Coupon Newbie

CVS - Week of 9/20

2009-09-19T22:00:00.000-04:00

Jenny has the list of matchups for CVS this week HERE....

I'm with Jenny on her assessment of this week: not very exciting. SO, here's my grand-tabulous plan!

Buy:
(4) Pepsi 12-packs, 4/$12

Use:
-(4) $0.25/1 Pepsi fridge pack
-$8 ECB

Total Due: $3.00
Get back: $3.00 ECB

...
...
...
...
... Yep... That's it! I'm getting my cheap Pepsi for the spouse, taking my $3 ECB, and running. It will be weird to go back to CVS with only $3 ECB. These one-stop shopping trips have spoiled me good. :-)

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Return to Wally-World

2009-09-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

It has been a WHILE since I've ventured to Walmart for anything; I've said before that it's just a little more difficult to coupon there because the prices vary so much and I have to go off of lists from areas not even remotely close to me at times. But Deal Seeking Mom posted a couple of updates this past week, so I had to go check them out. Overall, I was actually pretty successful! I usually only end up saving 30% or so there because of huge price variety.

I'll post a few of her deals found AND what I encountered at my local store just to give you an idea. Some were STILL decent deals, just different. If there's no price mod in brackets, the deal was the same!

Betty Crocker Pouch Potatoes, $0.78 [$0.84 at my store]
$0.40/1 Betty Crocker Boxed Potatoes or Pouch printable
$0.38 after coupon! (Thanks, NWA Deals!)

Edwards Pie Singles, $1.17 [$2.00 each at my store... not bad, but not AS tempting!]
$1/1 Edwards printable (IE) or printable (FF)
$1/1 Edwards Singles, (SS 8/30/09)
$0.17 after coupon!

Healthy Choice Frozen Meals, $2.50
$2/1 Healthy Choice printable
$0.50 after coupon!

McCormick Salt, Pepper, or Spices, psa $1.09 [Salt & Pepper pairs $1.07; Parsley $1.18)
$1/1 McCormick printable (regional)
$1/1 McCormick printable (IE) or printable (FF)
As low as $0.09 after coupon!

Mom’s Best Naturals Oats, $1
$0.75/1 Mom’s Best Product printable
$0.25 after coupon!

Oscar Mayer Lunchables w/ Water, $3
$1/1 Oscar Mayer Lunchables w/ Water printable $1/1 Oscar Mayer Lunchables w/ Water printable
$2 after coupon!

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (5-ct.), $0.74 ($1.22, but with the $1/1 coup, worth it!)
$1/2 Pillsbury Grands printable
$1/1 Pillsbury Grands, Any printable (no longer avail)
$0.24 ea. after coupon!

Pringles Chips (5.75 to 6-oz.), $1 (I'm guessing these are the 1/2-size cans; I only found reg cans for $1.50)
$1/2 Pringles, (P&G 8/30/09)
$0.50 ea. after coupon!

Ronzoni Pasta, $1.18 [$1.28 at my store, but this included Healthy Harvest!]
$1/2 Ronzoni Pasta printable
$0.68 ea. after coupon!

Sara Lee Pre-Sliced Deli Meat, $3.58 [Could not find Sara Lee brand...]
$3/1 Sara Lee Pre-Sliced Deli Meat printable (no longer available)
$0.58 after coupon!

Success Rice, $1.62
$1/1 Success Rice printable
$0.62 after coupon!

Uncle Ben’s Rice, $1.82
$1/2 Uncle Ben’s Rice printable
$0.91 ea. after coupon!

Air Wick Scented Oils i-Motion Starter Kit, $5
$4/1 Air Wick Scented Oil i-Motion Starter Kit (SS #3 9/13/09)
$4/1 Air Wick Scented Oil i-Motion Starter Kit (SS 8/30/09)
$1 after coupon! (Thanks, Cha-Ching On A Shoestring!)

Sparkle Paper Towels, $2.73 [Price was same, just adding it was the 2-pk of BIG Rolls]
$1/1 Sparkle Paper Towels printable
$1/1 Sparkle Paper Towels, (RP 9/13/09)
$1.73 after coupon! (Thanks, NWA Deals!)

White Cloud Toilet Paper (4-pk.), $1.99
$1/1 White Cloud Toilet Paper printable
$0.99 after coupon!

As you can see, sometimes the price difference was a few cents, sometimes not. But for the most part it was a fun and worthwhile hunt! Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

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Kroger Mega Sale - Week of 9/13

2009-09-18T22:33:00.003-04:00

I took a week off from shopping just... well, just because! Because you have to. There weren't a whole lot of very exciting deals at most of my stores, although I did hit up CVS for another One-Transaction-Wonder (that won't happen again for awhile; I'm planning to burn up my last big stash of ECBs this week). And this week has been crazy so tonight was my first night to really get out to shop.

This week was another Mega Sale at Kroger (see Jenny at Southern Savers for the list!). I don't know about anyone else but after the last one I was kind of disappointed. Not a WHOLE lot of free or super-super cheap stuff. In fact I told DH that this was a "high-end" Mega Sale b/c I spent more than I ever have on a Mega Sale since I started couponing. Still, I didn't do too bad. I only grabbed 10 participating items, but I confirmed or found some other great deals, too! Here are my favorites:

* Purina ONE Cat Chow - $1.49 after sale/coupons!

* Buitoni Fresh Chicken & Prosciutto Tortellini - $1.49 after sale/coupons!

* Slim Fast Bars, multi-packs (closeouts) - $1.39 after paper coupon! Only $0.89 after Unilever e-Coupon (which I completely forgot about and wrote off weeks ago... but it worked)!

* Green Giant Boxed Frozen Veggies - $0.64 each ($1.28 for 2) after paper & e-coupons! AND... there's multiples of the $.50/2 e-coup, so buy 4 boxes and get a $2.00 OYNO catalina!

* Starkist Tuna Pouches (in water) - FREE after those $1 printables from during the last Mega Sale (when my Kroger was clean out)!

* Smithfield Bacon 50% off - $2.68 each... FREE with OVERAGE if you still have those $3.00 printables!

I also snagged several Lean Cuisines, 2 boxes of Ritz Crackers, Digiorno Pizza, Mushrooms, and some clearance Pork Chops.

Totals before sale/coupons: $66.62
Total after sale: $47.71
--------------------------------------------------------
Total Spent: $27.04
Saved: 60%

Now, why do I feel like I've done BADLY if I walk out having spent more than $20 and NOT getting nearly $100 worth of groceries for it? :-)

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Softsoap/Irish Springs at CVS... STILL going?

2009-09-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

A quick note... I took another look at my CVS receipt from this Sunday and saw that under my Extra Buck Offers for the week it was STILL listing the following:

Irish Spring, Buy 1 Get 2 EB
Quantity toward this Reward 3
Quantity needed to Earn this Reward 1

This is the same deal as last week with the Softsoap bodywash AND Irish Springs.... Is this a MONTH-long ECB deal, maybe? Now I did NOT check for any shelf tags while in the store because I had no idea this might still be going... But if any of you all have extra Softsoap coupons lying around, it may be worth it to go snag a bottle and see what happens...

Let me know if you get ECB again and if this deal is advertised where you are or not!

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CVS - Week of 9/6.... Yup, already!

2009-09-07T09:00:00.001-04:00

I came home from camping on Sunday only to turn myself around in the shower so I could go straight to a funeral service for one of my recent students... Frankly, I am still deeply saddened by the loss of such a promising young life... and I was having a really hard time shaking myself back to normal after the services. I thought that maybe a quick run to spend my $13.99 in ECBs at CVS would be good to get my mind focused on something else for a short while.

Jenny at Southern Savers has the BIG list for CVS and you can also view the actual ad scan here. I did not even really touch her Grand Plan (I notice I've been deviating from it a lot more... is that good?? Or is that why I've spent more out of pocket??) because I had twice as many ECBs to start, and I was missing a lot of the good coupons for things like Neutrogena and Loreal. Overall, I about broke even when you considered what I earned BACK... but I'm still trying to get AHEAD with little to nothing out of pocket in the first place! ARGH.

Like last week, I got to keep it easy with one transaction:

(1) Schick ST3 Disposable Razors, 8 ct - $6.99 ($4 ECB)
(1) Aussie Styling product - $2.99 ($2 ECB)
(1) CoverGirl Clean Liquid Foundation - $4.99 ($2 ECB)
(1) CoverGirl Line Smoothing Liquid SPF 15 - $7.99
(1) Quilted Northern Bath Tissue, 12 roll - $6.97

Use:
-$4 off Schick disposables
-$1 off any CoverGirl
-$FREE Face product wyb CoverGirl Foundation (see below)
-$1 off Quilted Northern
-$13 ECB

...... I needed the TP and had intended to use some of these ECBs for free paper goods anyway last week. The Aussie was a good deal with the ECB it spit back out (IMO) even though I didn't have a coupon for it. My total OOP SHOULD have been roughly $1.95, plus tax on ~$40 in items.

Jenny's site said you should be able to use the $1 coupon with the Get FREE wyb X coupon... but I think the CVS computers calculate those 2 coupons as covering 3 items, not 2. Basically after they scanned the $1 coupon, the FREE coupon beeped and told them there were too many items. Now, would it have worked if I'd had a little random filler item, or did I need to buy 3 CG items? I'm not sure.

So, I had them void the $1 and scan the FREE coupon instead. The FREE coupon was weird because it didn't state a max of ANY kind on it. Nothing. No direction what-so-ever. But I found out that the max is the non-sale price of the foundation ($6.19 for me). So, it worked, but in order for your Face Product to be truly FREE... it had to be less than whatever the regular foundation price was. This added almost $3 to my overall... SO:

Total OOP w/ tax: $5.75 + $2.77 = $8.52 (Saved 79%... still GRRRRRR)

Got Back: $8 ECB

Shelf Cost of everything? $40.62

I'm really going to start looking for ways to figure the tax ahead of time and see if I can get my ECB to cover that too. It's not a HUGE deal but it's messing up my projections of how much I'm supposed to spend and making me do double takes before I leave the store. Any ideas? I'm listening!

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Kroger - Week of 8/30... and where'd my week go?

2009-09-06T22:53:00.003-04:00

Wow. That was fast! The rest of this past week was spent trying to ditch the crud in advance of the holiday weekend and once that started, away it went! I know this is late but I wanted to post up how I did on a last-minute run to Kroger on Friday night. My spouse had left for the mountains ahead of me to secure a good campsite b/c past experience has taught us there are NONE to be found come Saturday on Labor Day weekends. I went to dinner with friends directly after work, then decided to run to Kroger to grab Pepsis (b/c they were on their great Buy 4, Get 1 FREE deal) and a few free items.

Overall, it was not a banner trip but then it wasn't meant to be. Those darned Pepsis always tweak my totals... ;-) It's pretty funny that if I don't save at least 50%, I now get really disappointed in myself, even when I know it can't be helped!

Anyhoo, here are the quick details:

Total before sale/coupons: $53.90
Total after sale: $34.92
--------------------------------
After coupons: $27.72 (Saved 49% overall)

I have done WAAAAAY better, I know! And I only used about $7 in coupons! ....??? The main thing is that I went in for the Pepsis, grabbed a few unplanned things, and only found a few of the freebies I wanted. FYI: The night before the first University of TN game.... things can go fast on those shelves.

(5) Pepsi 12-packs
(1) Bounty Paper Towels
(1) Hefty One-Zip bags
(1) Kroger trash bags
(1) Dial handsoap
(2) Cattleman's BBQ Sauce
(2) French's Mustard
(3) Haagan-Daz single servings (1 of these did not make it into my bags at checkout.. Grrr!)
(3) Gatorades
(2) Orange/White shakers (... for my car... and watching games) :-)

It doesn't seem like a whole lot for $27! ... Honestly? I have no idea how much the shakers were. I had to get up super early on Saturday so I came home, jotted down the big numbers and tossed my receipt. They may have been a couple bucks a piece but I really wanted some. I used to have a stash of dozens from my student gamedays but those have long since been given away, disintegrated, or become cat toys (and then disintegrated).

Sometimes you just can't go strictly by the playbook, eh? With the exception of veggies and meat, I'm going to try to stick to the rules better this week.

Oh, and GO VOLS!

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CVS - Results... Kept it simple

2009-09-01T19:50:00.001-04:00

I was starting to feel a bug coming on late Saturday, but I knew that we had a full day ahead on Sunday and if I didn't make a quick midnight run I'd never get the stuff that was free or super cheap. So I went and made it just that: a quick single-transaction run! I had $10 ECBs to start and so I got most of the good deals I wanted with just that plus coupons... I may go back to get some paper goods free plus something to give me a few ECBs for next time. Just not sure how I want to spend what I have and don't want to waste them just to get it over with b/c I NOW have a full on case of "crud" and a nap looks better than shopping right now.

(1) Glade Fragrance Collection Reed Diffuser - $6.99 ($6.99 ECB = FREE)
(2) Bounce Dryer Bar, Singles - $3.99 - ($1 ECB each, limit 2)
(1) Softsoap Nutriserum Bodywash - $4.99 ($2 ECB, limit...??? ... see below)
(1) Aquafresh IsoActive Foaming Tooth Gel - $3.99 ($3 ECB)

Used:
-$4 off $20 CVS Readyfill coupon
-$2 off Glade Fragrance collection item IP-$2.50 off Bounce Dryer Bar (Vocalpoint)
-$1.50 off Bounce Dryer Bar (Vocalpoint)
-$2 off any Softsoap/Irish Springs IP (had ONE of these left)
-$1 off Aquafresh Foaming Tooth Gel IP
-$10 ECB

Total OOP w/ Tax: $3.89
Got back: $13.99 ECBs (made back my OOP and then some!)

SHELF Cost of everything above: $32.89

I was pretty happy the limit on the Bounce was 2 instead of 1; that definitely helped. On the Softsoap, I'm not sure WHAT the limit is... I'm out of those great $2 printables now b/c I used a couple last week on Irish Springs when the SAME deal was going at my stores in Knoxville even though it wasn't in the ad. The other weird thing is that my receipt for the Softsoap/Irish Springs says I still have an amount of "1" to earn toward this deal (I already have 3... 2 last week, 1 on this trip). But the shelf tags last week said "Limit 1" as does the ad this week. So I can go back and get at least 1 more? May be just what I do...

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Are you more DIY than you were before?

2009-08-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

With the economy taking a dive and still struggling (IMO) to revive itself, lots of people have turned to more self-sustaining or DIY methods of food prep around the house in order to try to stretch their dollars or be more accountable for what they use.

I personally have really enjoyed and been inspired by Couponing in Critical Times' blog. She does a fantastic job of routinely emphasizing and giving personal examples of things she grows, makes from scratch, or finds creative uses for rather than wasting odds and ends.

I dove into the realm of trying to grow some of our own food this summer and not only have I done pretty decently at the growing part, but it's also forced me to appreciate that food more (b/c I spent the $ on pots, dirt, etc) and use it in as many ways as I can. And THAT has lead to even more experimentation in the kitchen with MAKING things that are usually store-bought to save even more money.

*I went whole-hog in my planting by ordering all my plants as SEEDS and starting from the ground up, literally. NEVER done that before! But it was really fun! I got to give away quite a few seedlings as I thinned them out, even trading some for other people's herbs/plants.

*I grew a mix of summer lettuces and spinach so that we could have our own fresh salads instead of the bagged version (which almost always went partially bad before we could finish). I started harvesting my lettuce early so we began with baby green salads. I've since let both go to flower/seed and will try to harvest some of those for next year. I will probably also order an extra pack to start a late fall crop.

*My bell peppers didn't do well for some reason.. I made the mistake of planting them with the eggplants (which have taken over) and I think those guys just sucked the soil dry of nutrients. Lesson learned for next year.

*My italian eggplants have started coming in droves and I've been learning to blanch 'em, bread 'em, and freeze 'em for eggplant parmesans. By the time the summer is over I should have plenty to last through spring.

*One of my swapped plants was a single basil plant. Over everything else, this thing is exploding! I've used the leaves on frozen pizzas, salads, pasta, and I plan to try to make my own pesto.

*With the fresh basil and discovery of my local bakery outlet, I've bought Texas-Toast style bread and have been making my own frozen garlic toast. I keep butter, garlic powder/salt and oregano on hand, the basil is from my yard, and the loaf costs about $1.25. I get upwards of 20-25 slices whereas I was paying $2 for 8 slices of the store kind.

*Once upon a time, I'd buy a bag of potatoes and just accept the fact that 1/2 would go bad before I used them. We can only eat so many baked/mashed/roasted potatoes in a household of 2, y'know? But at the same time, I was buying frozen roasted potatoes b/c they kept far longer... Why?? B/c I didn't realize I could slow-bake a few potatoes at once, let cool completely on the counter, then slice/dice and FREEZE myself. Once frozen, I can just pour out however much I want for roasted wedges, casseroles/potpies, or frying as breakfast.

What are YOU doing to become more DIY?

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PROOF that Lists ARE a good thing

2009-08-30T22:41:00.000-04:00

What's that phrase we always berate kids with? Do as I SAY, not as I DO? Maybe we should take a little of our own advice from time to time? ;-) Well, that's what I thinking last night.

Somehow I got myself another "protege" to try to tutor in the "Way of the Coupon." I figured this week would be excellent b/c of the Mega Sale continuing! I also got a request from my mom to pick up a few things for her from the sale (got her Kroger card and got her allll signed up on Cellfire, Shortcuts, and P&G)...

So far, I've done just fine "multitasking" and number-crunching in the store while shopping for me. Just for me...

The "problem" with the Buy 10, Get $5 off Mega Sale (basically $.50 off each item) is that you have to REALLY keep track of how many items you buy. If you buy only 9 items, you don't get the $.50 sale discount on ANY of them. The last 2 times I've shopped a Mega-Sale (last week and a couple months ago) I ALWAYS went in with a list numbered in sets of 10. Too detailed? Maybe. But it made my trip so much easier and smoother.

This time I figured I was going to snag the few items mom wanted, and focus on my coupon-tutoring subject. He did make a basic list, but he didn't know how to match it to the Mega-Sale so while he got the concept, we had to make it up and keep counting/RE-counting as we went.

Add'l NOTE to self: No matter the # of items, get my OWN basket for my stuff. We used the main part of the cart to separate my "subject's" items into Mega and NON-Mega sale items, which meant that I shoved my stuff into the top part with my binder. Yeah... doesn't work.

Here's where I suppose some karma came into play: we went to check out and my protege had 30 items. But only 2 of the $5 discounts came off. I looked at the receipt and saw the Total cereal hadn't triggered and was ringing up at non-sale price. So I asked and told them the tags were up; it was busy and normally I wouldn't be so heavily handed with coupons during the after-work rush hour, but it was when we could go. They checked really quick and pulled him over to customer service to give him his $5. I was so focused on THAT, I didn't even WATCH my receipt, not at all. I didn't do BAD; I spent about $16 and saved $33 (70%). But after we got done I realized I'd miscounted my own items and only had 19!!!! Only one $5 discount. *WHINE*

WAIT, though... we then took a look at his box of Total, wondering why it didn't trigger the discount... It was the 1-lb box instead of 10.5 oz! I didn't even THINK of that when I asked for the 3rd $5 discount; I'd even grabbed that box myself too. SO, all in all it was fair that I legitimately missed one of my discounts considering I got him one that he shouldn't have had.

But I am NEVER going shopping sans my psycho-detailed list again!

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CVS - Week of 8/30... My Plan

2009-08-29T22:43:00.000-04:00

This week at CVS is looking "interesting" at least. There isn't an overwhelming amount of really great ECB deals, but at least the items are nicely varied so I can get some stuff that we'll really use and need. Per Jenny's advice at Southern Savers (who has the FULL list), and because I'm starting off MY week with $10 ECB, I think I AM going to use this week as a chance to get 1-2 items for the general household supply for free. Jenny's Grand Plans look great, but I just never seem to save those coupons for the glucose meter thingies that are always such moneymakers.

So my scenario is going to be a bit different. One thing's for sure: I am scaling back and NOT spending more than a couple of bucks out of pocket this week if I can help it. Last week's haul was great but I still feel like I could've done sooo much better.

