Gymboree Circle of Friends Sale - Includes 30% OFF Coupon Good August 20-23, and $25 in Gymbucks for Future Purchase!

With thanks to The Bargain Jargon - we have caught wind of the Gymboree Circle of Friends Sale. It's Thursday, August 20, through Sunday, August 23. You can use this printable 30% off coupon at in-store locations, or if shopping online, use the code GYMFAMILY (online orders over $100 ship free). For every $50 you spend, you'll net $25 in Gymbucks; that is: The Gymbucks certificate that you earn during this Circle of Friends Sale will let you go on to save $25 off your next $50 purchase between Oct. 1 and 11. (Note: the Gymbucks earning period is July 29, 2009 - September 27, 2009.)

So, here's a sample two-trip scenario to show how the savings could play out:

August 20-23, go to a Gymboree Store and pick up around $75 worth of stuff.
Use 30% off in-store coupon linked above.
Spend just over $50 on the purchase; collect $25 Gymbucks certificate.

Oct. 1-Oct. 11, go back to the Gymboree Store and pick up at least $50 worth of stuff. (Stay as low as possible while still over $50.)
Use $25 Gymbucks certificate earned at Friends and Family sale.
Spend $25 on purchase.

So: you'd spend ~$75 on ~$125-marked worth of stuff. This is equivalent to a 40% discount. If you have a passle of kids to outfit (or kid gifts to buy for Christmas...), this might be worth considering.

As Liz pointed out (thanks! - and Mel echoed), participation in these deals at Gymboree outlets ranges from potentially accepting Gymbucks (but not the Gymboree coupon) to not accepting Gymbucks or coupons. If you're heading to an outlet, please call ahead to check their participation in this sale/deal.

Gently used Gymboree clothes are known for selling at a premium in the second hand market, including consignment sales and eBay.

Find your local Gymboree here.
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Children's Place August Coupon 15% OFF

If you're heading to a mall to take advantage of the Gymboree Circle of Friends 40% combined discount, don't forget that there are often deals to be had at The Children's Place, too, especially with this 15% off your entire purchase coupon, good through 08/31 (with thanks to Never Pay Retail Again). Baby Cheapskate also reported that you can use coupon code FA79 online to get the 15% discount through 09/07 (thanks!).

The Children's Place Monster Sale is on, many items are already marked up to 50% or more off, and you could do especially well at outlet Children's Place locations, like the one at Potomac Mills.

Find your nearest Children's Place location here.
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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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ArtsCow Promo - Free Shipping over $20!

ArtsCow is having another promotion, through August 24th. Any purchase over $20 ships free! (Since this is a Hong Kong based operation, normal ArtsCow shipping charges are known to be a little pricier than, say, Shutterfly.)

Coupon code: FSOVER20
Expires on: 8/24/2009
* This offer can not work with free credits.

This could be a great stocking-stuffer vector. Here are some cheap gift ideas:

• Photo pillowcase, $13.99 (If your spouse travels a lot, this could be a fun gift - a pic of you two cutting up or relaxing somewhere)
• Photo pencil case, $12.99 For school supplies or makeup!
• 20-page 5"x7" photo book, $4.99
• Photo zip cases for netbooks, starting at just $9.99
• Photo Ornaments (various shapes) starting a $4.49
• Photo Fridge Magnets starting at $1 (also great for Save-the-Dates, you wedding-planners out there...)
• Photo Coaster, $3.49
• Photo Microfiber Glasses Cleaning Cloth, $4.99

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Meal Planning Monday

Thanks for coming back for Meal Planning Monday!

My husband will be on travel this week and my sister is coming into town at the end of the week. So our meal schedule is a little out of the ordinary this week - for example, we'll have breakfast for dinner one night. My goal is to keep things simple so I don't heat up the kitchen!

Monday Chicken pot pie made w/ leftover roasted chicken (cooked Friday)

Tuesday Dinner with friends

Wednesday Leftover chicken pot pie from Monday, garden salad

Thursday Breakfast for dinner: eggs, pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit

Friday Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp & Broccoli, homemade honey wheat bread

Saturday Burgers on the grill, frozen steamed mixed veggies

Sunday Pesto chicken and sweet potatoes in the Crock Pot

If you'd like more ideas, check out the Mr. Linky at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

OLD NAVY: Women's Jeans for $19!

Old Navy is running a super sale on men's & women's jeans from now through August 27 - only $19 a pair!

The fine print states:
Select styles only.
While supplies last.


I'm a big fan of Old Navy's "The Flirt" jeans, and the regular price is usually between $29 and $34. So $19 is a steal!

It looks like all 6 of Old Navy's jeans styles are on sale on the website. Sweeten your deal by going through Ebates to make a web purchase. Right now you can earn 8% back on your purchase by going through Ebates - nearly enough to cover shipping! Please use our email address redemptionunlimited (at) gmail.com as your referral.

Thanks to reader Carey for the tip!

New Series: Menu Planning Monday

In an effort to keep myself more organized, I've decided to start posting menu plans here on Mondays. Inspired by I'm an Organizing Junkie, I'll do my best to plan ahead for my family based on what is in our pantry and fridge and share those ideas here each week!

Since I caught the "frugal bug" just over a year ago, I've discovered that meal planning is the #1 best way for my family to save money. Why and how?

• Meal planning cuts spending on impulse items at the grocery store because my shopping lists are very specific now. It also cuts down on extra trips to the stores because of a forgotten items.

• Meal planning forces me to use items that are already in my home before shopping for new items. Because I shop later in the week and start my meal plan schedule on Sundays, there are always a few days each week where I don't have the freshest produce or any produce at all. The pantry is my friend on these days.
  

