A Budget of Convenience

March 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Is your budget a budget of necessity or a budget of convenience?

With a budget of necessity, you are down to what you need. You may be paying off debt. You may be adding to your savings. You aren’t buying extras such a dinner out or hitting up a sale to look for new shoes for sure. You will be looking for sales for your basic needs such as food items, laundry soap, and pet food. You may even check out online resources to find the cheapest gas for your car in your area. A budget of necessity is often seen as a not fun budget and what most people think of when they hear the word budget.

A budget of convenience is one where you keep track of what you spend but you weigh your options … constantly! In a budget of convenience, you will admit that you need room in your budget. You may buy the Amazon Prime membership so you can get the free two day shipping. Or you might shop more at Walmart because you can buy your groceries, craft supplies, and clothes at the same places. Sure you won’t get the same sales as the supermarket but you are saving time. You might use discount voucher codes to buy your kids new shoes because it easier to have that cover shipping than to drag three kids to the store with you. But you do all of this while watching your bottome line.

We find ourselves in a situation of have a budget that fits both categories. We have cut our budget down to what we call the “basics plus”. We have had to weigh options such as is it cheaper to get trash pick up or to pay per bag at the county trash service. (As a note, the cost was within a few dollars plus there was the add gas costs to take our own bags so we get trash picked up.) We also still have our satellite service because the tv programs we get our one source of entertainment. We don’t go out the movies and hardly ever rent a movie. We did decide that the Netflix subscription could go when the price continued to go up and our time to watch the movies we got was less and less. So those decisions are there for us each month. The debate on if we upgraded to iPhones or not could be a whole budget post on its own for sure! The fact that we have cut our budget down to the “basic plus” level means that I can just hop online and order Matthew shoes with free shipping instead of dragging the kids to the store though. That is a big deal to me right now.

What type of budget do you have? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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Dear Budget – March 18

March 18, 2012 By 2 Comments

I have a love/hate relations with our budget. I decided I would share some of our victories and struggles with our budget so you can see that it happens to all of us.

It is past the middle of the month and we are still friends. I realize that this might change next week as we get near the end of the month though. I am hoping we can stay on track as we are watching our grocery and extras spending budgets closely. We feel like we are doing good this month as we are following our reduce the debt plan we embarked on this month.

I was able to stay your friend earlier in the month thanks to a local children’s consignment sale and hope to finish up summer clothes shopping for the kids at the other sale’s discount day next week. Children’s clothes is an area we try to save for sure!

I will probably not be your friend when I decide to shop for a new pair of summer work sandals though and I will warn you of that now.

Here is to keeping on track again this week …

Beth

Are you friends with you budget this week? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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Tips for Using Coupon Codes

February 27, 2012 By 1 Comment
Coupon codes seem to be a hot topic these days. There is good reason too … they are all over the place. I remember I used to feel lucky if I had a coupon code when shopping online but now there are so many resources for  coupon codes that isn’t the case. It can be easy to be lost in the web of coupon codes so here are some of my favorite tips!
1. Always look for a coupon code. If you see a promotional code or coupon code box when you get to checkout on a website, STOP! Open another browser tab and do a search for a coupon code you can use. Just take a couple of minutes to look. You might save money, you might not.
2. Watch for conditions on coupon code. The coupon codes I hate the most are ones that say “Free Shipping for orders over $49″ or something like that. I am rarely spending that much on online order so these coupon codes aren’t worth using for me. My favorite coupon codes are the Free Shipping ones and the save a percentage off everything at the site!
3. Check to see if you can apply more than one coupon code. Some sites will let you use more than one coupon code such as a Free Shipping coupon code and a percentage off coupon code. Around the holidays I have also seen coupon codes for a free gift with purchase that can be combined with coupon codes. At the same time, be careful when you try this! Check your order total before you hit submit because I have had sites default to the lesser value coupon code if they don’t take two coupons.
4. Some coupon codes are one time use only. These coupon codes are more like gift certificates and can’t be shared. You will sometimes see people sharing them on coupon code sites because they don’t always say they are one time use. There is no set standard to tell if a coupon code is one time use or not.  Don’t despair, you might also need to try more than one coupon code to find one that works. Some of the shared coupon codes have already expired but are still listed so keep trying!
5. Share! If you have a coupon code, share it as others would probably love to use it too. Many sites allow users to share coupon codes … probably the ones you are visiting looking for coupon codes! So pass along the savings and hopefully next time you find another coupon code to use too!
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The Financial Fit College Search Method

January 28, 2012 By 2 Comments

We are excited to provide a guest post from Frank Palmasani on the topic of financial aid for college students!

