Cute Cheap Stuff!

The Kitchn (Apartment Therapy) has been posting all summer about cocktails. They finally wrapped it up and made one giant ol’ post about summer cocktails and mix-ins and guides and tools and all sorts of informative stuff. It’s a pretty handy list and worth bookmarking. My alcohol knowledge is not that great, so it’s good to learn what some of this stuff is so that I’m not as overwhemled the next time I’m at happy hour.

mmmm, happy hour.

Anyway, if you’re not reading The Kitchn, you should. The posts range from super fancy recipes that are way over my head to even simple things like how to fry an egg, and the comments are also great places for ideas and discussion.

Overstock.com is having a really good final sale on clothes and shoes. There’s tons of stuff, but it’s best to take a look now as I’m sure it will clear out quickly. Shipping is only $2.95.

Here are a couple of free cereal samples.

• Honey Nut Cheerios – delicious and lowers cholesterol!
• Kashi – choose between honey sunshine, Heart to Heart and Go Lean Crunch

I love cereal. When I was little, I always told myself that one day when I grew up, I could eat a big bowl of cereal for dinner and no one would stop me. And I could stay up as late as I wanted. And you know what? Dreams really do come true.

Back to cereal, what is your favorite? Mine is Peanut Butter Cap’N Crunch, followed by Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms. Oh and Count Chocula – I get really excited when Halloween approaches and Count Chocula emerges from his sugary cave of goodness.

Wow, this final sale is pretty good. A cardigan for $4.88? Sweet. I’ve found Ann Taylor to be a good source for work clothes.

Just make sure you shop wisely – there are no returns on final sale items.

Wal-Mart is giving away free Hallmark cards. Click here to get yours.

This looks kind of weird, but since I’m a sucker for packaging, I’ll share it:

Free sample of eos lip balm in sweet mint. The web site has some annoying stuff after you sign up, but you can click the skip buttons.

(Thanks to freebies4mom)

For today only (8/26), 6pm.com is offering a bunch of Ben Sherman men’s and women’s shoes for $34.95 each. Shipping is $6.95.

It looks like there are more men’s than women’s shoes (Ben Sherman … go figure), so if there are any dudes reading this, it’s your lucky day.

This one’s for Seattle area people only.

Brown Bear is having their annual free car wash day this Thursday, August 24 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in their tunnel washes.

The following Brown Bears are participating:

Via Dealnews:

During its latest sale, Old Navy discounts select items by up to 75% off. Plus, get free shipping on all orders via coupon code “SHIPFREE”. Better yet, take 15% off orders of $75 or more via coupon code “SAVE15″, or 20% off orders of $100 or more via coupon code “SAVE20″. (You can combine free shipping and one of the percent off coupon codes.)

Amazon’s daily deal (8/24) is awesome. It’s Coldplay’s Vida La Vida – Prospekt’s March Edition for only $2.99! It’s 2 discs (well, if you actually had a physical copy, but this is download-only – but you know what I mean). Disc 1 is the regular Viva La Vida album, and disc 2 is bonus material and remixes.

If you’ve been putting off buying Viva La Vida (shame on you), today is the day to buy it!

Last night I had friends over for dinner, and I decided to go with the old stand-by: carbs.

Relying again on my favorite food blog, Culinary in the Country, I made a dish that I’d bookmarked a long time ago: Four Cheese Baked Penne. And it was really good – much better than I had expected. And it’s a little bit healthier than your average mac and cheese dish. It uses cottage cheese (i don’t like cottage cheese, but in recipes like this, it’s not so bad), so you can go with a light cottage cheese. Plus, you can use whole wheat pasta, so that’s extra fiber – or whatever it is that makes whole wheat pasta healthier. Just make sure you use a big skillet because it’s a lot of food to stir.

I also made Terri Salad. Okay, maybe it’s not officially Terri Salad, since I know other people make this salad too, but I’d like to go ahead and take credit.

Terri Salad:

• baby spring mix or whatever lettuce you like (just please not iceberg)
• dried cranberries
• walnuts
• crumbled gorgonzola cheese, preferably Trader Joe’s (I had to substitute with blue cheese because TJ’s was out of gorgonzola – the nerve!)
• this is key: Paul Newman’s Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette – it’s the best dressing ever. or you could make your own, if you’re fancy like that.
• optional: mandarin orange slices, chopped apples, or sliced strawberries (i didn’t use any of these)

Made anything good lately?

