Free and Fun Things to Do this Weekend

Friday

Bring candy and icing and make a gingerbread house, 6 p.m., Williamsburg Branch Library, 594 Main St., Williamsburg. Pack your favorite decorations – the gingerbread’s provided. Registration required. 513-724-1070.

See what lurks in the darkness during a winter night hike, 6 p.m., Sycamore Park, 4082 Ohio 132, Batavia. Explore the forest on a naturalist-led hike through the park to see what creatures come out at night. 513-876-9013; www.parks.clermontcountyohio.gov

Sing along to holiday favorites at Tis the Season, 7:30 p.m., Seton High School, 3901 Glenway Ave., West Price Hill. Hear classic and modern music selections featuring the Cincinnati Metropolitan Orchestra, Children’s Chorus and the Metropolitan Singers. 513-941-8956; www.gocmo.org

Catch performances of the opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” 8 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, UC Clermont Campus, 4200 Clermont College Drive, Batavia. With Northern Kentucky University chorus members. 513-732-5200

Saturday

Here’s another gingerbread house-making opportunity, this one at 10:30 a.m., Union Township Branch Library, 4462 Mount Carmel-Tobasco Road, Union Township. Bring candy and icing – all other supplies are provided. Registration required. 513-528-1744.

You can actually touch museum objects during Family ARTventures, 1 p.m., Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park. Meet in front lobby. Parking $4, free for members. 513-721-2787.

Experience the busy town of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth during A Night in Bethlehem, 5:30-8 p.m., Crestview Presbyterian Church, 9463 Cincinnati-Columbus Road, West Chester Township. 513-777-6555.

Hear holiday favorites and sing along during the Sycamore Community Band Holiday Concert, 7-8 p.m., St. Bernard Church-Spring Grove Village, 740 Circle Ave., Spring Grove Village. Led by Pete Metzger. 513-697-0868; www.sycamoreband.org

Pag

Restaurant freebies

I don't know any details here, but Polly Campbell reported on the Enquirer's website about 3 restaurant chains that will send you free offers if you sign up for their email lists. I've had good success with offers from some other chains -- haven't tried these.

Free chicken

Monday (10/26) KFC is giving away free pieces of grilled chicken. KFC says it's at "participating locations," but I see no indication of where those are/aren't.

Free Spaghetti at Fazoli's

http://www.freespaghetti.com/coupon Gives you a coupon for a free small spaghetti with the purchase of a drink at Fazoli’s. It expires 11/15/09. I found this deal on dealnews.com

Stephen Harms

Biggs Double/Triple Coupons

Now is the time to use all of those good coupons you have been hoarding. The following was taken from: http://www.wcpo.com/content/news/localshows/dontwasteyourmoney/story/Biggs-Triple-Coupons-this-Weekend/4nd-QPPK6UuODsVmeLRa7g.cspx

Someone has also reported that if you use their Pump Perks program, they

will award you those perks based on your total before coupons. Please note

that coupons over $1 will not be doubled and will be face value coupons.

Reported by: John Matarese

Remember Biggs big triple coupon promotion back in June? It was such a hit that Biggs is rolling it out again this weekend at all its Cincinnati area stores.

From 10am Friday morning October 2nd through all day Monday October 5th, Biggs will:

• Triple all coupons up to 50 cents
• Double all coupons up to a dollar

What this means to Coupons Clippers

Here is how local coupon mom Heather Tenney, who runs a blog called "Little Miss Know it All" says it will work:

• A 15 cent coupon will triple to 45 cents.
• A $1 coupon will double to $2 dollars.
• Pop Tarts will be 50 cents a box with coupon
• Edge Shave Gel will be 16 cents a can with coupon
• Softsoap will be free with coupon

Those coupons have been in various Sunday supplements in recent week. Click on Heather's website to learn more.

As always, don't waste your money. I'm John Matarese.

Free, tall brewed coffee for taste testing Starbucks VIA

From Starbucks

Our new Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew instant coffee is just as bold and flavorful as our brewed coffee. But don’t take our word for it. Drop by a participating Starbucks from October 2-5 to take the Starbucks VIA™ Taste Challenge. We’ll give you a free, tall brewed coffee for your time (good on your next visit, with offer card), at participating U.S. locations. THE STARBUCKS VIA™ EXPERIENCE CONTEST Take the challenge, then join the fun at StarbucksVIA.com where you can see how others did and share your own experience for a chance to win 5 iPod Touches and other great prizes. Visit the site for contest details and official rules.

Free Museum Day - this Saturday, Sept. 26

Smithsonian Magazine is offering free admission to several museums in Cincinnati (and many others across the country) this Saturday only. Visit this site for details and your admission pass.

Good buys on books and more

From Marianne Brown comes a recommendation to check out https://www.libraryanded.com/, a source for books and CDs -- educational, entertaining, etc. Prices are very good because they restrict sales to "wholesalers," which includes homeschoolers, teachers and librarians. Fill out the information form and download the catalogs!

