Goodies ...

FREE POLIGRIP --

Click this link. Then, fill out the form to get a coupon good for a free .75 ounce tube of PoliGrip. This coupon is only redeemable at Walgreens, Rite Aid and Ralph’s.

COUPON FOR FREE TRAVEL SIZE DOWNEY WRINKLE RELEASE --

Get a coupon for a free Downy Wrinkle Releaser 3 oz. Travel Size when you upload a picture of something wrinkled (or not). If you don’t want to go through the trouble of uploading a picture, you could just print the coupon here.

FREE SAMPLE PALMOLIVE PURE AND CLEAR DETERGENT --

Enjoy the Samples is offering a free sample of Palmolive Pure & Clear Detergent. In the past this offer has looked like spam. Available to the U.S. and Canada only.

Thanks to The Freebie Blogger for these tips.

KIDS EAT FREE AT BOSTON MARKET --

From now through October 31, two kids (14 and under) can eat free at Boston Market. For details, click here.

PRINTABLE COUPONS:

Thanks to FrugalDrMom for the following internet printable coupons that you might find useful.
Post-It Notes, Glade, El Paso, Pop Secret, YoPlus, Diamond Nuts, Emerald Nuts, Gortons Seafood, M&Ms, Marie Callendars, LaChoy, Chinet, Egg Beaters, Johnsons Body Care, Organic Valley Milk, Butterball Ground turkey, Sundown products, Orville Redenbachers

Little Debbie is giving away One Million Cupcakes

Check out here to register and win some prizes. Keep in mind I'm holding out for the year's supply of cupcakes -- although the car would be ok too!

Blogger Hiatus

There is a lot going on in my life right now and I'm going to need a hiatus. IF there is word of super doubles or triples at Harris Teeter, I'll check back in and update you. For more details, see my personal blog.

Happy Couponing!!

CVS Deals This Week

I'm a bit overwhelmed with LIFE right now, so pardon me from borrowing a lot of posts tonight from the Southern Saver sight. This one is the weekly breakdown on how to get some good deals over at CVS this week.

Use it in conjunction with the $5/$25 coupon post below to save some $$$ this week!!

Happy Couponing!!

Freebies

Voucher for a FREE bag of Eukanuba Puppy Food
Sample of Poise Pads
$5 coupon off Neutrogena Acne Kit
Sample of Emergen-C
Sample of Playtex Sport

From our good buddy Jenny over at Southern Savers!

Happy Couponing!

Nestle Free $20 in Coupons

Get a Free Calendar with $20 in coupons from Nestle! I’m excited to see what these include. And yes, I have already registered for mine!!

Thanks to Jenny over at Southern Savers.

Get $20 Savings at Harris Teeter in Belle Meade

The Belle Meade Harris Teeter (located across from St. Thomas in Nashville) has a special deal going in their pharmacy through October 31. Fill or transfer any NEW prescription to their pharmacy and you will get a $20 credit (on your VIC card) to use on a future purchase at Harris Teeter. This does NOT have to be used in the pharmacy -- it can be used at the store. SO.... if you get a prescription and are in the area, keep this in mind. I picked up two Rxs today (for one time meds) and got $40 in credits that I will save to use in the next doubles or triples event. YAY! I would have had to buy and pay for the meds anyway, so this was a great way to save a little extra!!

$5 off $25 - CVS

Kristen found 3 different sites to take the CVS flu quiz on and get 3 different $5 off $25 coupons! The bar codes should all be different.
Site #1
Site #2
Site #3
Take these and use them with the weekly deals to save even more. They should be good into next week at least so don’t feel like you have to make a trip this week.

Food Lion Deals 9/30-10/6

Thanks to the folks over at Southern Savers for this clickable/printable shopping list for Food Lion for this week. Click here to get started!!

Happy Couponing!!

Kroger Shopping List Feature

A feature I really like over at A Full Cup is the "Shopping List" feature. I just finished looking at this week's list for Kroger. I like the fact that I can "check" items and then, at the end, it will print a shopping list for me. I also like the fact that I can quickly scroll down the list, see what coupons are available and how much the final cost will be. Check it out for yourself, here.

Happy Couponing!

Harris Teeter Sale Items, 9/30-10/6

Thanks to Cheryl over at A Full Cup for the providing this weeks' ad sale items list with prices. Click here to go to the full list.

If you want to see if there are coupon match-ups for any of those items listed, click here, enter a description and search to see if there are coupons that will match-up with the item you are interested in.

Happy Couponing!!

FYI (what probably will be on my list):

Scotties Facial Tissue ~ $.94 ($.50 coupon/3 so that will make these, $.82 for three boxes -- remember HT doubles up to $.99 everyday)
Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner (24 oz) ~ $1.49 (I'll be searching for a IP on this one)

4.5 oz Canned White Chicken - 10/$10
11 oz Toaster Pastries - 10/$10
100 oz. Tide Laundry Detergent 9.99 - Limit 2 ($1.00/coupon), while I prefer All, I'm OUT and no Super Doubles, so ...
Breyers YoCrunch 2/$5 - I probably won't get these, but there are usually coupons for $.75/1, making these $1 each, pretty good deal for a kid's snack
Powerade 5/$5 (Purchase 5 Powerade and get 2 free), with this offer alone, you get 7/$5, but I ALSO have a coupon to buy 10, get 5 free. In essence, if I buy 19, it will only cost me $10. With sports going all the time getting these for $.53 each is a good deal!!
Success Instant Rice 2/$4 - $.50 coupon makes this $1.00 each
Friskies Cat Food 10/$4 - $1/15 means I can get 15 cans for $.33 each -- a GOOD deal. I might spring for 30 to stock the kitty pantry
Swiffer Duster Kit Swiffer Refills 2.99 - I suspect this is 8
count, but I have a $1 coupon so I'm definitely getting these for $1.99

There are other good deals, but this is likely what will be on my list because it's what I need right now. I'm holding out (as long as possible) for Super Doubles.

