SOUPER Deals!!

Alright. I eluded to the fact that Albertson's is featuring a fantastic Con Agra sale starting tomorrow--2/9. It's not as extensive in product range as before, but it's still a great deal to get in on and start building a food reserve with!

This is a high-dollar savings week for the advertised products, because the way the deal goes--you have to buy $25 worth of product at the regular price for the Catalina to generate the $10 coupon. In layman's terms, that's NOT sales' price. The qualifier for the $10 is based on the $25 of regular-priced items, but what you pay is based on the sales' prices. You then "roll" the Catalina for $10 that you get on the first transaction onto the subsequent transactions. Each transaction, purchasing in transactions of $25 increments, or thereabouts, will generate a new $10 Catalina print-out. You can accumulate a LOT of food for very little, if not free, quickly.

Regular prices of some of the products:

Chef Boyardee canned pastas--$1.49

Manwich------$1.49

Healthy Choice Soup---$2.99

Swiss Miss Cocoa-$2.50

Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce---$1.19

Hunt's Tomatoes-----$1.19

Hunt's Ketchup----$2.29

Gulden's Mustard---$2.29
Hunt's Snack Pack puddings---$1.99

Peter Pan Peanut Butter-$3.29

Pam Cooking Spray----$3.99

Wesson Oil-------$6.29

Ro-Tel Tomatoes---$1.89

Sales' Prices for the same products:

Chef Boyardee canned pasta--10/$10

Manwich-$1.00

Healthy Choice Soups--$1

Swiss Miss Cocoa---$1

Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce--$1

Hunt's Tomatoes--$1

Hunt's Ketchup/Mustard/Margarine--$1
Hunt's Pudding---$1

Peter Pan Peanut Butter----$1.69

Pam Cooking Spray----2/$5

Wesson Oils---$3.49

Ro-Tel Tomatoes---$1

(There are a few other products included in this sale that I didn't research the prices of, but may be worth looking into: Snapple Fruit Drinks and Teas, Healthy Choice Complete Meals and Cafe Steamers, Reddi-wip, Marie Callender's Dinners and Steamers, Rosarita Salsa, Banquet Brown and Serve sausage and Dinners, Ro-Tel diced tomato varieties, frozen Kid's Cuisine, and assorted Healthy Choice lunch, dinner, and fresh mix entrees).

Sale Guidelines: SAVE $10 On Your Next Shopping Trip when you buy $25 or more of participating products. Purchase must be made in a single transaction using your Albertsons' Preferred Card. Coupon issued at checkout. Limit one coupon per transaction. Minimum purchase requirement calculated after manufacturer coupons.

What this means: You buy $25 of "regular-priced" goods, but the register totals what you pay based on the "sales' price". You pay the balance owed on the first transaction and a Catalina coupon is generated for $10 that you can use on your next order. For example: you buy 3 Blue Bonnet margarines and 7 Healthy Choice soups and your total will come up to $10. You pay the $10 and you also get the $10 Catalina. You can turn around and use that $10 on your next order. So if you have another $10 total, you "pay" that amount with the Catalina, you have zero out of pocket expense and still generate another Catalina to use on your next order.

Albertsons' Check-Out Policy: You are able to do three transactions before you need to exit the check-out and get back in line, so that everyone has their turn paying for the great deals. They anticipate that this is going to be a blockbuster of a sale and that there are going to be lines of people taking advantage of getting some great products for free. So--3 trannies, back of the line. Now--everything is different when there's no one waiting behind you. You can roll as many transactions as you want, until someone gets in line behind you. BE COURTEOUS. There are stores that are opening up lanes for just this promo deal. The store on 57th and Regal will have 2 check-out lanes that are for nothing except these kind of transactions. Most stores are prepared for the lines, but the customers need to play by the store rules and Be Nice.

