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This blog is just a simple approach to finding deals, couponing, and maybe even making a few extra dollars... Whether you are saving for a vacation, or trying to make the most of your dollar on a day to day level, this blog will help you find your way!
Showing posts with label Mc Donald's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mc Donald's. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Winners of the Unclaimed March Giveaways Prizes!

And the Many Winners Are....

I am so thrilled with the responses I got from the March Giveaways:Unclaimed Prizes Giveaway.  I got some great reader questions and requests in my inbox. 

But, you all want to know who won, right??

Based on the order I received emails.. the winners for the FREE MC DONALD's Treat Booklets, each containing   12 Free food items are:
Jennifer H. 
And
Debbie Jo

The winners of the FREE PUREX SOFTENER CRYSTALS VOUCHERS are:
Jamie V.
And
Tammy E.

And, who won a bonus FREE CHICK FIL A Food Item?
Jamie V. 
Jamie is twice lucky this time! And, as I did not specify which food item Jamie is getting, Jamie will be getting an email from me to choose an item from a list of options I am sending.

Congrats to all the winners! Please email me at couponcouture@gmail.com and let me know where to mail your prizes. Otherwise, I will pick one of the other emailers at random to claim your prize!

Don't forget to enter my latest giveaway HERE. It is for a Target Pharmacy Coupon Booklet worth $45+.  This giveaway closes on Friday at 5PM.

*The winners have been contacted by email, also.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

March Prizes Up For Grabs!

I Hate to Have This Post.. But... It is Great News For You!
Some Of The Prizes From Last Month Went UNCLAIMED.
Now, I am Doing a Quick Giveaway... Hurry and Enter

Remember the weekly giveaways in March? Well, some of my awesome prizes went unclaimed. All you have to do to claim a prize you win from me is to send me an email at couponcouture@gmail.com. It is pretty simple! 

So, what is up for grabs and what am I giving away?
 2 Full Sized Purex Crystals Softeners
2 Mc Donald's Treats Booklets with 12 vouchers for FREE FOOD each
AND
1 Chick Fil A FREE FOOD Item! 

You can't win if you don't enter.  And, as I am trying to get these items gone so I can announce and focus on the April giveaway... I am going to do this giveaway differently. 

*Enter BEFORE Wednesday, 4/13 at 5 PM. Winners announced and notified Thursday! 

**The claimed prizes from the March giveaways are going out in the mail this week. If you won and claimed your prize and haven't received your prize, it is on its way.

To Enter to win the Purex or McD's, YOU MUST EMAIL ME   (couponcouture@gmail.com).   Just send me an email with either a deal you want me to keep an eye out for, a feature you would like to see on the blog, or where you found the blog.  No need to put any personal information in the email at this point.  I will email you back to let you know if you win, and THEN you can tell me where to send your prize.

The FIRST emailer, The 5th emailer, The 10th emailer, and The 15th emailer  will win either Purex or Mc D's.

To Enter to win the Chick Fil A, leave a comment under this post.  This winner will be picked through random drawing.

So, two ways to enter: email me at couponcouture@gmail.com if you want Purex or Mc D's.  Leave a comment here if you want Chick Fil A.

Good luck, and let's get some prizes out to lucky readers!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Don't Forget to Claim Your Prizes!

OOPS! I Think a Couple Folks Forgot To Claim Their Prizes!
 Here is a List Again of Recent Contest Winners
If You Claimed Your Prize, Disregard Your Name Here

 The March Giveaways Were a LOT of Fun!  We had tons of winners and great prizes.  Some folks, however, have forgotten to claim their prizes.  So as not to call anyone in particular out, I have made a list here of all the prizes from March and all the winners.  

If your name is on this list and you have not emailed me at couponcouture@gmail.com with your name and address so I can send you your prize, you need to do so by Friday.  
Monday I will be redoing the prize drawings for those gifts left unclaimed.  

March Giveaway 1: All About Baby-  Winner Summer
March Giveaway 2:  All About The Kids- 12 McDonald's Food Items- Winner JULESGORK

March Giveaway 3:  Purex Crystals-  Winners Summer, Yvette D, and Crystal T.
March Giveaway 4:  Chick Fil A Food!- Joey G

March Giveaway 5:  Let's Do That Again- Free Chick Fil A, Free McD's, and Purex Crystals  Winner Virtually Sarah

Again, if you HAVE NOT EMAILED ME at couponcouture@gmail.com, please do so by Friday to claim your prize.

Come Monday, we will announce a NEW list of winners from the unclaimed items.

Thanks again, guys!! And, to reiterate, if you have already claimed your prize through email, don't worry about your name showing on the list. You are good. You are getting your prize.  I just did not want to call out the winners that have not emailed me yet!

