Day After Christmas Deals?

How many of you went shopping the day after Christmas? Where did you go and what scores did you find? Unfortunately I wasn't able to. I am hoping to get out at some point today to hit some sales if I can find any, but I'm not really sure how much I'll find. My goal is to stock up on at least some wrapping paper, bows, tape, etc. for next year!

Tell me about your trip!

Shaw's Trip for 12/13 With Pics

We ventured out into the nasty snow last night to head to Shaw's in Rockland. The first 15 or so minutes of the trip were awful with the snow. We almost got into two accidents, but once we got out of the hills around Belfast it turned to rain and the roads were much easier to deal with. We got dinner for all of us at Subway because we knew we would be out late and Subway is about the cheapest/healthiest place we can find to feed all 6 of us!

We got to Rockland Shaw's a little after 7pm and had our shopping DONE about 8:30. Not bad if I do say so myself. It was nice having hubby with me, we doubled up and got the shopping done twice as fast as I would have if I had done it alone.

I planned my trips through the checkout lines before we left the house, I knew how many of what item I wanted to get in each transaction, wrote the details on an envelope and put the coupons for that transaction IN the envelope and numbered each envelope in order. I also brought extra coupons because we wanted to try and get more veggies than I had planned for but weren't sure we would find enough available to complete any transaction I would create, so I left room between my planned 2nd and 3rd transactions for an extra trip if it were possible.

Here's the rundown:
First of all ROCKLAND SHAW'S DOUBLED COUPONS! Just thought I'd throw that out there since I know this has been an issue at some stores :)

Trip One:
12 Boxes of Chex Cereal (Cinnamon was all that was left)
8 cans of Pillsbury Grands
4 Green Giant Boxed Veggies

I wasn't sure the pre sale price of the Chex so I estimated $3 and since they were $1.50 when you buy 3, I got them in multiples of 3 and made sure to get enough so I would exceed $45 PSP in the end. Hubby actually did this transaction and the Asparagus didn't ring up at sale price.


Pre-Sale Price: $68.64
Price With Sales: $38.98
Total After Coupons: $28.68

--------------------------------

Trip Two:

8 Bags of Chex Mix
8 Cans of Progresso Bread Crumbs
4 Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers

Unfortunately either something didn't ring up right to trigger the Catalina's or I did something wrong in this transaction because I only got one $5 Catalina back with my receipt.

Total Pre-Sale Price: $52.49
Price With Sales: $24.90
Price After Coupons: $14.40

-------------------------------

Trip Three:
9 Cans Progresso Soup
8 Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers
12 Green Giant Boxed Veggies

Pre Sale Price: $49.62
Price With Sales: $40.60
Price After Coupons: $29.30






----------------
Trip Four:
I did this transaction separate because I like to be able to easily separate my food purchases and non food purchases when figuring the budget. And these were all Free!

2 Bottles of Homelife Dye/Fragrance Free Laundry Detergent
1 Cascade Dishwashing Detergent
1 Jet Dry
2 Huggies Natural Care Refill Packs
1 Bottle Glass Plus Glass Cleaner

Pre Sale Price: $46.20
Price With Sales: $26.83
Price After Coupons: $ -$1.71 - Yep, they paid me :)

-----------------
Trip Five:
Saved the big trip for last, so we could roll over any coupons from the previous trips, I don't do the Catalina deals on my final trip through because most Catalina's are only good for 2 weeks and I really only shop once a month unless there's a deal I absolutely would be stupid to miss out on. I use the last trip through to fill in wherever we may need to with things that are on sale or that I have coupons for, and make sure to make it a large enough transaction to trigger Gas rewards! Everything in this picture except the Gravy and Juice was purchased using coupons.

