Black Friday Tips 2010

I'm in the process of planning for Black Friday this year, so I decided to turn back the clock and find my Black Friday Tips from last year and repost! I'll let you know more as soon as I have time to check out the ads.

• Have a list of what you want to buy and where you want to buy it. Prioritize by most important items and most likely to sell out items. Plan which store you will go to first based on your list.
  
• Be okay with not getting an item - lots of stores will have limited quantities of the most popular or deeply discounted items.
• Go with a team or at least a friend. There a limits on the number of certain items you can buy per person, so if you need two of a certain digital camera and the store will only let you purchase one per person, your buddy can get your second one. You can also split up to get the most desired items once you hit the store. Have a charged cell phone handy. Plus, waiting in line is more fun if you have someone to talk to.
  
• Just park. Don't drive around looking for a great spot. Wear sneakers and suck it up. This is retail war, people.
  
• Keep your gift receipts and regular receipts in a special envelope so you don't lose them. Don't leave them in the bag in case things get stolen. Keep your car locked and your purchases stashed away for the same reason.
  
• Don't wear bulky stuff or bring bulky purses, just bring your wallet in a zip pocket in your coat or a purse you can strap across your body. Despite what some random emails you might get from people say, you can not get decapitated by your purse strap if someone tries to snag it. You may get dragged a little, but I think we all expect that on Black Friday. http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/purse.asp
• Bring a big bag to store all your little bags
• Bring your own coffee for waiting in outside lines and a few granola bars - you probably won't have time to stop to eat stuff. After you've finished your shopping, you can always stop at Starbucks or for some lunch to tell war stories and enjoy the spoils. (side note: realize that if you bring and drink coffee you might find yourself waiting in a completely different line...for the restroom)
  
• Have a sense of humor and be patient and forgiving - as Sue Stock said, the gift of giving does not come with bail money - don't be that woman on the evening news attacking someone over a sweater. This is Thanksgiving, not Slapsgiving.

Plus Lessons Learned from Last Year:

• Keep a close eye on your cart. I got the last two digital picture frames and you wouldn't believe how many sneaky folks were ready to pounce on them if I turned my back for a second.
  
• Be polite when attempting to cross through the check out line to get to another part of the store. If people think you are cutting in line, they might take you DOWN.
  
• Bring coupons. I didn't know there was a Kohl's 15% off coupon out there, which was surprising to me since I usually know where all the coupons are. Kohl's is the one store for which I'm not actually on their mailing list for special deals (ok, there's probably more than one store). I now have a separate gmail account just for stores and special deals. Playskool also had a bunch of printable toy coupons on coupons.com, and there was one for $5 off a Star Wars toy floating around out there. Keep in mind, some items might be excluded from your store coupon use, but the manufacturer's ones should work.
• Use hand sanitizer. Nuf said. Ew.
• I might consider bringing my own stroller next year to use as a cart even though I didn't bring my kid. It was a pain waiting for a cart.
  
• Remember where you parked. People will stalk you for your spot even if it's out in East Jibib, so walking up and down the parking aisles looking for your car can be annoying when 3 SUVs are following you at a creeping pace.
  
• Go with a budget in mind and give yourself a few dollars leeway. It is so easy to get carried away and want to buy things for yourself! I'm not saying you shouldn't, but remember the purpose here is to save money. If you blow your budget, you may have some cute stuff, but you won't be saving as much as you'd like.
  
• Keep the ENDING times in mind - you may not get there at 4am, but keep in mind that certain doorbuster/early bird prices are only good until noon or 1pm. After that, the deals may be gone.
  
• You can really only go to two to four different stores during the early bird time period, so choose wisely. Remember that you will spend time finding your item, fighting tooth and nail for it, and then waiting in line while attempting to scare off any cutters (no backsies!) - the waiting in line and driving between stores alone could take you an hour.
• Bring water and a snack and keep it in the car. You'll need it!
• Plan your driving route carefully - 15-501 was a mess last year. Take back roads if you think it will be crowded.
• Have fun! When else do you get to go on this kind of shopping spree and be home in time for leftover turkey and stuffing?

Super Doubles this week! Plus e-coupons

Sorry all - I completely fell down on the job this week with Super Doubles but it is still going on until Wednesday!

Also, Harris Teeter is starting to roll out it's e-coupon program - you can load them directly onto your card. The bummer? The coupons don't double, and you can't use a printed coupon in addition to the e-coupon. But, could be a good option for an item you don't otherwise have a coupon for!

Big LOFT sale

Free Shipping on everything - no code needed, 30% off new styles with code FIRSTLOOK, and 50% off all sale styles. This is a great sale people! I'm not sure if the 30% and 50% are also "in store" or just online.

Halloween Costumes - best way to save?

I've been trolling the web for the best deal I can find on a Tinkerbell Costume because my toddler wants to be her for Halloween. I am totally amazed at the number of options there are and the variety of price points. The Disney Store is doing a 40% off costumes sale which is great if all you buy is the costume with no accessories (light up wings, light up shoes, light up wand, and...purse? I wasn't aware fairies carried purses but apparently they keep all their pixie dust in there...) I find myself getting caught up in the hype - it has to have a Tinkerbell Cameo on it, it has to be from the Disney Store, I have to have the SHOES! Meanwhile, I know my little tinker fairy at home could care less as long as wings and a tutu are involved.

This got me thinking, what are YOUR best ways to save on Halloween costumes? My husband says all costumes should be made of cardboard, acrylic paint, and found things around the house (well, as a tinker fairy Tinkerbell would at least approve of the DIY nature of creating your own costume). Other options? Ebay? Craig's List? Coupons/coupon codes? Sew it yourself?

Not much to report...HT this week

So, I didn't buy a ton of stuff grocery shopping today (that's what we do this for, right??) so I only saved about $40 and spent $62. A couple of deals worth mentioning from Harris Teeter:

Honey Nut Cheerios is $2 per box. Pair with $1 off 2 coupons from 10-3-10 and it is $1.50 per box. Plus if you buy a certain # of General Mills products you get $ off OYNO I think. This brings it down closer to that goal of $1 per box if you buy enough.

Dannon Coolisions yogurt is $2 - $1 off cpn makes it $1

Heinz Ketchup - long term vic $1.84 - cpn 75 cents x2 = 34 cents per bottle. You can probably get this cheaper or free during Triples though

Sparkle paper towels are on sale 6.99 for the 8 pack. cpn for $1 off 2 = 6.49 - not as great as the Bounty deal last week, but the cpn expires really soon

Huggies Diapers Jumbo Pack on sale for 8.99 plus $2 cpn from today = 6.99

Amazing Savings at Old Navy!

During an amazing sale this morning, I spent $100 for $355 worth of stuff at Old Navy. Best part of the deal today - if you use your Old Navy, Gap, or Banana Republic card between now and 10/21 (this Thursday), for each adult item you buy, you get one kid item FREE (of equal or lesser value). Plus you get 10% off your purchase if you open a card plus an additional 10% on each future purchase you make at Old Navy, GAP, and Banana Republic (one discount for each store). I may not need to hit this store on Black Friday!

HT Deals this week PLUS others

FREE Mac n Cheese! Sorry, that was one highlight of this week I wanted to share right away. I spent $116 and saved $80 today. It was a combo of rain checks, coupons, and sales. I also qualified for the P&G pink cookware set - you qualify when you spend $25 on P&G products like Bounty, Pampers, Cascade, Charmin, etc. The catalina printer will print out a mail in form at the check out. There are a whole bunch of P&G coupons out there - if you have the P&G year of savings coupons there are some good ones like $1 off Charmin. If not, you can still get some coupons from the P&G brand saver last Sunday. Also there's a P&G rebate out there so I can get a bunch of $ back.

Don't have time to list all the deals but here are some good ones:

Kraft shredded cheese with Philly Cream Cheese in it - new product that is on sale for BOGO free. I got a BOGO coupon in the mail from HT today too, plus there is a Kraft $1 off two coupon. You have to buy 3, but essentially I got 3 bags of shredded cheese for $2.29 (orig. 3.29 each)

Charmin 12 roll was on sale 5.99 minus $1 off in P&G Year of Saving coupons = 4.99

Bounty 6 big roll on sale 5.77 (eVIC) - cpn for 25 cents off doubles in P&G saver last week - 5.27 (warning, my HT was out of these)

Born Free Eggs are BOGO and cpn for 35 cents off on 9/12 will double

Kraft Mac & Cheese - great sale at 4 for $2, plus you can get an printable coupon if you play the roulette game on the Kraft website. Mine was 55 cents off two which doubled to make my Mac FREE

HT Tissues are 99 cents per box

Grapes are 99 cents a pound as are the Eastern Grown apples

Chicken quarters are 49cents per pound

and, of course, remember the $10 off $50 cpn from Thursday's N&O


OTHER deals:

Great candy deal at Target - Buy two jumbo bags of Mars candy and get a $5 Target gift card. Given that I already had a $5 gift card to Target to use, plus the $1 off two bags of candy in last weeks paper, I essentially got the two big bags for $9.

At CVS, the Oral B Vitality electronic toothbrush, normally $30, is on sale for $23 plus you get $13 extra bucks back. There is also a $10 coupon from the P&G saver last week which makes this toothbrush FREE. One problem, they were totally out when I went to get mine today, so I had to get a raincheck. Hopefully they'll get some back in before my coupon expires - I've always wanted an electric toothbrush. :-)

At Kohls - there was a $10 Gift Cert for Big and Tall clothes this past weekend. Because Big and Tall T-Shirts are on sale for $9.99 - I got a t-shirt for free for D (he wears Large/Tall).

NC State Fair - Deep Fried Savings 2010

As I started this post, I realized that I am coming up on my first "Blogiversary" on October 2nd. One whole year of blogging about savings! Maybe I should add up all my "I saved" posts to see where I'm at! What tipped me off to this momentous occasion, though, was that I posted last October about saving at the state fair with the same title - "Deep Fried Savings". I can't wait to try the latest creations. Maybe a deep fried Klondike bar?? And then there's the life size butter sculpture, the pig races (complete with Texas Pete's hot sauce hats), slightly famous country singers and former American Idol contestants, corn on the cob dipped in a trash can full of butter, and, of course, the demolition derby.

So, how do you save at the state fair? Well, last year I went on "canned food day" using Food Lion cans of beans that were 55 cents each. Essentially got me in for about half price. This year there is an early bird special in which you can get free tickets if you spend a certain amount of money on tickets. Early Bird Special only lasts until Sept 29th though so hurry up if you're buying a large number of tickets.

Of course, advance sale tickets are $6 instead of $8 at the gate for adults, and $2 instead of $3 for children 6 to 12. Advance sale ride tickets are $10 for a sheet of 18 instead of $1 per ticket. Advanced prices are good until Oct 14th.

New way to get a free PSL - Pumpkin Spice Latte

One word - Swagbucks. Can't believe I didn't think of this before, but I checked the Swag store and a $10 Starbucks Gift Card is 1,300 Swagbucks. I am not a huge swagbucks user since I find that their search engine is not that great, but even so I have almost 1200 in my account right now! I'm about to get motivated to search more so I can get myself the equivalent of 2 free Pumpkin Spice Lattes :-)

http://swagbucks.com

great Smuckers cpn for super doubles!

Check out today's Coupon Month coupon from Red Plum - $1.50 off 1 Smuckers - that could be $3 off if doubled at HT!

www.redplum.com/dash

HT Super Doubles #1

Spent $26, saved $47 during super doubles - all coupons below were doubled. Remember you get 20 cpns per day. I bought some things other than coupon deals today, but this will get ya started.

