Deals of the Day

Stop by participating Wal-Mart stores this Saturday, May 30, for free ice cream. Go to this site and enter your zip code for details.

$1.00 off Starbuck's Ice Cream here.

You will receive the free sample by entering the Gillette Highest Performers Sweepstakes. Be sure and click the box that says “Yes, I want to receive a FREE Gillette Sample.”

FREE Father's Day card from Shutterfly. You can order a 5x7 card with up to nine photos in matte or satin finish. There is a limit of one per customer with the coupon code: CARD4U. You will have to pay shipping at a cost of $1.05, and the card will be shipped to you. This offer is available through June 10, 2009.

Click here to get .80 off 3 boxes of Hamburger Helper. This site has a limit on the number of coupons for each item so print now before they're gone.

Go here for Walgreens Weekly Match-Ups

Go here for info about Free Bar-S hot dogs and Banana Boat Sunscreen at Wal-Mart.

Behind

I know, I am terribly behind and I so apologize. I will get a new post up this afternoon, thanks for being loyal and stopping by!

Deals of the Day

3 oz. and 6 oz. kid-sized vanilla soft serve cones are only $0.88 at all participating Baskin-Robbins locations through May 25.

Click here for Johnson's baby coupon printables.

Click here for Wendy's B1G1!

Click here to sign up for 2 FREE regualr size cookies and a FREE medium soft drink. I'd better tell my husband to do the same!

Sara Lee is 50% off at Kroger. Look at these possibilities:

Sara Lee Cheese Cake: 17-19oz: $2.49 Use $1/1 in 5/17 Red Plum insert Final Price = $1.49
Sara Lee Pound Cake: $1.84 Use $1/1 in 5/17 Red Plum insert Final Price = .84 each
Sara Lee Cheese Cake Bites: $1.99 Use $1/1 in 5/17 Red Plum insert Final Price = .99 each

FREE Reynold's cookbooks: Delicious Family Meals for Less, Signature Family Recipes, and The Way Mama Cooked It

Free tote filled with coupons and samples at Target.

Click here to get your $5 off of $25 coupon. Remember to use it before using your other coupons or your balance may drop below $25.

Quiznos- sign up here for coupons and a free cookie on your birthday.

FREE Oscar Mayer hot dogs. Click here for your coupon. I can't type that name without singing the song O-S-C-A-R....M-A-Y-E-R

Don't forget it is Weekly Ad Wednesday. If you don't get the newspaper, simply look up your grocery store ads online. If you're new to my site, I have a spreadsheet where I track all the prices that my local stores charge on about 400 items. I sit down with my spreadsheet and my ads every Wednesday and I write all the prices that each store has listed. That way I KNOW when I am getting a good deal. For example, Excedrin Migraine is 7.99 (100 count) at Kroger, 6.99 (100) at Target, 6.99 at WalGreens (40-50) and 4.79 (24) at CVS.

Coupon Fever is Contagious

So my husband (who stays home with the kids) had to run to Wal-Mart today. I am so proud of him. He not only browsed through the coupon organizer, but he also took the Target ad with him to get price matching. Here are the savings he got for us:

Band-Aids 2.50 used a coupon for .50
Neosporin on the Go 3.87 used a coupon for $1.00
Off Clip-On (he knows that mosquitoes feast on me) 6.88 used a $2.00 coupon
Huggies wipes 2.49 price match Target ad 1.99 used a .75 coupon!

He saved us $4.74 off of a $15 purchase.
Just think, we didn't even use coupons a little over a month ago!
Every coupon counts. Pennies make dollars!


How much can you save in one month? I challenge you to set aside a place for all of your receipts and log in your savings for a whole month. I haven't logged all of my receipts but I know that in the last 3 weeks, we have saved well over $30. How much do you think you can save in a year?

My First Blog Award

I'm really grateful to Deal Fanatic for giving me this award. She said she liked my blog because it is simple and easy to follow.

Here are the rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I will be passing it along to:
Aggieland Bargain Mom for posting about deals other than groceries and coupons
A Thrifty Mom
Bargain Briana
"Cents"able Momma
Coupon Cravings
Good or Free Deals
Happy Couponing
In Good 'Cents'
Living as Mom
Mommies with Cents
Southwest Coupon Clipper
Stretching a Buck
The Centsible $awyer
The Deal Mom
918 Coupon Queen

Deals of the Day

Did you clip the $1 for 1 coupon from 5/3? Well, the travel size is .97 at Target so you can use your coupon to get it free. You can print one here.

