School Supply Deals

If you know me, you know how much I hate school supply packs because I loved going shopping for them as a child and now enjoying doing that with Army.  I think it's a great way to get ready for school.  BUT, it can be a headache if you don't start early.

One of my new favorite websites, moneysavingmoms.com, now has a thread just for back to school savings. YAY! Click here to see it.  I can't promise the quality of all of these items, but I always pick them up anyways for kids who come to my class with nothing (sad, I know).  I've picked up my sons's supplies for around $15 so far (Kinder has less than most grades).  Also, I didn't feel the need to get them all at one time and be done with it.  I kept a list on my phone and checked it off as I went.  I got his supplies from Walgreens...cheap Kleenex, Kroger...cheap wipes, Staples...cheap Crayola watercolors $2, and mostly Target.  I can't believe how the prices vary from store to store.  Walmart had paint for .79 cents more than Staples, but Staples was selling a box of 24 crayons for $2.  What?  Promise me you'll never pay more than .50 cents for a box of 24 ct crayons.  Did you know they are often cheaper than a box of 8 ct? Now you're gonna look.  I lucked into most of the deals since I don't waste gas doing "research" of all the stores prices.  I didn't buy the paint at Target since they were out and luckily I didn't and found it cheaper at Staples.   I'm kinda sad that all we have left to buy is a decent backpack (don't get me started on this) and maybe a 1st day of school outfit.  Ready or not Kindergarten, here he comes!!!

Free Pilot B2P Retractable Pens ($5 value)

Click here to print a coupon for a pack of free Pilot B2P Retractable Pens (3 pk) at Staples.  You must get the all black ones unlike the ones shown above.

If you need printer ink, click here for a $10 off an HP ink purchase of $50 or more.

Designer Daily Deal Site And ?

I stumbled across www.myhabit.com.  It is sponsored by Amazon.  Some of the deals last more than one day, but sell out fast.  There are always designer shoes and cute girl's clothes.  There is a men's, women's and children's section.   

Also, I know that www.nomorerack.com is another daily deal site.  Does anyone know of other daily deal sights? 

Go Green And Get Green

Have you seen these at CVS?  They cost $1 and attach to your own reusable bag.  Each time you purchase something at CVS, you scan this tag (maximum of one scan a day).  Every 4th time it is scan, a $1 CVS buck will print out with your receipt.  They also had cute little reusable bags that fold up into a little carrier and will fit in your purse on sale at CVS.  I've used the bag a lot more than I thought I would.

$4 off $20 CVS Purchase Coupon!

If you know your CVS card number, go to www.cvs.com/email.  If you give them an e-mail address to send ExtraCare card promos too, you will be sent a $4 off $20 coupon.

Unlucky at Walgreens

Walgreen's is definitely, by far, the most difficult place to redeem their "advertised" deals.  In the past 3 weekends I have discovered that they like to stock only a shelf full of the items they have on sale and once they are gone, they're gone.  Unless you see something you really like, then you can plan to hit them up early on  Sunday morning and

Free 5 Pack of Sharpie Highlighter Markers at Office Max!

Parents, if you think it's too early to start thinking about school supplies, it's not!  It's my goal to get all of Army's school supplies with the help of coupons.  So far, I picked up the dry erase markers he needs for free with an extra pack for myself!  Here's a deal your older students may could take advantage of so click on this link to see directions from thekrazycouponlady.com.  It's an E-Coupon deal so you don't have to be a Sunday coupon clipper to take advantage of this deal.

FREE Sharpie Accent Highlighters at Office Max!

TWIX For Savings

It took 3 transactions to do this tonight but now that I think about it, I probably could have done it in just 2 transactions.


TWIX is important because I had too many coupons (what a problem) for items purchased.  One of the catches at Walgreen's is that if you have 5 items, you can only use 5 total coupons and rewards bucks.  What happened was I bought the 5 bottles of laundry detergent.  I had 1 coupon for each bottle (5).  In addition to that, I had $2 in rewards bucks from my last purchase that I wanted to use as well.  That makes 6 coupons and rewards bucks in all so I would have not been able to use one of them.  To use all of my vouchers, I had

HEB Headache!!!!

