Monday, February 28, 2011
FREE
I blogged a few days ago about free business cards but didn't have time to check it out for myself. I've been checking out moneysavingmadness.com and passionforsavings.com almost reguarly and have seen some great deals, wish I had time to act on them all! But today I did see a free vistaprint business cards at vistaprint.com and decided to go for it seeming as though I just stocked up on some Longaberger supplies it was fresh on my mind. Most of you probably already know that I've been selling Longaberger products for almost a year now, and now I'll have some nice business cards! I had made some for myself a while back but they were bland and boring, and I had to print them myself which isn't always easy with the piece of junk HP printer I have! So for only $5.67 in shipping (that's slow 21 day shipping) I just scored 250 free business cards! Several designs to choose from and many other great products for your business. Check out vistaprint.com today! Business cards can be used for more than just a business, get creative!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Raincheck Please!
So there's a really good deal at this store....but you don't have time to get there right away....and when you do, the product is gone. :( Fear not my faithful coupon clippers and happy savers! Never ever underestimate the power of a RAINCHECK. Always ask for a Raincheck on the item you missed out on, the store will restock, and you will still get that item at that incredible deal. Be sure to get back to the store before any coupons you have that make for this incredible deal expire! Hooray for rainchecks! :)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
No Coupons Needed
The shaw's flyer came out today and there are a few good deals. Thomas plain bagels (regular size or minis) are buy one get one free. I can't say I love plain bagels, but with some flavored cream cheese I'm sure the girl will love 'em and the boy likes his food plain so we'll give them a try with him and I figure the minis would make great little pizzas some night so I plan to grab those and throw them in the freezer for later.
Arnold Bread is also buy one get one free, and I buy this brand often, throw a loaf in the freezer if you don't use bread as much as I do. Trust me folks, despite some hesitation from what seems like quite a few I've heard from regarding this issue, bread if perfectly fine after its been frozen, just don't leave it in your freezer a year and expect it to taste good!
I also saw on the front page a free bag of potatoes and onions when you buy any beef roast, okay so you have to use a coupon from the flyer for that one but the flyers are right inside the door at Shaw's so you can get this coupon right at the store, most cashiers also have a stockpile of them at the register to use these coupons for customers.
So there are some things for FREE this week, no coupons necessary.
Don't forget Shaw's doubles coupons up to 99cents! If you go to this website http://www.readyseteat.com/brand-coupon.do there is a printable coupon for Hunts pasta sauce 45cents off 1, so if you're going to Shaw's anyways to get the above deals get yourself a can of pasta sauce for next to nothing once Shaw's doubles this coupon! This blog is called the coupon crusader so did you think I really wasn't gonna throw in mention of a coupon?! :) Happy Saving!
Arnold Bread is also buy one get one free, and I buy this brand often, throw a loaf in the freezer if you don't use bread as much as I do. Trust me folks, despite some hesitation from what seems like quite a few I've heard from regarding this issue, bread if perfectly fine after its been frozen, just don't leave it in your freezer a year and expect it to taste good!
I also saw on the front page a free bag of potatoes and onions when you buy any beef roast, okay so you have to use a coupon from the flyer for that one but the flyers are right inside the door at Shaw's so you can get this coupon right at the store, most cashiers also have a stockpile of them at the register to use these coupons for customers.
So there are some things for FREE this week, no coupons necessary.
Don't forget Shaw's doubles coupons up to 99cents! If you go to this website http://www.readyseteat.com/brand-coupon.do there is a printable coupon for Hunts pasta sauce 45cents off 1, so if you're going to Shaw's anyways to get the above deals get yourself a can of pasta sauce for next to nothing once Shaw's doubles this coupon! This blog is called the coupon crusader so did you think I really wasn't gonna throw in mention of a coupon?! :) Happy Saving!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Free Valspar Paint
Quite some time ago I came across the valspar paint website at valspar.com when I had read about a free sample off a blog. I was hoping to get my hands on some black paint to repaint some barstools that currently have white accents, of which I want to make black. The paint free sample store opens at 10:00am central time daily, and the samples go quick. I can never seem to remember to get on the website when they open, sometimes its an hour later and all the samples are gone, better luck tomorrow. I was beginning to wonder if maybe they only gave out one sample a day and I was never going to get it, but then today, just moments ago at around 11:29 est I actually got a paint sample! I have no idea how big the sample is but apparently it includes a roller and tray so it must be of decent size. Also included is a $5 off a gallon of paint at Lowe's, so if you've got some painting to do, you've got some timing to get down and get your free sample of valspar paint today! Good Luck!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
deals deals deals
Limited Offer: 250 FREE Business Cards
Vistaprint is offering 250 FREE Business Cards for a very limited time now through 2/23! Just pay shipping!
If you are starting a new business, need emergency contact cards, or networking cards, these are great. They're even as versitile as place cards for a wedding!
I have ordered several sets of cards from Vistaprint and have never been able to find a better deal!
I got this info from moneysavingmadness.com please please check them out, I'd love to copy and paste every deal they show but I don't have the time, but I did think this was worth passing on to those who may be able to use it, maybe those friends with their own small business? Check out the rest of the deals at moneysavingmadness.com! Happy Saving!