• Meal planning allows me to be flexible - I set up a plan for 5-7 meals I know I will cook each week, but if I don't feel like eating something I've assigned to a certain day, I can swap it out with something more appealing. This cuts down on impulse takeout purchases or restaurant meals out.
  

• Meal planning allows me to easily double or triple meals if there is another family in need of a home cooked meal. We enjoy blessing other families in this way, and it's easier to make more food if I've planned to have such food in the house. Before I started meal planning, I still took meals to others but planned a separate "special" meal that involved extra ingredients. Now we have a "special" meal, too!
  

Some other thoughts about meal planning:
I use several tools in my home to make this work.

• I keep a magnetized tablet on the fridge so I can scribble meal ideas as they come to mind when I'm going in & out of the fridge.

• I keep another magnetized table on the fridge for an ongoing grocery list. I printed food categories on a sheet of paper, taped that to the back of the tablet, and easily get around the grocery store because my to-buy items are grouped together. When I'm ready to shop, I grab the list and go.

• I keep one other sheet of paper on the fridge to track items I'll need to buy at Costco. I visit Costco twice a month for staple items and hate to forget something because I'm there infrequently.

• I've tried several ways of cataloguing and tracking meals that we like and have experimented with ways to keep myself organized so I don't run out of meal ideas. The thing that works best for me has been an Excel spreadsheet that I started 2 years ago when I first stayed at home. From time to time I open that up and update it with our favorite meals based on our tastes and categorize it by season.

• I have a great Crock Pot. I use the Crock Pot 1-2 times a week, and I always plan to use it on my busiest day.

• I also have a Kitchen Aid mixer. I bake a lot, including bread, and these items are inexpensive and delicious when made at home. The dough hook on the Kitchen Aid mixer is an invaluable tool for me.

Come back on Monday to give meal planning a try!

COUPONS: Home Made Simple Coupon Booklet

We've posted on this coupon booklet here before, but it looks like the Home Made Simple Coupon Booklet is available again.

It's a book of coupons put out by Procter & Gamble, so you'll see items like Cascade, Dawn, Febreze, Mr. Clean, and Dawn featured. I sign up regularly because there is always a coupon for a FREE bottle of Cascade dishwasher rinse agent. Where we live, this stuff retails at over $5 a bottle. I save these coupons when I'm trying to do a big run at Safeway, as there are $5 off $50 purchase coupons in the Entertainment Book. If I use 1-3 of these free rinse agent coupons + the $5 coupon from the entertainment book, it amounts to super savings!

Click here to sign up.

BOSTON MARKET: new coupons!

Boston Market is offering some great coupons for their yummy food.

Click here for a BOGO coupon for any individual meal. Perfect for a picnic dinner! Expires 8/27.
Click here for a $3 off any $6 restaurant purchase coupon. Expires 9/15.

To find a Boston Market near you, click here.

Thanks, Slickdeals!

5 Reasons to Visit Giant This Week, 08/14-08/20

Mailed Giant coupon alert: I just received an oversized postcard in the mail with three coupons good over the next three weeks, each for 5% off my Giant purchase. Not sure whether this is a neighborhood mailer or tied to my account in a particular way, but either way, wanted to let you know so that you can be on the lookout in your mail, too!

These are the last few weeks of loss-leading summer produce, so jump on the juicy goodness while it lasts!

1. Dannon Yoghurts are 20/$8. Coupons for $0.60/6 are available in the 06/21 SS, 07/19 SS, and 08/16 SS. These will double automatically - and you will get the yoghurts for $0.20/cup.
   
2. Orchard perfect peaches or nectarines, $0.99/lb. Grill'em with honey balsamic glaze!
   
3. DiGiorno Pizzas are 2/$10. Use the $1.50/1 DiGiorno Crispy Flatbread Pizza coupon from the 05/17 SS to make these just $3.50 each - not a bad quick dinner option when it's just "one of those nights." :)
   
4. Pirate's Booty snacks are $0.99. Use the $1/2 coupon from the 06/07 SS to get them for $0.50/each.
   
5. Dole canned pineapple is 10/$10. Use the $0.55/2 coupon from the 06/28 SS. Final price: $0.45 each.

Other Giant coupon matchups and deals we spotted for the week of 08/14-08/20:

Whole seedless watermelon, $3.99/each.

Top Round London Broil, $1.99/lb., or boneless beef chuck steak, $1.99/lb. (Save at least $2.30/lb.)

Super G Split Chicken Breast, $0.99/lb. (Save at least $2.00/lb.)

Fresh Pork Tenderloin, $3.99/lb. (Save $2.00/lb.)

Weight Watchers Smart Ones are 6/$10. Printable here for $2/8 (any). Printable here for $1/3 Smart Ones pizza or flatbreads. Printable available here for $1/5 (any, we think). August All You Magazine has a coupon for a free Smart Ones dessert when you buy 4 SmartOnes frozen products.

Large Raw White Shrimp/Medium Large Cooked Shrimp, $4.99/lb. (Save $3/lb.).

Oscar Mayer Meat Wieners, BOGO. 06/21 SS had a $1/2 coupon (exp. 08/16), which would get you two for ~$3.50 or so.

Kleenex Cottonelle 12 Double Roll Bath Tissue is $6.99. Coupons:
$0.50/1 Aloe and E, 07/26 SS (doubles to $1 off, final price $5.99)
Printables here.
06/28 Parade Magazine had a $1 off coupon.
June All You magazine had a $1 off coupon.

Scott Bath Tissue 12-packs are also $6.99.
07/12 SS, $1 off.
08/09 SS, $1 off.

Bumble Bee Tuna, Solid White in Water or Oil. 10/$10.

Coke 2-liters, 10/$10.

