Thanks to PYP’er Thomsenmom for this HOT tip!

From ebay.com

Starting on June 16, 2009, Auction-style listings submitted through the standard Sell Your Item or Simple listing form will be eligible for new pricing which includes:

*5 FREE Insertion Fees every 30 days, regardless of start price of the item*

See link for details and restrictions.

Also PYP discussion.

Treat Dad to a FREE 12 oz Root Beer float at your local A&W on Friday, 6/19 between 2 to 8 P.M. Limit 1 per customer.

See here for locations (and be sure to check with your local A&W to see IF they are participating in this promotion) Enjoy!

Also print IP cpn that save you $1 off any Texas Toast combo meals. Expires 7/25.

Myth #1~ It takes too much time to clip and organize coupons. Yes, there are some coupon users who prefer to clip ALL their coupons and have them with them while shopping; however, Pinching Your Pennies has simplified the process. With detailed shopping lists for local stores, including a dated listing of each corresponding coupon to each sale item. Also, there is a sortable coupon list that tells you when each coupon was published. Together, this system takes about 95% of the drudgery out of couponing! And the best part is that Pinching Your Pennies is FREE and will always remain FREE!

All one needs to do is save your newspaper coupons each week, then when a HOT sale happens, you clip the noted coupons from a PYP list and save. With this system, I can prepare for a grocery shop in about 30 minutes, spend about 30-45 minutes in the store and save at least 50-60% each week. Most weeks more!

Myth #2~ I joined a paid website subscription or follow a little green self-proclaimed guru; therefore, the service must be superior. FALSE! No other website has much condensed information about couponing, is simple to follow, has the best supportive and ethical community on the net. Stick around and you will be a coupon pro in no time.

Myth #3~My family does NOT use the products that have grocery coupons. We don’t eat processed foods. It is not true that coupons are only available for processed junk food! In many instances, there are coupons available for dairy, eggs, milk, cheese, meats and even produce at times. (Just tonight, I saved $4 on fresh produce with grocery coupons!) See Horizon Organic Milk for coupons, for example.

Also, coupons are following food trends, so we are seeing more organic coupons. See Organic Valley for coupons on organic items that change monthly. Plus, there are TONS of coupons available for health, medicines, beauty, laundry soap, toilet paper and cleaning products. Household cleaning products ranked as the largest single coupon category distributed. (see link #1 below)

Myth #4~ It isn’t worth my time to use coupons to only save $ .25. Most of us would pick up a quarter IF found on the ground, and the truth is the average coupon is worth $1.18 in 2006 (see link #1 below). In 2006, food coupons had an average value of $ .82, while non-food had an average value of $1.42. Definitely money in my pocket to me!

Myth #5~ Why use grocery coupons? It is cheaper to buy store brands. Yes, there are times that a store brand item can be the better deal. This is especially true if you need the item and the comparable name brand is not on sale. However, I have never gotten store brand items for FREE! This happens all the time using grocery manufacturer’s coupons and combining store sales on name brands.

Myth #6~ To truly save money, I have to hit every store and every sale. Not so! Grocery sales at most stores cycle every 12 weeks and each store will see similar price points on many items. Simply pick your favorite store and shop there. If you do this and use the Pinching Your Pennies shopping methods (see Coupons 101 to get started), you will to see an increase in the quality AND quantity of food you are bringing into your house for the same or less than you previously were for MORE money by week 12.

Myth #7~ I don’t have time to coupon. Oh how false this is! Back when I started couponing 12 years ago, there weren’t great FREE sites like Pinching Your Pennies that does all the research for you. Never has couponing been so easy and a time saver. On average, I can get $200 worth of groceries for $75 or less. A CASH savings of $125 is worth my time of about 2 hours/week or around $65/hr. Most part-time jobs don’t pay that well and it is still a gameto see how much I can save, too.

Myth #8~ Only poor people use coupons. Just the opposite! Shoppers with household incomes of $150,000 per year or more tended to use coupons most frequently. (see link 2) And over 80% of grocery shoppers with household incomes between $50,000 to $75,000 use coupons. Obviously using coupons is a smart way to pinch pennies, for all of us!

Myth #9~ I can save just as much at Wal-Mart or a warehouse club (Costco or Sam’s Club) as I can using coupons. FALSE! I truly believe that many consumers shop at Wal-mart simply because it is easier and a habit. Wal-mart does NOT always offer the best prices, nor best quality food, espcially produce. Instead by shopping around town and supporting our local markets, we are creating competition amongst stores that keeps grocery prices lower, overall.

