Sunday Coupon Sneak Peek for July 3

It may be a holiday weekend but we will have one coupon insert this Sunday.  Although the list below shows a decrease in many of their regular coupon values you'll find a couple that might interest you.  Remember that even P&G inserts have different versions based on your area of the country.  The difference is very minor so be sure to read the coupons CAREFULLY before planning your trip.

All coupons expire 07/31/11 and you are limited to using 4 like coupons per transaction.  ETS means you cannot use the coupon on trial size products.

Always $.50/1 Pads, Clean or Feminine Cleansing Cloths
Always $.50/1 Pantiliner 30ct+
Always $1/1 Infinity 14ct+
Bounce $.50/1 dryer bar
Bounce/Downy $.35/1 sheets
Bounty $.25/1 napkins
Bounty $.25/1 towels or napkins
Cascade $1/1
Cascade $1/1 Rinse Aid
Charmin $.25/1
Clairol $1/1 Hair color
Clairol $3/1 Nice 'n Easy color blend foam or Perfect 10 hair color
Covergirl $1/1
Covergirl $2.50/2
Crest $.75/1 4oz+ toothpaste
Crest $.75/1 Rinse 440mL+
Crest $5/1 3D White Advanced Vivid, Stain Shield, or Gentle Routine Whitestrips
Crest $7/1 3D White Professional Effects or 2 Hour Express Whitestrips
Downy $1/1 liquid fabric softener
Duracell $.50/1 Coppertop, Ultra Advanced, Ultra Photo Lithium or specialty batteries
Duracell $1.50/1 Rechargeable batteries or charger or 6-pack+ hearing aid batteries
Febreze $.50/1 air effects
Febreze $.50/1 Set & Refresh
Febreze Buy one fabric refresher, get one air effects free up to $3.29
Febreze Buy one NOTICEables refill, get one NOTICEables warmer free up to $3.29
Gillette $1/1 body wash
Gillette $2/1 Deodorant excludes trial
Gillette $2/1 Mach3 disposable 3ct, Sensor3 4ct or Custom Plus3 4ct
Gillette $2/1 manual or power Fusion ProGlide razor
Gillette $3/1 Mach3 cartridge
Gillette $3/1 Mach3 disposable 6ct, Sensor3 8ct or Custom Plus3 8ct
Gillette $4/1 Fusion cartridge including ProGlide 4ct+
Head & Shoulders B1G1 free shampoo or conditioner up to $12.99 ETS
Herbal Essences/Aussie $3 off styler when you purchase any product ETS
Ivory $.50/1 bar or bodywash or Safeguard bar or liquid handsoap
Metamucil $1/1
Olay $1/2 bars, body washes, in-shower body lotions or hand & body lotions ETS
Olay $3/1 Pro-X, Regenerist or Total Effects facial moisturizer or facial cleanser (excludes Pro-X cleansing device and refills and trial sizes)
Old Spice $1/2
Old Spice Buy one Fresh Collection or Red Zone product, get one body spray free up to $5.39
Oral-B $.75/1 floss or floss picks 30ct+
Oral-B $2/1 Pulsar, CrossAction, Advantage, or 2 Indicator or Cavity Defense manual toothbrushes *** The Advantage brushes have been $1.97 at many area Walmart stores. 
Pampers $1.50/1 limited edition prints diapers or splashers swim pants
Pampers $1.50/2 bags or 1 box of diapers or pants
Pantene $1/2 ETS
Pepto $.50/1
Secret $1/2 ETS
Tampax $.50/1 18ct+
Tampax $1/1 Pearl or Compak Pearl 18ct+
Tide $.35/1 Tide To Go
Tide $.50/1 detergent
Tide $.50/1 washing machine cleaner
Tide $1.50/1 Stain Release 26-50oz powder, 15-34ct duo pac or 36-68oz liquid
Tide .50/1 stain release
Venus $2/1 razor or disposables razor
Venus $2/1 refill

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5 Steps to an Easy Grocery Price Book

One of the most important pieces of knowledge you can have as a couponer is a price book.  How do you know something is a good deal if you don't know the regular price?  Most stores move prices around a little.  Here's an example of what I mean. 

