my mistake

There WILL be an insert on the 30th...one P&G insert. I needed to correct that mistake.

New Green Giant steamers coupons just came out...this means more free veggies at Walmart!! YAY! I just ran out.

I've seen the Walmart Black Friday ad. It has more interesting stuff in it that any of the other stores I have seen.

Don't forget that Kmart will be doubling on Nov 30..should last through the 7th.

Walmart has baking soda cheap...and here is a coupon http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=rkrodth84167034&bt=wg&o=54371&c=AH&p=3tuKFjY0 Should make them around 4 cents each.

Chex mix http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=rhlvbkb89924682&bt=wi&o=52784&ci=1&c=CX&p=UzpnyjQo (use at Walgreens)

I'm heading off to Walmart tomorrow..hopefully I find some good stuff.

Coupons!

This weekend's coupons are going to be nice. This will be a great weekend to try to get extras anywhere you can. I see a lot of these coming into play the next few weeks.

Redplum:

Advil 40 ct.+ $1
Advil Cold & Sinus, Allergy Sinus or Childrens Advil Cold $1
Balsam Lasting Color Hair Color $1
Caress Daily Silk, Glowing Touch, etc. Body Wash 12 oz.+ or 6-bar pk.$1
Caress Tahitian Renewal or Cashmere Luxury Body Wash 12 oz.+ $1
Carvel Ice Cream Cake 32 oz.+ $2
Centrum except 30 ct. $1
Centrum Cardio except 30 ct. $3
Centrum Performance except 30 ct. $1
Centrum Silver except 30 ct. $1
Clabber Girl Baking Powder or Cornstarch $1/2
College Inn Bold Stock or Culinary Broth 32 oz. $1
College Inn 32 oz. $1/2
Crosse & Blackwell Extraordinary Gourmet $1.50 on 2
Del Monte 50% Less Salt Vegetable, .30
Del Monte Fruits, Vegetables Tomatoes, 11 oz.+ or Fruit Cup Snacks, 4 pks. $1 on 4
Dickinsons Extraordinary Gourmet $1.50 on 2
Domino Granulated Sugar, 4 or 5 lb. .35
Domino Light Brown or 10-X Confectioners Sugar .25
Dreamfields Pasta $1
Duracell CopperTop, PowerPix, Ultra Digital, or Ultra Photo Lithium Batteries .75
Europe’s Best Frozen Fruit $1
Hefty Waste Bags $1
Hellmanns 18 oz.+ .60
Heluva Good Dip or Cheese .50
Hillshire Farm Cocktail Links $1/2
Jell-O Pudding AND Cool Whip AND Planters Pecan Pieces, 2 oz. $1
Knorr French Onion or Vegetable Soup .30
Knorr Side Dish .75/2
Lawrys Spice Blend 6 oz.+ $1
Lever 2000 Bar Multipack $1
Lipton Recipe Secrets Varieties .75/2
Lipton Tea Bags, Lipton To Go or any Iced Tea Mix .75/2
M&Ms Premiums Chocolate Candies $1
Martinellis Sparkling Cider etc. 25.4 oz. .50
Meow Mix Cat Treats $1
Meow Mix Dry Cat Food $1
Meow Mix Market Select Variety Pk. $1/1 or 4 Single Cups
New York Texas Toast Croutons .55
Newmans Own Dressing, Marinade, Salsa, Lemonade or Popcorn .50
Olay Definity Facial Moisturizer $5/1 or two Olay Definity Facial Cleansers
Olay Facial Moisturizer or Facial Cleanser $1
Oral-B Pulsonic, ProfessionalCare, etc. Rechargeable Toothbrush $10 Rebate (mail-in)
Oral-B Refill Brush Heads, 3 ct.+ $1
Pedigree Good Bites Treats for Dogs $1
Pedigree Jumbone Treats For Dogs $1
Ragu Pasta Sauce $1 on 3
Sargento Shredded Cheese 5 oz.+ .50/2
Scotch-Brite Cook Top Cleaner Starter Kit $1
Scotch-Brite Dishwands or Refills $1/2
Scotch-Brite Stainless Steel Cleaner Starter Kit $1
Scotch-Brite Ultra NailSaver Absorbent Scrub Sponge .50
Scotch Fur Fighter Hair Remover Starter Kit $2
Scotch Hair or Lint Removal except travel size $1
Shedds Country Crock Side Dish $1
Shedds Spread Country Crock Spread or Omega Plus .25
Skippy Peanut Butter 15 oz.+ .40
Suave Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant .75
Suave Hair Care $1/2
Suave Mens Hair Care .75/2
Sundown Naturals Vitamin $3
Sunsilk $2/2
Tabasco Pepper Sauce Flavor .50
Tennessee Pride Fully Cooked .55
Tennessee Pride .55
Triple Cream Premium $1
Uncle Bens Long Grain & Wild Rice .75/2 boxes
Vaseline Clinical Therapy $1.50
Vaseline Lotion 200 mL+ except Renewal or Glow .55
Wisk 2X 50 oz.+ .35
ZeroWater 8 Cup Pitcher $10
ZeroWater Filter Bottle $10
ZeroWater Replacement Filters $5

Smart Source:

Air Wick Freshmatic Mini Starter Kit $4
Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra Starter Kit $5
Air Wick Lumin Air Flameless Candle Starter Kit $3
Air Wick Scented Oil Refill $1/2
Air Wick Warmer FREE up to $3.19 wyb Scented Oil Refill
Ajax Dishwashing Liquid 16 oz.+ .20
Bausch & Lomb Soothe Lubricant Eye Drops $3
Beano 30 ct.+ $1
Beech-Nut Lets Grow $1
Bells Stuffing 16 oz. $1/2
Benefiber Chewable or Caplet $2
Benefiber $2
Benefiber Stick Pack $2
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix 17.5 oz.+ .40
Betty Crocker Frosting .50
Betty Crocker Potatoes Box or Pouch except Potato Buds .35
Bisquick Original, 40 oz.+ or Bisquick Heart Smart Baking Mix .60
Blistex Lip Care .25
Blistex Deep Renewal, Silk & Shine, or Lip Infusion .55
Bob Evans Side Dish .35
Colgate Total Advanced Whitening, Advanced Clean or Advanced Fresh4 oz.+ $1
Cottonelle Aloe & E Toilet Paper 4-pack+ .50
Cottonelle Toilet Paper 4-pack+ .25
Cottonelle Ultra Toilet Paper 4-pack+ .50
Daisy Sour Cream .50
Delsym Adult $2
Delsym Childrens $1.50
DeMets Turtles 3 oz.+ $1.50
Dixie Crystals Dark or Light Brown Sugar 2 lb.+ .30
Dixie Crystals Granulated Sugar 3.4 lb.+ .30
Fiber One Toaster Pastries .70
Finish/Electrasol Powder or Gel .35
Finish/Electrasol Powerball Tabs or Gelpacs .75
Gaviscon $1
Glory Seasoned Cooking Base .55
Green Giant Frozen Bagged Vegetables 19 to 24 oz. only .50
Green Giant Frozen Boxed Vegetables .50/2
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Frozen Vegetables $1
Hersheys Baking Chips $1 on 3
Hersheys Kisses or Miniatures, Reeses, York, Kit Kat, etc. Holiday Candy, 8 oz.+ $1.50/3 bags Honeysuckle White Frozen Whole Turkey $1
Huggies Diapers $1
Huggies Supreme Diapers jumbo+ $1
Jet-Dry Dishwasher Cleaner $1
Jet-Dry Rinse Agent or Turbo Dry .50
Kraft Salad Dressing $1/2
L’Oreal Excellence or Excellence Cremelights $1
Lysol Neutra Air Aerosol 10 oz.+ B1G1F up to $2.99
Lysol Neutra Air FreshMatic Starter Kit $5
MidNite or MidNite PM $1
Mrs. Dash Seasoning Blend .75
Old English Aerosol $1
Old English $1
Pam Cooking spray .35
Parkay .75/2
Phazyme $1
Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls .25
Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls .35/2
Pillsbury Frozen Dinner Rolls .75/2
Pillsbury Frozen Grands Biscuits .40
Pillsbury Frozen Grands Cinnamon Rolls or Mini Cinnamon Rolls .55
Pillsbury Golden Layers or Grands Jr. Biscuits .40/3
Pillsbury Grands Sweet Rolls .40
Pillsbury Italian Meal Breads .40/2
Pillsbury Pet-Ritz Frozen Pie Crusts .50/2
Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough $1/2
Pillsbury Refrigerated Grands Biscuits .30/2
Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust .40
Pillsbury Refrigerated Rolled Pie Crusts .50/2
Progresso Broth $1
Purina Dog Snacks $1.50 on 2
Purina Dog Snacks $3/3
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars $1/2 boxes
Reddi-Wip Whipped Light Cream .50
Revlon Beauty Tool $1
Revlon Color Cosmetic $1
Reynolds Wrap Foil except 25 sq. ft. $1
Schick Disposable Razor $1
Scott Extra Soft Bath Tissue, 4-pack+ $1
Scott Paper Towels, 4 rolls+ $1
Simply Saline Nasal $1
Soft & Beautiful Skin $1
Spice Islands $1/2
Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets Hot Cocoa Mix .30
Tagamet $1
Tones Seasoning or Extract $1/2
True North 100% Natural Nut Snacks 4.5 oz. to 7 oz. $1
Tums 24 .+ $1/2
Tums Smoothies or Tums QuikPak $1
Tums Value Size $1.25
Vivid, Easy-On, or Cling Free .50
Welchs Dried Fruit 6 or 5.5 oz. bag or Variety Pack $1
White Castle Microwavable Hamburgers or Cheeseburgers, 6 ct. .50
Woolite 50 oz.+ .75


There won't be any coupons on Nov 30th

Thursday's shopping

I got a bunch of the free Glade candle holders today. I still have a lot of $2/1 coupons, and the ones at Walmart are still $2. The scented oil refills are $2 as well, and there are coupons to buy one and get a warmer free!! Those are great coupons!

