Choose the Rite...

Last week was a GrEaT week at Rite-Aid. I stocked up on lots of stuff I didn't particularly need--but it was near free. But the real bonus was all the Up-Rewards. I LOVE them!! They are the first thing that I look for in the ad because they are an aMaZiNg way to save loads of cash.

So last week Nivea was on sale. When you buy $100 in Nivea products, you got a $40 Up-Reward back. That's 40% off. So I immediately went to ebay and ordered the coupons for $2 off each product. The catch in the sale was that for every two products purchased, you received the third one free. But you are allowed to use a coupon for each item purchased, so that meant I could use a coupon even on the free items. So in conjunction with all my awesome Nivea products, I purchased lots of packs of Stayfree with Buy One, Get One Free coupons and received $2 Up-Rewards for every two purchased, and got my Crest toothpaste for free.

I spent $49 in 4 transactions using coupons, and went home with $48 in Up-Rewards. Ahhh... It may not seem so impressive having to shell out some greenbacks--but I made my money back, almost to the dollar, and I have LOADS of fabulous Rite-Aid bags with very expensive products just waiting to be put away.

I wasn't overly impressed with this week's ad, but they have a $10 Up-Reward on Tide detergent and Bounce dryer sheets for every $30 spent. Now if I add a few other items (like $18 worth to be exact), I could pay for it all with my current Up-Rewards and not be out any money, and I would still get a new $10 Up-Reward to use on another purchase later. This is called rolling in coupon lingo. You use the previous register coupons to pay for new transactions like cash. AND--I could get even more products on my sale if I were to use any coupons for the Tide, Bounce, and other products included in the promo!

Extreme Savings!

I had to chuckle when I got home from Albertsons' last night to find my kids glued to TLC's Extreme Couponing on TV. I told them to come help me carry the groceries in and I'd show them what I got for only $1.10! They jumped right off the couch to see what I got.

I wandered around the store last night waiting to be inspired on what I wanted to make for dinner this week. I had two $20 Catalinas. The fine print stated that they could not be used in the same transaction, so I did 2 transactions.

The first transaction came up to 79cents...and included 1 celery, a can of olives, 2 boxes of Barilla pasta, 11 packages of Clorox wipes, a pack of Orbit chewing gum, 2 bottles of Parmesan Cheese, and 3 American Greetings cards.

I handed over my coupons and then the Catalina--only to come up to a negative total. The store never gives you money back...so I threw a pack of gum onto the register and finally ended up owing 79cents. I handed over the $1 bill, only to receive my change and a $5 my next shopping trip! Yeah!! But I didn't use it, because my next transaction of 1 bag Santitas Corn chips, 2 two-liter bottles of Coca-Cola, 2 packages frozen cheese tortellini, a #1 bag of carrots, 1 bunch of celery, 8 1/2 pounds of cantaloupe, and 2 frozen bags of peas only came up to 31 cents! So I'll be using that $5 sometime in the next couple of weeks instead.

I love it! On one of the Extreme Couponing blips, the husband of one of the featured shoppers said that his wife shopped for her "high" and "fix"....and I know exactly what he is talking about. It's knowing that I didn't do just a "good job" at saving the greenbacks, better spent on other things--but as I fondly put it--a stellar job. It's bragging rights to share with my kids!

Now for full disclosure about why and how I got these extreme deals: Albertsons' is running a deal through this coming Tuesday (6/21) of when you can buy $100 in your choice of gift cards for over 100 different restaurants, stores, and airlines--you get a $20 Catalina back to spend on anything in the store. I did a couple of these type of purchases to get the $20 back. I bought a couple of gift cards to our favorite restaurants that I would be using for Father's Day and an gift card that I bought as a true gift for our favorite high school graduate. I don't know if I would have bought the gift cards to pay for the dinner, normally--but knowing that there was $20 coming back for groceries--I did it this way instead. I've also purchased airfare for Southwest Airlines at Albertsons' in the past for get the rewards at the store, rather than just booking the tickets online. There are no charges to purchase the airfare this way, and I get the points and kick-backs from the grocery store. So I was very happy with my haul this weekend, because I benefited from every single purchase :)

Summer Movie Deals are Back!

