Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Load Up The Pantry article

Here is a good article from the Wall Street Journal that Connie sent me. Everyone has thought we were crazy for trying to get together a year supply of items when our Prophets began to tell us to. Obviously, we don't know all of the reasons why, only that we have been asked to do so....but keep in mind that THERE IS ALWAYS A REASON. Read the article and tell us what you think!

April 21, 2008 6:47 p.m. EDT R.O.I. By BRETT ARENDS

Load Up the Pantry April 21, 2008
Brett Arends

I don't want to alarm anybody, but maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food.

No, this is not a drill.

You've seen the TV footage of food riots in parts of the developing world. Yes, they're a long way away from the U.S. But most foodstuffs operate in a global market. When the cost of wheat soars in Asia, it will do the same here.

Reality: Food prices are already rising here much faster than the returns you are likely to get from keeping your money in a bank or money-market fund. And there are very good reasons to believe prices on the shelves are about to start rising a lot faster.

"Load up the pantry," says Manu Daftary, one of Wall Street's top investors and the manager of the Quaker Strategic Growth mutual fund. "I think prices are going higher. People are too complacent. They think it isn't going to happen here. But I don't know how the food companies can absorb higher costs." (Full disclosure: I am an investor in Quaker Strategic)

Stocking up on food may not replace your long-term investments, but it may make a sensible home for some of your shorter-term cash. Do the math. If you keep your standby cash in a money-market fund you'll be lucky to get a 2.5% interest rate. Even the best one-year certificate of deposit you can find is only going to pay you about 4.1%, according to Bankrate.com. And those yields are before tax.

Meanwhile the most recent government data shows food inflation for the average American household is now running at 4.5% a year.

And some prices are rising even more quickly. The latest data show cereal prices rising by more than 8% a year. Both flour and rice are up more than 13%. Milk, cheese, bananas and even peanut butter: They're all up by more than 10%. Eggs have rocketed up 30% in a year. Ground beef prices are up 4.8% and chicken by 5.4%.

These are trends that have been in place for some time.

And if you are hoping they will pass, here's the bad news: They may actually accelerate.

The reason? The prices of many underlying raw materials have risen much more quickly still. Wheat prices, for example, have roughly tripled in the past three years.

Sooner or later, the food companies are going to have to pass those costs on. Kraft saw its raw material costs soar by about $1.25 billion last year, squeezing profit margins. The company recently warned that higher prices are here to stay. Last month the chief executive of General Mills, Kendall Powell, made a similar point.

The main reason for rising prices, of course, is the surge in demand from China and India. Hundreds of millions of people are joining the middle class each year, and that means they want to eat more and better food.

A secondary reason has been the growing demand for ethanol as a fuel additive. That's soaking up some of the corn supply.

You can't easily stock up on perishables like eggs or milk. But other products will keep. Among them: Dried pasta, rice, cereals, and cans of everything from tuna fish to fruit and vegetables. The kicker: You should also save money by buying them in bulk.

If this seems a stretch, ponder this: The emerging bull market in agricultural products is following in the footsteps of oil. A few years ago, many Americans hoped $2 gas was a temporary spike. Now it's the rosy memory of a bygone age.

The good news is that it's easier to store Cap'n Crunch or cans of Starkist in your home than it is to store lots of gasoline. Safer, too.

Updated! 4/30 thru 5/6 Grocery Deals

Today is new grocery ad day! This week is Cinco De Mayo, so a lot of soda, BBQ and Mexican food will be on sale! I don't know about everyone else, but to me Wednesday mornings are like Christmas. Maybe I need help....

Here's what I see so far, I will update and any of you BargainMom contributors can edit this post to add your own info as well.


::ALBERTSON'S::
::Mission Soft Taco Size tortillas are 10/$10. If you have a coupon from a while back they are only .50 a package. Also available online coupon. Click HERE (print 2)

::Mission Brown Bag tortilla chips are also 10/$10. There was a coupon about 2 weeks ago for .75 off one. This makes them only .25/bag. Awesome deal! We will be eating lots of tortilla chips at my house. Can we say taco salad? Click HERE
::Basha's::

::Land O Frost 12oz Shaved lunch meat 2/$4 Use $1/2 and get them for $1.50 ea. If anyone wants them, I have a few extras of these. You can get these at Walmart for the same price.

::Banquet Frozen Dinners 10/$10

::Fry's::

::Red Ripe Seedless Watermelon 19c lb

::Pampers on sale 9.49, but at frysfood.com you can load $1.50 off coupon on your card to bring it to 7.99 at checkout. Clip N632 for 56 diapers at 5.99 or 10.5 cents each.
You can only do this once.......if you load the frys coupon its limit 1 per Fry's card.

::Kraft BBQ Sauce $0.77 each. (Anyone know if we have coupons for these?)

::Shamrock Farms Dairy Sale 40% off Get COUPONS here!

::Coke 2 liter bottles $0.67. Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper...good stuff!

::Pork Butt Roast 97c lb

::Mission Tortilla Chips $1.88 We have coupons for these from a week or two ago. Also Click HERE

::Rosarita Refried Beans .77c

::Daisy Sour Cream 10/$10 Use coupon from a few weeks ago to get it for FREE

::Mission Tortillas/ Old El Paso Taco shells 10/$10 There are coupons for the Mission tortillas from Jan 6th but they expire today so hurry! Makes them .50 each.! Also a printable at http://www.missionmenus.com/MissionExtras.aspx (it let me print them 4 times, so try for more than one set!) Thanks, Allison!

