Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Weekly Savings: $79.45
This week was a good week. It started off slow and ended with a sweet victory!
Before I go into the details of my savings, I need to give some much needed shout-outs.
Andrea: Andrea was house sitting last Friday and extended an invitation to me to spend the night, to which I accepted. I got two newspapers last week and had only had time to cut the coupons from one of them. Little did Andrea know that she was going to spend the night cutting coupons with me, but she cut them like a pro! I'm sure she had a lot of fun.
Dad: When I told my dad how I was venturing into the couponing world, I also told him that newspapers were expensive and I wasn't sure that I wanted to buy more than two each week. He remembered that he gets about 10 Sunday papers where he works and he just so happens to work on Sundays. Let's just say the people who read those newspapers won't be going to the grocery store any time soon to redeem those coupons. My dad volunteered to collect all of the coupon inserts from the Sunday papers and mail them to me each week. JACKPOT! In return, I told him I would pay him $3 a week. I didn't realize shipping would be $5.00, so I'll have to increase his stipend.
Mom: You played a vital role in making sure the coupon inserts got to me before the sales for this week were over. That was some great team work; no wonder you guys have been married for nearly 38 years!
And now for the this week's savings...
Starbucks: You better believe I picked up my FREE pastry at Starbucks on Tuesday! My handcrafted drink of choice? A grande, sugar-free hazelnut, non-fat misto. The misto is cheaper than the latte because it's made with coffee instead of espresso. I can't really tell the difference, other than the $1 in price. Try it! Thank you, H.D., for introducing me to the misto.
Regular Price: $1.95. My price: FREE. Total Savings: $1.95.
Kroger: I did some more grocery shopping at Kroger this week, but didn't come across any hot deals. Even though I only used 3 coupons, I was still able to save a good amount of money from the sales. I had one coupon loaded on my Kroger card from Cellfire and gave the cashier 3 more manufacturer coupons, one of which was $1.00 off Ken's salad dressing. I got to my car and realized that he skipped over my $1.00 off coupon. I was tempted to go back in the store to get it straightened out, but I decided not to. Note to self: Pay close attention to the screen when the cashier is scanning valuable coupons.
Regular Price: $29.86. My price: $20.75. Total Savings: $9.11.
Walgreens: I love saving money and scoring hot deals, but the last thing I want to do is turn into a hoarder. Why buy all of these things, just because they are great deals, when I don't need them? There is a fine line between stockpiling and hoarding. Stockpiling simply means getting your groceries at the lowest price and stocking up on them so you won't have to buy them again in the near future. When thinking of hoarding, my mind turned to ministry. There are a lot of times when I want to donate to a certain ministry, but somehow convince myself that I don't have the money, or can't afford it that month. Using coupons to buy items when they are dirt cheap is a great way to help ministries that are in need of the exact things that you aren't. Because really, who needs 12 toothbrushes and a 20 bottles of shampoo and conditioner? Case in point: Walgreens was having a sale on their Schick Quattro razors this week. Regularly priced at $8.29, they were on sale for $6.99 plus an instant $2 off in-store coupon, making them $4.99. Smart Source also had a coupon in this week's insert for $4 off a 3-pack of Schick Quattro razors. Since my parents teamed up and sent me 14 inserts from this week's paper (7 Red Plum and 7 Smart Source), I had 8-$4 off coupons (I also bought one paper this week) to use on these razors bringing my total to $0.99/each! Do I need 24 disposable razors? Heck no! Does a homeless ministry need 24 razors? Absolutely! By combining my coupons with a sale, I was able to save 90% and now I can spend my savings on even more hot deals on items to donate to ministry! Proverbs 11:24 says, "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty." The bible also says in Psalm 112:5, "Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice." These are great verses to live by, no matter what your situation.
I also came across an Olay Quench Body Lotion Rebate Form while I was blog hopping this week, and decided to use it at Walgreens since I was already there. With the rebate form, Olay will reimburse you for the full cost of the lotion if you purchase it by 4/16 and postmark your envelope by 4/30. The lotion would normally cost $9.99, but with the rebate form, it's FREE! What are you waiting for? Print off the rebate form, above, and go get you some!
Regular Price: $76.31. My Price: $7.92. Total Savings: $68.39.
WEEKLY TOTALS: Regular Price: $108.12. My Price: $28.67. Total Weekly Savings: $79.45.
Before I go into the details of my savings, I need to give some much needed shout-outs.
Andrea: Andrea was house sitting last Friday and extended an invitation to me to spend the night, to which I accepted. I got two newspapers last week and had only had time to cut the coupons from one of them. Little did Andrea know that she was going to spend the night cutting coupons with me, but she cut them like a pro! I'm sure she had a lot of fun.
Dad: When I told my dad how I was venturing into the couponing world, I also told him that newspapers were expensive and I wasn't sure that I wanted to buy more than two each week. He remembered that he gets about 10 Sunday papers where he works and he just so happens to work on Sundays. Let's just say the people who read those newspapers won't be going to the grocery store any time soon to redeem those coupons. My dad volunteered to collect all of the coupon inserts from the Sunday papers and mail them to me each week. JACKPOT! In return, I told him I would pay him $3 a week. I didn't realize shipping would be $5.00, so I'll have to increase his stipend.
Mom: You played a vital role in making sure the coupon inserts got to me before the sales for this week were over. That was some great team work; no wonder you guys have been married for nearly 38 years!
And now for the this week's savings...
Starbucks: You better believe I picked up my FREE pastry at Starbucks on Tuesday! My handcrafted drink of choice? A grande, sugar-free hazelnut, non-fat misto. The misto is cheaper than the latte because it's made with coffee instead of espresso. I can't really tell the difference, other than the $1 in price. Try it! Thank you, H.D., for introducing me to the misto.