Every summer there are deals to be had in the theater and movie industry. Spokane is no exception. Regal, in Spokane Valley, is starting their selections on 6/21-6/23 with a choice between Chronicles of Narnia and The Tale of Despereaux. In the past the movies have always been free; but it looks like the economy has caught up with them, because movies are now $1. There is always a choice between a PG and a G movie and multiple days they show--so you could feasibly do both of the selections in one week. Check out: www.regmovies.com/summermovieexpress/ for dates and movie selections.

One thing about the Regal program is that it is national. So when you are traveling or visiting grandparents in other parts of the country or state, here's a great inexpensive activity that can be used as a time filler. Movies are always so expensive to take the whole family to, so you'll be scoring points for being so "generous" when you offer to take the whole crew and pay ;)

On the north side of Spokane, the Village Theater at Wandermere has a bundle price of $5 for nine movie passes. I love this deal because all of the movies are current or recent, with a surprise movie at the end. 55cents a movie is a great price for this mom, even though I loved the sound of "free". Check out: http://www.spokanemovies.com/ for selections. (I have to admit--I was going to take the kids to see Mr Popper's Penguins, but when I saw that it would be in the summer line-up, who wants to pay $7 a ticket X 7...when I can take the whole family for less than $5 if I wait till July 25th! Frugal Moms really put their children through tests of patience!!)

If you really appreciate that word "free"--the Garland Theater has a weekly free kids throughout the summer. It's a little earlier than most, with the movie starting at 9:30am, but does feature my favorite "f" word. You just have to start your day a little earlier to get seats and situated before the curtains are drawn back. Just beware of raggedy seats and sticky floors. Something about "free" means no updates, air-conditioning or large staff to clean and maintain. But did I mention that the movie was free.

BaBy PrOmOs at Albertsons'

Albertsons' is having a Baby Promotion sale starting tomorrow--$10 off $30 purchases of any of the listed products from the ad. Nice...since Pampers and Huggies are both included in this deal. If you get a hold of the $3/1 coupons for cases and packages, you can combine the savings on this sale to add up big if you layer the coupons on qualifying products! No babies here--but I can smell a diaper deal a mile away still!! Go to http://www.albertsons.com/ to check out the products included in the promo.

There's also an Instant Spotlight Savings deal going on. You get $5 off your purchase of selected items (back page of the ad) when you buy any combination of 10 items. Coupons are available on most of the products featured. I love the Ortega green chilies and there as a coupon for $1 off 2 Ortega products. Make sure to do your research before you create a mini stockpile of your favorite items. I've found that some stores, like Winco or Wal-Mart, will carry the these pantry essentials for a lower base price everyday than what some of the larger grocery chains have the item go on sale for. If that's the case--as in the green chilies--always place your coupon on the lowest priced item for the greatest savings. For example--the chilies are going to be on sale at Albertsons' for $1.29 if purchased within a set of 10 featured items. The coupon would reduce the price to 79 cents per can when purchased in sets of two. It's a "fair" price, but I don't know if that's the "best" price. If the regular price for the chilies are 99cents a can at Wal-Mart--placing the coupon that would add up to the "best" savings at 49cents a can. **Trick of the trade--know what is a great price before you use your valuable coupons.

I couldn't find any Dole coupons for canned fruit on ebay--so 79cents a can for mandarin oranges and pineapple seem only a fair deal...but the oranges are normally $2+ a can when not on sale. It's a temptation to buy a few, but I don't stock up on these kind of items unless I can see a 80% or greater price difference.

