Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Staples Back to School Savings! HP Ink Buy 2 Get 1 FREE through 7/28!

My Staples Haul: $30.67 with tax! :)

Low in ink from printing coupons? Looking for back to school deals? Check out the great deal at Staples! I was able to score three (3) cartridges of HP black ink at B2G1 FREE!, two (2) packs of index cards for a penny each, two (2) packs of bookmarker stickies for $0.25 each, one (1) multi-pack of Sharpie highlighters for $0.50, and one (1) pack of pencil erasers for a penny for the grand total of $30.67 out of pocket including tax thanks to the sale and a $5/30 coupon- and no tricky rebates!

The ink is normally priced $15.99 per cartridge at Staples (comparable to Walmart), so it's like I got an extra ink cartridge and some office supplies for free! That works! The penny, quarter, and fifty cent deals were with a minimum purchase of $5, and did have limits, so please note. Head over to Hip2Save's Staples Back-to-School Match Up through 7/28 for the full run down! Also, My Memphis Mom has a great Back to School comparison shopping list for all the sales going on now too! 

Please note, there is a $5 off $30 Staples coupon, but it states it is not valid on HP/Epson ink. :( I realized this at checkout when the lady asked me for the coupon she saw in my hand, and I admitted I didnt realize it excluded HP ink so I was going to leave it for her to give it to another customer (pass it along, the coupon fairy! ;) and she said something to the effect of that's sweet, honesty is great, and had the manager come over and override it! I was tickled! Your mileage may vary at your local Staples store, but hey, I was pretty thrilled with the buy 2 HP ink cartridges get 1 free sale and even more so pleased with their fabulous customer service! 

And, my thrifty tip? Print your coupons in black and white ink--- and on "draft" quality. It allows me to print about three times as many coupons/documents needed. ;)

Monday, July 23, 2012

Cardstore: 6 Personalized Birthday Invites $5.14 SHIPPED!


Who loves BIRTHDAYS? :) Cardstore is offering $5 off all Birthday Purchases of $10 or more now through August 1 when you use the code CWJ2723 at checkout! I peeked around, and you can get 6 personalized text & photo children's birthday invitations for $5.14 shipped to your door! They have numerous licensed characters including Elmo, Hello Kitty, Strawberry Shortcake, and more! Or, you could stock up on the remainder of your birthday cards for this year... and you can personalize each of them too! ;) 


Tweet & Get $2 FREE Amazon MP3 Credit!


Yay! You can score some *more* FREE music from the Amazon MP3 store! If you have a Twitter account, follow these instructions to get your free $2 Amazon MP3 Store credit! You can snag Justin Bieber's "Believe" album for FREE, or get Demi Lovato's "Unbroken" album for FREE and have $1.01 free credit to spare, or snag Zac Brown Band's "Uncaged" album for $1.99 out of pocket after your $2 credit! 

The possibilities are endless! Search around and snag you some free music, or get a sweet discount on an album thanks to the credit! My iPhone sure is loving all this free music thanks to Amazon! ;) Road trip anyone?

Thanks Hip2Save!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Amazon: Scotch Thermal Laminator Combo Pack only $42.27 shipped!

Calling all teachers and Pinterest project lovers! If you have been looking for a laminator, Amazon has the Scotch Thermal Laminator Combo pack for $42.27 shipped! It includes five (5) 8.5x11 inch pouches, four (4) 4x6 inch pouches and (3) 3x5 inch pouches! Amazon reviews rate it at 4.7 out of 5 stars! Looks like a good deal to me!

Plus, check out this super cute idea on Pinterest for paper dolls that you could make with a laminator! 

LAST DAY for FREE Greeting Card from Cardstore.com!

LAST DAY to snag a FREE greeting card from Cardstore.com! You can address and ship to the recipient for FREE or choose to ship it to yourself to hand deliver with a gift! Personalize your card, and after entering your shipping info, be sure to enter the PROMO CODE: CAJ2719 . Coupon expires on July 22 at 11:59PM Eastern Time zone.