Regular Price: $1.95. My price: FREE. Total Savings: $1.95.
Kroger: I did some more grocery shopping at Kroger this week, but didn't come across any hot deals. Even though I only used 3 coupons, I was still able to save a good amount of money from the sales. I had one coupon loaded on my Kroger card from Cellfire and gave the cashier 3 more manufacturer coupons, one of which was $1.00 off Ken's salad dressing. I got to my car and realized that he skipped over my $1.00 off coupon. I was tempted to go back in the store to get it straightened out, but I decided not to. Note to self: Pay close attention to the screen when the cashier is scanning valuable coupons.
Regular Price: $29.86. My price: $20.75. Total Savings: $9.11.
Walgreens: I love saving money and scoring hot deals, but the last thing I want to do is turn into a hoarder. Why buy all of these things, just because they are great deals, when I don't need them? There is a fine line between stockpiling and hoarding. Stockpiling simply means getting your groceries at the lowest price and stocking up on them so you won't have to buy them again in the near future. When thinking of hoarding, my mind turned to ministry. There are a lot of times when I want to donate to a certain ministry, but somehow convince myself that I don't have the money, or can't afford it that month. Using coupons to buy items when they are dirt cheap is a great way to help ministries that are in need of the exact things that you aren't. Because really, who needs 12 toothbrushes and a 20 bottles of shampoo and conditioner? Case in point: Walgreens was having a sale on their Schick Quattro razors this week. Regularly priced at $8.29, they were on sale for $6.99 plus an instant $2 off in-store coupon, making them $4.99. Smart Source also had a coupon in this week's insert for $4 off a 3-pack of Schick Quattro razors. Since my parents teamed up and sent me 14 inserts from this week's paper (7 Red Plum and 7 Smart Source), I had 8-$4 off coupons (I also bought one paper this week) to use on these razors bringing my total to $0.99/each! Do I need 24 disposable razors? Heck no! Does a homeless ministry need 24 razors? Absolutely! By combining my coupons with a sale, I was able to save 90% and now I can spend my savings on even more hot deals on items to donate to ministry! Proverbs 11:24 says, "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty." The bible also says in Psalm 112:5, "Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice." These are great verses to live by, no matter what your situation.
I also came across an Olay Quench Body Lotion Rebate Form while I was blog hopping this week, and decided to use it at Walgreens since I was already there. With the rebate form, Olay will reimburse you for the full cost of the lotion if you purchase it by 4/16 and postmark your envelope by 4/30. The lotion would normally cost $9.99, but with the rebate form, it's FREE! What are you waiting for? Print off the rebate form, above, and go get you some!
Regular Price: $76.31. My Price: $7.92. Total Savings: $68.39.
WEEKLY TOTALS: Regular Price: $108.12. My Price: $28.67. Total Weekly Savings: $79.45.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Weekly Savings: $83.59
I've decided to get serious about the colorful sheets of paper that so many people discard upon opening their Sunday paper. I see one color when I look at those inserts - green. I'm talking about the coupons found in the Red Plum and Smart Source Sunday paper inserts. I've heard of people buying as many as 10 Sunday papers in one week, but I'm sticking to 2 for now. 10 papers is a little too intense for me, considering the fact that I'm only buying for myself and not a family of 5 or 6. I found out this past weekend that you can buy newspapers in packs of 2, lowering the cost from $3.00 to $2.50/each. My envelope system I mentioned in an earlier post, here, was not efficient with the number of coupons I had and I found myself getting frustrated/overwhelmed because I couldn't easily see what I was working with. I took my friend Courtney's advice and bought baseball trading card sheets at Wal-Mart. One of the best ideas, ever! It was about $5.00 for 35 sheets, each with 9 slots. If you're having a hard time picturing these, see a picture here. I found an old 1" binder with some dividers and started to categorize my coupons by the insert they came from (Red Plum, Smart Source, printed online, etc.) and by the date the insert came out (3/7, 3/14, 3/21, etc.). Within those categories, I categorized them again by type (frozen foods, cleaning, health/beauty, etc.) I know it seems borderline OCD (maybe it is...) and like a lot of work, but it's not that bad. I just flip through the inserts, cut out the coupons I want and place them in piles as I go along. When I finish cutting my coupons, I pick up the stack of frozen food coupons and put one in each a slot on my baseball card trading pages. Then I pick up the cleaning coupons and continue to do the same thing until all of my coupons have been filed. One of the things I quickly learned from the blogs I follow is that the couponers of the world have their own lingo. For example, when they tell you about a deal, they'll write "Use $1/1 Q - 3/7 SS" which translates to "Use the $1 off 1 _____ (whatever the product is) coupon from the March 7th Smart Source. It is for this reason that I categorize my coupons by the insert and then the date.
I kept my binder in the car this week and took it with me whenever I went to the store. Here are my savings for the week:
Kroger: I received the Kroger ad in the mail on Wednesday and did some prep work before heading to the grocery store. Kroger was having a March Madness promotion, where you would receive $4 off your bill if you bought 8 participating items. I looked at the participating items and compared them to the coupons I had. To save time, I took out the coupons I would need and placed them in an envelope. To avoid a run in with my ADD and to stay on track, I wrote down the items I would buy and the quantity I would need of each in order to qualify for the March Madness promotion. I got to the store and went through my list, item by item. I went to check out, gave the cashier my coupons at the end of the transaction and watched the total drop. I ended up buying everything shown below for $9.40, and saved myself $22.59 when everything was said and done.
Regular Price: $31.99. My Price: $9.40. Total Savings: $22.59.
