Target Movie Coupon

Go here for a link to a coupon for $2.00 off any Columbia House dvd ($3.00 off any blu-ray). The coupon is a pdf that can be printed multiple times, and if you use it on the $5.00 selections, those are some cheap movies! I might have to go check this one out for early Christmas presents. Thanks to Deal Seeking Mom!

Back to School Shopping

You'd think by our age we would be done with back-to-school shopping, but there were a few things Jesse wanted to get for the coming school year, so we stopped by the Walmart sales. I was pleasantly surprised that Ziploc sandwich and storage bags were on sale for $2 a box, and I had a $1.50 off of 2 coupon, so I stocked up on a few.

We went to Target later on, and I used a Scrubbing Bubbles $2 off coupon to try their toilet bowl gel cleaner (the one where it sticks to the side of the bowl in a little dot). It smells kind of funky - some cleaners smell good, and some smell weird, and this is one of the weird ones, especially mixed with bathroom smells. But, so far the toilet seems clean, so that's a plus.

We ended the day at Arby's, where we used a 4/$5 regular roast beef coupon and a buy 1 get 1 free milkshake coupon.

Not a bad day when you can use coupons everywhere you go...

Savings this post: $8.19
Savings so far: $223.94

Free Shamwows and a Wendy's Coupon

Fill out a short survey here and get 2 free Shamwow's mailed to you. I bought Jesse a couple of Shamwow's for Father's Day, and I have to say, I don't see them absorbing as much as they appear to on the commercials, but it's nice to have extra towels around anyhow.

Wendy's has a sweepstakes going on right now for various prizes, including a $10,000 cash prize. You can enter once a day (through 8/30/09), and get a $1 off a twisted frosty coupon for playing.

Money I DIDN'T Spend...

We made our 2-week grocery shopping trip today. Because of bigger purchases earlier this month, we only had $37 left for this one. Luckily, we already had most of what we needed - I just had to pick up beef and some other essentials. (We did end up spending an extra $2 because I wanted some headbands - my hair is just going crazy between the hormones and the weather).

The thing I am most proud of this shopping trip, though, is that I only saved $1.50 in coupons. I brought a whole stack of 50 cent to $1 off coupons to check for deals on household supplies (because the coupons expire the end of this month), but rather than buying things just so I could use the coupons, I actually considered whether we needed them at this point (no) and whether I would be able to find deals that were just as good if not better later on (probably).

This is the part of couponing that I think I was most concerned about for myself - going overboard and feeling like I had to do every deal. The bottom line is that not all of them were even that great of deals. For example, I had a coupon for $1 off of Cottonelle toilet paper. The lowest priced package was 4/$3.00. With the coupon, that would be 50 cents a roll, which is about what I pay anyways when I buy my 24-pack mega-rolls of Angel Soft (the cheapest brand of toilet paper there is, besides the sandpaper ones). If the toilet paper had been on sale, and I could have gotten it for less than $1, good deal. But it wasn't. So I passed.

Savings this post: $1.50
Savings so far: $215.75

Yay Diapers!

We bought another 2 packages of diapers, and some wipes, using some more coupons ($5.00 off total). Now we have enough newborns, size 1's, and size 2's to get us through those various stages (we think). Of course, this will all depend on how fast Jonah grows and goes through the diapers, so we'll see how good our estimating skills are. Everyone tells me he'll be in size 3's the longest, so we'll have to work on stockpiling those next. Ah, the joys of parenting...

Savings this post: $5.00
Savings so far: $214.25

Yogurt Deal, Free Samples, and Udder Covers

HyVee has Dannon individual yogurt cups on sale this week for $2.90/10. Save an additional $1 with the coupon in their ad. That means 10 yogurts for 19 cents each. Good deal!

Wal-mart has free samples online, which change every so often. I have ordered a few of them, and got my first one today: Viva Paper Towels. It came with 4 paper towel sheets and a coupon for $1 off. Go here.

Finally, I was able to get an uddercovers.com breastfeeding cape for free (plus shipping). Shipping is kind of expensive ($8.45), but the cape itself is normally $32.00, and I didn't have to pay that. I just entered the code 'cushy2'. There were several colors that were already out of stock. I got a pink one, and there were a couple of gift sets left (those cost $37.00, which means $5.00 out of pocket - still not a bad deal).

All in all, a good day for free/cheap stuff!

Savings this post, including yogurt and breastfeeding cape: $33.00
Savings so far: $209.25

Awesome Shopping Trip!

