For Me to Coupon

Whoa, here's a make-up deal!

2011-04-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

Vapour Organic Beauty has an insanely good deal running right now.

Until 11am on April 20, you can get one of several kits for $18. Each kit has 3 items in it. The items in each kit are worth about $80, respectively, so you will be getting a STEAL. This is for some promo that the Today Show is running.

I love Vapour and have previously spent an embarrassing amount of money on some of their products. If you want to try out some really good make-up that is good for you and the planet, then you should jump on this deal!

Shipping for me was $5.35

As of this post, you have 8.5 hours to get in on this deal!

Thanks Organic Deals and Coupons!

Target 4/6

2011-04-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

I took my 41 week pregnant butt to Target today, and dragged Penny along, for some deal chasing. I was hoping my water would break so I could yell "clean up on aisle 4", but no such luck. However I did have an excellent shopping trip.

So here's the breakdown:

2 Kandoo wipes @ $1.42 ea. - (2) $1/1 MFQs = .42 ea.
2 Shout travel packs @ .97 ea. - (2) .55/1 MFQs = .42 ea.
1 Happy Baby puffs @ $2.69 - used FREE coupon from Recycle Bank
1 Annie's Bunny Grahams @ $1.99 (sale)
1 Market Pantry strawberry milk @ .99 (kept Penny happy while I shopped)
1 Aveeno beauty bar @ $1.89 - $1/1 MFQ and $1/1 Target Q (from Target Beauty sample bag) = .89
1 NYC nail color @ $1.72 - $1/1 MFQ (from All You Magazine) = .72
1 Cover Girl eye shadow @ $3.14 - $2/1 MFQ and $1/1 Target Q (from Beauty Bag) = .04
2 Olay Facial Cleanser @ $4.99 ea. - (2) $1/1 MFQs and (1) $1/1 Target Q (from Beauty Bag) = $6.98 + got $5 Target GC = .99 ea.
2 Olay lotions @ 4.99 ea. - (2) $2/1 MFQs = $5.98 + got $5 Target GC = .98

2 Huggies 508 ct. wipes @ 11.99 ea. - $2.50 MFQ (from mailer) and .75 MFQ = $20.73 + got $5 Target gift card (for buying 2 Huggies box wipes)
1 Huggies Little Snugglers @ 8.99 - $2/1 MFQ = $6.99
1 Huggies 72 ct. wipes @ $2.39 - used FREE wipes wyb Little Snugglers = FREE
+also used $4 off wyb wipes refill pack and Little snugglers Target Q (from baby mailer)
so I got all of those Huggies items for a total of $23.72 (less than just the 2 boxes of 508 ct. would have been by themselves) + got a $5 GC back, making the net total for these items $18.72

3 Ore-Ida frozen potato products @ $2.49 ea. (store sale of B2G1 free) - $1/2 MFQ = $1.33 ea.

Dollar Spot items (I am such a sucker for these):
Beatrix Potter book
reusable lunch bag
2 owl figurines
toddler sunglasses
magnetic note pad
= $6

+ $3.35 tax

Total was $58.10
I used a $5 gift card (which I got buying the cat litter deal)

Out of pocket = $53.10
+ got $15 in Target gift cards
Net total = $38.10

Bottom of my receipt says I saved $47.94

Woohoo! I could have scored a few more freebies if the coupon kiosk was working. Apparently the computers at my Target are having technical issues and won't print coupons ;(

Yes To Cucumbers set $12.99

2011-04-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

Target daily deals has a Yes To Cucumber 4 piece skin-care set today for $12.99 + free shipping. This is a brand that I always think about trying but never want to pay the price for, so this would be a good time to give it a whirl.

Shop through Ebates for 3% cash-back!

Land's End 30% off + free shipping!

2011-04-05T16:45:00.000-07:00

I saw this deal on Hip2Save and I generally try not to just copy deals off other blogs unless I happened to also find them myself through other venues, but this is a really great deal, so I am going to share it. But just notice I gave credit where credit is due ;D

Right now you can get 30% off + free shipping on anything from Land's End. There is a ton of clearance and you can find some amazing deals there.

The coupon code is SAVE and the pin is 1823. I have no idea when this coupon code expires.

These lunchboxes end up being $3.49 + tax after the coupon code.

And there are also loads of other luggage things on sale, such as little backpacks for 5 - 7 year olds that come out to be $4.88. The "girl colors" are a little bit higher, at around $6.77. But I'd say that is a fantabulous price for a quality book bag!

Shop for Ebates for 6% cash back!

Inspired by Finn 40% off on Thursday 4/7, starting at 8am!

2011-04-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Finn, purveyors of amber and hazelwood necklaces (for teething and eczema relief, etc.) are having a customer appreciation sale on Thursday from 8am MST to 8pm MST. They are offering 40% off all youth jewelry. They will be releasing the coupon code on their wall on their Facebook page at the start of the sale. This discount is only for those who "like" their page, so head over there and like them now so you won't miss the coupon code announcement!

Here are the details they posted about the sale:

"UPDATE: We've surpassed 16,000 "Likes" on our FB site (that’s a whole lot of likes…don’t you think!?!)

A big thank you to all who have already shared and continue to share this information with friends :)

On Thursday (April 7) we will run a customer appreciation sale of 40% off all of our youth jewelry. @http://hyenacart.com/inspiredbyfinn/index.php?c=11 Adult jewelry is not included in this particular sale.

The sale will start Thursday, April 7, at 8:00 a.m. Mountain time and run for 12 hours. Sale ends Thursday, April 7, at 8:00 p.m., Mountain time. We will make an announcement on our Wall at the time the sale starts and provide a discount code in the announcement that you can use at checkout to receive the discount.

If you have any friends you think might like our shop, ask them to join us because anyone who "Likes" our page may use the discount code. Be sure and post our sale info. every place you can think of...because everyone loves a great deal!

Happy shopping :)

Kate"

If you have never heard of amber teething necklaces and the like, I suggest reading about them on the Inspired by Finn page.

Sock Monkey Wine Sleeve?!?!

2011-04-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is kind of a funny deal, but I thought I might post it for any lushes and/or sock monkey fanatics out there...

Today on Ecomom the daily deal is a Fred and Friends Sock Monkey Wine Caddy for $5.99 + FREE SHIPPING. (retail price is $10, so that's 40% off).

coupons for things to poop on

2011-04-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

At the top of my list of things I hate to spend money on is toilet paper and cat litter. Things for people and pets to poop on and then throw away. I feel like I am literally flushing my money down the drain. So I am always looking for deals on these. Here's how I essentially got 80 lbs. of cat litter for a $1 this weekend.

Target has a deal on Arm and Hammer cat litter this week: Buy 2 40 lb. boxes @ $12.99 ea., get a $5 Target gift card back. So I bought 2 and used my free $20 Target gift card that I received from Plum District. Paid $6 + tax out of pocket and got a $5 gift card back ;D

This deal would have been even sweeter if I had printer ink and could have printed out some of these coupons to use:

$1/1 Clumping Cat litter

$1.50/1 litter

Even if you don't have a sweet $20 gift card like I did, you can get a pretty great deal on the cat litter. Buy 2 @ $12.99 ea. - use (2) $1.50/1 printables = pay $22.98 + tax, and get a $5 gift card back = $17.98 for 20 lbs. of litter. Seeing as one of these boxes is usually around $16, that is an excellent deal!

AND here's a deal on Toilet Paper at Target too, courtesy of Hip2Save!

where the money went this weekend

2011-04-04T18:23:00.001-07:00

I like doing "how we spent our money" updates about the weekend because I find that weekends can turn into a real money pit if you let them. Of course you want to do fun things to entertain yourself and your family when you have the time to do it, and you can get swept up in the excitement of the fun times and forget about the money you are spending to have said fun. So my mission is to try to be conscious of the money we spend on entertainment on the weekends without letting it ruin our fun.

Saturday we decided that we really wanted to eat some authentic Mexican food, as it is one of our faves, so I went searching around in my coupons and came up with a B1G1 dinner (up to $9) from my Entertainment Book, for a restaurant called Los Panchos (on Colerain ave.). We checked reviews online and everything sounded good, so we gave it a go. The food was super delicious and hit the spot! Jon and I had your traditional Mexican fare and Penny had a hamburger (toddlers...) and after the coupon, which subtracted $8.25, our bill came out to be $13.31 + tip. Not bad for feeding a family of 3 and enjoying a nice dinner out.

On gorgeous Sunday we spent hours at, in my opinion, one of the best playgrounds this city has to offer: The Land of Make Believe playground at Lunken Airport Playfield. This playground is HUGE and has many different levels of play for kids of all ages. Penny had just as much fun here, at a free playground, as she does at some places that we pay to play at. After wearing ourselves out there, we made an ice cream stop at UDF and spent about $6.50. (Well, I also spent $3.50 on my two newspapers there). Then we came home and played in the yard and took walks up our street until the sun went down.

Not counting the gas it took us to get to these places, our total weekend fun cost us around $23. Not too shabby.

New Zulily coupon code!

2011-04-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

Get 15% off your Zulily purchase with code GMA15, good through April 15!

(Thanks My Frugal Adventures)

Free 8x10 at Wag's

2011-04-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Walgreen's has a free 8x10 offer right now. Just upload a pic to their online photo site and order an 8x10 with code DEAL8X10. Choose "pick up in store" for free shipping. It will be available for pick-up in about an hour. The last freebie I got from them was an 8x10 collage and it turned out beautifully!

Pop Goes Froggio $5, shipped

2011-04-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

Wal-mart has the Pop Goes Froggio game for $5 today, with free shipping!

This is a really fantastic deal seeing as I paid about $6 on Amazon for this game around xmas time and that was a great deal.
This was one of Penny's favorite xmas presents. It is an awesome game for toddlers b/c they love to pop the frog up, and you can play by your own rules. It is basically a glorified match card game. I highly recommend it.

There are some other great roll-back deals on the site as well, so take a look around.

Cloth Diaper Deals

2011-04-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am obsessed with cloth diapers. It is one of those things that is hard to explain unless you are part of the obsession as well... but rest assured it is not just me. CDing is addictive. So many cute little tushy covers (for them to poop on).

So here are a couple dealies:

GroVia has a deal right now that is buy 3, get 1 free on all their shells or one-size AIOs.

Kelly's Closet, purveyor of many things cloth, has a coupon code for 10% off right now: 10YEARS. I am so in love with the Itti Bitti brand from Australia that they just started selling.

Cotton Babies has their buy 5 get 1 free promotion on Bum Genius 4.0s. Through May 31st. Economy shipping is free!

I also want to note that I just got my old BumGenius 3.0s converted from velcro to snaps. It cost me $2.25 per diaper + shipping. We have been using these diapers for nearly 3 years now, and the velcro was wearing out. With about a $40 investment, these diapers now should last us through another child for another 3 years (see why cloth diapers are the more economical choice?). If you have some diapers you need converted, I highly recommend contacting Tinkle Traps to have this work done. She was so helpful and timely in doing my conversions. Plus you'd be supporting a WAHM!

Kohl's trip 3/30

2011-03-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took Penny to Kohl's to do a $15 shopping spree. She has been so sweet lately and dealing with mama being giant and sluggish and all-around not much fun, so I thought she deserved a little treat.

I had a $10 and a $5 Kohl's coupon. The $10 I got in the mail and the $5 I got for signing up for Kohl's emails.