::Ortega Brand Sale 33% off, and we got a coupon for .75c off 2 items last week in the Smartsource insert. (will double to $1.00) Let us know what you got for a good price! Some of these items will only be .75C, so you might be able to get stuff for FREE. I'll have to check it ot today!

::Arrid Deoderant 10/$10 Do we have coupons for these that would make them free?

::Johnson's Baby Lotion etc. 2/$6.00 Use $1.00 off coupon from Sunday's Red Plum. Or if you get the Johnson's Buddy Bar Soaps, they are only .99c so you get those for FREE. There are also links to coupons (if you haven't already printed them) HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE (2 per site, just click the back button a couple of times)

::Colgate Toothpaste 2/$4, Online coupons are HERE and HERE or use coupons from Last Sundays Smart Source to get them for $1.00. It's not free, but if you need it, it isn't a bad price. Just curious, but who out there needs toothpaste for their year supply? First 3 people to leave a comment get a free tube of toothpaste from Bargain Moms. (You can be a BargainMom to comment) Remember, CVS May deal, you pay 3.99 and get 3.99 back on certain toothpastes and we also got $1.00 off coupons for that this past week in the Fry's Pharmacy ad that we can use at CVS. (manuf. coupon, not a Fry's coupon) So you will actually MAKE $1 getting the toothpaste. --you really never should have to pay for toothpaste.

::Safeway::

::Rancher's Reserve Boneless Round Steak 99c lb.

::Honey Bunches of Oats FREE plus overage Coupons are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. (if you already printed them, you won't be able to do it again yet)

Let us know if you see anything advertised or unadvertised that is a good deal!
Also, check out Allison's BLog HERE for more sweet deals!

Electricity Savings

I don't know how familiar any of you are with the savings plans offered through SRP, but my favorite one is the "time of day" plan. From 9pm at night until 1pm the next day, your electricity cost per Kwh is much cheaper than from 1pm -9pm daily. Therefore, in an effort to save money, you would run your electric appliances earlier in the day to avoid the higher costs. For example, I vacuum, run my pool pump, do laundry, use my oven, turn the AC to 76 as early as I wake up until 1pm. At one pm, no more chores for me!! I turn my AC to 80-82 and I try to use my crock pot, or microwave for dinner only so as to not heat up the house from 1-9pm.

My monthly savings from May 1st to September 31st is usually well over $75 on a two story house. It isn't always easy, but it is worth it to me.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Sunday paper coupons

If you get the Sunday paper, there are a few coupons that we got in yesterday's paper that you can use right now at Fry's or CVS to get some good deals.

FRY'S-good thru Tuesday
::25c off Cottonelle. On sale for $0.99c. Use coupon-(doubles) get the 4 roll pack for $0.50! -these also have the box tops for education on them!

::.55c off 2 Tic-Tacs. On sale for 2/$1.00 Use coupon (doubles) get both for FREE

:: Nesquick chocolate milk powder is on sale at Fry's for $6.40 for the big 72 serving sized can. I paid $8 for one at Safeway the other day because Merrek was begging for it and we were all out. After coupon, you are paying $5.40 for it and that is a pretty good deal!

CVS- monthly deal good thru 4/30

:: Softsoap 12 0z. bottles are $4.99 (or around there) a bottle. Get $4.99 back in ECB's, so it is like getting it for FREE. Limit 5! Their 18 oz is also included, and those are $5.24 or something a bottle. (also limit 5 of this size) Those also are FREE after ECB's. Even better, we had coupons in yesterday's paper for them, so you can actually MAKE money doing this deal. There is also an online coupon for $1/1 here - only available if you haven't used it yet. So, needless to say, you can get 10 bottles of Softsoap shower gel for FREE, plus use your coupons and you will pay even less out of pocket. You can pay for the first bottle with your coupons, get your ECB's back and pay for the next one with your ECB's etc. Keep rollin'! The CVS on Power/Germann is GREAT. So is the Higley/Pecos. I would avoid the ocotillo/rittenhouse one for a few weeks while they get their act together. (Their DM is coming in to get them straightened out) They won't have anything you want anyhow.

Anyone else see anything good that we should use before Wednesday and the new ads come out? Juicy-Juice coupons mean that it will be going on sale soon! YAY!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Walgreens Deals 4/27-5/3

WEEKLY SALES

Lady Speed Stick - $0.99 with in-ad coupon. Use $1/1 printable HERE and HERE (2 per site)
Free after coupons!

Van Camp's Pork & Beans: 7-day coupon for .39, mail in for $5 when you buy $10 Con-Agra rebate. Here's the math on the deal for 11 cans, assuming that I'm reading the regular price correctly at .99:.99x 1110.89-6.60 (7-day coupon)4.29-5.00 (EasySaver rebate)(.71) overage

MAY - MONTHLY FREE AFTER REBATE ITEMS
Oral-B CrossAction Toothbrush - $4.99
Use $1/1 coupon from 4/6 insert
Free plus $1 overage after rebate

Orajel Kids Plaque Revealing Rinse - $5.79
Use $1/1 coupon from 1/6 SmartSource insert
Free plus $1 overage after rebate

Nexcare 3M Cold Sore Lip Treatment - $8.99
Use $1/1 coupon from 4/6 RedPlum
Free plus $1 overage after rebate

Walgreens Maxi Pads 12 or 24 pack - $1.99
Free after rebate

EARinse with SinoMarin Ear Cleansing Spray - $9.99
Free after rebate

Walgreens Standard Light Bulbs - $1.69
Free after rebate

Kickers Energy Spray - $3.29
Free after rebate

New to shopping at Walgreens? Start here.What deals did you see? I haven't done their rebates yet, but I think I am going to start. Anyone have good/bad experiences with them? Let us know!

