Is every deal a good deal?

Love, love, love what Shannon over at For the Mommas had to say today in her post "When saving doesn't pay." I think we've all been here a time or two. Great article, try to take a minute to check it out!

Swagbucks Back to School Special!!!

This week only, Swagbucks is offering a "Back to School" special with 40 extra bucks just for signing up! If you haven't been swagging before, now is the time to get started!

Go here to sign up and get your 30 swagbucks for signing up + a bonus 40 for the Back to School special!

Follow me as I'm challenging myself to a "free" Christmas this year. My total as of today is $193.00! WooHoo, free money!

Great deal on Burt's Bees!

I love Burt's Bees and have a hard time finding great deals on it but right now you can go to the Allergy Superstore and get $10.00 off ANY purchase! If you only spend $9.48 you pay nothing! Shipping is $3.99 per order and that's all you pay for $10.00 worth of stuff. Personally, I think this is awesome. If I don't have to drag the kiddos out to the store I will gladly pay $3.99!

Rumor has it that you can do more than one order, but it hasn't been confirmed. This deal lasts until August 31st but I wouldn't wait around.

Target Deal: Buy 3 Degree deodorants, get a free soccer ball

You can buy 3 Degree deodorants (exludes travel/trial sizes) between 6/28-8/1 in a single transaction at Target and mail your original receipt with items circled along with a 3×5 card with your name, address, and telephone number to:

Degree Soccer Ball Offer
Dept. 7150, P.O. Box 5010,
Stacy, MN 55078-5010

Must mail by 8/14/10. Offer valid while supplies last and only one per household.

Thanks Kristin!

Surprise!

Guest author Jennifer, from Happiness is Brilliant, here! Have you officially arrived when you are asked to do a guest post!? Really, this could be risky for Farrah. I'm beginning to wonder how well she truly knows me...Just kidding!

When Farrah first told me about using coupons last fall, I was pretty skeptical. She started telling me about things she had bought and how much she spent, then I got pretty excited! I kept thinking of all the fun things I could do with all that extra cash. Maybe I could even pay someone to clean my house and lie, er uh, I mean "pretend" I did it myself, hmmmm...

So when she held a class to teach others how to use coupons I was the first to sign up! I already had my list of fun-ness in my back pocket.

I was poised and ready. Ten minutes early, notepad and pen in hand, sitting front and center like a good student. Weekly manicure here I come!!

Well, Farrah's teaching wasn't quite in line with what I hoped to learn! She started using phrases such as, "The more we save, the more we have to give." And "when we have these nonperishable necessities on hand, it's ready for a family in need and God has still given us what our family needs."

What!? That doesn't sound fun.

And no, it doesn't...at first.

Until you do it.

I not so eagerly parted with some savings in the beginning, when God reminded me that yes, if you sow generously you will reap generously (2Cor 9:6), but God loves a cheerful giver(2 Cor 9:7)! Hmmm...funny, I had always seen Farrah eagerly asking who or what organization could she give money or items away too. She always seemed so content and joyful about it!

So I kept practicing. But most importantly I kept - scratch that - I keep praying. And Farrah kept on leading by example. Give, give, give.

And what do you know!? Turns out giving is way more fun! It takes the focus off of me me ME! It shows me what I do have instead of dwelling on what ( I think) I don't have. It proves that it is indeed waaaaay more better to give (Acts 20:35)!

I don't say all these things to boast about Farrah, I truly say them to boast in Christ - He really does what He says He'll do! Farrah is just obedient in willingly doing what she was called to do (like Paul, 1 Cor 9:17). She's hoping to encourage others and spur on a movement of giving.

Encouraging and helping others is one thing that I think led her to start this blog. Coupons and sales are regional, so even though we love our friend over at Southern Savers sometimes we don't get the same stuff because she's two states away. This blog specifically helps our community, but she doesn't forget others with online only deals. And not to mention the encouragement that can come from knowing if a homeschooling mother of four with a newly self employed husband can save and give exceedingly - you can to!

Who knew God would do so much through coupons!

Don't forget to get your Neutrogena Clinical before 7/19!

Remember the Rite Aid deal that I told you about here? How it was a $28.00 moneymaker, blah, blah, blah... Well, I have called/visited several of the Birmingham locations only to find that none of them have it. If you were one of the fortunate few to actually get one, wow, I am proud of you!

But, if the rest of you don't want to miss out on getting to try such an expensive product for free (and make a little money while doing it) this is what I suggest. Last night I visited the McCalla CVS (Eastern Valley Rd location) and used my $5/25 from Rite Aid then my $5.00 mfg q. After all was said and done, I will make $10.00 off of the deal and I didn't have to drive far to get it.

**As far as I know, this CVS location is the only one around that accepts competitor q's. If you know of any others, please let me know!**

Winn Dixie "Make a Meal Deal" July 14-20th!

WinnDixie has a fabulous Make-A-Meal Deal!

Buy any two (2) Tyson bagged chicken (excluding any'tizers, wings, tenderloins, strips & fillets) for $13.98 and get the following items for FREE:
Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce 18 oz.
Steak, Shoestrings, or Golden Crinkles Ore-Ida fries 19-28 oz.
2-liter Pepsi product
Blue Bell ice cream cups 12 ct.

Use (2) $1/1 Tyson Frozen Breaded Chicken 6/20 SS

Pay $11.98 for all 6 items..That's a total of $16.16 in savings! What a great deal!

Offer good 7/14-7/20. Limit one (1) offer per transaction with your Customer Reward Card.


Don't have a Customer Reward Card? It's easy, just apply for one in store and receive instantly!

McAlister's Sweet Deal on Tea for 2010!

I am a HUGE tea fan, (c'mon, we do live in Alabama!) so when I saw this I knew I had to pass it on! I don't visit McAlister's often (mainly because mine doesn't have a drive thru...but that's another story) but all of my friends RAVE over how great their tea is.

Right now, you can head over to McAlister’s Deli and purchase their 20 oz double insulated Tea Tumbler for $5.99 to get refills of tea for 99¢ for the rest of the year

Target-Deals of the Day!

Target offers a few deals that can be purchased online & shipped for FREE every day.

Today, there is a sweet Markwins Glam Sweet Train Case (13-pc. Set) for just $4.79 shipped! This would be a great gift for a little girl.

See all of today's deals here.

4.3" GPS Insignia NS-NAV01 Portable GPS Navigation, only $29.95

Have you ever heard of Cowboom? Well, it's a division of Best Buy & they have a "deal of the day" every day and today it's a great one! Read more about it here.

4.3" GPSInsignia NS-NAV01 Portable GPS Navigation for just $29.99 + $5.00 shipping
This deal is HOT, get it today only!

FREE Bikini Bra, no purchase necessary!

What an awesome freebie!!

Go here to sign up for American Apparel e-mail updates and they’ll send you a FREE Bikini Bra! You will receive an email with a link to click on and then you’ll be able to choose your size and fill out your mailing info.

Thanks Hip 2 Save!

The Limited 50% Off & More

The Limited has some great coupons for in-store use July 7th – 25th!

50% Off an Outfit
40% Off any Dress
40% Off a Top
40% Off any Bottom
Buy One Get One Accessories


I'm so sad that we don't have a location in Birmingham, but maybe some of my friends in Tuscaloosa can score this deal!

Thanks Maven of Savin'!

Office Max freebies & moneymakers..all from the convenience of home

The Thrifty Couple has put together a great scenario for school supplies. The quantites are large, but it would be awesome for a teacher or office. Or maybe even for someone with a lot of kids. Like me. :)

Check it out here.

*Don't wait around, these deals end on July 17th.*

FREE Jiffy Recipe Book

Go here to request your FREE Jiffy Mix recipe book. I requested mine & it even includes dessert recipes...interesting.

Thanks Save the Coupons!

Back to School Deals, Shop Smart Not Hard!

