Thursday, April 30, 2009

Shaws & Dots 4/30

Since my camera is missing it is impossible to capture all of my loot with my webcam so I have no picture today! Lets just say I took advantage of the Shaws deal I posted about a week ago. It was buy these 10 products for $25 get 2 free movie tickets. With coupons I got those 10 procducts for $18 (6 cereal, 2 boxes of waffles, 2 boxes of crackers) plus my 2 movie tickets! I could have done 10 boxes of cereal and paid $15, but I wanted to have some variety :)

I was a dummy though. I had a $20 off of $120 purchase. Before coupons my total was $99+. I SHOULD have said hold it and ran and grabbed 2 packages of diapers or something to get me to $120. They would have been FREE! Argh. I think of this as I'm driving home. I have 2 more of those coupons so I will try that next time.

My total at Shaws was $54.45

-Bought 58 items
-Got 2 movie tickets
-Saved $101
-Bought a Tshirt and a stuffed monkey!
-Bought a pack of diapers

So all things considered, I did well.

Ok so Dots. Dots is fantastic! They have an survey online and they give you $10 off an instore purchase. I bought 4 $3 shirts and paid $2!! Plus they gave me a $10 off another purchase. I haven't read it yet, so we'll see!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Walgreens 4/29



I ventured out alllll the way to Walgreens today. I was totally let down because I realized some of my coupons were not with me, so I did not do one deal I really wanted to.

Here is what I did do:

1 Burts Bees Lip Shimmer (love it) clearance $1.29
1 Ecotrin aspirin $2
1 set of tweezers $1.29
1 Neosporin to go $4
___________
Total= $8.76
-$2.25 Ecotrin printable
-$1 Neosporin
------------
New Total= $5.51, used my gift card!

Received $2 in Register Rewards for the Ecotrin

Next transaction

1 Nivea body wash $4.99
1 Motrin Childrens clearance $1.59
________________
Total= $6.93
-$1 off Nivea body wash
-$2 in Register Rewards (the Ecotrin one I just received)
____________
New Total= $3.93-$.53 on my gift card= $3.40 out of pocket

Received $5 in Register Rewards for the Nivea.

I'll use that $5 in Register Rewards towards the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower cleaner:

1 Scrubbing Bubbles auto cleaner $13.99
-$5 in Register Rewards
-$7 Scrubbing Bubbles printable
=$1.99 and I'll get back $3 in Register Rewards!!

I didn't do this because I left my $7 coupon at home somehow :( So I will go back this week.

I failed in some ways because I did not have a coupon for the tweezers or the motrin, but we did need them and they were both cheap.

Overall I paid $3.40 out of pocket and got back $5 in Register Rewards!!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Nice Crocs Deal!

When I was preggo with my first daughter I bought my first pair of Crocs because my feet were huge. Gaining 80lbs will do that to you. I'm not all about name brands, but with shoes for the kids I try to splurge because both of my kiddos have very wide feet. I also have Fibromyalgia and good shoes go a long way.

In the summer I can't wear flip flops too often because of the Fibro so Crocs are a decent compromise for me.

So this is a decent deal for me.

For mothers day they are doing 50% off when you buy 2 or more of select styles. I got my toddler and infant each a pair of the kids mary janes (the sizing for toddler/infant is the ones that start with a C, like my infant is a C4/5), me some Primas. Girls and women's Athens are also included. They also have a few free shipping codes right now. I paid $29.97 for 3 pairs of shoes. Not $5 but all of us will be really comfy and I'd rather spend $9.99 on shoes we'll all wear than $5 on some that were just cheap ;)

Also, you can turn around and sell them on ebay when you are done with them! Seriously! I have sold them before and made back half my money or more. It's like you are renting them, LOL! Which makes me feel better when buying nice shoes for the kids. I don't feel bad spend the extra $$ knowing I'll get it back.

CVS 4/28



First I'd like to say I'm sorry I have a webcam to work with! I am beginning to think my camera is a goner so please bare with me until I buy a new one. ;)

I was away the last two days and made it to CVS today for a few great deals.

