Shanna's Steals

Walgreens Black Friday Deals

2010-11-27T11:15:00.002-07:00

I am NOT a Black Friday shopper, I am of the Cyber Monday persuasion because I really hate crowds. But I did venture out to Walgreens today to take advantage of their Black Friday deals. I got all of the above for $2.73!! Without coupons, rebates and RRs this would've cost $60.79!

Hip2Save has a great post on Black Friday deals HERE.

Wags 11/15

2010-11-15T10:49:00.003-07:00

I had a good trip to Wags this morning. I got all of the above for $11.85. Without coupons and RRs this would've cost me $83.25!

Check out Hip2Save's recent Walgreens posts HERE.

Deals worth mentioning

2010-11-02T16:54:00.002-06:00

I scored a few deals worth mentioning today.

Smiths has select GM cereals on sale for $2.99 each. Buy 4 and get $6 off instantly which makes them $1.49 each. Use $1/2 coupons making each box only $.99. That is pretty okay but the best part is that there are speciality marked boxes which can score you free movie tickets. For each 2 specially marked boxes you get a free movie ticket. So I bought 8 big boxes of Lucky Charms (the only specially marked boxes my store had) for just over $8 and will get FOUR free movie tickets!! That is a pretty sweet deal!!!

Then I went to Target and got the following Olay deals:

Buy 2 Select P&G items get a $5 Target gift card
Buy 2 Olay Refreshing Toners $2.84 each
Pay $5.68
Get back a $5 Target gift card
Final cost only $0.68 for both items (no coupons needed!)

Olay Beauty Bar (Single Bar) $0.97
Used the $1/1 coupon from the 10/31 PG
Final cost FREE!

Olay Body Wash $5.04 AND Secret Travel Size Deodorant $0.97
Total = $6.01
Used the $5/1 Olay Body Wash with Any Secret product coupon from the 10/31 PG
Final cost only $1.01 for both items!

Walgreens 10/27

2010-10-27T12:32:00.005-06:00

I know I haven't posted for a long time. Honestly, I am not going to post often because most of the deals are shown on the other blog links on this site. But I will post when I find a really good deal.

Today I was able to get all the above at Walgreens for a total of $3.72!!
(I spent $5.22 OOP, used $9 in RR to pay down my OOP but got back $10.50 back in new RRs.)

Hip2Save had a good deal scenario which I have listed below:

Transaction #1:
Buy Colgate Sensitive Toothpaste $3.49
Use the $1/1 coupon from the 10/10 SS or found here
Pay $2.49
Get back a $3.50 RR

Transaction #2:
Buy Contac Cold & Flu $6
Buy 1 Small Filler item (Laffy Taffy, $0.10)
Total = around $6.10
Use the $2/1 coupon from the 10/10 RP or $2/1 printable (no longer available)
Plus, use the $3.50 RR earned from the 1st transaction
Pay $0.60 (+ tax)
Get back a $6 RR

Transaction #3:
Buy Huggies Diapers $7.99
Buy Filler item (M&Ms single packs on Mega Saver $0.59)
Total = around $8.58
Use the $2.50/1 Huggies coupon found here or $2/1 coupon found here
Plus, use the $6 RR earned from the above transaction
Pay as low as $0.08
And get back a $1 RR

Your final out of pocket expense after all 3 transactions– ONLY $3.17! Plus, you’ll still have a $1 RR to use at a later date!

Since I had a bunch of RRs already I didn't do the above transactions, I just put it all together in one transaction but this will give you some ideas.

I actually don't have a kid in diapers anymore (YEAH!!!) but my best friend does so the diapers go to her and I still scored some great deals!

Cereal Deal at Smiths this Week

2010-09-15T12:55:00.004-06:00

We were down to almost no cereal and my kids know that I won't buy things like cereal until there is a great deal. Well, lucky them ... Smiths has a great deal this week.

40 boxes of cereal for less then $40. Each box cost between $0.88 and $0.97. Smiths promo this week takes $6 off instantly when you buy 4 boxes of GM cereals. That takes $1.50 off each box. Then with coupons the amount drops below $1 per box. Check out the Grocery Smarts Planner to find details on the deal and coupons to use.

Smiths Deals 8/12

2010-08-12T08:41:00.010-06:00

By combining sales, promotions, coupons and catalinas I was able to get all of the above for $45.16! Normally this would've cost $112.74!!

The pizzas worked out to be $3.74 each.
The fruit snacks worked out to be $.74 each.
The granola thins worked out to be $.54 each.
The cereal averaged out to be $.43 each using regular coupons and e-coupons.
The nut clusters worked out to be FREE!

Here are the catalinas I took advantage of today.

General Mills Fruit Shapes, Fruit By the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Stickerz Catalina Offer (Valid 8/9/10 - 9/5/10)
• Buy 3, get $1.50 OYNO {.50 savings per item}
• Buy 4, get $2.00 OYNO {.50 savings per item}
• Buy 5, get $3.00 OYNO {.60 savings per item}

California Pizza Kitchen Catalina offer (Valid 8/9/10 - 9/5/1)

• Buy 2, get $1 OYNO {.50 savings per item}
• Buy 3, get $2 OYNO {.67 savings per item}
• Buy 4 + get $3 OYNO {.75 savings per item}

General Mills Granola Bars and Snack Items offer
• Buy 3, get $1.50 OYNO {.50 savings per item}
• Buy 4, get $2.50 OYNO {.63 savings per item}
• Buy 5, or more get $3.50 OYNO {.70 savings per item}

Remember these items that have catalinas also work with the buy 8 items get $4 off instantly promo so make sure you buy in increments of 8. You want to buy 8 items but you don't want to buy more the the number that will trigger the catalina in a transaction. So here is what I did. Hopefully this will help you think about how to capitilize on this easily.

1st transaction:

4 pizzas
4 fruit snacks
5 nut clusters
3 boxes of cereal
= 16 items, two $4 off promos
Got back a $3 cat for the pizzas, a $2 cat for the fruit snacks and a $3.50 cat for the nut clusters.

2nd transaction:
4 pizzas
4 fruit snacks
4 granola thins
1 nut clusters
3 boxes of cereal
= 16 items, two $4 off promos
Got back a $3 cat for the pizzas, a $2 cat for the fruit snacks and a $3.50 cat for the nut clusters/granola thins.

Wags Deals 8/4

2010-08-04T10:50:00.003-06:00

I went to Walgreens this morning to take advantage of the 15% off Fans & Family coupon. I used that coupon in conjunction with some other deals this week and was able to get all of the above for $20.32! Without sales and coupon this would've cost $114.04.

Check out Hip2Save's Walgreens posts HERE for more deal details.

Today's FREEBIES - Target & Walmart

2010-08-02T17:32:00.006-06:00

Did you get anything for free today? I made trips to two stores today and got a lot of things for FREE.

At TARGET I got these freebies:

4 - Tide 2x Ultra Travel Size (1 Load) $0.97 each
Used four $1/1 coupon from the 8/1 PG
Final cost FREE!

12 - Band-Aid Brand Adult (8 ct) $0.97 each
Used four $3/3 coupon from the 8/1 SS
Final cost– 3 for FREE!

4 - Clean & Clear 1 oz travel size Morning Burst Cleanser $0.97 each
Used four $1/1 coupon from the 8/1 SS or found here
Final cost FREE!

I know these items are small but think about the 4 loads of laundry that I won't have to pay for, the 96 owies that I have free bandaids for, things like that, you can see that buying these smaller items for free can really pay off. You will find that you will end up with these random item shopping trips but as you stockpile you will find more and more things that you don't need to buy so often.

Then to Walmart ...

These are on sale for $2.99 at Smiths this week but with the P&G promo when you buy four you end up getting them for $1.99 each. Since I was at Walmart I decided to price match this price. YMMV on whether you can price match to the promo price but I usually have had no trouble doing this. I price matched these to the $1.99 price and used four of the $2/1 Gillette coupons from yesterday's (8/1) P&G insert making all of these items free. Actually the one taller one rang up at $1.50 so I ended up making money on that one.

There are more freebies available at Target this week. I only got the ones that I will use. You can check out THIS Hip2Save post for more deals.

Smiths Doubles

2010-07-28T08:37:00.004-06:00

Smiths is rounding any coupon lower then $1 up to $1 today through Saturday. I ran there this morning and got $76.34 worth of groceries AND one free movie ticket for $27.22!!

Quick Smiths Trip

2010-07-26T14:08:00.005-06:00

I ran to Smiths today to stock up on cheese while the Mega Event was still going on (ends tomorrow). I got 10 bags of Kraft Naturals shredded cheese and 10 cans of Hunts diced tomatoes for $14.30. I did this deal WITHOUT using ANY COUPONS but by taking advantage of the store promo and the Kraft cheese catalina deal running right now I was able to save $33.10. Paying full price this would've cost $47.40.

The cheese freezes well so if you stock up when they are at a great price then you won't have to pay the $3+ price they want to charge you normally. It pays to stock up so that you can buy things at the price you want to pay, not at the price the store wants to charge you.

Smiths Mega Event

2010-07-14T13:16:00.003-06:00

Smiths is running a "Buy 10 items get $5 off instantly" promo this week. You can check out the grocery smarts list for partipating items HERE or check out UtahDealDiva's post HERE for some ideas.

I don't take advantage of every sale that comes along but I did run to Smiths for this one because with three little boys, frozen pizzas come in handy and we use cream cheese a lot in pastas and desserts and you can't beat FREE.

I got these 10 items for $1.42!

Thomas Nelson Book Review - Same Kind of Different as Me

2010-07-09T21:52:00.003-06:00

I really enjoyed this book and I felt like I gained a lot of perspective. "Same Kind of Different as Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore was written like memoirs from both men, telling their stories and how they came to be friends. Denver was a black man who although was not technically a slave, was raised in the same slave south that generations of his family had in the past. Ron was a white man, born poor but made a fortune as a high end art dealer. Ron's wife brought them together as she worked to help the homeless. I felt this book had a similar feel to "The Blindside" but the thing that I really liked about it was how much Denver taught Ron. I think we often think about how much we can give or offer to someone like Denver who is homeless and appears to not have a purpose in life. But Denver, despite his hard life and scrapes with the law, is a very spiritual man and very in tune with God. I feel like I learned a lot from him just by reading about his life. I was also amazed at how oppressed blacks like Denver were and still are, and not just in the past, but now, in my lifetime. I think about slavery as a thing of the past but my eyes were really opened to how the life that many blacks still live. This book was definitely worth reading.

Smiths Doubling to $1 event

2010-06-23T11:10:00.004-06:00

As you may know, Smiths is doing a doubling even this entire week (Wed - Tues). All coupons under $1 will be rounded up to $1. So those $0.30 coupons are now worth $1, $0.50 coupons are worth $1 and so forth. I went to the Smiths marketplace on 90th and Redwood this morning and found everything I was looking for in stock. The doubling part worked great. I did run into a couple items that didn't ring up for the sale price I was expecting but for the most part everything went really smoothly. I had a large list of not only coupon deals but also birthday party needs for my soon to be 5 year olds birthday party this weekend. I ended up spending $62 and saving $78!!