There are some cute, funny, and sentimental cards too! I even spotted an Elmo card for a little one I know and the always hilarious Someecards and Awkward Family Photos cards! ;)

FREE Personalized Birthday Cards at Cardstore.com!

FREE Personalized Birthday Cards at Cardstore.com!

Comment on their mind-blowing hotness in this funny love card from Cardstore.com! Personalize it Now


FREE Sample of Splenda Nectresse


Snag a sample of new Splenda Nectresse! My favorite thing about free samples are the coupons that come with the sample! They always come in handy with Publix BOGO sales! ;) 
Thanks, MojoSavings!

12 FREE Songs from Artists on the Rise from Amazon MP3 Store!

Woo Hoo! Score 12 FREE Songs from Artists on the Rise at Amazon MP3 Store! If you're into indie music, these are for you! Very chill and alternative, they reminded me of Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons, Gotye, and the like! Enjoy!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

FREE $2 Amazon MP3 Credit!

FREE $2 Amazon MP3 Credit! Wahoo! As you know, I love Amazon MP3 Store! Find you a song or two, or even a few sale albums, apply the promo code HEARTMP3 and receive a FREE $2 credit towards Amazon MP3s! Ends July 23, 2012!

I found Justin Bieber's 'Believe' album for only $1.99! Wahoo! 


Plus, there are Customer Pick single songs for $0.25 cents each, bestselling albums for $2.99, $5 albums, and more! Take your pick! ;)

Best of all, download the Amazon MP3 downloader and choose to auto-import into iTunes if you're a fan of the iPhone or iPad like me! There's also a free Amazon MP3 Cloud app available on both Android and Apple App stores! ;)

FREE Cardstore Card!

I am a big fan of Cardstore.com! I love sending unique personalized greeting cards, and Cardstore.com makes it so easy, and best of all, they have FREE card promotions every once in a while! Every card I have sent to someone, for Mothers Day, Fathers Day, birthdays, and more, I have received nothing but compliments! ;)

Head over to Cardstore.com and receive a FREE greeting card with envelope and FREE shipping! You can address and ship to the recipient--- and it won't even cost you a stamp! Select and personalize your card, and after entering your shipping info, be sure to enter the PROMO CODE: CAJ2719 . Coupon expires on July 22 at 11:59PM Eastern Time zone.


Cardstore.com Birthday Cards


I chose an anniversary card for my Meme & Papa! What will you choose? They have tons to choose from! And, if you like, your can have them ship it to you to save onto for a special occassion down the road, or to include with a birthday or shower gift! 


As you can see above, you can handwrite your signature on the Cardstore app on your iPhone or iPad, and when you log into your Cardstore account, you can apply it to your card so it still has your own "personal touch"! ;)


FREE Woolite Sample!


Want to make your mailbox happy and keep your clothes looking new? Visit the Woolite Facebook page, to get a FREE sample of Woolite Extra Dark Care detergent! 

Thanks Hip2Save.com!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Toot Your Horn! What'd you get in your mailbox?

I love freebies... they make all the bills in the mail seem less daunting! ;) Here's my mailbox loot from this week. Want to score great freebies? I recommend visiting couponing blog websites, and even following them on Facebook in a 'couponing' friends list so you won't miss a great deal! My favorites are Hip2Save.com and MojoSavings.com!


The goods:
Crystal Light Mocktails martini glass- plastic, but after all the ones I've broken... I think it's perfect! ;) - from Crystal Light Facebook promo
Garnier Haircare samples (2 separate ones) AND you can sign up here for your sample!
Nestle Drumstick coupon for FREE four-count box of Drumsticks from Nestle Facebook promo contest
Another Nathan's Hotdogs coupon for FREE hotdogs from Nathans Facebook promo contest
Tampax Radiant sample clutch + coupons from Tampax Facebook promo contest!