2 Bottles Shaw's Brand cranberry juice
2 Bags Sargento Shredded Cheese
4 Skippy Naturals Peanut Butter
10 Earth's Best Baby food jars
4 Hellmann's Olive Oil Mayo
4 Boxes Taquito's
5 Boxes Duncan Hine's Whole Grain Muffin Mix
1 Sorrento Mozzarella Cheese
1 Sorrento Ricotta Cheese
4 Boxes Texas Toast Garlic Bread
2 Boxes Texas Toast Pizzeria Dip n Sticks
2 Boxes Tomato and Basil Wheat Thins
3 Boxes El Monterey Tornados

Price Before Sales: $168.23
Price With Sales: $139.48
Price After Coupons: $106.93


For a GRAND Total of $177.60 spent on $385.18 worth of groceries!

Shaws General Mills Catalina Deal 12/11-12/17

Here are some items I'm getting that are part of this deal:

• Chex Mix Snack - $1.69 [I have two $1 Off Two Coupons from the paper]
• Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers - $1.99 [Unfortunately I used all my GG Q's last week - Will check Coupons.com and Smartsource.com for printable ones]
• Green Giant Frozen Veggies - .99
• Pillsbury Grands - $1.69 [I have three $1 Off Two Peelies I found last month plus two $1 off 3 Smart Source Q's we picked up at Hannaford I believe]
• Old El Paso Taco Kits - $2.49 []
• Nature Valley granola bars - 2/$5 [Hoping to find some printable ones!]

For more details on what's involved check out this link

Shaw's Trip for 12/13

My plan for Shaw's this weekend:

Just found out about a great General Mills Catalina deal on A Full Cup! Get $5 back when you buy $15 of participating products! I'll be sure to take that into consideration when I plan out my detailed trip, but below are the things I know I will be picking up because they are on sale and/or I have coupons! I'll write another post with some items I'll grab that are part of the deal!

• Hellmann's Olive Oil Mayo - $2.49 [Two coupons for $1 off 2 from the paper]
• Land O Lakes Butter - $1.99
• Sargento Shredded Cheese - $1.99 [One coupon for $1 off 2 bags of shredded cheese]
• Kellogg's Cereal - B1G1
• New York Texas Toast or breadsticks AND Mrs. T's Pierogies - 2/$5 [Two coupons for $1 off 2 Texas Toast Garlic Bread, and a peelie for 55 cents off Dip N Sticks]
• El Monterey's Tornados - $2.29 [3 Coupons for 50 cents off that I found on the inside of the last ones I bought!]
• Nabisco Snack Crackers (Wheat Thins!) - 2/$5
• Shaw's Granulated Sugar - $2.49 (Thank goodness cause we just ran out!)
• Chex Cereals - $1.50! [4 Coupons for $1 off 2]
• No Yolks Noodles - $1.49!
• McCormick Gravy Mix - 10/$10
• Prince Pasta - $1
• Sorrento Mozzarella or Ricotta cheese - $3.49 [Two coupons for $1 off 1]
• Curel Lotion - $5.99 (Getting two of these for my mom, and using a Rebate to get them free!)
• Huggies Wipes refill - $5.99 [Three Coupons for 50 cents off one]
• Always Infinity Maxi Pads - $4.79 []
• Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets - $3.99 []
• Halls Cough Drops - $1.79 [I have 4 Tear pad Q's I grabbed at Rite aid 50cents off one bag! Making 4 bags a total of $3.16]
• Glass Plus Glass Cleaner - $1.29 [One coupon for 35 cents off 1]
• Oxy Clean - 25% off! []

Some of these items may be part of the GM catalina deal, but I've tried to remove the ones that I know definitely are... and will post them later in a separate post.

Our Super Cheap Christmas

Ok, so this year, we got frugal for Christmas!

Here's a rundown of what the kids are getting:

Boy #1 - 8 years old... LOVES Rocks and Crystals, has been begging since his birthday for a Crystal growing kit. I looked and looked but didn't see anything that looked worth buying.

What he's getting:

• Crystal Mining Kit ($9.99) Purchased on Amazon.com using Gift cards from Swagbucks.com
• The book:Looking at Rocks (My First Field Guides) ($6.99) also using Gift cards from Swagbucks.com
• Taboo Game - $1.99 at Goodwill - New in package!
  