Check out these PYP posts HERE and HERE for deal details or use the GrocerySmarts planner HERE to plan your trip. And remember that this doubling even goes all week so they should have time to restock if your best deals are out of stock today.

Target 6/21

2010-06-21T12:26:00.004-06:00

All this for $2.87?? YES!!

I went to Target this morning and got all of the above for $17.87, I used $10 in Target gift cards that I received previously bringing my OOP down to $7.87 but I got back $15 in new Target gift cards making the total cost only $2.87!! Without sales and coupons this would've cost over $48.

Check out these posts for available deals ... Hip2Save and TotallyTarget.

Thomas Nelson Book Review - Love on a Dime

2010-06-20T12:34:00.000-06:00

My most recent book to review for Thomas Nelson Publishing was "Love on a Dime" by Cara Lynn James. I have to be honest, I wasn't sure whether I would really like this book or not. It looked a little lovey dovey and I am not really into romance novels. However, I must say that I really enjoyed this book and was surprised how easy it was to get into it and for it to keep my interest. The gist of the book is that Lilly who is a member of the wealthy and priviledged back in the late 1800s writes dime store novels, which is completely against the "rules" of her social set at the time. Women are to depend on their husband or father for their support, not make money on their own. I really enjoyed learning more about life during that time period and found Lilly to be a wonderful character of faith and goodness even though she was surrounded by so much greed and inequality. I would recommend this book as a nice easy read, an enjoyable book with a nice message. It did kind of lag a little bit in the middle and I just wanted Lilly and Jackson to talk to each other openly but it was still a good book.

Wags 6/14

2010-06-14T12:54:00.006-06:00

I love getting paid to shop!!

These items cost me a total of $8.75 ($3.75 OOP and $5 in RRs) and I got back a new $10 in RRs. So I got all this and made a profit of $1.25 on the purchase!!

There are some really good deals this week. Check out Hip2Save's most recent Wags posts HERE for a list of deals.

And I just saw on UtahDealDiva that there is a rebate offer on the Shick razor so that will get me a rebate of $7.99 back making this even more profitable.

Walgreens 6/8

2010-06-08T12:20:00.002-06:00

I got all this for $6.46 at Walgreens this morning!! Without coupons this would've cost me $89.63!!

Check out Hip2Save's most recent Wags posts HERE.

Walmart Deals

2010-06-07T12:58:00.005-06:00

There are a couple great freebies you can take advantage of right now. I went to Walmart so that I could price match and do it all in one place. I got free wipes and free body wash:

Target has the Olay Total Effects Body Wash on sale for $3.54
I price matched these at Walmart and then used four of the $4/1 coupons from the 6/6PG meaning I got four for free and got $1.84 in overage to pay down my other items.

Walmart also has their tubs of Pampers Wipes on sale for $1.97
I used four $2/1 coupons from the 6/6PG making these free with overage as well!

That makes about $40 worth of products ... All for FREE!!

Target 6/1

2010-06-01T10:33:00.004-06:00

I got all of the above at Target this morning for $4.58!! Without coupons this would've cost $34.80.

3 Olay single bar soaps $.97 each

Used three $1/1 coupons from the 5/2 PG
Final cost FREE!

4 Olay Foaming Face Wash on sale for $3.69 each
Used four $1/1 coupons from 5/16 SS
Got back two $5 Target gift cards (one for each 2 purchased)
Final cost $.19 each!!

2 Shout Stain Removers $1.97 each
Used two $.55/1 coupons from the 5/2 SS or peelies found on the bottles
Used two $1/1 Target coupons found HERE
Final cost $.42 each!

4 Standard GE Reveal Light Bulbs (4 packs) on sale for $2 each
Used four $1.50/1 Target coupons found HERE
There is also a $1/2 MFC coupon HERE (I had already used these previously)
Final cost FREE!!

Check out Hip2Save's most recent Targets posts HERE to find more deals!!

Target Deals

2010-05-20T12:34:00.003-06:00

I ran to Target this morning and got all of the above for $12. I used two $5 Target Gift cards from a previous deal so my OOP was only $2!! Without coupons this would've cost $30.54!

Check out Hip2Save's Target posts HERE for a list of current deals.

Diaper Deal @ Rite Aid

2010-05-19T11:06:00.006-06:00

I went into Rite Aid this morning in hopes of taking advantage of their deal on Huggies this week. They never have a huge stock of diapers and so they tend to get cleaned out fast but I was happy to see that they still had some size 4 & 5 Snug & Dry diapers. Yeah! So here is what I did:

1st transaction:

Bought 3 packs of diapers on sale for $8.99 each.

Used one $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon which you can get by watching a 2 minute video HERE
Used three $3/1 Huggies diapers coupons which you can find HERE or HERE
Paid $14.47 with tax OOP

2nd transaction:
Bought 2 packs of diapers on sale for $8.99 each.
Bought 4 bags of M&Ms on sale B1G1 (I used these to get my pre-coupon total up over $25 so I could use the Rite Aid coupon)
Used one $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon
Used two $3/1 Huggies coupon
Used one B2G1 M&Ms coupon from the 5/2RP (this means you get three of the four bags for free)
Paid $12.10 with tax OOP

Now I can submit my reciepts online at RiteAid.com and I will be sent a voucher for a free pack of Huggies. So in the end I will have gotten 6 packs of Huggies for $3.76 per pack!

Now, the only problem with these diaper deals at Rite Aid, as I mentioned before, is that they clear out fast. So I would suggest calling your store ahead of time (use the store locator HERE) to see if they have any in stock. If they don't, ask if they will allow you to come in and purchase them and then pick them up at a later date when they are back in stock. That way you would be able to take advantage of the sale prices and rebates and use those great coupons but not have to stress about finding stock on hand.

Smiths Doubling Event

2010-05-17T13:56:00.002-06:00

Through tomorrow (Tuesday) Smiths will round any coupon under $1 up to $1. So a $.25 coupon is now worth $1, a $.40 is now worth $1, etc. I went this morning and found most of the things that I was looking for.

All of this cost me $13.29 but without coupons it would've cost me $49.63.

Check out THIS PYP thred for a list of great deals to look for!

Book Review: The Heart Mender

2010-05-14T12:44:00.001-06:00

** Congratulations Wendy O for winning a copy of "The Heart Mender".

As you might know, I review books for Thomas Nelson Publishing. I really enjoy doing it. They send me books for free, in return I read and review them. I just read a great book by Andy Andrews called "The Heart Mender". If you want a chance to win a copy of this great book for yourself, keep reading!

I really enjoyed "The Heart Mender" by Andy Andrews. The origin of this book is very interesting. Andrews unearthed a tin can full of old Nazi artifacts and photos dating back to World War II. These items send him on a quest to discover the story behind them and the people associated with them. The story he uncovers is very fascinating and I loved that it was historical, as well as exciting. Not only did I learn new things about World War II that I never knew, but the story also was uplifting in that it showed the value of second chances and of forgiveness. This book is classified as a "Self-help" book and I felt that it really did have a powerful message full of lessons that we can all benefit from. It showed that forgiveness isn't for the person who has offended, but for the person who has been offended, so that they can regain control over their life. The woman in this story had lost her husband in the war as well as every other relative that she had and found herself angry with the world. It wasn't until she learned to forgive that she was able to move forward with her life. I also loved that it was historic as well and especially appreciated the distinct difference that Andrews was able to present between a Nazi, and a German citizen. This is a book that I would definitely recommend.

So if you would like to win a copy of this book (thanks to the publisher for sending me an extra copy to give away on my blog) just make a comment below and I will randomly choose a winner on Thursday. Good luck!

GM Cereals for $.25 a box at Smiths

2010-05-12T13:33:00.000-06:00

**UPDATE: I bought 4 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch this morning at Smiths and no cat printed out. I will update again if I get more info. :(

My children have gotten really good about understanding that there are somethings that I just won't buy unless I find a great deal on them. Cereal is one of them. My kids haven't had their favorite, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal for a long time but it looks like now they will finally get to have some.

Starting tomorrow, 5/12, select GM cereals will be on sale at Smiths for $2/box. Combine that with THIS $1.50/2 coupon and the current catalina that is running (Buy 4 participating GM products, get back a $4 cat to use on your next order) to get them for $.25 each.

Buy 4 GM cereals at $2 each
Use two $1.50/2 coupons
Pay $5 OOP

Get back a $4 catalina to use on your next order
Final cost $1 or $.25 each!!

Remember, if you are going to buy more then 4 boxes, to seperate your orders so you only have 4 per transaction. And you can use the $4 cat you got from your first transaction to pay for your next one.

Thanks UtahDealDiva!

Target Deals

2010-05-04T13:17:00.004-06:00

I got all of the above at Target for $13.85 OOP but I got back $15 in Target Gift Cards making this trip a $1.15 moneymaker! This was about $45 worth of products for better then free!

Check out Hip2Save's recent Target posts HERE for available deals.

Walmart Deals

2010-05-04T13:08:00.004-06:00

I went to Walmart today, did some price matching to the Winco ad and used a bunch of coupons and got all of the above for $19.

FREEBIES:
The CapriSuns are $.98 at Winco and with $1/1 coupons from the 4/25SS they were free.
The Carefree Liners were $1 and with the $1/1 coupons from teh 4/25SS they were free.

Check out PassionForSavings for an extensive Walmart list.

FYI - Walmart will price match to Winco's ad but I was told that they do want you to bring in the ad with the coupons which comes in the mail and leave it with them. As with everything, it probably depends on the check but keep that in mind.

Fresh Market Deals

2010-04-29T15:41:00.004-06:00

Thanks to UtahDealDiva for THIS POST about Fresh Market's Grand Opening sales this week. I have never been to a Fresh Market store myself since there isn't one super close to me. But her post tempted me to make a trip in.

The closest store to me that was participating in the Grand Opening sale (see the list HERE) was the Riverton store so I went there today. I was able to get chocolate chips for $.98, Yoplait yogurt for $.27 each, 2 lbs blocks of Tillamook cheese for $3.98, grapes for $.98/lb and 4 lbs of strawberries for $3.98 as well as a few other items.

B1G1 Free Bonnie Plants at Lowe's

2010-04-23T14:18:00.003-06:00

It's getting to my favorite time of year ... when the tomato plants get planted in the garden. So I was very happy to see this on deal AThriftyMom (thanks!). Lowe's is having a B1G1 sale on their Bonnie plants/herbs and seed packets this week (valid thru Monday 4/26). I checked their ad for my area and it is there so yeah! I usually don't plant most of my plants until Mother's Day but I will probably grab most of what I need this week and just hold off on planting them for a couple weeks.

School Uniforms

2010-04-23T14:12:00.002-06:00

Target has many of their school uniform items on clearance right now. Sizes and colors vary since they are clearance but I was able to find most of what I needed for my son who is starting kindergarten in the fall. So if you have a child in a charter school or other school that requires a uniform you might want to check THIS out.

