Avon Products by Carolyn

AVON PRODUCTS BY CAROLYN is my fan page on FaceBook.  I have fun games on Wednesday's called Wacky Wednesday because the games are goofy!   I have FLASH AUCTIONS and advertised specials.  Come here to get your products from Avon at some wonderful prices.  I sell BOTH Avon and Mark products.  All your Avon shopping in one convenient place! 

National Consumer Panel and the scanner!

I joined the NCP!  You can too and for a short time now you can receive the scanner and take part in their program.  The National Consumer Panel consists of people from all demographic and geographic areas of the United States. By scanning the barcodes on their purchases and completing surveys, panelists' consumer voices make an impact in the marketplace. NCP is an operational joint venture between the two leading consumer insights providers in the United States - The Nielsen Company and SymphonyIRI Group.

Just click on the NCP link and begin!

My husband the coupon clipper!

He'd do just about anything for those two candy bars that we got with a coupon!  Wooo hooo he clipped
ALL of my coupons for me this weekend!  Thank you John!

Coupon Binder!

If you're looking for a way to organize your coupons then you may want to consider buying a binder (top pic)
and the loaded coupon book that goes inside (bottom pic).  

A coupon binder is a great way to organize all your coupons!  You simply clip what you need and then go through the binder sections (they are baseball card inserts) and slip your coupon into place!


In the loaded coupon book that I bought this is what is included:

NEWBIE SALE!!!

Description:

•  24 High Quality 9 Pocket Coupon Pages with 40 repositionable and hand-labeled Tabs and 8 blank Tabs (all placed on the pages)

• Alphabetized 40 Top Grocery Coupon Categories (scroll down for the list)

• Coupon Lingo Breakdown List

•  Tips and Tricks Page

• Top Printable Coupon Websites and Best Coupon Blogs to Follow

• Coupon Category Index

•  2 recent Sunday coupon inserts

Inserts: 
Smart Source 6/26   Click here for Preview
Red Plum: 6/26  Click herefor Preview

Residents of PA will be charged 6% sales tax.
ALL KITS WILL SHIP MONDAY DUE TO SALE

$19.99!  Excellent price! 

CLICK ON THE BANNER!

Luau Pool Party Giveaway for 500 FaceBook Fans!

Avon Products by Carolyn Fans:  



We are having a LUAU POOL PARTY GIVEAWAY now that we reached  500 fans!  When you are COMMENTING (one comment at the end of this blog entry per action), please include your email address where I can reach you if you win this giveaway!  If you don't include your email address, your comment will not be entered into the drawing. 

Here are the gifts that will be sent:

From Carolyn all gifts from Party City!  What a great place to shop!

Summer Ballon Centerpiece
Sticky Catch Game
Flip Flip Luau Banner
Tropical Breeze Invitations 20 CT
Blue and White Beach Ball 13 inches
Octopus Beach Ball 9 inches
Splash Ball Combo Pack
Splash Fling Toy 2 piece

DID you JOIN Carolyn's FB page? (click here)  Make one comment on this giveaway page about doing this.  This will be checked.
DID you JOIN Carolyn's BLOG? (click here)  Make one comment on this giveaway page about doing this.  This will be checked.

AND from the following SPONSORS:

Shore Savings with Patti

DID YOU JOIN Patti's Page (click here)  make one comment on this giveaway page about doing this.  This will be checked.
DID YOU JOIN Patti's Blog? (click here)  make one comment on this giveaway page about doing this.  This will be checked.


Money $aving Michele

Did you JOIN Michele's FB page?  (click here)  Make one comment on this giveaway page about doing this.  This will be checked.
Did you JOIN Michele's BLOG? (click here)  Make one comment on this giveaway page about doing this.  This will be checked.



Wickless Expert Shauna McDonald

 DID you JOIN Shauna's FB Page? (click here)  Make one comment on this giveaway page about doing this.  This will be checked.

Teana Lewis-Hoyle

 DID you JOIN Teana's FB page?  (click here)  Make one comment on this giveaway page about doing this.  This will be checked.