Planned Trans #1
Glade Fragrance Collection Reed Diffuser ($6.99 ECB) - $6.99 ea, Limit 1
Bounce Dryer Bar ($1.00 ECB) - $3.99 ea
Softsoap Nutriserum Wash ($2.00 ECB) - $4.99 ea, Limit 1 ***
Gillette Venus Embrace Razor ($3.00 ECB) - $8.99 ea

Use $4 off $20 CVS coupon
Use $10 ECB
-$4 off any Glade Fragrance collection
-$1 off Bounce Dryer bar
-$2 off Softsoap Wash (printable -- I still have them!)
-$2 off Venus Embrace

Total OOP: $1.96
Get back $12.99 ECB

I'm wondering about that Softsoap... When they were on sale a few weeks ago AND last week (along with the Irish Springs bodywash), the tags said Limit 1 but most people had no problem snagging 2-3 and getting the ECBs... I wonder if that will be the case this week... I also need to check if my printable $2 coupons that I horded are good to 8/30! If not, I'll be using the $1 off from the paper and may rethink a couple things to keep the OOP as low as possible.

Planned Trans #2
Bausch & Lomb Renu Solution Twin Pk ($3.00 ECB) - $7.99 ea
Bausch & Lomb Renu Solution Twin Pk ($3.00 ECB) - $7.99 ea
Bounty Basic 6 Big Rolls - $5.89 ea

Use $4 off $20 (if I have 1 extra) OR $3 off $12 eyecare CVS coupon
Use $12.99 ECB
-$2 off Renu
-$2 off Renu
-$.25 off Bounty

Total OOP: $.63 OR $1.63
Get back $6 ECB

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"Hidden"/Unpublished SoftSoap/Irish Spring ECB deal at CVS this week?

2009-08-25T15:35:00.004-04:00

Does anyone remember how crazy we all went to print those $2 off any Softsoap or Irish Springs coupons from that one zip code on Coupons.com (which I can't even remember anymore)?

Well, I hope you saved a couple! I noticed on Sunday that the Softsoap Nutriserum and Irish Springs bodywashes were tagged for $4.99 with a $2 ECB. I thought it may have been an old tag or error because I don't recall seeing that in the ad matchups anywhere.

But it's current!

What's more, the tags in store say Limit 1, but I bought 2 without even thinking, used 2 coupons I had leftover, and got back $4 ECB! My receipt also says that I can buy at least one more (no "Limit Reached" message).

Oh, and see my post below about possibly FREE Shower Poufs??? I'm STILL not sure what that was about. All I know is that my cashier was chatting me up on these free chocolates and buttery-mints they had baskets of at the front (I said something about how it's not even Halloween and they're already giving out free candy), and she suddenly told me to grab a pouf from a nearby bin for free. Never look a gifthorse in the mouth!

My shopping trip report(s) on CVS had me spending way more out of pocket than normal, but I'm loving that store this week!

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CVS Aveeno Deal!!! And my totals this week...

2009-08-25T13:43:00.003-04:00

This week I probably ended up spending the most out-of-pocket at CVS than I have since starting couponing. But I think I got some great deals on stuff we use anyway.

As it turns out, the Olay Definity Cleansers I had planned to start off with were NOT part of the Olay deal; only the items that were $24.99. Some people were reporting that their CVS managers made the final call and manually printed the $12 ECBs, but I didn't want to mess with it. So I started off with this on Sunday:

Trans #1
(4) Pepsi 12-Packs ($3 ECB wyb 4 Pepsi) - 4/$12

Use:
-$4 ECB

Total OOP w/ Tax: $8.93
Get back $3 ECB

Trans #2
(2) Glade Sense & Spray Kit ($3 ECB wyb $10 in Glade) - 2/$10
(4) Kraft Mac & Cheese ($2 ECB wyb 4) - 4/$4

Use:
-(2) $4 off Glade Sense & Spray
-(1) Buy 3 Kraft Mac & Cheese, Get 1 FREE
-$3 ECB

Total OOP w/ Tax: $3.24
Get back $5 ECB

After this I was going to pretty much done for the week until I read about THIS deal on the Aveeno from Hip2Save's site! I got the Aveeno Cleansing Pads a few weeks ago and I love them. They're really great for a quick spot refresh (b/c the cleansing foam is contained to the scrubbing pad) or overall. I also found more Glade coupons, so I went back and did this today at 2 separate CVS's:

Trans #1
(3) Aveeno Positively Ageless Cleansing Pads ($10 ECB wyb $25 in Aveeno) - $8.99 ea.
(1) Shower Pouf - $2.99 on my receipt (not sure if this is a local promo but my cashier just said "Hey, grab you one of those out of that bin" and she'd give it to me FREE... um... SURE!)

Use:
-$5 off $25
-$10 off 3 Aveeno Positively Ageless IP
-$5 ECB
-$4 CVS coupon (this is what she scanned against my Shower Pouf... again, umm.. OK!)

Total OOP w/ Tax: $7.90
Get back $10 ECB (that PAID for itself!)

NOTE: Okay - HERE I got a little messed up... See, I'd found more Glade coupons (in the Sense&Spray I bought previously) so I was planning to FIRST do the Glade deals again and use the $5 ECB I had (which would have worked out as being under a dollar), and THEN do the Aveeno with the $6 ECB from the Glade.

BUT, the first CVS I hit up was nearly CLEARED OUT of ALL Glade products. Zip, zilch, nada. They did have the Aveeno and not many, so I chose to do that deal just in case there was no hope of finding more Glade (with the $4 off coupon in the paper this week, I figured it was a lost cause). However, when I hit the 2nd CVS just for the heck of it they were completely stocked on Glade...?? But I now had a large single $10 ECB to spend and I still wanted to use my $4 off $20 coupon... The end result is that I threw in a few extra things to make sure I wasn't under.

Trans #2
(2) Glade Sense & Spray Kit - 2/$10
(2) Glade PlugIn Scent Oil Lasting Impressions Kit - 2/$10
(2) Irish Springs Body Wash ($2 ECB - Hidden Deal??) - $4.99 ea
(2) Reeses PB Cups Milk Chocolate - 2/$1
(2) Reeses PB Cups Dark Chocolate - 2/$1
(1) Nivea Lip Balm SPF 30 (Clearance) - $1.50

Use:
-$4 off $20
-(2) $3 off Sense & Spray
-(2) $3 off Scented Oil Lasting Impressions
-(2) $2 off Irish Springs or Soft Soap IP
-(2) B1G1 Reese PB Cups (new Dark or orig Milk)
-$10 ECB

Total OOP w/ tax: $5.21
Get back: $10 ECB ($6 on Glade, $4 on Irish Springs)

In retrospect, the 2nd Irish Springs put me just over where I needed to be. I didn't need the clearance Lip Balm and could've put that back. My quick (and wrong) mental math in the store somehow made me think the Reeses cups would be free but I ended up paying $1.00 for all 4 packs. But, hey, that's life.

TOTAL OOP w/ tax......... $25.28 (OUCH! ... It's okay, though! It's okay! I just keep telling myself that with the $10 ECB I got back, it's really $15.28... and on a normal grocery trip $12 of that would have been straight outta pocket for DH's beloved Pepsis)

Total merchandise PURCHASED (before sales/coups)..... $138.90

Total saved: 82%

Technically, I have done MUCH better... but overall I'm not too unhappy.

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CVS - Week of 8/23... Just keep luring me in with cheap Pepsi...

2009-08-22T21:14:00.003-04:00

It's looking like a sort of slow week at CVS and I'd probably take the week off... but the promise of cheap Pepsi is luring me back!

As usual, Jenny at Southern Savers has the scoop on the full ad matches but this is what I think I'll be trying to do. I won't be heading over at midnight either; this scenario will force me to wait until the paper shows up tomorrow morning.

Trans # 1
Olay Definity Cleanser ($12 ECB wyb 2 participating Olay products) - $10.98
Olay Definity Cleanser ($12 ECB wyb 2 participating Olay products) - $10.98
Use $4 off $20 Facial Care CVS coupon (have to pick up a prescrip so I'll be asking about the ReadyFill program/booklet... *grin*)
Use (2) $3 off Olay coupons (THIS is what I have to wait on... grrr)
Use $4 ECB

Total due: $7.98
Get back $12 ECB

Trans #2
(4) 12-packs of Pepsi ($3 ECB wyb 4) - $12.00
Use $12 ECB

Total due: NOTHING
Get back $3 ECB

Trans #3
Glade Sense & Spray ($3 ECB wyb $10 in Glade) - $5.00
Glade Sense & Spray ($3 ECB wyb $10 in Glade) - $5.00
CVS Composition book 100 sheets ($.99 ECB) - $.99
CVS Composition book 100 sheets ($.99 ECB) - $.99
Use $3 ECB

Total due: $.98
Get back $4.98 ECB

We'll see how it goes tomorrow. My main goal is the Pepsi, and really I could just get those, use my $4 ECB, pay $8 out of pocket, and then move on to the Glade. But I admit the Olay deal is too tempting, and I like the idea of getting the Pepsi for "nothing", plus some nice facial cleansers. I'll be hitting up my 24 hour CVS b/c that's where my prescription is. Here's hoping I can get there early enough to snag what I need!

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ALDIs... The only place to go for meats and other have-to-haves

2009-08-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

We're very lucky to finally have an ALDIs discount store nearby; I honestly don't know what I did without it, much like I no longer know what I did without shopping using coupons!

ALDIs is a pretty simple bare-bones sort of store that happens to have very good products at good prices. They don't allow coupons mainly because they offer a lot of one-off brands, and because they keep their overhead and prices so low on a daily basis that really, they don't have to. Now, I have to admit that a good portion of their pantry items and some dairy doesn't compete with Kroger with the right sale and coupons. They also have their own versions of "sale" prices, and on a good week a regular grocery store will beat those prices too (i.e. chicken). BUT, if you do find you need something NOW (b/c we all forget about that jar of this or that spice getting low, etc), there's really no place else for me to shop.

After my trips to Kroger left me stocked to the hilt on Hamburger/Chicken Helper, I decided to swing by to see if I could round out my groceries for the month with some more meat purchases. There was really not a lot on sale at Kroger that appealed, and I didn't feel like doing much store hopping.

I ended up getting:

(1) Dozen Grade-A Large Eggs ($.49)
(1) Garlic Powder ($1.09)
(2) Bacon Wrapped Beef Filet ($1.99 ea - These are usually 3/$10 at Kroger)
(2) Cornish Game Hens ($1.99 ea - Often $5.50-$7 for 2 elsewhere, including Walmart)
(2) Ground Turkey 90/10, 1.2 lbs ($2.49 ea - BEEF was pricier and turkey is healthier)
(1) Tyson Chicken Drumsticks, abt 2.5 lbs ($3.43)

Total: $19.34

Consider that the above will translate into at least 7 dinners for the 2 of us when made with other pantry items (the Helpers, rice, pasta, veggies), plus a few leftover lunches for me. Not too bad.

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Kroger Mega-LOVE this week... Saved 70% over two trips

2009-08-21T08:00:00.003-04:00

Whew! I think I'm honestly in NO need to do major shopping for the rest of August, besides maybe milk.

First, great trip on Wednesday! I hadn't planned to go then, but was checking the milk for mashed potatoes for dinner, and, uh... it was juuuuust over the edge of trying to become another type of dairy product. :-) So, I figured I might as well head over before it got too late in the week. I took my list of 30 items (3 sets of 10) and then some, plus coupons, binder, and off I went.

I got everything I wanted although the pickings on certain things were SUPER slim; it seemed like I got the LAST packages of a couple things. Seriously, I've never had to climb shelves or crawl to get alllll the way to the back or hunt behind other products for so many items. There WERE 2-3 flavors of Hamburger Helper that were on closeout for $.45 with the sale according to tags; but GONE.

I did have an issue at checkout where I’d bought exactly 30 qualifying items (hence the LIST; it helps!), but only 2 of the Buy 10, Get $5 discounts came up. I asked the checker and showed him my list; he went back over my receipt, counted the 30 and said it should’ve worked; that in fact the lady before me had 30 and got 3 discounts (he thought 3 was the limit on the deal, btw... whether there IS or isn't a limit hasn't been very clear on this particular sale). Anyway, a manager happened by, and when my checker explained, he just handed me $5 cash out of his change pouch, no question.

(Note: This is probably the first time I've EVER questioned a cashier on a coupon or other price issue. I just never wanted to deal with the confrontation before but this time I figured I'd done everything right, so it couldn't hurt to ask!)

Anyway, onto my loot. I did cheat a bit and used 3 more of my FREE Lean Cuisine giveaway coupons.

(6) Hamburger/Tune/Chicken Helper
(6) Sobe Lifewater
(2) Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls
(2) Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
(2) Turkey Hill Tea 1/2 Gallons
(3) Lean Cuisine
(2) Nature Valley Nut Clusters
(2) Betty Crocker Cookie Mix Pouches
(2) Betty Crocker Warm Delights
(2) Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes
(1) Trix Swirl cereal
(1) Total Raisin Bran
(1) Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers
(1) Green Giant canned Corn Niblets
(1) Old El Paso Enchilada kit
(1) Old El Paso Seasoned Black Beans
(2) Yellow Corn ears
(1) Skim Milk
(1) Wheat Bread loaf, Kroger
(1) Salmon Filets (this became 4 portions which will be 2 dinners)

Total BEFORE sales & coupons? $92.14

AFTER Sale alone? $59.68
----------------------------------------------------

AFTER Coupons: $27.38

I have to say, I'm really very pleased! My personal goal was to get out under $30 and I did that.

I was NOT planning to go back initially... but after looking at my receipt I realized that a lot of my e-coups had primarily come from Cellfire; even the stuff I bought 2-3 of. I KNEW I had the same ones on my Shortcuts.com account so I checked, and sure enough, there were enough to warrant Trip #2 on Thursday.

Happily, someone had done some serious restocking. There were plenty of full shelves so I was a happy camper (although the climbing from Wednesday was kind of fun). Sooo, I did this...

(8) Sobe Lifewaters
(3) Hamburger/Chicken Helper (got 1 of the $.45 ones)
(2) Nature Valley Nut Clusters
(2) Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes
(2) Betty Crocker Warm Delights
(2) Quaker Quakes Tortilla Style
(1) Trix Swirl Cereal
(1) Thick-cut Pork Chops (clearance)
(1) Kroger Whole Fryer Chicken (clearance)
(1) London Broil (clearance)

Now, factoring in what the meat would have been...

Total BEFORE sales & coupons? $60.10

AFTER Sale alone? $39.30
----------------------------------------------------

AFTER Coupons: $17.94

Not too shabby! One weird thing that happened today and yesterday was that one of the Nut Clusters triggered the e-coupon for the Nature Valley BARS... which stinks b/c that's only a $.40 e-coup instead of $1. Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

GRAND TOTALS? I got $152.24 in groceries for $45.32. We also happen to have a friend who'll be moving into a new apartment and starting from scratch this weekend, so several of those items will be going into a jumpstart box of sorts for them.

I was on such a high from getting good deals on the meats, that I decided to hit up ALDIs on the way home to see if I could finish stocking us up on meats for the next week or so. More on that in the next post.

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Calling all TEACHERS! Save on updates to your wardrobe!

2009-08-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

I admit it; I'm a huge fan of the store NY&Co. Overall, their stuff just fits my frame well and their pieces all coordinate easily with each other, as well as lots of other items I get elsewhere. Plus they usually have great coupons available. I got this in my Inbox today and am definitely going to hit up my local store to check it out:

(Yeah, I know, it's small). Apparently, teachers get 15% in store just by showing their ID at the register! Of course, you need to check and make sure your store is participating, and if you're not a straight-up K-12 teacher, this may not apply to you. I'm an adjunct instructor at a local technical school so I plan to tote my ID to the mall and ask my store if it'll work. Good luck and happy shopping! They have a great pant special going of Buy 1, Get ANY 2nd Pant/Jean FREE!

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Kroger MEGA Sale this week of 8/16 (and next?)

2009-08-19T09:14:00.004-04:00

I've really been looking forward to this week b/c Kroger is AGAIN having a great Mega Sale of Buy any 10 participating items, Get $5 off your total order. Even in my very short couponing career I've learned that these sales tend to end up very well for me. I was hoping to see more frozen veggies paired with coupons b/c we could use some, but that's okay.

Overall, there is a LOT I'm excited about! My own tips for working these sales to the maximum and keeping yourself from overspending:

* MAKE THEE A LIST!

* For the participating items, try to number your "sets" of 10 items. You can buy 10 of the same thing or 1 each of any of the items included in the Mega Sale, but make sure you have increments of 10! If you miss one and end up with 9.... you won't get the extra $5 off your total order for those items (works out to $.50 off per item). Bring a pen with you to the store so you can cross items off as you put them in your cart, OR mark where you've substituted an item (if they're out).

* STICK TO the list! This is just good basic shopping advice. I try to list my sale items on top, and then any/all my other items on the bottom with estimates of what my goal price is for those items (I do this especially for meats). This often keeps me from overshopping, and if an item is not on sale at all (and no coupons) I'll debate whether I really need it that week (often I can make do without). Also, I still know what the register total SHOULD be and I'm never terribly surprised by it.

* CLIP/PULL/PRINT all your coupons from the main stash beforehand. Same goes for LOADING and checking your e-coupons. It just makes the trip faster and this way you know how many multiples of items you can buy at a certain price, instead of buying 6 boxes of something and realizing at the register that you'll only get the rock-bottom price on 2 because you're short a couple coupons.

Much thanks goes to Jenny at Southern Savers, without whom I'd be spending way too much on groceries! (Click the "Weekly Ad" title to go to her FULL post)

Kroger Weekly Ad 8/16-8/22
(price listed is after .50¢ discount per item from instant savings)

Drinks:

SoBe Juice or Life Water 49¢ ea
-B1G1 Sobe Life Water printable (IE) or printable(FF) to $1.59 (coupon will take off .99¢ after .50¢ discount for each makes both FREE)

Pepsi products 2 liters .79 ea
-$1/2 Pepsi products Kroger “Best Customer” home mailer

Gatorade 64oz bottle

Refrigerated/Dairy:

Pillsbury Crescents Rolls 8-16.3 oz, .99¢ ea
-.50/2 Pillsbury Crescent Rolls printable or printable
-.50/2 Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Shortcuts eCoupon (use with .50/2 coupon makes it .24¢ ea)

Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls 8-16.3 oz, .99¢ ea
-.40/2 Pillsbury Sweet Rolls or Grands Sweet Rolls, Any SS 8/9 or printable
-.40/2 Pillsbury Sweet Rolls or Grands! Sweet Rolls Shortcuts eCoupon (use with .40/2 makes it .39¢ ea)

Yoplait Yogurts, 16-32 oz, $1.99 ea (ALL varieties below):

Delights 6pk
-$1 off Yoplait Delights printable

Fiber One 4pk
-$1 off Yoplait Fiber One Cellfire eCoupon or Shortcuts eCoupon
-$1 off Yoplait Fiber One SS 8/09, 7/12 (use with eCoupon -FREE)

Yoplait Yogurt 6pk or 32oz
-.55/1 Yoplait 32 oz yogurt Shortcuts eCoupon
-$1 off Yoplait 32 oz SS 7/12, 6/28 (use with eCoupon -.44¢)

Yo-Plus 4pk
-$1 off Yo-Plus SS 8/09 or printable or printable

Frozen:

Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers, 12 oz bag, $1.29 ea

Wanchai Ferry Complete Frozen Meal Kits $5.49 ea
-$2 off Wanchai Ferry Dinner Kits SS 8/09, 7/12
-$3.50 off Wanchai Ferry Kis printable (limit reached)

Canned/Boxed Goods:

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix / Betty Crocker Cookie Mix $1.49 ea
-.40/1 Betty Crocker Cookie Mix 17.5 oz or larger Cellfire eCoupon or Shortcuts eCoupon
-.40/1 Betty Crocker Cookie Mix 17.5oz+ SS 8/9 or printable or printable or printable(use e coupon and paper coupon makes it .29 ea)

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix $1.49 ea
-.75/2 Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix Cellfire eCoupon or Shortcuts eCoupon
-.75/2 Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix, SS 7/19 or printable
-.50/2 Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mixes printable (use .50/2 paper coupon with e coupon makes it .61¢ ea)

Betty Crocker Warm Delights $1.39, Warm Delights Minis $1.69
-.50/1 Betty Crocker Warm Delights Bowls or Mini Bowls SS 8/9 or printable
-.50/1 Betty Crocker Warm Delights or Warm Delights Minis Cellfire eCoupon or Shortcuts eCoupon (use eCoupon with paper coupon makes it .19 ea)

Betty Crocker Potatoes 4.6-6.6 oz, 99¢ ea
-.40/2 Betty Crocker Boxed Potatoes Shortcuts eCoupon (makes it .79¢ ea)

Green Giant Vegetables, 11-15.5 oz cans, .75¢ ea

Hamburger, Chicken or Tuna Helper .89¢ ea
-.75/3 Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper or Chicken Helper Cellfire eCoupon or Shortcuts eCoupon
-.75/3 Hamburger Helpers printable or printable (use eCoupon and paper coupon makes it .39¢ ea)

Old El Paso Dinner Kits $1.99
Old El Paso Tortillas $1.89
Old El Paso Taco Shells or Refried Beans .99¢ ea
-Buy (2) Old El Paso Products, get FREE Old El Paso Seasoning coupon on select products
-.60/2 Old El Paso products printable
-.60/2 Old El Paso products Shortcuts eCoupon (use both together makes it .39¢ ea)

Quaker or General Mills Cereal 8.9-16 oz, $1.49 ea INCLUDING: Cap’n Crunch, Life, Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Fruity Cheerios, Golden Grahams, Total, or Trix
-$1/2 off any Cheerios SS 7/19, 8/02 or printable
-.55/1 Cheerios printable or printable
-.55/1 Trix Cereal Cellfire eCoupon or Shortcuts eCoupon
-.55/1 Trix Cereal, printable or here or here (with eCoupon .39¢)
-$1/2 General Mills Cereal, SS 7/19, 7/12, 8/16 or August All You
-.75/1 Total Cereal printable-.75/1 Total Cereal Shortcuts eCoupon (use with paper -FREE)

Snack Items:

Tostito’s Chips $1.88

Tostito’s Dip or Salsa $1.88
-Free Tostito’s Salsa wyb (2) Bags of Tostito’s Chips tearpad

Nature Valley Nut Clusters $1.99 ea
-$1 off Nut Clusters SS 8/09 printable or printable
-$1 off Nature Valley Clusters Cellfire eCoupon or Shortcuts eCoupon

Fiber One Chewy Bars 5-8.9 oz, $1.99 ea
-.40/1 Fiber One Chewy Bars Cellfire eCoupon or Shortcuts eCoupon
-.40/1 Fiber One Bars SS 7/19 or printable or printable(makes .79¢ ea)

Quaker True Delights Bars or Fiber & Omerga 3, 5ct, $1.99 ea
-$1 off Quaker True Delights RP 6/28 (exp 8/22) or printable

Quaker Quakes Rice Cakes, 3.03-4 oz, .49¢ ea

Meat:

Tyson Fresh Split Chicken Breast .99¢ lb
-$1 off Tyson Fresh Chicken SS 6/14, 8/02

Fresh Wild Caught Silverbrite Salmon Fillets $3.99 lb

Produce:

Yellow Squash or Green Beans .99¢ lb

Dry Goods:

Kroger White or Wheat Bread, 20 oz, $1 ea

Big K 12 pk Soft Drinks, 12 oz cans, $1.99 ea
-.50/1 Big K 12 packs Shortcuts eCoupon

Household/Personal Care:

Arm & Hammer Fabric Softener, 144 ct, $2.99 ea
Arm & Hammer Liquid Laundry Detergent, $2.99 ea
-$1 off Laundry Detergent or Softener Sheets printable

As a SIDE note, we're still pretty crazy busy this week; we still have a houseguest who is preparing to move into their own place this weekend and will be pretty tight on funds... So, guess what they want me to teach them?

