Dealing in Daddyhood

Happy Birthday!

2011-03-21T10:27:00.000-04:00

Today is Ben's third birthday. We had a nice party over the weekend, had a great time hanging out yesterday, got his picture on the TV today to celebrate, and he bounced down the hall to his classroom this morning with his bag of mini muffins to share with his classmates. Special dinner plans this evening to finish off the celebration. Ah to be three again....

To celebrate, I wanted to find a nice giveaway to my readers to celebrate one of the best days of my life. Turns out, I was able to combine a birthday celebration with one of Ben's favorite places to eat.

As I cannot say enough, we LOVE our Chick-fil-A in Lower Nazareth. And today, in addition to Ben's birthday, is the local owner-operator Luke Cook's birthday as well. And if you stop by and tell the cashier to wish Luke a Happy Birthday they'll give you a FREE Sweet Tea drink.

Happy Birthday Ben and Luke!

Free Food, Yum!

2011-03-20T13:24:00.000-04:00

So I haven't already given up on this new blog resurgence. Yesterday we hosted Ben's 3rd birthday party, which we had to scramble and rearrange when Anna's great-aunt passed last Sunday. So it's been a crazy week, but everything went off great yesterday with the party and everyone had a blast.

I wanted to make sure to remind everyone that today is one of my favorite giveaway days of the year. FREE RITA'S DAY. To celebrate the first day of spring, all Rita's are giving away a free regular sized ice in your favorite flavors, while supplies last. We felt that 'while supplies last' pinch a few years ago when we showed up in the evening and they had only 3-4 flavors left in stock. So I would advice not waiting until close to 9pm to get your ice.

Also, tomorrow is FREE* Pancake Day at Perkins. I had to add the * because while the short stack is free, Perkins is asking their customers to donate to the Give Kids the World charity in exchange for their free breakfast. So unless you're completely heartless and able to ignore the request to donate to help cheer up some sick kids, it's not really FREE. But still seems like an excellent cause and a good deal on some breakfast.

Top Couponing Mistakes

2011-03-15T23:58:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite blogs, Moms Need to Know, has posted an article covering some of the big mistakes that people make when starting out getting deals and using coupons in a big way.

I have just a few points to add to her excellent work.

Don't try to do ALL the deals: It is nearly impossible to run around to every store in the area to get every deal that comes along. The stress of trying to make it to every deal will quickly zap you of any energy or enthusiasm you may have for you new-found hobby. Rare is the deal that will never return or have a similar deal come along sometime again in the future.
Learn the rules of coupon use: Read the terms and regulations of the coupons you are using. Know the difference between "1 per purchase" and "1 per transaction" and "1 per customer". Pay attention to which coupons will double and which will not. Pay attention to how many items you need to purchase to use you coupon.
Learn the store policies where you shop regularly: Almost every retailer has their coupon policy posted in the store or on their websites. Every store I've wanted more information about has promptly replied to emails with detailed explanations and lay out the rules of the store. Not only will knowing the rules avoid embarrassing situations if you attempt to do something you shouldn't, but it will make you more confident knowing that there is nothing "sneaky" or "illicit" about your purchases despite the minimal amount of money you are spending out of pocket.

Have you made any mistakes as you started couponing? Do you have any questions or concerns if you're just starting out?

Wegmans Coupon: $1 off $5 Meat purchase

2011-03-15T14:46:00.000-04:00

Wegmans has posted a coupon for $1.00 off of ANY $5.00 meat purchase, that expires 4/2/11. Wegmans also has their boneless chicken breasts on price freeze for $1.99/lb and has their 80% lean ground beef on price freeze for $1.99/lb. These are our max prices to pay for those items (do people really pay $3-4/lb for this stuff??), but a coupon like this helps even more. Or use it on lunch meat. Plenty of good uses for this if you need meat soon at Wegmans.

Free 1-2-3 Collections Binder from the Food Network.

2011-03-15T14:33:00.000-04:00

Sign up for a FREE binder from the Food Network. This is great as we were just going through our recipes and had tons of pages just floating around and talked about needing to organize them.

Sale: Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat 25% off at Amazon

2011-03-15T14:29:00.000-04:00

Amazon has the Graco Nautilus 3-1 car seat on sale. This is Ben's car seat, we have one in each car. We've had them both in everyday use for 2 years, and other than a few stains, you would never know they're two years old. I actually just had to count back the time because I didn't believe we've been using them for that long without issue or need to replacement. The seat is a little on the pricey side, but the fact that it will convert to the next two stages of car seats as boosters made it seem like a good investment originally, and the fact that it has held up makes me feel good about that original choice.

If you're in the market for a front facing car seat, I would recommend checking this one out.

QUICK DEAL: Happy Birthday to Chick-Fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy

2011-03-14T15:40:00.000-04:00

As many of you may already know, we *LOVE* our local Chick-Fil-A in Lower Nazareth (near the new Target, whom we also love). The people are always happy, the place is always clean, and the food is always great (even by CFA's standards!). Oh, and they love their customers and are constantly doing fun specials to encourage more visits and thank customers for their support and business. It is wonderful and the specials they run (many with no additional purchase necessary) have been a welcome sight to this underemployed blogger's eyes as nice treats and rewards to achieving some goals.

So CFA Lower Nazareth announced on their Facebook page (go and like them if you haven't yet!) two new promotions. One is just TODAY ONLY and one is for the entire month of March.

First, today (March 14), is their founder S. Truett Cathy's 90th birthday. To celebrate anyone who stops by the LOWER NAZARETH location gets a Free Chicken Sandwich is you tell the cashier you are celebrating Truett's birthday. I believe they are open until 9 or 10 pm so stop on in before then (or go through the drive-thru, they usually honor these deals there as well).

Second, they announced today that any Monday in March if you order a #5 (12 piece nugget) meal you get a FREE small Banana Pudding Milkshake.

Bottom Dollar Food 3/11-3/17

2011-03-12T12:54:00.000-05:00

So I discovered Bottom Dollar Food a few weeks ago. We had received a flier in the mail with 4 coupons for $10 off a $20 purchase, and after looking over their flier I was able to find several good deals, and when you add that coupon they becomesally great deals. I want to stress that NOT EVERYTHING is a great price, some are actually pretty lousy shelf prices, so you need to know what a good price is before you shop. But some of the good prices are REALLY good.

