Shopping everywhere yesterday

Total Spent: $5.73, Total Saved: $42.95 (89%)

Walgreens:

• Placker's Floss, sale $2.00 (used $0.50 q) $1.50 with $2RR back

QFC:

• 6 Bags of Lay's chips on sale "Buy One (@ $3.99), Get One FREE"
• used two "Buy 2, get 1 FREE" tearpad coupons in store
• Paid $3.99 for a total of 6 bags (3 free from sale, two free from q's)
• I found $1.50/2 any Mission product tearpads here too, so then we had to go to...

Albertson's

• 6 Mission Flour Totillas $0.79 each with in-ad coupon
• used three $1.50/2 Mission q's to pay only $0.24 for all 6 bags!
• Note: we actually did this 4 times and took a few bags full of tortillas down to St. Vincents- this is an awesome donation item so if you have the extra q's and a little bit of time- be sure to grab some extras!

I also swung by Safeway to take advantage of a few great prices in-store, pay too much for milk, and to use up my $1 Seattle's Best Coffee Iced Latte q's (Safeway has these on sale for $1 each this week, so FREE!). Of course, I didn't make it there til much later so those items are not pictured.

Lane Bryant- FREE panty!

I just came across this offer and thought to myself that this is an awesome freebie for those ladies who generally miss out on the free panty at VS offers! Simply pop on over here and register to print your coupon good for a free Cacique panty (up to $12.50) at any Lane Bryant, Cacique, or Lane Bryant Outlet. You have through Monday May 3rd to pick up your freebie in-store. Enjoy!!

Thanks SD!

Internet Freebies: the rewards programs I love!

I've been doing this whole thrifty/frugal internet thing for a while, and there are quite a few "rewards program" type things I really enjoy and have certainly taken advantage of. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites for you in case you don't participate because I know that everyone loves a good freebie! I'd love to hear what programs you currently use & enjoy!

Swagbucks: I've been using them for about a year and we do a good number of our searches for them (or, on days when I wouldn't google, I use it to find the sites I do visit- like facebook and hotmail). I've only had two really active referrals, but still have earned $75 in Amazon giftcards and another $15 in Starbucks giftcards for doing something I'd be doing anyways. It's powered through google and yahoo- so the results are generally just as good.

MyPoints: I use this program to earn points in exchange for shopping online (I simply visit mypoints and click through to the store I want to buy from- including ebay!). They also offer points in exchange for clicking ads sent to your email and surveys they send to your email. I don't do the surveys very often and I delete the email ads whenever I'm feeling too lazy to click through them. I earn about $30 in Starbucks/Target giftcards on average a year from them with very minimal participation on my part.

Disney Movie Rewards: I just recently signed up with them (maybe two/three months ago?) and have already benefited. So far, I've entered only the free point codes from Facebook, email newsletters, and the three Disney BluRays we recently purchased but I was able to redeem those point in exchange for a completly FREE Disney DVD (we picked the original Love Bug). They also allow you to pick one FREE BluRay for your birthday (you get a choice of 5, and have to pay $2.95 for shipping)- I just ordered mine today (Meet the Robinsons) and am looking forward to receiving it. Even if you're not buying Disney movies, this may be a decent way to get some free/cheap gifts for the kids in your life.

Huggies Enjoy the Ride: I have two little ones, so this is a nice rewards program/instant win game for us- but even without kids this is one worth signing up for. Most of the codes I enter come from here (freebies4mom does a great job of keeping track) and prizes from the instant win games are just plain awesome for anyone (Prepaid VISA cards, Gas giftcards, Starbucks giftcards, Kohl's giftcards- you don't need a baby to appreciate these!). I haven't won anything big (just free wipes), but I also don't try frequently. I've heard people who play late at night/early in the morning do best.

My Starbucks Rewards: Okay, so it's obvious I like coffee and I do redeem rewards on various sites for SB giftcards (it's my way of "treating" myself, plus it's free), but did you know you can also register your Starbucks card and earn rewards that way? It's super easy to sign up, you can transfer card balances to whichever card you want and load your card with whatever amount you want. Even better, I get coupons in the mail now (FREE birthday drink, and a FREE oatmeal so far) and special perks (free customization and whatnot).

Quick note: If you sign up for swagbucks through the link posted, I'll earn points when you do (up to 1000). If you're not a member of Disney Movie Rewards or MyPoints and would like to give it a try, I'd love to refer you (and earn a few extra points) but can only do so through email- if that's okay with you, just let me know and I'll be happy to email you my referral link!

