My relationship with Costco

Now that I coupon a lot of people ask me how Costco fits into the picture.  The truth is that I LOVE Costco.  It is one of the funnest stores to visit and they have some great deals.  But honestly, since I've started using coupons my visits to Costco have decreased significantly.  I probably go only about once a month compared to my previous near weekly visits.  The "great" deals I used to find there don't seem so great anymore.  Sure I can get my toothpaste for CHEAP at Costco but they aren't giving it to me for FREE.  And FREE always beats CHEAP.  We are lucky that my  husband's employer pays for our annual membership dues but even if they didn't I love Costco enough to keep our membership.  You will have to determine if it is worth keeping for yourself.

Why I will keep my Costco membership:

1.  Cheap gas! (though Fred Myer usually gets pretty close to Costco prices and often beats them)

2.  Great prices on books.

3.  Great deal on toys at Christmas time.

4.  Bigger ticket items can be found at very reasonable prices.

5.  Pizza, and other quick dinner items are tasty and easy to pick up in a pinch.

6.  It makes for a cheap date when you buy the $1.50 hot dog combo meal!

I will continue to buy a few things at Costco.  I like the price of the milk and the fact that it is hormone free.  There is a specific brand of bread we enjoy that I haven't found coupons for.  I like buying 24 eggs at a time.  Fruit and veggies can be a good price depending on the season. 

There are a few things like toilet paper that I will probably still get there.  I know I can find free TP but I guess I must be a bit of a snob since so far the deals I've found elsewhere on TP  is one ply or not a great quality.  Let's face it...I like to feel secure that the barrier between my loved ones and the area they are trying to clean is sufficient!  Sometimes I will buy chips there as the giant bags of Doritos and Pirates booty seem to be comparable to what I can find elsewhere.

There are things I won't ever need to buy at Costco again.  Things like deodorant, feminine hygiene products, medication (over the counter), toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, soaps, body wash, shampoo and hair care, snack items,  razors, diapers, wipes, facial tissue, contact lens solution, cheese, zip lock bags, cleaning products and so much more will never make my list again.  I can find name brand of these items for so much cheaper!! 

It may be time to reevaluate your relationship with Costco....but I think I'll hold onto mine for now!

Get your Free dishwasher detergent....

It looks like Quantum Powertabs for the dishwasher are on sale this week for 2/$5 at Target.  This is for the 10 count size.  You can go to Target and towards the bottom is a coupon link.  If you go to the link you can find that Target has a $1.50 coupon for these tablets.  Then go to HERE or HERE to get $1 manufacturer coupons.  Use both together and get FREE dishwasher detergent.  You should be able to print each coupon twice.  I'll be getting mine tomorrow!  I LOVE free!!

Favorite Deals

My favorite part of looking at blogs is to see what kind of deals everyone else is getting or seeing so here are my favorite grocery sales and drug store sales for this coming week.


**  Helpful tip….when printing coupons (even from my coupon page above) put in the zip code 90210.…it gives you the largest selection of coupons.

Grocery- Starting Feb. 16-22

Albertsons - Nothing super exciting (that I can see) unless they come out with Doubler coupons…then I might revisit Albertsons ad.

Safeway-

Kraft Singles are $1.49 (limit 2)  I KNOW I printed out a coupon for these at one time.  I can’t find it now but with a little digging you might find one.

Grapes are on sale for $1.28 a pound.  I don’t know about you but I’m ready to switch up the fruit we’ve been eating so this is a welcome change at a decent price.

Special K cereal and Bars are on sale (with in ad coupon) for $1.99.  You can find $½  for the bars in the ½ RedPlum insert and .75/2 in the 2/6 RedPlum.

B2G2 Coke products (12 packs)  PLUS get 2 boxes of Nabisco Crackers free.  I’m not sure exactly how this is going to work but normally you can still use a coupon on the free items.  There are $½ coupons for the crackers in the 1/30 RP (RedPlum)  So it would be roughly be $13 for (4) 12 packs and (2) boxes of crackers.