Here is what I got:

2 Zooth kids toothbrushes $1.99 each
6 Command Hooks by 3M (pic above of one) $2.50 each
1 gallon of milk $3.19
------------
Total=$22.17
-$3 off of $15 CVS coupon printed at the scanner
-Buy One Get One free (BOGO) Zooth Toothbrush coupon
-6 $2.50 off Command Hooks (printed this from their site)
-----------
New Total= $2.18

I received 2 Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) for the Zooth items and 5 Extra Care Bucks for the Command products.

My toddler goes through tooth brushes like crazy, so I'll take free kids toothbrushes any day! Also 6 Command hooks may seem like a lot, but they are super handy and versatile. I love the brushed steel looking ones and they are normally $6.99 for the big ones. I bought 3 large and 3 that were medium size. They were all free and they gave me 5 Extra Care Bucks for buying $15 worth before coupons. Great deal!

I now have 7 ECBs to spend there and it only cost me $2.18. I paid 9% of the original total and got 7 ECBs (or $7 really) towards my next transaction. Keep in mind that is the SALE price of the items.

This is why you wait for a sale to purchase. The regular price of this transaction is $40.41!! I used to think CVS was pricey. Looking at that presale price total, they totally are. But with sales, coupons and their ECB program, they are the best deal going for many items!

These are all items we use and that's the key to these deals. Pass on the items you don't use or need. If you are getting it for free, you can ALWAYS donate them or give them to people around you who could use them! But don't buy something just to get the deal, unless it is free. Free is for me :)

Ok enough of the ranting! Just wanted to highlight the importance of buying the *right* items. The whole point is to stock up on items while they are super cheap so you don't have to run out and by them at full price. Most of them time combined with coupons you can save 90% of many items.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Walgreens Deals

This week at Walgreens there are some good deals. They usually have something good, but there aren't too many around here so I only go when it's a super deal.

One deal I wanted to share is on Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner.

On Sale $13.99
-$7 printable coupon (on their site)
= $6.99 and you will get $3 Register Reward back.

Register Rewards (RR) can be used on your next purchase. Usually I do 2 transactions or so when I go since I do not go there often. Remember that RRs cannot be rolled into the same product purchase.

For example if I used the $3 I got in RR to pay for a second shower cleaner, I would NOT get another $3 RR back, because it's the same product. I could use it on another product and get those RR and roll them into yet another product (or even back to my first product!). Since Walgreens does not have loyalty cards, this is there way of "limiting" deals. On occasion they will roll, but the general rule of thumb is they do not.

Also you can work a smaller cost deal out before hand and use RR to pay down the $6.99. See below where Sara (Steals, Deals...) worked a few transactions to pay little out of pocket.

Now to keep your cleaner well stocked, there are a few refill deals this week

CVS:
Spend $15 on Scrubbing Bubbles products get $5 ECB (Extra Care Bucks) back. There is a BOGO coupon for the refills out there. You could buy 2 refills and another scrubbing bubbles product to get to your $15 (before coupons remember!) and get $5 back.

Check a few other sites out for their Walgreens scenarios this week!

Steals, Deals...
The Thrifty Mama

Friday, April 24, 2009

YAY!!!

I'm done with school!! Woohoo!! I haven't received my grade yet, but turned in my final and I should be done for good!! I think I'll be celebrating with something tonight!

Shaws Deals starting 4/24

This week there are a few good deals. Not quite as good as last week, but not every week can be that good! Here are the deals that seem to be good to me. I would also check on the www.hotcouponworld.com forum for Shaws. There people report unadvertised deals and what products do not appear to work for a deal. VERY helpful!!

Get 2 Free Movie Cash Tickets when you buy (wyb) 10 of the following items (check circular for size info!!):

Poptarts
Eggo Waffles
Rice Krispies
Frosted Mini-Wheats Bites
Frosted Flakes
Honey Smacks
Fruit Loops
Apple Jacks
Cocoa Krispies
Corn Pops
Rice Kripsies Treats
Kelloggs Fruit Snacks or Yogos
Keebler Town House Crackers
Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies
Keebler E.L. Fudge Cookies
Keebler Gripz Snacks
Sunshine Cheez-It crackers

They are advertised as 10/$25

**There are coupons for many of these products so you can pay less than $25!!!**

Crystal Light 3/$6
-Buy 2 Get 1 free coupon a few weeks back (so you'd pay $4 for 3!)
-In ad coupon for free water when you buy 3 Crystal Light
-Other tear pads for $2 off when you buy 1 Crystal Light and 1 100 Calorie Snack Pack

**You can use both a manufacturers coupon and a store coupon for any item!!**
-Here you could do 3 Crystal Lights and a case of water for $4 using the first two coupons I mentioned

Ball Park Franks BOGO
-Should be a $1 off of 2 in this weeks papers (in the Red Plum insert)

Pick 4 produce sale $7.99
-Example Strawberries are often $2.50 each so 4 for it would be $10, savings of $2. Some items are better than others.

