Picked up an extra paper yesterday - only 2 of my three landed on my doorstep - now to get all the coupons clipped and organized!! This might take two nights - back to school tomorrow and I need my sleep!!

P&G insert!

It looks like this weekend the P&G insert will be out!! Make sure to get a few papers so you can stock up on these great coupons!

Another Double Coupon Success!

This week was such a good example of why it pays (literally) to clip, organize and save your coupons for a good sale. Last week General Mills had a coupon insert out, this usually comes out once a month. This week, Coborn's had a special General Mills sale where they marked down the price on many products AND offered a $5 coupon off of the purchase of 10 products. Not only is this a good deal in and of its self, but I was able to match many of my own coupons with the products offered in this deal. I waited until double coupon Saturday and really cashed in! For example:
Fiber One bars were reduced to $2.49 (normally close to $4)
With Coborn's $5 coupon 50 cents was taken off that price so they were $1.99
Then I used a 75 cent manufacturer coupon that was doubled to $1.50 and I only paid 49 cents for a box of Fiber One bars!
Total before coupon deals was $44, I only spent $26!!! Great deal day :-)

Who wants to win 21 coupon inserts????

Check out this blogger's post, vote and post to her post that you voted and you could win 21 coupon inserts!!!!
Who wants to win 21 coupon inserts????

Sunday Funday of Savings!

I stopped at Office Max today to mail some items and cash in on their composition notebooks that were 25 cents and folders that were only 1 cent each! There is a limit on both of these items....but I might stop by each day this week to get 5 comp. notebooks as I love to give these to my students every year for journals! I signed up for their teacher rewards program and ended up saving $7 total on my mailing, folders and notebooks!

Next stop was Once Upon a Child to drop off toys from AJ's room cleaning extravaganza last week. When I came back to check on my items I was given $15! I then found about $37 in clothes for the kids, with my $15 credit and a previous $7 credit I only had to pay $15 for 9 like-new items for back to school!

I then "had" to swing through Crafts Direct to get a few things for a project I wanted to do at home and pick up the two things I needed to finish wedding projects. Everything I bought was on sale and I ended up earning a $10 credit for my next trip there! Right now everything in their outlet store is 30% off - check it out, especially if you like jewelry - I found some fun things for my bridesmaids bouquets!

Double Coupon Success

Successful couponing day at Coborn's! It was double coupon Saturday and their Penny Pincher book came out this week.
My favorite deal was the Country Heath bread.
Coborn's coupon for $1.74 and manufacturer coupon for $.55 that was doubled to $1.10! I was able to get that deal on both loaves of bread!!
Second favorite deal was the chicken. On sale for $8.99, coupon for $1.00 that was doubled to $2.00!

Have a few penny pinchers I have not used yet, waiting to see if there are any manufacturer match ups in tomorrow's newspaper!

Thomas Trains

Do you have a Thomas fan? I found a bunch of trains in AJ's donate pile of toys. Here's a list of what is available. Message me here or on facebook if you are interested. First come, first serve. Posting whatever is left on Monday to eBay :) All trains are made of wood (unless listed as die-cast) with magnets on their ends to connect trains together.

Molly's Tender - $3
James' Tender - $3
Rocky's Front Car - $3
Rocky's Front Car - $4
Holiday Caboose - $4 (die-cast) snow flocked
Thomas - $5 (die-cast)
James - $5 (die-cast)
Winter Thomas - $5 (die-cast) flocked in snow
Musical Caboose - $4
Alfie - $5
Chinese Dragon $5
Percy - $5
Lady - die-cast/battery operated $6
Purple & black passenger car - no name - $3.00
Yellow & black passenger car - no name - $3.00

Will sell the set for $45

Photo Book Deal

I wanted to put together a small photo book fro Drew that included pictures from her Harry Potter birthday party. I went to Walgreens last night to put together the book and then started looking for a deal. I get weekly emails from Walgreens that include special online deals so my first stop was gmail. In checking my email I see that Walgreens is having a special on photo prices all week! Each day there is a new deal so I decided to wait out the week to see if the photo books would be on sale. This morning they were 60% off! Wahoo, I was able to put together super cute book for her and only paid $2.99 plus shipping :-) Check out the deal, today only, by entering BRAGABOUT at checkout!

