My Walmart Shopping Trip 12/6

Here's what I bought this week at Walmart, I was quite please with my deals!

Remember check out the Walmart corporate coupon policy. It may be a good idea to print this off so you can show it to your cashier if you have problems getting them to accept your coupons.
Also, remember these are the prices I found in my area, Walmart does not have the same pricing nationwide, but the price should be similar.

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8 Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Mixed Vegetables, $1.00 each
Used 6 $1/1 Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Frozen Vegetables, exp. 11-29-08
Used 2 $0.60/1 printable
Final Price 6 were FREE, 2 were $0.40.
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2 Toaster Strudels $1.88 each
Used 2 $1.00/1 printables
Final Price $0.88 each
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7 Quaker Weight Control Instant Oatmeals $2.78 each (on roll-back)
Used 7 $1.00/1 printables
Final Price $1.78 for each
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3 Johnson and Johnson Trial Size First Aid Kits- $0.97 each
Used 1 $3.00/2 printables
Final Price Free after coupon and $0.09 overage (Was able to get 3 with coupon)
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4 Baking Soda $0.38 each
Used 2 $1.00/2 Printables
Final Price Free and $0.48 overage
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2 Chex Mix Turtle Bars $2.48 each
Used 2 $1.00/1 printables
Final Price $1.48 each
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2 Bar S Hot Dogs $0.88 each
Used 2 $0.25 off printables
Final Price $0.63 each
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1 Progresso Soup $1.50
Used 1 $1.10 off printable
Final Price $0.40
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2 Betty Crocker Cookie Pouches 2/$3.00
Used 2 $0.75/1 printable
Final Price $0.75 each
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1 Egg Beaters Original $2.56
Used 1 $1.00/1 printable
Final Price $1.56
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6 Buddies Soaps $0.97 each
Used 2 $3.00/2 printables
Final Price Free and $0.18 overage
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2 Tide Trial size Detergents $0.97 each
Used 2 $1/1 Tide, any size, exp. 12-31-08 (P&G 11/30/08)
Final Price Free and $0.06 overage
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Disney Wall-E DVD $19.98
Used 1 $3.00/1 printable
Final Price $16.98
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4 2 packs AA Rayovac Batteries $0.94
Used 2 $1/2 Rayovac Alkaline or Hearing Aid Batteries, exp. 2-28-09 (SS 11/23/08)
Final Price $1.76 for 4 packs


Total Final Price Before Tax and Coupons: $80.93
Total Final Price Before Tax and after Coupons: $40.23
That's just about half off the orginal price!!!!

Walmart Price Matching

This year my little 3, almost 4, year old is into Dora Saves the Snow Princess stuff. So, on the top of her list is Fisher-Price Dora's Prance & Fly Pegasus. I went looking and everywhere I looked it was around $44. I really did not want to pay that much for a doll and horse, so I went searching for a better deal. As I looked at my Black Friday ads, I spotted the Kmart ad for the week after Black Friday, the doll and horse was in there for $29.99. I decided I had to get it since the price was so good! I had a lot going on at church on the Sunday which the sale started and I was already at Walmart so I decided to go price match. Walmart will match any advertised price for a store close to them. They will not match Buy one Get one Free deals or percentages off. It has to have a price listed. My Walmart has always matched CVS
and Rite Aid but I have heard some reports that they will not match a price that you need a discount store card to get the price. All you have to do is take the sale ad with you and show it to them. I have had them question a price before but never reject me because I know the price matching policy. Walmart will not price match any online store even there own, it must be a sale ad. So, as I went to price match I could find no Fisher-Price Dora's Prance & Fly Pegasus, so I asked someone stocking the toy shelves. He said they had two left in the back and went and got me one. The Kmart ad did not start until the next day, but they still price matched for me. This saved me time from going to the store the next day and I was already shopping at Walmart. Another thing I like to do is price match stores that do not take Internet coupons. Walmart will price match an item and take these coupons making my deal even better. So, if you need to save time running around to all the stores you might consider price matching at Walmart. as you do your regular shopping there. I know one little girl who is going to be so happy I did!

Making my own Maple Syrup

With a family of 6, I am always looking for ideas to save money on my grocery bill. A few months ago, I found this recipe online for homemade pancake syrup and thought, I just have to try that! I ran out the other day and remembered that recipe and decided to give it a try. All I did was fill the old pancake syrup bottle up. Nobody even noticed. It is a super easy recipe to make and I had all of the ingredients on hand! Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Homemade Maple Syrup

4 cups white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

2 cups water

2 teaspoons maple flavoring (or vanilla)

Mix the water and sugars in a pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the flavoring. Cool and pour into container. You do not need to refrigerate the syrup.

Stockpile Basic Baking Items Now!

Stockpiling is a great way to save money on your food budget. Basically, stockpiling means finding an item at the rock bottom price and buying up that item to store for later use. If you can find a coupon to use with this rock bottom price it makes it an even sweeter deal. You will also have the item on hand when the price goes up and you can choose not to buy it until it goes down again because you have the item you need on hand. Right now is the perfect time to stockpile on basic baking items. At this time of year, merchants are fighting for your holiday food dollars. During the holidays, baking ingredients are a loss leader. This means they are willing to take a loss on those items in the hope that we will get in the store to buy the other full priced items. Another great thing about this time of year is that manufacturers have lots of holiday coupons to use with these rock bottom prices, which makes stockpiling even easier. See Holiday Coupons and Holiday Coupons from Nestle Busy Mommy articles to start matching some coupons with your store sales. Here are a few baking items that you can store and some tips on each. We use many of these items through out the year, so why not buy them when they are cheap!

