Frugal Ramblings
Endorse Update: New Endorse Coming Soon (Sign up Now To Be On the Wait List!)
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Monday, April 30th, 2012 at 2:29 pm.
Last year, I posted about a new app called Endorse that allows you to earn cash back when physically shopping in the store. Many of you quickly became active Endorse users and were able to earn quite a bit of cash back from your in-store purchases. Then in January 2012, Endorse announced that it was suspending its current service for all users in order to prepare for the launch of Endorse 2.0. Well, I am excited to share with you that the brand new Endorse will be launching soon! Yeah!
Here are some highlights of the new Endorse:
* Instant Receipt Submission—In the new Endorse, you’ll be able to send your receipts instantly using your iPhone or Android phone (no more waiting for your mailer to get to them in the mail!).
* Faster Receipt Processing—Endorse will instantly process your receipts from many of the largest retailers in the country- like Target, Kroger, Walmart- right when you submit them.
* Improved Look and Feel—In addition to the new logo and color scheme, Endorse will be easier to use.
* New Ways to Save and Give—the new Endorse will feature multiple, simpler ways to save on the products you love; offers from 10% to 100% cash back; and the chance to give back to schools in your area every time you add a receipt to your account.
So what do you need to do to ensure that you can use the new Endorse when it goes live?
* If you are a current Endorse user, you don’t need to do anything. You will be amongst the first to get access to the new Endorse app. You’ll receive an email with all the information that you need to start using the free app (the emails will likely be sent in the next few weeks).
* If you have never signed up to be an Endorse member, do not fret. You can simply head over here and sign up to be placed on the Waiting List.
(Thanks, The Frugal Find!)
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Treecycler: Plant Another Free Tree (Facebook)
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Friday, April 27th, 2012 at 11:59 am.
In honor of Arbor Day, here’s another opportunity to plant a free tree without ever having to leave your home! Head on over to the Treecycler Facebook page, “like” them, and click on the Play Our Game tab to snag a unique code that will enable you to “plant” a tree in one of many reforestation projects around the globe.
* And if you haven’t already, you can also click on the Plant a Tree tab to snag another unique code to plant yet another free tree. Yeah!
Come back and let us know where you planted your tree(s)! 
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Free Credit Score e-Book (+ Get Your Free Credit Score – No Credit Card Required!)
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 at 2:54 pm.
If you’re planning on making a big purchase in the near future (house, car, etc.) or will be applying for a loan, you may be interested in looking for ways to improve your credit score. If so, head on over to Amazon.com to download a FREE copy of Your Credit Score: How to Improve the 3-Digit Number That Shapes Your Financial Future (regularly $19.99!).
* If you don’t have a Kindle, keep in mind that you can still read books on your computer or other mobile devices with the FREE Kindle Reading Apps found here.
And, on another note… for a limited time, you can head over to Credit Sesame to get your credit score for FREE! Yep, no strings attached! Credit Sesame is a 100% FREE personal finance credit and debt management tool with NO credit card required or trial period. Credit Sesame will give you an instant view of your credit, including your Experian credit score (refreshed monthly).
(Thanks, Lady Savings & What’s In My Bookbag!)
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Common Coupon Newbie Questions Needed (Plus, Enter to Win 1 of 5 $100 Prize Packages!)
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Monday, April 23rd, 2012 at 1:59 pm.
I am really excited to be filming a Question & Answer video next month with TODAY.com. To make this video successful and informative, I need your help! Please head over here to share any common Coupon Newbie questions that you think need an answer (please make these general questions and not store-specific questions). Whether you’re a first-time couponer (or maybe you’ve yet to use a coupon!) or an experienced pro, please share your questions here.
In return for sharing your question(s), you will be entered to win one of 5 surprise packages full of some of my favorite things (valued at $100 each)! Be sure to submit your questions by Friday, April 27th, at 11:59PM EST to be eligible to win one of the 5 prize packages. So what are you waiting for? Head over here and share those questions with me!
Thanks so much for your help!
* Note: The giveaway of the $100 Surprise packages is sponsored entirely by Hip2Save.com
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Treecycler: Plant a Free Tree (Facebook)
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Friday, April 20th, 2012 at 1:27 pm.
