SoCal Couponer

My Points

2010-06-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

My Points is a website that, like Swagbucks, helps you earn gift cards. I signed up for this about four months ago and I already earned a $10 Shell gift card and am halfway to earning another. There are lots of ways that you can earn points. The easiest is to click on the links in the emails they send you. About 70% of the emails they send have links that say "get 5 points just for clicking". And it really is that easy; I click on the link and as soon as the new page loads I close it out. (Unless of course it is something that interests me). Other times, there is a requirement to get your points like sign up for a newsletter or purchase something. I don't do the ones with a purchase requirement but I do sign up for the newsletters. (After all I can always unsubscribe.)

As I mentioned above, some emails require purchasing something to get your points. Well, you can also shop through My Points to get more points. Just look up your store and click through their link. Depending on which store it is you will get different amounts of points for every dollar you spend. This is a quick way to really give your points a boost.

Another way to earn points is to complete the surveys they send you. What I like is that they will still give you 10 points even if you don't qualify. If you do qualify and complete the survey you will receive 50 points.

My most favorite way to earn points, however, is with coupons. You can print either Coupons.com or Smartsource coupons. For every coupon you print AND redeem from coupons.com you will get 10 points. If you print and redeem any 10 coupons from either coupons.com or smartsource you will get 25 bonus points. This is super easy for me to do every month. Whenever I need to print a coupon I log into My Points and click on the link in the right hand side (there is always a link or an ad for the printable coupons) and print away. It only takes about a week to get the points into my account.

There are a few other ways to get points but these four are probably the easiest and will also yield the most. So sign-up now with My Points and start saving up your points to get a gift card of your choice. They really do have a very large variety of different stores, gas stations, and restaurants.

Swagbucks

2010-06-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Swagbucks is a great way for you to save or make a little money. What exactly is Swagbucks you ask? It is a search engine, like Google, but it gives you points (bucks) for doing online searches. My favorite prize to claim is the $5 Amazon gift card that I can redeem for 450 swagbucks. You can also get $5 deposited into your Pay Pal account for 700 swagbucks. I have been using Swagbucks for about a year and a half and I am hooked! I bought about 80% of my children's Christmas presents last year from Amazon for FREE using gift cards that I earned through Swagbucks! I also use these to get books or curriculum for our homeschool. This has helped tremendously with our school budget.

Now, don't expect to get swagbucks with every search you do. It is occasional and the amount of swagbucks also varies but it is something that adds up and there are plenty of earning opportunities as well. Just remember to always be signed in or you will not get any credited to your account.

1) Online searching. This one is obvious and probably the most common way to get swagbucks. I always do an online search for everything. Even websites that I frequent often. For example, instead of saving Amazon to my favorites and accessing it from there, I do an online search for it and sometimes I get swagbucks for it. So even if you already have a website saved to favorites you should still do an online search for it. This will better your chances of getting swagbucks. Fridays are also a good day to search because it is Mega Swagbucks Friday. On these days you have a better chance of winning high value swagbucks.

2) Daily Polls. This will give you one extra swagbuck every day. If you look under the QUICK LINKS tab on the left side of the homepage you will see a link for DAILY POLLS. Click on it and answer the question and click on submit. Very easy.

3) Special Offers. This is another way to get a swagbuck every day. Again, look under the QUICK LINKS tab and click on SPECIAL OFFERS. Click on the link on the right side that says View Our No Obligation Special Offers. All you need to do is skip the offers and after about 7 offers you get a swagbuck. I do Special Offers and Daily Polls everyday to get more swagbucks.

4) Shopping. This is a good way to get swagbucks, especially if you are already going to purchase something online anyways. Just click on SHOP AND EARN on the left hand side of the homepage and find your store. Even iTunes is included which is really good for me ;) Make sure to click thru the link provided so that you will get your account credited the swgbucks that you earn. You get two swagbucks for every dollar you spend.

5) Trade In. This is a great way to earn swagbucks as well as get rid of junk. You can trade in old cell phones or old video games and consoles. I have used this in the past and, trust me, it is very easy to use. You can find the link for this on the left hand side of the homepage click on TRADE-IN and then click on either cell phones or video games, depending on what your trading in.
For cell phones just look up your cell phone model, answer a few questions about it, then print out the postage paid label and receipt. I love that the shipping is free. It does usually take a couple weeks for them to receive, inspect, and credit you account, but I've never had a problem with them.
For video games it's basically the same thing, look up you game or console and answer a few questions. Different games have different values but at least you clean up your shelves and get a few swagbucks too. Since my kids have iPods now their Nintendos just sit collecting dust. So I have been sending in all their old games to get more swagbucks.