Grrrrr!!!!!!!!!!

1) I hate know it all cashiers.

2) HEB has officially fallen out of the rankings of best local grocery store.

I tired to buy under 20 items tonight and you would have thought I was trying to rape the store of all their profits. It was a late night 2nd trip to score some of my favorite pasta that I saw they had on sale earlier that day (but didn't have all my coupons).  I snagged some other deals as I was walking the store.  The cashier promptly informed me that I couldn't combine their yellow coupons with mine from the newspaper (even though I've done it for the last month and about 6 hours ago at the same store).  So I had her void out the items and let the person behind me go so they didn't have to wait. Then, she rings up a clearance item from the clearance bin.  She sees that my coupon is for the exact amount as the clearance item which means I get it for free.  One of the many perks of countless hours of cutting and organizing coupons is scoring deals like this.  Anyways, she turns to the manager/sacker and says

2 Free Root Lifters from CVS

HAPPY DANCE, HAPPY DANCE, HAPPY DANCE!!!  In yesterday's newspaper, there was a  -$5 coupon for any John Frida styling product.  These root lifters are on sale for $5 each at CVS this week!  AND, when I bought two, it printed out a $3 Extra Care bucks reward to use on your next purchase.  This is a deal anyone can get if they have coupons from two of Sunday's papers.  If the store is sold out, GET A RAINCHECK!!!

You better watch out 'cause if I know you get the Sunday paper, I'm gonna be hounding you for this coupon.  Hehehehe   :)

Made $2 Buying Something Healthy

All this was less than $9 today at Walgreens.  Do you see the little yellow box?  Ya, those omega fish oil vitamins retail for $24.  They were on sale for $10.  I used a coupon on-line for -$2. When you buy this item, Walgreens will give you a $10 Register Rewards check to use on your next purchase.  This is one of there "buy this for free" deals.  So I spent $8 and got a $10 Register Rewards voucher.

I turned right around (totally within policy) and bought everything else you see.  The waters were $2, the cards were $3 total, the tissues were $2 and the shaving gel was on sale 2/$7.  I used two coupons that were for -$2 each item which then made the two items a total of $3.   I paid for that using my $10 Register Rewards voucher I just got.

By the way, because I bought the 2 waters and 2 shaving creams, I earned another $5 back in Rewards Bucks to use the next time I go there (hence why I bought those items).  You can buy nearly anything there.  Might as well buy stuff you know you need and that will earn you rewards back if the price is decent enough.  

Save This Week With Rewards and Ecoupons

Well, mostly.  Walgreens and CVS both have deals where you buy items and they give you a coupon for the same amount you just spent.  You can turn around and use that coupon on a 2nd transaction.

Walgreens:  I purchased some Fish Oil Vitamins for $10 that are regularly $24.  I used a coupon I printed off today from the internet for -$2.   When you buy that particular item, as stated in the ad, you will get $10 in Walgreens Register Rewards bucks.  That means the item cost me $8, and I turned around and bought cat litter and shampoo with the $10 Walgreens Reward bucks (obviously two items we needed).  To save even more on that 2nd purchase, I used a cat litter coupon from the internet.  So because I bought something I wasn't planning on buying, I got what I needed to buy for free.  Also, I scored some high quality fish oil vitamins which is a supplement we already take.

EXAMPLE 1st transaction:

• Fish Oil Vitamins  $24, On sale $10, Earn $10 in Walgreens Register Rewards, Use:

         $2 off 1   Renew Life Omega Smart  Fish Oils        www.omegasmartfishoils.com

• SoBe Water        $.99,  Earn $.99 in Walgreens Register Rewards...limit 2 so buy 2!!! 

2nd transaction: Buy whatever you really need using the $12 in Walgreens Register Rewards bucks.  There is one condition...you can't use more coupons/register rewards buck than items you buy.  For instance, you can't buy a $12 item and expect to use two different Register Rewards bucks (like listed above).  To get around this, they ususally sell single caramels at the register for  $.33 each so pick up a couple of those depending on the number of coupons you need.  Don't have coupons for what you need to buy?  Go to thekrazycouponlady.com and click on the Print Coupons link.  Use your browser's find tool to search for key words because it's a loooooong list.  That's how I found the cat litter coupon I needed.

