Peapod Bargains

Free Bag and 15% off

2009-04-21T19:42:00.001-05:00

Walgreens is having a 15% off discount and free bag promotion tomorrow. Here is the link.

Really Cheap Diapers and Wipes

2009-04-05T10:52:00.003-05:00

There are different ways to do this deal. I couldn't get any of the high value $3 off Huggies printables that I hear people talking about...they must be out. So, I used 2- $1.50 off coupons from the 3/1/09 SS, and a .50 off wipes coupon from the 3/1/09 SS. I also used a $5/$25 CVS coupon which was emailed to me by CVS (maybe you have access to one). (Easter baskets pictured were also free after ECB's, in case you need some).

Deal: Buy $25 in selected Huggies products, get $10 ECB.
$25: 2 jumbo packs of size 3- $10 each, and a 216ct refill pack of Huggies wipes -$5
-$8.50 coupons
-----------------
Cost: $16.50
ECB's Earned: $10

You can send your receipt in to Caregivers Marketplace for an even better deal...but I never do. :) Too lazy.

Here is another online option. I found this explanation of it on a message board posting, not sure of the original source.

Diapers.com has their Huggies jumbo packs on sale for $10.99 each right now. With the deal below, you can get 5 jumbo packs for $35.84 (it's like paying $7.17/pack) and get free shipping (our out of pocket will be even less if you have manufacturer's coupons).

Here's how it works:

1. Send in any manufacturer's coupons you have. Diapers.com accepts manufacturer's coupons. To find out how to submit your manufacturer's coupons for credit, click here.

2. If you haven't already, sign up for Ebates. If you are a new member, you will get a $5 bonus (after you make your first purchase) when you sign up here. Once you have signed up, search for Diapers.com, and click through the link on the site. You will get an additional 1% cash back for shopping through this link.

3. Choose 5 Huggies jumbo packs (size 1-6) here. Add them to your cart.

4. Proceed to check out. If you're a new member, you'll have to register.

5. Enter the coupon code MELISSASBA if you are a new customer to get $10 off your order of $49 or more. If you've ordered from diapers.com before, you can try to use the code RESOLUTION.

6. If you originally added $49 or more to your cart (before the code), your order should qualify for free shipping. Your total should be $44.95 at this point.

7. In the "promotional code" box in the bottom right hand corner, put a comma after MELISSASBA and then enter the code NEW5. An additional $5 should be deducted from your balance. You should be at $39.95 at this point. (Any coupons you have submitted should also appear as a credit on your account)

8. Submit your receipts to Caregivers Marketplace. You should get $3.75 back.

Kroger TX April 2, 2009

2009-04-02T11:07:00.003-05:00

I decided to climb back into the bargain hunting saddle today. I can't promise I'll be fully committed to the hunt. But, I think you can expect to see some regular bargain run breakdowns here in the coming weeks. Breaking down my little bargain runs seems to be helpful to people. So, here you go. I tried to get my total up using items I needed to use a $5/30 coupon. These are the items which were of interest to me personally today, and the coupons I used...

French's Yellow Mustard, 4/$5 Selected Varieties 14 oz
$0.50/1 French's Classic Yellow Mustard, Any - 03-29-09 SS

Dole Pineapple, $1, 20 oz Can
$0.55/2 Dole Canned Fruit, Any - 03-29-09 SS

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks, 3/$5 Selected Varieties 4.5-9 oz Box
$0.50/2 Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-ups OR Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit Stickerz Fruit Flavored Snacks, Any - 03-08-09 SS

Land O Lakes Butter, $2 Selected 16 oz Varieties
$0.50/1 Land O Lakes Butter, Any - 03-29-09 SS

Kraft BBQ Sauce, $0.99 Selected Varieties 18 oz

Kellogg's Froot Loops, $2.19
Corn Pops or Apple Jacks 17-17.2 oz or Kellogg's Raisin Bran 25.5 oz Box
$0.70/1 Kellogg's Cereal, Any 10 Oz. + - 02-22-09 RP

Kroger Value Spaghetti, $0.61 Selected Varieties 12 oz

The shells pictured were clearanced to .90 cents

Dreyers Ice Cream $2.99

Milk $2.49

Red grapes, sale .87 cents/lb

Kroger brand toddler fruit puffs $1.69
$1/3 coupon from Kroger mailer

$5/30 purchase coupon from a Kroger mailer

Total discounts/coupons: $25.32

Total paid: 22 items $21.41

Not too bad for my first feeble attempt to coupon in over 6 months :)

I'm Lame

2008-11-20T14:57:00.003-06:00

I know I haven't posted anything here in weeks. My excuse? I don't really have a great one. I'm busy, I'm tired of bargain hunting for the moment. I'm having a hard time getting the quantity that I need for my family when the sales do come along. I've decided to free up a lot of extra time and effort and just shop in bulk at Sam's Club (Costco is too darn far) for now. I'll leave this page up for posting sales and bargains that I come across. I'm not dedicating any real time to bargain hunting for now though. I just don't have the time. The effort is not worth it right now. :)

Walgreens $5/$20

2008-10-23T16:23:00.001-05:00

Another $5/$20 Walgreens coupon...what else is new?

A Couple of Freebies

2008-10-20T15:38:00.002-05:00

Free Fall Healthy Samples and Night time renewal kit (I'm afraid of getting the tempurpedic sample...I seriously pine for one of those beds)

CVS Run

2008-10-20T10:35:00.003-05:00

I didn't take a picture of this trip, because I put everything away in my constant battle to keep clutter at bay, and forgot about a photo. Anyway, CVS has quite a few good ECB deals going on this week. Noteworthy to me were...

Spend $25 on Huggies, Gerber, etc and get $10 ECB. I got 1 pack of diapers, 1 pack of Pull-ups, 4 packs of stage 2 fruit. Total...exactly $25-$3 coupons -$10 ECBs...$12 for 2 packs of diapers and 8 tubs of fruit. I paid with Extra Care bucks left from my last trip 2 weeks ago.

Also, I picked up some fall decor for 50% off. There are seasonal Halloween items like candy corn, light sticks, and pumpkin containers for free after ECB. My CVS only had the candy corn left of the free items. I loathe candy corn, but figured the kids might want it. My CVS was also out of the free Gum toothbrush 2 pack, and the free after ECB Powerade.

I was disappointed as usual, due to the ECB deals always being sold out by Monday morning. I decided to consult my favorite "Jamaican photo lady" who I now know is named Eden (thanks goodness I have a name to use for her now in my mind), about when the ECB deals roll over. I had heard it was really Saturday night, not Sunday morning. She said Saturday around 4pm they roll over and I can get the new deals. This would require checking the ad on Hot Coupon World in advance, and I have been lazy about bargain hunting for a long time now, but it would probably be worth it. I will try it next week, and let y'all know how it goes!

If you haven't joined the CVS advisor panel, you should. I got another $10 ECB for filling out a short survey that they emailed me yesterday. It was definitely worth the 5 minutes it took to fill it out.

Aeropostale Sale and Extra Code

2008-10-16T09:40:00.003-05:00

There is a good clearance sale going on at Aeropostale. I know I'm a little old for this store, and I haven't bought anything there before, but I did put in a small order for a pair of jeans and 2 tops. A code that gives an extra 30% off clearance items is CLEAR30.

Here is what I got...jeans down from $50 to $11 with code, and 2 shirts down from $25 and $30 to $6.99 with code. Happy shopping!

$1.67 Tyson Chicken

2008-10-08T11:45:00.003-05:00

Kroger has boneless skinless chicken for $1.67/lb starting today. That is the best price I've seen in ages. I restrained myself to 8 packages so as to allow other shoppers to stock up also. I may check back in later in the week for more though. My receipt said I saved something ridiculous like $40 just on 8 packs of chicken.