Pop-Tarts = Free Movie Tickets (or other freebies)

2010-04-22T13:02:00.006-06:00

Pop-Tarts has a promo going on right now where if you buy 5 specially marked boxes of pop-tarts, of 5 different varieties you can enter the codes on the inside of the boxes online and redeem those codes for either a free movie ticket, 5 music downloads, more poptarts or a couple other prizes. Just go HERE for more details.

Macey's has these on sale this week for $.98 each with in-ad coupon. Combine that store coupon with the $1.25/3 coupon from the 3/28RP to make these just $.56 each. Just make sure you buy different varieties because once you have entered the code for a certain variety it won't let you enter that type again. I do have to say, I went to the Macey's by me today and was disappointed by the lack of choices they had. So I think I will probably hit Walmart later this week and price match there so that I can have a larger flavor selection. **Keep in mind, depending on what checker you get, they may or may not be willing to price match to a coupon deal. I have had both good and bad luck with this so sometimes it's just a matter of luck. :)

The nice thing about this promo is that you do everything online. You don't have to save receipts or UPCs or mail anything in. And you don't have to buy 5 at a time. Just enter the codes as you get them and once you have 5 you can redeem them. And the promo goes until 9/29/2011 so there is no reason to rush out and buy 5 packs. Just be sure to enter codes as you get them and redeem them when you have enough for a reward. Sounds pretty good right!

Rite Aid

2010-04-20T12:34:00.006-06:00

Well I had hoped that my diaper stash would last until Kyle was potty trained but since neither he or I are ready for the joys of potty training I needed to put the $3/1 Huggies coupons to use. Most places have packs of Huggies on sale for $8.99 this week but I chose to go to Rite Aid since you can use the $5/$25 or $5/$20 Rite Aid Video Values coupon on your transaction saving you just a little more money.

Here we have a little boy who didn't want to just "hold" the chocolate, but he wanted to unwrap and eat it all. :)

I got all of the above (there are 2 packs of diapers there) for $9.66 and used my rebate check from last month making this cost $0 out of pocket!

2 packs of Huggies diapers, $8.99 each
Used two $3/1 coupons
Used one $5/$25 coupon since my transaction total was just over $25.
Final cost factoring in the Rite Aid coupon = $3.49 each!!

2 NYC nail polishes on sale B1G1 50% off
Used one B1G1 free coupon from the May issue of All You Magazine
Used one $1/1 coupon from 4/18 RP on the one you are not getting for free.
Final cost a $.51 moneymaker!

8 single Hershey bars on sale $2/1
Used four B1G1 free coupons from 4/18 SS
Final cost only $.25 each.

4 large Hershey bars on sale for $.99 (stock piled for summer camping trips ... s'mores!!)
Used four $1/1 coupons from 4/18 SS (**This coupon is for the Hershey Extra Dark bars but they didn't have any of these and were fine to substitute these)
Final cost FREE!!

Check out Hip2Save's current Rite Aid posts HERE for more available deals this week.

Bountiful Baskets Produce Co-op

2010-04-18T16:31:00.008-06:00

I have mentioned Bountiful Baskets produce co-op before but I wanted to post what I got this week.

These co-ops are non-profit organizations who are able to "Use collective purchasing to get high quality food at prices usually reserved for grocery stores and restaurants."

There are many co-op organizations out there but the one that I use and LOVE is Bountiful Baskets. The cost for a "basket" is $15 and you get a variety of fruits and veges. You never know what you will get and so it's always a nice surprise to see what you get that week. I then plan my meals around what I received. I also always keep a vege tray in my fridge for Eric, my vege eater so that when he is hungry for the 50th time that hour he can go and get out his vege tray and feed himself.

Some details you might need if you want to try this out:

The cost for a basket is $15 but you can order multiple baskets. The site will let you order up to three baskets per order. They do charge you a $1.50 handling fee per order so I always order with two other friends so that we can split that fee.

They often have add-ons like bread, granola, or additional fruits and veges (ie. a case of mangos, a a case of strawberries, etc.) that you can add on to your order.

The pick ups are on Saturdays. I pick up at the West Jordan location which is at the West Jordan police station on Redwood and 80th South but there are pick-up locations all over the valley.

Some locations, such as the one that I pick up from only have pick-ups every other week, some you can pick up at every week. I do the WJ pick-up the two times a month and then if I feel we need a little more I will buy a basket from one of the SJ pick-ups on the off weeks.

Pick up is really easy. You can access the Site List HERE which shows you the locations you can pick-up at and the time of the pickup. Then you just go there, give them your name and pick-up your produce.

Ordering is done online on Monday's (the Monday before the Saturday pick-up) for my location. This organization covers 5 states so the times that you can log-on and order depend on your location.

Because of high demand some sites fill up really fast. In my case, my area can log on on Monday's at 4pm MDT and I make sure that I do it right at 4pm so that I can be sure to get my basket. The site is slow because so many people log on but it's certainly worth it!

I have really loved doing this. I find that we have fresh fruits with almost every meal and I am often going onto recipezaar and finding recipes for ingrediants that I wouldn't have thought to have bought otherwise. And the nice thing is that you can do this year round so even in the winter you can eat fresh fruits and veges.

Let me know if you have any questions. I also included some pictures of the things we got on other weeks. Thanks to my sister-in-law Alisa who does it with me and is much better at taking pictures ... I stole some of the pics from her. :)

Smiths Quaker Update

2010-04-15T20:00:00.003-06:00

I didn't want to post this until I tried it myself to make sure it worked but if you buy 10 Quaker Instant Oatmeals in one transaction and use two $3/5 coupons from the AFS ads you will end up paying $4 for 10 boxes of oatmeal PLUS you will get a catalina coupon with a code for a free movie ticket. 100 packets of instant oatmeal and a free movie ticket for $4 ... WOW!!

See THIS post for more details.

Huggies coupon $3/1

2010-04-15T16:29:00.003-06:00

This coupon has been popping up a lot and the one HERE on coupons.com has reset for me. Hopefully you will be able to print off this high value coupon again!

Quaker Deal at Smiths

2010-04-14T18:04:00.004-06:00

This morning I was able to get 10 boxes of Quaker Instant Oatmeal at Smiths for $4 total (or $.40 each) and so did my friend Liz!

Smiths has a promo right now where if you buy 5 participating Quaker products ($2 each) get $5 off instantly making each item essentially $1 each. Participating items are Cap'n Crunch and Life cereals as well as Quaker Instant Oatmeal.

Make the deal even better by using the $3/5 coupon that can be found in AFS store ads (such as Harmons, Macey's, Reams). You should've received these in the mail yesterday. Using these coupons makes each 5 items only $2 or $.40 each!!

There is also a $1/1 Oatmeal coupon HERE or a $1/1 Quaker True Delights Oatmeal coupon HERE. If you can print off 5 of these coupons you would get 5 packs of oatmeal for FREE!!

Walgreens 4/13

2010-04-13T19:25:00.004-06:00

I got a few good freebies and deals at Wags today.

#1: Two Shick Hydro Shave Gels $2.99 each, get back a $3 RR = FREE. Reports are that it is rolling but I didn't try it because I had other RRs to use and I only got a couple since we don't go through it very fast.

#2: Four TGI Friday's Snacks on clearance for $1.39 each (weren't marked that low, be sure to price check). Used four $1.50/1 coupons from HERE making them an $.11 moneymaker on each!

#3: Four boxes of Kashi Cereal 2/$5. Get back a $1RR on each two you buy making them $2/4. Used three $1.50/1 vocalpoint coupons as well as one Free Box vocalpoint coupon making all four boxes only $1.30 total or $.33 each!!!!

Target 4/12

2010-04-12T11:07:00.005-06:00

All this cost me $6.09 at Target today PLUS I can mail in for a $5 rebate from SC Johnson for the Scrubbing Bubbles cleaners making the cost only $1.09! Without coupons and rebates this would've cost me $33.05!

Check out Hip2Save's most recent Target posts HERE for available deals.

The Special K Granola worked out to be $.39 each, the Scrubbling Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner ended up costing only $2.99 and the three Scrubbing Bubbles cleaners worked out to be only $.22 total OOP with a $5 rebate making them a money maker!!

Smiths CaseLot Sale

2010-04-10T20:43:00.007-06:00

There are caselot sales going on at AFS (Macey's) right now as well as Smiths. Thanks to UtahDealDiva for THIS post that compares some of the prices. Personally, there wasn't any great deals at Macey's this time around that I wanted to take advantage of. So I went to Smiths today and took advantage of a the case lot sale (2 week sale) for a few things that I was low on.

The one deal that I wanted to highlight is on Skippy Peanut Butter. We go through PB like crazy so I almost always need more. Smiths has a case of 12 Skippy PB's on sale for $15.60. That works out to be $1.30 each. There are also a $.75/2 coupon in the 3/28RP that came in your mail box. This would make them about $.93 each. I actually went onto ebay at the beginning of the week and ordered a batch of 15 higher value coupons, $1/2 for a grand total of $.99. That makes them $.80 each if you buy them in the case. NOW THAT BEING SAID, there has been some discussion on the PYP threads about whether they will allow you to use coupons on a case item as they are often times skewed my the case, not individually. So you will want to ask at the store before you check out to find out if you can use your coupons. Some items at Smiths can be bought individually at the same lower price as they would be in the case and some can not.

Okay so onto the Skippy deal. The individual Skippys are marked at $1.30 each (the caselot price). If you buy 10 of them you will get a catalina that prints out for a free Digital Choice Reward which is you choice of 15 free music downloads, 1 free movie ticket OR 15 free ringtones.

So for me it was worth it to just buy 10 seperate Skippy's instead of a case of 12.

10 Skippys for $1.30 each
Used five $1/2 coupons (from ebay)
Paid $8 for 10 Peanut Butters and one free movie ticket!

Macey's Today only & Weekly Deals

2010-03-31T11:13:00.005-06:00

I went to Macey's this morning to take advantage of some deals that are in their Budget Buster coupon booklet (you can get one at the store) that are expiring today.

Here are some deals you might want to take advantage of:

Western Family Peanut Butter: There is a $1/1 coupon in the BB booklet and the best part is it doesn't specify a size so you can buy the smallest size for $1.69 and get $1 off each. (I am not sure the limit on this, I just bought 2.) $0.69 PB is great!

Land 'O Frost Premium Lunch Meat (1lb): This is a deal that I didn't even know about but I had a super awesome checker who told me about it and sent the bagger to get me some. Usually these cost about $5.49 but this week (starting today) they are on sale for $2.89. But there is still a budget buster coupon for $3/1 in the book (expires today, limit 4) so you can get 4 packs for free plus overage. What an awesome checker to want me to take advantage of this deal to go out of her way to tell me about it!

There are also some good prices on things in their weekly ad this week that you don't have to take advantage of today. A few of my favorites are:

Santitas Tortilla chips for $1.48 (these are my favorite chips)
2 lb of WF cheddar cheese for $3.99
Bar 'S Hot Dogs on sale for $.79 each. Use the $1/2 coupon from HERE to get them for $.29/pack!

Check out the Grocery Smarts Planner HERE to see what interests you.

Wags - Dove ROLLING RR!

