Thoughts From The Deal Lady

Kroger Loss Leaders and Highlights Week of December 14

2008-12-13T22:10:00.003-05:00

The Grinch Who Stole the Christmas Candy

2008-12-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

Its hard to say that a company who paid me to take candy off of the shelf at CVS this week is a Grinch, but if you are planning to buy holiday candy you may want to take a second look at the package. While at CVS I discovered that a package of Holiday Hershey Kisses are only 8.5 oz while the regular package is 12 oz. Both packages are on sale for $2 each before the buy $20 get $10 ECB deal. You may prefer the holiday packaging if you are planning a special project using Chirstmas colors, but if you are looking for the least expensive candy buy the normal packaging instead.

Due to our current economic state, more companies are reducing the contents of the packages without lowering the price. Some companies are redesigning their packaging while other packages are staying the same but are not as full as they previously were. Most reductions will be 10% or less to prevent most consumers from noticing the decrease in size. Lisa recently sent me this Newsweek article discussing decreases in the package contents.

The long term reduction in the amount is a form of inflation if the cost of the product stays the same. In the case of the holiday candy, I would say Hershey's is taking advantage of the sentimental consumer and possibly trying to make up for the additional costs associated with the promotional packaging. However, I wouldn't be too surprised if there is a reduction in the size of their regular packages in the near future.

Remember to stay alert for price and size changes when purchasing products. Even a seemingly small difference adds up over time.

Publix Highlights for the Week of December 10

2008-12-10T06:01:00.000-05:00

Please remember that my ad week begins on Wednesday; however, some areas begin on Thursday. Please check your local ad here to verify your ad schedule. These sales and prices are in the Metro Atlanta area where manufacturer coupons with a face value of .50 or less are doubled and items that are on sale Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) you only have to buy one to get the item 50% off. Be sure to take full advantage of the sales by pairing them with competitor's coupons including $/$ purchase when applicable. I try to find the best deals to post here, but for a complete match up of this week's sale items with coupons from the newspaper inserts visit Coupon Mom starting on Thursday.

A fairly light week for deals at Publix, but there are a few FREE and cheap items. If the Dark Knight DVD is on your Christmas list you will want to take note of that deal.

The Best of the Sales With Coupons

Shedd's Spead Country Crock $1.89 BOGO
FREE after $1/1 FLIP here.

Daisy SC 25% off 8 to 24 oz - No Price Given
Based on previous experience, the 8 oz size should be FREE after .50/1 (11/16 S)
Printable coupon for .50/1 16 oz or larger here.

Progresso Soup $1.25
.15/1 after $1.10/1 printable coupon no longer available

Holiday Toys 50% this would make the
Publix Truck $1.25
.25/1 after $1/1 Toy under $29.99 (Winter Family Savings Book)

Betty Crocker Muffin Mix $2.59 BOGO
.40/1 after .45/1 printable coupon (doubled) found here AND here.

Hot Pockets $1.66
.66/1 after .50/1 (9/28 RP) doubled

Pomegranates $1.50
$1/1 after $1/2 (Greenwise Magazine or December All You Magazine)

Dark Knight $12.99
Price will vary depending if your Publix will accept both coupons
$5 Publix Coupon for any DVD within price range (Publix Holiday Savings Green Advantage Buys Ad - back page on the bottom. These fliers were still available at my store on Tuesday.)
$3 Manufacturer's coupon from Papa John's Pizza

FREE Non Sale Items

I found some solid color taper candles in the holiday section for .75 each.
FREE after $1/1 Holiday Candle (Winter Family Savings Book).
The other candles I saw were $1.99 each/set.

Hot Wheels .98
FREE after $1/1 Toy under $29.99 (Winter Family Savings Book)

Revlon Beauty Tools Prices Vary
FREE items under $2.00 after $2.00/1 (Publix Holiday Savings Green Advantage Buys Ad)

Ingles Loss Leaders Week of December 7

2008-12-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you haven't already done your shopping, there are a few good loss leaders this week. These prices and coupons are based in the Metro Atlanta area. You can see the entire ad for your area by clicking here. If you only want to purchase one item that is on sale BOGO you will receive it for 1/2 price.

Rayovac Alkaline Batteries .98
FREE after $1/1 printable here OR (some areas 10/12 S)
Note: Several sources are reporting that Rayovac Batteries are $.94 at Wal-Mart; however, the batteries that are .94 at Wal-Mart are NOT Alkaline batteries. The Alkaline batteries at my local Wal-Mart were $3.00 per package. The Rayovac Batteries on sale at Ingles ARE Alkaline batteries. If you are a Wal-Mart shopper you can always price match the ad, but please purchase the correct type if using a coupon.

Tyson Bone-in Split Chicken Breast .88/lb

Ingles Premium USDA Certified London Broil $2.28/lb

Green Giant Russet Potatoes 10 lb. bag $2.98

Having Trouble Using Competitors' Coupons at Publix?

2008-12-08T16:34:00.005-05:00

I often read or hear about others having difficulties using competitor coupons at Publix. This is unfortunate because some of the best deals come from being able to use a competitor's coupon on an item that is on sale at Publix.

I have found a great source to show your Publix manager if you are not able to use competitor coupons at your store. The Winter 2008 issue of Publix FamlyStyle Magazine on page 19 has an article titled 7 Small Ways to Save on Food.

The third way the article listed to save money is: "USE COUPONS. Score significant savings in your shopping cart each week. Christy Rooney, a mom from the Jacksonville, Florida, area, suggests using coupons for sale items, redeeming competitors' coupons (they're welcomed at all Publix stores) and watching for rebates on the products you buy."

If you are not a subscriber, copies of the FamilyStyle magazine are usually available at your local Publix. If you have difficulties using coupons at your Publix and the magazines are no longer available, you may wish to call Publix customer service and request a copy of their competitor coupon policy.

To subscribe to future issues of FamilyStyle magazine for FREE click here. Each edition of the magazine is mailed with several Publix coupons that are only available to subscribers.

Prince Caspian DVD and Scotch Packing Tape for .58 at Publix!

2008-12-05T10:40:00.006-05:00

This deal is just too good to pass up if you have a Narnia fan on your Christmas list!

Publix has Prince Caspian DVDs on sale for $13.99 this week. Even without coupons this cheaper than Wal-Mart's price; however, you can price match the Publix price at Wal-Mart. But you know that I wouldn't be excited enough about that price to write a special post. Of course there are coupons and a rebate offer that will make this an unbeatable deal!

Buy:
Prince Caspian DVD $13.99
1 Roll of Scotch Packaging Tape BOGO this week (In my area you only have to buy one for 1/2 price) $1.59
Pre Coupon, Tax, and Rebate Total $15.58

Use the following coupons and rebate:
-$3 Printable Manufacturer's Coupon for ANY Disney DVD (The "Cent"sible Sawyer has the link here.)
-$5 Publix Coupon for any DVD within price range (Publix Holiday Savings Green Advantage Buys Ad - back page on the bottom)
-$1 Scotch Tape Coupon (11/23 S)
-$3 Rebate when you buy Prince Caspian and Scotch Tape. Printable form can be found here.
After coupon total of $3.58 + tax and stamp for DVD and roll of tape.

Use $3/$15 from CVS and get both for .58! Publix is a good way to use the $/$ CVS coupons if you have been having trouble using them with your ECBs at CVS. If you have additional shopping at Publix you may want to use the $5/$25 Family Dollar in ad coupon instead to save even more.

Don't Get Burned Out Freeze It Instead!

2008-11-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

Last week I listed homemade freezer meals as one of my 100 Favorite Ways To Save Money. Today I am sharing some ways that it can help save you money.

I prepare my make ahead meals differently than most once a month cookbooks suggest. I will prepare and cook a large recipe then freeze the leftovers into individual serving containers. Other people freeze the uncooked meals then thaw and cook it the day they plan to serve it. Also, instead of doing all of my cooking for the month in one day I will cook when the ingredients are on sale.

Freezing the meals in individual servings allows Tim to get a meal to take to work for lunch out of the freezer and heat it in the microwave there. When I have a variety of different meals prepared he has a choice in what he wants to take that day which cuts down on the potential boredom of leftovers from the night before. The "kits" that I make are very convenient for him to pick up out of the freezer in the garage when he leaves for work in the morning.

A Few Advantages to Preparing Meals in Advance:

Ability to choose recipes that have ingredients that are on sale or have on hand.
Being able to fully take advantage of sales by stocking up on the great deals.
Homemade meals are usually more nutritious than going out which will probably save on medical bills in the future.
Less expensive than eating out.
More efficient use of our time preparing meals allowing us to do other things.
Saves gas by not going out to eat or having to run to the store at the last minute.
Store bought frozen dinners often have less food and cost more than a similar homemade meal.
The opportunity to have a cooking day with friends. I was surprised at how much more fun it is to cook with other people!
Especially for a smaller family or lunches, preparing individual meals saves on electricity by not having to use the oven every day. This not only saves money from the electricity used on the stove, but also when trying to cool the house on a warm day.

If you want to try your hand at making meals in advance this is a good time to try some chicken dishes since the chicken is on sale at Ingles through next week. The Unsinkable Molly has a few examples of what she, Emily from Random Ramblings, and I made with some of the chicken on Thursday afternoon.

For more frugal ideas and tips be sure to check out Frugal Friday at Biblical Womanhood.

Ingles Highlights November 16-29

2008-11-15T23:38:00.003-05:00

Please note that this ad will be running for two weeks due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. However, it is a great ad to have for such a duration! I'm sure some of you who are not regular Ingles shoppers will want to make a special trip during this sale. Unfortunately, the rumors of triple coupons that had been going about on various forums are not advertised in this ad.

These prices and coupons are based in the Metro Atlanta area. You can see the entire ad for your area by clicking here. If you only want to purchase one item that is on sale BOGO you will receive it for 1/2 price.

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Sweet Potatoes .48/lb

Jennie-O Grade A Frozen Hen Turkey 10-14 pounds .68/lb - Limit 1

Celery .85

Bartlett, Bosc, or Red Pears .98/lb

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Family Packs - $1.68/lb - I do not recall seeing an advertised price this low in the past five years. Now would be a good time to make some extra room in the freezer and prepare a few make ahead meals.

Whole Boneless Pork Loin $1.98/lb

Gwaltney Spiral 1/2 Ham $1.98/lb

Navel Oranges 4 pound bag $2.50

Orange Juice $2.98/gallon

Red Delicious or Rome Apples 5 pound bag $3.98

The Best of the Deals with Coupons:

Ingles Double Coupon Policy is different than most stores in the Metro Atlanta Area. You can only have up to two of the same product in one transaction. In order to have your coupons double (up to .50 face value) you must spend $10 before coupons for every three coupons you want doubled. Coupons above a .50 face value will not double; therefore, the limits do not apply.

Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate $1.00
FREE Sensible Sweets Varieties after .50/1 doubled (Deccember All You Magazine) if included in the sale.

Duncan Hines Cake Mix $1.00
FREE Carrot Cake Mix after $1.00/1 (11/9 S) if included in the sale.

Chex Mix $2.38 BOGO
.19/1 after .50/1 doubled (11/9 S)

Daisy Sour Cream 16 oz $1.50
.50/1 after .50/1 (11/16 S) -
If you are wanting to buy this check the price for the 8 oz size. They regularly have that size as an unadvertised special for $1.00 making it FREE after the coupon!

Birds Eye Steamfresh Vegetables up to $2.50 BOGO
.55/1 or less after .35/1 doubled (10/12 S)

Borden Cheese $2.50
$1.50/1 after $1/1 (Publix Winter Family Savings Book)

Sister Shuberts Rolls $2.50 - I'm listing these because I know they are a favorite with some of my readers!
$1.50/1 after .50/1 doubled (11/9 RP)

Smart Balance Select Products 50% off no price given
There are several coupons for various products available. However, the ad does not indicate which products will be included in the sale. Check the Coupon Mom database for the insert coupons available for the Smart Balance products.

Next week I hope to post my recipe for Chicken Terragon Salad because most of the ingredients are on sale!

Kroger Loss Leaders and Highlights Week of November 16

2008-11-15T16:30:00.000-05:00

Prices based on the Metro Atlanta sales circular. Our sales week runs from Sunday-Saturday. To find the ad for your store click here. Manufacturer's coupons .50 and under will double. You can purchase one item that is on sale BOGO for half price. Items that are priced 10/$10 can be purchased for $1 each/pound.

I feel like I am repeating myself this week. Many of this week's sale items are also on sale at Publix or have been on sale recently.

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Tangerines 3 pound bag $1.50 WOW!

Gala, Red Delicious, or Rome Apples 3 pound bag $2.99

Kroger Sliced Bacon BOGO - no price given

The Best of the Loss Leaders With Coupons:

These items would be a good deal even without coupons, but the coupons make the prices even better.

Kroger Frozen Vegetables: $1.00
.65/1 after .35/1 (Kroger Best Customer Savings - Printed at Register) This coupon will not double because it is a store coupon, not a manufacturer's coupon.

Kroger Cheese $1.66
$1.21 after .45/1 (Kroger Best Customer Savings) This coupon is also a store coupon so it will not double OR .45/1 Shortcuts Coupon OR
.76/1 after Best Customer Savings AND Shortcuts Coupon

Ground Chuck 5 lb package $1.99/lb
$9.20/5 lbs after .75/1 Shortcuts Coupon ($1.84/lb)

The Best of the Sales with Coupons:

Duncan Hines Cake Mix $1.00
FREE Carrot Cake after $1/1 (10/9 S) IF Carrot Cake is included in the sale

Green Giant Frozen Boxed Vegetables $1.00
.25/1 after .50/2 doubled (10/5 GM) AND .50/2 Shortcuts coupon
FREE Health Varieties after .25/1 doubled AND .50/1 Shortcuts coupon IF included in sale.

Birds Eye Steamfresh Vegetables $1.00
.30/1 after .35/1 doubled (10/12 S)

McCormick Grinder $1.99 BOGO
.50/1 after .25/1 doubled (11/2 RP)

Campbell's Cream Soups .75/1
.59/1 after .25/3 doubled (10/12 S)

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls $1.66
.56/1 after .35/1 printable coupon AND .50/1 Shortcuts

Pillsbury Frozen Dinner Rolls $1.99
.69/1 after .40/1 doubled (9/7 GM, 10/5 GM)

Edy's Ice Cream $2.50
$1.50/1 after $1/1 (November All You)

Holiday Meats:

Unfortunately, the meat prices did not drop this week. I would advise doing some comparison shopping before you buy. I happened to see that Aldi has the spiral sliced ham advertised for $1.49/lb as compared to $1.99/lb at Kroger.

Private Selection Frozen Turkey 14 lbs+ .79/lb

Honeysuckle Frozen Turkey 14 lbs+ .99/lb

Butterball Frozen Turkey 14 lbs+ $1.09/lb

Private Selection Bone-In Turkey Breasts $1.79

Smithfield Shank Portion Ham $1.49/lb

Smithfield Butt Portion Ham $1.59/lb

Kroger Spiral Sliced Ham $1.99/lb

Shortcuts has a coupon for $3.00 off a Private Selection Turkey Roast; however, this does not appear to be on sale this week.

Catalina Update:

Fleischmann's Yeast strips are on sale for $1.49 per package through the end of the year. This sale means that each package will profit you .41 after the coupon and catalina! You can find the details of the catalina in my original post here.

Be sure to check back early next week for new Kroger ecoupon deals! Have a great day!

100 of My Favorite Ways to Save Money!

2008-11-14T13:21:00.004-05:00

Earlier this week I wrote my 100th post for this blog. In celebration, I thought that I would share 100 of my favorite ways to save money. Some of these are directly related to couponing while others are based on living frugally.

Some of these things I have discussed in my previous posts while the other items have inspired me to start a new series of posts. I had originally planned to have a brief description by each item until I realized that even a brief description would be overwhelming for a single post. I will leave you with my list for now. I hope that you will find it helpful and an encouragement to discover new ways to save money.

$/$ Coupons
A Full Cup
All You Magazine Coupons
Bag Sales
Being Creative with What I Have
Best Web Buys
Black Friday Sales
Blinkies
BOGO Coupons
Buying Items in a Lot Instead of Individually
Buying Online to Avoid Sales Tax
Buying Produce in Season
Buying Seasonal Items at the End of Season
Catalina Offers
Clark Howard
Clearance Sales
Comparison Shopping
Competitor Coupons
Consignment Sales
Consignment Store Trade
Coupon Mom
Coupons
Craigslist
CVS ECBs
Discount Cards/Books (Fundraisers)
Dollar Stores and the Dollar Spot at Target
Double Coupons
Ebay
Ecoupons
E-Mail Offers
Finding a Coupon Someone Left on the Shelf
Finding Rebate After You Purchased Product
Free Prescriptions
Free Shipping
Fuel Discounts
Getting Extra Coupon Inserts
Gift Card Promotions
Going Out of Business/ Liquidation Sales
Google
Grand Opening Sales
Having the Butcher Repackage Meat
Hidden Deals
Homemade Baby Food
Homemade Frozen Lunches
Hot Coupon World
In Store Demos
Involving Family and Friends in Saving Money
Kmart Super Doubles
Local Auctions
Loyalty Cards
Mailing Lists
Making Gifts
Manager's Specials
Matching Coupons with Sales
Menu Planning From Sales/Stockpile
Minimizing Trips to the Grocery Store
Money Saving Mom
Monthly Rebate Programs
Negotiating Price
Not Spending Money
Online Coupon Codes
Participating in Surveys/ Advisory Panel
Paying Bills on Time
Pick Your Own Farms
Planning for Events in Advance
Price Book - Mental
Price Matching
Printable Coupons
Reading About Deals
Reading Blogs
Rebates
Relying on God for my Needs
Requesting Good Freebies In the Mail
Restaurant Coupons
Reusing Items
Reward Cards
Reward Programs
Rolling Our Change
Scenario Planning
Sharing or Trading with Friends
Simplifying Meals/Recipes/Menu Plans
Spending Time with My Family
Staying Healthy
Staying Out of Debt
Stockpiling
Store Coupons
Sweepstakes/Giveaways with Good Prizes and Odds of Winning
Taking Advantage of Loss Leaders
Tearpads
The Coupon Clippers
Thinking Outside of the Box
Trading Coupons
Triple Coupons
Upromise
Used Bookstores
Using Coupons with Rebates
Veggie Car
Vocalpoint
Writing This Blog
Yard Sales

I would love to hear some of your favorite ways to save money so please take a moment to share them. If you are interested in learning more about these topics please remember to check back starting next week for my new series, and of course, the best deals of the week!

For even more frugal ideas join the Frugal Friday fun here.

New coupons and Inspiration

2008-11-13T12:40:00.004-05:00

I wanted to update my readers by providing a few matchups for those who get the early edition of the Sunday paper. I used The Coupon Clipper's preview to do put together the early matchups. There are some great coupons in the paper this week so you will want to make sure that you get extra copies! It appears that some areas may be getting the Publix Winter Family Savings Books as an insert in the Sunday paper as well. There are several manufacturer's coupons in that book that can be used at Publix or other stores!

Publix:

There is a new $5/$20 Walgreens coupon available here. Most Publix locations will accept these as competitor's coupons. The coupon is only valid November 14 and November 15. The $20 is after ALL other coupons and before taxes and other exclusions.

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.79 BOGO
FREE after .50/1 doubled (11/16)

KMart:

Revlon Beauty Tool
FREE for items under $2.00 after $1/1 doubled (11/16)

Tums Smoothies $1.89 - Shelf price
FREE after $1/1 doubled (11/16)

Betty Croker Cookie Mix $1.00 - Through Dember 8
.20/1 after .40/1 doubled (11/16)

Other:

To my knowledge this isn't on sale in Metro Atlanta this week, but this is still a very good coupon to print in preparation for a sale.

Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil $1/1 printable coupon can be found here. On my second pass through the coupon preview I noticed that it will be in this week's paper (11/16) as well!

I also wanted to share that I'm enjoying Amy's series this week on becoming debt free. I thought that some of my readers may enjoy following along as well.

Stop by tomorrow for Frugal Friday where I plan to share 100 of my favorite ways to save money!

Publix Highlights for the Week of November 12

2008-11-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

These sales and prices are in the Metro Atlanta area. In Atlanta manufacturer coupons with a face value of .50 or less are doubled and you may purchase one item for 50% off it is on sale Buy One Get One Free(BOGO). However, some areas including Florida have different policies so be sure to check with your store. Remember to take full advantage of the sales by pairing them with competitor's coupons including $/$ purchase. I try to post the best deals for the week, but for a complete match up of this week's sale items with coupons from the newspaper inserts visit Coupon Mom starting on Thursday.