Here's what Penny picked. I paid $2.22 OOP.
The Hello Kitty bubble maker was $14.99 orig., but on sale for 40% off, and the Wonder Pets book was $8.99 orig., but on sale for 10% off.

I heart Zulily!

2011-03-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

I admit I have a bit of an obsession with drooling over stuff on Zulily...
They have some of the cutest stuff right now!

They have Trumpette socks and Crocs, which I know a lot of people are big fans of.

They also have these insanely adorable dresses by Freckles + Kitty.

And sweet baby clothes by The Tangerine Tree.

Oh I am in love with it all.

Use GA9331 for $5 off $50 or try Coupcab482 for 10% off.

Use Ebates to get 3.5% back!

Have you been to nobetterdeal.com yet?

2011-03-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted to highlight this awesome site that I love to frequent. I mostly go there for the baby stuff and toys, but they have tons of other stuff as well, from household items to electronics. At NoBetterDeal they have items that are open-box, returns, damaged box, and some new items, for extremely discounted prices. I have bought several things from there including a jumperoo, stroller, baby monitor, and toys, and they have all been in perfect shape. Even if you do purchase something and it is not to your liking, they have a 30 day return policy, so you really don't have much to use. I also love the fact that they accept paypal. That's always a plus for me when I am shopping online.

The inventory changes daily (sometimes hourly), and a lot of things can get snatched up super fast, so you have to check back often if there is something specific you are looking for (it took me a while to snag a Fisher Price Rock n' Play on there b/c they get sold so fast). There are some things that tend to come back around pretty often, and other things that just randomly show up and never come back again.

Currently they have a bunch of Baby K'tan baby carriers. I have never seen these on the site before, so that is pretty neat. They retail for around $35, but on NBD they are selling for $23. Shipping cost varies per item, so you have to check to make sure it doesn't kill the deal. Often it is only $3.95, but it can be more. Looks like it is more on the Baby K'tans, which kind of ruins it for me. There are tons of other great deals though. In fact, I see a Rock n' Play on there right now for $26.99 + $3.95 shipping, and it says it is a new item! These go for around $50 in stores and on Amazon...

So go check it out and see if you can snag an awesome deal on something you need.

Cheap used books!

2011-03-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite sites, Better World Books, has a code right now for 15% off 4 or more used books (not bargain bin books). The code is MADNESS (good thru 4/4). I love this site so much because their books are cheap, their proceeds go to literacy programs all over the world, and their shipping is free, or you can choose eco-shipping for .01 per book and offset the carbon used to ship the books to you!

You can get 3% cash-back from Ebates.

Help me!

2011-03-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

Today Plum District is running a deal for previous customers. If you refer 6 new people to their site, you will be awarded a $40 Zappo's Gift Card!! You may remember a couple weeks ago when they did this same sort of thing and gave away $20 Target Gift Cards. Well I just got my Target card in the mail 2 days ago, so this is totally legit! Please follow my link and sign up for Plum District. It is a daily deal site (kind of like Groupon) that has some great deals. You will likely only get 1 email per day from them. And if you don't like the emails, you can always unsubscribe later.

If you do sign up under my link, please confirm your email address thru the email they send you, or I won't get credit for your referral!

And then once you sign up, you can get a chance to earn a Zappo's gift card for yourself as well!

Thanks a lot! Mama needs a new pair of shoes!

$10 Gas Card from Kellogg's

2011-03-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

I just saw on Coupon Cravings that there is a rebate from Kellogg's that runs through 12/31. Buy 10 Kellogg's cereals by 12/31, submit this form with UPCs, and receive a $10 pre-paid Mastercard for gas purchases!! Now that is a rebate I can get behind.

Piggy Paint deal today on Ecomom

2011-03-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

The deal of the day at Ecomom is pretty great today, in my opinion. If you have been following my blog, you already know that I am a fan of Piggy Paint. The stuff is $$ though, so I am always on the look-out for deals on it. Ecomom has a set today for $12.99 + free shipping! It is 2 colors (Girls Rule! and Ice Cream Dream) and a bottle of polish remover. Everywhere I have seen sets like these, they are going for $24.99 or more (!) so this is a great deal. These are perfect for Easter baskets!

The deal I mentioned for Piggy Paint at The Children's Place about a week ago is the only comparable deal I have seen for this. Although, I have heard rumors that there are bottles for $1 at the TCP brick-and-mortar store (only blue, red, and pink though). I haven't confirmed this myself.

$25 for $50 at American Apparel (store or site)

2011-03-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Buy With Me has 2 deals today that are of interest. There is one for a $50 voucher for American Apparel Online, and one for American Apparel Stores. Both vouchers cost $25, and you have to buy each one separately if you want them both.

$4 off a Plum District deal

2011-03-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

Plum District has a code for $4 off a deal today, for the first 1,000 buyers, who are also first-time buyers. This may or may not go fast... The code is plumspring11

The "everywhere" deal today is pretty great. Pay $15 ($11 if you can use the code) for $30 worth (6 months) of Menu Planning with The Fresh 20.

There is also a deal for a subscription to Parents Magazine for $5 ($1 after code!). I would recommend getting this for sure if I knew whether the Amazon coupons were going to come back after April. Unfortunately it is looking glum on that front, but the magazine sometimes has other coupons in it, and for a $1 you don't have much to lose.

$15 for ebay, pay $7

2011-03-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

Groupon has a great deal today! You pay $7 to get $15 to use at Ebay. You can try to go through Ebates for your Groupon purchase and get 3% cash-back, but people are having trouble finding this particular deal that way. Also, when you have the voucher, you can click through Ebates to get to Ebay and get some cash-back as well.

I use ebay for numerous purchases, from children's clothing to stacks of coupons. I am currently working on collecting Charlie and Lola party supplies from ebay to use at Penny's Bday party in June (yeah I'm thinking ahead).

To find this deal you must go to www.groupon.com/deals/ebay

Cheap Entertainment

2011-03-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the hardest part about being broke is that you aren't able to spend money on "frivolous" entertainment, and that can be depressing, as you sit in your living room starting at the computer screen all weekend b/c you can't afford to do anything fun. So I am always on the look-out for cheaper activities to do with my family on weekends.

Yesterday afternoon we went to the Contemporary Arts Center for Family Saturday. (4th Saturday of every month from 1-4pm). We got museum admission for free because Jon had received an email at work with a free admission pass. Occasionally he gets things like this, and it is awesome. (For my Birthday he took me to see the Burn the Floor dance show using tickets he bought for 50% off thanks to one of these emails!). The CAC's top floor is the UnMuseum, which is geared toward children. They can touch and interact with all of the art. Yesterday they had a special art activity for the kids to do, based on the Keith Haring exhibit which was on the 5th floor. The kids painted pieces of cardboard with black paint, and then once it dried they were able to do chalk drawings on it. Penny really enjoyed herself. So the CAC was free for us, but we did end up having to pay $5 to park in a garage. That's the big bummer about downtown. All of the meters we found had a 60 minute limit, so we couldn't find any on-street parking.

Yesterday evening we planned to go to a Cincinnati Cyclones hockey game. They only have a couple games left in the season, so I wanted to catch one before it was too late. I had a coupon for B1G1 tickets, which I got from a Cincinnati coupon book that my MiL gave us for xmas. I originally looked up the price of tickets and had thought they were around $7, but I was mistaken. So we paid $13 for one ticket (2nd one was free, and Penny was free b/c she's 2 yrs old). We also had a parking dilemma for this event. We could not find any on-street parking, and almost all the garages were $10. We settled on paying $5 to park in a lot, but only had $3 in cash on us. We had to get money from an ATM which had a $3 fee!! So with the fee added, we basically ended up paying $8 to park...I guess we can say we saved $2 by not parking in a garage.... but we were really mad about having to pay the fee for the ATM. I have learned my lesson and will try to keep more cash on me for times like these. It's just something I never think about b/c I hardly ever need it...

However I got burned last week by not having cash on me when Penny and I went to the Danbarry Dollar Saver Cinema to see Tangled. I was psyched b/c I had a B1G1 coupon from my Entertainment Book, so we were only going to pay $3 total to see the movie, but it turns out they only take cash there too, so I had to get money from an ATM and lost a $2 fee on that, meaning I ended up paying $5 total, which means that my coupon ended up only saving us $1.

My point in this entry is: you can definitely do things cheaply if you do some planning ahead and keep your eyes and ears peeled for free and cheap events in the city, but just remember to keep some cash on you so you don't end up ruining your deal by incurring ATM fees!

Disney Store and Carter's

2011-03-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

At the Disney Store there is a bunch of clearance on personalized items such as blankets and bath robes. You can get an extra 20% off with coupon code GIFT. Shipping is $2.95, so not too shabby.

I paid around $12 for a personalized Jack Skeleton blanket (from Nightmare Before Xmas - Penny loves that movie).

You can get 5% cash-back from Ebates!

Another great sale is at Carter's. Everything on the site is 50% off, plus you can get 20% off an order of $50+ with code: NEWBORN.

2.5% cash-back from Ebates!

Free cloth diapers and other stuff?

2011-03-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

Kanga Care has a promotion today where they are giving .01 in discounts for every Facebook fan they have. For example, right now they have about 3,500 fans, which means a $35.00 discount for every fan who orders something on the site. I can't find where all the details to the promo are, but I am told that you will have to spend $24 out of pocket, before applying the discount. And supposedly the coupon code is going to be issued sometime around 9pm EST. I don't know if the codes will work right away, or what the deal is there. I just hope the site doesn't get bogged down and overloaded and sold out too fast!
As long as this doesn't turn out to be another Franklin Goose fiasco, I think it will be an excellent deal.

So go "like" Kanga Care right now! You only have another 2 hours or so to get in on this deal!

Note: if you don't use cloth diapers, there are lots of other great things on the site that you might use, like baby carriers and toys, etc.

ETA:

Birthday Promo Details

Hey Facebook fans! For every 1 fan the Kanga Care fan page received by 3 pm (MST) on 3/24/11, Kanga Care is giving $.01 off your order! So what was the final “Fan Count”? It was 3,813 fans! That brings the birthday promo discount up to $38.13.

NOTE: We have added in a second code that is exactly 1/2 values of the "full" code so that those of our customers on a tighter budget can still participate in this birthday bash!

When: Friday, March 25th 2011

Where:www.kanga-care.com

Time: 12 (noon) - 2 pm (MST)

Discount Amount: $38.13 off your purchase of $80 or more.
Discount Code: HBS2FB ("S2" for Sebastian turning 2!)

Discount Amount: $19.06 off your purchase of $40 or more.
Discount Code: HBA5FB ("A5" for Autumn turning 5!)

Promotion Tips
Create an account on www.kanga-care.com ahead of time.
Local customers, place your order online and select "in-store pick up" to avaoid the crowds.
Local in-store customers, come before noon and be ready to check out when the code is live.
Fine Print
This discount can not be combined with any other discounts or promotions. This includes any printed or published or online coupons. Regretfully, orders made in-store may not combine the promotion with the Facebook "Check-In" 10% discount. If you do "Check-In" we will give you a 10% off rain check for your next visit. Not valid on sale or clearence merchandise. Discount is not applicable to previous transsactions and holds no cash value. Purchase does not count towards Kanga Kash reward points and Kanga Kash may not be used to pay for promotional order/merchandise. Offer is good on in-stock merchandise only and product may not be backordered. This promotion will begin at the following times in the cordinating time zones and end in 2 hours exactly: 11 am (pacific), 12 pm (mountain), 1 pm (central), 2 pm (eastern).

