A good CVS trip

Don't you love a good CVS run?

I hear all the time from people that they don't have time to do coupons.  Yes, you do.  Just a few minutes at home to organize your list and coupons, and then a few minutes in the store can really save you money on things that you would be buying anyway.

Yesterday I had a great ten-minute trip to CVS:

• two Crest B toothpaste  (raincheck from last week when they ran out)
• $5.69 each
• on sale (raincheck) for $4.99
• - $1 printable coupon on one
• - $1 newspaper coupon on the other
• - $2 coupon machine coupon off an $8 toothpaste purchase
• and received $4 back in ECB on each one  
• = better than free  
• one Dawn dish soap
• on sale for $.99
• - $.25 newspaper coupon
• = $.74 total
• two Cadbury eggs  (my very favorite treat)
• on sale, buy one get one free
• =$.99 total for two
• I had $1 in ECB to use

Grand total= $7.27 paid out of pocket, and I walked out with $8 in ECBs to spend next time.  I like to think of it as CVS paying me $.73 cents to take those things home.  THAT is my kind of shopping!  :)

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Tinseled Tuesdays: online toy deals

Join me here each Tuesday to share a gift idea- it can be something to make, a frugal deal you've found, a review product you've loved, a pin you found on Pinterest... whatever type of unique, frugal gift idea that you'd like to share.

This week I'm linking up to a few great deals I've found online over the last week:

First up, a great deal from A Proverbs Wife-- she shows you how to get a Sing A Ma Jig toy for about $3.50, and that great price even includes shipping. We have  a few babies expected in our circle of friends this winter, so this is a deal that really caught my eye.


Next up: the Crayola/ Kmart rebates.  These are great if you have creative little ones in your life!  Click HERE for the rebate form.  Some of the deals include: $4.00 back on a Glow Dome and $3 back on a Model Magic Jewelry Boutique.   Personally, I'm a huge fan of Crayola toys, so I'm happy to see this rebate offer. (I'm not sure if you HAVE to purchase the toys at Kmart to qualify for the rebate... I don't see that on the form.  Anyone know?)

And finally, the last deal that caught my eye this week was Totally Target's post about Squinkies as low as $2.99 shipped.   Personally, I don't "get" these toys, but both of my kids are fascinated by them every time we go to a store.  I might be more easily swayed to pick some up for Christmas at this cheap price!

Now it's your turn... link up to a post sharing a great holiday gift idea.  You can link up to any gift idea that you'd like to share.  And don't forget to grab the button from my right sidebar so your readers can come back here and share more ideas!

..................................... Join me here each week for Tinseled Tuesdays to share your holiday gift ideas! And don't forget to visit my new blog, The Sugar Sharks, all about our life with Type I Diabetes. ..................................... This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

Juicy Juice Deal Alert

I'm over on my other blog today sharing a great deal on Juicy Juice toddler-sized juice boxes.  These happen to be a staple supply in our diabetic world, but I know lots of moms who buy these for lunch boxes, as well.  Check out how I'm getting 40 Juicy Juice boxes for just $9.45!



..................................... Join me here each week for Tinseled Tuesdays to share your holiday gift ideas! And don't forget to visit my new blog, The Sugar Sharks, all about our life with Type I Diabetes. ..................................... This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

Peanut butter deal... by mail!

I've never ordered groceries online because I can usually do better in a store, either buying generics or else working a coupon deal.  This time, though, I definitely  scored on the Skippy Peanut Butter from Amazon, with a final cost of $1.33 per jar!  

To get this deal, CLICK HERE to go to the Skippy creamy 6-pack. 
= $11.40 starting total 

• Click on the right side of the page, and use "Subscribe and Save" to order.  -$1.41 subscription savings  I chose "6 months" so that I'll have plenty of time to cancel before I receive a second shipment.

• Go to check out, and enter code UNILVR77, which makes your shipping FREE. -$8.97 savings/ free shipping

• Final total: $7.98 for SIX jars of Skippy Peanut Butter! 

And did I mention that Skippy is my personal favorite? :)   I usually make do with the store brand, but even store brand prices couldn't beat this deal!  