If you've seen my binder, you are probably guessing I used my coupons.  Well, I did and I bought a little more than what was stated above.  My first transaction was $17 and I earned $15 immediately in Walgreens Register Rewards bucks.  Then my 2nd transaction's items totaled $15 dollars so I instantly used those Walgreens Register Rewards bucks I just got in addition to -$8 in newspaper coupons.  I did have to buy one more item since I had more coupons than items (awesome) so Army got some M&M's.  I ended up paying $1.   I approximate that I walked out the door with $45 in products (2 packs of Soleil razors, cat litter, medicated shampoo, Fish Oil vitamins, 4 toothbrushes, 2 SoBe drinks)  for only $18.    

I look at it as, I would have spent the $15 anyways.  Why not take advantage of their deals and get the register rewards bucks.  I will gladly spend my money at your store to get free stuff.   

Funny~they do have a deal on a women's soy estrogen supplement where you buy the item an instantly get what you paid for back in Walgreens Rewards Bucks, but I didn't want to jinx myself into early menopause.  lol   

$3.33 at Walgreens Today

Eye Shadow Deal at CVS

I had to run to CVS tonight for some meds and of course I couldn't enter the place without checking out the deals first.

I started by scanning my CVS keycards over and over until it quit printing receipts.  I got a $3 off any cosmetic purchase and a $4 off any $20 purchase.

For my first transaction, I purchased two Revlon single eyeshadows and one Revlon multi pack eyeshadows.  It all retailed for about $17.  When you buy $15 of Revlon products right now you instantly get $7 back.  I was already going to use 3 $2 off 1 coup for each item and the $3 off any cosmetic purchase coup that just printed out of the machine!  I paid about $8 and got that $7 Extra Care bucks receipt instantly.

For my second transaction I bought some feminine products and medicine that totaled around $19.40.  I had just got a $4 off and $20 purchase coup from the machine so I bought two of those .33 caramels they sell at the register to use my $4 coup.  On top of that $4 coup, I had the $7 Extra Care Bucks from my reciept and $5.50 in manuf coup's from the paper.  That's $16.50 in savings on a $20 purchase!!!

The best part was that I wasn't even expecting to go on this trip and all I did was bring my coup binder and look up the coupon matchups on my cell.  I had also just learned the trick about scanning your CVS card several times to get multiple coups and about the cheap caramels they sell to help fill your order and get maximum savings!  

CVS Deal Accomplished At Least...

Today I stopped by CVS and this is what I got! I spent $10 and walked out with an extra $6 in Extra Care Bucks to use for my newspapers or something else I don't have a coup for later at CVS.  I needed to buy my Shampoo and Conditioner which is usually $8-$9 alone so I took advantage of some Extra Care Buck deals and used coupons to get all the extras.

Here's what I did:

Right Guard soap was $2.99 (reg $5.99).  I had a Buy One Get One free coup from the paper that I used.  When you bought two of them, they gave you back a $1 Extra Care Buck on your receipt.  It was limit one, so I sent Mike through the line to buy two of them after me with his CVS card.

Colgate was on sale for $2.77 and I used a $1 off coup from the paper.  When I bought it I got $2.77 in Extra Care Bucks on my receipt.  It was limit one as well so I had Mike buy one too on his card.

After we bought all of that we both had a combined $9.54 in Extra Care Bucks on our receipts.  I used $5 in Extra Care Bucks to pay for some shampoo and conditioner (which I desperately needed) that was on sale and used a $3 off 2 coup from the paper.   When I bought that, I got a $1 Extra Care buck back on my receipt.  There was a negative balance and so I bought Army some M&M's to close the transaction (not pictured for obvious reasons).

Bummed this week...

