Clearing out coupons

I went through all my coupons that I had back from December and weeded out all the expired coupons inserts.  I had no idea I had so many...

off the the recycling center they go!

Coupons I'm Printing Right Now

Here's a printable coupon for $1 off any 2 Gallons of Silk milk.

GO HERE to print a Klondike potatoes coupon

GO HERE to print a $.50 Scotch packaging tape coupon

$1 off 7th Generation laundry detergent HERE

Various Arm and Hammer coupons HERE

My Walmart trip today

I was making a quick shopping trip today but I did get some good deals with coupons.

The Wilkinson razors were free after the $1 coupon that was on http://www.coupons.com/ It may still be there if you haven't printed them yet.  The 2 cokes I got for $.47 each with the $1 coupon that is HERE. This coupon will run out of prints anytime so print it quick!

I went to the west side Walmart and they had a ton of clothes on clearance from $1-$5.  Just FYI if your in the market.

Huggies and Pampers Points

If you have a little one in diapers then you probably know about the Huugies and Pampers Points program. GO HERE to learn more or to enter your points for the Huggies Program or GO HERE for the Pampers program.  Below is a list of points you can enter to increase your stash.  Last month I cashed in my Huggies points and received a art set for my 2 year-old and he loved it.  I'm close to cashing in again too!

Huggies Points:
BKTXHRBZFXLLPGB (5 pts)

BKWWNFSGBMJWPGB (1 pt)
BKKJSJHSWMZWPGB (5 pts)
BKLCDQSHXRLTPGB (5 pts)
bkjbpwgszrpnpgb (5 pts)
BJRJLBZZLFBDPGB (5 pts)
BKKCSBBMSPNSPGB (5 pts)
BKKDNLKMKHRHPGB (5 pts)
BKWHDMMLPCXCPGB (25 pts)
BKTWJZQHZDCRPGB (1 pt)
watch all the videos and take the polls also to get more points

Pampers Points:
Just enter code YIYY9Y6DPDPD6DT to score 5 more points!

Just enter code 10000LatinasFbk to score 10 more points!
Just enter code 20000PampLatino to score 5 more points
Just enter code Happybdaypamprs to score 50 more points!
4XGHB4HPE7PB7NK to score 10 more points
Worth 10 points:
WELCOMEGTGPTS10
GTGREWARDS4MOMS
pampers4momjfm1
CONGRATS2NEWMOM
GTGWELCOME10PTS
Pampersgtg10pts
PUNTOSPARAMI123
CAREFORNEWBORNS
getstartednow10
Worth 50 points:
WELCOME2PAMPERS
GIFTSTOGROW4MOM
JOINNOW4REWARDS
2BEGINEARNING50

20000PampLatino (5 points)

HOT!!! Huggies Coupon

Print this one quick.  GO HERE to print a $3 off any package of Huggies diapers. This will make for some cheap diapers with a sale.

End of the month

It's the end of the month and you know what that means...it's my monthly reminder to all of you to print what coupons you want before they disappear on June 1st.  Some may reset and you can print more of them but most disappear.

Possibly Super Cheap Diaper Bags at Babies or Toys-R-Us

There is a $10 printable Babies/Toys-R-Us coupon for $10 off any diaper bag and it is being reported on different blogs that couponers are finding diaper bags on clearance for $12.98 which makes the bag $2.98.  The coupon does not exclude clearanced bags.  If you going to that store anyways it may be worth it to print the coupon and hope you find a good deal.  The coupon is also a PDF so you can print more than one. Post a comment if you find a great deal!

This Weeks Shopping Deals

CVS

Walgreens

Rite Aid

Nexcare Coupons

GO HERE to print a variety of Nexcare bandages coupons and other first aid products.  These coupons do not expire till Dec, 2011 so there is bound to be a good deal at Walgreens or CVS before then.

No Coupons this Sunday

I can not believe there will be no coupons in this Sunday's paper.  Here I am in Chicago, a large market where I was excited to get to take home a paper with "the good coupons" and there won't be any.  That bites!

Free 8 pack of juicy Juice

Print this coupon to get a free 8-pack of Juicy Juice when you buy a package of Huggies swimmers and it does not expire until July so you have plenty of time!

Coupon Class

It's set.  June 17th at 6:30 at Gethsemane Church off Garvin Street.
1001 North Main Street
Evansville, IN 47711

The class will be in the 180 building right next to the church (there will be a sign).  Please tell everyone you know.  This class will be 1.5 hours and $10 per person.  100% of the fee will go to CARE (Community Autism Resource of Evansville) which is an autism support group and a non-for-profit.  This class will be basic 101 but there will be a lot of time for questions, specific deal examples and tips for shopping at out local stores.  I will provide everyone a handout with lots of great information which you can keep.  There will also be giveaways (FREEBIES and COUPONS) so you won't want to miss it.  I can't wait to get a bunch of couponers together so we can chat about what we love.  I will also be bringing all my "stuff" so you can see how I organize, clip and compile shopping lists.  Feel free to look through my organizers to get ideas.  If you can attend please email me at marymwirtz@yahoo.com to RSVP.  I won't hold you to it if you need to cancel but I need to know how many handouts to make. 

Coupons.com has new coupons up

WOW there are even more of great new coupons available on Coupons.com: 
$1.00 off any LISTERINE WHITENING Rinse
$1.00 off any ONE (1) Lightlife Product
$1.00 off one V8 V-Fusion + Tea beverage.
$1.00 off two V8 100% vegetable juice
$1.00 off TWO 6-packs or bottle of V8 V-Fusion I would snag these now, these great coupons won’t last!  A month ago I got this product for $1.50 at Schnucks with a great sale and these coupons.
Click here to print these out!

