Save on Trees, Save the Planet.

April is the perfect time to plant a tree, and save the planet.

Bowie (where TwinPanic HQ is located) is again running it's tree rebate program. $50 or $100 back (depending on tree cost). Simply buy a tree at *Patuxent Nursery* (only). They have rebate forms, which they will submit. Once you have planted the tree, simply send a photo of the planted tree to get your rebate (You'll receive email instructions on where to send it.)

Bowie, MD - Official Website - Tree Rebates

		Bowie, MD - Official Website - Tree Rebates tree, planting, rebate, $100, $50, tree rebate, Patuxent Nursery, tree canopy
		View on www.cityofbowie.org	Preview by Yahoo

Also, the State of Maryland is offering a $25 coupon (payable to the participating nursery), off the cost of a tree of at least $50. Coupons at the Nursery.

Print Your Coupon

				Print Your Coupon Print Your Coupon This coupon is worth $25 off the purchase of one tree with a retail value of $50 or more at all participating retail nurseries and garden centers....
				View on trees.maryland.gov	Preview by Yahoo

Trees must be off the approved list (the Bowie list overlaps with the MD list, so choose one off the Bowie list). We chose a River Birch (betula nigra) this year and last. These are good for sun to part shade, and wet, loamy soil. There are several great trees for shade and small animal foods. Small trees such as Dogwoods are included.

If you live in unincorporated PG County, you can receive up to a $150 rebate on the purchase of approved trees. Montgomery County and other Maryland counties also have plant-a-tree rebates. You can stack the Maryland State coupon on top of these rebates for a deep discount!

Check with your local township or county to see if they have a storm-water runoff management program that includes tree-planting rebates. In Bowie, for a $145, 15-gallon tree, we paid less than $20! For a $75 smaller tree, you could get it FREE (you might have to pay sales tax.)

Cyber Monday Car Seat Deal

Looking for a Britax car seat? We decided on the highly rated Britax Pinnacle 90, which is a 5-point harness to 90 pounds, and very highly rated. Pricey, and out-of-stock in many sites (including Target).

The next-best price is at BambiBaby.com, which also has a 5% off Cyber Monday coupon good today only! The Codes are listed here.

Happy Hunting!

Best Deal for Furloughed workers: Free Class

The VisArts center in Rockville, MD is offering one free class to anyone who has been furloughed. According to their email:

To use the coupon, register and on the payment page select VisArts coupon and then use the word Furlough in the second coupon box. Please be a furloughed employee to use this code. Spaces are limited and this is first-come, first serve. Please limit yourself to one free class.

Choices include Drawing and Painting, Jewelry Making, and sculpture. My personal fave:
Painting on Wine Glasses, which will help furloughed employees pursue that other popular activity, heavy drinking.

To explore similar mixed media and shorten the distance from art to wine, try Cocktails and Canvas.

Best deal this Weekend: Free Paint! August 10 only.

Boutique hardware store Ace Hardware is offering a free quart of paint to anyone who comes in tomorrow, August 10, 2013. This is a great opportunity for art teachers or crafters to nab free supplies, or get that touch-up quart you've been meaning to get.

Perfect for an accent color to highlight that nursery, too.

Simply print this coupon and fill it in, take it to your local Ace Hardware, and get your free quart. You must also sign up for Ace Hardware Rewards.  Tinting included.

This coupon also enters you for a chance to win a $1000 GC for Ace.

Limited to certain flat enamels, and they say that each Ace store will only have about 40 quarts, so get there early! One per household, so enlist your friends for a bigger project.

Cold Couponing

It's been a while since I have had time to coupon seriously. But the other day I had a great time "cold couponing" at CVS. I walked in with no coupons, and left with 40% off. Here's how.

First, I had a short list of needful items:
Mrs. Fields' Cookies: 2/$5 ($3 savings)
Cascade: $7
Diaper Pail Refill $11.50 (yikes, twice the price of WalMart, but I'm desperate)

I always check the diapers for deals, and see an XL bag of diapers for $20, PLUS an offer for Buy one Huggies diaper and one Huggies wipes, get $5 back in Extra Bucks (EB). Normally I don't use those wipes, but they were on sale too, for $6 for the "Naturals" travel packs (4 pack), so were almost free with the rebate.

Scanning my CVS card produced a long set of coupons, including $3 off $15 or more, and $2 EB.

So I split the order in two, and used the coupons on the first order:
First order:
Diapers $20 ($5.50 off)
Wipes $6 ($2.50 off)
 -$2 CVS EB coupon
-$3 CVS Coupon
Total cost with tax: $22.25
Total Saved: $13.00

This kicked out two MORE coupons: the  $5 EB I was expecting, and ANOTHER $4 off $15 or more purchase which I knew I had!

Second order:
Cookies: 2/$5
Cascade $7
Diaper Refill $11.49
-  $4 CVS Coupon
- $5 CVS EB coupon
Total Cost with tax $15.36
Total Saved: $11.98

Total Cost without discounts, coupons, or tax would have been $60.44.

My cost, just working the sales and CVS coupon kiosk: $35.46

By picking up sales items, keeping my eyes out for specials among my regular purchases, using kiosk coupons, and splitting the order, I saved $25 total. Or 41% or so off MSRP. Cold.

TAX FREE!

Well, it's nearly President's Day, and it's that time again in Maryland. TAX FREE WEEKEND!
From the Comptroller:

"... there will be a tax-free three-day weekend during which the sales and use tax will not apply to the sale of any Energy Star Product listed below, or solar water heater. This tax-free weekend will occur the weekend of February 16, 2013, through February 18, 2013.
Energy Star Product means an air conditioner, clothes washer or dryer, furnace, heat pump, standard size refrigerator, compact fluorescent light bulb, dehumidifier, or programmable thermostat that has been designated as meeting or exceeding the applicable Energy Star Efficiency requirements developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy."

You'll save 6% in addition to all the President's Day sales! So get out there and shop February 16th, 17th, and 18th.

Playing "Storage Wars" on Ebay

When you're married and childless, as we were for 8 years, you have lots of time for hobbies. Photography. Sewing. Collecting costume jewelry. Travel. Reading. But when you suddenly have twins, not only is time at a premium, so is space.

So I've been watching a lot of Storage Wars and Storage Hunters, and it's as inspiring to me at this phase of my life as Home and Garden TV shows were to renovating our old home. The shows are funny, and inspire me to root through the leftover moving boxes for unused items to sell on eBay. It's kind of fun, and watching the show gives me the distance I need to just declutter.

Now that I'm through the first season of Storage Wars on Netflix, I'm wondering where my inspiration to continue will come from. Perhaps the twins, who just woke up, will have an idea or two.

Check out my items on eBay.