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Bartlett Pears .99/lb

White Potatoes 5 lb bag $1.99

Tangerines 3 lb bag $1.99

Granny Smith Apples 3 lb bag $2.99

The Best of the Sales with Coupons:

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.79 BOGO
FREE after .50/1 doubled (10/19 S)

Honey Bunches of Oats $4.09 BOGO - Price increase from $3.89
.05/1 after $2/1 printable coupon for Just Bunches variety. This coupon has been reset and allowed one print! This is one of Tim's favorites.

Lysol Trigger Cleaners $2.69 BOGO
.35/1 after .50/1 doubled (11/2 S)

McCormick Gravy .99 BOGO
.50/1 after .25/2 doubled (11/2 RP)

McCormick Grinder $1.99 BOGO
.50/1 after .25/1 doubled (11/2 RP)

Gerber Cereal $1.50/1
.50/1 after $1/1 FLIP

Campbell's Cream Soups .75/1
.59/1 after .25/3 doubled (10/12 S) - I usually buy generic cream soups, but for those who are brand loyal this is a good deal.

Juicy Juice 64 oz. $3.49 BOGO
.75/1 after $1/1 printable coupon for 46 or 64 oz bottles (This coupon has also been reset!)
.75/1 after $1/1 (9/14 RP) Harvest Surprise variety only

Frosted Flakes $1.99
.99/1 after $1/1 printable coupon here or here or 11/9 RP

Domino Sugar $1.99
$1.30/1 after .35/1 doubled (10/12 RP)

Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil 16.9 oz bottle $6.49 BOGO
$2.35/1 after .45/1 doubled (11/9 RP)

Fresh Express Salad Blend BOGO (Previously these have been $3.99 BOGO)
$1/1 (Kroger home mailer)

Don't forget to pick up your copy of the Winter Family Savings book while you are at Publix. There are some great coupons in this FREE book. Hopefully, we will have some good sales to to use them!

Super KMart Super Doubles up to $2 Face Value! November 12-16

2008-11-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

The next round of Super Doubles at KMart is November12-16. Reportedly, this time all Super KMarts (locations with a grocery store) will be participating. To find out if your store is participating look for the Wednesday November 12 ad here. In the past some other locations have participated upon request, so you may wish to inquire at your store starting Wednesday.

Here are the updated basic rules for KMart Super Doubles:
I appreciate others sharing more deals, but please follow these rules when commenting.

Coupons with Face Value of $2/1 and Under Will Be Doubled.
Coupons that are for more than one item will only double up to the cost of one item.
Example: Item X is $1.75. You have a coupon for $1.50/2. This coupon will only double to $1.75 not $3.00.
Up to 75 coupons per person per day can be used.
No more than 4 of any item may be purchased.
No overage will be given.
Internet coupons will NOT be accepted.
Coupons that say Do Not Double will not be doubled.

The Best of the Weekly Sales November 9 -15

Almay Cosmetics BOGO Prices Vary
2 FREE (regular price of $4.00 or less) after $2/1 (Beauty Book)

Sundown Vitamins BOGO Prices Vary
2 FREE (regular price of $4.00 or less) after $2/1 (10/12 RP OR Publix Winter Family Savings)

Colgate Toothpaste $2.50
FREE after $1.50/1 (August and September Issues of All You Magazine)

Revlon Cosmetics 40% off prices vary
FREE (regular price of $6.65 or less) after $2/1 (9/14 S, 8/24 S, 7/20 S, Beauty Book)

Hershey's Kisses - $2.33
.33/1 after $1/1 (11/9 S) Dark Chocolate Variety

Crest Toothpaste $2.50
.50/1 after $1/1 (10/12 P&G)

The Best of the Monthly Deals November 11 - December 8

I was hopeful that many of these items would still be valid for the next round of Super Doubles; however, it appears that most of the coupons are expiring soon. I have tried to list the expiration date if the coupon expires before December 8.

Dove Chocolate Bar $1.89
FREE after $1/1 (9/7 RP - expires 11/28)

Dove Shampoo or Conditioner $3.79
FREE after $2/1 /(8/17 RP - expires 11/17)

Duracell Batteries 2 pack AA or AAA $1
FREE after .75/1 (10/26 RP - expires 11/30)

Gerber Graduates $2.00
FREE after $1/1 Home Mailer

Hershey's Extra Dark Bar $1.89
FREE after $1/1 (9/28 S - expires 11/30)

Taster's Choice Coffee 7 ct On the Go Packets $1.00
FREE after .50/1 (9/14 RP) - IF coupon is valid on this type

Betty Crocker Cookie Mix $1.00
.20/1 after .40/1 (10/19 S)

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.50
.50/1 after .50/1 (10/19 S)

Glade Fabric and Air Odor Eliminator $3.50
.50/1 after $1.50/1 (10/5 S1 - expires 11/15)

Oust Surface Disinfectant and Air Sanitizer $3.50
.50/1 after $1.50/1 (10/5 S1)

Pledge $2.50 - $3.50
.50/1 - $1.50/1 after $1/1 (9/21 S - expires 11/16)

Resolve 22 oz $4.50
.50/1 after $2/1 (10/5 S - expires 11/16)

Renuzit 2 pack $1.89
.79/1 after .55/1 (10/5 S1 - expires 11/30)

Pine Sol $1.99
.99/1 after .50/1 (9/7 RP - expires 11/15)

Tidy Cats $3.79
$1.79 after $1/1 (9/14 RP)

Purex $2.79
2.09/1 after .35/1 (10/5 S1 - expires 11/30)

Deals on Regular Price Items - Based on Shelf Prices as of October 30.

Calgon Bath Beads $1.99
FREE after $1/1 (Beauty Book)

Endust Free $3.29
FREE after $2/1 (9/7 RP, 11/9 RP)

Greased Lightning - Shelf Price $2.89
FREE after $1.50/1 (All You Magazine October Issue)

Healthful Life Cat Food $1.99
FREE after $1/1 (8/3 RP - expires 11/30)

Johnson & Johnson First Aid Shelf Prices Vary
FREE for items under $2 after $1/1 (8/10 S1)

Kotex Lightdays $1.29
FREE after .75/1 (10/12 S OR 11/9 S)

Pert Shampoo $3.49
FREE after $2/1 (10/19 S)

Revlon Beauty Tools - Shelf Prices Vary
FREE for items under $2 (emery boards, nail clippers, tweezers) after $1/1 (9/14 S, 10/12 S, 10/19 S, Beauty Book)

Visine $3.99
FREE after $2/1 (5/11 RP - expires 11/15)

Whisker Lickins Cat Treats $1.39
FREE after $1/1 (9/14 RP)

Ziploc Vacuum Starter Kit $3.99
FREE after $2/1 (October All You Magazine)

Zest 3 bar bundle $2.19
.19 after $1/1 (10/12 P&G - expires 11/30)

Hunts Tomato Paste $1.00
.33/1 after $1/3 (Publix Yellow Advantage Buys - expires 11/30)

Tylenol Rapid Release $4.49
.49/1 after $2/2 (9/14 RP, 11/9 RP)

Vaseline Lotion $3.29
.79/1 after $1.25/1 (10/26 RP)

Ziploc Vacuum Bags $2.79
.79/1 after $1/1 (October All You Magazine)

American Greetings Cards Prices Vary
$1/2 excludes .99 cards (Tearpad found in store - expires 11/30)

Be sure to check back for Super Double updates and other deals! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Kroger Loss Leaders Week of November 9

2008-11-08T23:49:00.003-05:00

Ingles Highlights Week of November 9

2008-11-08T23:12:00.003-05:00

These prices and coupons are based in the Metro Atlanta area. You can see the entire ad for your area by clicking here. If you only want to purchase one item that is on sale BOGO you will receive it for 1/2 price. You may want to consider price matching the loss leaders at Wal-Mart to save a trip.

The Best of the Loss Leaders

Lettuce .78

Yellow or Zucchini Squash .98/lb

Tyson Bone-In Chicken Breast .98/lb

Ground Chuck 5 lbs or more $1.98

Florida Navel Oranges 4 lb bag $2.50

Tangerines 3 lb bag $2.50

Red or Rome Apples 5 lb bag $3.98

The Best of the Deals with Coupons

Ingles Double Coupon Policy is different than most stores in the Metro Atlanta Area. You can only have up to two of the same product in one transaction. In order to have your coupons double (up to .50 face value) you must spend $10 before coupons for every three coupons you want doubled. For coupons above .50 face value will not double; therefore, the limits do not apply.

Rayovac Batteries .98
FREE after $1/1 OR
.48/1 after $1/2 (10/12 S)

Stonyfield Farm Yogurt .50
.17/1 after .50/3 doubled printable coupon (limit one per e-mail address)

Pillsbury Brownies and Cake Mixes .98
If the Sugar Free is included in the sale use the coupon below
.18/1 after .40/1 doubled (9/7 RP)

Bird's Eye Steamfresh Vegetables up to $2.50 BOGO
.55/1 or less after .35/1 doubled (10/12 S)

Breyers Ice Cream $2.98
$1.98/1 after $.50/1 doubled (10/26 RP)

Edy's Ice Cream $2.98
$1.98/1 after $1/1 (November All You Magazine)

Kroger 3 Day Sale November 6, 7, 8

2008-11-06T14:51:00.006-05:00

Kroger is having a three day sale this weekend November 6, 7, 8. I don't consider these items to be the best deals, but I list them here because Kroger does not advertise them online.

Blue Bell Ice Cream 1/2 Gallon $2.98
$1.98 after $1/1 printable coupon. This coupon has been reset since the last 3 day sale. So even if you printed your limit of 2 last month you can print 2 more!

Kroger Russet Potatoes 5 lb. bag BOGO

Kroger Value Sugar 4 lb. bag $1.28

Nature's Own Honey Wheat Bread BOGO

Sunnyland Meat Bologna .99

Don't forget Kroger is having The 10 Item Mega Event Sale through the end of next week. To find some of the best deals during the sale including many items that will be FREE see my post here. For other Kroger hidden deals and weekly sale items please see my current Kroger posts here. Have a great day!

Oven Roasted Grape Tomatoes

2008-11-06T00:00:00.002-05:00

My friend Marissa served these delicious oven roasted tomatoes for lunch one day. When she told me how she prepared them, I couldn't believe how easy they were to make. With her permission, I am sharing this quick and easy side dish recipe since the two main ingredients are on sale at Publix this week.

Oven Roasted Grape Tomatoes

Two packages of tomatoes will make 6-8 side dish servings. The tomatoes will cook down considerably in the oven.

Ingredients:

Grape Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Salt

Directions:

Halve tomatoes lengthwise.
Place on cookie sheet with inside facing up.
Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes.
Heat oven to 200 degrees.
Place tomatoes in oven.
Cook for about two hours until most, but not all of the juices have evaporated.
Remove from oven.
Salt.
Serve and enjoy!

Publix Highlights for the Week of November 5

2008-11-05T06:00:00.004-05:00

New Kroger Cellfire Coupons - Expire December 1

2008-11-04T15:33:00.004-05:00

There is a new batch of Cellfire coupons available. These deals look very similar to the last group including another FREE box of Active Lifestyle Oatmeal, but there are also a few new offers. Coupons do not expire until December 1, but will need to be added to your Kroger card by November 17 in order to take advantage of these offers.

The Best:

Active Lifestyle Oatmeal
FREE box with Cellfire coupon

Cottonelle Toilet Paper Single Roll 4 Pack Everyday Price .99
.50/1 Cellfire Coupon
FREE after Cellfire coupon AND .25/1 doubled (10/26 S)

Naturally Preferred H2O
BOGO Cellfire Coupon
.65/2 (9/7 S1)
IF this is still on sale for $1/bottle the final price will be .35/2

Colgate Total
$1.50/1 Cellfire Coupon
.75/1 (10/26 S)
Possibly included in $5/10 Mega Sale

Colgate Max Fresh
$1.50/1 Cellfire Coupon
.75/1 (10/26 S)
Possibly included in $5/10 Mega Sale

FREE Tote Bag with Samples and Coupons From Rite Aid

2008-11-03T12:40:00.000-05:00

Rite Aid Single Check Rebate offer number 500 is for a FREE tote bag with samples and coupons when you buy $30.00 of merchandise, but you can get the $30.00 of merchandise for FREE. So you will be able to get the Accu-chek Meter AND the tote bag offer for FREE.

Just follow these easy steps:

First, pickup a Fall 2008 Rite Aid magazine called Inner Strength. You can get one for FREE in the front of the store.

Then, find in the back of the magazine the coupon for a FREE Accu-chek Avia or Compact Plus Blood Glucose Meter. Hurry, this coupon expires November 15.

Purchase the meter with the coupon. (If they happen to be on sale for less than $30 you will need to buy more than one). There is no sales tax on Glucose Meters in the state of GA so it truly is FREE.

Keep your receipt(s), wait until the next day, and submit for offer number 500 of the Rite Aid Single Check Rebate Program here. Since you can submit the offer online you don't even have to pay for a stamp!

The Tote Bag Offer will show up as a separate category on your Rite Aid rebate summary statement than your monthly checks so you can request it to be shipped immediately after submitting the receipt.

Follow the Rite Aid directions to request your bag to be shipped.

Wait for your FREE tote bag, samples, and coupons to come in the mail!

If you are looking for more FREE items be sure to check my Kroger posts for the week here.

Ingles Highlights Week of November 2

2008-11-02T00:01:00.002-04:00

There are a few items of interest at Ingles this week. Especially note the price on the London Broil. It is the lowest price that I can recall at any store in recent memory. These prices and coupons are based in the Metro Atlanta area. You can see the entire ad for your area by clicking here. If you only want to purchase one item that is on sale BOGO you will receive it for 1/2 price.

The Best of the Loss Leaders

French Bread $1.88 BOGO

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.98/lb

London Broil $2.28/lb - This is a deal for this cut of meat.

Tangerines - 3 pound bag $2.50

Oscar Mayer Bacon $5.58 BOGO

Florida Navel Oranges - 4 pound bag $2.98

The Best of the Deals with Coupons

Ingles Double Coupon Policy is different than most stores in the Metro Atlanta Area. You can only have up to two of the same product in one transaction. In order to have your coupons double (up to .50 face value) you must spend $10 before coupons for every three coupons you want doubled.

Captain Crunch Cereal $3.78 BOGO
.89/1 after .50/1 doubled (9/7 RP)

Quaker Life Cereal $3.48 BOGO
$1.24/1 after $1/2

Kroger Scenario Matchups for $5 off 10 Item Sale Starting November 2

2008-11-01T23:59:00.000-04:00

The $5/10 sale is back! These types of sales almost always generate some FREE and even sometimes profitable items, this time is no different. If you purchase any combination of 10 selected items you will automatically receive $5 off your total purchase. When you are calculating your cost the easiest way to think about it is to deduct .50 off of each item. You can have up to 3 deals in one transaction, meaning if you purchase 30 items you will receive $15 off of your order, but you must buy in multiples of 10 to receive the discount. There are several different items to choose from, but as usual I am only highlighting the best ones that I saw.

Prices and coupons are from the Metro Atlanta area. Click here to see the complete ad for your area.

Powerade $1.00
FREE after $1/1 (7/13 S) OR coupon from My Coke Rewards.
Profit .50 after $5/10 - Make sure that you have enough other items in your cart to cover the overage.

Betty Crocker Potatoes $1.50
.35/1 after .40/1 printable coupon doubled AND .35/1 Shortcuts coupon
Profit .15 after $5/10

Carnation Evaporated Milk $1.00
.50 after .50/2 doubled (9/14 RP)
FREE after $5/10

Glade Scented Oil Candles $2.50
.50/1 after $2.00/1 (found next to product OR November All You Magazine)
FREE after $5/10

Oatmeal Crisp Cereal $2.00 IF included in the sale
.75/1 printable coupon AND .75/1 Shortcuts coupon
FREE after $5/10

Quaker Oats $1.50
.50/1 after .50/1 doubled (9/7 RP)
FREE after $5/10

Colgate $1.50
.75/1 after .75/1 (10/26 S)
.25/1 after $5/10

Dial Soap $1.50
.90/1 after .30/1 doubled (10/5 S1)
.40/1 after $5/10

Hunt's Tomatoes 28 oz cans $1.50
.90/1 after .50/2 printable coupon AND $1/5 Shortcuts coupon
.40/1 (Must buy 5) after $5/10

Hefty One Zip Bags $1.50
$.95/1 after .55/1 (9/28 RP)
.45/1 after $5/10

Edwards and Mrs. Smiths Pie Slices $1.50
$1.00/1 after $1/2 (8/24 S)
.50/1 after $5/10

Quaker Rice Quakes $1.00
.50/1 after $5/10

Swiss Miss Cocoa Mix $1.50
$1.25/1 after .50/2 Shortcuts coupon
.75/1 after $5/10

Nestle Toll House Morsels $2.50
$1.50/1 after .50/1 doubled (9/14 RP OR 11/2 S)
$1.00/1 after $5/10

Domino Sugar - 5 pound bag $2.50
$1.80/1 after .35/1 doubled (8/12 RP)
$1.30/1 after $5/10

Land O Lakes Butter $2.50
$1.95/1 after .55/1 (10/12 S)
$1.45/1 after $5/10

Breyers Ice Cream $3.00
$2.00 after .50/1 doubled (10/26 RP)
$1.50 after $5/10

Welch's Grape Juice $3.00
$2.00/1 after $1/1 (10/5 S1)
$1.50/1 after $5/10

General Mills Cereals $2.00 -.50 ($5/10) = $1.50

Selected varieties of General Mills cereals are to be included in the $5/10 sale this week; however, the ad does not specify which ones. There are several different coupons available including $1/3 Listed Cereals (10/5 GM OR 11/2 S), $1/2 Listed Cereals (10/12 S).

Several different printable General Mills coupons are currently available as well:
$1/1 Honey Nut Cheerios
7 different General Mills coupons here ranging from $1/2 to .75/1
3 different .75/1 coupons here
Shortcuts also has a some coupons that you can stack with paper coupons.

Prices after coupons and $5/10 discount could range from .50/1 to $1.17/1.

Be sure to see my other Kroger posts here including the best of this week's loss leaders. Have a great week!

Kroger Loss Leaders Week of November 2

2008-11-01T23:53:00.006-04:00

Prices based on the Metro Atlanta sales circular. Our sales week runs from Sunday-Saturday. To find the ad for your store click here. Since Kroger is running a special sale this week I am only listing the best of the loss leaders in my regular post. My other posts for Kroger including the $5 off 10 sale matchups can be found here.

The Best of the Loss Leaders

Kroger Value White or Wheat Bread .88

Yellow Squash or Zucchini $1/lb

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.99/lb

Orange Juice $2.99/gallon

Florida Navel Oranges $2.99/4 lb bag

Milk $3.28/gallon

Carolina Pride Full Line Sale BOGO

FREE Items!

If you missed my post at the end of last week listing some FREE items you can still get the Herbal Essence Shampoo, Cottonelle Toilet Paper, and the Betty Crocker Frosting for FREE this week. For more details read my post here.

Are You Looking for Even More KMart Deals This Week?

2008-10-31T06:00:00.004-04:00

If you are still looking for more KMart deals, I found a few more during my second trip to KMart on Thursday. Many of the items were out of stock including some of the deals below, but I was at least able to confirm the prices. I also have a list of some of the best deals from next Sunday's coupon inserts matched with the current sales, for those who have access to an early edition of the paper. If you are new to my site, you can find my previous KMart Super Doubles posts for the week here.

Sale Items

Loreal Eye Single Color Eye Shadow $3.49 BOGO (2nd one rings up FREE)
Receive 2 FREE after $2/1 (10/5 RP or 9/7 RP)

Almay Eye Makeup Remover Pads $2.99
FREE after $2/2 (Beauty Book)

Almay Eye Makeup Remover Liquid $3.29
FREE after $2/2 (Beauty Book)

Regular Price Items

Whisker Lickins Cat Treats $1.39
FREE after $1/1 9/14 RP

Calgon Bath Beads $1.99
FREE after $1/1 (Beauty Book) (Thanks for the Tip, June!)

