Like to hit the thrift stores?

Monday may be your day to do it – Value Village is offering a whopping 50% off clothes, shoes, accessories and specially marked bedding and bath items! This is good for US stores only (sorry Canada!)

Thanks for the hot tip, Rachelle!

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I recently shared what House Parties are, and I got such a strong interest that I thought I’d let you know there are some parties you can currently apply to host:

Splenda Summer House Party

DJ Hero Ultimate House Party

Play on with Playstation House Party

Beat BBQ Boredom House Party

If you are one of the lucky ones selected to host a party, you’ll be given lots of goodies for both you and your guests. I’ve now heard from quite a few people that have thrown a House Party and the feedback has all been positive.

The general consensus is to keep applying for these – don’t get discouraged if you’re not chosen right away. To learn more, visit House Party to register and see what’s involved with each of the parties listed above.

Good luck!!

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I recently heard about House Party for the first time. I was intrigued and thought I’d share with you what I’ve learned. Of course, if you’ve ever thrown a House Party, I hope you’ll weigh in in the comments.

Here’s the basics. House Party provides an opportunity for people to experience brands for free in a fun, laid-back environment: a party! For instance, right now you can apply for parties sponsored by Verizon, Splenda, Kleenex, and/or Playstation 3. By applying, you’re agreeing to host a party to represent that brand. From all applicants, they will select 1,000 party hosts. If you are one of the luck ones, they will send you with a bunch of goodies to give out along with instructions and ideas.

Abby from Steals and Deals was recently selected for the Shrek/McDonald’s House Party. Here’s what she got:

And Christy from Thrifty and Thriving and Sarah from The Life of a Couponaholic were recently selected for the Febreze House Party. Look at all the stuff Christy received to throw her fabulous party! They sent this all to her for free in exchange for throwing a party themed around the products! The best part, you are NOT having to sell anything.

For more on how this works or to start applying for parties, go here. I’ve had several readers mention now that they’ve had to apply for several parties before getting selected. So don’t give up or get discouraged if you’re not selected right away.

Any other tips or advice about throwing a House Party?

(thanks to Christy and Abby for permission to use their photos!)

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If you need to liven up your lingerie collection, you might want to head to Victoria’s Secret for their semi-annual sale! See the Victoria’s Secret website for more and to locate a store near you.

And if you haven’t already, you might want to sign up for their PINK club which gives you special discounts and freebies.
Happy shopping!

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Like many, I’d been looking for ways to cut our cell phone. We were actually out of contract with our provider when Pure Talk asked me if I’d be interested to review their service and share my experience with you. After taking a look at what they had to offer, Pure Talk seemed to have the service I’d been looking for!

Here’s what I liked about Pure Talk:

• Plans start at just $10 per month
• No start-up fees of any kind!
• You are not bound by any contract
• Your minutes roll over
• You can use your existing phone if you wish – and some of their plans come with a free phone!
• You can keep your existing phone number (this was a big one for me!)

It seems to me Pure Talk is good if you aren’t a heavy cell phone user (like me). You like to have a cell phone “just in case” or for contacting long-distance friends and family. I can also tell you that switching my service was incredibly easy…and I was nervous, too! They sent me a SIM card and they took care of contacting my old cell phone service provider to cancel service. Reception has been good, and getting a hold of someone in Customer Service? No problem.

The smallest plan ($10) is for 101 minutes. If you don’t use them all, they roll over. Need more? You can call to buy more minutes at any time.

About a year ago, I’d looked into Jitterbug. Pure Talk’s structure seemed very similar to me. However, Jitterbug requires you purchase one of their spendy phones and included activation fees.

Overall, I’m impressed and glad I finally found a way to easily switch out of my older, more expensive cell phone plan and still keep my phone number! To learn more about Pure Talk or to get started, please go HERE.

Note: Pure Talk offered me an initial three months’ service to try it out and share my experiences with you. All opinions are my own and are truthful. For more information on how I work with affiliates, please read my Disclosure Policy.

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Right now at Top Foods, single-serve Seattle’s Best coffee is on sale for just $1. Use the $1/1 coupon from the 3/28 SmartSource and you’ve got a great freebie! These should be located in the refrigerated section of the store.

Be sure to read Queen Bee Coupons’ Top Foods matchups – there are a few items you might want to add to your Top Foods list!

Thanks, Queen Bee Coupons!

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Reader Julie emailed me about an upcoming, local event she thought some of you might want to know about. While I've never heard about or attended this event, it sounded definitely worth checking out if you live in the Seattle area!

Smartie Pants is a one-day event held in a Seattle loft (Westlake), where you can sell your gently used women's clothing and/or buy! The event is open to the public on Saturday, March 27th.

This reminded me a bit about the fashion swap I attended last month which was a lot of fun! Julie also mentioned that she'll personally be selling 3 huge bins of high-end clothing during the swap.

This might be a great chance to: 1) clean out your closet and make a little $$ and/or 2) freshen up your wardrobe for less!

Please be sure to read all the details HERE, particularly if you are interested in selling as you'll need to do some things in preparation.

Anyone attend this event before? I'd love to hear from you!

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According to Marketwire, nearly 300 new tax law changes went into effect this year alone! 

If you're overwhelmed, or just need a little assistance, here's a freebie you may well want to mark your calendar for. On March 25, for 24 hours, H&R Block will be giving FREE tax advice via phone at 1-866-HRBLOCK or by email at taxtalk@hrblock.com.

Go here for more information.   

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Do you have a Whole Foods in your area? If so, you might want to know about this great deal:

Almond Breeze Almond Milk $1.99
$1/1 coupon from Whole Deal Newsletter (available at entrance of store)
Stack with $1/1 coupon from 2/28 SmartSource
Bottom line: FREE!

This deal comes from Moms Need to Know! According to her post, the deal does not appear to be regional. If you end up doing it, please let us know!

If you're planning a trip out, you might also wish to check out these additional Whole Foods deals compiled by Chief Family Officer.

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