Couponning 101

More new coupons from Coupons.com

2010-09-17T12:23:00.002-04:00

They've been really good about adding new coupons regularly - check out these ones today:

New printables

2010-09-09T12:43:00.002-04:00

New Coupons.com Coupons for today!

What not to buy at Target

2010-09-08T17:13:00.000-04:00

I read an interesting article from Yahoo Finance today entitled "Things You Should Not Buy at Target"

No store is everything to everyone - but I have to say that for most things I need regularly, Target is my go to store... what about for you? Do you agree with the article? Disagree?

Just a....

2010-09-04T11:28:00.000-04:00

reminder - no coupon inserts in the paper this week because of the holidays... but there are lots of great new printables out there!

Free Home Depot Workshops!

2010-09-03T19:47:00.000-04:00

Now that Fall is here, are you planning to tackle projects around your home? Home Depot is offering a whole range of free workshops coming up!

The classes are:

Fall Face Lift: Interior and Exterior Painting

Learn about patching, prep and maintenance for refreshing your home’s interior and exterior
Find out about some of the basic tools and accessories to make your project easy, fast and clean
Locate the best quality paint and products for the job

Decorative Flooring Solutions

Explore the range of laminate, tile or carpet flooring options that make your projects easy and affordable
Discover the many products exclusive to The Home Depot, designed especially for easy décor coordination and installation
Learn about the range of colors, textures and innovative benefits like stain resistance and warranties

Save Energy. Save Money

Identify several exclusive Eco Options and Energy Star–rated products that can help you start saving on energy costs in the fall
Begin weatherizing your home with a range of low-cost sealants and insulation that make your home more comfortable and save you money
Learn about other easy-to-install products that help you get lower electricity and water bill

Fall Planting and Maintenance

Maintain your yard year-round with the right products for the right climate
Learn tips for eco-friendly gardening and weatherizing your yard
Find out tips for maintaining curb appeal year-round

Earth Fare by email...

2010-09-02T02:59:00.000-04:00

If you aren't signed up for emails from Earth Fare, you are missing out on valuable coupons... this week's include FREE Ground Chuck and $ off Steaks and Fresh Wild Salmon...

Here are this week's coupons, but if you go to the main site, there is a link at the bottom to get on their email list so you never miss the coupons again!

It's the end of the month!

2010-08-30T14:42:00.000-04:00

Time to print out the last of this month's coupons before they reset or disappear!

Here are a few recent additions to Coupons.com

$3.00 off TWO packages of GOODNITES Underpants

$1.00 off Any ONE (1) LISTERINE AGENT COOL BLUE

$1.00 off LISTERINE TOTAL CARE PLUS WHITENING

$3.00 off Garnier HerbaShine Color Creme Haircolor

$0.75 off On Any GUM Flossers

$0.55 off GUM GO-BETWEENS

$1.50 off any OXY Clinical product

$1.00 off NESTLÉ RAISINETS 6-Pack

$1.00 off NESTLÉ CHERRY RAISINETS

$1.00 off NESTLÉ CRANBERRY RAISINETS

$1.00 off SCOTT Paper Towels

Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic Friends and Family

2010-08-23T12:57:00.001-04:00

Click here to save 30% off at the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic Friends and Family event (Aug 26-29) and as a bonus, the The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society gets 5% of what you spend!

Great new coupon site!

2010-08-22T14:06:00.001-04:00

For my blogging friends who like to save money and use coupons, I've found a great new site called We Use Coupons with everything from advance scans of popular drug and grocery store sales to coupon inserts and coupon matching!

It's run by a stockpiling guru and is free to join, free to print from and saves you money!

For my bloggy friends who like to monetize their sites - We Use Coupons has a great affiliate program too! Just let them know that I sent you!

Vista Print Back to School Deals!

2010-08-20T13:01:00.000-04:00

Schools IN Celebrate with Vista Print!

Get Free Products!

Free Business Cards, Free Postcards, Free Rubber Stamp, Free Banner, Free Mug, Free Invitations,Free Photo Wall Calendars, Free Photo Flip Book, Free Car Door Magnet, Free Note Cards, Free Stickers - just pay shipping and handling - you can add as many free products to your cart as you want!

Groupon - $50 worth of GAP for $25!!!

2010-08-19T05:41:00.000-04:00

Have you heard about Groupon yet?

Groupon offers daily deals on the city's best stuff only from Groupon. Restaurants, spas, events and more, 50%-90% off!

Today only, Groupon is offering a very special national GAP Deal of the Day! Your customers can get$50 worth of GAP apparel and accessories including sale items at any GAP store nationwide for only $25. Grab this rare and exceptional offer today because it only lasts for one day!

Groupon's Deal of the Day 8/19: Get $50 worth of GAP apparel and accessories including sale items for only $25! - Even if Groupon hasn't come to your city you can take advantage of this national offer! Grab it quick, before it's gone!

The Fine Print:
* Expires 11/20/10. Limit 1 per person. Valid in-store at US and Canada Stores Only. Not valid on online purchases, previous purchases, GAP Outlet, GAP Factory, or GAP Generations. See site for more details.

Sunday Coupon Preview

2010-08-18T22:36:00.000-04:00

This week is a fairly slow week for coupons - only one insert from Smartsource, nothing from Red Plum or P&G... but it does have some good coupons in it...

Click here to see if it's worth your while to pick up a paper...

New Huggies Printables!

2010-08-18T13:05:00.000-04:00

For those of you with little ones in diapers, Coupon.com has new Huggies Printables!

$2/1 Huggies Wipes (320 count+)
$2/1 any packages of Huggies Little Snugglers diapers
$2.50/1 any package of Huggies Pure and Natural

An announcement from Acting Balanced ... and some good deals...

2010-08-13T15:34:00.000-04:00

If you haven't already become a fan or follower of Acting Balanced (my other blog), now might be a good time... along with 14 of my fellow bloggers, we will be giving away $750 in CASH this fall... click here to find out about how you can get in on the winning!

Sign up for JC Penney Savings Newsletter, and get great store/online offers including new brand launches and coupons delivered directly to your inbox. Register today and save!

And if you are ordering from JC Penney Online - why not do it through Ebates and get cash back for your purchases - Plus when you make your first purchase through any one of the thousands of Ebates retailers you get either an extra $5 cash back or a $10 gift card!

And don't forget to check out Coupons.com for the latest in printable coupons

Sunday Coupon Preview

2010-08-07T08:39:00.000-04:00

There should be 2 inserts in the paper this week - one Smartsource and one Red Plum

Click here to check out the coupons

It's Tax Free Weekend!

2010-08-05T20:35:00.002-04:00

We're heading out school supply and wardrobe shopping - what are you planning to do?

New freebie site!

2010-08-05T11:42:00.000-04:00

I found a new site that offers freebies...