All Purpose Flour- Store this in a tightly sealed container. Shelf life is 8 months in the pantry, 1 year in the refrigerator, and several years in the freezer.

Self Rising Flour- Shelf life is only 6 months.

Whole Wheat Flour- Stored in the freezer it is good for 6 months, shelf life at room temperature is only a couple of months.

Granulated Sugar- Stored properly in a tight container, it will last for years.

Confectioner's Sugar- Best to store in original box, it last for years.

Brown Sugar, light or dark- Best to use within 6 months of buying, do not store in the refrigerator. If you are going to keep it a long time, you can freeze it.

Baking Soda- Once opened, it has a shelf life of 6 months.

Baking Powder- Once opened shelf life in pantry is six months, store in freezer and it is good indefinitely. You can check to see if your baking powder is still active by stirring one teaspoon into 1/3 cup of warm water. If it still fizzes, it’s okay.

Yeast- Store unopened yeast in a cool, dry place, such as a pantry or refrigerator. Use within three to four months. Freezing yeast is not recommended because it kills the yeast cells.

Marshmallows- They’ll stay moist if stored frozen in a tightly sealed bag. They’re easier to slice with scissors when frozen.

Vanilla- Last indefinitely on the shelf because of the high alcohol content.

Chocolate Chips- Store tightly wrapped for six months.

Unsweetened cocoa powder- Store it in a tightly sealed container for up to two years.

The Christmas Box Gift Deal

Not only do I love seeking out coupons and deals but I also love to read a good book. Do you have any readers on your shopping list? This may be the perfect idea for them. For only $15 (the cost of shipping) you can order 25 COPIES of the heartwarming holiday book “The Christmas Box” by Richard Paul Evans. This New York Times best seller would make the perfect gift for neighbors, coworkers, teachers, friends, and family. I loved this book! It has such a great message. When you order 3 or more (25 bundles), you'll receive a FREE copy of Paul Cardall's The Christmas Box music CD. So if you want a great Christmas gift deal go here for more information. But hurry – this offer is only good through December 1st!

Friday Freebies

Here are your Friday Freebies for FREE stuff on the web. Have a GREAT weekend!

Free Jiffy Recipe Book

1 year subscrition to Self Magazine

Lipstock Chapstock Sample

Free Roll-up Sample when you sign-up for Box Tops For Education

Schick Quattro Razor

Free subscription to Remedy Life Magazine

Walmart Freebies-Check out what's new, lots of samples!

Airborne Original Zesty Orange

Sun Crystals Natural Sweetner

Hairband from Crest (for current and new Vocalpoint members) It's easy to sign-up!

Robb Report Magazine (1 free issue from StartSampling)

Oprah is offering a free download of Holiday Hits 2008 CD for a limited time (48 hours from posting).

$1.50 Pampers Coupon

Free Download of Rachael Yamagata - Sidedish Friend go here. There is a new song each week!

Aquaphor Ointment

If you have any great freebies on the web please let us know! Leave a comment to this post to share other freebies.

Free Santa Video

Would you like to get a FREE video from Santa for your child to see who made Santa's list? You can as a reward from Disney Family. Here are the steps for getting this freebie.

1. Register here for free with Disney Family.

2. Login here to create your video.

3. Upload a picture of your child. It cannot be over 1MG.

4. Copy your URL into your browser and play it for your child. You can also mail to family and friends.

Pilsbury Crescent Roll Coupon and a Recipe!

I love Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and they even have them in reduced fat! Here is a new $1.00 coupon. Since it is Thanksgiving time, I have found these on sale in a lot of stores. Add a coupon to that sale and you have a better deal! You could have these with your Thanksgiving Dinner or you could try this yummy recipe!

CHICKEN BASEBALLS
3 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened
2 tsp light margarine, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
one half chopped onion
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 8oz can reduced fat crescent rolls
2 Tbsp skim milk
In a blender (or by hand) combine cream cheese, butter, salt, pepper, milk, onion. Blend. Pour mixture over chicken and stir. Separate crescent roll dough into four rectangles and seal perforations. Spoon 1/2 cup mixture into center of each. Pull opposite corners of dough to center and seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serves 4

Calories: 235.5
Total Fat: 10.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g

My Comfort Breakfast and a Coupon!

This is the breakfast I have been enjoying on these cold winter mornings. It just makes me all warm inside so I call it my comfort breakfast. Quaker Weight Control Banana Bread and Cinnamon Instant oatmeal are a great addition to my Weight Watchers plan. Here's what I do:

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Banana Bread Oatmeal

I make 1 package as directed on the box and then I add a packet of Splenda and I cut up a banana and stir it in. So easy and yummy!!!

