Great Shopping Day!

I received several coupons and offers in the mail from different companies in the last week. I wanted to take advantage of a few of these offers to snag more Christmas presents. I needed to look for printed bath towels to make towel wraps as presents. I will post an article on what those are and how to make them soon. I made a day of shopping on Friday with a good friend. I have to share with everyone my great deals.


FREE COFFEE
She wanted to stop at McDonald's on our way out, and there was a sign stating Free Small (12 oz) coffee for the month of December. We were thrilled and we each got one, and she bought a breakfast sandwich. I'm not much of a breakfast person. She only spent $1.52 for her sandwich. That was a great way to start off my morning. This offer is good for the whole month of December!

ROSS DEALS
My friend wanted to hit Ross to look for her Christmas presents. I went to the towel section. I did find a really cute girly pink and other pastel stripe towel for my project. I ended up putting it back since I wasn't sure about paying $5.99 for the towel. That was actually a great price for printed towels. Oh well. Live and learn.

I did find a pair of Dockers brand shoe style slippers for my husband's grandfather. The best part was they were marked down to $6.99! That was the cheapest price I have seen including Black Friday. I found the last pair in black in his size. I also found a bamboo remote caddy to replace mine for $7.99 which is a present for us. The caddy I currently have is being held together by tape. I know pathetic. I also found a great deal for my hubby. He needs a new wallet and is always needing new belts. They had a package deal for both for $12! Both are Dockers and leather so I'm thrilled to have 2 presents for the price of one. I usually pay $15 for his wallet so it was like getting the belt for free. This was the most I spent all day for a total of $30.

TARGET DEAL
I had printed out a coupon to receive a $10 gift card when you spent $50. I did find several things at the dollar hot spot area for stocking stuffers and extras for some of my gifts. I had a $10 gift card to use when I redeemed my rewards. I spent exactly $10.66 so I had to pay the 66 cents out of pocket. I was thrilled to get some more goodies for basically nothing. Since I couldn't find any towels or bigger items, then I decided to hand my coupon to the lady behind me. She had lots of toys and was so excited that I gave her the coupon. I wasn't coming back and hated to throw it out so I did a kindness by paying it forward. She hadn't heard about this deal so she was so excited to receive the $10 gift card for free. I responded with a Merry Christmas and left her all smiles. I was glad I could help someone else save money, and it does feel good to do random acts of kindness.

BED, BATH, & BEYOND DEAL
I had a $5 off coupon when you spend $15 or more. I found a mini-flashlight for my son's stocking which was $5. He is always begging to use a big flashlight but mostly wants one for bed at night. I know this will make him happy. Again I couldn't find any towels for my project, but I did find a six pack of washcloths. I always need them and seem to lose them. These were on sale for $12 and so super soft. I hate buying the cheap thin ones as they are so rough to use on my face. I'm glad I spent the extra money as I used one last night. These cloths are wonderful to use when I take off my makeup and especially my eye makeup. You know what, I'm definitely worth it. I spent $14 after coupon. My son's stocking stuffer was free and just paid for the washcloths.

BURGER KING DEAL
We ate lunch at Burger King to take advantage of the BOGO deal on Whoppers. We each bought a small soft drink. We split the cost on the whopper and we spent $3 each with tax. We didn't buy any fries. I had a coupon deal for Auntie Ann in the mall and I knew we would be eating a pretzel there so I saved room for it. That deal cost us less than $3 each as well as it was a BOGO coupon. I had a bottle of water with me for both of us. I hate spending almost $2 on a bottle when I can pack a small ice chest for the road.

VICTORIA'S SECRET DEAL
I'm especially thrilled with this deal. I picked up a pack of four smaller sized lotions. It was marked $18 but rang up $10. I had my $10 off any regular priced purchase so I paid $0.87 cents! I had no idea as I really thought it was priced $18. I'm not sure if I am going to give this as set or take out the bottles to make 4 presents. I'm thinking the latter as teacher gifts. My son has 4 teachers and the teacher aide. I love giving them a little something to show my appreciation. I feel this was my best deal of the day!

