Big Savings Strategies for Electronics & Appliances

I’ve been thinking a lot about electronics and appliances lately. Maybe because I’ve been spotting some great deals, or maybe it is simply because our family computer is slower than molasses and our electric range/oven was originally installed in our home in 1962.
If you are thinking the same thing I am, then you might be able to take advantage of some of the following big saving strategies for electronics and appliances.

First of all, do you remember the day that I did all of that running around and got some great clearance deals on Halloween and fall items? Well, while we were in the mall, we had to pass through Sears on our way. I went right past the appliances and stopped to ask a saleswoman about upcoming sales. She informed me that this Sunday, October 4th is the friends and family event. Shop on Sunday, and you’ll get great deals, such as 30 percent off appliances.

Another plus for Sears are their scratch and dent stores. Have you heard of these. They don’t have them everywhere, but you can usually find one in your state or the next state over. These are appliances sold at deep, deep discounts because of the occasional ding or scratch that accidentally happens when the appliances is being shipped or moved. Heck, my kids will do this anyway, so why not save a few hundred dollars on a little ding?

Related to the scratch and dent store are online ways to save for a similar reason. Electronics Expo has some great deals on Open Box merchandise and both Apple, Dell and HP frequently refurbish returns and sells them for deep discounts. You still get the same warranties, so there is no risk there. The laptop I am typing this post on was a refurbished item from Apple. In four years it has never needed a repair other than a new cord when someone in my house tripped on it.

Check both the Electronics category and the For the Home Category on the left for current deals. I’ll also pull a few of these out for you.

Spotted at Target

My husband is participating in an easy triathlon this coming weekend, so yesterday found us at our local Target to pick up a bike that he could use. They had some good deals, so he was happy.

While he was shopping, the kids and I started browsing around the perimeter of the store to see what sale or clearance items we could find. Perimeter perusing is a great way to find bargains at Target. You just walk around the edges of the store and look at the end caps that are closest to the walls. Sometimes you may also spot clearance on the regular shelves, but still closest to the edges of the store.

There were a lot of snacks on sale, such as the popular Yogos at $1.50. I’m guessing that there might be extra inventory to clear now that back to school promotions are over. I spotted a couple of backpacks left at deep discounts, so consider stocking up on any you find. You can save them as replacements for next year, or fill them at Christmas time to give to those in need.

One thing that surprised me was the number of Halloween clearance items I found. Crazy cupcake sprinkles (eyeballs, bats and more) were discounted, as were Halloween cookie kits and other Halloween baking supplies. Next to the Halloween baking supplies were ordinary baking items on sale, too, such as cupcake liners.

Of course I picked up some of the not so creepy item. Decorating cupcakes would make a nice after school activity for my kids and their friends. I grabbed some boxes of Pillsbury strawberry cake mix. The strawberry flavor was marked way down to 67 cents at my store, and it was so much cheaper than any other flavor. Hey red cupcakes might be completely appropriate for Halloween.

The fact that some Halloween was already on clearance got me thinking about other stores. I may just have to go out this weekend to Kohl’s, Walmart and Disney, to see what might be available! I know that Walmart.com already has some good Halloween deals.

Have you spotted any great deals at Target lately?

Coupon Inserts September 27 and Doubles at Kmart

This week’s newspapers are chock full of a huge selection of grocery coupons.  There are three inserts, a Smart Source, a Red Plum, and a P&G BrandSaver.  Find them here.

There is good news for K Mart shoppers, but it is not as good as it could be.  Select K Mart stores will again be doubling coupons, but only the ones from this Sunday’s P&G BrandSaver insert.  They will double up to $2 face value, with a limit of 5 coupons per day per customer doubled.

I mean really, why bother?

That said, there are lots of $1+ coupons in the P&G insert.  So if KMart is convenient, and you are well organized, go and get your five doubles per customer per day.  This might be the time to have your family members go to K Mart with you and all check out separately if you find a good deal.

Lets hope that the store staff knows they are doubling, and knows the rules.  You might want to bring your local circular with you to be certain.