Haggens

Excited to see another good deal on Goldfish crackers @ .88.  I may have to use those .35 off coupons I found a while back!

Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Corn Pops, Cocoa Krispies and Apple Jacks (all the sugar you need to start your day off right….but I’m not judging because I love ME some Frosted Flakes!) are $1.50 each…must buy 4 to get that price.  I’m pretty sure there are some printable coupons for these cereals as well.

Fuji apples- .68lb

I will be shopping QFC this week.  They have a great sale going where if you buy 10 of certain items (you can mix and match) you will get $3 off your purchase AND a $3 off coupon to use on your next visit.  The prices below reflect the price AFTER the first $3 off  but on top of these prices a $3 coupon will print.
Remember to buy in quantities of 10.

General Mills Cereals….it says selected varieties….pictures several varieties of Cheerios and Chex.  $1.69.  There is a .75/1 Cinnamon Burst Cheerios in the 2/13 inserts or $1/3 GM cereals.  Also look for the printable coupons on my blog!

Caprisun- $1.69

Chunky Soup - .99  Find several coupons including $½ HERE or $¼  in the 1/23 inserts.

Gatorade -.69   Look for coupons in the 1/9 RP or printable ones HERE http://coupons2.smartsource.com/smartsource/index.jsp?Link=MPXKU7QWZQK36

Totinos Party Pizza (I’m a sucker for these cardboard pizzas)  .99  Look for a printable coupon on my blog or you can also find a $1/5 in the 2/13 General Mills Insert, a $1.25/4 in the 1/30 Sunday Supplement or a .50/1 in the 1/23 RedPlum

Manwich .69   Coupon in 1/2 SS for .35/3

Hefty Zip lock bags $1.49.… Look for the $1/1 coupon from the Safeway Football coupon 
Book.

El Montery Ranchero Tornados $1.69....use a .75/1 coupon from 2/13 insert

Scrubbing Bubbles $2.49....but keep your eye open because there may be $2 peelies attached to some.

Oreos $2.69  look for the $1/2 printable coupon under my coupon link above.

After Sunday....

Purex detergent $2.99....IF the Purex with Zout is included in this sale (may or may not be) there should be $3/1 coupons in the 2/20 RP this weekend.  If not there will be $1/1 Purex that will still make it a good price.

Drug Stores starting February 20

These are just quick glance previews….as I see more deals and scenarios come up I will update you.

Rite Aid

Huggies Jumbo pack diapers will be $8.99 and will earn a 2UP.  There are lots of $2/1 coupons out there including in the 1/23 Sunday Supplement. 

Playtex tampons are 2/ $7.98 and earn 2 Ups when you buy 2.  You can also find $2/1 coupons in the ½ Sunday Supplement.

Sucrets are $2.99 and earn a $2 UP.  You can find a $1.50/1  coupon in the 1/23 SS.

To see this ad in it’s entirety click HERE


Walgreens

Gillette ProGlide- Sale $9.99 get $4 Register Rewards.  Look for a $4/1 coupon in the 1/30 P&G

Each Week....

I know that finding the best savings when you first get started can be overwhelming and confusing.  You may see some of the deals I put together and wonder how in the world I was able to do that!  You try and copy it and get to the store only to feel confused or unsure.  Don’t feel defeated!  Learning to play the game takes time!  It won’t be long before you get the hang of it yourself!

For those of you wondering what my system is I thought I’d give you a quick run through of what I do to prepare each week.

1.  First things first…START COLLECTING THOSE COUPONS!  Most of the deals I put together from week to week involve coupons from inserts from previous weeks.  So hold on to those!  I encourage you to get your hands on at least two sets of inserts as a lot of times good deals are best in sets of two…and it will allow you to stock up on your favorite items each week.

