Thursday, March 31, 2011

Movies I Bought at Blockbuster

These are some of the movies I bought at Blockbuster's going out of business sale (the past few weeks):

Labou (kid's movie - no clue)
$1.99

Martian Child (super cute movie)
$1.99

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo $4.99

The Girl Who Played With Fire $4.99

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest $4.99

Goonies approx. $3.19*

Dirty Dancing (I LOVE this movie) approx. $3.19*

Choke (my sister said it was interesting)99 cents

Factory Girl (wanted to see it never did) 99 cents

Special (weird movie- review coming up later) 99 cents

Lars and the Real Girl (can't remember if I saw this or not) 99 cents

Henry Poole is Here (heard it was good) 99 cents

I (heart) Huckabees (can't remember if I saw this or not) 99 cents

Bart Got A Room (I seriously bought this BECAUSE of the photo of William H. Macy and his jerry curl - no lie - I will scan it later and post it- too funny!)
check out his jerry curl 99 cents

* Part of a deal that first week they were going out of business : movies were $9.99 but if you signed up for a free Blockbuster online trial you got one movie free and also that day they gave you a $5 credit to use towards your purchase.

Survey Sites













Do not join Survey Spot. I was a member for years and loved them. I always waited a while until I had a nice amount and then would cash out. I had over $75 in it and went to cash out and they refused to give me my money because I had not done any surveys for 6 months. Now mind you I was still able to log in and still received their emails. Yet, they could not bother to either just send me my earnings or inform me that if I did not do a survey within a certain amount of time that my money would no longer be available. I always left my money in there until I had a certain amount. These companies pay the survey sites to pay you for doing the surveys and focus groups. So how I see it they stole not only from me but also the companies that I did the focus groups and surveys for.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Some Goodies for You





Quiznos

Walmart

Since Walmart now has it in their coupon policy that they give overage I have actually shopped there 2 times in the last 2 weeks. Generally, I shop there a couple of times a year. I did have an issue with the coupons since the cashier was not aware of the policy but a manager o.k.'d it.

This week I bought the following:
Plastic large toy ball $1 (my son had 2 of these but they blew away- this one I will keep in the car to take to the park)
3 Gain 40ct fabric softener sheets $1.87 each = $5.61 (they had tons this time)
2 Carefree liners @ .94 cents each = $1.88 (this is the cheapest I ever see them) Candy Lane Game $5.00 (found the form for a free Tombstone pizza with purchase of game)

Total before taxes and coupons = $13.49

Coupons I used:
(3) $3 off Gain (expire this week)
(2) .50 cents off Carefree

New total after coupons and taxes = $4.44 which I used a $10 giftcard to pay so I still have $5.56 left on it for next time. So I bought 3 Gains, 2 Carefrees, 1 Ball and 1 Game for less than $5 and will also receive back in the mail a coupon for a free pizza. Not too bad. I am not that great with overage like some people but I was happy for the $3 in overage that I got.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Miss Potter

Oh, I loved this movie! It was adorable. This looks to be a Blockbuster exclusive so good chance you will only be able to get through Blockbuster. I am hoping I can find it at the Blockbuster near me that is going out of business. Because I definitely want to own this.

This is about Beatrix Potter who wrote all of those wonderful children's books (The Tale of Peter Rabbit etc.).

Miss Potter
Director: Chris Noonan
Writer: Richard Maltby Jr.
Stars:Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor and Emily Watson 2006

Friday, March 25, 2011

Walmart

I decided to go to Walmart today to see what type of overage (new Walmart coupon policy here) I could get from my coupons. I didn't do too well since they only had 1 Gain. :(

Here is what I did buy though:

1 Gain (the only one they had) $1.87
Toy Story Comfy Throw (like a Snuggie) $3 (clearance)
2 Carefree Liners 94 cents each = $1.88
Spiderman large bucket $3 (I will use this for Easter since I mainly buy my son toy items and not candy)

Total before taxes and coupons = $9.75

Coupons I used :
$3 off Gain
(2) 50 cents off Carefree

New total = $6.44

Not too great but it was nice to get the $1 overage from the Gain ( I count after tax overage).

New Weekly Feature ~ Movie Monday

O.k. so I have been watching way too many movies lately. So many in fact that I decided to make it a feature on my blog. I will list a movie each week that I have watched. It will be a super short review - maybe so simple as "good movie" or "horrid movie". Though some reviews will obviously be longer.


Ever since I hooked up the tv to the computer I have been watching movies every single day! Some of the movies I have been watching have been through Amazon Prime and some through ch131.com. I also have a trial of blockbuster which ends this coming week so loads of movies from that too.


So stay tuned.......