Myth #10~ To save anything substantial, I must get a newspaper subscription. While most coupons still come in the Sunday inserts (Smart Source, Red Plum & Proctor & Gamble), technology has enabled consumers to use Internet Printable (IP) coupons, check out coupons and store promotions to see real savings. For time tested ideas about this, check out Heidi’s blog entry. But a newspaper is still a good idea. See here for multiple subscription rates/deals in Utah.

So if you are ready? Check out PYP’s forums for shopping lists, tips, strategies and ideas on how to stretch your food dollar. If you are new, be sure to check out Coupons 101. It is packed full of good information that will get you on your way.

Data cited from the following sites:
https://www.adscope.com/news/07192006.htm
https://www.dailyherald.com/story/print/?id=230074

There are some great freebies (both products and events) happening right now. Thought it best to simply list them.

*Remember TODAY is the Disneyland Train stop in UT, Ogden Depot from 9-7. Details.

*Wednesday is FREE Arbys night (all summer long)! This week’s featured item is Free Regular Sidekickers® with any sandwich purchase Details.

*FREE 20 oz Orange Julius with internet cpn on Friday, June 19th. Details.

*FREE Gallon of NAPA Washer Fluid ~ ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY with internet cpn. Thanks Dewey! Details.

*Coupon for Free Seattle’s Best Coffee Drink at Borders! Ends 6/18. Coupon states it is good for a 12 oz drink, incl. Italian sodas. (Check with your local store for details/participation) Discussion.

*FREE Godiva Chocolate by joining their rewards program. Details.

*TCBY is offering a FREE cup/cone to Dad on Father’s Day, 6/21. Details.

*FREE 90 Calorie Granola/Snack bar from Wal-mart.com Details.

What other freebies are there this week?

There’s nothing like a little free chocolate to pick a girl up! anon.

Sign up for Godiva’s e-mail rewards club and you’re entitled to a free treat every month when you go by your local Godiva boutique. (Please note there is only one boutique in UT- at Fashion Place Mall in Murray. See store locator for other locations (vacation OR for the rest of the PYP family outside of Utah. (please check with each individual location to see if participating)

True, the idea is to get you into the store once a month, but there’s no purchase necessary to pick up your free chocolate. If you do succumb, however, you’ll get another free gift each month that you spend more than $10. Plus club members get free standard shipping on one online orders. Sweet!

Thanks for friend Mary for e-mailing this tidbit to me.

Great family day at Snowbird! Have fun outdoors and for the .

..Second Annual National Get Outdoors Day. Children 18 and under receive a free Aerial Tram ride and a free session on the four-station climbing wall and Kid’s Inflatables. Additional summer activities will be operating from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., conditions permitting.

See PYP discussion thread.

From press release:

2009-05-29 — Snowbird To Host National Get Outdoors Day June 13

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SNOWBIRD, UTAH – Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort joins over 50 sites across the nation to participate in the Second Annual National Get Outdoors Day, Saturday, June 13, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Presented by the U.S. Forest Service and American Recreation Coalition, National Get Outdoors Day will highlight outdoor recreation opportunities provided by various local and national land management agencies and other outdoor recreation organizations and outfitters.

Children 18 and under can visit booths featuring Smokey Bear, Utah State Parks information, Wasatch Adaptive Sports, Girl Scouts and other exhibitors, and have specialty cards stamped to receive a free Aerial Tram ride and a free session on Snowbird’s four-station climbing wall and Kid’s Inflatables.

Snowbird summer activities will also kick off on June 13, including the new Wasatch Mining Company Gemstone Mine, Peruvian Chairlift and Tunnel, Alpine Slide, four-station climbing wall, ZipRider, Bungy Trampoline, Mechanical Bull and Kid’s Inflatables. Hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and activities may be limited. Snowbird is currently offering Aerial Tram rides to foot passengers daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (and beginning at 8 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).

In addition, Snowbird will be offering skiing and riding on the Aerial Tram and Little Cloud Lift Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through June 14 at a discounted ticket price of $49. Visit www.snowbird.com for details.

WHAT: Second Annual National Get Outdoors Day. Children 18 and under receive a free Aerial Tram ride and a free session on the four-station climbing wall and Kid’s Inflatables. Additional summer activities will be operating from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., conditions permitting.

WHO: U.S. Forest Service and State Parks representatives, including Smokey Bear, Coleman, American Land and Leisure, Wasatch Adaptive Sports, Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, Utah Bureau of Land Management, Girl Scouts, AmeriCorps, Utah Society for Environmental Education and Utah Federation for Youth.

