Today at CVS

I was pleasantly surprised to find all the free after ECB items except for one still in stock at CVS today. I had only $2 in ECBs going into the week but I think my transactions worked out well.

Transaction 1:

Purchases:
Halls Naturals Cough Drops @ $2.59
Excedrin Express Gels 20ct. @ $3.99 *
2 Crest Prohealth Toothpastes 4.2 oz @ $5.98
Total: $12.56

Coupons & ECBs Used:
$.50 off Halls Cough Drops
$2.00 off Excedrin Express
2 $1 off Crest Toothpaste
$2.00 ECBs from previous visit

Total OOP: $6.06 plus tax
Total ECBs Earned: $10.58 ($2.59 for Halls, $3.99 for Excedrin, $4 for Crest)

* There was a rebate form for Excedrin Express Gels 20 ct. in the 10/19 Sunday insert. I will get a $3.99 rebate check which, after subtracting out my postage, will give me an additional $3.57 in overage and bring my OOP costs for the transaction to $2.49.

Transaction 2:

Purchases:
4 Coke 12 Packs @ $14.67
Coke 2 Liter @$1.25
3 Arm & Hammer Essentials Cleaner & Degreaser @ $8.97
Total: $24.89

Coupons & ECBs Used:
2 Buy One Coke 12 Pack Get One Free from Coke Rewards
3 $1 off Arm & Hammer Essentials from Sunday insert & internet printables
$10.58 ECBs from Transaction 1

Total OOP: $3.97 plus tax
Total ECBs Earned: $13.97 ($5 for $15 Coke purchase, $8.97 for Arm & Hammer)

This week I spent a total of $10.03 out of pocket (or only $6.46 after I get my Excedrin rebate) and I have $13.97 in ECBs for next time.

I may hit another CVS tonight when I go grocery shopping to see if they have the Benefiber freebie that was out of stock this morning. I am also looking to stock up on Advil Cold & Sinus since it is a December Monthly ECB deal ($2 ECBs per purchase, limit 3). CVS also emailed a coupon to me today for a free roll of tape or bag of pretzels which expires 12/25.

I haven't been CVSing for a long time. It feels good to be back!

CVS Freebies Today & Tomorrow Only

There are lots of free after ECBs items at CVS today and tomorrow only. I haven't been playing the drugstore game much since October. The deals haven't been that great and I have been busy. Also, my toothpaste stockpile is huge. But I am going to try to hit the store tomorrow because there are just too many freebies to pass up. Hopefully they aren't all sold out of the free stuff!

Check out all the great CVS deals over at Deal Seeking Mom.

For a great illustration on how to play the game with this week's freebies, visit Chief Family Officer.

McCormick Spice Deal at Giant

During a quick stop for Butter Flavored Crisco today, I noticed that Giant is running a promotion through the end of December on McCormick products. They had little signs posted around the McCormick spice section highlighting the deal. The deal is buy $15 of McCormick spices, extracts, and seasonings and get $5 off instantly at checkout.

I had purchased ground cloves and allspice at Super Fresh earlier in the week and I was astounded at the prices. $9.39 for the cloves and $4.99 for the allspice! Those two items were a third of my grocery bill for the week. And to make matters worse, I didn't have any coupons for them. Anyway, I picked up the same spices at Giant today for $7.99 and $3.99 AND I got a big bottle of cinnamon ($4.49) for free with the $5 off promotion. I will return my Super Fresh spices when I go shopping on Monday.

Also, Green Giant boxed veggies and Valley Fresh Steamers (no sauce variety) are on sale at Giant this week for $1. There are lots of coupons for $1 off 1 Valley Fresh Steamers and $.50 off 2 Giant boxed veggies out there from recent inserts and there are a few internet printables (coupon 1 and coupon 2 thanks, Dana) as well. You can score some free Valley Fresh Steamers and boxed veggies for $.50 each.

Visit Frugal in Virginia for all of this week's Giant deals.

