HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Just one quick post to to wish you all a Happy Halloween! For a great list of Halloween freebies, head on over to ThriftyNWMom's blog. Plus, don't forget to guess how much I spent on a nearly couponless shopping trip at Safeway before midnight tonight- you might just win a $50 gift card to do some fun grocery shopping for yourself!

Our day is going well so far, everyone but the baby is already in costume and there were significantly less tears about it than last year- the promise of candy and other goodies does not seem to be working for the 2 year old, who would've thought? Neither did the fact that his costume matches the one the husband and I are wearing (we're all pirates- it's the theme until toddler speaks up for himself as to what he wants to be). However, with our Starbucks run this morning getting comped (due to what they called a "long wait")- we're all in pretty great moods!

Giftcard giveaway #2: let's play a quick game!

Now that you all know about Safeway's new lower prices, it's time to check them out in action! My original plan was to head to Safeway with no real plan and no coupon binder (I know, *gasp* no coupons!) armed with the very generous $250 GC they sent to me to check out their new low prices. Of course, I haven't shopped like that since back when I was first married and we had all kinds of disposable income- so the plan changed. Instead I went through the house and wrote down a list of all the things we needed and wanted (2 separate columns of course). Then I grabbed the ad and looked to see what the best deals this week were so I could add the ones I wanted to take advantage of to my list.

THEN I went shopping, and I left the coupon binder at home. That's right, I actually left my coupons behind. Of course, I'm not a total crazy- I looked for coupons in store and used $4 worth of coupons in addition to a number of ecoupons I already had loaded to my Club Card. The results of this crazy trip? I ended up buying a lot of the items on my "want" list, because they were tagged with new low prices and/or great Club Card prices! It was kind of interesting to shop like a normal (but somewhat budget conscious) person might and my savings were still very good. These new low prices really do make saving money easy.

You might be wondering how good? You'll just have to wait....because it's time for a game and a giveaway! See this photo below of my shopping trip? Good! Now imagine a bunch of bananas right there in front next to the hamburger meat (kind of what it might look like if my 2 year old hadn't helped himself to an entire bunch of bananas) and guess what I paid AND what I saved...

That's right! YOU get to guess, and you have two chances at this. I'll be selecting two winners and each one will receive a $50 Safeway Gift card. Here are the rules for this giveaway:

• Winner 1: the person with the closest guess as to how much I spent on the items pictured without going over (we're playing this game Price Is Right style)
• Winner 2: the person with the closest guess as to how much I saved without going over
• You can submit a guess for both categories (total spent and total saved), but should do so in one comment
• You may want to read through the comments to be sure your guess is not the same as someone else's. In the case that 2 people guess correctly, the first guess submitted will be the "winner".
• You have until 12 pm PST on Saturday October 31st to submit your guesses. I'll announce the winner on Monday November 2nd.
• Don't forget to leave a way for me to contact you!
• Want a clue? I kept track of the items I purchased with "new low prices" and they saved me an additional $8.15! That's more than the paper coupons I used in this trip!!
  

Kleenex catalina at Safeway- ends today!

I was hesitant to post this deal for you all, because there doesn't seem to be any information (including an end date) for the Kleenex deal- but I'm so excited it's back I think I need to share. Plus, it looks like other bloggers are posting it and I want to make sure my readers have all the information they need. It is working today but I've heard reports that today is the last day for it!!

Here's how you can get FREE Kleenex:

• buy 3 boxes of Kleenex (110 ct) for $.99 each with Club Card
• Use $.50 off 3 blinkie or insert coupon or buy 3 get one free tearpad coupons (if you can find them)- or any other Kleenex coupon you have obviously
• Pay $2.97 (minus any coupons, plus tax) and get back a $3 catalina
• From then on, you can use that catalina to buy more kleenex (provided you buy something else in the deal, single veggies make great fillers!)

I do want to warn you that the $3 Kleenex catalina is programmed to beep every single time you use it. They just want the store to verify/enter the price, but it can get frustrating with the wrong cashier. Also, the bottom of the catalina does say "limit one per transaction per day" so keep that in mind if you don't want to get in trouble for trying to do a ton of transactions at once! I suggest doing this deal as soon as you can because it could end tomorrow.

EDITED to say that today is most likely the last day for this deal according to reports from a few different people. hope it works for you!!

weekly spending review

I'm behind schedule with my review, for some reason I've been living in my own little time zone bubble that includes several days of Monday. I actually asked my husband this morning as he was leaving for work if it was Tuesday or Wednesday today- I'm glad that it's actually Thursday because this week was really dragging along otherwise. Anyways, here's the review:

I spent a ton of money. Seriously, about $61.98 in just a one week span! I saved $51.04 or so (I'm missing my FM receipt, so I'm not adding any savings from that trip). I do have $5.50 in RR for Walgreen's. I guess it's not that bad, I got tons of chicken, a 9lb turkey breast, a 16 lb. turkey and quite a few things I needed- but it's at least $11.98 more than I like to spend in one week!

