Deals at Steve and Barry's

Steve and Barry's is going out of business and has lots of great deals. I didn't know that they had smaller size children's clothes. Jerry was able to get several shirts for our gang for less then $3 an item. They had some really nice stuff. Sizes range from infant to adult. No exchanges or refunds.

Prepare Now--CVS is doing it again!

Just a quick heads up...looks like CVS will be giving us a little early Christmas present. Here is a sneak peek!

And I just "spent" a bunch of ECBs because I didn't want them to expire! Ugh!

Rebate Troubles

It appears one of the larger companies who process rebates has filed bankruptcy. Here is a link that lists some known companies. The list however is not complete, as I had a rebate check (in the amount of $1.79) for a product called Fresh Sacks (not listed) that was affected.

The most important thing is: if you get a rebate check PLEASE verify it is not from this company BEFORE you cash the check! Associated Bank charged me an $8 fee for cashing a bad check. I called the company right away and they said they would issue me a check for the rebate amount plus my bank fee. This was about 2 weeks ago and I have yet to receive anything.

I am a bit irritated as they must have known the bankruptcy was coming and they still issued these checks. And I hope this isn't a sign of things to come and that this doesn't prevent companies from issuing rebates in the future. What strange times we are living in!

Free Music from Amazon

Amazon.com is giving away a free song download each day from the 1st through the 25th of December. Looks like it will be a fun way to make a Christmas music CD. If you missed the previous songs you can still download them for free as well.

Speaking of Amazon.com, if you shop there do me a favor and click through the Amazon box on this blog or my blog. Jerry (my dh) signed up to be an Amazon Associate and gets a (very) small percentage of each purchase made through that link. It is for any product they sell, new or used. Thanks!

Walgreens spend $25 get $5

I just saw this... I haven't see Walgreens do this before. It's not a coupon. You get a $5 register reward when you spend $25. This deal ends Saturday December 6th.

Register rewards expire in 2 weeks, not one month like ECBs, so be sure and spend them before they expire!

Speaking of register rewards, they changed the wording on register rewards again so you can only use one per transaction. So if you have more than one register reward to spend, break up your order into however many transactions you need to be able to use them. If you happen to get a survey at the end of your receipt go online and fill it out and be sure to mention how inconvenient that is for both you, the customer, and the cashier.

Good News

Piggly Wiggly (at least the one in DP) is now accepting internet printable coupons up to $2 in value. I haven't tried it myself yet so I'm not sure how picky they are about it. :)

Double Coupons at Kmart

Kmart is having their double coupons again this week! Same rules as last time. Coupons up to $2 will be doubled. Limit of 75 coupons per person.

If you get any great deals...please share them!!

Holiday Weekend

It's a holiday weekend...

REMINDER: NO coupons on holiday weekends!

Theresa told me there will at least be a P&G insert but that is it. So buy a GBPG and skip the CT and MJS this week!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

~Shelly~

My Pillsbury Deal :)

So...last week at the Pig they had the Pillsbury Pie Crusts on sale for 1.49 - their regular price is $2.99 - so they were half off. Let me stop here and tell you that I never use them to make real pies because I make my own pie crusts but I got a terrific recipe years ago to make homemade Chicken Pot Pie - which I always make two whole pies with tops - so I need a total of 2 boxes for each "meal" that I make - although we get two nights of dinner out of them for now!

Okay - so I go to the Pig to buy some 1.49 pie crusts and what do I realize but that they all have peelie coupons attached - 1/2 of the coupons were for refrigerated cookie dough but the other 1/2 were for...you guessed it...$1.00 off 2 pie crusts - then the Pig had a deal if you bought ANY 5 Pillsbury items you got a free butter (on sale this week for $1.69) - sooooooo.....

I bought 12 boxes of pie crusts for $1.00/box.
I have 6 more coupons, good til April, for more pie crusts.
I did two transactions and got 2 free butters.
I have until the end of January to use up my 12 boxes so we will have chicken pot pie (or turkey) every other week til they are gone!

YEAH! Vivian

CVS - Black Friday

Hi Friends - So, did some of you go to CVS on Thursday instead of Friday? I didn't really realize that the sales started on Thursday since I was focused on cleaning and having company but both CVS and Walgreens told me they were super busy on Thursday! Well, I didn't get everything on that FREE after ECB sale on the back page but i got a lot of it - I was most disappointed about the Bic Soleil razors with my two $3 off coupons but I did get a raincheck on that one and the Velp store said they expected a truck either later Friday or Saturday. The bottom line was that I made $16. How did everyone else do? I took advantage of a few sales at Walgreens also but I didn't make any money. I did just enter all my receipts for rebates online - almost missing tomorrows deadline! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Vivian

CVS Black Friday Deals

CVS will be having a TON of free after ECB items this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It looks like these deals will be available starting Thursday. So get your coupons ready...because you can make over $20 profit!

Here is a link with a sneak peek at the deals and where to find the coupons! I'm not normally a Black Friday shopper...but I think this year I'll make an exception and head over to my favorite store!!

Piggly Wiggly Deals through Tuesday

Just wanted to share that Piggly Wiggly has some good deals this week - Nestle's Chocolate Chips are $1.69 and there are lots of coupons for them in the past few weeks. They have turkeys for .48/lb, sugar and eggs for cheap - can't remember - all with a $25 purchase. I'd tell you the others I thought were great except I lost my ad - you can find it online if you don't have one!!!
Vivian

Friday Night Deals

Friday night has become my deal shopping night. I go to CVS first and then down the hill to Walgreens. Sometimes they are low on items but most of the time I do okay. Walgreens gets a truck Thursday and I think both stores are trying to have items stocked for Saturday.

CVS
I did two transactions paying $23.99 in ECBs and $3.61 with a gift card. I got back $27.57 in ECBs so I broke even, well...okay I made 3 cents. It's hard to "make money" without the CVS $/$$ coupons. I didn't take a picture but here is what I got:
$20 worth of chocolate :) 6 bags Hershey's Bliss and 1 bag Kisses
3 Palmolive dish soap
1 Garnier hairspray
1 Listerine Agent
1 Vitamin Water
2 Crest Pro-Health
1 Kotex

Walgreens
I didn't make money here either but I got several items for cheaper than I would have paid elsewhere. Sometimes I don't take advantage of the $5 off $20 coupons but this week I was able too! I took a picture for you:
6 rolls of Hallmark wrapping paper (Buy 1 get 2 free)=$.66 each
3 packs of bow (Buy 1 get 2 free)=$.33 each
3 packs of tissue paper (Buy 1 get 2 free)=$.33 each
3 packs of tags (Buy 1 get 2 free)=$.33 each
5 pencils with toppers (shhhh.....stockings!)
6 coloring books (stockings-Roz gets one too!)
4 instant pudding boxes
1 Almay mascara
1 Quattro razor/trimmer
1 mini-Martinellis (Roz stocking)
2 Reach toothbrushes
3 Smucker jams
4 Kellogg's cereals
10 lb. of sugar

I paid $27.55 on my gift card. Got a $2 RR and will get back $7.69 for the mascara rebate. For a real total of $17.86. I thought the wrapping supplies were a really great deal. I usually go to the dollar store for wrapping paper but $.66 is even better! I got several little stocking stuffer type items too. The food alone would have cost that much at the grocery store. I might go to a different store for the peanut butter and frosting (they were out) if I have time tomorrow. Jif is 3 for $5 and I have several $.55 coupons. Not a stock up price but decent. Frosting is $.99 and I have $.55 coupons. Cake anyone? :)

Amazing Coupon Lady!

Don't know if you have read about this gal online or not. It is truly amazing! Makes me want to move to a city that has stores which double or triple coupons all the time. This Mom decided to see if they could live on $800.00 in grocery money for the WHOLE year. The last time I looked, they still had $128.00 left to spend for the year.

Here is the link.

Wow!

(Edited by Shelly to fix the link.)

Festival

The Festival ad is now on the back of the free "Green Bay Sun" newspaper that comes in the mail. I was glad to see it since I don't always get that section from my coupon sharing family. Even when I got the paper I often forgot to look at their ad.

Anyway, the ad is for NEXT week (Nov. 9 thru Nov. 15) and they are having their annual 50% off McCormick spices and extracts sale. Stock up now to last you until next years sale! I don't buy most of my dry spices during this sale since I use the generic $1 jars or buy in bulk. However, there are several items that I do stock up on at this once a year sale: clear vanilla (best for really white cake/cookie frosting), maple extract (for homemade maple syrup-much cheaper than store bought!), and various other extracts (lemon, almond, etc.)

They also have several good deals with coupons like 48 cent baby carrots and 88 cent eggs. Also on sale are canned Del Monte veggies 48 cents (limit 10) and Hormel bacon $1.88. I don't remember...have we gotten coupons for these items lately? I'll have to check. That would make these deals even better.

