Patti is Clark Howard's producer and every Friday she is going to tell you about a great, free deal.

Friday, June 5, 2009

If you're a regular reader of Freebie Friday you know I was on vacation last week. When I go on vacation I prefer to fly somewhere, but this year that wasn't an option. Instead, I drove. Since I'm not the best long-distance driver, I keep my mind off the boring drive by listening to audio books. If you haven't tried audio books, now is your chance to get three for free! All you have to do is sign up for the Random House Audio newsletter. You sign up, then Random House sends you an email response (mine fell into my junk mail, so if you don't see it right away, check there.) Once you get the link, then right- click on the books and "save link as".

Here's the link. You'll see where to sign up halfway down the page on the right side.

Georgia Path to College has a freebie for "graduates" of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. It's a "buy one get one free" ice cream cone coupon. If you're the parent, grandparent or legal guardian of one of these "graduates" click here for the coupon. (Be patient, it takes a little while to download.) The offer is good at participating Sonic restaurants in Georgia and Tennessee.

And while you're at the site, you might want to consider getting started on that college fund. Those kids will be graduates of high school before you know it!

And finally, you can get a free donut today from participating Krispy Kremes. It's national donut day (who knew?) Here are the stores from Metro Atlanta that will hand over a free donut today:

295 Ponce De Leon Avenue, Atlanta

3367 Buford Drive, Buford

1550 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth

4129 Highway 78, Lilburn

299 Cobb Parkway, South, Marietta

6689 Highway SR-85, Riverdale

791 Atlanta Street, Roswell

See you next Friday!

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Friday, May 15, 2009

Maybe it's that my daughter is graduating high school this weekend, but college costs are on my mind today. The Hope Scholarship is a big help to a lot of parents in Georgia. So is the Academic Common Market, where you can go out of state and pay in-state tuition. (If you missed that story Clark did on it this year, here's a link to it.)

But I didn't know until this week that there are colleges where students don't pay a dime of tuition.

Mental Floss Magazine found 8 schools with free tuition. A few examples: College of the Ozarks, nicknamed Hard Work U. Students don't pay tuiton but they must work 15 hours per week. Berea college is another, and so is Olin College of Entineering.

If you want to see the entire list of 8 schools, check out the mental floss blog.

Have a great holiday weekend! I'm off next week so the next Freebie Friday installment will be June 5th. See you then--

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Friday, May 15, 2009

How often do you get a chance to pan for gold? Tomorrow you can get free lessons on how to do it, and I'm told everyone is guaranteed to find at least some gold in their pan. A few nuggets will be worth at least $50. It's all happening at the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Atlanta Expo at the Cobb Galleria Center. And if you think you might have a rare coin, you can take it to the expo and have it appraised for free. Click here for details on the event.

More freebies this Friday:

You can get a free 20 ounce smoothie at smoothie king if you sign up for the company's newsletter.

All Bran is giving away some free products. Sign up for the all-k pass and you can get a free "promise pak". It includes a sample of strawberry medley cereal, a strawberry drizzle fiber bar and red raspberry fiber drink mix, plus $4 in coupons. Here's the link.

Have a great weekend and come back here for more freebies next Friday!

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Friday, May 8, 2009

Two words I love: "FREE" and "CHOCOLATE". This Freeebie Friday includes both!

You have to be quick but every Friday at 9am the Mars Company is giving away free chocolate. a LOT of chocolate. A quarter of a million chocolate bars every Friday at 9am between now and September. Once the 250 thousand coupons for free chocolate bars are gone, you have to wait until the next Friday. Now, I'm not one to forget about the offer of free chocolate, but if you are, Mars will send you an email reminder before next Friday. Just go to the website to sign up.

Happy Friday!

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Friday, May 1, 2009

It's the first day of a new month and the perfect time to get a new start on your budget. If you don't have a budget yet, no worries, I have a great place for you to start.

One of the top personal finance bloggers on the internet, Trent Hamm, wrote a 60 page e-book called "31 days to fix your finances" and if you click here, you can have it for free!

Save it on your computer and spend some time every day getting your finances in order.

Even if you have a budget, the first few days will help you refocus on what is important to you.

If you like what he's written, check out his website: TheSimpleDollar.

I stumbled onto his site at least a year ago, when I was trying to figure out how to make homemade laundry detergent. I used his recipe and it works as well as advertised.

If you're interested in that link, here you go:

homemade laundry detergent.

Happy Friday!

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Friday, April 24, 2009

Student loan company Sallie Mae says the average college student in the U.S. is carrying around more than $3,000 in credit card debt. The typical college-aged student also likes to play video games.

Hmmmmmm. MTV and the Pet Peterson foundation decided maybe a video game could help students manage debt.

Enter Debt Ski -- a brand new video game meant to teach us about debt and how to put our needs before our wants. You don’t have to be a college student to try it. Here’s the link:

http://www.indebted.com/the-game/debtski/

And while you’re on the computer, here are a few freebies you can pick up:

Gillette is giving away 500 fusion razors every day until May 16th. They go quickly! I tried to get one at 7:15 this morning and they were already gone for the day. But you can sign up for an email alert when the next batch is available. Here’s the link:

http://www.gillette.com/en-US/#/home/strut-viral-video/en-US/index.shtml/

Not to be outdone, Schick is giving away a free Quattro razor sample (how do you give out a “sample” of a razor?) I guess you’ll have to sign up for this freebie to find out.

http://www.schickquattro.com/xmenorigins/#home/razor

Wal-Mart has some new freebies in. Among them, a sample for Nivea “Touch of Happiness” body wash.

And for this last freebie, you’ll have to go to the store. Whole Foods is giving away free reusable lunch sized “better bag”. The offer is only while supplies last and it ends for good until April 28th.

Be sure to take this coupon with you:

http://media.oprah.com/sterm/whole-foods-coupon.pdf

Have a happy Friday!

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Friday, April 17, 2009

Earth Day is just around the corner and that means Earth Day Freebies.

Here is what I found so far:

First, you can get a rebate form for a mail in rebate from Reynold's Wrap. You can save up to $3.99 by getting the rebate, but quantities are limited, so you have to be an early bird on Wednesday the 22nd. The site goes "live" at 4:22 AM. Here's the website if you want to get a rebate: http://www.reynoldsrecycled.com/rebate.aspx You might wonder the tie-in between Reynolds Wrap and Earth Day. The foil is made from 100% recycled aluminum.