Nicole Roseberry

DID you JOIN Nicole's FB page?  (click here)  Make one comment on this giveaway page about doing this.  This will be checked.


There will be ONE WINNER selected from all the comments to this contest by Random.org
The WINNER will be chosen on SUNDAY night, JULY 3rd, 2011 at 9pm ET!

I REMOVE COMMENTS without EMAIL ADDRESSES as these do NOT count for the giveaway so be careful and make sure that you've followed the directions.  The only entries that will count are the individual ones that include your email address. 

If you do not claim your prize in 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

You must be 17 to participate.   You MUST reside in the USA. 

Disclosure:
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. As winners you are providing your information to the sponsor and not to Facebook. The information (name & email) you provide will only be used for contacting the winner and sponsor. Although I am facilitating the giveaways, I am not affiliated with these organizations, nor am I endorsing their products or services, unless otherwise indicated. Once winners are selected it is up to the winner and the sponsor to make arrangements for delivery of the item. By filling out the forms you are consenting.

Privacy Policy: You are giving me your name and email at this time when commenting. I will use it ONLY to contact the Sponsor with the winners information.

IGiveYouGetGiveAlways 400 FAN GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to Conversations with Carolyn! Yay to the 400 FANS! This giveaway is for all of you on that group.

I will be using the RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR to correspond with the number of your comment and that will be the winner of:

1. 100 coupons!
2. Forever 21 Leopard Print Foot Cushions!
3. Forever 21 Hello Kitty Tissues!
4. Avon Silicon Gloves!


So start commenting with your name and FB profile name, your email and tell me something about my blog that you like. YES, you do need to leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway.
And be sure that you LIKED my page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Avon-Products-by-Carolyn/191175717600896

HAVE FUN!
*FB requires this:
a. A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.

b. Acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

c. Disclosure that the participant is providing information to [disclose recipient(s) of information] and not to Facebook.

Ding! Dong! AVON CALLING! FIRST CONTEST!

This is my first contest with the gals (or guys) from my page on FB,

and this is for the first responder who places an order of just TEN DOLLARS at
and they will receive two items from FOREVER 21 (my favorite store online for clothes for me!) and these items are:

1. LEOPARD PRINT FOOT CUSHIONS
2. HELLO KITTY TISSUES (for your child! or for a child you know!)

Sooooo the first one who places that order and comments here is the winner! It's that easy.

All orders can happen at:
http://carolynmullin.avonrepresentative.com/

You can visit AVON PRODUCTS BY CAROLYN at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Avon-Products-by-Carolyn/191175717600896


THIS CONTEST HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FACEBOOK or THEIR EMPLOYEES. THEY ARE NOT HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING. THE CONTEST PLAYERS ARE RELEASED OF ANY RELIABILITY.

The winner will need to email me at
carolynjm@live.com
with their address so I can mail the gifts to them!

HAVE FUN!

Couponing 101: The Basics

A manufacturer’s coupon is a piece of paper with a discount for a specified product printed on it. The coupon can be used at most stores that carry the specified product. To receive your discount you must purchase the product and give the cashier the coupon. The cashier will scan the coupon and the coupon amount will be deducted from your purchase. You then pay for the remainder of the purchase.

Coupons may only be used once. You may not buy ten boxes of cereal and scan the coupon for $1 off cereal ten times. The store will only be reimbursed for the single coupon you scanned – they will then lose $9 for the nine additional times you scanned the coupon.

You may use one coupon per indicated items purchased. If you have two coupons to save $1 on one box of cereal, you can buy two boxes and use both coupons. The coupon will say “one coupon per purchase.” This means you may not use both $1 coupons on one box. If you purchase two boxes then you may use two coupons.

You may not use two coupons on one item. You may not buy one package of diapers and use ten coupons on it. You may only use one of your coupons on the diapers. You may, however, use one store coupon and one manufacturer coupon on one item.

Coupons may not be copied. Copying coupons is illegal. You can however obtain multiples of coupons in legal ways. You can buy multiple papers or order multiples from a clipping service.