A couple other things to keep in mind. You need to sign up for the card, which you can do at checkout. They accept coupons, including internet printed ones, but they do not double them. They do no give away bags, so you either need to bring your own bags/totes, be prepared to pack them into boxes they have up front for free, or buy plastic bags at 5/$0.25.

I actually love their store brand bread (price is also good for hotdog and hamburger rolls), and $0.79 a loaf is a great price. And Ben has started to be into Bananas, so that price helps a bunch (pun intended). The Corn Chips I tried were "eh", not enough to want them again.

When we went this morning, they had two HOT unadvertised deals at the store.

8 count boxes of Pop Tarts $1.00/each (limit 4)
Boxes of Keebler Cookies $1.00/each (limit 4)

The nature of Bottom Dollar is that the selection is limited, particularly in the amount of varieties they stock of an item. And because these are crazy prices for these items, the selection was pretty well picked over but I assume that it will be restocked before Thursday.

Let me know in the comments if you've tried Bottom Dollar and what you thought, or any great deals you've found.

80% off Restaurant.com

2011-03-10T09:28:00.001-05:00

Visit Restaurant.com and enter the code SAVE to get 80% off the already discounted price on their "gift certificates". Code looks to expire on March 14, 2011.

If you're not familiar with the website, they sell discounted certificates to be used at a large number of local restaurants in an effort to get you to visit or try a new place to eat. There are often restrictions (usually a minimum purchase) on the use of the cards, but it still usually makes a nice date night much more affordable. Think certificates with a value of $25 for only $2-$3. Yeah, dinner will likely cost more than that, but I'd rather pay a total cost of $10-$15 than $33-$38, wouldn't you?

Oh, and if the tip isn't already added (some deals stipulate it will be), be sure to tip on the total BEFORE your coupon. You saved $20, you can give some of that back to the waitstaff.

I am why we can't have nice things

2011-03-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

When Ben was just a baby at our old daycare, the teachers commented one day one the shirt he was wearing. It was one of those funny shirts that they make for babies, like "Spit Happens", "Automatic Sprinkler", "Party in my Playpen", etc.. Thing is, they said they could usually tell which parent dressed him in the morning based on his outfit. Anna tends to lean towards plain shirts or baby polos, where I tend to go right for the funny. I can't help it. Even when browsing at the store, I'm constantly picking up shirts and showing them to her for a laugh (although I usually get an eyeroll) like a group of 12 year-old boys in a t-shirt shop on the Boardwalk. So when I spotted spotted this today, I had to share with you in hopes it brings you the same smile and knowing nod that it brought me.

If only they had a matching adult size for myself.

Thanks to Super Cool Baby for the head's up.

Hot Deal on Cereal and Milk at Giant

2011-03-09T13:22:00.009-05:00

So in addition to the reasons mentioned in the previous post, I had a great deal at Giant this week that re-sparked my excitement and I wanted to share with everyone.

I took 3 trips to the store to gather all that cereal. Here's how the deal works: Buy 4 boxes of GM cereals, get $6.00 off instantly. Also, you get a coupon for a free Gallon of milk (coupon is worth $4.50 to cover pretty much all milks) on your next purchase. There are coupons on coupons.com and smartsource right now for various GM cereals (remember that most Giant's will double only 1 of each coupon per transaction) to help lower the costs.

Added bonus, if you look at the Lucky Charms boxes on the left there, the top box says "FREE MOVIE TICKET" if you purchase two boxes. I have seen reports online of many varieties of cereal that have that deal printed on it, but in the two stores I visited I only found Lucky Charms boxes with the deal.

So here are the transactions I've completed thus far:

Did this first one twice:
2 boxes Lucky Charms @ $3.69/ea (got the bigger boxes to get the movie ticket promo)
- 1 printed coupon $0.55 (doubled to $1.00)
- 1 printed coupon $0.55
1 Box Cocoa Puffs @ $3.09
- 1 printed coupon $0.55 (doubled to $1.00) - was on coupons.com last month, no longer available
1 Box Honey Nut Cheerios @ $3.09
- 1 printed coupon $0.55 (doubled to $1.00)
Deducting the $6.00 for "Buy 4 boxes" deal brings total out of pocket to $4.01 plus a coupon for the free milk and a free movie ticket.

Third Transaction:
1 boxes Lucky Charms @ $3.09/ea
- 1 printed coupon $0.55 (doubled to $1.00)
1 Box Cinnamon Toast Crunch @ $2.69
- 1 printed coupon $0.55 (doubled to $1.00)
1 Box Cheerios @ $2.59
1 Box Basic Four @ $3.19
- 1 printed coupon $1.00 off 2 boxes of GM cereal
Deducting the $6.00 for "Buy 4 boxes" deal brings total out of pocket to $2.56 plus a coupon for the free milk.

My total Out of Pocket was $10.58, plus 3 free Gallons of milk, and 2 free movie tickets!

If you just want a really cheap milk, best deal I saw is:
4 Boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch @ $2.69
- 4 printed coupons for $0.55 off Cinnamon Toast Crunch. (with doubling that's $2.65 in coupons)
- $6.00 for "Buy 4 boxes" deal
= $2.11 out of pocket and get a coupon for the free milk.

Get the milk cheap and you can donate the cereal if you're not a fan.

Starting Over

2011-03-09T12:58:00.002-05:00

Hello again. I had started this blog long ago to share my love of deal hunting with others, add a new voice in the market of bloggers, and have a place to share a piece of my life with the world. Unfortunately it became a bigger pressure to maintain than I originally anticipated, and I ended up abandoning the project.

To attempt to prevent this from happening again, I want to try again to be a great source of deals and offers. But I cannot promise I will be the most timely blog, the most complete blog, or the best blog. I will strive to be those things, but life will occasionally get in the way and we will have have to adjust.

Since the last update I've had a major change in employment, welcomed a second beautiful baby boy to the world, and a pile of small changes that are not terribly important right now.

Here's to another chance. Welcome back!

Weekly Coupon Insert Preview

2010-01-31T10:56:00.000-05:00

Moms Need to Know has her preview of the coupons for this week. There are 2 inserts planned for this week, 1 Smartsource and 1 Redplum.