2010-03-29T10:30:00.005-06:00

I went to Wags (104th South & Redwood) this morning and the Dove RR was indeed rolling there as posted on many blogs. This happens occasionally and when it does it is a really great way to stock up.

Here's what you do:

Buy 1 Dove hair care product (shampoo, conditioner, styler) for $3.99
Use the $1.50/1 coupons from the 3/28 SS (you don't need this to get a good deal but if you have them use them!)
Get back a $4 RR making it free or even a moneymaker!

And because it's rolling you can use that $4RR to buy another Dove item and get another $4RR.

You will have to use a inexpensive filler because the product is $3.99 and you can't use a $4RR on a $3.99 product because the RR can't cut into the tax amount.

If you have the coupons you will just need to add in a little more expensive filler item or more inexpensive ones to get your total up over $4. The coupons just help you get more of those extra items for free.

I got all of the above for $3!!!

Smiths 3/18

2010-03-18T19:37:00.006-06:00

I got all of the above for $18!! My savings were $41.18!

Smiths has a buy 8 participating items get $4 off instantly promo going on right now.

Check out UtahDealDiva's posts HERE and HERE for more details and items included in the promo. The GrocerySmartPlanner is also a great resource for finding what is a great price in this week's sale.

Great deal on Quilted Northern TP @ Kmart

2010-03-18T19:14:00.005-06:00

I just went to Kmart and scored a great deal on toilet paper. Here is how it works:

Buy 5 packs of Quilted Northern Bath Tissue - 12 pk double rolls for $7.49 each
Use the $10 off of $20 Kmart coupon from HERE
Use either two $1/2 coupons from the 3/14 RP (this was a regional coupon and I didn't have it)
OR

Use the $1/1 coupon found on the Target website HERE (this is a Manufacturer coupon even though it has a Target logo on it) I was able to print 4 of these (2 computers) so I used four and they went through just fine!

So in my case I paid $23.45 OOP

BUT to make it an even better deal when you buy $30 in QN products (before coupons) you get back a $10 cat (you can use this like cash on your next purchase)

AND to make it even better you can go HERE and submit for a $5 rebate.

This made it out to be $8.45 for FIVE 12 double roll packs, or $1.69 per pack! It will of course depend on which coupons you have and how many of them you have but no matter what it's a great deal on toilet paper!

(Thanks Hip2Save!!)

1 lb of Lunch Meat for $.49!!

2010-03-17T12:45:00.004-06:00

You can get some really inexpensive Land 'O Frost lunch meat at Maceys today. If you printed out the $2/1 Land 'O Frost coupon that I mentioned HERE then you can combine that with the Macey's Budget Buster $3/1 coupon that came in the mail a couple weeks ago. If you didn't get one you can probably ask for one at the store. Anyway, they have the 1 lb packages of Land 'O Frost Premium lunch meats for $5.49 this week. If you combine the $3/1 store coupon (only needs to be scanned once but will take off $3 for each pack you buy) along with the $2/1 manufacturer coupon you end up getting each pack for $.49!! My manufacturer coupons expired today and the Budget Buster coupon is good for one week starting today so you have to time that one right but if you have those coupons you can get a really good deal.

Rite Aid 3/16

2010-03-16T14:34:00.004-06:00

I got 2 Mega Packs of Huggies, 4 boxes of popcorn (3 packs) and 12 bags of Easter Candy at Rite Aid today for the cost of what the Huggies alone would've normally cost ... $34.64!

The candy worked out to be $1.32 each, the popcorn was $0.85/box and the diapers were on sale B1G1 50% off this week, and with that each Jumbo pack (40 diapers) which was on sale for $17.99, only cost me $9.75 each! My coupon savings this trip was $23.60.

Check out THIS Hip2Save post for a list of available deals this week!

Walgreens 3/16

2010-03-16T14:21:00.004-06:00

All this cost me $4.80 at Wags today!!

The Kleenex were $0.22/box, the toothpaste was FREE, the Bacon was $0.49/pack, the Reese's were FREE with $0.06 in overage each and the Sudafed were $0.49 each. My coupon savings for this trip was $50.97!!

Check out Hip2Save's recent Wags posts HERE!

Target 3/15

2010-03-15T11:42:00.007-06:00

I really love Target. I ran there on the way to the gym this morning and was in and out quickly without any hassles and got everything pictured above for $4.95. This would've cost me $68.58!! without sales & coupons!

The air fresheners were totally free, the Soap Buddies were totally free, the Dial hand soap cost $.02 and the Pop-tarts worked out to be $.75 per box when you factor in the $5 Target Gift Card which I used to pay for the other items.

HERE is a link to Hip2Save's comprehensive Target list for this week!

Chicken breasts at Maceys

2010-03-08T16:36:00.003-07:00

Macey's has a really good deal on boneless skinless chicken breasts right now.

Fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts, are on sale for $1.49/lb
Use the $3 off any super saver meat coupon from the Budget Buster Coupon booklet which came in the mail last week (you might be able to get one at the store if you ask)
The two packages I bought each had about 4 lbs worth of chicken, about $6 each.
Subtract $3 per package {limit 2 packages per coupon!!}

I was able to get 8.5 lbs of chicken for $6.53 which works out to be about $.77 per lb!!!

Rite Aid

2010-03-08T16:21:00.006-07:00

I haven't been to Rite Aid in a few months because I am at that point in stock piling where I really don't need a lot of things so I skip a lot of good deals. But this week there are a lot of good deals that I just couldn't pass up on. Check out THIS Hip2Save post for a complete list. There are some things that I wanted but they were already out of but I was able to get all of this ...

... for $3.98!! I spent $30.98 OOP and will get back a $27 rebate check from Rite Aid. I love it when they practically pay me to shop there! That works out to be about $78 worth of products for less then $4!!

Target Deals

2010-03-01T12:43:00.006-07:00

I took a trip into Target this morning and ended up getting all this for $4.47!!

5 Boxes of Kashi Heart to Heart crackers on sale for $2.59 each with a promo where if you buy 4 you get a 5th box for free
Used five $1.50/1 coupons from here: IE or Firefox or here
Final cost ONLY $0.57 per box of crackers!

3 boxes of Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal $2.88 each
Used three $1.50/1 coupons from here: IE or Firefox or here
Final cost $1.38 each!

2 Johnson & Johnson Soap Buddies Bars $0.97 each
Used two $1/1 coupons from the 1/3RP
Final cost FREE!

2 J & J travel size baby shampoo $0.97 each
Used two $1/1 coupons from here: IE or Firefox (does NOT exclude travel size)
Final cost FREE!

And a couple boxes of onion soup mix that I needed.

I used a $5 giftcard that I had from a previous purchase bringing my total OOP down to $4.47. My savings were $24.24!! And I ended up with a lot of healthy items for a great price. See, you can use coupons and still eat healthy!

February Monthly Totals

2010-02-28T18:45:00.001-07:00

This month I spent $361.51 on $865.99 of products. That's an overall saving of about 59%.

Free of Nearly Free Lunch Meat

2010-02-16T13:39:00.003-07:00

Land O' Frost just launched a new website which has a $2/1 lunch meat coupon on it. I have seen these at most Utah grocery stores and are always pretty inexpensive. Plus the coupon doesn't specify a size so you should be able to get some free lunch meat with this. Just go HERE to print a $2 off any variety of Land O’ Frost Premium lunchmeat coupon. You should see the coupon link on the upper right side of the page. (Remember you can print 2 per computer!)

Produce Co-op

2010-02-08T14:07:00.007-07:00

**UPDATE: Just wanted to let any of you Utahans know that if you wanted to do the produce co-op this week that the site is now open for you to place orders. They have changed the opening of the Utah & Idaho sites to Monday at noon. The new platform that they are running on it much faster and easier to use. I think that a lot of people may not know about the new time because they aren't selling out nearly as quickly as usual. So if you want a "bountiful basket" jump onto http://www.bountifulbaskets.org now and place your order. It is well worth it!!
____________________________________________________________________

Was anyone able to get a produce basket from http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/ this weekend at the South Jordan pickup site? I was really disappointed this time that I wasn't able to get one. It has become so popular and this site is the only one in Salt Lake county so the available baskets for that site sell out so quick that it's hard to get one. I wanted to see if anyone was able to get one because I am curious to know if they had the same things as the time before or if there was a lot of different items. Let me know! Thanks!

Today's Deals

2010-02-08T13:20:00.006-07:00

I know, I have been really slow about posting lately. Here's why.

1st - My best deals have usually come from Albies which is pretty much gone now and Wags which hasn't had any really great deals lately.

2nd - I don't post all the little deals that you see on the other blogs because they are already on the other blogs. I am not a professional blogger. My advice would be to find a blog that you really like and check that one regularly. I have a list of them on my blog so you can easily access them if you'd like.

3rd - Honestly, I don't feel like that many people even look at my blog. I originally just started it for my family members who were getting into coupons. I keep it up though, just in case it can help anyone save some money.

Okay, that being said. I did get some good deals today.

First - Wags

I got all of the above for $20.10! This should've cost $74.07!!

Here's how:

4 Dove Men’s+Care Body Wash 13.5 oz. $5.99
Used four $1.50/1 coupons found here (there is also a $1.25/1 coupon from the 1/31 RP)
Got back a $6RR for each one.
Final cost FREE plus a $1.50 moneymaker on each one!

3 Huggies Jumbo Pack Diapers, Pull-Ups, Training Pants or Goodnites $8.99
You can used the $2/1 coupon from here: IE or Firefox
Since I was buying the Goodnites I used the $1.50/1 coupons from the 1/17 SS
You can also use the $1/1 Walgreens coupon from the Walgreens Coloring Book
**As for me, I have never found this book in my area.
Paid $7.49 OOP each.
Got back a $3RR on each.
Final cost $4.49 per pack for me. Depending on what you buy and which coupons you have it could cost you less!

7 Nabisco Cookies or Crackers 4-8 oz. $0.99
You could use the $1/1 coupon from the 1/24 SS
Or I used three $2/2 coupons (NO Size restriction) from here: IE or Firefox
Final Cost FREE!
**I had three $2/2 coupons and because I love my Wags and I try to make things easier on the checkers I bought 7 packs. That way they wouldn't have to hand adjust each coupon down to $1.98. The register would beep if you used a $1/1 coupon on a $.99 item (or in my case $6 worth of coupons on $5.94 worth of products). Some checkers will adjust a coupon down for you, some won't. Mine will but I didn't mind paying $.93 for 7 boxes of crackers to make it easier on them. A happy checker is priceless! :)

2 Hefty One Zip Bags: Buy 1 at $3.29 and Get 1 Free with in-ad coupon
Used the $1/2 coupon from the 1/31 RP
Final Cost $1.15 each!

1 Schick Disposable Razors pack $5.99
Used the $1/1 coupon from the the Walgreens February Coupon Booklet
Used the $3/1 coupon from the 2/7 SS
Final Cost $1.99!
**There is supposed to be a rebate form where I can also submit my receipt to be reimbursed for these razors but as of yet I can't find it. I will keep looking and let you know if I find it.
I also used some candy bars as my fillers so that I could use up some of my RRs. They have a promo now where if you buy 3 selected candy bars you get back a $1RR, buy 4 get back a $1.50 RR.