If you need help organizing all the canned goods that are on sale this time of year. Check out this handy, make yourself can storage. I made one. It was a bit challenging to put together...kind of like a puzzle. But it worked nicely, holds 12 cans, and best of all it rotates the cans for you. (I'm bad about that...green beans from 2006 anyone?)

P.S. A little bird told me boneless, skinless chicken breasts are on sale for my stock up price of $1.67 a pound at Piggly Wiggly through Tuesday. Thanks little birdie!! :)

Freebies and Coupons

If you haven't been taking advantage of freebies lately you're missing out! Heather over at Freebies4Mom has a great blog full of freebies. She only lists the best freebies that are truly free; not the ones where you have to jump through hoops or take advantage of "special offers".

In addition to getting a free product, lots of freebies come with a high value coupon. I have found Walmart has great freebies. They are mailed right to your door. I'm sure my mail lady loves delivering to my mailbox!

The link to Freebies 4 Mom has been in the sidebar for a long time but I thought I'd mention it again so you can start to get excited about opening your mail box each day too!

Helpful Coupon Definitions and Abbreviations

• Catalina - coupon that comes out of machine at checkout
  
• CRT- cash register tape or receipt
• Double Daze - the days Copps let you double 5 coupons with $25 purchase
• Double Double Daze - the days Copps let you double 10 coupons with $25 purchase
• DND - Do not double
• ECB - Extra Care Buck(s), the name of the instant rebate that print with your receipt from CVS, use it like a gift card to pay for another purchase
• FAC - Free after coupon
• FAR - Free after rebate
• GM - General Mills
• Insert - Booklet of coupons found in the Sunday newspaper
• IP - Internet printable
• IVC - Instant value coupon, Walgreens monthly coupon found in their monthly booklet.
• MC or MQ - Manufacturer Coupon
• MIR - Mail in rebate
• MM - Money Maker, a deal where after coupon or rebate you get overage
• OOP - Out of pocket
• Overage - item costs less than coupon value but the whole amount comes off your total
• OYNO - on your next order
  
• PG or P&G - Proctor & Gamble Sunday insert coupon
• Printable - a coupon that you print from the internet
• PSA - prices starting at
• RC - raincheck
• Rebate - mail in offer that refunds your money when you purchase a specific item
• RP - Red Plum Sunday supplement coupons
• RR - Register Reward, the name of the instant rebate or Catalina that prints from Walgreens, use it like a gift card to pay for another purchase
  
• SMP - Specially marked packages
• SS - Smart Source
• Stacking - using more than one coupon per item
• TMF - Try me free, a form that you mail in to receive full purchase price back
• WYB - When you buy
• YMMV - Your mileage may vary - the success of the attempt may vary

Chex cereal on sale for 1.66 at Walmart

Hi - I just got back from the WEST SIDE Walmart where I found Chex cereal on sale for 1.66/box. Now, don't go running over there tonight (Friday, Oct 24th) because I bought the last of what was there!!!! I don't know when they restock or how long the sale goes. The cool part was that all of the boxes I bought - only 7 mind you - all had the buy one, get one taco seasoning coupons on them - at Walmart, that means .74 free taco seasoning. I cashed in the other 8 coupons I had for taco seasoning tonight and got 16 packages B1G1 :)))) Total I saved $20 with my coupons. Vivian

Kmart Double Coupons

Kmart will be offering double coupons again next week Oct. 26 through Nov. 1! I checked the list and it looks like both GB area stores will be participating. Remember they double up to $2 with a generous limit of 75 coupons! If you go share your deals with us here!

Good Article on Saving with Stockpiling

Here is the article.

Stockpiling has saved me a TON of money. If you don't do it...give it a try. Just find a corner to pile your stuff and start watching the sales. Shelves are nice but not necessary. I remember reading in the Tightwad Gazette once...Would you rent out the space under your bed for $30 a month? Who wouldn't? Well, if you put food under there that you got a great deal on that is essentially what you are doing. Most of us here in WI are fortunate enough to have basements so maybe you won't even have to put a bunch of stuff under your bed!

Think you don't have room in your budget to stockpile? Think again. The little bit you save this week can be used to save more next week....until you rarely pay full price for the things you use the most. (Like rolling ECBs!) If you already stockpile a little bit (toothpaste anyone?), branch out to other products to save even more.

I've talked about this before but since this is a good time of year to buy certain sale items I thought it might be a good reminder. Keep an eye out for sales on baking supplies, spices, and turkeys(!) in the next few weeks. Buy enough to last you until next year at this time. You'll love pulling out items instead of adding them to your shopping list. And come this time next year if prices have gone up (and they will!) you be using items bought at this year's (lower) prices!

Below is a picture of some of my current stockpile. I didn't pay full price for any of these items and some I got for free.

Walmart Still Accepts Internet Coupons

I copied off the Walmart Coupon Policy and went to the Customer Service Dept last week and asked for an explanation of whether or not the West Side Walmart accepted internet coupons. She explained to me that awhile back, for a week, they accepted no internet coupons, due to the fact that there was a fraudulant company putting them out and they were trying to figure out what was going on. The company's name is not one I've ever seen but the value of the coupons was greater than the items themselves, she showed the scans to me. It had lots of V's or R's in the name - and was more like a series of letters scrambled together rather than an actual pronouncable name. Anyway, the policy reads:

"Internet coupons should be legible and say "Manufacturer Coupon". There should be a valid remit address for the manufacturer and a scanable bar code."

The Dept head told me that they are on the lookout for these other coupons and that most coupons are completely legitimate - now that was a relief to hear! At least we can use them at Walmart. Does anyone know of any other place in Green Bay that takes them?

Vivian

Walgreens Coloring Books?

Hi Ladies - where are these in the store? I saw them listed on Money Saving Mom and I've never seen them. Do all Walgreens have them? Vivian

Gas down to 2.99

Two gas stations on Velp Ave in Howard - one across from CVS - had gas for 2.99 today and we saw it for 3.14 to 3.29 elsewhere in the area. Just in case you are in the area....

Penny Prints at Snapfish

I found this yesterday-

 

October 9, 2008

Penny Prints @ Snapfish

Use coupon code FALLPENNY08 at checkout on Snapfish through this Saturdy 10/11 to get 50 4x6 prints for a penny each! Code can be used only once and any prints over 50 will be charged their regular price of 9 cents.

I have found Hooray for Freebates (http://freebates.blogspot.com) to have some good deals.

 

Kris

KMart Super Double Coupon Days

HURRY!  KMart is offering super double coupon days Oct 1 - Oct 5.  They will double coupons $2 or less, and you can use up to 75 coupons per day (NO printables, though).  I heard about this deal on MoneySavingMom.com.  Not all KMart stores seem to think they are "participating stores."  I called the KMart store on Lombardi Ave and they said, "No, we are not participating."  However, I then called the KMart national customer service line, and they said "Yes, ALL stores HAVE TO participate."  So, the customer rep I spoke to sent an e-mail to the store manager at KMart on Lombardi, and then I called them back to tell them what I learned.  So, they are now participating.  If you shop at KMart East, you might want to make the same phone calls.  The KMart national customer service phone # is 1-866-KMART-4-U.  Happy shopping!  ~Anne T.

Cheap Chocolate Chips

How's that for alliteration! At CUB Foods with the in ad coupon you can get Hershey's brand chocolate chips for 70 cents! That beats Aldi! They also have peanut butter chips as part of the same deal. For this sale you have buy 10. There are other items you can mix and match with as well if you don't want 10 packages of chocolate chips. We won't have any trouble using 10! :)

Vocal Point

If you want to sign up for Vocal Point, here is the link for you! They send out coupons monthly for various things. I joined just a few months ago and have gotten Coke coupons and the Kashi coupons. Theresa has been a member a bit longer so maybe she could tell us what other coupons she has received.

If you want to do the Kashi deal (see post below) I just checked MoneySavingMom and it looks like there are Kashi printables. She worked it out to be free cereal with the printables!

Kashi Cereal Deal at Target

Kashi cereals 4 for $11 and get a $5 Target gift card if you buy 4

Use coupons from the Vocal Point mailer if you got them. Get four boxes ($11) and use one $2 off coupon and three $1 off coupons. Get $5 gift card. End price: $1 for four boxes of cereal!!

If you haven't tried any Kashi cereals....Jerry really likes the Go Lean Crunch and I think the Mountain Medley granola is really good!

Getting better...

I had heard that the deals would get better after summer...looks like that may be the case. If you haven't checked MoneySavingMom's deal lists yet be sure and do that! She has a big money maker listed for Robitussin at Walgreens using a printable coupon. If you don't use cough medicine you may want to consider getting it anyway and donating it.