...
...
...

Yep! You guessed it! Couponing! I'm hoping that like before Kroger will extend this sale through 2 weeks so that I can really make their first trip with me a good one.

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Coupons for FREE stuff just keep rolling in!

2009-08-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

A little bit ago, I'd posted about winning the weekly Friday Lean Cuisine Giveaway and getting 7 coupons for a FREE Lean Cuisine (ANYthing... the paninis, pizzas, entrees). Well, the rest of this week has just continued to be a FREE coupon week...

*From All YOU magazine, I'd gotten a FREE Jack Links coupon (though it's for the really big bag which I haven't been able to find; only the 3.5 oz bags).

*The recent inserts had a coupon for a FREE Glade Soy candle (it is for the 2 oz variety, which some have said is harder to find; my Kroger doesn't have them).

*I got quite a surprise in the mail when Vocalpoint sent me a TALKING mailer. Yes. TALKS to you. LOUDLY. It scared the heck out of my cats who tend to crowd around me when I sit to open mail like every envelope is a bag of treats (that was actually funny). Anyway, in the talking mailer was a sheaf of coupons for Rice Krispies cereal; lots of $1 off any box and ONE FREE BOX of RICE KRISPIES. I see a lot of Rice Krispie treat bars in my future... :-)

*I finally received my FREE Country Bob's All Purpose sauce coupon; I'd forgotten about even registering for that. Looks like you can still request one here! (Thanks from a while ago, Coupon Mommie!)

*I sent in my form/rebate for a FREE Yoplait Yo-Plus yogurt pack after buying some Dannon Activia at Kroger. You can find the form here. (Thanks to many bloggers for posting this but I saw it on A Thrifty Mom).

Kroger has my love again... $61 in groceries for $16

2009-08-16T01:34:00.003-04:00

I last posted about my disappointing trip to Kroger (and Ingles) and how a random and sort of FORCED (by me) trip didn't end as well as I'd have liked. Well, here are some resolutions to that...

(1) I finally put my receipt numbers into my little savings spreadsheet a couple of days ago (yep, I was so bummed and busy I was not in the mood to input them right away). It turns out that while Ingles was not that great b/c I only bought a couple of items that had coupons, Kroger was really NOT bad. I saved 68% on the trip after all ($10.40 for $32 in groceries). And that was WITH a couple of coupons not working plus some unplanned treats.

(2) I emailed PG Esaver and told them about my disappointment at how yet another haircare coupon had not worked. This time, I also sent all my pertinent info: Kroger card #, date of purchase, item, store, etc. Guess what? I got an email back the next day saying they were putting a $3 credit on my account good against the overall total of my next order. And when I went shopping this past week it worked!

(3) I had a pretty great week this week. No photo b/c I just did not have time, but I got $61 in groceries for only $16.36! I had a couple of overages that helped out like a $5/3 Reach Floss (the floss was only $1 each) and that $3 OYNO. I also used 3 of my freeeeeee Lean Cuisine certificates. I also took advantage of the Buy 4, Get $4 Off Kelloggs deal. I got 2 boxes of Cheezits, and then 2 boxes of Eggo Waffles. I THEN used a Fuel for School coupon for $2 in fresh fruit wyb 2 Eggo products, which netted me a free box of blueberries.

(The blueberries are now in a tasty cobbler in the fridge that has been calling my name all DAY... but we had sundaes at Sonic after dinner so no-go...Drat.) Here's the rundown from this Thursday; I tried to go easy and do only the best deals b/c I knew a certain super sale was coming up in the next week, while still restocking us in some staples and my lunches for work:

(2) Pillsbury Crescent rolls
(1) Yoplait Fiber One yogurt 4-pack
(1) Dannon Activia yogurt 4-pack
(3) Lean Cuisine frozen entrees
(2) Healthy Choice Fresh Mixer entrees
(1) Kroger Wheat Bread loaf
(1) Blueberries, 1 lb
(2) Chiquita Fresh Fruit Dipper snacks
(2) Eggo Nutrigrain Whole Wheat waffles
(2) Cheezits(2) Knorrs Pasta Sides
(3) Kroger Frozen Vegetables
(1) Kroger All-purpose flour
(1) Domino Granulated Sugar
(1) Kroger Whipped Topping

(You can tell that while shopping, I formulated the "Cobbler Plan", hence the flour, sugar, etc...)

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CVS - Week of 8/16... The newbie chick is back!

2009-08-16T01:06:00.003-04:00

Among all the chaos and craziness, I took a week off from CVS mostly because it just did NOT look like there were many good deals to be had. If you look at my post from the week before last, you'll see that I got a lot of great stuff and racked up $10.48 in ECB! I've never had that many before and I just... didn't want to waste them on a so-so week. There were NO free school supplies either (by the way, after letting hubby select from the fab pens and such for work, I donated my stash to a coworker who took them to her daycare and church).

Fortunately, things were looking up this week! The Pepsi deal was back and that was probably enough for me. Of course, I went to Jenny at Southern Savers to see what her scenarios were looking like, although I have to say I'm starting to be okay at planning my own trips! But I still like to check her Grand Plans to make sure I'm not missing something.

She had a LOT of different versions posted because there are several $-off-$-purchase coupons floating around. I have not snagged any yet, I confess, but I'm going to go in and ask for the Readyfill Coupon booklet this week.

Anyway, even though we have company again tonight (yep, same as from this week), I slipped out to my 24 hour store. Overall, not a lot of stuff in quantity, but a good haul.

Trans #1
(2) Papermate Write Bros Pens, 10 pk - $.99 ea ($.99 ecb)
(1) CVS Mini-Composition Book, 80 sheets - $1.99 ($1.99 ecb)
(1) Philips Earhook Headphones - $6.99 ($6.99 ecb)

Use:
-$10.48 ECB

Total OOP w/ tax: $1.22
Get back $10.96 ECB

***NOTE: The headphones are a specific one, just in case they aren't marked at your store (mine and others don't always mark all ECB items) and they were hung with several very similar looking Phillips headphones. Look for the model #SHS3201 and look specifically for the ear HOOK shape; not the "buds"! Mine were stored in a locked glass case with the Audio/Video items.

OH! And on my first transaction I'm not sure WHAT happened but the register spit out like 4 feet of tape in coupons! I got $1 off any mouthwash, and coupons for digital prints, Aveeno haircare, and $3 off $15 in Suncare products. I guess this means I'll need to start learning to stack CVS and mfr coupons with ECBs next...?

Trans #2
(1) L'oreal Skin Genesis Cleanser - $5.99 ($10 ECB wyb L'oreal Cleanser w/ Revitalift Wrinkle Repair)
(1) L'oreal Revitalift Deepset Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream - $14.99 (ECB same as above)

Use:
-$1 off L'oreal Cleanser
-$5 off L'oreal Revitalift Deepset Wrinkle Repair
-$10.96 ECB

Total OOP w/ tax: $5.96
Get back $10.00 ECB

Trans #3
(4) Pepsi 12-can Fridge Packs - 4/$12 ($4 ECB wyb 4 packs)

Use:
-$10.00 ECB

Total OOP w/ tax: $2.93
Get back $4.00 ECB

SO, my grand total OOP was $10.11 (not $8 like I quoted to my husband when I walked back in... see how even frugal girls have a tendency to underestimate and round DOWN conveniantly?). Without SALES and coupons, the items purchased would have been $68.52, so a savings of 85%. Not bad considering I got some headphones I actually NEEDED (my iPod earbuds just KILL my ears), some great facial cleanser and eye cream, plus... the coveted Pepsis that keep my spouse happy (think of Pepsi as his "coffee").

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Catch up!!!

2009-08-15T11:46:00.002-04:00

WOW! It's been a CRAZY week! I ended up not going to CVS this week because the deals just weren't appealing and I was feeling a little burned from my last couple of grocery trips. I'm getting to the end of another quarter in my teaching job and I can't skimp on marking up final paper drafts for my students.

We've also had a couple of friends who are going through some very difficult personal issues right now and have needed a shoulder, and so my house has been acting as something of a combination late night Cheers counter and a Bed & Breakfast (often without much if any notice)... I promise to get some updates and new posts going later today!

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Knowing When to Just NOT Shop

2009-08-06T23:58:00.003-04:00

This will be quick for now, and may get updated later as it's late, and as I am suddenly DROWNING in coupons to get clipped! Between the multiple coupon inserts, getting multiple copies dropped in my lap, and all the new printables, now is one of those time my binder system is a real pain.

Against my better judgement, I think, I ventured ot Ingles and Kroger tonight to grab a few items I felt I had to snag at their current price. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped for various reasons, and it taught me a valuable lesson:

* Thou shalt not go to the store if the deals are lukewarm, unless thou really really needest something.

I'll post totals later, but here are a few of the "sins" I think I'm guilty of...

(1) I strayed from the "list." Not that this isn't EVER okay, and I really really wanted that Mayfield Banana Split icecream! But it's probably the fastest way to jack up your total without realizing it in the store.

(2) I left the binder home. Actually, this isn't SO bad b/c the other stuff I bought off-list didn't have coupons for them anyway.

(3) I went to the store during a week when the deals for both stores were just... "Eh." Now WHY did I do that? I think I lured mySELF in with the promise to just go in, get the free/cheap stuff, and get out. And that didn't happen. Of everything I bought, I think I only really NEEDED the bleach (ok, and the icecream), and even that could've waited.

Also, I had an issue AGAIN at Kroger with a P&G esaver coupon not coming off. Last time, I was supposed to get $2 off Herbal Essences. I bought 2 items using a paper "Buy any item, and get a styler FREE" and I theorized that because the paper coupon applied to BOTH products DURING a P&G promotional event (the Buy 4 / Get $4 off), the P&G promo sort of cancelled out the e-coupon.

But this time it was for Aussie hair care. And Aussie had no tags for the P&G event this week! So there should've been no problem stacking my $2/2 coupon with the $2/1 e-coup. I'm not sure why it didn't come off. Oh well...

Thumbs up for McDonald's Angus Burgers - Try 'em with FREE Fries/Drink

2009-08-05T17:46:00.000-04:00

This deal is on several sites by now, but I saw it over on Coupon Katie's blog (courtesy of Money Saving Mom). It's pretty simple and sweet!

Go to this link here, type in your name and print out your coupon for a FREE medium Fries and Drink (soda or tea) when you buy/try one of McDonald's new 1/3 lb Angus Beef burgers.

It looks almost too good to be true, but I took mine into a local McDonald's and they recognized it right away and just asked me which sandwich I wanted to try. The burger alone was about $4 with tax and I was pretty impressed! (I got the Mushroom Swiss)

AND, as I was picking up my order, the manager asked if I'd tried the new burger yet; when I said I hadn't but was going to (meaning what was in my BAG) he gave me a card for the SAME deal! So, if you'd rather not print it out, you can get these at your local McD's.

Lean Cuisine Free Lunch Giveaway - And I WON!

2009-08-03T23:21:00.003-04:00

HOW excited was I to come home from work tonight and find not only a booklet of coupons... but an envelope from Lean Cuisine with SEVEN (7) coupons for a FREE Lean Cuisine entree each!

That's a week of free lunch! I wish I could remember the first site I saw it at, but if you go HERE on Friday you can also sign up to win a week of FREE Lean Cuisine. They select 125 winners each week and the grand prize is Lean Cuisine for a year. I've personally been trying to bring my lunches to work everyday so this really helps!

.... I still can't believe I won!!!

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CVS Results... (Note - Do not shop when in pain!)

2009-08-02T13:22:00.003-04:00

Overall, EVERYTHING went according to plan, with a minor miss here and there. So I'm happy!

However, definitely try to avoid shopping when exhausted after a day of keeping up with two 10-12 yr old boys on trails AND when you've inadvertently pulled a back/shoulder muscle that limits your movement painfully when you least expect it (like reaching down/forward for stuff on low shelves)!

With what a good week it was, and with how well publicized a lot of the deals were, I knew that if I didn't trudge to my midnight CVS, I'd regret it today. So, here's how it went down last night...

Trans #1
(2) CVS/Caliber 3 pk Glue Stick ($.99 ecb ea) - $0.99 ea
(2) CVS/Caliber ballpoint pens 20 ct ($.99 ecb ea) - $0.99 ea
(1) Caliber/It's Academic 5" Scissors ($2.99 ecb) - $2.99 ea
(1) 2-pocket Portfolio ($.49 ecb) - $0.49 (or 2/$.99)
FREE CVS Ibuprofen!!! (Worth $3.29)

- Use $6.89 ECB

OKAY! Interruption! Here's the first miss and tweak: I got the "It's Academic" Scissors instead of the Caliber brand (which didn't seem to matter b/c I was going off the ad; remember, my 24 hr CVS waits until the wee hours to put up sale signs). No ECB printed. I politely asked the guy if he could check it, and apologized since I know they have a MILLION items genereating ECBs this week. He was nice, and manually printed me a $3 ECB. Yea! Of course, I was so focused on that, that I MISSED not getting an ECB on the portfolio folder. No biggie, it would have been a filler item anyway. So....

Total OOP w/ tax = $1.07
Get back $6.96 ECB

Trans #2
(1) Blink Tears 0.5 oz or Gel Tears 0.34 oz ($7.99 ecb) - $7.99 ea
(1) Caliber/CVS 1 subject Notebk 70-80 sheets ($.99 ecb) - $0.99 ea

-Use $1.50 off Blink Tears IP
-Use $6.96 ECB

Total OOP w/ Tax = $1.07
Get 8.98 ECB back

Trans #3
(4) Electrasol 2/$9 (Buy $20 / Get $10 ecb) - $4.50 ea
(1) Airwick Scented Oil Refill 2/$6 (Buy $20 / Get $10) - $3.00 ea

-Use (4) $2.50 off Electrasol
-Use $8.98 ECB

Okay, quick interruption here too... I needed a refill for my Airwick and thought I had a $1 coupon... except it was for 2 of the single $3 refills. So I scrapped that and just got it.

Total OOP w/ tax = $3.96 (yeah, paying the tax on the grand total kills me mathmatically)
Get $10 ECB

Trans #4
(2) Benadryl-D (Spend $10 / Get $5) - $5.00 ($.50 over the flyer I planned from)
(1) Listerine FreshMint (Spend $10 / Get $5) - $3.00
(1) Caliber/CVS Notebook 70-80 sheets ($.99 ecb) - $0.99

-Use $0.50 off Listerine
-Use (2) $1.00 off Benadryl
-Use $10.00 ECB

Total OOP w/ tax = $2.78
Get $5.99 ECB

Trans #5
(1) Softsoap Nutriserum Bodywash ($4 ecb) - $4.99
(1) Caliber/It's Academic 5" Scissors ($2.99 ecb) - $2.99
(1) 2-pocket Portfolio ($.49 ecb) - $0.49 (or 2/$.99)

-Use $2.00 off Softsoap or Irish Spring Bodywash IP
-Use $5.00 ECB

What happened here is that my initial "plan" told me I needed a cheapie filler, hence the folder, which AGAIN did not print any ECBs and AGAIN... I missed it b/c I was focused on reminding the cashier that he'd probably need to generate the ECBs for the scissors. ALSO... I was in such a bleary hurry to tear the ECBs off the previous tape, that I only tore off the $5.00. I left $.99 ECB on there and just forgot to use them.

Total OOP w/ tax = $2.26 (again, this tax on the entire total thing... ugh)
Get $7.00 ECB (plus the $.99 I forgot about)

Now, I STILL had a gift card with about $10 and change on it from my prescription transfer; I can't use it unless the purchase is over $2, which several of these were and I should've whipped it out, but again.... pain, tired, looking forward to giving those FREE ibuprofens a test-drive, etc...

But, no matter, because when I got the ad this morning I noticed something different. They had another ECB deal for (4) 12-packs of Pepsi for $12 that spit out $4 ECBs... Forwhatever reason, the ad I planned off of had them as (4) 8-packs... which is weird and really just isn't that great a deal. Hmm... the spouse is out of Pepsi. And I DO need to use that card. So I went back TODAY and did this...

Trans #6 (Sunday)
(4) 12-packs of Pepsi ($4 ecb) - 4/$12
(1) Caliber Compass ($1.50 ecb) - $1.50
(2) Caliber Stretch Book Covers ($.99 ecb ) - $.99 ea

-Use $4.99 ECB (used that $.99 that hid from me last night!)
-Use $10.59 balance on Gift Card

Total OOP w/ tax = $1.15

Get back $7.48 ECB for a grand total of $10.48 ECB for next time!

Okay, the GRAND total of everything I bought and what I saved (included sale prices, etc)?

Total WORTH of Items purchased.... $115.44

Total SPENT...................... $12.29

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CVS - Week of 8/2... and what a week!

2009-08-01T00:00:00.003-04:00

This WILL sound lame, but I am super excited about this week at CVS. I seriously may get there at 11:30pm tomorrow night. There's a TON of ECB deals to be had, though not all of them are as fantastic as CVS would have you believe. Still, this should be a great week for way more than school supplies. Jenny has posted her Grand Plan at Southern Savers (along with fabulous matchups) but I actually created my OWN for once! I'm starting with $6.89 ECB. I will probably not score ALL the free supplies in favor of other stuff I can use. I'm also ditching the diapers that are part of her plan b/c we don't need them.