FREE Stuff:

Oikos Greek Yogurt - orig. 1.89 - $1 off 1 peelie cpns from the Penguin

Quaker Oats - orig. 2.65, sale 1.50 - $1 off 1 newspaper cpn

Gain Dish Liquid (30oz) - orig. 2.39, sale 1.99 - $1 off 1 newspaper cpn (P&G saver - save this for the P&G rebate)

Bestlife Buttery Spray - orig. 2.35, sale 1.17 - $1 off 1 newspaper cpn

Danimals Coolisons yogurt - orig. 2.75, sale 2.00 - $1 off 1 newspaper cpn

Wholly Guacamole - orig. 1.99 - $1 off 1 printable cpn

Barilla Whole Grain spaghetti or linguini - 1.00 - newspaper cpn, $1 off 2

Colgate toothpaste - orig. 2.29, clearance sale 1.99 - $1 off 1 newspaper cpn, $1 off 1


Cheap stuff:

Progresso Panko Bread crumbs - 2.99 - printable cpn, $1 off 1 = 99 cents

Barilla Piccolini Pasta - 1.50 - printable cpn, $1 off 2 = 50 cents each box

Polly O string cheese - orig. 4.39, sale 3.99 - $1 off 1 = 1.99

Hillshire Farms lunch meat tubs - orig. 3.99, sale 3.50, printable cpn $1 off 1 = 1.50

Nature's Pride Bread - orig. 3.49, sale BOGO ($1.75) - ACME cpn for $1 off 2 = about 75 cents per loaf

Super Doubles starts Wednesday 9/15!

Here it comes folks! See the links to the left, especially Taking Stock, Savvy Dollar, and Hot Coupon World, for deals lists. Super doubles means that coupons up to $1.99 will double (for up to $3.98 off your item)!

Remember, super doubles is only a good deal if the item you are using the coupon for is on sale or you know the usual sale on that item is typically less than $1 off the original price. If you know that item goes on sale for BOGO relatively frequently, you can probably get a better deal by using your coupon during that sale, rather than off the original price during super doubles. Good luck!

That's much better...HT this week

Spent $116.69, saved $114.47 and got some Healthy Smile and Fresh Food Points. Much better than last week!

The Meal Deal this week is: buy a Contessa family size frozen dinner pouch, and get all of this free: Egg rolls, shrimp wonton soup, a box of Success Rice and a pepsi product 2 liter soda. Plus there is a coupon for Contessa in the newspaper 6/20 Red Plum for $1.50 off - orig. price for everything 7.95, final price = 6.45

Some great coupon deals:

Arm & Hammer Toothpaste - orig. 3.55, BOGO so about $1.77 each - plus 75 cent cpn on 6/20 and 8/22 Smart Source x2 = 17 cents per tube (what did I say about ultra cheap/free toothpaste?)

Wisk laundry detergent - orig. 7.25, sale 4.99, $3 off cpn in 8/29 Red Plum= $1.99 (love this deal - I had 2 cpns)

Keebler is doing a nice deal where if you buy 4 cookies or crackers you get $5 off at the register. Some things are on sale like Keebler Graham crackers are $2.50 each - plus there's a blinkie in the aisle for $1 off 2 Keebler crackers and two of my graham crackers had peelie cpns on them for $1 off one box. So here's how I did the deal: Two boxes graham crackers at $2.50 each, 2 boxes Wheatables at 3.69 each. - two $1 off cpns for graham crackers, - $1 off 2 wheatables blinkie, -5 at the register I got all four boxes for $1.09 per box - nice! There are a whole bunch of ways you can do this deal.

Campbell's Select Harvest soup - orig. $2.29 - sale $1.25 each - cpn for $1 off two in 8/15 smart source = 75 cents per can

Quaker Instant Oatmeal - orig. 3.79, sale 2.50 - cpn for $1 off (can't remember where this came from)= $1.50

Post Cereal on sale for $2 (orig. 3.79 - 3.95) - cpn for $1.50 off 2 boxes if you also buy 1 gallon of milk. I was buying milk anyway and I got Shredded Wheat and Grape Nuts for $1.25 per box

Born Free Eggs Omega 3 - orig. 2.99, sale 2.50 - cpn for 35 cents off 6/13 RP x 2 = 1.80

Danimals Crush Cups yogurt - orig. 2.75, sale 2.50 - cpn for $1 off in an Acme booklet or 8/15 smart source = $1.50

Fage greek yogurt - orig. 1.67 per cup - sale 1. 34 - printable cpn (seeing couponing101.com) for 50 cents off x2 or $1 off one = 34 cents each

Some other good deals:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast buy 1 get 2 free
Center Cut Pork Chops and Whole Pork Tenderloin are about half off
HT Canned Veggies are buy 2 get 3 free
Stoneyfield Yogurt is 10 for $6 - you can get printable coupons for these on the Stoneyfield website
Yellow Peaches are 69 cents per lb (Eastern Grown) (compare to 2.49 per lb is a good deal)
Orville Redenbacher Popcorn is BOGO plus a 40 cent cpn in doubles (I've already used the cpn unfortunately)
HT Cereals are 97 cents eVIC (limit 2)

eating on a budget

My husband sent me this blog and I thought it would make a good post: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/

There are a ton of recipes that make for cheap and tasty eats.

Sad savings...

We just got back from a long few weeks away, I had zero time to prep my grocery shopping so I only saved $47 on my $167 bill :-( However, at least $45 of that was batteries and beer (9-volt batteries for all of our smoke detectors and beer for a last minute Labor Day get together). I also discovered that I am no longer in the running for HT's Holiday Giveaway (spend at least $70 at HT 16 out of 18 weeks and get two $25 gift cards of your choice). This is sad, but the stack of newpapers on my doorstep full of coupons (plus coupons I took from the NJ papers) will serve as motivation to get back on the coupon horse.

I did get a couple of decent deals - There are peelie's by the chips for $1 off two bags of Lays/Tostitos/Rold Gold products, plus the tostitos and lays were BOGO, so that was a good deal on chips. HT salsa is also BOGO and I LOVE the Peach variety. Also, I got Danimals Coolisions yogurt for K for $1.50 after sale and coupon. Back to the real savings next week! Don't forget about the holiday giveaway if you're still in the running - it should say how many weeks you have qualified on your receipt.

Free Boba Fett

This one is for all my Star Wars loving nerd friends (Marathon is on today on Spike, btw)

Free Boba Fett with purchase of 5 other Star Wars Figurines

http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/free-star-wars-boba-fett-figure/

The Pumpkin Spice Latte - Can you get the high without paying the same price as a pie?

With much anticipation, the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) is out at Starbucks! This is cause for much joy and much sorrow, since they are so delicious and yet so expensive. My grande cost me just over $5 today (whoa!). So, I tried looking around to see how you can get a discount at Starbucks. Unfortunately, there aren't too many ways to do this. I have yet to see a coupon for $ off of a Starbucks specialty drinks just floating around out there. Last year, I did get one when I made a purchase at Target; it was a BOGO half off coupon for any specialty coffee at the in-store Starbucks that printed out at the register. I shared it with my mother-in-law since my husband is a "black coffee that puts hair on your chest" kind of guy. I have seen coupons for their grocery store products, but those don't get you any closer to the coveted PSL. If you're a Starbucks regular, getting a Starbucks Rewards card might be worth it, but since I have become focused on savings, I pretty much avoid the place at all costs unless they're doing a free coffee giveaway (which is usually just regular coffee when it happens).

Long sentences aside, I started to think about alternatives. So here are some options for all you rebels out there fighting against the Starbucks Juggernaut.

1. Mom & Pop Shops - ok, so maybe these are more like "Mike & Steve" shops nowadays, but you get the idea. Local shops tend to charge less and have "buy 8 and get your 9th cup free" punch cards. In Durham, you can try Joe Van Gogh on Broad St. or Bean Traders on 9th. In Raleigh, I always liked Global Village Organic Coffee on Hillsborough right near NC State - though parking there lately is a B. In Cary, Crema Coffee (shout out to Kevin & Regina, proprietors) on the corner of High House and Davis has always been a favorite of mine. These shops usually do some seasonal drinks that can be pretty close to the precious Starbucks PSL and maybe save you a few cents. Plus, they tend to roast their own coffee so the quality of their beans is incredible if you're into the "hair on your chest" variety or just want to brew some high quality coffee at home. We do this instead of spending $ picking up a cup every day. A final perk - if you stick around you might get to see some local musicians. This, to me, is better than sitting in Starbucks in the uncomfortable chairs listening to the latest John Mayer Album that they just-so-happen to be selling at the counter, but it's a personal choice. Just like being a DJ-person instead of a Live Band-person or a Cat-person instead of a Dog-person. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not how I roll ;-)

2. Other Chains - One of Starbucks' major competitors, Caribou Coffee, also does wonderful seasonal lattes and specialty drinks. Depending on where you are located, these can be cheaper, and they also put out more coupons than SBs - I have found several $1 off a large drink coupons from the newspaper this year, and there were coupons in my Entertainment book. Some locations even have a drive-thru like the one in Cary off of Maynard. Dunkin' Donuts can definitely be cheaper, but if you're a coffee snob you probably don't think of their lattes as "real" lattes. However, I find that their "Vanilla Spice" coffee they have during the Fall and Winter months to be quite tasty, especially "Light and Sweet" - and it's much, much cheaper than the PSL. They put out a lot of coupons and special deals, as well. For a while, my receipt at HT had some coupons for 99 cent lattes printed on the back! I saved a bunch of them since they didn't expire.

3. Non-coffee places - Other places not necessarily known for their coffee but who can do a good job with this type of latte are Panera Bread (whose house latte has always tasted like a PSL to me) and Cosi (don't think we have a Cosi in the triangle area yet). Have lunch, then a latte to go. My latte at Cosi in NJ a few days ago was cheaper than SB, and I used my Cosi card so if I buy 10 I think I get one free. That would probably take me all year to get to 10 even if I lived near a Cosi, but it's the principle of the thing.

4. Beg - If you're really hard up and very picky about the PSL, remind people that your birthday/Bat Mitzvah/engagement/retirement/baby shower/house warming/(insert religious holiday here) is coming up, and that Starbucks gift cards are your preferred method of currency. Wear an "I heart my Pumpkin Spice Latte" sticker on your person at all times and get a bumper sticker to drive home the point. No judgment; there's an SB on literally every corner in most US cities so trying to avoid your addiction may be futile until they build some PSL rehab clinics.

5. Make Your Own - What really makes a pumpkin spice latte different than any other sweet latte at Starbucks is, well, pumpkin spice. You can literally buy it at the grocery store (maybe with a coupon??) and sprinkle it on your homemade latte or coffee. You can even make your own pumpkin spice out of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ground ginger (same stuff they put in pumpkin pie). Here is a recipe if you really want to try to make a pumpkin spice latte yourself - don't know how good it is, but if you try it, let me know!

Many thanks to my friend Emily to inspired this post and from whom I stole the picture... :-)

More Coupon Month news...

I love Coupon Month! Coupon Sherpa is doing 30 days of tips - I highly recommend the first three!

http://www.ilovecouponmonth.com/tips/

September is National Coupon Month - who knew?

I know a lot of people with September birthdays, but those have all been eclipsed by my new favorite September celebration: National Coupon Month (who knew?)