San Giorgio Pasta (normally starts at $1.39), 10/$10.

Green cabbage is $0.59/lb. (near St. Patrick's Day is the year-round low at $0.49/lb.)

Sweet white corn is 8/$1.99.

Extra large tomatoes, $0.99/lb.

Save an extra $0.10/gallon on gas when you purchase any 4 participating Edy's items. This is in addition to the $0.10 off per gallon you earn for every $100 spent in store with your BonusCard. Giants with gas stations are in Pasadena, MD, Falmouth, VA, Fredericksburg, VA (Celebrate Virginia Parkway), and Fredericksburg, VA (Plank Rd.). This deal is only worth it if a) you'd likely buy these products anyway, and b) you're filling up on a lot of gas.

Use your BonusCard and purchase any two (2) Johnsonville products in one transaction and you will receive a checkout coupon good for buy-one-get-one-free D.C. United Tickets! Limit one coupon per purchase. This week, Johnsonville Breakfast Links are 2/$5.

Gorton's seafood - 25% off. Use this $0.75/2 coupon (should double automatically) to get $1.50 off.

Bertolli Frozen Meals (24 oz. package) are $6.99. Use the $1/1 coupons available in the 06/07 RP (one expires 08/15, the other, 08/29) to get them for $5.99.

Tyson Any'tizers are 2/$7. Use the $1/1 coupon from the 08/02 SS2 to get them for $2.50 each.

Birds Eye Vegetables are 4/$5. Use the $1/3 from the August All You magazine to get 3 for $2.75.

Totino's Pizza Rolls are 2/$7. Use the $0.40/2 coupon (07/12 SS, doubles) to get them for $3.10 each.

Pillsbury Savorings are 2/$7. Get a $1/1 printable from the Pillsbury website or use the $1/1 coupon from the 08/09 SS2 to get them for $2.50/box.

Jimmy Dean D-lights or Chicken Biscuits are $4.99. Use the $1/1 coupon from the 08/09 RP to get them for $3.99.

International Delights coffee creamers are 2/$3. Use the $1/2 coupon from the 06/21 SS to get them for $1 each.

Over the Moon milk is 2/$6. The 05/17 SS had a coupon for $1/1, and there is a $1/1 printable available here. Read our Over the Moon milk review here!

Dunkin' Donuts coffee is $6.99. Use the $1/1 coupon from the 06/28 RP.

Juicy Juice is 2/$5. Use the $0.50/2 or the $1/2 coupons from the 08/09 RP. Either way final price is $2 each.

Uncle Ben's Ready Rice is 2/$4. Use the $1/2 printable available here to get the rice for $1.50 each.

Maruchan Ramen Noodles 6-packs are 10/$10, or $0.17/pack.

Did you spot any other deals or matchups at Giant? Do tell! ;) Leave a comment for all to read.
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PARADE Magazine: another coupon

Yes, it's Wednesday and I'm only just going through my Sunday circulars and coupons. Busy times!

A McDonald's coupon was in PARADE Magazine's August 9, 2009 edition on page 13:
*** FREE medium fries and free medium soft drink or tea with purchase of any new ANGUS third pounders. Excludes all McCafe and bottle beverages. Expires 8/31/09.

I'm not big on fast food, but these coupons come in handy for those days when I just don't have time to pack lunch for hubby. He enjoys a special treat once in a while!

Harris Teeter: Triple Coupons are back!

Blessings in Bargains has the details, but we wanted to let you know about the triple coupon mania again at Harris Teeter. The promotion runs August 12 - August 18.

HT will be tripling manufacturers coupons up to $.99 in value, with the total amount not to exceed $1.98 or entire retail value. For all the details directly from Harris Teeter, click here.

Frugal in Virginia has a bunch of coupon matchups here. Leave us a comment if you partake in the coupon madness!

Works for Me Wednesday: Bag for Errands

We're starting a new series, inspired by We are THAT Family. Works-for-me Wednesday is a blog carnival or series that I've enjoyed reading on others' blogs, so I thought I'd start sharing my 2 cents here at Redemption Unlimited. In this series you'll see tips on organizing, cooking, parenting, shopping, and anything else that interests you. I welcome your feedback and would love to hear from you via comment below!

Now on to what works for me:

I keep a tote bag at the ready, usually on the stairpost outside our kitchen, for me to organize myself in preparation for errands. I don't have a specific "errand day" each week, but when I know I'm heading somewhere in the direction of one of my errands, the bag is at the ready. In the bag I put checks to deposit, items to return, outbound mail for the mailbox, shopping lists, library books to be returned, etc. As I'm heading out the door, I grab the bag, place it in the car and remember better the errands that need to be run. This bag has a sturdy canvas bottom, which means that it sits well on the kitchen counter or on the floor of my car. Essential feature.

It works for me!

Workin' Lands' End: Big Back-to-School Discounts on Clothes, Backpacks, and More - Plus FREE Shipping Through 08/13!

Lands' End is gunning for your back-to-school business this year! We like Lands' End for the retailer's no-exceptions satisfaction guarantee, and for the clothing's enduring quality. If you have a couple or more boys or a couple or more girls, you can rest assured that LE sweaters, polos, and other items will wash nicely and can last well through multiple kids.

Through Thursday, August 13, get FREE shipping, plus super discounts on in-season back-to-school and fall items.

Girls' Sale (how cute are these two-packs of adjustable cloth headbands?)
Boys' Sale (fleece bucking bronco pajama pants for the little cowboys)
Kids' School Uniforms Sale
Women's Sale
Men's Sale
Lunch Boxes and Backpacks (additional $5 off plus free Pack Pal* with every backpack if you order before 08/18!)
Find great deals on clearanced items at Lands' End Overstocks, too! Look at these girls' embroidered twill D-ring belts starting at $2.99!