Click here for more info on FREE Hefty bags.

Kraft has reset their coupons. You should be able to print them once and then hit your back browser button a few times and they will print one more time. Click here to print them on coupons.com. For a complete list, click here.

The June issue of All You has over $112 in coupons. For a complete list of coupons, click here.

DiGiorno has given away all of their coupons for FREE flatbread melts but you can click here for a $1.50 coupon.

Please visit Coupon Mommie for a list of this week's Kroger deals.

How to get great deals at Wal-Mart here.

I did it!

I have officially become a coupon junkie! I used to only buy my groceries from one store (the cheapest in town) and I never used coupons. I made the same excuses as most people, "They don't have coupons for what I buy," or "I don't have time to clip coupons."

What a mistake. Now, I still consider myself a beginner but last week I printed Target coupons and I printed coupons from coupons.com and I matched them up with the sales. That's the way you get the most out of your money.

At Target, I used my $1 off Ritz TARGET coupon and my $1.00 off Ritz manufacturer coupon and got $2.00 off. Most other bloggers posted that their Ritz were $2.50 but our Target charges $2.75. I got a box of Ritz for .75!

We had a Target coupon for $1.00 off of 2 Kool-Aid containers plus 2 $1.00 manufacturer's coupons AND it was on clearance for $2.25 so we got 2 tubs ($4.50) -$3.00 in coupons so we payed $1.50!

At Kroger, we used a $1.00 off barbecue sauce which only cost .99.
Oscar Mayer hot dogs were 2/$3 and we used 2 $1 coupons (because we were buying 2) so we got 2 packages for $1.

I have been a faithful used of Cheer laundry detergent for alomst 20 years but Tide was on sale at Kroger and we had a .35 coupons (which they tripled) so we got a bottle of Tide liquid for $5.99.

That's only the beginning. I can't wait to find out how much money I can save this week!

I'll post my Deals of the Day a little later today....I have a super long to-do list.

Couponing 101

Why would you pay full price when you don't have to?

I have found video clips from when "Be Cents Able" was on Good Morning America and they show you how easy it is to coupon (is that a verb?).

The video box looks small while it is loading (and it takes a long time to load) but you will be amazed and I guarantee you will learn something. You should also watch the other little clips that are below the main story.

If you like this story, you MUST go to 918 Coupon Queen to see how one reader's total at Target came to $87.00. Amy saved $79.87 with coupons. Her out of pocket cost was only $7.13!

Happy Saving!

Free-On the Border, AMC popcorn, Hawaiian Tropic, and more!

Join On The Border's Club Cantina and get an instant coupon for a free bowl of Queso or free Empanadas when you sign up now.

Free popcorn at any AMC. Print your coupon here.

Free Hawaiian Tropic sample here.

Click here for your free sample of Kellogg's All-Bran

Today's Finds

Kirkland's is having a sale this Friday only where lots of items are only $5

Sentiment Stakes $5

Photo cubes $5

FREE sample of Don't Bite Me. Send your address info to this address.

This lady knows how to shop!

Centsable Momma has info on B1G1 DVDs.

Wal-Mart has a new sample available. Click here for a free sample of Bodycology lotion in coconut lime or brown sugar vanilla.

Coupon Cravings said Arby's is having freebie Wednesdays:Starting today, you’ll be able to take advantage of a great “free with purchase” offer every week, and in many cases you only need to purchase a soft drink!No coupon is necessary. However, you may want to call ahead to ask if your local Arby’s is participating in this promotion.

Here are the freebies for May:5/13: Free Roastburger with Any Soft Drink Purchase5/20: Free Chocolate Malt Swirl Shake with Any Sandwich Purchase5/27: Free Regular Roast Beef Sandwich with Any Soft Drink Purchase

Kraft is having another promotion where you can win one of the following:

a digital camera

Coleman road trip party grill

S'Mores kit

Don't forget to try every day until Spetember 14.

FREE Orange Julius smoothie on May 19th with this coupon. I had no idea these stores were still around, we don't have them here in Aggieland.

