Greetings from FatHeadDog headquarters! For those with Pups (or human children), here is a new Pampers Gifts to Grow code, worth 1 point and expires Sept. 6, 2009:
FREECODE0906EXP
Check out FatHeadDog’s related resources:
Hallmark’s new Connections greeting card line is now available at Wal-Mart and they’re offering to send you a free card. Looks like they’re trying to lower the price to compete with online and digital greeting card services, so this new collection of Hallmark Cards start at 44 cents. Cheers to Hallmark! Now if Wal-Mart could use its volume buying power to lower the cost of postage…
If you’re brand nerd like me, consider joining Vocalpoint, a community for women that provides valuable and interesting insights about new products, surveys, daily tips, articles, and coupons/samples–sponsored by Proctor & Gamble.
I’ve been a member since Sept 2008 and I’ve received some very cool envelopes of goodies from them, including Starkist tuna, Crest toothpaste, Kashi whole-grain waffles, Rice Crispies and Kashi cereal–which included a free sample, a coupon for a free box of Kashi cereal, and five $2 off coupons to share with friends. The other day, I received a bifold postcard about Bounce Dryer Bars, which included a coupon for $2.50 off (which I think makes it free) and three $1.50 off coupons to share with friends.
The Vocalpoint panel is easy to join–they’re looking for active moms that talk often to their friends about products. When they send you free items, their hope is that you’ll try it, you’ll like it and you’ll tell your friends. I’m constantly amazed how generous Vocalpoint is with their samples and coupons. Seriously, stuff comes like every month.. its made my trip to the mailbox so exciting!
Free shipping at Old Navy is as easy as entering the SHIPFREE promotional code at checkout now through Aug. 26. You can stack this code with:
Since FatHeadDog has placed herself on a mortatorium on new clothing purchases, here are 
some good buys that I can purchase vicariously through you.
Women’s Stretch Crew-Neck Tees $10 (reg. $14.50): The oldnavy.com exclusive stretch tees which are 95% cotton/5% spandex, hold its shape and color much better than the perfect tees (100% cotton).
Women’s Stretch V-Neck Tees $10 (reg. $14.50): Same goes for these stretch tees, which are great wear to work staples. The v-neck isn’t too low for the workplace and pairs well with dress pants.
Like I’ve mentioned before, Wal-Mart offers great samples that–unlike others–I know will show up in my mailbox quickly and every time.
Right now, Wal-Mart wants to keep you up all night with a sample and coupon for No-Doz and a free 20-count package of Nicorette quit smoking gum. If the nicotine doesn’t settle right, try some Prilosec OTC, which if you frequent this Wal-Mart site, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for this free acid reflux medicine.
Now only if Wal-Mart offered a free bottle of wine and a couple of melatonin.
One wide-eyed night, when FatHeadDog’s pup was just a few months old and it was my turn to take the 2am feeding, I had an idea. I’d been scouring various baby sites for free samples and coupons, and had found great responses from companies like Similac, Enfamil, Nestle GoodStart and others. Some of the baby freebies came from existing sample programs, and some came from just emailing the company to ask for coupons or samples to try their product.
So, bored and bleary eyed at 1 in the morning, I started emailing all my favorite brands to beg ask for loot. Of V-8, Campbells, Huggies, Burts Bees, Nivea and Gillette, only Burts Bees and Gillette said no. Gillette said they already offer high-dollar coupons in the newspaper, which is true. Burts Bees just didn’t offer coupons and samples like that quite yet.
Well, they’ve come around with $1off coupons in the Sunday newspapers and free samples on their site. And I’m so glad they do because this brand was my first foray into natural, organic products. Really good stuff if you haven’t tried it yet.
Just like my mother used to follow me out the door with a hairbrush to fluff my big Texas hair, my mother now thrusts prepared cubed meat into my hands whenever FatHeadDog leaves her house. The reason? “It’s something easy you can fix for yourselves when y’all get home from work and are having dinner with the baby,” she says with best intentions. You mean Eggos aren’t well-balanced?