Walmart Deals - 9/27-10/6

A big thanks to Christina at Centsible Savings for these matchups. Be sure to visit her for all this weeks deals.

Honey Bunches of Oats - $2.00
Use $2.00-printable
Free after coupon

Hormeal Completes – $1.97
Use $2.00 coupon from October All You
FREE plus $0.03 overage

Purina Friskies Natural Sensations Cat Treats 2.1 oz – $1.86
Use coupon from 9/27 S (exp. 11/30)
FREE after coupon

Sense and Spray Starter Kits – $4.29
Use these printable coupons
$0.29 after coupon

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce 10 oz – $2.36
Use $2.00 coupon from 9/27 RP (exp. 11/22)
$0.36 after coupon

Ken’s dressing - $1.37
Use $1.00 coupon from 8/2 SS#2 (exp. 9/30)
$0.37 after coupon

Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk 5 oz – $.63 each
Use $0.50/2 coupon from 9/27 SS (exp. 12/31)
$0.38 after coupon

Tabasco sauce – $1.12
Use $0.50 coupon from 8/23 SS (exp. 10/4)
$0.62 after coupon

Mr.Clean Magic eraser – $1.88
Use $1.00 coupon from 8/30 PG (exp. 9/30)
Or use BOGO coupon from 9/27 PG (exp. 10/31)
$0.88 after coupon

Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil 30 sq ft – $1.52
Use $0.55/1 coupon from 9/13 S1 (exp. 10/11)
$0.97 after coupon

Taco Bell Soft Taco Kit – $1.98
Use $1.00 coupon from All you magazine
$0.98 after coupon

Little Debbie Cupcakes – $2.37
Use $1.00 coupon from All You magazine
$1.37 after coupon

SuperPretzel 6 ct – $2.28
Use $0.50 coupon from 9/27 RP (exp. 11/27)
$1.78 after coupon

Rubbermaid Take Alongs Food Storage Containers 3-4 ct – $2.37
Use $1.00/2 coupon from 9/13 S2 (exp. 11/15)
$1.87 each after coupon

Swiffer Sweeper Starter Kit 1 ct – $9.00
Use $1.00 coupon from 9/27 PG (exp. 10/31)
$8.00 after coupon

Walgreens $5 off $25 coupon

There is a new $5 off $25 coupon for Walgreens tomorrow and Wednesday.

Coupon Guru Kelly reports the following good deals:

RR=Register Rewards (money on your register receipt to be used on your next order)

fusion razor------------use $4 coupon-----------get RR back
herbal essence---------use $1 coupon---------get RR back (coupon expires 9/30/09)
vaseline sheer infusion lotion -- get RR back
oral b toothbrushes-----b1g1 free------get RR back
$4 RR wyb (2) Theraflu Nighttime 6 ct. at $4 ea

$1 RR wyb (when you buy) Halls Refresh Sugar Free 20 ct at $1, free

$2.49 RR wyb Robitussin DM To Go 2pk, at $2.49 free

Free Night at Theatre

Free Night of Theatre introduces people to the thrill of live theatre - absolutely free of charge!

Last fall, 650 theatre companies, in 120 cities from coast to coast, opened their doors to over 65,000 new theatergoers. This year, our participating theatre companies will offer even more tickets for free. Join thousands of audience members - from Portland to Charleston, and from Houston to Minneapolis - and explore all the wonderful entertainment your local theatre community has to offer!

I will tell you Tennessee does NOT have any participating theatres, but I know there are readers from all over. To check for a theatre in you area, click here.

NO Super Doubles Reported in Harris Teeter Ad for this Week

Much to my dismay, there is NO Super Doubles reported in this week's Harris Teeter ad according to those who have already gotten their hands on it. I will continue researching this to see if I can get a firm date on when the next ones will be. I'm BUMMED because I needed cat food and toilet bowl cleaner - *smile*.

Jeff, as soon as I can get the confirmation on super doubles and an ad, I will certainly post match-ups and lists of FREEBIES and really good deals for super doubles. Hopefully we can ALL stock up then.



****

UPDATE:
I have gone to the Harris Teeter site and have found no reference to Super Doubles. However, just for some good news, here are some fairly good deals (remember, it's half off if you just get one):


Buy One Get One Free:

Allen's Green Beans - $2.49/2
Born Free, Cage Free Eggs - $3.99/2
Fresh Boneless Chicken Breast
Finish Dishwasher Detergent Fresh scent. 32 tabs, $7.99/2
Harris Teeter Batteries (ex: AA $5.98/2)
Fresh Foods MarketTake & Bake Pizza
Fresh Foods Market Pasta & Sauces
Harris Teeter Ice Cream Sandwiches $3.49/2
Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Bars $3.55/2
Kellogg's Raisin Bran - $3.65/2
Maalox Antacid Line - various
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice (46 oz) $3.49/2
Ocean Spray Grapefruit Juice (64 oz) $3.89/2
Purex Detergent (50 oz) $5.99/2
Sargento Shredded Cheese - $3.29/2
Purina Puppy or Dog Chow (17-20 lb bag) - $11.99/2
Sorrento String Cheese - $4.99/2
Sorrento Mozzarella - $4.99/2
Sorrento Ricotta - $4.95/2
Strawberries (fresh) - $3.49/2
Valley Fresh Canned Chicken
Veg-All Canned Veggies (29 oz can) - $2.25/2
Turkey Burgers (16 oz) $3.99/2