2.  Once I get my coupons each week I DON’T cut them.  Nope, instead I have accordion files that are labeled by date.  I simply slip that weeks inserts into the correct date and wait until I need them.

3.  I prepare to shop.  I do this as far in advance of the sale as I can.  For drug stores like Rite Aid and Walgreens I can do this a couple weeks ahead of time.  The website www.iheartriteaid.com  and www.iheartwags.com have photos of the upcoming sale ads!  This way I can preview it before it arrives in the paper.  I like to try and look about two weeks ahead of time just to get a general idea of what sales are coming up.  If I see something really awesome this gives me time to find coupons for that item or to order coupons from a clipping service.  
For grocery stores it is a little more difficult to know what’s coming ahead of time but usually I scan the ads when they arrive in the mail Tuesday afternoon.  This is usually the same day I will look at the drugstore ads online.

4.  While I am scanning the ads I am looking for two things…..#1. Items that are priced so good that I know I can’t pass up the deal and #2.  Items I know I’m low on or that I know I will need soon.

I am paying close attention to any register rewards or Ups these items may be generating, giving me even better prices.

I keep a notebook nearby and  I write down the name of each store and I will start making a list of items I’m interested in….this doesn’t mean I am definitely going to buy this item.  I usually have about 5-10 things from each store that have caught my interest.  I write down the name of the item, the sale price and if it will generate any additional savings.  Then I will go to a blog and see if I see any “talk” of things I may have overlooked.

5.  Once I have the items I’m interested in I go to an online coupon data base like www.afullcup.com and I will enter in the item so I can see if there are any coupons available on top of the sale price.  So if I see Ragu pasta sauce is on sale at Rite Aid 2/$3 AND I will get 1 UP back for ever two I purchase, I want to know if I can make that an even sweeter deal.  I got to the data base and type in Ragu….it is going to tell me if there are any coupons available, where to find them, what their value is and when they expire.  Once I find out where the coupon is located (let’s say it told me to look in the 2/13 Redplum) I move on to the next step.

6.  I get out that accordion file I mentioned earlier, go to the date and pull the insert.  I start going through the insert until I find that coupon.   This is when I actually clip the coupon.  I then refile the insert until the next time I need it.

7.  Once my coupon is clipped I have a small accordion file  that I keep in my purse.  It is divided by store.  So if the Ragu is on sale at Rite Aid, I’m going to slip that coupon and any others for Rite Aid into that section.  Now when I go to the store I have all my coupons for that trip in one place.  I will then put my shopping list in that same little folder.  All of this allows me to shop without carrying around a huge bulky binder full of coupons.  Sometimes this system of NOT carrying around ALL my coupons at once means I miss a few surprise deals that I may run into in the store….like a clearance item or something I forgot I needed and I see is a good price and I KNOW I have a coupon at home.  For these items I keep a notepad in my purse so that I can write it down and find the coupon for it.  It means an extra trip to the store that week but I’d rather do that than carry around a huge binder with me….you may decide you’d rather have the binder than make any additional trips.

8.  I go to the store, make my purchases and pull my coupons from my mini file.  When my transaction is over I put any coupons, Ups or register rewards that have generated back under that store’s file to use as cash on my next visit to that store.  

9.  Sometimes I get to the store and for some reason I’m unable to use one of my coupons.  This may happen because they are out of a product or I simply have changed my mind.  I then come home and file these into a binder I have.  The binder is divided into sections….breakfast, frozen, drinks, oral care, etc.  In each section are some baseball card holders.  I will put my coupons in these holders so I can easily see them for when I’m ready to use them.  I can also put any coupons I have printed from the Internet into this folder.  I use this system mostly for the grocery store.  If I know I need cereal but haven’t seen any good sales I still want to get the best deal I can so I will go to the breakfast section and pull some coupons I might be interested in using.  

Really, this process though it sounds involved really isn’t that complicated once you get the hang of it.  I don’t spend very much time cutting or sorting coupons at all.  

