Have You Started Your Holiday Shopping Yet?

I admit, I already started and am mostly done, except a bunch of gift cards. I'm waiting for a deal to pop up to give me extra bonueses before I buy them but as I was out shopping this weekend (albeit it for something for me!), I managed to get this deal.

Thank you LOFT!

Whole Foods under $3

I kind of feel like I hit the jackpot at Whole Foods today. I picked all this up for $2.77. I almost couldn't believe it myself.

Here's how I did it:
Limited edition Terra Chips on sale 2/$5
Used $1/1 manufacturer coupon stacked with
$1/1 Whole Foods coupon from The Whole Deal Coupon book

$.50 each

Arrowhead Mills flour on sale 2/$4
Used $1/1 Internet Printable coupon stacked with
$1/1 Whole Foods coupon from The Whole Deal Coupon book

FREE!

365 chocolate chips $2.59
Used $2/1 Whole Foods coupon from The Whole Deal Coupon book

$.59 each

Total before coupons $18.23
After coupons $2.77
Savings 82%

Guess I'd better get baking, eh?

Coupon Serenpidity

I love it when stuff like this happens. When I'm at a store and I know I won't be using a particular coupon, I sprinkle coupons around like a coupon fairy. I've actually found coupons for things I needed to buy this way so I like to pay it forward to the next shopper. Yesterday I experienced my very own coupon fairy at Boston Market.

Thank you to the wonderful woman in line who bought a coupon book who wasn't going to use it and paid it forward by giving it to me!

HOT deal at CVS

One of my favorite bloggers posted this deal the other day and I stopped at CVS to take advantage of it. The promotion is, buy (2) Aveeno Moisturizing Lotion or Cream (.5-18oz) and receive $7 Extra Care Bucks.

I bought two travel size Aveeno lotions at $1.49 each, paid $2.98 and received $7 in ECBs back, which will come in super handy on Black Friday since I already know CVS is having a killer sale. I also scored an Illy coffee free thanks to a coupon also at CVS.

I love getting paid to take things out of the store!

Burt's Bees

One of the great things about  BzzAgent is that I get to try new products. I received a package that included Burt's Bees natural skin solutions which I saw in the store a while ago and had wanted to try. I was super excited to get this package and have been using it ever since. 

I absolutely adore Burt's Bees product, their lotions, lip balms and hair treatments are divine and I feel like I'm spoiling myself...especially since the weather is starting to get colder now! It's like I'm treating myself to a little bit of summer. I know this will come in handy especially because the forecast calls for cold and potentially SNOW!!

I was not paid to write this, I was provided this packet of information, coupons and sample as part of being a BzzAgent.

Annoyances

One way I stay sane is retail therapy. After dealing with some major annoyances today (oh, like a dead car, a ton of rain and a doctor's appointment that I didn't want to go to, borrowed cars for the day, buying new batteries, jumping a car in the pouring rain...) I ran found a few minutes to run to RiteAid and scored lots of stuff free, which made me feel a teensy bit better:

A Free hairbrush

Covergirl Blush -  All Free!!
Buy One Get One 50% off , Used $8.00/2 CoverGirl Face Products Coupon

Free - Blistex Cold & Allergy Lip Balm $1.49  
$1.49 +Up Reward  

Free - Organix Cough Drops $1.50
$1.50 +Up Reward

Cheap Revlon Mascara
Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara on sale for  $4.79
Use $2.00/1 –  Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara – (Rite Aid Video Values coupon) and $2.00 +Up Reward

Suave Shampoo
Buy 1 Suave Professional Shampoo $2.69
Use $2.00/2 – Suave Items – (Rite Aid Video Values coupon) and Use Buy 1 Suave Professionals Shampoo or Conditioner, Get 1 FREE coupon.

I also hit up the clearance section and got the beer bottle cover for $1 (a joke between FH and I), the mesh sponge for $1.14 and I paid full price for the other eyeshadow. I had been to at least five stores looking for this color and I knew that I had coupons (at home, in my dead car, ugh!) that I decided to buy it anyway.

 A girl has to do what a girl has to do.

Yes, I have been Shopping

Even if I haven't been posting deals here, I am still shopping, don't fret! Today I stopped in CVS to pick up a great deal on Hallmark cards and walked out with a huge bag of swag.