Free Flys offers freebies and samples like:

Receive a coupon for a free sample of Better Oats® Get your Free sample of Better Oats® now!
Get a free DIESEL® Only The Brave sample. Inspired by visionary artists, icons and rebels, Only The Brave is for men who take a stand and control their own destiny, seizing opportunities and making a difference. Get yours today!
Receive a free sample of Eucerin®. Make a commitment to the health of your skin by taking the pledge, and we'll send you a free sample of Eucerin Daily Skin Balance
Get a free sample of BORBA® Skin Balance Aqualess Crystalline Drink Mixes.
Get a free sample of Ola Loa sample packet of delicious ENERGY multi-vitamin, and a packet of our thirst-quenching SPORT formula

Just click on the link above or the graphic below and check out Free Flys

Kids Eat Free

2010-08-05T11:09:00.000-04:00

IHOP has a promotion running that kids eat free from 4-8pm for the month of August!

What other great Kids Eat Free options are out there?

I'm a huge fan of EBATES!

2010-08-04T16:47:00.000-04:00

After being skeptical about EBATES, I finally broke down and tried them out... and now I wonder why I waited so long...

If you shop online anyway, you can reward yourself with cash back on the purchases you are making anyway....

I'm looking forward to my first payout to my paypal account (or you can have a cheque mailed) and it's money I can turn around and spend again!

There's even a bonus for signing up!

Get $5.00 in CashBack or $10 Gift Card

Check out all of the great back to school shopping opportunities and earn cash back, just for clicking through EBATES

New JCPenney $10 off $10 coupon!

2010-08-04T16:23:00.000-04:00

JCPenney has released a new $10 off of your $10 purchase coupon code! Just use coupon code TEN2YOU at checkout for $10 off of your purchase! These are just the best because you can usually grab something for nearly FREE!!
AND you can also get free shipping on any shoe purchase today ONLY!

Thanks to Luv a Bargain for sharing this!

New Coupons.com Coupons!

2010-08-04T13:29:00.001-04:00

It's the first of the month and there are grew new coupons at Coupons.com

Hot Coupons

More coupons...

Snikiddy Snacks free coupon

2010-07-23T04:35:00.000-04:00

I reviewed Snikiddy Snacks on Acting balanced the other day, and have now run across a coupon for a free bag!

Click this link to register for their newsletter and get a coupon for a free bag!

Body Shop Coupon - good for Canada and USA!

2010-07-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

Check out this great $5 of any purchase coupon for the Body Shop. It's valid until July 18th and you can use it to score free soap, trial sizes or even clearance merchandise in store or online!

Tanger Outlet Coupons

2010-07-01T08:16:00.002-04:00

Become a fan of Tanger Outlets on Facebook and get a free coupon booklet

Free Watermelon at Earth Fare (or Publix)

2010-06-30T13:12:00.002-04:00

Check out this link to a free watermelon coupon (w/ $5 purchase at Earthfare) which can be used at Publix if they consider them a competitor...

mea culpa and some cool facebook deals...

2010-06-29T10:46:00.000-04:00

It's not just that I've been neglecting Couponning 101, but I've honestly been neglecting coupons and savings in general... part of that is this pregnancy has overwhelmed me at many turns and grocery shopping has become a chore rather than a challenge... and with chores, I've been divesting it to my wonderful hubby... who isn't as coupon crazy as I was...

But, the nausea is over and I'm starting to have more energy (thanks primarily to having my wonderful daughter Robyn home in the afternoons to hang out with Liam while I catch a nap) and I'm going to try to jump back in the fray...

So today - a few reminders - most coupons will reset on July 1 - so check out coupons.com, smartsource.com and redplum.com to print out anything you might need...

and a couple of great FB deals:

Athenos hummus BOGO coupon - just like them on FB and print instantly

Free 8x10 photo collage at Snapfish - like on fb and pay $.99 for shipping

Pinecone Research!

2010-05-23T17:10:00.000-04:00

I'm also posting this on Acting Balanced, but I thought I'd post it here too...

I do surveys for Pinecone Research - I get paid $3 for each new product survey I do, and it often leads to opportunities for my family to try new products or review new packaging options for existing products... I've tried shampoo, conditioner, bottled water and more over the past several months... The best thing about it is that they pay within 24 hours through PayPal!

So why am I telling you this now? They're looking for more households to be part of their group... one member of each household can sign up and often opinions will be solicited from other household members as well...

If you're interested, please click this link:
http://www.pineconeresearch.com/signup/RR595DS1.asp

If you have questions, you can email them to scott@pineconeresearch.com or click on the attached links to learn more about PineCone Research.
http://www.pineconeresearch.com//about.HTM
http://www.pineconeresearch.com//policy.htm

I've Been Featured!

2010-05-15T03:55:00.000-04:00

I'm a Supahstah today on Mother of Pearl It Is!

If you've just found me and my little slice of imbalance and savings, welcome!

Feel free to poke around and check out my blog!
I recommend that you get started by reading the Couponning101 Basics:
Couponning101 part one
Couponning101 part two
Couponning101 part three

I also recommend checking out Contacting Companies

If you're a regular reader, please check out my feature here

If you haven't entered my give aways, there are two currently running on my other blog, Acting Balanced:

$25 Walmart Gift Card from Cascade

Covermates Covers

Check out my review and give away on Acting Balanced!

2010-05-03T15:38:00.000-04:00

Never buy Saran Wrap again! Save the environment and your leftovers at the same time with CoverMate products - Check out my review and give away here!

Free Kids Summer Bowling

2010-04-30T16:26:00.000-04:00

Check out this link and register for free bowling at AMF - your kids can enjoy up to 2 free games of bowling a day

Harris Teeter Triples next week!

2010-04-22T12:21:00.002-04:00

Rumor has it that the next Triples event at Harris Teeter will be April 28-May 5th!

All coupons with a face value of $.99 or less will be TRIPLED - maximum of 20 coupons/person/day and maximum of 2 internet printables per type of item purchased..

H

New World Market Coupon!

2010-04-21T17:39:00.000-04:00

Sherri at Luv a Bargain found a new $10 off $30 coupon for world market here

Falling into bad habits...

2010-04-15T13:03:00.000-04:00

You will notice that I have not been posting here very often and what I post has been mostly basic coupon info... if you missed my announcement a few weeks ago, I am pregnant and dealing with more than twice the nausea and m/s that I had when I carried Liam...

I can't even put together a grocery list because the thought of food makes me ill, so we're falling into bad habits...
Wayne is doing the shopping and he gets everything we need, but those extra chips, or something else yummy falls into the cart... he will take coupons, as long as I get them ready and hand them to him, but often he'll just stop and get a few things on the way home from work... and forget to take the coupons into the store...

It means that we're spending way more on groceries than I'd like... and I know I need to get back on track... both here and with saving some $$...

But I need help... how do you get back on track when you fall off the wagon? I am counting down the days to the end of my first trimester and hoping that helps...

I am trying to post more regularly on Acting Balanced - because most posts don't require me to think of food...

So my apologies again for the hiatus and as soon as I'm back on track, the blog will be too...

New Earth Fare Coupon!

