My son broke my laptop screen

I have been MIA all week because my 2 year flicked my iphone charger against the back of my laptop screen and the entire LCD screen went out.

I did want to tell you that I did get over 200.00 worth of diapers this week for FREE between Rite Aid and CVS. I used some of my gift cards that I just received for rebates through Rite Aid and a lot of my ecb's that I had piled up from CVS, I rolled many of them and my neighbor let me use her card so I could get more also.

Please check out www.HIP2SAVE.com to see the scenarios. Word to the wise, her site says there's a limit of 3 packages of Pampers at CVS and I did transactions of 3 but it only gave me ecb's back for 2, so they manually printed the 3rd. They may not do this at another store though because the ad does state a limit of 2.

But these were some awesome deals, I got 18 packages of diapers and I was thrilled. My CVS will take Rite Aid's 5 off 25 competitor coupon too. I asked to talk to a mgr before I went shopping since I went to a new store and they had no problems but ask first!

These diaper deals end today so go grab some yourself :) I will try to post as often as possible but Dell thinks they might have my computer for a few days.

Freebies at Target

My friend Jolyn over at Macomb Money Savers gave me a great rundown of items that were free or next to free at Target. Some items I bought I didn't picture but I will list them. Today, I ended up with 23 items for free and several I got with a few pennies of overage because my coupons were for 1.00 and several items were .97 or .99, gotta love overage!

Here's a list that I got from Jolyn's website of the breakdown:

$0.97 Johnson’s Buddies Bar (regular price)
-$1.00/1 coupon (from 3-7 RP) or printable coupon here or here
FREE after coupon – great charity donation!
***This coupon beeps every time but it is a baby toiletry item and I've never had a problem, but just a heads up that they might question it.

$0.97 Gillette Satin Care Shave Gel, trial size (regular price)
-$1.00/1 coupon (from 2-7 or 3-7 PG)
FREE after coupon

$1.82 Kids’ Band-Aid Bandages, 20 ct (regular price)
-$1.00/1 coupon (from 1-3 RP)
-$1.00/1 Target printable coupon (click on “Kids Spring Savings”), limit 1 per transaction
FREE after coupon – great charity donation!

$1.99 Oral B Stages Toothbrush (price cut through 4-17)
-$1.00/1 coupon (from 2-7 PG)
-$1.00/1 Target printable coupon (click on “Kids Spring Savings”), limit 1 per transaction
FREE after coupon – great charity donation! – thanks, Hip2Save!

$0.99 Reach Floss, 55 yd (regular price)
-$1.00/1 coupon (from 6-14 SS, 10-18 RP, 1-3 RP, or 3-7 RP) or printable coupon (when you register)
FREE after coupon – great charity donation!

$3.50 Hanes Kids’ Crew Socks, 6 pk
-$1.00/1 printable Target coupon (click on “Kids Spring Savings”), limit 1 per transaction
$2.50 after coupon

GIFT CARD & “GET ITEM FREE” DEALS:
$2.50 Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats Cereal, 18 oz
*Get a $5 Target gift card when you buy 4*
-$1.50/2 printable coupon here or here, or $1.00/2 coupon (from 3-7 RP), use 2, or $1.50/3 printable coupon, use 1
$0.50-$0.88 each when you buy 4 after coupons and gift card savings

I had a 5.00 gift card from a previous promotion so I used that to pay for these and if I would have brought more coupons with me, I could have done the transaction over a few times but I have tons of cereal in my basement as it is :) Only wish that this was good on the chocolate Mini wheats, my friend got me hooked on those! They taste just like cocoa puffs!

Deals I found at Costco

I'll be the first one to admit that I don't encourage a lot of people to shop at Costco frequently but I did find what I thought were some pretty decent deals. None of these are "I must get in my car right now and head over there" deals but will save you several dollars. I wanted to share with you a few things that I found that I use a lot that will save me several dollars by purchasing them in bulk. These are items that most often, I am not able to get fantastic deals on or just coupons.

So, here's the breakdown:

Trash bags (200 ct) 11.59
*The last deal I got on trash bags was 1.00 for 15 Kroger brand, which breaks down to .066 a bag, the Costco bags break down to .057 a bag. I will tell you that the Costco bags are a much higher quality and drawstring and the Kroger bags were not.

**This is an item that I know you can get good deals on when there is a great sale but I was out of bags so I went with the best deal that would last me awhile.

Vegetable Oil 6.39
*This is a large container and even buying store brand, I normally pay about 2.99 for a large bottle, this large container will fill my large BOTTLE about 3 1/2 times so I figure a savings of about $4.00.