Klutz Books Deal

2011-03-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

If you need any gifts for an elementary-aged child, there is a decent deal on Klutz activity books. Here's how:

On Mamapedia today the deal is pay $15 for a $30 voucher for Klutz. There is a coupon code you can use on Mamapedia for 20% off the deal: MARKLUT20%
So you will pay $12 for $30 worth of product. Also, the voucher can be applied to shipping cost AND this voucher does not expire!! As a matter of fact, you can also buy more than one voucher and use them both on one order. The terms of these deal are really good and almost unheard of!

For me, shipping on Klutz is $6.66. You can go on the site and estimate shipping for your location to see if it makes the deal any less palpable for you.

I LOVED these Klutz books when I was a kid. I'm considering getting this voucher to use for my little sister's Birthday gifts. She will be turning 6. I am thinking she would like the window art kit and the paper beads kit.

Amazon Grocery Deals

2011-03-22T20:06:00.001-07:00

Since being super-pregnant and not really wanting to spend as much time on my feet shopping, especially when lugging a nearly 30 lb. toddler along, I have been ordering as many things online as possible to avoid the hassle.
I have found some great deals on grocery items at Amazon, and I thought I would highlight a few:

DH is in love with Orange and Spice tea. Right now there is an extra 15% off Lipton Teas with code: LPTONTEA. Combine with subscribe and save, and get 30% off. I bought 6 boxes of DH's fave tea for a little over $9. These are about $2.59 each at Kroger, so I saved about $7! (Note: the orange and spice tea was not listed on the page of teas when I clicked the Lipton deal. I just decided to specifically search for it on a whim, and the code worked for it.)

Organic Valley Milk has a coupon code for an extra 10% off: VALLEYM4. If you use it with a s/s (subscribe and save) item, you will get 25% off. I bought the 12 pack of strawberry milk, paying about $9 for it (.75 ea.). In store, these would have been about $1 each. I bought the strawberry flavor so Penny can have pink milk like her favorite cartoon buds, Charlie and Lola...

Haribo Candies have a code for extra 10%, so 25% with s/s: HARIBOII You can get 5 lbs of gummi bears for about $11. Yum!

I already posted previously about the Revolution Foods deal to get up to 50% off. Penny is loving her Jammy Sammies that I bought.

Something to think about is this -- if I had $1 off Lipton Tea coupons (which I'm not sure come around too often), I would be paying $1.59 ea. at Kroger. If I bought 6 boxes at this price, it would end up being a little over $9. So, by shopping online for this item instead, I basically got my after-Q price w/o having to clip the coupons or use my gas and time to go pick up the tea. And now we are good to go for a while since we will be stocked up w/6 boxes of the stuff. This is the kind of thinking I have to do before purchasing things online. If I could get a better deal by using a coupon in the store, then it might be worth it to do that instead. You have to weigh the scenarios first before getting too excited about a deal in front of your computer screen ;D But it is also important to remember that sometimes the convenience factor of having something delivered to my door is worth an extra $1...

There are many more great grocery offers this month, from teas, to olive oil (highly recommend the Zoe products), to Kellog's cereal. I only wrote about a few that I personally found useful. There may be others for products that you love. Go check out this month's Amazon grocery deals HERE.

Half Price Books coupons

2011-03-22T08:17:00.001-07:00

Here are a variety of coupons for Half Price Books that range from 20-50% off. They are all for use at different times this week. Last one expires 3/27.

20% off Carter's

2011-03-22T06:38:00.001-07:00

Carter's has a coupon code good until tomorrow (3/23) for 20% off an order of $30 or more. That basically translates to free shipping. The code is HAPPYBDAY.

You can also get 2.5% cash back from Ebates.

If you'd prefer to shop in store, you can go to the site to print out the 20% in-store coupon.

They have some good sales right now to combine this coupon with!

20% off H+M kids

2011-03-21T19:29:00.001-07:00

I have never seen a coupon for H+M, so I am going to assume they are rare, but correct me if I am wrong. I am excited to see this!

Here is a coupon for 20% off your entire kids purchase at H+M! Good until 3/27/2011. They have some of the cutest clothes around!

Free Shipping +15% off at The Children's Place today

2011-03-21T05:41:00.001-07:00

There is free shipping today at The Children's Place, no coupon code necessary. In addition, you can use the code: RETAILMENOT3C to get an extra 15% off your order. There are still a lot of cute things on sale.

You can also shop through Ebates for 3% cash back.

Personally, I bought 3 sets of @ $5.99 ea. I paid $16.26 total after code. This is the best price for Piggy Paint I have ever seen. Most places it is $9 - $10 per bottle. If you don't know what Piggy Paint is, it is a completely safe (aka no icky chemicals) nail polish made for use on children. You can read more about it here.

$8 Photo Book and Deal on photo prints

2011-03-18T21:15:00.001-07:00

There's a free photo book offer at Picaboo, for new accounts. The book is the large, classic book with 20 pages (.99 for each additional page). Shipping is about $8. This deal is good thru March 22.
The code is FREECC

There is also a great deal at Snapfish where you pay $5 for 100 photo prints. The code is PADDY20. Good through March 21. I always order prints when these codes become available. I am slowly getting all of our Europe 2009 photos printed up thru these deals!

PS There is another code for the same deal for Snapfish: STPATPRNT
I was able to use both codes, in two separate orders. You may have luck with that as well. I am not sure when this code expires.

Free Happy Baby food

2011-03-12T19:10:00.001-08:00

Head over to the Happy Family Facebook page, click on the “Gen Happy” tab (lower left hand side), then scroll down and take the Generation Happy Pledge by clicking the “Join Us” link. Just for doing so, you’ll score a coupon valid for a FREE Happy Baby Product. *Note: This coupon will be sent via email. The coupon doesn’t come automatically and could take up to a week to receive after taking the pledge.

fall into the Gap, not the trap

2011-03-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

Gap is one of those places I LOVE, but will absolutely not step foot in without a coupon because it is $$$. So I am pretty excited about this nice coupon they just put out.

Sign up to receive text messages from the Gap and they will text you a code for $25 off a $50 purchase. Just go HERE.

Cheap toddler snacks

2011-03-11T10:25:00.000-08:00

Revolution Foods brand snacks on Amazon have an extra coupon code until the end of this month.

Jammy Sammys and Mash-ups are both subscribe and save items, so you can combine the 30% off on top of the 15% subscribe and save discount. Grammy Sammys are not s/s items, but you can still use the code on them.

Last I heard there was a glitch and the coupon code was not working on the mash-ups, but I read that some people are having luck getting in touch with customer service and having the 30% applied that way. So if that is what you really want, it might take a little extra work.

Just as an example of a deal you can get. Strawberry flavored Jammy Sammys should be about $8.19 for 5 boxes of 25, or $1.64 per box. These run about $3.50 per box at BRU, so this is an excellent deal!

The code is: PLUMOR33

Thanks to My Frugal Adventures for this deal!

The Natural Store: new coupon codes

2011-03-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a great opportunity to get a deal on some things that are usually very hard to find on sale, such as natural or organic bug spray, sun screen, shampoo, etc.

The Natural Store just released a coupon code for $10 of $25.
OR
OR $20 off $50

You have to go through the links above in order to get the coupon codes to work.

Shipping is free for orders over $50 (before coupon I am assuming) so this would be a great time to stock up on some things.

I have ordered from this site before and it was a perfect transaction.

Jumbo Personalized Stockings from PBK for $16.49

2011-03-10T06:04:00.001-08:00

Pottery Barn Kids is having a big sale right now. A couple things are kind of exciting, I think. One is they have their jumbo sized quilted Santa stockings on sale for $9.99, original price is $39.99! You can add a monogrammed name for $6.50. Shipping is free on this item! So that's $16.49 for a $39.99 stocking!

They also have an Anywhere Chair in the lavender dot pattern for $94.99, down from $119.99. Shipping is not free on this item though. This is one of those things that it is hard to find a good deal on. The one I bought I didn't get on sale... but Penny loves it and has used it every single day since we bought it, so I don't regret it.

Check out the rest of the sale and see if there is anything that tickles your fancy.

Refer 4 friends, get a $20 Target gift card

2011-03-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

Plum District has a deal today where if you refer 4 friends to their site, they will send you a $20 Target gift card!! Sounds pretty simple and pretty magical to me.

Mini Social

2011-03-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

Have you joined Mini Social yet?
It's a daily deal site that often features some of the cutest stuff I see on any of these sites.

Right now they have Imagiplay toys for up to 50% off. I love these wooden puzzles!

Gorgeous Purebaby organic clothes!

Plus a bunch of other great things. If you join they will sometimes send out emails with coupon codes too. Right now they have a promotion where if you get 5 people to join (they don't have to buy anything) between March 7 - 13, you will get a $20 credit, plus $10 when your referrals make their first purchase!

Happy Green Bee socks

2011-03-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

If you have been following my blog long, you know I love Happy Green Bee clothes. Well, they have some new sock sets in their clearance section now. The socks are once size, but they have fit my daughter from about 12 months to the almost 3 yrs old that she is now. She wears a size 6.5 shoe now.

The sets are 6 pairs for $12. That is an excellent deal for organic cotton socks! Heck,I pay that much for regular cotton socks at Old Navy sometimes.

fancy shmancy diaper bag, anyone? SOLD OUT

2011-03-08T21:17:00.001-08:00

I, like many, have lusted over the Petunia Picklebottom line of diaper bags many a time. I have never considered actually buying one because, hello nearly $100 on a diaper bag, I think not. Also, I've never fancied myself as a person who cared about having a fancy diaper bag. I generally use a cheapo bookbag that I've had forever, and when Penny was wee, we had an $8 bag from Wal-mart (gasp!) that was okay. Honestly I kind of hated the thing b/c it was shoulder straps only and it was impossible to wear it comfortably while also wearing baby in a carrier, which is what I do most of the time. That's when the bookbag came into play. Baby on my front, bag on my back. Yes, I look like a pack mule. Anyways, back to my point...
For some reason I am more interested in pretty diaper bags this time around. Maybe I am just tired of frumpy things in general, and know it is going to be even harder to not turn into a walking scrunchy-head, flip-flop, sweat-pants mom lady when I have 2 littles to care for. So I feel like maybe if I have a diaper bag that doesn't scream DIAPER BAG, it will help my case. Whatever the reason, I got excited to see this deal. Thanks to Mara over on the Baby Cheapskate FB page, I was turned onto this outlet sale of Petunia Picklebottom bags. They are even organic. For $40!!!!
A
ND you can use the code "marchship" for free shipping.
Maybe people won't be staring at the spit-up on your shoulder if they are too busy admiring the gorgeous print on your bag. Maybe?

Go to Belly Dance Maternity and check out the goods!

100 photo prints for $5

2011-03-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

Snapfish has a deal right now to get 100 photo prints for $5! That's a great deal. Use code: STPATPRNT

If you happen to open a new account in order to do this deal, you also get 20 free prints for being a new customer. In that case, make sure you put 120 prints in your cart or the shipping charge will be wonky. For the 120 prints the total cost should be about $6.49 (for shipping + taxes).

Thanks myfrugaladventures!

Also, if you happen to have one of those $10 Amazon Mom codes from the baby magazines, but don't need any baby items, or don't have a baby, you can use the code to buy these photo albums that just happen to be in the baby department, but are actually very versatile. They will be $6.95 after code. I have been using them to put our 2009 European vacation photos into. They are very nice quality!