MY Grand Plan.... (we shall see how it goes)

Trans #1
CVS/Caliber 3 pk Glue Stick; 2 pk Stickys; Pencil/Ink Eraser ($.99 ecb) - $0.99
CVS/Caliber 3 pk Glue Stick; 2 pk Stickys; Pencil/Ink Eraser ($.99 ecb) - $0.99
CVS/Caliber ballpoint pens 20 ct / Pencils 10 ct ($.99 ecb) - $0.99
CVS/Caliber ballpoint pens 20 ct / Pencils 10 ct ($.99 ecb) - $0.99
Caliber/It's Academic 5" Scissors ($2.99 ecb) - $2.99
2-pocket Portfolio ($.49 ecb) $1.19 w/o card - $0.49
- Use $6.89 ECB
Get 7.44 ECB back

Total OOP = $0.55

Trans #2
Blink Tears 0.5 oz or Gel Tears 0.34 oz ($7.99 ecb) - $7.99
Caliber/CVS 1 subject Notebk 70-80 sheets ($.99 ecb) - $0.99
-Use $1.50 off Blink Tears/Gel
-Use $7.44 ECB

Get 8.98 ECB back
Total OOP = $0.04

Trans #3
Electrasol 2/$9 (Buy $20 / Get $10 ecb) - $4.50
Electrasol 2/$9 (Buy $20 / Get $10) - $4.50
Electrasol 2/$9 (Buy $20 / Get $10) - $4.50
Electrasol 2/$9 (Buy $20 / Get $10) - $4.50
Airwick Scented Oil Refill 2/$6 (Buy $20 / Get $10) - $3.00
- Use (4) $2.50 off Electrasol
- Use $1.00 off Airwick Refill
- Use $8.98 ECB

Get $10 ECB
Total OOP = $1.02

Trans #4
Benadryl-D (Spend $10 / Get $5) - $4.50
Benadryl-D (Spend $10 / Get $5) - $4.50
Listerine (Spend $10 / Get $5) - $3.00
Caliber/CVS Notebook 70-80 sheets ($.99 ecb) - $0.99
-Use $0.50 off Listerine
-Use (2) $1.00 Benadryl
-Use $10.00 ECB

Get $5.99 ECB
Total OOP = $0.49

Trans #5
Softsoap Nutriserum ($4 ecb) - $4.99
Caliber/It's Academic 5" Scissors ($2.99 ecb) - $2.99
FILLER? (Possible other ECB item?)
-Use $2.00 off Softsoap or Irish Spring Bodywash
-Use $5.99 ECB

Get $6.99 ECB
Total OOP = $0.49

FREE Wisk Detergent!

2009-07-31T14:04:00.003-04:00

There's talk of a FREE bottle of Wisk being sent to your doorstep when you comment on THIS post here...

(Follow the link to comment on THAT post; be sure to leave all your contact info so they can get in touch with you to send it out).

Thanks to Deal Seeking Mom and Thrifty Mama who both had this posted!

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Kroger's P&G Promotion this week... Spent $17.71, saved 70%

2009-07-30T18:26:00.000-04:00

If you haven't gotten to Kroger yet, get over there TODAY to take advantage of their 1-Day ONLY Kellogg's and Sunshine 50% off sale. Most all Kellogg's cereals, bars, and Sunshine crackers are 50% today only. This includes my husband's beloved Cheezits, although I only snagged one box b/c I wanted to be sure the coupon I had would work.

Also, the P&G promo is not as much of a pain as I thought. There is no rule about buying other items to get the $4 off; it just pops off so long as it's a participating item. I got 8 P&G items and got $8 off. I also had no issue with my P&G e-saver coupons except for one: I used a paper coupon for Buy 1 Herbal Essence product, Get a Styler FREE, and I was expecting to also get $1 off the 1st product (not the FREE Styler). But nothing.

There were a couple of items that were going to be free after coupon (non-P&G) that were cleared out, but no biggie. Overall, here's the highlights and how I did:

*Oil of Olay Body Wash - I found a smaller bottle that was tagged with the sale for only $2.99. With the $2 coupon this was only $.99!

*Manager's Special Meats - They must have JUST filled the bin b/c it was overfull. Lots of Bob Evan's sausage links/patties for $1.09-$1.19 WITH $.55 off peelies! Also snagged some Laura's Lean Beef and used a $1 printable toward that.

*Febreze Noticeables Refills - I had PLANNED to get one of these for the kit I got nearly free a few weeks ago as they were listed on Southern Savers at $2.75... but at my Kroger the only Febreze stuff tagged was the "Home Collection" which started at $6. No thanks! I'll wait.

Total before sale & coupons: $57.64
Total AFTER sale promos: $42.75
---------------------------------------------------------
AFTER Coupons............ $17.71 (Saved 70%)

* * * * *

UPDATE: DH was out of Pepsi (ACK! The HORROR!).... so we trekked RIGHT back to Kroger and got 2 more boxes of cheap Cheezits! PLUS... I had heard about some sort of coupon booklet out on the blogosphere for a $10 rebate on Kelloggs/Sunshine/Keebler/Eggo products and I found 'em! They're the "Fuel for School" booklets and mine were in a display near customer service.

Not only do you get $10 back when you buy (and save receipts for!) 10 participating items listed on the booklet, but it also comes with a ton of coupons! Now, most of these are not FANTASTIC... b/c they are the "Buy 2 of these, get $1 off this other thing" kind (which, to me, leads to unnecessary spending). Still, if you can plan your purchase/sales carefully, you can make them work, b/c you can STILL use other coupons of the items you HAVE to buy.

So, for example, I used the one for $2 off 2 bottles of Sprite Zero (2-liter) WYB 2 Boxes of Cheezits. The Sprite 2-liters were on sale 4/$5 so this made them $0.25 each!

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Shop for a Good Cause!

2009-07-28T12:40:00.003-04:00

Here's a great coupon to use this weekend at any GAP, Old Navy, or Banana Republic store:

Gap Give & Get - Save 30% and Donate to LLS! For 4 days, from Thursday, July 30th through Sunday, August 2nd, your Give & Get coupon will allow you to receive a 30% discount on in-store purchases at any Gap, Inc store with 5% of your purchase proceeds going to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

For more information visit: http://www.lls.org/gap.

Where: All Gap stores in the U.S and Canada, including Gap, Gap Outlet, Banana Republic, Banana Republic Factory Stores, and Old Navy

When: Thursday, July 30th - Sunday, August 2nd

Why: Using this coupon helps support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

How: Download this coupon to receive your 30% discount.

We have a coworker who is currently fighting a rare form of Leukemia, so I'm all for anything that trumpets that cause. Note that you cannot use it for the purchase of gift cards OR in conjunction with using a gift card (hubby has one from Christmas and I was all set to use that... but instead we'll try to keep it close to the amount of his card, pay cash and use the coupon... and then use the gift card on more stuff).

High dollar MILK coupons!

2009-07-28T09:58:00.004-04:00

Hurry over to Coupons.com for these b/c they WILL go fast! This is a great coupon (or set of 'em) for those of you who go through a lot of milk!

*Buy a gallon of WHITE milk, Get a FREE 1/2 gallon of Chocolate! (Up to $3.75)

*FREE gallon of WHITE milk with a $100 grocery purchase! (Up to $4.00)

They are NOT state or store specific! Hip2Save has posted them on her site (thanks!) and the comments helped me figure out how to get them... The quickest method seems to be to use zip code 63090; they should be on the 1st or 2nd page. You should get 2 prints out of them.

NOTE: There are a couple of zip codes for Utah and Idaho that are generating a $0.75 milk coupon and a $1.00 cheese coupon... these are NOT the ones you want (they ARE only good in those states).

To Kroger or Not to Kroger... Week of 7/26

2009-07-27T23:49:00.002-04:00

Jenny at Southern Savers has the full list of deals up for Kroger this week. I originally was planning to skip a week, then I decided I'd go after reading about the 50% off Cheezits and Kelloggs products AND the Buy 4/Get $ off P&G deals...

Now, after reading some of the comments I'm not sure I'll go again! Or at least, I'll only go on Thursday for cheap Cheezits (b/c we go through those about as fast as Pepsi). Not only do you have to buy $4 in NON-Proctor&Gamble products to get the discount, but there are also reports of the PG e-saver coupons not coming off of items. I'm not sure if this is the "deal" Kroger is advertising it to be.

If I DO decide to go, here's what's looking good:

Thursday July 30th Only

Kellogg’s Cereal and Bars, 50% off
-$1/2 Special K or Special K Bliss Bars RP 7/12
-.75/1 Special K Chocolatey Pretzel Bars printable
-$1 off Special K Blueberry printable
-$1/2 Nutri-grain Bars inside select boxes of Cereal
-$1 off Kellogg’s Cinnabon Bars printable
-$1 off Kellogg’s Cereal inside select boxes of cereal
-$1.50/2 Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats or Raisin Bran printable

Keebler or Sunshine Crackers & Cookies 50% off
-$1/2 Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies printable
-$1/2 Keebler or Sunshine 100 Calorie Right Bites printable
-.75/1 Sunshine Cheez-It’s Whole Grain printable

Eggo Waffles 50% off
-$1 off Eggo Bake Shop printable (limit reached)
-$1 off Eggo products “How do you Eggo” booklet
-$2 off Fresh Fruit wyb (2) Eggo products “Kellogg’s Fuel for School” booklet

10 for $10 (all $1 each, no matter how many you purchase)

Kroger Mini Peeled Carrots or Red Radishes, 16 oz
Kroger Frozen Vegetables, bagged 16 oz
Mangoes, each
Kroger Pasta Sauce, jarred
Barilla Pasta, entire line

Crest Toothpaste, 6.4 oz
-.75/1 off any Crest Toothpaste PG 7/05
-.50/1 off any Crest Toothpaste PG 6/07 (makes it FREE)

Chef Boyardee canned pasta
-$1 off Chef Boyardee printable (makes it FREE)
-$1/4 Chef Boyardee Cans Conagra home mailer

Listerine Pocket Packs, 24ct
-$1 off Listerine Pocket Packs SS 6/14, 4/26, 3/15
-.50/1 off Listerine Pocket Packs SS 6/14, 4/26
-$3/3 Listerine products SS 3/15
-$5/3 Listerine Products SS 3/15(all coupons make it FREE or with overage)

Mentos Gum
-$1 off Mentos Gum, (exp. 7/31) SS 5/03, 6/21 (makes it FREE)

Ivory Body Wash or Bar Soap 3ct

Right Guard Deodorant, 2.8-3 oz
-$1/2 Right Guard products SS 7/12 (makes it .50¢ ea)

Buy 4 Procter & Gamble participating items get $4 off the rest of your purchase(must have other items in your transaction than just the 4 P&G items)price shown is after $1 per item promotion discount

Cascade Dish Detergent 75oz or 20ct $2.99 ea
-$1 off Cascade PG 7/05-.50/1 Cascade PG e coupon
(use paper coupon with e coupon makes it $1.49)

Puffs Facial Tissue .69¢ ea
-.25/3 Puffs Single Packs PG e coupon (makes it .52¢ ea)

Febreze Home Collection
Refills $2.74
Candles $6.49
Starter Kits $10.24

Olay Soap 6pk or Body Wash or Lotion $4.49
-$1 off Olay Soap Pack PG 7/05, 6/07
-$2 off Olay Body Wash PG 7/05
-$1 off Olay Body Lotion PG 7/05
-.50/1 Olay Bar Pack, Body Wash, or Lotion PG e coupon
(buy Body wash use $2 off and e coupon makes it $1.99)

Aussie Hair Care $1.99 ea
-$2/2 Aussie Products RP 7/26
-$2 off any Aussie Product PG e coupon
(buy 2, use paper coupon and e coupon makes both FREE)

Herbal Essences Hair Care $1.99 ea
-$1 off Herbal Essences Hair Care PG 7/05
-Free Styler wyb any Shampoo or Conditioner RP 7/26
-$1 off Herbal Essences PG e coupon
(buy styler and other item use both paper coupons and e coupon makes both FREE)

Gillette Fusion Razor $6.99
-$4 off Gillette Fusion PG 6/07
-$2 off any Gillette Fusion Razor $120 Savings Rebate Booklet
-$1 off Gillette Fusion PG e coupon

Gillette Venus Razor $7.69
-$2 off Venus Embrace PG 7/05, 6/07
-$3 off Venus Embrace or Breeze PG 6/28
-$2 off Venus Embrace PG e coupon

Santa Cruz Juices $1.25 ea
-.75/1 Santa Cruz Juice printable

Bic Crystal Pens, 10ct .89¢ ea
-$1/2 Bic Stationary products printable

Close Out Deals
International Delight 32oz Irish or Cinnamon Creme $2.54
-$1 off International Delight printable
-$1/2 International Delight Quarts SS 6/21

Couponing Question: When to make a fuss or not

2009-07-26T23:17:00.002-04:00

It's only Sunday and there are already about 130+ comments on the CVS post on Southern Savers, SEVERAL of which deal with the Kashi promo that I had trouble with... based on what I'm reading, those TLC Honey Almond bars I got last night should have rung up as part of the deal. Hmmmph.

Here's the funny thing: on our way out for the day's adventures I got DH to stop at another CVS so I could run in to grab some drinks for us AND.... another box of Kashi cereal (since I knew that worked). THIS store in Maryville didn't have the ECB signs up on the Kashi products either. Is this a coupon conspiracy of some sort? It just seems weird that those tags wouldn't be up.

So, I now HAVE my ECBs b/c the cereal triggered them, but I'm debating taking those Honey Almond bars back to my usual CVS for a refund. It's not so much that it's a lot of extra money, but that a deal that should have worked did not.

I've had the same question when it comes to shopping at Walmart. Normally, I only go to Walmart if there's an especially long and appealing list of cheap/free stuff, and I normally NEVER go when it's super busy. But, on 2 consecutive shopping/couponing trips to Walmart I went when it was fairly busy (once on a Saturday afternoon -- yeah, never again!)... and on both of those I got over charged.

On the first trip the cashier rang up an extra Mac and Cheese and forgot to scan a coupon or 2. Okay. No big deal. On the second, the cashier double rang up a couple of items putting me $4 over where I should've been. For both of these, I didn't notice until I was already home and it would've been rather difficult to take those receipts back to the store to prove I didn't actually get those items.

So, I guess my question is: When you're saving sooo much on any one trip and others, at what point do you make a fuss over being incorrectly charged or a coupon not being rung up, etc? When is it worth it? Just curious.

CVS - Week of 7/26... No ECB sales tags finally burns me

2009-07-26T01:42:00.003-04:00

I didn't get a chance to post up the deals from CVS for the week but I can tell you that I followed Jenny's plan at Southern Savers again ALMOST to a tee. I actually just got back and I'm now convinced that midnight Saturday shopping is a MUST with these 3-day only school supply sales. Sheesh. I’m not sure if they had not stocked their shelves yet but already I got the last 2 eraser packs and index card cases. Still, I managed to get all the school supply deals which was great.

I did run into a few small issues... The Neutrogena stuff was listed somewhere as starting at $3.49 and Jenny's plan gives a $6 pricepoint. My CVS also only had $7.99 cosmetics as the cheapest Neutrogena item. No biggie, I got two lip glosses essentially free. I also had that $25 prescription transfer gift card so I put any transaction amount owed over $2 on that.

Also, I got there closer to 12:30ish this time and they were JUST starting to do the ECB tags but I still had to hunt for most everything using my list as I usually have to. I figured this method would burn me eventually (just a little) and it did.

Can’t complain; on my 2nd trans the cashier actually allowed me to end up with a NEGATIVE $0.04 balance…? And I paid for the 1st and 3rd transactions with my $25 prescrip transfer gift card (total spent abt $9). Read on... Here are my transactions:

Trans #1
(1) Colgate Total Advanced Toothpase ($2 ECB) - $2.88
(2) Caliber Composition Bks 100 shts ($.99 ECB) - $0.99
(2) Caliber/CVS Erasers 7-15 ct ($.99 ECB) - $0.99
(2) Neutrogena Cosmetic (3.49-14.99) BOGO - $7.99 ea
Use
-$4.00 ECB
-$1.00 of Colgate Total
-$3.00/1 Neutrogena Cosmetic
-$3.00/1 Neutrogena Cosmetic

Total OOP w/ tax: $5.21
Pay with Precription Transfer Gift Card!
Get 5.96 ECB back

Trans #2
(4) Bic Triumph Pens 2-4 pk BOGO - $3.99 ea
(2) Caliber Pencil Case or Index Card Case ($.99 ecb) - $0.99
(2) Pilot Easytouch Pens, 2 pk ($.99 ecb) - $0.99
(2) Tot Swingline Stapler or Caliber Sticky Notes 2 pk ($.99 ecb) - $0.99
Use
-$5.96 ECB
-(4) $2.00/1 Bic Triumph Pens

Total OOP w/ tax: $1.25
Get 5.94 ECB back

Ok, here's where I went wrong. On my last trans I did the Kashi deal and tampons. I got home and saw that I had snagged a box of GoLean cereal, TLC bars, and a box of honey almond bars that was right next to the TLC bars. But the Honey Almonds aren’t part of the deal! They rang up for $4.69. I was frankly pretty tired and just wanted to get in, get out so I didn't question it or check my ECBs at the register.

Trans #3
(1) Kashi GoLean Cereal 3/$10 (Get $5 ecb wyb $10) - $3.33
(1) Kashi TLC Bars 3/$10 (Get $5 ecb wyb $10) - $3.33
(1) Kashi Honey Almond Bars - $4.69
(1) CVS Tampons ($1.89 ecb) - $1.89

Use
-$5.94 ECB
-(3) $1.50 any Kashi product

Total OOP w/ tax: $3.87
Pay with Precription Transfer Gift Card!
Get $1.89 ECB

Obviously, I'll have to go back this week to get one more Kashi product that qualifies in order to get my $5 ecb. At least I have that gift card!

General Savings Tip: Bakery Outlets. Find them. Use them. Love them.

2009-07-24T00:17:00.003-04:00

There are a lot of items that new couponers often think they can't really get frequent deals on, like meats, veggies/fruits, and basic dairy like milk because there simply aren't a lot of coupons offered. One of the things I often could NOT find deals/coupons for was bread. ... Let me correct myself: I couldn't find a lot of deals for the name brand stuff I really liked and WANTED to buy. Only the generic store brand. Which was perfectly fine but... I don't know. Having grown up in an area that had umpteen Italian bakerys and delicatessens in walking distance, I'm kind of spoiled when it comes to bread and baked goods! I'm not TOO good for Kroger brand sliced bread but I know the difference between that and the fancier whole grain kind with fresh oats or pumpernickel seeds and a good crispy crust...

One thing you can do to save some money is hit up your local BAKERY OUTLET. We have about 3 of the Merita/Dolly Madison outlets in our area alone and last week I took my mom by one out of curousity. What a gold mine! Mind you, this will all be processed packaged breads/baked goods, but it's all going to be brands like Wonder, Hostess, Sara Lee, and affiliated.

The other thing is that it is an "outlet" and prices are lower for a reason; most all the product is nearing its sell-by date but it IS all still good for at least another couple weeks or so. But it's PERFECT if you need bread for a dinner, party, BBQ, or if you know you can get through a loaf in 1-2 weeks in your family. Often things like hotdog buns are cheaper than storebrand by half. I managed to get a bag of Merita Warming Rolls for $1.00 and a big loaf of Wonder Texas Toast for $1.19. These would have cost me $5 together easily at the store if not more.

Now, what about if you don't have a big family or event to buy for? What then? It's hardly worth it to spend even a $1 on bread that will be unuseable in a week or 2... Well, I used the warming rolls as a side item for dinner all week (they go great with homemade chicken soup, btw). For the Texas Toast, fortunately, most bread freezes quite well. I decided to make my own frozen Texas "Garlic" Toast: I melted a few tbsp of butter spread in a cup, and mixed in Garlic powder, a bit of salt, and chopped basil. Pour/spread over the individual slices, then wrap in freezer paper and stuff into freezer bags. All we'll have to do is toast them in oven for 4-5 min per side.

You could also buy the clearance stuff to make homemade breadcrumbs. My grandmother used to do that all the time... but, yeah, I'm partial to buying them in a can myself.

They also have pies, doughnuts, cakes, and even cereals at much reduced prices. One tip is to bring either cash or checks; I'm not sure if it's common practice at all of them but mine did not accept credit/debit cards.

CVS Prescription Transfer rewards and upcoming weeks...

2009-07-23T20:58:00.000-04:00

Okay, so maybe I'm behind the curve on this but I just got into following the site "i heart cvs", and WOW. I had no idea that they got the sales flyers complete with ECBs so far ahead of schedule! I was wondering how other blogs I followed were able to post up about getting your hands on coupons for one thing or another that was GOING to be on sale at CVS in a couple of weeks.... I guess I just figured they had a serious "in" with a store manager, LOL.

The reason that this discovery is so perfectly timed is because I took advantage of something that made up for the mild hassle of Ingles shopping; I transferred a prescription to my local CVS and got to take advantage of the $25 gift card reward! Shortly after I signed up for my CVS card AND registerred it online, I got a mailing with 2 coupons for $25 each, one for any prescription transferred. So I went over there the other day and moved one from Walgreens. It made more sense since I moved it to the 24 hr CVS I always shop at now, plus it's just around the corner from our house.