There are so many great school supply deals all over town starting this week. I know I get so caught up in the hype I want to start running from store to store scooping up all those pencils, notebooks, etc. But, just as important as saving money is saving time. Gather your sale flyers from these stores and carry them to the store that matches others ads. Target! Ahh, you'll be glad you did. :)

FREE bag of Natura All Natural Dog Food--While Supplies Last

Special Limited Time Offer! Get a Free bag of Natura’s all-natural pet foods – HealthWise®, Innova®, EVO®, Karma® and California Natural® – including the new California Natural grain free formulas!

GO HERE to request your high-value coupon (at the end of the process, it tells you the coupon will be good for a FREE 5-6.6 lb. bag) and experience the benefits of Natura. You will be able to choose Cat or Dog. Hurry, this offer is only good while supplies last.

Thanks MoJo Savings!

Discovery Store.com is offering up amazing dvd's for only $1.99

Check out these great dvd's & blue ray's at DiscoveryStore.com The ones that are listed at $4.99 should drop to $1.99 each after you add the promo code. I picked out 4 dvd's (we don't have a blue ray player) for just $1.99 each with shipping at $2.95! Wow, can't beat that!

Hurry on over & use the code: FW199DVD at checkout.

If you have a Shop at Home account use that to get 5% cash back on your purchase. If you haven't set up an account, go here and sign up now! It's free and they will give you $5.00 cash back on your first order. Making 3 $1.99 dvd's only $.99 total!! That makes this deal really sweet!

Hurry though, it's only while supplies last!

Rite Aid Deal starting Sunday! $28.00 Moneymaker, WOW!

Buy Neutrogena Clinical between 7/11 and 7/18 and receive a full rebate!

Plus, use $5/1 coupon here.

Go here and print your rebate form.



Buy 1 Neutrogena Clinical – $39.99 (online price)
Earn $2 UP+ Reward
Use $5 off $25 Rite Aid coupon
Use $5/1 coupon here
Use $1/$10 Beauty Wellness coupon
= Pay $28.99 oop

Submit for the Neutrogena Rebate above – $39.99
Submit for Rite Aid SCR #555 with Wellness Card Bonus – $15
= $28 Money Maker!!!

Thanks, Mojo Savings!

Target, Deal of the Day

Target offers several daily deals, these are sale priced items that ship for free but are only available (at this price) for one day only. Pretty cool, huh?

Today, July 9th, they have 5 deals but one I wanted to point out to you. It's the Vivitar ViviCam 5.1MP Digital Camera - for only $34.00 + FREE shipping. Although I haven't ever purchased a Vivitar, I have heard great things about them and I know everyone always judges a camera by the megapixels...but that isn't always the best way to judge a great camera. You really don't need a camera that shoots 10 or 12 megapixel images, it's overkill. I have my cameras set to shoot at approximately 4-6 MP and that is plenty. I could get an enormous print of excellent quality out of that.

If you want more details on the camera, check it out here. If you want to see all of the deals for the day go here. Just remember, it's today only so be sure to jump on it!

Barnes & Noble Summer Clearance, books as low as $1.99 with FREE shipping!

Barnes & Noble is having a sale, and has some FAB bargains in the Summer Clearance with books as low as $1.99. With your Barnes & Noble membership, you can get FREE shipping and an additional 15% off one item with the following code -

M7H9M7E

Offer expires July 19, 2010 at 2:59 AM Eastern Time. I don't have a membership to B&N but I do have a teacher discount card...wonder if it works as well??

Thanks In Good Cents!

Gevalia 3 Boxes of Coffee for $3 still available!



The awesome Gevalia 3 boxes of coffee for $3 deal is still available! Not only do you get 3 8oz bags of premium coffee but you will also receive a FREE stainless steel travel mug! The mug alone is worth well over $3! I have several friends order this deal in the past and they have all been very happy with the coffee, mug and ease of ordering!

You will have to sign up for Gevalia’s automated delivery service to get this deal, but don’t worry! Your first shipment isn’t until 6 weeks after you receive this offer giving you plenty of time to cancel. I called to cancel and it literally took 2minutes. It wasn't a big deal and they didn't give me a hard time about it.

Thanks Rose Knows Coupons!

Cheesecake Factory, $1.50 slices on July 30th!

On July 30th, everyone gets a slice of cheesecake of their choice for $1.50! You must dine in for this offer, so be planning on that! Go here to check out the choices!

Thanks My DFW Mommy!

Express. My favorite place to shop!

I, like most women, love to look my best. But I, like most moms, don't have the funds to just run out and buy whatever I please. I have to shop smart. One way that I have found to do this is by shopping Express. It's my favorite store, especially for jeans. My back end is big..seriously. So I just can't buy any jeans off the rack & expect them to cover the junk in my trunk, know what I mean? I've been buying their clothes for years (saving up and splurging only a couple of times per year) until the last few months I've realized it's just like grocery shopping. Combine a sale w/ a coupon for the biggest savings.

For instance, I went in last week & purchased 5 items.
2 necklaces (fillers to reach $75.00) and 3 blouses. My total before tax was $82.57.

**Don't have a heart attack here, I did not pay that much!**

I had a $30.00 off $75.00 purchase that I get in the mail ALL the time. Seriously, they come every few weeks. This brought my total down to $52.57. Then I had a $40.00 gift card from a return a while back. My total OOP cost was $12.57 + tax. Now, I know that you all didn't have a gift card lying around, but here's the great part...stapled to my receipt is a $25 off my next $50.00 purchase made between July 5-25th. Today in the mail I received (yes, again!) a $30.00 off $75.00 purchase valid between now & Aug 1st.

Sometime this week I will go by & do the following:

Purchase $80.00 worth of clothes (before taxes)
hand over my $30/75 mailer bringing my total to $50.00.
Then my $25/50 express cash I received for prior purchases.
My total should be $25.00 + tax.

I have done this deal several times before, but I will report back if I have any problems. Generally they do not consider both of these items coupons (maybe because I "earned" my $25/50 for prior purchases?)

Makes for a pretty sweet deal...maybe some jeans & a blouse?

Free summertime fun!

The kids and I just got home from an awesome trip to the Splash Pad in Gardendale. It was a lot of fun! Especially for our little one who can't swim yet. It was small enough that I didn't have to stay on "high alert" like usual when we are in a public swim place. There wasn't anything for the kids to get hurt on and everyone there seemed so nice. Did I mention that it was free? It doesn't get any better than that. :)
Pack up the kids and check it out. It's open Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 am until dusk. They have picnic tables and restrooms facilities.

Bath & Body Works HOT Deal!!!

There is a great coupon out right now for 1 FREE Signature Collection item (up to $12.00) with any $10.00 purchase. Pair this with the sale going on and you can actually get 2 items for FREE!

Scenario:

Purchase 3 Signature Collection items (up to $12 ea)
Current Sale states "Buy 2 get 1 free"
Use coupon for 1 free item w/ Signature purchase

Pay for 1 item, get 2 free!

This is awesome, I'm going out tonight to snag this deal for a gift for tomorrow. Sometimes it does pay to procrastinate! ;)

Chick-Fil-A event on July 9th, dress like a cow & get a free meal!

On July 9, 2010 head over to Chick-fil-A dressed as a cow and you will get a FREE combo meal! If you would prefer to just wear partial cow attire you will get a FREE entree Go HERE for more info.

Last year some friends of ours had a great idea to slit a "neck hole" in the bottom of a white kitchen trash bag, paint on a few black spots with Sharpies or paint & make a cow nose out of contruction paper and yarn. It was adorable!!! A fun craft plus a great lunch for free! For my crew that would save around $25.00!

Thanks I heart saving money!

Envirosax for kids--$4.31 each Today only!

