Tuesday Deals Roundup - 80% off Uggs, Freebies at La Madeleine, and More!

We're going to post this early because the Uggs deal is moving so quickly - but check back through today for any other additions to the deals roundup. :)

• Sweet shearling linings, Uggs are 80% off until Sept. 15th at 6pm.com. The most common styles and sizes are moving lightning fast, so shop now for the biggest selection. Remember that unlike most shoe sites, this one charges a flat $6.95 shipping fee. With thanks to Frugal Coupon Mom.
  
  
• If you go to see Julie and Julia, keep your ticket stub - it will get you free small soup or salad at La Madeleine. Quelle bonne chance! Merci, Mommy's Wish List (Souhaites de Maman?)!
  
  
• In the weekly Diaper and Formula deals roundup, Baby Cheapskate calculates that buying Huggies at Target this week is an opportunity to stock up on diapers at $0.20/each for the size 3s. Thanks, BC!
  
  
• Orders over $10 ship free through Sept. 20 at ArtsCow.com. Use code FSOVER10.
  
  
• Through Thursday, Sept. 10, use the code EXTRA20 to get an additional 20% off final sale items at JCrew. Remember that all sales on these items are final. Going to JCrew through ebates will net you an additional 1.5% cash back.
  
  
• CVS Summer Clearance is on, baby, on! Pay pennies on the dollar prices for summer wear, summer deco, etc. Thanks go to Frugal in Virginia for sending up the alert.
  

And besides the deals, a few fun savings and frugality posts worth checking out:

• If you have a Shopper's Food Warehouse nearby, here is a sample scenario by Laura of Frugal Friends which shows how she used the Kraft Back to School promotion in combination with this week's sale prices to get $25.90 worth of Capri-Suns, Easy Mac, and Oreos for $5.90 (in her case, $0.90 after $5 Catalina!). Way to work it, girl!
  
  
• Gina busted out a Lego-themed party for her son. The Danish would be proud. Hygge!!
  
  
• Via The Simple Dollar's Time Machine, the value of creating versus consuming.

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Target Deals This Week - Includes Baby/Toddler Steals!

We told you it was coming, and now it's here! The big Target baby sale is on this week. Among the matchups with the baby coupon mailer that we saw was a matchup resulting in a big pack of Pampers for $16.99.

Check out this week's Target deals (not only the baby ones!) here. We're linking to those we've seen with coverage posted for this week:

Frugal Coupon Mom's Target Deals Coverage

Attention Target Shoppers' Target Deals Coverage

My Frugal Adventures' Target Deals Coverage (with thanks to Frugal in Virginia)

If you found Target deals anywhere else, please post a link! We love checking out readers' matchup resources.
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Baby Supplies? Wait For Target Baby Sale, Early September.

Those of us still knee deep in the land of Desitin, Gerber, and Fisher Price can appreciate the chance to stockpile some baby goods on the cheap.

Along with many of you, I received a Target coupon mailer (cue happy dance), and it advertises the upcoming baby sale during the week of September 6 through September 12 for, "...teeny weeny prices on hundreds of baby products." The coupons in my mailer are good through October 1, and so can be used during this sale. Since you can stack Target coupons with manufacturer coupons, combining the two coupon types with Target sale prices can make for some cheeeaaaap supplies, among them:

Johnson's Baby Toiletries
Aveeno Baby Toiletries
Gerber Onesies or Layette
Desitin Diaper Rash Ointment
Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs Diapers and Wipess
Medela Accessories
Similac and Enfamil Formula
Gerber Snacks

...and much, much more.

You can also access printable Target baby coupons ($27 worth) here, though these expire 09/05 and won't coincide with the sale dates. However, you can still stack them with manufacturer coupons!

Of course, if you need supplies now, you need supplies - go ahead and use your coupons. But if you can hang on until 09/06-09/12, you might stand to maximize your savings on many baby items you regularly use. When the sale arrives, we will post a sale reminder with links to other blogs who post coupon matchups for Target.
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A Fall of Stocking Up In Preparation - by A.

I've been thinking a lot about what I need to do this fall to stock our cupboards and freezer. We are expecting our second daughter, due this December! Of course, the frugal streak in me immediately thought, "Sweet! Those girls' clothing deals snagged at Children's Place Outlet at Ralph Lauren Factory Outlet will get another round of wear!" :)

While we didn't exactly plan the pregnancy around the couponing hot streak of the year, it so conveniently happens that the months leading up to the holidays offer some of the most fertile deal-snagging ground on the couponing calendar. With the kickoff of the school year and the triple-whammy that is Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, the deals on nonperishables and convenience foods are sure to be plentiful. I'm going to be like a crazed little squirrel, stockpiling for the winter (not to mention the weeks and weeks of fuzzy newborn days sure to accompany). It's amazing how a little time in the couponing zone can transform your outlook to strategizing months, even (occasionally) years ahead.

