Just a quick reminder (again) that Amazon is STILL running their diaper deal for 30% off when you sign up for Subscribe & Save. PLUS until the end of August you can combine 20% off cards from August Parenting - Early Years magazine, August Parents magazine and September Parenting - Early Years. There are potentially 3 codes you can use at the same time (the codes have to start with different letters so I have heard).
I do have one card from the Sept. Parenting mag. but wish I could find some of the older august ones before they expire. i just keep forgetting to look when i go to town!
If you don't know the details for this, search my blog for the full explanation from July 31 or something.
This blog was created for my friends and family interested in couponing, sale match-ups and saving money.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Kroger & Jewel this week
Well, I checked out Jewel & Kroger's ads for this week (reminder: both of these stores run thurs-wed sales) & this is certainly a week that I am thankful for my stockpile because the sales are skimpy in my opinion.
Jewel:
I saw nothing worth driving to Bloomington for. In fact, we are going to Bmg on Tuesday and I do not plan to stop there. bummer.
Kroger:
They are running their standard 10/$10 sale this week -- their biggest sale type. Remember here too that you DO NOT have to buy 10 items, each one will ring up as $1 on its own.
Here are the $1 items that are a good or at least decent price:
~Kroger flour (i need some too!)
~Kroger bread (WAY better quality than IGA bread - I bought some at IGA in a pinch last week and have totally regretted it; it just falls apart)
~Kroger tortilla chips (we have been averaging about 3 bags a week due to amazing fresh salsa we've been plowing through - thanks for the lessons, Jill!!)
~Kroger toaster treats - these have the best flavor for generic pop-tarts in my opinion, so if your kids like pop-tarts and you're tired of paying the price, try these.
~Hunts snack packs (pudding or jello) - I did the math and at $1 it is cheaper to buy these than to buy a box of pudding mix and make it yourself w/milk. FYI.
~Kroger spaghetti sauce
~Goldfish crackers - bummer that there is no coupon to go along with this sale, those help.
Kroger's veg. oil is $1.99 - anything under $2 for veg oil is a fair price.
Gatorade G2 is $0.79 - when i was at eureka IGA last week they had some Gatorade G2 coupons - I didn't pick any up & forget the amt (probably 0.50/2), but it would have to make for a good deal with this sale if you got some.
I'm sure I missed a few good things, but at a glance this is all I saw. I will not be going this week since I did end up going last week to get in on the Fiber One bar deal. (seriously could not help myself -- pretty sure the van drove there on its own). ANYWAY, I spent $50 last week for about $250 of groceries including milk, bread, fruit, caprisun & pringles for lunches, tortilla chips, yogurt, strawberries for making jam and 20 boxes of Fiber 1 bars so this week I HAVE to stay home.
I will look at CVS's ad later and try to write about that too. I really do try to "shop eureka first", but they just need better sale prices! I would like to contact the store owner and see if I can help them write their ads. Anyone have a contact for that?? I would seriously love it if you do.
It was good to see you last night Ashley! Thanks for the reminder to get back in here :0) Enjoy your weekend.
Jewel:
I saw nothing worth driving to Bloomington for. In fact, we are going to Bmg on Tuesday and I do not plan to stop there. bummer.
Kroger:
They are running their standard 10/$10 sale this week -- their biggest sale type. Remember here too that you DO NOT have to buy 10 items, each one will ring up as $1 on its own.
Here are the $1 items that are a good or at least decent price:
~Kroger flour (i need some too!)
~Kroger bread (WAY better quality than IGA bread - I bought some at IGA in a pinch last week and have totally regretted it; it just falls apart)
~Kroger tortilla chips (we have been averaging about 3 bags a week due to amazing fresh salsa we've been plowing through - thanks for the lessons, Jill!!)
~Kroger toaster treats - these have the best flavor for generic pop-tarts in my opinion, so if your kids like pop-tarts and you're tired of paying the price, try these.
~Hunts snack packs (pudding or jello) - I did the math and at $1 it is cheaper to buy these than to buy a box of pudding mix and make it yourself w/milk. FYI.
~Kroger spaghetti sauce
~Goldfish crackers - bummer that there is no coupon to go along with this sale, those help.
Kroger's veg. oil is $1.99 - anything under $2 for veg oil is a fair price.