Also in the P&G Insert, check out Walgreens deals.  Gillette Fusion Razors are on sale at Walgreens, for $8.99.  Use the $4 coupon in the insert, and your out of pocket cost is $4.99.  Get a $6 register reward!

Other high value coupons this week are Act $2 (SS), Enfamil premium $5 (SS),  L’Oreal Everpure Shampoo, Conditioner, or Treatment $2 (SS), Tombstone 12″ $1.50 (SS), Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce $2 (RP) , Febreze Air Effects FREE when you buy any Febreze Candle (PG), Mr Clean Magic Eraser B1G1F, Mr Clean Spray free when you buy Mr Clean Liquid (Both PG) .

This is certainly a weekend worth buying extra newspapers, and rounding up your search for discarded inserts.  Happy deal hunting!

Halloween Comes to Walmart

Walmart.com just released some great deals for Halloween. They have Halloween costumes for adults and kids, and plenty of decorations. Also, combine coupons to get some great deals on candy and other Halloween essentials.
Here are the Halloween Walmart Deals.

Costumes

I start my costume planning early to make sure that we are prepared. And once my kids decide on costumes, that is it, I buy them quickly so there is no opportunity for them to change their minds! Walmart.com is offering 97 cent shipping for both kids and adults costumes. Less than $1 so I don’t have to drive to the store? Oh yeah. Make sure to check out the infant pink lamb costume: too cute!

Kids Costumes 97 cents shipping
Adult Costumes 97 cents shipping

Decorations

A good friend of mine has a blow out Halloween party every year. She does things big. I spotted a couple of inflatable decorations on rollback at Walmart.com. One of the things that I really like about these decorations is that they are very whimsical and not scary. Some of them can even work for a fall, non-Halloween theme.

I especially like the line of pumpkins. There is a nice long (9 foot!) one that is my favorite, but the best deal is on the Airblown inflatable pumpkin scene that features four pumpkins. It is on on rollback for only $29!

Snacks

Whether you are looking for treats to hand out to the trick-or-treaters, snack supplies for a party, or take along eats for all of the Halloween and Fall activities, Walmart gives you a lot of opportunity to save this month. Combine your coupons for the following.

Alexia Crunchy Snacks. Use the $1/1 coupon from the June 2009 issue of All You Magazine and get them for only $1.48.

Betty Crocker Brownies. Use the $.75/2 coupon from Coupons.com to get two of these for only $1.25 total.

Borden’s Cheese Sensations. Use the $1/1 coupon from the June 2009 issue of All You Magazine and get them for only $.88 each.

Chex Mix. Use the $.50/1 coupon from Coupons.com and spend only $1.18.

David’s Sunflower Seeds. Use the $1/2 coupon from the May 2009 issue of All You Magazine to get two bags for only $1.

Kraft Mac & Cheese Crackers. Use the $.55 printable coupon plus the $.45 mail in rebate to get them for free!

The candy deals should be coming out next month, so make sure to check back!

New Coupon Calendars

Isn’t it wonderful the number of ways that we can get free coupons? We have printable coupons, online coupon codes, Sunday insert coupons, and even coupon booklets we can get in the mail. There are coupons found in magazines, too.

Actually, individual stores are now getting into the act, with magazines that not only contain great articles but also give you lots of store specific coupons. And you know what else? Lately there has been another source: manufacture coupon calendars!

Here are some of the current offers out there.

Hershey’s is offering a free baking calendar. It is packed with both recipes and coupons, two of my favorite things. Of course, you also get the calendar itself. For this offer, you will need to send in four proof of purchases. Honestly, I found the proof of purchases just in my pantry. Go to Hersheys.com for details.

Walmart and Nestle are offering a “Back to School” savings calendar that contains $20 worth of various manufacturer coupons for products such as Juicy Juice, Hot Pockets and Stouffers Lasagna. There is still time to get this coupon calendar.

Also in the back to school theme is Nabisco. They are offering a calendar with a whopping $55 worth of coupons on everything from Chips Ahoy cookies to Capri Sun juice pouches. You’ll get savings throughout the year.

