Free Tote Bag from Real Simple

Tomorrow, May 13, is the last day to order the free Disney Vacation DVD and get a free Real Simple Tote Bag. Visit DisneyVacations.com/Tote and order a free vacation planning DVD. Mail a printout of the final "Thank you" page with your name and address to:

Real Simple/Alamo "Tote Bag" Offer

c/o USSC

625 Panorama Trail (Bldg. 2 Suite 100)

Rochester,  NY 14625-2437

Click here for more information.

Free CFL Bulbs

Energy Efficient Now is offering 2 free CFL light bulbs. All you have to do is go here and request them. This is apparently a "no strings attached" offer -- but when you are done requesting the bulbs an offer for a free water pitcher pops up. This is a one of those sneaky "participation required" offers, so be careful!

Yet More Free Tote Bags...

Red Gold Tomatoes, Nursery Water, and Earthbound Farms are all offering free reusable grocery bags!

To receive a FREE Red Gold Tote Bag click here and register for the Red Gold online e-newsletter, Tomato Country. After registering, enter the 12 digit UPC barcode on the back of the label and the 14 digit product code found on the top or bottom of a can of Red Gold tomatoes. OFFER VALID: April 19, 2010 to May 7, 2010 or while supplies last.

To receive a FREE Nursery Water Tote Bag, click here, scroll down to the green button and request your bag. This offer resets every day at 12 noon EST (11 am Central, 10 am Mountain, 9 am Pacific), so if you miss out just come back the next day.

To receive a FREE Earthbound Farms Tote Bag, click here, then click on the "Next Chance to Win a Shopping Bag" icon. This will take you to a quiz, answer the questions and win a free bag. BUT, only click on the shopping bag icon when it says "Right Now," otherwise all you will win is a coupon.

Free Reusable Tote from Target

Tomorrow, April 18, the first day of "Earth Week," Target is giving away free reusable shopping totes. It is one to a customer, and they will probably go fast, so get there early!

Free Makeup Tools

For their "Look Gorgeous, Love Green Campaign," EcoTools is collecting used cosmetic brushes and bath + body care products and swapping them for an EcoTools alternative.

For each item turned in, participants will receive a coupon for a free EcoTools alternative! [Up to $7.99 value, limit 2 coupons per person]. To continue to show respect to the earth, items collected will be recycled. Click here for more information.

I Love Groupon!

From the Groupon FAQ:

What is Groupon?

Each day, Groupon features an unbeatable deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in your city. By promising businesses a minimum number of customers, we get discounts you won't find anywhere else. We call it "collective buying power!"

The discounts are amazing - they range from 50% to 85% and they are for things people would normally buy. If enough people buy a given Groupon "the deal is on" and everyone who signed up gets the discount. Groupon is available in about 40-45 cites - including my city, St. Louis, MO. I have purchased Groupons for:

Straubs - grocery store that has the best meat in STL - and is normally out of my price range

Verve - my favorite hair salon in the world

Women's Closet Exchange - designer resale

Body Options Massage - gift for my husband

I'm not affiliated with or paid by Groupon or any of these merchants - I'm just a fan!

Click here to see if Groupon is available in your city and if it is, sign up.

A Good Start for the New Year

I have a Bank of America World Points Visa -- and I just got a check from them for $250.00 because I had accumulated enough points!

Free Seafood

You can get a coupon for a free frozen seafood entree from Sea Cuisine. The offer officially begins at 3 p.m. Eastern and is good only for today, January 10. The entrees are tilapia, cod, salmon and shrimp with various seasonings.

While you are there, enter their Dinner's on Us sweepstakes to win free seafood coupons and a grocery store gift card.

Yearly wrap up

I've tried to keep track of what I've earned and saved through rebates, frugality, etc. After all, you can't improve things if you don't measure them!

I've been very good about keeping track of earnings but much less diligent about keeping track of savings through sales prices and coupons. Anyhow, here are the totals for 2009:

Earnings (from rebates, surveys, focus groups, sales on Amazon and Craig's List): $2,004.54

Savings (sale prices and coupons): $143.58

Earnings (non-cash GCs, free products): $164.68

DHs net Amazon sales: $3,079.53 (His Amazon store is here.)