Target Trip 10/30

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

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

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

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

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

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

Redners Deals 10/25

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

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

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

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

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!

Free Black Jack Taco from Taco Bell 10/31

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

CVS Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Walgreens Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Rite Aid Deals - For the Mommas

Coupon Inserts 10/25

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Phamacy Deals Week of 10/18

CVS Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Rite Aid Deals - For The Mommas

Wegmans Deals - Coupon Savings Game

Weis Deals Week of 10/15

For the Mommas has the weekly update for Weis Markets.

CVS Greenbag Tag

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

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

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

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 Huggies are a deal at Walgreens, and could be quite a complicated deal on Pampers at RiteAid.

Potential Diaper Deal at Toys/Babies R Us

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

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

Giant Deals 10/11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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...

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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.