Cause I don't see any great deals!  It seems I've got a lot of rainchecks to redeem.  Walgreens seems to only stock a few of their sale items.  I believe the best days to take advantage of the sales is on the last day of the sale cycle.  I ususally go into the stores and they've already changed all the signs so people think the sale is over when it's not.  I'm hoping to score some free things at Walgreens today.  

But I did have a lady at Walgreens give me a ton of coupons after seeing my binder!  lol

No Competitior's Store Ads Needed for Walmart Price Match?

This almost sounds too good to be true!  Krazycouponlady suggests you at least write down some info just in case.  See her blog post if interested.  BTW, CVS and Kroger usually have the best deals you can try to price match at Walmart.  HEB uses their own coupons for savings and they do the ComboLoco deals which won't price match either.

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2011/04/29/walmart-price-matching-policy-updated/

Cheap Cottonelle Starting On 5/1 at Walgreens!

Starting May 1st, you can get 12 roll Cottonelle Toilet Paper for $5!  When you purchase 2, you will get a $3 Register Reward printout with your receipt.  

Cottonelle Toilet Paper, 12 ct. $5.00
Purchase 2, Get $3 Register Reward with receipt 
Use 2 $0.50/1 – Cottonelle Toilet Paper, 4 pack – (cottonelle.com) 
Or use 2 $0.50/1 – Cottonelle Toilet Paper – (bricks.coupons.com)
And use $1.00/1 – Cottonelle Toilet Paper from May Walgreens Coupon Book (will take off $1.00 for each package)                            


Total =  $7.00, Receive $3.00 Register Reward

Final Price: $2.00 each when you buy 2

Thank you krazycouponlady.com for this great tip 'cause I HATE paying full price for TP!

HEB Coupon Matchups and Deals for 4/27 - 5/3

Southernsavers.com finally got the new HEB deals up and running.  Go to this link before you make your grocery list.

/http://www.southernsavers.com/2011/04/h-e-b-ad-coupons-427-53/

My CVS and Walgreen's Deals today

CVS

I bought 2 Arm and Hammer 2 in 1 dryer sheets (40ct) that were Buy One, Bet One free if you use your CVS card.  Because I was getting 2, I used 2 coupons from the Sunday paper that were for $1.00. I also bought some new Dove MenCare Deodorant that is $4.99, but on sale for .99 with your CVS card. I used a $1.00 off coupon for the deodorant. Here's how it rang up:

1 Deodorant              .99

1 Dryer Sheet box  $ 4.79

1 Dryer Sheet box   FREE  (BOGO)

2 coupons for dryer sheets = -$2.00

1 ecoupon for deodorant   = -$1.00

Total  charge                     =  $3.00

So for $3 I got 2 new boxes of dryer sheets (80 sheets total) and a free men's deodorant that is usually pretty pricey (new item).  

Walgreen's

Let me preface this by saving I had to rush my son to the dr today for a suspected bladder infection.  I bribed him with candy if he would do what the dr said because he was in such pain so I stopped off at Walgreens to get him a special treat.  Of course, I can't pass up the circulars because Walgreen's gives back register rewards when you purchase items.  

If you bought a new toothpaste, Crest Luster White, for $4.99 you get $4 back in register rewards.  I also saw that they had the Nexcare Waterproof bandaids on sale for $2.99 and stuck to the box was a rebate for $2.99.  I hate rebates, but I love these badaids even more.  Weird, I know.  So I decided to use these deals to help me buy an overpriced candy item ($1.49).  Before I rang up, I told the woman I was gonna make two purchases.  Here's what I did:

1st Purchase:  

Luster White Toothpaste              $4.99

Total charge                              = $4.99   

A $4 register reward printed out with my receipt

2nd Purchase: 

Nexcare Band aids                           $2.99

Baby Bottle Candy Pop                   $1.49

Used $4 register reward coupon     -$4.00

Total Charge                                   =  .48

So out of pocket on this trip I spent  $5.47, but I will get a $2.99 rebate so it actually cost $2.48 for a tube of fancy toothpaste, my favorite band aids, and a baby bottle pop.  

