Problems solved...whew

If you were watching today, you noticed that I changed layouts a few times today. I was trying to solve some problems which I thought came from my layout. Turns out it was something different, so I have reverted back to my old layout. The commenting problem has been fixed so feel free to comment away:)

Does couponing only work if you eat junk food?

Moneysavingmom has a great post on this topic over here that would be helpful if you've been wondering the same thing.

Bloom Triples

As I mentioned before, Bloom is tripling coupon through Christmas. I made a short trip there last night and wanted to share a few deals.
On sale thru today...
Some steamfresh veggies 2/3 or 1.99 each.
-50/1 coupon from 9/20 insert or go here to print one
-you can get these veggies from 50 cents each to FREE!
Mentos gum 99cents
-55/1 coupon from insert- makes it FREE (will triple up to $1.50 and is a moneymaker so if you get the $1.99 veggies, you will end up paying nothing)
Sara Lee Sliced Turkey Meat- $2.25
-$3/1 coupon if you signed up to be their friend on Facebook makes if FREE (Note: when I went to do this deal, the coupon would not ring up like the Mentos gum one did so they had to manually insert it as $2.25 not $3, but still it's free sandwich meat even if it's not a moneymaker)

Educator Appreciation Week at Borders

It's Educator Appreciation Week and Borders is offering 30% off the list price of almost everything in store from September 29th thru October 7th. All you have to do is show proof of educator status. They are also having store parties with giveaways and activites on October 2nd at 6 p.m. Check here for more details and to find out if your store is participating.

Comment Problems...

I was informed that my blog does not allow comments...which is very sad because I just love comments. I believe it is a problem with the layout. It is a custom layout and although I like it much better than the ones they offer with blogger, I think I will need to change because it is not allowing me to do several different things. So you may see some layout changes around here but no worries, the content will remain the same:)

Monday Grocery Madness

This was a pretty good week for me. The Publix deals were made in 2 trips because I had some money left over and wanted to go back and get more. Therefore I was able to get 2 penny items (different at each store): One was bottled water and the other a Voila Frozen meal.
Publix: Total before coupons/savings: $47.76
Total spent: $10.87
Percentage of savings: 77%
Aldi: Total Spent: $8.58Bilo: Total before savings/coupons: $3.04
Total spent: $.06
Percentage of savings: 98%!!
This one made me very happy because I HATE spending money on toilet paper. To take advantage of this deal yourself go to angelsoft.com and scroll down page to click on get coupon. You can print a 50/1 coupon for toilet paper which is on sale for 98cents at Bilo thru Tuesday, Sept. 29th (thus making it free except tax after coupon doubles!!)So I still have about $10 left in my grocery budget for this week which is a huge blessing because my can opener died:( I'm gonna go buy another one with the $$ left over. I have discovered it is very hard to live without one of these tools!

Freebies for Today

Go here to request a free sample of Soybutter.

Become a fan of Walgreens on Facebook by October 2nd and receive a coupon for a free photobook (sent to you on October 2nd). You do have to pay a $1.99 shipping charge, but this could still be a fairly inexpensive present for someone!

Go here to get a coupon for a free bag of Eukanuba puppy food. You have to scroll down to get the voucher.

Go here to request a free Poise sample. (hey the more free samples you can get of these feminine products, the less you have to buy!)

Free download of Microsoft Account Express 2009 here.

Free 20oz. soda and chips at Dominos from now until October 2nd when you purchase one of their ovenbaked sandwiches. This is valid from 11-3 daily in honor of National Lunch Break Week. Carryout only. Find out more details here. No coupon necessary!!

Free Paradise Island Popcorn sample here.

Free New Yorker 2010 Calendar poster here.

Free Software!

I just found out from MoneySavingMom that you can earn free software by giving a review at Amazon. How cool is that? Go here to see get more information and to see what software is available. It looks like they have a few different types of software available for review so go have fun!

Rachael Ray coupons

So Rachael Ray did a segment on coupons yesterday and now has 20% off coupons for stores and such posted on her website. Go here to check it out. I didn't see much I liked, but there were a few good ones.

Bloom Triples Indefinitely!

So it has been confirmed that the Bloom grocery stores in SC are tripling coupons at least until Christmas. Yay for Bloom! I will try to head out there sometime this weekend and give you an idea of some good deals. Remember they triple coupons that are 99cents and under. I've never seen any 99 cent coupons but if there were, you could get $2.97 off your purchase! The great deals can be found with your 75 cent coupons that rarely double. Anyway will bring more on this later but wanted to give everyone a heads up on that:)

Free Marzetti Apple Dip!