JC Penney/Dillard's seasonal clearance

This is a bit different from the normal deals, but JC Penney and Dillard's are both doing seasonal clearance. Prices are getting quite low -- found slacks at Dillard's tonight as low as $14.99, and men's dress shirts and JC Penney were around $8 a week-plus ago.

This is summer clearance, so most shirts at Dillard's were half-sleeve. Still, good deals at both places. We were at the Crestview Hills Dillard's; a colleague mentioned deals at Kenwood as well.

90% off certificates continued

The 90% discount on restaurant.com gift certificates mentioned below started at 9 am and goes for 99 hours. You can buy $25 certificates for $1. Normally they are $10. For most of the certificates you do have to buy $35 of food and soft drinks. I recommend a couple of restaurants nearby in Clifton: Caminetto Bistro and Papa Dino's Pizza.

90% off Restaurant.com - starting 09/09/09

90% off gift certificates at Restaurant.com!
Use code NINETY at checkout.

Free Chick-fil-A

Get a FREE Chick-fil-A Original Chicken Sandwich this Labor Day when you wear any sports team logo to Chick-fil-A. More info: http://www.chick-fil-a.com/#home

Restaurant.com Again

Restaurant.com is again offering 80% of gift certificates to restaurants. You need discount code TASTE, and this is good through Monday, 8/31.

Kids Eat Free!

Hi! I found this neat little website that lists all the restaurants where kids eat free, or you can sign up for birthday clubs. Enjoy!

99 cent day

To all campus Moms:
Today, Monday Aug.10th, is $.99 day at the Bellvue KY Goodwill All kids clothes are 99 cents today. Click here for directions.

Free Milkshake

Click on the link below for a free milkshake from Steak and Shake!







http://www.steaknshake.com/valuevault/coupon3.html

Thanks to M. Gresham for sharing this with us!

$10 Rebate from Kellogg's & $70 Dell Coupon Code

Buy 10 qualifying Eggo, Keebler or Kellogg products between now and September 30th and you can send away for a $10 rebate check and $70 coupon code from Dell for an Inspiron Mini or Studio laptop. This is a great deal if you are buying a new laptop. The $10 check is great even if you are not in the market for a computer.

http://www2.kelloggs.com/uploadedFiles/Kellogg/Family_Focus/09_Kelloggs_DellAd_FSI_Final.pdf

Free Chocolate Fridays

FREE Chocolate Friday. Click here to sign up for your free candy bar. This is available every Friday starting at 9 a.m. only to the first 250,000 and runs through September. You can only receive 4 per household.

Free Qdoba Snack

Join Qdoba's "eClub" and get a coupon for free chips and salsa -- see more here. (Personal experience suggests that, if you join, you will NOT be bugged too much with emails, and you WILL get some decent deals emailed to you periodically.)

Thanks to Adam Profitt for passing this along!

Free Picture Package

I just wanted to update everyone on the earlier post about the coupon from Picture People. The original expiration date was 7/25/09. I just talked to someone at the studio and they said the offer has been extended until 8/1/09. She said they are booked until Wednesday so make an appointment soon.

Cheesecake Factory, Any Slice Half Price

July 30th is National Cheesecake Day. Celebrate at The Cheesecake Factory by dining in, and get any slice of one of their 30 delicious cheesecakes for half price.

Free Sandwich from Honey Baked Ham Co.

Here is a yummy offer from the Honey Baked Ham Co. Enjoy!

Honey Baked Ham Co.: B1G1 Sandwich coupon

http://www.honeybakedforyou.com/ec/tabletalkJuly2009/ecoupon.aspx?WT.MC_ID=EH071491

Through August 15, 2009, you can get a free sandwich at Honey Baked Ham Co. when you buy one whole or half sandwich and use this coupon. This coupon is valid in AZ, KS, KY, MO, MD, MN, OH, PA, VA and WI.

(thanks to M. Gresham for passing this on to us!)

Free eBooks and Sheet Music

Over 2 million eBooks will be available for downloading free of charge through the World eBook Fair until August 4th at http://worldebookfair.org/Collections.htm.

They have a lot of free sheet music available for downloads. This also is available until August 4^th.
http://66.175.80.129/WorldeBookFair/searchResults.do?query=subject:(Sheet%20music)

Thanks to Marianne Brown for sending Bargain Hunters this information.

Cheap Eats

Restaurant.com is having one of their 80% off sales. This means you can get a $25 gift certificate to a restaurant for $2 (note that you usually have to spend at least $35 on your meal -- but that still means a $35 meal for $12, which ain't bad!). To get this discount, use the discount code NAPKIN. This offer ends July 28.

(If you're not familiar with Restaurant.com, here's a quick rundown. You can find local restaurants by zip-code search or by city. Different restaurants have different offers -- different spending requirements, day/time requirements, etc. Once you purchase a gift certificate, you simply print it out and go use it! This can work great if you have a vacation planned and want to eat out while there. Note that certificates have to be used within 1 year, I think.)