Today on bTrendie you can get these adorable Kids Envirosax Totes for $5.99 plus $6.95 for shipping which makes each tote just $4.31 each. They measure 17.70″ x 15.75″ and hold up to 40 pounds. There are 3 different sets available, I had such a hard time choosing!
To get this deal go through this link and sign up for a new account. You will be credited $10 to use on your first purchase.
Then add these bags (priced at $15.99) into your shopping back and the $10 will be applied which will bring the price to $5.99 + $6.95 for shipping!
This makes each bag just $4.31! These are adorable!!!

Thanks Jessica's coupons!

M & M's only $.07 cents per bag!!

This week Rite Aid has their M&M’s priced at $0.88 plus they are on sale B1G1 FREE! Use the $0.75/2 regional coupon from the 6/6 Red Plum to score two packs for just $0.07 each!

Thanks Hip 2 Save!

Blockbuster Express codes

Use these codes (once per credit card) to score a free movie to watch after all of that grocery shopping! Or just get one so the kids have something to do so you don't go crazy!

GL14A - Get a free rental (exp 6/30)

GT14A – Get a free rental (exp 6/30)

G416A – Free rental (expiration unknown)

BBXDVD1 – Free rental (no exp)

Thanks Addicted to Savings!

What's in my cart! Publix 6/16 - 6/22

I had an awesome shopping trip to Publix today. My top 5 buys were:

Kellogg's Eggo Waffles 1.49
2 -1 Kelloggs Eggo item (Target printable)
-$1/2 Kelloggs Eggo item RP 6/20
use both makes both boxes FREE

Blueberries 2/$3.00
-$1.50 off any blueberries, raspberries or blackberries
makes blueberries FREE, raspberries .50 cents and blackberries $1.00
*hurry, offer expires Wednesday!!

Scrubbing bubbles power sprayer 7.99*
-$5.00 mfg printable here
-3.00 Target printable

Uncle Ben's brown rice 1.14 ea
-$1/2 Uncle Ben's white or brown rice RP 5/16
buy two makes it .64 cents each.

Bailey's Coffee Creamer $1.04
-.55/1 Yellow Advantage Flyer coupon
makes it .49 cents each

*Donation

Of course we picked up a lot more but these were deals that were worth getting out for.

I "cleaned up" today at Target!!

Whew! This has been quite the shopping day! 4 kids x 4 stores = 1 really tired mom. But, I got so many great deals I was stoked about getting things done while I had the time to do it. I will report on the Publix trip shortly but for now...

I purchased

30 bottles of Old Spice 3.99 ea
22 travel sz deodorants -free-
4 travel size body wash -free-

I actually stopped at 2 stores while I was around town today and they had TONS of this stuff. I didn't "clear the shelf" at either store. Make sure to get by there & get some! I did 3 transactions at store #1 and 2 at the second store.

Purchase 6 Old Spice Body Wash (preferably with a freebie attached)
use 3 B1G1 O.S. Body Wash (RP 4/11 or PG 6/06)
1 $1/2 Old Spice Body Wash (PG 6/06)

Total due (with tax) 13.09
Received $10.00 in gift cards

Every time I rolled my $10.00 gc's and paid just $3.09 per transaction. I already had a $5 gc from some deal a couple of weeks back.

Total spent $10.45
Total saved $135.25

I hope this gives you some ideas on how to jump start your donation bin. It doesn't seem like giving $10.00 in donations could amount to very much but it adds up quick with smart shopping!

Ahh, Target is quickly becoming one of my new favorite stores!

Dunkin' Donut Perks, FREE coffee!

I got a postcard in the mail this week for a free coffee, tea, latte, coolatta or hot chocolate drink from Dunkin'Donuts. Go here to sign up!

Three FREE meals at IHOP!!

Join IHOPs Pancake Revolution on Facebook, and get 3 FREE meals at IHOP! You'll get a FREE meal on your birthday, a FREE meal just for signing up, and a FREE meal on your one year anniversary of joining the revolution!

Thanks Cash in Cache!

Stretched photo canvas for only $9.99 shipped!

Wow – this is a fabulous deal on a beautiful 8″ x 10″ stretched photo canvas for only $9.99 including shipping from ArtsCow. I think at this price I’m going to have to get one of the kids for Father’s Day. Use coupon code DADCNVS to pay only $9.99 with shipping – you sure can’t beat the price!

Thanks Shopper Strategy!

FREE Limeade Sparkler from Taco Bell now through 7/11

Have you printed your coupon for a FREE Limeade Sparkler from Taco Bell yet? These have been available for a while and will continue to be available until July 11th!

We've tried both limeade and cherry limeade and they are great!

Catherine's $15.00 off a $20.00 purchase!

There is a great new promo code for Catherines that will make for some fantastic deals!! When you use the code 777004847 at checkout you will get $15 off a $20 purchase!! Choose in store pick-up for even more savings! Find a location near you.
I bet you can find more great deals…especially since they are also offering accessories for buy one get one 50% off!!

Thanks I heart saving money!

Old Navy - adorable insulated lunchboxes just $5.00 each!

Stock up on these cute insulated lunchboxes this week at Old Navy. Several styles available, check our more here.

Office Depot 100% Worklife Rewards back on selected items beginning Sunday!

·Natural Spring Water (brands vary by store) Case Of 20 $3.99
·Binders $6.99 Wilson Jones Premium Single-Touch Locking D-Ring View Binders
·Batteries $7.49 Energizer Max Alkaline AA Batteries, Pack Of 8 + 2 Bonus and
·Energizer Max Alkaline AAA Batteries, Pack Of 8 + 2 Bonus
·Writing Pads $4.99 TopsDocket Perforated Writing Pads Yellow or White
·Ream of Paper $7.99 Office Depot Brand Premium Multipurpose Paper Ream 8-1/2" x 11
·PaperPro Compact Staplers (various colors) $9.99
·Pink Ribbon Uni-Ball Gel Retractable Pens 12-PK $17.99
·Office Depot Brand Letter & Legal Storage (assorted colors) Totes $9.99

Limit 2 of each item per member per day
Offer is valid in store, online, by phone or fax from 6/20/10 - 6/26/10. Must provide Member Number at time of purchase to receive additional Rewards. These products qualify for 1% back in Rewards every day. With this promotion you will receive an additional 99% back on these supplies for a total of 100% back in Rewards.

**Read more about the free Worklife Rewards Program here

Staples, great deal on paper towels!

Staples.com is offering up a Decent Deal on Sparkle Paper towels! 30 rolls originally $29.99 are now marked down to $19.99. This about .67 per roll! Not a rock bottom price but decent!

This deal is a deal only if you have the option to ship to your store, so see if you are able to ship to one of your local stores to save on shipping! If you need to pay for shipping the deal is no longer *HOT*

*Deal expires on 6/19 so don't wait long!

Go here to check it out

Free Sample All Natural Sleep Aid

Do you have trouble falling and staying asleep? Then you may want to trying this all natural Herbal sample. Don’t Disturb Me contains Festuca Arundinacea, a Welsh meadow grass, which provides a natural plant source of Melatonin. Don’t Disturb Me! will help you gradually drift off to sleep, and stay asleep! Complete the form and submit for a FREE sample of Don’t Disturb Me! GO HERE

Thanks Mojo Savings!

HOT Justice coupon 40% off your entire purchase

AWESOME coupon from Justice for 40% off your entire purchase!

Justice printable coupons


This coupon is valid through June the 28th, 2010.

Cracker Barrel $5 off $20 purchase

Who loves Cracker Barrel? Everyone in this house, that's for sure! Make dinner a little easier to swallow with a $5.00 coupon.


Cracker Barrel coupons

You will need to register for their Front Porch Friends club to get your coupon. See the site for all the details.

Spanx for only 13.99 shipped!

Right now you can score these SPANX Power Panties (limited sizes) on sale for just $13.99 (down from $30) and these SPANX Higher Power Panties (limited sizes) on sale for $18.99 (down from $36)! Use promo code WHH9229 to get FREE shipping!

