Free sample of Ball Real Fruit canning pectin.

If you're an aspiring pioneer, you won't want to miss this canning freebie. Sign up for a free sample of Ball RealFruit Classic Pectin. And check out the rest of the site while you're at it; they have a lot of good canning info and recipes, like this ginger-pear freezer jam or mango chili freezer jam. I want to try them all!

Borders closing sale: everything now 20-40% off.

If you've been waiting for Round 2 of the Borders closing sale markdowns, like me, then check this out: the entire store is now 20-40% off. Highlights:

• 20% off cookbooks, e-readers, travel, and fitness books
• 30% off bestsellers, romance, business, calendars, and music
• 40% off Blu-Ray, video games, greeting cards, and newsstand magazines

Remember, as the discounts get better, the selection gets worse, so if there's something in particular you have your eye on, don't wait too long. And if you have Borders Bucks or gift cards to spend, for goodness' sake GET IN THERE AND USE THEM NOW! They're only valid through July 31 and that's coming up soon.

Check out Frugal Living NW for your couponing pleasure.

I just read about a fellow freebie blog based in the Pacific Northwest, called Frugal Living NW. It's more coupon-based than straight-up freebies, which I personally am too lazy for, but if you like the thrill of matching discounts to coupons to make items free, this is a good resource for that.

They also list highlights of local grocery stores' weekly sales, which is a helpful feature if you as as lazy as I am.

Pier 1: $10 off any purchase of $10 or more.

Pier 1 has a pretty good online coupon: $10 off a purchase of $10 or more. Looks like there's no minimum purchase, so you could theoretically get $10.01 worth of stuff and get out of there for a penny. It's up to you whether you want to be charitable and throw them a bone by buying a few extra bucks' worth of stuff.

Restaurant.com certificates 80% off.

Restaurant.com is having one of their 80% off sales, meaning you can buy a $25-off certificate for about $2, and a $10-off certificate for less than $1.

Use coupon code SAVE to get the discount, and as long as you follow the fine print and tip based on your pre-discount total, they should be as excited about your deal as you are!

Update: Details on the Borders closing sale.

I just went and checked out the Borders closing sale, and while I wasn't blown away, there are some deals to be had. Here are the discounts as far as I could tell - it's 10% off storewide and then some categories have additional markdowns.

• 20% off humor
• 20% off travel books
• 20% off DVDs
• 40% off Blu-Rays
• 40% off single-copy magazines
• 50% off in the clearance area - check for red tags!

Borders farewell sale.

Here's the big news we've known was coming... Borders is officially closing its doors and there will be liquidation sales for all, starting tomorrow, July 22. 

If you have Borders Bucks store credit or gift cards, use 'em while you can! You have until July 31 to use your Borders Bucks, and I wouldn't wait around if you still have gift cards to use. We should be seeing some pretty good deals, right down to the fixtures and furnishings, so get ready to pick over the corpse of one of the biggest national bookstore chains.  :P

See's Candies: Free lollypops for National Lollipop Day.

Celebrate National Lollypop Day with See’s Candies! Stop by a See's shop today, Wednesday, July 20, for a FREE lollypop!

Find your closest See's shop here: http://bit.ly/SeesShops (If you're in Seattle, I just happen to know that there is one downtown, across from Westlake Center.)

BOGO Pinkberry.

Feeling like some refreshing, chilly fro-yo? Grab a friend and head to Pinkberry, where you can BOGO your yo'! Get one free small Pinkberry, in any available flavor and topping, when you buy another of equal or greater value.

(This offer is limited to: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. Booo.)

Amazon: $5 magazine sale.

Ready for some beach reading? Through July 26, snag a one-year magazine subscription for just $5 at Amazon! The $5 titles include:

• Woman's Day
• Elle 
• Marie Claire 
• Harper's Bazaar

And a whole slew more for $7, $10, and $13. Check out the sale and stock up!

Borders: 30% off coupon.

Yep, you guessed it, another 30% off Borders coupon. I won't be using this one, though, as I have my hands full at the moment; I'm reading this and this is waiting for me at the library!

What's on your summer reading list?

Target: Free Huggies Snug & Dry diaper sample.