Monday, February 21, 2011
FREE STUFF!
Okay, I confess and apologize. I should be telling you about good deals while they're still happening, not after the fact, but none the less I must share. I promise to at least attempt to tell you good deals before they're over, but let this be a lesson to you to read flyers that come with the Sunday paper. I know a lot of you probably don't get the Sunday paper, but I sure as hell bet you know someone who does, so ask them to save the flyers and coupons for you, and asking more than one person doesn't hurt, when you see a good deal you want to take advantage of it as much as you can, the more coupons, the more savings!
So onto the savings, or as we call it today: the FREE stuff!
I had read on one of the blogs I check, I think it was either passionforsavings.com or moneysavingmadness.com (as these are my two favs) on Saturday that there was an upcoming sale at Staples featuring products that end up being completely FREE after sale price and mail in rebate. (I also heard about another good non free deal I'll mention at the end of this post). So is it pathedic that Sunday morning I couldn't wait to get up and see the Staples flyer and the coupon book for the other good deal? Guess I'm really a true psycho saver now.
Now where was I going with this? Oh yeah, the FREE stuff. Staples had a sale that was Sunday and Monday only (again my apologies!) that included 4 items there were FREE after mail in rebate: 1 ream multipurpose paper, Avery address labels, Pentel pens, and staples post it notes. There were limits on rebates of 2 each on paper and labels and 1 each on the pens and the notes. I didn't hit this sale until 6:00pm tonight, thinking I was wasting my time as all the good stuff would be gone, BUT it wasn't! The only thing they were out of was the pens, which I debating getting since I really don't need any more damn pens in this house but decided why not...they're free, but not for me tonight. I did score the two reams of paper at $5.99 each two packages of address labels on sale for $9.99 each, and the post it notes for $4.00 ALL with mail in rebates for those amounts, meaning that I just paid $37.76 for items that I will get a check back for minus the $1.80 tax. SWEET. I love a deal but FREE is even better!
Now I mentioned last week about my stocking up on laundry detergent, maybe I should have waited a week! I got a hold of the CVS flyer on Saturday and it showed the Purex was on sale for $1.99 (as it was the week before at Walgreens when I purchased it at this price without a coupon as it was half price of what I usually pay at Wal-Mart). Now one thing I love about at least CVS and Rite Aid and I think Walgreens too, is their flyer will show a sale price, and then alert to you to the fact that there will be a coupon in the Sunday paper! So when I saw this Saturday I couldn't wait to get up on Sunday and see how much the Purex coupon was for! Its for $1 off one, meaning the detergent is 99cents. Great! Great seriously and Great sarcastically because I really don't need any more detergent right now! But I can't let this savings go, and I've been telling my friends about my deals and hearing how maybe they should take a learning lesson from me and save some deseperately needed money, so I decided I'm going to take a friend that I know uses Purex on a shopping trip this week, hand her my CVS card, and the at least 4 Purex coupons I have (with more likely to come as I still got some people out there I gotta get coupons from Sunday's paper from!), and let her feel how good it is to buy 4 bottles of detergent for the price of one. I think sharing a little happiness will feel just as good as saving!
So onto the savings, or as we call it today: the FREE stuff!
I had read on one of the blogs I check, I think it was either passionforsavings.com or moneysavingmadness.com (as these are my two favs) on Saturday that there was an upcoming sale at Staples featuring products that end up being completely FREE after sale price and mail in rebate. (I also heard about another good non free deal I'll mention at the end of this post). So is it pathedic that Sunday morning I couldn't wait to get up and see the Staples flyer and the coupon book for the other good deal? Guess I'm really a true psycho saver now.
Now where was I going with this? Oh yeah, the FREE stuff. Staples had a sale that was Sunday and Monday only (again my apologies!) that included 4 items there were FREE after mail in rebate: 1 ream multipurpose paper, Avery address labels, Pentel pens, and staples post it notes. There were limits on rebates of 2 each on paper and labels and 1 each on the pens and the notes. I didn't hit this sale until 6:00pm tonight, thinking I was wasting my time as all the good stuff would be gone, BUT it wasn't! The only thing they were out of was the pens, which I debating getting since I really don't need any more damn pens in this house but decided why not...they're free, but not for me tonight. I did score the two reams of paper at $5.99 each two packages of address labels on sale for $9.99 each, and the post it notes for $4.00 ALL with mail in rebates for those amounts, meaning that I just paid $37.76 for items that I will get a check back for minus the $1.80 tax. SWEET. I love a deal but FREE is even better!
