The Staples website has a coupon that will get you a free reusable shopping bag plus 20 percent off many of the items that you can fit in it.

Just take your coupon to a Staples store and get one of the EcoEasy bags from Customer Service. Then, according to the directions on the coupon, all you have to do is fill the bag with items like printer ink, paper and even clearance items, furniture and chairs, although I think it would have to be an unassembled chair in a box to fit in the bag. Some items, such as computers, are excluded.

If you already have a Staples EcoEasy bag, you can take it to a store, fill it and get 20 percent off, the coupon says. But if you can get another bag for free, why not get it?

The offer is valid in-store only and through Saturday while supplies last.

To get the coupon to print or access from your mobile device, go to http://www.staples.com/coupons/?icid=HDC:HDC:TEXTLINKS:WEEKLY:COUPON:20120909::

Rave is giving away free hairspray starting today at 3 p.m. Eastern time.

Go to Rave’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ravehairspray.

I found the announcement for the free hairspray giveaway by clicking on “coming soon.”  I couldn’t find any “official rules” yet, but another site, Shop4Freebies.com, said the hairspray giveaway runs today through Friday and the first 200 people each day to fill out the form at 3 p.m. will get a freebie.

The Sounds of Summer begin tonight in Erie.

The free annual music series kicks off with a 7 p.m. concert at St. Mary’s Home — East, 607 E. 26th St. The Gem City Jazz Ensemble will be performing.

Concerts continue each Monday through Aug. 12 with a different performer at a different location. Rain dates are Aug. 19 and 26.

For future concert details, check Cheap in Erie each Monday or visit http://www.erie.pa.us/AboutErie/RegionalEvents/tabid/96/ModuleID/484/ItemID/49/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx

I love roses but we all know they’re not exactly cheap to buy.

So I grow my own and they smell even sweeter than some of the ones I sniff in shops.

When I moved into my house, I inherited four rose bushes from previous owners. Since then, I’ve increased the number to a total of 14. I did buy some of them but I got others by rooting clippings taken from my existing bushes or from bushes of people I know. I have several more that I started in pots recently and plan to add to the yard this year.

Now, each summer, I can go out and pick my own bouquets of dark pink, light pink, red, white and/or yellow roses at no cost. Right now I have two vases full of them sitting on my work desk and have delivered bouquets to several friends and family members.

If you have a favorite flower you love to buy, why not try to see if you can grow it in your yard. A one-time investment could lead to free bouquets for years to come.

Priscilla from North East shared that if you go to the website below, you can get a free sample of Nature Made VitaMelts.

https://www.facebook.com/naturemade/app_136039359906087

If you see an offer for a sample or freebie, send the details to me at dana.massing@timesnews.com so I can share with everyone.

There are a lot of pretty plants out there but the ones that have to be purchased and planted anew each year won’t be found in my yard. I opt to buy perennials, which come back year after year, rather than annuals, which you have to buy every year.

So each plant that I plant can be enjoyed for years to come at no additional cost.

Another way to get plants year after year is to harvest your own seeds.

I made a one-time investment in several packs of sunflower seeds last year. As the flowers bloomed, I picked and dried several of them and stored them in a secure spot. This year, I was able to use the seeds to plant two whole patches of sunflowers at no cost.

The seeds also came in handy at Christmas. I gave some as gifts to friends and family, along with inexpensive pots and bags of soil so they could grow their own flowers.

After I moved into my house, I went to my mother’s in the fall and picked some of her marigolds. I planted the seeds at my house the following spring. And that fall I picked some of my own marigolds and saved the seeds for the next spring. This is the eighth year I’ve done that and grown marigolds without paying a penny.

If you don’t have a mother with a patch full of them, you can always invest in seeds the first year. Just make sure to save some every fall for the following spring.

At least some sun was in the forecast for today when I checked, so I’m hoping to get out in my yard and get some work done.

I’ve discovered a few ways to save some money on gardening and I’ll share them over the next few days.

The first one is — Shop with a plan or list and stick to it.

I find that when I go to a garden center or nursery with a list, I’m more likely to spend what I can afford. If I go without a plan, I’m likely to grab plants on impulse when I don’t really need them or can’t use them in my yard. Knowing that you only need or have room for two of a certain plant will prevent you from spending too much money by getting four.

It’s kind of like going to the grocery store when you’re hungry and don’t have a shopping list. Chances are, you won’t make the best choices you could.

I started working at an Erie movie theater in the summer of 1990. At that time, the price of an adult evening ticket was $5 and a matinee was $3.25 for everyone.

I don’t know many places these days where you can see a movie in a theater for $5. But there is one.

The Tom Ridge Environmental Center at 301 Peninsula Drive is hosting a weekend Summer Movie Series in its Big Green Screen Theater.

The $5 films begin tonight with “Rocky” and continue on Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 17. This Saturday’s feature will be “The Lion King.”

Future titles include “Psycho,” “Cinderella,” “Goldfinger” and “Field of Dreams.”

Most show times are Fridays and Saturday at 6:30 and 9 p.m., with exceptions being Thursday, June 27, at 6 and 9, and Friday, Aug. 2, at 9 p.m. only.

Organizers said the movies are cash or check only, no credit cards.

For another $5 in advance or $7 at the door, you can get a dinner with two slices of pizza, salad, breadsticks, one soft drink and one cookie from the center’s Sunset Cafe.

Come back to Cheap in Erie each Friday to see what’s playing that weekend or visit www.trecpi.org or call (814) 838-4123.

The Romolo Chocolates Music Series is back this summer and the first free concert is this weekend.  The series continues on the rest of the Saturdays in June as well as into July and August.

The concerts run from 6 to 9 p.m. and are held on the outdoor piazza and parking lot at Romolo Chocolates, 1525 W. Eighth St.

On the schedule for this Saturday is JD Jazz featuring Christian Howes playing jazz violin.

Visit www.romolochocolates.com or call (814) 452-1933 for more information, including the full schedule.

Here’s details on the first sale I’ve heard about for this weekend:

Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 to 11 a.m., Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 816 W. 26th St. Saturday is bag day. Call (814) 456-6256.

If you know of a rummage, garage, next-to-new or similar sale at a church or nonprofit organization, send the details to me at dana.massing@timesnews.com. Make sure to include the sale dates, hours and address, along with a telephone number or web address where people can get more information.