New Freebies - they're always fun to get

Schick Intuition Razor

Quaker Simple Harvest Granola Bar

Coupon Organizer - from Dollar General

Crest Whitening Expression toothpaste

Calvin Klein - Secret Obsession perfume

Redken Fresh Curls - calms frizz, helps detangle hair

Gain with Baking Soda

I always like getting a little surprise in my mailbox from time to time. It's even better when they send coupons with the freebie.

Another week, another shopping trip

When I first started couponing, I got a little frustrated because it seemed like I would always spend more than my savings on the grocery receipt. As I've continued to shop using coupons, I've learned a few tricks along the way and I have 5 months worth of coupons to go back through. I was so jealous of the blogs that I would read. Why couldn't I make this work like everyone else? The answer is - it takes time, you have to make mistakes to learn and you need multiple Sunday papers with coupons.

Here's my latest shopping trip.

7 pkgs of Angel Soft TP
2, 2 liters of Coke
6, 5 lb bags of C&H sugar
1 bag of Santitas chips
1 box of Wheat Thins (free)
4 Ken's Spray dressings (free)
2 loaves of Sara Lee white bread
1 bunch of bananas
1 bag of broccoli
5 Yoplait Yogurts
1 dozen eggs
1 pkg Trident gum
3 bags of Goldfish

Total = $47.33

Savings = $65.17

Average price per item $1.31

I also earned 5% off of one of my upcoming shopping trips. I hope they have some really good sales coming up - I think this next one (starting Wednesday) will be their case lot sale.

I hope to be posting a follow up to my "before" pictures soon. I finally organized my food storage (I'm just in the process of labeling things now and making sure it's FIFO'd - first in-first out).

I probably will never see a grocery receipt where my savings is less than I spent. I have the variety in my pantry that I need and I'm relying on that supply rather than running to the grocery store for odds and ends.

Newspaper Reminder

I know all too well.....it's work, homework, soccer games, football practice, dance lessons, church....you name it - the days all start to run together with all the activites people are trying to get to.

Ordering newspapers is not always a top priority, but it should be if you really plan to cash in on the savings. Let me help you get started. I can sell any paper in the state and would be glad to help you sign up. If you're interested in the Salt Lake papers, I can also offer you a discount on that subscription (assuming you are within their delivery area).

Grocery Smarts recommends one paper, per person in the household. The reasoning behind this is to allow you not only to consume what you buy, but to also allow you to fill your pantry with the "extra's" you pick up. Time is money, gas is money - so make your shopping trip count and stock up on the items your family will use. Watch your pantry grow and what you pull out of your wallet shrink. It is the best natural "high" you will ever get, knowing you saved more than you spent! It happens week after week after week.

If you've attended one of my classes you can call me using the number on the bottom of the grocery smarts guide you received. If not, email me at callmestacy@yahoo.com for pricing details.

The best part to subscribing to the newspaper is knowing that within 2-3 shopping trips you will have already paid for the cost of your subscription!

Ice Cream Social - Cold Stone Creamery

Don't forget that 9/25/08 is the Make-A-Wish, ice cream social at Cold Stone Creamery. Stop by for some yummy goodness. Check out the link for times and details.

Michael's coupon (50% off - one reg priced item)

My friend Tracie sent me this link for Michaels. The coupon is good from 9/22 to 9/27. I think she read my mind. I was just thinking that I could use some new Fall decorations and some fun kid crafts since we're off track for a few weeks. Have fun shopping - Thanks, Tracie!

Real Deals Home Decor Sale

The email I got said that if you bring in the email it is worth 20% off one item (excludes furniture, art and clearance - the email is the coupon). If you want to email me (use Real Deals in the title) I will forward the coupon to you callmestacy@yahoo.com. Below are the details of the sale. I love this store - I wish I could get there more often!

"Happy Birthday to You, We're Two
Real Deals on Home Decor in Layton Celebrates its 2nd Birthday and We want You to Join Us!! But if you can't make it to Layton we'll accept your COUPON in the Bountiful store. Thursday September 25th & Saturday September 27th Real Deals on Home Decor in Layton Will be Celebrating its 2nd Birthday Bountiful will also celebrate its Birthday by allowing you to use your coupon in the Bountiful store. But the Bountiful store will not have cake and prizes!!

Join us in Layton for:

*Free Birthday Gifts from us to you while supplies last.

*Close-out items at their lowest prices, this week only.
*Enter to Win our Birthday Present.
*Birthday Cake for EVERYONE.
*Bring in a New Real Deals customer and get $5.00 in Real Deals credit.