As a bonus, make sure to look for a couple of coupon booklets and magazines out there. The first is Walgreen’s ABC’s Coupon Booklet and the second is CVS’s Reinventing Beauty Magazine (this one costs $.99)

Get It Free CVS Deals

If you want something for nothing, one of the first places that you should look is the drugstore, whether you visit the local store or shop online. From coupons to sales to rebates and money back to special offers, these places are a wealth of free products.

Here are some of the best CVS drugstore deals that will get you things for free.

Colgate Classic Toothbrush is giving $1 in Extra Care Bucks when you purchase it for $.99, making it free.

Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste will give you $2 in extra care bucks. It normally costs $2.99, but you can use the $1 Sunday insert coupon to make it completely free.

Wheat Thins are on sale for $1 at CVS (Thanks to Couponcravings for alerting me to the Wheat Thins Deal), and you can use this $1 bricks printable coupon. By the way, I’ve already used this Wheat Thins coupon at our local dollar store, but I missed the bit about CVS having them at the same price. But if you can’t find them at CVS, check your own dollar stores. (Thanks to Couponcravings for alerting me to the Wheat Thins Deal.)

If you haven’t used your Mars candy bar coupon from the Sunday insert that was published a couple of weeks ago, you can use it now for free candy. CVS has the candy at 2/$1, and you can use the 2/$1 coupon to make it free. If you have any extra Sunday insert coupons, stock up on the candy for Halloween! Full size candy bars are a big hit, and who can complain when they are free?

Oh, and here is a bonus tip. Did you know that coupons can vary by state? Some states have higher value coupons than others. For example, in New York City, food prices tend to be a bit higher, and not many people there are in the habit of using coupons (percentage-wise) so, values on these coupons tend to better.

Sunday Coupons 9/20/2009

There are two coupon inserts in the newspaper this Sunday, a Smart Source and a RedPlum.  Highlights include a rarely seen $1 off 5 Del Monte Fruits, Vegetables, and Tomatoes (RP), some $4 and $6 coupons for Knox Powder or Nutramix for Strong Nails, $2 off Sun Crystals, and more $1 coupons for Aquafresh and Sensodyne. I hope you are caught up on your clipping or filing after last week!  See our list of the Sunday Insert Coupons here.

The inserts this weekend also contain Target coupons in limited areas. You can stack Target coupons with manufacturer coupons for additional savings on an item.  There are Target coupons for $2 off Pampers Cruisers, Pampers Swaddlers, and $1.50 or .50 off Charmin.

My cousin found some really great “Blinkie” coupons this week at her local Publix.  Blinkies are those coupons that are in the little shelfside machine with the blinking red light.  She found a $1 off coupon for Weight Watchers Frozen Novelties (Exp 11/30/2009) and $1 off any 2 Kozy Shack products (exp 12/31/2009.  At Walgreens, she found a tearpad .50 off any Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream Bar.

A lot of our readers have downloaded my free e-book when they register.  I hope the book is helping you.  We have a spot in our forums “Ask Marnie”.  This is a place for you to ask any questions about coupons, finding deals, or anything you have a question about on this site.  Visit our forums here

Here at FreeCoupons, we are starting to get Black Friday info coming in.  I’ll be posting this in the coming weeks as soon as it is verified.  Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when stores traditionally have some great deals to entice you to visit in the wee hours of the morning!  In recent years, this has been followed by Cyber Monday, with specials on internet sales.  Cyber Monday can sometimes take place all weekend long.  We’ll be updating you on the latest Black Friday/Cyber Monday news shortly in the blog and in the forums.

Get Your Frozen Food and Baking Coupons Ready

October is the month when the grocery stores have frozen food and baking items on sale. This is because everyone is gearing up for the upcoming holidays, when both types of food are in demand.

Baking goods being on sale before the holidays make sense. After all, there is all of those pies and cookies to be made. Many people save their baking for holidays times only, but even if you don’t you’ll want to start stockpiling things such as flour, sugar, pie fillings, refrigerated pie crusts, refrigerated breadsticks, etc.