Keep up with the blog.. I have more giveaways planned in the near future!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Winner of Last Week's March Giveaway Announced

March Giveaway, Week 5:
Winner of the Biggest March Giveaway Announced

This past month has been so much fun. I have loved doing the weekly giveaways! I have some more planned soon, so keep reading the blog!

Thanks so much for everyone's participation!  I love the comments. I also love getting the feedback and emails.  Is there a giveaway you would like to see on the blog? A topic? A type of deal?  Send me an email at couponcouture@gmail.com . I would love to post the deal, info, topic, request for you and keep an eye out on upcoming deals.

So, who won the fabulous prize pack featuring:
12 vouchers for FREE Mc Donald's Food
1 Free Chick Fil A Milkshake
and
1 voucher for a FREE full sized Purex Crystals Laundry Softener

????

The winner is one of our newest readers...    

Congratulations, Virtually Sarah!

Please email me where I can send your prize pack before Wednesday, April 6 to claim this prize pack!!

*Unfortunately, as I can't hold onto these things forever, if I don't get an email claiming this pack, I will have to choose another lucky reader as the winner.


**As an aside, ever wonder how I fund the giveaways? Right now, as I am a modest deals blogger, I pay the postage, etc out of my Google AdSense account. That's right.. the money I make on the blog (a penny or two most days, currently), I put right back into the blog.  It's how I say Thanks for Reading My Blog.  Also, I am a Purex Insider, as you probably know by now, and they sponsor my Purex giveaways.. (keep your eyes peeled.. another one is coming soon!).  The other things I giveaway are items I coupon for and/ or freebies I get.  I am working with a few business owners, too to try to arrange for some more giveaways.  I love being able to do giveaways for those of you that read the blog.  Without your interest, there would be no point to doing the blog, so thanks again!

Monday, March 28, 2011

March Giveaways Week 5: Let's Do That Again!

It's The Last Week of the March Giveaways.
This Week's Giveaway is "Let's Do That Again!"

Did you guys like the giveaways this month? I have had a lot of fun putting them together.  To celebrate and end March the right way, I have decided this week's theme to be "Let's Do That Again!"

Do you remember the Purex Crystals Giveaway 3 Lucky readers won? These laundry softeners are great.  I have loved using them. They are mostly natural and weeks after I wash my clothes and towels in them, they still smell great.  I love that they don't affect my towels' absorbency or the fire retardant in my kids' sleepwear.   I love that they are solid, not liquid, for easy clean up when spilled.  Overall, I am a Purex Crystals' fan now. 
 Also, this month, I got a GREAT response from the Mc Donald's giveaway. I gave away 12 vouchers for FREE Mc Donald's food. These vouchers are corporate coupons acceptable at almost every Mc D's.  They include vouchers for free hamburgers, fries, apple dippers, drinks, ice cream, etc.

AND! Let's not forget the COWS! Last week, one lucky winner walked away with free Chick Fil A.
So, what is up for grabs this week??

ONE LUCKY WINNER WILL GET THE ULTIMATE MARCH GIVEAWAYS PRIZE PACK:
  • One Voucher for FREE Purex Laundry Crystals, a full sized one, of your choice
  • 12 Vouchers for FREE Mc Donald's Food! 3 hamburgers, 3 fries or apple dippers, 3 ice cream cones, 3 milk or juice
  • One Voucher to Chick Fil A for a FREE Small Milkshake
  This is a drawing I want to enter! You guys are so lucky!  

So, here are the rules.
To Enter:
Only One Person will win, and you can't win if you don't enter.  


Leave a comment HERE on THIS post BEFORE Friday, April 1 at 5 pm. Make sure your comment, if anonymous, includes a nickname, or something like that, that I can use to determine the winner. I will announce the winner by Saturday, April 2. 


Want a BONUS entry into the drawing?  Leave a comment about how you found this blog.  Yes, you can get two entries into the random drawing this week! 




PLEASE check back here on the blog to see who won.  IF YOU WIN PLEASE EMAIL ME at couponcouture@gmail.com  before Wednesday, April 6 to claim your prize.  If you win and you don't email me by Wednesday where to send your prize, I will have to draw a new random winner.

GOOD LUCK! 

Sunday, March 13, 2011

And The Winner of the March Giveaways Week 2 is....

March Giveaways: Week 2
All About the Kids Contest Winner

The winner of last week's Mc Donald's Treat booklet  giveaway is JULESGORK.   Thanks so very much to all for entering my giveaway last week.  Julesgork will be receiving 12 vouchers for FREE Mc D's food items. 