6) Swag Codes. Ocassionally, Swagbucks will put out swag codes. These can be found on their blog, toolbar, Twitter, Facebook, or newsletters that they send out. Everytime you find a code you enter it into the box on the right hand side of the homepage under where it says Enter your Swag Code then click on Gimme. Your swagbuck will be credited to your account.

I cannot say enough good things about Swagbucks . I use it everyday and absolutely LOVE it. If you'd like to sign up (and I don't see why not) click here.

Electronic Coupons

2010-06-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, by now, you have all your club cards and we're ready to discuss our third point in our Road to Savings.

Step 3: Electronic Coupons

I LOVE using electronic coupons. First off, you don't need to clip them or make room in your coupon orgainzer for them. Second, you don't need to worry about forgetting to use them, they come off when you scan your club card.

So, what are electronic coupons you ask? They are manufacturer coupons which you are able to load to your club cards from various websites. You will need to register with these sites and add your club card numbers so make sure you have them handy when you are signing up. Not all stores are participating in the use of e-coupons though, so make sure you check to see if your store does or not.

Once you sign up for your accounts and register your cards you are ready to start loading your e-coupons. Just check or click on the ones you want and that's it! Very simple to use. It may be helpful if you print out a list to know which ones you have loaded onto your cards to help you out when planning your shopping trips. When the time comes for you to check out and you are purchasing the items from the ecoupons just scan your club card as usual and your savings will automatically come off. Ecoupons are good for one use only though. They are taken off your club card after use.

One good thing about using ecoupons is that you can use both an ecoupon and a paper coupon on the same item. For example let's say you are buying Betty Crocker fruit snacks that are on sale for $1.50 per box. You have a coupon for $0.50/1 box and an ecoupon for $0.50/1 box of fruit snacks. When you check out and scan your card your transaction will look like this:

Fruit Snacks = $1.50
- .50 ecoupon
- .50 manufacturer coupon
= $0.50 for the box of fruit snacks.

If you are in an area that doubles coupons (like Ralph's and Vons do) then your $0.50 MQ will double to $1.00 and you will pay nothing for the box of fruit snacks! They will be completely free!

Now here's the best part for all you Vons shoppers...when you have loaded multiples of the same coupon whether from different or the same websites ALL of them will come off. (Ralph's does not allow for multiples to come off only Vons.) I'm going to use the fruit snack example from above to explain. Let's say you were able to load a $0.50 ecoupon from Cellfire and a $0.50 ecoupon from Shortcuts onto your club card. Then your transaction would look like this:

Fruit Snacks = $1.50
- .50 Cellfire ecoupon
- .50 Shortcuts ecoupon
- $1.00 (.50 MQ doubled)
= -$0.50 overage!!

Now the store won't hand you any money so you need to make sure you have other items like a candy bar or something small to absorb the overage you are going to get. I have been able to get tons of overage because of this and have used it to pay for other groceries lowering my out-of-pocket expense.

Below are the different companies that offer ecoupons:

Cellfire : Cellfire adds new coupons every two weeks. Each coupon is good for four weeks. This allows you to get multiple of the same coupon and get extra savings. Just fill out the form and you'll be able to start your savings. Don't worry about providing your cell phone number just make sure to uncheck the box for text messages. I have never received any unwanted messages or anything like that from them.

If your an iPhone user there is an app for this under the same name. Look up Cellfire and you should find it. This makes loading coupons and knowing which ones you have loaded so much easier.

Shortcuts : Shortcuts adds new coupons every couple of weeks as well. Occasionally they will add one or two throughout the month so be sure to check back so you don't miss any good deals.

P&G eSaver : This is for P&G brand products only. Like Tide, Gillette, Pampers, etc. This is only available to Vons / Safeway affiliate stores.

Albertsons : Albertsons does not participate in Cellfire or Shortcuts ecoupons but they have their own on their website. Click on the link above, add your zip code, click on Personalized Savings, then input your club card number. These ecoupons are usually only good for a week but you can check again at the end of the week for more offers.