Then on to Whole Foods which I would love to shop at more but there isn't one very close to my house. But I ventured out today in hopes of scoring some free Greek Yogurt! If you don't know much about Greek Yogurt it is WAY HEALTHIER for you then regular yogurt. Greek Yogurt is packed with protein where regular yogurt is packed with SUGAR! And don't be fooled by the lower sugar varieties. Be sure to check the ingredients list on the label. You will most likely see that it has sucralose which is horrible for you! You would be better off just having the extra sugar then that. Sorry ... on to the deal:

Whole Foods Market has the Oikos, Organic Nonfat Greek Yogurt, Assorted Flavors 5.3 oz. on sale for just 5 for $5! Use the $1/1 coupon available on the Whole Foods site here (you can print this as many times as you want) or from the 1/3SS to score FREE Oikos yogurt! (thanks Hip2Save!)

So here is that happened when I went in. I found the yogurt that was labeled as $5/5 (actually I think it might have been labeled as 10/$10). I had printed out six $1/1 coupons so I got six of them. I also got a pound of granola because I don't like to go into a store, especially one that I don't shop at regularly and just get free stuff and nothing else. Hence, the reason for the granola (which BTW goes great on Greek yogurt). When I got to the register to a super nice checker she rung me up and told me that my total (after the coupons) came to $31. I was a little surprised and asked her just how much granola I had gotten. :) I asked her if the yogurt was indeed $1 and she said that the single sized ones where. I had gotten the 16 oz size. I told her that I didn't see any single sized ones and that these ones that I had gotten were the ones that were labeled on the shelf as $1. She asked me to hold on for a second while she went and checked for me. She came back and said that they had probably just been mis-shelved and that she would talk to the manager and see about getting me a deal. He came over ... super nice guy! She explained the situation and he didn't hesitate to tell her to just go ahead and give them to me for the $1 price! They were all so friendly and nice! I will definitely go back to that store even though it is a ways out of my way. In the end I got 6 containers of yogurt (for free) and some granola and it only cost me about $4. (The yogurt alone would've cost me $32.34!!) Love Whole Foods Market!!

Albertsons Closing Stores

2010-02-02T15:50:00.005-07:00

**UPDATE: Not that great of deals to be honest. They had a few things marked down 50% but most were just 10% or 30%. And it looked like they had hiked the prices up to compensate. I guess they are still trying to make money rather then clear things out. We will have to see if it gets cheaper.

For those of you who live in the West Jordan / Taylorsville, UT area the three remaining Albies stores will be closing down this month. In the mail today instead of receiving the regular ad I got a one page ad stating that the stores will be closing (I believe it's on the 22nd) and that starting tomorrow, the 3rd, they will have things marked down 50%. Of course quantities will be limited and what you will be able to find remains to be seen. What I think I will do is go through my coupons tonight and see what I would like to get more of and have those ready and then just see what they have on their shelves. With 50% off and then coupons on top of that I expect that there will be some great deals to be had.

Let me know what you are able to get!

Free Hershey Candies at Kmart

2010-02-02T15:44:00.004-07:00

Want to get some free yummy candies? Kmart has a great deal running now thru 2/6:

Purchase 4 pouches of Hershey’s Pieces Candy and get a $10 Kmart gift card!

Here's what you do:
Buy 4 Hershey Pieces Pouches 2/$5=$10
Use four $1/1 Coupons from the 1/31SS
Pay $6 (+ tax)
Get Back a $10 Gift Card!
Final cost 4 pouches for FREE + a $4 moneymaker!.

**After purchasing the 4 pouches, a mail in certificate will print out with your receipt, it looks like a catalina coupon. The $10 gift Kmart gift card that you receive may be good towards more Hershey items but whether it has to be used on that specifically I don't know.

I did this deal today and used an old $10 Kmart gift card that I have had forever since I don't usually shop at Kmart. So I ended up paying nothing OOP, still have $3.70 on my old card and will get a new one as well. And I have four bags of candy for free!!

January Monthly Totals

2010-01-31T21:49:00.003-07:00

This month I spent $297.95 on $668.79 of products. That's an overall saving of about 55%.

I have been doing less stockpiling this month because I am pretty well stocked on many things. This month more of my focus has been on just finding and taking advantage of the best prices on fresh items like meat & produce. You can still save a lot of money each month and eat healthy. And when dealing with things like produce, you usually don't have to use coupons, you just need to use the tools that are out there to find the best prices.

Produce Co-op

2010-01-23T09:03:00.003-07:00

So I have been really excited to try out this food co-op I blogged about earlier. This morning I did my first pickup. It was very well run, very organized. You wait in a line which moved really quickly. They then have the fruits and veges sorted into orders in seperate baskets so in my case I was picking up 3 orders (mine and 2 of my sister-in-laws) so I took the produce from three vege baskets and three fruit baskets and loaded them into boxes and that was it. The produce all looks very fresh and none of it looked overripe. I paid $15 and got all of the above:

1 huge bunch of lettuce
1 head of broccoli
2 cucumbers
3 zuchinni
7 red bell peppers
Roma tomatoes (Kyle couldn't keep his hands off them!)
Bananas
Apples
1 bag of pears
1 pack of strawberries
Mandarin Oranges
Grapefruit

I also got some 9 grain whole wheat bread through the co-op which I am really excited to try out.

Here is a link to the one I went through - www.bountifulbaskets.org. But if there isn't one in your area then you could always google food co-ops and see about one in your area.

Walmart Deals

2010-01-14T13:36:00.006-07:00

I don't go to Walmart very often but I did go today because there were enough things I needed that I could get a good deal on there.

So here is what I did:

1st - I went to Hip2Save's Walmart posts and went through those to see what deals I wanted to take advantage of.

2nd - I made my grocery list to see what I just needed to get.

3rd - I went to the grocery smarts printable planner that you can see in the list of links to the right. In the drop down box that has you choose your store I choose All in One and then shrunk that down to show the 4 & 5 star deals (Click on Start, click on the Star and then click on Shrink). The main reason I wanted to go to Walmart was because they price match and I wanted to price match for my produce. The nice thing about the grocery smarts planner is that you can see what the best deal is by store. As you go down the list you will see that each stores best deals are listed and the produce deals are usually listed first. So it's quick and easy to glance down the list and make note of what the best prices are for produce.

In the end I got all the above:

1 red onion
1 red bell pepper
4 big slicing tomatoes
2 bunches of bananas
1 pinapple
5 pears
1 bag of oranges
1 cucumber
1 bag of baby carrots
1 bunch of romaine lettuce
1 bunch of red leaf lettuce
1 bunch of broccoli
3 crisco cooking sprays
10 La Victoria Salsas
10 Healthy Choice frozen entrees
3 Digiornio 200 calorie portion pizzas
2 jars of Dole Sunfresh fruit
1 bag of cheese sticks
5 packs of Yoplait smoothies
2 gatorade's
4 packs of Chef's Requested steak wrapped in bacon

all for just $60.02!! I saved $52 from coupons and about another $20 by price matching the produce.

Food Co-ops?

2010-01-13T13:30:00.003-07:00

Has anyone ever used a food co-ops? I am looking into trying one since we go through tons of fresh produce. My old college roomie sent me this email:

My sister bought a 33 pound basket of produce for $15. She has been doing this for the past two months, two times a month. This last week she got pears, mangos, bananas, cantelope, watermellon, and kiwi. The vegetables are just as good. Half are veggies and half fruit. For Christmas they ate corn on the cob. The produce may be underripe at times but I would rather have that then too ripe. Here is a link to someone's site that can explain what she got for the week.

http://www.couponeverafter.com/2009/07/bountiful-baskets.html

The shipment comes ever two weeks. Ordering is done the Tuesday and Wednesday before pick-up. On Saturday you need to be there sometime between the 20 minute pick-up window or your food will be given away. Here is the acuatul link to the site.

http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/

(Thanks Anna Marie!)

I am really excited to try one of these out. This one has a pretty close pick up location every other Saturday at about 104th South and 40th West in South Jordan. I was talking with my friend Rachel about this and she mentioned that there was one right by our neighborhood, at the Senior Center on 22nd West and Sugar Place. I googled that trying to find that one and found that pickup is through this website https://www.foodco-op.net. This one only does a pickup once a month and you can also do meat through the co-op. I was wondering if anyone out there had used either or these or any other co-ops in the Salt Lake area and what you thought of them. Let me know!

I'm Back!

2010-01-11T20:10:00.003-07:00

By the looks of my blog I am sure it appears that I have been slacking. And I guess you could say that is true. My husband and I just got back from a week long cruise to the Western Caribbean to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. It was great but also nice to be home. Now I just need to get caught up on the good deals!

December Monthly Totals

2009-12-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-12-30T12:35:00.006-07:00

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

2009-12-28T19:30:00.004-07:00

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!

2009-12-22T20:49:00.003-07:00

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

2009-12-22T12:36:00.005-07:00

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

2009-12-17T20:07:00.002-07:00

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

2009-12-17T13:34:00.005-07:00

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

2009-12-09T13:40:00.002-07:00

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

2009-12-09T13:04:00.003-07:00

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?

2009-12-08T15:13:00.005-07:00

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

2009-12-07T13:08:00.007-07:00

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

2009-12-07T12:49:00.003-07:00

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

2009-12-01T19:21:00.004-07:00

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!)

November Monthly Totals

2009-11-30T14:35:00.004-07:00

I have to say ... This month was my best month yet! I spent $368.85 but got $2,076.32 in products!! That is over $1,700 in free stuff this month. That works out to be an overall savings of 83%!!

Wags 11/30

2009-11-30T14:11:00.004-07:00

I made my weekly Monday morning trip into Wags this morning. I got all the above for $6.20 OOP. I was able to use $23 in previous RRs to pay down these items and got back $17 in new RRs to use later.

Now something to keep in mind. Some areas get a larger ad then we get here in my area so some of the deals that are posted on the blogs don't work in the smaller ad areas. So what I do is check that ad that comes in the Sunday paper (or you can check that ad in the store) to see if those deals you wanted to take advantage of are available. That being said, I always still check on deals that I don't see in the ad because sometimes they are still running but not in the ad. For example, the Village Natural bath items that are listed in THIS Hip2Save post didn't show up in the ad but when I went to the store I found that they were the same price listed and the RR does print. I also went ahead and did the deal on the kids toothbrushes listed in that same post even though they weren't in the ad. They were advertising the RR at the store (spend $10 in kids dental care and get back a $5RR) but the prices were slightly higher then listed in the post. But it was still a good price in my opinion and still worth doing.

Okay so ... Here are the details:

Kids' Dental Care (Crest Sesame Street Toothbrush, Zooth Character Toothbrush, Oral-B Stages Toothbrush or toothpaste 4.2 oz.) 4/$10 = $5RR
** At my store they were not on sale 4/$10 but they were $2.99 each. So here is how the deal worked for me

4 Zooth or Oral-B stages toothbrushes for a total of $11.96
Used four $1/1 coupons from the 11/1PG (expires 11/30)
**Hip2Save mentions using the Coloring book coupon as well but I have never seen those coloring books at my store.
Pay $7.96
Get back a $5RR
Final Cost $2.96 or $.74 each which I think is pretty good since good deals on little kids toothbrushes are much harder to come by.