5 Weight Watcher Points

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Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

I make 1 package as directed on the box and then I add a packet of Splenda and I add several dashes of cinnamon and then add 1/2 cup applesauce and stir. So easy and yummy!

4 Weight Watcher Points

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You can also get your $1.00 off any one box Quaker Oatmeal to save you some money!

To read more about my Weight Loss Journey go visit my other blog, Honey I Shrank Myself!

Kellogg's Coupon

Are you trying to cut back your food budget? Did you know that most Kellogg's cereals are less than 50 cents per serving, including milk? Kelloggs wants to give you your first 2 bowls free with this $1.00 off coupon. I have seen lots of store deals with Kellogg cereals lately. I got some Corn Pops at CVS last week for $1.00 a box after my $1.00 off coupons.

Kung Fu Panda/Conagra Foods Rebate

My kids are getting the Kung Fu Panda movie for Christmas. In last Sunday's newspaper, there was some rebate information for that movie that said the rebate form could be found here. You buy the movie and send in the proof of purchase tab and then your receipt from 5 of the following products :Act II Microwave popcorn, Chef Boyardee canned products, Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit, Hunt's Ketchup, Peter Pan Peanut Butter, or Snack Pack Pudding. Then they send you $3.00 back! There are so many coupons out for those products right now and I am already buying the movie so this is an easy rebate for me!

New Right at Home Coupons

Make your house smell great this holiday season with a Glade Candle! I love the holiday scented ones. Right now, there are some new Glade Coupons at Right @ Home.

*$1.00 off any Glade 4 oz Jar Candle or 2 in 1 Candles
*Buy 2 Get 1 Free Glade Scented Oil Refill Packs
*Buy 1Get 1 Free Glade Plugins Scented Oil Refills

Go here to get your coupons!

There is also a deal at CVS this week , the candles are 2/$5 and when you buy $10 worth of Glade Products you get $5.00 ECB. These coupons would work great for that deal!

Lorie's Frugal Ideas Notebook 11/18

My Frugal Idea Notebook is where I store all the ideas I get from other blogs on the web to help me stay frugal. This week I am focusing on Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas and I found some really neat ones on the topic!

1. $5 Cake Mix Basket from The Grocery Cart Challenge (I want to make a few of these!)

2. Last Minute Gift Cards from Buzzings of a Queen Bee (I'm always needing a quick card too!)

3. A Romantic Frugal Gift from Betty Beguiles (I want to do this with my husband!)

4. Gifts your kids can make from One Krusty Mama (My kids would love to make these!)

5. Homemade Sugar Scrubs from Thrifty Jinxy (I know a lot of women who would love this!)

6. No Sew Fleece Blankets from Mom on the Go (Cheap if you have some extra fabric on hand.)

7. Giving to Charity from "Cents"able Mamma (I like to give during the holidays, here's a way that won't cost much.)

8. Using Bowls as Gift Baskets from Wildwood Mama (I have seen these on clearance and never thought about that use!)

9. Cheap Family Christmas Gifts from Curves with Attitude (I love this idea of involving your whole family!)

10. Leaf Candle from Generation Cedar (This looks like a fun project!)

11. Free Stocking Stuffers from Are We There Yet?

12. Christmas Gift Basket Ideas from Frugal Ideas From the Parsonage (This is alot like what I am doing this year!)

CVS Buys Nov 17

Here’s what I bought: (More stuff for family Christmas Gift Baskets)
Transaction 1:
4 Glade Glass Scents @ $2.50 each
Coupons:
2/ Buy1 Get 1 Free Glade Glass Scents(from Sunday inserts)
Total with tax: $5.60
ECB earned: $5.00 (Buy $10 Glade products get $5 ECB)

Transaction 2:
4 Glade Candle Jars $2.50 each
Coupons:
$1.50 off 2 Glade Candle Jars(from Sunday insert)
$5.00 ECB (from Transaction #1)
Total with tax: $2.30
ECB earned: $5.00 (Buy $10 Glade products get $5 ECB)

Free Kozy Shack Ready Grain Cereal

Sometimes these deals go fast, so you better hurry! Get a free 7 oz. twin pack of Kozy Shack Ready Grain Cereal coupon by going here. You can also get a $1 off coupon for Kozy Shack No Sugar Added pudding treats at Cool Savings. It's easy to create an account there and they have some great coupons!

New Busy Mommy Frugal Writer

I am now the Frugal writer for Busy Mommy.I love this website! If you are mom you should go check it out. There is a wealth of information on there!

December All You Magazine Coupons

I went to Walmart this weekend and got the new All You magazine. I love this magazine to read but it always has some great coupons in it! Here are the coupons from the new December Magazine valued at $33.15! The magazine is only at Walmart by the checkouts and is only $2.49. Here are the coupons in the new December magazine. Click the image below to view coupon list.