Walgreens: I went to Walgreens to return a DVD I rented from RedBox and decided to go inside to see if there were any good deals to be had. I have a tendency to leave my make-up bag in the car, which isn't good news for my mascara when it's 32 degrees outside. For that reason, I can't ever have enough mascara. Revlon products were 40% off and Rimmel products were 50% off. I had coupons for both lines. I bypassed the Rimmel mascara packages at the front of the row and grabbed the mascara package with the bonus eye liner. I also wanted some Spring colored nail polish and snagged one from Revlon. Walgreens had a store coupon for $0.49 Reese's peanut butter cups and I had a manufacturer coupon for $0.55 off, (most stores allow you to stack store coupons and manufacturer coupons, and will also reduce the value of the manufacturer coupon if it is higher than the value of the product), making my Reese's FREE! Overall, I spent $4.98 and saved $9.78.
Regular Price: $14.76. My Price: $4.98. Total Savings: $9.78.
Target: Target has some really great deals this week and after looking at my coupons, I decided to participate in two of them. They are advertising a Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal on their Ore-Ida Potatoes. I had 2 - $1/1 coupons, get yours here, for the new Ore-Ida Steam n' Mash potatoes and Target had them 2 for $5, regularly priced at $3.49. With my two coupons, I would end up paying $1/bag. I grabbed 3 bags and headed over to their health/beauty section. Target also has their tampons advertised for $6.99 (regularly $8.99) this week, and you'll receive a $5 gift card if you buy two. That's a pretty good deal, but I also had some coupons, making the deal even sweeter! I had 2 - $2/1 coupons (remember, you can use one manufacturer coupon per purchase) to use, turning the $6.99/box into $4.99/box. This combined with my $5 gift card that I would receive, made it $4.99 for 2 boxes of tampons.
Regular Price: $28.45. My Price: $7.99. Total Savings: $20.46.
Staples: I've been wanting a flash drive for a while, but have been putting it off because they are kind of pricey. I saw that Staples was advertising a 4 GB flash drive, regularly priced at $29.99 for $14.99. Not only would you get $15 off the retail price of the flash drive, but you would also get a $10 gift card to use towards your next purchase. It was like paying $4.99. I also found a 15% off coupon (expires 3/23) and printed it off before I left. After everything was said and done, I paid $3.79 (tax included) for an item that would have normally set me back $32.46 (tax still included).
I also went to Rita's with the McCurdys for our FREE regular Italian Ice in honor of the first day of Spring. It was ironic that it was snowing on the first day of Spring and was 33 degrees when we were eating our Italian Ice, but hey, it was fun and FREE, two things I love!
I kept my binder in the car this week and took it with me whenever I went to the store. Here are my savings for the week:
Kroger: I received the Kroger ad in the mail on Wednesday and did some prep work before heading to the grocery store. Kroger was having a March Madness promotion, where you would receive $4 off your bill if you bought 8 participating items. I looked at the participating items and compared them to the coupons I had. To save time, I took out the coupons I would need and placed them in an envelope. To avoid a run in with my ADD and to stay on track, I wrote down the items I would buy and the quantity I would need of each in order to qualify for the March Madness promotion. I got to the store and went through my list, item by item. I went to check out, gave the cashier my coupons at the end of the transaction and watched the total drop. I ended up buying everything shown below for $9.40, and saved myself $22.59 when everything was said and done.
Regular Price: $31.99. My Price: $9.40. Total Savings: $22.59.
Walgreens: I went to Walgreens to return a DVD I rented from RedBox and decided to go inside to see if there were any good deals to be had. I have a tendency to leave my make-up bag in the car, which isn't good news for my mascara when it's 32 degrees outside. For that reason, I can't ever have enough mascara. Revlon products were 40% off and Rimmel products were 50% off. I had coupons for both lines. I bypassed the Rimmel mascara packages at the front of the row and grabbed the mascara package with the bonus eye liner. I also wanted some Spring colored nail polish and snagged one from Revlon. Walgreens had a store coupon for $0.49 Reese's peanut butter cups and I had a manufacturer coupon for $0.55 off, (most stores allow you to stack store coupons and manufacturer coupons, and will also reduce the value of the manufacturer coupon if it is higher than the value of the product), making my Reese's FREE! Overall, I spent $4.98 and saved $9.78.
Regular Price: $14.76. My Price: $4.98. Total Savings: $9.78.
Target: Target has some really great deals this week and after looking at my coupons, I decided to participate in two of them. They are advertising a Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal on their Ore-Ida Potatoes. I had 2 - $1/1 coupons, get yours here, for the new Ore-Ida Steam n' Mash potatoes and Target had them 2 for $5, regularly priced at $3.49. With my two coupons, I would end up paying $1/bag. I grabbed 3 bags and headed over to their health/beauty section. Target also has their tampons advertised for $6.99 (regularly $8.99) this week, and you'll receive a $5 gift card if you buy two. That's a pretty good deal, but I also had some coupons, making the deal even sweeter! I had 2 - $2/1 coupons (remember, you can use one manufacturer coupon per purchase) to use, turning the $6.99/box into $4.99/box. This combined with my $5 gift card that I would receive, made it $4.99 for 2 boxes of tampons.
Regular Price: $28.45. My Price: $7.99. Total Savings: $20.46.
Staples: I've been wanting a flash drive for a while, but have been putting it off because they are kind of pricey. I saw that Staples was advertising a 4 GB flash drive, regularly priced at $29.99 for $14.99. Not only would you get $15 off the retail price of the flash drive, but you would also get a $10 gift card to use towards your next purchase. It was like paying $4.99. I also found a 15% off coupon (expires 3/23) and printed it off before I left. After everything was said and done, I paid $3.79 (tax included) for an item that would have normally set me back $32.46 (tax still included).
Regular Price: $32.46. My Price: $3.79. Total Savings: $28.67.