Updated CVS deals for April 27- May 3

**First, if you've not gotten your $3/$15 coupons, be sure to do so here! Yay!**
ECB DEALS
  • Buy 1 Just for Men - Touch of Grey at $7.99, Get $7.99 ECBs (Limit 1)Use $2/1 coupon hereFree plus $2 overage after coupon and ECBsPlus, send in for this rebate!
  • Buy 1 Bic Soliel Razor or 4ct. cartridge refills at $5.99, Get $3 ECBs (Limit 4)Use $2/1 coupon from 4/13 insert and after ECB's it is like paying only .99c
  • Buy $15 Worth of Select 3M products, Get $5 ECBs (Limit 1)$3/2 Post-It coupons here$1/1 Lint roller coupon here
  • Benadryl Itch Relief Stick is $3.49. We got a coupon today for $1 off, making it $2.49. If you buy two you get $5 ECB, which makes them FREE.

::Deal Idea--Buy 2 Post-It notesBuy 4 Post-It Flags Buy 1 Just for Men hair colorUse $3/$15 CVS couponUse 2 $3/2 Post-It Flags printablesUse $2/1 Just for Men printableSpend $11.99 ECBsGet $13.99 back!Plus, get a rebate on the Just for Men!

HIDDEN DEALS

Buy 1 Softsoap Spa Radiance (18 oz) at $5.49, Get $5.49 ECBs (Limit 5) Use $1/1 coupon here or $1.00/1 coupon from 3/30 SmartSource This ends up being FREE plus overage after coupon and ECBs - more coupons came in today's sunday paper. This is a good way to start getting ECB's, because you get all the money back that you JUST gave them!

NON-ECB

  • All Detergent is on sale Buy One, Get One Free (Prices for one start at $5.49)Buy 2 and use 2 $1.00/1 coupons from 4/20 insert$1.25/bottle after coupons and sale
  • Pepsi 2-liters are on sale Buy One, Get One Free (Prices start at $1.29)If Diet Pepsi Max is included there's a $0.40/1 coupon here.
  • Clorox bleach is only $0.99c. We have extra coupons for buy 2, get 1 free if any one wants any of them. Good to have for year supply to purify water!

*Deal Idea* Buy 1 Just For Men Hair Color at $7.99 Buy 1 Bic Soliel razor at $5.99 Buy 2 Pepsi 2-liters $1.29 Use $3/$15 CVS coupon Use $2/1 Just for Men coupon Use $2/1 Bic couponSpend approx. $8 plus tax Get $10.99 ECBs back! See all deals for this week here.

April ECB Deals (Only good for a few more days! Further sweeten these with the $3/$15 coupon!)
Buy 1 CoverGirl TruBlend Whipped Foundation (approx. $9.49 each), Get $6 ECBs (Limit 3)

*Deal Idea*Buy 2 CoverGirl TruBlend Whipped Foundation (approx. $9.49 each)Use B1G1 coupon from 4/06 insertUse 1 $1/1 coupon from 4/06 insert (or the $2/1 coupon from the Reinventing Beauty booklet)Spend $8.49 (or $7.49 with the $2/1 coupon) out of pocket Get $12 ECBs!(Unadvertised)

  • Buy 3 Essence of Beauty Products, Get $5 ECBs (Limit 5)Buy either the toe dividers (at $0.99) or the gift bags (at $1.49) and you'll get them free plus some overage. Use a $3/$10 CVS brand coupon if you have one for even more overage (EOB is a CVS brand.)
  • (Unadvertised) Buy 1 Softsoap Spa Body Wash 12 oz. at $4.99, Get $4.99 ECBs (Limit 5) Use $1/1 coupon here or $1.50/1 coupon from 3/30 SmartSourceFree plus overage after coupon and ECBs = also got new coupons in today's Sunday paper for these!
  • Buy 1 CVS Pain Relief Rapid Release Gelcaps 24ct. at $3.99, Get $3.99 ECBs (Limit 5)Combine with $3/$10 CVS product coupons if you have any (Scan your card at the price scanner and it should spit one out for you) Free (plus overage if you use coupons) after ECBs
  • Buy 1 Lumene Body Aktiva Trial Sized Tube at $1.99, Get $1.99 ECBsFree after ECBs
  • Buy 1 Precision Xtra at $19.99, Get $19.99 ECBs (Limit 1)Free after ECBs

MAY DEALS ARE ALREADY ACTIVE AT THE CVS ON POWER/PECOS as their grand opening was TODAY. You can still get the April deals, but they will have to put the ECB's on a gift card.

Thanks, MoneySavingMom for the coupon info! If any bargainmoms have any more, just edit my post and add them! Thanks Allison'sAZDeals for updating the correct info for those of us that are in AZ!

CVS $3/$15 Coupon

WE HAVE A NEW $3/$15 CVS COUPON!!

And it can be accessed by anyone -and used anywhere. And there are no restrictions on it (besides that usual restriction it can only be used once per transaction).Like the Wellness360 coupon, this one takes a little bit of work to access, but it will be worth it because it can be printed and used multiple times. And it's good through June 6, 2008. June 6, I'm telling you. Thank you, CVS!!

