HEBuddy Summer Reading Program - One of my FAVES

I have already told you about the Summer Reading Program for Half Price Books on this post.(That one used to be my favorite before the changes to it this year)

My second favorite has always been the H-E-Buddy reading program.  (the reason I have always preferred these two is because my kids were too young for the book store programs that require them to be in 1st grade and up.  These two programs have always allowed the parents reading to their kids to count and we have been reading to our kids every night since they were babies.)

The H-E-Buddy summer reading program is really easy.  You can pick up a form near the Buddy Bucks machine in store or print one from here.  Your child has until October 1st to read 10 books and submit their form.  In turn, they will receive a t-shirt, a pencil, a certificate and 20 points(to be used on prizes in catalog in store near buddy bucks machine).  You can fill out one form for each child in your family :)

Since FreckleTown has done such a fabulous job on the other reading programs, I won't bother reinventing the wheel, but will guide you instead to that post :)

Readers, if we have missed any, please let us know!

*While not related to the Reading Program, you might want to sign your kiddo up for the HEB birthday club too (in year's past, they have sent coupons for free HEB brand products)
Or sign your 4 legged kids to the max birthday club.

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End of Month Prints and Cellfire has reset!

Cellfire has reset their list of available coupons.  While I would not recommend loading ANY to your Kroger card(if you load to Kroger, you do NOT get the option to use a higher value paper coupon), loading to your Randalls card will not hurt you.  At the register, if you choose to use a paper coupon your ecoupon will just remove itself from your transaction, no issues.  I like this option because sometimes I don't have another paper coupon with me, or the ecoupon is a higher value so I come out better using it!

Coupons.com will be resetting coupons tomorrow.  If there are any coupons you really want, I suggest printing them now because they may not be available tomorrow.  Be sure to go back tomorrow and see what is new!
The ones I see that might be good:
$1 Kraft Deli Deluxe cheese
$1 Wilkinson Sword razors (free at Wal Mart)
$1 I Can't Believe Its Not Butter (occassionally goes on sale for $1 at Randalls or Kroger)

Smartsource has $1 off Buddig Deli Cuts.  I find these on 50% reduced for quick sale often at Randalls, making them a great price.

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Groupon Deal - Studio Movie Grill - two locations

Groupon has a pretty good deal for movie tickets today for Studio Movie Grill located in Town and Country or Jersey Village. For just $6, you will get a movie ticket and a soda. If purchased, you cannot use this voucher until June 3rd and have until July 28th to use it.
I have never been to Studio Movie Grill so I cannot say good or bad about them (I have received mix reviews from friends.)
I do know I have been to Alamo Draft House and while my husband really enjoys drinking tap beer during watching a movie, I refuse to go there for a movie that has lots of special effects or beautiful imagery. (Personally opinion and waiters walking around delivering food and drinks distracts from my enjoyment of the film). This however is a GREAT deal for those chick flicks that I force my husband to take me too (like Chocolat or the Lake House for instance :)

If anyone wants to share their personal experience about Studio Movie Grill, feel free to leave a comment (Keep them pc please).

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Sweet bowling deal for my Baytown and Humble readers!

WOW! I LOVE bowling! Makes sense since I spent at least 2 nights a week at the bowling alley growing up (my parent's were league bowlers!)
The thing I HATE about bowling is the cost! By the time you factor in the shoe rental and the per game charges, you have totally blown your budget.
Well, too bad I don't live closer to Baytown or Humble. Right now, MaxBowl, through Mamapedia in those two cities is offering a really good offer if you love to bowl too. For just $29, you can get two hours of bowling, shoe rental, popcorn and soda for four. That is cheaper (and more fun) than taking the family to the movies :) I hope I can find a similar deal near me soon as I think my kids are finally getting old enough to take up bowling.
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Free Similac formula at Toys R Us/Babies R Us - today only!

If you still have some $5 Similac coupons from the 4-3 or 5-1 SS, you may want to find yourself at Toys R Us today. Courtney just sent me this picture taken at her store. If you click on the picture, you will see this 8 pack of 3 oz bottles is on sale for $5.  Combine with your insert coupon and get them FREE!

While you are there, you should check out the diaper bags.  There are several bags on clearance and with the $10 printable coupon available here, you can get one for very cheap (~$2.98) Thanks Hip2Save



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Walgreens Cheap Bodywash and Free Deodorant - YMMV

Stopped into Walgreens yesterday to see if they would let me use my bogo bodywash/deodorant coupons on the bogo sale going on this week.  They did

Right Guard Bodywash $4.99 bogo - $4.49(max coupon value) bogo insert 5-1 RP (expires 5-31!) = .50/2
Right Guard deodorant $4.49 bogo - $4.49 bogo insert 5-1 RP = FREE

Also, got2b is bogo @ 5.99 - 2 $2 coupons from All You Magazine = .99 each (my nephew uses this to spike up his hair and it is rare to find a deal).

Goody's 6 pack (found at front checkouts) $1.50 and earns $1.50 back

Ecotrin is .99 with in ad coupon - $1.50 insert 5-1 RP = .51 MM

Other deals I could not do because my store was sold out:

Illy coffee caffe 6.8 oz or Latte Macchiato or Cappaccino 8.45 oz $2 earn $2 RR

Ritz Crakerfuls 6 oz (Sunday and Monday only) $2 earn $2 RR
*My store had a sign that you could substitute Ritz, Wheat Thins or Triscuits but they were out of all those too!

