New Target Coupons out!

Just checked out the coupons at target.com and found some new ones and a few that match up with manufacturers coupons from the Sunday paper. To find the coupons, go to www.target.com and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Under the heading "Target Stores" you will see "grocery coupons". Click on that and it will take you to their coupons.

Now, Target web coupons are SO valuable, because you can use them along with a manufacturer's coupon (called stacking)to get an even better deal! Like one I found today. Target has a Target Web Coupon for $1 off any 10.5-oz candy pieces package (like Reese's, Almond Joy, etc.). Then, in today's paper you should find a manufacturer's coupon for $1 off the same thing. Combined you would get $2 off making them free, or close to free with a sale at Target!

BUT, something to be aware of with printing coupons off the Target website is that some will have 'TARGET WEB COUPON' at the top,

and some will have 'MANUFACTURER'S COUPON' at the top.

Even though the manufacturer's coupon has a Target logo on it....it is still treated like a manufacturer's coupon and cannot be stacked/used with other coupons. :(

I will post what good deals I find at Target later on! :) Happy couponing!

Albertson's deals

I just got back from Albertson's and got some great deals! I spent $19.79 out of pocket and saved $35.06!!!!! It was a great chance to stock up a bit on things we will use down the road! I know Mike will grimace when he sees the storage shelves in the garage! :) Here's what I got and what coupons I used...

*4 2 liters of Coke products-on sale for $.69 each (used $1.50 off 4 coupon that can be found in the Green Frog market mailer or other smaller grocery store ads)
*1 Orville popcorn- $3.99 but it was BOGO (buy 1 get 1 free) plus 2 free rootbeers!
*1 bag of salad mix- $1
*2 Kraft Mayo-2/$4 with in ad coupon
*2 Ragu pasta sauce-2/$2 with in ad coupon
*2 wishbone salad dressing-2/$2 with in ad coupon
*2 skippy peanut butter- 2/$2 with in ad coupon
*2 Fiber One bars on clearance for $2/box (plus I had 2 $.75 off coupons from awhile ago!)

Most of the deals last until Tuesday, but the deal on the cokes ends on Sunday. Check out that ad, clip those in ad coupons and get some deals! :)

A wee bit on Rite-Aid

Here is a GREAT way to save even more money at Rite-Aid. You can go to www.Riteaid.com and sign up to watch AdPerk videos to earn points/coupons. The ad for these is usually at the bottom of the page but easy to find. Each video is really just a short commercial for a product and is assigned a point value of 1 or 2 and most of them are under a minute in length (most are around 15-30 seconds). Once you reach 20 points, you also earn a $5 off a $20 purchase at Rite-Aid. This coupon can be used before all your other coupons to make for a very good deal! Sooo....start watching those videos and earning those points! :)

$5 gift card for Babies R Us

Quick! Sign up today to be a fan of Babies R Us on Facebook and get a $5 eGift Card just for signing up. But hurry....it is only offered today but the gift card doesn't expire until 2-20-10!

ahhh Chips and Queso....

Go to (http://assets.fbmta.com/clt/chlscrp/lp/join/join.asp) and sign up for the Chili's email club and get a coupon for a free order of chips and queso...happens to be my personal fav! I am SO excited! :)

P.S. Sorry you are going to have to copy and paste the address....don't know how to link it yet....haven't figured all that out quite yet! :)

Maybeline Mascera deal @ Rite Aid

I didn't find many good deals at Rite Aid this week....except this. I paid only a few cents for this mascera! :) Right now, all Mabeline cosmetics are 40% off right now which made the mascera $3.11. I also had a $1 off coupon (this could be found in the papers a few weeks ago or you can print on off at www.RiteAid.com by watching the Ad perk videos-more on that later!). Then if you turn your receipt in (either by mail or online) for their Single Check Rebate program you will get $2 back! That makes the mascera $.11 plus whatever I paid for tax! This deal will last until Saturday so hurry in if you want some cheap mascera!
(the total is a bit off because I bought a couple Russel Stover chocolate hearts 2/$1too....couldn't resist....SO yummy!)

Price adjustments

Another thought I had about saving money in general is this: Do not be afraid to ask for a price adjustment on your receipt! I mentioned this to a group of ladies the other night and was SHOCKED that some of them didn't realize that you could do this. I mostly ask for adjustments at Target since that is where I do most of my shopping for household/general items. Just last week I bought a large rubbermaid tote for $6.99 (full price...we just needed it and I didn't want to wait for a sale). Then wouldn't you know it, it went on sale for $5.49. So tomorrow I will go with my receipt to customer service and get my $1.50 back....easy as that!

What to do with all those coupons!

As the end of the month nears, you are probably wondering what to do with all those coupons that are ready to expire! Before you throw them away, consider this. Military personnel are able to use expired coupons overseas at the commissaries! I have been sending mine to a Naval base in Japan for a few months now and it is SUPER easy! Go to www.ocpnet.org to check it out and adopt a base! Let me know if you have any questions....I think they answer most of them there on the site!

Moneymaker on Sure deoderant at Walgreens!

Now this is a great deal on deoderant....plus a money maker to boot! Here's how you do it.

Sure deoderant is on sale for 2/$3 using the in ad coupon. You can then use a $1.50 off 1 (men's)and $1.00 off 1 (any) coupon from 1/24 making the final out of pocket cost for the deoderant $.50 for both or $.25 each...or if you are lucky enough to have 2 of the $1.50 coupons you can get both for free!!!!

Then if you happen to find the men's deoderant labeled with the 'try this for free' sticker on it you can then go to the website and fill out the rebate form for a complete refund of the price up to $2.99. I just sent mine in the mail today...it was SUPER easy to do. This is not deoderant that we use....but PERFECT to donate to the Hope Center for someone in need!