Friday, July 6, 2012

CVS Magic Coupon Machine: FREE Cortaid Anti Itch Cream

Have you scanned your Extra Care Rewards card at the magic coupon machine at CVS? I scored a coupon for free Cortaid anti itch cream (up to 5.99) value! Luckily, my store had it in stock! :)

Thursday, July 5, 2012

FREE Schick Hydro Silk Razor! Hurry!

Hurry on over to Walmart.com and score a FREE Schick Hydro Silk razor! I love Walmart freebies, they come quick, usually in 2 - 4 weeks! ;) 

Thanks, MojoSavings

$5 Tanger Outlet Gift Card when you Share with 5 Friends (Plus Enter to Win a $25 Gift Card!)



Wee! Enter to win a $25 gift card to Tanger Outlets on their Facebook page through July 21! Plus when you enter the sweepstakes and share with 5 friends who also enter, you'll receive a coupon to redeem for a FREE $5 Tanger Outlets gift card! With the Foley outlets so near to the beach, this will make a perfect excuse for a pit stop! ;)

Visit Tanger Outlets on Facebook, click "Like" and find the Win $25 tab to enter!

Thanks Hip2Save!

Free $3 in Amazon MP3 Credits!

My iPhone is loving all my new FREE music! ;) I was excited to see a Free Voucher for $3 in Amazon MP3s on Amazon Local this morning! Amazon Local is similar to Groupon or Living Social deals, sign up over here and register. Click on "Get Voucher" and you will have a voucher with a code. Be sure to follow instructions and enter your code so your $3 credit shows! 

Best of all, there are quite a few albums I spotted for $2.99 including a lot of awesome movie soundtracks such as Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, Hunger Games, City of Angels, and more! They still have the Essential Summer Jams promo going on with select $0.25 cent MP3s so you can score quite a lot for your money or save $3 off that album you've been wanting! Head over here to make your purchase! The voucher is only available today, 7/5 and you have until 7/12 to redeem it!





Wondering how hard it is to transfer your Amazon MP3 music into iTunes? It's easy! You can download your MP3s with the Amazon MP3 Downloader, and there's an option to auto-import into iTunes! Or you can listen with the Amazon Cloud Player app through the Apple App Store! 

Thanks Hip2Save!

Snapfish Deal: 99 Photo Prints for 99 Cents (+Shipping!)



Woo Hoo! When checking my couponing e-mail inbox, I received a promo e-mail for Snapfish which includes 99 photo prints for only 99 cents plus shipping and handling (about $6 - $7). Just enter the promo code "FIREWORKS" and remember offer expires 7/11/2012! In my opinion, $8 isn't too bad for 99 photo prints! I love deals like this because I can download all my photos from my iPhone and digital camera and make a fun photo album, Pinterest project, or even a few framed gifts! ;) Plus, you can purchase through Ebates and receive 20% back on your purchase! You'll get an introductory $5 bucks for signing up, and a varying percentage cash-back on online purchases when you go through Ebates.com! Once your signed up, search for Ebates, click through, and make your purchase as you normally would! I can't shop online without it! It's easy to cash out your rewards too- receive by check or Paypal! Right now Snapfish is 20%, which is one of the higher percentages that I've seen! 

Speaking of gifts, I have an upcoming birthday party for my friend's one year old, and saw this darling photo album at Kohls.com! Perfect gift to showcase her first year, and especial since her mom is someone who always is taking photos of her little girl... ;) 

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

My Publix Haul! ;)

I cannot say it enough- I LOVE Publix! From the fabulous customer service, the variety of grocery products, the amazing BOGO sales, and most of all, their amazing coupon policy, including the well educated staff when it comes to the coupon policy! ;) 

After my two lucky "lottery" couponing excursions at CVS yesterday, I realized that last night ended this week's sale ad at Publix (typically Publix and Winn Dixie sale ads in Southern Alabama run from Wednesday - Tuesday). Since I had my coupon match-up shopping list from IHeartPublix.com and my coupons ready, I was out the door, once again! ;) And, I lucked up waiting until the last day of the sale, as on Monday, Save-A-Lot issued a $5 off $25 coupon on their Facebook page, and lucky for me the Daphne/Malbis Publix accepts Save-A-Lot coupons as competitor coupons! 

