December Monthly Totals

This month I spent $425.41 on $1,170.88 of products. Over $1,000 in free products this month. That's an overall saving of about 64% which is pretty good over the holidays.

Great Deals this Week

Here are some good deals that I got this week that you might want to consider.

Maceys:

Macey's has their Buddig Tubs of lunch meat on sale for $1.49 this week. There are $1/1 coupons in the 12/6 SS and HERE. I was able to get 10 of these packs for only $.49 each which is fantastic because we go through it so fast!

Albertsons:


Albertsons has their Shredded or Chunk Cheese, 32 oz. on sale for $2.99 with their in-ad coupon. That alone is a great deal on 2 lbs of cheese. But there is also a $1 off any 2 lbs of cheese coupon HERE making this deal even better.

They also have a P&G promo going on this week (12/30 thru 1/5) where if you buy $25 in participating P&G products you get a $10 cat back to use on your next purchase. Go to the GrocerySmartsPlanner in the right hand column to see all the participating items. Here is what I did:

6 Pantene Conditioners on sale for $3.33 (only $2 with the promo factored in)
1 Olay Body Wash on sale for $5.49 (only $3.29 with the promo factored in)
1 Olay Lotion (you will get this for free with coupon for buying the body wash)
Total before coupons $25.47
Used three $3/2 Pantene coupons from the 12/28 PG
Used one $1/1 Olay Body Wash coupon from the 12/28 PG
Used one Buy 1 Olay Body Wash get one Olay Lotion free coupon from the 11/29 PG (expires 12/31)
Total OOP $15.47
Got back a $10 cat to use on my next purchase making all 8 items only $5.47.
With the coupons and the promo factored in the Pantenes were only $.50 each, the lotion was free and the body wash was only $2.29.

Walgreens:

And don't forget that you can get free cereal at Wags this week.

Buy 2 Cereal products (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fiber One, Honey Nut Cheerios) and 1 Gallon Milk = $2RR (You don't have to buy the milk for the RR to print.)

Buy 2 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch priced at 2/$4
Use two $1/1 coupons found here IE or Firefox
Pay $2
Get back a $2RR
Final cost 2 boxes of FREE cereal!

Buy 2 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios priced at 2/$4
Use two $1/1 coupons from here
Pay $2
Get back a $2 Register Reward
Final cost 2 boxes of FREE cereal!

Wags 12/28

Okay so there are TONS of deals posted for this week at Wags. You can check out Hip2Save's many Wags posts for this week HERE. That being said, I would've loved to have taken advantage of THIS Bayer moneymaking deal but even though it says that the coupons should be in the 10/25RP for our area it is not in my insert. :( I also would've loved to have taken advantage of THESE Revlon deals but my area NEVER seems to get the Revlon coupons. So another one I couldn't do.

But I was able to take advantage of some other really good deals including FREE CEREAL. Here's how:

Buy 2 Cereal products (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fiber One, Honey Nut Cheerios) and 1 Gallon Milk = $2RR (According to the bloggers, you don't have to buy the milk for the RR to print. I did this three times tonight and the RR printed fine for me without the milk.)

Buy 2 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch priced at 2/$4
Used two $1/1 coupons found here IE or Firefox
Paid $2
Got back a $2RR
Final cost 2 boxes of FREE cereal!

Buy 2 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios priced at 2/$4
Used two $1/1 coupons from here
Paid $2
Got back a $2 Register Reward
Final cost 2 boxes of FREE cereal! (I did this 2 times)

Other good deals that I did tonight that worked:

Pampers Jumbo Pack Diapers or Training Pants 2/$20
Used two $2/1 coupons from the 11/29 PG (expires 12/31!) or 12/27 PG
Paid $16
Get back a $3.50RR
Final Cost $6.25 each!

Gillette Fusion/Venus Embrace Razor System $8.99
Used the $4/1 coupon from the 11/29 PG (expires 12/31!)
Paid $4.99
Got back a $3RR
Final Cost $1.99!

