Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam® returns to the Tucson Convention Center March 9-11th!!

Who else is going?

Quinn had a blast last year watching Monster Trucks and can’t wait to see them again!!

This year’s Monster Jam® truck lineup includes the legendary GRAVE DIGGER®, celebrating its 30th Anniversary of car crushing mayhem, along with the Tucson debuts of Spider-man™ and Batman™, also featuring hometown hero McGruff (driven by local Tucson driver Rod Wood), World Finals Champion Monster Mutt® and The Felon.

• Friday, March 9 – Sunday, March 11, 2012

• Friday, March 9 – 7:30 p.m.

• Saturday, March 10 – 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

• **Pit Party open from 11:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. (additional entry fee)

• Sunday, March 11 – 2:00 p.m.

Discount Code!

Save $4 off adult tickets on Friday, Saturday 2pm, and Sunday shows with the CODE: BLOG. Available at the box office, internet, phones, outlets. Not valid on Saturday 730pm show. Only valid on adult tickets in the $20 price level. EXPIRES MARCH 8TH, 2012.

Plus check out the fun (and free) GRAVE DIGGER® coloring sheet HERE! 

I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my
opinion here on my blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment
has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events. All thoughts are 100% my own.

So I run away to a blogging conference and what happens?

I stop blogging.

I know a crazy concept but it’s been a crazier week.

I plan on sharing some of my Blissdom adventures with you over the next few days but in the mean time I thought I would share my celebrity photos with you!!

Enjoy!

The Lorax

Harrison Ford (Do you think Quinn would recognize Hans Solo?)

Rascal Flatts

The Coupon Goddess (The ONE person I wanted to meet at Blissdom, YAY!!!)

Are you looking for grocery deals in Tucson, AZ? I am out of town for most of this week but I may get a little shopping in on Monday. I don’t want to miss the $1.99/lb sausages at Sunflower!

Albertsons

Coupons taken at face value

• Fresh Chicken Breast $1.87/lb

• Cuties 3lb $2.50

• 1/2 gallon milk $1

• Nivea $1 – $3/2 (RP 2/12) = free

• Monopoly game through 5/11/12
  

Bashas

Double Coupons

• Strawberries $0.97

• Hass Avocados 3/$1

• Cucumbers 2/$1

• 1/2 Gallon Bashas Milk $0.88 each, limit 4

Fry’s

All coupons worth $1!

• Blueberries, 6 oz $0.99

• Mini Peeled Carrots, 16 oz $0.99

• Fry’s Large Eggs, dz $0.98 Kroger Value Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts $1.88/lb, limit 4

• Kellogg’s Cereal 50% – $5/5 or $4/4 IPs (if you printed) = ?

• Nature made Vitamin or Supplements 50% – $5 IP (if you printed) = ?

• Don’t forget to play the Daytona Game. You can win 2 free items per person!!

Safeway

All coupons worth at least $1

• Grapes 3 lbs. $5 (Friday Only)

• Ken’s Salad Dressing 16 oz $1.50 – $1 (so 1/8) = $0.50  (Friday-Monday only)

• Duncan Hines Cake Mix $1.25 – $0.35 (ss 2/5) = $0.25 each

• Amy’s & Kashi 30% with ad Q and min $10 purchase

Sunflower Farmers Market

Double Ad Wednesdays + $0.10 credit for reusable bags.

• Red, Yellow or White Onions 2/$1

• Avocados 3/$1

• Green Bell Peppers 2/$1

• Super Select Cucumbers 2/$1

• Fresh, Handmade Chicken Sausage $1.99/lb

• Grape or Cheery Tomatoes (10oz) $0.77 each

Sprouts

Double Ad Wednesdays

• Cucumbers 3/$1

• Red or Green Bell Peppers 3/$1

• Asparagus $0.88/lb

WalMart

• Reminder you can price match WITHOUT the ads. <—But honestly I prefer to bring mine just to be safe…

• And they will substitute their brand for other store brands.

What great deals are you excited about this week?

Interested in a more complete list of grocery deals for this week? Check out these lovely AZ Bloggers who do a great job. Check out my Grocery Store links for store coupon policies and links to their sale’s ads.

I receive both the Arizona Daily Star (Tucson paper) and Arizona Republic (Phoenix paper). There was only 1 insert this week,  a Redplum.

Remember the Tucson paper no longer receives the Redplum. The Northwest Explorer does receive a smaller version of it sometimes.

You can sign up to receive the Redplum in your mail HERE, but I have yet to receive it… I do know people that do receive the redplum insert in their mail. Perhaps my mailman dislikes me.

Don’t forget to check with the free local papers in your area for extra inserts. In Tucson that is La Estrella and Northwest Explorer. In Phoenix you can find La Voz.

These are the coupons that look good to me…

Red Plum

• $0.75/2 Nestle or Wonka Candies (3.1-6 oz) X 3/31/12 <—movie theater candy!

• $2.50 3.5 or 7 lb Purina Benful brand Dog Food X 3/25/12

• $2 Cheer Detergent X 3/31/12 <—Hoping for a good sale!