Walmart also had Renuizit Tri-scents in a holiday scent (and reg. scents) marked down to $5. I had $5 off coupons to get them free. There were also $4 coupons out, making them just $1.

I got Iams Smart puppy dog food for $1.87 a bag. They were $6.87 and there were just $5 off coupons in one of the last P&G inserts.

If you are a part of Vocalpoint, they recently sent out $1 off Starkist Tuna Creations coupons and they are $1.58 at WM

Fruit of the Loom 3 pack of boys socks were on clearance for $1...this is a your mileage may very type thing, but I have heard others say theirs had them as well.

It's a good thing I stocked up on those sausage coupons. There's none to be found anywhere in town!!!!

The lifesavers bags on a peg were $1.46 and I used the recent $1 coupons to make them 46 cents a bag.

There are some really cute Christmas things at Dollar Tree.

Bath and Bodyworks has the scented oil vials on sale for $4, and a holiday oil wamer for $10. The body stuff (lotion, gel, etc) are buy one, get one half off.

Go to Oprah.com TODAY, click on Peter Walsh and free gift, then get your free gift from Snapfish.com to get a free 8x11 custom photo book! Also, if you are new to Snapfish, you get 50 free prints.

Have a great shopping day!

HI!

Long week so far. I broke my toe, my husband started 90 days of first shift (after being on thirds for 4 years- it's an adjustment), my dvr went out...so I haven't gotten to post. Deals are a little slow this week, too.

First, Kroger's buy 10 get $5 off is back this week. Look on Dove Ice cream bars. They are part of the deal. Some boxes have coupons inside..they will be marked as so. They are on the inside of the box. Use the coupons on another transaction to do the deal again.

Walgreens has a lot of baking stuff at a pretty good price this week if you have register rewards to use.

CVS has 1 liter of Glaceau Smart Water free after ecbs... $1.59 limit 1

Nova Max Blood Glucose monitor free after ecbs....$9.99 limit 1

$2 in ecb for buying Garnier hair products...there are $1 off coupons everywhere. limit 1

$1 ecb when you buy Palmolive for $1.49 ...there were $1/2 coupons in the Oct 26 Smart Source. Limit 5

A lot of stores have this promotion going on for Glade:
Buy any Glade plug ins Air fresheners or candle products between 11/7 & 11/30...
Buy 3, get $2
Buy 4, get $3
Buy 5 or more, get $4 off your next order
Check your local grocery store. Coupons work nicely with this deal.


Have a great shopping day!

Good news!

Double coupon days are coming to Kmart again.
Nov 12-16th will be double coupon days at Super KMart only. BUT November 30 to December 6th, ALL KMarts will be participating. Start collecting those coupons! This will be a great time to stock up. The last time, they doubled up to and including $2, limit 4 of each type of coupon, 75 coupons per customer per day. I assume this will be the same.

You can get a free 8x10 printed at Walgreens.com using the coupon code FREEPIC. Pick up in-store.

My Walmart had Boo-berry Fruit by the Foot on clearance for $1 each. I used a 50 cent/2 coupon, and paid 75 cents a box. Not bad.

DEALS!!!

First, I promised Rite Aid, so here it is:

Free after rebates:
GUM Twin pack toothbrushes $1.99
Nova Max blood glucose monitoring system $9.99

Also:
GE 6-Outlet Surge Protector OR 24 Hour Timer ($5.99 sale price this week- $5.00 rebate= 99 cents



Ok, I went to Food Lion today, which I never do, but here's why..Bic Soliel razor SYSTEMS and REFILLS are on sale for $2.99. If you have a bunch of the $3 coupons that just came out, these are FREE. I bought some there, and price matched at Walmart and bought some there, too.

I also found peelies on Jennie-o ground turkey for $5 off Jenni-O oven ready products. I took the peelie itself to Walmart, and got an oven ready turkey breast for $4.40

At Kroger, Food Lion AND Walmart, I have found peelies on Jimmy Dean roll sausage for free links or patties wyb the roll sausage. Here's the kicker...Kroger restocked their $1 off 1 roll sausage blinkies with coupons good through the beginning of December. The sausage is $2 at Walmart. I took blinkie coupons there, bought the sausage for $1 and got the links free (reg $2.58) so, for $1, I can get a roll of sausage and pack of links! YUM!!!

My Walmart is 75% off on Halloween.

I bought 4 of the Glade limited edition holders today at Walmart...they are $2 and there are $2 off blinkies out...I got mine at Kroger. Free holders. (I mentioned this before, but it bears repeating)

Walmart rolled back the prices on the Green Giant Steamers (the ones without sauce- with sauce is $1.50) to $1...I got a bunch free. I like these. Very convenient.

I am still finding peelies for $1 Taco Bell dinner kits on the bowls. Walmart and FL carry this brand..Kroger does not.

Next week, Progresso soup is $1.25 (4/ $5) at Walgreens. You can print coupons for $1.10 off here: http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=rkclctm2384537&bt=wi&o=54059&ci=1&c=GM&p=plfqYXW0 You can print 2 by pushing the back button a few times. If you have a 2nd computer, you might be able to print another 2 off of it.

Have a great shopping day!

November already!

I hope you had a great Halloween. We were busy, busy, busy!!!

I had a nice run at Kroger yesterday. They are having a mix and match sale, and if you buy 10 items, you get $5 off. Some of the items were Betty Crocker boxed potatoes...since they will double up to 3 like coupons, I was buying 3, and lo and behold, there was a peelie on them for a free box of Hamburger Helper when you bought 3!

NOT included in the deal, but on sale nonetheless, was Jimmy Dean sausage. It was on sale for $2.99. There was a blinkie machine under them for $1 off of the sausage, making them $1.99 and on the rolls I got (not all rolls had them) were peelies for free links or patties if you bought the sausage. I got 2 rolls of sausage, 2 packs of links for $4. I can do that because the $1 coupons were on the rolls, and the free coupons were for the links...buying the rolls was just a requirement to use the coupons on the links. Make sense?

All in all, I saved 58%

Walgreens is slightly disappointing this week, but there were a couple of good deals. Celestial seasonings tea is 2/$3, and there is a $1/2 coupon in the Easy Saver book. If you still have the $1 off Celestial Seasonings tea coupons, then they are free.

Schick Quattro and Quattro for women disposables are on sale, $5.99. There are $3 EasySaver coupons, bringing them down to $2.99. If you have BOGOF coupons from the paper, then you get 2 free. (easy saver will come off twice). If you don't, check and see if you have $2 off any Quattro razor or refill. Those will work, making one pack 99 cents, which is still not bad. Be careful not to buy the sensitive, they are ringing up $8.29

I also got my 2 free Almay mascaras. They are BOGOF, at $6.99. There is a rebate in the rebate book for $6.99 (limit one). Buy 2, get the rebate back on one, and you have 2 free. If you want, you can buy the mascara and something else, but I stuck with mascara.

CVS has 3 ECB wyb 4 coke 12 packs, limit 4 12 packs 4/$12 (limit 1 ecb)

5 ECB wyb 2 Olay body wash, ribbons, botanical or quench lotion @ 2/$12 There were $2 off coupons in this weekend's P&G insert.

Crest-pro health whitening toothpaste 4.2oz $3.49 get $3.49 ECB FREE AFTER ECB. The limit MAY be 4.

$9.99 ECB wyb Nova Max $9.99 Limit 1 Free after ECB

Spend $10 get $5 ECB on ice breakers ice cubes sugar free gum 10ct $1.00. Use 5 of the $1/2 coupons from the beginning of Sept, and get 10 free after ECB

Free after ECB items are a great way to roll your ecbs.

There are Glade candle holders out in holiday displays..they are the holder only. No candles inside. Candles have been running on sale everywhere, so if you have some, or plan on getting any, these holders are running $2-$2.50 at Walmart and Kmart. There are blinkies at some stores for $2 off any holder...making these free or 50 cents each. May be good for holiday gift baskets as well.

I'll put up Rite aid deals tomorrow.
Have a great day!

my shopping day

Ok, I tried the Robitussin deal at Walgreens, and it did work for me. I bought 3, used 3 $2 off coupons, and got $15 back. Total haul.. 3 Robitussin, 4 Ramen noodles (fillers), 1 Sunbeam warming throw for my husband for Christmas (don't tell him!), paid $35, got $20 back ($5 back on the throw), and will send for the manufacturer's rebate on the throw. Counting that, the grand total was $10. I am satisfied with that.

I went to Walmart, and there were peelie coupons on Rice Krispies and Cocoa Krispies to get $1 off of marshmallows when you bought one of the cereals. I had $1 off a Kellogg's cereal coupon (printable), making the cereal $1.38, and their marshmallows are $1.08, so I paid 8 cents for the marshmallows. If a coupon is for something ELSE when you buy an item, you almost always can use a coupon for the item you have to buy to get the other...if that makes sense to you.

Not much was new there. I got the $2 Gillette shampoo and bodywash free- those coupons expire Friday. I got the $4.97 Fusion razor (it only has 1 cartridge) for 97 cents with coupon...also expires Friday. I got several 23 cent Green Giant steamers with the $1 coupon, 2 Seapak shrimp poppers for 32 cents each with the $1 coupon (I think they went up a few cents). I got another $5.97 Febreze Noticeables with the $5 coupon, making it 97 cents. That coupon expires Friday as well. I love Walmart.

