Addicted to Savings

Staples Back To School Moneymaker

2012-07-09T18:20:00.001-05:00

Go here to view ad and print off a -$5.00 off $30.00 purchase coupon.

Then you can go to Staples this week and use this coupon when purchasing these items -
Buy (2) Staples 2013 desktop calendar, $4.99 each (get $4.99 back in easy rebate)
Buy (1) Scotch Super Glue, $2.99 (get $2.99 back in easy rebate)
Buy (2) Staples 8.5″ x 11″ multipurpose paper, $6.99 (get $6.74 back in easy rebate)
Buy (1) HP Everyday 8.5″ x 11″ photo paper, $9.49 (get $8.99 back in easy rebate)
Buy (2) Rose Art Crayons (24pk), $0.01
Buy (2) Staples School Glue , $0.01
Buy (2) BIC Round Stic ballpoint pens (8ct black), $0.01
Use $5 off $30 Staples printable
Pay $32 + tax
Submit for $35.44 in rebates
Final Price: $3.44 Moneymaker

If you have any old binders laying around, you can recycle them at Staples (no limit) and save $2.00 instantly on a new binder.

School Backpack - Toys R Us deal

2012-07-06T10:39:00.002-05:00

Right now Toys R Us has an awesome deal on backpacks for preschool/elementary age kids. All their backpacks are 20% off and you will receive a FREE lunch kit when you purchase a backpack over $12.99 - go here for all the details.

Need School Supplies? Enter this Giveaway!

2011-07-23T08:10:00.000-05:00

Go here to leave a comment and you'll be entered in this Back To School Giveaway. Who doesn't love giveaways??

"I Don't Have Time to Coupon" - something I will NEVER say again

2011-07-16T23:27:00.000-05:00

I went shopping with Tina this evening - just to get out of the house with my lovely daughter AND to take advantage of some coupons/sales before the new sales start tomorrow. While checking out at Walmart the two women behind us were amazed at how much money I saved and they started asking how we do it. As Tina and I began explaining it to them, they both stated "Yeah well I don't have time for all that."

In the words of the Coupon Diva, "If you don't have time to coupon, then you ain't been broke enough!" - gotta love it!

And in my opinion, if you don't have time to coupon then you would have gotten all of this for $17.92 instead of just .23 like I did

or you would have paid $41.00 for all of this instead of the $16.00 I paid.

This is why I coupon!

Reality Couponing Tip #2 - store policies

2011-07-06T21:46:00.000-05:00

It is a good idea to carry the individual store's policies in your coupon binder. That way when there are discrepancies at the register with a cashier you have your copy of their policy and can quickly refer to it.

Walmart coupon policy

Walgreen's coupon policy

Target Coupon policy

Feel free to google your favorite store's coupon policy and print it off.

Reality Couponing Tip #1 - using the internet

2011-07-06T21:45:00.000-05:00

When I first began using coupons I had lots and lots of time during the week to peruse the internet looking for deals and coupons. Now that I work full-time I just don't have that much time. I would get completely frustrated and give up couponing altogether if I had not already set up a system using the internet. I would like to share with you how I prepare for my weekly shopping trips using the internet and these 3 items -

This is a notebook to jot down deals, my store binder (purple) and my coupon binder. I'll explain this as we go along....

Google Reader -
I have found many blogs where women have done all the work for me in matching up coupons to store sales. This is AWESOME! Here's a picture of what my Google Reader looks like when I open it -

Here's how you use it. When you go to a blog you might see this symbol (it's normally near the top and much smaller than THIS picture...) This called an RSS symbol.

If you click on that symbol in the blog you are reading you will be given the option of following that blog in a reader of your choice...I happen to choose Google Reader, but you can choose which ever one you like better.

Next you will need to find the blogs you want to rely on to keep you updated on sales. Here are my favorites, but feel free to search the net and find some you really like -
Wild for Wags - for all information on shopping at Walgreens
Totally Target - for all info on shopping at Target
I heart Publix - for all info on shopping at Publix
I heart CVS - for all info on shopping at CVS
Nicoles Nickels, Krazy Coupon Lady, BeCentsAble - general information on lots of stores

Now that you have some blogs added to your reader you will notice your list of blogs on the left hand side. Click on one of the blogs and you will see that individual blog's posts open up in the right hand side. This allows you to scroll through them and read the posts. On the list of blogs (left hand side) there is a number in parenthesis after each blog title. This number represents how many posts the blogger has posted that you haven't read yet.

