WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN: Rebecca (mom2norah@xxxxxx.com) Congratulations Rebecca, look for an email from me.

You all went crazy last time I gave away an American Girl doll, and I wanted to do another giveaway just because I like you all so much!   I picked up an extra American Girl of the Year (2011) at the end of last year, and I  will be giving her away to one lucky Thrifty and Thriving reader.

What you will win:  American Girl doll Kanani and book.

To enter the giveaway, just leave your comment(s) on this post, you have the opportunity for up to 4 entries, as outlined below:

How to enter: Just leave a comment letting me know who the doll would be for.

Extra Entries:  You can earn additional entries by leaving an extra comment for any or all of the following:

1. Leave an additional comment if you are a new or current subscriber of Thrifty and Thriving (New subscribers: make sure you confirm your subscription by clicking on the link that will be emailed to you)
2. Leave an additional comment if you “like” Thrifty and Thriving on Facebook
3. Leave an additional comment if you follow Thrifty and Thriving on Twitter

WINNERs HAVE BEEN CHOSEN: Shana (slcoulby@XXXXXXXX)

Fruit Snacks seem to be one of the things that kids just love! There are new some fruit snacks made by Ocean Spray with real fruit juice and natural colors and flavors. Each pack is only 80 calories, gluten free and contain 100% of the Daily Value of Vitamin C. These fruit snacks come in the following flavors:

• Berries and Cherries
• Assorted Fruit (our personal fave!)

My family got to try out these new fruit snacks and they loved them. Several of my boys told me I need to buy them on a regular basis. Lucky for them, there is a $1.10/2 Ocean Spray fruit snack printable coupon that makes my money saving self happy.

Want to win 6 boxes of Ocean Spray Fruit Snacks? One lucky winner is going to win 6 boxes of Ocean Spray fruit snacks (3 of each flavor).

How to enter: Just leave a comment letting me know what your favorite fruit flavor is (mine is pomegranate!)

This giveaway will close on Friday, January 27th at 9:00 am (PST) and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter. Good luck!

Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks, information, and giveaway have been provided by Ocean Spray® through MyBlogSpark.

Ebates is having a BIG Cyber Monday 2 event, where they are offering double cash back from over 500 stores.    Plus, if you are brand new to Ebates you will alse earn a FREE $10 gift card once you sign up and make your first $25 purchase.

Here are a few of the stores offering double cash back:

Barnes & Noble 10% cash back

The Body Shop 10% cash back

The Disney Store 10% cash back

Snapfish 20% cash back

Walmart 6% cash back

+ 100′s more

Sample of the savings:

Ebates is offering 6% back when you shop Bath & Body Works. Bath & Body Works is having a Buy 3, Get 3 FREE sale, plus there is a coupon code to get 1 item FREE.   Here is what your order would look like:

Buy (6) Signature Collection Items @ $9.50 each (some prices are higher)
Get 3 Items FREE (automatically applied at checkout)
Use coupon code F115065  (get you one more item free)
Final Price = as low as $19 for 6 items + 6% cash back

You will have to pay $7.99 for shipping, which would make your total $26.99 for all six items ($4.50 each).   When you factor in the shipping it is slightly cheaper than doing the Buy 3, Get 3 FREE promo in-store.   Plus you don’t have to fight the crowds and you are getting the 6% back from Ebates too!

New to Ebates?

If you haven’t shopped through Ebates before, it is super simple and very rewarding!  New members will receive a FREE $10 gift card once you make you first $25 purchase.   Here is what you do to get double cash back today when shopping through Ebates.

• Sign up for an Ebates account
• Search for the store you want to shop in the search box.
• Click the orange “Shop Now” button
• Shop like you normally would (looking for great deals of course!)
• Within a couple of weeks the cash back will be credited to your Ebates account.

ENTER TO WIN $250 CASH!!!   The great folks over at Ebates are giving away $250 cash to one lucky Thrifty and Thriving reader. Woo Hoo! Imagine all that you could do with an extra $250 in cash.

How to Enter (2-steps):

• You MUST be a member of Ebates to be entered.  If you are not currently a member of Ebates, then sign up for an account HERE.   Email address will need to be verified, before prize can be awarded.
• Next, you will need to leave a comment on this post, just letting  me know you would like to win.