On the plus side, my freezer, fridge, and pantry are all very well stocked so barring any amazing deals I think I'm going to take a shopping break (with the exception of dairy and fresh produce as we need it). Don't worry though, I'll still be here to share any awesome deals I find with you!

Looking for affordable shoes?

Oprah currently has a coupon on her site for 50% off anything at Payless shoes (excluding gift cards, breast cancer bracelets, and the shoes they dye for you). Payless always has great affordable shoes and this coupon should make for an awesome deal. Of course, anytime Oprah is involved in a giveaway or promo things can get crazy so I recommend heading out sooner rather than later. Coupons are good through October 30th.

Don't want to waste your ink? You can text OPRAHSHOW to 242424 and simply show the cashier the text you receive. I only recommend this for people who have unlimited texting plans on their phone. This is all in honor of Christian Siriano since one of his newest projects will be a line of shoes for Payless (oh my, affordable shoes and Christian Siriano? I LOVE it!). He'll be on Oprah today if you want to see what he's been up to!

Safeway's new lower prices & a giveaway!

When I wrote to tell you all about playing Tag and Save at Safeway this week (don't forget! it ends on the 30th) I also mentioned that Safeway has slashed price on thousands of items in their stores. This awesome change has taken place in all 198 Safeway stores throughout Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana! I'm going to be completely honest with you all, I've heard mixed reviews as Safeway had rolled out this new plan in different areas of the country and was curious to see what it would look like here. I've always thought Safeway had the lowest day to day prices and am very pleased to see that they're keeping that up with the new everyday low prices.

Here's the very best part, in my opinion- some of these new everyday prices are what I've come to expect of sale prices! When you figure in the club card price, it's great to see how much you save even without coupons. I spent a little bit of time there this afternoon so I could really check things out and can say without a doubt that Safeway is going to be my go-to store for my regular shopping trips. A few of these new prices even fell into my "stock up" price range- and that in itself is really amazing.

You might be wondering how widespread this price reduction program is and if it simply reflects a price drop on store brand items. While I did notice a lot of reductions on store brand items (hooray for that!), I also spotted tags in every single aisle of the store. From bread and wine to pet foods, salad dressing, and canned goods those cute little tags are everywhere!

They are also really easy to read an understand! For example- take a look at the photo below. The old price of SpaghettiO's was $1.79 a can, but the new everyday low price is $1.59! Even better, the sale price (in the easy to read big print) is 2/$3!

The range of price reduction is also really neat to see. Some items are $.20 less than what they used to be and others are $2.00 less. Be sure to take a good look around the next time you head to your local Safeway, you never know what awesome new low price you might find! I think Safeway is right on track with their goal of "offering thousands of new low prices, plus great Club Card savings on items across the store" and "providing customers with a more affordable and convenient one-stop-shopping experience." Way to go!

Ready for the fun part? I was recently given 6 safeway giftcards- one for myself so I could check out the awesome new low prices in store and FIVE $50 giftcards to give away to my readers!! Amazing, right? I'll be giving them away all this week, and you can enter now for your chance to win one! Want to know how? Simply leave me a comment in this post telling me your favorite thing about shopping at Safeway.

Rules? You want rules? Okay!

• This giveaway will close at midnight pst on Monday, November 2nd
• One $50 gift card winner will be selected using random.org and announced by 12pm pst on November 3rd
• You must leave a way for me to get ahold of you in your entry (email address is best!)
• You can leave a second comment for a second entry if you blog about this giveaway and Safeway's new low price program
• Gift cards are good at Safeway and all affiliate stores (including Vons, Dominick's, Genuardi's, Randalls, Tob Thumb, Pavillions, and Carrs)
• Note: I have turned on comment moderation for a short time as this post was getting spammed. I also deleted all comments about shoes and advertisements for other blogs.

Free lipgloss at Victoria's secret!

I was excited to see this freebie, because I love this lip gloss! Trust me, this stuff is awesome- it smells yummy, goes on smooth, and doesn't get sticky!

Now through November 15th, you can bring in this printable coupon and get a free lipgloss when you get fitted for a bra (no purchase necessary).

Plus, if you haven't done so already, you can still get your free pink panty from VS Pink Nation. If you are in the market for a bra, be sure to follow that link and get a $10 off coupon too! I'm really loving all these VS freebies!!

Walgreens has lured me back

...between the shiny new store in town and an awesome deal on oatmeal (my mom was just telling me how she was out) I'm off my self-imposed Walgreen's break. Sorry about the dark photo, but it's way past bedtime and there's no way I'm turning on the kitchen light to risk waking the baby. I only did 2 transactions today, but will be heading back in this week to get more oatmeal- we use a ton of it for baking and it's an awesome donation item.

