Have I told you recently about ExpoTV? It is a sweet members only website where you can make and post video reviews of products you use. You can earn points with which to get great items. Sometimes they have what they call "Tryology" programs where they will send you a product to try and review (via video). 
Well, if you are not already a member of EXPO, you will want to become one right now and apply for their latest Tryology! It is a tryology for an LG LCD SmartTV – a $1,300 TV (Check it out here)!

Join now because they will be selecting the Tryology participants on August 8th!! As with other Tryology programs, all you have to do is become a member and fill out the screener in your profile to apply! Then, on August 8th, stay tuned and if you are selected you’ll receive an invitation from them! Easy Peasy, right?! I really hope I get this one!!

Click here to become a member and then make sure you take the tryology screener!

You may recall that I told you here and here about FREE books I got from Read It Forward.

If you too are interested in reading advanced copies of new books, I would recommend checking out the Read It Forward website. Right now they have this book (Samantha Soto's Before Ever After) available:

Go here and sign up for your chance to get one! Maybe you will get lucky!

Here are my favorite deals in Omaha grocery this week:
Hyvee

• Bananas $.39/lb
• Canned Hy Vee corn or Green Beans $.29 each
• Large dozen eggs $.99

In addition to their regular week long special, HyVee also has a 4 Days of Savings Sale Wednesday 7/27-Saturday 7/30 that includes the following:

• Rotella Vienna Bread $.99
• 7Up, A&W, SUnkist, Squirt, RC, Dr Pepper or Diet Rite products 12 packs 3/$8.88 (which is $2.98 each)

AND In addition to their regular week long special, HyVee also has a 2 Day Sale Friday 7/29-Saturday 7/30 that includes the following:

• Fairacres Ice Cream (vanilla, cookies and Cram or Neopolitan 1.75 Quart size) $.99
• Hy Vee Cottage Cheese 24 Oz $.99 (limit 2)
• Fresh Chicken Leg Quarters $.39/lb (sold in 10 lb pkg for $3.90
• Pineapple (Fresh) $1.99 each

No Frills Fresh

• Kelogg's or Keebler participating products $.98 (with in ad coupon and purchase of 10. $1.48 otherwaise-I will try to get a list of the participating items)
• Roberts Butter $2.48 16 oz
• Knorr Rice and Pasta sides $.77
• Our Family 24 pack Spring Water $2.48
• This last item is ONLY at the Baker's Square location (132nd and Center): 93% lean ground bwwf $1.99/lb (ANY size package!!!)

Bag N Save

• Our Family Cheese 8 oz shredded or chunk 3/$3 (with in ad SUPER COUPON-limit 1 coupon per customer)
• Hunt's Snack Packs (4 pack) $.49 (with qualifying purchase and in ad coupon-$.79 without)
• Van Camp's Posr and Beans $.25  (with qualifying purchase and in ad coupon-$.55 without)
• Boneless Pork Sirloin Chops or Roast $1.99
• Strawberries 16 oz 2/$3
• Roma Tomatos $.99/lb
• Jennie-O Turkey Hot Dogs 12 oz 10/$10

Baker's (Remember their sales are almost always WITH card)

• Bakers Milk $2.99 gallon

Aldi

• Broccoli $.88/lb
• Cauliflower $.99/lb
• Cherries 1 lb clamshell $1.29
• Strawberries 16 oz clamshell $.88

Super Saver

• Whole Seedless Watermelon $2.98
• Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken $1.57/lb
• Pepsi Product 24 packs $5.98

In addition to their regular week long special, Super Saver also has a Weekend Sale Friday 7/29-Sunday 7/31 that includes the following:

• Roma Tomatoes $.58/lb
• Russet potatoes 3 lb $.98
• Johnsonville Smoked Brats 13.5-14 oz
• Pringles 4.9-4.93 oz Original or SOur Cream $.88
• Pepsi 2 L 4/$3

Fareway

• Dole head of lettuce $.77
• Mission Tortilla Chips $1.99 for 13 oz bag
• Fareway American Singles $.99 (with in ad coupon-limit 1)
• Dozen Medium eggs $.79
• Red Ripe Tomatoes $.99/lb
• Red or Black Plums $.99/lb
• Peaches $.88/lb
• Fresh Green Beans $.99/lb
• Spring Hill Smoked Bacon $1.99 (16 oz package)

***Remember that I generally just price match at Walmart as much as I can rather than go to all the stores separately! I LOVE being able to do that. You can also pricematch at Target, but I find it easier to pricematch at Walmart.

