Coupon Booklet at Giant Store Entrance - $32 in Savings!

Some are store coupons, some are manufacturer coupons (ergo redeemable anywhere as long as they don't explicitly say, "Redeemable only at Giant."). Grab yours!

Necessity = Mother of Invention, When Eating and Couponing Primally

As you may recall, I (A.) have been eating a "caveman-style" diet since mid-June in a bid to manage my insulin levels. That is, no processed foods, no sugar, no grains. While the new lifestyle has been a boon to my energy levels, and has enabled me to lose a significant amount of baby weight with minimal hunger, it has really put the brakes on my couponing abilities!

I used to coupon with the best of them, even once hauling in over $40 in free yoghurt over the course of a Shopper's Food Warehouse double/triple couponing event (yes, we were eating free yoghurt for weeks). It was routine for me to pay pennies on the dollar for my breakfast cereal, yoghurts, condiments, snack foods, and so on.

But now, I'm discovering that almost all of the foods that I'm eating - fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, full-fat organic dairy products, seafood, animal protein like poultry, pork, and beef, and nuts (excluding peanuts) - have little-to-no coupon offerings. That's not to say no couponing exists for these categories; it's just that manufacturer coupons for such things are rarely offered, and I think that this is because whole roasting chickens are not exactly something that a manufacturer yearns to incentivize. Why? What is more profitable for a manufacturer: getting me initially hooked and then paying retail on nonperishable toastable breakfast pastries, or a perishable, minimally processed hunk'o'poultry?

*Sigh* So our food budget has been going through a few spasms. By no means am I planning on giving up my current eating lifestyle; I've gained too much energy and lost too much baby weight to go back to processed carbs, which just seem to wreak havoc on my system. We have also saved a significant amount of money in that we are no longer buying a lot of snack food and soda. But I am definitely going to have to get a lot more creative if this lifestyle will become a sustainable line item in our budget.

So here is my game plan for the future as I try to get our food budget lean:

1. Buy and freeze animal protein at a discount, when possible. This is a tactic that I've been using for years, anyway. For me, the cheapest that animal protein gets gets is omega-3 organic eggs (I buy these in bulk at Sam's Club) and Nature's Promise whole chickens (~$1.89/lb. retail at Giant).
   
   
2. Find the few coupons out there that enable whole foods eating: Cascadian Farms and Muir Glen coupons, produce coupons (though rare they still exist), organic dairy coupons via Mambo Sprouts. If I can apply $1 coupons during doubling, I could get a deep discount on bags of Cascadian Farms frozen fruits or veggies, or free or near-free Muir Glen canned tomato products. Other items that I could still coupon would be coconut milk, nuts (excluding peanuts), dried (no-sugar-added) fruits, and Eggland's Best eggs.
   
   
3. Research price points at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's on organic dairy and other items. Though I don't live all that near to either one of these, my parents and inlaws do, and we see each other every weekend or so. Though WF and TJ's are often maligned for their expense, the fact is that their organic dairy prices are competitive or even well below those of organic dairy as sold at mainstream chains like Giant. Also, if you buy a case of anything at Whole Foods, you get a 10% discount. So, I could probably save up to about 20% or more by buying my organic dairy products from Whole Foods. My new favorite grassfed butter - Kerrygold - is $2.69/pack at TJ's, but $3.99/pack at Giant! That's a huge difference, especially for something that keeps as well as butter does. (Also, on a related note, Bloom has some of the cheapest half-gallons of organic milk out there, at $2.99/ea.)
   
   Whole Foods' produce is often competitive as well. This past Friday, for example, they were doing BOGO on $5.99 watermelons, making them about $3/ea., cheaper than Giant has ever offered this summer!
   
   
4. Think seafood. I'm slowly gaining an appreciation of price points for fish, scallops, shrimp, and so on. The more I monitor prices on these, the more I become aware of when a truly great sale price comes up in a weekly ad, so I can take advantage. Bummer, though, that most of Giant's seafood is thawed; you're not supposed to refreeze seafood or animal protein that has been already frozen! So while it's often true that I can't stock up for the freezer, I can plan to make a couple of meals in a week from a thawed well-priced seafood product that is on sale.
   
   
5. Buy produce on sale. Again, a tactic that I've been using for years. I think that, more than ever, we will be eating seasonally in conjunction with what's fresh and on sale.
   