To claim your prize, please email me at couponcouture@gmail.com with your mailing address so I know where to send this prize.

Keep an eye on the blog tomorrow, because I will be announcing the March Giveaways Week 3 Purex Sponsored giveaway.

Thanks again to all that entered.  Try again this week.. 3 people are going to win a prize!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Food Freebies for Today Only

Today's Fast Food Freebies:
No Coupon Needed

TGIF, right?! And, who wants to cook on a Friday? If you find yourself out and about looking for some good fast food deals today, check these out:

  • Mc Donald's-  Doing the Lent thing? Or just like fish? Today only, select Mc D's locations are offerring a BOGO deal on the Filet o' Fish sandwiches.  Call and ask before you go, or inquire when you get there, to see if your location is participating.  Also, since this is a store deal and not a coupon deal, you might be able to use coupons with this deal.  Don't have coupons? Hurry! You can still enter my giveaway for Mc D's coupon vouchers.  They wont help you for this deal today, but maybe it they do it again during lent it would be worth it to win these. Go HERE to enter my giveaway. You have until 5PM today to do so!
  • Starbucks-  As posted earlier this week, Starbucks is offering a FREE Petite treat with beverage purchase. Go HERE for those details.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Eating Out on a Budget Means Fast Food, Right?

Going Out to Eat on a Budget 
Does NOT Always Mean Fast Food...

When you are on a tight budget, meals out can be a really nice treat or indulgence.  The tighter the budget, the more people automatically, out of habit even, assume that means you have to dine out at a restaurant with a drive thru and or playplace.  With a little work to find the deals, and a little self discipline (you really don't need that soda to go with your meal), you just might be surprised to find a restaurant just might be more economically feasible than those fast food chains.

  • Check out local restaurants for local specials.  One of our favorite Saturday lunch spots is the Blow Fly Inn in Biloxi.  Saturday's Blue Plate Lunch Special features a BIG Bowl of homemade red beans and rice, and a nice large chunk of cornbread for $2.97. You can dine on the patio for a lovely view of the bay when the weather is nice.  My family of 5 orders three of these specials and the kids split theirs.  The total is about $9, plus tax and tip, so about $12 (we tip 20% and drink water).  For a family of 5.  When we go to Mc Donald's, it runs around $20 these days.  In this case, we save money, eat some good fresh cooking, and have a really nice experience.. and save money.  These deals are all over, you just have to discover them!
  • Check out Restaurant.com for $25 off certificates for around $2.  Google for the current 80% off discount code for Restaurant.com.  Then, search your area for participating deals. Read the fine print before you  buy.  I love Restaurant.com. One of my favorite deals here recently was paying $2 for a $25 off $35 or more at House of Blues in New Orleans.  Then, we went to House of Blues during their "Half off Happy Hour."  We got so much food for super cheap.  Shrimp and catfish and etc etc.  Most of the appetizers were half price when we went, then we used our Restaurant.com certificate.  Again, cheaper than Burger King, and a really awesome experience.
  • Check out your local tv and radio station websites. Most feature a weekly Half OFF deal.  Again, read the terms and don't be surprised by the S/H fee these types of deals tack on. You might get a $50 gift certificate for $25.. but then you usually also pay up to another $4 for S/H.  Also, read the delivery timeline.  These usually can take a few weeks before they are delivered.  **IF you are traveling to an area, check out their local sites before you go.  See if there are any half off deals you could buy months in advance and then use when you go.  
  • For cheaper fast food experiences, check the locations you frequent. Get buddy buddy with the folks that work there and see if they ever have special promotional coupons,etc.  My Mc D's sells coupon books various times of the year.  $1 for 12 free food coupons.  Also, Chick Fil A is always looking for a reason to hand out a coupon, it seems.  Make friends with them and find out how you can get some.  They also sell calendars featuring 12 free food coupons. These run about $6 usually. The coupons are always really great though. One for this year's is a free grilled chicken strip salad!
  • SKIP the soda. Really. At a restaurant, just skipping a drink and getting water can save you big.  Say three of you get drinks at about $2 a pop everytime you dine out. That is $6, plus tax and tip. So, about $7.70 just for the drinks. Now, let's say you eat out once a week. That is $400 a YEAR you could save just by ordering water when you eat out.  You just have to have that soda? Get one for $1 on the way home. 
  • Think about your ordering a little more "creatively".  Is it cheaper to get two meals off the kids' menu? Or one adult entree and have the kids split? Or better yet, is it half price appetizer time and you could get the kids chicken strips that way and maybe add some broccoli on the side? Do the math and look at things outside the pre-packaged meal idea they present to you in the menu.  And look for the "bottomless" options, like free refills on chips and salsa, when you order.  Or like the Never Ending Soup, Salad, Breadsticks at Olive Garden.  
  • Buffets can be cheaper.. way cheaper.. than fast food if you have a coupon and go during kids eat free.  They can also be way too expensive, so take a moment and do the math.
  • Many communities offer freebies for kids.. schools, library programs, etc will give kids food freebies for participating. Try to keep on the lookout for these! School fund raisers often have some good discounts you can purchase from them, too.
  • IF you are going out with your spouse, consider the cost of the sitter to the cost of the meal and see if it is really worth it. In most cases, that $60 burger is totally worth it for the peace and alone time...