Read the wording of the coupon and ignore the picture! Manufacturer’s usually put a picture of their most expensive product on the coupon to make you think that is what you have to buy. If you actually read the terms of the coupon, it will usually say “save on ANY brand xyz product.” That means you can buy even the least expensive product and still save with the coupon!

You can use a coupon on an item that is on sale or clearance too! Occassionally I will have a store clerk tell me otherwise, but it is usually cleared up with a chat with a manager or a call to corporate.

If a product rings up higher than advertised or they miss one of your coupons, let them know! I always read over my receipt before I leave the store to make sure everything is correct. Any mistakes over $1 are pointed out to customer service. $1 may not seem like much, but let me put it in perspective. I visit roughly 3 stores per week. If each store overcharges me “just $1″ at each visit then I am being overcharged $156 per year. It is usually more than $1 though, and rarely takes more than a minute at customer service.

Stand up for yourself! If you are using coupons correctly then shop with confidence. Many times the cashiers are just misinformed. Be calm and confident when you explain why you CAN use the coupon. If the cashier still doesn’t accept it, ask nicely to speak to a manager. It is your money and you should not feel bad about being a smart shopper!

There are no stupid questions! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I would be happy to answer!


Get some coupons!

* The Sunday newspaper is a great source of coupons. Buy the newspaper with the largest circulation in order to get the best coupons. You can sometimes get them cheaper by buying a double pack. I find that a good rule of thumb is to purchase one newspaper per family member.
* Ask your friends and family for coupons. If they get a newspaper but usually throw out the coupons then they’ll probably be happy to give them to you.
* Peruse the Internet. There are many great online printable coupons to be found! You can find a list of Internet printable sites here!
* Use a clipping service. If there is a great coupon that you would like to have multiples of then you might consider ordering the coupons from a clipping service like The Coupon Clippers.
* Check the store. There are many varieties of coupons that you can find in the store. See a list here.

Organize your coupons!

* Envelopes. You can start by clipping and putting them all in an envelope or check file. But, once you’ve been couponing for a few weeks you will need something bigger.
* File by insert. With this method you just file your inserts by date in a box and use an online coupon database to find the coupon you need. This method doesn’t require much work but you might miss out on unadvertised deals by not having all of your coupons with you at the store.
* Coupon Binder. With this method you would clip all of your coupons and file them in baseball card holders in a three-ring binder. With this method you can carry your binder to the store and have all your coupons with you while you shop. You can see my coupon binder here!

Know your store’s coupon policy!

* Loyalty Cards. If your store offers a loyalty card then make sure to get one. Some stores only give the sale prices to card-holders. Loyalty cards are Free!
* Double/Triple coupons. Double/triple coupons is when the store will take your 50¢ coupon and double it making it $1. This is done automatically at the register, you do not have to do anything to take part in this promotion. First, find out if your store doubles/triples coupons. If they do then find out the maximum double/triple value and how many they will double/triple. 

* Stacking coupons. Some stores will allow you to use one store coupon (the discount is provided by the store) and one manufacturer coupon (the discount is provided by the manufacturer) per item.
* Internet coupons. Find out if your store accepts Internet coupons.
* Competitor coupons. Some stores will accept competitors coupons.
* Expired coupons. Some stores will accept expired coupons!

Make a plan!

* Weekly Ads. Read the weekly store ads to see what is on sale and which stores have the best prices on the items you need. If you don’t get the weekly ads delivered you can usually view them on the store’s website.
* Coupon Matchups. See if you can match coupons to the sale items to get an even better deal! Some websites do this for you. Couponing 101 provides weekly coupon matchups for CVS, Walgreens, Albertson’s, Brookshire’s, and Kroger.
* Pricematch. Some stores, like Walmart, will pricematch. This means that if grapes are on sale for 99¢/lb at Kroger, you can take the ad to Walmart and at checkout tell the cashier that you would like to pricematch the grapes. Show them the ad and they will sell you the grapes for 99¢/lb versus their higher price.
* Make a List! Don’t go to the store without a list. Lists remind you what you came for and keep you from buying items you don’t need.
* Rainchecks. If your store is out of the sale item, get a raincheck! Go to customer service and ask for a raincheck for the item you wanted. They will fill out a piece of paper with the item details and price. Then you can come back another day (usually no more than 30 days) and buy that item at the sale price by giving the cashier the raincheck. This also gives you more time to gather coupons for the item! You can still use a coupon if you are using a raincheck.