Now I mentioned last week about my stocking up on laundry detergent, maybe I should have waited a week! I got a hold of the CVS flyer on Saturday and it showed the Purex was on sale for $1.99 (as it was the week before at Walgreens when I purchased it at this price without a coupon as it was half price of what I usually pay at Wal-Mart). Now one thing I love about at least CVS and Rite Aid and I think Walgreens too, is their flyer will show a sale price, and then alert to you to the fact that there will be a coupon in the Sunday paper! So when I saw this Saturday I couldn't wait to get up on Sunday and see how much the Purex coupon was for! Its for $1 off one, meaning the detergent is 99cents. Great! Great seriously and Great sarcastically because I really don't need any more detergent right now! But I can't let this savings go, and I've been telling my friends about my deals and hearing how maybe they should take a learning lesson from me and save some deseperately needed money, so I decided I'm going to take a friend that I know uses Purex on a shopping trip this week, hand her my CVS card, and the at least 4 Purex coupons I have (with more likely to come as I still got some people out there I gotta get coupons from Sunday's paper from!), and let her feel how good it is to buy 4 bottles of detergent for the price of one. I think sharing a little happiness will feel just as good as saving!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
OMG
Usher, apparently he IS the man, and we have been hearing and singing oh my gosh a LOT lately, and it seems like its always in my head, so last night as I'm driving home from my shopping trip even though there is a completely different song on the radio, what is in my head...yup, omg. Then I start thinking omg, I love to SAVE! (which results in a newly created song and a topic for another blog). Here I am at 11:00pm driving home from Wal-Mart (this isn't such a strange occurrence for me), completely exhausted from running from store to store yet I drive home with a big smile on my face, excited to get home, get out my calculator, see exactly what I saved (man I LOVE numbers), and pile it all up to look at! So onto the results....
I had read one on of the blogs I check (which I posted links to last entry) that Family Dollar had Gain dryer sheets for $3 each, and given that I had two $3 off 1 coupons for Gain dryer sheets (clipped for a recent Sunday's coupons), I decided to start there. Prices are different in different parts of the country and I'm not really sure where most of this blog people call home, so the Gain was not $3 at Family Dollar, it was $3.50, but it was still a great deal to pay $1.35 for two boxes of dryer sheets and save $6.
This was also after the cashier told me these coupons wouldn't work, then seemed surprised when the first one did, then told me the second one wouldn't work, to which I told her it should as it was $3 off 1 and I had two items and two coupons, so she tried it and shockers, it worked. I have found even before I started clipping this many coupons that clerks or those behind you in line, aren't always happy to see you whip out your giant stack of coupons, but I'm really not one to care what others think about it, I'm saving whether you like it or not! So don't let the cashier's attitude ruin your savings high! On another cashier note, cashiers may not always care if your coupon gets credited, if the machine beeps sometimes they just clear it and throw your coupon in the stack like it went through when it didn't, so watch closely!
Next I headed to CVS and there's a lesson to learn in this trip! CVS's flyer advertised Lady Speed Stick or (Mens) Speed Stick Deodorant for $2.99 (on sale from $3.89 ea) with $2 extracare bucks. (Extra care bucks are the same as Rite Aid's +up rewards, its a coupon for $ towards your next purchase which prints on the bottom of your receipt.) So with a $1 off 2 and a 50 cent off 1 coupon I purchase two deodorants thinking I'm going to get $4 in extracare rewards ($2 per deodorant), with coupons and end up paying 48cents for the two. BUT, the fine print of the offer is that there was a limit of only 1 $2 extra care rewards, so actually I ended up paying more like $2.48 for the two, but still a savings of $5.30.
FREE TOOTHPASTE!
Both CVS and Rite Aid this week are offering Colgate toothpaste on sale with a extracare or +up reward for the full amount of the toothpaste. I used two $1 off 1 coupons at CVS with my $2 extracare bucks, paying $3.96 and getting $7.58 in extracare bucks.
I took my $7.58 and put it towards NutraGrain bars which were on sale, fruit snacks there were on sale, which I had a 50 cents off 2 coupon, 2 20oz coke sodas where I had a manufact. coupon for $1 off 2 and a CVS coupon for buy one get one free, Dove soap which was on sale for 2 for $5 and I had two $1.25 off 1 coupons (deceitful: another note on cashiers, sometimes, well most of the time they don't really look at your coupons, and I have to admit I kinda half almost knew that the $1.25 Dove coupons I had were for a 6 bar or larger pack, not the 2 bar pack I purchased, but the cashier didn't catch it and they went through. Most of the time if you have a product with the brand name on it the coupon will go through, its up to the cashier to scrutinize your coupons, and most just don't), all totaled before sales and tax this would have come to $26.02 but after sales, coupons and my $7.98 in free extra care bucks I paid only $4.03 with tax.
Total CVS purchase (missing from photo: Sprite I drank, shopping makes you thirsty!) price for these items was $13.27, total saved: $30.73.
Next we head to Rite Aid where I got this for FREE:
On sale 2 for $4, had two $2 off 1 coupons clipped from Sunday paper results in FREE. But it does get better, I got $2 in +up points, so really Rite Aid paid me $2 to "buy" these! Thanks Rite Aid!
I also got some GE lightbulbs, $2.99 with a $2 +up reward and a 50 cent off Rite Aid coupon it was like getting them for only $.49, it could have been better, bloggers mentioned there was a 50 cent manufact. coupon a while back that I didn't have, or they could have been free, but I'll still take them for 49 cents!
