Free sample of Pantene

Of all the free samples out there, shampoo and conditioner products are among my favorites because I know I'll use them. Except for the special dandruff shampoo that I use three times per week, I am not brand loyal when it comes to shampoo and conditioner, so I love trying out new products. And although I've read that Pantene can be hard on hair, it's always worked great on mine (but then again, mine isn't color-treated or permed).

You can get your own free sample here. This offer is no longer available.

Disclosure: This link is served by MySavings.com, and CFO is a MySavings.com affiliate.

Get a free box of Touch of Gray

The mail-in rebate for a free box of Touch of Gray is back. Print the form and mail it in with your receipt for up to $9.50 back.

Disclosure: This link is served by MySavings.com, and CFO is a MySavings.com affiliate.

Review: Lawry's Carvery at L.A. Live

For my first trip to the new L.A. Live venue near Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, I went to Lawry's Carvery for lunch. Lawry's in Beverly Hills is one of our favorite restaurants, but we've only gone once since Alex was born nearly four years ago.

So Lawry's Carvery for lunch was the perfect opportunity for me to get my Lawry's fix. And the prime rib didn't disappoint. The horseradish cream was even better than I remember. Ditto for the au jus. The broccoli was cooked perfectly, but the asparagus was a little, um, woody. Overall, the food was good.

The menu had other tasty-sounding options, like roast beef and sandwiches. But how could I get anything other than prime rib?

The only thing missing was Yorkshire pudding. I don't understand why they didn't have any, and I sorely missed it. (I do realize that it's incredibly easy to make at home, and now that I've thought of it, I probably will soon, but I really would have enjoyed it with my prime rib.)

The set up of the restaurant is, to put it mildly, strange. You go through a cafeteria line to order your food, but then you get your condiments at a hooded counter (like a salad bar) and sit down. Then a server comes up and takes your drink order. He brings your drinks, checks up on you while you eat (he brought me more au jus and iced tea), will take your dessert order if you want any (I was too full of prime rib, and strawberry trifle was not one of the options), and brings the check. So despite the initial cafeteria set up, you pay at the end of your meal at the table - and of course, leave a tip. Strange, I tell you.

And depending on your interest in sports, you'll either love or hate that ESPN is on in the background no matter where you sit. Normally I wouldn't mind, but pretty much the only story they covered the entire time I ate was Tiger Woods's return to the golf course. Even Outside the Lines was going to be about "the ramifications of Tiger Woods's return."

Prices are definitely high. I paid $19.99 for my small (8 oz.) prime rib - with tip and drink, my lunch came to $27.50. I wouldn't blink at that for dinner at Lawry's in Beverly Hills, but that's a really expensive lunch for a place that's definitely not fine dining.

Even so, I'll probably go back sometime - as long as I can't get to Lawry's proper, the Carvery will certainly satisfy my prime rib craving. They do make it better than any restaurant I've ever tried.

Free Quiznos Sub

Go to MillionSubs.com and register to get a printable coupon for a free Quiznos sub. The coupon expires 5 days after it's printed. It's also personalized, and you'll need ID when you use it.

Via Coupon Cravings.

Free Kashi frozen entree

Fill out a form to get a coupon for a free Kashi frozen entree. I love being able to try new products for free!

Via A Thrifty Mom.

Walgreens: 20 free 4x6 prints

Tomorrow (Feb. 20) only, you can get 20 free 4x6 prints from Walgreens photo. Use coupon code ONEDAY when you check out, and select in-store pick up to get totally free photos.

Free organic baby food (Los Angeles only, pick up required)

If you live in the LA area, you can pick up a case of frozen, organic baby food by Tasty Baby for free this week. Details are at the Tasty Baby web site.

Via Common Sense with Money.

Buy a DVD from Amazon by Feb. 28 and get three $1 magazine subscriptions

I bought some "All About" kids' DVDsfrom Amazon and received an email saying that my purchase had made me eligible for $1 subscriptions to Rolling Stone, Men's Journal and Us Weekly. I didn't remember reading about any promotion when I bought the DVDs, but when I went back, I saw this text:

Purchase a DVD in February, and you can get a magazine subscription to Rolling Stone, Us Weekly and Men's Journal for just $1 each. Here's how (restrictions apply).

The Rolling Stone and Men's Journal subscriptions are for one year; the Us Weekly subscription is only for 8 weeks. It's a total $34.90 value for $3, but you can choose one, two or all three - they'll just be $1 apiece.

Disclosure: I'm an Amazon affiliate, so any purchase you make after entering Amazon through a link on CFO Reviews supports this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Did you know that you can make your own ringtones for free?

It wouldn't have occurred to me that this was possible, but Bargain Briana has a tutorial on how to make your own ringtones for free with iTunes. I'm still sort of obsessed with Coldplay's Viva la Vida, so I might make that my new ringtone.

Free Multigrain Cheerios at Ralphs plus overage

Now through Tuesday, Multigrain Cheerios are 2 for $3 at Ralphs. There was a 50-cents off coupon in the Jan. 18 SmartSource insert, and there was, for a while, a 75-cents off printable coupon from Coupons.com. There are also 75-cents off coupons that can be loaded onto your Ralphs Rewards card at Cellfire.com and Shortcuts.com. Each electronic coupon can be used once, so buy two boxes of Multigrain Cheerios in separate transactions and get 50 cents overage total.

Here's how your transaction should look:
$1.50 per box
- $1 paper coupon (75 or 50 cents off, doubled)
- 75 cents Cellfire or Shortcuts
Total: -25 cents

Keep in mind that if you buy both boxes in the same transaction (like I did, since I wasn't thinking clearly), you'll only get 25 cents overage for two boxes because only one of the paper coupons will double. That's why it's best to do it in two transactions.

Also, if you need toilet paper, the Cottonelle 4-packs aren't quite free (like they were a few weeks ago), but they are 2 for $3. There is a printable coupon at the Cottonelle web site (create a pledge to get it) for either 50-cents or $1 off, and there is a 25-cents off electronic coupon at Cellfire. So you'll pay 25 cents for the 4-pack, which is still a pretty good deal for toilet paper.

Image credit: Amazon.com.

Free Valentine's card with a $10 purchase from Shutterfly

I really wish I'd waited to order Alex's birthday party invitations because now I'm missing out on the offer that came by email today:

Place an order of $10 or more and you’ll receive a free greeting card. Select a picture, add your message and choose a recipient. We’ll stamp, seal and mail it—in time for Valentine’s Day.

Offer ends February 6, 2009.

Enter code SENDFORYOU in your shopping cart.

I'll definitely have to remember to wait til it's closer to Valentine's Day next year before ordering the invitations!

Disclosure: CFO Reviews is a Shutterfly affiliate.

Do you know a Huggable Hero?

Build-A-Bear Workshop is looking for twelve young people between the ages of 7 and 18 who are doing extraordinary things in their community or around the world to better the lives of others. Each Huggable Hero will a $7,500 educational scholarship and $2,500 in the form of a donation to the 501(c)(3) charity of his/her choice. Visit the Build-A-Bear Workshop web site to obtain a nomination form and read the official rules. The deadline to nominate someone is February 27.

Free magazine downloads at Amazon

Get 20 free downloadsfrom Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Mental Floss at Amazon.com.