Monday, August 31, 2009

MyGroceryDeals.com

I was over at MashupMom this morning with a burning question:

Where can I find if an item is for sale, without having to read the blogs/postings for Jewel, Dominick's, Super Target etc? There are plenty of sites which can tell you where to find coupons for a specific item (couponmom.com is a good one) but I didn't know of a site where I could type in "ground beef" and comparison shop the stores near me.

MashupMom was kind enough to point me in the direction of MyGroceryDeals.com. It's free and it's pretty cool, too. You register, select your stores, and away you go.

By the way, ground beef is cheaper this week at Dominick's than Jewel. And I only had to go to one site to find out!

Now if we could get MyGroceryDeals to add in the coupon match ups, this would become the Holy Grail of sites for me!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Conagra quick hit

I had to buy some quick things at the Jewel yesterday so I snatched 5 bottles of Wesson Canola oil (on sale for $2.50 a bottle) which triggered the spend $25 get $10 catalina.

Remember to always SCAN your items. The cat triggers on the sale (not preferred price) or regular price if no sale or preferred is shown. In this intance I paid out of pocket $12.50 for 5 bottles and got a $10 coupon. Not bad for 5 bottles of oil.

However I currently have 8 bottles of oil in the pantry and God knows I won't need THAT many bottles unless I enter some sort of salad dressing Olympic training.

So I'm shipping at least 4 to the food pantry.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Make your own magazine file boxes




This is sooooo cute. I stumbled across this on Making Life Sweet. What a cool way to make inexpensive holders for all my kids magazine and a good way to recycle boxes of cereal or other food stuffs.

NO LONGER WORKS/Fav 4 meat sale at Jewel: for plain old newbies




(This one's for you, Rose!)


Jewel is currently running a Fav 4 meat sale. The ad tells you which items apply, and their goal is to get you to buy at least 4 of these meat items to receive the $4.10 instant deduction at the register.

Typically the Fav 4 meats are wrapped in large sizes, say 3 pounds of stew beef for $3 a pound. By advertising the larger (and more expensive sizes) Jewel is betting you'll probably pick up 4 packs of around $6 each, spending $24 and netting the store at least $19.90 after discount.

But as with all things, there is a trick in this. While the 3 pounds of stew meat might have a Fav 4 sticker on it, the 1 pound of stew meat will ALSO qualify. As long as the price per pound (in this case $3) still applies. So the trick is to buy smaller quantities of meat, 4 of them, to maximize your $4.10 discount.

Now, you are not supposed to go to the butcher and ask him to re wrap your stew beef into smaller sizes. Let's be reasonable here.

This deal also stacks (meaning buying 8 will net you $8.20 off).

This deal comes around about 4 times per year (ironically enough).

Meat includes ground beef, stew meat, fish, shrimp, pork. Go crazy you carnivores.

Free Eos egg shaped lip balm


(March 2010: Hello and welcome to the page of my blog which receives the most hits. Egg shaped lip balm is apparently a popular search term. Unfortunately, this post is almost a year old and to my knowledge this free giveaway has long expired. Why not take a look around at the other posts and see if something catches your fancy!)

I couldn't make this up if I wanted to. You have to check out this free, supposedly organic lip balm. I have nothing coming to me for this except the free one I registered for. The website, by the way, is pretty cool. Doesn't this thing remind you of a roll on deodorant??


Thanks MashupMom!
PS: I just got notification that mine is on the way. I changed the photo so you could get a better idea of what this thing looks like.


As a follow up, you can read my October review of the lip balm here.

Dominck's to cut some prices by 30%

Note the article ends with the ominous theory they'll raise prices on other goods as well.

I don't shop Dominick's much since I am becoming more and more a fan of Jewel (I had no idea they have 39% of the Chicago-area grocery market share). My Dominick's is a VERY pretty and VERY huge store. My Jewel looks like it was built during post Cold War Russia, and that's AFTER the recent makeover.

