Home again home again jiggity jig....or at least so I thought

Ok, so we finished up at Heb and we were headed home. Then a LOUD crying rings out from the back seat and I find this scence starring back at me from the rear view mirror:

I quickly turn into the nearest parking lot to find this upon further inspection:

For those wondering, that would be the remnants of a Chick Fil A chocolate milkshake on the floor of my mini van! Needless to say we had an unhappy mommy in addition to an unhappy 4 year old! Other than that, we got home incident free and mommy was too frazzled to even attempt to go back out with two kiddos :\

Stop 3 : HEB

I can't get enough of the meatball deal and I have been having trouble finding the .10 Casa Fiesta refried beans in stock so I stopped by an HEB I was driving by anyway.  Glad I did because upon walking into the store, I was welcomed to this site:

Dole Strawberries for .98/lb!!! YAY!  Other than that, I got the usual suspects I have already blogged about.  What?  New to my blog?  Feel free to read back in history. :)  (BTW, I did get 10 cans of the refried beans here, so I was one happy camper!)

Stop 2 : Food Town

I have to admit in my travels today I found myself near a Food Town. The only reason I wanted to go to a Food Town was to see if they had any Marcel Single paper towels or toilet paper that I could get for free. Well, they didn't have any toilet paper singles(or even 4 packs) but they did have single rolls of paper towels BUT those were $1.19 but I have to admit I do NOT like these enough to even pay .19 each after coupon. So as not to waste a trip, I decided to walk around a bit to hopefully find something worth while, I mean come on I had two kids with me and one I have to regular remind she had her shoes on the wrong feet!  First off(not pictured) I found Zatarains Creole Seasoning 17 oz(that is HUGE) for only .99 (wow).
BUT then I truly stumbled upon the most awesome deal of the day:

WOW!!!!! Do you realize this bread retails for $3.33 a loaf at Food Town ($3.69 or $3.89 at Randalls!)!!!!!  I could NOT pass up a deal like this and even further I could not let my close coupon buds pass up a deal like this even if they didn't stumble upon it themselves (do you see a lesson brewing?  I sure do).  Fifty cents a loaf is a savings of $2.83 a loaf for some really awesome bread!    So I guess you want to know how many I ended up with?  Guess! (my facebook friends are not allowed to guess since you should have the answer lol)

Anyway, the lesson here:  Find some close coupon buddies.  This is important for a few reasons.
1. You can keep each other informed on inventory situations at various stores.
2. You can be a sounding board for each other when deals go wrong and how to assess the situation.
3. You (me today!) have a literal CLONE in a store.  You are gonna have to learn as a couponer you are NOT gonna know or possibly be able to be there for EVERY deal there is!  Especially unadvertised ones such as this one!  That is where coupon buddies come in handy.  YOU(or THEY) are at a deal and they have you on text or speed dial)   They have your digits! Hopefully they know how to use them.  All they have to do is say "price is X how many do you want?"  So by proxy you are THERE!  3 coupon buddies of mine are getting $3.33 bread at .50 a loaf because I WAS THERE today!!!!!  To the sum of 26 loaves of BREAD!!!!
That means I have saved my 3 buds $73.58 collectively on bread just by me being at the right place at the right time.  But get this!  There will be a day that I have to attend a birthday party, or be out of town, or just have to man the kids and cannot get out and guess what???? My coupon bud(s) will be AT THAT DEAL.  I WILL be the one getting that text asking how much I want (it has already happened for me with these coupon buds, and I  know it will continue).  So forge those friendships, find that match that benefits the both of you and may you live happily and frugally ever after :)

And for what is worth a haul like that DOES look like something you would see on extreme couponers, but the picture you see below is a haul that will be shared with at least 5 households that I know of, so you make your own judgements.

This is 8 rows, 6 deep!  48 loaves of bread that would retail for $159.84 that was obtained with NO coupons for $ $24!

Today's CRAZY shopping day (at least for me)

Today started out with no BIG shopping plans on my part.  I had already promised the hub's that he could go on the St. Arnold Beer tour today with a friend visiting from up North and thus I knew the kiddos were stuck with me.
Well, right off, they reminded me that their school was having a garage sale as a fundraiser for their new elementary building.  I had promised my eldest we would go (truly with NO plans of buying anything).  We got their a few hours after they had been open and I found a few deals I thought were decent.
Apparantly their goal was to have NOTHING left at the end of the day, so while we were their, they were passing out plastic shopping bags and telling everyone it would cost $1 for anything you could fit in the bag.  YIKES!  When I got to the checkout, they wanted to charge me only $1 for the LeapFrog Little Touch that came with 4 books but I insisted on paying the $5 on the sticker (the toy alone is listed for $80 TODAY on Amazon, not the mention the books)
I know the books were marked .50 a piece and to be honest I don't know how they calculated everything, but I paid just $11.50 for all you see pictured (WOW!)  We got the LeapFrog LittleTouch with 4 complete books, an Elefun game, a Playdoh conveyer belt toy, a gears toy and 10 books!