Babysteals and Hautelook

2011-03-05T11:26:00.001-08:00

There are a couple of deals on the daily-deal sites I want to highlight today.

Babysteals has Livie and Luca shoes for kids for about 45% off. These shoes are really pricey usually, so whenever they come up on a deals site I get really excited. Penny has 2 pairs of them and I am totally in love with this brand. If you want some, act fast b/c stuff on Babysteals never lasts very long. I am so in love with the mushroom shoes above, but every time they come up on a deals site, they are sold out before I can get them!

Hautelook has Kate Quinn Organics clothing, for babies and toddlers, for 50% off. This brand is fantastic quality and really adorable. Penny has a couple of things from this brand as well and they are lovely on her. The regular prices are $$$, so this is a good opportunity to get some at a more reasonable level.

priceless

2011-03-04T23:58:00.001-08:00

Okay, last post tonight, I promise...

I wanted to share something really sweet that I just recently put together, on the cheap, but the joy it brings me is priceless.

Last week there was a promotion for a free 8x10 collage print from Walgreen's. Sorry I didn't post about it, but I have not really had much time to keep up this blog like I want. Anyway, I took advantage of that deal. I almost forgot about it, but managed to put something together in the last 10 minutes it was available (assuming it ended at midnight that day). I uploaded a bunch of pictures from Penny's first few days after she was born ;D

Then I spotted a deal at Michael's where they were having 40% off all frames, and there was an extra 25% coupon in the circular as well. So I found a frame that was originally $21.99, and paid about $7.70 for it. It's a pretty nice frame too.

And here's what I came out with:

Target kitchen dept. clearance

2011-03-04T22:00:00.001-08:00

If you are in the market for a new spatula or lemon baller then you are in luck. I was at Target today and the had tons of stuff clearanced in their kitchen gadgets department. Little red stickers dotting the aisles -- one of my favorite sights to see.

I bought a metal strainer for $4, a paring knife for >$1, a dish scrub brush for $1, a slotted spoon for $4 (the whole reason I even ventured into that aisle in the first place), and a food processor for $19.98 (orig. $39.98)!

Yes, this clearance is also on things like blenders and the like. It appeared to me that things were mostly 50% off. Keep your eyes peeled!

Random: I also scored a deal on Happy Baby squeezy foods. They were .89 ea. and I had a coupon for B6G1 free that came in a baby mailer. They are good for a year, so I am going to put them in the pantry until baby boy is ready for solids...

UPS thinks I'm a loon

2011-03-04T21:52:00.001-08:00

Here's a picture of Penny sitting amidst the pile of things that came in the mail from Amazon today. I paid about $50 total for all of the things pictured (mainly $22 on the breast pump and $18 on the crocodile organizer). This was all bought with $10 Amazon codes found on little green postcards in Baby Talk and American Baby magazines that I either got in the mail, got from Babies R Us, got from my OB's office, or got through trading other random coupons and gift cards (like Kohl's and Starbucks) on the Baby Cheapskate Facebook page.

Absurd, I know!!

Pictured:
I know it's hard to see it all, but there is: iPlay sunhat, Booginhead pacifier holder, Munchkin dishwasher basket, 60 Lansinoh breast pads, Green Sprouts stacking cups, Vulli chan pie gnon toy, outlet covers + remover, waterproof organic crib pad, Lansinoh breast pump, Bumbo tray, changing pad, Thirsties diaper inserts, 12 Gerber cloth diapers (burp cloths), puppy pop-up hamper, and 3 Sprouts crocodile wall organizer. Pheweeee, that's a lot of stuff.

$15 off $15 on Totsy

2011-03-03T20:20:00.001-08:00

Totsy has issued a code for $15 off a $15 order. 15CREDIT is the code. The code does work toward shipping, which is $7.95(!), so if you can find something on the cheaper side, you can get a pretty good deal. I am considering purchasing a Safari Ltd. tube of animals. They cost $12.35, so add shipping, subtract $15, and I will pay $5.30. I think that is a fair deal for a great Easter basket item ;D

Totsy has kind of a bad reputation currently, especially for long shipping times. I have only made one order with them before, and yes, it took over a month to get my stuff. However when I did get my items (Zutano clothing) they were perfect. I will say it was around xmas time so I expected a back-up on shipping, but still a month is pretty absurd. However, they did randomly issue me a $5 credit as an apology (even though I didn't complain), which was nice. Just be warned, you will not be charged until your item ships, so don't forget and take that money out of the bank. That's how I got burned last time...

I have heard rumors that Totsy is under new management, and maybe this credit is their way of getting new customers and getting old customers to give them another try, to show that they have cleaned up their act. We will see. I want to give them the benefit of a doubt.

They have some really cute stuff, so I'm sure you can find something you like!

Another note: they plant a tree for every order!

Amazon

2011-03-03T20:14:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Penny and I took a trip to Babies R Us to chase coupons. They have free American Baby magazines there that have the coveted Amazon coupon codes inside. Unfortch, the March issue doesn't have any, but there were 9 Feb issues left, and I grabbed them all. I figure Feb is gone, so it's safe to snag. All of the coupons I got were 20% off a diaper order (YJs if you are hip to the lingo). I don't need anymore diapers at.all. so I went to Baby Cheapskate's Facebook page and traded all my 20% codes for $10 off Amazon baby department codes (5Js). I also had a few other $10s that I have gotten trading formula checks (I finally found a way to put those to use!). I also traded a $10 Starbucks gift card that I got for free on my Birthday. So needless to say, I have been slinging Amazon orders like a nutball. It's like a drug. I ran out of codes this morning, but I am hoping to score some more at my OBs office tomorrow morning (never have I looked forward to a Doc appt. so much. haha). Anyways, once all my loot arrives (I suspect I will have about 14 boxes on my doorstep tomorrow), I will take some pictures and make a "brag post". haha.

diapermania

2011-02-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, many of you probably already know about the 20% off Amazon diaper codes that are in a bunch of parenting mags these days. As well as the $10 Amazon baby store codes. I am going to do a post later highlighting all the different deals that can be had using these codes.

But real quick I just wanted to tell you about the Fuzzibunz deal b/c it is even sweeter than the rest of the cloth diaper deals, thanks to an extra code.

So a FB diaper runs about $19.95. Make sure you are purchasing one that is from Amazon and not a 3rd party seller, or the codes won't work.

Use code FUZZIMOM to take of 15%

If you can get your hands on a 20% code that starts with YJ, a 20% code that starts with YT, and a $10 code, you can stack all three of these!

So YJ would take off 20%
YT would take off another 20%
and then you can get the $10 off.

So you will end up with a FREE diaper.

Another important note: the YJ codes work on up to 3 diapers (or boxes of diapers if you are doing disposables) at a time. So if you have a YJ, YT, and $10. You can buy 3 diapers, and get 20% off on all 3 of them. Plus FUZZIMOM would work on all 3. Only one will end up getting the 20% extra from the YT. And the $10 technically applies to any order over $10. So for 3 Fuzzibuns you would pay about $23, if I am doing my math correctly!

If you are a new mom building her stash of cloth, these deals can be invaluable! When I first started CDing, I spent about $300 for 13 BumGenius 3.0s. It was a lot to drop all at once. Of course it paid off in the long run, but it would have been a million times better if I could have gotten them even cheaper!

I have also stacked these Amazon codes (except fuzzimom) to get Thirsties Duo Diapers, Grovia, and Kissaluvs AIO! The cods also work on inserts, such as Thirsties and Joey Bunz. Just make sure that whatever you are buying is sold straight from Amazon, or the codes won't work!

crap I bought today

2011-02-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

I have dropped the ball on this blog, again. Sorry dudes, I'm 35 weeks pregnant and it's hard to do much of anything these days for lack of energy, focus, motivation, etc. I haven't been couponing that hard either, so you haven't missed out on much. I didn't even buy papers last week b/c there was only one Red Plum in them and it just didn't seem worth it. But I'm trying to get back on the horse (only to get off it again soon when babe is born, I'm sure). Anywho...

Today I spent a few dollars and I thought I would share.

I bought the deal on Mamapedia Sweet Deals for a $25 voucher to Cookie Jar DVDs. It cost $10. Actually it was supposed to be $5 with a coupon code, but I had a brain fart and forgot to put the code in when I checked out. So I messaged them and was told they should be able to issue me a $5 refund. I am awaiting reply on that. But anyways, if all goes well I will be getting about 3 Richard Scarry DVDs for $5 + $3 shipping. Penny loves Richard Scarry so I think she will be pleased.

I also bought the daily deal on from Eco Mom. Yesterday I commented on their FB page about how the daily deals seem great until you calculated shipping and it is $7 or more, and that pretty much ruins the deal completely. They were very nice and replied that they were going to work on this issue and make it better for their customers. They weren't lying. Today's daily deal shipping was only $2.95. So much better! And to top it off, they offered me a $10 gift certificate just for making the comment and because they wanted me to shop their site. Now that's some good customer service right there! So today's deal was a Putamayo World Playground CD for $9.65 (orig. $15.99) + $2.95 shipping. Since I had the $10 gift certificate, I paid less than $3. If you aren't familiar with these CDs, you should be, because they are really awesome. Kids music that even a parent can love. We have the French one currently and I really enjoy it. And I will tell you I paid full price for it, so it must be good! haha

My other deal today was I took advantage of the free 8x10 collage print from Walgreen's. I ended up putting it together at 10 minutes 'til midnight, so I didn't get to really think about it much (procrastination is my middle name), but I put some pictures together from Penny's first week earth-side and I think it is going to turn out quite precious. And if not, it was free, so whatevs. I will pick it up in the store tomorrow.

Penny and I also took an adventure to Kroger, and she used the tiny cart again. SO.CUTE. I only used 2 coupons! I know, blasphemy. But we bought a bunch of produce and some other necessities that we buy regardless of coupons and sales (like Penny's coveted cereal bars that almost never have coups). It was unavoidable. I saved $5 with my coupons ($1 off Applegate Farms chicken nuggets and $4 off Zyrtec). We also got a Valentine's Puzzle from the clearance table for 15 cents.

We had dinner at Chipotle. I know, go to the grocery store and then go eat dinner at a restaurant. Pretty much silly to do. But Chipotle has been on my mind all week, and it had to be done. There is an awesome coupon available right now for B1G1 Chipotle burritos, but since Penny can't exactly handle an entire adult sized burrito herself, we did not use the coupon. However, my husband printed one out at work and split the cost with a co-worker, making his dinner tonight only $4. Nothing like a husband adopting the couponing ways.

Kroger 2/6

2011-02-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

I hit the last day of the Kroger Mega-sale last night. I saved 57%! (Spent $81, saved $106!)

I'm not going to detail my shopping trip b/c the deals are no longer valid today since almost everything I bought was part of the mega-sale which is now over...

update on Zulily coupons

2011-01-27T23:14:00.001-08:00

Apparently there are some even better coupon codes out there for Zulily (well i guess that depends on what your total is).

zusnap131 for 10% off a $30+ order
BCENTER10 for 10% off as well

Wish I'd known about this earlier. Bummer.

Zulily coupon code

2011-01-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

Until 1/31 you can get $10 off a $50+ purchase on Zulily with the code ZFSTBDAY10.
If you are in the market for a car seat, they have the wonderful Combi Coccoro seats + interlocking stroller frame for $179.99. Shipping is $16.95, but you can use the $10 to bring that down to $6.95. This is an excellent price on this product. On Amazon it would run about $250!

