My favorite deals

So, my favorite deals this week happen to both be from Target, and they combine together. So... You will need to do 2 separate transactions for this. For the first one, buy:

-2Gillette Fusion razors @ $6.94 (price match Walmart)

            $5 gift card wyb 2 (or cartridges)

            2 $4 mfr cpn (fusion)

            $2.94 ea OOP (but get $5 gift card)

Transaction 2:

-5 Kellogg’s granola cereal $2.39

            $5 gift card wyb 5

            3 $1 mfr cpns RP 3/28 (I only had 3, but if you get more than 3 papers, you can use up to 5 cpns

            Use $5 gift card from razors

            $0.79 ea OOP (and get $5 gift card)
 So, you end up spending $9.83 OOP and have a $5 gift card to pocket for next time, so actually, $4.83 for 2 razors and 5 boxes of cereal.

Different sort of Freebie Roundup

I've been giving you guys all these freebies that I've been finding. Well... They definitely have started coming in for me. I think I got something free every day this past week. In fact, here is a picture of everything that came in my mailbox this past week.

My favorite deals

Okay, so looking through the ads from today's paper, I didn't find many deals that I thought were very good. But here are my 2 favorites:
Rite Aid:
Gillette Fusion Razors $8.99
      SCR $4
      $4 mfr cpn (PG 4/4)
      $4.99 OOP (but get $4 back later)

Target:
Schick Quattro/Intuition razors $6.99
      $5 gift card wyb2
      $4 mfr cpn (for either) (SS 2/28)
      $2.99 OOP (but get $5 back)
  
Total after rebates and gift cards? $2 total for 3 razors

Freebie Roundup

So, I've decided that the best way for me to do the freebies is to collect them throughout the week (unless I find time-sensitive ones) and then post them all on Friday. Yes, I know, today is Saturday, my blog website was not quite working right yesterday, so I wasn't able to get it done. So, here it is on Saturday. Next week it should be on Friday though. They are going to all be in one post, so it may take a while, but I'll get it done for you most weeks. (Sorry, my blog isn't my life ;) ) So here goes...

First on the list is the Ghirardelli coupon. We all love chocolate. Well, here's a coupon for one of the better brands of chocolate. It's $1/2, so not the best, but still a good coupon, especially somewhere like Family Fresh Foods, where they double coupons.  (Unless its a DND, I'm out of printer ink, so I can't tell you. I'm hoping to fix that issue today)

Here's freebie number 2 with a  free sample of Dove Men+Care. Go here to request your free sample. Just click get a free sample, fill out your information, answer a few questions, and submit. You should have your free sample in about 4 weeks.

Freebie #3: Free samples of Emergen-C. We're at the tail end of cold and flu season, but it can't hurt to get more Vitamin C. Go here and click which recipe sounds best to you. They'll send you the recipe, and the flavor of Emergen-C that goes with it. After you click, fill out your info (and pick your recipe again) It doesn't say how long, but I would guess 4-6 weeks for arrival.

Moving on... Free Samples of shampoo! I LOVE THESE!!! Pantene may not actually be my favorite brand, but free shampoo samples are the best. I know I say this all the time, but what a great item for traveling! So anyway, go here, and pick your hair type (or the sample you want to receive) You do have to be a member of Vocalpoint, so sign up if you aren't already. Once you sign in (if you're already a member) you don't even have to fill out your information, because they already have it. Your sample should arrive in 6-8 weeks. (Just in time for summer vacation right?)

OOH! Another shampoo freebie. (I don't need to repeat the benefits do I? *wink*) So, go here to claim your free sample of John Frieda Luxurious volume shampoo/conditioner. Fill out your information, and answer a few questions. That's all there is to it.

Okay everyone, Vistaprint is still having their 10th Anniversary sale going on. They've got their top 10 products free! You can get free photo calendars, mugs, tote bags, business cards, labels, photo flip books, mouse pads, and more. Go get 'em. You will have to pay shipping, but it ends up being like $5 for your order.

YAY!! More shampoo freebies! This one is Loreal. Go here to get it. I believe you can pick either the EverStrong or the EverPure, but you may be able to get them both. You do have to create an account with MyLoreal. So, go register, and your sample should arrive in 8-10 weeks. It looks like you may be able to get both samples.

Well, here's another shampoo sample, but this is for your guy. (or you if you are a guy) It will go through a very short video, and then at the bottom you will have some options. Click on request an Aveda Men sample. Fill out your information, and it will give you a certificate to print and take in to your local Aveda Salon.

While you're heading over to your Aveda salon, pick up a free sample of their Carribean Therapy Body creme. Go here, You can either order it online, or go in-store. If you want to go to the store, simply scroll down, and print your coupon.

Okay, well, here's a baby sample, I know I like these. Go here to order your free Baby Barn shampoo and lotion. Just fill out your information, select what scent you want, and submit. They will send you an email confirmation that you have to click on to get your free sample, so this one you may not want to send to your junk email address, but that's up to you.

Free Crest toothpaste and mouthwash samples. I have to say, I love the samples for things that I actually need. Even if it is only good for a few uses, that's a few uses I didn't have to pay for.  So, go here and fill out your info, and submit.

