Walgreens X 4 + a Quick Bashas Run...

I love Contour Meter's! I ran out this morning to pick up a few Contour Meter's and make some Walgreen's RR $! I even special ordered some from one of my stores, since I had traded for extra coupons. I haven't picked up my special order meters yet, but I had some extra coupons to use, so I was up and out by 8:00 AM.

I went to 4 stores, doing 2 orders at each store. I didn't want to be greedy and wipe out any store of all of their meters. I figure it isn't good coupon karma. :-)

I ended up with 8 meters (only one pictured) and 6 ecotrin (only one pictured) . I used the (up to $30) Bayer meter MQs, + $2 Ecotrin MQs. They were both free after RR, so I earned a $10 RR for each meter and $2 RR for each Ecotrin. I only paid tax (on a gift card) for these items. I also picked up 2 bags of briefs for Quinn. They were 75% off at $1.50 and I figured they were a good deal for when start potty training in the future. ($0.30 a pair!!) Also I used an RR + gift card, so no OOP cost.

The tax rate varies, by store, but in total.. I spent $6.08 on tax (on a gift card of course) for 8 meters and 6 ecotrins and I earned $92 in RR!!

Bashas- I ran into Bashas for another quick run. It was decent, but could have been better. I forgot that the Orowheat coupon had a barcode that starts with a "9" which means it will NOT automatically double. However, I still did pretty well, I am just usually disappointed if I could have done better, I didn't NEED to grab the trash bags to cover overage because the bread and fries would have covered it, but oh well.

6 Mahamata Rice (FINALLY some in stock) $0.69 each - $1/2 MQs= free

6 TreeTop Juices $.99 each - $1/2 MQs= free

3 Kraft BBQ Sauce $1.50 - $.75 MQs= free

3 Smuckers Ice Cream topping $2.29 - $1 MQ= $.29 each

1 McCain Sweet Potatoe Fries (not pictured) $2.99- $0.75MQ= $1.49

3 Orowheat Mini loafs $2- $1 Qs (DID NOT DOUBLE)= $1 each

1 Hefty Trash Bags $4.99- $1 MQ= $2.99

-$5/30 Bashas Q

Total $3.59 OOP

Bashas and the Mall...

Old Navy

We ran to the mall this morning for the $3 Graphic T sale at Old Navy. I mentioned a few weeks ago that we received a $50 store credit to Men's Warehouse for poor service. Well my SIL kindly offered to use it for us and give us cash. They are going to get my brother's pants hemmed there. So that freed us up $50 to spend and since Peter already saw a few button down shirts he liked at Old Navy, we decided to see what we could do there instead. $50 goes a lot further at Old Navy then Men's Warehouse! They had all their adult (well most of them) graphic T-shirts for $3. Plus I printed a $10 off $50 Old Navy Q and they had an extra 50% off their clearance items.

4 Men's Graphic Shirts $3 each

3 Women's Graphic Shirts $3 each

1 Men's Button Down Shirt $19.50
1 Men's Jacket Clearanced to $24.50- 50% discount = $12.49

1 Women's hoodie Clearanced $4.47-50% discount= $2.24
-$10/50

Total $49.03 OOP!!

So we turned possibly one overly priced wedding shirt at Men's warehouse into several things for both of us!

Bath and Body Works

I also popped into Bath and Body Works and splurged on new lip stuff via, the wonderful new free lip stuff Q with ANY purchase. I picked up the $1.50 purse size antibacterial and got my new lip stuff for free! Plus I have a gift card there from past gifts, so it really didn't cost me any $49.03 OOP!

BASHAS

Bashas was pretty wiped out when I got over there this afternoon. I did still manage to get a $30+ order together. I love using the $5 off Q to get some free stuff!

3 Smuckers Toppings $2.29- $1 MQ= $0.29 each

2 Smart Taste Pastas $1.69- $1 MQ= free

3 Kraft BBQ Sauce $1.50- $0.75= free

3 Trident Gums $1.29- $0.75 MQ= free

3 McCormick Grinders $1.50 - $0.75 MQ= free

1 Hefty Cups $1.69- $0.75 MQ= $0.19

1 Hefty Tall Kitchen Trash bags (70 ct) $4.99- $1 MQ= 2.99

1 Gallon Milk $1.57

-$5/30

Total $0.92 OOP

I am pretty happy with the milk and trash bags for $0.92! Plus some ice cream topping!

Bashas- a pretty decent trip!

I was pleasantly surprised to find the Bashas decently stocked. I even had enough freebies to make up a $30 order and use another $5/30 Q.

My mom was with me, so we did 2 orders. (And some stuff isn't pictured since she staked her claim for some it.)

Order #1
4 Tree Top Apple Juice Boxes $.99 - $1/2 = free
3 Capri Suns $2.50-$1 MQs= $0.50 each
3 Rozoni Smart Taste Pasta $1.69 - $1 MQ= free
2 Kraft Mac and Cheese Deluxe $2.25- $1 MQ= $0.25 each
5 Mac and Cheese Cups $1.00 and 5 Velveeta Cups (guess I mixed and matched them) $1.29 - $1.00/2 IPs= $1.45 for all 10 cups
Bananas $1.71
-$5/30 Bashas Q
Total $0.16 OOP (and I earned $1 OYNO for buying the Kraft Deluxe)... so they paid me to buy this stuff!

Order #2
4 Tree Top Apple Juice Boxes $0.99-$1/2= free
3 Rozoni Smart Taste Pasta $1.69- $1 MQ= free
2 Kraft Mac and Cheese Deluxe $2.25 - $1 MQ= $0.25 each
2 Whiskas Temptations $1.67 each - $1MQs = (overage of $0.33 each)
1 candy bar (for the overage)
Total $0.53 OOP (which my mom paid!) and I earned another $1 OYNO Q for buying the Kraft Deluxe! Again, paying us to shop!