Today's Bargains

2008-10-06T17:26:00.004-05:00

I stuck one toe in the water of bargain hunting today...I'm a little rusty. I needed baby food and training pants, so I picked up a few extra deals while I was out. Here they are...
Walgreens:
4 bags of candy (4/$10)($4 Walgreens rebate...you can do them online now!)(There are supposedly internet printable coupons for these, but I didn't have them)
2 25 oz bottles of Garnier Fructis $5.99 ($3 off coupon from October Easy Saver, $2 coupons from 5/4 Red Plum insert)
2 Glade 2in1 candles ($2 Walgreens Rebate, $1 coupons 9/14 Smart Source)
1 Crest toothpaste $1.99 ($1 coupon 9/28 P&G insert Walgreens Easy Saver Coupon $1)
16 Halloween pencils (in ad coupon 8/$1)
6 Halloween tatoo booklets (in ad coupon 3/$1)
$31.95 subtotal
-$14 coupons
$17.95 OOP
Rebates earned: $6
CVS:
Always Infinity 18ct- $4.98 free after ECB's
Colgate Max Fresh $2.99 ($2 ECB, $1 coupon 9/28 Smart Source insert)
32 oz Vitamin water $2.29 free after ECB's

Total: $10.95 (plus tax)
Paid with Gift Card.
Out of Pocket: $0
ECB's earned: $9.27

14 Days of Free Vitamins

2008-10-06T17:22:00.000-05:00

14 Day Supply of Vitamins...Free!

Free Swedish Fish T-shirt

2008-10-05T07:51:00.002-05:00

Go here to get a free Sweedish Fish T-shirt.

Free Stuff From Enfamil & Baby Stuff

2008-10-03T13:32:00.001-05:00

Free samples and gift pack from Enfamil.

More Free baby stuff. Who doesn't love free stuff?

Another Walgreens Coupon

2008-10-03T09:40:00.002-05:00

Another $5/$20 Walgreens coupon. I have yet to use one of these since they changed it to $20 after all other coupons. I haven't done any of the monthly easy saver deals in ages though, so it may be worth it to start up those again using this coupon.

Halloween Costumes

2008-10-02T12:38:00.006-05:00

I'm notorious for buying Disney Store Halloween costumes. I prefer to buy them after Halloween when they are on clearance, because they are great costumes, and my daughters really work the dress up thing...like ALL THE TIME. Unfortunately, Disney does not have a very large selection of pirate costumes (they have 1), and my big girls decided that they should be pirates this year. The little ones aren't really old enough to express a costume preference yet, so they will all be running with the pirate theme this year.

So, I found myself like the average Joe, or average Jane in this case...needing to buy Halloween costumes in October. (gasp) The shame of procrastination. I don't really have time to scour the stores for 4 pirate costumes, and I challenged myself to keep the costume budget really low this year ($60 to outfit 4 kids was my goal...my price goals are such a fun little game to play...does that mean I'm mental?). I decided to turn to my old friend Google, to find suitable costumes, hopefully for a steal. To make it easier, I decided at this price point, I wasn't going to worry about quality (when I want that I shop at my beloved Disney Shopping).

I decided to go with a place called Costume Craze. (I Googled for a promo code when I got to checkout and came up with 10% off with code SNTEN). I was able to easily take care of the big girls' costumes. For L&X I had to get creative, I ordered a boy's and girl's pirate costume in tiny sizes, and depending on the fit I may have to rearrange the costume components to make them work for the right gender. Worst case scenario, I may have to do a little lazy woman's version of alteration on X's costume. It is darn hard to find baby boy pirate costumes (they are sold out everywhere). The coupon code took care of the shipping costs and I came in at $49. That leaves me $11 for any odds/ends. Not too shabby.

Free $10 Coupon Booklet from Betty Crocker

2008-10-02T06:18:00.002-05:00

Free Worksheets

2008-09-28T08:02:00.002-05:00

The Trainer found this site while staying with us and looking for worksheets for the Heroes. I'm always looking for good sites for worksheets, so many of the good ones require a subscription. I like the layout of this website, it's easy to find what you are looking for, and it's free. Check it out.

Too Many Balls in the Air

2008-09-24T11:15:00.003-05:00

Ughhh! I have too many balls in the air right now. Between a baby who won't sleep, my current health issues, the terrible twos, blogging in multiple locations, homework and activities times 2 big kids, and hurricane recovery...I'm drowning over here. I've barely clipped a coupon in the past month. Not cool.

So, today I resigned my spot writing for Deal Spice, in order to free myself up from the psychological pressure of coming up with so many bargain related topics per week. I don't like to do things if I can't do them reasonably well, and I've been grasping at straws for writing material lately. I'll be bargaining it up here exclusively for now, without the mental pressure. Life is just too busy at the moment for unnecessary self induced pressure.

The new grocery ads start today. *IF* my baby decides to grace me with a nap today, I hope to get a list going for tomorrow. I had to dispose of the entire contents of my refrigerator during the power outage and am starting over.

Our Hurricane Experience (Cross-Post)

2008-09-18T21:17:00.001-05:00

From our main blog. Back to bargain blogging ASAP...

Our internet just came back up an hour ago along with my parents' power. Our internet is always tied to their power for some reason. It was a long week with no internet.

I should have taken pictures around our neighborhood, but didn't. My mind hasn't been "all there" lately.

Last Thursday, Daniel came home early from work to take down all of our backyard stuff and store it in the garage. Afterward, we went to drop his car off inside my parents garage and picked up some pizzas for dinner.Friday we watched the ocean swell into Galveston and waited for the oncoming storm to start spreading in our direction. It was a long day of waiting. We got some last minute preparations finished. B filled a giant tub with water for me, in case we didn't have water for washing dishes.The girls used their little hook & loom sets that Grammy got them, and we played several games of Sleeping Queens. I made dinner very early in case the power went out. Daniel complained about having dinner at 4:30pm and insisted the power would not be going out until late at night. The power abruptly quit at 6:30pm. The power had not been out for more than an hour when B smashed into J and cut her lip open...

I had all of the kids sleep in my closet so that I didn't have to worry about any windows breaking on them. It was also much quieter in there and less scary. It was like a puzzle fitting a crib, a crib mattress, and 2 twin mattresses in the closet.The storm was extremely loud from 11pm-5am and it was miserably hot inside our house. It was SO loud that I went to sleep on my bathroom floor next to the children in the closet around 11pm. At 2:30 my bathroom ceiling started dripping water and flecks of drywall onto my legs. I spent the rest of the night up and down, and in and out of the garage listening to the car radio. B&J slept fine, L&X were up several times.

We awoke Saturday morning to our fence being mostly down, my hibiscus and Mexican lime tree being somewhat overturned, but that is about all. (the arbor and trampoline base were tethered to the ground with large emergency stakes and bungee cords)

Some of our neighbors lost large portions of their roofs down to the plywood, most fences were down, signs were bent or sheared right off, and many many trees were down. No flooding to speak of around here.
Saturday we cleaned up our yard, visited my parents, and I washed the first of several loads of dishes by hand. We also transferred all of our perishable food into coolers. The water lines were in tact, but not the power. The girls did not enjoy the lack of power, but they made do.

(sweaty baby)

On Sunday, Daniel joined up with some service crews heading out from church and spent most of the day checking on people. It was hot and boring with 4 kids in the house, so I ran an extension cord out to my van, attached it to the power inverter, and ran a movie for the girls to break up the day a little. We did all of our cooking on the grill on Saturday and Sunday.Sunday night, our neighbor was brought a generator and gas from his son-in-law, whose power had returned. He offered to let us plug into it (as it was quite powerful). So, we were able to plug in our refrigerator and a TV...it was great.The temperatures turned cool on Sunday night which improved our experience greatly. The children spent a lot of time outdoors.

On Monday, we unsuccessfully attempted to secure more gas for the generator, got a new post for our fence and some concrete at home depot, etc. Soon after we returned home, our power was restored at 3:30pm. Daniel returned to work on Tuesday morning. The children remain out of school for the remainder of the week.

We have been on limited water consumption due to the risk of our sewers backing up since the pumping station for our area remained without power. My parents' power was restored tonight, Thursday, and with it came our internet...hooray. That is our story...back to our regular blogging schedule tomorrow.

