Friday Food Freebies and Deals for 9/4/09

It’s not just the weekend. It’s Labor Day weekend!! Let’s rock the holiday with some cheap eats in the Q.

• BOGO Breakfast and Lunch or Dinner: Use these Sweet Tomatoes coupons for buy-one-get-one-free meals and breakfasts. But hurry. The BOGO meal coupon expires 9/6/09. The BOGO breakfast coupon is good until 9/27/09. Valid only with adult meals and requires purchase of two beverages. Two locations: east side and west side.
• Kids Eat Free: What more American way to celebrate Labor Day than with BBQ? This is just a reminder that kids eat free every Sunday at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. One free kids’ meal with each paid adult meal for children age 12 and under. Valid on dine-in only. And while you’re at it, enjoy free ice cream with your dine-in, too. There’s one Dickey’s in Albuquerque and one in Las Cruces.
• Half Price Native Fusion Cuisine: The Pueblo Harvest Cafe at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center may be one of those places the locals are aware of but have never actually patronized. If so, here’s your chance to check it out for half price. Purchase one $25 dining certificate and get a second one FREE! This would be a great treat for out-of-town guests during Balloon Fiesta, or just keep the savings all to yourself. Trust us when we tell you the duck quesadillas are primo. The Pueblo Harvest Cafe is located in the north valley.
• Half Price New Mexican Food: Here’s a shout-out to our friends in Los Lunas. Buy a $20 gift certificate to Guadalupe’s New Mexican Restaurant for just $10! Now that’s cheap chow. Homemade tortilla chips and some of the best chile around. Certificate valid through 12/31/09, so you have plenty of time to spend it. Located near the Rail Runner station in Los Lunas.
• Cheap Chicken: If you’ve forgiven KFC for the free grilled chicken debacle, you might be interested in this new deal, which is perfect for the kiddos. For a limited time, get a Grilled Chicken Value Box, which contains your choice of a drumstick or thigh plus potato wedges, for just $1.99. A great way to feed the fam during a Labor Day roadtrip. No coupon required. KFCs located everywhere.
• BOGO Grand Slam: Who doesn’t love brekkies at Denny’s? Now you can love it cheaper. Use this coupon for a buy-one-get-one-free Build Your Own Grand Slam breakfast. Hurry! This coupon expires 9/6/09. Read the rest of the fine print. Seven Denny’s restaurants in Albuquerque.Via CheapToday.com.
• $5 off Pizza and Stuff: We are unabashed fans of Pizza 9, so when we saw this Valpak coupon, we scarfed it up. Use this $5 off coupon for a discount on any menu item. Our fave? The 9″ thin crust ground beef, onion, and tomato pizza. But the thick crust is good, too, and they offer a selection of gourmet pizzas, like BBQ chicken. Pizza 9 is new to the Q, and each shop is locally owned. Try them for cheap! This coupon is valid only at the Louisiana location.
• FREE Cup of Coffee: Try a small cup of flavor brewed coffee compliments of Seattle’s Best. Use this coupon to try Vanilla Creme, Cinnamon Swirl, or Hazelnut for free! No catch, no purchase required. Hurry! Coupon expires 9/7/09! Seattle’s Best Cafes are located inside Borders bookstores. Thanks to reader Matt for sending this in, via Editor-at-Large Ron!

That’s it for this week! Have a great, safe Labor Day weekend, y’all!

–Elizabeth Hanes

Friday Food Freebies and Deals for 7/3/09

Call this the Firecracker Edition! We’re sending up a barrage of food deals to make you say, “Ooh! Aah!”