To celebrate, Red Plum is doing September Dash 4 Deals this month. There will be special printable coupons and deals each day of the month this month. Today's was a 20% off coupon at Kmart when I checked. Check it out: www.redplum.com/dash

Do you know of any other celebrations for National Coupon Month?

Stuff you shouldn't have to pay for...at least not often

I was thinking tonight about things I usually get free or close to free on a regular basis. Just because you don't like these brands doesn't mean that you can't get discounts on brands you normally buy. I'm just pretty brand flexible most of the time. These are my top picks:

Rice - usually Mahatma brand. There are frequently 50 cent off coupons for these online or in the paper. Some stores sell the small rice bag regularly for only a little more than a dollar and then when the coupon doubles, the item is almost free. Or you can use them during triple coupons at HT to get it free.

Bread - Nature's Own has been putting out these 75 cents off coupons online. They say they are for the premium bread but you use them on the regular honey wheat or 100% whole wheat kind. When the bread is on sale BOGO at Harris Teeter and the coupons double to $1.50 the bread is free. Even when the bread is 1.99, it's only 50 cents. Plus Harris Teeter has given me some catalinas and special eVICs for free bread lately.

Toothpaste - I've gotten free toothpaste at Kroger and Harris Teeter. I haven't paid more than 50 cents for brand name (Aquafresh, Colgate, Crest) toothpaste (sensitive or advanced care or just regular) since last summer. Remember to pick up toothpaste and toothbrush coupons at your dentist's office.

Deodorant - especially the Sure brand - with coupons and sales it has been 50 cents or less.

Shampoo - Herbal essences shampoo and conditioner with sales and coupons has been 50 cents. I've gotten a similar deal with Pert Plus also.

Wholly Guacamole - every time Harris Teeter does Super Doubles I get the small package for free using the $1 off printable coupon

Yogurt - the most common ones I get free with sales and coupons are Danactive, Activia, Yoplait YoPlus, Yoplait Fiber One, or Dannon Light and Fit 4 packs. The Danimals crush cups and Danonino have been free or close to free.

Mission Flour Tortillas - 50 cent coupons triple to $1.50 which frequently match up with sales on these

Pillsbury Cresent rolls and biscuits - there are always tons of coupons for these online and in the paper and there are lots of sales and catalina deals for these things that give you $4 or $5 off your total order or next order if you buy a certain number of them. I've actually made money on these deals.

Lysol bathroom cleaner - with coupons and sales, especially during triples, these can be 50 cents each

Dawn dish soap - a 50 cent coupon can double and make the small bottle free when it's on sale for 99cents

Chex Mix - It's easy to get these for 50 cents during triples if they are on sale. I've gotten them as low as 17 cents a bag though

Heinz Ketchup and French's mustard - Ketchup has been as low as 17 cents per bottle and mustard has been free. It's good to stock up on things like this because they last a long time.

Kix cereal - there have been some great 75 cents off coupons that during triple coupons have made this 25 cents per box. I try not to pay more than $1 to $1.50 per box for brand name cereal (usually Cheerios, Special K, and Frosted Mini Wheats have the best deals)

Ken's steakhouse and Wishbone salad dressing - small bottles have been 25 or 50 cents with sales and coupons

Anything you typically get for free (or close to it)?

Gymboree Code 30% off - last day!

Here's the code: REWARDSCOF

Follow Me on Twitter! @lovelimom

I've decided that every good blogger also needs a Twitter account. Not sure how much I'll Tweet and how much I'll just use it to get other deals. I already retweeted a coupon contest from Nature's Own to win free bread for a year (awesome!). I'll look for those things and retweet them for ya!

New Jersey Stores...Shoprite and Acme

Shopping in NJ this week - apparently Acme and Shoprite both double coupons up to and including 99 cents :-) Many of the same coupon and sale rules seem to apply, so NJ followers, you may see a local post from me this week. Acme just came out with new prices today, Shoprite comes out with new ones Sunday.

Coupon Class in Burlington, NC this Saturday

There is a "Coupon Makeover Class" going on in Burlington NC this Saturday. They say you can save 50-75% on your grocery bill! Here are the details, courtesy of my friend Lori!

Saturday August 21st, 2010 @10am
May Memorial Library
342 S. Spring Street
Burlington, NC 27215

336-229-3588
Call to register or ask at the Reference Desk

Tip of the Week - get an account just for deals!

There are a lot of deals on the web. Tons of printable coupons, not just for groceries but for all kinds of things from restaurants to clothing to sporting good. Many of these deals require you to provide a bunch of information to get them or at least an email address. Given an email address can be beneficial because their websites might send you even more deals (like groupon.com to name one). Some require you to like the item or company on facebook or retweet it on twitter.

But what if you don't want all your friends to know you "Like" Tums or Tampax? What if you don't want to have to sift through a ton of junk mail to get to your real mail or to read your news feed on facebook? Get a separate account. I have a separate gmail, facebook, and Twitter account just for deals. This way, if I'm ever looking for sales or deals I can just check that account without compromising my identity or precious free time going through emails. I started just with gmail but have expanded to the others because there are so many facebook deals nowadays. Now, you may have to put in some more info on yourself than just your email. Most of that info might already be out there anyway and by giving your address you might get a lot of coupons in the mail, like I do. But if you don't want that...well no one ever said you had to provide "accurate" details to get the deals...just sayin'. Anyway, don't miss out on deals just because you're afraid to foray into social networking. Just set all your privacy settings, don't provide any pics or friend any one person, and you're golden. :-)

Blindsided by Super Doubles THIS WEEK!

Super Doubles starts today at Harris Teeter - I wasn't paying attention to any of the boards that would normally have tipped me off. Get those coupons together and good luck!

Harris Teeter this week 8/7/10!!!

Spent $144.18, saved $122.64 not including the $5 rebate I have to do for my Sorrento String Cheese.

Just a warning for the MLK store in Durham - a lot of things were mis-tagged yesterday, meaning if you don't get that discount, you might get the item for free. That's what happened with my Mission Tortillas - the tag said 2 for $3, but it rang up as 2.95. They gave me my entire purchase price back. It always pays to check your receipt. Typically I at least scan for items that did not ring up with some kind of sale discount because almost everything I buy is on some kind of VIC special. If it's not, I had to have planned it that way or it rang up wrong. :-)

Please check Sue Stock's Blog Here for which circulars the coupons are in. Remember also that at HT, you can buy just one item at half price if the sale is BOGO.

Other reminders:

"blinkies" are coupons found in the dispensers in the aisles - The could have been in the aisle this week, or I could have pulled them some weeks ago and just kept them. They're called blinkies because there is sometimes a red blinking light on the dispensers.

"peelies" are cpns found stuck to the package. Again, you might use the ones stuck to the package you bought today, or you might just keep them for a later use if you have a better paper coupon.

"tearpad" are cpns found in a thick post-it like pad near an item. There was a big penguin cardboard cut out in the freezer section a few weeks ago with a ton of tearpad coupons for dairy and frozen stuff.

"IP" means "internet printable" coupons, though I may just refer to them as printable. Find them online at coupons.com, smartsource.com, redplum.com, or couponing101.com

Most other coupons are from the newspaper unless otherwise noted. Some are home mailings or from magazines.

**Keep in mind, if you are an eVIC member, you will get personal eVIC specials that are just for you. They usually send and email about these on Fridays though they also show up at the bottom of your receipt. You can go to the front desk at the beginning of your shopping trip and ask them to print out your deals for you also (thanks to Lori for this tip!) Sometimes you'll get to try an item for free this way - last week it was HT Slow Churned ice cream for free and this week it's HT Almond butter for me.

On to some of the deals (in no particular order):

Lots of P&G products on on e-VIC special this week and there are tons of cpns out for those. Plus I get a bunch in the mail since I signed up for a rebate with them a few months ago. They include:

Dawn Dish Liquid - orig. 3.19, on eVIC special (limit 1) for 1.77, $1 off coupon for the Olay Hand Renewal type made it 77 cents, there is a 25 cent coupon in last weeks P&G Saver which will double if you don't have the $1 off one.

Tide Laundry Detergent (64 loads) - orig. 14.75, eVIC for 9.97 (limit 1) - $2 off coupon in the most recent Parents magazine = 7.97 - or use the $1 off coupon in the P&G saver

Charmin Big Roll (12) toilet paper - orig. 8.79, eVIC for 5.77 (limit 1)- $1 off coupon I got in the mail, but again, there are other cpns in the paper = 4/77

Bounty 8 BIG rolls - orig. 9.99, eVIC for 5.77 - 25 cents coupon in 8/1 P&G saver doubles to 50 cents = 5.27

I try to pay less than $5 for toilet paper and less than $6 for the paper towels, otherwise I don't fee like it's a good deal. Less than $4 is the best I get for the TP and less than $5 is the best for paper towels

Cascade Action Pacs (love these!!! and the Finish ones too, no getting powder everywhere or splattering the liquid, plus they clean really really well, no spots on glasses) - orig. 7.79, sale 5.99, - I had a $3 off catalina coupon (the ones that print out at the checkout) so it was 2.99 for the pack. There are some other coupons in the P&G Saver though I believe.

Luvs Diapers Jumbo pack are 5.99 this week (normal sale is 6.99, so this is good, especially if you have the $2.50 off coupons they send you in the mail, they're 3.49)

Pampers or Huggies Jumbo pack are 6.97 eVIC special this week (otherwise on sale of 8.99 and originally either 10.99 or 11.99). Limit is 1. Add the $3 off Huggies Snug &Dry printable coupon and it's 3.97 for that pack. or add one of the P&G savers pampers coupons for $1 or $1.50 off. Less than $4 for a jumbo pack of diapers is a good deal in general.

Kelloggs Mini Wheats, little bites (K loves these) - all Kellogs cereals are 50 % off. The small boxes of Mini Wheats were orig. 3.49, on sale for $1.77, plus $1 off 3 coupon = about $1.44 per box. Close to $1 per box (or less) for cereal is what I try to aim for, then I stock up. It lasts for about a year usually.

Furmano 28oz diced tomatoes are BOGO - couldn't find a coupon, but this is still a decent deal for making cheap chili - orig. 2.20, sale 1.10

Peter Pan peanut butter - orig. 2.49, sale 1.67, cpn for 60 cents off on 8/1 doubles to 1.20 off = 47 cents

Orville Redenbacher popcorn - orig. 2.99, sale 1.49 (BOGO) - cpn for 40 cents off on 8/1 doubles to 80 cents = 69 cents (we like the Naturals variety, especially the simply salt 50% less fat version)

Kraft Mac n Cheese Explosion - orig. 1.35 per box, personal eVIC special of 5 for $5 (limit 5) - I had blinkie coupons for 55 cents off 2 of this variety, and these doubled. So I bought 4 at 45 cents per box.

HT Facial Tissue - orig. 1.49 per box, eVIC = 57 cents (limit 1)

Blue Dog Natural Dog Treats (20 oz) - BOGO - orig. 4.75, sale 2.37

Gillette Fusion Procare after shave lotion - orig. 7.99, sale 4.99, coupon for $2 off = 2.99

Loreal True Match Foundation makeup - orig. 10.99, sale 6.99, cpn for $2 off = 4.99

Herbal Essences haircare products - orig. 3.99, sale 2 for $5, cpn for BOGO made them 1.25 each for 2 (I got the mousse)

Angus NY Strip steak (on sale for 6.99 per lb, usually 10.99) - for example, orig. 12.86, sale 8.18

Pork Baby Back Ribs (on sale for 2.99 per lb, usually 6.99) - for example, orig. 16.38, sale 8.40 (having this for dinner tonight with a nice southwestern rub, yum!)