Now, trips like these are what I call my "couponing" trips, to where I strictly get what's on sale or what's a good deal with coupons. Usually I will do a once a month "normal" grocery shopping trip to get all the essentials from meat, produce, etc., but this way is a good way to grab the deals and plan meals around the sales. 



I paid exactly $15 for $85.62 worth of groceries! Wahoo! My two favorite Publix weekly ad coupon match-ups are IHeartPublix.com as a regional resource, and FrugalFairhope.com for a local resource for those in Baldwin County! I maximized my savings by using manufacturer coupons and approved competitor coupons with BOGO sales!

The loot:
6 Boxes Quaker Yogurt Bars
5 two-liters of Pepsi products
2 packs of Motts Juice boxes
2 bags of Kraft Shredded Cheese
4 packages of Sargento sliced cheese
3 boxes Kraft Fresh Take breadcrumb mix
2 packs Ball Park Beef Bun Length hot dogs
1 pack Kings Hawaiian Mini Sandwich rolls
1 EAS Lean 15 nutrition bar
2 bottles Kraft Anything dressing
6 cans of Beech Nut baby food (no baby- but my dog sometimes has digestive issues, and despite expensive Science Diet food, the vet recommended the plain sweet potato baby food to help ;)


Couponing Jedi Masters, Padawans and Coupon Lotteries, oh my!

I had a great day today full of errands and some unplanned couponing! After scoring my cute new free rainboots from earlier this morning at CVS, I visited my sister in between errands, and turns out she needed some Tide laundry detergent and asked if I knew of any deals! ;) I pulled out my iPhone and checked out Hip2Save, saw there was a sale on Tide at CVS, and even had two coupons for my sister to use too! ;) I was excited, as my sister had her first Extra Care Bucks from a previous weeks sale, so we were out the door to CVS!

When we arrived, I reminded her to scan her Extra Care card at the scanner near the entrance. Nothing too good, but when I scanned mine, I scored a $15 off any Physicians Formula cosmetics purchase CVS coupon! I was so excited and when explaining to my sister that it meant I had $15 dollars of free CVS' money to spend on some makeup, I caught the attention of another customer who remarked, "it's like winning the lottery, huh?" and grinned. I was tickled that I even got this coupon as I had heard of many folks on couponing websites chatting about it, but I wasn't as lucky until today!

We headed over to the cosmetics, and to top it off, saw that there was a sale, $7 off any Physicians Formula cosmetics of $7 or more--- which meant even more bang for our buck! I was proud of my coupon padawan sister, as she even spotted some eyeliner with a $2 off manufacturer coupon attached for even more savings! ;) She's catching on quick!

I ended up purchasing a powder for me, a powder for her, and we split a set of fun Kohl eyeliners! All for the grand total of $0.97, well $2.59 including tax! Sometimes you can win the lottery!!! I love Physicians Formula products as they don't cause me to breakout, and I am eager to see if this "16 hour airbrush powder" holds up in this Southern Alabama humidity! ;) !

Continuing our couponing trip, my sister picked up some personal care items, and even chose the variety that had $5 of coupons inside the products, and saw how helpful it is to carry around your coupons (hence my compact coupon case that fits in my purse) as I had a $3 off 2 coupon for her! ;) Best of all, when we checked out and saw our savings tally on our receipt, we learned that both of our purchases had applied towards the "spend $30 on select products, get $10 in gas cards" which runs through this Saturday, my total just from the Physicians Formula cosmetics, I had 17.97 towards the $30 needed for a free $10 gas card! We each have a bit to go, but since it's calculated on the sale price of items (before coupons deducted) we shouldn't have to spend that much more out of pocket to get the deal if we buy the selected items and pair it with coupons!

So, couponing Jedi masters, Padawans, and lotteries, oh my! ;)

Note: Unfortunately, due to the split CVS sale ad this week, a new ad starts 7/4 -7/7, so I'm not sure if the $7 off any Physicians Formula sale will still be going on, but it's proof it pays to shop at drugstores!


Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Loose Powder - $13.99
Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Pressed Powder - $13.99
Physicians Formula Custom Eye Enhancer Kohl Eyeliner - $10.99

Minus $21.00 from instant $7 off any Physicians Formula cosmetics item of $7 or more with CVS Card
Minus $15 off any Physicians Formula Cosmetics Purchase CVS coupon from CVS Coupon Machine 
Minus $2 off peelie coupon attached

= $0.97 cents (plus $1.62 tax) = grand total $2.59!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Four Years of Couponing... and still counting!

The month of July marks my four year anniversary of living a hip, frugal, and thrifty lifestyle. I have been blessed in the past four years, with the savings and lifestyle changes that couponing and thriftiness have brought about. When looking back to 2008, I began my journey with my first apartment. I had recently graduated from college, and having my "own" mailbox, knowing everything was always addressed to you, meant, also that *all* the bills were addressed to you. My friend Kelley suggested that I sign up for free samples. It was awesome to have something to get "excited" about when checking them mail. From there, I stumbled upon to coupon match-ups for grocery stores and drugstores and all around  deal websites, and then I discovered awesome D-I-Y dollar store craft blogs until Pinterest came around... further feeding my frugal yet creative appetite. I was able to have my single-girl stockpile of toiletries, (no nuclear disaster prep here ;), food always filled in the pantry (sometimes my freezer looked like a game of Tetris), set up a budget, have spending and splurge money, decorate my shabby-chic apartment on a shoestring, and feed my dog for free Science Diet food and fun treats thanks to sales and coupons. Although there are many struggles in this economy, couponing has allowed me to stretch money a bit further. I am truly blessed.

When I started this blog, it was not with the intention to be a "go-to" resource for coupon match-ups, but to share how couponing and thriftiness have helped me, and how easy it can be, in a moderate, non-extreme way. I plan to dive back into blogging and posting on Facebook and Twitter, so hopefully you may get inspired or find a neat deal or two yourself. :) In May, I relocated from Montgomery, AL to my hometown. Let me tell you, I never realized how "settled" you get with your couponing ways in a city. Three things I've learned moving to a new city as a couponer which have helped me re-affirm my commitment to living a frugal lifestyle:

1) Re-assess your environment. There are quite a few shelf-clearers where I'm at. And, it happened in Montgomery, but unfortunately my new city seems to have a lot of frugal hip folks! ;) I found myself getting frustrated when couponing since living here, and I had to tell myself, it's not the end of the world if they are out of ____ that I was getting for my sister/grandma/friend/single-girl stockpile. One of my favorite experiences yet, well, more like a couponer reality check, was when I popped into CVS for some Excedrin. When I passed by the haircare aisle, there were two ladies sitting on the floor.... with coupons spread out everywhere. Unfortunately, I couldn't help but gawk. I walked away telling myself, "THAT'S why there's never any xyz when I go shopping! Those EXTREME couponers!" And, there were THREE buggies full of products down the aisle. I told myself as I was checking out that they were purchasing it and donating it to shelters, nursing homes, etc, so I wouldn't explode. Empty shelves happen. Luckily, I've educated myself on Publix's raincheck policy, and found that, hey, sometimes it works in my favor to have a raincheck on something, because, maybe there's not room in the freezer at home right now. And most of all, put it into perspective. Also, when I moved, I realized that the Publix in my new city did not double coupons up to 50 cents. This was a bummer, as often I was able to score free items, but with the loss of that, I realized that my new Publix accepted Target as a competitor, which made for even more awesome deals, and also accepted Dollar General coupons as a competitor, which helped as Dollar General has numerous $5 off $25 coupon offers, which help save money, as I like to refer to the $5 off $25 or $30 bucks coupons as my Willy Wonka "Golden Tickets" ;) So, there are trade offs, which turn out to be better in the long run. 