• Transformers PJ's - An even trade with another work at home mom for $15 Avon products
  

Boy #2 is our Artist, so at Ocean State Job Lot in Belfast, I found him these:

• Blue Three Ring Binder with Zipper Pocket on front
• Sketch Pad
• Set of Colored Pencils (short and pre-sharpened)
• Smelly Erasers (YUMMY blueberry scented and an Apple scented one as well!)
• Two Disney / Pixar CARS Movie Die Cast Cars I got him ($6.48 and $9.99) using Amazon.com gift cards from Swagbucks.com

All together was $10.59!


Girl #1 I started months ago when I found some things at Ocean State Job Lot that I knew she would love. She's the family Princess, and is all about princesses and Tinkerbell, so here is her list:

• Tinkerbell room freshener (you put fragrance cartridges in it and it's like those Glade ones and sends out a puff of fragrance every now and then) for $1.99!
  
• Large Magnetic "Paper doll" - Cinderella - $10 at Family Dollar
• Disney Princess plastic cookware - Walmart.com on Cyber Monday for $14 (Down from $18.99 I believe)
• Elefun game - $1.99 from Goodwill, brand new, in the package.
• Disney Princess Lip Balms - $0.49 each from Avon
• Disney Precious Princess Collectible - Belle - For $15.99 using Amazon.com gift cards from Swagbucks.com
  
  

Girl #2 is still little so she was easy!

• Munchkin Fun Ice Chewy Teethers from Amazon.com for $1.99 using gift cards from Swagbucks.com
• Sassy - Baby Toy Value Bundle, 6-Piece (Pictured Above) from Walmart.com on Cyber Monday. $20.00 HUGE deal since the Mirror alone costs $15, and the other pieces are similarly priced!
  
  

All of the kids are getting a package of Socks because they all seem to have worn holes into the ones they have or have outgrown or lost them at the same time over the past few weeks! They are also getting these Virtual Pet Keychain's They are like a generic "Giga Pet" that came out years ago. I remember having a few and LOVED them, and I thought these would be a good alternative for Boy #2 because he desperately wants a pet, but we just aren't ready for that yet as a family.

The BIG gift for the year...!

A Swinxs Game Console... This thing is AWESOME... Sells for nearly $200 - We paid: NOTHING! I won it on a blog giveaway, and the kids are going to be THRILLED when they open that on Christmas morning!

Conclusion:
Christmas this year has a value of over $400

And we have paid out of pocket: $79.44 before tax.

Checks Unlimited Coupon Code

I just ordered 250 checks for my new bank account through Checks Unlimited. I have always used this company to order my checks, and love all the designs they offer.

I chose the In Full Bloom by Kathy Davis checks, regularly priced at 2 boxes for $21.90 and 4 boxes for $31.90 (before shipping).

When I used the coupon code: R5YV

I was able to get 2 boxes of checks, and free return address labels for $13.00.

I also received:

• Free shipping

• Free Caligraphy Font (regularly $2.50)

Full Disclosure: Yes, the link is an affiliate link, I will be compensated, but that in no way impacted my decision to post about this deal. I have always ordered checks from Checks Unlimited, for years now, and only looked into their affiliate program AFTER ordering these checks... So please, feel free to order and enjoy, they are great quality and I love the address labels that they come with!!!

Entenmann's $4 Coupon Offer

Saw this great offer on Facebook this morning!


Just over 18 hours left for you to enter to win a $4 coupon for Entenmann's products. We love their baked goods, all of them that we have tried, and considering their prices are already awesome, a $4 coupon could make some super cheap or even free goodies!

Black Friday Super Avon Sale!

Need some last minute Christmas gifts? Or looking to stock up on some beauty supplies for yourself? Today would be a great day to place your Avon order! As part of the Black Friday Savings you can get a HUGE discount on your Avon order! The more you order, the larger your discount will be - Today only!

