Here’s the deal:

Stop by 7-Eleven between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. today and you can get a free 7.11 oz. Slurpee.

Are you confused yet? I know, that’s a lot of numbers. But just remember: Free Slurpees between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Enjoy!

Luckily, during the summer throughout the Roanoke Valley you have a lot of ways to get the family into a flick without the hefty price tag.

Movies at the Tower

Movies at the Tower is a series of free outdoor movie showings at Wells Fargo Plaza in downtown Roanoke.

A family-friendly movie is shown once a month May through October, and concessions are available for purchase. The remaining dates this season are June 8 (“Cars 2”), July 13 (“Footloose”),
Aug. 10 (“The Muppets”),
Sept. 14 (“The Lorax”) and
Oct. 12 (“Zookeeper”).

Attendees are asked to bring a blanket or chair. Movies begin at dusk. For more information, visit www.downtownroanoke.org/events/movies-at-the-tower-2012.

Movies on the Lawn

This series of family-friendly movies is shown on the lawn of the Alexander Black House on Draper Road in Blacksburg.

The next showing will be on June 8 and feature “The Muppets.” Movies begin at dark and free popcorn is available. This event is free, but attendees are asked to bring a blanket or chair. For more information call 231-5200.

Movies at Longwood

Presented by Salem throughout the summer. The next showing will be May 27 and features “The Smurfs.”

The first 50 families will receive a free bag of popcorn, and additional food will be available for purchase. Additional movie dates include
June 23, Aug. 18 and Sept. 8. Movies begin at 9 p.m. and admission is free. Chairs and blankets are welcome. For more information call 375-3057.

Summer Movie Express

This is a nine-week festival at participating Regal Cinemas (the Christiansburg and Roanoke locations are participating) with select G and PG rated movies shown for $1 on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10. This program begins June 12.

A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Will Rogers Institute. For more information, including the movie schedule, visit www.regmovies.com/summermovieexpress/.

Summer Kid Series

Carmike Cinemas presents 10 weeks of family-friendly movies shown every Thursday at 10 a.m. for $2. The $2 Movie Combo includes a drink, popcorn and movie admission. Showings begin on June 21 with “Puss in Boots.” The Roanoke Carmike location is participating. For more information, call 725-9800 or visit www.carmike.com/Promotions/119.

Looney Tunes Summer

The Grandin Theatre presents Looney Tunes Cartoon Summer on Fridays and Saturdays from June through August. These cartoons are free and begin at 10 a.m. each day, and the Friday show will be repeated Saturday. This series begins June 15.

Do you know of any other ways to save on family movies? Which of these events is your favorite?

Sign up now for your summer Target Beauty Bag.

Target has just opened registration for its summer Beauty Bags. If you haven’t signed up for one of these in the past, I suggest you do so — they’re great!

After you sign up (be patient, the page is loading very slow), you’ll receive a small cosmetic bag in the mail filled with samples. In the past, there have also been store coupons included. These coupons were awesome because they could be stacked with manufacturer coupons.

To sign up and get more information, visit the TargetStyle Facebook page.

All you have to do is click here, name your favorite song of the moment and then share the information on your Facebook wall (you can always delete the post right after if you don’t want to continue using the app).

The credit will automatically be added to your Amazon account and you’ll be streaming free music before you know it.

Just be quick! You must use your credits by Thursday.

Note: Amazon MP3s can be streamed through iTunes. I’ve found that Amazon is often cheaper than iTunes and it’s become my go-to place to buy music, but I still keep track of all my files through iTunes.

Who's hungry? Outback is giving away free Bloomin' Onions today. Photo by AdamSelwood, Flickr.

If you’re a fan of Bloomin’ Onions, be thankful for NASCAR driver Ryan Newman. Because Newman, the driver of the #39 Outback car, finished in the top 10 yesterday, we can all enjoy a free Bloomin’ Onion with any purchase today only just by mentioning Newman’s name.

There’s a limit to one Bloomin’ Onion per table, and this offer is valid at participating locations only (so call ahead).

For more information, click here.

Here are some of the best bargains I came across:

During the AC Moore Pre Memorial Day Sale you can take advantage of these coupons:
* 50% off any regular priced item (today only)
* 55% off custom framing
* 40% off any regular priced item (Monday through Saturday)
Throughout the store you’ll also find tons of merchandise 30 to 50% off.

Michaels also has multiple coupons this week:
* 40% off any regular priced item
* 25% off entire purchase of wall and tabletop frames, framed art and display cases (regular and sale priced)
Additionally, merchandise throughout the store is marked down 40 to 50% off.

Toys R Us has a great deal for gamers this week. All Wii, 3DS and DS games are buy one, get one 40$ off. Plus, when you buy any 3DS game system you’ll be rewarded with a free $20 gift card.
Also, don’t miss the information about Bike Safety Fest on May 26 from 2 to 4 p.m., where you kids can get free coloring pages and take the bike safety pledge.
As usual there are a couple baby coupons available as well:
* 20% off one regular priced baby item
* $4 off any two 22.2 oz. or larger powder formulas

If you have kids to shop for, check out Target this week. Kids’ Circo apparel is only $5, and canvas shoes and sandals are all 20% off.
When you buy any three Neosporin, Band-Aid or Johnson & Johnson items, you’ll receive a free Johnson & Johnson first-aid bag in return. Combine this deal with coupons for Neosporin and/or Band-Aid if you have them!