Fruits and veggies look much more attractive under pretty halogen lights. Let's just leave it at that.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Good thing I saved all that money on groceries....


There's nothing like running out of water mid shampoo when you need to get to the office by 9am.

Spitter. Spatter. Nothing.

JOHN!!!

$1700 and 6 hours later I am the proud owner of a new well pump. Thank you Peter Snelton & Sons who got here within the hour.


It's interesting to me that 350 feet below my home flows an aquifer that provides me with all my water. It's all just there. Underground. In layers of solid rock. Millions of years old.


My backyard is where I take all of my drinking water from Mother Earth.

My front yard is where I give it all back to Her.

Ahem.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Conagra/Kelloggs deals (Jewel thru 9/9/09)

I'll post some of the ones I think I might do:

Confirmed deals:

5 Wesson canola oil.
Sale price $5/2
Spend OOP $12.50
Get $10 cats
= $2.50 for 5 bottles

14 packs of Hunts puddings/jellos (includes sugar free)
Sale price $1 (reg $1.90)
Spend OOP $14
Get $10 cats
= $4 for 14 packs of pudding/jello


9 Peter Pan peanut butters
Sale price $2 (reg. $2.99)
Q from 8/2 RP - 50c/2
Spend $18 OOP (potentially only $16 if you use 4 coupons)
Get $10 cats
= $8 for 9 jars of peanut butter (88 cents each) or $6 with q's (66 cents)

Looking through the list I think I'm only interested in the jello, pudding, oil and maybe some popcorn, Hunts tomato sauce and Pam spray. A lot of that stuff we won't touch (CBRD= Chef Boyardeee bleh and no one here likes cereal). Unless you live on process foods, there isn't much here.

If you see anything, please post a comment.

Conagra/Kelloggs spend $25 get $10 catalina

Read on this site, plus couponerswanted and Frugalista that this deal starts today. But have also read that there may be some programming issues. I, myself, am waiting to see what works out on this one. I don't want to try it and not have it work (which I know sometimes happens but am trying to mitigate the risk as much as I can). Plus I like to work off UPC lists. If you see one posted let me know.

My Brain has posted this list:

CONFIRMED WORKING LIST:
CBRD
CBRD Mini, Regular & Beefaroni
CBRD spag w meatballs
CBRD 99% Fat Free
Flieshmans Margerine
Hunts Ketchup 24 oz
Hunts Traditional Sauce
Hunts Snack Packs Vanilla, Choc Fudge, Swirl, Choc & Vanilla
Hunt’s Snack Pack Sugar Free Strawberry Orange Gel Snack 0 27000 41232 9
Hunt’s Snack Pack Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding 0 27000 41367 8
Hunt’s Snack Pack Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding 0 27000 41366 1
Hunt’s Snack Pack Fat Free Tapioca Pudding 0 27000 41365 0
Hunts Fat free chocolate pudding
Hunt's Manwich
Hunt's Manwich Bold Flavor
Hunts Tomatoes (diced tomatoes in sauce, italian herb, roasted diced)
Kid Cuisine Chicken Nuggets & Corn Dogs
Keebler fudge shoppe Peanut Butter
Kellogg's Rice Krispies 12oz box
Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies
Kellogg's Blueberry Frosted Miniwheats
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
Kellogg's Raisin Bran
Kellogg's Apple Jacks
Kellogg's Apple Jacks limited edition triangle shape
Kellogg's Corn Pops
Kellogg's Froot Loops
Kellogg's Frosted Miniwheats Bite Size
Kellogg's Frosted Miniwheats Maple & Brown Sugar
Kellogg's Poptarts ~ chocolate chip cookie dough & chocolate fudge
Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles
Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Patties UPC #02898997580
Morningstar Farms Chik Patties UPC #028989975409
Morningstar Farms Grillers Prime UPC #02898905534
Morningstar Farms Tomato Basil
Morningstar Farms Sausage Patties UPC #2898997140
Morningstar Farms chicn nuggets
Morningstar Farms Bacon
Morningstar Farms® Veggie Sausage Links
Morningstar Farms® Buffalo Wings Veggie Wings
Nutri-grain bars 16pk(strawberry and apple)
Nutri-grain bars 16 pack apple cinnamon
OR Smart Pop Mini Bags
OR Movie Theater
OR 94% Fat Free (3 and 4 bag)
OR Natural, simply salted popcorn
OR Kettle Corn 4-pack
OR 100 Cal Smart Pop Kettle corn
OR Natural Butter 3 pack
OR Natural Buttery Salt & Cracked Pepper 4 mini bags
Pam Original small can works $3.00 ($3.79psp)
Pam Baking and Pam Grilling
Peter Pan CREAMY worked for the CAT
Reddi Wip Whipped Cream FF
Rotel original and mild
Special K bars 12pk (choc drizzle)
Special K multi grain crackers 8oz box
Super Chill 12 pk Diet
Super Chill 12 packs of orange, cherry and cola
Wesson Canola Oil
Wesson Corn Oil