Out of pocket I spent $10.73 for all this and received $4 ECB. The CVS I stopped had a fantastic clearance I took full advantage of it. Here's how my savings broke down:

Two bags of salt water taffy (for my desk at work) 90% off = $.26 each
Stain away stain pen also on clearance for 75% off = $.49 each (these are funny because FH just asked me if we had any stain pens so I brought them home as a joke and well, they were a good price so why not?)
Right Guard soap on sale $2.88, used $1 when you buy Right Guard soap coupon and any two items = $1.88
Sally Hansen nail polish also on clearance for $.83, used $1 off any Sally Hansen product = FREE!!
Cotton swabs on clearance for 75% off = $.57 each
Three Hallmark cards $.99 each
Loreal eye shadow $10.49, used $3 off $10 makeup CVS coupon and $1 off Loreal Coupon = $6.49

On this I used $5 ECB from previous transactions and a second $3 ECB. I still have about $15 in ECB to use on my next trip.

One thing I couldn't resist was this on clearance for $3.75, I ended up using $3 ECB and paid $.27.

Green Mountain Fair Trade Coffee

I have joined a bunch of BzzAgent campaigns lately and one that I was totally excited about was ethe Green Mountain coffee Fair Trade Certified coffee. I lovvvvvee coffee so when this invitation arrived I was psyched.

In the mail yesterday I received this awesome package and dug into it first thing this morning. The coffee was smooth and delicious and after reading the info packet I learned a bunch about Fair Trade certified coffee. Most important to me was the sustainable farming practices Fair Trade certified farmers use. I joined my first CSA this past summer and shop a the farmer's markets as much as I can.

So, my thoughts are...get out there and get some. The lovely folks at BzzAgent sent me coupons to share! If any of my readers want one, leave me a comment and I'll gladly hold a drawing and send some out!

I was not paid to write this, I was provided this packet of information, coupons and sample as part of being a BzzAgent.

Scrubbing Bubbles

I'm not sure what it is lately but BzzAgent is awesome. I've received so many things to Bzz about, I'm not sure where to start but for now, I'll start with the latest thing to drop in my mailbox. I've seen coupons and advertisement for the new Scrubbing Bubbles One Step toilet cleaner for a few weeks and when the opportunity to join this campaign arrived in my in-box, I jumped at the chance.

I'm going to get this working in my bathroom this weekend, my review will be coming...And I have coupons to get refills, as well as the cleaner if anyone wants them, just post a comment!

I was not paid to write this, I was provided this packet of information, coupons and sample as part of being a BzzAgent.

Wags & Rite Aid

I got some great deals this weekend and have lots of $$ sitting in my pocket for my next trip! The best part, I didn't go more than three miles past my house!

Walgreens:
Carmex lotion on sale 2/$10 with a $5 RR, used $1.50 off manufacturer coupon on each
Campbells soups on sale with in-ad coupon $.79, limit 3, used $.40 off 3 manufacturer coupon, $.66 each
Ben & Jerry's Ice cream on sale $2.99, used $2 off 2 Walgreens coupon  which took $1 off each pint, stacked with $1 off manufacturer Ben & Jerry's coupon, $.99 each

Rite Aid:
Trident gum on sale $3/3, used $1 off 3, Rite Aid Video Values coupon $.50 off 1, $.50 each, plus received $1 +UPs
Systane drops, $3 off with in-ad coupon, used $2 off any Systane manufacturer coupon $14.99 for 2 bottles
Tom's of Maine 2 pack soap, $3.99 on sale, used $1 off manufacturer coupon, $2.99 for 2 soaps and received $2 back in +UPs
Popcorn Indiana popcorn on sale 2/$5, used $1 off manufacturer coupon, total cost $1.50
I also used $1 off any purchase Video Values coupon and $8 in +UPs

In total I spent $23.96 out of pocket and between the two stores I saved $36.18 and have $8 to spend at Walgreens and Rite Aid on my next trip. If you factor in the UPs and RR, I really only spent $15.96.

Yummy Yummy Yummy Candy!

In my mail yesterday I got this awesome package from BzzAgent. Three bags of Werther's caramels, some great recipes and coupons to buy more. :-)

This will come in sooo handy for apple picking and making caramel apples but I know all my co-workers will love it when I bring them some in on Monday!!