Safeway has some of my favorite pantry items on sale this week--Barilla pasta (10/$10), Ragu spaghetti sauce (4/$5), and Betty Crocker potatoes/Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (4/$5). I just have THREE words about what to do with those prices...USE A COUPON!! There's no guarantee that there will be a coupon available for items when they go on sale, but always check online to see if this is going to be a "stock up" sale. Coupons make all the difference. Fifty cents per item adds up to a lot before you know it.

Good luck on your hunt and your stocking up!!

PS...it took me awhile, and since yesterday was the last day on the coupon for the free milk from the last Kelloggs' cereal sale...I got the last 8 gallons of free milk. I got 30 coupons for free milk from that amazing sale. I had to stagger the purchases so that it didn't all expire at once and also--couldn't fit that many milks in the extra fridge. So thank you to those of you that took a few off my hands. I felt like the "Milk Fairy" delivering milk to several families last week. I know...it was so random and unexpected. Ever had anyone offer you free milk? Weird, huh? But it really helped me out--so THANKS!

Hooray!! Kellogg's Rocks!

Some people look forward to Fridays.....Not me! I look forward to Tuesday nights, when I can get on-line and can see the upcoming grocery ads. I get all giddy and can't wait to plan the weekly shopping "events". Case in point...I was just looking at the upcoming ads for tomorrow--wondering if there would be a fabulous deal in the works and I think that I found one worth sharing. Albertsons' is featuring Kelloggs' cereals and Pop Tarts on sale starting tomorrow. When you buy 3 boxes of participating kinds, you get a Catalina print out for a free gallon of milk (up to $3.99 a gallon), on your next order. You can buy up to 9 boxes at a time and get up to 3 print-outs for milk. There are coupons available on ebay and in the ad circulars from past Sunday papers--but the stellar part of this deal is that Kelloggs' is also doing a fuel rebate on certain participating products. Go to: http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2011/03/get-up-to-50-of-free-fuel-with-kelloggs-rebate.html to review how the rebate works. This is AwEsOmE--because you are allowed to submit up to five submissions per address and it doesn't require a receipt to participate. So--if you plan your trip to purchase participating UPCs, get free milk, and use coupons--you are going to Win, Win, Win!! [It was mentioned at one of my store haunts this week--that there might be doublers this coming weekend as well--and that would turn this deal into something to really squeal about!] **During the last Kelloggs' sale, about three weeks ago, there were coupons for free produce on my boxes of Cocoa Krispies. The coupon is for $1 off fruit/produce for every 2 boxes purchased. That means--bonus savings in addition to milk and fuel!!

TIP: If you are going to be one of those customers that is going to take this deal to the cleaners--like, as in clearing the shelves and mass purchasing without thought to other customers--make sure that you call the store and ask for the order clerk to order your quantities ahead of time. This will guarantee that you have your product waiting for you when you decide to get in to purchase it, rather than being at the mercy of whatever kinds and quantities are left on the shelf. That will save you time and effort in getting the product during the sale dates, as well as making sure that you don't cause the store undo stress of not being able to satisfy other customers between restocking dates.

Safeway has a "Spring Fling" event starting. For every $75 you spend, you will automatically get a $10 print out to use on your next order. Some cashiers tell you that in order to get your $10, you have to "pay" $75--before coupons are used. Ag. Whatever. The computer generates the $10 first, before the coupons are even used--so just micro-manage your cashier, if there is a problem. But if you are taking advantage of some of the great deals there--it would be very easy to generate those cool $10 freebies--and there is no limit to how many you can generate off of one telephone number. So if Safeway is your store--Game on!!

I noticed that cases of Coke products are on sale--when you buy 2, get 2 free. Fair deal...but it's a compound sale because you also get two boxes of Nabisco snack crackers for free as well. Good deal before coupons; great deal after coupons. For example--hand them a $1 off 2 manufacturer's coupon for the crackers...and because they are technically "free"--the $1 off will be applied to the Coke products. If you check ebay, there are also coupons for cases of Coke. Not only is it a "compound" sale with extra freebies--you get to use all the extra coupons. The less it costs, the better it tastes. Yum!

