My Favorite Printables

Here a few of my favorite printables that are out right now.

Become a fan of Wheat Thins on FaceBook and print a $1 off one box coupon. If you have not completed the Kraft Keep the Jingle in your Holiday rebate, you can pair it with this coupon.

.75/1 Kleenex product (on sale at Target this week = cheap tissues)

$1/1 Honey Nut Cheerios

$4/1 LeapFrog Tag Book (my daughter received the Tag system for Christmas so this is a great coupon for me!)

$1/1 Glad ForceFlex Trash Bags and pair it with $1/1 Glad ForceFlex Target Printable
Happy Printing!

Safeway Deals

I have never been a big Safeway shopper but they have recently had some awesome deals that I have taken advantage of. Safeway is unique in that you can load digital coupons onto your club card AND they can be used in conjunction with a "paper" coupon. I have known about this for awhile but have not tried to take advantage of it. I was inspired to give it a try the other day when my friend told me how much she was saving at Safeway (thanks, Lisa!). Some examples of the great deals I got using e-coupons and paper coupons together.

Bisquick Baking Mix, $2.59 each
-.60/1 Cellfire E-coupon
-.60/1 Shortcuts E-coupon
-.60/1 MQ from insert, doubled
Total: 19 cents!!!

(2) Green Giant Frozen Boxed Veggies, $1.29 each
-.50/1 X 2 Cellfire E-coupon
-.50/1 Shortcuts E-coupon
-.50/2 printable MQ, doubled
Total: 4 cents each!!!!

As you see, you can load e-coupons from different sites. When you purchase an item all the e-coupons loaded on your card for a particular item will be used. So if you have 3 different e-coupons loaded, they will all apply to one item. You can still use a paper coupon for the item as well. This is a great way to pick up some super cheap products. I was also able to get 2 cans of Dole Tropical Fruit for 25 cents each and 3 boxes of Chex Cereal for $1 each. :)

If you are a Safeway Club Card holder, you can load coupons to your card from Softcoin, Shortcuts, PGeSaver, and Cellfire. Safeway even has e-coupons on their site, which is where I found the e-coupon for the Dole fruit. I am loving Safeway e-coupons and can't wait to take advantage of them again.

Safeway - I rocked out a cracker deal!

Safeway has an awesome deal on Nabisco crackers this week! Buy 5 boxes of select Nabisco crackers and get $5 instantly off your shopping order. You can do this deal multiple times in the same transaction. For example if you buy 10 boxes, you will get $10 off or buy 15 boxes, get $15 off. I needed to buy my Sunday newspapers so I headed over this morning. While I was there, I picked up a couple of other items that were on sale.

4 Wheat Thins, $2.49 each
4 Triscuit, $2.49 each
1 Honey Maid Graham Crackers, $2.99 each
1 Macaroni and Cheese Crackers, $1.99 each
-$3/4 X 2 MQ peelie (you can find these on various Budweiser posters in the beer section)
-$1/2 MQ from Nabisco Back to School booklet
-$10 for buying 10 boxes :)
Final Price: 79 cents each

2 containers of Driscoll berries, $2.00 each (BOGO)
-$.50/1 X 2 printable MQ, doubled
Final Price: $1 each

2 Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, $1.99 each
-$1/2 Post Cereals, 12/6 SS
Final Price: $1.49 each

Total before coupons: 32.87
Coupons/Promotions: 20.00
OOP: $12.87

Not to mention that I received a $1 OYNO for buying 2 Post Cereals. I had no idea that was going to print but it was a nice bonus. I will also mail away for the Kraft Keep the Jingle in your Holiday rebate that I told you about last week. If you take off the $10.00 rebate and the surprise $1 OYNO my total for this order would be $1.87!!!!!!

Target Trip 12.9.09

I went to Target on my lunch today. We were out of popcorn and running low on toliet paper. Apparently popcorn is required when you watch Christmas specials on TV. The kids were not happy campers last night when there was no popcorn served while they watched Charlie Brown's Christmas special. I also signed up to bring hot chocolate for my daughter's school Christmas party next week. Imagine my excitement when I realized I could get it at Target this week for absolutely FREE.

5 Keebler Cookies, $2.00 each
-$1/1 X 2 printable MQ (says use at Save-A-Lot on it but is a MQ so it can be used anywhere)
-$1.50/2 MQ printable
Received a $5 Target GC for buying 5!
Final Price: 30 cents each!

2 10-packs Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate, $0.97 each
-$1/1 printable TQ (adjusted down to 97 cents)
Final Price: FREE!

1 12 roll package of toilet paper, $6.29
-1.50/1 TQ mailer
Final Price: $4.79

2 3-pack PopSecret Popcorn
-$1/2 Target printable (no longer available)
-$1/2 printable MQ
Final Price: $1.29 each

1 Johnson's Baby Wash, $2.24
-$1/1 MQ from insert
-$1/1 Target printable
Final Price: 24 cents

Total before coupons: 25.05
Coupons/Promotions: 15.94
OOP: $9.11 (64% savings)

Menu Plan Monday - Wednesday Edition

Well, this week is getting away from me quickly. Monday and Tuesday were extremely busy days so I didn't get a chance to post my menu plan. Here is the yummy food we are eating this week thanks to my fabulous husband, our family chef. When you see grilled cheese and soup on the menu, you know I am cooking that day...hahaha.

Sunday - Hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, green beans, applesauce

Monday - Beef Tacos, fixings, homemade pico de gallo, home canned jalapenos

Tuesday - Slow-Cooked Asian Chuck Roast (sooooo gooood!)

Wednesday - Soup and Grilled Cheese

Thursday - Spaghetti, garden salad

Friday - Pork Chops, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, corn

Saturday - Apple and Onion Sausage, Baked Sweet Potatoes

Awesome menu at our house this week!

Friday Finals 12/4 and November Totals

Well I'm overbudget this week again. :( But I'm underbudget for the month and I will show you how. Here are my totals for the week:

Target - 2 trips
Total Spent: $83.13

Wegmans
Total Spent: $12.20

Weekly Total: $95.13

For the month of November, I spend $344.84. This is $24.84 over budget. But I received $67.50 of rebate checks in the month of November as well. All rebate money received was for food purchases. If you account for rebates received my monthly food budget looks like this:

Monthly Food Budget: $320.00

November Grocery Purchases: $344.84

Rebate Checks Received: $67.50

Purchases minus Rebates: $277.34

This means that I was actually under budget by $42.66. Success! I love coupons and rebates!