• Free and cheap subs: Quizno’s offers you this BOGO sandwich coupon, along with another coupon for $1 off a regular sub or $2 off a large sub. If you love Quizno’s, that’s a toasty deal! Valid through 7/11/09. Fourteen stores from Santa Fe to Los Lunas.
• Free dessert: Want to catch the fireworks (and score free food) from 10,000 feet? High Finance Restaurant currently offers each customer one free dessert if they tell their server they saw it on the internet. No word on how long this will last. Located at the top of the tramway.
• Free pizza rolls: Pizza Hut is ramping up the social media promotion with this deal. Log on to their Facebook or Twitter page on July 4, 2009, to receive a code good for a free order of pizza rolls with purchase of a large pizza. Let’s hope this doesn’t turn into another KFC Grilled Chicken fulfillment debacle!
• Free meal or entrée: We love Chick-fil-A’s Cow Appreciation Day promotion because…well, how can you not love it? Here’s the deal: on July 10, 2009, go to any Chick-fil-A restaurant dressed from head-to-toe as a cow to score a free meal. Or, if you’re not that committed and want to just wear a cow bandanna or carry a cow-print purse, you can still win a free entrée. That’s all there is to it! This year, they’re also adding a Kid’s Photo Contest called “Show Us the Cow”; through 8/31/09, you can submit photos of your cow-dressed kids for a chance to win prizes. PLUS, Chick-fil-A is rolling out a Facebook photo contest beginning 7/10/09. No details on that yet. So, get moo-tivated for free food by creating a cow costume today! Three locations in Albuquerque and two in Las Cruces.
• 2 meals for $20: In case you’ve forgotten, Applebee’s not only still offers their dynamite 2-for-20 promotion, but they’ve recently improved it by adding salad entrée choices! In this deal, you choose one appetizer to share, then pick two entrées, including California Shrimp Salad, BBQ Chicken Salad, 7 oz. House Sirloin, Fire Pit Bacon Burger — 12 entrées to choose from, in all. Applebee’s also offers a lunchtime “Pick n Pair” combo that allows you to create your own soup-n-salad, soup-n-sandwich, pasta-n-salad, or whatever combination you prefer. Starting at $5.99. Neither special includes beverage or taxes. Currently, no expiration date for these offers. Eight locations around Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.
• Half price Kobe burgers: Last time Alibi Bucks featured half-price certificates for Independence Grill, they sold out within hours. But they’re back, so grab one while you can! Scroll about halfway down the page to get a $20 certificate for just $10!! Valid through 12/31/10. Other current Alibi Bucks half-price dining deals include Gold Street Caffé, El Norteño, and Bumble Bee’s Baja Grill, just to name a few. Offers and expiration dates vary. Read the fine print; most of these are “no cash back” offers, which means you need to use the full value of the certificate in one transaction.
• $3 off ice cream cake: What better way to cool off during your hot Independence Day celebrations than with an ice cream cake?! Use this coupon for $3 off any size ice cream cake from Ben & Jerry’s to give your picnic panache this holiday. Valid through 7/12/09. Two locations, east side and west side.
• BOGO sundaes: And speaking of Ben & Jerry’s, don’t forget their buy one get one free sundae promotion every Monday. Simply buy one sundae to get one of equal or lesser value free! No coupon required, but you do have to mention the promotion to get the deal. Valid through 8/31/09.
• $1 off coupon: Wendy’s is celebrating their #1 Zagat rating by giving you this coupon for $1 off. We haven’t printed the coupon yet, so we don’t know the fine print. May require a minimum purchase. But, hey, a buck’s a buck! With over 10 Wendy’s in Albuquerque, you’ll be able to redeem this coupon easily enough.
• $1 carne asada tacos: Plus $5 margaritas and mojitos. PLUS live music on the patio. This month, the band is Los Otros. Every Friday in July (2009) at the Cantina Bar in the Hilton Albuquerque Hotel! Near the Big-I.

That’s it for this week, boys and girls. And remember: if you decide to dress up for Cow Appreciation Day, don’t forget to send us pix!

–Elizabeth Hanes

BOGO Laser Tag, Mini Golf, Arcade Credits

If August looks a long way off to you, here’s a way to stop the “Mom, I’m boooored” chorus at your house. And save money, to boot!

Check out these Hinkle Family Fun Center coupons good for buy one get one free laser tag, miniature golf, and 60 arcade credits. You’ll be the most awesomest mom on the block!

Hinkle Family Fun Center offers activities to keep kids happy for hours. Besides the laser tag and mini golf, kids can ride the bumper cars, chill in bumper boats, zip around in go-karts, and play games in the nickel city arcade. Not to mention they can fill up on pizza, chicken nuggets, soda, and more.