Thanks to Melissa for sharing the discount code on her blog, Melissa's Bargain Blog.

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinions.

Black Friday: My No-Crowds Way

I don't like crowds.  Crowds of hurried people, long lines... those pretty much just suck the joy out of holiday shopping for me.   I mostly try to go on "off" days, like a Tuesday morning, when stores aren't so busy.  I also do more and more of my shopping online.

Here are a few of my favorite deals so far:

•  Amazon has a lot of great $5 magazine subscriptions. Titles include Redbook, Woman's Day, Popular Science, and more.  Personally, I think magazine subscriptions are great gifts because they last all year long.  (I can't tell you what I bought, because the person reads my blog.)
• Money Saving Mom tells you how to get toys from Kohls for $3.81, including shipping.  I am debating about a toy I have in my cart- not sure if it's the best price I can find yet.
• Amazon also has all kinds of toy deals, including Fisher Price Doctor kits for $6.49, LeapFrog Tag books for $7.49, and more.  I may or may not be purchasing any of these deals. ;)
• Sidenote: having a child who can read makes it a little harder to keep Christmas secrets, LOL!

And, of course, I try to use CashBaq whenever I shop online.  Just clicking through the CashBaq site on my way to a retail site usually earns me cash back, and sometimes they even have extra coupon codes that I can use.  I've earned $27 there, doing nothing more than the shopping I would have done online anyway.

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

EASY Target bargains- no complicated deals

 I know a lot of people don't think they have time for coupons, or they think it's too much of a hassle.  While that can be true, you can also save a lot just by spending a few minutes online before you go to the store. There are plenty of blogs out there that do all the bargain-hunting work for you- Bargain Brianna and Totally Target are among my favorites.

I had a good day at Target yesterday.  Scouting out these deals online and printing the coupons took me less than ten minutes, and was well worth it in my opinion!  In addition to the 30-some glue sticks my kids needed for school ($.25 per 2-pack), I also got some easy deals:

Chef Boyardee canned pastas: 

priced at $.99 per can

coupon on the Target site for $1 off per can= FREE

Juicy Juice 8-pack juice boxes (The small size= 15 carbs each, perfect for treating low blood sugars!)

regular price: $1.99

coupon on Target site= $1 off

total= $.99 for an 8 pack!

 

Hunts Pudding 4-pack, priced at $.95

coupon on Target site= $1 off

total= FREE

Archer Farms 64oz. apple juice on sale, $1.50 per bottle

coupon on Target site= $1 off 2

two bottles= $2 total

Schick Hydro razor= $6.99
newspaper coupon for $5 off= $1.99 paid
online rebate for full price= FREE plus possible profit

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the free post-it notes that others have found.  I'll keep looking, though!

A few other bargains: a much-needed $6.98 clearance dress shirt for my husband, school notebooks for $.15, and a dozen pencils for $.75. 

Complicated coupon deals don't work for me.... but simple ones like this do!  Share your own WFMW tip and read others HERE and check out more Penny Pinching Party tips HERE.

 

 This post contains affiliate links to products via Amazon for illustration purposes.  Target has in no way compensated me for this... I'm just a big fan of the bargains at their store!   You can read my policy here.

Today Only= $1 labels

Today ONLY-- $1 for 250 full color address labels and a free dispenser.... shipping included!  I know, I know, you probably have some free ones from some charity in your desk or your bill box... but these are pretty, AND they'll have your name spelled right!  ;)   

Use code 854758859 at check-out.  Warning: as of this writing I am still trying to check out... I just keep a few other tabs open and kept checking back... I'm sure their site is being slammed with bargain hunters!

Thanks to A Proverbs Wife for sharing this great deal!