It’s that simple!!  Giveaway will close Wednesday, December 14th at 9:00 pm PST.

Ebates is offering $250 cash to a Thrifty and Thriving reader, no other compensation has been given.   The links above are my affiliate links.

Wow!  This giveaway was by far my most popular with over 2000 entries.   I am proud to announce the winner of the American Girl doll, and the winner is….

Connie P.  (petertonjes@fuse.net)

Congratulations Connie!    Watch your inbox for a message from me.    Thanks everyone for celebrating with me!  I have lots more fun giveaways planned, and I may even give away another American Girl sometime!

I am thrilled that we have reached 12,000 fans on Facebook and I am having a giveaway to celebrate. I am very grateful to all of you that take the time to share Thrifty and Thriving with your friends and family. I love that the Facebook page gives us all a way to share coupons, deals and tips to help one other make the most of our money.

The prize: One Thrifty and Thriving reader will win an American Girl doll of their choice.  You get to choose any doll and book set you would like ($100 retail value).  You can choose a historical character, the girl of the year or My American Girl doll. You will be able to choose any doll that is available on the American Girl website, it is my understanding that the Girl of the Year is in limited quantity, so I cannot guarantee she will be available when this giveaway closes.

How to enter: Just leave a comment letting me know who the doll would be for.

Extra Entries:  You can earn additional entries by leaving an extra comment for any or all of the following:

1. Leave an additional comment if you are a new or current subscriber of Thrifty and Thriving (New subscribers: make sure you confirm your subscription by clicking on the link that will be emailed to you)
2. Leave an additional comment if you “like” Thrifty and Thriving on Facebook
3. Leave an additional comment if you follow Thrifty and Thriving on Twitter
4. Leave an additional comment if you have shared Thrifty and Thriving with your Facebook friends.  (to share, just click on the “Share” link at the bottom of the left hand column on Facebook)

Make sure you leave your comments on this blog post in order to be entered for the giveaway.  Good Luck to All!!    Giveaway will close at 9:00 pm PST on Friday, November 18th.  The winner will be posted shortly thereafter.

For the final installment of the 20 Days of Target Training, I will be sharing some features of shopping at Target.com, and ways you can save money.  While I prefer shopping in person at an actual Target store, you can also find some great deals online at Target.com.

Get 5% off and FREE Shipping every day:

If you have a Target REDcard you will receive 5% off and FREE shipping on your order, there is no minimum purchase to receive the FREE shipping. (Once you get to the Target site, scroll down for the information on the REDcard).  I only suggest this as an option if you pay your card off every month, it won’t save any money if you incur interest charges.  They also offer a debit card option as well.

Daily Deals (one day only & always FREE shipping):

The Daily Deals at Target.com change every day. Each day they will offer several new deals at a great discount.  All of these items also ship for FREE!

Coupon Codes:

Several of the Target store coupons can also be used online.  If they can be used online you will see a coupon code mentioned.  The deal on the Lego Heroica game is a great example of this.

Free Shipping (without Target REDcard):

Target will occasionally offer FREE shipping on select items and also will free shipping when you spent a certain amount of money.   For instance, right now they are offering free shipping when you spend $50 on select items that would make great gifts.

Clearance Deals:

There are clearance deals to be found on Target.com, however they do not have the exact same markdowns online that you will find in-store.  If you see a Barbie on clearance in-store at Target for 75% off, there is a chance that same doll may still be full price on Target.com.  You will have to do a little searching for some great deals.  Plus, if you can get free shipping via one of the methods I outlined here it would make for an ever better deal.

Cash Back from Ebates:

I am a big fan of shopping through Ebates so you can earn cash back on your purchase. Ebates is currently offering 3% cash back at Target when you shop through their site.

If you haven’t shopped through Ebates before, it is super simple and very rewarding! New members will receive a FREE $5 credit into their account once they make their first $25 purchase. Here is what you do to get 3% cash back when shopping at Target (or thousands of other stores too!).

• Sign up for an Ebates account
• Search for Target in the search box, once it pops up click on Target.com
• Note the coupon codes that show up, so you can use any of those on your purchase
• Click the orange “Shop Now” button
• Shop like you normally would (looking for great deals of course!)
• Within a couple of weeks the cash back will be credited to your Ebates account.

