Here’s what can happen when a great deal spreads through the blogosphere like wildfire.
Yesterday a blogger emailed me a coupon for a FREE Rotisserie Chicken at Whole Foods, a $7.99 value. First I printed it out (of course) Then, I added it to my list to consider for Friday Freebies. The coupon didn’t have a unique bar code or any security features to prevent people from printing multiple copies. To make sure it was legit, I called Whole Foods Public Relations Department.
The very nice PR representative told me the coupon had been mailed to certain customers for registering on the Whole Foods website and they hadn’t expected it to be emailed throughout the blogosphere or placed on blogs (which is had been, all over the place) She asked me not to put it on TV or 11Alive.com and I said sure.
By afernoon, I had seen the coupon on half a dozen money saving blogs. By the end of the day, the expiration date had changed from September 15th to August 27th ( yesterday)
I went to my local Whole Foods to try out the coupon and found about 6 other people waiting for the lastest batch of Rotisserie Chickens, coupons in hand. I also bought some other items AND of course registered on Wholefoods.com, so kind of a win-win even though they probably gave out a lot more free chicken then they anticipated. There was a similar situation with KFC and Free Chicken on Oprah Winfrey a few months ago but KFC was so bombarded they couldn’t honor the coupons!!
I’ll be checking my email for the latest Freebie from Whole Foods now that I’m signed up officially!
Ulta cosmetic stores are working with Seventeen Magazine to give away free mascara to the first 8000 customers nationwide who bring in the October 2009 Seventeen magazine cover starting September 15th.
Ulta says it plans to have about 24 tubes on hand per store. The mascara, called BadGal blue, from Benefit Cosmetics is a $19.00 value.
There are two ways to get free Chick-fil-A sandwiches coming up. The first is to first go to chickenwave.com and register to become part of the chicken wave. (Chickens doing the wave at a football game.)
Then, on Labor Day, if you go a participating Chick-fil-A store wearing the logo of your favorite sports team you’ll get a free sandwich as well.
Cold Stone Creamery is giving out free ice cream on September 24th from 5 to 8 pm. Feel free to make a donation since The World’s Largest Ice Cream Social benefits the Make a Wish Foundation.
And at Piedmont Park, bring the family to a winter vegetable gardening workshop at 2pm Sunday august 30th. That will be held at the Piedmont Park Conservancy’s Community Center, which is located near the intersection of Piedmont and 12th Street.
And finally check out speedcine.com for free movies you can watch on your computer. It’s legal and free.
For more money saving tips follow Valuesval onTwitter.com
Well, busy has become an understatement for me since school started. I asked my mom to post this for me because I am having a hard time finding the time. School has been great but exhausting as I try to adjust to things. I can say I love it and did not realize how much I missed it. I had to take all of my end of year examines for 10th grade in 2 days to show the school I did keep up when I was homeschooled. I did well on all of them, thank God. Practice was going great until I got a horrible sinus infection I have not been able to go to gym since Monday, that upside down motion is killer. I miss it and am afraid I will be behind in my new skills when I go back on Monday. It is amazing how much being out a week (when it is due to sickness) can effect the performance you were just beginning to master when you left. Work is great, homework is, wow, lots. I am keeping up but by Sunday I am exhausted and want to nothing all day. I am going to my first High School football game tonight, I can’t wait. Thanks for listening. Starting Monday I will be posting the happenings at the gym now that we are all back in full swing and getting ready for the competitive season, except Bekkah, she had her ankle surgery last Thursday and is doing great, everything went awesome and she is on the road back…good luck Bekka. Thanks again, for following us we look forward to bringing you an exciting season here at GASG.
Why am I still working? ???
Because Dennis McHugh in Stockbridge reminded me that he is selling LARGE PIZZAS at 15th Street Pizza and Pub in Stockbridge for $3.74 per person (One per person, NO delivery) On Monday, August 24th ONLY. He’s the owner.