And......another lesson is learned. Rite Aid had Axe bodyspray and deodorant on sale 2 for $9 with $3 +up rewards and I had a coupon for bogo. So I'm thinking I'm going to get both for $1.50 after taking the +up rewards into account, but it didn't work out this way and you have to pay attention to how 2 for deals ring up, in this case the first axe rang up at $5.99, the regular price, and the second one rang up at $2.99 to make the two combined the $9, so with my bogo I got the one that rang up as $2.99 free, so after the $3 +up rewards I ended up paying $3 for the both, double what I thought I would, but once again still a good deal. I took advantage of Motts Applesauce 2 for $5 sale without a coupon and got $2 +up rewards. I also bought the colgate toothpaste here at $3.50 each with a $1 off 2 coupon and $7 in +up rewards. I put rewards I hadn't used yet into my fourth purchase on this trip (if you really want to save yes folks you have to make more than one trip to the register or break up your order to use the +up rewards immediately, you could always save them for next time, but I'd probably forget I had them so I like to use them right away.) and purchased Gain that was on sale for $4.99 with $1 off coupon, not free but a great deal on Gain and well, I LOVE Gain, got two bottles. Got a pack of mentos for 35 cents after my 50 cent off coupon, and some cheap Finish dishwasher tabs and jet dry after taking advantage of a $1 off manuf coupon for each, a $1 off Rite Aid coupon and the sale of bogo. The two dishwasher items alone was a savings of $7.99.
Total Rite Aid trip retail $71.31, I paid $15.60, a savings of $55.71. For those of you who like percents: that's OVER 75% savings. cha-ching.
Walgreens had two killer deals this week on items that I use. I mentioned how I love Gain, but I also like to be cheap so lately I've been buying purex for $3.98 at wal-mart.
This week Purex was on sale at Walgreens for $1.99. Dial bar soap which I also use was bogo on 8 pack of bars. I purchased three Purex and two dial soaps and spend $12.56 and saved $17.99, without any coupons! So think clipping is too time consuming, you can still save just by taking a few minutes to read the flyer!
Onto Target, and let me mention how much I love Target deals! Although like Rite Aid and CVS where you can use their web coupon with a manufact's coupon, Target has WAY more coupons on their website and they're updated way more often. Some steals I got where a box of Kellogg's new nut crunch cereal for 50 cents as it was on sale for $2.50 and I had a target $1 off coupon and a manufact. $1 off coupon. Lipton Tea bags I snagged two boxes of flavored tea for $.81 each after a $1 off 2 Target coupon and a $1 off 2 manufact. coupon. I could have bought a 16 count box of regular Lipton tea bags for only 9 cents each, but I have plenty of those at home already. Wishbone salad dressing was on sale for $1.60 each, with target $1.50 off 2 and manufact. $1.25 off 2 I paid only 45 cents for two bottles, that's less than 23 cents for a bottle of salad dressing, and its actually a kind I like and buy all the time! I saved $1.25 each on kraft shredded cheese, making them half price, not as good of a deal as last Target trip but a savings worth taking advantage of seeming we can't seem to keep enough of this stuff on hand at my house.
I purchased two clorox products with a 75 cent off target coupon, a $1 off one clorox manufact coupon and a $1 off 2 clorox I snagged off a bottle on the shelf (I'm not sure if both of those should have actually gone through though), paying $1.88 for two products that retail for $4.63 together. I had two coupons for Suave products that I wasn't sure was gonna fly, but the cashier rang them right through, proving what I mentioned before that in most cases, if you have something the same brand as the coupon its up to the cashier to make sure its the product on the coupon, the register isn't likely to catch it, so even though I had a $1 off 2 target and a $1 off 2 manufact coupon for suave salon professionals haircare products (which I don't use) I actually purchased a suave detangling spray and kids shampoo, two products I do use, and still saved.
I also saved on nabisco crackers, kraft macaroni and cheese cups and vaseline lotion by combining manufact. coupons with target coupons and sometimes catching the item on sale too.
Total Target results: all the products above retail of $40.75, I paid $17.11 saving $23.64. I could have saved way more if I had caught a larger majority of the items on sale.
So if you've had your calculator at your side I purchased $186.80 worth of products, paying a total of $58.54, saving $128.26, not all that bad! That's not quite 70% savings. Somewhere along the way if you really do have your calculator at your side (I seriously doubt it but the accountant in me does have to mention it), you may come up with $128.07 in savings, somewhere I added tax on one and not the other, I don't really care where the 19 cents is at this point!
That's not to mention the savings at Shaws which doubles coupons up to 99 cents, their bogo on cantaloupe and 4 meats for $19.99 (I wasn't supposed to but wound up paying $19.99 for meat worth over $32 which is a heck of a deal considering meat is not something you usually see a coupon for!) Turns out you were supposed to only take packages with a certain sticker, of which there were about 3 in the meat case, long story short manager gave me the difference because she couldn't dispute what the flyer said which is what I was using to make my meat selections.
I finished up at wal-mart for some of the ususals and used some coupons there too, groceries at wal-mart are just cheaper, but their produce stinks. I have been keeping an eye on the grocery store flyers and making a note of whats on sale and that's what we have for fruits and veggies that week for the most part, and in the long run, it adds up.
So I didn't purchase over $180 worth of stuff for only a few bucks, but I am pretty satisfied with my results and know that my hard work has paid off and saved us some money this week on items that would buy whether they were on sale or not, and I'm not going to have to buy toothpaste, deodorant or laundry detergent for a long long time!
