Monday, May 31, 2010

My Albies doubler trip

$9.62 spent, $79.26 saved (90%)
We've needed ranch dressing for a while, so I was super excited to see the deal on that. I also loaded up on graham crackers (we go through these fast) and Yakisoba (easy work lunches for the husband). I did do the smores deal twice as we're planning a camping trip soon. The Mission chips were not the best deal ever ($0.75/bag) BUT the $1.50/2 coupon expires today and I was so busy doing Albertsons and Walgreens that a trip to FM/QFC seemed like too much...

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Back to Walgreens: more moneymaker deals!

Spent $4.36, saved $26.98
You also might remember me mentioning how I ended with $14 in Register Rewards after my transactions this morning. I'm currently up to $26! I did two different transactions (at two different stores, because neither had a big stock of Neutrogena soap) using coupons from the May Safeway booklet (found in the health and beauty aisles). Here's how I did it:

Transaction #1:
  • 2 Wags AA Batteries $3.49 (on sale Buy one, get one FREE) $3.49
  • Ecotrin $2 (minus $2 coupon) FREE
  • 3 Bars Neutrogena $2.69 ea (minus three $1.50 Neutrogena coupons) $1.19 ea
  • I paid using $5RR and $3.23 in cash
  • I got back $10RR from Neutrogena and $2RR from Ecotrin

Transaction #2:

  • 3 Bars Neutrogena $2.99 ea (minus three $1.50 coupons) $1.49 ea
  • KitKat bar (not pictured) $0.89
  • Paid using $5RR and $1.13 in cash
  • Got back $10RR

The Neutrogena deal (buy 3, get $10 RR) is good all month so don't feel like you need to run out and do this right away. It may even work out better as all Neutrogena products will go on sale later this month for 25% off. However, the coupon booklets at Safeway may not be up much longer so you'll want to head out and get some of those now.

Walgreens this week

My trip: $2.07 spent, $28.09 saved
I had $13.50 in RR about to expire today, so I knew I had to make a quick run to Walgreens this morning. I did two transactions, one with just the Luster 7 toothpaste and the other was a bit more complicated. I ended today with $14 in RR, making the net cost for all the items pictured a mere $1.57. Here was my more complicated transaction:
  • Luster 7 Toothpaste $5
  • 3 cans Lindsay Olives $0.99 each with in ad coupon (minus two $0.55 coupons) $1.87
  • Walgreens A-Z Select vitamins $2
  • Ecotrin $2 (minus $1.50 peelie) $0.50
  • I paid with $9 in register rewards making my total $1.14
  • I received back $5RR from Luster, $2 from the Walgreens vitamins, and $2 from Ecotrin- for a total of $9 in RR!

Note: If you want to pick up the Ecotrin, I'd suggest hitting the stores early on this week. Between the $2 coupons and the $1.50 peelies, this is an easy moneymaker on a handy product (aspirin). I don't imagine they'll be in-stock for very long. For more hot deals at Walgreens this week, you can see a great matchup at The Coupon Project!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

More FREE stuff in the mail

I am seriously LOVING all the freebies in my mail! Here's what I got in the second half of this past week (before I forget!).

  • Earthbound Farms grocery tote
  • Meet The Robinsons BluRay (Disney Movie Rewards birthday freebie, I did have to pay $2.95 for shipping)
  • Dove Deodorant sample from Walmart
  • coupon for FREE Butterfinger bar (up to $0.99)
  • coupon for FREE Chavrie goat cheese (up to $5.50)
  • P&G Sampler pack: 3pack Huggies, Cascade Action Pacs, Pantene shampoo/conditioner, Metamucil Pink Lemonade

Shopping today

We headed out early this morning so the husband could get a haircut and I could grab another $2 watermelon at Fred Meyers before the sale ends (tomorrow). Unfortunately, the barber shop he likes was closed for the holiday weekend so we decided to run around and get some things for camping (we're planning to head out next weekend). I also wanted to get some more Hunts tomato sauce ($0.25 each at walgreens through today) because I found a handy $1 off 5 coupon. I did get lucky and found some mark downs at Safeway that'll work well for our camping menu.

Here's what I bought: $19.39 spent, $16.94 saved Everything except for the melon and tomato sauce are from Safeway:
  • O Organics tea $1 (minus $1 O Organics q) FREE
  • 2 packages chuck steak $8.22 (50% off) $4.10
  • Top round steak $5.99 (50% off) $2.99
  • Salmon $8.13 (50% off) $4.06
  • 4pack Starbucks frappucinos $5.99

Plus, when you buy the 4pack of frappucinos, you get a coupon good for any free grande frapp at your in-store Starbucks (up to $4.75). The husband went through with this and I followed behind with a second 4pack of frappucinos and another O Organics tea (free)- a nice way to treat ourselves after running all over the place this morning.

