Just the highlights…

8 (14 oz)  packs of Hillshire Farms Chicken Sausage BOGO Free sale $3.98 plus $1 off peelies on each!   Final cost= .99c each

6 (16 oz)  packs of Bun Length Barr S Franks 10 for $10 sale (used coupons $1 off 2) – Final cost= .50 each

2# 13oz jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce $2.50 on sale used .60 cent coupon doubled to $1.20- Final cost= $1.30

2 packs of Ortega Taco Seasoning 78 cents each used .75 cent coupon off 2 doubled to $1.50- Final cost= .03 each

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Minis  FREE with coupon for one FREE up to a certain amount.

1 (6 pack) of Breyers kid’s swirled yogurt on sale for $1.99 used .50 cent coupon that doubled to $1.00-Final cost= .99

1 bag of Carolina Rice on sale for $1.19 used a .50 cent coupon doubled to $1- Final cost= .19

My total spent for everything above was $24.81. My total savings was $40.58 or 62% for this trip!

Remember:

• Giant Eagle (at least the ones I’m familiar) doubles coupons up to .99 (which becomes $1.98 off).

• You can stack coupons on top of sale prices and some stores like Target, Walgreens and maybe Rite Aid will stack manufacture coupons on top of their own store coupons and all of that on top of sale prices (I believe). If you’re ever not sure, just ask and if the deal isn’t like what you expected, just ask for your money back.

• Ask your family and friends for their unwanted coupons. Call or email your favorite brands and request coupons. I emailed Georgia-Pacific about the coupon link not working on their site for Angel Soft toilet paper and they mailed me a bunch of .55 cent off  TP coupons that got me the 4 pack tp’s for almost free at Giant Eagle because the coupons doubled to $1.10 off per pack.

• Buy extra Sunday papers when they are half-price on Monday mornings. You might have to call/ask around to find out who if anyone does sell them half off. It paid off for me awhile back. I ran into a place that didn’t sell them but gave me a stack for free! whoo-hoo!

If you browse my blog here, check in the categories or do a search with a key word, you’ll find more posts I’ve shared about the deals I’ve scored and tips to help you too.  Maybe you feel like couponing and rebating is too involved or takes up too much time. If you just start with baby steps and stretch yourself a little here and there with new information it will soon become second nature. It really pays off. Not only will you be able to stock up your pantry with less money out of pocket, but you will have extras in times of need- either for your family, friends or for food pantries in your area

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I haven’t said much lately about my great coupon shopping trips because I’ve had a dry spell. But thats good because it gives me a break on searching for and cutting up coupons, time shopping and spending money.  However, just this weekend a few things came together for me and I saved a lot of money yesterday (Saturday).

I got everything  in this picture for a grand total of $6.27. I made two separate transactions and used a lot of coupons. Here’s how it came together… (oh yeah, and I haven’t even told you about the toilet paper I got today)!

• First- I check my favorite coupon matching website which happens to be CouponAllies.com (NE/Central Ohio) because they are local to me. Also see my post on Baby Steps to Couponing.
  

• Second- go through my coupons pulling out what I wanted to use.

• Third- off to shop at Giant Eagle where they double my coupons up to.99 (which will equal $1.98 off).

Giant Eagle was running a special where I would get a $3 off coupon to use on my next visit if I bought $10 participating Dole fruit products. I had a bunch of .50 or .55 cents off 2 cans of Dole fruit. My plan was to buy $10 worth of Dole in one transaction so I could get that $3 off “catalina” coupon to use on everything else in my second transaction.

First transaction (I think everything was on sale) :

2 (16oz) bottles of liquid Coffee Mate Creamer…used (2) .75cent off printable coupons which doubled to make these both FREE

2 (1#) bags of California River Rice…used (2) .50cent off coupons that doubled to make these both FREE

3 (10packs) of Bic Silky disposable razors ($1.69ea.)…used (3) $2.00 off coupons making these FREE

10 cans of Dole pineapple & mandarin oranges ($1 each)…used  (4) .50 off 2 and (1) .55 off 2, doubled to $5.10 off making these $4.90 for 10 cans PLUS getting a $3 off coupon at checkout to use on my 2nd transaction.