15th Street Pizza and Pub is located at 1482 Hudson Bridge Rd, Stockbridge, GA 30281
AND: Two Free Chik-Fil-A Deals! If you go to www.chickenwave.com and spend about ten minutes joining the Chicken Wave they will mail you a free coupon for a Chik-fil-A sandwich. And on Labor Day if you wear the logo of your favorite sports team, you get a free Chik-fil-A as well.
As far as the jeans go, Barney’s is an expensive store and so is Barney’s Co-Op at Phipp’s Plaza. But if you want to shop there you can lessen the pain by trading in an old pair of jeans for 20% off a new pair. 1% goes toward For the Planet, an alliance of businesses financially committed to creating a healthy planet. ( I know, this is still expensive but I’m just putting it out there, have to be fair since I tweeted about the 29.99 Hudson Jeans on Clearance last week at TJ Maxx.) The promotion runs till the end of August.
Let me know about great deals you find out there!
Mark your calendar for September 5th if you want to see a free concert in Centennial Olympic Park.
Atlanta’s own Collective Soul and Drivin ‘n Cryin will be performing in an event sponsored by local radio station Rock100.5. The concert is scheduled for 4pm.
Williams Sonoma stores have free cooking classes most weekends. For example at Lenox Square on Sunday, August 23rd there is a Pizza and Panini demonstration. Students can register in advance at williamsonoma.com
Wal-Mart is giving away free samples of Emergen-C Vitamin drink mix. Click here to sign up for a sample.
Krystal restaurants are offering free samples of a new energy drink called Krystalblitz. Click here for a coupon.
The American Boot Camp Company is hoping to boost enrollment in its exercise classes by offering a Free Boot Camp class to those who’d like to try it out. The company holds Boot Camp sessions in various parks around metro Atlanta. Click here to learn more.
Grocery coupons are always free on 11Alive.com and Atlanta.momslikeme.com.
For more money saving tips follow Valuesval on Twitter.
The free school supplies have just about dried up but there are some freebies left this weekend.
Participating Great Clips hair salons are offering a free school supplies kit when you buy a full priced kids haircut. It is available Saturday August 15th and Sunday August 16th while supplies last.
Nestle is offering a back to school calendar you can get on Wal-Mart’s web site. The calendar has back to school tips and $20.00 worth of coupons.
You can also get free makeup from Bare Minerals this week. Ulta, Sephora and several other retailers are giving away a ten day supply while supplies last.
Saturday August 22nd participating Lowe’s stores are offering a Build and Grow Class for kids where they can make a toy school bus. You can register on lowesbuildandgrow.com
It has been 5 years since I went to regular school. I have homeschooled through my entire middle school grades and up until this year for high school, so frankly I don’t remember what to expect. But I do know that I am not entering the year as I had planned. I was to be a senior this year, work for the athletic scholarship, go to the senior prom, and well remember what it was like to sit in a classroom, take tests issued by a teacher and reports completed by a predetermined deadline. However, I will be entering school as a Junior. A decission that did not come lightly. You see I had already been speaking with college scouts about my pending graduation and option of scholarships, now I must go back and explain to them that I have chosen to be a Junior in my senior year. After carefully looking over what it would take for me to graduate, as the school did not accept all of my homeschool courses, and the load that I would have to carry I realized my entire senior year would be spent between school, homework and gymnastics (not even time to work) and the gymnastics would be hit hard as I put in the late nights on the quantity of homework I would most likely have. So despite the fact that I will be older then, well pretty much everyone in my class, and the fact that my college qualification will be delayed, I feel this is the right choice for me. I will still have a heavy load this year but not nearly as heavy as it would be as a Senior and it will give me more time to enhance my gymnastics skills which will give me more opportunities. So off to school in a real classroom with real teachers and classmates I go on Monday morning…wish me luck, I’ll let you know how it goes. Until then, flip open a book, get into the pages and dream as the story unfolds….