Listerine Smart Rinse 500 ml $2.99, Earn $2 RR
-$1 from 1-9 insert
= Free

Icyhot Naturals pain relief cream .5 oz .99 earns $1 RR

Aquafresh toothpaste 4.6 or 6.4 oz .99 with in ad coupon
Use $1 insert 4/17 RP making it free (expires 5-31)

Gillette Fusion proglide razor system $9.89 , earns $5 RR
use $4 coupon from 5-1 PG (expires 5/31)
Final cost .89

Thanks Hip2Save for the matchups!


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Walgreens - Clearance finds

WOW! Walgreens is doing some crazy clearance.
I found this Brawny 8 pack for $2.59 and the Charmin 9 packs for $1.59.
I was able to use the .25 P&G inserts on the Charmin to bring cost down to $1.34 or .15 a roll.

Thanks IMM for the heads up!

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Walmart free spree

Finally got a chance to go to Walmart to snag some trial size freebies. These make GREAT donation items for the military, homeless shelters or Women's shelters. Here are the freebies:

Black Flag fly paper or swatters $.98 - $1 insert 5-15 RP = .02 MM
Pert 2 in 1 shampoo $.97 - $1 insert 5-15 SS = .03 MM
Wilkinson sword razor 4 packs $.97 - $1 IP = .03 MM
Sensodyne Pronamel toothpaste $.97 - $1 insert 5-15 RP = .03 MM
Biotene Gum $1.88 - $2 Kroger pharmacy booklet = .12 MM
Carefree .94 - free insert 5-8 SS = FREE
Noxema bikini razors $1.97 - $2 insert 5-1 RP = .03 MM

I used the overage from the above to pay down the cost of my strawberries they had on sale for $1.67 :)

Thanks Free Sample Freak for the matchups.
*Dang it, just realized I forgot to pick up my Just My Size tank top, gonna have to go back now

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The Perfect Cup -Free Bra and Swag from Skinny Cow!

Wow! Skinny Cow is holding a FREE event in 6 select cities and Houston made the LIST!!! Whoop! Whoop!

The Perfect Cup event is all about getting women to realize their true cup size. Did you know 80% of women wear the wrong bra size simply because they don't take the time to get fitted! I have been fitted a couple times in the lasat few years (especially while pregnant and breast feeding(Victoria Secrets does it free free by request).

Well the Skinny Cow event in Houston on August 6th will have bra fitters on site and not only will you get a free bra, but you will get a swag bag full of goodies too! This event will be held at the Hobby Center in Houston and you need to sign up for your event time (between 10 am - 6 pm) Those of you that sign up for the 11- Noon hour, feel free to contact me via comment on this post or email and I will be more than happy to meet you and you can question me on coupons or whatever during that time! I plan to attend and my friend had to bail on me so perhaps my readers can provide me some company!

Thanks Coupon Pro for the heads up!


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CVS deals- WOW great week!

WOW! CVS is busy this week. Good thing, because I had a $5/25 email coupon today so was excited it did not require creativity on my part to get to $25!

Here is what I did:

2 Snickers with almond $.50 each = $1
2 Pantene 2/$6.97
2 Popcorn Indiana $2.50 each = $5
1 Crest kids toothpaste $1.99
1 Oral B Indicator $1.99
1 Preperation H wipes $3.99
2 Aquafresh kids toothpaste $2.67 each = $5.34
2 CVS green bag tags .99 each = $1.98
2 Cortaid cream .5 oz $4.39 each = $8.78
= $37.04

-$5 $5/$25 email coupon
-$3/2 insert 5-1 P&G
-2 $1 CRT for Popcorn Indiana (from last week)
-2 $1 insert Popcorn Indiana 5-22 SS
-$1 homemailer any Crest 4 oz or higher(from mailing in $50 worth of receipts)
-$1 homemailer any Oral B manual toothbrush(same as above)
-$2 IP for Prep H
-$3/2 CVS homemailer for any Aquafresh products
-2 $1 insert 4-17 RP
-2 .99 CRT for free green bag tags
-2 $3 insert for Cortaid 5-15 RP
=$14.06 cost
-$13.99 in ECBS
= .07 oop

Earned $3.99 ECBS for Prep H
Earned $2 ECBS for Oral B/Crest
Earned $1 for Mars chocolate(much purchase 2)
Earned $2 on Pantene(much purchase 2)
Earned $3 on Cortaid(much purchase $7 worth)

Earned $11.99 in ECBS.  Final cost $2.07 oop for everything!




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WOW!!! HEB is ON FIRE with deals!

I keep missing Kroger LESS and LESS these days, seriously! I did NOT realize WHAT I was missing at HEB by shopping Kroger for so long. So a heartfelt thank you to Kroger for forcing my hand to shop around!

Now, on to the HEB deals.  Some you have already read on this blog, but hey I shop for up to 4 households so I do a great deal of repetitive deals (especially if they are money makers, free or very close to it!)
I did this in 2 transactions and scored a few money makers along the way.
Here is what I did

Transaction #1 :
1 Revlon 4 color eye shadow $4.38
3 Revlon eye shadow $3.36 each
2 Neutrogena soap $1.97 each
3 Energizer 8 pack(with blue MAGIC card) $5.97 each
2 Energizer 4 pack $3.57 each
1 Similac ready to feed $5.07
3 Creamy Creation ice cream $4.48 (not pictured)
1 $10 gift card for HEB
= $71.96

-4 $3 Revlon cosmetics YQ (B coupons!)
-4 $2 Revlon cosmetics inserts 5-8 SS
-2 $1.50 Neutrogena $1.50 YQ
-5 $1 Energizer inserts 5-1 or 5-22 SS
-$3 Similac insert 2-27, 4-3 or 5-1 SS (ALL EXPIRE 5-31, we also got $5 off but I was out!)
-$5 Similac formula check (they don't say they cannot be combined with manuf. coupons. only specify that formula must exceed value of check which they did!)
-$10 yellow coupon for free gift card for buying $25 worth of participating products
-3 $4.48 YQ for free ice cream wyb participating Energizer batteries
= $12.52 OOP
Earned $10 HEB gift card and will earn $10 for the 3 codes on Energizer!



