Ebates

Start all your online shopping trips at Ebates.com, and you’ll discover money saving coupons codes plus earn cash back on your purchases! Sign-up for Ebates today (it’s free) and receive a $10 gift card. Raise your hand if you don’t want to earn cash back. Anyone? Anyone?

Here are a few of today’s hot deals, and the entire hottest deals list is just a click away!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Travelocity – Go & Seize the Summer – Up to 50% off Hotels and Vacations!
Exp. 7/4/2013
Plus up to 10.0% Cash Back

Hanna Andersson – The big, big twice a year Hanna Sale! Up to 60% off kids and baby clothes.
Exp. 7/8/2013
Plus 2.5% Cash Back

Weight Watchers – Save over 30% and get a Free Summer Starter Kit, when you buy a 3-Month Savings Plan.
Exp. 6/29/2013
Plus $12.00 Cash Back

Skin Store – 20% off site wide with code Ebates20.
Exp. 7/2/2013
Plus 12.0% Cash Back

Sephora – Celebrating Sephora’s 15th birthday with $15 and under must-have beauty.
Exp. 7/9/2013
Plus 8.0% Cash Back

Vitacost – Buy 1 Get 1 50% off select Items.
Exp. 7/1/2013
Plus 12.0% Cash Back

ULTA Beauty – $3.50 off $10+ order. Code 104866 (Exclusions apply)
Exp. 6/29/2013
Plus 8.0% Cash Back

Walgreens – 15% off any order. Code 15JUNE
Exp. 6/23/2013
Plus 8.0% Cash Back

Lancome – Free Deluxe Sample Duo and Free shipping on any order.
Exp. 6/24/2013
Plus 10.0% Cash Back

Perfumania – 30% off any order and Free shipping on $50+ order. Code JUNE30
Exp. 6/18/2013
Plus 7.0% Cash Back

Ann Taylor – 40% off sale items!
Exp. 6/28/2013
Plus 2.5% Cash Back

Wish your favorite stores were offering double cash back? Vote for them! That’s right…every year Ebates allows members to vote for the stores they want to shop and get paid double the cash back. Click here to vote for your favorite stores today! Hurry, voting ends on June 24th!

Happy Shopping & Saving!

~~~~~~~

In full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links to help support The Budget Diet girl! My advice will always be unbiased and free, but free won’t pay the bills!

What is A Budget Diet?

It’s a no-buy challenge that you’ll try for a week or maybe even a month.

Just follow this one simple rule for frugal living:

Limit your purchases to the essentials.

Yes, that means the needs, not the wants.

You’ll be forced to think twice about every purchase.

Do you really need to buy that bag of salad or could you buy the head of romaine instead and save $2?

The same goes for almost any packaged, prepared food because cooking from scratch is always healthier and cheaper.

Those cute pink sandals are on sale, but believe me…those are not a need.

Instead of going to the carwash, let your kids do that chore.

Do you really need to buy another pair of swim goggles, or could you get super-organized and find last year’s pair?

Have a water balloon fight and play in the sprinklers instead of shelling out $30 per person at the water park.

The end result? It’s a chance to get back to the basics, focus on simple pleasures and get your spending in check.

If you typically spend $300 a week on food, fun and all those weekly errands…challenge yourself to spend $150. That’s right…cut your weekly allowance in half. Just think, at the end of the month you’ll have an extra $600 that you could put toward credit card debt, a weekend getaway or maybe a new TV!

Looking for more frugal living tips and ideas? Check out my most popular article: Cut Your Spending by $400 a Month.

Ready? Set? Let’s get this Budget Diet started!

~~~~~~~

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. Deciding where they want to go.
2. Searching for the best deals.

Maybe it’s time to reverse that thinking, maybe it’s time to find a deal first and a destination second.

When it comes to searching for deals, the traditional travel sites are a good starting point, but try a few of these unconventional ways to save money on travel like Groupon Getaways, discounted gift cards, cash back for travel or be spontaneous with last minute travel deals!

Groupon’s Travel Deals – The destinations are always changing, but the deals are always amazing…just remember to read the fine print! You can always find the latest deals on the right side of this page, and here are a few of this week’s best!
 

Groupon: The Congress Plaza Hotel – Chicago Loop, from $97
 

Groupon: 3-Night All Inclusive Stay for Two at Club Ambiance – Runaway Bay, Jamaica, save 53%!
 

