Queen Bee Coupons & Savings

Another reason to love Fridays – Mega Swag Bucks Day!

2010-07-21T14:07:08Z

As if we needed another reason to love Fridays. . .today is a Mega Swag Bucks day! This means it’s prime time to earn some serious Swag Bucks to add to your Swag Bucks account. . .to then turn into awesome prizes such as gift cards!

Have you jumped on the Swag Bucks bandwagon yet? I heard about it for close to a year before I jumped on board and I wish I would have sooner. In the last month, I’ve earned $75 in Amazon.com gift cards, just by using their search toolbar and doing other things that earn Swag Bucks. I like it because it requires minimal effort from me and I earn points to redeem for prizes, which I’ve opted for Amazon gift cards so I can buy things we need for the baby!

I’ve also heard for people who cash in their Swag Bucks at Christmas time and use all of their points for Christmas shopping, which I think is a great way to make your money stretch around the holidays.

Here’s some more information on it:

What are Swagbucks?
Swagbucks are digital dollars that you earn by doing Web searches. The results are from Google and Ask.com so you get the same search results you’d get if you did a regular Web search! Anytime you enter a keyword into your Swagbucks toolbar or you search from the Swagbucks home page, you can randomly win Swagbucks. It’s FREE, easy, and fun, and the PRIZES are amazing! You can earn gift cards and other prizes. There is NO obligation or credit cards required!

What can I get for using Swagbucks?
There are all kinds of prizes you can get with your Swagbucks! I turn in my Swagbucks for gift cards! This saves me money down the road, because I don’t have to pull money out of my pocket to buy something and the gift cards were FREE…they just cost me a few minutes of my time searching the web, which I am always doing anyway!

How can I earn MORE Swagbucks?

Search! Every time you search using the Swagbucks toolbar or search from their home page you can randomly earn swagbucks. Sometimes it’s one buck, sometimes it’s 10! You just never know. The more you search, the more you win.
Set Swagbucks as your home page. You can opt to make the Swag Bucks page your home page. This will be an easy reminder to do your searches through swagbucks (instead of for example, the Google home page) – which earns you swagbucks!
Download the Swagbucks toolbar. If you download the toolbar, you’ll get exclusive messages and SwagCodes (which you use to get bucks!). You will get messages as to when SwagCodes are available, plus the toolbar makes it easier to do a quick search.
Check out their special offers. Go to the top left side of the Swag Bucks homepage, click on “Ways to Earn” link, then “Special Offers”. There is a blue box to the right of the screen “no obligation offers”. Skip through like seven offers, then a swagcode will come up on the screen. Copy that swagcode, click on My Account, top right of page, look for the Enter your Swagcode Box, enter your code and press the Gimme button! You can only use that code one time! Right now these codes are updated every Thursday evening!
Shop online! You get rewarded with Swagbucks when you shop through their site, they have a wide variety of different retailers like Macys, Target, iTunes, etc.. All you have to do is click through Swagbucks before going to your favorite retailers site. You get $2 Swagbucks for every $1 you spend.
Submit a creative poll idea. Swag Bucks has all kinds of crazy polls! Earn Swagbucks by taking polls or if you have a creative poll idea, send it to them at pollideas@swagbucks.com and get Swagbucks.
Refer a friend! Invite a friend to join Swagbucks. When you refer a friend to Swag Bucks, you get rewarded with Swag Bucks as well.

Also, there is a Swag Bucks box over in the right column of my Web site where you can search the Web, check for Swag Bucks and more!

That’s Swagbucks in a nutshell. It’s totally easy to use and there is no obligation or pressure. When you use it, you get bucks, when you don’t use it, you don’t – no worries!

The phone book – a hidden source for coupons

2010-07-30T04:50:04Z

This fancy yellow phone book was dropped off on our front porch this week. I can’t even remember the last time I used a phone book to get a phone number – I either use my iPhone or my computer to Google a phone number these days. In fact, in the past, I think I have just automatically thrown the phone book in the recycling bin – no reason to clutter up the house!

BUT. . . for some reason I decided to flip through it this time and I was surprised to see it has a COUPON section!