Here are some of the match-ups that would make for a great deal:

Buy:

3 Blue Bonnet Cubes + 7 HC Soups = $10 minus $10 Catalina =FREE

5 Blue Bonnet Tubs + 6 HC Soups =$10 minus $10 Catalina =$1

4 Hunt's Puddings + 6 HC Soups = $10 minus $10 Catalina =FREE

4 Ro-Tel Tomatoes + 6 HC Soups =$10 minus $10 Catalina =FREE

6 Guilden's Mustards + 4 HC Soups =$10 minus $10 Catalina =FREE

4 Hunt's Ketchup + 6 HC Soups =$10 minus $10 Catalina =FREE

4 Hunt's Tomatoes + 7 HC Soups =$11 minus $10 Catalina =$1

2 Rosarita Salsa + 7 HC Soups =$11 minus $10 Catalina =$1

3 Pam Cooking Sprays + 6 HC Soups =$13.50 minus $10 Catalina =$3.50

3 Hunt's BBQ Sauce + 6 HC Soups =$12 minus $10 Catalina =$2

2 Wesson Oil + 5 HC Soups =$11.98 minus $10 Catalina =$1.98

6 Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce + 6 HC Soups =$12 minus $10 Catalina =$2

2 Reddi-wip + 7 HC Soups =$12.58 minus $10 Catalina=$2.58

4 PP Peanut Butter + 4 HC Soups =$10.76 minus $10 Catalina= 76cents

3 Marie Callender's dinners + 4 HC Soups =$13 minus $10 Catalina= $3

3 Marie Callender's Pot Pies + 4 HC Soups =$13 minus $10 Catalina= $3

3 Kid's Cuisine + 6 HC Soups =$12 minus $10 Catalina= $2

5 Chef Boyardee + 7 HC Soups =$12 minus $10 Catalina= $2

5 Banquets + 7 HC Soups =$12 minus $10 Catalina= $2

5 Manwich + 6 HC Soups =$11 minus $10 Catalina= $1

2 HC steams/dinners + 6 HC Soups =$12 minus $10 Catalina= $2

3 HC entrees + 6 HC Soups =$12 minus $10 Catalina= $2

Boy--that's A LOT of soup and other stuff!! FYI--The stores know that there is going to be a lot of Healthy Choice Soups purchased to just get the great price on the other products, and so they are setting up stations inside the store for the local food banks if you don't find a need or want that kind or amount of soup.

I'm scoring a lot of peanut butter on this deal and so a lot of my transactions actually don't have any soup in them because the regular price on the peanut butter is $3.29 and acts as a higher mediator in accumulating the $25 needed to generate the Catalina. This is an amazing way to stock up on basics like canned tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, soups, cooking oils, condiments, and quick dinner ideas. Most of the expiration dates on the products are months out, if not a year or two.

I'm still thinking about that quote that says it's better to be prepared 10 years early, than 10 minutes too late. What would it hurt to have a few months supply of staples to feed your family on hand in cruddy economic times. Food is always in fashion ;)

Just to see if you read all the way to the bottom...there are some coupons that you can print for free from the privacy of your home that you can use with this awesome deal. http://www.readyseteat.com/brand-coupon.do

Plotting the Deals.....

The Con Agra sale at Albertsons', that starts on Wednesday, is going to be tremendous. The stores in the greater Spokane area are ordering vast amounts of inventory to cover the super shoppers' needs. There is going to be a lot of great deals that don't require a handful of coupons-so don't feel like you can't get in on the great deal that breaks Wednesday morning.

But I saw some deals in the Walgreens and Rite-Aid circulars that are worthy of mentioning here. The items that are included in the Register Rewards (Walgreens) and the Up Rewards (Rite-Aid) programs are almost always a great deal, especially when combined with coupons.