Knorr Lipron Pasta or Rice sides $1 each!
-$.75 off of 2 coupon on www.redplum.com. This will double to be $1.50 off of 2 or $.25 each!

There are more deals I'll post later. I need to do some school work!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Couponing Basics

Here are some sites you should check out:

For Coupons:

Here you can enter in a product name and search for printable (or non printable) coupons. It's a database for all available coupons. So if you *think* you have a coupon for a product but can't remember, you can check there.
http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/coupon.php

I also google (actually I use www.swagbucks.com because I earn $5 amazon gift cards for searching, and it's run by google) for coupons on products or discount codes for online purchases.

Here are the main printable coupon sites you should check. They change often so keep checking:

www.coupons.com
www.redplum.com
www.smartsource.com

Here is a great site for freebies and coupons:

www.freestufftimes.com (thanks SARA!!!)

If you make online purchases you should use these sites to order through. They give you a percentage of your purchase back:
www.ebates.com
www.cashbaq.com

Here is a great site in general. She also has a CVS 101 page and a basics to couponing page:

www.thethriftymama.com
http://www.thethriftymama.com/2008/08/cvs-101.html
http://www.thethriftymama.com/2008/09/coupon-basics-for-newbies.html

I do love the Hot Coupon World (www.hotcouponworld.com) Shaws forum. I get ideas from other peoples posts there and it makes my shopping trips a lot better! This way I have a plan when I go in. I also find some people find hidden deals and post them there. It's a great place to get info!

I'll post a few more helpful posts over the next few days to get everyone caught up :)

CVS and Shaws 4/23



Good thing I'm thrifty because I think our camera is in a black hole somewhere and we'll be buying a new one soon.

Anyway, I made it to CVS today and was able to get this:

4 got2be hair products, on sale BOGO ($6.29 each before sale)
- 4 $2 off got2be coupon (here scroll down until you see it page 3 or 4, great site!)

1 Huggies Wipes 50% off ($3.25 after discount)
-$.75 off Huggies coupon

1 Old Spice Clinical 75% off ($2.50 after discount)
-$1 off Old Spice coupon

2 small bags of CVS nuts ($.99 each)
-$2 off of 2 CVS Gold Emblem nuts
---------------
Total= $20.31 without tax, before coupons (she forgot to give me my receipt)
-$3 off of $15 purchase printed at the scanner
-$8 in got2be coupons
-$.75 Huggies
-$1 Old Spice
-$2 CVS nuts
-4 Extra Care Bucks
_________________

New Total= $1.56

I also picked up rainchecks for the Dove SkinVitalizer, which is why I think she forgot to give me the receipt.

I won't bore you with all the Shaws details, but I spent $13 and change and got $10 back. That included nearly $8 in chicken, a gallon of milk, 4 packages of Hebrew National Hotdogs, apples, mushrooms, 1 can of Chef Boyardee, bananas, 1 can of potatoes, hmmm I think thats it.

I'll post the good deals for Shaws that start tomorrow later on! Looks like an ok week. No good catalina promotions, but there are a lot of coupon match ups. Get a jump on it here

Tuesday, April 21, 2009



I am thinking of heading to CVS in the next day (act surprised) and here is my idea:

4 got2be hair products $6.29 each and BOGO
1 Bayer Crystals $2
1 Crest ProHealth $2.88
2 small bags of Almonds $.99 each
____________________
Total = $19.44
-$3/$15 CVS Q
- 4 ECBs
-4 $2 got2be Qs
-$1 Bayer Q
-$1 Crest Q
-$2/2 CVS nut Q
=$.46 or so without tax

I will get 2 ECBs and I have 1 mail in rebate for the Crest ProHealth!!

I will also grab some rainchecks for the Dove SkinVitalizer!!