If you're wondering about the lack of fresh foods- don't worry! We went yesterday to stock up on 4/$1 fresh corn at Safeway and I also grabbed about 2lbs of organic bananas at QFC for $0.75. I'm so excited that our store has recently started putting out "baking bananas" for $0.39/lb (both organic and regular!) because they're perfectly ripe for us most of the time. Another exciting sidenote, our garden is producing tons of delicious butter lettuce already! I've also got a pot of cilantro that's been doing great and we've had a few ripe strawberries. I've never really tried to keep a full vegetable garden before so it's fun to have one that's doing so well. Our broccoli, tomatoes, zucchini, and peas are all starting to do things as well.

Friday, May 28, 2010

FREE Loaf Silver Hills Bread

Christy over at Thrifty and Thriving has the scoop on a quick survey you can take in exchange for a coupon good for a FREE loaf of Silver Hills Bread. This offer is only valid for residents of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Northern California or Montana. You might want to check to see what stores near you carry this product.

Thanks Christy!!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Freebies to sign up for

My mail has certainly been fun to check recently for both myself and the kiddos, especially since we never know what to expect. Sharing my recent freebies is a good reminder for me to share what I'm signing up for with all of you- since I'm sure you don't want to miss out. There are quite a few freebies you can sign up for now! Some I signed up for myself, and others I skipped but thought I should list in case someone else is interested.

Heinz Ketchup Pin: click your region, and fill out the form...just be sure to select "pin" from the drop down menu.

Boscia Green Tea Linens: (for wiping excess oil off your face)

Sample of Ritz Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Crackerfuls: Be sure to "like" their Facebook page!

Free Samples Crystal Light: Must be a member of Vocalpoint, but signup is free and they send out awesome freebies

Coupon for FREE Genesis Juice: (thanks For The Mommas!)

Don't forget to check Walmart either, they send out great samples and coupons:

What I bought this week

I was terrible at actually tracking my shopping this week, but for those of you who might be wondering- here's what I bought & where:

Fred Meyer: (deals are good through Saturday)
  • PUR Water Pitcher $14.99 (but you earn a $10 giftcard for buying it)
  • 2 gallons milk $1.99 each
  • 10lb bag russet potatoes $1.38
  • 3 ears corn on the cob $1.20
  • baby watermelon $2
  • almond poppyseed muffin mix $2.50 (splurge)
  • Hunts Ketchup $0.89 (used FREE item coupon)
  • Oreo Cakesters $2.99 (used FREE item coupon)
  • Total spent $27.34 with $10 giftcard for my next trip

Safeway: (deals through today only)
  • 1lb O Organics baby carrots $1.50 (minus $1 O Organics coupon) $0.50
  • 4 12packs Coke and 2 Nabisco snack crackers (minus two $2 off wyb Coke and Nabisco tearpads and one $1.50 off Coke and Sprite tearpad)
  • I actually went through and did the coke deal a few times but can't seem to locate my receipts to post exact prices. It was a good deal on coke though!

QFC: (through today)

  • 2 dozen eggs $0.99 each (but one was free, thanks to the personalized ecoupons email I got last week!)
  • total spent: $0.99 total saved: $2.59 (72%)

Just for fun, I thought I'd also share with you the freebies from my mailbox the last few days:

(Please disregard my piles of laundry!)

  • Stouffer's Potholder (from their Dinner Club, I don't think this is still available)
  • Gillette ProGlide Razor (and I was sure it had never gone through!)
  • Wheat thins and International Delight Coffee were from a Kraft Sampler pack (it also came with my $10 rebate on $30 of Kraft form, and two FREE item coupons- one for Oscar Mayer deli meat and one for Kraft mac&cheese)
  • No Nonsense Socks (from facebook last month)
  • Spiffy Stainless Steel thermos- still available! This is really nice and has no branding on it, however it is from Copenhagen (smokeless tobacco) and requires quite a bit of personal info to request. If you're interested, you can sign up for it here (they call it a "flask"- I didn't sign up until after seeing photos myself.)

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Hot Coffee deal @Target!