Don’t forget to go through Shop at Home so you can get 4% back on your ColdWater Creek purchase. Go here and register or log in and then search for ColdWater Creek in the upper right box. Then click through and start shopping!

Thanks Pirates of the Supermarket!

Great Listerine Moneymaker this week at Walgreens!

Okay friends, you know that I'm not a big Walgreens fan, but I think this one is too good to pass on.

There is a great Money-Maker that you can score starting Sunday at Walgreens if you purchase Whitening Listerine by 6/17 and submit for the $10 People Style Watch Rebate!

From People Style Watch June/July 2010:
“Purchase ANY Listerine Whitening or Rembrandt product and receive a free $10 prepaid debit card to put toward your favorite white must have item for summer. Mail your original receipt, dated between 5/21 – 6/17/10 with the Listerine Whitening or Rembrandt product and proof of purchase circled along with your name and address to: Dare to Wear Gift / PO Box 4938 / NY NY 10185. Please allow 4-6 weeks for shipping. Offer good while supplies last. Limit one per household.” Must be received by 7/1/10.

Here are the steps for this great deal:
Buy (1) Listerine Whitening Plus Restoring (16oz) $5.99
Use $2.00/1 Listerine Whitening Rinse coupon from here (try zip 44714)
Stack with $3.00 in-ad coupon
Pay: $0.99
Submit for: $10.00 rebate
Final Price: FREE + $9.01 Money-Maker!

There is no form required for the rebate, just follow the directions found above.

(Thanks Coupon Katarina!)

Don't forget to be Swaggin' !!

I wanted to let you know about the Swagbucks banner that you see at the top of my blog. I am somewhat new to Swagbucks myself, but after installing the toolbar (super simple) I just use Swagbucks to search the web instead of "Googling." It's just as easy, and I am actually getting PAID to search! Yep. That's right. You can get paid lots of different ways, but I am most interested in gift cards to Amazon. I didn't shop Amazon much before this past Christmas but I found crazy good deals online with free shipping that beat any price I could have gotten locally. I'm trying to buy my Christmas presents with Swagbucks in 2010. If you want, click on the banner above or here to sign up and I will earn extra bucks as a referral. Thanks!

By the way, I am up to $120.00 worth of gift cards so far! Ahh, and I didn't have to do anything but search a couple of times a day. Try it, & see if Swagbucks can fund your Christmas in 2010!

PetSmart: Free Science Dog Treats with Coupon

Pet Smart has their 14.1 oz packages of Science Diet dog treats on sale 2/$4.99 when purchased with a Pet Perks card. Here's how to get them free.

Science Diet dog treats 14.1 oz $2
Use 2 x $3 off HERE
Final Price: FREE
This sale runs through June 21st

Thanks Mummy Deals!

Pop-tarts freebies for kids!

If your kids like Pop-tarts you may consider signing up for Pop-tarts Sprinklings. For signing up you will be notified about special offers and coupons. Plus they will mail your kids FREE Pop-tarts on their Birthday and FREE Pop-tarts on their 1/2 birthday!

Thanks Captain KiKi!

Coupon Seminar this weekend in Alabaster

I know this is short notice...I actually thought I posted this a while back, sorry! I have a Coupon Seminar on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Middle School (1509 Kent Dairy Rd, Alabaster) at 3 pm.

I will show you step by step how to organize your coupons, shop on a budget, stockpile and cut your grocery bill dramatically in just a couple of hours a week. I will show you how to shop Target, Publix and the 3 major drugstores. If you want to cut your budget and majorly boost your savings account you won't want to miss it! We are requesting a $5 donation per person to be used for missions.

Please comment here on the blog if you are planning to attend so I will have an approximate head count. Hope to see you there!

$100.00 worth of men's clothing for under $40.00!

Sears is offering a fabulous deal for men's clothing right now. The offer reads "Buy $50.00 in men's apparel get $50.00 in Sears come back cash." The deal runs today through June 20th & is available in stores and online.

My game plan: Beginning Sunday at CVS you can get $10.00 ecb's wyb a $50.00 Sears gift card. Go to Shop At Home & earn 5% cash back on all purchases from Sears + $5.00 if you are a new customer. Wow! I love Shop at Home. Then after your purchase arrives (if you want to be really thrifty I believe you can have it delivered to the store for pick-up for free) you have until July 20th to fill out the rebate form & mail in & receive your $50.00 come back cash.

*Come back cash must be spent on men's apparel & excludes all Lands End merchandise. Limit 1 per household. Purchase must total $50.00 or more after all discounts.

I'm thinking Fathers Day & birthday gifts...

Publix shopping trip

I ran out to pick up a few things to have on hand for friends that will be over today plus a few snacks for the weekend. We've entertained 16 kids this week plus our own four...I'm always looking for a deal on snacks. We love summertime and the free time to spend with friends. Having friends over is our absolute favorite thing to do!

4 packs of Nestle toll house refrigerated cookie dough 1.44 ea
4 $1/1 printables
2 Mott's 48 oz Medley juice blends 1.37 ea
2 $1/1 Publix Summer Savings Coupon Booklet (these are still available, ask at CS)
6 Skinny Cow ice cream cones/bars/truffles 3.50 ea
6 1.50/1 store q's in the Yellow Advantage Buy Flyer
2 B2G1 free (just google "Skinny Cow buy two get one free coupon" and it will be the first one to pop up.)
4 $1/1 Skinny Cow products (I got this for "liking" them on facebook. Look under Fan Exclusive tab for the q.) I got 2 q's under my fb page & 2 under my husband's.
2 2 liter Pepsi sodas 0.75 ea

Out the door $11.49 after tax!

Not too bad for 160 mini chocolate chip cookies for J and the kids, and 36 lowfat ice cream bars for mom!

It was a good day. :)

Target, today was totally worth it!!

I got a few things this afternoon, we didn't have church this evening & it was too stormy to do anything but shop. :) Here's the rundown:

9 bottles of Olay Regenerist Cleanser 5.99 ea
9 2/1 q's Olay facial cleanser PG 5/02, exp 5/31
***$5.00 gc for every 2 qualifying Olay products purchased***

1 Olay Daily wipes 4.69 ea

10 bottles SoBe Lifewater 1.00 ea 4 B1G1 printable, & 4 .50/1 printable (Target q)
***$5.00 gc for purchasing 10 in one transaction***

2 Dannon Activia 4pk 1.66 ea 2 $1/1 SS 5/02

Crystal Light 10 ct 1.97 ea 2 $1/1 CL Pure Fitness printable, 1 $1/3 CL (Target q)

4 Old Spice Deodorant 3.99 ea
2 Old Spice Body Wash (w/ free trial size deodorant included) 3.29 ea
I used 2 B1G1 RP 4/18 + 2 FREE Old Spice Body Wash wyb deodorant PG 5/02

3 packs of J&J gauze bandages 1.64 ea 3 $1/1 from ?? newspaper
***free First Aid Kit wyb 3 eligible products***


I had a "gift card" that came in the mail for $5.00 gc the next time that I spent $50.00.

I split the transaction into 2 smaller purchases to have less oop.

Bottom line after my gc from the above purchases + a $20.00 MIR for $50.00 worth of Olay products, the deal turned into a $4.00 moneymaker. Anyone need facewash?? Be looking for it to show up in your stocking! :)

**See Southern Savers for more details on the MIR and links to the printables

Restaurants reward your child for their good grades

■Blockbuster- One free movie rental

■Krispy Kreme- One doughnut per A, up to 6.

■Chuck E. Cheese- up to 15 tokens with a food purchase. They reward 3 per A, 2 per B, and 1 per C. (While they say this they normally just give 15 after glancing at it.)

■McDonald’s- If your child has straight A’s they can get a free meal. Kindergarten-5th grade receive a happy meal while 6th-12th will receive a value meal.