Mmm...go here and take a 10 minute survey from Marzetti about their packaging. In return they will send you a coupon for a free tub of caramel apple dip! I just love this dip and would be so happy to get a free coupon!

Note: You will only receive a coupon if your first few answers qualify you to continue the survey. If you like apple dip, I'm assuming you will qualify. I haven't been able to try to it out yet because it's blocked here at school so let me know if it works for you.

Thanks, SwappinSpoons!

Be Debt Free for the Holidays

Go here and sign up to receive a free booklet giving you ideas on how to stay on budget and remain debt free throughout the Holidays. I don't know about y'all but I wasn't planning on getting into debt for the Holidays. However, I think this booklet may give me some extra ideas on economical gift giving and such.

More free potatoes!

I don't know if any of you got the free Betty Crocker potatoes last time they were available but there is another free sample available. Go here and sign up for the Dinner Made Easy Newsletter and you can choose between Au Gratin or Roasted Garlic Potatoes. Reminder: they will send you emails every week or so, so you may want to use your alternate email address.

*Note: when I went to do this it told me that I had already signed up for the sample so if you signed up last month it probably won't work again.

20% off at Hollister

From September 23-27th use this coupon and get 20% off your purchase at Hollister. I don't normally shop there but have discovered that their men's shirts fit my husband very well (which is an accomplishment because he is so tall and slender built). Normally we get his shirts at consignment stores, but it might be worth it to stop by the mall this weekend since it looks like this coupon is valid on clearance items as well.

Free Cold Stone Icecream with donation

Stop by any Cold Stone Creamery today from 5-8 p.m. and receive a free 3 oz. Jack's Creation when you make a donation to the Make A Wish foundation. I believe this size ice cream is between $3 and $4 and normally you make a $1 donation, so while this is not free, it is definitely a discounted i cecream. Mmm I may have to stop by...Jack's Creation is sweet cream ice cream with brownies, caramel, and sprinkles mixed in. Sounds like heaven! Go here if you want any more information.

Monday Grocery Madness

Here's the total from yesterday's grocery shopping. I did the Publix in 2 trips because I found the coupon books after I finished checking out at the first Publix and then just happened to be driving by another one later in the day and decided to take advantage of the candle deals on penny item day.

I did make a trip to Ingles/Walmart this weekend to pick up some last minute necessities for party food but didn't take a picture of those trips which totaled $10.

Publix trip #1:

Total before coupons/savings: $37.91

Total spent: $12.54

Percentage of savings: 73%

Publix trip #2:

Total before savings/coupons: $24.37

Total spent: $1.65

Percentage of savings: 93%

Aldis/Bread store stop:

Total spent: $6.77

Total Spent in groceries: $30.96 (staying right at our $30/week allottment for gocery food)

Note: I have just recently changed our budget to $30/week in groceries and $10/week for eating out or fast food extras. This works for us because that's what we were doing, but it was all under a $40/week budget. I think it helps us to keep it separate so that the grocery $ doesn't get spent on a spontaneous invite out to eat...still in the trial stages of this change, so we'll see how it works, but I have high hopes this will smooth things out:) I think that it is good to continually be adjusting and readjusting the budget so that we can try to be the best stewards possible of the money given to us.

Publix coupon booklet alert!

I was at the Publix in downtown Greenville yesterday and noticed that they have the onestop, onestore coupon booklets out on display. They are located directly in front of the left entry doors to the store. That particular booklet contains a $3 off any Glade Fragrance collection coupon. The soy candles are an advantage buy this month and are on sale for $2.99. Therefore you only have to pay tax on them if you use the coupon. Also the booklet contains a 2/1 coupon for the Glade Plugin refills. These are BOGO through today and would be 75 cents after the coupon. You can combine that with the free warmer wyb a plugin refill from the coupon insert in last Sunday's paper to get the warmer and refills for 75 cents. I like to stock up on these candles when i find free or almost free deals on them and use them in gifts.

Free Tea Samples

Go here to get a free sample of Teasta tea. You can add up to 2 sample blends to your cart and then use code TRYME to get them for free...including shipping. My husband is a tea connoisseur so I love to get these tea freebies and let him sample all different types of tea.

Thanks, SwappinSpoons!

Yankee Candle Coupon

Go here to print a $10 off $25 Yankee candle coupon. This would make a Yankee candle a fairly inexpensive gift...and who doesn't love getting candles as presents? Or you could keep it for yourself and have a nice fall smell to your house. This coupon is good through 10/17.