Buy 2, Get 3 free (watch these deals, often they are more expensive)

Blue Bunny Ice Cream - $2.39 for VIC card members -- not sure if this is the price for the B2G2F because it also lists the original price as $5.99, so....
Crystal Springs water (12 pk - 1/2 liter bottles) - $2.39 VIC members (also says $5.99)
Fresh Foods Market Meats & Cheeses - varies
Ken's Salad Dressing
Progresso Soups
Minute Maid Lemonaid - 5/$5



Harris Teeter Bottled Spring water (24 - case) $2.97
Coke 12 packs - 4/$10


SPECIAL:





Buy any Spot Shot product and then go here to get a mail in rebate form for a free movie ticket to see “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs“.
Currently this is B1G1 at Harris Teeter (through 9/30)
Spot Shot 22oz B1G1 at $5.49-$1 off Spot Shot SS 7/26, 9/13 or printable-.55/1 Spot Shot SS 7/26
So buy 1, use (1) -$1 off coupon:
Pay $1.75 and then get a FREE movie ticket!



Personally, these are not good enough deals to get me out of my house to drive to HT to shop, BUT... they might be for you, so I wanted to share. There is ALWAYS the possibility it (super doubles) is happening locally, but check with your local store on Wednesday or check back here.

Publix Penny Item and Coupon Matches

The penny item at Publix for today/tomorrow is Publix 6 pk bottled water.

You can get the Publix Penny item with any purchase that is $10 or more before coupons. There is a Mystery Penny Item coupon in the Publix Sunday Ad every week or somewhere in the Sunday Paper. Some stores do not require this coupon, but many have changed and do require it now, check with your store to find their policy.

** Note FL and Coastal GA stores do not participate in the penny item promotion.

Get all of this weeks Publix Deals and Coupon Matches!

H.G. Hills Deals

This week looks very promising at the Nashville owned and operated HG Hills stores. They are having their Kraft coupon event and their sale flier has some in-store coupons. I do not know what Hills' policy is on stacking coupons with a manufacturer's coupon. I will check on that and report. However, even without stacking coupons, here's what available:

Aquarius Spring Water - 24 pk - $2.99 (no coupon required)
Kraft American Singles - $.99 (with in ad coupon of $1 off)
Oscar Mayer Shaved Deli Lunch Meat - $.99 (with in ad coupon of $2 off)
Oscar Mayer Lunchables - $1.49 (with in ad coupon of $1 off)
Koolaid - Buy 12, get 12 free (with in ad coupon)
Capri Sun - $1.49 (with in ad coupon for $1 off)

There are also coupons for Velveeta, Maxwell House, Digiorno or California Pizza Kitchen Pizzas, Planters and Triscuit/Ritz.

Ground beef is $1.49/lb
Idaho potatoes are $1.50 / 5 lb bag

To view this week's full ad, click here.

As a reminder, Hills doubles coupons up to $.50 every day.

Sunday Coupon Preview

This Sunday, 9/27, you will have 3 inserts:

(1) SmartSource
(1) RedPlum
(1) Procter & Gamble

Click here for details on what coupons will be included in these. Remember, you can get a Sunday Tennessean (if you are local) for $1.00 at CVS and $.99 at Walgreens. It looks like a REALLY good week for coupons, so you might want to pick up an extra one or two. Remember locals, Harris Teeter starts SUPER DOUBLES this week (on Wednesday) so get those $1.00 and larger coupons ready (of course, they will double them all, but these are the money makers/savers).

I dreamed about sorting coupons for Super Doubles last night -- does that make me obsessive?

Free Box Kashi Cereal

This deal will probably go quickly, so click here to go to the site where you can register to get a coupon for a free box of Kashi cereal.

Nominate a Friend, get a discount on Starbucks Frappichino

Nominate a friend on the Starbucks You Deserve A Frappuccino website to receive a free Starbucks Frappuccino. And you can nominate as many friends as you like.

I have nominated a friend already!!

Thanks to Our Skinny Piggy for this one!

Free Goodnites Samples

Click here to sign up for your free sample of GoodNites Underpants, from Wal-mart. Remember, free samples usually come with coupons. Thanks to Christie over at Big Fat Piggy Bank for this tip.

$5 Magazine Subscriptions

Another great Christmas idea: a magazine subscription. It's the gift that keeps on giving. However, if you are like me, subscriptions at $30 are considered pricey, so... here's the deal for you -- magazine subscriptions for $5 each, brought to you by Sears. Click here for all the details.

Some of the magazines included are:

• Food Network Magazine
• O, the Oprah magazine
• Seventeen
• Town and Country
• Smart Money
• Redbook
• Popular Mechanics
• Harper's Bazaar
• Good Housekeeping
• Esquire
• Cosmopolitan
• Country Living
• House Beautiful
• Marie Claire
• Veranda

Happy Couponing!!

Walgreens October Coupon Book

Here is a link to the coupons that will be included in Walgreen's October coupon book. They are all Wal-greens store coupons so they can be stacked with a manufacturer's coupon if you have one. Thanks to Jenny at Southern Saver for compiling the list. The coupon books should be at the front of the store as you walk in.

BOGOF Fetcher

There is a website that will send you all the local Buy One Get One Free Deals in your area -- BOGOF Fetcher. Click here to find specials in your area.

More REDBOX codes

The following codes have been reported to be working for a free Redbox rental, expiration is unknown:

9HB6MP22
DVDATWAG (Walgreens only)
BREAKROOM
SMR8DVD (McDonald's only)
DVDONME
9MEJR24
X6Z256Z

Toys R Us

Tomorrow (Sat. September 25), Toys R Us is celebrating Geoffrey's birthday. From Noon - 3 p.m. at your local store there will be birthday parades, great activities and free giveaways. Activities are geared for children 3 and up. Parades every half hour starting at 12:30.