ALL YOU magazine event 4/25



If I know you, you need to be at the Super Walmart in Raynham between 11am-5pm on Saturday 4/25. The magazine ALL YOU is having an event there with some freebies and Qs. Also if you fill out a survey (follow the link I provide to get it) you'll get a $10 walmart gift card! Sweet!! I need the new ALL YOU anyway and some grover bars, which I can't find at Target anymore :(.

Check out the Thrifty Mama's post about the event here

Monday, April 20, 2009

CVS, Shaws, and Rite Aid 4/20



First we have Shaws. Here is what I got:

4 3lb packages of Turkey Burger, 1 gallon of milk, 1 Kashi frozen entree, 2 loaves of bread, 1 package of hamburg rolls, 2 peppers, 2 onions, 1 head of lettuce, 4 pears, 5 apples, 1/2 squash, 2 bags of salad mix, 1 lb of cheese, 1 lbs of ham, 1 package of turkey bacon, 1 BBQ sauce, 1 mentos gum....hmmm I think that is it.

Total was $34.95. I saved over $20 with coupons today. The turkey burger was tagged at $8.69 each so that alone would have been $34.76! We now have 8 meals with that!



Here we have my Rite Aid trip. This was a great one! Here was my transaction:

1 Huggies Pull Ups $8.99
1 Bayer Contour Meter $29.99
----------------
Total= $38.98
-$5/$25 Rite Aid Q
-$29.99 off Contour Meter
-$3 off Huggies Pull Ups
-------------
New Total= $1.99!! Including a $1 donation (hoping to win Red Sox tickets!) and I can submit for a $3 Rite Aid rebate.





Finally we have CVS. Here was my transaction:

3 Dove Skin Vitalizers $4 each
1 Crest ProHealth toothpaste $2.88
1 Bayer 4ct crystals $2
-------------
Total= $16.88 not including tax
-$3/$15
- 3 $3.75 Dove Q
-$1 Bayer Q
-$1 Crest Q
New Total= $.66!! And I got 4 ECBs back! I also have a mail in rebate for the Crest ProHealth, so I'll get at least $1.88 back for that!


I should be done shopping for the week.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

CVS Got2b Hair Product deal

The got2b products are BOGO this week at CVS. There is a $2 off Q available here. Use 2 of these (since you are buying 2 products) and get $4 off making many products a dollar or less!

I plan on scoping out the prices to see what I can get for free. I also have a $10/$50 I can pair with it. Thanks to Sara (aka my partner in crime) at Steal, Deals, and a Cute Kid for noticing this Q!!!

CVS again 4/19



Ok so I went back to CVS. Thanks to some persuading from my good friend (aka my enabler) I found the energy to go out and make the most of the Aveeno deal.

Here was my transactions:

3 Aveeno products $25
1 Bag of CVS Almonds $.99
2 Starbucks Chocolate $.75
----------------
Total $26.74
-$4/$20 Beauty Q
-$12 ECBs
-$10 Aveeno Q
-$1 Starbucks Q
------------
$.74 Out of Pocket!! $10 ECB received

Next transaction

3 Aveeno Products $25
1 Starbucks Chocolate $.75
----------------
Total $25.75
-$10 ECBs from first transaction
-$10 Aveeno
-$1 Starbucks Q
-------------
$5 Out of Pocket including tax. Plus $10 ECB

It would have been only $1 but they would not let me use another $4 off Beauty Q even though it's not for any one account. Oh well. I really can't complain since I now have plenty of great sunscreen for this summer.

Overall I spent $17 at CVS today and I have $10 ECBs left. I got 6 sunscreens (4 sprays and 2 face lotions), 2 cleaners, and 1 body lotion. 2 of the sunscreens cost $18 regularly! 3 of the sunscreens came with bonus products too :)

CVS 4/19




Again sorry for the webcam pic. Our camera is missing so I have to make do! Anyway I had a great run this afternoon at CVS. I did use the Beauty $4/$20 Q that expires today so I won't be able to get this deal again :( I may (*may*) run out later if I feel frisky. Right now I'm not feeling so hot, so it's looking bleak.

So here was my transaction:

3 Aveeno Positively Ageless Sunscreens (2 spray, 1 face lotion) $9 each
1 Bayer Crystals 4 ct $2
1 Playskool bowl $2.50
------------------
Total = $ 31.50
-$5/$30 printed at the machine
-$4/$20 CVS Beauty Q
-$10 off of 3 Aveeno Positively Ageless
-$1 off Bayer Crystals tear pad found on the display

New Total= $12.08 with tax

I received 12 ECBs!