I am 20 minutes late for a playgroup and it is my son's birthday so he cannot wait to get there, but I wanted to post a couple reminders of some kids meal deals going on. I took both of the following pictures myself this week:


In case you cannot view-they are to let you know that Fazoli's (in Omaha at least-call your local store to make sure they participate) has kids night on Tuesdays (read tonight) from 5-8pm. That means with each adult meal, 2 kids can eat kids meals for $.99 each.

The second picture is a reminder that IHOP (in Omaha-again, check your local store) has Kids Eat Free every day from 4-10 pm. Theirs is one kid eats free for each adult meal purchased!

Did you know Denny's has a Tour of America promotion going on right now where they are celebrating each and every state? Well, I got an email today to let me know that the State of the day today is...(drum roll)...NEBRASKA (and South Dakota)!! Readers in South Dakota and locally in Nebraska can go here to print out a coupon for BOGO (you buy 1 Tour of America entree and 2 drinks and you get one Tour of America Entree free). The coupon expires on 7/31. 
The map above shows what states have been, are and will be the State of the day. But you can always check out Denny's to see when your state's day is/was.

Tonight at 11:59 pm central time 2 of my GREAT giveaways end: My Seventh Generation Free & Clear Diapers giveaway, and my & Purex with Zout giveaway (with 2 winners). Both have low entries (Diapers have 35, Detergent has 70). Today is your last chance to enter, so get on it!!! :)

While you are here check out my other open giveaways:

• Seneca Farms Oatmeal & Fruit Giveaway ends 7/29
• CiCi's Pizza Family Funtacular summer scratch tickets ends 8/1.

My original UPrinting winner had already won the same giveaway the other day on another blgo so I had to pick another winner.

I used Random.org to generate the (new) winner in the UPrinting 250 Nightclub flyers giveaway. I had 20 entries and Random.org chose entry #13.
13. lewalk said...

Email subscriber.

I have emailed Leah and she has 48 hours to get back to me (If you are the winner and did not get my email, please check your spam folder or email me at beckeesdeals AT gmail DOT com)!

I used Random.org to generate the winner in the UPrinting 250 Nightclub flyers giveaway. I had 20 entries and Random.org chose entry #4.

The winner was:

4. Kim C. said...

I subscribe to your email


I have emailed Kim and she has 48 hours to get back to me (If you are the winner and did not get my email, please check your spam folder or email me at beckeesdeals AT gmail DOT com)!

This is an interesting freebie, David C Cook Christian Publishers is offering a FREE book by author Francis Chan. You can choose any of the following books: Crazy Love, Forgotten God, The Big Red Tractor, Halfway Herbert, or Ronnie Wilson’s Gift. All you have to do to get the offer is click here, and fill out the form. I knew nothing about the books so I looked them up on Amazon and ended up requesting Halfway Herbert for the kiddos!

Thanks Real Life Deals.

Recently I had a reader ask me about where to find online printable coupons. I realized I have not talked about that much lately. This is the short and sweet post to answer that question. First though can I just throw in that I highly recommend getting the Sunday newspaper so you can clip the coupons in it?!  Now, for online coupons, I get most of my coupons from Coupons.com. Other places to look are Smart Source and Red Plum.

Also if you are looking for a specific product or brand, check their company website and facebook page. There are OFTEN the best coupons there.  And one more trick if you are looking for a specific item is to check a coupon database where you can type in the name of a product you are looking for and it tells you whether there is a coupon out there for it. It also tells you the source of the coupon and often they are printable, so you can just print out a coupon for whatever you need to buy. I do know that there have been a couple times when I knew about a coupon that I did not find on their database, but most of the time I find great coupons hat I need! The site I use most is at Hot Coupon World and you can find it here.