For those of you who get this Olympia edition of Yellowbook, these are some of the coupons I spotted:

Dirty Dave’s Pizza Parlor – Buy one giant pizza and receive second giant pizza at half price
Dirty Dave’s Pizza Parlor – Buy one giant pizza and receive second giant pizza at half price (yes, there are two of these coupons)
Emperor’s Palace – FREE Krab cheese wonton with purchase of $20 or more, or $2.50 off with $20 minimum order delivery or takeout (yes, Krab is spelled with a K on the coupon)
Angels Thai Cuisine – $5 off your next meal with minimum $25 purchase
O’Blarney’s Irish Pub – $5 off your purchase of $25 or more
Vic’s Pizzeria – $2 off any 14″ or 18″ inch pizza (YUM!)
Rock Wood Fired Pizza – $5 off purchase of $20 or more
Curry Corner – 10% off on all dine-in orders (OH MY GOODNESS! This is one of my favorite restaurants and I’ve never seen a coupon for this before. If you aren’ t going to use your Curry Corner coupon, we’ve gotta talk. . .I wanna trade with you!)
Round Table – FREE medium pizza with the purchase of any large specialty pizza
Mayan Family Mexican restaurants – Buy one lunch or dinner, get $6 off
Infernos Brick Oven Pizza – $5 off 16″ or $3 off 12″ classic or gourmet pizza
Pepper’s - $3 off any purchase of $20 or more

Then there are coupons for Olympia Overhead Doors, Hawk’s Prairie Automative, Capital Heating and Cooling, Tack Room Too, and lots of others. . .

They all expire in August 2011. You can find them in the back of the phone book, with the green-edged pages.

Check out your phone book, maybe you’re missing out on some good coupons. If you live in Olympia, tell me which of these coupons you are most excited about!

SIDE NOTE – Angels Thai Cuisine and Pepper’s Mexican restaurant are available through Restaurant.com – so if you’re a fan of either restaurant, you should look into buying a $25 gift certificate for only $2, when there is an 80% off sale (which currently goes through July 31).

The Mayan and Angels Thai has coupons available in the South Sound Entertainment book.

FREE Annie’s Homegrown lunch sack! PLUS great Amazon sale!

2010-07-30T04:22:57Z

Get a FREE reusable and waste-free lunch sack from Annie’s Homegrown! All you have to do is buy two packages of Annie’s Homegrown products, fill out this form online, including the UPCS for the products you purchased.

Products must be purchased between July 15, 2010 and October 31, 2010. Offer good in U.S only. Limit one per household or address. Must be 18 years or older. Supplies are limited. Offer expires October 31, 2010 or while supplies last.

I LOVE Annie’s products. If you do too, you should check out the sale on Amazon.com right now!

For example, you can get a Annie’s Homegrown Berry Patch Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks, 5-Count Pouches (Pack of 4) for only $11.59 when you use Subscribe & Save (which takes off 15% and can be canceled at any time after your order has shipped) AND use the promotional code ANNIES55. That makes them only $2.89 a box.

Check out all the Annie’s Homegrown products for sale on Amazon right now. Use the promo code ANNIES55 on any of them to save 30%.

Must have Amazon Prime account or order at least $25 in products to get FREE shipping.

(Thanks, Organics Deals & Coupons & She Saved!)

$1 off any Wisk detergent

2010-07-30T03:25:40Z

Print a coupon to save $1 on any one Wisk laundry detergent! DOUBLE this coupon at Albertsons August 1-3 to get Wisk detergent (32 load) for only $2.99.

See my other Albertsons DOUBLER match-ups.

Old Navy – Layering Camis only $2

2010-07-30T02:56:20Z

Today through July 31 you can get layering camis at Old Navy for only $2 each, limit 5 per customer. You’ll need to print out this cami coupon or just say “CAMI 4 ME” at checkout to get the special price.

(Thanks, Thrifty NW Mom!)

Saving on beer and wine with rebates

2010-07-30T01:55:24Z

The high cost of beer, wine and alcohol can really take a gulp out of your monthly grocery budget. You’re not going to find any alcohol coupons, at least not in Washington, but you can save on these items when you take advantage of rebates.

My husband prefers the “micro-brew” beers and although we buy it rarely and only when it’s on sale, these can be expensive splurges on our grocery bill, so we take advantage of rebates like this Redhook one when we can.

I found this form at the local Albertsons, but I’ve seen it at various other stores as well. It has five options for $5 refunds on beef, chicken, seafood, spices and pasta when you purchase Redhook beer. I think you can do each rebate per household.