AND, as a fun giveaway, they sent me a coupon for $10 off $100 purchase. Since I will NOT be using this and hate for it to go to waste, I am offering it as a giveway to the first person who responds and requests it. It expires 10/18/09.

There are online sales at http://www.toyrus.com/ as well.

McDonald's Halloween Coupon Books

McDonald’s has realeased yet another $1 coupon booklet full of 12 wonderful coupons that your children can use on their next fast food trip.These booklets include the following coupons:

4 FREE Apple Dippers

4 FREE Small Cones

4 FREE Apple Juice or Milk Jugs

As usual, these coupon booklets will not be found at every McDonalds. The coupons are valid for use starting Oct 31st and can be used by children 12 and under.

Thanks to Penny Pinching Diva for this tip.

Al Menah Shrine Circus Coming to Nashville

Don’t miss the coupon in the Life section of the Wednesday Tennessean for a free pass for one child or adult for select performances of the circus next week. Its the Al Menah 2009 Shrine Circus at Municipal Auditorium. The circus is in town October 1 -4. The other good deal on the circus is the Thursday 7 p.m. show. http://www.nashvillecircus.com/

We have dear, dear friends that are involved with the Shriner's and this is a WONDERFUL event that allows them to help so many children.

Inexpensive Eggs....

Did you see that eggs are 49 cents a dozen at Aldi??? Now that;s a deal for sure …. www.aldi.com

Thanks to Ms. Cheap for that tip.

Sunday Coupon Preview

This Sunday's Newspaper will have a total of three inserts in it.

One SmartSource

One RedPlum, and

One Procter & Gamble (P&G). You can see the preview of these coupons at Sunday Coupon Preview.

Winn Dixie Coupon Match-ups

For those of you who shop at Winn-Dixie, here are the match-ups this week for that store. Thanks to FiddledeedeeMom for this info.

Happy Couponing!

Rachel Ray Show About ... COUPONS

Well, it must be a trend now to clip coupons as Rachel Ray had a show about coupon clipping!

You can check it out here. Some interesting facts from the show:
** The highest category of people who use coupons make 75,000 or more a year.
** The lowest category of people who use coupons make 25,000 or less a year.
** $400 billion worth of coupon savings are printed, yet less than 1% of those coupons are ever claimed!

**Also, go on over here and you can print off lots of great restaurant and various store coupons!

Thanks to Hip 2 Save for this cool information.

Free Redbox Movie Code Rental

Get a free movie rental at any Redbox location, when you use the code 9HB6MP22 at checkout. To use the code you will need to visit your local Redbox location, select “Rent with Promo Code,” enter code, select movie and continue to check out. Unfortunately, there’s no expiration date available for this code. But you can track whether a free Redbox Movie rental code is working or not on this page hosted by Redbox itself.

Happy Couponing!

Free Chocolate Friday

To receive your coupon (via snail mail) to get a free chocolate bar, click here. Limit: 250,000 coupons per Friday. Limit: (1) coupon per email address per Friday.

Is there anything better than free chocolate -- I think not!

Happy Couponing

Saturday -- Free Museum Admission

Get the full details HERE. You must print the admission card HERE. For the local folks, this includes: The Frist, The Hermitage, The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and The Tennessee State Museum (already free, but the others are a great deal). Over 1,200 museums are participating nationwide! This is a great opportunity to take your kids to the museum for cheap!

Super Doubles - They are coming ....

Rumor has it that Super Doubles is coming soon to Harris Teeter. We just came off of triple coupons, but word has it that NEXT WEEK (starting next Wednesday and running through Tuesday), there will be Super Doubles. Super Doubles is when coupons with a face value of up to $1.99 are doubled. Mostly, you will find the coupons you will get are for $1.00 or $1.50, doubling up to $2 and $3.

Check out Hot Coupon World for the beginnings of the coupon matching for Good Deals. To be honest, at this point I'm not impressed, but it's early yet.

Happy Couponing!

HG Hills Deals

I found this information over at Frugal Dr. Mom's blog. It appears to be directed for those in the Franklin area, but I suspect the sale is good at all HG Hills stores. I know there are those of you who shop at HG Hills (and I know of one who I was just talking to on facebook tonight). Click HERE to see the HG Hills specials this week. Her information is for Franklin, but I suspect the sale is good at all the HG Hills stores. Let me know if anyone finds out differently.

Happy Couponing!

Pull-ups Flushable Wipes - $.64

I typically don't shop at Wal-mart. There are many reasons I don't really care for Wal-mart -- the main being I spend more money there than at other places -- but I DO shop there occasionally if there are some good deals to be had. Since several of the readers are moms of little ones I thought this deal might be appealing.

There’s a new $2/2 Pull-Ups Flushable Wipes printable coupon available. The soft packs of Flushable Wipes are just $1.64, so that makes them $0.64 each after coupon!

I found this deal at the Deal Seeking Mom website. You can subscribe to her "deals of the day" via email and get them in your in-box if you are so inclined. For more Wal-mart deals from her site, click here.

$2 off Movies -- Great Christmas Presents

For those of you "think ahead" types, I found a deal where you can print some coupons for $2 off movies at Target, Best Buy, FYE or Amazon, essentially making several of the "bargain movies" just $3 (at Target). Some examples of the $3 movies would include:

• Elmo in Grouchland
• Madeline
• Little Women

Click the link here to print your "Staycation" coupon. I don't think there is a limit to the number you can use, you just must have one per movie. The coupon expires 10/31/09.

HAPPY COUPONING!!

And THIS is Why ...