4 Oral-B Indicator floss products 2/$5
Used four $1/1 coupons from the 10/11PG (expires 11/30)
Get back a $3RR for each two purchased.
Final Cost FREE!

2 Glade scented oil candle holders 2/$5 (many of the Glade products can be used in this deal)
Used two $2/1 coupons that I had gotten previously out of other Glade products. They often have coupons in their packages.
Got back a $1RR for buying 2.
Final Cost FREE!

3 Village Naturals Sleep or Stress Therapy (12.6 oz-20 oz. Shower Gel, Body Lotion, Bath oil or Soak) $3.99 each
Used three $1/1 coupon found here.
Got back a $2RR for each one (make sure these go in seperate transactions)
Final Cost $0.99 each!

3 Ecotrin 45 count $1.99 with in ad coupon
Used the $10 off 3 coupon from the 10/11RP
Use the $1.99 in ad coupon
Final Cost FREE + $4.03 to be applied to other items!
**Make sure to hand the $1.99 in ad coupon over AFTER the manufacturer coupon to avoid any beepage!
**Now this is one of those things where YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). I got a checker today who adjusted my manufacturer coupon down to $5.97 to make these free but not give me any overage. I of course would've liked to get the overage but it's up to the checker to decide how to do it.

I also got 12 Christmas Gift Bags - 4/$1 to use as filler items.

As always, I use Hip2Save to keep up on the deals and plan my Walgreens trip. You can see her most recent Walgreens postings by going to Hip2Save.com and then clicking on the "Walgreens" link in the Store Specific list in the right hand column.

Wags on Black Friday!

2009-11-27T14:07:00.004-07:00

Okay so anyone who knows me knows that I DO NOT GO SHOPPING ON BLACK FRIDAY! Period! But today we went out to lunch as a family and my husband wanted to get a Utah Utes shirt for the big BYU vs. Utah game tomorrow. I told him that there was no way that we were going to Walmart but that I would be okay with a trip into Walgreens. I didn't figure they would be super crazy this afternoon and they weren't too bad. I had a list of great Black Friday deals that are good only for this weekend that I wanted to take advantage of so we all made a little Wags run together.

I got all of the above for $6!!! My savings were $96.69!!

Here are the details:

4 Dove Ultimate Visibly Smooth Antiperspirant/Deodorant: $3.99 each
Use the $2/1 coupon from here: IE or Firefox
Or the $1/1 coupon from the 10/4RP
OR when you buy one a $1/1 coupon prints out just like the RRs do so you can pretty much keep doing as many transactions for this as you like and always make at least a dollar on each one.
Got back a $4 RR for each one.
Final cost as low as FREE + a $1 - $2 moneymaker on each one!

4 Right Guard Sport Antiperspirant/Deodorant: $2.49 each
Got back a $2.50RR on each one.
Final Cost FREE!

4 Infusium 23 Hair Care: $4.99 each
Used four $2/1 coupon from the 11/22SS or from All you magazine
Got back a $5RR on each one.
Final Cost FREE + a $2 moneymaker!

4 Nivea for Men Shave Gel: $2.49 each
Used the $1/1 coupon from the 10/11 or 11/1RP
Final Cost FREE + a $1 moneymaker!

4 Johnson's Softwash: $5.99 each
Got back a $6RR on each one.
Final cost FREE!

2 Crayola Color Wonder/Color Explosion 3D: Buy One at $9.99, Get One Free
Final cost $5 per book!
My kids were super excited about these!!

2 Crayola Crayons with Sharpener 64 pack: $1.99 each
Got back a $1RR on each one.
Final cost $0.99 each!

Albies 11/23

2009-11-23T12:16:00.005-07:00

I got all this today at Albies using three sets of doublers for $11.53. Plus I can submit my receipt for a free pink kitchenware set from Good Cook's Hope line for spending $25 in participating P&G products (Herbal Essences). HERE is the form.

Here are the details:

4 Campbells Gravy 10.25-10.75 oz. $.47 each
Used one $1/4 printable from here
Used one doubler
Final price: 4 for free!

2 Dole Pineapple (20 oz) or Tropical Fruit Salad (15.25 oz) or Mandarin Oranges (15 oz) $1.00 each
Used two $.50/1 printable here
Used two doublers
Final price: free!

6 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter sticks $1.99 each (they were tagged as $2.99 each but rang up at $1.99 each)
Used two $1/1 coupons
Used four $.75/1 IP coupons
Used three doublers
Got back three $2 catalina coupons (Buy 2, get a $2.00 Catalina, only good on the sticks, not the tubs)
Final price: free plus $1.81 in overage!

1 Kraft Miracle Whip 32 oz - $1.99 with in ad coupon

4 Albertsons Yogurts $.60 each
Used one $.75/4 any yogurt coupon from coupons.com
Used one doubler
Final price: $.22 each

2 Solo products (I got cups) $2.49 each
Used two $.75/1 printable here (IE) or here (Firefox)
Used two doublers
Got back one $1 catalina coupon for buying 2 (Buy any solo cups, plates or bowls between 11/12 &12/5 buy 2 & get $1buy 3 & get $2buy 4 & get $4 coupon off your next shopping order)
Final price: $.98 for both.

6 Herbal Essences travel sized conditioner $1.29 each
6 Herbal Essences full sized stylers $2.99 - $4.19 each
Total $28.78
Used six by ANY Herbal Essences shampoo or conditioner and get ANY HE styler for free coupon from the 10/11PG.
Deducted $22.14
Final price: $6.64 for all 12 items plus the free cookware set.

And I had to throw in one candy bar because my second transaction came in as them owing me $.08 which they can't do. :)

Albies Doublers this Week

2009-11-22T10:16:00.002-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I am having technical difficulties with my computer. I have gotten onto my kids computer to do a little post.

There is an Albertsons ad in the Sunday newspaper with a set of three doublers coupons. Check out THIS AThriftyMom post for some ideas on how to use them. Or just use them along with coupons on items that you need for Thanksgiving this week. Remember you can go to couponmom.com (there's also a link in the blog list to the right) and put in your state and a keyword of a coupon you are looking for to find coupons for an item that you might need.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 software

2009-11-16T13:42:00.002-07:00

Got an email from my friend Margie with a good deal idea for you:

"I also ran across another great deal for Christmas. Costco sends out coupons in the mail to costco card holders. One of this months coupons is for $30 off their Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 software (retails $79.99) and then on Adobe's website they offer another $20 mail-in-rebate. You get the $80 software for $30 after coupons and mail-in-rebate. Makes an inexpensive gift for those who love to edit their pictures. The only downside of this deal is that you have to be a Costco member and have your coupons they mailed to your home."

HERE is the link to the Adobe website with the rebate form.

(Thanks Margie!)

Walgreens 11/16

2009-11-16T11:28:00.004-07:00

This all cost me $8.21 OOP!! My savings were $97.96!!

4 Aussie Hair Care products $2.99
Get back a $2RR on each one.
Used four $1/1 coupon from the 10/11PG
Final cost FREE!

4 Ricola Mixed Berry Cough Drops 19 ct $1
Get back a $1RR on each one.
Used the $0.50/1 Walgreens coupon from the Health Savings booklet (deducts $.50 for each one)
Final cost FREE + $0.50 in overage on each!

2 Cheez-it Crackers & Keebler Cookies (small boxes) $0.50 each

3 Scotch Transparent Tape $0.39 with in ad coupon

4 Ziploc Bags (select varieties) $1.99 each
Used two $1.50/2 coupons from here
Final cost $1.24 each!
Submit for the $5 SC Johnson rebate
Final cost 4 packages of Ziploc bags for FREE!

Buy $20 in participating Toys - Get back a $5RR
Some of the toys included are on sale buy 2 at $6.99, get 1 FREE
I bought six $6.99 toys and got 2 of them for free
I also bought two $9.99 toys
Got back two $5RR (three $6.99 and one $9.99 toys per transaction)
Final cost just $6.32 per toy. Good way to replenish our birthday present box and use up some of the many RRs that I accumulated last week on the makeup deals.

I also got some milk, another good way to use up those RRs.

Rite Aid 11/16

2009-11-16T11:04:00.004-07:00

Four 12 packs of Northern Double Roll Toilet paper, 10 Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts, 2 GE Energy Smart light bulbs, 4 Tic Tac Chills, 2 Renuzit Air Freshners cost me $16.67 OOP but I will get back $10.69 in rebates making all this less then $6!!

I did 2 transactions, used two $5/$25 Rite Aid coupons and paid for part of my 2nd transaction with my $20 Gift of Fall certificate.

Here are the details:

1st Transaction:
4 packages of Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Bath Tissue 12 Packs on sale for $5.99 each
Used two $5/2 Rite Aid Video Values coupons from HERE (you have to watch the little commercial to get access to the coupon)
Plus, used four $1/1 coupons from the 10/11RP or HERE
Using the $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon made these about $1.50 each!

2 Renuzit Adjustable Air Freshener $0.99
Get a $1 Single Check Rebate #54 (on 2)
Used the buy one get one free coupon HERE (Use zip code 44256)
Final cost 2 for FREE!

2nd Transaction:

1 Crest Extra White Plus Scope toothpaste $2.69
Get a $2.69 Single Check Rebate #121
Used the $0.75/1 coupon from the 10/11 or 11/1PG
Final cost FREE + a $0.75 moneymaker!

2 GE Energy Smart Light Bulbs 1 ct. $2 each
Get a $2 Single Check Rebate #9 (on 2)
Used two $1/1 coupons from the 10/4SS
Final cost 2 for FREE!

4 Tic Tac Chill $1 each
Used four $0.75/1 coupons from the 9/20RP
Final cost $0.25 each!

10 Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts 12 oz $3.99 each - B1G1 Free
Used one $1/2 Planters coupon from the Nabisco Coupon Booklet
Get back a $5 Single Check Rebate (#80) for the $15 of Planters
Plus, I can submit for the $10 Keep the Jingle in your Holidays rebate!
Final cost $.50 each!

Inexpensive Toilet Paper at Rite Aid this week

2009-11-15T10:48:00.006-07:00

Need to stock up on toilet paper? Well, if you have a Rite Aid nearby here is a great deal for you.

Deal Scenario:
Buy 4 packages of Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Bath Tissue 12 Packs on sale for $5.99 each
Total=$23.96
Throw in another $1.04 in items to get up to $25.
Use the $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon from HERE
Use two $5/2 Rite Aid Video Values coupons from HERE (you have to watch the little commercial to get access to the coupon)
Plus, use four $1/1 coupons from the 10/11RP or HERE
Pay $6
Final cost $1.50 per 12 pack!

(Thanks Hip2Save!)