Here’s how to make the most out of the rebates like this one:

For this rebate you’ll need to buy a 12-pack of Redhook beer (or two 6-packs) and at least $5 of the product you want a refund on, i.e. beef, chicken, seafood, etc.
Wait until the beer is on sale and go with the least expensive option. For example, Redhook is on sale at Safeway this week for only $11.99 for a 12-pack (reg. price $16!), so this is a great price to begin with and a good time to take advantage of the rebate.
Use coupons, if you have them, for the other product – the beef, chicken, seafood, spices or pasta. Although you have to spend at least $5 on those other items, coupons are a form of payment, so try to get that total as low as possible. If you do get the total under $5 with coupons, I usually try and buy a couple other things in the transaction to keep the final total at about what it would be if I bought the beer at $12 and the $5 for the other products.
Mail it in as soon as you can! The longer it sits on your counter or desk the more you risk losing a receipt or a UPC.
Although the forms just came out, they are good for purchases made between January 1, 2010 and September 30, 2010 – so check your old receipts and if you still have the UPCs you might already have the qualifying items to send in the rebate.
Follow ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS on the rebate form. The redemption center will be looking for any errors to decline your rebate.
Make a copy of your rebate before you mail it in, just in case. Put it in a folder called “pending rebates” so you have it in case you don’t hear from them within eight weeks or so.

The way I see these types of rebates is, I’m going to be buying the beer anyway, I might as well get $5 worth of FREE food to go with it. Or you can look at it like, I’m already buying $5+ worth of meat, might as well get $5 off my 12-pack of beer. Either way, it’s $5!

Beer rebate offers are usually in the form of tear pads or peelies on the actual products.

Although I can’t remember the last time I’ve stepped foot in an actual liquor store, I know they generally have a wall in the store with rebates and offers for wines and hard alcohols (at least at WA state liquor stores). You can also keep your eyes open for wine “hang tags” or offers/coupons/rebates hanging on the necks of bottled wine at the grocery store.

As a side note – some states don’t require a purchase of beer to redeem a rebate like this. I think Oregon is one of them. I don’t know if that means you can just send in your receipt for $5 on beef and get back $5 or what – but if you live in one of those states that doesn’t require an alcohol purchase, these rebates could be even more something of interest to you! Might be something to look into.

How do you save on these types of purchases? Do you do rebates like this? I’d love to hear your feedback and input.

FOUR coupon inserts coming this weekend, August 1!

2010-07-29T21:40:53Z

This Sunday, August 1, in the Sunday newspaper there should be FOUR coupon inserts – one Smart Source insert, two Red Plum coupon inserts and one P&G insert. The Sunday Coupon Preview has the first three of the inserts listed and we’re still waiting on the other Red Plum to be listed out – but one thing is for certain – it’s going to be a HUGE coupon weekend! I’m definitely going to be stocking up on extra papers.

Coupons vary by region, but these are some of the coupons I think will make for the best deals . . .

Smart Source
Band-Aid brand Adhesive Bandages product &/or Neosporin Original Ointment &/or Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer, 8fl.oz+ product &/or Cortaid product &/or Johnson & Johnson Red Cross brand product Save $3.00/3
Bic Stationary products Save $1.00/2
Clean & Clear product Save $1.00/1
Fiber One Cereal, boxes; listed Save $1.50/2
Fiber One Honey Clusters Cereal, box Save $.75/1
Glade 4oz Jar Candle Save $1.00/1
Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash 500mL+ AND Reach Toothbrush AND Reach Floss or Reach Access Flosser Save $3.00 off wyb All 3
Listerine Smart Rinse Anticavity Mouthwash OR Listerine Agent Cool Blue Tinting Rinse 500mL OR Reach Kids Toothbrush Save $1.00/1
Mission Tortillas Save $1.00/1
Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chunk or Soft Baked Cookies Save $.75/1
Playtex Gentle Glide Tampons, Buy 36ct Get 18ct FREE Save up to $5.99 value