The regular price for something I buy a lot is $8.99.  Now, sometimes my store will run a sale and price that product at $6.99 but I know every few weeks or so they mark it down to $4.99.  That's the lowest I've see that product priced so I know that's my "stock up price". 

There are tons of different spreadsheets out there on the net that range from cute to technical but I don't have time to play with all those most of the time.  Yes I love Excel spreadsheets but honestly, how much time to I have to input all that data if I'm cutting coupons and working and keeping a house running and maintaining a garden?  Oh, did I mention there's only 2 of us here?  For those of you with little ones running around, or big ones still at home for that matter, time is even more limited. 

I've been trying all kinds of applications on my smart phone but I'm not blown away enough by any of them to give up my current method of tracking prices.  My method is simple and handy and has been a staple for as many years as I can count.  It has never crashed on me or had to be recovered or restored.  It's my handwriten, paper grocery list.

If you shop with coupons you should have a list.  Heck even if you don't use coupons you really should have a list of what you need.  Shopping with coupons requires you to be prepared before you get to the store.  You should know what you are spending with the exception of "closeout" items you happen upon when you get there.  That's a whole different story for a later date. 

With your list in hand you go shopping.  While you're in the store just write the price of each item as you pull it from the shelf.  I should note that you need to record the size of the product too.  Imagine your dismay when you realize the Tide Detergent you thought was normally $4.99 actually costs $8.99 because you didn't write down the size.  Experience talking here!

Anything I pull off the shelf that's not on my list will be written down along with the price and size.  When I'm done, I have a nice new page for my price book.  I write the store name and date across the top, punch holes in it and put it in a 3 ring binder.  I use an old  4 x 8 organizer for this.  You know those 3 ring organizers they call "agendas" at the big box store.  It's not cute but functional.  It works fine and holds note pad sized paper perfectly.  I really don't get the refills.  I've been doing this a while so I started using regular paper cut in half.  I use the front and back.

How do I sort if I don't use a spreadsheet?  Oh that's simple.  When I have spare time I work on my summary lists.  We tend to buy the same products over and over.  Those products have their own page in the back of my book.  I also have a summary sheet that lists the best prices found for certain staples in my area.  That's really important so I had to bold type it. 

Prices at my Food Lion are different from Food Lions in North Carolina, South Carolina and even Georgia.  I noticed that Kroger prices even differ within the same region.  Eggs are sometimes cheaper in South Carolina when milk is cheaper here.  Even the Athens area Kroger prices are different. That's why you can't soley rely on someone else's price book information. 

Now I can go back and see what I paid for coffee last year at this time.  Oh the horror of rising prices!  I can tell you that in my household, the cost of living has for sure increased over 12 months!  I have a whole page devoted to coffee.  When I see I bought coffee I turn to that page,  I list the date, brand, size, price and store.  I do this for each time I purchase coffee while I'm maintaining my book.  What if I don't buy it for a couple of months?  Oh that's easy.  Just because you don't need something doesn't mean you don't check the price.

When I run to the store, even for a quick stop, I go down each aisle for blinkie/tear pad checks. (you should too!)  When I hit the coffee aisle I look over to see if the price has changed.  I do the same thing for the main staples in my pantry that I keep a good stock of like toilet paper.  Doing this will really help you have a good idea in your head of what you normally pay for certain items.

You don't have to have a fancy spreadsheet or even power up the computer for that matter.  Just be sure to take your list to the store.  Stop laughing at yourself.  When I forget my list and leave it at home I'll use my receipt when I get home to put the prices down on the forgotten list.  NO!  Forgetting is NOT a sign of old age.  Just a sign of being busy!!  Try not to forget the list though.

