Sunday Coupons, and Holiday Deals
We’ve got two inserts this weekend, a SmartSource and a Redplum. See our list of list of what’s inside the inserts. Remember, not all coupons are available in all areas.
It looks like the coupon advertisers want to help you get ready for Thanksgiving and holiday baking. There are coupons for Pet Evaporated Milk ($1/3),and Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk ($1/2) and it looks like there are other baking items as well. You’ll also find coupons for giftable items such as Build a Bear and Coty Fragrances.
Here’s a holiday offer you will like. Get $10 back when you buy 10 participating Nabisco Crackers. Remember the coupons you got in the Save $55 throughout the school year booklet, and the 2 rebate forms for $20 each? Well, here’s another rebate on top of that. Nabisco really wants you to like their crackers!
You only have a few days left to take advantage of Harris Teeter triple coupons. Lucky you if you are in their area!
And here is a bonus from Right @ Home. There are some great B1G1f and high value coupons right now on Glade products, Windex, and Drano, along with an opportunity to win a $100 Visa Gift card. They promise that beginning December 6 there will be a 6,000 basket giveaway on baskets filled with products from Ziploc, Glade, and other SC Johnson products.
The Holidays are going to be fun this year, and it’s clear that it will be easy to get in the mood early! Kmart will be offering a rebate program similiar to CVS ExtraCare Bucks, and Kohls continues to have success with Kohl’s cash. In fact, Safeway stores are currently offering $10 Kohl’s rewards at checkout for every $50 you spend. You only have till November 8 to score those, and you can only redeem them for a limited time. Finding all these great deals that can double up and triple up for great savings is part of the holiday fun!
See our page of past insert lists here.
Entertaining on a Budget
Okay, now that we are into November, I am starting to panic. There will be a whole host of gatherings at my house starting with the big one on Thanksgiving. I don’t even know how to brine a turkey, but I guess I’ll just have to learn. One thing I do know, though, is how to save money. You bet that I am going to apply that knowledge this year to save as much as I can with entertaining.
Here is what I plan on doing.
I think food will be my biggest expense. To save money on groceries, I’ve been gathering the coupons for some of the special foods that we will need for the holidays. Our local grocery store offers a free turkey with points, and with a family of five, I should be making enough purchases there to qualify. Anything that is non perishable can be picked up as soon as a good sale comes along.
I’ll also be combining coupons and sales, and then stacking the coupons when I can.
This strategy also applies to cleaning products. I will definitely be stepping up the cleaning for company. Generic cleaners and home made cleaners (such as vinegar and water to wash windows) will save a bunch of money.
For some affairs, I can get away with hosting a pot luck. This will cut down on the food costs, and we will all get the benefit of everyone’s favorite dishes!
When I provide all of the food myself, it is often cheaper to make it all from scratch or at least assemble it myself. For example, instead of buying a cut fruit platter, I will buy the fruit whole and cut it.
For music, I already have a bunch of holiday music on my iPod, but I’ll still be looking out for more. Amazon often offers free music downloads. Napster is offering a free trial of downloads, too. There are also a number of online sources for streaming holiday music, such as http://www.accuradio.com/holidays/
Did you know that you can often save on wine and alcohol when you go almost to the source. Large distributors often sell to the public. Local shops may also have some great recommendations on less pricey but excellent wine and other beverages.
Do you have any other tips for saving money when you entertain?
My Toys R Us, Kohls and Marshall’s Trip
Sunday was one of those big errand days for me. We try to combine errands so we aren’t going out every week shopping. We had some gift cards to use up and a few groceries to get, so we left on our mission right after church.
I wanted to check out the Disney Store for Halloween costumes. I love their costumes because they are usually so well made. I try to hit that store as well as several others to stock up on Halloween costumes for the kids in bigger sizes. Not only can they use them for Halloween, but they can also use them to play dress up.
I didn’t actually make it to the Disney Store because we spent so much time at Toys R us. They had their costumes already marked down to 75% off! This was a good deal, and they did carry some of the favorite kids characters, such as the Little Mermaid, Star Wars Darth Vasder and Storm Trooper, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. They also had some generic costumes, as well. I saw a lot left over for little ones, especially. The costumes ranged from $3 to $10 after the discount.
Toys R Us also has a lot of deals that gave you free items, from gift cards when you buy Disney movies, to a free Crayola anniversary tin set when you buy Crayola products and a free Spongebob Squarepants game when you bought two other games. A large, nice plush dog was available for only $4.99 when you spent $50.
Another good deal that I picked up for my daughter was the Barbie and the Three Musketeers DVD for only $9.99. This is the newest Barbie DVD, so finding it for that price was pretty good.