She was talking about these new brands of prepared turkey, ham or chicken breast strips in the lunchmeat aisle. One such brand is Buddig Fix Quix, who coincidentally asked me to write about their product. Good thing FatHead Mother had already sent me home with these Fix Quix and a few other prepared refrigerated meat entrees. Now, I didn’t sprinkle the grilled chicken breast over salad as suggested. Um, FatHead Family ate them straight from the package like meat candy… is that wrong?
All in all, not bad. Baby got his protein. If you want to try them (and you’re in one of only like three areas they’re sold: Texas, Arizona and St. Louis), here’s a $1off coupon.
Momentary departure from household savings tips on FatHeadDog, but here’s a new, free download from a little known UK band called Radiohead: These Are My Twisted Words by Radiohead. Note from their site (but you have to read this in your head with a heavy Brit accent):
So here’s a new song, called ‘These Are My Twisted Words’.We’ve been recording for a while, and this was one of the first we finished.
We’re pretty proud of it.There’s other stuff in various states of completion, but this is one we’ve been practicing, and which we’ll probably play at this summer’s concerts. Hope you like it.
What you call monotony I call routine. Nearly every Saturday, FatHeadDog–accompanied by FatHead Pup, Mother and Grandmother–make their way to TJ Maxx. After plopping the Pup into gray TJ Maxx shopping cart with my mother at the wheel, FatHeadDog enjoys an hour or so of uninterrupted shopping time.
Like other TJ-holics I know, we have an order of attack: handbags, wallets, hosiery, shoes, bras/panties, housewares and then clothing. Men’s wear if you’re just killing time. But then, I met someone completely uninitiated with “the Maxx” (fringe nickname I’m trying to pawn off as gold). This mom was looking for back to school clothing for her kiddos at a reasonable price. Containing my excitement, I told her this:
With a little organization and patience, you can shop TJMaxx clearance racks to dress designer for a fraction of the cost (cue TJ Maxx jingle music). Two quick tips to get you started:
1. The best prices for clothing are usually found end of season, or off season. Shop for sweaters 75% off in the summer, and snag name-brand collared polo shirts and tees in the winter. So shop now and store for later. Just remember to do the growth and season “math” if you’ve got little ones that’ll outgrow a size by a season.
2. Dig! Have the patience to go through every rack, even the circular rounders that I tend to miss when making my way down the clearance line. Don’t forget other size sections, too. I know I’m guilty of nestling a size 6 dress for later in the woman’s size 12 section and vice versa.
Back to Saturday afternoon at said “Maxx,” FatHeadDog’s arms are growing weary from the booty she’s lugging. She hears a familar whine in the distance–FatHead Pup’s patience has worn thin. He’s said hello to strangers. He’s admired his mug in the mirror. He’s knawed the price tags of a handtowel that kept him occupied from the picture frames section to clearance bedding. It’s time for FatHeadDog to make her return to the family basket and pay for this booty she’s discovered. (“Arrr.. do you take dubloons?”) Scooping the Pup into her arms, she exchanges a knowing nod to FatHead Mother. Good day at TJ Maxx… Good day.
If you’re still getting up to speed on scoring swag for dirty diapers, here’s a quick guide about Pampers Gifts to Grow Program. You earn free points for diaper purchases, with which you can purchase books, toys, Shutterfly photo prints and gift cards.
Just in the last week, the Starbucks gift card disappeared and was replaced by a $10 gc for diapers.com (which by the way, FatHeadDog just learned you CAN use manufacturer’s coupons at diapers.com! All this time I’d been ducking the site because I assumed there was no way an e-commerce site could honor a paper manufacturer’s coupon. Dang, diaper fail.)
Anyway, now that you’re caught up, here’s three more free one-point codes valid as of 08/15/09:
JOINTHEFUNGTG09
STARTEARNINGNOW
FREECODEEXP0823
(And seriously, someone else tell me they didn’t know diapers.com accepted manu coupons.. FatHead Pup is now 16 months old and I’ve been purchasing diapers a mega pack at a time at CVS with Extra Bucks and coupons. Again, diaper fail!)
You can snag a Barnes & Noble gift card when you submit receipts for up to $25 in Earth’s Best and other organic products. Products include Garden of Eatin’® snacks, WestSoy® non-dairy beverages, MaraNatha® nut butters, Health Valley® cereals and snack bars and Earth’s Best® Sesame Street®, Tots, Kidz and Frozen Foods (jarred baby food is excluded from the offer.)