Red Plum
All Oxi-Active Detergent 28 load or larger Save $1.00/1
Axe Shower Gel Gift Set Save $1.50/1
Axe Shower Gel or Detailer Shower Tool Save $0.75/1
Degree Men Adrenaline or Women Natureffects Deodorant or Body Mist Save $1.25/1
Degree Men or Women Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant or Body Mist Save $0.75/1
Dove Men+Care Body and Face Bar or Body and Face Wash or Active Clean Shower Tool Save $1.00/1
Keebler Sandwich Crackers Save $1.00/2
Kellogg’s Cereals Save $1.00/3
M&M’s B2G1 Buy 2 8.2oz+ and get 1 9.4oz+ free
Morning Star Farms Veggie Food Products Save $1.00/2
Q-Tip Cotton Swaps 170ct or larger Save $0.30/1
Ragu Pasta Sauces Save $0.75/2
Rimmel Mascara Save $1.00/1
Rimmel Product Save $1.00/1
Skippy Peanut Butter 15oz or larger Save $0.40/1

P&G Insert
$1 off Crest Toothpaste 4 oz. + or liquid gel
$1 off Glide Floss, 35 m +
$2 off Crest Mouthwash, 946 mL +
$4 off Gillette Fusion Proglide Manual or Power Razor
$1 off Gillette Fusion Shave Prep
$2 off Gillette Deodorant
$1.50 off Pampers Extra Protection Diapers
$2 off Mach 3 Cartridge, 8 ct +
$1.50 off Pampers Diapers
Free Pampers Wipes 72 ct + wyb Diapers
$1/2 Charmin Products
$1 off Tide Detergent
$1 off Downy Liquid Fabric Softener or Sheets
$2 off Large Downy Liquid Fabric Softner larger than 90 load
$3 off Venus cartridge, 6 or 8 ct
$1.50 off Duracell hearing aid batteries with easy tab, 6 pk +
$5 off Size Align
$2 off Tampax Pearl or Compact Pearl, 18 ct +
$1 off Tampax product, 18 ct +
$1 off Always Pad or Feminine Cleansing Cloths
$1/2 Pantene products
$1 off Pantene Hairspray, Styler or Treatment
$1 off Covergirl product
Free Olay Body Wash wyb Venus cartridge
Free Olay Hand & Body Lotion wyb Venus cartridge
$5 off Olay Regenerist Facial Moisturizer wyb Secret Soothing Effects
Free Secret product wyb (2) Old Spice Fresh Collection

Where do I get my papers? I actually get multiple copies of the Tacoma News Tribune delivered to my house – for only $1 a copy thanks to Queen Bee special pricing! It saves me money and gas/time because I don’t have to run around town looking for extra copies of the paper every Sunday. You can subscribe now and have your subscription start this weekend! (Make sure and ask for the Queen Bee special!)

Cheesecake Factory – 50% off cheesecake, July 30 only

2010-07-27T14:16:02Z

Tomorrow, July 30, is National Cheesecake day and to celebrate the Cheesecake Factory is offering cheesecake for half price! One slice of cheesecake per guest and it’s valid for dine-in only. Yum!

(Thanks, Thrifty & Thriving!)

Print your coupons before the end of the month!

2010-07-27T13:56:21Z

It’s almost the last day of the month and Coupons.com is likely going to change up the printable coupons available or reset the current ones. So print, print, print, if there are coupons that you want to take advantage of!

Tacoma Public Utilities customers – Recycle your old fridge or freezer, get $30 bucks!

2010-07-28T22:43:27Z

If you have an old freezer or fridge in the house, now might be the coolest time to get rid of it! Tacoma Public Utilities will haul it away for FREE, plus give you a check for $30! Take that $30 and buy an energy efficient freezer or fridge to save up to $140 a year on your electric bill! Now that’s a money saver!

PLUS, when you schedule your pick-up, make sure and request a FREE home energy kit which includes two compact fluorescent lights, an energy- and water-saving showerhead, and a kitchen faucet aerator!

Visit the Tacoma Power Know Your Power web site to get more information!

Lacey Library – FREE Papa Murphy’s pizza, FREE Thurston County Fair tickets

2010-07-28T22:32:45Z

It’s the last week of the Make a Splash Summer Reading program I told you about at the Lacey Timberland Regional library. My son and I went this morning to stock up on more books and we received these coupons:

ONE (1) FREE 2-Topping Mini pizza and $1 off any regular priced pizza from Papa Murphy’s!
2-for-1 admission at the Olympia Children’s Hands On Museum (left over from last week)

Because my son is under five (5) we didn’t get the other coupon they are offering which I believe is for FREE admission to the Thurston County Fair for a kiddo. Kids five and under are FREE anyway, so he didn’t need the coupon – but if you have multiple kids over the age of five, this would be a great deal because I believe each kid gets a coupon!