   
6. Eye toward next year's produce. I'm mulling options to make produce even more affordable for us - maybe a CSA, maybe some square-food gardening (as many frugal bloggers do), or maybe a bit of both. Of course, the plants by my kitchen sink are about 2% alive right now, so a venture in home gardening may take a few seasons before I've got a workable harvest. ;-)
   
   
7. Source specialty items from Amazon via monthly deals and Subscribe and Save. This way, I can usually save 25, 30, even 40 percent if I watch the deals carefully. (And by specialty items, I mean things such as coconut oil, which is much cheaper from Amazon than from Giant.)
   

Do you have an eating lifestyle that precludes most couponed food items? If so, how are you still managing to trim your food budget?

Double Ad Wednesday At Shopper's Food Warehouse = One Day for Two Weeks' Worth of Specials!

SWEET! Now every Wednesday at Shopper's Food Warehouse you can shop the first day of this week's circular as well as the final day of last week's circular, all on the same day!

FishMama just talked about grocery stores that do this in her July 17 post, and I'm glad now that there's one in our neck of the woods that will be doing it. I know for sure now that any Shopper's trips I plan will try for Wednesdays!

Works for Me Wednesday: Cutting Myself Deals

It's Wednesday, and that means it's time for another "Works for Me Wednesday" tip, as hosted by the blog carnival at We Are THAT Family. See this week's Works for Me Wednesday here.

I often must contend with two sides of my personality: the "Ooooo must try NOW!" side, and the frugal side. Obviously the instant-gratification personality is at odds with the frugal side (not to mention our budget), so I kind of keep the instant gratification side in check by cutting myself deals.

Here's an example: I see a delicious-looking recipe online. Said recipe involves an ingredient that I don't have. For instance, in the past couple of weeks or so I saw a tidbit on how to make your own authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce. Since I love stir-fry-style meals that come together quickly, I thought, "Ooooo must try NOW!" But - the recipe called for mirin (sweet rice wine), which I do not have. My cabinet is packed with couponed condiments, including bottled (not-so-authentic) teriyaki sauce. I cut myself a deal: Once you finish using all of the bottled teriyaki in the pantry, you can buy mirin at the best possible price, unless there's a major deal in the interrim.

Now, by "best possible", I mean I would still bargain hunt - checking local Asian grocers' prices against those on Amazon, for instance.

So, why is this little habit one I've found worth forming?

• It delays gratification. Like the "Eat from the Pantry" challenge we did in January, this is just a great exercise in and of itself in terms of building patience and discipline.
  
  
• It still promises gratification if the desire persists long-term. This makes the established delay easier to tolerate at the moment that I want to purchase the item. Instead of "No", it's "Not now", so I can get over the hump and move on.
  
  
• Postponing the purchase for a not-too-specific future date means that it will probably be long after I finish the bottled teriyaki sauce that I remember my "deal" with myself - if I remember it at all. After all, I'm not going to go from cooking a weeknight dinner with the last of the teriyaki sauce - straight to the grocery store for some mirin!
  
  
• There's a decent possibility that in the interim, I'll find a coupon, sale, or other special involving the desired item, whereas had I purchased it immediately instead of cutting myself a deal, I would have paid too much.

In other words, putting a "deal-ay" between my desire to buy something and its possible purchase is a great way to save myself some money and teach myself some patience, without total deprivation.

Do you cut yourself deals? What are your deal-cutting strategies?
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Merry Christmas (Ex-Post Facto)

We're not sure about you guys, but both of our houses were jam packed yesterday! A. had eight adults and two kiddoes, and Mel had even more! Needless to say, we were a tad busy - and are betting that you were similarly occupied. This morning, while surveying the fridge, the main thought in my head was: Horray for leftovers! We hope that you had a terrific day and were able to spend it with loved ones making warm memories.

With all of our holiday shopping obligations in Christmas past for the moment - we look toward the New Year and all that comes with it. You may recall from our previous post on seasonal sales that the New Year's coupon and sale offerings are health-oriented, so it's a great time to combine coupons with sale prices to stock up on low-fat yoghurts (which have a fairly long shelf life) and much more! Remember that out of season sales on Christmas candy and the like will also prove useful - you can separate green M&Ms from red ones, and freeze for St. Patrick's Day and Valentine's Day, respectively. Finally, don't forget to stock up on clearanced wrapping paper and holiday decorations in the coming days - and stash them in your holiday storage for next year. You'll be thanking yourself around November 2010 that you did. :)

This Sunday's paper (12/27) has a P&G insert worth keeping around, and the 01/03/2010 paper ("New Year, New You!') will have two SmartSource inserts and two Red Plum inserts. Get your hands on as many copies of this particular 4-insert paper as possible as it will be a great boost to your coupon file, especially given how many currently-out-there manufacturer coupons are set to expire on December 31, 2009.
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Tuesday Deals Roundup: Freebies, Toys R Us and Babies R Us Black Friday Scoops, and Free Organic Coupons by Mail!

