Black friday for couponers!

CVS had the deals that got us couponers excited for black friday! The CVS sale started on Thusrday-thanksgiving day and ran through Saturday. This means that a lot of us went out late Wednesday night and shopped the 24-hr CVS and checked out at Midnight. I was at the store by 11:30 pm and I checked out just after midnight. There were at least 8 other couponers (or "sets" of couponers) doing the deals while I was there. We were all helping each other out looking for the deals, and giving tips. It was fun! :)
I had a $14 ECB and a $17.98 ECB from deals last week to start with. I rang up about 3 seperate orders to pay the lowest amount oop and got almost all the freebies. They did not have any of the earphones I wanted, but I was able to get rainchecks for them so I can get them for free when they come in next week. After I got all the freebies, I went back in to shop the b1g1 toys. Thanksgiving was also my youngest's birthday, so we picked up some gifts for her and a couple for Christmas too. I paid @ $3 oop for everything in the picture!





I did a second CVS run on Thursday morning using my DH CVS card and got more of the freebies. Again, no earphones- but got another raincheck, and they were out of the Garnier. I did about 7 different transactions this time to roll the ECB and spend the least oop, but I had no ECB to start with on this card. I again spent @ $3 oop. I have $12.98 in ECB left to spend on one card and $17.77 ECB on the other card.


Though I don't have pics, I also did a little BF shopping at Walgreens. They had colgate TP free with RR, and I had $1 coupons, which means I made $1 on each TP. I got 6 total. I alos stopped in on Thursday for the 50% off toys and used my RR for several toys for Christmas. I spent about $10 oop here between all the deals, but got about $100 worth of toys for the kids, plus the free toothpastes.

A little bit of free...

I got more free stuff yesterday and some cheap stuff. I did a lot of shopping yesterday to get all the deals!
I went to Safeway first to get some broth. I had some $1.25 coupons for the Progresso and some $1 coupons.
I got 15 cartons Progresso broth and paid $13.07 and I got a catalina for $10 OYNO.
Then I went to CVS and grabbed 2 of the Maybelline makeups that are free after ECB and 2 of the Right guard proffesional that is $.99 after ECB. I had 2-$3 coupons for the makeup, so I made $6 buying those two. I also had a $30 ECB from last weeks Duracell deal. I needed about $2 more to use my ECB, so i grabbed 2 rolls of paper towels. I spent $30 in ECB and $.55 cash oop and I got back $31.98 in ECB!
Next, I went to Bashas. I got 36 cans of dole tropical mixed fruit for $3 total oop using the $1/3 coupons that doubled and a $.75 catalina for each 3 I bought. (Every 3 cans produced another $.75 cat) I got 6 boxes of brownie mix for $.25 each with the $1/2 coupons doubled, 1 package of Kings hawaiin rolls for $.99 after $1 coupon doubles, and I got a 12lb turkey @ $.39/lb and used a $2 wt. I donated the turkey outside the store to ST. Vincents De Paul as they were they collecting turkeys and donations. I spent @ $7.50 oop here.
I stopped at Walgreens next and repeated my order from the day before with 9 sure deodorants, 1 Skintimate, and 3 Robitussin. I spent $1.88 oop (tax was $2.01-less than the day before as it was a different city-in a 5 mile radius of my house there are 4 different cities all charging different taxes).
My last stop on this run was at Albertsons. I got 4 more C&H sugars at $.50 each, 1-10lb bag of potatoes for $1.47, 8 boxes of BC potatoes-free, 2 packages of dog treats-used free coupons, 5 Pillsbury crescent rolls-$.50 each, 1 lb butter-free with crescent rolls, 1 bag of marshmallows for $1. I used a $6/$30 coupon and paid $2.06 cash oop. ($1.09 was tax)






After a short break, I went out again when I took my DD to work. I stopped by Fry's and got 10 Bird's eye steamfresh veggies-free with coupons, 1 loaf wheat bread $1.50, an 8.69 lb turkey for $3.39 and used $2 coupon, and a 9.76 lb ham for $15.13. I used a $6/$30 coupon and the $10 cat from Safeway earlier in the day. I paid $2.21 oop. I also went to Bashas again (did not take a picture) and got 18 more cans of mixed fruit for $1.50 total and 2 more turkeys-one was 12.65 lb and one was 12.77 lb. I use $2 coupons on both and paid under $3 for each turkey. That comes out to about $.23 a lb for turkey! I'm stocking up the freezer with these as I'll cook them up during the year and put the meat in freezer bags for quick meals, soups, casseroles, and lunch meat!

After all that shopping, I went to the movies on a date night with DH and used the last 2 of my free movie passes from the walgreens axe deal a few months back. I do love free!

My favorite shopping time!

Around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, the grocery stores put out some of the best deals! I love shopping this time of year since there are so many freebies to be had. The stores around here have been really competing hard the last few weeks. They are offering doubles, triples, quadruples, dollar doubles, and accepting competitor coupons. This adds up to a lot of freebies or really good deals for couponers.