WIN a $100 Target Gift Card! Make sure you enter the giveaway for your chance to win.

How to Enter (2-steps):

• You MUST be a member of Ebates to be entered. If you are not currently a member of Ebates, then sign up for an account HERE. Email address will need to be verified, before prize can be awarded.
• Next, you will need to leave a comment on this post, just let me know something you picked up at Target recently (or any store).  (I bought the $.29 cookies from the Halloween clearance)

Giveaway will close Friday, November 11th at 9:00 pm PST.

Ebates is offer a $100 gift card to a Thrifty and Thriving reader, no other compensation has been given.   The links above are my affiliate links.

This post concludes the 20 Days of Target Training, for all the posts in the series click the image above.

During my 20 Days of Target Training, I will be giving away one of my Target clearance finds each week.  This week I will be giving away the American Girl book “Lanie”.   I have been able to find several of the American Girl books on clearance for 75% off over the last couple of years.  My daughter loves these books. I love to pick up books on clearance to give as gifts.  I save them for birthdays, Christmas, Easter Baskets and even for fun surprises when we go on vacation.

The regular price of the book was $6.25, and I picked it up for only $1.56. (75% off)

Enter to win the American Girl Lanie book:  Just leave a comment on this post letting me know who this book would be for. (I picked up one for my daughter)

This giveaway will close tomorrow morning (10/14) at 9:00 am PST. Winner will be emailed and announced on this post.

*UPDATE* Promo extended through Dec 10th

Do you find yourself dreading filling up your gas tank? For one, it’s not a fun thing to do, I always need to fill up my tank and the most inconvenient times. Secondly, gas is so expensive nowadays. I usually fill my tank where I can get a discount, and Safeway offers a discount for club card members. They also offer an incentive for shopping at Safeway, which can earn you an even BIGGER discount on your gas.

Here is how the program works:

• Each $1 spent on groceries = 1 point
• Each $1 spent on qualifying gift cards = 2 points
• Each filled prescription = 50 points

You will get $ .10 off each gallon of gas on a single fill-up for each 100 points you earn.  You can redeem up to 1000 points at a time, so you can potentially earn $1.00 off of each gallon of gas.

Through October 29th, Safeway is giving 4x the points on qualifying gift card purchases.   To make the most of this deal, you will want think about any future purchases you may have planned and purchase gift cards for those store.  Have a home improvement project planned?  Buy Home Depot gift cards and get an extra discount on your gas.  Heading to a Disney Theme Park?  Pick up some Disney gift cards for your trip and get an extra discount on your gas.  I had a couple of gift cards that I planned on purchasing for Christmas gifts, I already picked them up at Safeway.  So, I will get the extra discount on my gas, and I got some Christmas shopping done early.  Double bonus!!

Here is an example of the savings:

• Buy (2) $25 Gift Cards ~ Get 200 Rewards Points = $ .20 discount per gallon

So, shopping at Safeway can help you save money on your gas.   I came up with a solution for the pumping gas (which isn’t much fun), I brought along a teenager to do it for me.  I recommend you do the same!

GIVEAWAY:  Win a $50 Safeway Gift Card

How to enter:  Just leave a comment on this post letting me something that is on your grocery list right now (I have milk on mine). This giveaway will close on Friday, October 14th at 9:00 am.

Safeway provided me with a gift card to try out this promotion, and they are providing one to a lucky Thrifty and Thriving reader too.   All opinions are my own.

I am super excited about this giveaway I have for you today! One lucky Thrifty & Thriving reader is going to win a $100 Disney Store gift card, thanks to Ebates! Ebates is my favorite cash back site, I use it whenever I shop online and to get a percentage of my purchase price back. It’s like a rebate, only I don’t have to work for it!

Getting cash back from shopping through Ebates is super easy:

Today would be a great day to shop at the Disney Store , they are offering FREE shipping on any size order when you use the code FREESHIP (through 10/9/11).  If you shop at the Disney Store through Ebates you will also earn 5% cash back!.

WIN a $100 Disney Store Gift Card! Make sure you enter the giveaway for your chance to win.

How to Enter (2-steps):

Giveaway will close Wednesday, October 12th at 9:00 pm PST.

Ebates is offer a $100 gift card to a Thrifty and Thriving reader, no other compensation has been given.   The links above are my affiliate links.