Example of the "years" bit: Even last winter, when I was still a few months into couponing, I did a crazy run at CVS right after Christmas, and netted over $40 worth of decorations and gift-wrap supplies for around $6, using coupons, post-Christmas clearance prices, etc. Now, even though it's August, I'm eyeing the tall pile of gift bows, wrapping paper, bendable evergreen boughs, and garland in the "Christmas corner" of our basement storage area, and I'm admittedly getting a little irrationally excited about decorating most of my downstairs this time around for $6 in change. The less money spent on the fun fluff, the more resources are available for more important priorities, like close family's gifts and giving more to your local food bank, church, and charities.

If you're new to couponing, this is a great time to enter what I so affectionately call "the fray", because September through December are sure to yield an abundance of deals:

• More special double and triple coupon deals at various grocery stores, since the stores are trying to get you in to also buy your "hosting company" and "holiday celebration" hauls while you're there.
• More convenience food coupons, sales, and resulting matchups for school lunches - prepackaged/classic lunch items like applesauce cups, juice boxes, Lunchables, soups, lunchmeats, string cheese, etc.
• A huge glut of coupons, sales, and resulting coupon matchups for baking supplies - not only baking mixes for cookies, cakes, pies, and muffins, but also from-scratch nonperishables like flour, sugar, seasonings, cookie decoration supplies, canned pumpkin, raisins, etc.!
• Also coupons, sales, and resulting matchups for nonperishable holiday classics. Green beans, cream of mushroom soup, French's onions ringing a bell for anybody? Also, cranberry sauce, stuffing mixes, mashed potatos (dry mix or frozen), etc.
• In-store freebies, especially at the drugstores like CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. This is usually in the vein of stocking-stuffers, candy, decorations, and so on.
• Post-holiday markdowns, like:
  --Just-clearanced Halloween candy bought with still-unexpired candy coupons (think creatively...you can crumble/chop Halloween chocolate for Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert recipes)
  --Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorations, clearanced by up to 90% (I bought photo Christmas cards at Target last year at ~$0.90/10 ct. box last year doing this...$0.09/card!)
• Holiday Hallmark deals at various locations. Shop smart with the offer terms and you can often snag cards (and animated stuffed animals) inexpensively.

Hee hee - are you getting a little excited yet? Let's hope the grocers and retailers deliver on our sugarplum visions of deals! :)

For more details on the seasonal grocery deals available year-round, see our commentary on what sales and deals and holiday loss leaders to expect month-to-month.
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FREE Shipping over $25 on CVS.com June 29 and June 30 - plus $5/$20 P&G products via CVS gift card

Remember the AdPerk deal from a ways back (though the 20% offer is no longer active)? You buy $20 of P&G products, you get a $5 CVS gift card mailed with your products. This deal is still good through tomorrow, June 30th.

CVS just emailed me a deal: use the code SHIP4FREE at checkout to get all orders over $25 to ship for free.

There is yet another active deal out there: spend $60, and get $10 off just for signing in with your CVS.com account, and $5 off if you use your Mastercard to pay for the items.

Maximum 'net' possible discount if you purchase at least $20 qualifying P&G products in a $60 transaction in the next two days: $20 ($5+$10+$5 gift card) off $60.

Incidentally, I price compared one qualifying product - Gillette Fusion cartridges (the manual ones, not battery-powered ones). 4 of the Fusion cartridges go for $14.49 at CVS.com ($3.62/each), while 16 of the cartridges go for ~$41 at my local Sam's club ($2.56/each). If you bought 4 of the 4-ct. boxes at $57.96 and threw in a filler to get to $60, you'd get 16 cartridges for $45, plus a $5 CVS gift card, bringing the 'net' to just under the Sam's price for 16. If you don't have a Sam's membership or a Sam's nearby, this might be worthwhile - up to you.
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Shopper's Food Warehouse Kellogg's Deal, 05/28-06/03

The Shopper's Food Warehouse ad for the coming week (deals start tomorrow) has a sweet deal for Kellogg's products. A Shopper's coupon (not a manufacturer coupon) offers $5 off a $20 purchase of Kellogg's products, and many major cereals go for 2/$5. I will try to add a picture of this section of the weekly ad (coupon nulled) to this post when it becomes available online tomorrow.

Strategy: Get yourself $20 worth of Kellogg's cereal, use the $5/$20 coupon, then as many Kellogg's coupons as you can.