Phew! I did it. And all before my baby woke up from her nap. (Though I think that is just barely) Have fun with all of those!

My cereal escapade

So, I went to Smith's as I said I would, and here is what I found. They do indeed take all the coupons, so the deal I posted yesterday would work nicely. HOWEVER... I also found that people seemed to really like the $1.50 (before coupons) cereal. The shelves were very bare. I was not able to get the cocoa pebbles last night, and I was lucky to get 8 Honey Bunches of Oats before they were gone too. It was still a great deal, so I didn't want to pass it up.
Then... This morning, I figured that since the ad came out on Wednesday, they may have restocked. I headed over there around 10:00 in the morning, and the cereal shelves were very full. They did restock. I was quite happy. So I bought my 4 boxes of Cocoa Pebbles, paid $4, and got $3 back in a Catalina. So all in all, I spent $20, got 9 bags of whopper eggs, 12 boxes of cereal, 2 dozen eggs, and 2 packages of Red Vines (also on sale) and a $3 off my next purchase. I don't know the percentage savings. Sorry.

ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE DEAL THIS WEEK!!!

Okay, I had to post about this deal at Smiths, I am way excited about it.
Smiths is doing a Catalina for $5 when you buy $15 worth of Hersey's Candy, and there is a Catalina on Post Cocoa Pebbles Cereal. So here is what you do, (3 transactions, so go to the self-checkout)
Transaction 1:
Buy 9 Hersey's Robin Eggs (Mini or Regular) for $1.67 each.
Use 3 of the $2 off 3 Hershey's Coupons from the 3-14-10 SS insert
you pay $9.03 OOP for all 9 bags.
A $5 Catalina prints out
Transaction 2:
Buy 4 Cocoa Pebbles for $1.50 each.
Use 2 coupons, from the following coupons
$1 off of 2 Cocoa or Fruity Pebbles
$1 off of 2 any Post kids cereals
buy another $1 item (I'm buying eggs for $0.99 cause that's what I need)
Use the $5 Catalina
you pay tax.
A $3 Catalina prints out
Transaction 3:
Buy 4 Post Cereals (excluding Cocoa pebbles)
Use 2 of any of the following coupons
$1 off 2 Honey Bunches of Oats
$1 off 2 any Post cereals
$1 off 2 any Post kids cereals
you pay $1 OOP
Grand total: $10.03 (plus tax) OOP
you get 9 bags of candy, 8 boxes of cereal, and a dozen eggs (in my case)
I plan on doing this deal tonight, so I will let you know if I had any troubles doing it.  So excited though

New coupons!

Just letting everyone know, as of today, (April 1st) there are new coupons up on all the main sites! YAY!! go print some of today before any run out. A few of my favorites:
From Coupons.com
$0.75 Ball Park Angus hot dogs
$3 Huggies
$0.75 Gold 'n' Plump
from Smartsource.com
$1 Axe
b1g1 Velveeta single serve Macaroni & Cheese

Free Water Bottle

Yay! I love water bottles! I love drinking water, and so I love having an easy, convenient way to do so. Go here and fill out your information, and they will send you a free water bottle.

My favorite deals

So, I decided that I really was taking too much time doing the couponing, and that I needed to streamline. So, I am only going to look for the very best (my favorite) deals, and do a list of those, rather than trying to list everything. There are various places where you can get lists. Grocery Smarts has a comprehensive list, Freebies2Deals has some, and Savvy Sister Shops is another I like to follow. So, here is my list of favorites from this week.

Rite Aid

-Old Spice deodorant $2.50

            $2 SCR wyb2

            $1 OS cpn (PG 2/7)

            $1.50 OOP

-Bic Soleil disposable razors $4.99

            $2 SCR

            $2 mfr cpn (SS 3/28)

            $2.99 OOP

-Brita water filters $9.29

            40% off

            $2 mfr cpn 

            $3.57 OOP

$4 SCR from Rite Aid

Target

-Connect 4x4 $14

            $4 mfr cpn (SS3/21)

            $3 Hasbro Target cpn (you should have printed this one before, but it may still be available)

            $7.00 OOP

-Air Wick I motion starter kits $6

            $5 mfr cpn (SS 3/7)

            $1 Target cpn

            $0.00 OOP

So there you have it. Those are my favorite deals for the week.

Another cologne sample

Go here to get a free sample of Nautica Oceans. Fill out your information and they should be sending it to you in the mail.

Free Jovan perfume sample

 Well, I have no idea how this smells, but samples of fragrances are always nice, because then you don't have to spend all the money before you know if you like the way the scent mixes with your chemical makeup. So, just go here and fill out your information. There are also survey questions, but you don't have to answer them. I didn't get any confirmation of them sending me my sample, so we'll see if they actually send it, but it doesn't do much damage if they don't, it was a FREE sample.

Free Burt's Bees Toothpaste sample

Yay for samples of toiletries! I love using these for travel, they don't take up as much space, and they don't make as much mess if they do spill.  Here's a free sample of toothpaste, and who doesn't need that? Just fill out your information, choose whether you want a sample, or a $1 off coupon, and hit submit. The coupon is probably the better value, but if you've never tried this toothpaste before you may want to try it first before buy a full-sized. (Some people can be very choosy with their toothpaste).