Disney stores will give you a free gift on Earth Day if you take 3 plastic bottles into the store. Here's the link for details: http://disneyshopping.go.com/disney/store/

Happy Friday!

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Friday, April 10th, 2009

Mark your calendars!

You can get a free ice cream cone at Ben & Jerry's Tuesday April 21st. Hours are noon to 8. If you need to find a Ben & Jerry's near you, here's the link with details on free ice cream cone day. (You miht have to scroll down after clicking on the link.)

Haagan Dazs is also having a free cone day, on May 12th from 4-8. Click here to find a Haagan Dazs near you.

Have a happy Friday!

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Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Did you see the study from the Journal of Consumer Science? It says when consumers touch an object it increases the chance that they'll be willing to spend more on it. So as you consider the first freebie this Friday, be careful at the mall!

If you live anywhere near Perimeter Mall, you can pick up a free MD Skincare Deluxe Botanical Bar. No purchase is necessary. Here's the link to the coupon.

This week the tax on cigarettes jumped again. If you're a smoker, this might be the perfect time for you to quit. If you need help, here's a free sample of nicoderm.

Sometimes I really have to work to find a cohesive thread for my Freebie Friday, so this is a stretch, bear with me.

If you need a place to throw away your cigarettes, you can get a free Glad Force Flex trash bag at Sam's Club (I can almost hear the groans!) You do need to be a Sam's Club member, but if you are, here's the llink.

See you next Friday!

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Friday, March 27, 2009

Jennifer Maciejewski is an expert on getting a great deal. She has a blog called Atlantaonthecheap.

I started reading her website after she gave me a heads up on a great free deal, which I'm passing on to you!

Here's the deal. The Loft at Center Stage is having a free show April 20th. Tickets are limited and you have to pick them up in person, but since most of the shows there cost about 15 bucks, this is a great deal. Jennifer also has a ton of great deals on her site, and it's easy to keep up on her. You can follow her on twitter! (I just signed up to follow her!) If you'd been reading her...do you call them tweets?....this month, you could have snagged $15 dollar tickets to the Georgia Aquarium. I know, I missed it too, but now that I'm signed up to follow her, I won't miss any more!

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Friday, March 20, 2009

Few people would describe tax preparation as a "super" activity, but you might change your mind after this Freebie Friday. the IRS is holding "Super Saturday" tomorrow and you can get free tax prep help. You need to make less than $42,000 to qualify. Here's a list of the sites in Georgia where you can get free help tomorrow.

This free tax help is a great service, but not lots of fun, but we have one more freebie for you. This one comes from Jovita Moore, who spotted it this morning: the Rita's Italian Ice stores will give you a free icee. but it's TODAY only, to celebrate the first day of spring!

Here's the link to find a Rita's in Georgia.

See you next Friday!

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Friday, March 13, 2009

My friend Stacey should be the easiest person in America to reach by phone. At one point she had 5 phone numbers. In my mind's eye, I picture her like a gunslinger: a cell phone holstered on each hip and a spare strapped to her leg for good measure.

Yet for all her phone numbers, the girl is sometimes really tough to reach! Stacey and I are both going to love Google's answer to multiple phone numbers. Hopefully , it'll help you, too.

a few years ago, Google bought Grand Central, a company that gives you one phone number and when someone calls that number, it can forward the call to every one of your phones. That alone is pretty great, but Google voice does much more.

Here's what else Google voice offers:

* Free long distance. No kidding! It uses voice over internet protocol, so using google voice, you can call long distance for free.

* Really cheap international phone calling; about a couple cents per minute.

* Free voice mail. You can retrieve it from any of your phones or from the web. AND it will transcribe your voice mails for you if you want.

* Free voice recording.

People who already had a Grand Central account can use Google voice. If, like me, you never used Grand Central, you can sign up for Google voice at this link. It should be available to everyone in a few weeks.

Want to learn more? Here's a link that tells you about more features and how they will work:

click here.

See you next Friday!

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Friday, March 6, 2009

Did you see those unemployment numbers out today? It's a harsh reminder that this is the time to update your resume. And finally, some good news! You can get 25 high quality copies of your resume, printed on resume paper, at FedEx. The offer is good for one day only, so mark the date on your calendar: Tuesday, March 10th.

There might be a long line, so best advice? Drop off your resume and then go back later to pick it up. There are a couple rules so you might want to check out the details here.

Here's another freebie if you want a diversion from real life. AMC will give you free popcorn if you go to an one of the AMC IMAX theatres. AMC tells me that one just opened at Southlake Pavilion in Morrow. The director of public relations just sent me a PDF file of the coupon so I can share it with all of you, here it is.

And finally, if you like live theatre but not the high price tag, here's an inexpensive treat: The Performing Arts Department of North Springs Charter High School is putting on "The Wizard of Oz" complete with a mechanized tornado, and a live Toto. The flying monkeys and munchkins come from Sandy Springs Middle School and Woodland Elementary School . Tickets are 8 bucks for students and 15 dollars for adults. Here's link the for show times and how to reserve tickets ahead of time. Might be a good idea because the seats are filling up fast!

wizard of oz IM

(You might wonder why I've added something in the freebie Friday column that isn't free. It has nothing to do with the fact that my daughter is stage managing the show. Really. Promise.....)

See you next Friday!

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Friday, February 27, 2009

If you didn't jump on Monday's Freebie Friday ( I know that it doesn't make sense to post a Freebie Friday on Monday, but when I saw the free coupon for Quiznos subs, no purchase required, I didn't think it would last 'til Friday. It didn't.) you can still get a free sandwich.

This time, the deal is not quite as good. You have to buy a drink. But if you click on this link you can get a free roastburger at Arby's.

And here's one more coupon for a free healthy frozen dinner. This is from the Kashi company.

See you next Friday!

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Monday, February 23, 2009

Okay, I know it's not Friday, but this can't wait! By Friday the deal will probably be gone. If you like Quiznos subs, or even if you haven't tried one yet, here's a chance to try a sub sandwich for free! Here's the link. millionsubs.com.

Combine it with the free movie I told you about last Friday and you can have a free dinner and a movie!

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Friday, February 20, 2009

I have a theory about being cheap: Some people are cheap about everything, but everybody is cheap about something. Maybe you hate the idea of paying $6 for lunch when you can make lunch at home. Maybe you drive a couple miles out of your way to get the best deal on gasoline. Me? I'm cheap about movies.

