Mega Swagbucks Day

Don't forget that Friday means Mega Swagbucks Day! Earn extra points today when you search the web! It's an awesome search engine because you get points just for searching the web. This past week, I just traded in my Swagbucks for $20 to Amazon! And I only need 5 more points until I have enough for another $5 gift card. I plan to use this on a few Christmas gifts. Another friend, just traded in her Swagbucks for gift cards (of much higher amounts!) to Lowe's, to help with their home improvement projects. You could also redeem them for Starbucks cards! Your Swagbucks add up pretty quickly. There's no reason not to join! And download their toolbar to make it easier to search.

If you are new to Swagbucks, refer to this post to learn more! Or if you're ready, join here!

Freebie List

Freebies

• Always Infinity.
• Aveeno. 
• Betty Crocker potatoes.
  
• Carefree. 
• Continental One Pass. Get an extra 100 miles when you learn about pet safety here.
• DenTek flossers.
  
• Dove Heat Defense Therapy.
• Dunkin Donuts coffee.
  
• Emergen-C.
  
• Folgers coffee.
• Garnier Skin Renew.
  
• Good Nites. Great for potty training.
• Green Works. You have to text for this one. Thanks, Freebies4Mom! 
  
• Huggies Pure and Natural diapers.
  
• ITunes songs here and here. Also through Facebook.
• Nature Valley bar and clusters.
• N-R-G dog food.
• Nutrish. Dog food by Rachel Ray.
• OB tampons. 
  
• Old Orchard Juice.
• Palmolive Pure + Clear.
  
• Pampers, a Walmart freebie. 
• Philosophy gingerbread shower gel. Sign up to use their app on Facebook. Then a screen will come up asking you for your mailing info so that they can send you your sample.
  
• Playtex Sport.
• Power Bar Gel Blasts.
• RevitaLift by L'Oreal.
  
• Science Diet dog treats. 
• Stacy's Simply Naked Pita Chips.
  
• Surf laundry detergent. Thanks, Free Sample Freak!
  
• Tampax and Always, from Being a Girl.
• Ziploc through Right@Home.

Coupons

• $5 off Clorox wand.
• $1 off Welch's. Juice and jelly.
• Aquafresh. This includes multiple coupons, including one for a free trial size Aquafresh. 
• Driscoll's berries. $1 off. May be 50 cents, depend on location?
  
• Dryel.
• Earthbound organic. $1 coupon.
  
• Jamba buck. Worth at least $1. To be used at Jamba Juice.
• Gap. 20% off through January.
• Glade coupons from Right@Home.
• Home Made Simple coupon book. 
• Nabisco coupon book.
• Organic and environmentally-friendly products.
  
• Organic Valley.  
• Steaz. BOGO.
  
• Yankee Candle. B2G2. 
  

Magazines

• Boating.
  
• Cruising World.
• Family Circle. 2 free issues.
• Get Married. Get one free issue of this new wedding planning magazine.
• Robb Report.
• Shape and SELF. 1-year subs. Available to those under 25. Take a 25 minute survey.
  
• Town & Country.
  
• Wine Spectator. Free one-year sub.
• Wood. 3 free issues.

Free when you sign up for their mailing list.

• Aerie. Free gift each Thursday. A new gift each month.
• Auntie Anne's. Free pretzel.
  
• Krispy Kreme.Free doughnut.

If you know of any freebies I don't have listed, feel free to leave a link!

Online Christmas Shopping - Forget the Stores!

This may or may not surprise many of you, but I do most of my Christmas shopping online. Most of my Christmas shopping is done on Amazon because on most items, their prices are lower than those of their competitors.  I love being able to shop in the comfort of my home. I don't have to make time to go to various stores. Instead, I can do on just a few websites. Plus I can purchase a gift for each person on my list without being sidetracked by other items I find in the store. (Believe me, this happens to me a lot!) And most online sites have lower prices than the stores. I recently read that his holiday season especially many online vendors are offering free shipping. Love that! Amazon has free shipping when you spend $25 or more. Online shopping saves me time AND money. And there's no mad rush!

Check out my online store that I created through Amazon's site! Some of these items are actually Christmas gifts I am giving.

While Amazon is my main source for gifts, it certainly is not my only source. And there are always a few items on my list not available online, so for some items I do have to go to select stores eventually! I will keep updating you as I shop!

Do you have any great shopping websites you purchase gifts from?

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 19 November 2009

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact  ThankfullyThrifty at gmail dot come.

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org. If you are a blogger, I recommend you get a disclosure policy also in order to uphold the FTC's new guidelines, which go into effect December 1, 2009.

Giving

This poem is on the Chick-fil-A kid's meal bag...

"The powerful act of giving is a way to spread a smile.

Even helping in a small way shows you have a lot of style.

