Rite Aid Deals!

Remember...I'm on a budget. Pretty tight to my budget from a month ago...now we are a single income family and, that income? It's mine. The little paycheck. The one that used to be used for "fun" stuff. We are managing. We are enjoying eachother. We are eating a ton of Otter Pops (Hey! It's been over 100 degrees here for two weeks!!) and drinking lots of Kool-Aid. We are "going back to basics", which, honestly, this little family really needed.

Really, I came to show you the deal I got at Rite Aid yesterday! Not one of those perfect deals that you see on Money Saving Mom or Deal Seeking Mom, but still, a good deal.

You see?

Out of Pocket I paid $10.36 for all this stuff! Can you believe it? I love Rite-Aid. They are a little bit pricier than some of the other stores out there...but, if you find some great coupons, you can really take advantage of the deals they are offering. The 2 deodorants? I had 2 coupons for $2.00 off for them (regular $9.49). (Hey, remember I said it's been over 100 degrees here, I need some heavy duty protection!!) And the razor? $9.99, minus $2.00 with another coupon I got from the paper. But, here's the kicker: Rite Aid offers REBATES! Yup, every month they put out a little catalog with deals for rebates. Some of them last all month, some only last a week. But, if you get the catalog and match up their rebates and sales with your coupons, *magic* can happen. This week they are offering a $5.00 rebate for the Venus razor (limit 1), and a $5.00 rebate for Dove Clinical deodorant (limit 2). So, in two weeks I will get a check for $15.00!

Not too bad, huh.

*Life* Update & Printable Coupons

*Update* My life has changed. We are officially a one-income family. The unfortunate part is that it was unplanned, and it is the smaller income that we are going to be living off of. I have reviewed our budget, canceled a few things, limited expenses, and we will be selling things off. The job search has begun and we are exploring a few options that may be available to us.

So, you may be seeing a lot more posts about coupons and freebies. I hope that we all benefit from this change in my life.

So, without further delay - the First Coupon: $1.00 off Hostess Donettes! I love these things and now that summer is here, they will fit in perfect to that certain little girl's lunch box who needs to be transported to and from art camp during the next month.

Second: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - Buy 3 get 1 Free! At Wal-Mart they have these for $0.50 - so you can get 4 for $1.50, try and print 2 for 8 boxes at $3.00.

Remember - these coupons are available to everyone that has a computer and a printer. Some coupon links have a Help link towards the bottom. If you click on this tab, there may be an option to also have the coupon mailed to you. If you are interested in a coupon, you need to act quickly. There are many people who are also looking to save money and with the media giving away our formerly secret links to hot deals and coupons, I am sure these things won't last long.

The Today Show - This Morning

Good morning. For some reason I had to get up and turn the t.v. on this morning. The Today show was on with a title of "Frugal Fun". I try to pay attention to certain things television shows talk about, to see if there are any new ideas out there that I might follow. But most of the time, I am very disappointed. This morning was no different.

Three women (two guests and the co-host) were discussing how to be "frugal". They chatted up the idea that if you buy regular Starbucks every morning, you could save more money if you bought Dunkin' Donuts. THAT'S YOUR ADVICE?? Or this one: Buy Generic - Not Name Brand. ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!

Here are my ideas: Make Your Own Coffee!! A large container of ground coffee can be bought for about $9.00 - and you can find coupons for $0.55 off certain brands of coffee. Then, buy a pound of sugar...right now there are tons of coupons for sugar due to the holidays. Or better yet, buy it in bulk and pour it in gallon zipper bags. Buy creamer on sale. Sunday papers almost always have coupons for it - usually $1.00 off. So there...that's more than a month's worth of coffee for less than $20!!

And obviously I believe in coupons. Almost every time I go shopping, I save at least $20.00 in coupons alone - this does not count my store discount cards and the sales that they offer.

I don't live frugally. I'm trying to spend my money smarter. I try to get things while they are on sale. I'm not using my credit cards and am still active in my debt snowball. I scour the internet for rebates. I do put away the money that I would have normally used elsewhere...and I watch it grow. I save my pocket change and use that to buy something "unnecessary" - a new lipstick or lunch out with the girls. Right now with the holidays coming, I'm trying to stick with my "cash is king" beliefs and buy only what I can actually afford. It's going to be a different Christmas for the family this year, but it will be less stressful, less damaging.