Free Taste of Home digital magazines!

Go here to peruse or download the 25 digital magazines and cookbooks available from Taste of Home. If you click on the covers, you can look through or download them to your own computer. I am excited about looking at these and getting some new menu ideas!

BabyUniverse $250 Giveaway

Enter your email address here to sign up for a $250 giveaway from babyuniverse.com. Even if you are not expecting or have a baby, this would be a great giveaway to win and stock away for future or for shower gifts. Again, you may want to create an alternate email that you check occasionally for such purposes as this so that you do not clog up your personal email inbox.

Free Bounce Dryer Bar

Sign up here to receive a free Bounce Dryer Bar. To do this you have to sign up for Viewpoints so make sure that you use an email address at which you do not mind receiving mail.

Free Creative Marketing Ebook

If you are interested in starting your own business or just want to explore marketing ideas, go here to download this free ebook.

Dairy Queen BOGO

If you haven't signed up for the Dairy Queen Blizzard Fan Club email list yet, you can sign up now and they will send you a buy one Blizzard, get one free coupon plus another coupon for $1 off.

Free 6 month subscription to American Baby

Go here to get this magazine free for 6 months.

Last Day for Dave Ramsey Giveaway!

and the keyword for this last day is HOPE...they still haven't picked me but I can hope that today will be the day:) As before text this keyword to 99158 or go here and enter for a chance to win the last $999 giveaway. According to their website, it looks like you have until 11:59 a.m. tomorrow, September 18th, to enter to win this last giveaway.

Sears Coupon no longer accepted

For those of you who had gotten the $10 off Sears coupon, they are no longer accepting that coupon. Very sad day for me because I went to the store, found the perfect $10 shirts, and imagined myself going in once a week for the next month and getting them in all colors for FREE...alas I get up to the register and see a sign telling me they are no longer accepting them. Why you may ask? "Because people were making multiple copies." they say. Hmmm, you offer a coupon as a PDF and don't think people are going to make multiple copies? I am sorry for my little rant, but one of the things that really irritates me is when stores offer coupons and then decide they don't want to take them anymore. If that's the case, don't offer them in the first place. But that's all right, I think I will just steer away from Sears for now since they don't want my business.

Just for fun: Thrifty finds:)

So I've really become interested in crafting over the last several months, but crafting materials can get really expensive. I've starting looking for material and notions at thrift stores to see what I can find. This past weekend we decided to go yard saling (I think that's a word) on Saturday. We weren't having much luck until we happened upon these ladies who were having a combined yard sale getting rid of the crafting stuff of their mothers:) I just had so much fun here that I wanted to share with you my happiness...Basically I need someone else beside Ian to admire it...though he was incredibly sweet about letting me take my time to decide exactly what I HAD to have! Hope you enjoy:)
Knitting caddy with 20 pairs needles + accessories $3; yarn+basket $3
Embroidery hoops, floss, quilting and knitting mag., 2 patterns, needles, lace + material=$3 :)

Free Film Developing Today!!

TODAY ONLY (Sept. 16,2009) you can get FREE 4×6 film developing at Walgreens on any original 35mm, APS roll only, or single use camera.

$3/1 Sarah Lee Deli Meat!

Become a facebook fan of Sara Lee Deli here and receive a coupon for $3/1 package of deli meat.

Dave Ramsey Giveaway Wed. Keyword

And the keyword for today is DOLLAR....Like before go here or text the keyword to 99158 to enter to win the $999. Only a few more days for this giveaway...please pick me, please pick me!

Border's/Seattle's Best BOGO

Through September 23, 2009, use this coupon at any Border's or Seattle's Best Coffee Shop to get a free medium beverage when you buy another.

Free 10-12 oz. bag of cat food

Go here and join the Royal Canin Felines group on Catster and they will send you a coupon for a free 10-12 oz. bag of cat food. Alas, I cannot take advantage of this deal because of my husband's aversion to said animal, but I hope others can!

Monday Freebies

Go here to get a free sample of Dandy-Lyon bites (a healthy snack)

Mambo Sprouts coupon book and printable coupons
-If you like to buy organic but don't like the pricetag, Mambo Sprouts offers coupons specifically for organic products. Go here to get on their mailing list (booklet also available at Whole Foods)
-Go here to get some printable coupons

Free Pumpkin stencils: Go here to register at Better Homes & Gardens and then download the PDF of the stencils.

Free Texas Pete's Hot Sauce: Help them reach 100,000 Facebook fans by Nov. 15th and receive a coupon for free hot sauce through their fan page. Go here to become a fan.