Groupon: From $107 a Night at Colony Palms Hotel- Palm Springs, CA
 

Groupon: Ramada Plaza Marco Polo Beach Resort – Sunny Isles Beach, FL, $79 a night!
 

Groupon: Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa – San Francisco Bay Area, $139 a night!
 
Save 50% on the Hotel Deal of the Day!

Hotel Rebate – Save between $20 and $100 on all Hotel Bookings Now with Hotels.com!

Last-minute travel deals. Here today, gone tomorrow at Expedia! – Expires 7/27/13.

Save $25 on a B&B Getaway Gift Card

Earn Cash Back - Have you ever thought about earning Cash Back for your travel? Through Ebates.com, you can earn cash back on your travel through sites like Expedia, Priceline and Travelocity as well as cash back from popular hotels and airlines. Example: Orbitz up to 5.25% cash back, Expedia 5% cash back, Travelocity 5%, Holiday Inn 4.5% cash back, Comfort Inn 3.5% cash back, Dollar Rent-a-Car 3.5% cash back, Sea World 2.5% cash back, Southwest Airlines Vacations 2% cash back! How does it work? Let’s use Holiday Inn as an example. The first step is to go to Ebates.com. Next, in the search box on the top, right side enter Holiday Inn. A page will come up that shows you how much cash back you’ll earn as well as any special promotions or coupon codes that are currently available. Finally, click the “shop now” button, and you’ll be taken directly to the Holiday Inn site. Whatever you end up spending with Holiday Inn, you’ll earn 4.5% of that back from Ebates. Quarterly, Ebates mails you a BIG FAT CHECK for all your cash back! If you’d like to learn more about earning cash back for travel, I recently wrote an in-depth article for Family Travels on a Budget .

Remember, deal first…destination second!

Stop dreaming, start traveling!

~~~~~~~

In full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links to help support The Budget Diet girl! My advice will always be unbiased and free, but free won’t pay the bills! Thanks!

~~~~~~~

In full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links to help support The Budget Diet girl! My advice will always be unbiased and free, but free won’t pay the bills! Thanks!

Broke?

No worries! There are plenty of free fun things to do!

