Saving Money Challenge

I Did It...

After reading on someone else's blog about how they try to not buy groceries one week per month, I decided to challenge myself to try it last week. Now, I will say, that last week was a good week to attempt this, since we were given some food last week. However, most of the food we were given was "snack food," so it didn't help that much.

I was able to put together five great meals with the stuff that I already had in my pantry. I had stockpiled some canned fruits and veggies, plus had some fresh produce left over from the previous week. I had stockpiled some chicken when it was on sale. It was really exciting to be able to save a whole week's worth of grocery money!!

So, I am going to try to do this once a month. I'll keep you updated on my progress. And, of course, I am still doing Meatless Mondays. It is challenging, but when you start seeing the money you are saving, it makes it exciting!

Don't Forget to Buy the Paper Tomorrow!

This is just a friendly reminder that you might want to buy the paper tomorrow. There should be five inserts in there (may vary by region of the country)!! I will be buying two papers!

Don't forget my post here on where you can go to preview the coupons before you buy the paper...

My Amazing Time at Walmart Today...

My husband agreed that I was on a "coupon high" today when I came home from Walmart. I got so many great deals..even a few Christmas presents!

Total Before Coupons = $104.01
Total After Coupons = $68.66

Here's just some of the deals that I got:

Pace Salsa - did this 4 times!
$1.42
- $4.00 (Printable Coupon - No Longer Available)
= Free + I "earned" $2.58 after coupon!!

Knox Gelatin - did this 2 times!
$1.34
- $4.00 (Printable Coupon Here)
= Free + I "earned" $2.66 after coupon!!

Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste - did this 3 times!
$1.50 (Found On Clearance Rack)
- $1.50 (Coupon from recent All You magazine)
= Free after coupon!!

Jenny O Extra Lean Ground Turkey
$2.88 (On Clearance)

Quaker Rice Chips
$1.37
- $1.00 (3/25 Red Plum Coupon Insert)
= $ .37 after coupon!

Kraft Shredded Cheese (2 cups) - stocked up on this!
$1.50 (On Sale)

*One of the things I was most excited about was that our Walmart had a ton of their toys on clearance at the front of the store...

Barbie House and Furniture - save for Christmas for my girls!
$15.00 (Was $50.00)

Barbie Dolls - Save for Birthday Parties.
$2.00

Soccer Handheld Video Games - Save for Birthday Parties
$ .25 (I thought they were $1.00, but they rang up for $ .25!!)

*I also purchased my third All You magazine for this month!! There were so many coupons in it that I will use, that it was worth the price to me to buy another one. Plus, each issue comes with a coupon for money off another magazine...it's a "win, win!"

Some Tips From a Reader...

The Metcalf Family wanted to let us know about a few deals:

There is a great coupon for $3.00 off Little Swimmers here.

Also, she wanted to let us know that the Jane Make-Up is on sale at her Walgreens (anywhere between $2.00-$4.00). She matched that up with the coupons ($2.00 off) that came in the paper two weeks ago for some great make-up deals!!

Thanks, The Metcalf Family!!

T.G.I. Friday's Coupons

It is really hard for me to post stuff about great restaurants like this - that I cannot enjoy up here in the Northwoods - but I know that there are plenty of you who do live near "civilization." This is a cool new thing that T.G.I. Friday's is doing:

Join the Give Me More Stripes Program for these great benefits:

* If you register, you'll automatically receive a one-time "Skip to the Front of the Line" coupon and a coupon for a free dessert or appetizer.
* Upgrades on beverages.
* Preferred seating.
* Preferred parking.
* Frequent e-mails with coupons for things like one-cent appetizers and one-dollar entrees!
* You'll be invited to complimentary food tastings.
* You will earn coupons for free food every time you reach $100 in food purchases.

Sounds like a great deal! For more information and locations near you, go here.

Staples Deals...Free Paper and Quickbooks

Want to know how you can get Quickbooks 2009 and 8 packages of Printer Paper for free?