Buy $30 of participating products (Tampax, Olay, Always) = Coupon for FREE Tide 50 oz ($8.99 value)
There are a lot of different scenarios you can use to get some good deals with this. I just did what worked best for me with what I needed. Here is what I did:

Bought 3 Tampax Tampons 40 count for $5.49 each
Used three Buy 1 Tampax 36-60 count and Get 1 Tampax 18-20 count FREE coupons from the 12/27 PG which got me three additional packs for free
Bought 2 Olay Regenerist Cleansers for $7.29 each
Used two $3/1 Regenerist coupons from the 11/29PG
Paid $25.05 OOP

Got back a RR for a free 50 oz Tide Detergent ($8.99 value)
Will submit for a $15 rebate from Olay. You can access the form HERE.
So basically I made money on the Olay items, paid for the three Tampax items, got three more for free and a free thing of laundry detergent as well. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me!

FYI - I did this deal below and the RR did not print for me. I am not sure if I found the right item but either way it didn't print so I ended up returning them.

Buy 3 Pepto Bismol InstaCool Chewables priced at $4.99 each=$14.97
Used the $1/1 Walgreens coupon from the Healthy Savings Booklet-exp 12/31!!!(will deduct $3)Use 3 $0.50/1 coupons from the 11/29 PG (expires 12/31!) or 12/27 PG
Pay $10.47
Get back a $10RR
Final Cost $0.47 for all 3!

Hope this helps you as you are planning your shopping trip! :)

Hip2Save is Back!

My favorite blogger Hip2Save is back up and running after enduring some trouble with blogger. Her new blog link is Hip2Save.com. I have tried to change the address in my Frugal Blogs column to the right but for some reason it keeps reverting back to the blogspot address even though that is not where I told it to go. I will keep working on trying to fix that but for now you can use the link in this post and check out her new site and more great deals she finds for us.

Albies Doublers 12/22

In Sunday's paper there was (or was supposed to be an Albies ad with a set of 3 doublers). None of my papers had it in them but my friend a couple blocks away did have them in her paper. Don't know why. But not a big deal. I just went to my favorite Albies (90th & Redwood) and to my favorite checker and asked her if she had some extra doublers and of course she did. I did three transactions. All this cost me $3.43!!

16 Del Monte Vegetables 11-15.25 oz. $.50 each
Used four $1/4 printable here
Final price: 4 for free!

3 Diamond Walnuts 8-10 oz. $2.49 each
Used three Diamond Nuts product, any 8 to 14 oz. $1/1 (1-15-10) SS-11/8
Final price: $.49 each

2 Nestle Morsels 10 - 12 oz. bags $1.88 each
Used Nestle Toll House Morsels, any variety .50/1 (12-31-09) RP-11/1
Final: $.88 each
OR use $1/1 printable here to get them for free! I printed these a week or so ago and can't find them ... so frustrating!

These doublers are good through Christmas Eve. Check out THIS PYP link for more ideas of how to use your doublers.

Thomas Nelson Book Review - 5 Cities that Ruled the World

5 Cities that Ruled the World: How Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York Shaped Global History, by Douglas Wilson. I found this book to be a tough read. I had a hard time getting through it. I am interested in history and when I saw this book I felt it was one that I would enjoy. But I found it really hard to follow. Maybe it was just too complex for me. The basic idea behind the book is that these five cities played a major role in shaping the world as it is today. He then spent about 40 pages going through the history of that city and why it was so influential. Although I agree with him in the importance of these cities I did find that the way that their histories were presented was very hard to follow and really grasp unless you had a very strong background in history. That being said, I do believe that this book has a lot of interesting information in it and that someone who is a real history buff and a solid understanding of the history of these places to start would probably have an easier time reading this book and would enjoy it a lot more then I did.

Walgreens 12/17

Today and tomorrow there is a 15% off coupon (20% off Wags brand products) that you can print out HERE. You just have to become a fan of Walgreens on Facebook to be able to access it. I also got an email about a 15% off (20% off Wags brand) Friends & Family deal doing on tomorrow. You can get that coupon HERE.

I was able to take advantage of some good deals on Viva paper towels and Nexxus hair products. But I will say that the $5RR when you spend $25 didn't print out for me on either of my transactions. But I think that the reason why is because the 15% took my total down just below $25. So watch out for that and make sure that your total AFTER the 15-20% discount is taken is over $25 (not including tax).

For a comprehensive list of all the most recent Wags deals you can check out Hip2Save's Wags posts HERE.