Stay tuned for a second post this week on a great new product I received from BzzAgent, but for now you can just drool over my bags of candy.

What $.50 Can Buy

220 Ziploc sandwich bags and 4 bags of Skittles...One trip to Walgreens on my way home, total out of pocket $.50.

One of  my favorite bloggers alerted me to the Skittles deal so I snagged 4 bags free today (which I am told I have to hide away). I got the Ziploc bags on sale 2/$5 with in-ad Walgreens coupon, I paired that with $1 off 2 Ziploc bags coupon. After all those coupons, I used my RR from my purchases last week these were expiring on 9/16 so I needed to use them. I had a bag of Chex Mix in my basket which was on sale for $.99 but I waited to see if I needed to add it in. Once the cashier hit total and it was $.50 I didn't need to worry about my overage. I gave the Chex Mix back and walked out the store with change in my pocket.

B1G1 Free Coupon!

I'm a member of Vocalpoint and today they are offering a fantastic coupon for DelMonte Fruit Naturals. They offer great coupons to members if you join and blog about it.

By visiting this link you can download a buy 1 get one free coupon. I know lots of us love these!

http://www.vocalpoint.com/FruitNaturalsCoupon

To join Vocalpoint, please visit: https://www.vocalpoint.com/registration/screener.aspx

Some of my Favorite Deals

I felt like this week I hit the jackpot with coupons. I know, silly right? I bought a bunch of coupons on eBay and was holding them until a sale. I hit it this week.

This week I didn't go to my normal stores, just Roche Bros, Shaw's and CVS. The pictures show just a few of my deals.

At Roche Bros Poland Spring seltzer was on sale 2/$1, I bought coupons for $1/2 one liter bottles. Guess how many I bought? Just know I used every single coupon I had and don't need to buy seltzer for a long time. The good thing, we were on our last bottle of seltzer at home. I also found Newman's Own cereal on clearance for $1.50 a box and used a $1/2 coupon. Score!

At Shaw's I used every single Wheat Thins coupon I had and picked up boxes of crackers for $1 a box. (I hate to say it, but two boxes are already gone!!) The Better Oats Oatmeal was on sale $10/10. I used a $.55 off coupon the doubles making all of these FREE! Lastly, I found Newman's Marinana sauce 50% off. For each jar I used a $.50 off one Newman's coupon making these $.50 a jar. Even though I've been making my own base sauce from our farm CSA I had to stock up and get a few jars.

Now, I'm looking at my sale papers and thinking, I don't really need anything..hmm...

Thank you CVS

Test post from my phone...Just to show what I picked up free this week!

 

ETA: This does work..the picture shows up huge so I went in to change it. Thank you for letting me test this...

Some of my Favorite Deals

I know everyone is missing my Friday Freebie post but honestly I was starting to feel like that was all I was posting so I thought I'd post some of my favorite deals of this past week.

One of my totally unexpected deals was from Target. Oral-B replacement brush heads (anyone that owns an electric toothbrush knows how expensive these are) were on sale $19.99 for a pack of three. With each purchase you received a $5 gift card. I bought 2 and used a $10 off when you buy 2 coupon and got another $10 back in gift cards, making my replacements $20. You can't beat that price! 

Second is a picture of a Kashi deal and a few other items I picked up. Thanks to eBay I bought $1 off 1 Kashi coupons and knew that if I waited for a sale, I'd get someone's favorite cereal at a good price. A local grocery store Roche Bros had a fantastic deal. Kashi was on sale 4/$12 but if you bought four the price dropped down to $10 and I used $1 off coupon on each box. Each box ended up costing me $1.50, regular price $4.49. The Chore Boy sponges I got free (can't beat that) because Roche Bros also doubled coupons under $.99 and I had a $.55 off any Chore Boy product. Ken's Marinade also was on sale 2/$3 and I used a $1 off any Ken's Marinade coupon = $.50.

A decent week indeed.

Now...just wait until I tell you about next week!  So far, all I'll tell you is that I had a cart FULL of stuff and paid under $5!

All this under $1

I'm normally not a Walgreens shopper as I'm not really a fan of my local store but there are times when I do go. Like today. Here's how I did it.