How I bought $20 of school supplies for only $5!!

Oh the poor kid working late at Wags who was so kind to actually be patient with my three transactions this night and extreme excitement over how much I saved in the end. I made sure to go late at night (this is easy when no one is home for me) so I wouldn't hold anyone up in line.

Transaction 1
Gillette Fusion Razor (yes, I have many of these now)
on sale for $9.99, used $4.00 coupon and received $4.00 in Register Rewards

Transaction 2
1 Purex Laundry Detergent (on sale $1.99, had $1.00 coupon!)
2 Crayola Paint sets (2 for $3.00 with Wags coupon)
1 Cool School Box ($0.59!)
total spent $4.99, total saved $10.28!

Transaction 3
6 folders (wags coupon - 6/$1.00)
2 bookcovers (wags coupon - 69 cents ea)
3 pencil Sharpeners (wags coupon - 39 cents ea)
1 Sharpie Highlighter Pack (99 cents)
2 packs of pencils ($.45 ea on sale)
1 pack of crayons ($.79 on sale)
2 rulers ($.19 ea on sale)
4 expo marker packs (sale price 99 cents + 2 coupons for $1.00 off with purchase of 2)
Used $4.00 Register Reward

total spent $3.45, total saved with sales, coupons and rewards $34.42!!!!!!!

Add in one of the crayola paint sets I was able to get for $1.50 and I only spent $4.95!! I will be dropping off the supplies at TruStone Financial in St. Cloud. They are giving away free tickets to the new aquarium at MOA for donations :)

I gotta say - I am pretty excited with what I was able to accomplish! I seriously love Walgreens!

Unique at a Great Price

My friend Kelli has her own online jewelery boutique! Check it out before September 5th to take advantage of her back to school special on all jewelry!

Kelli's Unique Boutique <---- Click Here, Kelli's site has also been added to my favorites ---->

A challenge for you!

I was looking at the kid's school supply lists and realized that I am done getting them ready for the new school year. But there are still so many great deals and I am a big nerd who loves shopping for school supplies. So....I thought of a challenge and I am hoping to encourage some of you to participate.

Here it is, take $5 and see how many school supplies you can get with only that $5 (it's okay if tax takes it a little over). If your kids (like mine) already have their supplies, donate the school supplies you buy to any of the many local organizations that are doing school supply drives!! I will post my list here and encourage you to do the same! Let's see how far $5 can go to make a difference!

My Binder

Ahh...my coupon binder! I recently reorganized my binder and love the new system!!

The first thing I did was go to The Krazy Coupon Lady website and downloaded her binder pages. When you visit her page, scroll down and look on the right hand side for downloads. I printed the file in black and white to save on ink. Each page of the binder is put in a protective sleeve, with a table of contents at the front. This also includes my name and number in case I ever GASP left my baby behind :)
The last four sections are reserved for the stores I shop the most; Target, Walgreens, Cash Wise and Coborn's. All of these stores have their coupons either online or in newspaper inserts so it is nice to have a separate area for these coupons.

Each section of my binder is separated by a sheet listing what is in that section. I combined some together since I knew I would not have tons of coupons for those categories each week.

Behind each section label is a baseball card holder for the coupons that match up with that category! This makes it so easy to quickly find coupons that match up with sales in various stores!

For the four main stores I shop at, I also have separate dividers and baseball card holders. When I am planning a trip to one of these stores, I put my shopping list with coupons I plan to use in the sheet protector. Then if I find other great sales, I still have my binder there where I can quickly look and find other coupons to add to the list that day!

Finally I have the coupon policies printed for Cash Wise, Coborn's Walgreens, Target and WalMart. I have only had a problem at WalMart, and did not even have to pull out the policy for it to be resolved but I feel better having it on hand when I go shop. The more extreme I get, the more I know I will want to have those policies with me!

It took me about 3 hours to organize my binder in this new system last week. I had to transfer all my coupons from my previous system and put everything in page protectors. This week I could not believe how easy it was to clip and organize my coupons!! Now when I get a chance I will scan the ads, pick out the coupons I want and get shopping!

How do you organize your coupons?

