Review: No Kidding Coupons, 99% Off

Summer is finally here! It's been awhile since I've posted, but I came across an interesting site that I think you'll enjoy.  

About No Kidding Coupons
No Kidding Coupons (NKC) is a new extreme discount coupon site that combines the best of what shoppers love about RetailMeNot, Coupons.com, FatWallet and Slickdeals with a gamification twist. It's a simple idea that makes coupon shopping fun AND rewards participants with extreme coupons and high discount promo codes!
 
At No Kidding Coupons, a 99% OFF coupon redeemable at a trusted shopping site like Amazon.com is the norm..."No Kidding," as NKC members often say.

How It Works
Members join No Kidding Coupons free of charge and earn points based on activities, contests and various site engagements. Next, members select the products they like and exchange points for deep discount coupons. Coupons can be used like cash to slash 99% off retail prices on hundreds of quality products. Check out this No Kidding Coupons VIDEO.

The more ways a member shares and engages, the more points they earn for future coupons. It's fun, easy and most importantly, it's almost free...no kidding. All kidding aside, members quickly discover the deals are real as they are extreme.

My Experience

I joined the site and was sent several emails explaining how the program works. Essentially, you get the products at a significant discount in return for a product review and social media promotion. I'm in the process of ordering a product to see how much time it takes to generate enough points to redeem them. 

I like the overall idea -- it almost seems to good to be true. I'm interested to see how much time is involved in purchasing, reviewing and acquiring a decent amount of points. But I guess you have to give a little to get this type of mega-discount.

Have you tried No Kidding Coupons? I'd love to hear about your experience. What did you like or dislike?

Green and Frugal Tip: Shop Clearance First...Always

I've slowly developed a taste for high-quality make-up and beauty products. I'm not sure where this new-found interest came from, but it's a habit I need to reel in. It doesn't help that I live very close to a recently opened Ulta beauty store.

How to Frugally Shop Ulta
Ulta sends reward coupons for free merchandise based upon on how much money you spend. When I receive my reward, I always grab as many beauty product coupons as I can and head right for the clearance section (s). I scored some great deals this time around.

For $16 (+ tax), I was able to get a bag full of goodies, many of which I'll be able to include in my 7-year-old daughter's Easter basket.

• Tablet cover
• Body lotion
• Snowflake nail file
• Two lip balms
• 14-day keratin treatment
• Sunscreen (for an upcoming vacation)
• Anti-frizz lotion
• Hair shine
• Hair spray
• Eyeliner

Below is my receipt and you can see that I had a $2 for the Got2B hair gel. It was on clearance for $1.62. I thought it would be a money-maker, but instead was free. The only item I paid full-price for was the egg lip balm. I had been wanting it for awhile after trying out my daughter's.

Shopping clearance isn't only doable at Ulta. I do this at any store I walk into, including grocery stores like ShopRite and discount stores like TJ Maxx. You never know when you'll stumble upon an item you've been searching for that happens to be in the clearance rack.

Here's another example: I had been looking for a mini whisk for months, but refused to pay $8-$10 for it. Lo and behold, after scouring the clearance rack at Bed, Bath & Beyond, I found one for $2.99. Score!! The best part is pairing your clearance find with a coupon. My little whisk ended up being $2.39 after I used a 20% off coupon. Every little bit helps!

Have you scored any hot deals in the clearance aisle? Nothing is more exciting than a good bargain!

Green and Frugal: Some Frugal Ideas for Holiday Gifts

With that, here's another great guest post from our friends at The Greenest Dollar:

It’s hard to believe the holidays are here again. And, like most of you, I’m trying to plan out some green and frugal holiday gifts for my friends and family. For me, going to the mall any time of year is a personal form of torture. But going around the holidays? Forget about it.

Same goes for pretty much any other retail outlet. Parking lots are jammed with people, traffic is bad, lines are long and most sales clerks are grumpy and overworked.

Who needs it?

Instead, all my gifts will either come from my computer, or from my kitchen.

Here are some ideas I’m considering:

1. A Groupon

Buying someone a cool Groupon can be a wonderful, frugal gift.

For instance, today’s offer in Detroit is $25 for $50 at American Apparel. If you have a friend or family member who’s nuts about American Apparel clothing, this would be a cheap way to let them get something they like at the store. And it only costs you $25.

You can buy Groupons to restaurants, pilates classes, spa treatments, teeth whitening…it really runs the gamut. And, most deals are 50%-80% off what you’d normally pay (which is why I love Groupon). But, you never know what’s going to come up, which is why you need to stay on the look out.

If you haven’t heard of Groupon, or don’t quite understand how it works, you can see my analysis of the site here.

2. A Restaurant.com Certificate

Restaurant.com is another place to score some deep discounts on eating out. I’ve bought several gift certificates through this site and all have worked out well.

Here’s how it works. Like Groupon, you “buy” a restaurant gift certificate through Restaurant.com. For instance, you might pay $3 for a $25 gift certificate to your favorite restaurant. You’re saving $22!

The only catch with Restaurant.com is that you have to read the fine print. Most restaurants have a caveat that says you have to spend a set amount of money, like $40, for the gift certificate to work. Make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully for each restaurant, as they’re all different.

I think this gift would work best as an experience. Instead of just giving your friend or family the gift certificate, tell them you’re taking them out to dinner with the Restaurant.com certificate. This way you can enjoy each others’ company, and they won’t have to pay a dime. And, you’re still getting a bargain.