I cannot remember the last time I went to the movies and paid full price. It's the same movie whether I go on a weekend night, or earlier in the day before the prices go up. If I do go to a movie at night, it's because I bought tickets at Costco and saved a few bucks.

But unless there is amazing cinematography ( As in Slumdog Millionaire) I'd rather wait until a movie comes out on DVD. Those little movie kiosks at the stores make it so cheap and easy. Rentals are a dollar a day. Period. It doesn't matter if it's a new release or a movie that's been out a few years. Granted, the selection is small, but with pricing at a buck, I don't care.

Today, I'll make it even cheaper for you! How does free sound? Here's what you do:

First, sign up at moviecube. Look for the orange box on the left that says "Become a member today and get a free DVD movie rental." Then just sign up. You'll get an email in minutes with a code for a free rental.

See you next Friday!

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Friday, February 13, 2009

Happy Friday the 13th! It's a lucky Friday because I'm going to tell you how to build up your music playlist for free. (It does cost some patience, but no cash.)

If you like to download music, you know where to go to get cheap songs. 99 cents doesn't sound like much but over time it can really add up. Now, Wal-Mart is offering one free song every week. This week's free song is a classic from Marvin Gaye: "How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You"-- Isn't that just the perfect Valentine's Day song?

Here's the link.

Make sure to bookmark it because every week there's a new free song.

And speaking of Valentines Day, if you're romantic but broke, try 123greetings.com for free E-Cards.

I'll give you guys a hint: Women love personalized cards. Make one yourself! Think you aren't romantic enough? Try this sight for free love poems.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Friday, February 6, 2009

There's never been a better time to learn about personal finance. We can't do much about the global economy, but we can protect our own pocketbook. My daughter is in high school here in Georgia and the only thing she's learned about in personal finance in school was how to fill out a check. Not how to balance a checkbook, just how to write a check. That scares me.

So it's up to us to educate ourselves.

Here's one free way to do it: Take a class at the University of California at Irving. The course is called The Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning. Here's the link.

And don't forget, you can download free podcasts of Clark Howard's radio show by going to his website: clarkhoward.com.

Happy Friday!

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Friday, January 16, 2009

Rachel Ray's food is going to the dogs, and that's the way she wants it. Rachel Ray has come out with a dog food product and she wants you to try her "Rachel Ray Nutrish" for free. Here's the link.

And if you like the magazine Field and Stream, here's a chance to get it for free for a whole year. You don't have to worry about those annoying "automatic renewals" because you never give your credit card. It's from a company called adperk. All you have to do is watch some commercials online and then the magazine is yours. I know this works, because last year I got "Good Housekeeping" for a year for free. I watched the commercials this morning to see how long it takes to earn enough "credits" to get the magazine. It took 26 minutes from the time I sat down at the computer.

If you decide to get this offer, I suggest watching the amusing Columbia Sportswear ads. Also the actor in the Ford ads seriously trash-talked Toyota. It was a little surprising to see Ford come out swinging like that.

Here's the link to get Field and Stream for free!

Happy Friday!

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Friday, January 9, 2009

Happy Friday everyone!

I Tivo'd Oprah yesterday but didn't get a chance to watch it as I was watching the BCS championship with the OU Club of Atlanta. WSB reporter Jodie Fliescher, a Gator Alumni, paid big bucks to see the game in person. I think she's a little happier than I am this morning, but it was a good game.

Anyway, back to Oprah: WSB-TV News Director Marian Pittman told me about this one: Yesterday, finance expert Suze Orman was on Oprah, and for ONE WEEK ONLY, you can download a free copy of Orman's book: Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan.

Some people have had a little trouble downloading, just remember when you go to this link, RIGHT CLICK the line that says "download". If you are using Internet Explorer, choose "save target as". If you are using Firefox, use "save link as". I just downloaded it myself and can't wait to read it. Go here to download.

And if you are interested in fiction, there's a free download this week from Thought Audio. It's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Here's the link.

Again, like with the Suze Orman eBook, RIGHT click on each portion and, if you are using IE, choose "save target as" to download. If you are in Firefox, choose "save link as".

See you next Friday!

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Friday, January 2, 2009

Happy New Year! Consumer advisor Clark Howard says it's going to be a year of belt-tightening because of the economy, and we're here to help! Let's start off with some free music.

Pizza Hut wants you to download up to 25 songs for free! The company says the songs are from some of today's most promising artists: here's the link!

Like country music? Someone is going to go to the Academy of Country Music Awards show in Las Vegas for free! Enter here for a chance to win.

One more thing for your listening pleasure: It's not music, but I can't wait to hear it. Christianaudio.com gives out a free download every month, and this month it’s the biography of Oswald Chambers, the author of the enormously popular devotional "My Utmost for His Highest". Use the coupon code JAN2009 to get it for free.

Happy Friday!

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Friday, December 19, 2008

Happy almost Christmas! I have a grab bag of free items for you today, starting with MORE Christmas songs!

Just go to Amazon, and you can download a free Christmas song every day! Here's the link!

Here's another freebie, especially useful if you overindulge on food over the Christmas holiday! Block the heartburn before it begins! click here.

If you're a member of Sam's club, you can order a free sample of Kleenex tissue with lotion. Here's the link.

And I don't want to leave out Costco members, you have a freebie too. Okay, it's not for everybody, but some people will like it: A free sample of cosamin.

I'm taking next Friday off, so the next freebie will be the second of January.

Happy Friday!

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Friday, December 12, 2008

I love Quik Trip. Not only is it one of the few gas stations where you can still get air for your tires without having to pay for it, when they have freebies, they're good ones!

I've recently printed a coupon for a free 20 ounce Diet Dr. Pepper, another coupon for a free Hot Ham and Cheddar Pretzel Roll Sandwich, and a coupon for a free small bag of Snyder's Pretzels. Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

Here's how it works: sign up here to be part of the QT webgroup. Then once a month you will get an email from Quik Trip. Just fill out a short survey and then you get something for free. It is really worth the short amount of time it takes to sign up and fill out the surveys.

Here are a few other random samples for you this Friday:

First, a smple for "Covet", a Sarah Jessica Parker perfume. click here

Next, a freebie from Arm & Hammer. The companpy is pushing it's new brand of "essentials" cleaners. You have to buy the product, but then you can get a refund in the mail. You have to hurry though, the deadline is December 15th. Here's the link to the refund form.

And the final freebie this Friday: Free samples of Splenda.