Four coupon inserts in today's paper too! Pretty exciting! If you want multiple copies of the Press Gazette they do sell the Sunday paper at Dollar Tree for only $1. Too bad they don't sell the Chicago Tribune. :)

FYI: I did try the Crest Pro-Health Rinse deal at Walgreens and it worked with no problems. This deal lasts all month so you can get as much free mouth rinse as you want! There is a coupon out for 75 cents that makes this a small moneymaker.

FUN Shopping Day!

I'm SO excited! I had a GREAT shopping day at Copps & CVS. As you probably know, today is double coupon day at Copps. Since I've been wanting to take a picture of one of my successful shopping trips, I decided to do it today. Unfortunately, my totals weren't .25 or $1, or anything like that, BUT they were good totals for our family and I got really great deals. Here's the scoop (pictures attached): COPPS 10 boxes Hamb Helper (sale 10/$10) 10 bags Chex Mix/Bugles (sale 10/$10 + (3) .50/1 coupons) 5 boxes GM Cereal (sale 5/$10 + $1/3 coupon doubled = FINAL 5/$8) Febreze Starter Kit (sale $7.49 + $5/1 coupon = FINAL $2.49) 2 Tide (sale $8.99ea + $2/1 coupon = FINAL $15.98 for both) 4 El Paso Taco Seasoning (sale .59ea + BOGO free = FINAL $1.77 for 4) 2 El Paso hard shells (sale $1.29ea + $1/2 coupon = FINAL $1.58 for 2) 4 - 12pks Diet Coke (sale 4/$10) 6 jars Prego sauce (sale $1.88ea) Scott bath tissue (sale $9.99 + $1/1 coupon doubled = FINAL $7.99) 2 Roundy's ice cream (sale $3.88ea) 2 Totino's pizza rolls (sale $2.99ea + (2) .35/1 coupons = FINAL $5.28 for 2) Huggies mega-pack wipes (sale $5.99 + .50/1 coupon doubled = FINAL $4.99) Huggies Pull-ups (sale $12.99 + $2/1 coupon = FINAL $10.99) Oscar Mayer weiners (sale BOGO free = FINAL $2.29 for 2) 7lbs ground beef (sale $1.89/lb = FINAL $13.23) Chuck roast (sale $2.29/lb = FINAL $9.11) (2) whole chicken fryers (sale .69/lb = FINAL $6.76 for 2) Family pak chx breasts (NOT on sale - EEK! $14.80) (2) Kotex pads (sale 2/$5.50 + (2) $1/1 coupons doubled = FINAL 2/$1.50 - YAY!) Gillette disposable razors (sale $5.99 + $2/1 coupon = FINAL $3.99) Gillette shave gel (sale $2.24 + $1/1 coupon = FINAL $1.24) Nexxus shamp/cond (NOT on sale, but generated $10 coupon - $20.38 for both) Vidalia onions (NOT on sale - $1.57) Romaine lettuce (NOT on sale $2.25) Peanuts (NOT on sale ($3.26) Butter (sale .98) (3) Roundy sliced cheese (sale $1.79ea) 20lb container cat litter ($5.79) FINAL TOTAL w/tax = $206.28 SAVINGS = $108.03 YAYYYYY!!! PLUS I got a $10 coupon for next time; a $1.25 coupon for Pampers; a $1 coupon for Pampers wipes; AND 100!! bonus box tops for GBACH (+the ones on the boxes - a lot of which have extra bonus box tops + an entry for a chance to win 250,000 box tops) CVS Pantene deal (3/$9.99 + (2) BOGO coupons for FREE styling aid + $2ECBs) Pantene Expressions Shamp ($4.50 + $2/1 coupon) Pantene Expressions Cond ($4.50 + $2/1 coupon) Suave deal (3/$6 + $2ECBs) Pampers pull-ups (sale $9.99 + $1/1 coupon) (2) Dawn (sale .99 + (2) .50/1 coupons) (2) Colgate (sale 2.99 + $1/1 and .75/1 coupons + $4ECBs) (2) 4-pk Duracell Power-pix batteries (sale $2.99 ea + (2) .75/1 coupons) Covergirl powder ($5.49) Covergirl foundation (sale 50% off for buying powder, so $2.74) (2) Rubbermaid laundry baskets ($5.99 + (2) $1/1 coupons) (2) CG Wetslicks gloss ($5.99ea + BOGO free coupon + $5.99ECBs) (2) birthday cards (NOT on sale, no coupons, but needed - UGH!) Play cash drawer (yes, I brought the kids with - $4.99) I was watching the screen while items were being scanned. The total before coupons was $103.??. After coupons . . . . $54.15!!!!! YAYYY!! I know it's not .25 or $1, but still a GREAT deal in my book. If I hadn't needed the b-day cards or had the kids w/ me, it would've been only about $43. PLUS, I have $13.99 in ECBs for next time. Woo-hoo!! From Anne Tess

I was FLOATING with excitement...

Okay - For the record, I did not go back to get the FOUR 1.75 qt's of Ice cream for this picture so pretend it is there, okay....and I'm not an expert at the whole "listing each item thing" so bare with me.
First, I went to CVS, not pictured here and spent $15 in cash (Shelly and Theresa, don't cringe that I spent more than one dollar) but I got back $28 in ECB's - I felt really good about that, then I went to Walgreens...

This picture is from my $90 purchase at Walgreens - minus the ice cream. So, here is the rough breakdown...
My total started at right around $90, but my subtotal with all of my coupons taken off (including the $10 off $40) was 52.34; when i got home I found 4.34 in errors (plus tax) but when I went back today to get it corrected, they totalled them up as $7.53; plus I have $34.76 so far in rebates coming back so with tax I paid $12.99. WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO

I had to call Shelly that evening because I was so excited and so confused as to whether or not I should have gotten more FREE after Rebate Items right away. I think she straightened me out and I was back there today getting my refund and two more rebate items - but Theresa probably took the last Excedrin :))))))) Shelly, I forgot all about the whole Glade thing when I went today so maybe I missed out on that deal.

I felt like a really frugal wife and mother after this trip. I did find every coupon I was supposed to to make it all work out - thanks to now buying TWO Chicago Tribunes each weekend. I was also excited to just FIND the items that I was looking for - I took the one and only Pert - after trying all month to get it, plus I took the last two Spray and Wash - this all made me just tickled as I walked around the store. So I still do love Walgreens too!
Vivian

REBATES

Hey all - don't forget to send in your REBATES - for Walgreens and Kelloggs and, and.... watch those deadlines -especially if you are new to this REBATE thing.

How to change printer setting?

Dear Ladies - I have my installed Coupon Printer set to a printer that no longer works and I have no idea how to change it...I have missed out on all sorts of coupons b/c I forget about it and then hit the print and and it never prints but the company says "thanks for printing your coupon" and I got nothing (cry!)...anyone know how I can fix this?

My other sad story for the week is that I let me latest $5 RR go to waste b/c I didn't shop at Walgreens for 2 weeks and found it the day after it expired. That is maddening...so much for taking a break from saving and not feeling bad about it!

Printable coupons

Here are some printable coupons

Minute Maid
Arm & Hammer - good for several different products
$1.25 Slim Fast

Rebate for FREE Arm & Hammer Essentials

Here is a link for a rebate you can download for Free Arm & Hammer Essentials. Here is also a $1 off coupon which can be printed twice.

Bought almost $134 worth of groceries for less than $52 at Copps

Hello everyone

I just wanted to show you some deals I made at Copps today. Thanks to Shelly for letting me know about the coupons for FREE items that were available at the Pig in De Pere. I went there yesterday and got about 5 sets. I then took a lot of the coupons today to Copps because I knew they were having some good sales.

They have Kool-Aid for $0.10 each which is a Kraft product. I bought 9 packets and got 3 items for free.

They also have Kraft Mac and Cheese on sale for $0.48, so I bought a lot of those (15 boxes) and got 5 more items for free.

I also bought 3 pkgs of Kraft Cheese singles which were on sale for $1.88 and got one more free item. The free items were: Crystal Light, Oscar Meyer hot dogs, Kraft dressing and Wheat Thins.

Another great deal going on this week at Copps is Huggies Clean team refills are on sale 2/$3. If you have a coupon from the paper a few weeks ago (sorry, don't remember which week), you can get 2 packages for FREE!!!

Good First Try at CVS

If you are new to CVS and want a simple deal for your first trip....try this moneymaker:

1 Alavert on sale for $5.99 get 3 ECBs back and use this $4 off printable coupon
1 Children's Advil for $5.79 get 5.79 ECBs back and use this $1 off printable coupon
Total=$11.78
-2 off 10 CVS coupon (email me if you need this)
-4 off Alavert coupon
-1 off Advil coupon
Spend $4.78 plus tax OOP
Get $8.79 back in ECBs making you just over $4 in ECBs

Great Coupons

You know those great coupons in the All You magazine that are buy 3 Kraft items get a FREE Wheat Thins/Dressing/Hot Dog/Crystal Light/Kraft Singles? Well, I was going to try one out at Piggly Wiggly since Kool Aid is on sale there for 15 cents. Guess what was right in front of the Wheat Thins?? A tear pad with the same exact 5 coupons!!!!! The only difference is they expire a bit sooner (8/31).