Rite Aid Buys 11/16

Here's what I got at Rite Aid Today:
2 Venus Embrace Razors on sale for $8.99 each (for family gift baskets)
George Forman Grill on sale for $24.99 ( $20.00 gift for dh's work exchange)
2 Pampers Wipes on sale 2/$5
St. Ives Apricot Scrub on sale $4.99(for family gift baskets)
Total with tax: $56.14

Coupons Used
2/ $4.00 off Venus Embrace Razors (from Vocalpoint)
2/ .50 cents off Pampers wipes coupons(from Sunday Insert)
Total Coupon Savings: $9.00

Rebates
$5.00 George Forman Grill
$1.00 on 2 Pampers wipes
$4.99 St Ives Apricot Scrub
Total Rebates: $10.99

Total after coupons and Rebates: $36.15

Rite Aid is also offering The Gift of Savings. Get back up to $20 of what you spend. This order will get me back $5.00

So it's like I spent $31.15

Note: When I got home the Razor was missing from one of my packages. I took it back but they did not have any for the coupon I had so they gave me another one that was also on sale, but I plan to take it back on Friday when they get a truck in and get the one I really wanted.

Homemade Simple Coupon Booklet

The Home Made Simple coupon booklet is back! There is usually a coupon for a free item in the book. They say you will receive it in 6-8 weeks. These are always great so make sure you order yours today!

Saving Money During the Holidays-Gifts

Christmas is a time that most people spend a lot of money or go into debt. Does it really have to be that way? I think we can have a really fun and relaxed holiday without spending a lot of money. Gifts is one area that we can really save money on. An expensive gift does not always mean the best gift. Some frugal things can be even more meaningful than an expensive gift. Here are some frugal gift ideas:

Frugal Christmas Gifts

-Baked goods wrapped nicely make a nice gift.

-Have the kids make something or use the holiday crafts they make at school. Family Fun magazine has some really neat ideas for kid's crafts.

-Write a poem or a special story for someone.

-Give coupons to redeem service, like washing the car, watching kids, etc. Here are some downloadable ones.

-Gifts in a Jar, such as soups, hot cocoa, cider. Here are some recipes and here are some more.

-Used Books

-Homemade Jams and Jelly, here is my favorite

-Framed school pictures, grandparents love these! You can find frames at dollar stores for real cheap!

-Collect samples from companies online throughout the year, Walmart is a great place to start, and put them in a gift basket decorated nicely. Teens love this!

-Make a recipe book with your most loved recipes to pass down to your family.

-Make a family ornament with a picture and the date included on it.

Sunday Paper Coupons 11/16

There seem to be some great coupons in the Sunday paper this week, $128 worth. Many of them are for food for your holiday entertaining. You may just want to buy more than one. To get a preview of the coupons before you decide how many to buy head over to the Taylortown Coupon Preview.

Here are some ideas for using those coupons:

Smart Source Insert

-Progresso Broth save $1.00/1. These are $1.98 for the 32 oz at Walmart making them .98 cents after coupon!

- Fiber One Toaster Pastries save 70 cents off one. These are $1.98 at Walmart making them $1.28 after coupon!

-Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers save $1.00/1. Some of these are rolled back to $1.00 making these FREE after coupon!

-Huggies diapers $1.00/1. You can always use diaper coupons if you use them to make a great deal!

-$3 Rebate from buying the Kung Fu Panda and 5 participating food products. Expires 2/28/09.

-Krogers Grocery stores are having Mega Sales and many of these coupons will work for this sale.

Walmart School Clearance

Walmart Deals for the Day!

5 Pentel RSVP 2 pack Red ink Pens- .10 cents each= .50 cents

1 PapermatePink Pearl 2 pack Eraser- .10 cents

Total Paid-.60 cents

I'll be using the pens for for DH and my Mothers' Christmas Baskets!

CVS Nov 2-8

I have been just rolling ECB on diapers for about a month now!

2 Jumbo Pampers Diapers $10 each

Coupons Used- 2/$1.50 off

Total After Coupons:$17.00

ECB Used: $10.00 from last weeks Huggies deal

Total after coupons and ECB: $7.00 OOP

ECB Earned: $5.00

So it's like I paid $2.00 for 2 packs of Pampers Jumbo Pack Diapers!

Menu Plan Monday November 3rd-9th

Well, it's been awhile since I have planned my menu for the week. I know that planning is so important and could be one of the reasons I have not been doing as well lately! So, here I am back in full force to get back on the menu planning wagon! Fall is here so that means lots of great soups for me! Comfort food!

Breakfast

Oatmeal, fruit, hot herbal tea (3 days)

Low fat waffles and fruit, hot herbal tea (2 days)

Omelets, fruit, hot herbal tea

Scrambled Eggs, hot herbal tea

Lunches

Refried Bean Soup (2 days)

Cheesy Vegetable Soup (2 days)

Leftovers
Tuna Salad with fruit
sandwich, fruit
Dinners
Doritos Casserole, salad
Crockpot Potato Soup, Jiffy Cornbread
Easy 1 pt Chili, Cornbread
Pizza, salad
Scrambled eggs, sausage links, biscuits
Chicken Corn Chowder, garlic toast
Spaghetti Casserole Bake, salad
Desserts/Snacks
Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies (I'm making Chips Ahoy Dessert with them!)
Wendy's No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Chex Party Mix
Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats
98% Fat Free Microwave Popcorn

Go here to see more plans.

IGA Sale October 29- November 4

Here's some deals at IGA this week for these stores in Kentucky: Paintsville, Stanville, Valley, Casey's, Happy, Jenkins, McDowell, Hyden, and Jackson.