11 Alive’s NEW Weekend Morning News is on its third weekend and we are having a GREAT time!
We’re reporting all the really essential news of the day but also what’s fun to do around metro Atlanta on the weekends, all new Ways To Save money, and we’re enjoying YOUR involvement! We have a pretty lively online chat that happens throughout the newscast and last weekend the first viewers to feel the North Georgia Earthquake were chatting about it before the experts even knew about it!! ( I also hand out some insider Ways to Save Info! Last weekend it was that 16.99 6 cup Food Processer)
This Sunday we have lots of info about H1N1(Swine Flu) and how it affects Back to School. And Nationally Acclaimed Coupon Mom Stephanie Nelson shares some of her secrets!
We’re also having fun with our neighborhood spotlight; it’s just a fun, quick blurb on what makes a neighborhood special or unique. I LOVED it that Pam Jones out in Rutledge ( a gorgeous little town an hour East of Atlanta) shot a video of her neighborhood and sent it to us. Thanks Pam! She can probably run for Mayor of Rutledge now. .
Viewer participation is making this show fun, fresh and different. And the Ways to Save on Sunday saves you from going through the newspaper inserts. We’ll highlight all the best deals in a few minutes.
Our goal is to tell you what you need to know to make your weekend fun, easy and affordable. That means Atlanta’s crime issues are a BIG topic but not necessarily every individual home invasion, shooting, stabbing and car break in.
We love your feedback and your tips so keep them coming, tune in and try us out! So far, the word of mouth buzz has been positive and Chris Holcomb and I love our new show!!!
Hope you’re with us tomorrow..to chat just go to 11alive.com and click on the blue bar at the top of the screen. Even I can do it ..the one who struggles through posting photos on a blog J)
v
I’ve only had to deal with unemployment once in my life. I was only out of college for about six months and the freelance gig I was working dried up.
I tried searching for a job for about a month. My meager savings dried up quickly and I realized I had to do SOMETHING while I searched for my next job.
I ended up waiting tables while I continued applying for jobs at small market television stations. The restaurant gig helped pay the bills and funded the job search. But, it was frustrating.
I applied to dozens of TV stations before I landed my first gig at WRBL in Columbus, Georgia.
Since then, I’ve been fortunate. I haven’t had to deal with unemployment.
In my current job, I’ve been tasked with covering the employment beat. My goal has been to maintain a positive outlook in the clichéd “tough economic times”. I try hard to only do stories that provide real, actionable information for folks who are looking for jobs, rather than focusing on the latest unemployment statistics and trends.
While covering the jobs beat, I have been amazed by the different perspectives I encounter.
Some people are understandably frustrated. They’ve been out of work for months. Every time they apply for a job, they either get rejected or they never hear back from the employer. They’re beginning to think job fairs and “networking” are a waste of time. They seem to think getting a job is a matter of luck, be in the right place at the right time.
But then there are others who somehow maintain a more positive perspective. They brush off the “no’s” and the failed applications. They try to learn what kept them from getting the last job they applied for and try not to make the same mistake again. These types of people know that by staying upbeat and refusing to give up, they too will soon be employed.
I was starting to get dejected during the summer I waited tables. Nothing was panning out for me. I happened to pick up a freelance job as a grip (a low-level, low paying job) for a televised women’s soccer game.
While working that gig, I met a guy who was also working freelance. Turns out that guy was Cyle Mims, the then News Director for WRBL. I chatted him up for about ten or fifteen minutes, then we went back to work. The next week, Cycle called me and invited me to Columbus for an interview. I ended up getting the job and two weeks later I was in Columbus.
While my experience with unemployment was not nearly as dire as many others, I understand how frustrating it can be. But, I learned a valuable lesson from that experience: If I’m ever unemployed again, I’ll need to maintain a positive attitude. Networking works, even when you least expect it.
I had only fifteen minutes to network with Cyle. I tried to make a good impression by being positive and excited about the opportunities he may have for me right away, or down the road.
I’d like to think my positive attitude paid off. I doubt he would have called me if I had acted depressed and dejected.
I hope the job seekers of today can maintain a positive attitude themselves, despite frustrating circumstances, because you never know when the next opportunity is going to come your way.