$.49 rice at Walmart

I saw this deal posted on another blog so hopefully our Walmart sells this brand. I think that they do.  To get rice for $.49 just head on over TO HERE and use zip code 30720 (if needed) to print a $.75 coupon for Mahatma Whole Grain Brown Rice

I'm in Coupon heaven right now

On of my couponing goals while traveling this week is to "dumpster dive" for those good coupons we don't get in our local Evansville paper.  Well much to my surprise I didn't need to because my sister-in-laws husband (I'm visiting them while traveling) works for a newspaper and brought me huge stacks on inserts from the last few weeks.  I'M SO EXCITED.  So I got a bunch of those $1 off KC Masterpiece coupons that will equal free sauce the next time Schnucks has them for 10 for $10. I also got Chi-Chi tortilla shells, Baby Rays Sauce and so many more.  There are some great advantages to having family in the newspaper business. 

I asked him about issues with papers being short on inserts in our Evansville area and he stated they have the same issue and it's actually an issue in every market.  The newspaper only receives so many inserts based on what the manufacturers/companies send them.  So they make sure their paid subscribers get all the inserts but otherwise, you run the risk of not receiving them. 

I was also hoping to get some of those Unilever coupon inserts from last weeks paper but they did not get them in their market either.

There is also a Kroger here but their coupon policy states that they will double up to $1 but for only 2 coupons in your transaction.  You can use more coupons than that but only the first 2 will double.  That's a bummer.  I'm enjoying spending time with my sister-in-law and her 4 kids (2 of them are brand new baby twins) and talking about coupons.  We had a table full of coupons inserts and clipped coupons last night. Party!!!! (well in my life that's a party).

Target Coupons

Target uploaded some new coupons today and I'm so happy to see some Kraft coupons.  Go check it out HERE.http://www.target.com/

My Walgreens trip

I went to the Walgreens on N. Green River and they were sold out of Gillette Razors, Tylenol Precise but did have some hot dogs left.  I got there at 9:30am and they had 3/4 of their 2 shelves already sold.  I didn't end up buying them because they were not all beef but it's a good deal.  The only deal I got was the Huggies Swimmer Diaper which were $6.99 and I used the $2 store coupon and a $2 manufacturer coupon from the 5/15 insert.  So it made them $2.99 and thats a good buy for those.  It's just frustrating to me to have empty shelves every time I shop.  In my situation I'm thinking about switching to price matching at Walmart for the items I can even though I hate to shop at Walmart.  That still really limits you as a couponer because you can not price match for items with RR or ECB's but something is better than nothing. 

Only 2 inserts in our paper

I'm not surprised but in my paper there was only 2 inserts and no Unilever insert.  If there is a coupon that you wanted out of that insert then you need to go purchase it online today or tomorrow at the latest because the good ones go fast.  I have used ebay and www.thecouponclippers.com before.

Weekly Store Deals for next week

Collin at Hip2Save does a great job at listing the deals for each store with all the coupon matchups.  To see the deals just click the links below for the store you want.  I will be adding on deals throughoutt the week as I find them. NOTE: I will be out of town all this week so I won't be shopping anywhere local.  Sorry.  But if you find a good deal locally and want to post it - just put a comment on this blog post.  I will still be blogging while on the road also.

RITE AID store deals

CVS store deals

Walgreens store deals

Super cute freebie

GO HERE to sign up for the Pear Tree's newsletter and then you can purchase FOR FREE this cute stationary set.  I did this freebie myself and you do not enter any payment information and shipping is free.  Can't wait to get mine!

My Yard Sale Finds

I don't normally post about yard sales but I was so excited that there was a perfect sale in my little town full of boys 2-3T clothes.  Just what I needed.  I got about 10 outfits, 3 sets of pj's and 2 Thomas the Train toys for about $18.  One of the pj's is a superman outfit and another one is a Buzz Lightyear outfit with wings. Can't wait to try it on him. I also got a fire truck toddler bed for $29.95 at World Wide Missions yesterday which will match my son's "vehicles" themed room.  I will post a picture later.  I love yard sale season.  Anybody else have any good yard sale finds?  Got any tips you want to pass on on how to get a good deal at yard sales or the best area to shop?

What coupons will be in tomorrow's paper?

Lucky us, we will get 3 coupon inserts tomorrow.  We will get one Red Plum, one Smartsource and one Unilever.  Make sure you pick up a paper or 2 on Sunday.  To see the full list of coupons (we may not get all of them) GO HERE.

Free Ore Ida French Fries at Target

I was able to use the Target store coupon for $2 off any 2 Ore Ida frozen potatoes coupon to get all of these for free.  They are $.99 each and I had 3 coupons!!! The North side Target did not have any and I found these at the east side and they had a full shelf. 

Found a new stockpile deal

I struck out at Walmart on the Ivory soap and Mr. Clean magic erasers yesterday but I was at the Dollar General store today in Poseyville and saw that they have a 4-pack of Ivory soap bars for $1.25.  With the $1 off Ivory coupon from the 5/1 P & G insert you can get it for $.25.  This is an item I will probably buy and put in my donation box for the Evansville Rescue Mission. I wish I would have remembered my coupon binder when I went there UURGGHH!!

Also, they had the twin pack of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers for $2.15 and with the $1.50 off coupon from the 5/1 P & G insert that would make it $.65.  I think Walmart did have a lower price for these so you might want to check another Walmart than west side to see if they have them in stock. 

Hope you get some good deals!

Coupon's I'm Printing Right Now

$5 off Gnomeo and Juliet Blu-Ray/DVD Combo

$1 off Crystal Light from their facebook page (you need to "like" them first)

$1.50/2 General Mills cereal

Free Avery Sample

Free Avery Flexible Name Badges from their Facebook page.  You will get 2 samples and a rebate offer.

Free Weather Radio App today ONLY

You can download for free today only (or the first 100,000) iMapWeather Radio for iPhone, iPad or iTouch.  I just searched for it on my iPhone and was able to install it with no problem.  It would be nice to get storm alerts on your phone if you do not have a weather radio at home and this is FREE.

GO HERE to learn more about the app.