*Pack Pals = decorative keychains, from what we can gather.

Finally, buy any combo of 3 select fleece jackets and save $3 each (exp. 08/13). Cheapest participating fleece we saw in this deal ran $19.50 in a boys' and girls' colors, so you'd get them for $16.50 each if you bought 3. Shop fleeces here! (The spice brown with the pink collar is too cute.)

For free shipping, ,enter the Promotion Code AUG11 and the PIN 00009432 in the space provided. Remember to click through ebates to get your 3% cash back!
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Filling Your Pantry for Back to School with This Week's Cheap Cereal and Snacks

We've got you covered on some morning foods this week - just look at all the Kellogg's cereals and Pop-Tarts which range from potentially FREE up to $0.50/each this week at Giant. Besides the 08/02 insert which had the Kellogg's coupons, there are also Kellogg's coupon pamphlets that have been spotted at Giant and WalMart. Thanks, Nicole, for the WalMart Tip!

As for during and after school, Gina's covering snack sales at Safeway and other affiliates this week. She will kick-start you on some sales/coupon matchups that will make your lunchbox additions that much cheaper, so be sure to check out her post before the deals are gone.
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$0.99 Personalized Photo Coin Purse SHIPS FREE!

ArtsCow comin' atcha with another stocking stuffer idea:

Order a coinpurse with your photo on it for just $0.99, ships free! C'mon now, tell me you don't know at least one person who would love to have an excuse to show of a picture of you and/or your kids to every cashier in existence. ;) Or, make one for your daughter or niece who's just starting to learn about money management. Of course, you could splurge and make yourself that MacGyver coinpurse you've secretly always wanted. Bonus points if the picture shows him jumping away from an explosion.

Additional photo coinpurses also ship free and cost $3.99.

Check it out here: http://www.artscow.com/diy/cat0101

Use this coupon code: 099MCPURSE

Expires on: 09/15/2009

Happy ArtsCowing! :)

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5 Reasons to Visit Giant This Week, 08/07-08/13

We had out-of-town relatives in for dinner tonight (my brother's wedding is this weekend!), so I will post the best deals that I spot tonight (Wed.), and may add more in the coming day or two.

Break out the smoothies:

1. Strawberries, $1.66 for a 1 lb. package.

2. Blueberries, $1.66/pint.

3. Super G Boneless Chicken Breast, $1.79/lb. (Save $2/lb.) This is rock-bottom, so stock up if you need it!

4. Kellogg's Cereals OR Kellogg's 8-pack Pop-Tarts, 2/$4. Combo these with the recent 08/02 Kellogg's Back to School Insert AND the Kellogg's Fuel for School Rebate (thanks, Common Sense with Money!) program to get mega savings!

Cereals include Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Frosted Mini-Wheats Little Bites, Honey Nut or Chocolate.
There was a coupon in the 08/02 Kellogg's Back to School insert for $1/2 Frosted Mini Wheats Little Bites. Final price: $1.50/box. If you buy 10 of these in one transaction, you could submit them for the Kellogg's Fuel for School rebate, and get $10 back by mail. Final price: $0.50/box.

Pop-Tarts: all varieties.
$1/2 coupons ($1 off any 2 or $1 off 2 of the Blueberry Muffin and Chocolate Banana Split) in the 08/02 Kellogg's Back-to-School insert. Note: on Tuesday I also spotted these Kellogg's Back-to-School coupons by a Kellogg's display at the front of my Giant as well, in standard pamphlet size! Final Price: $1.50 each. But, buy 10 in one transaction for the Kellogg's Fuel For School rebate, and get $10 back by rebate via mail. Final final price: $0.50/box! Or, print out a bunch of these $0.55/1 Blueberry Muffin flavor Pop-Tarts coupons. They should double automatically, and if you printed as much as 10, your final price is $0.90 a box, or $0.10/box profit after the Fuel for School rebate!

5. Mott's Apple Sauce is 2/$4. Use the $0.50/1 coupon from http://www.smartsource.com/ (doubles automatically) to get 6-packs for $1!

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Other Giant coupon matchups and deals for the week of 08/07-08/13:

Semi-Boneless Rib Steak, $5.99/lb. (Save $4/lb.)

Fresh Pork Spareribs $1.99/lb. (Save $2/lb.)

Tropicana Pure Premium 89 oz. jug, $3.99 (Save $0.70/jug).

Keebler E.L. Fudge Shoppe Cookies are BOGO. Use the $1/2 coupon printable on http://www.coupons.com/ or the coupon available in the 08/02 Kellogg's insert to get the maximum discount.

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters, $2.99. There is a $1/1 printable available from http://www.smartsource.com/.

Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Bars are 2/$6. Use the $1/2 coupon from the 08/02 Kellogg's Back-to-School insert to make them $2.50/each.

Blue Diamond Almonds are 2/$4. Use the $0.50/1 printable coupon here (should double automatically) to get them for $1/can! There was also a $0.75/1 coupon in the 06/14 SS for Oven-Roasted variety (not sure if this will be the 2/$4 size). If it applies, they're just $0.50/can!
Keebler Sandwich Crackers are 2/$4. They look like the 8 ct., so you should be able to use the $1/2 coupon from the 08/02 Kellogg's Back to School insert. Final price: $1.50, and if you buy 10 and get the Fuel for School rebate, they're down to $0.50/8-pack!

Did you spot other coupon matchups or deals? Post a comment to let us know! ;)
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August 7-9: Tax-free shopping on school supplies in Virginia!

This weekend is sure to harbor good deals from local retailers hoping to jump on the tax-free shopping granted here in Virginia for August 7-9. Tax free purchases include school supplies, clothing and footwear.