Happy Friday!

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Friday, December 5, 2008

I'm sitting in my cubicle and getting into the Christmas spirit, and of course I'm doing it on the cheap! You can too: here's a link to some free Christmas music.

And file this under "Christmas is really getting commercial":

TiVo is giving away free cookie cutters. Who needs gingerbread men when you can bake tivo cookies? Actually, they're kind of cute, so I ordered one. The offer is good until TiVO runs out of them, here's the link.

I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the company that's offering a free water bottle. From the makers of the prescription drug "Flomax". Click here. You don't need to be taking Flomax to get the bottle.

And these aren't freebies, but I thought I'd share 3 of my favorite websites for bargain hunting:

1) dealnews.com. This is my favorite. The site scours deals and lets you know how a particular deal compares with sales in the past. It even has a "hotness" score so you know if the price is a good deal!

2) bradsdeals.com. My mom found this one for me, and I've used it several times. Brad Wilson, who runs the site, lists several deals a day and for the best deal he has "Brad's Top Deal".

3) freeshipping.org. A site where you can find the free shipping deals.

Happy holidays and don't overspend!

See you next Friday!

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Friday, November 28, 2008

I'm a fleece freak. We have about a half dozen new-sew fleece tie blankets in our house. They're super-easy to make. Here's a link to a video that explains how to do it.

The video says you need two pieces of 45 X 60 inch fleece. Since most fleece is 60 inches wide, you need to buy 1 and a quarter yards of two pieces of fleece. (It looks best if one side is solid and the other is a pattern.) Following the instructions on the video, you would spend about $7.50 on the fabric at Joann this weekend (and ony 6 bucks if you have the coupon.)

I like my fleece blankets BIG, so I usually get two yards of a solid and two yards of a patterned fleece. Then follow the instructions on the video. If you make it huge, it'll cost you 12 bucks ($9.60 with the coupon)

I've also found a free pattern to make a "snuglet". Goofy looking? You bet! But if you've ever wanted to cover up while reading a book and drinking hot chocolate, this pattern is for you. I can't wait to make one. To make this you need 3 yards of fleece. So This weekend at Joann, you'd spend 9 bucks without the 20% off coupon, and $7.20 if you have the coupon to make this. If there's no Joann near you, check the website at www.Joann.com. You can get the sale price there all weekend.

click here for the free instructions.

If you like the idea of homemade gifts, but cooking is more your style, check out organizedhome.com, where there are tons of recipes for gifts in a jar

See you next Friday!

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Friday, November 21, 2008

First, my apologies for being late with my freebie Friday this week. Illness kept me from posting. That said, here's the Freebie fort his week:

If you like to read and you like Starbucks, this offer is for you. Sign up to review new books and you can get free books and a Starbucks gift card:

Here's the link.

See you on Friday!

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Friday, November 14, 2008

A couple years ago, my teenage daughter was trying to raise money for a trip to Spain. I helped her out by making business cards. Not surprisingly, they didn't look very professional. Not a problem when you're a teenager, but if you're an adult trying to make an impression, you want a professional business card.

Now you can have 250 of them for free. (You do have to pay shipping and handling.) I know some people who've tried these and are very happy with them. click here: here.

And who can't use a free calendar? It doesn't matter how many outlook calendars or blackberry reminders I use, the old fashioned calendar stuck on the fridge is the easiest way to go to keep track of my family. Get a calendar free here.

Happy Friday!

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Friday, October 31, 2008

Metro Atlanta is out in full force voting ahead of November 4th. My husband spent a couple hours in line just yesterday, and the lines could be much longer next Tuesday. For those of you who plan to vote on Tuesday, here's a little bonus for you: show your "I voted" sticker at participating Krispy Kreme donut shops and get a free donut! (If you're voting today, save your sticker and you can still show it next Tuesday!) Not every Krispy Kreme is participating, but if you call your closest store beforehand, the workers there will be able to tell you if you can get a free donut at their store.

An easy way to get free food is to sign up on the internet: here is a sample for free granola from Bear Naked.

Want some coffee to go with that? How about Dunkin Donuts coffee? Clark Howard's executive producer, Christa, is addicted to this stuff, and I have to admit, it's good! go here and then click on "free sample" near the top of the screen.

And finally, a treat for your dog. You will probably like it too, because it's supposed to improve dog breath! click here.

See you next Friday!

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Friday, October 24, 2008

Disney World wants to give you a birthday present. In 2009, you can get into one of their theme parks for free on your birthday.

Here's how to sign up for the deal:

First, go to www.DisneyParks.com and register you and everyone in your family. Print out the confirmation message you get after registering. Take proper ID and your confirmation letter to the park of your choice on your birthday.

It's that easy!

See you next Friday!

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Friday, October 10, 2008

Working with Clark Howard is priceless. He has taught me so much about being a careful spender. It's meant a huge difference for my budget. So for today's Freebie Friday I want to steer you toward a grocery shopping method that has saved me tons. It's a free eBook from Stephanie Nelson, the coupon mom. You've probably seen her on WSB-TV before. She was also on a little show this month, I think it is called "Oprah."

Here's the link to her site: couponmom.com. On the front page, you'll see a link that says "Read our free eBook: cut your grocery bill in half". All you have to do is click on that link, and the book is yours.

If you want to print it out and take your free book to Barnes & Noble, you can sit in the cafe and have a free cappuccino this month. Here's the link to the coupon.

Stephanie Nelson will join Clark Howard, John Pruitt and Jovita Moore here tonight at WSB-TV for a special "Financial Crisis: managing the tough times". It'll be live tonight at 9pm, so tune in!

See you next Friday!

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Friday, October 10, 2008

There are so many movies out or about to come out that I want to see right now, but I just cannot justify the cost of going to the movie theatre.

In fact, it's been so long since I've paid full price for a movie ticket, I had to look up the cost of going to my nearest theatre to see "Burn After Reading". Wow, I'm having a "breathe in a paper bag moment"- It's $9.50 per ticket! That's $19.00 to go out with my husband and sit in a theatre.

No thanks!

I'm going to get a free movie rental instead. And you can, too!

Here's how:

Wal-Mart stores all over metro Atlanta have a "red box" video rental kiosk. Movies cost $1 a night. But if you go to redbox.com, and sign up for the emails, you will get a coupon code sent to your email immediately. (To sign up for emails, look near the top of the website where it says "Get a free rental" It's good for a buck, so you get one movie rental for free.