Transaction #2 :

3 Revlon eye shadow $3.36 each
2 Neutrogena soap $1.97 each
3 Energizer 8 pack(with blue MAGIC card) $5.97 each
2 Playtex Sport $3.95 each
1 Similac ready to feed $5.07
1 Heb freezer bag $1.97
1 $10 gift card for HEB
3 Creamy Creation ice cream $4.48 (not pictured)  
=$70.31


-3 $3 Revlon cosmetics YQ (B coupons!)

-3 $2 Revlon cosmetics inserts 5-8 SS
-2 $1.50 Neutrogena $1.50 YQ
-3 $1 Energizer inserts 5-1 or 5-22 SS
-2 $1.50 insert Playtex 5-22 SS
-$3 Similac insert 2-27, 4-3 or 5-1 SS (ALL EXPIRE 5-31, we also got $5 off but I was out!)
-$5 Similac formula check (they don't say they cannot be combined with manuf. coupons. only specify that formula must exceed value of check which they did!)
-$10 yellow coupon for free gift card for buying $25 worth of participating products
-3 $4.48 YQ for free ice cream wyb participating Energizer batteries
= $14.87 OOP
Earned $10 HEB gift card and will earn $10 for the 3 codes on Energizer!

So final tally: $12.61 Money Maker!!!!! SWEET!  I am loving HEB more and more every day!

The Revlon eye shadow is a $1.64 Money Maker per each with yellow coupon and $2 insert
The Similac were $2.93 Money Makers per each with manuf inserts and $5 formula checks
Energizer and Energizer Playtex deal was featured here and here.

*MANY of these coupons expire 5/31 so do NOT sit on these deals
Revlon lasts longer, must most others do not

* Keep in mind the default setting on the $10 GC through Energizer is for the $10 donation to the Forest fund. If you want the $10 to come to you, you will have to change the default to be mailed to you or paypal to you (just stating this as a good friend trusted her daughter to enter the codes and get her rebate and instead donated to the Forest fund (while that is noble, that is NOT what friend had in mind!, thanks for the laugh Kim, and sorry about your $10)

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Reader deal - Cheap Cutter at HEB

This deal was emailed to me from a reader, thanks so much Becky!
Well, as most of you know it is mosquito season and we can ALL use some bug repellent if we are gonna be outdoors for ANY amount of time.

Well, lucky for us, HEB keeps showing us the LOVE with their wonderful yellow coupons. They seem to be coding more and more of these B which means we can use a manufacturer coupon with them.

Well. as you can see from the picture above, they have a few  Cutter for just $3.98.
Use the yellow B coupon pictured to get $1 off then combine with the $2 IP  and you got yourself insect repellent for only .98!

Thanks again Becky for emailing this deal(it did take me 3 HEBS to find this yellow coupon, I would have never looked for it had it NOT been for your email!)

*More HEB deals to follow (I went on a shopping spree today)
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CVS deals this week

I went to CVS a few days ago but have not had a chance yet to post (sorry, my family dynamic is about to change and this week has been especially rough).  I do hope soon things will become stable in my home and I can once again post more regularly (sorry readers).

Here is what I did at CVS:

First transaction:
2 Irish Spring deodorant $3.50 each - $1 peelie(found on the 8 pk soap) = $5
2 Stride gum .99 each - $1/2 insert 4-3 SS = .98
-$5.98 in ECBS
Tax .02 (not sure why this was charged)
Earned $5 for Irish spring and .99 for Stride

Second transaction:
(2nd store)
4 Revlon scented polish $3.99 each (coupons beep so did not use)
-$15.97 in ECBS
Cost oop: $0
Earned $1 for green bag tag and $16 for Revlon nail polish

Third transaction:
2 Revlon scented polish $3.99 each
-$7.54 in ECBS
Cost oop: .47
Earned $8 in ECBS

Today's transaction (not pictured)
2 milk $3.19 each
2 Funyons .99 each
1 Diet dp $1.59
- $8.99 in ECBS
Cost oop: .97
Earned $2 in ECBS

Final tally: $39.94 - 32.99 = $6.95 for everything

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Batteries, Ice Cream and Tampons oh my!

Sounds like a weird combination but hey, if you can get them all this cheap, wouldn't you?
This is basically playing on the same deal I posted here, just changing it up a bit.
There is a new $3/2 coupon for Playtex Gentle Glide tampons. 
So, find 3 of the 8 pack of AA or AAA Energizer batteries with the promo for $10 gift card or PP (pictured in prior post here).  Get your free ice cream with purchase of the batteries with the yellow coupon at the store.  Throw in 2 boxes of tampons and you have the perfect (albiet weird combo)

3 battery 8 packs $5.97 each = $17.91
2 Playtex tampons $4.21 each = $8.42
=26.33
3 Ice cream $4.48 each = $13.44
1 $10 HEB gift card

-$13.44 (3 yellow coupons for free ice cream)
-$3 (3 $1 Energizer insert coupons (5-22 or 5-1 SS)
-$3/2 (playtex IP)
-$10 (Yellow coupon for free HEB gift card wyb $25 worth of participating products)
Final price at register : $20.33 + tax

