Repost: Last Chance for $2.99 Quiznos Sub

I am reposting this deal from a couple weeks back for those of you who have not had a chance to print yours yet (like me...) and wanted to let you know that tomorrow (Friday) will be the last day it is available so if you want to use this, print it now!

I love Quiznos.  I rarely go there, because it is kinda pricey.  If you are like me, then you will love this deal.  Right now you can get a coupon for any small sub for just $2.99.  While you are there, you also have the option to sign up for their Q club.  If you do this, you can upgrade your coupon to include a free cookie, as well.

This new Chicken Bacon Dipper sub is making my mouth water.  I'm trying to cut out fast food, but I may just have to take advantage of this one. ;)

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Log Into Cellfire to See What You Win (Kroger Affiliates)

Log into your Cellfire accounts right now!  You only have about another hour to save this deal to you card.

If you have a Kroger or Kroger affiliate, when you log in, a surprise coupon will be available.  It could be anywhere from $0.50 up to $3 off your next purchase of any amount.  I got a $0.50 coupon, but every little bit helps!

You may also pick any e-coupons you wish to load to your card while you are there.  Only load coupons that you do not have a better paper coupon for!  Remember that e-coupons will not double, and that Kroger stores cannot remove an e-coupon once it has been redeemed in order for you to use a paper one that will double.

But, you don't have to worry about that with this special coupon!  It is just free money off of your order so go get it NOW!

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Facebook Freebies and How To Not Miss Posts

There are some time sensitive offers going on over at facebook right now.  I have shared them on my wall, so hurry over and get them before they are gone.


While you are there, make sure you hit the "like" button because I will often share a link there if I fear it may be over by the time I write a blog post about it.  Plus, all of my blog posts get filtered to my wall as well.


I also wanted to give all of you a little heads up so you do not miss any important posts.  If you follow many of your favorite blogs on facebook, you may have noticed that many of them use auto-posting applications that check for new posts on the blog page and then put them on the wall to save the time of copying and pasting links.  This is a huge time saver for us and it lets us focus on writing more posts instead of worrying about posting them in several different locations.


The problem that arises is that facebook only recognizes the application that is posting them onto the pages and will choose one at random to show and then hide the rest from your newsfeed.  If you look closely, you will see links with phrases like:
"See 379 more posts from RSS Graffiti"  and  "See 199 more posts from NetworkedBlogs"


These were copied directly from my facebook wall, so as you can see, unless I click on those links, I am missing out on A LOT of posts, which translates into missed deals.  Those little links can be easy to miss when scrolling through your newsfeed, so I just wanted you all to be aware of it so you could be on the lookout.

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4/10: Leaving CVS Empty-Handed

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  I have always been very impressed with my CVS for being so well-stocked.  The only time I have had issues with not being able to find items is when I have waited until the last minute.  But that was not the case today.

I had worked out a wonderful plan on paper, that would have left me $0.50 short of using all of my existing $16.98 in ECBs and I would have gotten back over $18!  The whole plan hinged on my being able to use my $5/$40 facebook coupon that expires today.  Because of this, if I would have left off anything in my plan, I would not have reached the $40 mark, and I would have ended up paying $5 more.

A big part of my plan included getting 3 AirWick Freshmatic Ultras at $6 each (and also 1 Finish tab at $3 to get me to $20 for the ECB deal).  I had 3 of the $4/1 printables from coupons.com, so these were going to take a huge chunk out of my total.  Were....

My store was out.  Actually, I'm not sure my store ever had any.  They had plenty of the I-Motion kind, but my coupon was not for that.  I didn't even see a space for them at first.  I even walked all around the store to see if they were displayed on an end cap.  After talking to the cashier, I went back to the shelf and discovered that the Lysol Nutra Air Kit was stocked in its spot.  I asked if there might be more in the back, but instead of calling someone to check for me, she directed me to the very back of the store where the assistant manager was busy stocking a shelf.  When I asked him if there were any in the back,the look on his face told me that he wasn't sure exactly what I was talking about.  However, he told me they were out.  Personally, I think he really just didn't feel like stopping what he was doing, but that's just me.

There were a few more things that I would have liked to have gotten on this trip, like the Biore deal using my BOGO coupon, but without these Airwicks, my plan fell apart.  It's strange that when shopping at CVS, buying less can often mean paying more.  There is a definite strategy involved, but once you get the hang of it, its like spending the same money over and over!