Gatorade G2 is $0.79 - when i was at eureka IGA last week they had some Gatorade G2 coupons - I didn't pick any up & forget the amt (probably 0.50/2), but it would have to make for a good deal with this sale if you got some.
I'm sure I missed a few good things, but at a glance this is all I saw. I will not be going this week since I did end up going last week to get in on the Fiber One bar deal. (seriously could not help myself -- pretty sure the van drove there on its own). ANYWAY, I spent $50 last week for about $250 of groceries including milk, bread, fruit, caprisun & pringles for lunches, tortilla chips, yogurt, strawberries for making jam and 20 boxes of Fiber 1 bars so this week I HAVE to stay home.
I will look at CVS's ad later and try to write about that too. I really do try to "shop eureka first", but they just need better sale prices! I would like to contact the store owner and see if I can help them write their ads. Anyone have a contact for that?? I would seriously love it if you do.
It was good to see you last night Ashley! Thanks for the reminder to get back in here :0) Enjoy your weekend.
CVS 08/29-09/04
Well, for as faithful as CVS has been the last few weeks, this week is a total bummer for me. I will probably make one trip at some point during the week just because I can't stay away, but not many good deals.
Here is what I saw:
Phillips headphones $6.99 - get $6.99 ECB
I would only do this if a) i needed the headphones or b) i needed to "renew" some ECBs I already had. I prefer not to buy items not useful to me or someone I know unless they "make" money.
Campbells Condensed soups on sale $1/2
use 0.50/2 coupon to get these for 0.25 each. That is a GREAT price for condensened soup. If you need a lot, there is also $1/4 Q on the same link. I printed both to get 6.
Nestle Pure Life Water 24-pack $2.77 Limit 3
Use $1/2 Nestle Pure Life Purified Water Multi-Packs
Pay $2.27 per pack when you buy 2 after coupon
I am not sure about the milk status for this coming week. I haven't seen an actual paper ad yet, but it sure is worth it to get milk there ($1.79 after ECB for 1 gallon when they have the ECB deal running).
Here is what I saw:
Phillips headphones $6.99 - get $6.99 ECB
I would only do this if a) i needed the headphones or b) i needed to "renew" some ECBs I already had. I prefer not to buy items not useful to me or someone I know unless they "make" money.
Campbells Condensed soups on sale $1/2
use 0.50/2 coupon to get these for 0.25 each. That is a GREAT price for condensened soup. If you need a lot, there is also $1/4 Q on the same link. I printed both to get 6.
Nestle Pure Life Water 24-pack $2.77 Limit 3
Use $1/2 Nestle Pure Life Purified Water Multi-Packs
Pay $2.27 per pack when you buy 2 after coupon
I am not sure about the milk status for this coming week. I haven't seen an actual paper ad yet, but it sure is worth it to get milk there ($1.79 after ECB for 1 gallon when they have the ECB deal running).
Sunday, August 15, 2010
CVS 08/15-21
Well, no Fiber 1 bars from Kroger for me yet. Still 2 more days though! :0)
I did get to stop by CVS on our way home from church today though and wanted to highlight a couple deals they have this week. I am a total ding-dong though and forgot to grab a paper ad while I was in there. So I apologize if I am missing a good deal.
Blink Tears eye drops - 7.99 - produce 7.99 ECB
use $1.50/1 Q available to MAKE $1.50 (scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "download coupon")
SoBe Lifewater is BOGO - AGAIN
Use BOGO coupons from the SoBe online game to get both FREE.
I am also going to give you my shopping scenario so you can see an "example" again:
Remember when I said I was going to get rainchecks from the Neutrogena Suncare ECB deal? Well I finally had a scanario where it really made sense to use it. Here is what I bought today:
2 Neutrogena sunblock sticks (7.99 each) - $10 ECB when buying 2 rain check
used coupon for $3 off each that was available when the sale was on.
1 gallon of milk (2.79) - $1 ECB (not advertised, but still going on this week!!)
6 SoBe Lifewaters (1.69) - BOGO
used 3 BOGO coupons from SoBe game
Blinki Tear eye drops (7.99) - 7.99 ECB
used 1.50 coupon above
My total before coupons was roughly $31.00
I got a coupon via e-mail from CVS for $5/30 (expired today - thus the quick trip)
Used $5/30 Q
two $3 Neutrogena Qs
3 Sobe BOGO Q's
1.50 Blink eye drop Q
Total after Qs was about $15.50
I had $13.00 in ECBs from previous purchases the last few weeks that I handed over
New total = $2.50
So I paid the $2.50 out of pocket but I got back $19.00 in new ECBs to use over the next month!