I am pretty happy with my orders today. My mom took some pasta + juice + cat treats. Quinn digs the mac and cheese, and the cups make it pretty convenient. Also I love free juice! The Capri suns are for low blood sugar. And I managed to roll in some free nanas into the order!

Bashas... stock is limited, but still a few deals to be found.

I ran into to Bashas to grab a few cheap/freebies, however a lot of things were wiped out already. Here is what I did grab.

1 Loaf of Bread - free with bashas mailer Q

4 Velveeta Shells Cups $1.29- $1/2 Qs= $0.29 each

2 Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese $2.25- $1MQ= $.25 each

3 Whiskas Temptations $1.66 - $1 MQ = $1 Qs doubled to $2, so overage of $0.34 each!!

1 McCain Sweet Potato $2.99- $0.75 MQ= $1.49 each

Total $2.46 OOP

I should have received a $1 OYNO for the Kraft Deluxe and didn't... so I will have to call Catalina about it.

Bashas Super Doubles

My mom and I made the rounds to two Bashas this morning. My planning was a bit off, but I am still pretty happy with the deals I bought.

Store #1, Order #1

3 California Pizza Kitchen Pizzas $5- $1 MQ= $3 each

6 TreeTop Juice Box packs $.99 -$1/2= free

4 Crystal Light $2.50 - $1/1 and $2/2 Qs= $1 each

-$5/30 Bashas Q (Thanks to Aimme at PYP!!)

Total $8 OOP

Store #1, Order #2

Same as above!

Store #2, Order #1

3 California Pizza Kitchen Pizzas -$1 MQs= $3 each

4 Crystal Lights $2.50 -$1/1 and $2/2 = $1 each

6 Mac and Cheese Cups $1-$1/2 = Free

-$5/30 Bashas Q

Total $8 OOP

Store #2, Order #2

3 California Pizza Kitchen Pizzas - $1 MQs= $3 each

4 Crystal Lights $2.50 -$1/1 and $2/2 Qs= $1 each

4 TreeTop Juice $.99 each - $1/2 = free

1 Gallon Milk $1.57

-$5/30 Bashas Q

Total $9.57 OOP

So... Basically after the $5 Bashas Q... the Pizzas end up being $1.33 each...and the crystal lights were $1 each. I was a little bummed that Bashas only sold the smaller crystal light packages, but still. $1 is a decent deal, it equates to $1.50 for the tall jars which is better than I can get the off brand for and we use a ton of crystal light here!

And of course the juice boxes and mac & cheese were free. I will have to see if I can wrangle up some of the kraft mac and cheese coupons! Quinn loves it :-)

Also there is a Catalina deal starting on Friday where you get $2 OYNO when you buy 4... which is why I had planned on buying 4... I totally spaced the start date. However, given my luck the stores would be out of Crystal light on Friday, so I figured $1 a package was a decent enough

deal.

Also I snagged a dozen pizzas but this should last us through the summer AT LEAST. We tend to grab the 3 pack at Costco for $10.99 of Digorno, so this saves us $2 a pizza! Plus we have a bit more variety than peperoni that Costco sells.

Frys, Bashas, and Frys

I managed a decent run at Frys today solo with Quinn. He did a great job for me!

Frys Morning Run
4 Diet Cokes -$1.00 IP (not pictured)= $1.22 each
1 Fys Ice Cream Sandwich - in store promo with coke = free
3 Quaker Quakes -$1 MQ= free

2 BC Potatoes $1- $.25 MQ= free
2 Kroger Cottage Cheese= $0.99 each
4 Kroger Cream Cheese = $1 each
1 Milk= $1.99
1 Eggs= $1.09
3 Angel Soft TP $1- .50 MQ = free
4 Kraft Dressing $1.67 each - $1.50- $0.17 each
1 Cattlemans BBQ $1- $0.50 MQ= free
10 Vitamin Waters $1 - $1 and $0.50 MQs= free
3 Dial soap $1- .35 MQs= free
2 Carefree pantyliner $1- $1 MQ= free
3 Oral B $1- $0.50 MQ= free
3 Reach Toothbrush $1- $0.75 MQ= free
3 Webber Seasoning $1- $0.35 MQ= Free
3 McCormick Packets $1- $.50 MQ= free
3 Yakisoba thingies (gross BTW) $1- $0.35= free
Bananas $1.63
Apples -$2.55- $1/4 Frys Produce Coupon = $1.55
2 Tyson Whole Fryers - $1 MQs= $2.74 and $2.84
-$5/30 Frys Q (last one, I am sad!!)
-$3 OYNO Q (from BBQ sauce last week)
Total $15.64 OOP! (They claim an 89% savings.. but I also don't usually buy anything at regular price anyway...)


After Dinner, I returned our redbox rental and picked up a new one (DaVanci Code) and also hit up Bashas and Frys again quickly. I was going to do 2 big orders at Frys, but in the interest of time decided to just one order when I arrived... only to throw in an extra coke deal order up behind my big order. :-)



Bashas
5 Hefty Foam Plates $1.33 - $.50 MQs= $0.33 each
3 McCormick Packets $0.50- $.50 MQ= free
Total $1.91 OOP

Frys Evening Run #1
4 Diet Coke 12 packs (not pictured) - $1 IPs= $1.22 each
1 Frys Ice Cream Sandwich = free with in store promo
5 Kraft Dressing $1.67 - $1.50 MQs= $0.17 each
3 Weber Seasonings $1- $.35 MQs= free
3 McCormick Seasonings $1- $.50 MQs= free
1 Bologna= $1
3 Dial Hand Soap $1- $0.35 MQ= free
1 Carefree Pantyliner $1- $1 MQ= free
1 Reach Dental Floss $1- $0.50 MQ= free
1 Oral B Toothbrush $1- $.74 MQ= free
1 Vitamin Water $1- $1 MQ= free
2 Green Giant Veggies $1- $0.50 MQ= free
-$0.15 = 3 BYOB Credits
Total $6.85 OOP (91% savings!) :-)

Frys Evening Run #2
4 Diet Coke 12 packs - $1 MQ= $1.22 each
1 Frys Ice Cream Sandwich= free with in store promo
Total OOP
$4.88

More Cheap Movie Rentals

Check out the Movie Cube, it is similar with Redbox and even has free codes. I found this via SwagGrabber who lists these codes: ETUX9A5 (expires 5/28) and MEM0903 (expires 6/21). I checked and there is one box in our neighborhood (at my local frys store), and with the free movie code, I will definitely try it out.

