giveaways that a lot of people post like this.
yourname(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
By spelling out the @ and "." you foil the little email grabbing spiders so they do not get your email. Some people also use a special email account just for giveaways which can be very convenient for checking if you win a giveaway as only those kinds of emails will go there. If you are loooking for a free email site, I would suggest gmail. You can also seach online for other email sites. I use my regular email, and I haven't had a problem.
Typical blog giveaway rules:
---READ THE GIVEAWAY DETAILS. :) Some blogs will void an entry if it isn't done how they request. These are not jump through hoops things, they really are simple. Just be sure to follow their directions.
---Most giveaways end at a certain time and give a winner a set time to respond to an email stating you won. So be sure to answer those emails when you win.
---Some blogs that are hosting giveaways only announce winners on their site. So you want to make sure you keep track of what you enter so you can check back on blogs that do this.
---Again some blogs offer ways for extra entries by following them, subscribing to their blog, tweeting their giveaway, following them on Twitter, posting about their giveaway or even emailing some friends about their giveaway. You do what you want to do. :)
---Most blogs will want your email address in order to contact you. Just disguise it: yourname(AT)yahoo(DOT)com.
Another blog I mentioned today is A Christian Writer's World ~ Characters Who Grip Your Heart. I love this blog, because author Lena Nelson Dooley interviews some fabulous Christian authors and has a nice giveaway every week. It is a great way to learn about Christian books and the authors who write them. You also get some pretty neat tips from those authors.
Now onto the freebiness - Don't forget that today, October 1st from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm you can get a free cookie at Mrs. Fields! You can also get $5 off an order online if you use their code 9TEN at check out.
And for the Coffee Lovers, if you stop in at Starbucks between October 2 and 5 and take part in their VIA Taste Challenge, you’ll get a coupon for a free Starbucks Tall brewed coffee on your next visit. Not too shabby. :)
Top Sales at our BIG THREE
Albertsons has an awesome pile of coupons for you in their flyer. Be sure to pick it up. Two of my top ten are in there.
1 -- Buy 1 get 2 FREE Petite Sirloin Steak (Boneless). This is so yummy, I freeze them up and they are perfect for a fajita, kabob, steak salad, or enchiladas. Also good for grilling! ;) (Limit 1 coupon per customer per transaction).
2 -- General Mills Cereal 9.6-12.25 oz. Select Varieties (Limit 4).
3 -- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Pork Loin Roast Boneless Sold in the bag. $1.57 lb
Safeway
4 -- 93% Lean Ground Beef $1.99 lb (Save up to 3.00 a pound)
5 -- Navel Oranges 2 lbs for $1.00
6 -- Bananas 59 cents a pound
Fry's
7 --- 20 for $10 mix and match sale!!!!
-Cambpells Chicken Noodle and Tomato Soup 10.75 oz
-Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Original 7.25 oz
-Yoplait Yogurt 4-6 oz
-Budget Gourmet Entrees (Michelina's) - Selected Varieties
8 -- Betty Crocker Cake Mix 77 cents (good time to buy since there will be lots of holiday baking ahead)
9 -- Betty Crocker Frosting 2 for $3.00
10 -- Suave Hair Care or Body Wash $1.28. I don't know about you, but I can always find a Suave coupon and they are a great deal even when not on sale.
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