I went shopping for a few things today - not a normal 2-week shopping trip, but just for my WIC things (I was out of milk) and some sales, and to return some vacuum filters. The picture above shows what I got at Walmart and Cub (aside from the WIC stuff, which doesn't count, because it's always free).

Walmart: I spent 78 cents. Total. It was pretty awesome. I got my free pint of Starbucks ice cream from the facebook promotional coupon. I got 6 Breyer's yogurts, which are 63 cents each, but I had three $1 off of 2 coupons from coupons.com (I print at home and at work - you can print twice per computer, so I still have one more). I got a 6-pack of Nestle bottled water, which was on sale for $1, and I had a $1 off coupon, so it was free. The total before the coupons was $7.28. This is the most impressed I have ever been with couponing. The cashier was pretty impressed too.

Cub Foods: I spent $18.81. I don't normally shop here because my mother-in-law works at Rainbow, one of their biggest competitors, and it's like taboo for her, but they had some good deals. I bought about 2 lbs. of red grapes for Jesse, and 1 lb. was free using the coupon from their ad. Cucumbers and green peppers were both 2/$1, and kiwis were 4/$1. Luckily I was paying attention, because they rang up wrong at first. Coke 24-packs were 2/$9.98 with the coupon from the ad, so I got a couple of those, and toothpaste was on sale for 2/$4, and I had two 75 cents off coupons. The total before coupons was $23.30.

Now that I have a bit of a stockpile of coupons, and I have been looking at sales, I can see how this is going to be a money-saver for us, and I'm super excited to keep going.

Savings this post, simply from coupons: $10.99
Savings so far: $176.25

Free Bath and Body Works Coupon

Coupon Cravings posted another free with purchase coupon for Bath and Body Works. This one is for a free lip item with any purchase, and the purchase can again be something small. http://www.couponcravings.com/2009/07/bath-body-works-free-lip-item-with-any.html

Free Book and More Free Magazines!

Random House is doing a promotion called Read It Forward, and they are offering 1 of 3 books for free simply by providing an e-mail address (and an address to mail the book to). I ordered The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha. Here's where I found the link:
http://www.couponcravings.com/2009/07/read-it-forward-choose-free-paperback.html

Also, more free magazines! I found this on Deal Seeking Mom's blog. I am not sure how long these are good for, or how often this site updates, but it is one I will definitely be checking periodically to see. I ordered Weight Watchers (for the recipes and for post-baby advice) for me and ESPN Magazine for Jesse. http://www.lowpricesubs.com/New_Titles.html

Barnes & Noble Coupons

I think I had already posted this, but I signed up for the Barnes & Noble weekly e-mail, which always comes with coupons. The past couple of weeks the coupon has simply been 10% off of 1 item. This week there were multiple coupons, including 30% off the box set Harry Potter paperback series (bringing it down to $60.85), 30% off of 2 other specific paperbacks (neither of which interested me), and Free Tall Beverage with purchase of any grande Vivanno Smoothie at the Starbucks cafe. I would like to own the Harry Potter books at some point, but now is not the time. Still, these are some decent coupons, I think.

Free Magazines!

I love reading magazines. I love getting mail, and I love the glossy pages (and the coupons!)

I did a Swagbucks search for "free magazines", and I found a couple. I only sign up for free magazines that do not ask for credit card information. I know there are some out there that ask for this, and they are free so long as you remember to cancel before your subscription runs out, but I'd rather not go through that hassle.

I have already signed up for 1 free year each of BabyTalk and Parents which I got with all of my information at my initial pre-natal appointment.

I found 3 at this website: http://www.all-freemagazines.com/
I ordered American Baby (6 issues) and Psychology Today (1 year; I read this in an airport once and it was really interesting) for myself, and The Sportsman Magazine (1 year) for Jesse. All asked for a mailing address and e-mail address, and I used my e-mail that I use for all of my free samples/offers. I have a separate e-mail for personal use. This website was actually really easy to use, because everything was categorized, and most magazines opened up a separate window when I clicked on them.

I was going to get The Economist from another site, but it was temporarily unavailable due to larger interest than they had anticipated. Most sites are for industry-based magazines, which are potentially interesting if you are actually involved in the industry, but not for everyday reading (Wood Digest anyone?).

I will post more as I find them. I know the popular one right now is 5 free issues of O Magazine, but I can't stand Oprah...