All Gap stores across the country are having a special sale this Thursday, August 20 from 7-9 p.m. Shoppers will receive $20 off jeans and an additional 15% off their entire purchase.

They will also have acoustic performances at all the stores. Frankly, that sounds kind of annoying, but $20 off jeans is a good deal!  Learn more here.

The parties are celebrating the launch of Gap’s 1969 premium jeans and their 40th anniversary. They are introducing new fits and washes. This makes me sad because I just recently discovered that their Long & Lean fit is perfect for me. And now they’re apparently changing it. Booooo!

I read an article recently that there could be a very huge earthquake in the Seattle area. I guess that’s always a possibility, but scientists have noticed more activity lately. It’s a good reminder to be prepared for an earthquake or other emergency. A flashlight is a key part of an emergency kit.

The annoying thing about flashlights is that you have to buy batteries and then make sure that they are charged. But there is an alternative: hand-crank self-powered LED flashlights. I used them when I ushered at my old church in LA and we were in a dark theater. They work great, and it’s kind of fun to crank!

So here is a really great deal: 3-LED flashlight for $5.99. One minute of cranking yields 30 minutes of power for the flashlight or one hour for the emergency signal light.

But wait! (R.I.P. Billy Mays.) It gets better!

According to dealnews, if you enter coupon code MLC24833430P, it drops the price to $4.19. And it’s free shipping!  The coupon code ends August 25.

Shine a light!

I don’t know if loading up on Vitamin C when you start to feel sick actually works, but it feels like it does sometimes. That’s why it’s good to have Vitamin C on hand so that you take it early.

Here are a couple different ways to get Emergen-C samples:

Free sample from Wal-mart – click on the “Pluck a free sample” button near the lower right corner

Free sample from Emergen-C – click on the Free Samples bubble on the left side

(Thanks, freebies4mom)

Ikea Seattle (check the Ikea web site for your local Ikea promotions) is having a Wacky Weekend rummage sale Saturday, Aug. 15 and Sunday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. According to the web site:

Ikea has also recently lowered prices on over 1,000 items. Thank you, Sweden!

(Thanks, Centsible in Seattle)

I’m not a big follower of Burt’s Bees, so I’m not sure if this is a new product, but Burt Bee’s has a Natural Acne Solutions product line. Click here to get a free sample. Please note that in order to get the sample, you must click one of the first buttons (mild, moderate or severe – if you click the last one “I do not …”, it won’t work).

(Thanks, Free Stuff Times)

Because brunette is just as hot as blonde: Here’s a free sample of John Freida Brilliant Brunette shampoo and conditioner.

(Thanks, Money Saving Mom)

Click here to get a free Scope Outlast sample, which includes Scope Outlast Rinse, Crest plus Scope Outlast toothpaste and an Oral-B floss pick with Scope Outlast.

Keep that cute smile!

(Thanks, Money Saving Mom)

I love Sharpies. Who doesn’t love Sharpies? They are just fun.

Thanks to back to school sales, OfficeMax is offering Sharpies for 1 cent each. Limit 3. You need to print the coupon available here in order to get the deal.

To find an OfficeMax near you, go to the web site and click on Store Locator at the top.

(Thanks to Money Saving Mom)

Click here for a coupon for 20% off at Express from August 7-8. You can use it online too – promo code 3715.

I’ve never been much of an Express fan, but looking at their clearance section, they have a few cute things.

(Thanks, Centsible in Seattle)

Nylon magazine is offering 22 free songs from their June/July music issue. Artists include Of Montreal, Passion Pit, Phoenix, Crystal Antlers, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and more. So put on your Granny glasses, wrap your scarf just right, and get to downloading!

(The site says it expires 8/31, but according to comments, people are still downloading. I can’t guarantee it’ll work but you might as well try.)

Amazon is offering the new Throw Me the Statue (from Seattle) album Creaturesque for $3.99. It’s available 24 hours early, and it’s today’s daily deal, so don’t delay.

Enter “stay cute” as the promo code and get free shipping at Fredflare - that’s a $7.95 value. Score!

Every month Amazon sells a few mp3 albums for $5. This month includes David Grey, New Kids on the Block, Ray Charles, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Phoenix and Radiohead … there’s something for everyone.

They’re also featuring ‘Til Tuesday’s Voices Carry. I don’t own the album but I have “Voices Carry” (the song) and that’s only 99 cents. It’s one of my favorite ’80s songs – and probably one of my favorite songs in general.