This comment made my heart smile -- not because of something I did, but because God allowed me to share something that saved another family money -- friends, in fact. I LOVE when God works His magic. :-) My friend Susan told me this weekend that she heard a speaker say that he always thought, growing up, that miracles were something God did, then as he got older, he realized that miracles were something God allowed us to do. I love when God lets me step out of the way personally and help -- and THAT is why I do THIS blog.

I was downtown today and thought I will see if this H*arris T*etter coupon thing really works. So me and 3 kids went in and got the card, and with coupons in hand we set out. I bought things that I only had coupon for and we use. Purchase price was $41.57. OOP was only.....$16.xx. roughly $1 per item. Not bad when everything was name brand and regular price was usually over $3. I was so happy. Thanks for the encouragement, keep it up.

HAPPY COUPONING!!

Waffle House Freebie

Thanks to the folks over at Faithful and Frugal, I found that Waffle House is giving away a coupon for BOGOF Waffles. Now, I'm seriously a Waffle House fan. For years it was the ONLY place open on Christmas Day (my birthday) and where I would go out to eat. Sad, isn't it? But, it has become a tradition. So, in honor of my birthday, click here and print out a coupon for a free waffle. It's good until 12/31/09 so if you want to come out on Christmas night and celebrate with me, I'm sure I'll be there!

$5 American Girl DVDs

Now through September 30, the folks over at American Girl are offering their DVDs for $5 each. They are regularly $19.95 so you save $14.95 each.

There is a limit of 1 DVD (of each type) per customer order. Felicity was sold out as of this morning but is indicated to be on backorder.

National Coupon Month

September is National Coupon Month. Check out the Coupon Council website. You can click here for some activities to help your children learn about coupons. I will tell you that taking your child grocery shopping with coupons is HARD to do, but if done patiently (Lord, help me be more patient!), you can teach math skills, budgeting skills and even to the younger ones, language skills as you allow them to help you find items using words, colors, sizes, etc.

CVS - Great Pepsi Deal

I noticed that CVS has their Pepsi 12-packs 4/$12 with $3 in ECBs, making them 4/$9. There is a limit of one per household. If you don't shop at CVS and don't have a clue what an ECB is, check out here. There is no need for me to reinvent the wheel and this is a great site to explain how CVS works.

And, another funny, funny. Found this little prayer on Faithful and Frugal Blog about the trail mix incident:

Dear God, please forgive the "trail mix hussies" today for they know not what they have done. Please bless them Lord and gently remind them that they can't take the trail mix with them when they go to meet you (which might be sooner than later ;-) and please help them to remember to play nice from now on :-) AMEN

Everyone needs a chuckle now and again!!

The Process - Here's How I Do It

I thought as I was perusing the new Publix sale flier today that you all might like to know how I get ready to go to the store.

First, I do not shop at just one store. While this might seem like a lot of work, it's not, really. There are four grocery stores in one area that I can hit in one day/night. I can also run into a store with a list of the few things I want and be out pretty quickly (lunch hour??).

So, today I got the Publix sale paper and went through looking at the BOGOF items. First I see what items are BOGOF that I would use and have a coupon for. Then I figure how much each will be using either one coupon or two to determine how many I'd like to get. Then, if there are items I would like to purchase but don't have a coupon for, I will do an Internet search for Internet printable coupons. Most of the time, you can print the coupon twice per computer. We have two computers, so many times I can get four coupons (if it's something I really want). If I'm just going for these certain items, I'll pull the coupons, put them in an envelope and then still take my binder (just in case) but only will use the ones I have in hand. I can be in and out pretty quickly using this method.

FYI -- BOGOF items for Publix this week. I've marked (c) beside the ones I'm certain have a current coupon. There may be others.

Birds eye Viola! Meal - $4.99/2
Ore-Ida Steam and Mash Potatoes - $3.99/2
Gorton's Fish - listed as surprisingly low price
Publix Style Southern Style Deli Potato Salad - $2.49/2
Dole Fruit, Gel or Parfait Bowls - $2.79/2 (c)
Campbell's Select Harvest Soup - $2.39/2 (c)
Post Honey Bunes of Oats Cereal - $3.89/2 (c)
Joffrey's Coffee and Tea - $9.99/2
Thomas' English Muffins - $2.99/2
Quaker Oats Oatmeal - $2.65/2
Aunt Jemima Syrup - $3.79/2 (c)
Aunt Jemima Pancake and Waffle Mix - $2.59/2 (c)
Kellogg's Eggo Waffles - $2.29/2 (c)
T. Marzetti's Dressing - $3.99/2 (c)
Quaker Cereal (Captn Crunch, Squares, Life) - $4.49/2 (c)
Pillsbury Moist Supreme Cake Mix - $3.69/2
Ronzoni Pasta - $1.39/2 (c)
Zataran's New Orleans Style Mix - $1.99/2
Powerade Sports Drinks (8 pk or 10 pk) - $6.79/2
Carroll Shelby's Chili Kit - $2.19/2
A1 Steak Sauce - $4.19/2 (c)
Mt Olive Sweet Relish - $2.19/2 (c)
Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil - $11.99/2
LaFamiglia DelGrosso Pasta Sauce - $7.99/2
Orville Redenbacher's Popping Corn - $4.89/2 (c)
Nature's Own Bread - $3.49/2
Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks - $1.79/2
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures (and other Hershey's candies Big Bag)- $5.49/2 (c)
Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies - $3.49/2 (c)
Nabisco Ritz Crackers - $3.79/2 (c)
Smart Balance Spread $2.99/2 (c)
Kozy Shack Pudding - $2.99/2 (c)
Philly Swirl Frozen Treats - $2.99/2
New York Texas Toast - $3.29/2 (c)
GE Extra Soft White light bulbs - $1.99/2
Purina Dog Chow 17.6 - 20 lb bag - $9.99/2 (c)
Purina Tidy Cat Litter - $6.99/2 (c)
Spray n Wash Laundry Stain Remover - $2.99/2 (c)
Right Guard Xtreme deodorant - $3.99/2 (c)

There are some other good deals there this week as well.