Supposedly many pharmacies do this sort of program and many will also honor competitors' offers and coupons for the same thing, although I've read varying reports on which stores will and won't. My CVS has a big sign up that says they will take competitors' offers, at least.

The great thing is that I can take this $25 card and use that to pay for my Out-of-Pocket charges for the next couple of weeks of rolling ECBs! There is a $2 minimum charge rule, so maybe I'll save it for when I really want a big ECB deal (one of those Buy $20, Get $10) or when I've got very few ECBs to start with. I'll be starting this week with $4 ECBs.

Waiting on the full matchups from Southern Savers for CVS but I know there will be another set of free school supplies to take advantage of... More stuff to donate to my girlfriend who teaches at a fairly low-income middle school. After THAT, the week of 8/2 is looking REALLY good, so says Jennifer at Coupon Mommie and a few others. The sales flyer states that there's going to be well over $100 in ECBs to be had that week, including the Electrasol/Lysol/Airwick deal, Blink Tear Gel (my contacts will be grateful), Cheezits, Pepsi, Head & Shoulders AND Pantene, and another deal including Johnson & Johnson products (Benadryl D is on that list and that's EXACTLY what my gift card may go toward... I hate fall allergies!).

I may seriously lose my little coupon mind. :-)

Ingles Triples: Spent $25.58, Saved 67%

2009-07-22T20:35:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm back from my first "triple coupon" event at Ingles and honestly? I'm not sure it's worth all that WORK. I spent a good HOUR in the store, maybe a bit more actually, checking and double-checking my math ...

I had a list all figured out beforehand where my total before coupons/tax was about $52. This would allow me to triple 15 coupons, most of the items being free or under 50 cents. I also had coupons that would not triple (over $0.50) for a lot of the other items to get me to that total but still keep my out of pocket cost under $20. There were several free or cheap items that were GONE, if you can believe it, and others that I just couldn't find. I did a quick tally and my total had gone down to $38. I didn't want to bother with a raincheck b/c I don't shop Ingles that often, so I did the best I could to fill in the blanks. (This is where having ALL your coupons with you is a lifesaver!)

Total BEFORE Coupons/Sale: $77.12

AFTER Coupons: $25.58

The other thing is that it DOES take a loooooooong time to check out. I'm not sure that the cashiers don't have to manually double AND triple all the coupons, b/c it just took forever. My cashiers were pretty young but patient and polite. I will note that I WAS able to triple coupons that said "Do not double or triple" on top and I DID get overages on my triples. Still.... I think I'll wait for Publix to come here before trying tripling again.

Here's what I got:
(2) CoffeeMate Single Serve Packets (BOGO coupon)
(2) French's Fried Onions (tripled both)
(1) Dunbars Roasted Red Peppers (tripled)
(1) Dukes Mayonnaise
(2) Betty Crocker Mini Warm Delights (tripled both)
(2) Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad (tripled both)
(1) Hormel Compleats
(1) Mahatma Brown Rice (tripled)
(1) Mahatma White Rice
(1) Weber Grilling Marinade (tripled)
(2) CoffeeMate Flavored Liquid Creamer (tripled both)
(1) Reddi Whip (triple)
(1) Skim Milk
(1) Glade Sense & Spray Starter kit
(1) Cascade Rinse Agent
(1) Glass Plus w/ Jet Dry (tripled)
(1) Suave Body Wash (tripled)
(1) Whiskas Temptations (tripled)
(1) Post Trail Mix Crunch (got to use the $2 coupon that expires today!)
(1) Country Style Pork Ribs
(2) Tyson Boneless Chicken Tenderloins
(1) Whole Catfish
(1) Potatos, 5 lbs

If you're going to try Ingles this week, make your list, take ALL your coupons and be prepared to make some back up purchases just in case.

Overall, it wasn't a bad trip but for time's sake, and I DID also manage to get a couple more meats in there by only going a few $ over my projected estimate. But... give me Kroger anyday.

More Info on Ingles for Triple Week

2009-07-21T10:19:00.003-04:00

I haven't had time to get to the store yet but I'm busy putting my list together and gathering tips/deals from various matchups. UPDATE: You can get lists of matchups HERE, HERE, and HERE (thanks CouponMommie, Southern Savers, and Saving Your Cents).

Also, here's an updated review of Ingles coupon policies with special regard to triples, AND a link to Gabrielle at Couponing in Critical Times who posted some tips for shopping Ingles this week and in general. In reviewing the blogs I learned a few new things, too (but then I didn't much bother with Ingles for coupons either). It ain't Kroger b/c of that 3 for every $10 spent rule, but it's workable.

Ingles will only TRIPLE coupons that are $0.50 or less (maximum savings of $1.50). This is the same cap as for doubling. Anything $0.51 or over will not triple OR double; during Triples week, doubling is essentially replaced by tripling. I also read on Saving Your Cents that some Ingles will not triple $0.50/2 coupons... This may be a case of how YMMV b/c I'm pretty sure I've never had problems with those coupons doubling in the past...
As with their regular doubling during the rest of the year, Ingles will only TRIPLE 3 coupons for every $10 spent (that's $10 BEFORE tax and BEFORE coupons are applied... So if you have 4 items that are $2.50 each before ANY coupons or tax, you could apply 3 "triple-able" $0.50 coupons toward that batch of items). When you have $20 in total items, you can triple 6 coupons, $30 lets you triple 9, and so on.
UNLIKE with Kroger, Ingles' published policy on triples is that you will only receive up TO the value of the item (i.e. Item "A" costs $1.25 and you have a $0.50 coupon... the coupon will triple & you'll get that item FREE, but the extra $0.25 generated by the triple just disappears into a black hole; it is not applied to the rest of your total purchase like at Kroger). Which means no "overage" savings. Now, Gabrielle over at Couponing in Critical Times reported that she DID get the overages on her triples this week... but I'm not going to bank on it. I'll just be pleasantly surprised that way. :-)
You CAN use coupons for your other items, so long as they don't qualify for tripling. There is no limit that I'm aware of on non-triple coupons, so this is a good time to get out those $0.75 and $1.00 coupons!
In order to "work" around the 3 coupons/$10 rule you will need to put forth some effort and keep track of how much you're tallying up BEFORE coupons. Supposedly not all Ingles are strict about the 3/$10 rule... but better to err on the side of them holding to that rule. To keep myself from overspending at the store, I personally go through the ad and matchups before shopping and make a list in MS Excel. I highlight all the items that I'd like to buy that should be free or close to it with a triple coupon. I make a column for the pre-coupon price and I get it to "sum" up as I add items. Once I have my list, I try not to deviate unless I'm adding items that don't use a triple coupon.
Another trick to ensure you don't get caught by the 3/$10 rule is to plan to make some other non-coupon purchases like meats, fish, or produce. I like Ingles' seasoned fish section, and they also tend to have Pepsi fridge packs on a decent sale (which I never get coupons for despite being in the Xtras club... grr). I'll buy 4-5 of those at a time and that's $12 right there, allowing me another 3 tripled coupons.
When at the store... DO NOT use the self-check out lane! I never would just because the purpose of those lanes is for people to get in/out quickly, and I'd hate to tie up one cashier who's overseeing 4 "lanes" with my stack of coupons. But I didn't realize that Ingles has to manually triple coupons for this event; so if you don't go through a regular line, you don't get triple value.

Saving Your Cents has a really good "scenario" for how she's going to work Ingles this week to show how to combine triple coupons and buy enough "extra" to get your total purchase up BUT STILL spend as LITTLE out of pocket as possible. Be sure to check it out! If I have time I'll post up my plan later...

TRIPLE Coupons at Ingles!

2009-07-20T08:01:00.002-04:00

The local Ingles is having a TRIPLE coupon event this week! This is the first time any store around me has done a triple coupon week, so I'm pretty excited. Still..... It's Ingles. Ingles has a rule of not doubling more than 3 coupons for every $10 you spend and that same rule applies to tripling, I'm sure. Of course, that $10 is before any other coupons, so as long as you're careful, deals are doable.

Jennifer at Coupon Mommie has a selection of matchups already and I'm already copying a few down for my list! Go here to check them out. Also, Saving Your Cents should have a list of matchups coming as well but it probably won't be for another couple of days. I'm not sure if there will be a lot of unadvertised deals like Kroger normally has, but I'm hoping so. The ad in the paper looked good, but not fantastic.

Speaking of Kroger, they are continuing their MegaSale through this week so if there are any deals you didn't get in on, there's still time. I'll probably be focusing on Ingles this week myself. Now that I'm doing CVS on a regular basis I can only handle one other store at a time!

CVS - A few changes to the plan this week

2009-07-19T23:31:00.001-04:00

What's that thing they always say about the "best laid plans"? Well, they have a point. Things don't always go the way you'd like. We had some unexpected company on Saturday evening and by the time they left I was in no mood to drag myself to CVS. I wasn't feeling too hot today, so I finally got out to one before dinner this eve. I ended up hitting my 2 closest stores (one regular, one 24-hour) and the first one was out of the binders, pencils, and memo books. So I did this:

Trans #1
(2) Caliber/CVS Filler Paper 150 sheets ($2 ECB) - $2.00
(2) Papermate 1.2 Pens 10 ct ($.99 ECB) - $0.99
Filler Item: Thyme Leaves (Clearance) - $0.50

Use $6 ECB

Total OOP w/ Tax: $0.52

Get 5.98 ECB back

I debated doing the Bandaids/Neosporin/Johnson&Johnson deal next, but the only thing I could find that was $2.99 (where their prices started) was the J&J cloth first aid tape. I put 4 of the cloth tapes in my basket... then took them out. We just DON'T use that much medical tape (thank goodness)! The bandaids and Neosporin were all in the $3.29-$5.00+ range and I couldn't come up with a scenario I liked. And I wanted to still try to score the free school supplies. So I headed to my 2nd CVS; they had the binders! But no pencils or memo books. Like I said, I was still feeling cruddy and just wanted to get home to make dinner so with the binders in hand, I did these...

Trans #2
(2) 1" Vinyl Binder ($3 ECB) - $3.00

Use $5.98 ECB

Total OOP w/ tax: $0.58

Get $6 ECB (still have another $2 from last week for a total of $8 ECB)

Trans #3 (I decided to get some things we WOULD use)
(1) Neosporin w/ Pain Relief - $5.69
(1) Bandaids w/ Antibiotic (Mixed Size) - $4.49

Use
-$0.50 off any Bandaids
-$1.00 off any Neosporin printable
-$8 ECB

Total OOP w/ tax: $1.44

Get $5 ECB

Trans #4
(2) Speed Stick Pro 2.7 oz Deodorant ($2 ECB ea) - $2.99
(1) Filler: Swanson Chicken Broth - $1.49 (b/c I was making soup that night)
(1) Cheezits Travel Box - $1.00 (I could've found another 50-cent filler but hubby likes these and the box was a cute travel size)

Use
-(2) $1.50 off any Speed Stick printable
-$5 ECB

Total OOP w/ tax: $1.21

So, ALTOGETHER, with CVS "sale" savings, I got $40.87 in items for $3.75 out of my pocket. I also have $4 ECB from the Speed Sticks for the next week. I doubt I will go chase down the pencils and memo books at this point; I still have all the supplies from last week and it should make for a nice little "gift" bag of supplies for my teacher friend.

CVS - Week of 7/19... And the Newbie becomes a Teacher?

2009-07-18T18:44:00.004-04:00

I'll try to make this quick as I have a younger friend coming by who wishes to learn "The Way of the Coupon". I'm not sure if I'm fully experienced and equipped to teach her, but I'm planning to show her around a couple of websites, help her make a list and go take advantage of Kroger's Mega Sale tonight!

As for my own couponing adventures, it's looking like another great week at CVS for free school supplies! We can use 1-2 items around the house here, but otherwise I'll be donating it to a friend who teaches middle school. I'll be going off of Jenny's basic Grand Plan over at Southern Savers, with a few twists b/c she's starting the week with $5 ECB. I'm starting with $8 thanks to the Pepsis I sprung for last week for the spouse.

Trans #1
(1) Caliber/CVS Filler Paper 150 sheets ($2 ECB) - $2.00 ea
(2) 1" Vinyl Binder ($3 ECB / 3.49 w/o carD) - $3.00 ea
Use $8 ECB

Total OOP = $0.00
Get $8 ECB back

Trans #2
(1) Caliber/CVS Filler Paper 150 sheets ($2 ECB) - $2.00 ea
(2) Papermate 1.2 Pens 10 ct ($.99 ECB) - $0.99 ea
(2) Caliber/CVS Pencils #2, 24 ct ($1.99 ECB) - $1.99 ea
Filler item - $0.05 to $0.99
Use $8 ECB

Total OOP - $0.01-$1.00 (roughly)
Get $7.96 ECB back

Trans #3
(4) Neosporin/Bandaid/J&J Red Cross - $2.99 ea
Use
-$1.00 off Neosporin or $1.00 off Red Cross or $0.50 off Bandaid
-$7.96 ECB

Total OOP - $0.00 to ... ??? (Should be under $2.00)
Get $5 ECB

Trans #4
(2) Speed Stick Pro 2.7 oz Deodorant ($2 ECB) - $2.99 ea
(2) Caliber/CVS Memo Book 50-80 pg ($.99 ECB) - $0.99 ea
Filler item - $0.05 to $0.99
Use
-(2) $1.50 off Speed Stick IPs
-$5 ECB

Total OOP - Under $1.00???
Get back $6 ECB for next week

This should result in about $43 in items for under $5.00. I'll be going out at midnight to make sure I score the school supplies that seem to run out so fast, so wish me luck!

ALDIS deals and some FAST shipping!

2009-07-16T23:17:00.004-04:00

WOW. I am IMPRESSED. Just yesterday I posted about the great deals I scored at the Half Off Depot website for Knoxville, and it's funny because I was telling a coworker about them and she was all set to have me help her place an order for the hair salon certificate... then she decided not to. Why? Because she wanted to be able to use it for her daughter this weekend. I told her that shipping normally takes about a week and that's not bad considering it's only $1 and some change to ship.

Guess what was in my mailbox TODAY? Both of my certificates! I'm not going to count on this to happen again but kudos to Half Off Depot!

Anyway, I had the day "off" today so I decided to introduce my mom to the local ALDIS food market that opened up this past Spring. For those who aren't familiar, ALDIS is a great little mini grocery warehouse. A lot of their products are one-off brands that are very similar to (if not actually made by) name brands, but they do NOT sell rejects or outdated items. Still ALDIS comes with a few quirks:

They don't accept coupons. Their website basically states that they keep their overhead and prices low enough that they don't have to. Part of that low overhead includes a "stack shelving" system using just the grocery flats, bringing your own bags and doing your own bagging, and paying a 25-cent deposit to "unlock" your cart (which you get back upon return... less employees to run around after them).

They take only cash, debit cards, or food stamps.

Their produce has gotten mixed reviews from store to store, but I think that's because they lack the fancy cooling/misting shelving of bigger stores. Still, if you can find out when their deliveries are and shop the next day, their prices are better than grocery stores.

They offer a double your money back guarantee for all of their products. If you don't like it, they will give you your money back PLUS a new item. I've had a couple of things I wasn't CRAZY about, but not enough of a difference to ask for a refund. Overall, their off brands are quite good.

Because of all this you'll find that most ALDIS items are at least $1 off grocery stores if not more. Before I started couponing I thought they were HEAVEN, which is why I took my mom shopping there. I personally find that the best deals are on things like their meats and produce on a regular basis. Otherwise, I can usually get most other things for even cheaper or free on a good sale with the right coupon... but if I needed it NOW without a coupon, ALDIS is where I'd head.

While following Mom around I jotted down a few things that were looking good and tempting:

Cattleman Bacon-Wrapped Beef Filets, $1.99 ea.

Roseland Asstd Pork Chops, $1.99/lb

Tyson Chicken Drumsticks, $1.29/lb

Grainger Ground Beef, $1.69/lb

Cornish Game Hens, $2.29 ea.

Sea Queen Fish Filets, Crunchy, $2.99

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers, $2.49

Mangoes, $0.69 ea (Mangos are $1.00 at Kroger this week on sale for reference)

Pineapplea, $1.99 ea (I've seen these on sale here for $.99 but this is a good deal compared to Kroger)

Half-Off Depot of Knoxville = Cheap Haircut & Salsaritas!

2009-07-15T11:25:00.006-04:00

While scanning a couple of local blogs I follow, I caught this post by KnoxMamaBelle about a Salsarita's certificate available on Half Off Depot. When I went to check it out (b/c we have a new location near us now) I ALSO found a certificate for my favorite hair salon. Score! I was able to get a $20 certificate to Salsarita's for $10, and a $50 certificate to my salon for $25! (Figure that's a dinner for us with a litle extra and the cost of a haircut/blowout). With local shipping I only paid $36.39 for $70 in services.

(I know, anyone who is die-hard frugal will say I can get my hair cut for way less than even $25, but it's one of a few things I will NOT skimp on. My super fine hair can be tough to work with if it's going through a rough patch -- I get stressed and my hair will make a break for the shower drain within a day! Seriously... so, I'm pretty loyal to any stylist who can not only cut it right but doesn't wince or flinch at it. EVER...)

I originally found out about Half Off Depot while browsing Metropulse.com one day (our local entertainment paper). They seem to have started out in the Greater Atlanta area but have expanded to include several southeastern cities in TN, AL, MS and others.

All you have to do is plug in your zip code or search for your city and you'll get an instant list of participating vendors and available deals. The basics on Half-Off Depot:

Everything listed on the site for your city is 1/2 off the retail value; SO, if the certificate is worth $25, your COST will only be $12.50. Sometimes, they'll put certain items on SALE where you'll pay LESS than 50% of the value.
You will have to spend the ENTIRE certificate in one shot when you use it. I've never heard of a vendor issuing "change" for an unused portion of these certificates, so if you don't use it all, you lose it.
Each certificate DOES come with an expiration date. These vary but are usually good for at least a couple of months. Just make sure you note when that is.
You MIGHT get issued TWO $25 certificates to fulfill a $50 certificate order (or two $10 certificates for a $20 order, etc). If this is the case, it will normally state that you will be getting 2 smaller certificates in the "Restrictions" or "More info" tabs on the bottom of the item's page. This is important only because some vendors may only allow the use of ONE certificate per table or group (check by calling the vendor; I have had managers happily accept two per table b/c it was 2 separate checks) and this may affect how you intend to use the certificate.
Make SURE you read all the "Restrictions" and "Location Details/More Info" (tabs located at the bottom of that screen). Sometimes it's specified for select locations. Many restaurant certificates specify that you cannot use the certificate toward the purchase of alcohol or toward any tax/gratuity on the bill. This usually isn't a big problem for most people but it'll help you plan how to use it (if you're intending to take some friends out for dinner and buy several bottles of wine... the wine will be out of your pocket).

Don't let the restrictions and quirks scare you; these are really easy to use just like any other 1/2 off coupon and I've never personally run into trouble with them so long as I was in keeping with the rules. I'm looking forward to a cheaper haircut and Salsaritas in a week or so!

Kroger success! $133 in Groceries... for $37

2009-07-14T20:11:00.011-04:00

Okay, so while it may not be well-known except maybe to my patient spouse, one of my couponing frustrations as a newbie has been what I call "The 50% WALL." The 50% Wall exists primarily at Kroger and often Walmart. It it is not an issue if one intends to go in for a relatively SMALL run of items consisting mostly of snagging the stuff that is free or close to it. But go in to purchase a larger number? It's tough. For me it's tough because I'm usually adding meats or frozen dinner/lunch items to mix. And I'm just NOT the kind of couponer who feels the need to go buy TEN of anything. (I don't have that kind of stash anyway.)

But today, the wall came down. :-)

A big part of it was Kroger's Mega Buy 10 Get $5 Off Sale. But I also made sure to make a very specific list of the items I needed/wanted to buy and I stuck to it. Mostly. Well, until the 2nd store on the way home.

I bought 38 items at Kroger, 30 of which qualified for the Mega Sale. Here are the numbers:

BEFORE Sale/Coupons: $86.86
AFTER Kroger Sale: $67.28 (not bad, but not great!)
-------------------------------------

AFTER Sale and Coupons: $16.20

I saved 81%! I've normally only ever done that at CVS!

Okay, so after that I was riding a small high so I stopped by Food City. Usually? I don't really care for Food City for regular groceries. They're priced high to start with and they don't double coupons at all. But they had Cottonelle Toilet Tissue on sale for $5.99, we were low, and with my $1 coupon it made for a good price for 12 double rolls. I also had a $5 Giftcard to use up.

