What’s the Bzz…..

About four years ago, I discovered a really cool website called BzzAgent.com The purpose of the site is to maximize on the power of “word of mouth marketing.” When you sign up on their site, you become a “Bzz Agent.” You respond to a variety of surveys about your interests and products you use, and based on your responses, you get invited to join different campaigns. Usually, once you join a campaign, you get to test a variety of products and spread the word to your friends and family. Each campaign usually includes free products (or coupons for free products) as well as coupons to share with others.

Some of the products I have gotten in the past include: Ralph Lauren perfume, Hershey’s Take 5 candy, Nutella, Skinny Cow milk, fantastik OxyPower, Hillshire Farms Entree salads, Arby’s Chicken Naturals, Coppertone sunscreen, Ziploc Zip ‘n Steam bags, Sonicare UV Sanitizer, Listerine Whitening strips, Chili’s Smokehouse bacon burger (this was one of our favorite campaigns!), Glade Wisp flameless candle, Claritin RediTabs, and Back to Nature Nuts and Trail Mixes. I have also gotten to read several different books.

What I’m Bzzing right now

Currently, I am a member of three separate Bzz Campaigns:

*Teddy Grahams Trail Mix: This has been a HUGE hit with my family! We all love the Bears & Bees mix. My daughter informed me that she NEEDED it for her snack/lunches when she starts school this week and made sure that she told her daddy that he was not to touch it because it was for her and ONLY her. A box does not last long around here.

You can read my full review about the mix here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/882055/product_review_teddy_grahams_trail.html?page=2&cat=22

They also have some great activities for preschoolers. You can access those here:

*Max Factor makeup: I just got my Bzz kit for this last week. It came with a full size ColorGenius Mineral Blush, Lipfinity Longwear Lipcolor, Lash Perfection Volume Couture Mascara, and a blush brush.

So far, the only thing I have tried is the Lipfinity Longwear Lipcolor, but I am in LOVE with it! There are two separate tubes. One is a tube with the colored lipstick. The lipstick is in a liquid type form and you apply it with a brush. You let it dry for 60 seconds, and then you apply the “moisturizing top coat” which looks like a clear tube of lipstick. I was amazed because I thought for sure that the color would come off on the clear tube, but it didn’t. I’m one of those people who constantly has to check my teeth after I apply lipstick because more often than not, I will have some on my teeth. Since I started using the Lipfinity Longwear Lipcolor, I no longer have that problem. The color does NOT come off, even after you apply the top coat. I have also found that the color lasts throughout the work day, so I just have to reapply the moisturizing top coat periodically to add a shine.

This lipstick is so easy that even those with little makeup sense (myself included) can apply it easily! You can find out more about Max Factor products here:

maxfactor.com

*Pedia-lax – I have not yet received my Bzz kit for this campaign, but my daughter has had her struggles with constipation and I know plenty of others who have kids in the same boat, so we’re looking forward to learning more about it!

If you want to get in on spreading the Bzz, check out the website here and sign up to be a Bzz Agent yourself!

Walgreens $5 off a $20 purchase – good today and tomorrow

I got this coupon in my e-mail and thought I’d share. It’s good for $5 off a $20 purchase:
http://www.walgreens.com/hotbuys/default.jsp?ec=hn579_getcoupon

Here’s the fine print:
Valid in Walgreens stores on Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23, only during regular store hours. Excludes alcohol, tobacco, prescriptions, prescription copays, gift cards, pre-paid cards, and items prohibited by law. Purchase amount of $20 or more must be before taxes and after coupons and discounts. Limit one coupon per customer.

There are also coupons for 39 cent Papermate pens and mechanical pencils, 39 cent erasers, a 39 cent writing tablet, and 39 cent Sharpies.

There are lots of “free after rebate” items in the Easysaver catalog this month so you could get money back. They also do refills on ink cartridges – $10 for black and $15 for color.

The weekly Walgreens deals are in this thread here:
http://melziemomsbargains.blogspot.com/2008/08/this-weeks-bargains-817-823.html

I will probably do this:
Buy 6 Skippy peanut butter – $10 (get $4 RR)
Buy Dixie paper plates (BOGO) – $3.79
Buy 2 Pert Plus – $3.79 (free after rebate on one)
Buy 3 Papermate pencils/pens – $1.17 (.39/each)
Buy 3 Sharpies – $1.17 (.39/each)
Buy 3 writing tablets – $1.17 (.39/each)
Buy 2 Bic products – spend at least $3.12 (these are “fillers”)

Use:
3 $1/2 Skippy coupons
2 $2 off Pert Plus coupons
Walgreens in ad coupons for Papermate, Sharpies, writing tablets
$1/2 Bic products
$5/20 Walgreens coupon

Spend $15, get $4 RR, $3.79 Walgreens rebate, and $5 rebate for the ‘school supplies’ from Pert
Total OOP after RR and rebates ~ $2.21!

Cheap Luvs diapers at Target

Luvs jumbo packs of diapers are on sale at Target this week for $6.99. There is a printable Target store coupon for $1/1 that can be found here:

http://www.luvs.com/en_US/images/LUVS_TARGET_email/0806_AugLuvs_WebCpns.pdf

This coupon can be combined with manufacturer’s coupons which will make CHEAP diapers! If your store happens to be out of the size you are looking for, don’t forget to get a rain check!