Here's how to get yours:
::Register for a free 7-day trial of the washingtonpost e-replica. Once you register, you'll need to confirm your email address.
::After you've confirmed, click on the current issue and then hover over the date and go to 4/24/08.
::Scroll down to the very last page of the 4/24/08 issue (page 128) and THERE IT IS! Your very own $3/$15 coupon!
::Hover over the print button and click on "print custom area." Highlight the coupon area and print it. You can also email the page to yourself and you will get an email with a link directly to this page.

ALSO: In the Sunday paper was an insert for the new CVS ad for this week. There is a coupon to receive a $25 gift card with the transfer of a prescription. You can also get the ad's in the front of your CVS store.

**Remember to scan your card at the red box /price finder machine, as it will print off coupons for you to use on your purchase.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Kashi & Freebies

From Freebies 4 Mom:

You can join the Kashi Community and get access to print a coupon to Save $2 on any Kashi product, it's got a rolling expiration date so it expires one month from the date you print it. Be sure that you print this coupon twice - this is the typical print limit on all coupons that have "bricks" in the URL (just hit the back button).

Note: These products are often on sale for $2.50 at various stores. W/coupon, that makes them $0.50ea. --great deal!

Also Get your free sample of GoldBond Powder here.

Free sample of Aquafresh Extreme Clean

Free sample of Blue Spa Select cat food

Free What To Expect Guide to a Healthy Home

Free Hamburger Helper Singles sample

Free sunflower seeds (registration required)

Free Nestle Carnation Breakfast sample (only for those in Canada)

Try 3 months of Biospot for free (flea and tick control for dogs)

Get four different Dove coupons here.

Stimulus Package Rebate Checks

Photobucket

I just read that if you chose direct-deposit for your taxes this year, then you should expect to see your rebate check in your bank account sometime next week.

Read the full story HERE.

Rebate Checks and frugal spending

If it isn't obvious yet, we are a group of women that are OBSESSED with getting good deals. I know that I personally love the rush of adrenaline that comes from seeing my original total at $200.00, then after coupons, swiping my grocery card etc I watch the total drop to $4.00. SCORE! Nothing can beat that!

I was recently reading MONEYSAVINGMOM.com and she had posted a really good article about getting bargains, but also learning how to live simply and not just accumulate "stuff" because it is "on sale" but being a wise steward with the resources that God has given us in our lives-including our pay checks.

Here is a small excerpt from her blog: "It's easy to get sucked into the bargain-shopping game and lose sight of the purpose for which you started; getting good deals can quickly turn into more of the accumulating of stuff and less of wise stewardship.Too much stuff--even if you got it free or only spent pennies on it--is still just that: too much stuff. It will clutter up your life, suck up your time, and result in a chaotic, unorganized home.Being a wise steward means learning that often, less is more."

I really liked this topic. I know that I have found myself buying another 10 boxes of cereal "just because they are only .50c each", even though I already have 80 boxes at home. I find myself saying, "Well, I can give it away..." or whatever other excuse I have just to get a deal. Why not keep that $5 and put it in your savings account EACH TIME and see how much money you quickly have in your account! It is amazing how quickly it adds up! So I guess I just want to caution everyone out there- bargain shopping is addicting. -now you can't say I haven't warned you! So much good can come from getting good deals. Building up our personal year supply as we have been asked to do so many dozens of times, always having extra to share with others in need and of course the fun of shopping. Just remember that the whole intention of "Bargain Shopping" is to save money, not spend! This is partly a reminder to myself, but I really liked this subject, especially as we are all about to get some hard earned cash back from Uncle Sam in the form of REBATES! (YAY!)

So how are you planning on spending your hard earned REBATES? After much contemplation and dreaming on our part of how we would spend our $1800.00, we have decided to put all of it towards our debt instead of wasting it on things we "WANT" now, but don't necessarily need. (boo-hoo) Because I am a BargainMom, I have decided to try and coax, persuade and admonish everyone to do the same. We have been asked to avoid unnecessary debt as interest shows no mercy and we often feel as though we are slaves to our debt.

Elder Joseph B. Worthlin gave a talk on this about 4 years ago and he said the following on this subject:

"Remember this: debt is a form of bondage. It is a financial termite. When we make purchases on credit, they give us only an illusion of prosperity. We think we own things, but the reality is, our things own us."
continue reading HERE

Isn't it so true! I am SO guilty of having charged something that I didn't NEED, but really WANTED at that moment. So it was on sale! Score! Two months later you have paid more in interest and minimums and have ended up paying 4 times more for that item that you ever would have. So from one BargainMom to the rest....be wise in your spending, but more importantly, be wise in your SAVING. Lets protect our families from possible financial storms that may come and not allow ourselves to become slaves to our earthly wants and keep site of the bigger picture! That was my soap box speech for the day.

So....how are you planning on spending your rebate check?!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Fry's Money Maker

http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/ has Muir Glen coupons.
It states $1.00 off any Muir Glen Product and it lets you print up to 10. (or it should- it let me)

I just found another site, http://www.thebestlife.com/ also has coupons for $1/1.

Fry's has Muir Glen organic tomato paste on sale 4/$3 - or .75c each. This is in the organic foods section, and it is not in the ad. These are the smaller cans, but you get them FREE and they owe you .25c.