I do love Food City for their meats, especially the marinated stuff, and so of course I went straight to the Manager's Special section. Feeling like we deserved a treat, and since it's grilling season, I managed to score 5 nice NY Strip Steaks for only $15! They were originally $30! I also snagged some Tyson chicken strips for the spouse to snack on (coupon). And the TP. :-)

Adding those in to be fair....

BEFORE Sale/Coupons: $133.43

-------------------------------------
AFTER Sale and Coupons: $37.30 (keeping in mind $15 of that is STEAK.. yum)

Total Savings: 72 %

And here's what I got! I know, it's lame to be so proud of a decent haul, but I am!

Here's a list of what I snagged (some free treats/some staple items and supplies/other stuff I got for other people because it was $0.25 or less!):

(5) NY Strip Steaks

(2) Tyson Chicken Breast Tenders

(2) Sunny D Smoothie

(2) Temptations Cat Treats

(2) Zatarains Rice & Beans

(4) Healthy Choice Complete Entrees

(4) Kraft Mac & Cheese

(2) Fiber One Yogurt 4-packs

(2) Smart Balance Butter Spreads

(2) A-1 Steak Sauce

(1) Cheezits

(1) Quaker Quakes

(1) Chex Mix Snack Mix

(2) Chiquita Single-Serve Apple Bites w/ Caramel Dip

(2) Peaches

(1) Mango

(1) Duracell 4-pk AAA Batteries

(1) Rolaids Antacids

(1) Motrin Ibuprofen Caplets

(1) Colgate Max White Toothpaste

(2) Softsoap Hand Soap

(2) Playtex Hand-Saver Kitchen Gloves

(2) Speed Stick Deodorants

(1) Hartz Crunch 'n Clean Dog Biscuits

Kroger Mega-Sale starting this week 7/12

2009-07-13T13:04:00.003-04:00

WOW. It's a pretty good week at Kroger with their Buy 10 / Get $5 off mega-sale going on! Go see Jenny at Southern Savers for the FULL and complete listing of deals and sales; she got to go shopping on Sunday and managed to find an additional 20 unadvertised deals (some part of the Mega Sale, some just good deals).

Also, see Hip2Save’s post on some new high dollar IPs on Coupons.com! A couple of these will make for more FREE items. A few of the things I'll be buying will be just to get the freebie or overage and I'll then donate them. Here's what I'm looking to possibly pick up:

Buy 10 get $5 off - Buy 10 participating products get $5 off instantly - really .50¢ per item

Price listed is AFTER discount!

Cheez-It Crackers 7.5-10 oz $1.49 ea
Quaker Quakes .49 ea

Sunny D Drink 64 oz 79¢ ea
-.25/1 Sunny D Original Or SunnyD Smoothies Product SS 6/28, 6/14
-.25/1 Sunny D Smoothies July All You (makes it $.29 ea)
-.55/1 Sunny D product SS 5/31 (makes it .24¢ ea)

Smart Balance Spread or Butter Blend 12-16 oz $1.49 ea
-$1/2 Smart Balance Buttery Spreads RP 6/21
-$1/2 Smart Balance Buttery Spread printable
-$1/1 Smart Balance Spread (mfr peelie) (makes it $.49 ea)
Free Smart Balance Milk wyb Smart Balance Spread RP 6/28
Free Smart Balance Peanut Butter 16 oz wyb Smart Balance Spread RP 6/28

Simply Potatoes .99 ea

International Delight 32 oz $2.89
-$1 off International Delight printable
-$1/2 International Delights SS 6/21

FiberOne Yogurt 4 pk $1.99
-$1 off Fiber One Yogurt SS 7/12 or printable
-$1 off Fiber One Cellfire e coupon (use both together makes it FREE)

Kozy Shack Pudding $1.99 ea
-.35/1 off any Kozy Shack product SS 3/29
-.35/1 off Kozy Shack “Nothing Goes to Waist” booklet at Publix
-$1 off Kozy Shack SimplyWell SS 4/26

Healthy Choice or Marie Callender’s Entrees Frozen, 6-17 oz $1.67 ea
-$1/2 Healthy Choice Frozen Meals printable (makes it $1.17 ea)
-$1 off Marie Callender’s Pasta Al Dente Frozen Meal SS 5/17

Tyson Chicken 22-32 oz Bag Frozen $6.27 ea
-$1 off Tyson Bagged item June All You Mag. (makes it $5.27 ea)

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix or Kroger Cake Mix 18.25-20.5 oz 88¢ ea

A.1. Steak Sauce 10 oz $2.49 ea
-$2 off A.1. Sauce SS 6/14 (makes it .49¢ ea) (NOTE: This expires 7/14!!!)

Zatarain’s Rice 6-8 oz 99¢ ea
-.75/2 Zatarain’s Rice Mixes or Pasta Mixes RP 6/07 (makes it .61¢ ea)
-$1.25/3 Zatarain’s Rice Mixes or Pasta Mixes RP 6/07

Deer Park Water 3 Liters or SoBe Life Water 20 oz 49¢ ea
-$1/2 Deer Park Water 6 pk or larger in store dispenser
B1G1 Sobe Lifewater printable (FF) or printable(IE) (makes it .24¢ ea)

Chex Mix Snacks 7-8.75 oz $1.29 ea
-.50/1 Chex Mix printable or printable (makes it .29¢ ea)
-.50/2 Chex Mix Or Chex 100 Calorie Snack Mix SS 6/7
-$1/2 Chex Mix Or Chex 100 Calorie Snack Mix SS 6/7
-.50/1 Chex Mix ShortCuts eCoupon (use with .50/1 printable makes it FREE plus overage)

Wrigley’s, Eclipse or Extra Gum 3 ct Multipack $1.50 ea
B1G1 Eclipse Gum June All You

Temptations Cat Treats .99 ea
-.50/1 Temptations Treats RP 6/07 (makes it FREE)
-$1/2 Temptations Treats RP 6/07 or printable

Hartz Crunch & Clean Biscuits $1.99
-$2 off Crunch & Clean printable (makes it FREE)

Purina Dog Chow 3-5lb bag $3.49 ea
-$3.50 off any Purina Dog Food printable (makes it FREE)

Advil or Tylenol Pain Relief 20-24 ct $2.50 ea
-$2 off Advil PM RP 7/12
-$1 off Advil RP 6/21
-$2 off Tylenol PM Product SS 6/21
-$2 off Tylenol Arthritis RP 5/17, SS 6/21
-$1 off Tylenol RP 6/07 or printable

Irish Spring Soap or Speed Stick Deodorant 2.3-3.25 oz Deodorant, 3 bar Soap $1 ea
-.75/1 Speed Stick Mens 24/7 Cellfire e coupon
-$1.50 off any Speed Stick or Lady Speed Stick deodorant (see Hip2Save’s post on new IPs on Coupons.com!) (makes it FREE)

Rolaids 30ct $1 ea
-$1 off Rolaids RP 6/07 (makes it FREE)

Colgate Toothpaste 4-6 oz $2 ea
-.75/1 Colgate Total Advance Toothpaste Cellfire coupon
-$1 off Colgate Total, Sensitive, Max Fresh, Max White Or Kids Toothpaste SS 6/28
-.75/1 Colgate Total, Sensitive, Max Fresh, Max White Or Kids Toothpaste SS 6/28
-$1 off Colgate Max White Toothpaste printable

Duracell Batteries Sizes AA or AAA 4 ct, D2 or C2 2 ct, or 9V 1 ct $2.50 ea
-$1 off Duracell CopperTop 4 pk + AA or AAA or any size C, D or 9V RP 6/28
-.50/1 Duracell CopperTop 4pk + AA or AAA or any size C, D or 9V RP 6/28

SoftSoap Liquid Soap 7.5 oz $1.00 ea
-.40/1 Softsoap printable (makes it .20¢ ea)
-$1 off any Softsoap printable (see Hip2Save’s post on new IPs on Coupons.com!) (makes it FREE)

Dixie Paper Plates or Bowls $1.49 ea
-.50/1 Dixie Ultra RP 5/10
-$1/2 Dixie Ultra RP 5/10

Scotch-Brite Nail Saver sponge 1 ct $1 ea
-.75/2 Nail Saver sponges RP 6/07

Other Deals
Avocados or Mangoes $1 ea
Southern Grown Peaches 79¢ lb
Fresh Silverbrite Salmon Fillets $3.99 lb
Chiquita Pineapple and Apple Bites 2.2-2.8 oz pkg. $1 ea
-Free Chiquita Bites printable

Tyson Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.99 lb
-$1 off Tyson Fresh Chicken product SS 6/28

Aussie or Herbal Essence Hair Care 6-14 oz $2.99 ea
-$1 off Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner, Styler PG 7/05
-$1 off Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner, Styler PG e coupon
-$2 off Aussie Product PG e coupon (I'll have to use a couple of my current PG e coups to make room to load this one again)

Secret or Old Spice High Endurance Deodorant 2.25-3.25 oz $2.33 ea
-$1/2 Secret Anti-Perspirant or Deodorant PG 6/07
-$1 off Secret Clinical Strength PG 6/07
-$1 off Secret PG 7/05
-$1 off Old Spice Antiperspirant/Deodorant PG 6/07
-$1/2 Old Spice Deodorants PG e coupon(buy 2 old Spice, use e coupon and 2 paper coupons makes it .83¢ ea)

CVS Success! With a tweak here & there...

2009-07-12T12:34:00.004-04:00

YES! Just got back from my 2nd CVS trip having completed all of my deals for the week. There were a few changes and last minute purchases, but overall I think I did pretty great. I'm also really thrilled with myself for finally learning to do the multiple transaction thing. Both the cashier at midnight last night and this morning were perfectly pleasant and fine with it (yeah, I did go back TWICE, but that's partially because I was waiting on our Sunday paper to get a coupon I needed to finish off the round).

Random scary/funny story: I asked the midnight cashier about the robbery they'd had several weeks back (someone walked up to the pharmacy demanding Oxycontin -- surprise, surprise) and if she was working. She said, no, she was off that night, but they had been robbed again just LAST night (Friday eve)! Here's the funny part: the thief only got away with $122 from the cashier, but he didn't even get that far with that amount. He went out the back door by the Pharmacy... right into a couple of squad cars who were passing through! I was just glad to hear everyone was unharmed and that it got resolved quickly. It really makes you want to be extra nice to the people who work the counters after midnight; they take on more risk than just a messed up sleep schedule.

Anyway, onto my deals... The midnight trip was to round up the school supplies in the first 3 transactions I posted below. I had a feeling these would go fast and I was right; by this morning most of them were GONE. One thing that may be working in my favor is that my 24 hr CVS does not put up the sale tags until early early Sunday morning. I managed to make some good guesses and get all the right items, but from now on I think I'll take printed pics from the ad scan with me just in case. NOTE: These are all after tax

Trans #1
(2) CVS 1 Subject Notebook - $.99 ea (earn $1.98 total ECB)
(3) Papermate Grip Pens - $.99 ea (earn $2.98 total ECB)
(1) Portfolio 2 Pocket Folder - $.05 ea (filler item just to be safe)
USE $5 ECB

Total OOP = $0.00

Trans #2
(1) CVS Scissors - $2.99 (earn $2.99 ECB)
(2) CVS Glue - $.99 ea (earn $1.98 total ECB)
(1) Portfolio 2 Pocket Folder - $.05 ea (filler item just to be safe)
USE $4.95 ECB

Total OOP = $0.07

Trans #3
(1) CVS Scissors - $2.99 (earn $2.99 ECB)
(2) CVS Ruler - $.99 ea (earn $1.98 total ECB)
(1) Portfolio 2 Pocket Folder - $.05 ea (filler item just to be safe)
USE $4.95 ECB

Total OOP = $0.05

HERE'S what I did Sunday morning... A few curveballs: I only had ONE of the $2 coupons left for the Tylenol Arthritis, so I printed off (2) of the $1/off any Tylenol. I did NOT see the $1/off Scott Towels or Tissue in todays inserts but I wasn't going to get upset over an extra $1. Also, my dear spouse indicated that he was out of Pepsi cans. (For those unaware this has the potential to lead to nuclear caffeine meltdowns of seismic proportions.)

I also decided to ditch the Photo Book deal b/c I didn't realize you had to bring IN photos to create it right there (I thought it was just a little scrapbook-y album type thing). A nice idea, but I didn't have time. So...

Trans #4
(1) Gillette Fusion Razor - $7.99 (earn $4 ECB)
(1) Tylenol Arthritis - $3.99 (earn $3 ECB)
USE $4/off Gillette Fusion
USE $2/off Tylenol Arthritis
USE $4.95 ECB

Total OOP with tax = $1.66

Trans #5
(1) Tylenol 8-hour - $3.99 (earn $3 ECB) (LAST one!!!)
(1) Tylenol Arthritis - $3.99 (earn $3 ECB)
(1) Scott Towels - $5.49
(4) Pepsi 12 Packs - 4/$12.00 (earn $2 ECB - How conveniant!)
USE $1/off Tylenol IP
USE $1/off Tylenol IP
Use $2/off Scott Mega Rolls 4-pack (ok, I had put this in my pile last night thinking that was the right coupon, then checked the post this am and realized it wasn't... but forgot to yank it; NOT something you should do but this was an honest "oops" and I'd have been fine if they hadn't taken it)
USE $7 ECB

Total OOP - $16.04 (kill me!)

TOTAL ECB for next week - $8.00

So, altogether, I got $57.49 of items for about $17.00. That's not too bad considering that I paid about what we normally do for the Pepsis, and they were the majority of that OOP cost. ORRRR... If you want to factor in the "CVS Sale Savings", I got $83.77 in products for $17.82! That's an average 79% savings. How are you doing this week?

CVS Deals - Week of 7/12

2009-07-11T12:15:00.006-04:00

If you haven't checked it out already, go visit Jenny here over at Southern Savers to see her deals for this week at CVS (aka "The Goldmine").

Once again it is looking like a GREAT week at CVS with tons of possible free or cheap stuff! I'm going to do my best to follow Jenny's "Grand Plan" at the bottom of the list to get about $54 in products for only $4 out of my pocket (plus tax). Just like her, I'm starting the week with $5 ECB, so even true newbies can get in on this one by shelling out an extra $5.

Trans #1
(2) CVS 1 Subject Notebook - $.99 ea (earn $1.98 total ECB)
(3) Papermate Grip Pens - $.99 ea (earn $2.98 total ECB)
(1) Portfolio 2 Pocket Folder - $.05 ea (filler item just to be safe)
USE $5 ECB

Total OOP = $0.00

Trans #2
(1) CVS Scissors - $2.99 (earn $2.99 ECB)
(2) CVS Glue - $.99 ea (earn $1.98 total ECB)
(1) Portfolio 2 Pocket Folder - $.05 ea (filler item just to be safe)
USE $4.95 ECB

Total OOP = $0.07

Trans #3
(1) CVS Scissors - $2.99 (earn $2.99 ECB)
(2) CVS Ruler - $.99 ea (earn $1.98 total ECB)
(1) Portfolio 2 Pocket Folder - $.05 ea (filler item just to be safe)
USE $4.95 ECB

Total OOP = $0.07

Trans #4
(1) Gillette Fusion Razor - $7.99 (earn $4 ECB)
(1) Tylenol Arthritis - $3.99 (earn $3 ECB)
USE $4/off Gillette Fusion
USE $2/off Tylenol Arthritis
USE $4.95 ECB

Total OOP = $1.03

Trans #5
(1) CVS Photo Book - $7.99 (earn $7.99 ECB)
USE $7 ECB

Total OOP = $.99

Trans #6
(2) Tylenol Arthritis - $3.99 ea (earn total $6 ECB for next week)
(1) Scott 12 Roll Bath Tissue - $6.99
USE (2) $2/Off Tylenol Arthritis
USE $1/off Scott Tissue
USE $7.99 ECB

Total OOP = $1.98

The only issue is that I may not have 3 of the $2 coupons for Tylenol and if so, I'll have to rearrange a bit there but I'll worry about it when I get through the first 3-4 transactions.

There are a LOT of school supplies that are only on sale Sunday through Tuesday and are FREE after ECBs. That tends to make them go fast so I'll be hitting my 24 hour CVS at midnight. One thing I think I WILL try tonight... multiple transactions at one store. I'm not sure if it'll work b/c the midnight clerk at my local 24 CVS is... well, he's not exactly personable. Let's just put it that way. Also, that CVS got robbed about 2 weeks ago around 4am on a Sunday so I'm thinking that the whole store is probably still on edge. Anyway, I usually just hit a round of CVS stores over 2-3 days, but I'm thinking it'll be easier if I can just separate them out at one. Wish me luck!

Reach out to manufacturers for coupons

2009-07-10T23:05:00.003-04:00

As a newbie, I know that it can be really frustrating to see the weekly lists of deals being posted and know that you don't have the newspaper insert coupons needed from weeks and weeks ago (meaning you can't get that deal). It's also even more frustrating if you don't or just aren't ready to subscribe to a huge metro-paper, and your local version either gets low-dollar coupons for items versus cities like Atlanta, Nashville, etc... or none at all (yep, still seething a bit over that Angel Soft coupon).

But you CAN get some pretty decent coupons that not everyone else will have... by reaching out to the manufacturers of your favorite brands and just... ASKING. Here a few reasons to try this if you haven't already, and to not give up if you HAVE but have not really gotten any results:

(1) You tend to get GOOD coupons for at least $.50 (doubles to a $1.00 usually!) off ANY one of that type of product. ANY kind, size, shape, etc. The coupons with few or NO restrictions are not always easy to come by!

(2) The coupons the manufacturer sends you directly are generally good until the end of the year, sometimes well into the NEXT.

All you need to do is make a list of the items you use frequently (or would like to use more if they were more affordable). Then, go to the website for the product (Google it if needed), search around for a "Contact Us" link, give your full name and correct mailing address in the form provided, and compose a short cheerful message in which you tell them that you LOVE using/eating/cleaning with their product, add a quick detail perhaps, and then mention that your region rarely gets coupons for their product. Or that you haven't seen any in awhile. Or ask if they EVER offer coupons (it's okay in my book to "play a little dumb" here). Thank them for their time, and hit SEND.

The responses you'll get will vary, and you really won't get any results for a week or two, sometimes more. You may just get an email thanking you for your comments and letting you know that they DO indeed provide coupons in local papers and to keep your eyes open. But usually you'll get a nice little envelope or postcard-style mailer that thanks you for you taking the time to write and encloses a couple of coupons for you to use.

SOMETIMES... the person at the office who sends these things off will have been having a really good day when they stuffed your envelope, because you can get HANDFULS of coupons that fit all of the numbered descriptions above. Woo-HOO!

In my short time couponing I've gotten:

(1) coupon from Heinz for $.50 off any Heinz product
(1) coupon from PastaRoni (and affiliated) for $1.00 off any PastaRoni or affiliate owned product (there were at least 6 completely different grocery item logos on the coupon)
(2) coupons from Mahatma Rice for $.50 off any rice
(4) coupons from Lea & Perrins for $.50 off any L&P product
(4) coupons from Purina for $3.00 off any Purina Cat food (Danion, Zander, and Shin-shin all say thank you!)
(8) coupons from Tyson for $.50 off ANY Tyson product (this has worked on FRESH meat with no problem!) Tyson, you win the prize in my book!

So, take a look through your pantry, see what you use, and then hit your keyboard running! If you go into it expecting the usual form email reply, you'll be pleasantly surprised!

FREE Arby's Bacon Cheddar Roastburger

2009-07-09T14:57:00.005-04:00

One of the things that I'd been doing waaay before couponing was cashing in on samples, free item certificates, and those wonderful Buy 1 Get 1 deals at restaurants. It's a carryover from my broker-than-broke college student days, but, really: who doesn't STILL like to get stuff for free?

If you haven't signed up for the Arby's Extras club, you need to. I signed up initially when they were advertising their "Free Wednesdays" summer campaign and was all set to go every Wednesday and neatly collect on my free tea, sandwich, shake, whatever. Then I found out that Knoxville, TN wasn't one of the participating markets... DRAT. I had sold my soul (or email address, whichever) to another onslaught of junk email. Fantastic.

But, wait... TODAY... FINALLY... I got a message about THIS:

Yup, it's an actual COUPON for a FREE Bacon Cheddar Roastburger with purchase of a regular drink... It expires this weekend so guess where I'm going for lunch tomorrow? :-) By the way, I did try one of these many many Wednesdays ago (when it was SUPPOSED to be free... and that's when the "We're sorry, Knoxville isn't doing that" bomb was dropped... Grrr), and they ARE as good as they look. Probably as bad for you, too, but hey, it's summer.