Happy Couponing!

Ethics in Couponing

WOW -- never thought I'd need to write a post about this. I just got an email from Coupon Guru Kelly who indicated that Publix is now reserving the right to limit quantities on their BOGOF items. Apparently in one store, someone went in and bought 90 boxes of the trail mix. Later that same day, someone else bought 60. WHAT????

Ok, people, this needs to be said: Use some restraint in your bargain shopping. We are all in this together. I can see getting the 3 per person limit per day that most stores impose. Even if you want to go every day and get your 3, I'm ok with that too, but 90?????

Coupon Guru Kelly says it best: Couponers need to keep a good image and that is hard when we are clearing shelves and going home with 10 plus items. All good things come to a end--- lets not push it.

Doubles/Triples

Monica asked about how to know which stores double/triple coupons.

This is my experience in TENNESSEE: Most every Kroger store doubles coupons up to $.50 every day. Publix also doubles coupons up to $.50 every day. Harris Teeter doubles coupons up to $.99 every day. Food Lion does not double coupons at all. Wal-Mart does not double coupons at all.

I did some research on the A Full Cup site to see what the coupon policies are on some other stores across the country. I've provided links directly to the coupon policies for each of these stores. You can always check your store there as well.

Albertsons

Aldi's - I could not find a coupon policy for them; I suspect they TAKE coupons but do not double. The link is to their website UPDATE from Reader Julie: Aldi's does NOT take coupons.

Food Lion - This is the link to the FL website. They do not double coupons, however, they do have their own Internet Printable coupons (FLIPs) that are worth signing up for if you shop there regularly. Other stores will often accept their coupons as "competitor's coupons". Sign up using their "Shopper's Companion Email" link. You can also sign up here to get more coupons and weekly specials via email from them.

Meijer

Winn Dixie

Publix - Publix also offers free antibiotics (there are 8 included). Click here for more information.

Stop and Shop / Giant Foods

Food City - Food City also has several "clubs" to join: Wine Club, Pet Club, Baby Club and Kids Club. The links to these can be found by clicking the Food City Link

Bi-Lo

Kroger

Cub Foods - Interesting tidbit on Cub Foods: often they will accept expired coupons (up to 90 days). Check the link for more information.

Do you have a store that's not listed. Check out A Full Cup to see if your store is listed. Click on the store and look at the top of the message boards for Store Information/Coupon Policies and click the link to find out more information. OR... drop a comment and I'll look it up for you!

Happy Couponing!

Tear Pads, Blinkies, Coupons with "5" and "9"

While I was in Kroger (in Nashville) tonight, I found a tear pad (a pad of coupons that you tear coupons off of), for $1.00 off 5 Easy Macs. If you are in your Kroger in the near future check this out. You CAN take these and NOT buy the Easy Mac at that store as these are Manufacturer's Coupons. SAVE them until there is a really good sale on this product.

Also, if you see "BLINKIES" in your store (the machines that blink and spit out coupons), take several for your coupon stock. You also do not have to use those in that store and they can be used in other stores as they are also manufacturer's coupons.

And last, but not least, coupons that say DO NOT DOUBLE/DO NOT TRIPLE will often double and triple anyway. If the bar code starts with a "5", the computer will automatically double it unless you have a cashier who is "on the ball" about checking the coupons and pulls it out. If the coupon bar code starts with a "9", the coupon will not automatically double or triple.

Kroger is notorious for allowing any coupon to double or triple and not checking them.

Happy Couponing!

Tips for Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF)

Some stores regularly have BOGOF items. Publix has created an entire marketing plan with that in mind -- to save their customers money. However, for those who aren't "in the know" (like you are now), they can sometimes be less cost effective than they first appear.

One of the things you need to know is how your BOGOF item is going to ring up at the store. Some stores ring them up at half price, so that you can buy just one at half price (and if you only have one coupon, just buy one item -- you don't have to buy two). Other stores ring them up as the first item at full price and the second item is free. This is the scenario we coupon folks like least. You typically see this at drug stores.

If you have a BOGOF item that rings at half price you can use TWO coupons for that item. For example, tonight at Publix, the Betty Crocker fruit roll-ups were BOGOF at $2.79. Because I know that Publix rings each item at half price, I was able to use two $.40 coupons (which were doubled) to make each box $.60 [$2.79/2 - $.80 (dbl coupon)].

The converse is true if the item only rings up the first item at full price, you can only use one coupon because technically you are only purchasing one item.

If you have doubts, ask a store manager (and often clerks know this as well). They are usually very helpful.

Purchasing Coupons -- Stockpiling

One of the things that I found curiously strange when I first started couponing was the concept of BUYING coupons. My friend Kelly (she really should be the one doing this blog!!) hooked me up with Coupons and Things by DeDe and I went in with her on several purchases of coupons (to save shipping).

Now, I suppose, much like me, you are thinking, "BUYING COUPONS?", isn't that defeating the purpose of saving money? Well, no, actually, it's not. I would look at the sales for the first day and figure out what was FREE (I like free, don't you?) and then order coupons that very same day for multiples. The coupons cost about $.08 each so technically my stuff then wasn't FREE, but .08 each. Can't beat that sometimes though -- especially the time I spent $1.00 for 10 coupons for FREE bags of dog food. I got ten bags of dog food for $1.00.