BUT you have a $10 HEB gift card and you will get a $10 from your battery purchase(see prior post!)
So basically you pay
.33 and the tax and you have the perfect combo for that pesky monthly visitor ;P


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Lady Gaga- Born This Way - Whole album download + digital book for .99

For those of you who are Lady Gaga fans, this is a really awesome deal.  You can get her complete new album AND a digital book for only .99 right now through Amazon.  That is a really awesome deal, as most albums charge you .99 a song.
I have to admit I have NO idea what the digital book is or what is included in that as I am not really a fan.  I have seen her in concert (as an opening act) and I have to admit I was more impressed with her dancers than her.  Don't get me wrong, I think she is EXTREMELY talented, but just NOT my style of music these days.  (I do love listening to Greyson Chance's cover of Papparazzi and that was truly the first time I googled her to hear WHAT he was covering, YIKES, that MUST mean I am OLD)

Anyway, if you like Lady Gaga, you might want to JUMP on this deal before it is too late!
Just click the pic above to order her album.

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Groupon - A few Hot deals (not just for couponers anymore)

About a month or so ago it dawned on me my husband has NO clue about what I do in the way of couponing and money saving (of course he sees the results, but.....)

My husband came home from a guys night out with his buddy and asked me if I had ever heard of Groupon.  His bachelor friend was fired up about it and how you could save money on the movies, restaurants, car washes etc.  I just had to laugh and remind and say "really?  REALLY?  Did you NOT see that Groupon coupon we used at that Italian restaurant we went to, did you not question me when I took our girls to an indoor play park because I had a coupon?  Were you not really curious when I took the kids to a Young Chef Academy randomly?"

Needless to say, it seems Groupon is NOT just for the couponing crowd.  Even a male bachelor uses groupon, sooooo do you?  Check it out here!  If you sign up, you won't have to remember to check everyday for that deal you want, they will email you main deal of the day(or week, as some last longer than a day).  Super easy!  I LOVE Groupon!


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My lettuce trick - Finally as promised, how to keep lettuce fresh longer!

I know I have been promising and promising my lettuce trick to my readers for some time now, well wait NO longer!

Question, how long does lettuce stay fresh for you?  For me, I have learned a way to extend the life and freshness of my lettuce.  This is great because sometimes we just don't go through a lot of lettuce and I really hate having to throw food away.  I cannot take credit for learning this method on my own.  Credit goes to my mother in law for teaching me this great trick.
I took a head of green leaf lettuce and took pictures of it just about every time I pulled it out of the fridge (at least I tried to remember to.  This is the life cycle of that 1 head of lettuce:

Day 1 came home from the store:

Day 18 (we just don't always eat much lettuce, lol):

Day 30:

Day 38:

Day 47:

Ok, as you can see, it really has quite a few bad spots at this point and we tossed at this point, but have you ever had lettuce last 38 days and still look crisp(picture before the last)

So how did I achieve this?????  Well, I will admit I have the fruit and veggie Tupperware, but I don't really think you need to get that fancy since you seal off the vents for lettuce.  Any plastic container with a lid should work.  When you get home DO NOT wash the lettuce.  I don't wash the lettuce until I am peeling off the leaves I am using and then those get the scrub down.

Grab some paper towels and moisten them.  I typically just put them under the faucet with cold water and then ring them out so they are moist but NOT dripping wet.  Completely wrap your lettuce in these paper towels and set in your plastic container.  It should look something like this:

 Seal the container.  When you need lettuce, pull off what you need and wash that and then rewrap the lettuce in moist paper towels(either new ones or the same ones as long as they are still in good shape).  Do that until you have consumed all the lettuce or you just have gone too long and your lettuce has gone south.  When unwrapping and finding wilted leaves or "juicy" leaves(you know what I mean) remove these to keep from spoiling the rest of your lettuce.

Remember the lettuce I purchased on April 26th? (I purchased 2 heads of green leaf that day, see this post)
This is what the remaining one looked like yesterday(that is 27 days later!):

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Money Maker deal on Rice Krispies at Randalls or Kroger - after rebates!

Ok, this deal is NOT for the faint of heart, lol.  This one requires a little work more than just buying the products.  From what I am being told, the sale price ends today as well, so you will need to jump on this NOW.

Randalls has Rice Krispies on sale for $1.99 (Kroger has them 1.98.)  Some boxes are specially marked with Cars2 promotional code (see picture above).  One of the items you can earn with these codes is a $5 gas card(actually just a prepaid Visa, so you don't just have to use it on gas).  With each set of 4 codes, you can earn the $5 gas card (up to a total of 30 codes per person.)
If you have been reading me for a while, you might also recall a $10 prepaid card rebate when you submit 10 upcs from participating cereals.(limit 5 per household)  It just so happens Rice Krispies is on the list of qualifying cereal for this promo as well.

SO, the way to optimize these deals combined is as follows:

Buy 20 boxes of Rice Krispies(I don't think Cocoa ones qualify) @ 1.98 each
-$1/2 insert 4-17 RP OR $1/2 IP
Pay $29.60 at the register,
but then mail off 2 $10 rebates and enter the 20 codes and select 5 $5 gas cards.
So final tally
$29.60 + cost of 2 stamps -$20 - $25 = Profit of 14.52

(you can also do other multiples such as :
Buy 4 = pay 5.92 at register, get $5 card = .92 for 4 boxes of cereal or .23 a box
Buy 8 = pay 11.84 at register, get 2 $5 cards = 1.84 for 8 boxes of cereal or .23 a box
Buy 10 = pay 14.80 at register, get $10 rebate and get 2 $5 cards = profit of 5.20 (less the stamp)
Buy 12 = pay 17.76 at register, get $10 rebate and get 3 $5 cards = profit of 7.24(less the stamp)
Buy 16 = pay 23.68 at register, get $10 rebate and get 4 $5 cards = profit of $1.32(less the stamp)

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Cheap Batteries and Free Ice Cream at HEB

If you are in need of batteries, you might want to head over to HEB to score on a pretty decent deal.