This time of year, the deals and freebies just come at you like a firehose on full blast. But there are still some jaw-dropping standouts. Check'em out:

Jamba Juice is giving away free flatbreads (Tomo Artichoki, Four Cheesy, Smokehouse Chicken or MediterraneYUM) to the first 150 customers TODAY, Tuesday November17, 2-5 p.m. Thanks, Lea Ann!

Baby Cheapskate has the scoop on the Toys R Us Black Friday Ad and the Babies R Us Black Friday Ad. Thanks, BC!

Frugal in Virginia rounded up all FREEBIES at SeeHere. Get 100 free photo prints for joining (you pay shipping on these), plus up to 100 free photo cards with envelopes (both sets ship to you free!) via two 50 photo card freebie deals. Thanks, Dana!

If you're doing a lot of Amazon shipping this year, check out FillerItem.com, where you can search for minimally priced fillers to get your order eked over $25 for FREE Super Saver shipping. The lowest I saw today was a $0.15 item! Paying $0.15 extra to avoid $6+ in shipping charges is so worthwhile.

FREE Dunkin' Donuts coffee sample - just read Bargain Briana's post. Thanks, Briana!

Crystal Paine told readers how to get a FREE booklet with $10 in coupons from Organic Valley. Thanks, Crystal!
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5 Reasons to Visit Giant This Week, 10/16-10/22

These deals are shared as part of this week's Be CentsAble Grocery Gathering.

We haven't had time to check/print all of these links ourselves, so caveat printor!

5 Reasons to Visit Giant This Week:

1. Marzetti Croutons, 10/$10
   $0.50/1 printable, will probably double
   Final price = FREE!
   
   
2. Barilla Pasta, 10/$10
   08/23 SS for both, both expire 10/18:
   $0.50/1 Piccollini gets it FREE,
   $1/2 whole grain = $0.50/box
   
   
3. Inner Flap Heinz Catalina Deal (see details below)
   
   
4. Yoplait Yoghurt, 20/$10
   According to sources, coupons.com has some printables for $0.40/6 or $0.50/6
   SmartSource.com has a $0.50/6 coupon
   Also $0.40/6 from 09/13 GM insert, or Buy 6, get 1 free from 10/04 GM insert
   Final: 6 for $2, or $0.33/cup
   
   
5. Kraft Shredded Cheese, 2/$5
   $1/2 here
   Final price: $2/each

Front Page:

Large Iceburg Lettuce, $0.88

Extra Fancy Gala Apples, $0.88 per lb.

Imported Navel Oranges, $0.88 per lb.

Shady Brook Farms Turkey Breast is half price at $1/lb.

Semi-Boneless Rib Steak is $4.99/lb. (Save at least $4/lb.)

Boneless Pork Sirloin Chops, $1.99/lb.

5 lb. Bag All-Purpose Potatoes, 2/$4

Weight Watchers Smart Ones, 6/$10
$1/5 printable available here
Final price: 5 for $7.33, or $1.47 each!
Also $2/8 here, $3/10 here, $4/10 here
Also a $1/3 SmartOnes Flatbreads or Pizza Minis available here. (Not sure if these are included in the sale price.)

Tropicana Pure Premium, $3.99

Pepsi or Coke 6-pack bottles, 4/$10

10/$10 sale
Starkist Solid White Tuna
Hunt's Tomatoes, $0.75/3, October All You, $0.45/3, 10/04 SS. Lowest final: $0.50/can
7-Up 2 Liter
Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce
Birds Eye Vegetables
Deer Park Water 6-Pack, $1/2, 09/27 RP, makes it $0.50/6-pack
Chobani All-Natural Greek Non-Fat Yoghurt
Chef Boyardee Pasta, $0.40/2 microwavecups, 10/04 SS, final = $0.60/each

***

Inner Flap: Catalina Deal, $5 OYNO when you buy $20 worth of participating Heinz items in one transaction. Limit once per transaction.

