Instant Win Games

Instant Win Games and Sweepstakes are similar to playing the lottery. You take a chance of winning something and the odds are against you but it doesn’t cost you anything to gamble! Instant Win and Sweepstakes games are usually held by large companies putting on a promotion, a media source, or maybe even a blogger. The aim is to draw you in for brand awareness, maybe to purchase a new item, or get you to start using a service more often. Whatever the case is there are a lot of them with great prizes!
The key difference between an instant win game and a sweepstakes is with an instant win game you know right away (hence instant) if you have won a prize or not, versus a sweepstakes there is a drawing of all the entrants and it may take a while to find out if you have won. I personally prefer instant win games because I want to know right away if I won something and I only enter things I would want to win anyway.
About two weeks ago I was entering a few games and I thought to myself, “Jeez why do I even waste my time on these things – I never win!” This statement by the way is false – I have won a total of 3 times with sweepstakes and instant win games….just not a lot obviously. Well as I was thinking this I was entering the instant win game with Doritos to see the Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1 movie and a message popped up saying Congratulations that I had won! I was so excited and it proved me wrong right away, that yes sometimes you do win these games! Just this week my prize package came in the mail, 2 coupons for a bag of Doritos along with two Fandango codes to see the new Hunger Games movie (which I can’t wait to see). I am extremely happy!

So keep this in mind the next time you have the opportunity to enter a contest or a sweepstakes – you can win these, it’s not a hoax…it just might take time and when you win it feels great!
Have you won any contests or sweepstakes? Share below.

Opinion: #BlackThursday

This past week “Black Friday” ads have been leaked for large retailers announcing their Black Friday sales, except they aren’t opening on Black Friday but instead on Thanksgiving. I personally got into Black Friday about 6 years ago when my Aunt who had gone forever basically recruited my cousins and I to help her with her shopping. She had a tradition to go to JCPenny’s whenever they opened to collect these Mickey Mouse Snow Globes they offered to the first X number patrons. I could of cared less about these snow globes but went along because I knew it meant a lot to her. I got hooked on Black Friday shopping from then on out. It was the perfect holiday for me….cut-throat deal shopping…sign me up! Every year since I have gone with my family first to of course help my aunt with her globes but then to go off on our own for special items. In the past two years I have seen more stores opening earlier and earlier and it was no more waking up to be at a store for 3am, or be there for midnight but it has creeped into Thanksgiving.

All week I have been listening and reading people talk about how horrible it is retailer are opening up at 6pm on Thanksgiving and I agree, but the only way that this trend will end is by consumers doing something about it versus complaining. If Black Thursday has little attendance I bet your bottom dollar these stores will push back their opening times. Consumers need to band together and send a message they want their holiday back and realize that these “deals” come at the sake of others missing time with their family and friends. What is the next step? Having stores open all day Thanksgiving?!?!

While all the major retailer stores will open at 6pm on Thanksgiving, I have decided to opt out of that nonsense this year and only start shopping at midnight- on the REAL Black Friday. Yes, I will miss some “deals” and probably some items will be gone but at least in my conscious I will know I am not supporting the time change and interfering with others holidays.

Do you go Black Friday shopping? What is your opinion about the stores opening sooner? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Never Enough Magazines

I probably have every kind of magazine you can subscribe to out there. Every time I see the opportunity for a free subscription to a magazine that I find interesting I instantly sign up. Friends come over and they see my piles of magazines and ask why I have so many and my answer is: Because You Can!

I get magazines like; Self, Glamour, People, US Weekly, Shape, Cosmo, Ebony, Essence, Inc., Rolling Stones, Family Circle, etc.

Reasons why magazines are great:

– Free Magazines

– Magazines hold coupons that you may not have access to otherwise

– Free Perfume Samples

There are a lot of coupons that you can find, mostly food or makeup, in magazines that are higher value that may not be out in the market if you had not found it in a magazine. Additionally, if you want to smell nice without spending the money save all the perfume samples and use them when you are going out.

Tip: If you see the opportunity for a magazine in Spanish even if you can’t read or speak Spanish, get it! Most Spanish magazines are filled with great makeup coupons that are not offered in their English counterparts.

So You Needed WorkOut Pants?

Such a long time no write, ahhh! Sorry life has been a little hectic and i have been missing writing about greats I have found.

For awhile now I have been telling myself how I needed new workout pants but the problem with everything in my life was that I didn’t want to pay too much for it (i.e. $20 or more). Now I knew I could possibly get ugly or okish workout pants from either Walmart or maybe even TjMaxx for say around $15 but once again….too much money! I decided the next time I go to Target I will see what workout clothes they have on clearance and if I did not find anything I’d go to TjMaxx the next day and bite the bullet. Good thing I went to Target first because I scored….BIG!!! Not only did I find a black workout pants in my size, but it was on clearance from $27.99 to $8.38! These pants were C9 athletic wear by Champion and I found a Target Cartwheel deal for 25% off of any C9 athletic clothing items. Instantly I went from $8.38 to $6.28! Because I choose to wait and check Target first I saved over $8 in buying my new workout pants.