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Gift Card Rescue

Here is a way to buy gift cards for cheaper than their face value. You can also sell any gift cards that you do not want!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Hooking Up Your TV to Your Computer

O.k. so I do not have a fancy new tv nor do I have cable (gasp!). In fact I do not get any channels at all even with that box thing (and an antenna connected to my tv) that was supposed to help (if you don't have an antenna on your roof chances are you won't get many or any channels).

My tv is actually a hand me down (a hotel was throwing it out) and according to the sticker on it it is from 2006. Which I am very surprised it is that new. The one before that is from about 1998. Not saying I would not just about kill for one of those pretty flat screen models but um yeah I can't afford it right now. It will have to wait. :(


So for the past couple of years I have been watching tv via the computer. Which is great and all but it kind of sucks since it isn't like I can lay on the couch while doing so. So I have been looking into finding a way to hook my computer up to my tv. Well, I finally did it!


This website (hookpctotv.com) really helped me out. When I had a question I emailed them and someone actually responded back to me (within a couple of hours no less!). They have step by step instructions depending on what kind of computer (desktop or laptop) and what kind of tv you have (crt or hd). Very good info that I highly recommend checking out first.


Here are the items I bought and how I hooked them all up. I bought everything from Amazon.com to make it easier and to use some of my gift cards. Prices listed are the going price as of 03/17.


Pro-Techgroup Premium GOLD Series VGA SVGA Monitor Projector Splitter cable - double shielded Gold plated to support higher Video resolutions $8.89 I highly recommend this so you don't have to constantly plug and unplug your VGA cord (this is what your monitor hooks up to your computer with). I actually bent some of the pins on mine! This will dim your computer screen a tad. You could unhook the cord going to your computer screen after you have everything up an running and o.k. on your tv. I choose to just deal with it. For me it is not that bad.


USB/AC for MP3 Players - White $2.26 This way I do not have to use an USB cord to hook up the converter box to my computer to power it. I would have had to buy a super long usb cord to do so. Also my computer is older (2006) and it does not charge my mp3 player so chances are it might not have worked anyways.

Cables To Go 40616 Velocity 3.5mm Stereo Male to Dual RCA Male Y-Cable (25 Feet, Blue) $15.25 I had bought 12 foot ones but they proved to be too short.

RCA Male / RCA Male, High Quality, Composite Video Cable, 25 ft $4.45

VideoSecu VGA2TV PC Laptop Mac Computer to TV Presentation Converter VGA to RCA /VGA to Video S-Video 1L7 $18.99 This is I guess you could say is the brain of all of this.


S-Video Cable 25 ft. Gold Plated $5.36 Depending on your video output on your tv or vcr/dvd player you may or may not need this.

Belkin F3H982-25 Pro Series High-Integrity VGA/SVGA Monitor Replacement Cable (25 ft.) $10.99

Yes, there will be loads of cords. But I am sure you could find some way to make them not so out in the open (like at my house where I trip all over them lol).

This is how you hook up everything:

*My tv does not have an S video hook up so I am also using my vcr/dvd player.


S - video cable connects to converter box plus vcr/dvd player or tv depending

Yellow rca cable connects to the converter box and to the tv (this cord was included with converter box)

stereo rca cables (red and white) connects to computer and tv you would plug this into your computer where your speaker plug goes

vga cable converter connects to vga splitter cord (connected to computer)

usb cord (included with converter box) connects to converter box and usb/ac(you could hook it up to your computer instead but I used this ac since I didn't have a long enough cord)

Also make sure the jumpers on the converter box are both down (for people in America at least).

My thoughts? So far I really like it. I am able to watch movies from Amazon (I purchased Amazon Prime) now on my computer and can also watch movies, tv shows etc. from any website now on my computer. I hate the million cords but I am going to hopefully soon spend some time rearranging things to make it not so annoying. I have a 2 month Netflix subscription (bday present from my sister) so I plan to be watching loads of movies soon while laying on my couch. lol

A lot of network tv stations have websites that allow you to watch their tv shows (like a week after it airs). There is also Hula, channel131, Amazon, Netflix etc. Some are free and some are not. I did pay $79.99 for Amazon Prime for 1 year which includes free 2 day shipping and they also offer some of their movies and tv shows for free to watch. Hula has free movies and tv shows also that you can watch online (though if you hook up your tv to your computer you can watch them on your tv too). Channel131.com is free and has loads of movies and tv shows.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

This is Kind of Cool

Take the last 2 digits of the year you were born and add your age (the age you will be for your 2011 bday). Now do the same with a family member's or a friend's info. Notice anything? Yep, it is the same as yours. Everyone's is eleven. This happens every 100 years. Pretty cool huh?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Puritan's Pride Vitamin Sale B1G1F or B2G3F


This is a good time to stock up on vitamins. Puritan's Pride has their buy one get one free or buy two get three free sale going on right now. I am also able to offer my readers the following discount below.