Fresh Mozzerella (on sale for 4.99 per lb) - for example, orig. 6.39, sale 3.19. (we're having homemade pizza this week)

Nature's Own Whole Grain bread is 1.99 - printable coupon for 75cents off doubles to 1.50 = 49 cents (I love that I rarely pay more than 50 cents for bread anymore). You can use this printable on any natures own though it says it's for the premium specialty breads.

PEACHES - eastern grown are on a great sale, 49 cents per lb. For the 2.81 lbs of peaches I bought, it would have been 5.03 normally, I paid $1.38. Always look for in-season local produce.

Bartlett pears - on sale for 1.49 per lb (we're making the poached pear recipe in the the Food Network magazine this past month - looks yummy! and easy, you use the microwave. This is how I make baked apples too - great with some cool whip or vanilla ice cream as a dessert)

Organic Strawberries - were on sale for $3 per lb. same as the conventional strawberries. I got a raincheck because they were out.

Broccoli crowns are 1.79

Hot house cucumbers - orig. 2.49, sale 1.50

White Potatoes (5lb) orig. 3.99, sale 3.49 (not great, but the only potato sale, we made hash browns this morning)

Zucchini and yellow squash on sale for 99 cents/lb - for example, orig. 2.69, sale 1.31

Sorrento string cheese - orig. 4.99, sale 3.99 - plus 65 cents off 2 tearpad coupon from the Penguin, doubled to 1.30 off 2 - 3.34 each, plus I have a $5 rebate off 2 form which was a peelie on a previous pkg of sorrento string cheese. So I'll essentially get them for 84 cents each

Dannon Yogurt - orig. 75 cents each, sale 6 for $4 (or 67 cents each) - plus $1 off 10 cpn = 57 cents each

YoKids Stonyfield 6pck yogurt - orig. 3.99, sale 2.99, cpn for $1 off on Stonyfield website = 1.99

Oscar Meyer Angus Beef Franks - orig. 5.49, sale 2 for $8, cpn for $1 off 2 = 3.50 each

I also had a catalina coupon for a Free HT hand sanatizer :-)

Harris Teeter this week 8/1/10

First post on groceries in a while! Today I spent $136.67 and saved $115.26.

We've been away for a while and have been living off the stockpile as well, so we needed to replenish a bunch of things. Here are some sale deals that helped us do that.

Smithfield Bacon - Buy 2 get 3 free
Porktenderloin - BOGO
Lean Ground Turkey - BOGO
HT Natural Ice Cream - Buy 2 get 3 free
Nathan's Hot Dogs - BOGO
Angus London Broil - BOGO
Angus top round steak - BOGO
Thomas's English Muffins - BOGO
grapes - orig 2.58/lb, sale 1.99/lb.
maple syrup - orig.7.45, sale 4.99

Muellers pasta - orig. $1.39, sale 5 for $5 - blinkie cpn for $2 off 5 = 60 cents each
Skippy PB - orig. 2,79, sale BOGO or 1.39 each - 60 cent cpn on 8/1 x2 = 19 cents
Peter Pan - orig 2.49, sale $2 - 60 cents cpn on 7/25 x2 = 80 cents
Eggo waffles - orig 2.99, sale $2 - cpn for $1 off 2 on 7/25 = $1.50 per box

eVIC specials

HT thin or old fashioned bread - 67 cents
HT large eggs - 67 cents
HT Churned Lowfat ice cream - FREE
HT organic milk $3.99
HT Milk $1.97
,

Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons

You've probably noticed I haven't posted in a while. Things have been hectic to say the least! Now that they've calmed down slightly you might see more posts.

My friend L. at work informed me that if you are a member of an outdoor club like the Sierra Club or the Boy Scouts, you can get a special packet of coupons at Dick's Sporting Goods. Some great ones for tents, sleeping bags, water bottles - mostly camping type gear. They're good through Jan of 2011 so they'd be good for buying Christmas gifts for your outdoorsy family members or friends. Thanks for the tip, L.!

Old Navy and LOFT - $1 flip flops at ON and 50% off sale styles at LOFT

Just passing it on, there are $1 Flip Flops at Old Navy on Sat. July 3rd, 2010

Plus, In-Store 50% off sale styles at LOFT

Super Doubles Today 6/23

I spent $57 and saved $100.46 today at HT. I got so much free yogurt, it isn't funny. I also took advantage of a couple of other non-coupon deals. Printable cpns are typically found at coupons.com

Free Items:

** Deal of the WEEK! Kraft 100 calorie cheese cubes - orig. 2.99 - printable coupons for $1 off = 99 cents each PLUS Harris Teeter mailer coupon for BOGO. You can stack these two coupons. which I thought would make this 49 cent each. However, the checkout person took off 2.99 (original price) from the total order. So, I made a buck! K. will love them for lunch.

Oikos Greek Yogurt - orig. 1.89 per 5.3 oz cup - coupons are on tearpads on the Penguin Cardboard Cutout guy in the freezer section. They are for $1 off so the yogurt is FREE. I <3 greek yogurt.

Yo Plus Yogurt 4 pack - orig. 2.59 - sale 2.00 - printable cpn for $1 off x2 = FREE

Yoplait Fiber One 4 pack of yogurt - orig. 2.59 - sale 2.00 - printable cpn for $1 x2 = FREE


Cheap Stuff:

Ken's Steakhouse Dressings - orig. 3.45 - sale BOGO or 1.72 each - $1 off 2 coupon in = 72 cents each

Rhodes Rolls 12ct. (frozen section ) - orig. 2.25 - cpn for $1 off in = 25 cents

Philly Cream Cheese tubs - orig. 1.95, sale 1.65 - cpn for $1 off 2 on Penguin tearpad (coupon is for Kraft items including Philly cream chese) = 65 cents each

Kruncher Chips - orig. 3.79 - sale 2.50 - cpn for $1 off in = 50 cents


Other Deals:

Cottonelle toilet paper 12 pack double rolls - orig. 9.29 - eVIC special 4.99 - cpn for 50 cents off x2 = 3.99

Pepsi brand 12 packs are buy 2 get 3 free this week - bonus, Cheerwine is part of the sale! D. loves that stuff.

Terra Chips (aka snooty veggie chips) are still BOGO

Red Bell Peppers are 1.29 each (and they're really big!)

HT Dog Biscuits are BOGO

Scotch Brite sponges (3 pack) are BOGO

Rainchecks and Strategery...

I feel like getting a rain check is much like eating one potato chip. You can't stop with just one, and once you pop, you can't stop (thanks, Pringles). I just wanted to share the importance of getting rain checks when your store is out of a sale item and how you might use them strategically to save BIG.

It's not hard to get a rain check. If your store is out of a sale item, you simply go up to the customer service desk and let them know the EXACT kind of what they are out of (e.g., 12 oz thick cut harris teeter bacon), and they will give you a rain check for up to 3 of that item. The rain checks DO NOT expire. Ever. If the sale price is BOGO, they will give you a rain check for up to 3 "sets" of that item, meaning up to six items total. When you use the rain check later, you do not have to buy all 6 if you don't want, but you will have to do the BOGO thing, it won't ring up as half price if you just want one. Usually if I only get 2 instead of 3 items, they just keep the rain check, but once I had a lady give it back to me and mark "one left" on it. I'm not sure what the typical policy is on that though.

Now, save your rain check for one of two situations (or, occasionally, these two situations combine to create a "dream" rain check situation - hang on to your hats folks). First situation: you get a great coupon for that item that either is about to expire or can be used during doubles or triples. You can use your raincheck to get the item for the sale price, then use your doubled or tripled coupon on top of it. Second situation: mixing a BOGO with another type of sale. If you can add coupons to this situation, it can become a dream situation. Here's an example:

Months back, there was a BOGO sale on chuck roast. Great for stews and carnitas and they freeze really well. My store was out, so I got a rain check for up to 6 of them. A few weeks later, the same chuck roast was on sale for 50% off. So, imagine that the 2lb chuck roast was originally $10. During the 50% off sale, it was $5. Then, using my BOGO rain check I got them for $2.50 each. Now THAT is a great discount.

Here's a dream scenario from last week. MBA Smart Organic Ground Chicken. Normally sells for 5.99 per pound. It often goes on sale for BOGO, and once when it was on sale they ran out, so I got a rain check. Then, a couple weeks ago, it went on sale for 4.99 per pound. So, with the raincheck, they were about 2.50 per 1 pound package. But wait, there's more. Add $1 off printable coupons, which, they did take one coupon per package (this isn't always the case since one rings up as "free"). That brought it to $1.50 per pound. But wait, there's more! I got the ones that were expiring that day, which had $1.50 off coupons on the packages. Therefore, I got these packages of organic ground chicken for FREE! They were tasty in tacos, too.

One tip for using the rain checks - Make sure you tell the checkout person at the very beginning before they ring anything up that you have a raincheck (or checks) and what they are for. They have to do some different things at the check out to make sure you get the appropriate discounts. You can then wait until the end to provide your coupons.

Super Doubles Starts THIS Wednesday 6/23!

As you've probably noticed, I've been busy lately so I haven't been posting much (sorry!) - I wanted to give you all a heads up about Harris Teeter Super Doubles coming up Wednesday (that's where coupons $1 to $1.99 will double in addition to their usual "up to 99 cents" coupons). Also there was a peelie stand in the frozen food section of my HT that had a ton of $1 off coupons that could be used next week. I especially liked the Oikos Greek Yogurt ones - $1 off a 5.3oz cup! They will be free next week if that cpn doubles. They say "not subject to doubling on them" but the serial number starts with a 5, which usually means they will double anyway. If the serial number starts with a 9 they usually won't double. There are some great deal lists going on Sue Stock's blog, Hot Coupon World, and Savvy Dollar (links to the left) so enjoy!

One thing I haven't thought to do which apparently everyone but me does is to check the typical price of items but using the "online shopping" feature on HT's website. You can then see how much you will save with your coupon. Food for thought... I'll probably try to hit HT on the way to work Wednesday to get some of the free stuff.

mega-cheap eggs this week at HT!

Eggland's Best Eggs will likely be around 40 cents for a dozen this week at Harris Teeter if you have the right coupon! I haven't been shopping yet, but I came across this great deal that I had to share.

In this month's issue of Cooking Light there is a 50 cents off Eggland's Best coupon. Harris Teeter is having a BOGO sale on Eggland's Best Eggs. At my HT they are usually $2.79 per dozen. So, half of that is about $1.40. The 50 cent coupon doubles and voila, 40 cents for a dozen vegetarian fed hen eggs with extra Omega 3 (don't know how they do that?).

Remember, at HT if you buy one BOGO item, you can get it at half price, you don't have to buy 2.

Super Doubles 5/19 at Harris Teeter

I stopped by this morning on the way in to work - spent $21, saved $44. This is my lunch break post :-) I got the following FREE items - remember, even if you don't use the FREE items you can get them and give them to charity. Just make sure you're not taking the last one - someone who actually needs it might be right behind you.

Unless otherwise noted, these coupons were from the newspaper. You can look up which circular on Sue Stock's database. If printable, you can probably find it at coupons.com unless otherwise noted.