Sample scenario, using the recent Frosted Mini Wheats coupons (One BOGO and four $1/1), along with other Kellogg's coupons from the 04/05 insert or past printable coupon campaigns:

5 MiniWheats
3 Other Kellogg's
=============
Subtotal: $20
Minus coupons:
$5/$20 store coupon
$2.50 coupon (BOGO)
4 x $1 coupon (MiniWheats)
3 x $1 coupon (Kellogg's)
=============
Total: $5.50 for 8 boxes of cereal, or $0.69/box. Not too shabby. This scenario assumes that there is no conflict between using a $1 coupon on a box which also gets you a free box with the BOGO coupon.

Another scenario with only Kellogg's coupons from the 04/05 insert or printables:

8 Kellogg's cereals
==============
Subtotal: $20
Minus coupons:
$5/$20
8 x $1
==============
$7 for 8 boxes of cereal, or $0.88/each.

How did you work this scenario? Post a comment to let us all know. ;) Do tell!
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5 Reasons to Visit Giant (aka Stop and Shop) This Week (04-24-04/30)

1. $1.79/lb. chicken breast. This is stock-up price, peeps! Freeze it straight up, or cook it for a recipe, then freeze it. You're saving 58% on the normal price.
   
   
2. General Mills Cereals are Buy 4, save $4 on cereals that are 14.25 oz. or larger. The 04/05 SS had a coupon for $1.00/3 General Mills Cereals - Basic 4, Boo Berry, Cheerios (any), Chex (any), Count Chocula, Curves, Disney. A recent SS had a coupon for $0.50/1 General Mills Honey Kix Cereal (will double to $1 off). The best coupon we saw, though, is the $0.75/1 Banana Nut Cheerios cereal from the 04/19 SS. If you have 4 of these (which will all double to $1.50 off), you'd be getting $2.50 off each box of Banana Nut Cheerios - that's gotta be cheap!
   
   
3. Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers are BOGO. Use the $0.50/1 from the 04/05 SS to get $2 total off 2 (they double) - meaning you are getting these very cheap.
   
   
4. Philips Claw Crab Meat is BOGO. There was $1/any Phillip's product in the 03/22 SS, and you can use two, which would make this crab meat pretty cheap. Homemade crab cakes, anybody?
   
   
5. Breyers ice cream is BOGO. It normally is priced around $5, SO $2.50-$3 each is probably your price point. The $0.75 coupon in the 04/05 insert will double, making it around $1-$1.50 each.
   

Other deals and Giant coupon matchups that we spotted for the week:

• $1.99/lb. (half-price) Center cut pork loin chops.
  
  
• $0.99/lb. Red seedless grapes (save $1.50/lb.)
  
  
• $1.50 Weight Watchers frozen entrees. Weight Watchers Smart Ones meals are $1.67. Registering here will get you a printable coupon for $1/5, making them $1.50/each.
  
  
• $1.12/mega roll paper towels. Bounty Paper Towels 8 Giant Rolls are $9.99 (save at least $3.50). The $1/multipack or 2+ coupon from the 04/05 SS will make it $8.99, or $1.12/roll. Buy two of these, and you get a Catalina for $5 off your next transaction (see deal below).
  
  
• Philadelphia Cream Cheese is BOGO.
  
  
• Utz Potato Chips are BOGO. There was a $0.75/1 Utz Snacks Back 8 oz. + (exp. 04/30) in the 01/11 SS which might apply, which would make these pretty cheap.
  
  
• Kraft Cracker Barrel Cheese is BOGO.
  
  
• Esskay Sliced Bacon is BOGO.
  
  
• Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna (oil or water) is BOGO.
  
  
• $1.69/lb. pork ribs.
  
  
• $1.99/lb. Perdue 93% lean ground turkey.
  
  
• $2.50/ea. Bob Evans Sausage Rolls. They are 2/$6 this week, and teh $0.25/1 from the 03/22 insert will double.
  
  
• Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage is BOGO. Use the $0.75/2 from the 04/19 RP, or the $0.65/2 from the 03/08 RP, or this printable $0.55/2. Best price? The $0.75/2 will double to $1.50, meaning $1.50 off the regular retail cost of one, to get two.
  
  
• Buitoni Pasta is $6.99 for the 20 oz. large packages. Use this printable $1.00/1 Buitoni coupon (caveat printor: haven't tried it yet) to get it for $5.99.
  
  
• Eggo French Toaster Sticks are 2/$5. Use the $0.75/1 from the 04/05 RP (doubles) to get them for $1/box.
  
  
• Freschetta Pizza is $5.99. Your best bet is the $0.75/1 (02/08 SS - doubles), which will make it $4.49. Other coupons: $1.25/2 (02/08 SS) and $1/1 (03/01 SS).
  
  
• Newman's Own Thin & Crispy Pizza is $5.99. There should be a $1/1 printable available here. Final price: $4.99.
  
  
• Bagel Bites are 2/$7. Get the $1/2 printable here by registering, and you'll get 2 for $6, or $3/each.
  