I did find out that their truck comes on Friday's so I may try back then (although I won't have my $5/$40 coupon).  If not, it's no big loss because my ECBs do not expire until the beginning of May.

I may have left without purchasing any items, but I did not quite leave empty handed.  When I scanned my card at the magic little red machine, out popped another $5 ECBs.  I had reached $50 in Beauty purchases for the CVS Beauty Club again!  So, I now have $21.98 in ECBs to spend on my next trip!  If you have not joined this club yet, it is very simple to do so.  Look around your store for the black and pink posters with a tearpad of registration coupons.  Bring one to the front and have them scan your card and scan it, and you're in!  Plus the $50 you need to spend is pre-coupon.  This is my second reward since I joined a few months back.  It couldn't be easier.

I hope you guys had better luck than I did.  I'd love for you to share!

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Sunday Coupon Preview for 4/10

We should be getting a SmartSource and a RedPlum coupon insert in tomorrow's paper.  Go HERE to see all the details, but remember coupons can vary by region!

My favorites are Kraft dressings and Folgers coffee.  Click the link to see what else you might get.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

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Extreme Drama...

When the pilot episode of Extreme Couponing aired on TLC in January, it cause a lot of turmoil, and after a couple of days I was really sick of hearing about it.  I was expecting about the same response this time, and I certainly was not disappointed.  However, I was not expecting another form of turmoil that went along with this most recent set of shows.

Apparently, one of the shopper's shown on the program had a reputation (and not a good one!)  She had been known to fraudulently use coupons and had even posted youtube videos of herself explaining how to  outsmart the registers and use coupons on items other than what they are intended for.

When I first read about this, I thought surely this is in the past, and she has learned to use them properly, or TLC would have never allowed her on their program.  Apparently, that was not the case.  This article has some pretty blatant and shocking examples, complete with screen shots from Wednesday night's show of the items being bought that were not the items needed for the coupons that were handed over to the cashier.  If you read the comments you will also see first hand accounts that the woman has very recently been charging people for classes in which she teaches them to do the same, which I think is deplorable.

Now I'm really not trying to judge anyone (although I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the next news segment was her being taken away in handcuffs!).  I'm not even going to tell you which shopper it was.  The reason I am writing this is because I do not want all of you out there who are new to couponing to also read about all of this drama and think that it the only way to do it and that it is ok to do, or that you might as well give up because it cannot be done honestly.  THAT IS NOT TRUE!

In fact, here is another post (from the other lady on the same segment...so this should be a dead giveaway which one I'm talking about) detailing how she followed all of the rules of both the store and the coupons she used on her trip.

I really loved that she wrote this post, and I'm glad she did it.  I was concerned about her getting a bad reputation through association because I had seen clips of these two women being interviewed together on news segments.

You are entitled to your own opinion about what was depicted in the show, but remember it is a very skewed 15 minute portrayal!

What I do NOT want you doing is becoming of the opinion that misuse of coupons is OK.  IT ISN'T.  You can be fined.  You can be put in jail.  The stores will not get reimbursed, and they will raise prices on everything to cover their losses and that will affect us all!  I do not even understand how the cashiers allowed this sort of thing to slip by unnoticed!

Please go read these posts.  Educate yourself about the correct way and the incorrect way, if for no other reason than to make sure you are not misusing them in error.  This is serious stuff that affects everyone who uses coupons.  Especially with these things being shown on prime time television!  I do hope that TLC is more careful in choosing their experts in the future!

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Albertson's Trip 4/8 71% Savings

I had to take some items back to the library today, and that is just a couple blocks from Albertson's so I decided to go ahead and go today while I was out in the name of preserving gas.  There were not very many items that I planned to buy there, but ended up with a few extra in my cart.

Here is what I got:

Total Shelf Price:   $37.72
Sale Price:             $22.64  (including the $5 deducted for buying 10 participating items and the discount on the yogurt.)
Price Paid After Coupons:     $10.86     71 % Savings


The yogurt I purchased was one of my unplanned items.  They were already on sale for $2, and they each had a $0.50 off sticker on them (even though they don't expire until the 13th!).  I happened to have two $0.50/1 coupons with me that would double, and they expired tomorrow.  So between the discount sticker and my coupon, I paid only $0.50 each for these.