See you next Friday!

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Friday, October 3, 2008

It's Energy Star tax free weekend in Georgia. If you buy an energy efficient item with the Energy Star label, you don't have to pay sales tax. Plus, if you want to know how to save money on your energy bills, Home Depot is offering a free 90 minute clinic later this month.

To sign up for the October 23rd workshop, click here. Home Depot will also give you 10 bucks off if you spend $100, but to get the discount, you have to attend the workshop.

If you don't want to wait to go to the Home Depot workshop, you can hit Lowe's this weekend for immediate help, if you live in Metro Atlanta. At the Edgewood store Lowe's has an Energy Star model home, so you can see energy savings ideas first-hand. Someone from Georgia Power will be on hand as well as someone from EPA's Energy Star Program.

On a completely different note, (pun intended) I have an idea for free entertainment without leaving your home. Get ahead of the curve and listen to Bob Dylan's new album for free! It hasn't even been officially released yet, but NPR is streaming the entire 2 CD set "Tell Tale Signs". click here to start listening.

Happy Friday!

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Friday, Sept. 19, 2008

What a crazy economic week it has been. And what better time to get a freebie than right now?

First up, a free sample of Crest toothpaste.

Now that we've got your mouth all fresh and clean, how about some free help cleaning the house? No, not a free maid, (don't I wish)! But here's a free sample for Pledge multi-surface wipes.

Last, a free way to help you clean up your finances. Consumer Advisor Clark Howard will be at Campus Church in Norcross, Ga next Wednesday night at 7pm. Clark usually speaks for a little while and then takes questions, so it'll really be a great event. The address is 1525 Indian Trail-Lilburn Road, Norcross, Georgia, 30093.

See you next Friday, unless I see you beforehand at Clark's Speech!

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Friday, Sept. 12, 2008

Happy Friday! Today I have two Better Crocker freebies for you, but be warned, you can only choose one of them!

First up, a free sample of Warm Delights Minis. Try it here.

If you're not in the mood to eat dessert, you can get a free sample of creamy mashed potatoes here.

And before I sign off, I want to tell you about a new free service over at couponmom.com. Log onto the sight and look in directory on the left side. Then click on the bar that says "New, Coupon Mom Forum". The entire website is a great way to learn about how to save using coupons!

See you next Friday!

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Friday, Sept. 5, 2008

Move over, Pandora. Grooveshark is my newest favorite online music sight. The startup website comes from a group of University of Florida students who wanted to figure out an easy way to purchase music online. But my favorite part is NOT buying the music. I can just stream it for free. You can set up different playlists so you can go back over and over to your favorite songs. You can search by song, artist, or album, and when I searched, I found almost everything I was looking for. The one thing I couldn't find was a track from the broadway musical [title of show] and hopefully someone will add that soon.

Grooveshark is legal and it's the best free thing I've found on the web in some time.

Try it out at www.grooveshark.com.

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Monday, Sept. 1 , 2008

A few people have asked me about the freebie Friday column and why I stopped doing it. Well, for the past month, I was writing daily about commuting. That was an August commitment, so when someone asked me about Freebie Friday last week, I thought, why not?

Now that I've decided to start it back up, I can't wait until Friday! That's because on Labor Day, you can get a free breakfast at Ikea and a free lunch at Chic-Fil-A.

For the free breakfast coupon, click here.

And for details on the chick-fil-a free chick-n-strips click here.. Warning: you have to have a college shirt or a football team t shirt to get this.

Have a great Labor Day holiday, and I'll see you on Friday!

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Take a hike, have a picnic, throw a frisbee! There are lots of ways to enjoy the holiday weekend without breaking the bank. If you're looking for a big celebration, here are three Atlanta favorites:

#1) The Atlanta Jazz Festival

Cost: Free

Location: Woodruff Park

For details click here

#2: Memorial Weekend Tribute to our Soldiers

Cost: Free, but parking is $10 so carpool!

Location: Stone Mountain Park

For details click here

#3) Decatur Arts Festival

Cost: Free

Location: Decatur Square

For details click here

See you next Friday!

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Friday, May 9th, 2008

I'm giving you plenty of notice, so you don't miss out. If you don't have plans for the first weekend in June, I have a great idea for you! It comes from Bank of America. BOA wants you to use your debit card or credit card......but for once, it won't cost you anything. Instead, your card is a free ticket to get into museums! The promotion is good for the first weekend of every month! In Atlanta, you can get into the Atlanta History Center, Atlanta Botanical Garden, and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. If you're going out of town, Bank of America may offer a deal at museums at your destination.

click here

And don't forget, if you live in Fulton County, you can get in to the High Museum of Art for free on the first Saturday of every month, from 10am to noon.

(FYI-The picture i used for this story doesn't come from the Botanical Gardens, but from viewer Brittni Sowers. It was so pretty, I just had to use it!)

See you next Friday!

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Friday, April 11, 2008

My apologies. For the last 2 Fridays I have been on vacation, taking my daughter, Rosie, on college visits. This spring break we have visited 5 schools! Can you believe it, not a SINGLE on has offered us a free ride! (Unless you're talking about campus transportation.) Here's the lowdown on the freebies there: Georgia College and State University gives you a free lunch when you go on a campus tour, and it was very good. East Carolina University gave us two free soda fountain drinks. And since my daughter wants to major in theatre, the University of Okahoma gave us tickets to see "Lend Me A Tenor" on campus, which was fantastic! I'd write more about it, but we're off to tour another college. See you next Friday!

Friday, March 28, 2008

SAT prep classes can cost a thousand bucks in the Atlanta area, and far more if you use a private tutor. But there's plenty of free help out there for motivated students. Here are a few:

The College Board administers the SAT test, and it's a good first place to look for free help. You can get the "question of the day" e-mailed to you, and take a free practice test. click here

A couple of for-profit companies offer some free help: The Princeton Review has 13 free events coming up in the Atlanta area. My daughter took a free SAT practice test with this group and the detailed results were very helpful. Here's the website: princetonreview.com

Kaplan also has some free help: kaplan.com

If you're looking for on-line help, this website is fantastic:number2.com

There are tons of free SAT vocabulary lists on the internet, just google "SAT Vocab" and you’ll find a bunch. If you get bored with memorization, here's a fun way to learn vocabulary with a mix-and-match quiz: quizhub

If you need help with math, here's a site with a new math problem every day:click here

See you next Friday!