Ralph's : Ralph's does allow the use of Cellfire as well as Shortcuts ecoupons but you need to load P&G coupons as well as store coupons from their site. They do not allow multiples to come off. Click on the Sign in/Register link on the top right hand side under the word Welcome to register your club card.

Vons : To be able to use your ecoupons form the Vons website first you need to register on coupons.com here. Afterward you can go back to the Vons website through the link above and click on "Load to Card" you will see a link that says "Sign up Today", click on that and a small window will pop up where you will fill in your email and club card number for the password use the same one you used to register at coupons.com. Afterward you will be able to load both manufacturer coupons as well as store coupons onto your club card.

There are two apps for the iPhone for coupons.com. First, there is the Coupons.com app this allows you to load ecoupons to your card or print them out as well. If you don't have a wireless printer you can just email the coupons to yourself and print from your home computer. Second, there is the Grocery IQ app. This one allows you to make shopping lists as well as load ecoupons to your card. Note: you cannot load the Vons store ecoupons to your card with these apps that is only available on the Vons website

Tonights homework: Sign up and register your cards with all these sites and load all your ecoupons.

Savings Cards

2010-06-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

We're continuing our Road to Savings with our second stop.

Step 2 in saving money:

Sign Up For Club Cards

You should always sign up for your store's savings cards. Whether it is Vons, Ralph's, Albertsons, CVS, or wherever; if your store offers a club card, sign up for it! This step is crucial to saving money. Aside from getting special discounted prices you can also load electronic coupons to most club cards which you can use in conjunction with paper coupons to get extra savings! You can easily request a card at your store either at customer service or during checkout. Or you can sign up online at the store's website. The only problem with this is that you need to wait for the card to get sent in the mail which can take up to 3 weeks whereas requesting one in-store allows you to start saving right away.

Here are the online links to request club cards:

Vons - fill out and print application and take to the store

Albertsons - Request Online

CVS - Request Online

Ralph's - you need to request in-store.

Homework assignment: Request club cards or print applications to take with you the next time you go to the store.

Up next in our Road to Savings: Electronic Coupons!

Road to Savings

2010-06-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

I don't exactly consider myself an expert in this field. I still have plenty to learn but I do know quite a bit about couponing and I will try to explain as best as I can how to begin saving money and using coupons. This is the first of several future posts in my Road to Savings series.

Step 1 to start your savings:

Make a menu.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it really is. I plan my menu out monthly but you can certainly do it on a weekly basis as well.
Start by looking in your pantry and freezer to know what you have on hand. Plan your meals based on this information and whatever you need but don't have add it to your shopping list. This allows me to look in the weekly sales flyers for the best deals on the items I use most or will need for future meals. This also saves me money because I don't have to make pit stops at the grocery store to get any items I ran out of. Remember, the more often you go to the store the more likely you are to make impulse purchases. Not to mention you are wasting time and gas just to go there.
Even though I plan my menu I am still very flexible. Just because I planned spaghetti for dinner on Friday and Quesadillas for dinner on Tuesday doesn't mean I won't switch and make spaghetti on Tuesday and Quesadillas on Friday depending on what's easier or what I'm in the mood for. Since I already knew and purchased ahead of time the items I needed, I will have everything I need to make either meal. A menu is a very useful guide to help ease up the problem of deciding what to make for dinner every night.

So, tonight's homework: make a menu. Whether it's a weekly or monthly menu is up to you. Find out which works best for you.

Best Deal on the Nintendo Wii

2009-10-02T10:28:00.001-07:00

Amazon has a very good deal for the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo recently dropped the purchase price to $199.99 plus you can also get a $25 Amazon gift card when purchasing! (Don't forget this also qualifies for free shipping!) Gift card details

New Coupons

2009-10-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

The coupons at coupons.com have reset this month with lots of good ones. There are also some hot coupons for childrens toys that could be paired with all the upcoming holiday sales! Don't forget, you are able to print 2 per computer. You can click through the image on my sidebar or click here to start printing.

Cake Mania Free on Amazon

2009-09-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

I currently have this game on my iPhone and I absolutely LOVE it! You can download it for free at Amazon right now. Just click on the image above.

Coupon Preview 9/20

2009-09-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

There will be two coupon inserts in this sunday's paper. It will be one Red Plum and one Smart Source. To see the full preview of the upcoming coupons click here.

Target Coupon Policy

2009-09-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

Target has finally put up their coupon policy on their website. Go here to print it out and make sure to take it with you whenever you go to Target.
Thanks, Krazy Coupon Lady!