FREE deals:
McCormick Chili Powder 1.14oz size - orig. 1.89, $1 off cpn x 2 = FREE
Uncle Ben's Chicken Rice - orig. 1.74, sale 1.25, $1 off cpn x 2 = FREE
Starkist Tuna Pouches - orig. 1.50, sale 1.00, $1 off 2 cpn x 2 = FREE (Family Circle magazine)
Kotex liners - orig. 1.49, $1.50 off 2 cpn x 2 plus I had 2 of these coupons so = 4 boxes for FREE
Carefree liners - orig. 1.59 - $1 off cpn x 2 = FREE
Reach mint floss - orig. 1.79 - $1 off cpn x 2 = FREE (- plus pre-cpn amount counts toward Healthy Smile points)
Sure deodorant - orig. 2.89 - $1.50 off cpn x 2 = FREE (or $1 off cpn x 2 = 89 cents)

For more free deals, see Sue Stock's Blog and Hot Coupon World in the links to the left.

Cheap deals:
Trident gum - orig. 1.55 per pack, $1 off 2 cpn = 55 cents each when you buy 2
Reynolds Foil - orig. 4.49, sale 3.49, $1 off cpn x 2 = $1.49
Lea and Perrins Worchester sauce - orig. 3.55, sale 2.50, $1 off cpn x 2= 50 cents
KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce (16oz) orig. 2.19, $1 off cpn x 2 = 19 cents
Caribou Coffee - orig. 9.99, sale 6.99, $1 off cpn x 2 = $4.99 each (printable coupon)
Melita Coffee Filters - orig. 4.35, sale 3.75, $1 off cpn x 2 = $1.75 - since the sale and cpn and super doubles almost never lines up for these, this is the cheapest I've seen them!

Super Doubles Starts WEDNESDAY 5/19!

Harris Teeter is doing Super Double coupons starting next Wednesday! (Thanks, Rachel!) This means coupons $1 to $1.99 will double (and so will the usual coupons up to 99 cents). Have fun planning! Check out some of the sites to the left like Taking Stock, Southern Saver, Savvy Dollar, and Hot Coupon World to learn about the possible deals in advance!

Harris Teeter this week 5/8/10

Spent $155, saved $128 this week! I got a little nervous when I saw the original total amount before sales and coupons, but I had to trust my couponing skills :-)

reminders - at HT, if an item is BOGO, you can buy only one for half price if you want. If an item is buy 2 get 3 free, you have to buy all 5 to get the deal. Cpns up to 99 cents double, and you can double up to 20 coupons per day. You can use more than 20 coupons in a transaction, it's just that only 20 will double. Printable coupons can be found at coupons.com or by looking at the "printables" section at Couponing 101 - sometimes you can get cpns on the manufacturer's website too. I'll note if that's the case. You can usually print each printable coupon twice.

Some deals:

Orville Redenbacher popcorn is BOGO and I still had that 75 cent cpn for the cheddar variety since my HT hasn't carried it until now. Orig. 3.15, sale 1.57 (half-price if you buy only one) - 75 cent cpn x2 - final price = 7 cents! It's tasty, too.

Hefty one-zip bags - orig. 2.99, sale BOGO (or 1.49 for one) - printable cpn for $1 off two makes them $1 per box

Sunchips orig. 3.79, sale $3 - 55 cents cpn (5/2 smart source) x 2 = $1.90

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars - orig. 2.99, Sale $2 - 75 cents off two cpn (5/2 Red Plum) x2 = $1.25 per box for two

Dawn Detergent hand renewal or plus - orig. 2.99 - sale $1.99 - 50 cent cpn (5/2 P&G saver) x2 = $1 per bottle (or the small bottle is 99 cents on sale, with the 25 cents coupon that makes the small one 50 cents)

Bounty 8 roll package - orig. 10.49, sale 6.99 - 50 cent cpn (5/2 P&G saver) x2 = 5.99

Cascade Action pacs - orig. 5.69, sale 3.99 - 25 cent cpn (5/2 P&G saver) x2 = 3.49

Furmano canned tomatoes (great to have on hand for quick chili!) - orig. 1.45 per can, sale $1 per can, cpn for $1 off 3 = $2 for 3 or 66 cents each (good price!)

Ken's steakhouse dressings - orig. 1.99, sale $1 each (or eVIC price is 77 cents - limit 2) - cpn in TODAY's smart source for $1 off two, would make the final = 54 cents for 2 or 27 cents each

Mighty Dog - I think the cpns for this expired yesterday, sorry! orig. 79 cents per can, sale price 60 cents per can - cpn for $3 off 5 cans = 5 free cans, plus there was a coupon for a free can , so I got 6 free cans to give to the animal shelter!

Grande Tortilla chips - orig. 2.49, sale 2.50 - no coupon for these, but there's a peelie coupon on the package that you get $1.50 off your produce purchase when you buy two bags. If you were planning on buying produce anyway, it's like getting them for 1.75 a bag.

Caribou Coffee - orig. 9.99 - finally on sale again for 6.99 - printable cpns for $1 off and $1 off cpn in 3/28 smart source makes them 5.99 a bag.

Also, Organic coffee company is on sale BOGO. (no cpns)

Mahi Mahi fillet's are 5.99 a lb and there was a wine tag out there for a $5 mail in rebate on seafood

Nature's Own Whitewheat - orig. 2.19 - sale 1.99, printable cpn for 75 cents x2 = 49 cents (cpn says it's for premium bread but it words for any nature's own bread product. I've been getting a lot of free bread or bread for 50 cents or less lately)

Lean Cuisine frozen meals - orig. 3.45, sale $2 each - peelie cpns for $1 off 4 or 5/2 smart source) = final price of 1.75 each

Jello Pudding - orig. 3.35, sale 2.50 - 60 cent cpn (4/11 smart source) x2 = $1.30

Danactive - orig. 2.50, sale 1.99 - cpn for $1 off (3/28 or 5/2 smart source) = 99 cents each

YoPlait greek - orig. 1.25 each - printable cpn for 30 cents off x2 = 65 cents each

Yoplait delights parfaits - orig. $3 - sale $1.50 - 50 cents cpn x 2 = (3/21 and 4/25 smart source) = 50 cents per 4 pack

Perdue Short Cuts chicken - orig. 3.99, sale $3 - 75 cent cpn (5/2 red plum) x2 = $1.50

Oscar Meyer bacon - orig. 5.49 - BOGO (or 2.75 for one) - 75 cents cpn (3/21 smart source) x2 = $1.25

Also, Buy 2 Get 3 free deals on Green Giant canned veggies and on Breyer's Ice Cream

Happy Mother's day

Triples this week 4-29-10

I spent $76 and saved $87 today at Triples, but probably could have spent less if I were only getting the triples items. Boston Butt pork roast was on sale for 99 cents/lb though and I also finally got the diapers from the Huggies deal last week (rain check).

I'm really lazy tonight, so I'll let you look up where to find the coupons here in Sue Stock's database.

Some deals (in no particular order):

Mahatma brown rice - orig. 2.69, sale 2.39 - 50 cent cpn x3 = 89 cents (69 cents for white rice)
Irish Spring soap - orig. 2.69 for 3 pack, sale 2.19 - 75 cents off 2 cpn x 3 = $1.06 each 3 pack
McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian seasoning - orig. 2.65 - 75 cents off x3 = 40 cents
Mentos gum - orig. 1.49 - 55 cents off x3 = FREE
Speed Stick deodorant - orig. 4.19, sale $2 - 50 cents x3 = 50 cents
More cheap toothpaste - Crest is on sale for $2.50 - 75 cents off (on 3/7) x3 = 25 cents OR 50 cents off (on 3/21) x 3 = $1
Degree deodorant (travel size) - 2 for $3 - cpn 75 cents off 2 (4/25) x3 = 75 cents for 2 (37 cents each)
Land o' Lakes spreadable butter w/ olive oil (although I got the one with canola oil and the cpn still worked) - orig. 2.19 - 75 cents off x 3 = FREE
Sargento cheese - orig. 3.19, sale BOGO so $1.60 each - peelie cpns for 55 cents off 2 x 3 = 1.54
Danactive orig. 2.50 - 75 cents x 3 = 25 cents
Neosporin Max - orig. 5.85, sale 3.99 - 50 cents x3 (from 4/25 and 3/14) = 2.49
Bandaids (Dora the Explorer or Spongebob) - orig. 3.25, sale 1.99 - 50 cents x3 = 49 cents

Non triples coupon deals:
Danonino Yogurt - orig. 2.29 - sale 1.99 - cpn for $1 off = 99 cents
Yoplait Simply Gogurt - orig. 2.99, sale $2 - printable cpns for $1.10 = 90 cents

Other deals:
Dunkin Donuts turbo coffee - orig. 7.99, eVic = 3.99

Don't forget, you get "Healthy Smile"points for every $ spent on oral care items (toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash, floss) and Diaper points for every $ spent on diapers. These are dollars spent BEFORE coupons. If you get 40 healthy smile points you get $5 off your next order and for 50 diaper points you get $10 off your next order. $20 in Dannon products gets you $3 back too, though this doesn't appear to track on the receipts.

HT Triples AGAIN this week (Wednesday)

Just FYI!

Huggies Deal at HT!

Ok parents of the diaper-wearing set, this is a good deal for you this week!

Harris Teeter has a sale going on Jumbo pack Huggies diapers - they are $5.99 which is ridiculously cheap as it is (usually about $10 which is why I don't buy them - Luvs are much cheaper and they send me regular $2.50 off coupons).

But...then add these printable $3 off coupons (scroll down - you should be able to print each twice), and they are $2.99 per pack! For the Snug and Dry kind this amounts to about 9 cents per diaper. Definitely a great deal!

Freebies on Tax Day!

I copied this from Sue Stock's blog today because I thought it was worth mentioning (but I'm citing you and linking to you, Sue!)

"Free, free and um, more free....
Submitted by suestock on 2010-04-15 07:00

If you missed my wrap up of all the freebies and special deals offered today, here they are again.
It is highly possible to eat your way around town today.

And of course, don't forget to file your taxes!

Free ice cream: Maggie Moo's stores on Weston Parkway in Cary and Brier Creek in Raleigh will be giving away samples of their MaggieMia's ice cream pizza from 3 to 7 p.m.

Little deductions: Children 12 and under eat free at IHOP restaurants with each adult meal purchased. The offer is good all month long from 4 to 10 p.m. daily. Dine in only; beverages are not included.

Sweet deals: Cinnabon stores will be giving away bite-sized cupcakes from 6 to 8 p.m.

Discount meals: PF Chang's customers will get 15 percent off their food bill.

IRS Special: McCormick & Schmick's restaurants will be offering $10.40 dinner entree specials at the bar, and bar patrons will receive a certificate for a $10.40 special on their next visit while supplies last. And on Friday (the day after tax day), professional tax preparers can present their business card to receive one of those $10.40 certificates and a complimentary dessert when they purchase an entree.

Doggie bag: Triangle-area Subway customers will get a free footlong sandwich when they buy one at regular price.

Java jolt: Bring your reusable coffee mug to Starbucks and get a free brewed coffee.

Breakfast biscuit: Participating Triangle-area McDonald's stores will be giving away free made-from-scratch biscuits from 6 to 10 a.m. Not all locations are doing the give-away, but the majority are. Check with your local store.

No taxation: Whole Foods stores in the Carolinas will give shoppers a discount equal to the amount of sales tax.