WHERE: Snowbird Center Plaza Deck, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort. Take Little Cottonwood Canyon Road to Snowbird Entry 2.

WHEN: Saturday, June 13, 2009. Event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thanks to PYP member bowlamand for bringing this to PYP’s members attention.

PYP thread to disucss details.

From NPS.gov

America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better this summer with three fee-free weekends at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees*.

Mark your calendars for fee-free weekends this summer:

June 20-21, 2009 (Father’s Day weekend)
July 18-19, 2009
August 15-16, 2009

More details about how to save inside the park are included, too.

My apologies to Seabrz57, supermod of PYP for starting a thread about this.

But, I hadn’t seen this on the forums at PYP, but is worth a shout out! Tuesday June 16th, Disneyland Christmas Carol Train is stopping in Ogden. Check out Union Station from 9 AM to 7 PM for FREE Disney magic and fun. Yes, this is a promotion to promote the upcoming Disney 3-D Christmas Carol, but who cares? It sounds like a lot of fun…for FREE! See you there!

I came across an online article at Real Simple that discusses Other Uses for Everyday Household Items.

From using excess Post-Its for bookmarks & playing Tic-Tac-Toe or Rubber Bands to dye Easter Eggs, a recurring thought came to my mind, what alternative uses of things from my Food Storage/Stockpile are there? Here are a few of MY ideas:

Kool-Aid. I use the lemonade flavored packets to clean my dishwasher. The citric acid does wonders on stains. (I know this idea may NOT be new, but my mom taught me this oldie, but goodie)OR

Use Kool-Aid packets to dye Easter Eggs or tye die stained white shirts. Follow standard procedures. Seems I’m not the only one who has too much Kool-Aid on hand. Here’s some great ideas! My favorite is the Kool-Aid lipgloss.

FREE Conditioner. IF you are like many PYP’ers, you have extra shampoo or conditioner in your stockpile. I don’t know who taught me this (sorry for not giving proper credit), but I used conditioner instead of shaving cream to shave my legs. It leaves legs smooth and IF you forget to use lotion afterwards, you don’t get ash leg. OR

Mom’s frugal hint…take a wet washcloth, add a dollop of hair conditioner into rag, instant cheap fabric softener!

Salad Dressing. You may alreday do this, but ALL my pasta salads use salad dressing (instead of homemade…SHH!) and I get rave reviews at potlucks. Favorites to use include: Kens Vidalia Onion & Kens Creamy Ceasar. Also, I know some marinade meats in salad dressing.

Toothpaste. This is more of a cleaning tip, but those drops of dried toothpaste in your bathroom sink? Use them! It is a cleaner that will help shine your sink. OR

Reader’s Digest has 16 unusual ideas for toothpaste, but rather ingenious ones! Like cleaning one’s iron?

That’s just a sample of ideas. I could spend ALL day googling ideas for excess stockpile items. Instead, I’m asking YOU what are your best unique ideas? Please share!

Want to try Quizno’s new Toasty Torpedos? Save 50% on 2nd one with printable cpn from coupons.com I’ll be trying this next week, but please share your thoughts on this new sandwich!

BTW, super thank you to supermod Dewey for keeping all of our coupons.com and other printables updated! See here for more AWESOME printables good all month of June!

This part of the Red Plum (other major cpn insert publisher) has a SweetFinds page highlighting some of the best printable cpns found on the Red Plum site. Must see!

Some of the better ones, include:

*$50 Printable Cpn for Transfer to Rite-Aid (expires 6/30)
* $5 off $25 Online Cpn Code for Sally Beauty Supplies
* BOGO cpn at Baskin & Robbins for new soft-serve mix in shakes think DQ’s Blizzard)(Expires 6/21)
* $5 off online purchase at Home Depot! Combine with FREE Shipping offers to get some great cheapie items for home use.

Past dates have other great cpns/online codes. Definitely worth a bookmark!

Thanks to PYP member Denik258 for bringing this great freebie to our attention. The offer is from SmartSource.com (one of the cpn inserts publishers) and rumor has it that this new flavor is YUMMY! Find out for yourself! Get your sample while supplies last!

We all know that there are lots of ways to save money if you’re willing to put forth a little time, but what about ways to save time, money and effort that don’t require any extra work on your part? Here are five free time and money saving technologies that I use every day. They’re seamless, easy-to-use, and take just a few minutes of setup before they become an automated everyday convenience.

