Soft Scrub Winner!

Using the random number generator from random.org, I picked a winner...

Congratulations, Dawn! You should be receiving an e-mail shortly to confirm your prize.

Thanks to all who entered! I hope to host more giveaways in the future, so stay tuned.

Soft Scrub Review and Giveaway!

REVIEW:

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail that I had been chosen as one of 200 Soft Scrub Captains. This means that they sent me a free bottle of Soft Scrub Total Bath & Bowl bathroom cleaner to try out and review here.

I finally got around to cleaning the bathroom today, and it definitely needed it. This cleaner has a spray function, which I used on the countertops and mirrors, and a foaming function, which I used on the toilet and bathtub. All you do to switch it is open a little door on the sprayer. That's not really a new function - I've seen other cleaners do that too.

Another cool little feature is that the bottle also sprays while you hold it upside down, no matter how many times you spray it (unlike other bottle cleaners which will spray a couple times and then need to be flipped back over).

So how did it go? Overall, it got everything clean. The counters and toilet were not really a problem, but the tub is where things get tricky, because we always have a nice buildup of soap scum. The Soft Scrub Bath & Bowl Total bathroom cleaner did about as well as pretty much any other cleaner I've tried - it got rid of most of it. Generally that's good enough for me. The one positive I got with this that I didn't get with other cleaners is that it even worked on the mirrors - no streaks!

GIVEAWAY:
Along with my free bottle, I also got a coupon for a free bottle of the Total Bath & Bowl Cleaner or their other new product, the Total Kitchen Cleaner. To celebrate my free cleaner, I'm giving this coupon away! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me your favorite bathroom cleaning product, and your e-mail address (so I can contact you if you win). You can enter once a day (and you don't have to tell me about cleaning products every day, but you can if you want to!). The contest will end at 8AM central time next Friday, January 29.

And, as if that weren't enough, there are currently coupons available here for you to try Soft Scrub products on your own:

• $1.50/1 Soft Scrub Total Product
• $1/1 Soft Scrub Cleanser Product
• $1.50/1 Soft Scrub Gel Product

And if you register for the Soft Scrub Club, you also get a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Soft Scrub Cleanser coupon.

Thanks to Deal Seeking Mom for the heads up on those coupons.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this review, other than the free bottle of cleaner and the coupon for a free cleaner. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Surprise in the Mailbox...

I got a full-size bottle of Suave shampoo in the mail a couple days ago. I'm not positive, but since I don't remember signing up for anything like that, I'm pretty sure I won it some contest. Cool, huh? It pays to enter...

Here's a list of daily entry contests that I'm currently entering (not every day, but as I have time):

• MyBargainBuddy's gift card giveaway (1x daily until 1/15/10)
• Big Bowl Bash tv and snacks giveaway (1x daily until 1/15/10)
• Ozarka Hawaii trip giveaway (1x daily until 1/30/10)
• New Year New You trip and fitness training sessions (1x daily until 1/31/10)
• Cloudy dvd Travel Package (1x daily until 1/31/10)
• Redbook Hairstyling Tools (1x daily until 1/31/10)
• Vera Wang Luxury Bed or Pajamas (1x daily until 2/5/10)
• HGTV Dream Home Sweepstakes (1x daily until 2/19/10)
• Dell for Dummies Sweepstakes (1x daily until 2/28/10)
• Honey Nut Cheerios Cash Sweepstakes (10x daily until 3/9/10, and you can win up to 10 times! I've already won 5 times)
• Little Debbie Cupcakes (1x daily until 3/31/10 - I've won a box of cupcakes already)
• Save-a-Lot $5000 Visa Sweepstakes (1x daily until 3/31/10)
• Extra 3PM Snackdown (1x daily until 4/30/10 - I've won $5 in Snack Dollars which I can save or redeem for various prizes)
• Pace Salsa Hand Pick & Win (1x daily until 7/31/10 - I've won twice, and gotten $4/1 Pace coupons) EDIT: I JUST WON AGAIN WHILE LINKING THIS UP!
• Francesco Rinaldi Italy Trip (1x daily until 12/31/10)

Walmart and Target Shopping

Walmart highlights:

• 4 Nature Valley Nut Clusters: $2.78 each (used my last four $1.60/1 from Vocalpoint) = $1.18 each
• 2 Nature's Pride breads: $1.97 each (used 2 $0.75/1 printables) = $1.22 each
• 8 Campbells Chunky and Healthy Request soups: $1.28-$1.50 each (used two $1/1 and two $1.50/3 printables) = $0.28-$1 each
• 2 Fiber One granola bars: $2.78 each (used $1/2 printable) = 2/$4.56
• 2 Fiber One yogurt 4-pks: $2 each (used two $1/1 printables) = $1 each
• Total spent: $91.29 (we bought lots of produce and healthy but pricy foods - this was an experimental shopping trip). Total saved: $17.90.

Target:

• 2 Wet Ones wipes: $1.97 each (used two $1.50/1 printables) = $0.47 each!
• 2 Irish Spring body washes: $2.99 each (used two $1/1 from 1/3/10 inserts) = $1.99 each
• 2 Cheerios single serve cups: $1 each (used two $1/1 printables) = FREE!
• 4-pk. 60 watt GE bulbs: $2 (used $1.50/1 printable) = $0.50!
• 2 boxes Special K bars: $2.39 each (used $1/2 printable and $1/2 Target printable) = 2/$2.78
• 4 Juicy Juice 64 oz. bottles: $2 each (used two $1/2 printables, two $1/1 Target printables, and one $1/2 Target printable) = 4/$3
• Huggies wipes (one 216 ct. and one 64 ct.): $5.99 and $2.39 (used $1/1 sample coupon and B1G1 from RecycleBank sign-up) = $4.99 for both
• Total spent: $12.81. (and I used a $5 gift card I got from doing some online reviews, and a Christmas present gift card for the rest) Total saved: $27.40.

Savings this post: $45.30
Savings so far: $95.17

Lots of Free Photo Deals

Tara from DealSeekingMom outlined a bunch of great photo deals in her post here. Definitely check them out!

Free Stuff!

Free sample of Slimfast bar from Sam's Club here (no membership number necessary).

Free Glade Sense & Spray starter pack from Right at Home here. Only the first 3,000 responders who have not gotten anything from Right at Home in the last 180 days are eligible, but it's worth a shot.

Free sample of Post-it Flags here.

I found out about all of these samples from Shop4Freebies. They send out a daily e-mail with links to the latest freebies, which I have used to get lots of free stuff! I should note that I have not received all of the freebies I've signed up for (overall, not from this site specifically), but it's definitely worth a shot if the products are something you're going to use.

Target Deals

I had some rare Mommy time today to go shopping alone at Target, so I picked up a few Christmas clearance goodies, as well as a couple other items (unfortunately, no picture, so use your imagination). Christmas clearance is the best time to stock up on wrapping supplies for next year (and year round!), candy (missed out on that this year since we were traveling), and decorations.

• 2 Pepperidge Farm Holiday Cookie Tins: on clearance for $1.37 each (used two $1/1 Pepperidge Farm printables and two $0.75/1 Target printables) = FREE!
• Fall colored cupcake wrappers (75 ct.): on clearance for $0.98
• Kitchen scale: on clearance for $3.48
• Cute ornament: on clearance (see a theme here?) for $0.99
• 2-roll package of wrapping paper (one of which was a beautiful plain baby blue that I can use for any event): on clearance for $1.12
• 3 rolls of various ribbon: on clearance, two for $0.74 each, and one for $0.49
• 2-year planner from the dollar spot: on clearance for $0.25!
• Total spent: $8.57. Total saved: $24.87.

Savings this post: $24.87.
Savings so far: $49.87. Not too shabby for one day in!

Free Tigi Lip Palette!

I was able to order this earlier today - completely free! In the past TIGI has offered sample palettes like this, but I have never gotten one because the site gets overloaded and then they are gone. However, 7AM on New Year's Day seemed to be the perfect time to fill out the form, when most people were recovering and/or sleeping in.

Thanks to Common Sense With Money for the heads up (and go there for the direct link to order, if any are still available)!

Savings this post: $25.00
Savings so far: $25.00