Speaking of redbox. If you are a fan or have wanted to try it out, double check their redbox locator. We have had several new boxes pop up super close to our house. More boxes = More inventory to rent + more places to return them!

Money Saving Challenge Memorial Day Weekend

This is what we have been doing this weekend to save money.. at least what I can remember late Monday night.

1. Received 5 Magazines in the mail, some to read, all to take in for trade credit soon. I also received my last walgreens rebate check ($7.50) since the program has since ended. Walgreens also sent me a $25 RX transfer check. Of course we just filled a couple RXs, but we do it quite often, so I guess it's no big deal. I also received an EBATES check for $14 I will cash the checks and put them into the vacation fund.
2. Quick Frys Run to get a few goodies for our BBQ on Saturday, no real details or pictures, but I did pick up the free Oral B Toothbrushes, Reach Dental Floss, Betty Crocker Potatoes, SoftSoap and Angel Soft TP.
3. We had a great BBQ here on Sunday with some family and it was very frugal but yummy! It included the great deal on Chicken I got early in the week at Frys. I need to make sure I snag some more before the sale ends!
4. I managed to get a great deal on VS undies using my b-day money. They had their undies on sale 10 for $25 through today, normally the sale is 5 for $25, so this is a great one to catch. I hit the sale late, but did manage to find 10 pairs in my size and style that are cute. I also picked up 2 pairs of PJ's for Quinn (next size up) for $2.49 each at Old Navy, they had their clearance at an extra 50% off.
5. Ordered another 2 Amazon Gift certificates from Swag Bucks.
6. "Used" Deals: I found 2 DVDs for Quinn (Barney goes to the zoo and My baby can talk) + maps for our New York City Trip at Bookmans. Using a coupons for the DVD (b1g1), my total was only 11.50 in trade, so $0 OPP! I also took over Quinn's activity table to Twice as Nice to get some trade (and get it out of here...) and found him 2 pairs of shorts (I recently realized that he was sadly lacking in shorts) and also a pair of silver sandals that I can wear to an upcoming wedding.
7. I spent time working on our NYC itinerary, trying to keep costs down but maximizing our sight seeing. I have spent soooo much time with Trip Advisor and just Googling or rather "Swagbucking" any NYC sights to get locations, hours, costs, etc.
8. I also used a $10 DSW coupon to buy a new pair of tennis shoes today with my b-day money, which BTW, I am almost out of. :(
9. We did great! We didn't eat out ALL weekend!!! (Well we did have dinner at my brother's house and also at my in-laws house this weekend, but that didn't cost us anything..)

Summary of California Trip

I thought I would post a short summary of how our vacation planning went; I know this is quite delayed. I have been working on it in pieces for weeks now. Hopefully it makes sense. Feel free to ask any questions and I will try to clarify. I am also hoping this cute photo will make up for the delay in my post. J

Funds

We only spent about $85 in gas on our trip. So we have $30 in gas gift cards leftover for our next adventure.

Our hotel costs were $271.24 for Anaheim + $39 for San Diego, darn parking fees at resorts!

Our DL tickets were "free" because we had upgraded to annual passes during our last trip. If you want to get technical about it, we paid $80 each to upgrade our tickets last fall.

We had some cash saved for our hotel costs and dining out in San Diego plus any other non-Disney meals. I had estimated $436 with our hotel costs + non Disney food. I had $340 saved with the last minute addition of a $15 rebate + I snagged $120 from our regular budget to spend. So technically we were short $100 from my original plan and then we ended up spending an additional 41.xx beyond that $100.

We ate breakfast in our hotel rooms every morning: bagels and cream cheese + (diet coke!!) J We also brought snacks for the room, bottled water for the car and our Brita pitcher for water in the room.

We spent ~ $269 of our Disney money. Disney money meaning Disney gift cards that I bought at Safeway + Disney Reward $ from our Disney Rewards Visas. We still have $170 left; this includes my special $69 fun card I received for visiting on my birthday!

Besides snacks in the park, we only had a few extras including a monorail train for Quinn ($15 from our Disney funds), which he loves and we love because he sounds SOOO cute saying "choo choo, choo choo"

My Awesome Perks & Deals:

1. Rainforest Café Safari Club Membership: I was sent 2 $5 email coupons within the past few months that were good on dining or retail purchases. My plan was to find 2 fun souvenirs for Quinnie around $5 each. I ended up with 2 long sleeve t-shirts that for $1.08 each (with tax) that will be good either this winter or perhaps next winter.
   
2. Disney Rewards Visa: We enjoy going to Disneyland and so we like the ability to save our rewards for our trips, so it's a decent card for us. Plus we get free stroller rentals (2 for each card) and also a free Character Meet & Greet with free 5X7 photo voucher (worth $10 each). We each have our own card/account so we actually get 2 vouchers each day we make it to the meet and greet. I love being able to pick up a few photos to take home with us! And this was the 1^st time I could truly appreciate our own "meet and greet with characters." Quinn had some quality time with Pluto with no line and no rush, which allowed him to overcome some of his shyness with him. We got some great pictures. Plus he has no patience to wait in lines yet, so this is really our only character picture opportunities for now.
   