Donate Unwanted and Expired Coupons to Military Families

I just learned that military families overseas can use coupons up to 6 months past their expiration date.  If you clip coupons and are interested in donating them to military families, go to:

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/coupons-for-military/

Cool coupon resources

My top two sites I use are krazycouponlady.com and southernsavers.com.  Here's why:

Krazy Coupon Lady is the "queen" of extreme couponing and must make a ton off of her hobby since she has books and this amazing blog.  She has videos and downloads for beginners.  I downloaded a page for organizing your binder.  She lists deals for CVS, Walgreens, Target and Walmart. Kroger is there, but the deals aren't for our region which are two local stores.  Last, she has an A-Z list of ecoupons listed by brand names that are current (wonderful).  Their deals have worked 100% of the time for me.

SouthernSavers.com lists Kroger,Walgreens, CVS, Target, Walmart and HEB.  I can't confirm if it's our Kroger region, though.  Also, they have an option where you can quickly select and create a list of the deals you like on their page and print out at home. I use it for that and the HEB deals.  Only once did they list a deal that didn't work.

Starting 4/24 CVS BOGO Free Laundry Detergent Deal with coupons

So all the "extreme" couponers have their amazing stock piles.  Well, I just may have to start mine with this deal because I have a lot of these coupons.  There are different ways you can save on this deal at CVS.  BOGO's are great for all of those coupons that say you have to buy two things because even though you are getting the 2nd item for free you get the same value of the coupon back on your purchase.


Arm & Hammer Liquid Laundry Detergent 25-32 loads or 2-in-1 Dryer Cloths 40 ct. prices starting at $4.69 that are BOGO free.  The KrazyCouponlady.com suggest using these coupons or ecoupons:

$1.00 off 2 Arm & Hammer Laundry Product from Super Source Circular from  4/10
$1.00 off 2 Arm & Hammer Laundry Product from Super Source Circular 2/13
$3.00 off 2 Arm & Hammer Fabric Softener from Super Source Circular 4/10
$1.00 off 2 Arm & Hammer Product from Super Source Circular 4/10
$1.00 off 2 – Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergents or Fabric Softener Sheets – (armandhammer.com)
$1.00 off 1 – Arm & Hammer fabric softener or total 2-in-2 Dryer Cloth – (armandhammer.com)
Your total price could be as low as $1.35 each when you buy 2

Free Butterfingers starting 4/24 at Walgreens

These items can combine to make teacher appreciation gifts!  On 4/24, take in your coupon for $1.00/2 – Butterfinger Snackerz, Available at Walgreens – (coupons.com) to purchase 5 Butterfingerz Snackers at .39 each to get them for free!  These coupons usually don't last long on the site so print them out now if interested.  

Snuggle Sheets for .87!

Another tip says Snuggle is on sale at Walmart for $1.87.  If you like snuggle on facebook http://www.facebook.com/Snuggle?v=app_148090738570591 , then you can get a $1.00 off coupon.  Even if I don't see it at Walmart, I'm sure I'll need to buy some elsewhere.

Some other recent "like's" that I've scored coupons for on Facebook were Oscar Mayer, Peeps, Dove, and I can't remember the rest.

*Updated* Free Men's deodorant at CVS starting 4/24

*This coupons says "Redeem At Walmart*  Most sites say that this is a Manuf. coupon and that since it doesn't say "Use Only at Walmart," then they should accept it.  If they give you a hard time, you can take the ad with you on your next Walmart trip where they will price match and you can use the coupon.  I'll post a comment back when I know if it worked at CVS or not. 

Free Dove MenCare Deodorant at CVS, Starting on 4/24 

This deodorant will be on sale for .99!  Limit 5   Print a coupon for $1.00 off 1 Dove MenCare Deodorant at CVS starting on 4/24 at CVS when you use an ecoupon from the link below:
$1.00/1 – Dove MenCare Antiperspirant, 2.7 oz or Deodorant, 3.0oz, Manufacturer Coupon – (walmart.com)
Thank you thekrazycouponlady.com!  