It’s that time of the year for families to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. This document is used by colleges to which the student has applied and been accepted. The colleges review this information and include it with other data (like student grades, composite test scores, and interests) to determine that family’s net price.

Net price is the comprehensive cost of a college minus what is provided to that family in grants and scholarships. Colleges, as they present net price to families, might also include a student loan and a campus job. With the costs of education as high as they are today, this is what families want to know –
their net price.

In the past, net price was not known until March or April of senior year when colleges released official award letters. This year, for the first time, families have an opportunity to learn their net price at any particular college through the use of a new U.S. Department of Education initiative – net price calculators.

Every college, as of the end of October 2011, had to post a net price calculator on their website. These calculators allow families to learn an estimated net price much earlier than when the official award letters are released.

High school counselors across the country have been developing strategies and programs to help teach parents and students how to maximize the use of these net price calculators. After 25 years of delivering seminars to parent groups on the Challenges of College Costs, I developed a program to do just that – The Financial Fit College Search method.

This method begins when the family systematically assesses what they can afford to pay for college yearly. This assessment is based on an analysis of tax credit eligibility, cash flow, savings, and reasonable parent borrowing.

Once this assessment is complete, the idea is to choose a college in each of 7 college categories. Using each of those school’s net price calculators, the family would determine that college’s net price and compare it to their affordability. Does that college appear to be affordable or does it not? If it does
not, then one or more other net price calculators from schools in that category would be chosen. If it is obvious that none of the schools in a category are affordable, that category of colleges gets eliminated.

If a family finds a category of colleges (from this group of 7) or categories of colleges where the net price of the school matches their affordability, that category or those categories are the ones the family should focus on. The family then avoids the distinct possibility of having no college choices that are
affordable.

When families learn in March or April of senior year that all of the time, energy and money devoted to exploring and applying to colleges that seemed most appropriate and suitable to the student are all unaffordable, disappointment sets in. Too often this disappointment has superseded pragmatism. Much of the reason why we have a huge student debt problem is that families have chosen these unaffordable options.

The Financial Fit College Search method is designed to help families avoid this disappointment, learn how to find the affordable college options and manage their college costs without excessive debt.

These ideas are developed in much greater depth through the videos, articles, and software available at managingcollegecost.com, myfinancialfit.com, and collegecountdown.com.

Frank Palmasani is in his 36th year working in education as a High School Counselor or College Admissions Director. During that time he has delivered seminars to more than 200,000 parents, visited with thousands of families one on one, presented at numerous counselor conferences, and appeared on several Chicago area media outlets. His topic at all times has been helping families conquer college costs. He is the founder of an educational website, a software program, and will have a book published and released this fall. His innovative method of Finding Financial Fits has been utilized by high school counselors in schools across the country.

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The Prescription for Saving Time and Money

January 28, 2012 By 1 Comment

We are excited to bring you a budget saving guest post from Brad Bangerter, CEO of LowestMed!

What if you had to actually to go to the airport and stand in line at each airline counter to get the prices for an upcoming trip? Of course not. It’s so easy just to get online and look up the prices of various airlines. Until now, in the world of prescription drugs, to get a price for your medication at various pharmacies, you had to physically go there and submit your prescription. Not anymore, thanks to a free app from LowestMed.

Budgeting for prescription drug costs can be difficult and frustrating. No one should ever pay retail prices; yet pharmacies can’t tell you what your insurance card or discount card price is until they fill the prescription. So how can you budget for medications and make sure you’re getting a good price?

Most consumers don’t even realize that prices vary from one pharmacy to another. But prices do vary and sometimes significantly.

For example, you might pay $43.88 for Azithromycin, a popular antibiotic, at one pharmacy or as much as $100.69 at another pharmacy for the very same drug. And this is if you use a pharmacy discount card. Retail prices are much more.

Finding alternatives to name brand drugs can also help save money. For example, you can pay $100.22 or more per month for Zocor, a cholesterol lowering medication or $4.00 per month for a generic equivalent, Lovastatin. Savings like these are abundant to savvy shoppers who can now use a convenient app to find the prices of prescription drugs before going to the pharmacy.