The other unplanned item I got was the 2 bags of bread flour.  I had been running low on this stuff for a while, and Aldi doesn't carry it.  I always forget to check the price when I'm shopping elsewhere because I'm usually so focused on my list and my coupons.  Well, today I took a wrong turn (I'm not very familiar with the store) and ended up on the baking aisle.  I was expecting to pay upwards of $3 per bag for bread flour, but was very pleasantly surprised to find these for just $1.59 shelf price, so I grabbed two bags.  Without these, my savings would have been 77%, but I considered it a good price.

Here is the break down of the rest:
4 cans Red Gold tomatoes  @ $0.59 each.  Used two $0.50/2 printables that doubled =  $0.09/can.

10 items:
1 KC Masterpiece  @ $0.79 wyb 10.  Used  $0.50/1 from 3/13SS (doubled)= $0.21 moneymaker
1 Puffs  @ $0.99 wyb 10.  Used $0.50/1 from PG Mailer (doubled)=  $0.01 moneymaker
4 Grands Biscuits @ $0.99 each wyb 10.  Used 2 $0.30/2 Printables (tripled) =$0.54 each
2 Lean Pockets @ 1.49 each wyb 10.  Used 2 $1/1 printables from their facebook page (no longer available)=  $0.49 each.
2 Simply Orange @$ 2.79 each wyb 10.  Used 2 $1/1 printables from their facebook page (no longer available)=  $1.79 each.

The orange juice may have been a little bit high, but the coupons were nearing expiration, and we were running very low on juice.  Plus its my husband's favorite, and by that I mean they will likely both disappear by tomorrow ;)

This trip, along with my Aldi trip yesterday and my CVS trip on Sunday, was all of my shopping for the week.  Altogether, I spent $66.85, which is just within my new lowered grocery budget of $70, down from $75 last month.  I'm hoping that I can stick to it and lower it even more, but I'm not sure how the slowly rising food prices will affect that.

What about you?  Do you have a weekly or monthly budget that you try to stick to?  Tell us how much you spend and how many people that feeds.  Mine is for 4, and my kids are nearly 5 and 20mo.

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Aldi Trip: 4/7

The coupon deals have been pretty slim these past couple weeks, so I haven't been out to stock up on things that were at their lowest prices.  I had actually been putting off going to the store altogether.  But I was almost out of milk, and I had been out of bread for three days, and I was getting pretty tired of scrounging around in my pantry.  I was running low of several other things also.  Yes, couponers do actually run out of things at times..even ketchup!  For shame!  So, I went to Aldi for a pretty big stock up trip.  They have the lowest prices on most items in my area, so I choose to shop there for my everyday needs to save even more.  You can read my thoughts on why that is important here.

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I used the handy grocery price comparison list over at The Aldi Spot to roughly calculate my savings based on lowest prices seen at other stores.  She is in Florida, so some of her prices were a little different, so I switched out my local prices for her's if I knew them.  I calculated my savings to be roughly $20 over even Wal-Mart prices (probably even more, because I used sale prices from a few different stores, so I even saved a few trips chasing down the low prices!)

Here is everything I got today.  I stocked up on a lot of fresh produce and a good bit of variety for lunch and snack options (click to enlarge):

All of this cost me just $54.79, and most will last at least two weeks if not the rest of the month!

This trip along with my $0.72 CVS trip is all the shopping I've done this week.  I am planning a small trip to Albertson's, but may put that off until after Sunday...could get more coupons to use. ;)  Even so, I would still be under my newly lowered grocery budget of $70/week and I would love to lower that even more.  Wish me luck. ;)

Do you have any great shopping success stories from this week, or even defeats?  I'd love to hear about them!  Leave a comment or a link!

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So How Are "Extreme Couponers" Able To Save Over 90%?

Have you ever heard about someone else's shopping trip where they had MAJOR savings?  I'm talking like they walked away paying less than 10% of what their total started off as?  Have you ever wondered how they do that?

To me the answer is pretty simple:  That is not the only store they shopped at!  And, if you think about it, this is a very smart move.

Let's say that Store X is having a great sale this week, and you have some awesome coupons that match up with the items that are on sale.  After your coupons, you may be getting these items for FREE or for mere pennies!  You gather up your coupons and make your shopping list.  You also note that you have run out of several items, so you think to yourself  "I'll just pick these up while I'm already at Store X."  That could be a big mistake.  While this may make sense in terms of travel time and gas, especially if you live in a smaller town and are already going out of your way to shop, it could cost you.  Plus, this is exactly what the store is hoping you will do.