MAYBE, MAYBE NOT
Keebler Club Honey Wheat Stix
Banquet Dinners
Peter Pan Low Fat & Honey

CONFIRMED NOT WORKING
Morningstar Farms® Original Chik'n Tenders
Morningstar Farms Mushroom Lover's Burger 028989278944
Morningstar Farms Chik'n Strips
Morningstar Farms Mini Corn Dogs
Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean #0 2898939207 7
Morningstar Farms Southwestern Style Veggie Cakes ~
Morningstar Farms Veggie Nuggets (broccoli cheese)
Morningstar Farms Asian Veg burgers
Kellogg's Poptarts - Smores & Cookies and Cream
Kellogg's Poptarts - Blueberry
Kellogg's Strawberry Frosted Miniwheats
Special K Crackers Tomato Basil
Wesson Veg. Oil
Reddi Whip

UNCONFIRMED ITEMS
MS Grillers Original UPC 2898997310
CBRD Micro Cups
Keebler Crackers ~ Wheatables, Toasteds
Rice Krispies Treats
Marie Callendar's Dinners or Pot Pies
Kellogg's Corn Flakes
Kellogg's Crispix
Kellogg's Jumbo KrispieS

Unlimited Dove coupon printables?



YMMV but I was able to print 12 of these before I decided to quit. The coupons are for $1 off a 4 packs of bar soap or 1 body soap product, or $3.50 off one revitilizer pack.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Southern Living Magazine for only $5 a year


Moneywise Mom is reporting that Amazon is running a 1-week special on Southern Living Magazine--just $5.00 for a one-year subscription. That's just .38/issue! This offer expires Saturday, August 29th at midnight.

Deals from Walgreens and CVS

I am going through back to school madness right now so I have not been too focused lately on coupons deals etc. Right now I'm focused on the realities of getting two kids back to elementary and middle school, respectively.

Also, the UPC list isn't out yet for the next Jewel catalina, a conagra et al spend $25 get $10 that starts this week....

Meanwhile get your fix on these deals from Money Saving Mom for Walgreens and CVS. I have to admit I am not a Walgreens or CVS shopper, not because I am a snob or something, but simply because there isn't one that is remotely close to me.

Sample Walgreen deals:
Reach Toothbrush--$0.99 after in ad coupon
Use $1/1 coupon from 8/2 SmartSource insert
Free after coupons

Rimmel Mascara--on sale 40% off regular price (prices begin at $3.49)
Use $2/1 coupon from 8/23 RP insert
As low as $0.09 each after coupon

See more here and here for CVS.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

I actually won something!

Last night I attended a friend's first Southern Living at Home party. I am not sure why I go to these, perhaps it is just to get out and have some munchies and chat. I never buy anything (probably why I'm never invited back to any "party" twice).


They did a little raffle at the end. Just as I was commenting to my friend that I never win ANYTHING, the called my name.


Me. My name.


The planet stuttered a bit in its orbit. Did you feel it, too?