I find I always have to use my printout. Last week I purchased two Arm and Hammer trial size toothpastes at $1.07 each and when I handed the cashier the $3.00 off two coupon she refused it. I got out my coupon policy and told her she could adjust the coupon. She said she was confused because the managers had always told her to refuse coupons that had a higher value than the item. So she called her manager to confirm what I had told her. The manager seemed very upset and said it was common sense to know that the manufacturer did not intend for this coupon to be used on trial size items. I told her, as politely as I possibly could, that it was common sense to read her store's coupon policy and to make herself familiar with it. When she noticed I had gotten upset over her remark she immmediately apologized and said she would only give me the discount today but next time she wouldn't. I really don't like going to Target but unfortunately, they have some really good deals. If only they would update their employess on their policies!
Anyways, I hope this will help us on our trips to Target.

Henry's Deals 9/9 - 9/16

2009-09-11T09:26:00.001-07:00

Don’t forget that if you shop on Wednesdays at Henry’s you get the sale prices of both this and last week’s circular.

Produce:

Green and Red Romaine Lettuce 2/$1

Yellow Peaches $0.88/lb

Strawberries 1lb package $0.88 each

Broccoli Crowns 2lbs/$1.00

Bartlett or Bosc Pears 2lbs/$1.00

Hass Avocados 2/$1.00

Roma Tomatoes $0.88/lb

Organic Produce:

Hass Avocados $0.97 each

Gala Apples $0.97/lb

Bartlett Pears $0.97/lb

Yellow Peaches $0.97/lb

Carrots 5lb bag 2/$5.00

Grocery:

Cascadian Farms Organic Frozen Vegetables 2/$5.00 use $1.00 here

Annie’s Homegrown Organic Mac & Cheese 3/$5.00

Horizon Organic Lowfat/Fat-Free Yogurt 6oz. $0.75/each

Meat & Deli:

Natural Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs $0.79/lb

Natural Boneless Rib Eye Steak $5.99/lb

Wild Fresh Coho Salmon Fillets $5.99/lb

Mild cheddar cheese $1.99/lb

Buying in Bulk:

Pinto Beans $0.89/lb

Long Grain Brown Rice $0.69/lb

Free Lesson Planner

2009-09-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

This may come a little late since most of us homeschoolers have already planned out our next school year but just in case, Knowledge Quest Maps is offering a free lesson planner. Click here to be taken to the link.

Vons 9/9 - 9/15

2009-09-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here are the best deals and coupon matches for this week. Thanks to Abundant Food Savings for her help in compiling these.

72 HOUR SALE Friday - Sunday

•Mission Tortilla Chips .99 cents

•Bumble Bee Tuna - .88 cents get $1 off 2 when you friend them on Facebook HERE = .38 cents each

•DiGiorno frozen pizza $3.99 use $1 off from 8/23 Smart Source = $2.99

•Starbucks Coffee $5.99

•Rice or Pasta Roni .89 cents

•Safeway Brand cheese singles .99 cents

•Safeway hamburger buns .99 cents - which is just silly because there is a Super coupon for these for .79 cents

SUPER COUPONS See each coupon for limits

•Hormel Lunch meat $1.99 use .55 cents off one HERE = $1.44

•Johnsonville brats or Italian Sausage $2.99

•Tyson Breaded selections chicken $3.99 use $1 off from 8/2 Smart Source = $2.99

•Safeway frozen boneless skinless chicken breast $1.69 per Lb ( 4 lb pack ) use $1 off HERE = $1.45 per lb

•Post Honey Bunches of Oats 4 for $6 - must buy 4 for that price use $2 off HERE - for Pecan bunches if you can find it

•Palmolive dish soap $1.99 use $1 off one HERE = .99 cents -- use zip code 85712 if you don't see it

•Chef Boy Ardee canned pasta .79 cents use .35 cents off 3 from 8/2 Smart Source = .67 cents each

•Bertolli Olive Oil $4.99

•Hefty Trash bags $3.99 use $1 off 2 from 8/30 Red Plum = $3.49 each

•Nabisco Saltine crackers $1.29 - use $1 off any 2 Nabisco cookie / crackers from 8/23 Smart Source or Back To School booklets = .79 cents each