I bought 3 Kool Aid lemonade packets for 45 cents and got a free box of Wheat Thins with the tear pad coupon and saved my All You coupon for another time. It worked flawlessly! I grabbed 2 of each coupon and will try and use them before they expire. As much as I wanted to grab the whole tear pad...I restrained myself and left some for the rest of you! :)

So keep an eye out for that tear pad. I'm guessing they could be by any Kraft/Nabisco/Oscar Mayer product. But at the DP PW they are right by the Wheat Thins.

The Anatomy of a CVS List

Jerry works close to the CVS on Mason Street. When there are more deals in a week than I can get to or my CVS is out of stock on something I will occasionally ask Jer to head over there on his lunch break. It saves gas and gets one extra CVS trip in!

When I send Jerry to CVS to do a deal for me this is how I do it. This method may or may not work for you! :) I try to stick with simple, straightforward deals...nothing too complicated.

Part 1: The List
Make it as detailed as possible. Include pictures especially when including products husbands may not even know exist. Make it easy for them to match the picture to the product. Include prices and remind them that if the price doesn't match then that is probably not the right product.
Part 2: The Coupons
Put all the coupons in the order that you want them given to the cashier. Then, and this is very important, paper clip them together so none get lost under the seat of the car or blow away in the parking lot.

Part 3: Do the Math and ECBs
Do all the math and give them the proper number of ECBs and figure out how much it will be OOP. This is another good double check. If the total isn't right then something is wrong!
Part 4: The Red Box
You may or may not want to have them scan your card at the red box. I have had both good and bad luck with this. If the red box is used remind them NOT to throw the coupons away even if the coupons are for "stuff we'd never buy anyway".

Part 5: Back Up Plan
You might want to tell them that if the deal can't be done just forget it. But if you are brave then you can add a few back up plan items to the list.

Part 6: No impulse buys
Buying a candy bar because you are starving or a nice ice cold soda will screw up the math! Proceed at your own risk!

Part 7: Thank You
Don't forget to say thanks! :)

Jerry usually does great. He always gets a kick out of the cashier who gets all excited that he spends so little. When I ask he usually rolls his eyes (CVS again!) but since he knows how much it saves so he is willing to do it for me!

Cub Foods 10 for $10 Sale

Be sure and check out the Cub foods ad this week. They are having another 10 for $10 sale with many good products. You can mix and match, so you don't have to get 10 of the same product. Several products have coupons out right now too. Some items I'll have on my list:
Pizza Rolls
Scott paper towels
Pork chops and ribs
Kleenex
Old Orchard 100% juice (frozen)

Maybe later I'll post coupon links or insert info for coupons...

Coupon Organization

Here is a website that describes 4 different ways you can organize coupons and the pros and cons for each.  Hope you find it useful.

Couple coupon links

Children's Advil $1 off-use to make money at CVS this month
Vlasic $1 coupon-use to get free relish or cheap pickles at Cub or Walmart (save as pdf and print off a few each time you head to the store)

If you see any others we could use don't forget to share them!

Kellogg's Moneymaker at Walgreens (Tuesday through Saturday only!)

Buy 4 Kellogg's cereals @ 4 for $10, see page 1 (use two $1 off coupons from today's Kellogg's insert)
Buy 6 Kellogg's snacks @ 5 for $10, see page 3 (use three $1 off coupons from today's Kellogg's insert)

Total $20
-$5 in coupons

Spend $15
Get $10 in RR

Fill out $10 rebate from Kellogg's insert (has to be 8/5 or later and all in one transaction)

Make $5 profit!!!!!!!

New $2 off $10 CVS Coupon!!!!!!

Here you go!! Print off several it doesn't expire until September 28th!!!!!!!

*To use this most effectively keep your total right just over $10. If you want to buy $30 worth of stuff break it into 3 transactions.

Sunday Paper 8/3

Coupon Mom says it's going to be an awesome coupon paper tomorrow. So you might want to pick up extra copies...

Free Cereal

Cub has Just Bunches cereal (which is really good by the way!) on sale this week 4 for $7 which is $1.75 each. There are $2 off coupons here. They are also having the cereal deal they had a few months back where you buy 10 General Mills cereal for $25 but get $10 off right away with ad coupon. So that is $1.50 per box and there are plenty of GM coupons out there. So you should be able to get cereal for well under $1 a box. I better get more shelves! :)

Shopko Super Combo Rebates?

HI GB Savers - is anyone doing anything with the Shopko Super Combo Rebates that are going on currently? I haven't looked into them yet but wondered if someone else had found any good deals....

Piggly Wiggly 4 day sale

Thursday through Sunday ONLY

• Sugar $.99 (Limit 1 per transaction but you can stop for sugar every time you drive by!)
• GM Cereal 6 for $10 (That's $1.66 per box! Great deal with coupons!!)
• Blueberries $1.49 (freeze some for future muffins!)
• Cheese 3 for $5

We're not alone!

This article proves it! Milwaukee is #1 and Green Bay is #10 in the top ten coupon cities. Check out this chart! Look how low internet printables are on the list! That really surprised me! Still best is the Sunday paper...why Green Bay is so high when we get such bum coupons is beyond me. But it's good to know we're not alone.

No Walgreens and No Red Plum

Hi Ladies - I was missing a Walgreens ad, Shopko and Red Plum coupons - maybe more? Advice - Vviian

Questions, Questions.....

To My saving friends - hmmmm....I just spent two hours doing the following - taking out every ad in my big coupon organizer and looking for coupons that were listed in Moneysaving mom and from my own desires to shop at Walgreens, CVS and Walmart this week; plus throwing away a big pile of expired coupons and then cutting coupons out for above said places plus many of my food coupons. I stopped short of filing all of my cut coupons - Yikes! Now - to my questions...

1. do you cut out your grocery store coupons each week to put in your smaller file so that you can take it into any given store and actually use them? (if they stay in the big one I find I just don't use them up before they expire)
2. Do we get the "All You" magazine that is mentioned on MSM and when or how?
3. Does any store in our area sell Egglands Best Eggs?
4. I'm noticing long lists of "sale" items on MSM for Walmart - where do these come from? I get an occasional flier in the mail or even the paper once in awhile but since Walmart touts itself as a non-sale type of store that just offers the lowest price, I'm surprised by these long lists...anyone have any insights on the whole Walmart thing? Do you shop at Walmart and use this type of saving list?
5. Are our local walmarts still taking Internet coupons? I got out of the practice of even trying to do IC's because it seemed like almost no one in GB was taking them.
6. Did anyone find the $5.00 off 1 coupon mentioned on MSM for the Schick razors 10 pack - I checked everything I had and couldn't find it? I also never found the $1.50 off Colgates - the only ones I had were expired. I didn't think Walgreens would go for that!
7. Anyone been to Walmart this week to check out school sales? I wanted to know if they were really terrific as someone online said - the lady at Shopko told me next week is their big kick off week so sales should be good.
8. And just because it is soooo helpful to me - if you find any deals in CVS or Walgreens that don't come up on MSM, can you post them here? Once in a while I decide to persue an ad and then find a coupon for it and wonder "what constitutes the "best deals"? in order to be included b/c sometimes I'm surprised some things are not...but I can't read the 50 plus posts that are all listed after her ad lists each week - think about it, it took me TWO hours just to go through coupons tonight - that is 2 hours I wasn't scrapbooking, cleaning, sleeping, etc. UGH!!!!

That's all for now - I'm sure I will come up with more. THANKS for helping me save money :)

Piggly Wiggly Helpful Information

Helpful Piggly Wiggly Information:

For the most recent Piggly Wiggly deals click here!

Green Bay Area Store Locations:
527 Swan Road, De Pere (920) 336-7080
2465 Lineville Road, Howard (920) 434-0921
2400 Crooks Avenue, Kaukauna (920) 766-6080
1901 E. Main Street, Little Chute (920) 766-6090
1339 N 8th Street, Manitowoc (920) 682-4931

General Information:
Piggly Wiggly is a national chain but GB area stores are locally owned. Currently the Company operates corporate stores and services independent franchisees under a chain-style program.

At Piggly Wiggly you need a free Preferred Club store card to get the sale prices. You can apply for a card online here.

Coupon Policy:
Do NOT double coupons.
Accepts internet coupons up to $2.00 but not free item or BOGO internet coupons.
You can use a manufacturers coupon with a store coupon.
Weekly internet only store coupons can be found here (Larry's) and here (Olsen's).

Exclusive Internet Coupons:
Available here for Larry's PW and here for Olsen's PW. These are store coupons so they can be combined with manufacturer coupons if any are available. They can only be printed at home.