Organic Valley coupons

 Now, I know some people don't use couponing as much because they prefer to buy organic, or they think they can't eat as healthy because the coupons are always for junk. Well, I just found some coupons from Organic Valley for you. Go here to pick the ones you want. You can print 2 copies of each coupon. Enjoy!

Free Kashi Cereal Sample

I think the healthy ones are my favorites. (yes another favorite. I have lots of favorites) So just go here and choose what you want to sample. Hit submit, and fill out your information. It does ask for you to join their community, but you don't have to in order to get your sample.

Free Godiva chocolate

 Now seriously, who doesn't love free chocolate? You can get a free piece of Godiva chocolate every month by going here and signing up for their rewards club! (Plus you can also get some other cool offers from them) Here in Utah Valley, the Godiva chocolatiers are all inside other stores (Barnes & Noble, Macy's and Dillards) I had to make sure I knew where to go for this. So, just go click join now, and fill out your information. You may not want to use your junk email for this one, if they're going to send you more offers. After submitting, it will ask you to take a questionnaire, you don't have to. Then all you have to do once a month is go in to a store and claim your free chocolate.

Coupon for Free YOplus

Yay! I love yogurt freebies too! Yogurt is one of those things that are a little more rare around this house, because it's hard to find sales that make the prices quite good enough with the coupons. So I am all for freebies. So, all you need to do is go here, and sign up for the Betty Crocker newsletter, and get your free sample. It will actually come as a coupon, but hey, that's even better than a sample, because that's free full-size product!

Free U by Kotex sample

I have to say, I think the hygiene product feebies are some of my all time favorites. They can just be so dang expensive! So here's another free sample (that has more than 1 in it) Just fill out your information, and submit it, and they will send you your free sample!

What to do with expired coupons?

We all have them. We use as many of the coupons that we clip as possible, but sometimes they just expire before we can get to them. So... what should we do with them? I can think of a couple of options.
1-Recycle them. Not the best option, but probably the easiest. Doesn't take much time to throw them in a recycle bin with the rest of your paper (especially since we're getting multiple copies of the newspapers, so we're have lots of paper to recycle).
2-Arts and crafts. You can use the coupons to modge-podge frames or scrapbook album covers, or chairs or tables. With all the colors, it could end up being really cute. A better option, because you aren't just adding waste to our planet, and you aren't having to find time to take the paper out to the recycle bin, and hey, you can get cute kid's chairs and cute frames and such from it. It would take a lot of time though.

3- MY FAVORITE OPTION -Send them overseas to our military families on bases in foreign countries. There is a fairly extensive list of military bases overseas that are accepting expired coupons, and the families can use them on base for 6 months after they expire. The list of bases who are accepting coupons will change periodically, so the best thing would be to just go to Grocery Saving Tips and scroll down when you are going to send those coupons out.
A few tips to follow:

• Cut all of your coupons you will be sending.  It will cut down on shipping costs.
• Divide coupons into "Non- Food" and "Food" Categories.  Put them in two separate plastic baggies.  Pet food is considered a non-food item.
• They can only use regular Manufacturer coupons.  So don't send store coupons or printed coupons of any sort.
• Send your coupons out quickly after they expire.  If your coupons are expired longer than 2 months, don't send them.

Now, yes, this will take a little more of your time, but if you've already been clipping every coupon as I have, the only real time it will take is pulling the expired coupons out (which you'd already be doing) separating them into food/non-food, (which they may already be if you are using a binder) and putting them in an envelope to mail (and addressing and sending) Definitely the best option as far as I'm concerned.

Just thought I'd let you know that there are options out there for what to do with those coupons you just couldn't quite get to.

New favorite

I have to say, I found a new favorite thing about couponing. Today was the BSA food drive in my area, and having extra food on hand that I could give them was great. Even better was that I didn't have to worry about being able to put that back into my food storage because a good portion of what I gave them, I got for free! Here is a picture of everything I was able to give them. We don't have a very big food storage yet, or I would have given multiple bags, but I have to say I am proud that I had to double bag, and that it didn't fit into the bag they gave us. Anyway... The picture.

Family Fresh Foods run

Okay so I made my trek up to Ogden to Family Fresh Foods yesterday. After the change in the coupon policy I wanted to see if it was still worth it to travel up there once a month. Yes! absolutely! I saved $20 MORE than I would have down here in Utah Valley. Even with the gas that my car takes, that is a $13 savings! Very exciting. So... are you ready for what I got!

I don't think I can go through and list what I got. I'm feeling far too lazy right now. But I got all of this for only $39 and change! I saved $40 in coupons as well. That is over a 50% savings! And, I didn't have coupons for the produce, and some of the items were not on sale, but are staples that I like to have on hand. So I think I did pretty dang good. It did take a lot of time. I did walk up and down the aisles looking for things that I either had a coupon for, or the price was low enough that if I had a coupon I'd take it, so I stopped to look through my binder fairly frequently, but I think it was well worth it.