If they are out of tomato paste then the BIG cans of the canned tomatoes were 2/$3 or $0.59 each after coupon, making them a good deal too. Think year supply soups and stews, people! :)

Because these don't have to be doubled, you can use all 10 or how ever many you want at a time.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Other Grocery Deals 4/23 thru 4/30

Albertsons:
  • California sweet corn .20c

Bashas:
  • Rice-a-Roni is FREE after coupons. Print as many as you want HERE. (top right, coupon resources, HCW Printable coupons) Use only 3 per transaction. Be wise when using these because they are internet coupons and they question fraud if you have too many at once.
  • Betty Crocker cookie pouches are 2/$3 but with coupons from HERE (print 2- unless you already did this) they are only $1.00 a box. Only .50c if they double it.
  • 4 lb. Sugar (Food Club Brand) $.99c (limit 1 per transaction)
  • Bumble Bee Tuna .50c a can
  • Yoplait Yogurt .36 or .41 each with coupons from the following sites: (http://www.bettycrocker.com/), (http://www.pillsbury.com/), (http://www.boodle.com/)

Safeway:

Wal-Mart:

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

updated: FRY'S Deals 4/23 - 4/29

You won't want to pass this up, especially if you are a new bargain mom! At Fry's this week you will get boxes of cereal for FREE or .50c if they don't double the coupons. You can also get Granola Bars and Fruit Snacks for Free or up to .60C a box. There are ONLINE COUPONS available for these items, so don't miss out! Below are the items included and the online coupon links. Some people are having problems with the links letting them print off so many coupons. Remember, if you have already printed off 10 in the past month etc, they haven't reset their counter then you might only be able to print off 2 or so. Just try, try, try!

4/$4 Deal Includes the following products:


  • Honey Nut Cheerios .50/1 HERE Will be FREE if they double.
  • Berry Burst Cheerios *Sunday paper coupons
  • Chocolate Chex *Sunday paper coupons make them FREE
  • Strawberry Chex ARE INCLUDED! .75c/1 HERE *Print up to 10 will make it only .25c a box if this is included. If they double it, this cereal will be FREE. Also go HERE
  • Multi-Grain Cheerios
  • Fruit Roll-Ups, Gushers, Fruit by the Foot .60c/ 2 boxes HERE *print up to 10- will make them only .70c a box, or if the cashier doubles it, will make them only .50c a box. Also coupons HERE
  • Curves bars
  • Fiber One Bars go HERE print up to 10! If they double them, they will be FREE!
  • Nature Valley Granola Bars .80c/2 boxes HERE-*Print up to 10 at this site Here and HERE will make them only .60c a box, but if the cashier doubles the coupons, it will make them only .50c a box. **Also coupons available in last Sunday's paper to make one box free.
  • Milk 'N Cereal Bars

Coupons available from your news papers:

$1.00/3 General Mills Cereals (SS 4/20)$0.50/1

Nature Valley Granola Bar (SS 4/20)$0.75/2

Nature Valley Granola Bars (SS 3/9)$1.00/2

General Mills Cereals (SS 4/13, SS 4/6)$0.50/2

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (SS 3/9)

Remember to only use 4 items per transaction. If you are using coupons remember that they only double the first 3 "same" items, so do 3 of one item and 1 of another for each transaction or 2 & 2 depending on the coupon.

Will be updating when I am not so tired.....

Friday, April 18, 2008

Payless Shoes

I know it might seem a bit early to think about school shoes for next year, but I just went to the Payless Shoes at Greenfield/Baseline and spent $46.00 and got 8 pair of shoes. I even paid full price for one pair of sandals. The deal at all Payless stores is Buy One Get One 1/2 Off. But at Greenfield/Baseline, if you BOGO, you get an additional $2 off any clearance shoe in the women's section. They actually had a great selection too. Anyway, it turned out to be a really great shoe buying day until I had to pay twice as much as that for one pair of cross country shoes for my teenage athlete...

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Free Samples

There's a link on here for "Freebies 4 Mom", but the top 20 free samples from her site are listed here: http://frugalhacks.com/?p=547

It took me all of 5 minutes to order a whole bunch of useful stuff for FREE!!!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Free Cottonelle Toilet Paper at Fry's (thru 4/15)

Fry's has this TP on sale for .99c this week. If you go to http://www.cottonelle.com/ and create a pledge, you can print out a coupon for $1 off of a 4-pack. It is kinda silly, but with the coupon you will get a FREE 4 pack of TP at Fry's.

For example, my pledge was this: "To keep my current friends I would always supply 2-ply." Simple, right? It is only a sentence.

Also, more coupons here: http://www.cottonelle.com/special_offers/coupons/ (will double to $1.00 off)
And here: http://www.cottonelle.com/coupons.aspx (will double to $1 off)

That's 3 packs of toilet paper for free, people!! (Print one coupon per link)

Bar-S Hot Dogs .50c at Fry's with online coupon

Print off 2 Bar-S Coupon's by clicking: Here
These are on sale for $1.00 at Fry's this week.

Fry's will double each of these coupons .50c, so get two packs of hot dogs for .50c each!