Read more: http://projects.newsobserver.com/taking_stock/free_free_and_um_more_free#ixzz0lAnfAj3Z
"

Couponing Milestone - First Rebates!

I decided to try doing some rebates. The hardest part was getting started really. Once I got it going, I was looking for more and more to do!

A lot of people think I'm an organized person. In truth, I do what I have to do to survive and not drive myself insane with looking for things. I start out with the best of intentions and a process I plan on following through with. But when things get busy, the process goes out the window and things start piling up. I'm confessing to all of this because I think to maximize couponing you have to be organized and even more so with rebates.

I had to find my envelopes and stamps which I haven't used in forever (who uses the real MAIL for anything anymore??) and I had to print up some rebate forms. Then I had to dig through my basket of receipts for the ones I needed, and some were in the pockets of my purse or diaper bag. I had to scan the receipts for certain items and circle them, and in one case I had to cut out UPCs from the packaging. For the P&G one I had to look up a list of brands that Proctor and Gamble owns online. In the end though, I am sending in the following:

1. Sorrento Cheese - $5 rebate (peeled the form off the packages) for the purchase of two packages of string cheese. I'm sending in two of these.

2. Hasbro games rebate - This is a great deal at Toys R Us - Hasbro games were on sale plus there are printable coupons in their website, PLUS there are $3 rebates on many of them. So, I will get $9 back for this rebate which will make my games (Operation, Battleship, and Connect 4) FREE

3. Proctor & Gamble (P&G) Year of Savings - buy $50 worth of items and get a $100 booklet of coupons. These are brands like Bounty, Charmin, Gillette, Luvs diapers, Pampers diapers, and more. This ends at the end of May so search through your March and April receipts for this!

4. Georgia Pacific/Kimberly-Clark $5 rebate - if you buy $20 worth of participating products you can get $5 back (the rebate form is on the cover of the 3/14 Red Plum insert). Brands include Brawny paper towels, Quilted Northern toilet paper, Dixie cups, and others. I'm not going to get this one because I haven't purchased enough of these products within the time window. Receipts must be from between 3/11 and 4/18.

These amounts that you need to reach for the rebate are prior to taxes and coupons/sale discounts, so you can match these products up with sales and coupons and also get the rebate.

Overall I should get $19 back and a big packet ($100 worth) of P&G coupons for the small price of 4 stamps. Not too bad. As long as I keep my stuff organized it should not take too much time to participate in these rebates in the future.

HT this week 4/10/10

I spent $109.89 today and saved $65.17 plus there were peelie's on my string cheese for $5 rebates off two string cheese packages so those were a money maker today (shake it!) I'm stocking up on some things for K's party coming up in two weeks.

some deals:

Chicken-breast halves (bone-in) are 97 cents a pound (usually 1.97) so you get three in a package for about $3, plus there are wine tags on the Rex Goliath wine bottles for $1 off chicken. No wine purchase required.

Ball Park Hot Dogs are BOGO plus there were coupons in 3/14 red plum

Hefty One Zip freezer bags- orig. 2.99 - BOGO (so one is $1.50) - peelie cpns on the box for 20 cents off (they don't double though) - Final = $1.30 each

Betty Crocker Warm Delights - orig. 2.55, sale 3 for $5 (or $1.67 each) - printable cpns for 50 cents x2 = 67 each or 75 cents off 2 cpns inside previous packages of the minis x2 = 92 cents

Orville Redenbacher popcorn - orig. 3.15 - BOGO (so one is 1.58) - 40 cent cpn in 3/18 SS x2 = 78 cents

CocaCola fridge packs are BOGO

Strawberries are only $1.25 per qt

Newman's Own 100% whole wheat bread orig. 2.79, sale BOGO (or 1.39 for one) - 75 cents off printable coupon = FREE

Sorrento String Cheese - orig. 4.99, sale BOGO (or 2.49 for one) - peelie rebate for $5 off two makes them FREE

Land O Lakes Half and Half pt - 1.79 - 45 cent cpn x2 = .89 cents

HT Milk - orig. 2.99, on sale 1.99 :-)

Don't forget about the special programs -

A great one right now - new or transferred prescriptions to the Pharmacy will get you a $20 credit for EACH prescription up to 5 precriptions. That's up to $100 off!

Healthy Smile Points - get 1 point per dollar spent on oral care stuff - collect 40 points before June 1st and get $5 off your next order. These points collect based on original prices not sale prices or prices after coupons. All that free or cheap toothpaste counts!

Diaper points which will get you $10 off your next order if you "spend" 50.

Dannon points which will get you $3 off your next order if you "spend" 20 (lots of coupons for these)

Kmart Super Doubles starts TOMORROW!

Ok, I'm surprised that no one is reporting this on the blogs I typically follow, but it is my understanding that my local Kmart (Durham, near South Square - between the Target and the Harris Teeter shopping centers) is participating.

Kmart is doubling coupons up to and INCLUDING $2 from 4/4 through 4/10. That means up to $4 off. They are only doubling up to 5 coupons per day. Here's a great deals list from Southern Savers.

Good Luck!

Li

Toys R Us, Old Navy

Just wanted to mention a few non-food deals this weekend.

Old Navy is having a $5 polo shirt deal on Saturday only!

Toys R Us is having some big sales today and tomorrow (Easter Saturday):

Best Deal: Hasbro games are all on sale plus there are printable coupons (on their website) and rebates available. If you buy the Operation Game (+coupon and rebate), and 2 of any of these three games (Battleship, Twister, Connect Four) + coupons and rebates, you will basically get them for FREE.

Diaper boxes - if you buy 2 you get a $15 gift card plus there have been some great printable diaper coupons lately, especially the $3 off huggies one. Also, if you've bought anything at Babies R Us recently, you may have gotten some coupons for $7 off Huggies diapers and wipes.

DVDs are buy one get one 50% off.

Crayola color wonders (K loves these mess free markers) - buy2 get one free or buy one get one half off

Fisher Price Toys - if you buy one toy $24.99 or more, you get a Fisher Price toy 24.99 or less for FREE

Mr. Potato Head is on sale for 3.99, plus there are printable coupons for $2 off making him $2!

There are more deals to check out! If you're ever looking for printable coupons, one of the best places to get them is Couponing101

Harris Teeter this week 4/2/10

Saved a little more than 50% this week at HT. It's the week of Buy2 get 3 free deals:

Pepsi fridge Packs
HT deli meats and cheeses
Green Giant canned veggies (K loves the green beans!)
Ken's Steakhouse dressing (plus there was a cpn for $1 off two on 3/7)

Easter Dinner stuff on sale:
I got a 7 pound ham for less than $10.
5lb bag of Russet Potatoes on eVIC special for $2
Schubert Yeast Rolls (frozen) - orig. 3.45 - BOGO so $1.72 for 1 - cpn for 50 cents off x2 = 72 cents
HT Butter - eVIC 1.77 per lb - sale price 1.97 per lb. I stocked up for the christmas holidays when it was on sale so I wouldn't have to pay full price, and it lasted until now. Just check the expiration dates. Plus you can freeze it if you want.
Green Giant frozen veggies - orig. 1.79 - sale $1 - printable cpns 50 cents off x2 = 50 cents per box
Breyer's ice cream on sale for $1.99 (this is a good price - it's less than half the normal price and it's difficult to get ice cream for less than 2.25 lately - Edy's had this price not too long ago so I stocked up then and again today!)

Other stuff:
Bob Evans frozen Sausage Biscuits (6ct) - orig. 3.99, sale 1.99, cpn for 50 cents off x2 = 99 cents
HT cream cheese eVIC 67 cents
Light n Fit 4 packs - orig. 1.89, sale 1.69 - printable cpns for 75 cents off x2 = 19 cents per 4 pack
(Dannon yogurt multipacks are on sale in general and there are a lot of coupons out for them, plus HT is doing a Dannon promotion where if you get 20 Dannon points ($1 spent per point) you get $3 off)
Hebrew National Hot Dogs - orig. 5.49, sale BOGO so 2.74 for 1 - cpn for 75 cents off x2 = 1.24

Fourth Pass - HT Triples 3-28-10

Spent $32.12 and saved $60.49

Today's coupons led to some additional deals! Plus I had a few left over from before. If I don't say where the cpn is from, you can find in in Sue Stock's database. Just click on the link to the left for her blog and it's right on there. Too lazy to look it up tonight (sorry!)

Best deal - Ok, I'll admit it. I have a cereal problem. But this was awesome and I couldn't pass it up. Frosted Mini-wheats Little Bites cereal. It was on sale BOGO. Plus I had a personal eVIC special that made it $2.29 (limit 2) instead of the usual $3.49. I had a $2 off two boxes coupon from today's paper plus a $1 off 2 boxes catalina coupon from yesterday's store visit. So, I got all 4 boxes for $1.58 (it took me a minute to figure out the math on that one). So then, another catalina coupon printed out at the register for a free gallon of milk. Essentially, I spent 40 cents per box and got a free gallon of milk! But now, I have WAY too many boxes of cereal. I need to figure out a way to make rice-crispies style treats with some of them.

So, in addition to that, here are some other great deals:

Trident Layers gum (I finally got it! They had some left at the HT on Garrett Rd.) - orig. 1.55, 75 cent cpn x3 = FREE

Lipton Tea Bags (16 ct) - orig. 1.35 - cpn for 50 cents off in today's paper x3 = FREE

Wishbone Salad dressing - orig. 2.99 - cpn for 75 cents off in today's paper x3 = 75 cents (although I could have gotten the smaller bottle for FREE)

Hellman's Mayonnaise - orig. 4.95, sale BOGO (so 2.47 for one) - cpn for 60 cents off in today's paper x3= 67 cents

Betty Crocker mini Warm Delights - orig. 2.55 - cpn for 75 cents off in today's paper x3 = 30 cents - OR printable cpns for 50 cents off x3 = $1.05 - OR 75 cents off 2 cpns inside the packaging x3 = $1.43 each

Dunkin Hines Frosting - orig. 1.45, sale 1.05 - cpn for 55 cents off 2 in today's paper = 50 cents each (saving up for K's birthday cupcakes!)

Ready Whip - orig. 2.79 - no sale but there was a 50 cents off cpn and we have tons of strawberries so I bought some for 1.29

Yoplait Greek Yogurt - 1.19 - cpn for 30 cents off in today's paper x3 = 30 cents

eggland's best eggs - 2.79 - cpn for 35 cents off x3 = 1.74 (need them for easter egg dye-ing)

Paper Cupcake cups - 1.19 - cpn for 25 cents off 2 x3 = 82 cents each (again, cupcake theme)

Jimmy Dean - orig. 3, sale 2.70 - cpn for 75 cents off x3 = 45 cents (I got the lite turkey sausage one)

Colgate advance clean toothpaste - orig. 3.39, sale 2.50 - 75 cents off cpn in today's paper x3 = 25 cents (I know, I have a ton of toothpaste, but I have a worth charity I've been giving it to. Plus, the sale amount before coupon is the amount that counts toward the "healthy smile points" thing they're doing. If you get 40 points before June, you get a catalina for $5 off your next order. All that free toothpaste I got during super doubles got me close. This added 2.5 more points. Just need to "spend" 50 cents more even if I get the next item free with a coupon, and I'll get the catalina, which I will probably have spent a total of about $1 for. sweet!)