•Tina's Potato chips $1.49

•Quaker Instant Oatmeal $1.77 use $1.25 off 2 from 8/30 Red Plum = $1.02 each

•Pepsi select products $3 off 3

•Coffeemate $1.99 use $1 off HERE = .99 cents

•Lucerne 18 count eggs $1.49

•Alpine Lace Cheese $1.99 use $1 off one HERE = .99 cents

•Eating Right mini peeled carrots .99 cents

•Lucerne ice cream 1/2 gallon $1.99

BEST BUYS / COUPON MATCHES

•Healthy Choice Frozen dinners $1.99 each when you buy 5 - use $2 off HERE = FREE (note stores may refuse an Internet coupon that is more that 1/2 the item value so this is variable ) get $1 off 2 HERE = $1.49 each

•Country pork ribs .99 cents per lb.

•Safeway chicken value pack thighs, quarters, drumsticks .99 cents per lb.

•Yoplait yogurt cups .50 cents each must buy 10 for that price use .50 cents off six HERE or buy 6 get one free from 8/9 Smart Source

•Progresso soup $1.88 use $1.10 off 3 HERE or HERE = $1.51 each

Smarty Pants $23.32 Moneymaker!!

2009-09-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

Wowy, wow! This is a really good deal! Fry's Electronics store has the Smarty Pants Wii game on sale for $1.68. Besides that being an excellent price for a Wii game, Amazon has this listed as the trade in deal of the day for $25.00. Meaning you pay the $1.68 (plus tax) at Fry's then trade it in for a $25 Amazon gift card making this a $23.32 moneymaker!!!
But you need to do this today because the amazon gift card is good for today only. You can order the game online but you have to pick it up in store. There are nine locations here in sunny socal and I know there are also several locations in Northern California. But I'm not sure if there are any out of state. To find a location near you click here . After you have purchased this go here to Amazon to trade it in.

Thanks, The Thrifty Mama!

Printable Coupon Round Up

2009-09-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

There are some great printable coupons available. Click on the link you like and remember to hit your back button twice to print out two coupons!

$2.00 off 2 Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs

$2.00 off Healthy Choice Frozen Meals
$2.00 off Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers

$1.00 off True North Nuts. These will be $3.00 at Walgreens next week with a $3.00 RR. Is you use this coupon you will get $1.00 overage.

Free Amazon MP3 Download!

2009-09-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

Amazon is celebrating having over 1 million followers on their Twitter feed so they are giving everyone a free MP3 download (up to $1.29) until September 6, 2009 11:59 PM PDT! Go on over here to get your free song.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Free Domino's Pizza

2009-09-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

Domino's Pizza is offering 99 $25 coupons to those who can prove they'll turn 9 or 99 on Sept. 9.

All you have to do to claim your gift card is e-mail your name, proof of birth date (copy of driver's license or birth certificate), home address and phone number to pr@dominos.com. The contest runs through Sept. 30 at 11:59 p.m. or until all the prizes are gone.

"We won't see this date for another hundred years," Jenny Fouracre, a Domino's spokeswoman, said. "So in honor of this unusual day on the calendar, we thought it would be fun to provide the birthday cake, our newest dessert menu item, to those turning 9 or 99."

Swagbucks Toolbar

2009-09-02T12:59:00.001-07:00

Swagbucks released a new toolbar which will help you get swagbucks even faster than before. Plus, you will also receive a new swagcode every day of September. Giving you 30 free swagbucks! Taht's only 15 away from the 45 needed to get a $5 Amazon gift card. Or if you prefer you can also choose $5 to be deposited in your Pay Pal account for 75 swagbucks.
If you've never heard of Swagbucks , it is an excellent search engine that gives you points for the searches you do on the internet. I average about 3 swagbucks daily and there are sveral good prizes to choose from. I have purchased several things for free from Amazon using the gift cards I have earned. Click the link here to sign up.

Last Day to Print Coupons

2009-08-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that today is the last day of the month so you should print out any coupons you liked from Coupons.com. Every month they restock their coupons. Some coupons will just disappear while others are reset and allow you to print two more.

There are several good ones including a new one for $0.55 off of Wonder Bread. Hopefully, this will be on sale (and soon, this expires 9/15/09) at Vons or Ralph's since they both double coupons!

15% off at Walgreens Today Only!

2009-08-31T10:40:00.001-07:00

There is a new Walgreens 15% off coupon valid today only. You can use this to further sweeten the deals this week. Click here for coupon. You must use this at the Photo or Cosmetics counter and present it at the START of your transaction (it's an employee discount so they need a special code) .