Sadly Philly Inquirer no longer carries Redplum inserts, and The Morning Call doesn't always have all the coupons. If I can find another paper to supplement MCall for better coupons I'll let you know.

Phamacy Deals Week of 1/31

2010-01-31T10:52:00.003-05:00

Walgreens - Common Sense With Money

Rite Aid - For the Mommas

CVS - Coupon Savings Game

Walgreens' Monthly Deals - Common Sense With Money

2010-01-24T13:27:00.000-05:00

Every week Baby Cheapskate posts the best deals in baby related items (diapers, formula, etc..) I've found it a great resource to make sure you haven't overlooked a great deal on Baby items. Check it out!

Looks like a good week to stock up on diapers!

Weekly Coupon Insert Preview

2010-01-24T13:24:00.002-05:00

Pharmacy deals week of 1/24

2010-01-24T13:17:00.001-05:00

CVS Deals - Coupon Savings Game

RiteAid Deals - For the Mommas

Walgreens Deals - Common Sense With Money

Baby Cheapskate - Top Diaper and Formula Deals

2010-01-12T09:03:00.001-05:00

Weekly Coupon Insert Preview

2010-01-10T11:45:00.001-05:00

Moms Need to Know has her preview of the coupons for this week. There are 2 inserts planned for this week, 1 Smartsource and 1 Redplum

Phamacy Deals Week of 1/10

2010-01-09T11:53:00.001-05:00

CVS - Coupon Savings Game

Walgreens - Common Sense With Money

RiteAid - For the Mommas

Baby Cheapskate - Top Diaper and Formula Deals 12/27

2009-12-27T18:48:00.001-05:00

Coupon Inserts 12/27

2009-12-27T18:45:00.002-05:00

This week there is only 1 insert in the Paper from Proctor & Gamble, so it's a pretty light week for coupons.

Moms Need to Know has her weekly summary of the week's coupons and recommendations on how many inserts to purchase.

Pharmacy Deals 12/27

2009-12-27T18:39:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the spotty (ok, non-existent) posts over the past month or so. December is a crazy time of year and while that is no excuse for most bloggers as a newbie I'm still trying to get into and maintain a good routine and good practices.

Anyway, here are links for the big 3 Pharmacy chains' deals this week

CVS - Moms Need To Know

Rite Aid - For the Mommas

Walgreens - Common Sense With Money

Barnes & Noble 25% coupon

2009-12-10T15:06:00.002-05:00

Barnes & Noble has put out a new coupon to bring in those holiday shoppers.

25% off one item

There are a few limits listed on the bottom of the coupon, but find some items on sale and tack the coupon on top to get a great deal, moreso if you have a B&N Membership also.

I'm not as well versed on the book deals, but there are some pretty deeply discounted Blu-ray discs and DVD box sets this week.

Phamacy Deals for week of 12/6

2009-12-05T22:32:00.001-05:00

CVS Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Walgreens Deals - Common Sense With Money

RiteAid Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Coupon Inserts 12/6

2009-12-05T22:29:00.001-05:00

Moms Need to Know has her preview of the coupons for this week. Appears to be a significant week after a few duds. There are 2 inserts planned for this week, 1 Smartsource and 1 Redplum

Free Hot 12oz Drink at 7-11

2009-12-05T22:24:00.001-05:00

7-11 has this really really odd game where the prize at the end is a free drink from 7-11. It's a good prize and only takes 5-10 minutes, but it's a weird little game.

Photo Deal Roundups

2009-12-05T22:16:00.002-05:00

Baby Cheapskate has a list of photo deals at most of the major photo sites and coupon codes for getting these good deals.

We did the Christmas cards in one of these sites last year and were very satisfied. Looking forward to doing it again this year, just need to take a picture.

Hallmark $5 off coupon

2009-12-05T22:00:00.002-05:00

Hallmark has a coupon out there for $5 off a $5 purchase. Could make for some super cheap gift items or cards and such.

Free Gift Cards from LL Bean

2009-12-05T21:46:00.004-05:00

Christmas is a great time of year for snagging free money from your favorite retailers. Get $10 when you buy $50 in cards here, get $25 when you buy $100 there... It's a pretty high return on your investment, so long as you shop at places that are financially sound and not likely to end up bankrupt in a few weeks/months.

That being said, I have no knowledge about the financial health of LL Bean or anyone else I may post gift card deals for, but this seems like a pretty good deal for those of us living near the only LL Bean store in PA (deal also good online, but easier to roll in store).

Spend $25 (not on gift cards, just spend...), get $10 Gift Card. Limit one per person per day. Gift card is not valid until 24 hr later. Details are here.

If there's a few items and you don't mind making a few trips, a 40% "interest" rate is a pretty good return on your money...

Giant Coupons

2009-12-02T21:14:00.002-05:00

There are a few new coupons on Giant's website

$5 off $50 Purchase

300 Gas Points with $50 Purchase

I'm not sure if you can use these together or not, but the 300 points would be better if you get 17 gallons of gas or more when you redeem your points.

Both coupons expire on 12/19

Free Macy's Gift Card

2009-12-02T16:34:00.002-05:00

Chevy is running a deal where when you test drive a new Chevy Equinox you'll get a $50 gift card to Macy's. Details located here.

Local Dealers listed on the website as participating.

Faulker Chevrolet
Cevrolet 21
Diechman-Walker Chevrolet
Brown-Daub Chevrolet
Scott Chevrolet

I would imagine there is a bit of a pressure sales pitch with this "Free Gift Card" but if you're the type to wait out a time share agent perhaps this is an easy $50.

Giant week of 11/29

2009-12-01T11:07:00.002-05:00

For the Mommas has this week's Giant matchups. Unfortunately for my LV readers, our Giants are not included in the expansion of the coupon policy. Hopefully soon!

Target Deals for the week 11/29

2009-12-01T10:57:00.002-05:00

Target's coupon and price match policies seem to be constantly evolving. They're coupons are now limited to 2 prints per computer and the coupone websites will no longer be able to store them. So if you see a coupon you might want later you're better off just printing it now before it's gone. Also the price match now incorporates Target coupons into determining if the price is lower or not. So if something is $4 at Target and $2 at Redners, they'll adjust their price down $2 if you bring in the add. But if you use a $1 off Target coupon on that same item, they'll only adjust your price down $1. This dramatically reduces the appeal of Target's price matching, but at least it's something.