Currently, HEB has a YQ for a free half gallon of Creamy Creation ice cream when you buy participating Energizer batteries.
They have another YQ for a free $10 HEB gift card when you buy any combination of $25 worth of Energizer Batteries, Schick Razors, Playtex Infant, Playtex tampons, Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic or Wet Ones.(This is a B coupon so you can combine with manufacturer coupons per HEB's coupon policy)
They have a 3rd YQ for $1 off select size Energizer batteries (4 ct AA and AAA, 2 ct C and D and 1 ct 9V)

And finally, they have special packages with a little blue insert inside which can earn you a $10 debit card or $10 into your paypal account when you collect 3 codes (limit 4 rewards per household) See close up picture below:

Combining all this together, here is how the deal pans out:

3 Energizer AA or AAA 8 packs with promo card $5.97 = 17.91
2 Energizer 2 packs (I chose C but they also had D, AA or AAA for same price) $3.97 = $7.94
=$25.85 (thus qualify for $10 HEB gift card)
1 HEB gift card - get an HEB gift card and ask cashier to add $10 to it in your transaction
3 Creamy Creation ice creams $4.48 = $13.44

Now, these are the coupons needed:
3 YQs for Free Creamy Creation ice cream wyb Energizer(I found these both near the ice cream and near the batteries, only the 8 ct qualifies for this trans.) -$13.44

1 YQ for free $10 gift card wyb $25 worth of Energizer(I found these near the batteries) - $10

2 YQs for $1 off select Energizer (used for my 2 packs) -$2

3 $1 Energizer insert coupons 5-22 SS or 5-1 SS -$3

Total should be $20.85 plus tax. (mine was $22.57)

BUT now I have a $10 gift card to HEB and I will enter promo codes at www.nowthatspositiveenergy.com/parks to earn another $10 debit card making the final cost to me just $2.57!

Thanks SD for the heads up on the $10 promos :)

Edit to add: Humor me and keep your receipts

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25 more FREE Recyclebank Points!

I logged into my RecycleBank account this morning to see if they have lowered the value to get some rewards and I was pleasantly surprised to see a new earning reward! P&G Future Friendly has a really quick quiz that will earn you 25 points!
In addition, I took the Friskies quiz the other day that earned me 25 points(use link below to read about that) but they have a shorter quiz now in the right column you can take for another 5 points!

Don't forget to check out the other offers, rewards you can earn and my general write up about Recyclebank here. If you are new to the program, you can easily earn over 300 points right out of the gate. 

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CVS Clearance Find - Loreal makeup

My coupon buddy called me today and told me I needed to get to CVS for some clearance L'oreal makeup that is cheap after coupons.
These were not marked in any way on clearance at my store, but they did ring up 75% off YAY!

10 Loreal Visible Lift concealer $3.07 each - $3 insert 4-17 RP = .70
3 Loreal Lash Out mascara $2.45 each - $2 insert 4-17 RP = $1.35
-$1.98 ECB
Cost oop: .08

So total for all 13 items was $2.06 BUT I earned $38.05 toward my $5 Beauty Club ECB wyb $50 worth of beauty products! I had 116.79 before this purchase, so I should earn my $5 ECB next time I go in and scan my card(I believe you have to wait 48 hrs for this one to print)

Thanks Courtney for the phone call :)
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Rare IP - Coca-Cola Product 20 oz $1/2

Ok, I am not sure if the link is gonna work for anyone or not as it says email only coupon, but it is worth a shot!  I got this in email this morning from Albertson's.  And NO, I do not think it is weird I suscribe to a grocery store I don't even have in my area, lol.  I actually signed up with them LONG ago when they existed in Austin and had some really hot coupon events I would drive to(I had a friend living there I could stay with, so nice excuse for a visit :)

Anyway, go here and see if it lets you print this coupon for $1/2 coke products!  Hopefully you can get them too :)
*Please let me know if you can't print these?

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see my disclosure statement here.

Free Wisk at Kroger - first one per card $1 money maker

Well, there is a new ad out(this was not in it) and with that comes new deals. Apparantly reader Christina really likes to keep me up to date on the happenings at Kroger in Houston area(thanks for that Christina :)

This morning this picture got sent to me with the following information:

I read that Wisk was free at Kroger, but when I went yesterday it rang up $6.89.  Well today, I went back to get more Pampers wipes and noticed the Wisk was now marked $3.99 and I used the $2 insert (5-15 RP)
I purchased 3 and got 3 $2 OYNSO catalinas, so free.

Thanks Christina, I am sure my readers will enjoy your find :)

Also, I remembered seeing a $1 ecoupon from SavingStar.  SavingStar is an ecoupon site similar to Upromise, except you can cash in for gift cards.  Once you reach $5 savings in your account you can cash out through paypal, your bank account or even get an Amazon gift card.  You will not see the savings on your receipt, so using paper coupons has no impact on getting your reward.
You just simply need to go to SavingStar and register your card and then load the coupons.  Then shop and watch the totals add up(can take 7-30 days to show up in your account).  These are ONE time use like other ecoupons, so you will only earn the extra dollar on the first purchase of the item.
Make sure you return to SavingStar the first of every month to load your new SavingStar coupons as they do have internal limits and you might miss out if you don't load when they become available.
Currently only CVS and Kroger in Houston participate (for those in Dallas, Albertsons makes the list, I wish Randalls would be on the list)


don't understand my lingo? Go here.
 see my disclosure statement here.