Holy Hannah

Holy Hannah....there are A LOT of ways to jazz up your blog out there. So here is my first attempt and jazzing it up a bit. Sure it will get changed again soon....enjoy it while it lasts! :)

119 photos for FREE....just had to pay shipping!

Okay-just ordered 119 prints from Snapfish for only $7.44! That is only $.06 per print!!!! I just set up a new account at Snapfish.com and used the coupon PRINTSNEW for 100 free prints with any order. Plus, since I was new, I got 20 free prints. It was SUPER easy to load up my photos and they should show up at my door soon.....can't beat that! Saves me a trip and all that time ordering prints at the store. I am SO excited & you should check it out if you need to order some prints! :)

Other blogs to check out!

Here are 2 blogs I check regularly! These ladies are great and always have such wonderful ideas for home and family.....not to mention where to find the BEST deals and how to BEST use your coupons. It takes a bit of time to understand the lingo/process completely, but you will get comfy with it all in no time!

Saveathomemommy.com is based out of Bakersfield. All the deals she gets are local so you know they will always work for you too!

Athriftymom.com is based out of Idaho. She has all the deals too, but many of hers will not work for us since she is out of state. Like, they can double certain coupons at their Albertsons, and we cannot. Boo. Her blog though is WONDERFUL and full of valuable information on coupons, freebies, and thrifty ideas!

Coupon for good!

Well. When I intially started couponing I have to admit it was for selfish reasons. I had quit my job to stay home with Owen and money is now a bit tighter. I thought it would be one way to 'beef-up' our stock/supply and something I could do to help out. Even though it has definitely helped us out personally, I am beginning to realize how much I am getting for free that I am able to donate to others! I now keep a paper bag going in the garage that I put items into for the Hope Center. It is so fun to see what I can find for super cheap or free that I know they can use and/or really need!

So.....I challenge you to do the same! :) Use your coupons for good....for yourself...and for others! Listed below are items that are ALWAYS needed at the Hope Center (Or any food pantry for that matter). So, start clipping those coupons....and looking for deals!

-any canned good containing meat (soups, pastas, chunk chicken, chunk tuna, etc.)
-canned fruit (of course canned veggies too....but fruit is harder to get donated!)
-shampoos/conditioners
-soap
-deoderants
-toothbrushes
-toothpaste
-feminine hygiene items
-baby diapers

Thank you guys! My dream is that we can make a difference together in our community by using our coupons/resources wisely! :)

Get the LA times!

So...I meant to tell you all this earlier...for those of you wanting to get started in this couponing business...buy the LA times paper. It has MUCH better coupons than the Bakersfield Californian. Also-always make sure to check the paper for the ads/coupons before you buy it. Sometimes the ads are missing or stolen, so it is always good to check first! :) The only bummer about the LA times paper is that a lot of local store ads are not included. They usually have the Target ad in there but I have yet to find a Rite Aid, Walgreens, or CVS ad. These I just look up online to find the best deals. Not my favorite way (would much rather have the paper ad to circle and mark up) but it works!

Walgreen's deal

Well, here is my deal for today! Got all this for $.92. Now I did use $4.50 in register rewards from last week but I also got $3 in register rewards to use for next week. I used 2 $3 off Neosporin lip health coupons and a buy 3 get 1 free Kraft mac and cheese coupon. I also used the in-ad coupon for the mac and cheese to get 3 @ $.59 each. I had to buy the pack of gum to be able to pay with the register rewards.

A few basic things to remember when shopping at Walgreens:

-you can use Walgreens coupons from their ads and pair these with other manufacturer's coupons (this is called stacking)

-Register rewards are coupons that can be used as cash on your next visit. You can find out which items will give you register rewards by looking in the Walgreens ad each week in the paper or online. They are also clearly marked in the store for you.

-when checking out at the cashier, you can only use as many coupons as you have items. (ie. 4 items....you can only use 4 or less coupons) And Register rewards count as coupons.

-Also, when checking out your total must exceed what you are paying in Register rewards. That's why I had to by the gum for $.99. They cannot give you cash back from your Register rewards. Usually you can buy something cheaper for a 'filler' if you know you are going to need it (to keep your out of pocket expense as low as possible), but I didn't want to search for something cheaper than that....and hey, I like gum! :)

-The trick with Walgreens is to keep rolling your Register Rewards from week to week. That way you are using them like cash and limiting how much you have to spend out of your pocket! To get started at Walgreens you may have to pay a bit upfront but if you use coupons you will ultimately not have to pay much at all!

-The last trick that you have to remember at Walgreens is that you cannot pay for an item with its register reward and have another register reward kick out. Here is what I mean. Last week I bought toothpaste for $2.99 that kicked out a $2 register reward. On my next trip that week, if I wanted to buy another toothpaste & get the register reward, I would have to use cash or a different register reward from another item. If I used the $2 register reward from my first toothpaste transaction to pay for my toothpaste in the 2nd transaction, it would let me, but I would not get another register reward. And the point is to keep getting register rewards! It sounds SO tricky, but with practice you all will be pros!

Here we go!

Well....I have begun couponing. For those of you that call me friend, already know this! I can't seem to stop talking about it and sharing all my wonderful finds! Mike thinks I am a bit addicted, but what a rewarding addiction it is! I am saving so much money and having a blast doing it! I will begin to post my amazing 'finds' & 'deals' here, that way you all can begin couponing too! If you are just beginning to coupon....please do not be discouraged! It takes a bit of practice, and patience....but before you know it you will be 'coupon-comfy' and on your way! Enjoy! :)