You will need to sign up as a new user to view all the coupons and to purchase. Go in with a friend when you order to save on shipping. I think the minimum per coupon is 5 and there will state if there is a maximum -- normally 10 per coupon. However, keep in mind MOST stores have a three coupon limit per item per trip, so you don't want to get more than you can use.

This is a great way to stockpile items that are really inexpensive or free.

Another source for purchasing coupons is Ebay. Kelly mentioned that her mom recently purchased several $.75/2 vitamin waters. They were recently $1.00 each at Harris Teeter during triples and by using these coupons, she got 30 Vitamin Waters for $5.00 (intead of $30). Be creative.

Happy Couponing!

Stockpiling

I'm not going to reinvent the wheel here. There is a wonderful article on stockpiling at A Full Cup. Click the link and find out how to start your own. And, yes, I do have a LOT of toilet paper at my house! I will add the link to this article to the right in case you need it in the future.

Do you Have a Baby, Toddler or Preschooler?

Join the Publix Baby Club or the Publix Preschool Pals. Each month they send you coupons to use at Publix (these would be "store" coupons and can be stacked with manufacturers coupons) for all types of baby products in the baby club and you get fun things for your preschooler in the Pals program. Just today I got a "Baby You" booklet in the mail for the following items:

$5 off 2 Similac
$3 off 1 box Huggies
$3 off one package Enfamil
$3 off one package Pampers

This was just a special mailing and not the regular monthly sheet of coupons I get.

GIVEAWAY: To the first person who leaves a comment asking for them, I will mail you the $5 Similac coupon OR the $4 Enfamil coupon OR the $3 off Huggies coupon. I will mail ALL THREE to the first people who ask for them. Remember that many stores accept competitor's coupons -- check your store's policies!!

"But I Live in the Sticks"

I hear frequently people saying to me, "I'll try to use coupons, but I don't have the stores you have and we don't have triple coupons."

That's a fair problem. However, I think that you can still save money using coupons. Start to look at those coupons as CASH in your hands, because that's what they are. It is also a marketing tool to be used by stores to get you into the store, so be aware of that as well. They want your coupons and you want to save money. It's often a "wait and see" deal to see if you can get the best deal out of your coupon.

First rule -- do NOT buy something just because you have a coupon unless you are CERTAIN you will use it OR it is free (then you can give it to the food pantry at church or to another family who might actually need/use it).

If your store does not double or triple coupons (and many do, you just have to ask if they do), you can still use your coupons when things are on sale and get good deals.

If you follow the link to A Full Cup, you will find a long list of stores. Click on the store you shop at and there will be a LONG list of posts from other shoppers who have found good deals and will actually TELL you which coupon to use with which sale to get the best deal. The work has ALREADY been done for you -- you just have to take advantage of it.

There are 72 grocery stores listed on this site -- I'm CERTAIN there is a store listed there that is near you. There are also 7 drug stores, 2 health food stores and 3 super centers. I know that you can save some money by looking at these posts by other folks.

Here are a few examples for deals for a more discounted store that might be in your area (Save-A-Lot):

** In Septembers Flyer (got it today) it says go to Save-A-Lot.com to get a $15 coupon booklet !!! Here's the direct link:P & G Booklet Sign Up Save-A-Lot.com

** (Hormel Compleats) These are .99 at my store. One of the inserts had .75/1 in them! Makes theese only .24 a piece! YEAH!

** 32 oz. Velveeta cheese for $1 -- My Save-A-Lot has 32 oz. Velveeta cheese clearanced for $1.99. If you use the $1 q from the 8/9 SS, the OOP is .99!

It is the same with EVERY ONE of these stores. Find your store and read the deals!!

Happy Couponing (I'm determined that "couponing" is a verb -- spell check -- not so much).

Manufacturers Coupons - Store Coupons AKA Stacking

When you clip your coupons, you will notice that some say, "Manufacturer's Coupons" (the vast majority) and some say "Store Coupon" or will say, "Target Coupon" or "Food Lion Coupon" or something to that affect. When you have a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon for the same item, you can use both coupons for that item, thereby creating a situation known as stacking the coupons (and saving twice as much).

I'll give you an example. I regularly get coupons in the fliers for use at Target for $3.00 off Pampers. I also have manufacturers coupons for Pampers for $1.50-$2.00 off. When I got to Target to buy Pampers (they are on sale this week, BTW), I will use both coupons, effectively getting $5 off my coupons. You can ALSO do one more trick with this as well. I frequently get a coupon from Pampers saying, "Get a free box of wipes when you buy one box of Pampers". In this situation, I will use ALL THREE coupons and get $5 off AND a free box of Pampers.

With coupons, you have to learn to think outside the box and to know the store policies on coupons. If you don't know your store's policy you can either 1) go to the store's website, 2) ask the manager or customer service desk on your way in, 3) leave a comment and if I know I will share that with you.

Happy couponing!

Southern Savers -- Weekly Coupon Insert Schedule

If you visit the Southern Savers site, there is a link at the top that will tell you the coupon schedules for the year. It will tell you in advance what coupons will be in each insert. Check it out.

Also, please note that on HOLIDAY WEEKENDS, there are no coupons in your local papers. I also know that locally, you can get a Sunday paper at CVS and Walgreens for $1.00 and $.99 respectively, so if you want to buy additional coupons, you can do it there.

My friend Dee'Anna told me that she was able to buy just the coupons later in the week at CVS. She said she paid $.50 for them.

Free Downey Wrinkle Release

Found this at Southern Savers website (link to right):


Submit a photo of something wrinkled and get a coupon for a FREE bottle of downy wrinkle releaser.

Also click on “Coupons” to get $10 in coupons for other products sent to your email.