1. Picasa’s screenshot function. Even if you’re not into Picasa’s photo-editing services, I still recommend that every online shopper or online bill-payer have Picasa. Why? Because when Picasa is running, all you have to do is press the “print screen” button on your keyboard and Picasa automatically takes, saves, and files an image of your computer screen. Unfortunately, I learned about this function after my bank charged me an eighty-dollar late fee for a bill that I had paid on time, but of which they had no record and I had no proof (other than the entry I had made in my check ledger). Now I have Picasa set to automatically start whenever I turn on my computer, and I take screenshots of every order I place and every bill I pay with the press of just one button. Next time I need to consult a record of my online financial activities or an online order, it’ll all be right there waiting for me with no extra effort on my part.
2. Craigslist’s photos plugin. Do you shop on Craigslist? If so, you’ve probably spent more than a few minutes clicking on multiple search results to look at pictures of advertised items. Well click no more! This plugin from Craigstoolbox causes listing photos to load within the search results. No more clicking on every hit that contains the word “loveseat” in order to see if one of them is the color you’re looking for. Just search, skim the photos that automatically load, and only click on the listings that have photos you like.
3. Library Elf. Library Elf’s free basic service sends an e-mail when your items are almost due. For a scatterbrain like me, this is a huge money saver. No more late fines! To see if your library is supported, click here. And if you want additional services like notifications of books on hold or subscriptions to multiple libraries or library cards, those are available for a small annual fee.
4. 1-800-goog-411. This ad-free (and cost-free) directory service will search for and automatically connect you to any business. I barely even use Internet directories any more; it’s much easier to simply dial this memorized number and tell the phone what business (Dominos? The doctor? The pediatric dentist? The craft and frame store? All the craft and frame stores?) I’d like to access. This is particularly convenient when I need to call the pediatrician and clean up kid puke at the same time.
5. 1-800-FREE-411. This service requires that you listen to an ad and it doesn’t auto-connect you to your requested phone number like GOOG-411 does. However, it covers residential and government listings as well as business listings. Great for when you’re out and about and you need to find a friend or government office’s phone number quickly.

Earlier we talked about basic coupon-related lingo. This post addresses lingo that appears in the PYP forums, but isn’t necessarily related specifically to couponing. Between these two posts, you should be able to decipher any forum post.

Terms related to PYP and how it functions

Admin: Any of the three administrators or owners of PYP: Thad, Karin and Shelley.
BRB: Be right back, a term used in the chat room.
Bump: Making a short post, often just using the word “bump,” to cause that post to appear that the top of the forum page. Threads are usually bumped by people who have listed items in the “classifieds” section and want to remind people that those items are still available, or by an admin or moderator who wants to remind people of a rule or regulation-related thread.
Mod: Moderator

Terms related to coupon trading and discussion

BRU: Babies-R-Us coupon
BTFE: Box tops for education certificate found on General Mills packages.
CGS: Carnation Good Star formula coupon
CKS: Formula checks, discount checks sent through the mail by formula companies.
CRT: Cash register tape or receipt, often required to complete a rebate.
DCRT: Dated cash register tape, often required to complete a rebate.
DCRTC: Dated cash register tape with the price circled, often required to complete a rebate.
DND: Do not double, indicating that that coupon being discussed has a “do no double” instruction at the top of it.
ECB: Extra care bucks. Customer rewards at CVS pharmacies. Learn more here.
Feedback: A thread where PYPers who have traded with each other can leave feedback regarding how well the trade went. Each trader has his or her own feedback thread.
FL: Food Lion.
Free-standing inserts: The actual inserts that contain the weekly coupons. The three major free-standing insert types are Smart Source, Redplum, and Procter and Gamble.
FSOT: For sale or trade.
FT: For trade.
G/C: Gift card or gift certificate.
H: Haves. The “H:” preceding a list of coupong indicates that these are the coupons the person has and is willing to trade.
HBA: Health and beauty items or the health and beauty section of a store.
HDA: Hot deal alert.
HT: Harris teeter.
IDSO: In dire search of. The person really wants a particular coupon.
IP: Internet printable.
ISO: In serach of. The person would like to trade for a particular coupon.
IVDSO: The person really really wants a particular coupon.
KRU: Kids R Us coupon.
LED: Long expiration date. The coupon under discussion has a longer than average expiration date.
LTD: Usually referring to quantity available or quanitity eligible for discount or rebate.
NAZ: Name, address, zip code, describing what information a person needs in order to mail a coupon or rebate.
NED: No expiration date.
Nfp: Refund form found in newspaper.
NT WT: Net weight.
OAS: A coupon that is good on all sizes.
OOP: Out of pocket cost. What someone paid for their deal.
OSI: On a single item.
POP: Proof of purchase, usually the receipt or barcode.
PPHF: Paypal handling fee, a fee paid through paypal, usually for someone’s time and effort in gathering, clipping, and mailing coupons.
Printables: Coupons you can print from the Internet
PTS: Points off of packages.
Q: Qualifier. The proof of purchase (POP) that is on the packaging of the item itself.
RAOK: Random act of kindness. Giving a coupon away.
RP: Redplum (formerly Valassis) coupon insert.
SASE: Self-addressed stamped envelope.
SCR: Single check rebates offered by RiteAid
SF: Store form. A rebate form found in the store rather than the newspaper.
SMP: Specially marked packages.
SS: SmartSource coupon insert.
Super doubles: When a store will double coupons that are greater than one dollar in value.
Sweeps: Sweepstakes form.
T/L or H/L or H: Things you have for trade.
TMF: Try me free.
Triple coupon (triples): When a store will triple a coupon’s value.
TRU: Toys are us.
UPC: Universal product code.
W: Want. Coupons the person wants to trade for.
W/C: With coupon
W/L: Wish list. Coupons the person wants to trade for.
WD: Winn Dixie
WSL: While supplies last.
WYB: When you buy.
YMMV: Your mileage may vary. An offer’s success is variable.