• $0.75 L’Oreal Kids Shampoo or other kids products X 4/15/12

You can check Sunday Coupon Preview to see a bigger list and what coupons other parts of the country received.

I recommend creating a Mega Insert when you get multiple copies of Sunday coupon inserts. It makes it much easier to file and cut coupons as you need to. If you are not sure what I am talking about, check this LINK on how I organize my coupon inserts using the Filing System.

What about you? What coupons were you excited to find today?

Why DownEast Basics? I  love all the little extra details their clothing has. These jeans have a fun fabric inside the waistband, a sparkly button and even the a fun sales tag. I would normally steer clear of clothes like this because it screams too expensive. 

However, that is not the case at DownEast Basics! DownEast Basics is a boutique clothing chain with reasonable prices. You gotta love a store with cute clothing at great prices!

And when I say cute clothes, I mean LOTS of cute clothes! Luckily for us we had the support and advice of three Awesome DownEast Basics employees, who made suggestions and gave their opinions. They definitely helped me expand my fashion horizon and try on outfits I would never have on my own!

In fact I tried on about 3,000 outfits. Or at least it felt like 3,000!

And I wanted to share the resulting chaos of my dressing room however, my camera couldn’t fully capture it. You can however see that I tried on more than a few skirts.

I tried really hard to pick out a skirt There were plenty of cute choices, but in the end I embraced who I am. A jeans girl.

I still managed to step outside my comfort zone and buy my first pair of “Skinny Jeans"! 

And of course I picked out a few things from their extensive clearance section!

So what will I be wearing at Blissdom?

I picked out two pairs of fabulous jeans: the Classic Rock Jean and The Miss Skinny Jean.  I love that they describe me perfectly, a super skinny rock star.

I completed the looks with fun print tops and cute sweaters. The sweaters being a necessity because all conference rooms are required by law to be absolutely freezing. 

I plan on shoe shopping this week, but I am really feeling a pair cute grey flats! What do you think?

Since I couldn’t share the true chaos of my dressing room, I thought I would share how photogenic I am… or rather how photogenic Becca and Nicole are!

I must have been thinking really hard about something.

Be sure to like the DownEast Basics facebook page to get the latest sale information. This weekend they are offering 40% off their clearance both online and in store (through 2/20)! Plus they offer an exclusive deal every Tuesday for facebook fans.

P.S. I love their new swimsuit line. They have the sweetest color and patterns.  I plan on picking up a fun bathing suit after I spend a little extra time of my treadmill!

Disclosure: DownEast Basics is our Blissdom clothing sponsor which means that I received clothing for Blissdom in exchange for this post.  Don’t worry though, as always all opinions are my own.

Thanks to both DownEast Basics and Angie’s Kettle Corn for helping sponsor our Blissdom trip!

I bought:

• 3 Honey Maid Graham Crackers
• Kraft Light Mayo
• Ore Ida Sweet Potatoes Fries
• Yoplait Cars Yogurt 4-pack
• 2 Packs Sweet Peppers
• 2 Kraft Simply Fat Free Sour Creams
• Nature’s Own Whole Wheat Bread
• Celery Hearts
• Early California Olives

A few other things that caught my eye in store???

Dannon Danimals Crunchers – 4pack

Heinz Hot & Spicy Ketchup

Kraft Tangy Bacon Catalina Dressing

Kraft Olive Oil Dressing

Mott’s Medley’s Juice

Remember shopping at the 99 Cent Only Store is like a treasure hunt and selection varies by store! Find a 99 Cent Only store near you!

Have you found any great deals at your 99 Cent Only Store lately?

Are you looking for grocery deals in Tucson, AZ? It’s another slow week but at least we can find cheap strawberries, milk and diet coke (If you have any lovely free MQs from My Coke Rewards)!

Albertsons

Coupons taken at face value

• Milk, gallon $1.57, limit 2

• Albertsons Large Eggs $0.88 each with ad Q, limit 2

• Sanderson Farms Chicken Breast small pack B1G2 Free, with in store Q, regular retail is $4.99/lb

• Fresh Pork Loin Roast, boneless in bag $1.88/lb

• Red Seedless Grapes $0.77/lb

• Monopoly game through 5/11/12

• $20 Gift Card when you transfer an RX. Details HERE! Coupon available in AD X 3/31/12 

Bashas

Double Coupons

• Sanderson Farms Whole Chickens, $0.67/lb first 4

• Bashas Large Eggs $0.88, first 2

• Hass Avocados 2/$1

• Green Bell Peppers 2/$1

• Shamrock Farms Cottage Cheese $1.99 – $0.50 MQ (SS 1/29) = $0.99

• $3/30 Ad Q good on Monday Only!

Fry’s

All coupons worth $1!

• Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Red or Golden Delicious Apples $0.77/lb

• Red Seedless Grapes $0.88/lb

• Kroger Peanut Butter $2.49 <—Is anyone else super low on PB? We need a good sale!!