Online Coupon Organizer

I came across this website where you can organize all your coupons online for free.  It's like an online database where you enter all the coupons you have and then can have your own search engine more or less for them.  It's interesting but I certainly don't have the time to input every coupon I have.  I thought the site was worth sharing in case anyone may be interested in this free service. Just GO HERE to check it out.

My Walmart Trip today

This post will be easier to start with the coupon match-ups that will NOT work at our local Walmart.  I shopped at the west side location so maybe another Walmart might have a different item/price.

The Off insect repellent in the travel section for $2.48 and not $.75 as reported on other blogs so the $.75 coupons I posted earlier this week will not get you a free product. Still a good coupon if you need that item.

The travel section has no Dial lotion to use the $1 off ANY dial lotion product that I posted last week that was on their facebook page.  So I will hold onto it and try another store.

Wilkinson Razors are sold in the cheapest packaging for $3.48 so the $1 off coupon I posted a week ago will not get you a free product.  And at $2.48 it still is not cheap enough for me to use.  So I left my coupons there for some else who may need them.

The Ivory soap coupons in last weeks paper is being reported to get a free 4pack of Ivory soap bars but our Walmart sells them in a 8 pack which was over $3 so no free product there.

And lastly, the $1.50 coupon in last weeks paper for Magic Eraser twin pack should get you a free product but the west side Walmart was sold out. 

So I wanted to pass that along so you guys can save your gas money or time.

What I did get was:

Red Baron Singles $3 and I had 4 $1 off coupons (no longer available) = $2 each
Uncle Ben's White Rice $1.78 and I had 2 $.75 coupons = $1.03 each
Parkay 4 stick butter $1 and I had 6 $.50 coupons (no longer available) = $.50 each
Juicy Juice miltipack $2.48 and I used a $1/2 coupon = $1.98 each (I needed this for a trip)
Bagel Bites big pack $3.97 and I used 4 $1 off coupons (no longer available) = $2.97

My coupons took $14 off my bill.  This wasn't a great trip for me but I still was able to get some decent deals and save money.   

Coupons I'm Printing Right Now

$.55/1 ANY Kraft dressing (some stores do these 10 for $10)

Printable coupon for a free pint sample of Benjamin Moore Paint (awesome!!)

Smartsource.com listed several new coupon today including Ritz, Skittle and Lifesavers

$1.50/1 Wholly Guacamole (our East-side Target carries this)

Coupon Class coming next month

I will be teaching a coupon class next month (dates, location and times to come) and this will be a fundraiser for CARE, Community Autism Resources of Evansville.  The class will be $10 but everyone will receive handouts with tons on information on couponing, printed copies of our stores coupon policies, lots of sample coupon deals and much more.  There will also be giveaways and prizes.  I will be bringing all my "stuff" so you can see how I organize my coupons and make my shopping lists.  This class is going to be on basic couponing on the stores we have locally and will be great for beginner couponers and also great for anyone who needs help with being better organized with their coupons and shopping lists. I'm very excited to do this and 100% of the class fee will go to charity. So I hope a lot of people are able to come and I'm looking forward to meeting fellow couponers!! 

My Menards Trip

I didn't get a picture of all my items (I forgot) but I purchased 14 geraniums, 1 drywall repair kit (not on sale), 1 epoxy glue (not on sale), 2 packs of AA batteries for $1.99 (after $3.50 rebate) and 1 3-pack lint roller ($.09 after rebate).  I went to the store with over $40 in rebate money so I was able to purchase everything with no out of pocket and I have 2 more rebate items to send off.  Most of the time I only roll over my rebate money but in this trip I did have 2 things I needed to pick up and it was nice to not have to pay for it.  I even challenged myself by not taking my wallet in the store which made me very nervous that I would go over my total.  But I still have over $6 left in rebate money to use at another time.

My Kohl's Trip

I received a $10 card in the mail from Kohl's last week which I thought was odd because I do not have a Kohl's charge card.

So I decided to get my little one something special.  I found him a cute outfit on sale for $13 which only cost my $3.  They have a ton of clearance so that would have been a good option also.  So racks were marked down to 80%. 

My total was $3.20 and I saved $23.60

 

My Target Trip

I went to the North Side Target today.  They have more clearance in the womens section now and I was able to use the new $2 off any Womans top coupon to get 3 shirts at $.50 each!!!  This will be a gift for my sister-in-law.

I also got for boxes of Up & Up Ibuprofen that was $.97 and I used the $1 Up & Up pain reliver coupon so they were free.  I bought 4 packages of Up & Up panytliners that were $.87 and I had a $.75 Target coupon.  And of course my little one wanted a bag of chips.

My total ended up being under $5.  And the shirts were regulary $10 each so this was a good trip.  There was plenty on their shelves so I don't anticipate anyone having too much trouble finding what you need.  If the shelf is empty then don't worry because these coupon don't expire until next month.

Local Coupon Website coming

I don't really know what this is going to be other than it's about Evansville Coupons.  Check out the Facebook page for it here
http://www.facebook.com/evillecoupons?sk=app_201143516562748

Target Deals

Below is a list of all the great deals at Target with the new coupons that were added to their website HERE.
All the coupons below are at the Target website.

Up & Up Hydrogen Peroxide, 16 oz $0.52

$0.50/1 – Up & Up First Aid Item – (target.com)
Final Price: $0.02

Up & Up Isopropyl Alcohol, 16 oz $1.02
$0.50/1 – Up & Up First Aid Item – (target.com)
Final Price: $0.52

Up & Up Hydrogen Witch Hazel, 16 oz $1.49
$0.50/1 – Up & Up First Aid Item – (target.com)
Final Price: $0.99

Up & Up Gauze Pads Small Size, 10 Count $1.34
$0.50/1 – Up & Up First Aid Item – (target.com)
Final Price: $0.84

Up & Up Dryer Sheets, 40 count $1.37
$0.50/1 – Up & Up Laundry Items – (target.com)
Final Price: $0.87

Up & Up Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener $0.99
$0.50/1 – Up & Up Beauty Items, Cosmetic Accessory or Nail Care – (target.com)
Final Price: $0.49

Up & Up 20 ct Pantyliners starting at $0.87

Use the $0.75/1 up & up Feminine Care Item Target store coupon found here
Final cost $0.12!