Don’t be fooled!

* 10/$10 promotions. You do not have to buy 10 items to get the $1 price! The only exception to this rule is if the ad states that you must! Those times are rare and are usually for items that are buy x get y free, final price 2/$5, etc.
* Rock-bottom prices. Don’t go out and use your coupon immediately! If you use that 25¢ off toilet paper right away when it’s not on sale you aren’t reaching your saving potential! Wait until toilet paper goes on sale for $1 then use the coupon. If your store triples coupons then you could get the toilet paper for only 25¢! Matching sales with coupons is getting a great price. Combining sales plus coupons plus another promotion (rebates, double coupons, store coupons) is getting the best price!
* “One per Purchase.” Most coupons say “one coupon per purchase” somewhere in the fine print. Cashiers will try to tell you that that means you can only use one coupon per transaction/day. This is NOT true! One per purchase means that you can only use one coupon per item purchased! So if you are buying 10 items and have 10 coupons then you can use them all!
* Leave the kids at home! Shopping with kids will distract you and cause you to buy items not on your list!
* Make a Pricebook. Start paying attention to prices and keep a list of items you regularly buy with the best and regular prices for those items. This will help you when you see that canned veggies are on “sale” for 10/$10 but the regular price is actually 99¢!
* Limits. Stores will sometimes put limits on the item to make you think it’s a great price! If cereal is just on sale 2/$4 you might not even notice it. But if it’s on sale 2/$4, limit 2! then you will likely think it’s a great price since they had to put a limit on it!
* Shop early. If you have couponers in your area then it’s best to get to the store as early in the sale as you can!
* “Bigger is better.” The cost per unit of the bigger box of cereal may be less than the smaller one but with coupons and sales the smaller box is likely a better deal.
* Watch the cashier. When checking out pay close attention to the price screen to make sure everything rings up at the correct price. Also, make sure that the cashier scans all of your coupons. Coupons sometimes stick together or get dropped or the cashier will scan the coupon but not realize that it didn’t go through. Kindly point out that they missed one and they will correct it.
* Check your receipt. BEFORE leaving the store look over your receipt to make sure everything rang up correctly and all of your coupons were scanned. If there is a problem take it to customer service immediately so they can fix it. If you leave the store and come back at another time then it might not be fixable. If the cashier missed a coupon and you notice right away it’s easy to see the mistake. But, if you come back later after several other coupons have been added to the cashier’s stack or the stack is gone then there is no way to prove that they missed a coupon.

Build your stockpile!

* Start slowly. Don’t buy a ton of everything as soon as you get started or you will blow your budget! A stockpile takes time. Set aside a part of your weekly grocery money for stockpiling and do what you can with what you have.
* Buy for the future. If an item goes on sale for a great price (or free!) then buy more than you need for just the week. Typically sales go in 12 week cycles so you only need to buy enough for 12 weeks. So, if you eat 1 box of cereal per week then when you find cereal at a rock-bottom price then you should buy 12 boxes. This way you have cheap cereal that will last you until you can buy it at a rock-bottom price again.
* Know how much you use. Start paying attention to how many bottles of shampoo, packs of diapers, boxes of cereal, etc. you use. This will help you to have a better idea of how much you should buy and to not go overboard! If you only eat 1 box of cereal a month then there is really no need to buy more than a few boxes or they will just go to waste.
* Donate it. Every couponer will eventually go overboard and buy too much of something. If there is no way you will use it before it expires then consider donating the item to a shelter or food pantry."