$20 for $40 voucher at Abe's Market

2011-01-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Today you can pay $20 for a $40 voucher for Abe's Market from Mamapedia, which is a organic, green, eco-friendly general store online. I think it is a really nice site and this is a great opportunity to get a good deal on something that would otherwise be too expensive. Typically you can get free shipping at Abe's by just sending an email to tell a few people what you bought there.

Mamapedia is a wonderful site because you can pick a school and 5% of all your purchases are donated to that school! All of my donations go to my daughter's future preschool/elementary school.

Free photo book (+ shipping)

2011-01-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

My Frugal Adventures has the scoop on how to get a photo book from Snapfish for $6.99. The book is technically free, but shipping is $7. For a book that is usually $24.99 + shipping, this is a great deal!

The code is: SOAPBOOK.

Offer available until January 22.

Maybe this will give my local friends something to do on this snow day ;)

Another Cheap Weekend

2011-01-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

Saturday we went to a Friends of the Library book sale and it was amazing! We will definitely be going to these on a regular basis. We had been to them at the downtown library before, but it is so much better to go to the warehouse b/c the selection and organization is loads better. We only bought childrens' books (b/c of course no toddler is going to let us roam the aisles of grown up books...) We spent $15.50 on a butt-load of books. Penny is very into Little Critter books right now, so we got a ton of those for .50 each. Maybe next time we can go to the sale w/o kids in tow and we can actually buy books for ourselves to read...

Today we went to the Museum Center and that was free b/c we have a pass (okay, so I guess that technically makes it not free, but rather $87 a year, but it is well worth it for how often we go).

We have a flat tire on the Buick and I just so happen to have a coupon for a free flat tire fix at Bob Sumerel from a coupon book that my MIL gave us for xmas, so that is on our agenda tomorrow.

Oh, we also bought gas this weekend, which was $2.93 a gallon at Kroger, w/o using any fuel points, and I spent $3.50 on my two newspapers this morning ;D

dead (wo)man shopping

2011-01-14T21:19:00.000-08:00

So today was a HUGE day of shopping for me because I have been sort of snowed-in for 3 days + I had lots of Qs about to expire.

Old Navy is having 40% extra off their clearance. I got a boatload of stuff there. Spent $82, saved $238. My little boy is now clothed until the age of 2 I think. hahaha

I went to TJ Maxx to try to find a good deal on a moses basket. They didn't have any, but they were having a huge store-wide clearance sale, so I found a few goodies. I got a Melissa and Doug puzzle for Penny for $4, a pair of Izod baby shoes for $3, and a Beatrix Potter sticker story book for $3 (saving this for Easter basket).

I hit up Toys R Us for the great deal on Babyganics wipes I read about on My Frugal Adventures today. I bought 6 of the 120 ct. packs @ clearance price of $2.98 ea. B1G1 = $8.94 (that's about .01 per wipe!). I bought 10 of the 30 ct. packs @ clearance price of .98 ea. B1G1 = $4.90 (that comes out to less than .02 per wipe). I also bought 2 packs of Take n' Toss straw cups (Penny's preferred drinking vessel these days) @ $3.49 ea B1G1 50% off + I used a rewards coupon from my email that was B1G1 50% off any meal accessories. So I ended up paying $1.61 per pack. In addition, I bought the Graco Room Full of Fun (stroller, bouncer, etc. for baby dolls) that was on sale for $19.99 (orig. $34.99) and used the $10 in rewards certificates that I had, making it $9.99. I plan on giving this to Penny after the baby is born so she can take care of her babies in some of the same ways I am. I think that will help her adjust.
I paid $30.08 for everything, and saved $41.46.

I went to Target to see if there was anything left in the 75% off toy clearance. There really wasn't. It had been totally ambushed. I did find an adorable tent for Penny that looks like a tree stump (not pictured b/c I left it in the car trunk) for $20, orig. $30. That's not the best deal ever, but I've had my eye on this for a while, so I jumped. Other than that I got a few grocery deals and a couple of clearance shirts for the boy (I know I'm nuts). The clothes cost $8.28 (sorry, dunno orig. prices right now). Here's my grocery deals:
*Juicy Juice 8 pk. of juice boxes @ $1.97 - this is the reg. price, but Targ is the cheapest place to get them, so I always do.
*2 Pace salsas @ $2.99 ea. - used .50/1 MFQ and .50/2 Targ Q = $2.49 ea. (not sure if this is that great of a price or not...)
*Newman's Own Organic sauce @ $1.89 (price cut) - I always buy Newman's at Targ b/c it is the lowest price all the time as well. I usually have a Q, but didn't this time. However I was pretty psyched that the Organic was on price cut to be the same price as non-O.
*3 Kraft shredded cheese @ 2.04 ea. - used .75/1 Targ Q and $1/2 Targ Q = $1.46 ea.
*2 Kashi bars @ $2.65 ea. - used $1/2 Targ Q = $2.15 ea.
*1 World's Best Cat Litter @ $7.49 - will submit rebate = FREE

Suitcases

2011-01-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

If anyone is in the market for a suitcase, Target had clearance on a ton of luggage stuff that I saw tonight. Most specifically a a giant and adorable patterned (girly) suitcase that was originally $70, marked down to $34. It took a lot of willpower for me not to buy that, but I figure what is the point in getting my hopes up that we are going on a vacation anytime soon that would warrant that huge of a suitcase ;(

Cheapskate Weekend

2011-01-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we were really good about not spending money with no abandon.

Saturday we hung around the house, then went for lunch at Steak n' Shake. Penny and I both had coupons for free meals for our Birthdays and Jon had a coupon for a meal for $4.49. We all drank water and bought 1 cookie to share at the end for 59 cents. Our bill was $5.74 + tip. So we 3 had a good time and some yummy (and fattening) food for $8.74. Not bad I say! Then we hung out at a friend's house, which is always free.

Sunday we went to a free string concert put on by the Linton Music Peanut Butter and Jam Sessions. These are concerts put on to introduce kids to instrumental music and such. We had a blast. There was also an elementary kid art show "opening" and a demonstration of different classes held at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center. Penny's favorite was the Circus Mojo classes. I would love to be able to put her in some of those one day. Penny also got to do a little art project with one of the art teachers. And there was free hot chocolate and cookies. We had to drag Penny out of the place b/c she was having so much fun.

I found out about the Linton Music thing in Cincinnati Family Magazine which I picked up at my OB's office. They always have a monthly calendar of family-friendly activities around the area, and they list which ones are free.

To top off our cheap weekend, we even got $10 of free gas by using a gift card that we ordered with our PNC points!

In addition, even though Monday is obvs not part of the weekend, I would like to add to this post that today Penny and I treated ourselves to a trip to Half Price Books (after Penny's dentist appt I thought she might like to do something fun). We had a 15% off coupon (and I think we got a few extra bucks off b/c I used to work with the guy who rang us out), so we spent $13 and got 2 hard back children's books, 2 paperback children's books, a Skippyjonjones book that has jigsaw puzzles in it, and a set of Thomas the Tank Engine cards that you can write on with a dry erase marker to help learn ABCs. Not too shabby!
Plus I went grocery shopping tonight and saved 51% (this does not count closeout savings though, so actually I saved more than that).

Kroger 1/6

2011-01-06T20:39:00.001-08:00

Pen and I had to make a quick trip to Kroger today b/c we needed a few things for dinner, etc. I let her use one of those little kid carts and people were just freaking out over how cute she looked pushing the thing. haha. I wish I'd had my camera on me. She was so helpful and sweet the whole time.
Anywho, here's what we got:

3 Hunt's Snack packs @ $1 ea. - used .60/3 MFQ (from All You) and it dbls to $1 = .67 ea.
4 Kashi Crisp cereal @ $1.99 ea. (after the $4 off if you buy 4) - used (1) $3/1 MFQ and (3) $1/1 MFQs from Vocal Point = .49 ea.
1 Chocolate Silk 1/2 gallon (not pictured) @ $2.99 - used $2/1 MFQ (from ebay) = .99
1 clove garlic @ .34
bananas @ .65
organic apples @ $2.99/bag - used $3 off produce wyb 3 Kashi products (peelie) = FREE
mushrooms @ $1.95
2 cans Kroger spinach @ .65 ea.
1 Horizons organic box of Tuberz yogurt @ $1.69 (clearance)
2 Softsoap @ .88 ea. - used (2) .35/1 MFQs = .18 ea.
Buitoni parmesan @ $3.69
Watermelon cup @ $2.63 (this was Penny's "impulse buy" haha)

OOP = $18.92

Saved $26.62 aka 58%!!

Birthday Freebies and Qs

2011-01-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

My Birthday is at the end of this month (26 yrs old, whoopdeedoo), so I have been getting all kinds of goodies in my email and snail mail for free and cheap stuff. I just wanted to put the word out that if you want to have a Birthday month full of free stuff, then you should join some mailing lists!

Some of the stuff I have gotten so far, off the top of my head:

Free steakburger and fries from Steak n' Shake
15% off coupon for Children's Place (online or in-store)
$20 off and order of $50 from Delia's
10% off an order from Yes to Carrots
$10 off any order from Victoria's Secret (came in my snail mail)

I already used the $10 VS coupon at the Semi-Annual Sale. I scored 6 pairs of undies for $14!

Here is a nicely compiled list of Birthday freebies you can sign up for, courtesy of Frugal Living TV.

Diaper Bags deal

2011-01-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

If you are in the market for a diaper bag, as I am, you will be interested in the ones that are on Gilt right now. This is another one of those flash deal sites and it's one that I have had great experience with. Shipping takes a little longer, but they give you a good estimate of when to expect your items. Right now they have a variety of diaper bags for really great prices. I personally like the Skip Hop Duo Deluxe bags, like the one pictured above. They are on sale for $27, usually $54! This is the best deal you will see on these. I have been tracking this bag on Amazon for a while now and it has never gone below $44. Another great thing about Gilt is that you can get free shipping for just sending email invites to 10 friends!

If you would rather have a more gender neutral or manly diaper bag, check out the Diaper Dude sale at Totsy. The one above is $27.18 (orig. price $98!). Shipping on Totsy is a little price at around $8, but that would still be a good deal for these bags. Also, they tend to take a long time to ship, so don't buy anything from them expecting it by a certain date, but other than the long shipping time I haven't had any issues with ordering from this site. I got some adorable Zutano clothes from them not too long ago. Check RetailMeNot for any current coupon codes.

Plum District: $25 for $50 in cute kids' clothes

2011-01-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, by now you know I am a sucker for quality, cute kids' clothes. Today there is a good deal on Plum District for the website Poppy's Closet. Pay $25 for a $50 voucher (free shipping for an order over $100). The site has a variety of different brands, all adorable!