LowestMed has now made it simple to budget for and save on prescription drug purchases. With the new app and website, consumers can compare prices of the most commonly prescribed drugs and use an electronic discount card on a mobile device to get instant discounts. Just like shopping for travel deals, LowestMed makes it easy for you to shop, compare and save. Simply download the LowestMed app from the Apple App Store or Android Marketplace and begin saving each time you need a prescription drug.

How do you save on your prescription costs? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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Save Money in 2012

January 14, 2012 By 1 Comment

This is a guest post written by Shawn Ambrose and edited by Brian at Simply Budgeted. We hope you enjoy it!

Gear up to save money in 2012 – Some budgeting tips that can assist you

After the financial ups and downs of 2011, most of us are hoping to make huge changes to our financial lives in 2012.  If you spent all of 2011 without a budget, this may the time to change that and make sure that 2012 goes well and ends on a more positive note.  Although shopping during the after-Christmas season seems attractive, many people forget to stay within their means, making it tougher and tougher to climb out of credit card debt.  Higher credit card payments take a toll on the wallet and lead deeper into the credit card mess.  Writing a budget or making a budget through a budget planner, however, can help you stay on track and make sure that your expenses do not exceed your income. Here are some smart budgeting tips for 2012:

  • Give a rear-view mirror glance at 2011: Before taking some solid steps for making 2012 successful, give a retrospective glance at 2011 so as not to make those same mistakes.  Analyze bad spending habits and resolve not to repeat them in the near future.
  • Make a list of the necessities: Make a clear list of all the necessities that you may need in 2012.  Focus on covering those expenses and try to curb other costs so that you keep within your budget.  Overstretching your budget may push you further into the debt cycle.
  • Save money like never before:  If you did not save enough in 2011, resolve to save like never before in 2012. This doesn’t mean that you have to pinch your pennies throughout 2012.  Just make sure that you focus your spending on the things that you need and not necessarily on the things that you want.  The best way to keep your money saved is to invest it in a high-yield savings account.  This way you never see the funds.
  • Say NO to credit cards:  This is the best way to stop adding on to further debt.  These nasty little plastics may seem overwhelming, but they are debt generators and you should avoid them as much as possible so as to stay on the right financial track.  Stuff your wallet with cash instead of credit and forget about getting things that you can’t afford today with cash.

If you are planning to make 2012 a memorable year, stay on top of your finances by following the points mentioned above.  Repay your debt obligations and seek help from a financial professional when it gets to be too overwhelming.  Make this your year to come out on top.  You’ll sleep better, stress less, and be happier.  Now that sounds like a plan!

What are your goals for budget in 2012?

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Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

December 31, 2011 By 11 Comments

This isn’t your typical New Year’s Eve post … mostly because it really has nothing to do with New Year’s Eve. It just fits because of the years mentioned. It is a post that has been on my list to write but it never made it to the top of the pile to write so here it is and thankfully it fits today anyway!

Back in March of 2011, our minivan died. It was an older, used minivan but it fit our family and ran … plus it was paid for already since we got it used (and cheap). We didn’t expect it to die when it did … we were all in it and about 40 minutes from our house. My parents thankfully rescued us since a tow truck does not fit 2 adults and 3 kids in car seats. We decided to suck it up and get a new van when we learned the cost to repair the old van was double its value. Did I mentioned that van payments were not in our budget, yeah, they weren’t. So we re-did the whole budget and managed to figure out a way to add a van payment. You want to talk about the whole Budget Pie changing … adding a van payment will certainly change your Budget Pie! We ended up with a Dark Cherry Pearl Honda Odyssey 2011 mini-van. We loved it. Yes, I said loved … as in past tense. Keep reading.