Here's the best part! Step 1
When I am preparing for my shopping trip I go to my Google Reader and use the "search" feature at the top of the screen. If I want to see what the deals are at Publix, I type in "Publix" and my Reader will go through all the blogs I am following and find all the posts featuring anything to do with Publix. I can quickly scroll through them, pull out the coupons they tell me I'm going to need from my blue coupon binder or print off internet coupons using the links they provide.

Step 2
In my small purple store binder (from the picture above) I have each tab labeled with the stores I shop at. Since I am working on my Publix shopping trip I will put the coupons I gathered (from Step 1) into my purple binder behind a tab labeled "Publix". The reason I do this is because I always shop at multiple stores, mostly Walgreens, Publix and Target.

Step 3
I use my notebook to jot down the store name, sales, prices and final price of the products I am looking for. I do this because sometimes the prices listed online are not quite the same as the prices in my local store and I want to know if it is still a good deal or not. I also have this information to compare it when I am in another store.

Step 4
Shopping time! When I go shopping I take my coupon binder, purple store binder and notebook. I only purchase the items on my shopping list, unless I see clearance items/unadvertised sales and I have coupons to match up with these items (hence, the reason for carrying in my big blue coupon binder.) If I am in a hurry I only carry in my small purple store binder. This fits in my purse and is perfect for carrying the coupons I'll be using. As I am shopping in the store, if I decide to use a coupon I have pulled from my purple binder, then I will place it in the very front of the purple binder so it is easily accessible when I am ready to check out.

I hope this helps you. If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment and I'll do the best I can to help you!

Extreme Couponing - my thoughts

2011-07-06T20:32:00.000-05:00

While working at a Winn Dixie this morning, the woman I was working with began talking about the show "Extreme Couponing" and how much she desired to be one of those people on that show who can save thousands of dollars a year. I cringe everytime I hear somebody make a statement like that. That show has become so popular and people everywhere seem to be jumping on the couponing bandwagon.

I have been using coupons and bargain shopping for almost five years...long before TLC produced "Extreme Couponing." In the last five years I have never noticed as many policy changes as I have in the last six months! Stores are taking note of shows like this too and they are drastically changing policies in order to prevent people from walking out of there having paid cents for hundreds of dollars of merchandise.

Why some people feel the need to purchase hundreds of bottles of hot sauce or mustard is beyond me. I think TLC should make a show entitled "Extreme Couponers/Hoarders." I am all about stocking up and I do. But there is a difference between hoarding, (where it takes over every nook and cranny of a home) as seen in this picture

to just stocking up, as seen in this picture...

This is in my house and one storage unit filled with bathroom stuff. Razors and refills in the bottom drawer, medicine/first aid in the next one and toothbrushes/dental stuff in the one above that. I could easily purchase more of these supplies for next to nothing...but I currently have enough in these drawers to last me at least 6 months so why bother?

For those of you just starting out, here's some FYI -

Most sales rotate on a 6 week - 3 month schedule. If you start watching the sales you will learn the cycle of when products go on sale and you can shop accordingly.

Look up information on the internet. There is so much information out there on couponing and people willing to help you!

When a new product is introduced and there is heavy publicity to promote that product, there are normally high-dollar coupons to go along with those products. Look for these coupons/promotions and stock up then.

This is reality couponing and if you take your time and learn how to save money on household supplies/groceries on a regular basis instead of trying to just score your biggest win ever, then you will not grow weary of this and you will end up saving your family thousands over a period of time.

And if you didn't score a big deal, don't sweat it! There will be other sales where you will walk out of the store with a smile on your face because you just paid $2.00 for $50.00 worth of merchandise!

Panera Bread - free pastry

2011-07-05T06:14:00.000-05:00

Go here to sign up for MyPanera and receive a free item as a thank you. After you finish registering, click on "View my Rewards" and see what's already been loaded on your card!