All you have to do is stop by the Lacey library this week and ask for them at the information desk!

Albertsons – Oh baby! Clearance in the baby aisle

2010-07-28T21:12:46Z

I was definitely thrilled to find some awesome baby clearance deals at Albertsons this morning. Avent bottles for super cheap, Diaper Genies (of all things!) and Kandoo wipes. . .

I was especially excited to find Avent bottles (BPA free) for only $4.99 (that’s 50% off!). . .plus I used a $2/1 coupon from the 7/18 Smart Source insert to pay only $2.99 a bottle!!!

Avent single bottles – $4.99 (on clearance, stock may vary by store)
Use $2/1 coupon from 7/18 Smart Source
Final price = $2.99 each
This is a HUGE deal! These bottles are generally $8+ each

They also had a 2-pack of 9 oz bottles for $9.49, use $2 coupon from 7/18 Smart Source to pay only $7.49. I checked, Amazon has the 2-packs for sale for $13.49 (Philips Avent BPA Free Bottle, Dual Pack).

And a four-pack, with cleaning brush, for $14.99, use $2 coupon from 7/18 Smart Source to pay $12.99.

I still figured the single bottles were a better value, but these are great prices and GREAT gift ideas for anyone you know expecting. I used Avent bottles with my son and I loved them.

Kandoo wipe refills were on clearance for $3.36.
DOUBLE $1/1 coupon from 4/4 P&G insert (if you still have it!)
Final price = $1.36, not sure how great this price is. . .I think Target might have them cheaper

I was surprised to see Albertsons carries Diaper Genies! I suppose most of you are probably surprised to hear that too, and that’s why they are on clearance. Instead of a whopping $39.99, they are on clearance for $19.99! I checked and it’s selling for $24.54 on Amazon (Playtex 40002 Diaper Genie II System), so this is a great deal!

PLUS they had one refill left, on clearance for $3.89 – also a great price.

And don’t forget. . .

Pampers baby wipes – $1.99
Use $2/1 coupon from 6/6 P&G (this coupon expires 7/31 – so use before then)
Final price = FREE!

I hope you are able to find some of these same clearance deals at your Albertsons store!

Make sure and check out my list of Albertsons doubler deals! AND keep your eyes open for this awesome coupon booklet with $10 in coupons!

Albertsons – DOUBLER round-up for August 1-3

2010-07-28T21:40:20Z

As I mentioned in my earlier Albertsons post, there are doublers confirmed for this upcoming Sunday through Tuesday! I went to Albertsons this morning to scope at the deals and found a TON of clearance and great deal scenarios.

I’m due to have my baby Monday, August 2 – and so I probably won’t get to do any doubler shopping – you’ll have to send me reports from your shopping trips, so I can live vicariously through you!

If you are another blog and you want to use some of my match-ups – please feel free to use them, but please link back to this post and give credit to Queen Bee Coupons!

Pampers baby wipes – $1.99
Use $2/1 coupon from 6/6 P&G (this coupon expires 7/31 – so use before then)
Final price = FREE!

Prego pasta sauce – $0.99 cents each
DOUBLE $1/2 printable coupon
Final price = FREE!

Lady Speed Stick or men’s Speed Stick – $1.99
DOUBLE $1/1 coupon from beauty coupon booklet found in-store
OR double $0.50/1 speed stick coupon from 7/25 SmartSource
Final price = As cheap as FREE!

Taco Bell taco seasoning packets – $1 each
DOUBLE $0.75/2 printable coupon
Final price = $0.25 cents each

Glade candles – $2.49
DOUBLE $1/1 printable coupon
Final price = $0.49 cents each!

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest wheat pasta – $1.69
DOUBLE $0.50/1 blinkies (I’ve seen these at Safeway)
Final price = $0.50 cents

Colgate Total – $2.50
DOUBLE $1/1 coupon from beauty coupon booklet found in-store
Final price = $0.50 cents each

Crest Pro-Health mouth wash enamel shield 440 ml - $2.64 (on clearance)
Use $2/1 from upcoming 8/1 P&G insert
Final price = $0.64 cents, no doubler needed!