$0.00 - $25.00 in products = 5% off
$25.01 - $50.00 in products = 10% off
$50.01 - $75.00 in products = 15% off
$75.01 - $100.00 in products = 20% off
$100.01 or More in products = 25% off

Orders must be placed through the links in this post to qualify for this discount offer, because this offer is not a Company offer, it is specifically through this Avon Independent Sales Representative. Place your order by midnight tonight to qualify!

Become a Facebook Fan to stay informed of future Avon deals!

Black Friday $1 Sale At Twice Loved Boutique In Brooks!

Have YOU been to Twice Loved Boutique in Brooks lately?

Today would be a good day to stop by! In the fun of Black Friday, EVERYTHING is just ONE DOLLAR! $1 for all clothing, shoes, everything! You can even grab some gently used books 4 for $1!

Open 9 to 5 today (regular hours 10-4 Monday thru Saturday), you have two extra hours to get in on the savings!

Become a Facebook Fan to stay informed of future sales and deals by Twice Loved Boutique!

Black Friday Deals At Rite Aid

Check out ForTheMommas.com for a list of Black Friday deals you can find at Rite Aid! If I wasn't working I would probably go hit Rite Aid at least for some of these!

http://www.forthemommas.com/riteaid/rite-aid-black-friday-deals

cleveland's a plum: win a HP Pavilion dm3 laptop

Check out this AWESOME drawing for a FREE LAPTOP Computer!!!! You can enter as many times as you want and the more interest she gets, the better chance SHE has to win her OWN laptop!!! GET POSTING!

cleveland's a plum: win a HP Pavilion dm3 laptop

Swynxs Game System

Lots of great things to go over today... starting with this post and then I'll post two others!

I found a link the other night to a blog listing a TON of links to contests and drawings for free stuff... I took some time, and I entered a bunch that sounded interesting.
There was one drawing for a Swinxs Gaming Console, which I had NEVER heard of, but at first sight it kind of reminded me of the Nintendo Wii, and I almost clicked away because I am NOT a Video Game advocate of any kind. My kids have a Vsmile, and that doesn't even get used often because I prefer my kids get outside, be active, have creative play, etc. We are ALL about the arts and crafts here in our house!

So anyway, I decided to read more about it, and it looked kinda interesting. This game console does NOT use a television! TV FREE GAME... what could be better than that? How about a game that can be played by up to TEN people... that's our ENTIRE family, PLUS 4 guests! Ideas are rolling now... Birthday parties? Holiday get togethers? SNOW DAYS! It sounded good, can be played indoors and out, plugs in to charge so it doesn't have to be plugged in to be used, even better... Comes pre loaded with 10 games and you can download others for FREE....! Seriously? How much better could this thing get! Then I looked at the price tag.. nearly $200... YIKES! No way I'm spending that much on a game no matter HOW cool it is...

Unfortunately I had already told hubby about it and the kids swarmed around the computer to check it out and both the boys were singing in chorus "MOMMY, CAN WE GET ONE?!?! MOMMY, CAN WE GET ONE?!?!?!" Over and over and over again, hehe... I told them it was really expensive and that I would enter the drawing, but if I didn't win it, I couldn't afford to buy one, so not to get their hopes up.

I logged in to my email this morning and found a CONGRATULATIONS email from Amy at MomAdvice.com saying "Congrats: Winner Of The Swinxs Game Console!"

I had to read it 3 times to make sure she was really saying that YES, I had WON the game console!

My kids are gonna be THRILLED when they open this on Christmas morning... and Hubby will probably kick himself for getting frustrated about the half our of family time I "wasted" on the computer entering drawings, hehe...

Ok, no, really, there's no excuse for being on the computer during family time, but it worked out ok in the end!

November 15 Coupon Previews Available

Time to start planning your shopping trips for the next week! Sunday Coupon Preview has the November 15th coupon previews ready (RedPlum is up, SmartSource is not available yet but will be soon!)... I'm hoping the SmartSource insert has more to offer, personally I won't use any of the coupons in the RedPlum so it may not even be worth me buying a paper this week! Which is good in one sense because I am doing my big shopping trip on Friday to hit some good deals at Shaw's (last day of the deal I'm going after), and it would really be a shame to do this huge shopping trip 2 days before really good coupons come out!