The milk itself was worth the $2.50 OOP plus I got to exchange $13 in ECB for $19 ECB. And I am really excited to try the sunblock sticks - my sister loves them for her kiddos.
Sorry if this post was too long or too wordy. I just like you to have real scanarios if you want them. Remember too that buildling the ECBs doesn't happen overnight. It has taken me about 6 months to get this far, but now, by watching sale ads closely, it is paying off.
I did get to stop by CVS on our way home from church today though and wanted to highlight a couple deals they have this week. I am a total ding-dong though and forgot to grab a paper ad while I was in there. So I apologize if I am missing a good deal.
Blink Tears eye drops - 7.99 - produce 7.99 ECB
use $1.50/1 Q available to MAKE $1.50 (scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "download coupon")
SoBe Lifewater is BOGO - AGAIN
Use BOGO coupons from the SoBe online game to get both FREE.
I am also going to give you my shopping scenario so you can see an "example" again:
Remember when I said I was going to get rainchecks from the Neutrogena Suncare ECB deal? Well I finally had a scanario where it really made sense to use it. Here is what I bought today:
2 Neutrogena sunblock sticks (7.99 each) - $10 ECB when buying 2 rain check
used coupon for $3 off each that was available when the sale was on.
1 gallon of milk (2.79) - $1 ECB (not advertised, but still going on this week!!)
6 SoBe Lifewaters (1.69) - BOGO
used 3 BOGO coupons from SoBe game
Blinki Tear eye drops (7.99) - 7.99 ECB
used 1.50 coupon above
My total before coupons was roughly $31.00
I got a coupon via e-mail from CVS for $5/30 (expired today - thus the quick trip)
Used $5/30 Q
two $3 Neutrogena Qs
3 Sobe BOGO Q's
1.50 Blink eye drop Q
Total after Qs was about $15.50
I had $13.00 in ECBs from previous purchases the last few weeks that I handed over
New total = $2.50
So I paid the $2.50 out of pocket but I got back $19.00 in new ECBs to use over the next month!
The milk itself was worth the $2.50 OOP plus I got to exchange $13 in ECB for $19 ECB. And I am really excited to try the sunblock sticks - my sister loves them for her kiddos.
Sorry if this post was too long or too wordy. I just like you to have real scanarios if you want them. Remember too that buildling the ECBs doesn't happen overnight. It has taken me about 6 months to get this far, but now, by watching sale ads closely, it is paying off.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Kroger Aug. 12-18
Just a heads up on Kroger's next sale:
Right now (through Wed.) Kroger has a P&G Mega event going on. I did not go as I didn't need anything on sale.
But starting Thursday they are having a "regular grocery" Mega Event again. These can really produce some great deals combined with coupons!
Fiber 1 bars are supposed to be on this upcoming sale so here is a scenario for you:
Buy 5 boxes at $1.99 (prices may vary)
use 5 coupons for 0.50 (doubled to $1)
get $3.50 CAT after purchase for buying 5 boxes (CAT offer is $1.50/3 boxes, $2.50/4 boxes or $3.50/5 boxes)
Total price/box = 0.29!
To make it even better, remember to load your e-coupons on Cellfire first - there is one for 0.50 off Fiber 1 bars. The machine will only let you use one of these, but would still take an addl 0.10/box making them 0.19/box. That's mighty cheap especially considering how good these are! My kids & I all love them.
Now -- if I can just explain to Nathan that I NEED those bars. hmmmmmm. Will he let me shop again? Wish me luck.
Right now (through Wed.) Kroger has a P&G Mega event going on. I did not go as I didn't need anything on sale.
But starting Thursday they are having a "regular grocery" Mega Event again. These can really produce some great deals combined with coupons!
Fiber 1 bars are supposed to be on this upcoming sale so here is a scenario for you:
Buy 5 boxes at $1.99 (prices may vary)
use 5 coupons for 0.50 (doubled to $1)
get $3.50 CAT after purchase for buying 5 boxes (CAT offer is $1.50/3 boxes, $2.50/4 boxes or $3.50/5 boxes)
Total price/box = 0.29!