Coupon Book at Publix

Here is another one for Publix shoppers. Even if you don't regularly shop there, drop by and pick up a savings booklet (maybe buy something there too -- it's only fair!)

Special K $10 coupon Booklet

All Coupons are Manfacturer coupons and expire 11/1/09

-$2 off Milk wyb (1) Special K Protein Shake 4pk & (1) Special K Cereal

-$2 off Store Brand Coffee wyb (1) Special K Cereal Bar or Bliss Bars & (1) Special K Cereal

(note: store coffee is the penny item through today!)
-$2 off Produce wyb (1) Special K Waffles & (1) Special K Protein Meal Bars

-$2 on Bottled Water wyb (1) Special K Crackers & (1) K2O Protein Water Mixes

-$2 on Beauty Products wyb (1) Special K Protein Shakes & (1) Special K Bliss Bar

How Do I Store My Coupons?

My friend wrote and asked me to describe how I store my coupons. She made the comment that she originally didn't go "all out" with her coupon organization until she felt she was going to save money doing it. I can understand that as I also used a regular coupon organizer (the small kind you can get for a $1 pretty much anywhere) when I started. Then, I realized I was spending WAY too much time going through coupons in the store and I decided to do something different.I'm copying an email I sent back to a friend about how I have my coupons set up in hopes it will help others in their coupon organization. There are many schools of thought about how to organize coupons, so you may find a way that works better for you. This, however, is what works best for me.

I was talking with another "newbie" coupon clipper in the store on Saturday and she indicated the person who taught her told her to just keep her coupons unclipped and then use a matching site (I'll explain that later) to see what coupons go with which product you are going to buy on your trip to the store. I told her that I supposed that was a valid school of thought and would save you time clipping, HOWEVER, I take my binder in frequently to stores and find things on mark-down or clearance that are not in sale fliers and therefore I would not know I needed that coupon if I didn't already have it clipped and ready to use. Finding something marked down and using a coupon gets me some really good deals a lot of times. Yesterday, I found Swim Diapers in the clearance section at Kroger for $2.00. While I had already tossed those coupons, I probably would have had one for at least $2.00 and they would have been FREE!!!

I have a three ring binder (recycled from Josh's "stash" from school last year), plastic baseball card sleeves (borrowed from Josh's stash too) and plastic 4x6 photo sleeves (Walmart - 20 for like $2). I also have clear dividers that have pockets in them. This way I can put clipped coupons in the right divider until I have time to file them. OR, I can use them when I want to pull out the coupons I want to use at the store that day.I have sections for the following coupons and they are in order (pretty much) that they come in in the store.
- Drinks
- "Helpers" (seasonings, pastas, hamburger helpers, rices, dressings, etc.)
- Snacks/Junk Food (cookies, candy, gum, crackers, popcorn)
- Breakfast foods (eggs, cereal, bars)
- Baking (mixes, sugar, oils, jellos)
- Meat
- Pet food
- Health/Beauty (shampoos, toothpaste, lotions, bandaids, deodorants)
- Baby (diapers, wipes, etc.)
- Household (detergent, cleaners, baggies, etc.)
- Frozen foods
- Dairy (yogurts, cheeses, biscuits -- you know, all that stuff usually on the last aisle)


I clip and store them in the binder and the binder STAYS in the car because I never know when I might come across something that I'll need my coupons for.

Last, but not least, here's a tip (from my Coupon Guru, Kelly) for those of you who might have those BOGOF Reese's coupons that came out a few weeks ago. Walgreens currently has a deal where if you buy two Hershey's candy bars, you get a free Coke Zero. By using these coupons, I managed to snag SIX Reese's bars (I got the three to a pack and they worked) and three Coke Zeros for $2.74.

Stay tuned for more money saving coupon tips coming soon!!

Welcome to my Coupon Blog

Many of you have asked me to help you with saving money on your groceries through using coupons. I was sporadically posting things to my personal blog, but decided it was time to start a separate blog for just coupons/money saving tips.

I have felt that God was calling me to share this information with others. My friend down the road, Kelly, taught me and was my inspiration (and still is the Coupon Queen) for saving money. She regularly sends me tips (as do I her) on how to use our coupons to save the most money. I want to share that information with others.

Times are hard now. Many of you reading know that my husband was just laid off from his job of 11 years. I am thankful that God was preparing us for this months ahead by teaching me how to save A LOT of money on our groceries. I regularly spent $100-$125 a week to feed our (then) family of three. Then we added Ellie and diapers and baby food and such and it went up quite a bit.

This month, so far, I have spent $186 for $667 worth of groceries, a 71% savings. We typically have our regular refrigerator full, a second refrigerator partially full and a freezer that is pretty full. Our cabinets are about to explode, but when things are FREE (yes, free), I can't pass them up.

During a recent triple coupon event at Harris Teeter and Kroger, I got the following items FREE:



And these items were $.35 or less.

And while I know that there are a BAZILLION blogs/websites about couponing out there, I still feel the need to do this one -- for YOU. I will share the tips I get and the websites I use and hopefully teach you to save money for your family as well.

I am reminded of a Chinese proverb that says, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." I am hopeful that I can help you eat for a lifetime.

And, one last thing before I close this initial post. I want to share with you the meaning behind the blog title - Isaiah 55:1-2. While on the surface it appears to be about food (free food, nonetheless!!), it is certainly about the plan of salvation that God has for each of our lives. The NIV version of these verses are my favorite:

1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare."

Isaiah 55:1-2 reminds us that food and drink alone will satisfy our human bodies, but will never satisfy our souls. Coupons and feeding your family are certainly something I feel certain that God approves of, but He is more interested in the care of your soul.

May this site bless you and your family and the principles bless you as much as they have our family.