Each eligible school supply item must be priced at $20 or less, and each eligible article of clothing and footwear must be priced at $100 or less.

For more information on Virginia's tax-free holiday, go here.

Let us know if you score any deals by leaving us a comment!

ArtsCow - Deck of Personalized Photo Playing Cards, $3.99, Ships FREE!

ArtsCow is running another one of their crazy deals! You can get a standard deck of photo cards for just $3.99, shipping free! Your choice of photo appears on the back, and there are design options, I think. Other specialty shapes are available at slightly higher prices. Use the promo code PLYCARDS399 to get the $3.99 price and free shipping. Deal ends 08/31.

Check it out here: http://www.artscow.com/diy/card

Think ahead peeps: December seems a long way away, but $4 for a stocking stuffer is not a bad price, especially for a photo gift. Also, ArtsCow is rumored on the interwebs to take a little while to arrive [up to several weeks], so it's wise to order early.

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NEW Coupons up at Coupons.com; upromise.com - $0.75 Kix printable coupon = potentially FREE Kix at Giant!

It is the first day of the month, and that means that new coupons are up on Coupons.com.

I noticed some new General Mills coupons right away - like an additional $1/2 Cheerios varieties coupon, which could be used with dollar doublers to get 4 boxes of Cheerios varieties for $2 total. There was also a new $0.75/1 Kix coupon available - which states "do not double or triple", though its coupon number starts with a 5, so your mileage may vary. Either way it will get you the Kix for somewhere between FREE and $0.75/box since Kix is part of the front-page 4/$6 General Mills offer. See our Giant matchups and listed deals here (including General Mills matchups) and yesterday's "trip to Giant" summary for even more details on how the transaction plays out. The Kix coupon (along with other new GM coupons) is also available on Betty Crocker's website and the Pillsbury website, though if you print from one, the other will recognize you as having hit the print limit, so the max for any computer is 4 (2 from coupons.com and 2 from one of the other sites).

Go get your hot coupons at coupons.com right away since quantities are often limited, especially on 'hot ticket' items.

Also check our Google Reader Scoops! in the coming days - viewable at this link and in the right hand sidebar on our blog. Often the coupons that have been renewed or posted at the beginning of the month fly so fast and furiously that it's just more efficient to point you to the hot posts other bloggers have made about what's available out there. Plus, it gives you a chance to get familiar with many fellow frugality bloggers - and their abundance of deal-making wisdom. :)

Also, with the first day of the month comes new e-Coupons on uPromise.com.

If you have store loyalty cards (CVS, Giant, Safeway, Shopper's Food Warehouse, Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Food Lion, anybody?) - then you can tie your loyalty card to your upromise accounts. Just sign into upromise.com, make sure that your loyalty card numbers are tied to your upromise accounts, and go to 'Earn Rewards' in the top menu bar, and click 'e-Coupons'. You can select all of the coupons and load them for August.

You do not get the discounts right away for having loaded these coupons - the 'savings' is loaded instead to your upromise account when you purchase selected items with the store loyalty cards whose numbers you've added to your upromise account. The coupons are very often for the same items heavily promoted in Sunday inserts and store weekly ads, so if you are a couponer, odds are good that you may find yourself buying items that are on the upromise monthly e-Coupons lineup.

This is a painless way to add some college savings in just a couple of minutes. Think about it: you'd kick yourself if you later realized that the CVS "Free After ExtraCare Bucks" item(s) you purchased would also have given you a couple of bucks in your upromise account just because your store loyalty card numbers and coupons would have been pre-loaded. And remember that purchasing certain participating upromise products with your store loyalty card every day (even without e-Coupons!) will add slowly but surely to your upromise accounts.
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25% off ENTIRE purchase at Children's Place, ends tomorrow 08/01!

Go here for a coupon good for 25% off your entire purchase at the Children's Place, good through 08/01. What a great way to scoop up some wardrobe steals for your little ones at CP - especially Potomac Mills. STDSE is supposed to work online, as well, if you can't make it to a CP store location. Thanks, Baby Cheapskate!

Anatomy of a Giant trip - $16.46 for $66.67 worth of groceries!

It was a good trip to Giant this morning. I printed out all necessary coupons last night - yes, it was an all Internet-printable trip - and done with only one computer! You too can get a similar haul of General Mills cereal for dirt cheap - dollar doublers not even required. Going with this "list" in mind and my doublers at the ready made the trip extra-efficient.

Note on this: If you're going to use the printable coupons listed in our Giant matchups for this week, print them now, because the July coupons will be gone soon in most venues, replaced by the August coupons, tomorrow in all likelihood.

FYI: For some reason, the Chef Boyardee/SmartSource batch linked will only print once; when I did the "standard operating procedure" for Internet printables and hit the back/"Retry" sending info combo that Internet coupon printers use to get their second batch for pretty much any Internet coupon source, a SmartSource banner displayed saying, "Fraudulent Coupon Printing detected" (or something similar). Yikes! That was unexpected. Just an FYI for those planning to go for some free Boyardee.

I netted $16.46 for:

10 boxes of cereal
2 four-packs of Yo-Plus
5 lbs. of peaches
2 bags of grapes
3 mangoes
2 cans Muir Glen organic tomato soup
1 can Chef Boyardee ravioli

(Click the below picture summary for images/details on today's trip.)