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Friday, March 21, 2008

The new free samples are here! The new free samples are here!

We'll start with heartburn relief: This new type of heartburn relief from Zicam looks like yogurt-but how does it taste? Would you take the chance and buy it? You don't have to, here's a chance to try it for free: click here.

If you suffer from hair loss, rogaine is giving out free samples. Of course, to get any results, rogaine says you need to do it long term, so keeping it up could be costly. Here's the link to try it.

rogaine free sample.

If you smoke, STOP! If you need free help, Nicoderm will send you a free sample and a coupon: Nicoderm free sample.

And if you want a free head-start on a "tan" from a bottle, try this:

Jergens.

Warning: Be careful putting it on! I tried this last year and the color is pretty, but if you're not careful with your application, your tan could look streaked!

Happy Friday, and I'll see you next week!

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Friday, March 14, 2008

When it comes to watching TV, my first love is TIVO. I love curling up on the couch and watching what I want WHEN I want. But HULU has me re-thinking WHERE I watch TV.

For the past couple weeks, I've been testing HULU, an Internet video site. And it's nothing like youtube. HULU just went public this week and now everyone can watch new (and not so new) TV shows, as well as movie clips and some full-length movies. It's all free, but there is a catch. You have to watch some ads. Still, the ads are short and the quality is great. I had no trouble watching it at home through a Comcast Cable Internet connection. Don't try this in dial-up, a high speed Internet connection is necessary.

The downside? It's not exactly one-stop shopping. ABC and CBS aren't on the site, but you can find their shows through HULU, which is pretty amazing. I popped the word "Lost" into the search engine on HULU and it showed several Lost episodes with links to the show on the ABC. Now, if only I could pull up a couch to my PC at the house!

Check it out yourself.

Check it out: www.hulu.com.

And if you have time, you can see the (IMHO) best clip on the entire site: The Shield-Making a Scene.

The Shield is a show on the FX network, and my baby brother is the second guy in this "making of a scene" video. He's the one who "leapt from the couch". (And Walt Goggins, who's also in the clip, is a Georgia native!) Unfortunately, full episodes of the shield aren't on HULU, at least not yet. But I'll keep my fingers crossed!

See you next Friday!

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Friday, March 7, 2008

I love the biggest loser. Okay, I know it's not on ABC, but it's so good, it should be! So when I heard trainer Jillian Michaels has a radio show out in LA, I started listening to her show on KFI AM. (Hint: It's better to listen to past broadcasts so you can avoid the commercials.) In one of her shows, she talked about the best free nutrition websites around. I checked them out and they're great, so I'm completely ripping her off and posting her favorite free sites. If you want to hear her podcasts for yourself, go to www.kfiam640.com.

Here are Jillians favorite free nutrition sites:

www.caloriesperhour.com

www.fitmusic.com

www.hungry-girl.com

www.fitday.com

www.beginnertriathelete.com

www.strollerfit.com

www.collagevideo.com

www.aol.body.com

www.3fatchicks.com

If you're not into nutrition, here’s some more free stuff:

Free redkin product for men: click here

Free tote bag:click here

Free body lotion: click here

See you next Friday!

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Friday, February 15, 2008

I love my mutt, but I just can't imagine sending her off to a spa. Now, I don't have to! Thanks to www.happytailsspa.com, I can buy all kinds of at home "spa products for the dog about town". You can drop some serious money here, so if you want to try something from this website for free, here's a link to pamper your pooch.

Also, an update now on free magazines. Back in December, I wrote about a company called adperk.com. On this site, you can watch ads online and "earn" a free magazine subscription. At the time, I signed up for Good Housekeeping and recently received my first free magazine. Now, the website has added another choice: skiing magazine. Here is the website: www.adperks.com.

See you next Friday!

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Friday, February 8, 2008

This morning, before I came to work, I started reading Emma by Jane Austen....on my BLACKBERRY!

I love reading. I love technology. I am having a fabulous Freebie Friday moment!

Here's how you get the free books: Go to dailylit.com.

Several books on the website are 100% free. These are the books in the public domain. Copyrighted books are also on the website, but there's a small charge.

The co-founders of the website are husband and wife. Here's what they say about it on their website:

"We got the idea for DailyLit after the New York Times serialized a few classic works in special supplements a few summers ago. We wound up reading books that we had always meant to simply by virtue of making them part of our daily routine of reading the newspaper. The only thing we do more consistently than read the paper is read email. Bingo! We put together a first version and began reading "War of the Worlds" and "Pride and Prejudice". We showed it to friends, added more books and features at their request, and presto, DailyLit was born."

The books are sent in short emails that will take about 5 minutes to read. The book Emma comes in 191 emails, so if I get one a day, it'll take me about 6 months to read. But since I have wanted to read this for years, and never got around to it, 6 months doesn't seem that bad. And there's an option to speed up the emails if you choose.

Now, if you're a big reader, and you want to get rid of some books, you might want to try cash4books.net. This website will buy your old books. I haven't tried it yet, but it is a member of the Oregon BBB.

See you next Friday!

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Friday, February 1, 2008

It's no surprise that the people in our newsroom are ultra-competitive. But let me tell you, that competitive spirit is not just limited to getting the best news stories to you, the viewer.

I learned this the hard way when we started a 10-week weight loss competition. We were a couple days into it when my executive producer, Brad Stone, started e-mailing everyone pictures of fattening food. Before you know it, people were sneaking candy onto other people's desks, and one photographer brought in some sinfully delicious brownies. I succumbed. And I'm already at the bottom of the pack in the competition.

So with that in mind, I offer up today's Freebie Friday!

If you buy a dozen donuts, you can get another dozen for FREE! Here's the link. Just click on the flashing pink "free dozen with purchase" sign.

Fill out a simple form and Betty Crocker will send you a free sample of Chocolate turtle chex mix: Click here.

If you really feel like filling up, you can use a buy one meal get another free coupon at Ryan's. It's a buffet type restaurant.

Click here.

And for those in the newsroom reading this: It's best to eat all this right before our Monday weigh-ins!

See you next Friday!

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Friday, January 25, 2008

First up, a free razor. This won't last long, so click here.

Once you get the free razor, Clark Howard has a great tip to make it last a long time. Clark got a call on his radio show from a man who, after using his razor, dries it with a blow dryer! Sure enough, the blades didn't corrode. Clark decided to try the drying trick, but he did it a little bit differently. Clark got a cheap 17 cent razor and when he finished shaving, he would blot the razor dry on a towel. Clark says the razor lasted a whole year!