For how to use the rewards program at Walgreen, follow to these links and see how it works:

http://couponing.about.com/od/beautyandhealth/a/walgreens.htm

http://www.wisebread.com/dealista-tip-getting-free-stuff-at-walgreens

At Walgreens--some of the great deals I saw are:
Hershey's Candy--Sale Price: 2/$5-$2 in-store coupon=2/$3. [I need to check if the "in-store" coupon is a manufacturer coupon or not, because if it isn't, there is a $2/2 coupon available, making the bags 50 cents each.]

Register Rewards--Get $5 in Register Rewards at checkout when you buy $15 or more of participating products (good on your NEXT in-store purchase). There are five things that are included in this deal--but the two items that you could really get a deal on are Skippy peanut butter and Ragu spaghetti sauce because there are coupons available on both of these items. You would have to buy a total of 10 items to reach the $15 mark to generate the $5 register reward, and that $15 is prior to coupons. I found coupons for Skippy that range anywhere from 40cents to $1 off each bottle. If you had the $1 coupons, combined with the register rewards $5 OYNO--the peanut butter is free. The coupons for the sauce are not as high as the peanut butter, but still make for a good deal. Some are $1.25/3. That's for a total of $6.25 in coupons for a 10 Ragu purchase, bringing the total to $8.75 (with coupons) and then receiving the $5 off for your next purchase. However you look at it, 88cents a jar for Ragu with $5 to still spend, is quite an improvement on $1.50 a jar. I saw some coupons that were Save $1/2. With the combined savings, they would end up being 50 cents a jar. Bigger savings is the goal, so definitely search for coupons with higher values for individual items. Remember: you are not limited to just one or the other in this kind of scenario because it's only for a total of $15 from any of the advertised items. So, theoretically, you could have 4 peanut butter and 6 Ragu--or any number of combinations.

Some of the other things to look at in the Walgreens ad (http://www.walgreens.com/):

--Ocean Spray 64oz Juices--Sale Price: $2.99-$2 Register Reward-$1.00/1 manufacturer's coupon=negative 1 cent.

--Gillette Venus or Fusion ProGlide Razor System--great coupons available

--Kotex Feminine Care (tampons, pads, pantyliners)--great coupons

--Colgate Toothpaste--coupons available for tremendous savings. **The store has printed a Limit 1 coupon printed per offer. That means that you can only get one register reward for the two toothpastes purchased in any given transaction, even if you have numerous toothpastes. So if you are looking to generate more than one register reward, you will have to purchase only 2 tubes per transaction and NOT use the Colgate register reward to pay for the next set of 2 tubes of paste.

--Aquafresh Toothpaste--99cents with in-store coupon. Apply a manufacturer's coupon for bonus savings.

--Huggies/Enfamil--$5 register reward for $25 purchases. Layer with high dollar coupons for a great deal.

There are lots more deals, depending on your needs and coupons. The key to extra savings is to not be limited to the advertised price. See if there is a coupon that can be stacked on to the sales price and if it generates a register rewards. Register rewards can be used on anything in the store and act as cash in purchasing them. So if you are super thrifty, you can do several transactions paying for a few items at a time and paying for them by only using the register rewards. You "roll" the previous register reward onto the next item that also generates a register reward. Purchasing things this way reduces the cost of the individual item significantly and is further reduced by a manufacturer's coupon.

Some of the savings opportunities/deals I see at Rite-Aid:

Know the Program. (http://www.riteaid.com/) You can earn a lot of the Up rewards to use like cash if you pay attention to what the store has marked with the "Buy and Save" blue labels. All you have to do is spend $100, prior to the discounts with coupons and previous Up rewards. The $20 Up Reward for $100 in items marked with the blue "Buy and Save" label in the ad and by the product in the store. Some of these items that are marked with the blue label also generate additional Up rewards. Pay attention to the dual savings. This $20 rebate program runs through the month of February, and expires on the 26th. Purchases between now and then accumulating to $100 (prior to manufacturer's coupons) will generate on $20 reward to be used on any purchases at Rite-Aid. (I love this program!!) I have been able to buy so much stuff on the cheap and generate my rewards cash already.