I also went to Rita's with the McCurdys for our FREE regular Italian Ice in honor of the first day of Spring. It was ironic that it was snowing on the first day of Spring and was 33 degrees when we were eating our Italian Ice, but hey, it was fun and FREE, two things I love!
Regular Price: $2.09. My Price: FREE. Total Savings: $2.09
WEEKLY TOTALS:
Total Regular Price: $109.75. Total My Price: $26.16. Total Weekly Savings: $83.59.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
FREE 5 Gum!
5 Gum is offering a FREE pack of gum to the first 100,000 peeps. Here's the deal: Click here to be redirected to their webpage. Click on "See if you are chosen" on the left-hand side of the page. It will ask you to connect to Facebook. Do it. Enjoy the rest. Hopefully, you'll be one of the first 100,000 and will receive your FREE pack of gum!
Whoa Bessie - Free Ice Cream at Ben & Jerry's!
It looks like March 23rd is a popular day to give away FREE things! Get your FREE Starbucks pastry in the morning and head on over to Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream between 12 and 8 pm on Tuesday, March 23rd to score yourself a FREE cone!
Here's the scoop (pun intended):
Who: You.
What: FREE ice cream cone.
When: Between 12 and 8 pm on Tuesday, March 23rd
Where: Ben & Jerry's. Click here to find a location near you. Note: If you're in the Dallas area, there is a store in the Shops at Highland Village and one on Preston, just north of Plano Pkwy.
Why: Just because.
Here's the scoop (pun intended):
Who: You.
What: FREE ice cream cone.
When: Between 12 and 8 pm on Tuesday, March 23rd
Where: Ben & Jerry's. Click here to find a location near you. Note: If you're in the Dallas area, there is a store in the Shops at Highland Village and one on Preston, just north of Plano Pkwy.
Why: Just because.
Friday, March 19, 2010
FREE Italian Ice at Rita's on 3/20!
For the past 17 years, Rita's has been giving away a FREE, regular size Italian Ice to each and every guest to mark the first day of spring!
Head on over to a Rita's near you from noon to 10:00 pm on Saturday, March 20th and enjoy a FREE Italian Ice with a friend!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Free Pastry at Starbucks!
I'm a little sad to report that I did not have time to swing by Baja Fresh for my free burrito yesterday. However, I have never been to Baja Fresh so I really don't know what I missed out on, which makes the reality of the situation a little less painful.
On the other hand, I would be SUPER sad if I missed out on a FREE pastry from Starbucks! So I'm just not going to do that. You don't miss out either, okay?
Here are the details:
Who: You.
What: A FREE pastry at Starbucks (while pastries last) - get your coupon here - with the purchase of a handcrafted beverage.
When: Tuesday, March 23rd, until 10:30 am.
Where: Starbucks.
Why: Just Because.
Note: If you have a PDA, you don't have to print out the coupon. Just click on the coupon link above and show the barista the coupon on your phone. HOLLER!
On the other hand, I would be SUPER sad if I missed out on a FREE pastry from Starbucks! So I'm just not going to do that. You don't miss out either, okay?
Here are the details:
Who: You.
What: A FREE pastry at Starbucks (while pastries last) - get your coupon here - with the purchase of a handcrafted beverage.
When: Tuesday, March 23rd, until 10:30 am.
Where: Starbucks.
Why: Just Because.
Note: If you have a PDA, you don't have to print out the coupon. Just click on the coupon link above and show the barista the coupon on your phone. HOLLER!
Monday, March 15, 2010
St. Patrick's Day Freebie!
Hey, I just noticed this is my 100th post. Happy posting to me!
In other news, Baja Fresh is celebrating St. Patrick's Day with FREE burritos! Print out this coupon, bring it into your local Baja Fresh between 11:00 am and 8:00 pm on March 17th and enjoy a free burrito! Since you probably won't take time to read the fine print, I read it for you. Here's the deal: 1. You have to be their Facebook fan. Once you click the link above, log in to Facebook. Your name has to be displayed on the printout. I had to click the Account drop down on the top right part of the page to display my name, PDF it and then print it. The fine print says that you have to present "a fully printed Facebook page that includes the offer, comments and fan name" - that's you. Three restrictions apply when redeeming your coupon: 1. You have to present an ID that matches the name on your print out. 2. You have to wear green, well because that's fun to have a restaurant full of people wearing the same color. 3. You have to buy a large beverage. I know it seems like a lot of work, but it's really not. To find the closest Baja Fresh to you, click here.
In other news, Baja Fresh is celebrating St. Patrick's Day with FREE burritos! Print out this coupon, bring it into your local Baja Fresh between 11:00 am and 8:00 pm on March 17th and enjoy a free burrito! Since you probably won't take time to read the fine print, I read it for you. Here's the deal: 1. You have to be their Facebook fan. Once you click the link above, log in to Facebook. Your name has to be displayed on the printout. I had to click the Account drop down on the top right part of the page to display my name, PDF it and then print it. The fine print says that you have to present "a fully printed Facebook page that includes the offer, comments and fan name" - that's you. Three restrictions apply when redeeming your coupon: 1. You have to present an ID that matches the name on your print out. 2. You have to wear green, well because that's fun to have a restaurant full of people wearing the same color. 3. You have to buy a large beverage. I know it seems like a lot of work, but it's really not. To find the closest Baja Fresh to you, click here.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Savings Continue...
Here are the items I saved on this week:
Kroger: I mentioned last week that I tried the Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters and really liked them. I printed off two more $1 off coupons from Coupons.com and bought two more packages at Kroger on Friday. At $1.29 each, I was pretty sure a deal like that wouldn't come along again anytime soon. Regular Price: $7.58 ($3.79 each). My Price: $2.58 ($1.29 each).
