On Monday,  October 4th the Concourse Athletic Club is opening it’s doors to the public for free from 11am to 7pm.   The Whole Health Expo will have various complimentary  health screenings for free as well as a cholesterol tests and flu shots for a small fee. The event raises money for breast cancer research.  The club is located at 8 Concourse Pkwy, NE Sandy Springs, GA 30328.

Satuday, October 2nd is the first Saturday of the month so Fulton county Residents get free admission to the High Museum of Art. Bank of America cardholders get free admission to the High as well as several other museums on the first weekend of the month.

October 10th is Target Free Family Day at the Woodruff Art Center. There will be programs and events at the High Museum,The Atlanta Symphony and a petting zoo for the kids.

The Great American Cookie company is giving away a free cookie when you donate a used book throughout the month of October. (Participating locations only)

Best Buy stores are having Free Phone Fridays through the month of October.  You can choose one of several smart phones on Fridays if you sign up for two years of phone service.  Some of the featured phones, like the Blackberry Curve, retail for more than $200.00

K and G Fashion superstore is having a Summer Clearance Sale. Men and women’s clothing that was already on sale is now 50 percent off the sale price.

North Georgia Premium Outlets in Dawsonville is having a Labor Day weekend sale. Many of the outlets will have big bargains from Friday to Monday, and some stores like Polo and Guess have already started markdowns.

And the Mommy and Me promotion has returned to the GeorgiaAquarium. For $25.00 one adult and up to four children under five years old can visit the aquarium Monday through Friday through November 12th. That price even includes parking. Without the special pricing a parent and four children would pay $115.00. Visitors who want the Mommy and Me deal must order online at Gaaquarium.org.acb/stores

Frito Lay is giving away samples and coupons of its new Cheetos Mighty Zingers while supplies last. Register for the sample and coupons at Besnackready.com.

Nature Made is giving away free Vitamin D samples and other prizes with a casino game at naturemade.com.

Cutter’s Gloves is giving away 1000 pairs of Pink Sports gloves to raise awareness about breast cancer. Click on the pink square at cuttersgloves.com to grab free gloves on Aug, 27.

Follow Valuesval on Twitter for more freebies and money saving tips.

Participating PGA Tour Superstores have free golf clinics every Wednesday and Friday at 5:30 pm for kids 6 years old and older.  In metro Atlanta, there are locations in Kennesaw, Duluth and Roswell. Call individual stores for more information and to register.

Georgia State Parks also have affordable golf for kids. The Highland Walk course at Victoria Bryant State Park has Junior Golf Clinics on April 10th, May 1st and May 8th from 3 to 5 pm. Clubs are provided. The clinic is $10.00.

The Main Street Hair Salon in Alpharetta is offering  free conditioning treatments for a limited time.  (Blow dry not included) Call for an appointment. (770) 343-8311

Oprah.com has a free book download. Chapters one and two of David Bach’s book, Start Over and Finish Rich are currently available. Look for Chapter three next month.

April 15th is Tax Day. To ease the pain, participating Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream locations are handing out free slices of Ice Cream Pizza. The concoction resembles pizza but is made out of ice cream.  There is a location in Atlanta at 4468 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. 

Home Depot has a Do It Herself Workshop on April 15th.  Women can learn how to paint using Martha Stewart’s line of paints.

Atlanta.momslikeme.com is hosting a Free Play Date at Kangazoom inflatable play place in Smyrna April 15th. RSVP on Atlanta.momslikeme.com.

Pollen got you down?  Mention 11 Alive Ways to Save on any Friday and get a FREE exterior wash at America’s Finest Car Care, 1528 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA.

For more money saving tips follow Valuesval on Twitter.com

BJ’s Wholesale Club is offering 11Alive viewers a free 60 day pass that can be activated any time before July 5th. BJ’s is the only warehouse club that accepts manufacturer coupons. They also carry clothing lines like Calvin Klein and Nicole Miller. Click here for the 60 day pass.   I have always wanted to check it out!  I used to belong to another warehouse club but didn’t seem to shop there very often so I didn’t renew my membership.

K&G Fashion Superstore  has added some high end lines like Prada, Gucci and Armani priced at up to 70 percent off retail. (From Jessicashops.com)  I am sooo there!

Atlanta based Carter’s and Oshkosh children’s retailers are now selling online at carters.com. Discounts are available to those who sign up on their Facebook page.

IKEA has lowered prices on furniture, cookware and hundreds of others items from this same time last year.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s buy one get one free ticket deal ends Sunday, April 4th but through April t 18th there is a Spring Break special:  $5 off two tickets, or $10 off on a Value Pass for admission to the Museum and Imax Theatre.  Normally Adult tickets are $15 and  tickets for children 3-12 are $13.  Visitors should ask for the Spring Break Special. 

On Monday, Scoutmob will have a downloadable coupon  for 50 percent off your entire purchase at Sam Flax Art Supply stores. Maximum discount is $25.00 off of $50.00.

Also this week ,Strawberries are a HUGE bargain at Publix: 4 for $5.00.  And look for Easter Candy and baskets to go on sale everywhere!  Grab your coupons and stock up!  Check expiration dates on the bags and throw some in your freezer.  My kids’  Easter baskets were full of clearance candy from Christmas and Valentine’s supplemented with Jelly Beans and Chocolate Bunnies.   I spent around $5.00 total. 