Earn a $5 B&N gift card for $15 in Earth’s Best products or $10 gift card for $25. The Take A Healthy Bite program offer expires 09/30/09.
Yesterday, FatHeadDog’s chief financial officer (husband) opened the mail to find correspondence from American Express that they’re raising our credit card interest rates, with an explanation that sums to “that’s the cost of doing business.” My off the bat response–”Let’s call and ask them to lower it. If not, see ya later American Express.”
If you didn’t already know, you can call your credit card companies to ask for a lower rate. In fact, more than 75% of people who call to ask for a lower rate are successful on the first call, according to financial author David Bach in his new book “Fight for Your Money: How to Stop Getting Ripped Off and Save a Fortune.”
Here’s how: Take any of your credit cards that are carrying a balance, flip them over, and call the number on the back. Tell them that you want an interest rate reduction or you’ll take your business elsewhere. Before you call, know the rate you’re currently paying and the kind of rates that other banks are offering. (Bankrate.com is a great source for comprehensive lists of interest rates from credit card companies across the country.)
If the first person you talk to won’t do it, ask to talk to a supervisor. Be aware that there are often many levels of supervisors, so if the first supervisor doesn’t give you what you request, ask to speak to that supervisor’s manager.
Even if the credit card lords are only able to shave off a few points from a high interest rate, it will make a difference. If you have a $5,000 balance, even a 3% rate reduction saves you $150 a year.
What happens if they won’t negotiate? Ask to have the account closed. This will trigger a transfer to the customer retension department–the final stop of customer service whose job is to talk customers out of canceling their accounts. It’ll likely work, and once you get one card down, I bet you’ll find it such a rush that you’ll press onward for all your cards. No? Just me?
If you’re new to drugstore shopping, the best way to get your stuff free or almost free is using store-issued “dollar amount off total purchase” coupons whenever they pop up, however so infrequently they arise. Then, stack them with sale items and manufacturer’s coupons found in the Sunday newspaper for the best value. Here’s a “how to” for combining store coupons, manufacturer’s coupons and a store’s cashback or loyalty program, like CVS Extra Care:
Week of 08/09/09 thru 08/15/09
Diet Cokes are 4 for $13, with $3 back in Extra BucksRevlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse Makeup is $9.99, with $9.99 back in Extra Bucks (8/09-08-11 only)
CVS is offering a free item when you scan your card in August. (If you don’t have one, it’s free to sign up. Here’s how.) I snagged free CVS brand chapblock ~ $1.50value
Another 50 cent filler, to put your pre-tax total over $25. I opt for a Snickers bar.
————————————————————-total $25 pre-tax
-$5 CVS store coupon (see below for how to print one)
-$2off 1 Coke/Diet Coke 12 pack from Coupons.com
-$1off any Revlon color makeup product manufacturer’s coupon
-$1.50off CVs brand chapblock
equals $15.50 after coupons. Walk out with $13.99 in Extra Bucks.
For your coupon, visit cvs.com, click on the link in the center of the page to take a five-question quiz, and you’ll get a $5 off $25 in-store coupon at the end of the quiz. Each coupon has a unique barcode, so you can only use it once.
Resource:
FatHeadDog has been more than annoyed with TGIFriday’s aggressive online and television ad campaign for its Give Me More Stripes loyalty card, but alas… something extra to help entice me, free MyCokeRewards points to feed my Diet Coke habit.
Sign up for the program to receive a coupon for a free appetizer and 25 free MyCokeRewards points. Now, can I interest you in some Pizza Shooters, Shrimp Poppers or Extreme Fajitas?
If you’ve gotta put up with stinky diapers, you might as well snag some swag for it. Pampers Gifts to Go Rewards is a customer loyalty program, like the new Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards, in which you earn points by entering codes found on Pampers diapers, wipes and other products.
How to Earn Points:
Highlights:
(Little) Lowlight:
Free Codes
HAPPYFATHERSDAY
WELCOMEBONUS089
WELCOME2GTG0809
Also try FREECODE0809EXP, which expires 08/09/09.