Total: $4.27 cents

Second Transaction (Again, everything may have been on sale) :

2 (10 packs) Bic Silky disposable razors (same deal as above) = FREE

2  (12oz) packages of Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon…used (2) .75cent off coupons doubled to $1.50 off each making them $1.00 each.

1 Pizza Lunchables meal kit for my boy who really wanted one because a couple boys at school get to make their own pizzas at lunch time    (And he carried it around with him in the store, he was so happy!)   I did have a $1.00 off coupon for this.

USED the $3 off my next transaction (catalina coupon from the Dole purchases).

Total:  $2.00 !

And then to top it off…I found 4 Marcal Small Step coupons at home that got me 6 (4 packs) of Marcal Toilet Paper at Marc’s for FREE (just paid sales tax) thats 24 rolls!  I haven’t had to pay more than sales tax for toilet paper in weeks or months. We picked these up today (Sunday).

Note: The Marcal coupons were for $2 off one pack of tp or maybe some of their other paper products (had 2 of these) and up $1.00 off  of the toilet paper (had 2 of these also). Marc’s doesn’t adjust down to make the coupon work for the one pack of toilet paper so they give you 2 packs for the $2 off coupon. The toilet paper is .99 cents regular price at Marc’s. That is how I got 2 packs with one coupon…6 packs total.

I hope I’ve broken this down in such a way that it makes sense to you. It really can pay to use coupons!

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One day recently, I got all of this in my mail box (and since “this” day I’ve received more).

Now- this is not a typical day for me. I really don’t take advantage of every single freebie that I read about. I really don’t. In fact, I take advantage of very few in light of how many there are. A bunch of them just happened to  hit my mailbox the same day! So whats in that picture?

Gillette Fusion Razor (for dear hubby)

Purex 3 in 1 Laundry Sample

Poise Samples

$10 in Betty Crocker coupons.

Coupon for FREE DiGiorno 200 Calorie Portions (up to $3.30 value)

$4 in coupons from GlaxoSmithKline

&   something we didn’t sign up for to my knowledge but we’ve received in the past: FREE pair ($25 value)  of cultured freshwater pearl earrings with 10K gold posts from Helzburg Diamonds! May be a company promotion our area does now and then. (My husband picked these up for my sons’ to give me for my birthday which is tomorrow!)

And some other things I’ve received recently…

Card for a free pair of Victoria Secrets undies… Redeemed last night.

$10 gift card from Victoria Secrets to use on a purchase of $10 or more- because its my birthday (tomorrow!). …Redeemed for the 3 Lotions on sale for 3/$12 (paid $2 and change out of pocket!).

Coupon for  a FREE Helluva brand item up to about $4.99…I just redeemed it for a really big container of French Onion Sour Cream Dip.

Promo Card for one free pair of Victoria Secret’s PINK panties w/ Pink Purchase…

Somehow my husband and I both are on VS’s mailing list but thats okay with me, because I get more free offers that way and they seem to be for different things.

So how can you get in on some freebies? Get on  your favorite retailer’s mailing list, sign up with some Freebie websites like I do. These people find the deals somehow and then share them with their readers. I just subscribe to their free email (or try their RSS) updates.

Many freebies come from companies who run promotions on Facebook. When you “Become a Fan” you get a coupon for a freebie or whatever. Thats how I’ve scored FREE (up to a certain value in many cases) International Delight Coffee Creamer, DiGiornio, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Helluva Dip, and a small bottle of Gorilla Glue. I’m waiting on my Sun Chips and I chose to skip over the Free Oreos, I didn’t know it was a full size bag! Oh yeah, you need a Facebook profile to snag these deals!

These are the bloggers who tell me whats free, subscribe to their updates and you too will be getting the goodies!

