Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Couponers!

I know posts have been far and few between (due to the holiday season), but beginning in January, expect to see more deals, steals and bargains posted on a weekly basis. 

As we go into the New Year, I hope you'll join me in working even harder to become faithfully frugal. As Christ followers, we are called to be wise with our money - giving our first ten percent to God and then wisely investing the rest. Proverbs 21:5 (NLT) says, "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty." Simple tasks like planning your shopping trips, clipping coupons and waiting for items to go on sale as opposed to making impulse purchases, help you and your family prosper. And God will bless you - that alone is worth the time you set aside!

Becoming faithfully frugal requires discipline, too. Proverbs 13:18 (NIV) says, "He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored." And Proverbs 19:20 (NIV) reminds us to, "Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise." I don't know about you, but I'd like to considered wise!

Perhaps it goes without saying, but it's important to remember that when couponing interferes with our time with Christ or with our families, it quickly can become an idol. There has to be a middle ground, and finding that perfect balance is tricky.

Sure, money is the root of all evil. But it's not money that's evil - it's the focus on money that's evil. It's the attention you give it. And let's face it - when you coupon, you are lending your eyes, ears and attention to money (the money that you want to save). So be tread carefully. There's a balance. And when you find that place, you can be a blessing to your family and to others through your giving! There are few things more freeing or more rewarding than being able to give of your resources.

So let this be an encouragement to you as you embark into the New Year. Let's make a commitment together to plan out our shopping trips, to coupon diligently and to discipline ourselves financially. By becoming faithfully frugal we can become an incredible blessing to our families, pay down debt faster, put more money into the bank and live in greater freedom. And when we are living in freedom, we become available to what Christ would have us do.

So Merry Christmas! May this season bring you great joy and peace that follows you into the New Year.

Rite Aid Almost-Free Vitamins

Swing by Rite Aid to pick up Centrum Vitamins this weekend. Several are on sale for $9.99 (regularly $11.99) and you get $3 UP+ Rewards for each one you purchase. Want to make the deal even sweeter? If you purchase one Centrum Vitamin (Excludes Centrum Specialist & ProNutrients) AND one Centrum ProNutrients Product, you can submit for a $5.00 rebate online at riteaid.com
You must purchase both products to qualilfy towards rebate.

I purchased a Centrum Vitamins (100 ct) for Women under 50 and a Centrim ProNutrient for my husband's knee. Each were $9.99 and I used a $3/1 Centrum Vitamin coupon and a $5/1 Centrum ProNutrient coupon. I paid $11.98 out of pocket and received two $3 UP+ Rewards ($6), plus a $5 Rebate. When all is said and done it's as if I got $23.98 in vitamins for only $0.98!!

So once the snow stops, go snag a couple for yourself!

shaws tyson chicken

Shaws has Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips on sale this week for only $4.99 (regularly $9.49). They are typically at Market Basket for $6.49, so this is an incredible deal. And believe me when I say that the chicken is so, so good. Eric and I bake the strips and throw them on top of a salad for a quick dinner during the week. 

And what makes this an even better deal is that I had $0.75/1 coupons which doubled to $1.50 making each bag only $3.49! Shaws doubles up to four like coupons, so I grabbed four bags and headed to the register. I'd be shocked to come across a better deal for these chicken strips (so good!)

stop and shop

Tonight it was if the entire store was half off. It wasn't the best savings I've racked up, but that doesn't mean there weren't some fantastic deals out there. Here's the breakdown*:

General Mills Cereal is on sale for $2.50 each. You have to buy four boxes to get that price. I bought four 1lb. boxes (not the little boxes, kids), used a $0.50/1 box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and a $1/3 General Mills cereal coupon. Four boxes for $8. (Originally would have cost $15.76 at full price. Boxes ranged from $3.79-$4.19 each.). You could get the boxes for much cheaper. For instance, you can use two $0.50/1 (which double to $1.00) on two boxes of Cheerios and two $0.50/1 on Cinnamon Toast Crunch). The total then would have been only $6.00. But my hubby loves Lucky Charms (and so do I!), so I paid the extra couple bucks to score the ones we wanted most. Also, you may notice that on the front of the boxes, with the purchase of two boxes, you get two free movie tickets! Major score.

Yoplait Yogurt (originally $0.75 each) is on sale for $0.50 each. I bought 10 and used a $1.00/10 coupon. Ten cartons for only $9.00.

