Tasty goodness and tip for the week

I just enjoyed a nice oven roasted pork and potatoes dish, thought I'd share my tip.  Last week at Albertson's they had Hormel pork tenderloin at $5.99 down from $9.99 each.  You can get a $1 off coupon from either the recent Sunday paper or you can print one online.  On Sunday they came out with doublers ("Twice the Value") coupons that made the $1 off coupon worth $2 off, so only $3.99 per tenderloin!  We snagged 4 of these for us.  We got one that was pre-marinated with teriyaki flavoring.  We had some red potatoes leftover from an order from bountifulbaskets.org  and ran them through the food processor slicer so they were nice and thin.  I coated the potatoes with some light toasted sesame dressing I got for free at Albertson's with a $1 off coupon and doubler.  It was very tasty!  This week you can snag similar deals.  The tenderloin is on sale at $10.99 and BOGO Free.  You can use one of the $1 off coupons and supposedly the doubler coupons are coming out for a second week in a row in this next Sunday paper!  The sale is good through next Tuesday. 



On to the tip of the week.  Thanks to one of the blogs I follow (hip2save.com), I'm going out to grab this deal: go to Staples.com.  Click on their weekly ad button on the top right.  Click on the "15% off with this bag"image on the left.  You will be able to print a coupon for a free reusable bag and anything (with some exceptions) that you can fit into the bag including clearance.  I love reusable bags-I am being overtaken by plastic bags!!!

Best Grocery Stores to Shop

Thought I'd post and run to work.  Happy Monday all :) 

I have people ask what the best grocery stores are for saving cash.  Here's what I've experienced:

#1 Albertson's: They have a rewards card that you can get points on and once you have enough points, you get a $5 coupon for whatever you want to spend it on.  They have gas rewards attached to that too (just saved .25/gallon yesterday using this!).  They have twice the value coupons and round up promos to make your coupons worth even more, as well as other great promotions.  (I read we may get twice the value coupons this Sunday in the papers).  They currently have a summer sweepstakes going on and their coupon policy is fairly friendly.  They are not the closest for me, but they've become my favorite.

Safeway/Fred Meyer: These both have decent promos and also have gas rewards programs but for me, neither is ideal.  Safeway is closest and most convenient, but they don't have a gas station to redeem their rewards nearby (and I've found them the rudest with their cashiers and coupons).  Fred Meyer is the farthest from me so it's hardly worth me going out there. 

Rosaur's: I'm newer to Rosaur's, but they've had some nice sales that I've popped in for.

Winco: I've never couponed at Winco but I hear they're coupon-friendly.

Yokes: Never couponed there but I hear they can be decent.

Walmart: They price match-pretty much the best thing about them. 

Costco: They don't accept coupons other than their own so couponing is not so grand there, but for things that are hard to find good deals on like tuna, it's not a bad way to go.

Rite Aid/Walgreens: What?  These aren't grocery stores!?  They aren't known for their groceries but do sometimes have some sweet deals (like 4 boxes of free popcorn last week).  Additionally, you get rewards coupons for buying promotional items and you can use those rewards coupons on whatever food you want. 

Trading Company: Does not accept printed coupons.  I can't stand this so all I really do with them is have Walmart price match their good sale items. 

Hope this helps :)

Getting in on the goodness :)

Just a little trip around town...

Free daisy razors.  364 of them.  Almost 1 per day for a whole year...if I was wasteful and only used them once.  (paid less than $12 in taxes for $280 worth of product)  Finally got my special order in after a couple weeks of back order.  I actually have exactly this many of the men's disposable razors too! 
Want in on this deal?  Albertson's is still having their BOGO Free sale on these.  Then look in this month's P&G insert (from the Sunday paper earlier this month) for a BOGO Free manufacturer coupon.  Albertson's coupon policy allows the coupon and sale to bounce off of eachother and get both free!  Just pay sales tax on the half that are free from the manufacturer coupons!  The coupons state only 4 like coupon per shopping trip but they let me get them all at once as an exception because of my special order. 

Free Toddler Fruit Pack.  Printed off $1 off coupon.  Was on sale for .99.  Bought at Fred Meyers.

Free Brut Deodorant/Deodorant & Antiperspirant.  9 of them :)
Want in on this deal?  Used $1 off manufacturer coupons from a recent Sunday paper insert.  Bought at Fred Meyers.  On price reduction for 10/$10 right now.  Their coupon policy only allows 5 of the same coupon per transaction so we had to do 2 transactions.

6 Boxes of Cereal/Snacks-Free after Rebate
Want in on this deal?  At my local Safeway they had a tearpad for free cereal/snacks.  They didn't carry all of the goodies that were eligible but we got all that they had for the rebate.  Free food is awesome, and we are big on cereal and snack bars in  our little household!  The trick is the rebate purchase period is really short-the 20th  through the 27th, so run to Safeway to see if yours has one!

Free Panda Express Orange Chicken.  Only good today (I didn't know about it until about 7pm or so).  In celebration of their late summer hours, you could print off a coupon to get some of this tasty chicken for free. 