So why am I posting a garage sale find that my readers obviously cannot score on themselves?  Well, the reason for this is simple!  You NEVER know what scores you will find and the BEST garage sales to scout are Community Garage sales and types like these sponsored by a school with many families contributing.  On any given weekend in Houston, there are multiple community garage sales.  Some communities do a yearly sale and others vary it just a week or two apart from the year before.  Write down these dates and make sure to look for them in future years.  I know my sister goes to the annual garage sale that is offered by Glen Laurel in Sugar Land and she scores some really great finds!  With these community sales, basically the whole community can have a sale on the same day and this is the ONLY day the residents can hold a sale.  Some subdivisions have it in a local parking lot all together, others have it at the individual houses.  Either way, it cuts down on gas and you get a cluster of sales all together.
One man's junk is another man's treasure and you really NEVER know what you will find at these sales and the crazy cheap prices you can score.
I would love to hear some of my reader's input on what they have done to score HOT finds at garage sales.  Feel free to leave your comments.

HOT New Boulder Canyon Potato Chips IP

Boulder Canyon has added a new printable here (use zip 90210 and sort by food).  You might want to print this for an upcoming sale at Kroger that should make them free (for those boycotting, I am hoping we can price match at Walmart).

Another coupon I saw that I really like is the $1.10 off Tidy Cat. I hope I can find a good deal soon using this coupon. You might want to print it before it disappears(it expires 30 days from printing, hopefully Walgreens will do another RR deal with Tidy Cat before then).

Thanks SD for the heads up.

Randalls run today- a few good finds

I have to admit, today was a planned day. I asked the hubs permission to stay out a bit tonight to shop(ok, not permission per say but I asked for him to watch the kiddos so I could play at the grocery stores! He did an awesome job and didn't even text once that I was taking too long :)

At lunch I hit the Randalls close to work and scored a few finds. 
Tide trial size .99 - .35 4-3 PG insert = FREE
1 Nivea lip .99 - $1 All You magizine = FREE (thanks Holly!)
1 Joint Juice $1.49 - .75 for 50% sticker - $1 3-20 SS = -.26
3 Hallmark $1.99 cards = $5.97
1 Purse charm (free wyb 3 cards!) = FREE

1 Eating Right eggs $2.79 - $1.40 for 50% sticker - $1 tearpad = .39  (this pic was taken at WT in SL and I only took 1 dozen!!!!!)

Not pictured(I put in deepfreeze and I am too lazy to go out to get to take pictures)
In the ad there is a promo for buy $15 worth of Lean Cuisine, Skinny Cow etc, get $5 OYNSO catalina
I found 7 Lean Cuisine with 50% stickers for $2.20 each less -$1.10 stickers
I also had $1/1 tearpads(not sure where these came from, probably something my mom found and sent to me(I will take pictures hopefully tomorrow to add to this post)
Final cost: .70 but earned the $5 catalina WHOOP!

I rolled some catalinas to pay for this (the Splenda)

Walmart - Price matching ( I am getting the hang of this!)

Well, since Kroger has yet to reconsider doing away with our doubles and triples in Houston, I decided to try my hand at price matching at Walmart.  WOW, I just have to say I never realized how easy it is to price match.  My coupon bud Maya has been doing it for quite some time now and has been trying to convince me, but I kept reminding her I was boycotting Walmart.
Well, Kroger has ended my boycott of Walmart and I have to say the transition has been fairly smooth.  I actually work spitting distance from a Walmart so I have to say I am definitely saving on gas by shopping there (EVEN WITHOUT KROGER'S PITIFUL EXCUSE FOR A FUEL DISCOUNT!).

Today, I went in and got 12 Crest Kids toothpaste pricematched for $1 - $1 insert 4-3 PG(I did 3 transactions on the toothpaste since manuf limit is 4 per transaction) = FREE

red grapes @ .99/lb per Kroger price match (sorry, don't have that receipt in front of me for actual weight

1 Goldfish crackers @ $1 bag price matched Kroger ad = $1 (I don't let the kids eat Goldfish too often as the dentist does NOT approve!!!!! white flour BAD BAD BAD, only let them have whole grain goldfish and only as a special treat- I am a mean mommy as I was raised on JUNK, shhh!)

HEB - a few more deals and 1 P&G scenario I did tonight

I know there are a ton of coupons expiring tomorrow, so I went to HEB to scout out a way to do the P&G buy $30, get $10 prepaid card rebate. (I am going to try to think up other scenarios, but this is the one I did tonight since the Olay coupons I have expire tomorrow!)

3 Olay facial cleaner $4.99 each - $2 insert 3-27 SS (expire 4-30) - b2g1 free YQ (this is coded B so perfectly acceptable to use with $2 coupon but you might want to take HEB coupon policy with you. My cashier at first said I couldn't use the YQ until I pointed out it was a B coupon- the $2 insert q's beeped btw!)
= $3.98
1 Gillette Pro Glide razor $9.94 - $5 homemailer =  $4.94
1 Gillette face scrub $5.97 - free YQ wyb Gillette ProGlide razor = FREE
Before coupons: $30.88, After coupons: $8.92 get back $10 Gift card (if you don't have the $5 homemailer for the razor, we are getting $4 coupons this weekend.  If you get your early edition tomorrow, you can duplicate this deal for $9.92 oop get $10 back!)

I also snagged 2 boxes of Toaster Strudels for free.  They were on sale for $1 and I still had my ips I posted about here(no longer available)!  Hurry, my coupons were set to expire 5/1.