Grocery stores lower prices on certain items each week.  These are known as "loss leaders", meaning the store is losing a lot of profit by selling items for such low prices.  The reason they do it is to get people into the store in hopes that they will do all of their shopping while they are there.  Couponers are wise to this little trick. ;)  You see, those few items that are already on your shopping list are not on sale this week at Store X, and their shelf price can be much higher than the price where you normally shop.  On many items this may not matter much, such as milk, bread, and eggs.  These tend to be nearly the same price anywhere in a given area (though not necessarily!)  

If you have the option, it is best to stick only to your list of sale items for which you have a coupon at these places.  If you end up paying $5 more than usual on your "needs" for the week, that could cancel out the savings from your coupons!

If you do not have the option of going to a different store for whatever reason, and you truly need an item, consider switching to a different brand of that item that is on sale (and perhaps you have a coupon for it), or consider giving the store brand a try.  Many of the store brands are actually made and packaged by the same plants that make the brand name items.  In other words, they are essentially the same product without the fancy label or price tag.  For example, just a few weeks ago, I saw a Borden truck leaving Aldi....Aldi doesn't even sell name brand items, only their store brand.

If you do have multiple stores to choose from in your area, that is fantastic.  This means you will be able to pick out the best deals at each store each week.  Plan out the best route to minimize driving time, and hit a few of them while you are out for the biggest savings.  Scan through their ads, find the best prices on each of the items that you need.  Match coupons to the items that you are able.  Remember, being flexible about brands will save you the most.  Make your last stop the cheapest store in your area, or the one that you routinely shop at.  Get the items that cost more elsewhere here.  You may be surprised to find that you do not even need much there after matching your coupons to grocery store sales.

Later on I will share my trip to Aldi this morning to get my "needed" items.

I will also be sharing more on creating a *small* stockpile, and why it is sometimes smart to purchase items that you do not need.

Please let me know if you have any specific questions you would like me to address.

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Extreme Couponing Premiers Tonight On TLC

After the pilot episode that aired back in January was so successful, TLC decided to turn Extreme Couponing into a series.  It will begin tonight at 9 Eastern/ 8 Central.  There will be two 30 minute episodes shown back to back, and starting next week there will be a single 30 minute episode each Wednesday evening at 9:30 Eastern.  If you missed the hour long pilot episode, you can catch it again tonight at 8 Eastern/7 Central on TLC.

I guess since the pilot episode caused such controversy, I feel obligated to say a few things about this show.  Many people were completely turned off after watching the people portrayed on this show and refuse to watch it again.  Many others new to couponing were discouraged by the fact that their savings in no way stack up to those seen on TV, and so they think they are doing something wrong.  Many other people noted that their stores would have never allowed the things that happened on the show.  Many people also thought that this should be be the casting call for the next season of Hoarders...

So, that being said, here are a few things to keep in mind if you decide to watch:
--It is TV, and reality TV at that (which we all know is far from "reality").
--The shoppers were asked to plan out their most extreme shopping trip EVER.  Obviously that is going to make them go a bit overboard and spend A LOT of time prepping.  NORMAL SHOPPING TRIPS DO NOT TAKE THIS MUCH EFFORT.
--The camera crews were with these people for HOURS, and only 15 minutes of it made the cut.
--The stores they are in had to ok this filming, and would obviously want to put their best face forward on TV, so I expect that rules were bent and special orders of items were made.
--The people have massive amounts of the same coupon, which they had to obtain for somewhere.  Most likely they were purchased online.  Who knows how much the coupons themselves cost, and they are never factored into the savings shown.  It did briefly mention that one lady spent $70 on her coupons.  That is my whole weekly food budget, and she hadn't even made it to the store yet!
--The show never showed what the people actually did with the food.  One of the lady's later posted on her blog a video of she and her daughter bringing 200lbs of food to a local food bank!

Will I be watching?  You bet!  I've already got my Tivo set to record.  I found it to be a very entertaining and inspiring show when I watched the pilot episode (ok, I admit it, about 4 times...and I'm sure I'll watch it again tonight!).  Mixed within the "just for the ratings" stuff were great tidbits of information about the timing of sale cycles and how to easily obtain extra coupons, to list a couple.