Just yesterday, I purchased 12 large 48 ct packages of Stayfree Feminine Care products and 10 tubes of Colgate Total toothpaste for 35 cents. Now--I know what you're thinking...35 cents!! Yep. But here's how it went down. Each Stayfree package was $6.99. Do the math, times that by 12. [$83.88 before tax]. The toothpaste was $3.79 each on sale for $2.99, generating $2 Up rewards each. I had coupons for both items. For the Stayfree, I had "Buy One, Get One Free" manufacturer's coupons and Save $1 on each tube of Colgate. The cash register automatically takes $6.99 off of each set of pads (x6 sets). I hand over the coupons and the cashier takes $6 off per set (that is the max the coupon would allow per set as per the manufacturer), and $1 for each of the 10 tubes. I still have a pretty significant cash total even after the coupon discounts are taken. But I use the $2 Up rewards from the toothpaste deal last week to pay for the tubes this week (that way it generates the new rewards this week) and 2 of my $10 Up rewards...bringing the $30.35 total down to 35 cents. Euphoric!! And I generated a lot of dollars towards the $100 bank to earn my $20 Up reward that I can use on next week's deals.

So for some good deals I see this week:

--Covergirl Cosmetics, Olay skin and Bath care, Pantene products, and *Secret products--a $5 Up reward is generated when you buy $25...play with the numbers ahead of time and get come great coupons because they are on sale too--Buy 1 and Get the second 1/2 off! **Ok. There's a coupon in this week's ads that is for Secret (Buy 2, Get 1 Free). What you would do is buy 6 deodrants--with 3 at regular price, and 3 at half-price (the register will automatically do that) and then hand over the coupon at the end. The cashier should mark the price in the box of the first deodrant that is regular price, making it "free" as well. This could add up to the $25 you need to get the $5 back and it could be very, very inexpensive overall for a bunch of great products!

--Maybelline Cosmetics/Physician's Formula Cosmetics--same type of deal but you only have to spend $20 to get the $5 back, and the second product is also half off!
--Gillette razors--great coupons available [like $3 and $4 off of each package!] to use in addition to the high dollar Up rewards

--Gillette and Old Spice Body Wash--2/$8-$3/2 Up reward=$2/5 minus 2 manufacturer's coupons for $2/1; making the grand total $1 for 2 bottles. **Rite-Aid stipulates that there is a limit of 2 Up rewards for this deal per household. But hey! Four bottles for $2, who's complaining, right?

--Colgate Toothpaste--2/$5-$2 on 2 Up reward=$2/$3. There are coupons available but this deal is also limited to 2 per household. (It also is marked with the blue Buy and Save and helps generate the $20 off Up reward).
--Arm and Hammer toothpaste--Buy one, get one free (also has blue "buy and save" label). There are $1/1 coupons available.

--Lysol spray cleaners--2/$5-$1 Up reward=$2/$4+$1/1 coupons=$1 each

--Scope Mouthwash--$2/$5 on sale and there are $1/1 coupons that came in the 2/6 paper! [Just in comparison, the same mouthwash is advertised at Walgreen's this week at $3.99 a bottle. Ouch! That's a no-brainer.]

Remember to think outside the box when you are looking at the ads and see if there is really a better deal going on. Coupons create a golden opportunity to stock up for the same price that you would have already spent and never have to pay full retail price again. Be aware, be smart, and it will pay off in green!

Heads UP!! Con Agra Deals at Albertsons'!!