2010-04-07T09:12:00.002-04:00

This week's coupon is FREE PINEAPPLE with $5 purchase! Print it here

Couponning 101 - Taking Stock!

2010-04-05T05:12:00.000-04:00

Do you know exactly what is in your pantry, in your cupboards and in the freezer?

Are you finding that you have more than a year's worth of free toothpaste in the bathroom, but you're running out of mouthwash because you forgot to buy enough?

This week's challenge is to take stock of your stockpile and make sure you are using your real estate wisely... make a list of items you have more than enough of... things that are maintaining and items that you could (with the right sale and coupons) use more of...

It's also a great time to spring clean and send some canned goods and toiletries you aren't going to use up to those who are less fortunate than you! Food banks and shelters can always use our extras and freebies we thought we'd love... do you really need 6 large containers of rolled oats?

Don't forget to watch for items that may be coming close to their best before dates!

Nabisco Cookies Coupon!

2010-04-05T05:06:00.000-04:00

Become a fan of Nabisco Cookies on facebook today and print a coupon for Free Cookies when you buy another package of Cookies and a Gallon of Milk - You must print the coupon TODAY and it is redeemable until April 23rd!

Rite Aid Ad Perk Coupons for April

2010-04-02T20:16:00.000-04:00

Here are the April Ad Perk Coupons

Here is the list of April’s new Rite Aid Video Values coupons! Watch and print them here.

$1 off American Safety Razors

$1 off Benefiber

$1 off Burts Bees Natural Acne

$1 off Clorox GreenWorks

$1 off Cottenelle

$1 off Ester-C

$1 off Garnier Hair

$1 off Listerine$1 off L’oreal excellence

$1 off L’oreal healthy look

$1 off L’oreal preference

$1 off Maybelline Eye Studio

$1 off Motrin PM

$1 off Natures bounty

$1 off RA Exteme Flex Trash Bags

$1 off Stayfree

$1 off Sundown Vitamins

$1/2 Kelloggs, Sunshine or Keebler Cookies or Crackers 7.5 oz or larger

$10 off Prevacid

$2 off Benevia

$2 off Brita Water Fliltration

$2 off C. Booth

$2 off Depends

$2 off Garnier Skin

$2 off l’oreal double lash mascara

$2 off neilmed sinus rinse kit

$2 off Nestle Good Start Formula

$2 off Poise

$2 off Visine-A

$2 off Zestra

$2 off Zyrtec Liquid Gels

$2/2 Off Dixie Ultra

$3 off Eclos

$3 off Ocean Complete

$3 off Os-cal or Citrucel

$5 off 12.99 or more of stylescience glasses

$5 off Foster Grant, foster grant 6pp

$5 off Lipo-flavnoid

$6 off Prevacid

.30cents off Elmers

.50c off GE Energy Smart

.50c off GE Revel

Thanks to Sherri at Luv A Bargain for the list!!

Apology...

2010-04-02T04:25:00.000-04:00

I have been neglectful of this blog in the past few weeks... and I promise that I will get back on track starting Monday...

For now, if you click here you can enter my current contest to win a restaurant.com gift card on Acting Balanced.. and if you click here you can find out why I've been MIA so much.

Starting Monday we're going to review some Couponning 101 basics and do some updates!

Don't forget that coupons.com, smartsource, redplum and others have reset their coupons for the month of April... and AdPerks at Rite aid has a whole new slew of coupon offers too!

H.

It's the end of the month..

2010-03-29T12:06:00.000-04:00

1. Have you done and printed this month's AdPerks from Rite Aid? The coupons will be good until the end of April, but your credits and videos will be reset on April 1st

2. Print any coupons from Coupons.com, Smartsource, Redplum etc before they reset - you can get a twofer out of them

3. Make sure your printer is stocked with ink and be ready to print new coupons on Thursday! Remember that high value coupons go first!

Free Arby's Roast Beef sandwich

2010-03-28T15:24:00.000-04:00

with the purchase of a drink... click here for the coupon

(valid until April 10)
Thanks to Luv a bargain for sharing this one

Acting balanced is featured today!!!

2010-03-27T11:00:00.000-04:00

My other blog - Acting Balanced is featured at The Lady Bloggers! Please stop by and check it out!

Tropicana Rewards

2010-03-24T09:28:00.000-04:00

If you're a fan of Tropicana juices then you need to sign up for Juicy Rewards! And if you sign up today and use the code DOUBL HTREW and DOUBL TTKFR, you can get 4 points towards rewards...

Today's rewards special costs just ONE point and is a BOGO printable coupon for Tropicana Juice! You can also become a Facebook Fan of Tropicana to stay up to date!

New Earth Fare Coupon!

2010-03-24T09:01:00.000-04:00

Yummy! This week it's a coupon for BOGO fresh sandwiches !

If you were able to snag one of their free Sandwiches a few Friday's ago, you know that this is a fabulous deal! I'm a personal fan of the Chicken Pesto with lots of yummy goat cheese, but the array of wraps and sandwiches are great!

You can either take a friend to lunch, or pick up lunch to bring home for two days! (By the way, I'm free any day this week if you want to meet up at the Earthfare in South Windermere... :)

If your Publix takes Earth Fare as a competitor, you may also be able to get BOGO deli wraps/sandwiches from there too...

What's your fave Earth Fare sandwich/wrap?

Reminder: Harris Teeter Triples

2010-03-24T04:00:00.000-04:00

Here are a few tips and suggestions to make your Super Doubles week at Harris Teeter the best it can be....

1. Make sure you know the rules at your HT

Some stores limit the number of printable coupons to 2 per product per day, even if they come from different sites
All stores have a limit of 20 coupons per day

Prioritize - Free or nearly free with triples (.99 and under)
then use your sale matched triples (.99 and under)
then used your sale matched high value ($1.00 and over)
save your non sale matched high value coupons unless its a need it now!

Most stores will only take one coupon per BOGO offer - but you can buy just one and it will ring up at half price
Stores will not provide overage (so if you buy an item for $2.00 and use a $.75 off coupon, you will only get $2.00 off, there are no "money makers" at HT)
Make sure you read all the fine print on your coupons and get exactly the right size/color etc... they will be very strict with this.

2. Make sure that your tripled coupons make the offer a good deal...

Are you actually going to use it? Just because you have a coupon for it and the coupon is tripled, if you don't get it free, it's money out of pocket and space in the cupboard that you will waste...
A full price item at $4.99 with a $.75 off coupon that is tripled to $2.25 is net $2.74 OOP, but if you know that that product regularly goes on sale for BOGO you can hold your coupon for the BOGO deal and get the same product for $1.00 OOP after $2.50 price and $,75 coupon value doubled to $1.50
Take contingency coupons... any item that is advertised on the websites as free after coups will fly off the shelves so plan to take 30 or more coupons to the store for your first trip to make sure you benefit from your trip
Ask your store staff when they restock the shelves... what day the trucks come in for the products you want to get free... and if they aren't getting things in when you will be able to go back, go to customer service and get a raincheck...