Would you like $1,000 in 1 month? Also: Giveaway Extended

A grand...anyone want one?  I get asked a lot: how much money do you usually save with your couponing?  The answer: I have no idea....a lot. 

I decided to keep track for 1 month: May 21st-June 21st. 

The grand total comes up to: $1,387.13!!!  

Now there may be some skeptics, which I understand.  The savings are totalled from shopping trips including food, toiletries, health items, and even gasoline.  We don't even budget to spend that much a month, so how can we save that much a month?  The ticket is stockpiling-buying enough of an item at a killer price so you don't have to buy it later at regular retail price.  We do not need to buy shampoo, conditioner, body wash, or razors for months, even years-because they were all free.  All being said and done, we also give some away and donate a lot to the local food bank.  Even if I didn't buy things I didn't need for donation, even half of what I saved (over $600!) is a pretty penny. 

Makes you wonder-what could I be saving?  When I find more time, I definitely still want to come up with a couponing presentation to help others.  Saving this kind of money is what will put my hubby through school, help when kids come, pay off the student loans, buy a home, and get us vacations. 

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On another note, I have a blog giveaway that was supposed to end 6/20/12, or until we get 250 entries.  Sadly, we don't even have 50 entries!  Let's extend this to the end of the month and see where we're at.  I don't want to drag it out, but I also want to get more entries :)  The link to enter with more details is HERE. 

Blog Giveaway-remember to enter!!!

Just a reminder, I'm having a blog giveaway.  I have been so busy with life that I've hardly been able to advertise, so it looks like the June 20th or until we have enough entries will default to the a"until we have enough entries" portion.  Enter, and get the word out to others to enter :)  Here's the link.

Morning Shops and Hints: Do's and Do Not's

Some money saving tips that I thought I'd share from our morning. 

ACE Hardware
Got a free quart of paint-they had this promo in May too.  Not sure what projects exactly we'll use it on, but we got a couple of complimentary colors. 
DO: Get in on free promos-plan ahead. 
DO: Be there early, supplies are limited!

Walmart
I printed off 2 coupons for $2 off of 2 Kotex Natural products.  These were .94 each so the .06 leftover went toward the pregnancy tests.  The pregnancy tests were .88 each.
DO: Get to know Walmart's coupon policy-they allow overage (the .06 being applied to the pregnancy tests.  Other stores like Target round the coupon down). 
DO: Get to know your prices and where you should purchase which items.  These pregnancy tests go for $1.00 at the $ Store, but why pay that when they're only .88 at WallyWorld?
DON'T: Assume that something is a good price just because it's on the Clearance rack or marked with a red tag.  The more I coupon, the more I realize how sly they are with that.  We always check the clearance racks and it was disappointing to see a Hamburger Helper priced at $1.68-that's not even a decent sales price!  We did not buy anything from that section today.
TIP: It's summer, it's warm.  I actually learned from a friend that she uses these pantiliners to avoid the embarrassing underarm sweat that your anti-perspirant doesn't always protect you from.  Cut one in half and place them inside your shirt in your armpit area.  This helps most if you have a tighter undershirt that's close to your skin so it doesn't move around. 

Staples
We got $10 in rewards at Staples from recycling ink last month.  You get $2 each.  Between how much ink I go through with printing coupons and then empty cartridges from family-we recycled 5.  I figured we'd stock up on ink since we had this reward coupon.  Additionally, we get rewards back for each item we purchase there.  Ink may be cheaper else where, maybe a dollar cheaper at Walmart, but I feel it really pays off to go with a store that has a rewards program.  Earning rewards back with each purchase, paying me to give them back the empty ink, and offering items free after rebate are all incentives that entice me to never go back to buying office supplies at Walmart again.  Yes, some of their prices are low...but still not always worth it! 
DO: Pick 1 store to join their rewards program.  Unless, you really need a lot of office supplies, juggling between the promos of 2 or 3 different office supply stores doesn't make sense. 
DON'T: Don't just spend money to spend money.  Remember to think ahead.  They offer rewards programs to keep you coming back.  I get an item 100% free after rewards, meaning a coupon for the value of the item I purchased-that means they plan on me coming back to spend the rewards that I already invested in.  Unless I have an immediate need, I only purchase enough to use my rewards.  If I don't have an immediate need, I will purchase something I know I will actually need later, like ink :)

Eating Out (Jack in the Box)
Silly me, I was so excited to go get our free paint when ACE Hardware opened that we didn't eat breakfast and got hungry :( 
DO: Keep fast food coupons in the car-just in case.
DON'T: Eat somewhere just because you have a coupon.  We made sure we narrowed it down to what was on our route and sounded good. 
DO: Keep snacks in the car.  I need to be better at this-keeping granola bars in the car!
DON'T: Throw out the extra condiments/napkins they give you.  Fast food joints are notorious for tossing in way too many napkins, ketchup, etc.  These are great for camping, picnicking, etc!

Freeeeeebies at Walgreens

I did 11 transactions to get these deals, but the cashier was patient :)

I had $7 register rewards (x2) and $3 register rewards (x3) from last week's collegan/first aid ointment and colgage freebies. 

-Fish Oil was on sale from $25 down to 10 and printed up a $10 register reward.  I used 2 $3 off manufacturer coupons, making these each $3 money makers.