Fun Books for Kids- Deal

Now through the end of the month, ISeeMe.com is offering a great deal on personalized children's books -- free shipping, AND the book will be personally signed to your child from the author!.  What a special gift!  You can even take a Virtual Tour of one of their new books, "Who Loves Me?". To get this great deal, use code FSW875 at check-out. 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

WFMW: free Blackberry apps

I. love. my. BlackBerry. I admit that I am one of those people... you know, the ones that have the Blackberry attached to them 24/7. I recently saw Jerry Seinfeld do a bit on a talk show, and he was talking about how people carry a Blackberry in their hands at all times, as though the BlackBerry itself demands to be out where it can see things. I laughed so hard that I cried... and yes, I saw myself in what he was saying. You just have to watch the video, it's hilarious:

I have an older model BlackBerry... the kind I could get for free the last time it was time to upgrade our phones.  Of course I'd love to have the newest edition, but really, this one works really well for me.  That is partially due to the wide variety of free apps that are available. 

Here are some of my favorite FREE apps:

• Google Mobile: Thanks to Google Sync, when I recently had to replace my BlackBerry (free, under warrenty, thank goodness)  I did not lose my address book- all my contacts were all saved in Google Contacts. I also sync my Google calendars (work, home, kids schedules) to my BlackBerry. And, since I use Google Reader on my computer, I can also use it on the mobile app... meaning that I can always read blogs from my phone.
• Slacker radio: This free app allows you access to all kinds of music. You can choose from their stations- I've had fun recently listening to some music from my high school days. You can also use Slacker on your computer with a free account.   And... I'm pretty sure Slacker radio and a $5 pair of headphones saved my sanity during my hospital stay last month!
• Twitter: Now that I'm using Twitter a lot more, putting it on my phone was a natural step. I know there are a lot of Twitter apps out there, but this one from Twitter itself is simple to use and works exactly like the site does. I have it set to notify me audibly if I receive a direct message or a mention.
• Facebook: I use this one daily to check in on my friends' status messages.
• Ka-glom: This free tetris-style game is entertaining enough for me, yet easy enough for my kids to play. It's helped pass the time several times when we've been stuck in waiting rooms.
• MemoPad:  Ok, this one actually came pre-loaded on the phone.  It allows me to keep running lists on anything-- I have one for books I want to read, blog post ideas, a running grocery list, and more. 

Free apps to make my BlackBerry even more functional definitely work for me.  Check out more Works for Me Wednesday tips HERE.... and be sure to let me know if you know of a great app that I've missed!

This post may contain was not sponsored in any way but may contain affiliate links. You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

Saturday for the Birds

The kids and I are headed out this morning to one of Lowe's FREE Build and Grow Clinics.  Today the kids will get to build a birdfeeder.   We've been to a couple of these free programs and the kids really enjoy them.

What are you doing for frugal entertainment this weekend?

This post was not sponsored..  You can read my review policy here.

Staples Paper Deal- around $6 per CASE!

I just bought 2 cases of copy paper-- $43.00 paid today after discount/coupon-- and will receive a $32 rebate!   So basically I've paid $5 per CASE.... and usually just a ream of paper is around $5.  At that price, I couldn't resist-- and maybe this means that my kids won't use up all my printer paper for a while!

 

Details here-- and many thanks to Money Saving Mom for posting this deal!

• Basically you need to buy two CASES (not reams) of paper and a $1.29 pack of pencils. 
• The pencils bump your total up to $50, meaning that you get free shipping (worth $9.95).
• Use the coupon code in the post to get $5 off each case.
• Then you'll submit the refund form for $16 rebate off both cases (good for 2 per household)

I'll also receive $3.79 in Staples rewards, plus 3% back in my ShopAtHome account.  I'd recommend signing up for both free programs if you're not already a member.   (If you join, please enter my   AmyMCGSwohrrcom    email for the referral- thanks!)

 

 

This post is not sponsored.  You can read my policy here.

Free Sponges

This $1 off 1 any Scotch-Brite product printable coupon is in PDF form, meaning that it prints easily and can be printed as many times as you like.    (Anyone else have trouble with a lot of online coupons?  Ever since I switched anti-viral software, I can't print from most coupon sites- and I've tried every "fix" I can think of.  Aarrrgghh!)

I printed two and took them to WalMart yesterday, where I purchased two single sponges, priced at $.84 each.   The cashier adjusted the coupon and I got the two free sponges with no problem at all.   They will come in handy over the next few days as I start scrubbing down the outdoor furniture!