Freebies at Staples

The other day in my email I received my Staples rewards and the very next day I got a second email full of coupons! Using my $5 rewards certificate I got all this for free. The paperclips were $2, regular price $7.99 as were the labels. My happiest moment was the 12 pack of sticky notes for $1, regular price $5.

I found it ironic that I paid for this using four pieces of paper and the labels will come in really handy for wedding stuff!

Free Shopping

I admit it. I haven't left the couch today. It was supposed to be nice and sunny out. I have my list of stores I needed to stop at and well...I'm still on the couch but figured I'd take a moment to show you what I've picked up for free yesterday at CVS, Target and my local grocery store.

I like shopping for free.

Times are Changing

The other day I posted about how happy I was that my local Market Basket posted their coupon policy. I had pretty much abandoned shopping at Market Basket for Shaw's because of their coupon policy which they just changed. The only reason I was shopping at Shaw's was for the double coupons and now with their policy change it just isn't worth it. I know I can still find deals there but I'll definitely be shopping there a lot LESS.

(click here to read the changes)

When I read this comment on the HowtoShopForFree.Net site I can only blame the stupid TLC show.

"couponcarol says: June 23, 2011 at 1:49 am

I work in the cash office of a local Shaws store & alot of these changes are infact due to the recent extreme couponers & extreme couponing show. Your name & book & some of you shopping teachings were brought up in a recent meetings. The book was a big turn off for the higher ups in management, & the gas promotion was ended due gross miss use of the program. The gas points were to be given based on what a person paid after all coupons, not before. Somebody taught you how to get around that glitch by having the cashier hit sub total once or twice then scanning all your coupons. You showed others how to beat the gas system & earn points that they were not entitled to, also how to work catalina deals with psp pricing rather than the actual sale price and after coupons, you taught to do pre sale price with coupons to get catalinas and that you & your large followers doing the same thing cost corp to much money and they were getting lots of bad feedback. To many people were complaining and almost to a boycott since the airing of extreme couponing done in portland,ME."

I am by no means an Extreme Couponer, I do coupon. I buy things when they are on sale and typically only buy things with coupons because it saves me money. I have multiple items we use (always have a back up) but I am PISSED off. Thanks for nothing.

Coupon Policy

One of the grocery stores I haven't been going to since faithfully using coupons is Market Basket because they didn't take Internet coupons. Today while I was there I saw this sign at the register.

Looks like things are changing..but finally something for the good. After seeing lots of news stories lately and stores like Rite Aid and Target changing their coupon policy, there is hope.

Free Retail Therapy

I set a challenge a while ago:  to find stuff using coupons for free. I feel like I hit the jackpot this week. I got all of this free. 

I did go to three stores but they were all on the same road (RiteAid, Walmart and Big Y Supermarkets). I think my favorite things out of the deal were the Almay mascara (on clearance for $1.99 and I used a $2 off Rite Aid Video Values coupon), the eggs (Free dozen coupon from Davidson's that I got just for joining their mailing list) and the CoverGirl Revlon lipstick (marked down to $1 and I used $1 off one CoverGirlRevlon item).

Free retail therapy? Yes please!

Edited to fix my product oops!

Summer Mission - Accomplished

So one of my summer projects was to get all the toiletry related supplies that my niece would need to go back to college for her sophomore year. My goal was to spend no more than $50 ... and I came in at $17. I could keep shopping, but if I keep going this will take away from my fun for doing this for her junior year... lol.

She is very brand loyal when it came to body wash, so I let her stock up on her Bath & Body Works stuff .. but I did send her coupons for B&BW, when I did get them...of course!


In this box:

11 tubes of toothpaste
12 full size deodorants
10 travel size deodorants
7 boxes of tampons
11 packages of pads
8 packs of razors
8 shaving creams
12 shampoos
8 travel q-tips

The great thing about next summer, is my younger niece will be in college, so I can do this for her too!

Happy shopping!

Clearance Finds

Every time I hit the grocery store I shop the clearance rack. I've gotten some great deals there...Like today. The last thing you want to do after eating a huge dinner at The Melting Pot is go to the grocery store but..."We are going to drive right by. Can we stop?" Ok.

