Publix Week at Examiner - Articles about Publix all week!

As I've mentioned before, I'm the Atlanta Budget Grocery Examiner at Examiner.com. I cover both local and national deals and offer tips and tricks for using coupons. I wanted to let you know that this week I'm going to be covering a bunch of deals at Publix!

Check out what this week's Publix penny item is (good on August 3, 2009)
Learn about a new coupon booklet available at Publix (full of manufacturer coupons that you can use at stores like Kroger and CVS!)

Later this week I'll be covering a new contest that Publix is featuring.

In addition, I'm working on a series called "Coupons 101" that features basic information that can help you use coupons all across the country. Here are some of the articles in the series:

How to read coupon lingo
How to use coupons to save money on produce - fresh, frozen, and canned
How to use printable Internet coupons to save money

Writing for Examiner.com is a lot of fun, and I've made some money writing my articles too. If you're interested in learning more about becoming an Examiner in your area of expertise and getting paid to write about what you love, please let me know.

And if you sign up at Examiner.com, please use me (Marla Blair, the Atlanta Budget Grocery Examiner) as your referrer. I'd greatly appreciate it! Click here to view a video that shows you how.

How to Go to the Mall, Spend Nothing, and Have Fun!

On occasion I take my daughter (who is two) to the mall so we can walk around in the air conditioning. It's, you know, something to do. (She is usually in my Ergo baby carrier.) But I don't really want to spend money at the mall - I much prefer thrift stores or discount stores, with the occasional treat.

But hey, this is how to have fun at the mall without spending a dime!

- Sign up for the Godiva Rewards club at one of the Godiva stores and get a free chocolate truffle (you can get one free chocolate a month - and you'll get one immediately when you sign up).
- Swing by Teavana and sip on their tea samples. Yummy!
- Check out the food court for free snacks. I'm a vegetarian, so I pass by the free chicken samples, but they are ALWAYS being handed out. Pretzel stands often have free pretzels, cookie stands sometimes have free cookies.
- Go into Lush or the Body Shop and try out the lotions. Sometimes stores like those will be giving out free hand massages too. And SOMETIMES there are free samples to take home and try, though not always.
- Stroll through Yankee Candle and smell all the candles, one by one.
- Stop in at Coach and pick up your free Coach Poppy pencil pack! (You have to sign up and print out the form first.)

OK so this is all rather silly, but it can make for a fun excursion for you (and your kid) and leave you feeling satisfied (vs. feeling satisfied by buying a special treat or a new pair of shoes or something you don't really need).