And if the Hinkle BOGO coupons aren’t enough (after all, they do expire 7/7/09), you can treat the kids to a Summer Fan Pass. For $19.95, they can play all they want for 3 hours! (Arcade and paintball credits not included; valid prior to 3:00pm Monday through Friday.)

There you go! Two great ways to avoid Summer Boredom Syndrome on the cheap.

Hinkle Family Fun Center is located in the far northeast heights at 12901 Indian School Road NE, Albuquerque.

–Elizabeth Hanes

Friday Food Freebies and Deals for 6/19/09

Another week is toast! Let’s toast it by raising a few happy hour glasses along with our usual roundup of local cheap chow — and bad food puns.

• BOGO entrée: Thanks to Ron, here’s a T.G.I. Friday’s BOGO coupon. Buy one entrée, get one free. It’s that simple! Expires 6/22/09, so act quick-like. West side.
• $3 off coupon: Grab this Boston Market coupon for $3 off a $6 purchase and try their new BBQ beef brisket. Or stick with your faves, like rotisserie chicken. Whatever floats your boat. Three locations, primarily northeast heights.
• $10 off: Take Dad to Outback Steakhouse and they’ll give him a $10 off certificate good on his next visit. Pretty darn generous, eh? Plus, they open at 11:00am on Father’s Day. Two locations: north I-25 and Rio Rancho.
• Beer & burger $10: And this ain’t yer ordinary burger. Or beer. Artichoke Café just added this deal to their happy hour menu: 10 oz. draught Chimay beer plus one of Artichoke’s gourmet burgers for a mere $9.95. Definitely our hâute happy hour pick! Valid Monday through Friday, 4:00 – 7:00pm. EDO.
• Kids eat FREE: Hankering for steak? Head over to Texas Land & Cattle on Saturdays between 11:00am and 4:00pm and your kids under 12 will eat free! Up to two kids’ meals per adult entrée purchased. Not valid in combination with any other coupons, offers, or discounts. Dine-in only. North-central.
• Free tacos: Those who voted for Del Taco in our “best cheap tacos” contest will like this! Sign up for Del Taco’s Raving Fan Club and receive 2 free chicken tacos for joining, plus look forward to a premium shake on your birthday. And, of course, other offers throughout the year. Several locations around ABQ.
• Free LobsterGram gift: Restaurant.com’s new promotion offers 60% off dining certificates, which makes a $25 cert just $4. And they’re also throwing in a free $15 gift from Lobster Gram! Doesn’t specify what the gift is, but it’s sure to be yummy! Expires 6/21/09.
• BOGO burgers: If you’re more in the mood for fast food, check out the most recent Carl’s Jr. coupons from Valpak. Buy-one-get-one on Six Dollar Burger, Western Bacon Burger, or Charbroiled Chicken Sandwich. A bazillion Albuquerque area locations to serve you.
• Free Father’s Day BBQ: Sunflower Farmers Market (Corrales location) is hosting a BBQ for Dads on 6/20/09 from noon – 4:00pm. Enjoy marinated kabobs hot off the grill!
• Sushi sampling: Meanwhile, the other Sunflower Farmers Market (on Lomas) is handing out handcrafted sushi TODAY (6/19/09) from 2:30 – 4:30pm. We think we feel an emergency coming on that will require us to leave work early.
• Free slice of pie: Village Inn is at it again. Use this coupon for a free slice of pie with any adult entrée. Perfect for Father’s Day! Ten locations.
• Free breakfast: Nobody says you have to eat breakfast when you wake up Denny’s says you can (coupon is only good 5:00-11:00am!). How about using this Denny’s coupon for a free breakfast late at night? Or mid-afternoon? Go right ahead. (Not!) Oodles of Denny’s restaurants all over the state; three in ABQ.
• Free meal for Dads: Pei Wei issued a rare coupon for a free entrée for “Dads only” with purchase of another entrée. Valid only Saturday and Sunday, 6/20 and 6/21. Uptown and Cottonwood Mall.

