My confession: I am an accountant and I am cheap.
Or is frugal the better word?! I know. I am such a cliché. They say that ‘Nothing in Life is Free’… well 90% of the time, they are right. But, I found some websites and other ideas to help save you a buck without it looking ‘cheap’.
PGBrandsampler.ca – This one I guarantee you is free. You go on the website, simply create an account, set up your profile and choose the samples you want. I am waiting for my first order of samples right now and every time they have new ones that fit your profile you can choose the ones you want and they will arrive at your door free of charge.
Shutterfly.com – If you sign up on their website, they send emails about once a week with their sales and discounts available. However, about once a month you get an email giving you the opportunity to order something free of charge, you just have to pay the shipping.
And if you have used Shutterfly in the past for photobooks and you were not satisfied, I was one of those people, they have overhauled their system and it is very easily customizable with thousands of background designs and embellishments to use in preparing it.
All that being said, just recently I got an email to order a free 8X8 photobook that gave me a week to complete it. Their regular price is $29.99.
In the end, I ordered a photobook for a total cost of $12.99, that was $6.99 for shipping plus $6 for some additional pages I added to the book over and above 20 pages the book comes with. In the end I have a great Christmas gift that is worth $42.98 and it only cost me $12.99.
ClearlyContacts.ca – I swear by this website. The last pair of prescription glasses I bought at an eyeglass store cost me over $400. On the Clearly Contacts website, I have never paid more than $200 for a single pair of glasses, including anti-scratch and anti-reflective thin lenses. Plus, like Shutterfly.com, they send emails regularly with their promotions. The last notable one was 2 pairs of glasses for $99 during the back to school promotion.
I know it is a little different to not be able to try on the glasses, but on their website you can upload a picture of yourself and try on the glasses virtually. If you get the glasses in and they don't quite meet your expectations, you can return them up to 365 days after purchase at no cost to you.
Added bonus - Because it is a Canadian company, you can send the information for reimbursement through benefits and shipping is both reasonably priced and very quick.
Glossybox.ca – I signed up on this website 2 months ago and have not been disappointed. This one is for both men and women, you pay $15 a month (tax and shipping included) and you get the latest and greatest products delivered to your door in a beautifully wrapped box.
Each month the box comes with 5 deluxe samples. However, not all of the products are sample size. In the last two boxes I received, there was a full size Dove body wash, full size Zoya nail polish, 2 full size lipsticks, full size John Freida extra strength frizz control hair serum, among numerous samples of other great products.
This is great for the girl or guy on a budget that still wants to have the latest and greatest products. When you sign up, you fill out a profile that will allow them to customize the products in the box to your specific wants. In every box so far, there has been a minimum of $50 worth of products plus most come with discounts for you to buy the full size product. Plus the ‘frugal’ person in me speaking says if you don’t want a product included in the box, you can save them and put together a fantastic gift for someone in your life that would enjoy those products.
Are there any stores you shop at regularly? Go online and sign up for their emails. This way, when you are looking to buy that great pair of shoes, you check your email and see if you have a discount you can use. That way you can get what you want for less. However, you need to be careful that you aren’t buying something you wouldn’t have otherwise bought only because you have a promo email.
Not to mention the points cards or customer appreciation cards... if they are free, sign up! What is the harm in getting additional benefits from a store that you are buying product from anyway.
There are thousands of other ways to save out there, share anything you use and let us know how it works for you.
PG brand sampler is cool - after that initial signup though, it's hard to keep getting free stuff! I get their emails, but it's almost always for coupons. That's OK, but the free stuff is better! Offers for the sample boxes are hard to come by. That being said, you wouldn't believe how many gillette proglide razors I have from them. lol.
ReplyDeleteClearly contacts - I just bought a new pair of glasses over the weekend from a traditional store, and asked about this place (as I think you get a free pair of glasses when you sign up). I was told (and even though they would have their best interest in mind, I still believe the guy) that it isn't the best option for people with strong prescriptions, as it's easy to incorrectly measure your pupil width from nose with the printout they gave you, which will result in an incorrectly cut lens that just doesn't work properly for you! In the store they had those fancy things they hold up to your face to measure - and now, it's even more advanced - they have a sensor array that attaches to the frames you are buying, and their computer takes your photo, recognizes the sensors, and calculate all of the cutting measurements itself. And, all of the measurements are different for each different frame!
He did say that you're much more likely to have a good experience with an online retailer if you just have a mild prescription, as tolerances aren't AS important. Since I'm an accountant and cheap as well, I wish my eyes weren't so bad, so I could order offline!
Yes Paul you are right, clearlycontacts.ca is more for people with a lower perscription (which luckily I still am).
DeleteI have been told that if you have an eye doctor that is not associated with eye glasses, just ask them for your PD (pupil distance) and they will give it to you. The other ones usually hold that information because they want you to buy glasses from them.
I signed up for the P&G samples, thanks for the link!
ReplyDelete