YAY!! I got my CAMERA!!!! {and I only paid $205 for a $721 Camera + Lens & Filter!}

For months, I've been telling you that I was saving my Swagbucks for a new camera.  Well, I spotted a deal on it yesterday, and after talking it over with my husband, I jumped on a deal and ordered it (can you say "early Christmas present"?).

Keep reading to see how I got a $700+ camera setup, for only $204!!

This is the camera I've wanted...it's a Canon Rebel XS.  Since the day I've started wishing for it, the price has been $550 and up (there are newer, fancier, and more expensive models that would also have fulfilled my wish - but I am just as ecstatic about this model as I would've been about the others). 

This camera has terrific ratings as a "starter camera" for someone new to DSLR cameras (that would be me) and it has lots of fancy features.  I also wanted an extra lens or two, and figured eventually I would need at least $700 to get what I wanted.

Why did I really want this camera?  Well, some of my favorite food bloggers (like Bakerella and Whisk Kid and I am Baker) use it (or a newer version of it) and I love to look at their food cake and cupcake and dessert pics.  I dream of taking pictures of my cakes and cupcakes that look this great!   So, when I decided which camera I wanted, I started to save my Amazon Gift Cards earned through Swagbucks and planned to pay for it entirely with those savings!

Well, I almost did it.  A couple of Fridays ago I told you that so far I had saved $295 in gift cards.  Since then I had added $10 more, bringing my total to $305!  Well, while I normally have a lot of patience, the deal I found yesterday was terrific and my husband agreed with me that we should go ahead and order.  We still paid cash for it (we paid the difference out of our Christmas/Gift savings), and I got the camera I had been dreaming of for a fraction of the cost.

See, yesterday I found out that Amazon was running a deal.  First off, the camera was on sale for $499 with FREE shipping ($50 cheaper than I've ever seen it).  In addition, when you purchased the camera, you could also add this Canon Telephoto Zoom Lens and use a coupon code to get $200 off.  The lens was priced at $210, so essentially, it was only $10 with camera purchase.     AND, when you ordered, you could get this Tiffen 58mm UV Protection Filter for FREE.  So...I'd only be paying $510 for the camera, 2 lens, and a filter!  Subtract my $305 in Amazon Gift Cards and I only had to pay $205!

Now let me say, for the record, that I know very little about the different lenses and filters, but I do know a good price when I see it and this is a good deal!!  Plus, Bakerella says that she uses her camera on "auto" almost all of the time, so there's hope for me that I'll be able to take fantastic pictures before I even learn about all the buttons and knobs and switches.  Right?  Yeah, I'm gonna hang on to that hope!

So, here's how I worked the deal:

Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens, $499
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens, $210
Tiffen 58mm UV Protection Filter, $12.39
TOTAL before "deal":  $721.39
Used code 5525OOCT to save $200 instantly on the Telephoto Lens
Amazon automatically deducted $12.39 for the filter.
I applied my $305 in Amazon Gift Cards earned through Swag Bucks.
Total paid :: $205!!

YAY!!!  I'm super excited and can hardly wait to get my new camera.  I hope in the very near future that you'll be able to see a huge improvement in all of cake and cupcake pictures!!

What do you think?  Good deal?  I'd love to hear some of your dream purchases - what you might be wishing for this Christmas!


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