#PresidentsDay #Milkshakes #FrenchFries #Democracy + @vudufans @LegionFX

My Nostalgia Milkshake Maker is scheduled to arrive today. (Brown needs to get a move on it.) I'm planning to knock out work today, so that pup and I can party this afternoon for the Presidents' Day holiday (officially observed as Washington’s Birthday). We're making milkshakes and Cheerwine floats! (I recently discovered this recipe and figured this was a good excuse to try it out, because I have Cheerwine on hand, of course.)

In the spirit of the day, we're planning to watch the expected wall-to-wall news coverage of all the Presidents' Day protests and counter-protests in regards to the current presidential administration. We may have French fries, too --- though termed "French," this common side dish is all American, and thus perfect for such a patriotic holiday.

I'm also planning to watch Suicide Squad --- I borrowed the Blu-ray --- and the pilot episodes for some new television series, like Legion and Mad Dogs, that I downloaded via Vudu. (I use free pilot episodes to determine which programs to start watching, if any. And Vudu tends to offer the "first episode free" for most debuting television programs.) Our afternoon party should provide for a nice respite, before getting back to the grind tomorrow.

Spreading Good #Cheer! @DrinkCheerwine #ROAK

I happened to catch a tweet the other day, wherein a fellow Tastemaker in the Cheerwine Authentic Soda Society stated that although she loved telling others about Cheerwine, she loves the soda so much she's had a difficult time sharing her coupons. This made me chuckle.

I'm lucky, however, I've got more than enough Cheerwine to share. As mentioned earlier, I ended up with 25 coupons, each one good for a Free* 12-Pack of Cheerwine, Diet Cheerwine or Cheerwine Squeeze. Yes, twenty-five free 12-Packs of soda! So far, I've redeemed 10 coupons (and have 15 left). But don't worry, I'm not drinking all that soda by myself. I've been sharing with everyone, family, friends and neighbors alike. Sometimes handing out single cans, sometimes handing over entire 12-packs --- introducing new folks to this iconic soda brand.

I enjoy spreading good cheer and good Cheerwine. In my book, these are one in the same.

*Note: The Cheerwine Free 12-Pack coupon is good for up to $4.49 value, which is apparently the going rate for a 12-pack in the Salisbury, NC area, but here in the metro Atlanta area 12-packs regularly cost $4.99+, thus one will generally end up having to pay $0.70-$1.00 difference when redeeming a coupon.

#Nostalgia 2-Speed #Milkshake Maker Kmart Score #MyBar #Carnival Concessions Stand #IceCream Parlor #SYWR #SavvyShopper

This is so cool! Yesterday, I scored a Nostalgia 2-Speed Milkshake Maker machine from crazy Kmart for $0.35 OOP (out of pocket). It will be perfect for the concessions stand in my "Carnival - Circus - Fair - Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor - Old Timey Soda Shop - Old Picture Show Cinema - Novelties" themed basement barroom come home theater entertainment center. (That's a mouthful!)

How I Did It: I won 10,000 Surprise Points or $10.00 (off a $20.00 minimum purchase) in Kmart's Billion Point Giveaway Super Bowl LI promotion. I got another $2.00 SYWR Points for downloading and installing the Fount app, a Sears Holding Corp (SHC) outlet, and registering for an account using a special SYWR promo code. And then over the last week or so, I also won a further $9.53 SYWR Points total via various SYWR sweepstakes (including some "Spin to Win" ones via the Win It! app, another SHC outlet). Altogether, this gave me $21.53 SYWR Points available to spend at Kmart.

After a rough week, I needed a fun pick-me-up, so I searched Kmart's website for small kitchen appliances in the $20.00-$25.00 range (the "what could I get for nearly free" price range based upon the SYWR points available in my account) and my eyes fell upon a spindle milkshake blender almost immediately. The regular price is listed as $29.99, but I caught it during Kmart's Home Goods savings event, so it's on sale for $21.86. After my SYWR Points discount, this price was decreased to $0.33 plus $0.02 tax for a grand total of $0.35. I also get it shipped to me for free ($6.29 shipping fee savings) due to my SYWMax trial.

Nostalgia 2-Speed Milkshake Maker via Kmart.com

Just like DJ Khaled says, "All I do is win!" (Yesterday, at least. And I needed a bit of that.) I love, love, love ice cream in all of its incarnations, so I am a certified milkshake fiend. The shipment should arrive by Monday the 20th. I'll probably commence making old fashioned milkshakes approximately two minutes after it gets here. I've got my colored straws ready and my milkshake glassware standing by.

For now, however, we'll have to see what today holds...

What Does One Year of #Free @DrinkCheerwine Look Like? Planning to Party All of 2017: It's the #Cheertennial!