Then August 22, 2011 happened. Brian was taking Grace and tag-along Sophie to Grace’s five year check-up appointment. I stayed home with Matthew to do some work. I got the call and at first thought Brian said they weren’t going to make the appointment because there was an accident on the way there. The call dropped. I finally got him and back to only learn they were IN the accident. I rounded Matthew up and drove down there to sit in traffic to find our brand new van looking like this …

and this …

Everyone was fine in our van. The girls were in their Graco Nautilus seats and hardly felt it. Brian didn’t even think there was much damage outside of the van until he got out of it because of the way it absorbed the impact and crumbled. Crumple zones work was the lesson here! The inside of the van looked perfect. It was amazing. Brian and I were both amazed when started to empty it out of our belongings so it could be towed to see how far the back came into the trunk. The Odyssey has awesome trunk space and that is one of the reasons we love it. It was all gone. The back of the van was about 6 inches from the back seat where the girls were sitting. We feel so blessed it stopped there. I should probably add that Brian was in the middle of a 4 car pile up that wasn’t his fault. He and the two cars in front of him stopped because there was a two car accident in the road in front of them. The lady that hit Brian push him into the car in front of him and that car into the truck in front of them.  Oh and the insurance company replaced the car seats … I of course ordered new Graco Nautilus Car Seats from Amazon
and they arrived the next day … way before the new van!

So without a second thought, we went back to the Honda dealer and ordered the same van when were told the brand new van was totaled. Then came the timing issue that they could find the Dark Cherry Pearl color we loved in a 2011 model. We waited extra time to get the color we loved and ended up with a 2012 model. (See the goodbye 2011, hello 2012 part now?!) Our new van arrived in October. We were so thrilled to have a cherry van again (that is what the kids call it). This time we added the roof rack to the top of it but is the same as the old one really.

For a family that never buys new vehicles, buying two in one year is really odd but we are so thankfully we had the super safe Odyssey in August when that accident happened. I don’t think our old van would have faired very well and I wonder how the family would have faired in it.

So we said Goodbye to 2011 in August and Hello to 2012 in October and have been loving 2012 ever since then. We will be loving 2012 for years to come as we don’t get new vehicles often so are hoping it is a good year in more than one way!! So while our Budget Pie is super tight right now with this van payment, we know it is worth it because our three little ones are safe as we drive around!

Happy New Year from us! We hope you have time to enjoy it with friends and family.

What happened in 2011 for you that changed your budget? What are you hoping for in 2012 for your budget?

Leave us a comment and let us know!

 

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Eight Last Minute Gift Ideas For The Frugalista

December 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We are excited to bring a guest post to you today from  Vicky Oliver!

Adapted from The Millionaire’s Handbook: How to Look and Act Like a Millionaire Even If You’re Not (Skyhorse, November 2011)

 

Last week I went to a festive holiday party in New York City. The hostess, sporting a red silk headband with antlers on each side and a red and white cotton candy cane in the middle, showed off her decorated Christmas tree with pride. The piece de resistance, as far as she was concerned, was her collection of former Presidents of the United States tree ornaments. There was a George Bush ornament, featuring a picture of W.’s face, looking calm and wrinkle-free, which hung right next to a Bill Clinton tree ornament.

Bill looked perennially jovial.

Her tree was politically correct, but what about political tree ornaments as gifts in general? After much contemplation I decided they are probably suitable for policy wonks with excellent senses of humor, but you’d better know for a fact whether your friend is a Republican or a Democrat. It would also be helpful to know if the spouse shared the affiliation to avoid any unintended offense. Lastly it would also help if you happened to share your friend’s political opinion because the money for these ornaments benefits the candidates.

Suffice it to say that I didn’t meet any of these criteria, but out of curiosity I decided to research political tree ornaments on line anyway. They all cost approximately $12.50 whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or Undecided, and can be found on cafepress.com websites. Just hit google.com and type in ______ (the candidate of your choice)/tree ornaments.

Meanwhile the bottle of Bollinger I brought as a hostess gift, and which retailed for $50, barely received an offhanded “Thank You.” As gifts go, champagne may just be too generic to be considered special anymore.

What other presents can one bring to parties that aren’t generic yet won’t break the bank? Here are eight ideas, and all of them can still be purchased before Christmas!

 

1. Gift baskets regifted—with the personality of the recipients in mind. Have you ever received a gift basket where you liked all of the contents? Probably not. Chances are if you savored the cheese, the chocolate disappointed you. Or perhaps you enjoyed the flavored coffees but hated the sweet wine. Instead of worrying about whether you like all of the items, save money and angst by considering who among your friends would enjoy what—and give only the items each person will find appealing. You can even buy a gift basket for yourself, “repurpose” the basket for a home decorating project, and rewrap the individual items to give to hostesses at all holiday parties. For inspiration, check out: http://www.winecountrygiftbaskets.com/gift_basket_list.asp/SKW/DISCOUNT/.

Then recite the frugalista mantra: “Divide and conquer.”