I won this iron scroll tray (minus the glasses):





My next post shall be entitled: What the heck to I do with this tray I've won? Cause if there is a decorating gene, I am lacking it entirely.

By the way, not that I have any interest in whether or not you buy anything from Southern Living at Home (and I don't really), they do have an attractive catalog for "window shopping" which is exactly what I do at these events.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Eeek! What do I bring as a thank you gift?

Recently some new friends of ours invited us to their block party. Their son and our son are best friends. We've had their son over for a playdate several times, and they came over for a cookout the beginning of the summer. They're very nice, but we don't socialize with them beyond that.

When the mom mentioned the block party, I thought that sounds fun and super casual. I was prepared to ask what I should bring. Then she sent the evite, along with a note to disregard the price per person. They want to treat us.

Treat us to the tune of $60!!

The block party is a luau. Catered. Pig roast. LIVE BAND. Games and prizes. Free sodas and beers. Well, as you can imagine, we were floored.

The mom won't take our offer to pay for this, so my husband suggested we bring the mom "a nice thank you gift."

What constitutes an appropriate thank you gift for this? I actually am stumped. Perhaps socially stunted is a better word. (No, a stack of coupons won't do!)

Help!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Something to do with all those apples

(Photo from The Pioneer Woman)

I inherited two large apple trees when I moved into this house. They make 8 million apples every year. Tasty apples. But ugly apples.

I have read every book and website on this planet about the care of apples. Mine suffer from apple scab, which is apparently the bane of the apple existance. Helpful advice from every source:

Plant scab resistant apples.

Too late.

I tried natural, organic apple spray to no avail.

I tried full on FDA certified apple pharmaceuticals. Zippo luck. I may need a lung transplant in the future, but I digress.


I have given in to the fact my apples look terrible. Big huge terrible looking apples that despite all outward appearances actually taste delightful when peeled and baked into a pie.

Or a caramel apple sticky bun. Thank you Pioneer Woman.


******
Do you have a favorite apple recipe that you can share? Link below. If I try yours, I will report back.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Total Jewel Tally

I went and found most all the receipts I used in this last Unilever/GM/Dr. Pepper deal. I calculated as follows (I'm rounding):

As near as I can tell, I purchased approximately $350 worth of groceries (a year's supply of pasta sauce, a year's supply of All detergent, a year's supply of tea bags, a year's supply of brownie mix, deodorant, and ice cream) for $7.

That's a savings of 98%!

Pretty good for a newbie I think!

******

Did you get any special deals this week? Please post them in the comments section below.

Friday, August 14, 2009

I lied

Big fat sweet smelling liar!

Updated:

I printed 12 $1.50/1 Degree body mists and went to the Jewel to see if I could get 12 of them (plus print another $15 cat).
Link to a $1/1 Degree coupon: http://www.degreewomen.com/Women/Default.aspx
(thank you couponerswanted.com)

I found 11 of them, so I added a Degree deodorant. That made a total of 12 items (rang $30), minus $17 in qs - $15 in cats received = $2MM

Also grabbed 6 bags of Fisher nuts (BOGO) and used 5 $1/1 q = 41 cents per bag or $2.46

= 46 cents for everything.

$75 worth of items (regular price) for 46 cents! A savings of 99.994%


BTW: Who in their right mind would pay $4.99 each for those TINY body sprays?? I would never ever buy them EVER if they weren't free.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Jeweled-out

Getting to the grocery store for me isn't a 5 minute drive, so making more than the usual once per week trip to take advantage of these great deals lately has left me with less gas and less energy than usual.

I'm done with the current Jewel deal. Last night I made a run to get ice cream (5 Breyers for free) and normal food like cucumbers, some deli meat, and some fruit, wine. You get the picture. Total was $106 and I paid $6. Used tons of $5 catalina coupons (and generated $19 more).

$55 in grocery coupons left to spend. I'm pooped!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Contest!