Randalls - Free Carefree and Reach Kids toothbrushes

I stopped into Randalls today to check out anything I might have missed earlier in the ad. I do have to admit I forgot to check the end date of the sale price on the Carefree, but if I recall, the Reach kids brushes were this price for awhile(sorry, I was a bit distracted today with a score of beer my husband loves on clearance!)

Anyway, the Carefree were on sale for $1 so I got 1 free with the .50/1 coupons I have been finding at Walgreens (with a free sample) and the other I got free from the free insert coupons from 5-8 SS.

Then, I noticed the kids Reach toothbrushes @1.87 each
Bought 4 with 2 $2/2 insert 5-8 SS
Paid $3.95 oop after tax and got the $4 oynso catalina for purchasing ANY 4 Reach toothbrushes advertised here.

YAY!  8 kids toothbrushes for FREE (much harder to get than adult toothbrushes so super happy!)

don't understand my lingo? Go here.  
see my disclosure statement here.

Free Kandoo Toddler wipes - Kroger

Reader Christina just sent me this picture taken in her local Houston area Kroger Store. Looks like you can score 42 count Kandoo toddler wipes for feee with the $1 sale and 4-3 P&G insert.
(I hope Kroger decides to put this in the ad for price matching for the boycotters!)

Enjoy and thanks reader Christina for the picture.

don't understand my lingo? Go here.
see my disclosure statement here.

Homeschooling Readers - I need your help!!!!

The crazy man you see pictured here is about to tackle the most thankless job ever! Not only is he going to become a stay at home dad, but he is gonna start homeschooling those two little hooligans you see in the picture ACK!!!!

So, for all you peeps that home school or know of someone that does, I am asking your help! My husband is going to be spending the summer months researching to prepare his lesson plans for the fall and I want to know what resources or groups you guys use. I want the good, the bad, the ugly. What to avoid and what you love! Please comment here your homeschooling resources.

Thanks :)

don't understand my lingo? Go here.
see my disclosure statement here.

Road trip with Twizzlers

Summer is fast approaching and I admit my family will most likely be making a few road trips during those hot months. The kiddos are gonna be out of school and my husband is soon to be a stay at home dad. That means open scheduling and we can finally get some family trips in.
With that of course comes planning. I like to have everything plotted out ahead of time including our snacks! One awesome snack to have on hand are Twizzlers. They are easy to pass around, keep the kids quiet and they are not sticky and messy like other candy that seems to NOT stay in my little ones mouth, lol.
Travel expert Emily Kaufman, suggests the following tips for a fun and safe family road trip:

■Create a boredom bag. Convert a hanging travel cosmetic case into a case full of fun and hang it from the seat back in front of the kids’ seats. Consider creating fun works of art with Twizzlers
Pull ‘n’ Peel Candy before snacking on them!
■Take your trip “online.” From GPS systems to phone applications, trips are no longer a navigation nightmare.
■Think through the snacks you pack. Avoid packing snacks that are easy to spill like juice boxes or snacks that melt. Try plastic bottles with sports tops and bring along Twizzlers Candy or Twizzlers Nibs Candy – they are easy to share and don’t melt, making them the perfect car ride treat.

If you have a really talented kiddo, perhaps they can recreate this:

Or I bet they could recreate this, lol :

Whatever you decide, make sure to snag a bag of Twizzlers(I prefer the black licorice but my family prefers the red)

I am entering a contest for a Twizzlers Landmark Summer promotion prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club for this post. No other compensation is being provided to me for this blog post.





don't understand my lingo? Go here. see my disclosure statement here.

RecycleBank - Lots of New points

Goodness, I have been slacking off on the RecycleBank lately. Sometimes there is just too much to do with not enough time. Anyway, I logged into RecycleBank today and there are several offers that have reset! Yes, that means if you have done them already, you can go back and do them again for more points. There are tons of great offers you can get for your points too.

RecycleBank is free and points can be earned for use on coupon savings or even actual items (I have redeemed some for a free bag of Spec's coffee!)  You can also earn points by home recycling if your area participates (mine does not)

Just go here and join, then head to the Earn Rewards tab and earn points.
And for those of you already members, you will see lots of offers you can do again to get points including:

Future Friendly - click to go to their facebook and take a pledge for 10 points
Aveeno - go to their facebook (I had to switch to http for it to pull up) and earn up to 50 points
Green Home - I earned 140 points by going back through each room and clicking the quizzes and polls
Dove - earn 25 points with a short quiz
Friskies - earn 25 points for a short quiz
Partners in Purpose has a pop up ad on the right side, click the answer and get 5 points
Future Friendly has a pop up quiz on the right side as well for 5 points.

WOW, right there I earned 260 points!

Some great reward offers right now:
Staples $10/50 coupon has been reduced to just 30 points
One pound of Specs coffee is just 50 points :)
$5/25 for Half Price books is just 50 points
Free cookie cake from Great American cookie company for 250 points!!!!  YUMMY

don't understand my lingo? Go here. see my disclosure statement here.

Walmart Update to Price Matching - Now BOGO's are allowed!!!!!

