Online Coupons and Deals

For the average consumer, it’s hard to understand the different types of online coupons and deals. Tricia Meyer and Ashleigh Ball talk in this podcast about the different types of codes and how to get the best deals shopping online. Find Coupons and Discounts for hundreds of merchants at Sunshine Rewards and combine then with cash back rewards.

Show Notes

• Compare free shipping (minimums, no minimums) with flat rate shipping and figure out when they are good deals and when they are not. When are “per item” charges the best deals?
• Percent off coupons and dollar off coupons from the same merchant can be confusing. Do the math to figure out which is better for you. Spending more to save more isn’t usually worth it.
• “Stacking” coupons is the best deal when it is possible. Not all merchants allow it but it is worth trying.
• “BOGO” can be “Buy One Get One Free” or “Buy One Get One Half Off” depending on the merchant and that makes a big difference.
• Read the fine print for exclusions such as brands or previously reduced merchandise.

You can save a lot of money online when you use free shipping, flat rate shipping, percentage off, and dollar off coupons but you need to still be a smart shopper and compare prices, deals, and coupons across sites.

The Crazy for Bargains site is easy to navigate and includes helpful features like customer testimonials, pajama buying guides, size charts, a sleepwear blog, bulk ordering, and easy returns.  With cooler weather just around the corner, everyone is thinking about warm and comfy pajamas and slippers.  It’s also a great idea to ensure your children have nice PJ’s for sleepovers and slumber parties.  With everyone getting ready for back to school, now is the perfect time to prepare for all of the invitations they will receive!

Right now at Sunshine Rewards you can earn 6% cash back on your Crazy for Bargains purchase.  We are also offering an exclusive coupon for Free Shipping when you place an order of $40.00 or more using Coupon Code: FSHIP. 

If that wasn’t enough, Crazy for Bargains is also giving away 14 pairs of their plush, cute, and comfortable ladies slippers.  To enter, visit Crazy for Bargains and find your favorite pair of pajamas.  Then, head on over to the Sunshine Rewards Forum.  Simply post in the Crazy for Bargains contest thread your favorite PJ’s and tell us why you like them.  We will give away TWO pairs of slippers each day through August 31, 2009!  You can enter each day, but you can only win once!  No purchase necessary.  Although, I’m sure once you see the styles and selection available at Crazy for Bargains, you won’t want to miss out on a great deal that includes, 6% cash back and free shipping!

The Sound Inserts sell for less than $10 each and come in many different songs, including “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Call to the Post,” “Battlehymn of the Republic,” and more. You simply take the two parts and slip them into your checkbook cover. When you open up your checkbook, the music play. When you close the cover, it turns off.

These would make a really cute gift for the person in your life who loves a little “pick me up” or different products than what everyone else has. You can also see some of the licensed Checks Unlimited checkbook covers in the video, such as Tweety Bird and Disney’s Cinderella.

For a limited time, you can get free shipping when you use our exclusive Checks Unlimited coupon code “SUN1.” And don’t forget about our awesome cash back rate! Watch the video below to see the Sound Inserts in action.

(many thanks to Todd Farmer for his video services on this one!)

Although it seems like summer just began, it’s actually time to start getting ready to head back to school. Whether you have preschoolers, high schoolers, college students, or non-traditional students in your life, getting ready for school to start means buying school supplies of different kinds. Our three merchant reviews today run the gamut of everything from clothes to electronics to sandwich makers.

Show Notes:

• Angie reviewed her favorite shoe site, Shoebuy.com. Shoebuy is a wonderful merchant both from a customer perspective as well as an affiliate perspective. Free shipping, free returns and great deals. (Earn 9% back on purchases plus use our Shoebuy coupons)
• Cindy talked about Kmart (while reminiscing with Tricia about Icees and pretzels with cheese). Did you know that they sell many name brands as well as French Toast school uniforms. And you can now combine your Kmart and Sears purchases into one shopping cart. (Earn 2% back on purchases plus check out all of our Kmart coupons)
• Tricia extolled the virtues of Children’s Place, including how she mixes and matches her kids’ clothes throughout the year. (Earn 3% back on purchases plus use our Children’s Place coupons)
• Announced the winner of our Sunshine Rewards luggage tags.

Although this podcast was about “Back to School,” don’t let it stop you from listening if you don’t have kids. We tried hard to provide a little something for everyone in this one. Next podcast? Mystery merchants!

With summer coming one of our favorite drinks is ice tea. It’s not only refreshing but provides excellent health benefits, too. However, making the tea can sometimes be a hassle and finding the perfect quality blend of tea can be difficult.

We’ve taken the search out for you. At Teavana, you can be assured that you are buying the highest quality tea for the best price. The variety of teas and tea makers are endless. You can choose from Black Teas, Oolongs, Whites, Herbals and many more. Many of these teas not only have great taste but also provide for extra health benefits, like the White Teas which include antioxidants or Black Teas which help lower cholesterol.

The tea makers are designed for both hot or cold tea and come in a variety of sizes. If you want to make that perfect cup of tea, a Teavana tea maker can do that for you.

