I’m not a huge fan of online tags, forwarded e-mails, etc…, but I thought it might be fun to share a few facts about myself.  Julie, who blogs at The Ice House, tagged me to share 7 facts about myself.  Since this site is about saving money, I’ll try to relate some around that theme:

1. If  I have coupon overage, I like to spend it on Gerber’s food puffs or Starbucks Java Chip Ice Cream. It is the best ice cream. Ever. Period. Sadly, I’ve only had enough overage…twice.
2. I have a daughter who will be 9 months (and likes to eat coupons) old next week, and so far I haven’t had to pay any money for any of her diapers, because we stocked up during the golden days of CVS couponing (The stash is nearing it’s end, though!)  I have 2 Bum Genius 2.0 cloth diapers, and hope to start building my supply of those as the other ends. I really like the cloth diapers that we’ve used, but so far disposable has actually been less expensive, especially since we went through some pretty tight times near her birth.
3. I don’t do every deal that I share here and don’t share very deal. Just in case you were wondering. :)  There’s simply not enough time, and my computer is SLOW.
4. I LOVE Chick Fil A Lemonade and waffle fries (wait…why is this becoming a post about food?!?).  I usually prefer things made from scratch, without preservatives, etc…but um, yes, I have a few weak spots when it come to ice cream and lemonade.
5. I have been to England, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Madagascar, the Dominican Republic, and Israel. Incidentally, I have not been to Canada or Mexico.
6. Our family believes God is leading us to serve Him as missionaries to Madagascar, and we are currently saving (paying off school bills and saving for transportation) for being able to visit there next summer, trusting the Lord to provide.
7. I just won a free hair cut last week, and this week I won a book (My Mommy, My Teacher)!  I never win things, so this was exciting!

Rather than tagging others, feel free to list 7 things about yourself and then link back here (even if you’re partcipating in a tag elsewhere).  Or…just leave a comment here to introduce yourself as a reader of the blog…fact or no facts.

Right now, you can sign up with Ebates, and earn $10 (usually it’s just $5) just for signing up by October 31.  (Now is a great time to do it, because the quarterly payout is coming November 15, so you can actually see your “money” within a few weeks.)

If you do any online shopping, I highly recommend signing up with Ebates to see if the retailer you are interested in is on Ebates.  If you are considering doing any online holiday shopping, then you may want to sign up for Ebates now while the promotion is still going on.

Once you make a purchase through Ebates, you can get cash back for your purchase (sent quarterly through Paypal or a check).  You can actually purchase your Restaurant.com certificates through Ebates, and get $25 certificates for even less than $2 this way! (Speaking of, today is the last day to purchase them for 80% off with the code TREATS.)

How:

1. Sign up with Ebates here.

2. At the Ebates site, go to stores, and then the store of your choice. It will direct you to that store’s site, but you must go through Ebates in order to actually get your cash back.

3. You can still use coupon codes to maximize the best deals, and get “cash back.”

Read more…

From Cherith:

Bi-lo credits you 5 cents per bag that you bring
yourself! I had started trying to use reusable bags, and happened to take them
into Bi-Lo on Wade Hampton (Taylors), and got credit for each one I brought (and
I didn’t even need to use them all.)  Just thought you might want to share that
tid-bit w/ your readers.  I haven’t had it happen anywhere else (but maybe we
should challenge the other stores to do the same. :))

Does anyone else know of any other area stores that are doing this?  I don’t have any of the “new” resuable/green bags, but I do have a few tote bags that could probably be used as such.  Most stores carry these for 99 cents, so after just 20 trips to Bi-Lo, you’d see a return on your investment.

And if you’re looking for a way to get a free reusable tote bag, you can do so with this deal from Target:

Read more…

Through October 31, at Wendy’s, you can purchase a gift book of 10 coupons for a “free Jr. Frosty” for only $1…which equals 10 cents per Frosty.  Coupons are valid 11/01/08 through 02/01/09!

Don’t forget that Friday, October 31, is also the last day to purchase the McDonald’s coupons.  Read more about what they include and where they can be used in Greenville here.  Updated: Since the original post a few weeks ago, I purchased a booklet and learned that it also included 3 coupons for a “free hamburger.”

Decorative pumpkins are currently 50% off at Lowe’s in the Greenville area, making them $3.50 each.  We saw some huge pumpkins, but there aren’t many left.

(Note: You can’t use the filling in these for pie, etc…)