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-12T10:53:00.001-05:00

We are expecting a direct hit from Hurricane Ike. Will return to the Bargain blog, after the storm.

Didn't make it to the Drugstores

2008-09-10T13:28:00.002-05:00

I fully intended to get a plan done and make it to the drugstores last night. Alas, it did not happen. I did get out, I did get some bargains, but the baby didn't allow me to make a plan before leaving the house...so no CVS or Walgreens.

Reader Comments

2008-09-09T12:37:00.001-05:00

I'm dealing with a sick and cranky baby over here who doesn't want to nap...so I haven't looked at my ads yet. However, here are a couple of deals from reader Kelly...

Lands' End free shipping till Sep. 11. Promotion code is AUTUMN and PIN is 9432

And I am sure you noticed 3 bottles of Robitussin (11.97 total) earns $10 in Walgreens RR.

Thanks Kelly!

More Free Stuff

2008-09-09T06:55:00.002-05:00

Free Custom Fruit Rollup sample

Free Sears Padlock printable coupon (no purchase necessary)

Set of free lunch box notes

I'm going to make a CVS/Walgreens plan later. I doubt I'll be able to get my hands on anything being that it's already Tuesday...but I'll give it a shot, and post back later. Tonight is my "night out".

Another Free Magazine & Charity

2008-09-08T13:39:00.005-05:00

2 items for today...

NASCAR is sponsoring free registration for the Bone Marrow Registry if you sign up online from September 7-22. There is normally a $56 to register to be a bone marrow donor. Sign up HERE, and they will send you the kit (I think you swab your cheek). Then, you send it back in and you are all registered.

Also, free 3 year subscription to Remedy magazine. Click below.

Traditional Home Magazine

2008-09-06T16:14:00.002-05:00

8 free issues of Traditional Home magazine (no strings). Thanks to Frugal Freelancer.

Safeway/Randalls

2008-09-04T12:08:00.003-05:00

I scored some good deals on things that I really need a lot of today...cereal, apple juice, and granola bars. We go through endless amounts of these things every month. Safeway/Randalls is having a buy 5 get $5 off promo. I got 5 boxes of Honey Bunches of Oats, 5 boxes of Rice Krispies & Cocoa Krispies, 5 boxes of Quaker chewy granola bars, and 5 bottles of Mott's apple juice, and scored $20 worth of deductions, plus $4.75 off in manufacturer coupons...bringing the total to...$26 plus tax. Not free, but I would have to pay at least double that, if I was one to pay full price on a week to week basis.

Down East Basics

2008-09-03T12:00:00.005-05:00

I finally made a purchase from Down East Basics. I've heard good things about them, and have put things in my virtual cart there many times...but never bit the bullet and checked out. I think I've even put these exact two dresses in my cart several times. Today, I finally did it. For a whopping $30...I came away with 2 cute dresses from the clearance.

To read the long drawn out story of my big night out yesterday...go here.

Too Much Blogging

2008-09-02T14:20:00.003-05:00

Things have been super busy. Also, guess who is now writing for Deal Spice? Yours truly. I'll be linking up from here to my posts there for your convenience, and to keep it from being dead around here when I am too busy to make multiple bargain related posts each day. Here you go.

Weekly Grocery Store Advertisements

Free Cascade

2008-08-30T15:31:00.002-05:00

Free Cascade All-in-One sample and a bonus free magic eraser.

Freebies and Coupons 8/29

2008-08-29T12:22:00.003-05:00

Free Secret Clinical Sample

*Wear any team logo into Chick-fil-a on Monday and get a free 3 count chicken strips. They changed the recipe. My mom prefers the old recipe. I'm neutral. They're different, not better, not worse, still good, just different...in my opinion.

$10 off of $40 purchase Walgreens coupon (good today and tomorrow). These haven't really been worth my time since they changed the wording to "after coupons", but perhaps you have a use for it.

I'm Baaaaaack!

2008-08-28T17:19:00.002-05:00

My bargain for today...I paid $3.29 per gallon for gas. I can't believe that I am happy about that price. I vividly remember paying 89 cents per gallon one glorious summer when B was an infant.

I have altered my grocery saving strategy slightly in the past few months to suit my busy level. I thought I might point this out as a tip for others who may be too busy at times to stalk the coupon deals. I've been shopping at the grocery store in my area that I've deemed to have the lowest prices (HEB) all around (not considering sales and coupons)and I've shopped there using the sale ad only and whatever coupons I have time to grab, if any. So far this has been working. It has prevented my grocery budget from skyrocketing despite rising prices, and my lack of time for hunting the bargains. The bargains I might add, have seemed few and far between lately, making it not as fulfilling to spend time hunting.

I'll be back with more bargains later.

Comment and Article

2008-08-21T15:49:00.002-05:00

Here is a comment from reader "Kelly", left on my last post. She was looking for feedback from other readers, so I thought she would get more feedback if I started up a new post rather than leaving her comment dwindling in the comment section.

"Thought you and the other readers would enjoy this article: http://www.star-telegram.com/408/story/784987.html However, I would like to know your experience regarding meat coupons on the beer and wine aisle. I shop Kroger in the same metro area as the woman in the article and checked the wine section today (forgot that the article also said beer). No coupons! Have you ever noticed them?"

In answer to your question, Kelly...I've never gone down the wine and beer aisle. Tragic I know, but since we don't consume alcohol...it never occurred to me to check there. Thanks for the tip. I'll start cruising through that aisle and post here if I find anything of interest. Anyone else? Feel free to comment if you have experiences to share.

Deal Spice

2008-08-20T07:32:00.003-05:00

Okay, my last name has been removed from my articles. You are welcome to click on over to Deal Spice, and read them there. I'll be back to writing here (and possibly still there simultaneously) soon.

Where are the bargains?

2008-08-18T16:32:00.002-05:00

I am on a little unexpected break from bargain blogging. I'm bargain blogging on another site for the next week, and I only have so many ideas each day, LOL. I'll be back...hopefully soon. I promise.

More Free Magazines

2008-08-14T14:10:00.002-05:00

Recycled Sticky Notes free sample.

Free year of Family Fun magazine. I love this magazine. I have gotten it free for a year several times. I am currently in the middle of a 3 year subscription that I got for $4 through a discounter, because when my last free subscription ran out, I couldn't find another free year offer anywhere.

Free year of Pink magazine.

Free Lego Magazine Subscription

2008-08-10T07:54:00.002-05:00

Free Lego Magazine Subscription. Click on your country on the right side of the screen.

Walgreens Kelloggs Deal

2008-08-08T15:35:00.003-05:00

I restocked my house with groceries today. The kids have been making it impossible to bargain hunt at full capacity, so I just mainly used the sale ads, and clipped a few coupons. I got all of my produce, dairy, and meat from HEB. Items of note...baby back ribs $2.79/lb, pork tenderloin $2.97/lb, seedless grapes 99c/lb, and vine ripe tomatoes $1.99/lb (they haven't been much cheaper all summer).

Kroger has Blue Bell Ice Cream (half gallon) for $3.99. My stock up price is $3, so I only got 3. With the full price being around $5-6 lately...$3.99 was not too shabby. I also picked up free Pillsbury rolls & french loaf using the .35 cent coupons from the 7-13-08 Smart Source insert. I finally used my $2.25 off Electrasol coupon that was about to expire (on sale for $2.89). Also, buy one get one free boneless skinless chicken breasts (equates to $2.50/lb). I haven't been able to find these any cheaper recently so I caved and paid the extra 50 cents/lb over my usual stock up price of $2/lb. And finally, there have been several General Mills coupons out recently, so I used $1/2 coupon for 2 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios at $2.69 per box (not a great price but I'm low on cereal).

Lastly, there was a special Kelloggs insert in this week's paper. It coincides with a Walgreens Register Reward Deal...

Buy $10 in participating Kelloggs products and get a $5 RR. My Walgreens was pretty cleaned out, but I did manage to get 2 boxes of Nutrigrain Bars, and 2 boxes of Special K with red berries....4/$10 minus $2 in coupons from the insert, earned $5 RR (breaks down to 4/$3 final if you want to look at it that way). Now, in the special Kelloggs insert there is a mail in rebate for $10 when you buy 10 participating products. My Walgreens was too cleared out to get 10 items though, so I passed on that for now. The rebate states that all items need to be on one receipt.