I did a lot of quick shopping trips yesterday in between doctors appointments. This first picture is from 4 different stores.
I hit the commissary while I was on base for one appointment and I got:
5 cans Muir glen tomatoes-used $1 coupons and made $.50 each can
7 packages Ronzoni pasta-used $1 coupons and made $.01 each
8 boxes Jolly time popcorn-used $1 and $1.50 coupons made $.11 each on 4 and $.61 each on the other 4 boxes
1-17 lb bag Alpo- used $1 coupon- paid $5.99
1- 3lb bag of rice- no coupons
With 5% surcharge ($1.28) I paid $3.82 oop and I tipped the bagger $1

At Bashas I got:
12 cans Del Monte vegetables- used 3- $1/4 coupons doubled to $2 each, so paid $.25/can
9 cans Dole mixed fruit/mandarin oranges- used $1/3 coupons doubled to $2-paid $1 for each 3 cans and got back a $.75 OYNO catalina for each 3 cans
Total oop: $6.76 (got back $2.25 to use for next time)

At Fry's I got:
21 Cans Del Monte less salt can veggies-used $.30 coupons tripled-all free
1 loaf wheat bread
3 bags shredded cheese
1 block cheese
1 Stove top stuffing
1 lb ground beef
1-3 strip Fleischmans yeast-used $.45 coupon tripled to $1- cost $1 oop and got $.50 cat back
I used a $6 off $30 competitors coupon
Total oop: $2.14 (and got $.50 back for next time)

At Walgreens I got:
free movie from redbox with Monday code
9 Sure deodorants-used $1 coupons and $1.50 walgreens coupons-made $.51 each
3 Robitussin-used $3 printables-paid $.99 each and got $5 RR back
1 Skintimate-used $.50 coupon-paid $1.49 and got back $1 RR
1 gift sack $.10 with walgreens coupon
Tax was $2.81 and I paid $2.78 oop (got back $6 for next time)






I went out again last night after a visit to the acute care clinic and got 3 prescriptions for my dd who has an ear infection. I paid $9 for the scrips and got $30 in gift cards for Fry's using the $10 Target prescription coupons.
While at Fry's waiting for the meds, I picked up:
14 packages of Cottonelle-used $.25 coupon qudrupled-all free
10 pouches Idahoan potatoes-used $.75 printable doubled -all free
2 blocks of cheese
1 can yams
1 jar mayonaisse
Used $6/$30 competitors coupon
Paid $.27 oop

At Albertsons I got:
19.53 lb turkey @ $.39 lb-I used $2 turkey wine tag-paid $5.62
10 lb bag potatoes-$1.47 on sale
10 betty crocker potatoes box-used $.35 coupons tripled-all free
5 Pillsbury crescent rolls-used $.35 coupons tripled-$.50 each
1 lb butter-free with purchase of 5 crescent rolls
4 bags 2lb C&H sugars-used $.35 couopns tripled-$.50 each
1 reusable grocery bag-used free coupon from receipt survey
Used $6/$30 competitors coupon
Total oop: $6.16

Free groceries at TCF Bank!

No they are not handing out groceries, but they are handing out a $50 walmart gift card when you open a checking account. If you go in to open an account, they give you the gift card right then and you walk out with it! (you just doubled your money!) You have to open an account with a minimum of $25, but there are no stipulations on how long you have to leave the money in there or leave the account open. I really like their options, so I'm going to leave mine open and use the account. I have been using my $25 deposit this week with my new debit card for my grocery purchases.

When you open an account, you will have to order a box of checks, but there are several accounts that give you the checks for free and you just pay $5.95 shipping for the checks: "student" or "over 55" accounts do this as well as the "affinity" checking. If you open just the regular free checking account, you will have to pay $16.95 for checks, but you still are making $33 with the $50 gift card they give you with this option.
This deal is good through the end of November, so hurry if you want to do it! The bank is open 7 days a week! They also have a referral program. They have the referral slips inside the bank-so grab some when you go in. You will get a $25 visa card mailed to you (within 3-4 weeks) for everyone you refer who opens an account by the end of November. And your referral gets the $50 walmart gift card too! I have referred my husband and my two oldest (adult) children already. Check the website:
TCF Bank to find one near you. You need to have a mailing address in one of these states:
Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Colorado, or Arizona

And if anyone wants a referral slip before you go in, I'll mail you one! You still get the $50 gift card and I'll get $25 for telling you about it. ;)

Who says "coupons are only for junk food"?

