LuckyDiem Combines Thrill of Slot Machines With Instant Rewards

One of the many things I inherited from my Grandma Rose is my love to play slot machines. When she visited my aunt and uncle in California, they always went to Reno. It partly was the place where they went shopping since they lived in the mountains in a town with a population of 37 and because Reno is fun.   My Grandma Rose liked to play the nickel slots and if you knew her it was funny because she didn’t seem like a gambling woman.  I found a brand new website called LuckyDiem and they have a really cool new game where you can win dELiA*s gift cards. Who doesn’t love cute clothes?  I know I love to save money so LuckyDiem is a win- win for me.  Here are some more details on the promotion:

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LuckyDiem Combines Thrill of Slot Machines With Instant Rewards

Facebook Social Game partners with dELiA*s for launch 

New York, NY, October 17, 2012 -- Earlier this month, LuckyDiem launched its new Vegas-style game that combines the thrill of pulling the lever on a slot machine with the joy of saving money and getting a chance to win shopping sprees and other prizes. LuckyDiem’s launch partner is clothing retailer dELiA*s; other partners will follow in the coming weeks. Prizes include discounts, $1,500 worth of dELiA*s gift cards, and $200 worth of Amazon gift cards.

LuckyDiem.com serves up 10,000 points and 10 free spins to each new player, who can easily register by logging in through Facebook. With a click on the “Spin” button, players get to see what they’ve won. Basic prizes during the dELiA*s campaign include coupons that offer $5, $10, and $15 off purchases at delias.com.

 

Players can instantly increase their rewards by simply answering a single pop culture trivia question correctly.  Savings continue when players either signup or share their success on Facebook and Twitter, earning as much as 40% off their entire dELiA*s purchase.  However, when a player’s initial number of points for spins runs out, that’s when the rest of the game really starts to heat up. Players earn points through a variety of actions such as answering more trivia questions and sharing with friends. And players who share photos of their dELiA*s purchases on LuckyDiem’s Facebook page can collect 200,000 points.

Grand prizes during the dELiA*s campaign include $1,500 in gift certificates (one $1,000 gift certificate and ten $50 gift certificates), which are instantly won by users playing the game. In addition, $200 worth of Amazon gift cards will be given to the top players on the leader board at 7:00 PM Eastern time on Thursday, October 25.

Grand prizes planned for LuckyDiem campaigns with future partners include trips to the Super Bowl and backstage passes to concerts.

“LuckyDiem makes consumers feel like every day is their lucky day,” said LuckyDiem CEO Andrew Landis. “With 87% of 10 - 65 years-olds playing games online today, it’s imperative that advertisers integrate social gaming into their overall marketing strategy. Our turnkey platform is a launching-off point for brands to engage with consumers, but most importantly, LuckyDiem extends that initial engagement and sustains the emotional connection between the consumer and brand in a way that’s never been done before.”

“Instead of pushing the message out to the consumer, LuckyDiem’s users are happily engaging with brands through gameplay and rewards,”  Landis added. “We have several partners lined up to keep the excitement at a fever pitch year-round.”

About LuckyDiem:

LuckyDiem was founded with one goal in mind: to make earning rewards more fun. All consumers want to get discounts when they shop online, but most money-saving promotions involve filling out forms and waiting. Boring. LuckyDiem combines the visceral excitement of Vegas slot machines with the thrill of immediate savings and the enticement that big prizes could be just a click away. LuckyDiem launched in October 2012 with an initial campaign conducted with dELiA*s.

I hope you sign up for LuckyDiem and win big! Let me know if you are a lucky winner!

Campus Book Rentals Review

College is expensive, worthwhile but expensive. The tuition usually includes a dorm room and sometimes a meal plan depending on the school. One thing it doesn't include is books. Parents and students end up paying big bucks to get books that are required or suggested for different courses. Depending on the class sometimes they don't even use the textbook. I know that friends have paid a hundred dollars for one book. This book is only for one class so afterwards it becomes a doorstop or something that sits in a box or on a shelf for many years. I remember when I was in school, we had to pay a book rental fee for our books. We had to give them back but really? What would I do with a sixth grade science book? I am sure my son would like to look at it but other than that it is useless to me. I remember when the school would change books, they would let the students each choose an old textbook. I thought that was cool because I liked to play school. There is a website called Campus Book Rentals that allows college students to rent their books. I love this idea because not only is it so much cheaper and it reduces clutter but it is greener. Think about how many textbooks a publisher prints a year. If it is for a required class that all college kids take it could be hundreds of thousands. All of those trees for a few months of classes. How many people actually reopen their college textbooks and read them again a few years later? I am willing to bet not many. So why not save money and save the trees at the same time. Here are some perks of the program: -save 40-90% off of bookstore prices -free shipping both ways -can highlight in the textbooks -flexible renting periods -Campus Book Rentals donates to Operation Smile with each textbook rented Campus Book Rentals has pretty much everything. My uncle was a professor at Purdue and he also wrote a textbook. They have it too. Noah would like the textbooks about Marine Biology because he is going to be a Marine Biologist when he grows up. Congratulations to all the college students this year!

We are going to Disney World!