Cream cheese with coupon in Walgreen's circular $.99 each

Carmex lip balm 2/$3 used $.50 off coupon on each, total $2, I got a $1.50 Register Reward back (I think if I rang the second one up separately I would have gotten a second $1.50 RR but I had no patience today)

Suave body wash $2, total $6. I used quite a few coupons on this I had a buy 2, get one free coupon, one free coupon and a $.50 off coupon. The free coupons rang up full price for the items so one rang up as $3 off, the other $2.85 and I got another $2 Register Reward

So $4.19 out of pocket - $.3.50 RR= $.69

Prepping

The BEST part of couponing.

Not having to run to the grocery store and stock up on canned items, granola bars or anything like that before a storm.

Priceless, I tell you. I have plenty of cereal, granola bars, crackers and canned meats and soups, enough in case the power goes out.

Plus having a gas stove means we can most likely cook if the power goes out.

The only thing I had to go get was bottled water and a few extra batteries. We had some but just in case I picked up a few on the way into the office today.

I love coupons sometimes!

Down & Dirty

In my last post, I wanted to see if anyone would guess what I paid in a recent Target trip. Under $20! All simply by using my coupons and shopping the clearance rack. Once you get in the habit of couponing, it's really hard to stop! Here's what I did at Target:

I bought:

• Wolfgang Puck Organic Soup on clearance $.98
• 9 Small bottles of Advil $16.98 ($1.84 each), used 3 $5 off when you buy 3 Advil, total cost $1.98 for all of them!
• 2 full size Suave deodorant $.97 each used printable $.75 off any Suave deodorant, $.22 each
• 2 bags of Newman's whole bean coffee clearance find $3.48 each, total $6.96 (no coupons but practically a steal!)
• 1 bottle Fleichman's yeast clearance find $2.07 (since we bake our own bread)
• 2 travel size Band Aids $.97 each, used $.50 off any Band Aid or Neosporin product printable coupon
• 1 Johnson & Johnson first aid kit $.97
• 1 roll Johnson & Johnson medical tape $2.59 used $1.50 off when you buy two Johnson & Johnson products coupon
• 2 Wet Ones wipes $1.97 used 2 $.50 off Target.com printable coupon
• Revlon Nail File $1.28, used $2 off Revlon product CAT coupon = FREE
• 3 Cascade trial size dishwasher gel packs (2 not pictured) $1.09 each, used 3, $1 off any Cascade coupons $.27 total
• Nature Valley Granola Thins, price cut to $2.50, used $.60 off coupon, $1.90
• Fiber One Brownies (my new obsession) $2.69, used $1 off any one Fiber One Brownies coupon, $1.69

Total spent $19.42. Total saved $27.09.

Name that Price.

Guess what I paid for all this at Target today:

My haul included:
Wolfgang Puck Organic Soup
9 Small bottles of Advil
2 full size Suave deodorant
2 bags of Newman's whole bean coffee
1 bottle Fleichman's yeast
2 travel size bandaids
1 Johnson & Johnson first aid kit
1 roll medical tape
2 Wet ones wipes
Revlon Nail File
3 Cascade trial size dishwasher gel packs(2 not pictured)
Nature Valley Granola Thins (bought for my patient this weekend)
Fiber One Brownies (my new obsession)

Details on how I did this in my next post, AND the actual cost of all this.

A Pit-Stop

A quick pit stop turned into a fantastic CVS trip yesterday. I left the store paying $.52 for all this. If you hadn't been to a CVS and scanned your card this week you missed out on some great freebie coupons. My CVS card is tied to my health insurance so I get 20% off CVS healthcare brand products not on sale all the time so on top of a great coupon I get 20% off.

The CVS magic coupon machine gave me two freebie coupons this week one for a free box of CVS fabric bandaids (retails value $4.29 or less) and a second coupon for a free Caramello. I stopped at CVS twice before the coupons expired yesterday and I asked the store clerk if I could substitute any CVS bandaid since they were out of practically everything and no Caramellos were in stock.

He agreed! I was so happy.