Wal-Mart: I used my $2 off $10 or more of gas (expires 3/16) at Murphy USA this weekend. The only place I've seen Murphy USA is at Wal-Mart, so if your local Wal-Mart has a gas station, you're in luck! Regular Price: $10.00. My Price: $8.00
JCPenney Sephora: I went to the mall yesterday to see if our JCPenney had a Sephora counter. They didn't. I decided to wander aimlessly (by aimlessly, I mean straight to the BCBG section of Dillard's) but was stopped by a sweet old lady on my way. Her name was Joy. "Would you like to take a movie preview survey? It won't take too long... (Insert smile too sweet to ignore, here). "Uhhh...hmm...okay. For you, Joy? Sure. One of the pre-qualification questions asked how many times I had been to the movie theatre in the past 2 months. I said zero. The girl interviewing me (it wasn't Joy, she just hooks the people walking past) had a sad look on her face. I said, "Oh, does it need to be more than that?" She said, "Yeah... at least two..." "Oh, okay then, two." "Perfect. How many times have you been to the movie theatre in the past year? This one doesn't matter." "Okay great, ummm 8. That sounds good." The next part was selecting the probability of me seeing a movie, just based on the title and the cast. After reading the title and the names of the cast members, I watched the preview and told her why I did/did not want to see the movie, based on the preview. The whole process took about 20 minutes and at the end she said, "Let me go get your $2.00." Awesome. Here I thought I was just helping Joy meet her quota and I got $2.00 out of the deal. Although that equates to $6/hr, it's better than dropping $50 on clothes that I may or may not have needed. All that to say, I stopped by another JCPenney with Ali after church today and picked up my Free Mascara. It took all of 20 seconds. Survey - I earned $2.00 for 20 minutes of my time. Mascara - Regular Price: $9.38*. My Price: FREE.
*The regular size, 0.27 oz, retails for $19.50. My sample is 0.13 oz, so that means it would have been $9.38).
Sprouts: Sprouts has a sweet sale on their Cuties this week! A 5 lb box normally retails for $7.99 and Sprouts had them advertised for $2.99. I also had a $1.00 of coupon, making my box of cuties $1.99.
Regular Price: $7.99. My Price: $1.99.
Panda Express: I posted earlier this week that Panda Express was offering a FREE single serving of their new item, Honey Walnut Shrimp. I definitely swung by and used my coupon! There were seven shrimp packed in a tiny little box, but it was delicious and far exceeded my expectations. I think of fast-food Chinese as being soggy and nasty, but the coating on the shrimp was crunchy and far from soggy. I liked it so much that I decided to get it again today when Ali and I ate lunch at Panda Express. To my surprise, the serving size that I got for free on Wednesday really was a real serving size. I only got seven little shrimp with my meal today, but had to pay $4.00 for them this time. I think I'll make my own honey walnut shrimp next time. Regular Price: $4.00. My price: FREE.
CVS: I was down to the last little bit of my bar soap and needed to get some more. CVS had an advertised deal on Caress bar soap (limit 3) for $0.99, and I got three.
Regular Price: $4.77 ($1.59 each). My Price: $2.97.
Total Weekly Savings: $30.18 or 69%.
Regular Price Total: $43.72. My Price Total: $13.54 (includes my $2.00 earnings).
Kroger: I mentioned last week that I tried the Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters and really liked them. I printed off two more $1 off coupons from Coupons.com and bought two more packages at Kroger on Friday. At $1.29 each, I was pretty sure a deal like that wouldn't come along again anytime soon. Regular Price: $7.58 ($3.79 each). My Price: $2.58 ($1.29 each).
Wal-Mart: I used my $2 off $10 or more of gas (expires 3/16) at Murphy USA this weekend. The only place I've seen Murphy USA is at Wal-Mart, so if your local Wal-Mart has a gas station, you're in luck! Regular Price: $10.00. My Price: $8.00
JCPenney Sephora: I went to the mall yesterday to see if our JCPenney had a Sephora counter. They didn't. I decided to wander aimlessly (by aimlessly, I mean straight to the BCBG section of Dillard's) but was stopped by a sweet old lady on my way. Her name was Joy. "Would you like to take a movie preview survey? It won't take too long... (Insert smile too sweet to ignore, here). "Uhhh...hmm...okay. For you, Joy? Sure. One of the pre-qualification questions asked how many times I had been to the movie theatre in the past 2 months. I said zero. The girl interviewing me (it wasn't Joy, she just hooks the people walking past) had a sad look on her face. I said, "Oh, does it need to be more than that?" She said, "Yeah... at least two..." "Oh, okay then, two." "Perfect. How many times have you been to the movie theatre in the past year? This one doesn't matter." "Okay great, ummm 8. That sounds good." The next part was selecting the probability of me seeing a movie, just based on the title and the cast. After reading the title and the names of the cast members, I watched the preview and told her why I did/did not want to see the movie, based on the preview. The whole process took about 20 minutes and at the end she said, "Let me go get your $2.00." Awesome. Here I thought I was just helping Joy meet her quota and I got $2.00 out of the deal. Although that equates to $6/hr, it's better than dropping $50 on clothes that I may or may not have needed. All that to say, I stopped by another JCPenney with Ali after church today and picked up my Free Mascara. It took all of 20 seconds. Survey - I earned $2.00 for 20 minutes of my time. Mascara - Regular Price: $9.38*. My Price: FREE.
*The regular size, 0.27 oz, retails for $19.50. My sample is 0.13 oz, so that means it would have been $9.38).
Sprouts: Sprouts has a sweet sale on their Cuties this week! A 5 lb box normally retails for $7.99 and Sprouts had them advertised for $2.99. I also had a $1.00 of coupon, making my box of cuties $1.99.