Spent $7.26, saved $13.29, have $5.50RR left

My out of pocket cost is a bit high, but I was starting out with no register rewards or coupons. That doesn't usually happen- but it does make for a nice starter scenario for you! The fiber and polligrip are going in my donation box, and the gum is going into the halloween candy tub. Here's what I did:

Transaction #1:

• purchased 4 Oatmeal (marked at $3.19 or 2/$5 depending on your store. look for the smaller tub pictured above)
• used the Buy one get one free coupon from Walgreen's ad (takes off $3.62)*
• if you have any "$1.25 off 2 oatmeal" coupons- use them here!
• pay $6.38, get back $5 in RR**

Transaction #2:

• Trident Layers 2/$2
• Super Poligrip, $2 (the small box, 0.75 oz)
• Fiber choice tablets $2.49 (10 ct tube)
• Used a "buy one get one free Trident Layers" coupon and my $5 RR from transaction 1
• Paid $0.88 ($.49 of it in tax!) and got back a $1 RR (for the 2 packs Layers gum), a $2.50 RR (for Fiber Choice), and a $2 RR (from the Poligrip).***

*I realize that $3.62 looks wrong, but the oatmeal is actually supposed to be at $3.19 for the buy on get one free coupon to work. Four at that price would be $12.76 and half of that is $6.38, so it's right even though it looks wrong.

**If you're new to Walgreen's, it's important to remember that you cannot use RR to buy items from the same company because you will not get more RR. That's why the second transaction is made up of different items that produce RR.

***That adds up to $5.50 that I can use to buy more oatmeal later this week. I'll do transaction #1 again, this time using my $5.50 in RR to pay $0.88 out of pocket and will end up with another $5 RR.

That looks so much more confusing than it is, I promise! If you have any questions, feel free to comment with them below or email me. You can visit MoneySavingMom for more matchups this week!

Menu Plan Monday

We had a busy weekend, and my menu plans managed to get all mixed up in the meantime. The current plan is one I came up with quickly last night with the foods I have on hand. here it is:

Sunday: beef stew out of the freezer
Monday: broccoli & chicken in the crock pot, served with rice
Tuesday: Stuffing casserole (using Monday's leftover chicken), salad, crescent rolls
Wednesday: Beef and broccoli stir fry
Thursday: undecided
Friday: veggie tray, creamed tuna on toast (I know it sounds weird, but it's really yummy- a perfect Friday comfort food!)
Saturday: depending on the weather, the husband might grill something or else maybe I'll do a chicken pot pie soup with rolls?

looking for meat coupons?

I got a ton of questions about the beef coupons I found a few months ago in my local Alberstons, and thought I'd give you all a heads up on my great find this morning. QFC has $1 off Fresh Pork tearpads in their meat department. These coupons don't expire until 12/31/09 and can be doubled, so if you are a family that eats pork you may want to head out and see if you can find these coupons:

We don't eat a ton of pork, but we do use it occasionally and this coupon should make for some very cheap (or free!) pork in the future. Of course, don't take the whole tearpad if you do find it. They also had a few turkeys marked to 50% off and lots of tearpad coupons related to Johnsonville sausage.

Super Thrifty Haircuts!

West Sound Tech is currently running a food drive, with the offer of a free haircut in exchange for 3 cans of food. If you've been shopping sales and clipping coupons- odds are you've got a few spare cans laying around! I'm not sure how long this deal is going on for, but if you're interested I suggest you call their Cosmetology Appointment Desk at (360)473-0560 soon.

Of course, their hours are limited to Monday-Friday from 9am-3pm. You can click your way over to their website to see what other services they offer.

Don't forget to play Tag & Save!

Tag & Save starts today! We listened all morning and didn't hear any clues, just lots of announcements that it starts today. The husband is currently watching football, so the radio is off at the moment, so please let me know if you hear any clues!!

Not sure what's going on with this? Read my original post to find out, and be sure to come back all this week for more information!

Last chance for some great deals at Fred Meyers

I meant to post about some great deals at Fred Meyer's this week and Rachael over at Beans & Rice just reminded me! Today is the last day for these deals, so you may want to run over if you get a chance.

• Click here to see how you can get whole pineapple for $1.23 today only. Thanks Rachael!
• Visit Queen Bee Coupons to see how you could score a 1/2 gallon of organic milk and some free cereal to go with it.
• The Coupon Project also has an extensive list of matchups and great deals listed here that are good through the end of the day today.

I'm hoping to find some $.98/lb chicken breast, some Tillamook butter @ $1.25, and maybe some caramel apple fixings for our Halloween get together.