Target: $11.92 spent, $39.92 saved (77%)
I was excited to find these packs of Maxwell House on clearance for $4.32 each (50% off) at my Target store yesterday (especially since I've been on the lookout for good coffee deals for my mom and I). Even better, I earned a $5 giftcard for each set of 3 I bought. I'm hearing most Target stores in the area have lots of these on hand, although at this rate that may not last long! Here's how my deal worked out:

Transaction 1:
  • 3 Maxwell House $4.32 each= $12.96
  • Minus one $1/1 coupon and one $1/2 coupon
  • used $5 giftcard from a previous deal
  • paid $5.96 and received another $5 giftcard

Transaction 2 was merely a repeat. I could have gotten a better deal if I'd had more $1/1 coupons but this still worked out nicely. Another option would be to use a $2 off Maxwell House when you buy Fig Newtons coupon (especially if you like these cookies). My store had these on sale for $2.79. That'd make 3 packs of coffee, 3 packs cookies, and one $5 giftcard only $15.33- that's like $3.45 for each pair of coffee and cookies you buy. Even without coupons, this deal works out to be $7.96 for each set of 3 after giftcard, and that's only $2.66 per can of coffee. (Please note: I do not know when this giftcard promo ends, so you may want to have the cashier check for you.)

Monday, May 17, 2010

VS: FREE limited edition panty (with purchase)

Starting tomorrow (5/18), you'll be able to pick up a FREE limited edition panty (with purchase) at Victoria's Secret to celebrate their reaching 3 million fans on facebook. They announced this a while back, and even held a vote so fans could vote on their favorite choice. If you're interested, be sure to print your coupon and head in before your store runs out.

Of course, like any VS freebie that requires purchase, you'll be able to pick up something cheap. I tend to look for the $1.50 lollipops in store, but they also have hand sanitizer and occasional travel sized beauty items for around $3 or $4 near checkout.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Coupon Winner

Thanks to everyone who entered my quick little giveaway on Friday for an envelope of coupon goodness! I used Random.org to select a winner, and that winner is:

commenter #1: Rachael over at Beans&Rice (who I actually believe won my last coupon giveaway, guess my blog is lucky for you!)

I'm not sure I still have your email address, so if you could email me- I'd be happy to get that envie straight into the mail for you! (you can email me at: maybefrugal(at)hotmail(dot)com

My Walgreens haul:

This is a great week to stock up on Old Spice (or Gilette) body wash for men- just keep in mind that these RR cannot be rolled into each other (Gillette and Old Spice are both P&G, and this catalina does not roll). I started today out with $14 in RR and ended with $18 in RR. Here's what I bought:
$7.65 spent, $27.47 saved

If you calculate in the RR I started and ended with, I spent about $0.52 for each bottle of body wash (a lot of that boils down to taxes). To see what other Walgreens deals are going on this week, you may want to check out MoneySavingMom.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Freebies?

My mailbox has been all kinds of fun to check (for both me and the kiddos) this week! In just this past week, we've received:
  • Samples of: Dove body wash for men, Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner, U by Kotex pack, and Pull-ups.
  • 2 FREE Pace coupons (I won these)
  • Grilled Cheese Academy tshirt
  • FREE Neti-pot (and it's available again, in case you missed it)
  • Nailpolish (from skintimate & seventeen magazine- it was a texting thing)
  • $10 Starbucks giftcard from MyPoints
  • Kandoo coupon and cd with toddler music (from Pampers)
  • coupon for FREE Kraft Cheesy Explosion
  • coupon for FREE pouch Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Medley
  • I also earned enough swagbucks for $10 in Amazon giftcards in the past week
  • and a Covergirl Bzzkit from BzzAgent (I am LOVING the lipgloss by the way)

Did you get anything neat in the mail recently? To make this post a little bit more fun than usual- let's make it a teeny giveaway! Leave me a comment with your favorite recent freebie(s) sometime before 12pm PST tomorrow and one random commenter will receive an envelope full of coupons (FREE item and fun tearpad finds) from my collection.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

My shopping trips: Safeway and QFC

Safeway: $5.22 spent, $22.66 saved (81%)
PLUS, I earned a $3 catalina for buying the Corn Flakes! I only had one $1 off 2 coupon for the cereal, so it worked out to be free after coupon and catalina. The tilapia and shrimp were both marked down to 50% off, and you can see I grabbed another box of free O Organics pasta. I'm not sure when the Kelloggs catalina deal ends, I've heard it might be tomorrow so I may head back in tonight for a few more boxes. We don't need the extra but it's great for donating!