Regular Price: $7.99. My Price: $1.99.
Panda Express: I posted earlier this week that Panda Express was offering a FREE single serving of their new item, Honey Walnut Shrimp. I definitely swung by and used my coupon! There were seven shrimp packed in a tiny little box, but it was delicious and far exceeded my expectations. I think of fast-food Chinese as being soggy and nasty, but the coating on the shrimp was crunchy and far from soggy. I liked it so much that I decided to get it again today when Ali and I ate lunch at Panda Express. To my surprise, the serving size that I got for free on Wednesday really was a real serving size. I only got seven little shrimp with my meal today, but had to pay $4.00 for them this time. I think I'll make my own honey walnut shrimp next time. Regular Price: $4.00. My price: FREE.
CVS: I was down to the last little bit of my bar soap and needed to get some more. CVS had an advertised deal on Caress bar soap (limit 3) for $0.99, and I got three.
Regular Price: $4.77 ($1.59 each). My Price: $2.97.
Total Weekly Savings: $30.18 or 69%.
Regular Price Total: $43.72. My Price Total: $13.54 (includes my $2.00 earnings).
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
I'm Getting the Hang of This.
Okay, so I told you in my last post that I've been following some money saving blogs to learn the tricks of the trade. Tonight, I decided to test out my skills at Target, with Bonnie by my side for moral support. I haven't discovered the most efficient way to organize my coupons yet, so for now, I have categorized envelopes (e.g. health/beauty, fruits/veggies, cleaning, toiletries, etc., you get the picture) and I write the coupons on the outside of the envelope so I can see what I'm working with. I have read and heard over and over again that the best time to use a coupon is when an item is on sale. I saw on Totally Target that a lot readers were reporting marked down items in the cosmetics department of Target. I had some make-up coupons that expired at the end of the month and decided this would be a good time to use them. I found some Covergirl nail polish that was originally $3.69, on clearance for $0.92. My coupon was $1.00 off any Covergirl product. Side note: I have also learned that if the coupon value is higher than the cost of the item, you can ask the cashier to reduce the value of the coupon to make the item free. JACKPOT! There weren't any more items on clearance that I had a coupon for, so I made my way over to the health/beauty section to see what I could find. I looked at my health/beauty envelope and noticed that I had a coupon for $1.00 off Oral-B floss. I skimmed through the floss selection and found some for $1.02. Oh man, this is getting good! I had one more coupon up my sleeve, and this one was for Bonnie. I noticed that she had conditioner written on her grocery list and I just so happened to have a buy one get one free (B1G1) Herbal Essences coupon. She decided to buy her Herbal Essences conditioner and get some spray gel for FREE!
We walked over to the checkout for the moment of truth. The cashier scanned our items and then all three coupons. All of my coupons prompted a warning on the screen that they were invalid. I made sure beforehand that the coupons would work with the items I was purchasing, so I knew they weren't invalid. Our cashier, Katherine, called for back up. While we were waiting around awkwardly, I asked her if the patient man behind us with two items could go ahead of us. She cancelled our transaction and rang him up. Now it was our turn again. Katherine's back up, Shana, instructed her to mark down the value of the Covergirl coupon to $0.92 and to override the warnings for the other products. Apparently, the registers at Target are not fans of coupons. After waiting in anticipation for a couple of minutes, Katherine handed me my receipt. I was shocked when I saw my savings! After everything was said and done, I saved $6.83 plus the $2.77 markdown on the nail polish for a grand total of $9.60 or 75%. I walked out of Target feeling like I was on top of the world! I could really get used to this using coupons thing.
My total savings at Kroger, including sale prices and coupons, was $8.85.
I'm pretty proud of myself. I've given myself a pat on the back and listened closely to hear my dad's voice in my head saying, "Good job, Britt!" It's too late to call him right now, but had I called him, I know that's what he would say.
Total savings for the night? $18.45.
That's all I've got for now. I'm sure I'll be dreaming of all kinds of saving scenarios tonight.
We walked over to the checkout for the moment of truth. The cashier scanned our items and then all three coupons. All of my coupons prompted a warning on the screen that they were invalid. I made sure beforehand that the coupons would work with the items I was purchasing, so I knew they weren't invalid. Our cashier, Katherine, called for back up. While we were waiting around awkwardly, I asked her if the patient man behind us with two items could go ahead of us. She cancelled our transaction and rang him up. Now it was our turn again. Katherine's back up, Shana, instructed her to mark down the value of the Covergirl coupon to $0.92 and to override the warnings for the other products. Apparently, the registers at Target are not fans of coupons. After waiting in anticipation for a couple of minutes, Katherine handed me my receipt. I was shocked when I saw my savings! After everything was said and done, I saved $6.83 plus the $2.77 markdown on the nail polish for a grand total of $9.60 or 75%. I walked out of Target feeling like I was on top of the world! I could really get used to this using coupons thing.
Bonnie needed to get the majority of her groceries at Kroger, so we headed that way. Another thing I've learned about over the past couple of weeks is Cellfire, a website where you can load electronic coupons on to your Kroger or Tom Thumb rewards card. It's pretty sweet. I've seen ads for the Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters and when I saw the $1 off coupon for them on Cellfire, I immediately added it to my Kroger card. When we got to Kroger, I saw them on sale for $2.29, originally priced at $3.79, and tossed them in the cart. Kroger had a great deal on Charmin toilet paper, 12 rolls for $5.99, originally priced at $9.79 and I also had a $0.25 coupon. Another great thing about Kroger is that they triple coupons with a face value of $0.35 or less and double coupons with a face value of $0.50 or less. Since Kroger triples coupons, my $0.25 coupon quickly turned into a $0.75 coupon. I also bought some extra virgin olive oil (EVOO for the Rachael Ray fans) that was marked down $0.80 and there were also manufacturer coupons for $1.00 off hanging off the shelf.