My Shopping Trip: Safeway & Walgreens

Spent: $4.79, Saved $65.99 (93%)

I started Walgreens today with $9 worth of RR and ended with $10 in RR. I purchased the personal trimmer, skintimate, dentek, and tootsie rolls in two transactions- with only $2.34 out of pocket. Everything else in the photos were from Safeway- I bought mostly Chive&Onion Philly Mini's because all of my local stores were out of the regular flavor (and the blinkies to go with them). I spent only $2.45 on the bagels, carrots, and ramen (I've been craving this stuff for an after bed-time snack).

Safeway trip today

Total Spent: $8.10, Total Saved: $29.80 (79%)

I told you all a couple days ago that I was excited about grapes for $1.49/lb, but I actually nabbed some yesterday at QFC for $1.48/lb so I didn't get any more today. Here is what I did buy:

• 2 milk $3.98 ($1.99 each wyb 2)
• Yuban Coffee $7.99 (minus $4 in ecoupons and $2 coupon) $1.99
• Delimex Taquitos $6.99 w/in-ad coupon (minus $3 ecoupon and $2 blinkie) $1.99
• Bread $0.89
• Philadelphia Cream Cheese Mini's $0.49 each (after buy 5 promo*. Minus one $1 coupon and 4 $0.55 blinkies) -$0.15 each

*The "Buy 5, save $5" cheese promo is not supposed to be working on the cream cheese mini's (the ad actually states that they're not included) so try this at your own risk. There are several reports that it is working, but if it does not work for you- then you're out of luck seeing as they're not tagged and not supposed to be included. I have not seen any reports of it not working, but you never know and I'm sure once the store catches on this will get fixed. Some people are actually getting back a $0.75 catalina- although this seems to be fairly regional and is not working in my area.

Awesome thrifty day for me!

Do you ever just have one of those awesome thrifty/deal/freebie days? I'm certainly having one today, and I love it! Want to know what awesome thrifty things are going my way?

1. Got a FREE Natural Instincts hair dye q in the mail
2. I won another FREE jar of Pace
3. I won a FREE king size Reese's (for the husband)
4. I won a free t-shirt from Slim Jim by playing this silly game (also going to the husband)
5. I also won a $10 calling card (will be giving this to someone who needs it)
6. and I scored a 5-lb bag of organic lollipops from Amazon for only $2.88 (Swagbucks paid for $10 of my total- this will be a fun potty training treat for the toddler- hopefully!)
7. I got my menu plan done for the rest of this week and all of next week. I've been slacking with the menu plan for weeks and it's nice to feel organized again!

I was also just plain excited to get grocery ads for tomorrow in the paper. The ConAgra promo at Albies looks nice, so I'm considering that one. I'm also way excited about $1.49/lb grapes and $0.99 Fresh Express at Safeway. Plus the Safeway q that makes Delimex taquitos only $6.99 (or $1.99 when you use the $3 ecoupon from shortcuts and one of the $2 blinkies that was out last month!)... and the $0.69 Pepsi/7up on the weekend (will pair nicely with the $0.55 printable 7up coupon out).

...Now if I would just get the stuff I ordered off ebay on the 9th (doesn't that feel like forever ago??) I'd be thrilled!

QFC & Fred Meyer today

QFC & FM:$15.93 spent, $35.75ish saved

We stopped by QFC to grab diapers this morning (for overnight purposes). Luvs are on sale for $5.99 a pack, I used two $2.50 coupons from a home mailer and two $3 catalinas leftover from buying BC potatoes, making my total only $2.01 (more than half of which was tax). I saved $17 in that transaction.

Then we hit Fred Meyer to take advantage of a few new sales prices (all good through Saturday) and here's what I bought:

• Tillamook Cheese, on sale for $3.99 (limit one)
• Onion $0.54
• Artichoke $1.25
• Carrots $0.25
• Whole Chicken $3.64
• 2 bottles 7up $1 after FM coupon minus $1 IP's (no longer available) FREE
• 3 Snuggle Fabric Softner (used $3 coupons) $0.99 each
• 2 packs Fiber One (on markdown for $1.09 each, minus $1 coupon) $0.09 each
• Kahsi Cereal (used free item coupon) FREE

QFC: BC potatoes helped buy me milk!