Layton1320 E HWY 193 Ste A8
Layton, UT 84040(801) 771-0422(Next to the Neighborhood Wal-Mart and Just East of the South HAFB Gate)

Real Deals on Home Decor

37 N Main St
Bountiful, UT 84010(801) 296-1301

Thursday September 25 from 10-6PM
Saturday September 27 from 10-3PM

ART IS ALSO IN-And its GORGEOUS!!!"

Ore-Ida Steam-n-Mash potatoes

Yuuuummmmmyyyy! I signed up with another website (She Speaks) and they asked me to participate in their Ore-Ida Steam-n-mash potatoes trial. They sent me a great package with 2 coupons for free bags of potatoes as well as a potato masher and some additional coupons to use or give away. I made turkey steaks a few nights ago and added these as a side. I used the plain Russet potatoes and they turned out great. All you have to do is put the frozen bag in your microwave and heat for the amount of time (10 minutes) indicated on the bag. Then I added some milk and butter and I made some gravy to go with it. Anyone who knows my husband, knows he's a real meat and potatoes kind of guy. My family was very pleased with the taste, and texture of the pototoes. I was even happier because I was running late and this was quick and easy to make.

The only down side to this product is that it only comes in one size. This bag would probably feed 4-5 people. And the price is a little high. If I could match a sale and the coupons together, it may be worth buying more.

Overall - I was very pleased with this product. In a pinch - I would definately buy more because it tasted so good. I am going to try the 3 cheese variety next.

They come in a variety of flavors:

• Russet Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Garlic Seasoned Potatoes
• Three Cheese Potatoes

She Speaks if a fun site to check out. Let me know what you think.

Deals at Target (75% off) - run don't walk!

So I went to Target this morning to check out the deals. Boy, oh boy did they have some good ones. All their school supplies are 75% off (notebooks, scissors, paper, markers, highlighters - whatever is left). That's not the best part though - all their backpacks are 75% off. I bought 2 for less than $10.00 (most were between $4-5). This would be a great time to replace that old ratty backpack that your child is still carrying around. Another great idea is to make one into a 72 hour kit or to have an extra backpack for soccer, dance, an overnighter etc....

They had a lot of "kid" type backpacks but they also had a lot that had wheels so you could pull, and there were plain ones as well.

So as I said above - RUN DON'T WALK - these won't last long!

Campbells/MOM shopping trip

Okay - I didn't get up at the crack of dawn today. I just couldn't drag myself out of bed. I got to the store at about 9:30 after all the kids were dropped off at school. I think I did pretty good, but I also noticed some pretty good deals at the Macey's case lot. I may also have to pick up a few neccessities there too.

So here's what I got and I'm really glad I showed up when I did because I was notified that there would NOT be any rainchecks on this sale. I did not read the fine print, so if any of you were waiting to pick up some of these items, it may be hit or miss when you get there.

I spent $44.81 and saved $86.39. I also got a bunch of Campbells bonus labels to send with my daugther to school.

Here's my run down.


1 bunch of banana's (the one year old has decided he really likes banana's)
1 pkg Chips Ahoy (the cookies were part of an in-ad coupon)
1 pkg of Oreo's (look for the packages for $1.00 of a gallon of milk)
8 microwaveable tomato soups (love these with grilled cheese!)
20 cans tomato soup
4 cans cream of mushroom
6 cans of spaghettios
8 bottles of Pace Salsa
1 bottle of Tree top apple juice (free with $25 purchase - in ad coupon)
4 bottles of V8 splash (mmmm....these are pretty tasty)
8 bags of Malt-o-meal cereal

Not to bad for a shopping trip with a 1 year old (in and out). Hopefully you'll be able to find the items you're looking for as well. Check out the Macey's case lot as well!

Campbells/Malt-o-meal sale - another early morning for some (See new update)

Here's another Albertson's special. For those of you needing to stock up on Campbells soup or Malt-o-meal cereal this is the sale for you. Unfortunately in order to get the best selection this is another sale you may want to plan on getting up early for. The Campbells soup sale only happens once a year. You will see the soup go on sale throughout the cooler months, but this is probably going to be one of the best prices you'll see it at. I'm starting to sort through my coupons now. I'm probably going to be one of those early risers with bags under my eyes and dressed in my pj's. Oh - happy day, I need some tomato soup!