It doesn’t stop there. From now through June 15^th, sign up to be on Tevana’s mailing list and then visit us in the forum and enter your name in our contest to be eligible to win the Perfect Tea Maker gift set. For every additional 25 entries over 50, there will be an additional chance to win a Perfect Tea Maker.Plus, right now, you can get free shipping on your Teavana order, no minimum purchase amount, and increased cash back from Sunshine Rewards.

This deal is even sweeter than all the Rock Sugar and Honey you will find on Teavana. We’ve never been as excited about a Tea Merchant as we have about Teavana.

Watch this video to see just how easy to use the Perfect Tea Maker is.

With summer weddings and anniversaries on the horizon, we took an opportunity to talk about wedding gift ideas. With about 55 years of marriage total between the three of us, we had a lot to talk about! Even if you don’t have any weddings on the horizon, you don’t want to miss this review of three great merchants.

Show Notes:

• History and tradition of June weddings (ladies…are you ready to help with the harvest?).
• Main types of wedding gifts: cash, registry, non-registry.
• Cindy walks us through the Personal Creations website and the types of personalized gifts to give for weddings, anniversaries, and wedding attendant gifts. Personal Creations offers a lot of coupons throughout the year. (Sunshine Rewards offers 5% cash back)
• Tricia discusses MyWinesDirect and the different between it and other online wine sites. Quality wines at lower prices but they may not be brands that you necessarily know. (Sunshine Rewards offers 8% cash back)
• Angie talks about Kohls and the Kohls wedding registry program. Great for household gifts and decor. (Sunshine Rewards offers 3% cash back)

Check out our entire Wedding and Anniversary Gift section. Next podcast, Father’s Day ideas!

Mother’s Day is May 10, which means that there is no time like the present to get Mother’s Day gifts ordered. It’s not too late to order even personalized gifts. But if you don’t want to pay a fortune for shipping, you should get your orders made quickly. The three moms at Sunshine Rewards are Mother’s Day gift experts! At least we think we are, given all of the Mother’s Day gifts that we have both sent and received over the past years.

Show Notes:

• Favorite Mother’s Day gifts from the past? Cindy can’t remember most of them. (What does that say about the gifts?) Angie likes gifts with a personal touch.
• Some moms love flowers but others think they are kind of a waste (send Tricia flowers!!).
• What should you do with Mom on Mother’s Day? Whatever Mom wants! (Even if it doesn’t include you.)
• Cindy reviewed her favorite online jewelry store, My Jewelry Box. High points are their quality, selection, and good prices.
• MJB often runs coupons and free shipping specials and includes a gift box with every purchase. Right now you can get a free pearl necklace with $50 purchases. (Current SR MyJewelryBox coupon: MyJewelryBox.com free shipping and 15% off My Jewelry Box Use code SW045115PA)
• Tricia gushes profusely about Sephora and considers herself a Sephora junkie. Great gift ideas for mom? Philosophy gift packs with a variety of scented shampoo, gel, and bubble bath choices.
• Sephora ships all purchases with a gift bag as well as free samples. Be sure to look for gift with purchase coupons and free shipping. (Current SR Sephora coupon: Free shipping over $50)
• Angie led a discussion about Canvas on Demand. Have your family pictures (or animal pictures if you are Cindy) made into beautiful canvases.
• Operation: Hi Mom is a chance for 500 military men and women to have a free canvas sent to their moms this Mother’s Day. It’s terrific to see a company supporting the military like that.
• Canvas on Demand gifts are personal and affordable and actually ships very quickly (less than a week).

This was our longest podcast yet and full of lots of great gift ideas. Let us know what kinds of merchants you want reviewed next.

And be sure to check out our entire Mother’s Day Shopping Category.

This Mother’s Day, why not surprise Mom with a gift from My Jewelry Box? When you use the My Jewelry Box coupons, free shipping, and cash back at Sunshine Rewards, you will be saving money while getting Mom a gift that she will always cherish. Plus, for a limited time you will receive a free 18″ pearl necklace with every purchase over $50.

Check out the Black and White Diamond Heart Pendant featured in my video below. Regularly $300, it is now only $129 before your Sunshine Rewards 15% coupon. You’ll get free FedEx shipping plus your Sunshine Rewards cash back.

Visit MyJewelryBox.com today to find terrific specials on Mother’s Day jewelry.

We’re always looking for videos to add to our Sunshine Rewards Videoblog that demonstrate to you how to use products available through our merchants. I just came across a video from Smashbox and Beauty.com that I love! It shows how to use three colors of eyeshadow, a little eyeliner, and mascara to create a natural, everyday look. The products used in the video are:

Eye Shadow in Vanilla
Eye Shadow in Champagne
Eye Shadow in Nude
Jet Set Dark Brown Eyeliner
Bioic Mascara

What I love about this look is that it doesn’t look too “made up.” You could go with a gloss lipstick during the day or add a darker color for night.

Be sure to look for Beauty.com coupons and discounts because they are great about running gifts with purchase as well as free shipping opportunities.

Visit our new free shipping page for a list of all of the free shipping offers that we currently have. The list is updated daily, so you will want to check back frequently. If you want your gifts to arrive by Christmas, you will want to try to order by December 16th or 17th for most merchants. By December 18th, your choices will be more limited, and by December 22nd, you will probably need to pay for expedited shipping or order gift certificates that can be sent by email.