Coupon Lingo

Sunday inserts:

P&G = Procter & Gamble Sunday insert
RP = Red Plum
SS = SmartSource
GM= General Mills


Coupon lingo:

$1/1, $1/2, etc. = One dollar off one item, one dollar off two items, etc.
2/$1, 3/$2, etc. = Two items for one dollar, three items for two dollars, etc.
BOGO = Buy one item get one item free
B2GO = Buy two items get one item free
Blinkies = Grocery/drugstore coupon dispensers with blinking lights
Cat = Catalina coupon, prints from a separate machine when your receipt prints
CRT = Cash register tape, usually used when referring to CVS coupons that print with receipt
ECBs = ExtraCare Bucks, CVS loyalty rewards system
ESRs = EasySaver Rebates, Walgreens monthly rebates program
FAR = Free after rebate
IPQ = Internet printable coupon
IVC = Instant Value Coupon, Walgreens’ store coupons found in ads and ESR booklet
MFR = Manufacturer
MIR = Mail-in rebate
OYNO = On your next order
OOP = Out of pocket
Peelie = Peel-off coupon found on product packaging
PSA = Prices starting at
RRs = Register Rewards, Walgreens’ Catalina coupons
SCR = Single Check Rebate, Rite Aid monthly rebates program
UPC = Universal Product Code, bar code on a product
WT = Wine tag, no alcohol purchase necessary to use these coupons
WYB = When you buy



SS = SmartSource
RP = RedPlum
GM = General Mills
PG = Procter & Gamble
AY = All You Magazine
UN = Unilever
KB = Kelloggs/Keebler

SWAGBUCKS FRIDAY !

post coming soon!

FREEBIE FRIDAY!! Coupons and Deals

Well this has been a good day so far.  I did MISS the $5.00 coupon for the BOUNTY.  That went fast!  But I saved, saved, saved all over the place today.

First, we received a coupon for OMAHA STEAKS (USA only) Ordered our OMAHA STEAKS for Father's Day dinner. We've got this great coupon for an order of: 

(2) 5 oz. Filet Mignons, (2) 5oz. Top Sirloins) ( 4) 4 oz. Boneless Chicken Breasts 

(4) 4oz. Omaha Burgers (4) 3 oz. Gourmet Franks (4) 5 3/4 oz. Stuffed Baked Potatoes PLUS 6 FREE Omaha Steaks Burgers! Reg. $139.00 NOW ONLY $39.99 and you can get this too by going thru SWAG BUCKS search engine and write OMAHA STEAKS and then click on the address for them.  Then type this in the URL:

http://www.OmahaSteaks.com/DNH   or you can call 1-800-811-7832 and ask for 45069PNH!  

If you are going to place this order, please send a comment to me here.  It's nice to know who is reading here!  Thanks!

Second, I placed my order for my swimsuit today at JCPenney and went through SWAGBUCKS search engine to do it.  I ordered my swimsuit and because I saved $28.00 on the order of the suit, I went ahead and spent that money on a beach cover up and 4 pair of shorts!  Wooo hooo!

Today in the mail I received a bunch of coupons I ordered from http://www.TheCouponClippers.com

and that only cost me $3.96 for coupons good through August! 

I want to share with you that I'm doing a giveaway of 87 or more coupons for a member 

selected from joining I Give U Get Give Aways and Coupons at: 

http://www.facebook.com/IGiveUGetGiveaways

She's going to do this giveaway when the membership reaches 400 LIKES.  So please LIKE the page and share the link with your friends!  I have some great coupons that I don't use because I am a brand shopper and my husband is particular about the items we use.  If you LIKED the page, please comment here!

In email today I received a response from the The National Consumer Panel that:

Hello,
Thank you for your continuing interest in the National Consumer Panel. We are very pleased to announce that your household has been selected to receive a scanner!

To ensure that we send you the proper equipment for your household, please click on the following link, or copy and paste it in your browser's address field (don't paste it into a search engine's search field):
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(If you're not interested, please let us know why by selecting the link above. Your opinion is important to us.)
Remember: As an NCP panelist, you'll be eligible to receive great gifts and be entered into our many sweepstakes!
We look forward to your participation in this exciting program!

