Lots Of Freebies

This photo was taken about a month or more ago but I was a blog slacker for a spell and I never got around to posting it.  But all of those freebies really add up.  I keep freebies I know I will use and add the rest to my to-donate box.  So nothing goes to waste!

Baby Coupons: Enfagrow Deal At Walmart

Walmart Deal:

Buy (2) Enfagrow 4-pack  $6.47/each
- (1) $10/2 Enfagrow coupon
= Out Of Pocket $1.47/each

** This is an awesome donation item if you don't need it yourself!  I know it's not free but it's a HUGE savings on what I think seems like a wildly expensive item.  Think of how grateful a momma and baby will be to receive such a healthy donation item!

Free Baby Formula

Another free baby formula sample!  Love love these!

Free Disney Diapers Sample

Free Disney Diapers Sample via Costco.  You do NOT need to be a member- woo hoo! 

I know y'all are sick of me saying this but if you don't have a personal need, please consider requesting such freebies to use as a donation to those in your community in need.  Offers like this make it crazy easy to make little donations.  And even a single diaper or single can of formula can make a big impact to a momma who needs a helping hand that week!

Free Baby Formula And Tylenol Make A Great Donation To Those In Need

Oh how I love to get free and cheap baby formula!

Similac Advanced was marked down to $5/each.  And wouldn't you know, I had a bunch of $5 coupons.  Hello FREE formula!

The Gerber was marked down to $13.  I had a $10 coupon.  So just $3!

Tylenol Precise was marked down to just $3, normally $7.99 (I think).  I had seven (had to do this in two transactions) $3 coupons.  All for FREE.

Cherries were not on sale but I wanted a snack.  :)

And minus my snack-o-cherries, this will all be donated to those in need. 

For the donation of formula and Tylenol...

Total value purchased ... $97.93

Paid out of pocket ... $3

Percentage saved ... 97%

Warm fuzzies in my heart ... Priceless!

Fun Freebies Lately

These fun freebies arrive in just two days last week.  How's that for a fun mailbox week?!  That tumbler is awesome, too!

Don't worry...the Depends were added to my growing donation box.  :)

Did y'all get any fun mailbox treats lately?

FREE Sample Of Depends

This is great to use as a donation item if you don't actually need them in your family.  This sort of product is very expensive to purchase and much appreciated by food banks and shelters everywhere!  Click HERE to request your free sample.

Free Formula Sample

I LOVE these. I donate them but they are also great to have on hand for new babies.  Just in case!

Request your FREE sample of Parent's Choice formula!

My Final Round With Price Chopper Triple Coupons

One final trip to Price Chopper to use my triple coupons.  I picked up the 5/$12 Polar Seltzer.  I LOVE this stuff!  So refreshing on a hot day.  Add a splash of vodka and it's rather delish on a hot night too!

I've never used Xtra detergent.  However my store was out last week.  So I had two rain checks for the $0.99 store coupons.  I was also able to use $1/2 coupon and then on top of that had a catalina coupon (found) for $1.50/$6 or more in laundry products.  Do the math...like it or not that detergent was coming home with me!  If I don't like it I can always donate it.

I used my triple coupons on the Wholly Guacamole reg. $2.99, $1/1 coupon plus triple means it was FREE.  And the Simply Orange juice reg. $3.79, $1/1 coupon plus triple means it was just $0.79.  Hello awesome sauce!

I had coupons and catalinas that I made work like nobody's business!  Want to know my final numbers?

Total value purchased ... $67.07

Paid out of pocket ... $20.07

Percentage saved ...70%

Oh and as a bonus, sitting in a basket above the catalina machine that only ever gives me a coupon for a dumb oil change, were someone else's two unwanted cats.  One for $1 off a produce purchase of $4 or more.  And a second for yet another FREE Price Chopper roll of paper towels valued up to $1.89.  I have no idea what produced those free paper towel coupons but to date, I have found three of them discarded.  It's like coupon serendipity.

FREE One Touch Meter

I had a second coupon for $10/1 One Touch meter and decided to use it this week at Rite Aid. 

Total retail value ... $19.99

Sale price ... $9.99

Paid out of pocket ... $0

Percentage saved ... 100%

Warm fuzzy feeling when donating ... Priceless!

FREE At CVS

Like so many times before, my weekly shopping plans at CVS didn't work out.  It happens at nearly every store, every week.  Ha.  I didn't get any of the CVS red machine coupons that others were getting.  So the ONLY thing I picked up there this week was one One Touch Ultra Mini.  And even that was iffy.  The coupon wouldn't scan.  I've come to realize that the folks who design coupons (both printed and from the newspaper), often put the two bar codes too close together.  So the scanners have trouble reading them all jumbled up close like that.  But thanks to my calm request to please call a manager (oooh she was ticked though...she wanted me to leave without using that ole coupon...fat chance!), I left with this baby completely free!