Here's how my coupons worked out:
M&M's on sale 2/$1, bought 6, used 2 $1.25 off 3 coupons (all 6 bags were $.50)
Bandaids $2.49 - 20% off and used my coupon (the cashier allowed me the overage and rang it in at $4.29! Cha-Ching) = FREE
The Hershey bar was a substitute for the free Caramello = FREE using coupons
Burt's Bees lotion travel sized $1.99 not on sale

When all was said and done, the overage on the bandaid coupon, plus my 20% off savings make that trip fun!

Vocalpoint Freebies

I'm also a member of Vocalpoint where I've gotten some great freebies. I just signed up to get a Swiffer duster today which I know is lame of me to say, I'm so excited to use.

Case in point, the other day I was in the kitchen and I looked up at our ceiling fan and saw dust. Lots of dust.

Me: "I think we need to dust that fan and need to get a new duster for it."

Then a whole conversation ensued about how I was not going to dust it that very minute because it would get dust in our dinner.

Voila! I think my prayers were answered!

Size does matter

Just the other day I heard on the news reports that food costs were going to go higher, but instead of the food companies raising the prices they are shrinking the boxes.

Case in point.

About two months ago I purchased the box on the left, about two weeks ago I purchased the box on the right. Notice a difference? I paid the same price for both.

How about 20 oz of cereal vs 15 oz? I'm figuring out that's about a bowl and a half less cereal for the same price. Did they not think I'd notice?

Just another good reason to coupon as much as you can. As some of my favorite bloggers say, "Buy it when it's cheap, buy it before you need it." I don't need to be spending $5 on a piddily little box of Raisin Bran, do you?

About Last Night

Ever have one of those days when it seems like you can't get out of your own way and you probably should have stayed in bed? Yep, that was me last night. The last thing I wanted to do was go to the grocery store but sometimes just wandering around the store clears my head.

A few weeks ago I organized my cereal stockpile and said I didn't need to buy anymore cereal but there was a caveat to that. I could ONLY buy cereal if I found it super cheap and was stuff we would eat. So, off to Shaw's I went. I went to buy Cascadian Farms cereal because I knew I had a coupon for it and could get it for $1 a box.

Well, when I got to Shaw's and was standing in front of the Cascasian Farms cereal I was angry. My coupons expired but when I rounded the corner it instantly made up for it, I found Kashi marked down to 50% off (thanks Kashi for changing your box!) and I picked up a few other things. Total I spent $11.47 and saved 66% on a quick trip -- adding 4 boxes of cereal to my stockpile...but we did finish 2 last night so it evens out, right?

Here's how I did it:
Barbara's Cereal regular price $5.19, this week it was $3.59, bought 2 used 2, $1 off coupons (2.59 each, this the second cheapest I've ever been able to find this cereal!)
Cape Cod Chips not on sale $3.49, managed to snag a coupon for a free bag so it was FREE
Kashi Cereal regular price $4.49 on clearance for 50% off, it was $2.24 each, used $1 off when you buy 2 Kashi coupons ($3.48 for 2)
Celery (Blech, but I bought by request) $2.49
Spinach and Cheese ravioli regular price $4.99, it was a managers special with  $3 off coupon ($1.99 for a quick easy dinner)
Lemon juice $1.59, had a $1.50 off any juice CAT so this was $.09!!
Panko bread crumbs $1.93 (no coupons)

An additional $2 off rang up when I checked out. I was a happy camper!

BzzAgent

One way I get to try new products is through BzzAgent, a word of mouth marketing company. Just last week I received this awesome package from them. I attend quite a few tradeshows at work and I absolutely cannot wait to try these massaging gel insoles.

Also, what's great about BzzAgent is that they send me one of my most favorite things. Coupons!

I was not paid to write this, I was provided this packet of information, coupons and sample as part of being a BzzAgent.

Coupon Helper

Last night I had a little helper while I was clipping and organizing my coupons. Ozzie the kitty was helping me. He's not a very good helper because he likes to sit on my coupons sometimes.

A Day Late - Freebie Friday

I took the day off yesterday and got home way too late to post my Friday Freebie.

This week I stopped at Target, Market Basket, and Stop & Shop (while out and about).