And the Casa Fiesta refried beans are on sale 2/$1.19.  Use the insert coupon for $1/2 to get them for .10 a can!  9-19 SS(expire tomorrow) or 4-17 SS

Also, I wanted to do the meatball deal some more and I found yet ANOTHER coupon to combine to make this deal a trifecta.  I already told you, you get the meatballs for free with YQ for buying the Parmesan cheese.  You get the lettuce for free buying the Parmesan cheese with the tearpad coupons I have found at MULTIPLE stores now.
Well, there is yet another YQ to get the Philadelphia cooking cream FREE WYB 2 Kraft shredded Natural cheeses.  (this YQ is found near the bagged cheese and pictures the bags, but you can also find Kraft Shredded Parmesan Natural Cheese in those refrigerated cases- as pictured above- that fit the size and description of the coupon!!!!!)
So basically for the cost of 2 of the cheese ($3.88 for this version - less the $1 tearpad), you get 2 bags of meatballs, 2 heads of lettuce and 1 cooking cream. (that is .82 an item)  I am stocking up on these meatballs for my 4 year old that will not eat meat normally (everytime she sees these in the freezer she says YUM meatballs!!!!)

$1 Better Oats Printable - Free Oatmeal

WOW!  Right now BetterOats is offering a $1 printable from facebook.  These often go on sale at Randalls, HEB and Kroger for $1, making them free after this coupon.  You can print two per computer :)

Thanks Courtney

HOT Groupon for you Houston folks! Snip Its kids cuts, just $9!!!!!

I am SUPER excited about today's groupon!  Right now you can get a voucher for a $9 kids cut at Snip-its located in Sugar Land or the Woodlands.  I take my kiddos here and it is expensive, but they do a fabulous job and my kids LOVE it there.  My eldest LOVES playing the little computer game while they cut her hair and the little one loves to play with the little toys they have in the waiting area.
This is really a great deal if you are picky like me when it comes to who cuts my kiddos hair.  They also will do a little style at the end of the cut (of course my kiddos always insist their hair stay DOWN).

Limit is 1 per customer, but you can get up to 2 others for gifts AND you have until the end of October to use them.  You DO have to make an appointment with these vouchers so don't go without calling first :)

Sunday Coupon Preview - Yay! New P&G coupons, might make for deal at HEB!

We are getting at least 3 inserts this weekend and ONE of them is a P&G insert!  Check out the preview here.
I am super excited about the P&G insert BECAUSE HEB has a new promo for a $10 gift card when you buy $30 worth of P&G items in on transaction. I am hoping to figure out a good deal with the available P&G insert coupons or the yellow coupons. If I find a great scenario, I will be sure to share it with you guys!

I saw this displayed at HEB today, guess I should go back and ask the service desk for a form :)

HEB - some really good deals!!

WOW! Heb has a really GREAT deal right now that will get you some meatballs, lettuce and Parmesan cheese for dirt cheap.  (don't worry, it is in next weeks ad too ;)

There is an HEB yellow coupon for free meatballs when you buy Kraft Parmesan cheese.  Well, at my store there was a $1 tearpad for the cheese as well as a free lettuce when you buy the cheese tearpad.  WHOOP!  That makes for an awesome deal when you combine them all.  Another deal I took advantage was a Garnier deal.  There is a yellow coupon that gives you a free HEB reusable bag* when you buy a Garnier shampoo, conditoner or styler.  Well, this deal gets HOTTER because there is a $1 HEB coupon for the Garnier that has a B which means you CAN combine it with a manufacturer coupon.  Also, finally, there was a $1 HEB yellow coupon on the New York Texas Toast.  This is how my transaction looked:

1 Fructis Shampoo $3.19 - $1 HEB Q - $1 insert 3-6 RP= $1.19
1 HEB bag .99 -.99 yellow coupon = FREE
(My store was out of HEB bags so my cashier told me I could get one of the $2 bags and he manually put the coupon in)

1 NY Texas Toast $1.84 - $1 HEB yellow Q = .84 (impulse buy to go with my spaghetti dinner)

2 Kraft Parmesan cheese $2.98 - $1 tearpad = $3.96
2 HCF meatballs $3.48 - yellow free coupon = FREE
1 green leaf lettuce $1.68 - free lettuce tearpad = FREE
1 iceberg lettuce .99 - free lettuce tearpad = FREE

Thanks to the folks at SD!

FREE Ore Ida Sweet potato Frieds- Facebook first 100,000 only

Go to the Ore-Ida facebook page and like them, then click on the Sweet Shout out located in the left column of the page. After watching a short video (about 1 min) the coupon will be available to access and you will get a homemailer in 2-4 weeks for a free bag of Sweet Potato fries from Ore Ida, woo hoo.

Thanks Sarah

Tylenol Precise $5 IP - Print now, save for later

A really high value ($5) Ip has come about for the Tylenol Precise.  This is a great coupon to print just in case!  (There are reports this will be $7.99 at Wags in MAY with a matching $3 Wags monthly coupon booklet coupon)

If you are interested, I suggest you print this coupon while there are still prints left and you can possibly get this item free in just a week or so :)

Thanks Mercedes.

For you Sugar Land Folks - a little Sugar for cheap, get other goodies you need like milk!

Ok, so I was heading a slightly different way home because I had a personal errand to run and this errand led me less than 1/10th of a mile from the only Gerland's in the Houston area (Hwy 59 and Sugar Creek/Dairy Ashford).  So, I just had to hop in there to check on Splenda pricing since I KNOW the catalina deal works there!

Well, I found these 8 oz pouches of Brown Sugar version for $3.19!  Now I know I get asked often how I get free or cheap milk and bread since there are NEVER (ok rarely) coupons for those items!  Well, the answer is quite simple, buy crap I don't need! lol
I have to admit I don't bake often and I certainly don't bake much that requires brown sugar (not a big sweets nut here).