Update: Try these links for Malt-o-Meal coupons Link #1, Link #2, Link #3, Link #4, Link #5, Link #6, Link #7. I've already printed my coupons (I printed them several weeks ago), so I don't know if these are still active or that these specific items are on the sale. If you run across problems, leave me a comment so I can go in and delete any links that aren't working.

101 Things cookbook

Have you seen those cookbooks out there.....101 Things etc.... If you're interested the author of this cookbook (Stephanie Ashcraft) is giving away 10,000 free copies of 101 Things to do with Meatballs. Click on this link to get your free copy. I'm always looking for great recipes. I can't wait to get my copy!

Yea!!!! A new look

So if you've been reading, you know that this html stuff is totally foreign to me. I am not very savvy when it comes to figuring this stuff out. I finally had some time without the kids/hubby around to mess around and try and get this to work out. I like the background (thanks to the Cutest Blog on the Block), but you may see it changing from time to time. I hope you don't mind. I hate the same old, same old....... I hope you like the new look for now!

Singing the Praises to Albertson's

I had another great shopping trip. As I started to clip the coupons I didn't really think this was going to be that Wow, but it turned out really great after all.

My total was $79.07 and I saved $136.10. I purchased 69 items, making each item about $1.15 per item. For not thinking I was going to do well - I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Here's a rundown of what I got.

2 Gerber Graduates
3 Gerber baby food jars
1 Albertson's sour cream
6 Yoplait yogurts
3 bags of Nestly candybars (they were 3/$5 and I had 2, $1.00 off coupons - making each bag $1.00 - not bad)
2 Ore Ida steam mash (I had 2 coupons that would allow me to get each of them free. I will be blogging about this new campaign after I try them)
1 bag pizza rolls - Yea for box tops
2 Aunt Jemima pancake mixes
2 Aunt Jemima syrups
3, 8 pk Juicy Juice drinks (I had 2 coupons for $1.00 off each, along with the Albertson's promotion, it made each drink about $.20 for 100% juice)
1 bunch of bananas
2 canisters of regular Quaker quick oats
2 boxes of Quaker breakfast cookies (these are really good microwaved for a few seconds)
2 boxes of Quaker granola bites
3 boxes of Quaker granola bars
5 boxes of instant Quaker oats (Fruit & Cream)
1 bag of Albertson's chips
1 bag of Albertson's hot dog buns
1 head of cauliflower
6 bottles of spices (Albertson's and McCormick brands - basil, oregano, chili powder, garlic salt, onion powder, season salt)
5 bottles of soft soap (we go through a lot of soap)
3 boxes of Electrasol detergent (These came up at $.09 each - can't beat that!)
2 bags of Nestle chocolate chips
2 boxes of Albertson's Honey Oat flakes with strawberries
6 pkgs of Albertson's napkins (they even had some cute Halloween ones)
1 dozen eggs
1 4pk Scott's toilet paper (free)

These are the best buy's I came across. I got a raincheck for some of those Scrubbing bubbles action scrubbers. Along with the Albertson's promotion, I have some additional coupons to add to them.

Help with caselot price points

Crystal from Everyday Food Storage (a favorite blog to visit) sent me this chart with Costco prices on it. As this is the "season" for caselot sales, you may be wondering where the best prices are. By checking out this link you can compare prices from Costco to the caselot sale you are looking at. Remember that a lot of the local grocery stores put their store brands on sale and not so many of the name brands. You may not find an exact match on the Costco list, but it will at least give you an idea of pricing.



As I've searched some blogs I came across some prices for Macey's caselot that will start next Wednesday the 17th.

WF Granulated Sugar, 25lb bag $8.99

WF Tomatoes 14.5-15oz asst. $.49 (Case of 24 $11.76)

WF Soup Chick Noodle & Tomato 10.75 oz. $.49 (Case of 24 $11.76)

WF Instant Oatmeal $.99 (Case of 12 $11.88)

WF Fruit 30oz. Cocktail, Peaches or Pears $.99 (Case of 12 $11.88)

WF Corn Flakes 18 oz. $.99 (Case or 12 $11.88)

Campbell's Cream Soup 10oz Asst. $.69 (Case of 24 $16.56)

WF Mandarin Oranges 11 oz. $.39 (Case of 12 $11.88)

WF Tuna 6 oz. $.69 (Case of 48 $33.12)

WF Tomato Juice or Vegatable Cocktail 46 oz. $.99 (Case of 12 $11.88)

WF Tomato Sauce 8 oz. $.19 (Case of 48 $9.12)

WF Ketchup 24 oz. upright or 20 oz. upside down $.88, (Case of 12 $10.56, Case of 16 $14.08)