Food Lion emailed me coupons this week for $1 off of FL shredded cheese, $1 FL Toaster pastries, $2 off a $5 or more purchase from the produce dept., and $1 off 5 Del Monte tomatoes.

Please feel free to email me at dimestretchermom@gmail.com with any questions. Sometimes, it doesn't occur to me to talk about anything unless someone asks.

Tuesday!

I got ANOTHER mailer from Vocalpoint today. This one has a Venus Embrace razor and 5 $4 off coupons. YAY!

There's nothing too exciting that I have found. I did hear that if you buy 3 Robitussin at Walgreens you will get a $10 AND a $5 RR because of overlapping deals. The UPC's of the ones that work are:
300031- all start with this..final digits are: 8616 12 3
8686 12 6
8670 12 5
8685 12 9
8642 12 2
8660 12 6
8667 12 5
8610 12 1
There are coupons at Robitussin.com for $ off. Buy 3, use 3 coupons (you will have to use the drop down menu by your back button to go back) and get $15. This is how it is SUPPOSED to work through Friday, but I can't guarantee it.

Celestial Seasonings will be on sale there, too next week. Free if you have the $1 coupons. Here's the kicker. My local paper didn't have the coupons. (some are regional) I had ONE a friend gave me from her paper about an hour south. I could cry. I could buy them on ebay, but those things are going kinda crazy high! I'm on the fence. We'll see. :(

Have a good night.

Well, I made it!

Made it to Kroger today. I have to admit, I am a bit overwhelmed when standing in front of a tea display. It's kind of hard to decide which kinds to get! BUT, I made it out of there satisfied with the ones I bought.

Starkist tuna was on sale and I had coupons, but the Kroger brand was cheaper, so I bought it. This leads me to another point. Just because you have a coupon, it doesn't mean you have to use it. I go with the cheaper route EVERY TIME. Of course, it could also be that tuna will be cheaper later on, and I will have coupons then. This was plain tuna, not the Starkist creations, which I am totally in love with. I get those from Walmart, though, because they are cheaper there. On things I buy often, I remain aware of which store has them cheaper on a regular basis. If you can't remember, write them down.

I got 2 Herbal Essences free...They are on sale for $2.49, and I bought 2. I used the $2.00 coupon loaded on my card from P&G (go to the Kroger website for the link) and a $3/2 from the most recent P&G insert.

Campbells soup is 10/$10. There are TONS of coupons for those out.

I ended up with about 15 coupons for free worchestershire sauce...I am getting a couple with each shopping trip. I don't really use them often, so I will keep one or 2 and donate the others to food pantries/drives, etc coming up for Christmas.

I got the Mach 3 razors free, too. I had a $3 off coupon they mailed me and a $3 off from the P&G loaded to my card. They are on sale this week for $5.99

Found another place to load coupons to your card: http://www.cellfire.com/ You need to have a cell phone for them to text you the authorization code, but after that, you can do it on computer. One of the loadable coupons is for a free box of Live Active Oatmeal. I got apples, cinnamon, and raisins. *YUM*

Betty Crocker pouch potatoes are $1.09, use the 40 cent coupon to get them for 29 cents each.

So, today I ended up saving 54%. Not as good as usual, but acceptable. I bought some meat, etc.


I got a new mailer from Vocalpoint. If you haven't signed up yet, do. This one has several of the $1 off Starkist tuna creations, and 1 BOGOF coupon for them.

Seapak Shrimp poppers at Walmart are $1.25. You can get $1 off coupons here: http://print.coupons.com/Couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13724&nid=20&zid=hd77 You should be able to print it at least twice.

Money back guarantee on Clorox 2: http://www.daretobecolorful.com/pdf/C2MoneyBack.pdf

Have a great shopping day!

Celestial seasonings

I don't have time for a full blog, but I just noticed Celestial Seasonings tea is 10 for $10 at Kroger this week, so if you have the recent coupons that came out a week or 2 ago, they are FREE!!!!!!!!!
This is a great thing to stock up on and you can even put them in gift baskets for Christmas!

I'll check out more deals and post later tonight or tomorrow. :)

new sales...

the weekly ad for Walgreens isn't looking too promising this week...but November Easysaver is out...

L'oreal age perfect pro-calcium radiance perfector 1.7 oz. up to $19.99 is free after rebate, limit 1
Almay one coat mascara is also free after rebate, limit 1 (wait to buy this until next week-Nov 2, when they will be BOGOF, and wind up with 2 free)

Those are 2 good items to spend you RR from this week on.

There are $2 rebates on Glade flameless candles, or scented oil candle 2 packs
There have been a lot of coupons for these out. I am also hoping that since there is a rebate, that there will be a good sale on them this month.

The Easysaver coupons this month expire on the 22nd (Nov), probably in preparation for Black Friday.


Rite Aid has lots of deals this week, but some are only for 3 days:

Charles Worthington Hair products are free after single check rebate (you only have to buy them during the correct period, and you cans til enter your receipt online, but you don't have to claim just yet) $6.99- only good Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday

Citre Shine miracle, serum, or aerosol FAR (free after rebate) $5.99- also Sunday, Monday and Tuesday - Look for a coupon on Smartsource.com

Citre Shine Gloss, Mist or Pomade FAR $3.99- good Sun, Mon, &Tue

All week FAR's:

Kotex maxi-pads, pantyliners, or tampons- $3 Coupons were in the paper recently

Axe Shower gel or shower detailer tool (?)- $3.99

Loreal Age Perfect tinted moisturizer- $15.99

Denta Burst teeth cleaners- $1.99

Oral B Artica toothbrush- $2.49 (use recent 75 cent off coupon)

GE 6 outlet power strip- $5 (good deal!)

GE extension cord- $2

Adidas deodorant, body wash or spray- $3 (There were $1 off coupons in the paper in Sept)

Green dot prepaid mastercard or Visa $9.95 (I don't know how these work, so I can't say if it's a great deal or not)

Suave hand or body lotion- many coupons out- $1.99

Sally Hansen lip treatments are 25% and FAR up to $7.50

There are also tons of BOGOF items at Rite Aid this week.

Walmart: Barilla Piccollini pasta is around $1.27...here is $1 off coupon: http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=reejeam10085665&bt=vg&o=52588&c=BP&p=
(this is a Bricks coupon. Remember to oush back on your browser a few times to print twice!)

Starkist Tuna creations are $1.48- use the recent $1 off coupon


$1 off coupons for Orville Redenbacher's new Lime and salt: http://www.orville.com/newsoffers_gni.jsp

Have a happy shopping weekend!

Happy Thursday!

Boy, have we been having a time...my washer broke, my desktop crashed...*whew*

Look here: http://brands.kraftfoods.com/diabetic/main.aspx?s=diabetic&m=main_content for South Beach coupons and, if you or anyone in your household have diabetes, to sign up for the Kraft Good eating, Good living program to get a welcome kit, coupons, recipes, etc. While you are at the Kraft website, sign up for the Food and Family newsletter and magazine. They have great recipes, and often, coupons.

I recommend you purchase (every month :P) The All You magazine at Walmart. The only place you can get it is Walmart or through a subscription. Reason being, it often has a lot of great coupons in it. Sometimes I will actually buy 2 or 3 if the coupons are good enough.

A tip about KMART....scan clearance items you are interested in if your store has scanners around. They are sometimes cheaper than they say on the package. There SHOULD be a date on the price label. If it is recent, it probably won't scan cheaper. If it's a month or so old, it may. I have gotten tons of Christmas presents this way. I got very expensive Sponge Bob lego sets for $3 and they were marked $25. Always scan at Kmart.

*yawn*

Oh, dear Lord, it's been a long day. Just for your amusement....I got up early this morning to get my youngest ready for a field trip...then realized....it's tomorrow. There was no school for him today. DOH!

I dragged the kid to Walgreens, Walmart and Kroger...here's what I found:

The Gillette Fusion (power) gift sets..they have the razor, a shaving cream and a small body wash are included in the $8.99 Fusion sale at Walgreens. I did 2 different orders and used fillers from the clearance. I bought 2, used 2 $4 off coupons and 2 $5 register rewards...add in the clearance candy-- I paid about $3 out of pocket for both orders and got back $8 in register rewards. Now I have gift sets for Christmas.


Walmart had the Air Wick Luminier candles for $6..this is the cheapest I have seen them. There are $3 off coupons out. I have tons of Glade ones, but these are soooo pretty I have been wanting one for a while. It was my indulgence for the day because I forgot (again) to go by Bath and Body Works.

There were $1 off Taco Bell dinner kits peelies on the Taco Bell dinner BOWLS. There were $1 off peelies on some of the HP computer paper.


Kroger had Scotch Brite nail saver sponges on sale for $1, and there were some $1 off peelies..free! I don't know why I bought any because sponges really creep me out, but for free I couldn't NOT. Also found some short-dated Yoplait kids for $1.19..had 50 cent coupons that doubled making them 19 cents each. My kids will drink them right away, so I'm not worried about the date. Always check mark downs like this.
If you have any of the 50 cent Nesquick coupons from a couple of weeks ago, the personal size refrigerated bottles are on sale for $1, so they are free.


Bath and Bodyworks has the anti-bacterial hand soap on sale for $3, limit 10. That's a great deal.

Hope you find some bargains today.

coupons and WG update

OK, so, let's talk about where you can get coupons (extra inserts)

1) Check with friends and family. They may not use coupons, or may not use all of theirs. See if they are willing to save some for you.
2)Look for recycling places. People recycle papers and often leave their inserts in them. Make sure you have permission before removing them, though.
3) If you subscribe to the paper, ask the carrier if there is any way they could bring you extra coupons. Some will.
4)Check your local Dollar Tree. Some carry Sunday papers for $1...not all do
5) Order them...You can order coupons at http://www.thecouponclippers.com/ and whole inserts at http://www.couponsthingsbydede.com/
6) Check ebay for certain coupons if you know a sale is coming.
7) If all else fails, just buy the papers. Your savings will far outweigh the price. I recommend at least 3.