BUT, right now, for those of you that live in or around Gerland's in Sugar Land, these pouches are just $3.19.  Use 2 $3 coupons from the 4-17 paper and get both for .38 and receive a $3 catalina.  So basically SPEND .38 to get $3 FREE in the store, hmm, that equates to a savings of 87% on a $3 item!!!!!
I don't know about you, but I think the .38 is worth it.  Get bread, get milk, get meat.  Who cares, it is 87% savings and if you don't need the Splenda, donate it!

Chilis - Tomorrow, April 26th up to 2 free kids meals with adult meal purchase!

If asked my favorite sit down restaurant my husband will not hesitate to tell you I am an uber cheap date and am super happy to be taken to Chili's! For the longest time I would get the not so guiltless chicken plate(I subbed the veggies and rice for fries and cinn. apples, hence the not so guiltless, lol. Which btw is another reason I LOVE Chilis! I have NEVER had a server get aggravated by the fact I NEVER order straight from the menu)

Anyway, once I tried the Southwest Eggrolls, it was ALL over!!!! I personally LOVE the Southwest eggrolls and Chili's and declare them the BEST in my personal opinion.

So, now that you have listened to my rambling, tomorrow, if you don't feel like cooking, you may want to warm up your printer. Go here and print the coupon(make sure you print a coupon for EACH kids meal just in case- my store required me to have two last time ;)
You can get 2 free kids meal PER adult entree purchased and I have heard of some having success getting these all TO GO!!! Even better, eat at home and no dishes:)
Fine print does state kids must be under 12, but if you store takes this for to go orders, you might not even have to present two kids :) YMMV on that one

New Daily Deal Site - Moolala- $19 for $70 worth of Organic Veggies and Herbs

Ok, I have to admit this site is not exactly wet behind the ears new, but they are finally posting deals. I had a reader introduce me back to this site on January 3rd of this year and I have been sitting on it since then? Why would I do something like that you ask? Well, the answer is simple and my direct quote to the reader at the time is as follows:
"Well, I signed up but do not see any deals as of yet posted. I don't like posting things on my blog until I test drive them out myself so I don't end up getting readers to sign up for spam.
Hopefully they post deals soon..." (I try really hard to weed out the spam that is emailed to me on a regular basis to post to my blog!)

So, now 4 ish months later they are finally posting worthy stuff and thus this post. Moolala works a little different then the other deal sites too. Groupon gives your referrer credit when you buy and that is it. Moolala lets YOU earn money. It is a little like a pyramid scheme in that you earn for referring people, and they earn for referring their friends, but so do you and on for 5 tiers. Bascially you make 2% for all the purchases made by your friends, their friends, their friends friends and their friend's friend's friends.
There is NOTHING to lose by signing up as it cost nothing and hey, consider it a 2% coupon if you buy anything :)

Today, they are offering $70 worth of produce for $19 shipped right to your door.
The fine print: Voucher will be available for redemption after June 10th.
Limited vouchers available.
Limit 1 per customer.
Total box weight will be between 10 and 15 lbs. of produce. Seasonal produce is available spring, summer and fall.

• Extensive selection of in–season, pesticide–free produce
• Produce shipped direct in cooler containers

The Taste of the Farm Box contains 20 servings of in–season herbs, and 20 servings of in–season vegetables. Herbs are a combination of the following: basil (purple, lemon or sweet), catnip, cilantro, dill, epazota, fennel and/or parsley (curly or Italian flat). Veggies are a combination of baby arugula, bok choy, cabbage (red or green), carrots (orange or red), cauliflower, celery, onions (sweet or red), radishes, red potatoes, sunburst squash, zucchini and/or My Organic Acres' Savory Salad Mix. Buy today's MooLaLa deal, and keep yourself in the green all season.

Thank you reader Becky for letting me know about this site and this current deal.

Voskos Free Reusable bag - Facebook offer

Sorry if some of this is old news.  I went out of town for the holiday and my mom has dialup!!!!!  I didn't even bother to try getting online this weekend.

Voskos Greek yogurt is offering free reusable tote bags when you find 3 friends who are fans of Voskos on facebook.  This is kind of an odd offer as on this one you don't refer friends, they already need to be fans of Voskos??? (it even goes so far as to say that if you have more than 3 friends, fill out the form again???)
So, I am not exactly sure how many of these bags you can get, but it does state while supplies last and takes 90 days to get your bag(s)!  Good luck everyone, and if you are my friend, feel free to use my name :)

Wisk New Printables - Combine with Catalina promotion for cheap detergent

Wow!  There is a new $2 Wisk detergent coupon here. 
Even better, there is a $2 Catalina offer available right now at Kroger.  (You can find the details about that here as posted in my previous post).
Last I was in Kroger(it has been 2 weeks since currently I am boycotting them) the Wisk was $5.99 regular price.  That would make the Wisk $1.99 after coupons and deals.  Not a great deal if you have a stockpile already, but if you are just getting started or are getting low on laundry detergent, might be something to grab for cheap.

Coupon Network by Catalina - Printable coupons AND Catalina offers!