Select Lego (and other building blocks) sets were on sale as well, and they are always a sure things with kids. The sets averaged about $5 off, when it is rare to find any sale on Legos, Duplos or Mega Bloks. The Lego Website does have a few other deals going on, including a free shipping deal.
Next, I went to Marshall’s Homegoods store. I usually find good deals there. In fact, I picked up the same tablecloth I later saw at Kohls for much less! The real deal at the Homegoods store were the Halloween costumes again. They had plush, PLUSH! animal costumes for only $2 in sizes up to 5T. I picked up a monkey and a beaver. They were warm and thick.
My last bargain hunting stop was at Kohls. They had a lot of stuff for the home on sale, such as 60 percent off of table linens. Thanksgiving and Christmas seasonal themes were already marked down. It just turned November, didn’t it?
Did you do any shopping this weekend? If so, what deals did you find?
Black Friday Starts Early
This is an exciting weekend for Frugalisters. You’ll find tons of coupon matchups and great deals in the newspaper. Our usual list of coupons in these Sunday inserts is here. Take a look at the P&G Brandsaver insert, and see if your store is offering the deal of free cookware for $25 in P&G products purchased in a single transaction. This is a very good deal.
We’ll be linking in future blogs to expert bloggers who specialize in particular regional stores - the better to increase your matchups and give you more information.
If you think that Christmas shopping has started early, you are right. The traditional start to the Christmas shopping season, the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, has been moved back a month! This weekend begins the Black Friday Now promotion at Sears. You’ll be seeing different specials throughout the season, so be sure to check back every day.
Walmart is announcing “tis the season for unbeatable prices”. Their local flyers are full of great deals on electronics. Remember those $800 wide screen tvs people waited outside the store all night for? Well, those tvs are a lot cheaper now. Look to see great deals on electronics this year, and shop wisely. Walmart also announces that they will match the price of any local competitor’s printed ad for an identical product.
Walmart has also announced that any websites that get a copy of their official Black Friday ad cannot publish it before November 23. So, we may not have so much Walmart info on the web as Black Friday approaches. That just builds the anticipation - if the deals are this good now, what will they be during the traditional season?
CVS has a new booklet out Sunday called “Season to Save”. There are $35 in ECBs (Extra Care Bucks) included. It lasts until November 25. It will be interesting to see what CVS rolls out for the traditional season after November 25.
This two tiered approach to introducing savings may turn out to be profitable for retailers, sensible for consumers, and spread the savings among those who simply are not going to go shopping at 4 am on a Friday morning.
Holiday Shopping and Printable Store Coupons!
While I love having all of those printable grocery coupons so I can save money at the grocery store, I am so excited to be finding printable coupons for some of my favorite retail stores.
I am already doing some of my holiday shopping. Last night, after we dropped my eldest off at a church activity, we headed to TARGET. I was excited to find some things on sale, and I picked them up to put away for holiday gifts.
There were those magic stretch gloves on sale: two pairs for only $1. They also had hats for $1 as well. A friend of mine got a bunch to give away as a charity project she is doing at work. What a great idea! I also saw a bunch of holiday DVDs on sale.
There was the “Polar Express” (with an additional 3D disk), “Miracle on 34th Street” and “The Tale of Desperaeux,” along with some others. Girls underwear, boys PJs and socks were also good deals.
But enough about this one store. Let us get to those printable store coupons. I plan on printing every one and keeping them with me in my purse as I am out and about. You never know when you might be near a store anyway for something or other.
My friend, Laura just sent me this great SEARS coupon that she got in her email box. You can print it out for $5 off of a $20 toy purchase. This is a great way to get a jump start on the holidays. Here is an extra tip, some stores might still have some summer stuff on clearance, so check well, and you might really clean up with this coupon.
For me, I think it really sets the atmosphere to have a teddy bear under the Christmas tree as a gift or on the fireplace mantle for decoration. Here is an amazing printable coupon for Build-A-Bear. You can get $5 off of a $10 animal! Part of the fun is actually building the bear. I can see printing a bunch of these coupons for all of the little ones in the neighborhood.
I spotted this one over at Common Sense with Money.
Another friend, Carol, sent me this coupon for 15% off at Kohls! The coupon says that it is good on everything, and you can use it multiple times during the shopping period that started yesterday and ends after the 27th. Scoop up all of those holiday linens that are already on clearance, the small appliances, the kids clothes and other great bargains that they have in the store right now.
Happy (Holiday) Shopping!
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 Ready for Holiday Shopping
If my husband saw me writing a post about holiday shopping, he might think that I was a little crazy. After all, it is the middle of July, we are wearing summer clothes, and everything is summer green not Christmas green.
“Stop!” you are probably thinking, “Just let me get through back to school.” But if you want to get the best deals, there are a few good reasons to start thinking ahead, right now.
