Stock up Prices

Since starting seriously with the whole couponing, I feel like I'm getting good deals but I've actually been told I can do better by the "seasoned pro's". These gals have been doing it for years and know what they are doing! The more you do this, the better you get at gettting the BEST deals. I'm told it takes 2-3 months before you start to see a significant decrease in your food budget. I'm baby stepping my way there though and having fun doing it.

I started searching online to figure out what the best deals are and what prices you should pay to stock up on food so that I know when to wait and when to buy more. This first gal, from Faithful Provisions, is from Tennessee so some of the prices may be more or less depending on where you live. She has an 11 page stock up price listing! Click on the "provisions - get it now list" to be directed to it. She also has some good recipes available there.


I'm not sure where this second gal is located but I have subscribed to her at Fistful of Coupons. She has a much shorter stock up price list but it includes things that the other gal does not have. She also includes what she get's for free which is really helpful to know!

These are the things she get's for free...Toothpaste, Shampoo, Conditioners & Stylers, Razors, Contact Solution, Bodywash, Mouthwash, Deodorants: both Mens & Womens, Floss, Crackers, Scented Items:candles, plug-ins ect, Lightbulbs, Pantiliners, Medicines/Vitamins. I'll drink to that!!

Swag Bucks - Earn Free Gift Cards!

Since I've started getting more serious at saving money for my family, I discovered another way that I can do that. Everyday most of us do at least a search or two of some kind on the internet. Why not get "paid" to do that?!?



Let me explain...I have recently registered (for free) at Swag Bucks. It is a search engine, similar to Google, that you can use to perform searches and earn points that you can later redeem for gifts. You can trade in your points on a variety of items and what interests me the most is the $5 Amazon gift cards! I have been using the Swag Bucks site for my searches for about 2 weeks and at the rate I'm going, I'll have one of the $5 Amazon gift cards in about a week. Not bad for 3 weeks of casual searching on the internet!

They offer a variety of items that you can turn in your points for. Just to name two more of them...Target as well as Barnes & Noble gift cards. I find that you earn the most swag bucks when you search first thing in the morning and in the evenings. Usually, I'm getting 20 swag bucks a day. If you earn swag bucks, it seems to be a while before you are rewarded with more.

You can sign up for the newsletter and you will receive codes so that you can earn more swag bucks. It's important to know that you cannot post these codes for anyone else to use or you will put your account in jeopardy and could lose all of your points.

Daily, you can go to the "ways to earn tab" and select "special offers". Complete the no obligations offer. You only sign up for the things you want and you do not have to sign up for any of them to receive swag bucks. Just hit the skip button to move along to the next offer. After about 5 offers, you will receive your swag bucks. You usually only receive 1-4 swag bucks for completing this but it only takes about 1 minute.

How do you get started?

• Go here and register on Swag bucks by creating an account
• You will get 3 Swag bucks just for signing up!
• After registering, you can immediately start searching for anything you want on the web just by using the Swag bucks search engine!
• Periodically, while searching, you may see a pop up that says you’ve won anywhere from 1 to 12 or more in Swag bucks. Sometimes you will need to enter in a code that is there in order to obtain the Swag bucks.

I am so excited to be using Swag bucks on a daily basis and getting closer to my 450 points I need for the Amazon gift card! I’ve heard that other bloggers were able to pay for all of their Christmas presents last year by using Swagbucks! Can you beleive that? They had earned so many Amazon.com gift cards, that the gift cards covered the full cost of their purchases! With that being said, my goal this year is to pay for several of my Christmas presents with gift cards I’ve earned through Swag bucks! I’m so excited about this challenge and I hope some of you are up for the challenge too!

They also have an excellent referral program! If you refer someone over to Swag bucks and they earn a Swag buck, you will earn a Swag buck too–up to 100 Swag bucks! So you could potentially earn 100 Swag bucks from each friend you refer! Let the searching begin!

My Coupon Shopping List for the Week

I thought I'd share what's on my coupon shopping list for the week so far. That way, for those of you new to couponing, you can copy the text, print it along with the coupons and head to the store. You will need one of the coupons from the Sunday paper.

There are so many other offers available so be sure to check out the two websites that I've mentioned in previous post... Thrifty and Thriving as well as Hip 2 Save.

By the way, for those of you in need of printer ink...I need some and priced it at Walmart & Target for $39.00!! You can get it at Walgreens only on Thursday, Earth Day, for $1!!!!! Now that's a GREAT savings. Hope this helps those of you just starting out. Have a great week!

My Shopping Deals

RITEAID (go on Monday)

U By Kotex Pads 14-18 ct., Pantiliners 50-60 ct., Tampons 18 ct. $3.49
Get a $3.49 Single Check Rebate #36
Use the $1/1 coupon found here
Final Cost FREE + a $1 moneymaker!