And that’s all for this Friday, folks! Have a super Father’s Day!

–Elizabeth Hanes

Friday Food Freebies & Deals for 6/5/09

We already fed you some great food freebies earlier in the week, but we’ve still stuffed this issue with as much gastronomical goodness as we can find!

• Free appetizer or dessert: Trombino’s Bistro Italiano will send you a certificate for freebies on your birthday and anniversary when you sign up for their mailing list. Northeast heights.
• Kids eat free or cheap list organized by day of week: Thanks to Patricia for sending this link to a huge list at FrugalLivingTV. We don’t know how up-to-date the list is, and we strongly recommend verifying these deals before heading to the restaurant!
• Free house brew or mango ice tea: Satellite Coffee is celebrating their new menu by offering this coupon, valid at all locations. Expires 6/15/09.
• BOGO entreés: Lotus Café is offering several dining coupons, including buy one entreé get one half off, $3 off lunch or dinner OR free dumplings, and $7 off purchase of two entreés and two drinks. 5505 Osuna Rd NE.
• 20% off: La Provence Brasserie offers this coupon good for 20% off your food purchase. Certificate appears to be good any day of the week, not valid on alcoholic beverages. No expiration date noted. UNM area.
• Free cupcake: Slate Street Café is running this coupon in New Mexico MarketPlace for a free cupcake (up to 2 per table) with each dinner entreé. Can you say yum? Downtown.
• $10 off lunch or dinner: Scalo Northern Italian Grill offers this coupon good for $10 off the purchase of any two entreés plus beverages. Nob Hill.
• Half price ice cream: Great for Ben & Jerry lovers! Score ten $5 gift certificates for just $25 — half price. These babies don’t expire until 12/31/09, so you can enjoy half price B&J for six long months. Not valid on pints and quarts or other “take out” items. Northeast heights and west side.

That’s it for this week, folks! Know of a great food freebie or deal? Use our “Submit Your Deal“ form!

P.S.: Don’t forget to share the love. Please use the “Share/Save” button below this post to forward the page to your friends. We don’t collect any information when you use this feature, so your privacy is assured. Besides, don’t your friends need cheap chow, too?

–Elizabeth Hanes

Friday Food Freebies and Deals for 5/8/09

Here it is, Friday again already! And we’re ready with a glorious assortment of dining deals.

• Food delivery for a buck: Just Dine In issued a Springtime Food Delivery coupon good for $4 off your order. Since their normal delivery fee is only a fin, that means you can get yer chow brought in for a mere Washington. Just Dine In will pick up food from a wide selection of local eateries and bring it hot to your door. We tried out the service last weekend and were very pleased. This deal is good through 5/15/09.
• $10 gift certificate for Mom from Outback: Take your mom to Outback Steakhouse for Mother’s Day, and they’ll give her a $10 gift certificate redeemable on her next visit. The Albuquerque Outback opens at 11:00am on Mother’s Day. Located at 4921 Jefferson NE.
• Three-course dinner for $12.99 at Mimi’s: Not exactly cheap, but a cheaper alternative to those pricey Mother’s Day brunches. Choose from this special menu, and you can even add a nice glass of wine to really make the day special. Located at 4316 The 25 Way, and has call-ahead seating at 341-0300. Offer good through 5/27/09.
• Free gift for Mom: Buca di Beppo is giving out some sort of undisclosed free gift to Moms on Mother’s Day. Plus, you can make an online reservation, which is a rarity in this day and age. Not to mention, any excuse to get some of Buca’s fabulous chicken parmigiana is a good one. Located at 6520 Americas Parkway NE (which is near Coronado Mall, not to be confused with Pan American Parkway, which is the I-25 frontage road!).
• BOGO sandwich: Bagels and Beyond is as good as its name. It offers sandwiches, soups, salads, paninis, and more. Use this coupon to get one sandwich free with purchase of a sandwich and two drinks! The coupon is “valid for 30 days after print date.” Located at 5400 Nueva Sevilla NW. Phone: 899-1195.
• 50% off second entrée: Chef’s Restaurant makes all orders fresh from scratch. Chef Michael Christensen serves breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday. Use this coupon to get half off a second entrée. Located at 3250 Coors Blvd NW.