Organic Olive Oil 10.99
*We use a lot of olive oil and I normally buy store brand which runs abut 4.99 for a small bottle. I will be able to fill my small bottle about 3 times which will yield a savings of around $4.00.

Lunch Meat - Honey Turkey 7.01
*I found their lunch to be very inexpensive at 3.85 a pound and it tastes really good

Canned Mushrooms 5.79 for 12
*I use canned mushrooms for a variety of things and when I buy store brand they run about .59, so this is a savings of $1.29

Breadcrumbs 4.49
*I think this is a great deal. I use bread crumbs for a lot of things and normally I am buying a container every few weeks. Buying a 24oz container at Meijer runs 2.49, the amount I bought is equal to almost 4 containers, so this is a savings of over 5.00.

I also bought a large package of cheese, it was in the refrigerated dairy section, I did not include it in the picture because I opened it. It comes with 120 slices or 5 lbs and was 8.38. We were out and I knew all of this would get used fairly quickly so this broke down to about 7.5 packages of cheese that have 16 slices. This comes to about 1.12 a package and I thought this was a decent deal because, I don't remember being able to buy it recently for under 1.00. One thing you should know is that it is not individually wrapped.

So, maybe you'll find some of the deals will be worth your time, I was overall pretty happy with my purchases :)

FREE Snickers bars at Kroger

I don't know about you but I just have not been very impressed with the sale ads for Kroger or Meijer in awhile! I normally go to Kroger to get my staple items that I need each week since it's closer than Meijer unless I know I'll be going a big trip at Meijer. Thanks to Jolyn at Macomb Money Savers, I scored 12 free Snickers bars today.

$0.50 Snickers, 3 Musketeers or Skittles Singles
-$0.50/2 Snickers coupon (from 2-21 RP)
FREE when you buy 2 Snickers with coupon

(this content above was provided on her website, Macomb Money Savers...thanks Jolyn, my hips are not going to be thanking you...he he)

Also, I was walking past the OJ and my family loves it but I hate paying almost 3.00 a container for their Tropicana:) Well, I noticed that 75% of the Tropicana on the shelves were expiring in 2 days. I had already hit up the reduced meat area and got some great deals there and I spotted a gentlemen with a name tag and asked him to come over. I told him that almost all the OJ was going to be expiring in two days and I was surprised it wasn't marked down. To make a long story short, the Dairy Mgr wasn't available for me to talk to but they welcomed me to go to the service counter. So, of course I did and they were happy to mark the 4 containers I was going to buy 50% off. Therefore, if something is close to expiring, don't be afraid to ask if they will mark it down :)

The items that I go to Kroger almost every week to get reduced prices on are bread and meat. We go through tons of bread here so when I can get a whole loaf under .50 and throw it in the freezer, I normally buy about 3-4 loaves a week.

SPECTACULAR DEAL !

Many of you know that I'm a Director with Southern Living at HOME. We just found out this morning that our very best seller, the Astoria Flatware Caddy is being permanently retired on Friday. I can't imagine why but I didn't want to let the opportunity go by without offering this at my discount of 25% off. This piece has 100's of uses and it's the one piece that catches everyone's eye at all of my home parties.

It retails for 69.96, I am offering a 25% discount off that price along with 12% shipping and 6% tax. So, I'm selling this at my cost, I'm doing this so you can benefit because it's a piece I LOVE so much!

Please let me know ASAP if you are interested as this is probably going to sell out, I need all orders by March 11th. Pick up (if you are in Metro Detroit) would be at my house, if you are in another area, we can work out the arrangements.

Here's a little bit more of a description:
This great, versatile caddy will make your tabletop shine. With four removable, thick glass caddies, stainless steel base & trim, and heavy weight, you simply can't go wrong.

It can be used in both formal and casual settings.

- removable handle for added versatility

- 4 removable glass caddies

- use each glass caddy as an individual vase or dish

- simple elegange and functionality in one beautiful container

Not intended for microwave or oven use.
Glass is dishwasher safe.
Hand wash the stand for best results.
Stand is not food safe.
Pick up the caddy by its base for maximum support.

8 1/4" x 8 1/4 " x 1 1 1/2" tall

This is a piece you will own for YEARS!!!

Favorite deals at Meijer this week

It's pretty slim pickings at Meijer this and even slimmer at Kroger...but, here are my favorites for the week. Thanks to Jolyn at Macomb Money Savers, she is INCREDIBLE at putting these together!

$1.99 Post Classic Raisin Bran, 20 oz
-$2.00/1 printable coupon
FREE after coupon – great charity donation!
Bonus: Buy 4 Post Cereals (10 oz+) in one transaction, get a $3.00 checkout coupon valid on your next order. Buy 5 or more, get $4.00.