We are heading to Disney World in July. I am so excited to be able to take Noah for his first trip. I have very fond memories of going when I was little and I am happy to be able to share this wonderful opportunity with him. I am sure it is often a concern of parents about the cost of tickets to Disney World. If you have a big family it can be expensive. I sometimes find that planning a trip can be really stressful too. The smart thing to do would be to check out Disney World Packages for your trip. That way you save when it is all bundled up together. Usually there are great discounts if you just do a package deal. Not to mention you don’t have to worry about paying for everything separately. That is the easiest way to forget to but something. It would be awful to get to Orlando and realize you forgot to book a part of your trip. The deal seeker in me always wants to get a great deal and that includes tickets to Disney World. I think with a little investigating you can find some great savings on your trip to Disney World.

We are really looking forward to our trip and I have been telling Noah about all the characters we will see. I am not too sure how he will act around the characters so if it upsets him we will have to avoid them all together. I am hoping that will not be an issue because I used to love to meet the characters. I think it is an important part of the Disney World experience. It definitely brings it to life. I still enjoy looking at pictures of my sister and me with different characters. We have some great family pictures of us with Dopey, Princess Jasmine, and Winnie the Pooh. I will be sure to share the details and memories with you all after we take our trip.

Coupon Confessions

You all know how much I love coupons right? I have a confession; I used to clip coupons that weren’t worth clipping. I was on a coupon train for a while and I would clip every single coupon even for things that I would think others might need. Some of them were for unique items, that only a select few would use. I would also get really excited about triple coupons and dollar doubles it was like my Christmas seriously. I would clip coupons for things I would never get unless it was free, then I would try and donate them if I could. For a while I had a huge collection of deodorants, ketchups BBQ sauce etc. Whatever I could get for free was like a gift to me. My cabinets and drawers became over run with free things I got from those sales. My mom and I used to joke about how many armpits we would need to use all the deodorant we had in our annex. You need to know when a coupon might not be worth clipping.

I try and use coupons whenever I shop if it is possible. I usually look for printables online if it is for a specific store. I also try and find coupon codes if I am shopping online. There are tons of printable coupons and coupon codes out there if you know where to look. I really like shopping at The Children’s Place for clothes for Noah and I am always looking for Children’s Place coupons. I like to get more bang for my buck. It is like a hunt for me. Do you like to shop with coupons? What are some deals that you have gotten that stick out in your memory?

Last Minute Tax Tips from Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts Retail Coffee

Tax Day Survival Tips

With the tax-filing deadline approaching, don’t panic if you haven’t completed your return. Here are some Tax Day Survival tips to help you avoid stress and enjoy a “delicious” return.

1. Set aside some quality tax time. Brew a cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee at home, find the materials you need to prepare your taxes, and retire to a quiet spot to get started. You can complete your return manually on paper, with Free File, or commercial software. If you use a tax professional, make sure to gather all your materials before sitting down with him or her.


2. Consider an extension. If, for any reason, you can’t file your income tax return on time, simply request a filing extension by April 15th. This gives you six more months to complete your return and avoid late filing penalties. Use Form 4868, which you can get at IRS.gov. But you still must pay now what tax you’ll owe to avoid late payment penalties.

3. Check out new tax breaks for certain 2009 purchases. If you bought a home, you may qualify for a tax credit. If you bought a new car, you may be able to deduct the sales tax. Find details about these new breaks at IRS.gov.

4. File electronically. To get your tax refund as quickly as possible, file your income tax return electronically and request that the refund be deposited directly in your account. You can have the deposit split among two or three accounts, including bank accounts, IRAs, health savings accounts, Coverdell education savings accounts, and a TreasuryDirect® account for I bond purchases.

5. Adjust your tax withholding or estimated taxes. Is it bad to be owed a tax refund? It’s nice to have the extra cash now, but getting a refund means you’ve really made an interest-free loan to Uncle Sam. A better strategy is to adjust your tax withholding or estimated taxes for this year so you pay an amount that is closer to the amount of tax owed; this gives you the use of your own money throughout the year.

6. Contribute to your retirement fund. The tax year is over but it’s not too late to put money in a regular or Roth IRA for 2009. Assuming you’re eligible, a contribution to a traditional IRA made by April 15th is deductible on your 2009 return. If you opt for a Roth IRA contribution, you can’t deduct it but will build up tax-free income for retirement.

7. Reap eco-credits. If you added insulation, energy-efficient windows, or solar panels to your home, you not only reduced energy costs but also may now qualify for a tax credit. The credit limit for installing solar panels and other alternative energy additions is 30% of cost; for other improvements, there’s a $1,500 cap. The tax credit reduces your tax bill dollar for dollar.

8. The standard deduction isn’t standard anymore. If you don’t itemize, you may be able to bulk up your standard deduction by adding amounts for being a senior, paying property taxes on your home or sales tax on a car purchase, or for suffering a loss in a federal disaster. But you’ll have to complete a new form, Schedule L, to total up your standard deduction.

Barbara Weltman is an attorney, prolific author with such titles as J.K. Lasser’s Small Business Taxes, J.K. Lasser’s 1001 Deductions and Tax Breaks, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business, and trusted professional advocate for small businesses and entrepreneurs. She is also the publisher of Idea of the Day® and monthly e-newsletter Big Ideas for Small Business® at www.barbaraweltman.com and host of Build Your Business radio. Follow her on Twitter at BarbaraWeltman.

Sign up for a free sample of Dunkin' Donuts newest flavor Dunkin’ Turbo HERE
I just signed up for mine and I hope you will too!