My total savings at Kroger, including sale prices and coupons, was $8.85.
I'm pretty proud of myself. I've given myself a pat on the back and listened closely to hear my dad's voice in my head saying, "Good job, Britt!" It's too late to call him right now, but had I called him, I know that's what he would say.
Total savings for the night? $18.45.
That's all I've got for now. I'm sure I'll be dreaming of all kinds of saving scenarios tonight.
Free Panda Express, Pinkberry and Mascara!
The free stuff keeps coming! Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed by following three money saving blogs, but I saw a couple of things that put a skip in my step and I wanted to share them with you. Enjoy!
1. Free Panda Express on Wednesday, March 10th. Click to enlarge and print the coupon, below, to receive a FREE order of Honey Walnut Shrimp. Click here to find a Panda Express near you.
3. Whether you love your lashes or want to love them, that's beside the point. The point is, FREE mascara! Bring this coupon to the Sephora counter inside your local JCPenney to receive your FREE mascara. Please note that the coupon says if they run out of mascara, they'll give you a sample of whatever you'd like!
I'm going to try to publish deals like this more often, but if you want to know about all of the great deals, please check out the sources themselves, Cha-ching on a Shoestring, Totally Target, and Addicted to Saving.
1. Free Panda Express on Wednesday, March 10th. Click to enlarge and print the coupon, below, to receive a FREE order of Honey Walnut Shrimp. Click here to find a Panda Express near you.
2. Free Pinkberry on Friday, March 12th. Pinkberry is mad about mango and you can join them on Friday to receive a FREE mini Mango Pinkberry with toppings. Read more about it here and find a Pinkberry near you, here.
3. Whether you love your lashes or want to love them, that's beside the point. The point is, FREE mascara! Bring this coupon to the Sephora counter inside your local JCPenney to receive your FREE mascara. Please note that the coupon says if they run out of mascara, they'll give you a sample of whatever you'd like!
I'm going to try to publish deals like this more often, but if you want to know about all of the great deals, please check out the sources themselves, Cha-ching on a Shoestring, Totally Target, and Addicted to Saving.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Frugal Fri...Monday!
I definitely haven't lost my frugal touch, but I've entered into the world of couponing and am trying to up my game, so I've been a little distracted. Some of my favorite sites to follow are Cha-Ching on a Shoestring, Totally Target, and a new favorite, Addicted to Saving. I am a visual person and that's why I'm so drawn to Addicted to Saving. She has photo show and tells and she also totals how much she spends on groceries. I've always wondered, "Sure you are saving X amount, but how much are you spending?!" These sites are really great, because they do all of the work for you. All you need to do is buy your paper and remove all of your coupon inserts. When there is a really great deal, they'll tell you which coupons to use to ensure that you are spending as little as possible on the items.
Side note: If I'm going to clean my toilet, I definitely want to use an item that's been identified as a wand, because that's just fun. Back to the point of this post. You can find the post on Totally Target, here, which includes a link to a $5 off coupon and a $5 mail-in rebate form. I found the wand at Market Street today for $9.69 and used my $5 off coupon. I paid $5.19 after tax and once I receive my rebate, I will have paid $0.63 (tax and postage) for an item that would have set me back $10.49. HOLLER!
While I'm on my saving soap box, I want to make you aware of a sweet deal that Bonnie told me about today! Dunkin' Donuts is giving away FREE medium hot or ice coffee every Monday during the month of March!
There was a post a couple of weeks ago on Totally Target about the Clorox Toilet Wand.
Side note: If I'm going to clean my toilet, I definitely want to use an item that's been identified as a wand, because that's just fun. Back to the point of this post. You can find the post on Totally Target, here, which includes a link to a $5 off coupon and a $5 mail-in rebate form. I found the wand at Market Street today for $9.69 and used my $5 off coupon. I paid $5.19 after tax and once I receive my rebate, I will have paid $0.63 (tax and postage) for an item that would have set me back $10.49. HOLLER!While I'm on my saving soap box, I want to make you aware of a sweet deal that Bonnie told me about today! Dunkin' Donuts is giving away FREE medium hot or ice coffee every Monday during the month of March!
You may want to print off the ad, just in case the people at your local DD look at you like a fool when you turn to walk away from the counter without paying for your coffee! I think I'm going to treat myself to one tonight!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Get your GROUPON on!
I heard about this site, Groupon, from my friend Bianca. I'm in love. Basically, Groupon partners with local businesses in major cities to bring customers daily deals. Each day I get an e-mail from Groupon spotlighting the day's deal. You have until 11:59 pm to buy, and then the deal is gone, never to return. Well, it may return, but not any time soon. It's a win-win, because I'm offered a great discount for a service/product I probably haven't heard about before, but would like to try, and the local business gets more traffic in their store.
On another note, I have a girl's night once a month with Bonnie and three of her best friends from high school, who have now become friends of mine. One of the Groupon deals was at a local fitness center. They were offering 3 pole dancing classes and one burlesque class for 80% off the regular price. I instantly thought this would be a girls night to remember. Since you only have until the end of the day to sign up, I sent out an urgent e-mail asking the girls to respond with their thoughts ASAP. They were all in! We planned our first class for the last week in March and I'll let you know how that goes.
In other news, one of my best friends, Callie, got engaged last Saturday! I introduced Jeremy to you in an earlier post, here. He's really great, and we are all really excited for them! I will post the pictures and the proposal details later. I'm off to teach some kids that God is in charge of everything!