Red Box Coupons:
De Pere location has a red interactive coupon box in the bakery area. This is powered by Coupons.com and these are manufacturer's coupons. You may print as many as you like. These are often the same coupons you can print at home, but why not let PW pay for the paper and ink! Print any you think you MIGHT use and then hold on to them and watch for a sale.

Newspaper Coupons:
Most coupons in the newspaper ad are store coupons and can be used with manufacturer's coupons.

Website Features:
(Regional Website here and Larry's Website here)
Weekly Ads
Internet Only coupons

Facebook "Like" Piggly Wiggly on Facebook, click here for Larry's Piggly Wiggly (stores: De Pere, Kaukauna, Little Chute, and Manitowoc) and here for Olsen's Piggly Wiggly (Howard).

Newsletter Larry's Sign Up

Source: ShopThePig.com and LarrysPW.com

CVS Deal

While I am really missing the $/$$ coupons, I still managed to get a few good deals this week.

4 bags of Lifesavers, free after combining BOGO sale and BOGO coupon
2 Listerine Smart Rinse, free with rain check from last months book
Huggies for $.49 each, after raincheck and coupons
2 CVS pantiliners, free after ECBs
2 CVS tampons, free after ECBs
1 mascara, free after ECBs
1 OB tampons, $1.49 after coupon and ECBs
1 Rolaids, free after CVS red box coupon and man. coupon
2 Sure deodorant, more than free after BOGO coupon and ECBs
2 Trident gum for$.62 each after coupon and ECBs
2 Coppertone sunscreen sticks, more than free after ECBs
2 free CVS water bottle from a friendly cashier!!! :)
(the bottle say "pays you back"...they're NOT kidding!!)

I planned wrong and ended up with no little ECBs left to pay so I used $2.99 from my gift card. I did get my quarterly ECB from the red box...a whoppin' 50 cents!! Guess that is good though...then I know I'm not spending much OOP!!!

Forget the diapers...

I don't know what happened since Thursday but the $2 coupon for the diapers is not working for me any longer. It works out to be $1.83 per package still without the coupon as long as you get them on sale (thru 7/5) for $5.99. Maybe they will repeat this sale again later in the month. Using only the Easy Saver coupon and getting the $5 RR makes the regular priced ($7.99) packages about $3.83 per package. Still pretty good but not free! :(

Holiday Weekend

FYI: It's another holiday weekend. While this normally means no coupons, it looks like there will at least be a P&G in the paper Sunday. Happy 4th of July!!

Free Lifesavers

Just in case you missed this deal...
a few weeks ago there was a buy one Lifesavers bag candy get one free coupon...this week CVS has them on sale for buy one get one free. So CVS pays for one and the coupon pays for the other and you get free candy! Although, my CVS was pretty picked over.

On a side note, there was a lady there shopping with a big coupon binder who stopped at the front and asked if she really could get free candy with the coupon. The cashier said "how so?" when the lady explained the above deal the cashier said "that can't be right!". The cashier called the manager up and asked and she quietly said "Yes, that is correct." :)

Free Diapers at Walgreens

I just tried this and it really worked! If you need diapers or pull ups (store brand) head on over to Walgreens.

First, stop by the pharmacy and ask for the red coupon pamphlet (it says: $50 in Great Savings a "Thank You" gift from Walgreens). Then head over to the diaper aisle and get 3 packages of Walgreens brand diapers or pull ups that are on sale for $5.99 (reg. price $7.99). When you check out give them the coupon out of the red pamphlet first ($2 off) and then the coupon for $5 off two (really $2.50 of each) from the July Easy Saver booklet (page 17). Your total will be $5.13 and you will get a $5 register reward for buying 3 packages (see page 27 of ES booklet)!

Ask for the $2 coupon back and do it again! This deal is good all month but the diapers are only on sale for $5.99 until Saturday (6/5). After that you can still do the deal but you will be paying $5.47 for the 3 packages. But $1.82 still isn't bad for a pack of diapers or pullups!!!

*Note: for some reason my $2 coupon beeped when I tried to get the "premium" diapers in the red package but I had no trouble at all with the regular (white) package. So watch the cashier!

My ONE penny Purchase

You can imagine my delight when I handed the lady at the counter one penny to pay for my order above :))))) I got:

2 - Extra detergent on B1G1 (so 1.75 each)

2 - Fig Newtons on B1G1 (so 2.25 each)

(and I had no coupons for either of those - not that they didn't exist but I didn't have time to dig for them - bummer)

1 - Oral B toothbrush (monthly)(free after ECB)

1 - OB Tampon (on sale for4.49 plus I had 1.50 coupon plus I got 1.50 ECB - so 1.49 total)

1 - Renuzit (on sale for .77)

1 - Crest toothpaste (on sale for 1.99, plus had .75 cpn and got $1 ECB - so paid .24)

1- Phy formula mascara (free this week after ECB - and I didn't have the $1 cpn to make $)

So - everything I bought was on sale, plus I had $2.25 in coupons, paid 27.95 in ECB's - paid my penny and got $17.50 back in ECB's - YEAH!!!!!!

Can't wait to see the July book and get my quarterly print out of ECB money :)

Oh - and my register receipt says I've saved$503.75 for the year (since March) which we know is a bit inflated since these are typically "drug store prices" BUT it is an indication that I am saving a lot of money!!!!!

Updating your email at CVS

Do you all do this every week to get the $/$$ coupon? I've only done it once or twice.

CRT's?

Hey Green Bay Savers - I heard alot about these CRT's on Money Saving Mom but what does the abbreviation stand for - it's driving me crazy? I didn't get any when I stopped at CVS this week but I only bought one thing. Some people on MSM are recording getting a lot of them and good ones too. I've decided after stopping at the Military/Mason St CVS three times and finding almost nothing that it just doesn't make sense to try anymore. I love the store on Velp though :)

Walgreens July Easy Saver book

Hi all - just thought I'd let you know that I dropped by Walgreens today after not being in there for about 3 weeks and picked up next months Easy Saver book - if you thought last months was lean - wait til you see this one - only 2 freebies for the whole month!!!! I'm out of sync on my shopping - anyone had any good deals/finds lately? any new places to check out? Vivian

Walmart and CVS deals

Last night I went to Walmart to pick up some batteries. While I was there, I remembered I had a few other coupons I could use up. I bought the following:

6 packs of Kotex pads @ $1 ea = $6
1 ream of HP paper @ $3.97
1 Trial size Gillette 2 in 1 @ $0.79
2 Page marker post-it notes @ $0.97 each = $1.94
1 pkg batteries = $5.67

Total before taxes and coupons = $18.37
Less $6 Kotex coupons
Less $3/2 post-it note coupon
Less $1 Gillette 2 in 1
Less $1 Energizer coupon
Less $3 Paper coupon

Total after coupons and taxes = $5.38 . So I could have gone there and just got my batteries and spent $5.67 less $1 coupon, plus tax and just walked out with my batteries. Instead, I got my batteries as well as all this stuff for about as much as I would have paid for just the batteries, even with the $1 coupon.My CVS trip was pretty good as well. I already miss the $/$$ coupons, so had to make due with what I had.

I bought in 2 separate transactions:
3 bottles of Listerine Smart Rinse @ $3.49 each
4 bars of South Beach Diet bars @ $3/2
1 Huggies baby shampoo = $3.49
4 Oral B toothbrushes @ $5.99 each
2 Oral-B Vitializer toothbrushes @ $6.99 each
2 Revlon nail files @ $1.79 (sale B1G1)
1 Reese's Whips candy bar $0.50 each

Total before coupons and taxes: $58.19
Less coupons = $19.89
ECBs used: $38.94
Total on gift card = $2.00

Received $41.45 in ECBs, so even without the $/$$ coupons, I was still able to make some money. Gotta love CVS!!

Just for Fun!

Get out your last CVS receipt and see what your totals are...

Here are mine:
YTD Savings: $1482.86
Spring 2008 Spending: $29.12

And that $29.12 includes a $25 gift card (I got for a new Rx) so really my Spring 2008 spending should be: $4.12!!!!!!

Yet another reason to love CVS...

Guess what I got in the mail today. A birthday card. From my favorite store! Inside was a $3 ECB! Man, I love that store!

On a side note, my cousin is a drug rep in Minneapolis and in a recent email this is what she said:
I occasionally read your blog online to keep up on what's going on and all the deals you're getting at CVS! Funny, because of how big CVS has become in the last few years, they pretty much tell us what they are going to pay for our generic drugs!

I better be on the lookout...if CVS (or Google!) ever take over the world...I'm afraid I'll just follow blindly! :)

Whose birthday is next?

My Talk with Walgreen District Manager

Last Friday, I asked the manager at the Walgreens (GV) for a copy of their coupon policy. He was not too happy about that request and after a staring contest, told me to call corporate. So I did. I spoke with the district manager. I told her I was more than happy to follow their rules and policies but I would like to know what they are. It is very frustrating to have them change week to week, store to store, manager to manager, cashier to cashier.