Mummy Deals is running a little contest as follows:


"If you win you'll receive the Wanchai Ferry "Stay-At-Home" prize pack that includes coupons for 2 FREE meals as well as some great Asian inspired rice bowls, chopsticks and bamboo placemats that let me tell you I love.


But, if you can't wait to get your hands on the new Wanchai Ferry entrees, download a coupon here."


I have never tried these products but I do have coupons. I've signed up and maybe I'll win (oh let's face it, I never win these things but what's a girl to do, give up? NEVER! :-) )

If I win (ha!) I will be sure to report on how it tastes. I make a mean homemade stir fry so Wanchai, bring it on!

FREEBIES

A few freebies found on a wonderful blog you should check out here (Thanks to Moms By Heart for amassing this huge list. Just a snippet is below):

  • Free Burt’s Bees Natural Acne Solution sample HERE.
  • Free John Freida Shampoo & Conditioner sample HERE.
  • Free shower caddy from Scrubbing Bubbles HERE.
  • Sign up for Right At Home newsletter by SC Johnson and be the first to know about freebies and high value coupons HERE.
  • Free snack samples from Somersault HERE.
  • Get a $10 credit as a new member of Snapfish HERE. Expires 8/15.
  • Free sample Nutland Crunch HERE.

Are you tired of hearing about the Organic Bars deal over at Amazon?


Have read this all day and so decided to share (although you all are so smart you've seen it already I'm sure!).

EnviroKids Organic Cripsy Rice 6-pack bars are on clearance at Amazon to $4.99. Shipping is 99 cents ($6 a shipped to your door)! Go HERE for the deal.

Did you know you can wash and resuse swim diapers?


Well if you are still tempted, the Surviving the Store blog here is reporting on this today. A ton of women are saying they've done this and it works.

I really think if you need to rinse and reuse often enough it's worth looking into non disposable swim diapers. Eventually these disposable ones are going to disintegrate. Plenty of places to find them on the Internet (this site lists tons of resources).

Bambino Mountain also sells some cute ones here. For the price of 1 pair of non disposable ones you could last the entire summer.


Menards deals this week



Go here to see the deals and even some free things at Menards this week.
(Just a few that will inspire the handyman in you!)


14 LED Flashlight -$6
$6 MIR making it Free.

Irwin 20″ Hand Saw, $10 -Limit 2
$10 MIR making it Free.

16″ Tape Measure, $3 -Limit 3
$3 MIR making it Free.

Cheap Sunday Tribunes



The best place to find coupon inserts in the Chicago area is the Chicago Tribune. Other Sunday papers may have inserts, but I will guarantee you there will be fewer coupons, and even the same coupons may have LESS value. Did you know this? I learned it only recently. Here I thought coupons were coupons! When in doubt, buy the paper in your area with the largest circulation.

I have a Tribune delivered 7 days a week. I also buy additional Sunday papers on SATURDAY at the Dollar Store for only $1 a paper. Often I will buy the papers, remove the inserts, and leave the papers for the store staff to keep.

Recently I learned that the Tribune is currently offering a special Sunday paper promotions for 50 cents per paper:

Chicago Tribune Customer Service: 800-874-2863
Promotional Code: 09JE


Typically these promos have a short time frame (say 24 weeks) but you can very often renew them again at the same price. It's worth a call to them to check it out!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Nuts for Nuts!




Fisher Nut Fusions are BOGO at Jewel for $2.49. If you have as many $1/1 coupons for Fisher nuts as I do, you can stock up nicely on two bags for $0.49.

Remember, you can always use two coupons on a BOGO deal.

I've never tried these nuts before, so if you have please leave a comment and let me know what you think of them.

Thanks to couponerwanted forums for the heads up!

Monday, August 10, 2009

28 bottles of All detergent ($145) for tax only



I'm officially done now with the Unilever deal at Jewel. I've gotten 28 bottles of All detergent for tax only. Every single transaction was completely free except for sale tax (about $1 or so per 6).