Here’s an easy way to plant a tree without ever having to leave your home! Head on over to the Treecycler Facebook page, “like” them, and click on the Get a Code tab to snag a unique code that will enable you to “plant” a tree in one of many reforestation projects around the globe. Since I am now an Idahoan, I opted to plant a tree in the Idaho Department of Lands.
* Treecycler is hoping to plant 10,000 trees by Earth Day…that’s 2 days away! So let’s help them out (and the earth too)!
Come back and let us know where you planted a tree!
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Food on the Table: *HOT* FREE Meal Planning Service for LIFE (Through 4/30)
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 at 3:43 pm.
This *HOT* offer is available again this month (through 4/30)! Make sure to take advantage of it while you can!
If you dread planning your weekly menu or have just run out of new (and healthy) meals, then this is the post for you! Food on the Table is an online budget meal planning service designed to help families eat better and save money. Combining the weekly sales from your local grocery store with your family’s food preferences, Food on the Table creates a family-friendly meal plan based on kid-friendly recipes. And here’s the best part, they send you to the store with a printable grocery list that can also be viewed on your smartphone (Food on the Table offers a FREE mobile app in the iPhone App Store and Android Market). Love it!
…And, even sweeter, for a limited time you can use promo code SPRINGFREE to score their meal planning service FREE for life! WooHoo!
Here’s what you need to do to get started…
* Click here and enter your email address + the promo code SPRINGFREE
(don’t log in with Facebook, as you won’t be able to apply promo code)
* Choose your local grocery store from the list provided
* You’ll then be prompted to select your food preferences (pick out your favorite meats, indicate whether you have any food allergies, pick your favorite types of food like Mexican or Italian)
* You’ll then be provided with a list of the items on sale at your local store and you’ll need to pick what you’re in the mood for. Then just browse through all the recommended recipes, pick the ones that sound the most appealing to you and add all of them to your weekly meal plan.
* Once you have decided on all the recipes, you’ll be presented with a grocery list that you can print, email to yourself and/or send to your iPhone!
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FREE Domino’s Pizza & a Happy Hubby
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Tuesday, April 17th, 2012 at 2:13 pm.
Just a reminder that today is the last day (Oops! Actually it’s tomorrow, 4/18) to score your FREE Artisan pizza from Domino’s if you took advantage of their Facebook offer.
As you can see from the picture above, my hubby took full advantage of this offer! It’s also his 32nd birthday today, so I wanted to make sure to give a big shout out to my best friend and the one person in my life who gives me so many “gum” moments! Man, am I lucky!
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Mint.com: Manage Your Money for FREE (Plus, Hip2Save Reader Reviews)
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Friday, April 6th, 2012 at 11:12 am.
If you are a fairly new Hip2Save reader, then you may not have seen my previous post on “How are YOU getting organized in 2012?” earlier this year. Well, since it’s already April (where has the time gone!?), I thought I’d remind you about Mint.com, the perfect FREE tool for those of you who are determined to find an easy way to create (and follow) a budget. As I’ve mentioned before, Mint.com is a secure web–based solution for online financial management and the best part– it’s FREE!
Remember the “Coupon Millionaire“?…they use Mint.com!
Here’s how it works…
*First, go here where you’ll be able to register anonymously using any valid email address, and then add the log–in information for the online bank, credit union, credit card and investment accounts you want to consolidate in Mint.com.
*Mint connects securely to nearly all US banking financial institutions that have Internet banking capability; your account information is updated daily.
*Mint automatically categorizes all your purchases, showing you how much you spend on gas, groceries, parking, rent, restaurants, DVD rentals and more. (I love the fact that Mint creates pie charts of your expenses…it definitely helps those of us who are visual learners 
); Mint also provides you with tools to plan, create and track a budget
*Mint automatically analyzes and graphs your investment performance, showing you how you’re doing versus relevant market indices like the S&P 500 and highlighting the fees you’re paying in each of your accounts.
*Mint’s advanced alerting system sends you email or SMS messages (your choice) on any unusual activity, low balances, fees and upcoming bills so you’re in constant contact with your money.
*Mint.com uses bank-level data security verified by Verisign and TrustE; you’re anonymous on Mint.com; you don’t share your name, address, social security number or account numbers.
Check out some of these rave reviews of Mint.com from Hip2Save readers:
I LOVE MINT AND RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY. It’s free and easy to use once you get all the information update to day. I do love the budgeting tool. Its good away to see everything all at once. I hated quicken and never go it to work. Its safe in my opinion.