Wag's Trip 1/3

2011-01-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

Well I have been off the Wag's wagon for quite a while now, but since my crazy semester is over and I have more time on my hands now, I decided to jump back in. So I took a trip today (with Penny in tow) and got a few things. I paid more OOP than I usually would since I didn't have any RRs to start out with. Here's what I got:

Transaction #1
2 Halls @ $1 ea. - used $1/2 MFQ = .50 ea.
1 Finish @ $3.49 - used $2.25 MFQ = $1.24 + got $1.50 RR = .26 moneymaker!
2 Blue Diamond almonds 1 lb. bags @ $4.99 ea. - used .75/2 MFQ = $4.62 ea. (these are $7.99 usually!)
4 Reese's cups @ .49 ea. - used in-ad Q to make them .49 and (2)B1G1 MFQs (these actually took off the pre-Q price of .89 I think) = Free-ish?
1 Children's Oscillinium flu med @ $8.99 - used $2/1 printable = $6.99 + got $9 RR = $2.01 moneymaker!
1 Huggies little snugglers @ $6.99 - used $2.50/1 printable = $4.49

OOP = $24.53
+ got $10.50 RRs
net = $14.03

Trans #2
1 Finish = .26 MM
1 Oscillinium = $2.01 MM

OOP = $9.04
+ got $10.50 RR
net = 1.46 profit!

NOTE: I couldn't use my RRs from trans #1 to pay for trans #2 b/c you can't use an RR to buy the same deal again and get the RR again. If that doesn't make sense, go to one of the blogs on my list and read there FAQ about how to deal with Wag's. Their program can be a bit complicated...

Trans #3
Hamster slippers @ $9.99 (this was a total impulse buy, but I just thought they were so cute and I have been wanting to get Penny some slippers, so I seized the day).

- used $9 RR
OOP = $1.64

So in total I spent $35.21 and have $12 RRs left to use on my next purchase. Plus I got 2 catalinas for free Breath Rite strips. Free is always nice.

According to my receipts $42.73 with sales and MFQs. In other words, I saved more than I spent, which is always a goal.

Cheap Crepes!!

2010-12-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

A fantastic Cincinnati Groupon today! Pay $6 for $12 worth of food from It's Just Crepes! So delicious!!!

Easy way to earn swagbucks!

2010-12-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

My eyes were just opened up to an amazing new way to earn swagbucks. So if you go HERE and print up these coupons (which are the same ones that are on coupons.com that you would be printing anyways) and use them at the store (whatever store it may be), you will earn 10 swagbucks for every coupon redeemed!!! (takes 8 - 12 wks for SBs to show up in your account, but still.)

How amazing is this? Basically I will be earning swagbucks for doing something I was doing already anyways. Double whammy!

20% off Michael's

2010-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Save 20% on you entire purchase at Michael's until Dec. 24th with this coupon. You can also use a 40% off one item coupon in the same transaction. Great for last-minute xmas gifts. They have lots of Mel and Doug toys too. I know the coupon doesn't work on storybooks, and I'm sure there are other restrictions, so make sure you read the fine print.

Mudpuppy Puzzles!

2010-12-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

Zulily has Mudpuppy Puzzles right now. Most of them are about $5.99 - $9 (usually at least $10-$17). I bought some of these puzzles on another site for Penny for xmas and now I'm mad b/c I paid more for them, and I want the Charlie and Lola one from Zulily! haha. Anyways, these are the absolute BEST puzzles for little toddler hands and minds. I highly recommend them! Check it out!

Use code: coupcab104 for 10% off an order of $30+

15% off Tea Collection!

2010-12-17T19:11:00.001-08:00

Tea Collection is my new favorite for baby/toddler/kid clothes. Their stuff is so gorgeous!! If you want to get 15% off your first order, register through THIS LINK. You will then get an email with a code for 15% off.

Shipping is a bit pricey at $8, but they do have an upgrade for 3-day shipping right now, which is nice. Shipping is free for orders over $150.

75% off babylegs!!

2010-12-17T18:44:00.000-08:00

Baby Legs is having a great sale right now! Order $75 worth of items off the clearance page and you can use code WINTER75 for 75% off. I got 6 pairs of baby legs and 4 pairs of socks for $20.

Hurry b/c these things will go fast!

Plan Toys Miracle Pounding toy $7.88

2010-12-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

This toy is usually $34.99!! Holy moley. It's at $7.88 right now. Check it.

Toys!!

2010-12-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

I love toys, it is true.

There are some seriously fantastic deals right now on Amazon. I was just looking through the list of "toys and games for under $4.99". It is totally worth a gander. Go check it out!

Head's Up: Meijer Deal 12/15 and 12/16

2010-12-14T19:58:00.000-08:00

Meijer is havnig a 2 day sale 12/15 - 12/16. I got an ad in my mail today (it was stuck in the middle of the junk ads with pizza coupons and stuff) that had a coupon for 10% off a general merchandise transaction of $19.97+. These ads may also be available in the store, but I don't know for sure.

What I am thinking is that you can maximize this 10% off by stacking it with coupons and sales. Here are some ideas:

U-Build Battleship game is on sale for $12 - use the $5/1 printable from Hasbro - pay $5.80 after 10% off.

It's possible Meijer could carry the travel size Hungry Hippos game and you could use the $5/1 printable for that to get it for free or very cheap. I am also going to check the price on the full size version to see if it would be decent with coupons.

If you are in the market for games, I suggest checking prices for all the games listed on the Hasbro coupons and you might score a decent deal.

There is a $3/1 printable for the 500 count Bendaroos on Coupons.com. Last time I checked this was priced at $19.99, so it would be $15 after Q and 10% discount. Maybe we will get lucky and this will be on sale for cheaper.

There are several DVD printables on Coupons.com as well. Check the prices on those and see if matching Qs will bring you a good deal.
If you want the Shrek Forever DVD, there is a printable for that, as well as a rebate here.

There is also a $5 rebate available for Beauty and the Beast DVD.
And if you buy that you can get a free charm bracelet here.

Or a $5 rebate for Toy Story 3.

There's a $5/1 Tinkerbell Great Fairy Rescue coupon here.

I don't know what the Meijer prices are for these DVDs, but if you want any of them, take a look and see if it is a worthwhile deal when you combine the 10% coupon, MFQs, and rebates.

I'm sorry I can't go check the prices for these things and report back, but I won't be able to make it to Meijer until late on Thursday, and by then the sale will be almost over, so pointless to report back here.

Pop Goes Froggio $6.19!

2010-12-13T18:57:00.000-08:00

This seems like a really cute game for pre-schoolers and I was thinking about getting it for Penny. Well the price went down to $6.19 on Amazon (20.99 list price), so it is now a steal!

$15 for $50 credit to store.ecomom.com

2010-12-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

Eco Mom is running a deal where you can get a $10 credit to their site by posting your favorite item on Facebook. Get the scoop here.

In addition, today's daily deal is $25 for a $50 credit to the site. So if you get your $10 email in time, you will be able to buy the $50 credit for $15 OOP!

**It looks like the email had to be sent by 8pm tonight, but I sent mine at 9:20pm and still got the email code, so maybe you will still have some luck with this..

Plan rocking horse for $21!!!

2010-12-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

The Plan Toys arabian rocking horse is $21 right now on Amazon, down from $69.99!!! Act fast if interested because Amazon prices can change quickly.

babylegs coupon code

2010-12-12T23:25:00.000-08:00

Get $5 off any order at Babylegs. Shipping is free. There are some on the sale page that are $6, so after code, they would only cost $1!!

WELCOME5

JC Penney 12/11

2010-12-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had to go to JC Penney to pick up a couple of things I shipped to the store. It was two gifts for my F.A.C.E. adopted family. I got good deals on these (using coupon codes with sales + free shipping to store), but I don't remember the exact details, so I'm not going to post about those now.

I also had a $10 off any $10+ order coupon that I got in the mail. So I hit up the clearance rack in the baby section and found 2 outfits (pictured above) for our baby boy. I paid 40 cents!!

For the record, they are also having an amazing sale on Carter's (tons of stuff 50% off) plus they have a ton of Carter's stuff on clearance. And surprisingly I actually thought a lot of it was cute --I am usually not a big fan of the stuff, too cutesy. The customer service rep checked for me and said that the Carter's sale is running until Sept!, so no need to rush out, but if you are looking for Carter's, maybe JCP is the place to go.

There is a printable coupon for $10 off $25 HERE. (I can't vouch for it being accepted in-store because I haven't tried it yet).

You can also sign up for JC Penny Rewards for some extra bonuses.

*Oh, it looks like a lot of the same Carter's stuff is on sale online too! Ship to store for free shipping.

Search for coupon codes. I found SHOP4LIZ for $10 off $50. I'm sure there will be more codes coming out, as they always are.

**3% cash-back from Ebates!

Discount on Organic toys and clothes for kids

2010-12-10T18:34:00.001-08:00

Wild Dill has a coupon code for 20% off right now: holiday20

If you still happen to have the Eversave credit that was around a couple months ago, you are in luck. I was able to use my Eversave code and the coupon code together!! If you buy some sale merch, you can get an even better deal ;D

2010-12-09T19:27:00.001-08:00

Here is a coupon for $10 off a $10 purchase at Hallmark. I don't think this is a fraudulent copy, but I know that the coupon is no longer available on Hallmark's website, so YMMV. Worst that can happen is they refuse the coupon. Worth a try I think. Others have said it has been working for them...

Misha Lulu 50% off!!!

2010-12-08T08:10:00.000-08:00

Misha Lulu is probably my favorite clothing company of all time, for little girls. I have bought some of their pieces on Ebay, but generally the brand is way to expensive for me to afford. However, right now (until 12/11) Mini Social has Misha Lulu clothes for 50% off!!! Go take a look!

In fact, I am seeing a TON of adorable brands there today. So cute, it hurts.

For QQs with a sense of humor.

2010-12-06T18:20:00.001-08:00

http://i.imgur.com/TB5yL.jpg

Enjoy.

Kroger trip 12/5

2010-12-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

I just had an amazing trip to Kroger! I love mega-sales!! *denotes items in mega-sale, prices listed after discount

My best deals:

Silk chocolate mint quart $2.49 - used .55/1 MFQ (dbl to $1) and $1/1 eCpn = .49
Nature Valley Granola bars @ $2.89 - used FREE kroger Q from mailer and .50/1 eCpn = .50 profit!
Applegate farms chicken nuggets @ $4.34 (on sale from $5.79) - used $1/1 MFQs (mailed to me from company) = $3.34 ea. (these are really fancy organic, no hormone, etc.)
*Chex mix @ $1.49 used .75/2 MFQ from MyGathering and (1) .50/1 eCpn = $.73 ea.
Nature Made vitamin B @ $7.59 B1G1 - used (1) $1/1 MFQ = $3.29 ea.
Pillsbury crescent rolls @ $1.49 ea. - used .40/2 MFQs (dbls to .80) and (1) .50/1 eCpn = $1.68 for 2
Pillsbury sweet rolls @ $1.69 ea. - used (2) .50/1 MFQs and .40/1 eCpn = .99 ea.
Softsoap @ .69 - used .50/1 MFQ from All You (dbls to $1) = FREE
Suave deoderant @ .88- used .50/1 MFQs = FREE
*Private Selection sorbet @ $3.49 - used .75/1 Cat = $2.49
Organic private selection spinach @ $2.50 - used $1/1 Kroger Q from mailer = $1.50
Organice private selection basil @ $3.99 - used .40/1 Kroger Q from mailer = $3.19
Minute brown rice singles @ $1.79 - used $1/1 MFQ = .79
*Mom's Naturals cereal @ .99 (I bought 8 of these b/c we love this brand)
Alexia frozen fries @ $2 - used $1/1 MFQ from All You = $1
Silk chocolate @ $2.99 - used $2/1 printable (bought from ebay) = .99
*Kashi crackers @ $2.49 - used $1/1 MFQ from mailed free sample = $1.49
+ bought 2 Kashi protein bars at $1.59 ea. - used $3 off produced wyb 3 Kashi products!
Ronzoni pasta @ $1 - used .75/1 = FREE
*Barilla pasta @ $1.49 - used (3) B1G1 MFQs from Vocalpoint = $5.97 profit (because it took off the price before mega-sale discount which was $1.99)
P&J's frozen burrito (organic) @ $2.39 - used $1.25/1 Kroger Q from mailer = $1.14
*Kleenex @ .99 - used (2) .50/3 MFQs (dbls to $1) = .66 ea. (I bought 6 b/c I use tissues like it's my job)
*Hunt's diced tomatoes (giant cans!) @ .99 - used $1.25/3 Kroger Q from mailer = .57 ea.
Hansen Naturals apple juice @ $1.49 (50% off sale! - I bought 5 and wished I had room for more b/c I love this stuff and won't pay $3 for it)

Believe it or not, these are only the BEST deals. I got lots of other great deals as well!