I'm Back

2008-08-08T06:59:00.003-05:00

I'm back from my vacation (paid for by bargain hunting an awesome deal on a hotel, cutting my grocery budget through coupons/deals, and working some from home). Paying for a vacation ahead of time and in cash was fun and rewarding.

Now, back to business. My house is a mess and I'm very low on groceries. Time to scour the ads, make a plan, and hit the road. I'll be back with a recap later today. Hope y'all had a great week!

2008-07-30T07:05:00.002-05:00

*Don't forget your $1.50 Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory today.

*We were in CVS yesterday trying to burn our remaining ECB's so they didn't expire while we are on vacation. My daughter B asked me to please explain to her what "bucks" were and why I was trying to spend them. I told her I would explain later because I was wrestling 2 irritable babies. Sure enough she came into my room last night and said, "Mama, now can you explain to me about the Extra Care Bucks?" She's a coupon queen in training. She seemed satisfied by the explanation.

*Enter a quick and easy instant win at Nestle.

*6 $1 Cheerios coupons here.

Today's Freebies

2008-07-24T05:10:00.002-05:00

Items of interest from the Centsible Sawyer.

Get a free year of PC World here. On a related note my free subscription to Woman's Day has already started arriving. I forgot how much I enjoy that magazine.

Go here to get a free Juicy Juice sippy cup.

Go here to get a free sample of Oatmeal Raisin Crisp cereal. This is my favorite cereal. Speaking of cereal...I made granola from scratch last Saturday, and have been eating it as my cereal all week. It is delicious. The recipe I used/tweaked only involved oats, applesauce, honey, Cheerios, and a tiny bit of butter and brown sugar.

Walgreens Today

2008-07-21T12:57:00.007-05:00

I basically got all of these free at 2 different Walgreens today. It was thrilling. Especially since I was completely out of training pants. Now I've got enough to last the duration of potty training. For those new to couponing, who find this all too difficult and confusing...I'm going to walk through it step by step, since this was a very easy transaction.
*I also picked up 2 little Cutter bug repellants and 2 sure deodorants. Tear out the Sure and Cutter coupons out of the July Easy Saver book pictured below, and get the Cutter coupon (6/15 Smart Source insert) and the Sure coupon (6/29 Smart Source insert). That combination will make the above items free. Ignore that part if you just want the diapers/training pants.

Here's what you do...get 3 bags of Walgreens diapers/training pants on sale this week for $5.99 per jumbo pack. You're going to want these 2 booklets pictured below. The Easy Saver catalog is always on the rack with the weekly ads at the front of the store. The other booklet is available by asking at the pharmacy counter.These are the 2 coupons in question that you want to use (one is technically a manufacturer coupon, the easy saver I think, and one is a store coupon. You can use 1 manufacturer and one store coupon combined per item)So, you get your 3 bags of diapers/training pants @$5.99 each...have them scan the 2 coupons (they don't normally need to keep the Walgreens coupons so you should just be able to keep them), and your total will go down to around $4.84 (it will deduct $2 per bag for one coupon, and $2.50 per bag for the other coupon)...then you pay. Along with your receipt will print out a $5 Register reward. It will look like these...Your Register Reward is good on the purchase of basically anything at Walgreens (except things like alcohol, lottery tickets, etc).

Rinse and repeat as many times as you wish. Just don't use your $5 RR to buy more diapers. You can...but if you use one to repeat the same "deal" that you earned the RR on, a new $5 RR won't print out at the end. Of course that's your choice.

I did 6 bags at my Walgreens (she gave me an extra $5 RR even though I told her to go ahead and rip it up or take it back because I wasn't supposed to get an extra one. It was a register issue from her having to correct my total after we found the missing Pharmacy coupon book).

Then, I was on such a bargain high that I bribed my children to let me run into one more Walgreens down the street by letting them each pick out a candy item from the 2nd Walgreens. Worked like a charm. I got 6 more bags at the 2nd Walgreens and basically just paid for the $1.50 worth of candy the kids got.

Total Out of Pocket expense...around $18. Remaining: $25 worth of Register Rewards, i.e. free money to spend at Walgreens. In a nutshell about $100 worth of diapers for free. It was a fun morning.

Repeat Diaper Deal

2008-07-21T08:24:00.002-05:00

Today I will attempt to repeat the Walgreens Diaper Deal of 2 weeks ago. This time with training pants. I'm all the way out of training pants.

Old Navy Update

2008-07-18T12:59:00.008-05:00

This is my favorite find. A nice dark pleated denim skirt, with navy cotton attached under shorts ($3.50) and a cute little white eyelet top ($5). What is it about paying $8.50 for this outfit that makes me love it even more than I would have otherwise?
All 4 peas and I rocked the Old Navy sale bright and early this morning. It was a miserable hour with L throwing epic tantrums, and X being more irritable than usual (he's a man and he hates shopping already). I would not have done it for any other reason than the semi-annual clearance of the clearance sale. It was worth all the gray hairs I acquired in that hour. The big kids needed back to school stuff (we need warm weather clothes 9 months a year here), and I had exactly 2 pairs of shorts that were not maternity. I was a desperate woman. I told B&J what size to look for on the rack, and had them give me everything they wanted that was in their size(s). They were enjoying the freedom to buy whatever their hearts desired. Everything that didn't look like it belonged on a hooker, we bought. B kept handing me strapless tops, because she thought they were skirts. She could not understand why they would make shirts with no arms. I can't really understand it either, at least not for elementary school aged children.L didn't need much (as she's not going back to school and has endlessly stuffed drawers due to having 2 sisters). I did get her beach shoes for our trip ($2.50) and this cute skirt ($3.50) and sweater ($2.50). B's stuff. My favorite are the 2 shirts on the right.J's stuff. My favorite is the outfit on the right.Yay! Some everyday clothes for me (I still need more shirts, but didn't have time to browse). I bought every pair of bottoms they had in a size 0-2...for $6.50 each!!! The white things are a pair of lounge pants which I am currently lounging in. They are my new favorite pants. If I could wear them out in public I would have bought 10 pairs and worn them everyday (especially at the price of $3.50).

Total spent: $115...(29 items)
average price per item: $3.96 (some double that, some half that)

Cons of the sale: I did not see anything cute for baby X. The boys items were slim pickings in general, as was the size 2t for L. The bottoms were somewhat slim pickings for the big girls also. So, I will just need to pick up a couple of pairs of shorts or capris for them to balance out their existing wardrobes for back to school. Luckily they still have quite a few bottoms that fit nicely. I also still need to get them new school shoes.

Old Navy

2008-07-18T08:31:00.003-05:00

Rumor has it that the Old Navy 50% additional reduction off already clearanced merchandise sale is on. The trick is...it's only on at stores with a certain amount of clearance inventory that needs to be eliminated. I'm going to call my store and find out (though I'm told they may lie and say it's not on). I may need to go down and check myself.

U.S. News & World Report

2008-07-18T08:30:00.001-05:00

Here is a free subscription to US News & World Report.

Do you love Etsy?

2008-07-16T14:08:00.004-05:00

Some day, when I have more free time...yeah that will probably never happen...I would love to have an Etsy shop. I do so love the crafts. Unfortunately, I'm a busy girl. In the meantime, if you love Etsy, and you love a bargain, check out this blog with Etsy coupon codes from Etsy sellers.

Free Box of Cheerios

2008-07-16T14:08:00.001-05:00

Get a free box of Cheerios here.

Safeway Summer Savings Continued

2008-07-14T10:17:00.003-05:00

I stopped in for another round of the summer savings promo. I'm up to a very large stack of cake mixes, LOL. I also needed some frozen veggies, and they counted toward the promo. So, even though they were not a great deal (they were the normal price I would pay) I got them anyway.