-Kid's Brainsmart-on sale for $10, printed up a $10 register reward, making these FREE

-Acid Reducer-on sale for $6, printed up a $6 register reward, making this FREE

-Goody's ouchless headbands & barrettes-on sale for $2 each, printed up $2 register rewards, making these FREE

-Needed some fillers-.25 each

-Dove was on sale for .59 each, I had some .50 off 2 printed coupons.  -.34 each

Ultimately, I could have done the fish oil and brainsmart over and over again since they each are free with $10 prints, but I just didn't have a need, and was not wanting to be selfish, or pay our high 8.7% taxes.  Also, I was glad our cashier was patient with all the hair accessories.  Didn't clear any shelves-plenty of these left-I just knew they'd be nice for gifts with all the women in my family (and friends)! 

Looking at this deal, not counting taxes, I got paid $3.89 with all the register reward I have left over!!!

Monday-another great shopping day!

Got these Milano cookies at Rite Aid for only .25 each after coupon (regular $1 each).  The .75 off coupon came in the 5/6 paper.  (Rite Aid has a 4-like coupon per person policy so my husband and I each used 4)

Also, here's my much bigger Albertson's shop:

WA state did a weird thing with their doublers this week and they came out Friday, we only get the W, Sat, and Sun papers. Luckily, I have a connection in Idaho and got 18 doublers-it’s just a few minutes drive over the state border
Also, the cashier gave me problems with a couple of the coupons. Thank goodness the manager knew his stuff and was really helpful. Unfortunately I didn’t notice until I came home that 1 of the items on a BOGOFree sale didn’t come off so I’ll have to go in tomorrow. The savings are with the refund assumed. We did this in 6 transactions between my husband & I.
The top box of the photo is items that were 100% free. The others were all on sale/with coupons.
Total before coupons/sales: $123.20
Spent: $46.13
Saved: $77.07
Saved: 63%

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, I WANT TO REMIND YOU ALL OF MY GIVEAWAY GOING ON-WE'RE NEEDING MORE ENTRIES!!!!  CLICK HERE!

Videos up on Youtube :) Come check them out!

I posted a while ago a video on Target Couponing, just got around to posting my Walgreen's Couponing video.  Come check them out on my chanel here :)

Friday Night

I posted on here that Friday night you could print a coupon and get free food at Panda Express.  We had a double date with some friends, had a picnic in the park (saw adorable turtles at a waterfall...forgot to take pictures of it) and then we went to Krispy Kreme for a free donut each (National Donut Day) and then to Panda Express where we ran into another couple that were going just the opposite direction.  It's so fun to have married friends, and share our love of saving $ and using it for Date Night :P  The Panda Express orange chicken was delicious! 

BTW-there are some sweet deals at Walgreen's this week, I'll post about it tomorrow but it includes free headbands/hair clips-great for stocking up :)

Giveaway!

I was so bummed today that our Sunday paper didn't get delivered :(  We were supposed to get Twice the Value coupons for Albertson's, we were planning an awesome shop.  They ended up coming out on Friday instead (we only get Wed, Sat, and Sun papers).  So I'm sulking a tad.  Oh well. 

Just throwing a post up to remind you all about my giveaway I'm doing.  A few entries are trickling in but we're looking for more-free jewelry/decor items and coupons!!!
 Enter here!

Bride on a Budget?

One of my best friend's got married today.  I posted here about her party and the tasty cupcake idea I had and here about making her hair clip for her wedding day.  It was beautiful and so was she! 

(Pictured on Bride)

I thought I'd also share a quick, easy, and inexpensive part of her ensemble that we got together today...

We were taking pictures after the wedding, 3 hours before the reception and I asked the Mother of the Bride if they needed any help and she said they didn't have a garter.  I said I'd get one worked out :)  So we ran to Hancock Fabric-they didn't have any pre-made ones but they had elastic lace perfect for it.  We bought a quarter of a yard ($1) and used a 50% off competitor coupon (only had Joann's coupon on me)-so paid .50.  My husband was actually the one that hand stitched it and it worked great!  Bridal accessories are so expensive, but you can really save a few bucks (and in a short pinch) by doing things yourself :)

*Fresh Summer Idea*

I threw a bachelorette party for my great friend tonight (co-hosted with her sweet sister-in-law) and I decided to do cupcakes.  I have a bunch of cake mixes that I got for cheap from some awesome deals, but no frosting.  I decided to get creative instead of buying or making my own.  We had some blackberries, and pineapple and even mango-all from bountiful baskets.  We then got some strawberries and made 2 purees:pineapple-mango & strawberry-blackberry.  I have this cute little picnic basket that holds ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper.  We decided to put the sauces in there (could have put sprinkles or something in the shakers, but we left them empty).  Guests could squeeze what they wanted on there-it was so good!!!  I think I'll do that again-the only change I would want is maybe adding some lemoney-goodness to the white cake batter-just a little more twist of fresh taste.

And completely off the subject, but I still have a giveaway going on.  Not many entries because I haven't had much time to actively promote.  Enter here, and invite your friends!!!