TGI Friday’s Snacks $0.99
Use the $1.50/1 coupon found here
Final Cost FREE + Overage! FYI...I Need to go back and try to find these. I thought it was a frozen good but I think it's a chip.

Hershey’s Candy Bars 4-4.5 oz. $0.99
Use the $1/1 Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate Bar 3.5oz+ coupon from the 4/18 SS (SmartSource coupon from newspaper)
Final Cost FREE! FYI...tried this today at Rite Aid and it would not work with the coupon on had.

WALGREENS (go on Thursday)

Colgate Total Advanced or Enamel Strength Toothpaste 4oz. or Wave Toothbrush $2.99 = $2 RR
Use $0.75/1 coupon found here
Final Cost $0.24!

Printer Cartridge Refill black or color $1 with in-ad coupon BRING INK CARTRIDGES!!
Available 4/22 (Earth Day) ONLY! Wa-hoo! What an awesome price! BRING INK CARTRIDGES!!

Buy 4 Velveeta Shells and Cheese cups $1 each = $1.50 RR
Use 2 buy one get one free coupons from here
Pay $2
Get back a $1.50 RR
Final cost ONLY $0.50 for all 4 cups!

Walgreens Reusable Shopping Bag 3/$1 with in-ad coupon
Final Cost $0.33 each! Great “filler” item for your coupon to item ratio!

TARGET (go on Friday)

Quaker Instant Oatmeal Single Serve Cup $0.93 (Price Cut until 4/24)
Use the $1/1 coupon from here
Final cost FREE!

Men’s Merona Classic Fit Jersey Polo Shirts are on sale this week for $8
Use the new $3/1 Men’s Merona Item Target coupon from here
Final cost only $5!

Simply Go-Gurt $2.12 (On Price Cut until 5/8)
Use the $1.10/1 Go-Gurt coupon from here
Final cost ONLY $1.02!

Pure & Natural products– 2 pack Bar Soap or hand soap priced around $2 or less
Use the $2/1 coupon from here
Final cost FREE! !

Shout deal scenario without coupons:
Buy 3 Shout 4-Pack Travel Size Wipes $0.97
Pay $2.91
Then submit for the $5 SC Johnson rebate in folder for a final cost of FREE + a $2.09 profit!

Couponing at Drugstores

Starting to get more organized with this couponing and I'm having fun at it too! Yesterday I headed to Walgreens with my list and coupons in hand. The Pecan Sandies were on sale for 2/$5 and they had an in-store coupon for $2 off which takes it down to 2/$3. I printed 2 coupons for $1.00 off each Pecan Sandie at home. When I got to Walgreens though, they only had one Pecan Sandie. The Walgreens offer and coupon did include the Keeblers. So, my goal was two packs of cookies for $.50 each but instead I paid $1 each. Not bad!

The Kotex were on sale for $3.49 and I had a $1 off coupon. When you pay at the register though, a $2.50 Register Rewards prints for your next shopping trip. So, the Kotex were basically free!

Pantene was not on my list to purchase at Walgreens but I noticed that it was on clearance. The gel was marked down to $2.59 instead of $3.99 and the shampoo was marked down to $3.59 instead of $5.99. That is already a great deal but I happened to bring along my extra coupons (just in case) and saved an additional $1 for the two Pantene products.

All of the Easter products are marked down by 75% so I picked up some candy. The Brach's Hawaiian Punch jelly beans (note...nothing on the bags indicates Easter) for $.62 and I had to pick up some of the Whoppers Robin Eggs for $.50. Love that!

I am now reading daily the Thrifty and Thriving and Hip2Save newsletters. I signed up for a lot of the coupon sites earlier in the month but I find that most of them are linked in these newsletters or they are coupons that you need to clip.

I do have an update and a word of caution for any of you that signed up for Cellfire with your Safeway card. I tried using it the other day at Safeway for an item that I knew was saved to my account. The coupon never showed up and when I went to the site to figure out what the problem was...I realized that my cell number is not the number that I enter when going through the check-out. You have to use your cell number though for this electronic coupon site. I may not continue to use this program... I'm finding better deals by following the two newsletters I mentioned earlier.

Check out the video below on The Today Show from the Coupon Mom. This is another good site to check out but I find the other two are easier for me to follow. This video is amazing for you to see just how much you can save at the register. Now I need to find that app they are talking about for my phone... Anxiously awaiting my free Sunday YES! newspaper coupons so I can get to saving some more money for my family! Who knew that couponing could be so much fun! Happy Saving!

Watch video

I'm Hip 2 Save

Since we've started our Financial Peace class at church, I'm working on becoming a couponing queen and having financial peace. My latest and now favorite couponing email/newsletter that I receive is from http://www.hip2save.com/! You get an email a day from this fun, sweet, and helpful gal with all the latest deals that are out there.