It has been quite a while since I have written about this, so I wanted to repost this. I originally wrote it on 1/20/2010. Before you read on I want to mention that I am re-reading and may edit some in this post and I feel I should let you know that I am STILL a firm believer that you should let companies know what you think of their products/service if you notice something they do particularly well or particularly poorly!
I had a TERRIBLE experience at Texas Roadhouse the other day and we had a similarly poor experience with them a few months ago. I wrote to corporate about it. I have not heard back from them, but I feel better knowing that I was able to express my frustrations with their service and that maybe my email will help them make a positive change! (I will never eat there again, but lets hope it changes for the rest of you!!)

Anyway-on to the repost!!

One of the frugal blogs I love and check out everyday is Couponing to Disney. Not only does she have great deal ideas & Freebies, but she pays for Disney trips with money from "smart shopping"!! (How much do I love Disney?!) One program she started is her 5-a-Day program. You can read all about her project here but basically, she emails 5 companies a day to compliments or complains to them about their product.

I bring up her amazing program (which she obviously put A LOT of time and effort into), because it brings up a great bargain/coupon tip. If you just email a company and let them know about your experience with their product, whether good or bad, they will often send you coupons or freebies. I do not email companies everyday, but if I have a genuine experience, whether good or bad with a product or company, I always write. To be honest, if I have a bad experience, I am far more likely to write. Let me tell you about a couple experiences I have had.

This one was quite a while back, but here it is. I went to my local Hyvee with my brand new debit card. I had never used it and I was anxious to do so (as I never truly believe it will work until it does). Well this time my fears were confirmed as it did not work. I was embarrassed, but told the checker that I would just pay on my credit card (Curses, I hate having to do THAT). But before I could even get my card out, the manager on duty came over yelling at me about how my card would not work and I was going to have to do something else. There were people I know there and she made an already embarrassing situation MUCH worse. On my way out the door I took note of the general managers name, phone number and email, and the second I got home, I called and emailed him. Within an hour I had 2 phone calls from the store, and 2 emails of apology. 2 Days later, a $25 gift card and a handwritten apology letter from the mean manager came in the mail.

Over the weekend, my husband and I had plans across town from Cheeseburger in Paradise, but wanted to try eating there even though it was out of the way. However, to make our across town plans, we thought we would need a reservation. As it turns out, they do not take reservations, but they do take call ahead seating and they assured us on the phone that if our whole party was there by 6:45, we would be seated right then. When we arrived (with a minute to spare) and told her our name and that we called ahead, the hostess told us we would have to wait 20-25 minutes and I questioned her about the promise on the phone. She snottily said "Oh you called ahead?" (we had already been over that once) Then after a couple more minutes of her realizing that we were on her list (and she had screwed up) she said, "I guess we might be able to get you in in about 10-15 minutes." I was pissed as it was already 5 minutes past our seating time and could not make our plans if we waited. I told her we would not wait or ever return there. She LAUGHED at us and said "K, 'Bye!" After this rude, terrible service, we went to Chipotle where we had GREAT service, GREAT food and a salvaged quick meal before our plans. When I got home I emailed both Cheeseburger in Paradise and Chipotle. I got an apology from Cheesburger in Paradise corporate office saying I would hear from the exact location soon. Nothing from Chipotle yet.

Last night I emailed Huggies to let them know that using another brand of wipes recently reminded me why I always use Huggies, and I thanked them for maintaining high quality products for my babies. This morning I had an email from them thanking me for taking the time to email them and letting me know they had sent me coupons in the mail.

You can and should be an opinionated consumer. Do not be afraid to let a company know about your experience with them. You might get some benefit out of your letter which is ideal, but for me, I just like to have my opinion heard. So, go out there and email the companies that make your life easier or the ones that do not. Be proactive though and tell the companies what you think! After you do, let me know if you hear back!

***Update: In response to the emails I sent in these examples, Cheesburger in Paradise sent an appology letter and an invitation to return and let them make up for it-there was a $25 gift certificate included. (And when we did return with the gift card, we have never had such great service-they really made up for their one terrible employee!)

Huggies mailed me 3-$2 off coupons. And since this email I have emailed and gotten free and high value coupons from Kikkoman and Stacy's Pita Chips as well.***

Now, get your typing fingers ready and start sending those emails! Then let me know how it goes! I will let you know if we ever hear back from Texas Roadhouse (doubt it)...