There's so much you can do to help others out

Like donating part of your allowance to a cause you care about.

No matter what the gesture, no matter how small the amount,

Giving is a great idea and your thought is what will count."

Thanks, Chick-fil-A!

Christmas Cards!

If you are thinking about Christmas cards, don't forget to check out the great deal Vista Print has on postcards! You can get 100 free. Just pay shipping. If you upload a picture, it's $3 for that. Not bad! Mine were $9.10 total. I received mine and LOVE them! See mine and find out how to order yours here.

Real Simple Coupons

The latest issue of Real Simple (December 2009) contains tons of coupons, so be on the look out at stores. The paper often contains a coupon for $1 off Real Simple that you could use with your purchase too.

• The Children's Place. 15% off.
• BOGO any product from The Fragrance Collection by Glade. Redeemable at Target.
• Bed Bath and Beyond. 20% off.
• Eddie Bauer. 15% off.
  
• Hallmark. $5 off your purchase of $5 or more. (I hear this is also available in Martha Stewart Living.)
• Ghirardelli. $2 off two 2.81 oz. products. Redeemable at Target.
• Free $5 Target gift card with the purchase of 3 Pledge cleaning products. Redeemable at Target.
  

A Home Office in Your Closet!

This is my friend Amanda. She is one of my best friends from college and is now living in California...  miss you, friend! She's an amazing artist and designer. For the past few years Amanda has actually been doing makeup in the O.C., and she is ranked as the #1 makeup artist for the O.C. on the Knot!! Check out her website here.

You'll see where I'm going with this... Awhile back I posted about how much I love the idea of making a closet into your home office. (See post here.) It's tucked away, not taking up valuable living space. I thought this was the greatest idea, and then Real Simple showed me how to implement it! Naturally, I have thought and thought about this idea, but done nothing about it. Amanda here, being the amazing designer that she is, also loved the idea and did something about it. She turned her closet into an office!

She still plans to wall paper the walls inside her office, but she decided it was okay for me to post it as is. (Still so cute!) I love the glass desk top that she mounted in there. And notice the cute curtain hung. When your work area is clean, this looks like a cozy home office. And when it's not clean, no one has to know because you can turn off the light and put down the curtain! Amanda, I love this! It's so sleek and stylish, yet so homey! Thanks for sharing!

Stuff Your Stocking Blog Party!

I am thrilled to tell you that my friend Mellisa over at Getting All My Ducks in a Row is hosting a giveaway every Saturday until Christmas! It's the "Stuff Your Stocking Blog Party!" Click on this button below to participate. I have also placed the bottom in the right hand column near the bottom, in case you need to go back later - which you will!

20% off at Gap

Use this coupon to get 20% off your entire purchase (no sale exclusions!) at Gap! And the best part is that it doesn't expire until January 30, 2010!! Use this for Christmas gifts, Christmas exchanges, etc...

Thanks, It's Hip 2 Save!

Free Stacy's Pita Chips!

All You is offering a free sample of Stacy's pita chips! These are actually my favorite chips!! Get your free sample here. They won't last long!

Thanks, MyDFWMommy!

11.17 Free California Flatbreads at Jamba Juice!

The first 150 people at their local Jamba Juice today between 2 and 5 PM will receive a free California flatbread! More info here. Check your local store to make sure they are participating.

Thanks, It's Hip 2 Save! 

Snapfish 100 Free Prints With Purchase

Snapfish is offering customers 100 free prints - FWP (free with purchase) - today only! So if you have any photo gifts you've been wanting to buy for Christmas, now is the time. Use this link and enter the code FREE5 at checkout! Good today only.

A Healthy Mouth is a Happy Mouth Review and Giveaway

I have to admit I was skeptical when I received this product. After all, canker sores are painful, and no topical medication, until this point, has ever been able to lessen my pain. But I was pleasantly surprised.

Researchers are still unclear what causes canker sores, but I notice that for me they appear with stress or any time I accidentally bite my lip. The canker cover is designed to protect and treat canker sores. It works by creating a gel-like covering over the canker sore to protect it and heal it. And it's made of all natural ingredients! Like I said before, I was skeptical, but it was the "all natural" that hooked me.

I applied this to my canker sore, and it stayed on for more than 24 hours. I expected it to come off when I ate, but it didn't. In fact, I actually ate ketchup without thinking about it! Nothing. My canker sore was completely protected and sting-free. When the patch finally wore off, my canker sore had disappeared! I was truly amazed by this product! If you want to learn more about this product, check out their website here.

If you have actually read this far, then I am guessing you are also a fellow canker sore sufferer. If you get canker sores, I would encourage you to test this product! While I would never wish a canker sore upon you, I am delighted to inform you that the makers of Canker Cover have agreed to giveaway a package to a reader also! After all, a healthy mouth is a happy mouth!