4 frosted flakes & Pop Tarts (they were out of mini wheats) (4/$6 super coupon)
2 Sprite bottles 6pk (2/$3 super coupon)
5 Green Giant frozen veggies ( 3/$6)
6 cheetos & fritos... (3/$5)
4 BC cake mix (4/$5)
4 BC frosting ($1.50 each)

Total: approx $40.00 - $20 Coupon -(4-.50 frosting coupons doubled) $4 =
paid $16+ got a new $20 coupon

Office Depot

2008-07-14T06:03:00.002-05:00

I noticed in the ad yesterday that Office Depot is having a 1 cent sale this week. I usually only hear about these at Staples. Since we don't have a Staples...I've never gotten in on them. Normally, I get the school supplies through the weekly Target sales that happen during the latter half of the summer. I'm going to have Daniel run in on his way to work. Hopefully they won't be totally sold out already. Not being a Sunday shopper puts a huge kink in the bargain hunting, since most sales start Sunday and are usually ravaged by Monday morning. Here is what is on sale...

12 packs of pencil toppers (limit 5),
6" protractors (limit 5),
2 pocket folders (limit 20),
rulers (limit 5)

Free Sammie and Free Red Robin

2008-07-11T13:38:00.002-05:00

Thanks to The Centsible Sawyer...

Free Sammie from Quiznos.

Free Burger on your birthday (sign up your whole family if you want) from Red Robin.

Cheesecake?

2008-07-10T12:41:00.004-05:00

If you like Cheesecake...the Cheesecake Factory is offering the price of $1.50 on all varieties of their cheesecake on July 30th. Some sort of anniversary type of thing. So stop in for some cheesecake, or take it to go. You can't beat that price for Cheesecake Factory cheesecake.

Free Crazy Bread

2008-07-09T20:08:00.001-05:00

Free crazy bread if you have a little Caesar's. (from the Centsible Sawyer)

Update on Safeway/Randalls

2008-07-09T15:32:00.003-05:00

I'm home. I got the items that I was trying to get...and an eye exam. The price was not super cheap, but I do now have a $20 coupon to roll for the rest of the 3 week deal. My deals will be more impressive for the duration of the sale. I'm so mad because I realized that with the milk and bread I bought...my total was just over $50, and I could have used a $5 off $50 coupon from my Entertainment book...doh!

4 frosted mini wheats...6 (4/$6 super coupon)
2 coke bottles 6pk...3 (2/$3 super coupon)
5 Kleenex...7.50 (2/$3)
6 cheetos & fritos...10 (3/$5)
8 BC cake mix...10 (4/$5)

Total: $36.50...and a $20 coupon (could have been $31.50 if I had been smarter)

Fast Out of the Gate

2008-07-09T06:03:00.004-05:00

I have an eye Dr appt this morning, and want to be fast out of the gate for the first day of this 20 day Randalls Promo. I'm sure I'll hear about better deals/coupon match-ups by checking Hot Coupon World after the first couple of days. Until then...I want to get in on the super coupons for this week (my kids go crazy for mini-wheats easily eating 2 boxes per week). So, here's what I'm shooting for today...

25 participating items...earns $20 off your next order Catalina coupon

4 frosted mini wheats...6 (4/$6 super coupon)
2 coke bottles 6pk...3 (2/$3 super coupon)
5 Kleenex...7.50 (2/$3)
6 cheetohs...10 (3/$5)
8 BC cake mix...10 (4/$5)

I'm going to check the Betty Crocker fruit snacks and Green Giant frozen veggies prices and for peelie coupons or blinkie coupons...I'll do 25 more on the fly if anything interesting arises. I'll report back later.

Hallelujah...a new Randalls/Safeway Promo

2008-07-08T10:53:00.002-05:00

Word on the street is that there is a new Randalls promo running from tomorrow 7/9-7/29. Sounds like it will be the same as the good ole "Rally to Savings". I remember the Rally fondly. I ended up with 50 boxes of cereal, tons of frozen veggies, dozens of cans of tomatoes, dozens of boxes of granola bars and fruit snacks. My grocery stockpile has been dwindling, and I'm ready for a new promo. I'm not sure what items will be on this one (and I hope Randalls participates), but the old deal was buy 25 items, get a $20 catalina for your next shopping trip, and we rolled and rolled until the deal was over. Check your grocery ads tonight/tomorrow for details.

Free year of More Magazine

2008-07-06T12:29:00.003-05:00

Free Year of More Magazine

Free 20 oz Coke Zero

2008-07-05T15:21:00.002-05:00

This is a new Coke Rewards item. If you drink coke...sign up for coke rewards. When signed in...search for taste of victory...0 points. Press redeem, and voila...they will send you your free 20oz Coke Zero (coupon I assume).

Now, if only they would make Caffeine Free Coke with Lime...I would be happy.

CVS

2008-07-04T16:29:00.003-05:00

Today only there is a $4/$20 CVS coupon. You would have had it emailed to you if it is activated on your card. You can use the instructions at I Heart CVS to check if you didn't get an email. I did not get an email and used those instructions to find out that I did indeed have one issued to me.

I had $16.50 in ECB's. So, I did 2 Coppertone Water Babies spray sunblock at $9.99 (which I needed), 40 ct OB tampons, and 1 Crest toothpaste. There were ECB's back on all of these items. There was an OB coupon in last Sunday's inserts. I had a $1 Crest coupon from a mailer of some sort. Final total was $3.xx, and I earned $12.50 in new ECB's.

Free Walgreens Diapers

2008-07-02T14:46:00.003-05:00

I am not one to buy generic diapers...I always buy Huggies or Pampers as long as I can get them for $5 per jumbo pack or less. But it doesn't really count as buying them, when they were free. So, I got 6 bags of diapers for negative 32 cents total. I planned to buy the kids water guns while I was there...so I used my Register Rewards that printed on the diapers, since I was going to spend that $ anyway.

I don't feel like retyping the details. So here is the info from the Bargain Hunter Lady.

"Buy 3 packages of Walgreens brand Jumbo diapers–on sale for $5.99 this week

Use $5/2 EasySaver coupon–this should take $2.50 off each pack of diapers
Use $2/1 Savings Book coupon–this should take $2 off each pack of diapers
Spend $4.47 plus tax out of pocket
Get $5 Register Rewards back
Free after coupons and Register Rewards!"

So I just pulled out the coupon from the July Easy Saver book at the front of the store...got the 3 packs I wanted...she rang me up...then she pulled the extra Savings book coupon out from under the register and scanned it (I didn't even ask when I didn't find it near the pharmacy counter). My total was $4.84 and a $5 Register Reward printed. I repeated one more time. Then, I used my Register Rewards to pay for the water guns.

Lucky Search

2008-07-01T17:27:00.004-05:00

I don't think I've ever done one of these types of prize earning things before. You basically earn your choice of a bunch of different prizes (all around $250) by accomplishing the items listed below this post. I thought since Angie at Frugal Freelancer did it...I would give this one a try just for fun. She always manages to earn these things. Angie started my bargain hunting obsession 7 years ago when I saw her on the Today show and joined her mailing list. I've been following her awesome skills every since. Want to give it a try with me? Click the picture above. I'm shooting for the $250 Lowe's gift card to work on some house projects. If you're a blogger...post your personalized link on your blog and I'll bet you can do this too.

The way that I remember to do the required 1 search per day for the 2 consecutive days after joining...I go to the main page for Lucky Search in this case, then drag it up to my browser toolbar so that I can see it. When I'm done with the 2 day requirement...I just remove it from my toolbar. That is how I earned a big box of free Playskool toys from Cafe Mom last year.

To get your Free Luck Prize, you must add 10 Eligible friends to your Personal Network. Eligible friends will be noted by a legend on the Account page.
To be deemed eligible, your friends must have at least 10 people in their Personal Network, and they must be validated and active members, which means that they sign in and do at least one search on LuckySearch.com in 2 consecutive days following their registration.

Ponds towelette sample

2008-07-01T16:52:00.000-05:00

Free Ponds towelette sample

Free Huggies Sample

2008-07-01T16:50:00.000-05:00

Free Huggies diapers & wipes sample.