  
• Jimmy Dean D-lights are $4.99. There was a $1/1 sandwich and $0.55/1 D-lights Bowls (doubles to $1.10 off) in the 02/22 RP.
  
  
• Yoplait Yoghurt cups are 20/$10 ($0.50/each). The $0.40/6 coupon from the 03/22 and 04/19 SS inserts will double, making the cups $0.37/each. This might be stackable with the Buy 6, Get 1 Free coupon from the 03/22 SS insert. Recommendation: go with your $0.40/6 coupons, and if the B6G1 coupons work, consider it a happy accident.
  
  
• Sargento Shredded Cheese is 2/$5, all varieties. $0.50/1 Sargento Artisan Blends or Bistro Blends Natural Shredded Cheese, 5 oz. or Larger (01/18 SS), doubles, make the cheese $1.50/bag. $0.50/2 Sargento Natural Shredded Cheese, any 2, 5 oz. or Larger (01/25 SS), makes them $2/bag.
  
  
• Yoplait Go-Gurt 8 packs are 2/$5. $0.75/1 Yoplait Go-Gurt Yogurt or Go-Gurt Fizzix (recent Sunday insert) makes them $1.00/each. The $0.75/2 from the 04/19 SS will make them $1.75/each. The $1/2 from the 03/22 SS will make them $2/each.
  
  
• Yoplait Kids Yoghurt and Kids Yoghurt drink 6-packs are 2/$5. Use the $1/2 printable here to make them $2/each.
  
  
• Kashi Organic Promise Cereals (many varieties) are $3.49. Use the $1.50/2 coupon currently available at coupons.com to get them for ~$2.75/box.
  
  
• Nabisco Ritz (all varieties) are 2/$5. The $1/2 Ritz Bits Sandwiches coupon from the 03/01 SS might make these $2/box.
  
  
• Sobe Lifeater is $0.88/20 oz. bottle. Print the BOGO coupon here to get them for $0.44/each.
  
  
• Ocean Spray Cranberry Juices (all varieties) are 2/$5. There was a $0.55/1 coupon in the 04/19 RP for the Cranberry Pomegranate and the Ruby Pomegranate. If this applies (it will double), it will make the drinks just $1.40/each.
  
  
• Nabisco Snack Crackers (Wheat Thins or Triscuits) family size are $3.99. Use the $1/2 from the 03/15 SS to make them $3.49/each.
  
  
• $0.25 Knorr sides. Knorr pasta sides or rice sides are 10/$10. Use the $0.75/2 (03/29 RP), which will double, making them $0.25 each.
  
  
• Campbell's Select Harvest Soups are 2/$3, but use the $0.50/2 from the 02/08 SS (exp. 04/30) to make them $1/each.
  
  
• Heinz HomeStyle Gravy is 2/$3 ($1.50 each). Use the printable $1/3 here to make it $1.17/each.
  
  
• Family-size Poptarts 12-packs are 2/$5, and there was a $1/2 coupon in the 02/22 RP and the 03/29 insert, which would make them $2/each.
  
  
• Lysol Disinfecting Wipes are BOGO, and there was a $1/2 coupon in the 02/01 SS, which should make these pretty cheap.
  
  
• Kellogs Special K bars are BOGO.
  
  
• Kool-Aid, Country Time, and Tang mixes are BOGO.
  
  
• Ball Park Franks are BOGO.
  
  
• Giant Olive Oil is BOGO.
  
  
• Giant plastic cups are BOGO.
  
  
• Plumrose Smoked Ham Steaks are BOGO.
  
  
• Ben & Jerry's Flipped Out Frozen Desserts are 2/$6. There is a $0.50/1 tearpad in Wawa's by the ice cream that might apply, which could make these $2 each. Same for the Ben & Jerry's print containers that are 2/$6 this week.
  
  
• Nestle Drumsticks are $4.99, and this $1/1 printable will make them $3.99.
  

When you buy $10 worth of Old El Paso, you get a free 8 oz. Giant Shredded Cheese. Limit 1 per transaction. All items must be purchased in same transaction.

• Old El Paso Dinner Kids are 2/$5.
  
  
• Old El Paso Salsa is 2/$5.
  
  
• Old El Paso Refried Beans are 10/$10.
  
  
• Old El Paso Taco Seasoning or Chili Mix are 10/$10.
  

There is rumored to be a peelie on Old El Paso Products for buy any 2, get a seasoning free, so if you are pursuing this deal, keep an eye out.

Buy any two Tide 100 oz., Bounty Giant Roll 8-Packs, Charmin Big Roll 24-Packs, or Cascade Action Pacs 48-60 ct. in one transaction, and you'll get a Catalina for $5 off of your next transaction.

• Bounty Paper Towels 8 Giant Rolls are $9.99 (save at least $3.50). The $1/multipack or 2+ coupon from the 04/05 SS will make it $8.99, or $1.12/roll.
  