There are more great BOGO deals at Walgreens this week on products like Breyers ice cream, Foster Grand, Studio 35 or children’s sunglasses, Walgreen sun care, sandals, Lay’s chips, Dixie tableware and Oscar Meyer wieners — sounds like a Memorial Day cookout in the making!
As usual, there are also tons of store coupons waiting to be combined with manufacturer coupons as well.

CVS begins a new promotion for free gas today. Purchase $30 or more on specially marked items and you’ll receive a free $10 gas card in return. Some participating merchandise includes Scott tissue, Zyrtec, Kleenex, L’Oreal, Palmolive, Purina dog snacks, Slim Fast and more.
If you are a fan of P&G products, check out this rebate offer: Spend $50 on Olay face and body, CoverGirl, Pantene, Secret, Venus, Ivory, Herbal Essences, Aussie or Clairol and receive $10 back via rebate. Click here for the rebate form.

I love bargains on gift cards — it’s like free money! This week at Office Max you’ll save $10 when you purchase two $25 iTunes gift cards. That’s $50 of music for only $40.

Kmart is offering a Grilling Meal Deal for Shop Your Way Rewards Members this week. Buy one pound of ground chuck for $2.99 and in return you’ll receive hamburger buns and Sunny Acres American cheese for free. Additionally, there are tons of $1 foodie deals.
Remember, Kmart doubles manufacturer coupons up to $1 when you purchase $25 or more in grocery, beauty and health merchandise. Limit of five coupons per customer.

Remember, all of these ads may not appear in your paper. However, many retailers post their ads online, so always check there if you’re interested in finding out more details. You can also get printable coupons at these websites: SmartSource , Redplum , Coupon Network and Coupons.com.

AC Moore and Michaels both have big sales and coupons next week.

Toys R Us will be a popular spot for gamers beginning Sunday.
Also, spring is the perfect bike riding weather. Don’t miss the information about Bike Safety Fest.
As usual, there will also be a couple baby related coupons.

If you have kids to shop for, head straight for the Target ad next week.
There’s also a great promotion that will take care of any scrapes and bumps the kids earn in the coming summer months.

There are more great BOGO deals at Walgreens next week, as well as the usual batch of in store coupons.

CVS will roll out a new promotion for free gas on Sunday. There’s also a great rebate opportunity for P&G products.

Do you like free money? That’s basically what you get when you get a deal on gift cards. Just one reason to browse through the Office Max!

Kmart has a great grilling promotion that might inspire you to throw a Memorial Day cookout.

Remember, all of these ads may not appear in your paper. However, many retailers post their ads online, so always check there if you’re interested in finding out more details. You can also get printable coupons at these websites: SmartSource , Redplum , Coupon Network and Coupons.com.

Click here and you can sign up your child, nephew, niece, etc. for a free two year subscription to LEGO magazine.

Just select the child’s age and country of residence, then fill out some simple information like name and address. No credit card information is collected.

Kids also love getting their own mail, so this is a win-win situation for everyone — but especially your wallet!

Sometimes, however, it means the buyer spends more upfront.

I don’t know anyone who would argue with a sale price. But when it comes to having to buy a product to save in the long run, things get tricky.

For example, both Kohl’s and CVS are popular retailers in our area who offer their own store rewards for select purchases.

Kohl’s offers Kohl’s Cash throughout the year when shoppers spend a certain amount. After the cash is earned, shoppers can return at a later date to use the “cash” on future purchases.

CVS has a similar deal. Shoppers earn Extra Bucks for spending a certain amount on selected products each week. These “bucks” can be used in future shopping trips.

If you are a regular shopper at a store that offers these incentives, they can be very rewarding. I’m in a cycle of shopping at CVS because I prefer to make short shopping trips when what I need is on sale as opposed to big Walmart trips. Even though the normal prices at CVS are higher than those at Walmart, I save 50 percent to 75 percent on each shopping trip thanks to my coupons and Extra Bucks.

However, if you’re enticed to pick up a product at one of these stores because of the rewards you receive with a purchase even though you rarely shop there, think twice. For retailers, part of the appeal of these incentives is that many shoppers will forget to use their rewards or not bother to return. Then you really haven’t gotten a deal at all.

Similar promotions also can be found at Target, which regularly offers free gift cards with selected purchases. The plus side to receiving a gift card with purchase is that it won’t expire like store “cash,” which usually is valid for only a month or less.

Then there is the best kind of incentive, which most of us see as an old-fashioned sale. For many shoppers, there’s not much better than a sign that reads “buy one, get one free.” The free product is indeed an incentive, but the reward is immediate.

Similar deals include “buy one at regular price, get one for a dollar,” or “buy one, get one half-off.” You may not have thought of these purchases as incentives in the past, but it’s important to start doing so to really see the value in what you’re buying.

Do you have a preference when shopping? Are you often enticed by rewards after purchase, or have you been burned by them in the past?

This coupon is valid through May 20.