Lands' End Free Shipping Till 12/21

Lands' End is offering free shipping through 12/21 with the promotion code FAST and pin 00007895.

No minimum purchase is required. Shipments arrive in 2-3 business days to most addresses and the offer cannot be combined with other promotional offers.

Happy Shopping!

Super Fresh Deals 12/19-12/25

It is not a great week for coupon match ups at Super Fresh but there are some decent prices on meats and seafood for holiday entertaining.

See the full Super Fresh Ad here.

Remember Super Fresh doubles coupons up to $.99 in value. Look for the the December Easy Solutions coupon booklet in store. The coupons in it expire on 12/25 and can be stacked (used along with) manufacturer coupons.

All the coupons listed below are from Sunday circulars unless otherwise noted.


This week's deals:

America's Choice Spiral Sliced Ham $.98 per pound with a $40 purchase (Limit 1)

Shady Brook Farms Fresh Whole Turkey $.98 per pound

Clementines 5lbs $3.99 (Limit 1)

Cooked Shrimp Half Price

Coke 12 pack Buy One Get One $5.29 ($2.65 each)

Arnold Whole Grain Bread $1.99
Easy Solutions Store Coupon Deal: Free Arnold Soft Natural Bread with Arnold Bread Purchase

Nabisco Snack or Ritz Crackers $1.99

Cracker Barrel Cheese $2.50

80% Lean Ground Beef or America's Choice Hot or Sweet Sausage $1.98 per pound

Kellers Butter 1 lb. $1.98

Birds Eye Frozen Boxed Veggies in Sauce $.68
Coupon Deal: $1 off 4 Birds Eye Veggies = $1.72 for 4 ($.43 each)

Campbell's Select Soup $1.50
Coupon Deal: $.50 off 2 Campbell's Select Soups = $2 for 2 ($1 each)

Ronzoni Pasta $.79

Campbell's Cream Soup $.75
Coupon Deal: $.35 off 4 Campbell's Cooking Soup = $2.30 for 4 ($.575 each)

Ragu Pasta Sauce $1.67
Coupon Deal: $1 off 3 Ragu Sauces = $4 for 3 ($1.33 each)

Pepsi 2 liters $1.00

Keebler Town House or Club Crackers $2.50
Coupon Deal: $1.00 off 2 Keebler Crackers = $4 for 2 ($2 each)

Kraft Cheese Bars or Shredded $2.50

Free Shipping Day- December 18th

Just in case you still have some last minute online holiday shopping to do, tomorrow is Free Shipping Day! Over 200 online merchants are offering free shipping deals tomorrow with delivery in time for Christmas. Go to freeshippingday.com for a complete list of merchants.

Each merchant has their own terms for what orders or items qualify for free shipping. For example:
- Crate and Barrel: Free shipping on orders over $100
- Discovery Channel Store: Free shipping on DVD sets
- EBgames & GameStop: Free 2 day shipping on orders over $39.99
- Kohls: Free shipping on orders over $75
- Kmart: Free shipping on orders over $49
- JC Penny: Free shipping on orders of $25 or more
- Nordstrom: Free shipping on orders of $100 or more
- The Body Shop: Free shipping on orders over $50

I didn't check out the deals at all the merchants, but the only ones I spotted that are offering free shipping on all orders were Endless.com, Shoes.com and ShoeMall.com. Check out the terms for each merchant and you might save a few bucks and have guaranteed delivery by December 24th.

Super Fresh December Easy Solutions Booklet

Super Fresh publishes an in store coupon booklet called Easy Solutions. It has store coupons and some manufacturer's coupons as well as recipes. I usually find it at the checkout counter or at the sale ad flyer stand. It isn't always available, so you may have to look around the store for a couple of trips before you come across one.

The great thing about the store coupons from Easy Solutions is that you can use them along with manufacturer's coupons on the same item. For instance, Heluva Good Cheese bars are on sale this week for $2.50 There was a $1 off 2 Heluva Good Cheese bars or dips coupon in yesterday's paper. There was also a $.50 off 1 Heluva Good Cheese bar store coupon in Easy Solutions. So I got 2 cheese bars for $3.50 by using both of the coupons. (I couldn't use 2 identical Easy Solutions cheese coupons even though I had 2 items because they are limited to one per customer. Also, the store coupons do not double.)