WOW! It is so refreshing to have a company that is actually listening to their customers (are you taking notes Kroger?)
Walmart's old price match policy did not allow for price matching on buy 1 get 1 free sales and I guess all the calls by consumers got their attention.  Walmart has revised their policy to now include that they DO price match bogo sales as long as the sales ad has a price listed!
Example:  Ad says buy 1 body wash @ $4.99 get 1 free WILL be price matched
Ad says buy 1 body wash get 1 free will NOT be price matched
 Yippee!!!!!  Walmart is just make my shopping easier and easier.  You can print the new policy here.

Thanks Sarah for the heads up!

don't understand my lingo? Go here.
see my disclosure statement here.

Cellfire to reset tomorrow - Tuesday

Cellfire is going to reset tomorrow. Make sure you head over there today and load up all your coupons before they are gone. You will still have 2 weeks to use the coupons you load today. Then, tomorrow, go back and load up the new round. With any luck, there will be duplicates.
I no longer load to Kroger card due to their registers making you take the ecoupon even if your paper coupon is higher. But be sure to load up your Randalls (Tom Thumb, Safeway) card. At least there, if you choose to use a paper coupon, the register will just remove your ecoupon from the transaction instead of punishing you. This allows you to choose which discount you would prefer. AND at Randalls, if you have 2 of the same ecoupon, both are still coming off! Sweet
don't understand my lingo? Go here. see my disclosure statement here.

Walgreens - HOT deal on Gillette Bodywash and deodorant!

I stopped in Walgreens today because my $2 Noxema RR was expiring. I think I scored a pretty good deal on Gillete Bodywash and deodorant.

This week, the Gillette bodywash is on sale for 3/$10 and triggers a $3 RR wyb 3
(apparantly at my store they are also ringing up buy 1 get 1 50% off).
The Gillette deodorant is on sale buy 1 get 2nd 50% off @ $4.99 regular price
The Softsoap bodywash is 2/$6 and earn $4 RR wyb 2
The Scotch tape is buy 1 @ $1.99 get 2 free (with in ad coupon!)

Here is how I maximized these deals and successfully rolled my Noxema RR:

4 Gillette bodywash $13.34
4 Gillette deodorant $ 19.96
2 Softsoap bodywash $6
3 Scotch tape $5.97
1 clearance candy @ .24 (sorry I ate it, so not pictured, lol)
-$19.96 - 4 buy Gillette bw get deod free 5-1 PG
-$8 - 4 $2 off Gillette bw 5-15 RP insert
-$5 - 2 50% on the Gillette deodorant
-$3.34 - 2 50% on the Gillette bodywash
-$3 - 3 $1 Scotch tape IP(no longer online but I had some left over from the last time they were available ;)
-$3.98 - Scotch tape in ad coupon
 -$2 Noxema RR
Final cost : .23 + .02 tax = .25

I earned a $3 for the Gillette bwash and a $4 for the Softsoap making today's run a profit of $4.75

$2 RR + .25 oop - $3 - $4 = $4.75 PROFIT

don't understand my lingo? Go here.
see my disclosure statement here.

Kroger - deal with Oscar Mayer Lunchables

Today, we got a coupon in our paper for $1 any Oscar Mayer lunchable with fruit. You can also print the same coupon here (in case you don't get many papers)
Right now, Kroger has these on the mega event for $1.99 (when you buy 10 participating products). There is also a concurrent catalina promotion for Buy 4 Lunchables get $3 oynso (ends TODAY).
Assuming you have 6 other items with your order, you can get the lunchables for just .25 each after coupon, mega and catalina.

Also, we got a $3 off coupon for Nivea lotion Happy Sensations.  These are $3.49 at Kroger with Mega sale, so just .49 after coupon (and decent filler to get you to 10 items)
see my disclosure statement here.

Redbox 10 days of deals - requires text messages

I got an email from Redbox today letting me know of a promotion they are starting tomorrow.
10 Days of Deals: All you have to do is text DEALS to 727272 every day thru 5/25 and you will be rewarded with a discount code anywhere from .10 to $1.50 for that day.  Might not be worth it to those of you without a texting plan as your texts might cost more than your saving.

Edit: Ok, I just texted and got a .50 discount and discount code is actually valid until 6/2 so great deal to save for beginning of summer (ok course I have unlimited text plan so it doesn't cost me extra to text)

  see my disclosure statement here.

Neutrogena Soap Free at HEB - Hurry, ends May 17 th

Wow!  My good friend Mary emailed me to let me know HEB has a $2 YQ(see lingo here) for several different Neutrogena products.
One of the item descriptions is Skincare .5-15.2 oz
Well, the facial soap is 3.5 oz and I would have to say it fits the description of skincare!  The soap is everyday priced @ 1.97 making it FREE with coupon (coupon actually scans for full $2 off so make sure you have something to cover the overage)
YQ expires on the 17th so hurry to your HEB to snag your free AWESOME soap.

Thanks Mary for the heads up on this deal.

*And for those of you doing the meal deal I posted here, I did do another run today and the $1/2 Oscar Mayer coupons in todays paper or printable here  worked with no beeps on the deal!

see my disclosure statement here.

Free KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce and a few other good finds - HEB

I stopped into my HEB today to check out a meal deal I heard about.  WOW was I excited when I found a few other deals too!
First, I noticed the KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce on sale for $1 a bottle!  Cha Ching, that makes them FREE with the coupon in tomorrow's paper (we get the early edition in Houston!)
Second, I noticed in the clearance section, they had some John Frieda Root Awakening shampoo and conditioner on clearance for $2.98.  We have $3/1 coupons from the 5-1 SS making these FREE!