I have zero need for it but know that others do.  So into the donate box it went.

Yay For Donations

Some of what I donated last week to the Capital District Rescue Mission.  Thanks to couponing, it was all FREE or better for me! 

More Stayfree Than I Know What To Do With

OK so rumor had it that if you purchased three Stayfree and then in a second transaction two more Stayfree, it would trigger a total of five $2 +up Rewards. 

So I did that.  And...it didn't really pan out for me.  The second transaction didn't trigger any +up Rewards. 

But as I used coupons and +ups to pay for the second transaction, it only cost me tax out of pocket.  I didn't think it was worth the return to lose the coupons and +ups that I just handed over.  So I shrugged it off and assumed the glitch had been fixed already (it was about 4PM when I did the second transaction).

I don't need any of these though.  I have so many of these types of products that my supply will easily last me a year.  And I can't justify keeping any more than that when they go on sale every other month, if not more.  So they will make a nice addition to my donation pile.  Which is actually low because I just brought a huge bag with me last week to the Capital District Rescue Mission (nothing to do with the blog but this place is completely awesome!).  So yay for donations.  Boo for a deal not quite working out the way I planned.

That said, it was still totally a great deal! 

Also, my favorite Rite Aid didn't blink when I made two purchases yesterday.  To be clear, I did actually leave the store but came back on my way home and had the same cashier.  Which is good because I promise you I would not go back later in the week if I was denied the option to buy more products yesterday.  Most.  Ridiculous.  Policy.  Ever.  But I have a feeling the stores agree and are just flat out ignoring it.  I mean, why would you turn away more sales?!

I Heart CVS

First, I heart CVS because they are so nice about honoring ECBs that are a day or two expired.  In my experience, no other store will do that.  Not Rite Aid or Walgreens.  But CVS...as always they are totally awesome sauce!

I also realized that I had three coupons for FREE PRODUCTS that were about to expire.  Two coupons for FREE Suave Professionals products and one for a John Frieda hair color up to $12.99.  So I ran (not literally...my booty is still fat as can be....I drove thankyouverymuch) over to CVS and grabbed my freebies.

Other than the Diet Coke that was a total impulse purchase, everything went toward my stockpile.  I love buying things for free to keep me stocked.  This means that when I need them, I don't have to pay full price.  Love that!

Purchased....
(3) Hallmark Cards  reg. $0.99
(1) John Frieda hair color  reg. $13.29, sale $12
(1) John Frieda hair color  reg. $13.29, sale $3.32*
(2) Suave Professionals hairspray  reg. $3.39
(1) Bottle of Crack Diet Coke  reg. $1.77

Minus...
-(1) $12.99 - Free John Frieda Hair color
-(2) $3.39 - Suave Professionals product
- $5 ECB

Total value purchased ... $38.11

Paid out of pocket ... $2.12

Percentage saved ... 94%

Earned ... (1) $3 ECB from purchase of three Hallmark cards and (1) $5 ECB from purchase of $15 worth of John Frieda products 

* I spotted the darker hair color box on clearance and also the hang tag noting the ECB deal- earn $5 ECB with the purchase of $15 worth of John Frieda products.  I will donate this box and really only purchased it so that I could have a little money maker.  Just to clarify that my hair is not two colors.  Just one.  

Update : Two FREE Cans Of Baby Formula

Update: Thanks Sheila!  I actually scheduled this post a day ago but Blogger has a mind of its own these days and am only hopping on blogs for the first time now.  I didn't notice the fine print but it seems that the coupons need to be used on an item of $5 or more.  It does still make for a great deal though as they also sell (I think) the larger cans for (don't quote me- I will check tomorrow y'all) @$7. 
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this deal!  My Junior League collects baby diapers and formula to donate and I love being able to pick up things for FREE.  But these are great to have on hand for new moms, even if you are breastfeeding.  Or to give to friends. 

Click the image above to print out a $5/1 coupon for Enfamil formula.  After the first coupon starts printing, hit back page two or three times so that you can print a second coupon.  You should be able to print two coupons per computer. 

Then head to Walmart.  Where the small cans of Enfamil sell for $4.97 (at my store- I've read others saying they sell for even less in some areas).  After the coupon, it's completely FREE and possibly even a money maker if you can find it for less.