Usually the Easy Solutions booklet is available for viewing on the Super Fresh website, but they haven't updated it for awhile. I don't think you can print out the coupons from the website and use them at the store because they don't accept internet printable coupons.

Some other good coupons from the latest issue include:
-$.50 off Borden Cheese Singles (on sale this week for $3.99)
-Free loaf of Arnold Soft Natural Bread when you purchase an Arnold item.
-Free America's Choice Graham Cracker Pie Crust when you purchase $5 in selected baking products.
-$.40 off Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (on sale this week)
-$.30 off Tropicana OJ (on sale for $2.50 this week)
-$.50 off Reddi Whip (on sale for $2 this week)

The coupons in the December issue all expire December 25th.

Old Navy Free Shipping

Free standard shipping at Old Navy.com from Sunday, December 14th through Tuesday, December 16th. No minimum to buy. Use the promo code JOY at checkout.

Plus get 10% off your order on these dates at Old Navy.com when you spend $75. Use promo code ONHOLIDAY at check out.

Super Fresh Deals 12/12-12/18

See the full Super Fresh Ad here.

Remember Super Fresh doubles coupons up to $.99 in value.



Perdue Boneless Chicken Breast, London Broil, or 93% Lean Ground Beef Buy One Get One Free

Fresh Broccoli or Baby Bella Mushroom Buy One Get One Free

Del Monte Pineapples $2.99

College Inn Broth $.40

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Bars $.99
Coupon Deal: $1 off 3 = $1.97 for 3 ($.66 each)

Tuttorosso Pasta Sauce $.99

Barilla Pasta $.99

San Giorgio Lasagna $.99

Lipton Rice or Noodes Sides $1.00
Coupon Deal: $1 off 3 = $2 for 3 ($.66 each)

Healthy Choice Soups $1.50
Coupon Deal: $.75 off 2 = $1.50 for 2 ($.75 each)

Campbell's Cream Soup $.75
Coupon Deal: $.35 off 4 = $2.30 for 4 ($.58 each)

Del Monte Canned Veggies $.75
Coupon Deal: $1 off 2 Del Monte 50% Less Sodium = $.50 for 2 ($.25 each)
I don't know if the Less Sodium variety is part of the sale.

Wishbone Salad Dressing 8 oz. $1.00
Coupon Deal: $1 0ff 2 = $1 for 2 ($.50 each)
Oops! Coupon is only good on 16 oz bottles.

Sargento Shredded Cheese $2.00
Coupon Deal: $1 off 2 = $3 for 2 ($1.50 each)

Tree Ripe Orange Juice $2.00

Pillsbury Cinnamon, Grands or Crescent Rolls $1.66
Store Deal: Additional $3 off when you buy 6 Grands, Cinnamon or Crescent Rolls. Instant savings at checkout.
Coupon Deal: There are lots of coupons out there for this deal. For example, $.35 off 1 Crescent Roll (6 coupons) = $2.76 for 6 ($.46 each)

Birds Eye Frozen Veggies $1.00
Coupon Deal: $1 off 4 = $3 for 4 ($.75 each)


Did you see any good deals at Super Fresh this week? Leave a comment and let me know about it!

Lands' End Free Shipping Again- Today Only

Lands' End is offering free shipping again today. Use promotion code NOIRON and Pin 00005206. This code is only valid on December 12.

No minimum purchase required. Shipments arrive in 4-7 days to most addresses and the offer cannot be combined with other promotional offers.

Just like yesterday, I am not sure how many times this code & pin can be used. Usually each unique Lands' End code & pin are only good for 2 orders. This promotion did not list that standard limit.

Lands' End Free Shipping- Today Only

Free shipping today only at Lands' End! Use promotion code FLEECE and Pin 00001129.

