A fun FRUGAL day

So this year has started off at a ridiculously fast pace for me. I have not been able to focus much on deals and shopping, but with all that is going on in my life the deals are more important now than ever. I don't have much extra time to blog but I can't help but share today's adventures.

I have been reading all week about the great new Joy Of Football coupon book at Randall's this week, I even went in search on my one free lunch break this week. I was really wanting to find this book, because it has several great high dollar coupons.

This afternoon I had an appointment to get my oil changed in the Mom-Mobile and it happened to be near a Randall's. I was so excited to see the display at the front door that is supposed to hold these coveted coupon books! It was empty! I was bummed, but I knew I didn't want to waste a trip to Randall's so I headed to the back of the store where they have their clearance section. On my way through the meat department, I glanced at the 50% off meats and saw a few really great single packs of steak. Since my stock of meat is running low, I grabbed them the most expensive was going to be only about $2.75. Then I looked behind me at a small shelf and saw a huge stack of the coupon books! WOOOHOO! I took three and headed to the clearance section. While I was browsing the deals I found several six packs of apple sauce. Even without a coupon, these were going to be $1.15 each. Since the kids both like to take a lunch from home I grabbed six of these.
Ready to check out I glanced through my new coupon books and saw a $2 off 1 Ranchers Reserve coupon. Turns out the steaks I grabbed were Rancher's Reserve. I was so happy. Three steaks for under $2.

I still have to find a few more deals tomorrow, with my sidekicks along for the ride, it should be a fun day! Oh yeah and that oil change I got today, yeah, it was FREE! I got a letter from several local shops welcoming me to the neighborhood when I moved in here in April. I haven't paid to have the oil changed in my Mom-Mobile since then.

One more Frugal thing happened today! Both of my incredible sidekicks came home with PERFECT report cards. Those perfect report cards are rewarded with FREE kids meals from Chick Fil A. SO tomorrow's lunch is FREE too!

TLC show Extreme couponing

I wasn’t going to watch this show. I really didn’t plan on it. I didn’t even set the DVR when I went out last night. As the show began to air I began to see so many conversations about what was happening that I couldn’t resist. When I got home I set the DVR to catch the second run of the show.

My initial thoughts when I heard that a show was being made were how much negative backlash it would create. I don’t think my concerns were far off. I believe that it was staged, 100%, fake. Yes, it is mathematically possible, but probable, not at all. The network must have contacted the stores to get the permission. I am sure that the stores were promised a few well placed logo shots in return and probably well compensated. I am by no means the COUPON POLICE, I don’t want to judge the people who participated in the show, but I am very disappointed.

Crying because a coupon doesn’t scan, and taking over every square inch of floor space in the house are all signs of an addiction or of Hoarding. I don’t believe that even with kids anyone can use the amount of stuff two of these people have in their house.

I believe every one of them when they say that they make regular donations to their local charities. As do most all of us who coupon shop. I just have one thing that really bugs me about the show, and the way things were portrayed. Before I ever went on my first shopping trip armed with my coupons I did a lot of research. I found tons of sites, all with incredible information. The one thing that was taught at every site was to fly below the radar. It is a hard thing to remember, especially when you are new to the game. But, it is vitally important. You don’t want to come to the attention of the stores. All it takes is one moody cashier or manager and you are going to have trouble every time. If a store begins to notice me I pray that it is because I am a nice person, and I stand out for that reason only. I do think that calling ahead to order stuff is a good idea; I will never clear the shelves of a deal, unless there is only one left when I get there. I have not ever ordered extras, but I have considered it. If I ever encounter a deal I cannot pass on I would definitely do it.

I have never gotten in a recycling bin to look for coupons. Again, I wouldn’t put it past me though. Given the chance, I believe I certainly would.

I don’t believe that any of my stores, even stating that I have an AWESOME group of managers and cashiers that I have gotten to know would order me 1100 of any one item.

I want to help others; it is what we are called as Christians to do. But, I will not give up my time with my family, my sanity or my reputation to do so. I will teach anyone who wants to learn and I will continue to donate all I can to any charity I can. But, I will not ask my family to make major sacrifices for me to do so. I do not clip coupons during family time, I do not shop at all hours of the night, I do not miss special events to go get a deal and I do not spend more hours clipping coupons than I do at the office. I am already away from my family too much as it is for work. We all have our own way of being, and to each their own, I just really hope that the stores and manufacturers don’t begin changing the rules again because these four people exposed the tricks of the game.