Walgreens $5 off $20 coupon tomorrow only!

http://www.walgreens.com/hotbuys/default.jsp?ec=hn525s_getcoupon

For this week's ad, promotions and deals see our previous blog below or click here : http://bargainmoms.blogspot.com/2008/04/walgreens-deals.html

Wal-Mart deals - updated with new coupons



At Wal-Mart certain flavors of Malt-O-Meal cereal are on rollback this week 5 for $5. (Thanks for the update, Connie)
Use this coupon for $1.50 off and have a .50c overage! (print 2)
Plus, go ahead and get some more for free using this $1 off coupon!
Depending on your cashier and your Wal-Mart, they may or may not give you the .50c overage, but you can still get the cereal for free. I've never had any problem getting overage at my Wal-Mart.
Update: More coupons on www.hotcouponworld.com
Click on the link here: Free Buddies Soaps (print 2)These are in the baby section by the other baby wash or sometimes you can find it in the adult hair care/hygiene area. You can also get these for free at Fry's, CVS or Target on any given day. If you haven't yet printed the other coupons from the other links for these soaps, click these links: HERE and HERE (Print 2 per link)
* Free Fast Fixin' Dino-Bites. HERE Just sign up for their Fanatics club, and they will send 5 coupons to your printer. Go back and refresh the page to print 5 more!Then, look around on their site, and there is another spot to print another coupon. Again, backspace and refresh the page and you'll get yet another. That makes a total of 12 coupons!
* Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes for .16c a can Printables HERE (at least 6)
* Possibly Lady Speedstick 24/7 depderoant is FREE after coupon from this site: http://www.hotcouponworld.com/ Can anyone verify that their regular retail price for this is only $1?

Vlasic $1 off coupon


$1 off coupon for Vlasic: Go to http://www.vlasic.com/ and click on the "Crunch in the Fast Lane Sweepstakes" button., you can register and play the instant game and at the end is a link to a PDF coupon to print. You can save the PDF to your computer and print as many as you want. Because of internet fraud issues, please use discresion and only use 1 or 2 at a time when going to the store.

FREE Disposable Toilet Scrubbers

http://www.3m.com/us/home_leisure/scotchbrite/images/coupons/MSL_DTSCoupon_4-2008.pdf

This is a valid coupon on the 3m website but you may have a hard time getting stores to accept it. Stores have lost so much money because of fraudulent Internet coupons that they have cracked down on what they will accept. Allison said that Fry's, Basha's, and Albertsons will not accept printable coupons for free items. I haven't ever had a problem with it at our QC Fry's, but it might depend on the cashier. I'm not sure about Safeway and Wal-Mart. I think this is worth printing and trying though! Please, use restraint when using this coupon. It is in a PDF format so it does not limit how many you can print. I would not use more than 2 at a time.

Info courtesy of: AllisonsAZDeals

Is getting a good deal always a good deal?

Sometimes I am a little obsessive. For example, I went to the store lastnight with my coupons and very excited about what I was purchasing. I love cleaning products, especially Clorox. But, as the saying goes, "just because it is a good deal, doesn't mean you need to buy it." Well, I might have gone overboard. While I saved over $200 and only spent $33, I'm not upset about the money, just wondering what I will do with 20 gallons of bleach!! (I got lots of other food items too, I just had already put them away.)

FYI - I used the Honey Bunches of Oats with chocolate clusters coupon at Walgreens and was able to get the honey kind instead of chocolate, since they didn't have any chocolate. I spent $.54 on 4 boxes of cereal and 4 tubes of toothpaste. That's right, .54 cents!!!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Nestle Hot Cocoa

http://www.everydayeating.com/ has a $ .75 off coupon wyb Nestle Hot cocoa canister or packets. Walmart has the Nestle boxed cocoa for $ .97 regular price.

Nestle Hot Cocoa Box $ .97 - . 75 = $ .22

http://www.everydayeating.com/ has a 2 coupon printing limit, but I was able to get more by waiting a few days and reprinting.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Walgreens Deals 4/6 - 4/13

View this week's Walgreens ad by clicking HERE
Preview Next Week's ad by clicking HERE ::Honey Bunches of Oats are on sale at Walgreens for $2.oo. You can get several boxes for FREE.

Wal-mart usually has this priced at around $2.20 a box, so you could also go there if you aren't near a Walgreens. Or, Ad Match!

Get 1 coupon per site: click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Some of these sites have been reset, some haven't so if you already printed thoese off, all of them might not print, but TRY!

::Aquafresh Advanced on sale for $2. Use $2 off coupon from HERE. If that link won't work, click HERE. Print 2 by clicking the back arrow and refreshing your monitor.

You will get 2 free, plus overage from monthly rebate.

::Reynold's Foil - on sale with in-ad coupon for $0.75 (Get ad's at the front of the store, or in your Sunday paper)

::Airwick Freshmatic Minis - on sale B1G1 ($9.99/2)Use 2 $4/1 coupons here or $4/1 coupons from 4/6 SmartSource insert $0.99 each after coupons and sale

::Free 1 Hour Film Developing Wednesday Only with in-ad coupon

REGISTER REWARD DEALS

::Aveeno skin and bath care - Buy 4, Get $10 Register Rewards

Use $1/1 printable here or $1/1 from 1/20, 3/2, and 4/6 paper inserts or $1.50/2 from 1/20 and 4/6 paper inserts

Click HERE for more Walgreens deals and register rewards.

New to Walgreens? Click HERE

Thanks to MSM and HCW for all of the info.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Shortcuts Coupons

NEW! Add coupons to your Fry's VIP card through http://shortcuts.com/home. These coupons come off automatically at the register (will only come off once) and may be used in addition to any other coupons you have!! There are a few that work with the Fry's Promo this week! Here are the coupons available:

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits .50c/2
Betty Crocker Frosting .55/1
Betty Crocker Crescent .25/1


Others:
Green Giant Veggies 1.00/2
Nature Valley Bars .75/2
Lucky Charms .55/1
Yoplait Gogurt .80/2
Honey Nut Cheerios 1.00/2
Fiber One Cereal 1.00/1

CVS Deals for April

Now let's start money making!!!