ANSWER: Walgreens does not make their corporate policies public. If you are having problems it is a training issue and you should call corporate to complain.

(Shelly says: That doesn't help when you are standing in the store!)

NEXT QUESTION: What is the proper way to use a $10 off $30 Walgreens coupon?

ANSWER: Official policy is you have to spend $30 AFTER coupons to save the $10. All GB area managers will be reminded of this at an upcoming meeting.

(Shelly says: So you have to spend $40...or whatever...to save $10 off your $30...that isn't a good deal!)

NEXT QUESTION: Can you use man. coupon when buying an item you are going to earn RRs on? (I haven't run across this one yet but I guess some cashiers are saying if you use a man. coupon then the RR won't print.)

ANSWER: Yes, but you can't "roll" RR's on the same product.

NEXT QUESTION: Use more than one RR to pay?

ANSWER: No. Must separate the transactions and total must exceed the RR after coupons..

(Shelly says: What a time saver for both me and the cashier! Ha! I think I might have to stop shopping at Walgreens.)

NEXT QUESTION: Coupon for $1 off item that is on sale for 75 cents. Adjust or not?

ANSWER: Yes, they should adjust. Some internet printed coupons cannot be adjusted. Manager may have to call company.

(Shelly says: Don't shop with your kids...it may take awhile!)

NEXT QUESTION: Do you take internet printed coupons? Can they be in B&W?

ANSWER: Yes, unless a warning was issued that a particular coupons was fraudulent. They can be in color or B&W.

I find it very hard to believe a LARGE, NATIONAL company such as Walgreens doesn't have a WRITTEN coupon policy available for customers to reference (if not on their website at least when you request it). I think confusion is part of their strategy. The D.M. told me she thought there were just too many coupons out there making it too complicated. She was longing for the good ol' days of just man. coupons. This conversation was all well and good, but I STILL have no proof to "educate" the cashiers/managers on these policies unless I have something in WRITING. Now if I have an issue and I know the cashier is wrong, the only thing I can do is call corporate when I get home. With my luck...should I put them on speed dial or what?

Free Food at Cub Foods

At Cub Foods this week with weekly ad coupons:
Buy 2 gallons of Kemps Select White milk for $2.79 each (not unreasonable) get the following FREE:
1 dozen large eggs
1 64 oz. container orange juice
1 8 oz. spreadable butter
6 ct. english muffins

Seems like a pretty good deal to me! Additionally, there is a separate coupon for a free pound of grapes.

New Coupon Source

My mom gave me a sheet of coupons...not sure where she got it...full of General Mills coupons. The sheet said for "more savings visit www.everydaysaver.com" I hadn't seen that site before. Looks like it is powered by Boodle. Anyway, there are some good coupons on there including a $1 off Chex Mix which just happens to be on sale at CVS for $1 this week! Enjoy your free Chex Mix!! I'll add this site to the sidebar...

Theresa's CVS deal yesterday

I just had to share this with everyone. I have never been able to get all of this stuff for FREE before. Normally I have to pay at least a little in taxes, but not this time.

This is what I bought:

Transaction #1
1 - Playskool Diapers - $10.99
1 - Viactiv Glides - $8.99
8 - Bottles of LifeWater @5/$5 = $8
Total before coupons = $27.98

Coupons used:
$5 off $15 CVS coupon
$3 off Playskool diaper CVS coupon
$2 off Playskool diaper M.C.
$4 off Viactiv glides CVS coupon
$13.98 ECBs
Total OOP = $0.00, received $7 ECBs


Transaction #2
1 Playskool Diapers = $10.99
1 Viactiv Glides vitamins = $8.99
2 Lifewaters = $2.00
Total before coupons = $21.98

Coupons used
$5 off $15 CVS coupon
$3 off Playskool diaper CVS coupon
$2 off Playskool diaper M.C.
$4 off Viactiv glides CVS coupon
$7.98 ECBs
OOP = $0.00, received $9 ECBs

I didn't take a picture of the deals, but I do have a picture of the receipt to actually show you that I paid nothing. I came to realize that the reason I didn't pay anything was because all of my coupons rang up as CVS coupons and they take off taxes. Because my first order actually was $4.22 at one point, but when I gave her my $4 ECB, it went down to $0.

Why I LOVE Getting the Mail!

Here is what I got in the mail today! I love getting the mail...I never know what I'll find in there! I finally got my Sambucol rebate. And just like I had heard it was indeed a hand written check! No wonder it took so long to get here. Have you gotten yours? Mine was delayed a bit since it was forwarded to the new address from the old. I was a bit worried about not getting it at all for that reason! Even Jer has been surprised at how many rebate checks have been arriving in the mail lately.
Here is what I got:

• 2 travel tubes and a booklet of coupons from Aquafresh (I called with a defective product complaint--when I got a travel size tube freebie with a coupon from CVS was not sealed right and had the bottom completely open!)
• a $12.99 check from Sambucol
• a coupon for a free bag of dog food
• a coupon for a free bag of cat food (I'll give this to my sister)
• a free baby bottle (I'll give this to my sister too!)
• deodorant sample (Roz already claimed for her gym locker)
• two coupons for a free chicken sandwich from McDonald's (a nice, unexpected surprise in with my Amazon order!)

Not everyday is as a good as this but I have been getting some great stuff lately. If you want some free stuff in your mailbox...the best place I have found for freebies is Freebies4Mom.

Holiday Weekend

Just in case you weren't aware or if you are...a friendly reminder. This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. It is a holiday. There are NO coupons in the paper on holidays. Don't buy a paper just for the coupons! And on a side note, if you're going to be around come sit with us at the parade Monday morning...we always have a good time...and get free Seroogy's (more if we know the girls throwing the candy!). Have a good weekend!

Walgreens $5 off $20-Friday Only

Guess I'll wait until tomorrow to head to Walgreens! Check your email. If you didn't get the coupon...here it is!!

Free CD from Zantac

If you got paid two weeks ago to buy Zantac...here is another way to get more out of that deal! Best of all the form is online so you don't even have to pay for a stamp!

Coupons: Chicago Tribune VS. Press Gazette

Hi Ladies - another verdict is in and I thought I'd share it with you. Yesterday I picked up the Chicago Tribune to compare to the Press Gazette and here are the results of my counting coupons in each.

Totals: CT = 196 total and PG = 79

That about says it all but in case you'd like to see the breakdown - and remember this is not scientific but I tried to generally catagorize the coupons....

Food - CT=78 to PG=36
Toiletery - CT=43 to PG=16
Pharmacy - CT=22 to PG=6
MakeUp/Beauty - CT=16 to PG=5
Baby - CT=9 to PG=9
Cleaning - CT=17 to PG=7
Pet - CT=11 to PG=0

I guess they think we don't own pets up here :))))))

And so we will try to stop at the store each Sunday and either pick up a Tribune or a Sentinel in order to get the coupons - these papers are only 2.15 to 2.50 - that's not bad for an extra 100 plus coupons! Vivian

Rebate

If you got or are going to get the free after rebate Orajel Kids Plaque Rinse at Walgreens...here is an additional rebate for you!

CVS Gift Card

I thought this was funny. This could only happen at CVS. When I went shopping on Wednesday. I walked into CVS with a gift card worth 83 cents. I couldn't even spend it all! Well, I could have but I didn't. I left with a gift card worth 37 cents. I haven't spent ANY money at CVS since the twins had an ear infection in early March and needed antibiotics. I got a $25 "new prescription" gift card that has lasted me until now. I have another $10 gift card I'll start using after this that I got from MyPoints. If I'm careful and keep getting gift cards from MyPoints... I may never pay any money out of pocket at CVS ever again! (If you want to sign up for MyPoints let me or Theresa know...we get extra points if you sign up when we refer you.)

Free Yogurt

Cub Foods has Dannon four packs on sale for $1. If you don't mind the Light & Fit kind there are coupons for $1 off. Which means FREE yogurt! If you don't have many of the $1 off coupons or want more than you have coupons my Cub had the red box blinky coupons for $.75 cents off right by the yogurt making them 25 cents. I got SEVEN four packs for $1! We eat a lot of yogurt so I should have gotten even more. The containers are a bit small...perfect for lunch or snack. Pizza rolls and Hamburger Helper are on sale for $1 again too and there were some coupons in recent inserts but it doesn't look like there are any printables out for those right now. I got all this for about $9.

Last Week's Walgreens

I've been meaning to post this Walgreens run since Friday. This weekend was super busy though...so I didn't have time until now. Last week was great week for Walgreens IF (and that's a BIG if) you could find a Walgreens that had items in stock. Last Tuesday, I went to 4 Walgreens in one day and ALL of them were out of the items I was looking for!

