Free Bowling Game – August 7th

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Did you know today starts National Bowling Week? In celebration, Go Bowling.com is offering a FREE game of bowling on August 7th.  They are hoping to make a new world record for number of people bowling on the same day.  All you need to do is head over to GoBowling.com & print off your coupon.  You can print the coupon as many times as you’d like for each person in your family to use at a participating bowling alley. One coupon & game per person (this does not include shoes).

I just looked up the locations & found that my nearest bowling alley is participating & there were 4 bowling alleys within 50 miles participating.

Thanks Thrifty & Thriving!

Seattle’s Smith Tower Observation Deck Tickets – $7 for 2 Tickets

Today’s Groupon Deal of the Day for the Seattle area is 2 tickets to the Smith Tower Observation Deck for just $7 – these are regularly $15, so this is a savings of over 50%.  Children under 5 & under get in free.  This is a great deal for not only those local to the Seattle area, but also those of you planning to travel to Seattle in the next year (you have a year to use the tickets) & want to take in this great sightseeing opportunity at a reduced cost.  I have never been up to the Smith Tower Observation Deck, so I definitely think we’re going to buy this deal.

If you  haven’t signed up for Groupon yet, you’ll definitely want to sign up for your city so you can be the first to hear about the daily deals for your area!

Great Wolf Lodge Howl-O-Ween Event – Special Discount for Northwest Readers

I am so excited to tell you about  this event that has been in the planning stages for several months! Several Northwest Deal Bloggers have teamed up with Great Wolf Lodge for a special Howl-o-Ween event at the Grand Mound, Washington Great Wolf Lodge location.  This event will take place on the weekend of October 15 – 17th & Thrifty NW Mom readers can book a family suite on Friday October 15th and/or Saturday October 16th for just $169 a night when you use the group code: 1010FAMBLOG.  The regular rate for a family suite on that weekend is $239 a night, so this is a significant savings.  This rate for the family suite (family of 4) also includes waterpark passes, so it will be a weekend full of fun at this huge indoor waterpark.

In order to receive this special rate for the family suite, you will need to book before September 14th, 2010.  However, I would suggest booking as early as you can, since I know this will be a very popular event & there will be limited space!  Update: A family suite actually sleeps 6 (2 queen size beds & a pullout couch); however, it includes 4 waterpark passes. Children 2 & under are free. If you want the family suite, but need more waterpark passes, then you can contact Guest Reservations to pay the extra.  And if you need a larger room than a Family Suite, they do have a limited number of larger rooms available -you would just pay the difference in the discounted price.

My family is excited to go as this will be our first time at Great Wolf Lodge & as a bonus, it is a few days before both my husband and youngest daughter’s birthday (they share a birthday)! Great way to celebrate!  We would love for all of you to join us & the other Northwest deal bloggers that will be there as well!  I can’t wait to meet so many of you readers in person!

Great Wolf Lodge has some fun events planned for this weekend including:

• Trick or Treating Trail Costume Contest
• Nightly Howl-O-Ween Fun
• Games in Wiley’s Haunted Woods
• Pumpkin Patch
• Halloween Crafts

We also have several workshops planned for the adults, which will be facilitated by Northwest Deal bloggers – so stay tuned for more information.  So, not only will it be a fun weekend for the whole family, but  you’ll also get to talk coupons & deals with other thrifty-minded people!  And don’t forget those adorable costumes for your kids!

A big thank you to my friend Angela from Frugal Living NW who has worked hard to put together this event for all of us!

Disclosure: I will be receiving a discounted rate for my participation in this event & for sharing this information with all of you.

New Feature – Upcoming Events Calendar

I’ve added a new, exciting feature to Thrifty NW Mom – an Upcoming Events calendar.  You’ll find this calendar feature on the right sidebar of the site – just scroll down a bit until you find it. I have it set up so that it shows a list of upcoming events in a list format – however, if you prefer to see the week or a month in advance – you can just click on the top tab “Week” or “Month” & it will show you that view, if that’s easier to read.

Here’s what the Upcoming Event Calendar will feature:

National Events:

-Entertainment & Dining Deals (e.g. AMC $1 soda/popcorn Sunday 7/25)

-Retail store sales, freebies, coupons (e.g. Free Estee Lauder samples this past Thurs evening, Walmart samples this weekend)

Northwest Events:

-Free or inexpensive local events – fairs, festivals, & more (e.g., Pike Place Market Fruit Festival – Sun 7/25)

-Special NW deals, freebies, coupons

Benefits to using the new calendar feature:

• Find new events added every day on the calendar- the calendar will be updated automatically as I add new events to the main calendar.
• Add the events you are interested in to your own calendar, if you use the Google Calendar system.  Your calendar can then be set up to send you alerts to remind you about coupon or freebie events, local events & more.