Express $25 off of $50 Text Message Coupon

2009-11-10T18:22:00.002-07:00

Text EXPLUCKY to 397737 and you'll get a coupon for $25 off a $50 purchase at Express Stores. The coupon does not expire until 1/7, so you'll have plenty of time to make use of it. I got mine back in about a minute. Yeah! I never shop at the mall but I might have to make a trip in for this!

Thanks Hip2Save!

Pie & Ice Cream

2009-11-10T14:59:00.004-07:00

UPDATE: You can also print Breyers $1/2 coupon from Save-A-Lot.com so even if you don't get the paper you can still get your hands on some Breyers coupons to make this deal work.

Albies is running a great promo starting tomorrow ... great that is if you like pie and ice cream! :)

Sara Lee Pie Promo
Buy one Sara Lee pie for $6.39 and get another SaraLee Pie FREE
AND get two 1.5 qt of Breyers Ice Cream for FREE
Use 2 coupon for .75 cents off Breyers from the 10/18 RP
And use two $1/1 ANY Sara Lee Frozen Dessert coupon from HERE
Final price: 2 Sara Lee pies and 2 Breyers Ice Creams for $2.89

Amazon: 24-Piece Rubbermaid Set only $11!

2009-11-10T13:02:00.006-07:00

I saw a commerical for these the other day and totally wanted them! The lids attach to the bottom of the containers so you don't have to search around through a messy cupboard to find the lid! What a great idea.

Currently, you can snag these Rubbermaid 7J98 Easy Find Lid 24-Piece Food Storage Containers for just $11 on Amazon - down from $19.06! Plus, if you spend $25 or more you'll get FREE Super Saver Shipping!

Upcoming Grocery Store Deals

2009-11-10T12:58:00.004-07:00

Here are the PYP links to the upcoming week's grocery store sales (Utah):

Maceys HERE
Albies HERE
Smiths HERE
Reams HERE

Harmons HERE

Hope that makes it a little easier for you to plan out your week! :)

Wags 11/10

2009-11-10T12:36:00.005-07:00

All this cost me a total of $6.89 OOP! I did three transactions, used three $5/$25 Walgreens coupon that you can get with the ads in the front of the store.

Here are the details:

Buy $20 worth of select Benadryl, Tylenol, Zyrtec Allergy Relief, Children’s Zyrtec and Sudafed PE or DM. Get back a $10RR.

3 Tylenol Cold $4.99 each=$14.97
1 box of Sudafed PE $5.99
Total=$20.96
Used three $2/1 Tylenol Cold coupons from here
Used one $2/1 Sudafed PE coupon from the 9/13RP
(Or use the $2/1 Sudafed coupon from the ABC Coupon Booklet - I have never seen this in my area)
Plus, I used the $1/1 Tylenol Walgreens coupon from the Healthy Savings Booklet (Will deduct $3 since you're purchasing three)
Pay $9.96
Get back a $10RR
Final cost all FREE! I did this twice so I now have 6 Tylenol Cold and 2 Sudafed's for FREE!

Christmas Tumblers 8/$1 - used as filler items

1 Clabber Girl Baking Powder (or Corn Starch) $0.50 each with in ad coupon
Used one $0.45/1 coupon from here (your coupon value may vary)
Final cost $.05!

4 Sun-Maid Raisins 18 oz 2/$4 with in ad coupon
Used two $1/2 coupon from the 11/8SS
Final cost $1.50 each!

2 Glade Spray 9 oz $0.99 each
Use the $0.75/2 coupon from the 11/1SS
Plus, use the $1/2 coupon from the Walgreens November Coupon Booklet
Final cost $0.23 for 2 Glade Sprays!

3 Huggies Jumbo Pack diapers - $8.99 each
Used $2/1 IP from HERE
Final cost $6.99 each.

These totals are actually a little lower once you factor in the $5/$25 coupons.

My savings for today - $91.95!!!

Albies Deals 11/9

2009-11-09T11:24:00.008-07:00

16 boxes of cereal for $4.89!!

16 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Golden Grahams - $1.88 each
Used eight $1/2 coupons from 11/1SS or the internet
Used one set of three doublers - takes off an additional $3
Final OOP = $19.89

Got back $15 in catalina coupons to use on my next purchase

Final cost = $4.89
That's only $.30/box!

I also did one other set of doublers:

2 boxes of Cinnabon Bars - $1.99 each Used two $1/1 IP coupons from HERE
Used two doublers
Final cost FREE!

4 Albertsons Brand Yogurts - $.60 each
Used one $.75/4 yogurt coupon from HERE
Used one doubler
Final cost four yogurts for $.90 or $.23 each!!

Albies Doublers

2009-11-09T07:08:00.002-07:00

There were doublers in yesterday's papers. They were found on page A7 of the Deseret Morning News and page A8 of the Salt Lake Tribune, as well as in a glossy insert in the St. George Spectrum. HERE is a link to the PYP thread that lists some ideas to use your doublers on. I plan to head to Albies this morning and will post my deals later. :)

Disney Movies - Blu-Ray & DVD Combo Pack

2009-11-05T12:43:00.009-07:00

I love Hip2Save! She really makes it easy to get good deals on everything, including things for Christmas gifts. I just did the exact same deal she posted about HERE.

If you're planning on purchasing the "UP" DVD combo pack once it's released, then you may want to go ahead and pre-order it on Amazon! Currently, you can score UP (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray] for just $19.99! Plus, when you purchase the combo pack, you'll receive $10 off the purchase of a second Blu-ray title from this list. Just enter promo code DISNEYBD at checkout to receive your credit. You must purchase both items together to receive the discount.

I bought the UP (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray] and Pinocchio (Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition + Standard DVD+ BD Live) [Blu-ray] for just $29.98.

We don't have a Blu-Ray player yet but I am sure we will get one in the next little while so this will be nice because we will have these movies on both Blu-Ray and DVD.

Albies 11/4

2009-11-04T12:53:00.003-07:00

Albertsons has a really great General Mills promo going on this week. Buy $30 in participating products and get back a $15 catalina coupon good on your next shopping order. Essentially this makes all these items 50% off without even having to worry about coupons. Combining this promo with coupons just makes them that much better deals.

Here is what I did:

Transaction #1:

6 boxes of Cheerios 8.9 oz - $1.88 each ($.94 with the promo factored in)
Used six $.55/1 coupons from here or here
(Or there is a $1.00/1 coupon if you haven't already used it here or here)
Using the $.55 coupon makes these each $.39!!

6 boxes of Kleenex Facial Tissue 110 ct $.99 each ($.49 with the promo factored in)
Used six $.50/3 from 11/1 smart source or here
Final price $.34 each when you buy 3

3 Knorr Pasta Or Rice Side Dishes $.99 cents each ($.49 with the promo factored in)
Use one $1.00 off 3 coupon here and here
Final price $.17 each when you buy 3

1 Lipton Dry Soup Mix $.99 cents each ($.49 with the promo factored in)

3 Progresso Rich and hearty Soup & Traditional soup $1.69 each ($.85 with the promo factored in)
Used one $1/3 coupon here , $1.00 off 2 or $1.10 off 3 here
Final price $.35 -$.48 each

2 Kleenex Dinner Napkins 50 ct. $1.99 each ($1 with the promo factored in)

My total OOP on this was $25.12 and I got back three $5 catalina coupons to use on my next order.

Transaction #2:

6 Progresso Rich and hearty Soup & Traditional soup $1.69 each ($.85 with the promo factored in)
Used two $1/3 coupon here , $1.00 off 2 or $1.10 off 3 here
Final price $.35 -$.48 each

1 Lipton Dry Soup Mix $.99 cents each ($.49 with the promo factored in)

4 Viva Bill Roll Paper Towels 115-ct. $1.99 each ($1 with the promo factored in)
Used four $.40/1 coupon from 10/11 smart source or here
Final price .60 cents each

12 Knorr Pasta Or Rice Side Dishes $.99 cents each ($.49 with the promo factored in)
Use one $1.00 off 3 coupon here and here
Final price $.17 each when you buy 3

I used the $15 in cats from my last order to pay for some of this order. My total OOP on this was $9.41 and I got back three more $5 catalina coupons to use on my next order.

So in couponers math :) all this cost me $19.53!! Without coupons and promos this would've cost me $96.09! That's a savings of 80%.

Albies Deals 11/4 - 11/10 - Select Stores

2009-11-03T09:56:00.006-07:00

Looks like Albertsons has some really great deals coming up this week on a lot of items. I would check out THIS PYP link and plan your shopping trip ahead of time. This will be a good way to stock up on a lot of items!

BTW - If you are short on coupons on something that you really want to stock up on and you live in my neighborhood and can stop by, just email me and let me know what you are looking for. I am very well stocked on many of the items that are great deals and I can try to round up some extra coupons for you. :)

More Almay Ideas @ Wags

2009-11-03T09:29:00.006-07:00

So I went through my makeup stash last night and took an inventory of what I had. I found that I had PLENTY of everything except for eye shadow. So I wanted to use this Almay deal that Wags is having right now to get myself some free or super cheap eye shadow.

Here is what I did to get all this for $1.48!!

Instead of buying a foundation ($9.99) and a mascara ($6.99) in a transaction since I don't need anymore mascara, I bought a foundation and an eye shadow in each transaction. Now, you can get the Pure Blends Eye Shadow and get a $5RR back on that but those weren't the ones that I wanted. So I choose to get the Intense I-Color instead even though it doesn't have a RR associated with it. They were $7.49 each. So with the B1G1 deal (which I know works here in UT although my sister tried it in MT yesterday and it rang up B1G 50% off) I got the eye shadow for free, paid $9.99 + tax for the foundation and got back a $10RR.

The trick to getting any of these items for free is finding the foundation in stock since that is the biggest RR deal. But you can work this deal to get what you need for at the very least, super cheap. You could get a Pure Blends Masacra and another Almay item and only pay for one of the items on the B1G1 and get back a $5RR for the mascara and only end up paying a couple dollars for both items which is great. The one thing that I am not sure about is if you were to buy a Pure Blends Mascara and a Pure Blends Eye Shadow or Lip Gloss in the same transaction if you will get two $5RRs. The tags at the store show that if you buy any of those items you will get a $5RR but I don't know if the register will treat those as two of the same items or two different items with two different RRs. Might be worth a try, especially if you can't find the foundation in stock. You would still end up with a great deal even if only one printed.

Oh and I also got 2 free One Coat Mascara's. They were $6.99 each, got one free, used the $4/1 coupon from the November Coupon Booklet which deducted $8 and so I even got some overage on those. I did those 2 items with one of my previous transactions since there was no RR associated with the One Coat type so I didn't need to seperate them out.

Hope you all can score some great deals on these things!

Another Almay deal to try at Wags

2009-11-02T16:06:00.003-07:00

Need more free mascara?

Buy 2 Almay One Coat Mascaras $6.99 each
Minus buy 1 get 1 FREE sale=$6.99 for both
Buy another item priced a little over $1
Total around $8
Use the $4/1 coupon from the November coupon booklet (will deduct $8 since you're purchasing 2)
Final cost FREE!