Target:
Tide packets $.97 used $1 off any size Tide coupon = Free
Reach Floss $92 cents (I think), used $1 off any Reach product = Free
Revlon nail files $1.29 and Buff & Shine $2.99, total $4.28, used a $5 off any 2 Revlon products Target Catalina coupon = Free

Market Basket:
Ben Gay $4.79,  used $5 off any Ben Gay product coupon = Free

Stop & Shop:
Luna bars 10/$10 = used $.50 off coupon which doubled = Free
3 ears of corn = Free. This was a coupon I loaded to my Stop & Shop Card

All in all, not a bad week. My favorite deal this week was the free corn. Free produce? You CAN shop for free!

Freebie Friday

This week was THE week for razors and shaving cream deals it seems. My favorite deal this week was at CVS and all of this was free after Extra Care Bucks. Here's how I did it.

Herbal Essences on sale 2/$4.97 used 2, $1 off coupons = $2.97
Skintimate Shave Cream $2.19 each, bought 2, used 2, $1.50 off printables = $1.38
Schick Hydro 5 Razor and blades, $7.99 each, used $4 off the razor and $2 off the blades coupon = $9.98

Pair all that with a $5 off $25 coupon I received from scanning my card brought my total to $9.91 for all this.

What I got back was $10 Extra Care Bucks because of the promotion this week -- if you spend $20 on Skintimate, Edge or Schick you receive $10 for your next purchase.

All FREE! Yeah!

When to Stock Up?

I always question whether or not to stock up on certain items but there are some thing I just can't STAND playing full price for now that I coupon faithfully. One of these items is shaving cream.

This week I stocked up thanks to a super sale at Walgreens. With an in-ad coupon the Pure Silk shaving cream, regularly priced $2.49, were $.99. Pair that with an $.80 off coupon (that was in the 7/10 RedPlum) and I walked out of the store paying $.81 for 4 cans of shaving cream which was the coupon limit.

I liked this sale so much that I went back the next day, bought 4 more using the rest of my coupons and also bought 3 packs of  Trident Vitality Gum (also on sale for $.79 each, and I used a $2/3 coupon from the 7/24 paper). Walked out of Walgreens with a $1.18 bill.

2 trips. 8 shaving creams. 3 packs of gum = $1.99

Freebie Friday

Have I mentioned I like shopping for free? I actually didn't do a whole lot of shopping this week just stopped at Target and Shaws (took advantage of their $1 doublers!) Here is what I managed to get free:

Target
2 Papermate Pens used $1 off coupon printed from Target.com. These were on sale for $1 = FREE
2 Scotch tape used $.50 off coupon printed from Target.com. These were on sale for $.50 = FREE
Revlon Emery Boards $1.28 (I think), I used a CAT coupon for $2 off Revlon nail purchase = FREE
Jif to Go, used a coupon for a free 8 pack which I received in the mail = FREE

Shaws
Teddy Grahams, used $1 off any Nabisco product wyb 1 gallon of milk. These were 10/$10= FREE
Grain Berry crackers on price cut $2/4, use $1 off any Grain Berry product and $1 doubler = FREE

And the rest of the week I spent organizing my kitchen. I finally got a shelf for the basement. Yay!

A Few Days Late - Freebies

Better late than never, right? I was away this weekend so I didn't get to post my Friday Freebie but last week I got all this free. My car really needed to be washed and thanks to my Dad I got my car washed FREE with the coupon.

The second picture was a giveaway from Right@Home (a giveaway) and a Pandora bracelet which I got from filling in a survey.

The last picture is from a quick shopping trip to Whole Foods and Rite Aid. All free.

Maine versus Mass

This past weekend I tried to get in a little R&R up in Maine (which is why my Friday Freebie post didn't end up going up), but while I was up there I decided to do a little experiment with coupon inserts.

I bought two papers in Maine -- Seacost Online which publishes on Saturday and the Maine Telegram on Sunday -- and my hunch was right.  Between those two papers AND my Boston Globe subscription I got so many coupons that were the same, but few were different. The one thing I noticed that was different was the values of the coupons in the paper. We could get in the Boston paper $1 off 2 whereas Maine would get $.40 off one. I took a picture before I sliced and diced the paper just to show the difference.

It looks like every time I head to another state, I'll be sure to grab a paper and start to look for coupons for different values via eBay or a clipping service.

Close to $100 in FREE in less than 3 hours ....

So last week, I got over $50 worth of free stuff in under two hours - this weekend I gave myself a goal of getting $75 for free. (Now this was just what I got today - I am not including the $50 of free stuff I got during the week.)