$2.99 spent, $38.23 saved (93% savings)

I was excited after leaving the store yesterday thinking about how I should go back today and buy some gallons of milk, knowing the $1 of overage from each set of BC potatoes would make a gallon only $1.39. Until I realized today that buying the half gallons made more sense since they're on sale for only $1.25- that's only $0.25 for 1/2 gallon of milk and 3 boxes of potatoes! There's no way I can pass up milk at $0.50 a gallon. You know I'll be headed back in before Sunday (and keeping my fingers crossed for more peelies) to do it again!

The only non-milk transaction included the sausage and veggies- each item is $1 but because I had so many ecoupons loaded for the veggies, I figured I needed to buy enough stuff to make sure my total didn't go negative. However, only one ecoupon came off making the total for that deal $1.10- a whole dollar more than expected! That's okay though, because it still worked out nicely- kind of like paying $1.50/gallon for milk that I needed anyways and I can't be bummed about that!

Queen Bee Coupon Class- May 5th in Tacoma

Heather of Queen Bee Coupons (an awesome local deal site) is teaming up with The Tacoma News Tribune to offer a FREE coupon class, what fun! This is a great chance to get all the details you need to get started or improve your couponing skills, plus you'll have the opportunity to ask a serious couponer any questions you may have and be offered special subscription deals for the TNT. The class will be offered on Wednesday May 5th from 5 to 7pm. For more info or to RSVP for the class, you'll want to pop on over to Queen Bee Coupons.

I think this would be an awesome class for those you just starting out or anyone who would love to know more about couponing!

Tropicana & Fandango: Buy One Get One FREE Movie tickets!

This is an awesome deal, although it seems the facebook code is only available to new Tropicana Reward Account Members and the offer is only good through today- so hurry! Tropicana Rewards is currently offering a BOGO movie ticket reward good through Fandango for only 2 points. For those of you unfamiliar with Fandango, it's a site where you can locate theaters, read movie reviews, and buy tickets before you get to the theater. Here's how to get a free movie ticket through Fandango when you buy one:

1. Join Tropicana Rewards, as a new member there's a 5 question survey you can take quickly and get one point.
2. Become a fan of Tropicana on facebook and you’ll receive a code: FBOOK-TROPI, enter this code back at the Rewards site and get another point.
3. Click “Explore Rewards” , search “Fandango” then redeem your two points on the “Buy One Get One Free Offer” from Fandango.
4. From this point you should get a unique code you can use at Fandango for a FREE movie ticket (up to $14) when you buy one. You have until June 16th to use it!

What a thrifty way to fund a night out, thanks Krazy Coupon Lady!

Some MAJOR deal shopping at QFC

QFC: $0.80 spent, $75.25 saved (99%)

Not pictured: 10 more boxes BC potatoes, 2 boxes Barilla Fettuccine, a free reusable bag, and a package of Guererro Corn Tortillas. Plus, I have a $3 catalina good for my next trip, so really all of this was a $2.20 moneymaker- and that's beyond awesome because I really did need sour cream and corn tortillas! (Quick Note: the FREE bag qualifies you for a $0.03 bag credit, which can also be donated in case you're looking at a zero dollar total.) Thanks to Queen Bee Coupons for bringing this HOT deal to my attention!

What am I going to do with that many boxes of potatoes? I'll be honest- I only kept a few boxes and the rest are going straight to St. Vincents. I'd rather make my own mashed potatoes, but this was such a great deal to do for donation purposes that we couldn't pass it up.

My mom's haul: $2.19 spent, over $50 saved!Not Pictured are another 9 boxes BC potatoes, 2 doughnuts, Feta Cheese, Mission Corn Tortillas, Cottage Cheese, and Free Reusable bag. She's also got a $3 catalina for her next QFC trip.

Another quick note: If you don't have any coupons, this deal still works out to be FREE when you buy 3 boxes at a time. Your total on the first batch will be $3 with a $3 catalina printing after the transaction is complete- but you can use that same $3 coupon to buy another 3 boxes and will continue to receive a $3 catalina with each transaction.

My Safeway trip today

$31.23 spent, $58.08 saved (that's 65%)

Yes, it's a little bit on the pricier side mostly because of the steaks that were priced at $15.87, but the husband got confirmation today that he got his pay raise so we're celebrating (and t-bones are a great way to do that on such a beautiful day!). Here's what I did in two transactions so I could make the most of the $1 off a produce purchase of $5 or more coupons in the new "Make a Sandwich" booklet found in stores now.