I use Mint and I love it. Mint is VERY thorough with their security. They use Yodlee to store your bank info, which is the very same service that Bank of America uses for its online banking. It is actually just as safe as logging into your online banking account.
I’ve used Mint for almost a year and haven’t had any issues with security. It has been really good for seeing where my money goes and to see what I can still cut out and also how much some of my budget cuts are helping. It also has a “reimbursable” category for items purchased for all those rebates… which is a substantial amount of the non perishable items I purchase. I’d highly recommend it.
If you are currently one of the 1 million members of Mint.com, please let us know in the comment section below what you think of this budgeting tool…has it made you more aware of your expenses and has it helped you stick with a budget? Let us know!
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What do YOU Splurge On?!
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 at 2:06 pm.
Back in January 2011 (so over a year ago – boy time flies!), I posted about my splurges and also asked what you all splurged on. It definitely made for lots of discussion in the comment section and was fun to read. I think it was also great for me to see that you all splurge as well since we frugalistas tend to sometimes feel guilty over splurges.
So, once again, I think it’s time to have a splurge discussion!
Being a coupon and deal blogger, I get emails from people all the time thinking somehow I use coupons on every single item I buy and never pay full price for anything. Well, that is honestly very, very far from the truth. I do use coupons when and where I can. I do try to negotiate deals and pay far below the retail cost for lots of items. However, I am not able to do this in all aspects of my life.
First, think how overwhelming and very time-consuming it would be to try to scrimp and save in all areas. Think about how stressful it would be to constantly try to make sure you never pay full retail for ANYTHING. I could never do that and truthfully, I wouldn’t want to do that.
There is something to be said about splurging! It is, well, kinda freeing. When you’re taking the time to save money and use coupons, then you also deserve to take some time for an occasional splurge. Plus, think about it like dieting. When you diet and restrict your food intake, what do you end up doing? I know what I do – BINGE… Cake, donuts and ice cream become my best friend! Same goes for restricting your budget to the point where you have no wiggle room. Sooner or later a spending binge will ensue. Trust me… I have been there more than once! 
In my opinion, moderation is key.
So with that being said, here are my favorite splurges:
*Designer denim (Yes, I like my jeans!)
*Coffee/lattes/cappuccinos (I try to use coupons, but there have been times when I’ve paid full price!)
*Pedicures
*Bumble & Bumble hair care products
*Apple products (I can’t live without my Macbook!)
*Vitamix
*CrossFit (I started doing this at the beginning of the year and am lovin’ it, so worth the membership fee – IMO. And definitely is a great way to start the morning! OK, I may not think that the morning of. )
Now what about YOU?! What are your splurges?
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Food on the Table: *HOT* FREE Meal Planning Service for LIFE (Through 3/31)
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Friday, March 30th, 2012 at 3:31 pm.
WooHoo! This *HOT* offer is available again this month (thru 3/31)! Take advantage of it while you can!
If you dread planning your weekly menu or have just run out of new (and healthy) meals, then this is the post for you! Food on the Table is an online budget meal planning service designed to help families eat better and save money. Combining the weekly sales from your local grocery store with your family’s food preferences, Food on the Table creates a family-friendly meal plan based on kid-friendly recipes. And here’s the best part, they send you to the store with a printable grocery list that can also be viewed on your smartphone (Food on the Table offers a FREE mobile app in the iPhone App Store and Android Market). Love it!
…And, even sweeter, for a limited time you can use promo code MARFREE to score their meal planning service FREE for life! WooHoo!
Here’s what you need to do to get started…
* Click here and enter your email address + the promo code MARFREE
(don’t log in with Facebook, as you won’t be able to apply promo code)
* Choose your local grocery store from the list provided
* You’ll then be prompted to select your food preferences (pick out your favorite meats, indicate whether you have any food allergies, pick your favorite types of food like Mexican or Italian)
* You’ll then be provided with a list of the items on sale at your local store and you’ll need to pick what you’re in the mood for. Then just browse through all the recommended recipes, pick the ones that sound the most appealing to you and add all of them to your weekly meal plan.
* Once you have decided on all the recipes, you’ll be presented with a grocery list that you can print, email to yourself and/or send to your iPhone!
Video: The secret to discounted produce: Ask!