I'm really glad I did. I picked up all this for less than $16. My favorite find was the cat vitamins marked down from $8.49 to $1.99. Since our cat is an indoor cat we feed him four vitamins a day (two in the morning and two at night). The cereal was $.50 a box after coupons and the Kiss My Face kids body wash was also a clearance find  ($1.59 after coupons).

All in all, a successful stop.

You do the math .....

Prior to couponing, I used to spend $150+ a week, and maybe get 30 items. Last night I went to Shaws & Stopy, and spent $100 … and got 140 items.

Here is what I got:

Shaws:

• 8 cans of black beans
• 10 packages of napkins
• 6 ketchups
• 6 mustards
• 6 salad dressings
• 3 Hungry Jack pancake mix
• 10 Wacky Mac pastas
• 2 Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• 6 Degree Deordants
• 1 spicy mustard
• 2 packs of 8 o’clock coffee
• 6 pickles

Stopy:

• 6 Suddenly Salads
• 3 Hamburger Helper
• 3 Knorr Sides
• 6 Laughing Cow Cheeses
• 2 bags of Pretzel Crisps
• 6 cans of Rotel Tomatos
• 4 salad dressings
• 2 packages of strawberries
• 14 Honest Teas
• 7 French’s Honey Mustard
• 6 French’s Mustard
• 1 Stopy Mustard
• 14 Heinz Ketchup

Happy couponing!

Chicken, Chicken and Chicken

I am sick of chicken. There I said it. I think I'm at the point where I just ate so much chicken I got tired of it and let me tell you...my freezer is STOCKED full of chicken (thanks to Purdue coupons).

The other night I wanted to cook something different for dinner and it surprisingly was good. Everything I bought for this dinner (minus the pasta which we buy at Whole Foods and onion/pepper) was bought using coupons.

Marinated chicken breast in Frank's Red Hot sauce, threw in some diced onion and green pepper
Cooked chicken while I was boiling water for pasta
After the chicken was cooked, added one package of Philly cooking cream, a little salt, pepper and then dumped Frank's Red Hot sauce in there

Add pasta and voila! Dinner. Although as we were eating it, I realized one thing. I used way too much hot sauce because my mouth was burning off!

Free Cereal

Yesterday I stumbled across a box of cereal at my local Shaw's for Grain Berry Cereal. (which was amazing I did because I was working on 3 hours of sleep and listening to someone else's kid scream for 20 minutes...why they didn't leave the store, I do not know...).

Anyone that knows me knows since I got a coupon for a free box of cereal in the Hannaford Organic & Natural magazine knows that every single time I go to Hannaford they are out and it drives me crazy (I have gone to Hannaford 8 or 9 times looking for this!! FRUSTRATING)! While the manufacturer's coupon for the free cereal expired, in the May issue of the same magazine, there was a coupon for $2 off a box of cereal that expired at the end of June.


I kept these coupons with me religiously knowing that one day I'd be happy with $2 off a box of cereal but I was even happier when I found the cereal at Shaw's yesterday.

On sale for 2 for $4. So wait...I'm thinking though my fogged sleepy brain yesterday..that means they are $2 each. They are free!

I'm really glad I hung onto my coupons!

Playing the Guessing Game

Let's play the guessing game...

Guess how much all this cost me at RiteAid? Because you already know I'm a super shopper (riiiighht). All this cost me $2.08!

I mostly used RiteAid Video Values coupons and because of those I got the Banana Boat sunblock (trial size) and the Twizzlers free.

The steal of the day was the Maybelline mascara which was in the clearance for $2.59 and I used a $1 off coupon. The Reeses ended up costing me $.50 out of pocket (had a $.50 off coupon from RiteAid's Video Values when you buy 2).

You can't beat that, right?

Famous?

Me? No way..I made it to the HowtoShopforFree.Net website with my post on free sunblock.

You heard it here first kids!

A Coupon Meltdown

The funniest conversation happened, after I couldn't find my coupons.

"Susan, you are having a coupon meltdown."

Me, "I AM NOT!" (as I'm frantically searching for my baggie of coupons in the car)

"Yes, you are."

Me, "I AM NOT! I'm just mad that I had coupons for free stuff and I think I left them in my other bag."

"It'll be ok, you can always shop later."

Why my coupons ended up in my knitting bag, I'll never know.