What do you think of that?
I had read one on of the blogs I check (which I posted links to last entry) that Family Dollar had Gain dryer sheets for $3 each, and given that I had two $3 off 1 coupons for Gain dryer sheets (clipped for a recent Sunday's coupons), I decided to start there. Prices are different in different parts of the country and I'm not really sure where most of this blog people call home, so the Gain was not $3 at Family Dollar, it was $3.50, but it was still a great deal to pay $1.35 for two boxes of dryer sheets and save $6.
Next I headed to CVS and there's a lesson to learn in this trip! CVS's flyer advertised Lady Speed Stick or (Mens) Speed Stick Deodorant for $2.99 (on sale from $3.89 ea) with $2 extracare bucks. (Extra care bucks are the same as Rite Aid's +up rewards, its a coupon for $ towards your next purchase which prints on the bottom of your receipt.) So with a $1 off 2 and a 50 cent off 1 coupon I purchase two deodorants thinking I'm going to get $4 in extracare rewards ($2 per deodorant), with coupons and end up paying 48cents for the two. BUT, the fine print of the offer is that there was a limit of only 1 $2 extra care rewards, so actually I ended up paying more like $2.48 for the two, but still a savings of $5.30.
FREE TOOTHPASTE!
I took my $7.58 and put it towards NutraGrain bars which were on sale, fruit snacks there were on sale, which I had a 50 cents off 2 coupon, 2 20oz coke sodas where I had a manufact. coupon for $1 off 2 and a CVS coupon for buy one get one free, Dove soap which was on sale for 2 for $5 and I had two $1.25 off 1 coupons (deceitful: another note on cashiers, sometimes, well most of the time they don't really look at your coupons, and I have to admit I kinda half almost knew that the $1.25 Dove coupons I had were for a 6 bar or larger pack, not the 2 bar pack I purchased, but the cashier didn't catch it and they went through. Most of the time if you have a product with the brand name on it the coupon will go through, its up to the cashier to scrutinize your coupons, and most just don't), all totaled before sales and tax this would have come to $26.02 but after sales, coupons and my $7.98 in free extra care bucks I paid only $4.03 with tax.
Next we head to Rite Aid where I got this for FREE:
I also got some GE lightbulbs, $2.99 with a $2 +up reward and a 50 cent off Rite Aid coupon it was like getting them for only $.49, it could have been better, bloggers mentioned there was a 50 cent manufact. coupon a while back that I didn't have, or they could have been free, but I'll still take them for 49 cents!
And......another lesson is learned. Rite Aid had Axe bodyspray and deodorant on sale 2 for $9 with $3 +up rewards and I had a coupon for bogo. So I'm thinking I'm going to get both for $1.50 after taking the +up rewards into account, but it didn't work out this way and you have to pay attention to how 2 for deals ring up, in this case the first axe rang up at $5.99, the regular price, and the second one rang up at $2.99 to make the two combined the $9, so with my bogo I got the one that rang up as $2.99 free, so after the $3 +up rewards I ended up paying $3 for the both, double what I thought I would, but once again still a good deal. I took advantage of Motts Applesauce 2 for $5 sale without a coupon and got $2 +up rewards. I also bought the colgate toothpaste here at $3.50 each with a $1 off 2 coupon and $7 in +up rewards. I put rewards I hadn't used yet into my fourth purchase on this trip (if you really want to save yes folks you have to make more than one trip to the register or break up your order to use the +up rewards immediately, you could always save them for next time, but I'd probably forget I had them so I like to use them right away.) and purchased Gain that was on sale for $4.99 with $1 off coupon, not free but a great deal on Gain and well, I LOVE Gain, got two bottles. Got a pack of mentos for 35 cents after my 50 cent off coupon, and some cheap Finish dishwasher tabs and jet dry after taking advantage of a $1 off manuf coupon for each, a $1 off Rite Aid coupon and the sale of bogo. The two dishwasher items alone was a savings of $7.99.
Walgreens had two killer deals this week on items that I use. I mentioned how I love Gain, but I also like to be cheap so lately I've been buying purex for $3.98 at wal-mart.
Onto Target, and let me mention how much I love Target deals! Although like Rite Aid and CVS where you can use their web coupon with a manufact's coupon, Target has WAY more coupons on their website and they're updated way more often. Some steals I got where a box of Kellogg's new nut crunch cereal for 50 cents as it was on sale for $2.50 and I had a target $1 off coupon and a manufact. $1 off coupon. Lipton Tea bags I snagged two boxes of flavored tea for $.81 each after a $1 off 2 Target coupon and a $1 off 2 manufact. coupon. I could have bought a 16 count box of regular Lipton tea bags for only 9 cents each, but I have plenty of those at home already. Wishbone salad dressing was on sale for $1.60 each, with target $1.50 off 2 and manufact. $1.25 off 2 I paid only 45 cents for two bottles, that's less than 23 cents for a bottle of salad dressing, and its actually a kind I like and buy all the time! I saved $1.25 each on kraft shredded cheese, making them half price, not as good of a deal as last Target trip but a savings worth taking advantage of seeming we can't seem to keep enough of this stuff on hand at my house.