In case you missed it before, Coupon Network is a relatively new site on the radar of couponers, but so far I am really liking it! Not only do they offer printable coupons, but MORE importantly, they have something they call YourBucks offers. These are basically catalina offers being offered in your area. Now, keep in mind they are not ALL inclusive but I have found they have worked to my advantage already.
The downside I have noted, is you must print them to find out the full details, BUT when you do print, they tell you the details of the catalina offer (dates valid, how much you have to buy and ALL your local stores that are participating). Using this source is how I was able to find out that Walgreens, Randalls, Gerlands and Kroger were ALL participating in the Splenda catalina offer!
I actually print up all the YourBucks offers and carry them with me in my couponing bag.  If selected all at one time, 2-3 print per page.
In one particular case at Randalls, my catalina for Quaker oatmeal did not print and I had printed the Yourbucks offer while it was still active.  I emailed catalina and at first they did not want to mail my catalina as they tried to tell me the variety I purchased was not included.  I attached a scanned(actually photographed copy of my printout) and showed them how it not only said ANY Quaker instant oatmeal, but also pictured the exact boxes I purchased.  They came back and said the item I purchased was not supposed to be part of the promo but since I had compelling evidence it was advertised, I would receive my catalinas by mail (AND I did!)
Yay, definitely a bookmarked site in my book just for that.

And right now, they have a $1 coupon off Frosted Flakes.  Not too often I see that value on Frosted Flakes :)
Check out the site here and you do need to register to view the YourBucks offer (registration is free of course), but registration is not required for the other coupons.  When you register, you select your stores and that is how your YouBucks are geared for you.  I put in ALL the stores around me including Food Town, Fiesta, etc!

Here is an example of what you will see when logged in:

You will want to be sure to look at the YourBucks offer tab and then scroll your mouse over the stores tab to see a list of your stores.  Super easy and a great way to find out about some catalina offers at your local stores.

Baskin Robbins 37c Scoop Night - Wed. April 27th

Baskin Robbins is offering 37c scoop night from 5pm-10pm. Head to your nearest Baskin Robbins and help support your local fire service organization.
On Wednesday, April 27th, 2011, Baskin-Robbins stores across the country will hold 31 Cent Scoop Night from 5-10 pm to honor America's firefighters. Baskin-Robbins will reduce prices of small ice cream scoops to 31 cents* and create an opportunity for customers to donate to local fire charities. Read more about the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation at http://www.firehero.org/

Find a scoop shop near you here.

Target - Free Allegra

I was so happy to see I could get Allegra for FREE at Target.  I have been taking one of these daily with our current weather.

The 5 count boxes are $6.78 - $5 insert 4-17 SS -$2 Target IP = - .22
3 Carefree .99 each - .98 Target insert 4-17 SS = .03
Final price = FREE (Target coupons will adjust down to not allow cash back)

I broke this up into 3 transactions since the manuf. AND Target coupon limit to 1 per transaction.

Walmart - I finally found an Iron Man 2 Arc Light

Stopped into Walmart today and FIANLLY found one of the Iron Man 2 Arc Light toys that are just $3.50.  With the $3 IP, they are just .50.

I used the overage from the Reach dental floss to get it free.
Got 5 Reach floss @ .88 - $1 IP = -.60
Got .10 back in change.

Walgreens deals today

Ran to Walgreens today to get the kids Aquafresh toothpaste for free.  It is pretty rare to get kids toothpaste for free, so definitely a deal I wanted to pass up.  While there, I found a few more deals to snag.

Splenda $2.99 - $3 insert 4-17 SS = FREE (second coupon beeps and has to be adjusted down or forced in so be sure to take the Walgreens coupon policy with you)

2 Colgate Total $3 each - $1 Heart Health & You booklet found at pharmacy = $4

6 Dove candy bars $.39 with in ad coupon - .75/2 insert = .09

2 Aquafresh toothpaste $1.99 each - $1 April Walgreens booklet(found near store ads) - $1 insert 4-17 RP = -.02

3 Scotch Magic tape $1.99 (buy 1 get 2 free with in ad coupon) - $1 IP = -$1.01 (sorry, forgot to picture)

1 Gel pen .34 with in ad coupon(filler)

Paid with a $3 RR and .40 oop and got back
$4 for Colgate and $3 for Splenda  for an overall profit of $3.60.

*Make sure to hand over manufacturer coupons before Walgreens coupons to minimize beepage at the register.

Freebies from Origins makeup on Earth day - Irony is a funny thing

Ok, forgive me this stroll down memory lane to get to the deal.

I started my couponing adventure when I was pregnant with Zm baby number #1, my namesake on most coupon boards, my Zoey! (Zoey means "Life" by the way).  Anyway, at the time I was pregnant my husband also lost his job and as you can expect, this would freak out most people BUT would totally derail a Type A personality!!!! (guess what, YEP TYPE A!!!!!!)
Anyway, I started googling like mad, "coupons", "saving money", "having baby how the hell do I pay for diapers", "OMG my husband just lost his job and I am knocked UP!" (remember TYPE A here!!!!!)  I was desperate AND frantic.  (keep in mind I am also a math major so numbers were not matching in my head and I was 300% FREAKING OUT!)
So, what did my google search turn up........................not a lot :(  Back then, google sucked, couponing ONLINE sucked, and search engines sucked.  I got little and was lost.  Then a few month later I googled again (hey I am glutton for punishment) and I found my first coupon board <3 (that is a heart for those that don't text or internet much, lol)  My first coupon board was Mycoupons (forgive me for not providing the direct link, but I have my reasons ;P)  I joined MyCoupons in June 2005 as a wet behind the ears Newb.
I do have to say I was lucky I joined when I did because there were some VERY awesome folks on that board.  These fine folks took me under their wing, showed me the right, told me the wrong, and truly taught me the way to EXTREME COUPON correctly!  BUT Guess what happened???  Well, as it is with ALL coupon boards, there is a HIGHER power that has ABSOLUTE control.  So even if you follow all coupon rules there is still a higher power to answer to on these boards.  Well, unfortunately my tudors questioned authority and got "BANNED"  (yes BANNED, NOT because they violated coupon rules but simply because the admin of the board did not want to deal with them, yep that is what happens!)