Mindbloom is a FREE life game that will reward you for reaching personal goals.  When you play Mindbloom, you plant a tree that represents your life, each leaf on the tree represents an area of your life that you want to improve.  The game focuses on enhancing real lives, not virtual worlds.   The thought behind the game is that online inspiration leads people to take action offline.   I don’t know about you, but there are a few areas in my life that I can use some inspiration. You can also access Mindbloom from your phone, so you can get inspired on the go too.

I admit I have never really played any of the online games, because they have never really interested me.  I think that Mindbloom is going to be something that I will enjoy long term.  It seems like a great way to get motivated and keep track of your goals.  It is much easier to achieve you goals if you have them written down and are accountable.  I love the feel of the Mindbloom site, the tree and the backgrounds are gorgeous.  I have viewed several of the photos and the quotes and they are very inspiring.  Overall, Mindbloom is a very uplifting and motivational site!

Here are some of the features of Mindbloom:

• Users keep their tree healthy by creating a simple action plan that helps them accomplish them to live the life they want. Mindbloom has a list of over 500 suggestion, like substituting water for soda.
• To stay motivated Mindbloom has a gallery of free inspirational media and uplifting quotes. You can even download your own inspirational music from iTunes.
• You have the choice of doing actions on your own, or with the help of supportive friends. You can connect to Facebook or Twitter via Mindbloom’ social connection.
• Rewards for offline actions lead to online benefits. You will receive rewards, just like in similar online games, only these rewards can be used to expand your image gallery on online playlists.

Want to give Mindbloom a try?   It’s FREE to sign up. Mindbloom does have a feature called a GrowPro package , which provides access to premium content, rewards, and more. With the launch, the company is offering the GrowPro package for $34 until November 1. After the introductory offer the cost will be $89. You can also find Mindbloom on Facebook and Twitter.

Win a FREE premium GrowPro package from Mindbloom: 5 Thrifty and Thriving readers will win a premium package for FREE!!

How to enter: Just leave a comment on this post letting me know what area you would like to work on in your life (It could be spiritual, health, parenting, or even just getting dinner on the table on time) Um, for me it would be all of the above!!

Giveaway will close on Friday, October 7th at 9:00 pm. Winners will be notified shortly thereafter. Good luck!

I was compensated to share my thoughts  regarding the new Mindbloom game, all thoughts are my own.

You can now get STAR WARS the complete saga on Blu-ray, with 40 hours of thrilling special features, including all-new content created exclusively for this release, you can journey deeper into the Star Wars universe and discover more than ever before. We are huge Star Wars fans at our house, so this is exciting news!

In honor of the release, select General Mills Big G cereals have a limited edition Star Wars good versus evil image on their packaging, which when combined creates a full panoramic poster. Exclusively at Walmart, look for specially marked boxes of Big G cereals, including Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms. Collect all three to create a Star Wars panoramic poster showcasing your favorite characters, like Darth Vadar™, Luke Skywalker™, Han Solo™, Princess Leia™ and more.

Enter to win 3 General Mills cereal and a $25 Walmart gift card: Here is what you will receive:

• Honey Nut Cheerios
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch
• Lucky Charms
• $25 Walmart gift card

How to enter: Just leave a comment letting me know what your favorite Star Wars movie is.

This giveaway will close on Saturday, October 8th at 9:00 am PST, and a winner will be notified shortly thereafter. Good Luck!

The cereal, gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

I had 2 giveaways that closed this week, and both were for gift cards.   Here are the winners of both of the giveaways:

Winner of the $75 Kohl’s gift card (courtesy of FreeShipping.org):

Leslie (LeslieSmithNotes@)

Winner of the $40 Sam’s Club gift card:

Sarah (sarah.takayla@)

Congratulations!!! Make sure both of you watch for an email from me, so you can send me your mailing address.

One of the things we eat on a regular basis at our house is yogurt, and Yoplait is our favorite. My older boys like the Thick & Creamy, my youngest likes the Trix yogurt and my daughter likes it all – she’s not picky!

Yoplait Light yogurt that you know and love is now paired with 100% natural granola and real fruit, perfect for a convenient breakfast or snack. I have yogurt, granola and fruit on a regular basis, it’s very convenient that they all come together now.