QFC: $13.56 spent, $14.90 saved (52%)
Most of the cost was the meat, I spent $9.07 for two roasts (on sale buy one get one free). I also grabbed some butter ($1) and sour cream ($1.49) that we needed. The olive oil was marked down from $9.99 to $2 and I had a FREE item coupon for the Oscar Mayer turkey bacon.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Safeway Trip today

Safeway: $9.91 spent, $25.64 saved (72%)
I actually purchased 4 gallons of milk but one didn't make it into the photo. These prices are only good through the end of today, so you'll have to hurry down if you want to take advantage of them:
  • 4 gallons of milk $1.99 each (wyb 2) $7.96
  • Honey Nut cheerios $1.49 (minus ecoupons) $0.38
  • BC Molten Chocolate Cake $1.95 (minus ecoupons) -$0.05
  • Wesson Vegetable Oil $2.49 (minus $1/1 and ecoupons) -$0.51
  • Whole Wheat Linguine $0.69 (minus $1 O Organics Safeway coupon, it automatically adjusted to make pasta free) FREE
  • Tillamook Cheddar $3.99
  • Mix and Match BC baking items (buy 2, get 3 free sale): 2 bags cookie mix, 1 cake mix, 2 tubs frosting $3.38 (minus various coupons) -$1.87

I found my O Organics coupons in store about 2 weeks ago, they're good for $1 off any 1 O Organics items and don't expire until 12/31/2010 so keep an eye out for them! You can only use one per transaction- but they're good on such a wide variety of organic food products (including produce and dairy) that I'm sure you're going to want them!

Lane Bryant: FREE Panty


According to Thrifty NW Mom, Lane Bryant is once again offering a FREE panty this week- there's still no purchase required and this time around you don't need a coupon either! For more details, swing on by her post.
Thanks Jen!

Monday, May 10, 2010

My Shopping Trips today: Wags & Albies

I really haven't done much shopping this week, and besides a quick run for milk that went un-photographed, we really haven't needed anything. It also helps that the deals weren't super awesome this week. Of course, I did need a few things for this upcoming week's menu plans and had some Register Rewards about to expire so I made a couple of stops today. Here's what I bought:
Albertsons: $0.07 spent, $23ish saved
I also grabbed a copy of the Sunday paper since I hadn't bought one yesterday. I lost my receipt, so I'm not sure of my exact savings except that it was $23 something. I used up the $15 worth of catalinas I had earned buying water, cereal, and taco shells last week. The brown packages are about 4 lbs of boneless skinless chicken tenders (on bonus buy for $1.99/lb).

Walgreens: $5.84 spent, $18.60
I also bought a large thing of lighter fluid for the husband, because we decided to grill tonight kind of last minute. I started with $10 in RR and ended with $11 in RR. Here's the breakdown:

Transaction #1:
  • EOS Shave Cream $2.99
  • Tootsie roll $0.25
  • Tax $0.26
  • Paid with $3RR (from Schick 2 weeks ago) and $0.50 in cash, got back $3RR from EOS

Transaction #2:

  • EOS Shave cream $2.99
  • Schick 3 Razor System $7.99 (used $5 coupon from 5/9 SS)
  • Lighter Fluid $5.99
  • Tax $1.37
  • Paid using $7 in RR and $5.34 in cash, got back $5RR from Schick and $3RR from EOS

Friday, May 7, 2010

Rite Aid: FREE photo mousepad

Rite Aid is currently offering a coupon for a FREE personalized mousepad when you watch the Fuji Film video over at their Video Values website. You will have to create and account if you haven't done so yet, but it's pretty easy to set up. You can choose to use the coupon in-store or order your mousepad online (shipping to store will make shipping free).

Note: The coupon will not print right after watching the video, you'll need to click the "My Rewards" tab in the upper right corner of your screen to claim and print your coupon.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

FREE 8x10 from Walgreens

Walgreens is currently offering a FREE 8x10 Collage print when you use code GOODTHOUGHTS through Saturday May 8th. This is something you can order online and pick up in store. (note: you may have to pay tax)

In the past, I've skipped on these thinking that I'm not big on collage photo prints and wouldn't know what to do with it- but I've heard you can actually order one larger photo as your "collage" and it works just fine. Thanks JANE4girls!

Starbucks Happy Hour (5/7-5/16)

Starting tomorrow, May 7th, Starbucks will be rolling out 1/2 price frappucinos for Happy Hour from 3-5pm everyday (through the 16th). You can read more information (and RSVP via Facebook, so your friend don't miss out) right here.

I have to tell you that I'm pretty excited about this because I do like the Caramel Frappucinos (ideally with the drizzle, an extra shot of espresso, and no whip cream- of course "extra coffee" sounds good too). I'm also excited because they're doing this to promote the new changes they've made (making the whole thing customizable) because now they have VEGAN options. You can read more about that at QuarryGirl.com. Her post is slightly older, because these option are currently available everywhere now, but the comment section is great because several vegan baristas have highlighted exactly what is and is not vegan friendly. I'm not vegan, but my sister is, and I've seen what a headache it can be to have to ask all the right questions from people who may or may not know all the information you need, it's so much easier to know before hand.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

FREE Can of Libby's Veggies

Now through May 15th, when you "like" Libby's Table on Facebook, you'll get a chance to sign up for a coupon good for a FREE can of Libby's vegetables (any size, any variety). I'm not sure how we'll be receiving this coupon because after signing up it says "You'll receive your free coupon by email or mail within 4-6 weeks" but it's certainly not something to pass up.