Free Coke from My Coke Rewards Program: Register here to become a member. Go to pick up points, and then click on TGI Fridays Give Me More Stripes program. Once you have completed that, enter your bonus code which will give you 25 points...enough to receive one of the following
FREE 20 oz. Coke,
FREE 18.5 oz. Dasani Essense
FREE 32 oz. Powerade
FREE 20 oz. Minute Maid

Monday grocery totals

In our house, we practice the stockpiling principle of shopping. We stock up on things on sale so that what you see me buy every week is not all that we are eating. For example, I got a lot of pasta for pennies one week and then a few weeks later was able to get quite a few jars of pasta sauce on sale. Now we can put those things together to have different meals. It takes a while to get this set up but once you have a good stockpile, your grocery budget drops quite a bit. Things works well with things that don't go bad quickly: condiments, salad dressings, cereals, pastas, etc.
However, sometimes you need to use up some of what you have in order to make room for more. We have declared this one of those weeks in our household. It worked out well because we wanted to go pick some apples and that can get expensive. We used most of our budget to get apples, and then I made a quick trip to the store today to get some essentials we needed as well as some ingredients for a birthday cheesecake I'm making this weekend (just for you Beka:)
First off was Aldis for the generics...
Total spent: $5.86 (note most of the time I can get these items on sale for cheaper than here but if you need it right away, this is the best place to go.)
Then on to Publix:
Total before coupons/savings: $25.66
Total spent: $3.34
Percentage in savings: 87%
(this total was helped out by the Nilla wafers penny item being out:( and them offering Lucky Charms in exchange! $5 for a penny)

Publix shopping helps

The particular Publix (on Wade Hampton in Taylors) that I do most of my shopping at does not put coupon books out for people to take. However, I have discovered that if you go to the customer service desk and ask, they will have several booklets there available for you. I did this today and received the Toss for Cash book and the Fall Traditions book as well as several individual fliers of coupons. The lady at the desk said that they don't put the booklets out because people will take large amounts of them. However some Publix do put them out at the grocery flier station.
I say all this to tell you that these booklets are where I get the best special savings at Publix. Always take anything there you can find! Even their magazines have coupons (I got free cream cheese today from a coupon in the Grape magazine).
A problem that can develop from this is what to do with these coupon books. I have 2 solutions.
1. Cut out all the coupons from the booklets/magazines and put the in the folder/organizer where you normally keep your coupons
2. Have a designated bin (I use a small trash can) to put all these fliers in and go thru them when you have time
If you track southernsavers website, she will tell you if any coupons from these books/magazines can be used to match any deals.
Hope this helps!

Free Holiday Recipe Guide from Carnation

Go here to get your free Holiday Guide. You have to sign up there, but you can either download the PDF of the book or request them to mail a copy to you.
Thanks, MoneySavingMom!

Publix Coupon books

There are 2 coupon books to look for at Publix now. The one stop. one store booklet and the better at home booklet. These books are located at the front of the store with the weekly ads or sometimes at the customer service desk. These books tend to go quickly and are hard to find. If you go to the Publix website and contact them, normally they will mail you copies of these. I have discovered that these books often contain great coupons that can't be found other places and really sweeten the deals on some items. I'm going out to find mine this weekend...Wish me luck:)

Sunday's coupon inserts

So there could be up to 5 coupon inserts this Sunday!! 3 Smartsource and 2 RedPlum. I sure hope our Greenville News will carry all those. Remember to get your paper at Walgreens for 88 cents.

Dave Ramsey Weekend Keyword

...and the keyword for this weekend is FREE...This word is good all weekend so make sure you send a text to 99158 or go here to register everyday this weekend. And maybe, just maybe I will finally win a giveaway:)

Quiznos: BOGO deal

Here's a coupon for Quiznos to get a free sub when you buy another sub and a drink. The coupon is good until October 12, 2009. Mmm I do love Quiznos and the fact that they are always putting out coupons.

Free Museum Day:Sept. 26th, 2009

September 26th is the Smithsonian Museum Day, and you can get free admittance to many museums across the country. You will need to go here and register to get your free pass.

If you wish to see this list of participating museums, go here and check it out.

There are two free in Greenville, but both are art museums so I'm not sure if we'll take advantage of this or not. I was really hoping the new Children's Museum would be on the list, but unfortunately it's not:(

Free Full Size Bag of SkiKiddy Snacks

Wow you don't often see freebies that are for full size items.
Go here and fill out your name, email, and mailing address and then type in “babybix sample” in the comment section and you’ll receive a coupon by email for a free full-size bag of SniKiddy Snacks. You must type in “babybix sample” in the comments form, or you will only get a $1/1 coupon, not a coupon for a free package.
Thanks, SwappinSpoons!