How do I maintain my list?  That's easy.  I take my little organizer when we travel for more than an hour and while Mr. C drives I update my book.  Now that gas is so high we don't travel as much.  I've been taking it to my appointments with the doctor so I can turn waiting time into working time.  There's always a couple ten minutes or so to pull the book out if you can't find a set schedule for it. 

Just having the main part of the price book is what's most important.  It's a good start and this way can keep you from getting discouraged. 

Let's summarize the 5 steps:
1.  Make a list
2.  Take list to the store
3.  Record price and size as you put item in your cart
4.  File list when you get home
5.  Maintain your summaries in the back

Free Father's Day Gift

Get a free 8x10 photo collage at Walgreen's starting today and lasting until Saturday.  You can ship to the store and avoid delivery charges.  Just use coupon code 1FREEBIE when you check out. 

These make great gifts for Dad too!

Sunday Coupon Insert Preview

You should have 2 inserts in your paper this week.  Look for 1 Red Plum and 1 Smart Source.  Please remember to look inside your papers BEFORE you leave the store.   You don't want to get home with your extra papers and find out you're missing inserts.

In the last 4 weeks I've had reports of people in the Savannah area actually cleaning out the papers on the shelves and only buying one paper.  Apparently last weekend there were no inserts placed in the Savannah Morning News for the stores in the Pooler area.  I got tons of mail from people who went looking for a couple of extra papers around lunch time to only find empty ones. 

Inserts vary by papers so go for the papers with the best inserts.  If you have a choice, choose Jacksonville's paper or Charleston's paper over Savannah.  Their inserts are much bigger. 

Okay here is a list I found on WeUseCoupons.  I also checked Debbie's website.  I've highlighted the ones I'm interested in the most.  Let's cross our fingers we get the good ones!!

Smart Source

Air Wick FREE warmer unit wyb any scented oil refill fragrance up to $2.19 (7/24/11)
Air Wick (1) scented oil twin refill pack or (2) single refills $1 (7/24/11)
Air Wick freshmatic ultra odor detect starter kit $4/1 (7/24/11)
Air Wick freshmatic refill B2G1 FREE up to $5.50 (7/24/11)
Ball realfruit pectin flex batch $1/1 (8/31/11)
Ball or Kerr jars, any case $0.75/1 (8/31/11)
Breakstone’s any sour cream dips $1/1 (7/15/11)
Chex Mix or Chex 100 calorie snack, any flavor, 4.5oz or larger $0.50/2 (8/6/11)
Crystal Light drink mix $1/1 (7/31/11)
Fiber One cereal listed: Fiber One original, Fiber One honey clusters, Fiber One raisin bran clusters, Fiber One caramel delight, Fiber One frosted shredded wheat, Fiber One 80 calories $0.75/1 (7/23/11)
Finish Quantum 25ct, Finish Powerball 32 ct or Finish Gelpac 32ct $1/1 (8/7/11)
Finish Jet-Dry rinse agent $0.55/1 (8/7/11)
Finish dishwasher cleaner $0.40/1 (8/7/11)
Goodnites Underwear jumbo pack or larger $2/1 (7/9/11)
Grey Poupon mustard $0.75/1 (7/10/11)
Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper or Chicken Helper home cooked skillet meals, any
flavor $0.75/3 (8/6/11)
Huggies any diapers $1.50/1 (7/9/11)
Huggies any little snugglers or little movers diapers $2/1 (7/9/11)
Huggies any baby wipes 64ct or larger $0.50/1 (7/9/11)
Luster 1 hour white $4/1 (7/31/11)
Luster white 7 (power white or sensitive) $1.50/1 (7/31/11)
Lysol Neutra Air fabric mist $1/1 (7/12/11)
Lysol Neutra Air aerosol can $1/1 (7/12/11)
Lysol no-touch hand soap system (starter kit only) $3/1 (7/13/11)
Lysol any disinfecting wipes $1/2 (7/12/11)
Lysol any toilet bowl cleaners or no mess automatic toilet bowl cleaners $1/2 (7/12/11)
Lysol any multi-surface cleaner pourables $1/2 (7/12/11)
Lysol all purpose cleaner triggers or antibacterial kitchen cleaners $1/2 (7/12/11)
Lysol bathroom cleaners $1/2 (7/12/11)
Mitchum advanced control $0.75/1 (7/17/11)
Phillips Sonicare flexcare+ or flexcare rechargeable toothbrush $15/1 (7/31/11)
Phillips Sonicare rechargeable toothbrush (excludes xtreme battery) $10/1 (7/31/11)
Phillips Sonicare any multipack of brush heads or xtreme battery toothbrush $5/1 (7/31/11)
Raid Max bug barrier starter $3/1 (7/16/11)
Raid Max bug barrier refill $1/1 (7/16/11)
Shick Hydro razor, any $4/1 (7/24/11) - Savannah Papers don't have these
Shick Hydro refill $2/1 (7/24/11)
Shick Hydro shave gel $0.75/1 (7/24/11)
Welch’s Essentials juice cocktail blend, any flavor $0.55/1 (9/15/11)
Yoplait Yogurt cups, any variety, includes original, light, thick & creamy or whips $1/10 (8/6/11)