To make it even better, remember to load your e-coupons on Cellfire first - there is one for 0.50 off Fiber 1 bars. The machine will only let you use one of these, but would still take an addl 0.10/box making them 0.19/box. That's mighty cheap especially considering how good these are! My kids & I all love them.
Now -- if I can just explain to Nathan that I NEED those bars. hmmmmmm. Will he let me shop again? Wish me luck.
CVS Aug. 8-14
Just in case you didn't notice - CVS started running the $1 ECB on Dean's Milk again last week! I was so excited when I went in & saw the signs.
I haven't had a chance to look at their actual sale flyer for this week yet, but based on other bloggers scanarios, nothing looks tempting to me.
I will probably skip CVS this week so hopefully next week has something great b/c I have about $15 in ECBs that expire on the 19th!
I haven't had a chance to look at their actual sale flyer for this week yet, but based on other bloggers scanarios, nothing looks tempting to me.
I will probably skip CVS this week so hopefully next week has something great b/c I have about $15 in ECBs that expire on the 19th!
I'm Back (sort of)
I knew it had been a while since I last posted, but I was surprised to see it has been 8 days!! Sorry if you were waiting for some great grocery news during that time.
I did hear about a 2-day cereal sale at Meijer that I didn't post because you had to have just the right coupons and I was not sure it was going to work anyway. I tried calling the store and the Customer Service lady was less than helpful.
So, we packed up all the kids & headed to Bloomington last Saturday to check it out -- and I feel guilty that it worked. We got 40 boxes of Kellogg's cereal and PopTarts for $9.00. Needless to say we won't be buying breakfast food for a while now.
So, now that I am stocked up on frozen pizza, cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, cereal & poptarts, and tons of veggies that we put up from our garden and our gracious neighbors I will be severely slowing down in the grocery shopping department for at least a month if not two. Just wanted to give you a heads up. I will still try to post any great deals I see (b/c I can't stop myself from looking even if I'm not buying) but they may be fewer than last month. I will still try to keep up with CVS since the ECBs expire if not used. Besides that, they are close to home so it doesn't usually involve a special trip anywhere.
My goal with this blog was to teach people by example how the "stock-up" method of grocery shopping works. Hopefully it has helped even if in just a small way. Every little bit helps these days! So even though I put in a few hours (or days) of coupon-clipping and shopping around over the summer it sure payed off finding those amazing deals, stocking up my pantry & freezer and now I can take a break for a little while! The shopping freeze may also be driven by my husband (saying enough is enough!), the pantry being quite full, the freezer being fuller, and the fact that I AM OUT OF INK!! meaning I can't print my coupons right now (sniff!). If anyone knows of a great deal on ink, feel free to let me know.
Thanks!
I did hear about a 2-day cereal sale at Meijer that I didn't post because you had to have just the right coupons and I was not sure it was going to work anyway. I tried calling the store and the Customer Service lady was less than helpful.
So, we packed up all the kids & headed to Bloomington last Saturday to check it out -- and I feel guilty that it worked. We got 40 boxes of Kellogg's cereal and PopTarts for $9.00. Needless to say we won't be buying breakfast food for a while now.
So, now that I am stocked up on frozen pizza, cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, cereal & poptarts, and tons of veggies that we put up from our garden and our gracious neighbors I will be severely slowing down in the grocery shopping department for at least a month if not two. Just wanted to give you a heads up. I will still try to post any great deals I see (b/c I can't stop myself from looking even if I'm not buying) but they may be fewer than last month. I will still try to keep up with CVS since the ECBs expire if not used. Besides that, they are close to home so it doesn't usually involve a special trip anywhere.
My goal with this blog was to teach people by example how the "stock-up" method of grocery shopping works. Hopefully it has helped even if in just a small way. Every little bit helps these days! So even though I put in a few hours (or days) of coupon-clipping and shopping around over the summer it sure payed off finding those amazing deals, stocking up my pantry & freezer and now I can take a break for a little while! The shopping freeze may also be driven by my husband (saying enough is enough!), the pantry being quite full, the freezer being fuller, and the fact that I AM OUT OF INK!! meaning I can't print my coupons right now (sniff!). If anyone knows of a great deal on ink, feel free to let me know.
Thanks!