Inserts and Subscriptions

One great way to save is stock up on the coupon inserts that arrive in your weekly Sunday paper. Now you could just buy the paper each week at your local gas station or supermarket, I've done this several times especially when the P&G inserts are out - I usually buy 3 papers that week :)

However, to be a true penny pincher you will want to get subscription to one or more papers. This allows you to get the paper at a discounted price and it is delivered right to your door! I have had a subscription the St. Cloud Times for about a year and have been very happy with the coupons I get every week. On the first Sunday of each month I go to the store and buy and extra copy and usually the Star Tribune so I can really stack up on the coupons.

I've been looking for a great deal so that I could get additional newspaper subsciptions. I lucked out at the Benton County Fair today! The St. Cloud Times was there and I was able to add a second subscription at the same deal price I already had through them AND I was able to get an excellent deal on 26 weeks of the Star Tribune!!

Starting next week I will have three subscriptions delivered right to my door! Woot! Bring on the coupons baby!!!

How many newspapers do you get every week?

Tanga Contest

Alng with great deals, Tanga has many contests. There latest is for a $250 spa finder gift card!! Check it out by clicking here

Walgreens, Cash Wise and Coborn's - oh my!

I did a quick 90 minute power shopping trip to three stores today. Added some stuff to my stockpile and loaded up on tons of groceries for our family!

Walgreens-Two Transactions

1 Proglide Razor, on sale for $9.99 - had coupon for $4.00 off
1 Aveeno Naturals Lotion, 25% off - had coupon for $2.00 off
Received $4 Register Reward (I was hoping the Aveeno qualified for a $5 RR but I read the ad wrong:-P)
total spent $25.01, total saved $9.00 plus $4.00 register reward for second transaction

2 Gillette Men's Body Wash (B1G1 50% off) - had (2) $2.00 coupons
3 Dawn Dish Soap - on sale for $0.99 had (3) $0.50 coupons
2 Kotex Tampons - on sale for 2/$7.00, had one $2.00 and one $1.00 coupon
1 Birthday Card
1 Birthday Bag
used $4.00 Register Reward
total spent $15.87, total saved $21.98!!

Coborn's Double Coupon Days and Meat Sale!!
Bought 5 packages of chicken, roast and hamburger for $25
And used coupons (all were doubled!) on chicken, qTips, toothpaste, Cheez Its and General Mills cereal!
total spent $37.82, total saved $17.28!

Cash Wise Coupon Book Sale!
I used the advertised discounts in the Cash Wise coupon book and was able to match up the store coupons with a few manufacturer coupons!
2 boxes of spaghetti
2 jars of spaghetti sauce
5 boxes of Little Debbie snacks
1 Gallon of Chocolate Milk
1 Gallon of Skim Milk
3 pounds of hamburger
1 box of Waffles
3 boxes of Kleenex
2 Jars of Jelly
3 Jars of Peanut Butter
2 Gallons of Grape Juice
1 Fruit Juice pouches
I listed my items here because I think the amount of food I was able to get for my family for only $47.85 was awesome!!

total spent $47.85, total saved $18.39

Today's Stats: Spent - $126.54 and saved $66.65. Considering that is at least a tank and half of gas in my car....I'm pleased with the results. We were also able to stock up on a bunch of protein at great prices which means many meals are covered for the next few weeks!

Planning

To be a successful couponer, you need to work in some planning time. Honestly, I spend anywhere from 2-4 hours a week going through ads, cutting coupons and organizing shopping trips. For the amount I save, it is worth it for me and my family and our budget! I've never been able to sit still and watch TV anyway so I usually do my couponing while watching TV or while the kids are busy with the Wii or other activities.

Tonight I have spent about an hour planning for three trips tomorrow: Cash Wise, Coborn's and Walgreens.
I received a special coupon book from Cash Wise so I cut out the ones I will use and since these are store coupons, I went on a search for any manufacturer coupons that I could match up.
Coborn's has double coupon days on Saturday (they will match any coupon up to $1.00) I'm excited that I have a few $1.00 coupons that I will be able to double to $2.00. To maximize my savings I am using coupons that can be doubled and only on items that are already on sale! F

Finally we needed some floss for the kids...so I am planning a trip to Walgreens. Since I bought three papers this week I have many duplicate coupons that I used on Sunday (see 7/31/11 post) so I will be cashing in on these deals and getting enough back in Register Rewards to get the floss (that sadly do not have a coupon for) for FREE.