Wags 12/7

This would've cost me $193.72 BUT I got it all for $10.55!!

Regular Ad:

2 Green & Black's organic chocolate bars (normally 2/$7) on sale for $1.99 w/ THIS Wags coupon
Also used two $1/1 coupons from HERE
Final cost $.99 each!

4 Biore Skin Preservation products on clearance for $3.79
Used four $3/1 coupon from the 10/11SS
Final cost ONLY $0.79!

4 Theraflu products (6 pk Vapor patch, 6 packets, liquid) 2/$10 (bought 2 per trans)
Used four $2/1 coupons from HERE
Plus, used the $2/1 coupon from the Walgreens Healthy Savings Booklet (Will deduct $4 for purchasing two)
Pay $2
Get back a $3RR for each 2
Final Cost FREE + a $1 moneymaker on each set!

4 Chinet Paper Plates (10-25 pk.) buy one at $2.99, get one FREE with in ad coupon
Used four $1/1 coupons from the 11/22 SS or from here: IE or Firefox
Final Cost $0.49 per package!

6 Triaminic products (14 pack Thin Strips, Liquid 4 oz. or Decongestant Spray) 2/$10 (bought two each in three trans)
Used three $3/1 coupons from the 12/6 SS
Used three $2/1 coupons from the 12/6 SS
Plus, use the $2/1 coupon from the Walgreens Healthy Savings Coupon Booklet (will deduct $4 for purchasing two)
Get back a $5RR for each two purchased
Final Cost FREE + a $3 - $5 moneymaker per set!

HERE is a link to Hip2Save's post for other great weekly deals.

Mid-Week Ad:

**Now whether you will be able to take advantage of this ad depends on where you live. If you live in a large ad area your store should have this ad. If you live in a smaller ad area like I do your store may not have the ad. Mine did not. BUT in my case I have a WONDERFUL store who knows me very well with great checkers and an awesome manager so all I have to do is go to Walgreens.com and print out the mid-week ad (I did this my pulling up the Chicago ads using zip code 60610). They then honor the prices on that ad for me. Now whether your store will do that for you is up to them. If you live in a smaller ad area, please don't expect that they will do this for you because they really don't have to. The RRs still print out, I just found that the prices on the items were higher in my area because they weren't part of that sale. They did price adjust those items down for me to match the ad but I am very lucky that they will do this. That being said, here are the deals I got.

**Spend $25 (before coupons) and get back a $5RR to be used on your next in-store purchase (excludes prescriptions, lottery tickets, postage stamps, tobacco, dairy, and gift/phone/prepaid cards). - this should work for you no matter where you are. I just made sure that I got my transactions up to $25 (not including tax) and then handed over my coupons and RRs to pay for them.

1 Neutrogena Men's Skin Care $4.99 (my store had this ringing up at $6.49)
Used the $2/1 coupon from the All You December Issue on page 35
Got back a $5RR
Final Cost FREE + a $2 moneymaker!

2 Conair Brushes or Scunchi Hair Accessories $2
Supposedly there is a $2RR on this making it free but this is the one that didn't print out for me.

4 Renu Multi-Purpose Plus Solution Twin Pack, 8 oz each $9.99 (my store had these ringing up at $11.99 each)
Used four $2/1 coupon from HERE
Got back a $10RR for each one.
Final Cost FREE + a $2 moneymaker on each one!

4 Kellogg's Cereal (Smart Start, Raisin Bran, Special K) on sale for $1.99 each
Buy one get one FREE - at my store they were not ringing up B1G1 and they couldn't make the register do that and still accept my coupon
Used the $5/4 coupon found HERE (manufacturer coupon with Target logo)
Final cost $.74 each.
**I debated about whether to do this or not without the B1G1 but in the end I went ahead and did it because of the buy $25 get back $5RR. This helped get my total up to $25.

2 Arm & Hammer 2X Liquid Laundry Detergent 26 or 32 loads $2.49 (my store had these ringing up at $7.29 each ... big difference)
Used the $1/2 coupon found HERE
Final Cost $3.98 (only $1.99 each)!

I also had a few little filler items not pictured.

HERE is a link to Hip2Save's post for other great mid week deals.