$15 OFF $100 at Puritan's Pride Vitamins! Enter code: TAPSV15 at checkout. Valid: 3.16.11 - 3.25.11

I have purchased vitamins from them for years now. In fact I just got an order last week from them. They have great prices and this is an awesome sale.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Ebates

Ebates has online rebates and coupons for over 1,200 stores! This is one of those stores that you go through their link to whatever shopping site you choose and then you get cash back on your purchase. They also have coupon codes available on their site to help you spend less. I have been using them a lot since I signed up and have already had 2 checks sent to me. They also offer specials where they double the cash back for certain stores.

They are free to join and they generally have a sign up bonus of $5 to $10 when you sign up. Go here for details.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Gift Card Rescue

Here is a way to buy gift cards for cheaper than their face value. You can also sell any gift cards that you do not want!

Super Cheap Prescription Eyeglasses!

EyeBuyDirect.com has a bogo sale right now. Use code IFXCMPD8KD for an additional 15%off. You can get 2 pairs of glasses with your prescription for as low as $14.95 for 2pairs with this sale and code IFXCMPD8KD!!! I have bought from them before and am very happy with the glasses I have bought. Look at one of my previous orders below to see a way to order the $7.95 ones and still get the bogo deal.


Terms & Conditions
Buy One Get One Free ends March 14th midnight PST
Minimum order $14.95 per pair
Free eyeglasses- cheaper of the two
Offer not including sunglasses, designer & sport glasses
Offer includes single vision lenses with anti-scratch coating.
Additional upgrades available, extra charges may apply
No double discounts- Buy one Get one Free overrides other
coupons & discounts

Here is an example of previous order of mine.

1 x Bulle (MT1635) = $7.95

1 x Rogers (FX0064) = $7.95

1 x JA00049 (PL0938) = $7.95 + $6.95 (Anti-Reflective)= $14.90

1 x Vevey (PL1271) = $7.95

Promotion 2-4-1 save: $15.90
Sub-Total: $22.85
USPS: $5.95
Total: $28.80

4 pairs of prescription glasses (with prescription anti scratch lenses),carrying case and polishing cloth for less than $30 shipped!!!


****If you order the $7.95 ones you have to have atleast one pair have something added to it to take off the other pair. It says they have to be a min. of 14.95 but as you can see from my above order that I got 2 pairs free when I made one of them go up to $14.90. So I only needed one pair to cost $14.90 and not 2 pairs. I guess the 5 cents did not make a difference.

Right now they are having a BOGO (buy one get one free) sale! Glasses start at $7.95 and this INCLUDES your prescription lenses!! I am ordering this week for sure! Basic shipping is $5.95!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Super Cheap Wipes!! About a penny a piece!

If you have one of those $10 off coupons for Amazon that was in various magazines this is a super good deal! Make sure you sign up for Amazon Mom (which is free).



Estimated delivery date for your first Subscribe & Save order: March 8, 2011 - Tuesday
Seventh Generation Baby Wipes Refills, Chlorine Free and Unscented, 70-Count Packs (Pack of 12) (840 Wipes)
Price: $27.82
$19.47 (after 30% discount)
Quantity: 1 - In Stock
Includes the standard 15% Subscribe & Save discount, plus an additional 15% discount for Amazon Mom members.
Condition: New
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC


Amazon Prime Member
Items: $27.82
Shipping & Handling: $0.00 (Amazon Prime Member)
Promotion Applied -$10.00 (from baby magazine)
Subscription Discount -$8.35 (subscribe and save - which I will cancel)

Total Before Tax: $9.47 for 840 wipes!! About a penny each!!
Estimated Tax: $0.00

Order Total: $9.47


Not only cheap wipes but ones that are safer for the environment. I will admit I have never tried these (because of the price) but for the price I am getting them they will be worth it. My son is 4 but we still use wipes for just about everything. I use them to wash off his face, hands, feet you name it! I also still wipe his bottom every night before putting his pjs on so this way I know he is nice and clean. He is completely potty trained but even with using the flushable wipes (which I do not flush) I still feel more comfortable to wipe his butt each night with a wipe. So with these wipes I know we will be stocked up for quite some time. After I get them and use them I will let you all know how they are.