::Essence of Beauty Promotion:: (a CVS Brand) Purchase 3 Essence of Beauty products and receive $5 ECB's. Facial exfoliating buffs are only $1.49, Toe seperators are only .99c and their gift bags (which are VERY CUTE and come with the tissue paper) are also only $1.49. So, purchase 3 bags for $4.47 and get $5 ECB's. Or buy 3 toe seperators and spend $3 out of pocket, get $5 ECBs so you just MADE money! You can do this 5 times, so get 15 items. ( I just did all gift bags because I will use them!!) My CVS (QC) has a lot of little products in the front of the store by the cosmetics and the gift bags and other items are towards the back on an end cap. The facial exfoliating buff as well as the gift bags are that price. I would pay for them in 2 seperate transactions, one of 3 items and one of 12 or something so that when you get your ECB's, they aren't in one lump total of $25, that way it is easier to use them on your next purchases without having an overage of ECB's. So one transaction will give you $5 ECB's and the other will give you $20. Use the $20 ECB's on this next purchase:

::CVS Brand Pain Reliever:: (limit 5)
Pay $3.99 each
Get $3.99 ECB's each
It's like you got them for FREE
(Instead of paying $19.95 out of pocket, you can use your $20 ECB's from the last purchase (grab a pack of gum or something small for .50 cents if you have to because the ECB's can't be more than your pre-tax total) and you just got all of that pain reliever for FREE plus still have another $19.95 to roll over to your next purchase)


::Buy 1 Softsoap Spa Body Wash at $4.99, Get $4.99 ECBs (Limit 5) Use $1/1 coupon here or $1.50/1 coupon from 3/30 SmartSourceFree plus overage after coupon and ECBs(unadvertised deal)

::Buy 1 Lumene Body Aktiva Trial Sized Tube at $1.99, Get $1.99 ECBsFree after ECBs

::CVS Baby Promotion:: Get$10 ECB's when you buy $25 of any of the following:
(limit 1 reward per household)
-Gerber Juice, 2nd Foods of finger foods ($1.59)
-CVS Baby Wipes 72-80 ct (2/$4)
-Gerber 1st Foods 2pk ($1.00)
-Johnson's Baby Care Buddies, powder, lotion, oil, wash, shampoo 6.5-15 oz, balm 0.5 oz, bedtime washcloths 14 ct,
-Desitin original 2 oz. ($2.99)
-CVS Cotton Swabs ($2.99)
-Playtex Baby Accessories ($4.99)
-Huggies Jumbo Pack SUpreme, Ultratrim, Pull-ups, Natural Fit, or Goodnites (excludes overnites) ($8.99) Online Coupon for $2 off diapers HERE
-Baby Orajel Pain Relief teething medication 0.18-0.45 oz or swabs 12 ct.

*You can use your Johnson's Buddy bar's soap coupons as part of this. They are free after coupons.* If you get the paper, you should have some different coupons from Huggies that you can use. Just be sure your total is $25, use some ECB's from before and get $10 in ECB's back for future purchases.

Example transaction:

4 buddies bars soaps $4.00
2 package Huggies pull-ups or other diapers $8.99 each/ $17.98
2 CVS Baby Wipes $4.00
Total: just over $25

use 2- $2 off coupons for Johnson's Buddies soaps by clicking HERE If you already used them, you can get more HERE or HERE
Use $2 off coupon for Huggies (this is a CVS coupon so you can stack it with any you have from the paper)
Use $20 in ECB's. (If you need, grab another bar of Johnson's soap as a filler)
Next to nothing out of pocket, Generate another $10 in ECB's.

Another good deal:

::Excedrine:: FREE plus you make $5
go HERE and print of 5 Excedrine coupons
Grab 5 boxes of Excedrine (look on the end cap, they have 2 boxes packaged together as B1G1) These are on sale for $1.99, so you get 5 boxes of Excedrine for free using your online coupons, plus they give you $1 ECB per box, so they just paid you $5! If you can find the boxes on the end cap that are B1G1, you will get 10 boxes of Excedrine for FREE plus make $5 in ECB's.

Save your ECB's for next week's deals (preview available on Hot Coupon World) If you did all of these deals and rolled your ECB's, you should have around $20 in ECB's left.

All April deals are HERE

Friday, April 4, 2008

Albertsons deals 4/2 thru 4/8

Albertson's does NOT Double Coupons.

::General Mills Cereal Sale 4/$4 after online coupons

http://www.coupons.com/
Print 2 Cheerios coupons for .55c off
Print 2 Kix coupons for .55c off
Buy 2 of each and spend only $1 a box. Not the BEST deal for cereal when you can get it for .50c or free, but if you need cereal now this is an okay deal.

http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/
Print up to 10 Cheerios coupons for .50c off
I would save some of these coupons for better promos with stores that do double coupons, but if you NEED the cereal then go ahead and use them. If you have recently printed these coupons already, they haven't reset their web site yet so you cannot print more yet.


::Ball Park Franks only $1.50 each after online coupons
http://www.smartsource.com/ or http://www.hotcouponworld.com/
Print 2 Ball Park Franks coupons for $1.00 off.
Buy two packages at 2/$5 and with the $2 off it is only $1.50 a package. They also have their Bar-S Hot Dogs on sale for $1 a package. You can freeze hot dogs!!!


::Milk is only 1.99/Gal

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Fry's Promo 4/2 thru 4/15

10 items Mega Event: Buy any 10 participating items and get $5 off with Fry's Card.
Limit 3 rewards per transaction.
Here are some of the participating items and their final price after purchasing ten (10)
I have put coupon# and final price after coupon next to the item. If you don't get the Sunday paper, it is still a good promo.

