Our Family Ramblings!

Hey guys... just a quick freebie alert!  CVS has Sobe Lifewater on sale this week Buy 1 Get 1 free!  That is a sweet deal, but throw in Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupons and that makes it even sweeter!!  Yup, that would make them totally FREE! 

Click here to play the "heads or tails" game at SOBE !!  After you play the game , you will get a printable coupon for B1G1 Free!!!!  You can print the coupon 2 times by hitting the "back" button. I think CVS has a 6 bottle limit!

Okay... gotta run for now and go get my SOBE lifewater!!!

* Steinmart coupons = Save 20% on one sale item; Take an extra 50% off home clearance items; Take an extra 25% off all red dot clearance valid through May 31st

Get a free pastry on the morning of March 23 with the purchase of a handcrafted beverage.

Come to participating Starbucks on Free Pastry Day, March 23. Choose a delicious pastry to pair with your beverage and that tasty item is free.

Better yet, it’s free in another sense – free of all this stuff we removed from our recipes:

• No artificial flavors
• No artificial dyes
• No artificial trans fats
• No high-fructose corn syrup

To get your free pastry, print out the coupon HERE and present it to your barista. Or simply show them the coupon on any mobile device. But Free Pastry Day ends at 10:30 a.m. – so don’t miss out!

Buy: Any size Olay Quench Body Lotion (excluding trial size)by 1/29/10.

Mail: The completed form (link below) and the original dated sales receipt(s) with item(s) and purchase price(s) circled.

Limit: Two rebates per name, address or envelope. If requesting 2 rebates, submissions must be sent together.

TO GET THE REBATE FORM VISIT BUDGET HELPER HERE!!!!!!!!!

Now... for the money making portion--

CVS has Olay body wash on sale for $5.99 this week. There is an awesome BOGO coupon floating around that I used ... It is buy Olay body wash and get an Olay lotion for free!! Whoo hoo... then you use this rebate form and they will send you a rebate check for the amount of the lotion you just got for free at CVS!!!

Let's break it down...

$5.99 for body wash

$0.00 for body lotion= A body wash and lotion for $5.99

Then You will get a check in the mail for the "purchase price" of the lotion. Mine was $9.99.

So now... I just got paid $4.00 to walk out the door w/ these two items!!!

SWEET!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Budget helper!!!!!!!!

So if you don't know, I have made it my goal to get my grocery budget down to $50.00 per week. Yes, I make a couple trips here and there through out the week to get staples like eggs, milk, bread. The major shopping is done usually at Publix and for under $50.00! I have a family of 5 and so far it has been going very well. How do I do it, you ask?

To start I wait until thursday when the weekly circular is online. I then view it on line. The online circular has a shopping list feature that rocks!! You view the item in the circular, say yes I need that, and click "add". At the end of viewing and adding, I then print out my list. The lists is divided up into categories like, dairy, frozen etc. It also tells you what sale that item falls under. (You can also add the quanity you are going to buy-- Keeps me insanely organized when I am at the store!) Then in the next column it will tell you the price per item if it isn't BOGO. I then take my list to my blog sites that I check weekly for coupon match -ups. I print out my coupons. Some sites usually need you to download a coupon printer. Should be fine. I haven't had any issues with virus or such.

TIP: Most coupon printers will enable you to print two coupons as a max. You just have to hit the back arrow and resend the information. Also, any coupon that comes in a PDF form can be printed numerous times!

I usually use Cassie's site and those sites participating in BeCentsable's Grocery Gathering! (Southern Savers, Fiddlededee) You can use the Becentsable website for other stores as well. They are ALL listed there! Follow the same rules and go for it!

After I do those match-ups, I then go to my coupon stash to see what else will match up. Then I wait... I wait until Sunday when I get the Sunday ads. There are usually 2-4 more coupons in there that I can use for my week's trip. Then on Monday, I am off to Publix to do my magic!! I stock up on items we always use. I buy as many as I have coupons for when they are BOGO. (The first week you start, you will go over budget to get the "stash" going, then you won't need to buy that item later!) One week I will stock up on extras so that the next week they have a good meat sale, I stock up and use my budget on meat!

All it takes is about 20 minutes to do your match-ups. If I can do it... you can. I used to hate coupons and think it was a waste of my time. I went in and got what I wanted and got out. I am now realizing that it isn't that hard and time to clip is time to save $. Especially in this economy! My hubby works hard for his money, and I can help by saving as much as I can!!
REMEMBER: If you buy 2 items that are B1G1 make sure you use 2 coupons to get the best deal. Publix accepts competitors coupons (you can stack with a manufacturers coupon and a Publix coupon too) . You can use a store coupon ( Food Lion, Target, Harveys, Albertsons etc.) and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item! Double your fun!!

Just as an example... here is this past week's trip breakdown:


Huggies baby wash wasn't exactly a grocery item, but it was cheap!! I didn't need any meats because I got it all last week!! This week was all extras and snacks!! Next week will be more meat!!

My most important tips for being successful!
1. Stick to the list
2. be flexible in what you eat
3. DON"T BUY IT UNLESS YOU HAVE A COUPON & IT IS ON SALE!
4. STOCKPILE
5. If you are in doubt about a coupon, check the stores coupon policy! Publix's is here!

A HUGE thanks to Shannon and Wendy for telling me about some of the best online coupons I have ever seen! Check this out!

Click HERE to save 20% off your next purchase. Valid until August 20, 2008.

Click HERE to save an additional 15% off
regular, sale, or clearance priced purchase!
Coupon valid until this Sunday, August 10, 2008

Click HERE for a printable coupon to save $30 off a $100 purchase or $20 off a $60 purchase.Valid until Wednesday, August 27, 2008.
Also, get $15 off a $50 purchase when you sign up for their E-Mail.
Click HERE to sign up!

Kohls

Click HERE to save an extra 15% off of everything! Valid Friday through Sunday, August 8-10, 2008.
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Want more printable coupons for your local retail store?
Visit Mommy Saves Big for a complete list.

Thanks to comical coupon cents for this great post!