EAS Bars $1.79 or $1.99
FREE after $1/1 (9/7 S2 - expires 10/31)

Visine $3.99
FREE after $2/1 (7/27 S)

Early Edition Coupons

Each week The Coupon Clippers provides a preview of the coupons that will be in the Sunday paper. The matchups for the sale items below are based on the coupon values found at their site. There is only one free item listed, but some of the other items are good deals if you are brand loyal.

Olay 4 Bar Pack $4.00
FREE after $2/1 (P&G)

Old Spice Deodorant $2.33
$1.33 after $1/2 (P&G)

Head & Shoulders Shampoo $3.50
$1.50 after $1/1 (P&G)

Cascade $3.79
$1.79/1 after $1/1 (P&G)

While you are at The Coupon Clipper's website you may also want to note these other good coupons that will be coming in Sunday's paper.

Kraft Singles .50/1

FREE can Mighty Dog

Glade coupons - Glade has been offering many different catalina deals over the past few weeks. Some of these coupons may come in quite handy!

Thank you for visiting and please check back for information and matchups for future Super Doubles events.

Several Additional FREE items at Kroger!

2008-10-31T06:00:00.003-04:00

I went to Kroger last night during the Midnight Madness sale, it was just that - Madness. However, while I was there I found a few deals for FREE items share with my readers. These may be especially helpful if you are looking for filler items to use the $5/$50 purchase coupon that expires October 31 (2008 Entertainment Book).

FREE after Traditional Coupons

Brut Deodorant $1.00
FREE after $1/1 (9/21 S)

Celestial Seasonings Tea $1.00
FREE after $1/1 (10/5 S1)

Pert Shampoo $2.00
FREE after $2/1 (10/19 S)

Sundown Vitamins BOGO
Cheaper items (Folic Acid) are FREE with $2/1 (10/12 RP)

FREE after Traditional Coupons with eCoupons

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.50 (Sale price until January)
FREE after .50/1 doubled (10/19 S) AND .50/1 OR .55/1 Shortcuts coupon.
You can do this deal twice per card if you have both ecoupons loaded.

Herbal Essence $2.49
2 FREE after $3/2 AND $2/2 P&G eSaver

If you did not take advantage of the Cottonelle offer with the .50 coupon you can still get a couple of packages of FREE toilet paper with the new .25/1 coupon.

Cottonelle - 4 pack single rolls .99 (Everyday Price)
FREE after .25/1 doubled (10/26 S) AND .50/1 Cellfire OR Shortcuts coupon.
You can do this deal twice per card if you have both ecoupons loaded.

I'm Flipping Over These Great New FLIPs to use at Food Lion and Publix!

2008-10-31T06:00:00.001-04:00

I am always happy to see FLIPs for items that there aren't usually regular coupons for. This week they are several great ones!

$1/1 Bag of Shredded Cheese
$2/$5 Produce Purchase
$2/$5 Bakery Purchase

Also, there was a $1/$2 Pop Tarts coupon.
At Publix this week these are on sale for $1.66.
.66/1 after $1/2 FLIP AND $1/2 (10/12 RP)

The links to all of these coupons and more can be found at this HCW thread.

You can play a game to receive a coupon for $1 off a bag of apples. The game can be found here.

The Cranberry Cannon Game will allow you to print three different coupons.

Each Publix location can decide who they consider competitors so be sure to check with your Customer Service Representative before shopping. Most Publix locations will allow a competitor coupon and a manufacturer coupon for each item unless coupon wording restricts it. Just a reminder that the FLIPs coupons are limited to one per person per day for each product.

Reminder: Kroger 8 Hour Sale is Tonight!

2008-10-30T11:57:00.002-04:00

Just a reminder that Kroger's 8 hour sale is tonight from 4 PM-Midnight. For the list of the best deals during the sale see my previous post here.

Update to KMart Super Doubles October 26

2008-10-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

Wednesday was the first day that I had an opportunity to go to KMart for Super Doubles this week. While I was there I found a few other deals to tell you about.

I hope to have sale matchups with next week's coupons in the next couple of days for those of you who have access to early editions of the Sunday paper. There are also a few other potential deals that I want to confirm before I post them so be sure to check back later this week.

Prices and coupons are from the Metro Atlanta area and may vary depending on your location.

Sale Items

TBonz Dog Snacks $2.50
FREE after $1.50/1 10/19S

Glade Candle Holder (Without Candle) $2.99
FREE after $2/1 (November All You Magazine)

Blueberry Frosted Mini Wheats $2.67
.67/1 after $1/1 (August All You magazine - expires 10/31)
My store didn't carry blueberry but they did have the strawberry. The $1/1 coupon from the November All You magazine can be used on the strawberry.

Ace Products 10% off
Shelf Prices Started at $2.99 (Sports Tape)
.69/1 after discount and $1/1 (November All You Magazine)

Non Sale Items

Kotex Lightdays $1.29
FREE after .75/1 (10/12 S)

Ziploc Vacuum Starter Kit $3.99
FREE after $2/1 (October All You Magazine)

Zest 3 bar bundle $2.19
.19 after $1/1 (10/12 P&G)

Ziploc Vacuum Bags $2.79
.79/1 after $1/1 (October All You Magazine)

There were a few shelf price increases that I noticed for items that I previously posted. These increases have happened just within the past couple of weeks. I encourage you to always check the shelf price and confirm how the item rings up at the register.

Pert $3.49
Still FREE with $1/1

Hershey Candy Bars $2.49
Now .49/1 after $1/1

Resolve Cleaner $4.99
Now .99/1 after $2/1

You may want to check out the toy clearance while you are there. I was able to get a toy truck for The Little Man for 75% off.

Remember that any previous information or future updates for Super Doubles will be found here.

Publix Highlights for the Week of October 28

2008-10-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

Ingles Loss Leaders Week of October 26

2008-10-29T05:45:00.000-04:00

I've included the best of the loss leaders plus a couple of deals with printable coupons. If an item is on sale for BOGO you only have to buy one item receive a 50% discount. Click here for the full ad.

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Celery .98

Beef Cube Steak Family Pack $2.28/lb
This is great when cooked in a sauce made from cream of mushroom soup and milk served over rice. Great easy option for hospitality.

Red, Gold, or Rome Apples 5 pound bag $2.98

Tangerines 3 pound bag $2.98

The Best of the Sales with Coupons:

Progresso Vegetable Classics Soups $1.00
FREE after $1.10/1 printable coupon. Common Sense with Money has the link here.

Progresso Traditional or Rich and Hearty Soups $1.33
.23/1 after $1.10/1 printable coupon. See above link.

Sundown Vitamins BOGO - Prices vary.
Items under $3.00 (shelf price $6.00) will be FREE with $3/1 (9/28 RP)
Other coupons available:
$2/1 (10/12 RP) AND $1/1 (10/5 RP)

Honey Nut Cheerios $2.00
$1.00 after $1/1 printable coupon here.

Easy Recipe for the End of the Month Stretch

2008-10-28T15:16:00.005-04:00

I received an e-mail from a friend earlier this week who is expecting her third child in November:

"I am trying to meal plan for November and I am bored with all my recipes. Since I don't plan on leaving the house much, there are a lot of days to plan for! If you get a chance, can you send me your favorite easy recipe?"

I have been wanting to post this recipe for some time, but her e-mail motivated me to share it now.

I threw this together one night when I was first married and not feeling well. I was looking for something easy that I could make with what I had on hand and had minimal cleanup because our apartment didn't have a dishwasher. The bonus is that it is a very inexpensive dish to make, so if you are looking for a nutritious meal to help stretch your budget at the end of the month this is it! My little experiment was successful, and it has remained one of our favorites!

Beans and Rice

Serves 3-4 main dish servings. This recipe can easily be multiplied for larger families or if you are having guests. If you have leftovers you freeze it in individual serving containers for when you are too busy or tired to cook.

I strongly recommend canned beans instead of dried beans for this dish. In my opinion, the flavor is much better with the canned beans.

1 can corn (.42 can Wal-Mart)
1 can black beans (.49 can Aldi)
1 can kidney beans (Even though it is more expensive than Aldi or Wal-Mart, I like the Kroger brand best for this as the syrup is thicker .56 can)
long grain white rice (Amount will vary based on your family. Price has been about .66/lb lately)
shredded cheese for topping
salsa (optional)

Open all the cans.
Drain retaining a thick coating of juice on the beans. Do not rinse the corn or beans.
Place corn in pot and turn burner to medium heat.
In a separate pot put water in pot for rice turn on high.
Cook corn for a few minutes, while water for rice is preparing to boil.
Stir corn so it doesn't stick to bottom. You want to place the corn in the pot and start to cook them before the beans or they will be undercooked and crunchy.
Place rice in water once it is boiling. Cook as directed.
Place both cans of beans in with corn and stir.
Continue to stir mixture periodically to avoid having beans stick to bottom of pot. If the mixture is cooked at a temperature too high or not stirred they will burn!
Mixture will become thicker as beans start to become mushy. You can have either moist where basically the beans are just heated or you can have it a bit drier and the beans are mushier.
In general, I use the rice as the timer at my house for when the beans should be cooked.
Turn off rice and bean mixture when cooked.
Layer rice then bean mixture.
Top with shredded cheese.
You may also top with salsa (My husband prefers having this addition.)

I have occasionally used the mixture as a baked potato topping, but I like it better served over rice.

If you have a favorite easy recipe to share with us please leave a comment. If you have a blog you can provide a direct link to the recipe. You can find some other recipes that I have shared here.

Publix GreenWise November Coupons

2008-10-25T16:55:00.002-04:00

Each month Publix publishes a magazine called GreenWise. The recipes and articles are designed to encourage a encourage a healthier lifestyle. Almost always there are coupons for organic or natural products. You can request to have a FREE subscription mailed to you house here (Sorry, you must live in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, or Tennessee) or copies are available at most Publix locations.

November Issue:

Manufacturer Coupons:
$1/2 POM Wonderful Pomegranates expire 1/31/09 DND p. 7 YUM!
$1/1 EatSmart All-Natural Snacks expires 2/28/09 p. 23
$1/1 Blue Diamond Chilled Almond Breeze Almondmilk 9/1/09 p. 25
$1/1 Silk half gallon or larger 12/31/08 Manufacturer Coupon - DND - No Barcode only Publix LU number. Inside front cover.

Store Coupon:
$1/1 Horizon Organic Half Gallon Milk expires 12/1/08 p. 23

Kroger Loss Leaders and Highlights Week of October 26

2008-10-25T06:00:00.003-04:00

Prices and scenarios are based on the Metro Atlanta sales circular. Our sales week runs from Sunday-Saturday. To find the ad for your store click here. Manufacturer coupons with a face value of .50 or less double. When items are on sale BOGO you only have to buy one to receive the 50% discount. If the sale is 10 for $10 you can buy just one for $1.

I try to only focus on the best deals each week. For a complete list of sales with coupon matchups from the Sunday coupon inserts visit Coupon Mom's website during the week of the sale.

Kroger is running its .58 sale again. Please don't be fooled into thinking that these are good deals. Often we can get the brand name items for less or the generics are cheaper elsewhere like Wal-Mart or Aldi. If Kroger is your one stop shop you might want to pick up something that you are running low on, but be sure to check first to see if there is another alternative for less. For example, see my post here on how to get Fleischmann's Yeast Strips for .10 instead of spending .58 for the Kroger brand!

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Head of Lettuce .79

Kroger 18 Ct. Large Eggs $1.98

Boneless Pork Loin $1.99/lb

Ground Chuck $1.99 (5 lb package)

Asparagus $1.99/lb

The Best of the Sales with Coupons:

Starkist Tuna Pouches $1.25
.25/1 after $1/1 (Home Mailer) I just received several coupons in the mail from VocalPoint to share with friends so be sure to check through your mail if you are registered. If I find none of my friends want these I may leave a coupon on the shelf. (I like finding a good coupon on the shelf for an item that I was going to buy anyway.) This is also a good item to donate as the food banks are preparing for the upcoming Christmas season.

Hot Pockets $1.66
.66/1 after .50/1 doubled (9/28 RP)

Purex Laundry Detergent $1.99 Limit 4
.99/1 after.50/1 doubled (8/10 S1 - expires 10/31) OR
.99/1 after .50/1 doubled printable coupon for Purex Natural Elements here. (Thanks Fiddledeedee!) OR
$1.29/1 after .35/1 doubled (10/5 S1)

The Best Deals for Thursday's 8 Hour Sale 4 pm - midnight:
Many of these items are on sale for the rest of the week, but they are the best deal during this time. There is a limit of 4 of each item. Usually, the registers are programmed to enforce the limits.

Big K Soft Drinks .39

Hershey's, Mars, or Nestle Fun Size or Snack Size Candy $1.47
.47/1 after $1/1 printable coupon.

Kroger Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns .50

Tombstone Pizza $1.99
For a limited number of states (AL, AR, CT, HI, KY,MA, ME, MN,MO, NC, NJ, NY, OR, RI, SD, TX, UT, VA, and WV) there is a mail in rebate to receive a coupon for a FREE Tombstone pizza when you buy a Tombstone pizza. That's a super deal for those who have this form, but still a good deal for those of us who do not live in one of those states.

You can find the latest Kroger deals that I've posted here including Cellfire coupon matchups. There are a couple of FREE items that you don't want to miss!

New List for KMart Super Doubles Event October 26- November 1

2008-10-24T06:00:00.003-04:00

Here is the anticipated list of FREE items and other good deals that can be found during the KMart Super Doubles Event next week. Mercedes has posted the list of stores that are officially participating here. In the past some stores have participated even if they were not listed.

For those of you who are new to KMart Super Doubles here are the basics of KMart's double coupon policy:
Coupons with Face Value of $2 and Under Will Be Doubled.
Up to 75 coupons per person per day can be used.
No more than 4 of any item may be purchased.
No overage will be given.
No internet coupons will be accepted.
Personal Note: Some stores refuse to double coupons that state do not double. To the best of my knowledge I have not included any coupons with that wording in the list below.

Prices and coupons listed below are from the Metro Atlanta area and may differ by region. Coupons highlighted in red expire on October 31.

Be sure to check back next week for any additional coupons. You will be able to find any of my updates or previous KMart Super Doubles posts here.

The Best of the Sale Items Week October 26 - November 1:

Colgate Total $2.50
FREE after $1.50/1 (October All You Magazine)

Gillette Shampoo $3.50
FREE after $2/1 (9/28 P&G)

Kraft Easy Mac Singles $1.00
FREE after $1/2 (9/14 S)
Previously, there were reports of difficulties with this coupon automatically doubling. Coupons at my store are doubled manually so I have not encountered any problems.

Powerade 32 oz bottle $1.00
FREE after .75/1 (6/8 S)
FREE after $1/1 (7/13 S)

Sobe Life Water 20 oz bottle $1.00
FREE after .50/1 (Tearpad)
Remember to save the entire labels to get FREE Lizard Gear items.

Beggin Strips $2.50
.50/1 after $1/1 (8/10 RP or 10/12 S)

Crest Premium Toothpastes $2.50
.50/1 after ($1/1) 9/28 PG

Mitchum Deodorant $2.00
.50/1 after .75/1 (8/24 S OR 10/26 S)

Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats - IF included in sale $2.66
.66/1 after $1/1 (November All You Magazine)

Best of the Sale Items Monthly Book October 14 - November 10:

Altoids Mints $1.69
FREE after $1/1 (coupon found on package)

Dove Shampoo or Conditioner $3.79
FREE after $2/1 (8/17 RP)

Goodlife Cat Food $4.00
FREE after $2/1 (8/24 RP)

Ice Breakers Gum .99
FREE after $1/2 (9/7 S2)

Life Savers $1.25
FREE after $1/1 (10/19 S)

Oust Surface Disinfectant and Air Sanitizer $2.50
FREE $1.50/1 (10/26 S)

Sobe Glass Bottles Sale $1.00
FREE after .50/1 (Tearpad)

Hershey Extra Dark Chocolate or Cacao Bags $2.50
.50 after $1/1 (9/28 S)

Renuzit Pearl Scents $2.50
.50/1 after $1/1 (9/7 S2)

Cascade Complete Shelf Price $4.79 - $1 Instant Savings = $3.79
.79/1 after $1.50/1 (Home Mailer)

Goodlife Dog Food Sale $5.00
$1 after $2/1 (8/24 RP)

Peter Pan Peanut Butter $2.00
$1/1 after .50/1 (October All You Magazine) OR $1/2 Blinkie

Viva Big Roll 2 pack $4.00
$2/1 after $1/1 (Tearpad in store)

Deals on Regular Priced Items:

Endust Free $3.29
FREE after $2/1 (9/7 RP)

Greased Lightning - Shelf Price $2.89
FREE after $1.50/1 (All You Magazine August Issue, October Issue)

Healthful Life Cat Food $1.99
FREE after $1/1 (8/3 RP)

Hershey Extra Dark Bars $1.99
FREE after $1/1 (9/28 S)

Johnson & Johnson First Aid Shelf Prices Vary
FREE for items under $2 after $1/1 (8/10 S1)

Pert Shampoo $2.99
FREE after $2/1 (10/19 S)

Revlon Beauty Tools - Shelf Prices Vary
FREE for items under $2 (emery boards, nail clippers, tweezers) after $1/1 (9/14 S, 10/12 S, 10/19 S)

Tums Smoothies $1.89
FREE after $1/1 (9/28 S)

Vaseline Lotion for Men $2.99
FREE after $1.50/1 (9/7 RP)

Vaseline Lotion $3.29
.29/1 after $1.50/1 (9/7 RP)

Hunts Tomato Paste $1.00
.33/1 after $1/3 (Publix Yellow Advantage Buys)

Tylenol Rapid Release $4.49
.49/1 after $2/2 (9/14 RP)

Resolve Cleaners $4.49 and up
.49/1 and up after $2/2 (10/5 S1)

Ziploc Bags $2.19
$1.09/1 after .55/1 (9/14 S) OR
$1.19/1 after $1/2 (8/24 S OR 10/12 S)

American Greetings Cards Prices Vary
$1/2 excludes .99 cards (Tearpad found in store)

For other items previously found visit the HCW thread here.

KMart Super Doubles Update and $20 KMart Gift Card Giveaway!

2008-10-23T06:00:00.002-04:00

A special welcome to those of you are looking for the KMart matchups for Super Doubles next week! In case you haven't heard the news about the KMart Super Doubles promotion Mercedes at Common Sense With Money has the details here.

I hope to have a current list that includes next week's ad and any new coupons by early next week. My previous post here will not be entirely accurate at this time as it also included several sale items for that week, but it can give you a head start on what regular price items to look for. Any updates in the future or other KMart Super Double deals will be found here.

For those who have gone to a KMart Super Doubles event in the past it appears that there may be some policy changes, but I do not know all of the details at this time. If anyone has any more details on their policy for this event please leave a comment or send me an e-mail. thedeallady(at)yahoo(dot)com

If you are looking for some extra money to spend at the Super Doubles event, you might want to check out The Happy Housewife and Penny Penching Mom's blog for her $20 KMart Gift Card Giveaway here. You can get a lot of stuff for $20 during a Super Doubles event so take a minute and sign up for her giveaway.

Don't forget to take a look my posts for this week's best Kroger, Ingles, and Publix deals that I have listed, or learn how to get a coupon for a FREE item from Fast Fixin' here. Thanks again for stopping by, and remember to check back for the new Super Double matchups soon! Have a great day!

Publix Highlights for the Week of October 22

2008-10-22T07:00:00.001-04:00

New Kroger Cellfire Coupons - Expire November 17

2008-10-21T11:33:00.004-04:00

Cellfire has issued new coupons to load onto your Kroger card. There are even a couple of new FREE items! Hurry, these coupons must be downloaded to your card before November 3; however, once they are downloaded you have until November 17 to use them.

There is a limit of 10 Cellfire coupons per Kroger card at anytime so be sure to select your coupons wisely. Each coupon can only be loaded and used once per card.

Just a reminder, you do not have to use your cell phone to use the Kroger coupons after you have received the text message to set up your Cellfire account. Loading the coupons online instead of using your cell phone will save on fees.

Ecoupon savings should automatically come off of your order when you use your Kroger card. You will usually see the savings applied after all items have been scanned, but before you use any other coupons.

Remember FREE items make great fillers to use $/$ coupons! You can donate the product if you don't use it.

The Best New Cellfire Deals:

Naturally Preferred H20 BOGO
2 FREE when used with BOGO coupon (9/7 S1)

Active Lifestyle Oatmeal Any Varitety FREE
Yes, FREE no other purchase required. I did a double take on this one too.