50 Free Prints & Photo Mug

2008-07-01T16:48:00.002-05:00

Get a snapfish account (free) through Publix here...and get 50 free prints and a free photo mug. I think this is today only.

The Deals I did today...

2008-06-26T14:44:00.005-05:00

I barely ever leave the neighborhood anymore to go shopping. When I do (about once a week), I like to do all of my stops in one trip. Today was the day. With my faithful sidekick (Grammy) guarding the kids in the minivan for my short run-ins, I embarked on a whirlwind trip.

1: Deposited checks in the bank.2: CVS: I'm totally out of Extra Care Bucks with the whole never getting out thing. The new lack of printable $/$$ coupons has put a damper on my CVSing. I'm also low on paper products. I wanted to get 4 packs of Charmin, but of course they only had one pack. So, I just did the deal with Bounty paper towels 8pk $5.49 (3) and (1) pack of 12 Charmin Big Rolls $5.99. The deal is $10 ECB back on $20 purchase of these items. Not great, but not bad.
3: Library. Kids got new books and books on CD. I paid a $9 library fine (from when a book was temporarily lost while I was busy giving birth and recovering). Not a bargain!
4: Randalls (Safeway): 99 cent ground beef!!! You can't beat that price. I also needed bread (3/$4). So I got $40 worth of ground beef for $13, and I was totally out of it too. I shouldn't need any for about 2 months now.
5: Chick-fil-a: Lunch for 5...Not a bargain!
6: Bed Bath Beyond: They didn't have the bedding I wanted in King size. Had a 20% coupon.
7: Target: 1 can of cashews, 2 12oz Kraft singles, 4 boxes Frosted Mini-wheats, 9 envelopes Kool-aid, 1 bag of baby carrots, 2 travel sized All small and mighty. Used 2 coupons from Sunday's Parade section for free cheese with purchase of 3 participating products (Kool-aid), Used 1 coupon for $3 off nuts (nuts were on sale for $3), used $1 off produce with purchase of the mini-wheats. Mini-wheats were 4/$10 plus a $5 gift card back. Used 2 $1 off All Small & Mighty any size from the 6/22 Red Plum insert. Final total $12 plus $5 gift card.

Free Sample of Underjams

2008-06-26T14:39:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking about getting a few of these for an upcoming vacation. My oldest has a little trouble with sleeping too deeply on occasion with unfortunate results. It seems to flare up when away from home (I think all of the activity wears her out, plus the extra drinking...it's a recipe for disaster. So, if the sample doesn't look too much like a diaper, I'm going to pick up a pack. Here's the free sample.

Free 1 year Women's Day Subscription

2008-06-25T13:53:00.001-05:00

For a quick survey...Click Here

Free Summer Coupons Booklet

2008-06-25T12:54:00.000-05:00

Free summer coupons booklet

Free "Green" Binder Set

2008-06-25T12:51:00.002-05:00

Free "Green" Binder Set

Chick-fil-a July 11

2008-06-25T12:47:00.001-05:00

Dress like cows and get free combo meals at Chick-fil-a. Find the details here.

$1 Flip Flops

2008-06-25T12:44:00.003-05:00

I'm not a flip flop snob. I'm totally fine with the Old Navy cheapo flip flops. This Saturday only you can buy them for $1 per pair (limit 5 per customer). If I'm out and about Saturday, I'll definitely go pick some up. My kids can never find their flip flops.

Free Warm Delights Minis

2008-06-25T12:31:00.001-05:00

Sorry, I haven't been bargain hunting much lately. I'm still trying to get back on the ball with this blog. Ideally I want to post at least an average of 1 bargain per day.

Free Warm Delights Minis

For those in Texas

2008-06-24T09:45:00.002-05:00

I should have posted this a while back, but its been busy. Today is the last day for it too. If you have an HEB near you they are having some great 5 for $5 deals. I now have my three month supply of sugar from this deal, 100+ lbs. Now I just need to get the mylar sealer to store them. You can also go to Walmart where they will match the price. They also the 3 and 8 packs of gum on the same deal. Great for your 72 hour kits if you need to put them together.

Free Schick Intuition Razor

2008-06-17T14:09:00.000-05:00

Free Schick Razor for entering online.

Another $5 Friday Walgreens Coupon

2008-06-12T15:00:00.002-05:00

I have never actually used any of the previous ones. Maybe this will be the week that I actually do it. Only time will tell. Here is the linky.

If you are into fashion...

2008-06-09T05:26:00.002-05:00

which I'm not, read this...
From freep.com,

Ever wish you could shop designer sample sales without having to leave your home or office or wherever you keep your computer?

Well, now you can!

The Web site www.editorscloset.com hosts regular sample sales on designer goods. Recent sales have included specials from Betsey Johnson, Lancel, Lalique and Sonia Rykiel.

Prices are about 30% to 75% off retail. Which means a Betsey Johnson rayon leopard halter dress that sells for $305 was available for $115, making it a fabulous deal for a woman who can pull it off.

Usually you have to be referred by a member of the site, but www.editorscloset.com is making special accommodations for Free Press readers.

Just log onto the site, click on membership and, in the space that asks for referrer's e-mail, type: detroit@editorscloset.com

Membership is free. Within minutes, you'll be able to shop, shop, shop.

Strawberries

2008-06-08T17:43:00.002-05:00

Dole Strawberries are $4.88 for a 4lb box at Randalls/Safeway. I had a $5 Randalls coupon so we got 12 lbs and made jam.

Pampers

2008-06-05T14:43:00.002-05:00

Emily's computer is dead. But, she told me that there is some type of awesome diaper deal going on at CVS, and she ordered coupons. I think she was talking about a deal next week, but I haven't seen the details of next week. Personally, I won't pay more than $5 per jumbo pack (the regular price is somewhere in the $11 range i believe). I checked my ad. Looks like $7.99 for Pampers with $5 in ECB with the purchase of $20 for this week. So, lets see... I know I have a bunch of Pampers coupons, and my CVS gets restocked Thursday nights. I think I'll try to stop in tomorrow and see if my CVS has any in stock.

7.99 x 3 packs = $24 - $3.50 pampers coupons - $4/$20 CVS

$17...earns $5 ECB so approx $4/pack (I have some ECB's to use so my Out Of Pocket (oop) will be lower than $17. It will be around $10 for 3 packs.

When I figure out what next week's deal is, or Emily gets on here...we will post it.

Walgreens $10 off $30!!! ~ Friday only

2008-05-29T07:52:00.003-05:00

This is a good one. I may have to stop in tomorrow even though I am going to be swamped.
Click here for the coupon.

8 stops

2008-05-24T07:06:00.010-05:00

So, I never have time to bargain shop anymore with the whole "4 kids" business. In fact, I barely leave the house. Also, with gas prices, I like to consolidate everything into one trip since all my stores are bunched together on the same road. So, I waited until Daniel got home Thursday night and went on a whirlwind run for 3 hours alone. I'll try to post earlier in the week next time, I know this doesn't leave a lot of time for anyone wanting to copy the deals. 9 stops...

1. Bank: deposited $30 in little checks that I had hanging around

2. CVS:3 boxes of Flavor Ice $1 each on sale
2 Deodorant 2/$6 earns $2 ECB and I had 75 cent coupons on each (I think)
Colgate 360 toothbrush: $3.99 earns $3.99 in ECB
Dial 3 pack: 1.99 Earns $1 ECB had a 60 cent coupon
Almay I-color eye shadow: $6.99 earns $5.99 ECB had $1 coupon
Wrapping paper for B's birthday (not pictured)- $3.99
Total: Just over $25- $5/$25 coupon-$3.10 manufacturer coupons- $7 ECB used Paid: $10 Earned $12 in new ECB

3. Gymboree: Returned baby gifts from mom (I had SO much newborn boy stuff). Got $100 on a Gymboree Store Credit for later use...like when he grows out of this stuff and needs new clothes.