• Don’t forget to play the Daytona Game. You can win 2 free items per person!!

Safeway

All coupons worth at least $1

• Pantry Essentials Milk $1.57, limit 2

• Coke 12 packs B2G2 Free + 1 Free Nabisco Snack Crackers <—Great way to use freebie Coke coupons from MyCokeRewards if you have them!

• Red Seedless Grapes $0.88/lb

• Fresh 93% Lean Ground Beef $2.99/lb

• Odwalla Bars $0.99 – $0.15 MQ (1/8 SS) = free

Sunflower Farmers Market

Double Ad Wednesdays + $0.10 credit for reusable bags.

• Strawberries, 1lb $1.25

• Bulk Oats Rolled, Quick or Steel Cut $0.79/lb

• Brown or White Rice $0.79/lb

Sprouts

Double Ad Wednesdays

• Red, white or yellow onions $0.49/lb

• Celery $0.88 each

• Strawberries, 1lb $1.25

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts $1.99/lb (never frozen value pack)

• Mild Cheddar Cheese Bulk Cut $1.99/lb (Fri-Sun Only)

WalMart

• Reminder you can price match WITHOUT the ads. <—But honestly I prefer to bring mine just to be safe…

• And they will substitute their brand for other store brands.

What great deals are you excited about this week?

Interested in a more complete list of grocery deals for this week? Check out these lovely AZ Bloggers who do a great job. Check out my Grocery Store links for store coupon policies and links to their sale’s ads.

I have been in a state of panic the past few weeks… Anyone know why?

Here’s a hint…

Any guesses yet?

There are lots of cleaning products on the shelf but only 1 bottle of laundry soap! Seriously ONE bottle.   And you can’t tell from the picture but the bottle is almost EMPTY!

How does that happen to a deal seeking, coupon addict? <—Hanging my head in shame!

I knew my laundry soap stockpile was dwindling, and I have been waiting for a fantastic deal with little luck. <—What’s a girl gotta do to get laundry soap under $1!

In desperation I priced out laundry soap at Costco, thinking that maybe it would be a decent price….

After doing the math, I knew that Costco was not my answer. <—I do love Costco for other things though.

The Deal Making Diva! <—That’s me!

So I worked my magic and made my own deal at CVS last week!  Here is what I did….

Purex was on sale for $1.99 last week which is about the best price I have seen in the last few months (and beats the Costco price hands down!)

Unfortunately there were no manufacturer’s coupons available but I did have a nice $10 off CVS Q, and half price ECB/Gift Cards to use that helped bring my cost per bottle down!

I had

• a $10/$50 CVS Q <—Cost $0, printed from the red scanner in store.

• a $20 Gift card <—Cost $10, living social deal

• a $20 ECBS <—Cost $10, fabulous shaving cream deal

I would need 25 bottles of Purex + a filler in order to get my subtotal up to $50 but I decided that 25 bottles of laundry soap screamed crazy lady.

Somehow 20 bottles seemed more sensible and less crazy.

(I did have to borrow their rolling cart though, their darn shopping carts are so small!)

Anyway I needed to spend another $10 to bring my total up to $50. So I pulled out a few rainchecks from my coupon binder. They were lovely Free after ECB school supplies from 2009!! And CVS rainchecks do not expire and work well in situations like this.

I bought:

• 20 bottles Purex $1.99

• 2 CVS Glue $0.99 each (Raincheck)

• 2 CVS Binders $3 each (Raincheck)

• 2 Papermate Pens $0.99 each (Raincheck)

• -$10/50 CVS CRT Q

• -$20 ECBS

• -$24.36 on a gift card

• Earned $11 ECBS (Rainchecks)

And depending upon how to account for the $11 in ECBS I earned, each bottle cost $1.22 or $0.67 each (with tax)!

I am happily stocked up on laundry soap again… now peanut butter is my new concern….

Doesn’t my laundry shelf look much better now?

The winner is lucky number 7, Denise D!! I am emailing you now!

Today is Arizona’s 100th Birthday!  And as a native Tucsonan I thought I might share a few fun, random Arizona facts from the AZ100Years website!

• Arizona’s official state colors are blue and gold.
• Also my High School colors! Go Caballeros!

• Roadrunners are not just in cartoons! In Arizona, you’ll see them running up to 17-mph away from their enemies.
• Roadrunners were my elementary school mascot!

• The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest continuous franchise in the National Football League, dating back to 1898
• They started off in Arizona as the Phoenix Cardinals and Tucson folks might have took offense to that…

• The “Five C’s” of Arizona’s economy are: Cattle, Copper, Citrus, Cotton, and Climate
• Elementary students learn this. Or at least I did.

• Thirteen species of rattlesnakes live in Arizona, more species than in any other state.
• It’s the wild, wild, west people!

• The Sonoran Desert is the most biologically diverse desert in North America.
• The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is really cool!

• The hottest temperature recorded in Arizona was 128 degrees at Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994.
• But it’s a dry heat people!

So are you celebrating Arizona’s Centennial today? It’s the perfect excuse to eat cake!