Today's All You Sample of the day is a returning sample of Nivea TOuch of Cashmere lotion. Apparently is was SOO popular last time they offered it that they decided to offer it again. So, go here and follow their directiosn to request your sample!

A While back I joined Crowd Tap which is a place you get to share your opinions and sometimes even get to sample awesoem items. One of the places they work with is Old Navy and I joined hoping to sample some SWEET Old Navy clothing. As you can imagine Crowd tappers are all pretty interested in the sampling events, so I applied and did not get in to the first few, but guess what?! Today I got accepted into the Old Navy Jeans Sampling event!!! YES!!! I will get to go pick out a pair or FREE Old Navy Jeans to sample out and tell you guys all about.

If you also want the chance to become a Crowd Tapper so you can sign up for future sampling events, please join through my referral link here and we can start tappin together! :)

Tonight at 11:59 pm central time my 250 UPromise Nightclub Flyers giveaway ends!! It still has REALLY low entries (17 as of this posting). There is a lot you could do with this prize-Christmas Cards, big event invitations, business flyers/cards...seriously LOTS of options!! And today is your last chance to enter, so get on it!!! :)

While you are here check out my other open giveaways:

• Seventh Generation Free & Clear Diapers ends 7/26
• Purex with Zout (2 winners) ends 7/26
• Seneca Farms Oatmeal & Fruit Giveaway ends 7/29
• CiCi's Pizza Family Funtacular summer scratch tickets ends 8/1.

I used Random.org to generate the winner in the Discovery Girls Subscription and Prize Pack giveaway. I had 60 entries and Random.org chose entry #23.
The winner was:

23. shala_darkstone said...

I follow you on Twitter.


I have emailed Shala and she has 48 hours to get back to me (If you are the winner and did not get my email, please check your spam folder or email me at beckeesdeals AT gmail DOT com)!

The City of LaVista also has some fun FREE summer activities. Here are a couple FUN ones coming up:

TONIGHT, July 22, 2011 as part of their Summer Concert Series and their Outdoor Movie Series, the La Vista Public Library at 9110 Giles Rd will have a concert by Charm School Drop Outs in concert at 7 pm followed by a viewing of the movie Morning Glory beginning at dusk.

August 7, 2011 from 1-4 there is a FREE Splash Back activity at the LaVista pool. It is sponsored by Papillion Sanitation and there will be a DJ, games, prizes and FREE food (while supplies last! That sounds SOOO awesome! I think I will arrange a way to make it to that one!

Sumtur Amphitheater, located at 11691 S. 108th, in Papillion has some great FREE activities this summer! Free family movies and concerts!

You can see the full schedule at the Sumtur Amphitheater website here, but of note for families is TONIGHT's event:

As part of their Starlight Movie Series (which is FREE) "Despicable Me" will be shown tonight, July 22. Gates open at 7:30 pm. Preshow entertainment at 7:45 pm. Movie at twilight. SWEET!!

Also, you may want to put on the calendar that August 12th they are showing Toy Story 3!

As I was driving around town today trying to get some things done and arranged for a birthday party here tomorrow, I noticed some great deals and free activities going on around the Omaha area. Here is one:
Zzzap Laser Adventures in Omaha has some sweet deals if you want to go play Laser Tag. Here are the deals listed on the Zzzap Laser Adventures website:

• Buy 3 get one free: Anyone that purchases 3 games for $15 gets a coupon for a free game that can be used anytime.
• Group Discount: Groups of 10 get 10% off their games and it CAN be combined with the Buy 3 get 1 free deal mentioned above!
• 2Fer Tuesdays: Players get one free game for each game they purchased. The games must be used the day of purchased, but can be used by 2 different people. (So, 2 people can play for $5 or one person can play 2 games for $5)
• Family Sundays: On Sundays, any parent who plays $5 to play a game can get up to 2 children into that game for FREE (a Child is considered to be age 12 and Under only).

Sounds like some sweet deals for date nights or family nights or for a big group party!!

It has been a while since I posted about one of my favorite things, Swagbucks. So, new readers might wonder what it is. Basically it is a search engine. Why, you ask am I Searching on Swagbucks rather than somewhere else?! Well, it is because you can earn points, or "Swag bucks" which you can put toward prizes or gift cards. AND today, as with EVERY Friday, is Mega Swag Bucks day! That means more chances to earn more Swag Bucks (which will earn you gift cards or prizes faster!!)! So, make sure to use Swag Bucks for all your searching needs today! I know I will be using Swagbucks all day!