I like to always check Target when I need items because I know they have a lot of items on clearance and additionally the if you can find a Cartwheel deal on top it makes for great savings!

Makeup Clearance Finds At Target

So I’ve been slacking on getting my Sunday Newspaper and it has resulted in me not having certain coupons, but maybe it’s a good thing because then I’d be buying things I did not need. I recently went to my near by Target and found these beauty buys that will be a great deal for anyone who has some coupons! 

Covergirl foundations ranging from ($3.58-$2.08) on clearance in all different shades. Covergirl lipsticks for ($1.78) on clearance in different shades also. Pair these clearance finds up with coupons and you will be walking out with some pretty good deals! 

 

Hurry! Tilly Sale with FREE SHIPPING!

Today only you can take advantage of FREE SHIPPING thanks to Hip2Save.com and use HIPSHIP at checkout.

You can also save an additional 25-50% off already reduced sale items here. Combining these two things should make for some great buys!

Need Jeans? Head to Target!

  I stumbled upon a great find this week at Target and it couldn’t have been a better timing because I was in the market for this item. I was in desperate need of new jeans. Luckily I found a bunch of jeans at Target clearanced including different styles and brands. Unluckily for me the one pair I bought was the most expensive clearanced jeans there but hey, who is arguing with $12 jeans ok?!

 

The jeans I was able to score was called Denizen made from Levi’s and was originally $27.99 but marked down to $19.58. I was able to use Target’s $3 off a $15 purchase or more on jeans coupon along with the Cartwheel 25% off women’s apparel making my total $11.68. 

HELLOOOO! under $12 for a nice pair of jeans, yes please! 

While I was there I also saw a couple different styles marked down to $9 and $6 so if you bought two you could still use the $3 off of $15 coupon. Head to your local Target and see what good jean mark downs you find and let me know. 

Understanding Swagbucks

So I’ve been putting off this post about Swagbucks, although it may be one of the best tools a savvy frugal like yourself may come across at first it is a little intense.

Swagbucks is a search engine which rewards you with Swagbucks for searching. You can use it just like you’d use Google and for searching randomly you will be rewarded with Swagbucks a couple times a day.

Swagbucks can then be used and accumulated to redeem for variety of different free items, magazine subscriptions, new ipod, and gift cards.

There are several ways you can earn points other than the search tool like playing games, completing surveys, and watching Tv.

How do I sign up for Swagbucks?

Fill out this form and you are all set.

Is this a scam?

Heck no! I have been using this site for about 3 years now and recommend it to most of my friends. I have gotten over $500 in gift cards so it’s worth it.

Ways to earn Swagbucks:

1. Install the Swagbuck Toolbar

You get one Swagbuck instantly everyday by just opening up your browser and it being installed. You can use the toolbar to also search instead of going to the homepage.

 

2. Watch tv

Swagbucks has little videos you can watch and if you watch 10 of them after 30 seconds or so it will fill up the Swabuck meter and you earn 3 points. This is perfect if you have a job that requires you to be on the computer and you can switch back and forth between. The videos can also be pretty interesting ranging on topics of celebrity gossip and parenting issues.

 

3. Play Games

That’s right Swagbucks has fun computer games you can play and earn up to 10 swagbucks a day.

 

4. Poll

Take their poll everyday for and you earn 1 Swagbucks.

 

5. Coupon

Use Swagbuck coupons at your local grocery store and receive 10 Swagbucks for every one used.

 

Bonus: If you use Swagbuck Spoiler if will give you an update on codes you can redeem to earn extra Swagbucks.

Sign up now and start making money!

Plato’s Closet Deals

This past Saturday Plato’s Closet held their annual Grab Bag sale, where they give you a small plastic bag and you fit as many clothes in it as you can for $10. My friend and I got there a couple minutes before the store opened up and there was a line of about 50 people in front of us. The store was sectioned off into three sections and tote bins with a mix of tops, skirts, jeans, and purses to sort through. It was an ok experience but would of been better if it was by size. I was able to fit 16 tops in my bag for $10!!! Because you were unable to try the clothes on I knew I was taking a chance by buying them without trying them on but out of the 16 I liked and going to keep 6 of them. The other 10 I am selling on ebay and donating to charity. 

I was able to score a BCBG Generation shirt and a LC Lauren Conrad shirt which I am also selling online and hope to sell quick! Take a look at my finds and maybe place a bid 😉

Lauren Conrad Tank Top Size S

BCBG Generation Shirt Size XXS

Mix Junior Lot with American Eagle, Wet Seal, Hollister

 

Plato’s Closet Grab Bag Sale 7/12

Do you have a Plato’s Closet store near you? If so get up early Saturday morning 7/12 and head to your nearest one and take advantage of their Grab Bag sale! How it works is they give you a bag and you can fit, stuff, and smush as many clearance clothes items into one bag and it’s all $10. 

Yeah you read correctly, only $10. You could fit a lot of clothes into a bag and it could be worth easily $30-$40 but you will only pay $10. 

Sounds like a great deal to me. Find your nearest store here. 

 

I’ll be sure to post about all the great deals I get next week!