Weekly Ad Wednesday

Grocery Store Ads come out today which means I'll be busy with my spreadsheet comparing prices.

Don't forget to match up your coupons with what is on sale to get the best deal possible. And don't forget about stores that double and triple coupons.

Coupons.com just released tons of new coupons so if you haven't already, print yours today.

And don't forget to go to Kraft to print more great coupons!

Go here to have coupons added to your Kroger card, just swipe at check-out.

Or here to add coupons to your grocery card.

Add Proctor & Gamble coupons here.

And here are more by Shortcuts.com.

Betty Crocker coupons.

Go here to print Target coupons which you CAN use with the other coupons and get deals like these:

Ritz Crackers: $2.50Use $1/1 printable or printableUse $1/1 Target PrintableFinal Price: 50¢

Kraft Salad Dressing $1.59 (Buy 2 for deal)Use (2) $1/1 printable or printableUse $1 off Target PrintableFinal Price: 9¢/each

Kraft Salad Dressing $1.59 (Buy 2 for deal)Use (2) $1/1 printable or printableUse $1 off Target Printable Final Price: 49¢/each

Easy Mac & Cheese Single Serve Cups 77¢ (Buy 2 for deal)Use $1/1 printable or printable Final Price: 27¢/each

Buy (1) Crystal Light Drink Mix & (1) Crystal Light Skin Essentials @ $2.99Use $1/1 AND Buy 1 Drink Mix, Get Crystal Light Essentials FREE printable or printableUse (2) $1 off Target Printable (If your store allows this!)Final Price: FREE

Triscuit Crackers $2.04Use $1/1 printable or printable Final Price: $1.04

Wheat Thin Crackers $2.04Use $1/1 printable or printable Final Price: $1.04

Ritz Bits $2Use $1/1 printable or printable Final Price: $1

Deals of the Day

Free ice cream. If you have a Haagen Daz ice cream shop nearby (we don't), they are giving free ice cream tonight 4-8.

A Thrifty Mom has the details on getting FREE Kraft Bagelfuls at Albertson's. We don't have an Albertson's but maybe your store would price match. Scroll down on her page to see how she bough 10 MAc and Cheese cups AND Breyer's ice cream and payed only $1.74! Scroll down some more for 9 packages of paper towels for $1.98.

Aggieland Bargain Mom has free Auntie Anne's pretzels info.

Bargain Briana has B1G1 free Snapple as well as details on getting a box of Ritz Crackers for .50 after coupons, Kraft salad dressing for .09 a.c., Mac and Cheese single serving cups .27 a.c., and more great deals.

FREE L'Oreal Advance Revitalift Deep Wrinkle Repair here. Click on the "Banish Wrinkles" tab at the bottom.

Coupon Cravings has details about FREE Pert Plus for men.

It's Hip 2 Save got some amazing deals with coupons at Wal-Mart. Click here to see what freebies she got.

Money Saving Thoughts....

"Cents"able Momma has a great post today about being "Brand Loyal" vs getting the best price.
Anyone who knows me would agree that I have always been about getting the best price. When I was 16 I had to start paying for most of my things on my own so I got a job. I took an additional job each summer as a lifeguard. I payed for just about everything for myself. My parents payed for my first year of college and that was it. I was on my own. I worked and bought as little as possible. I learned early on about the value of a dollar and to this day, I am careful about all of my purchases.

Centsable Momma also talks about the CVS game. If you are a CVS shopper or would like to learn the game to getting things for free. Read this.

I am a planner. Big time. Like OCD planner. I have lists and lists to keep me organized. I plan my menus 3-4 weeks at a time (not to the exact day but enough meals to last awhile). As I plan, I make notes about which meals require browned ground beef, browned ground beef with onion, raw ground beef, and browned ground beef with taco seasoning. I buy my ground beef in bulk (money saving right there) and when I get home, my husband divides the meat by the pound and I get busy cooking the meat accordingly and freezing it. What a time saver that has become too! It also saves pennies on washing dishes because you use the same pan at least 5 times without having to wash it. I do the same thing for ground breakfast sausage and chicken! When we buy chicken, we buy it in the big bags like at Sam's and I will get my husband to grill it all....divide it according to my recipes, and freeze it. For great ground beef recipes, click here. For chicken recipes click here.