Safeway: cheap chickens!

$12.72 spent, $11.75 saved (49%)

Albertsons is really not doing anything for me this week (even if we do get the rumored doubles)- and there's not much I really need, but I couldn't resist a good price on chicken! Here's the breakdown of my trip:

• Nalley Chili $1
• Cascade Dish powder $4.49 (minus $.50 ecoupon) $3.99
• Precious String Cheese $3.49 (minus $2 peelie) $1.49
• Halls Refresh Sample (found by the water bottles) FREE
• 2 whole chickens ($3.13 and $3.02) $6.15
• Broccoli $1.35
• my 10% discount took off $1.65

If you do head down that way for cheap chicken, be sure to pick up your car decal so you can play Tag & Save starting on Saturday!

Free Cocoa and Cookie at Barnes&Noble Saturday

What a nice freebie! On Saturday, October 24th, you can head into Barnes and Noble to get your kid a free small cookie and hot cocoa- just be sure to print this coupon and take it in with you! There's no purchase necessary (although I'm not sure I could resist) but it sounds like a fun morning. Thanks MoneySavingMom!

No kids? It doesn't actually say you need kids, just that it's a kid sized hot cocoa- so you could go in and get one for yourself. Either way, it's a great freebie!

Safeway: Play Tag&Save with me!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was when I saw these window decals in-store over the weekend when I ran in for milk and a few other things. I literally did a crazy hand-clapping dancy move before grabbing one that I'm sure made me look just a little bit nuts.Except that I remember seeing blog posts about the new lower prices and the Tag&Save game months ago, and was really hoping we'd get to play too. I'm really very excited that our turn has come!!

Head on over to your local Safeway (if you're in the greater Seattle area) and get yourself one of these tags then put it on your back window and set your radio to Star 101.5. Every day between October 24th – October 30th, the radio station will be heading to one local Safeway store to spot a $1000 winner, and it looks like you'll have to listen in for tips. A new winner each day means that you've got 7 chances for it to be you!

Besides this awesome chance to win $1000 for groceries (and honestly, who couldn't use that?!?) I was pleased to see that these "new lower prices" are in fact lower. I'm a Safeway shopper by default, having done the majority of grocery shopping throughout my life there. I've always thought they had lower prices on day to day items and the price reductions only help! Make sure you wander around and keep your eyes peeled for the new bright yellow tags while you're there grabbing your decal!

A few freebies

There are some really neat freebies available today across the blogosphere. Rather than re-type them all, I'm just going to link you in the right directions, enjoy!

• Click here to see how you can get a free 6 piece box of chocolate dipped fruit for Edible Arrangements on facebook. (The locations are not super local, so you might want to check before you sign up. do that here). Thanks KrazyCouponLady!
  
• The Coupon Project has details on how you can get a free sandwich at Jack in the Box today only (10/20).
  
• Visit MoneySavingMom to see how you can get $15 to use at the Kodak Gallery. This is awesome if you're looking to do photo gifts for the holidays!
  
• Seatle Mom's Deal Finder posted details on how you can get a free 8x8 shutterfly photo book, another great holiday gift idea!
  
• While it's not entirely free, Dominos is offering cheap pizza this week. To Save a Penny has the scoop on how to add free cinnastix to your order. $6 for a large pizza and some free cinnastix is a great price on takeout pizza!

My weekly spending review

I'm going to start doing this again, because it helps me to keep track of how I'm doing and keeps me from going overboard when there are great sales. This time around, I'll be keeping track of my spending on a weekly basis of Wednesday-Tuesday in order to simplify things for myself since that how the store sales (at the places I frequent most) run.

Besides the three Albertsons trips I made on Sunday and Monday, I also spent $8.80 at Safeway on milk, stir-fry sauce, pepperidge farm cookies, and some fresh veggies plus $1.49 on grapes at QFC. I also got in a quick stop at Walgreens and paid $.88 for 4 boxes of instant oatmeal and a pack of stickers. I did not do any other shopping between Wednesday of last week and now, nor will I do any more today. That brings my total spent on groceries last week to $42.03 and my savings total to $256.82 (87% savings), plus I have $13 in catalinas good for future purchases at Albertsons. I was trying to keep my spedning right around $40 a week so I am happy with where I ended up, especially since I was able to stock up on so many things we needed (plus a few things that are just nice to have on hand).

I had to get in just one more Albies run...

$17.28 spent out-of-pocket, $80.80 saved!

After I got home yesterday, the husband started in on his cereal- and when I realized he'd ate almost one box by the time we got up this morning I knew I had to get a few more boxes. I did 2 transactions today at 2 different stores (because the first one didn't have what I needed for my second transaction- neither did the second store but I didn't know that!). I started out with just the $3 catalina I had leftover from yesterday and ended today with $13 in catalinas (making the "net cost" of everything today $7.28). Detailed transactions are below.