   If you are interested in applying for the Disney Rewards card, I can refer you and you will receive a $25 reward after your 1^st purchase. I honestly might switch to another card at some point for rewards, but just having these cards for the free stroller rental and free character meet and greet is awesome! Just email if you want the referral (kcchica1 at gmail dot com) J
   
   

3. Mimi's: There is a Mimi's Café next to the HOJO (where we love to stay) and because my b-day was during our trip, they send me a $10 off $20 Meal Q to use. We planned on eating in the park for most of our trip, but the Q came in handy one day when we decided not to go back to the park for dinner after our nap. J Here is a LINK to sign up for their club and get coupons sent to you.
   
   
4. Entertainment Card: The best hotel deal to be found for Disneyland is the entertainment rate at the HOJO. We paid $59 a night for our room! And look at this fun freebie from the hotel (it's the hat, not the cute kid!!!)
   
   
   
   

   

5. Birthday Fun Card: This year they offering free admission to the park on your b-day or another gift if you already have admission. I chose the birthday fun card, worth $69! I have $50ish left on it for our next trip. Here are the details from Disney on this special promo. Link 1 and Link 2 J
   

In summary:

We spent ~ $787 total for our trip, only $41 over our planned budget. And because some of our funds are allocated to gift cards, we still have ~$30 in gas and $170 in Disney funds left for our trip in September! Plus I also have 3 photo vouchers for a free 5X7 left from my Disney visa perks too!

Questions??

** Side rant, I have spent hours today trying to post this blog... UGHHHH! So many problems with moving pictures and text spacing and trying to publish from word... Seriously it has been RIDICULOUS!!

Woo Hoo Fry's Deals!!!

Frys

My goals with Frys this week was to get free/cheap chicken using my $5/30 Frys Q. Luckily, there were quite a few freebies with the triple/quadruple coupons that helped bring my totals up to $30+.

Order #1

6 Huggies Wipes $2.50 each - $3 (wyb $15 in huggies)- $3/5 HBA Frys Q - 2 Free Qs ($2.50 each) - 4 MQs (doubled= $1 each) = Free wipes!!!!

4 Quaker Quakes $1- $1MQs = Free

3 Weber Grill Mates $1- $0.50 MQ = Free

3 Dial Hand Soaps $1- $0.35 MQ= Free

3 Colgate Toothpaste $1- .$75 MQ= Free

2 Tyson Chickens ($3.62 and $3.70) - $1 MQ= ($2.62 and $2.70)

-$5/30 Frys Q

Total $1.01 OOP ($0.69 was tax!!!) 99% Savings!!!

Order #2

4 Diet Cokes $8.88 (wyb 4) - $1 IPs= $1.22 each

6 pack of ice cream sandwich's = $0 Free when you buy 4 diet cokes

3 Weber Grill Mates $1-$0.50 MQ= Free

3 Dial Hand Soaps $1 -$0.35 MQ= Free

2 Colgate Toothpaste $1- $0.75 MQ= Free

6 Kraft BBQ Sauce $1- $1 IP= Free

1 Cattlemans BBQ Sauce $1- .50 MQ= Free

1 Strawberry Pint= $1

Chicken Split Breast ( lbs)= $5.32 - $1 Q

-$5/30

Total $5.20 OOP & EARNED $3.00 OYNO Q (kraft BBQ sauce)

Dude... I so loving these deals! The store wasn't too busy, I was thoroughly organized for my orders and we were in and out of the store fairly quickly. I did get a cashier who tried to tell me they couldn't take all my Huggies coupons because there were 6 of them... of course I know there were only 3 like coupons to double, but the cashiers just never understand their own policy. I may have to email Frys about it, because it is quite annoying to have them question my coupons all the time. Luckily there was a manager ringing up on the next register, so she just kept asking her, so it didn't hold us up too much.

99 Cent Only

Lot of great produce at the 99 cent store today too....

A couple of good deals for this week/weekend...

Walgreens
Save $5/25 for Wednesday and Thursday (May 20 and 21) only. Click here for the Q!

Blue Bunny
Try the Blue Bunny Aspen or Sedona for free this weekend. Purchase it this weekend, May 23- May 25 and they will rebate back the purchase price. Click here for the rebate form! I think the chocolate, granola one looks best.

Hair Salon Treatment
Free Kerastase treatment + blowdry service May 20th (Wednesday only). Click here to see what salons are offering it. The only one in Tucson is way over in New Mexico... I mean the east side. :-)

Money Saving Challenge 5/18-5/19

1. Received $50 voucher to Men's Warehouse for customer service issues we experienced recently. We will use this to a buy Peter a shirt for an up coming wedding. I think they are quite expensive, so I am not holding my breath to buying more than a shirt, we shall see....


2. Ran out and spent (2) $10 Safeway Living Well Vouchers that were expiring today, I got some "ok" deals, but I bought a few things that weren't deals, but we needed anyway.


3. Yesterday: Hit the breadstore and Frys for a few deals (see previous post) + a mystery shop (thanks to my brother and his g-friend who randomly offered to watch Quinn for an hour). It greatly simplified and sped up my errands!


4. Organized my coupons for tomorrow at Frys. There are pretty decent deals that I can pair with my $5/30 Qs from the d-backs game.


5. Clean/Org projects for the past 2 days: Monday- Guest Bath, Tuesday- Paper work craziness (I am striving to get through one bigger chore/project each day beyond the normal taking care of Quinn, regular pickup cleaning, eating, errands)

That's it for now...

Frys

Frys trip- I needed some protein and I found some good mark downs.