I will be planning my shopping trip either today or tomorrow, whenever I am able to come up with either a Shaw's Ad Scan or when they email the weekly flier out, and as soon as I have my plan I'll post!

Until then... Here are your Coupon Previews! http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/11-15-redplum-coupon-insert/

3rd Night FREE at Kenniston Hill Inn - Boothbay Harbor

Kenniston Hill Inn let us know about a great deal on Twitter! They are offering the third night free for guests at their Inn located in Boothbay Harbor, Maine through this Winter!

It's a beautiful inn, as you can see in the photographs on their website, and apparently has a little supernatural appeal as well! The Maine Ghost Hunters Society believes that even if all the rooms are vacant, Kenniston Hill Inn may have plenty of guests!

Exciting stuff, I'd stay there!

Free AVEENO Nourish Hair Care Sample

Check out this sample: Try the new Aveeno Nourish+ Hair Care Collection - Just fill out a short survey about the condition of your hair and scalp, put in your mailing info, and go!

Free Dunkin Donuts Coffee Sample

Grab this before it's all gone! I just signed up for mine!

Free Book Download: James Patterson - Witch & Wizard

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I absolutely LOVE James Patterson, he is one of my all time favorite authors, and I am slowly working on collecting EVERY book written by him, and making pretty good progress at it if I do say so myself!

So yeah, I just about flipped when I just found out that this new book "Witch & Wizard" that he has coming out in December was available for free Download online!!!

I'm not sure if it's the entire book or just one section, but hey, I'm not picky... if it's just a section then it will get me hooked and I'll have to find a way to go get the book for my collection, Christmas is coming! Otherwise, oh well... but it sounds absolutely fantastic!

The Description:
"You are holding an urgent and vital narrative that reveals the forbidden truth about our perilous times....

This is the astonishing testimonial of Wisty and Whit Allgood, a sister and brother who were torn from their family in the middle of the night, slammed into prison, and accused of being a witch and a wizard. Thousands of young people have been kidnapped; some have been accused; many others remain missing. Their fate is unknown, and the worst is feared—for the ruling regime will stop at nothing to suppress life and liberty, music and books, art and magic...and the pursuit of being a normal teenager."

Fascinating... I can't wait to read it!

The Debate Over Diapers

(Photo was taken by Me and is not to be used anywhere I have not posted it!)

There is a LOT of controversy about whether or not cloth diapers A.) Save money and B.) Are better for the environment.

When my 3rd child was about a year old I started researching cloth diapers, I even bought a few handmade ones from a work at home mom. Unfortunately I wasn't pleased with the quality of the diapers I had purchased, and an order through another work at home mom left me with no diapers and out about $30 and having to deal with a Paypal dispute. Thankfully I got my money back but I needed it for other things by the time it was returned, so I gave up my trial of cloth diapers.

Months later, when my husband and I decided to have a 4th child, the subject was brought up again. We already had a tight budget, and it was about to become even tighter!

After weighing our options we decided that cloth diapers were the best option for us, and we were happy with the impact our usage of them would have on the environment as well. We started out by purchasing some gently used BumGenius 3.0 diapers and a couple other brands to try out on the 2 year old. We fell in love with the BumGenius 3.0 diapers almost instantly. When we got our income tax return I was in my last trimester of my pregnancy and we immediately ordered enough BumGenius 3.0 diapers to use on both the girls. Thankfully within a few months, the oldest girl was completely potty trained, and that cut laundry a ton!