• 2 Nature Valley Granola Bars -0.20
• BC Potatoes -0.36
• 2 boxes Cheerios $1.00 (we had opened our last box today)
• Nature Valley Nut Clusters -0.50
• Warm Delights -0.30
• Sugar Cookie Mix -0.30
• Frosting -0.11
• Delimex Taquitos $4.99 (these are the best taquitos you can get in the freezer section of a grocery store)
• 4lbs. Strawberries $4.88
• Baked Potato Soup $2.99 w/in ad coupon
• 18ct Lucerne Eggs $1.88 w/in-ad coupon
• T-bone steaks $13.87 (I used this Safeway coupon)
• 4 Avocados $2.26
• Cantaloupe $2.13

FREE Reusable bag at Fred Meyer or QFC

Kroger is currently running a fun Reusable Bag Design Contest, complete with your chance to see you bag design in store and a shot at a Kroger Co. gift card worth $1000! As if that isn't awesome enough, everyone who participates gets a credit loaded to their shoppers card for a free reusable bag (worth up to $0.99). Fred Meyer and QFC are both part of the Kroger chain, so you can choose which store you'd like your free bag from. What a fun freebie- and just in time for Earth Day!

Thanks The Coupon Project!

My Walgreens Trip

$6.58 spent, $33.98 saved (86%)

My $4 RR from Dove the other week was set to expire today so I formulated a quick plan on the way to the store today. I started and ended with exactly $4 in register rewards so this time around my net cost and out-of-pocket cost are the same- fun stuff! The downside was that $2.74 of my $6.58 was tax- yikes!! Here's how I did this deal:

Transaction #1:

• Schick Quattro Razors $5.99 (used $4 coupon)
• Schick Hydro Shave Gel $2.99
• I paid using my $4 RR and $1.75 in cash
• I earned $1 RR from the razors, and $3 RR from the shave gel

Transaction #2:

• Biore Pore Cleansing Strips $5.99
• Biore Steam Activated Cleanser $5.99 (used a buy strips, get a cleanser free coupon)
• 2 Tootsie Rolls $0.50 (filler items so I could use my RR to pay- RR count as manufacturer coupons and you need to have as many items as you have manu coupons)
• I paid using the $4 in RR from transaction #1 and $3.52 in cash
• I earned $5 RR (from buying 2 Biore products)

Transaction #3:

• Schick Quattro Razors $5.99 (used $4 coupon)
• Schick Hydro Shave Gel $2.99
• 2 Carefree $0.99 each with in-ad coupon (minus $1.59 from BOGO coupon, I got lucky in that the cashier insisted on taking off the full regular price)
• Paid using $5 RR and $1.31 in cash
• Earned another $1 RR from razors and $3 from the gel

One important thing to remember about Walgreens is that you cannot use a Register Reward to buy another product from the same company and earn another RR. You also cannot buy more than one of the same item at a time and get the RR for both. Dove was certainly an exception the other week, but once Walgreens caught on to the fact that it was working like that, they put a stop to it. That's why I "rolled" my RR into Biore in transaction #2- it's certainly a product we like but not one that we needed (unlike razors). I don't know why but I also got a catalina coupon for a FREE airwick warmer (up to $5.62) on my first transaction, so I'm thinking that's a random one.

Tax Day Freebies- stay tuned!

Thursday, April 15th is generally an awesome day for freebies. I'm only posting a couple I know about off the top of my head right now, but will continue to update this post as I can this week. Here are a few fun freebies available this Thursday!

Starbucks: FREE brewed coffee when you bring in your own travel mug! More info here. (according to the Safeway Facebook page, this offer is also valid at Starbucks located inside Safeway stores).

Cinnabon: 2 FREE cupcake bites, while supplies last, available from 6pm-8pm. Details here.

Taco Del Mar: FREE taco (must sign up in advance, you can do that here)

Know of anything I missed? I'd love to hear about it!

Let's chat!