Stretching a Buck has a list of this weeks Target deals, check them out!

Printable Store Coupons

2009-12-01T10:53:00.004-05:00

There are a lot of deals flying around out there for limited times, and probably many more for the weeks to come. Here are a couple I've found.

Hobby Lobby - 40% off any one item (exp 12/5)

Gap - 20% entire purchase (exp 1-30)

Baby Cheapskate - Top Diaper and Formula Deals 11/29

2009-12-01T10:52:00.001-05:00

Pharmacy deals week of 11/29

2009-12-01T10:48:00.002-05:00

CVS Deals - Money Saving Mom

Walgreens Deals -Money Saving Mom

Rite Aid Deals - Money Saving Mom

Phamacy Deals Week of 11/15

2009-11-18T10:51:00.001-05:00

CVS - Coupon Savings Game

Wal-greens - Coupon Savings Game

Rite Aid - For the Mommas

Under a dollar at Wal-mart

2009-11-18T10:43:00.001-05:00

Couponing to Disney has an extensive list of items that are less than a dollar (or even FREE) after coupons at Wal-mart. Wal-mart is notorious for prices varying slighty from location to location so keep that in mind if you plan on these deals.

Free/Cheap Baby Wipes

2009-11-18T10:28:00.004-05:00

Having a baby means needing to constantly been within reach of something to wipe your child clean. We've discovered that small packages of "flushable wipes" are great convenient packages to toss in a diaper bag to use as wipes, particularly when they are free. Target released a Target Coupon for $1/1 off one Up & Up diaper or wipe product. Use this coupon on the 48ct refill pack of Up & Up Flushable wipes that sell for approximately $0.98 to get them free. Coupon expires 12/5.

Chick-fil-A Gift Card and Calendar Deal

2009-11-18T10:20:00.003-05:00

Chick-fil-A is having a promotion where if you purchase a $20 Gift Card you get a 2010 calendar filled with freebie coupons for next year. Details can be found here.

It looks like these are the coupons they are advertising, although I haven't purchased one yet.

January: FREE chicken biscuit or small bowl of chicken soup
February: FREE large Sprite
March: FREE chicken strips (3 ct)
April: FREE medium lemonade
May: FREE small milkshake
June: FREE Dansani water and FREE small fruit cup
July: FREE chicken salad sandwich
August: FREE large Coke Zero
September: FREE chicken sandwich
October: FREE large Coke
November: FREE large Diet Coke
December: FREE 3 ct chicken minis or large waffle fries

Free Veggie Tales DVD

2009-11-18T10:00:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the long layoff. Illness, personal chaos, work chaos all added up to a turbulent early November. So now we hope things calm down and go forward from here. I apologize to any readers who may have been looking to me for updates this month, but I hope to try and make it up soon.

So here is an offer from Big Idea, the company behind Veggietales. The DVD is free (just pay $2.99 shipping) when you sign up for their email newsletter. This is one of our family's favorite TV series, and hope you can take advantage of this offer and enjoy the Veggies as well.

Lost Week

2009-11-06T22:06:00.001-05:00

Sorry for this past week. Baby was sick. Then (now?) I'm sick. I hope to be better prepared to handle the deals next week. Sorry

Pharmacy Deals 11/1

2009-11-02T21:50:00.002-05:00

CVS Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Rite Aid Deals - For the Mommas

Walgreens Deals - For the Mommas

Just wanted to brag that tonight after a CVS run my receipt says "Year to Date Savings: $2021.43"

Baby Cheapskate - Top Diaper and Formula Deals 11/1

2009-11-02T21:11:00.002-05:00

Target Trip 10/30

2009-10-30T16:38:00.003-04:00

Purchased:
6 Dunkin Hines Cake Mix
2 Bags of Snickers
2 Bags of Nerds
1 Box of Gobstoppers
10 Bottles of Vitamin Water
1 Case of Powerade
2 Boxes Kashi Sunshine
2 Cans Hunts Tomato Sauce
6 Cans Hunts Tomato Paste
5 Glade Holiday Candles
5 Glade Holiday Candle Refills
1 Halloween Pumpkin Bucket
12 various Keebler Cookies *

Special Deals were:
Buy 2 Keebler Cookie, Get 3rd Free
Buy Glade Holiday Candles, get $5 Gift Card
Buy 10 Vitamin Water, Get Case of Powerade Free

Also, I bought Halloween Candy today instead of Sunday because the coupons I had would make still cheaper than the 15% off it'll be on Sunday and they'd be out of the stuff we'll eat by the time the clearance exceeds the coupon.

Total Before Coupons $96.14
Total After Coupons $15.25
Received $10.00 in Gift Cards
Spent $15.32 in Gift Cards

Total Cost $5.25

Bottom of receipt says "YOU SAVED $132.39"

This was the first time I took advantage of the $0.05/reusable bag discount. Cashier asked, I told her we'd count the bags used at the end and I promptly forgot about it until the receipt began printing. Without blinking an eye she was able to refund the money, which was nice to know that I didn't have to trek to customer service for $0.35 (I wouldn't have).

She was such a nice cashier that I went back into the store to talk to the manager and fill out a comment card. This means SO MUCH to retail employees who normally only getting pointed out for complaints that I urge everyone if you have a really great experience or interaction with an employee somewhere, please SPEAK UP! Especially if you're the type that would complain if you received terrible or rude (or no) service somewhere. This goes beyond Target and covers anywhere you are shopping. /soapbox

* I was overcharged by one package of cookies (13 on receipt, only took 12), so that kinda sucked. But nobody's perfect, right? But for what it's worth the total cost should only have been $3.25.

CVS deal 10/25

2009-10-27T23:22:00.003-04:00

Got a good deal on candy for the Trick or Treaters this week...

Total Spent:
$14 in ECBs
$0.49 in cash

Received:
$10 in ECB

Total Cost $4.49

Target Trip 10/23

2009-10-27T23:15:00.003-04:00

Got quite a deal at Target last week, but couldn't post the deal due to issues with the camera. But here it is anyway... all for $30.xx (after coupons and price matching) plus I got $10 in Gift Cards for next time.