I also received a $10 off of $50 which I can try to use as well. If I can do another one or two more I will be set for sunblock for the summer for the whole family!


I was just checking out one of my favorite sites and found she posted a great Huggies deal at Rite Aid. I usually can't stand Rite Aid because they do not take internet printable coupons from the manufacturer and their rebates are slow.

I will however take some super cheap Pull Ups ;) Our area had some $3 off Pull Ups this week so yay!

My scenario:

1 pack of Pull Ups-$8.99
1 Contour or Breeze Meter-$29.99
=$38.98
-$5/$25 Rite Aid coupon for signing up
-$30 off (up to) Meter Q
-$3 off Huggies Pull Ups
=$.99 PLUS $3 ESR (Easy Saver Rebate aka Extremely Slow Rebate)

With a deal like that I don't care how long it takes to get it! Check out my source here. I love The Thrifty Mama!

Aveeno fun at CVS this week



So I posted below about Target having Aveen cheap, but CVS actually has the same pricing this week, with the added bonus of ECBs.

Buy $25 worth of Aveeno product and get $10 ECB back. Use the coupons here to make this a GREAT deal! If you have any $4/$20 purchase or $3/$15 purchase, or any ECBs already this is a SWEET deal! There is a $4/$20 beauty coupon if you google it.

You can do this deal 3 times per card (even though the circular says 1). Also many more products are marked and included in this deal then what is listed in the circular.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Shaws 4/18

I took advantage of the Conagra deal at Shaws this week. Now this it the deal on the back page (spend $25 on these products and get $10 off your next shopping trip) with a bunch of sales items. Rumor has it they are going to end it early, however I will continue to try this promo until I see something in the store saying otherwise.

I got this today:

4 Hebrew National hotdogs- BOGO and used 4 $1 off coupons (some printables available) $11.98-$4= $8
2 Egg Beaters- 2/$5- 2 $1 coupons=2/$3

Shelf price=$31.94
Out of Pocket= $11
Received $10 off my next purchase

I could have just bought one egg beater (I realize now as I'm doing the math) and saved myself another $1.50. Oh well! Still a good deal.

I would like to go back and get more hotdogs and use my $10 to bring my total down even more. This all depends on if they do actually cancel the promo early.

Target 4/18



So before work today I decided to take a run (literally, I was jogging) through Target. I paid $3.63 total out of pocket. I got 10 bags of fruit snacks ($.89), 5 aveeno lotions ($2.99 each), 1 reusable bag (free), 1 package of temporary tattoos ($1), 1 Kumon workbook ($6.95), 1 set of Crayola window crayons ($2.70). I used a gift card along with coupons. I would have paid less if I didn't get the workbook ($6.95 just for that), but they are so great! So I didn't mind shelling out the $3 for that!

Go here to get 3 coupons for Aveeno. One is for $10 off 3. Since they are $2.99 each, if you buy 3 they are free! It's not a sale, just the regular price, so you have plenty of time to get them.

I also used Target coupons to get the fruit snacks for free.

Sorry for the bad picture, used my webcam again so it wasn't easy and it's backwards.

Friday, April 17, 2009

CVS 4/17



I finally broke away and went shopping!!! I had to take the pic with my webcam so I'm sorry that it's backwards and not so clear. Anyway, I did ok. Here is what I got:

2 Purex- on sale for BOGO and I had a BOGO Q (RIP. No longer out there?)
2 Sobe Life Water- on sale for BOGO and I had a BOGO Q (printable still around)
1 Playskol 160 ct wipe package- clearance for $2.90
1 Playskol bottle brush- had to buy because ours went in the toilet (no other stores around here) $3.99

Total was around $25 before the BOGO's and then I paid $5 out of pocket after all the Qs. The bottle brush was $3.99 and then I paid $.90 for the wipes, plus the tax.

I did get some $5 off any Lumene product at the price scanner. Those are great because they have some cheap stuff (starting at $2.99).

I am on the hunt for the Purex coupon so if you see it, let me know!!!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Great Giveaway!!

Check out this great giveaway by The Thrifty Mama! It's one of my favorite sites to check for deals as it is, but she is having a great giveaway on QVC Lock & Lock containers. They look great and super easy. Check out all the details here

Let me know if you have these and what you like about them!