This is a huge week for the pantry if you are looking for stellar deals to put away. Con Agra, manufacturer of products like Hunts' Tomatoes, Healthy Choice, Chef Boyardee, Pillsbury, and Crisco is doing the fabulous deal of buy $25 worth in one transaction, save $10 on your next transaction. I LOVE THIS kind of savings. Because even though the prices scream "good deal"--there's an even greater deal in the works. Cans that are on sale for 88cents each, go down to 55cents if you buy 30 of them. (Don't freak yet--there's more!!) And if you put coupons on top of those prices...the numbers keep dropping even more. So for example: on the Chef Boyardee--they are 88cents a can. 30 of them would cost $26.40. Minus off the $10 OYNO coupon (since I'll start my first transaction next week with the one I just came home with tonight) for $16.40--then add all those stellar coupons. I found some "Save $3 on 10 cans of Chef Boyardee" on www.ebay.com; so I would apply 3 ($9 worth) of those coupons to the adjusted sales' price of $16.40, for a grand total of $7.40!! That's basically 25cents a can. That's a screamin' savings.



I took this method to ebay for several other sets of coupons...for Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate, Hunt's Spaghetti sauce, Chef Boyardee, Pillsbury Cookie Mixes, and Hebrew National Hot Dogs (our family's personal favorites...and we're not even Jewish ;)
Because my quantities are larger than normal, I'm going to call the store tomorrow morning and have them case order the lots that I want so that I'm guaranteed my product when my coupons get here in a few days. Problem: I may have to make a couple trips to the store in order to get my haul home. The reason I share this kind of tiddly bits...because anyone can get in on this kind of savings. Plan, Plan, Plan. I just wish I lived in the areas that are doing "Coupon Round-up" and multiplying coupons up to $1 each for HUGE savings. I can't imagine the kind of hauls with those savings! Hope somebody else is taking advantage of those opportunities to build a family food storage--or a "victory pantry".

Go to www.albertsons.com to view the ad and start a savings plan today :)

Blizzards are coming our way...

Did you know that it is the 25th anniversary of Dairy Queen's Blizzards? That means that they are are offering a special deal right now of buy one at regular price, you get another for for 25 cents. You know what that means in my family? You get your own. You don't have to share it with 2 brothers and 2 sisters and divide the cardboard cup for perfectly even licks of the sweet residue that your brother might have missed. It's only for one week, though. I'll have to tell the kids that "That's it! No more for another 25 years!"

Albertsons' has a ConAgra Foods sale going on right now. You must read the fine print for the deals on the back page. You get a $10 OYNO coupon for every $25 transaction. (BTW--that's $25 before the coupons are handed over). I ordered Peter Pan peanut butter coupons off of Ebay last night and plan on getting my stock for 52 cents a jar. Not too shabby. I've got a better deal on Skippy--but it WAS 2 years ago and I can't predict when I'll be able to get it for 24 cents a jar again. So I think I'll suffer through 52 cents a jar to have peace of mind that we have some on hand. You never know when that peanut crop is going to fail. (OOH. Just kidding--but they DID have a scare last year and all the peanut butter was pulled from the markets--just saying).

Con Agra foods is the distributor of Hunts', Healthy Choice, Van Camps', Dannon, etc. It pays to do a little shopping around to see if there are coupons that match any of these products. The yogurt is an exceptionally STELLAR deal. $2 each on sale, but are included in the $10 OYNO deal. So you can combine it with other products to make a $25 transaction, or just buy 13 packages and slap each package with a $1 off coupon, minus the $10 and you pay $3 for A LOT of yogurt. I ordered the "crushables" that the kids have been hounding me to buy--which come in 6 packs instead of 4 packs. Can you say YOGURT in their lunch everyday for the rest of the school year?

Campbell's has their soups on sale at Albertsons' this week 10/$10. Whoot, whoot...NOT. BUT--if you go to www.campbells.com you can print a total of 2 coupons of Save $1 on TWO...making the gems a mere 50 cents each. Much better. You can only get 4 cans...but most of you don't shop like I do, and 4 cans would be sufficient, right?

Keep that grocery journal going and write what the deals of the week are. You'll be surprized to see that you can stock up on SOMETHING for cheap every single week, and before you know it--you're a Queen and people are hailing to you and asking you how you do it! Just tell them about me :)