Lastly, though we rarely recommend spending money to save money, we gotta say it’s well worth popping the $5 for the May issue of Albuquerque the Magazine. Why? Because it comes bundled with their “Ultimate Restaurant Guide,” which is packed with coupons such as:

• Free appetizer at Trombino’s
• Free dessert at Marcello’s Chophouse
• BOGO burgers at Bubsters
• 15% off your meal at Bangkok Asian Fusion
• Free spumoni or canoli at Mimmo’s

You get the picture.

Have a great weekend!

–Elizabeth Hanes

UPDATED: OVER 50% OFF ENTERTAINMENT BOOK, PLUS FREE SHIPPING

Thanks to reader Greg Balke at On Site Oil Change for updating us on this deal we posted earlier.

If you like the Entertainment® book, you’ll love this deal.

Through 4/15/09, you can get the 2009 Albuquerque/Santa Fe Entertainment® book for just $20 just $15– that’s more than half off the regular $40 price. Plus, they’ll ship the book to you for just a buck FREE!

The Entertaiment® folks have expanded their reach over the years and now include discounts at top retailers — like Target, Petsmart, and Office Depot — in addition to their traditional BOGO offers on dining and attractions. In fact, they claim the 2009 book contains $17,800 in savings.

We challenge any ABQ on the Cheap® reader to get the book® and redeem all the coupons and then report back to us whether or not they actually saved $17,800. If it’s true, we’ll buy you a cup of coffee® and give you a hearty slap on the back®!

Remember, this half-price Entertainment® book offer expires 4/15/09.

–Elizabeth Hanes ®

BOGO COUPON: BEN & JERRY’S SMOOTHIES

Hey, hey! It’s Hump Day! And that’s reason enough for a treat.

We have the skinny on THREE Ben & Jerry’s coupons:

• Buy one get one free smoothie or other frozen beverage
• $1 off any waffle bowl sundae
• $3 off any ice cream cake (in case you’re really into celebrating Hump Day)

Just pop over to our friends at Valpak, click the link to “Choose Location,” and then click on your preferred coupon and hit the “Print Now” tab above. It’s that simple!

There are two Ben & Jerry’s locations in Albuquerque: 11225 Montgomery Blvd NE Suite A and 9370 Coors Blvd NW.

–Elizabeth Hanes

FRIDAY FREEBIES: THREE CARL’S JR. BOGO COUPONS

We have a confession: we love us some Six Dollar Guacamole Bacon Burger. Even if it does make it harder for us to maintain our girlish figure.

If you also love Carl’s Jr. burgers, here’s an offer you won’t want to pass up: three — count ‘em THREE — buy one get one free coupons, courtesy of Valpak. One coupon is good for a Charbroiled Chicken Sandwich, another is good for a Western Bacon Cheeseburger, and the third is good on any Six Dollar Burger. Each coupon requires the purchase of the same item. In other words, you gotta buy a Western Bacon Cheeseburger to GET a Western Bacon Cheeseburger. No mix and match. Each coupon expires 4/10/09.

To get the coupon, you must first select a location from the, um, “Choose Location” link on the coupon page. Then click the coupon you want and click the “Print Now” tab. It’s that quick and easy.

There are 12 or 13 Carl’s Jr. restaurants in the Albuquerque/Rio Rancho area. Find the one nearest you.

–Elizabeth Hanes

COUPON FOR BOGO SEATTLE’S BEST LATTE OR MOCHA

You know Seattle’s Best — they’re the coffeeshops located inside Borders bookstores.

To celebrate their 39th anniversary, they’re offering a buy-one-get-on-free coupon for a medium or large mocha or latte! Print out the BOGO coupon and take it with you to Borders next time you go. The coupon is good through 4/28/09, so you have plenty of time to redeem it.

There are three Borders stores in Albuquerque, two in Santa Fe, and several others throughout New Mexico. Locate the one nearest you.

–Elizabeth Hanes