Couponing in the media - Slate.com

2009-10-27T22:27:00.002-04:00

There is a really good story on Slate.com today about trying out couponing and just how it works to save a ton of money on your monthly shopping bills.

I think she really hit the nail on the head with this quote: "I felt elated. But it wasn't the frozen peas or reduced sodium vegetable soup I was excited about. Like eBay, couponing made shopping feel like gambling. Unwilling to let my winning streak lapse, I ventured later that week to a Target..." It's a game, a game that just happens to save my family money. That extra money can keep us under budget, cover extra expenses in a month, or help us splurge for candy, treats, or eating out (none of which would fit in a non-couponing budget). Like any good hobby it just takes effort to carve out time to work on it, stay on top of things, and make sure you don't end up like that writer with an expired coupon that would have been as good as cash.

Giant Deals 10/25

2009-10-27T22:04:00.002-04:00

For the Mommas has a list of the deals at Giant this week.

There are a BUNCH of 10 for $10 this week, which means they are only $1 each. Things like...

Coke 2 Liters
Progresso Soup
Giant Rolls
Sobe Life Water
Sierra Mist 2 Liters
Giant Brand Microwave Popcorn
Fresh Mangos
Dole Bagged Salads

Other Deals that caught my eye...

Lays Chips are BOGO (essentially 2/$4)
General Mills Cereal 2/$4
Kashi Cereal 4/$8 (MUST BUY 4)
Yoplait Yogurt 10/$5

Wegmans Deals 10/25

2009-10-27T22:00:00.002-04:00

Frugally Blonde has a nice list of Wegmans Deals for this week.

Redners Deals 10/25

2009-10-27T21:47:00.002-04:00

For the Mommas has the deals at Redners this week.

Things that caught my eye...

Pop Tarts 4/$7

Juicy Juice 2/$5

La Yogurt 10/$4

$10 off the new Tinkerbell Blu-ray

2009-10-27T21:38:00.002-04:00

Disney has a $10 off coupon for the new Tinkerbell Blu-ray that came out today. Go here to print it. Check this week's circulars for the best price, and don't forget Target and Wal-Mart will price match if you bring in the ad from other stores.

I'm enjoying these Disney $10 coupons lately, hoping other studios join in on the fun!

Restaurants.com Gift Certificates 80% off

2009-10-27T21:35:00.002-04:00

Restaurant.com typically sells Gift Certificates below face value (often $10 for a $25 certificate) that comes with a few restrictions (must spend $xx, tip is automatically 18%, etc..) But if use code "TREATS "before 10/31, you will get them for 80% off that discounted price.

Seems like a great way to try a new resturant. I've had friends try this and say it works well, so I'm looking forward to a cheap nice date night!

Cheap Dinner at Boston Market exp 11/1

2009-10-27T21:28:00.002-04:00

Boston Market has put out a coupon for a $1 Real Chicken Meal. Good Cheap Dinner night out.

Baby Cheapskate - Top Diaper and Formula Deals 10/25

2009-10-25T12:28:00.001-04:00

Free Black Jack Taco from Taco Bell 10/31

2009-10-25T12:24:00.002-04:00

To celebrate Halloween Taco Bell is giving away a free Black Jack Taco from 6pm-Midnight on 10/31. Anyone try these yet? are they any good?

Phamacy Deals Week of 10/25

2009-10-25T12:21:00.001-04:00

CVS Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Walgreens Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Rite Aid Deals - For the Mommas

Coupon Inserts 10/25

2009-10-25T12:16:00.002-04:00

Moms Need to Know has her weekly coupon preview. There are 2 inserts, 1 Redplum and 1 Smartsource.

For us, it's a slighty better week for inserts than Mindi thinks, as we go through yogurt like crazy so the Dannon coupon is important for us. Also, there is a high value Pampers coupon which is good for us to get our hands on. So we'll be stocking up on papers a little more than usual if possible today.

Weis Deals 10/23

2009-10-25T12:13:00.002-04:00

For the Mommas had post the deals for this week at Weis

The big deal is it looks like all Purdue Chicken is 40%. Could be pretty good time to stock up if you're brand sensitive for your chicken...

Free Eagles Tote Bag from RiteAid

2009-10-23T00:31:00.002-04:00

Other than the fact that it's free, I'm not sure why anyone would want an Eagles tote the way the team is playing these days, but if you're going to spend $30 at Rite Aid by the end of the year.

For the Mommas has the details and lists of participating stores, but it appears our area is included.

Kids Coupons

2009-10-23T00:23:00.002-04:00

Coupon Dad has details about a 3 day sale at Toys/Baby R Us and links to the coupons. The first coupon page seems to be the best.

There is also 15% off your purchase at Children's Place that expires 11/16.

Eating out Deals

2009-10-22T23:44:00.003-04:00

There are some pretty good deals for some resturant food out there right now

Domino’s Pizza is celebrating customer appreciation this week (10/18-10/25). They are offering one lage one topping extra cheese pizza for $5.99 each for carryout customers. - Details at Common Sense With Money.

KFC is once again giving away a piece of their grilled chicken this Monday October 26 - Details at the Consumerist

Also on Monday the 26 Buca di Beppo is celebrating World Pasta Day with a free spaghetti dish and free pasta sauce to take home with an entree purchase. - Details at For the Mommas

And finally Active Military and Veterans eat FREE (from limited menu) at Applebees on November 11 - Details at Moms Need to Know

Renders and Wegmans Deals 10/18

2009-10-20T11:47:00.001-04:00

Moms Need to Know has Wegmans deals this week.

Boneless Chicken Breast is still $1.79/lb
90% Lean Hamburger is still $1.99/lb

For the Mommas has Renders Matchups for the week

Giant Deals 10/18

2009-10-20T11:40:00.003-04:00

Moms Need to Know has the matchups for Giant this week.

Hamburger Helper is 10/$10
Pepsi 2lts 10/$10
Maxwell House Coffee 4/$8

Also there is a coupon book full of Giant coupons you should get with your next purchase as it's "customer appreciation" time. Be sure to ask for it if they don't give it to you.