On another note, I have a girl's night once a month with Bonnie and three of her best friends from high school, who have now become friends of mine. One of the Groupon deals was at a local fitness center. They were offering 3 pole dancing classes and one burlesque class for 80% off the regular price. I instantly thought this would be a girls night to remember. Since you only have until the end of the day to sign up, I sent out an urgent e-mail asking the girls to respond with their thoughts ASAP. They were all in! We planned our first class for the last week in March and I'll let you know how that goes.
In other news, one of my best friends, Callie, got engaged last Saturday! I introduced Jeremy to you in an earlier post, here. He's really great, and we are all really excited for them! I will post the pictures and the proposal details later. I'm off to teach some kids that God is in charge of everything!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Deals at Fazoli's 2/22 - 2/26 only!
Print the coupon, below, at Fazoli's on the appropriate day(s) to receive your hot deal!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
I Have Issues...
I have issues. One issue I have is zipping my pants. This is only an issue if my pants have more than one button. Since most of my pants have one button and one zipper, I'm used to performing two steps and only two steps after I pull my pants up. Step one: Button my pants. Step two: Zip my pants. I don't really think about it, I just do it. So when my pants have more than one button, an issue is created. I just bought some new pants and they have THREE buttons. Yes, three. Is this really necessary? Who really needs three buttons to hold their pants up? Two buttons, okay. I can understand that. But three? I'm sure that extra button adds another $5 to the retail price of the pants. Simply unnecessary. Anyways, I bought these new pants (for a really great price, I might add) and I've worn them to work 4 times, so far. I've forgotten to zip my pants every time. I have managed to button all three buttons, which I am proud of because I'm only used to performing two steps, but I keep forgetting to zip my pants. The good news is that the zipper is short, so it's not too obvious to my co-workers that I'm sloppy. I normally don't realize I forgot to zip them until I spill/drop some part of my breakfast on my pants and look down. I say to myself and sometimes under my breath, "Are you kidding me?" My issues could be more serious, so I'm actually thankful for this one. My solution to the issue? None. It is what it is.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Vote for Hannah and Karl!
Callie's younger sister, Hannah, is engaged to be married to Karl and they need your help. No, no, they don't need your money, country club membership or amazing voice, they just need you to click on the link below to take their Crate and Barrel Ultimate Wedding contest submission to 1st place! VOTE FOR THEM HERE, okay? No worries, you won't get any spam mail by registering, but you may get pictures of adorable pillows and vases straight to your inbox. I kid, I kid. Just vote for them, already!
You can read Hannah's blog, here. I added her to my reader because I like her style. You will, too.
You can read Hannah's blog, here. I added her to my reader because I like her style. You will, too.
Friday, February 5, 2010
24 Is Way Older Than 23.
I'm happy to report that the Lord has allowed me to live another year. That makes 24 years that I've been alive. I like saying "I'm 24." It's way better than saying "I'm 23." 24 just sounds way older than 23, doesn't it? To celebrate my day of birth, I invited some dear friends in the Dallas area to come out for dinner and bowling. I wanted it to be super casual for two reasons: 1. Casual is just more fun. 2. I wanted people to feel like they could come and go. For dinner, I chose my favorite burger joint, Twisted Root Burger. Aside from great burgers, Twisted Root has a really fun atmosphere. Instead of giving you a number to listen for, they give you a celebrity name. If you're lucky, you could be Marilyn Monroe for the night and pick up your order right after Britney Spears or Shaq. If you visit, I highly recommend the Fried Ride: fried pickles, fried green beans, sweet potato chips, curly fries, and friend onion strings. Seriously. You have to save your calories throughout the week in order to eat this and not feel guilty. After dinner, we headed over to the bowling alley for a game of bowling. I'll skip over my score and highlight Bonnie's victory. She beat everyone on her team, including her husband, who's a hardcore bowler. It was a lot of fun and my face was sore at the end of the night from smiling so much. The older I get, the more I enjoy and appreciate good quality time with friends. I'm not sure what year 24 has in store, but you can be sure that I'll share the details here. I'll leave you with some pictures from the night.
Callie and her Boo, Jeremy, giving me "sassy."
Angela and Q
My little Mousey, Bonnie, and me.
David and Bonnie
Callie, Maegan and Kristi
Ali and Dina.
Callie and her Boo, Jeremy, giving me "sassy."
Angela and Q
My little Mousey, Bonnie, and me.
David and Bonnie
Callie, Maegan and Kristi
Ali and Dina. Shout out: Thank you to the McCurdys and Webbs for the great cupcakes!
Kristi, Maegan and me.
Kristi, Maegan and me. Shout out: Thank you to Laura and Leah for the super fun birthday glass! Don't worry guys, a little vodka never hurt anyone.
Okay, okay. It's water.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Update: Free Einstein Bros Bagel
I heard the original link doesn't work. Here is the coupon itself. Enjoy!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Pictures from Christmas - Finally!
I finally bought a USB to transfer my pictures from my memory card to my computer. Enjoy the pictures to go along with my Christmas 2009 post.
One of these things is not like the others...
You have a baby... in a kareoke bar...
The original pine cone.
We always get nervous that the caramel sauce for our sweet potatoes isn't going to come together... we have little faith in the power of butter, sugar and heat. 
Let the annual card making contest begin...
Evan wins first place in the International division - "Chritma"
Katelyn wins first place in the my little Pepaw division
Mom wins first place for the best use of ribbon.
Kristen wins first place in the ready to hang division. 
Jessica wins first place for the most decorative.
Eddie (the dog) wins first place in the K-9 division.
I win first place for the "holiest" card. 
Dave wins first place in the "already in the bag" division.
My dad is so cute. 
He's in his outdated "TAC by Schneider Electric" branded apparel. 
It was a long day...And now for the videos you've all been waiting for...
Evan
Dave
Jessica
Katelyn
Kristen
Me
Mom and Dad
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