Transaction 1:

• 10 cans of GG veggies $7.50
• 3 bags of Gardettos $5
• Cheerios $2 (used $1 coupon)
• 2 Cinnamon Rolls $3.34 (used two $1 printables)
• 3 Simply cookie dough (not pictured) $7.50 (used three $1 printables)
• used 3 doublers and the remaining $3 catalina from yesterday. Paid $12.59 and earned $13 in catalinas. My receipt shows a savings of 35.43!

Transaction 2:

• Zatarans Beans and Rice $2.69 (used free item q- took off $2)
• BC Brownie Mix $1
• BC muffin mix $2
• 6 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch $12 (used three $1 off 2 boxes printables)
• 3 Cinnamon Rolls $5 (used $1/3 blinkie)*
• 2 Pie Crusts $5 (used $1/2 peelie)*
• used 3 doublers and the $13 in catalinas I had earned earlier and paid $4.69. My receipt shows a savings of $45.37!

*I had planned to buy 5 more packages of Simply cookie dough using a combination of $1 and $1.25 printable coupons but neither store I visited today had enough in stock. I don't mind too much because the pie crust and cinnamon rolls will be nice to have, but my planned total on the second transaction would have been about $4 less if the cookies had been in-stock. bummer!

one more run to Albertsons today....

Spent $3.82, Saved $71.76

Yes, I was just at an Albertson's but I had to go back and do my real shopping (plus another GM promo trasaction). Here's the breakdown:

Transaction 1: $2.17 spent, $46.30 saved

• Progresso Broth $2 (used $1 q)
• 6 Cinnamon Toast Crunch $12 (used three $1 off 2 printables)
• Cheerios $2 (used $1 printable)
• Simply Cookies $2.50 (used $1 q)
• 4 Crescent Rolls $6.67 (used four $1 printables)
• plus 3 doublers and the $10 catalina from earlier today brought my total down to $2.17
• I should have received $13 in catalinas, but they didn't print for some reason and the manager came over and credited my next transaction the $13 I should have earned.

Transaction 2: Was everything else in the photo. I used a $1 off any Reser's product coupon on the tortillas, a couple of $1 off 2 Arrowhead peelies, a "Buy One, Get One Free" coupon on the eggs, the store coupon in the ad to make the 2liters $.77 each, three doublers, plus the $13 credit to know my total (on most of the groceries I needed this week) down to $1.65. My savings show up as being $25.46.

I still have one $3 catalina left over today, and am debating going back for more of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. It's my husbands absolute favorite and he can eat it like you would not believe. The second store was out of the 5lb. bags of sugar for the promo (wish I had thought to get a raincheck!) and I didn't even look at the first store today. Think I just might have to head back!

Lovin' the GM promo at Albies

Spent $11.25, saved $77.26

...and I earned $13 in catalinas! Can you say $1.75 moneymaker??

I took my sister in with me and did a total of 3 transactions this morning (I did two, she did one). I spent a total of $11.25 out of pocket and ended with $13 in catalinas (the $10 GM and a $3 Pillsbury)- that's a small money making trip with somethings that I used to consider "splurges" (the pre-made broth and refrigerator cookie dough). Keep reading for the breakdown on how we did this!

Transaction 1:

• 13 cartons Progresso Broth @ $2= $26.00
• used 13 $1 progresso broth coupons
• used 3 doublers
• paid $10 and earned a $10 catalina (for spending $25 on GM items)

Transaction 2:

• 6 cartons of Progresso Broth= $12.00
• 5 Simply Cookies (Pillsbury)= $12.50
• 1 can Green Giant peas= $0.75
• used six $1 progresso broth coupons, five $1 simply cookies coupons, and 3 doublers
• I used my $10 catalina (from trans #1) and $1.25 cash to pay, but received back the $13 in catalinas

Transaction 3:

• 2 Wild Harvest Rice milks (one vanilla, one chocolate)= $4
• 2 six packs Arrowhead water= $2
• use two $1 WH coupons, a $1 off 2 multipack Arrowhead peelies, and 3 doublers to make this transaction FREE (my favorite!)

more free undies from Victoria's Secret!

Are you a member of Pink Nation yet? If not, then rush over here and sign up already! They've been offering great coupons and even some freebies. The current offer, valid 10/13-11/9, comes with two great coupons. One for $10 off any bra and the other is good for a free panty from the Pink collection (valued at $7.50). I went yesterday with my mom and sister to get ours, and they really have some cute choices.

Just a couple of note: be sure to sign up with your real name as some stores require ID's to claim your free panty! While you're over there, remember to play the Panty Jackpot. You can spin the wheel once a day to try to win more free panties (you're looking for the dog symbol to line up). Good luck!!