Tip: Do NOT just go to Restaurant.com and buy a gift certificate for $10. This site always has coupon codes going. Do a search on Google for “Restaurant.com coupon code”. Most of the time, you’ll score a code that will give you an additional 70%-80%. This means that you might pay $2 for a $25 gift certificate. If you sign up for their email list you’ll also receive notices when their gift certificates go on sale (which is practically weekly).

3. A Pandora Membership

Do you have a friend, family member or close co-worker who loves Pandora? Why not get them a year-long membership to the site for $35?

Yes, Pandora is free. But you can only listen for 40 hours per month (sounds like a lot, but if you listen at work it’s easy to top this), and you have to listen to the ads, which can be highly annoying at times.

When you’re a member, you have unlimited listening time. You don’t have to hear any ads. And you’re supporting a worthy endeavor, since Pandora rocks.

4. Homemade Yummies

Several of my friends and family members are going to get boxes or baskets of handmade yummies this year. And if you have the time, giving handmade goods is one of the most frugal (and perhaps rewarding) gifts you can give.

Need some ideas?

If you like canning, Raspberry Wine Jelly is a great choice because it’s really simple, you can use frozen raspberries, and it tastes like a million bucks. You could also make Habanero Jam (which is the most delicious jam I made all summer). It doesn’t require seasonal ingredients, and it tastes incredible when paired with pears or a hard cheese.

If you want to bake some unique cookies, why not try Earl Grey Tea Cookies. They taste amazing, and they’re really unique.

Have a coffee lover in your life (I’m raising my hand here…). Why not make them some homemade biscotti? If you do this, contact me and I’ll send you my mailing address. Check out this great list of 20 Best Biscotti recipes from Allrecipes.com. Another cool idea? Put the biscotti in an old coffee can and tie with a vintage ribbon.

Making someone a freezable dinner is also a unique and thoughtful gift. After all, most of us are super busy during the holidays. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to pull out a delicious dinner we didn’t have to cook ourselves? Real Simple has a great list of freezable dinners here.

5. A Reusable Shopping Bag

If you know anyone who hasn’t gotten on the reusable shopping bag bandwagon, now’s the time to get them on board? Find a cool one you think they’d love and gift away. Reusable shopping bags also make an awesome gift bag, as well.

Some of my favorite bags come from BlueQ Bags.

Last Word…

I’d love to hear back from you on this. What frugal holiday gifts are you planning? Also, if you have some ideas for homemade yummies, I’d love to hear them! I’m mostly doing homemade this year and would love some inspiration.

 
Get 10% off sitewide when you shop at www.AccessHydro.com. Valid until December 31, 2013.

How Colorful Outdoor Lights Can Help Set the Right Mood

Lighting is one of the best and easiest ways to create different atmospheres for your garden. Sometimes you want it to be lively and bright, maybe for a party, while at other times you want it to be more intimate and dim. If you have the right kind of lights, it is always easy for you to set the right mood.

1. Kerosene lanterns
These are great for a private setting where the lighting is meant to provide a romantic atmosphere. They don’t give out much light – similar to a candle. However, unlike a candle, they will not go out. The best part is that it is extremely easy to turn them off or move them to another location so you can bring the atmosphere with you wherever you go.


2. Origami lanterns
If you want your garden to have a distinctive and exotic look to it, you can set the right atmosphere with the help of origami lanterns. These have become very popular all over the world and immediately make us think of far away locations in Asia. This also means that they are very easy to find and are relatively inexpensive.




3. Tiki torches
If you are getting ready for a party and want to set the mood, there is no better lighting alternative than the tiki torch. It does not create a lot of light which is ideal for a party at night and it conjures up images of luaus and other exotic-themed parties.


If you are looking to make some improvements to your garden or patio, then www.yescomusa.com is the place to go. When you visit www.yescomusa.com, you'll find a large collection of products that come in all shapes and sizes. Browse at your leisure until you find exactly what you were looking for.

Note: This blog post is sponsored by YesCom.

Product Review: Mini Chocolate Fountain from TheLAShop.com

As you know, from time to time I get requests to review products and/or websites. So I'd like to introduce you to a site called TheLAShop.com.

Website: TheLAShop.com
The site design is very clean and they offer a variety of products, everything from party gear (disco balls, cotton candy machine) to home outdoor furniture. The LA Shop prices are very competitive and they offer free shipping within the U.S. and Canada. If you need assistance, there's an online chat and toll-free number.

Product: Mini Chocolate Fountain
My mini fountain arrived quickly and in pristine condition. It's a great little table-top chocolate fountain that would be ideal for holidays, small parties...or when the kids just want a chocolate fix.

The manual was easy to follow and there weren't many pieces, so set-up was a breeze. I was all ready to start melting chocolate until I realized you need 4 pounds of chocolate for the fountain to work properly. You also need special fondue chocolate, but the manual does provide guidance on how to make any chocolate work (add vegetable oil to make it a thinner consistency).

Unless you want to wait two hours, your best bet is to melt the chocolate in the microwave vs. letting the fountain do it. Once we had the chocolate melted, we poured it in and voila! We had a beautiful stream of glorious chocolate. The kids proceeded to put every morsel of food they could find in it. From marshmellows, to bananas, chocolate makes everything taste better.

Clean-up was pretty easy. The manual suggests throwing out the leftover chocolate in the garbage vs. clogging the plumbing. Considering how much chocolate was left, I put it in a container and stored it in the fridge for another day.

If you're looking for a fun way for you and the family to get a chocolate fix, this mini table-top chocolate fountain is it.

Disclaimer: Please note that this product was sent to me free of charge. That said, I always provide my honest feedback on any site or product I review -- good or bad.