Another Kraft Keep the Jingle in Your Holiday Rebate

In October, I posted about the Kraft Keep the Jingle in Your Holiday Rebate. Well, Kraft has issued another rebate! Same terms just different dates. Purchase any 10 participating Nabisco crackers, Easy Cheese, or Planters nuts and receive $10 via mail in rebate. The items must be purchased between 12/1/09 and 1/31/10. Requests must be received by 2/15/10. You can print a rebate form HERE. There is also a printable $1/2 Nabisco crackers coupon available. Remember you can print 2 coupons per computer.

I plan on taking part in this rebate again. I will be on the look out for a great cracker sale to stock up for our pantry and Christmas. :)

Menu Plan Monday

We are trying to stay frugal with our menu this week utilizing items in the pantry and Thanksgiving leftovers. Thanks for the leftover turkey and stuffing Maw!

Sunday - Cinnamon Pancakes with bacon

Monday - Spaghetti

Tuesday - Open-faced turkey and gravy sandwiches with stuffing, corn

Wednesday - Loaded baked potatoes, garden salad

Thursday - Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, soup

Friday - Sloppy Joes, fries

Saturday - Leftovers

Mail-In Rebate Checks

As predicted by my hubbie, my dry spell of receiving MIRs has come to an end. It had been over a month since I received a rebate check in the mail. Well last week several came:

Miller - $20 (save $20 on $40 of groceries - No Beer Purchase Required)
Columbia Crest Wine - $5 (save $5 on $15 of chicken, deli or produce - No Wine Purchase Required)
SC Johnson - $5
Kraft Keep the Jingle in your Holiday - $10
Kraft Back to School - $20

Total: $60!!!!!

Sixty dollars with little effort. Sixty dollars back to my grocery budget. Now that is awesome!

Friday Finals 11/27 - UNDER BUDGET!!!!!!!

Well, I finally made it under budget on the third week of my $80 Challenge. Go me! This week included an awesome Harris Teeter trip. My total before savings and coupons was $118. After coupons was $48 bucks!

Harris Teeter
Total Spent: $48.34

Target
Total Spent: $11.01

Wegmans
Total Spent: $17.42

Weekly Total: $76.77

Total Monthly Budget remaining: $70.49

I'm not sure if we will make it under budget for the month because I was over the first 2 weeks, but I am sure going to try. This has been an interesting experiment for me. I think I was a little hasty to reduce my budget my $20 bucks per week. That is a lot of money to shave off one week! I will see what I end at next week and then I will reevaluate to see if we should continue with the $80 budget or increase it to $90. Either way I am under my old budget of $100 so it is a job well done. :)

My Favorite Printable Coupons This Week

Go here to print a $.50/1 Dole Canned Fruit or Fruit Bowls. Paired with a sale this coupon could equal FREE or cheap fruit. My son is a fruit lover so anytime I can snag some cheap canned fruit, I am all for it!



I few of my other fav printables this week:

$1/2 Kraft or Cracker Barrel Natural Cheese

$0.55/2 Philadephia Cream Cheese

$0.55/1 Breakstone's Sour Cream - Deal Alert! Harris Teeter has this sour cream on sale BOGO for $0.99 each this week which equals FREE sour cream!

$10/1 Disney's Santa Buddies BluRay DVD combo - On sale at Target for $19.99 this week!

Menu Plan Monday

We didn't eat steak strips last week so I moved them to this week. Not many items on the weekly plan because of Thanksgiving. Plus we are planning on making a casserole and extra of another meal so we will be eating leftovers a couple of nights.

Sunday - Steak Strips, jasmine rice, and green beans

Monday - Grilled Cheese and soup

Tuesday - Chicken, broccoli and rice casserole

Wednesday - Leftover chicken casserole

Thursday - Thanksgiving at my in-laws (Yummy!)

Friday - Pork Fried Rice, Crab Rangoons

Saturday - Leftover Pork Fried Rice

I love leftover rice dishes. They seem to be better the next day. :)

Friday Finals 11/20

We are in the second week of our $80 challenge. This week we purchased a frozen turkey for Christmas. Wegmans was having an awesome sale on frozen turkeys - $0.39 per pound. We also stocked up on beef hot dogs (Adrian loves hot dogs) and cheddar brats at Safeway. Here are the totals for the week.

Harris Teeter
Total Spent: $12.51

Target
Total Spent: $9.95

Wegmans
Total Spent: $42.94

Safeway
Total Spent: $18.72

Weekly Total: $84.12

Total Monthly Budget remaining: $147.26

Well still over by $4.12, but an improvement over last week. AND we were able to purchase a turkey for Christmas. I'm getting closer and closer to my goal and hoping to meet it next week. :)

Menu Plan Monday

We didn't end up making the BLTs last week so I am moving that meal to this week. Hubbie was sick for a few days so I grabbed Chick Fila one night. Neither of us felt like cooking. I try to limit eating out because it can be so expensive but I was really tired so I caved. :(

Sunday - Leftover Spaghetti, salad

Monday - Chicken Quesadillas with sour cream, homemade pico de gallo, and jalapenos

Tuesday - BLTs, fruit

Wednesday - Cheddar Brats, fries

Thursday - Baked Ziti, garden salad

Friday - Steak Strips, jasmine rice, and corn

Saturday - Leftovers

I am getting hungry looking at this meal plan. :) Lots of my favorites this week!

Friday Finals 11/13

This was the first week of my $80 challenge. It is my personal challenge to lower our grocery bill from $100 per week to $80 per week. Here is how I did...

Harris Teeter - 2 trips
Total Spent: $29.41

Target
Total Spent: $27.92

Wegmans
Total Spent: $31.29

Weekly Total: $88.62
Total Monthly Budget remaining: $231.38

So we ended the week $8.62 over budget. :( While I would have rather started the first week under, I'll take it. We were still able to reduce our budget. I also was able to stock up on ground beef and cereal. Plus it was quite a challenge during an HT Triples week! I had to restrain myself and only get the free or almost free items. :) Wish us luck next week!