Up & Up Pain Reliever 24 ct $0.99
Use the $1/1 up & up Pain Relief Item Target store coupon found here
Final cost FREE!

Up & Up Nail Polish Remover $0.97
Use the $0.50/1 up & up Beauty Items Target store coupon found here
Final cost $0.47!

Ore-Ida Easy Fries Golden Crinkles (small box) $0.99

Use the $2/2 Ore-Ida Frozen Potato Items Target store coupon found here
Final cost 2 for FREE!

Lipton Tea Bags 16 ct. $1.09

Use the $1/2 Target store coupon found here
Final cost $0.59 each!

There also was a bunch of clothing and accessories coupons.  I would print these and then check the clearance section every time you shop at Target.   I have gotten free stuff by doing this many times.  Happy Shopping!!!

All my links and stuff

I have some new people following so I just wanted to share all my sites and ways you can tap into my posts.  The blog your on now is my first blog I started over a year ago and I post mostly only local deals to the Evansville area here.  I also try to pass on what I find at particular stores, what they have left on their shelves, what their clearance looks like and such.  Then I have a website that I started at www.couponingformycause.com
This site is something I'm hoping to build on and covers coupon deals nationally.  It's a work in progress.  It also contains a lot of information on beginning couponing, how-to guides, youtube videos and how to live a green and frugal lifestyle.  I have instructions on how to make your own cleaning supplies and laundry detergent.  This site also has information on autism and is the "cause" part of the site.  I coupon to save money so I can afford to pay for my kids therapy co-pays and supplements.  Both my boys have special needs and I hope my website will help other families stretch their dollars so they can afford the things that are important. My big goal is that my website might actually make money one day. Now I also have a facebook page for the website and the link is HERE for that.  I'm having trouble getting my posts from the main website to go to the facebook page so right now I'm having to post twice.  Which is a pain.  At some point I hope to learn more about Wordpress or find someone to help me do it.  I probably made this all confusing but I just wanted to pass the info. on.

Menards Freebies

My favorite store for couponing is Menards. If your new to how to do the Menards rebate program then check out my youtube video HERE.  Below are the rebate deals this week:

Mini Brush, Roller and tray kit FREE after $2.50 rebate
Lifetime Ultra Caulk FREE after $3.50 rebate
Smart Caulk Tool FREE after $5 rebate
House Wash FREE after $6 rebate
Super Glue Gel 3-pack FREE after $2.50 rebate
Digital Thermometer FREE after $8 rebate
3-pack Lint Roller $.09 after $5 rebate
Battery 20-pack AA or AAA $1.99 after $3 rebate

***IMPORTANT NOTE: You do need $10 in additional purchases to get the FREE with rebate item.  But the Lint Rollers and the batteries would count towards that $10.

Shopping tomorrow

I didn't get to go shopping today but hopefully I will tomorrow and can show you some deals.  I plan to do Target, Walgreens and if I can fit it in I will do Walmart also.  I will be out of town all next week but I plan to still post each day but I don't think I will be doing any coupon shopping :(
But I will be doing lots of other fun stuff :)

Free Scotch Tape at Staples

Starting today, 5/15 – 5/21, Staples has the Scotch Magic Tape with Dispensers on sale for only $0.99 and you can use the $1/1 Scotch Magic Tape coupon found here to score FREE tape! This is a PDF coupon also!!!


Scotch Magic Tape $0.99
Use the $1/1 coupon found HERE
Final cost FREE!

Coupons I'm Printing Right Now

$1 off 2 20 oz. Coke products HERE

$10 off a $10 or more purchase from HH Gregg (I'd look for a DVD) HERE

Target just listed a bunch of new coupons so go HERE to print yours

$1 off any 2 Oscar mayer Hot dogs HERE

RedPlum also added new coupons today so check those out HERE

New Local Facebook Group

I just discovered this Facebook page yesterday.  It's an Evansville swapping group with a focus on coupons. Check it out. This would be a nice way for us to swap coupons. 

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Tri-state-swap-shop/119898791426573

2 Inserts in this Sunday's paper

Tomorrow you will receive 1 Smartsource and 1 Red Plum insert.  To see all the coupons included go to www.sundaycouponpreview.com

Our market often will not get all the coupons on the list or they may be a lower value so keep that in mind when deciding how many papers you want to buy.  Just a reminder, the coupon formula is one paper for every member of your family.  Our local Dollar Tree store sells the Sunday paper for $1 so that's already a savings of 50%!

This Weeks Shopping Deals

Collin at Hip2Save has the deals for each store ready so below is the links.  I will be adding to this in future posts with further deals I will find for our market in our local stores so check back.  Click on the stores below to see the coupon matchups for this weeks ads.

CVS

Walgreens

Rite Aid

Using your stockpile for teachers gifts

Every year I give a gift to my son's teacher (at the end of the year) to thank her for all her hard work.  I also write a handwritten card to her and to all the aides in the special education dept. that work with my son.  My sister-in-law is a teacher and she once told me that handwritten thank you cards were her favorite gifts.  So I do try to personalize it to each teacher for what they do for my son and the other students all year.  This year I'm giving part of my stockpile of office supplies to my sons teacher as well as a $15 iTunes gift card.  My son has an iPad at school and I had found out that she and the principal had paid for some of the apps on his iPad when I thought it was the special ed. department that had done so.  So I want to ensure she doesn't pay out of pocket again.  Most of the apps were only $1.99 to $.99 each but it adds up.  Most of the goodies will be pens, mechanical pencils, highlighters, dry erase markers, scotch tape and nicer office ink pens.  Most teachers in our area are only given $50 a year to purchase supplies for their classroom so anything I can provide her with (that I paid nothing for) will surely help. My son's teacher knows I'm a couponer so I don't let her think I spent a bunch of money either and make her feel guilty.  I'm also donating several board games I got cheap throughout the year including Toy Story Operation, Connect Four and Elefun.  When I get it all together I will take pictures.  But I wanted to post about it to show how you can use your couponing to GIVE as well as stockpile.  I probably would never be able to afford to supply my son's teacher with these products if it wasn't for couponing.  I love that about couponing.  I feel I can give much better gifts now and good practical gifts that are much needed.  It makes me feel good that I can do that and I'm thankful the opportunity. 