Anyway, these folks have truly been instrumental in my couponing education and I truly hope they will comment on this post tonight because even though many have been banned from a few boards for standing up for true couponing and each other they have been squashed, they are truly some of the first AND most honest couponers I know and even though I lost track of some of them from time to time, the wonderful world of the internet have brought them back to me.  I would love to give you a link to a small board.

  I have to admit, this board is NOT in it for money (the ads you see on the posts are so they can have a free board to post, the money for this board does not go to any single member at all like the bigger boards)  There are not a lot of members on this board and you will not find all the money makers or anything like that BUT if you are looking for a place where everybody knows your name "ie, CHEERS" then sign up here and say hi and these folks would love to teach you how to coupon right!!!!" 
These are the first peeps who taught me how to coupon RIGHT and I love them (AND NO this post was NOT sponsored in ANY Way by these folks or this board,  This post paid me NOTHING!  I LOVE THESE FOLKS THAT MUCH!  For those of you that have read me for the last 2 yrs, these are my roots!  I love MassivePheasant and Penny, and Sweetweeties and Scoob, and Srtasa, and Shirley)  I will admit NOT all of them have been banned but they have all stuck together moving from board to board and they are honest and true couponers that I WHOLE HEARTEDLY give my trust and reputation to!

OK, so IF you have stuck it out to this point on my post (and I hope you have), then here is the deal you clicked on:
bring in your cosmetic empties (jars, bottles, etc) of any brand:

As part of Origins' ongoing initiative to protect the environment, the skin care company will take your empty cosmetic packaging –everything from bottles, tubes, jars, deodorant sticks and compacts regardless of the brand- to be recycled, when possible, or responsibly converted to energy. As a thank you for supporting the Return to Origins Recycling Program, the company will gift you with free Origins samples.
While the program goes year-round, Earth Day (April 22) is the perfect time to take advantage of this first-of-its-kind nationwide cosmetic recycling initiative. Since the program’s launch in 2009, Origins has recycled more than 17,000 pounds of cosmetic packaging.


Thanks goes to srtasa of YourCoupons for this info :)  (I truly love you guys :)

Disclosure: I got paid absolutely NOTHING for promoting these people AND this site!  YES, THAT is how strongly I love these people and the FTC can put this in my file!  (for those that can't read between the lines this was NOT a paid post and I got compensated ZERO for this post! These are personally friends that coupon correctly and deserve free advertising!)

*and btw this post was not edited for typos (completely from the heart)

Randalls - Free Splenda Brown Sugar and Mentos

Today at lunch I stopped into Randalls (I warned you, I like going on ad change day for clearance, unfortunately nothing on that front)

Well, while there I checked out pricing on the Splenda! This past weekend we got $3 off coupons AND there is a catalina deal going on right now at several stores (Walgreens, Randalls, Gerlands, Fiesta and Kroger) -
Buy 2 get $3 oynso
Buy 3 or more get $4 oynso

I found these Splenda brown sugar substitutes for $4.49 each and said what the heck, the catalina promo says any, I will give them a go!  Well, as you can see in the picture they WORK!!!!!!  This is how my transaction played out:

2 Splenda Brown Sugar $4.49 each - $3 insert = $ 2.98 (and earn $3 in oynso catalina)
1 Mentos gum $1 - .35 insert = FREE (not pictured)
Paid $2.98 but got back $3 oynso for the Splenda!

Also, while I was there, I noticed the McCormick Grillmates are on sale for $1 so free with the $1 insert 3-13 RP.

Groupon Deals! Museum of Natural Science, Domino's or Swim Lessons!

Groupon has some pretty good deals in and around Houston area, as well as a few National deals.

For you locals, right now Groupon is offering two tickets to "Texas! The Exhibition" and Exhibit Hall at the Museum of Natural Science for just $20. This is a savings of 60% off the normal rate. Limit 4 per person. Must redeem tickets in full by 6/30/11. Valid only for listed exhibits. Not valid for special events outside normal business hours.

For you locals a little more South , you can purchase 1 month worth of weekly swimming lessons at Sea star Swimschool and Gymnastics Center in Missouri City for $30 (a $65 value) Limit 2/person, may buy 1 add'l as a gift. Limit 1/visit. Must activate lessons by 7/21, lessons expire 1 month from activation date. Reservation required; subject to availability. No make-ups for missed classes. Must be 6 months or older. Must sign waiver. New members only. Current members may buy as a gift to earn referral credit.

AND, for everyone Nationwide that has a Domino's Pizza around them, right now Groupon is offering a Large up to 10 topping pizza for $8!!!!!  (WOW, I don't know if there are even 10 things I like on my pizza together, lol.) Limit 3 per person. Limit 1 per order. Must order online. Must provide email address upon redemption to receive unique PIN and URL; you will not be added to Domino's mailing list. 
 Carryout only. Valid at all US locations except those in Alaska or Hawaii.
(Notice how you MUST order online but for Carryout ONLY!!!!) Expires May 19th. 
 