Walgreens Deals 11/2 - Moneymaking Lotion and Makeup

2009-11-02T12:39:00.004-07:00

Walgreens has some excellent moneymaking deals this week ... a great way to roll your RRs if you have any that you need to use up.

First - Makeup. And the best part about this deal is you don't need any coupons to do it. Here is the deal. Almay has their makeup on sale this week for buy one get one 50% off. BUT they are ringing up B1G1Free. At least they are here in Utah and many other places in the country according to the comments I read on Hip2Save.

So here is what you do:
Buy 1 Almay Pure Blends Foundation $9.99
Buy 1 Almay Pure Blends Mascara, eye shadow or lip gloss around $6.99
Minus buy 1 get 1 FREE sale=$9.99
Pay $9.99
Get back a $5RR and a $10RR
Final cost FREE + a $5 moneymaker!
**There is a coupon in Wags new November coupon booklet which you can pick up at the store today but it is for $4/1 Almay One Coat Mascara. At least the one I got today was. I don't know if the coupons are the same everywhere. So mine wouldn't ring through. Some people have had it work for them making this deal a $9 moneymaker but it didn't work for me and I am just fine with a foundation, a mascara and $5 profit!

Second - Lotion. Here is the deal:

Buy 3 Lubriderm Daily Moisture for normal to dry skin, Fragrance Free $3.99 each
Total=$11.97
Use 3 $2/1 coupons from the 10/11RP or from here
Pay $5.97
Get back an $8RR
Final cost FREE + a $2.03 moneymaker!
**Supposedly there is also a $1/1 Wags Lubriderm coupon in the Diabetes & You booklet. I don't have this booklet but if you do, this will deduct $3 more for purchasing 3 making this a $5.03 moneymaker!

Target Deals 11/2

2009-11-02T12:28:00.003-07:00

I scored some good deals at Target today.

GE Smart Energy 13 W CFL bulbs on sale for $2.39
Use the $1/1 coupon from the 10/4SS
Plus, use the $2/1 Target coupon from here
Final cost FREE + overage! **Hand over the manufacturer coupon first and the coupons should go through without any beeps.

My checker wouldn't give me the overage but that is okay. I still got 4 packs of lightbulbs for $.11 tax.

Target is running this Glade promo through Christmas. Here is what you do.

Buy 5 Glade holiday candle products (candles, warmers + more) $2.50 each and get back a $5 Target gift card. You can buy as many of these items in a transaction and you will get a $5 gift card for each 5 you buy.

I bought 14 holiday candles and 11 refill packs (make sure they are the Christmas scents so you get the gift card) totalling 25 items. So I got back five $5 gift cards.

I didn't have the $1.50/1 coupons that you can sometimes find in the non-holiday tins but I did have a bunch of $2/2 coupons that I found in previous holiday candles and refill packs that I have bought.
I used seven $2/2 coupons on the candles.
I also had five buy an oil candle holder, get the refill pack FREE coupons from here or from the 11/1SS
And I used three B2G1 free refill coupons from the 11/1SS.

My total was $36.07 OOP and after the $25 back in gift cards these only cost me $11.07.

October Monthly Totals

2009-10-31T19:35:00.001-06:00

This month I spent $393.42 on $1,438.49 of products. Over $1,000 in free products this month. That's an overall saving of about 73%!!

Great deal on Dr. Pepper at Albertsons

2009-10-29T18:08:00.003-06:00

According to AThriftyMom, there is a great deal on Dr. Pepper at Albertson's right now.

Albertsons has a soda sale going on right now, buy 2 at $5.29 each, get 2 free. This is for Coke & 7-Up products. Plus, when you buy four 12 packs of Dr Pepper it is printing out a $5 catalina.

Deal Scenario:
Buy 4 packs of Dr Pepper your total will be $10.78 plus tax
After you pay a $5 catalina will print out that you can use on your next purchase

This makes it only $1.45 per 12 pack.
You can then use that $5 catalina towards another 4 packs of soda if you'd like and another $5 catalina will print. But of course you can spend the $5 cat on whatever you'd like within the next 2 weeks. These kind of deals go quick so if you'd like to stock up on Dr. Pepper you should get over to Albies (one of the ones that still have their catalina machines, like the 2 by me in West Jordan) and take advantage of this deal. Let me know if anyone goes and does this.

Top 10 Items you should never pay for again!

2009-10-27T13:12:00.007-06:00

A couple months ago, when I taught a coupon class in my neighborhood I created a list on my handout that showed a large list of things that I will never pay money for again. There are so many items that you can get for free on a regular basis. I found THIS post by SavingYourCents that goes along that same line and I thought it would be worth posting. (Thanks SavingYourCents!) If you are still sitting on the fence about whether to take the time to coupon, just think about how much further your monthly budget would stretch if you didn't ever have to pay money for these items. (Keep in mind that you may not have access to all the stores that she listed here but you should have access to some of them and be able to get the following items for free often.)

Top 10 items that you should never pay for again!
Once you have been couponing for a while you start realizing that there are certain things that are free with coupons. I have compiled a list of items that I have constantly been able to get free each month from the drug stores and grocery stores. There was once a time when I thought that a $1 toothbrush and a $.50 tube of toothpaste was a good deal. I can honestly say that I never realized the potential of free items that you can purchase with a great sale and a good coupon!

#1 Toothpaste, #2 Toothbrushes, & #3 Dental Floss
Almost everyone has access to a CVS, Rite Aid, and/or a Walgreens. There are literally 30 or more opportunities throughout the year to receive your toothpaste for free from one of these drug stores. CVS has been a huge Colgate toothpaste freebie store for me. Here lately have I ventured into free Crest from Kroger and free Arm & Hammer from Publix. At CVS the toothpaste will usually be worked into an Extra Care Buck Deal, at Walgreen it's usually a Register Reward offer, and at Rite Aid it's a Rebate.Kroger puts Crest Toothpaste & Oral B toothbrushes on sale twice per year for $1 each. Each time they have been on sale there have been $1/1 or $.50/1 coupons out making them free.Publix will throw toothpaste into a BOGO deal but often you still have to pay $.25 or so for them. I have only seen the Arm & Hammer toothpaste totally for free once in the last 2 years. Dental Floss is often found at Kroger & Publix for free. Reach is the brand of choice here. I have seen crest and others for free but the Reach brand occurs many times throughout the year. Wait for a sale of $1 each and you can bet that there are $1/1 or $.50/1 coupons out there that will make them free!

#4 Razors
Between CVS and Walgreens you will end up with more Gillette Razors than you know what to do with. Usually you will see the razors on sale for $8.99 or $9.99 with a $5 or higher Extra Care Buck or Register Reward. There are always $4/1 coupons available at the time of the promotions making them free after the coupon and the ECB or RR. Schick razors are also very popular. Many of the trial size (2 ct) packages are priced at $.99. $1/1 coupons are often released in the Sunday inserts that make them free!

#5 Air Fresheners
This one is a given if you have been using coupons for a while. Air Wick, Glade, and sometimes Febreeze is always free somewhere. High value coupons combined with a great sale always yield freebies! (aerosol, plug-ins, candles, battery operated...you name it)

#6 Shampoo, #7 Conditioner, & #8 Hair Stylers
Again the drug stores offer tons of deals on these items throughout the year. Garnier, Pantene, and Suave seem to be the most popular brand names that you can get for free.

#9 Makeup
Covergirl is the key brand name here. CVS and Publix have the best re-occurring free deals throughout the year.Publix: Watch out for the Green Advantage Flyer that is put out once per month. You will almost always see a $2/1 coupon that you can stack with a $1/1 manufacturers coupon to get free eye shadow and eye liner.CVS: Watch out for ECB deals and BOGO sales with high dollar coupons to matchup for the freebies!

#10 Condiments
If you ever see a coupon that is for $1/1 or $.50/1 for things such as hot sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, etc. you can bet that it could be free while at regular price but definitely free when on sale for $1. Most condiments have a 2 year shelf life. (Hint: Make sure that you check your dates to ensure that you are getting the newest product while stocking up! The stores rotate their product to prevent items from expiring and the newest stock is in the back!)Grilling debuts (summertime and Football season) are when you will get these items the cheapest. This past summer Publix had A1, Lowery's marinade, French's mustard, Kraft BBQ sauce, and Kraft salad dressing all on sale multiple times in their BOGO sale. The sale combined with the current coupons out for those products made every single one of those items free! Take advantage of sales like this to stock up for the year. If you don't you will have to wait until the next year! Other stores have free items but Publix has the most free condiments free each year.

Honorable Mentions: Coupons to keep an eye on! I decided to add this section due to the fact that certain coupons come out once per month or once every other month that make products free.

#11 Kotex Panty Liners
Sold at Walmart for $1 (small boxes). I can't tell you how many boxes of these things I have ended up with throughout the year! Despite the fact that everyone always hits Walmart up for this free product they haven't raised the price like other store chains do when they see an increase in demand (I have seen this happen at Kroger, Publix, and most recently CVS.).

#12 Johnson & Johnson First Aid Kits
Sold in the trial section of many stores. CVS sells these for $.99 and there are always $1/1 coupons or $3/2 SmartSource Blinkie coupon that come out!

#13 Maruchan Yakisoba Noodles (like Ramen noodles but better)
These coupons are released about every 2 months. They usually come out as $.50/1's. Many of the grocery stores sell this item from $.79-$.99 each making them free with the coupon.

#14 Muir Glen Tomato Sauce
Muir Glenn releases $1/1 coupons online which makes them free at most stores. The average price for the tomato sauce is $.89.#15 Johnson's BuddiesI know this sounds like an odd one but there are many opportunities (through your Sunday inserts and internet printable coupons) to get these cute little bars of soap for free from many stores. They are usually sold at $.97 each.

I live in the Southeast and these free items may vary depending on your region and the store that you shop at but you should see at least 90% of these items are free no matter where you live!

Albies Doublers 10/27

2009-10-27T12:55:00.007-06:00

There were a set of three doubler coupons in Sunday's paper that can be used at Albertsons through today. So if you have some but haven't used them yet, HERE are some ideas of what you can do with them.

And here is what I did with doublers today:

Before coupons this would've cost me $43.21. With coupons, doublers and a $10 cat from last week I got all this for $2.99!!

Details:

3 Litehouse Caramel Dip, 16 oz. tub or 12 oz. 6 pk. - $2.50 each
Used three Litehouse Product $1/1 (12-31-09) SS-8/30 - Doubled
Final price: $.50 each.

3 Hefty Fresh Extend Gallon 12 ct. storage bags - $2.00 each
Used three Hefty OneZip Fresh Extend bags $1/1 (12-31-09) RP-9/27 - Doubled
Final price: free!

3 Nestle candy bars packs 11.5 oz. or larger - $2.50 each
Used three $1/1 IP coupon from HERE - Doubled
Final price: $.50 each!

Remember, you can only use one set of doublers (3) per transaction and usually you have to go out and come back in and they don't mind you doing multiple transactions with doublers. So I did have to do three transactions. In one of my transactions I added my bread, milk and bananas to get my after coupon total up over $10 and then I was able to use my $10 cat from last week to pay for most of that transaction.