Free La Choy Creations at Food Lion

Wednesday is stir-fry night at our house and I was picking up some veggies at Food Lion.  I scanned my MVP card as I entered and was surprised to find a coupon print for a free package of La Choy Creations.  We've never tried them before, but I thought it was worth a shot.  The container comes with rice and a can of seasoning, all you do is add the meat.  We decided to go with the Teriyaki Chicken (I wanted Sweet Sesame but my 6yr old made the final call).  I won't be following the instructions completely -- I plan on stir-frying the meat (beef instead of chicken) and will probably throw in broccoli as well.

I'll let you know how it compares to our normal fare.

UPDATE:  Well, it was a hit.  Usually we have leftovers from our stir-fry, but tonight every last bit was enjoyed at the table.  I suspect we'll have this meal again...

George

New Year, New Blog Direction

This blog started as a weekly e-mail comparing the specials at Kroger and Martins.  Martins had recently come to town and my family was temporarily living with my sister-in-laws family.  We were feeding eight of us at the time, trying to be frugal and this was a small step to take.

Up until that point, I hadn't really paid attention to trying to save money at the grocery store.  Once I started comparing prices and realizing how much more I'd been spending than I really needed to I was a little ashamed at the waste.  This led me to start investigating other resources designed to save money and to start sharing my findings via this blog.

So now I get hundreds of emails and tweets each week relating to saving money and I've been sharing them as I have time and find them interesting.  It didn't take long to realize that I am just one of many voices in a very large crowd saying largely the same thing.  It's fascinating to watch deals propagate through twitter.  While I believe each of the different sites I follow has unique and interesting content (otherwise I wouldn't follow them) the core of what most of them are saying is similar.

Going forward, instead of posting so many "me too" posts, I will be pointing out the excellent resources available from these original sources.  I'll also write about my personal shopping / saving experiences in an effort to entertain as much as educate.

Happy (belated) New Year!
George

Sale on HP Ink, Buy One Get One 40% off through 1/15

HP is advertising a Buy One Get One 40% off sale on HP ink along with free next day delivery from their website.  The code to enter at checkout is INKSAVE40.  Doing some quick math and an Internet search, the 40% discount puts the ink I use on par with the re-manufactured cartridges.  Might be worth a look if you have an HP printer.

George

BLOCKBUSTER By Mail Special Offer - 3 Months for $9.99

BLOCKBUSTER is selling gift cards in stores for $9.99 that are good for a 3-month subscription to their BLOCKBUSTER by Mail service.  If you aren't familiar with their new service, it is similar to Netflix, but also includes video games like GameFly.  Once the three month trial is up, the normal price is $11.99 a month.

I picked up one two days ago and expect to get my first game tomorrow.  This is a great deal for gaming enthusiasts.  The only downside is that many of the gaming titles aren't available until three months after their release.  I assume this is because the in-store rentals of the newer games is very lucrative and they don't want to hurt their stores.

For more details on BLOCKBUSTER By Mail, head over here.

George

Amazon Daily Deal (12/16/2010) - "Seinfeld - The Complete Series"

Amazon is offering Seinfeld - The Complete Series on DVD for $84.49.  This set includes:

• Features 32 DVDs with all 180 episodes
• More than 104 hours of amazing extras
• The Official Coffee Table Book: a 226-page bound anthology filled with photos, quotes, and trivia from every episode
• Bonus disc featuring the reunion of the cast plus Larry David on the ninth anniversary of the series finale
• Packaged in a handy collector's case that will look great on your shelf
• Documentaries for all nine seasons
• Inside looks
• Not That There's Anything Wrong With That (bloopers)
• In the vault (deleted scenes)
• Yada Yada Yada (commentaries)
• "Sein-Imation"
• Notes about nothing

This is an incredible collection for the Seinfeld fan.  Pick one up and have your own marathon over the Holiday break.

George

Amazon Daily Deal (12/14/2010) - "24: The Complete Series"

Amazon is offering "24: The Complete Series" for only $139.99.  This is a 56 disk set that includes all 8 seasons, the feature length "24: Redemption" and a bonus DVD.  Get your 8 Days of Jack Bauer today.

George

Redbox / Groupon Deal - 3 Movie rentals for $1 - EXTENDED

They've sold over 280,000 groupons for Redbox and have decided to extend the deadline to buy until midnight tomorrow.  So, if you haven't purchased your groupon yet, hop over to my original post and check it out.