Of course I will post my savings success tomorrow on my blog! Do you spend time planning, clipping and plotting? Share your stories here....I can't be the only one...can I?

Friday Fun!

Often when we think of saving we often think of coupons and grocery stores. However there are deals everywhere, and with a little planning you will never pay full price for anything!
Today we stopped at Dunham's Sports in Waite Park to pick up bike helmets and wrist guards (those of you who know me well, know why I need the wrist guards..lol)

I have previously signed up for Dunham's email list so I receive weekly 20% off coupons.
Tip: Set up an email just for your coupons and special offers, this way it won't overload your regular mail box and you can access deals when you need them.
We were able to find bike helmets for both Adam and I, wrist guards for me and a few bike accessories for Adam. With my 20% discount coupon I purchased my helmet which was reduced from $24.99 to $19.99. With my coupon is was only $15.99!

Since we could only use the coupon on one item, Adam did a separate transaction and used his hospital discount to buy the other helmet, wrist guards, bike pedals, repair kit, and water bottle. With 10% off each item we saved $5.00 more dollars.

Not the biggest savings I have seen but every little bit counts when you are determined to never pay full price for anything :-) Make sure to see if your employer offers discounts to area businesses. We are able to get discounts at movies, restaurants and even our wedding reception venue just because Adam works at the hospital. Many employers have this programs - take advantage of the savings!! They add up!!!! Our family has easily saved at least $200+ this year and that is money we can certainly use for other essentials.

Ooh Pretty!

I really needed (well, okay wanted) a manicure and pedicure today. Although I can do this myself, I always wreck one of my nails within minutes. After a not so fabulous $30 pedicure at one of the local salons a few weeks ago I decided to go the cheaper route. I figure if it was going to chip I should spend much less money.
I decided to go to Regency Beauty Institute in Waite Park. I was treated to a wonderful mani/pedi from a lovely lady who did an amazing job!! Not only did it only cost $27 total, they send you home with a full bottle of the OPI Nail Polish used on fingers AND toes. Many of you girls know that these bottles are $8 a piece so this was most definitely a GREAT deal. Even better? I love how pretty my fingers and toes look :-)
Next time you need a day of pretty, check them out!

More Inspiration

I recently finished reading a great book by Joanie Demer and Heather Wheeler called Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey ! I've followed the Krazy Coupon Lady on Facebook for the last few months. Much like Pocket Your Dollars which I mentioned in a previous post, The Krazy Coupon Lady lists deals, coupons on tips for saving money. For those just getting started in couponing, to those who want to become extreme, this book is an excellent resource. I was able to get the first copy from our local library and devoured the book in a few days. After reading the book, I have reorganized my coupon binder (I <3 my coupon binder) and will be taking a slightly different approach to weekly shopping trips. I promise to keep sharing my successes with you! Head to your local library, or favorite bookstore to pick up your copy today!

Free Sample

Check out this free Kashi sample: Click Here
get yours while they are still available!

Inspiration

I did not become a deal-getter extrodinare over night. I had some inspiration from various websites and people!! My number one help/inspiration has been Carrie Rocha who runs the Pocket Your Dollars blog. She does a great job of listing amazing deals in Minnesota and each weeks matches up sales at local stores with recent newspaper and online coupons. Additionally her site offers great advice on how to get out of debt and STAY out of debt. Check her out and make sure to "like" her facebook page as she does an excellent job of posting daily deals!

Enjoy! I'll share more tomorrow :) Thank you to everyone who has visited so far, feel free to leave comments, ask questions or tell me I'm awesome ;)

Online Deal

No shopping today - I am at the Education Minnesota Summer Seminar having a wonderful time getting excited for the new school year.
Although I did not shop today I scored a GREAT online deal last night. Tanga is one of my favorite sites because they have totally random cheap products. Those of you have seen my Save the Earth - It's Where They Keep The Chocolate shirt....that is thanks to Tanga. If you sign up for the emails you will get one daily email (usually around 10:00pm) with six deals. Last night I couldn't resist this shirt. It was only $5.99 plus $1.99 for shipping! I also purchased a stock market board game a few weeks ago which should be here any day now. It was FREE with $4.99 shipping - again, not bad.
What were your deals today?