Here are some things I learned in my research:

• Cloth diapers are NOT always the more economical/environmentally friendly choice if you live in an area where water conservation is an issue, or if you have to pay for your water. Thankfully that isn't a concern where we live!
• In a study published in 1999 by Anderson Laboratories found that lab mice exposed to various brands of disposable diapers experienced asthma-like symptoms, as well as eye, nose and throat irritation. Exposure to cloth diapers did not cause the symptoms. (ABC News - May, 2005)
  
• Assuming most kids don't potty train completely until 3 or 4 years old (especially when your family has a history of bedwetting and bladder control issues like mine), that's 48 months (give or take) spending $35 a month (give or take) on diapers... not to mention baby wipes, etc. Which comes to nearly $2,000 - The entire supply of cloth diapers I had to purchase to diaper both daughters came to less than $500 - a savings of over $1,500!
  
• Children who have been cloth diapered tend to potty train earlier, and without less trouble (for example, my oldest 2 both wore disposables and didn't train until age 3 1/2, and took a LOT of work- switched to cloth with my third and she potty trained by age 2 1/2 - BY HERSELF!)
• By drying our cloth diapers on a clothes line whenever possible it keeps them smelling fresher, the sun removes stains (yep it really does!) and we use less energy!
• Using cloth diapers has NOT increased our laundry loads by a great deal... two extra loads a week, it's really not noticeable.

So over all it really is something that each family has to decide for themselves, because there are a LOT of factors that will decide if it will be cheaper and/or more economical for you to decide one way or the other. From what I can tell though, the MAJORITY Of Mainers (aside from maybe those in larger cities) would benefit from switching to Cloth Diapers... and I wholeheartedly recommend BumGenius 3.0's and I know a number of other families in the area who do as well!

BumGenius 3.0 diapers are available at Target, and many other small businesses. I purchased mine from a work at home mom who was a regular chatter on a cloth diapering forum that I used, I compared prices at many different places, and the price per diaper, after discount and with free shipping she offered, it was a great deal, about $14 per diaper!

Want to buy local? The Maine Cloth Diaper Company has a variety of different kinds of diapers available, and very friendly staff from what I saw at the Common Ground Fair this past September! I did not get my diapers from them, but have heard great things!

Note: I am receiving NO compensation by any of the Businesses/Brands/Websites mentioned in this post (though I wouldn't turn it down!). Everything posted has been my own opinion or information gathered by me through my own research.

Target Christmas Gift Deals!

There are 15 pages of Target Store Coupons available for printing right now! Some for as little as $3 off up to $10 off and some for 20% off certain items too!

These coupons are Store coupons so you SHOULD be able to combine them with a manufacturer coupon for even more savings.

Each coupon also features a Coupon Code so you can use them on Target.com!

By shopping through BigCrumbs or Mr. Rebates you can also receive other special deals, like Free shipping on certain sized orders, as well as cash back on your purchase!

I recommend signing up for both sites and whenever you shop online, check them both to see which provides the bigger deal!

The coupons DO expire the day before Thanksgiving, so no Black Friday savings unfortunately, But hey, hold onto them just in case you see a good deal between now and then! I've never shopped on Black Friday, though I just might start...

Folgers Gourmet Coffee Sample

We usually buy Folgers Coffee but usually just the regular, we don't splurge very often on Gourmet coffee, but I won't turn down free coffee!

Hurry cause at last count there were just over 17,000 left... Go to AllYou.com to request yours!

Kashi Granola Bars Free Sample

Here are a couple free samples you can sign up for... Hurry cause supplies are limited.

Click the images to sign up!



I've never tried these, but my family loves Granola bars! We are all about eating healthy :)

Ocean State Job Lot: Inkjet Refill Kits for $3 Each

My printer ran out of black ink on me when I was printing some important papers for school, right after having a short week at work and paying a bunch of bills, so what was I to do? I certainly wasn't going to go out and spend almost $30 on a SINGLE color ink cartridge just so I could print some school work... no way.

We were on our way to Belfast that evening and I had to pickup a few odds and ends at Ocean State Job Lot (they had some good deals on their weekly internet coupons!) so while we were there I looked in their Office Supply aisle and found Single Color Inkjet Refill Kits for $3 each!!! I grabbed two black ones since my colored cartridge is fine and I wanted to make sure these worked ok before I bought too many.