TheFrugalGirls.com

HeyItsFree.com

MoneySavingMom.com

Some coupon sites I recommend…

CouponAllies.com

SavingInAkron.com

But, hey! Do you know of some other really good FREEBIE bloggers? Tell me who so I can follow them too!

I was just reflecting on a shopping trip I had recently at Giant Eagle where a total stranger saw me and my coupon binder and asked if I used coupons. “Big time” was my reply. She said she had just attended a workshop on coupons held at Malone College. We talked briefly, she’s a realtor and I, a blogger. We shared our website info. I told her “baby steps” when it comes to learning how to get great deals using coupons.

There was a time when I didn’t think coupons were worth the effort. I mean, c’mon… 35 cents off? Like thats going to really help. But then I learned a thing or two. I hope to break down this kind of savings into baby steps. Start small and build on your experience and knowledge from there!

1.     Save the coupon inserts from your Sunday papers.

2.     Buy extra Sunday papers on Monday if you can get them half off like I can and buy them at Giant Eagle so you can get the Fuel Perks discount towards gas. Get the inserts from family/friends who don’t use them.

3.    Sign up for free email/rss updates with a few coupon matching websites, preferably ones in your area.   I like CouponAllies.com (NE/Central Ohio website).

4.    You can cut out all your coupons or just leave the insert intact until you know what coupon you need. If you organize your inserts (the coupon pages from the paper) and follow the bloggers who do the match-ups, they will tell you what coupon and what insert to find it in so you can match the right coupon with the items on sale. Write “today’s” date on the insert.

5.    I do a couple things. I use a coupon binder/organizer to hold coupons I cut out and I keep my inserts intact. Sometimes you will want to have them cut and organized in a binder so you have them conveniently stored in an easy way to grab and go at moments notice – you know,  “just in case” you find something you weren’t expecting.  I also use a simple 3 drawer plastic organizer to hold my inserts.

6.    If you cut them, staple the “like” coupons together.

7.    As I’m shopping I pull out the coupon that matches the item I just picked up off the shelf and I lay that coupon in the cart somewhere safe. I do this as I shop so I’m prepared at checkout.

8.   As you get familiar with couponing get familiar with the following terms…SmartSource, RedPlum and the P&G coupon inserts, learn about the Catalina coupons that pop out at checkout,  watch for rebates at drugstores.  I just earned a $15 rebate from Olay, I got  $10 in Target gift cards and I got free product- all at Target one night.

9.    Drugstores: Don’t forget about Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS too. Stack manufacturer coupons on top of store coupons when those items are on sale. Or stack coupons, on sales, on items offering rebates!

10.  Sign up for coupons at the websites of your favorite brands and/or call or email a request for coupons to be mailed to you. I get coupons in the mail AND I print them off from company websites as well as some coupon sites (i.e. Coupons.com).

Some of the brands I get coupons from are  Betty Crocker, P&G’s Home Made Simple booklet, Stayfree,  Angel Soft (may be able to request these once a month),  Pampers,  Huggies,  Kraft foods, and Conagra Foods. Also be sure to check out Coupons.com to print coupons. Hint: Hit the back button to get a 2nd coupon! Coupons.com uses “bricks” coupons and usually we are limited to printing out 2.

I plan to show you my coupon binder/organizer soon. You may want to subscribe to my email/rss updates so you don’t miss it!

*I’m also linking this post to RaisingHomemakers. Go there if you want to see lots of other blogger’s tips on “homemaking”.

You may want to go to Walgreens this week…

I went to Walgreens to take advantage of the Kotex deal where you buy 3 at $2.99 each and get a $5 RR (Register Reward) and I wanted to pick up some Kleenex (buy one get one free sale). I used coupons I had printed off the computer (check here for Kleenex and Kotex coupons in my sidebar). What I didn’t know and was pleasantly surprised to find out was that by buying 6 Kleenex (three of which were free) that a $3 RR would print out! I also had Kleenex coupons to use. Here’s what I did and how I saved…

Round #1

I did 2 separate transactions. First, I bought 3 packs of the $2.99 Kotex using 2 coupons ($1 off one and $2 off two) Total before tax was $5.97 and a $5 RR ( also known as catalina coupons) popped out.