First, print off this coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase (It is a Office Depot coupon, but Staples takes competitor coupons.)...this expires April 6.

Next, purchase Quickbooks 2009 Simple Start Edition ($89.99). Sign up here for the Easy Rebate, and it becomes free! Use the Office Depot coupon to "earn" money on this deal!

Now for the printer paper...right now, Staples has their printer paper in the old packages for $1.00 per ream after rebate. (Purchase it for $6.99, and get $5.99 back.) There is no limit on this rebate. See rebate information here (SKU 554638).

*Use your Staples rewards card when you make your purchase and you will receive $4.50 in Staples Rewards to use later.

Find CiCi's Pizza Coupons on Pennies...

CiCi's Pizza wants to reward all of the "Penny Picker-Uppers" of the world, so they are dropping a million pennies near the outside of their restaurants all over the country. Pick one up to find a coupon for a free buffet! For more information and to find a location near you go here.

*This post is dedicated to my wonderful parents who eat at CiCi's Pizza at least once a week!

JC Penneys Printable Coupon

Here's another printable coupon for JCPenneys. It's only 15% off, but it is for regular and sale items! (It expires tomorrow, so you only have a little more time to use it!)

Some New Freebies

Here's a few more Freebies that are floating around Cyberspace:

Become a ViX VIP here and get a set of four headbands.

Download some Children's Sing-Along Songs here for free from Mega Blocks.

Go here for a free sample of Nutrish Dog Food.

Two free issues of Town and Country Magazine here.

Gain Detergant Sample here.

Graham Webb Silk Repair Hair Therapy Sample here.

Goodnites Boxer Sample here.

Underjams Sample here.

Remember, freebies are a great way to get coupons. They will often come with high-value coupons from their manufacturer.

(Just a note on this, if you are signing up for a free sample at an address that is used by other people...i.e. a college address...make sure you put your box number...otherwise, they might think that you have already signed up for that freebie, and not send it to you!)

Sam's Club Samples Weekend

If you are anywhere near a Sam's Club this weekend, you must head over there for their Spring Open House. On April 3-5 from 10:30am-6:00pm, they will be hosting their Taste of Spring Open House, which is full of yummy samples and freebies!

Apparently, you do not have to be a member to participate.

For locations and more information go here.

Free Pantyhose at Walmart

If you got the paper this weekend, then you probably got a coupon for $1.00 off a No Nonsense product.

Apparently, most Walmarts have the Ultra Sheer No Nonsense pantyhose regularly priced at $1.00. Combine that with the $1.00 off coupon to get some free pantyhose!

Rumor has it, that most of the packages have another coupon for $1.00 off in them....keep "rolling" this deal for some free hosiery!!

You can also get a coupon here for $1.50 off any No Nonsense pantyhose.

More Great Restaurant Coupons...

Barnes and Noble - Buy any drink, get a free cookie.

Dairy Queen - Join the fan club and receive a Buy One, Get One Free Blizzard coupon.

Quiznos - Free Toasty Torpedo with the purchase of any Toasty Torpedo Combo (after playing the game).

Jack in the Box - Save $1.00 off Mini Sirloin Burgers.

Great Coffee Deals!

Go here and Gevalia is offering 3 half-pound boxes in your choice of flavor of their gourmet coffee, for just $3.00 (including shipping!). You will also get a free stainless steel coffee mug.

*You will be putting yourself in their autoship program, but they say you can cancel at any time (i.e. once your order has been shipped!).

Another coffee company wants you to try their coffee as well. Go here to get 4 bags of Boca Java coffee for $4.95 (including shipping!).

*Continue your membership or call 1-888-BOCA-JAVA to cancel. No further obligation.

50% Off Photo Posters

Fuji See Here Photo Sharing has a great deal on poster prints right now...

50% off with this coupon code: poster-15.

I love large framed poster prints of my children...and this makes a great deal!