The other day, my friendly neighborhood postman delivered an eagerly awaited envelope from Cheerwine in Salisbury, NC. Inside of the #10 envelope were 24 coupons for a Free 12-pack of Cheerwine, Diet Cheerwine or Cheerwine Squeeze --- One Year of Free Cheerwine! It's the top prize from the Authentic Soda Society, the Cheerwine Fan Club which launched in the Fall of 2015, and then announced a rewards program the following April. I saved all the points I earned from April 2016 launch to December 2016 close and cashed out for the grandaddy of fan club prizes, One Year of Free Cheerwine. (As the max number of points available to earn in the fan club last year equaled the amount needed to redeem for the top prize, this was necessary, but also worth it.) Thanks to USPS, just in the nick of time my Year of Cheer is here! And it's beautiful to behold.

One Year of Free Cheerwine

But it gets better... In a crazy odd turn of events, Cheerwine accidentally sent me the wrong prize, initially. I was expecting to receive a flat envelope with 24 coupons in it, as described above, but instead got sent a big brown box during the first week of January. When UPS dropped it off on my front porch, I thought to myself, "Either Cheerwine has the most inefficient shipping department on the planet or something is amiss." I carefully opened the box to discover a Cheerwine Logo Cooler, a Cheerwine Logo Beach Towel and a single Free 12-pack coupon inside which, by the way, comprised the penultimate prize in the fan club last year. WTF, right? Disappointed, I repackaged the contents of the box to return and, needless to say, sent the fan club a message alerting them of the error, for which they in turn apologized. This proved a good humored exchange, all was rectified and my correct order was dispatched on its way. I also inquired about returning the incorrect items, but generously was told to keep that order, too, as it was their mistake.

All told, I've ended up with 25 coupons for a Free 12-pack of Cheerwine, a soft-sided cooler and a beach towel, which is way more than I bargained for. Every few moments (I exaggerate, slightly) I take out all 25 coupons and spread them across my desk and stare in wonder. You'll have to excuse me, I'm a bit giddy. Love me some Cheerwine. In order to understand my near lifelong relationship with this iconic Southern soda, you'll have to read my earlier post on the subject: Harken Back to Childhood Nostalgia & Cheer ...wine. While you do that, I think I might have to make a store run, I'm in need of libations for the weekend.

This year (2017) marks Cheerwine's Centennial --- dubbed the (hashtag ready) Cheertennial --- and they have a bunch of fun and exciting activities planned all year long in celebration, including a big birthday party bash on May 20th in their hometown of Salisbury, NC. Tastemakers, the moniker given to Authentic Soda Society fan club members, were sent an email a few days ago, as a heads up. Looks like it will be a banner year for both the Cheerwine brand and its fans. Getting One Year of Free Cheerwine (plus that extra unexpected 12-pack) as a reward couldn't have come at a better time. It will definitely come in handy for all those celebratory anniversary toasts. Here! Here! Good Cheerwine!

Born in the South. Raised in a Glass. Since 1917. Happy Birthday, Cheerwine. Here's to the next 100 years! Let's get this party started.

New #Football #Batman #BarGlassware! #SYWR #Deals #StorePickup #Guarantee #Kmart #BadCustomerService

After Christmas, being that I was on holiday, I played a few games, entered a contest or two, and caught up on the telly. (I am the epitome of a time-shifting viewer, with the exception of news and sports, I seldom watch anything at the time it first airs.) One of the fun things I like to do in my spare time is to enter Shop Your Way Rewards Instant Win Sweepstakes, because these contests give one a chance to win random amounts of rewards points. Catching a Doorbusters period on a specific sweeps is even sweeter because points are earned merely for entering.

I can usually earn several bucks worth of rewards points per week just by fooling around. Add to this any surprise points I'm awarded and any relevant coupons I load to my account, and I can easily end up with a free $5-$10 worth of points available to use on a near weekly basis when time permits. Combine all this with free shipping on items $10+ as a perk of an ever-renewing Shop Your Way Max trial or free store pickup for items under $10, and it becomes very obvious that I get a LOT of free merchandise from Sears and Kmart. (And I'm not the only one, if the various freebie and deal sites are in any measure accurate.)

It's no wonder Sears Holding Corp (SHC) has been flirting with bankruptcy for years, it gives away far too much money value! Don't get me wrong, I love free stuff as much as the next guy and I've surfed the freerider wave along with all the other deal hunters. But you'd have to be obtuse to not recognize that giving away multiple times the amount you take in is not a sound business practice. I'd crudely estimate that I've gotten at least one free $5-$10 item (and often greater value ones depending on sales and promotions) from Sears and/or Kmart every other week for the last two to three years without even trying too hard. (Think of the deal hounds that actually work at it.)

Just a guess, but based upon my own personal experiences, SHC probably gives away at least $15 for every $1 it earns. You can't sustain that sort of loss and expect to be a profitable business. But I'm not a company executive, I'm a consumer who likes deals. So while I shake my head, it's not my fault if the company is being run by idiots. The fact that SHC also outsources most of its customer service operations to a call center that seems perpetually staffed with incompetent fools further complicates matters. When your hallmark is atrociously bad customer service, eventually your (presumed) customer base starts rooting for your demise.