■Pizza Hut-For a report card that has 3 A’s they will reward your child with one personal pan pizza and a small drink or milk. This offer is only for K-8 and is dine-in only.

■Chick-Fil-A- Many stores have programs to reward children but they vary by store. Check with yours to see what it offers.

■Cold Stone Creamery- Free ice cream.

As always, check with your location to see if they are participating before you head out. I posted this on the wall in my schoolroom to get the kids excited about their hard work. It helped!

HOT diaper deal at Rite Aid! Do this now!!

Check out this awesome deal on Huggies. 7 packs for $3.71 each! I did this last night and it worked! The details are here.

Thanks Bargain Divas!

FREE "America, The Story of Us" Dvd from the History Channel

The History Channel is mailing free copies of their new 12hr program, America: The Story of Us, to all educators. That also includes homeschoolers! I love free stuff!!!!!


HISTORY is offering America The Story of Us on DVD to every school in the
United States. School must be an accredited public, private or home school,
grades K-12 and college. DVD requests must be made prior to July 1, 2010.
DVDs will be mailed around August 2010, and free shipping is included in
this offer.

Check it out here.

Thanks "My Children's Teacher!"

It's Nurse Appreciation Week

Dunkin Donuts is giving nurses a free 16 oz Dunkin’ Dark Roast iced coffee. All you need to do is show your healthcare id! This offer is good May 6th – May 12th.

Shopping trip at Winn Dixie

Tonight I thought I'd try to get up a deal at Winn Dixie since they are offering a great promo this week.
There is a Proctor & Gamble deal that states "spend $20.00 get $7 off your next trip or spend $30.00 get $10.00 off your next trip."

I purchased several papers this week for the PG insert and I'm so glad I did! I bought:

6 36 oz Tide Stain Release liquid (6 $3/1 PG 5/2)
2 Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (2 $1 printable)
2 Fiber One granola bars (2 .50/1 SS 5/2)
2 Ball park angus franks (2 .55/1 RP 5/2)
1 130 ct Hefty foam plates-FREE w/purchase of 2 Ball Park franks (no coupon needed)
1 8ct box of WD brand poptarts (the kids were with me)

I used a $10/50 q from last week than all other coupons...total was $21.37 with a $10.00 gift "coupon" to be used on anything in the store. Well, not cigarettes, alcohol, stamps, blah, blah, blah..but most things are acceptable.
Total OOP $11.37 I think that is pretty awesome, just for the detergent!

Ink Refills $1 at Walgreens, tomorrow only!

Tomorrow, April 22nd Walgreens will be offering all of their print cartridge refills for only $1. There are normally $12.99 so this is a real steal! If you are like me and constantly printing coupons this will be worth stopping by for. This price is good on both black and white and color cartridges. The coupon is in their weekly circular (available in store.) Check here before you head out to be sure that they refill ink on you printer's make/model

50 free 4x6 prints at Winkflash

Winkflash has a great deal going on for 50 free 4x6's with just $0.99 shipping. I love great deals on prints, there are several great places out there so that you never have to pay. The bonus being that I don't have to leave the house to get the deals! Check out Winkflash here.

Awesome deal on copy paper! Grab this one quick!

Tracie over at Penny Pinchin' Mom has a great scenario for cheap copy paper.

I love this deal because I don't have to leave home to get it. :) I just snagged mine. This won't last long so grab it now if you want it!

Swagbucks totals so far!!

As well as posting totals for spending/saving I wanted to also let you know how I'm doing in my Christmas savings. I've mentioned Swagbucks before and I wanted to let you know how much I have earned since I started in mid February. $55.00 in gc's at Amazon! Wow! I didn't even have to do anything but use their search engine. It's free to use and easy to download their toolbar. If you are interested in signing up to earn free money for Christmas (or whatever) just go here. You will earn 30 swagbucks just for signing up. Can't beat free money!

I had an amazing lady at one of my coupon seminars recently tell me about a rewards program at my bank that I didn't even know about. Personally I bank at America's First Credit Union, but maybe your bank has a similar program, it's definitely worth looking into. The way it works is every time you use your debit card to make a puchase you earn 1 point for every $6.00 you spend. BUT, if you use your debit card and run it as a credit (where you have to sign for the purchase) you earn 1 point for every $3.00 you spend. This is definitely the way to go, you are earning twice as fast as well as keeping your pin number safe by using the credit option. When this lady told me about this program I came home and looked it up immediately...I had enough points to equal over $100.00 in gift cards!!! Since this too is "found money" so to speak we are choosing to hold onto it and wait until closer to Christmas to spend it on gifts.
I'm striving for a "no out of pocket spending" Christmas. Can we do it? I will keep you updated!

Meal Plan for the week of April 4-10

Though our eating out challenge from March is over (we failed miserably!) I find that I do so much better when I have a plan. Even though I'm home almost always I am busy teaching and taking care of things in the house and hate it when I don't really give dinner a thought until 5:00 or so. Uh-oh. Yeah, by then it's a little too late. When I make a plan in writing I usually stick to it and dinnertime is much smoother.

Here is what we will be having for dinner this week.

Monday: Chicken alfredo & salad.
Tuesday: Pork roast in the crock pot, potatoes, steamed veggies.
Wednesday: Chicken fingers & macaroni and cheese. We almost always do this on Wednesdays to get to church on time.
Thursday: Breakfast for supper. Again, we almost always do this on Thursdays because I have a lot of prep for our Friday activities.
Friday:Chicken stir fry with veggies and rice.
Saturday: BBQ pork sandwiches, (leftovers from Tues.) potato salad, corn.

Saving and Spending Totals for March

I'm sorry this is several days late in coming. I'm also sorry for how seldom I've posted the last few weeks. I don't know what else to say other than life happens. We've been super busy trying to wrap up year-end school projects, I've had work things going on...it's crazy just being a wife and mom mostly! But I am back and am constantly trying to stay on track to let you all know of the best deals around town.

On with the totals! I deposited $256.00 this month into the savings account just from coupon savings and rebates that have come in.

Rebates in March
3-2 $10.00 Kraft
3-5 $15.00 Olay Renegenerist
3-8 $10.00 Heineken NBPR
3-9 $8.00 Coors NBPR
3-16 $10.00 Coors Light NBPR
3-20 $8.00 Coors NBPR
3-25 $10.00 Rite Aid SCR

It was a great month in rebates, many of these I sent off in January so it certainly isn't immediate gratification but still fun to get free or almost free stuff!

I didn't keep up with the $ amount of donations in toiletries but I know that we did a good bit especially considering that I hardly shopped this month, I missed 1 week altogether!


Our spending this month was $215.00 or an average of $53.00 weekly. I know that is much better than I was spending last year but I am trying to stay under $50.00 a week so I will continue to fine tune my spending.

Do you track your spending/savings monthly? I highly encourage you to do this, it will really open your eyes to the amount of money you could be saving. It may open up a way for your family to take that dream vacation, afford a new car or meet some other need in your life. Hope that helps!

Potty Training DVD for free!

We all love great deals on diapers but the greatest thing is to finally get our little ones into "big girl/boy pants." Huggies wants to help and they are offering a free pottytraining dvd to get us started. Hurry on over and sign up here.

Some of our favorite chicken recipes

Deviled Chicken under $5.00

1 ½ -2 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts ($3-4 when chicken is 1.99 lb)
½ stick butter ($0.25 real butter, $1.99 lb)
3 T. mustard (free)
3 T. Worcestershire (pennies)

Cut raw chicken into bite size pieces, place in baking dish. In the microwave heat butter until melted. Stir in mustard and worcestershire. Pour over chicken in baqking dish. Cook, covered, at 450 degrees for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice (free) and frozen Green Giant or Birdseye veggies ($0.20 to 0.40.)