Janet Evanovich books

2011-07-04T17:04:00.002-05:00

This series from Janet Evanovich is about bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. I am reading the 16th book right now. I laugh until I cry sometimes while reading this series. The messes Stephanie gets in and the silly antics of her sidekick, Lula, have me laughing out loud (much to the dismay of my son and husband...I think they are a little jealous at how much fun I am having just by reading a book because neither of them are readers!)

I have a Droid phone and one of my apps is the Kindle, so I am able to download books from Amazon whenever I want. As soon as I finish this book, I'll be sure to download this next one - Smokin' Seventeen.

HomeMade Simple coupon book available

2011-07-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

You can go here to order your Home Made Simple coupon book. These have over $35.00 in savings for P&G products.

Southwest Georgia Couponing: Free Trip to Publix 7/3!!

2011-07-04T05:58:00.000-05:00

Southwest Georgia Couponing: Free Trip to Publix 7/3!!

My daughter is really catching on! Love this!

Record a Story Book for FREE

2011-07-04T04:58:00.000-05:00

What a neat idea! Using your computer's webcam/microphone you can record yourself reading a storybook to your child. This is free for a limited time. No coupon code is necessary.

New computer with a bonus!

2011-07-04T04:41:00.000-05:00

I am so happy I can't sleep! LOL We are a computer geek family. Between the laptops and desktops the 3 of us own 5 computers. But my 14-yr-old was the only one of us with a newer computer. The rest of ours were between 6-8 yrs old. My husband and I use the computers a lot for work and they were getting slower and slower and slower.

We finally decided to purchase a new computer this weekend. After traveling to 7 stores in our area we opted for an HP we purchased from Walmart. All we needed was the actual CPU, not a monitor, but after pricing everything it was relatively the same price to purchase a bundle package. My husband realized we could use both monitors with our new computer...I LOVE this!

I can have two different screens showing and work on both screens at the same time. This has saved me so much time just in the last 2 days of using this new "toy."

Walgreens Shopping 7/1/11

2011-07-02T11:18:00.000-05:00

My daughter, Tina has caught the coupon shopping bug and has gotten me back into wanting to shop weekly using my coupons. She lives in Georgia but recently came to stay at home for 2 weeks while her Marine husband was traveling. During her two weeks here we shopped til we dropped!! I used to shop like this all the time but had significantly slowed down to my demanding work schedule over this last year. Thanks Tina for lighting that fire in me again!

I ventured out without her this week (missed her terribly too!) but I took my ever-faithful shopping companion - my husband - with me. He is always so patient and helpful! I think he just likes that I can buy all of HIS supplies dirt cheap/free so I keep him well supplied. :-)

I got everything you see in these 3 pictures for $53.88 and I saved $113.14! My 3 12-pks of Green Tea alone were $12.00 so I got all the rest of this stuff for $41.00

Here's what I got -
(6) Dove Men+Care Body Wash
(2) Dove Men's Shower Scrubber Tool
(2) Dove's Chocolate Bars
(1) Reach Toothbrush
(2) Samy Hair Gel
(2) Scotch Masking Tape
(2) Scotch Packaging Tape
(6) Nestle Crunch Candy bars
(3) Dawn dishwashing soap
(1) Kraft BBQ sauce
(2) Morton Salt
(4) Tuf Paper towel rolls
(2) Chinet Paper Plates
(1) Domino Sugar
(2) Carefree pantiliners
(2) Jet puff marshmallows
(1) Cottonelle fresh wipes
(2) On The Border Tortilla chips
(1) pack of Hershey's with almonds chocolate bars...yummmy S'mores!
(1) Nabisco graham crackers
(3) Lipton Green tea - these alone were $12.00

Are you using internet printable coupons?

2011-07-01T21:07:00.000-05:00

I get 90% of my coupons from the internet. Even though I pick up the Sunday paper for the different coupon inserts I still rely mostly on internet coupons. This is one of the best sites to print coupons from - coupons.com.

FYI - If I can't find a certain coupon I am looking for using my zip code, I will try another zipcode like 90210. You would be surprised at the different coupons you can get that way.

Publix Shopping trip - $10.02 for these 14 items!

2011-01-11T15:43:00.000-06:00

Publix is my favorite store to do my grocery shopping! Everytime I tell somebody that, I hear the same comment time and time again "Oh, Publix is too expensive for me!"