Listed items:

• Weight Watchers Smart Ones, 6/$10
  $1/5 printable available here
  Final price: 5 for $7.33, or $1.47 each!
  Also $2/8 here, $3/10 here, $4/10 here
  Also a $1/3 SmartOnes Flatbreads or Pizza Minis available here. (Not sure if these are included in the sale price.)
• Weight Watchers Smart Ones Bistro Selections, 4/$10, or
• Boston Market Entrees/Dinners, 4/$10, $1/3 here, final = $2.17/each
  
• Ore-Ida Bagel Bites, 2/$4
• T.G.I. Friday's Snacks, 2/$6
• Ore-Ida French Fries, 2/$6, $1.50/2, 09/27 SS, final = 2/$4.50, $2.25 each
  
• Heinz Ketchup, 2/$5, $0.75/1, 10/04 SS, final = $1/bottle
  
• Heinz HomeStyle Gravy, 2/$3 (normally $2 each)
  $1/3 printable available here
  Final price: $1.17 each
• Classico Pasta Sauce, 2/$5, $1/2 printable, final = 2/$4
  

DEAL IDEAS:
Buy 12 SmartOnes @ $20
Use one $4/10 coupon
Receive $5 Cat
Net: $0.92 each!

Or:
Buy 14 Heinz gravies (for Thanksgiving backup?) @ $21
Use 4 $1/3 coupons (need two computers)
Receive $5 Cat
Net: $0.85/jar (not bad compared with retail of $2/jar!)

Or:
Buy 8 bottles Heinz ketchup @ $20
Use 8 $0.75/1 coupons, which will probably double automatically
Receive $5 Cat
Net: $3 for 8 bottles of ketchup, or $0.38 each

***

Second page:

Gala, McIntosh, Red, or Golden Delicious Apples, $0.88/lb.

Organic Brocolli, $1.49/lb.

Organic Cauliflower, $2.99/ea.

Organic Romaine, Red, or Green Leaf Lettuce, 2/$3

BOGO Meats
Oscar Mayer Meat Bologna
Oscar Mayer Meat Wieners, $1/2, 08/23 SS, Final price = ~$1.75/pack
Oscar Mayer Sliced Bacon, $1.50/2, 08/30 SS, Final price = ~$2/pack

Gwaltney Fresh Sausage Rolls, $1.79/lb.

Third page:

Sabra Hummus, 10 oz., BOGO

Haagen-Dazs, 2/$5
Coupons.com has a $1 off 14 oz. Haagen-Dazs FIVE flavors - might apply?
Final could be: $1.50/each

Fourth Page:

General Mills Cereal: Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, Trix, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch, $2.22
You can print the printable coupons available at coupons.com for $1/2 Big G Cereals.
Last month there were also printables for:
$0.55/1 Trix
$0.55/1 Cinnamon Toast Crunch
$0.75/1 Cocoa Puffs
...so if you have any, they'd be good for this promo.
Other coupon:
$1/2 General Mills cereal, August All You

4-pack Green Giant vegetables, $1.99

Fiber One English Muffins, BOGO

Beauty/Pharmacy pages

Schiff Glucosamine or Vitamins, BOGO
$2/1 vitamins
$3/1 Glucosamine, 07/19 SS
$2/1 vitamin or supplement, 07/19 SS
Remember to use two coupons to get the lowest price for both!

CareOne Calcium, BOGO

Pantene, 3/$10
$1/1 Expressions or Restorative Product, 09/13 insert
$1/2 any, 10/11 P&G
$1/1 styler, 09/27 P&G
Lowest price: $2.33/styler

Back page

10/$10 sale
Campbell's Kids Soup, All Varieties
Campbell's Soups, Selected Varieties, $0.40/X (09/13 SS), $0.25/X ( 09/20 SS), $0.25/3 (10/11 SS), $0.40/2 (10/04 SS)
Bush's Baked Beans
Vitamin Water
Glade Aerosol Fresheners
Nature's Promise Organic Carrots
Orchard Perfect Ripe Avocados
Del Monte Fruit Naturals, $1/3 here, final = $0.66/each
Butterball Turkey Bacon, for 6 oz. packages,
Armour Lunchmakers
Arizona Teas
Breakstone's Cottage Doubles
Haagen-Dazs Single Cups
Utz Potato Chips, 3.75 oz.
Rice-a-Roni or Pasta Roni
Pillsbury Cake Mix or Brownie Mix - if Brownie Minis count, check 09/27 RP for either $0.40/1 or $1/2. Lowest final = $0.20/box

Deal: Purchase a $15 iTunes Gift Card and get a free bag of candy valued up to $3.99 (candy value deducted at end of transaction). 10/16-10/31.