New Reach Floss IP - Money Maker at Walmart - And Free Nivea Body Wash

There is a new $1 off Reach floss coupon available here.  Print it and take to Walmart for a small money maker!
When I was in Walmart yesterday, I noticed these were just .88 so .12 money maker after coupon AND while you are at Walmart, you can pick up your free Nivea body wash with the $3 Nivea bodywash coupons we got this past Sunday.  I had NO issues picking up several at my store yesterday.  In fact, look at this lovely site I was greeted with:

WOW!!!! Talk about a store prepared for Couponers!  If this does not say Welcome Couponers, I don't know what does :)

HOT More free Printer Paper at Staples - Today, April 19th only *Possible Money Maker

Did you know today is a HUGE celebration day? Today is the 236 Anniversary of the Shot Heard Round the World. (the start of the American Revolution!)
I am not sure if that is the reason Staples is giving us free paper again, but I know this is a holiday I celebrate every year ;)

If you go here, you can print the Staples coupon you will need to get the Staples Easy Rebate form to print out when you purchase 1 ream of HP Multipurpose paper. Then, if you still have the $1 printable from  here, be sure to take that with you.
Use both, submit your Easy Rebate via online and the $1 coupon should more than cover your tax :)
Then, have a drink and celebrate the freedom we have as American Citizens :)

Thanks Mercedes

Huggies Diapers $3 IP

There is currently a $3 Huggies diapers IP here.  This is a great coupon to have on hand for diapers sales.

Thanks SD

Walgreens - A few deals I found

Ok, I have to admit, I could do the matchups for you like other blogs, but why reinvent the wheel so to speak.  So, you want to know the deals and matchups, check out HCW .

What I want to do is show you a few deals I found while shopping the matchup deals.

First off, I passed this display of travel games and noticed they are marked buy 2 @ 6.99 get 1 free.  Well, if you have access to 2 computers, you can print 3 of the $3 off coupons found here.
After sale and coupon, your cost on 3 will be $4.98.  (the cheapest place I saw it other than this has been Target @ 4.99 so less $3 coupon there would cost 1.99 instead of 1.66 each)

Ok, so now that brings the games down to $1.66 each AND you can use your receipt to submit for the rebate to get 3 Free Tombstone pizzas (you do have to fill out a separate form for each pizza coupon, but you can mail them all together.)

The other suprise find was to walk by the NasoGel Dry Noses and find the $1.50 peelies as pictured!  These are actually on sale for $4.99, get $4.99 in RR back, so peelie makes them a $1.50 money maker!

Lysol $1.50 IP for wipes - Facebook

Like Lysol on facebook and you will be able to print 2 coupons for $1.50 off Lysol Wipes!

Thanks Rochelle.

Rue La La - $20 credit for New Members - must enroll by 4/25

I just received an email from Rue La La letting me know they have a new promotion for new members. If you go through this link, you will get a $20 credit in your account. It can take up to 48 hours for your credit to show up, and then you will have until 5/25/11 to use it. Woo Hoo, love free money.

Like Pure Protein on Facebook and they will donate $1 to MS Society

Pure Protein is doing an offer via Facebook. For every LIKE they get to their page, they will donate $1 to the MS Society. In only takes a moment so head over here and like them :)

Kraft First Taste - Two new offers

If you are a Kraft First Taste member, you might want to log into your account and see if these offers are currently available for you. I know several blogs and forums posted these last week, but when I logged in last week, it said they were out of stock and tough luck, lol. Well, I got a new email today and sure enough both Kraft with a touch of Philly and Breakstones were both available for me to choose.

If you are NOT a Kraft First Taste member, get signed up! You will be offered free coupons to try products from time to time and it costs you nothing oop (just a little time to sign up and log in :)

I would love to hear if any of you also missed out last week, but got in this time around.

More Clearance goodies at Randalls - spent $1.25 and no Paper coupon used!

 

Ok, I know there is a lot of grumbling about ecoupons and how everyone would much rather have paper, but I want to prove you can still get good deals with ecoupons, especially at Randalls (Tom Thumb). Now, as I said in my last post about Randalls here, I LOVE checking out the clearance section first for hidden gems.

Well, I was in for a treat when I saw the Oscar Mayer bacon with 50% stickers.  Oscar Mayer bacon is on sale bogo this week making these packs FREE! 
2 Oscar Mayer bacon 8.49 each -2 * $4.25 for 50% stickers - $8.49 bogo sale = FREE

I also found more Gogurt with stickers.  These are currently $2.50 so $1.25 after the 50% sticker, but as I was explaining in the cellfire post here, I had 2 loadables come off.  The loadables I had were for .75/2 and BOTH came off when I purchased 2 boxes!
Yay, and I didn't have to clip a single coupon, instead I clicked my way to savings with ecoupons :)

Load those ecoupons and browse your clearance section of you area Randalls store.  Hopefully yours is as bountiful as mine :)
2 Gogurt $2.50 each - 2 * $1.25 for 50% stickers - 2 * .75/2 ecoupons = $1 for 2 boxes

And finally, the Buddig was on sale for .50 and with the 50% sticker it was only .25.

As you can see from my receipt, I paid just $1.25 for 2 lbs of bacon, a package of lunch meat and two boxes of yogurt.

Heinz Ketchup $2 IP - first 57,000 only

Heinz ketcup is offering a $2 IP to the first 57,000 fans that go here and print the coupon.  Gone now
I am not sure how many have printed yet as I cannot print bricks coupons from this computer, but I used the help button at the bottom of the screen to request a homemailer.  Keep in mind this does not always work, but sometimes they do send them.  Wish me luck and good luck to you guys on getting this coupon.