If you're not a morning person and you need a little coffee to get you going, here's a free sample from Dunkin' Donuts.

One last freebie to put you in a mellow morning mood: Counting Crows has a free download of two songs. Click here. The song "When I dream of Michelangelo" is sweet, but the flip side "1492" is best saved for after you've had a couple cups of free coffee.

See you next Friday!

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Friday, January 18, 2008

This is a Freebie Friday that won't cost you money, but it could cost you some serious time. I'm talking about an internet golf game so new, it's only in beta right now. The people behind the website have partnered with Kiawah Island Golf Resort, taken tons of professional photos and used them to make a golf game you can play on the internet.

The makers of the game say it's the most authentic online golf game out there. Since it's the only online golf game I've ever played, I can't speak to that, but I recently read a column about this game in fortune magazine. The columnist goes so far as to predict that when the game goes live in June, business productivity in offices around the country will drop precipitously.

Since the game is in beta, the only game you can play right now is a "closest to the pin" competition, but this summer you can play the entire course against your friends on the internet. Kiawah Island is first, Pinehurst is going to be on the website later.

For the website, click here

See you next Friday!

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Friday, January 11, 2008

First Iowa, then New Hampshire, and before you know it, Super Tuesday will be here! Georgia is one of more than 20 states holding a primary that day, which makes it the largest Super Tuesday ever. Before you exercise your right to vote, shouldn't you brush up on the issues?

It's easy, and fun, too, I promise! Lots of websites have presidential-match up games, and here are my favorites-

VAJoe.com is a website I'd never heard of before, but apparently it's pretty popular with military vets. It has a great candidate calculator. click here

USA Today and ABC News also teamed up to make a candidate match game.

Another fun quiz can be found at Minnesota Public Radio's website. When I first clicked on the "select a candidate" survey, I thought it was a joke. Think about Public Radio's reputation for leaning to the left, then read the multiple choice answers for question #1 and you will know what I mean. Turns out, this is a real survey though! click here

And there's one last match up game from selectsmart.com, which has a quiz for everything from choosing a candidate to picking a puppy. click here

How seriously should you take these interactive websites? I took the quiz on all four websites and I was matched up with four different candidates!

But here's the good news: At selectsmart.com, I learned that my next puppy should be a French bulldog!

Before I go, here's one more cool website from the LA times. If you like to follow politics, you'll like the 2008 primary tracker

See you next Friday!

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Friday, January 4, 2008

If you want to get more exercise in 2008, one of the easiest (and one of the cheapest) way to do it is to walk more! Researchers at two universities in the United Kingdom tested how pedometers influence exercise and found people who wear a pedometer walk more than people who don't wear one. The Journal of the American Medical Association published another study that shows the use of a pedometer is associated with increases in physical activity and decreases in body mass index and blood pressure.

You can buy a pedometer for $10 or $15, but why spend any money when you can get one for free? This pedometer won't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it will keep track of your steps, which, after all, is the point!

The offer comes from Slim Fast. You have to register on the sight, and then sign up for their "starter kit", which includes the free pedometer. Sign up here.

Lots of experts say your goal should be 10,000 steps, which is about 5 miles. It's important to track your walking, so here's a free place to do that: This website is great! click here.

Happy New Year and see you next Friday!

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Friday, December 28, 2007

This is a perfect day to stay indoors and watch the rain from the comfort of your home. There are two great sites where you can order free samples and have them mailed to your home.

The first is from Wal-Mart: The offers here change on a regular basis. Over the past few months, I have received free lotion, free Dunkin Donuts coffee, and a free greeting card. click here

Kroger recently started offering free samples as well: click here

While you are already on the internet, check out this freebie! A free one year subscription to Shape magazine! click here

And if you have time to do some research, check out this email I just received from a viewer:

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Hi Patti,

My name is Kesha Aycock and my children call me the "Queen of Free Stuff." I can get you stuff for FREE!!!!!! Here how it works:

(1) You must take a few hours to do this and I promise it will pay off.

(2) Think of all the places you like to go such as: Stores (ex: Wal-Mart, Kroger, Macy's) Restaurants (ex: O'charley's, Sonic) Entertainment (Monkey Joes, Maxx Fun) It could be anywhere you go or want to go, just think!!!

(3) Go to their website and join the email club.

(4) If they want you to fill out a survey, by all means do it!

(5) If they ask you to send comments or feedback to their web site, do it!

(6) They will ask you for your email address and birthday. Some of them send you special gifts to be used the month of your birthday. Now that’s great!

(7) Sit back and wait for the freebies to hit your email.

(8) Special Note: If everyone in your household has different email addresses, sign them all up and rake in the freebies.

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Thanks, Kesha! One note, though. Once you start signing up for samples and free stuff, don’t use your regular email address. Open an account in Yahoo or Google for free and use that one for all your freebies. That way, if you get a bunch of junk email, it won’t go in your regular account. I use Gmail and have found it does a great job of weeding out spam.

And before I go, one more freebie, but this one requires you to leave the house. You can put it off until Sunday, when the coupon expires. It's free makeup from Ulta! click here

If you know of great freebies and want to share the word, email me

See you next Friday!

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Friday, December 21, 2007

UPDATE AT 12 NOON

What a day! I just finished my Freebie Friday for the week, but I have to update it to include this one day only special. I found it, courtesy of Stephanie Nelson from couponmom.com

Go to Walgreens online and you can get a free 8 by 10 photo! Information is on the Walgreens home page. Upload one photo and when it comes time to check out, chose one 8 by 10 and use the coupon code VERYNICE. What was $2.99 will now be free. Offer ends at midnight tonight!

Kylie and Cole

9AM:

How much is your time worth? Spend a half hour watching ads on the internet and you can get a free one year subscription to Popular Science or Good Housekeeping. No need to enter your credit card number, just your name and address. Here is the link:www.adperks.com

One more freebie: I just found it this morning. The South Beach Diet people are giving out sample kits, which include a package of granola clusters and a drink mix. You also get $2 in coupons. This offer is only good while supplies last, so hurry!click here

And it is not completely free, but here is a way to get ultra cheap batteries this holiday season. CVS has a coupon for $5 off certain batteries. I used the coupon and bought an eight pack of AAA batteries. The net cost was just 29 cents! Coupon expires Sunday Dec. 23rd.cvs coupon

See you next Friday!