General Mills/general info: You'll see by clicking the image above that the 4/$6 General Mills cereals which are listed on the front page of the Giant ad do a two-deduction method; $6 deducted automatically after your fourth cereal (in my case, the MultiGrain Cheerios) is rung-up, and $3.16 at the end of the transaction, as a General Mills "Personal Thanks" item. This brought the price of the 4 boxes of MultiGrain Cheerios down to $6 for the 4. The tasty Banana Nut Cheerios weren't as cheap, but I had a bunch of $0.55 coupons, and the checkout still did another $6 deducted after 4 (as noted inside the Giant ad), so the Banana Nut variety came to about $0.90/box. Finally, after my transaction, I received a printed coupon for $2/5 General Mills cereals. Not sure if I can use this well, but just wanted to let you know that it is tied to the purchase of these GM cereals somehow.

In-Packaging Bonuses: Muir Glen soups are as low as $2.19. If you have some of the $1/any Muir Glen coupons (printable on the Betty Crocker and/or Pillsbury sites linked in our weekly deals post), these are usable with your dollar doublers, making the soups as low as $0.19/each - and bonus! The cans have a $1/soup coupon right on the front, for future use. If you have access to a big stack of doublers (and if you do, can I be your new best friend?) you might be able to roll these pretty easily across several trips to get multiple cans of the soup at $0.19/each. The Kashi Go Lean Crunch Honey Almond Flax flavor had two manufacturer coupons in-box: $1/off Kashi TLC Snack Crackers and $1/off Kashi TLC Chewy Cookies (not sure about regular Go Lean Crunch 15 oz. boxes as my store had none in stock this a.m.). My Kashi boxes also had sample bags of TLC crackers inside - great for that "on the go" snack stockpile.

Refunds via customer service: For some weird reason the checkout wouldn't accept my $1 Chef Boyardee coupon, so the lady checking me out sent me to customer service for a refund. While I was there, I double-checked on some mangoes whose display had read 3/$2, but instead rung up at 3/$4.50! My Giant is about 50/50 about refunding the total amount of the item in question where the customer spots a mistake (the official policy), but this time the refund was given to me, so I netted back ~$5.50 total in cash - not bad for less than 3 minutes of my time and simple questions. I couldn't have asked for a friendlier customer service rep, either! She was so helpful in outlining the General Mills savings for me, too.
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5 Reasons to Visit Giant This Week, 07/31-08/06 (FREEBIES!)

Holllaaaa...Dollar Doublers (aka "Dollah Doublahs") are back at Giant this week. You can redeem 1 or all 4 with a minimum $15 purchase. Our advice is to keep the ones you get in the ad mailed to you, as the in-store ads have recently been off and on (but mostly off) in terms of carrying the doublers.

You combine a dollar doubler coupon with any $1 manufacturer coupon to get an additional dollar off. There are a lot of potential freebies this week!

Alert: Many of the listed deals here use coupons which expire on 07/31, so scan the list now to see if you need to make any trips on Friday 07/31 for soon-to-expire savings!

Time to bust a move with the 5 top reasons to visit Giant:

1. If you get All You magazine, there was a $1/2 General Mills cereal coupon the August edition. There is also a $1/2 printable coupon available here. These can apply to two deals:
--> Honey Nut Cheerios, MultiGrain Cheerios, Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Golden Grahams, or Kix (select sizes) are 4 for $6. If you dollar double two of the GM cereal coupons (maybe trade with a fellow All-You'er for another?), you can get 4 boxes of these cereals for $2!

--> General Mills Cereal, All Varieties/Sizes, save $6 on 4 off regular retail. (Must buy 4.) Again, you can dollar double the $1/2 GM coupon to your advantage here.

Other GM coupons:
$1/3, 06/28 SS
$1/2, 07/19 SS
www.coupons.com - many General Mills cereals coupons are available here. A Kix couopon for $0.75/1 is available. It says "Do Not Double or Triple", but the coupon number starts with a 5, so your savings mileage will vary. Either way it will get you the Kix for somewhere between FREE and $0.75/box since Kix is part of the front-page 4/$6 General Mills offer. See yesterday's "trip to Giant" summary for even more details on how a General Mills transaction plays out. The Kix coupon (along with other new GM coupons) is also available on Betty Crocker's website and the Pillsbury website, though if you print from one, the other will recognize you as having hit the print limit, so the max for any computer is 4 (2 from coupons.com and 2 from one of the other sites).

2. Oscar Mayer Meat Wieners are 2/$4. If you still have the $1/1 from the May issue of All You magazine, you can dollar double it to get a pack for FREE. If you use the $1/2 coupon from the 06/21 SS, you can dollar double it to make them $1/pack. There is also a $1/1 beef franks coupon here that may work for this.

3. Yo-Plus is 2/$4. Use the printable $1/1 coupons available here and also here, and dollar double them, to get FREE YOGHURT! There is also a $1/1 in the 06/07 SS insert.

4. Oral-B toothbrushes are 2/$4. Use the $1/1 from the 07/05 P&G (expires 07/31!!) to get it for FREE after dollar doubling.

5. Ragu Pasta Sauce is 2/$4. Use the printable $1/2 available here, dollar doubled, to make the sauce $1/jar.

Other Giant coupon matchups and deals that we spotted for the week fo 07/31-08/06:

Batter Blaster aerosol-powered organic pancake and waffle batter (dairy section), regularly $5.69. Yes, that's the first time I've ever used "aerosol" and "organic" in the same sentence. :) Use the printable PDF $1/1 coupon here or the 05/31 RP $1/1 coupon, dollar doubled, to get it for $3.69.

Porterhouse of T-bone steaks, $4.99/lb. (Half price!)

White seedless grapes, $0.99/lb.

Sweet white corn, 12 ears for $1.99.

Eastern Peaches, $1/lb.

Perdue Boneless Chicken Breast, BOGO.

Edy's Ice Cream, 2/$5.

Pepsi 12-packs and 6-packs (bottles), 4/$10, must buy 4.