  
• Tide 100 oz. jugs are $10.99. (No Sunday insert or printable coupons found.)
  
  
• Cascade Action Pacs are $12.99. There was a $0.50/1 in the 04/05 P&G that should make them $11.99.
  
  
• Charmin Big Roll 24 Packs are $11.99. There was a $0.25/1 or $1.00/2 (effect is the same) from the 04/05 P&G insert, which would make these $11.49.
  

The meal deal this week is:

Buy 1 Bertolli Sauce, 1 Giant Fresh Pasta, and 1 Klondike 6-pack, and get free Giant Mixed Vegetables or Nature's Promise Mixed Vegetables. All items must be purchased in one transaction.

Applicable coupon:

$0.75/1 or $0.60/1 Bertolli coupon from the 04/05 RP insert, doubles, earning you $1.20-$1.50 off.

Let us know if you spotted any other deals by leaving a comment! :)
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Living Well, Feeling Great Promotion at Safeway, now through May 5: A Two-Week Obsession Worth Nurturing

Safeway is hosting a rocking deal in the next couple of weeks in its Living Well, Feeling Great Promotion - through May 5. When you buy $30 worth of groceries from a massive list of over 3,000 participating products (listed by Slickdeals' Bob, thanks!), a $10 Catalina coupon, good for any purchase you make at Safeway, will print out.

This limited time offer is ever so much more than a fixed 33% discount; it is only the beautiful foundation of a panoply of coupon stacking possibilities. You need to buy only $30 worth as a subtotal - coupons and Catalinas can bring your price much lower!

So the goal here is to use coupons (and once you start working the Living Well, Feeling Great promo deals, using aka 'rolling' Catalinas from past deals) to bring your $30 total down as close to (or under!) $10 as possible. If you bring your post-coupon/post-Catalina total down to $10 (or less) - and then receive a $10 Catalina for your next purchase, you're getting free groceries (or paid to take them away!). This is a primo promotion for snagging donations for your local food bank, too. Find your local food banks today.

Moneywise Moms has done an in-depth look at possible deals so far over the course of several posts. Just today, Gina showed us how to make an impressive profit off of the Living Well, Feeling Great promo by buying Deer Park Water 6-packs at Safeway. Click here to see Moneywise Mom's original post detailing the terms of the promotion, and to see all of the Mr. Linky's to other sites' posted deals!

Other examples of sweet deals (the first three from Moneywise Moms, the fourth from Blessings in Bargains)

• Skippy Peanut Butter, net $0.87/jar
• Electrasol PowerTabs, net $1.92 for 8 boxes
  
• Large Huggies Wipes Refill packs, net $2.49/each
• YoPlait Yo-Plus yoghurt, organic milk, Kashi, and frozen veggies = net profit!

Yes - if you pursue some of these deals passionately, you could be going to Safeway once (or more!) daily until May 5, but what a cheap stockpile you'd have accumulated after then - like a lifetime supply of Deer Park! :)

Have you done this promo? What deals have you scoped out? Any unexpected profits or setbacks? Post comments to let everybody know.
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FREE user-specific code for Shutterfly via Borders emails! Fifty 4x6s, four 5x7s, and one 8x10, and Other Stackable Shutterfly Discount Coupon Codes

Borders book stores are offering their customers a free Shutterfly print package. If you have signed up for Borders email offers look for one today! This is a great, high-value print package - perfect for getting extra copies of Easter photos or spring portraits. Edit: We had previously posted this as a usable code - but a reader tried it and notified us (thanks!) that it turned out to be one time use. Go figure! We just created a separate dummy account to try it, and it is indeed a one-time-use code. This goes to show that it pays to have a secondary 'junk email' account where you sign up for big retailers' ads and newsletters, so that you can occasionally benefit from these one time use codes. Too bad it couldn't work for more people. Sorry for the false alarm. :-\

These other codes, however, are all over the web, so they should be compatible with any account.

On Shutterfly, you can also get a BOGO photo card by entering the code CARD4U. Orders over $50 ship free with the code SHIP50. Click "My Shutterfly" from the main top menus of the Shutterfly site, go to the very bottom and click "Enter special offer code". You can enter these two codes in this field (along with other short Shutterfly codes) to stack your discounts in your account. They stay in your offers lineup until you use them in a transaction, or until they expire, and you can use more than one as long as the terms apply with your shopping cart contents. As we've said before, online coupon code stacking is the name of the game. :)

One final discount: You get 10% cash back on your Shutterfly purchases when you click through ebates when you ultimately make your purchases (remember the codes store the offers in your account for future use!).
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Reader Email - Harris Teeter Triple Coupons Allowing Consecutive Transactions!