One last thing….BLOGS ARE YOUR FRIENDS!!!!    If there is a store you really like shopping at find a blog for it.  They are going to tell you all the great upcoming and current deals!  Do not ignore these great resources.  If you need help finding a blog let me know and I will help you find one that fits your needs!  Blogs are what will help you minimize your time looking for the perfect deal so follow a couple and you will be well on your way to saving tons of money and having stockpiles that look like this:

 

And then there is all of my personal care items, refrigerated and freezer items, and all the household items not pictured here.

There is a BOGO coupon for Sunbelt products on their Facebook page today.  You will find the coupon link under their profile picture on the left hand side.  It's a PDF and they state that you can print it out as many times as you want.  It's there today only so get yours before it disappears.

Just another day.

Made my weekly trip to Rite Aid today....and of course some of my favorite deals were already sold out.  It's always a bummer when there is something you want or need and the shelves are picked clean.  I used to get really frustrated by this.  Now, I just smile and move on.  There are two main reasons I don't let it get to me.  Number one is I already have a pretty good stockpile so I'm not in desperate need of anything.  Number two is that I have learned the beauty of rain checks!   I want to encourage all of you to get them too if they are out of a deal you were hoping to get!  At Rite Aid if the sale you want includes any UPs they will write that on the rain check for you....so don't be afraid to ask!  And don't miss out on any good deal because someone else came before you and bought all 20 of the deodorants they had on the shelf.

Also want to mention that Albertsons is having double coupons until Tuesday.  So get in there and get twice the value of your coupon.  My favorite site to see the deals you can get with the the doublers is Coupon Connections NW.   Definitely check it out if you need help looking for the best deals. 

One of the deals she talks about is a Snapple promotion that is running...

At Albertsons....Snapple 6 pack bottles are on sale for 2/ $10.....but when you buy $25 you get a catalina (one of those extra receipt type coupons that print at the register) for $10 off your next purchase.  There were also $1/1 coupons in the 1/30 inserts....and you can double up to 3 of those!  Now to make it even sweeter Snapple is offering a mail in rebate!!!  Here is the deal as outlined on Coupon Connections:

Buy 5 Snapple $5 each
use (5) $1/1 coupons from 1/30 SS insert

use (3) DoublesPay: $17  and receive $10 catalina, and submit for 5 rebates 
Final Price: FREE + $13 money maker after rebate

::A rebate can be sent for each member of your household. Put each persons Name, Address on their own 3X5 card. Include original receipt and UPC from each box. Rebate up to $6.99. Can be sent in same envelope. Rebate center phone number is 1 866 309 6256.

Mail to:
Snapple 6Pack Rebate offer
p.o. box 40896
Houston, TX 
77240 

Thanks to Amber for always being on top of these GREAT deals!!

P&G Everyday Solutions

Procter & Gamble is giving away some big coupon books today if you like them on Facebook.  Looks like it could be a pretty big deal and a chance for a lot of free stuff like cleaning supplies, deodorant, body wash and such.

Just go to this link and "like" them:  CLICK HERE

Then you should be able to go under the special offers tab and request your book.

If that doesn't work than try this link:  CLICK HERE

Who knows how long they will last so get yours QUICK!

A quick trip to Rite Aid

Decided to take a quick trip to Rite Aid today to take advantage of the 40% off (plus a $5 UP) on fragrances.  This is what I walked away with for $3.50 OOP.

 

(1) POLO mens cologne  Reg. $47.50 sale $28.50

(4) Lysol bathroom cleaners sale 2/$5 - $10 total

(2) Old Spice Body wash sale 2/$8

(2) Old  Spice Deodorants sale 2/ $8

(2) Betty Crocker cake mixes sale 2/$4

(2) Betty Crocker frostings sale 2/$4

(4) Finesse hair sprays and  mousse 2/$6

Used:

(2) Buy 1 Old Spice body wash get one deodorant free

(2) Betty Crocker $1/2 VV

(2) .75 when you buy one BC cake mix and 1 frosting

and $8 off Lysol products that the company sent me when I had a problem with one of their products.