My biggest goal with my new (can I say that? It's been more than 8 months...) lifestyle is that my children will learn the importance of spending money wisely, of living debt-free. They have had to give up a lot of things, and I'm pretty sure they hate "the budget". But, I have tried to bring them into my activities...somebody holds the coupons...somebody helps write the grocery list...somebody keeps track of the spending and the saving. We cook together, we plan how long it will take to save to get that one thing somebody just has to have. We play games together, we play with the toys that we already have...we do things together.

If they get nothing else out of Mama's struggle to bring the family to debt freedom, I hope they remember all of the times we spent together as a family...and carry that with them to whatever families they go off to create.

Coupons by Mail

Hey...it's time to check your Couponizer and see if you have enough coupons in your stash. I found some links to order some nice ones that will put a dent in my store bill - hopefully you find them useful, too.

Triaminic - $2.0ff - just go to the bottom of the page, click on "Help" and have the coupon mailed to you. It won't work if you try to print the coupon...and sometimes the Coupon Brick won't work...it's easier this way.

Children's Tylenol - $1.00 off - same thing - go click on "Help" and have it mailed.

Aveeno - $2.0ff any product - uh, it's getting repetitive...

Tide To Go - $1.00 off - I love this stuff...

That's enough for now...I still have to get up in the morning!

All You

I must tell you about my latest new find. All You. It's a magazine sold at Wal*Mart. It's great! It has tons of coupons, recipes, cheap ways to organize, beautify, dress and eat. I love it. It's a lot of everything.


This month's issue is packed with coupons like Dove Cream Oil Body Lotion, Total Cinnamon Crunch, Halls, Cottonelle Toilet Paper, a ton of deals. It also has recipes for the holidays: gingerbread, baked sweet potatoes, and cranberry coolers are just a few. And there is a great article on the importance of self-checks and mammograms, how to install a dimmer switch, and how to create your own holiday crafts.

I like this magazine for a few reasons: (1) it's cheap - $1.99 an issue; it has everything I could ask for (recipes, health and beauty, some stuff for the house, some stuff for my kids); and three - it incorporates realty. Sure, while some of my magazines rave about that $300 name brand purse and those $500 shoes that are soooooooo this season, and I must admit, they are all utterly perfect and cute and I would absolutely love to feel calfskin leather against my calves, or geez, even over my shoulder, I'm a mama on a budget and the only thing I'm feeling on my legs is my gym socks protecting my legs from the chaffing of the pleather my boots are sure to give. Ahhhh...such is life.

But really, there are reviews on what the best eye makeup at the dollar store is, where the best REALISTIC bargains are...and easy recipes for those of YOU who aren't Martha Stewart or Betty Crocker - me, on the other hand, yo soy Betty la Cocinera!

So go, get it at Wal*Mart, or better yet, order it through one of the magazine offers through MyPoints and build up your stash of gift cards - the season of giving is only a few weeks a way and those of us on a budget know best that planning for the future is the best way to stretch your dollars!

Swiffer Coupon Booklet

Hey - here is a link to request a booklet of coupons for Swiffer products for a total of $27.00!! It says it takes six to eight weeks, so be patient.

Rebates

So, I've been pretty busy with life in general these past few weeks. But I have also been trying to figure out how my rebates work.

I obviously figured out Walgreens. It takes a few weeks, but you eventually get your gift card in the mail and you can always put that back to good use. This past month, I submitted for an $18.00 rebate from Walgreens. I bought the Pledge, that came with a duster, plus I used my BOGO coupon and got free Pledge Multi-purpose wipes (a $4.99 value), and I purchased Windex (and used my $.75 coupon) so that is a $2.00 rebate right there. And of course I bought the AirWick Ultra and Mini, which were on sale at $9.99 each. I used my $4.00 printable coupons which brought the price down to $5.99 each. And then I claimed my $3.00 rebate, each, and so I ended up getting them both at $2.99. Not too bad. I also bought DH the Dr. Scholl's inserts (x2) and $14.99 each, and of course I claimed my $10.00 rebate. I know, still expensive. But he wanted them for his work boots and when are you going to find a deal like that? Oh, I also bought my last Zyrtec (45 count) at $26.99, so now I can mail off that $10.00 rebate. (Which reminds me, I'm still waiting for my Clear Eyes rebate...that was $9.99. I will let you know when I get it.)