3. Go with a positive attitude...

The cashiers and staff are happy to help you to save money and its not their fault that the store sold out of all the freebies you wanted, that you brought too many internet coupons or that the product you are trying to get free is 1 oz below the stated limit on the coupon... so make sure you smile and thank them for what they do, even if you have a problem :)
Don't forget that you can ask for 'triple coupon' rain-checks and have them stamp your coupons to use later as triples if there is a product that is out of stock!

Free Scoop Day at Ben & Jerry's!

2010-03-23T10:39:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to head over to Ben & Jerry's today for your free scoop between 12 and 8! Here in Charleston, Ben & Jerry's is on the market!

Free Geotrax DVD!

2010-03-23T03:29:00.000-04:00

Got this tip from The Coupon Sista and have ordered Liam his own GeoTrax DVD - Free... no shipping cost either!

new facebook offer?

2010-03-21T13:28:00.000-04:00

Become a fan of Hotwheels here because they claim to be "working on a cool “thank you” for you all. Check back next week and thanks again"

Update on Kmart Coupon - NO LONGER VALID

2010-03-20T11:22:00.000-04:00

Kmart is no longer accepting the coupon in our area... their original intent was only to have it circulate in specific areas, but did not state that on the coupon and it WAS a legitimate KMart Coupon... they are not accepting it any longer at stores outside their original target area - I am sorry if you have tried to print it and use it - it was from a legit source and not a fraud. Please read the following statement issued by Kmart:

"A coupon for $10 off a $20 purchase has had unauthorized circulation and we have had to stop accepting it at most stores. The coupons will still be honored in the intended stores in the New York, Baltimore and Chicago area. We regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers. Thank you for your continued patronage and we do look forward to sharing other deals and offers with you in the future."

It's almost Free Pastry Day at Starbucks!

2010-03-18T14:55:00.000-04:00

Become a fan of Starbucks on Facebook, then click on Events and print your coupon for a free pastry with any beverage purchase from 5am - 10:30am on March 23rd!

Harris Teeter Triples!

2010-03-18T13:48:00.000-04:00

The rumor going around is that starting next Wednesday, the 24th of March, Harris Teeter will be reprising their triple coupon offer - that is triple the face value of coupons up to $0.99

Things to remember about HT Triples:

Only two like internet printables per trip (2 of the same product)
20 coupons per day
You must have a VIC card to get triple coupons
There is no overage (maximum value of doubled/tripled coupons cannot exceed price of item
Most things that are free or very cheap will be sold out quickly - you can request a rain check and have your coupons stamped for triples if it is important for you to get something

Kmart Heads Up!

2010-03-18T13:38:00.001-04:00

There are two interesting things at Kmart - one starts now and is ~~a $10 off $20 coupon available here~~ and also that they will be reprising their Double Coupon Days from April 4-10th and they will double coupons up to $2.00!

High value coupons, particularly for make up and cleaning products will be your most valuable doubles!

They will only double 5 coupons per person per day

Many Kmart stores are participating, but not all of them - all three locations in Charleston ARE participating, but if you are a follower from outside of Chas, you can check the list here - it is searchable - just type your city into the find box...

Kids Eat Free Nights

2010-03-16T10:17:00.000-04:00

There's a new place added to the Kids Eat Free list...

Earth Fare is offering a free kids sandwich, pizza or 1/2 wrap meal with any adult dinner purchase on Thursdays (up to 2 kids per adult meal)

You can always find more deals for kids meals at http://www.kidsmealdeals.com - just pick the day of the week and your zip code and wow - lots of restaurant choices!

facebook freebie

2010-03-16T07:08:00.002-04:00

Get a free package of Stride Gum - become a fan then click on the mystery pack to get to the form to fill out to be sent a package of gum in the mail - they say 4-6 weeks to get it.

Limited to 20000 fans

Another Facebook freebie

2010-03-15T14:19:00.001-04:00

If you've had an itching to try the new Ritz Muncables, here's your chance - become a facebook fan and click on the link for a free sample!

Thanks to the Prudent Patro for the tip!

It doesn't pay to throwaway...

2010-03-15T00:03:00.001-04:00

I know that I preach the value of stockpiling and buying copious quantities of things when they come on sale... but it pays to remember - you won't eat what's expired and if you throw it away, you throw away your money too!

I was inspired to write this reminder today by a blog post I found on my Sunday bloggy travels.. You know it's bad when the velveeta's expired from the blog The Bormann Twins which I found through The SITSGirls...

It brings up three important points to remember in our couponning frenzy -

1. Buy what you know you will use in a given period of time ... if you know that your cereal is on a 3 month sale rotation, only buy what you will use in those 3 months give or take... (This is where your price book/grocery records can come in handy... one of my friends T also marks each box of cereal with the date she bought it and then the date she opens it, so she can track her usage!)

2. Even if you have a coupon, if you don't have a need- don't buy it... the only exception to this rule are freebies and money makers - and those you should donate right away if you are not going to use them!

3. Keep your pantry/fridge organized and do a monthly inventory... check all the expiry dates on everything - including the velveeta, condiments and even the pantry items - especially things like pancake mix and cake mixes etc... if the expiry date is within a month or two, use it up - or donate it!

That's this week's challenge to everyone - take a peek in your pantry, cupboards and fridge and find the stuff that is already staledated or going out... and do something about it! I'll have a check in on Sunday next week to see what everyone has unearthed...

***I also want to stress the health and safety of keeping your items fresh - here is a link to some excellent advice on food and expiry dates

**** and don't forget to stop by Acting Balanced today for a yummy recipe - it's MMMmonday!

Get the Friday newspaper!

2010-03-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

Okay - I don't normally advocate getting any paper other than Sunday's but today Harris Teeter has a flyer with $16.00 worth of coupons good this weekend only (Friday to Sunday) - one of my regular couponning friends did tell me that they state that they cannot be combined with manufacturer's coupons... but she is going to go to Publix today to see if they will take them as competitor's coupons!

What you get for your newpaper investment:

(4) .50 off any item, (4) 1.00 on items $2 or more, and (2) $5 off 40

If you can use these at Publix you may be able to use them with man. coupons :)

If you do pick them up and use them this weekend, please let me know if you used them at HT, or Publix and what you saved with them!

Friday freebies at Earthfare

2010-03-12T06:05:00.003-05:00

Welcome Friends - It's a blog hop!

2010-03-12T04:45:00.000-05:00

It's Friday so it's time to blog hop!

If you've just found me and my little slice of imbalance, welcome! For my regular readers, today is an opportunity to explore the wild blue yonder and maybe find another fabulous blog to read or just poke around cyberspace and see what's out there!

So what is Couponning 101?

It's a blog about saving money - primarily aimed at the Charleston area, but provides great tips and links for anyone in the USA.. this isn't the be all and end all blog... you won't find coupon match ups or all the store ads here... this is a simple blog to help keep us all on track with using coupons... and using them effectively!