Menu Plan Monday

Another money saving practice that I have recently adopted is menu planning. My hubbie and I sit down weekly and plan our menu. He is the cook afterall so I have to plan the menus with him. We look at what we have on hand in our freezer and pantry then we plan our meals around it. This is what is on the menu this week.

Sunday - Lemon Pepper Chicken, Seasoned Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli and Cheese Rice

Monday - Sloppy Joes, fries, fruit

Tuesday - BLTs, fruit

Wednesday - Date Night for Mom and Dad, Soup and Grilled Cheese for the kids

Thursday - Spaghetti, Garden Salad

Friday - Steamed Spiced Shrimp, Baked Potatoes

Saturday - Leftover Night

We move days around as necessary but basically stick to this meal plan. What is for dinner at your house this week?

Money Saving Idea - What I do with all this ground beef :)

As you have noticed I purchased a lot of ground beef over the weekend. What am I going to do with all this ground beef?

As a money saving method, I divide the beef into individuals packages and freeze it for dinners. Most people use 1 lb of ground beef per meal whether it is sloppy joes, spaghetti, tacos or stroganof. Most recipes will call for 1 lb of meat. About a year ago, I reduced the amount of meat used in each meal to 3/4 lb. I found that we had an extreme amount of leftovers after every meal. So much that a lot went to waste and was thrown out. Since we only have 2 adults eating and 2 small children, there is still more than enough protein in our meal and we STILL have enough leftovers for at least 2 individual lunches.

Reducing the amount of meat used in each meal saves us money and reduces the amount of wasted food we have. If I had divided the meat into 1 lb. packages, I would have enough for 9 meals. By dividing it into 3/4 lb packages, there was enough for 12 meals!!!!

Harris Teeter Triples #2

I had to go over to Harris Teeter again this morning to pick up the Sunday newspaper for the coupons. For the sake of my $80 weekly budget, I will not be including newspapers in my grocery budget. Also my mom asked me to pick up some of the $1.47 a pound ground beef for her. I wanted to stock up on ground beef so I grabbed another pack. :)

Here's what I got....

3 Starkist Tuna Pouches, $1.25 each
-.50/1 X 3 printable MQ
Final Price: FREE!

1 Progresso Chicken Broth
-.50/1 printable MQ
Final Price: FREE!

1 package of Ground Beef, $2.91
-.50/1 printable MQ from an online game (yes there are coupons for meat)
Final Price: $1.41 (That breaks down for $0.71 lb)

Total before coupons: 8.15
Coupons/Promotions: 6.74
OOP: $1.41

Whoa mama! Now that is a deal!

Harris Teeter Triples #1

Sorry for the lack of pictures lately. :( I just haven't had the time to line everything up and snap a shot. Last night, I went over the Harris Teeter after Chris got home from work. I know. I know. I am exciting grocery shopping on a Saturday night. I actually almost had the store to myself. I only saw 2 other shoppers. I might have to make a habit of shopping at night then I can take my time without a ton of other people around.

Harris Teeter is running a triple coupon event until Tuesday, November 10. They will triple up to 20 coupons 99 cents and under per customer per day. I was able to get several FREE and under a double items but they were out of several items that I was interested in buying. Here is how I did...

Bisquick, $2.99
-$.60/1 printable MQ, tripled
Final Price: $1.19

Cool Ranch Doritos, $1.99
BOGO Sale
Final Price: $1.99

Cascade Dishwasher Tabs, $3.99
-.75/1 MQ from home mailer, tripled
Final Price: $1.74

Dole Tropical Fruit, $1.89
-.50/1 printable MQ, tripled
Final Price: $0.39

Progresso Beef Broth, $1.49 each
-.50/1 printable MQ, tripled
Final Price: FREE

2 Ortega Tortillas, $2.00 each
-.75/2 MQ, tripled
Final Price: $0.89 each

2 12-pack of Coke, $1.99 each (this is the best price I have seen in a while)

1 12-pack of Coke Zero, $1.99 each

1 12-pack of Diet Coke with Lime, $1.99 each

2 Cream of Mushroom Soup, $0.66 each BOGO
-$1/2 printable MQ
Final Price: $0.16 each (Awesome price!)

2 Cream of Chicken Soup, $0.66 each BOGO
-$1/2 printable MQ
Final Price: $0.16 each (Awesome price!)

Vlassic Dill Pickles, $2.49 each
-.50/1 printable MQ, tripled
Final Price: $0.99

3 Starkist Tuna Pouches, $1.25 each
-.50/1 X 3 printable MQ, tripled
Final Price: FREE

1 Bumblebee Tuna Pouch, $1.00
-$1/1 printable MQ, tripled
Final Price: FREE

4 packages of Ground Beef, $1.47 per pound (Stock up price!!!!)
Final Price: $2.43, $3.03, $2.53, $2.34

1 6-pack of Danimals Yogurt
-$1/1 MQ from coupon insert
Final Price: $1.00

Total before coupons: 46.54
Coupons: 18.54
OOP: $28.00

Overall I was happy with this trip. I got several FREE items. I could just go to the store and buy only the FREE things available but I choose to purchase the items that my family eats. By utilizing coupons, I am getting normal items for us at a much lower cost. Plus did you see the price on the ground beef? $1.47 a pound! That is an awesome price!!!! The 12-pack of Coke products are on sale for $1.99 each. I haven't seen a price that low in a long time.

Target 11.6.09

I decided to go to Target last night. We had a birthday party to attend today and we needed a gift to give. Plus there were a couple of awesome Kellogg's deals I was interested in scoring. This trip will go towards my $80 challenge. I am going to present my purchase in a different format so that you can see the true price I am paying for each item.