I purchased two clorox products with a 75 cent off target coupon, a $1 off one clorox manufact coupon and a $1 off 2 clorox I snagged off a bottle on the shelf (I'm not sure if both of those should have actually gone through though), paying $1.88 for two products that retail for $4.63 together. I had two coupons for Suave products that I wasn't sure was gonna fly, but the cashier rang them right through, proving what I mentioned before that in most cases, if you have something the same brand as the coupon its up to the cashier to make sure its the product on the coupon, the register isn't likely to catch it, so even though I had a $1 off 2 target and a $1 off 2 manufact coupon for suave salon professionals haircare products (which I don't use) I actually purchased a suave detangling spray and kids shampoo, two products I do use, and still saved.
I also saved on nabisco crackers, kraft macaroni and cheese cups and vaseline lotion by combining manufact. coupons with target coupons and sometimes catching the item on sale too.
So if you've had your calculator at your side I purchased $186.80 worth of products, paying a total of $58.54, saving $128.26, not all that bad! That's not quite 70% savings. Somewhere along the way if you really do have your calculator at your side (I seriously doubt it but the accountant in me does have to mention it), you may come up with $128.07 in savings, somewhere I added tax on one and not the other, I don't really care where the 19 cents is at this point!
That's not to mention the savings at Shaws which doubles coupons up to 99 cents, their bogo on cantaloupe and 4 meats for $19.99 (I wasn't supposed to but wound up paying $19.99 for meat worth over $32 which is a heck of a deal considering meat is not something you usually see a coupon for!) Turns out you were supposed to only take packages with a certain sticker, of which there were about 3 in the meat case, long story short manager gave me the difference because she couldn't dispute what the flyer said which is what I was using to make my meat selections.
I finished up at wal-mart for some of the ususals and used some coupons there too, groceries at wal-mart are just cheaper, but their produce stinks. I have been keeping an eye on the grocery store flyers and making a note of whats on sale and that's what we have for fruits and veggies that week for the most part, and in the long run, it adds up.
So I didn't purchase over $180 worth of stuff for only a few bucks, but I am pretty satisfied with my results and know that my hard work has paid off and saved us some money this week on items that would buy whether they were on sale or not, and I'm not going to have to buy toothpaste, deodorant or laundry detergent for a long long time!
What do you think of that?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Crusading On.....
Payday has arrived and our cupboards are quite bare so I've been researching the last two days for great deals. Although I have acquired lots of coupons since I started this blog its sometimes still not enough, and somehow I still have a hard time buying stuff I don't need, even if it is free, but I'm learning.....
I'm learning that as I mentinoed before, this is time consuming. I've found many great sites that take the guess work and time involved in saving. These sites break down the deals for you by store, and share other special offers. I may have mentioned some in a previous blog but here are some sites that are really really worth your time taking a look at:
http://www.thethriftymama.com/
http://www.moneysavingmadness.com/
http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com/
http://stlmommy.com/
http://www.passionforsavings.com/
I have found coupons.com to be the best coupon site, there are several others but most offer the same coupons. Sometimes you can find different coupons by entering different zip codes like 90210. I have several times wanted a coupon for a specific item and hit up google often leading me right to the coupon I wanted, or at least to sites like the ones I mentioned above.
If I haven't mentioned it already its best to get a free email account like yahoo to manage all the deals you may be signing up for so as not to overcrowd your ususal email inbox.
Another tip I found it is best to save your coupon books whole and not clip them, I saw this on a video clip from a true coupon saver, you know one of those that can buy $400 worth of stuff for under $1. A lot of the sites I've been checking mention coupons that were available in a particular coupon flyer on a particular date, so I have also found it helpful to label my coupons with the date of the paper they came in. Then you can clip the coupons as you need them.
I have asked my parents to save the coupons they don't use for me, so I can have many sets of each coupon book, this is how you obtain real savings.
I'm ready to start off on a saving adventure tonight, and looking forward to a deal at Rite Aid where Dove deodorant is on sale for 2 for $4 and I have two $2 off 1 coupons which means I'll be stocking up on deodorant for FREE. I don't need deodorant right now, but FREE is FREE, and eventually I'll need it. I'll report more later on the other deals I get tonight.
Last week I did take a trip to Target and came accross some pretty good deals, of course it would have been best to mention this deals in this blog BEFORE the sale was over, but I will mention it in the hopes that its at least some inspiration and proof of the savings available out there.
Last week Target had Huggies and Pampers diapers on sale for $19.99, if you bought two you received a $5 Target gift card. I had two huggies manufactuers coupons, one for $2 and one for $3 and printed off a target web coupon for $2.50 (remember you can use target coupons along with the manufacturer's coupon). So I saved $7.50 right off not to mention the $5 Target gift card I got for free. This was also the deal with baby wipes, I didn't have as good of coupons, only $1.25 worth, but the wipes were on sale and I got the $5 Target gift card, and I'm not going to have to buy wipes for a long time. My receipt states I saved a total of $22.75 on these four items.