$0.69 Simply Asia Seasoning Mixes, packet (price drop through Mar 7)
-$0.50/1 coupon (from 2-7 RP)
FREE after coupon – Thanks, Makin’ It In Michigan!

$0.99 Frank’s RedHot Sauce, 5 oz (regular price – may vary by location)
-$0.50/1 coupon (from 12-13 or 1-24 SS)
FREE after coupon*

$0.99 Gatorade G2 Sports Drink, 32 oz (regular price – may vary by location)
-$0.50/1 coupon (from 1-10 RP, exp 4-10)
FREE after coupon*

$1.29 Starkist Sandwich Ready Tuna Pouch, 3 oz (price drop through Mar 7)
-$1.00/1 printable coupon
$0.29 after coupon – great charity donation!

$0.89 Barilla Piccolini or Whole Grain Pasta, 12-16 oz select varieties
-$1.00/2 coupon (from 3-7 SS), if our area paper receives this amount
$0.39 each when you buy 2 with coupon

$2.49 Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Bars, 10.4 oz select varieties
-$1.00/2 coupon (from 2-7 RP)
$1.99 each when you buy 2 with coupon

$0.40 Dannon Yogurt, 6 oz cups
-$0.75/6 printable coupon (print 2 per computer)
$0.28 each when you buy 6 with coupon

$2.00 Yoplait Yoplus+ or Fiber One Yogurt, 4 ct 4 oz (price drop through Mar 21)
-$1.00/1 Yoplus coupon (from 2-7 GM) $1.00/1 Yoplus and Fiber One printables
$1.00 after coupon

$2.00 Dannon Coolision or Danonino Yogurt, 6 pk (price drop through Mar 21)
-$1.00/1 coupon (from 2-7 or 2-28 SS)
$1.00 after coupon

$1.50 Oscar Mayer Meat Hot Dogs, 16 oz (excludes beef, cheese & fat free)
Bonus: Buy 2 or more in one transaction, get a $2.00 checkout coupon valid on your next order.
$0.50 each after checkout coupon savings

Ongoing great deals on bread

We consume a lot of bread in this household, especially when it is fresh, I can sit down and eat half a loaf! I'm also known to make 4 slices of toast and spray my favorite "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray on it so that the butter flavor I like has no calories. Believe me I love the fancy dancy breads that sell for over 2.00 a loaf. But my Kindergartner really only likes white bread for his daily peanut butter and jelly. For at least the last month, I've been able to pick up Kroger brand bread for under .50 a loaf. The other day I picked up 6 loafs at .39 each and the expiration date wasn't until 4 days later. So, when you are shopping for bread, and you can go in the morning to do it (which is when they mark it all down), look for the bright yellow and red tags that say clearance. I buy normally 4-6 which last us about 2 weeks and I throw them in the freezer.


I just wanted to pass this deal along so you can enjoy some bread savings as well! Also, they have the reduced hot dog and hamburger buns like this ALL THE TIME!!

How far will your detergent go?

Many of you will think this is silly but I have been wondering how far my 3x All Small & Mighty 32 load laundry detergent will go. You see, my friend Laura suggested that we try a smaller amount on everyday stuff and it got me thinking. So, I started marking on my bottle how many loads I'm doing so I can see how far it goes. I use about half of what they recommend which is a tiny amount, it's just barely enough to cover the bottom of the dispenser on our HE washer. But I haven't noticed any difference in our clothes. So, maybe this will inspire you to use less detergent, less shampoo and less on other things to make our freebies and very inexpensive items last even longer...I'm laughing as I'm typing this because it just sounds so FRUGAL! A lot of people don't mind wasting especially when they got it so cheap or free but I like to make it last without sacrificing the end result!

$1.00 All Detergent last day at Family Dollar

I saw this deal but I wanted to verify that the coupons would work before I posted this. The coupon states 2.00 off any 50 oz or greater and the ad didn't specify. But I did grab 5 detergents for 1.00 each. Believe me, I don't need laundry detergent but I can't pass up the opportunity to get it for 1.00 each since I know it will get used and it will give me at least 30 loads worth for 1.00! And the type they had at this store was one I hadn't seen before in most other stores but it said safe in HE washers which is exactly what I need! So, if you want some 1.00 detergent, today is your day, hurry up! I'm not sure if they will extend a raincheck or not. You could always take the ad to Target and see if they will price match!