I'll keep a few and donate the rest. This was an AWESOME promotion. Soooo many people have completely stocked on peanut butter, soups, cereal, pasta sauce etc etc. I'm cashing in my chips and calling it a night. I hope I've inspired at least someone to take a closer look at what you can save on and buy for pennies if you coupon smartly.

Now I know a lot of blogs are much more detailed than mine, and they cover tons more stores, or list endless links to printable coupons for products. I'm not a professional super couponer blogger like some women. I work full time, I can't scour every sale (I depend heavily on the blessing of those who can and do and post about it) nor shower people with tons of tricks and tips. I hope you're not disappointed.

I'm just a plain old normal person who wants to spread a little knowledge, share a little bit about my life, and send good wishes to all the folks who pass through my little corner of suburbia.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Savings! $125 in food for $7 (94% savings)




(edited to update quantities)

23 jars of Bertolli pasta sauce (premium and organic) = FREE
11 boxes Betty Crocker brownies mix = $7

And the transaction printed $60 in coupons for me to use on my next purchase at Jewel ($45 came from the Bertolli, making it free, and another $15 came for the brownies, making them $7).

What am I going to do with all this food? Keep some and donate the rest to the food pantry at our church.

It only goes to show you that you can help others while saving money yourself!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

A cooking blog I love



I have to share that I am a tremendous fan of the Pioneer Woman blog. Her photography and recipes, particularly her photography of her food, is AMAZING. I just saw these recipes for shortcake cookies that you have to try!


Yummy!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

FREE Bertolli's Pasta Sauce: No coupon needed





I've seen this all over the web, most recently at Organic Deals and Coupons so please no one post that I am wiping out the stores!

The deal goes as follows:

Buy 7 bottles of Bertolli's sauce (multiple varieties on special)= $14 after preferred card
Receive $15 in cats good OYNO

Now, am I going to do this deal? No. Why? Because the only pasta sauce we eat is Prego. Sigh.

UPDATE: Gals, YMMV on this deal. I am not going to get into a million details but you may need to only buy the organic. Check the ring price at a self scan to make sure 7 will cost you $14 (and shelf price is over $30). As with ALL catalina deals, it is great to get it but sometimes, for whatever reason, programming glitch or otherwise, it might not work. 95% of the time it does, but I wanted to warn you.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Simple Tips for Newbies to Couponing

I wanted to share briefly some tips about couponing that all newbies need to know. These are things that I have been learning over time that have helped me save a lot of money on everyday grocery and home items. I'll start these tips tonight and add on to them over the next few days.


1. Coupons work best when combined with a sale. Don't waste your coupons too soon. Watch for sales and find deals that give you the most savings on an item. This is a very important point to remember. You will save tons more money if you are patient.

2. Sunday insert coupons almost never correspond with sales that weekend at the grocery store. Grocery stores know what coupons are in the Sunday paper. Hold on to those coupons. See point #1. There are typically two main forms of inserts: Red Plum and Smarts Source. You'll need to start collecting these, along with any of the other inserts that are occasionally added (Unilever, Proctor and Gamble inserts, for example).

3. A buy one, get one free item means you are buying two items and you can use TWO coupons. This is not known by most newbies. A BOGO deal on hot dogs, 2 for $3, is even sweeter when you combine it with two 50c off coupons. Now you're getting 2 packs for $2, a savings of $4 off the regular price.

4. There are two types of coupons: manufacturer coupons (like Skippy) and store coupons (like Target printables). You can combine TWO coupons on any item (the policy at most national retailers that have their own coupons) as long as one is a manufacturer coupon and the other is a retail coupon. Typically you find these combinations at Walgreens and Target. Both of these coupons come in the Sunday paper, and also are printable from places like coupons.com, redplum.com and afullcup.com (Target coupons).

5. Major Sunday newspapers have better coupon sections, and often better discounts, than smaller, regional papers. If you live in Chicago, you will find many more coupons in the Chicago Tribune than you will in the Daily Herald, for example. It pays to get a larger distribution paper if you can. You can often buy the Sunday paper at the Dollar Store, even on Saturday. I buy the Tribune on Saturdays for $1. I leave the paper and take the coupon inserts.