Also used $52.00 in UPs from last week.

So, I had to use a lot of UPs for this transaction BUT I earned so many last week and I did get a high end item (the cologne) so it was worth it.  Plus I earned $31 UPs.  

Not too shabby!

Breakdown of UPs:

Fragrance earned me $5 UPs

$5 UPs for every 2 Finesse products ($10 total)

$3 UPs for every 2 Old Spice ( $6 total)

$1 UP for  2 Lysol products ($2 total)

$2 UP for 2 Betty Crocker Products ($4 total)

$1 UP for each grocery item....($4 total)...these were an extra UP generated for the cake mixes and frosting....not ALL grocery items earn these.

Making Progress!

Well,  hopefully the blog is looking a little better.  Notice that my "pages" have moved to the top, under the title of the blog.  Hoping to clean those up a little later this week.  

You should be able to print coupons directly from my blog now.  A little bit of the icons are cut off but it should not effect the printing.  Hooray!  Just another option for those out looking for coupons.

I've also added some blogs that I like along the side.  I will be adding more soon.

Thanks for following me and have a fabulous night!

Albertsons has doubler coupons

In case you didn't see it, Albertsons has doubler coupons this week.  You can double the amount of up to 3 coupons in a transaction.  They will double up to a $1 coupon, making it a $2 value.  Looking through their ad I didn't see anything that I was too excited about but if you have a collection of past coupons there you should be plenty of things that will make good doubles.  If you have the Safeway coupon book there are some GOOD coupons in there like for Ziplock, Kraft cheese, and Pillsubury crescent rolls.  If you want more help find good coupons to double visit THIS BLOG.  She always does a nice job of matching up sales to the doubler coupons.  Check with her blog tomorrow because I have a feeling she will have updated with even more deals.  Oh, and after you do your 3 transactions be sure to ask for more doubler coupons to use on future purchases.  Have fun!

Rite Aid Rocks!

Loving Rite Aid this week!  Stick with me because this post is kind of long!  I apologize for that but I really wanted to share some of those deals available for you!  Lot's of pictures and all the transactions spelled out.
My first trip to the store on Sunday I did 3 transaction....using almost only Internet printable, Video Value coupons, and UPs I walked away paying $1.20 OOP and got back $51 in UPs!!!!  Again, I might not need all of these items right this second  but I'd much rather stock up on this while it's free then to have to pay full price for it down the road.  Think of how handy those paper plates will be this summer!  Or the Stax chips for the kids' lunches.  I'm loving that I got ice cream for Lucy's birthday party for basically FREE.
Below you'll see exactly what I got and how I did the transactions.

 

Total OOP= $1.20

Transaction #1
6 Stax   $6.00
2 Chex   2/$3
1 Dreyers IceCream $2.99
1 Afrin $5.99
1 Coricidin $5.99
2 Stayfree pads $3.99  (BOGO)
2 Dixie plates  $3.99 (BOGO)

Used:

.50 Chex VV

(2) $1/1 Chex coupons (Safeway coupon book)

$2 Afrin VV

$3 MQ Afrin

$2 Coricidin VV

$2 Coricidin MQ

$3/2 Dixie VV

BOGO Stayfree

$2 VV

$2 VV

$1 VV

$1 VV

$4/20 VV

$3 UPS
OOP = .46
Got back $23 UPS


Transaction #2
2 Chex mix 2/$3
3 Dreyers Icecream $8.97
1 Afrin $5.99
1 Coricidin $5.99
2 Dixie plates $3.99 BOGO
Airhead candy  .20(turns out I didn't need it but there was a cashier error)


USED

.50 Chex VV

(2) $1/1 Chex mq (Safeway coupon book)