Update on Dave Ramsey $999 Giveaway

I just entered the Dave Ramsey giveaway for today and the keyword again is (Baby) actually I just looked at the website again and they had updated it and the keyword is SAVE today. Go here to find out more details and enter the contest. Remember this is going on for 9 days beginning yesterday.

Panera: Free Samples!

Panera Bread will be offering free samples of their new fall menu all day long today, Thursday, September 10, 2009. Mmm, now if only I had one close by my house!

Thanks, MoneySavingMom!

$250 Cash Giveaway from CouponMom.com

CouponMom.com is hosting a cash giveaway this week. To enter all you need to do is leave your name and email address here.
Thanks, MoneySavingMom!

Dave Ramsey Giveaway!

In honor of 09/09/09, Dave Ramsey is giving away $999 beginning today for the next 9 days. Each day there will be a new keyword listed on his website under the $999 giveaway tab. Text this keyword to 99158 or go here to enter each day.
Key word for 09/09/09- Baby.

Mimi's Cafe: Coupons and Freebies

Use this coupon at Mimi's Cafe to get $5 off a $15 purchase. The coupon is good through September 22, 2009.
If you sign up for their email list, they will send you a coupon for a free breakfast! I have a junk email account that I use to sign up for these things so that my normal email does not get bogged down.
One last freebie: I just noticed on their web site that they have a printable coupon for a free dessert with a $10 purchase. FYI they will not let you use more than one coupon per table.

Publix and Bilo Weekly Ads

Southernsavers has the lists up for Bilo and Publix deals and coupon matches this week. It looks like a pretty good week for Publix deals.
Go here to get your Bilo deals and here for your Publix deals. Happy Shopping!
*Remember to wait to do your Publix shopping until Sunday or Monday if you want to get the penny item.

90% off at Restaurant.com

So even though it's not the end of the month, restaurant.com has decided to allow you to get 90% off your purchase. This price slashing will last until 9/13. Use the code NINETY when you check out to get this price...If you are looking for an inexpensive dinner out, this is a great option! Better hurry because at this price, the coupons will go quickly.

Adorable Backpack giveaway

So even though I don't have any children, I think I could find some uses for this super cute backpack. Go here to check out the giveaway.

Snapfish Free Prints and Free Shipping!

Today thru Sept. 13th get free shipping on all Snapfish orders by entering the code FREELABOR.
Also first time users can get 50 free prints. You don't need a code to get those prints. It has been confirmed over at Southern Savers that you can use both and get 50 free prints with free shipping!
Go Here to get started.
Even if you don't need any more photos printed out, think of how you could use these for presents. I think that we will print some out to use as Christmas cards and gifts.

Bloom shopping trip

So we made an extra trip to Bloom yesterday because of the triple coupons this week. I am happy to say that we got some pretty good deals this time around. Most of the deals come from the coupons printed off smartsource and redplum, but I did have a couple coupons that I had clipped from the Sunday inserts that worked as well. What I do is look through their sales flier and see what I have that will match up with their deals.
Some coupons to look for:
50/1 betty crocker frosting (makes the frosting 13c)
55/1 mentos gum (on sale for 99c this week so actually you get 50c toward another item)
Total before coupons/savings: $18.70
Total spent: $1
Percentage of savings: 95%:)

Free Sample of Clinical Strength Deodorant

This freebie is through VocalPoint. If you are not a member of them, I strongly suggest that you join. In the last several weeks, I have received coupons for free Rice Krispie cereal and free Kashi cereal as well as $ off coupons for various other products! To get this free sample, you must agree to complete a short survey after you try the product. Go here to either login or sign up for your free sample...and watch more freebies come your way soon:)

*HOT!* $2/1 Healthy Choice Frozen Meals and Fresh Mixers

There are 2 very good coupons here for the Healthy Choice Frozen Meals and Fresh Mixers. The Frozen Meals are supposed to be on sale for $2.50 at Publix in a few weeks, and the Mixers are often on sale at Wal-Mart for $2 so these coupons could make some great deals for you! These won't last long, so print while you can. Hint: if you use the back button on your printer directly after printer, you can normally print 2 of each coupon per computer.
Thanks, MoneySavingMom

Free Sample of Honey Nut Cheerios

Go here to get a free sample of Honey Nut Cheerios as well as a $1/1 coupon.