Planning for weeks ahead keeps you out of the store and keeps you from buying items not on your list. In my case, it keeps my sanity, our store is always packed because of the great deals.

Planning for weeks ahead keeps you from eating out when you just don't know what to have for dinner. Another money saver.

Planning for weeks ahead saves gas money....at least in our case....we live almost 20 minutes from the best priced grocery store.

Another one of my recent obsessions is cooking in mass and freezing for later. Again, you wash the dishes once but have 2 or more meals. Large quantity meals are also great for sharing with a friend who just had a baby. I haven't posted all of my freezer recipes but here are a few. Freezer meals are perfect for busy families. By the end of the month I will have 8 meals in the freezer and I plan on using them on those days when we are out at the pool all day and I don't feel like cooking a thing.

Let me know if you have tips and I'll gladly share with everyone!

Deals of the Day

You've come to the right place for freebies and good deals. Here are the bargains of the day:

Free Smoothie King when you sign up for their newsletter here. Free sample of Head & Shoulders here.

Redbox code for a free DVD (today): 6A43JK Today is the last Monday in the free Monday promotion.

Kellogg's printable $1 coupons (print 2) here.

Kraft printable coupons. Remember to hit the back button and hit refresh so you can print them twice.

A Thrifty Mom has tips on how to get FREE Kraft salad dressing and Kraft BBQ sauce: In my area we got a $1.50 off Kraft Salad Dressing coupon in yesterdays smart source. If these are still on roll back at Walmart you can get it for .08 cents a bottle. Or you can buy 4 at Albertsons for $10.00 get the instant $3.00 off use 4 coupons and walk away paying $1.00 for 4 bottles. Both a great deal.

Use the coupon from $1.00 coupons.com on Kraft BBQ sauce at Walmart it is .97 cents making it free. Or you can buy it at ALbertsons for .70 cents each with the coupon FREE….buy 6 bottles and get back a $3.00 catalina making it a money maker deal!

She also has some great Target deals.

Hobby Lobby has their 40% off coupon available again. Sign up for their email and they'll automatically send you the coupon. I NEVER pay full price at Hobby Lobby or Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Did you know BB&B will honor expired coupons and you can use as many coupons at one purchase as you'd like? LOVE BB&B!

Visit my friend Aggieland Bargain Mom to find out about great deals on New Balance shoes...70% off and free Hallmark cards.

Bargain Briana has details on getting Swiffer for almost free.

Take this printable coupon to Bath & Body Works to get a FREE Signature Collection Body Care or Home Fragrance Item (up to a $12 value) with any $15 purchase. This coupon is valid through 5/31.

My Trip to the Grocery Store

Well, I'm no pro, YET! But I plan on getting there soon.

This was the first time I planned my menu based on the store's sales and my coupons. I shopped at H-E-B because for the most part, they have the best prices in town. Occasionally Kroger will have something on sale that beats H-E-B's price but I am not going to make a special trip across town for one item, PLUS, most stores price match so I could always take Kroger's ad with me and get the same price at H-E-B.

For those of you who don't know, I just started clipping coupons about 3 weeks ago. We only grocery shop about every 3 weeks so today was the first time I got to use my new knowledge. I am quite proud of myself. My total before coupons was $170.47. My coupon value was $13.40 and my grand total was $157.07 for almost a month's worth of meals. We will have to refill on items such as milk, lunch meat, bread, and apple juice. If I save $13.40 every month, that's $160.80 saved a year!

That $157.07 includes T-bone steaks on sale for $3.97/lb and Pork Baby Back Ribs for $1.97/lb. It also includes an 18-pack of beer and some popsicles for the kids, all of which we normally don't buy but it's summertime! If you subtract those items, the total would have been $124.20 for a month's worth of food!

My coupon savings included:
Skintimate Shave Gel: $2.25. In-store coupon .75 AND a coupon from the paper for .75.
Final cost: $ .75

Voila Three Cheese Chicken Dinner meals: $3.49 each - $1.00 in store coupons
Final cost: $ 2.49 for a whole meal plus you can add some fruit. I stocked up on these. They come in handy on dance night.