Well yes, I guess if you don't shop sales and use coupons it can be pricey. The picture below is why I choose to shop there regularly.

I got all of this for exactly $10.02! My receipt says I saved $39.12 in store savings and coupons. If you learn how to shop the BOGOF sales using coupons you will save so much money. There are so many blogs and websites devoted to helping you save money with your grocery shopping. Just google any one of these phrases and see what you get - printable coupons, save money on groceries, grocery shopping with coupons - and just know that you don't have to pay for any service! There are a ton of helpful people ready to give you all the information you need.

One of my favorites is the Krazy Coupon Lady

Good luck to you and let me know if I can help in any way.

Groupon - are you in?

2010-12-07T07:32:00.000-06:00

Have you checked out Groupon? I kept hearing about this "new" money-saving website but everytime I checked it, it wasn't opened up in my area. I just checked today and NOW it is opened up in my city!

The premise behind Groupon is every day they feature different deals for your area. The only catch is enough people in your area have to participate in order to get the GREAT deal. You can sign up here and read more about how Groupon works.

Free candy at Walgreens

2010-12-06T09:22:00.000-06:00

If you received the $2.00/3 Mars Holiday Candy coupon (including Snickers Nutcracker Single or 6-Pack), you can get these perfect stocking-stuffers for free at Walgreens this week!

Buy 6 Snickers Nutcracker Singles $0.33 each
Use one $2.00/3 Mars Holiday Candy from RP 12/5
Final Price = FREE

Photo calendars, Flip books, mugs, and more FREE

2010-12-06T09:11:00.000-06:00

Time is limited - receive 10 items free (you just pay shipping & handling.) These make great Christmas gifts!

Shoe Carnival - coupons

2010-12-06T09:06:00.000-06:00

Shopping at Shoe Carnival this Christmas season? Here's 2 coupons you can print out.

These are good for 4 days only.

Coupon for $10 off $59.98+ OR $20 off $100.

Chili's - free item every day from not until 12/24

2010-12-06T09:01:00.000-06:00

Chili's is offering a free item in their restaurants from now until 12/24. I didn't see anywhere on the coupon where you have to purchase something to get the free item. That's always nice!

Go here for the coupons and list of each day's free items.

Charlie Brown Christmas tree

2010-12-04T13:59:00.000-06:00

I actually saw these on sale at Walgreens last week. This is my favorite cartoon for the holidays. I have always loved Charlie Brown. When I jokingly mentioned to my 14-yr-old that I was going to purchase a Charlie Brown Christmas tree this year since we were going to be out of town his comment to me was "What does that mean? What's a Charlie Brown Christmas tree?"

What?! Was he serious!?

For those of you who have never heard of such a thing...enjoy and may your Christmas season be filled with peace, love, joy and happiness!

Another great deal from Staples

2010-11-30T12:00:00.001-06:00

Purchase $60 worth of HP ink at Staples and you'll get $10.00 back in Staples Rewards. Ink is so expensive these days so every little bit helps right?

Walgreens Friends & Family Event

2010-11-30T07:23:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday, December 1st, Walgreens will be having a Friends & Family Event.

Get 15% off your in-store purchase or 20% off Walgreens and W brand products. Print the coupon here. Four coupons will print on the same page! You can only use them at the photo or cosmetics counter.

Combine this coupon with the weekly deals/coupons listed here, here and here.

My birthday is next week!!

2010-11-30T06:33:00.000-06:00

Image via WikipediaMy birthday is next Tuesday. This morning I woke up to find (in my inbox) 11 great offers for FREE food/beverages for my birthday!

Here's what I got (and the links for you to sign up too!)--

Ruby Tuesday - free birthday burger
Chili's - free brownie sundae
Logan's Roadhouse - free Nutter Butter Fudgeslide

Dairy Queen - free Blizzard
Marble Slab - free regular cone
Beef O'Brady's - free dessert
Great American Cookies - free cookie cake slice
Arby's - free shake
Denny's - free Grand Slam breakfast
Famous Dave's - have a code to take in and see what I won. Anything from dessert to an All-American BBQ Feast.
Landry's - free entree