My Kroger Trip Today

So all of the speculation seems to be true. I asked the manager at my Kroger today and they are no longer limiting the number of like coupons per transaction nor are they limiting the number of double/triple like coupons per transaction. I scored big time today, and it makes it so much easier to get in and out since I don't have to do several transactions.

Today I got all of this...

15 - Softsoap Liquid $.99 - $.35/1 mfg co (spanish Smartsource)

9 - Dial Bar Soap $1 - $.35/1 mfg co

3- Everready Flashlights $1.39 - $1 mfg co

2-Old Orchard Apple Juice $1 - $.50/2 mfg co

3- Bounty Basic Paper towels $1.09 - $1 Kroger e coupon - $.25/1 mfg co

4- Dole Fruit Jars $1 - $.50/2 mfg co

10 - Yakisobas $.80 - $.50/1 mfg co

10 - Totinos Pizza Rolls $1 - $.35/1 mfg co

10 - Kids Cuisine Meals $1.89 - $5/10 Frozen Food Promo - $.50/1 mfg co

12- Mc Cormick Grinders $1 (Buy three or more receive $3 catalina)

Thank you ZM for this deal

1 - Athenos Hummus - $1 Mfg co

2- Ceasers Bistro Dog Food - BOGO

12- Sani Hands Wipes $1.04 - $1 mfg co.

I also used a $5/75 coupon that was in the boyscout coupon book last fall.

The total before coupons was $95 something( I don't have my receipt with me to be exact) and my total out of pocket was $.12. Plus I still have $6 in catalinas to use on my next trip.

I did all but the Mc Cormick Grinders in one transaction. Those required separate transactions because the catalina will only print once per transaction.

Randall's Highlights

Like I told you earlier, I went to Randall’s at lunch today.

I found some great deals.

1 – Totino’s Pizza Roll’s 15ct - $1.29 (10% off Frozen Foods Randall’s Flyer, $.35/1 – Any Pizza Rolls Tripled)

2 – Pillsbury Cutout Cookies Clearance 50%off $1.99 ($1/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough)

1 – 3 Pack Steak $3.41 (30% Off)

2 – Barilla Spaghetti Sauces 2/$4 ($.75/1 Barilla Pasta Sauce x 2)

2 – Barilla Piccolini Noodles $1 FREE when purchase Sauce ($.55/1 Barilla Piccolini Noodles x2)(Makes this a $.55 Money Maker each package.)

3- Hallmark Cards @$1.49 each

Received a $3.49 Pediasure coupon, $1 Barilla Coupon, $1 Catalina For the Barilla Deal and $5 Catalina for purchasing three Hallmark Cards.

I think Randall’s will be on my to-do list again tonight.

Thank you to ZM @ Katycouponers and Kimberly @ Just Frugaliscious for the Hallmark Lead.

Thank you to Tiffany @ Mylitter for the Heads up on the Barilla Pasta.

Kroger Summer of Savings

Don’t forget to play Kroger’s Summer of Savings game. You can play once a day until you win. It appears that you can win once each month during the promo.

Make sure that you have your Kroger Plus card in hand so you can link the number to their system. The prizes are loaded directly to your card and come off automatically when you scan your card at check out.

I can’t play again till July, but I won a FREE Bob Evans Side dish.

Good luck. If you win something post a comment so we can all see how everyone is doing.

I love checking the mail!

I know that I have said it before but couponing sure makes it more fun to check the mail. Yesterday I got my FREE Suave coupon. I had to run to the store for a quick after dinner snack and was able to get my FREE full Size bottle.

I am working on a new system of writing to manufacturers more regularly in order to see what coupons I can get. I will let you all know how it is going. I will also post links to the comment sites for the manufacturers that I write to.

If you are interested in getting started couponing, join Facebook! So many of the companies have created fan pages, some retailers also have pages. They use these pages as free marketing and they often have great freebie coupons available. That is how I got the FREE Suave coupon.

Dollar General Pedigree Dentistix FREE

If you have a Dollar General near you here is a great deal to look for. In the April All You Magazine there was a $2.1 Mfg. C/O (pg. 2). There is also a $2.1 Mfg. C/O in the 4/25 Red Plum. The 4 pack of Dentistix is $2. So you only have to pay tax.

I hope that you are able to find some.

Beneful Incredibites Dog Food Deal!

If you have any of the $3/1 Beneful Incredibites Dog Food Coupons you

might want to head to Petsmart. I first saw this deal last week and I

didn't have any coupons for it, so I ordered my Coupons and waited patiently.