And finally,  the meal deal is a pretty good deal if you eat lots of sandwiches(we each have a sandwich most days for lunch x 4)
Buy Oscar Mayer lunch meat and Kraft Singles and get free with YQ(see lingo here)
Kraft mayo
Corn nuts
HEB macaroni and cheese
Mrs Baird's small white loaf

Well, there is a concurrent deal going where if you buy Mrs Baird's small white loaf, you get HEB Bakeshop white loaf free as well with another YQ.

So, for the cost of lunch meat ($2.88-$3.39 depending on variety) and Kraft Singles($2.50)  you get just about all the fixin's for a sandwich and some sides!  Pretty smokin deal if you ask me!

(you can click on my picture and it will make it larger for your viewing pleasure)

see my disclosure statement here.

CVS- Getting paid to buy milk

This is a great example to all the new couponers how it sometimes pays to buy what you don't need with coupons, to get what you do need.  The 5-8 SS inserts had a coupon for a free (up to $1) Carefree product.  The Carefree are on sale at CVS this week for .99 each.  On Tuesday, CVS sent me an emailed coupon for $5 off a $25 or more purchase.
I have LOTS of coworkers and friends and family that save coupons for me and I was able to collect 20 of these coupons.  On my way home from work yesterday I stopped into CVS and picked up 20 of these Carefree and 2 gallons of milk.
The Carefree were $19.80 (all free with coupons) toward my $25 purchase.
The milks are on sale for $2.99 each this week and each one gives back $1 in ECBs(see lingo here)
I also got an additional $1 ECB for using my Green Bag tag at CVS.

Here is how my transaction looked:
20 Carefree $19.80
2 Milks $5.98
-$5/25 purchase
-19.80 - 20 free Carefree coupon
Cost oop: .98 but earned $3 in CVS ECB's

*I don't need all those Carefree, so those will make a GREAT donation item, and helped me get paid to buy my milk :)
see my disclosure statement here.

Walmart HOT clearance deal I found - YMMV!

Ok, some of you might still be cursing my name because you printed that $3 any Iron Man 2 toy coupon I told you about and never found those Arc Lights(see post here), come on fess up, I know you guys are out there, lol.

Well, I have some GREAT news for you guys that are still holding onto that coupon (no longer available to print btw).  As seen in the picture, I found some Iron Man 2 Game of War card game toys at Walmart yesterday that were tagged clearance for $5.  Well, I know Walmart is never the best at tagging all clearance(remember I worked there, lol) so I took those to the scanner and guess what????  they scanned $3!!!!!!!  FREE FREE FREE with those printables I have been carrying around for awhile now.
So, for you that still have some of those, be sure to scout out your Walmart toy dept and clearance aisle and perhaps you will get lucky too!  I also noticed they have the Iron Man masks clearanced for $5 (those still rang up $5 at the checker too, since I know that was your next question :)  The masks look like this:

And while I have you here, the rest of my order was .33 oop
Carefree were .94 - free coupon 5-8 SS = FREE
Noxema bikini razors $1.97 - $2 insert 5-1 RP = -.03 overage each
2 bananas .48
Final price = .33

see my disclosure statement here.

Regal Cinema - Summer Movie Express - $1 a movie

I posted about Cinemark's summer movie event, I guess I should let you know about Regal Cinema also. (although for those of you in Houston, there are viery limited choices of Regal cinemas)

Again, these movies are offered at 10 am on Tuesday and Wednesday's starting on June 7th.  The movies are similar but some of these seem a little more for the older kids.  You can check out the list here.  On that page, you can enter your zip code to find a participating theatre within 30 miles.  Unlike Cinemark, you don't get the option of pre buying all the tickets at a discount.

Enjoy!
see my disclosure statement here.

Cinemark $1 Summer Movies - or prepay $5 for 10 movies

If you are a stay at home parent, you might want to check out the Cinemark in your area. It seems Cinemark has done this annually and for those that don't work the M-F grind this seems like a nice way to kill a couple hours a week indoors using someone else's A/C, lol.

All movies are G or PG and you can either pay $1 at the box office the day of the flick or pay $5 in advance to see all 10 movies during the summer.
Check out the list of movies here as well as the list of participating theatres here.
All movies begin at 10 am on the dates listed (Tues or Wed each week).

*AMC used to offer a similar camp, but due to poor attendance (according to them) they discontinued the program this year :(

see my disclosure statement here.

Sunday Coupon Preview - How many papers are you gonna get?

I love looking at the potential inserts early.  This gives me a jump on what to expect this weekend in deals.  Go here to see what should be coming out in Sunday's paper.  Keep in mind, coupons do vary by region in value and brand.
What coupons are you excited about?

see my disclosure statement here.

HMMMM! Some of my posts are missing!

Well, blogger is finally letting me back on to post, but I noticed that my last few posts are now missing, great!

Let me see what I can get posted and hopefully these don't end up in a black hole

see my disclosure statement here.

HOT Dove Deodorant IP - Print now for next week sale

As more and more people are being drawn to couponing it is becoming very important to get the jump on printing HOT coupons faster and faster.
One such coupon is this Dove $1 off for Mens Deodorant. If you are a Walgreens shopper, this coupon is going to make this deodorant free to you after register rewards. Print it now while it is available. You WILL need to sign up for the Unilever website to see the coupon, but no worries, it is free to do so!

Thanks SD for the working coupon link.
see my disclosure statement here.

Free Movie Rental - RedBox May 12th only

Go like RedBox on facebook and they will give a code for a free 1 day movie rental!
Read the deets here.
Yay, I love grabbing one of these on the way home to keep the kiddos occupied while preparing dinner :)

Thanks Marlen for the reminder.

see my disclosure statement here.