*FREEBIE ALERT* The Yoplait yogurt sale also includes Yoplait Simplait yogurt. If you use a $0.30/1 coupon, you get one carton for free, plus $0.10 overage which applies toward the rest of your grocery bill! I only had one coupon, but I hope to find more printables online and go back for this incredible deal.

Hood Fat Free Country Creamer was not on sale, but it was only $1.39. And with a $0.50/1 coupon which doubles to $1.00, I got cream for my morning coffee for only $0.39.

Koffee Kup Hoagie Potato Rolls weren't on sale either. But I needed them for Eric's tuna sandwiches this week. They were only $2.99 with your card, which isn't bad for this brand.

You'll notice I got two packs of Energizer batteries. My Christmas garland requires three D batteries and these were on sale for $3.49 each (originally $5.29). With a $0.50/1 coupon, I got both for $5.98. If you have two $0.50/1 coupons, you can steal an even better deal!

Finish Quantum Tablets were on sale for $3.49 (originally $3.49). I used a $0.75/1 coupon making these only $1.99 after the coupon doubles.

Knorr Gravy mixes were on sale for $1.00 each (originally $1.75). With a $1.00/2 coupon, they are only $0.50 each.

Lime Away is essential for cleaning our shower (thank you, Hudson hard water which stains everything). It is originally $3.39 but was on sale for $2.39. I had a $0.50/1 coupon making this only $1.39 after doubling!

I needed black pepper and had a coupon for $0.50/1 McCormick spice. It was $1.99 at Stop and Shop and after the coupon doubled, it was only $0.99.

Ortega Taco Seasoning was on sale for $0.80 each (originally $0.93 each). I used a $0.50/2 coupon making these $0.30 each or $0.60 for both.

Stop and Shop branded hot cocoa was on sale for $1.39 (orginally $1.50). No, no coupon. Just a shopper craving chocolate!

Nestle Toll House Ultimate Cookies were on sale for $2.50 (originally $2.99). I used a $0.75/1 coupon which doubles to $1.50 making these delicious cookies only $1.00.

Tasti Lee Tomatoes were $2 per pound (originally $2.49/lb.). Just on sale and I'm making salads tonight :)

And lastly, there were coupons in the Stop and Shop flyer. They were valid only if you spent $25 after coupons. The coupons were for a Free Coca-Cola 2 liter, limit 1; A 4lb. bag of navel oranges for $1.69; A carton of Friendly's Ice Cream for $1.69 and a coupon for $1.99 on 80% ground beef. I purchased Friendly's Cookie Dough Ice Cream (originally $3.19, on sale for $2.50, but with coupon only $1.69). I also grabbed a 4lb. bag of oranges, a tray of 80% ground beef (originally $9.34, on sale for $7.00, only $4.66) and FREE Sprite (not pictured)!

Total Retail: $82.18
Total After Coupons: $41.66
Gas Rewards Earned: 42


*All sale prices are effective only with a Stop and Shop card. Click here to enroll now! (It's free!) All deals are valid through Thursday, December 6, 2012.

preview: black friday freebies

One of my first stops on Black Friday will be JC Penny. Although I'm super disappointed they aren't giving away mini snowglobes this year (my mom and I have at least a decade's worth!), they are giving away buttons. But not ordinary buttons. Buttons that have a special code on the back that may win you one of thousands of gifts. Just enter the code at jcp.com/christmas to see if you've won!

Michael's is giving away a free Godiva chocolate bar to the first 100 customers.

Half Price Books is giving away a free tote back with a free $5 gift card. And cross your fingers! One of the bags has a $100 gift card!

Sam's Club is giving away free Starbucks coffee and pastries to its members.

If only there was an AC Moore store where my parent's live (where I'll be on Black Friday)! They are giving away $5 gift cards to the first 100 people in line. 

The first 80 people in line at Sports Authority will get Bonus Bucks (worth up to $500!) 

On Thanksgiving night at 8 pm Toys 'R' Us is giving a goodie bag filled with $30 worth of stocking stuffers to the first 80 people in line. Cool deal, but do you really want to shop on Thanksgiving? 

If you dare to stand in the line that traditionally wraps all the way around the store, Kohl's is giving away $15 Kohl's cash with every purchase of $50 or more.

Bath and Body Works is giving away a $100 VIP bag of goodies with qualifying purchase. I don't know what that "qualifying purchase" is yet, but you better believe I'm checking the papers tomorrow!