Guilty Sunday Pleasures

When I was a kid, one of our Sunday traditions was going through the newspaper. It was parted out by sections. I always got the "Funny pages"--the cartoons. As I got older, the newspaper was still a weekly event, but my interests lent themselves to Hollywood highlights and the front page stories. Then, when I moved away from home, the newspaper reading waned to just reading the obituaries and doing the crossword puzzles. But now--as a frugal freak--I still get the weekly Sunday paper--but for very different purposes...I love the ads!! Now don't get me wrong--I've always looked at the ads throughout the years, but now they have become the ultimate treasure hunt for me because with a little checking, sleuthing, and planning--I can turn a good deal into a great deal. Today I found a few things that I thought were worth sharing.

I've been out of town and in a super-crazy whirlwind lately...but I'm taking advantage of a quiet Sunday afternoon to catch up on my great finds. Albertsons' had two double coupon weeks in a row and I figured there wouldn't be one this week--and I was correct. So in order to get my "fix" of great deals--I'm looking closer at the Walgreens and Rite-Aid ads and I found a few great deals that might warrant some attention if layered with the best coupons.

At Walgreens--When you buy $10 in Suave products, a $3 Register Reward is generated to use on you NEXT in-store purchase. The products included in this are deodorants, haircare products, and lotions. When looking for matching coupons on http://www.ebay.com--/ I came across some great coupons that could be used in the transaction. There were lots of options, but to maximize the savings, you want the greatest value coupons to apply to each item. So there were some for $1 off coupons for lotion and a variety for the kids' shampoos and deodorants.

It's best to plan this purchase in conjunction with another purchase that produces a register reward so that you can apply that savings to the Suave transaction, then add the manufacturer's coupons to greatest savings. Then the Register Reward will still come at the end that can be used on another transaction. Mega savings!

Store coupons include Colgate for 99cents--limit 3. Colgate always has great coupons, so you can get your toothpaste and toothbrushes for as much as 24cents, all the way down to free. Even though you may not need this kind of product today, you want to be cognizant of how the deals work in cycles--purchase the 3 tubes/brushes now and put then in your home storage. You'll have them ahead of time--but that saved a larger portion of money from being spent in a more timely fashion.

At Rite-Aid--I love Up Rewards!! I still have some that were generated last week that I can apply to anything that I buy this week for greater savings. I haven't bought laundry soap in almost 3 years and it's getting low in the reserves. I noticed that Purex laundry detergent is Buy one, Get one free this week. I found coupons on http://www.ebay.com/ that are Save $1 on each bottle. Remember that you are able to apply one coupon to each item. So even if one is free, you can still use a coupon, making the total of the two coupons apply to the one that you are ultimately paying for. Tremendous savings!!

Easter Candy!! Who doesn't need some of that this season? Mars is running a "BOGO" deal on their packages of Snickers, M&Ms, and more! That means, you Buy One, Get One FREE! Then you apply a Save $1 on 2 coupon on the 2 bags...and voila--you've got a great deal. Do it a couple of times, and you will have a great assortment of Easter candy. (Make sure to get some good kinds so you can help your little ones out by not letting them eat it by themselves ;)

And for all of you with babies in diapers--I think this may work out to being a great Huggies stock-up deal with coupons! You get a $10 Up Reward when you buy $40 of participating Kimberly Clark products--like Huggies. But they are already on sale for $8.99 and then you would use the $2-3.50 off coupons on each package. (I just saw some on www.ebay.com) $40 in total purchases will add up quickly--and then you get a $10 Up Reward to use on any of your other purchases or more diapers! Stellar deal.

**Ad correction: It is the diaper wipes that are buy one, get one 50% off. But there are loads of wipes coupons available to make this a mega sale as well. And I think that they will also help accrue dollars towards the $40 mark for that $10 back!