Luvs Diapers, $7.49
-$2.50/1 Luvs Home Mailer
Final Price: $4.99


1 Cascade Dishwasher Tabs, $3.99
-.50/1 Target Q PLUS $1/1 MQ from Home Mailer
Final Price: $2.49

1 Pringles, $1.52
No Q!!!!! The kids wanted their fav chips. :)

1 Fruit Roll Up, $1.67 on sale

4 Old Orchard Apple Juice, $1.17 each
-$1/4 Internet Printable Q
Final Price: $0.92

Axe Deodorant, $3.14

Colgate Total Toothpaste, $2.34
-.75/1 TQ PLUS $1/1 MQ
Final Price: $0.59

Herbal Essences Shampoo, $2.99
-2.99 MQ from home mailer
Final Price: FREE

2 Bandaids, $1.82 each
-(1) .50/1 MQ
Final Price: $1.82 for (1) and $1.32 for (1)

2 Kellogg's Rice Krispie Treats, $1.88 each
-$1/2 printable MQ
Final Price: $1.38 each

Kellogg's Yogos Fruit Snacks, $2.14
-$2.14 Target Promotion - Buy 2 Rice Krispies Get a FREE Fruit Snack
Final Price: FREE

Kellogg's Rice Krispies, $2.99
-$1 TQ PLUS $0.75 printable MQ
Final Price: $1.24

Kellogg's Crispix, $2.99
-$1 TQ PLUS $0.75 printable MQ
Final Price: $1.24

Kellogg's Fruit Loops, $2.66
-$1 TQ PLUS $1 MQ from Apple Jacks Sample
Final Price: $0.66

Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, $2.34
-$2.34 Buy 3 Kellogg's Cereals Get 1 FREE
Final Price: FREE

Total before coupons: 48.34
Coupons/Promotions: 20.72
OOP: $27.62

$80 Weekly Challenge

Before I started "couponing," I had no set grocery budget. A big no-no! I estimate that we were spending around $150 a week on groceries. Looking back that was an insane amount of money. Since I started using coupons and watching sales, I have been able to reduce that to around $100 a week. This includes all food, tolietries, diapers, wipes, etc.

I am challenging myself starting this month to reduce that amount to $80 a week. I really think I can do it. :) While my budget is $80 a week, I am going to be flexible with that as long as I stay within the monthly budget of $320 ($80 X 4). Obviously if the month has five weeks, I will increase the budget to $400 ($80 X 5). So if I go under one week, I will move my overage to the next week and if I go over one week, I can reduce my spending the next week. I plan on reporting my shopping totals each week. My week will start on Friday since that is payday for us. Wish me luck!

FREE! FREE! FREE!

These are all the FREE items that I received in the mail this week. Not too shabby for one week, eh?

*Two stainless steel water bottles courtesy of Michelob Ultra. I mailed away for the water bottles. It was a beer rebate offer my hubbie found at the grocery store. We didn't have to buy anything just filled out the certificate and mailed them away.

*One scotch glass from Johnnie Walker. My husband is a member of the Johnnie Walker Striding Man Society. Every so often they will have a free scotch tasting that he will go to. Well the offer this time was a free scotch glass. We did have to send $2.50 away for shipping but that is a small price to pay for something so cool. :)

*6 pieces of chocolate covered fruit from Edible Arrangements. You had to become a fan of Edible Arrangements on FaceBook and were emailed a coupon for a FREE box of chocolate covered fruit. We had strawberries and apples. YUM!

*A box of Au Gratin potatoes from Betty Crocker. I requested a free sample from Betty Crocker a few weeks ago and when I opened my mail on Saturday, there was a full size box of Au Gratin potatoes in it! There was also a coupon for $0.50 off one box of Betty Crocker potatoes. Paired with a sale or triple coupon event this will equal another free box. :)

*A coupon for a FREE bottle of Herbal Essences shampoo or conditioner. I am so grateful for this one! I have sensitive skin and can only use a few kinds of shampoo and conditioner....this happens to be one I can use. :)

*NOT PICTURED - FREE Chipotle! My mom and I stopped at Chipotle on Saturday to get lunch and they were having the BOO-rito Event. I had no idea! Chipotle was giving away free entrees for Halloween. My burrito bowl was extra yummy....especially because it was free. Does food taste better when you know it is free? hahaha - I think so.

Harris Teeter 11.1.09

I ran out to Harris Teeter this morning with the kids. That was an adventure in itself, my 3 year old was confused by the Daylight Savings Time and woke up at 5 am this morning. UGH....so we were at Harris Teeter before 9 AM and he was super cranky. Oh well we survived. On to the deals....

What I bought:

2 cans of Dole Mandarin Oranges - $1.00 each (sale)
2 cans of Rotel Tomatoes - $1.25 each (sale)
2 boxes of CapriSuns - $1.88 each (sale)
1 bottle of HT White Vinegar - $0.97 each
1 Sweet Onion - $1.26 each
2 Newspapers - $1.50 each (COUPONS!)
1 Blue Bunny Sedona Ice Cream Sandwiches - $3.99 each

Coupons Used:

-.50/1 X 2 Any Dole Fruit printable (doubled)
-.50/1 X 2 Rotel Tomatoes printable (doubled)
-$0.89 E-VIC for CapriSun (makes one box 99 cents!)
-$3 E-VIC for Blue Bunny Frozen Yogurt Novelty item
-$1/1 Blue Bunny Frozen Yogurt Novelty peelie (found on the box)

Total before coupons and E-VIC: $17.84

Total after coupons and E-VIC: $8.95

The highlights of this trip were FREE mandarin oranges and FREE Blue Bunny ice cream! The Rotel tomatoes were 25 cents each. :) Plus the CapriSun were the last two boxes I needed to qualify for the Kraft 2009 Back to School Rebate. I will mail away for that tomorrow. $20 bucks will be here in 6-8 weeks. Woo hoo! If you are interested in this rebate follow the link above and request your coupon booklet, the rebates are included with the booklet.

Staples 10.31.09

Yesterday after my daughter's soccer game (who by the way scored 2 goals!!! Woo hoo!!), we made a stop at Staples. Since I print a lot of coupons, I go through a good amount of ink and paper. The Staples Rewards program is a great way to get FREE products. Staples will give you $3 for every ink cartridge you turn into to them to recycle. You receive a $3 credit on your Staples Rewards account and at the end of the month they will mail or email (you choose the method you receive it) the rewards certificate. You are allowed to turn in a maximum of 10 ink cartridges a month.