Then I bought the 6 boxes of (200 ct) Kleenex (my favorite brand of tissues anyways!)- 3 of which were free (buy one get one free sale) and I used 2 .50 off coupons and the $5 RR. Total before tax .57 cents! AND a $3 RR popped out!

Round #1 cost me $6.54 before tax out of pocket.

Later I went to a different Walgreens because the Kotex I wanted was gone. I did the same deals again but a little differently to get another batch of Kotex and Kleexex….

Round #2

This time I  bought 3 packs of Kotex at $2.99 each and used 2 coupons for $2 and $1 off and my $3 RR. But the register “dinged” and the clerk said he thought I needed to spend maybe another $1.80.  I know sometimes there are rules to how many coupons you can use per item- one of my coupons may have been $2 off two and that might have been the problem. So it gave me an excuse to try the Willie Wonka Chocolate bars at $1.99 each    So I spent $4.47 before tax and out popped my $5 RR- (luv it!)

Then I did another transaction for my 6 boxes of (200 ct) Kleenex (three which were free from the sale)-  I had no more manufacturer coupons but I used my $5 RR and my total before tax was $1.57 and another $3 RR popped out!

Round #2 cost me $6.04 before tax out of pocket.

So total before tax was $12.58 for 12 boxes of 200 ct Kleenex, 6 packs of Kotex and 1 Willie Wonka Bar

Later I used that $3 to buy a big bottle Kids’s Suave  shampoo/condition/body wash (sort of an all-purpose for kids).

I am well stocked on paper goods! Does this sound overwhelming to you? I will admit. Sometimes I just “happen” to come across some deals by accident it seems, but most of my savings comes from knowing where to look or who to look too. Don’t miss my Steps to Savings post to come later this week. These steps will help get you started on your way.

Thanks for reading  my blog, I do appreciate you! I also have some giveaways coming up along with a few reviews. So please come back and read. You may want to subscribe to my rss/email updates so you don’t forget.

I almost missed out on this deal.  Last minute I did my homework by reading what other people were saying about how they made out on this past week’s Target specials. Target  was offering $5 Target gift cards for certain purchases. I literally went to Target Saturday night- a couple hours or so before they closed armed with the knowledge of what I was looking for and coupons I thought I could use.  I didn’t know how it was going to pan out.  Here’s how it went…

Note: by using those price-checkers (self scanners) I could tell which bottles of Olay worked to get the $5 gift card. The scanner told me. I bought the biggest bottle I found that worked with the deal.

I bought 3 bottles of Olay Body Wash plus the bonus bottle (total 25.6 fl.oz. each) for $5.50 each.  Minus $1.00 off coupons for each… Received a $5 Target gift card at checkout  AND will send in for a $15 Olay Mail In Rebate… $16.50 (before tax) – $3 coupons- $5 gift card- $15 MIL (yet to submit) =  $6.50 MONEYMAKER

Next transaction (*see why, below) , I bought 3 of those razors at $4.99 each and used 3 “buy a razor get the olay free” coupons and got my other 3 FREE bottles of Olay which got me another $5 Target gift card at checkout!   $4.99 (before tax) x3 = $14.97 -$5.00 gift card = $9.97

$9.97 – 6.50 =  $3.47 (before tax) will be my cost for all the above.

The Stacy’s chips were FREE (coupon for free product).

Another way to look at this is that I paid about $28.50 out of pocket  for these items, picked up $10 in gift cards (to use later) at checkout and will get back $15 by rebate.  $28.50 – $10.00 -$15.00 =  $3.50.

*The reason and justification for the razor/body wash purchase is that I want to earn that $100 in P&G coupon booklet. I must buy $50 worth of P&G products. My first order of Olay receipt will go to get my $15 rebate.  The 2nd receipt will go towards my coupon booklet.

Any questions about stacking the deals? Just ask and I’ll try to help make it clear.