Here is what I got:

6 Vitamin Waters
2 Honest Teas
7 Boxes of Nexcare Band-aids
3 Nexcare Band-aids travel sizes
5 Marcal 4-packs of toilet paper
11 Marcal Paper Towels
1 Bisquick pancake mix
3 2-Liter Diet Dr. Pepper
8 Gudlens Mustard
6 Raydovac Batteries
1 Muffin Mix
1 Pillsbury Cake Mix
3 Nature Bounty Vitamins
9 Sensodyne ProNamel
2 Pampers
4 Cans of Tuna
1 Pantene Smoothly Creme
1 Hersheys Air Delight

Total $96.48 ... whoo hoo! My biggest score was getting diapers for free - that was something I had to prove to my husband that I could do. lol

Under $4 at Staples

While I was out killing time the other night I decided to take a quick trip to Staples and pick up a few things that I wanted to buy to make my wedding planning easier. The end result all this is going to cost me $3.83 and I didn't use a coupon! (because I left my coupons on the printer at work...egads!)

Here's how I did it:
Staples paper $5.99 - $5.74  mail in rebate = end result $.25
Bic pencils $.25 (bought 2)
Gluesticks $1
Stickies $.25 (bought 2)
Staples glue $.01
Sharpies $1

Total regular retail would have been $22.76. A 87% savings. Whoo hoo!

$20 = 4 gallons of gas ... or an overflowing carriage?

After getting the paper this morning, I stopped to get gas in the Benz - which of course only can take premium. Since I was on "E" - I just put $20 in, to get where I needed this morning, so I can use my Stopy gas points this afternoon. $20 got me 4 gallons of gas ... UNREAL!

I got to my "happy place" aka Rite-Aid, just to get my free Noxzema razors, and as I walked by the clearance section, I almost fell over. They had 4-packs of Angel Soft toilet paper marked down to $1.19. This is the one item, my mother is brand loyal on...It is rarely on sale, and I never see coupons for it. Sooo, being the great daughter I am, I stocked up for them.

Here is what I got:

• 14 packages of Angel Soft (total 56 rolls of tp)
• 2 boxes of Puffs (also on clearance for $.89)
• 6 Noxzema razors (all free with coupons)
• 1 Carefree liners ($.50 w/coupon & rain check)

Total bill = $20.09

Happy saving!!!!

Over $50 FREE in just a little over an hour ....

I went to three stores this morning ... Stopy, Market Basket and Rite-Aid and the attached picture is what I got free during my 90 minutes of shopping this morning....

• 4 packages of toilet paper (16 rolls)
• 5 rolls of paper towels
• 6 packages of Noxzema razor (26 individual razors in total
• 4 Bisquick pancake mix
• 10 McCormick seasoning packets
• 3 ears of corn
• 6 Nexcare bandaids
• 1 Natures Bounty Fish Oil

What I should have paid $50.93 ... whoo hoo!

Happy Saving!!!!

Clearance at RiteAid

One way I save money is by frequenting the clearance racks. Every store I go in, that's usually the first place I go.

On the way home from my niece's birthday party I stopped to see my dad. The RiteAid near his place is fabulous, even if some of the cashiers are a bit grumpy. I knew that this RiteAid was pretty good having been there before. The store must have recently cleared their makeup section because I found so much stuff I could hardly believe it. Since I'm building a backup makeup kit to keep at work all of this will come in super handy. I left the store paying $2.62.

Here's how I did it:

• Covergirl Lashblast Mascara on clearance $4.50, used $1 off coupon = $3.50
• Dove body wash $1.39, used $1 Rite Aid VideoValues coupon = $.39
• Sally Hansen nailpolish on sale 75% off at $1.55, used $1 off coupon = $.55
• 2 CoverGirl Pressed powders on clearance $3.79 ea, total $7.58, used $2.50 off 2 coupon = $5.08
• Maybelline ColorStay Lipcolor on clearance $2 and Great Lash mascara $2 (they rang up cheaper than the price marked), total $4, used a $3 off 2 Maybelline products = $1

I also used one $3 off $15 purchase coupon from doing a survey from my last visit and my $5 in +UPs that were expiring this week.

