Got tons of graduation photos just sitting in your camera waiting to be printed?
Shutterfly has a new member’s offer: Get 50 free 4x6 prints and an 11x14 Collage Poster when you join Shutterfly.
This is double the amount of photos you usually get for just signing up, plus the photo collage.
Time to start uploading some photos...
Last week, I took my son to PictureMe! Portrait Studios (in Walmart) to get his three-year photos taken.
When you have a three-year-old, your mission is to get through the photos as easily and as inexpensively as possible. Unfortunately, my kid is just too cute, and I always end up spending more than I plan!
Prior to scheduling the session, I did sign up for the PictureMe! e-mail list. And I was glad I did, because about a week before picture day, I got a printable coupon for 20 percent off my entire order and a free 10x13 print!
I was also pleased to discover that my local PictureMe! is now digital and offers you the option of purchasing a CD of all the photographs taken during the session. I love this option because I can use the photos for digital scrapbooking or make reprints as much as I like. I know I'll be using some of those credits I have for free 5x7s from ArtsCow.
In total, I spent about $120 for all of the photos and the CD. When I had photos of the kids taken by a professional photographer in January, we paid more than $300 (and we did get some family shots too!) just to get the CD, and then we still had to print them!!! (I know, I know, not frugal at all, but I loved her work!) We couldn't afford to spend that much this time and I couldn't risk the temptation! I definitely didn't get as many photos with PictureMe!(only about 20 compared to 200+ from the professional)... and the whole thing took 1/2 hour (instead of the hour we spent with the professional). But for what I wanted - which was just a couple good shots - I thought the photographer at PictureMe! did a great job of puting my son at ease and got some great shots. I still think that for our next big family photo session, I would rather spend the money go back to the professional.
I also learned that I could get photos of the twins at PictureMe! for the same price - no additional charges for more than one child, which is a plus.
When you sign up for the newsletter this month, you'll get a coupon for 15 percent off portraits and a photo collage for $4.99 during June.
How do you save on professional portraits? Any tips for taking your own?
My credit for my first 100 free prints from ArtsCow will expire on May 31, so I thought I'd better start uploading some photos.
Looking for a frugal last-minute Mother's Day gift? Get a FREE 8x10 digital photo print at Walgreens Wednesday, May 6 ONLY. Simply upload your photo and enter the code 4MOM at check-out. Then pick up your free print at the store. Remember, you don't have to send it to your local Walgreens. You can send it to any Walgreens in the country (like the one closest to Grandma, for instance).
Also a reminder, ArtsCow is still giving away 400 digital prints and an 8x8 photo book to new members. Not sure how much longer this deal will last, so take advantage soon. I doubt their turn around is quick enough for Mother's Day, but Father's Day and graduation gifts may be do-able.
ArtsCow, a digital photo service, is offering 400 FREE digital photo prints and a FREE 8x8 Photo Book to new members who sign up during this limited time only service.
Walgreens has a coupon for free developing of a roll of 35mm or APS film on Wednesday, April 9.
The coupon says it's also good for the developing one-time use cameras. It also says you can get your film back in as little as an hour, depending on demand.
People who know me know that I am an avid scrapbooker. Several years ago, my husband got me an Epson Picturemate so I could print photos at home. I had surfed until I found a bargain online on ink and paper that enabled me to print photos for 19 cents a print.
I liked the convenience of printing photos at home, but I couldn't help but wonder if I could get photos printed for less money. A lot of my friends had been raving about Snapfish. So after doing some research, I learned that they only charge 9 cents a print (which works out to about 12 cents a print with shipping). I signed up, got 50 free prints, and was impressed with the quality and speed of the service. I will still use my photo printer sometimes, but when I am printing 200+ photos at a time, I think Snapfish will save me time and money.
Where we really saved money was on printing professional photos. We recently splurged and had a professional photographer take some photos of us. In the hour session we had with the photographer, she took nearly 300 photos of the kids, the family, and my husband (he needed a mugshot for work). The photographer did such a good job, and it was hard to select photos.
Because we have a large family we wanted to share photos with, it was going to cost us a lot of money for prints. We finally decided to purchase the rights to the digital photos. The photographer gave us a CD-ROM with ALL of the photos on it. We have the right to print/use the photos as we wish.
I then uploaded the photos we wanted to Snapfish and saved a lot of money on printing. For example, we saved $12 on each 8x10, $7 on 5x7 prints, and $5 on each sheet of wallets.
I'm also excited because I can use the photos to make gifts, to digital scrapbook, decorate my desktop, etc.
The professional photographer was expensive, but in the end it was a great VALUE for us.