Spent OOP: $109. 83
Saved:$109.99!!!

I saved $38.53 in MFQs
$71.46 in store coupon and Kroger plus savings ($15 of that was from mega-sale)

I think this might have been the first time I saved more than I spent at Kroger!

Baby Star Sale!

2010-12-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

Baby Star is having an excellent sale right now. This is a company for organic and sustainable clothing for babies and toddlers. I love their products!

Right now get 50% off any order over $25 with code: FESTIVE

+FREE SHIPPING on all orders!!

Ebates has 7% cash back!

$50 for $140 of Polarn O. Pyret Clothing!!

2010-12-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

At Plum District today (another deal-a-day site), they have a deal where you pay $50 for $100 worth of Polarn O. Pyret children's (and maternity) clothing (you can buy up to 3 of these vouchers, but I'm not sure if you can use more than one on an order). This brand is usually prohibitively expensive, so I have nothing from there, but I am told time again that their quality is amazing (heirloom quality) and I think their clothing is super adorable! To make this deal even better, there is a rare coupon code for 30% off a purchase: SEEKAIPOP.

So basically you can get $140 worth of amazing quality Swedish clothing for $50 + 7.95 for shipping (shipping is free on orders over $150 if you want to really go crazy).

Kohl's codes

2010-12-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

So lately Kohls.com has been having some amazing deals. I have gotten a Shark steam mop, some slippers, a pillow pet, a child's apron, and a blender all this week for fantastic prices.

They just released some new coupon codes:

NEXTORDER20 for 20% off
FREECCDEC for free shipping

The great thing about Kohl's is that you can stack coupon codes, so you can use both of these at the same time. Use the codes on something that is already on sale and voila, you have a kick-ass deal!

Tis the Season for Mailbox Goodies

2010-12-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

I thought I might share what has been arriving in my mail the last few days. These are all freebies and cheapies that I have been pointed toward from my favorite blogs My Frugal Adventures and Coupon Clippin' Carrie. Well, aside from the Charlie and Lola DVD and the pajamas --those were my own finds.

*Box of 405 Legos: $15 (50% off) + free shipping with Prime. An Amazon daily deal.
*Set of lip glosses: $3.20 (50% off) after 10% coupon code + free shipping. Target Daily Deal.
*Set of make-up brushes: $3.20 (50% off) after 10% coupon code + free shipping. Target Daily Deal.
*4 bags of Silly Bands (actually an offbrand): .99 ea. + free shipping.
*Juno Baby DVD: Free!
*Cat in the Hat PJs: $8.94 - from Zulily. Original price $28! They were priced at $12.99 on the site, shipping was $5.95. I had a $10 credit from a referral! Penny has been obsessed with Cat in the Hat lately so I was excited when I saw these.
*2 Melissa and Doug puzzle boxes (4 puzzles in each). $5 each (orig. price $14 ea.) This was from a Black Friday online sale at Carter's. I also used a 20% off code which basically gave me free shipping.
*Charlie and Lola DVD: $6.49 on Amazon (over 50% off). Free shipping with Prime. I believe that price is still accurate if you are interested.
*270 address labels: $3 (price of shipping) from Vista Print. I'm actually am using them for Penny's Books and they say "This Book Property of".
*20 AA batteries for $5.94 and 28 AAA batteries for $8.24. This was a fantastic price from Amazon. Free shipping with Prime and I got 15% off for subscribe and save. Hopefully I won't be running out of batteries for a while!
*Ester-C Sample: free of course. Came with a $2 coupon.

And today I got my Children's Place order from the Black Friday Sale where fleece pants and pull-overs were $5 each. I used a 20% off code and free shipping to get 3 items for $12!

I think I need to bake some cookies for my mail carriers.

Free American Baby Mag

2010-11-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

Whenever free Magazine subscriptions come around I almost always order them, if only just for the random coupons you can get from them. I just recently got a $10 off Thomas Train coupon from Parents' Mag that I stacked with a Target coupon to get a $24.99 toy for only $2.49. And I've gotten loads of free pasta from Ronzoni coupons that I've found in mags. My point is, it's worth it to get the subscription for free and look for the Qs in it, even if you don't read the mag yourself.

So here you can get a free subscription to American Baby Magazine!

TRU deal for me.

2010-11-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

Today I bought this Graco pack n' play. I've had my eyes out for deals on these and found something similar on Craigslist for $40. However, this one sells in stores for $69.99. I had a 20% off one baby item coupon, plus $11 left on a gift card that I got for free for making a baby registry. So I paid about $46 oop for this. $6 more than CL, but it's not used, I don't have to drive to someone's house to get it, and it is in the pattern I actually want. Plus this month TRU has 10% back for rewards card members, so I will get $4.60 back as a coupon later too. Seems like a pretty good deal to me!

Old Navy clearance clothing haul!

2010-11-19T22:30:00.001-08:00

I hit up Old Navy yesterday. They had an unadvertised sale for extra 50% off clearance prices, PLUS I had a 30% off coupon that I printed (expired yesterday). I cleaned the place out!!

I spent $108. I tallied up how much everything would have cost if I'd paid full price and it was $517!!!

I got basically a whole wardrobe for baby #2, a bunch of clothes for Penny, a few shirts for myself, and some nice sweaters and undies for DH.

Some of my favorite deals were maternity pants for $2.50, flip-flops for .17, and Jon's sweaters for $4.37. But really everything I got was insanely cheap. Check out the pictures of my haul!!

Saved 47% at Kroger

2010-11-19T22:12:00.000-08:00

Let me first just say that I LOVE to grocery shop on Friday nights. That makes me lame, okay. But the best mark-downs are at this time, and there is absolutely no one else in the store, so I can shop leisurely and no traffic jams. The one cashier that is working isn't too please when I pull up with my cart full of food and a fistful of coupons, but she copes.

Tonight I spent $84.56 and saved $75.37!!

I am not going to break down every single thing I bought b/c I'm tired, but I will tell you some of my favorite deals...

Barbara's Cereals @ $4.49 ea. - I bought 4 and used 2 B1G1 printables and 2 $1/1 printables = $6.98 total ($1.75 ea. for fancy organic cereal!)

Mirra bath pillow and poofy @ $4.99 and $1.49 = $6.48 - used $5/2 MFQ (from entertainment book) = $1.48 for both. I am psyched about the bath pillow b/c I can use it for my birth tub!

Barilla Plus pasta @ $2.29 ea. - bought 5 - used (2) B1G1 and (1) FREE MFQ from Vocal Point = $4.58 for all 5 (.92 per box)

4 Dole jarred fruit in real juice (new product) @ $1 - used (2) $1/2 MFQs = .50 ea. (and I got a .75/2 catalina at check-out!)

Better Oats oatmeal @ $1 ea. - bought 4, used 2 B1G1 printables = $2 for all ($.50 ea.)

2 Kettle Chips giant bags on sale for $3 ea. - used $1/2 printable = $2.50 ea.

Tombstone pizza FREE - used coupon I got in a Kroger mailer

3 Kashi protein bars @ $1.59 ea. - used peelie for $3 off produce wyb 3 Kashi products! = $4.77 for 3 bars and $3 worth of produce

Kroger shredded cheddar @ $1.67 ea. - used $1/2 from kroger mailer = $1.17 ea.

Alexia frozen french fries @ $2 - used $1/1 MFQ = $1

Hansen's natural apple juice @ $1.49 - no coupons but this is 50% off the normal price and this is the best apple juice ever! I bought 4.

2 Airwick Candles @ $3.99 ea. - used (2) $3/1 MFQs = .99 ea. (these are supposedly free after Q at target, but I didn't find them there)

Renuzit air freshener @ $1 - used $1/1 printable from FB = FREE

Plus quite a few other good deals!

Saved 54% at Kroger

2010-11-07T21:59:00.000-08:00

I just spent $87.86, saved $103.40 at Kroger!
I have been off my coupon horse for a while just from being so busy with school and other things, but I finally got all my Qs organized again and was able to do a little planning this week for a trip to the mega sale. I think I did really well for being so rusty. I'll go ahead and give the details just b/c it has been so long. Asterisks denote items from the mega sale, and all prices reflected are after discount:

2 Cascadian Farms cereals @ $2.99 ea. - used $1/2 peelie = $3.98 for both
1 Cascadian Farms bars @ $2.99 - used FREE wyb 2 cereals = FREE
2 Barilla Plus pasta @ $2.29 - used $1/2 MFQ = $3.58 for both
2 Chocolate Silk soymilk @ $2.99 ea. - used (2) $2/1 printables (from ebay) = .99 ea.
1 Nutella @ $3.59 - used $1/1 MFQ = $2.59
5 Stonyfield yogurts @ .79 ea. - used B4G1 free = .63 ea. (and I get stonyfield pts from these!)
1 Earth's Best frozen meal @ $3.29
1 Goodlife cat food @ $5.79
*1 Colgate toothbrush @ $1 - used .75/1 printable = FREE
*8 Carnation evaporated milk @ .69 ea. - used (4) .50/1 MFQs = .19 ea.
*5 Annies Mac n Cheese @ .49 ea.
*1 Blue Diamond Almond Breeze @ $1.99 - used .55/1 blinkie and .55 eCoupon = .44
*2 Propel @ .49 - used B1G1 = FREE (because it takes off the pre-discount price of .99)
*1 Imagine organic chicken broth = $1.99
*2 Finish dishwashing gelpacs @ $2.99 ea. - used (2) $1.50/1 MFQs = $1.49 ea.
*3 cans Campbell's cream soups @ .49 ea.
1 can Campbell's condensed soup @ $1.50 - used .25/4 MFQ and $1.50/1 eCoupon = .97 for all 4 soups
*5 Swanson broths @ .49 ea. - used $1/5 MFQ = $1.45 for all 5
1 big Kroger apple juice @ $2.69
1 Kroger orange juice half gal. @ $1.99
1 Mom's naturals cereal @ $2.29
1 organic pear @ $1.49/lb. = .97
3# organic gala apples = $2.29
1 big bag Reese's pieces @ $2.50 - used $1/1 MFQ = $1.50 (today's craving!)
1 Kroger raisin bran @ $2
2 Food Should Taste Good chips @ $2 ea. - used (2) $1/1 MFQs = $1 ea.
Bananas @ .38/lb. = .73
Organic bananas @ .49/lb. = $1.14
Brussel's sprouts @ $1.99
Country Crock margarine @ $3.09
Kroger bread @ $1
2 Mirra bamboo back scratchers @ $1.49 ea. - used (2) $1/1 MFQs = .49 ea.
1 Crayola fingerpaints @ $5.99 (splurge.)
1 clearance halloween wreath @ $1.99 (saved $7.49)
1 clearance Halloween apron @ $4.25 (saved 12.74)
1 clearance Halloween costume @ $3.75 (saved $11.24)
2 newspapers @ $1.75 ea.