Since I’m located in western Washington, I’ve listed local events in this area that I’m aware of; however, I’d love to add more events for different areas such as eastern WA, Oregon & Idaho. Feel free at any time to leave a comment on the Thrifty NW Mom Facebook Fan page or email me thriftynwmom {at} hotmail {dot} com.  While I can’t include all the events, I will include it if it’s something that I think the majority of readers would be interested in.

Let me know what you think of this new feature & if you think there’s anything that needs to be changed or added to be the most beneficial for you.

Walmart FREE Sample Events – Now thru Sunday July 25

Walmart is having a number of sampling events, going on now thru Sunday July 25th, where you can get FREE samples of new products.  There are select stores that are offering these sampling events, so you’ll need to check your stores for each event to see if there is a participating store near you.

Here is a list of the sampling events at Walmart this weekend: {I’ve put an asterisk next to the events taking place in NW locations}

• Gain Dish Soap – Free 11 oz samples *(Available in NW, too)
• Kashi Cereal & Blueberry samples *
• Chelan Fresh Washington Cherries * (we know this is available in the NW)
• General Mills Bugles & Snack Bars *
• ACH Webber Tones & Kraft Toasted Chips*
• Wrigley Orbit Gum (not available in NW)

*Also make sure to check out the list of free sample events at Walmart next weekend from July 29 – August 1st.

$59 for Round-Trip Victoria Clipper Ticket from Seattle to Victoria

Groupon has an awesome deal for today only, Tuesday July 2oth, for Seattle.  They are offering a discount over 50% off from Victoria Clippers, with a round trip ferry ticket from Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia, priced at only $59 (regularly up to $125).  This deal is selling quickly with over 2,700 tickets already bought – so if you’re interested,  you’ll want to hurry & check it out!!

If you’re traveling with kids, children aged 12 & under would be half price – $29.50/ea.  You can find out answers to all of your questions from the  Victoria Clipper staff  on the Groupon site – just click on “Join the discussion” at the top right.

Victoria, B.C. is one of our absolute favorite places to travel & we have looked into the Victoria Clipper in the past.  So, I can tell you that this really is a great deal. We’ve never been on the Clipper before, but have talked with friends who said this is definitely the way to travel to Victoria.  You depart from Seattle & head straight to Victoria with no stops in the San Juans.

Have any of you ever taken a trip to Victoria using the Victoria Clipper? What did you think?

Groupon – 1/2 off discounts to Tacoma Children’s Museum

The deal of the day at Groupon for the Tacoma area features the Tacoma Children’s Museum. They are actually featuring two deals & they will be ending at 11:59pm pst tonight.  Just head to Groupon & select Tacoma as your city to see the daily deal available today.

Here are the details:

-$3 for one general admission (regularly $6) -50% off savings

-$15 for a 3 month family membership (regularly $30) – 50% off savings

If you live in Pierce County, the Pierce County library system also has a FREE family pass for 4 people available (check with your local Pierce County library) – but there is sometimes a wait as each library only has 1 or 2 family passes  available. So, this Groupon deal is a great deal if you plan to go more regularly & during the busy days.

Make sure to sign up for Groupon so you can find out about  their daily deal first – some of their deals are very popular & they may sell out quickly! You can also sign up for several cities  if you might be traveling soon to a  particular city & want to see what type of sightseeing or restaurant discounts you can find!

Free Northwest Events happening this weekend – July 17th & 18th

Looking for some fun ideas to do with your family this weekend – check out these fun, free events going on around the Northwest! These are mainly around Western Washington, but I’d love to include more events in OR & Central/Eastern WA, so if I’ve missed any events, feel free to leave a comment & I can add them to the list!

{Thanks to the awesome Facebook fans for mentioning several of these events for me to include! You, the readers, definitely know best about all the great events & happenings going on around the area, so keep on sharing!}

WESTERN WASHINGTON:

-Blizzard Fan Club Tour Stops – offering FREE mini blizzard treats to fans at these dates/locations:

• Sun July 18th at the Seattle Sounders Game –  10am -2pm
• Mon July 19th at Seattle Children’s Hospital – 12-2pm
• Mon July 19th at Dairy Queen in Lynnwood, WA (Hwy 99) – 4-5pm

-Bite of Seattle - July 16th – 18th at the Seattle Center; FREE admission; Fri & Sat – 11am – 9pm; Sun – 11am-8pm

-Air Expo at Joint Base McChord/Fort Lewis - July 17th & 18th; 8am – 5pm; FREE admission & parking; Patriots Jet team performing & other flying demonstrations; airplane displays & more

-Capitol Lakefair Festival - Olympia; Sat July 17th & Sun July 18th; Includes a Grand Parade on Saturday, carnival for the kids; arts & crafts, entertainment, food & much more

-Kla Ha Ya Festival – Snohomish; Fri July 16th – Sun July 18th; Fireworks – Fri evening; Parade & Street Fair, soap  box &  bed races, & much more.