They finally came yesterday and I loaded up the kids and off we went.

Here is how this deal works…

Buy 1 Trial Size Incredibites per $3 coupon. Each bag is $.99 the

coupons will ring for the full amount creating a $2.01 overage per

bag. I got 20 bags so I had $40.20 overage, So I got two large bags

of Beneful $9.99 each, two medium bags of Beneful $5.99 each, One

large box of Milkbone treats$4.99 , and one bag of Jerky Treats $3.99

(I had coupons for both of these but I don’t remember the

denominations). I was still in the negative after using only 19 of my

coupons so I grabbed two packs of Pup R Mints ($1.99 each) at the

register. My original total with tax was $66.67. Total OOP= $1.32.

Woo Hoo! Thank you Purina. I am sure my dogs will love their free

food!

Back in the routine

Since I decided to move my family across town I had to take a break

from my shopping for a few weeks. I was so frustrated with this but I

still read the blogs and read with some regret about all of the great deals

that I was missing. One night I read about the $3/1 Snuggle Coupon.

I was so angry that I had not gotten my papers that week, I knew that I

was down to 2 bottles of fabric softener and on my last box of dryer

sheets.

I searched all the clipping services and they were all sold out,

bummer. Ebay, however had plenty and I ordered 20 coupons. As with

every transaction I have had I Ebay my envelope arrived quickly,

unfortunately it was also the day that I had to drive across town to

sign the papers on the house and get the keys. Grabbed my envelope

from the mail and took off to go handle the move. So now we are all

settled in and I am ready to shop.

I cleaned out my coupon bag, and binders, and folder, and NO Snuggle

coupons. I was so mad at myself. So for two weeks now I have scoured

the new house in search of my coupons. To make the matter more urgent

Kroger is running their Digital Choice promotion and Snuggle Liquid

and sheets are both on the list of Promo items.

Yesterday as I was driving home, I thought about one more place to

look, and lo and behold there are my snuggle coupons, well all but 2

of them. So I load the kids in the car and it is off to Kroger we go.

By the way, I love my new Kroger! They are very coupon friendly, they

even have a coupon swap basket at Customer Service. My kids love to

bring my un-needed coupons to drop off. I was so happy to see the

shelves still full. So we did six transactions that were all

identical.

3- Assorted Snuggle - $3.50 ea – 3 $3/1 Mfg Co

6- Caeser Bistro – $1.09 ea - 2 B2G1F Mfg Co (Peelies and SS)

1- Yakisoba Noodles – 10/$10 - Filler to make 10 Promo Items

3- Sani-Hands 15 ct Wipes - $1- $1/1 Mfg Co.

Each transaction was just under $6, I know I could have done a lot

better but, I am so stoked that I got 18 Various Snuggle for $.50

each.

Don't forget about the Kroger Digital Choice Promotion. If you buy 10 Promotional items you get a catalina coupon with a code on it. That code is good for 15 FREE Song Downloads, 15 FREE Ringtones, or 1 FREE Movie ticket. There are lots of coupons out there to match up with the promo items. I have gotten 9 Codes, so for me I have 4 FREE movie tickets and 75 FREE Songs to add to my iPhone!

I am so glad to be back in the shopping routine.

FREE PEN

I wanted to share this link with you all. It is for a free Uni-Ball Super Ink pen. This pen has a special ink that prevents check washing. I can't wait to see how well it works.

Click Here to get your own pen.

A great way to save on your holiday printing

I went to Vista Print today to order some business cards and address labels. I am so excited to share these deals with you all.

Right now you can order 250 Free business Cards, all you pay is shipping. I even ordered an extra 250 after my original order on a special offer they made. Since I am not in need of these right now I was able to pay for the cheapest shipping and get all 500 for 3.67 and a little over $5 for shipping. I can't wait to get these. I really love the design i chose and I am excited to look for future deals for postcards, magnets, and letterhead.

They have another FREE offer right now for 140 Free Address Labels. All you have to pay is shipping. I joined a Christmas card exchange with a group of coupon/refund women all over the country and I am so excited to use these.

I think I might even order another set as gift tags. I will just leave the address off and only include TO: & FROM:.

One last promotion they have right now is 50% off Christmas Cards. So hurry and get that perfect shot ready and go order some great high quality custom cards.

If you are interested in any of the deals Vista Print is offering I have included a Widget on the right side of the blog. Simply follow that link to take advantage of a special offer just for my readers.