Some weeks there are no coupons. This usually falls right around a holiday. I will try to let you know in advance if there will not be any.


As for the Walgreens update: The Benefiber sticks count toward register rewards. The ad says 28 ct, but the 16 ct works. I did this today. Buy 3 16 ct Benefiber sticks at $7.99 each..use 3 of the $2 off coupons from this past week. Then, look in the EasySaver booklet for a $5 off coupon...it will take off $5 for each one purchased. Your total will be $2.97 plus tax, and you will get an $8 register reward.


You can use these register rewards to buy things you need like milk, etc, or use them to buy things for the rebate. Send in for rebate, get a gift card, and get 10% added. Use the gift card to buy things that generate register rewards, and start all over.

If you have any questions, shoot me an email. :)

Hi there!

Did you get extra inserts? Are they cut out yet? If they aren't, don't feel bad..I have tons to cut out from I don't know how long ago...I did cut out at least 3 this weekend. At least aim for that, so you can take advantage of sales. I keep saying I'm going to hire the kids to do it, but haven't yet. The thought of my children with sharp instruments makes me a little nervous.

I made it to Kroger and Walgreens today, but just barely. My husband and children were with me, and he rushes me, and they are like shopping with baboons. I have several Cottonelle coupons to use before the 25th because these are for 50 cents off, and they have been putting out 40 cent ones. At 50 cents, doubled at Krogers, it makes the regular packs free. So, I picked up several inserts that day.

Walgreens...ok the plain flavor of the Alka Seltzer is the only one giving register rewards. If you pick up the flavors, they won't. Also, the St Ives Elements ARE $4.99, but they only printed a $2 RR. These are not in the ad, they were on a print out catalina as giving $5 in RR. I have heard the $2 RR actually scans at $5, but I cannot guarantee it, so it's your chance to take if you want to take it. I DID do the Theraflu deal today and it worked great. The Gillette Fusion razor giving the RR is the power one, so keep that in mind.

SUNDAY AND MONDAY ONLY AT CVS (remember, you must sign up for the Extra Care Card for CVS deals...it's free. For maximum value, use your ecbs - extra care bucks- to generate things that will give you ecbs):

Pumkin pails free after ECB..limit 2
Brach's Pumpkins, autumn mix, Indian or candy corn 10 oz- free after ecb
Funlight 6" light- free after ecbs, limit 2

Not limited to Sunday and Monday:
32 oz Powerade free after ecb..limit 1

Butler toothbrush 2 pack- free after ecb (coupons for these came out in August if you have them) Limit 5

Just for Men Touch of Gray..free after ecb, limit one..use $2 printable http://www.justformenselect.com/register.cfm
Get a rebate here: http://www.touchofgraycoupon.com/justformen/togCoupon.aspx?OfferID=1560&LompID=26936&SiteID=+ (you may have to copy paste that link)
This is a good moneymaker!!

Colgate Maxfresh w/ beads 4.6-6oz toothpaste or Maxfresh scented toothbrush ($2.99 )- $2 ecb. Use coupon found here: http://offers.e-centives.com/siflo/reg/survey.cfm?s=Yz0xJmY9MSZjdT0xJmJxPTEmdmlkPTUyOCZvPTE4MTU0MTYmcD00NjEmcHQ9NiZjbz0zMjcmZndlYj0xJnNjPTMyNyZyVVJMPSUyRnNpZmxvJTJGcG9zdHJlZ2lzdGVyJTJFY2ZtJTNGdmlkJTNENTI4JTI2dCUzRDYlMjZzJTNEMTAyOTk0MzEwNyUyNm1iJTNENTMyNCUyNmZ3ZWIlM0QxJTI2Y28lM0QzMjclMjZzYyUzRDMyNyUyNmlkJTNEOGZhN2U5MzAlMkQ5ODI4JTJENDQ3OCUyRDk5MzglMkQ3YzJkMmFhMzNhMzQmcz0xMDI5OTQzMTA3Jm1iPTUzMjQmaWQ9OGZhN2U5MzAtOTgyOC00NDc4LTk5MzgtN2MyZDJhYTMzYTM0

Happy Shopping!

Walgreens freebies and deals

Pert Plus has a coupon coming in the weekend's paper for $2 off. In the Easysaver booklet (should be by the ads in your store) there is a coupon for $2 off. This should give you overage. Remember that you have to have as many items as you do coupons, so pick up a filler. Keep an ad handy...it shows you can use both coupons.

If you can get 3 of the $2 off Excedrin coupons from this weekend, there is another great deal...Buy 3 Excedrins for $5.99 each, and use 3 coupons..You will get an $8 register reward for buying 3, and there is a rebate in the paper this weekend for $5.99 (good on one only) This can make you $2

Alka Seltzer Plus Cold is free after register reward. You can do this as often as you like, but they probably will not roll, so the money will probably have to come out of pocket at first unless you have previous register rewards. I am not sure if the Excedrin will roll into the Alka Seltzer because I am not sure if they are the same company. If you can find a coupon, use it.

TheraFlu (on an order seperate from the Excedrin!!!!!) Buy 3 at $4.99 each, use 3 of the $2 off coupons from this week's paper, get an $8 register reward, and send in for the rebate from the paper...make $4

Fusion razors are $8.99. Use the $4 coupon from P&G at the beginning of the month, get a $4 register reward...99 cents.

St Ives Elements has a $5 RR. I have heard these are $4.99 at some stores, and $7.49 at some stores. You can find a $2 off coupon here: http://www.stives.com/ so these could be profitable, or at least cheap. If your store will let you (some will, some won't) you can use a BOGOF coupon from August if you have it, then use the coupon on the other one.

Loreal revitalift is giving freebies with purchase. Check the ad.

It will be a great Walgreens week!

Short blog ;)

A quick word about printable coupons. Coupons from websites- such as manufacturers' websites..are USUALLY a type of printable coupon called a Bricks coupon. Bricks is the company. If you have never printed one from them before, you will have to download an add-on. If it looks like this: http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=rhgiclh82944432&bt=wi&o=9993&c=JB&p=VRJhjsmv it is a bricks coupon...see the "bricks" in the web address? These can generally be printed twice per computer by pushing the back button on your browser a few times after printing. The first time you push "back" it will tell you the web address cannot be displayed or something like that. Push back another time or 2 to get to the printing page.

Not all places take printable coupons. Check with your store. Walmart, Walgreens, and Kroger are supposed to, although sometimes Kroger will vary by store.

The coupon I linked to is a Johnson's Buddies coupon. The Johnson's Buddies soap is usually $1 or less at Walmart and Kroger, making these free. Look for similar coupons in parenting magazines, too. They will often have them.

SuperKmarts (the ones with grocery stores in them) are supposed to have double coupons this weekend to $2 again. Mine is not a SuperK. :(

Sign up (with your extra email) with stores you shop at most often. They will send coupons a lot. Especially Bath and Bodyworks. They send out coupons for free stuff all of the time. Be sure to agree to get mail from them, too. Food Lion will also send coupons for their store weekly, if you have a Food Lion nearby.

I am going to try to hit Walmart tomorrow. I will let you know what I find!! :)

Good deals!!!

I went and got my FAR items at Rite Aid yesterday. Most of them were in stock. I found that on the website, if you click the photo tab, and register for a new account, there will be a thing over to the side to get 50 free prints. You use code 50FREEPRINTS at checkout. You can then pick them up at Rite Aid in about an hour.

I noticed yesterday that Kroger has Ore Ida products 2/$4. There have been $1 off coupons for the Steam and Mash everywhere. $1 a package is pretty good. I can't buy potatoes these days that cheap, and there's no peeling or anything involved in these.

Be on the lookout...Look for free gift cards with transferred prescription coupons. Rite Aid often has them for $30 GC...these will work even on the $4, etc. prescriptions. Use the gift card to buy FAR(free after rebate) items. Walgreens, Kmart (if yours has a pharmacy) and CVS will often put out one for $25, and Kroger for $20. Read the fine print...sometimes you can only do it once within a 6 mont period, but you can move it around to different pharmacies. A word to the wise about Walgreens though....you no longer get the $4 prescriptions there unless you sign up for a W card..(you get the cheaper prescriptions and earn cash back for WG brand purchases). You have to pay for this card, though, and so far I haven't done it. As long as other stores are offering me $4 prescriptions without a card, I am not buying that card.

Walgreens:
Arm and Hammer laundry detergent is on sale $2.99. Use this coupon: http://66.155.122.114/coupon.asp?ident=armandhammer-printable-coupons.blogspot.com
get it for $1.99, then submit for the easysaver rebate online to make it 99 cents. (actually, 89 cents if you choose the gift card option, because they add 10% to the gift card.) Remember to just enter your receipt, and not claim because you can only do it once a month. There is a limit of 1 on this rebate.

A great deal on Zout...It's 2/$3.79. Buy 2. Use 2 of the 55 cent off coupons that came out recently. Then send in for the rebate here: http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=rjagfrg54762573&bt=wi&o=52886&c=DZ&p=Q2IOUlpA and make $1.10 for buying 2. (They should ring up with the first one as $3.79 and the second at $0, so you should get $3.79 back from the manufacturer)

GREAT deal on Dimetepp. They are on sale for $3.99, and you get $10 in register rewards when you buy 3. (Remember: register rewards are coupons to use on another order) Go to: http://www.dimetapp.com/ and click on the "save $2 on any Dimetapp product" link on the left. You should be able to print 3 coupons. Buy 3 Dimetapp with your coupons. With Register rewards, you make $4.03 buying 3 Dimetapp

Glade warmers are on sale $1.99. Buy 2, use the BOGOF coupon that came out a couple of weeks ago. You pay $1.99 for 2, then submit 2 for the Easysaver rebate, and make a penny. :)

There are other sales this week there, but these are the best.