Red Plum

Ben & Jerry's pints $1.00/1 (7/10/11)
Bounty Basic 6-roll ct towels or larger $1.00/1 (7/31/11)
Citracal Calcium+D slow release 1200 product $3.00/1 (7/31/11)
Citracal Calcium gummies or any citracal product $2.00/1 (7/31/11)
Dial Lotion or Body Wash $2.00/1 (6/30/11)
Ester-C tablet, gummy or powder $2.00/1 (8/9/11)
Goodlife recipe treats for cats $1.00/1 (8/6/11)
Herbal Essences or Aussie product no trial $1.00/1 (7/31/11)
Kellogg's Raisin Bran, Raisin Bran Crunch and/or Raisin Bran Extra Cereals 15oz or larger $1.00/2 (7/24/11)
Motrin PM no trial $1.00/1 (7/30/11)
Natural Instincts Vibrant hair color product $3.00/1 (7/31/11)
Natural Instincts hair color product $2.00/1 (7/31/11)
Neosporin product and Band-Aid brand adhesive bandages product $1.50 when you buy both (8/31/11)
Neosporin product OR Band-Aid brand adhesive bandages product .50/1 (8/31/11) - ***there's a deal at Band-Aid I'll post about
Neutrogena Men any $1.00/1 (9/30/11)
Neutrogena Suncare item any $1.00/1 (9/30/11)
One A Day multivitamin product $1.00/1 (8/12/11)
Osteo Bi-Flex caplets, softgels or powder no liquids $5.00/1 (7/30/11)
Pedigree Jumbone treats for dogs $1.00/1 (7/24/11)
Pillsbury Frosting or Brownie Mixes $1.00/2 (9/30/11)
Precise product $3.00/1 (8/30/11)
Purina Chef Michael's canine creations cans Buy 4 get 2 FREE up to $2.38 (7/10/11)
Purina Chef Michael's canine creations dry dinners $2.00/1 (7/10/11)
Purina Chef Michael's canine creations 11.5 lb bag dry dinner $4.00/1 (7/10/11)
Renuzit Crystal Elements 18oz air freshening crystals $3.00/1 (6/26/11)
Renuzit adjustable air fresheners Buy 2 get One the same size FREE up to $4.17 (6/26/11)
Rogaine any $5.00/1 (9/30/11)
Sally Hansen Beauty Tool save $2.00 when you purchase $3.00 or more (8/31/11)
Scope mouthwash 710 ml or larger $1.00/1 (7/31/11)
Soft Scrub total or bleach clean product Buy one get one soft scrub cream cleanser or gel FREE no 36oz To $3.79 (7/10/11)
Sundown vitamin or supplement product $1.00/1 (7/26/11)
Sundown natural vitamin or supplement product $1.00/1 (7/26/11)
Tic Tac single pak or multipack $1.00/1 (8/31/11)
Truvia natural sweetener any $1.00/1 (9/10/11)
Visine product any $1.00/1 (9/18/11)
Visine soothing wipes product $2.00/1 (9/18/11)
Visine product with Hydroblend Moisturizers $2.00/1 (9/18/11)