TOWELS
I finally found a leopard print towel at Kmart for $7 which wasn't too bad. I also found a wonderful wrist watch for my mom. She had a very specific type in mind and it was the only watch I found for what she wanted. I found the other towel for my project marked $9! I know that towel was much more than I wanted to spend, but it is perfect for the recipients of this project. I bought the bias tape at Hancock's fabric store and spent $3 with tax for two packs. I wasn't expecting it to be so cheap but they were on sale. I will break down the prices on that project and all the details in my other post soon.

Total for the day was around $75! I used the money I received in rewards to pay for my purchases. I didn't spend a dime of my money on any of these purchases. I spent $5 on food for a grand total of $80. I didn't count the cost of gas, but I don't do have many shopping excursions. I do most of my gift buying online. I was happy to get items and use coupons to save more money. I have a very gas efficient car which gets averages 37-38 miles to the gallon. I had a full tank and only used a quarter of a tank for the whole day including going to the town and coming home which is 50 miles round trip. I had a really fun day with my friend shopping and saving money. You can't put a price on a shopping day with the girls.

50 Free Spooktacular Disney Movie Rewards Bonus Points

Today is the last day to redeem your 50 Halloween points for the Disney Movie Rewards program. Here are the 5 codes to enter:

PUMPKIN 10pts
SCARY 10pts
BOO 10 pts
AUTUMN 10 pts
HOOK 10 pts

Just remember these free "BOO"nus points ends today on October 16th so hurry before they RIP! I have embedded the new Monster Mash video for the Spooky Buddies DVD. Very cute.

Save More with FindSavings.com

I love shopping online while sitting comfortably in my house. I save money by not having to drive from store and store, and there are no big crowds to fight. What I like most about online shopping is finding great coupon codes for a percentage off, free shipping, or both. Find Savings is a great website that has the newest coupon codes listed for your favorite online merchants. The site has a great variety of stores with over 400 merchants listed. I really love the different search options that is available. You can search either by merchant, category like Toys and Games, or by the type of coupon code. I can search for free shipping codes, dollar off amount, a percentage amount, and many other options. I find the site is very easy to navigate and well laid out.

As I was searching the site to get some holiday shopping done, I came across an offer for free shipping at Disney Shopping website. When I clicked on redeem this offer, it opened a whole window. I love this since I won't lose my place on the site. Another store I love to shop is Target. There are many offers available right now including free shipping. Another great feature of this site is it shows the expiration date of the offer. So many coupon sites don't put list the expiration date. You never know if it's a current offer or not.

FindSavings.com is a valuable tool for your online shopping to get the best deals possible. You can also snag some great deals that will be ending soon by checking out their list of expiring coupons. I saw some great offers for airline and hotel deals. This is great if you are planning on doing any traveling this holiday season. Don't miss out on another great deal, and check out all your favorite stores today.

Walgreens $10/40 Coupon Friday & Saturday!

I just got this great $10 off $40 coupon at Walgreens. The coupon is good for Friday, August 29th and Saturday, August 30th only. This is coupon is only good in the store. So use it to stock up on some great deals.

Walgreens Coupon

Have You Ever Noticed?

I think people who use coupons regularly will understand this post, but have you ever noticed that certain people will give you a strange look when you discuss a great deal you got. I noticed this recently with a relative. I thought I must have had 2 heads or something. I totally respect that using coupons, or combining the sales with coupons and rebates is not for everyone. It really doesn't take me that much time to go thru the sales papers and clip coupons each Sunday. But please don't look at me as if I'm an alien. I swear I'm not the only who uses them.

More Great CVS Savings

I decided to stop at CVS yesterday since I got some good cash register receipt coupons. I also found a rain check from two years ago. That's the great thing about their rain checks is that they never expire. You gotta love it. Mine were for Schick Quattro Razors for men and I had a quantity of four. I didn't have any coupons, but it did have a $5 ECB when you buy one. Well the check was for $1.99 each! I was able to get all four, and I got the $5 ECB. I got four razors for $3.xx! I also had coupons for a Tylenol 10ct vial and a Fusion Shaving cream. I did have $1 coupons for both. I also got a couple more boxes of Puffs tissues.

Fusion: $3.49- $3.00 coupons= $0.49
2 Puffs: $1.76- $.50 cents coupons= $1.26
4 Quattro Razors- $7.96- $7 ECB (I had this amount)= $0.96
Tylenol: $2.49- $2.50 coupons= penny overage
Grand Total with tax: $3.12!!!