Baby Cheapskate - Top Diaper and Formula Deals 10/18

2009-10-20T11:35:00.000-04:00

Phamacy Deals Week of 10/18

2009-10-20T11:32:00.001-04:00

CVS Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Rite Aid Deals - For The Mommas

Wegmans Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Weis Deals Week of 10/15

2009-10-16T20:44:00.001-04:00

For the Mommas has the weekly update for Weis Markets.

CVS Greenbag Tag

2009-10-15T21:46:00.001-04:00

CVS apparently has rolled out a new program to encourage using reusable bags when visiting CVS. I usually bring my own bags (that I got free from various places) but have found CVS one of the harder stores to use them as the cashier has them in a bag before I even have emptied my basket. But for this, I'll insist.

The deal will work like this. You purchase a CVS tag for your bag to be scanned every shopping trip (limit one per day). Every 4 times the tag is scanned, you'll get $1 ECB.

Easiest moneymaker ever.

Details and a photo at Common Sense With Money

Wegmans ad from 10/11

2009-10-15T21:40:00.001-04:00

Frugal in Virgina has a mid-week listing of the deals at Wegmans.

Boneless, Skinless Chicken in $1.79/lb. Pretty good price to stock up.

20% off at Stride Rite exp 11-15

2009-10-15T21:36:00.003-04:00

Click here for a coupon for 20% your entire footwear purchase at StrideRite. Would've been helpful for Kate (of Jon & Kate...) in last week's episode when she visited the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.

I'm not sure which is sadder... that I was paying enough attention while my wife watched to notice, or that I could pick the Promenade out in the short exterior clips...

Baby Cheapskate - Top Diaper and Formula Deals

2009-10-15T21:29:00.002-04:00

Potential Diaper Deal at Toys/Babies R Us

2009-10-11T22:13:00.003-04:00

It was a very happy day in our house last week when we found out the de facto monopoly that Babies R Us has on the Lehigh Valley will be coming to an end when Buy Buy Baby opens in the Whitehall Mall (in the old Weis location). We've always enjoyed the Buy Buy Baby in the DC area when visiting friends, so one in our backyard will be welcome competition. Perhaps this can spur Babies R Us to organize their store a little better so we can find stuff.

Another plus, perhaps the local Babies will have some deals/coupons to retain their customers before and after the new place opens. But for now we can still look for the occasional corporate coupon. Baby Cheapskate has a deal to get $15 Gift Card plus using their coupons to get Pampers. It doesn't list the prices and I haven't bought diapers there in a long time but this could be end up being a good price.

Redners Deals 10/11

2009-10-11T22:09:00.001-04:00

For the Mommas has a list of deals at Redners this week.

Giant Deals 10/11

2009-10-11T21:55:00.003-04:00

Moms Need to Know has a list of deals at Giant this week.

Be sure to get a copy of the ad if your purchase will be over $50 to get an extra 50 points towards your free turkey/lasagna for Thanksgiving.

Grapes $0.97/lb
Knorr Lipton Sides 10/$10
Giant Boneless Skinless Chicken $1.99/lb (although it's $1.79 at Wegmans and $1.69 at Weis)
Pillsbury Cake & Brownie Mixes 10/$10
Stroehmann Bread is BOGO

And a bunch of "Deals" on frozen food to get a coupon off you next purchase. Just be careful to ensure it's worth it and don't just get it because it's on special. Spend $25 get $10 off next purchase, or spend $15 get $5 off next purchase. Could be some good deals, check out Moms Need to Know for the matchups.

Target Deals 10/11

2009-10-11T21:44:00.003-04:00

Stretching a Buck has a nice long list of the deals at Target this week.

Also, if you have the ad from this week there was a coupon in it for $10 off a new prescription. It expires in 2 weeks but with cold/flu season upon us it's usually a good idea to stockpile these coupon when you spot them so you have them when needed. And you can take these to other pharmacies (I know CVS takes them for sure, call other places to confirm) if you have a preferred or easier to get to place to fill your scripts.

50 items under a $1 at Wal-Mart

2009-10-11T21:40:00.002-04:00

Couponing to Disney, which by the way seems like a great name and reason for a blog, has a list of 50 items to get for Free or less than a dollar. Check it out!

Pharmacy Roundup week of 10/11

2009-10-11T21:29:00.003-04:00

Here's are where to find the best deals this week at the pharmacies. I just grab the first blog post that comes up in my RSS feed with deals for these stores, that's why it's different sites linked every week.

CVS Deals - Coupon Savings Game
- Sadly seems like a pretty weak week at my favorite deal mine

Walgreens Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Rite Aid Deals - For the Mommas
- Seems like a GREAT week to take a first swing at RiteAid.

Coupon Roundup

2009-10-11T21:17:00.003-04:00

So we had to put the blog on the backburner for the weekend for birthday celebrations. Trying to catch up here, but hopefully this week I can get up pictures of my awesome birthday gift.

20% off the entire check at Denny's exp 10/24

Various coupons for Duraflame logs

Moms Need to Know has her weekly coupon preview up. I realize that it's a little late for a "preview" but this should still give a good look at what came out this week. Look for 3 inserts, a Redplum, Smartsource, and Proctor & Gamble.

Printable Coupons and Cheap Paper

2009-10-08T20:57:00.004-04:00

20% off your purchase at Children's Place

$1/1 12pk of Dr. Pepper Target Coupon

Pop Secret coupon for $1/2. Moms Need to Know has a good matchup for this at Target and Acme and links to the coupons.

For the Mommas has details on a Ream Paper at Office Depot for 99 cents

Weis Deals starting 10/8

2009-10-08T20:38:00.002-04:00

For the Mommas has a list of the deals at Weis this week.

I may have to find time to head there for a change. I pulled up their ad on their website and there are some really good deals.

Boneless skinless Chicken Breasts $1.69/lb

10 for $10
- Pepsi 2 Lts
- San Giorgio Pasta
- Progresso Vegetable Soups
- Pillsbury Cake Mixes
- Tony's Pizza Single Serve
- Hamburger Helper

What's better than Free/Cheap food? When it's delivered to your door, that's what.