Deal: Buy 2 Weight Watchers Fresh Taste Meals and 1 Brownie, all for $9.99.

What other matchups or deals did you spot in this week's Giant ad? Spill the beans in a comment! :)
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Whoa! $1 ECB every 4 visits at CVS with Green Reusable Bag!

This practically made me tap dance. Gina has the goods here on how this new ECB reward works. Thanks so much for lighting up our morning, Gina!

Check out our classic CVS tutorials here:

• How to Roll CVS ExtraCare Bucks (ECBs) - includes diagram!
• Profiting with CVS ExtraCare Bucks (ECB profit)
• New Uses for Couponed Makeup

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Today's Giant Trip: FREE Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets Breakfast Versions

As our Giant coupon matchups listings for this week mentioned, Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets (almost all varieties) are BOGO! What we didn't know for sure yet was:

a) the coupon values (varied widely regionally, from what we can discern at AFullCup), and

b) the typical retail prices of Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets at Giant.

Well, my 09/27 Red Plum insert had coupons for $0.75 off any breakfast version of Hot Pockets or Lean Pockets (expires 12/20).

Since almost all 2-packs are $2.99 at Giant, these were FREE when you get two packages and two coupons are used (and double automatically). One of the breakfast meals displayed on the coupon is for a meal whose box doesn't specifically say "Breakfast" in the picture OR on the package in the freezer case - the applewood bacon, egg, and cheese meal. (The other version pictured on the coupon is labeled a "Breakfast Quesadilla" meal.) So, I was left with the frustrating conclusion: is it up to us to determine what constitutes a "breakfast" meal? Some are obviously not meant to be breakfast - brocolli, chicken, and cheese. Others - like ham and cheese in a croissant crust - don't have breakfast on the box but might qualify as breakfast.

Let it not be said that Redemption Unlimited didn't dig up some answers for y'all. If you have the 09/27 insert coupon, you can use it legitimately to buy these breakfast varieties:

Hot Pockets
Sausage, Egg & Cheese
Ham, Egg & Cheese
Applewood Bacon, Egg & Cheese

Lean Pockets
Breakfast Quesadilla
Applewood Bacon, Egg & Cheese
Ham, Egg & Cheese
Sausage, Egg & Cheese

Basically, the rule is that the box must have "Breakfast" or "Egg" in the title.

Some varieties may go as high as $3.79 retail, which could mean that you'd pay $0.79 for two 2-packs (not bad still!) - but my Giant's shelves were already well-raided by the time I made it there around 5 p.m. today, so it was harder to tell what price labels went with what varieties. We still managed to dig 4 of breakfast varieties out - they rung up at $2.99, BOGO.

So I spent $0.08 tax on four 2-pack boxes of Lean Pockets Applewood Bacon, Egg, and Cheese - $0.02 of tax per box. Sweet! I'm hoping that if I return to Giant at a less chaotic time later this week, it will be restocked, and I'll score some more free with my remaining breakfast variety coupons.

What discount values and specifications are on the other regional Hot Pocket or Lean Pocket coupons that you are using to work this BOGO deal? Post your comment - 'cause knowledge = savings for us all!
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5 Reasons to Visit Giant This Week, 10/09-10-15

These deals are shared as part of this week's Be CentsAble Grocery Gathering.

We haven't had time to check/print all of these links ourselves, so caveat printor!

1. Trick-or-Treaters Stockup (or...you know...whatever reasons you may have. :-p)
   Nestle Fun Size Candy, All Varieties, 10-12.5oz. packages, BOGO!
   Get a $1 off Nestle candy coupon by submitting your email here. (You can probably print two copies.) Use two coupons since you're getting two bags!
   Final price: Cost of one bag, minus $2 in coupons, for two bags!
   
   
2. Progresso Traditional Soup (all varieties), Buy 2, Get 2 Free (Save at least $2.50)
   $0.50/2, 09/13 or 10/04 insert
   Final price when you get 4, using two $0.50/2 coupons (probably double): Price of two cans of soup, minus $2.50 saved, minus $2 in coupons saved - for four cans of soup!
   OR: Save $1.10 on 3 via coupons.com's coupon (still get 4 cans)
   Also: Check out reader/fellow blogger Lisa's Progresso soup scenario at Giant. Though it's dollar doubler coupon based, the coupons used could still be relevant for this week's Progresso B2G2 deal as well. Way to go, Lisa!
   