I got $5 ECB from the razors. I saved a total of $45 with sales and coupons. I just can't say it enough. I LOVE CVS!

TMR Frugal Living Tip #25

Today's thrifty tip is to call companies of products you either love or had an issue. I have a few favorite items, and I do call the company every few months to rave about the product or pass on some suggestions. I always ask to be placed on a mailing list or about coupons. Most will just give you some coupons just for calling. Some won't give anything but that is a small percentage. If you do have a complaint, then just be courteous but let them know your disappoint. Some companies will ask to have it mailed back if it's a defect. So don't throw it out just yet. I always get either a refund check or a free item coupon when this occurs. This is another great way to get great coupons for the things you use anyway.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #24

Today's thrifty tip is bring your samples on vacation. Why carry all those full size containers of toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, shaving cream, shampoo, and such? It would be much easier to bring the smaller travel size samples. Unless you have a coupon to make it either free or under 50 cents, then don't buy the travel size items in the store. Just spend a little time daily requesting free samples. You also get great coupons that you can buy again for later. Some coupons do have the wordking not good on travel or certain size items so do read the fine print. If you bring the smaller items, then you will have more room for your souvenirs.

My Freebies for the Week

I went yesterday to do my weekly big 3 shopping. Yep each week I hit Rite-Aid, Walgreens, and CVS to get the weekly deals.

First Stop- Rite-Aid:
1 Crest Whitening w/ Scope [$3.19] -75 cent coupon

Total- $2.65 w/ tax
I'm getting $3.19 back with rebate so free and made a 54 cent profit!

Second Stop- Walgreens:
Cheerios [$1.99] -$1 coupon (printable)
Pert Plus [$3.79] -$2 coupon

Total- $3.00 w/ tax
I'm getting $3.79 back from Walgreens FAR so I made a $2.00 profit. If you have that TMF rebate you can get even more. I already did one.

Final Stop- CVS:
2 Glade Air Fresheners [$1.76] -88 cents BOGO coupon
2 Puff Tissues [$1.76] -50 cent coupons (2x 25cent)
4 Crest Whitening Toothpaste [$7.96] -$4 ECB & -$2 coupons (2x $1)
Dove SkinVitalizer [$9.99] -$3 ECB & -$3.50 coupon
6 L'Oreal Vive Shampoo [$20] -$9.99 x3 BOGO coupons -$6 coupons (6x $1)
Colossal Express Mascara [$4.99] -$2 ECB -$1 coupon
Infusium Family Size Shampoo [$5.99] -$3 coupon
2 Intuition Razors [$7.98 ($3.99 raincheck)] -$6 coupons ($3x 2)

Total- $14.65 w/ tax
I also had a $5/30 CVS receipt coupon I used. None of the items were free but they were very cheap after coupons and ECB's. I used all my ECB's this trip since I wanted the lowest out of pocket cost.

Today's Shopping Trip

I went shopping today to grab all the deals for this week. I first went to Rite-Aid and bought the Garnier Shine and had a $1 off coupon. So total was $3.25 and I am getting back $3.99 with rebate.

Then I went to Walgreens and bought the Airwick Flameless Candle and Glade Scent Candle. I paid $6.46 with tax and I'm getting back $4 in rebates so total is $2.46 for both items. That was 99 cents each. I also bought 3 Glade refill candles for $2.45 after rebate and coupon. They had 2 of them on clearance for $1 and I got one free with that coupon. I like to give the Trio candles as presents to the lady that delivers my mail and such.

I went to CVS and got the following:
2 Trident gum
2 Colgate Total toothpaste
4 Herbal Essence Shampoos (they have one that I can't get anywhere else)
2 Bic Soleil Razors
1 Schick Intuition Razor (have rain check from last sale)

I used $15.74 in coupons and 9.79 in ECB's so grand total was $6.42! I spent $16.13 total on everything and I'm getting $7.99 back in rebates for a grand grand total of $8.14 for all of it! The razors are going to be part of those Christmas gift bags. I also had to do some Wal-Mart shopping and bought 5 Skintimate Shaving creams that were $1.47 each and after $1 coupons I got them for $2.54 with tax. Those will also go in the gift bags. I missed that sale when they were $1.74 each and I think that was Walgreens. I don't know how I missed it, but this is still good. My nieces love the smaller ones to use when they sleep at a friend's house.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #19

Today's thrifty tip is to use hair conditioner instead of shaving cream. Personally I don't like doing this, but I will if I'm in a pinch. I really prefer to use shaving cream. I never pay more than $1 a can. I usually get them free or for 50 cents after sale and coupon. I also don't use hair conditioner. I mainly buy the shampoo that already has it or is a very thick one like the L'Oreal Vive.