I'm trapped!

This week I am working at my mom's shop so I haven't been able to shop! I will say though, there are not many deals going on anyway! CVS seems like the best place to be, if not Walgreens. Shaws seems to be having some slow weeks. I will post my ideas for this up coming week at Shaws tomorrow.

I may get to CVS tomorrow, but it all depends on what happens before I need to get back here to work.

Easter shopping has been a complete dud this year. No one has much left over so the selection is very limited. I did get a few outdoor toys at Target for $1. They did have some of the larger Easter toys on sale but they were $15 to begin with. I didn't think the half off sale made them much of a bargain.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Easter Shopping

Easter shopping is best done Monday. I plan on hitting Target Monday morning. I may just browse on Monday because it's likely items will only be at 50% off. Usually later on in the week or week following they will continue to discount down to 90%.

The reason I go early in the week is to get the items that are a great deal at 50% off and won't be around by the time they lower it. I do this at Christmas, Easter, and Halloween. I have several stocking stuffers put aside that I paid a fraction of the price for.

Last year I got my toddler several shirts for $.49. She still wears them and a few I moved to her under pj shirts after they got stained, but hey for $.49 it's ok! Also you may find some cheap toys you can use for incentive or for a distraction during a trip this summer.

Friday, April 10, 2009

I'd like to say BOOOOOO to Old Navy...

Yeah, you heard me. Thank you for bringing back the great certificates/coupons. I do have one major gripe. They go "live" at what I can only estimate as Friday 3am EST ???

I happened to get up at 3:15am or so to use the bathroom and I checked, it looked like the best coupon was gone, but I had checked at midnight before I went to bed and nada.

So I attempted, in a sleepy stupor, to get the second best one. I was not successful to say the least. It required some skill and probably both eyes open. Anyway when I started there was over 1,000 and after about 15 mins they were gone. So I definitely think 3am is the time.

Anyway, I understand not wanting your server to crash each week, but this is a bit bias to the west coast, no?

Kohls $5 certificate

Make sure you sign up for Kohls.com newsletter/updates. They send you a $5 certificate within 10 days (probably took about 5 days). It's a great way to get inexpensive presents or make the most of a great clearance sale there.

Today for my girls easter baskets I bought $40 worth of stuff for under $5 using this certificate. I combined the certificate with their sales, which made for a great deal.

I will try to add a pic tomorrow! My little one is sleeping in the room with the bag!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Gotta love free stuff...

Thanks to swagbucks, I was able to get $10 worth of presents for Easter for free! I ordered some items yesterday and today received another gift card for $5. I am about to get another one from winster for $5 too.

I get Amazon gift cards for myself. It's so great! I plan on saving up some at some point for Christmas because they do have some fantastic deals around then. I probably get $10 a month, which isn't a ton, but it is great for presents!

I also used a gift card from buying Olay products to purchase some presents. Rebates are great if you can get the items cheap enough!

Tomorrow I plan on using my 50% off Old Navy coupon! I also plan on ordering some cheap nice sunglasses! I'll keep you posted!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Shaws 4/7

So I did go to shaws today, and I'm sorry, no pic! I am in the middle of a migraine situation so this will be brief.

My total was $80 even before Qs and $43 after. Some of the highlights included:

Trop50 Tropicana Juice 2/$5
-in ad Q for free eggs and $1 off Trop50 printable (print 2)
-Also got a catalina for buy 4 get a 5th free my mail in rebate

Land O Lakes w/canola $1.69
-$.55 ($1.10 when doubled) printable

Pineapples $1.99 (normally $3.99)
-$.75 ($1.50 doubled) printable

Kraft Salad Dressing $1.67
-$1.50 Q

Marcal Napkins Small Steps 250 ct $2.49
-"free roll of paper towels or toilet paper" or $1 off napkins etc.

I got some mangers special meats and a few higher priced items that we needed, hence the higher bill. Hopefully I'll be back to my old habits soon!!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Rain Checks!

Don't forget to grab rain checks. I usually forget to ask about them. Today it occurred to me that I went to CVS and they were out of the Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubber Starter kit and this was the last day of the sale. I was pretty bummed since they were $2.99 and I had a $2.75 coupon off. This was the perfect opportunity for a rain check!!