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish - Sale week of October 19 - $1
.50/1 after .50/1 Cellfire Coupon

Private Selection Deli Pizza $1.50/1
Look for smaller pizzas on Manager's Special for a pontential good deal!

A NEW Release of an Old Favorite:

Cottonelle 4 Pack or Larger .50/1
Regular price for 4 pack of single rolls .99
FREE after .50/1 doubled (9/21 S - expires 10/25 I'm hoping there will be a new one soon.) OR
.50 Profit after Cellfire coupon and traditional coupon OR
.50/1 after Cellfire coupon - This is still not a bad deal if you need it.
Shortcuts is also offering a .50/1 coupon however only one ecoupon will be used per package. In order to use both ecoupons you must buy two packages.

Be sure to see my Kroger thread for more current deals and offers. In my matchups for this week's ad I identified several items that will be FREE after coupons. Have a great day!

Ingles Loss Leaders Week of October 19

2008-10-21T07:00:00.003-04:00

I've included the best of the loss leaders plus a few good deals with coupons including a couple of potenitally FREE items! There are also several BOGO deals this week at Ingles including several for the Laura Lynn brand products. If an item is on sale for BOGO you only have to buy one item receive a 50% discount. Click here for the full ad.

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets Family Pack $1.88/lb - Stock up price!

Ground Chuck 5 pounds or more $1.98/lb - Ask the butcher to divide into smaller packages to freeze. There is no additional charge for repackaging, but you must purchase the entire quantity to receive the sale price.

Lay's Potato Chips $3.89 BOGO - Qualifies for Salty Snack Rebates

Tangerines 3 pound bag $2.98/lb

The Best of the Sales With Coupons:

Rayovac Batteries .98
FREE after $1/1 I located some listed here if you are interested. (I have no association with this seller. Not considered an endorsement.) OR
.49/1 after $1/2 (10/12 S)
Ingles regularly puts Rayovac Batteries on sale for .98. Since I have discoved these inexpensive batteries I have used them almost exclusively and have been pleased with their performance. Don't be fooled by their price!

Trident Xtra Care Gum $1.49 BOGO
FREE after .75/1 (All You Magazine - August)

Uncle Ben's Rice Side Dishes $1.33 BOGO
.16/1 after $1/2 (8/24 RP)

Emerald Nuts $4.98 BOGO - Qualifies for Salty Snack Rebates
1.49/1 after $1/1 (8/17 S)

Eight O'Clock Coffee $4.98 BOGO
$1.49/1 after $1/1 printable coupon

Coupon for a Free Fast Fixin' Item

2008-10-21T07:00:00.001-04:00

Did you happen to buy two bags of Fast Fixin' products at Publix this week? If you still have them in the freezer, set up a funny pose and e-mail them your picture. The first 50 people to send in a picture will receive a coupon for a FREE Fast Fixin' item. I thought these coupons would go fast, but not many people have posted pictures. Be creative because the funniest picture will receive 5 FREE Fast Fixin' item coupons! For complete details see the official rules here under the Fast Fixin' Funny Section. For more coupons and promotions visit their website, and don't forget to save those UPCs!

Kroger $25 Gift Card Give Away! TWO Cards This Week!

2008-10-20T11:53:00.008-04:00

Freebies 4 Mom is giving away two $25 Kroger gift cards this week! You can find the entry form here. Since FREE groceries is something that most of us can use this is a terrific giveaway!

While you are there, be sure to check out the other One Year of Freebies 4 Mom Giveaways. On the morning of Tuesday, October 21, she will reveal a special one day giveaway. Freebies 4 Mom has some great giveaways to celebrate its one year anniversary so I'm sure that you won't want to miss them in addition to all of the freebies that are regularly posted!

If you are looking for ways to get the most out of that $25 Kroger gift card be sure to checkout my current Kroger deals here including weekly sales, catalina offers, ecoupon matchups, and other hidden deals. This week's ad includes several items that will be FREE after coupons!

Kroger Loss Leaders and Highlights Week of October 5

2008-10-18T21:30:00.005-04:00

Prices and scenarios are based on the Metro Atlanta sales circular. Our sales week runs from Sunday-Saturday. To find the ad for your store click here. Manufacturer coupons with a face value of .50 or less double. When items are on sale BOGO you only have to buy one to receive the 50% discount. If the sale is 10 for $10 you can buy just one for $1.

I try to only focus on the best deals each week. For a complete list of sales with coupon matchups from the Sunday coupon inserts visit Coupon Mom's website during the week of the sale.

There are several FREE and cheap after coupon items this week so be sure not to miss those deals!

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Kroger Value White or Wheat Bread .89

Anjou Pears $1/lb

Kroger Mini Carrots $1/lb bag

Eggs $1.28/dozen

Gala Apples $1/lb

Ground Beef 73% lean $1.59/lb

Perdue Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.99/lb

Tangerines $2.99 3 pound bag

Orange Juice $2.99/gallon - ~.50 increase over last weeks price

Kroger 16 oz cheese $2.99 WOW! I know cheese is expensive, but it has been a while since I have seen it for this price. If you didn't stock up last week, now is the time. It can be frozen in the bag and is great to use for casseroles. Stockpiling cheese is especially helpful if you cook casseroles for multiple meals at once like I do on occasion.

The Best of the Sales With Coupons:

Celestial Seasonings Tea Bags 20 count $1
FREE after $1/1 (10/5 S1)

Mojo Bars (Often found in the health/organic section) $1
FREE after .50/1 doubled (Mambo Sprouts Book)

Nesquik Milk or Milkshakes $1/1
FREE after $.50/1 doubled (9/14 RP)

Totinos Pizza Rolls 15 count $1
FREE after $1/1 printable coupon OR
.30/1 after .35/1 doubled (8/10 GM or 10/5 GM)

Fresh Express Cole Slaw $1
.25/1 after .75/1 blinkie found next to product

Green Giant Vegetables $1
.50/1 after .50/1 Shortcuts coupon.
.25/1 after .50/1 OR .50/2 Shortcuts coupon AND .50/2 doubled (9/7 GM OR 10/5 GM).

Betty Crocker Cake Mix $1
.50 after .50/1 Shortcuts coupon This coupon is one of the "package deal" coupons. You will have to load all 4 coupons on to your card; however, you don't have to buy the other items to get the coupon to work. However, remember you can only have 25 e-coupons loaded to your card at once so be sure to check to see if want different e-coupons loaded to your card before selecting the mulitiple offer coupons.

Sunny D $1
.50 after .25/1 doubled (8/17 RP)

Non-Sale FREE Items After Coupons:

Kiwi Shoelaces
$1/1 Kiwi coupons (10/5 RP)
The .99 shoelaces make great FREE filler items if you are using $/$ coupons.
The shoelaces are great to donate especially if you are sending care packages through the mail. Also, you could get a pair to throw in as an extra stocking stuffer.

Cottonelle 4 Pack Single Roll Toilet Paper
Shortcuts has a NEW Cottonelle .50/1 coupon.
FREE after .50/1 doubled (9/21 S - expires 10/25) Maybe there will be a new one in next week's paper.
.50 Profit after both insert coupon and Shortcuts coupon.

Hunts Tomato Sauce/Products
Here is a $1/2 Hunts Tomato Product printable coupon.
You can print this coupon twice per computer.
This should make the tomato sauce FREE or very cheap.
(Thanks, Slickdeals)

Try Me Free Rebate Form Found:

I found a Try Mee Free Rebate on the bottles of Arm & Hammer Carpet and Fabric Odor Eliminator. The sale price for these bottles was $2 last week. There is a $1/1 coupon that can be found here. Tip: Using a coupon for mail in rebate items helps to cover the cost of the stamp and any taxes that you may have. Most companies will reimburse you for the full purchase price even if you used a coupon.

Don't Forget $/$ Coupons:

Don't forget to use your 2008 Entertainment Book Kroger coupons if you still have any left. (The 2009 Entertainment Books do not have Kroger coupons.) The October coupon is $5/$25 purchase. There is also a $5/$50 purchase that was good for the entire year that expires on October 31. If you do the majority of your shopping at Publix they will accept these as competitor coupons. See my Publix weekly ad posts here to find some of their best deals.

For more Kroger deals be sure to check out my current posts here. Have a great day!

KMart Super Doubles

2008-10-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Particpating KMart locations are offering Super Doubles through Saturday. Some locations are participating even if they are not on the official list. Participating stores will double coupons with a face value of $2 or less. Yes, you read that right a $2 coupon will be doubled to $4! Each person is limited to 75 coupons per day with a maximum of 4 of each coupon. Unfortunately, KMart will not accept printable coupons.

If you play the drugstore games regularly you may not benefit from the sale as much, but there are several deals to be found if you decide to go to KMart. For those of you who don't play the games or don't have double coupons at your grocery store this could be a great opportunity for you. I must admit I am not usually a big fan of KMart, but I decided I didn't want to miss this.

Here are some of the items that I found that are FREE or possibly good deals after coupons.

Items That are FREE Before Tax:

Altoids Mints - Sale $1.69 (mine rang up for $1.25)
FREE after $1/1 (peelie found on package)

Colgate Advanced Clean Toothpaste - Sale $3
FREE after $1.50/1 (October All You Magazine)

Dove Shampoo or Conditioner - Sale $3.79
FREE after $2/1 (8/17 RP)

Endust Free - Shelf Price $3.29
FREE after $2/1 (9/7 RP)

Glade Candle - Sale $2
FREE after $1/1 (9/14 S)

Goodlife Cat Food Sale $4
FREE after $2/1 (8/24 RP)

Greased Lightning - Shelf Price $2.89
FREE after $1.50/1 (All You Magazine Multiple Issues)

Healthful Life Cat Food - Shelf Price $1.99
FREE after $1/1 (8/3 RP)

Hershey Extra Dark (NOT Special Dark) - Shelf Price $1.99
FREE after $1/1 (9/28 S)

Ice Breakers Gum - Sale .99
FREE after $1/2 (9/7 S2)

Johnson & Johnson First Aid - Shelf Price Various
FREE for items under $2 after $1/1 (8/10 S1)

Revlon Beauty Tools - Shelf Price various
FREE for items under $2 (emery boards, nail clippers, tweezers) after $1/1 (9/14 S OR 10/12 S)

Sobe Glass Bottles Sale $1
FREE after .50/1 (Tearpad)

Tums Smoothies - Shelf Price $1.89
FREE after $1/1 (9/28 S)

Vaseline Lotion for Men - Shelf Price $2.99
FREE after $1.50/1 (9/7 RP)

More FREE Items IF You Have These Upcoming 10/19 Smart Source Coupons:
Many areas have early editions of the paper that include the Sunday Inserts so be sure to take advantage of these offers if you can. I used the preview at The Coupon Clippers to find these deals.

Life Savers - Sale $1.25
FREE after $1/1

Pert Botanicals Shampoo - Sale $3 (Previously the shelf price was $2.99.)
FREE after $2/1

Revlon Beauty Tool - Shelf Prices Vary
FREE for items less than $2 after $1/1

Items That are Cheap/Possible Deals:

Kraft Easy Mac Single Serve Cups - Shelf Price $1.09
.09/1 after $1/2 (9/14 S)
There have been reports that these have not been doubling automatically. My store has to manually double all of the coupons so this was not an issue for me.

Vaseline Lotion - Shelf Price $3.29
.29/1 after $1.50/1 (9/7 RP)

Hunts Tomato Paste - Shelf Price $1
.33/1 after $1/3 (Publix Yellow Advantage Buys)

Bic Twin Razors 10 Pack - Sale $4.49
.49/1 after $2/1 (10/12 S)

Tylenol Rapid Release - Shelf Price $4.49
.49/1 after $2/2 (9/14 RP)

Glade Scented Oil Warmers - Sale Price $4.50
.50 after $2/1 (9/14 S)

Hershey Extra Dark Chocolate or Cacao Bags - Sale Price $2.50
.50 after $1/1 (9/28 S)

Kashi Cereal - Sale $2.50
.50/1 after $1/1 (various non-insert sources)

Renuzit Pearl Scents - Sale $2.50/1
.50/1 after $1/1 (9/7 S2)

Resolve Cleaners - Various Shelf Prices $4.49 +
.49/1 after $2/2 (9/7 S1 OR 10/5 S1)

Cascade Complete Shelf Price $4.79 - $1 Instant Savings = $3.79
.79/1 after $1.50/1 Home Mailer

Peter Pan Peanut Butter - Sale $2
$1/1 after .50/1 (October All You Magazine) OR $1/2 Blinkie

Ziploc Bags - Shelf Price $2.19
$1.09/1 after .55/1 (9/14 S) OR
$1.19/1 after $1/2 (8/24 S OR 10/12 S)

American Greetings Cards Prices Vary
$1/2 excludes .99 cards (Tearpad found in store)

Viva Big Roll 2 pack - Sale $4
$2/1 after $1/1 (Tearpad in store)

Rubbermaid Totes 18 gallon - Sale $4.79
$2.79 after $1/1 insert - date not listed in database

Remember these are just the deals that I happened to find. Check this thread on HCW for even more deals!

Try Me Free Rebates:

If you have any Try Me Free Mail in Rebates that have coupons to go along with them be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to double the coupon value in order to minimize your out of pocket expenses AND maximize the amount you receive back. If you are doing several different rebate offers be sure to get each rebate on a separate receipt.

SC Johnson Catalina Offer:

Buy $10 of Participating Products get $2
Buy $15 of Participating Products get $3
Buy $20 of Participating Products get $5

I tried to do this deal with the Glade products; however, my catalina didn't print. On the sign in the store Ziploc products were also included in the offer. In conjunction with the Super Doubles you could get some really great deals. Hopefully, this will work for others.

Thanks for stopping by! Please visit again for more deals in the Metro Atlanta area including the best of the weekly sales for Kroger, Publix, and Ingles. Have a great day!

Harry's/ Whole Foods $5/$25 Purchase Coupon! Possibly Use at Publix Too!

2008-10-16T14:55:00.005-04:00

Whole Foods Market has a $5/$25 purchase coupon available. The coupon is valid October 15 - October 22 and can be used once per person per day. You can find the coupon and some of their money saving tips here.

I called my local Harry's which is owned by Whole Foods. Customer Service said Harry's is accepting these coupons as well. I wish I had waited to buy my groceries this week. Oh well, maybe next time.

For those of you who shop at Publix you can use these as a competitor's coupon at many locations. Since the offer is $25 before coupons you will be able to find some great deals this week! This is also a quick and easy way to take $5 off of your purchase if you don't usually use coupons.

Thanks to Common Sense with Money for sharing this coupon offer.

$25 Kroger Gift Card Give Away!

2008-10-16T13:54:00.004-04:00

I thought that you may be interested in winning a $25 Kroger Gift Card! So I decided I would share this opportunity with you.

Stretching a Buck is giving away a $25 gift card to Kroger. Hurry, today is the last day to enter. You can enter by leaving her a comment here.

Stretching a Buck's blog has Kroger sales for the Ohio area which are often different from the ones we have in Metro Atlanta, but occasionally they will overlap. Ohio also has double coupons up to .99 in face value! Wow! It is good to have a source for your local deals. So if you stumble upon my blog and are from the Ohio area be sure to check out Stretching a Buck.

To find the great deals in Metro Atlanta that you can use that $25 gift card on please see my Kroger posts here.

Let me know if you win!

Publix Highlights for the Week of October 15

2008-10-15T07:00:00.002-04:00

Please remember that my ad week begins on Wednesday; however, some areas begin on Thursday. Please check your local ad to verify your ad schedule. These sales and prices are in the Metro Atlanta area where manufacturer coupons with a face value of .50 or less are doubled and items that are on sale Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) you only have to buy one to get the item 50% off. Be sure to take full advantage of the sales by pairing them with competitor's coupons including $/$ purchase when applicable. I try to find the best deals to post here, but for a complete match up of this week's sale items with coupons from the newspaper inserts visit Coupon Mom starting on Thursday.

This is going to be a good week for deal seekers! Several of the deals are old favorites and some have been on sale recently, but there are still lots of goodies to be had.

Best of the Loss Leaders:

Lettuce .79 - Limit 4

Eggs $1.29/dozen - Limit 4

Pork Loin $2.19/lb - More expensive than Kroger this week, but a good price for Publix

Milk $3.39 - More expensive than Kroger. Aldi still beats both at $2.49 a gallon!

Best of the Sales with Competitor Coupons:
Each Publix location can decide who they consider competitors so be sure to check with your Customer Service Representative before shopping. Most Publix locations will allow a competitor coupon and a manufacturer coupon for each item unless coupon wording restricts it. Just a reminder that the FLIPs coupons are limited to one per person per day for each product. Target coupons do not have stated limits.

Betty Crocker Fruit Snack $2.59 BOGO
.30/1 after .50/2 doubled (9/7 GM) AND .50/1 Target Printable (Betty Crocker is the General Mills Brand)

Gerber Baby Cereal $1.50
.50/1 after $1/1 FLIP

Seedless Grapes $1.69/lb
.69/for the first pound $1/1 lb OR MORE Target Printable

Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies $2.00
.88/1 after .75/1 Target Printable AND $1.50/4 Printable Coupon

Cheez-It Crackers 13-16 oz $2.50
$1.50/1 after $1/1 Target Printable

New Competitor Coupons for Non Sale Items:

Lipton Tea
Target has issued a $1/1 printable coupon for ANY Lipton Tea Product.
Look for smaller sized packages of tea bags or products that are individual serving sized and they should be FREE or cheap.

Green Giant Carrots $1/1 Target Printable. I do not believe that Publix carries this brand at my store, but some locations may. If so this could help reduce your cost on a 1 lb. bag. (Note: Target has the 1 lb bags on sale for $.99 so they are FREE after coupon.)

Don't Miss These:

Kellogg's has several new $1/1 coupons including some for ANY 10 oz or larger boxes of cereal. These coupons are available at their website. The various coupons are on a rotating basis so you should refresh your screen until you find the coupons that you want. It has been reported that you can print up to 6 copies on one computer of the $1/1 ANY cereal coupon, but I can not verify this.

Kellogg's Cereals - Frosted Flakes, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops $4.29 BOGO
.15/1 after $1/1 Printable Coupon AND $1/1 FLIP OR
1.15/1 after $1/1 Printable Coupon OR $1/1 FLIP

Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats Assorted Varieties $3.99 BOGO
FREE after $1/1 printable coupon AND $1/1 FLIP OR
$1.00 after $1/1 printable coupon OR $1/1 FLIP - Still not a bad deal if Food Lion is not a competitor in your area.
Various Printables here and here (some are specific to Frosted Mini Wheats so don't waste your ANY coupons on these if you like other Kellogg's cereals)
There is also a Try Me FREE Rebate offer on the blueberry variety. You can find the form on the boxes or here if your box does not have a form. In areas where the second box rings up as 0.00 you will get an even better deal because you will be getting two boxes for FREE and profit after coupons!

Best of the Sales with Coupons:

Kashi Waffles $2
FREE after $2/1 printable coupon

Lenders Bagels 6 count (Dairy Case) $1.95 BOGO
.23/1 after .75/1 Publix Coupon (Publix Toss for Cash Book - GA version)

Vlasic Sandwich Stackers, Pickles, Spears $2.79 BOGO
.40/1 after $1/1 printable coupon (From HCW Verified PDF coupon list)

Kashi Cereal $2.50
.50/1 after $2/1 printable coupon also various non insert coupons are available

Blue Diamond Almonds $3.29 BOGO
.65/1 for Bold Varieties after .50/1 doubled (8/24 S)

Farm Rich French Toast Sticks $3.29 BOGO
.65/1 after $1/1 (August All You) OR
.90/1 after .75/1 Printable Coupon

Hot Pockets, Lean Pockets, or Croissant Pockets $1.66
.66/1 after .50/1 doubled (9/28 RP)

Smart Balance Butter Blends $3.59 BOGO
.74/1 after $1/1 (Publix Fresh, Frozen, Flavorful Book OR 9/7 RP)

Fresh Express Salad Blend BOGO - No Price Given
.75/1 Blinkie (I found these at Kroger, but Publix may have them too so be sure to look)

Fast Fixin Chicken Breast Nuggets, Tenders, Popcorn, or Fries 26- 32 oz. $5.99 BOGO
$1.99 after $1/1 printable coupon
Be sure to keep your UPCs. You will receive a coupon for a free bag for every 10 UPCs you submit.

Be sure to check out my other posts for other Publix deals including the new Yellow Advantage Buys Ad. Thanks for stopping by!