If you have not joined yet, click on my referral link here and start earning Swag Bucks with me! This is a GREAT time to join-with Mega Swag Bucks going on today!! As an FYI, I have made $170 in Amazon Gift cards so far and I have 300 Swag Bucks left. (450=$5 Amazon card).

If you are new to Swag Bucks, please read my explanation of Swag Bucks here. And my explanation of the changes to Swagbucks here.

Wow-I really need to find some great deals to share with you...this is starting to look like an exclusively giveaway blog...You all know I love me a great giveaway, but I truly want to share deals and ways to save money. I DID post the best on Omaha grocery sales for this week yesterday and I have found a few deals. I have more to share soon, but I have some cleaning (UGH!) and a doctor's appointment for the kids this afternoon, so it may be tomorrow.
Just know, I have not forsaken you! I will post more deals and PLEASE if you have a great deal or tip to share, PLEASE leave a comment on this post, on the facebook page wall, or email me! Thanks!!!

Tonight at 11:59 pm central time my awesome Discovery Girls Subscription/Prize Pack giveaway ends!! It still has really low entries (38 as of this posting) 7/21. SO today is your last chance to enter!

While you are here check out my other open giveaways:

• Discovery Girls Subscription/Prize Pack ends 7/21
• 250 UPromise Nightclub Flyers ends 7/25
• Seventh Generation Free & Clear Diapers ends 7/26
• Purex with Zout (2 winners) ends 7/26
• Seneca Farms Oatmeal & Fruit Giveaway ends 7/29
• CiCi's Pizza Family Funtacular summer scratch tickets ends 8/1.
  

I have already told all about what a great deal CiCi’s Pizza is for a family! We have enjoyed going there and saving money when we go out with all 5 kiddos! Right now, they have sweetened an already sweet deal at CiCi's Pizza by launching its Family Funtacular summer scratch and win contest.

What is it?

The CiCi's Pizza Family Funtacular summer scratch and win contest began on July 11 and will go through August 28. The contest will take place at all 600 CiCi’s locations nationally through August 28. It is a fun scratch and win game where you could possibly win movie tickets, free buffets and more. Best of all, the Grand prize for two lucky families is an all-expense paid trip for four to Universal Orlando Resort Vacation. The grand prize can be won through the scratch and win or by signing up for CiCi's e-club, Pizza Perks, on its website. For more information about CiCi’s, visit www.cicispizza.com or visit their page on Facebook.

How do I participate?

All 600 CiCi's Pizza's are participating. So, go into your local store and you will get a free scratch-off card with every guest check and large beverage purchase. You can also be entered to win the Grand Prize by signing up for their Pizza Perks e-club so go sign up here.

And of course the good people over at CiCi's have given me a few scratch cards to giveaway!! (I got one myself and it WON a FREE Adult Drink!) :)

Here is how to enter the Giveaway (PLEASE make sure to leave an email address in each comment so I can reach you should you win):

What can you win: FIVE lucky Beckee's Deals Readers will each win a CiCi's Pizza Family Funtacular summer scratch and win ticket!!
MANDATORY ENTRY (Must do this first for other entries to count): Tell me what your favorite kind of pizza is.

Once you have done that, you can get 5 extra entries by doing the following things (Just make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, and leave me your email address in each comment so I know how to contact you should you win):

1. Become a PUBLIC GFC follower of my blog (If you are already a follower-that counts!).

2. Go Like CiCi's Pizza on Facebook

3. Subscribe to my blog via Email or an RSS feed/reader. (Yes-you can use this entry if you are already an email or RSS subscriber- just let me know how you subscribe to my blog).

4. Become a Facebook fan of my blog here.

5. Follow me on Twitter here.

Be sure to leave a comment for each entry with your email address. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. This giveaway ends on Monday, August 1st at 11:59 PM Central Time.

Disclaimer: This giveaway was made possible by CiCi’s Pizza and by SPM Communications. I was given a scratch card for myself and 5 to giveaway to winning readers. No other compensation was given, and as always all opinions expressed are my own!