Blogger problems

Sorry...Blogger was down for 2 days and some of my posts and comments have disappeared.  So some of your comments may have disappeared as well.  I've not had issues wih Blogger before so hopefully it won't happen again.  OK, now back to blogging.....

Free Deodorant next week at Walgreens

GO HERE to print the $1 Dove Men+Care deodorant coupon for a sale next week at Walgreens.  With this coupon you will be able to get it free.  You will need to sign up with their site to print the coupon and they have other great coupons as well.

Going to Chicago and saving...

I'm going to Chicago in about 2 weeks for an autism conference and to visit family but I'm also so excited to get some Chicago newspapers with the "good" coupons.  I'm thinking about also dumpster diving while I'm there for all the past coupon inserts.  I will share my pictures!!!  I'm such a dork for that to be one of my highlights.  But this post is about how I plant to save money while I'm there. First, I'm going to get my military ID renewed so I can use it to get discounts everywhere I go. I always ask, "Do you offer a military discount" and most places usually do. We will be going to the Navy Pier and they offer a lot of benefits to military families.  Second, as part of the autism conference there will be free tickets available to some of the area attractions and it is first come first serve.  I already researched who has what and will make that my first stop at the conference.  Third, I'm stocking up on all the freebies given out at the conference on supplement packets, post-it notes and such.  Four, I'm taking all my own food.  We will eat breakfast and dinner in and eat lunch out but at a low-cost fast food type restaurant. I pack all our snacks and buy up on bottled water and take it with me.  Think of the savings by just not going to the vending machine at a hotel or raiding the mini bar.  Fifth, we're going to the zoo for free.  I have a Mesker Park zoo membership and there is a local zoo to the hotel that accepts my membership so we can get in free. I use this also to go to the Louisville zoo free.  My kids love the zoo and this will makes for a nice free outing.  I also researched local parks and playgrounds for more free fun for the kids.   I'm sure I will come up with some more ways to save in the next 2 weeks.  I'll be packing on my travel size free shampoos and such I've couponed for free throughout the year as well.  I will be taking my laptop so I will continue to post deals and such too. 

My 2nd CVS Trip

I had a meeting in Mount Vernon and stopped in at the CVS over there.  I was very surprised to find full shelves.  I got my 4 boxes of brownies for $.33 and 6 boxes of Kellogg's cereal for about $1.50 a box.  They were out of the razors but I have my raincheck for that.  In our market my price point for cereal is $1.25 but we were almost out so I went ahead and did this deal.  Hopefully I can re-stock up later at a cheaper price.  For some reason my computer won't let me upload the picture of my receipt but my total was about $12 and with coupon and 2 ECB for $2.50 all together it brought my total to $6.  I'm happy to get 6 boxes of cereal and 4 boxes of brownies for $6. My total savings was about $26 so I saved enough to just about pay for my gas to go there. 

$1 Dial Lotion coupon

GO HERE to Dial Nutriskin's Facebook page to print a $1 coupon with NO SIZE RESTRICTION.  It only lets you print one but this will get you a free product from the travel section at Target.  Get yours soon before it's gone.

Free John Frieda Sample

This sample does work.  GO HERE to request a free Sample of John Freida hair care. I'm still using some of their shampoo from a great coupon deal at Walgreens from October last year.

Free Avery Sample

GO HERE to request a free sample of Avery post it notes. I love freebies. These are also great to put in gift baskets for teachers.

****I'M UPDATING THIS POST - THEY ARE OUT OF SAMPLES NOW.  SORRY BUT THAT WENT QUICK

Gas prices and couponing

I live in Wadesville and it takes me about 20-30 minutes to get to Evansville depending on what side of town I go to.  When gas prices hit $4 I decided that I needed to cut the amount of days I drive to Evansville in half.  This is hampering my couponing.  I dream of living in an urban setting where I can get in my car and drive for 4 minutes to the local CVS.  Oh, that just seems so grand to me.  I know your thinking "wow her dreams are pretty lame."  And they kinda are.  I'm a stay at home mom and little things are big deal.  So when summer hits I plan to make early Sunday morning my couponing day.  I will do CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Target all on that day.  Then Wednesday my son has therapy in Evansville on the east side so I will sneak in a second chance couponing at whatever store had the best deals and will do Menards if they have good rebate items that week and Schnucks. This way I can save on gas and get my freebies.  There was a day long ago when I never worried about how much gas was or how much it cost to fill my tank.  I drive a van also (which is necessary for my oldest son's disability) and it's about $70 to fill it up.  I hope we can all ease our gas budgets by saving with coupons.

My CVS Shopping Trip

:(  Yep this was my shopping trip.  Everything on my list was sold out at the CVS in North Park by Monday afternoon.  But I'm glad this happened so I could talk about rain checks.  A few years ago I had no idea what a rain check was.  Now I use them all the time.  So if you go to the store to get your deals and their sold out, don't worry about it. Just get a rain check for it.  It does mean making another trip to the store but I do my main 4 stores once a week anyways.  So for CVS I got a raincheck for 4 Duncan Hines brownie mixes.  I have 4 $.50 coupons and with the sale it will make them about $.33 a box.  I got a raincheck for 6 boxes of Kelloggs Rice Crispies that I believe are on sale for $1.97 a box.  I have 2 coupons for $1.50 off 3 boxes.  And I also got a raincheck for 4 packages of Gillette Comfort Plus razors which will be free with my coupons.  All these coupon scenario's are listed on my previous post on CVS weekly deals.  The show Extreme Couponing has defiantly had an effect.  Once I get back from Chicago I plan to make time to call the managers of some of our local stores to ask if it is possible that they can order extra stock of the hot sale items for each week.  At full stock their shelf probably had 8 boxes of Duncan Hines brownie mix and that means probably only 2 or 3 people got to get a great deal (unless they used a rain check like me). 

