Don’t miss Free Pretzel Day on Saturday, February 20th, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m at Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. This is a free, no strings attached, pretzel, but I’m sure as with all things that are free to the masses, it will cause pandaemonium somewhere. Limit of one original or cinnamon sugar pretzel per person please.

Also, if you like their pretzels as much as we do, sign-up for Pretzel Perks to receive monthly emails which include coupons, and other great offers.

The only drawback on getting a price adjustment is that there is usually a short time frame where an item can be adjusted. This time frame is usually one to two weeks, but can be as long as thirty days. The most important thing in receiving a price adjustment is to have your original receipt. Getting a price adjustment may seem trivial if it’s only a few dollars, but could really payoff on higher priced items.

I purchased a vase at Kohl’s at 40% off. I am hoping that either this week or next it will be at 50% off. The difference is only about $5, but I drive by this store on my regular weekly trips so there is no added expense just to drop in and check the price. Think about all the items you purchase throughout the year, and the potential savings in refunds that could be had by watching sale prices and getting a price adjustment.

For items purchased at a place like Target or Walmart where a weekly ad is available, it makes the process easier to determine if an item is on sale, although everything will not be listed in the ad. It may not be a real money maker to drive to a store that is out of the way if there isn’t a significant amount of savings for a price adjustment. This is just one more way to stretch your dollar and make your money work for you.

I saw this in my December issue of Real Simple, and while I don’t have a Rite Aid in my area, I know that some of you do. Shop Rite Aid from November 22nd through December 24th and earn up to $20 back in a Rite Aid Gift Certificate.

• Spend $25-$50 get $5 back
• Spend $51-$100 get $10 back
• Spend over $100 get $20 back

For additional details, pick up a brochure at any store or visit riteaid.com.

Right now Chili’s has an awesome offer on their menu for “3 Courses for $20″. What does this really mean? Chili’s is offering a three course meal for two, for the price of $20. The offer includes an appetizer to share, an entree, and a dessert to share. Head to Chili’s to find out if your Chili’s is participating and to see what’s available on their 3 for $20 menu. My favorite on their entree menu is the Big Mouth Bites, It’s a toss up between the crispy onion strings and the burgers as to what I like best about the meal.

How about TGI Friday’s 3 course meal for $13.99? This is actually offered through their Give Me More Stripes program and a coupon is emailed to you. They have twelve entrees, five appetizers, and two desserts two choose from for their three course meal.

Thank you, Frugal In Virginia

I went to Target in the hopes of finding the elusive Air Wick Freshmatic Air Fresheners which would end up being free after coupons, paying tax of course. I had another handful of coupons to to use as well, and ended up with a wide assortment of items for a total of $23.37. I received a $5 gift card for purchasing the Glade Holiday Scents (purchase 5, receive $5 gift card), and will also submit my receipt for SC Johnson’s $5 rebate. Tax was a whopping $6.31 since it is based off the pre-coupon amount, and I used a $5 gift card from purchasing the Fusion razors earlier this week.

My original total was considerably higher at $53.37 and I was a little surprised that it would be that high. I went ahead and paid the total, but examined my receipt once I returned to my car. I noticed that five of my $6 coupons for the Air Wick had not been taken off my order, and after returning to the customer service counter, it was quickly fixed and my $30 was returned. Target was extremely busy while I was there, and I was so happy that the experience ended up being a positive even after the coupon fiasco.

There was also a bonus at the end of my receipt. I had heard that Target would be starting a program to credit five cents every time you use a reusable bag, and there it was at the end of my receipt. More reason to shop at Target in my opinion.

I don’t usually post the deals that I come across as I shop, but I had so much fun shopping last night I had to share. I made a stop at CVS, Walgreens, and Kohl’s with my plan of attack laid out for all three stores.

My first stop was at CVS to purchase the Breathe Right strips that were on sale for $9.99. They were out of stock of the size that I needed, but I did find three stacking filing crates clearanced to $.50 each. These are like the old milk crates only not as sturdy. I walked out of CVS paying $1.63 for all three crates and a rain check for my Breathe Right strips. The crates will provide some much needed storage space.

I headed over to Kohl’s  with my $10 gift card that I had received in the mail good on any purchase with a minimum of $10.00. I only recently started shopping at Kohl’s and didn’t realize what I was missing out on. They have great clearance sections, low prices, and good sales. If you sign up for their Sales Alerts you will also receive a one-time $5 coupon to use on anything in the store.  I didn’t have a specific item in mind, but found some cute monogram letters for my daughters for a total of $1.83  after the sale price and my gift card.

My final stop was at Walgreens where I wanted to maximize my savings with their $5 register reward by purchasing items totaling $25. My total actually came up to more than $35 before coupons.  I was able to purchase two bottles of Nature’s Source cleaners, three Glade soy candles, two protractors, four packages total of Kraft Easy Mac and Velveeta Shells and Cheese, a Conair hair brush, two boxes of Hefty Freezer bags, and two Twix candy bars for a total of $4.87. I was able to get the total that low mainly by using coupons that made the items free or very close to free.

The really great thing about the shopping trip at Walgreens is not only that my total was $4.87, but that I also walked away for a total of $8 in Register Rewards to spend on future purchases. The register rewards were from the $25 purchase (received $5 register reward), Conair Hairbrush ($2 Register Reward), Kraft macaroni in a cup ($1 Register Reward).

I used a  high amount of “frees” (free coupons) for my Walgreens purchase, but these are frees that I accumulated over time and through various sources. The Nature’s Source cleaning coupons were received from BzzAgent a word-of-mouth media network, the Glade soy candle coupons were received in the regular Sunday insert coupons, the candy coupons were received from the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act, and the Hefty coupon was received from the company for a complaint about one of their products.

Usually, when I receive a coupon for a free item I save it for a buy one get one free sale so that I am getting two items with my one coupon or I wait and combine it with a sale that helps me boost my total to qualify for a particular store promotion or to receive a coupon where a minimum purchase is required.

While all of these stores aren’t located in every state, there are still plenty of places to visit on a Saturday morning.

• Lakeshore Learning Store offers free crafts for kids ages 3 and up every Saturday from 11:00 – 3:00pm in all of their stores. Check their site for a store near you.
• Michaels (The Arts & Crafts Store) offers a free craft class monthly. The class is designed for ages 5-12. Times and dates change monthly, check their site for more information on the activity offered, along with times, and dates.
• The Home Depot offers a free Kids Workshop on the first Saturday of every month. The workshop is designed for kids ranging in age from 5-12 and the workshop is offered from 9:00 – 12:00pm.
• The Lego Store offers the Monthly Mini Model Build at participating stores. The event is open to children ages 6 – 14. Learn how to build a Lego Mini Model and take your project home with you. Check The Lego site for participating times and locations.

My kids are always looking for something new and different to do. Although I am not extremely creative, I can usually come up with something fun for them to do to pass the time. What I like about the free projects and classes that are offered is that these are stores that we normally shop at already.