The description of the new season promises to show more of how couponing can benefit the whole community and I seriously hope to see some of that.  All we got on the pilot was one measly comment about how the guy was going to donate a bunch of cereal to his church.  (I certainly hoped he wasn't going eat all 1,000 boxes himself!)  I also hope there is much more of showing the ins and outs of planning shopping trips than just shock value.  I mean, it *is* The LEARNING Channel for crying out loud!

I sort of felt bad for the people on the show because I thought that some of them came off being portrayed in a negative light.  15 minutes of anything isn't going to give a well rounded story, and it only left people to make assumptions and judge for themselves, however poorly.   I even read blog posts from some that said they were grossly misquoted, or that things that were said pertaining to one aspect were made to seem as if they were talking about something else.

My advice: don't take any of it too seriously.  Learn from it what you can.  Be entertained.  Be inspired to do better.  If it disgusts you, turn it off.  Most importantly, try not to judge these people.  You may think they are off their rocker, but like I said before, you are only getting a very skewed 15 minute glance into their lives.  If people aren't going to gasp and call all of their friends to tell them to turn the TV on, then most networks would call that a failure.  I would certainly be very leery if they called me to be on the show.  I don't think they would accept me though.  I don't have a garage wall covered in toilet paper. ;)

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New E-Coupons Available

There are some great new e-coupons to be had this week.  Check out the ones available on Cellfire and on Shortcuts.

Aside from offering e-coupons, both sites now offer printable coupons.  I found a $1/1 Buddig Deli Cuts and $1/1 Gold N Plump chicken on Cellfire.  This lunch meat often goes on sale for $1.99 around here, so this would make it under $1.  I like to print out any rare meat coupons I see, like the chicken one, in case I find them marked down on manager's special.  The coupon will make a good deal even better in that situation.  Shortcuts also offers cash back offers, and Cellfire also has some non-grocery coupons available for your mobile phone (these vary by region), so go check out what is available for you.

Click through to see what is available for your area.  Just remember when using e-coupons, they are manufacturer's coupons and cannot be stacked with paper coupons, and they also will not double.  That being said, if you have an identical or better paper coupon, especially if your store will double it, load them to your store card with caution.  A new change in the computer system at Kroger has made it impossible to remove an e-coupon once it is automatically redeemed, and then your paper coupon will not be accepted.

I've not had issues with this lately simply because none of the items I have purchased had associated e-coupons, but I have heard that many people are having issues with this at Kroger stores, so I just wanted you to be aware of the situation, especially since Kroger is really pushing the use of e-coupons lately.  I have seen banner ads on various websites, and the different e-coupons available at the moment were even plastered across the top of items in today's sale ad.

If you have had a personal experience having issues with e-coupons, please leave a comment below.  I think it would help us all better understand what is going on at the stores.

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Aldi Deals 4/6-4/12

Here are the produce deals advertised for the Dallas area this week:

Multi-Colored Bell Peppers   $1.89 for a pack of 3
Tomatoes on the Vine           $0.79 for a 1 lb. package
Pears (D'Anjou and Bosc)    $0.59/lb sold in 2 lb bags for $1.19 each.
California Navel Oranges      $0.35/lb sold in 4lb labgs for $1.39 each.


I'm hoping that the strawberries are still cheap also.  We just ran out this morning. ;)

I have also noticed the milk and eggs slowly creeping up in price and the flour and sugar are higher now also.  I certainly hope that trend stops!

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New Free Kindle Books

I absolutely love all the FREE Kindle Downloads that are constantly available.  My biggest problem is that I never have time to read them!

There are quite a few new ones available recently, and I would venture to say that there is something for everyone!

If you like mystery and suspense novels here are some to check out:

Elisha's Bones

I've actually started reading this one, and it is definitely holding my interest!


The Maverick Experiment

Paid In Blood  An NCIS mystery.



For the Kids:

The Very First Easter











If You Love History:

The Secret Holocaust Diaries



Hitler's Pre-Emptive War






If You Have a Small Business:


Trend Following

Profiles of Remarkable Businesses Collection  6 books in 1.  Sells for $50!

Super Charge Your Social Media Strategies  3 in 1, sells for $60!



Those are a few that I think might appeal to many.  There are LOTS more, and plenty of new ones today.  I actually cannot keep up.  Every time I refresh the page I see something new!  If you do not see anything you like here, you can check out full list of limited time free offers.  There are plenty of women's fiction, religious, and romance titles to choose from, so go check them out.  You may end up finding a new author that you love!  I recently did.