4. Randalls/Safeway:Tomatoes: 1.50/lb vine ripe
TX sweet onions: 88c/lb
Bread: 1.89 each
6 Hallmark cards: 99c each (buy 3 get a free case of coke)
4 cases soda: Buy 2 Get 2 free plus get 24 pack Dasani free
1 free case of Dasani
3 boxes Capri Sun: 1.99 each (I had a $5 off coupon left from Team Snack Promo)
*Disclaimer...don't get the A&W like I did, get all coke...it screwed up my deal and I ended up paying for 1 box of soda instead of zero boxes. It could have been 4 free cokes and a water with just the purchase of the 6 99 cent Hallmark cards if I had done it right.
Final total: $20

5. Walgreens: I should have gone Friday to use the $5 coupon...but I had $20 in RR's expiring Thursday night and I didn't want to take the chance of losing the free $20. Total: $21.xx-$20 RR- Paid: $1.xx

6. Gas station (wanted to fill up before Memorial Day price spike): 10 cent/gallon Kroger discount. $3.61 per gallon...$68 ouch.

7. Kroger: Too many coupons used and deals to mention. Go read the Kroger section at Hot Coupon World if you are interested. However, I will mention that I did the diaper deal again.Get $4 instant deduction on $20 in Huggies products. Limit 2 deals per transaction. I get the Huggies coupons in the mail...so I had a ton. Also, you can currently send in for a $5 rebate when you buy 3 packages of Huggies.
2 bags Pull-ups: $9.49 each
2 bags diapers: $9.49 each
1 Oatmeal and Shea butter wash: $2.99
Total: $40.95-$8 instant deduction-$8 Huggies Coupons-$5 Huggies Rebate
Final Total: $19.95 under $5 per jumbo pkg...not bad.

8. Chick-fil-a: Had a coupon for a free shake. $0, then I bought one extra to be nice to Daniel. So, 2 for the price of 1, I suppose.

$5 Walgreens coupon ~ Friday only

2008-05-22T11:15:00.001-05:00

http://www.walgreens.com/hotbuys/default.jsp?ec=hn540s_trouble

Win a Nintendo DS

2008-05-19T17:28:00.002-05:00

Only 100 total entries allowed. So, you have a 1/100 chance. Not too bad.
http://www.thecronblog.com/win-a-nintendo-ds-for-free/

$31 in coupons

2008-05-18T17:37:00.005-05:00

Go to Start Sampling to get a $31 Home Made Simple coupon book.

Disney Shopping

2008-05-18T09:28:00.007-05:00

Disney Shopping (formerly Disneystore.com) is currently running free shipping on $50+ purchases...code: SHIP50. Also, 2 free admissions to the new Narnia movie with $75 purchases...code:NARNIA. B chose to go ice skating & to the new Narnia movie for her birthday this week. So, I needed to buy tickets anyway. My girls also all needed new swimsuits for this summer. So, I killed 2 birds with one stone. Luckily they had a couple of more "mature" styles for B, because she wanted a Disney suit like her sisters, but she didn't want it to be too babyish. I got great prices on J&L's suits, and ordered 4 nice beach towels for $6.99 each. I LOVE Disney beach towels, and always pick some up on sale when they are available at this price. They are NICE towels. Here is my order...

Fairies Racerback Swimsuit Size : 5 $9.99
Ariel Postcard Greetings Beach Towel $6.99
Little Einsteins Swim Trunks for Infants Size : 12M $3.99
Fairies Postcard Greetings Beach Towel $6.99
Princess 2-Pc. Tankini Swimsuit Size : 6 $19.50
Fairies Beach Towel $6.99
Disney Family Postcard Greetings Beach Towel $6.99
Fairies Racerback Swimsuit Size : 2 $9.99
Jo Jo Costume Size : XXS $3.99
Free Shipping & Free Narnia tickets

Free Teddy Grahams sample

2008-05-16T10:12:00.001-05:00

http://www.scholastic.com/teddytrail/

Today's bargains

2008-05-16T08:58:00.002-05:00

L woke up at 5am today, so we decided to just go and do the grocery shopping together...at 6am

Today at Kroger, I got a few noteworthy deals. I almost wish I had ordered pasta coupons.

Barilla pasta is 10/$10. The thing is...that includes the whole grain and the Piccolino. There are coupons for those in the 5/4 Smart Source (SS) insert, and my Kroger doubles to 50 cents. So, I got 2 of the whole grain for free, and 2 of the Piccolino for 50 cents.

If you get the personal coupons sent every month from Kroger, I got a 50 cent on Hamburger buns, which were $1 also, so the coupon doubled=free buns. I also got a coupon for a free box of Cheerios in the ones they sent me this month.

Lunchables. I wouldn't normally buy them, but they are $1 for the small ones, and the 4/27 SS insert had $1 off 3, so I got 3 for $2.

Bounty basic paper towels: single rolls are $1. the 4/6 and 5/4 P&G inserts had 25 cent off any bounty basic coupons, which triple to 75 cents...so .25 per roll.

Pringles are $1, and there was a $1 off of 3 in the 5/4 P&G insert. So, 3/$2. I got 6, since I had 2 coupons.

Huggies. The register will deduct $4 instantly with the purchase of $20 in Huggies products. I had lots of coupons from the Huggies mailers that they send out. So...I got 2 bags of 2t-3t pullups, and a baby soap. The diapers & pull-ups were $9.49, the soap was $2.99. So, $21.97-$4.50 in coupons-$4 instant deduction= $13.47. I'm thinking I should have done this twice and gotten 4 bags since I have plenty of coupons. Oh well.

I'm behind on bargains

2008-05-10T18:10:00.002-05:00

I'm having a pathetic run at bargain hunting lately. I did make one run to Walgreens this week to get a ton of free Mr. Clean wipes. I could have done a lot of other deals, but didn't have the mojo.

I paid off my freezer this month. Yay for me. It only took me 2 payments, and I did it out of my grocery budget with a little bit thrown in from my job.

Now on to my next fun challenge. I try my best not to spend money out of our regular account. This helps my husband maximize our debt payments every month. Having 3 kids and spending 5 years in grad school has a way of racking up the debt. Luckily, that phase of life is over. So, I work part time from home, and I add those checks to my personal spending account, where my grocery & gas budget are also deposited every 2 weeks.

So what is my new fun challenge? We decided that with all the medical bills from having baby X (just his NICU bill for 3 night/4 days was $29,000, not to mention my c-section bill plus 4 nights in the hospital...thank goodness for good insurance), we could not really afford to take a vacation this summer. So, I decided to finance a little vacation myself. I'm planning to do this by amping up my bargain hunting for the next couple of months, and working quite a few shifts during the late afternoon/early evening, in a supervisory capacity over the next month or so.

I got a great deal on a new 3 bedroom/ 3 bath condo at a resort in Destin FL. So, I booked it for 5 nights. I'm hoping my parents will be able to join us. If you are looking for a great deal...go here. I only paid $179 per night, which for 3bdrm/3 bath and brand new is awesome. The great prices are only good for a few more days though. So, if you happen to want to go...book now. Oh and it comes with a $50-$100 gift card for 5-7 night stays.

Hopefully, I will have some deals to post as I embark on my goal to raise the $1k I need to pay for this hotel stay.

Safeway/Randalls

2008-05-02T14:08:00.003-05:00

*Edited to add: We stopped by and got 16 boxes of Capri Sun at a net of .75 per box. I got 8, then sent Daniel in to get me 8 more. The shelves were amply stocked. I also got 4 boxes of granola bars. X has a Dr appt this week which will require me to drive past Randalls again. I will probably grab about 8 more then.

Remember the score 4 promo? It's back. Time to load up on some more Capri Sun and Quaker Granola Bars. Yeah!

So, you know the deal. Buy 4 participating items, get a $5 catalina coupon "off your next order", then roll, roll, roll it. Buy 4 more, use your $5 coupon, and so on.

*Do you know what wasn't a bargain today? The $71 it cost to fill my gas tank! My groceries for the week only ran me $75. That's just crazy.