Publix Yellow Advantage Buys Advertisement October 11 - November 7

2008-10-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

The Yellow Advantage Buys are additional sales that Publix runs in addition to the weekly ad. These sales run for four weeks. Typically these deals are not as good as the weekly sales, but there is usually at least one or two good deals to be found.

Fall Savings October 11 - November 7:

Sobe Life Water 20 oz. $1
FREE after .50/1 doubled (tearpad)
If you live in FL, GA, NC, SC, TN be sure to save the entire labels from your Sobe bottles for free Sobe items. For more details see the thread here. Post number 5 provides a phone number to obtain the form. I must admit I am disappointed that the promotion for the Southeast did not include the free movie tickets which some areas got.

The following is only a deal if you were planning to buy a deli or bakery item anyway. If you are paying more or buying something that you had not planned to buy then it isn't a deal.

8 Pack Selected Coca-Cola Products 12 oz. bottles
3/$10.00 - I know this is not a deal
$1.33/8 pack after $2 coupon for Deli or Bakery item
Equivalent to paying $1.99 for a 12 pack of 12 oz Cokes. - Which is a good deal.
Note: According to the Rules at MyCokeRewards these packages do not contain points.

Manufacturer's coupons:

There were an above average number of manufuacturer's coupons included in this edition. These coupons say Redeem at Publix because Publix wants to encourage you to use them at their store, but you should be able to use them at any store that accepts manufacturer's coupons. These coupons will not be listed in the Coupon Mom Database or most subscription coupon sales matching services so be sure to add them to your personal database.

$1/1 Gatorade Tiger 8 Pack
.55/2 Hunt's Diced Tomatoes 14.5-28 oz. (if your store doubles the .40/2 coupon (9/21 S) is better as it would be .80/2) Seeing this coupon makes me think that we will not be seeing the BOGO sale I was hoping for.
.55/2 Hunt's Tomato Sauce 15-29 oz.
$1.00/3 Hunt's Tomato Paste 6-12 oz.
$1/2 Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausages
.55/2 Silver Floss Krrrrisp Kraut
$1/1 Ball Park Beef Franks
.75/1 Super Pretzels

Publix Coupon and Rebate:

$1/1 Arm & Hammer Degreaser/Multi surface Cleaner 32 oz or Essentials Cleaner or Multi Refill 2.4 oz - Publix in ad coupon
Try Me Free Rebate for Essentials Cleaners can be found here.
$1/1 manufacturer's coupon can be found here if you are planning to buy it at another store or do not have the Publix coupon. My store will not let me use a Publix coupon and a Manufacturer's coupon together if the Publix coupon states that it may not be used in conjunction with any other coupon. It is my understanding that Publix is refunded by the manufacturer for Publix coupons that have that wording. Not all Publix coupons say that so be sure to check.

For more current Publix deals please check my other Publix posts here.

Ingles Loss Leaders Week of October 11

2008-10-11T23:47:00.003-04:00

Here are the best loss leaders that I saw in the ad. If you have an Ingles in your area you can price match the sales items that they carry and are not aren't BOGO at Wal-Mart if you want to save a stop. Click here for the full ad.

Sanderson Farms Boneless Chicken Breast Tenders $1.98/lb

Florida Navel Oranges 4 pound bag $2.00 (cheaper than Kroger)

Tangerines 3 pound bag $2.50

Red or Rome Apples 5 pound bag $3.98

Kroger Loss Leaders and Highlights Week of October 12

2008-10-11T20:47:00.003-04:00

Menu Planning by Using the Sales Circluar - Eggplant Casserole Recipe

2008-10-11T07:00:00.002-04:00

Eggplant is one of my favorite foods. As promised earlier this week, I'm sharing one of my favorite eggplant recipes. My parents made this when we had fresh eggplant from the garden so it brings back several good childhood memories for me.

This is a very simple recipe that can be used as a side dish or as a main dish if you are vegetarian or have a meatless night in your menu plan. Like most casseroles, it travels well so it is great for a potluck dinner or when taking a meal to one who is ill.

I chose to share this particular dish this week since the ingredients are currently on sale at Publix. I wanted to provide an example of being able to reduce your budget by planning a menu around items that can be found on sale and demonstrate that you don't have to eat junk food in order to save money.

Eggplant Casserole:

Recipe makes 9x13 casserole dish. 6 healthy portions. Leftovers can be frozen for homemade "tv dinners".

Ingredients:

2 Smaller Eggplants- Look for firm eggplant with a shiny peel. $1.29/lb at Publix
2 28 oz Cans Diced Tomatoes - The Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes are on Advantage Buy at Publix for $1.75/28 oz can see scenario here to get these for FREE.
1 package (tube) of crackers - (like Ritz, Town House, etc.) OR
Substitute the crackers for the Progresso Bread Crumbs that are on sale BOGO and have a $1/2 printable coupon.
1 8oz package of shredded cheese - Publix has their brand on sale for $2.00 this week. Not the best deal, but at least it is discounted some.

Directions:

Slice eggplant into 1/3 inch pieces. (Inside of eggplant should be firm and light in color. The seeds will be visible throughout.)
Salt and soak eggplant in water for 30 minutes. This removes the bitter taste often associated with eggplant.
Spray casserole dish with oil (I use canola)
Remove eggplant from water and rinse salt off of eggplant.
Place first layer of eggplant into dish.
Drain tomatoes.
Layer first can of tomatoes on top of eggplant.
Place second layer of eggplant.
Layer second can of tomatoes on top of eggplant.
Crumble crackers into crumbs. Tip: Crumble them in the package to reduce mess.
Sprinkle cracker crumbs (or bread crumbs) over eggplant.
Top with cheese.
Heat oven 350 degrees.
Cover pan with aluminum foil.
Place in oven and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
Cheese should be melted and eggplant should appear dark in color.
Serve over bed of rice (I allow at least 2/3 cup per person, more if serving as main dish.)

For an Easy Meal Serve With These Other Sale Items:

Barber Stuffed Chicken Breasts (2 pieces) $4.99 BOGO
$1.50/1 after $1/1 (9/7 S1) OR $1/1 Printable Coupon

Publix Classic Salad Mix 16 oz. $1.99 BOGO

A complete meal for 6 for just over $2 per person, or skip the chicken and save even more!

Kroger Catalina Promotions

2008-10-10T07:05:00.001-04:00

I have two great Catalina offers to share with you. The first is from Sundown Vitamins and the second is from Fleishman's Yeast.

Get Paid To Take Your Vitamins!

In reality it is get paid to take vitamins off of the shelf. These are great items to donate if you don't use them. I know that my regular readers remember the Powerade Deal. This time the promotion comes from Sundown Vitamins.

Buy 2 bottles of Sundown Vitamins that are on sale BOGO this week.
Prices vary depending on the type of vitamin, but the Folic Acid and Vitamin D 400 are less than $3 for two bottles. You can mix and match the types to meet your needs and since Kroger BOGO items ring up 1/2 price there is no need to worry about items being of equal value.
Use one coupon for each bottle and use the appropriate coupon value depending on the price of the bottle.
$1/1 (7/27 S or 10/5 RP) OR $3/1 (9/28 RP)
As you are checking out you will receive a $2.00 coupon off anything during a future shopping order (expires 2 weeks after purchase).
When I did this the Catalina machine also printed a coupon for $2/2 Sundown Vitamins that can be used to repeat the deal.

Example:
Buy:
Folic Acid $1.34/1
Folic Acid $1.34/1
Pay Out of Pocket:
.68/2 after 2 $1/1 coupons or 1 $2/2 coupon
Receive:
$2 coupon for future visit AND
$2/2 coupon to repeat deal
Unrealized Profit (You shouldn't claim the profit until you actually use the Catalina coupon.):
$1.32 - tax (.19 for me)
$1.13

There were no promotional dates listed for this Catalina offer. At HCW it was reported to have ended on October 4, but as of October 9 it was still working. I expect that it will continue working at least through the weekend, but I can't guarantee it.

Fleischmann's Yeast

Just this past weekend I was saying it was cheaper to buy yeast in bulk, but apparently that may not always be the case.

Strip of 3 packets shelf price $1.99
Pay $1.09 after .45/1 doubled (10/5 S1) - This is not a good deal, but you also receive a
.50 Catalina good on any item (not just yeast) in a future visit. Which .60/strip is still not a deal; however, the Catalina is a manufacturer's coupon and since Kroger doubles manufacturer's coupons with a face value of .50 or less the Catalina should double. So after you use the Catalina it is like paying .10/1 strip which is a good deal especially if you do not use yeast on a regular basis.

If you are looking for an even better deal wait until the yeast goes on sale. Since the Catalina offer is not scheduled to expire until December 31, the yeast is likely to go on sale before this offer ends. Even with just a 10 cent discount in the price, the yeast would be FREE after the coupon and Catalina so be sure to periodically check for an unadvertised price reduction.

Like I have said previously, various types of traditional promotions including Catalina offers are where the real deals are often found. Please visit my blog again for information about future promotions as I hope to make this a regular feature. You can find more current Metro Atlanta (Southeast Region) Kroger deals that I have posted here.

Kroger 3 Day Sale October 9, 10, 11

2008-10-09T10:18:00.003-04:00

By popular demand I am posting the items Kroger has on sale during the three day sale promotion this weekend. This information was provided this morning by my local store located in Metro Atlanta.

Sara Lee White Bread .99

Blue Bell Ice Cream $2.88
$1.88 after $1/1 printable coupon that can be printed twice. You can find it here under the "Extra Scoops" Section.

5 Pound Bag Russet Potatoes BOGO - No price given

Frozen Buffalo Style Chicken Wings - 3 lb. bag $3.99

While you are visiting you may want to check out my post about Kroger's best loss leaders and sales with coupons for this week, and the new ecoupon matchups that I have listed. Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

New Kroger E-Coupon Matchups

2008-10-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

Kroger is continuing to run some great unadvertised promotions. These unadvertised promotions are often where the true deals can be found. These kinds of deals are missed by most coupon matching services, but a little research on your own can really pay off. I will try to continue to publish these types of promotions and match ups as they come along so if you are just stopping by please consider subscribing to my blog.

Please note that if you are getting overage from these scenarios be sure to have other items in your cart to apply your balance to.

New Cellfire Coupons:

Cellfire has issued a new set of Kroger Plus Card Coupons that expire November 3. Please visit the Cellfire website to view the complete list of offerings. Just a reminder, after you have set up your account you do not have to use your cellphone again to use the Kroger coupons.

Cottonelle Single Roll 4 Pack Toilet Paper Everyday Price .99
If you have any of the current coupons left you get one last double dip before they expire.
FREE after .50/1 doubled to .99 (9/21 S) AND
.50 Profit after .50/1 Cottonelle any 4 Pack or larger Cellfire Coupon

Green Giant Vegetable Steamers - If I recall these had a high shelf price of $2.49/1
However, if they go on sale they could be FREE/cheap
USE $1/1 (9/7 GM OR 10/5 GM) AND
$1/1 Cellfire Coupon

New P&G ESaver Coupons:
There are several new P& G coupons available that expire December 31. The complete list can be found here. Remember that these offers are limited to one per Kroger Plus Card.

Febreze Noticeables Starter Kit - Various Sources Have Reported Shelf Price of $7.49
FREE/Profit after $5/1 Esaver Coupon AND $5/1 (9/28 P&G)
Please note that you will still have to pay any sales tax if you live in GA.

Food Lion Loss Leaders Week of October 8

2008-10-08T07:00:00.002-04:00

I typically Price Match Food Lion's Loss Leaders at Wal-Mart. Be sure to take your ad in order for Wal-Mart to honor the lower price.

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Seedless Red Grapes .99/lb

Value Pack Ground Chuck $1.89/lb

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.99/lb

Publix Highlights for the Week of October 8

2008-10-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

Earn CVS ECBs - No Purchase Required!

2008-10-07T07:00:00.002-04:00

I just earned $5 ECBs and I didn't have to use a coupon or even buy anything! Recently, I received my first invitation to fill out a survey for the CVS Advisory Panel. The survey took less than 5 minutes for me to fill out and I will get $5 ECBs printed on my receipt at the end of the month. Some surveys credit even higher amounts. I hope that I will be selected again, but it took several months before I got an invitation to participate.

You won't get rich off of it by any means, but it is a nice bonus of CVS ECBs. This is just another easy way to help lower you out of pocket expenses for things that you need!

Dishes with Eggs - Recipes for Ham and Spinach Quiche and Blueberry French Toast Casserole

2008-10-06T07:00:00.001-04:00

Since eggs are on sale this week I thought that I would share a couple of my favorite dishes that use eggs. When possible, I try to use ingredients from my stockpile that I have gotten on sale to help reduce cost.

Ham and Spinach Quiche - From my Dad

This recipe makes two (2) 9x13 pans AND one (1) 8x8 pan of quiche or can be cooked in deep dish pie shells. This is great for hospitality or to freeze for homemade frozen dinners (or breakfasts as the case may be). Note that the uncooked mixture can be stored in a covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight to make morning preparation easier.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup flour
1 quart half and half
16 eggs
3/4 lb. ham (I typically use prepackaged deli slices, but freshly cooked or frozen leftover scraps work well too)
2 pounds frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
3/4 bag Kroger frozen chopped onion (thawed)
3/4 bag Kroger frozen chopped bell pepper (thawed)
4 cups shredded cheese (mixed in)
2.5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4-6 cups shredded cheese (top)

Put flour in bowl.
Slowly pour in 1/2 and 1/2 while stirring to dissolve flour.
Add eggs and mix well.
Chop Ham in to small pieces or dice if using fresh.
Add other ingredients except cheese for the top and stir until ingredients are evenly distributed.
If using casserole dishes spray with cooking spray (I use canola) before placing mixture in pans.
If preparing ahead, keep mixture covered in the bowl in refrigerator, and stir before placing mixture into prepared dishes.
Top with cheese.
Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes - 1 hour 30 minutes
Quiche is done when cheese is light brown and knife comes out clean when inserted.

Blue Berry French Toast Casserole
Adapted From a Recipe Found on the Internet Several Years Ago - Website Unknown

Makes one 9x13 pan or slightly smaller casserole dish depending on the size of the loaf/loaves of bread. Plan ahead! Must sit overnight in refrigerator for bread to absorb mixture. Can be frozen in individual servings to be reheated for a quick breakfast treat or dessert!

Ingredients:

Loaf of Bakery Bread - Be sure to buy the bread on Manager's Special because you need the bread to be dry so it will absorb the mixture well
8 oz package of cream cheese
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
6 tablespoons of butter, melted
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup syrup

Spray pan with cooking spray.
Break the bread into small pieces. Use half to cover the bottom of the pan.
Place cream cheese on microwave safe plate.
Place powdered sugar on top of cream cheese.
Heat in microwave for 30 seconds.
Mix/mash cream cheese and sugar with fork.
Spread cream cheese mixture on top of bread.
Layer washed blueberries on top of cream cheese.
Sprinkle heavily with cinnamon sugar.
Tear remaining bread and place on top of blueberries.
Mix butter, eggs, milk, and syrup.
Pour mixture over bread.
Use a spatula to press down the bread so that the mixture is well absorbed.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Kroger Loss Leaders and Highlights Week of October 5

2008-10-04T11:37:00.003-04:00

Prices and scenarios are based on the Metro Atlanta sales circular. Manufacturer coupons with a face value of .50 or less double. Our sales week runs from Sunday-Saturday. To find the ad for your store click here.

I try to only focus on the best deals each week. For a complete list of sales with coupon matchups from the Sunday coupon inserts visit Coupon Mom's website next week.

The Best of the Loss Leaders Without Coupons:

Milk - $3.19/gallon (Cheaper than Publix. Will Aldi still have milk at $2.49?)

Eggs - $1.33/dozen (More expensive than Publix.)

Gala Apples $1/lb - Bags of apples may be cheaper per pound so be sure to look if you plan to buy any kind of quantity

Bartlett Pears $1/lb

Tangerines 3 pound bag $2.50 - Typically anything less than $1/lb for tangerines is a very good deal.

Gwaltney Brown Sugar Bacon BOGO - no price listed
Think this should make it about $2 for a 1 lb package

Carolina Pride Full Line Sale BOGO - no prices listed
Unfortunately, there are no coupons currently to match up with these this time. However, if you use these now is the time to buy.

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts BOGO - no price listed
If I recall correctly their normal price is somewhere between $4.50 and $5.00/lb. However, the BOGO price is definitely higher than the normal $1.99/lb sale price.

Note: The BOGO price may be indicative of a increase in the sale price in the future. Kroger tends to put meat on sale BOGO instead of their typical $1.99/lb sale price before they increase the sale price. Probably at a minimum we will see the $1.99/lb sale price less often.

The Best of the Sales with Coupons:

Grands Biscuts $1/1
See my scenarios here.
.50/2 Printable coupon here AND here.
Current .30/2 Cellfire coupon expires Monday. Be sure check if there is a new one available if you go later in the week.
.50/1 Shortcuts coupon.

Hot, Lean, or Croissant Pockets $1.66
.60/1 after .50/1 doubled (9/28 RP)

Free Yogurt Through Monday Only:
The shelf price of Yo Plus Yogurt is $2.49 at Kroger.
FREE after $1.50/1 (10/5) AND $1/1 Cellfire coupon

Beginning of the Month - New Coupon Printables and Current Sales

2008-10-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

It is the beginning of the month and there are a few new printable coupons and e-coupons available that match up with the current ads.

Kroger:

Cottonelle 4 pack .99 - Everyday
FREE after .50/1 doubled to .99 (9/21 S)
.50 Profit after .50/1 doubled AND .50/1 Shortcuts Coupon

Hunt's Canned Tomatoes .75
Buy 6 cans .18/1 after 3 .40/2 doubled (9/21 S) AND $1/5 Shortcuts Coupon
Buy 5 cans .23/1 after 2 .40/2 doubled AND $1/5 Shortcuts Coupon
Buy 5 cans .39/1 after 1 .40/2 doubled AND $1/5 Shortcuts Coupon
Buy 2 cans .35/1 after 1 .40/2 doubled

Grands Biscuits $1/1
.50/2 printable coupon doubled - (coupon says do not double, but most stores abide by their double coupon policy and still double the coupon)
Must buy 2
.50/1 after .50/2 doubled OR
.35/1 after .50/2 AND .30/2 Cellfire OR
.25/1 after .50/2 doubled AND .50/1 Shortcuts

Publix:

A new Muir Glen $1/1 printable coupon is available! See my scenario here to get FREE tomato products!

Betty Crocker Potatoes $1.59 BOGO
FREE after .40/1 printable coupon doubled coupon says do not double, but in most cases Publix will still double

Eight O'Clock Coffee $4.99 BOGO
.50/1 after $2/1 FLIP. See HCW thread for all of the new FLIPs here.

Ingles:

According to the weekly Ingles thread at HCW
Green Giant Steamers are an unadvertised special $1/1
FREE after $1/1 (9/7 GM OR printable coupon)
Please note that I have not verified this at my local store.

Thanks to Fiddledeedee for posting that new printable coupons are available!

Publix Highlights for the Week of October 1

2008-10-01T07:00:00.005-04:00

Please remember that my ad week begins on Wednesday; however, some areas begin on Thursday. Please check your local ad to verify your ad schedule. These sales and prices are in the Metro Atlanta area where manufacturer coupons with a face value of .50 or less are doubled. For items that are on sale Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) you only have to buy one to get the item 50% off. Be sure to take full advantage of the sales by pairing them with competitor's coupons including $/$ purchase when applicable. I try to find the best deals to post here, but for a complete match up of this week's sale items with coupons from the inserts visit Coupon Mom starting on Thursday.

This week's ad is not nearly as spectacular for couponers as last week's; however, there are a few great loss leaders that are even better if your store accepts the Food Lion (FLIP) and Target Printable Coupons.

The Best of the Loss Leaders With Competitor Coupons:

Red Globe Grapes .99/lb
First pound is FREE after Target Printable Coupon
Buy in small quantities for the best value.

Dozen Eggs $1.29 - Limit 4
.29/Dozen after $1/1 FLIP (Limit 1 Food Lion Coupon For Each Type of Item Per Transaction)

Publix Ice Cream $2.29/Half-Gallon
$1.29/1 after $1/1 Food Lion Printable - Great to go with Apple Crisp. The new crop of apples should start coming in soon.