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Sample Showcase: Going Live Shortly!

Last year we heard about this new program called Sample Showcase from Startsampling and the US Postal Service.  Within a few weeks of signing up, this nice package arrived at our door!

  Well, guess what?  They are offering this again!  I'm not sure what it will contain this time around, but it is set to go live in about 10 minutes!   Head over HERE to sign up and and see if you qualify when it is available!

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CVS Facebook Offer: $5/$40 Purchase

CVS has a great offer available on their facebook page this week.  Simply like them, input your CVS card number and email address, and right away you will receive an email containing a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $40 or more.  It is valid until next Sunday, which is good for me since I have already done my CVS shopping for this week.

$40 may seem like a lot, but you may hand this coupon over first before any of your other coupons, so the $40 only needs to be the pre-coupon price! If you have not begun shopping at CVS and have no ECBs, coupons such as these can help reduce your initial cost to get started.  Be sure to purchase items that will produce ECBs so that you have some of their money to spend on your next trip!  If you have existing ECBs, then they can further reduce your OOP.

Make sure you also register your CVS card at CVS.com so that you can get similar offers by email.

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CVS Trip 4/3

Today's CVS trip totally made up for the one I made last night.  It's pretty funny because the reason I had gone last night to try to snag those deals was mostly because after glancing through this week's ad a few days ago, I didn't think there were many good deals.  I turned out to be very wrong about that.  Some of the coupons I used were from P&G mailers that I had gotten in the past few months (not from the paper), so you may or may not have them.

Here is what I got:

Shelf Price:  $51.38
Sale Price:   $37.44
Price Paid After Coupons, Including my $4/$20:    $15.16
Price Paid After $14.49 in ECBs + tax:    $0.72 for a Savings of 99%  and I received $16.98 in ECBs.


Here is how I did it:
--Dawn  $0.99  -  $1/1 from PG Home Mailer
--Puffs  $0.87  -   $0.50/1 from PG Home Mailer
--Gold Bond Body Wash  $5.88  -  $2/1 from this morning's paper.   Got Back $3 ECBs
--2 Right Guard Body Wash  @ $3.88 each.  Used BOGO from 3/13 RP.  Got Back $3 ECBs.
--2 Pantene @ 2 for $6.97.  Used 2 $2/1 from PG Home Mailer.  Got back $2 ECBs.
--G.U.M. Flossers  $2.  No Coupon.  Got back $2 ECBs.
--2 Oral B Toothbrushes @$2.99 each.  Used BOGO from 3/13 RP AND $1/1 from PG Home Mailer.  Got back $0.99 each, (limit 2), so $1.98 ECBs.
--Crest (Rinse and Toothpaste) @ $3.49 each.  Used $1/1 toothpaste from today's P&G, and $1/1 Rinse from a PG Home Mailer.  Got back $2.50 ECBs each for $5 total (limit 2).


I should have ended up paying around $2, but the same cashier was there, and even though I pointed out the items that I had BOGOs for in the ad that was sitting on the counter right next to her, and read her the prices, she *still* took off too much for them, so I certainly don't feel bad about it this time.  I mean, what else can I do?

If you have the P&G Mailers from the free offers and rebates from the past few months, then you may be able to get in on some of these great deals as well.  If you don't there are still lower value alternatives to all of the coupons I used in this morning's P&G insert.  Make sure you hang on to that insert even if you do not usually purchase P&G products, because there are always some great deals to be had using those coupons, especially at the various drug stores.

What deals will you be getting at CVS this week?

If you blog about them, you can link them up at Simply CVS.  If you have not been yet, you can also check out everyone's shopping trips there for more ideas to help you out.  I'll be linking this trip up there, also.

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CVS: That's What Happens When I Wait Until The Last Minute

Well, I hadn't made it to CVS yet this week and there were some pretty good deals that I really didn't want to miss out on.  So, I finished making my list and gathering up my coupons.  I was sort of expecting for them to be out of half of  the items when I got there since I had waited until 7pm Saturday night to shop.  When I got there, I found that they had taken all of the signs down, and were beginning to put up the signs for tomorrow's sale.  Because of this I was having to scan every item at the price scanner to see if I was picking up the correct item.  A few of the things I grabbed rang up the correct price, but some of them were ringing up for a different price.  Cheryl over at Simply CVS has posted about Sunday's sale actually beginning late Saturday evening, and the items will ring up the lower price of the two sales.  This was happening with a few of my items, and because of this I wasn't sure if I would get my extra bucks.  They were not really items that I needed so I didn't want to risk it.