2009-10-07T22:51:00.003-04:00

So a few months ago I heard about a deal where the first 500,000 people who hadn't used Schwan's food service would get $10.00 off a purchase with no minimum. I decided to get a large tub (1 gallon) of ice cream that was priced at $9.99. I figured that free ice cream would be great, and if it wasn't great I'd always eat chocolate ice cream and I wouldn't force the family to finish it. Well it was great and is long gone (except for the tub. Ben loves playing with the plastic tub), but the deal is still apparently going on. Head on over to Schwan's website and give it a try. Promotion ends at the end of October.

PS - For what it's worth, the ice cream was pretty good.

A few coupons and deals worth checking out.

2009-10-07T22:44:00.003-04:00

Here is a coupon for $2.00 off Huggies. I recommend visiting this now if interested and possibly save the pdf to your computer. PDF coupons have a way of disappearing well before expiration dates, and this is good until the end of 2009.

I'm not sure if any of the LV Ruby Tuesdays have Sunday Brunch, but if they do this could be a tasty morning out with a BOGO coupon on their 4 course brunch. Moms Need to Know has the details

Who can't use free rubber gloves? Coupon Savings Game has info and links on how to get free gloves at Walgreens

Target Deals for the Week

2009-10-07T22:41:00.003-04:00

Stretching a Buck has a pretty comprehensive list of the deals at Target. Looks like a good week to stock up on Apple Juice.

And Money Saving Mom has details on freebies for some Ponds Towelettes at Target. I find these kids of coupon matchups are great when you have a $off$$ coupon, which our Targets have been printing a few of lately.

Redner's & Wegmans Deals 10/4-10/10

2009-10-07T22:20:00.003-04:00

For the Mommas has details on possible deals at Redners this week. Could be a good way to get a pile of General Mills stuff for cheap.

Frugal in Virginia has the list of deals at Wegmans for the week. There may be some regional deals but usually most of these deals have been in our stores as well.

Giant Deals 10/3-10/10

2009-10-07T22:02:00.002-04:00

Moms Need to Know has her matchup for this week's Giant ad.

For the Mommas has a couple of Giant coupons ($2 off $5, $2 off Purinia cat or dog food, $1 off Giant Granola Bars).

Protecting the good name of couponers everywhere...

2009-10-05T17:29:00.004-04:00

UPDATE: I wish I hit publish on this post last night instead of accidentally hitting the draft button. But Moms Need to Know took my tip/story and spelled it out so much better than I did (getting to her level is an aspiration of this blog). With so many great, easy, and legit ways to save money and stretch your money out, "tips" like that are unnecessary.

So I apologize in advance for getting a little preachy. Last week's Sunday Morning Call had its weekly Cheapskate column, this time advocating confusing, distracting, and deceiving fast food workers in an effort to avoid having to surrender a coupon. This is essentially coupon fraud, because while some places may not need to collect coupons, many places need to submit them for reimbursement to cover the cost of the promotion. This now only hurts the business owner/franchisee, but it also paints coupon users in a bad light as sneaky or trying to "pull one over" on cashiers. If you're doing everything honestly and using everything correctly, it can still become a complex and confusing transaction without the cashier worrying that you're trying to get away with something.

In this Sunday's edition, they acknowledges some backlash (there were two letters to the editor published) but stops short of acknowledging being wrong. there is a poll on the website for the followup article from today asking "Is it unethical to only give a drive-thru restaurant cashier your coupon if asked for it after you already get the discount?" I was hoping you and any other couponers you might know might be interested in voting in the poll to help show that the majority of couponers are honest people, and try to push the columnist and paper to retract the original story.

Ok, off the soapbox on one with the show...

Baby Cheapskate 9/27

2009-10-04T22:06:00.000-04:00

CVS Run 10/4 - Saved 99.43% off list price!

2009-10-04T12:20:00.006-04:00

This is one of the best CVS runs I've ever had. It may be the highest amount of money ever I've saved doing these deals.

We broke this up into two transactions for two reasons. First, we had two different $5 off $25 purchase coupons (1 flu quiz, 1 that came in email). Second, I wanted to split the nail polish to avoid having an $18 ECB. So I did the first order, and my wife was in line behind me to do the second one.

We needed Halloween Candy & Baby Tylenol.
We can always use Ice Cream, Candy, Nail Polish, Toothpaste, Soap, Tylenol.

Transaction #1:
2 Contour Breeze2 glucose monitors @ $14.99/ea (reg price $59.99)
3 Revlon Nail Polish @ 3.99/ea (reg price $4.99-5.99)
1 2pk of Tone Bar soap @ $1.88 (reg price $2.79)
1 Colgate Toothpaste @ $2.99 (reg price $3.89)
2 Childrens Tylenol @ $6.00/ea (reg price $8.29)
1 Tylenol Rapid Release 100ct @ $8.50 (reg price $10.49)

Used:
1 $5 off $25 CVS purchase - here
1 $2 off $10 Pain Relief at CVS - CRT
2 up to $30 off Contour Monitors (adjusted to $14.99) - 3/22 SS
1 $0.50/1 off Colgate - 9/27 SS
1 $1.00/1 off Tone Soap - Printable Here
3 $1/1 Revlon - 9/13 SS
1 $3/2 Childrens Tylenol - 9/13 RP
1 $2/1 Tylenol - 9/13 RP

Spent $19.98 in ECBs

Total $0.36 + $0.34 (?!?) in Tax = $0.70

Earned
$10 ECB for Monitors
$2 ECB for Colgate
$1 ECB for Soap
$9 ECB for Nail Polish
$10 ECB for Tylenol
$0.50 ECB from Summer Spending
Total = $32.50 in ECBs
******************************************

Transaction 2:
3 Revlon Nail Polish @ 3.99/ea (reg price $4.99-5.99)
3 bags of Halloween Candy @ $2.50/ea (reg price $3.59)
5 bags of Hershey Kisses @ $3.00/ea (reg price $3.99)
3 Edys Ice Cream @ $3.50/ea (reg price $5.99)

Used:
$5 off $25 from email
3 $1/1 Revlon - 9/13 SS
5 $1/1 Hershey Kisses - 9/13 SS
1 $1/3 Reeses/Kit Kat Halloween Candy - 9/27 SS
3 $1/1 Edys Ice Cream - Tearpad from Wawa

Spent $26.99 in ECBs

Total $0.98 + $0.13 tax = $1.11

Earned
$9 for Nail Polish
$5 for Candy
$5 for Ice Cream
Total = $19.00 in ECBs
******************************************

Total for All Purchases

Total of Items at List Price $234.36
Total after sale prices $112.29
Total after coupons $48.31

Spent $46.97 in ECBs
Spent $1.81 Cash ($1.34+$0.47 in tax)
Earned $51.50 in ECBs
PROFIT OF $6.34
OVER 99% OFF LIST PRICES!