We received a delightful email this weekend. (Thanks!) With our email-writer's permission, we're sharing some excerpts with you because of some useful tips:

"One tip I wanted to pass along is that that with Harris Teeter's coupon policy, a shopper is supposed to only be allowed 20 coupons per day. But most cashiers will let you split up an order if you have more than 20 coupons to use. What I do is just tell the cashier at the beginning that I have to pay for some items separately, I don't offer an explanation as to why, and they don't ask. So yesterday, when I went during their triple coupon week, I was able to use 20 coupons in the first order and 16 in the second. The store wasn't busy at all and the cashier didn't even blink about it."

So, it looks like Harris Teeter and Bloom are pretty similar. If you're hitting up the stores at a non-busy time and ask nicely, a cashier is likely to allow you to do a couple of consecutive transactions - in this way allowing you to use more than the 20 coupons limited per transaction.

Our email writer also mentioned:

"Great tip too about the [deal listed in a recent post about] Motts Applesauce at Target. I went there with the Target and Motts coupons so I could stack them (my Target had them on sale for $1.87), so with the $1.55 in coupons for each, I got 5 total for under the price for one normally. I was shocked when I went to HT to see the same apple sauce is normally $3.05 (because I had thought about not making separate trips and just using the $0.55 coupon to triple at HT and not go to Target). I was sure glad that I did stop at Target after all!"

This second part illustrates a great point: if you are willing to make even two stops at different stores during the week, you can save quite a lot more, especially when compared with using only one store's ads and coupon matchups.

Of course, the more stores you are willing to visit, the more you stand to save, but there is something to be said for conserving gas money, time, and oh yes: your sanity. :) Being especially dedicated to following deals at just two stores is a great starting point. Our email-writer later pointed out that her Target and Harris Teeter happen to be very close to each other, and this is a great way to kick off your 'two store or more' strategy; begin with the stores closest to you (and to each other!) and see what deals appeal. You'll be hedging your bets savings-wise.

Click here to see all Redemption Unlimited posts involving couponing strategy.
Click here to see all Redemption Unlimited posts involving store coupon policies.
Click here to see all Redemption Unlimited posts involving reader email.
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Holiday Loss Leaders

Have you ever noticed the pattern in grocery loss leaders around certain times of year? We both are sure a lot more aware of it now that we have our eyes on sales and coupon insert contents. The stores are trying to drive traffic with the hot items so that you buy your other day-to-day staples there as well.

Here are some of the sales and coupon promotions you can typically expect. Soda sales also fall around holidays. Some stores have 12-packs normally as high as $5+, while sale time brings prices down to $1.50-$2.50 per 12-pack.
A lot of items are nonperishables or freezable perishables, so if you have enough coupons, you can stack them with the outrageous sale prices to get free or near-free pantry and freezer stockage for months to come!

Week of sales before/around:

New Year's Eve/New Year's Day
Party consumables for ringing in the new year
Champagne
'Luxury' foods like crab cakes
Other drinks and party foods

January: Week after New Year's Day
Big emphasis on weight-loss/resolution products
Yoghurt/yogurt
Boneless skinless chicken breast
Weight loss shakes
Meal replacement bars
Weight loss supplements

Super Bowl Sunday
Hors d'oeuvre and sports 'comfort foods', sodas
Triscuits/other crackers
Entertaining trays
Chicken wings

February: Valentine's Day
Love the bargains with your loved one
Strawberries
Wine, champagne
Beef cuts
Oysters
Chocolates

March: St Patrick's Day
Lucky deals on Irish food
Corned beef
Cabbage
Potatoes

March Madness Deals - same as Super Bowl
Hors d'oeuvre and sports 'comfort foods', sodas
Triscuits/other crackers
Cheese
Entertaining trays
Chicken wings

April-June: Easter, Mother's Day, and Father's Day
Brunch
Egg hunt items, jelly beans, and chocolate (Easter)
Eggs
Ham
Juices
Cheese
Baskets and fake grass (CVS likely ECBs these)
Asparagus
Bacon
Hollandaise

May through July: Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July
Picnic sales!
Sodas
Sandwich fixings - lunchmeats, cheeses, and bread
S'mores stuff - Hershey's bars, graham crackers, marshmallows
Pie makings - fillings and crusts
Cool Whip
Berries - strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries - very freezable!