It's been busy since I got these so I was JUST able to try them out today, and it worked! It took me awhile to find the holes to fill my cartridge since mine wasn't listed in the instructions, but once I peeled away the label on the top of the cartridge I found 5 holes. I filled the cartridge, let it set for a few minutes, then printed a test page and my black, while not super high quality, was back! It's good enough for printing school papers (for my own viewing) and coupons, so that's good enough for me! I just got my black ink for about 1/10th the normal cost!

Sunday Coupon Preview!

This site should help you prepare your shopping lists ahead of time... Check Sunday Coupon Preview for exactly what it says! A preview of what coupons you can expect in the Sunday paper!

Use this knowledge, along with your favorite store's weekly circular (I typically compare prices and sales of multiple stores and decide what to buy and where from depending on what's cheap, what I've got coupons for, current store promotions, etc.)

Printable Coupon: $1 Off Any 5 BumbleBee Tuna Products

Click the image above to visit their site, register and you'll gain access to a printable Bricks coupon for $1 off any FIVE bumble bee tuna products... You should be able to hit back or refresh and print this coupon twice (although my computer messed up and shut down so I only got one *sad*). Along with your coupon will print a free recipe... I got Tuna Farfalle alla Puttanesca, it sounds yummy!

Freebie! Hottest Moms In America: Hot Mom Driving Car Magnet

Click the picture above to register to get your FREE Hot Mom Driving Car Magnet! No surveys or offers to complete, just put in your name, email and mailing address!

Earth's Best Baby Food Promotions

My husband and I prefer to feed our children Organic food, right from the start, so Earth's Best is our first choice!


Click the image above to visit their website, where you will find coupons for Earth's Best Baby Formula, Toddler Snacks, Jar Baby Food, Baby Cereal and other great deals as well!

Shaw's Scenarios - $80 worth of groceries for $7

Ok, so I was up ALL last night couldn't sleep because I was running scenarios through my head trying to figure out the best way to make this trip to Shaw's to get the most amount of food for the least amount of money, and I think I've figured it out!

So to start with I've got $27 in Catalina's (Coupons that print at the register with your receipt)

There is a deal on General Mills products, spend $25 on selected products and get a $10 catalina at the register (List of participating products can be found here).

This will require multiple trips through the checkout.

-----------------

Trip #1:
4 Bags of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Pre Sale Price: $2.39 each Sale Price: $1.79 each
4 Bags Chex Mix Total: $10.76
2 Boxes Nature Valley Granola Bars Pre Sale Price: $3.50 each Sale Price: 2 for $4


Pre Sale Total: $27.32
Price With Sales: $16.55
Price After Product Coupons: $12.75
Price With Tax: $14.12
Minus $14 in Catalina's = $0.12 Out of Pocket

-----------------

Trip #2:
$13 leftover Catalina's + $10 Catalina from Trip #1

8 Boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch Pre Sale Price: $2.79 each Sale Price: 2 for $4
2 Boxes Nature Valley Granola Bars Pre Sale Price: $3.50 each Sale Price: 2 For $4

Pre Sale Total: $29.32
Price With Sales: $20.00
Price After Product Coupons: $15.60
Price With Tax: $17.07
Minus $13 in Catalina's = $4.07 Out of Pocket

-----------------

Trip #3
$10 Catalina from Trip #2

9 Jars Prego Spaghetti Sauce Pre Sale Price: $2.49 (Approx.) Sale Price: $1.49 each

Pre Sale Total: $22.41
Price With Sale: $13.41
Price after Product Coupons: $11.16
Price With Tax: $12.28
Minus $10 Catalina = $2.28

-----------------

Total Value Of Trip To Shaws: $79.05 (Before Tax)
Total I'll Spend Out Of Pocket: $6.47 (Including Tax)

-----------------

Keep in mind that SOME of the prices above may NOT be correct, I could not find a price anywhere for Prego pasta sauce so I was trying to remember what it was Monday and Estimated. Some prices I used were from stores in New Hampshire and Mass. because that's what I had available... But it's a good estimate and I will be sure to bring extra money in case my figuring is a little off, but even if prices in Rockland are lower than I figured, each transaction SHOULD still come to more than $25 Pre Sale Price, and should trigger the $10 Catalina to print if I am correct!