Kraft salad dressing – $1.34 each
DOUBLE – $0.35/1 peelies
Final price = $0.64 cents each

Dr. Pepper 2 Liters – $1.99
DOUBLE $0.55/1 peelie coupons (there were tons of these peelies at the Albertsons I was at)
Final price = $0.89 cents each

Pantene Pro-V shampoo/conditioner – $2.14 on clearance in back of store on shelf
Buy two for $4.14
DOUBLE $1/2 coupon from upcoming 8/1 P&G insert
Final price = $2.14 for two, or $1.07 each

Softsoap Refill 32 oz - $3.49
DOUBLE $1/1 from beauty coupon booklet found in-store
Final price = 1.49 AWESOME price on this, I’d be stocking up

Softsoap body wash – $3.49
DOUBLE $1/1 from beauty coupon booklet found in-store
Final price = $1.49 each

General mills products – $1.88 each
TWO FREE one night Redbox movie rentals when you buy any four (4) participating General Mills products

General mills cereals – $1.88 each
12.25 oz Honey Nut Cheerios
12.8 oz Cinnamon Toast Crunch
11.8 oz Cocoa Puffs or 10.7 oz Trix, select varieties
Use General Mills cereals $1/2 from 7/11 SmartSource
Use $1/2 printable coupon for General Mills cereals

Betty Crocker fruit snacks – $1.88 each
Use $0.50/2 printable coupon for Betty Crocker fruit snacks

General Mills Fiber One bars – $1.88 each
Use Fiber One Chewy Bars $0.50/2 from 7/18 SmartSource

General Mills cereal bars – $1.88 each

Hillshire Farm deli select hearty slices, ultra thin lunch meat – $3.50 each
Use $1/2 coupon from 7/11 Red Plum
Look for specially marked packages for Hillshire Farms lunch meat fresh taste challenge to get a $5 gift card or $5 in coupons!
Final price = 2/$6
DOUBLER = 2 for $5, or $2.50 each

Wisk laundry detergent 32 loads – $4.99
DOUBLE $1/1 printable coupon
Final price = $2.99

Clearance varies by stores – so you may or may not find these deals. These deals and coupons were spotted at the Albertsons on Pacific Highway and Carpenter, in Lacey, WA.

ALSO – I found a ton of AWESOME baby clearance deals – make sure and check out my post: Albertsons – Oh, Baby! Clearance in the baby aisle

Albertsons – Beauty coupon booklet, $10 in savings!

2010-07-28T20:49:20Z

Keep your eyes peeled for this awesome coupon booklet at your local Albertsons store. It’s in the middle of this display pictured above, right next to the lady in the bath tub. It’s kinda hard to spot.

It has these great coupons in it, which will make for some awesome doubler deals! Check out my DOUBLER round-up for a list of great deals with doublers.

Save $1 on Colgate Total toothpaste 4 oz or larger
Save $1 on any two Colgate 360 toothbrushes
Save $1 on Colgate Wisp 8 pack
Save $1 on Irish Spring 8 pack bar soap
Save $1 on Irish Spring body wash
Save $1 on any Speed Stick or Lady Speed Stick Antiperspirant
Save $1 on Softsoap brand body wash
Save $1 on Softsoap Liquid Hand soap Refill 32 oz
Save $1 on any two (2) Softsoap brand liquid hand soap pumps
Save $1 on any two Palmolive dish liquids 20 oz or larger
Save $1 on any Suavitel Fabric softener

These are all manufacturer coupons that expire 8/31/10.

FREE National Geographic Kids Big Book of Fun!

2010-07-28T16:26:56Z

Through September 30, 2010 (or while supplies last), you can get a FREE copy of the Big Book of Fun from National Geographic! All you have to do is buy any four participating products from Popsicle, Suave, Skippy. Then complete the rebate form (on the last page) with the corresponding 10-digit UPC codes from the products.

Looks like you don’t even need to worry about attaching the UPCs or including receipts – so it’s SUPER EASY to submit. Mail the form in and get your book within four weeks. (Did you score a bunch of cheap Popsicles a while back at QFC? These would be a great source for UPCs!)

Queen Bee reader DeAnne received this for her son already and she said it’s a super nice book and it came in the mail quickly! This might be the perfect thing to pass a summer day or if your kids are too young, hold on to it for a gift, a donation or a stocking stuffer down the road!