Here's what I got:
3 Casacade @ $2.50 each
2 Mr. Clean @ $2.50 each
4 Crest Pro-Health Night @ $2.50 each
1 Venus @ $9.99 each
1 Zantac @ $3.99 each
2 Snickers @ $.50 each (sustenance for the GBAMOM resale!)

I used the Easy Saver coupon ($3 off 2) for the Crest and $13.49 in manuf. coupons. I paid $20.06 out of pocket since I had already used my gift card for the monthly freebies. BUT I got back $29 in Register Rewards. So they paid me $8.94 to buy this! I could have made even more if they had the products I wanted! (I had coupons for more toothpaste and better coupons for the Action Pack Cascade.) I did do the deal twice last week to get more Cascade. So right now I have over $50 in RRs to spend. I would have more but I did use some of the Venus/Zantac RRs to pay for the next deal. Looks like there aren't any really great deals at Walgreens this week so I'll have to figure out something to buy before these RRs expire.

CVS deals for this week

There is some money to be made at CVS this week if you have the right coupons. Here are my deals for the week, so far:

Transaction #1:

2 - Colgate toothpaste @ $2.99 = $5.98

2 - Crest Pro Health Rinse @ $3.99 each = $7.98

1 - Schick Intuition Razer @ $8.88 = $8.88

Total before coupons = $22.84 + tax

Coupons used:

1 - $3/$15 coupon

2 - $0.75/1 crest rinse

2 - $1.50 /1 Colgate toothpaste

1 - $4 Schick coupon

Total coupons = $11.50

Total after coupons = $11.34

ECBs used = $11.37

Total OOP = $0.44

ECBs Earned = $10

Transaction #2

3 - Glide dental floss @ $2.50 each = $7.50

1 - FreeStyle Lite glucose monitor = $10.00

Total before coupons = $17.50 + tax

Coupons used:

1 - $3/$15 coupon

3 - $1/1 glide

1 - $9.99 FreeStyle (from 5/11 Chicago Tribune paper)

Total coupons = $15.99

Total after coupons = $1.51 + tax

ECBs used = $1

Total OOP = $0.70

ECBs Earned = $10

Transaction #3

1 - Oral-B Pulsar toothbrush = $4.99

1 - Colgate Total toothpaste = $2.99

1 - Freestyle Lite glucose monitor = $10.00

3 - Reese Peanut Butter cups @ $0.50 each = $1.50 (filler)

Total before coupons = $19.48 + tax

Coupons used: 

1 - $3/$15 coupon

1 - $1 Oral-B

1 - $1.50 Colgate toothpaste

1 - $9.99 Freestyle coupon

Total coupons = $15.49

Total after coupons = $3.99+ tax

ECBs used = $3.99

Total OOP = $0.13

ECBs Earned = $22

Total OOP for entire trip = $1.27

ECBs used = $16.36

ECBs earned = $42

This is why I love CVS so much!!! How often can you say you were actually paid to shop? I made a net profit of $24.37

GB Press Gazette Vs. Milwaukee Sentinel

Hello GB Savers - I just thought I'd way in on this coupon thing.  I have been recently turned down at the Olson's Piggly Wiggly with my internet coupons and was told Woodmans would not accept them either so I got to thinking about Theresa's suggestion of using a big city paper.  Well, I thought I'd give you my comparison from the May 4th Sunday paper:

Smart Source in GB had:

8 - food cpns
7 - household coupons (cleaners, razors, etc)
4 - restaurant cpns
2 - pharmacy cpns (vitamins, etc)

While the MIL Sent had:

14 - food cpns
24 - household cpns (that is NOT a typo)
4 - restaurant cpns
10 - pharmacy cpns

Wow was my response to that.  Also my GB paper had no Red Plum this week and I didn't get a P&G saver book either - but both were in the Mil Sent paper. 

Did you GB savers get a P&G in your GB Press paper this week? What do we do if we are jipped one?   Curious....

Vivian

CVS deal for this week

The deals for CVS this week aren't very good, but I was able to get a few.


I bought 2 Kiss glue for $1.99 each
4 Johnson's buddies for $0.99 each
1 Centrum Cardio for $9.99
1 Colgate 360 toothbrush for $3.99
1 Aquafresh trial size toothpaste for $0.99

Used the following coupons:
1 - $3/$15 CVS coupon
2 - $2/2 Johnson's coupons (coupons were about to expire, so I wanted to get them used up)
1 - $3/1 Cardio coupon
1 - $1/1 Colgate toothbrush coupon
1 - $0.99/1 Trial sized toothpaste coupon
$10.78 EBCs

Paid $0.68 OOP

Received $9.99 ECBs back
Will also receive $9.99 for Centrum Cardio rebate from past weekend's newspaper (don't recall if it was in the Press Gazette). Got it for sure from Chicago Tribune.

Walgreens deal

Today I went to Walgreens and was able to take advantage of a couple deals.
I did the following all in one transaction, but am putting it in a few groups.

I bought 9 Crest Pro Health toothpastes for $2.50 each = $22.50
Less Walgreens $3/2 coupon from Easy Saver catalog = $13.50
Less $6.50 Crest MF coupons (had 4 -$1/1 coupons, 3 - $0.50/1 coupons and 1-$1/2 coupon)
Total for toothpaste = $2.50 + tax
Received $20 RR

I also bought 1 pk of Zantac for $3.99
Used $5/1 coupon, it didn't get adjusted down, so I actually got it free, plus overage. Plus I also received a $3 RR

I bought 2 more of the FAR items (Energy spray, $3.29 and Nexcare Cold Sore Treatment, $8.99) kind of as a filler because I had so many coupons and because I hadn't bought them yet for the month.

Plus 2 more fillers of chocolate sprinkles @ $0.99 each.

I also used 2 $6 RR from the Venus Embrace shavers I had bought from a previous trip.

I should have actually put in a couple more fillers so I could have used my 3rd $6 RR, but didn't so I paid $5.88 on my gift card, so I got all of this for FREE!! Plus, I still have $32 RR for another trip and will receive another $12.28 from FAR items. Too bad I have already bought so many of my FAR items for the month. I could have used my RR for them.


I'm thinking of going back and see if I can get the Cascade/Mr Clean deal as well. Have lots of $0.50 off coupons, which would still be a money maker, just not as big as the toothpaste deal.

Soleil Coupon

Just in case you want some cheap razors at CVS this week. There is a $2 off coupon here. Click USA...then special savings...limit 2 (I think!).

May 1st Successful CVS Run

Hi Ladies - The one time I took a picture you never saw it and so many times I don't get on to record my story but I am motivated this am to tell you about my success - even though I know several of you already heard :)  - Sorry, no picture!

I went on May 1st because I had ECB's expiring that day - but didn't realize til I got there that the new monthly sale book would be out.  YEAH!  I got in to the store at a good time since they were well stocked on the freebies and there were lots of them. 

Here is what I bought - I had NO coupons with me but I know some of these have cpns: 
   3 Dole Fruit 3/$5.00 (need for lunches)
   1 Bic Soleil Razor 5.99 - get $3 ECB's
   2 Colgate 360 toothbrushes - 3.99ea - get 3.99 ECB's (have seen cpns)
   1 Orapik Travel kit - 2.79 - get 2.79 ECB's
   2 Aquafresh toothpaste - 2.99ea - get 2.99 ECB's (have seen cpns) 
   3 CVS Loratadin - 3.79ea - get 3.79 ECB's (this is like Claritin allergy med) 
   1 Tums Quik Pk - 4.69 - get 4.69 ECB's
   2 Palmolive Dish soap - 1.59 - BOGO so .80ea
   4 Pepsi 2 liters - 1.79 - BOGO so .90ea
   2 ALL Laundry detergent - 6.49 - BOGO so 3.25ea
   2 Tostitoe Products - 3.79 and 2.99 - BOGO  so I saved 2.99
   2 CVS Liquid Soap - 1.49 each and I think they were supposed to be BOGO and I didn't get it

GRAND TOTAL would have been $81.56 but with the sales the register took off automatically my NET TOTAL was $58.44 - I had one $3 off $10 CVS because of scanning my card AND $35.94 in ECB's - so my total bill was $24.09.

THE great part was I got $35.81 in ECB's back to spend the next time I go :))))) YEAH!   and I didn't even have the $3 off $10 coupon they mentioned at moneysavingmom.com nor the $5 off $30 coupon that Shelly mentioned came in an email.  That would have been another $8 off. 

HAPPY SHOPPING - Vivian
   

New $3 off $15 for CVS

After a dry spell we have a new CVS coupon! MoneySavingMom has the scoop here! Getting to the coupon is like a little scavenger hunt but well worth it! AND it is good until June 6th!!!