Something fun…

A link to this blog post was posted on a message board I frequent. If you’re new to couponing, a lot of this might not make sense (and it might even scare you away). If you’ve been couponing for awhile, you’ll laugh the whole time because you know that it’s all true!

http://frugalinvirginia.blogspot.com/2008/08/i-married-couponaholic-5-ways-life-has.html

(For the record, I haven’t stooped to buying Joint Juice just yet, but I did buy Just for Men Touch of Gray hair color once – no….my husband doesn’t have a hint of gray hair, but it was free after ECBs, plus there was a rebate….I just couldn’t help myself….I have since reformed my ways…)

This week’s bargains (8/17-8/23)

Here are the bargains for this week: (It’s kind of a slow week from what I’m seeing so far, which is kind of a relief for me because between going back to work last week and all of the deals, I’m burned out!)

CVS: (not many ECB, but some BOGO free deals)
**My ad scans this week came from here:
http://iheartcvs.com/2008/08/817-823-weekly-ecb-deals-preview.html

*Buy Ascensia Contour system ($19.99) and Colgate Total Whitening Toothpaste with free toothbrush, get $5. (not a bad deal if you have the $30 Contour coupon, a $1.50 Colgate coupon, and use the $2/10…it ends up being a free $5)

*Buy Oral B indicator toothbrush or Crest toothpaste at $1.99, get $1 ECB. There are .75/1 and $1/2 coupons for the Crest in the August P&G insert.

*Gatorade or Propel 6 pk – 2/$9, get $2 ECB

*Buy $10 of Band-Aid, Neosporin, or Johnson & Johnson, get $5 ECBs – There have been lots of coupons for this recently.

*Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Exprses mascara – $4.99, get $2 ECBs – There were $1/1 Maybelline coupons recently

*Revlon lash fantasy – $7.99, get $5 ECB – there were $2/1 and $1/1 coupons in the paper recently

*Schick Quattro Titanium – $7.99, get $5 ECBs

*Speed Stick 24/7 – $3.99, get $1 ECB – there were coupons for $1/1 and $1/2 in the paper recently

BOGO deals: (*remember you can use two coupons!)
*Dreyer’s/Edy’s ice cream – buy one @ $5.99, get one free – not bad if you like ice cream and even better if you have any coupons

*Glade air fresheners – they are .88, there were BOGO coupons in the paper recently.

*Revlon makeup – there have been $2/1 and $1/1 coupons in the inserts recently.

*Sunsilk (Prices listed at $4.29-$4.49)

*Wet Ones wet wipes – $2.99 – there were .75/1 coupons in the paper recently

GYMBOREE:
Circle of Friends sale is August 21st-24th and you get 30% off your entire purchase (plus your additional 5% if you have the Gymboree Visa). They are giving out coupons in the store right now. If you sign up for their mailing list on their website, you will also get an e-mail with a printable coupon and a code for online use. The Halloween costumes will be in the stores this week!

KROGER:
Deals through 8/19 are here:
http://melziemomsbargains.blogspot.com/2008/08/kroger-deals-week-of-813-819.html

OFFICE MAX: I LOVE back to school sales! I don’t even have school-aged kids (other than preschool, where supplies are pretty much provided), but with young kids, crayons and notebooks always come in handy, so I stock up for the year!

*Bic pens are .25 – there is a $1/2 coupon that was in the paper a few weeks ago. If you use it, you will get .50 “overage”

*Elmer’s glue for a penny!

*Spiral notebooks – 10 cents each

*Crayola crayons, 24 ct. – 20 cents each

TARGET:
They have new printable coupons on their site which can be found here:
http://sites.target.com/site/en/supertarget/page.jsp?title=coupons_specials

There is a .50/1 Pop Tarts coupon. This can be combined with the $1/2 manufacturer’s coupon that was in the inserts a few weeks ago. In my area, the Pop Tarts are $1.79, so if you use both coupons, it ends up being $.79/box. Buy 10 and send in the Kellogg’s rebate if you haven’t done so yet and you will make $2.10 🙂

Gold Fish Crackers are on sale 3/$4. There is a .50/1 Target printable coupon. (see link below) Print 3 and they end up being .83/each 🙂

http://afullcup.com/forums/cmps_index.php?page=coupon_generator

WALGREENS: (also a slow week)
Full add scans are here: http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/walgreens/145563-preview-walgreens-aug-17-aug-23-ad-scans-enclosed.html

*Pantene Pro-V 2/$8, get $3 RR. There is a coupon for $1/2 from the August P&G. If the Restoratives and/or Expressions are included (ad does not exclude them) there is also a Walgreens rebate for $5.99/2

*Pert Plus – $3.79 (free after rebate), use $2 coupon that was in the paper recently, make $1.79

*Ragu or Skippy – on sale 3/$5 – buy 3, get $1.50 RR, buy 6, get $4 RR (there will be coupons for Ragu and Skippy in this week’s paper)

*Lots of .39 items: (with in ad coupon) aspirin, hydrogen peroxide, lip care, toothbrush, erasers, lighters, sticky notes, pencils, Jell-O, cutlery, Sharpies, pork and beans, Bubble mailers, tooth picks, muffin mixes

*Dixie plates – buy one @ $3.79, get one free (with in ad coupon)

Don’t forget your free McDonald’s chicken sandwich:
http://melziemomsbargains.blogspot.com/2008/08/free-mcdonalds-sandwich.html