George

Starbucks 12 Days of Sharing - Day 12 - 12 Oz Boxed Mug $6.99

Starbucks' 12th (and last) Day of Sharing features a 12 oz Christmas Mug for $6.99. Swing by your local Starbucks and pick one up.  I hope you were able to enjoy some of the savings Starbucks had to offer this season.

George

Redbox / Groupon Deal - 3 Movie rentals for $1

Hopefully you've heard of both Redbox and Groupon by now.  Normally Redbox movies are $1 a night, which makes this a great bargain.  Buy one for yourself or as a gift (stocking stuffer?).  Head on over to Groupon to sign up and then click here to get to the Redbox offer.  Hurry, quantities are limited.

George

Coinstar Promo - Cash in $40 and get $50 UPDATE

As I mentioned a few days ago, today is the day that Amazon.com has been added to the $40 gets you $50 promotion. Here are the specific details:

Exchange $40 worth of change at a participating Coinstar location between 12/9/2010 and 12/22/2010 for an Amazon.com giftcard, and you will get a bonus $10 gift card for use on Toys and Games at Amazon.com/Toys. Full details are here.

George

Starbucks 12 Days of Sharing - Day 9 - Free $5 Gift Card with VIA purchase

Today's deal at Starbucks is a $5 gift card with the purchase of a 12-pack of VIA coffee.  If you drink VIA already, this seems well worth the swing by Starbucks on the way to work.  And let's face it, if you are an avid Starbucks fan, you were probably going to stop on the way to work anyhow!

George

Save 80% on Restaurant.com $25 Gift Certificates through 12/12/2010

Save 80% off Restaurant.com $25 Gift Certificates! Use code JOY at checkout now through 12/12/10.

In case you've never used them before, for many of the restaurants that participate, you can pick up a $25 gift certificate for $10.  The restaurants often have a minimum requirement on the amount you purchase when you use the certificate, typically $35 for the $25 certificate.  With this discount, you can get a $25 gift certificate for $2, so in essence, you are getting $35 of food for $12.  Not too shabby.

We have a certificate for Melitos that we plan to use soon, and I may pick up a couple more.

George

Starbucks 12 Days of Sharing - Day 8 - Discounted Tumbler and Mug

Today Starbucks is featuring their Red Cup Tumbler for $6.99 (reg. $10.95) and their Red Cup Mug for $3.99 (reg. $7.95).  As always, quantities are limited, so get there early.

George

Starbucks free VIA coffee with purchase of tumbler. Today only.

It's Day 7 in Starbucks' 12 Days of Sharing and today they are giving away a pack of VIA when you buy a tumbler. Check it out here.

George

Coinstar Promo - Cash in $40 and get $50

Coinstar is running a promotion until the end of the year: convert $40 dollars in change to a gift certificate to one of several stores and get a bonus $10 gift card.  Currently, the following stores are participating:  iTunes, Lowes, Borders, Regal Entertainment, and Rixty.  Starting December 9th, Amazon.com will also be participating.  There are no other fees associated with converting your change to these giftcards.

The $40 gets you $50 promotion ends December 31.

For more information, check out their website or find a Coinstar location.

George

Starbucks 12 Days of Sharing - Day 5

Today, Starbucks is offering their Frosted Starbucks Tumbler for $6.99 (regularly $10.95).  Pick one of these up for your office gift exchange.  Check it out here.

George

Starbucks 12 Days of Sharing - Day 3

Starbucks is having another BOGO offer today, December 3rd.  If you buy one 12-pack of VIA Instant Coffee, you get another for free.  I haven't tried VIA yet, has anyone else?  For more details, head on over here.

George

Starbucks 12 Days of Sharing BOGO Offer

Starbucks is celebrating the 12 days of Christmas by offering a new special each day for the first 12 days of December.  Today's offer is a BOGO (Buy one get one) on a pound of their Christmas Blend.  Pick up one and get one for free to share (or not!).

Check it out here.

George

$10 off $10+ Purchase at JCPenny

I just purchased a shirt from JCPenney that was originally $45.00 and is currently discounted to $11.99 for a measly $2.00.  Just use the code GIVEJOY at checkout and you can save $10.00.  Select in-store pickup and you won't have to worry about shipping costs either.

Thanks to MoneySavingMom.com for pointing this out.

George

Free Music from Amazon

Amazon is giving away 25 songs over the next 25 days.  Pop over here and check them out: 25 Days of Free Music  They also have several Christmas Albums / Samplers available for free:

There are more, but that should get you started.

George