*Also, if you have not already made an account with See Here, you can do so and receive 50 free prints (you do have to pay for shipping.).

Rite Aid Deals and Coupon Match-Ups

If you have a Rite Aid near you, here are a few deals you might want to take advantage of:

Magnum Razor
$4.99
- $4.99 rebate (#2)
= Free after rebate!

L’Oreal Natural Match Hair Color
2/$17.00
- $5.00 rebate when you buy $13.00 of products (#5)
- $5.00/2 (Rite Aid In-Ad Coupon - use two!)
- $2.00 (3/1 Red Plum Coupon Insert)
= 2/$3.00 after coupons!

Schick Intuition Plus Razor

$9.99/2
- $4.00 (3/22 SmartSource Coupon Insert - use two!)
= 2/$1.99 after coupons!/

Trident Xtra Care Gum
$.99
- $ .75 (3/8 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
= $ .24 after coupon!

Coupon Match-Ups for Walmart...

Johnson’s Baby Cotton Swabs
$1.38
- $1.00 (3/8 Red Plum Coupon Insert)
= $0.38 after coupon!

Sani-Hands for Kids Wipes, 40 ct. car holder
$1.00
- $1.00 (3/2 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
- $1.00 (8/10 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
- $1.00 (Printable Coupon Here)
= Free after coupon!

Barilla Piccolini
$1.28
- $0.50 (3/29 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
= $0.78 after coupon!

Cascadian Farms Granola Bars
$2.72
- $1.00 (2/22 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
= $1.72 after coupon!

Crystal Light On the Go Drink Mixes
$1.97
- Buy Two, Get One Free (3/29 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
= $1.33 ea. after coupon!

Kraft Salad Dressing
$1.58
- $1.50 (3/29 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
= $0.08 after coupon!

Planters Big Nut Bars
$2.00
- $1.00 (2/22 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
= $1.00 after coupon!

Quaker Rice Cakes
$1.36
- $1.00 (3/29 Red Plum Coupon Insert)
= $0.36 after coupon!

Quaker Tortilla Chips
$1.50
- $1.00 (3/29 Red Plum Coupon Insert)
= $0.50 after coupon!

Success Boil in Bag Brown Rice
$1.89
- $1.00 (2/8 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
= $0.89 after coupon!

Wheat Thins Artisan Crackers
2/$4.00
- Buy One, Get One Free (3/15 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
= $1 each after coupon!

Halls Cough Drops
$1.18
- $1.00 (3/29 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
= $0.18 after coupon!

LaCross Pumice Stone
$1.06
- $1.00 (3/8 Red Plum Coupon Insert)
= $0.06 after coupon!

Airwick I-Motion
$5.00
- $4.00 (3/8 SmartSource Coupon Insert)
= $1.00 after coupon!

Free Cinnastix from Domino's!!

Freebies 4 Mom put up a post about getting free Cinnastix from Domino's Pizza here.

Apparently, you can just enter the coupon code SWEET when you order from their website, and you will get a free Cinnastix (no purchase required!).

Family Christian Stores has some great coupons right now. These can be printed and used in-store, or used online.

33% Off Any Framed Artwork ($49.95 and up)

Buy One Item, Get One 50% Off

These would be great for graduation presents, wedding presents, etc. that may be coming up...not to mention Mother's Day!!

Printable Candy Coupons

If you're already going to be buying candy for Easter, you might as well buy candy you have coupons for. These could make for some great deals if combined with a sale:

$1.00/2 Butterfinger or Crunch Nesteggs or Wonka Golden Chocolate Eggs here.
$1.00/2 Wonka Nerds Bumpy Jelly Beans or SweetTarts Jelly Beans here.
$1.50/3 Hershey’s packaged candy here.

Free Tax Day Stuff

Go here to find out how you can get free Cinnabon bites on tax day!

Go here to find out how you can get a free ice cream cone from Maggie Moos' on tax day!

Go here to find out how to get a free taco from Taco Del Mar on tax day!