If you are planning to buy produce don't forget the $2 off/$5 Produce FLIP (Should NOT stack with Target grapes coupon, but can be used if you are buying additional produce). Also, the $2 off/$5 Bakery and Deli FLIP is still valid this week too.

The Best of the Loss Leaders Without Coupons:

Publix Sour Cream 16 oz. $1.09 BOGO
.55/1 - Good if you need it. Probably all of the free Daisy Sour Cream has been used or expired by now.

Chicken Leg Quarters .59/lb
I'm sure it is probably a fair price, but this still seems high to me. I remember getting them on sale for .19/lb a just a few years ago.

Head Lettuce .79 - Limit 4

Bartlett Pears .99/lb

Milk $3.39/gallon - Limit 4

The Best of the Deals With Coupons:

Betty Crocker Potatoes 1.59 BOGO
.30/1 after $1/2 (General Mills Dollar Days Book)
I'm anticipating a new coupon to be in Sunday's inserts, but I don't have any verification.

Birds Eye Boxed Vegetables $1 - If you really need more frozen vegetables right now.
.30/1 after .35/1 doubled (Fresh, Flavorful, and Frozen Book)

Lender's Bagels (frozen) BOGO - No Price Listed
Estimate these will be less than .50/1 after .75/1 Publix Coupon (GA version of Toss for Cash Book)

Kashi Pocket Bread Sandwich 50% off - No Price Listed
Estimate these will be less than $1 after $2/1 Kashi printable coupon.

Banquet Select Recipes $1.33
.88/1 after .50/2 doubled (8/21 S)

Old El Paso Dinner Kit $2.99 BOGO
$1/1 After $1/2 (8/10 GM - expires 10/4 OR General Mills Dollar Days Book)

Ragu 45 oz. $3.35 BOGO
$1.17/1 after .50/2 doubled (8/17 RP)
You may come out cheaper waiting for the 26 oz. size to go BOGO, but if you are running low buy a couple of jars.

Some Coupon Matchups for FREE/cheap Non Sale Items:

Frank's Red Hot Sauce Small bottles from .99
FREE after $1.50/1 (9/28 S)

Buy 1 Muir Glen Tomato Sauce .85 (Thanks for the tip, Random Ramblings) AND
1 Muir Glen Diced Tomatoes $1.69 (If you are just buying these they are cheaper at Wal-Mart)
.04 for BOTH after 2 .75/1 (9/28 S) AND $1/2 Publix Coupon (October Greenwise Magazine - Most stores should have these available currently at the front turnstyle with the weekly ads.)
You can pair the Tomato Sauce with a more expensive item if you still have any of the $1/1 printables.

Vlasic Relish or Peppers
FREE or cheap after
$1/1 Printable (From HCW Verified PDF coupon list) AND Publix Coupons (GA version of Toss for Cash)

New Target Coupons Available - Matched to Current Publix Ad

2008-09-29T12:54:00.005-04:00

The new Target Printable Coupons have been posted! This set of coupons expire on October 25. For most of these coupons you can use multiples of each coupon in one transaction.

Many Publix stores accept these coupons as competitor coupons. The Prices listed below are from the current Publix Ad be sure to see if your sale ends on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I'm only highlighting what I think the best deals are for this week, but be sure to double check the coupons to see if there are any other items that you may have on your shopping lest.

Horizon Organic Milk 8 oz. (1 cup) or 3 pack 8 oz. - Not on sale
Unsure of the shelf price on this, but this is likely to be FREE or VERY cheap for the 8 oz.
Reports are that the price of these at Target are .99 to $1.09
128 oz= 16 cups = 1 gallon
If you paid .10 cents each for these it would be equivalent to $1.60/gallon = (.10 * 16 packages)

Grapes $1.49/lb
.49/lb after $1/1 lb or more Target Coupon - Super Target has these on sale this week and would be free after coupon. If you can't make it to Target this is still a GREAT deal on these. I've been told that frozen grapes are really good too.

Cheerios $1.99
.49/1 after $1/2 Target Coupon AND $1/1 printable coupon OR
$1.33/1 after $1/2 Target Coupon AND $1/3 (9/7 GM)

Cheez-Its $4.19 BOGO
$1.10/1 after $1/1 Target Coupon

Pepperidge Farm Distinctive Cookies 5-7.5 oz $2.00
$1.12/1 after .50/1 Target Coupon AND $1.50/4 printable coupon.
Not a great price if you are trying to budget, but I know some people really like these.

Thanks to Common Sense With Money for Announcing that the new Target Coupons had been posted.

Coupon Contests for Free Hershey's Bliss, Dole, and Wendy's

2008-09-29T11:01:00.007-04:00

I'm not big on entering contests usually because the expected value for my time is very low. However, every once in a while a good contest comes along.

Hershey's Bliss is giving away 25,000 bags of candy. They are advertising this as 1,000 bags a day. By my calculations, they are giving a bag away approximately every minute and a half. I won a coupon for a bag on my first try! The other good thing is you can win multiple times! Limited to one entry per person per day until you win the grand prize*. If you win a coupon you may want to consider saving it for a CVS/Walgreens BOGO deal (You will get 2 bags for free) or work it into a scenario for additional savings.

It does ask for a UPC code, but the official rules say that there is no purchase necessary so I don't mind sharing a couple of UPC codes that work for this contest.

034000149018
034000149001

Also, according to the rules which candy you click on does not matter.

*The grand prize is a $2,500 party, but those odds are not as good for that. If you win while you are trying to get your free candy coupon you can invite me.

A couple of other contests that looked moderately promising:

Coupon for Free Bag of Dole Salad (15,00 winners - daily entry)

Free Wendy's Twisted Frosty (10,00 winners, but 1st time losers get coupon for $1.00 off - daily entry)

Thanks to Freebies 4 Mom for bringing these and other sweepstakes to my attention.

Kroger Loss Leaders Week of September 28

2008-09-27T23:41:00.003-04:00

Don't be fooled by Kroger's 58 cent sale this week. Most of the items included in the sale are generic items. Typically, the comperable brand name items can often be gotten cheaper when you use coupons when an item is on sale. If you don't use coupons or are in need of something the generics at Wal-Mart and Aldi are cheaper everyday for many of these items. For example, tonight I bought canned corn for .42/can at Wal-Mart. If you only shop at Kroger you may want to take a closer look at the ad, but for me there are better deals elsewhere.

For a complete list of the sales with coupon matchups from the Sunday Inserts visit Coupon Mom's website.

The Best of the Loss Leaders Without Coupons

Fresh Split Chicken Breast .99/lb

Boneless Pork Loin $1.99/lb

Tomatoes on the Vine .99/lb

Seedless Red Grapes $1.29/lb - Higher than my .99/lb limit, but still not too bad.

The Best of the Sales with Coupons

Hunt's Canned Tomatoes .75/can
.35/can after .40/2 (9/21 S)
Not the best deal ever, but a good price if you need them.

Stacking Opportunity

Grands Biscuits (canned) $1
.30/2 Cellfire Coupon (does not double)
.50/1 Shortcuts Coupon
.30/2 doubles (8/10 GM)
.75/3 Blinkie (Coupon found by the product in the store.)

Here are your options for stacking these coupons. As you can see the best deal is using buying 2 and using the Shortcuts coupon and the .30/2 coupon which doubles.

Buy 1 .50/can after .50/1 Shortcuts Coupon OR
Buy 2 .55/can after .30/2 Cellfire Coupon and (8/10 GM) OR
Buy 2 .45/can after .50/1 Shortcuts Coupon and .30/2 doubled (8/10 GM) OR
Buy 3 .51/can after .30/2 Cellfire Coupon AND .50/1 Shortcuts Coupon AND .75/3 Blinkie OR
Buy 3 .53/can after .30/2 Cellfire Coupon AND .50/1 Shortcuts Coupon AND .30/2 doubled

Ingles Loss Leaders Week of September 28

2008-09-27T23:07:00.002-04:00

This is a very slow week at Ingles for bargain hunters, but I did want to point out a couple of loss leaders. If you have an Ingles in your area you can price match the sales items that they carry and are not aren't BOGO at Wal-Mart if you want to save a stop. Click here for the full ad.

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.99/lb - Family Pack
.55/1 (7/20 S) OR $1/1 (Manufacturer's Coupon found in store several weeks ago)
This price is for the family pack, which are close to 3 pound packages. You won't get as much bang for your coupon buck on these, but even without coupons this is still a good price. The butchers will divide these packages for you so that you can freeze the right portions for your family. (You still have to buy the whole package.)

5 pound bag Red, Gold, or Rome Apples $3.98

Praying Before You Shop

2008-09-26T00:03:00.004-04:00

As Christians, we should remember that God is with us in all things and that nothing is too big or small for us to take to Him in prayer. Your shopping shopping trip may be such a part of your routine that you haven't considered praying about it. Personally, I have found that praying before my shopping trips really helps me. I can tell a difference in how my trip goes when I have taken the time to pray.

Whether you are making a quick stop for a couple of items or making a larger purchase I would encourage you to pray about it. You can do this before you leave your home in preparation for your trip, make use of the time in the car and pray on the way, or even while you are shopping.

Here are few things that you could consider praying about your shopping trip:

- Your safety

- Preparation for your trip to be efficient and without error

- Your trip is productive and a good use of your time

- To be a good steward of the money God has given you

- Not make unnecessary/ spontaneous purchases that are often costly

- Clarity of thought (Especially when doing complex scenarios.)

- Find the items that you were planning to buy (in stock, easy to locate)

- Peace for when things don't go the way you want them to (The shelves had been cleared of the sale items, problems at the checkout)

- Your children to have good cheerful attitudes/behave

- Shopping trip and checkout to go smoothly

- To make or come in under budget

- Opportunities to help others (finding items to donate inexpensively, listening, offering a helping hand, answering a question, a cheerful smile)

- Ability to teach/share with others who are interested how to save money

- Things you purchase are a blessing to your family and others

- Protection from sin (covetousness, idolatry)

- Faith that God will provide the things that you need

- God's light to shine through you to those you encounter

- Wisdom and guidance from God in all things

When you return home remember to thank God for what he has provided and the opportunities that you had.

For other Frugal Friday topics be sure to visit Crystal's blog.

Free Museum Tickets

2008-09-25T07:00:00.002-04:00

National Museum Day is Saturday September 27. Participating museums around the country are offering two free admissions for the day. Since many of these museums already have free or reduced admission for children this looks like an opportunity for a fun and inexpensive outing!

To my surprise, there are several of participating museums in Georgia including many around the Metro Atlanta area. The online form to request two free tickets and more details can be found here.

Thanks once again to the CCH group for the tip!

Free Starbucks Coffee on Monday for ALL Teachers!

2008-09-24T13:02:00.006-04:00

This just in from my Homeschool loop.

On Monday September 29 Starbucks will be giving away a tall size (12 oz.) cup of Pike Place Roast to all teachers - including homeschool parents. In order to receive your free coffee you must so valid teacher identification.

Accepted identification for homeschool teachers includes:

* Home School Legal Defense Association membership card.
* Membership card from a state homeschooling organization.
* Notification from a school district or state government recognizing compliance with
compulsory attendance.
* Paperwork submitted showing intent to establish a homeschool program.
* Paperwork showing the establishment of a private school.

New Food Lion Printable Coupons

2008-09-24T11:47:00.004-04:00

Food Lion has just sent out new Food Lion Printable Coupons. These are store coupons that can be used at Food Lion or at some Publix locations as competitor's coupons. The restrictions on these are 1 per item per order and can not be stacked with other coupons. Even with the restrictions these have helped me get many items free/cheap over the past few weeks.

This is a great week! To view all of the different sets of coupons and links visit the current HCW FLIPs thread. Some of the past coupons are still available if you have not printed them. Each set of coupons will allow you to initiate the print cycle once per computer.

Here are a few of the sets available. I'm very happy to see that the $2/$5 produce is back!

$1 off Food Lion Ice Cream
$2 off Food Lion Purified Water 24 pack
$2 off $5 Deli/Bakery Purchase
$1 off 1 dozen Food Lion Eggs

$1.00 off Breyers
$2.00 off FL 24 pack bottled water
$2 off $5 Produce
$1 off Food Lion eggs

$1 off FL Ice Cream
$1 off Deer Park 24 pack bottled water
$2 off $5 Produce
$1 off FL eggs

Publix Highlights for the Week of September 24

2008-09-24T07:00:00.009-04:00

Please remember that my ad week begins on Wednesday; however, some areas begin on Thursday. Please check your local ad to verify your ad schedule. These sales and prices are in the Metro Atlanta area where coupons with a face value of .50 or less are doubled. For items that are on sale Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) you only have to buy one to get the item 50% off. Be sure to take full advantage of the sales by pairing them with competitor's coupons including $/$ purchase when applicable. I try to find the best deals to post here, but for a complete match up of this week's sale items with coupons from the inserts visit Coupon Mom starting on Thursday.

Publix is running a "Get Something for Nothing" special sale with lots of BOGO deals this week. There are a lot of good deals including several items that really cost nothing after coupons living up to the sale name, but I did notice that prices on some of the products have been raised for the BOGO sale. I occasionally catch this in their sales so be careful to look at the prices before you buy.

Best of the Loss Leaders Without Coupons:

The Essentials sale is continuing (Milk, Bread, Orange Juice). I'm not sure when ice cream became an essential, but its there at a not so great price.

Baby Carrots BOGO 1, 2, 3 lb bags
Last time the 1 pound bags were $1/1 and the 3 pound bags were $2/1 or .66 pound (cheaper than regular carrots).
Buying in volume will pay off if you can use them, but your savings will be wasted if you buy more than you can use then end up throwing them away.

Bartlett Pears .99/lb.

Asparagus $1.99/lb - Good Timing! The Little Man just finished what I had frozen from a previous sale.

Lay's Potato Chips $3.89 BOGO - Good for Salty Snacks Rebates

The Best of the Deals With Coupons:

Green Giant Boxed Vegetables $1
FREE after .50/2 doubled (9/7 GM) AND $1/2 Target Printable
Publix has really wanted us to eat our vegetables lately!
Be sure to check the labels on these. If I recall correctly, some of these have additives.

Chex Mix $2.55 BOGO
FREE after .50/1 doubled (9/7 GM) AND $1/2 Target Printable

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta $1.79 BOGO
FREE after $1/1 (8/24 S)

Suave Shampoo $1
22 oz. Family Size - Better Value as most stores have the 16 oz. bottle for this price.
FREE after .50/1 doubled (7/13 RP) OR
.44/1 after $2/3 (7/13 RP) OR
.50/1 after $1/2 (9/21 RP)

Pillsbury Supreme Cake Mix $1.69 BOGO
.05/1 after .40/1 doubled (9/7 RP) - IF Reduced Sugar is Included

Toaster Strudel/Scrambles $1.99 BOGO
.30/1 after .35/1 doubled (9/7 GM) OR
.50/1 after various $1/2 coupons
Not free like in the past, but not a bad deal.

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (Canned NOT Frozen) $1
.70/1 after .30/2 doubled (8/10 GM)

Quaker Instant Grits $2.49 BOGO
.75/1 after $1/2 (9/7 RP)

Quaker Instant Oatmeal $3.79 BOGO
.90/1 after .50/1 doubled (9/7 RP)

Sara Lee Pound Cake 50% Off - No Price Listed
I am estimating this will be $1 or less after $1/1 (9/21 RP)

GE Energy Smart Bulb $4.79 BOGO
$1.40/1 after $1/1 (8/10 S2) OR $1/1 printable coupon

Birds Eye Voila! $4.99 BOGO (This price has gone up since the last BOGO sale.)
$1.50/1 after $1/1 printable coupon It appears this coupon has not been reset since the last BOGO deal.
OR
$1.25/1 after $1.25/1 blinkie (Coupon found in the coupon dispenser with the red blinking light next to the product) Have not found these at my store.

Publix Baby Wipes - 140 Count Refill 3/$7
May be a good time to use the BOGO Coupon from the Publix Baby Club Home Mailer
$1.16/1 after coupon or .008/wipe
It has been a while since I have used these, but I believe they are similar to Huggies Wipes, which are my favorite.

New Kroger Cellfire Coupons - Expire October 6

2008-09-24T07:00:00.008-04:00

Cellfire has uploaded new Kroger coupons that expire October 6.

There are a few that I wanted to point out that you may want to stack with traditional coupons. Remember, you can only have 10 Cellfire coupons loaded to your Kroger Card at any time. You may want to leave space on your card for some items that come up on sale or have good coupons to match.

Cottonelle .50/1
The shelf price for a 4 pack of single rolls is .99
Profit of .50 after .50/1 doubled to .99 (9/21 S)

Kotex Any Product $1/1
$1/1 Any Kotex from August All You Magazine OR $1/1 OR .75/1 printable coupon OR
$1/1 (9/7 S1)
I don't know the prices for these but could be FREE/inexpensive items

Betty Crocker Warm Delights .50/1 (Shortcuts has .55/1 if you want to use that instead)
The shelf price for this was $1.99
.49/1 after Cellfire coupon and .50/1 doubled (9/7 GM) or better if you find it on sale.

Yo Plus Yogurt (4 pack) $1/1
Shelf price is $2.49, but the other day I saw several marked down to $1.25/1 that were to expire in about a week.
.49/1 after $1/1 (8/10 GM OR 9/7 GM)

Ingles Highlights Week of September 21

2008-09-20T23:07:00.003-04:00

This week's ad appears to be a good one. You might want to take a look at the ad even if you don't usually shop there. I try to only focus on the best deals that I see. This week's ad is full of other items that are BOGO. You can buy 1 BOGO item and receive it for 1/2 price.

The Best of the Loss Leaders

Ground Chuck - 5 lbs. or more $1.98

Sanderson Farms Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.98

Lay's Potato Chips $3.89 BOGO (Good for Salty Snack Rebates)

Crystal Springs .5 liter 12 pack $4.38 BOGO

Green Giant Baby Carrots $1.98 BOGO

Popeye Frozen Steam Spinach $1/1 lb. bag

Broccoli 2/$3

Bakery Fresh French Bread $1.88 BOGO

The Best of the Deals with Coupons

Ingles Double Coupon Policy is different than most stores in the Metro Atlanta Area. You can only have up to two of the same product in one transaction; however, I have never had a problem doing two transactions in one visit. In order to have your coupons double (up to .50 face value) you must spend $10 before coupons for every three coupons you want doubled. When writing your scenarios be sure to use your free item coupons and rebate items to maximize the number of coupons you can double.

Nesquik 16 oz bottles 5/$5
FREE after .50/1 (9/14 RP) (doubled) - See coupon policy above.

Uncle Ben's Rice Side Dishes 10/$5
FREE after $1/2 (8/24 RP) - Good filler item. Since coupon doesn't double the limit of 2 does not apply.

Land O Frost Variety Pack 14 oz. $4.48 BOGO
$1.25/1 after .50/1 (8/10 RP) (doubled)

Sea Best Breaded Shrimp 10 oz $3.68 BOGO
.84/1 after $1/1 Printable Coupon

In ad advertisment for Del Monte's Just One More Everyday e-newsletter. Sign-up to receive up to $35 in coupon savings. (Use your junk e-mail account to do this.)

The Best Free Powerade Coupon Ever

2008-09-18T16:38:00.006-04:00

If it wasn't enough to get 6 Powerade Zeros for free what would you do if you could get an seemingly unlimited number for free?

When I went to Kroger today to finish getting the Cottonelle that my store had been out of stock of I decided to use my Free Powerade coupon from MyCokeRewards to get the 6 Powerade Zeros for free. However, not only did I get the expected $4.00 OYNO Catalina I also got $1/3 coupon good for my next purchase of Powerade Zero making it a repeatable deal without having to have coupons from any other sources.

Each time I bought 6 I paid $3.89 OOP and I got the $4.00 Catalina and the $1/3 coupon. Also, I can now verify that the $4.00 Catalina rolls for this offer.

When I left, I passed the last $1/3 coupon that had printed along to someone else who was interested in the deal and explained what to do. How long will the chain last?

Even if you don't have any Powerade coupons, this is one hot deal for the price of your initial investment of .74 + tax!

Price Check on Boxes of Huggies Diapers at Publix

2008-09-18T16:01:00.004-04:00

When I was in Publix today I checked on the price of the diapers that were included for the $5.00/1 found in the ad. The shelf price was $21.99, which was lower than I expected for Publix. However, I also noticed that the number of diapers per box had gone down from 92 to 88. With a stacking scenario this will be a deal for disposable diapers.