There haven't been many good deals at CVS lately. If I find some great ones, I'll be happy to post them. So far, the ecb deals are kind of sad. They used to be really great, and I have hope they will be again. The best deal they have this week is get $5 ecb when you buy $10 worth of Swiffer. There was Swiffer coupons in the P&G insert recently.

WALMART- small bottles of Gillette SHAMPOO PLUS BODYWASH are on sale for $2. Use the $2 off Gillette shampoo to get them free. (These are not trial sizes, just smaller bottles- they are about 8 oz, I think)

Look for bonus packs of Mr Clean. A coupon just came out to buy a pourable, get a spray free or vice versa. WM has bonus packs with Free magic erasers attached for $2.50. So, for $2.50, you can get a pourable, spray, and 2 magic erasers.



*Be sure to look in packages before you throw them away. Sometimes coupons are inside!
*always watch for coupons ON products or on tearpads/blinkie machines on shelves. Store a couple of extra tearpad/blinkie coupons in your coupon box/binder.


*Do YOU have a good deal? Email me at dimestretchermom@gmail.com You could wind up in the blog!

Lots of freebies...

FREE!!! My favorite word. Rite Aid has TONS of free after rebate this week. Rite Aid's rebate is online. You simply go to the website, register, and enter the number from your receipt. They will tally things up for you. You can only claim the rebate once a month, so if you may buy other rebate items before the end of the month, enter your receipt, but don't claim the check yet. At the end of the month, claim it, and they will mail you a check.

Here are the FAR items this week:

Chapstick True Shimmer (there is also a rebate in this past weekend's paper. Since you don't need the receipt to send in to Rite Aid, you can send in for this refund as well, making money on it) $1.99

Orajel Cold Sore treatment $6.99

Softlips $2.99

Lizard Lips $.99

Novitra Cold Sore Relief Cream $8.99

NeilMed Nasaflo Neti Pot $10.99

NeilMed Pediatric Sinus Rinse Starter Kit $4.99

LypSyl $1.99 (I love these)

Theraflu Warming Relief Liquid $3.99

Ayr Saline Nasal Rinse Kit $6.99

Simply Saline Sinus Kit $6.99

Excedrin Express Gels (20 ct) $3.99

Comtrex Cough & Cold or Cold & Sinus $3.99

Triaminic or Vapor Fan $3.99

Sambucol Immune System Booster $7.99

Nexcare $8.99

Bee M.D. $2.49

Zucol Coldcare $5.99

Children's Throat Cooler $2.99

Children's Advil $3.99

Breathe Again Adult or Child Nasal Spray $7.99

Simply Saline Nasal Mist Cold Formula $4.99

Simply Saline Allergy & Sinus Relief or Baby $3.99

Little Colds/Little Noses Saline Mist or Decongestant Plus Cough $3.99

Hyland's Sniffles 'n Sneezes 4 Kids or Cough Syrup $3.99

Buckley's Cough Mixture or Chest Congestion $3.99

Mentholatum Cherry Chest Rub for Kids $2.99

Chloraseptic Max Sore Throat Spray or Max Wildberries Lozenges $2.99

Sucrets Throat Lozenges or Ice $2.99

4 Way Nasal Spray $3.99

Any or all of these items must be purchased this week, the 12th-18th. This is a great time to stock your medicine cabinets and get new items for free. Of course, if you have any coupons, USE THEM!!

I wrote Well Patch last week because I bought one that I couldn't feel the heat on. I was polite, of course, but asked if I was missing something...this was supposed to be a deep heating one. They sent me 2 coupons for free well-patch products, a free Softlips product and $1 off some other products. I will use the softlips at Rite Aid and make $2.99

Normally, I don't care much for my Rite Aid, but this makes it worth it to me.


Special alert: SNAPFISH has a special today and tomorrow to get 50 prints for 1 penny each. You do have to pay shipping. Use the code FALLPENNY08 at checkout. Limit 50 prints. http://www2.snapfish.com


Back to the loading Kroger cards...if you go to the Kroger website, you will see a P&G add about coupons and savings. Click it. Register your shopper card. You will then be given the coupons to choose from for your card. You can select up to 25, and you CAN use paper coupons with them.

Have a great day!

Walmart, Kroger, and other things..

I did pretty decent today at both places. My subtotal at Walmart before coupons was $61.77, and after it was $34.61. I also bought paint and stuff I couldn't use coupons on. Here are some good deals for you:

Febreze Noticeables starter kits are still $5.97...I read through the middle of November, they would be this price. Limited edition Christmas sets are out, too. Use the $5 coupon from the recent P&G insert and pay only 97 cents each. (which is why you get multiples!!!- remember, ebay if nothing else!)

Smart Taste pasta is regularly $1.50. There were just $1.00 off coupons in the paper. 50 cents for pasta these days is pretty good, and this is a good pasta.

Green Giant steamers are $1.23 if you buy the ones with no extra butter sauce, etc. ($1.82 if you do) and there were just recent $1.00 off coupons in the paper. I have lots of these, so I get them for 23 cents a bag.

Sunkist Tuna creations are $1.58, and there were $1.00 off coupons in the paper a few weeks ago. I make wraps from these. They come in different flavors.

I also got foccacia bread (and I probably spelled that wrong) for 60 cents on the mark down rack. I love the mark down rack.

Some people are finding Gillette Fusion gift packs at their Walmarts on clearance for $5. The $4 razor coupons should work on them. My Walmart was out. :( Would have made good gifts!!

I had b1g1f coupons for my soft cat food. I bought 2, got 2 free, and I had buy 4 get 1 free on dog food. Not as good, but I need it.

I also priced matched a Glade Wisp candle for $5.99 (from Walgreens) and used a $5 off coupon on it.

There were some good deals today.


At Kroger, I went with my card loaded with P&G coupons from the website, and coupons from Shortcuts.com. Remember, you can use paper coupons as well.

I found a $15 bag of Iams cat food marked down to $7.99 because the bag had been torn. I had a coupon from Iams that I had sent for that was for a free 2.2lb bag OR $7 off a larger bag. I also had loaded a coupon onto my card for $3 off a 7lb or larger bag. The register took off the entire amount. +$2

Used a $5 febreze noticeables coupon with the $5 loaded one. Free, +$2

Cottonelle toilet paper is 99 cents, with the recent 50 cent coupons from the paper doubled, it is free.

I bought the last 2 Butterball Deep fried turkey packs for free. (99 cents on closeout, and $1 off coupons) They are in the freezer.

I bought some marked down chicken and boston butt roast, and will make meals from them tomorrow to freeze for later. All in all, I saved $77.80 at Kroger, and my out of pocket was $38.12. (That's $115.92 in stuff!!)

Something else that might interest you. There is a program called Buzzagent. You can read about it here: http://www.bzzagent.com/member/MemberHome.do You sign up for free and they send you stuff to try. You tell others about the stuff and submit reports (I rarely write more than a paragraph or 2). In return, you get points for Mypoints (remember, I told you about Mypoints?) Whatever they send you is yours. They also usually send great coupons with them. I have received a free Sonicare toothbrush from them (a VERY expensive one), cleaning products, food products, etc. They are called campaigns and you have to be invited. The sooner you sign up, the sooner you can be invited. Today, I received a coupon for free 4 pack of Smuckers uncrustables, several 75 cent off coupons, and a uncrustables sandwich holder. All for free. I will try them, let people know how I like them, and get points for Mypoints for it to add toward getting a gift card.

Also sign up at http://www.vocalpoint.com/p4screener/Page1.aspx You don't HAVE to do anything with them, and they send coupons and things all of the time. Be sure to use your extra email address, not your main one. There are places to take small surveys and things for them.

I hope something today helps you!!

couple of good deals

Anyone looking for a Dyson? Amazon has a refurbished one, reg $569.99 for $249.99 & free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000B649VO

Also, join Shutterfly, get 50 free prints. http://www.shutterfly.com/landing/viewSignin.sfly?fid=1a8483d9b7f2c05e They are in your account automatically.

Join Snapfish and get 25 free prints as well as a B1G1f coffee mug
http://www.snapfish.com/promo036us?AID=10395492&PID=230765

Free shipping on any order at Oriental Trading using code AHW903 through Oct 24
http://www.orientaltrading.com/

George Foreman family sized grill $36
http://www.kohls.com/upgrade/webstore/product_page.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441858825&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374752620931&bmUID=1223458785700&prtID=pfx&src=k1971&cm_mmc=Performics-_-Affiliate-_-**Slick%20Deals**-_-120x30%20Kohl's%20w%2Fborder

Special offer for my blog readers...the first 5 people who click and ad to the left, then email me at dimestretchermom@gmail.com with their name and address will get a free coupon pack from me. These are coupons I have cut out from my inserts.

More hints for today:

If you have a Kroger, go to http://pgesaver.com/Sites/PG_eSAVER/Page/HomePage/Retailer/Kroger/Source/Kroger/
and register your shopper card. You will be able to download up to 25 P&G coupons to your card at a time. Each coupon is only good ONCE. Be sure you print the list of what you added. Here's the great part...you can use a paper coupon along with them. For instance, if toothpaste has a $1 coupon on your card, you can also use a $1 coupon you have cut out for a total savings of $2!!