Rite-Aid Rebates

I must say that I love doing the Rite-Aid rebates. My only real disappointment is that my store rarely has the advertised items in stock so I can't always get the free items. I did get my check for July today and I requested it the last week of July. It was shipped on the 4th of this month so that is very fast processing. I wished Walgreens would implement an online rebate redemption system like RA. My check was for $29.32! I spent $32.xx this past week on the great FAR items. I have $27.95 pending already for the month. I saved an extra $12 in coupons. I got a free can of Old Spice shaving cream since the razors had a peelie. That was a nice freebie I wasn't expecting.

Thanks to 1stopmom for letting me know that I can now enter my receipts online to Walgreens. I knew there were testing this, in select areas, but no clue it was open for everyone. I was able to put in one yesterday and saved it. I will report back when I'm ready to fully submit it. Thanks again my readers. You guys rock!

Buying for Charity

I know I've posted before about how I give away some of the great deals I find to charity. But I came across a great blog called Coupon Cravings. She had this great giveaway about how much could you buy at CVS for just $5 for charity. I wanted to post about it earlier, but I was kinda busy so it ended before I could.

I think this is an awesome idea so it inspired me today. I already had plans to get the Pert Plus shampoo and Sure deodorant that is B1G1F this week. I bought 18 bottles of Pert Plus and 6 Sure and my grand total was a -.63! I had to buy a candy to get my total over 0, and it was a whopping 20 cents! I have NEVER done that well before. I normally have a $1 or right around a dollar total or higher. I was psyched! I promise I didn't clear the shelves and left plenty for other shoppers so please no nasty comments. This was $85 worth of items before sale prices for FREE! I didn't post this to brag, but to show that a lot of good can be done getting these great deals. If I gave the shelter $20 then that money wouldn't go very far. Instead I can take that same $20 and buy $100 or more of items to give to them.

Get Shoes.com Coupons

I love Shoes.com and they have some of the best deals online. They also provide Free Shipping and No Tax! It's hard to beat that plus they always have some sort of discount available. I have bought several pairs of shoes from this site, and I always get my order promptly. They are having a great Back to School sale right now. There are several Shoes.com coupons available right now for even greater savings. This Saturday they are having a 75% off sale on August 9th so don't miss out on all the great deals. Don't forget to use your coupon.

I have been doing a lot more shopping online with the gas prices being so expensive. I'm trying to save as much as I can on my purchases. The kids need so much for school like clothes, shoes, backpacks, supplies, among other things. So why waste all that gas going from store to store? It's much easier to shop anytime day or night, and you can even shop in your pajamas if you prefer. The online stores are offering so many great online coupons and even free shipping! With all the money you save, then you can use your money for other things, like filling your gas tank.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #5

Today's TMR tip is to clip coupons. I know some people don't have time or I don't use that brand. If you really want to save on brands that you already use then you should be clipping. Even organic coupons are more available than in the past. I admit I don't use a lot of coupons for food but where I really save is on our health/beauty items and OTC meds. I already wrote an article about it and rebates so copy/paste the link if interested.


http://www.thriftymommaramblings.com/2008/06/rebate-coupon-chat.html

Get Your Free Coke Zero Coupon Today!

Get a FREE Coke Zero Coupon from Mycokerewards dot com. If you aren't a member then sign-up for a free account. Once you are in then click on rewards/sweeps and then by points by 25 and lower. Then finally click down 4 times and you should see Coke Zero 400 Free Coke Zero 20 oz for 0 points so click on it to redeem your coupon. It says should receive in 2 weeks when you get the email. Click on the link below and this is 1 per account and good until July 14th!

Click Here for the Coke Zero Coupon!

Second Week of July- More Great Shopping!