Scott toilet paper is a Kimberly Clark product and there are $1 off coupons for 12 count packages. You could layer your savings and not have to buy just the diapers--but it's a great savings if you have a little on in diapers.

At Safeway--they have some great in-store coupons that are good through 3/26/11. There are lots of manufacturer's coupons out there for Kraft and Nabisco products for add to your transaction for a greater savings. You can use any of the coupons in the same transaction and it only requires a minimum transaction of $10 to get the savings amount [which would automatically include the item's price that you are already getting]. If you like Classico Pasta sauce, I noticed that Rozoni pasta boxes have a $1 off 1 jar of Classico pasta sauce on them. If you could get your hands on a few of those, that would make each jar only 59cents. Not too bad on sauce that is normally $3-4 a jar.

At Fred Meyer--I love Springtime in the grocery stores!! That means the fruit gets less expensive and the produce looks less tired. Fred Meyer has 1lb strawberries for 2 for $3! I know of people who flash freeze them and then add them to smoothies and desserts all year long--especially when they are normally $3.99 a container and you now can get almost 3 containers for the regular price.

Tillamook cheese, in assorted varieties, are a great buy this week at $1 a package. That's a 50-75% savings without a coupon. I just bought the 5lb bag at Costco because it would have cost more than twice the amount yesterday (before they went on sale)--but I have 5lbs of one kind of cheese. Tillamook is the best cheese--and it comes in all kinds!! I may have to carve a hole in the freezer....just saying.

***Because http://www.ebay.com/ requires that you purchase the whole bundle of coupons, you might look at http://www.thecouponclippers.com/ or http://www.thecouponmaster.com/ for coupon clusters that don't require you to buy big bundles. Bundles are great if you are going to buy in bulk or can share some with a friend. Many similar coupons may be found on the internet that you can print for free, at such websites as http://www.smartsource.com/ or http://www.coupons.com/. Particularly with the diapers, you may already receive mailers or have some that came on the package--those are as good as gold at the register.

I'm not much of a Big K shopper, but I'm easily converted to a good deal--especially if the "free" word is a possibility. So here's the skinny on the Kmart deal. They are having a Super Double manufacturer's coupon event. That means that they will double five manufacturer's coupons up to $2 in value per day per customer. That's awesome. Unlike Albertsons', where you have to have the store insert with the bar code to scan that doubles up to three coupons per transaction over a 3-day event--Kmart will double 5 per day--per customer--all week long. So loading up the belt, for transaction after transaction, probably won't fly with this store--but if you skim through the ad and can match up some coupons with the products that are already on sale with a transaction total of at least $25 before coupons and doubling--that makes for a stellar deal.


Like Albertsons' and many of the major store chains, in order to get in on the deal, you have to first have the cashier scan your "rewards card." You just fill out an application at the service desk and it's free. They link it to your telephone number and have a little widget that can go on your keyring. Like Fred Meyer or Albertsons, points accrue for freebies and coupons printed at the register. And in case you didn't know--Kmart is owned by Sears--and the register card works at both stores.



The only other stipulation that I want everyone to take note of here--is that the transaction total must be at least $25 of grocery and/or drugstore items. The general rule in advertising verbage--is that is the total before coupons are handed over and the five doubles taken. Like most stores, it's OK to get your goods for "free" and nearly free--but they will not "pay you" to take them...ie. go into the negative on the register amounts at the end of the transaction. So if you are heading to town with a handful of coupons this week, it might be worth stopping at Kmart to see if there's a steal of a deal waiting for you!


**Check out the coupons in the Sunday paper to get some that match the Procter and Gamble items that are on sale at Kmart this week. You can get an extra savings of $10 on a $35 purchase (prior to those coupons) if you buy things that qualify in this area--like Olay, Covergirl, Always, Gillette, Crest, Febreze, Dawn, Iams, and Duracell.