I did grab two items that I did need while I was there.  I really wanted to get some of the cheap Stove Top, but my store was all out.  They did have some of the Kraft BBQ Sauce that was on sale for $0.99.  This is not my preferred brand, but I am down to my very last bottle of BBQ sauce, and I had 2 $0.75/1 coupons that were expiring tomorrow, so I put back everything else on my list and only ended up buying 2 bottles of the Kraft BBQ Sauce.  My total after coupons was $0.48, and I didn't even use any of my ECBs.  I had $12.99 from my last trip, and my Quarterly ECBs printed tonight, so that was another $1.50.  I will have all of those to use on my next trip.  I also got a $4/$20 coupon by email yesterday that will expire tomorrow.  I intended to use it tonight, but I will try to gather up some coupons and go back tomorrow so it doesn't go to waste.

That was about it.  Nothing too exciting to report. I didn't even think it was worth busting out my camera over.   If you guys went to CVS, I hope you had better luck.  I would love to hear about it.

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Sunday Coupon Preview for 4/3

Go HERE to get a peek at the coupons you can expect in tomorrow's newspaper.

It looks like there should be a SmartSource and a Proctor and Gamble.  Those come out about once a month and are always nice to have, especially for drug store deals.

My favorite coupons for tomorrow are:  Best Life Butter, Cuties Oranges, Colgate and V-8 Splash.  There will be a ton of cleaning supplies coupons.  There also should be a handful of coupons for Horizon Products, so if you buy organics, this will be a good week for you.  There is also a coupon for Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Sandwich Bread, so I'm kinda curious to see what that is.

Click the link above to see the whole list, including the P&G coupons.

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New Coupons Available At Coupons.com

Today is a new month, and that means that there are a ton of new coupons available over at coupons.com!  Here are some of the new ones that you will find.  If you want any of them print now before they reach their print limit!  They will be good for a month from their print date.

These are my two favorites:

$0.75 off Kraft 2% Milk Cheese product

$0.35 off one (1) bag of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish

$0.75 off Cinnamon Burst Cheerios cereal

$0.75 off Kix cereal

$0.55 off Original Cheerios cereal

$0.75 off Chex cereal

$1.00 off Basic 4, Cheerios, Chex Cereal

$0.60 off Pillsbury Toaster Strudel Pastries

$0.75 off Cascadian Farm products

$0.75 off any Yoplait products listed

$0.50 off Yoplait Kids Cup Yogurt

$1.00 off Totino's Crisp Crust Party Pizza

$0.50 off Gardetto's Snack Mix

$0.50 off Pillsbury Rolled Refrigerated Pie Crust

$0.50 off Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls

$0.40 off Pillsbury Italian Meal Breads

$0.40 off Totino's Rolls Snacks

$0.75 off Frozen Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits

$1.00 off Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough

$0.40 off Pillsbury or Grands! Sweet Rolls

$0.35 off Pillsbury Grands! Jr biscuits

$1.00 off Progresso Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs

$0.50 off Glade Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator

$0.75 off Glade Fabric & Air Odor Eliminator

$1.50 off Glade PlugIns Scented Gel products

$2.00 off PURPOSE Skin Care Product

$3.00 off The Sound of Music on Blu-ray™

$3.00 off The Sandlot on Blu-ray™

$3.00 off Robots on Blu-ray™

$3.00 off Marley & Me on Blu-ray™

$3.00 off Flicka on Blu-ray™

$3.00 off Dr. Dolittle on Blu-ray™

$3.00 off The Robe on Blu-ray™

$3.00 off The Bible on Blu-ray™

$3.00 off Because of Winn-Dixie on Blu-ray™

$3.00 off Anastasia on Blu-ray™

$0.75 off Kraft 2% Milk Cheese products

$0.35 off one (1) bag of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish

$0.55 off any Chore Boy Product

$3.00 off Garnier HerbaShine Color Creme

$1.00 off ONE (1) GARNIER THE BRUSHER CLEANSER

$2.00 off GARNIER FRUCTIS SLEEK & SHINE BLOW DRY

$1.00 off (1) GARNIER FRUCTIS STYLE PRODUCT

$1.00 off (1)GARNIER FRUCTIS SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER

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Shopping Trip 3/31: Expiring Coupons and Aldi

Well, today is the last day of the month, and you know what happens on the last day of the month...coupons expire.  Normally, I would not let expiring coupons get to me.  Today, however, I had 3 of those $3/1 Gain fabric softener coupons.  You know the ones that everyone has been getting for less than $2 at Wal-Mart.  $1.87 for the 40ct to be exact.  After having heard about Wal-Mart's new coupon policy that allows overage on coupons that are above the value of the item ("If coupon value exceeds the price of the item, the excess may be given to the customer as cash or applied toward the basket purchase."), I thought it might be worth it to make a quick trip in there after lunch.

I always get nervous handing over coupons at Wal-Mart because I never know what is going to happen.  Recently I had heard stories of stores being so nice and coupon friendly, and all the cashiers knew what was going on and they had the new policy plastered to all of the registers.  Well, I just have three words to say about that...Must. Be. Nice.

After my cashier rang up my items, she began scanning y few coupons, and I saw her put those off to the side.  She then looked up and told me that they couldn't take those.  I said simply "I thought you would now, I read about it online".  I didn't have the coupon policy with me, but *if* I ever go back there I will now.  She had no idea what I was talking about.  She asked the cashier at the next register over, who apparently ranked higher up the chain of command than she did.  This lady told her yes it was ok, so she came back and put the coupons through no problem.  She said she wondered when they changed that.  I told her it had just been a few weeks, and that it was truly the only thing that got me back into the store because I hadn't been in about a year.

As I was grabbing my bags and walking away, a manger walked up.  She asked her, the manager looked outraged, and said "Naw.  We don't do that."  She pointed at the one who ok'd it, who again said yes.  The manager said "I got this.  NO."  She told her, "well, I just did it, "  and the manager said, "well, don't do it again."

I silently walked away, feeling sorry for the cashier because I know that she is going to have about a million arguments over this today.  I sincerely hope the next shopper through her line has a copy of the new policy with them so that manager can read it.  I think it is very sad that big corporations like that take absolutely no time to clue in their employees when such huge changes are made.  It's not the employees faults.  They are only doing what they have been told, and they haven't been told much of anything, and what they have been told is incorrect.  I'm not just saying this as a bitter customer either.  My mother has worked for the company for over 26 years years, so trust me when I say they never tell them anything!  I'm always like "hey mom, did you know blah blah blah?"  She doesn't.

So now that I've ranted....here is what I got:

Total Shelf Price:  $27.58
Price Paid After Coupons and tax:  $9.06  (I got a FREE Drano coupon after I contacted the company.  I also got what I felt was a pretty rude email back from them, so you do what you want with that info...)

I did not get my windshield wiper blade, but I did pick up a mop head, since mine broke last week mid-mopping, and I had to finish up with a cloth diaper attached to my Clorox Ready mop that I have no more fluid for.  I guess now I have no excuses for not mopping, and boy do I need to!  I had forgotten what messes toddlers can make.  Even though I have two living mops...err....dogs. ;)

As I was leaving Wal-Mart, I decided to go ahead and stop by Aldi to pick up some of those awesome produce deals since it was just across the street.  I would have needed to go back in a few days for milk anyway, so it saved me a trip later on.

Here is what I picked up:

3 Strawberries, 1 Red Grape, 1 Green Grape, 1 bag of Gala Apples, 2 cucumbers ($0.65/each), Milk (up to $1.39 now....but still $2.09 at Wal-Mart), 3 frozen peas because I noticed a few nights ago we were out, Apple Juice, some snack crackers, a pack of diapers (gonna use disposables until we get another washing machine), and a pack of diet soda.  My husband has had cravings.  I feel I've corrupted him.

Total Paid:  $25.08

Unless I end up going to CVS, that should be my last shopping until next week.  This trip, along with my Target trip on Monday and my trip to Albertson's and Kroger on Tuesday and a quick $15 run into Aldi on Saturday have cost a little over $68 for the week.  This is right in line with my new lowered budget, so I am pleased even though I had to do a lot of catch up shopping.  I guess that's what I get for not shopping all last week.

How did your shopping go this week?  Leave a comment or a link below.

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