Have you heard of Alice.com before? It’s an online shopping site that sells items you’d find in a grocery store. The interesting thing is that they offer special online coupons and free shipping, so there is the potential for some good deals. Yesterday, they were offering 64 oz bottles of Snuggle fabric softener for .38 cents – all I had to do was sign up for a free account, add the item to my cart, and pay the .38 cents. Shipping is free and the coupon deducted automatically. You can order one sale item per person, and we’re in need of more fabric softener, so Jai and I both ordered a bottle. That’s .76 cents total for 128 ounces of fabric softener; not bad. I think the deal may be over already, but you can click here to view the Snuggle product page on Alice – I think you need to be logged in before the deal will show up, so you might need to create an account first. I would recommend checking back even if the deal is over for now, since it keeps popping up. I had initially heard about the Snuggle sale early last week, but the first time I looked it was unavailable. Then Money Saving Mom mentioned that it might be up and running again yesterday, and sure enough, I got in on the deal that time. It’s also worth keeping an eye on their “Best Deals” section – just keep in mind that you are required to order six items or more at a time after your first order.

This morning I decided to take the plunge and place an order that I’ve been mulling over for months. Gevalia coffee has an offer where you can purchase three half-pound bags of coffee and a travel mug for $3.00, with free shipping. The reason I hesitated was that by making this purchase, you are automatically enrolled in their “Coffee Club”, and will be billed for coffee every six weeks unless you cancel. According to their terms of service, you are welcome to try the $3.00 coffee deal and cancel your membership once it arrives; they say that you are not required to continue in the program or make any further purchases. I’ve seen this deal advertised for maybe six months or more, but wasn’t sure that I wanted to venture it – I’ve always been extremely suspicious of “free trials”, and anytime I hear the phrase “No obligation”, I steer clear!

However, I’ve learned that saving money also means being open to possibilities – and in the last year, I’ve seen examples of smart shoppers actually getting good deals with trial offers. In April, I took part in a “Free trial” offer for the first time in my life in order to earn a free Photobucket upgrade. Amazingly, it worked as it said, without me getting billed for anything.

And over the last few months, I’ve watched everyone from Deal Seeking Mom to Mummy Deals take part in this Gevalia offer with no problems, so I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go. I think the secret to trial offers if to be very organized and highly cautious. Know the terms and conditions, make sure to cancel immediately, and check your bank statements very carefully to watch for any billing issues. We’ll see how my little experiment goes; I’ll post an update once the coffee arrives, and I’ll let you know if it ends up being a good buy – or if it’s not worth the hassle.