Monday, August 2, 2010
I Need Your Help
Hey guys. I did another thing I don't usually do -- I entered a contest on my favorite blog for being an "Iron Shopper" and scoring a great deal somewhere. The winner gets a $20 gift cert. - and I don't even know to where! Just sounded fun to win something.
Anyway, if you have some extra time I would LOVE IT if you would vote HERE to see if I can win with my Kroger shopping trip last week (the one I posted with the picture). The winner is just whoever has the most people to "like" their deal. The link I gave you should take you straight to my post.
Thanks in advance :0)
Anyway, if you have some extra time I would LOVE IT if you would vote HERE to see if I can win with my Kroger shopping trip last week (the one I posted with the picture). The winner is just whoever has the most people to "like" their deal. The link I gave you should take you straight to my post.
Thanks in advance :0)
Free Triaminic Offer
Starting today, 08/02 through 08/08/10 you can submit for a rebate form to get a free bottle of Triaminic. You will be e-mailed the rebate form and have to submit it via mail by 08/31/10.
CLICK HERE, scroll down on the page and click for the rebate form. It takes about 30 seconds to do.
There is also a $1 coupon you can print on the same website - making it a 0.50 money maker! (after paying for rebate stamp). I love stuff like this - who doesn't need a fever-reducing agent or cough medicine during the winter!!??
CLICK HERE, scroll down on the page and click for the rebate form. It takes about 30 seconds to do.
There is also a $1 coupon you can print on the same website - making it a 0.50 money maker! (after paying for rebate stamp). I love stuff like this - who doesn't need a fever-reducing agent or cough medicine during the winter!!??
Amazon Deal Is Still Available
Amazon decided to continue the 30% off diaper deal by using the Subscribe & Save option -- so if you didn't see it early enough on Saturday, looks like you can still jump in on this deal! I do not know how long it will last, but probably for another week.
The September issue of Parenting magazine also has a 20% off code on an orange tear-out paper, so if you used your August one you could still get more inexpensive Pampers.
I still have a lot of Huggies, but am so tempted to try this anyway!
The September issue of Parenting magazine also has a 20% off code on an orange tear-out paper, so if you used your August one you could still get more inexpensive Pampers.
I still have a lot of Huggies, but am so tempted to try this anyway!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
CVS deals 08/1-7
Not too much going on at CVS this week (at least not much free stuff) --
SoBe Lifewater - BOGO (woo-hoo!!)
use BOGO coupon from playing the SoBe game online (see earlier post for link)
= 2 FREE waters (not that I need more, but I'm going anyway!)
Dawn dish soap - $0.97
use $1/1 coupon in 08/01 P&G insert
= FREE
Altoids - 1.49 - $1 ECB
= 0.49 (not bad if you like these)
Spend $10 in Hellmans (2/$6), Skippy (3/$5), Ragu (3/$5) or Lipton (2/$6) products, get $3 ECB back
Use .60/2 Lipton Q in 08/01 RP
use $1/2 Ragu Q in 08/01 RP (= 0.67/each)
use 0.75/2 skippy Q in 08/01 RP (= 0.80/each)
Makes for good deals on the Ragu & skippy anyway. Hopefully I can find these Q's to stock my cupboard for all the PB&J (or PB & honey) I will be making with TWO kiddos in school this year.
side note:
My goal for PB = less than $1/jar
My goal for brand name spag. sauce = $1/jar
SoBe Lifewater - BOGO (woo-hoo!!)
use BOGO coupon from playing the SoBe game online (see earlier post for link)
= 2 FREE waters (not that I need more, but I'm going anyway!)
Dawn dish soap - $0.97
use $1/1 coupon in 08/01 P&G insert
= FREE
Altoids - 1.49 - $1 ECB
= 0.49 (not bad if you like these)
Spend $10 in Hellmans (2/$6), Skippy (3/$5), Ragu (3/$5) or Lipton (2/$6) products, get $3 ECB back
Use .60/2 Lipton Q in 08/01 RP
use $1/2 Ragu Q in 08/01 RP (= 0.67/each)
use 0.75/2 skippy Q in 08/01 RP (= 0.80/each)
Makes for good deals on the Ragu & skippy anyway. Hopefully I can find these Q's to stock my cupboard for all the PB&J (or PB & honey) I will be making with TWO kiddos in school this year.
side note:
My goal for PB = less than $1/jar
My goal for brand name spag. sauce = $1/jar