What I bought:
1 ream of Hammermill Copy Plus paper - $5.79 each
1 HP ink cartridge - $10.99 each

Coupons Used:
-$1.10 (10% off one item coupon)
-$9 Staples Rewards Certificate

Total before coupons: $17.11

Total after coupons: $7.01

Plus there was a $3.79 rebate for the Hammermill paper. Their rebates are super easy to send away for. The rebate form prints out on your receipt or you can submit the rebate online at www.stapleseasyrebates.com. After coupons, rewards, and rebate, the paper and ink was $3.22.

Pepperidge Farm Crackers Coupon

If you are interested in the Pepperidge Farm Cracker rebate that I posted about earlier this weekend. I found a coupon to match with the rebate. There is a $1/1 printable here for Baked Naturals Crackers. Match the coupon with the rebate and this is a $1 moneymaker plus you get free crackers.

Happy Shopping!

Harris Teeter 10.24.09

After we went to Safeway for the awesome Nabisco/Ragu deals, I stopped at Harris Teeter on the way home. My mission was shrimp. Every couple of months, HT will sell there raw frozen shrimp for Buy One Get Two Free. We were down to our last half bag so the sale was perfect timing. When I received the HT weekly ad email this week, there was a E-VIC deal listed for HT Reserve Angus Top Sirloin steak. Buy a family pack and get $5 off. Here's how I did.

What I got:

4 Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies (BOGO) - $1.84 each
1 Family Pack Angus Sirloin Steak (Two 1 lb. steaks) - $10.19 each
3 Two lb. bags of frozen raw shrimp (B1G2) - $8.66 each
2 bags of Kraft Shredded Cheese - $2.00 each

Coupons Used:

-$.55/1 x 2 Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies printable (doubled)
-$1.50/2 Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies (no longer available)
-$1/2 Kraft Cheese printable
-$5 E-VIC savings when you buy a Angus Reserve Sirloin Steak family pack
-$5 HT coupon (save $5 when you spend $40)

Total after coupons and E-VIC savings: $35.22

On the bottom of my receipt it says I saved $76.50 in VIC and coupons. I think that has got to be my all time high savings. :) I'll have another post tomorrow about our Wegmans trip. :)

Safeway 10.24.09

I don't normally shop at Safeway but I received a tip (Thanks, Lisa!) that they had an awesome deal this weekend on select Nabisco crackers. So the kids and I headed over there this afternoon. Here's how we did....

What I got:

9 Assorted boxes of Wheat Thin Crackers (I can't wait to try the Artisan Vermont Cheddar Wheat Thins) - $1.38 each
2 Ragu Spaghetti Sauces - $1.50 each
1 Ragu Alfredo Sauce - $1.50 each

Coupons Used:

-$1/1 x 3 Wheat Thins printable (only available to Kraft First Taste members)
-$1/1 x 2 Wheat Thins Artisan peelies (peelies are coupons that are stuck to the outsite of the box)
-$1/2 x 2 Nabisco Crackers MQ
-$1.25/3 Ragu Pasta Sauces

Total after sales and coupons: $9.09

I can now also mail away for the Kraft Keep the Jingle Your Holiday rebate. After rebate this is a moneymaker for me. Here is how it breaks down.

1. Buy 10 Nabisco crackers.

2. I bought one box last week at Target for .99. ($2.99 minus $2 MQ from Kraft First Taste)

3. Purchased 9 boxes at Safeway today.

1.38 X 9 = $12.42 - $7 in coupons = $5.42 + .99 (crackers I bought at Target) = $6.41

4. Mail away for $10.00 Kraft Rebate.

5. Eat 10 boxes of delicious crackers for FREE plus make $3.59 ($10 rebate minus $6.41 paid for crackers).

Have I ever told you that I love rebates matched with sales and coupons?

FREE No Yolk Noodles and FREE Pepperidge Farm Crackers after MIR

Today I sent out two mail in rebates. The first rebate was for No Yolks Noodles. Our family is a big fan of beef stroganof. When we make this dish, we use No Yolks noodles. There was a No Yolks MIR in the 10/4 SmartSource coupon insert. To receive the rebate, you must purchase No Yolks Noddles between 10/4/09 and 12/31/09. You will be reimbursed up to $2.50 for your purchase. I also paired this deal with a coupon. No Yolks are sold for $2.49 at Harris Teeter. I used a .75/1 printable coupon from here. HT doubles coupons up to 99 cents so the coupon doubled. Final price for the item was 99 cents. The rebate company will reimburse me for the original price of $2.49 for the product making this a moneymaker. :)


Has anyone tried Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals crackers? I have and they are delicious! On select boxes of Baked Naturals crackers there are Try Me Free peelie rebates. We bought our box last week and after I receive my rebate check, they will be FREE. If you pair this with a coupon, it could be another moneymaker. :) Anyone know if there is a coupon for Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals out there? I couldn't find one. :(

Try Me Free rebates are a great way to put products in your pantry for FREE. While there is only a small return on product rebates, I feel like it is worth it. My family gets to eat product for free and I'm adding money to my grocery budget.

Kraft Keep the Jingle in Your Holiday Rebate

Kraft has a great rebate out there right now. Purchase any 10 participating Nabisco crackers, Easy Cheese, or Planters nuts and receive $10 via mail in rebate. The items must be purchased between 10/1/09 and 11/30/09. Requests must be received by 12/15/09. You can print a rebate form HERE. There is also a printable $1/2 Nabisco crackers coupon that you can print. Remember you can print 2 coupons per computer.

This is an awesome rebate for our house. Our daughter LOVES Wheat Thins and our son LOVES Ritz crackers. Both are a staple in our house. Plus with the holidays around the corner, I am sure we will purchase some Planters Nuts.

Pillsbury Catalina Deal

Harris Teeter currently has a great catalina deal on Pillsbury.

Buy any Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescents, Cookies, Sweet Rolls, Grands Biscuits, Grands Cinnamon Rolls, Pie Crusts, Dinner Rolls, Loaves, Breadsticks, or Pizza Crust between 10/5 and 11/1

Buy (4) & Get $2.00 OR
Buy (5) & Get $3.00 OR
Buy (6) & Get $4.00

I have completed this deal twice so far. Our kids absolutely love Cinnamon Rolls. We are also big fans of the biscuits and crescents. We don't normally purchase them though because they can be quite expensive. But because I paired coupons with a sale and catalina. I received 8 containers of crescent rolls and 2 containers of cinnamon rolls for 67 cents TOTAL. That's right 10 containers of rolls for 67 cents!!!! Still confused how I did it? Here is a breakdown of my 2 transactions...