1. If you get your list together now, you can compare the normal retail prices with sale prices that may be coming up when we get closer to the holiday season. How do you know if that ring marked at 50% off wasn’t actually marked up 60% first? Having a clear sense of what things cost will help you a great deal, even before you are ready to make any purchases.
2. You may spot some great hidden deals. Why spend an extra $1,000 on a HDTV, if you can buy one a few months before the holiday season and save that amount? As retailers gear up for the holiday, they may be anxious to get rid of current electronics and other products to make room for newer models and styles. The closeouts are starting.
3. Shopping for the best bargains online can take a little time if you want the lowest prices. This is because there are so many more stores to explore, and navigating them make take a little longer than just popping over to the mall. Of course, the convenience of shopping online plus the greater chance of getting a bargain outweighs the bit of extra work involved.
The best thing you can do right now is to create a list of the people you want to gift. Nail down some general gift ideas as well as a budget. You can book mark websites and then check FreeCoupons often for free shipping deals and money off coupon codes. When you spot a good deal on a gift, grab it! Starting now means that you will have more time to make sure you get that perfect gift at a perfect price.
Happy Easter!
There are no coupon inserts today. Happy Easter!
With family home for spring break, and the beginning of warmer weather, you’ll probably be spending more time out, more time shopping for the warm weather, more time doing family things. I have found that when traveling, or when just going out with the family, the Restaurant.com certificates are a fabulous offer. You can get a $25 gift certificate for $10, a $50 for $20, or a $100 certificate for $40. Choose from over 6,000 restaurants nationwide. You can print the certificate instantly from your computer. Why not look into going out for Easter?
At Gap.com take advantage of great sales on clothing for the whole family. Buy one get 50% off all regularly priced Kids shorts (includes baby). And don’t miss Gap’s Favorite Shirt Sale - Men’s lightweight shirts for $25 (reg. $44.50) and Women’s summer T Shirts $15 (reg. $18.50)
Want to send a last minute Easter e-card? Check out American Greetings free Ecards here.
Presidents Day Sales
If you have been putting off your shopping because the after holiday sales have faded out, now may just be the time to take a new look at the deals. There are a lot of Presidents Day sales today. Some of these sales will run all week, while others last just for the one day.
Check under “New Coupons” for the one day deals. Here are some of the highlights.
Olympia Sports is offering 15% off everything, today only.
HP is offering a whopping 50% off products plus free shipping.
Onlineshoes is offering an extra 10% off sale, clearance and apparel today only.
Restaurant.com is offering $25 gift certificates to great restaurants for only $3. Use the coupon code “PREZ.” That coupon code will also get you 70% off the Dinner of the Month Club.
Shop NHL is offering 20% off everything, today only.
Pfaltzgraff is having a mystery discount sale. You have to click on the link to see the offers.
Dell is offering a number of one day only deals, and they have some deep discounts on desktops and laptops.
Save $185 on Inspiron 518 desktop - just $399 after instant savings.
Save $50 on Inspiron Mini 9
Save $249 on XPS M1330 laptop
Save $220 on Inspiron 1420 laptop
Save $265 on Inspiron 1525 laptop
There are other Presidents Sale Deals available, and I will be adding more throughout the day as they become available!
Love,
Marnie
My Alphabetized List of All Grocery Coupons
We have a couple of new things I want to share with you. For years, I’ve kept my own grocery coupon list - alphabetized, updated, for me to check and see what I have, and what I want. Well, why shouldn’t I share this with the world? Instead of posting you lists of coupons in inserts, lists of coupons in All You magazine, lists of freebies - I’ve set up a page where you can search these for yourself.
I’ll be updating this page frequently, adding printable coupons for you and links to those coupon websites.
Then when I write my update about what coupon matches what great deal in grocery stores, drugstores, big box chains, etc - you can see where it is from, what insert it was in, etc. And I’ll give you links to printable coupons.
Of course, if you find a great coupon in a store display, or your insert has something I don’t have, let me know by commenting here, and I’ll be happy to add it on.
This Sunday, there are two inserts, a Smart Source and a Red Plum. I’ve listed these in the alphabetical coupon list. Take a look this week at CVS - you get $5 in Extra Care Bucks for buying $15 worth of Advil, Dimetapp, or Robitussin. Match up the many $1 coupons that have appeared over the past few weeks with this deal. Those ECB’s really do add up, and just keep on rolling into bigger savings.
I had a great deal this week at Publix. Finish Gelpacks (Electrasol) 32 count size were on sale, two for $7.79. I had two coupons for 2.25 each (SS 1/4) So I got two boxes for $3.79. Sweet, huh?
Check out the alphabetized list here
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