TO ENTER...

Fill out the form below and leave a comment (any will do). This first entry is mandatory!

See how to get additional entries below. For each additional entry, fill out the form below again. In the comment section, tell me what you did to promote this giveaway.

• Follow my blog publicly. (If you already follow, that counts!)
  
• Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway: @ThankfulThrifty I just entered the healthy mouth giveaway! Then, link back to this page.
  
• Update your Facebook status, promoting this giveaway. Leave a link.
• Blog about this giveaway, and leave me a link!

This giveaway is open to U.S. applicants only and will end on Monday, November 30th, at midnight CST.

Thank you to the maker of the Canker Cover for hosting this giveaway! And thanks to the Product Review Place for helping to coordinate!

Other than the product listed above, no compensation was given for this review and giveaway. 

The opinions above are my own.

Fabulously Free Finds

These are my freebies of the week!

What I received in the mail...

• The book, Something Is Missing by Matthew Dicks. Over summer I posted this. I signed up for it in July, but I never receive it. When I emailed customer service last week, they resent this book to me! Read more or order yours here: Something Missing: A Novel
  
• Business Week.
• Metropolitan Home.
• Oregon chai sample.
• Canker Cover. For review and giveaway.
• Softlips - the limited edition winter line and the organic line. For review and giveaway. Enter here.
• Coupon for a free Old Orchard Healthy Balance juice.
  
• Coupon for a free Aveda travel-size rosemary mint hand and body wash. Redeem in store.
• $20 in Amazon gift cards, courtesy of Swagbucks! Learn more here. Or ready to sign up? Sign up here.
• 100 Christmas postcards from Vista Print. I paid for shipping and the picture upload, a total of $9.10. Printing was free. Still available. Get yours here.
  

Freebies from the store...

• Aveda travel-size hand relief. This was a coupon, like the one mentioned above. Sign up for their mailing list next time you are in the store.
• John Frieda Curl-Around Conditioner. See my CVS trip.
• Aveda massage oil. This is my birthday freebie! And it's full-size. Sign up for their email and mailing list in the store to get yours.
• To see my other birthday freebies, see this post.

To get your freebies, start with the freebie list here, which I post every Friday! Then, check out what others are getting free by clicking the button below!

What's the best freebie you received this week? The organic Softlips and John Frieda are my favorites!

Thankfulness

I am a true Texan, born and raised. And I can honestly say there is nothing like those Southern manners. With Thanksgiving just over a week away, many of us are focusing our attention on thankfulness and giving praise to God for the blessings in our lives.

Since I just had a birthday, I have been writing thank you notes. Personally, I think thank you notes are key. I write thank you notes not only for birthdays and Christmas, but also for little things people do for me through out the year - whether it's a sweet couple from church taking us to lunch or a company to let you know you are appreciated.

Under the title of my blog, I said I am naturally thrifty. It's true. I've learned over the past two years that the key to thriftiness is not just deals and spending less money. It's contentment. A thankful heart fosters contentment. I'm not an expert at contentment, but I am learning. When I start feel discontent with the way things are going, I stop and remember to praise God for His hand in my life.

It is with a thankful heart that I can praise God for the blessings He has given me. "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude" (Colossians 2:6-7). I am thankful Christ paid the price for my sins and has given me a new life. I am also thankful for the earthly blessings He has given me. He has blessed me a few lifelong friends, whose friendships I cherish. At this stage in my life, He has allowed me to attend a school full of godly men and women, who teach me so much about God and His character. God has also blessed me with a wonderful husband, from whom I learn more about Christ's love daily. These are all things that money cannot buy. To Him, I am thankful.

What are you thankful for?

Men's Health

I am so excited to have just found this deal! This will be our second year to get my step-dad Men's Health for Christmas! He loves it. Actually I think my brothers love it too! And, if I remember correctly, last year it was $25... nothing like last minute. I thought I would for sure be able to find a deal on this, but all year I have not seen it for less that $25. Sometimes it's even been closer to $30. But right now Amazon has it for $12! Know any men in your life that would enjoy this magazine? Now is the time to grab it! You can order by clicking on the link below!



See more of Amazon's magazine deals here.

I'll continue to let you know of Christmas deals when I find them. Amazon is pretty much my go to for Christmas. I can shop from home for less! Check out my Christmas store too for more ideas!

What's your favorite magazine?

Win a new blog design!

Win a blog makeover at Suburban Jungle!! Worth over $100!

Free Subscriptions to Shape AND Self

I hate to post this because not everyone qualifies for this, but it's a great deal for those that do. For women 25 or younger, you can take a 20 minute survey and return receive a one-year sub to Self AND a one-year sub to Shape! I did this... barely made the cut off... and I cannot wait to receive these magazines FREE! Take the survey and get your free magazines here.

Images courtesy of Shape and Self