WF Powdered or Brown Sugar 32 oz. $1.09 (Case of 12 $13.08)

WF Pancake Syrup 128 oz. $4.79 (Case of 4 $19.16)

Harvest King Gold Medal Flour 50 lb. $16.99

WF Brownie Mix 20oz. $.99 (Case of 12 $11.88)

WF Clover Honey 80 oz. $7.99 (Case of 6 $47.94)

Suave or VO5 Shampoo or Conditoner 15 oz. $.79

WF 24pk Half Liter Drinking Water $2.99

WF Toilet Paper 36 Roll or Paper Towel 15 Rolls $6.99

According to Savvy Shopper Deals the items in red are supposed to be pretty good deals. Good luck as you case lot shop.

Point of Reference

I often get questions on what's considered a good buy. One way to tell is by checking out the shopping list for the week at your favorite store on Grocery Smarts website. Anything that is a 5 star item is definatley something you want to stock up on (assuming it's something you'll use). A 4 star item is still pretty good and a 3 star item is an okay deal. I would not encourage you to buy anything that is a 2 or 1 star item (they rarely make the list anyway).

I also came across another list on Google that is a reference list. I'm not sure who the original publisher of the list was, but as far as I can tell these prices are pretty consistent with what I've been seeing.

Remember:

5 star - stock up
4 star - still a pretty good deal (stock up with a few if you absolutely need it)
3 star - average price

Febreze Noticeables - Wal Mart

Jennifer attended one of the classes I taught a few weeks ago and sent me this tip. She said that in the Sept 7-13th ad, Wal Mart had Febreze Noticeables (you plug in and they put out a nice fragrance) on sale for $5.97. She did a little research and found a coupon in the P&G 8/31 for $5.00 off. Wow - $.97 is a pretty good deal! Jennifer - Thanks for the great tip!

If you come across something great that you'd like to share - I'd love to pass it along....

Big Quaker Sale starts today

Unfortunatley, I was not able to get to the store first thing this morning. As I've been watching the blogs about the sale, things are going quickly. If you aren't able to make it this afternoon, I would probably wait a day or two before trying again. Hopefully the stores will be able to re-stock and have all the items you want (this will be me - I'll try in a day or two). Good luck to you! I hope you find all the things you're after. I know the Electrasol is going fast - especially with such good coupons out there. Share your trip with me - let me know how you faired!

Update to Easy Bakeware

So I got another confirmation email today saying that indeed I did sign up for all those things. The email was very easy to follow and provided a number to call if I wanted to cancel . This is what it said:

So take advantage of your At Home Rewards+ benefits during your 7-day trial membership period. We invite you to use our services for the full 7-day trial period. If within 7 days you don't feel that our services and benefits are everything we say they are, simply call us toll-free at 877-636-6858 to cancel your membership. At Home Rewards+ will automatically charge the membership fee to your card at the end of your 7-day trial period and, unless you call to cancel, at the then-current fee each new membership month.

I called the number and the automated system took me through the cancellation process - I never spoke to a live person. I guess we'll just wait and see if I get my free bags or not.

Sometimes offers like these are a little frustrating because either the stuff you have to read is a mile long or they pretend to be something they are not by offering you something for free.

Once again - I'll keep you posted! I guess if I get the free items, it may not be so bad after all.

Easy Bakeware

So my other good friend Tonya sent me this link to a website called Easy Bakeware. Not only are they offering free bakeware, but other things as well. You get to pick one item for free and they will ship it to you for $1.00. I chose the stay fresh bags (as seen on TV). I've always been interested to see if they really work.

This was a copy of the "fine print" that showed below after I ordered.

If you accepted the Passport to Fun+ / At Home Rewards+ / Simply You offer, you will receive a welcome email shortly with instructions on how to begin accessing your members-only benefits with trial membership. After your 7-day FREE trial period, $14.95 per month will be automatically charged to your credit/debit card as per the offer details.

I honestly have no idea if I accepted the things above. I did get a copy of my receipt after ordering, but I don't remember reading anything about the offers above. The website did have a phone number that I will call tomorrow to make sure I don't get charged the above rate. Hopefully I will still get my free item.

phone: 1-800-509-0176 email: customer_service@easybakeware.com business hours: mon-fri 9am to 4pm est

I wanted to post this info so you knew what you were getting into. I will keep you posted on the automatic charge.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

So Tracie (my really good friend) took a look at my blog and got the dates to show up! I have no idea how she did it, but I'm absolutely thrilled. This blog is actually a test blog as well to see if the dates show up for me.