General Mills Cereals 2/$5

IGA Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soups 4/$2

IGA Canned Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Cream Style Corn or French Style Green Beans $.39 each

8 lb bag Russet Potatoes 2/$5

3 lb bag selected varieties Midwestern Apples 2/$4

Duncan Hines Cake Mix 4/$5

Jolly Time Popcorn 3 count bags 3/$5


I did not have a lot of coupon matches this week, but there is a fall coupon book in stores with lots of great deals.

Rite Aid Purchases for Oct 26-Nov 1

Rebates are a little easier for me after I got 2 Rebate checks, now I am just rolling rebate money! I plan to use some of these items for Christmas! It is so nice to let someone else GIVE you Christmas gifts to give away!!! There was lots of free after rebate items this week! Here's what I got this week:

2 Suave Lotion $1.99 each (I got 25% more bottles!)
1 AxeShock Shower Gel $3.99
1 Adidas Body Wash $3.00
1 Oral B Artica Toothbrush $2.49
1 Kotex Maxi Pads $3.00
Total: $18.50 with tax
Coupons used:
$1.00 off Kotex pads (Sunday paper insert)
$1.00 off Adidas product
2/$1.00 off Suave Lotion (Nov All You Mag)
-$4.00 in coupons
Rebates:
$2.49 toothbrush
$3.00 Kotex pads
$3.99 AXE Shock Shower Gel
$3.00 Adidas Body Wash
Amount Due Back: $12.48

Total Out of Pocket: $2.02!! I only paid $.50 each for the Suave Lotions and tax and the rest were all FREE!

There was also a Suave Lotion rebate of $2.00 in the new rebate book, but it was not listed in the sales ad so I do not know it I can get this rebate or not until I see it it entered.

Update I had to call about the Suave Rebate because it did not show up and they did add it. So, I only paid .02 cents because of overage with my coupons.

Get a free sample of Colgate Total Advanced Whitening Toothpaste here! Get your $1.50 off coupon here!

Holiday Baking Coupons from Nestle!

Most people will be doing a lot of baking for the holidays over the next two months. Here are some great coupons to help you save money this season from Nestle.
$.75/2 chocolate chips
$1.50/2 refrigerated cookie dough
$1/2 Carnation evaporated milk
$1/2 Libby's pure pumpkin
Thanks to Common"cents"ical for this link!

Saving Money Shopping Drug Stores

When I started trying to save money, I saw lots of people claiming to get FREE stuff from drugstores like CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens. I decided to play the game and I have also gotten free stuff, made money, or just really good deals. This is a great way to get a stockpile going on things you use regularly. Here are some of the stores I shop and how they work.
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Rite Aid is a store I shop at every week. They have Single Check Rebates (SCR). Basically, you buy the products that have rebates all month and then you either send all of them in online at their website or you mail them in using the form in the monthly SCR booklet. Once you send it in for a check you can’t add anything to it, so you have to make sure you have bought everything you want before sending it in for a rebate. The good thing about Rite Aid is that they will put these products on sale so you will save even more money. Lots of times, I will pair a coupon with a product on sale and SCR. This sometimes makes the product free or I sometimes even make money on it. It took me about 3 months of spending before I was able to “roll” my SCR money. When I first started out, I just bought the free after rebate or free after rebate and a coupon and then when I got that check, that money stays on my Rite Aid Card that I only use for buying stuff that has a rebate, hence I am “rolling” my SCR monies. Now each week I have the money on there to buy the free after rebate stuff and it is not coming out of my pocket. Rite Aid is also offering a $3o gift card when you transfer a prescription so you could start out using this money. You can do this deal up to 5 times. Another important thing to note about Rite Aid is they do not take Internet printable coupons. Rite Aid does have coupons that you can pair with manufacturer coupons which could make an even better deal. I made $5.00 on 4 large tubes of toothpaste that were on sale and had a rebate doing this last month. This week Rite Aid is offering lots of Free after rebate deals on medicines, so be sure to check out the ad. So, as you can see you can save and sometimes even make money with Rite Aid and get lots of great stuff for your stockpile.
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Another place I like to shop at is CVS Pharmacy. I also saw lots of people getting “free” stuff here too and wanted to try it out for myself. CVS has what they call Extra Care Bucks often referred to as ECB’s, where they give you “money” back when you buy certain products. They will place these ECB products on sale to make it an even better deal. I like to use a coupon with these deals to get an even better deal or sometimes a free product. Most months they will also offer free after rebate stuff too. Make sure you check the ECB monthly booklet to see how many times you can get an ECB on a product. In order to get any of the sale prices or ECB’s, you must either register online or at the store to get an ECB Store Card. If you register at the store you can use your card right away, if you register online you will have to wait several weeks. The ECB’s print right out on your receipt and it keeps a running total as to how many ECB deals you have used and how many times you can do them again. I started out slow in the first month that I bought things and usually only got the free after ECB products. I could then roll that money over onto more deals which is how you continue to keep your out of pocket expenses low. It takes awhile to get the hang of this and sometimes you will have to do more than one transaction to keep your out of pocket expense low. CVS is also a great way to get a stockpile going of things you use a lot. This week at CVS, I got two 10 oz tubes of Colgate Total Advance toothpaste. I did them in two separate orders. I used $1.50/1 coupon from the September All You Magazine and my first order total was about $2.00 and something and then got a $2.00 ECB back which printed on my receipt. I then paid for the second tube with the coupon and ECB paying cents for the second tube and got another $2.00 ECB back to roll on a deal next week. I only paid the tax for both of these orders after ECB.
So as you can see there are a lot of deals and freebies at drug stores. I will be matching coupons and listing some of the deals you can make to help you get free products at these two stores since those are the ones I have available to use.