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Friday, December 7, 2007

When it comes to finances, I'm a bit of a nerd. I started with a simple spreadsheet. Now I have a couple years of finances broken down by month, then by week, with enough color-coding and categories to make my husband's eyes roll back in his head if he gets within 50 feet of the computer when I'm working on the budget.

I have created a monster. It shouldn't be this complicated.

Now, it's not. Free websites will watch your money!

www.mint.com, www.geezeo.com and www.wesabe.com can pull data from your checking account and your credit card accounts.

I gave www.mint.com a test drive and it's impressive. In fact, it recently won the U.S. prize at this year's techcrunch conference, where techies go to check out the hottest internet startups.

Here's the best part: Once you enter your information, the website shows you how to save money.

Have your money in a bank account that earns no interest? Mint can show you one that will give you interest. Does your credit card have a 15% interest rate? Mint will show you an offer that will reduce your rate. It's how Mint makes money to run the site, and it'll save you money too.

The biggest concern is security. Lots of bloggers have been talking about whether it's safe to put your personal financial information with a third party. Some bloggers love mint, others are skeptical. No surprise, the CEO of Mint, Aaron Patzer says it's safe. Here's what he had to say in an online blog about the subject:

"I'll make a bold statement: You're safer on Mint then with online banking. On Mint, you're completely anonymous. We never ask for a name, address, or SSN - just an email. We know about your finances, but not about you. We're also independently verified by Verisign, TrustE, and several outside agencies. "

I can't find any instance of these personal finance websites being hacked yet, but before you decide whether to use one of these sites, do your own due diligence!

See you next Friday!

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Friday, November 30

This holiday season, Pay Pal and Google Checkout are in a war to get our business, and we come out the winner! Both are offering special deals for internet shoppers, but the best deal I've found so far is on www.buy.com , where you can get stuff completely free!

Here's how you do it: Go to www.buy.com and chose a $10 item that offers free shipping. (Not all of them have free shipping, and shipping costs on some items at buy.com can be pricey.)

Add your item to the cart and then sign up for Google Checkout. This gives you $10 off your order. If you get a $10 item with free shipping, you pay nothing.

A couple warnings: Make sure you change the shipping method to budget, so you get free shipping. The default is standard and you need to change it to "budget". Also, you must sign up for Google Checkout when you're on the Buy.com website. Otherwise you won't get the $10 off. And lastly, this is only good for new Google Checkout accounts.

Granted, there aren't tons of free deals, but there are a few good ones. Here are a few:

* Kingston 1GB Data Traveler USB 2.0 Flash Drive

* Mini Digital Keychain Camera w/USB

* USRobotics USB hands-free Internet Speakerphone

* 31pc Screwdriver, Bit Driver & Precision Screwdriver Set

Happy shopping and I'll see you next Friday!

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Friday, November 23

We’re shopping till we drop and crowding into each others houses for holiday visits, so what better time than now to step out and have a free laugh?

Jamie Bendall, the owner of the Punchline Comedy Club is offering WSB viewers a very special freebie! Free tickets to this weekend’s Friday night 10 pm show, the 7pm or 9PM Saturday show or the 8pm Sunday show, which I hear is going to be streamed over the web to our men and women serving overseas.

The headliner is Atlanta's own Jerry Farber! Normally, the tickets cost $19.50 for the Friday and Saturday show, and the Sunday night show is 15 bucks. But not for you!

Just order your tickets and then in the code box when you check out, put the word “freebie”. Then print out your tickets and you’re ready to go. There are a limited number of tickets and when they’re out, they’re out, so get to it now!

The website is www.punchline.com>

The Punchline is located at 280 Hildebrand Drive in Atlanta. That’s less than a mile from 285 off Roswell Road.

So have a laugh on the Punchline and I’ll see you next Friday!

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Friday, November 16

Gift cards may be convenient to purchase as a gift, but stats don't lie. They're not always easy for the recipient. If they were, why would billions of gift cards go unused?

Consumer Reports did a survey and found 27% of people who received gift cards last holiday season have still not used them!

Want further proof that gift cards can be a huge gift for retailers? Check out page 30 of Best Buy's 2006 annual report. It says 43 million dollars of its net earnings will come from “gift card breakage”. That’s retail-speak for gift cards that are unlikely to be redeemed.

WSB Web Content Manager Mark Bauer spent $300 on gift cards last year. He bought 15 gift cards for his nieces and nephews. He recently asked who actually used their cards. The answer? Three!

Clark Howard has the answer. It's cash! And to go along with it, you can print out Clark's free message to your gift recipient. Here's the link:

clarkhoward.com/ads/clark/nogiftcards

Before you give another gift card, find out who used them last Christmas!

See you next Friday!

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Friday, November 9

I need to face the facts. My wallet is overweight. And, trust me, it's not the cash that causes a problem, it's all the club cards!

There's Loehmanns, DSW, Kroger, CVS, and the list goes on.

Now Greg Pinero of Silver Spring, Maryland has solved the wallet obesity problem, and it's free!

Greg says he noticed his girlfriend could never remember her club cards. Then he realized the pertinent information on the cards are simple bar codes. So he went to work, and designed a program that puts up to 8 loyalty card bar codes on one little card that you make yourself.

All you need to do is log onto www.justoneclubcard.com and follow the instructions.

It's as easy as entering your bar code number for each card, and hitting the print button. The program does the rest.

If you use your loyalty cards often, you might want to have the card laminated. Also, it's a good idea to print out the paper sleeve for your card. This way a bar code scanner will scan the correct club card. It's easy to figure out how to put together, here's the link:

www.justonecludcard.com/JOCC%20SLEEVE

See you next Friday!

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Friday, November 2

For my first post, I thought I'd start with my first freebie find: It's from Quik Trip.

You may already know consumer advisor Clark Howard named one of his dogs QT, so it's no surprise he's a fan. I like Quik Trip because you can still get air for your tires there for free. But what I didn't know, until recently, is this: QT also gives away food and drinks!

All you have to do is join the QT web group. As soon as you do, you'll get a coupon for a free hot dog and 32 oz. drink.

I joined in September and used my hot dog coupon right away. Then last month, I got a coupon for a free Freezoni. The freezoni cup sells for $3.99, so free is a real deal!

Here's the link to sign up: www.qtwebgroup.com/QTMktPlus_OnlineRegistrationForm.aspx.

See you next Friday!