Bird's Eye Bagged Veggies: $1.68 - coupon .40
Final cost: $1.28

Pillsbury Toaster Strudels: $1.89 each - $1.00 off 2 -in store coupon
Final cost: $ 1.39 each I bought 6 and I wonder if I should have gotten more.

I also used a few Pillsbury coupons that I planned my meals on such as .40 off pizza crust; .50 off any two- cinnamon rolls and crescent rolls; and .50 off any two- bread loaf and bread sticks.

If you are just getting started yourself, I want to mention that now I will sit down with my receipt and add the prices of the items I bought to my price comparison spreadsheet. It is very important to know your prices. I will be happy to email the spreadsheet to you so that you can see for yourself the price differences at HEB, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, Target, and Wal-Mart. I sit down with the Sunday paper ads each week and add the prices that they have advertised.

Don't Throw Away Your Coupons

I have learned a valuable lesson. On Sundays when I clip coupons, I usually don't save them ALL. I am trying to stay clutter-free. So last Sunday I DID NOT save the $4 coupon for this Febreeze kit. BIG MISTAKE! Southwest Coupon Clipper posted about her fabulous find:

Febreze Noticeables - regularly $10.37 on rollback at Wal-Mart - $4.84 (in Houston)
-$4/1 PG 5/3
Final Cost = .84

I can't stop!

Why pay full price? It seems like there are hundreds of blogs out there on ways you can save money. I have found several new savings blogs that may be of interest to you. I have listed them here and will be adding them to my blogroll on the right-hand side.

Be Centsable
Clever Homemaking
The Coupon Mommie
Craving A Good Deal
Craving the Savings
Deal Fanatic
Deal Seeking Mom
Good or Free Deals
I Heart Wags (Walgreens)
In Good "Cents"
Jen's Super Savings
KHOU Coupon Contessa
Living As Mom
Money Saving Mom
Steals and Deals
Stretching A Buck
Sweeties Swag
The Centsible Sawyer
The Freebie Blogger
The Thrifty Mama
My Savings

Coupon Books

Everyone should find coupon books in their community. I am talking about those books that different organizations are selling as a fundraiser. We bought one last year with over $6,000 in coupons for $39.95 and I tracked most of our discounts in the back. We saved more than $150. Just last week we had a tire blow-out and we used a 50% off for a computer alignment. That saved us $40. If you live in Texas, go to this site and click on your area to see what coupons are being offered. The site will also tell you which organizations will benefit from your purchase.

Also, in the fall, we bought a small discount card from one of the soccer clubs in town. It cost $5 and has coupons for 3 B1G1 ice cream at Maggie Moo's, 3 B1G1 Freebird's, 3 free kid's meals at Texas Roadhouse, 3 B1G1 at Chicken Express, 3 buy up to 12 peproni rolls at Double Daves and get the same free, and many more.

If you live in a college town, check the local university bookstores at the beginning of each semester. When I was a student, we went into the bookstores just to stock up on these free coupon books. I am not sure if they are still distributed here or not.

Here is the link for the Entertainment Book.

Deals of the Day

A&M Season Tickets to Football, Basketball, and Baseball for the next 10 years! Click here.

Now, if you win, I think it's only fair to let me go to some of the games too;)

Buy one get one free at Freebird's! Click here.

The Container Store has 15% off for teachers now through September. Please share this with the teachers in your life.

Free Gillette Razor here. It's the first 500 each day so start early!

Online codes for Gymboree here at my friend Aggieland Bargain Mom's site.

Just in time for Mother's Day, tomorrow, May 9, your child can make this at Lowe's Build and Grow clinic. Click here for more info and registration.

Michael's is also having free make and takes for Mother's Day. See here.

Free samples of Aqua Fresh Extreme Clean here. A certificate will pop up to be printed so make sure your printer is able to run the free, safe coupon printer software.

FREE Redbox movie rentals at Walgreens (I don't know if Aggieland's Walgreens have these but I know McDonald's does). Enter code: DVDATWAG at your Walgreens redbox -not sure of expiration.There is also another code that is supposed to work at Mcdonalds Redbox’s, but I can’t full confirm it yet. The code is: mcdlex55 and it’s supposed to be valid until the 13th.

FREE Taste of Home magazine here.

Check out Southwest Coupon Clipper (fellow Aggie and Houstonian) for more great deals.