I get a lot of questions by email related to coupons in general, so I thought I'd take a moment to ask if any of you have questions. I certainly haven't been couponing for as long as some people out there (I have been doing it seriously for a year) so I can remember how easy it is to feel confused and overwhelmed as you start out or try to find your own way. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about anything coupon/deal/store related, so fire away! If you don't feel comfortable posting it in the comment section of this post, you're welcome to email me at maybefrugal(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Also, I got a comment semi-recently and had to approve it because it was on an older post but can't seem to find it to anwser the question directly. So- Anonymous reader from Texas, I'm thrilled you've found me and enjoy my blog. I don't post Texas deals (although, you may have noticed that Randalls is Safeway and my QFC is somewhat like your Kroger) but there are a few great bloggers out there who do. A HUGE thank you to The Frugal Map for reminding me just who is from Texas! Here are a few you might check out:

• Jane4girls $800 Annual Budget: I actually follow this one- if there's a hot deal at Randalls, she's all over it.
• Keeping The Kingdom First: I love her $5 drugstore challenges!
• Couponing 101: A great place to get started
• Saving with Shellie
• Surviving the Stores

Okay then, while I have you here....maybe you can help me with a question. I recently found out I have tons more frozen broccoli than I realized. It was great when I made instant rice, but now I need some ideas for it. What can I make with frozen broccoli??

Lots of shopping today

Albertsons, Red Apple, and Fred Meyer:

$4.11 spent, $9.58 saved (70%)

My FREE milk catalinas were just about to expire so I knew I needed to get those redeemed at Albertsons. My total for 2 gallons was zero, plus I got a $2 survey coupon on my receipt! I hit Red Apple to take advantage of the green seedless grapes for $1.77/lb, my total there came to $3.10. I swung by Fred Meyer to use my $3 catalina from last week and paid only $1.01 for the apples, pears, and zucchini. (To the sweet cashier lady that I forgot to email last week- this is the post you'll want to read so you can do those same deals at your store!)

Safeway: $12.89 spent, $23.49 saved (65%)

This trip was kind of a bust, the store didn't have quite a few of the things I was looking for and a few of the deals I'd seen reported (free campbell's cream of x soups) were not actually happeneing. Here's what I did buy today:

• Bisquick $2.19 (minus $1.50 in ecoupons) $0.69
• 2 Mission Tortillas $1.99 each (minus two $0.75 printable coupons- no longer available) $1.24 each
• 2 Green Giant Frozen Boxed Veggies $2 each (minus $2.50 in ecoupons and two $0.50 printables) $0.25 each
• 10 lbs. Russet Potatoes $0.99 with in-ad coupon
• 12 Yoplait cups $0.50 each (minus $1 in ecoupons and two $0.40/6 coupons) $0.35 each (not super cheap, but we were almost out and all the "boys" LOVE yogurt)
• Crab Classics $0.99 with in-ad coupon (minus $1 printable) -$0.01
• Carrots $0.55
• 2 Artichokes Buy One Get One FREE @ $3.49 (as far as impulse purchases go, spendy but probably a good choice!)

Safeway: Here's the Breakdown on Ben & Jerry's

I got a comment on my Safeway Trip post yesterday about the Ben & Jerry's being included in the current Ice Cream Promo at Safeway and wanted to respond. Sadly, there are no printable Ben & Jerry's coupons, but that doesn't mean you still can't work out a great deal. Here's the information you'll want to know:

The promo is a "Buy 3, save $3" instant discount meaning you must buy 3 at a time. If you want more, you'll need to buy them in sets of 3. You can mix and match with Starbucks or any other ice cream variety included. I'll post scenarios below so that you can decide which deal is best for you.

Coupons for Ben & Jerry's are hard to find. I've heard reports on tearpads at stores like 7-11 but have never seen them myself. I did find some on ebay for a sale last year (that worked out to be a money maker or else I would not have ordered ice cream coupons) so you might check there if you really want to but I wouldn't imagine this sale is worth it. Obviously, if you're lucky enough to have/find some, you'll be able to snag an even better deal.

Different flavors have different prices. All of the "new" flavors are cheaper, which means you save even more except that your favorite is most likely more expensive. That's okay because you can still get a good deal.

• Here are the $1.79 (after discount) flavors of Ben&Jerry's: Dulce Delish, Mud Pie, Peanut Brittle, Boston Cream Pie, Milk and Cookies, Light Phish Food. All other flavors are $2.29 after discount.
• These are the "new" Starbucks flavors: Strawberries and Creme Frappucino, Vanilla Bean, Frappucino, and Hot Chocolate.