My Walgreens Trip

Oh, my St. Joe Walgreens was out of everything.  I knew it would be.  But I did pull out a great deal anyways. Just before I left to shop I re-checked my favorite blogs which I always do because somebody probably found a good unadvertised deal and this was one of them.  My total for this purchase was a little over $11.  I used 2 $1.50 off Pampers Swaddlers or Cruisers diapers coupons from the 5/1 P & G insert.  And I also used the Walgreens Baby Care booklet coupon for another $2 off each one.  I also had a $1.50 coupon that was mailed to me in a P & G coupon booklet for $1.50 off any Pampers wipes.  I had a $5 RR which I used towards the $3 cooler.  So my total after coupons was just over $11 and I got a $5 RR for any $5 purchase of Pampers and a $3 RR.  So my net purchase for 2 packages of diapers, 1 package of wipes and a insulated cooler was $3. If your new to couponing then this deal probably sounds very complicated.  I literally copy and pasted the deal directly from www.hip2save.com and printed it out and hoped my Walgreens was participating in the same deal.  It also pays to sign up for things online where you will receive coupons in the mail. I use these all the time.

North Park Target Remodel

The North Park Target is putting in an expanded grocery center. The store will be open during all the remodeling.  They are not expanding the store, only restructuring it to fit in the new groceries items.  They will be adding meats, fresh produce and an expanded frozen section which should be similar to the East side Target.  So great news for us West and North siders.  Right now the clothing section is hard to shop through with a cart but hopefully it will all be done soon.  They do not have a projected end date yet.

My Target Trip

I bought more than this but these are the items that were free. 

Nivea Body Wash was back in stock and was reduced to $2.43 at the North park Target.  I had 3 $3 coupons left and 1 $1 Target coupon I got in the mail so I got these 3 bottles for free with $2.71 overage.  The Nivea coupon was in the 4/17 RP and expires on the 14th.

The Scotch Scissors were $1.49 and I used a $1 printable coupon which made them $.49

The Aquafresh Toddler Training Toothbrushes were $1.99 and last month there was a $1 Target printable coupon (not sure if it is still up) and a $1 manufacturer printable (no longer available) but there is a $.50 printable HERE.  They were free with a $.01 overage.

Disappointed again

The coupon I was hoping to see was the Carefree $1 which would have equalled free with the sale this week but there was no coupon in our paper. Oh well.  I guess the 20 packages of pantyliner's in my stockpile will have to do.  This is an item that I donate a lot of because it's so easy to get free.  There is a women's shelter in Evansville that I'm stockpiling for and hope to have enough products by December to make a large donation. 

What lengths will you go to get a coupon?

I asked myself this question the other day when I was in the drive-thru lane at GD Ritzy's on Fist Avenue and I spied a coupon stuck to the outside of a trash can.  My detective skills told me that the coupon wasn't a sticker but was stuck to a trash can by scum and goo.  But I had to know what the coupon was for.  So as I moved forward I got a better view and it was a cereal coupon.  I thought "I eat cereal, I need more cereal, I might need that coupon."  But it had goo on it and was stuck to a trash can.  I'm one of those germy phobe people but mostly about bodily fluids (sneezing, drool, unclean hands) but trash goo is nasty also.  So I got to move one more car up and was close enough that I could grab the coupon if I wanted to.   I was telling myself that I really wasn't that desperate for one coupon.  I have hundreds at home but it was a good coupon and I could use it.  So I grabbed it.  I did.  And I was excited about it.  I got my food, got my drink, wiped off my hands with a wet wipe and went to wipe off the back of the coupon and then saw that it was expired.  WHATEVER.  I grabbed a gross expired coupon off a trash can.  So that's my story of what lengths I will go to get a coupon.  What have you done?

This Week's Shopping Deals

Below are the direct link to each stores deals this week and all the coupon matchups.  Collin at Hip2Save is my favoriter blogger and her list is very detailed.  All the best deals are marked in RED.  Once I get my shopping list together I will go through and post any additional deals we can get in our market with our local paper's coupons. 

Walgreens

CVS

Rite-Aid

Also, check out my other blog at Couponing For My Cause for more tips on how to shop at each store.

I was wet and frozen

I'm such a hard core frugal shopper that I was out at 7am in the cold rain going to rummage sales.  But I did get some deals.  I got 2 Walmart size bags full of Boys 3T clothes for $4, Skechers shoes for $3, a bunch of toys for about $3, some Disney VHS tapes for $.50 each and a set of 10 drinking glasses for $3 (we so needed them).  My only funny story is that I did go to this sale with 2 older people who had a bunch of antiques and furniture.  And then on a table (proudly displayed) was a whole bunch of Playboy magazines.  And they we're not old ones.  So not only was the old man frisky and a subscriber but proud to let all his neighbors out shopping that day know it also.  I'm glad I wasn't shopping with my little ones. 

Only one insert this Sunday

This Sunday will only have one Smartsource Insert in it.  :(   But we had 4 inserts last Sunday so I think I will survive.  To see what coupons will be in it GO HERE.  And remember that our market doesn't get every coupon and the same values.  There may be some variance.

Poseyville and Wadesville Town Wide Yard Sale

Tomorrow, the 7th will be the town wide yard sale for Poseyville and Wadesville.  I can't wait.  There are usually over 40 yard sales and I always find good deals.  And I get to chat with my neighbors and friends.