Frys

10 lbs Chicken Wings $7.90

9 packs of Hillshire Farms Lunch Meat $0.99 each

1 pack private selection roast beef $1.99 each

4 apples $1.63 total

8 Kroger Yogurt $0.40 each

1 dz eggs $1.19

1 Large low fat cottage cheese $1.99

1 Large Santa Fe Gourmet Salad $2.49

-$5/30

$25.10

Not bad since all the meat (and salad) was on manager's markdown and I had no coupons (beyond the $5 one) to use.

Bread store (no picture)

Orowheat Potato Buns $1.99

2 Saralee Bagels $1.99 each

1 Orowheat (protein plus) Bread $0 (Free when you spend over $4+)

Total $5.97

Money Saving Challenge 5/16-5/17

1. Consolidated all the testing strips from the Contour meters into one bottle. There are 10 strips per package, so the 6 I bought yesterday turned into a full bottle of 60 strips for us!
   



2. I received 5 free Sunday papers this morning. (I actually have been for the last few weeks, after I cancelled my 6-paper Sunday subscription). I am not sure how long I will be getting these "sample" papers but it's pretty nice and plus there is a code on the bag for a $5 a month subscription, which I may sign up for after my sample papers stop showing up.
   


3. Took my magazines to Bookman's today and received $15 in trade (I quickly counted and it looks like they actually gave me $1 a magazine, so I will adjust my Bookman's post from a few days ago).
   


4. Used some trade credit and a B1G1 coupon and bought Quinn 2 new-to-us videos, both look great! $0 OOP
   


5. Ordered $10 in Amazon through Swagbucks (and have enough to do another $5 tomorrow, they are limiting redemption to 2 per day). I love it! This is so going help with Xmas (and any other deals that come up, like the ALL YOU magazine subscription I bought a few days ago).
   


6. Dinner last night was the rest of the turkey soup & Dinner tonight we are making "homemade" pizza with the Pillsbury crusts (free), cheap sauce, cheese, onions and some pepperoni
   


7. I went to the river walk to exercise with a friend (no gym fees for me)
   


8. I signed up for the Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards; Deal Seeking Mom has a list of how to earn 90 points right away. What is really cool about the program is that there are sweepstakes and instant win contests for prizes. "IF" I played the lottery, it would actually be scratcher tickets, vs. Lottery numbers, so I am naturally more of an instant win prize kind of girl J

I love diabetes meter deals at CVS!!!

I managed to get 6 meters today (broke out my dad's cvs card), which is great since they were sold out all week everywhere I checked. The contour meters are my favorite since they actually contain testing strips. You can't beat getting testing strips and making CVS $, plus I swung some free TP into the deal!

CVS #1

2 Bayer Contour Meters- MQs= free

2 Movie Theater Candy= $1.50 each

Total $3 on a gift card

Earned $10 ECB (Bayer)

CVS #2

2 Bayer Contour Meters- MQs= free

1 CVS 12 pack TP $4.99

1 Candy filler

-$5/25 CVS Q

Total $ 0.49 OOP (couldn't find where I stashed my CVS gift card earlier)

Earned $10 ECB (bayer)

CVS #3

2 Bayer Contour Meters -MQs= free

12 Rolls Scott TP $6.99- $2 CRT

1 Candy filler

-$5/25 CVS Q

Total $1.06 OOP (again couldn't find where I had stashed my CVS gift card)

So I had planned all week to try and work a deal for free toilet paper. Unfortunately the lack of diabetes meters in stock thwarted my plans. Luckily we went to a different CVS today before we saw the new Star Trek today and they had 4 meters in stock!! I bought 2 right then, and checked back later for the other two. Luckily they were still there (probably because the sale tag wasn't there... they most likely had them in stock all week). Then I stopped by one of my usual CVS stores who were out earlier in the week, but they had got another shipment in and I snagged 2 meters there as well.

The other thing that shocked me was that both stores today were sold out of the SCOTT 12 pack TP for $6.99, I guess other people thought it was a great price too. So at the 1st store, I bought the CVS brand version + a candy for a filler (otherwise I would have been a penny negative). At the 2nd store, the supervisor offered to sell me 12 single rolls for the sale price, which was SUPER RAD since I just got a $2 CVS CRT for a 12 pack of SCOTT tissue at the scanner. I did pick up a rain check for the TP at the 1st store, which is good because this toilet paper seems to last SOOO much longer than the free cottonelle we ran out of. We should be good on TP for awhile now.

Any locals with a May 25th Anniversary or Birthday??

There is a great offer going on in Tucson for any lucky souls with a May 25th birthday or anniversary at Michelangelo Ristorante. They are offering a free lunch or dinner anytime during May with proof of the special day! I found this via Tucson On The Cheap.

My parent's took advantage of this today (My stepdad's b-day is May 25th). They not only received his lunch for free, but also a free tiramasu! My mom said it was great!

Money Savings Challenge 5/14 and 5/15

1. Bought 2 new (to us) Thomas DVDs for Quinn at Bookman's using a B1G1 Q and trade credit (see my previous post about using freebie mags for credit!) = $0 OOP
   


2. Yesterday, I made Turkey Soup with the leftover turkey, broth in the freezer and of course free egg noodles and some veggies (carrots, onions and celery~ $1 worth total). I made an 8 lb turkey breast on Monday and we used it for 3 dinners (turkey dinner, turkey sandwiches and Turkey soup) + a few lunches.
   


3. Quinn and I had leftover spaghetti for lunch (from Wed. night dinner).
   


4. Dinner tonight was out (Friday is happy hour when we indulge in Dinner out) and we used a $25 Gift certificate to Chuy's that we bought half price through a local radio website.
   