Menu Plan Monday

I did all my shopping the other day when I felt better for a few moments in case things got worse. We're all still sniffly but rapidly improving. I wrote the menu plan last week, but there have been a few adjustments to it-here it is:

Monday: Chicken Fried Rice, veggies with dip, and Lumpia (wish me luck with that one!)
Tuesday: Leftovers- chili baked potatoes, salmon, and anything else in the fridge
Wednesday: we're doing breakfast- waffles, fruit, and bacon
Thursday: Taco and vegan chimichangas (and Beatles rockband) night. We're having some friends over and this is an easy way to feed a group.
Friday: Fish, rice, and veggies?
Saturday: Teriyaki Chicken drummettes
Sunday: (I'm leaving this one blank, if the weather is better the husband might grill or we might do pizza or stew from the freezer)

I did run back to Safeway to get 3 cans of refried beans and a big bag of tortillas. I used my catalina from the kleenex deal (it's over now) to help pay, so my total was only $2.21- not bad!

We needed a few things

Since I was feeling a little bit better this afternoon, we made one quick run to the store for everything we'll need next week (besides more milk) just in case we're not feeling any better tomorrow. I didn't plan too much of this trip in advance and only used a handful of coupons, so here it is:

Safeway: $21.98 spent, $11.54 saved

It was nice to see the Kleenex in stock once again, especially since we're using it like crazy right now! Here's the breakdown, nothing too impressive:

• 3 Kleenex- (used $.50/3 coupon) paid $2.47, earned a $3 catalina
• 2 gallons milk $3.98
• 2 lb. Tillamook Cheddar $3.99
• Daisy Sour Cream (used a $.45 coupon) $1.94
• String Cheese- markdown to $2.65 each (used $2 peelies) $1.30
• Ovenjoy bread $1.19
• Chicken Drummettes $4.34
• bunch green onions $.99
• head of broccoli $.35
• celery $.47
• garlic $.50
• spring roll wrappers $2.99

Act quickly: BOGO coupon for 1 dozen eggs (gone!)

Simply Take The Pledge with the Good Egg Project and if you're one of the first 20,000 you'll get a printable coupon good for one dozen eggs free with the purchase of one dozen eggs.

That's a pretty nifty coupon! I just signed up and was able to get one!

Edit: This coupon appears to have reached it's print limit, you might still click the link and donate an egg to Feeding America (it is a good cause).

taking a break

I started feeling sick last night with what felt like a cold, but am so miserable today that I can only think it must be a flu. The youngest has the same symptoms (from what I can gather- seeing as he can't talk) but the toddler is fine (and I'm really hoping to keep it that way). I probably won't be around much while I try to recover- that soup I managed to stockpile is sure going to come in handy!

Grocery Outlet deals

Grocery Outlet: $7.56 spent

The bottom of the receipt says I saved $17.49 by shopping with them, but I'm not sure how accurate that estimate it. I went for the Tillamook Shredded White Cheddar because 2.5 lbs for $3.99 is a deal in my book- we love Tillamook products! They had 3lb bags of onions for $0.99 and 3lb bags of Fuji apples for $1.50. The ($0.99) cranberry juice was for me, I've been out and am currently trying to kick my soda habit so it'll be a nice change.

We also hit McDonalds for some sweet tea and "dessert" french fries because the church's school was doing a McTakeover. I got a coupon book as well even though we don't do McDonalds often...but it was for a good cause!

Albies yesterday: marathon shopping style

2 Transactions: $9.30 spent, $58.81 saved

I has a nutty cashier who refused to double two of my coupons for reasons I've never heard, so I spent a little bit more than anticipated but I did get a $2 survey receipt (probably because it took her so long to ring up my order) and I qualify for a $5 rebate (for buying the three Glade products). We also hit another store where I bought (all for free) 3 packs of Nestle Cookie dough, 3 king-sized Reese's (for the husband), and 4 packs of Tree Top (pictured below) saving a total of $25 or so (not calcualted above).

gah! I just realized she didn't even scan my Prego coupon in all that mess. So I should have paid about $3 less. I knew my total was off, but she was so rude and I was so frustrated I couldn't think clearly.

My mom's donation stuff brag:

My mom was super excited about the peanuts being a nice donation item, especially with the upcoming holidays so we (but mostly she) hit a ton of local stores and collected a ton of peanuts- but didn't shelf-clear. She did end up paying $0.50 for one transaction because the one cashier goofed something up but that's not much compared to the retail value here (the nuts themselves would have been over $160)!

Easy Coupon Scenarios for you!