Thanks to mydollarplan and bfads.net for helping me compile this list of (favorite) FREE gifts available on Black Friday. Visit their site to learn about free-after-rebate offers and more.

Have you come across any other deals? Share them here!

Free Buttons (Buttons will have a code to enter at jcp.com/christmas to see if you win a gift).

Read more: http://www.mydollarplan.com/black-friday-free-stuff/#ixzz2CtlNeAnS

JPrice Books

• Free Tote Bag & $5 Gift Card to First 100 Customers (One tote bag will have a $100 Gift Card!)
• Bonus: Use your Citi Forward Card for 5x points on books.

JCPenney

• Free Buttons (Buttons will have a code to enter at jcp.com/christmas to see if you win a gift).
• Bonus: Use your Discover More for 5% cashback at department stores.

Michaels

• Free Godiva Bar to First 100 Customers

Sam’s Club

• Free Starbucks Coffee & Pastries

Read more: http://www.mydollarplan.com/black-friday-free-stuff/#ixzz2CtlGnnHK

Half Price Books

• Free Tote Bag & $5 Gift Card to First 100 Customers (One tote bag will have a $100 Gift Card!)
• Bonus: Use your Citi Forward Card for 5x points on books.

JCPenney

• Free Buttons (Buttons will have a code to enter at jcp.com/christmas to see if you win a gift).
• Bonus: Use your Discover More for 5% cashback at department stores.

Michaels

• Free Godiva Bar to First 100 Customers

Sam’s Club

• Free Starbucks Coffee & Pastries

Read more: http://www.mydollarplan.com/black-friday-free-stuff/#ixzz2CtlGnnHK

Half Price Books

• Free Tote Bag & $5 Gift Card to First 100 Customers (One tote bag will have a $100 Gift Card!)
• Bonus: Use your Citi Forward Card for 5x points on books.

JCPenney

• Free Buttons (Buttons will have a code to enter at jcp.com/christmas to see if you win a gift).
• Bonus: Use your Discover More for 5% cashback at department stores.

Michaels

• Free Godiva Bar to First 100 Customers

Sam’s Club

• Free Starbucks Coffee & Pastries

Read more: http://www.mydollarplan.com/black-friday-free-stuff/#ixzz2CtlGnnHK

free chicken

I accidentally stumbled upon a great deal this week while stopping at Market Basket to pick up a couple items. Now through Saturday, 30 oz. jugs of Hellman's mayo are on sale for $2.99. Combine it with a $1.00/1 coupon and you've got a stellar deal. (This is a perfect example of why you should carry you coupons with you!) But it gets better. Because hanging next to the jars on the bottom shelf were coupons for $1.50 off chicken with the purchase of one Hellman's mayo!

So I snagged a jar and headed over to the meat department. There was a manager's special on drumsticks, so I got a pound and a half for $1.50 (aka. FREE!)

So a 30 oz. jar of mayo for all those turkey and tuna sandwiches I make throughout the week, plus free drumsticks for dinner. And I only paid $1.99 at checkout.

Grab this deal before it's gone!

rite aid - almost free air wick candles

AirWick Candles are on sale this week at Rite Aid for $2.50 each (2$/5). If you buy two, you receive a $1 UP+ reward (limit two rewards... so the most you can buy is four candles to get the rewards). Here's a stellar deal idea thanks to Maven of Savin:

Buy four AirWick Candles for $10

Use two $2.00/2 coupons from the Sunday paper
Pay $6.00 at the register and receive two $1 UP+ rewards (like I mentioned above) and a $3 UP+ reward for purchasing $10 in AirWick candles! (The extra UP+ reward prints because there is a monthly promotion going on that is not advertised in the weekly circular.)

So, after all the rewards that print out on your receipt, it's like you're only paying $0.25 per candle (typically around $3.69 each!)

Note: Remember to OPT OUT of the Load2Card feature and have your UP+ rewards print out so you can use them when and how you want. If you don't, they will automatically be deducted from your next purchase (regardless if you want to use them or not).

market basket.

I stocked up today on several items, but plucked a few from my pile to talk about. Here's the breakdown. But before you start, go to hood.com. Now. No, seriously. Go there and print out all their coupons! They are super deals and you'll need them for this trip.And the ones you don't use will come in handy later. So hold tight to them!