2. I.O.U.s. These ingenious notes can save you a small fortune or even a large one. Instead of running around like a chicken with her head cut off to find “last minute” gifts for all of your friends, take a half an afternoon to design a pretty I.O.U. certificate on your computer for “one free home cooked meal.” Then fill in the person’s name, print out the document, wrap it with a ribbon (that came straight from another gift), and you’re done! It costs almost as little to feed four people as one, and you’ve given a present that will reward you many times over as the friends you feast can’t help but feel compelled (in a good way) to return the favor.

3. Lend out your MIS guy for a day. With the onslaught of social media, many in the over-30 crowd find they need all sorts of assistance with their computers. You may not be able to explain to your mother how to synch up her Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts, but fortunately your MIS guy can. Offer his services to all of your older relatives for a day and agree to pay his hourly rate in advance. He’ll no doubt appreciate all of the new business, and even better, your precious time will be spared.

For extra frugalista credit: Try bargaining down his rate (for every extra client you bring him, he agrees to knock off 10%).

4. Name a star. It’s a symbolic gesture that has little to do with science but much to do with love and affection. And it can add a real bright spot in your relationship. Name a star after a girlfriend, boyfriend, or even “just a friend” for under $15. Every time that person stares up at the constellations he or she will be sure to think of you fondly. Go stargazing for less at: http://www.starnamer.net/?gclid=CJrEz-2Bkq0CFUOo4AodBFaLmQ

5. Dial up the thoughtfulness factor. When you give a gift certificate to a class you show the recipient that you understand her passion and respect her for it. A three-hour “writing boot camp” for a newbie novelist or a four-hour pastry course for a budding chef are presents that are a snap to research, buy, and send online. Prices will vary from program to program, but if you want to keep costs down, sometimes you can even give money towards a class in the denomination of your choice. It’s never too late to learn—or to buy a last-minute gift!

6. Anything initialed.  Dale Carnegie once said that people love nothing more than the sound of their own names. Why not share the love with small gifts that carry people’s initials? You can purchase a set of beautiful note cards for a friend monogrammed with an initial cap letter for under $10 at most stationery stores. She’ll think of you fondly every time she pens a Thank You note for all the other gifts she receives over the holidays.

 

7. Parsley, dill, cilantro and sweet basil. Still think of “Chia” as a name associated with cute clay “pets” that grow into decorative planters? It’s time to add some spice to your imagination. For today, along with offering adorable decorative items, Chia features a very serious herb garden that grows in old-fashioned clay pots. Consider: how often can you give a gift that will make someone feel like both a talented gardener and a chef? And for just $16.99? http://www.drugstore.com/chia-herb-garden-gourmet-fresh-herbs/qxp172421

8. Something from your closet. I was at breakfast with a friend who said that before he went out to buy anything for his nieces, he liked to see what he already owned that they might appreciate. This really resonated with me, and in fact, the advice to “shop your own closet” first is in my book too. My friend’s comment reminded me that one of the best gifts I ever received was from a man whose wife had recently passed away (and who had been a very dear friend of mine). The man simply presented me with a scarf of his former wife’s with the words, “Christine always liked you so much… I know she’d be happy if I passed this on to you.” Every time I wear the scarf I think of Christine, and that gift cost her former husband absolutely nothing!

 

Vicky Oliver is the author of The Millionaire’s Handbook: How to Look and Act Like a Millionaire Even If You’re Not (Skyhorse, November 2011) plus four bestselling books on career development. She can be reached at vicky@vickyoliver.com or at Vicky@GetTheMillionairesHandbook.com

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Bake-Yourself-a-Pie Gift Idea

December 16, 2011 By 2 Comments

We wanted to share this simple and budget friendly gift idea.

These pie plates were a discovery a couple of years ago on clearance. They are actually Le Crueset pie plates and we only bought them because they were 75% off. Well in digging through the gift stash, we found them and decided they would be teacher gifts. The original idea was to bake pies and take a baked pie to the teachers but that seemed a bit odd to carry into school. So we decided to make it the pie fixings and created  “Bake-Yourself-a-Pie” gifts.

What is in a  “Bake-Yourself-a-Pie” Gift? Here is a close-up picture …

Contents of the “Bake-Yourself-a-Pie” Gift are …

  • 2 cans of cherry pie filling (any kind of pie filling will do though)
  • 2 boxes of pie crust mix
  • 1 pie dish (any kind and this where you can make if fancy and budget friendly)
  • a Christmas card signed by a Kindergartener (well you … even if you aren’t in Kindergarten!)