It's Tuesday, and instead of listing a "Thrifty Tip" I'm going to give you some easy coupon scenarios (using printable coupons) that you can go out and do EASILY for yourself! By no means do I expect you to run out and do all of these, you can- but it'd be silly and it's too easy to wear yourself out doing it. Just pick a deal you like or one for a store you're already planning to stop at and do that one deal. My hope is that it'll be simple and easy enough to help motivate those of you just learning to coupon. So, here you go:

Albertsons:

• Today ONLY: Print this $1 Nestle Cookie dough coupon twice.
• Use it with 2 doublers to get two for FREE

Fred Meyers:

• Buy 3 Pillsbury rolls, on sale 3 for $5
• You'll need to print two $1 crescent roll coupons and one $1 sweet roll coupon (or vice versa)
• You'll pay $2 after coupons but will get back a $2 catalina coupon (good on your next purchase). That makes them FREE.
• Note: You can also print the $1 Bumblebee tuna pouch coupon here and use it to buy the small light tuna pouches for free this week.

Safeway:

• Through Saturday: Buy 3 boxes of Kleenex @ $0.99 each
• Use a $.50 off 3 blinkie or insert coupon from last weekend, if you have it
• pay $2.98 (or $2.48) plus tax and get a $3 catalina good on your next order

Target: Cheap Pop Secret (from For The Mommas)

• Buy 2 boxes of Pop Secret (3 count) @ $2.29 on sale for Buy One, Get One Free
• Use this coupon for $1 off 2
• Pay $1.29 for both boxes (or 65 cents each)

Planters, Prego, and Kleenex: Albies & Safeway

Albertsons: $1.69 spent, $111.32 saved (99%)

That's 6 transactions pictured above. One of our favorite cashiers was working this afternoon so my mom and I each did 3 transactions. The Planters Peanuts were purchased in groups of 4 using four $1 Planters coupons (found at Safeway) and three doublers to make them all free. The Prego is a bonus buy and all flavors (excluding meat) are $1 a jar. I ordered some $1 off 2 jars coupons from ebay last week (on a lucky, lucky whim), so I bought them in groups of 6 for free. I used a $2 Lea & Perrins insert coupon and paid $1.69 for that. Exciting stuff!

Safeway: $1.61 spent, $8.19 saved (86%)

Here's what I bought:

• Bottle of Safeway Refresh water (not pictured) @ $0.50
• 3 boxes Kleenex @ $.99 each
• 1 lb. carrots @ $1.99
• 2 packs Trident Layers@ $1.59 (buy one get one free)

and I used:

• $0.50 when you buy 3 Kleenex
• Buy one Trident Layers, get one free tearpad from Fred Meyers (max. value $1.49)
• my 10% discount was $.71
• and a $3 catalina from buying Kleenex the other night

What to do with your Snuggle coupon

There's a lot of buzz about that $3 Snuggle Fabric Softener coupon that came in this weekend's inserts. Yes, you can use it to buy bottles of fabric softener for $0.99 at Safeway or even at Target and that's a pretty great price.

However a little shopping around pays off, I went online today to double check the prices at some stores near me. These $0.99 bottles are the 32 ounce size, you can find that same sized bottle at Albertsons for $0.75 after coupon. True, it's only a $0.24 difference unless you're stocking up- then that difference really adds up. If that doesn't interest you, consider that the 64oz. bottles of Snuggle are on sale this week for $3.99 as well. That's twice as much as you'd be getting at Safeway or Target for the same $0.99 after coupon! I know where I'll be using my coupons.

EDIT: I didn't see the larger bottle at my usual store today, but saw the price listed clearly online- so it may not be in all stores. Also, I'm hearing Kmart has the best deal on it as it's participating in a catalina deal over there (buy $50 worth, get $10/ buy $25 worth get $5). So, if you're planning a major stock up that seems to be the place to go.

Free Movie at Redbox, monday only

Get a free redbox movie with code: QNGJ7KD good today only! You can click here to find a location near you or click here to see what's new. I'm not sure what movie we'll be renting today, guess I'd better head to the website and see what's out!

Herbal Essences Reminder - or not-

EDIT: lookes like they're pushing the date back again so it'll run from the 8th-12th. I don't think I'll be participating in this giveaway since it's getting to be a little too much of a hassle (especially when I already have free shampoo in my stockpile), but they've upped the number of coupons they'll be giving away to make-up for the hassle.

Herbal Essences will be trying their Gorgeous Giveaway again starting today and going through Friday the 9th. Visit my original post for details or check their Facebook event page. I hope it goes more smoothly today, good luck to anyone planning to try!!!

P.S. It says 2pm is the start time, but they're operating on EST- so local readers will want to be there at 11am PST.

Menu Plan Monday

This week is a little bit repetitive because we went out a few times last week (not out out, but out to dinner at other people's houses). Anyways, we ended up skipping a few meals I had planned and will be doing them this week instead.