Pillsbury cresent rolls, cinnamon rolls, and breadsticks - orig. 2.09 to 2.49 each - sale 3 for $5 or 1.67 each. tons of cpns out there including in todays paper for 40 cents off 2. x3 that makes them 1.06 each. Plus, if you buy 6 you get a catalina print out for $4 off your next order. so technically they are about 40 cents each.

I thought about using the 60 cent cpn off Skippy peanut butter, but it was not on sale. When it goes on sale, that coupon will double anyway and it will be cheaper. These are good things to think about when deciding whether or not to use a coupon. I try not to pay more than $1 for a jar of peanut butter if I can help it.

Also, from yesterday:

Rold Gold Pretzels - orig. 2.99, sale 2.50 - cpn for 55 cents off x3 = 85 cents

Windex - orig. 3.69, sale. 2.99 - cpn for 55 cents off (and winetage or peelie cpns for 55 cents off) x3 = $1.34

Ziploc bags - 2.49 - cpns for 55 cents off = 84 cents per box

Dixie Light brown sugar - 2.25, sale 2.05 - cpn for 50 cents off x3= 55 cents

Dixie granulated sugar - 2.95, sale 2.50 - cpn for 50 cents off x3= $1

Farm Rich Mozzerella bites - 7.59, sale 4.99 - cpn 75 cents off x3 = 2.74

Bridgeford Bread dough - orig. 2.99 - printable cpns for 55 cents off x3 = $1.34 each (great to make pepperoni bread)

International Delight liquid creamer - 1.99 - cpn for 55 cents off x3 = 34 cents

Lysol Cling clips (toilet cleaner things you hang on the bowl) - orig. 2.99 - sale 2.50 - cpns from the "winetags" on the Lysol bottles for 75 cents off x3 = 25 cents each


Sue says there are more than 300 coupons expiring this Wednesday so check your binders/organizers for anything you might want to use before then. But don't use a coupon just because you have it and it's expiring. There are bound to be more!

Third Pass - HT Triples 3/27/10

Ok, today I spent $49 and saved $68 (losing steam I guess) :-)

Too tired right now to post all the deals from today but one big one was the Pillsbury deal. A bunch of the Pillsbury refrigerated bread doughs (you know, Cresent Rolls, Biscuits, Cinnamon Rolls) are on sale and there are always a ton of coupons both in the inserts and printables. The thing that makes these such a great deal today is the OYNO coupons you get when you buy. I bought 5 of them and got a $3 off your next order catalina coupon at checkout. I think you can get $4 off if you buy 6 or more.

There are some new cpns coming out in the paper tomorrow so I'll be making at least one more trip. So far this time around I've spent about $90 and saved about $203.

Second Pass - HT triple coupons 3-26-10

I spent $33 and saved $94.63 = 73% savings!

Triples deals:

Huggies Natural Care wipes - orig. 3.99 - sale 3.19 - printable cpn 75 cents x3 = 94 cents

Kashi Go Lean Crisp cereal - orig. 3.99 - personal eVIC special 2.29 - peelie cpn for $1 off Kashi cereal = $1.29

Quaker True Delights granola bars - orig. 2.99 - 75 cent cpn in 2/14 Red Plum x3 = .74 cents

Kelloggs Fiber Plus bars - 3.29 - 75 cent cpn in 1/31 Red Plum x3 = $1.04

Special K Fruit Crisp bars - 3.19 - 75 cent cpn in 2/21 Red Plum x3 = 94 cents

Sunmaid Organic Raisins (6 boxes) - orig. 2.49 - sale $2 - 55 cent peelie cpn x3 = 35 cents

2 - 6oz cans Carnation Evap. Milk - orig. $0.69 - 50 cent cpn in 3/21 Red Plum x3 = FREE

Mentos Gum (near the checkout) - orig. 1.49, sale .99 - 55 cent cpn in 2/21 Smart Source x3 = FREE

Nature's Own Thin Bagels - orig. 2.99 - sale 2.69 - 75 cent printable cpn x3 = 44 cents

Nature's Own Honey Wheat bread - orig. 2.79 - sale 1.99 - 75 cent printable cpn x3(it says it's for the Nature's Own premium bread but it actually works for the regular bread too) = FREE

McCain frozen potato Baby Cakes (or smiles or sweet potato fries) - orig. 3.35 - sale 3.00 - 75 cent cpn in 2/28 Smart Source x3 = 75 cents

Yoplait Greek Yogurt - orig. $1.19 per cup - printable cpns for 30 cents off x3 = .29 cents each

Shamrock 2% milk (12oz) - orig. 1.25 - 50 cent off in 3/7 Smart Source x 3 = FREE

Coffeemate (liquid 15 oz) - orig. $2 - printable 75 cent cpn on the coffeemate website x 3 = FREE

Oscar Meyer Bacon - orig. 5.49 - sale $4 - 75 cent cpn in 3/21 Smart Source x3 = $1.75

2 pkgs Ball Park Franks - orig. 2.99 - personal eVIC special price 99 cents each (limit 2) - cpn for 75 cents off 2 in 3/14 Red Plum x3 = FREE

Lysol multipurpose cleaner - orig. 2.99 - sale BOGO (so $1.49 for 1) cpn for 50 cents off in 3/14 Smart Source x 3 = FREE (and, there are "winetag" coupons on some of the Lysol products where you can get more of the 50 cent coupons and some other coupons including a 75 cent cpn for the cling toiletbowl cleaner that would make it 25 cents)

2 6-packs - Yoplait Kids cups (Dora the Explorer!) - orig. 2.95 - 2 printable 40 cents off cpns x 3 = $1.75 each (I was looking for an alternative to the YoBaby K eats at daycare everyday since it is expensive and since we got Windows 7 I can't print the Stonyfield cpns off their site anymore - ugh) This was a decent deal since YoBaby typically costs between $3 and $4 a pack)

Other deals:

Strawberries Buy 1 get 2 free - orig. 4.99 each - the sale makes them $1.67 each

Perdue Boneless Thighs (USDA verified) - orig. 3.32 (or 2.49 per lb for 1.11lbs) on sale it was 2.76 - Harris Teeter cpn that came in the mail yesterday for $1 off = $1.76

Harris Teeter Boneless Chicken Breast - Buy 1 get 2 free. On thing I realized about this deal is that the price per pound is jacked up. The price per pound is 4.99 for the 3 breast packages that are on sale. The same chicken breasts in the larger package is actually 2.49 per pound (half the price). Now, this sale is still cheaper, because you end up paying about $1.67 per pound. It's just not as cheap as you would think...

Kellogg's Deal - buy 3 kellogg's cereals, get a catalina (checkout) coupon for 1 free gallon of milk. - If you buy 5, get 2 free gallons, and if you buy 7, get 3 free gallons. This is how I did it:

2 boxes Frosted Mini Wheats - orig. 3.49 - sale BOGO (so 1.74 each) - printable cpn for $1.50 off two = $1 each

2 more boxes Frosted Mini Wheats - cpn for $1 off two in 3/7 Red Plum = $1.25 each

= 1 free gallon of milk - so that's like getting 4 boxes of cereal and a gallon of milk for about $2


Still at least one, maybe two more passes to go!

HT Triples Reminders and First Pass

Just some reminders about triples:

1. only coupons up to 99 cents will triple. You'll have to save those $1 coupons for super doubles.
2. you need a VIC card to triple anything
3. only 20 coupons per day will triple - they will still take more than 20 coupons from you, they will just ring at face value instead of tripling.
4. many coupons that say "do not double or triple" actually will triple. You need to check the serial number. If the first number on the left (the one hanging out before all the rest) is a 5, it probably will triple. If it's a 9 it probably won't.
5. Catalina coupons (the ones HT prints out when you check out) will NOT double or triple
6. Items that are BOGO typically ring up at half price if you buy 1. That means you can usually use two coupons for two items that are BOGO. I find that this is NOT true of the Buy 2 get 3 free deals, they will only let you use 2 coupons in that case, not 5.


And now for the first pass!

This morning I hit the HT at 8am on my way to work - spent $8.48 and saved $42.80. This is what I got (9 items were FREE!):

2 - 5lb bags Gold Medal Flour - orig. 2.59 per bag, 75 cents off printable coupon (x3) = 34 cents per bag - that's a lot of pancakes for D to make!

Mahatma Brown Rice - orig. 2.69 - cpn for 50 cents off in 2/7 Red Plum (x3) = $1.19 (it would have been cheaper to buy the small white rice package if they had had any left, but we mainly eat brown rice anyway)

Mahatma Rice Mixes - orig. 89 cents - cpn for 75 cents off 2 in 2/7 Red Plum (x3) = FREE

Lysol 4 in 1 antibacterial cleaner - orig. 2.99, sale BOGO so $1.50 for one - cpn for 50cents off in 3/14 Smart Source = FREE

Newman's Own Dressing Low Fat Asian - orig. 3.99 - on clearance for 1.99 - cpn for 50 cents off in 3/21 Red Plum = 49 cents

Kraft Mac N Cheese (cheese explosion kind) - orig. 1.35 - HT retailer coupon that came in the mail for 50 cents off (x3) = FREE

Quaker True Delights multigrain snacks - orig. 2.19, sale 1.50 - 75 cents off cpn in 2/14 Red Plum x3 = FREE

Huggies natural care wipes - orig. 3.59 - sale 3.19 - printable cpn for 75 cents off x3 = 94 cents

Solo plates (they were out of the cups) - orig. 2.89 - cpn for 75 cents off in 1/24 smart source x3 = 64 cents

2 bottles Frenchs Spicy Brown Mustard - orig. 2.15, sale $1.50 - cpn for 50 cents off in 1/24 and 3/21 smart source x3 = FREE

Franks Hot Sauce - orig. 1.25 - cpn for 50 cents off in 1/24 smart source x3 = FREE

Frenchs Worchester sauce - orig. 2.19 - cpn for 50 cents off in 1/24 smart source x 3 = 69 cents

Yakisoba noodles - orig. 100 - cpn for 50 cents off (can't remember where I got it!) = FREE

Planters Nut-trition bars - orig. 3.09 - cpn for 75 cents off in 2/21 smart source x3 = 84 cents

Maxwell House General Foods International Cappuchino 100 calorie - orig. 2.39 - cpn for 75 cents off in 3/21 smart source x 3 = 14 cents

McCormick Black Peppercorn grinder - orig. 2.79, sale $2, cpn for 75 cents off in x3 =

Mc Cormick Cinnamon - orig. 1.89 - I did not have a cpn for this, but when you buy 2 mc cormick products you get a $1.50 off your next order (OYNO) catalina coupon at checkout

Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti (or as K calls is Spagga petti petti) oring. 1.59 - Coupon for 55 cents off whole grain in 3/7 smart source x3 = FREE

Barilla Piccolina pasta - orig. 1.50 - cpn for 55 cents off in 3/7 smart source x 3 = FREE



I'm going to have to start getting that extra copy of the N&O to the house on Sundays for an extra $1 - totally would've paid for itself in this case!

TRIPLES are coming next week (Wednesday!)

Ok, I got the heads up - TRIPLES are back at Harris Teeter starting Wednesday!!! (Triple coupons that is, for the uninitiated. This means any coupons up to 99 cents are tripled! So, 50 cents off becomes $1.50 off, 75 cents off becomes $2.25 off, etc. Usually there are a bunch of free items with coupons during triples, but you have to get there early - they WILL sell out. Last time I took Wednesday morning off but didn't get their until 9:30 and still missed some of the free deals. Have fun and post your deals here!