They come in the following flavors:

• Blueberry
• Strawberry
• Peach
• Cherry

Sam’s Club can help you stock up on your family’s favorite Yoplait yogurts at great, everyday low prices. They have an extended yogurt selections, featuring new Yoplait Light with Granola and Trix yogurt, which makes it easier finding the flavors, and prices, your family loves.

Enter to win a $40 Sam’s Club gift card (can be used at Walmart if you don’t have a Sam’s Club nearby):

How to enter: Just leave a comment letting me know your favorite yogurt flavor. It’s that simple!

This giveaway will close on Tuesday, September 20 at 9:00 am PST, and a winner will be notified shortly thereafter. Good Luck!

The Sam’s Club gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Sam’s Club and Yoplait through MyBlogSpark.

The wonderful folks over at FreeShipping.org have a nice treat for a lucky Thrifty and Thriving reader, somebody is going to win a $75 Kohl’s Gift Card. I love Kohl’s!  I also love FreeShipping.org, they have saved me a ton of money.  Not familiar with FreeShipping.org, let me tell you a little about them first.

FreeShipping.org lists free shipping codes for thousands of stores all in one place. I love the convenience of shopping online, but I hate to pay shipping charges, so FreeShipping.org has been helping me solve that problem for awhile now.

You just head over to FreeShipping.org and search for the store you plan on shopping, if there are any FREE shipping codes, they will list them for you. Not only do they list FREE shipping codes, but you can also find coupon codes too.  Like I mentioned before, they have a list of thousands of stores, but here are a few that I search for regularly on FreeShipping.org

• Kohl’s
• JCPenney
• Williams-Sonoma
• Bath & Body Works
• ThinkGeek.com

How to enter to win a $75 Kohl’s Gift Card:

1. Leave a comment letting me know what your favorite store is over at FreeShipping.org

Here are some things you can to to get additional entries (leave a separate comment for each one you qualify for):

1. Like FreeShipping.org on Facebook
2. Like Thrifty and Thriving on Facebook
3. Follow FreeShipping.org on Twitter and send a tweet tagged @FreeShippingorg and @ThriftyThriving
4. Google +1 your favorite merchant page on FreeShipping.org

This giveaway will close on Monday, September 19 2011 at 9:00 pm PST and will be announced shortly thereafter.

FreeShipping.org is providing a $75 gift card to one Thrifty and Thriving reader, no compensation has been given.  I agreed to spread the word, because I really do love FreeShipping.org, and I thought  the gift card would make one of you very happy.

Franz Bakery has a new line of Franz Organic Breads. Franz is a local Northwest company that is now four generations strong (how cool is that?)

I had the opportunity to try 3 of the new Franz Organic Breads:

Franz San Juan Organic Nine Grain Bread
As soon as I took the bread out of the box, one of my teenagers said “Ooh, I love the San Juan Bread” and preceded to make himself some toast with our strawberry freezer jam. I have 3 teenagers that do a lot of snacking, and I am more than happy to have them “snack” on the Franz bread.

Franz Willamette Organic Great Seed Bread
I really liked all of the breads, but this one was by far my favorite. I loved all the grains and seeds it had inside. It makes for a very hearty bread! I loved toasting one every morning and having it with my breakfast. Now that I am out, I am going to have to pick up some more!

Big Horn Valley Organic 100% Whole Wheat Bread
We added this bread to the freezer to try at a later date, and we took it out yesterday. I love that the Franz bread freezes so well. One of my favorite things about this variety is the crust. Yummy! I have a son that is a little on the picky side, so he requires his bread to be “crustless” which is fine with me, because I can eat the crust, or just save it to make homemade croutons.

Not only does the bread taste good, but here are some things I can feel good about when serving my family the Franz Organic Bread.

• They use 100% all-natural organic ingredients
• They are a local NW company
• Because it is baked here in the Northwest, it’s always fresh

I am giving away (5) FREE Franz Product Coupons. (Make sure you live in an area where Franz products are sold)

Here’s how to enter:

• Just leave me a comment letting me know how you love to eat your bread (toast, favorite sandwich, grilled panini, whatever)

You can get (2) additional entries by doing the following (leave a comment for each one you do):

• Head on over to the Franz Website and let me know which product you would like to try.
• Like Franz on Facebook