So please promise me that you will do this deal and donate the baby formula if you don't already plan to use it.  Formula is soooo expensive and soooo appreciated by food banks!

Coupon Fairy Failure

So that's a great deal on Kleenex tissues and I wanted to use up my six coupons on the deal.  But as I was putting boxes in my cart, I decide to offer the deal with a coupon from my stack to this other woman standing next to me picking out a box of tissues for herself.  All excited to share, I explain that if she takes this coupon that I am handing her, it will make this box of tissues that I am also handing her just $0.25.  One little quarter!

I thought she would be excited.  She was clearly not brand loyal as she was looking at all the boxes and these are the fancy pants new tissues.  At a rock bottom price.

Well, here's how it played out...



Coupon Crocodile : Excuse me, but I have an extra coupon.  If you use this coupon to buy this box of tissues, it will double and make the box just twenty five cents!  These are the softest tissues too- you'll love them!

Lady in Price Chopper : What?

CC : Oh, I'm sorry.  Let me explain that if you give the cashier this coupon when checking out, it will make this box of tissues just a quarter.  Such a great deal.

LiPC : Well I don't know.  This box (points to another brand) used to have 180 tissues and now it only has 120 tissues but the price is the same. 

CC : Oh I know, prices keep going up.  (Thinking, duh!  That's just life!)  This box is only going to be $0.25 after the coupon though.

LiPC : Tissues used to come in such pretty boxes too but now they aren't as pretty.

CC : Oh, OK.  (still holding out the coupon but she is holding the tissues)

LiPC : I don't know if I should.  I better not.  I just don't know because this box used to have 180 and now it just has 120 and I can't decide.  I better not.  Here.  (hand me back the tissues)

CC : Are you sure?  With the coupon this box will just be $0.25?  I'm stocking up myself (it's the only thing in my cart really so that's obvious) because it's such a fantastic price. 

LiPC : Oh I better not.  I just can't decide.



And that is how I failed at being a coupon fairy this week.  You can't win them all I guess.  I tried.  Like obnoxiously hard.  But I couldn't convince this woman to use my coupon and save herself a lot of money.

So I used all six (in two transactions) myself and am not totally stocked up on tissues for the next 12 months at least. 

Have you tried these Kleenex Cool tissues?  OMG they are strange but great.  They really are cool to the touch which is awesome when you have a runny nose all winter long.

33 Bottles Of Formula For Free

I've not been great the last few months with dropping off donations to the local food pantry.  I've been so busy.  But I have been great at buying baby formula.  Mostly for FREE.  With coupons of course.  Tips located here.

So when my Junior League decided to do a baby diapers, wipes and formula drive as a kick off event this year, I knew I had the perfect outlet for my growing baby formula collection.  I got my rear in gear and used up all of my coupons to put together what you see here (and then some- there was another bag on the floor of my car). 

In total I had 33 full size bottles/cans of formula.  A mix of Gerber, Enfamil and Similac brands and a total mix of types (complete, soy, fussy tummy, etc).  I didn't know what was what so I purchased like a prep.  I bought the pink and green caps.  Because they were prettier.  Plus I had in there about 10 other formula samples in a variety of sizes (some full size some small single size).  And a bunch of diapers too.

Doing this, I learned several things. 

First, I learned that babies are holy heck expensive!  I am forever shocked at how expensive diapers and formula are.  Wow!

Second, I learned that formula companies recognize the expense and do what I think is a very good job of offering coupons if you just sign up for them.  I've been super impressed at how much is offered to new mommas.  If you just sign up.

Third, I realized how necessary it really is for me, someone clearly not in need of baby anything, to take advantage of these deals to make donations.  If someone is struggling to buy a few food items, it is going to be nearly impossible for her to buy a $30 box of diapers or $9 can of formula. 

I am continually making what to some must be obvious connections.  If your food stamps or tiny pay check barely cover food, you certainly cannot afford to buy feminine items, headache and sinus meds, chap stick or baby wipes.  All things I consider to be life necessities.  Not luxuries. 

I know my donation isn't going to solve the world hunger crisis.  But it was an incredibly easy way to make a teeny teeny tiny dent.

With the exception of the larger pack of diapers, I paid NOTHING for all of that formula and the diaper that you can barely see (sorry I didn't think to take a photo until the car was loaded).  OK so some cans did run me under $1, but others were a profit.  So in the end, it was all completely FREE.  But the value was certainly well over $250 (I also didn't think to add it all up).

Easiest donation ever!

Do you have any tips for either new moms or non-moms with a heart for making donations to food pantries?  And are you judging me for buying formula based on the color of the caps?  Ha!