I can't promise you'll get it in time to use it but why not take a chance and sign up? Free stuff DOES happen!

All You Magazine

2009-07-09T14:40:00.003-04:00

After all the great deals at CVS this week -- and the lack thereof elsewhere -- I'm taking a week off from major shopping trips. I did however need to swing by my local Wally-World to pick up the July issue of All You magazine (and a refill for my Glade Sense & Spray gadget... NO coupon, yep, sorry). I found out about this sweet little publication about a month or so into my couponing venture and I am definitely addicted.

Here's the quick low-down on All You:

You can ONLY get it at Walmart (as far as I know... and I foolishly looked for it in tons of other stores b/c for awhile I had all but stopped going to Walmart).
It's about $2.24-$2.49 per issue off the rack but you get anywhere from $60-$100+ in coupons in EACH issue (this month's has about $69... in May I think there were $112!).
You CAN subscribe to it via delivery, usually for a much better deal than buying it off the rack like with every magazine; multiple sites have great discounts on it (I know, I am committing a carnal coupon sin here by still buying it off the rack... but, let me explain...)
The ONLY downside is that occasionally the store version will have extra insert booklets or a few more coupons than the subscription version. All You is supposedly working to change that, and when I confirm that they do it'll come to my mailbox.

All You ALSO tends to have a few select and really SWEET coupons that you won't necessarily find in your regular inserts. For example, my quick scan through this issue found a $.50 off 1 Viva Paper Towels (that'll be free on the right sale) and a Buy 2 Get 1 FREE on Lean Cuisine (... okay, I MAY have to go use that at Kroger this week while LC's are still $2 each; normally the best coupon you can get is $1 off 4 or 5).

FREE Ziploc Containers

2009-07-08T10:50:00.003-04:00

Yay for FREE stuff! Hurry up and go here to sign up for a free gift pack of Ziploc Pack-and-Go containers. Only the first 10,000 respondants will get one!

You will have to join Right @ Home to participate but you'll be eligible for other free promotions and coupons. See the terms below:

First 10,000 people to respond will receive a Ziploc® Pack-and-Go Gift Pack. For your chance to receive a gift pack, simply complete all required information on the form below by July 31, 11:59:59 p.m. Central Time (CT). Offer available to U.S. residents only. Gift packs available until July 31, 2009, or while supplies last. Only 10,000 gift packs available. Limit: one (1) gift pack per household/address. S.C. Johnson is not liable for any typographical errors in the offer or any illegible, lost, late, damaged, separated, misdirected, incomplete, stolen or nondelivered email or redemption requests. Gift packs will be mailed by September 15, 2009. Gift pack offers are available to Right@Home™ members only.

Now that I HAVE all this STUFF... Where do I put it?

2009-07-08T10:07:00.003-04:00

Most any couponing blog, site, queen, princess, or whatever will eventually tell you that in order to maximize your savings, you need to get friendly with the S-word: Stockpiling. It's a pretty simple and basic concept that we've known WORKS for decades and decades since now. Farmers and other families that grew/raised their own food would always put up the excess for winter to get them through the lean season. Hey, even the fabled ants worked all summer to get their winter stockpile ready (though I sometimes think they were just showing off to the grasshopper). But we're not really raised for a lifestyle of stocking up on things anymore, are we? Why would we be when Walmart is open 24/7 so we always have SOME way to get the things we need quickly and easily?

Ok, so maybe TODAY we don't need to stockpile to keep from starving in the winter! Still, TODAY having a stockpile of the things you use often means that (1) if you DO have a week or 3 where you can't get to the store you have plenty of supplies to get you by and (2) if you time your shopping purchases right, you'll rarely EVER be stuck in the situation of running out of something and having to run to the store and buy it at regular ($$$) retail price.

But that can lead to another problem. Suddenly, you find yourself surrounded with STUFF... and no place for it to go!

That's kind of where I am at the moment. In one of my initial posts about how I've had to tweak this couponing thing to work for MY lifestyle, I mentioned that I don't stockpile like the "grid" is about to go down next week. I just don't have the space for it. Limited cabinets, no pantry. I did get a set of plastic shelves and managed to cajole some of the spouse's "Man Zone" (garage) space away from him for them. And I filled them up. And I revelled in walking by my little stockpile every day. And life was good.

Then TN did what she does best every summer; she opened the door to 80% humidity and 90 degree temperatures and invited them RIGHT ON in! It hasn't gotten REALLY bad and actually since the humidity lifted last week, the garage has stayed nice and cool all day. But it got me thinking that I need to come up with a better solution. I don't want to open a bottle of BBQ sauce in 2 mos and be blown out of my garage! (We already had a gallon of milk that went toxic on us in 2 days b/c our fridge had broken down; no need to repeat that.) So far -- nada.

I made a comment about it on another one of the blogs I follow, All Things Frugal 4-U and Me, and she actually posted a bunch of ideas and photos of different systems for food storage! I've looked at a few of them and am currently waaay jealous of the pegboard "store" style system. The under-the-bed drawers and containers might work... except we already maxed out our storage in that arena. And we have a cat who likes to wriggle under there when he's not feeling so hot... and he occasionally leaves evidence of that (I'm thinking I don't want that near ANY food I store; I don't care how airtight it is!)...

One last CVS run, I swear!

2009-07-07T23:53:00.003-04:00

Well, I tried something a bit new for today: purchasing items TOWARD a CVS deal in one transaction and then purchasing the rest in a totally different one. (Don't ask why I had never done this before... I was somehow under the misguided assumption that I HAD to - or it was best to - buy everything for one deal in one shot).

Since I had to head to Maryville this evening straight from work for dinner plans, I had a little time to kill. I also wanted to snag a card for my wonderful spouse for our anniversary. Lo and behold as I was driving around the mall perimeter: CVS!

I went in hoping to luck out on the Trail Mix cereal deal (buy 3/$10, use 3 coupons for $2 each, use $4-5 ECB and come out FREE having made $5 ECB)... but again, nothing but a big hole in the shelf space. This is the 4th CVS I've visited in 3 days. I'm giving up the ghost on that one.

Then I remembered the receipt that had the 3 Febreze items I'd bought yesterday; I was beyond the $10 minimum needed to earn the $5 ECB for that deal. Before coupons and everything, I had actually purchased 3 items for $14.50. So, I only needed to spend another $5.50 to reach the next $10 increment! I didn't have any more coupons on those, but I had $5 ECB from my last transaction... Eh, what's the difference if I roll $5 to get another $5? So I did this:

Bought:
2 Febreze Air Effects, $3.00 each
1 very cute and not-traditional sappy anniversary card, $.99 (before you judge, it WAS just a REALLY perfect card!)
Used:
$5 ECB

Total OOP before tax: $1.99
Get Back: $5 ECB

So, I now have gotten $37.94 in products and spent only about $4.23. One thing I love about CVS deals is that I save probably the most I have EVER saved on any individual transaction. I know, I know, it's a lot easier when you're doing relatively small and simple transactions compared to the ladies who get out of a grocery store having saved over $100 and spent under $10. But still! It's exciting to look at my spreadsheet and see that my savings percentages for these 4 CVS trips ranged from 72% to 93%. If you haven't tried CVS yet, this is still a great week to get in on it!

CVS Deals - Week of 7/5

2009-07-07T10:03:00.004-04:00

The 4th was great but the really exciting thing this week is the HUGE amount of CVS deals and, more importantly, FREE stuff to be had with a small initial investment! If you're really new to CVS I highly suggest you check out Jenny's posts on how to get going over at Southern Savers. As she says in her how-to blog, CVS is a literal GOLD MINE... you just need to get in on a good week (which this is) so you can get started with a minimum OOP (out of pocket) cost and start rrrrrolling those ECBs (Extra Care Bucks).

Jenny has a fabulous grand plan for herself to get about $85 in products for only $1.50 (*bowing to her couponing greatness*) but she has also posted a good starter set of deals. I was only starting the week with $4.00 ECBs myself and didn't have the coupons for those glucose meters that seem to always be a moneymaker, so I chose to run the starter deals.

I did a midnight run on Saturday after a BBQ b/c I learned in just a few weeks that the REALLY good deals at CVS can run out of stock quick, especially when it's an item whose ECB pays for itself. I had planned to hit a few more on Sunday but we ended up heading to a movie with some Regal giftcards from Xmas. By the time we got out, all of the CVS's around were closing! I have to give credit to my very supportive & understanding spouse; he actually took a looong route home so we could try to hit any CVS that might be open.

Finally, I just had to rearrange my deals b/c I was NOT able to find the Trail Mix cereal anywhere, and it seemed like a couple of other deals were getting cleaned out quick (Febreze mostly). So here’s what I did between Sun/Mon (w/o sales tax):

Transaction 1
Buy:
($3) CVS Transparent Tape - $1.49 ea
Use:
-$4 ECB from last week

Total Due: $0.47
Get back $4.47 ECB ($1.49 for each Tape) / $2.00 ECB spring Savings (unexpected - yay!)

Transaction 2
Buy:
Febreze Noticeables Kit - $6.50
Febreze Fabric Refresher - $5.00
Febreze Air Effects - $3.00
Use:
-$4 Off Noticeables
-$.50 Off Fabric Refresher
-FREE Air Effects wyb Fabric Refresher
-$6.47 ECB

Total Due: $0.53
Get back $5 ECB ($5 ECB wyb $10 in Febreze)

Transaction 3
Buy:
Head & Shoulders - $4.99
Head & Shoulders - $4.99
Dawn Dish Soap - $1.00
Dawn Dish Soap - $1.00
Use:
-BOGO Head & Shoulders
-$.50 Off any Dawn
-$.25 Off any Dawn
-$5.00 ECB

Total Due: $1.24
Get back $5 ECB ($2 ECB for each H&S / $1 ECB wyb 2 Dawns)

Altogether I got $30 in products for $2.24 with $5 ECB for next week. It's not $85, nor is it the $60 I originally planned out but not too bad (though if I DO run across the Trail Mix cereal, I will do that deal with the Colgate as my last for the week... and that should bump my total back up to $60)! NOTE: Unfortunately, the CVS tape and Pencils/Sharpeners that were returning the full purchase price in ECBs were only Sunday/Monday deals. BUT, if you have the coupons for them, you can definitely get started using the Febreze scenario or the Head and Shoulders. Good luck!

Kroger (Sort of) Deals - Week of 7/5

2009-07-06T23:00:00.004-04:00

You'll hear me say this a lot but I LOVE Jenny at Southern Savers for her sense of coupon humor. Her matchups for Kroger were one of the first things that REALLY got me into couponing b/c it took all the confusion out of it for me; once I started stockpiling my coupons it was SO easy to just follow down her list and pull the coupons I'd clipped or print the ones I hadn't.

This week is really a very BLEH week at Kroger, especially following their Buy $10 / Get $3 Off sale from the last 2 weeks (though according to Jenny, many of their "sale" items really AREN'T). That's actually fine by me because I've been mostly chasing down CVS deals and I'm pretty stocked up from the last few weeks of shopping.

I buzzed by there late tonight b/c I needed bread and hair styling products and those were the only "deals" that really excited me. But, if I needed a few more grocery items I've highlighted some of the other stuff I'd go for, plus I've added a note or extra coupon that I'm aware of. See Jenny's site for the full list!

Sale Items

K Elbow Macaroni or Spaghetti, 16 oz, 88¢ ea
K Frozen Vegetables, 16 oz, 88¢ ea
K Deluxe Ice Cream, 16 oz, 88¢ ea
K Aluminum Foil 25 Sq Ft, 88¢ ea

Hormel Little Sizzlers, 12 oz 88¢ ea
Ready Pac Garden Salad or Fresh Express Shredded Lettuce $1.50 ea
Fresh Carrots, 1 lb Bag, 39¢ ea
Mini Peeled Carrots $1 ea
K White or Wheat Sandwich Bread $1 ea

Fresh Ground Beef $1.58 lb
Fresh Boneless Pork Loin $1.99 lb
Fresh Wild Caught Silverbrite Salmon Fillets $3.99 lb

Coupon Deals

Fresh Tyson Split Chicken Breast 99¢ lb
-$1 off Tyson Fresh Chicken product SS 6/28 (makes 1lb packages FREE)

Lean Cuisine or Stouffer’s Entrees $2 ea
-$1/4 Lean Cuisine SS 5/03
-B2G1 Lean Cuisine July All You Magazine
-$1/3 Lean Cuisine June All You Magazine
-$3/5 Lean Cuisine (this was in last week's local ad mailer that came with all the Papa Johns coupons; makes them $1.40 each!)

Dannon Actvia or Danactive 4pk $2 ea
-$1 off Activia or Danactive SS 5/10 (makes it $1 ea)

Santa Cruz Juice B1G1 at $2.99
-.75/1 off any Santa Cruz Juice “Go Organic” Booklet (makes it .74¢ ea)
-.75/1 off any Santa Cruz Juice PDF coupon (this was available via an internet link and could be saved to your PC; exp 12/31/09)

Aussie or Herbal Essences Hair Care $2.99 ea
-$1 off Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner, Styler PG 7/05
-$1 off Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner, Styler PG e coupon
-$2 off Aussie Product PG e coupon (makes Aussie or Herbal Essences .99¢ ea)
NOTE: Look for the cans of hairspray (or other) that have “Happy 30th Birthday” shrink wrap; these come with a little kangaroo toy AND a $1.00 off any Aussie Hair Care coupon inside.

Secret or Old Spice High Endurance Deodorant $2.33 ea
-$1/2 Secret Anti-Perspirant or Deodorant PG 6/07
-$1 off Secret Clinical Strength PG 6/07-$1 off Secret PG 7/05
-$1 off Old Spice Antiperspirant/Deodorant PG 6/07
-$1/2 Old Spice Deodorants PG e coupon (buy 2 old Spice, use e coupon and 2 paper coupons makes it .83¢ ea)

Puffs Facial Tissues 60 ct, $1 ea
-.25/3 Puffs Tissues Singles PG e coupon

Bounty Paper Towels Single Roll $1 ea
-.25/1 Bounty Napkins or paper Towels PG 7/05
-.25/1 Bounty PG e coupon(use together makes it .25¢ )

Denta-Stick Dog Bone $3.59 ea
-$2.50 off any Dentastick shortcuts e coupon
-$2.50 off any Dentastick printable (IE) or printable (FF)
-$1.50 off Dentastick RP 5/31 (use e coupon with paper coupon makes it FREE plus overage)

Want to learn how to do what I'm learning to do? Local Couponing Class!

2009-07-05T13:15:00.003-04:00

Head on over to the Coupon Mommie to get the full details of a couponing CLASS she'll be hosting at the library in Maryville, TN on Cusick Road this Thursday! Admission is completely FREE and you'll learn the ins and outs of how to get started on your way to saving over 50% on groceries and other household goods.

I have to say that Jennifer's site was the first LOCAL blog that I stumbled across as I was slowly learning the ropes of this "extreme" couponing thing and she has been so kind in answering my random emails/questions along the way. It's hard to explain but knowing that someone is having such success at couponing in my own backyard somehow makes it seem all the more possible for ME to become really good at it, too.

I'm hoping to be able to attend if grading and paperwork for the classes I teach as an adjunct don't eat me up this week, but even if I can't I hope others will take this opportunity to learn from a local!

Where to Get Your Coupons

2009-06-18T17:24:00.009-04:00

(NOTE: I'll be adding to this post as I discover more sources)

Okay, so you want to give this crazy couponing thing a try? The first thing you'll need to do is start accumulating a stockpile of coupons. Where to even BEGIN?

1. Your Local METRO Sunday Newspaper. This will probably be the easiest and most accessible way for you to start collecting coupons on a regular basis. Notice that I recommend getting your nearest METROPOLITAN newspaper; that means buy the "biggest" paper you can for your area. The sad truth is that the larger cities get the best coupon inserts and usually the most "regional" versions of coupons as well. So, where Atlanta's major paper will get a coupon for an item that's $2 off 1, we "small-townfolk" here in Knoxville will only get the $1 off version for that same item. Or no coupon at all (there's an Angel Soft coupon I'm STILL peeved about missing). It may not sound like a lot, but it can mean the difference between FREE or not free items.

You can go buy it every week. But once you really get into this, you'll find that that gets pricey. And if you're busy like me you may miss an opportunity to snag a paper.
You can have it delivered. This is the option I finally chose. Jennifer @ CouponMommie had actually posted about a great website for discounted newspapers right about when I was hunting for a deal on a new subscriber package, so it worked out PERFECTLY. I'm currently subscribed to the Knoxville News Sentinal's weekend package for $1.40/week (that alone is worth the $2 Sunday paper). After my 6 month term is up, it will increase to $2.80/week but that still saves me time and gas.

Each Sunday paper will contain anywhere from 1-5 coupon inserts, depending on the schedule, and will come from SmartSource, RedPlum, or P&G (Proctor and Gamble). On holiday weekends, there may be NO inserts. Go here to see the most current schedule of inserts (thanks Jenny @ SouthernSavers!); this can change according to what the companies feel like doing but it has seemed pretty accurate to me.

Many coupon queens out there recommend subscribing to 5-10 different newspapers to get the maximum amount of multiples. I'm personally not there yet, nor am I sure if I ever will be. Plus I just prefer more local options like...

2. Your friends, family, neighbors, and anyone else you're willing to grovel to for extra coupon inserts. Just kidding about the grovelling (well, depending on who you're asking)! But, seriously, consider that there are probably tons of people you know who get the paper and just toss it away, coupons and all. Go ahead and ask if they'll save the inserts for you. My mom is a pretty reliable source and she also does a bit of collecting on my behalf.

Remember, I said ASK. Do not just casually snag the paper out of your neighbor's driveway just because it's 1pm on Sunday and they haven't retrieved it yet. People (me) are entitled to sleep late one day on the weekends and that's the whole point of having the paper delivered: knowing it'll be there whenever you choose to get up and get it. :-)

3. Extra EXTRA inserts. I haven't tried any of these methods but I have HEARD of...

Checking your local breakfast haunts like McDonalds or coffee shops. They often keep a couple of complimentary papers on hand OR customers bring theirs to read, then leave it for others. (Okay, this I have done before, but mostly just by happy accident)
Striking up a deal with your local newspaper seller. If you've got a good relationship with the gas station on the corner, ask if you can have the coupon inserts from the papers they don't sell.
"Dumpster Diving" at the recycling center. I'm not too sure about this one, but if you have a local recycling center, you COULD see if they'd let you go through the bins of papers that get dropped off and snag coupon inserts. Honestly, this seems to be for the truly "committed"... and I mean that in every sense of the word!

4. Buying/Trading coupons. In the case that you know a REALLY good deal is coming up that you'd like to stock up on OR if you miss out on a coupon that your local paper didn't have, there are plenty of people happy to get you what you need.

The Coupon Clippers seems like a great website run by some great people that do ALL the work of clipping for you. You can search their extensive database by keyword or alphabetically, buy the coupons you want in the quantity you need and they'll send them to your doorstep, often that same week if you order by their indicated deadlines. They charge a very small administrative/handling fee for each coupon and there is a $3.00 minimum.
Coupons & Things by Dede is a site I've actually used and I was really happy with their service. They sell clipped coupons but also have WHOLE inserts for those back-weeks you want to purchase if you're just getting started, or if you need extras... or for when you're still buying the paper and miss a week (hence my deciding to just flipping subscribe already). Their handling fees for the whole inserts are VERY reasonable. I think I ordered 5 of them and paid $6 including postage.
ThriftyFun.com is a site I signed up for when I was in desperate need of coupons for food for a Petros-style buffet that I was helping to put together for a local benefit event. I didn't expect much from it but was surprised! It's basically a standard message board forum but they have a section where you can post requests for coupon trades. I'm guessing that the more flexible you can be in what you have to trade (or are looking for), the more luck you'll have. I ended up getting a reply in just 1 day from a nice woman who traded me coups for sour cream and salsa in exchange for Betty Crocker Box Top cutouts (which I don't use). We just swapped addresses and paid for a stamp apiece. Easy!

5. All You Magazine. This is a GREAT magazine available only at Walmart and containing upwards of $75 in coupons each month (sometimes less, but often MORE). The new issue is available at the beginning of the month, but if you're a subscriber you'll get it early as with other magazines. See my post here for details. You can also get a great subscription rate for TWO years through Jenny at Southern Savers HERE.

6. Local home mailers/Junk mail. This is a new discovery for me: don't just TOSS those packets of local restaurant and service ads that come every week or so! I used to throw them out before I even walked into the house (except the Papa Johns flyer on the front). Not anymore! They've been an increasingly good source of high-$ coupons for all kinds of items, from toothpaste to groceries. Sometimes there's 6, sometimes 1, or none, but keep your eyes peeled anyway.