Grocery Shopping

I continued the "stocking up" with this week's grocery shopping. I only had $3.00 worth of coupons, but I was able to find some things on sale. Betty Crocker brownie mixes were only $1.00 instead of the normal $1.48, and shredded cheese was only $1.07 instead of $1.78, just to mention a few. I bought a few extras this time around too, which I blame wholeheartedly on pregnancy cravings - pickles and a cake mix, among others.

This month I am trying to stock up, and seeing where that leaves us food-wise and financially at the end of the month. It looks like we won't have much extra grocery money left as of right now, unlike last month, where we had enough to order Toppers Pizza and go to McDonalds. But, it also looks like we won't have to buy chicken or helpers next month, as well as a few other things, and it also looks like my next grocery trip for this month will be a fairly easy one, just grabbing ground beef, bread, and a couple other essentials.

I want to see if stocking up works well enough so that in the months to come, we'll have extra money in our grocery budget, which we can then spend on more fresh produce (yay!) and on the inevitable diapers, which are only kind of in the budget right now, as well as on occasionally eating out, because much as we have our controlled budget, we know that we tend to break it a little bit in this regard.

Savings this post, in grocery coupons: $3.00
Savings so far: $165.26

Huggies and Pampers Rewards, Disney Rewards

Seeing as Jonah isn't quite here yet, we haven't figured out which diapers we're going with just yet. We have bought a jumbo box of Huggies, but I noticed that Pampers are on sale at Target this week, so we might grab some of those on Friday. Either way, I have already signed up for both brands' points programs.

I like the Huggies program, because they give out points for a variety of things, and they are very easy to come by (I already have 108). However, the points are just redeemable for entering sweepstakes, which is great, but I'd rather earn something. I like the Pampers program, because the points can actually get you things, but they are much harder to come by (I only have 12). I'm not sure what their rules are about sharing points codes. I know I've found many online, but I'm not going to post any myself until I find out for sure what the rules are.

Just today, I got an e-mail from the Huggies program with a points code, along with links to several other things I could do to earn points (take a poll, watch a video, etc.).

http://www.enjoytheriderewards.com
http://www.pampers.com and then click Gifts to Grow in the top right corner

I also recently signed up for the Disney Rewards program. (Signing up now with the code GOOFY will earn you a free 50 points, and taking the short survey gets you another 100 points). I haven't bought a Disney movie for quite awhile, but with Jonah coming, it's only a matter of time. You can earn points by entering codes from Disney products, as well as from movies you go to see in the theater. I don't know quite how that second one works yet, but I'll figure it out if I go see a Disney movie. Points can be turned in for various Disney products, most of which don't look that exciting to me, but I know my niece would be thrilled with a Hannah Montana poster.

http://disney.go.com/disneymovierewards/

Stocking Up On Groceries

I have always been a shop-as-you-need-it grocery shopper. I plan the meals for our 2 week schedule and shop for what we need. But as I get more into couponing and sale-watching, I am starting to look for the good deals to stock up on some non-perishables.

One of the meals we eat 2-3 times during a 2 week menu plan is a Helper meal (hamburger or chicken). They are cheap and easy to make, and most make the 4 servings we are looking for. (Our meal plans generally consist of casseroles or dishes that make 4 servings, meaning I cook every other day instead of every day, using less electricity, doing less dishes, and less cooking for me, which is nice).

Our Walmart had select varieties of Hamburger Helpers on sale for $1.00 this week, instead of the normal $1.25-$1.50. I also had a couple of printable coupons from coupons.com for $0.75 and $0.80 off of three, so I bought 6 there. HyVee also had all of their Helper varieties on sale for $1.00 this week, and theirs are normally $1.80. They had a limit of 4, but that was still 4 I could get for cheaper.

Walmart also had Kraft Macaroni and Cheese on sale for $0.50 instead of $0.74, and I had a coupon for a buy 3 get 1 free that I used on those. HyVee had Betty Crocker pizza crusts on sale 2 for $1 (normally $0.76 each). The best deal, however, was the 3-lb. bags of frozen chicken HyVee had on sale for $4.77! Normally I buy 5-lb. bags at Walmart for $6.97. We ended up stocking up with 4 of the cheap bags.

All told, we spent $37.49 for everything mentioned above, plus a few other things (a couple of candy bars, chocolate milk, ice cream, and bread).