2) Re-establish relationships with cashiers and re-establish your couponing routine. I will say, I sure do miss my folks at the Zelda Road Publix and Walgreens in Montgomery. Since I shopped on a "schedule" of sorts, often Friday/Saturday nights, I got to see the same cashiers over and over, and struck up conversation. It was nice when they'd ask, what do you think your grand total will be after coupons? Since moving, I've had to try and be a Southern Belle and sweet talk all the new cashiers, as unfortunately, I've had one or two of "those" experiences where I get this vibe and non-verbal language that they're saying... "Oh no, one of THOSE crazy couponers..." so I've tried to do everything I can as a couponer to make it easier for them, such as telling them I have coupons, and setting the coupons on top/next to the item so the could verify they matched the item size/quantity/etc, as, in Montgomery, after doing this with my cashiers, once they knew me, they'd scan away. I've started conversations with cashiers introducing myself to them, and telling them that their store is my new CVS/Publix/Walgreens since I moved to the area. This generates conversation, makes it hopefully a little monotonous for them, and also, alleviates a LOT of the silence when they're looking over the coupons for all the verification, authenticity, quantity, size checks they do. At Publix, if I've genuinely had a good experience, I've told the cashiers that I was going to jot a compliment note on Publix.com thanking them for their extra service. Since having to "start all over" of sorts, it's really nice to have an awesome couponing experience, or shopping experience in general, so a 5 minute note of thanks is worth it to me. There's nothing worse than an awkward or awful cashier experience to me, so I try to put that at ease. I will say, my most favorite couponing shopping trip to date was when I went grocery shopping at Publix with a friend. We checked out and a young high-school boy was our cashier and another as our bagger. Towards the middle of the conversation, they had us laughing, as the cashier kept saying, can we get it under $20??? Can we? Come on, one dollar, 25 cents, let's get it under $20! Also, with re-establishing your coupon routine, I've asked cashiers at Publix, when's the best time to shop, as in, when is it less crowded and/or when do shipments generally arrive? This way, the cashier can take as long as he wants to look over my coupons, without other customers in line behind me, and also to make sure that I get all the items on my list when they are most stocked, so I can use my $5 off $25 or $30 coupon and not need to re-plan my shopping trip due to outages. ;)

3.) Re-affirm your reason for living a frugal lifestyle. For me, it's always been trying to "make it" in this economy, graduating college, working, and making ends meet. I don't think anyone ever complained of saving too much money, as it seems there are always bills or something to have to pay or save for. Though I don't have a family yet (other than my four legged furry child ;) couponing helps me with my budget, knowing how much money I have to spend, and challenging myself to stretch my food budget more, as well as meal planning, and being conscious of eating out. Sometimes I tell myself, do I really want an $8 Zaxby's chicken strips meal? Although I do, I remember how many shopping trips I've had in the past month, year, four years of couponing and all the loot I've been able to get for that same $8, I resist the urge, and as we all know, dining out is expensive! Since moving, and adjusting to this new couponing geographic market, I've felt less empowered by couponing, because of a few negative experiences. And, when I've grocery shopped with friends, I would constantly complain for pulling out coupons when shopping, and criticize myself for being one of those crazy couponers. And I had let the perceived thoughts of others get to me. I was purchasing the groceries, so it was my money to save, yet I constantly apologized. Since moving to my hometown, I've actually been able to use my couponing skills for good, of others, including family and friends. I've bought a few free items to give to my Mom and Grandma, scored some sweet baby & toddler deals for a friend, and even am trying to get my sister to hop on the couponing train! 

So, all in all, four years of couponing is pretty good. I am not one to "log" my savings in a spreadsheet, nor stockpile for a nuclear disaster, nor to let couponing interfere with my lifestyle. I do enjoy seeing how much I saved at the bottom of my receipt each shopping trip though! ;) Sometimes people say it takes too much work, but in my opinion, it's like a hobby, a productive and efficient one. I try not to let it get me down, and realize, the benefits are worth it for me. And don't ever let it consume your life like those folks on that silly Extreme Couponing TV show.  

And, on that note, if you feel like being 23 and thrifty, check out my favorite couponing sites: 



 

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