June 2008

Walgreens: A great way to use the $5/$20 coupon

by crystal on June 27, 2008

As I mentioned earlier, there’s a $5/$20 coupon out for today only. Since Walgreens recently changed the wording on these coupons, they aren’t quite as lucrative (your total has to be $20 after coupons, so you’ll be spending at least $15 out of pocket in order to use the coupon).

Dana wrote me yesterday with a great idea for using the $5/$20 coupon:

I wanted to let you know how I have been saving money using the Walgreens $5 off/$20 purchases! I use them to buy baby formula!! I stock up when these coupons come out because you can use the checks that formula companies give after (they are not considered a coupon).

For those of you who buy baby formula, this sounds like a great way to maximize the $5/$20 coupon! Thanks, Dana!

{ 16 comments }

Reader Tips: Best Buy, Half Price Books, Ace Hardware, EBates, Pampers Gifts to Grow

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by crystal on June 27, 2008

Best Buy: Free Gift Cards for Report Cards* – From Stacie:

Our local Best Buy store is offering "gift cards for scholars". It
breaks down like this:

1 A= $5 BB gift card

2 A’s=$10 BB gift
card

3 A’s= $15 BB gift card

4+A’s= $25 BB gift card.

We went
last night and got some great FREE goodies!! I have also heard that
the clothing store Limited Too does the same. Do you know of any other
chain or franchise stores participating in a program like this?

(*Note from Crystal: The Best Buy deal might only be a local deal available at Stacie’s Best Buy store. Anyone know? If you know of any other great report card offers, please share them in the comments section!)

Half Price Books: Make A Profit Off the Free Magazines – From Catherine:

As I’ve been going to Half Price Books once a week
to get the kids’ the summer reading program sheets and free books, I have
been taking in some books we don’t need anymore and haven’t
successfully sold any other way.

One week I noticed that our Half Price Books has a
magazine section, so this week I took in several of the magazines I
have already flipped through but didn’t want to save (now that I get
tons of free magazine subscriptions I’ve found out about through Money
Saving Mom!). They gave me a great price for them, between 50 and 75
cents each.

Given that I didn’t spend anything on the magazines in the
first place, I thought that was a pretty good deal, and it more than
paid for my gas to get over there (although fortunately for me, HPB is
on my usual errand route anyway). I just thought I’d pass that along,
as other people may have basically new magazines sitting around the
house. Getting money for them is better than throwing them away!

ACE Hardware: Rebate Sale This Weekend – From Renee:

I just wanted to let you know that
Ace Hardware is having a huge rebate sale this weekend. They have many free items after rebate and many items
that are just $0.99 cents after rebate. More details can be found here.

Ebates: Refer a Friend and Make $5 – From Becky:

Did you see the ebates.com
tip in the AllYou magazine this month? Apparently, if you refer
someone, you and they get $5.

(Note from Crystal: For those who haven’t signed up to EBates yet, I highly recommend it. You only have to spend an initial $5.01, and you get $5 back for signing up. And then you can encourage your friends to join and earn an additional $5 for each friend who signs up with the promotion going on right now. Sign up here.)

Pampers: Gifts to Grow Program – From Jessica:

I know you mentioned Pampers recently on your blog and I wanted to be
sure that you knew about Gifts to Grow. We use Pampers too and I just
recently discovered what the stickers on the packages are. You can
find out about it at www.pampers.com. Every Pampers product comes with a code that you can enter into your
profile on the site and you can use the points to earn free toys, gift
cards, etc.

(Note from Crystal: I have not used this program yet–bad me for all the Pampers I’ve purchased (well, I got them mostly free at CVS, but that still counts!) in the last two years!–but I just bought another package and can’t seem to even find the code on it. Where should I be looking? And how many packages do I have to buy in order to earn anything of value? Just curious.)

{ 38 comments }

Old Navy: $1 Flip Flops on Saturday (June 28) Only!

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by crystal on June 27, 2008

According to the Real Simple blog:

This Saturday only (June 28th), Old Navy’s nation wide will be selling their fabulously comfortable and colorful flip flops for $1 each! You can grab a pair in every color and remain guilt and debt free. Now that’s priceless!

Now while I don’t think it’s necessary to get a pair in every color (after all, how many pairs of flip flops can you wear at one time?!), I do think this is a great deal–if you need flip flops.

I bought some flip flops at Old Navy a few years back for a couple dollars and they were one of the best Summer shoe investments ever. I literally wore them almost five times per week or more all Summer long for three whole Summers!

I think I might just buy a replacement pair tomorrow. I mean, who can beat $1?

Thanks, Joanna!

{ 11 comments }

Regional Deals: Hy-Vee, Price Chopper, Dillons, Meijer, HEB,

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by crystal on June 27, 2008

Wendy has the scoop on current Hy-Vee deals here.

Price Chopper: Free Honey Bunches of Oats – From Ginger:

Price Chopper has Post Cereals 50% off. Combine with the $2/1 Post Honey Bunches of Oats cereal coupon (you can print these here, here, here, here) to get these free!