Market Fresh News

One of my sources (my niece) told me that the Card Factory next to Babies-R-Us is going out of business and their last day is May 15th.  Nothing was marked down yet but I would think that they would liquidate considering that is their only location that I know of.  So keep an eye out for any mark-down signs.  Also the empty furniture store on the other side of Babies-R-Us is being remodeled and will be a Fresh Market.  I'm so excited for this.  Our area really needs more stores like this to sell our local farmers produce.  I will pass on more news when I can.

My April Savings

Each month I will post what my savings were for the previous month. I do this so I know for myself how much money I saved and how much money I have to go towards my children's therapy and supplements. My hopes is that all of you will see what couponing can do for you. Being a stay at home with children with special needs leaves me not being able to work outside the home due to the fact that we can't get childcare. Living on one income is very difficult for any family, especially when your children have special needs. There are speech, OT co-pays, supplements, doctor visits, specialists, education materials, therapy tools and much more. Couponing is my way to afford these items. With our budget we can't add more income to cover the costs so I spend less with coupons to use the savings towards my children's needs. And you can do this too.
Below is my breakdown:
Walmart = $82.16
Walgreens = $89.96
CVS = $6.37
Schnucks = $54.90
Buy-Low = $50.53
Target = $116.02
Dollar General = $3.50
Home Depot and Staples = 83.82 (rebates and Home Depot's black Friday sale)
Grand Monthly Savings = $487.26

With this savings I will be able to afford the $200 in therapy co-pays, $20 in iPad/iPhone apps, and the rest going towards my costs to attend the Autism One conference in Chicago at the end of May.

Gas Prices

In my nearby town of Poseyville gas prices are $4.05.  So I'm at a point that I have to reduce the amount of trips into Evansville to do coupon shopping and other errands which sucks.  The gas I spend will negate the money I save.  It's important to consider that if you live out from town like I do.  I wish I could use a coupon for gas.  But then another way to think of it is if you have to drive for work or whatever then you have to fill up your tank.  You don't really have a choice. Because you have this increase in your monthly budget you have to take it out somewhere else and this is where couponing can save your budget.  By continuing to save hundreds of dollars every month by getting all your free stuff you can keep your budget in check with the extra money you spend in gas.  Maybe that will all make us feel better about it. 

Print Coupons From Your iPhone

I was so excited to learn this today. I just found out that I can print coupons from my iPhone! You need to have a wireless printer and then you can download the Coupons.com app onto your phone which is free. Just select which coupons you want to print and then your phone will find the wireless printer and send it. Very easy. I'm so excited about this because for years we have only had one computer in our house.  But now we have 2 laptops, my oldest son's iPad and 2 iPhones which means I can print 10 of every internet coupon.  That is some serious couponing!!! I imagine there are more coupon apps which I will be checking out and will report here what I find.

My Walmart Trip

I have to start this by saying I HATE WALMART.  I hate saying that but I really do. I hate the lack of customer service, I hate the long lines, I hate that there are only 2 cashiers when there are 200 people in the store, I hate that the self service registers are always closed and I always see the oldest employees working the speedy lines (REALLY.) And worst of all, I often have issues with my coupons not going through and I torture the people in line behind me with my giant stack of coupons.  I want to give them a cookie and apologize every time.  So I went there today ready for a hassle and I ended up going around 5pm which is bad timing on my part. 

First, the Toy Story Operation board games are back but now they are $14.96.  Interesting that 2 weeks ago they were $5 and I used $3 off coupons on them.  Glad I got them when I did.

Second, they were stocked back with Nivea body wash but now it's $3.96.  Last week is was $3.00.  That was quite a price jump.  So now I will use the rest of my $3 coupons at the Dollar General Store to get my free body wash. It will be a smaller bottle but free.

Third, their Easter clearance is 75% off and they had a ton of it.  So good time to buy up for next year.

Below is my picture of what items I scored for free or almost free.

The Uncle Bens rice and the candle were coupons that were mailed to me.  This is where it pays off to request free samples.  They usually mail you a coupon for a free product. I had 2 $1 Reach floss coupons left from last months and a $1 off any tide coupon from the P & G coupon booklet giveaway on Facebook 2 months ago.  The hamburger meat was free from a coupon I took from Schnucks 3 months ago where I would get $3 off meat with the purchase of 3 Old El Paso products.  I bought 9 packages of taco shells at $1 each and used a $.60 off 3 coupon on those.  Also pictured is 3 packages of taco seasoning that I got free with a peelie coupon I got from the Dollar General store months back that gets my a free seasoning for buying any 2 Old El Paso products.  This sounds complicated but it involves some tricky coupon matching to make this deal work.  Over all I got 3 packages of 1 lb. hamburger meat, 9 boxes of taco shells and 3 packages of seasoning for less than $7.  This is a good example of why it is good to grab peelies, tearpads and blinkie coupons when you see them and then wait for a sale to use them.

My Schnucks trip

I went to the Schnucks on Washington and Green River.  They had plenty of Scotch Tape.  I bought 8 and they had about 6  or so left.  The 10 for $10 is only working on the 1/2 inch tape.  Right next to it is the 3/4 inch tape but it's not included in the sale.  I found that out when I was checking out and had to go back and exchange.  I bought 4 protein bars with B1G1 free coupons I printed last month and they were on sale for $1 each so I scored them for $.50.  They retail at $1.49 each.  I went ahead and got pillsbury biscuits because a lady handed me some blinkie coupons she wasn't going to use.  I got them for $.75 each which is a good buy but not great.  I will probably go back to Schnucks again tomorrow to buy more tape for my son's school.  Every year I give his teacher a "End of the Year" gift for surviving another year with my child.  He is a special education student who is quite challenging and his teacher spends a lot of time and her own money on programming for him.  So I will be making a basket of office supplies, pens, markers, rulers, paper and such that I got at back to school time last year.  Then she will not have to pay out of pocket for her own classroom supplies.  I will also be giving her some board games I got cheap with coupons throughout the year.