$3/2 Dixie VV

$2 VV Coricidin

$2 mq Coricidin

$3 Afrin mq

$2 VV Afrin

$1 VV

10 UPS
OOP= .64
The cashier had troubles scanning my $2 Coricidrin coupon so she did a coupon adjustment on this purchase after I paid so with tax I paid $1.48....and then she gave me the $2 cash from the coupon she couldn't scan....I've never had them do that before and it obviously wasn't right because I got back more $$ than I paid for this transaction....but it wasn't anything I could have prevented.  Got back $16 UPS


Transaction #3
(4) 12pk Pepsi  $14.64
(2) bags Dove chocolates  $5.76
1 airhead .20
1 Snickers  .50
(2) Stayfree pads  $3.99 BOGO

Used

$2/4 Pepsi (Safeway coupon book)

$1/2 mq Dove

$1/2  VV Dove

Stayfree BOGO

16 UPS

OOP= .10
Got 2 Ups Back

So bottom line was $1.20 OOP ....but I got that $2 coupon adjustment back.....so it even paid part of my tax AND  I walked away with 41 UPS.  And actually I walked away with $51 UPs because the register did not print out the 2nd half of my heart healthy rewards I should have earned with these transactions.  I put in a quick call to customer service and they are sending me $10 UPs no problems!

Heard about a few more good deals today and couldn't resist stopping in for another round of Rite Aid.

OOP:  .87

 

(2) Finish Quantomatic Kits  $3.99

(2) Beggin' Strips  $2.99

(2) Busy Bones $2.99

(1) Hartz Crunch biscuts $2.99

(2) KY Wrming Liquid $5.29 and $2.64 (BOGO 1/2)

(1) Gillette Fusion Proglide $9.99

Used 

(2) BO Beggin' Strips GO Busy Bones Free

(2) $1/1 Beggin' Strips

(1) $2/1 Hartz treats

(2) $3 KY product

(2) $3 MQ Quantomatic Kit

(2) $1/1 Finish VV

and I SHOULD have used a $4/1 Gillette Fusion Proglide coupon but I forgot to give it to her so I ended up spending $16 in UPs (not a problem after all those I earned yesterday!)

But then I earned $36 in UPs.

I got $5 UPs for buying 2 KY products, $5 UPs for buying the Proglide razor, and $6 in UPs (1 for each of the pet products I bought and a mysterious 6th one.) And lastly I completed my Winter Rewards requirement which printed up $20 UPs.

So for my shopping trips over 2 days I spent $2.07 OOP and got (4) Dryers Ice Cream

(2) Afrins

(2) Corocidrin

(4) Chex Mix

(6) Stax

(4) 12 packs of Pepsi

(4) Stayfree

(2) KY warming

(2) Beggin' Strips

(2) Busy Bones

(2) Quantomatic Dishwasher Kits

(1) Proglide Razor

(1) Hartz dog treats

(4) Dixie Paper Plates

(2) Dove Chocolates

Other items I wanted to mentions was a recent trip to Target.

If you are looking for some cheap clearance items Target seems to be clearing out hats, gloves, and scarves.  I LOVE the stretchy mittens and I love when I can get them so cheap that it doesn't matter if they get lost or the kids use them to play.

Well, these each of these two pack of gloves were only .37!!!!  They had other colors but those were only marked down to .75.  The hats were on clearance for .75.  I got a bunch because I want to donate them next winter...and keep a few for myself.

The scarf and glove set was cute and was on clearance for $2.50.

Also found on Clearance for $2.98 was a 25.4 ounce bottle of Pantene shampoo packaged with a 6.7 ounce of the same.  I found coupons for $3/2 Pantene shampoo....making each one I purchased less than $1.50 each.  I was almost out of shampoo here at home so I was glad to find this deal.  I then came home and filled up my old Costco size shampoo pump bottle.  The 32.1 ounces that came in one package was nearly enough to fill the bottle.  I used to pay Costco $9 for 2 bottles of their brand!  Feeling pretty happy with this deal!