August: Back to School
All month long, school supplies coupons and coupons for new lunch-packable items
Lunch snacks/prepackaged items (applesauce, drink boxes, etc.)
Kids' yoghurts

September-October: Halloween
Candy - usually able to snatch free after ECBs at CVS
Fall produce: figs (September), butternut squash, acorn squash, apples

November-December: Holiday Feasts/Gatherings
Lots of nonperishables on sale at this point - and heavy coupon campaigns to match.
Soups and broths, for meal starters
Canned pumpkin and green beans
French friend onions (casserole toppers)
Clementines (yay!)
Sparkling ciders
Sodas
Turkeys
Hams
Beef cuts (roasts especially)
Slow-cooker and roasting winter veggies: carrots, potatoes, leeks, onions
Pie makings - fillings and crusts
Cookie and fudge supplies, including flour, sugar, sugar substitutes, butter, chocolate chips, corn syrup, and so on.
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Questions about Bloom Triple Coupons Policy and Strategies

We just received an email from a reader with some great questions (yay, reader email!):

"If a coupon says "do not double or triple" on it, will it not triple if I take it to Bloom today? I'm trying to plan out my first big triple coupon shopping trip(s). Also, if I have two coupons for, say Pillsbury breads and I want to buy 2 do I need to do 2 transactions or can I use both in the same transaction? If I do need to do 2 transactions, should I stand in line twice or separate out my stuff and ask the cashier nicely to do two transactions?"

Let's go through these, keeping in mind that Bloom typically triples all coupons up to $0.99 in value, limited to 20 coupons of any type per transaction.

If a coupon says "do not double or triple" on it, will it not triple if I take it to Bloom today?

Check out the bar code number on your coupon. The first (separated) digit will be either a 5 or a 9. If your coupon has a 5 on it but says, "Does not double" or some variant, you should know that it should automatically double or triple when scanned. In fact, it would take the cashier approximately 5-10 seconds to correct the computer via a series of entries, so most cashiers do not elect to make a fuss about "5"-labeled coupons that say, "Do not double" - and in fact in our experience we have never had a cashier correct a "Do not double/5" coupon that scanned and doubled automatically. However, note that if your coupon has a 9 as its first digit (whether or not it says "Do not double" or some variant) it will definitely not double or triple. This applies to any stores that do doubling, like Giant, Safeway, Shopper's Food Warehouse, Harris Teeter, and so on.

Remember, though, that there is always the very miniscule chance that a cashier may elect to take the time and correct your "Do not double/5" coupons back to the single-time discount.

Also, if I have two coupons for, say Pillsbury breads and I want to buy 2 do I need to do 2 transactions or can I use both in the same transaction? If I do need to do 2 transactions, should I stand in line twice or separate out my stuff and ask the cashier nicely to do two transactions?

In the past, we have gone through Bloom checkout with up to 4 same coupons for the same items, with no fuss. However, to avoid any trouble, if you already know that you're going to make more than one trip, go ahead and split up your copies of a given coupon, just so you're not acquiring 246 cans of Ragu in one go (though several of something in one transaction really isn't a big deal). This strategy also is a winner for your fellow couponers courtesy-wise, because you don't end up cleaning out a shelf in one go, giving others the chance to get the discounts.

We have heard about folks doing consecutive transactions at one go with cooperative (thank you!) cashiers, but we don't recommend trying this at a busy time - like Saturday mornings, or 4-7 p.m. on weeknights. In other words, if you think that you'd like to try multiple transactions in one trip, try to do so during a lower-customer-volume time frame. This way, no one has to wait longer behind you in line, and the cashier doesn't feel pressure to get the line going.

Another way to strategize it is like this: if you have a bunch of a single coupon, but the expiration date is 2-3+ months off, and your deal with the coupon isn't on a weekly sale price, you could always use a few this time around, and wait for the next doubling/tripling round of deals to come! This is especially useful if the coupons are for some refrigerated product that is hard to freeze or otherwise preserve.

Once, A. asked the cashier at a Bloom if she could use more than one copy of a Pepsi 20-oz. coupon that she had from a tearpad (from another store). The cashier called the manager over to answer the question, and he said that the managers are getting increasingly wary of multiple Internet coupons because fraud is rife within the Internet printable coupon system - and thus managers and cashiers are hesitant to accept multiple copies because there is less and less chance of the stores being reimbursed by the manufacturer (he was nice enough to let me use two coupons anyway). Of course, A.'s question was about black-and-white tearpad coupons - which should not have mattered under the manager's argument, but the experience still brought to light four principles:

1. Internet printable coupon fraud ruins it for everyone, so keep your coupon printing honest, please, folks, and respect the print limits per computer!
2. As far as it is possible (and to not call negative attention to yourself in your own local stores) - avoid massive "hoarding" trips. Split into multiple transactions or save some for future deal-running.
3. If you're using Internet printables, moderation is key. Two of a given coupon per transaction may be a good rule of thumb.
   