You may still use coupons and can purchase register reward items so with all the free after rebate deals you have lots of profit potential.

Restricted items - liquor, dairy, gift cards, cigarettes, stamps, newspapers, prescriptions and phone cards. Limit one card per person per purchase - no mention of one per day. Thanks, Abundant Food Savings!

Also, if any of you received a $3.00 off of a $15 purchase catalina when you filled a prescription there, do remember that they expire today as well. Combine both of these and you have the makings for some great savings!

Walgreens Deals 8/30 - 9/5

2009-08-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

Here are the best of Walgreens deals, with a special thanks to Common Sense with Money for her help with them.

Weekly Deals

Coffee Mate Liquid 16oz 2/$3
-$1/1 printable HERE
=$0.50 each after coupon!

Dial Hand Soap 2/$3 after in-ad coupon
-$0.55/1 printable HERE
=$0.95 each after coupon!

Secret Deodorant $1.99 after in-ad coupon
-$2/1 coupon from $62 in Savings Kmart Coupon booklet
=FREE after coupons! (hand manufacturer coupon first to avoid beeps)

Campbells Soup $0.69 after in ad coupon
-$1/2 printable http://promotion.familytime.com/cscc/default.asp
=$0.38 for two after coupons!

Velveeta Cups $0.89 each after in ad coupon (reg price $1.39 each)
- BOGO coupon from 8/9 SS insert
=$0.39 for two after coupon (hand manufacturer coupon first to get this price)

Nursery water 2/$2 after in-ad coupon
-$1/2 printable HERE
=$1 for two gallons after coupons!

Register Rewards (RR) Deals

Colgate 360 Actiflex Toothbrush $2.99, Earn a $2.99 RR when you buy one
- $0.40/1 coupon from 8/30 SS insert
=FREE plus up to $0.40 in overage after coupon and RR!

Breath Right Nasal Strips 10ct $4.99, Earn a $4 RR when you buy one
= .99 after RR!

Rembrandt Toothpaste $5, Earn a $5 RR when you buy one
-$1/1 whitening product coupon from 8/2 SS inserts (toothpaste is labeled as whitening product) =FREE plus $1 in overage after coupon and RR!

Carefree ultra protection pantiliners $1.99, Earn a $1.99 RR when you buy one
-$1/1 printable HERE
=FREE plus $1 in overage after coupon and RR!

Reach Total Care Toothbrush or Floss $2.99, Earn a $2 RR when you buy one
- $1/1 coupon from 6/14 SS insert
=FREE after coupon and RR!

Men’s Zone Razor Blade System $3.99, Earn a $3.99 RR when you buy one
=FREE after RR!

Theraflu Cold, Cough or Sinus Relief $4.99, Earn a $3 RR when you buy one
-$2/1 printable HERE
- $2.00 Q found in Walgreens Healthy Savings Booklet
=FREE + $2.00 overage after coupons and RR!

Glade Fragrance Collection Candles (2 oz.) at $2 each, Get a $1 Register Reward WYB 2
Use 2 Free candle coupons from the 8/09 inserts
Free plus overage after coupons and Register Reward! (Thanks, Money Saving Mom!)

Kohl's: Flip Flops As Low As $1.12!

2009-08-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

There are super cute flip-flops on sale right now at Kohl's! The prices range from $1.12 - $2.24 with $0.99 shipping per item. Use code NEW1370 to get an additional 10% off! If you happen to have a Kohl's card you can use code AUGUST15 for 15% off and code MVC4661 for free shipping!

Thanks, Hip2Save!

Vons Week 8/26 - 9/1

2009-08-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

Vons has some excellent prices on cereal this week!
They are currently running a Buy 5 Save $5 promo on select cereals and you can get several boxes of cereal for $1.00 or less!
Check out Abundant Food Savings coupon match-ups for getting the most bang for your buck! To see a complete list of participating products which include cereal, oatmeal, and certain granola bars visit the Vons online shopping site here.

Other good deals I see in the ad are:

Safeway Enriched Bread - $0.99 (This is my target price for bread)

Doritos Tortilla Chips - $1.99

SoBe water - $0.99 use the BOGOF printable here Final price = 2/$1.00!