Using Coupons Gets Me Free Money

Are you using free printable coupons from the internet?  Do you want to sock away a little money on the side?  I had this dream that I'd look at what I save by using coupons and put up half of that in savings.  So if saved $40.00 at Publix I'd take $20.00 and put that into savings.  Yeah, that lasted about 2 days.  That money now keeps the house from falling in around us.

I do make a little money on the side without much effort though.  It's not a windfall and you have to use coupons you print off the internet.  You're gonna use ink and paper but if you use coupons you do that anyway.

You gotta have a Swagbucks account and Amazon account.  Swagbucks is easy and kind of an accidental way to earn a little gift card on the side without working hard.  You can read more about Swagbucks here but basically you just register for free and visit the home page.  The Amazon account if free as well.  Just go over and register.  It's really easy.  If you're hesitant about either because you don't want to share your email address just sign up for a free email address just for these two activities.

How do you get the money?  It's easy.  Just go to the Swagbucks homepage and look at the menu on the left.  You'll click on the tab labeled "Coupons" and you'll find the usual internet coupons from Coupons(dot)com.  Print out the coupons you want and then use them. 

For every coupon you use you'll earn 10 Swagbucks.  You have to redeem the coupons at the store to get the bucks and that's it.  Just keep using them until you build up 450 Swagbucks.  That equals a $5.00 Amazon gift card.  How do you get that?

Go to the Swag Store and find the "Gift Card" tab on the left menu bar.  That takes you to the gift card department where you'll find the Amazon card.  Go for the $5.00 card since it gives you the greatest return for your bucks.  Just "snag" the card and then be sure to CONFIRM your purchase.  You'll receive an email when your card number posts to your Swagbucks account. Then you can apply the card number to your Amazon account.  Mark the card as "used" so you'll know you've already applied the card to your account.  There, you now have a little fund started just for using printable coupons.

I earned over $100.00 in less than a year and I used this to help pay for Christmas.  You can check my Swagbucks balance at the bottom of this page in the little black swidget box to see how many Swagbucks I have.  I'm getting Amazon cards every week but I'm getting getting extra bucks for searching and stuff.  I invite you to read more about it at the Swagbucks page.  It's something legit that several of my friends and I do that I don't hesitate telling you about.  It's a great way to earn a little extra too!


Disclosure:  The above post includes a referral link to Swagbucks.  If you sign up for an account using my referral link and you win Swagbucks for searching the internet, I will receive the same amount that you get as a referral bonus, at no cost to you.  You can receive the same referral bonus when your friends sign up using your referral link that you get when you sign up. It's your choice to sign up using my link.  If you do, thank you, I really appreciate it.

A Couponer's Garden

I'll confirm that it's sometimes difficult to find good coupons for fresh produce.  I love Birds Eye Steamfresh vegetables and stock up when I find a great deal but nothing replaces fresh vegetables.  Most of the produce coupons I've found are from tear pads in the stores.  So how do I save money on fresh vegetables?  I have a small kitchen garden in my backyard.

I've grown vegetables in containers on the deck and I've seen people grow vegetables in shoe organizers before but I wanted something more.  I had to face the facts that I don't live in the country and my soil is really not soil at all but clay.  We had shrubs around the deck that had been there since I bought the house almost ten years ago.  The soil was pretty okay so we pulled up the shrubs replanted those in other areas and started adding compost and mulch to the soil.  By Spring we had our plots ready for planting.