Chobani Greek Yoghurt is 10/$10. Register here for a $0.50/6 printable coupon, which will double automatically. You'll get 6 for $5.

Kemps Parfaits and IttiBitz ice cream, 10/$10. Use the BOGO coupon (good for either) from the 06/07 SS (expires 07/31) to make these $0.50 each.

Chef Boyardee Pasta is 10/$10. Use the printable $1/1 available here to get it FREE - or dollar double it (overage uncertain).

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is 10/$10. Use the Buy 3, get 1 FREE coupon available here as a printable. You'll get 4 for $3, $0.75/box.

Kashi Go-Lean Cereals are 2/$5. Use the $1.50/1 printable coupon to bring it to $1/box - cheap for Kashi!

Kozy Shack Pudding 6-packs are $2.79. There have been quite a few $0.55/1 coupons in various magazines this summer, so check your magazine rack. The coupon will double to $1.10 off, meaning a 6-pack for $1.69.

Reddi-Wip is 2/$5. Use the $1/1 (All You May issue, we think) dollar doubled to get it for $0.50/can, or the $0.50/1 coupons in the 06/21 SS and the 08/02 RP to get it for $1.50/each.

Newman's Own Salsa is 2/$5. Use the $1/2 available here, dollar doubled, to get it for $1.50/jar.

Hellmann's Mayonaise is 2/$5. Use the $0.60/1 coupon available in the 05/17 and 06/28 RPs to get it for $1.20 each.

Lay's Potato Chips are 2/$6. Use the $1/2 coupon from the July issue of All You, and dollar double it, to get them for $2/bag.

Emerald Nuts are 3/$10. Use the $1.50/2 (05/17 SS) or the $1/2 coupons (07/26 SS). If you dollar double the $1/2, they're as low as $2.33/each.

Pampers Jumbo packs are $8.99 Use the $1 coupon from the 07/05 P&G (expires 07/31!), and dollar double it, to get them for $6.99.

Osteo Bi-Flex supplements are BOGO. Use the $5/1 available here and the $3/1 (06/28 RP) to drive down the price. Use two coupons since you're getting two products!

Dove Shampoo or Conditioner are $2.99. Use the $1/1 from this coming Sunday's paper, dollar doubled, to get a bottle for just $0.99.

Fantastik cleaner is $2.50 each. Use the $0.75/1 coupon (08/02 SS, doubles automatically) to get it for $1/bottle.

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is 2/$5. Use the $0.75/1 printable available here to get it for $1/bottle after dollar doubling.

Suave Professionals Shampoo or Conditioner are 2/$4. Use the $0.50/2 (doubles automatically) from the 05/17 RP to get them for $1.50/each (or just go to WalMart...).

Klondike Bars are 2/$6. Use the printable $1/2 here, dollar doubled, to make them $2/pack.

Did you spot any other deals or matchups? Post a comment to let us all know! :)
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Give and Get Weekend - 30% OFF Coupon for Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic!

Sweet khaki pants, there are some good deals to be had this weekend at the Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic Give and Get event. (July 30-August 2) Go here to get an in-store coupon for 30% off your entire purchase. Thanks to Mommy's Wish List for the tip!

Best place locally to use this 30% off coupon? The Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic stores at Potomac Mills or other outlet malls (Leesburg, Williamsburg, perhaps?). The last time they did this promo (last winter), I was snapping up women's Gap jeans for around $13, and polar fleeces for even lower.

Jump on these steals this weekend!

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Deals to Check Out PRONTO - Quick-Moving Freebies and Cheapies

Kraft $25 in Free Groceries Rebate - Freebies 4 Mom blogged about this sizzling deal here with an included link to a $0.60 printable Jell-O snacks coupon. The deal nets a $5 Catalina and a $20 mail-in rebate when you buy $25 of Kraft participating items - good 08/07 through 08/23. Since the rebate deal is good at Shopper's Food Warehouse (where coupons $0.99 and under double in value), this means $1.20 off, plus the rebate.

Huge New Delta/Northwest Sale courtesy of Rick Seaney - Most Delta domestic routes are under this sale. Price drops of over $100 on many flights. It is expected that United and other airlines may drop prices to match, so check against other airline and travel sites to before buying.

From Money Saving Mom (thanks!):

• Free Copy of The Full Plate Diet - but only for the first 20,000, so check it out now!
  
• Free Sampler Package from P&G - going quickly!
  
• Free Crest Advanced Whitestrips at Target

Free Movie Ticket w/ANY World Market Purchase, 07/28 and 07/29, thanks to Your Coupon Buddy.
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THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY: July 30 is National Cheesecake Day!

The Cheesecake Factory is one of my favorite restaurants. I've never had a more delicious balsamic vinaigrette.

Right now I have a gift card that is burning a hole in my pocket... and it just so turns out that National Cheesecake Day is this Thursday, July 30! So mark your calendar - if you dine-in you can enjoy any of the cheesecake slices for half price. That's significant, considering the price in our area running around $7 per slice!

I'm sure the crowds will be big, but if you get the chance to go at an off-meal time let us know how it goes!

Click here for more details, or here to find a Cheesecake Factory near you.

2 FREE Large ShamWows!

Money Saving Mom posted a summary list of freebies - but the one that caught my eye was the link to the survey which, once completed, will have 2 large ShamWows headed your way (ship free!)!

I've always been intrigued by the ShamWows, but the cheapest that I could find them was 4 large/4 smalls for $28 at Sam's Club. I wasn't ready to give up $28 to try them, but this freebie will definitely give me the chance to see if ShamWows might a candidate to supplant some of my paper towel usage!

Anybody own ShamWows? Comments with reviews? :)

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Walmart and Staples Back-to-School Steals starting at $0.15

Frugal Coupon Mom posted a summary listing of some must-not-miss steals for WalMart this week. (Thank you!!)