Transaction #1

Purchased 6 Pillsbury Crescent Rolls on sale for 3 for $5 ($10 total)
Used (6) $1/1 MQ (-$6 for coupons)
Received a coupon for $4 OYNO (-$4 for catalina)
Total = $0 OOP (out of pocket)

Transaction #2
Purchased 2 Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and 2 Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls on sale for 3 for $5 ($6.67 total)
Used (4) $1/1 MQ (-$4 for coupons)
Received a coupon for $2 OYNO (-$2 for catalina)
Total = $0.67 OOP

Any questions....please let me know...I'll be happy to answer. :)

Quick Harris Teeter Run 10.18.09

I ran over to Harris Teeter before Chris left for work this morning. I wanted to grab a couple of newspapers without having to drag the kids out to the store. Lauren has a bit of chest cold so I am keeping her in the warm house today.

What I got:

2 Sunday newspapers - $1.50 each (Got to have coupons!)
2 Pillsbury Crescent rolls - $1.67 each
2 Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls - $1.67 each
1 Harris Teeter Large Eggs - $0.97 each

Coupons Used:

-$1/1 x 2 Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (printable but no longer available)
-$1/1 x 2 Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls (printable)
-$4 OYNO catalina from my last Harris Teeter trip

Total after coupons and catalina - $2.99

I also received a catalina on my next order for $2 because I purchased 4 Pillsbury products. Check out information on that catalina deal HERE. Not bad for a quick morning trip. :)

Quick Target Run 10.13.09

I just made a quick run to Target on my lunch break. Baby girl requested Honey Nut Cheerios and we were out. :( We also only had 1 box of macaroni and cheese left. This is a staple in our house and there was no way I could run out of it.

What I bought:

1 Cascade Complete Dishwasher Tabs - $4.29 each
2 Honey Nut Cheerios - $2.33 each
2 Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal - $2.75 each
4 Kraft Macaroni and Cheese - $0.52 each

Coupons Used:

-$1/1 X 2 Honey Nut Cheerios MQ (I got these in a cereal sample I requested) PLUS $1/2 General Mills Cereal TQ
-$3/1 X 2 Kashi Go Lean Crunch MQ (VocalPoint coupon)
-$1/1 Cascade Complete MQ (Home Made Simple Mailer)
-$.52 Buy 3 Get 1 Free Kraft Macaroni and Cheese MQ (printable)
-$4.73 remaining balance from a Target gift card

Total Before Coupons and Gift Card: $16.02

Total after coupons and gift card: $1.77

How awesome is that? $1.77 for all that stuff!

I heart Target :)

Tonight we went to my little brother's football game (it was chilly!) and on the way home we decided to stop at Target to grab a few deals....ummmm.....I mean things. :) Geez I sound like a deal addict! Here is how we did:

What I bought:

1 Glade Tri-Wick Candle - $4.49 each
2 Bumble Bee Tuna Pouches - $1.00 each
1 McCormicks Sea Salt Grinder - $2.19 each
1 Axe Deodorant - $3.14 each
2 boxes of Ziploc Sandwich bags (clearance) - $1.98 each
2 boxes of Special K crackers - $2.89 each
1 box of Wheat Thins crackers - $2.99 each
3 6-packs of Motts Applesauce - $1.75 each
2 bottles of Motts Apple Juice - $1.75 each

Coupons Used:

-$1/1 Wheat Thins MQ (printable)
-$3/1 Glade Soy Candle MQ (printable)
-$1/1 X 2 Bumblebee Tuna MQ (printable)
-$1.50/2 Ziploc bags MQ (printable)
-$1/1 McCormicks Seasonings/Spices MQ (printable)
-$1/1 X 2 Special K Crackers MQ (printable) PLUS $1/2 Target printable
-$12.60 remaining balance from a Target gift card

Total Before Coupons and Gift Card: $34.27

Total after coupons and gift card: $10.17

I received a $5 Target gift card for purchasing 5 Mott's products. I will also mail away for this $5 rebate because I purchased 3 SC Johnson products (Ziploc and Glade). The best part of the SC Johnson rebate is that you can mail away for it up to 3 times. Most rebates are limited one per household. We use a good amount of Ziploc bags so I will definitely mail away for the rebate the two more times I am allowed.

To sum this shopping trip up....after coupons, gift cards, and rebate, I will have paid $0.17 out of pocket (OOP). Free stuff is awesome!

Stockpiling plus Harris Teeter - E-Vic Savings

You might have noticed that I haven't had any amazing deal-catching shopping trips the last couple of weeks. There haven't been any incredible deals that I had to have. To tell you the truth, we haven't needed to shop for much. Our pantry and freezer are stocked up. We have plenty of meat, frozen veggies, side dishes, snacks, drinks, etc. The hubbie has been able to pick up milk, bread, and fresh produce after work a couple of times. Other than that, we haven't bought anything. My method of shopping is stockpiling. We don't only eat what I post on this blog. As I mentioned before, we have a stockpile of food in our freezer and pantry. Though if anyone sees an amazing deal on ground beef, let me know. I am on the lookout for a GREAT ground beef deal so I can stock the freezer back up. :)

I did head to Harris Teeter this morning to grab 2 newspapers. Coupons! Got have my coupons. :) I always buy 2 newspapers because I like to have multiple coupons if there is a good deal out there. While I was at Harris Teeter, I picked up a can of Campbell's Chunky New England Clam Chowder soup (my hubbie's fav) for 88 cents (price for non-EVIC members was 4/$6). This was the E-Vic Item of the Week. Every week there is one item that is SUPER cheap with E-Vic members. This week it was Campbell's Chunky Soup. Every couple of weeks I will get an email for a item that is FREE to E-Vic members. In recent weeks, I have gotten a free container of baby wipes and a free bottle of PowerAde. I love FREE stuff!