Note: I purposely plan to leave a balance on the end of the transaction instead of just paying completely in Catalinas because this would result in the store owing ME money (called Overage) and some stores will not honor "overage".

Note 2: Prego is NOT part of the Spend $25 get $10 deal... It's just really cheap and I have coupons so thought I'd take advantage of that!

Shaw's Trip Week of 10/15-10/21

I didn't post my trip from Monday night but it was great, I bought about $300 worth of groceries, and only paid about $250 after Shaw's rewards and coupons... Plus scored myself 50 cents per gallon Gass savings on my next fill up at Irvings... That will come to about $10 on gas alone!

I also scored $27 worth of coupons for money off my next shopping trip. These aren't product specific, I can use them for any item at Shaw's basically.

Money will be tight this week for bills that need to be sent out, so that $27 worth of coupons will come in VERY handy for refreshing my stockpile! Free groceries!

I plan to double those coupons up along with regular coupons for specific products to maximize my savings and take advantage of some deals that will get me more coupons for money off at the register!

After viewing the Shaw's circular online (http://www.shaws.com - you can view it there, print store coupons and also register for a FREE Shaws rewards card!) and reading the Shaw's forum at http://afullcup.com I found a number of items that we use that are on sale and that would generate some good money saving coupons at the register!

Here is what I'm planning:

Nature Valley Granola Bars - 2/$4 sale - paired with 2 coupons for 40 cents off from http://coupons.com
Refrigerated Pillsbury Grands Biscuits - 3/$5 sale - Paired with coupons for 75cents off 2 from Coupons.com - Also Part of a current Catalina deal (buy so many get coupons for so much off your next order)
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers - On sale for $1.79 each - Coupons.com has a coupon for .50 off one.
Skippy Naturals - Multiples of 2 will generate a Catalina for money off your next purchase
Fleischmann's Yeast strips or jar - will generate Catalina for money off - Last weeks paper had coupons for 40 cents off one
Prego Pasta Sauce - On sale for $1.49 a jar - Coupons from last weeks paper for 75 cents off 3 jars.
Shaw's brand butter on sale for $1.88 for 4 sticks
Silk Soymilk - On sale for $2.99 per half gallon
Green Giant Boxed Veggies - 3/$5 plus coupons.com printable for 50 cents off 2
BumbleBee Tuna cans - on sale 2/$3 - I know there are coupons out there for BumbleBee tuna any product, believe they were on a tear pad at a store, email me if you have details or know where to get some.
Kelloggs Cereal - Store circular has store coupon for $5/3 - can be paired with Manufacturer coupon for even more savings.
General Mills cereal - on sale for 2/$4 - Multiple coupons available on coupons.com, http://smartsource.com and from recent newspaper inserts

PLUS: A current promotion - Spend $25 get $10 off your next purchase.

So if this is worked right, I can buy $25 worth of products, the other $2 will cover tax with overage (meaning the store owes YOU money - some stores don't honor Overage, so you may want to throw in a cheap "filler" item so that it doesn't cause issues), get the $10 coupon, take care of your groceries, go back in, and get some more goodies!

I'll post an update on this after I have done it and tell you how it works out for me!

Welcome!

I am starting this blog because I have been learning all kinds of different ways to save money over the last year, and I enjoy being able to share my finds with other people who are as excited about saving money as I am!

This blog will be a place for me to post places to get coupons, freebies, to tell about my successful and not so successful shopping trips, and also to showcase deals found in stores found in Maine!

The stores I shop most frequently are Shaw's, Target, Rite Aid, Hannaford and occasionally Walmart, Home Depot and miscellaneous other stores!

If you know of a current sale or money saving deal online or offline, that isn't already posted here, PLEASE feel free to email me at moneysavingmainers (at) gmail (dot) com and let me know!