Harris Teeter this week 3/13/10

This week I spent $97.63 and saved $81.68 (about 46% savings).

The biggest deal for today was those coupons from the Friday paper I mentioned in my last post. All of them worked so I saved a total of $16 off my order.

I also want to mention that March is frozen food month (who knew?) so my HT had a ton of "tearpad" coupons in the frozen food section for all kinds of frozen stuff. Tyson bagged chicken (K loves their nuggets), frozen veggies, frozen pizza, frozen TGI Fridays appetizers, Kashi meals or pizzas, stouffers meals (including lean cuisine) and many more. They expire at the end of May. I took a bunch because we are getting a chest freezer for the garage this weekend and there may be some great opportunities to stock up in the coming weeks.

I did not do the Kellog's deal that HT has going (get $3 off 3, $4 off 4, or $5 off 5 boxes of cereal - plus there were Kellog's coupons on 2/7 and 3/7). My pantry is stocked with Big G cereals right now - we have to get through 6 boxes of cheerios, 1 box of special K, one box of Smart Start, and one box of Quaker Oatmeal squares before they expire at the end of the year. I'm sure I'll be shopping the cereals sales again in a few months though... :-)

Some other deals from today:

Charmin Ultra big rolls (12) - Orig. 8.99, eVIC 5.77 - cpn for 25 cents off x2 in the 3/7 P&G saver - final price = 5.27

Bounty 8 roll paper towels- Orig. 9.99 - eVIC 5.77 - cpn for 25 cents off x2 in the 3/7 P&G saver - final = 5.27 - this was actually not the best deal on paper towels I've seen, though if you're doing the P&G Year of Savings promotion it counts toward that. You have until April 15 on that promo - it's basically a spend $50 on P&G products and get $100 worth of coupons for more P&G products.

Dawn Dish Detergent - orig. 2.99, eVIC - 1.77 - cpn for 50 cents off (has to be the hand renewal kind) x2 in 3/7 P&G - final = 77 cents

Luvs Diapers - 16.99 for the big pack - $2.50 off cpn via the mail (join on the Luvs website and you'll get these periodically) final = $14.49 (about 16 cents per diaper)

No Yolk Egg Noodles - orig. 2.29 - BOGO - cpn for 75 cents off in - final = FREE

Muir Glen organic diced tomatoes (Canned) - orig. 2.35 each - sale 1.34 - "peelie" cpn on the can for $1 off two - final price .84 cents per can (HT brand was $1.15/can non-organic)

Gillette Men's Hair Gel - orig. 4.99- sale 4.49, cpn for $1 off in 3/7 P&G - final = 3.49

Tropicana OJ (gotta get some when Pop Pop is coming to town) - orig. 3.49 - sale 3.00 - cpn for $1 off two in 2/21 Red Plum - final price = 2.50 each

Dannon Yogurt - orig. 6/$4 - not on sale (gasp!) but D wanted them - cpn for $1 off 10 in 2/21 Smart source - final price 56 cents each - normally I don't pay more than 30 cents for yogurt cups if I can avoid it :-)

YoBaby Meals - orig. 2.99 - sale 2.50 - catalina coupon printed out last time I was at HT for $1.50 off - final price = $1

Born Free Natural Omega 3 eggs - Orig. 3.29 - sale 2.79 - cpn for 35 cents off in 3/7 Red Plum x2 - final price = 2.09

Hillshire Farm sausages (Brats) - orig. 3.65 - eVIC 2.00 (limit 2) - cpn for in 1/31 RP for $1 off 2 - final price = $1.50 each

Good deals without coupons:

Keebler's Chips Deluxe cookies are Buy 2 get 3 free - I had picked up 5 pkgs, supposedly for K's birthday party next month, but I put them back because we all know they would probably be gone within like 2 weeks...who was I kidding?

Tony Roma's BBQ - orig. 6.99 - eVIC 2.99 (limit 3)

HT Natural Ice Cream and Breyers Ice Cream are BOGO

Crayola kids toothbrushes BOGO (counts toward the Healthy Smile promotion HT is doing - btw - all my free toothpaste counted toward that as well - they count the price you pay before coupons - if I get 40 points ($40 worth) of dental stuff I will get a $5 off your total order coupon. There is also apparently a diaper promo that is similar only it's $50 worth that you need to buy.

Chef Boyardee microwave bowls are 3 for $3 (or $1 each) - usually the sale price is 4 for $5 so this is a bit better than usual sales

HT milk is still on sale for 2.69 a gallon (usually 3.29)

Strawberries are BOGO

Green Bell peppers are 99 cents (usually 1.79)

Pineapples are also half off - 2 for $5

Grande Tortilla chips 2 for $5

3lb bag Tangelos 2.99 (usually 3.99)

5lb bag red potatoes $3.50 (usually $4)

3lb bag onions $1.97 (usually $2.49)

Today's N&O - may be too late, but...

Sorry I didn't post about this earlier today, but the Friday paper for the N&O has some incredible Harris Teeter coupons in it. It's not an insert, it's actually a full page ad.

There are four 50 cents off one item coupons, 4 $1 off any item $2 or more coupons, and 2 $5 off a $40 purchase coupons. You can use them all in the same transaction, but there are some restrictions. One is that you can't use the 50 cent or $1 off coupons in conjunction with manufacturer's coupons. But they can be used on sale items. So, for example, Yoplait yogurt is on sale for 50 cents each and you could use the 50 cent coupons to get them free (assuming there are any left!). The two $5 off coupons can be used in the same transaction as long as you spend at least $80 - one for each set of $40 purchases. And the $40 or $80 has to be AFTER all other discounts and coupons have been applied. Sue Stock says you can try to use these coupons first before you hand the cashier your other cpns and manufacturer's cpns to get around that, but it may not work.

Anyway, it adds up to about $16 total possible savings and the coupons are good until the end of the day Sunday. If you can find a Friday copy (ask your neighbors or hit the local 24 hr gas station), you could cash in!

Coupon Trains and "Train Envies"

Ok, almost every day I'm introduced to something new in the couponing world. This does not mean I have the time, patience, organization, or general wherewithal to follow through with them. This is one of those things I came across on a couponing blog and said (aloud), "What the heck is that?" To spare you from this same fate, I will introduce YOU to Coupon Trains.

The general idea is to send a stack of coupons through the mail to a circle of 3 to 6 other couponers. The person who starts it is called a "conductor." There is a list of addresses called a "routing slip" that travels with the coupons to tell each person in the train where to send it next. When you get the envelope (aka "envie" hence the couponing term "train envie"), you take the coupons you want and replace them with other coupons that are the same value as the ones you took. This way, you can get extra copies of coupons for things you like to buy and share coupons for things other people like to buy. You MUST turn that envelope around within 1 to 3 days of receiving it so that coupons don't expire before other people get them.

Sounds kind of simple, but I imagine you have to be selective about who you want boarding your train. I would probably requiring a couponing passport of some kind in order to guarantee they will stick with, follow the rules, and not steal all the coupons. Which makes me think I'd need a local train - like a hi-speed commuter coupon rail.

Anybody do this? Have you been successful or do you end up with an envelope full of, like, coupons for polydent and offers for seasonal dog flags for your front lawn?

Just Reminding Everyone - Couponing 101

My new favorite site is Couponing 101 - I posted a while ago about it, but right now there are tons of deals listed for CVS and Walgreens and other stores you might not usually think of. They also post lots of printable coupons, and they're super easy to download and print directly from the links on the site. Don't forget to check it out!

HT this week 3/6/10

This week I spent $70.03 and saved $67.39 (almost 50%!). Just to demonstrate how much can be bought with $70, even buying some organic food, I'll list what I got:

-6 pkgs Thomas's Light english muffins (BOGO) (orig. 3.99) - no coupons, but BOGO is the cheapest these get, so I stock up and freeze them in freezer bags. microwave one for 22 seconds, then put in the toaster, slather some peanut butter on there and great "to go" and filling breakfast - these things have like 8 grams of fiber each.

-1 loaf Earth Grains bread (orig. 3.49, sale price $2.50) - cpn for 55 cents off in 2/7 RP or I think I also had a printable one - doubles to $1.10 off -final price = $1.40

-4 pkgs Sorrento String Cheese (BOGO) (orig. 4.99 - sale price was cheaper than HT string cheese so I stocked up a bit)

-2 bags HT shredded mexican blend cheese (BOGO) (orig. 2.69)

- 1 Kozy Shack 6-pack chocolate pudding (orig. 3.39 on sale BOGO so $1.69) cpn 40 cents off in 2/7 smart source - doubles to 80 cents off - final price = 89 cents

-3 Stonyfield farm 6oz yogurts (orig. 89 cents, on sale for 49 cents each - catalina cpn for buy 2 get one free) (about 32 cents each)

- 1 gallon HT Organic Milk (orig. 5.69 - on sale 4.99)

-2 pkgs (a little more than 2lbs) 93% ground beef ($2.99/lb on sale)

-2 boxes Quaker Chewy Granola bars (orig. 2.99, sale price = $2) cpn 75 cents off 2 in the 2/14 red plum - double to $1.50 off 2 - $1.25 per box

- 4 boxes Quaker Fiber Plus Omega 3 granola bars (orig. 2.99, sale price = $2) - cpns for $1 off two printable or in the 1/24 red plum

- 1 box Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal (orig. 4.29, sale price $2.50) - cpn for $1 off one box - final price = $1.50 (I'm glad I didn't use this during super doubles - this cereal was not on sale then so during super doubles it would have been $2.29 and we all know not to pay more than two dollars for a box of cereal right? actually, shoot for $1.50 or less if you can)

PLUS** Special: Buy 7 Quaker products, get $3 off total order

-1 jar Oretega taco sauce (can you guess yet what we are having for dinner?) (orig. 2.29, on sale $1.50) (there is a cpn in the 1/24 Smart source for 75 cents off two ortega items, but I've used that cpn already - doesn't mean you can use it now though!)

-1 can HT Traders Minestrone soup (orig. 1.99 - sale price FREE - one can of HT soup is free to eVIC members this week though it's not advertised on the shelf)

-2 cans HT Green Beans (77 cents per can)

-All Laundry detergent (small and mighty) - on sale $3.99 - cpn for $2 off in 2/7 Red Plum

-4 pouches Starkist Chunk Light Tuna - on sale for $1 each - cpns for $1 off two in Family Circle magazine (or Better Homes and Gardens in the dentist's office. I'm just saying you could look for them there...) Final Price - 50 cents each

- 2pkgs Plumrose Thick Cut Bacon (orig. 3.99, on sale $2.47)

Produce:
-a personal watermelon ($3.99 on sale) - hey, K wanted it and it was $1 off on sale technically
-Organic Romaine hearts ($2.99 on sale)
-two plum tomatoes (on sale 77 cents a pound)
-3 yellow bananas (we've got a ton from the sale last week that are starting to turn -I didn't want to add to the banana bread craziness - although, Gold Medal flour has some printable cpns out right now)
-1 Hass avacado (on sale $1.50) (K's favorite veggie)


I've been stocking up so much the last few weeks and getting close to or breaking the $100 barrier (not by much, but still), it was really nice to do all my shopping this week for $70 and get plenty of breakfast and lunch food for the week plus some dinner stuff and snacks and laundry detergent! I find that I can buy laundry detergent very cheap by getting some when it's on sale with a coupon - and it's actually cheaper than buying it in the gigantic bulk container.

Don't forget to comment on your favorite deals!