Terms commonly used in social discussion
BFF: Best friends (forever)
B/D/S/F/MIL: Brother/daughter/sister/son/father/mother-in-law
Cherry-pickers or cherry-picking: Purchasing only the lowest priced items at the best deals, often shopping at multiple stores in order to “cherry-pick” them all.
DD: Dear daughter
DH: Dear husband
DS: Dear son
DW: Dear wife (we use these terms to reference family members even if they’re not particularly dear at the moment).
DR: Dave Ramsey, a personal finance expert whose advice and methods some PYP members, particularly in the financial support group (FSG), discuss and follow.
ETA: Edited to add. The person added additional comments to their original post.
Forum: Where threads are organized by topic groups.
FSG: Financial support group forum on PYP.
FWIW: For what it’s worth.
FYI: For your information.
GF or BF: Boyfriend or girlfriend.
HTH: Hope this helps, usually accompanying information or explanation a person has given in response to another poster’s query.
IMHO (IMO): In my (honest) opinion.
LMK: Let me know.
LOL: Laugh out loud.
OOP: Out of pocket or what someone paid for their deal.
OP: Original post, or original poster.
PLMK: Please let me know.
PM: (noun) a private message (verb) to send someone a private message
Post: Comment or new thread made in the PYP forums.
PP: Purchase price.
PYP: Pinchng Your Pennies website
PYPers: PYP members
ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
Siggy: User’s signature line that automatically appears beneath each of their posts.
Thread: A series of posts all displayed in linear fashion in which PYPers discuss a particular topic.
SO: Significant other.
TIA: Thanks in advance.
TMI: Too much information. This term is usually used to warn other PYPers that the thread contains information of a more-than-usually personal, medical, biological, or sexual nature.
TTYL: Talk to you later. Used in the PYP chat room.
WB: Welcome back. Used in the PYP chat room.

Thank you to PYP mod momtonathandtwins. Discussion here.

MAY
20 – Free Chocolate Malt Swirl Shake with any sandwich purchase
27 – Free Regular Roast Beef with any soft drink purchase

JUNE
3 – Free Iced FruiTea with any sandwich purchase
10 – Free Roast Chicken Club with any soft drink purchase
17 – Free Regular Sidekickers® with any sandwich purchase
24 – Free Regular Roast Beef with any soft drink purchase

JULY
1 – Free Regular Beef ‘n Cheddar with any soft drink purchase
8 – Free Orange Cream Swirl Shake with any sandwich purchase
15 – Free Regular Roast Beef with any soft drink purchase
22 – Free Roastburger with any soft drink purchase
29 – Free Iced FruiTea with any sandwich purchase

AUGUST
5 – Free Regular Roast Beef with any soft drink purchase
12 – Free Roast Chicken Club with any soft drink purchase
19 – Free Iced FruiTea with any sandwich purchase
26 – Free Regular Beef ‘n Cheddar with any soft drink purchase

(As always, check with your local restaurant to see IF they are participating.)