5. Mail from today and yesterday: I received a cool sample of Huggies New Natural Diapers (size 2 though, so will have to put it away), with a nice Q! A Budget Q with my FastBreak membership card for a free double upgrade- just present it at the counter (We may use it for NYC). A couple of magazines to add to my Bookman's pile.
   


6. Ordered ALL YOU magazine through Amazon (via HCW) for only $10 for the year! What is great is that I have been earning those $5 Amazon gift certificates via SWAGBUCKS, so the subscription was free for me. ALL YOU is a great coupon magazine that is only sold at Walmart for almost $3, so $10 is a great price, but $0 is even better!!

Turn Free Mags into $$$

Ok, well maybe not money, but trade credit that can be used to buy other mags, books, movies, etc. One way I have found to score some extra "entertainment funds" is to sign up for free magazines and trade them in at a local Used Bookstore (Bookman's here in AZ).

We have always traded our books and movies in when we were done with them for credit. However, it occurred to me a few years ago that I could take magazines in for trade credit as well. We pay for very few, if any magazine subscriptions regularly, but we always have them around. The extra credit can add up quickly, plus it encourages us to read the mags quicker and get them out of our house. I then started signing up for any "normal-ish" magazine subscription that I found online for free, even if we have no interest in the topic (like the Computer Gaming and Golf mags we get).

The key to success here is taking in the mags fairly regularly because GENERALLY they want current issues only. This makes sense, as the current ones are the ones most likely to sell. I stack the "extra" magazines as soon as I receive them and then add the magazines we enjoy as soon as we are done reading them. My goal is to take magazines in about once or twice a month.

I would estimate that they pay .50-.75 a magazine (don't know for sure), and I generally get about $3-$8 per trip. I ask them to recycle any mags they don't buy from me. Win/Win in my book! *** I received $1 a mag on my most recent trade in..., so lets change the estimate to $0.75-$1.00 per magazine ***

Lately I have been using my credit to buy DVDs and books for Quinn. Of course we also buy magazines, books and small electronics also depending upon the need. In fact, we bought a 2^nd WII controller at Bookman's using our credit. The "used" price wasn't a HUGE savings compared with a new one from Target, but it was FREE for us since we used our credit!

To make it even better, one of the "coupon magazines" that mails out local coupons has had BOGO DVD coupons for Bookman's lately! So I have been using my credit and getting 2 DVD for the price of one!! (Saguaro Gold if you are local).

I always keep my eye out for free mag offers, Slickdeals often has them. In fact here are a few I found today:

2 Year Tennis Subscription

1 Year Forbes

Town & Country Subscription (doesn't list how long)

5 Issues of MINE (interesting idea, not sure if I can trade it in, but neat anyway)

These offers do expire or run out, so if you are interested in any, I would sign up soon. Otherwise keep your eye out for free mag offers and let me know if you find one! J

Money Saving Challenge 5/12-5/13

1. Stockpile Usage: Last night was another b-day dinner, but today we had spaghetti
2. Received a mambo sprouts coupon book in the mail today (and another magazine for trade). The only coupon that really catches my eye though is for sweet potato fries. We have become big fans of those and I am always looking for a deal!
3. Finally replaced my toner cartridge, after shaking it and re-installing it for the past week. Its slightly annoying that the printer "knows" its low, because it still prints fine. I would keep printing until the ink was light, but the printer won't let me. I indulged in a laser printer last year, to cut down on ink cartridge purchases. Now I need to find a deal on the laser toner, because its quite expensive!
4. Organized last weeks inserts -a-la- frugalsuz, check out her post about it HERE! I have seen other people talk about the "MEGA" insert method and it has intrigued me. I like that FrugalSuz throws out the non-coupon pages, plus she doesn't staple them all together, which is also nice. I have a slight issue with the method because I get both Tucson and Phx papers, and their inserts vary greatly, so I can't match up the pages. Anyway, the Mega insert does seem neater and also more compact.
5. Quinn and I played at the mall playground for free and in the air conditioning!
6. Submitted our medical reimbursement paperwork. It has been on my to-do list for weeks if not months....
7. Purchased a few xmas gifts online for $3 each, no details because you never know who reads this. :) It was a deal I found on Slickdeals though.
8. I researched DIY shade/sun sails kits online. I would love to throw some additional shade up over Quinn's little yard and need to figure out the best way to do so. If anyone has thoughts, ideas or experiences, let me know!!

UGGGHHHHHH

I swear the last few days have been such a bust for deals!

Quinn and I tried to do Toddler Story Time at the library today (1st time since moving up from the Infant Story Time) and the library was closed. What a bummer! So after convincing Quinn to get back into the car (after just letting him out), we went to the mall to play at their playground.

Then, we headed to Target to snag some deals with Qs, but that was a bust too. Our Target had no Kashi Waffles, and the Nabisco 100 calorie packs were not on a price cut. We wondered around, but found no deals!

Of course CVS has been a bust this week for the Diabetes meter deals, since they are out of stock! I hope to check back later this week, but I am not counting on finding any.

I went to Walmart yesterday to get cupcakes for my brother. While there, I tried to use the last of my Pace $4 IP's and the cashier would only take one and that was after a 10 minute wait for a manager. Ughhhh, I knew there was a reason I avoid shopping there with coupons!

Anyway, I hope everyone else has had luck find deals!

Shopping today..

I attempted to get the freebie glucose meters (with Qs) at two different CVS locations this morning. Of course they are sold out at both places! I did manage to snag a few decent deals at Bashas though.

Bashas

6 daisy sour creams .99- .50 MQs= free

2 Milks $1.57 each

3.6 lbs bananas

Total $5.26 OOP

I hope to run out and snag some more deals later if Peter gets home early! (fingers crossed!!)