Limit one per household. Valid everywhere in the United States. Get more information at the National Geographic Web site!

(Thanks, DeAnne!)

Restaurant.com – Get $25 gift certificate for $2 (80% off)

2010-07-28T16:00:48Z

Reminder – only four days left for the Restaurant.com 80% off sale!

Through July 31, you can save 80% off at Restaurant.com, this means you can snag a $25 gift certificate for only $2! This is the stock up price! Just use the promo code PLATE at checkout.

I LOVE Restaurant.com – one of the greatest features, besides $25 off your meal is how easy it is! A couple weeks ago we were headed up to Seattle to see a ZooTunes concert. . .I put in the zip code for the Woodland Park Zoo at Restaurant.com and found a whole list of restaurants in the area that were offering $25 Restaurant.com gift certificates for only $2. I was able to order the gift certificate, pay for it with PayPal and print it off all within five minutes. We were using it at the restaurant that evening! We found a new restaurant, saved $25 and it was super easy and fast.

This is also great if you are going on vacation somewhere!

Here’s how it works:

Visit Restaurant.com and enter the zip code for where you want to dine.
Browse the restaurants in your area
You pick the restaurants you want and add them to your cart
You enter the code PLATE at checkout, to save 80% on your total! (Making $25 gift certificates only $2)
After you’ve purchased your gift certificates they just hang out in your account until you print them and you want to use them. They last an entire year. So you can print them when you buy them or print them as you use them, your choice. Print out the certificate, bring it to the restaurant and give it to your server.
Read the small print for your restaurant. Most require a $35 purchase and an 18% gratuity on the original bill total (which you really should be paying anyway).

Here’s a dining scenario:

Spend $35 on dinner – $25 gift certificate = $10

PLUS 18% gratuity on $35 = +$6.35

TOTAL out of pocket at restaurant = $16.35

PLUS the $2 you paid for the gift card = $18.35 for a $42 meal (that includes a $7 tip!)

So it’s not a bad deal! Especially if you are going to be eating out anyway.

We use these a lot! If you aren’t sure if your favorite restaurants apply, you can visit Restaurant.com and search by zip code to find out which restaurants participate. You’d be surprised – not many corporate restaurants, but really more of the mom-and-pop restaurants in your community.

Read the fine print for each restaurant, as it can vary slightly. If a restaurant is sold out, check back at the beginning of the month. Check it out!

Lowes – Printable coupons, Brita water pitcher deal

2010-07-28T14:50:40Z

Head over to Red Plum to print these great Lowe’s store coupons!

Now you should be able to use one of these store coupons WITH a manufacturer coupon to save even more.

Here’s a possible deal on a Brita Water Filter Pitcher

Brita Water Pitcher – $9.09
Use $2/1 printable Brita Lowe’s coupon
use $5/1 printable manufacturer coupon
$2.09 after both coupons

I believe there were Lowe’s coupons in our local Sunday coupon insert this past weekend, so check there for additional savings.

Also, although these are Lowe’s coupons, remember that most Lowe’s cashiers don’t deal with coupons on a regular basis. So be patient. Check with customer service, just to make sure you can use your coupons, you should be able to. Also Home Depot will usually take competitors coupons, so if you have trouble at Lowe’s redeeming your coupons or Home Depot is closer, check with them to see if they’ll take these coupons!

(Thanks, Common Sense with Money!)

Barnes & Noble – Buy one toy, get one 50% off (FREE ship on $25 or more)

2010-07-28T14:38:53Z

Now through August 2, you can save on toys and games at Barnes & Noble. Buy one toy or game, get the second one for 50% off using the coupon code W9M4U4U. This is a great way to get things like Lego sets or Playmobil toys, which NEVER go on sale both in-store and online.

Spend $25 and you’ll get FREE shipping on your order. I recommend checking out the SALE toys (link in the far right corner of the top navigation menu). You can sort by price.

I found some really cool eco-friendly trucks that were 45% off! Just head over here to start shopping.

Let me know what you find!

SOLD OUT! Drugstore.com – Get $25 in products for $10! FREE shipping for new customers

2010-07-28T13:51:30Z

SOLD OUT! Bummer. Can’t believe they only had 501 of these. I’ll let you know as soon as I see this posted again, perhaps for another city.