Walgreens Rebate

2008-05-01T20:05:00.001-05:00

If you do the Walgreens monthly rebates you may be interested to know that you can now fill out your rebate online in all 50 states. It was so easy!

CVS doesn't want to make money.

2008-04-22T15:28:00.002-05:00

That is the only thing I can figure. I mean, I get so many things there for so little that there can't be any profit. Today was the kicker. Remember how I transferred my $3 prescription to Walgreens and got a $25 gift card on Friday. Well, today CVS called. I thought maybe they were going to bust me for bargain hunting. It turned out that they were "distressed" to find out that I had transferred a prescription to Walgreens. They wanted to transfer it back to CVS and give me another $30 gift card for returning it to CVS. It's a $3-$4 prescription!!! Why are they so obsessed with it? I suppose any prescription regardless of value must trigger this type of response. Crazy. Why don't they just hand out cash at the door?

Mini Bargain Run

2008-04-18T16:51:00.004-05:00

After being in the hospital and in the house for the past 10 days, we had a ton of errands to run today. We were all over town. While we were out I ran into CVS and Walgreens and did a couple of small deals...CVS:
bought 10 medium sized (11oz-14oz) bags of M&M's at B1G1 free (3.29 each)
bought 4 12pks of Mt Dew for $3 each
Used 1 $4/20 printable
Used 1 $14.97 ECB

Spent: around $10 received $18 in new ECB's (15 for M&M's, 3 for Mt Dew) Walgreens:
I heard that if you buy 4 of the Suave or Rave products that were B1G1 50% off, a Register Reward for $6 would print. I also heard it could be rolled. So, first I got the shampoo and conditioners (the 4 bottles on the right). The total was $7.xx, and it gave me a $6 RR. Good deal. Then I tried to get the 4 things on the left. My total after using the RR was $1.xx But, apparently they were not all B1G1 50% off, because it didn't spit out my new $6 RR. I was going to do it a couple more times, but wasn't feeling in the mood. So, I let it slide. I also transferred a prescription to Walgreens and had a Catalina that printed out for me a couple of weeks ago for a $25 Walgreens gift card with a transferred prescription. So, I got my prescription which cost $3.33, and got a $25 gift card for free. Can't beat that. It softened the blow of my Suave deal gone wrong. LOL

***Update: looks like the rolling Register Reward was fixed today so that it doesn't roll anymore. I guess I was one day too late in finally getting out and working this deal. :)

Wellness 360

2008-04-17T15:27:00.004-05:00

Since I'm spending so much time hanging out in bed with a newborn, I signed up for Wellness 360 today. I heard that they are doing triple points right now. I sent an invite to the 2 contributing bloggers here, in case they are interested. I've just been clicking around on the site a little and my $ balance is going up, up, up. This site is somehow tied to CVS, but I'm not sure exactly what the connection is. Maybe it's run by CVS. If anyone else would like an invite, email me at peapodpink@gmail.com and I'll send one right out to you. You could go straight through the main portal, or you could get a referral email from me (which will get me extra points).

*I've never seen any "get-paid-to" type of site that generated $ this quickly. Especially not a reputable one tied to a major corporation.

Free Cheese

2008-04-16T16:09:00.002-05:00

Can you tell I'm stuck in my room today? I'm trying to keep the baby from catching the kids cough/cold.

Free Kraft singles for the first 1000 respondents. Today only. I just got in.

Kroger/Stimulus Check

2008-04-16T15:48:00.003-05:00

What does Kroger have to do with your stimulus check? Read here. It sounds like you don't need to use your actual stimulus check. I think I will probably at least do the $300, just because it will get me an extra $30 worth of groceries free, and I spend that much at Kroger in a month anyway.

$10 off of $25 purchase Lowe's

2008-04-16T10:57:00.002-05:00

Coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase at Lowe's. They email it to you immediately.

Bargain Break

2008-04-07T08:14:00.000-05:00

I'm off to have a baby tomorrow morning. See you when I get back on my feet.

Kroger this week

2008-04-02T11:21:00.002-05:00

The new Kroger ad starts today. I didn't even have time to look for coupons or try to match anything up, nor read any of my bargain message boards to tell me what to buy. I'm too pregnant and tired. But, the sales are so good, I had to at least mention a few things.

There are tons of items on a promo where it deducts $5 off of your total when you buy 10 items. The limit is 3 deals...so 30 items per transaction. If I get motivated later in the week (and don't go into labor) and find some matching coupons, I may stop back in for a few more. This brings the final price on the following items (which are the ones of interest to me personally) to...
Breyers Ice Cream: $2.00!!! (I bought 8)
Goldfish Crackers: .50 (I bought 5)
Cheetos: $1 (I bought 1)
Kraft shredded cheese: $1.50 (I bought 2)
Dole Fruit Bowls: $1.50 (I bought 4)
Classico Pasta Sauce: $1.50 (I bought 6)
Betty Crocker Mashed Potatoes: $1 (I bought 2)
Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies: $1 (I bought 2)

That blew out my 30 items. There are many other good deals though including Peter Pan Peanut Butter for $1 (but I am already stocked up from when I got them free)

Also, I got 6 packages of boneless, skinless, chicken. It is on the B1G1 free sale. I try to buy a lot when that sale runs (usually every 4-6 weeks)

CVS & Walgreens *Ending Today

2008-03-31T11:51:00.005-05:00

Unfortunately, I did not get around to composing any deals until this morning. And, due to the expiration dates on most of the coupons I used...most of these deals can only be had today. But, I'll post them anyway, in case you are going by these places today.Walgreens: There is an interesting Register Reward deal this week covering all of these P&G products. I had a lot of coupons for the Febreeze stuff. Basically, you get $4 RR for every $10 you spend (not counting coupons), but if you get up to $50 you get another $5 in RR extra. So, if you spend $50 (before coupons are deducted) you get $25 in Register Rewards when you check out. I had $8 in coupons good on those items also, so my total was $42, with $25 in RR's back. I also had some $ on a gift card from rebates a few months ago, which I rolled into new rebates. So the Speed Stick, Softsoap, and Suavitel, qualify for a $10 rebate (use the 99cent softsoap coupon in this week's ad to bring your cost way, way down). I got the 9 bottles of soap, 2 Suavitel, and Speed stick for $20...then used the ad coupon , which took off $4.50, and a $1 deodorant coupon. That equates to about $5 for $20 worth of stuff on that deal. If you wanted to do the deal with all softsoap, you could...and it would basically be free. The toothpaste was free after rebate, and the Dove Shampoo/Conditioner were buy one get one free, plus I had a $3 off coupon. Final Walgreens figures...spent around $45 cash, got $25 in Register Rewards, and have about $15 in rebate to send in. Not awesome, but not awful, and I needed to get out to distract myself from being 38 weeks pregnant.There is a $5/15 CVS coupon that expires today, here is the LINK
So, I did 2 transactions, one on my card and one on my husband's card.
#1:
Milk: $3.49
Ozarka 24 pack: $3.99 x 2
Speedstick: Buy 2/$5, get $3 ECB, plus I had a .75 coupon
Then I used the $5 coupon and a $5 ECB...total approx $5 got a $3 ECB back

#2:
Got 3 Spa Radiant: $4.99 each
Got .33 candy to bring my total to the $15
Used a $1 Spa Radiant coupon
Used a $5/15 coupon
Spent $9...got a $14.97 ECB back

Spring Hill Nursery

2008-03-25T13:49:00.002-05:00

$20 off of a $20 purchase at Spring Hill Nursery

This deal is listed right on their front page, upper right hand corner. It should just be automatically deducted in your shopping cart. Just pay shipping. I'm still trying to decide whether to take advantage of this deal or not. The shipping is $9.95 for approx. $20 worth of plants, from what I can see. I've got a dwarf Meyer lemon tree and a hosta in my cart. My total would be $13 if I decide to do it.

Ann Taylor Loft

2008-03-22T07:22:00.002-05:00

Ann Taylor Loft: $25 off of a $50 purchase, includes sale items. Also, includes free shipping right now. Code: 80200012. I couldn't find anything that I wanted. I guess I'm not classy enough. LOL