Dillons (Kansas Kroger Affiliate): Free Pizza Rolls – From Shawna:

Pizza rolls are on sale 10 for $10 this week at
Dillons. It gets better… if you buy 10 boxes of pizza rolls
(15 count) you get and immediate $3 off your total price! Use the $0.55/1 coupons which were recently available from Coupons.com or the $0.40/1 coupons from recent newspaper inserts and get them free or $0.20/box after doubling! If you have enough coupons, you could actually make a profit to use towards the rest of your groceries!

Meijer: Dole Salad Coupon – From Shannon:

A few weeks back someone on your blog mentioned that they found a magazine at Meijer with a coupon for Dole salad in it. I scoured Meijer high and low, to no avail but I have found the e-copy version on their site. I was able to print the page with the salad coupon.

HEB: Free Admission to Water Parks With Purchases – From Katherine:

Buy 5 of the following products at HEB and you’ll get (1) Schlitterbahn buck (There are coupons out for many of these items):

Always
Covergirl
Gillette
Venus Shaver

Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner

Herbal Essence Shampoo and Conditioner

Crest Toothpaste

Oil of Olay Skin Products

Collect (3) Schlitterbahn bucks and get 2 FREE tickets to Schlitterbahn–a water park with three locations in Texas!

Albertson’s: Bic Soleil Razors for $0.29 – From Kristin:

Albertson’s has their Bic Soleil razors and blade refills on sale for
$4.29. Using the $4 recent coupon that is $0.29! Also, if anyone else is
a soda drinker they have both coke and pepsi on sale for 5/12.00. It
is actually buy 2 for 5.99 get three free.

Meijer: Two Day Sale – From Sonshine:

I just went to Meijers website and found that they had a "2 Day Super Sale Event" that was going to be starting 6am Friday (6/27) and ends Saturday (6/28) midnight!

You will want to make sure that you get a sale flier as there is a 10% coupon off your total purchase patio, grills, garden center, and outdoor plants. This is valid on regular prices, sale prices, and clearance prices!

As for other things on sale:

* Pepsi 2 liters 88 cents (limit 4, additional quantities are $1)

* Strawberries 2lbs $3.49

* All beef Hamburger patties 8lb box $11.12 ($1.39/lb)

* Oscar Mayer Deli Shaved Ham or Turkey breast or Roast beef B1G1 ($3.69) – Use $0.75/1 coupon

* General Mills Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch B1G1 – Use $1/1 Honey Nut Cheerios coupon or other coupons here.
* Meijer Cooked Tail-on Shrimp 26-30 count B1G1 ($14.99)
* Eggo Waffles 4/$5

* Keebler Sandwich Crackers 8pk- 99 cents

* Pampers Jumbo Swaddlers, Cruisers, and Baby Dry Diapers $7.99

* Tide Laundry Detergent 72-90 loads $14.99

* Tylenol Extra Strength, Excedrin, and Advil 50 ct. B1G1 (at least $4.88) Use $1/1 Advil

* Maybellie Makeup 40% off

* Family Shoe Sale buy one pair get another pair for $1

* Entire stock of sunglasses 50% off

* Fun Noodles B1G1 ($1.99)

{ 6 comments }

What’s your best money-saving vacation tip? (24-Hour Giveaway, too!)

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by crystal on June 26, 2008

It’s Summer and that means that many of us look forward to special memory-filled vacations with our families. Our family is planning a short vacation this Summer and we’ve been saving a little bit each month for the past six months in order to fund it. By the time August is here, we should have plenty saved up to be able to enjoy a simple and fun few days at a lake in Arkansas. We’re so excited about it!

Do you take a trip or two in the Summer? If so, what are your best money-saving vacation tips or great ideas for an inexpensive family vacation?

Leave a comment by Friday evening with your idea or suggestion and just for fun, you’ll be entered to win one of two $25 gift certificates from Hanes for Kids! (Winners will be posted late Friday evening.)

By the way, did you know that Hanes for Kids has teamed up with Disney World and they will be giving away entire vacation packages to seven families this Summer? Every time you purchase a Hanes® product, you could be one of seven winners of a Walt Disney World®
vacation. And you don’t even need to buy Hanes products to enter to win! You can go to official rules to see how you can get a free code. It’s your chance to experience The Year of a Million Dreams in Hanes comfort!

{ 226 comments }

Printable coupon round-up

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by crystal on June 26, 2008

Get an Auntie Ann’s pretzel coupon here. (It wouldn’t print for me, so I’m not sure what the coupon is but I’m posting it hoping that some of you are able to get it to print!)

Get a free Lip Favorite or Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel with any purchase at Bath and Body Works using this coupon. (Thanks, Terri!)

Get 20% off any Motorola purchases at Best Buy with this coupon.

Join the Glad email list and get $1 off any Gladware. (Thanks, Brittany!)

{ 8 comments }

Writing to companies = Free stuff and coupons!