Libbey Football Tumbler, 4-pc set

DC Comics Batman Tumbler, 2-pc set

Meanwhile the fire sale is quite fantastic! My latest SYWR scores are some nifty themed glassware sets, a 4-pc Libbey Football Tumbler ($7.99 on sale) and a 2-pc DC Comics Batman Tumbler ($11.39 on sale). I got the football set totally free (excepting the time and gas required for store pickup) using $7.99 worth of points. Then because the local Kmart store pickup was an abysmal nightmare --- as always --- and Sears/Kmart have a guarantee that you'll get your order in 5 minutes or less, most of those points were refunded, by which time I'd earned some additional points, and so was able to order the more expensive DC Comics set for free, too. And as this second set cost >$10, it was also shipped to me for free.

Both sets will make fun additions to my home bar. I've previously mentioned that my "basement entertainment complex" is being developed around a carnival/fair/circus theme, so novelty glassware is just the ticket! Besides, it's a family bar room, so there'll be as many EANABs available as there will be alcoholic beverages, perhaps more depending on the event. Watching the upcoming Super Bowl is gonna rock while sipping soda or beer out of the football tumblers. And Mardi Gras? POW! BLAM! Batman!

A Free One Year Supply of #Cheerwine? Land sakes! #Soda #Rewards #FanClub

Did it. Yes, yes, y'all. FINALLY!

Cheerwine logo

After having saved for nearly nine months, on yesterday I hit the threshold of points needed to cashout for the top reward available in the Cheerwine Authentic Soda Society catalog.

Give me the precious. It's mine!

With a rebel yell and a fist pump of triumph, I redeemed all the points I'd banked since last April for a free one year supply of Cheerwine (in the form of twenty-four coupons for a free 12-pack of Cheerwine). Holy Cow!

Hmm... Does one drink two 12-packs of soda per month on average? While I could easily guzzle it all by myself, don't worry, I plan to share the bounty with my family and friends. I mean, that's a lot of soda. I certainly wouldn't try to redeem all the coupons at once. But it will be nice to get some free Cheerwine whenever I need a fix. Besides, I do entertain a bit here and there, so this will make for great storeroom stock at my home bar. I've got plans to hatch.

What does one do with a free one year supply of Cheerwine? No idea, but I intend to find out. (I'm certain my "twin" will render assistance. He is such a helpful fella.) Yeah, I'm grinning as I type this. Mwhahaha! Happy Holidays to me!

P.S. I did lust after the "Set of Four Vintage Cheerwine Glasses + One Free 12-pack Coupon" reward and almost pulled the trigger on it, because I really want a set of those glasses for my home bar. But due to the fact that one could earn only ~20 points per month, it would be impossible to claim more than one upper tier reward this first year. So I decided to keep saving for the highest value reward. Alas! Perhaps Cheerwine will repeat the program next year. Hint. Hint. If so, I can opt for the vintage glasses set at that time. Fingers crossed.

So Soda Me Sodastream

I did warn you that I love beverages. All kinds of beverages. I like alcoholic beverages, I like EANABs (that's Stanfordese for Equally Attractive Non-Alcoholic Beverages, by the way). I LOVE soda. I could drink it all day.

But, of course, I realize that only drinking soda would be so bad. So I try to mix things up. And while I don't deny myself anything that I desire (foodwise) I do try to make healthier choices, on the main. I still drink Coke, Cherry Coke, Cherry 7UP and Cheerwine, but not every single day. Everything in moderation, as they say. No, I haven't given up drinking soda, however, nowadays I often make my own.

DIY Soda: Customizing ingredients means that even soda can be relatively healthy. For most creations, I start with seltzer water that I make with my Sodastream. (I own two machines. One for the kitchen. One for the bar-room. Both won as a prize in (separate) contests.) And then I'll add all sorts of stuff. Fresh fruit, juices, spices, etc.

I collect homemade soda recipes (and recipe books) and enjoy experimenting. I will also sometimes make use of the soda syrups and water enhancers one can purchase from the store. I often create new flavors by mixing whatever's on hand. It's great fun.

I really do love my Sodastream machines! Not only are they easy to operate — a good marriage of form & function — but they're green tech, requiring no electricity. I also "recycle" the CO2 tanks by exchanging empties for discounted price full ones.* (I'm big on building a sustainable estate and minimizing my carbon footprint so green tech is a win.)

*Several stores offer a discount for exchanging the CO2 tank vs simply purchasing a new full one. One can also purchase adapters which allow for cheaper cost refills.

Plus, another benefit of DIY soda is that I get to determine the level of carbonation (up to a saturation point) AND give my thumbs a workout. And I am a fizz fiend. Look at all those tiny bubbles… (And yes, that is a Don Ho reference.)

Having a Sodastream machine also encourages me to drink more water. I find plain water boring, but flavored fizzy water is great. Then there's the fact that fresh seltzer water can make awesome mixed drinks. Why do you think I have a second machine especially for the bar?

A Sodastream machine is definitely well worth the modest investment, if you like beverages as much as I do. Getting two machines for free? Well, that was a bit like winning the lotto, but only a scratch-off.

NOTICE: This post is a reblog from (the now defunct) castlemodern.tumblr.com. It was originally published 27-Feb-2016. Post may have been edited or updated from its original text.