This has already been another great week of shopping all the great sales! I mainly shop the drug stores each week. I also snagged an awesome deal at Wal-Mart with a set of Speed Racer twin sheets. They weren't marked but rang up at $7! I got the last set at my store. I also got the matching comforter for $18 so a total of $25 for bedding is fantastic. Here are my deals for today.

Rite-Aid I spent $23.16 and am getting back $17 in rebates so I spent $6.16 for all this (once I get my check).

2 Herbal Essence Shampoos
1 Gilette Clinical Deodorant
1 Infusium Shampoo
1 Pro-Health Toothpaste and Mouthwash
1 Venus Razor

Then we went to CVS and got the following:

4 Bic Soliel Razors & Cartridge Refills (8 $4 coupons)
2 Olay Ribbons Body Wash (2 $2 coupons)
1 Olay Face Wash ($1 coupon)
1 Olay Moisturizer ($1 coupon)
2 Febreeze Fabric Spray (2 $1 coupons)
3 Febreeze Air Effects (2 free) & 50 cent coupon
1 Febreeze Candle ($1 coupon)
1 Febreeze Oil Warmer (got free with a coupon I requested a couple of months ago)

I spent almost $20 with tax for all of it and I still have $12 in ECB's to use. The most expensive stuff was the Febreeze and Olay. I got the face wash and moisturizer for me and the body wash will also go in the gift baskets. The bottles were huge and my sil will love them.

Picture Of My CVS Deals

Here is a picture of all the stuff I got for $15. I forgot to take one and I had it all lined up for hubby to see when he got home. He was impressed how little I paid for all of it. Over half of it was for stuff to put in my gift baskets.

First Week of July- Great Shopping Day!

I already know I've had a post titled I love CVS but I really do love that store! I did most of the monthly deals and some of the weekly ones today. I saved a lot of money and am keeping a few items to put in my gift baskets I make for Christmas. I still need to get the Bic Soliel Razors monthly deal but my coupons haven't come in yet. They are well stocked at the moment so hoping that lasts. I also got some stuff at Rite-Aid today. I did 3 transactions at CVS.

Rite-Aid
1 Degree Clinical Deodorant- $6.99
2 RA boxes of Dryer Sheets (B1G1F) $3.19
1 Pert Plus (25% more bottle)- $2.50
1 Pert Plus Botanical- $2.50
1 Gum- 99 cents
1 Softsoap- $2.99

Coupons:
$1 Softsoap
$2 Pert Plus
$3 Pert Plus
$2 Degree
Total $8 in coupons

Grand Total with tax- $12.79 and I'm getting back $6 in Rebates from RA and $2.50 TMF Pert Plus Rebate so then grand total is $4.29! Not too shabby and I really needed dryer sheets and these were the huge 100 count ones! I would have bought more but these were the last 2 in the store. They were also out of the Dove Clinical and Oxy Freebies. Oh well.

Then I headed to CVS for the deals. I won't post them like above since it's too many to list but I will say I got the Free Liners, Tampons, 6 of the Sure Deodorants, 8 Softsoap bottles (B1G1F), 2 Coppertone Baby Sticks, Swiffer Duster and Refill, Right Guard Clinical Deo, and Vaseline Lotion. I got all of these items for $15! I am getting back a $2.89 rebate for the Sure. The total after the rebate for $12.11 and I have almost $23.49 in ECB's. I still need the Bic razors/refills and the CVS brand Face Wipes which I have a $2 beauty coupon to print. The coupon is too huge so I need to work on that later today. Once I get my rebates back then I spent less than $20 for all this stuff. I mostly spent money on the Softsoap body washes but these make great additions to my gift baskets. I spend around $5 per person and I give 6 of these away each year. I usually donate the extras to either the women's shelter or my Church.

I could have gotten my $12 total down to under $2 if I had used another $10 ECB but I wasn't thinking. I am still proud of how I did even with the extra $10 upfront. I still have it but just in the form on an ECB but I really like rolling the old ones into new ones. Share your totals and deals. I would love to hear about them.

Great Freebie Site!

I have recently found a great freebie site called Free Stuff. They have featured freebies daily that change. Some of them are from Walmart but some aren't. You can check freebies by a certain category and even post some great coupons to print. You should check them out by clicking on the link.