7. The stuff you already buy! You probably know this already but save the coupons from the things you buy. Many products will have a coupon included in whatever "Tips" or "Recipe" booklet that's buried at the bottom of the box. Sometimes products will advertise a coupon or other type of rebate inside, others won't. Keep an eye out for those little surprises.

Other products will come with what are known as "Peelies" on the box. These are coupons that are meant to be used for that product right then and there, but you don't have to. I've bought groceries that came with a peelie but I had a better coupon in hand already; so I just "peeled" it off and pocketed it for next time. It's still good to use so long as it has a valid bar code and expiration date. NOTE: I do not recommend just grabbing peelies off of products if you don't intend to buy them. In my book that's "stealing" at worst, and just plain dishonest and shady at best.

8. INTERNET coupons. I didn't leave this for last because it's the least method... there are just SOOO many sources for IPs (Internet Printables)! A few of my favorites with the least amount of spammage/annoying flashing ads...

www.CoolSavings.com
www.SmartSource.com
www.RedPlum.com
www.Coupons.com
www.GrocerySmarts.com (thanks to the Krazy Coupon Lady for this one!)
Various individual manufacturers' websites

You'll find that the first 4 links will often have similar coupons available, which is actually great because you can then print multiple sets of your favorites. Oftentimes any given IP will limit you to a maximum of 2-3 prints from any one computer. This is to try to have SOME kind of reasonable limit on the amount of coupons that a manufacturer will have to reimburse the stores for. However, you can go to the various websites and print them like you're printing for the first time.

GrocerySmarts.com is a pretty NEAT website because it not only links you to coupon-collecting sites like the ones above, but it ALSO gathers all the web addresses of individual manufacturer sites. This can be time-consuming b/c you'll have to visit each product site, check for promotions, and often register to access the coupon(s). But it's worth it to get coupons that aren't always readily available!

NOTE: If you see coupons for items you regularly buy or MIGHT consider buying on the right sale, print them right away. Try not to wait until that week's sale ad is posted, b/c although sites like Southern Savers do their best to only post up-to-date and available coupon links... when EVERYone knows that item is a steal that week... EVERYone will try to print those coupons... when the print limit is reached (yep, there's also an overALL maximum limit) they're gone.

Stores & Policies

2009-06-18T17:24:00.008-04:00

These are the stores available to me; like I said in my original post, it's important to start off SLOW and EASY with just one or two stores. Find your ground, find the methods that work best for you, and then branch out to other stores.

KROGER
This is my main store of choice for all things coupon for a few reasons:

Kroger doubles all paper coupons up to $0.50 when you use your store card.
Kroger accepts/doubles printable Internet coupons the same as paper, though they do have a few rules on IP coupons and any store has the right to refuse an IP. Most all IP coupons are good to go so long as:

*The coupon is not for a free product or for more than 75% off the original cost. (Coupons from mailers or inserts are fine for this, however)
*The coupon scans properly at the register. If the registers do not register it, it is most likely not a valid coupon. (Fair)
*The coupon is not altered in any way. (You should never photocopy much less try to alter an IP; it’s wrong and it causes those individual stores to stop taking them, thus ruining it for everyone)

Kroger participates in all 3 e-coupon programs (Cellfire, Shortcuts, and P&G E-Saver) via their store loyalty card AND you can stack those with regular coupons. E-coupons do NOT double, however!
Kroger does not have any limits on # of coupons used in one transaction that I’m aware of. They will also usually double coupons on up to 3 like items (some stores may allow more; this is just the average and I generally don’t go beyond this myself).
Kroger often runs additional sales/deals such as their “Mix and Match” or “Buy Any 10, Get $5 Off” promotion. Combine with coupons and you can get a LOT of FREE groceries.

INGLES
I’ve only tried couponing at Ingles a couple of times because their policy is more complicated than Kroger and more varied in how it is enforced:

There’s no limit on TOTAL coupons allowed… but they will only double 3 coupons per $10 of purchase (pre-coupon price, thankfully).
On like items, their doubling limit is only 2.
They seem to have a similar policy on IP coupons as Kroger (they do take them and double them with the same exceptions as Kroger) but I’ve heard a lot more stories of individual stores nitpicking or flat out refusing IPs.
I’ve also heard and experienced a general distaste for coupons at Ingles; maybe it’s b/c of the weird policies but their cashiers visibly don’t seem to like getting them (whereas I’ve occasionally had a tired Kroger cashier, but still reasonably pleasant about it).
On a positive note they DO supposedly TRIPLE coupons more frequently than Kroger (but I think the rules get even MORE finicky). I’ve not experienced a triple special at EITHER yet, but there is the hope…

Still, I like Ingles as a store; my plan with them usually goes something like this:

(1) I always go with a mindset to also buy higher dollar items I need so I can be assured of doubling the max amount of coupons. They often have Pepsi 12-packs on sale 5/$12 (which we go through like water), plus I really like their pre-seasoned seafood.

(2) I take a detailed list of the sale items I intend to buy and the number of coupons I plan to use and I DON’T really deviate too much here (unless it’s a non-coupon item).

(3) Primarily, I go to Ingles to score FREE items, or use coupons that won’t double anyway.

WALMART
I’m really new at couponing at Walmart and it’s probably just because you have to hunt around a bit more for the deals. Walmart does issue a sales flyer each week but it’s only a handful of what’s on sale. This is one of those times where I am REALLY relying on all my other wonderful blog connections to help me find the best buys!

Also, Walmart rollbacks vary from store to store so any list of deals you get is really more of a guide. You should definitely have your coupon stash handy here to catch any deals specific to your location. Some quick bits about Walmart:

They have a pretty wide open coupon policy including manufacturer, “Free” or BOGO, and internet coupons. However, their staff’s knowledge seems to be pretty wide open as well! If in doubt, bring a copy of their policy with you.
No doubled coupons but Walmart will price match items at other stores within a reasonable distance including ALDI’s and other grocery chains. You’ll probably need to bring the sales flyer with you to verify. Also, the item must be the same as the one you’re trying to match at Walmart (i.e. if you’re buying Corn Chex cereal in the 24 oz size at Walmart, you can’t price-match it to a 15 oz size box or a different variety at Kroger).

CVS
I had held off from stepping into the CVS/Walgreens ring when I first started couponing because there was so much to learn. About 2-3 mos into it, however, I decided to give CVS a try because so many other coupon-bloggers seem to have great success and get most of their high-dollar freebies there (I also chose it because with the retirement of Walgreens’ Rebate program, the 2 seem to be on a level playing field now and the Extra Care Bucks program seemed easier to learn).

So far, so good! It has taken me a while to get into the swing of “rolling” my ECBs (where the previous week’s ECBs pay for all or most of the next week’s deals in order to reduce the out of pocket cost), but it’s doable with practice. At first I was making one purchase at the beginning of the week to get my ECBs, and then spending those immediately on whatever I needed that week and then having to start all over. This, I am told, is not how a true coupon-queen operates. Yes, I was being careful, using regular coupons and getting some good free stuff on those 2nd trips, but I’d be back to square one the next week. Here are some of the highlights of learning to work CVS:

Like with every store, you have to sign up for an ExtraCare card to participate. It’s better to get it in store so you can start using it immediately. NOTE: YESSSS... CVS prices are HIGH. Way higher than you would want to pay for most items. This is why it makes sense to maximize savings and try to spend as little out of pocket there as you can.
Every week CVS will advertise certain items on sale that give you Extra Care Bucks which are basically like free money you can spend the next time you shop there. When you buy a specific item at CVS that has the special ECB calculation tag, you will get whatever ECB is stated on the tag. Sometimes it’s a straightforward transaction: “Buy 1 Crest Toothpaste at $2.99, Get $2 ECB = $2.99.” Just grab that tube of Crest and go! Easy! Other times you have to spend a certain amount on select products to get the ECBs advertised: “Buy $20 in Aveeno products, Get $10 ECB.” In this case, be sure that the items you purchase EACH have a sale tag stating that they are part of that deal.
ECBs DO have some funky expiration dates that you need to be aware of; some may last a couple of weeks, others are good for a month. If you’re afraid of letting them expire (like I was) you can usually plan a second shopping trip that week. But don’t just spend them on random stuff like I did unless there’s really NOTHING else you can buy to get more ECBs to use the next week.
ECBs are printed on the regular register tape and are spit out on the bottom of your receipt. FYI: The ink on these fades really easily if mistreated; I’m also told they turn BLACK in the heat. CVS will not reinstate or replace your ECBs if you lose or damage them so put them in a safe place!
You can use regular coupons, printable coupons, CVS coupons ($5 off $20)and ECBs altogether in one transaction, however you must present them in a certain order to maximize your savings. Jenny at Southern Savers has a great post explaining all the details HERE. Since I haven’t been CVSing long, I’ve only used manufacturers coupons and ECBs. When I get those special $-off ones, I will give them a try!

FOOD CITY
Unfortunately, Food City bought out most of the Bi-Lo stores when Bi-Lo left the Knoxville area a couple of years ago. Sad. I liked Bi-Lo. I like Food City for their pre-marinated meats but I feel their prices are generally high for everything else. The main problem for me is that although their corporate policy is to accept legitimate manufacturer-issued IPs… the handful of Food City’s I’ve been to DON’T. Maybe I’m just getting the wrong cashiers all on the wrong days, but even managers have confirmed that those stores won’t accept them due to past issues of “legitimacy.” They do take regular coupons, Catalinas, and their own store-issued coupons… But they won’t stack Food City coupons with anything else. Overall… just not worth it.

PETSMART
Okay, I know – NOT a grocery store! But we have furballs and so this is a frequent stop for me! I haven’t been able to dig up a formal “coupon policy” for them so this is all based on experience with my store. Overall I have found Petsmart to be very accommodating and pleasant about coupons:

They DO accept IP coupons, no problem.
They accept regular manufacturer coupons.
They will gladly combine EITHER of those with their own store issued coupons (usually $ Off Purchase, i.e. $5 off $20).
I have EVEN had them accept coupons for items that weren’t scanned in! Short story: Had $1.50/off cat treats making them near free; put the big stuff up for scanning; gave them my PetPerks card and ALL coupons; was signing my receipt when I noticed the treats had fallen under the cart. The cashier didn’t even blink; she just showed me where the $1.50 had come off my main order anyway... and I paid for them separately.

BTW, I’m NOT telling you that so you’ll try to slip a bunch of coupons by the cashier for items you aren’t actually buying!!! Just to show how easygoing they are.

Frequently Asked Questions

2009-06-18T17:23:00.002-04:00

Why coupons?

I really don't know what started it. If I wanted to go allll the way back I guess can remember watching my grandmother and mom clip their way through the Sunday paper. Our family was always about saving where you could even if it was to spend it elsewhere. Recently, I'd tried all the ways I could think of to cut our grocery bills, the same as I’d tried to cut mine on my own, and kept feeling like I was missing something. I was going shopping with a set list, buying mostly generic and still coming home with bills way higher than I estimated. There had to be a better way.

One of the things I was already addicted to were restaurant & meal coupons; I'd carry tons of those for whenever we wanted to eat out and had no problem collecting them where I could find them and whipping them out when the check came. Why not do the same for groceries? Then one day I was searching around for tips on frugality and ran across a few sites that explained the concept of "Extreme Couponing". These ladies were saving 50% or MORE on their groceries... I wanted to learn to do that, too.

Why hadn't you ever tried this before on your own?

I had, actually. But I NOW know I was doing it all wrong.

First, I "cherry-picked" my coupons. I only cut out the very specific items I KNEW I would buy SOON, which made for very few coupons.

Second, I didn’t stockpile in the slightest, nor did I see the point. Part of it was a space issue; I lived in a tiny apartment, then moved into my husband’s after we got married (actually downsizing further if possible). But if I had a half bottle of pasta sauce in my fridge I wouldn’t replace it until it was empty and then I “had to” replace it ASAP with whatever was cheapest at the time.

Third, I wasn't bothering to MATCH coupons to the items on a really good sale. Oh, I'd take my entire little envelope to the store that week, but with no rhyme or reason; just magically expecting my pile of coupons to produce a cartful of cheap groceries like THAT. Of course, when I got there I'd compare brand-name item prices (with coupon) to the generic item prices and the generic would always be cheaper and that's what I'd continue to buy. What. Was. The. Point... I decided coupons were a scam to entice you to buy the more expensive item. Or they were for those who just couldn't “lower” themselves enough to buy generic.

It was a trap; I wasn't falling for it.

Fourth, the envelope method wasn’t working. I could never find coupons I “knew” I had, and I kept ending up with piles of expired ones. This added to my frustration, and I gave the whole thing up.

Isn’t all this time-consuming?

At first, YES, b/c I was utterly obsessed with learning as much as I could!

I still check my favorite blogs once a day or so to scan for new coupons/deals I wasn’t aware of, and I set aside a chunk of time each week to clip and file my binder. If I have a LOT of inserts or multiples it may take longer, and in those cases I’ll make my list of deals for the week and just cut those I plan to use right away. Through trial and error I’ve found the methods that work best for me and MY schedule.

Couponing this way is NOT for everyone, IMHO (although I believe ANYone can incorporate some part of it into their weekly routine to save a little extra money). If you have multiple jobs, kids, and other commitments your time is and should be your most valuable commodity; I would tell you to go enjoy a drink, a bath, a book, or a nap! I don’t have kids, but I do have 2 jobs, one of which includes a decent time-commitment at home (teaching). I have a household, pets, and a husband with whom I enjoy about a half dozen other active hobbies/pursuits.

But I also follow the blogs of moms with multiple kids who have found ways to make this work for them. Often it started out of necessity but then it became kind of… fun. And when THAT happens, the savings plus satisfaction make it all worth it.

One big tip is to get in on the blog scene and find the sites that do the legwork for you in matching sales circulars and coupons. All you have to do is cut/paste the lists, delete what you don’t want, pull the coupons from your stash, and hit the store with your own customized list of deals. I would be utterly LOST without sites like Southern Savers, Deal Seeking Mom, Coupon Mommie, and the many many others (bloggers AND the followers who share the deals they found) that take the time to list, match and verify deals.

This “Extreme” thing sounds like deal-chasing just for the sake of the hunt; aren’t you spending unnecessary money anyway?

For the most part, actually? … NO.

The joy of the hunt IS part of it for me, though. There is a weird high that comes with watching a register total drop 50% or more just from matching sales and coupons. I’ve already made a couple of cashier’s mouths drop as I handed over my store card and coupons saying, “And now for the magic part!” When I get reallllly good at this, it can be even better; lots of coupon queens are getting $100-$200 in groceries for well under $25! That’s near 90% in savings! (My best so far is usually about 75% and for small “runs” of very specific items that are free or super cheap; i.e. $30 in groceries for $7.)

And I AM buying foods/brands I never really bothered with before in quantities that I never did before… but I’m doing it because I’m getting them for FREE or waaay cheaper than generic. AND I’m still coming in under my overall target grocery budget.

Let’s start with the obvious: if an item ends up being a moneymaker (the coupons create an overage beyond the sale price – that’s right, you get PAID to put it in your cart), FREE, or just pennies once the coupons are factored in there’s almost no reason not to grab it. Even if it’s something you won’t use, you may know someone who could. Then there’s the charitable possibility; many shelters or churches can use the deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, and pantry items that end up being totally free after sales/coupons.

Then there’s the debate of buying brand names versus generic. Most of the time if you need any given item right that second you will probably do better buying generic brand, though sometimes you get lucky with an unadvertised sale (hence having your coupon binder or other stash). This was the case for me when I used to shop with coupons… without stockpiling them and waiting for sales. Brand name items ARE overpriced… that’s WHY they offer coupons for their products. I’m learning that the trick is to wait for a sale that coincides with that coupon, making it even cheaper.

Finally, there’s the issue of stockpiling. Most items go on sale in 6-8 week cycles. The other trick is to try to make your supplies last until the next cycle so that, in theory, you never have to pay close to full price for anything. Ever.

Of course, this is only feasible with frozen and dry goods, and you’ll need to know how long something will usually last in your house. There’s also the issue of space. At the moment I’ll confess that my cabinets are STUFFED. I only just sweet-talked my husband into giving up a small amount of space in the garage (a.k.a. “Man Zone”) to a set of plastic shelves into for stuff I buy that I don’t have room for in my cabinets. Forget about the freezer. I’m really not sure how I’m opening the door and not being buried in bags and boxes.

The nice thing is that this gives me several WEEKS off of buying a long list of items; I only have to concern myself with fresh groceries and other odds/ends. And, if something happens -- a cat eats a dryer sheet (vet = $$$); a car needs new tires; etc. -- I can also NOT buy groceries and we'd be more than fine. The first couple months or so of doing this, you will probably spend your usual grocery budget, but you’ll get so much more for it.

Things I Don’t Do:

* I don’t chase every single deal out there to make my total savings look better NOR do I buy things to “use up” coupons. Some weeks we need more fresh meat or produce; there are rarely coupons for that. Some coupons never really match to great enough sales for me. You let ‘em go (and if that makes you feel guilty, there are places you can send expired coupons for a good cause). If I manage to stock up on certain things I won’t chase those sales for weeks. As of writing this I’ve maxed us out on BBQ sauce thanks to some FREE or under 10-cent deals; I won’t buy more for a few months (unless country ribs also go on major sale!). Which brings me to…

* I don’t stockpile like we’re headed for Y3K just because something is a good deal; I DO stock up for our household’s needs/preferences (and for the space I have). I COULD get my hands on 10 coupons for Cheerios if it’s only $1.00. But do I want to be eating the same cereal for months on end, even alternating every week? No. A household with 3+ kiddos however might want to take advantage of that deal; they’ll go through it much faster.Take the BBQ sauce, for example. Last week it was on sale FREE with coupon. Weeks later, it’s again on sale. Could I find another 10 coupons and go buy 10 bottles? Yes. Am I going to? No. Six is more than enough to last us most of grilling season. And I’m not devoting a whole shelf of my makeshift “pantry” to BBQ sauce! Even with items that stay good for a year, you have to buy in quantities that work for you.

* I don’t go to shopping without my list and coupon binder if I can help it. Even if I’m just snagging 10 small items. You never know when a good unadvertised deal may pop up. I have been known to pull the wrong coupons or miss some completely. And just like when I was shopping SANS coupons, I made lists so I know roughly where I should end up budget-wise.

* I don’t forbid myself from buying stuff NOT on sale. You just can’t live that way. I try to plan ahead and buy stuff ON sale WITH a good coupon match BEFORE we absolutely have to have it. But this isn’t always realistic. Things get used up quicker than anticipated or you decide to make/do something on a spur of the moment. This IS a good example of why couponing still comes in handy, though: if you have a good stash of them you’re likely to have a few that will prevent paying full price for anything.

* I don’t get picky about brands. I have my favorites, but if I just wait for THOSE to be on sale, forget it. Besides, I’ve been sticking to generics for so long; it’s not like I’m going to have a hard time transitioning to tastier name brands! You have to be willing to be flexible. I don’t know about you but frankly when stuff is $.50 to free my flexibility level goes way up!

* I’m not forcing myself to try or master ALL the stores at once. The important thing when just getting started is to learn the lingo, learn the basics, and go one store at a time. Right now my store of all stores is Kroger; I’ve tested the waters with Ingles; and I've done Walmart a few times. I've JUST started with CVS but I don’t go Wagging (Walgreens) yet because I’m just not ready and what I’m currently doing is all I can fit into my schedule. But this is OKAY.

Welcome! About Me

2009-06-18T17:22:00.003-04:00

Let me start off by saying I AM NOT A GURU when it comes to couponing. Not by any means! What I am, however, is someone who has been a broke college student, a broke IN-DEBT college student, a heavily in-debt and modestly paid single young working professional, and now a married working professional (2 jobs!) who is very grateful for all I have… but still has a car to pay off, two mountains of student loans to tackle (mine and the spouse's). We also have 3 cats who insist on eating on a daily basis.

Let me be clear: we're not rich. We are definitely lucky because if the world came crashing down tomorrow, we'd be okay… if we could sell most of our belongings and/or vehicles pretty quickly (very unlikely in this economy). Mostly, we’re just like a lot of people in that we need to save wherever we can so that some small catastrophe DOESN'T send all the dominos falling. And sometimes it's nice to just be able to free up a little extra cash for something fun. Or something unexpectedly necessary. Or a future goal.

So if you’re fairly new at this like I am and learning the ropes, feel free to learn from my successes… and mistakes, of course!

-Julie