Sincerely,

Lynne Morrison
National Director
National Consumer Panel

In my devotional reading today I read Isaiah 49:1-13 and one thing that I'd like to share from this passage: The middle verse (Isaiah 53:6) says, “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all,” pointing toward Christ’s saving death. Isaiah 49:3 calls the Messiah “Israel” in order to identify the Messiah with His people. Not only is Jesus presented as humble in verse 5, but He is presented as Savior to the both Jews and the Gentiles.  If you're a Christian or Jew you have much to look forward to!  If you'd like to know how to accept the Lord as your Savior just write to me and I will share that with you.

Burger Contest ... I hope I win!

I entered the Burger Contest that was held by the LA Times.  This ran over the Memorial Day weekend.  Contestants were asked to write up their recipe for their favorite burger and to provide a picture of it.  I made my LOW-CARB GORGONZOLA AVOCADO BURGER WRAP-UPS.    Since the recipe is "out there" now and if it is one of the winners it will be printed in the Food Section of the Times, I'm going to give you the recipe.

LOW-CARB GORGONZOLA AVOCADO BURGER WRAP-UPS.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Jennie-O ground turkey
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/3 cup Progresso Italian Breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup egg beaters
1/8 cup thinly chopped baby carrots
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 tsp Emeril's Original Essence
1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (or fresh parmesean cheese)

4 pieces of Jennie-O turkey bacon
1 med. avocado
4 large leaves of romaine lettuce
4 slices of gorgonzola cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Combine the above first 9 ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2.  Separate the mixture into 4 equal portions and place on grill.
    Grill to your desire!

3.  While the burgers are grilling, place 4 pieces of turkey bacon, cut in
    half, in a spray coated pan and place on low.  Turn over after cooked on
    one side.  Set aside.

4.  Half and slice up one medium avocado (about 4 slices lengthwise from each side).

5.  Place one slice of gorgonzola cheese on each finished burger and microwave all
    four hamburgers for 1 minute or until cheese has melted.

6.  Assemble hamburger on top of one leaf of romaine lettuce and wrap the lettuce
    around the burger.   Ready to serve!

Serves: 4

Living here in California and wanting to be healthy, I try to find the most healthy way to fix our meals.  I hope that the readers (who will choose the winners) will see this meal for the desire to have a healthy option and are favorable!

Ethical Couponing

 Here are steps you can take to maintain the integrity of your coupon usage and ensure that more deals are always around the corner:

• Do not use photo-copied coupons. Only original coupons clipped or printed from reputable sources are valid.
• Read all restrictions. If a coupon says one per household, you may not use one for each child. If the coupon reads “one per visit,” you must visit the store multiple times—even if it is in the same day—to redeem multiples of that coupon.
• Use coupons only on the product indicated. There are brand, type and size restrictions listed on most coupons.
• Pay attention to limits. You may only use 1 manufacturer coupon and 1 store coupon per item. Some stores impose additional limits on coupon acceptance and/or doubling.
• Be sure to use coupons before their expiration date. Some stores may have policies allowing expired coupon acceptance, but check with the store manager. A coupon redeemed past its expiration date means the store may not be reimbursed for the coupon.

It is important to practice ethical couponing as coupon fraud and misredemption affect consumer pricing for everyone. Any lost revenues will be reflected in price increases with fewer and less beneficial promotions. Stores that are victims of coupon fraud will also tighten their coupon policies and altogether cease promotions that are valuable to smart shoppers.

What are the penalties for coupon fraud?

Penalties for those convicted of coupon fraud related crimes vary by each case and the number of laws violated.

As of this date:

Longest prison sentence: 17 years

Highest financial penalty: $5 million

Prison sentences of three to five years are not uncommon. Financial penalties generally vary, but have often been in excess of $200,000.

Not one defendant has been acquitted in a CIC (Coupon Information Center) related coupon fraud case since operations began in 1986.

You don't want to be a statistic and I'd rather be an ethical couponer than save something on a jar of peanut butter!