I’m super excited about this Groupon deal – get $25 worth of products from Drugstore.com for only $10.

Find this deal by heading over to Groupon, then “Visit more Cities” (at the top of the page) and choose Hampton Roads. It doesn’t matter where you live – the offer is all online!

I personally bought this Groupon deal and I think I’m going to use it to buy some California Baby soap for my son and the baby we are expecting. These products never go on sale, but with this Groupon deal it will be like getting more than 50% off!

If you a new customer, your order will ship for FREE when your total is more than $25. If you are a returning customer, you’ll get FREE shipping on orders $49 or more.

Limit one per person. Expires Oct. 29, 2010. Must use in one order, no cash back. It does exclude certain kinds of exclusions – like prescriptions, shipping charges, taxes, etc., so make sure and read the fine print on the Groupon site.

Also, there is a limited quantity available. Not sure how many that is, but I’d buy it early if you want it.

Groupon is a site that has really taken off among the deal seekers and cheapskates of the world. I’m absolutely in LOVE with Groupon right now. It’s an awesome site that offers a daily deal (or two) for local attractions, entertainment, restaurants, spas – you name it and it could be a Groupon deal. You can get lots of products for big discounts – often 40-60% off!

If you buy the Groupon deal, they’ll send you your online promo code within 24 hours. When you’re ready to shop, come back to this post and click on this Drugstore.com link to support Queen Bee when you do your shopping!

What are you going to order?

(Thanks, Mrs. Moneysaver!)

Target – Back-to-school mailer, $50+ in coupons

2010-07-28T05:49:35Z

I received this Target “magazine” in the mail today and it has more than $50 in coupons. I’m not sure why I received this, it could be because I’ve ordered in the past from Target.com or because of a past baby registry. Watch your mail and let me know if you receive one, too!

It has these Target coupons in it:

$0.50 cents off any Papermate product
$1 off Crayola purchase of $2 or more
$1 off 36-ct Tums Kids digestive aid
$1 off Bic stationary product
$1 off 1.5″ Mead FiveStar poly binder
$5 off Kid’s apparel purchase of $30 or more
$5 off Cherokee school uniform purchase of $30 or more
$0.75 cents off 12-ct Kraft string cheese
$0.50 cents off 20-pk Capri Sun juice pouches
$1 off 8-pack Juicy Juice boxes
$1 off Hunt’s pudding snack packs
$0.50 cents off Chef Boyardee food product
$1 off Kid Cuisine frozen meal
$0.50 cents off 4.6-oz Aquafresh Kids pump toothpaste
$0.50 cents off 6.4-oz Aquafresh cavity protection toothpaste
$1 off 4-oz Sensodyne ProNamel toothpaste
$3 off Dora the Explorer purchase of $15 or more
$0.50 cents off 25-ct Dora the Explorer Band-Aid bandages
$5 off Leapfrog toy purchase of $30 or more
$5 off VTech toy purchase of $35 or more
$10 off Fisher Price iXL Base learning system
$0.50 cents off 16.9 oz SpongeBob ACT Kids anti-cavity fluoride rinse
$1 off with purchase of two Kellogg’s cereal
$1 off 59-oz Simply Juice refrigerated juice
$0.75 cents off 8- or 12-pack Gatorade or G2
$1 off 6-pk Del Monte fruit cups
$1 off 8-oz or larger Snyders of Hanover pretzels
$1 off multipack Nature Valley granola bars
$0.50 cents off 4-pack Yoplait Splitz yogurt
$0.50 cents off 4-pack Kraft macaroni and cheese cups
$0.50 cents off Kraft Lunchables product
$0.50 cents off Campbell’s soup
$1 off 9- or 40-ct Bagel Bites frozen snacks
$1 off 21- to 24-oz Bertolli frozen meal or two
$1 off with purchase of two 5.2- to 9.2-oz Betty Crocker helpers

As Target coupons these can be combined with manufacturer coupons! For example, if you have a manufacturer coupon for any of these same products, you can use BOTH the Target coupon and the manufacturer coupon.

Let me know if you received this mailer and what might be the reason – Have you ordered online through Target.com? Have you had a registry of some kind? Do you have a Target credit card? Maybe we can figure out what triggers these types of high-value mailers.

If you like Target coupons, make sure to head over here and check out the latest Target printable coupons, they’ve added a bunch of new ones lately.