Salsa Chicken Approximately $6.50

1 ½ -2 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts ($3-4 when chicken is 1.99 lb)
1 cup salsa (around $0.50 - 0.75)
1 cup frozen corn (Birdseye veggies, $0.10-0.20 for ½ bag)
1 bell pepper chopped, large pieces (varies depending upon the season)
½ pouch taco seasoning ($0.25)

Cut raw chicken into cubes and cook in skillet, once it starts turning white add seasoning, corn, pepper and salsa. Heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve over hot noodles and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Mmmmm.

1 box rotini or bowtie pasta ($0.69)
1 cup of shredded cheddar ($0.60)


Crock pot NO PREP Chicken Approx. $5.00

1 lb frozen chicken breasts ($2.00)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (about $0.79) I make my own from scratch-super easy!
1 can cream of chicken soup “ “ “
1 small onion, diced (pennies when bought by the bag)
1 bag frozen veggies ($0.20-0.40)

Place frozen chicken in crock pot, pour frozen veggies over chicken. Pour both cans of soup over veggies. No need to stir, cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Super easy, tastes like chicken pot pie. Yummy! I usually serve with can biscuits or crescent rolls ($0.99)

Princess and the Frog Dvd at Target for $.58!!

Yes, you read that right. Today, Target (and WalMart) released the dvd of The Princess and the Frog for $15.99. Here's how it goes.

Scenario:

Pick up the Dvd, on sale for 15.99 & use the $5.00 printable coupon here
Purchase 2 boxes of character Band Aids for $1.82 per box. Use 2 $1/1 from RP 1/3 & 2 Band Aid store coupons here.
Purchase all and use your reusable bag (deducting $.05)
You should pay $12.35 in store and be able to redeem these two MIR.

#1 Band Aid rebate form for $5.00 here
#2 This rebate is a $5.00 from Success Rice when you buy two. here. There is a 50c/1 in the 1/31 RP (exp 3/31).

So, you are out $2.35. Hey, I can't do anything about tax, but I think this is still a pretty good deal

No Eating Out in March...How's That Workin' for Ya??

Well......we were doing really good. Until. I started getting sick. Face it, if mom doesn't do it, it just doesn't seem to get done. They did their best I guess, limping along Friday night eating a dinner that was easy to heat up. But today, my husband had to work all afternoon, he wanted something good for lunch (and I don't really think he meant a can of soup) & the next thing I know we are sitting in a booth at the mexican restaurant. Uh-oh. The upside - we didn't spend as much as usual. We were missing 1 kid today (don't worry, I knew where he was!) and I wasn't very hungry due to the fact that I can't taste anything. But, I did want to report this, to stay true to you...my 16 followers.

C'mon peeps, tell your friends about me! :)

We will begin again tomorrow. Pick ourselves up, dust off the taco crumbs and try to stay on track the rest of the month.
So...have you been able to stick to it?

Have you been Swaggin' ?

Remember me telling you about the AWESOME search engine, Swagbucks, that actually pays you to search? Well, I wanted to give you a quick update to let you know of my progress. In just 6 weeks I've earned $25.00 worth of Amazon gift cards! Yay! And, it didn't cost a dime! Okay, I have approximately 40 more weeks until Christmas, at this rate I could earn about $200.00 toward paying for Christmas. Not too bad. You can do this too, at the top of my blog there's a Swagbucks banner, click on it and receive 30 Swagbucks just for joining. It's that easy. Don't stop there though. Invite your friends to join as your referrals and you win more bucks. Let's all challenge ourselves to pay for Christmas this year with Swagbucks. Good luck!

Another HOT diaper deal this week 3/14-3/20

This deal will be at Target starting on Sunday.

Huggies Snug & Dry or Pull-ups or Pampers Baby Dry or Easy Ups Jumbo Packs 2/$17
-$2/1 Any Huggies Diapers zip 63366 print here
-$1.50 off Jumbo pack or larger Huggies diapers Target Q x5/31 print here
-$1.50/1 Pampers Diapers or Pants 2-7-10 P&G (exp 3/31)
-$1.50/1 Pampers Easy Ups Trainers 2-7-10 P&G (exp 3/31)

Use the Target printable with the $2/1 MQ to pay $5 per pack of diapers!!

*Remember, you can print up to 2 copies per computer, hurry, I don't think these Target q's will last long!

Shopping trip for this week

I have a crazy week ahead and I like to do most (if not all) of my shopping on Sunday afternoons when I can. I made 3 stops today, Rite Aid (diapers!), Walgreens and Publix. I love how I can do all of my shopping in one spot. They are all located within 2 blocks of each other.

Publix:
6 Dayquil/Nyquil travel pks
2 6 pk Jello Mousse
6 Pillsbury pizza crust/cinnamon rolls
4 Dole fruit cups (4 pks)
8 8oz kraft shredded cheeses
3 1/2 gal Edy's frozen yogurts
1 Sara Lee pound cake
4 Birds Eye Steamfresh veggies
1 boneless chuck roast (approx 3 lb)
3 Puffs tissues
1 lb strawberries
6 Lunchables
1 gallon milk
2 dz eggs
1 Bailey's coffee creamer
3 jars Bertolli pasta sauce
2 Kelloggs shredded wheat
2 tubs Lloyd's BBQ chicken

Total Spent 35.04 Total Saved 120.48

Walgreens

2 RenPure Miracle shampoo/conditioner
1 Gillette Fusion shave gel
1 " " Razor
1 " " " refill pack (4)
1 " body wash 12 oz

Total Spent 19.83 Total Saved 29.56
I will submit my receipt for a rebate for $6.99, so Total OOP $12.84

Rite Aid (split into 2 transactions)

6 Jumbo packs of Pampers
1 Gillette shave gel
1 Gillette body wash
1 Jumbo pack Huggies

Total Spent $16.14 (I had a Rite Aid Gift of Savings) Total Saved 60.98
I will submit my receipts for 2 $10.00 gift cards and a $1.00 rebate, Total OOP -4.86

Total OOP for this week: $42.99 Saved $211.02

Awesome deal on Pampers at Rite Aid this week!

Rite Aid has an incredible sale on diapers starting tomorrow 3/6!
Here is the scenario:

Buy:
3 Pampers diapers (29.97)
1 Pampers wipes ($2.49)
Total $32.46
Use:
$5 off $25 (this is a pdf file)
(3) $2 Pampers PG 2/21
(1) .50 Wipes PG 2/07

Pay OOP $20.96
Get $10 Gift card back (Rite Aid gc wyb $30.00 in Proctor & Gamble products)

In the end, you're paying $3.65 per pack of diapers, with a package of wipes thrown in!


(Thanks Beverly)

Now haven't I told you how Rite Aid rocks? :)

Ways to save on baby formula

I know baby formula can be so expensive and I've found it very hard to find great deals on it at supermarkets or drugstores. Here are a couple of ideas, I believe that you can begin requesting these samples as soon as you know that you are expecting. This gives you several months to stock up and have a few different brands on hand to see what agrees with your baby's tummy.

Option #1 Call 1-800-410-9629, Option 3 and you give them basic info (name, address, email (optional), baby's birthday). They will send you a FREE Target brand sample or a coupon. Then you can call back every 30 days and get a coupon for it! Stick a note on your fridge to remind yourself to call every month to keep it coming!

Option #2 Call 614-898-9758 and they’ll send you a free sample of Baby’s Only Organic Formula. Press 3 on the automated menu.

Option #3 I ask at my pediatrician's office every time I walked through the doors that first year and they were happy to give me samples. This works at the ob/gyn too!

I've actually gotten the sample (#1) a few times before, it was WalMart brand, not Target but it didn't really matter to me. Hope this helps!

Become a fan on Facebook, get a free bag of Sunchips

I love all of the freebies that you can pick up by being a facebook fan. If you haven't become a fan yet, hop over here and request your free bag before they are all gone! Available to the first 100,000. Thanks Greta!

Pajama Day will pay off big tomorrow!