By the way, here's what over $50 in CVS Bucks Looks like...

Pharmacy Deals week of 10/4

2009-10-03T22:58:00.003-04:00

Walgreens deals - Coupon Savings Game

Rite Aid Deals - Moms Need to Know

CVS Deals - Coupon Savings Game

I have quite the crazy CVS deal set up for tomorrow morning. Hopefully they'll have everything in stock and I can post the details tomorrow. If it works, it's going to be insane.

Coupons in the 10/4 Paper

2009-10-03T22:55:00.001-04:00

This week there are 3 inserts in the paper, 1 SmartSource, 1 General Mills(Smartsource), 1 Redplum.

Moms Need to Know has her weekly preview up, looks like a week to stock up on newspapers...

Weis Deals week of 10/2

2009-10-03T22:53:00.002-04:00

For the Mommas has the best deals at Weis this week mapped out for us.

Nothing too big a deal, although it appears ground beef is only $1.99...

20% off your Purchase Coupons!

2009-10-03T22:49:00.004-04:00

Click here for 20% off your purchase of $50 or more at Carter's -- Expires 10/7

Click here for 20% off your purchase at Big Lots - Valid 10/5 thru 10/10

Target and CVS Trips -- All for only $26.40

2009-10-02T21:33:00.008-04:00

Target Deal:

I Bought...
4 Chex Mix @ $0.99
2 Ziplock @ $1.99
2 Target Brand Tissues @ $0.97
2 Healthy Choice Frozen Dinners @ $2.50
2 Tombstone Pizzas @ $3.34
4 Hunts Tomato Sauce @ $0.69
2 Hunts Tomato Paste @ $0.46
1 Pie Crust @ $2.14
2 M&Ms @ $2.50
5 PopTarts @ $1.94
3 Wonka Fruit Snacks @ $1.59
2 Yogurt @ $0.52
1 Charmin @ $18.99 *

Coupons Used:
$5 off $75 Purchase (TQ)
4 $1/1 Chex Mix (TQ)
1 $1/2 Ziplock (MQ)
2 $1 off Target Up & Up Product (TQ) -- was $1 off $3, but I misread.. cashier took it anyway.
2 $2/1 Healthy Choice (MQ)
2 $2.50/1 Tombstone (MQ)
1 $1/2 M&Ms (MQ)
1 $1/2 M&Ms (TQ)
3 $1/2 Poptarts (MQ)
5 $0.75/1 Poptarts (TQ)
2 $1/1 Wonka (TQ)
2 $0.25/1 Wonka (MQ)
1 Try Free Wonka (MQ)

Total Came to $35.20

* Ok, so the Charmin I intended to get a price match of the CVS ad for $10 (see below). When we went to the customer service desk, it was pointed out to me that the size was not quite right. They were both 16 roll packages, but apparently the CVS pack equals 32 regular rolls while Target's equals 64, so not close enough for Price Match. So I said to return them, bringing my total down to $16.21.

Now I realized later that this should have made my $5 off $75 coupon invalid, but since they also missed one of my coupons and they had none of the "Free with Purchase" totes to go with the M&Ms despite a worker going to check and "confirming" (turned out he lied) they had them (otherwise I would've bought something else), so I felt less bad that neither I nor the customer service desk employee noticed this put me below $75. *shrug* These things tend to come out in the wash in the long term, but that's what happened this time.

We still needed Charmin so off to CVS I went...

CVS Trip:

I Bought...
2 Charmin @ $10
1 Tide @ $6
6 Reese's @ $.89
- CVS deal is Buy 2, Get 1 Free

Coupons Used:
$5 off $25 Purchase
1 $1/2 Charmin
1 $1/1 Tide
3 BOGO Reese's
$10 in Extra Bucks

Total Out of Pocket $10.19
Earned $10 in Extra Bucks

Total Spent on the two trips $26.40. Pretty decent I think. Did you have any great shopping trips this week? Let me know in the comments...

BabyCheapskate Forcast for October

2009-10-01T22:03:00.002-04:00

So using past info and presuming that retailers are the predictable creatures we know they are, Baby Cheapskate has a forcast for what kind of deals we can expect this month. Check them out here.

More CVS Coupons

2009-10-01T22:00:00.001-04:00

Last week I posted the link to a CVS coupon if you took a Flu Shot Quiz. Well Money Saving Mom has found 2 other links (I posted number link 2 last week, so try the other two) that will print another coupon to use. Yeah Free CVS coupons!

Supermarket Deals for the Week Ending 10/3

2009-10-01T21:53:00.002-04:00

Ok so I can wait until I have time to add my own input (and possibly not get it done, like last week), or I can pass you along to other talented bloggers listing the best deals and coupon matchups at local supermarkets.

Giant Deals

Redners Deals

Wegmans Deals

Target Deals

Snow White Blu-ray/DVD arrives next week

2009-10-01T21:41:00.005-04:00

UPDATE: It appears this coupon has reached its print limit. Hope you got one in time.

On Tuesday Walt Disney's Snow White is released from the Disney "vault" and available in Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack. Here is a coupon for $10 off. I'm sure many places will have this on sale for ~$20 for the first week, making this a great deal.

Pharmacy Deals 9/20

2009-09-27T21:49:00.001-04:00

Here are the deals at the Major Pharmacy Chains this week:

CVS - Common Sense With Money

Walgreens - Common Sense With Money

Rite Aid - Moms Need to Know

Coupons in 9/27 Paper

2009-09-27T21:46:00.001-04:00

This week there are 3 inserts (although MCall's Redplum is pretty pathetic this week). 1 Smartsource, 1 RedPlum, and 1 P&G.

Moms Need to Know has her preview up.