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by crystal on June 26, 2008

I often receive emails from people thanking me for all the money I’ve helped them save. While I’m so glad to be helping save you money, I have to tell you that this blogging thing is a two-way street: I’ve saved so much more money myself since I started blogging on saving money.

Case in point: a number of you have mentioned writing to companies when you have a problem with a product. Honestly, the thought would have never crossed my mind to do so but with your encouragement I tried it twice in the last two weeks.

And guess what? Both times I scored free coupons.

First I wrote to Pampers because I recently bought a package of diapers that was cut funny and the tabs kept pulling off. We are almost exclusively a Pampers family and I have purchased who-knows-how-many diapers from them in the last four years I’ve been diapering babies, so I knew that this was not typical.

I shot off a simple emailing explaining what had happened, telling them how much we like Pampers, and asking if there was anyway they could send me some product coupons. In less than a week, I’d received an email back and a letter with two $5/1 Pampers coupons. Thank you, Pampers!

Armed with this success, I wrote to Lipton tea as I’d bought a box of tea a month ago which had mostly-defunct tea bags in it. When I’d pour the boiling water over the tea bags, they would explode and I’d have to throw out the now-tea-leaf-filled tea and try again.

Once again, I explained the situation, expressed my appreciation for their products (which I usually enjoy), and requested a coupon for a free product to replace the box of tea bags I was unable to use.
I promptly received both an email and a letter containing not only a coupon for a free box of tea, but a sheet of high-dollar coupons for other UniLever brands. Talk about going above and beyond the call of duty–I’m impressed!

So folks, it never hurts to write and ask. Don’t complain and don’t take advantage of companies, but if you sincerely encounter a problem with a product, drop the company a line. Your few minutes of effort might pay off with free stuff and great coupons!

{ 81 comments }

Au Bon Pain: Free Iced Coffee (after 2 p.m.–Thursday only!)

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by crystal on June 26, 2008

Au Bon Pain stores are offering free medium iced coffees after 2 p.m. today (June 26, 2008) only. Limit one per person.

As always, call your store ahead of time to make sure they are participating.

Thanks, Wendy!

{ 1 comment }

Walgreens: Dixie plates for $0.40 each!

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by crystal on June 26, 2008

Rachel wrote:

I bought the Dixie Ultra plates that are on sale
with the in-ad Walgreens coupon B1G1 for $3.79. A coupon printed for $3
off the purchase of 2 Dixie Ultra products. I went back and bought two
more B1G1 for $3.79 minus the $3 coupon and got them for $0.79+tax. I,
again, got another coupon and went back and did the same deal 4 more times,
getting the same printed coupon every time.

What a great way to
stock up for the 4^th of July. Ended up with 12 packs of 24 Dixie Ultra plates worth $45.48
(at full retail) for $7.74 out of pocket!

It is being reported that the Dixie Blue and White Ultra plates 22 count and bowls 28 count are the items working for this deal. Let us know if find any other kind that is working, too.

Here’s the deal breakdown:
Buy 2 Dixie Ultra plates or bowls on sale for $3.79
Use in-ad B1G1 coupon to get one free
Spend $3.79 out of pocket
Get a coupon for $3 off the purchase of 2 Dixie Ultra products

Repeat the above deal using the $3/2 coupon in conjunction with the B1G1 store coupon and get two packages of plates for $0.40 each! Repeat as many times as you’d like until you are well stocked up on plates!

Another deal Kim wrote about:

I wanted to let you know that the Planters trail mix that is $0.99 per
bag with the in-ad coupon from this also spitting out a $1
RR when you buy three. I have been buying 3 at a time (thats the coupon limit) and it has
given me a RR for $1 each time.

Also, there’s a $5/$20 coupon here for Friday only. Once again, this coupon can only be used for an after-coupon total of $20 or more. But for those who may be purchasing that much or be able to come up with a worthwhile plan, I thought I’d mention it. Let us know if you figure out any great deal ideas!

See all Walgreens deals for this week here.

{ 23 comments }

Toys R Us: Free Thomas Wooden Engine and more freebies!

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by crystal on June 26, 2008

The free Thomas train coupon from Toys R Us is available again. Click here to print it. (Make
sure your printer is ready because you can only open the coupon link
once.) (Thanks, Wendy!)

More Freebies:

Free subscription to RemedyLife magazine (Supposedly you can also sign up here to get free samples from RemedyLife–I have yet to get any though.)

Free subscription to Lego magazine (Thanks, Denise!)

Free sample of ShapeWorks weight loss supplement

The Pull up sample is also available again

Free subscription to Living the Country Life magazine (Thanks, Samantha!)

And for those of you interested in creating a baby registry at One Step Ahead, you can get a free subscription to Family Fun, WonderTime, or Cookie magazine. Val wrote:

Go here and create a registry. When you add the first item to your registry a popup will
ask you which magazine you’d like to subscribe to for free: Family
Fun, Wondertime, or Cookie. Click your choice and another window will
come up telling you to expect your mag in 4-8 weeks!