So if you're reading a blog about me, you should know something about me - I'm a 34 year old never-stay-at-home mom living in Charleston SC after growing up in Ontario, Canada. I love Charleston and everything about it, but I often get homesick for family, friends and real poutine (another story entirely). My two kids Robyn, 11 and Liam, 3 are as different as night and day and are both at points in their life where they are challenging and fabulous at the same time. We are currently dealing with the whole pre-teen drama and angst of Middle School with one and the ups and downs of autism with the other, but there are also the sweet, funny moments and pics that I share with you that make it all worth while. If you want a better glimpse into my life you should check out my personal blog at Acting Balanced

I hope you'll poke around and visit a while, stay if you like - there's always a pot of tea on - hot for my heritage and sweet and iced for my adopted home here in the south...

sponsored by:

and also participating in:

Meat and Potatos from Earthfare!

2010-03-11T11:40:00.000-05:00

Click here to print out coupons for a free bag of Organic Russet Potatoes and $1.00/lb off Corned Beef!

If your Publix considers Earth Fare a competitor you should be able to use them there too!

New Honey Baked Ham Coupon!

2010-03-11T03:56:00.000-05:00

With Easter right around the corner... it might be time to start stocking up on Ham... Honey Baked has a new $7.00 off any bone in ham coupon! If your Publix considers them a competitor ... you could be on your way to filling your freezer with some yummy ham!

Friendy Wednesday - guest post - online deals

2010-03-10T02:06:00.000-05:00

Every Wednesday, I hope to feature a different take on saving money or other couponning101 friendly blog - if you are interested in being a guest poster, please leave a comment and I will get in touch.

I'd like to thank Hillary Rubin of Schmutz in My Head for today's guest post

_____________________________________________________
Get the Best Discounts Online
by Hillary L. Rubin of Schmutz in My Head

Hello. My name is Hillary ... and I love to shop. (Welcome, Hillary) I'll admit it, even though I work for an amazing e-commerce website that sells eyeglasses online, I love to shop from other places. I love online stores and offline stores. I like thrift stores and high-priced boutiques. My fashion sense may lack a bit sometimes but I'm normally the girl you go to for advice on fashion AND saving money.

Having stated that, I buy a lot of stuff online. I buy eyeglasses from the company I work for because I know they have great products and deals all over the internet. As the go to gal for getting the best deal, I am going to bring you to my first point - when shopping online, take your time and scour the internet for discounts. The web is your oyster, crack it open explore.

Next, take your time and write down all the discounts you see for the store you want to purchase from. Our glasses customers are quite savvy when it comes to finding the best discount for what they need and one of the tricks they use is to write down various discounts found on different coupon websites. Theses coupon sites will often receive
deals from companies that are exclusive to the site. These discounts will usually be higher than standard discounts given.

Additionally, many sites will post deals and discounts on their own website. We do it when it comes to selling prescription glasses. We will post deals on products and not share the discount with other mediums like coupon sites. We send out newsletters to customers letting them know we have new deal on the site - so I definitely recommend signing up for newsletters of your favorite stores.

I know, some of these seem very "common sense"-ish but you'd be surprised how much money people waste because they don't do their home work. Do the work and the math will follow.

Hillary Rubin is the director of marketing and special projects for GlassesUSA.com and volunteers with the marketing efforts of HeardonthePlayground.com. She also manages two blogs of her own - Schmutz in my Head: a blog about life; and the ALMOST New Glasers: a blog about getting married. She loves to hear from readers and enjoys reading other blogs. Especially blogs about life AFTER marriage.

Check out MMMmonday!

2010-03-08T05:26:00.000-05:00

I am in the process of writing some fabulous new coupon tips ... but since I'm not quite ready to roll them out yet, I thought I would suggest that everyone take a break from couponning and check out the yummy MMMmonday post at Acting Balanced!

New Rite Aid Coupon

2010-03-07T11:47:00.001-05:00

March's Rite Aid $5 off $25 coupon .pdf is here!

If the link doesn't come up for you directly, right click on it and Save Link As and then open the .pdf that saves on your computer

Thanks to Luv a Bargain for sharing this link with us!

Check out my guest post!

2010-03-06T13:21:00.000-05:00

I'm the guest blogger at The Busy Woman's Guide to Surviving Motherhood - check out my post here

Free Sunchips!

2010-03-05T14:31:00.002-05:00

Party City Coupon!

2010-03-04T21:59:00.000-05:00

This would be an excellent coupon for those of you with Spring Birthdays coming up! Or to get an early start on Easter....

$10 of $30 at Party City!

Coupon Exchange Idea!

2010-03-04T14:58:00.000-05:00

One of my friends from Moms Club has introduced me to great way to do a continuing coupon exchange with your friends!

All you need is:

A few other couponers
1 gallon size freezer bag per person
1 index card per person
something else for each person to take their swapped coupons home!

A bag or box to keep the bags in, and another bag or envelope for expired coupons to send to the troops...

How it works:

Each person brings their coupons to trade in their freezer bag and writes their name at the top of an index card and slips it in the bag. You pass your bag to the next person and they write their name onto the index card and then go through the bag to take what they need...
This continues until everyone has gone through all the bags and taken what they need.. the coupons are then combined into one bag until the next time... invite more people to the table and they can start with the new coupon bags, but also go through any of the previous bag to find needed coupons... if you've already gone through you won't have to again... that's what the index cards are for - to make sure you know what bags you don't need to look through...

A couple of tips:

As you look through each bag -if you are first - pull any already expired coupons and set them aside for the Coupons for Troops program
If you are last - if there are coupons that will expire before you meet again, pull those too and put them into the expired coupons.

Our group has been meeting periodically - at other events or just getting together for lunch and passing the bags around :)

Do you participate in coupon exchanges? How do you organize them?

New Whole Foods Printables!

2010-03-03T17:48:00.000-05:00

There is a new Whole Foods newsletter out with over $30 in coupons to be used until the end of April, but several of the coupons are also available online at this link!

If your Publix considers Whole Foods to be a competitor then you can print and use them there too!

New Earth Fare Coupon!

2010-03-03T10:26:00.002-05:00

This week's Earth Fare coupon is Free Coffee and Granola with any purchase

Another Facebook coupon update!

2010-03-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

Heluva Good Dips are mailing coupons for free dip to the first 5000 to register, and they also have a $0.50 off printable on their website for instant gratification

More Facebook Printables!

2010-03-03T08:47:00.000-05:00

BOGO Skittles and Starburst Coupons, you must become a fan of course...

Same source Luv a Bargain!

Printable Coupons tip!

2010-03-03T06:05:00.000-05:00

For some of you this is probably already a no brainer, but as I'm wandering the grocery store, I am always surprised to see how many people print their internet coupons in color!! What a waste of $$ - so today's tip is not only to make sure the default setting on your printer is black and white (or grayscale) when printing coupons, but to also take the default setting for paper/quality to draft or better yet - fast draft!