Anyone can sign up to be an E-Vic member. Click here to sign up. You must already be a VIC member to sign up for E-Vic Savings. Once you register, you will receive a weekly email with the Harris Teeter advertisement, special E-Vic member only discounts, and information about the E-Vic item of the week. What is the difference between a VIC member and an E-VIC member? A VIC member is someone with a Harris Teeter savings card. An E-VIC member is someone with a Harris Teeter savings card PLUS has signed up online to receive special E-VIC savings.

Oh and a special bonus while I was at Harris Teeter, I found a $5 wine tag rebate when you buy chicken, deli items or produce. Score! Hubbie bought grapes and bananas last night on his way home so I will send away for the rebate and they will now be FREE! Who said there weren't coupons for produce? :P

Mail-in Rebates (also known as MIRs)

One of my favorite ways to make extra money is Mail In Rebates. Yes, I think it is fun to find mail in rebates. :) Most of the MIRs that I submit are from beer and wine companies. This week alone I received (3) $10 checks in the mail from MIRs. Thank you Bud and Miller! Here are two of the checks I received this week:


And get this! Most beer and wine rebates do NOT require you to purchase beer or wine. They do sometimes require you to buy specific products. Some of the examples of items that I have seen on Beer/Wine MIRs include chicken, beef, seafood, salty snacks, bread, produce, and deli items. The list goes on and on! These are everyday items that I buy for my family. How do I organize all my rebates?

1. I keep all my receipts together in a small rubbermaid bin. Once I find a rebate for an item, I can go to this bin and look for the item on one of my receipts. I bought the item anyway so sending away for a rebate is just a bonus!

2. Beer MIRs are usually found on a display of beer. Most often there is a poster that is attached to a stack of beer. The MIR is on this poster.

3. Wine hang tags are found around the necks of wine bottles. The last tag I found on a wine bottle was a rebate for chicken, beef, or seafood. NO Wine Purchase Required. I had just bought a ton of chicken at an awesome deal on this Harris Teeter trip. I simply circled the item on the receipt and mailed away the rebate form.

4. All rebates have date requirements so make sure your receipt date falls within the guidelines.

5. Most rebates take 6-8 weeks before you receive a check in the mail. But as I mentioned before I don't go out of my way to buy specific items to qualify for a rebate. These are items I would have purchase if there was a rebate or not.

Because I send away for so many rebates, I do maintain a spreadsheet that lists the rebate, date mailed, amount, and date check was received. I keep this spreadsheet because I like to be organized. My mom mails away for almost as many rebates as I do but she doesn't track them. So to each his own! I don't think she has ever had a problem receiving payment from the company....but because I like to be crazy-organized, I prefer to keep a spreadsheet. This way I know how much I am "making" by mailing away for MIRs.

If you have a question about MIRs, please feel free to ask. I would love to answer!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I apologize for the lack of blog posts the last few days. Yesterday was our little man's 3rd birthday so we were quite busy getting ready for his party that night. Not to mention that our daughter had soccer pictures and a soccer game yesterday morning. The party went off without a hitch and little man was so excited about his cake and all his fabulous presents. Thanks to my family for coming over for cake and ice cream! Ok on the to the coupon information. :)

Make sure you pick up a Sunday paper today. There are usually 2 coupon inserts in the Sunday paper - RedPlum and SmartSource. But today there are 3 inserts - RedPlum, SmartSource and P&G. I usually buy 2 papers so that I have multiple coupons for stocking up. Take a look here if you are interested in what coupons are in the inserts today. There may be some regional coupon value differences but this will give you a basic list of what coupons to expect. I know for a fact that there is a $1 off Luvs diapers coupon. I am excited about that one since baby boy wears Luvs diapers.:( Still working on the potty training.

Happy Sunday!

Target Trip 9.22.09

Chris and I were able to go out to dinner last night to celebrate our anniversary. Thanks to my in-laws, Maw and Paw for watching the kids! We ate at Dogfish Head Alehouse in Fairfax. Boy was it yummy! I definitely recommend this place if you like unique beers and pub fare. It is also very reasonably priced and we know how frugal I am! Check it out if you are in the vicinity. On our way home from dinner, we stopped at Target. We were almost out of diapers and toilet paper. Two very important items in our house. :) Here's how we did....

What I bought:

1 pack of Luvs Diapers - $7.49 each
1 box of Wheat Thins - $2.04 each
1 Healthy Choice Meal - $1.75 each
1 Healthy Choice Steamers - $2.50 each
2 Breyers Ice Cream - $2.69 each
1 12-pack Toliet Paper - $5.89 each
6 Travel size Kleenex (Clearance) - $0.18 each

Coupons Used:

-$1/1 Wheat Thins MQ (printable)
-$2/1 X 2 Healthy Choice Meals MQ (printable)
-$1/2 Breyers Ice Cream MQ
-.75/1 X 2 Breyers Ice Cream TQ
-$1.50/1 Target Brand Toliet Paper (from Target Home Mailer)
-$2.75 remaining balance from a Target GC received from MyPoints (I'll give everyone background on MyPoints in a future post)

Total Before Coupons and Gift Card: $25.53

Total after coupons and gift card: $15.28

It was a pretty decent run especially since I didn't have a coupon for the diapers. Also you will notice, I used both Target coupons and a Manufacturer coupon on Breyers Ice Cream. Target’s policy allows you to use one Target Coupon AND one Manufacturer coupon on the same item. What a great policy! This is called “stacking.” I try to stack coupons as often as possible and since we needed ice cream for our little boy’s birthday this weekend….it worked out perfectly. Stay tuned for my next post about MyPoints!

Happy 8th Anniversary Baby!

Thank you for always supporting me in everything I do. You are always there when I need you. You are forever my biggest fan. Thank you for 8 wonderful years, 2 beautiful children, and a fabulous life together. We may not be rich but we are rich in love and I couldn’t ask for more. But most of all thank you for listening about my deals and coupons! You know I love doing “deal-catching” but it takes a patient man to listen to me talk about deals all the time. :)

Love you baby! Here is to many, many more happy years together!

I Heart Swagbucks!