At participating Bruster's locations, you can stop by tomorrow in your pj's for a free single scoop cone. Yay! I have already checked and the 2 locations in Birmingham are participating. Yay again! Store opens at 11:00.

Okay, by my way of thinking this doesn't count toward eating out (for the kids) because no $ will be spent. I'm doing it for better health as well soooo, no ice cream for me. That's okay, I'm not a big ice cream fan anyway.

Taking a break from eating out. Are you in?

Our family has accepted the challenge that was put out by Kristen over at Couponing to Disney. I didn't officially sign up on her site but we are challenging ourselves and I'm telling you...it's the end of day 3 and we. are. dying! I mean, I want Taco Bell, I am dreaming of Chic-Fil-A, everything that I normally wouldn't think about, I can't get out of my head. It's much worse than starting a diet because instead of moderation it's 31 days of deprivation.
So, who wants to join us? :) I'm sure that I have made this sound so fascinating that you are ready to jump in right now! Though we spend less than $20.00 (more like $15.00 on average) a week on eating out I will post on how much we do spend/save this month by eating at home. BTW, Justin already cracked and ate out for breakfast yesterday. $3.15. Don't worry, we didn't take this lying down! The kids were actually pretty hard on him, lol.

Upcoming Coupon Seminars

I have three more seminars coming up if anyone is interested. These will be the last ones that I offer for a while. As a homeschooling mom I think I get more excited than the kids do about having lazy days to play outside, swim and just have fun! If you want to attend any of these please just leave a comment telling me which you plan to attend and how many will be attending. I like to get a general idea of how many will be coming so that I have plenty of handouts.

North Highlands Baptist Church in Hueytown on March 11th at 6-8:30 pm.
Bethel Baptist Church in Pleasant Grove on May 17th from 6-8:30.

If you have ever considered starting, now is the time! Everyone is saving money with coupons and if you put just a little time into it you can save BIG. I will show you how to organize, make your lists, where to shop and when to shop. All you need to bring is a $5.00 cash donation to go toward the Master's Mission.

I hope to see you there!

February Saving/Spending Totals are in!

I went over my receipts and bank statements today to see what I spent in the stores this month. I didn't get it down to the dollar but I'm pretty close at $178.00 for the month. That includes all money spent on food, toiletries, and donations. We added about $120.00 worth of donations to our buckets this month. I probably spent $20.00 or less on those things. But believe me, it will make a difference in someone's life to have toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant and the basic things that we take for granted*. It was worth it to drive over to CVS to pick up those $0.25 items. It's a small effort that we can all do. Make an goal for your family in March to make giving to others a priority. I guarantee you'll be glad you did! :)

Okay! Now to my favorite part! What we saved/received in February...

1 $4.00 Ronzoni rebate when you purchase "Up" on dvd
1 $2.00 RiteAid rebate
1 $19.98 Proctor & Gamble Quench lotion rebate
$205.00 cash leftover from $100.00 weekly budget

Grand Total $230.98 Yay!

*Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Publix deal good now through March 3rd

It's finally back! I absolutely love Publix's promotion, "Buy theirs, get ours free." It doesn't happen every week, and this is the fist time they have offered this in a couple of months. This week we have Starbucks coffee, Swiss Miss Cocoa, and Coffee Mate creamer. But any of these (or all) and get their house brand of the same item free! You can combine these deal with coupons for even more savings! Read more about it here. It's the samll box on the right hand side of the weekly ad. Happy Shopping!

Saving on kids clothes

I know many of you have probably shopped at consignment stores before, but the reason I'm telling all of you about this one is because it's only open twice a year (spring and fall), it is enormous, and I can do ALL of my kids shopping in one night! Granted, I am there 6-8 hours but I would rather sacrifice one night to shop kid-free and never have to deal with dragging the little ones through stores shopping for clothes. It probably wouldn't take all of you that long but I shop for 4 and I'm buying everything they will need for the next 6 months except for underclothes. I'm talking about Kids Market, the biggest consignment sale in the southeast and right here in Birmingham!
I have been contributing & working this for 10 years and I basically dress the kids for free. You price your clothes/toys/baby items, drop them off & they take care of the rest. You make 66% of your selling price & if you have the time, you can work the sale and shop before the general public which is a huge plus. I typically earn very close to the same amount that I buy. You can read more about what they offer as well as view the schedule for the spring sale here. If you have any questions, please post & I'll try to answer!

Big Box Stores

I know I've mentioned before about the "deals" that places like Costco and Sam's offer. One stop shopping, everything from tires to eyeglasses and ground beef thrown in. Unfortunately, I think many of us are having to really buckle down and watch our spending therefore leading some of these stores to close their doors. We now know that the big box stores aren't really saving us money the way we have believed them to for years. Kinda sad...though they are bazilionaires. Read more about it here

Coupon Seminar

Whew! I just got in from a Seminar that I led at Valley Creek Baptist in Hueytown, Alabama. We really had a great turnout despite the weather. Thanks to all of you that showed up. I believe this is a ministry opportunity, given by God, and I thank all of you so much for supporting me so much! Over $200.00 was raised tonight for Master's Mission (formerly Mel's Mission.) I know that money will be used to do awesome things in people's lives. If you have any questions, feel overwhelmed, want to shop with me or whatever, please feel free to post a comment or email me at seemomsave@gmail.com

Blessings,

Farrah

Ever thought about Swagbucks?

I wanted to let you know about the Swagbucks banner that you see at the top of my blog. I am somewhat new to Swagbucks myself, but after installing the toolbar (super simple) I just use Swagbucks to search the web instead of "Googling." It's just as easy, and I am actually getting PAID to search! Yep. That's right. You can get paid lots of different ways, but I am most interested in gift cards to Amazon. I didn't shop Amazon much before this past Christmas but I found crazy good deals online with free shipping that beat any price I could have gotten locally. I'm trying to buy my Christmas presents with Swagbucks in 2010. If you want, click on the banner above to sign up and I will earn extra bucks as a referral. Thanks!

Weekly Publix Trip

I think that I got a lot this week for the money. No huge money makers, but everything I bought we will use.

1 Tyson Beef Pot Roast in Gravy B1G1 3.49 ea
6 boxed Ronzoni pasta 12-16 oz B1G1 .69 ea
6 Yo Plus yogurt 4 pks B1G1 1.25 ea
7 Pillsbury Toaster Strudel B1G1 1.24 ea
2 Nabisco Honey Maid graham crackers B1G1 1.99 ea
1 Bob Evans Sides, Macaroni & Cheese 2.50
3 gallons Publix brand milk 3.19 ea
1 A Day Multivitamins, Scooby gummies 25% off 4.27 ea
2.8 lb bananas .69 lb 1.95
6 Rotel diced tomatoes B1G1 .67 ea
3 Hammark Shoestring Cards .99 ea
* 9 lbs ground beef 21.19

I used:

$10.00/50.00 purchase Winn Dixie catalina Q
$2/1 Tyson Entree Publix Family Style Magazine Store Q
.75/1 Tyson IP
6 $1/1 Yo Plus SS 1/23
7 $1/1 Toaster Strudel IP
1 $2/2 Nabisco cracker IP
1 $1/1 Bob Evans Publix Family Style Store Q
1 .50/1 Bob Evans side dish IP
1 2.50/1 One A Day Publix Family Style Store Q
1 $2/1 One A Day SS 1/03
1 .55/2 Rotel blinkie
3 .75/2 Rotel Yellow Advantage Flyer Q's
3 .99/1 Hallmark card tearpad Q's
4 $1/2 lbs ground beef Yellow Advantage Flyer Q's

Total Due: $36.17, Total Saved: $78.20

* The reason I really stocked up on ground beef this week was because the yellow advantage q's will expire on 2/5, AND I will be submitting this receipt for a rebate. Purchase $20.00 of meat, get $7.50 back. Basically I paid $1.07 lb for beef.

I went back to CVS...I love that place!

