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Giveaway: Cold and flu package 2014.

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thEven if you get a flu shot — and I think you should — you still run a chance of getting the flu. According to Consumer Reports, vaccination prevents the illness 80 percent of the time in adults younger than 65.

But a non-flu virus — including the common cold — can make you feel pretty crummy, too. The insult to such injury is the price tags on cold/flu nostrums.

That’s why I put together a cold and flu package giveaway each year. Judging from the numbers of comments the package always gets, you folks don’t like paying retail, either.

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Free women’s health screenings on Oct. 11.

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thThyroid issues can wreak havoc with your health and well-being, causing problems like low energy, depression and weight gain. Seven years ago. I was crawling through the days, attributing my severe fatigue to the work-plus-university schedule. (Or maybe just a failure of will.)

Then a friend suggested I have my thyroid tested. Seems it wasn’t a question of willpower after all. Now a tiny daily pill takes care of things.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, women can get a free TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test at any Sam’s Club that has a pharmacy (about 600 locations nationwide).

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A frugal (and cultured!) date night.

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thEarlier this month DF and I had an evening out. It was a classy affair, with wine, freshly grilled meats, beautiful things to see, and interesting conversations with friends and total strangers.

It was completely free, and we can do it every month if we like. Specifically, on the first Friday of every month. That’s when a handful of artsy places in Anchorage (including two universities) have public receptions for new exhibits.

This is an increasingly common practice in U.S. towns and cities. Whether it’s called “First Friday” or “Artwalk” or whatever, it’s a chance to enjoy works new and old – and, often, to get free food.

This has long been a frugal hack for starving students and also for those dating on a budget: something to eat plus a chance to look all cultured-like. But it works just as well when you’re out of school, and also when you’re happily partnered or just want an outing with friends. Who doesn’t want free food and wine?

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Giveaway: Two $25 gift cards, via Swagbucks.

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card225Any time I give away a gift card the response is tremendous. And why not? Although some people think that GCs make awful presents, the chance to get a head start on a want or a need is fine by me. (And, apparently, by you.)

This week’s giveaway, sponsored by the Swagbucks rewards program, gives two lucky readers $25 in scrip – or, maybe in cash.

That’s because the winners get to choose any $25 e-gift card that Swagbucks offers, and among those offers is a $25 PayPal card. Thus you could choose to cash in for greenbacks or stick with shopping, at sites like Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Lowe’s, Home Depot, CVS, iTunes, GameStop and many others.

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Go to the movies on me.

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thSummer blockbusters mean lots of things: excitement, drama, peril, animation, pratfalls, talking animals, jokes about body parts.

They also mean a nice break from reality in a dark and air-conditioned room. In some areas of the country that’s a really welcome respite.

But given that the average cost of a movie ticket is more than $8, movies can put a hurt on the budget.

That’s why this week’s giveaway is a $10 Fandango gift card.

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Giveaway: $10 in Starbucks scrip.

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th-1As someone who doesn’t drink coffee, I’m always bemused by the reaction when I offer Starbucks gift cards as a giveaway. The last time I did this I got 226 entries. For a $10 card!

Then again, it’s summer and even though I don’t care for the bean I do have to admit that the cold drinks at Starbucks are pretty refreshing and tasty.

That is, unless they trash them up with coffee.

Win this week’s $10 giveaway, though, and you can order whatever you like.

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Giveaway: A $10 Starbucks gift card.

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thIt’s summer and it’s hot. Beat the heat, if only temporarily, with a frou-frou cold beverage at Starbucks.

Some people say that hot tea and hot coffee are actually more cooling. They may be right.

To me, though, an iced tea or cold soft drink or even plain old water is what I want when I’m feeling hot and sticky.

Full disclosure: I don’t generally go to Starbucks because, well, frugal. But this week I’m making it easier on some reader’s budget by giving away $10 worth of SB gift cards.

Lemonade, iced coffee, Frappuccino, iced tea, something called a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher — take your pick, as long as it’s under ten bucks.

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A coupon app and a $2,500 sweepstakes.

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ImageProxyDon’t want to clip your own coupons? Let the Favado mobile savings app do it for you.

While you’re at it, enter to win the company’s Summer BBQ Savings sweepstakes. (More on that in a minute.)

Favado is a free app that tracks deals in more than 65,000 supermarkets and drugstores across the country. You make a shopping list right on your phone and then the app uses real-time data to match current deals, coupons and even “secret” sales (e.g., in-store promotions) with what you want to buy.

You’ll get automatic notifications when your favorite products go on sale at those stores – and the list includes markets like Whole Foods, Target, Trader Joe’s and Kmart along with merchants like Safeway and Walgreens.

“Want to save on groceries…easily? Get this app,” advises Emily Weinberger of Good Housekeeping magazine.

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Got retirement questions? Ask ’em.

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thKiplinger’s Personal Finance and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors will co-sponsor “Jump-Start Your Retirement Plan Day,” an eight-hour online chat, on Thursday, June 5.

You can ask questions in advance or just follow along on Twitter as 20 money professionals offer their professional advice.

Free professional advice.

Now that I’ve got your attention, check out the touchy-but-necessary topics these money mavens will discuss:

  • Saving for retirement – 401(k)s, IRAs and Roth IRAs
  • Taxes and retirement – including but not limited to estate and gift taxes
  • Earning while retired – Social Security and income investing strategies, whether you’ve already stopped working or merely making plans
  • “Financial challenges” – paying down debt, investing, saving for your kids’ college

To that last I’d add “boomerangers,” i.e., kids who come back after schooling or because of personal economic downturns. About three in 10 young adults are bunking with Mom and Dad, but this isn’t always voluntary; almost 10 percent of grads between 21 and 25 are unemployed and 16.8 percent are underemployed, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

By comparison, back in 2007 those figures were just over 5 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively. Ouch.

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Traveling for the holiday? You need this bag.

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thThe TSA-friendly travel bag is always a wildly popular giveaway. And why not? Nobody wants to pay more for a .64-ounce tube of toothpaste than a 4.6-ounce one.

If you’re planning a trip over the long Memorial Day weekend, this bag of toiletries – all TSA-compliant – means you won’t have to check a bag.

It’s also great even if you’re not flying, since it’s easier to toss these toiletries into your overnight bag than to start stuffing in full-size shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and the like.

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