Beauty on the Cheap: Free Make-Up Sample

Okay, I’m not much of a make-up person. (My attempts at “high glam” come off as “Happy the Clown,” so I stuck with the natural look.) But I love Bare Escentuals, with their simple application process, their natural coverage (no more clown face!) and the lightness of their foundation – no heavy mask feel! And for a limited time (until they run out, natch), you can pick up a free sample of bareMinerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation & a free brush. It’s a cheap way to try out their make-up – or to stock up before your tan fades and you really need it!

Of course, there’s a catch – you can’t use this offer online. So head on over to a BareEscentuals boutique and put your best face forward! Click here to find a location in our area.

Free Food At Mickey Dee’s

I’ve never been a huge fan of McDonald’s. It all stems from my childhood, you see. I was such a picky eater that I would only eat plain cheeseburgers – no ketchup, no onions, no nothing. In the days before the “have it your way” craze (or microwaves, for that matter), that meant waiting…and waiting…and waiting for my burger while the rest of the family’s food got cold. “Mary, you defeat the whole purpose of fast food,” my father told me, and he eventually stopped buying us fast food altogether, earning me the disdain of my siblings who were stuck eating bologna and cheese when my parents needed a quick meal.

Anyway, that’s just a rambling intro. My kids love Mickey Dee’s, so we’ll probably try this one, which I found on our main site:

Download & print this coupon for free medium fries & a free medium soft drink or tea with the purchase of a third-pound Angus burger at McDonald’s. Per the fine print, the coupon is valid at participating locations only, and it expires on August 31, 2009.

Eat It Up – Free Cereal Samples

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Now, I’m no doctor so I can’t say if it’s so, but I do know one thing – at my house, breakfast is the longest meal of the day. My kids choose cereal for lunch, dinner, snacks and before bed, too. Hey, if it worked for Seinfeld…

So that’s why I was happy to see these offers. The good people at Cheerios are offering a free sample of their Honey Nut Cheerios and a $1 off coupon here. Honey Nut Cheerios, for those who haven’t been stung by the bee, are great tasting and good for you, as they help lower cholesterol. So check them out…for free! (And, since we’re already fans, I just picked up a really big box at Wal-Mart for under $4. Can’t wait to get that $1 off coupon!!)

For those of you with more exotic palates, Total is offering a free sample of their new blueberry pomegranete cereal if you sign up here.Now, we haven’t tried these, but knowing that just one bowl will provide 100 percent of the daily recommendation of at least 11 vitamins and minerals makes it worth a try. And you can’t beat the cost!

Summer Reading: Free Harlequin E-Books

Hey, how can you beat reading material as hot and heavy as an August day at the shore? Make it free, that’s how!

If you just love a steamy romance, the kind with a lot of heavy breathing and fervent glances and flushed checks, the kind with a woman in a tight corset embracing Fabio on the cover, then this is the deal for you.

Harlequin, the queen bee of the genre, is celebrating 60 years of romance by sharing 16 different e-books with its readers – absolutely free! Check out the list here, then download your favorite titles – or all of them – for a great summer read.

Music on the Mall – Free this Thursday

Music on the Mall, the city’s free summer concert series, which runs the first Thursday of each month, concludes this week with a special presentation of World Music on August 6. The event will feature the stylings of Paprika, a Brazilian-influenced girl group, from 6 to 7 pm and Casplash, a Carribean band, from 7 to 8. So put on your boogie shoes and come on out to Independence Mall.

And save this date – on September 3, the series will close out the season with a “Battle of the School Bands” right before the first bell rings. Find more info here.

Free Pastry Tomorrow At Starbucks

You are cordially invited to enjoy a free pastry tomorrow at Starbucks – as long as you buy a beverage to go with it.

Just take this invitation to your nearest highbrow coffee shop, fork over a couple of bucks for a mocha grande (or whatever it is you drink in the morning) and your scone, muffin or danish is absolutely free. (We have no idea why Starbucks calls it an “invitation” when the rest of the world calls it a “coupon,” but free is free, people!)

You’ll have to hurry in, though….this deal expires at 10:30 am tomorrow. So set your alarm for this one!

Read All About It – Free Books from Random

Wanna read a book hot off the presses? Wanna read it for free? Well, then, check out the “Read it forward” program, offered by Random House (Crown Publishing division). The publisher is giving away copies of three new titles – complete with author signatures! To get yours, use this link to request one via email .

Current selections include:

• Something Missing by Matthew Dicks
• The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha
• Where the River Ends by Charles Martin

Just one per email address, please. After all, we’re bookworms – not freebie hogs!

Real – and Free – Chocolate

Found this important reminder on CitiesOnTheCheap:

“Chocolate just isn’t chocolate without cocoa butter. When companies got permission to swap in cheaper ingredients for the real thing & still call it chocolate, I was shocked. To be honest, I thought some of the candy bars I’ve indulged in for years would do just that to keep costs down. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mars (maker of Dove, Snickers, Twix, M&M’s, etc) plans to stick with the real thing.

To prove their resolve, Mars started a Real Chocolate Relief Act promotion in May. What does that mean for you? The free chocolate giveaway will continue every Friday through September 25, 2009, Mars is giving away 250,000 certificates for free Mars chocolate products. The certificates become available on Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. ET, and they’re available until they’re gone, so you’ll need to act fast. There’s a limit of one coupon per email address per Friday & four coupons per household during the offer period. Must be a resident of the U.S. & age 13 or older to get a certificate.”

Free 60-Day Pass to BJ’s

I found this deal on the main web site of Cities On the Cheap…..check out this one, then click on the link above for a whole slew of nationwide deals!

“Unlike some of the free passes to warehouse clubs, this free 60-day pass to BJ’s Wholesale Club comes with no strings attached. Well, there is one string: You must activate the pass by July 6, 2009 to get the deal, but there’s no indication that you’ll be required to pay a 10% service fee at checkout during the trial period, which is common at other warehouse clubs. Test it out by stocking up for your 4th of July picnic on the cheap.”

Free Haircut from Herbal Essences – Hurry! June 30 deadline

Remember the old, oft-mocked Herbal Essences commercials, .with the cartoon woman in a “garden of earthly delights” having an “organic experience” while cleaning her flowing locks? Ah, good times

Anyway, now it seems time for the hippies to cut their hair (as good a time as any, I suppose), and this promotion will enable us to do that on the cheap: get a free haircut with the purchase of any two specially-marked Herbal Essences shampoos or conditioners. Look for bottles with the green “free haircut” stickers (well, duh). Then  go to the redemption site here to enter the two UPC codes.  Print out your redemption form and mail it with the original receipt.  You’ll receive a free haircut voucher within four to six weeks along with a list of participating salons.  Important: You must process your purchase by June 30 to qualify.

While you’re waiting, go check out the old ads (no longer aired in the US) on YouTube. (I was going to make a joke about long showers here, but hey, we’re a G-rated site!)