You need to load the $2/2 ecoupon to get the best deal. You can only load it once per Safeway Card, so if you need more ice cream- borrow a friend's card and load the ecoupon "for them". At this point, if you also want Starbucks Ice Cream, be sure to load that ecoupon as well, and print this $0.75 Starbucks Ice cream coupon as many times as you can (there's a limit of 2 per computer). Skipping B&J's? If you have access to 2 computers and can print 3 of the $0.75 coupons, 3 new Starbucks will cost only $1.12 (or $0.38 each) and 3 regular pints would be only $2.62 (or $0.88 each!).

Now, the math part:

• 3 "new" flavors of Ben and Jerrys @ $2.79 each: $8.37 (minus $3 promo and $2 in ecoupons)= $3.37 or $1.13 each
• 3 Ben and Jerry's @ $3.29 each: $9.87 (minus $3 promo and $2 in ecoupons)= $4.87 or $1.63 each
• Mix and Match B&J's: a combination of the 3 will cost you somewhere between $3.37 and $4.87. This is still a great price for Ben & Jerry's.
• 3 "new" B&J's and 3 "new" Starbucks flavors @ $2.79 each= $16.74 (minus $6 promo, $4 in ecoupons, and $2.25 for 3 Starbuck's printables)= $4.49 or $0.78 each
• 3 B&J's and 3 Starbucks @ $3.29 each= $19.74 (minus $6 promo, $4 in ecoupons, and $2.25 for 3 Starbuck's printables)= $7.94 or $1.25 each
• Mix and Match B&J's and Starbucks for a combination of 6. This will land you somewhere in the range of $0.78-$1.25 per pint. (The cheapest option would be 2 new B&J's and 4 new Starbucks, provided you could print 4 of the Starbucks coupons. You'd pay only $3.74 or $0.62/pint. Upgrading to 2 of the more expensive B&J's would only bring your total to $4.74 or $0.79/pint.)
• And one scenario that seems to be popular despite not buying in threes, because it get's you the more expensive B&J's for less: 2 B&J's and 2 "new" Starbuck's= $12.16 (minus $3 promo, $4 in ecoupons, and $1.50 for 2 Starbuck's printables)= $3.66 or $0.92 each

Hopefully this will make doing the deal easier for some of you, especially with the prices all mapped out. The only thing you'll need to watch out for is that some Safeways seem to limit people to one like printable coupon per transaction.

20 FREE prints at Walgreens (today only!)

Walgreens is offering 20 4x6 prints for FREE today (April 7th) only. To get your 20 free prints you can either place an order online and use code: PRINTS20 during checkout or bring this coupon down to the store with you. If I remember right, you do still have to pay tax, but this is a great way to save some money on photos!

Safeway: Who doesn't need Starbucks Ice Cream?!

$9.88 spent, $48.12 saved (85% savings)

Today is the last day for some of these sale prices, but the Ice Cream promo continues through next week so you have plenty of time to take advantage of that deal! Here's what I did:

• BC Warm Delights $1.95 (took off $2 in ecoupons) -$0.05
• SunChips $3.49 (used FREE item coupon, took off $3.79) -$0.30
• Pace Cheese Sauce $3.19 (used FREE item coupon I won here, took off $4) -$0.71
• 2 Starbucks Caramel Macchiato $3.29 each (used $2/2 ecoupon*, buy 3 promo took off $1 each, and I used $0.75 printables) $0.54 each
• Starbucks Hot Chocolate $2.79 (it's a new flavor so the price is lower, promo took off $1, also used $0.75 printable) $1.04 (or else all 3 average out to $0.71 each)
• 6 Always Infinity $3.99 (buy 3, save $3 promo took off $6, used $1 ecoupon, used 6 $2 coupons) $0.82 each
• Bread $0.99
• Drumsticks $3.18 (30% off took off $0.95) $2.23
• Bananas $1.39
• Onion $0.83
• Tax was $1.54

Overall, I would call this a good shopping trip- especially with 2 pints of my favorite ice cream sitting in the freezer! There seemed to be better produce prices included in next week's sales (and $1.69/lb ground beef @ Safeway on Saturday) so I'll be waiting for those prices to kick in tomorrow/this weekend so I can stock up. The overage I got from the free Pace and the free Sunchips is not something I'm used to seeing or getting, but the assistant manager was ringing me up and that's the way he did things- so I wasn't going to argue with him.

*There's also a $2 off 2 pints ecoupon for Ben&Jerry's and they are also included in Safeway's "Buy 3, save $3 promo" at varying prices. Might be worth it if this is your favorite!

Fisher Boy- tasty and easy seafood!