Wrap it with cellophane wrap and tie with a piece of ribbon! How simple is that?

Ta-da! Here they are finished and ready to go!

The teachers apparently loved their gifts according to Brian who volunteered at Grace’s class today. If nothing else, it wasn’t a candle so at least we didn’t add to their candle collection and hopefully they get a chance during break to bake a yummy pie!

Who could you give a gift like this to? What is your favorite easy gift idea this holiday season? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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25 Freebies for Holiday Shoppers

December 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
We are excited to bring another guest post to you today from Andrea Woroch!
Somewhere in all this frantic shopping, shouldn’t there be something just for you? We’ve found 25 stores and restaurants offering something they call “lagniappe” in New Orleans. Consider it your free thirteenth donut. From gift cards to gift wrap, these offers cross the spectrum. Most require a purchase, but a few are outright free.
Of course, the biggest freebie this year is Free Shipping Day on Friday, Dec. 16, when you can shop online from over 2,000 merchants with free shipping by Christmas Eve. Lots of e-retailers are offering free shipping on all orders with no minimum purchase required, so don’t miss your last-gasp chance to shop online with great deals.
Unless otherwise stated, offers are available only while supplies last. For additional holiday freebies, visit MrFreeStuff.com.
1. 4WD - Free 3-month courtesy subscription to “Off-Road Aventures.”
2. Aeropostale - Free $25 e-gift card when you spend $100 and use “25EGIFT” at online checkout. Aeropostale also offers free shipping on all gift cards.
3. Baby Phat - Free logo hat with any purchase when you register online.
4. Bath&Body Works - Free gift of your choice, worth up to $13, with purchase of $10 or more. Ends Dec. 24. Click on our link to print out the required coupon.
5. Becker - Free one-year subscription to Surfer Magazine with orders over $99.
6. Ben & Jerrys - Free scoop of ice cream when you spend $10 on gift cards.
7. Big Dogs – Free Polar Dogs Blanket with $100 purchase.
8. Chuck E. Cheese’s - Buy 60 tokens for $15 and get 30 tokens free, through Jan. 8. Click on our link for a downloadable coupon.
9. Cookies: The Kids Department Store - Free $25 Restaurant.com gift card plus 33% off Staff Picks with a minimum order of $25. Use code “RDC25” at online checkout.
10. Delia’s - Free I.D. holder with each $50 gift card purchase.
11. Dell – Free Canon ELPH 100 digital camera and Shutterfly 8×8 photobook when you purchase select PCs with Adobe Photoshop 9 and Premiere Elements 9. Dell is also offering free shipping on all TV orders.
12. DressBarn - Free $10 savings card for every $50 gift card purchase. You can redeem the card between Dec. 26 and Jan. 31. Offer valid in stores only.
13. Famous Dave’s - Free $5 rewards card with every $25 gift card in-store purchase.
14. GameStop - Free 1-year product replacement plan on all pre-owned hardware. Good with in-store purchases only.
15. Gordmans - $10 savings card with purchase of $50 or more of Gordmans gift cards. Ends Dec. 24.
16. HP - Free 4GB USB flash drive when you buy 2 ink multipacks.
17. Maidenform - Free manicure set with $75 online order. Use codes “FREESILVER” or “FREEBLACK.”
18. Neiman Marcus – Free gift packaging through Dec. 14.
19. OfficeMax - Free $10 OfficeMax gift card when you purchase $60 in national-brand ink.
20. Origins - Free gift wrap.
21. Plow & Hearth - Free $10 reward card with any purchase of $75 or more. Ends. Dec. 18.
22. Radio Shack – $100 in gift cards when you buy an iPad 2 with your Shack Credit Card.  (Trade in your original 64GB iPad and receive as much as $250 towards an iPad 2.)
23. Roxy.com - Spend $100 and get a $25 coupon code. Ends Dec. 14.
24. Sephora - Free scent in a mini collectible bottle with any order of $25 or more, with code “LUXEMINI.” Good with online purchases only.
25. Ulta Beauty - Free $60 luxury robe with any men’s or women’s fragrance purchase of $30 or more. Your choice of three styles.
Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc. As a nationally recognized media source, Andrea has been featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more.
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