While I doubt I'll be signing up this free sample myself anytime soon, if you know anyone with a baby, chances are they could use a free Huggies diaper. (Bonus: these are usually conveniently packaged in a small box, so it would be easy to tuck into a bag for emergencies!) Get your free sample today.

Amazon: Free summer music playlists.

Finally, something besides Borders coupons, amirite? Since it looks like we might have a summeresque day (after a disappointing weekend of rain), here are some totally free summer music playlists from Amazon for your downloading pleasure:

• 23 This Year: The Sub Pop Amazon Sampler
• Merge Records 2011 Sampler
• Dangerbird Records 2011 Sampler
• Vagrant Summer Sampler 2011

You can use your Borders coupon for one of those tote bags with the built-in iPod plug-in and speakers if you really want to be summer-ready, though.

Coupons galore at Borders.

In case you need a little reading material to pass the time while you're standing in line for the last Harry Potter movie, Borders has a crop of new coupons out today:

• 30% off one item
• 30% off all fantasy, sci-fi, and horror books
• 40% off single-disc DVDs 
• 40% off Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pt. 1 on DVD or Blu-ray 

 Got weekend plans yet? I think you're looking at 'em...

Free samples of Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel-Cream and 'poo.

Walmart has a couple of Garnier samples out right now, which kind of sound familiar, so maybe I've posted them already? Stop me if you've heard this one before.

• Free sample of Garnier Moisture Rescue gel-cream (scroll down and click the pink button on the left side)
• Free sample of Garnier Fructis Anti-dandruff Shampoo

Borders: 20% off entire purchase, 30% off sci-fi.

Borders has a couple of new coupons out this week: one for 20% off your entire purchase and one for 30% off sci-fi. Since a certain long-awaited SF book is finally coming out this week, that's very convenient indeed.

To the bookstores, geeks! (Assuming you didn't pre-order weeks ago, that is.)

Free Slurpees at 7-11 today!

Today is 7-11, and you know what that means: free Slurpees at 7-11! Well, participating stores, anyway. If I'm reading correctly, it might be just the 11-oz size that's free, but hey, a wee free Slurpee is better than none at all, right?

Happy 7-11 Day!

Borders: 40% off coupon.

Yep, the 40% coupon is back! I don't really need anything this time, but I feel I should use it anyway, just to show my appreciation and keep the coupons coming. Anyone have any suggestions for a nice trashy beach read? True-crime or ghastly memoir, maybe?

Entertainment.com books now $9!

Wow, the prices just keep getting better and better. You can now get a 2011 Entertainment Book for just $8.99! Shipping is free, but a little slow, so order soon if you want to get the most use out of your books; the coupons inside are good through November.

These things are so cheap now that it will pay for itself the first time you use a coupon, and then it will be months of savings ahead! I'm excited to use the BOGO zoo and aquarium coupons in there, and maybe a museum or two. What summer stuff would you like to save on?

Borders: 30% off coupon.

Well, the holiday weekend may be over and it's back to work for most of us, but there are a couple of things to be happy about: 1) it's a short week and 2) there's a 30% coupon from Borders. Hooray!

Free Lactaid half-and-half creamer.

If you're curious about exploring different dairy lifestyle choices, you may be interested in this freebie: a coupon for a free Lactaid half-and-half carton. Just fill out the form and you'll get a printable coupon for your beverage-enhancing enjoyment.

Borders: 30% off coupon.

Borders has a 30% off coupon good this holiday weekend. If you're traveling for the holiday, now might be a good time to stock up on some vacation reading... or an audiobook or DVD to keep unruly passengers quiet on those gridlocked highways.

HAVE FUN YOU GUYS! #notgoinganywhere

Entertainment.com books now $10.

Entertainment Books are a good deal any time of the year, but especially now, when summer's in full swing, there are months of good weather ahead for outdoor activities, and the coupons are good through November. All books are now just $9.99 on sale.

Inside you'll find tons of BOGOs to restaurants, cafes, zoos, museums, plays, ballets, local sightseeing attractions, and other activities. Plus they have additional printable discounts online, and now I guess even a mobile app so you can show your discounts (no worries if you forget the coupon at home!).

If you don't have a 2011 one yet, or if you're taking a summer trip somewhere else, these are definitely worth checking out. One BOGO dinner and the book pays for itself, and then the rest is savings gravy.