Cereal Coupons

Want to save on General Mills cereals?

I found Cocoa Puffs, Trix, and Golden Grahams for $2.00 a box at Save-A-Lot stores and Walmart had them for $1.78.

Note: Check your Walmart for price because not all Walmarts have the same rollbacks.

Here are some coupon matches:

$1.00 off two BG Cereals Final Cost $1.28 per box at Walmart

$.55 cents off one box of Trix Final Cost $1.23 per box at Walmart

$1.00 off three General Mills Cereals from a recent Sunday paper insert, you'd have to use this one at Save-A-Lot since they do not take internet coupons. Final cost $1.66 per box

Some Contest that might interest you...

Frugal Finds is giving away a great Yoplait prize pack to three lucky winners!
Here is a printable coupon for some Yoplait.... Print Your Coupon.

Frugal RI Mom has a $10 CVS gift card to give to one winner. I love making $10 roll at CVS!

$5 Dinners has a Prego dinner value pack to giveaway. With the cooler days ahead, this would be perfect!

So, go visit some of these blogs, you could win something nice!

New Progresso Light Coupons

I recently tried the New Progresso Light 1 Weight Watcher point per serving soups. I never really cared very much for the Progresso 0 Weight Watcher point soups, but these are so much better. I tried the Beef Pot Roast last night and it is so good!! You can get $.50 off and try one of these new soups here! You won't be sorry. They are so good! Remember to hit the back button a couple of times to get two coupons!
Friendly reminder- Check your points if you eat the whole can. 1 + 1 does not always equal 2 in WW world!

Kmart Double Coupon Days

Well my Kmart was not one of the double coupon sites, but people online were talking about calling customer service and they said if you copied the ad from the web and took it in they would have to honor it and double your coupon up to and including $2.00! So, I called customer service and my Kmart and it all worked out. I got 3 packs of diapers in the back there. The stuff rang up $180 some dollars and my final cost after coupons was $61! I am stocked up for awhile now on shampoo and cleaning supplies! I also got the Ziplock sealer. It was $3.99 and I had a $2.00 off coupon so after doubling, I got it for tax only!

CVS Run

Today I went to CVS to get some more Diet Dr. Pepper. I had a $3 ECB from the begining of the week when I got 4 cases for $11 with a $3 ECB, so I wanted to get some more. I bought it and did not know that you could get another $3 ECB with purchase, but I got another one. I also picked up some clearance stuff. Here's what I got:

Order 1:

4 Diet Dr Pepper Caffine Free- $2.75 each

4 flexible straws- clearance to $.25 each

4 boxes freezer zip lock baggies clearance to $.25 each

Electric Razor (gift for DH for his birthday) $2.50

Total: $16.25 with tax

used $3 ECB

Total OOP of $13.25 and $3 ECB's to use

Order #2

4 Halloween Boxes of Fruit by the Roll $2.75 each (Bought these for Trunk of Treat at Church)

1 CVS Tote Bag $.99

Total: $11.99

Used two $.50/2 coupon from insert

Used $3 ECB

Total OOP: $7.99

CVS Clearance Deals

Last week I went to CVS. I wanted to get some Fiber One bars because all Walmart has had for weeks is the Strawberry and oats flavor. So, I found some fiber one bars in the clearance bins because it had September 19 on it. It said $2.00 on the front. I took it because they are $2.50 at Walmart and I had a $.60 off coupon. I also picked up a lot of bags of clearance marshmallows. When I got to the register, the manager told me that the Fiber one bars were suppose to be $1.00 so I got them for $.40 after my coupon! What a steal! I have lots of campfire marshmallows to make rice krispy treats too!

Fiber One Samples and Coupons

Want some free Fiber One cereal and a Fiber One bar? Go here to sign up to get those samples and a coupon booklet for $3 off Fiber One products.

Want a Smart Ones Coupon?

Lots of people seemed interested in the Weight Watchers coupons that I had in my last contest. Now you can get your own coupon for $1 off any Weight Watchers Smart Ones product here.

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Also, you should check out the new incrEdible rewards program. All you do is buy Weight Watchers products and save your UPC's and then mail them in for points for lots of great prizes including the All You magazine! Go check it out! When I registered, it did not ask me if I was a member, so I guess anyone could sign up.

Weight Watchers Coupon Winner

The winner of the Weight Watchers coupons is Jenn at The Coupon Coup. I really like her blog, you should check it out! Congratulations! You have 24 hours to e-mail me your address and I will send it on!

Weight Watchers Coupon Giveaway!