Free Pastry @ Starbucks w/ Beverage Purchase

Print this invitation at http://www.starbucks.com/retail/print_free_pastry.html and enjoy a free pastry with beverage purchase at a participating Starbucks store on July 21st between opening and 10:30 a.m.

Free Arbys BBQ Bacon Cheddar Roastburger

Arby's coupon: Buy any soft drink, get a free BBQ Bacon Cheddar Roastburger. Print coupon here: http://www.arbys.com/coupon/ . This coupon expires July 17th.

Thanks again to Steve H

How to Get 2,081 Free Digital Prints

http://dealnews.com/How-To-Get-2-081-Free-Digital-Prints/307142.html

Have a digital camera, but no photo printer? Several services continue to offer free photo prints to new customers who sign up. For example, ArtsCow.com offers its members 1,000 4x6" and 500 5x7" prints (1,500 total) for free via coupon code "1500PRINTS". (Coupon ends July 31.) Redeem the similar offers below and get a total of 2,081 free digital prints:
Snapfish offers 50 free prints
CVS.com offers 50 free prints
PhotoMama.com offers 50 free prints
YorkPhoto.com offers 40 free prints
AdoramaPix.com offers 25 free prints
FujiFilm offers 100 free prints via coupon code "prints"
PhotoWorks offers 50 free prints
ClarkColor.com offers 20 free prints
MyPhotoAlbum.com offers 20 free prints
Fotomat.com offers 15 free prints
Shutterfly offers 25 free prints
Winkflash offers 50 free prints via coupon code "WF95WF27"
Meijer offers 50 free prints
Kodak EasyShare Gallery offers 20 free prints
Ritzpix.com offers 16 free prints

Thank you, Steve Harms, for this info.

Free Portrait Package from Picture People

Here's a really good deal for pictures at the Picture People. It's for a free portrait package. There's a convenient location in the Kenwood Towne Center. Here's the link to print the coupon: http://www.picturepeople.com/promotion/email/summer_2009/sfr2_landing2.html

It expires July 25.

Thanks to Melissa Gresham for sharing this with us!

Free Pops Concert

Cincinnati Pops concert - FREE!
Bring your own seating and picnic.

We've really enjoyed this in the past. There are some food booths, fire trucks to see, and a magician. No admission or parking charges!

Free Fridays - Cincy Museum Center

Visit all three museums at the Cincinnati Museum Center free (+ parking fees):

• Cincinnati History Museum
• Museum of Natural History and Science
• Duke Energy Children's Museum

4-8pm on Fridays July 24, August 21, September 11

www.cincymuseum.org/explore_our_sites/special_exhibits_events/special_events/FreeFridays.asp

Qdoba BOGO

On Saturday, July 18th, buy an entree get an entree free!
Mmm, good . . .better than Chipotle! ;-)

A Wild Day at the Zoo

Kids, Cultures, Critters and Craft Festival
at Cincinnati Zoo
July 15, 2009
$1 admission (plus $6.50 parking)
see www.cincinnatizoo.org for more details

Free Mocha Mondays

McDonald’s is sampling its espresso-based Mocha McCafe Coffees in Cincinnati this Monday. Customers can stop by any local McDonald’s restaurant on July 13 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and receive a free 7oz. Iced Mocha or an 8 oz hot Mocha McCafe Coffee. “Free Mocha Mondays” will continue every Monday through Aug. 3

Abuelo's lunch special

Abuelo’s Mexican restaurant chain is celebrating its 20th anniversary in July with prices reminiscent of 1989. Two lunch enchiladas are $3.99, with beans, potatoes or rice, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. This special is available until July 15. See www.abuelos.com for more details and locations.

Free Long John Silvers Taco

Long John Silver’s is introducing a new dish, the Baja fish taco, by giving it away. On Tuesday , they’ll hand them out to all comers from the time they open (which varies by location, but is probably 10:30 a.m.) until 2:30 p.m. The tacos include fried fish in a soft tortilla with “crunchy crumblies,” lettuce and Baja sauce. Note: It’s free, but you’re saving only 99 cents, the price it will be on the menu. http://www.ljsilvers.com/.

Free Chick-fil-A meal

You can get a free Chick-fil-A meal tomorrow, Friday, on Cow Appreciation Day. All you have to do is dress up like a cow. Head-to-hoof. If you have misplaced your cow costume, come in with some kind of cow attire on, and you will still get a free entrée. See http://www.cowappreciationday.com/ for locations and rules.

Welcome

Welcome to the new GBS blog called, GBS Bargain Hunters! We will periodically be posting cheap and free things to see, do and/or eat in the Cincinnati area. There will be six authors of this blog: Mandy Buckland (mbuckland@gbs.edu), Becky Hallenbeck (bhallenbeck@gbs.edu), Chris Lambeth (clambeth@gbs.edu), Nancy Lambeth (njlambeth@gmail.com), Aaron Profitt (aprofitt@gbs.edu) and Lisa Profitt (laprofitt@juno.com). Please email any of us if you find something free or cheap that you would like to share with the rest of campus. Happy bargain hunting!