40 Ideas for Free Summer Fun –

1. Free Redbox Movie Rentals – Text the word REDBOX to 727272 and you’ll receive one free movie rental each month!
2. Report Card Freebies – Grab your child’s report card and enjoy some free food like a free scoop of ice cream at Baskin Robbins for A’s and B’s. Check out the complete list of Report Card Freebies.
3. Free Community Events – Take advantage of free festivals, concerts, plays and more! Check your local city/county website or parks and recreation website, and then make sure to mark your calendar with all the free events.
4. Backyard Campout – Pitch a tent, tell ghost stories, play flashlight tag, catch fireflies and cook s’mores on your grill.
5. Picnic in the Park – Get the entire family involved in planning the menu and cooking.
6. Visit the Library – Check out books, join the summer reading club and take advantage of any free summer events at your local library.
7. Make Ice Cream – Homemade Ice Cream is a summertime ritual, so why don’t you start a family tradition of having Sundaes on Saturdays?
8. Play in the Sprinklers – Remember the days before water parks? Remember when cooling off meant playing in the sprinklers? Treat your kids to some old-fashioned summer fun and play in the sprinklers!
9. Stargazing – Check out a constellation guide at the library, spread a blanket on the lawn and see what you can find! On June 23rd you’ll see the biggest full moon of 2013, and you can see a meteor shower on August 12th.
10. Collect Seashells – Take a walk on the beach and collect seashells!
11. Cooking Class – Teach your children to cook this summer, by spending one day each week hosting “cooking class.” Chocolate Chip Cookies are a must!
12. Play Board Games or Card Games – Games are perfect for a rainy day! My daughter recently reminded me of the summer when we learned to play Canasta, and it became a daily ritual. She’s already put that on our “to-do” list for this summer!
13. Puzzle Time – Another rainy day activity! Spread out a giant jigsaw puzzle on the dining room table, and spend hours putting it together. Our family favorites are map puzzles, and they’re educational too!
14. Crafts, Crafts, Crafts – Make a boat out of an empty milk carton, turn an stray sock into a puppet or an empty plastic bottle into a piggy bank! ZiggetyZoom.com is full of craft projects using recycled household items.
15. Fly a Kite – If you don’t have a kite, make your own kite!
16. Water Balloon Toss – Cool off with a water balloon toss!
17. Watch the Sunset – When’s the last time you watched the sunset? Find a beautiful place near your home and enjoy!
18. Play Croquet or Lawn Games – Lawn games are made for summer…croquet, badminton, horseshoes – enjoy!
19. Go for a Bike Ride – Wouldn’t a family bike ride be fun?
20. Minute to Win It – Host your own Minute to Win It event. The silly challenges use everyday household items, and the possibilities are endless! Check out some Minute to Win It challenges that are ideal for families.
21. Family Videos – Pull out the old family videos for some FREE entertainment! My teenagers always get a laugh out of watching themselves as crazy toddlers!
22. Charades Anyone? – Last week we saw a group of teenagers playing charades in the park…it’s free fun at its finest!
23. Nature Hike – Discover a nearby nature trail and go exploring.
24. Plant a Sunflower – Did you know that a Sunflower will grow about 5 inches in just 2 weeks? Let your children experience the fun of growing a sunflower this summer!
25. Scavenger Hunt – Indoors or outdoors, a scavenger hunt is always fun!
26. Catch Fireflies – And set them free!
27. Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest – Why not?
28. Free Factory Tours – Go to FactoryToursUSA.com and find a free factory tour near you.
29. Water Painting – It’s painting without the mess! Fill a big bucket with water, give your kids a big paintbrush and let them “paint” the fence or driveway.
30. Sidewalk Chalk – My daughter used to love using sidewalk chalk to write messages like Happy Father’s Day in the driveway or Happy Birthday.
31. Free Museum and Zoo Admission – If you’re a Bank of America customer, take advantage of free museum or zoo admission the first weekend of every month. Click here to find a museum or zoo near you.
32. Free Bowling – Register your child at KidsBowlFree.com and they’ll receive two free games of bowling everyday this summer!
33. Free Slurpees – Celebrate 7-Eleven day with a free slurpee on 7/11.
34. Free Chick-Fil-A – Don’t miss Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A on July 12th. Come fully dressed as a cow and you’ll get a free meal. Come partially dressed as a cow (think cow bell, black and white spots, a tail) and enjoy a free entree.
35. AC Moore Free Summer Arts and Crafts Activities – Kids ages 4 – 12 can make free crafts every Wednesday from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., June 26th – August 14th. Click here for a listing of all the fun free crafts.
36. Bass Pro Shops Free Family Summer Camp – Every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from June 8th – July 14th take advantage of free summer fun! Activities include BB Shooting Range, Casting Challenge, Archery Workshop, Homemade Ice Cream, Fishing Workshop and more. Times and activities vary by location, so call please call ahead.
37. Free Apple Camp – If you have an Apple Store in town, your kids (ages 8 – 12) will love Apple Camp! It’s a free, 3-day camp where they’ll learn to make movies. This year’s camp dates have yet to be announced, but you can sign-up here to be notified when registration opens.
38. Barnes and Noble Storytime – Free storytime includes stories, activities and treats! Contact the location near you for the schedule.
39. Home Depot Free Kids Workshops – These free workshops are offered for kids ages 5 – 12 on the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. – 12 noon. They might learn to build a birdhouse, and they’ll receive a free kid-sized orange Home Depot apron. Check out the upcoming Kids Workshops, and make sure to register in advance.
40. Lowes Free Build and Grow Clinics – Click here to see the list of upcoming clinics at your neighborhood Lowes store.

Mark your calendar and don’t miss a moment of free fun!

Please leave a comment to share your ideas for free family summer fun…thanks!

~~~~~~~

Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’m flattered, I’m humbled and I need your vote because only one blog will be “crowned” Top Money Saving Blog of the Year.

How Do You Vote?

To vote, click on the image below, and you will notice a very small, “thumbs up” symbol on the right side. All you have to do is click it and you’ve sent your vote! You may come back tomorrow and continue to show your support by voting again if you wish! Voting ends July 9th.

~~~~~~~

In full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links to help support The Budget Diet girl! My advice will always be unbiased and free, but free won’t pay the bills! Thanks!

This offer valid through 11:59pm on Thursday June 20th, 2013

If you’ve never printed coupons, you’ll be prompted to install a coupon printer…don’t worry, it’s easy and you only have to do it once!

Keep up to date on all the latest coupons, freebies and deals on The Budget Diet’s FREEBIES PAGE and  The Budget Diet’s Coupon page!

~~~~~~~

In full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links to help support The Budget Diet girl! My advice will always be unbiased and free, but free won’t pay the bills! Thanks!