Notebooks from $0.15, Crayola crayons 24-packs at $0.25 (these normally go ~$3!) - and that is just a little sampling from the hot school supplies deals list.

Also see the list of $0.25 school supplies at Staples, as posted by Mommy's Wish List (Thanks!).

Even if you don't have school-age children, consider the supplies as part of a arts'n'crafts gift for nieces, nephews, etc., or part of a local back-to-school backpack charity project like Operation Backpack.

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Motivation: What a Year of Rookie Couponing Can Yield

About a year ago, it was at an outdoor playgroup session that Mel first remarked to me (A.) that she was getting free toothpaste at CVS. I think I had one of those "Say whaaaaaa?" looks on my face while the record-scratch sound effect could be heard in the background.

Just a short time later, Mel - who'd been couponing since the spring - emailed me the links to some choice resources (http://www.iheartcvs.com/ and Gina's blog to name a couple). It started to dawn on me while skimming the entries how having access to such organized information could be a boon to our budget. Before long, I was making regular trips to CVS - and soon Shopper's Food Warehouse and other grocery stores started advertising coupon doubling and tripling specials. My husband and I eventually abandoned our dependence on Sam's Club for almost all of our groceries in favor of capitalizing on the loss-leaders at Giant and other local grocery stores, with occasional trips to Sam's.

Neither Mel nor I are regular $X/week budget-busters (at least not yet...). We witness in awe the finesse of those whose well-honed couponing skills have consistently brought weekly grocery budgets to dazzling minimums (especially, as in the case of blogger Crystal Paine, those who manage to eat healthfully while doing so!). Do we occasionally net big discount runs? Oh yes, and they are incredible highs when we manage to pull them off. But we are both still learning new strategies every day for saving money in our everyday purchases. Who knows how our skills will have been refined in the coming year?

If you're new to the couponing world, or just looking to increase your couponing power, be encouraged! As in our case, you don't need to spring off your starting block with record-breaking runs. Think of it this way: what if you could save just 8.3% of your grocery and household goods budget? Many coupons' face values come to 20% or more of an item's retail price. Buying meats on sale and produce in season can save you 50% or more off retail - so by making small changes in your approach, you can easily exceed 8.3% savings in a simple shopping trip. Baby steps to savings.

You're saying, "OK, but why 8.3%?" 8.3% is 1/12th - so if you save 8.3% over a year, you've just saved yourself an entire month's worth of grocery and basic household expenses. How could that break down for a family? Let's do a sample family, featuring husband and wife, and two kids, one in diapers. I'll try to keep estimates conservative.

Food basics:
Milk - 8 gallons - $24
Yoghurt cups - $50 (Yoplait and Dannon coupons appear regularly)
Cheese - $10 (four bags/blocks)
Eggs - $5 (two dozen)
Produce - $60 (Could you save $60 in a year on your produce purchases? So doable.)
Meat - $80 (Way doable, especially if you do a couple one or two meatless meals each week.)
Prepackaged cereal, lunch or snack foods - $50 (you could do this in cereal and granola bar coupons alone)
Frozen veggies - $15
Frozen pizza - $5
Desserts - $20
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Food basics subtotal: $319

Basic Family Toiletries (where CVS really pays off!):
Her shaving cartridges (8): $18
Her shaving cream: $3 (1 bottle)
Her face cream: $10 (one bottle)
Her cosmetics: $12 (combined)
Her feminine hygiene products: $6
His shaving cartridges (12): $24
His shaving cream: $5 (1-2 bottles)
His aftershave: $4 (half bottle in a month)
Shampoo: $12 (4 bottles)
Conditioner: $12 (4 bottles)
Soap: $10 (4 bars)
Hand Soap: $7 (three bottles)
Diapers: $80
Wipes: $15
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Toiletries Subtotal: $218

Household goods:
Toilet paper: $6 (9 rolls)
Paper towels: $10 (8 rolls)
Laundry detergent: $2 (half bottle)
Fabric softener: $2 (half bottle)
Anti-static dryer sheets: $1 (quarter box)
All-purpose cleaner: $2 (half bottle)
Sponges: $4 (for 4)
Dishwasher detergent: $3 (half bottle)
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Household goods subtotal: $30

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TOTAL saved: $567
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Of course, your actual consumption patterns will vary depending on your family's unique circumstances, but the point is this: could you come up with a couple of $1 coupons to save on all-purpose cleaner in a year's time? Sure! If so, you've just saved yourself the cost of a month's worth of all-purpose cleaner. Can you try to save $10.90 each week, either by a few coupons or loss-leader strategizing? Just $10.90 saved each week adds up to a month of general food and household expenses - essentially for free! And think what you could do with that $567...

A few ideas:

• A family weekend getaway with some special extras.
• Put it toward your mortgage (or if you're saving for a house, your down payment savings!).
• Fill some new backpacks for back-to-school charities, or fill some boxes for a children's Christmas charity event like the D.C.-area Little Lights Christmas party.
• If you attend church, up your regular giving. Suddenly, where there seemed to be no wiggle room, you've found a twelfth of your regular budget to spare.
• Fly some friends or relatives into town - maybe some grandparents to keep the kids busy for a bit?
• Take yourself and someone else out for a cup of fancy coffee every week.
• Buy yourself some time and sanity - by hiring a house cleaner for a once-over, or regular service!
• Host a party. A big one. Feel zero shame in serving couponed Pillsbury Savorings and loss-leader fruit salad.

The possibilities are limitless...just for thinking your way to $10.90 in savings each week. What more inspiration could you want to kick off your next year of couponing and saving habits?
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