Frozen foods will also be in demand for two or maybe three reasons. Frozen foods can often make cooking those big elaborate family meals much easier than cooking everything from fresh or from scratch. People also like to keep frozen foods on hand during the busy holiday season, so they can have something quick to prepare for dinner before heading out for parties and shopping. And the third reason is that having frozen food on hand means that you won’t have to run out to the store in the middle of that blizzard or cold weather.

With these things in mind, you should take the next couple of weeks to really organize and gather your coupons for baking supplies and frozen foods. Sign up for coupon booklets and newsletters (such as the Betty Crocker newsletter) and get your printable coupons ready. Make sure to buy your Sunday paper for the inserts (or get them in other ways, such as asking your neighbors).

With your coupons in hand, you can match them against the grocery store sales to get the best deals!

Also, pay attention to restaurant deals and online grocery deals. Restaurant.com had an unprecedented 90 percent off recently. I don’t know if this will come around again, but if it does, be sure to grab it. Here are some current coupons and deals for online groceries that I have posted.

Gift Deals for Your Spouse

My wedding anniversary is coming up tomorrow! The date still gets me excited even after all of these years. One thing that makes me nervous about the day, though, is shopping for gifts. I mean, the man is just so clever that it is hard to sneak out to do my shopping.

This year, I got smart. I decided to shop online. Not only is it easier to pretend that I forgot the date in the days leading up to our anniversary (no mysterious dashes out to the store alone), but I can do all of my research pretty easily. And, you know, I can actually take advantage of all of those coupon codes and links that I am always finding and posting.

I thought that I would share all of this because, well, the holidays will be coming up pretty soon. All of us with spouses will have to get our acts together to figure out and get the perfect gifts for the perfect price.

As the weeks pass, I’ll keep this in mind and highlight some of the best deals that would make great gifts for spouses. There is also the infamous Black Friday and Cyber Monday crazy sales that will come up, too. I prefer doing most of my shopping in advance, so I don’t overspend. This way, I don’t have to worry about something being out of stock, and since many stores try out their holiday sales ahead of time with a secret code here and there, I shouldn’t miss out on anything. Of course, there may be a deal or two to snag even on Black Friday or Cyber Monday

Electronics should continue to be huge this year, especially with HDTVs, cameras and video games, all of which I know my spouse would love to have. Expect short term deals that you have to jump on starting late this month.

Here are two Walmart electronics deals for under $300 when you use coupon links:
Walmart has a good deal on an Acer netbook for only $298 and a Sanyo HDTV for only $296.

Getting Things Free with Printable Coupons

FreeCoupons! FreeCoupons! Rah, Rah, Rah! Sorry, I am just so excited about some of the new features on the site. The forums for instance. They will be a great way to meet you and another way to share the hottest deals in real time.

Today, I want to focus on some current offers that allow you to get items for free when you use printable coupons. Sometimes you will get a coupon that is for a completely free product almost anywhere. Other times, you have to do a little clever shopping at the right store with that coupon.

As you get more and more involved in doing all of the deals both online and off, you’ll find it easier and easier to coordinate the deals on your own, using the sales, rebates, online coupon codes and printable coupons. (And when you do, I hope you’ll share your finds with me.) Meanwhile, here are some current deals that you can work right now!

There is a printable coupon out for YoBaby 3-in-1 Meals for $1 off of 1. Well, guess what? Walmart has this product at $1. So if you use the coupon, it will be free! And, its organic, too.

Here is an easy one for Target. They have a printable store coupon for $1/2 Market Pantry cheese. Get two of the .50 string cheese, and you’ll get them for free. And some more tips: Use this strategy with other items at Target. You can often apply the coupons to their smallest sizes for free products. Also, did you know that you can print the Target store coupons right in the store itself? Save yourself the printer paper and ink.

Quiznos has a printable coupon out there for a free sub when you buy another sub and a drink. Here you go.

Now this one just hit my inbox just as I was typing my post! El Pollo Loco has a buy one get one free coupon for their five-piece wing combo. You get the whole combo for free!
Yummy Yum.

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