Other stores may offer similar services, I am not sure. I know you can opt in for emails from Food Lion and they will send you coupons every so often. Walgreens also often has printable coupons at their site. Go to Kmart.com and opt in for thier emails and get coupons for $5 off a larger purchase. (these are also where the "junk" email address I told you to open comes in.)

Try http://shortcuts.com/ to see if your store participates. They also load coupons to shopper cards. There is a mapquest over to the side to see if stores around you participate.

Also, if you can see a good sale coming up, or you just want to boost your coupons, check out ebay. You can often get lots of coupons really cheap. You can look for coupon bundles, or you can look by product. You can also look at a coupon clipping site like http://thecouponclippers.com.

Tomorrow, I will be going to Walmart, so I will look for sales there to pass along. Most people have a Walmart.

A word about dollar stores: I love Dollar Tree. It saves me a lot of money on stocking stuffers, smaller home items, frames, dishes, all sorts of stuff. Sadly, they do not take coupons.

Dollar General and Family Dollar both take coupons. However, the MAJORITY of the time, Walmart is cheaper. It didn't used to be that way, but now with the sales and coupons, it is. Sometimes, with sales and coupons, even grocery stores and drug stores can be cheaper. Be aware of the prices you would pay elsewhere before buying from there.

Consider using some of your cheap or free stockpile (as soon as you grow it, which won't take long) for Christmas gifts. Make nice little spa baskets for ladies, or food or grooming baskets for men. This will save you money on Christmas, birthdays, weddings (think cleaning products in a laundry basket), and many other occasions. Use your imagination.

You can also hold yard sales to sell off excess products. I wrote an article on holding yard sales. You can find it here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/299030/how_to_have_a_successful_yard_sale.html?cat=6

I have also written other articles such as items to make housecleaning easier, saving money on electric bills, and various other articles. Please check them out. You can go to the link above and click "more articles by Jennifer Bell". Some of them might be useful to you.

One good "frugal" tip. I love my Swiffer Wet Jet. It doesn't take the place of mopping all of the time, but it does help with spills or small spots, and in-between moppings. The refill pads are crazy high. I bought the Sham-wow knock offs from someone selling them at the mall. I cut them to fit, and they somehow hold on the velcro. I use those to mop the floor, then just toss them in the washer. They seem expensive at first, but not taking into account all of the refill pads you will go through. They look like this: https://www.shamwow.com/flare/next but I am fairly certain the ones from the mall were knock offs. Either way, they worked great.

Today's product review- Scrubbing Bubbles toilet cleaning gel. It says it lasts up to 7 days. You click this little gel piece onto the side of your toilet bowl where the water flow can hit it. I used the fresh scent or whatever is not citrus. It stunk. Bad. It smells like a gas station bathroom. And it lasted 3 days. With 2 people using that bathroom. I wrote them and told them that. They are sending me a refund as well as a coupon to try the other scent. I guess I will for free. It can't be any worse. Just a heads up.

Good deals

It's been a long day. I did get to Walgreens and Kroger.

At Walgreens, I got 3 jointed "people" halloween decor, 3 candy bags, 1 Halloween window cling, 1 Glade scented oil candle, lots of candy for the kids, 1 Glade candle holder with candle, all for $3.13 and will get $2 back in rebates. They were out of the Wisp candles. I was so SAD!

Kroger- I'm not listing everything. BUT, if you buy a Glade warmer, you get a $4 off of your next order catalina coupon. I have heard this is going on at several grocery stores, so you may want to check yours. I had 3 (well, I have more, but I can only use 3 like coupons at a time) free warmer coupons, so I didn't pay anything for them and made $12 on them!!!! HOORAY!

They were also clearancing further the Butterball Deep fried turkey lunch meat...down to 99 cents now. I had $1 off coupons so they were free! They are not short dated, just discontinued. I also noticed a lot of organic stuff marked down.

Energizer batteries were on sale $2 each and there were $1 off coupons right on them!

There is always a sale that you can use. Take the time to look. Look for peelies on products you are interested in buying. Look for blinkies and tearpads on the shelves.

For instance, there was a coupon on some chicken today to get $1 off of the chicken if you bought another product. I also had coupons for $1 off THAT product. Since the $1 off coupon was for the chicken, I was able to use both.


As far as other deals go, check out Amazon for toys. There is free shipping on most orders over $25 (look for the thing that says Eligible for free super save shipping). Currently, for a limited time, you can get a free subscription to Cookie magazine if you buy $25 in toys...but here is the kicker. If you don't want the magazine, you can get a refund for it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_7546692_2?tag=pinchingyourp-20&ie=UTF8&docId=1000279431&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=hero-quick-promo&pf_rd_r=06GME81TTGS9J22HEMXR&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=445650201&pf_rd_i=B000IHJE0M

Also, if you spend $50 in toys, you get a free toy. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=xs_gb_wi_1_2_24124?tag=pinchingyourp-20&ie=UTF8&docId=1000284981&pf_rd_p=445897801&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=165793011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=03E8HS9K2G5YD7819BMQ
This expires 10/17

$75 in toys, get a free toy. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=xs_gb_wi_1_3_24127?tag=pinchingyourp-20&ie=UTF8&docId=1000285081&pf_rd_p=445897801&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=165793011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=03E8HS9K2G5YD7819BMQ
Also expires 10/17

Look for markdowns, Amazon takes some great mark downs.

Another way to save money, freeze your meals. If chicken is marked down and you buy a lot, make doubles of your favorite recipes, serve one, and freeze the other. It doesn't take any longer and you have a premade meal, or at least part of one for a busy night. This keeps costs down by letting you use sales to your advantage. You can freeze a lot of things in freezer bags, lie flat to maximize room. Casseroles, etc can be frozen by lining the pan you will cook it in in foil and then plastic wrap. Freeze the meal in the dish, lift it out, wrap it or pop it in a bigger freezer bag, and when you are ready to cook, just put it in the dish you had frozen it in.
This book: http://product.half.ebay.com/Dont-Panic-dinners-in-the-Freezer_W0QQprZ46754727QQtgZinfo is a great book to get you started and has lots of easy recipes. Yummy ones, too.

For online shopping....always look for coupon codes. If you are buying something, open a new window and search "coupon codes" for the store you are buying from. Also, if possible, shop through a company like Mypoints. You will earn points to trade in for gift certificates to all kinds of stores. Here is where the email address I told you to make comes in. Mypoints will send you several emails. If you are interested in what they are selling you, you can make big points, if not, you at least get 5 points for clicking the link inside the email. Points add up quicker than you think. I have gotten lots of gift cards from them. If you are interested in joining, please email me at dimestretchermom@gmail.com and let me refer you. I get points for doing so. :) ANYHOW, shopping through sites like these gives you a double whammy...you get cheaper items, and get a "rebate" of sorts through points. If you are able to buy something that actually HAS a real rebate, all the better!!!

Saving money doesn't stop at the store. You can almost always find a deal for what you want, if you know where to look. ;)

Happy Monday!

First, here is where you can get a prinable coupon for the Ore Ida Steam and Mash I reviewed the other day. http://www.steamnmash.com/Coupon.aspx

Second, something great is going on at Walgreens! Glade Wisp Flameless candles are on sale for $5.99 this week. You get $3 in register rewards when you purchase one. Recently, there were $5 coupons in the paper, meaning, you make $2 by buying one. If you don't have that coupon, and can't find one, there is a buy one get one free here: http://www.gladeflamelesscandle.com/coupon/2008-09-DRTV/?sid=DRTV&cid=drtv200809_bogo

You will NOT get 2 register rewards. Only one per transaction. You also cannot use your register rewards to buy another flameless candle to generate rewards. If you use it on the candle, another will not print. Keep that in mind. I will go a couple of times this week.

If you don't have a Walgreens nearby, but DO have the coupon, price match it at Walmart, and get the candle for 99 cents. Not free or a money maker, but darn cheap. I really like these. The candles still work if you take the scent out, so it's just a winner all around.

Garnier Fructis is on sale there, too. $5.99...there is a $3 coupon in their easy saver booklet, and several $1 off coupons floating around, making them $1.99. Some stores even have $2 off tearpad, making them 99 cents each.

Glade Scented oil candles are $3.99, and there are $2 off coupons out. They are also on the Easy saver rebate for $2 back, limit 4, making 4 free. (remember, you can do this online- you don't have to buy 4, you can buy any amount up to 4 to get free)

The refills for these are on sale for $1.99. There are buy 2, get 1 free coupons out, so you can get 3, send for the rebate of $1 each in the easy saver book (yes, the free counts) and pay 98 cents for all 3.

For what it's worth, Glade has been on sale all over lately. My house will smell nice, at least. I probably have enough to scent the neighborhood for a year. Hope they like apple cinnamon.

I hope now you are getting a better understanding of how to do these. I hope to post some deals for you very week, and I encourage you to scour your ads!!!

Now, several days ago, I mentioned writing companies. A while back, I did a little experiement and posted my responses on my message board..(a women's board I run) So, I thought I would post that here to give you the idea of what you can do.

Garnier Nutrioniste-thanks

Cottonelle- thanks, sending coupons *sent c's for wipes and toilet paper both

Clorox- thanks

Del Monte veggies and fruits- sent coupons- no email

Meow Mix-thanks, sending coupons *received

Alpo- thanks, sending coupons 4 free cans coupons

Purell- thanks, asked me to call because I asked a question

Ragu- thanks, sent coupons

Country Crock- thanks, sending coupons sent coupons for a free container of CC butter and a free container of CC sides

GladeVenus Razors- this one was a negative experience (blades started to rust right away!)sending new razor

Boca Burgers - thanks

Green Giant- thanks

Bob Evans- thanks, sent coupons

Johnsonville sausage- thanks, sent coupons *sent dollar off coupons and recipes

Purex- sent LOTS of coupons, and not just for Purex..for other things they make, too. They are Dial.