Interestingly enough, I asked them if they had anymore and she said no. I said how I loved how inexpensive they were with the coupon and she said "yeah, it's pretty stupid of corporate, they should wait to put this stuff on sale until after the coupons expire". Well, that opened up a whole can of worms. I tried to politely educate her that their company isn't really losing money since they will get reimbursed the 2.00 plus a handling fee. She still didn't seem to buy it but whatever, I got my detergent and that's what I went in for :) She was nice but it's amazing to me how uneducated the clerks are about coupons. I may just call their corporate offices to let them know....not to complain, I will not do that unless someone has been HORRIBLE to me, but just to tell them that they might want to educate their staff on how coupons work, because it seems logical that if you are going to accept mfg. coupons, you should know how they work, right? I felt bad that this lady thought their company was losing money on them when she told me their store is very, very slow and they've never even hit budget. There was maybe 3 of us in the store and she told me that is the normal pace, VERY SLOW. So, maybe her accepting coupons at such a high value makes her worry a bit about her job if she thinks the store is losing money. A little food for thought. Maybe I should try to find an article online about coupon redemption and when I have someone who obviously doesn't know how the process works, I can give it to them :) Might make for friendly transactions for many of us :) Luckily my cashier wasn't rude but I still felt bad as I was leaving!

Picking and choosing my deals

I have a 2 year old so I'm having to pick and choose my deals a lot lately. I find that taking him to too many stores to try to grab all the deals ends up frustrating for both of us. He simply doesn't have the patience and likes to attempt to crawl out of the carts. So, I've been really picking and choosing my deals lately. I know that when I first started mega couponing, I would run out to get every deal but now, I'm pickier.

The stores I frequent the most are Meijer, Kroger, Rite Aid, and CVS. It always takes us FOREVER to check out at Walgreens and it's about 15 minutes from me so it's the farthest store from me. And the Register Rewards expire within 2 weeks and my store just won't accept any even if they are one day old and I ask permission. So, for me, its a rarity that I go to Walgreens. Additionally, it seems everyone else in the country has a much bigger ad than Metro Detroit, I think our ad is half the size. So, many of the deals on websites that I frequent don't apply to our stores here.

So, what I'm trying to say is I've tried hard to find balance in the household. Not many kids want to be stuck in a grocery cart for a long amount of time and so I don't venture out as much as I used to. But I will tell you that the savings my family has seen has been tremendous. My husband and I recently put me on a allowance/budget. So, I get money every 2 weeks and when it's gone, it's gone. This has helped me A LOT because I would do tons of 1.00 and 2.00 transactions and didn't realize how they could add up!

Another great recipe

Here's a fantastic recipe from my friend Jolyn at Macomb Money Savers for Lemon Rice Pilaf. I made it yesterday and it was delicious. You could even add fresh asparagus to it. It was very easy to make, however, you need to make sure you have enough ingredients on hand. Almost took a whole small box of rice, 2-3 lemons to get the fresh lemon juice, it took one large container (like the paper container) of chicken broth plus half of a can I had in the pantry. Also, prepare this in your extra large skillet.

Enjoy...believe me, I did!

Thanks Jolyn!

Meijer Shopping Trip

I went to Meijer yesterday and had a pretty good trip. My total out of pocket was $63.29, I saved $77.70 for a savings of 59%.

Keep in mind that I bought 6 packages of Johnsonville Brats with a raincheck and bought about 12.00 in juice.

Some of my favorite were Quaker Oatmeal at .88/box after 1.00 coupon, Ziploc bags that were .70 after coupons, but then I bought 4 boxes on two different transactions so I could submit for 10.00 in rebates. I haven't bought ziplocs since the beginning of the school year and I just ran out so it pays to stock up on these, Strawberries were 1.69 (and they were delicious!).

So, I will be receiving 10.00 back in rebates from these purchases :)

Cousin's corner!

Here's another tip/recipe from my cousin Pam! She comes up with some great one and I love that she always gives credit, where credit is due! Thanks Pam!

Brown Sugar Scrub

baking soda
white sugar
brown sugar
sea salt
olive oil
vanilla extract

In a bowl, add 3 tablespoons of white sugar, 3 tablespoons brown sugar; add tablespoon of sea salt, add tablespoon baking soda; stir until lumps are gone; should be smooth and basically one color; add tablespoon of olive oil, stir in; keep adding half spoonfuls of the oil, keep stirring until your scrub has the consistency of slush (I ended up using 3 tablespoons total); Add two drops of Vanilla and stir (I probably used a teaspoon).

This recipe is from Shiela Pierson, found at instructables.com

February totals

Here is my spending in February:

Spent: 398.69

Saved: 550.10

Savings of 61%

Rebates due to receive for February spending: 58.49

My out of pocket spending was a little higher than usual but I did stock up on chicken and I did pay for my son's 2nd birthday party with this amount spent as well.