FREE Sample : Ball Canning Pectin

Click HERE to request a FREE sample of Ball Canning Pectin.  Just use the code "canning friend" to make it free.  Perfect for all the jams that I plan to make this time of year! 

Slow Couponing Month

So you might have noticed a lack of couponing photos and details.  And that's because I've slacked majorly.  I've been super busy and just not in the mood.  And I've also not needed really anything that comes from a drug store.  I am stocked up so well on stuff like that right now that I don't have space to buy more.  Which is a good thing.

But I need to get my booty in gear next week because I am just so behind.  I have three weeks worth of coupons that I've yet to clip!  Eeeks!  Hopefully I will get myself back in the game to do some serious grocery couponing next week.  I want to really make the new Price Chopper double coupon policy work for me.

FREE Sample : Muscle Gel

I am not really sure what this is to be honest but you can click the image to request your free trial all the same.

FREE Sample : Snack Chicks

I love love love roasted chick peas.  In fact, I recently posted a recipe for them over here.  But if you don't want to make them yourself (though you should...so easy and inexpensive), click the image to request a FREE sample from this new-to-me company.  How fun that a favorite treat is going more mainstream!

FREE Sample : Shout Wipe

Click the image to get a FREE sample of a Shout Wipe.  I keep these on me at all times- they come in so handy!

FREE Sample: Natural Nibbles Dog Treats

Click the image to request a FREE sample of Natural Nibbles dog treats!  Yay for our fur babies!

Paint For Under $1

Use the coupon for $2/1 Glidden Brilliance Collection paint tester at Walmart, where it sells for @ $2.99.  That's just $0.99 after the coupon!

FREE Sample: Defender Energy Bar

Click the image to request a FREE sample of a Defender Energy Bar.

FREE Sample : Huggies Diapers

Click the image to request a FREE sample of Huggies diapers! 

FREE Magazine Subscription : This Old House

Click the image to request a FREE subscription to This Old House magazine!  After you fill out your information, just click the X in the top right corner instead of saying "no" and "skip" to all that other junk.

Tip...you have to "qualify" for magazines on this site.  So I advise that you chose your occupation wisely. 

Don't Overlook The Dollar Store

So I don't get much from the dollar stores as we can often save more using coupons elsewhere.  I do swear by their gift bags though.  Great variety and serve their purpose.

But I also pick up a few random food items when I happen to notice them.  I use garlic and onion just about every evening.  And while fresh is great, I have to admit that a jar of minced garlic (it's just garlic in water) is super duper convenient.  I've been out for a while and finally saw jars in my favorite dollar store the other day.  So I bought three!  I also picked up a jar of salsa.  I've never bought it there before and doubt I would ever use it with chips as a dip.  But I figure its a good staple to have on hand to add into foods.  I go through salsa like water so this is worth a try.

Save $6 At Price Chopper

Two new coupons from Price Chopper today!  These are for everyone who tells me they don't use coupons because they never find them for meat and produce. 

FREE Sample : Garnier Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner

Click the image to request a FREE sample of Garnier Anti-Dandruff shampoo and conditioner.

FREE Peanut Butter At Walmart

This is a fun score if you are able to find it in your stores.  My Walmart stores are marginal at best but perhaps you'll be lucky enough to find this near you.


So here's the deal...

Like them on Facebook and then print off this coupon for $1 off any Peanut Butter and Company product (no size restrictions listed).

Then find the little packets pictured above, selling for about $0.68/each.  It will make the little packet of PB FREE plus give you $0.32 overage!

Big Savings On Make-Up

I had ECB's that were moments away from expiring at CVS the other day.  But I have not been super into any of the drugstore sales the last few weeks.  I am not brand specific about many things but concealor is another story.  I wear Loreal and that's it.  Which sells for around $9-10 for a tiny tube.  But if you purchase $15+, you will receive a $5 ECB.  I had (2) $2/1 Loreal coupons to use.  Plus my $9.49 in expiring ECB's.  In the end, I paid $8.05 out of pocket and earned a $5 ECB.  Not the best but not bad when this is a product I use at least once a day, every day.

But just look at what I found at Target the other day!  Tons of Physician's Formula make-up on clearance!!  And I had several $4 and $3 peelie coupons that I had been sitting on for the last several months hoping for a deal like this. 

You're looking at make-up valued at:

Original price ... $46.25

Clearance price ... $23.11

After coupons price ... $4.11

Percentage saved ... 91%

FREE Pens At Staples

Staples just put out a great coupon (expires 07/16!) for FREE B2P Gel Pens with coupon.  Sometimes I have to click a few times to find the coupon on Staples website but it's there...I promise!

FREE Sample : U By Kotex

Click the image to request a FREE sample of U By Kotex tampons and pads.