****Note: Since I have enough people now, this contest will be closed. I will pick a winner later today! Thanks to all who entered!****

As some of you who read my other blog, Honey I Shrank Myself! , know, I am trying to lose 100 pounds this year! I have lost 72 pounds to date, since January of this year, doing the Weight Watchers program. It is the only thing that has EVER worked for me. To see my progress pictures go here. Anyways ,Weight Watchers is doing a new program called Lose For Good. For every pound I lose from Sept 7th thru October 18th, Weight Watchers will donate a pound of food up to 1 million dollars to Action Against Hunger and Share Our Strenghth, No Kid Hungry. I hope to lose some weight so that I lose for the good of me and for the good of others. In honor of my 72 pound lose, the opening of this blog, and the Lose for good program, I am having a Weight Watcher giveaway! I love Weight Watcher products, but I will not buy them unless I have a coupon. So, one lucky winner will win the following coupons!

Weight Watcher Coupon Giveaway!
3- $0.75 cent off any 2 WW cheese or cream cheese products ex:9/30/08
1- $1.50 off any 3 WW cheese or cream cheese products ex:11/30/08
2- $0.55 cents any 5 WW 6 oz yogurt cups ex: 10/31/08
1- $0.55 cents off 1 WW Frozen Novelty ex: 10/31/08
2- Buy 2 Get 1 Free WW Whitman's bagged candies ex: 12/31/08
2-$0.55 cents off WW Whitman's Bagged Candies ex: 9/30/08
2- $0.50 cents off 4 WW Smart Ones Frozen Entrees and desserts ex: 12/31/08
2- $0.50 cents off 1 WW Cookies
2- $0.75 cents off 4 WW Smart Ones frozen desserts ex: 4/30/09
3- $1.00 off 6 WW Smart Ones Frozen Entrees or desserts ex: 4/30/09

To enter,

1. Write a post about this giveaway on your blog linking back to mine and post your link in the Mr. Linky provided. That's it!

Contest ends September 10th. Must have at least 10 people for giveaway. so go tell a friend!

Update: Since I do not have enough people yet, I am extending the contest until September 12th!
Update 2: I will give everyone through the weekend to get their friends over here and then I hope we have 10 people. This contest is only for people with blogs because I am trying to promote my new blog, sorry.
Note: You must link to a post on your blog that you wrote about the contest to be considered.

Kashi Coupons Giveaway!

April from I Think I Can, is having a giveaway for 5/$1 off Kashi Coupons. Go check it out here! I love Kashi Go Lean cereal!

Menu Plan Monday September 8-14

This week, I am going to start something new. I am going to have a soup and sandwiches night and a breakfast dinner every week. These are two really cheap meals to help keep the cost down. So, I am going to be trying some new soups! Come back for the recipes as I make them and post them throughout the week. I am still doing Weight Watchers Flex plan! I also saved over $20 using coupons on my grocery bill this week!
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Dinners
Spaghetti Casserole Bake, salad
Soup (Cheesy Vegetable) and Sandwiches, Yum Yum Muffins
Corn Dog Casserole, salad, Chips Ahoy Dessert
Breakfast Dinner, fruit
Pizza Cups, salad, Quick Zucchini Bread
Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti, salad, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Stovetop Meatloaf Muffins, green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats

Breakfast
Waffles, fruit, yogurt
Baked Sugar Doughnuts, fruit
Chocolate Chip Pancakes, fruit
Omelets, fruit
Eggs, Biscuits, sausage links
Cereal, yogurt, fruit
Waffles, fruit

Lunch
BLT Sandwiches, fruit
Leftover Pasta Bake, salad
Broccoli Soup
Sandwich and fruit
BLT Sandwich, fruit
Find What You can (hopefully leftovers)
FF Hot Dogs, tater tots, corn
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Go here to see more plans.

I Got Paid To Take This Home!

Rite Aid September 8
6 Mead Composition Books (Rain Check) 3/$.99
2 Bic Round Pins $.99
15 Rite Aid Filler Paper 3/$.99
13 Rite Aid Notebook 3/ $.99
3 Elmer's Glue $.99
4 Colgate Total Advance Toothpaste $3.99 each
2 Revlon Eye Shadow $4.29 B1G1 free
Total Before Coupons and B1G1 free: $40.71
Coupons Used:
4/ $1.50 off Colgate Total Advance from Sept All You Magazine
4/ $1.00 off Rite Aid Coupons for Colgate Total Advance from Keep Your Smile Under Any Conditions!(Found at the Pharmacy)
5/ $1 off Rite Aid Filler paper
5/ $1 off 70 ct Notebook
2/ $2.00 off Revlon Cosmetics
2/ $.75 off Bic Pens
2/ $1.50 off Mead Composition Books
Total after coupons and B1G1 Free- $6.06!!!!!
Rebate Due $10.00 for 4 Colgate Toothpaste
Total After Rebate: +$3.94 I made $3.94!!!!

Note: I am stocking up on school supplies stuff while they are cheap and I plan to put in some Christmas boxes for needy children at the holidays.

Rite Aid Deals!