This month I also tried out the Rite-Aid Rebates. I bought the Venus Embrace Razor (-$2.00 coupon - $5.00 rebate = $4.99), the refills at $13.99 (-$2.00 coupon = 11.99), Crest Premium white Strips at $27.99 (already on sale from $34.99 - $5.00 coupon - $10.00 rebate = $12.99), and two Oral B Cross Action Power toothbrushes on sale at $5.99 each (- BOGO coupon -$4.00 rebate = $1.99), for a total of a $19.00 rebate. I basically went in, picked up $73.55 (with tax) worth of stuff, used my coupons and paid $57.89, and will still get back $19.00. Not too bad. Oh, Rite Aid Rebates come as a check, they don't offer gift cards, and they don't deduct for mailing. Plus, their site says you will get a check within two to three weeks.

I don't think I did too bad. Still working out some of my flaws but I'm getting better! How are YOU doing?

Time Passed and A New Toy to Play With

I know it's been a couple of days. I took DD up north to a half-way mark to meet with my mom and brother - she is spending two weeks with her grandma and it was an emotion trap the week before she left.

I have never been a day without my kids. Sure, I work, and they have been in daycare since they were six weeks old, but still, never have I ever missed a night. And my daughter is my best friend. We talk about everything and share everything, and of course, I am always so proud of her.

So to have her gone, is horrible. I miss her terribly. I try to call her every couple of hours but I cannot wait to hold her in my arms again.

For compensation, my mother did buy me a new toy, to keep me busy while she enjoys my daughter. What is it? Something I found while searching one of my favorite blogs: The Couponizer!!!

It's such a great idea!! Basically, it's a coupon organizer. It's a great little binded pocket book that has pockets for my coupons, shopping lists, receipts, rebates, etc. It's so much fun! My coupons have been sitting in a shoe box and I was organizing them as I needed them, adding them into a little pocket organizer I bought in a $.99 bin - but it didn't hold much and I was constantly leaving coupons at home.

So, I got the Couponizer, the CoupStacker (a labeled mat for easy organization of my million coupons), 2 sets of coupon lists (to track my savings), 2 sets of shopping lists, a clear vinyl carrying case, a pair of scissors, a coupon instruction book, and a vinyl carrying bag with handles. I don't necessarily find it as comforting as my DD, it surely does not smell like her - strawberry with a hint of mint from her toothpaste. But, it did keep me busy for about two hours and DS had fun putting the coupons on the CouponStacker.

Check it out!! Hopefully you find it as enjoyable as I do.

Zyrtec Deal!!

My whole family suffers from allergies. DD not so much but she does have her days where she will sneeze and suffers from a runny nose. DH is the worst, then DS, who also suffers from asthma (although it has been completely controlled lately - fingers crossed!!).

Anyway, we should buy stock in allergy medication and tissues. We go through it a lot. So, during my evening touring of a few of my favorite sites, I found a link to a $2.00 coupon, which allowed me to print out two coupons ($4.00 in savings!!) plus this link for a $10.00 rebate when you buy two 45 count packages of Zyrtec. So now that's $14.00 in savings. I checked around a couple of different stores and have found that Target offers the 45 count bottle at $25.79. It's one of the better deals out there.

Hopefully this helps out with the runny noses and sneezing fits out there!!

Walgreens Deals

Okay, so I've mentioned Walgreens a few times, so now I'm going to try to break you into the deals you can get, just like I'm learning.

Today I headed to Walgreens and picked up a couple of their EasySaver catalogs and a few more weekly inserts. Also, thanks to MoneySavingMom and the people that contribute, I picked up the Walgreens Children's Activity Book for $0.99 (I actually picked up two).

The Activity Book is packed with coupons for the kids - $1.00 off Crayola Color Explosion or Color Wonder, $1.00 off character Band-Aids, $1.00 of Johnson & Johnson baby products, $1.00 off Flintstones Vitamins, and a ton more.