Great mail week this week...

Since the beginning of my coupon adventures I have felt like a kid going to check the mail every day. The anticipation you used to feel looking for something fun in the mail. I have gotten lots of great coupons through trades and coupons to try a produce FREE from the manufacturer. But this weekend I received my first refund check. This one was $3.99 for buying a Goody Ouchless Headband. I got the headband on sale for $3.99 minus $1 mfg c/o. So i made $1 profit off the headband. I also received $50 in Lowe's Gift Cards for purchasing a trial membership to a website called Complete Home. The trial membership was $1 so I made a $49 profit off the membership. My total profit was $50. Woo hoo what a great surprise in the mail.

More Target Adventures

I have had such a great time this week finding all of the great deals at Target.

I am saving the picture for Friday...I want to do a full weeks shopping in one post. I can pretend all day that it is to impress you all. But really it is for me, I can't wait to see how well I did.

But, I do want you to know about a few of the awesome deals out there this week.

Gerber Baby Bottle Singles 8oz. and 4oz. $.99

$1 off Gerber Feeding Accessories Target printable

FREE

Johnson's Buddies Scrubbing Soap Bar. $.97

$1 off Johnson's Baby Product Target Printable

FREE

Chef Michael's Can Dog Food $.89

BOGO Mfg C/o

BOGO Target Printable

2 Cans FREE

Chef Michael's Dry Dog Food $4.26

$3.00 Mfg c/o

$1.50 Target Printable

FREE

Glade Fragrance Collection Large Candle in Jar $4.50

$3.00 Mfg c/o Printable Coupons.com

Glade Candle Tins $1.66

$1.50 Mfg c/o inside tin (open the tin and look for a loose piece of paper)

Glade Candle Refills $2.50

Free Refills when you buy Tin Mfg c/o Printable Coupons.com

Archer Farms Artisan Breads Price varies starts @ $.85

$1 off Archer Farms Artisan Breads Target Printable.

These are some of the AWESOME deals available this week.

I have found also that at some stores the BOGO Mfg c/o for the Chef Michael's Can Food is ringing up for the full value of the dry food, if you buy them both on the same transaction. Your mileage may vary on this, nut combined with the $3 Mfg c/o, the BOGO can food Target Printable and the $1.50 Dry Food Target Printable this can create some major overage. I have had several transactions this week that I have paid only the sales tax.

Need Target Printable Coupons try...

www.organicgrocerydeals.com

as well as

www.afullcup.com

Also visit...

www.coupons.com

and...

www.redplum.com

I can't wait to show you all my week of Target deals. I have been having so much fun with this one.

FREE Highlighters and $.04 Huggies Wipes

WOW!!!!

Walgreens is HOT this week.

Remember that I found the $2 off Huggies coupon in a flyer at the front of Walgreens? So even though it says it is a mfg coupon it is a misprint. You can stack it with a mfg coupon since it is a store coupon.

So some Walgreens sell their Huggies wipes for $2.79. So I used my $.75 coupons I posted about yesterday that I found at Marble Slab and stacked it with the Walgreens coupon. Making each box of wipes $.04. WOW!!! Even if you don't have kids in diapers this is a phenomenal item to pick up to donate to a food pantry or the Church Nursery. I know many of mine will be going to Katy Christian Ministries. So many of the food pantries are really hurting right now. More need because of the economy combined with less donations because of the economy.

I also found a coupon for Sharpie Highlighters $1/1. Walgreens has a four pack on sale for $.99 cents this week. I grabbed a small filler item just to make sure it didn't freak out the machine to have overage.

So today's lunch break I spent $1.91 and I got

22- Boxes Huggies Wipes

10- 4pk Sharpie Accent Highlighters

1- Sharpie Permanent Marker

I didn't drive to work today so I don't have a picture of all the wipes I will take one tomorrow when I get them all home.

Good Luck.

Sharpie Coupon. It is a PDF file and while they are not always legit, i have emailed the company and I am assured that they are legit. Here is the link. You can print as many as you want.

http://schoolyearseve.cookiemag.com/pdf/SYE_Coupon.pdf

FREE Huggies Wipes

Here is a hot tip for you all...

Marble Slab Creamery had free Huggies Wipes Samples right on the counter. There are also $.75 mfg c/o there as well.

Good luck hope that you are all able to find some.

Please remember to be a responsible couponer and only take a reasonable amount, leave some for others.