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Posted by Darlene on March 18, 2012 at 3:27 pm I use affiliate links in some of my posts. I may earn a commission if you use my links. Full disclosure.
I am looking for contributing writers to add quick and easy interesting content to my Deals by Darlene blog. I’m looking for any kind of content that helps people save money. It does not have to be all about coupons, but if you can also write your post to include a current coupon… even better!
Here are some topic ideas:
Recipes
Pet Talk
Weight Loss
Gardening
Health
Education
Holidays
Crafts (oh…. please!!!!)
Fashion
Frugal Tips
or any topic you like!
The only requirement is that you must know how to work a wordpress blog as you will be posting directly to my site through a contributing writer account.
There are incentives for this gig to keep things fun. You can also promote your business, blog or facebook page in your posts to attract new customers, followers or fans!
If you are interested and want to know more about being a contributing writer, email me at dzines@metrocast.net and I’ll get back to you!
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Posted by Darlene on March 18, 2012 at 12:58 pm I use affiliate links in some of my posts. I may earn a commission if you use my links. Full disclosure.
1. I have never seen the movie E.T.
2. I have not used a dishwasher since the 70’s, even though I’ve always had one (I like to wash by hand).
3. I love thunder and lightning and would rather have a good storm than sunshine.
4. I sort of like the smell of skunk. Okay, I flat out like the smell of skunk.
5. I did not name my son until he was almost a week old because I could not pick a name (I ended up picking Derrick).
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Posted by Darlene on March 13, 2012 at 9:21 am I use affiliate links in some of my posts. I may earn a commission if you use my links. Full disclosure.
Gevalia Coffee has asked me to be their Bean Chat guest host this Thursday, March 15. This is a live chat where I will be answering questions about couponing among other things.
If you want, you can head on over to Gevalia Coffee’s facebook page now and like them. They visit again Thursday morning at 10:00am eastern and join the chat!
P.S. They will be giving some stuff away! :O)
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Posted by Darlene on March 12, 2012 at 1:47 pm I use affiliate links in some of my posts. I may earn a commission if you use my links. Full disclosure.
I am happy to annouce that as of today, I have two new contributing writers on board to help bring you more deals on Deals by Darlene!
Jody Pagliocco will be bringing you lots of restaurant deals along with general ways to save money while feeding your family.
Angie Palmer will be bringing you deals geared toward children and family. Please head over and “like” her Real Maine Mom facebook page and visit her new blog!
Welcome Jody and Angie! I’m so happy to have you as part of the team!
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Posted by Darlene on March 10, 2012 at 1:53 pm I use affiliate links in some of my posts. I may earn a commission if you use my links. Full disclosure.
I was going through the forums over at A Full Cup and I came across this post (you’ll need to log in or sign up to read the post) by a woman who went out for her first couponing shopping trip and she ended up spending $50 more than usual. She was worried that couponing was not working… and I don’t blame her! Chances are she was buying items purely to build her stockpile and using coupons just because she had them. She will learn the ropes, I hope!
That also reminds me of someone who posted on facebook last year about how they bought 10 jugs of laundry detergent and got a terrible deal but it was okay because they were building their stockpile… ugh!
Please remember that the whole reason you build a stockpile is to save money, not spend more money!
The only items that you should be stocking up on are items that are very cheap or free. Then when you run out of that item, you simply head to your stockpile and grab your cheap or free item instead of heading to the store and paying full price! Get it?
In the beginning, you will for sure stock up on stuff and pay actual money (but it should still be cheap). Those stockpile purchases will get you through until you can start getting the same items even cheaper or free.
The first item I stocked up on big time was pasta. That was last May. I paid 42¢ per box and I thought that was awesome. I bought 52 boxes and told my mother we were cutting back to cooking one box of pasta a week so we’d have enough pasta for a year. My mother could eat a box a day, so that was going to be a challenge.
Luckily for my mother, I quickly discovered that pasta is something we often get for free so there is no longer a one box a week limit. Am I sad that I paid for pasta in the beginning? Nope! Having that cheap stock allowed me to always wait for free pasta. I have never paid for pasta since, and we go through about 5 boxes a week.
And the funny thing is, every time I open a box of pasta I still worry that one day I will run out. It does not matter if I have 100 boxes on hand. I worry.