4. Remain unfailingly polite and gracious to cashiers and managers when checking out and/or asking about coupon policy. In an ideal world, coupon fraud and suspicion wouldn't even be a part of the dynamic, but a cheerful, honest disposition goes a long way to representing the couponing community well and sustaining our chances for future deals! Remember that your reputation (and the reputation of fellow couponers in general) is not worth sacrificing for those frozen waffles! :)
   

We would love for you to post a comment if you have any input on strategizing for checkout during Bloom triples!
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New Shutterfly Coupon Codes

Shutterfly.com released three new offers into the wild this morning:

Enjoy 30 free prints when you create a new Share site, 20 free prints for adding five new members and 10 free prints for posting a photo book to your site.*

Promotion ends April 15, 2009.

SHIP25 makes any order of $25 or more ship free. (Until March 25.)
TAKE5 takes $5 off a $25 order. (Until March 31.)

Ideally, you should be able to stack these by doing the SHIP25 code first (so your total doesn't dip below $25), then the TAKE5 coupon.

Click here to see additional Shutterfly coupon codes, like AF75-SAVE for 20% off all prints. New Shutterfly customers automatically get 25 free 4x6 prints just for joining!
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Let's Talk Coupon Stacking

The coupon stacking strategy is the bread-and-butter of habitual couponers. The basic idea of stacking is that you maximize the savings of a coupon or promotional code.

Rather than using a barcode coupon at a bricks-and-mortar retailer outright on a full-priced item, a savvy couponer waits until the item goes on sale or on another promotion, and uses the coupon then to maximize savings. Remember in February when I scored $38 of free Yoplait, Activia, and Dannon yoghurt over two trips when Shopper's did another coupon doubling/tripling weekend? That was an example of stacking - the $1 off yoghurt coupons, plus the coupon doubling due to the Shopper's offer, plus the yoghurts having sale prices that week of 2/$4! By harnessing this triple play, I maximized my savings. We also have a diagram showing you how to stack multiple coupons at CVS - the prime CVS money-saving strategy. Learn how to stack while rolling your ExtraCare Bucks, and even when strategizing to 'profit' ExtraCare Bucks!

A truly exciting thing is when you are able to stack coupons when shopping online. You may see us occasionally post examples of this - like when we write about Shoebuy deal scenarios with combining ebates cash back and discount codes. Stores which allow coupon stacking will allow you to stack multiple existing non-expired coupon codes to apply discount after discount after discount. When you use such codes on already-on-sale-or-clearance items (like winter coats being cleared in the springtime), you can score maximum discounts - and often free shipping of some type for one of the codes! Some stores allow you to stack coupons of different types ($/$$, $ off any purchase, [something] free with purchase, etc.), but not of the same type.

Here are online stores that (last we heard) allow coupon stacking. The links are to the RetailMeNot.com pages for those stores, so you can start there with a series of potentially stackable coupons. Add your own online stacking discoveries in the comments (- and we'll add it to this main list!), or let us know if you've had trouble stacking with any in the list here below:

Shutterfly.com (and in the past we've seen Shutterfly 'store up' credits for coupons you've entered onto your Shutterfly account, even if you don't apply them right away, until the coupon expiration date...don't forget to ebates your Shutterfly purchase for 10% cash back!)
Shoebuy.com (don't forget to ebates your Shoebuy purchase for even more cash back!)
VictoriasSecret.com (allows three codes per transaction; in their comments, coupon code submitters often tell you how best to combine the the codes to maximize savings! - don't forget to ebates your Victoria's Secret purchase for even more cash back!) Pssssst...Did you know that Victoria's Secret now carries nursing bras? No way...way! No way...way!

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Quaker True Delights Granola Bars - $0.60/box after Target gift card rolling!

Crystal Paine of the epic Mommy Saving Money recently mentioned in a post that Quaker products are buy 5, get a $5 Target Gift Card at Target this week.

Since I had nine of the January Red Plum / Valassis insert coupons for $1 off Quaker True Delights (flavors: cashew something, banana coconut macadamia nut, and raspberry dark chocolate), this is how I worked it:

Bought 5 x $2.50
Used 5 x $1 off coupons
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$7.50 + tax

I spent a $5 gift card that I already had, and the transaction generated a $5 gift card.

Bought 5 x $2.50
Used 4 x $1 off coupons
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$8.50 + tax

I used the $5 gift card from the first transaction, and the transaction generated another $5 gift card. Don't you love it when cashiers are so willing to work with you on stuff like this? :)

So: net out of pocket input was $6 + tax for 10 five-count boxes of these granola bars ($0.12/bar pretax). And I have a $5 Target gift card from the second transaction!

It's scenarios like this when your coupons bring expensive prepackaged stuff down to the prices of what you would pay to make the item yourselves.

Don't have the Red Plum coupons? Print the $1 off Quaker True Delights coupons here (limit 2 per Windows-run computer, I'm guessing). Or, check out the sweet homemade granola bar tutorial by the fabulous Liz of Frugally Blonde, bringing your (HUGE :-p) homemade bars down to just $0.13/bar!
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