Scenario:
Buy 1 box $21.99
Use $5.00/1 Publix Ad Coupon
Use $4/$20 or Better Competitor Coupon - Look for a new Walgreen's coupon to come out this weekend.
Use $1.00/1 (8/24 S) OR $1.50/1 (Home Mailer)
Final cost $11.49 = .13/diaper for size 4

Bonus $1.00 added to Upromise Account if e-coupon is loaded and card is swiped.

Upromise is Now Offering E-coupons

2008-09-18T15:18:00.005-04:00

Even though I didn't have children I started using Upromise years ago. I knew that I would be able to find someone who could use the money accumulated in the account. I don't go out of my way to buy Upromise items, but if I happen to be getting them it is a nice bonus. In fact, I don't even know what the current participating brands are. I did find a list here if you are interested, but as you can see participating products add a small percentage to you are account.

Recently, Upromise has added e-coupons for account users. Instead of getting the coupon value off of your purchase price at the register it goes into your Upromise account instead. However, don't be fooled into thinking it is the same value as getting it at the register because of the time value of money, but that is a lesson for another day.

It appears that these "coupons" will work in the Metro Atlanta Area at CVS, Publix, Kroger, or Ingles. You must use your shopper's or Upromise card that is linked to your Upromise account to use them.

I think these offerings will help to sweeten the deals even more for stores who do not currently offer e-coupons. You should be able to stack these with traditional paper coupons. Remember, never buy a product just to get credit in your Upromise account.

If you are a Kroger shopper and plan to use other e-coupons be sure that the same products are not loaded to your card or you will be getting Upromise credit instead. However, if you planned on buying the same products at Kroger and CVS if both coupons are loaded go to CVS first so you can take advantage of both offers. Or buy multiples of the same product at Kroger.

Click here for the current list of e-coupons.

Coupon Preview September 21

2008-09-18T07:00:00.003-04:00

Tonight I discovered that The Coupon Clippers has a calendar with the coupon previews listed by insert. The coupons she lists are from her paper in Central Florida. coupons in your inserts may vary by value or sometimes by brand.

Only three things that really stuck out to me as being good deals, but maybe there are some hidden gems if there is an ECB deal or rebate. Be sure to look at the preview before you buy your papers to decide how many copies to buy as you may be spending more on the paper than the coupons that you are getting out of it. It isn't a good deal to spend $2.00 on extra copies of the paper that you are only getting a value of $1.80 in coupons.

It looks like we will be getting more free Cottonelle (.50/1). I'm glad I like this brand.

Hunt's Canned Tomatoes (.40/2) Sometimes these will go on sale BOGO making these fairly inexpensive.

There is also a new Mail in Rebate for the Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubber Starter Kit with CRT dated from 9/21/08 to 11/16/08. This is a new rebate so even if you have gotten a free kit with a previous rebate you can get another free kit. If you haven't used all of your printable coupons you will profit $2.75 (before tax and stamp).

Current Food Lion Printable Coupons

2008-09-17T13:35:00.001-04:00

I found that I can use these at Publix as competitor's coupons, but I do abide by the 1 per item per order and do not stack with manufacturer's or Publix coupons. Even with the restrictions these have helped me get many items free/cheap over the past few weeks. Each set of coupons will allow you to initiate the print cycle once per computer; however, I'm able to print multiple copies at that time.

Diaper, Wipes, Baby Care (Expire October 1, 2008)

Formula and Baby Food Coupons (Expire October 1, 2008)

Visit this Hot Coupon World Thread for the coupons that expire 9/30. Remember each set can be printed once per computer.

The best set to print to use as competitor's coupons appeared to be:

$1.00 off any Peter Pan Peanut Butter
$2.00 off one (1) bag of any Tyson Frozen Chicken
$1.00 off (2) two boxes of Food Lion Tea bags or mix
$1.00 off any two (2) Campbell's® Select Harvest™ soups (cans or bowls)

If you prefer Skippy to Peter Pan you don't want to miss this set.

$1/1 Skippy Peanut Butter
$2/1 Food Lion Frozen Chicken
$1/2 Food Lion Tea Bags or Mix
$1/2 Campbell's Select Harvest Soup

Publix Highlights for the Week of September 17

2008-09-17T13:00:00.002-04:00

Just a reminder that my ad week starts on Wednesday, but some areas start on Thursday. Check your local ad to verify your schedule. I live in the Metro Atlanta Area where coupons double up to .50 face value, and when an item is BOGO you only have to buy one in order to get an item 1/2 price. Seniors get an additional 5% off of their order on Wednesdays. Look for the Penny Item coupons in the Publix ad in Sunday's paper to use on Monday. I try to list the best deals for the week, but for a complete list of sales and insert coupons visit Coupon Mom who will have the weekly ad posted on Thursday.

Don't forget to use competitor's coupons if you have them! After being told no several years ago I didn't ask again until a few weeks ago when I kept reading posts that Publix accepts them. Since then they have made a huge difference in my grocery bill.

The Best of the Loss Leaders without coupons:

Bartlett Pears .99/lb.

Orange Juice $2.49/gallon

Ground Chuck $1.97/pound

Publix Salad Mix BOGO $2.99 ($1.50/1)

The Best of the Sales with Coupons:

Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil 32 oz. BOGO $11.99
$5.00 after $1/1 printable coupon - I know this isn't cheap, but it is a great price for what it is! Compare the price to the Aldi brand 16 oz bottle at $3.99 the last time I checked, so it is like getting the second 16 oz for $1. If you need this, but you have a tight budget be sure to use a $/$ competitor's coupon to help defray some of the expense. I'm hopeful that Walgreen's will put out another $/$ coupon this weekend.

V8 Splash BOGO $2.99
.50/1 after $1/2 (Yellow Advantage Buys Book) AND .50/2 (doubled) (8/17 S)

Arnold Bread BOGO $2.79
$.90/1 after .50/1 printable coupon that reads do not double; however, it is up to the store if they double it so .40/1 if doubled. I know that this coupon is in a PDF format which is usually a warning sign for printable coupons; however, it does appear to be legit and has been approved by HCW.

Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Cake Mix BOGO $1.59
Rumor is there is a $1/2 printable coupon, but I'm unable to find it.
However, I did find $1/1 carrot cake mix coupon which is excluded from the sale.

Huggies Bath Products BOGO $3.29
.65/1 after $1/1 (home mailer)
Maybe some new coupons will come out in the Sunday inserts.

Special Situations:

Huggies Box Diapers $5/1 coupon found in the Publix ad. I did the math on the cost per diaper on the boxes vs the jumbo packs. I would have to get the price of the box down to $15 or less for this to be a deal for me. However, this may not be impossible to do if you stack your coupons. Keep in mind the boxes do not qualify for the Caregivers Rebate.
Let's assume a shelf price of $25-$26 I'm not sure of the actual price, but it is a best guess.
Use $5.00 coupon from ad
Use $1.00 (8/24 S) OR $1.50/1 (home mailer)
Use $4/$20 Competitor's coupon OR higher value Competior's coupon (maybe Walgreen's will have another one out this weekend).
With the coupons I currently have my goal of $15/box is doable if the shelf price is $25.50 or less. Maybe Walgreen's will have another high value coupon this weekend to sweeten the deal.

Centrum Multivitamin Multimineral Vitamins - $10.99
IF Cardio Vitamins are included it will be a $2 money maker after
$3/1 coupon and $10/1 rebate (9/7 RP) - Good to use with $/$ competitor's coupon

Del Monte Vegetables, Tomatoes, and Cottege Inn items are BOGO - I think that it is about time for the fall Del Monte Coupons to come out soon. These items are not a deal unless these coupons come out with a high face value. Generic brands tend to run .42 - .50 can for vegetables and tomatoes.

Remember to check the current Advantage Buys ad for some great sales too!

Later I will be posting links to the Current Food Lion Printable coupons. If you have a Food Lion in your area you will be able to use these at Publix as a competitor's coupon.

CVS Loves Me Again!

2008-09-17T07:00:00.002-04:00

I just received a $4/$20 purchase coupon in my e-mail! This is the first one I have received in months so be sure to check your e-mail to see if you have one too. The e-mail read as if they had reset my card to receive CVS offers via e-mail. I hope I will continue to get these like I did in the past. Hopefully everyone else will get one too! I'm sure that this will come in handy next week.

Mine is specific to my card and can only be used once at CVS. However, Publix will accept it as a competitor's coupon! It expires 9/28.

Publix Yellow Advantage Buys Advertisement September 13 - October 10

2008-09-16T07:00:00.009-04:00

A few of the best highlights from the Yellow Advantage Buys Book

Store Coupon "Save $1 on any two items from these participating brands (any size)"
Brands: Motts, Hawaiian Punch, True Blue, Welch's, V8, Ocean Spray, Sunsweet, Minute Maid.
Since this is a store coupon without exclusions this can be stacked with a manufacturer coupon.
Possible Items:
Motts 4 pack juice boxes. $1.25 (regular price)
.25/1 after $1/2 Store Coupon and $1/2 (8/10 S1)
In the past people have used these coupons on frozen concentrates to get inexpensive juice.
V8 in smaller cans
Other items in small or single serve containers??
Please leave a comment with any great finds that you had with these coupons!

Kraft Easy Mac 5/$4
.30/1 after $1/2 (9/14 S)
My understanding is that this is slightly less expensive at Target, but I am unsure of their price.

Beech Nut Easy Pour Cereal 3/$4
.33/1 after $1/1 (6/15 SS - expires 9/30)

Stonyfield Farms Organic Smoothie 4/$5
.25/1 or .75/1 after printable coupon (limit one per e-mail address)

Martha White Muffin Mix 5/$4
.53/1 after .55/2 (8/24 RP)

Glade Air Freshener .99
.99/2 after BOGO (9/14 S)

Chinet Cut Crystal Tumblers 2/$2.49 **
.25 after $1/1 (Smart Summertime Savings - expire 9/30 OR 6/29 S - expire 9/28)

Dixie Napkins 2/$3 **
.50/1 after .50/1 doubled (8/17 RP)

**If you are spending $15 (before coupons) on party ware (cups, napkins, plates ...) be sure to use the $3/$15 Target printable coupon as a competitor's coupon.

Kroger Scenario Matchups for $3/15 Sale

2008-09-16T07:00:00.004-04:00

With so many different coupons from so many different sources this is a very complex deal, but there are some great deals to be had including a few profitable items. Instead of writing a specific scenario I have focused on some of the best deals with the coupon matchups. With the exeption of the Pop Secret I have done all of the deals I have listed and can verify that they work.

You can pick any combination of 15 participating items including several that I don't have listed. You can do up to 3 deals (45 items) in one transaction. If you need more items divide your order into multiple transactions. To maximize your savings be sure that you have your Cellfire and Shortcuts coupons loaded to your Kroger card. Remember that each Kroger card can only use each e-coupon once, but you can use one tradional coupon for each product that you have.

You can only do one catalina offer for each product per transaction. Example one Nature Valley and one Fruit Rollups offer works, but two Nature Valley catalina offers (10 boxes) will not produce two catalina coupons and must be done in two transactions. For more information about the current Kroger Catalina Offers visit the Fourm at Hot Coupon World.

In the event you end up with several catalinas you should be able to use the catalina coupons at any store that accepts manufaturer coupons; however, I know some people have had difficulties with the cashiers accepting them. They are manufacturer's coupons and say this at the top of the coupon. In any event, Publix should take as a competitor's coupon, but encourage them to scan as a manufacturer's coupon.

Chart Notes:
Please note tha that there is only one Old El Paso Product Cellfire Coupon, but I was showing the option of two different products.
F/D = Face Value or Double Face Value.

Click on chart for easier viewing.

Kroger Loss Leaders Week of September 14

2008-09-15T07:00:00.001-04:00

There are so many deals this week at Kroger!

The Best of the Loss Leaders Without Coupons:

Tomatoes .99/lb.

Onions .99/lb.

Cucumbers .50/each

Pork Loin $1.99/lb. - Glad to see this price back! I was scared we had permanently moved to higher prices. You may want to stock up and freeze some if you have space.

Milk $3.38 - A few years ago I never would have dreamed that this would be the lowest price in town and still be cheaper than a gallon of gas!

O.J. $2.48

Sara Lee Bread BOGO (You only have to buy one to get 1/2 price)

Winter Squash .69/lb. Glad to see the fall harvest is starting to come in! Remember buying fresh produce in season will help lower your grocery bill.

Regular Sales with Coupons:

Aquafresh Toothpaste $1
FREE if correct products are included after .50/1 (9/7 S2)

Suave .88
FREE after .50/1 (7/13 RP) or .33/1 with $2/3 (7/13 RP)

Powerade Zero Catalina Offer - Good deal even if you do not have a coupon!
Powerade .79
IF Powerade Zero is included in sale ($1/bottle if not included)
Buy 6 Powerade (must buy exactly 6 for this scenario to work correctly)
Use only 1 of either $1/1 (7/13 S) OR .75/1 (6/8 S) OR Free Bottle (MyCokeRewards) OR BOGO (Tearpad)
Receive a coupon at checkout for $4.00 off your next shopping order (any items)
Receive all 6 32 oz bottles of Powerade Zero for FREE after coupon and $4.00 catalina offer.
No coupon? Buy 6 for .74 after Catalina.
More coupons? Repeat deal using 1 per transaction or use multiple coupons in one transaction to earn catalinas.

Note: Catalinas sometimes do not print as they should. Before you start checking out make sure that the catalina machine is working (the green light is on in steady state). Sometimes I even ask the cashier to verify. Usually if the catalina does not print customer service will reimburse you in cash for the value that you should have received. If this is a problem, return items and repurchase at a different register to try to force the catalina to print.

Look for a second post later with deal scenarios based on the $3/15 promotion combined with catalina offers, printable coupons, insert coupons, Cellfire, and Shortcuts match ups.

Ingles Loss Leaders Week of September 14

2008-09-15T00:19:00.004-04:00

Just the highlights of the best loss leaders for the week. Remember, you can price match several of these items at Wal-Mart.

London Broil $2.48/lb.

Sanderson Farms Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders $1.98/lb

Springer Mountain Boneless Skinless Thighs $2.48/lb.
$1/1 (6/29 S)
Look for smaller packages to save more money per pound.
Example: $3 package = 1.2 pounds = $1.66/lb. after coupon
$3.50 package = 1.4 pounds = $1.78/lb. after coupon

3 pounds Gala Apples 2/$5

5 pounds Gold Apples $3.48

4 lb. Laura Lynn (store brand) sugar $1.48

CVS National Ad Week of September 14

2008-09-13T23:37:00.005-04:00

After such a great week at CVS last week this week looks kind of slim. Remember, these are the National Ad Deals. The Test Markets (including Metro Atlanta) may not have the same sales.

ECB Deals:

Excedrin Express Gels $3.99 Get $3.99 in ECBs Limit 1
FREE after ECBs
It appears that the coupon is only for Excedrine Migraine, but you can check here for Excedrin coupons.

Aleve D $3.99 Get $3 ECBs Limit 1
Use $1/1 printable coupon
FREE after ECBs and coupon; however, I only recommend getting this if your family will use it because of the legal restrictions placed on this product.

Non ECB Deals:

Revlon BOGO starting at $3.49
Less expensive items will be FREE if you use 2 $2/1 coupons (7/20 S or 8/24 S)

Revlon Beauty Tools Buy One Get One 50% starting at $1.29
Less expensive items (emery boards and nail clippers) will be FREE or cheap after 2 $1/1 coupons (5/18 S2 or 9/14 S)

Other ECB Deals - Special Situations:

Only a deal if you have not done this rebate:
Just for Men $7.99 Get $2 ECBs Limit 1
Use $2/1 Printable coupon
Request rebate of $7.99 (currently 2 available for different products)
Profit of $4 after ECBs, Coupons, and Rebate
Details and links for coupons and rebates can be found here. If you have not done either one start with the one that expires December 2008. The second rebate expires December 2009 and we are likely to see more deals on this product in the future.

Reader Request:

The following is not a hot deal for most bargain hunters, but I had a request to look for deals on toothbrushes. Coupon shoppers can regularly get adult toothbrushes for free and sometimes even get paid to take them off of the shelf, but toothbrushes for children are much harder to find for free/cheap. However, most dentists will give your child a toothbrush when they go for a cleaning so be sure to ask. The dentist office is also a great place to look for coupons.

GUM Toothbrushes Twin Pack (picture shows Crayola toothbrushes) 2/$5
Get $1 ECB when you buy 2 Limit 5 offers (10 packages, 20 toothbrushes)
Use 2 .75/1 GUM (6/29 RP or 8/3 RP)
Final Cost after Coupons and ECBs $2.50 for 4 toothbrushes = .63/each

Now Entering the Test Market Phase

2008-09-13T22:41:00.006-04:00

When I went to post the deals from the new CVS ad tonight I had a bit of surprise. It appears that the test market phase has officially begun. Currently on the CVS website there is a midweek ad posted for Wednesday through Friday. It mainly focused on non ECB deals and lesser ECB deals (generally not the ones we would be looking for) that had been in the weekly circular.

I must admit I freaked out upon first glance because I thought that the small midweek ad was the ad for next week. Since there were no great ECB deals, I was sure that it was the end of CVS as we know it.

Since previous test markets have not had the same deals as the National ad I will have to wait until I see a copy of the local ad to post the deals for our area. Hopefully, it will be the same as usual with no bumps in the road.

Using the Walgreen's $10/$40 at Publix

2008-09-12T06:30:00.001-04:00

I'm sure by now most of you have seen the Walgreen's $10/$40 coupon, but how many of you have thought about using it at Publix? Several locations have been honoring the Walgreen's coupons as a competitor's coupon.

The only catch is that unlike many of the $/$ coupons, your AFTER coupon total has to be over $40. So unfortunately your scenario can't have the help of free filler items to get your total up to $40. If you don't usually use coupons, are new to couponing and haven't established a nice supply of food, or have been wanting to get items that are not usually on sale this is a good opportunity to easily save some money.

Keep in mind if you are planning on spending $30 or more, go ahead and get a few more items to reach your $40 total. If you are already spending $30 it is like getting the final $10 of items for free!

But what about the rest of us? This is especially rough because Publix doesn't have a super ad week this week for bargain hunters. My best suggestion is to combine the best of the weekly deals with a high dollar value rebate.

The 50% off BirdsEye Vegetables could be a better deal than I originally expected if you combine the $1/3 Manufacturer's Coupon with the $1/2 Publix Pyramid Coupon.

I am unsure of the price of the Centrum Cardio Vitamins, but the $3 coupon (9/7 RP) combined with the $10 Rebate (9/7 RP) could make this a money maker item, but even if you just break even it would definately help to bump up your total. Remember to only do one rebate per receipt because most rebates require the original receipt.

For those of us with children in diapers this would be a good way to get approximately $2.50 off a pack ($10 prorated based on a shelf price of $10) and the Huggies jumbo packs would also qualify for the Caregivers Rebate OR the Publix/Kimberly Clark Rebate. However, I'm unsure of Publix's shelf price per pack to determine if this would be a good deal. If you don't have any of the Huggies $1.50 or $2 off coupons, Food Lion also has the $1.50/pack printable coupon (limit one per transaction and the print cycle can only be initiated once per computer) that can be used as a competitor coupon.

Another option that came to mind is stocking up on some of the ground chuck that is on sale or other meat that has been marked down.

My one last thought is that you can use the Free Kraft Products When You Buy 3 coupons from the August All You Magazine. I know that you are thinking that the free product will not boost your total, but the qualifying items will. I am still undecided about the use of these coupons with the small Kool-Aid packets so I have been using Kraft items that have been on sale and that I would have been buying anyway instead. Which, since I was planning on buying them anyway and I don't use Kool-Aid it comes out cheaper for me.

Please leave a comment or a link to your blog post with your scenario. I'm still looking for good ideas to decide if I want to make the trip or just wait for Monday's Penny Item.

Question from the Inbox Powdered or Fresh?

2008-09-12T00:01:00.004-04:00

got milk?

I received this question in my inbox this week. I decided to make it the topic of my Frugal Friday post so that my readers could also benefit from the answer.

[My one year old] is drinking 2 gallons of milk a week . . . I was wondering if you
have ever done a nutrition/cost comparison between powdered and fresh
milk? . . . Really, I'd just do it to save money, but not at the expense of nutrition.