Angel Soft Bath Tissue 4 pk. and Sparkle Paper Towels single roll are both $0.99 each. If you use the $2.00 off purchase of both (printable no longer available) then you can get both for free!

Super Coupons:

Cheez-it Crackers - $1.49 limit 3 use $0.75 printable (available on my Coupons sidebar) = $0.75 each!

Anthony's Pasta limit 6 - $0.69 each

Bounce Dryer Bar - $3.99 use $2.50 coupon from Vocal Point mailer and $1.00 e-coupon from P&G = $0.49 each! If you only have the $1.00 P&G coupon you will pay $1.99 which is still pretty good considering you get 4 months of use from one bar.

Worth Mentioning: There is also a coupon for a $30.00 Vons gift card if you bring in a transeferred prescription.

Henry's Week 8/26-9/2

2009-08-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

Henry's has some pretty good deals on produce this week. Honestly, Henry's is the only place I will buy produce because they have the best prices and it is very good quality. Remember to bring along any reusable shopping bags with you because they give you a $0.05 credit for each one! Also, Wednesday is probably the best time to go because they honor both this week's ad prices as well as the prior week's ad.

Here are the best prices I see in this weeks ad:

Avocados - $0.49 each

Roma Tomatoes - $0.49/lb

Green Bell Peppers - 3/$1.00

Minneola Tangelos - $0.88/lb

Bunched Celery - 3/$1.00

Yellow White Nectarines - $0.88/lb

Organic Produce:

Broccoli - $0.97/lb

Pink Lady Apples - $0.97/lb

Valencia Oranges - $0.77/lb

Yellow Peaches - $0.97/lb

Other Deals Worth Mentioning:

Brown Cow Whole Milk Yogurt 6oz. - $0.69 each

Organic Valley Lowfat Milk Singles 8 0z. - $0.89 each

Menu Plan Monday

2009-08-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by saying that menu planning is something I have only been doing for the past 5 months and I have discovered that it is something absolutely essential to saving money. I started off by only doing a weekly menu but now I do a monthly menu. I sit down at the end of each month and take inventory of the things I have and don't have. For the most part I try to use things I already have on hand and those meals I make at the beginning of the month, giving me plenty of time to look for sales on the items I will be using on my end of the month meals.
Another thing that made my life easier was making the same thing for lunch during the weekdays. I have four children and I try to spend some quality time with each of them but it can be a bit difficult with all the other things that are on my to do list, so I assigned each of them a day. (Mondays go to my son, Tuesdays go to daughter #1, Wednesdays are for daughter #2, and Thursdays are for daughter #3, Fridays are mom & dad's day, and the weekends are family days.) I asked each of my children what their favorite meals were and that is what I make for lunch on their day. They also help me prepare the meal.
This is what this weeks menu looks like:

Lunch:
Mon.- Quesadillas, rice, beans
Tues.- Macaroni (homemade), salad
Wed.- Fish, noodles, veggies
Thurs.- Peanut butter sandwiches, fruit
Fri.- Pancakes
Sat./Sun.-Leftovers

Dinner:
Mon.- Rotisserie chicken, corn, mashed potatoes
Tues.- Quiche, fruit
Wed.- Spaghetti, salad
Thurs.- Chili, dinner rolls
Fri.- Pizza night
Sat.- Enchiladas, rice, beans
Sun.- Chile verde, rice, beans

To get inspired and read other menus check out I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday page here.

Introduction

2009-08-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Since this is my first post, it only makes sense to begin with an introduction. My name is Eva and I live in the southern California area. I have been married to my best friend for the past ten years and we have four beautiful children together, all of whom I am currently homeschooling.
As you can tell by the name of this blog, I am a couponer. I started hardcore couponing about a year ago and I am hooked! I had previously used coupons and shopped sales on occasion but had never taken it to the next level, which I do now. I used to spend an average of $120 a week on groceries. But since I started couponing I now spend and average of $75! Not only did I lower my weekly budget by nearly half but I realized that I was buying twice the amount of groceries for less!
The purpose of this blog is to let you all in on the great deals I snag or other deals I find on the internet. The stores I will be focusing on are Vons, Ralph's, Albertsons, Walgreens, and Henry's. Since I'm also a homeschooler I will be posting about good deals I find at Border's and Barnes and Noble bookstores as well, plus other frugal homeschooling ideas.
Please join me as I continue my frugal journey and learn to make the most of the resources which God has so graciously given to me.