Where do you change your settings- in windows you can do the following:

Open up your default printer and there will be three tabs - printer, document and view

Choose printer then choose PRINTING PREFERENCES

Each printer will have different windows that open, but just click on the tabs until you find the print quality and color settings and then accept them...

This will decrease your cartridge use significantly and allow you to get many more impressions per cartridge!

Why leave money on the paper when a good enough print will work?

Another FB coupon!

2010-03-03T05:50:00.001-05:00

Well, since I didn't hear a whole pile of resounding nos to the facebook cattle call yesterday, I am pleased to announce that yet another company is looking for facebook fans and if you like Earth Grains Bread,

you should pop over here and become a fan to download and print a $0.75 coupon

Thanks to Luv A Bargain for this tip!

While we're stalking the elusive coupon...

2010-03-02T03:01:00.000-05:00

I want to get everyone's take on the trend towards Facebook cattle calls...

Become a facebook fan then rush back at 10am on a given day to hope to be one of the lucky xxx to get a coupon for something FREE...

So you sit and wait patiently (or some would say impatiently) for the crowd to die down and for you to be able to get the coupon...

Some are always disappointed, others frustrated, but many get the coupon...

and find out.. its not really free at all... its BOGO (which is still good) or buy two other things and get X free, or something more complicated...

I'm a coupon princess...but I seem to be cluttering up my Facebook fan pages and this site reporting FB give aways...
are you interested in hearing about them?
do you participate?
have you been frustrated?

Tell all dear readers....

Free Vitamin Water

2010-03-01T18:07:00.000-05:00

Become a Facebook fan of Vitamin Water then click on the Connect Coupon and enter your info ... the first 100,000 entries will get mailed a coupon for free Vitamin Water!

Coupon Hunting Tip

2010-03-01T15:25:00.001-05:00

Did you know that there are sometimes more internet printables out there than you see on any given page?

Smartsource.com and Coupons.com ask for your Zip Code to do targeted couponning - but allow you to change your zip constantly..

Today, I was browsing other couponnning sites and noticed that no matter what I did, I wasn't seeing the Huggies and Pull Ups coupons they said were on Coupons.com... so I started playing with zips...

and found some new coupons I hadn't seen before at 30303 - including the elusive diaper coupons...

H.
(PS Sorry for those who have already read this on Acting Balanced... I accidently posted there first...)

It's March 1st!!

2010-03-01T00:18:00.001-05:00

Make sure your month comes in like a lion... printables are restocked and you should get the ones you want quickly- as more people learn about internet coupons the faster they go!!! Check the links to all the internet printable sites in my sidebar --->>

Don't forget that today is also the day to print your Nabisco Cookies coupon for free cookies with the purchas of milk! You must become a fan of Nabisco Cookies to get this coupon to print!

AdPerks have also been reset at RiteAid.com - there are a whole new set of videos to watch for your $4 off $20 coupon and all those great individual coupons to use too!

The last thing to do is set your couponning goals for the month - How much do you want to save? How littel do you plan to spend? Share your goals here and we'll see if we make it!!

My goals are to spend less than $200 on groceries, personal care and household for the entire month of March and to be better at tracking my savings - so I am going to really try to use my excel spreadsheet to keep a record of all purchases at grocery, dept, and drug stores this month!

What are your goals?

A great Walgreens Scenario for this week!

2010-02-28T09:42:00.000-05:00

A fellow blogger that I follow - Be Frugal, Be Happy, Save a Bundle! has a great WAGS scenario run here!

and she lays it out beautifully!

So if you are planning a Walgreens trip this week, you should totally check out this post!

Christmas all year long!!

2010-02-27T21:12:00.000-05:00

I was just getting this blog off the ground when the Christmas markdowns were going on, so I didn't talk much about some of my savings tricks... but I'm already working on that future blog post ... so if you can stick around for another 9 or 10 months I'll share some of my secrets with you...

but the reason I bring this topic up now is that as a bargain shopper and good stockpiler of stuff... I'm always on the lookout for stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts... and other than the stuff I specifically bought at the after Christmas sales, I have bought my first major Christmas present for 2010!! I can't share what it is with you because the person it's for is a regular reader of my blog... but suffice it to say - SCORE!!!

One of the best tips I can give you is to make your list of gifts you think you'll need over the year for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, weddings etc... and as occasions come up add them to your list.. and stick it in your purse! You never know when you'll be wandering through a store and come upon a fabulous deal on something - but it's only a deal if you have a use for it, hence the list!

Do you shop for Christmas all year round? When do you start if you don't? What kind of strategy do you employ?

Martina McBride fan?

2010-02-26T13:53:00.002-05:00

Mom Select has a new promotion for MOMS and they've asked me to spread the word about Martina McBride's upcoming concert tour and how any of my readers can save $5 off their ticket!

Martina McBride is a working mom who's always juggling the demands of home and a successful career that takes her out on the road with her SunnyD Shine All Night Tour. In this fun new video, she has every woman's fantasy: a REWIND button she uses to make her day turn out a little more like she'd like it. The video features her new hit single,
What would you use it for if you had a REWIND button for your everyday life?

A new generic World Market Coupon!

2010-02-26T05:42:00.001-05:00

Check this link for a new generic World Market $10 off $30 printable coupon valid until March 14th!!!

Bees Ferry Publix still taking World Market!

2010-02-26T05:33:00.000-05:00

I finally got to Publix to do my first shop of the week last night on the way to book club and they took my World Market $10 off $30 coupon at the Publix on Bees Ferry!!!

I know that one of our readers reported that the Publix on Sam Rittenberg/Old Town does not take them... and hasn't since the Christmas coupons were out...

I am curious whether anyone has tried them at Mt. P, Daniel Island or James Island Publix yet?

Welcome Bloggy Friends!

2010-02-26T05:10:00.002-05:00

Couponning 101 was born out of a need to share my knowledge of couponning and saving money with my friends and neighbours after I started posting some of my grocery store deals on Facebook and it has slowly evolved into a repository for encouraging and helping people to get the most out of their couponning and shopping experience...

This is not a comprehensive deal blog or a blog with all the latest coupon match ups, its more a forum for learning and sharing our coupon knowledge and keeping on track!

Please feel free to stop, put your feet up and read some posts - whether you are a regular coupon shopper or just starting out - there are tips and tricks here for you!

I live in Charleston SC, so most of the stores that I talk about getting deals from are local to me, but the basic principles apply no matter where you are...

To start you off here are my top three tips:

1. Ask your stores for their coupon policy - it might surprise you what they will and won't do!
2. Always watch the register while your items are being scanned - the computer is only as smart as its programmer so make sure you are paying the right price and your coupons get scanned!
3. Don't be afraid to contact companies and compliment, complain or make suggestions! They will often reward your trouble with high value coupons!

Please grab a cup or glass of tea while you browse the archives and if you like what you see, please follow!

Frugal dressing!