6. Stockpile savings. If you buy chicken this week for $9 on sale and next week it's $15 a box, don't you wish you could have bought more for $9? That's the idea around stockpiling. You buy as much of an item as you can to last you for a long period (about 8-12 weeks). This is because sales run on a cycle, typically 12 weeks. I bought 12 boxes of dishwashing detergent, on sale and with coupon, for $11. When I run out, instead of running to the store, I grab one from the pantry. I "shop" at home. Now, you can't go crazy with this. If your husband can't shower because it's full of the cat food you bought, then it's time to slow it down!

7. Be organized. Be prepared. You can't approach major grocery savings without some prep. You will save the most money when you know what to buy where and when. Fortunately there are literally hundreds of blogs out there created by some amazing women who have a lot of time to compile deals for almost every major national and local chain store. Try the couponmom.com for the grocery stores near you (including Target, Walmart, CVS and Walgreens). I have a list of some blogs I follow but these are only a beginning.

8. Brand loyalty can cost you money. If your husband will only use Crest, see if he will switch if you can get Colgate for free. Maybe yes maybe no. But the fact is that you will save more if you are not a slave to one brand. If Colgate is a no go, that's ok. You'll save money on other items to compensate for the difference.

9. Store brands are not always cheaper than name brands. Store brands rarely ever have coupons. Name brands do weekly. Combined with a sale I ALWAYS save money over generic items.

10. Start slowly and don't get stressed. Trying to become a Super Couponer in one weekend will be disappointing and stressful. You need to accumulate a couple of weeks of coupons in your stash, read the blogs, plan your deals. Start slowly. Follow a deal another person has done in your area. There is no rule that you yourself have to come up with the deals. For the most part, unless you live near only one store no one has ever heard of, there are likely to be a lot of people who have figured out and posted the deals for you.

11. Don't return items that you received a coupon for. Let me explain. If you got a great deal on 25 packs of diapers, and it printed a $15 off coupon good for your next purchase, don't decide to return all the diapers and keep the coupon. This is STEALING. Likewise, don't wipe out and entire shelf of diapers. If you are buying huge quantities, special order them at the service desk.


Have fun. Saving shouldn't hurt!

Proud mommy moment




I wanted to share that my son William won the the grand prize for elementary art in the Lake County Fair this past weekend. This is from my camera phone (sorry for the quality!).

We couldn't be more thrilled for him! Last year his sister Catherine won the grand prize. William graciously announced that Catherine was a "much better artist than I am."

Such a sweet little boy!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Laundry detergent for the entire year



Thanks to deal tips from my friends at couponerswanted.com, I was able to buy 14 bottles of All laundry detergent for $7 combining coupons with a buy $30/get $15 back deal at Jewel.

This deal would have been FREE if I'd remembered to bring $7 more in coupons.

This is $90 worth of laundry soap for $7, for a savings of 97%.

I love couponing!!!!


UPDATED: How I did this....

The current special at Jewel is a catalina deal (a deal in which you spend X amount and receive X amount in coupons toward your next purchase). This is a buy $30, get $15 deal sponsored by Unilever (who makes ALL). The deal does not depend on the sale price (currently $3.50 per bottle) but the shelf (non sale price) of $5.39.

$5.39 x 6 bottles = $32.34

But you are only paying $3.50 (sale price) x 6 = $21

Now subtract $6 in coupons (printed from All website as well as available from Sunday inserts or via purchase from thecouponclippers.com website--I bought $1/1 coupons for only 10 cents each).

$21 - $6 = $15
You get $15 back from Jewel
= FREE

Be warned, however, that this ALL promo is currently PLAGUED with problems because they programmed the coupon machines incorrectly. A lot of people are getting no catalinas back. Others have no problem. The store will tell you it didn't print your $15 because the $30 spend is off the sale price (not ever true).

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