HEB deals till 4/19

1st, if you want to look at all of HEB deals, click http://www.heb.com/weekly-ads/ads-coupons.jsp;jsessionid=36EBBC0B5D5D1D9C1FA02E984614FCCC.drpapl0028310-prod-store03?_DARGS=/common/header.jsp.1_A&_DAV=0&_dynSessConf=-7298810840863115303#wrapperId

Made a quick stop at HEB tonight.  Should have paid $72.35, but paid $52.66 instead using manufacture coupons and in-store coupons.  We didn't do the meal deal which usually gets you a lot of free stuff because you had to buy high dollar meat.  I left with a rain check for the .99 Colgate toothpaste.    Here are some deals I took advantage of or saw and below that I'll show some other interesting deals people are listing on the net that I didn't need or look for so I can't confirm them.

• Buy Oscar Mayer Lunchmeat + Kraft Singles get free bread and specialty mayo with in store coup.
• Buy two Eckrigh Sausage Links get free Ranch Style Beans and Knorr Rice or Pasta Side mix with in store coup.  I used a manufacture's coupon on that as well for $1 off 2.  *that's awesome b/c our picky eater has decided that sausage is "ok" to eat now
• Buy Bertolli Frozen Meal for two get free Sara Lee Cheesecake with in store coup.*to celebrate during Mike's b-day week this week!
• Kellogg's Fruit Snacks were Buy 2 and get 1 free with in store coup.
• .50 off any Hidden Valley Ranch dressing with in store coup.
• Nutrakist Drink Pouches were 1.69 before .50 off with in store coup.*Army likes these drinks and they are cheaper than CapriSun and all Natural!
• HEB Almond Milk (all varieties, finally) was 2.48 before $1 off with in store coup.
• Colgate is .99 before .75 off with in store coup. but someone cleared them out so get a raincheck

With my own circular coupons, register (Catalina) coupons and ecoupons I printed, I picked up:

• 6 Powerbar granola bars for $3 instead of $6
• 3 Soyjoy Fruit bars for $2 instead of $3 (not sure how these taste)

• Pillsbury can items such as biscuits and cinnamon rolls for a $1 and there are TONS of printable Pillsbury coupons out there as well as in the newspapers.
• Right Guard Total Defense 5, Powerstripe or Power Gel Antiperspirant Deodorant get Body Wash for free with in-store coupons.
• They were having showdown sales where you buy name brand get the HEB equivalent for free for Folger's Coffee, Gain Ultra Liquid Fabric Softener and Dreyer’s Slow Churned Ice Cream.  

Unconfirmed Deals that I found interesting:

• Munchkin Ultra Big Pack Diapers 60-96 ct., assorted varieties.  Buy diapers get free Munchkin Active Animals Non-Insulated Cup, 9 oz., Munchkin Multi-Color Plates 5 ct. and Munchkin Fragrance Free Baby Wipes, 72 ct. So if you buy diapers = FREE cups, plates, and wipes

You favorite on-line shopping sites

I'm always looking for ways to save money on on-line shopping. I rarely shop on-line because I don't always feel I get a good deal, but I know they are out there. Soooo, what are your favorite on-line shopping sites?  I've collected a few sites from a friend and I'm looking to add to it.  Leave a comment below, please, if you have a favorite site and a little bit about the site.  THANKS!  :)

Here is the list so far:

www.retailmenot.com - this is a site to find online coupons and promotional codes
 
www.6pm.com - this has name brand clothes, shoes, and accessories at huge discount, most items being 1/2 off!!!
 
www.thecrazydazy.com - super cute kids and babies stuff!  Great site for birthday gifts.
 
www.frecklebox.com - super cute personalized things for kids

upromise Kroger Card Coupons

I just learned that you register for free with Upromise.com and get coupons you can load on your Kroger and CVS card.  I just loaded some today so hopefully before the weekend is over I will see if it works.