No minimum purchase required. Usually each unique Lands' End code & pin are only good for 2 orders. This promotion did not list that standard limit. I don't know if there is a limit on the number of times this code & pin can be used. Shipments arrive in 4-7 days to most addresses and the offer cannot be combined with other promotional offers.

Saving on Holiday Gifts- Build It Yourself Lego Table

Lego tables typically retail for around $100. Find out how to make your own Lego table for about $44. The project looks really easy to do, there aren't many materials to buy and the table looks great when it is finished. Thanks to Stimey for this awesome frugal project!

Saving on Holiday Gifts- Give Used Toys

I saved $80 on my Christmas shopping this year just by sending an email. I thought the Ikea Lomsk Chair would be a perfect gift for one of my children but the $79.99 price tag put it way outside of my holiday budget. I thought that surely someone had to have one of these bright orange and red chairs and wished that they didn't. I checked Craigslist and I found one but the seller was located too far away. So I send out some emails to local parenting listservs hoping that someone would have one they wanted to sell. No one offered to sell me one but someone offered to give me one for FREE! I cleaned it up and it looks like new.

I have no problem giving my kids used toys as gifts, especially on big ticket items. It saves a lot of money, it is good for the environment and the kids don't care as long as all the pieces are there.

Sources for used toys:
Craigslist
Ebay- Watch the prices. They aren't always good.
Freecycle
Freepeats
Consignment Sales
Yard Sales
Parenting Listservs

UPDATED TO ADD: There is a discussion going on over at Baby Cheapskate about giving used gifts! Check it out here.

Laundry Detergent Samples- Perfect for Travel

I love free samples and one of my favorites is laundry detergent samples. I have an HE washer, so most of the sample aren't suitable for me to use at home but I request them anyway. They are perfect to take along when you travel. Most hotels with guest laundry facilities charge a couple dollars for a single-use package of detergent. Take some of these samples along and save yourself some cash. The packets are small and really durable (they made it through the mail in an envelope without exploding) but I still pack mine in a plastic bag, just in case.

Start stocking up for your next vacation! Request a free sample of Tide Total Care here.

More Free (& Cheap) Shipping for the Holidays

Oriental Trading- 99 cent standard shipping, no minimum order. Use coupon code WC97558. Valid through 12/15/08.

Snapfish- Free shipping on select gifts & prints. Use coupon code SHIP08. Valid through 12/11/08.

Old Navy- Free shipping and 20% off on orders of $100 or more. Use coupon code 20FREESHIP. Valid through 12/12/08.

Amazon Super Saver Shipping- 10 Days Left for Holiday Gifts

If you are planning to order holiday gifts from Amazon.com, the deadline to receive gifts by December 24th using the free Super Saver Shipping option is December 17th.

If you miss the deadline, you can still get your gifts shipped for free by signing up for an Amazon Prime trial membership. Membership entitles you to unlimited free 2 day shipping with no minimum order size. Membership to Amazon Prime is free for the first 3 months and $79 a year after that. If you cancel your membership before your trial period is over, you will not be charged the annual fee. Order by December 21st to receive your 2 day shipping items by December 24th.

See Amazon's complete list of Christmas ordering cutoffs here.

Superfresh Deals 12/5-12/11

See the full Superfresh Ad here.

Remember Superfresh doubles coupons up to $.99 in value.

All Coupons listed below are from Sunday circulars unless otherwise noted.


Friday through Monday Only Deals:

America's Choice Eggs, America's Choice Butter, Gold Medal Flour or Nestle Morsels $1.69 with $25 additional purchase (Limit 4)
Coupon Deal: $1 off 2 Nestles Morsels from December All You = $2.38 ($1.19 each)
$1 off 3 Nestle Morsels = $4.07 for 3 ($1.36 each)

Fresh Atlantic Salmon Fillet $4.99 per lb.

5 lbs. White Potatoes $1.68

Wesson Oil 64 oz. $2.49 with additional $25 purchase (Limit 2)

Deals are good all week:

Fresh Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs $.77 per lb.