Money Saving Challenge 5/11

1. Mail Call was good today! I received my $20 MasterCard from mycoke.com! I will add it to my vacation fund. I also received my $10 Catalina coupon in the mail that didn't print last week. And 2 free mags that I will leaf through before putting into my Bookman's pile to trade in for credit.
   


2. I printed some great coupons from kraftfoods.com and coupons.com today. There were lots of $1.00/1 Qs good for Kraft products, the same coupons on both websites. The kraftfood website requires registration first though. (I was already a member.) Also remember you can usually print the same coupons twice, hitting the back button and refresh. Anyway, so I was able to snag 2 coupons of each coupon from each website PER computer. So I have 8 of some coupons printed!!! The ones that I am particularly excited about are the $1.00/1 Kraft BBQ (which is sometimes on sale for $1 each, so free) and also the $2/2 and $1/1 Crystal Light Coupons because Peter drinks a lot of it and we need to stock back up on Peach Tea! Go take a look and see if there are any coupons that interest you!
   


3. I also donated 2 cases of soup and extra baby food/formula from our pantry. The soup was going to expire in the next 2 months and while I could have made a crazy effort to eat it all, it didn't seem likely since we do get sick of chicken noodle and tomato soup. Quinn has been off formula and baby food for awhile, so I wanted to pass it on to someone who could use it.
   


4. Stockpile usage: Our dinner was all stockpile and super yummy! I roasted my last Turkey Breast in the oven, and made potatoes and veggies from my stockpile! And the best part... more turkey for this week!
   

I plan on working on our medical reimbursement stuff tonight, file some coupons and maybe organize some other paperwork, while watching TV.

Money Saving Challenge 5/10

Happy Mother's Day Everyone! Here is my list, all "Mother" oriented. J

1. We went to the zoo today to enjoy a nice outing with friends! We used a restaurant.com gift certificate/coupon to discount our lunch at the zoo! It saved us $10!
   


2. Our friends surprised us with a huge box of size 6 diapers. I didn't quite get the story about it, I think it was a freebie for friends of friends and was passed on to us. We haven't used this brand ever, but you can't beat 120 free diapers!
   
3. My husband brought me home an early Mother's Day gift last night, (3) $5/30 Frys Qs from the Dbacks game last night!! What a sweetie!!
   
   
4. I put together my mother's day gifts today. I ended up spending only $6 each on these fabulous gifts! (One for my mom and one for Peter's mom!) Not bad, huh? Sometimes I hate posting my costs because I don't want to insult the gift receivers, but my mom and mom-in-law know how hard I work at my deals, and how tight our budget is for allowing me to stay home with Quinn. Besides the gifts are usually pretty darn cute.
   

Money Saving Challenge 5/9

Ok so Precious has officially recruited me to her Money Saving Challenge. Her challenge revolves mostly about using only stockpile items and spending as little as possible. This is a great challenge, I am not sure if I am up to the strictest version of the idea though. So the rules for me will be to utilize at least 1 stockpile item everyday. And by this I mean, not just something in the pantry, but rather something that I have multiples of and we don't regularly use. For example, I have 4 boxes of Mac and cheese in there and I made one for lunch. I will not count this because Quinn loves it and would easily eat it everyday and I don't have a million boxes of it that I am worried about it expiring. I want my "Challenge" to actually challenge me to use some of my ignored stockpile items. In addition, I will post my list of "pat on the backs" or money savers and deals. I love reading everyone else's lists, so hopefully you will enjoy mine as well!

1. Stockpile usage: I really didn't use any today. Wow, I fail on the 1^st day! Actually Peter is out to a baseball game today/night and I had leftovers for dinner (remember mac and cheese for lunch)!
   
2. This morning I snagged a $45/100 Old Navy Coupon from their Special Coupon Site. It's not easy and takes some work. I actually was able to snag 2^nd one for a friend as well. This will essentially double my gift card (from my b-day last week!), so no unnecessary spending. In fact, as a side story, when this promo first started there were $75/100 and $50/100 coupons and they were easier to get. I was trying so hard for a $75 one because I could justify spending an extra $25 to use it. I easily could have snagged a $50 Q, but I didn't want to spend $50 at old navy in order to use it, so I passed. Plus the Qs are only good for a week, so it's not like I could have saved it for a later date.
   
3. This afternoon I spent the Old Navy Q! I ended up with 7 new shirts, a pair of shorts, a hoodie, and 2 shirts for Quinn. I attempted to get as close to $100 as possible, which was hard on the fly with an antsy toddler (ß Quinn). Plus the cashier didn't realize it meant $100 subtotal and I didn't know she wasn't looking at the subtotal, so it took 3 times and a manager to figure out why my coupon wouldn't work… in the end my subtotal was $107.xx After subtracting my $45 Q, $50 b-day gift card and $10 bonus gift card (from a Coin Star promo), my total was $6.xx! If I had scrapped one of Quinn's shirts, my total wouldn't have been closer to the $100, but what the heck, they were on clearance and cute anyway.
   
4. I snagged 2 mother's day freebies using mine and a friend's receipts from the mall. They are picture frame vases. I just need to print a Quinnie photo from Walgreens and they will be super cute! They ended up being a total deal!
   

Friday

Here is what has been happening today...