2010-02-25T13:43:00.000-05:00

I made a fairly uncharacteristic purchase yesterday - I actually went shopping for 'not mommy clothes' - or specifically a top to wear with some cream coloured chiffon pants I unearthed when shopping in my own closet.. I am preparing to get gussied up for a trip to Bubbles and Sweets next Saturday night and I took advantage of the fact that Wayne had a meeting near the Tanger Outlets for a little me shopping (with the kids, but beggars can't be choosers)...

My thought was to find a dressy top and then a pair of metallic, but comfy wedges or flats that I could wear all summer cause I can't afford shoes for just one occasion... and its an outdoor thing so no way am I doing anything with a small heel...

I got:
A fabulous green pseudo-jacket with 3/4 sleeves in a satin fabric for $18.24 taxes included (70% clearance),
Pewter slip ons - $15.48 taxes included
so, with the additions of the pants and a cream cami from my closet, a vintage beaded cream and silver handbag (thanks Mom) and yet to be determined jewelry- probably pearls, my outfit will have cost... $33.72!!! I will post a pic when I get everything including my make up together

Some tips for frugal clothing shopping -

1. Go with an idea of what you want, but don't be too specific (I almost told the salesperson that I didn't want to try on jackets)
2. Ask the sales person for help - they know what's in the store and also what's in back...
3. Inspect clearance merchandise thoroughly - I almost bought another top instead, but looking at the seams there were threads hanging and it was starting to deteriorate in places... making it a one and done garment at best...
4. Go with versatility if possible - when weighing your choices figure out what has potential to be worn again in different situations - the green jacket is light enough coloured for spring, but dark enough to be worn to a Christmas party if needed!

P.S. - for my readers in Charleston, if any of you are not Tanger Club members and want to be, I have ONE coupon to get your membership half off - that's $5 instead of $10 and its not an annual membership, its for life... and includes a tote bag every year, a $10 gift card on your b-day, a coupon book every time you go, mailings of all the coupons and promotions and for the other mommies with little ones - free strollers!

New Earth Fare Coupon!

2010-02-24T13:18:00.000-05:00

This one looks yummy! Free pizza dough and mozza cheese when you buy Earth Fare Pasta Sauce - great deal from my perspective!

World Market!

2010-02-24T05:46:00.000-05:00

Are you signed up for World Market's Explorer Program?

They have just redone how they do coupons... their printable coupons are now personalized with your name and Explorer information on them but they just posted a $10 off $30 Coupon!!!

If you haven't started receiving their emails, now might be the time to start!

I'm going to take mine over to Publix today to see if they are still considered a competitor at my store. If you print one and go to Publix, please share your results and note which store you went to!

Price Books

2010-02-23T21:10:00.000-05:00

Okay, I talk about price books frequently in my posts... so what are they and why do I need them?

What they are:

In simple terms, a price book helps you to record what you buy, how often and what kind of deals you are getting... and it lets you compare apples to apples…

To really have a sense of what items cost you per store, create a price book. This can help you determine trends in sales as well as cost per unit.

A handy way to keep a price book is in Excel if you have it. Take your grocery receipt and start entering! . Include the following information on your price sheet:

Date
Store
Item
Brand
Size
Regular Price
Price Paid
Unit Price
(To figure Cost per Unit - Regular Price or Price Paid divided by number of Units. For Example: $ 1.99/18 (ounces) =11 cents per ounce)

Many stores have a cost/unit price on their shelf price tags but it doesn’t hurt to double check new products with a calculator.

Why are price books important?

A price book is important for three reasons -

It helps you track trends in your purchasing and sales
It helps you understand the sales cycle of your stores
and it helps you to compare unit prices on your purchases - it might surprise you to know that bigger isn't always better!

Price books in Excel or OpenOffice (free) give you the freedom to make your price book sortable by every category and give you an easily updatable program... but some people still do theirs on paper - and that's an option too!

Did I give you enough information and motivation to start a price book? Have questions? Post here and let me know!

Coupon matching

2010-02-23T02:45:00.002-05:00

Couponning is about being organized to some degree - I like to know four things before I leave the house (Most of you will only need the first three to get started, and we'll organize the fourth one tomorrow :)

1. What is on sale at the store I'm going to that I need?
2. What coupons do I have to match those sales (this is the coupon matching)?
3. What else do I 'need it now'?
4. How much does each item cost before/after coupons?

If your goal is to save an extra 20-30% on your grocery bill, your need it now list may be longer than mine - I really try to limit items that are need it now and buy what's on sale in bulk...

There are some great coupon matching sites out there and trust me, this is not an exhaustive list, but it is a good one:

A Full Cup - Very extensive US site - most large grocery and drug store chains - requires volunteers to post so each store is only as good as the people who are committed to posting, may require multiple posts on the forums to find what you want. They also have a searchable Coupon list (must register)

Hot Coupon World - Very extensive site, mostly US specific, but some Canadian and other stores too! You search forums by the store you want to visit - can be cumbersome and it relies on volunteers to post so the lists aren't always complete, but its a good place to visit to see what other couponners are doing at your stores :) They also have a searchable Coupon list (must register)

For Couponners in my general neck of the woods:

Southern Savers - multiple southern stores - can create shopping lists directly from the sites that include all coupon match ups

I use this one pretty extensively for 80% of my match ups

I Heart Publix - store specific but wonderful! and sometimes has links to different coupons than SS, so I use both! They also tend to get their Publix Ad done by Mondays for Wednesday to make planning easier :)

I Heart Saving Money - more stores than Publix, run by the same person as I heart Publix... also internet and restaurant deals, but more like a blog than an organized website

So, I sit down with my ad, my coupons and my need it now list and plan my strategy. I write my grocery list on the envelope I'm going to put the coupons in. (or multiple ones if I need to break up my order) and work on making it work with all my coupons - this is also the time that I might go and visit the sites above to make sure I haven't missed a printable or insert coupon...

I try to stockpile items that are on BOGO (or 40% off or better) by figuring out how many of them I think I will need in a twelve week period and that I have coupons for or can trade for... I do this with most non-perishable and frozen items, because on sale items help bring down your OOP (Out of Pocket expenses)

Tomorrow we'll review Price Books and why they help keep you on track!

Free Nabisco Cookies

2010-02-22T12:47:00.000-05:00

lJust got a tip from Be Frugal, Be Happy that if you fan Nabisco on facebook you will be eligible for a free bag of Cookies on March 1st.

I'm hoping they learned something from our good friends at the Egg Marketing board about being prepared for the onslaught... but click here to go to Be Frugal, Be Happy and get hooked up!

Where do I keep my coupons?

2010-02-22T02:45:00.000-05:00

Where do I keep my coupons?

I have a 2 part, 2 inch zipper binder with several binder pockets that velcro shut. I keep a pair of scissors, some paperclips and extra envelopes in my binder.

It is divided this way:

One binder pocket for each of the following type of insert:

Smartsource

Red Plum

Proctor and Gamble / General Mills etc

Store hand-outs

Extras and trades (coupons that don't have a home)

I then use the other part of the binder for my printables... if I can, I print grocery coupons seperately then go back and print household coupons, then go back and print personal/drug coupons, then baby coupons, then my specialty coupons so that they print on different pages and finally I have a section for $ off $$ coupons

I then have dividers for these sections.