Unfortunately these deals are from this week's circular and a new one comes out tomorrow (sorry!). Often, though, Market Basket carries over promotions into the next week, so I wouldn't be shocked if you see some of these deals advertised in the circular tomorrow. Either way, here's the deals:

Hood Country Creamer: Regularly $1.39, On Sale for $0.99. I used one $0.50/1 coupon from Hood.com making my cream only $0.49! You can certainly get more than two, but I know mine will expire before I have a chance to use it all, so I'm holding on to my other coupon.

Hood Sour Cream: Regularly $1.59 each, On Sale for $1.29. I bought two and used $1.00/2 making them only $0.79 each, or two for $1.58!

Eagle Brand Condensed Milk: Regularly $2.49 each, On Sale for $2.00. I bought one and used a $0.50/1 coupon making it only $1.50

Duncan Hines: On Sale $3.00/3 or $1.00 each. I used a printable coupon for $1.00/2, making my cake mix and frosting only $0.50 each or two for $1.00! Stock up now for the holidays!

Smuckers: Regularly $2.50 each, On Sale for $1.50 each. I used a coupon for $1.00/2 making these only $1.00 each!

Progresso Soups: (you'll see this deal quite a bit throughout the winter months): On Sale for $1.00 each. I used a coupon for $1.00/4 making four cans only $0.75 each or $3.00 for four.

Total: Only $8.57!

stop and shop.

Quick stop at Stop and Shop for milk landed me some unexpected deals. Here's the breakdown:

Garlick TruMoo Chocolate Milk Half Gallon: Regularly $2.59, On Sale for $2.00 with Stop and Shop Card. I used one $0.55/1 coupon. which doubled to $1.10.  making the milk only $0.90!

Air Wick Candles: Regularly $3.29, On Sale for $2.50 each. I used $2.00/2, making them $1.50 each or two for $3.00!

Jello Birthday Cake Crunch: Regularly $1.79 each, On Sale for $1.49 each. I bought two and used a $0.80/2 coupon, which doubled to $1.60, making these only $0.69 each or two for $1.38!

Jello Vanilla Pudding: Regularly $2.49, On Sale for $1.94. I bought two and used a $0.80/2 coupon, which doubled to $1.60, making these only $1.14 each or two for $2.28!

Nestle Morsels: Regularly $2.99, On Sale for $2.50. I bought two and used a $0.75/2 coupon, which doubled to $1.50, making these $1.75 each or two for $3.50! Stock up for the holidays!

Domino Sugar (2 lb.): Regularly $2.49, On Sale for $2.00. I bought two and used $0.75/2 coupon, which doubled to $1.50, making these $1.25 each or two for $2.50!

Total: Only $13.56 for $28.69 in groceries

These deals started Thursday and go through next Thursday, November 15. All the coupons I used were from the newspaper, although you may be able to find similar printable coupons online. Get to Stop and Shop this week to stock up on some good deals :)

surf.

Happy day at Market Basket yesterday! Two bottles of 100 fl. oz. laundry detergent and two Sylvania Super Saver (aka. energy-saving) light bulbs for only $2.97!

Here's how I did it:

I printed two coupons for $1.00/1 Sylvania CFL or Super Saver light bulbs here. At Market Basket they had a Manager's Special on Sylvania Super Saver 100 watt light bulbs. The deal? $0.99 each (regularly $1.99)! With my two $1.00/1 coupons, they were free. And I lucked out too... Market Basket didn't adjust the price of the coupon down to $0.99, so I actually made a penny off each light bulb.

The Surf detergent was actually not on sale. I had a rain check for the 100 oz bottle at the sale price of $3.99. But when I got there, I realized that was the regular price. I used a $1.00/1 coupon from the Sunday paper and a Buy One, Get One Free coupon as well, bringing my total for both bottles to $2.99!

Note: I lucked out on this, too. Market Basket doesn't have a formal coupon policy. I wasn't sure if they'd take both coupons since the Buy One Get One Free coupon technically applies to two items. But they rang it up and it worked!

That bring my total to $2.97 for all four items (regularly $11.96). That's a savings of $8.99.

Market Basket's new circular starts tomorrow--so go snag these deals today!

heroes.

Check out this site that has free printable coupons: The Wounded Warrior Project. Click "Savings" to download coupons from brands that support our everyday heroes!

these deals end soon!