She recommends Creditcardconnection.org to find the right credit card and credit union for you.  On the Dean’s List of Credit cards from that site are these from Georgia:

Want to know what’s not recommended?  They are listed too!

 The Spring consignment sale season is underway and there are three large sales coming up this week:

The All4Kids Sale in Acworth starts Thursday at 9:30 am. (No strollers allowed until 11am) Shoppers who make a $5.00 donation can enter early at 8:30 am. The sale has 300 consignors. On Friday February 26th hours are from 9am to 7pm, and on Saturday February 27th the sale runs from 9am to 1pm.

On Friday February 26th at 9am the Born Again Blessings consignment sale begins at the Cobb Civic Center.  On Saturday February 27th it will be open from 9am to 1pm.

The Consigning Closets Sale will be held at Sonrise Baptist Church, 6  Ahenandoah Blvd, Newnan GA on February 26th and 27th from 8am to 4pm. 

All three  sales feature gently used kids’ clothing, toys, furniture and equipment.  Maternity clothes are available as well.

Big Lots has a Buzz Rewards program where shoppers can earn 20 percent off coupons. Sign up for a Buzz Rewards card at biglots.com.

In Gainesville, America’s Finest Car Wash at 1528 Browns Bridge Road has Fee Fabulous Friday Car Washes. Customers who mention 11 Alive get a free exterior car wash. Also, if you purchase a car wash on other days of the week you get unlimited re-washes for 7 days.

Sunday April 26th is National Pretzel Day. Participating Pretzelmaker and Pretzeltime stores in metro Atlanta malls will be celebrating by handing out free pretzels. The stores are located at Phipps Plaza, Northlake and The Mall at Stonecrest.

KFC wants customers to know there is now KGC (Kentucky Grilled Chicken)   Participating stores will hand out samples of the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken made from a new secret recipe on Monday, April 27th.
.

Carvel ice cream is celebrating its 75the anniversary Thursday with a free eight ounce Iceberg from 3-7 pm. The Iceberg is a
mixture of ice cream and either orange soda or root beer.

For the kids, Michael’s craft stores will have free Mother’s Day crafting classes May 2nd through 10th.  Although the classes are free, some of them  require a few dollars for supplies.

A Marietta dance studio is offering a free Belly Dancing class.  Students must preregister at sanamstudios.com for the introductory class, which will take place from 7 to eight thirty p.m on May 6th at Peachtree Gymnastics and More.  The address is 1255 Johnson Ferry Road #27m Marietta, GA.   The studio says belly dancing is fun and great exercise for women of all ages and sizes.

On Friday and Saturday,  April 24th and 25th, Lenox Square having a series of fashion shows and promotions.  The Fashion Now event is sponsored by LG, Coca Cola and Caress skincare products.     Sponsors and some mall stores will have sample product giveways and coupons.

 Dogswell Dog Food is offering a freebie to anyone who is unemployed or having trouble making ends meet.  The company is giving away 10,000 bags of dog food from now until May 15th. Dogswell is calling the promotion a Bow Wow Bailout.
To get the freebie you have to register at www.dogswell.com. `

Sunday April 26th is National Pretzel Day. Participating Pretzelmaker and Pretzeltime stores in metro Atlanta malls will be celebrating by handing out free pretzels. The stores are located at Phipps Plaza, Northlake and The Mall at Stonecrest.

KFC wants customers to know there is now KGC (Kentucky Grilled Chicken)   Participating stores will hand out samples of the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken made from a new secret recipe on Monday, April 27th.
.

Carvel ice cream is celebrating its 75the anniversary Thursday with a free eight ounce Iceberg from 3-7 pm. The Iceberg is a
mixture of ice cream and either orange soda or root beer.

For the kids, Michael’s craft stores will have free Mother’s Day crafting classes May 2nd through 10th.  Although the classes are free, some of them  require a few dollars for supplies.

A Marietta dance studio is offering a free Belly Dancing class.  Students must preregister at sanamstudios.com for the introductory class, which will take place from 7 to eight thirty p.m on May 6th at Peachtree Gymnastics and More.  The address is 1255 Johnson Ferry Road #27m Marietta, GA.   The studio says belly dancing is fun and great exercise for women of all ages and sizes.

On Friday and Saturday,  April 24th and 25th, Lenox Square having a series of fashion shows and promotions.  The Fashion Now event is sponsored by LG, Coca Cola and Caress skincare products.     Sponsors and some mall stores will have sample product giveways and coupons.

Bluett told me he has always been a music buff who loved going to concerts but he found himself annoyed about the Convenience Charge that’s added to the price of a typical Ticketmaster Ticket. He said they can be as high as 40 percent!

Bluett and Dwyer approached some of Atlanta’s smaller concert venues, (2000 or fewer seats) and began promoting and issuing tickerts for them. They’ve now grown into a good sized company that operates in 48 starts and holds the contract for some big events like Taste of Atlanta. “Our surcharge, is at the most, 10 percent,” said Bluett.
As the company keeps growing, more concerts will cost less. (And of course New Job Creation is always a good thing as well..)