Rite Aid
1 Pantene Flexible Hold Hair Spray- $3.50 Free after coupon
1 Luvs Mega pack- $9.99
1 Pantene Shampoo- $4.99
1 Pantene Conditioner- $4.99
1 Crest $2.49
12 Mead Compisition Books- 3/$.99
12 papermate pens- 2/ $1.00
1 Electrosol Dishwash powder $3.99
Total before coupons and rebates: $35.91
Coupons used:
$.75 off Crest
2/ $2.00 off Pantene
2 /$1.00 off Pantene Rite Aid Coupons
Buy 1 Pantene shampoo and get a free styling product
4/ $1.50 off Mead Composition Book Rite Aid Coupon
$1.00 off Luvs
3/ $1.00 off pens Rite Aid Coupon
Total $19.72 after coupons
Rebates: $7.73
Total after rebates $11.99

Dollar General Store Freebies

Dollar General Store
6 Glad Scented Oil Plug-ins- $4.00 each(Free with coupon!)
1 Flocked clearance book marker $.01!
used 6 $4.00 off Glade Plug in coupons
Total $25.44
Total OOP: $1.45 (tax and cost of bookmark)
Total saving: $23.99!!!

All You Magazine Contest

One Frugal Mama is having a giveaway for her birthday. She is giving away a one year subscription to the All You magazine. I just love that magazine and it is always full of coupons! Go here to sign up!

FREE Bread Coupons Contest

Frugal in Virginia is giving away 5 coupons for free bread to one lucky reader! Go check it out HERE!!!

CVS Shopping

I had several $.50 off coupons left and Rite Aid was out of the $.97 Chex. I also had a $1.00 off Internet coupon which Rite Aid does not take. So, I decided to go ask if CVS would honor the Rite Aid Ad and guess what? They did! So, with that $1.00 off coupon it made it a real deal. I want to get the Kotex Pantyliner money making deal with coupon making this an even better deal, but I went three times and could never find them. If anyone knows about rain checks and ECB's how does it work? Leave me a comment if you have ever done that.

CVS
1 Cinnamon Toast Malt-o-Meal $1.00 used $1.00 off coupon FREE!
2 Colgate 360 toothbrushes B1G1 Free at $3.99 used $1.00 off coupon paid $2.99 for two toothbrushes
2 Colgate Max fresh toothpaste B1G1 FREE at $3.29 for both
4 Chex mix @ $.97 each Used 3/$.50 and 1/$1.00 off making total $1.38 (they were 2.99 regular price for 1!
1 Reinventing Magazine $.99 was suppose to be full of coupons but they all expired that day and I did not notice until I got home. Kind of made me mad thought about taking it back!
Total before coupons and B1G1 Free $19.44
Total after coupons and B1G1 FREE $6.15

Rite Aid Shopping

Rite Aid
1 Pert Shampoo $2.99 used $2.00 off coupon paid $.99(Rebate $2.00)
2 Chex Mix $.97 used 2/$.50 off coupons paid $.94
2 Pledge Duster and refills $2.00 each used 2/ $1.00 off coupons paid $2.00 and get rebate for $2.00 so these will be FREE.
Total before coupons $8.93
Total after coupons $3.93
Rebate Due $4.00
So actually I made money on this deal!
See more Becentsable Savings Stories and Struggles here

Walmart Trip

I had $100 to go do our biweekly shopping. I was determined to get it under $100! Here's how I did.

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Walmart

2 Huggies Cleanteam $1.64 each used $3/2 coupon paid $.28

2 Schick Disposable Razors $1.97 each used $2.00 off 2 made =$.06

3 Kotex Mini Pads $1.00 each used 3 ($1.00 off coupons) paid $.00! Free!

Bandaids paid $1.97

Parent's Choice Diapers paid $5.74

2 Huggies Pull-ups $10.24 used $2.00 off coupon and will turn into Caregiver's Marketplace for $2.00 rebate! OOP $8.24 each. $7.24 each after rebate

Sun Detergent $3.98

Shout $2.00 used $.75 coupon paid $1.25

Pamolive Pure and Clear $2.37 used $.75 coupon paid $1.62

GV Dish Powder $6.64

GV Paper Towels $1.64

Reynolds Wrap $2.62

Angel soft Toliet Paper $5.97 used $.50 coupon paid $5.47

Ruffies Trash Bags $1.74 used $.50 coupon paid $1.24

Head of Lettuce $.98

Toliet Paper Roll Holder $.94

AA Batteries 4 pk $2.58

Cheerioes $1.98 used $1.00 coupon paid $.98

All You Magazine $1.77

Weight Watchers Magazine $3.95

Zout $2.84 used $.55 coupon oop $2.29 and will get full rebate for this item!

Diet Coke $1.38

Total before coupons $81.39

Total After coupons $67.69!!!

Total Rebates: $3.84

I went back because they were stocking and I wanted the 4/$10 Mr. Clean. They had plenty the next day!

Walmart #2

4 Mr. Clean @ $2.50 each minus 4/$.50 coupons

Total $8.60

Total Before Coupons: $91.99

Total After Coupons: $76.29

Total after rebates:$72.45

Total Savings 21%

See more Becentsable Savings Stories and Struggles here.

Huggies Wipes FREE!

To get a free 64 count pack of Huggies Wipes go here!