Now, for the deals that I'm going for! In the EasySaver Catalog they are offering a $3.00 rebate for the purchase of any Airwick Fresmatic Ultra Automatic Spray (regular or mini) or the Neutra Air FreshMatic Kit. You can buy up to four of these items for a total of a $12.00 rebate. I plan on buying the Airwick Freshmatic Ultra - both the regular sized and mini. The mini sells for $9.99 and the regular sells for $11.99. So right there, I'm going to be getting back $6.00. Now, the Bargain: remember that website I showed you where I printed a bunch of coupons for the home? Go Here for a refresher. There you can print off coupons for $4.00 off the Mini and the Regular sized Airwick Freshmatic Ultra. That right there is $8.00 in automatic savings, plus, don't forget the $6.00 in rebates (and the 10% added in if you request the gift card which totals $6.60!!). So now I will be getting the Mini for $2.99 and the Regular for $4.99. Smells great to me!! Plus, there is also a deal for a $2.00 rebate on the Veet Bladeless Razor System (only one available!!). So, I priced that at $8.49. And now you are getting $2.00 back, so really it's $6.49. Plus, that website you just checked out for the AirWick is offering a $2.00 coupon for any Veet product. So now you are paying $4.49! And, your rebates just grew. I have a couple more floating through my mind, just deciding if I want to go for it or not. Like the Spray'n Wash Laundry Stain Remover with Resolve. Right now it's normally $3.79 for one but they have a deal this week for two for $5.00. Plus, the Catalog is giving a $2.00 rebate for the purchase of one. So, even though you are buying two for $5.00, you still get the $2.00 rebate so it's now two for $3.00 (Rebate plus 10%) and I printed off a coupon for $0.75 from the Home Solutions website, so guess what?!?! That's two for $2.25!! And if I get lucky, the coupon will end up applying to both items and I will save more, but let's not forget Murphy and just move on with what I have.

Hopefully you find something useful for you, too. I love getting deals!!

Love Your Coupons - And Use Them!!

Being on a budget can suck. Not having money for something that you want, not being able to pick up that movie you've been wanting to watch for months, the dusty wardrobe. Yeah, sometimes it is no fun at all. But, I'm trying to be optimistic. And I've learned that a smart person on a budget can completely KICK BUTT!!!

I've learned a lot in the last couple of months. Specifically: ALWAYS LOOK FOR A BETTER DEAL. So, I always check and compare prices online before I go out.

I also scan all my coupons and check to see if something I want has a coupon available or a rebate.

For example: last weekend, I saved over $30.00 in coupons and rebates!! It was great. Most of my savings was at Walgreens, which I am starting to get the hang of, the next good savings was Target (I used coupons on items which also provided me with a $5.00 gift card), and the rest was on groceries. I couldn't believe it after I got home and did the math. And DH - he just sat there and stared at the receipts for like ten minutes.

I used to think that couponing was too time consuming, hard, and a waste of money. But guess what?!?!?! I was completely wrong. Being on a budget has all of a sudden opened up a lot of time for me to search, cut, compare and print. You can find coupons in your paper, in other people's papers, in coupon bins and through trains (groups that forward coupons), and even online. They are everywhere. You can even get them mailed to you directly from the manufacturer.

This evening I was looking for a specific coupon and decided to Google the item...and I found this website: http://www.powerofresolve.com/

It's pretty neat. I registered for the connecting website (http://www.homesolutionsnews.com/) and was able to print out coupons for $2.00 off any Veet product, $1.00 off 12 oz or larger of Lysol spray, $0.75 off jet dry dishwasher cleaner/rinse agent and a $4.00 off any Air Wick Freshmatic Mini Automatic Spray Starter Kit.

Last night, I was looking for some toiletries for DD (she's going away for the first time to her Nana's!!) and I found this: http://www.listerinekids.com/smart-rinse.jsp It's a link to a $1.00 off the Listerine Smart Rinse. Yay!!!

DH thinks I'm totally losing my mind because I get excited when I find coupons for something I like. Really, I think he should just hush...it's absolutely ridiculous that I do get excited about this stuff, but he should thank his lucky stars that I'm like this and not out running the credit cards into the ground.

Ahh...a few dollars saved, a few extra dollars for my debt snowball. It's a nice feeling knowing that I saved money. I hope you enjoy the feeling, too.

Have fun couponing!!