Freebies and free stuff

Walgreens has certain Reach toothbrushes on sale today for $0.99 which, when combined with the $2/2 Reach coupon on Coupons.com, makes them free! My Wags was already out by the time I got there and some people have reported that it didn’t work for them, so I wouldn’t go out of my way. Still, if you know you’ll be passing by one of their stores this afternoon, it might be worth a shot.

Additionally at Rite Aid, Reach double packs are $3.99 with $3 in Single Check Rebates (SCR). After the coupon, you end up paying $2 and can send off for a $3 rebate check. You’ve got until tomorrow, June 12, in order to make this purchase if you want to qualify for the rebate.

This is the deal I ended up going with (as well as my first time doing a SCR), because I finally realized making a dollar was better than free. Three cheers for public education!

EDIT: No longer available.

I don’t understand how free EOS shaving cream is supposed to help while your boat is sinking, but I’m glad I didn’t have to learn the way. I probably would have been screaming mayday into the radio while my buddies wisely put on their floating, lifesaving shaving cream.

Walmart’s free Nivea Happy Sensations body lotion is bound to sell better than their previous special: Depressed Aura toothpaste. Sure, it cleaned my teeth, but it also drove me right back into the arms of chocolate ice cream.

If the link doesn’t work, try copy & pasting it:
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wmnivea2010happysensation

[thanks Coupon Pro!]

EDIT: Is it just me or are Walmart freebies dying much faster than they used to?

You’d think this free All Oxi-Active laundry detergent would contain something a little more potent than oxygen. If that’s the secret ingredient to cleaning my clothes, then how come I can’t just wave them around outside? I can’t tell you how many times the school bullies ran my underwear up the flagpole and not once did they come back smelling lemony fresh.

In order to get a free Lenox reciprocating saw blade, simply click on the T2 Test Lab and Warehouse links at the top before finally hitting the free blade link in the lower left. You may also want to like them on Facebook, but I’m not sure if that’s required.

When you load the final page, it says something along the lines of “there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but how about a free blade?” Oh yeah? I accept your challenge. A dash of hot sauce, a little pepper, and I’ll be able to eat that saw blade in no time. Plus my dentist mentioned business is slow, so it’s win win for everybody!

[thanks Andrew!]

One thing I was recently reminded of is that traveling can be expensive. Maybe I’ll spend the rest of my summer thumbing through my free subscription to Sherman’s Travel magazine. There’s no telling how many lazy days I’ll dream about traveling to mystical places like Angkor War, Zanzibar, or Hoboken.

There’s a new Quiznos coupon out for any small sub, chips, and regular fountain drink for $2.99. That’s a pretty darn good deal for a lunch. It’s way better than what I had today. Evidently food shouldn’t be left for weeks in your fridge while you’re traveling around the country.

I almost marked this as an “in store” offer, but then realized that none of us have a Quiznos at home. And if you do, then shut your mouth! Nobody likes a bragger.

Summer is fast approaching (woooo!) and as such, companies are starting to release info on their summer freebies for kids.

Free Events

Apple Youth Programs: They have three different programs (for families, teachers, and kids) all summer long. The Apple Camp look the coolest, as kids ages 8 to 12 get to make a movie, compose a song, whip up a photo book, and then bring home a DVD of the projects they made.

Bowling: Once again, the Kids Bowl Free program is back and allows kids under 12 to bowl two free games every day. This deal could be especially good if you have your own pair of bowling shoes. I looked on ebay and saw a few pairs going for around $15.

Lifestyles Family Fitness: Kids ages 12-17 can work out for free for two months this summer. How many other people were in the best shape of their life as a teenager? I used to train for cross country and baseball all summer long. Now? I’m lucky if I can drag my butt out to the lawn chairs by the pool.

Lowes: Now that they’ve switched to a weekly schedule, I figure their Build & Grow clinics on Saturdays at 10am are worth planning for. This week they’ll build a picture frame, next week a monster truck, and who knows after that.

National Parks: They’re bringing back their free National Parks admission days on Aug. 14 & 15 as well as Sept. 25.

REI Kids’ Adventure Journal: Containing games and activities, this journal encourages getting outdoors and going hiking. My method of getting kids outside to tell them to get the mail and then lock all the doors.

Free & Cheap Movie Programs

It’s worth mentioning that I found a ton of small regional movie chains offering similar promotions as the ones below. If you have a small chain in town, you might want to call and inquire if they have any specials this summer.

AMC Entertainment: Tickets for Tuesday movies at 10am are only $1.

Carmike Cinemas: Again, tickets for Tuesday movies at 10am are only $1. It runs through August 10 and popcorn & drinks are also $1 to boot.

Cinemark Theatres: For $5, you can buy 10 movie tickets that can be used once per week on weekday mornings. Now someone just needs to mention that spelling theaters as theatres looks idiotic.

National Amusements: From July 7 to Aug. 11, kids and their parents can see a free movie every Wednesday at 10am. However, you have to bring a “book report” with you. What in the world is up with all of these free movie events occurring at 10am?

Regal Cinemas: Free movies will be shown at 10am every Tuesday and Wednesday.

Rave Theaters: There will be free admission to G or PG rated movies every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10am.

Free Reading Programs

Barnes & Noble: Children in grades 1-6 can read eight books through Sept. 7 and then get one free. They have a Summer Reading Journal to help keep track of your child’s books and select which one they’ll get for free.

Borders: Children 12 and under get a free book when they read at least 10 books by Aug. 26.

Half Price Books: They want to Feed Your Brain (*WARNING!* Potential Zombie Alert) between now and July 31. Kids ages 14 and under can earn a $3 Half Price Books shopping card for each week they read at least 15 minutes per day. They have a reading log to help keep track.

H-E-Buddy.com: A site I’ve never heard about is offering a “cool prize” for reading 10 books by Oct. 1. They have a form you can fill out that also has a slot for a t-shirt size, so I’m guessing that might be the prize.

Pizza Hut: Any child in grades K-6 who reads five books between June 15 and Aug. 15 can enter to win the Summer Break Reading Challenge. Prizes include swim gear, gift cards, and more.

Pottery Barn: They hold a Book Club every Tuesday from 11-11:30am. If your child attends five events, they get a “special gift.”

TD Bank: If any child under 18 reads 10 books between May 3 and Sept. 30, they get $10 for free! Time to call up my buddy who makes fake IDs and ask for one that says I’m a decade younger!

If you’re still looking for a Father’s Day gift, then you might be interested in the Snapfish offer of a free custom photo mug by using code FREEMUG. You still have to pay $5.99 in shipping, but the mug itself is a $9.99 value.

Additionally, Snapfish is offering free shipping for today only by using code DADSAVINGS. When you consider that new accounts get 50 free photo prints, well … you know … *wink wink*. Too bad you can’t use two codes at once, but if you do these in two separate transactions, then you’ll get a photo mug and 50 prints for only $6.

This is their list chance with me. After the dog leash fiasco a few months back, I’ve about had it with them. But hey, a free mug plus photo prints is worth giving them another shot.

If you don’t mind signing up with another tobacco company, you can get a free smoking jacket t-shirt. The good part is that this one doesn’t require any of your social security or driver’s license information. It’s just a slightly longer signup form than a regular freebie.

Once logged in, you’ll see a link for the t-shirt on the left side. Finally, I can continue to look nothing like Hugh Hefner!