Mel Bartholomew wrote a book,  All New Square Foot Gardening, which gave me the idea on setting up my plots.   OH - did I mention I got it FREE?  I used my Swagbucks to get the Amazon gift cards which paid for my purchase in full, including shipping!!

I got most of my seeds from sales at the end of last season. If you store them in an airtight container in the dark they will be fine until planting time. I started my seeds indoors to get a head start on the season and have the ability to plant several harvests.

My bean trellis is an old iron bedframe that someone gave me.  We just screwed the headboard and footboard to an old broken fence picket.  Bamboo is a highly invasive plant here and readily available so I used a few pieces for extra support.  Murphy's Oil Soap and cayenne pepper work well to keep the critters away as does our hair.  When I cut my husband's hair I throw the clippings in the garden.  I also have left over chicken wire from another project as well as little pinwheels to deter the tree rats or squirrels as some people call them.

I haven't lost many plants to wildlife but I'm worried about my sunflowers.  The birds have been eyeing them lately.  Somewhere I read that you can cut the leg out of an old piece of panty hose and place over the sunflower to protect your seeds.  I'll try this when they are ready for harvest.

We had fresh squash for dinner last week.  I had some extra squash that I offered to my next door neighbor.  She had some extra ears of fresh corn so we made a trade.  I have to tell you that was the best corn I'd tasted in a long time.

Gardening takes a little effort but it's well worth it if you like fresh vegetables and you don't want to be forced to pay those increasing prices.  It's a great addition to couponing and stockpiling.  The more I can put up on my own, the less I have to pay full price for.  Dear Hubby is even considering giving up more of his green yard for extra food plots.

Missing A Deal Isn't the End of the World

I have a confession.  I haven't shopped with coupons for 3 whole weeks.  Actually, I haven't shopped at all for 3 weeks.  I am recovering from surgery which left me either sitting in a chair or laying in the bed.  The surgery was on my foot which meant I had to keep it elevated.  I can shuffle and limp but not enough to really go and shop.  I can't drive for another couple of weeks. 

My husband has been great through our ordeal.  He volunteered to go to the stores with coupons and get the good deals.  He took me to Big Lots hoping to get me out of the house and smiling.  Of course he wanted to push me in a wheelchairand make engine noises.  You laugh but I'm not kidding you.  He wanted to race and cut corners on one wheel.  He mentioned popping wheelies at one point.  Now you know I'm married to a nut.  (That's why I married him)  It was in Big Lots when I decided I just wouldn't be able to shop until I healed and started driving.

What does a super coupon user do when he or she can't shop and misses tons of great deals?  If you're new to couponing or aspiring to be an "extremer" you might feel sick in the pit of your stomach.  Your palms might sweat as you flip through the inserts or your heart might race at the sight of the Rite Aid Weekly Ad.  If you're a seasoned couponer you might feel regret at the deals you missed and panic at the thought of your stockpile not growing.  Once you've gotten a taste of the great deals it's almost impossible not to want to keep shopping. 

Remember that deals come and go.  For the next couple of months we'll have lots of deals on picnic items.  They'll be on and off all summer basically.  So if you miss the mustard deal this week you certainly will catch another in a week or two.  Is that supposed to make us feel better?  No, but taking a break is good for our sanity and our stockpile.

Stockpiles require organization and maintenance.  If you constantly put stuff in but never take anything out you end up wasting food by letting it expire.  While I've been unable to get around my wonderful husband has been cooking out of our stockpile and freezer.  This eliminated the need for him to go shopping with the exception of fresh items we might have needed.  Many of our fresh veggies came from our backyard garden.  I'm not going to fib to you.  It's been hard knowing the deals that I'm missing out on.  I had to stop looking at the coupon boards!

I'm recovering well now.  I am able to resume some normal activity but I must be careful not to reopen the incision and all that gross stuff.  Shopping will resume at a much slower pace.  I've enjoyed the break but I'll admit I'm ready to shop again.