Here are some coupon links available to go with the promo:

-Betty Crocker cookie mixes: http://www.bettycrocker.com/ (print off 2 Cookie pouches)
-Any Windex cleaner printable $1/1 coupon here: http://www.windex.com/coupon/windex2008-03/default.aspx
-Scott Paper Towels http://www.scottbrand.com/us/offers/coupon/index.asp
- French's Mustard (free) http://www.frenchs.com/

Items - Final Price .50
Gatorade or SoBE Life Water 20-30oz bottles
Hormel Chili 15oz I215 b2 $1 FREE after cpn
Hunts Manwich 15oz
Pillsbury Golden Layer or Grand Biscuits H205, K316, F403 b2 .30 .20 after cpn
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish 6.6 – 15oz
Lipton Rice or Pasta Sides B28 b2 .75 FREE after cpn
Betty Crocker Cake Mixes K714 L748
Haagen Daz Ice Cream Cups
Fry’s Pretzels 6.6 – 15 oz
French’s Classic Yellow Mustard C233 J227 b1 .50 FREE after cpn www.frenchs.com
Pedigree Dog Food 22 oz cans C7 H22 J745 M737 b10 .75 .40 a can after cpn
Kroger Toaster Treats 8ct


Items - Final Price $1.00
Cheetos
Cheez-its
Fritos
Betty Crocker potatoes F406 K311 L746 K706 b1 .35 .30 after cpn
Betty Crocker Cookie pouches F411 K309 b1 .50 FREE after cpn www.bettycrocker.com (2)
Progresso light Soups F419 b1 .25 .50 after cpn
Kraft Philadelphia Soft Cream Cheese
Peter Pan Peanut Butter H873 b1 $1 Free after cpn
Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies K301 ???
Healthy Choice Simple Selection Entrees
Marie Callender’s Pot Pies
Pillsbury French Loaf or biscuits D211 G204 b2 .40 .60 after cpn K320 b2 .50 .50 after cpn
Clorox Bleach 82 -96 oz
Scott Paper Towels – 1 Mega Roll K352 b4 .50 .75 each after cpn

Items - Final Price $1.50
Beneful Dog Food prepared meals 10oz
Whiskas Temptations cat food 2.1 – 3oz C9 b2 $1 .50 after cpn
Kraft Shredded or Bar Cheese 8oz
Kraft singles 12 oz
Hot, Lean pockets, Sub or Calzones F17 b3 $1 $1.16 after cpn F18 b1 .50 Calzone .50 after cpn
Classico Pasta Sauce 10-26 oz
Mamma Bella or New York Garlic Toast F27 b1 .50 .50 after cpn K405 b2 $1 $1 after cpn
Spam 12 oz
Welches Grape Jelly or Jam 22 -32 oz
Betty Crocker Brownie Mixes F409 b2 .50 $1 after cpn
Betty Crocker Muffin Mixes K304 b1 .50 .50 after cpn
Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwiches
Aunt Jemima pancakes or entrees I208 b2 $1 $1 after cpn
Eggo Waffles K408 b2 $1 .50 after cpn
Windex 26 oz M249 b1 $1 .50 after cpn
Shout 22 oz M256 b1 .75 .50 after cpn
Clorox disinfecting Wipes 35 ct.
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars H221 b2 $1 $1 after cpn
Dole Fruit Bowls 4 pk or 24.5 jar
Kelloggs Fruit Snacks J714 J207 K710 F413 $1 after cpn
Rice Krispies treats 6.2 oz
Milk-Bone Dog Biscuits I18 b1 .55 .50 after cpn

Items - Final Price $2.00
Kelloggs Cereals selected varieties (Special K and Cocoa Krispies are pictured) H4 b1 .70 $1 after cpn
Special K Bars or Bites 4.6 – 4.87 oz M22 b1 .55 $1 after cpn
Minute Maid Orange Juice 64 oz
Minute Maid Fruit Drinks 128 oz
Welches 100% Grape Juice 64 oz. F220 b1 .75 $1 after cpn
Dannon Yogurt or Smoothies 4-8pk A327 b1 $1 $1 after cpn
Hunts Snack Packs Pudding family pack
Popsicle Novelties 18-30 ct.
Weight Watcher 4-12 ct H867
Dreyers Dibs 60 ct
Ziploc Storage Bags K202 b1 .40 K203 b2 $1
Glade Candles 4 oz K241 b1 $1 $1 after cpn
Dawn Dish Detergent 13.5-28oz M713 b1 .50
C&H Sugar 5lb I24 b2 .55 $1.50 after cpn
Crisco Pure Canola Oil 48 oz.
Oroweat English Muffins 12.5-14.5oz
Thomas Bagels 22oz
Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing
Newmans Own16 oz M15 b1 $1 $1 after cpn
Vlassic Pickles 16-24oz
Nabisco Ritz
Chip Ahoy or 100 Calorie Packs
Morning Star Farms Entrees
Buitoni Pasta or sauce
Breyers Ice Cream 48.56oz B23 b2 $1 $1.50 after cpn
Sara Lee Fruit Pies

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

.99 cents a pound STEAK!!!

Safeway Grand Re-Opening Sale!!!

I'm not sure if all of the Safeways are doing this, but the Safeway on Alma School & Guadalupe in Gilbert has Round Steak for 99 cents a pound but today is the last day. It's usually about $6 bucks a pound. It might be worth the drive. Limit 2 at a time, but just bring someone else & go out to your car a few times!!!

Bargain Dad out!