1. Great news from a bad wedding experience. I had 2 negative experiences at the Men's Warehouse while ordering and returning Peter's tux. I didn't expect anything from my complaint but I had TWO bad experiences that I felt corporate should know, and address them in some way with the store. Well, lucky me when I called to address some follow-up questions with someone from corporate, they offered me a $50 store credit. I am sure my husband can buy at least 1 shirt for $50...
2. I ordered $15 more in amazon gift cards from Swagbucks! Its totally worth using it to search vs. google!
3. I have been diligently watching www.oldnavyweekly.com to try and snag some great old navy coupons. I received an old navy gift card this week for my b-day so I would really love to double my buying power! Supposedly this week, its one per IP/Computer so no one should be able snag a ton and sell them on ebay. Hopefully its my lucky week, I have been following this deal for the past few months!
4. I faxed in paperwork to see if we can get help with our mortgage (our income has dropped a lot in the past year). It was a lot of work to gather all the figures together, because I am really not as organized as I should be. Hopefully we hear good news soon and hopefully I find some time to organize our paperwork better!
5. We are doing Happy Hour at our house tonight, firing up the grill and cooking up some hot dogs (from the safeway deal). I need to run out to the store to pick up some of the extras that we don't have in the house right now, cottage cheese, beans and beer. :-)

Help for new couponers....

I had a request while on vacation to post some definitions for some coupon terms that I use. I actually already had a button on my blog that linked to tips and coupon terms, but clearly it wasn't an obvious link if someone still had questions. Therefore I updated the graphic (is it better?) and am also highlighting the location here in this post. Right below the search box, near the top of the blog is this button...

Click this link and you will find some coupon terms defined and also some extra links that detail some general couponing tips and walgreens/cvs shopping tips. These were posted last fall, so they probably need some updating. I will try and go back and update them soon. In the mean time feel free to read what I have and ask any questions that are still not clear. I would love to improve this feature for newbies. After all, this blog is about sharing ideas and hopefully inspiring people to save money and find deals!

:-)

My Deals Today....

Ok I thought I might post a little list a-la Precious at FrugalMakesCents. What deals/money savings things have I done today! Be sure to check out Precious and her posts, she always has great ideas, I read everyday!!

1) I printed my coupons for Free KFC 2 piece meals! You can print 4 copies! Go here!

2) I called Catalina to get my $10 OYNO coupon that didn't print yesterday at Safeway. They looked up my transaction and will be sending it to me in the mail!

3) I did 2 mystery shops today, worth $32 for our vacation fund! I needed to by a potty chair for Quinn anyway, so the mystery shop was totally a bonus!

4) I ordered my free 8X10 pictures from Walgreens. Order online at Walgreens.com and use the code coupon code "Mother".

5)I Received Kashi Go Lean Waffle Qs in the mail from Vocal Point and also a book of Qs from Frys in the mail.

6) We went to Twice as nice and sold a few more things (consignment store). We found a brand new life vest for Quinn that is for 30-50 lbs! Quinn is just at 30 lbs now, so its perfect and should last awhile. It was free with our credit!

7) I have another $10 ECB expiring on my mom's card, so I plan on hitting up CVS again for 5 cases of soda again for $5 (using $1 coupons).

CVS & Safeway + Surprise Birthday Dinner!

CVS

I had to hit up CVS quickly to roll some ECBS that were about to expire! I did a pretty good job and the best part, I found some good clearance and was in and out very quickly.

Order #1

2 Colgate TP $2.99- $1 MQs

2 Orajel Toddler paste 90% off! $0.39 each

-$3.98 ECBS

Total $0.95 on a gift card.

Earned $4 ECBS

Order #2

5 Diet Coke 12 packs - $1 IPs (from mycokerewards)

-$10 ECBS

Total $5 on a gift card.

Earned $10 ECB

Safeway

I was in a super hurry running errands today, in between my husband getting home and tutoring at 5:30. Safeway wasn't too busy and the lines wasn't bad. I had my plan together, but the my $10 Living Well OYNO Q didn't print on the 1st order, and I was in too much of a hurry to deal with customer service, so I will have to call Catalina tomorrow and hope they will make it right for me.

Order #1

2 Good life dog food $4.99- $3 Ips

1 Cottonelle TP $6.49 -$.50 MQ

1 Lysol Toilet Cleaner $2- $0.50 MQ

5 BallPark Hot dogs $3- $1/2 MQ & $1 Peelie Qs

-$10 Living Well OYNO Q

Total $12.04 on a gift card

Earned $5 OYNO (ballpark) & SHOULD HAVE got another $10 Living Well.....

Order #2

2 Good Life Dog Food $4.99- $3 IPs

6 Chinet Lunch Plates - $2 MQs

1 Lysol Toilet Cleaner $2- $0.50 MQ

1 Dial Soap $1- $0.35 MQ

2 Milks $1.57 each

4 Avocados $0.68 each

Tostitos $1.99

-$5 OYNO Q

Total $15.97 on a gift card

Earned $10 OYNO (Living Well)

And then....my brother and his girlfriend showed up to deliver a special, surprise b-day dinner (Olive Garden), courtesy of my dad (although they did all the leg work). We were in Cali last week for my b-day and I did have a combo b-day party with my family last weekend (my mom and brother's b-days are super close to mine). Anyway, so this was like an extra bonus celebration. The only bummer, is I had it squeezed in between shopping and tutoring. Anyway, the 2 best things....

The cake...

Here is Quinnie eating some of my cake!!!

Print Server...

My dad gave me 2 gift cards AND.... a Print Server!!!

What is a print server, you ask? It is an awesome thingy for my couponing!!! We have 4 computers/laptops in the house with only one attached to the printer for printing coupons. I am able to take my laptops in and print with a little work, but the print server will allow me to print WIRELESSLY and EFFORTLESSLY from anywhere in the house...

I am so excited, now to see if I can hook it up myself or will have to nag my brother into helping me.

I am alive!!!!

Hi there everyone.. I admit, I am a slacker. We arrived home SUPER late friday night and have been getting back to normal over the past few days in between family events.

I ran out to the bread store today and picked up bagels and buns for a good price and also some produce at the 99 cent store. I plan on hitting safeway tomorrow at least twice to get in on the last of the $10/30 living well deal.

I will work on a summary post of our trip spending/savings also. So bear with me, while I try to get back up to speed!