Savings this post, including sales and coupons: $17.03
Savings so far: $162.26

Book Sale and Internet Deal

I signed up for Barnes & Noble's e-mail newsletter last week and got a coupon for 10% off of one regular item. (This is the amount members normally save, but the membership program costs $25 a year, and I don't buy enough books to make that worth it at this point). Jesse wanted to get the book Yes Man, the inspiration for the movie Yes Man. The total was $17.17. We saved $1.60 with the coupon, and I had $2.83 left on a mall gift card from one of their promotions earlier this summer. We spent only $12.62 for the book, saving $4.55.

We have also decided to get Internet at home again. We had cancelled our cable and Internet about a month and a half ago because it just seemed fruitless. We only watched tv because we had it, and we have access to Internet at my work, Jesse's school, and the library if we need it. However, we decided we would get Internet at home again for the convenience if the price was right.

Because we haven't had service for over 30 days with Charter, we qualify for all of their new deals. And even though everywhere on the Internet they would appear to charge an extra $10 a month for having only one service (and not combining Internet with cable or phone), when we talked to one of the reps at the actual store, we found out about a 2-year contract (set rate of $29.99 per month with no extra charge). We will be here for 2 years, so that's perfect. Our Internet will be $33.20/month, compared with the $50 or so we were expecting and had been paying. Very nice.

Savings this post: $4.55
Savings so far: $145.23

Free Starbucks Ice Cream

Through July 19th, Starbucks is giving away free pints of ice cream. Just sign up for their facebook application and send a coupon to a friend (or to yourself). The catch is that they will only do 800 an hour, and as of right now, they are already gone by 6 minutes after the hour. I managed to snag one under my account and sent it to my husband, even though it's really for me. I went back a few minutes later to send one from him to me and they were already done for the hour. Maybe next time? Hopefully the link works...

http://apps.facebook.com/starbucksicecream/?_fb_fromhash=c36bcf75fa6f6aa0d4cc18efbd4a2838&auth_token=35b672bacae6d96451c31992b1cfd4e8&installed=1&auth_token=7cbb8c1f86255722081e3795f8a06967&installed=1

My Sunday Deals

I used my Caribou Coffee coupon today from the Facebook application I posted about earlier (savings of $4.57). Yummy! While I was there, I looked in their "used" newspapers bin, and grabbed 2 Proctor & Gamble coupon inserts. When I do stop by for a treat, I try to go on a Sunday for this reason specifically. There's nothing wrong with free coupons!

I also ordered prints from our January Arizona trip (finally!) from Snapfish.com. They had sent me an e-mail saying I hadn't ordered in awhile (obviously) and giving me 30 free prints. This week they also came out with an offer using the code PENNY for 50 prints for a penny each. With taxes and shipping and handling, I spent $12.11 for 124 prints, which would normally cost $18 or so plus tax. I generally load my pictures to their site (takes a little while) right away, and then wait for deals like this to print a bunch all at once. That way I don't have to pay as much shipping either.

Savings this post, including coffee and pictures: $10.49
Savings so far: $140.68

Veggie Tales dvd and Other Good Deals

While supplies last, Big Idea is offering a free Veggie Tales dvd (you pay shipping) when you sign up for their e-mail newsletter. We already have Little Joe, and they were out of stock of Where's God When I'm Scared, so we went with Larry Boy. Shipping is only $2.99, which is a great price for dvds that normally retail at $14.99. https://bigidea.com/other/free_dvd.aspx

I am making a name plate for decoration for Jonah's room. I bought the wooden placard and small wooden circles to paint at Michael's yesterday. The placard was on sale for $0.69 (from $1.49) and I had a 40% off one item coupon that I used for the circles (originally $1.19). I got both for $1.50, and another 40% off one item coupon for this week if I decide I want to go back. Great deal! Now I just have to paint the sign and put it together...

Finally, I got a coupon for a free candy bar yesterday in the mail. http://www.realchocolate.com/ offers these every Friday to the first 250,000 people who sign up. It only took a couple of weeks to get my first one, and each household can win up to 4 times before the end of summer. I'll take free chocolate any time!

Savings this post, including Veggie Tales, Michael's, and candy: $13.68
Savings so far: $130.19

Free Caribou Coffee Cooler!

Caribou has a new promotion going on for facebook users: Just become a fan of Caribou Coffee and add their "Wild It Up" application. This application just involves adding random things to one or more of your photos. You can then print out a coupon for a free medium cooler in one of their 8 (fairly) new flavors. I'm a fan of the Mint Condition one. The coupon is good until July 6th.