Many of you asked me to share how I managed to get $52 in groceries for a mere $12 in change. Well, dear friends, here you have it:

This week (through Thursday) Shaws has General Mills cereal on sale for $1.75 a box (select varieties, and you must buy four boxes to qualify for the savings). Typically, Lucky Charms are $4.29 a box and Cinnamon Toast Crunch is $3.59 a box. I bought:

Two boxes of General Mills Lucky Charm Cereal
Two boxes of General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
 
I then used the following coupons:

One $1.00/2 boxes of General Mills Cereal
Two $0.60/1 box of General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch (which doubles to $1.20 at Shaws! Shaws doubles coupons up to $0.99 and will take four like coupons per transaction.)

So, four boxes at retail would total $16.76. But since I got four boxes, and used my Shaws Reward Card, I got them for $1.75 a box. Then, subtract my coupons: $1.00 off two boxes, $0.60 off one box (doubles to $1.20) and another coupon for $0.60 off one box (also doubles) leaving me with a total of $5.00 for four boxes!

I also bought six bags of Birds Eye Steamfresh Vegetables. They are originally $1.99 per bag but are on sale this week 3 for $5.00. There's also a promotion going on. If you buy three bags, you get three more free! So I printed our four $0.35/1 Birds Eye Coupons here (which double to $0.70 each). I only printed four because Shaws only accepts four of the same coupon during each shopping trip.

Six bags of Birds Eye veggies at retail value would be $11.94. With the promotion and my four coupons (which doubled) I only paid $2.20!

Shaws also had Betty Crocker products on sale. If you bought 5, you got a dozen free eggs. I didn't need eggs, but I did need a few cookie mixes for upcoming holiday parties. So I bought two 17.5oz bags of cookie mix and one box of muffin mix.

The muffin mix is originally $2.99, but was on sale for $2.50. I used a $0.60/1 muffin mix coupon (which doubled to $1.20) and paid only $1.30!

The two cookie mixes are originally $2.79 each on sale for $2.00. I used two $0.60/1 cookie mix coupons (which double to $1.20) and paid only $1.60 for two mixes!

My hubby prefers a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast each morning, so I snagged some Philadelphia Cream Cheese on sale for $1.99 (usually $2.99). I had a coupon for $0.50/1 (which doubled to $1.00) and only paid $0.99.

Eric also loves V8 Fusion (it's the only way to get his fruits and veggies in). They came out with a new flavor and it just so happened to be on sale for $2.00 a bottle (usually $3.99 each). That's the lowest prince I had ever seen. So even though I didn't have a coupon, I snatched them up.

I also had three coupons for free El Monterrey Burritos that a co-worker gave me (we trade unused coupons). They are priced at $1.39 each and were on sale for $1.00 each. With my coupons, they were free!

And lastly, I got the toothpaste free at Rite Aid this week. You get special discounts, deals and promotions when you sign up for their store rewards card. The Colgate Total was on sale for $3.50 each. I had a coupon for $0.75/1 (sorry, Rite Aid doesn't double!), so I got them for $2.75 each. But here's the kicker. I had $6 in UP+ reward money, so I used it to pay for the toothpaste. And because they were running a special on the toothpaste, I got $6 UP+ rewards back (making them free)!


Well, there you have it!

Retail Value:  $51.41
I Paid: $12.84
Total Saved: $38.57 (75%)

I got the majority of this week's coupons at www.coupon.com. For more information about the lingo you see here or to learn more about store rewards, see the Getting Started page for the A-B-C's of couponing. We'll get into greater detail in the coming weeks.

Happy shopping!

welcome.

Well, here it is. The blog. The blog that will follow my crazy couponing adventures and outline how I manage to snag excellent deals for a whole lot less than the retail price tag. There's no point on keeping these deals all to myself when you could scoop up the same savings!

To start things off, I encourage you to check out the Getting Started page to discover eight steps that will put you on the fast track to coupon success. Then just watch for posts. I'll detail each shopping trip while also alerting you of other deals, freebies and more that you may be interested in. And I hope you'll check out other couponing sites like The Krazy Coupon Lady and Mavin of Savin—both are incredible sources for tools, tricks and techniques that will help you along the way (I visit them all the time).

The whole couponing thing may seem overwhelming at first, but don't panic! We'll start off slow and I'll explain all the nitty-gritty details of each transaction. You'll be a addicted in no time at all—you'll be using the lingo in everyday conversations and begin feeling guilty about buying anything at full price ;)