The coupon I loaded?  $1 off Heinz white vinegar.  Heinz vinegar is on sale for $1.50.  I'm hoping to use that card coupon in addition to a .50/1 coupon I printed from the Heinz website.  That should give me a credit of .50 to buy a .50 item for free or use towards the purchase of another bottle if needed.  That would mean I could get 2 for $1 or 1 bottle for free.  Why vinegar?  I use a vinegar water solution to clean my kitchen table and other tough food messes in the kitchen and tough messes on the tile.  It's also a natural deodorizer once you get over the first whiff of vinegar (which in turn saves me money on expensive household cleaners).  Thanks to Rachel for sharing the vinegar idea with me!  I'm sure I'll need some vinegar to dye eggs soon too.  Anyways, I'll comment below if the Upromise coupon goes through with my Kroger card.  Check out their site b/c they also have a ton of on-line shopping coupons/codes as well as Kroger and CVS codes.

Last Day to Get $10 Instant ExtraCare Bucks when you buy AirWick products

Ending today at CVS, if you buy any participating Lysol or Air Wick product valued at $20, you will get $10 back in rewards bucks instantly.  Here are some coupons that can knock the total price down to as low as $8 bucks when you buy 4 items.  Since the original value was at least $20, that means you still get the $10 instant rewards for your next trip (a money maker of $2).

$2.00/1 – Air Wick Freshmatic Compact Starter Kit – (coupons.com) 
$2.00/1 – Air Wick Freshmatic Compact Starter Kit – (pillsbury.com) 
$2.00/1 – Air Wick Freshmatic Compact Starter Kit – (eatbetteramerica.com) 
$2.00/1 – Air Wick Freshmatic Compact i-motion Auto Spray starter kit – (homesolutionsnews.com) 
$2.00/1 – Air Wick Freshmatic Compact i-motion Auto Spray Starter Kit – (airwick.us) 
$4.00/1 – Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra Starter Kit – (pillsbury.com) 
$4.00/1 – Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra Starter Kit – (eatbetteramerica.com) 
$4.00/1 – Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra Starter Kit – (airwick.us)


*all of these links were found at www.thekrazycouponlady.com  


I went this morning and used Mike's CVS card to buy two of the Compact Starter Kits and two of the Ultra Starter kits because I only had coupons left for those items. I bought those 1st and what would have been a $22.40 purchase only cost $10.80 after my high value coupons from the links above.  A $10 instant rewards coupon printed out on the bottom of that receipt.  So then I bought 2 Sunday papers (coupons, hello) @ $2, two travel first aid kits @ .99 ea, 3 boxes of Kellog's Cereal on sale @ $1.66 ea and a candy bar.  That total would have been $11.95, BUT I used my $10 instant rewards coupon I just got and a $1.50 off two first aid kit coupons.  At first I ended up with a -.56 balance, so I had to buy something cheap to use up that .50 (hence the candy bar).  I just love coupons that don't specify the size an item has to be like that first aid kit ecoupon.  Those little kits will be perfect for our extended bike rides (thanks to rising gas prices).  

Habro Toy's ecoupons

Sometimes these toys are dirt cheap, and here are some more coupons for toys only.  On the last page is a $3 off coupon for a Strawberry Shortcake in a Purse.  I believe they are retailing for $6.44 at Target right now.  Would look cute in an Easter Basket!  If I only had a girl :( 

http://www.coupons.com/Couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=15162&zid=st48&nid=20

Walmart and Walgreens Deals

Yesterday at Walmart, I noticed they had Toy Story Operation on sale for only $5.  Hopefully I can snag one before they run out.  Go And Print a $3.00/1 – Hasbro Operation Game – (coupons.com)  Your Final Price will be: $2.00


As of 4/17, Walgreens will have some register rewards deals that make products free if you are already going there to buy something else.  For example, buy Goody Ouchless Hair Accessories at $3.00 and you will get the Buy 1, Receive $3.00 Register Reward, (Limit 1). You will pay $3.00, receive $3.00 Register Reward instantly.  Then turn around and buy what you needed to and use your $3 register reward.  That makes it free!

Recent Total Savings

Just for kicks, I kept my receipts for the past 5 days and here are my totals.  I made a few mistakes with some of my plans before shopping, but I suppose that's how you learn.  My shopping trips included 1 grocery trip to HEB, 1 trip to Target (for all the things I forgot at HEB, lol), 5 transactions at CVS*, and 1 stop for a pair of shoes at Sports Authority.  