Porterhouse or T-Bone Steak $4.68 per lb.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, 75% Lean Ground Beef or Center Cut Bone-In Pork Chops $1.68 per lb.

Fresh Express Premium Classic Salad Mixes $2.50
Coupon Deal: $.55 off Fresh Express from 12/6 newspaper (do not double) = $1.95

Lay's Potato Chips $1.99

M&Ms Holiday Bags or Hershey's Holiday Packaged Candy $2.50
Coupon Deal: $1 off 2 M&Ms or assorted Hersheys Candy Bags from 12/6 newspaper = $4 ($2 each)
$1 off Hershey's Special Dark Miniatures, Kisses or Nuggets bags (I don't know if these are part of the sale) = $1.50

Edy's Ice Cream Buy 1 Get 1 Free
Coupon Deal: $1 off Edys (I don't know where this is from)

General Mills Cereals (Total, Reese's Puffs, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch & Cheerios) $2
Coupon Deal: $1 off 3 GM Cereals = $5 ($1.66 each)

Progresso Classics Soup $1
Coupon Deals: $1 off 4 Progresso Soups = $3 for 4 ($.75 each)
$1.50 off 5 Progresso Soups = $3.50 ($.70 each)

Green Giant Canned Veggies $.50

Pasta Roni or Rice A Roni $.80
Store Deal: $3 off instantly on America's Choice or Perdue Fresh Chicken purchase when you buy 10 Pasta or Rice A Ronis.

McCormick Cinnamon $2.49
Coupon Deal: $.25 off McCormick Spice = $1.99

Jif Peanut Butter $2.29
Coupon Deal: $1 off 2 Jifs = $3.58 ($1.79 each)

Domino Baking Sugar 2 lbs. (Brown or Confectioners) $1.50
Coupon Deal: $.50 off 2 = $2 for 2 ($1 each)
$.55 off 2 = $1.90 ($.95 each)
$.65 off 2 from All You Magazine = $1.70 ($.85 each)

General Mills Chex Cereal $5 for 3 (Must buy 3)
$1 off 2 Chex Cereals = $4 for 3 ($1.33 each)

Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage $3
Coupon Deal: $1 off 2 Johnsonville Sausage = $5 for 2 ($2.50 each)

America's Choice Sour Cream $.99

Hanover Gold Line Veggies 1/2 Price $1.24-$2.14 each
Coupon Deal: $1 off 2 Gold Line Veggies

Keebler Town House or Club Crackers $2.50
Coupon Deal: $1 off 2 Keebler Crackers = $4 ($2 each)

Pam Cooking Spray $2.50
Coupon deal: $.55 off 1 Pam = $1.40

Did you find any great deals or coupons match ups at Superfresh this week? Leave a comment and let me know about it!

Cartoon Cuts Coupon

The latest edition of the Washington Family Magazine has a coupon for $2 off any haircut (bang trims excluded) at Cartoon Cuts. The past few months when I have picked up this magazine, the coupon is always in there. In the December issue, it is on page 9.

I typically don't use Cartoon Cuts because I have a hard time paying $17 for a kid's haircut. The quality of the cut is also hit or miss depending on who your stylist is. However at certain picture intensive times of the year, one of my home hack jobs just doesn't cut it. And there is nothing like the mesmerizing effect of the TVs at Cartoon Cuts playing endless loops of kid's shows to keep the little ones still during their haircut.

You can pick up a free copy of the magazine at many grocery stores, libraries, Babies R Us and Toys R Us, doctors offices, books stores and other places in the DC Metro area. The magazine is also available online but I don't know if the salon will accept a print out of the coupon.

Giant Scan It! Deals This Week

I had to make a quick stop at Giant today for some meat for dinner and I gave the handheld scanners another go to see what special savings they were offering. I am glad that I did!