Sometimes, all the coupons are linked for you to grab online and other times, you'll need to have past coupons that you've saved to get the greatest savings. She even has videos to explain some of the in's and out's of couponing that are quite helpful. Did you know that Target will take 2 coupons!?! They will take a manufacturer's coupon and a Target coupon. That doubles your savings!

Still trying to get a system down for it though. I used to get the coupons, go through them and pull out what I'd need or use and toss the rest. Now, I'm starting to file all of the coupons and keep them so that I can get in on all the good deals and freebies!

Our new budget is starting to become fun now. I've always loved a good deal and yesterday I was just giddy over what I was able to get at Target.

I was able to get the five items above at Target for $4.18 (before taxes)! The price I would have paid is $11.18!! I had a savings of $7.00 in coupons. Now how cool is that!! I paid $.84 each for the Degree Girl deoderant rather than $2.34 each. The Reach Dental Floss, I paid $.52 instead of $1.52. The Nivea Body Wash would have cost me $3.49 but I had a $2.00 off coupon and paid just $1.49!

The savings are adding up so I'm able to spread that out in our grocery fund. I'll be adding the hip2save link on my blog for others to see when they visit. You just can't go wrong here ladies. It takes a bit of time in the beginning to get more organized and get your game plan but it really adds up! Happy Shopping!!

Just Between Friends

Here's my tip of the day for all you ladies out there looking for a good deal or if you are in need of clothes, toys, furniture, etc. for your household. This looks especially great for all you mothers with babies or toddlers. Check out the Just Between Friends link who will be coming to The Puyallup Fair on April 23 - 25. It is like a giant indoor garage sale with different consignment stores that bring goods as well as mom's just like you and I. The program was started by two ladies and is now located in many states across the US. If you are located in a different state, then you too may be able to take advantage of this offer in a city near you. Just go to this Just Between Friends link if you reside in another area to see a list of events in your area. Following is a news video of the event.

Easter Bunny Hit by Car

A man was blissfully driving along the highway, when he saw the Easter Bunny hopping across the middle of the road. He swerved to avoid hitting the Bunny, but unfortunately the rabbit jumped in front of his car and was hit. The basket of eggs went flying all over the place. Candy, too.

The driver, being a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulled over to the side of the road, and got out to see what had become of the Bunny carrying the basket. Much to his dismay, the colorful Bunny was dead. The driver felt guilty and began to cry.

A woman driving down the same highway saw the man crying on the side of the road and pulled over. She stepped out of her car and asked the man what was wrong.

"I feel terrible," he explained, "I accidentally hit the Easter Bunny and killed it. There may not be an Easter because of me. What should I do?"

The woman told the man not to worry. She knew exactly what to do. She went to her car trunk, and pulled out a spray can. She walked over to the limp, dead Bunny, and sprayed the entire contents of the can onto the little furry animal.

Miraculously the Easter Bunny came to back life, jumped up, picked up the spilled eggs and candy, waved its paw at the two humans and hopped on down the road. 50 yards away the Easter Bunny stopped, turned around, waved and hopped on down the road another 50 yards, turned, waved, hopped another 50 yards and waved again!

The man was astonished.

He said to the woman, "What in Heaven's name is in your spray can? What was it that you sprayed on the Easter Bunny?"

The woman turned the can around so that the man could read the label.

It said: Hairspray. Restores life to dead hair. Adds permanent wave.

Just a little funny to brighten your day!

We got a Dollar...Hey, hey, hey hey!

I'm on a new mission! Couponing! We've been going to the Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class for the last several weeks. It has been very informative! If you ask me how it is, you will hear that last statement from me as well as "In my face". It is a great class to make sure you have all your financial ducks in a row but at times for me, it has been a bit overwhelming.

The first few weeks, you work on your budget. I can hear you groaning & trust me, I have and still do my fair share of groaning!! Jack and I thought we were doing pretty good...NOT!

So, my lately endevor is to start taking advantage of all those dollars out there that are available to everyone. I've always been a bargain shopper and a coupon clipper. Now, I'm getting more serious though.

I've recently signed up for two electronic coupon programs. That way, if you run into the store to grab that gallon of milk and remember that you haven't ate lunch, you can grab that yogurt that you have a coupon for at home and not feel guilty for not waiting until you had it. When you scan your Rewards or Club card, you'll get the discount! How easy is that?? I guess I'll have to let you know after I've used it.

The two electronic coupon programs that I've signed up for are: http://shortcuts.com/Home.action and http://www.cellfire.com/. They came to me in an email from another coupon program that I've subscribed to. Each day, I get an email from http://www.thriftyandthriving.com/. Within it are a number of savings opportunities.

Today, one of the deals was a Mr. Potatoe Head from Toys R Us for $1.99 which is normally around $9.99! If you go to Thrify and Thriving, you can see this deal with the coupon as well as all the others available.

I'm hoping to be singing the Dollar song and doing a little jig but replacing it with $100 or even $50! The most important thing to keep in mind though...don't buy it if you don't need it. Good luck!