FREE Sample

Click the link to request one of four free samples.  I chose Tranquility..

FREE Sample :

Click the image for a FREE sample of Achiva Native Energy drink mix.  This one is new to me but it's always fun to try new things.

FREE Sample: Chocolate

Click here to request a FREE sample of Gimi Chocolate! 

Thanks To Couponing...

I've taken these photos over the last six months but never got around to blogging about the deal details.  Clearly it's too late but I wanted to post a few of the photos to encourage others to get up the nerve to use those coupons.

The Finish was all FREE, and the cat food (donated) paid for part of the rest with overage.  Also note my homemade marshmallows in the corner.  Mmmm!

Couponing has become far more than a method to save a few pennies for me.  I began couponing as part of a my New Year's Resolution.  It had long been a goal but I just couldn't seem to figure it all out.  None of the websites that charge a small monthly fee cater to the NY Capital Region.  And until the last few days of December, I had yet to discover any helpful coupon blogs.

This was when I decided that I could make my "buy" price for detergent $0.03 or less.

But since discovering blogs and cracking the coupon code, it has become such a fun hobby.  I treat it as a game each week.  Beat the system.  I play by the rules and still manage to come out ahead each week.  And I just love it!

Always pay attention to hanging coupons.  These were bundled as BOGO and then there was another hanging mail in rebate for shampoo.  So in the end, both the Organics shampoo and conditioner were FREE.

I do not hoard, as is often a criticism of couponers.  I wouldn't have storage space to hoard even if I wanted to, actually.  But I do pride myself in having what I use most often stored in multiples, as much as possible.  Actually, I am not shopping at drug stores much these days.  Not because there aren't great deals.  But because I have plenty.  I recently took count of my stock and realized that I am at my max on things such as razors, hair supplies, dish cleaning supplies, laundry supplies and more.  Unless I find a deal of free laundry detergent, I have banned myself from buying more. 

That Tide was found on a clearance end cap.  I think I got them for @$0.50/bottle after the sale and coupons.  Every single box of granola bars and Excedrin were FREE.  Actually, the Excedrin was a money maker!

Like many new to couponing, I went a little overboard in the beginning.  Thinking that I would never find such a great deal again.  Little did I know that paying $0.50 for toothpaste was about $1 too much!  Yup, now I would only ever buy it if it was a money maker.  Funny how things change.  But I think all of that is just part of the learning curve.  I am sure I will be back with all new perspectives and lessons learned come January. 

But here are a few bits of advice for those just starting out...

Always check the clearance end caps!  I find the best, unexpected deals on the Rite Aid and Target clearance sections. 

My favorite brand and after my coupon, I paid all of $0.12/each.  This was my first fun clearance end cap discovery in the winter.

Don't overlook items you don't use if they are going to give you overage to use on other items you do use.  My local food bank LOVES it when I deliver a box full of baby formula.  It's very expensive and needed.  And I buy it when it gives me overage.  Win, win.




That Finish was FREE but I have yet to use it.  I honestly can't believe how expensive it is before coupons - depending on the store it runs $12-14!


Warn both the cashier and the person behind you in line that you are using lots of coupons.  But my best advice is to, after kindly warning the person behind you, refrain from making further eye contact.  We all know those eye rolls and huffs and puffs.  It works our last nerve and makes us feel so stinkin' guilty.  And that's just silly.  So a fair and honest warning should be enough for them to chose to remain in that line or not. 

Make sure you know when coupons are able to be used on travel size items.  Remember your goal is to pay as little out of pocket as possible!

Be organized.  Every single trip to a store using coupons means that I pull my cart into a quiet aisle to get my act together.  I make sure I separate my coupons for separate transactions.  I also separate those items in my cart so that each check out process is as quick as possible.  At Walgreens, I triple count to make sure I have the ratios down.  I would rather take 15 mins of quiet time to myself if necessary than in front of other customers and managers and beeping computers and cashiers accusing me of stealing. 

Most of this was donated.

And last, know your buy now price.  For me, this is a constant fill in the blank.  And on many food items, I still do not have one.  I RARELY find gluten free items on sale.  So I actually still by those (and I seriously buy very few) items at full (gasp!) price.  But over time, as I figure things out, I lower many of my buy now prices.  And that's just the coolest feeling! 

If I remember correctly, I believe the only thing I paid for here was that OJ and even then it was under $1!

FREE Sample

Click the link for a FREE sample of Quest Bars.  These are new to me but it seems that they are Gluten Free too!  Woo hoo!!

FREE At P.F. Chang's

Be sure to follow the link to "like" P.F. Chang's on Facebook.  On Wednesday, they will be offering a coupon for a FREE lettuce wrap.  Which comes in a gluten free version too for my fellow GF-ers out there.  Mmmm!