There were tons more in the clearance box which I almost took off the shelf. I wanted to sit down on the floor to go through it but I was in a rush to get my car washed for free (I also used a coupon!!)!

Freebie Friday - Again

This week I stopped at CVS, Shaw's, Market Basket, Stop & Shop and a local store Johnnie's Foodmaster  (they also double coupons under $1! and I was driving right by the store after a doctor's appointment) and got all the following free just by using coupons. This was the first week in a while that I haven't gone to Rite Aid just because nothing caught my eye. You think I was running around like crazy but I had a few days off and took the time to shop when I felt like it. Plus it was hotter than heck out and the stores are air conditioned! My haul this week included:

Stop & Shop:
3 boxes of Pillsbury Brownie mix
Silver Palate Oatmeal
4 Luna bars

CVS:
2 Hershey Bars free from the Magic Coupon Machine

Shaws's:
La Victoria roasted green peppers
Skinny Cow candy bar

Market Basket:
Teddy Grahams

and last but not least Johnnie's Foodmaster:
Bounty Towels (I used a great $5 off Bounty coupon that I got from Facebook)
The Chore Boy sponges weren't free but they ended up costing $1.19 and I used a $.55 off coupon that doubled so they ended up costing me $.09 each

A great week indeed!

10 things I refuse to pay more than $1 for

So, one of the many things that I learned while couponing, that there are just some things that you don't need to pay for ... and hey, why should we?

1. Condiments .... ketchup, mustard, relish, bbq sauce - during the summer these are always on sale, combine that with double coupons, and stock up!
   
2. Paper towels .... shop around on these, paper products go on sale a few times a year. Since these never spoil, get as many as you can get your hands on for the cheapest price.
3. Gum ... really, when did gum begin to cost more than $1. Rite-Aid always has gum on sale, and by watching their videos, there has been at least one gum coupon each month.
4. Pickles .... my husband goes through a jar of pickles a week. When they are on sale for 2 for $4. and I use two $.75 coupons, that double ... so I can get two for $1.00, I am one happy camper.
   
5. Tuna .... this always goes on sale, but there is rarely coupons - when this is 10 for $10, or less than a $1, I buy LOTS. Tuna is always great to have on hand.
6. Bleach .... bleach is bleach, really lets face it. I use it once a week for my whites. Once upon a time I was brand loyal, now, I have been using those $1 off Hannaford's brand item for Hannaford's bleach.
7. Seasoning .... when the Weber and McCormick coupons come out, why would you use them towards a larger size, when you can use them towards the packets. When these go on sale, they are a $1 or less...another free product.
8. Brownie mix .... another item the goes on sale, alot. Especially with the summer and the holidays. When these are $1, if you can get your hands on coupons, this makes it an even better score ... can you say el cheapo? (I got 36 Pillsbury brownies mixes this week for $5)
9. Dips .... Hellva good dip goes on sale a lot too - I try to get my hands on $.75/1 or $1.00/1 coupons. Over the last few weeks, I have been getting a bunch, average price $.50 a piece.
10. Toothpaste ... I wish toothpaste had more use, I have probably 40+ tubes of toothpaste in the bunker that I got for free.
    

Happy stockpiling!

There is a way to save on gas ....

With all the changes in the coupon policies and soaring gas prices, it is nice to see that Stopy offers their "Gas Rewards" program. Over the last 4 weeks, I have banked 1579 in gas reward points, that translate into $1.579 off each gallon of gas ... and when one of your vehicles can only take premium gas, these rewards can definitely come in handy.

The items each week that qualify, match up nicely with items that there have been recent coupons for.

So...there might not be coupons for gas...but Stopy's program is saving me money on gas for buying groceries that I would have bought anyway. The only caveat with this program, is your points are only good for 30 days .. so make sure to use them!

Happy saving!!!!

Freebie Friday

Each week I'm going to try to post things I got free either from samples, rebates or using coupons.This week I got all this free!

The Poland Spring I picked up at Shaw's. On sale 10/$10 used $1 off coupon off 2 and used their dollar doublers. I'm so glad I took advantage of that!

The Tide was a sample.

Bandaids I picked up at Stopy which were $.99 used $1 off coupon.

Lastly, the got2b dry shampoo was something I scored at RiteAid, free after rebate.

If only I could do this for wedding stuff *brain thinking*...