Walmart deals this week

Select Old El Paso Items (pictured are Enchilda Sauce, Refried Beans and Taco Shells) $1.00

Buy 3 and use $0.60/3 Old El Paso products printable
Final price: $0.80 each after coupon

Great Value Apple Juice $1.97
Sale price, no coupon needed
Final price: $1.97
Iron Man 2 Matchbox Cars $1.97
Use $3/1 Hasbro Iron Man 2 Toy printable
Final price: Better than free after coupon

Carefree Liners $0.94
Use $0.50/1 Carefree product from 3/27 Red Plum insert
Final price: $0.44 after coupon
Classico Pasta Sauce $1.84
Use $1/1 Classico Pasta Sauce printable
Final price: $0.84 after coupon

Playtex Wipes (travel section) $1.97
Use $1/1 Playtex Personal Cleansing Cloths from May All You Magazine
Final price: $0.97 after coupon

Scott Natural Bathroom Tissue Mega Rolls (4 pk) $2.68
Use $1.50/1 Scott Naturals printable after registering
Final price: $1.16 after coupon ($0.29/roll)

K-Y Jelly 2 oz – $2.62
$3/1 K-Y printable coupon
Final price: FREE + $0.38 in overage after coup

Schnucks deals this week

Below are the best deals at Schnucks this week with the coupon match-ups.  Defiantly a good week to stockpile. I will be shopping there tomorrow and will post pictures of my deals and receipt. Hopefully all these coupons will go through as planned and I will let you know if I have any issues.


Horizon organic milk $1 each
printable $.55 off single serve 3 or more
= $.82 each

Scotch Magic Tape $1 each
printable $1 coupon
= FREE!!!! (no limit)
***but please don't clear the shelves so we can all get a great deal and please consider donating some to your local church, school or non-profit

Old El Paso shells, seasoning mix and dinner kits on sale
printable Old El Paso coupons $.60 off 3 products
= varies

Pillsbury rolls or biscuits $1 each
various printable coupon from $.10 - $.25 off
= varies

Just got to my mailbox today to see the Schnucks ad and I'm excited

As soon as I can get my kids to sleep I will do the coupon match-ups and post them but it looks like a good week.  If our Schnucks would double coupons we would be having a HUGE week.

New online coupon to get free razors at Walgreens

I beat the system!  We didn't get the Noxema coupons in our local paper but they showed upon Red Plum site.  So you now can get the free deal at Walgreens plus a money maker.  Here is the deal below:

Noxzema disposable razors 4 pk $3.99 = $3 RR

Use the $2/1 coupon HERE  You need to put in zip code 52240 to get the coupon to show up
Pay $1.99
Get back a $3 RR
Final cost FREE + a $1.01 Moneymaker!

Too Many Couponers????

Ever since the Extreme Couponing show has become popular I have seen such an increase in the amount of people on coupon blogging sites, printing coupons and the store shelves being empty by Monday afternoon.  Today I have 3 coupons I've been trying to print for about 2 hours now and the site is bogged down from so many people printing at one time.  So I'm left wondering if this is a good or bad thing.  Everybody needs a good deal and to save money.  But is there going to be an increase also in the amount of people using coupons in an unethical way or outright fraud which will make us all look bad? 

One thing I know for sure is that many people will begin couponing on a whim but once they see the work that goes into it they lose interest.  Especially with keeping up on the organization of all the coupons in your binder, clearing out expired coupons and memorizing each individual stores coupon policy. There is a lot of work to do couponing to the point of building a stockpile and it requires time just as you would devote to a hobby. You have to have a passion for saving and couponing to be a couponer.  I place my bet that for the next few months to a year there will be a rush of people couponing but that it will fall off when the newness of their new hobby wares off.  But I do hope that those who stay with it will be able to change their lives forever and create more financial security for themselves and their family.

New Coupons up

Coupons.com and Target have their new coupons up. YEAH!!!

My shopping trips today

I decided to pass on CVS this week.  Just not enough deal to make it worth it for me.  I went to Walgreens twice today and would have done more but I was shopping with kids and they were done.  My first trip to the Morgan Ave Walgreens I got 2 packs of Cottonelle (they had 8 left at 8am), 2 containers of Lysol wipes, 1 Gillette Fusion razor and one Tylenol Precise pain cream.  My kids got $4 in snacks I had no coupon for.  My subtotal was $42.44 and after coupons it was $12.44.  I also got back $8 in RR and I used $7 in RR from a previous trip.  My savings were $29.69.  The wipes ended up being $.26 each (I had a $1.50 coupon from their Facebook page that is no longer available and they were B1G1 free.)  The toilet paper was a little over $2 each and the pain cream was free.  So I was very happy with the visit.  My second trip (St. Joe Walgreens) I just got 2 packs of Cottonelle and the pain cream subtotal was $18 and after coupons was $6 with a $3 RR printed after the transaction.  The St. Joe Walgreens had a lot of Cottonelle and was at the front of the store.  The Cottonelle toliet paper is not a double roll but still 9 rolls for $2.50 so a good deal.  It's normally $5.

The Evansville newspaper today

I don't know why I'm surprised but again our market did not get the good coupons in the Red Plum for the razors.  So anyone in our area who is wanting to get the Bic or Noxema razor deals at Walgreens will have to order their coupons online.  I have used coupon clippers in the past but it takes them 5 days to get to me and by then the drug stores are sold out of the products.  I'm not going to mess with buying coupons for the razor deals because I'm stockpiled on them and I'm just going to get the Fusion razor with the P & G coupon at Walgreens.  But if I did order again I would try another company or ebay.  It just drive me nuts that for some reason we are less worthy of the good coupons but larger markets get them.  Are the people who live in INDY or Louisville more worthy of good deals than we are.  They get to shave their legs for free but we don't.  WHATEVER!