Product Features
Pack of 12, 70 count wipes (840 wipes in total)
Natural baby wipes don't contain synthetic ingredients that may irritate baby skin
Contains aloe vera, Vitamin E, and water for natural moisturization
Contains no alcohol or fragrances
Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
Chlorine-free whitening process eliminates chlorinated hydrocarbons from harming the environment,
It Contains aloe vera, Vitamin E, and water for natural moisturization
It doesnt contain synthetic ingredients that may irritate baby skin

Friday, March 4, 2011

What's Been Going On With Me Lately

Well, all sorts of stuff. Some good, some bad. My son and myself have been getting sick off and on. Though I suppose that is normal for this time of the year. Though I will say the one week I was so sick I could barely function. Not fun at all.

I took a horrid test for school the other day and even with the 5 million distractions I actually did o.k. (or atleast that was what I was told). Some of the 5 million distractions included : way too much yapping going on (I mean seriously it was driving me crazy!!) and the class bells going off (I don't remember them being that annoying). Seriously, I wanted to just get up and leave I was so distracted the entire time. Also the computer screen was giving me issues.

I start school next week. Though not where I thought I was going to. So now since there is apparently no parking I get to walk 10 blocks back and forth to school. Which might not be so bad if I did not sweat like a pig and have the absolute worst hair imaginable. So yeah I should look oh so cute by the time I walk into class. Not too mention that I will be out of breathe and sounding like one of those ducks (you know what I am talking about???). Yes, 10 blocks is going to kill me (yep, out of shape here!). I don't mind the actual walking if it weren't for the sweating, hair blowing all around and make up sliding off my face and then having to walk into a college with attractive, young, pretty people in it. Ya know? So needless to say I am not too thrilled. I also have no clothes that fit me aside from baggy t-shirts and jeans so I will be looking absolutely wonderful. I have also been breaking out. So I might as well go to school with a bag over my head so no one will see who is looking like a massive sweaty slob. Fun times ahead!

I am glad that I am finally getting this whole school thing over with. I mean don't get me wrong I am happy. I just wish I was not so completely repulsive while doing so. Why couldn't I just been born beautiful and rich?? If only.....

The walking would be fine if it was just for the exercise and not to actually get somewhere. I already planned on walking every morning but now I won't have to since I will be for school.

I also just as of today bought some items that will allow me to hook up tv and computer so I can watch anything that I can from the computer on my tv. I will let you know the items and how easy it was or not and if it works after I get them. But it cost $51.55 minus $5 swagbucks amazon gift card = $46.55. Then I decided to go ahead and do the Amazon Prime for $79.99 a year (immediately canceled the auto renewal) so I could also stream all the movies for free from Amazon (which is now included in the Amazon Prime - not the free trials though). So not only will I for the next year get an upgrade of free 2 day shipping I also get unlimited Amazon Instant Video. Which boils down to $6.67 each month which is cheaper than Netflix.

Yesterday I stopped at a Blockbuster that was going out of business. The prices were still high ($9.99 for used dvds) though they had a deal going on : sign up at the store for a free month trial of Blockbuster online and receive 1 used movie from the store, $5 gift card to use right then, and a free rental at another Blockbuster (which happens to be by my house). So I bought 2 movies: The Goonies and Dirty Dancing for 7 something. Oh I also bought a bag of chips (which is odd since I never eat chips -I am talking maybe 1x in 2 or 3 years). So I will cancel the account a day before the free trial is up. I really wanted both of those movies so I figure that is not a horrid price for both. Hopefully, by next week they will have their movies cheaper. I made out pretty good when Hollywood Video was going out of business last year.

FYI - Amazon Prime users can watch 5000 (actually 2,236 - they count each episode) movies and tv shows for free. I personally do not feel the selection is all that great. The better and newer movies you still have to pay to watch. Keep this in mind if you are considering getting it just for the movies. If so, it is not comparable to Netflix. Now if you are planning on buying loads of things from Amazon and you would prefer 2 day shipping then the addition of the movies and tv shows you can watch for free is a nice bonus when getting and paying for Amazon Prime. As of this moment I am very disappointed and wish I would have looked into it a bit more. Maybe I will change my mind after I get the devices in the mail to connect to my tv. Granted, who knows what the movie selection will be like in a couple of months or even 6 months.Hopefully, it gets better.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Some of Today's Groupon Deals

$25 for $50 Worth of Customized T-shirts and Gifts from CafePress.

$15 for $50 Worth of Photo Books, Cards, and More from Mixbook.

The above are both Chicago deals (you do not have to live in Chicago to purchase them).

Go here for details.


$25 for $75 Worth of Wine from Wine Insiders' Online Store.

$25 for Five Baby Genius DVDs, Plus Five Free Bonus CDs.

Those two are both in New York City deals (again you do not have to live in New York to purchase them).


You can sign up for Groupon here. It's free to join.