Now the coupon is good until May 1st so I have until then to buy it. If they have a great ECB sale or something I can cash in my rain check! If not I still get the kit for $.24.

Of course there are some times you can't get a rain check, but it never hurts to ask!

Adopt a Military base and send expired coupons!



So what to do with all those expired coupons, huh? Seems like such a waste. WELLLLL....you can donate them to military families who are overseas. They can't be more than 2 months expired when you send them. Here is a page with some instructions and how to "adopt" a base.

You can also send non expired coupons that you are not going to use!

http://www.ocpnet.org/base_list.htm

CVS 4/4



Not a bad run today. I went intending to grab a few repeats from earlier this week, like the Soft Soap or Action Scrubber Starter kit. They had none left :( I had a $5 off a $25 cvs Q they emailed to me. My plan was to get as much stuff that added up to $25 as possible that had Qs and/or Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) to go with it.

I overheard a person stocking the shelves saying "these are only on sale for today I think" to another worker. So I checked it out. Here's what I got:

6 Sterilite boxes $.45 each
-Size of DVD/CD cases. Great for crafts for the kids, puzzle pieces, other toys.

4 Nike Mens white XL Tshirts $.50 each

1 Yellow pullover hoodie $1.99

1 Sense and Spray $5.99
-$1 off cvs Q ( or CRT printed from the price scanner)
-$4 off manufacturer Q
=$.99 plus I got $1 ECB back

1 Skin Effects Sunscreen $5.49 on clearance
-$5 off Skin Effects CRT
= $.49

1 Book Light $2.49
-Just want to add it's super cool!

3 bags Hershey Easter Candy $6
-$1.50 off 3 bags manufacturer Q
= $1.50

Total was around $26.?? after my Q, 4 ECB, and gift card (only $2 left on that) I paid $4.40. I got 1 ECB back. I have 4 other ECBs that I must have left at home :( Oh well! Good haul anyway!

**They had tons of other stuff on sale. I'm not sure if it is for today only since people in other areas have had this sale going on for a while** Other things I saw:

Hair Clippers $1.99
TV table/tray thing $4.99
Bigger Sterilite boxes $.69
Keyboard $3.??
Table water fountain $1.99

Friday, April 3, 2009

Printable Q's

Here is a list of some great printable Qs. Some of these change weekly, some are monthly. You can print 2 of each on most of these, unless noted. Smart Source and coupons.com require a download of a basic system to print. This is harmless and small so feel confident they are fine! These are regulated (to only allow 2 prints and prevent abuse) so that is why you need to download.

www.smartsource.com
-the Land O Lakes coupons are found here as well ;)

www.coupons.com

www.target.com (also available on hotcouponworld)
-These can be printed many times and paired with manufacture coupons

www.oldnavyweekly.com

www.shaws.com

Also try checking on your favorite items sites. Many of them offer Qs for signing up.

Shaws the Week of 4/3

This week has some decent deals. It all depends on what you are in the market for. Don't forget to print the shaws wellbeing Q's. They are still good!!

Land O Lakes 16oz butter sticks $1.88
(sign up on their website for $.55 off Q that will double!)

Tropicana Trop50 2/$5 in ad Q...use to get free eggs!
($1 off Q on Trop50 site...making them 2/$3 with free eggs!)

Pepsi 12 packs are 4 for $10
(some Q's may be found. I have rebate Q's)

Strawberries are $1.49

Pineapples are $1.99 (reg. $3.99)
($.75 Q printable no longer available, I have 2 left making them $.49 after it doubles!)

Boneless Chicken Breast $1.69lb

Fiber Plus Bars 2/$5
(lots of $1/1 and $.75/1 Qs)
-so you could buy one at $2.50 and use a $.75 (x2 it will double)= $1 a box!

Newmans Own Salsa 2/$4
($1/2 Q just came out)

Kraft Shredded Cheese $1.99 (reg around $3.79)

Other Kraft items:

Wheat Thins 2/$5
Chips Ahoy 2/$5
(there is a tear pad for $3 off 4 products)
The whole back page lists products, here is some ideas:
-Buy 4 for $10-$3 Q=$7 or $1.75 each
Or
-Buy 8 for $20-$6=$14 and get $5 off your Easter Ham or Roast.