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Posted by Darlene on March 6, 2012 at 11:24 pm I use affiliate links in some of my posts. I may earn a commission if you use my links. Full disclosure.
I had so much fun handing out coupons at Hannaford tonight. The coupons from the Hannaford booklet that came out last fall are expiring next week, so I want to make sure every single one that I have left gets put to good use. Tonight, I hung out at the registers at Hannaford (yes, coupon geek) and passed coupons out to everyone who had Hannaford and/or My Essential items. I also brought lots of $2 off coupons with me too and handed those to everyone I could find.
During one of my trips through the register, I had a woman directly in front of me and a young couple directly behind me. Their purchases were small, which was perfect because it made the coupons look more impressive. The woman in front of me had a total of $4.15 and had one My Essential item so I gave her $2 off and $1 off and she ended up at $1.15 and you would have thought she won the lottery! The couple behind me had a higher total, $7.53, but I was able to get it down to $4.53 with a $1 off and the $2 off. They were equally happy.
I also passed out coupons to shoppers in the store and even ran into another couponer who follows my blog! And I also saw my couponing cousin! On my way out, I spotted the woman who was so happy to get her total down to $1.15 and I gave her more coupons to help her out over her next few transactions. That got me a bear hug and a big old kiss on the cheek! LOL She really was sweet.
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Posted by Darlene on March 6, 2012 at 4:34 pm I use affiliate links in some of my posts. I may earn a commission if you use my links. Full disclosure.
I am looking for contributing writers to add interesting content to my Deals by Darlene blog. I’m looking for any kind of content that helps people save money. It does not have to be all about coupons, but if you can also write your topic to include a current coupon… even better!
Here are some topic ideas:
Easy Recipes
Household Tips
Pet Talk
Weight Loss
Gardening
Family Life
Restaurants
Health
Education
Holidays
Crafts (oh…. please!!!!)
or any topic you like!
The only requirement is that you must know how to work a wordpress blog as you will be posting directly to my site through a contributor account.
There are incentives for this gig to keep things fun. You can also promote your business, blog or facebook page in your posts to attract new customers, followers or fans!
If you are interested and want to know more about being a contributing writer, email me at dzines@metrocast.net and I’ll get back to you!
BE COOL -> Subscribe to my Youtube channel
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Posted by Darlene on March 2, 2012 at 10:09 pm I use affiliate links in some of my posts. I may earn a commission if you use my links. Full disclosure.
My day started out on a good note. My car was ready to be picked up at the shop. On the way home I could stop at Walmart to pick up my wireless printer. Then I could swing by Shaw’s to get my freezer. That was the plan.
I hopped into my car and found that I was still driving 35mph, not because I had to, but because I was soooo used to driving that speed for months and months due to a bad transmission. I decided to speed up. I was so overjoyed with my new found speed that I didn’t notice that the car in front of me was stopping… so I hit the brakes. The sound I heard was horrid. It was not the sound of a crash, but the sound of really bad brakes. And since my brakes are fairly new, I should not be hearing that kind of sound. I turned around and headed back to the shop.
The mechanic was on lunch break. So I waited and waited and waited. And waited. A lunch break sure is long when you’re not the one eating. They finally got my car on the lift and discovered my problem was a huge chunk of ice. Ice. Not bad brakes. Good. No additional expense. It almost made it worth the wait. I was on my way to Walmart.
I picked up my printer then decided to use my coupon for free milk when I buy three breakfast items. The cashier had never seen that coupon before so she called the front guy over. He had never seen it either but needed to check it out because he had a problem with the coupon. The problem was not the free milk and not the fact that I bought 3 bananas as my breakfast items (total 44¢, got the 3 smallest ones they had). No, the problem was that my printed coupon was black and white and it looked like a photo copy.
Every now and then, Walmart (and that guy in particular) has a problem with my high quality laser printed coupons. I invited him to check the coupon online using the veri-fy number on the coupon. Off he went. After making me wait 20 minutes, I was told I could use the coupon “this time” but that next time my coupon can’t look like a copy. Oh, boy. It was time for a little pow wow with the store manager, not my first at Walmart, and I’m sure it won’t be my last. It all ended good, but I was in that store f o r e v e r.
