#Alpharetta #Shopping Trip #Babysitting #AmericanGirl #PaneraBread #Gamestop #Deals

My sister, our niece and I spent most of the afternoon (from about 1:30p - 6:30p) roaming around Alpharetta and then made stops in Brookhaven and Buckhead. We did go to the American Girl Store at Northpoint Mall. It was cute (and unsurprisingly crowded). My niece wanted everything, of course. Meanwhile, I could only laugh at the prices they charge for mass produced plastic doll furniture.

I remember when American Girl was introduced some 31 odd years ago by the Pleasant Company and while I thought it was very expensive even then as a kid, at least the furniture was (mostly) made of real wood. The original items showed craftsmanship and attention to detail. They were things worthy of "childhood desires." The majority of the "modern" items that I saw just looked cheap and cheesy, in my opinion. A sign of the (Mattel) times, I guess. But little girls --- and some adult collectors --- are still enthralled and snap up any brand introduction. (Whereas I would only buy the stuff on extreme sale or via free deals.)

I don't like to go shopping in the real world. I will go, if I can score deals only available in-store or if it's a special occasion trip like this (going to the American Girl Store for the first time). If we were only planning to go to the one place, it would have been fine, but my sister is (oddly to me) a Brick & Mortar shopoholic. She can literally spend ALL DAY out. I agreed to go, partially because her birthday is coming up next week, and spending the afternoon together would amount to "family bonding time." Urgh! Still, I knew that I would be bored out of my mind within moments as she and our niece, who also seems to like real world shopping, happily went about. Thus, I'd planned to take advantage of a few deals during our trip in order to make the afternoon more worth my while.

Turns out I had an old $10.00 Gamestop Gift Card that I got free with My Coke Rewards points like two Christmases ago, so I finally used it. (With the recently announced Gamestop store closings, I didn't want to hold onto it any longer and potentially end up with a valueless card, if its business "cost-cutting measures" progressed rapidly to bankruptcy or going out of business entirely.) So I ended up getting a couple Funko Pop vinyl figures and only paying $0.78 tax OOP. (The figures were $5.00/ea.)

Ms. Pac-Man

Suicide Squad: Killer Croc

I've been loosely reading various discussions of Funko Pop figures on a few of the gaming and movie sites I frequent. I was aware of them, but hadn't seen any in the wild. Then I spotted some near the checkout counter in the Gamestop store and thought "I could get two for free and they'll make fun gifts, if I decide not to keep them." So I bit. I chose Ms. Pac-Man, a favorite arcade game in my youth, and Suicide Squad: Killer Croc, because I recently saw the movie and liked the character.

I also used My Panera Rewards Card to get a free Cinnamon Crunch Bagel. (Panera Bread gifted me a "Free Daily Bagel in April" reward yesterday. At first, I thought it was an April Fools' Day prank. But it wasn't. I can get one free bagel each day this month, if I so choose.) I love bagels and I especially love Panera Bread bagels. My favorites being the Asiago Cheese and the Cinnamon Crunch. So this is an awesome surprise gift!

And finally, I used my Shopkick app to do a few check-ins while we wandered the mall. I earned enough kicks to redeem for a $2.00 gift card to either Target or Wal-Mart --- or I can keep saving for a higher tier reward.

Not a bad afternoon, in spite of my crazy family.

Friday = #Movie Night + #Pizza Dinner @PapaJohns @vudufans #StarTrek #UltraViolet

It's a loooooong weekend for me beginning later today, so I've plotted out some fun activities... tonight is Dinner + Movie Night!

I'm planning to watch both Star Trek: Into Darkness and Star Trek: Beyond --- downloaded each UltraViolet Digital Copy from my Vudu library to my media server (basically a custom SmartTV box) yesterday, so the show is ready to go on this evening. While I don't mind streaming movies, I prefer to download a digital copy when I have the option in order to remove any worry about network performance issues. (One would assume) that the likelihood of a service slowdown or complete outage increases around the holidays as a lot off people get time off and use their breaks to binge watch. Nothing ruins the fun like having your movie watching experience disrupted.

I love movies and I love pizza. The two make a great combination. So, of course, pizza is on the menu for Dinner + Movie Night. In preparation, I also cashed out yesterday for a free Papa John's eGift Card reward at My Points that should cover the pizza. As a bonus, there's also a VISA Checkout promotion to get a free pizza later on, when you order a pizza now. (At least a penny of the pizza cost must be charged to your VISA card via said payment service.) This will take care of dinner tonight and another night, perhaps tomorrow. Two (nearly) free pizzas? One can never have too much pizza!

As luck would have it, my free 12-Pack Sparkling Coupons from My Coke Rewards Holiday Catalog are starting to arrive. (I cashed out for the maximum of four free 12-Pack coupons.) So, I'll probably pop by a store at some point later today and pickup beverages. Yes, you heard that right. In addition to free movies --- I received both Star Trek UV DCs for free from different promotions --- and free pizza, throw in some free soda. It's a Freebie Fiesta! Win, win, win!

I'm due to wrap up a client project today before officially starting my holiday break this afternoon, so right now I'm doing a fair imitation of Grumpy Cat. But if I'm feeling in a more generous mood once the day's work is done, I may invite someone special over and turn Dinner + Movie Night into Date Night. Wink, wink. Well, my Friday night is set. What's on tap for you?

DISCLOSURE: This post may include referral link/s.

My Coke Rewards Holiday Catalog: Free #Soda + Movie Ticket

All my favorite sodas are cherry-flavored. As a child, I sipped Cheerwine and Cherry 7Up whenever I could and then added Cherry Coke, Cherry Sprite and Cherry Dr. Pepper to the stable as I got older. This is interesting, because I don't generally like cherry-flavored-anything-else. I don't like cherry yogurt or cherry pie. I love FRESH cherries off the vine, but not things made with cherries, except for soda. The palette can be an odd thing, I reckon. (I feel similar about blueberries. Love the plain fruit, don't like many blueberry-flavored items.)

Anywho, this brings me to My Coke Rewards (MCR) which is intended to reward folks for drinking Coke products. Most Coke products come with a rewards code printed on them. Codes have different point values depending on the product (size/serving). After you register for an account, you simply collect these codes and input them at the website, mycokerewards.com and bank the points. The website also includes a rewards catalog featuring items  for which you can redeem your banked points.

Being a native Georgian, I am required to drink Coke products. Well, it would seem that way at least. My father was such a hard-core Coke fan for most of his life, that we kids used to joke he had Coke in his veins instead of blood.

The Holiday Catalog often provides the most value for your points as the Coca-Cola Company puts up rewards at a discounted points redemption. Many folks bank points all year in order to redeem them at the holidays. One of the most fun rewards that is included each year is a Free Sparkling 12-Pack Coupon for 30 points. Considering it normally costs ~50 points to redeem for single-serve drink coupon (16oz, 20oz, 32oz depending on product) that is mailed to you, getting a 12-pack for less is a great reward. The Holiday Catalog also generally includes some version of an AMC Movie Ticket + Free Concession Drink, plus assorted gift cards all available for reduced points.

The program has been going on for a number of years, I've been a member for at least a decade. It used to be more robust in the variety and type of rewards offered, but has changed over the years. However, it still provides an added value for me because I like soda and drink it anyway, so may as well get something back.

Looking forward to my free twelve-pack. Will I go for Cherry Coke or will Cherry Sprite be available in stores? Choices, choices.