Albies 12/9

It seems like it's been a little while since Albies had a good sale going so I was glad that this week they had quite a few items that I wanted that I could get a really good deal on.

Before sales and coupons this would've cost me $97.54 but I got it all for $21.36!

Here are the details:

2 Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough 15-16.5 oz. on sale for $2.49 each
Used two $1.50/1 coupons from HERE
Final cost just $.99 each!

8 Campbell's Gravy 10.25-10.75 oz. on sale for $.50 each
Used two $1/4 coupons from HERE
Final cost $.25 each!

6 Chex Cereal 12.8-14.25 oz. on sale for $2.50 each
Promo: Buy 3 get $3 off instantly
Used three $1/2 coupons from HERE or HERE
Final cost $1 each.
I normally wouldn't pay $1 for a box of cereal but my son who up to this point would only eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch which is chuck full of sugar has decided that he loves Corn Chex so it's worth it to me to get it for him. It is actually an even better price this week at Maceys ($.75/box I believe) but it's limit four so it depends on if you want to stock up on a bunch of boxes or just want a few.

4 Wish-Bone Bountiful 9.5 oz. on sale for $1.99 each (my hubbie and I love these)
Used four $.75/1 coupons from HERE
Final cost $1.24 each!

* General Mills Promo: Save $5 on your NEXT shopping order when you spend $15
or more on participating General Mills products.*

4 Betty Crocker Cookies mixes 17.5 oz. on sale for $1.69 each ($1.12 with the promo)
Used four $.40/1 coupons from HERE or HERE
Final cost $.72 each!

1 Betty Crocker Frosting 12-16 oz. on sale for $1.49 each ($.98 with the promo)
Used one $.50/1 coupons from HERE or HERE
Final cost $.48!

8 Progresso Bread Crumbs 15-oz. on sale for $1 each ($.66 with the promo)
Used four $1/2 coupons from HERE
Final cost $.16 each!

HERE is a link to the Albies Grocery Smarts Planner so you can plan.

Need to stock up on Salsa?

I am really excited about this deal because we love salsa at our house!

La Victoria has a new awards program where you can log in and enter points to earn high value coupons for free or nearly free La Victoria Salsa.

First you want to register on La Victoria Rewards HERE!

Once you are registered (or logged in) then it will ask you to enter your Rewards Codes. Once you get 64 points, you'll be able to print out a coupon for $4 off 2 La Victoria Salsas (be sure to print it twice). Which means that you'll possibly be able to get 4 FREE jars of salsa! At Walmart the 16 oz. jars are priced around $2 or less!!

Here are the details:

You can enter each code up to 4 times. So copy the first code below and paste it into the second box where it asks you for an 18 digit code. Choose "No Purchase." in the box that asks you where you purchased this product. Do this 4 times with the first code. Once you have entered the first three codes, 4 times each you will have accumulated more then the 64 posts that you need to print out the $4/2 coupon. You can do that by scrolling down on the page and clicking on "More Info" link next to that coupon.

Enter the following codes:
L8CP225J509:08U8XN
L8CS298T819:03VQOZ
L8DA271N613:36DESW
L8PD276K610:07FN1A
L8DA2710614:36B4OK
L9CO085J509:31ZLKQ
L8CP316J509:09YGCQ
L9CW043K610:334BUY
L8PD071W622:45JRNQ
L8CU238L411:40SXFB
L8CT2390414:30XX1L
L8PD2761608:1443UH
L8CW276B601:13Y9TF

Now remember that you can print out the coupon twice but you are only able to print out one set per day. I went ahead and entered all the codes 4 times so I didn't have to do it later and so my Rewards Points after printing my first set was 362 which equals out to be 10 more coupons over the course of the next few days (whenever I actually remember to go in and print them)! That's a lot of free or nearly free salsa ... YEAH!

(Thanks, UtahDealDiva!)

Walgreens Free Shipping Code

So yesterday I went onto Facebook (something I don't do too often) and became a fan of Walgreens because there was supposed to be some great thing sent out today to Wags Facebook fans. Well I was a little disappointed today when I got an email for free shipping on any online order from Wags. I don't usually shop online from Wags so I just deleted that email and forgot about it. But I just checked Hip2Save's website and found a great online deal that I totally wanted to take advantage of. HERE is Hip2Save's post about it.