Before my Little Man was drinking milk I almost always used powdered milk. This was definitely more economical for us because we did not use very much, could make the amount that we needed, and not have to throw away a large quantity of unused fresh milk that had become expired. (Frugal Tip: Don't justify buying more than you can consume just because it is on sale. You are literally pouring money down the drain if you buy more than you can use and have to throw it away. Fresh produce is another place that this often happens.) A couple of years ago the price per gallon for the store brand nonfat powdered milk was comparable or even a little better than the sale price of fresh milk. So I believe powdered milkcan be a cost effective alternative to fresh milk for singles, couples, or families with older children.

However, most powdered milk available is nonfat milk. Because of the lack of fat content it is generally not recommended for children under the age of 3. With a little research, I found a whole milk product called NIDO that is made by Nestle. The nutritional panel is almost identical to the gallon of whole milk currently in my refridgerator. The ingredients differ: Whole Milk, Soy Lecithin, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3.

When I purchased NIDO at Wal-Mart in June it cost $3.97 for a container that makes approximately 3 quarts of milk. Fresh milk prices were higher then so it was slighly more expensive, but a comprable cost for the same quantity of fresh milk. If the price is still $3.97 for that size container it would be almost 35% more expensive than fresh milk! So this is not a cost cutting alternative to fresh milk.

Personally, we have a can of NIDO in the diaper bag. This is for convience because it prevents us from having to keep milk cold if we are away from home or worrying about having to find milk if we are away for longer than expected. I recommend having some on hand in the event you run out of regular milk and are unable to go to the store for some reason (i.e. you aren't feeling well, you spilled the last serving on the floor and its time for the baby to eat, or in your bad weather emergency kit). I guess even The Deal Lady is willing to pay for convience sometimes.

If you decide to try NIDO make sure that you buy the original. The Kinder 1+ contains honey which should be avoided until age 2. At Wal-Mart it is located in the Ethnic Foods Aisle not with the nonfat powdered milk located on the Baking Aisle.

Another way to get milk less expensively is to look for coupons on specific brands of milk. For example, Horizon Organic has a $1/1 printable manufacturer coupon that can be used in conjunction with the Target $1/1 printable coupon. Often Publix will accept competitor coupons so you could look for sales for this brand at both stores.

If all else fails, maybe Amy will share some of the milk she got.

Metro Atlanta Whole Milk Prices for this week:
Kroger: $3.38/gallon - Sale Price
Wal-Mart: $3.48/gallon - Regular Price - May Price Match Kroger
Ingles: $3.49/gallon - Regular Price
Publix: $3.59/gallon - Running Sale Price
CVS: $4.50+/gallon, but if you build your scenario with $/$ or use ECBs you may come out cheaper.
Aldi: Prices vary by location, but it is often less expensive than larger chains. Still hoping to get one closer to where I live.

Please be sure to visit my blog again for more frugal tips and sale updates.

Coupon Preview September 14

2008-09-11T19:45:00.002-04:00

Taylortown has the coupon preview available for the coupons that will be in Sunday's paper. Remember coupons will vary depending on the area where you live. The face value of the coupons is usually the biggest variance; however, the products can vary by region too.

Taylortown has a good approximation of what will be available so that you can plan your purchases accordingly.

She also runs a clipping service, but I have never ordered from her. If anyone has ordered from her before please let us know in the comment section.

Kroger 3 Day Sale

2008-09-11T18:01:00.004-04:00

For the current Kroger 3 day sale information please click here. Thanks for visiting!
(Above added after original post was published.)

When I went to Kroger today I stumbled upon the Three Day Sale. This sale runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Green Seedless Grapes .99/lb.

Mayfield Ice Cream $1.99 - Unfortunately the coupons we had from the insert expired at the end of August.

Kroger Italian Sausage (18 oz) - $1.89

Kroger Individual Bottled Water was also on sale, but I don't remember the details.

The only sale that I took advantage of was the Seedless Grapes. The ones that I ate tonight were very good!

Later I will try to post about my shopping trip and the $3/15 item deal this week .

Publix Highlights for the Week of September 10

2008-09-10T07:00:00.004-04:00

Just a reminder that where I live the ad starts on Wednesday and ends on Tuesday. Other parts of the Metro Atlanta area have an ad cycle of Thursday through Wednesday. Be sure to check the weekly ad to determine the ad cycle which applies to your area. For complete list of sales with coupons from the Sunday inserts please visit Coupon Mom starting on Thursday.

The ad this week is a slow week for deal hunters, but there are a few things that might be of interest.

The Best of the Loss Leader Sales

Bartlett Pears .99/lb.

Publix Bread .89

Ground Chuck $1.97/lb.

The Best of the Deals with Coupons

Progresso Soup 4/$5
.25/can after .50/2 (9/7 GM doubled) AND $1/2 Target Printable

Kellogg's Special K BOGO $3.99
$1/box after $1/2 (8/3 KL - expires 9/14) AND $1/2 Target Printable

Dannon Danimals Yogurt Drinks BOGO $3.49
.75/1 after .50/1 (8/24 S) OR $1/1 (Smart Summertime Savings Book)

Aunt Jemima Syrup BOGO $3.49
$1.25/1 after $1/2 (9/7 RP)

Birds Eye Vegetables 50% off
Prices Vary after $1/3 (9/7 S2) AND $1/2 (Publix Pyramid Book)
Can be stacked since it is a manufacturer's coupon and a Publix coupon without exclusions.

Be sure to look for a new coupon book called Smart Students, Smart Savings. I don't think you will be disappointed if you find it. If anyone finds them save one for me please!

Also, the new blinkies (point of purchase coupon dispensers) should be in the stores soon.

Rite Aid Highlights Week of September 7

2008-09-09T23:15:00.004-04:00

Slow week in the form of rebate deals this week. One of the more interesting deals this week is the combination of the Revlon BOGO Sale and the Revlon Music Downloads Promotion.

Scenario for Revlon Music Downloads:
10 Revlon Eye Shadow 4.49 BOGO $22.45
10 $2/1 (7/20 S or 8/24 S) $20
$2.45 + tax for 10 Revlon Eye Shadows and 6 Music Downloads
Don't want the Downloads? Use two coupons for BOGO Deal for a final price of 2/.49.

Vanity fair cups, plates or bowls $1.99
.99 after $1/1 (6/22 RP)

Glade flameless wisp candle $5.99
.99 after $5/1 (9/7 S2)

Motts Applesauce 2/$3
$1.45/2 after .55/2 (8/10 S1) And Single Check Rebate (SCR) $1/2 (Confirmed that each household can do this rebate item twice)

Vaseline Intensive Care Clinical strength $5.24
.74 After $1.50/1 (9/7 RP) AND $3 SCR

Thank you Marissa for putting this weeks' deals together!

News From the Managers

2008-09-09T23:05:00.000-04:00

A couple of items of interest that I learned this week when I was speaking with my managers. Establishing and having good relationships with your local managers is important if you are a regular shopper, but even more so if you frequently use coupons. If you don't know the manager (or assistants) at least by face at the store you most frequent I encourage you to say hello the next time you are shopping.

CVS
When I was at CVS this week my manager told me that Atlanta will be a test market starting in a couple of weeks. I was not clear on all of the details, but it sounded like the possibility of a different ad schedule and maybe even two ads per week. I have not seen an upcoming ad yet to determine if this is a good or bad thing. I thought I would share this so that you can expect to see some changes coming.

Publix
When I did my "Hamburger Helper Transaction" this week, I thought that with 63 coupons my transaction would require an overide by a supervisor, I had the cashier call one of the assistant managers. However, the assistant manager said that he thought Publix had raised the limit of coupons in one transaction to 99 because they were seeing increased coupon useage. I can tell you from first hand experience that the cash register will allow at least 63 coupons in one transaction. Is the increase coupon usage a sign of the downturn in the economy or people becoming more aware about couponing?

Blessings and Encouragment

2008-09-09T23:00:00.004-04:00

I feel especially blessed with all of the excellent shopping trips that I have had this past week. For those of you who are new to clipping coupons I don't want you to get discouraged or overwhelmed with the complexity or number of deals I have listed. It is best to start small and work up to more complex scenarios. Don't worry, you will learn very quickly how to save on your food and household expenses.

I don't know everyone who will read this nor do I know everyone's current situation, but I wanted to share some encouragement from one of my favorite blogs.

New Kroger Cellfire Coupons

2008-09-09T09:53:00.004-04:00

Kroger has just several new coupon offers through Cellfire. Even though there aren't any new $10/$50 purchase coupons there are still several worth looking at. Remember you can only add 10 to your card at any time. Last time these did not remove from my card until they expired even after I had used them, and you are unable to use them more than once. I read reports of others having the same problem. So be sure to only get the very best ones that you are likely to use.

The list below is what I currently have loaded to my card. I couldn't decide between a couple of the other ones so I left the option to add one more coupon later depending on what is on sale. I hope that these will come off of my card after I use them if they can't be reused so I can add additional coupons.

Old El Paso Save $1.10

Valid thru Oct 6, 2008

Totinos Pizza Rolls Save $.50

Valid thru Oct 6, 2008

Dawn® Save $.50

Valid thru Sep 22, 2008

Wanchai Ferry Save $2

Valid thru Sep 22, 2008

Cottonelle® Save $.50

Valid thru Sep 22, 2008

YoPlus® Yogurt Save $2

Valid thru Sep 22, 2008

Yoplait® Save $.80 on Two

Valid thru Sep 22, 2008

Huggies® Diapers Save $1

Valid thru Sep 22, 2008

Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Save $.50

Valid thru Sep 22, 2008

You may be able to use the printed record of the coupon as a competitor's coupon at another store. This will likely be up to the manager on duty.

Two Great Publix Trips this Week!

2008-09-09T07:00:00.012-04:00

I had two great shopping trips to Publix this week!

My first trip on first trip was on Friday. I bought:

1 Gallon Publix Orange Juice
1 Gallon Publix Milk ($1/1 Dairy from Publix Baby Club)
1 Sara Lee Soft and Smooth Bread (Coupon for a Free Loaf - Expired 9/7)
2 Just Bunches Boxes of Cereal (2 $1/1 - Expired 9/7)
1 Ore Idea Tater Tots ($2/1 Food Lion Printable Coupon)
8 Old El Paso Jars of Salsa (3 $1/2 - I forgot to cut out the 4th)
1 Gerber Graduates Diced Peaches ($1/1 Food Lion Printable)
6 Packages Chinet Casuals Plates - Advantage Buy not the ones that are BOGO (5 $1/1 and 1 $3/$15 Target Printable)
1 3 piece set Gerber Cutlery ($2/1 Food Lion Printable)
2 Egglands Best (2 .35/1 Doubled)
43 Boxes of Hamburger Helper (43 $1/1 - Peelies on the box found at the store) I was so excited about this I called one of my readers from the store to tell her the deal. Even though I bought a large quantity in three different flavors I probably left a few hundred more of these on the shelves. Most of these will be donated. This free item is a terrific example of how you can donate items even if you are on a tight budget.

I used 63 coupons total including a competitor's $10/$50 coupon that totaled $75.64 in coupons. My combined savings was $130.52. My OOP was $8.77 including $2.16 in tax.

If I can locate a form, the paper plates should qualify for part of a $15/$30 purchase rebate. Please let me know if you find one of these.

The children of a couple of families that I know had a great time playing with the receipt that was longer than they are tall!

My Second trip was on Monday. I try to stop by for a small trip each Monday to get the penny item, deals that have coupons in the Sunday paper, any other deals that I hear about, and any needs that I may have.

1 Ore Ida French Fries ($2/1 Food Lion Printable)
1 Gerber Graduates Tossable Utensils ($2/1 Food Lion Printable)
2 Quaker Oatmeals (2 .50/1 doubled)
1 GE 4 Pack Lightbulbs (1 $1/1 from Rite Aid Weekly Ad)
1 Clif Kids Bar (.50/1 doubled)
1 Gerber Graduates Diced Peaches ($1/1 Food Lion Printable)
2 Buitoni Linguine (Free after $1/1 Printable and $1/1 Target Printable)
4 Tomatoes .99/lb.
4 Bananas .64/lb.
1 Publix Green Bag (Penny Item)
1 Pack of Gum (Quick .67 filler item because I relized I was going to go negative if I used my $2/$10 competitor coupon.)

Total OOP .50 including .15 tax.

Unfortunately, I forgot to pick up a raincheck for the Green Giant Steamers. Maybe they will be included in the Kroger sale.

JUMPING UP AND DOWN!!

2008-09-09T07:00:00.008-04:00

When I walked into CVS to do my weekly shopping trip today I saw 2 buggies marked Clearance 90%. Usually when clearance gets to this point at my store it is basically junk. However, upon closer inspection, one of the buggies was FULL of Huggies Little Swimmers Swim Pants and Pampers Splashers!

So here is how my shopping trip went:

9 Packages of Huggies Little Swimmers .89 each + I had a few coupons!
5 Right Guard Deodorants
3 Revlon Nail Polishes
1 Loreal Skin Genesis
1 Contour Meter with 10 test strips!

Paid with $18.99 in ECBs and $3.32 cash. I had an ECB about to expire that caused me not be able to get the OOP down lower. I should have bought a couple of more packages of Swim Pants to bring my total up, but I'm not complaining. Got back $29.99 in ECBs. An earning of $7.68 ECBs.

Just for the record, I did leave several packages of Swim Pants in the buggy.

This is the best part. I saved it for you to see if you were still reading. When I was going over my receipt tonight, I was thinking to myself too bad nothing on this receipt counts towards a rebate. Then it occurred to me that there was a possibility that each of the Huggies Swim Pants would count towards the Caregivers Marketplace Rebate. I ran to find my binder with the form in it and literally started jumping up and down (sorry no video) when I saw that each package would qualify for a $1 rebate. According to HCW people have gotten back the full $1 amount on clearance swim pants.

Now, I just need the Little Man's skin sensitivities to go away and to ask his Daddy for a beach vacation next year.

Ingles Loss Leaders Week of September 7

2008-09-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure, but I think that I spend more money at Ingles than either Publix or Kroger. Why? Because they usually have the best sale prices on meat (They have excellent customer service in the meat department too.) and good sale prices on produce (normal produce prices are a bit high).

Their double coupon policy is a bit more complex and creates for some interesting scenarios. I'll leave that for a subject for another day.

Today I'll share their best Loss Leaders for the week. Don't forget, if you have an Ingles in your area you can price match these and other items that aren't BOGO at Wal-Mart if you want to save a stop.

Click here for the full ad.

Family Pack Cube Steak $2.28/lb.
3 lbs. North Carolina Gala Apples $2.98
California Grapes $1.28/lb.
Peaches $1.28/lb.
California Plums .98/lb.
Bartlett Pears $1.28/lb.
Yellow Squash or Zucchini .98/lb.

South Beach Diet Pizza 2/$4 - Use $2/1 Printable

The Results are In

2008-09-06T23:22:00.004-04:00

Even though I managed to leave my scenario at home I still managed to stick with my plan with a few minor changes.

I added bananas, salad mix which were both manager's specials. I also added 2 cans of Starkist Tuna after I realized that I could get it for .19/can after the Catalina coupon that I had. I didn't get the tomatoes because they looked like pink rocks and I forgot my Cattlemen's coupon at home so I picked up an extra package of Kiwi shoelaces to be on the safe side.

The biggest change of note was the shelf price of Huggies. They have gone up from $9.99 to $10.69! However, next week's SALE price is the the OLD SHELF PRICE of $9.99.

Click below to see the comparison of my plan and my actual trip. The differences are highlighed in yellow.

Save Your Excedrin Coupons!

2008-09-06T22:34:00.005-04:00

I know you can get the Excedrin for free this week at CVS. However, I encourage you to save your printable Excedrin coupons for the upcoming ECB deal at CVS or for the Walgreens September Easy Saver Rebate. Both of these stores will offer the product for free after ECBs/rebate. So each coupon will make you $2 per offer.

If you have been couponing for more than a couple of months, do you really NEED any more Excedrin right now anyway? :)

Highlights CVS Week of September 7

2008-09-06T22:08:00.005-04:00

The week of September 7 looks to be a good week for CVS coupon users!

Monday Only - All Revlon Nail Enamel $3.99 get $3 ECB Limit 3
Use $2/1 coupons (8/24 S or 7/20 S) Earn $1 in ECBs with each coupon!

All week
Loreal Revitalift or Age Perfect $5.99 get $5.99 ECB Limit 1 - HOT!
Use $1/1 (7/20 S) Earn $1 in ECBs after coupon!

Right Guard Pro $6.99 get $5 ECBs Limit 3
$1 after coupons (7/13 S or 8/10 S1) and ECBS

Right Guard $2.99 get $2 ECBs LIMIT 5
FREE after coupon (7/13 S or 8/10 S1)

Soft and Dry and Dri Idea is also included in the above deal and will be .25 after ECBs and coupon (7/13 S or 8/10 S1)

Genisoy $6/6 get $3 ECBs
BOGO coupon makes free after coupons and ECBs. This coupon is not from the insert so not very many people will have these coupons.

Bayer Contour Meter get $5 ECBs
Earn $5 in ECBs after coupon (6/1 S) and ECBs.

Schick Razors BOGO
Coupons (8/24 S or 9/7 S1) will make these fairly inexpensive.

Chex Mix $1/1 - Printable coupon for $1/1 will be free after coupon(each computer can only print 2) or .50/1 (9/7 GM, but if you only have the hard copy you will get a better deal at Kroger this week).

Malt O Meal $1/1 - Printable coupon for $1/1 will be free after coupon - Needs to be the one that says ANY. These boxes do not meet the size requirements for some of the Malt-O-Meal coupons that I have seen.

Black Rice Skincare buy 1 get $5 ECBs
There were CVS coupons for $5 off of 1. The less expensive items will be free/inexpensive after coupons and ECBs.

Gold Emblem Peanuts $1.99
CVS scanner coupons are $2/2 any Gold Emblem Nuts

Life Savers BOGO
Coupons for this expire on Monday 9/8, if you have any left.

Trident Xtra Care $1/1
Will be .25 after coupon (7/20 S).

Kroger Scenario for Friday, September 5

2008-09-05T00:31:00.014-04:00

There were only a few items that I had originally planned to get this week at Kroger; however, the perfect combination of hidden deals, a $/$ coupon that is about to expire, and 2 great unadvertised Catalina offers turned even this bad sale week into a potential good deal.

Due to the South Beach Diet Catalina offer expiring, Friday is the only day this scenario is possible.

If you click on the chart below you can see my plans.

I allowed for some extra padding because I am unclear if the e-coupons will be deducted before or after the $10/$50 coupon (It does come off before physical coupons, just unsure about the Cellfire, and Shortcuts Coupons). I also allowed for a slight difference in price (especially the pizza) or if they are out of an item.

I will have a few Kiwi coupons with me as additional filler if I need them. I don't want to use them tomorrow unless if I have to because I sill have some time to use them before they expire and may need them as filler items in the future. I don't know if Cellfire will continue with $/$ coupons, but I still have a few left from LAST year's Entertainment Book (Rumor is Kroger will not be participating this year).

I my plans excluded any coupons that explicitly said Free on them, but there are several inexpensive items that can be routinely gotten for free or very cheap. The key is the higher you can build your total up with free items then the more of the $10 can be put towards the items that you need that you don't have a coupon for.

I opted to save my additional Powerade coupons to roll in a future deal instead of taking the additional savings off of my total.

According to my calculations I will save 67.5% before the Catalinas and Caregivers Rebate. If I take those into consideration (which I shouldn't until I spend it/get the check in the mail) I will have saved 84%.

I'll report back with my actual deal later.

Publix Green Advantage Buys Advertisement

2008-09-03T12:15:00.003-04:00

August 30-September 26 Highlights

The Revlon $2/1 Beauty Tool Coupon is back! These are good to get free nail clippers, emery boards, and many other personal care tools inexpensively! These items are great to mail in care packages or donate locally!

$6/2 Sundown Vitamins is in the book again too. Reports are that some varieties have been free with this coupon in the past, but prices may have recently increased.

These items are good fillers to use when you get a $/$ coupon. Many Publix stores will take competitors' coupons that are frequently available.

Be sure to take advantage of the $/$ offers as it is a very easy way to make a large reduction in your bill. Sometimes as much as 25% off BEFORE any other coupons! This is a good way to get items that you need that are rarely on sale for a deep discount, especially if you can use some coupons for some free filler items. Even if you don't think that worth your time to normally clip small value coupons these have a high return for minimal effort.

Please visit Hot Coupon World for the complete list of sales and coupons in this booklet.