Colgate Healthy Habits

Just a heads up...if you are filling out the Colgate Healthy habits star chart to get free toothbrushes you can go ahead and stop! We got to the end of the 8 week chart on Saturday and it wouldn't let me fill out the last day. I emailed Colgate and the emailed me back to let me know the offered expired in November 2007. So no toothbrushes. :( You can still get the forms to fill out for a free power kids toothbrush from Colgate.com but that one requires a stamp or business card from the dentist and a receipt showing you purchased a Colgate product. (Although, that shouldn't be a problem since you get plenty of free Colgate from CVS!)

How NOT to shop

I provide this little ditty to enlighten you on how NOT to shop - although I'm sure it will bring more of a smile to your face rather than any wisdom you don't already know....

After two weeks of almost no Saver Shopping let alone any shopping I decided in the 45 min time slot I had in between piano lessons that i would RUN to and through Cub Foods - a store I have not shopped at for many, many years. I had the ad in hand -with no time to prep with a list or coupons - was I being impulsive or what? I really needed eggs - that is what started it.

I decide to do the "deal" on the flier that said if you buy $25 of these products you get 2 free movie tickets AND if you buy $25 of these products you get 2 more free movie tickets AND $10 to spend - that is what I was trying to do - but in my rush I forgot the $25 on the 2nd deal and only ended up at $10 and I didn't get the 2 extra movie tickets nor the $10 and probably ended up with an overload of products I use less often.

I came home frustrated as my life spins out of control and I really need to get to CVS to use my ECB's!!!!!! 

Drowning - Vivian

CVS deals

Just wanted to let you all know of a deal that I haven't seen posted to much yet this week. Actually there are a couple, but you might have already seen some.

1. (unadvertised) Softsoap Spa Radiance 18 oz sells for $5.49, receive $5.49 EBCs = FREE (limit 5) - And it works as I did it 5 times on one of my cards.
2. Zone Perfect Nutrition bars p.s.a. $1.19 each, buy 3 receive $2 ECBs. Use 3 $1/1 bar (don't remember which week the coupons came from) = FREE, plus overage.

Contour Deal...

...worked for Jerry at the CVS on west Mason. Just thought I'd let you know. He was also able to get the M&M deal to work there as well. The receipt says I can do it again too...anyone know what the limit was on that?

Free Butter

I saw this on one of the blogs I like to check...

Land O Lakes butter rebate

Good through 10/15/08

CVS

I made a CVS run last night. Unfortunately, they were out of the Contour meters so I didn't get to see if the deal worked. Have any of you had any luck with it? I am assuming since they were all out that the deal is working! :)

I did get the "unadvertised" M&M ECB deal though. They were buy one ($3.29) get one and then a $3 ECB printed! Two big bags of M&Ms for 29 cents! Jerry is going to run to the CVS by his work to see if they have the Contour meters so I told him to pick up some more M&Ms. I made M&M cookies on Tuesday that were REALLY good with some Easter M&Ms I saved. Now I can make more. Maybe I'll post the recipe on my blog.

The CVS brand diapers (B1G1) are a good deal too! Especially if you use a 3 off 10 from the red box. I also got the Kraft Mac and Cheese. I think 50 cents a box beats even the Sam's Club price. My CVS didn't have the four packs but she let me buy 8 singles and used the code like I was buying the 2 four packs. The manager at my CVS was telling me they just got their copy of the May book. She said when she went to order the "free" after ECB items the warehouse was already out of stock. She gets pretty frustrated with them for that. My store usually limits the free items to one or two per customer for that reason. Ugh!

Cub/Walgreens/CVS

I know Vivian already mentioned it but don't forget to do the Cub Foods cereal deal! There are plenty of coupons (BettyCrocker.com and BoxTops) out there to make this good deal great! Unlike the Piggly Wiggly deal this gives you $15 off right away so you don't even have to worry about using the $15 on your next trip. If you don't need 10 boxes of cereal...the deal also includes fruit snacks and granola bars and you can mix & match. And if a good cereal deal isn't enough for you they will give you a coupon for a free gallon of milk too! And don't forget to use the coupon in the ad to pick up a free reusable grocery bag.

Just thought I'd mention quick two other deals. Walgreens has Glade Plug-Ins buy one get one free and there were $3 off coupons in the 3/16 Smart Source. My Walgreens took both giving me $1.21 overage. Also this week at CVS there is another glucose meter deal (Ascensia Contour) that could make you $14.99 if they will adjust the $30 off coupon. (Vivian was going to try it...hopefully she'll let us know if it works!)

Money Maker

Just in case you didn't see this...there is a deal at Walgreens that can earn you some money during the month of April. This is a good example, in my case, of buying something we would never use :) but if they are going to pay me to buy it well...

From MoneySavingMom:

Just for Men Touch of Gray hair color - $8.29
Use $2/1 coupon (registration required)
Use this rebate or this rebate (You'll need to request a duplicate receipt in order to get Walgreens rebate and Manufacturer's rebate.)

*Note from Shelly: We don't need a duplicate receipt since we can fill out the Walgreens rebate online!*

Internet Coupon Trouble?

GB Savers - has anyone had difficulty in the GB area using Internet Coupons?  I'm noticing a lot of skepticism when I present them at various places.  I had to tell a lady at Walmart once where I got it and that she could tell her manager to look it up if they wanted.  Just wondering what you have experienced?  Shelly - did you talk to the owners at your Piggly Wiggly by you about their decision not to accept them?  Vivian

$15 coupon on GM cereals at Cub Foods

YEAH!!!  After purchasing 60 boxes of Kellogg's cereal I've been watching for any General Mills sales to change the variety at my house a little.  I NEVER look in the Cub Foods ad since I really don't live by the store but I thought - let's just check and there it was ...$15 of the purchase of 10 boxes of cereal, granola bars or fruit snacks - God is good.  Cub Foods, here I come!

CVS $72.85 for $3.87

This was one of my CVS trips this week. I actually made 2, but this one was my better one. The other one was good, but not as good as this one. ( I did the diaper deal in my other trip).

Here is what I bought:

• 4 Sunsilk styling @ $3.49 each
  
• 5 Excedrins @ $1.99 each
  
• 1 - Degree deodorant @ 2/$5 = $2.50
• 2 - Covergirl blushes @ $6.99 each
• 1 - Covergirl Tru Foundation @ $6.99
• 1 - Covergirl Trublend Foundations @$9.49
• 2 - Pepcid AC EZ Chews @ $7.99 each

Total after sales and before taxes $72.85.

Did this in 2 separate transactions and used the following:

• 2 - $4 off $20
• 2 - $2 off Pepcid coupons
• 1 - $1 off Degree coupon
• 2 - B1G1 Covergirl coupons
• 4 - $1.50 off 1 Sunsilk styling
• 5 - $2 off Excedrin printable coupons
• ECBs to cover the rest as close as I could get.

Received $36 ECBs
Will also receive $5.50 x 2 = $11 mail in rebates for the Pepcid AC

Spent $3.87 OOP, but will receive $11 in rebates for an overage of $7.13

Walgreens - $54.51 for $5.97

Yesterday, I bought all of this stuff for $5.97.

It includes:

• 1 - Touch of Grey for Men hair color
• 2 - Nutrisse hair colors
• 4- Packs of Extra gum
• 1 - Crest White stripes
• 1 - Glucerna cereal
• 1 - Wyler's Light Pink lemonade (filler)
• 4 - Matchbox type cars for the boys (filler) - not pictured as the boys were playing with them.
  

I had a the following coupons.

• 1 - $5 off $20 Walgreen's coupon for Friday only
• 1 - $3 off $10 Walgreen's coupon good for Military St. Walgreen's only
• 1 - $3 RR from a purchase last week
  
• 1 - $2 coupon for Touch of Grey Hair color
• 2- $2 MF coupon for Nutrisse haircolor
• 2 - $2 Walgreen's coupon for Nutrisse haircolor
• 2 - B1G1 Off Extra gum
• 1 - 3/$2 Walgreens' gum coupon
• 1 - $0.99 off Extra gum (Walgreen's coupon)
• 1 - Gift card with $9.81 left on it

Paid $5.97 out of pocket. (I actually did this in 2 separate transactions which is why I was able to use both $/$$ coupons.) I had to throw in the fillers because I had too many coupons and it would have given me issues otherwise.

I received $10 RR good the next time I shop from the Crest White Strips
Will also receive:

• $7.49 Easy Saver Rebate for the Touch of Grey
• $5 Easy saver rebate for Nutrisse Haircolor
• $7.99 mail in rebate also for Touch of Grey haircolor

So in essence, they again paid me to buy all of this stuff. I love Walgreen's when I can get deals like this.

CVS Huggies Coupon

Starting Sunday, CVS will be having a sale buy $25 get 10 ECB on several baby products including (again!) Huggies. Here is a coupon for $2 off Huggies that can be used in combination with man. coupons. This coupon is good only through Sunday so to get the best deal shop the 6th!