I was able to order 10 cans of Honey Roasted Cashews as well as 10 cans of Natural Almonds for a total of $21.74. They have them on sale for 2/$2.11 which makes them just over $1 each which is a fantastic price for nuts. To get free shipping just enter the promo code WFAN. They make a great healthy snack (particularly the almonds) and something that my husband can take to work with him. Yeah!!

Target 12/7

I stocked up on crackers and lunch meat today at Target. All this cost me $18.49 with a savings of $35.15.

Here are the details:

4 boxes of Cheez-Its for $2 each
Used three $0.75/1 coupons from here --you must login (I accidentally printed over my 4th coupon grrrr.)
6 Keebler Flipsides crackers for $2 each
Used three $1/2 coupons from Coupons.com
Got back two $5 Target gift cards (one for each 5 I bought)
Final cost $4.75 or just $0.48 each!

4 Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Lunchmeat $2.79 each
Used four $1/1 coupons from here
Final cost $1.79 each!

4 Method Dish Detergent $2.99 each
Used four $2/1 IP coupons
Final cost $.99 each.

Walgreens Mid-Week Deals: 12/2 - 12/5 UPDATE

UPDATE - So I am updating this post for you all. I went to my favorite Wags this morning (104th & Redwood) and they had received an email about the mid-week ad but they hadn't received a copy of the ad. We went ahead and price checked somethings and did some transactions to test out whether the RRs would print. I will list below whether they worked or didn't work. The ones that are left black without a note I didn't try. It was weird because some of the things were priced right, some weren't and some triggered the RR and some didn't. I don't know if the mid-week ads will be like the regular ads in that we being a smaller area won't have all the deals. Either way ... I hope this helps.

From now until Christmas Walgreens will be running a mid-week ad on top of their regular weekly ad. This has a lot of additional freebies to take advantage of.

Register Reward Deals

M&M’s 2/$5 - RR didn't print
Get a $1RR (on 2)
Use the $1/2 coupon from here or here
Plus, stack with the $1/2 coupon from Walgreens December coupon booklet
Final cost ONLY $1 per bag! What a great price!

Coke 2 Liters $4.50/3
Get a $2.50RR (on 3)
(Must buy 1 Diet Coke)
Final cost just $0.67 per 2 liter!

Complete Multipurpose Solution $7.99 - RR WORKED
Get a $8RR
Use the $1/1 coupon from the 10/25RP
Final cost FREE + a $1 moneymaker!

Dentek Floss Picks (35-90ct) or Floss (55yd) $1.99 - RR WORKED, they rang up at a higher price but they adjusted it down to match the $1.99 price. This store is great, not all stores would do that for you so keep that in mind.
Get a $2RR
Use the $1/1 coupon from the 10/11SS
Final cost FREE + a $1 moneymaker!

Goody Ouchless hair Accessories $2
Get a $2RR
Final cost FREE!

Natrol Acai $4 - RR didn't print and price rang up more expensive but with a B1G1 50% off
Get a $4RR
Use the $3/1 coupon from here
Final cost FREE + a $3 moneymaker!

Quilted Nothern Toilet Tissue (9-rolls) $4.29 - RR WORKED
Get a $1RR
Use the $1/1 coupon from here
Final cost $2.29!

Soft & beautiful Botanicals $5
Get a $5RR
Final cost FREE!

Softsoap Ensembles Pump $5.99 - RR didn't print
Get a $2RR
Use the $2/1 coupon from the Walgreens December coupon booklet
Final cost $1.99!

Other Great Deals

Ricola Cough Drops (19-24ct) $0.99
Use the $0.50/1 coupon from the Walgreens Diabetes & You coupon booklet
Final cost $0.49!

Big Roll Bathroom Tissue, 2/$1 with in ad coupon

Sunkist 2 liter $1 with in ad coupon
Use the $1/2 coupon from the 11/15SS
Final cost just $0.50 per 2 liter!

Ocean Spray Juice or Drink buy one at $4.79, get one FREE
Use 2 $1/1 peelie coupons found on the juice
Final cost $1.40 each!

(Thanks to Hip2Save for pointing out these deals!)