From their Facebook pages...

PFC Fans, how do FREE Lettuce Wraps sound to you? As a part of our 18-year anniversary celebration in July, we are going to be giving you, our Facebook Fans, FREE Orders of Lettuce Wraps. Check back July 6 to download yours… Tell your friends (not with a photo to help share)!

Good Mail

So this is what has arrived since the last time I posted about three weeks ago.  Lots of coupons, dog stuff, baby stuff and two different spice rub packs.  This is why I post all of those links to FREE samples.  It's just so much fun to open the mailbox when free treats arrive. 

And as always, I do give away the items I won't use (such as diapers, wet dog food, and baby formula). 

Target, Advil and Cheap Rice Tips

I am not going to break down my Target grocery purchase because I didn't remember to take a photo of everything before I put it away.  I always forget when I putting groceries away!

But I do want to point out a few little things...

First, using the $4/2 Advil coupon on the 10 count has worked great at both Target and Walmart for me.  The cashier today asked me if I was planning a trip.  Confused I said, um no??  She then asked if I just like little bottles.  Ha.  I then explained coupons to her.  All of that Advil and Visine...totally FREE!  With overage, actually.  So I bought 40 Advil tablets (in total from the four tubes) for FREE.  But a 24 tablet bottle of Advil sells regularly at Target for $3.69.  So yes, I do like little bottles when they make things FREE!

Second, is the difference between buying Minute Rice and regular old takes 40 mins to cook rice.  OK so I will give you the fact that Minute Rice (which really takes @10 minutes according to this box) is much faster.  But, it's also MUCH more expensive and less healthy than regular rice.  The bag of regular brown rice, not on sale, sold for $0.79 and contains more product than the Minute Rice selling for $2.04.

My tip is to make a bag or two at one time of rice.  Then freeze portions of it in baggies.  This way, all you have to do is defrost a baggie in the microwave when need it for a meal or salad.  You save yourself both time and money in the end if you are willing to put in all the time upfront.  And really, it's not like cooking rice is hard.  It's totally worth it in the long run!

FREE Sample : L'oreal Youth Code

Click the image to request a FREE sample of L'oreal Youth Code.  Yay for fun freebies!

Rite Aid : I Should Have Planned Better

So I planned to do a quick little run to Rite Aid.  But I have yet to clip coupon from the last TWO weeks.  So I've not even really looked at this week's ads.  What can I say, I was out of town and then busy.  But I should have paid closer attention.

You see, I planned to use up some coupons (the PowerAde was expiring on the 30th) and a $10 +up Reward.  So to get to the +up Reward mark, I picked up the two Snickers (they are BOGO).  I needed a boost to get me higher.

But...what I didn't realize was that the PowerAde was on sale for just $1 this week.  And then the cashier gave me the full value on the BOGO coupons (so each subtracted $1.49).  Which all significantly lowered my total.  I know what you're thinking..."but that's a good thing, right?"  Yes, it's good.  But it messed up my plan.  My +up Reward plan, to be specific.

What I should have done was either remove the two Snickers or add something of a $0.38 or greater value and used my $2.99 +up Reward too.  But I just couldn't think on the fly like that to figure out what went wrong with my big plan.

So I paid more out of pocket than I intended for things I didn't necessarilly need.  I mean, it's nice in the summer months to have PowerAde and such on hand, but it's not necessary by any stretch.  I do use the baby wipes daily to remove make-up and clean off flip flop feet.  But I also just bought a pack so I didn't need them.  You see what I mean? 

But I guess we all win some and lose some.  And I did do pretty well in the end.  Just not as well as I had planned.

Purchased ...
(1) Huggies Wipes  reg. $8.49, sale $2.12
(2) Dial Nutra Skin Lotion  reg. $6.99, sale $3.50
(2) Snickers  reg. $0.99, sale BOGO
(6) PowerAde  reg. $1.49, sale $1

Minus ...
-(2) $2/1 Dial Nutra Skin Lotion coupon
-(3) BOGO (-$1.49) PowerAde coupon
-$5 +up Reward

Total value purcahsed ... $36.36

Paid out of pocket ... $3.93

Percentage saved ... 89.2%

Earned ... (1) $1 +up Reward from 2 Dial and

(1) $1 +up Reward from PowerAde

I had been hanging on to this FREE coupon for a while (I think I got it from a Facebook deal maybe?) but it expired yesterday.  So a quick run into Pet Smart and all I had to pay was tax.  Sweet Sadie is set for a lifetime when it comes to dog treats!

Total value purchased ... $4.31

Paid out of pocket ... $0.28

Percentage saved ... 93.5%