Coming soon: How to save money when eating out. This will include a list of places where kids eat free!

Great deals- Burger King and Kirkland's

Stephen had a blow out on the way home from work last night...on a dark, country road. We ran to Burger King for lunch today while they put 2 new tires on our van and gave us an alignment (which we used coupons for). We almost didn't go to BK because I don't like how they charge so much more than Mickey D's. But we haven't been there in a long time and BK is my fav so we went.

Kids' Meals are .99 with the purchase of an adult value meal! They're usually $3.29. So it wasn't more than Mickey D's after all. The cashier didn't know how long they'll be doing this.

Kirkland's is having a great sale this week and if you sign up for their email, you'll get a coupon for $10 off of purchases that are $50 or more. Sentiment frames are $6.99 each, monogrammed flag sets for your garden are just $9.99, a quilted-zippered cosmetic tote is only $6.99, and some precious cross bookmarks are only $3.99. Those adorable coffee mugs are $10.99 each.

Today's Finds

First of all, I have added about 4 or 5 links to the right-hand side. I was comparing my "bookmarked" links to the ones I had listed and found a few that I had left off of my blog so please be sure and check out my sources on the right or just read here and I'll tell you all the finds of the day.

Don't forget grocery store ads came out yesterday so after I post here, I am going to get out my spreadsheet and start documenting prices and comparing deals plus matching the coupons I have to what is on sale.

Outback Steakhouse is giving Moms a $10 gift card on their next visit when they eat there on Mother's Day. That's not really my kind of deal but if it's yours, go for it.

Centsable Momma has a preview of the coupons that will be in this Sunday's paper.

She also has a great article about stocking up on items when their prices are at rock bottom.

Happy Couponing has info on Mom's eat free at Grandy's and Texas de Brazil.

918 Coupon Queen has Mother's Day Coupons and Deals such as:

Free breakfast and coffee at IKEA.

A meal deal at Johnny Carino's.

Some Bath and Body Works Deals

A Thrifty Mom has Albertson's deals like 4 Easy Macs and 6 bottles of barbecue sauce for $1.22TOTAL and Honey Bunches of Oats for $1

Coupons for $1 off 12 packs of Coke products here. I'll be printing lots of these.

Aggieland Bargain Mommy (my good friend) has free sunglasses, a $25 off coupon for Bloomingdale's, and some info on Kohl's deals.

All Things Frugal has FREE CHOCOLATE by Mars. Who doesn't love chocolate? Well, my husband doesn't.

Bargain Briana has Whole Foods sale prices and free TCBY on Mother's Day. We don't have TCBY here so go check out her site for details.

Coupon Cravings has free samples of John Frieda shampoo here.

Couponing 101 has free strawberries at Tom Thumb and Safeway. We don't have either of those stores here, bummer. She also has a picture showing how she saved 90% at Target.

Free Stuff Times has a free gift at Avenue tomorrow. Free first aid kit to Texans only.

It's Hip to Save has info on $50 coupons from Kraft.

Mommies With Cents has free dessert for Mom's at Friday's.

Southwest Coupon Clipper has a new coupon toolbar and her Target deals as well.

If you know of a deal that I have not covered, please leave me a note!

Free Sample- Pull Ups and more

Wal-Mart offers different samples almost daily. Go here to sign up for free Huggies Pull-Ups. You can also download some fun reward cards or create a potty training progress chart. More free samples are available such as TENA, GoodNites underpants, Awaken 3x Healthier Hair, Zyrtec, Nicoderm, and Crest White Strips. If you click on the orange arrow that says, "free samples" you will get different choices. I have found Cottonelle toilet paper and Always pads.

Free:

Banana Boat Sport Travel Size Sunscreen......

Chili's Chips and Queso when you join their email club here.

3 Lysol products after rebate here. Scroll down.

Cinnabon for nurses May 6-12. Click here.

Mini cookbook here. Sign up for email and receive free downloadable immediately.

Look for Hershey Bliss bars and small bags of Chex Mix for just 99¢ by the registers at Target. Use the $1/1 Target Qs to get them for FREE! Thanks Couponing 101!

8x10 at Walgreens today.

Tons more freebies here at Frugal Coupon Living.

Almost free at Wal-Mart click here.