Tropicana OJ is on sale for $2.50 this week and there was a $1.00 special savings for Scan It! users. Pasta Roni is on sale for $1 a box with $.35 savings with the scanner. I got 2 orange juices and 4 Pasta Ronis for $5.60. If I hadn't used the scanner, I would have paid $9.00.

Check out was a breeze since all my items were already scanned and bagged. I tried using the self checkout today and it was simple. Scan the special bar code at the checkout, scan the Bonus Card, wait a few seconds while it loads the order into the computer and then pay.

Here are the other special savings that were loaded on my scanner: 25% off grapes, 10% off London Broil, $1.00 off Giant cheese bars, $.50 off Thomas' English muffins, $.35 off Thomas' bagels and a bunch more that I can't remember.

I do have a problem with the Scan It! savings. There is no way of knowing without going to the store what your special savings will be. I always have my whole shopping trip planned out before I hit the store with my coupons matched up to sale prices and I rarely buy items that aren't on sale or that I don't have a coupon for. If I don't see any good sales at a store, I don't go there that week. I wasn't planning to go to Giant this week but I would have definitely planned to go if I had a way of knowing that I could get these great deals on orange juice and pasta. Another problem is that the Scan It! special savings aren't the same for everyone. Just because I got the $1.00 Tropicana savings doesn't mean that you will get it.

I also wonder if the special savings will get less awesome after the Scan It! devices become more established at my Giant. I didn't see anyone else in the store using the scanners today. The store is trying to promote them. They had 2 employees stationed at the door encouraging people to use them without success.

Do you have handheld scanners at your Giant? Are you seeing the same kinds of deals?

Superfresh Deals 11/28-12/4

I apologize, fellow frugals, for not getting a run down of the Superfresh deals posted earlier. Here is a list of this week's best deals.

It is Triple Coupon Week again this week! Superfresh will triple coupons up to 99 cents in value. I found a few free with coupons deals and a few deals that produce some overage. I love when the grocery store pays me to buy an item!

See the full Superfresh ad.

Thai Kitchen Noodle Bowls $1.50
Coupon Deal: $.50 off 1 Thai Kitchen Product from past insert = FREE

Reynolds Wax Paper $1.19
Coupon Deal: $.50 off Reynolds Wax Paper from recent insert = FREE + $.26 overage!
(My coupon didn't triple to $1.50 because the shelf price is only $1.45. So it tripled to the shelf price.)

Del Monte Fruit Naturals $1.oo
Coupon Deal: $.55 off 1 Fruit Naturals from Parade magazine insert (?) = FREE + $.65 overage!

Colgate Kids Toothpaste $2.33
Coupon Deal: $.75 off Colgate Kids Toothpaste from December All You magazine = $.08

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta $1.50
Coupon Deal: $1.00 off 1 Smart Taste Pasta from past insert = $.50

America's Choice Hot or Sweet Italian Sausage $1.99 per lb.

Fresh Poultry Sale 50% off

America's Choice 8 oz Shredded or Bar Cheese $1.33

Bounty 8 Roll Paper Towels $9.99
Coupon Deal: $1.00 off Bounty Paper Towel from recent insert = $8.99

Lipton Noodles or Rice & Sauce Sides $1.00
Coupon Deal: $1.00 off 3 Lipton Noodles or Rice Sides from recent insert = $2.00 for 3 ($.66 each)

Campbell's Select Soup $1.50
Coupon Deal: $.50 off 2 Campbell's Select Soups from recent inserts = $1.50 for 2 ($.75 each)

General Mills Cereals $2.00

Pepsi 2 liters $1

Kraft American Cheese Singles 12 oz $3.00
Coupon Deal: $.50 off 1 from recent insert= $1.50
$1.00 off 2 from recent insert = $5.00 ($2.50 each)

Ajax Dish Soap $1.00
Coupon Deal: $.20 off 1 from recent insert = $.40

French's Fried Onions $2.99
Coupon Deal: $.75 off 1 = $.74



Did you see any other great deals with triple coupons at Superfresh this week? Leave a comment and let me know about it!