I purchased the wipes and diapers in one order and purchased the remainder of my goods in a second order, so I could use the $10 in Target cards I just got immediately. I found a Target web coupon for kraft cheese that was on sale and combined it with coupons I already had and found online and wound up paying only 75 cents each for a package of shredded cheese that is over $2 in the grocery store. I also found a coupon on target.com for $1 off a vaseline lotion, combined with the manufacturers coupon I clipped for $1 off I purchased a hand lotion really cheap, and I'm going to do it again this week, we all know how much our bodies are craving lotion this time of year. I saved on several other items including dishwasher tabs by combining manufacturers coupons with target coupons.
I really recommend if you're going to start this process to start with Rite Aid and Target, they have some of the best deals combined with their online coupons, which can be used in combination with the manufacturers coupons.
I think if you at least get your hands on some coupon books and check out the sites I mentioned above you'll be able to snag yourself some great deals, even without tons of time involved, and though you may never be the one who can purchase hundreds of dollars of items for next to nothing (and be perfectly okay with that!), you'll be a saver, and hey free deodorant is free deodorant!
Let me know what great deals you snagged this week!
I'm learning that as I mentinoed before, this is time consuming. I've found many great sites that take the guess work and time involved in saving. These sites break down the deals for you by store, and share other special offers. I may have mentioned some in a previous blog but here are some sites that are really really worth your time taking a look at:
http://www.thethriftymama.com/
http://www.moneysavingmadness.com/
http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com/
http://stlmommy.com/
http://www.passionforsavings.com/
I have found coupons.com to be the best coupon site, there are several others but most offer the same coupons. Sometimes you can find different coupons by entering different zip codes like 90210. I have several times wanted a coupon for a specific item and hit up google often leading me right to the coupon I wanted, or at least to sites like the ones I mentioned above.
If I haven't mentioned it already its best to get a free email account like yahoo to manage all the deals you may be signing up for so as not to overcrowd your ususal email inbox.
Another tip I found it is best to save your coupon books whole and not clip them, I saw this on a video clip from a true coupon saver, you know one of those that can buy $400 worth of stuff for under $1. A lot of the sites I've been checking mention coupons that were available in a particular coupon flyer on a particular date, so I have also found it helpful to label my coupons with the date of the paper they came in. Then you can clip the coupons as you need them.
I have asked my parents to save the coupons they don't use for me, so I can have many sets of each coupon book, this is how you obtain real savings.
I'm ready to start off on a saving adventure tonight, and looking forward to a deal at Rite Aid where Dove deodorant is on sale for 2 for $4 and I have two $2 off 1 coupons which means I'll be stocking up on deodorant for FREE. I don't need deodorant right now, but FREE is FREE, and eventually I'll need it. I'll report more later on the other deals I get tonight.
Last week I did take a trip to Target and came accross some pretty good deals, of course it would have been best to mention this deals in this blog BEFORE the sale was over, but I will mention it in the hopes that its at least some inspiration and proof of the savings available out there.
Last week Target had Huggies and Pampers diapers on sale for $19.99, if you bought two you received a $5 Target gift card. I had two huggies manufactuers coupons, one for $2 and one for $3 and printed off a target web coupon for $2.50 (remember you can use target coupons along with the manufacturer's coupon). So I saved $7.50 right off not to mention the $5 Target gift card I got for free. This was also the deal with baby wipes, I didn't have as good of coupons, only $1.25 worth, but the wipes were on sale and I got the $5 Target gift card, and I'm not going to have to buy wipes for a long time. My receipt states I saved a total of $22.75 on these four items.
I purchased the wipes and diapers in one order and purchased the remainder of my goods in a second order, so I could use the $10 in Target cards I just got immediately. I found a Target web coupon for kraft cheese that was on sale and combined it with coupons I already had and found online and wound up paying only 75 cents each for a package of shredded cheese that is over $2 in the grocery store. I also found a coupon on target.com for $1 off a vaseline lotion, combined with the manufacturers coupon I clipped for $1 off I purchased a hand lotion really cheap, and I'm going to do it again this week, we all know how much our bodies are craving lotion this time of year. I saved on several other items including dishwasher tabs by combining manufacturers coupons with target coupons.
I really recommend if you're going to start this process to start with Rite Aid and Target, they have some of the best deals combined with their online coupons, which can be used in combination with the manufacturers coupons.
I think if you at least get your hands on some coupon books and check out the sites I mentioned above you'll be able to snag yourself some great deals, even without tons of time involved, and though you may never be the one who can purchase hundreds of dollars of items for next to nothing (and be perfectly okay with that!), you'll be a saver, and hey free deodorant is free deodorant!
Let me know what great deals you snagged this week!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sites Worth Mentioning
Time doesn't allow for as much blogging or research for saving as I would like, once I get my stuff together I'll try to blog about my recent Target savings but in the meantime here are some sites worth mentioning, which means its worth you checking them out:
http://www.sweetfreestuff.com/
This site has links to a bunch of free stuff, most of which is really free. Lots have offers that are limited to the first 500-5000 responders and some have catches like siging up for other offers but I did snag quite a few free samples so its worth checking out.
http://www.passionforsavings.com/
So far this site seems like a very good resource, I have yet to dig into it for its full potential but the blog section mentions current offerings/deals at places and she has links to deals by store, taking a lot of the work out of it for you by telling you exactly what you can get for a deal this week at that store, very nice.
http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/index.jsp
If you're not brand loyal and want to sign up for free samples and coupons check out this website.