I'm going to start off this post with a tiny confession of sorts- I've never liked seafood. Tuna is okay, and I can make some pretty awesome ceviche, but everything else? I'm just not interested. Of course I know it's healthy for you, but it's something I struggle with all year round, especially during Lent! Not having ever been a fan of seafood, there are only so many things I know how to make- so I was beyond thrilled when Fisher Boy contacted me and asked if I was interested in sampling some of their products. Something I can serve on Friday with ease? Of course I wanted to give it a try! It helps that both of my boys were thrilled as well, especially when the package arrived shortly after breakfast:

Another fact about me and seafood? I had no idea there were so many varieties of frozen fish products! We generally buy Gorton's because it's what we had growing up so it's familiar, and I always try to grab something labeled "crunchy" because if there's anything worse than fish, it's soggy breaded fish. But Coconut Popcorn Shrimp? Fishin' Tater Sticks?? Who comes up with this stuff?

(Don't worry, the baby just got veggies since he's still a little bit too little for seafood. He did have fun watching everyone else taste test though!)

The Coconut Popcorn Shrimp was a hit with everyone, both toddler and gamma had a blast dipping it. The husband seemed to enjoy it most of all. I loved the coconut aroma it filled the house with- delicious! The Crunchy Tenders were my favorite by far- they were not only delicious but they had a serious crunch to them. I have honestly never had such crunchy breaded fish and will definitely be shopping for this brand regularly. We also sampled the Fishin' Tater Sticks- and while they were light and fluffy on the inside, and low of fishy flavor, they just didn't compare to the tenders. We did like them better than any other fish stick product, and I think they'd make a great choice for kinds who are reluctant to try seafood. The round shape is fun and kid-friendly and the lighter flavor of the sticks would make for a fun "dipping" themed meal.

All in all, we were impressed with not only the flavor but the quality as well. The only downside (for me) was that each of the products we tried had different cooking times- so it'd be easier to only make one or two items. On the other hand, everything cooked up fast, clean up was a breeze, and everyone enjoyed an easy made-at-home seafood meal- and it's hard to beat that!

You can find a $0.75 printable coupon for Fisher Boy products here. All opinions expressed here are mine. I was not compensated for this post, but the 3 products mentioned were provided (for free) in exchange for an honest review. And seriously? Those Crunchy Tenders I mentioned...you can hear the crunch when you bite into them- awesome!

Fred Meyer: FREE BC potatoes and cheap brie!

Fred Meyer: $1.28 spent, $16.27 saved (93%)

Note: my Fred Meyer savings total doesn't reflect savings in sale prices, only what I used in coupons. I'm newer to shopping FM and just noticed that their receipts don't include your savings as a result of sale prices. That seems odd to me, but every store is different. This was done in two separate transactions in order to make the best of the BC potato deal, here are the details for those of you interested:

Transaction #1:

• 3 BC Potato Pouches (used $0.40 coupons printed from here, here, here, here, or here)
• 2 SBC drinks (used FREE item catalina coupons- found in the coupon trading basket)
• President Brie Log $3.99 (used $3 printable)
• King Sized Reese's PB cups (FREE, this was a prize from the Hit the Hoops game)
• Kraft Cheese (FREE, also a prize from HtH game)
• I used a $3 catalina I earned last week by buying 3 pouches of BC potatoes, to bring my total down to only $0.54 and I got back another $3 off my next purchase catalina!

Transaction #2:

• 1 lb. Strawberries $1.67
• 3 pouches of BC potatoes (only used two $0.40 coupons this time, my printer ran out of ink)
• 2 cans Mighty Dog food (used FREE item coupons from last week's paper)
• I paid using the $3 catalina earned in my previous transaction, plus a $1 catalina someone had discarded in the coupon trading basket. The dog food was taxed, so I ended up paying $0.74 and getting back another $3 catalina good on my next purchase.

My mom's FM deal: $0.31 spent, $8.98 saved (97%)

My mom lucked out and won a $5 credit on her Fred Meyer card by playing the March Madness/ Hit the Hoops game, so she was able to buy quite a bit of produce for pennies. She also won a 20oz coke zero from the same game and found a FREE SBC catalina coupon in the basket herself (did we get lucky, or what?). This was an awesome deal- and it just goes to show that you can get amazing deals on produce using coupons when you know what you're doing!

Reminder: Don't forget that you can usually print two copies of each printable coupon- but making photocopies is a big no-no.