Total price including store markdowns before taxes: $248.61

Total including tax after using company and store coupons:  $142.68

Now I know there are folks out there who get way better deals than that, but I don't think it's too bad.  Hopefully the next time I do this I can beat the savings.  

*most CVS transactions were done back to back to utilize their extracare bucks.  

*Incorrect*Free Starburst Jellybean Easter Eggs!!!

Update: They are only .75 after you use the $1 in store coupon.  When using both coupons, the eggs with run you about .30 a piece (which still isn't bad, but so not free).

The southersavers.com said these jellybean filled eggs are .75 each at Walgreens.  To get them free, you have to buy 2 of them and use the following coupons:

Use $0.50/2 – Skittles or Starburst candy – (smartsource.com)
And Use $1.00/2 Skittles, Starburst, Life Savers or Hubba Bubba Easter Item Walgreens April Booklet

I hope I can find these at a local Walgreens.  Gotta love free deals!!!

Today's Savings

I made Mike stop at CVS today.  Mind you, he's been a trooper with me through all of this.  His fear is that we will waste money on items we don't need and get caught with a stock of stuff we don't need to keep a stock of.  So before we left to go he said, "You're telling me that what we buy will be free as in I won't need to even use my debit car?"  Of course, the answer was yes.  As soon as we got there I went straight to what I had planned to buy.  I earned about $13 in extracare savings bucks from this last weekend and I was going to use them on their coke sale, buy 3 cases for $10.  Also, I had two coupons for $1 off any two Mars brand easter candy items from the newspaper.  So I bought 3 cases of coke zero and 4 snickers chocolate eggs (for you know who's basket).  In the end I didn't need to use $3 of my extra care bucks, but I did have to use .28 cents because if you redeem one of your bucks for that low of an amount, you lose the rest of your money.  No debit card and I still have $3 in extracare bucks to spend.  Wish I had more time to tell you how I earned those $13.  It has to do with their instant savings promotions and the CVS moneymaker deals I searched for on the internet.  

My first weekend

Last weekend was my first chance to tackle this couponing circus.  I was skeptical because I always thought coupons were for name brand items and you can always get store brand for cheaper.  Well, I don't know if it's my age or what but I have become somewhat of a brand snob.  Certain items I will not buy as generic because it seems like a totally different product.

Anyways....this weekend I redeemed almost $50 in coupons at Target, HEB and CVS.  I don't think that was bad for my first time.  When I look back I see that I actually spent about the same I would have if I went to the stores, but I walked away with more than I would have and better quality products.  Better quality means I will actually use them vs. "Uhhh....no HEB mac and cheese tonight, blah."

How did I do it?  I watched a youtube video on how to create a coupon binder (http://youtu.be/NTjNPLEj1Ck)  Well, I snagged two Sunday papers and clipped all, yea all, of the coupons.  I bought a $5 pack of baseball trading card storage pages and reused a binder and dividers tabs to organize all my coupons.  I don't have as many sections as the girl in the video.  I went on-line to websites like www.krazycouponlady.com and www.southersavers.com to find some valuable ecoupons and printed them out.  Then I used the on-line store circulars to plan what I wanted to buy and double checked their coupon policy on-line.  I have to say, it was a mini adrenaline rush to see how cheap some of the items were, especially the free ones!  I think it's pretty cool that you can use an HEB coupon and a company coupon on the same item.  Also, if the coupons are worth more than the item, that leftover money gets added to your amount anyways so you save even more.

Why did I do this?

So, if anyone is reading this, I decided to keep track of the savings I find in my area.  I get all my tips from different savings websites.  I always thought clipping coupons was a waste of time and money.  Then, I started to see our gas and grocery bills rise and rise and rise.  I've found some ways to get items for free using circular coupons, store coupons and ecoupons thanks to a little bit of of on-line research.  The first tip I should give you is to understand that it's not as easy as hopping in the car with a pile of coupons and heading to your favorite store.  It begins with some research and making a plan. Don't worry...it's easier than it sounds.    I hope some of my tips are helpful to you.  Remember, I'm a rookie.  Happy shopping!