Mucinex- thanks, sent coupons *several $2 off coupons

Thermacare- thanks

Eucerin- thanks

All Small and Mighty- thanks, told me there were frequently coupons on the website.

Bertolli- thanks (this was positive, however, once I had one of their frozen meals that was supposed to include chicken..it had like 3 pieces. I told them I was disappointed, and they sent me coupons for a free one to replace it)

Wellpatch- sent coupons for Wellpatch plus other products they have. There was no mention of them sending coupons in their email, they just did.

Crayola-told them their twistable crayons are crap..they came all out of the casings- sorry, sent $5 coupon good on any crayola product

Crest (that whitening rinse is NASTY)- we're sorry, sent coupons *free coupon

Lysol- thanks

Burt's Bees- thanks

Carmex- thanks

Chicken of the Sea-sent coupons!

Starkist- thanks, sent coupons

Campbells- thanks, sent coupons

Frigo- thanks, sent coupons *sent 2

Field hot dogs and bologna- sent GREAT coupons

Windex- praised the multi surface, sent me coupon for a free one.

Orville Redenbacher- thanks, sent coupons

Banquet- thanks, sent coupons

Pop Weaver- thanks, sent coupons for 2 free boxes!!

Dannon- thanks, sent coupon for free yogurt and cents off yogurt

Hefty- sent coupon for free product

Skinny Cow- coupons

Aleve- sent coupons for them and other products by the same company

Smart Balance- sent a brochure with lots of coupons in the back


I really advise you set up a email address for couponing and other things I will talk about later. That way, nothing junks up your main email. Be sure to check it though! Often, after you have emailed, etc, you will get emails from them with coupons inside.

Today's post was much longer than I expected. I hope you got something out of it today!

Kmart AGAIN!!!

Today's run:

4 Revlon nail polishes
2 Dove Shampoos
1 Dove leave in conditioner
1 Dove mousse
2 Sunsilk Shampoos with freebies attached
2 Sunsilk hairsprays
2 packs of decorative fake nails
2 First aid tapes
2 boxes First aid gauze patches
1 Scrubbing Bubbles action gel
1 Mr Clean wipes
1 Wisp refill
1 box Pledge duster refills
2 12 packs of Coke Zero
and 3 boxes of $1 candy to bribe my children.
A little over $86 before coupons and $16 after.

Do you see how coupons can totally change your budget? No, not every day is a double coupon day, and not every day do you get this big of a haul, but if you pay attention to what you're doing and keep up with things, before long, you can have everything you need for a portion of the price. Part of this blog is to let you in on these little sales and secrets. Of course, I can only tell you the stores I have, but hopefully you can take some of these tips in with you into other places.

I also have some other ideas for you that I hope to get into next week. Everyone have a great weekend from the dimestretcher.

My Kmart run

I have to say, I am completely exhausted. I was at my Kmart for almost 2 hours. My before coupon total was $118, after, right at $20.
Here's a breakdown...

2 Revlon nail enamels (19 cents each after coupon)
1 pack of Revlon emery boards (free)
2 Revlon tweezers (3.97 each- these were not marked correctly, or I wouldn't have bought them, but they are nice)
1 Clearasil face wash (79 cents)
4 Gillette shampoos (free)
2 Dove shampoos (free)
Dove Hairspray (29 cents)
Sunsilk hairspray (free)
First aid tape (free)
First aid sterile pads (free)
2 Resolve carpet cleaners (50 cents each)
Ziplock vacuum sealer- (free)
Ziplock vacuum gallon bags (79 cents)
Endust (free)
Diego dixie plates (80 cents)
Pledge duster refills (50 cents)
Fantastik (69 cents)
2 milkbone dog treats (1.38/both)
2 packs Old El Paso tortillas (free)
2 Glade Wisp refills (free)
1 Glade Fabric and Air (79 cents)

The rest was tax. I am considering taking one of the tweezers back. I don't know. That, my friends, made me feel great. I may possibly go back tomorrow. Just for a couple of things.

I did ok at Walmart...$56.70 down to $36.82 Not great, but I'll live. I had a 4 year old with me, so it makes a difference.

Which is a good tip...leave the kiddies home whenever possible. They are distracting and often add to your bottom line.

Please, email with any questions.

SPECIAL ALERT

Many Kmarts are having a special Oct 1-5 where they double coupons up to and including $2!!!!!! This is FANTASTIC! Call your local KMart and see if they are participating! Fine print says 75 coupons per customer, per day. No internet/printable coupons. Double up to 4 like coupons. I see lots of cheap/free items! I am going tomorrow.

CVS

ok, I said I'd talk about CVS, so .......
First, I don't have a CVS. Stinkin' meanies won't give us one. I do go to another town regularly that does have them. The deals have not been as good recently as usual, but I am hoping it's just a temporary thing.

ANYWAY....CVS has a program called Extra Care. How it works is this: Go to CVS and sign up for an Extra Care card. It is free. Then, you buy particular items that are in the ad, usually on sale, and they generate what is called Extra Care Bucks. These are coupons that come out on your receipt that can be used as cash at another time/on another transaction. The cashier will have to scan your card before ringing you up. The ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) are linked to YOUR card. You will have to present your card to use them. You can use as many ECB's on another transaction as you would like. What you want to do is "roll" your ECBs, meaning use them on something else that generates ECBs. Usually ECB's are good for 2 weeks.

Now, AS AN EXAMPLE (I really don't have any idea what's on sale so far this week)...let's say a 2 pack of Dove soap is on sale for $2, and you get back $1 in an ECB. Covergirl make up is on sale for $3 with a $2 ecb, and sunscreen is $7.99 with a $3 ecb. You purchase all 3. You can use coupons, so let's say you have $1 on Dove, $1 on Covergirl, and $1 on the sunscreen. Your out of pocket for your first transaction would be $9.99, and you will get $6 back in ECBs, meaning you basically spent $3.99 for these items. Now, sometimes they have items that are free after ecb's. So, let's say Colgate is on sale for $2 and you get $2 ecbs back. You have a $1 coupon on Colgate. (you will make $1!!) You also want more Dove soap. You buy them both. You have another $1 off Dove as well...Well, the total at checkout will be $2 (because of your coupons). You pay the $2 with a $2 ecb, and get back $3 in ecbs. This is rolling.

ECB's will come seperated. If Dove is giving $1, CG $2, and sunscreen $3, they will come out as $1, $2, and $3. If you bought 2 Doves then it would come out as $2 instead of 1. Make sure you look at what the limits are. Some might say Dove, limit 1. You can buy as many as you want, but only 1 will generate ecb's. This is linked to your card as well. A lot of things are limit of 5. You also cannot use a $2 ecb on something that is $1. No change is given back. So, if something generates a high dollar ecb, you may want to do seperate transactions so you don't get a large amount ecb to have to spend all at one time.

I hope that came out clear. I am always open to questions. You can comment here or email me at dimestretchermom@gmail.com.

Deals, deals, deals...

Well, first things first... should tell you about the good buys I got today. I went to Walgreens first. I got 3 Sunsilk shampoos, 3 candy things (for my kids), 1 box of hair color, 1 toothbrush...I paid $3.18 out of pocket, and got back $5.50 to use next time I'm in. First, the Sunsilk was on clearance for $1.25. I had coupons for all 3 that made them all free. The candy things were 25 cents each on clearance. The toothbrush was $4.49, I used a 75 cent coupon...got back $4.50 in register rewards for that one. The haircolor...Colorsilk is on sale for $1.99, and you get $1 register rewards back. In front of the Colorsilk display was a tearpad for $1 off. FREE hair color! Again, rr are limited, so you can only buy 1 Colorsilk per transaction.

I went to Kroger. They had Healthy Ones ham (lunchmeat) marked 99 cents..it was marked discontinued. I had 75 cent off coupons, so I got them for 24 cents each. (I only got to buy 3 because my Kroger has a limit of 3 like coupons per transaction, but heck...that's cheap ham!) Butterball Deep Fried Turkey lunchmeat was marked discontinued at $1.99 and I had $1 off coupons. 99 cents for some great turkey!! Glade Plug ins (the gel ones) are $1.89....I had BOGOF coupons, and until Oct 4th (at leat in my region) you get $2 back for each one you buy. So, I paid $1.89 and got back $4. I also had a coupon for a free Glade Scented oil warmer..you also get the $2 back on those. So, I got a free $2. All in all, $6 for paying $1.89, and I have 2 gel warmers and one oil one. (Actually, you should see my laundry room...these have been on sale everywhere...I could open a Glade store.)

So, I guess today's theme is always be on the lookout for bargains. Kroger often has bread marked down from the bakery. I get that, and either prepare it that night, or I freeze it until I'm ready for it. Rolls, cheese bread, garlic bread...even cakes and pies. I always check the marked down meat. If you use it or freeze it same day, it's fine. (Of course, I often prepare it into something and freeze the whole thing for a meal later on, but that's another blog.) I occasionally buy dented cans, marked down milk, or marked down produce. Milk can be frozen. Produce doesn't last long around here. Dented cans...well, we use a can of SOMETHING every night.

Recently, Krogers was marking down milk to $1.99. It's sell by date was 2 days away. (milk is still good several days past sell by). I bought several gallons and put them in my freezer. I have milk for all month, and I didn't have to pay $3.79 for ANY of it. When you thaw the milk it is good for at least a week. When Sara Lee came out with a free bread coupon a few weeks ago, I got coupons from everyone I could think of...I ended up with 19. I froze them. When they thaw, there is no difference in taste or texture. Invest in a freezer. It's worth it.