Until next time...happy saving!
http://www.sweetfreestuff.com/
This site has links to a bunch of free stuff, most of which is really free. Lots have offers that are limited to the first 500-5000 responders and some have catches like siging up for other offers but I did snag quite a few free samples so its worth checking out.
http://www.passionforsavings.com/
So far this site seems like a very good resource, I have yet to dig into it for its full potential but the blog section mentions current offerings/deals at places and she has links to deals by store, taking a lot of the work out of it for you by telling you exactly what you can get for a deal this week at that store, very nice.
http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/index.jsp
If you're not brand loyal and want to sign up for free samples and coupons check out this website.
Until next time...happy saving!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
This Ain't so Easy
Well nothing exciting to report here, today's trip to the grocery store for the usual weekly stuff was a coupon flop. I spent all afternoon searching the internet and comparing flyers, resulting in not much savings. I'm realizing I don't have enough of a coupon stockpile to make big savings right now, but everyone has to start somewhere so I'm not giving up; I've proven to myself with my Rite-Aid trip that I can save if I work at it, have the right coupon at the right time and catch the right sale.
I did come a good deal today that I'll share. At hannaford.com you can print off a coupon for $2 off any seafood purchase for $2 or more, meaning that 1/4 lb of shrimp I got today for $2.08 was a cheap side to go with steak some night for supper. I don't eat it but my husband and daughter will surely appreciate it.
Previously I had signed up for the Right@Home newsletter and received an email from them today for a chance to get a free glade candle, the first 5,000 to respond get it for free, I just got the email an hour or more ago, so check it out and see if you can get your hands on something free: http://www.rightathome.com/Offers/Pages/2011-02-gladegiftpack.aspx?sid=offer&cid=201102rah&rid=126812329&om_rid=NsohiM&om_mid=_BNSJaiB8YF2MB3
I'm finding that a lot of coupon sites are, for lack of a better term, junk. coupons.com seems to be legit as well as boxtops4education.com, and eatbetteramerica.com/coupons/ to name a few. I have however noticed that many offer the same coupons as the next.
I made my first coupon purchase on ebay today too. I paid $2.20 for a lot of 100 coupons which the seller promised to be an envelope containing at least 10 coupons for buy one get one free items, and that the lot did not contain coupons for any baby, vitamins, etc. meaning they all should be food and cleaning supplies, we'll see. If it works out it will be worth the $3.70 I paid total after the $1.50 shipping. I'm going to wait on delivery of these before I stock pile more.
This crusade is a work in the making, a learning experience, and I'm learning its gonna take some time before I am one of those shoppers who can go into a store and get over $400 worth of groceries for $20. Those shoppers aren't brand loyal, and for some stuff, I just am. Plus I have young children who have wants and needs and if my fussy child only eats about 3 foods, well I'm gonna have to buy those regardless of whether or not I have a coupon, so I may never be that shopper, but for now I will surely take being the Rite Aid getting over $16 worth of merchandise for 65 cents shopper and continue on this crusade.
I did come a good deal today that I'll share. At hannaford.com you can print off a coupon for $2 off any seafood purchase for $2 or more, meaning that 1/4 lb of shrimp I got today for $2.08 was a cheap side to go with steak some night for supper. I don't eat it but my husband and daughter will surely appreciate it.
Previously I had signed up for the Right@Home newsletter and received an email from them today for a chance to get a free glade candle, the first 5,000 to respond get it for free, I just got the email an hour or more ago, so check it out and see if you can get your hands on something free: http://www.rightathome.com/Offers/Pages/2011-02-gladegiftpack.aspx?sid=offer&cid=201102rah&rid=126812329&om_rid=NsohiM&om_mid=_BNSJaiB8YF2MB3
I'm finding that a lot of coupon sites are, for lack of a better term, junk. coupons.com seems to be legit as well as boxtops4education.com, and eatbetteramerica.com/coupons/ to name a few. I have however noticed that many offer the same coupons as the next.
I made my first coupon purchase on ebay today too. I paid $2.20 for a lot of 100 coupons which the seller promised to be an envelope containing at least 10 coupons for buy one get one free items, and that the lot did not contain coupons for any baby, vitamins, etc. meaning they all should be food and cleaning supplies, we'll see. If it works out it will be worth the $3.70 I paid total after the $1.50 shipping. I'm going to wait on delivery of these before I stock pile more.
This crusade is a work in the making, a learning experience, and I'm learning its gonna take some time before I am one of those shoppers who can go into a store and get over $400 worth of groceries for $20. Those shoppers aren't brand loyal, and for some stuff, I just am. Plus I have young children who have wants and needs and if my fussy child only eats about 3 foods, well I'm gonna have to buy those regardless of whether or not I have a coupon, so I may never be that shopper, but for now I will surely take being the Rite Aid getting over $16 worth of merchandise for 65 cents shopper and continue on this crusade.
MOST WANTED
Visit mostwantedsandwich.com vote for your favorite sandwich and receive 2 $1 off coupons for hillshire farm deli meat.
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