-Mill Creek Festival & Street Fair – Sat July 17th & Sun July 18th;

-Lavender Festival - Sequim; Friday July 16th – Sunday July 18th; Street fair, entertainment, food, lavender farms on tour, & much more

-Chalk the Walk - Gig Harbor; Sat July 17th – 10am -5pm

-Mukilteo Waterfront Art Festival - Sunday July 17th; 11am – 7pm;

-Sandsation Sand Sculpture Contest & Festival - Long Beach; July 14th – 18th; Pet parade, free hot dogs on Saturday (Thanks Leila)

-Wing Luke Museum & Seattle Art Museum – FREE admission July 16th-18th  as part of Target’s Art & Wonder FREE Family events going on around the nation. Thanks Coupon Connections NW!

CENTRAL / EASTERN WA:

-Yakima Valley City-Fest - Yakima; Sat July 18th & Sun July 19th; Free concerts, action sport demos, Veggie Tales Family Fun zone & more

OREGON:

-Willamette Celebration - Albany;  Friday July 23rd – Sunday July 25th (yes, it’s next weekend, but you’ll want to put this on your calendar now); This is a totally FREE event & will feature many popular Christian artists including Newsboys, Superchick, Skillet, Jaci Velasquez, Phil Vassar & more! They will also feature action sports demos, Veggie Tales Family Fun zone & much more. Our old church, along with other local churches, are putting this event together along with a number of local businesses!

-Portland Children’s Museum – Free admission as part of Target’s Arts & Wonder FREE Family Events (these are happening all around the country) July 16th – 18th.

-Check out local events/festivals around the Willamette Valley- DaVinci Days & the Salem Art Fair & Festival are examples of events going on; however there is an admission cost.

What will you be doing this weekend – heading to any of these FREE festivals & events around the area?

Photo Credit

Wild Waves – 1/2 off admission for Sunday June 27th with donation

Wild Waves is offering half-price admission tomorrow, Sunday June 27th, when you bring a donation of any new kids clothing item to be donated to Sleep Country’s Foster Kids program. You will only be able to receive this discount at the ticket booth on Sunday June 27th & after you’ve made your donation.  Hours are 10am – 6pm.  Looks like a great day tomorrow, so might be a perfect day to go to the water park! Finally – summer has arrived in the NW!

If you can’t make it tomorrow, mark your  calendars for Sunday August 22nd,  which will be another half-priced admission day, with the donation of a new school supply item for the Sleep Country Foster Kids program.

You can find all the details of these discount days at Wild Waves HERE.

Organic Produce Deal- $35 for $80 worth of produce

Zulily is a popular online site which features many deals for babies, children, maternity & women.  They offer new deals every day, which typically run for several days (unless they sell out faster!).  This is an invitation only site, so you need to go thru this link HERE to register if you’re not already registered.

*Note: In order to take advantage of the local deal highlighted below – you’ll need to first sign up for Zulily & then come back to this post & click on the link below to take you to the local deal (it’s not on Zulily’s main website – you need to receive their email newsletter in order to hear about the local deals)

Local Seattle Deal:

Not only does Zulily offer special deals for babies, kids & women, they are also starting to provide local deals in select cities. Seattle is one of the select cities & today, they are offering an awesome deal for Organic Produce Delivery!  You can get $80 worth of produce & groceries  for just $35.   They deliver in select areas of King, Pierce, Snohomish, & Kitsap counties.  And if they don’t deliver to your exact area, there are numerous community pick-up sites available.  When I looked up my zip code, they didn’t deliver to my town, but there were quite a few pick-up sites just in the next town over.

This deal is thru Full Circle Farm & they specialize in over 200 varieties of certified organic fruits, vegetables & herbs.  They also offer other organic specialty grocery items as well that can be delivered.  Deliveries can be made weekly or every other week & you can choose from two subscription sizes – standard or family.  The standard size is a $35 value & it can accomodate 2 adults & a child.  The family size feeds a family of four with extra for guests (a $44 value).

If you sign up for this deal, it’s not a commitment to weekly delivery either – just a chance to try out their services at a fabulous price! What a great option to take advantage of local, organically grown fruit & vegetables for the summer! Find out all the details HERE.   This deal is available thru June 29th, although I doubt it would last that long – it will most likely sell out before then, so hurry if you’re interested!

Referral Program:

Make sure to invite your friends to join Zulily, too, as you will receive $10 to spend at Zulily for every friend that signs up & makes a purchase!

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