Now it was too late for me to hit Shaw’s because it took three hours to get my car and my printer (and that lovely free milk and itty bitty breakfast bananas… tee hee) and I had to get home because someone from visiting nurses was coming over. I waited and waited and waited. She was one hour and fifteen minutes late. No call. Just late. Then she stayed until dark. Phew! Time to get the freezer.
There was one freezer left. And of course, it was in a box. I don’t know why I assumed I’d be able to look at one out of the box. I wanted to see it, feel it, smell it. I was not in the mood to get that big box to my home only to find that I didn’t quite like the freezer. Then I started to feel like I was buying that freezer just to get the coupons for free stuff… and I don’t need free stuff cause I have tons of free stuff (did I just say I don’t need free stuff???). If the coupons would have been for meat, dairy, and produce, I would have been more in love with the freezer.
So, I left with no freezer. I left with nothing but this sinking feeling that I should have bought the freezer. I know I’ll regret not getting it. But, I also know I could have regretting getting it. I’m a regretting kind of girl.
I still say that freezer is an awesome deal for anyone who needs a freezer. It just wasn’t in the cards for me. At least not today. But hey, I can finally drive 65 and I don’t have to say a little prayer each time I put my Jeep in reverse. And that feels good.
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Posted by Darlene on February 26, 2012 at 6:39 pm I use affiliate links in some of my posts. I may earn a commission if you use my links. Full disclosure.
I am looking for guest bloggers to add interesting content to my Deals by Darlene blog. I’m looking for any kind of content that helps people save money. It does not have to be all about coupons, but if you can also write your topic to include a current coupon… even better!
Here are some topic ideas:
Easy Recipes
Household Tips
Pet Talk
Weight Loss
Gardening
Family Life
Restaurants
Health
Education
Holidays
Crafts (oh…. please!!!!)
or any topic you like!
In exchange for your content, you can promote your business, blog or facebook page in your posts to attract new customers, followers or fans! You can post as little or as often as you like! This is a great opportunity for someone who would like a little free advertising!
The only requirement is that you must know how to work a wordpress blog. If you are interested and want to know more about this gig, email me and I’ll get back to you!
BE COOL -> Subscribe to my Youtube channel
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Posted by Darlene on February 22, 2012 at 1:15 pm I use affiliate links in some of my posts. I may earn a commission if you use my links. Full disclosure.
Wednesdays are always a busy day for me because I have my TOPS meeting (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) and I need to leave my house at 3:30pm. And I’m especially behind today because I got up later than normal. So, I don’t really have the time to hunt for coupons like I’d like to.
That gave me an idea! I thought it might be fun to round up some coupon detectives! Don’t know what a coupon detective is? It’s someone who searches different zip codes to see if there are different coupons available to print! Yes, we can print and use coupons from any zip. Just be aware that some zips will have coupons for items that you can’t buy in your area.
Let’s play with coupons.com. You can use the coupons.com widget on my blog. It seems to load faster for me than the site.
Start by typing in your own zip code. Then look at the numbers on the categories. Example: For my zip of 04073, I see there are 144 coupons total with 28 of those in Food. If I use 77477, I see there are 155 coupons total with 35 in Food! That means that zip is offering lots more coupons!
Now here’s where being a detective comes into play… I see $.50/1 Maggi soup over at 77477, but I don’t see it on 04073. BINGO! I spotted a coupon I would not have normally found!
If your Walmart carries Maggi soup (remember, even though you are allowed to use any coupon under any zip code, your region might not carry that soup), you should be able to pick up that soup for FREE because others are reporting it sells for around 44¢! It’s even a little money maker!
See how fun that was? Okay, fun for me. Maybe not for everyone… lol!
Here are some of the zips I normally use (hint: they don’t have to be real zip codes):
04073
12345
20090
30013
33333
40231
55555
60051
77072
77477
90210
99599
and more!
Note: You get 2 prints per coupon per computer. Normally if you print your 2 print on one zip code that’s all you get. However, there are times when each region has it’s one code, like the time we were able to print International Delight coupons from 7 different regions… remember that?
Go ahead and play with it, and if you spot a coupon that you think is hiding, please do tell! And remember, you can print 3 coupons per page so if you find one coupon you like, try to find at least one or two more to save on paper.
Now, get to work, my little detectives, while I get ready for my meeting! Oh, want to join me at TOPS? Click here for details! I hope to see you there!!! Really, I mean it! Join TOPS and we can chat about coupons before the meeting!
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