Monday: Spaghetti with meatballs, salad, and garlic bread
Tuesday: Pulled pork sandwiches (leftovers from the freezer) with veggies
Wednesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and brussels sprouts
Thursday: Taco night (the husband complained about the combination of taco shells and flour tortillas I put out last week, so I promised him another taco night with homemade shells)
Friday: Smoked Salmon Alfredo and a salad
Saturday: BBQ- lamb for the husband, steak for the toddler and me (I haven't settled on a side dish yet. Maybe cheesy broccoli?)
Sunday: Beef, Broccoli, and Carrot Stir-Fry

I won't need to buy much besides produce, to get the menu done- I've been re-organizing the freezer and am well stocked on meats for a little bit but may need to stock up on chicken if we get a good price.

Ivars honors 1955 prices!

Ivars has always been one of our favorite places to eat in Seattle- it's close to the ferry, cheap, and open late. Of course, now through November 22nd, it's even cooler! They're honoring some of their 1955 prices and that means $0.75 cups of clam chowder (bowls are only $1.50) and kids meals are free with the purchase of an adult entree! You can read about it here, then head out and get yourself some chowder!

Lots of beef: my Safeway trip tonight

I certainly wouldn't call this trip amazing by any means, but there were a few decent deals on things we needed. Sadly, the store I went to was out of Joint Juice and Kleenex...but seeing as how we were down to no beef in the freezer, no paper towels, and 2 rolls of toilet paper- I think I did okay. (Except that spending that much makes me feel like cringing a little bit, especially since I spent another $7 there the other day on veggies!)

$37.56 spent, $63.87 saved (64%)

Here's what I bought:

• 2 gallons of milk (not pictured) $1.99 each
• Bounty Big Roll, $9.99
• Charmin (24 big rolls), $9.99
• 2 Kraft Singles, $1.49 each
• 2 packages Smithfield Bacon, $3.00 each
• Star Balsamic Vinegar, $3.02
• appx. 12 lbs of ground beef $17.12
• 1.26 lbs. bananas, $0.21

and I used:

• $1 Charmin coupon (a $1 ecoupon also came off, but I don't remember loading it onto my card??)
• $.25 Bounty coupon (with another $.25 ecoupon?)
• $1 off ground beef when you buy 2 Kraft singles peelie
• two $3 Smithfield Bacon printables (no longer available)
• Star free product coupon (took off $3.02)
• and I got my 10% discount for another $4.93 saved

Free product coupon: Sea Cuisine

Sea Cuisine will be giving out free product coupons (for a product valued up to $7.99) this Sunday October 4th. The promotion will be starting around 12:01am, so it's an early one, but you'll be able to sign up by simply clicking this link. Enjoy!

If you're in town, you should be warned that our local stores do not carry this product although the bulk of Washington State Safeway's do carry it. You might choose to skip this freebie if you don't feel like driving out of your way (or picking it up while you're out of town). Be sure to check the product locater, no sense in signing up for a freebie you'll never use!

Herbal Essences Gorgeous Giveaway (on Facebook)

Do you have a facebook account? If so, you might like this freebie. Herbal Essences will be giving away a total of 50,000 coupons for a free product starting tomorrow and running through the 6th. Everyday they'll be giving out a portion of those coupons at 11am PST on a first come, first served basis. Sounds awesome, right? Of course it does, it's FREE! So go here to become a fan and then be sure to RSVP for their Gorgeous Giveaway. I already have a stockpile of shampoos and conditioner but this stuff always smells amazing (and with long hair, I go through conditioner much faster than shampoo) so I'm looking forward to this. Good luck to all of you!!

EDIT: This promo has been put on hold until 10/5. Read the details here.

Dentyne gum- free at Safeway too!

Have you seen the Dentyne blinkies located in the coffee aisles of Safeway and Albertsons? Be sure to grab one (or three) because they should get you free gum this week! Dentyne is currently on sale for buy one get one free at both Fred Meyers and Safeway. The Buy one get one free coupons should pay for one pack, while the store pays for the other- and that means FREE gum for you (or older your trick-or-treaters).

edit: Safeway has the gum priced at $1.39 and the coupon is only supposed to be good up to $1.29...what that means for you? You should be charged $0.10 for every 2 packs you buy. Still, not a bad price!

Old Navy Thursday

It's Thursday once again and that means a shot at nifty coupons via the OldNavyWeekly.com site. There was an announcement earlier today that the highest value coupon is going to be a $50 (off $100 purchase) so I'll be skipping the hunt this week. (I know, it's still a good coupon if you need clothing, but I don't and we're trying to ease into a new budget). Anyways, no to-do list today, I'm not interested in the ONW update and I'm taking things easy. Hope you all have a great day!!