I had to go back to CVS today, a couple of things that I really wanted had coupons that came out in today's paper. Here's what I did:

Transaction #1

3 Skippy PB 16 oz $1.67 ea
2 Hellmans Mayo 22oz B1G1 $5.99

I used:

3 .40/1 Skippy RP 1/31
2 .60/1 Hellman's RP 1/31
1 $5.00 ECB (from diaper deal last night)

Total Due: $4.58, Received $3.00 ECB

Transaction #2

1 Colgate Maxfresh $2.99
1 Dove Men's Bodywash 13.5 oz $5.49

I used:

1 .75/1 Colgate (newspaper, can't remember which insert)
1 1.25/1 Dove Bodywash RP 1/31
1 $3.00 EC (from above)

Total Due: $4.24, received $5.49 ECB, $2.00 ECB

Transaction #3

1 Dove Bodywash $5.49

I used:

1 1.25/1 Dove Bodywash (there are 2 in each paper!)
1 $2.00 ECB (from above)

Total Due: $2.73, received $5.49 ECB

Total Spent at CVS today: $11.55, earned $5.98 ECB's to use next week!

How Much I Saved In January

As you may know, I have challenged myself to spend $40.00 or less per week on groceries/toiletries/diapers, etc...I wanted to give you a total of *cash in hand* what our family saved this month.

2 $5.00 SC Johnson rebates
1 $21.00 Rite Aid Single Check Rebate
$185.00 Cash

Total Saved $216.00

I didn't come in right on target this month...on paper. I spent a little more for things that we needed, but when the rebates continue to come in I will have spent less than $40.00 per week. I guess I'm kind of on a "flexible spending plan." I know that this month, I have sent off several rebates that total more than $100.00. One thing I have done to try to put that money into our savings account (instead of letting in dwindle away) is by getting cash back at the register every week when I do my Publix shopping. If my total is $34.00, I get $64.00 back, trying not to go over $40.00 and putting the remaining $60.00 into an envelope to deposit at the end of the month. Just an idea, maybe that will work for you too!

Great deals at CVS starting tomorrow!

Well, actually if you shop a CVS store that isn't a 24 hour location, the sale starts at 6pm on Saturday night. I just got in from my weekly visit and I had an unbelievable find!

Some M & M products and Hershey Kisses were ringing up at $0.39 per bag! This was for the 12.6 oz bag. The only thing that tipped me off that they might be different was the kisses had a snowflake print on the back of the bag, indicating that they were from Christmas. No other mention of "Christmas" or "holiday" anywhere on the packaging. As for the M & M's though, the candies were wearing santa hats, but they too, were stocked with the regular candy. I hope you have some luck at your store! BTW, there is a blinkie out (a few aisles over) for $1/2 bags. I love being paid to walk something out of the store, don't you?

Transaction #1
3 bags M & M's .39 each
8 bags M & M's 2.50 each
4 bags Hershey Kisses .39 each

I used 1 $4/20 cvs Q (email from cvs)
5 $1/2 blinkies for the M & M's
1 $7 ECB from last week
Total paid $8.77, received $10.00 ECB

Transaction #2
2 Huggies Jumbo pks 10.00 ea
1 Clean & Clear face wash* 4.99
1 gallon Barbers milk 3.79

I used 1 $4/20 cvs Q (email)
2 $2 Huggies IP's
1 $2 Clean and Clear Q 1/3 SS
1 $10 ECB from candy purchase above
Total paid $12.37, received $5.00 ECB

The 1 Clean & Clear face wash that I purchased will complete the requirement for the $10.00 Mail In Rebate, Beauty for All Ages.

Just to clarify, we will NOT be eating all of those M & M's! They will be used for Valentine goodie bags. We won't eat them all. ;)

I'm still here!

Hey everyone!

I want to apologize for my long absence. We were out of town last week on a wonderful vacation that we received as a Christmas gift, then since we have been back I have spent most of my time catching up! I have been busy finding deals and not taking the time to blog about them. Tomorrow starts a new ad for Publix, so I will post soon about the hottest grocery deals out there this week. If you have any questions, or need any help, just let me know!

Wal-Mart, is it a necessity?

I've been pondering this question the last few days...and I think that after the past year, I can feel confident saying "no." For many, many years I jumped into the car and took off to Wal-Mart for everything from frozen vegetables to toothpaste to hosepipes and underwear. But I first noticed I had a choice when ALDI moved to town. Specifically, right next door to Wal-Mart. Then I realized that I could buy groceries elsewhere without upsetting my routine too terribly. As the months passed by with my mind being opened to options (and enjoying the freedom of not standing in line for an hour) more shops moved to our little town. Target and Publix opened their doors and my choices grew even more. Finally I feel confident knowing that the few things I wanted that ALDI didn't sell and Publix was to pricey for, I do have Target. I took the time to actually compare the prices on t-shirts, toys, dvd's and the like, and find that Target is a smart place to shop! Wal-Mart has been telling us they are "the low price leader" for so long I had begun to believe it without question!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not out to put Wal-Mart out of business, (like I could) but just to show you that, yes, we do have choices! My Sam's club membership renewal came this week. Now I'm trying to decide if I even need to bother?
I would love to hear any comments you may have!

The best place to find coupons!

I'm telling you, the best place to find coupons is by subscribing to your local newspaper. If you live in an area where you have a choice between a few different papers, be sure to choose the largest in your area. For me, that is the Birmingham News. They have a great deal going right now, you might want to check it out. I love having my coupons delivered to my home, and I don't have to worry that someone else has gone through the paper and picked them all out! If you want to see how to get 26 weeks for $26.00 check it out here.

What is a good price?

I have compiled a list of items with the best prices in my area.
This may be different for you, depending on where you live and what stores you have available.

Keep in mind, all prices listed are after coupons.

Apples $0.99 lb
Bananas $0.33 lb
Grapes $0.99 lb*
Peaches $0.69 lb*
Strawberries $0.99 lb*
Bagged salad $0.99
Can tomatoes $0.33
Can vegetables $0.39-0.55*
Can beans $0.45*
Frozen dinners $0.99
Frozen chic. nuggets $1.99 2 lb
Frozen pizza $3.00
Frozen vegetables $free-0.99
Ice cream/novelty $0.99
Ground sirloin $2.50 lb
Roast $2.49 lb
B/S chicken breasts $1.99 lb
Whole chicken $0.69 lb
Bacon $1.50 lb
Pork chops $1.99 lb
Can tuna $0.49
Hot dogs $0.65-0.99
Ketchup $0.20
Mayonnaise $1.00
Mustard $free
Salad dressing $0.75
Cookies $0.79
Crackers $0.50
Nuts $0.49
Popcorn $1.25
Soups $0.40
Can biscuits $0.45-free
Coffee creamer $0.50
Tea bags family sz $0.80
Butter $1.25 lb
Margarine $0.42
Cheese slices $1.00
Cheese block 8 oz $1.16
Lunch meat $0.75
Cookie dough $free
Eggs $0.99 dz
Yogurt $0.25 4 pk
Milk $2.99 gal
Sour cream $free-0.50
Spaghetti sauce $0.50-1.00
Tomato paste $0.07
Elbow macaroni $0.69
Spaghetti noodles $0.69
Instant potatoes $0.07
Rice $0.99
Cereal $free-1.00
Cake mix $free-0.50
Cooking oil $0.65
Frosting $free
Brownie mix $0.50
Hamburger helper $0.66
Poptarts $0.50
Applesauce $0.66
Can fruit $free-0.50
Jello $free-0.35
Pancake mix $0.65
Syrup $0.75
Sugar $1.49 5 lb

* I usually buy at ALDI

I do 90% of my grocery shopping at Publix and once every few weeks I hit ALDI and stock up on the best price items there.

This is what I came up with as staple items after surveying my refrigerator/pantry.
I will post a list of baby/household/toiletry items soon!