Announcing our next giveaway... $25 Gift Card to BJ's!!

I have never belonged to a big wholesale club but have always wondered if paying the membership fees were worth it.  Recently I was able to see for myself what they have to offer:  BJ’s Wholesale Club and General Mills provided me with a free trial membership, gift card, coupons and information through MyBlogSpark.  What an awesome opportunity! 

On my first visit to BJ's, I was overwhelmed at everything they have to offer - you would never need to shop at another store again!  I was nervous that big warehouse clubs don't offer the same type of sales that regular stores do and that I wouldn't be able to use coupons at them - boy was I wrong about both!  They run some GREAT sales and you can use up to TWO coupons per item:  a BJ's coupon PLUS a manufacturer's coupon (unfortunately they do not double or triple, but still, there are savings to be had!)

On our first trip, I was on a mission.  I had my $25 giftcard (thanks to BJ’s Wholesale Club, General Mills, and MyBlogSpark) along with some Christmas money from my parents.  My mission?  A 32 inch HDTV for our bedroom (ours has seen it's better days, but you all know me - I will wait and suffer until the right deal comes along!  And thankfully it finally did!)  ThriftyGuy and I found some great deals there but were in absolute awe over the deal we ended up getting.  They had a Sony Bravia 32 inch HDTV on sale for $379!!!  That, paired with the $25 gift card, made it a deal we couldn't refuse!  **I would like to add that this same exact TV is on sale right now at Target for $449.  So I would say that we got one heck of a deal!

Our next trip was more food related.  We are pretty well stocked, but wanted to see what we could get for our money.  BJ's has multiple sheets of coupons located by their customer service desk, along with the stack they had sent me in the mail.  And of course we lugged our huge coupon book with us (which really tickled the guy standing at the front of the store - he couldn't believe how huge and organized it was and kept wanting to look at it, lol.)  We found so many good deals that day, including the following:

• Banana's:  3lbs for $1.93!
• Solo cups:  136 for $1.99 (after BJ's and manufacturer coupon)!
• Pistachio's (already shelled):  1 lb for $5.99 (after coupons)
• Downy Fabric Softener:  Two bottles of 174 loads each for a total $17.98 
• Meat:  They were having numerous sales on their meat!
• And finally:  Lobser Bisque.  I must mention this because ThriftyGuy and I appreciate a good, fresh lobster bisque and they offer it! : )

**Important Note: I know the Downy Fabric Softener price sounds expensive, but consider this. Harris Teeter currently has bottles of (40 load) Downy on sale for $5.49. BJ's price was $11.99 for 174 loads (normal every day price; they are also currently offering a $6 off 2 bottles of Downy coupon in store).  If you do the math, the Harris Teeter deal comes out to $0.14/load. The BJ's deal is actually cheaper, coming in at $0.05/load! Doesn't sound like much, but it adds up!!  If you really are looking to compare them at their regular prices, the normal Harris Teeter price ($5.99/40 loads) comes out to $0.15/load.  One bottle (174 loads) of BJ's Downy (priced at $11.99) is still only $0.07/load - and that's an EVERY DAY price!

There were so many other good deals:  soap, shampoo, face wash, razors.  All products were already at a good price, but when paired with 2 coupons were great deals!  Also if you go, be sure to check out some of the new items from General Mills:

• Nature Valley Nut Clusters – 100% Natural, bite-sized clusters with granola, nuts and a touch of honey – and a resealable package which makes it great for sharing
• Progresso High-Fiber Soups – This 6-pack of soup is a great way to get your fiber with the great taste you know and love from Progresso
• Green Giant Complete Skillet Meal – A convenient and great tasting solution for a quick and delicious dinner for the family
• Pillsbury “Big Deluxe” Chocolate Chip Tub – Perfect for entertaining or as an everyday treat

I do want to note that BJ's is currently offering a FREE 2 month trial membership (you must activate it by 12/31).  Click here to print the coupon for yours.  I am very happy to say that unlike other clubs, you do NOT have to pay a penalty fee (like an extra 10%) if you are not a member when you checkout.  The trial membership acts as an actual membership for those 2 months - so you can enjoy all the amenities that a regular member does!

If you decide that you want to continue to save money on great products for longer than the trial period, ask an associate at the club about how to take advantage of the special new-member offer for $45, which includes a $10 coupon and an extra two months of membership (for a total of 14 months!). If you sign up for the offer, you also will receive:

• A Member Savings Book with more than $1,000 in coupons and instant rebates
• “Sign up and Save” coupons worth $117 in savings
• 2 cards (one for you and someone else in your household)
• A no risk 100% money back guarantee on the fee if you are not satisfied

*Note:  New Member offer can vary by Club.

Want to see where there's a BJ's closest to you?  Click here to locate your nearest club.

Want to win a $25 gift card to BJ's courtesy of BJ’s Wholesale Club, General Mills, and MyBlogSpark?
Here's how to enter to win:

Giveaway Details: We will be giving away one $25 BJ's Gift Card to a verified email subscriber via random number generator. Contest starts as this is posted and ends Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 10:00AM EST (you must be a verified email subscriber by that time to be entered to win). One entry per email subscriber for the “First Entry” Form. The number of additional entries you are eligible for depends on how many of the “Additional Entries” items you complete. (See full list below). Entering falsified information/fake additional entries will immediately null and void all of your entries and remove you from the contest. The email address you sign up with on the entry form must be the same as the email address used to subscribe to ThriftyGrl with. The winner of the giveaway will be notified immediately following the close of the contest. The winner will need to respond by Friday, January 1, 2010 at 2:00PM EST, or they will forfeit their prize and another winner will be drawn. Sorry, but this giveaway is for U.S. residents only.

How to become an email subscriber:
In the upper right hand corner under the title "Subscribe", enter your email address. You will receive a confirmation email and it is VERY important that you click the link in the email to confirm your subscription (otherwise you are not actually signed up and therefore not eligible for the contest). If you have additional questions about being a verified subscriber, click HERE to read a previous post about it.

**You must be a verified email subscriber to enter this giveaway.

First Entry:


Additional Entries:
 For additional entries:
     1. Visit ThriftyGrl's Twitter page here and become a fan!
     2. ReTweet ThriftyGrl's giveaway on Twitter!
             Example: RT @ThriftyGrlJ $25 BJ's Gift Card Giveaway from ThriftyGrl! Enter 2 win by 12/31. http://tinyurl.com/y8wctz6
     3. Visit ThriftyGrl's Facebook page here and become a fan!
     4. Place a message about the giveaway on your Facebook wall.
          Example: $25 BJ's Gift Card Giveaway from ThriftyGrl! Enter to win by 12/31. http://tinyurl.com/y8wctz6
     5. Blog about the giveaway and leave me a link to it.
     6. Add ThriftyGrl to your blogroll.

**Thanks again to BJ’s Wholesale Club and General Mills who provided me with a free trial membership, gift card, coupons and information through MyBlogSpark.  Also a big thanks to MyBlogSpark for allowing us to hold this giveaway!
Good luck readers - this is a great prize to win!!  : )