I don't cut any coupons until I have my shopping list made - I print my shopping list and then clip the coupons I want and put them all together in a final .

I take my whole binder with me to the store on most occasions in case I find an unadvertised special or I just happen to find myself in need of a store...

I pull my expired coupons every few weeks and save them for the military program

How do you organize your coupons? What do you like about it, dislike?

New Target Coupons

2010-02-21T16:24:00.002-05:00

Target is regularly adding new coupons to their online printables!

Check out the new ones for this week here

Coupons for Troops!

2010-02-20T16:32:00.000-05:00

I am getting ready to send another package of expired or expiring coupons to the troops on Friday! If you have some for me, please reply and we'll try to figure out a convenient meet up!

If you haven't read about this program already, the basic gist is that soldiers and their spouses stationed overseas can use coupons up to 6 months expired at the base commissary so by sending coupons we can't use, we are helping them to save a little bit of money.

I send our coupons to a coordinator in San Francisco who sorts and packages the coupons for various places!

If you have coupons you aren't going to use, whether they've already expired or not, please consider making an effort to get them to me!

Friday Follow Blog Hop

2010-02-19T06:09:00.000-05:00

Welcome Fellow Bloggers to my blog for saving money at grocery and drug stores!

A good day at Publix

2010-02-18T22:48:00.000-05:00

Well, they were out of bread crumbs, so my totals were a little off - I did find a great Muir Glen printable at Southern Savers for $1 off each (print 2 of course) and use with the $1/2 from the flyer to make either their canned tomatoes or small can of tomato sauce free! So you could add that into your scenario :D

I split my order into two parts so that I could use 2 $5/$25 coupons - since they won't let you use more than one in a trip...

The first order was my modified Progresso/General Mills deal

12 cans of soup
4 boxes of stock (printed from 2 computers - mine and Robyn's)
2 cans Muir Glen tomatos
2 cartons of eggs (using the BOGO egg coupon from FB last week)
1 gallon of milk

Total OOP - $3.01

The second was

1 pkg Huggies Pull Ups (a need it now item) $10.99 - $2 off Man & $1.50 off FLIP
1 pkg Oreos $2.50 (got a free coupon by mail a few weeks back - Superbowl promotion)
2 lg pkgs Kraft Cheese - 2/$7 $2.50 (Free coupon after writing to Danon about my Harris Teeter debacle)
1 Coffee Mate flavoured liquid $1.66 ($1 FLIP and $.50 insert coupon doubled)
Used $5/$25 and listed coupons for:
Total OOP - $7.98

So for the price of the pull ups before taxes .. $10.99, I got almost $80 worth of groceries...

Publix Italian Days stock up! 18 items for $0.21 each

2010-02-18T13:48:00.000-05:00

Get your coupons ready and head over to Publix to get some great deals on their Italian Days groceries...

Start by printing this .pdf

and lets figure out how we can get the most bang for our buck from the $5 off $20!

Progresso Soup, Progresso Broth, Progresso Bread Crumbs, Green Giant Canned Vegetables are all BOGO this week, which makes me think that the other featured products will be BOGO next week ??? (pure speculation on my part)

So this week - with printables only (see the links at Southern Savers... we can do the following deal:

12 Progresso Soups - use 2 $1.10/3 off printables and two $1.00/3 printables and three of the $1/4 printables for $13.74 cost, and $7.20 savings for OOP of $6.54

2 Progresso Panko Bread Crumbs - use 2 $1.10 printables for $1.83 cost, $2.20 savings for running cost of $15.47 and OOP of $6.17

2 Progresso broth - Use 2 $.50 off printables found through this link at I HEART PUBLIX which double to $1.00 each for $2.29 cost and $.29 OOP for running cost of $17.76 and a running OOP of $6.46
You can now use a fourth $1/4 store coupon to bring your OOP to $5.46

Add in any other participating product (or print your coups from multiple computers) for $2.24 approx (if you have insert coupons you can use them to bring this deal down even further by matching them to your $2.24 spending... for this scenario I'm going to buy two more broth at $2.29/2 for $20.05 running cost and $8.75 OOP

Use $5 off $20 printable to bring your OOP to $3.75 + tax for 18 items or an OOP of $0.21 EACH!!!

Okay - lets sweeten the deal a little more - go through the ad at Southern savers and pick out $5 more in groceries you need and get them free by printing the RITE AID $5/$25 (if Rite Aid is a competitor)

Let me know how you do!

$1 off Dawn with Olay Printable

2010-02-18T13:02:00.000-05:00

This could be a great doubled coupon at Harris Teeter this week!

Go Here to print it!

I'm A Guest Blogger!!

2010-02-18T11:46:00.000-05:00

Today's guest blog post is at The Colors Magazine and once again focuses on five key steps to saving money - no matter where you are in the world! Check it out here

New Rite Aid Coupon

2010-02-18T00:09:00.000-05:00

Here the link to a .pdf for a new $5 off $25 good til the end of February!!!

Don't forget that if your Publix takes competitors coupons and considers Rite Aid to be a competitor you can use this coupon for additional grocery savings there, as well as to get great deals at Rite Aid!

What not to do at the grocery store checkout

2010-02-17T23:36:00.000-05:00

With coupon and saving addictions come the inevitable occasions when something just doesn't go right... so here are my top five things not to do at the check out...

1. Space out or search for aliens...

keep an eye on your cashier and the screen, even if you're not couponning, the computer may ring up your items at the wrong price, s/he might scan something twice or forget to put a coupon in correctly... it pays to be diligent

2. Go to the 10 items or less aisle when you have 15 items plus coupons

We want to keep our store managers and cashiers happy with us

3. Expect everything to go smoothly at every transaction

Murphy's law says that the time it will go wrong is when you are already running late, with a crying/screaming child and a headache... but life happens

4. Get angry when something doesn't go smoothly.

If they won't take a coupon or a price doesn't scan right and your cashier is getting flustered, angry or rude, just politely ask that they suspend your transaction so you can speak to a manager - always get clarification from a manager if there is a change in the coupon policy or there is something that isn't right..
Keep smiling and be friendly with your cashiers and be PATIENT while they help you sort out your issue and remember to thank them even if it doesn't go your way...

5. Ignore your cashiers

Get to know your regular cashiers on a first name basis, trade couponning info or comment on a new product with them - open up the dialogue and be friendly!!! It will come back on you many fold as they get to know you too!

A bonus sixth- don't expect that you will be in and out quickly - if you have a ton of coupons and a ton of groceries, the process will take time... you can speed things along by organizing your coupons - putting BOGO and FREE coupons with the items that the cashier needs to note the price of, making sure you put those items at the end of the line if you are also planning to use a $/$$ coupon, and I try to separate my manufacturers coupons, competitor coupons and store coupons into separate piles...

Happy couponning!

New coupon from Right At Home

2010-02-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

$3 off Glade Sense and Spray - click here