Take the time to find the deals, coupons, and specials.  Make small changes like skipping the soda.  You will be really surprised at how many deals are out there for dining out experiences.   I love telling people I am going to Beef O'Brady's for dinner, because I can't afford Mc Donald's today.  


Where do you love to eat out? How do you find deals for dining out as a family?

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

March 14-18, MS Coast Food Freebies

Gonna Be on the MS Gulf Coast Next Week?
Better Come Hungry!
I am really happy to have found these freebies to share with you guys.  Seems like next week, March 14-18, is free breakfast foods week on the MS Gulf Coast.  

Here's the Skinny.. or not so skinny..
  1. Krispy Kreme Donuts will be giving away free donuts on "Free Donut Day", which is March 15th.  The Ocean Springs, Gulfport, and Hattiesburg locations are participating to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Ocean Springs Location.  The FIRST PERSON at the opening of the Ocean Springs location will get FREE DONUTS FOR A YEAR! Also, there will be other giveaways and prizes at the Ocean Springs location, too.
  2. Gulfport, Hwy 49, Chick Fil A Location is having Free Breakfast Week next week!  Every person that stops in next week during breakfast hours will receive the breakfast item of the day free.  Monday is Free Chicken Biscuit Day. Tuesday is Free Yogurt Parfait Day. Wednesday is Free 3pk Chicken Minis. Thursday is Free Sausage Biscuit Day. Friday is Free Spicy Chicken Biscuit Day.  Breakfast starts at 6:30 AM and goes until 10:30 AM.
  3. Want Free Mc Donalds for next week?? Go enter HERE enter  to win 12 free Mc D's Food Vouchers.  Good on the Coast, or any participating (read almost every one) location.   
Next week sounds delish! MMMMmmm.  Special thanks to the Focus Group for alerting me to the Krispy Kreme freebies and giveaways, and to Gulfport Chick Fil A for telling me about next week's breakfasts!

Monday, March 7, 2011

March Giveaways: Week #2 All About The Kids!

March Giveaways, Week 2:
Free Food Vouchers to Mc Donald's!

As promised, this week's giveaway is about the kids.  And, most of the kids I know love Mc D's from time to time!  Enter this week's contest here, and your child could win:
  • 3 vouchers for Free Hamburgers
  • 3 vouchers for Free Ice Cream Cones
  • 3 vouchers for Free Apple Dippers or Small Fry
  • 3 vouchers for Free Small Apple Juice or Milk Jug
These vouchers are corporate issued, and good at all participating locations. They expire March 2012.

This is a great giveaway. I know you want to enter this one.  All you have to do is leave a comment under this post. You get one entry per person. And, you can enter it any time this week, until 5 PM my time on Friday. The winner will be announced this weekend.

Good Luck!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Go Grab a Copy or Two of Yesterday's Paper if You Can!

Did You Get a Paper Yesterday?
If Not, Can You Get a Discounted Copy Today?
Go Grab One or Two.
Ok, if you did get a paper yesterday, especially in our area, you may have noticed the coupons were a little on the light side.  HOWEVER, on the back of the Red Plum Insert in my paper, there were several really good coupons for Mc Donald's.  They even included two coupons for FREE, no purchase necessary, Fruit and Maple Oatmeals!

  These coupons expire March 27th.  IF you like the oatmeal, and most locations offer to make it without maple upon request, then this is a really great coupon for you and will justify the purchase of the day old paper, should you find a place that sells them.

Other coupons for Mc D's include:
2 coupons for Get a FREE Oatmeal WYB any Med Beverage
2 coupons for Get a FREE MED Fries and a FREE MED Soft Drink or Tea WYB any Angus Third Pounder.

So, you will get 6 very valuable coupons.  IF you bought a paper yesterday, make sure to clip these out!

Also, there are rumors of some Target coupons in select areas.  I didn't see any of these in my paper.


Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Foodie "Freebies"

Did you know that you can get coupons for "FREE" fast-food?
Yes, Freebies even exist for the fast-food joints! Quite a few chains offer discounts, or even freebies, if you know what to ask for!  Some require a purchase of some kind of promotional-type item in order to get your freebies, but these are usually minimal. This is especially true when you take into consideration the total value of what you receive.  Sometimes, getting freebies at a fast-food place can be as easy as looking at the store's sign for the upcoming deal. Chick-Fil-A, for example, oftentimes will run a free food item promotion such as "Stop by Tuesday morning for a Free Chicken Biscuit."  Sometimes, you can get freebies by signing up for email updates and joining a fast-food or restaurant's "birthday club."

Here is a list of some local promotions I run across from time to time:
  Domino's- at Fund Raising events, or even outside a Walmart, you might find a stand where you can purchase Domino's Fund Raising cards. These usually benefit a local school and run about $10. The last one I bought had 10 coupons for a Free Medium Pizza on each coupon.

Wendy's- One fund raiser they did last year was to offer a Frosty key chain tag for $1. By showing this tag at participating restaurants, you would receive one FREE Jr. Frosty at every visit.  Also, at Halloween, they usually offer a Treats booklet for $1. This booklet comes with ten vouchers for Free Jr. Frostys.

Chick-Fil-A- This is a plentiful source of freebies. They often put out coupons for FREE Sandwich WYB fries and a drink. They also often post FREE food offers on their signage.  Many locations even offer a family fun night every week with activities and free icecream for children. The BEST deal CFA offers, in my opinion, is the "COWlander" they put out every year. It is a standard 12-month calendar. At the bottom of each month, there is a coupon for FREE food items. One month it is a chicken sandwich, the next month a grilled chicken salad, etc etc. These cost $6. This year, I bought two of them. The value here is amazing, especially since we have playdates at CFA and are there on a regular basis, anyway.

McDonald's- Sometimes they put some FREE food item coupons in the paper. This is a rare thing usually centered around the launch of a new menu item. Also, they often offer treats booklets for $1 each booklet during certain seasons. There are usually Winter Treats, Spring Treats, and Valentine's Treats booklets at a couple of my McD's.  Each booklet comes with about 12 coupons for free food items.  Each coupon features something like a free hamburger, or free small fry, or free milk, or free apple dippers, etc. After you use just one coupon out of these booklets, they pretty much pay for themselves.  Always be sure to check the expiration date, however. Just because your location may take expired treat booklet coupons, and thus they may continue to sell them expired, doesn't mean that other locations will take them.

Papa John's- Frequently, they have online discount codes for freebies like cheesy bread if you take a moment to Google a code for such.  However, Pizza seasoning packets, pepper flakes, and sprinkle cheese are always free upon request.  I usually request about 8 pizza seasoning packets when I order from Papa John's. These make for awesome olive oil and seasoning bread dipping, season up some veggies to grill, or even add jazz to your fave pasta dish when you cook.

Our local cupcake place, Frostings, has BOGO regular cupcakes every day from 1-3. They do not advertise this promotion and you have to know to ask for it to get the deal. Check around at your local places and see if they offer something like that.

Starbucks- Did you know that when you buy specially marked bags of coffee at your local supermarket, etc, you can take that bag (once empty) in to your Starbucks for a free cup of coffee? *Just about every single bag of Starbucks coffee off the grocer's shelves have the small free cup of coffee logo.

**CHECK your restaurant or fast food receipts. Many places now offer free food or drink coupons on them when you do a quick survey on your experience.

Sonic has Happy Hour from 2-4 every day. Their drinks and slushes are half off. If you get two equal valued drinks, that is like BOGO!

Dairy Queen offers a Happy Hour at many locations. You will have to check with your local one for details.

**DID YOU KNOW that many fast food places will let you trade the toy out of the kids' meal in for a dessert? Whataburger offers a cookie or fruitsnack sometimes, and Chick Fil A will let your child get an icecream.

***Library Summer Reading Programs and other Free for Children Community Events are often excellent sources of fast food and restaurant freebies. Every year, my children participate in the library one and rack up tons of great freebie vouchers.  Local companies get to promote literacy and such and raise awareness of their products/food.  Check around for these! Feed your kids' minds and tummies!

Also, many restaurants and eateries offer freebies on your birthday when you sign up your email with them.

More places offer a punch card, frequent customer type program where you earn freebies from being a loyal customer. Subway used to do this. CiCi's Pizza(buffet), Pizza Hut(buffet), McAllister's (free tea club), Smoothie King, and others offer these types of deals.

Freebies and great deals are everywhere. You just have to look around and inquire.  Do you know of any freebies? Let us know!