A lot of people say they don't use coupons because they are only for "junk food" or highly processed items or just "for stuff we don't eat."
Last week, I got items like sugar, butter, can milk, and water all with coupons. I also got stuff like ziplocs, oatmeal, razors, toothpaste-all for free using coupons. And with using these coupons and store coupons and other savings methods, I regularly get items like produce, milk, eggs, bread, or meat for free or close to it. If someone says this, they either have a very limited diet or they just don't understand coupons. ;)
Here's some good stuff I got today:




This is from Fry's sale that just started today. I got 32 packages of Bird's eye frozen vegetables for free! They also have white and brown rice in these packages and I got a few of those. So a few staples and healthy items right there for free-rice and veggies! I also got some spices and chocolate milks for free with coupons.
Since I got all these for free, I could use a $6 off $30 store coupons and add in some extras I didn't have coupons for. This was all broken down into 2 orders, so I used 2 of the $6 off $30 coupons and with the extra $, I got 1 box of Stove top stuffing, about 2 lbs of beef for a stir fry tonight, and 2 Contessa packaged meals. I really like these Contessa meals, but they are always so expensive for us as a large family. They are on sale right now for $4.99, so I intend to grab 1 or 2 when I have extra $ to spend until I have enough for a whole meal for us. I spent just about $3 oop today on all this.

This is one of the ways I stock up on meat, produce, or just items we don't have coupons for at little to no cost.

Fry's 2 week mega deal!

I was out of town for a week during this 2 week sale, but I still did pretty good.













I don't have a final count on the tiems yet, but I got everything for @ $15 oop.! (There's another 2 trips that I don't have pics of) This sale was a lot of fun, but it was also very crowded at the stores and they were running out of everything constantly. I got over 2 cases of evaporated milk, more than 20 bags of chocolate chips, 30+ Hefty sipper bags, razors, toothpaste and oatmeal and more! I'm very happy for the 5lb bags of sugar I got for $.50 each! These will last us a while.

Coupons work for other things besides groceries!

I went to Michael's the other day to get some Glycerin to use to preserve some of the fall leaves we brought back from our trip. I used the 40% off coupon to get this little bottle of glycerine (in the bottom left corner) for @ $1.40. I ended up getting 6 of these and used a coupon on each one. :)

I also hit the halloween/fall clearance at just the right time. Everything was 75%-90% off! I got some fun stuff for the kids to do and some decor items. Some of the foam kits had just letters that we can use during the rest of the year too! I paid just @ $12 for all of this including the premade arrangement!

Some Older deals

We were out of town for about a week and I didn't update any shopping trips while I was gone like I thought I would. So here's a few older shopping trips.




Here's a trip from 11/4 to Safeway, Fresh & Easy, and Petco. I grabbed 2 bags of dog food at Petco and just paid the tax after the $5 printable coupons.
At Fresh & Easy, I got a 6 pack of tomatoes that was marked down to $1.87.
Then at Safeway, I got about 20 lbs of meat, 2 loaves of bread, and one Deli creation-marked down to $.99. I used a 10% off coupon and then six of the glade $4 catalinas I had left and spent $.34 oop.






At Albertsons on the 5th, I picked up a prescription for $8 and got a $30 gift card using the Safeway $30 gift card coupon from a couple of weeks ago.
Then I went shopping and got about 12 lbs of pork chops and used my last 2 of the glade $4 catalinas. The toilet paper, ice cream, frosting, and vegetables were all free with coupons. My total for this order was $6.71 with tax and I paid for that with my gift card.

What I saved/made last week

Another site I like to visit does this and I thought it was a great idea, so I'm going to copy it.
I hit Target yesterday for their 75% off the dollar spot clearance and got a ton of cool stuff for $.25 each. I also grabbed a bunch of hats and gloves for the kids (5 sets) since we'll be traveling to a colder state later this week.
I saved $18.06 here. (spent $23.74 oop)

I only bought groceries twice this week-both times at Fry's.
I saved $147 at Fry's last week. (spent $4.77 oop)

I hit walgreens twice-once for some last minute halloween stuff and once for some much needed medicines.
I saved $20 at Walgreens. (spent $6.71 oop)

My Total saved last week was: $185.06 (spent $35.22 oop)

Now what I made last week:
I won a $50 home depot gift card on Saturday from a radio station. Thanks to my husband who heard about it on the radio and suggested we run up to home depot really quick (where the radio guys were giving out gift cards) and check it out. We went, and I won. :)
Last Saturday (not really this week, but I'm going to count it.) I had a stockpile yard sale. I only sold stockpile items, nothing else and I was "open" for about 4 hours. I made $120.
Total made in the last 9 days: $170.

Is free really free?

I stopped by Walgreens this afternoon to get some free razors and free movie rentals.
I got 10 of the Schick razors that are on sale for $5.99 and used 5 buy one get one free coupons. Then I used the $3 walgreens coupon from their rebate catalog and it took off $30 for the 10 packs. So, the razors were all free. BUT, I paid $5.22. This was all tax. Luckily, I had some money still on my gift card (from last month's rebates), so I spent nothing oop. But you do have to take into account the tax you will pay even when something is "free". Since there are 3 razors in each pack and I have 3 teenaged girls, it was still a good deal paying just the tax-it averaged out to about $.50 a pack.


I also grabbed two free movie rentals from the redbox machine. One for the kids to watch and one for mom and dad. Every Monday, redbox sends out a code for a free movie. You can sign up to get a text message from them on your phone each week,(visit their website ti sogn up for this) or just look online. There are many sites that post the code each week. You can use the code once for each credit/debit card you use. I use two different debit cards to get the two free movies. Today's code is: 67JFP8 and it's good through midnight!