I meant to tell you about CVS's program today, but I got off on something else, so I'll save it for tomorrow. Keep looking for those mark downs, and try to pair them with your coupons for maximum savings.

Have a great day!


Today's product review:

Steam and Mash potatoes from Ore Ida. You steam these in the bag, and when they come out, you just mash them with a potato masher. They are SO handy. I hate peeling potatoes. The texture and taste is great. This is a good way to get real mashed potatoes quickly. They ARE pricey though, so if they aren't on sale or there's no coupon, I wouldn't bother. If you catch them on sale (with a coupon, of course) stock some. They're great in a hurry.

Let's get started!

Ok, here are some things to get you started.

Look for $1 off Johnson's Buddies products, $1 off Kotex (assuming you need them), $2 off Kashi cereal (get a printable here: http://www.kashi.com/account/new), $1 off Wellpatch, and the $5 off Febreze Noticeables starter kit (just came out this past weekend in the P&G insert).

Now, at Walmart..Johnson's Buddies soaps are about 94 cents (I say about because some Walmarts vary by a few pennies) minus your $1 off coupons, they are free. (Remember what I said about getting multiple coupons?) Kotex pantyliners are $1..minus your coupon...free. kashie cereal is about $2.98- coupon=$.98. Wellpatch has a pack of ONE patch for 97 cents. The coupon is good for ANY Wellpatch...free. Febreze Noticeables are about $5.97- coupon= 97 cents.

Always read the coupon for where it either says "any" or "not valid on trial size". If it says ANY, it can be used on smaller or trial sized products. I personally do not buy trial sized products unless I am going on a trip. I don't want to store a million little bottles. I also know that the coupon will likely come into play soon, and I can get a full sized product free or really cheap.

Also, Walmart's coupon acceptance policy is here: http://walmartstores.com/7655.aspx
Print it and keep it with your coupons. Some Walmarts do not want to take printable coupons. The corporate number is on the website should you have any problems. (Some Walmarts have no problems with printables)


Now, let's move on to Walgreens. I hope you have a Walgreens. They have been rocking lately. Walgreens has a program called "Register rewards". If you buy certain products in the ad, you get a coupon for your next visit. These do not roll on the same product. For example...this week, if you buy and Oral B Cross Action toothbrush for $4.49, you will receive a coupon for $4.49 to use on your next order. (BTW- if you use the 75 cent coupons that just came out this weekend, you come out 75 cents AHEAD for buying this toothbrush). If you take your $4.49 coupon back into Walgreens to buy another toothbrush, another coupon will NOT print. HOWEVER, if you use that $4.49 coupon to buy the Kellogs cereal on sale ( 2/$5 and get a $2 RR), you will pay 51 cents out of pocket for the cereal, and get $2 in RR back. To roll, the RR must be from different companies.

The downside about Walgreens...there is not a "coupon policy" across the board. There is what it is SUPPOSED to be, and there are managers who make their own. WG DOES take printables. You CAN use a WG STORE coupon (the store coupons are in the ad, as well as the Easysaver booklets at the front of the store with the ad) and a manufacturer's coupon at the same time. For example, let's say your aluminum foil is on sale with the 7 day coupon in the ad for $1.50, and you have a man. coupon for 50 cents. Using both coupons, the price is $1. You CANNOT use 2 man. coupons on the same product. You ARE allowed to use more than 1 RR on an order as long as you have more items than you do coupons, and the amount of the RR doesn't exceed the price of your order.

Also look into the Easysaver rebate program. Often, the rebates run along with sales and coupons. Recently, Glade items were on sale, there were good coupons out, and rebates from the Easysaver. All you have to do is go to the Walgreens website and enter your number on your receipt. Click save. At the end of the month, claim your rebates. You can only claim them once a month for payment, so be sure when you do, you are done buying rebate items for that month. They will send you the rebate in a check, or on a gift card. If you choose gift card, they will add 10% to it. I always get the gift card. You can then use it the next month to buy more rebate items. If you keep your gift card after it is empty, you can just enter the number and have them load the same one instead of waiting for another in the mail.

I hope I explained that well enough. Questions can always be sent to me at dimestretchermom@gmail.com.

Writing companies

What products do you like? What do you use most often? Have you ever written the companies to let them know? Look on the back of your favorite products. Is there an email address? Or, just Google the product. There will likely be a "contact us" on the website.

I bring this up because often I write companies and tell them what I do and do not like about the products. Companies like to know what is working well about their products, or what isn't. They also will likely reward your time with some great coupons. SCJohnson has one of the best customer services I have ever seen. Sometimes I tell them what I like, sometimes I tell them what I don't like. Either way, they usually send me coupons not only for the item I wrote them about, but also a little booklet of coupons for various SCJohnson products.

I have written to companies about food, cleaning products, health and beauty items, pens/school supply products...even restaurants. Most send some kind of coupon. Kraft does not. Ever. At least for products you like. I have never written them about a problem with a product because I haven't had any. You can write them and let them know your opinion just to let them know they are appreciated, but you probably won't get a coupon.

Be honest. Give them an honest opinion on products that you have tried. Be enthusiastic if you liked it, or kind if you didn't. There is never a reason to be rude about it. For example, recently, I bought a bottle of Arm and Hammer spray cleaner. My trigger leaked every time you used it. I wrote them and told them that I had recently bought their product to try, and the trigger leaked. I didn't know if it was just my bottle or a flaw with the design, but I wanted to let them know and I thanked them. They sent me a lovely email and refunded my purchase price of the bottle. I feel good about Arm and Hammer, and will continue to buy and recommend their products.

Writing the companies helps the company as well as you. They get ideas on what products are working, and new ones to develop, and you get coupons. It's a win/win!

First things first...

What you need to do is get you some COUPONS!!!! I love coupons. Love them. You can get coupons through inserts in your local newspaper, online at places like http://coupons.smartsource.com/, http://boodle.com/, or other online sites, and from stores themselves. Pay attention to the blinking coupon boxes on aisles, look for tearpads with coupons..collect, collect, collect. If you can get multiples of the same coupons... awesome.

Next, you need something to keep all of those coupons in. An envelope just won't do. You can purchase a coupon organizer from the store, but if you are like me, you will outgrow it quickly. Some people have a binder that they have filled with the clear pages baseball cards or photos go in. These work pretty good, but be careful, because if you turn it upside down on accident, they will go flying. I use a box I got from Rubbermaid. It's about the size of a shoebox, but it is made like an index card box. It closes and clamps shut so my coupons stay put. Be sure you put your name and contact information on your coupon holder in case it gets lost or left behind...it happens more often than you think. *blush*

After you have a container, divide your coupons into categories that make sense to you. You can go buy the aisles at your favorite store, or similar categories. For example, I have:
breads, fruits and veggies (because they are all in a similar area in my usual stores)
Frozen
cans/jars
sauces/condiments/spices
pasta/rices/potatoes
meats
beverages
snacks and cereals
pet
dairy/refrigerated
kids
lotion/soap/deodorant
teeth/toiletries/make-up
medicine
misc.

These are what works for me. Yours may be different.

Now that you are set up, you can start shopping. DON'T be a snob. It's ok to be brand loyal to certain things..if I don't have Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, my kids will mutiny, but be flexible. Try new things!!!

Match your coupons to sales. Usually, once a coupon is out, it will be on sale within 4 weeks. That's not an ironclad rule, but it's fairly accurate. Sometimes, the item will be on sale that very week....sometimes, they fool you. It will be on sale that week, but cheaper in 4 weeks. This is where it's handy to have multiples. If you buy a couple of that product this week, you still have coupons for the next sale.

Items also rotate. What is on sale now will generally be on sale 12 weeks from now. If you can buy enough to get you through that 12 weeks, you will see it again. This isn't possible with all products, such as certain perishables, but most things can be stockpiled.

Look for stores that double coupons. Some do, some don't. If they don't, that's ok, too, but you can get pretty good bang for your buck at a doubling store. My Kroger, for example, doubles up to 50 cents, so I can save $1 on every item that I have a 50 cent coupon for.

Couponing isn't hard. It may seem overwhelming at first, but pretty soon, it is second nature, and the rewards are amazing. Next blog, I'll let you in on a few more secrets.


Today's product review- Macaroni Grill Chicken Marsala boxed dinner.

These are not with the frozen foods, they are with other boxed dinners like Hamburger Helper, etc. You add your own chicken.

I have to say, this is incredibly delicious. It's a little pricey...I found it to be 50 cents cheaper at Walmart, and I used $1 off coupons, so I ended up paying $2.50 a box, but it was worth every penny. I love Macaroni Grill, and I love chicken marsala. The instructions were easy to follow, and it was done in about 20-25 minutes. Can't beat that. It made more than I thought it would when I opened the box. I would recommend it. There are other varieties, but so far, I am so in love with the chicken marsala, that's all I have tried. Hope you like it!

Welcome

Welcome to all readers!!

I often have people ask me to teach them to do what I do. What do I do? I save money. I have a ferocious shopping habit, and if I don't save money, I can't shop, nor can I feed my children, who eat like every meal is their last meal.

In this blog, my goal is to give you hints, tips and tricks to save yourself and your family money. I will also probably review products that I try. I always like for people to tell me what they think of things before I buy them, so hopefully, it will help you out, too.

Let me tell you about myself first. My name is Jennifer, and I am a stay at home mom. I have 3 sons, the youngest just started preschool. I used to work retail, and I also delivered newspapers. I love to make a game out of how much money I can save. We eat well (my hips will tell you this), we have tons of cleaning products and health and beauty items stocked up that I got dirt cheap or free. So, stay with me a while and hopefully, you can be a dimestretcher, too.