What a neat Facebook freebie!

NEW Lane Bryant Freebie

Are you ready for another Lane Bryant freebie? This week, you can take in this printable coupon and get yourself a FREE Cotton Shirred Cami (no purchase required). The coupon is valid at all Lane Bryant and Cacique stores. You've got until Monday May 10th to pick yours up! I sure hope they keep up with these freebies, it's a great way to get people into their stores.

If you're looking to purchase more than just a free cami, Jen over at Thrifty NW Mom has details on how to get a coupon good for 40% off any one item!

VS: FREE Beauty Rush Lipgloss with purchase

Victoria's Secret has another coupon out good for a FREE Beauty Rush Lipgloss with any purchase. This offer is good through May 25th, so be sure to print your coupon before heading to the store!

PLUS, if you haven't signed up for Pink Nation already- you can do so now and print a coupon good for a FREE panty with any Pink purchase (and $10 off any $50 Pink purchase). This is only good for new members and cannot be combined with the free lipgloss offer. My favorite cheap pink item is a lollipop (around $1.50-$2 depending on your store) but I've heard you can also find tins of mints for less than $5.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Another Albies trip

Spent $16.35, Saved $61.16 (79%)
(3 more cases of water are still in the car)

I started out with a $5 catalina from yesterday's water purchase, and walked away today with $12 in catalinas good for my next trip. For those keeping tabs, the net cost is $9.35, most of which is for the 4 cases of water. The torillas and water deal are outlined in my post from last night, but here's what else I did:

4 boxes of mini wheats $10
  • used two $2 off 2 boxes coupons
  • paid $6 and got back $7 in catalinas (one $3 and one $4- this probably shouldn't be working like this, but I'm not going to argue)
I also bought:
  • 2 Dannonino Yogurts $2.19 (minus $1 coupons and 2 doublers) $0.19 each
  • Dannimal's Coolision $2.49 (minus $1 coupon and doubler) $0.49
  • Bread $0.99
  • Hamburger Buns $1.29

Menu Plan Monday

It's been forever since I posted one of these, partly because I've been winging it (and that's not especially thrifty) but mostly because I keep forgetting to sit down and make one. So, here it is:

Monday: "Teriyaki Ginger Sesame" Pork Tenderloin with a garden salad (both purchased on markdown at FM yesterday- the salad has everything in it, including cherry tomatoes!)
Tuesday: Pulled Pork (crockpot) with green beans
Wednesday: Tacos with homemade refried beans and rice
Thursday: Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Friday: Breakfast for dinner
Saturday: BBQ Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Corn on the Cobb

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Albertsons tonight

Spent $10.94, Saved $52.70 (83%)
& I earned $8 for my next trip!
Really, I bought 4 cases of Arrowhead water- but those things are heavy so only one made it into the photo (the other 3 were unloaded in the backroom by the sweet & helpful husband). Here's what I did:

4 Cases of Arrowhead Water $3.50 each
  • used in-ad coupon to make them $2.99 each (limit 4)
  • pay $11.96 and earn $5 catalina good on your next purchase when you buy 4
  • That works out to $1.74/case or about $0.06/bottle after catalina savings

6 Mission Tortillas $1.49 each

  • used in-ad coupon to make them $0.79 each
  • used three $1.50 off any 2 Mission products coupons
  • That's makes them $0.04 each

6 Old El Paso Taco Shells $1.29 each

  • used three $1 off any 2 Old El Paso product tearpads
  • used three doublers from today's paper
  • paid $1.74 and earned $3 off my next purchase of beef or chicken ($1.26 moneymaker)

I also used a $2 survey coupon that I had earned a couple of weeks ago to bring my total down a little bit more. The water will be really nice to have on-hand, especially during the summer when we're on the go- so I may head back in to buy more. The taco shells are not really something we use (I prefer to make my own) but they do come in handy for quick taco nights once in a while, or else they can be donated. Either way, they helped me shave a little bit off my next meat purchase and that's never a bad thing! For those of you wondering, we did buy produce and milk earlier today but didn't have time to snap a photo. I snagged a few great markdowns at Fred Meyer and spent about $9.xx there.