One of the ways I make supplementary income is SwagBucks. What is SwagBucks you ask? SwagBucks is a search engine. I use their site to do all my regular searching on the web. You can even download a toolbar to use and easily search. When you search using SwagBucks you are periodically awarded their currency - "SwagBucks." You can then use the SwagBucks to purchase prizes. There are a ton of prizes available on their site i.e. video games, posters, DVDs, books....you name it.

My favorite prizes by far are the gift cards. There are many gift cards available to purchase with your SwagBucks...Starbucks, Target, Barnes and Noble, even Mastercard. My favorite gift card is for Amazon.com. They are only 45 SwagBucks for a $5 gift card. I have cashed in my SwagBucks for $30 worth of Amazon.com gift cards over the last 3 months. The only thing I have to do to earn $30 from Amazon is use SwagBucks as my search engine. That is $30 FREE....I didn't have to do anything extra to earn them. I highly recommend SwagBucks to everyone! If you are interest in joining, there is a link to sign up on the left side of the page. When you sign up, they will automatically start you out with 3 SwagBucks!

HT Triples #2 plus Staples and Target

Chris had to work tonight so I decided to brave it and take the 2 kids out shopping. My goal was to visit Harris Teeter, Target and Staples. I wasn't sure if the kids would be able to behave well enough at night at 3 stores. But they did great! Here is how we made out. :)

Harris Teeter Triples #2


What we bought:

9 Green Giant Frozen Veggies - $0.99 each
2 Giant Boxes (hahaha) of Cinnamon Toast Crunch - $3.00 each
2 Grands Buttermilk Biscuits (BOGO) - $1.09 each
2 2.5 lbs bags of frozen chicken (BOGO) - $4.99 each
1 Betty Crocker cake mix - $1.00 each
1 Betty Crocker frosting - $1.50 each

Coupons Used:

-.50/1 X 2 Green Giant frozen veggies printable (Tripled)
-.50/2 X 3 Green Giant frozen veggies 9/13 SS (Tripled)
-.55/1 X 2 Cinnamon Toast Crunch printable (Tripled)
-.50/1 Betty Crocker Cake Mix and Frosting printable (Tripled)
-$1/1 Grands Buttermilk Biscuits printable
-$5 Instant Savings for purchasing 15 General Mills products

I also received a $3 OYNO (on your next order) for purchasing 5 or more Green Giant Frozen Veggies.

Total after coupons and catalinas - $8.87


Target

What I bought:

2 Glade Fragance Reed Diffusers - $4.49 each
1 Keebler Fudge Sticks Cookies - $1.99 each
1 Keebler Grasshoppers Cookies - $1.99 each
1 box of Koolaid Jammers Juice Bags - $1.88 each
1 bag of Village Harvest Jasmine Rice - $3.59 each
1 Corn Chex - $2.99 each
1 Honey Nut Chex - $2.99 each
1 8-ounce block of Cheddar Cheese - $1.79 each
1 8-ounce block of Colby Jack Cheese - $1.79 each

Coupons Used:

-$3/1 X 2 Glade Fragrance Product printable
-$1/1 X 2 Keebler Fudge Shoppe printable
-.50/1 Village Harvest Rice printable
-$1/2 Market Pantry Cheese Target printable
-$1/2 General Mills Cereal (coupon from the Sunday paper - but I can't remember which one) PLUS -$1/2 General Mills Cereal Target printable
-$5 Target Gift Card from my Kashi Deal last week

Total OOP after coupons and gift card - $12.37

Staples



What I bought:

1 HP02 Cyan Inkjet Cartridge - $10.99 each
1 ream of HP printer paper - $4.99 each

Coupons Used:

-$15 Staples Ink Rewards Certificate

I also received a $3.99 Staples Easy Rebate for the printer paper. My total before rebate was $1.03. After I submit the rebate, I will make a profit of $2.96. WOO HOO!

Total Spent at all stores after rebate and catalina - $18.28

I think this has got to be one of my best trips yet AND we all survived shopping without my hubbie's assistance. We love you and wish you could have come with us honey!

Harris Teeter Triples Trip 9.16.09

Today is the first day of Harris Teeter Triple Coupons. The kids and I headed out to check out the deals. It was a great shopping trip even though they weren't in the mood to be grocery shopping. Thank you Harris Teeter for fruit samples, free cookies and balloons. It got us through the shopping trip.

Here's what I bought:

3 Betty Crocker Frosting - $1.50 each
5 Green Giant Frozen Veggies - $0.99 each
1 Eggo Buttermilk Waffles - $1.97 each
2 PopSecret Kettle Corn - $1.00 each
2 Old El Paso Crunchy Taco Shells - $1.50 each
2 Old El Paso Flour Tortillas - $1.50 each
2 Betty Crocker Cake Mixes - $1.00 each
2 Betty Crocker Warm Delights - $1.33 each
2 Powerades - $1.11 each
2 Grands Buttermilk Biscuits (BOGO) - $1.09 each
1 Cantaloupe - $0.50 each
2 2.5 lbs bags of frozen chicken (BOGO) - $4.99 each
1 box of Eggos Waffles - $1.97 each

Coupons Used:

-.50/1 X 2 Betty Crocker Warm Delights 8/09 SS (Tripled)
-.50/2 Betty Crocker Cake Mix and Frosting printable (Tripled)
-.50/1 X 2 Betty Crocker Frosting 8/09 SS (Tripled)
-.60/2 X 2 Old El Paso products printable (Tripled)
-$1/1 X 2 Pillsbury Grands printable
-.50/2 X 2 Green Giant frozen veggies printable (Tripled)
-.50/1 off any Green Giant product printable (Tripled)
-$1/2 PopSecret Popcorn 8/16 SS
-$1 E-VIC savings for Eggos Frozen Waffles
-$1.11 E-VIC savings for free 32 ounce Powerade
-$5 Instant Savings for purchasing 15 General Mills Products

I found a Wine Tag Rebate for $5 when you purchase chicken, beef or seafood so I will use this receipt to mail away for the rebate. I also received $4 OYNO - $1 for buying 4 Old El Paso Products and $3 for purchasing 5 Green Giant Veggies.

Total Out of Pocket after coupons, rebates, and catalinas - $4.63

I can't wait to do another round of triples and I'm definitely doing the General Mills deal again. :)