Thanks QOTH from HCW :)

Cellfire to reset tomorrow - Tuesday April 19th (a very unimportant day ;P)

Today is the last day to load up those Cellfire coupons before the new batch come out.  While I don't know if I would bother with the Kroger affiliates as much, Randalls and Tom Thumb you will definitely want to load up.  At Randalls you are giving the choice of loadables OR paper coupons, so still worth loading to your card.  Also, if you have two or more of the same coupon on your Randalls card, ALL loadables will come off when you buy the qualifiers.
Each, currently Cellfire has a loadable for.55 off 1 box of regular Cheerios.  I would load that one today and if they offer a new one tomorrow, load that one too.  Then, if you go to Randalls (Tom Thumb) and purchase 1 box of Cheerios, both ecoupons will come off for a total savings of $1.10 on the cereal.  Just don't use a paper coupon on that one box or the ecoupons will delete off.  BUT the combined ecoupons are cheaper than any current offerings of paper coupons, so digital coupons CAN still be a GREAT deal at Randalls.

You might also want to hop over to Shortcuts to see if there are any "like" coupons there as well to add to your card.  I do see several yogurt coupons I added in case I run across reduced for quick sale yogurt at Randalls.  Then I don't have to worry about having my paper coupons on hand!

Starbucks - Free Coffee or Tea on Earth Day - April 22 *

Woo Hoo! I have to admit I don't like coffee but I work with a Starbucks NUT! She comes in every morning with her Venti. Well, on April 22nd, Earth Day AND Good Friday, Starbucks is offering a free brewed tea or coffee to ANYONE that brings in ANY travel mug or tumbler!

Straight from facebook:

One person can save trees, together we can save forests. Join us on Earth Day, April 22, to reduce our collective environmental footprint. Bring your travel mug into Starbucks on Earth Day and we’ll give you a free brewed coffee or tea to say thanks for doing your part.

Share a photo of your travel mug with all your friends and pledge to bring in your travel mug on Earth Day. Or help spread the word by downloading our Earth Day travel mug icon and using it as your Twitter or Facebook profile picture.

If you don’t have a travel mug, you can still get involved. All travel mugs are 20% off all day long on Earth Day.

Since we first opened our doors 40 years ago, we’ve always believed in being good neighbors. Every Starbucks is part of a community, and we’re committed to helping create thriving neighborhoods wherever we do business. It’s a commitment rooted deep in our belief that we can use our scale to be a catalyst for positive change.

The Starbucks white cup has become an iconic part of our coffeehouse experience. But we also know its recycling is a concern to our customers, to us and to our planet. To minimize our carbon footprint, we’ve set a goal to have 100% of our cups be recyclable and to serve 25% of beverages made in stores in reusable cups, by 2015.

I confirmed via their facebook page that they will accept ANY tumbler or travel mug, so need not be Starbucks to get your free coffee :) (or tea!)

Randalls run - Great clearance finds and a few other items!

I got word from a reader (thanks Kpaula) that the Randalls at Gessner and Westheimer was having their grand opening so my mom and I decided to make a day of shopping Saturday.  We went to the Sams Event I mentioned here and scored a free cookbook each and filled up on samples.
On our adventures, we went to a few stores just to scout out coupons and deals but the best we got was the deals at Randalls.

First off, the grand opening event on Saturday had Blue Bell ice cream for just $1.99 a half gallon (limit 2).  I was sure to print  my $1 coupons first making each half gallon just .99 each!  WOW! (not pictured because I didn't want to get them out of deep freeze, lol.
Then, at several demo tables, they had samples of store brand products and coupons!  One of the coupons was for $1 off any O Organic, Eating Right or Safeway Select item.  (look in the pharmacy area for these as that is where they tend to have these coupons when they put them out in regular stores) The Eating Right baby carrots were $1 so FREE after coupon!


The Comet is on sale right now for $1 so only .25 when they triple the .25 off coupon found here.

Mentos gum is on sale for $1, so free with the .35 insert 3-20 SS tripled.

Then, scouting out the clearance rack I saw all these Kelloggs Special K cereal with 50% stickers.  The only thing wrong with them is that fact that the boxes are all bagged up.  Well, Special K is one of the participating cereals in the buy 4 get $4 off instantly sale in the Randalls flyer.  Since the $4 does not come off until AFTER the 50% off is scanned, I got ever single box for FREE.
12 Special K $2.99 - $1.50 for 50% sticker - $1 for promo -$1/2 insert 3-6 RP  = -.12

I also found the Garnier gel with 50% stickers.  They were $2.09 so only .04 after discount and coupon:
17 Garnier gel $2.09 - $1.05 for 50% sticker - $1 insert 3-6 RP = .68

And, also not pictured because they are out in my freezer.  The Marie Callender 2 serving Pot pies were $1.50 so FREE with the Safeway frozen food booklet coupons (if you have not found these books yet, you probably won't but it wouldn't hurt to ask customer service as they might still have some).   On this post here, I have a picture of the smaller pot pies. 

*For the new readers to my blog, at Randalls (Tom Thumb, Safeway) I ALWAYS hit the clearance rack first.  I can usually find a hidden gem or two, especially on Wednesday when the new add comes out.  The 50% off tags will take 50% off the ring up price.  The ring up price is NOT always what is reflected on the tag.  They put the tag on at the current price, and then if that item goes on sale in the following week, it will ring up sale price and then 50%, making it sometimes lower than what everyone else thinks its gonna be.
I hit clearance, put a few of the items I am interested in into my cart and then go find the regular shelf spot for the item to check pricing.  I have gotten many an item free of for a small profit even doing this :)