   
3. Simply Asia Rice Noodle Bowls, 10/$10
   $0.50/1 or $1/2, 08/30 RP
   Final price: potentially FREE!
   
   
4. Heinz HomeStyle Gravy, 2/$3 (normally $2 each)
   $1/3 printable available here
   Final price: $1.17 each
   
   
5. Coffee-mate is BOGO
   $1.50/1 printable here or also here, probably makes it FREE when you use two!
   Other Coffee-mate printables available here ($1.50/2), or here ($0.55/1, probably doubles)
   Needless to say, if you like Coffee-mate, now's your chance to stock up cheaply.
   
   
6. Finally, Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets are BOGO. Most are priced at $2.99 regular retail. See this post for how I scored some of the breakfast variety using the $0.75 09/27 coupon for FREE!
   

Here are other deals and Giant coupon matchups that we spotted for the week of Friday October 9 through Thursday October 15.

SUPER G Boneless Chicken Breast, $1.99 lb. (Normal rock bottom loss-leader price on this is $1.60-$1.79/lb., but this ain't bad! - save $1/lb.)

Red Seedless Grapes, $0.99/lb. (Save at least $1.50/lb.)

80% Lean Ground Beef, $1.99/lb. (Save $1.40/lb. This is essentially stockup price!)

Healthy Choice Entrees, 5/$10
$1/2, September All You
Final price: $2/each

Smithfield Sliced Bacon, BOGO (Save $4.99)

Giant Eggs 18-pack, $1.99

SUPER G Honey Spiral Sliced Ham, $1.99/lb. (Save at least $1.20/lb.)

Deer Park Spring Water 24-pack, $3.99 (Save $1.50)

Extra Large Raw or Cooked Shrimp, $6.99/lb. (Save $3/lb.)

Brawny Paper Towels or Quilted Northern Bath Tissue, $5.99
$2/2 Quilted Northern, September All You magazine
Final price: $4.99

Green Cabbage, $0.39/lb. Combine with the on-sale ham (above) to make a hearty cabbage soup!

Nature's Promise Organic Romaine Hearts, 2/$5

Perdue Oven Stuffer Roaster, $1.29/lb.

Petite Sirloin Steak, $4.99/lb.

SUPER G Drumsticks or Thighs, $1.29/lb.

SUPER G Italian Dinner Links or Brats, $1.99/lb.

Lunchmeats:
Oscar Mayer Deli Style Lunchmeats, 2/$6
Smithfield Sliced Turkey or Ham, 2/$6
Buddig Sliced Lunchmeats, 10/$5

Ile de France Brie, $10.99/lb. (Save $1/lb.)
Sign up here for a $1 Ile de France coupon
Final price: varies depending on how large of a wedge you're buying

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers, 4/$10
$1/2, September All You magazine
Final price: $1.50/each

Tyson Chicken, 25.5-29 oz. bags, $4.99
$1/1, 08/02 SS
Final price: $3.99

Giant Sour Cream, 2/$3

Tropicana Pure Premium, 2/$6
$1/2 cartons of Trop50
Final price for Trop50: $2.50/carton

Kraft Cracker Barrel Cheese, 2/$5 (Buy 2, get a FREE box of Giant pasta up to $1.20 in value)

Pepsi 2-Liters, 3/$4

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, 4/$3

Hershey's Snack Size Candy, 2/$5
$0.55/1, 08/23 SS
Final price: $1.40/each

BOGO deals!
Lay's Potato Chips
Thomas' English Muffins 6-pack
Philly Cream Cheese - See our Philly Stockup Scenario here with manufacturer coupon booklet found in Giant! We priced it out in this post - it comes to $0.58/8-oz. block!
Giant Shredded Cheese
Canada Dry Ginger Ale 6-pack
Hot Pockets or Lean Pockets, starting at $2.99 - 08/23 SS or RP, amounts vary regionally, but it's $X/3, so get 6 pockets when you use one coupon since it's BOGO. Also $X/2 or $X/1 coupons available in the 09/13 and 09/27 RPs. The 09/27 RP $0.75/1 coupon made them FREE for me!
Schmidt White Sandwich Bread or Sunbeam White Bread
CareOne Heart Healthy Supplements
Finish Auto Dish Tabs
Lysol Sanitizing Wipes, $1/1, 09/13 P&G, use two!
Mentos Gum $0.50/1 or $0.55/2, 08/16 SS. Also $0.55/1, 09/13 SS. Potentially free gum!
Dole Classic Iceberg Salad
Nathan's Beef Franks