SoBe Life Water is $1 each (10 for $10)
-Would be a good deal if the shaws wellbeing Q for $1 off 2 Sobe 0 cal applies

Kraft Salad Dressing is 3/$5 ($1.67 each)
($1.50 Q in last weeks paper would make them $.17 each)

Stove Top Stuffing 4/$5
(Buy 4 get 1 free tear pad is out there I'm told)

Ocean Spray Cranberry is $1.88
(I've used all of my Qs, so there may be some out there)


**Sign up at Land O Lakes...I received several Qs including $1 a half lb of American cheese (usually around $3) and Apline Lace**

These aren't all the deals, just the ones that seem to be the best! Keep your eyes open for lots of 50% off and higher items in the Health and Beauty. Paired with a Q you can find some great deals!!!

Target...4/3....Old Navy

So my Target run was less than spectacular. They did not have a few items I was looking for and I bought my oldest some sneakers she desperately needed. I had her with me so I was not able to take my time. So no big fantastic day today.

Old Navy has the great Q's back! Check out www.oldnavyweekly.com and look for the moving item in the middle pic. It may take a few minutes but it will appear. Thats my hint :) They have 50% off of a single item ones left! Not bad. The $25 off of $50 must have gone right away. I forgot to check since they were doing them Thursday night and then switched to Friday midnightish so now I'm lost! I just try to check both days.

Now I am off to hunt down some Qs to Borders so I can buy some Pre-K books.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Target and CVS

Tomorrow I should be going to Target and CVS. I have a few target Q's that when combined with manufacturer's Q's should result in free or pennies. If you go to hotcouponworld.com you can print the coupons right from there. I do love to do that because they keep all the Qs until they are expired. You can also save some ink and paper and print AT the Target kiosks (registry machines).

I also plan on hitting CVS for some deals. I received a $5 off of $25 in my email and I have several Qs to make a great deal. I'm hoping to get some Neutrogena stuff this run!

I will post the pics as usual!

Shaws, Shaws, faux pas...

Yep. They did it again. Shaw marketing department has made a major blunder....AGAIN. I am a huge fan when they do things right, but they have done something pretty bad this time and honestly angered many customers. They sent out a Ducklings Rewards email said to contain several great coupons including freebies. After a day or two they pulled the link from the email ("page under construction") and killed the pdf with the coupons on it. It's likely the marketing dept doesn't know what a pdf is? I don't know. Seems like a terrible idea if you do not want the promo to get away from you.

To take it one step further, some people are reporting signs in their stores stating they will not accept these coupons. So even the lucky few who got to print these will not be able to use them most likely. Now if this was their first big mistake I'm sure people would be more understanding. Unfortunately their marketing department makes mistakes constantly drawing people into the stores only to be disappointed when they get there and find out some of the great deals they though they were getting are not going to be honored.

**UPDATE: They are going to MAIL the coupons to those enrolled in the program. It does seem the pdf was the issue. Mass printing was sited as the reason for terminating the coupons. I will give them credit for trying to rectify the issue and doing right by the customers.**

Anyway, I do hope they get on the ball. In this job market I hope they can find someone to run their marketing dept, not ruin it.

**I would like to add that I got 2 Swag for looking up faux pas to make sure I was spelling it correctly :) **

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

"I'm just a stay at home mom..."

I realized I say this a lot. Really it isn't true. I am a stay at home mom, but I am also a graduate student. And now as I'm about to get my degree, it suddenly occurs to me I should have been saying that for the last 2 years. I should be proud that I am doing this. Also being a mom isn't a "just" kinda thing.

I know this is completely random, but I think need to remember out other identities now and again! :)

Shaws and CVS 4/1



So I had a nice run today. I did get charged $9.99 plus tax for the Aveeno lotion that I gave them a free coupon for. So that will be going back. My total was over $100 again. The total after coupons should have been (minus the aveeno item because it's going back) $24. I got 44 items today for $24!! Sweet!! It said I saved $88.98.

I also went to CVS (sorry no pic) and got 2 more Soft Soap refills, Listerine pocket pack 24ct, a bunny lollipop, and 2 Rimmel mascara. My total was $28 before coupons, I used 4 ECB (extra care bucks), and paid $2.29 out of pocket. I received 4 ECBs back. I also received my 1st quarter ECB earnings, 4 ECBs just for using my card every time.