MFQ coupon savings = $27.32
Store savings = $76.08
Total coupons = $103.40

OOP = $87.86

The only things I bought that weren't on sale were Nutella, cat food, Mom's cereal, margarine, and some of the produce. But I had a coupon for the Nutella ;D

Text Book time again

2010-08-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

How I am saving on textbooks this semester:
I'm having a little trouble because one of my classes (statistics) has a book that is unique to NKU and you can't find it anywhere online, and one of my other classes is an informatics class with a custom package of stuff. I might be able to find the stats book by asking around and looking on forums like craigslist, but my chances are slim. It's $116 in the on-campus book store. I might be able to get a few dollars cheaper at the off-campus one... I know I can resell this one though b/c I have done it before (yeah it's my second time taking the class, don't judge) and I think I made like $70 back on it. BTW, I never sell them back to the bookstore, I always take it into my own hands. It's just like selling a car, you will make more if you do the legwork instead of trading it in.

The informatics one I am probably SOL and will have to pay $130!!!! for it. Hopefully I can re-sell it and make some money back when I'm done.

But I have had two scores:
My book for Ethics is about $32 new. I found a used one on Amazon Marketplace for $7.11 + $3.99 shipping = $11.10, saved about a 66%

My book for Psych of Personality is about $186 new ($142 on Amazon new), my school rents it for $86, but that is still ridic to me, so I checked out Chegg.com and they rent it for $56 + shipping. I searched and found a coupon code for 10% off! So I ended up paying about $60.77 which is another savings of about 66%. And Chegg has a 30 day guarantee, so if I decide to not take the class or find out we won't actually use the book, I can return the book within 30 days and get a full refund minus shipping costs.

My french class I already have the book for, and I had a major score on that one too, as I detailed a long time ago HERE.

On the plus side, last night I made 2 sales on half.com, selling some old text books from previous semesters. I made $132. So that at least covers my cost of the informatics book.

This is my last semester!!!!!

My last big Kroger trip

2010-08-08T17:58:00.001-07:00

I had a request to post what a basic trip to the grocery store for the necessary things looks like for me. I plan and match my Qs with sales the best I can, but sometimes you just need bread and broccoli asap and there's not much you can do about prices, so I just try to balance it out with getting some things free/cheap and paying extra for some other things that I want natural/organic/etc.

This was my trip from July 18. There was a Mega Sale going on at the time. Mega Sale items denoted by * - prices listed before .50 discount.

2 Boca products @ 2.69* - used $1/2 MFQ = $2.19 ea.
2 Quaker Quakes @ 1.49* - used (1) $1/1 Cat = .49 and 1.49
Arizona Tea gallon @ 2.99 (sale) - for Jon ;D
2 Welch's 100% grape juice @ 2.99* - used (2) $1/1 MFQs = $1.99 ea.
2 Boulder Canyon chips @ $1.49* - used $1/2 Print Q = $1 ea.
2 large Kroger cottage cheese @ 1.99
Kroger half&half @ $1.09
Horizon organic milk gallon @ $3.09 (clearance 50% off b/c it was near expiration date, but was good for at least a week)
Degree deoderant @ $2* - used $1/1 MFQ = $1 (yeah I still can't find a natural deodorant that I like)
3 Rold Gold can tomatos @ .99* ea. - used $1/3 MFQ = .33 ea. (did you know there is more lycopene in canned toms?)
1 Sargento cheese @ 2.38* - used .55/1 MFQ = $1.38* (after dbl Q)
Horizon organic vanilla milk singles 3 pk. @ 2.49* - used $1/1 peelie found on Cascadian Farms cereal = $1.49
Kroger organic raisins (giant bag!) @ 3.99
Digiornio deep dish pizza @ 3.19 - used FREE Q from request mailer = FREE
4 Breyer's ice cream @ 2.47* - used (2) $1/2 MFQs = 1.97 ea.
16 oz. Kroger shredded cheddar @ 2.99 (sale from 4.99)
Asparagus @ 2.49/lb. = 1.87
fresh Portabello mushrooms @ 1.50 (clearance 50% off)
2 Tombstone pizza @ 2.99* - used (2) $2/1 print Qs from Facebook = .99 ea.
Lime juice @ .99
Bag organic gala apples @ 3.99
Organic bananas @ .59/lb. = 1.29
Roma tomatoes @ .98/lb. = .61
2 Organic Lundberg brown rice bag @ 2.49 B1G1
Barilla pasta plus (w/DHA, etc.) @ 1.59
Bag of chips @ $2 (I'm not sure what kind these were b/c the receipt says "fstg chips" and I can't recall what that could be
Kroger pie shell @ 1.89
Pack of 7th Generation diapers @ 9.99 - used FREE Q from mailer request = FREE
Chocolate Silk soymilk @ 2.99 - had a $2/1 Q I ordered from ebay, but I forgot to use it! = 2.99
32 oz. Horizon organic vanilla yogurt @ 3.59
Hanson's natural apple juice @ 2.99
1 lb. (ish) Laura's lean ground beef @ 4.58
Mott's apple sauce 6 pk. @ 1.85 (the harvest apple flavor with calcium does not have HFCS in it!)
2 Organic Lundberg Risotto @ 2.69 B1G1 = 2.69 for both
half gallon Odwalla super food juice @ 5.99 (sale from 7.99!)
Suave Shampoo @ 2.09 - used a FREE Q from a mailer request but the cashier didn't scan it. I have to go back for my refund still.

-$10 total for my 20 mega sale items

Coupon savings = $33.43
Kroger plus savings = $44.00

Total savings = $77.43 aka 49%!!!!!!!!

OOP = 78.34

I will also post another smaller trip that involved less planning and was more typical next, so you can get a real idea of what my Kroger shopping looks like.

75% off toys at Target

2010-07-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Target is having their annual clearance toy blow-out right now (which happens the last week in July every year!). Plus there are lots of baby + children's clothes on clearance, and a great shoe clearance.

I got children's shoes for $3.74. A Paul Frank t-shirt for $1.98. And about a zillion toys for under $5 ea. I wanted to take pictures of my loot for you all, but I just hid it away in the closet as soon as Penny went to sleep and I don't want to mess with it now. Tooooo tired. But just take my word for it, it was an awesome haul!!

Most of the signs say 30% off, but if you actually look at the tags, things are 75% off. You have to really walk through each aisle of toys and keep your eyes peeled for the little red stickers. Today was the first day of the mark-downs I believe, so there was still a lot of stuff at around 7pm when I was there. By tomorrow I doubt there will be as much, but it will probably be your last chance to get many of the best deals b/c by the end of tomorrow I am betting everything will be totally picked through.

Take care of Xmas gifts now and be done with it!

More cheap stuff from Medco

2010-07-21T09:55:00.001-07:00

For those of you who took advantage of the Medco codes a while back: it turns out with every order you make through them, you accumulate points. Check your inboxes (or log into your Medco account) and see if you can get a good deal on anything with your points.

I got an email saying I had $1.21 in points that are going to expire July 31. I looked around and found some E.L.F. lip balm on clearance for $1.12. Shipping is always .99, so my total was $2.11. Subtract my $1.21 credit and I paid .90 total for a lip balm shipped to my house. Not bad, right?

Bigg Lots

2010-07-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today I hit up Bigg Lots to use the one-day 20% off coupon I got off the internet (via one of the many blogs I read). I found some great deals! All of these prices are after the 20% discount:

Mother's Naturals oatmeal $1.20
Cascadian Farms cereal $1.84 ($3.99 at Kroger)
Hansen's Natural juiceboxes .80 (.99 at Kroger)
Blue Diamond Almond Milk $1.60 (this is the big size that is around $5.69 at Kroger!!)

I haven't been to Bigg Lots since I was a kid. I had no idea you could find such good products at such great prices there. I think I will start going there more often. Even without 20% off, some of these prices are wonderful!

Drugstore.com

2010-07-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

So, remember when I got that great deal on contact lenses a few months back?
Well it turns out the deal was even better than I originally thought. Today I got an email telling me that I had $23.77 in Drugstore.com points to spend before July 31. These were accumulated from my Vision Direct purchase of contacts. I guess these are sister websites. So basically I was about to get $23.77 of free stuff!
I wandered around the site to find the best deals. Orders of $49+ have free shipping, so I figured I would try to get the best deal possible and spend a few extra bucks past my freebies.
I was going to order the Neutrogena Clinical that has a free rebate right now -- which would have been a $23 moneymaker since the cost is about $35 and I had the $23 free. I would have paid $12 OOP, but got back $35. Unfortunately they were all sold out! You have to purchase the product by today in order to get the rebate, so that was a no go for me. (There still is a $15 rebate available for purchases after today).
I noticed there was a 35% sale on all Bi-O Kleen products. I LOVE this brand! It is the best cleaner I have ever used. However, it can be prohibitively expensive and it almost never goes on sale, and isn't widely available. In the past I was very excited about a $1 coupon for the stuff, if that says anything... So I decided to go ahead and stock up on Bi-O Kleen products. I even got to buy some that I haven't seen available in my area. I ended up with produce wash, rug shampoo, concentrated all-purpose cleaner, dishwasher powder, stain and oder eliminator, and all temperature laundry liquid at incredible prices!
In addition to the cleaning products, I also bought Jason Naturals tea tree oil for 15% off. This is something I have been wanting to buy anyways, and I knew it was probably going to be expensive, so I was happy to find any deal on it. It has a million uses, from blemish control to stripping cloth diapers!
My final good deal was 3 bags of Maxim organic cotton balls. Buy 3, get $3 off. So they ended up being $1.19 a bag. That's almost as cheap as non-organic cottonballs, so I'm pretty happy with that deal.

My subtotal was $50.13. After my $23.77 credit, I paid $26.59 OOP.
I shopped through Ebates for 6% cash-back!
AND I will be getting a $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate (which comes with any $25 purchase) back as well! Combining that with thost 70-80% off codes that come around so often and I will be eating for free for quite a while!

CVS 7/16

2010-07-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

2 Head and Shoulders @ $5.99 (sale) - used B1G1 MFQ +got 2 ECBs = 1.98 ea.
2 John Freida Root Awakening @ $5 ea. - used (2) $3/1 MFQs = $2 ea. +got $5 ECBs = $1 profit!

OOP = $9.99 + tax
+got $7 ECBs
Net = $2.99

I got rainchecks for the Complete that is free after ECBs and the Cottonelle 12 pks that are B1G1.

I got a BOX of Huggies for $3.14!

2010-07-16T05:44:00.000-07:00

Amazon has an extra 15% off any "subscribe and save" diapers right now. Add that to the usual discount and you get 30% off. Also, there is a code for 20% off an Amazon diaper purchase in Parenting magazines this month.

I found that boxes of Huggies Overnights (64 ct.) are on sale right now. A box of size 4s is $16.29.

After the 30% and 20% discounts, the price was $8.14. That's a great deal!!

I happened to have a $5 gift card in my Swagbucks account.

Voila! I paid $3.14 for a box of diapers and we'll be set for quite a while now.

If you do this deal, make sure you go back and unsubscribe from "subscribe and save" after your order is completed, otherwise you will be charged again (at a higher cost) when your next subscription order is up.