Did you spot any other deals or coupon matchups at Giant this week? Post a comment to let us all know the scoop! :)

5 Inserts This Weekend!

If ever there was a worthwhile weekend to acquire an extra insert (or ten), this is it! There are 5 inserts in this weekend's paper. Woo hoo!! Go find your local paper to get extra copies cheap orfree, or ask friends, neighbors, relatives, etc. if they are going to use your coupons.
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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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Works for Me Wednesday: Coupon Organizer

It's Wednesday again - time for another "Works for Me!" tip, inspired by the blog carnival/series at We are THAT Family. This week's special organizing-themed Works for Me Wednesday carnival/tips can be found here.

If you're a coupon user, you probably have an organizational system in place. Here's how we work our systems:

Mel: I use a 12-pocket coupon organizer found at Wal-Mart. It was easy to label the pockets according to the categories that work for me, and it's easy to change them if I need to. I sort the coupons within each category by expiration date, so cleaning out expired coupons is a snap. It is small enough to fit in my purse and large enough to store all my necessities. Total cost was around $5. Total convenience has been priceless!

A.: I also use one of these small organizers. As mentioned in last week's WFMW coupon clipping post, this is where you'll find my "definitely will use" coupons that I harvest in my initial go-through of the inserts - sorted by relevant-to-me store sections like "produce", "rice/pasta", "baking", "soups", "cereals/oatmeal/granola bars", etc. If I have multiple copies of an insert, I may only initially clip one or two copies of a given coupon that catch my eye, and come back to the other inserts later if I need additional copies.

I file the "harvested" inserts away in a portable file folder box - similar to this one. Inside it I have hanging files - each labeled with the date of a past set of inserts (08/02, 08/16, 08/23, 08/30, etc.). My "gone through" inserts are filed away by date, so that if I discover a great matchup later, I can easily find the relevant insert(s) and clip exactly what I need.

As you can see from this week's Giant run, having my smaller coupon envelope prepopulated with some "will use" and higher-value coupons enabled me to pick up some freebies and cheapies on the fly. Now that I know how cheaply I can get some of these items, I will go back through my filed inserts to find more copies of the same coupons that netted these deals in case I can squeeze another run in before the sale prices switch over on Friday.

What coupon organization systems or tools work for you? We'd love to hear your comments.
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First Day of the Month - New (Limited Quantity) Coupons Up For Grabs!

It's the first day of September, and you know what that means:

Go to Coupons.com, Smartsource.com, and RedPlum.com for new coupons!
These are often limited in quantity, so print now on products you're likely to buy to ensure that you can get your copies.

Some great ones up right now:

Coupons.com
$0.75 on any Welch's Jelly or Jam (this can probably double or - with a sale - triple nicely)
$1 on 2 Big G (General Mills) cereals
$0.50 on six cups of Yoplait (will double automatically at most stores to = $1/6)
$1 off Special K crackers
$0.75 on whole grain Cheez-Its (probably will double or - with a sale - triple nicely)
$0.55 on Honey Nut Cheerios (ditto!)
$0.75 on Special K Chocolate pretzel bars (ditto!)

Smartsource.com
$0.80 on two Yoplait yoghurt products
$0.50 on Green Giant frozen bagged vegetables (doubles to $1 off in many grocery stores)
$0.50 on Green Giant Fresh Steamers frozen vegetables (doubles to $1 off in many grocery stores)
$0.50 on Progresso Broth (doubles to $1 off in many grocery stores)
$1.10 on 3 Progresso Soups
$1 on Quaker True Delights granola bars

RedPlum.com
$1.50 on two Kellogg's cereals
$1 off Success Rice
$0.75 off Sara Lee lunchmeat (doubles to $1.50 off in many grocery stores)

Also, be sure to go to upromise.com to load the new September e-coupons onto your account. This way if you happen to buy any of the products with your loyalty cards (CVS, Giant, Safeway, etc.), you can net the e-coupon savings to your upromise account as college savings!
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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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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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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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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.

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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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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