Tracie - thanks a ton! Several people have requested that I put the dates on and I could never get it to work right. Duh......I guess it's a user problem.

I'm pushing the publish button......let's see what happens!!!

Free Coldstone ice cream scoop on 9/25/08 (posted 9/6/08)

Yuuuummmmmyyy - it's a small scoop, but it's ice cream. Who doesn't love ice cream? It will go from 5-8 pm. Click on this link for more info.

Surprise a new look

I will admit right here and now, I have no idea how to make my blog really cute. I would love to do that, but have not invested the time into doing it. Maybe one day one of my really good blogger friends with cute pages (you know who you are) will take pity on me and help me convert over :)

Anyway - I wanted to see if this would actually post the date in the header. I know that would be very helpful for me as well as others. So here's to a new beginning (Cheers!)

Note: As you can see - by changing templates this still did not solve my problem. So I'm still on a quest to resolve this issue. Anyone? Anyone?

Help on getting the dates to appear on my blogs

I can sniff out a good deal just about anywhere, but I sure can't figure out how to put the dates on my blog entries. I've tried going back through all the settings etc...to get the dates to show up and they won't. When I go back it shows that the date has been selected, but the date does not show up.

So I'm calling on any of you that are more savvy than me to help me figure this out. If any of you are super smart and know the answer, I would be greatly appreciative. I have even posted this question out there to google, but did not get a response.

I know there is someone out there that is really smart with this stuff and will have the answer (I hope!!!).

If so please email me at callmestacy@yahoo.com Thanks so much!!!

Brrrriiinnngggg - yes that was my alarm clock going off at 5:45 am

Okay - so I was one of those crazy people at Albertson's at 6:00 am. I was dressed in yesterday's outfit, my hair was matted and I was digging the no make-up look. At least I wasn't the only crazy coupon shopper there at that time!!! As I got started I kept asking myself, is this really worth it??? Of course it was - check out what I got....

2 boxes of cinnamon rolls

2 boxes of Bisquick

2 Pillsbury orange rolls

3 Pillsbury cresent rolls

6 boxes of Gogurt

2 Betty crocker cookie bags

8 boxes of Toaster Strudel

3 boxes of Cheerios

3 boxes of Reese's Puffs

9 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch

6 boxes of Cookie Crisp

11 boxes of fruit snacks

I spent a total of $67.11 and saved $158.96!!!! I bought a total of 62 items making each item an average of $1.08. I think this is one of the best shopping trips I've ever had. The store was pretty well stocked as I was leaving, I think Albertson's is prepared for this sale. Good luck to those of you heading out to take advantage of some pretty good deals.

Last weeks shopping trip (posting it a little late)

I know, why post last week's shopping trip? I'm not sure why other than I got a lot of stuff for a pretty good deal. I wouldn't say this is the best shopping trip I've ever had, but I did okay. Plus it took me a while to "pose" all my food. I could sure use some classes in making a pretty arrangement of food (not one of my best talents).

As you can see I bought a lot of stuff (we had a birthday party on Labor day - my baby turned 1 a few days prior).

Sometimes these pictures don't show as much detail as I would like so I'll run down most of it.

10 yogurts

1 Kraft cheese slices

3 French's mustard (Yea!!! I got some for food storage)

2 containers of muffins (8 total -great sale, $1.99 each at Kaysville Albertson's during their grand re-opening)

4 Sara Lee bread loaves (again great deal $1.00 each)

3 cans Del Monte pineapple

1 container of grape tomatoes

1 box popsicles

2 1/2 gallon ice creams

1 pkg pepperoni

1 pkg canadian bacon

2 bags of candy corn (I have to buy at least one each Fall season)

1 bag of variety chocolate candy (Hershey's)

1 box corn dogs

1 watermelon

4 single serve Kraft mac-n-cheese

4 boxes Honey Bunches of Oats

1 box saltines

2 bags of fritos

1 bag of cheetos

1 gallon oj

2, 6 pk Dove bar soap

6 Dove shampoo/conditioner

2 Dove body wash

1 can of cheese

Okay now that I think I got everything - I paid $128.72 and saved $93.39. I also got $7.00 off my next shopping trip.

Now I think I'll wrap things up - cut a few coupons and show up at the crack of dawn like everyone else to get the best items at the General Mills sale starting tomorrow at Albertsons! See you there :)

Cock-a-doodle-do and stocking up!

So did everyone print your general mills/pillsbury/betty crocker online coupons in August? Are you all ready for Albertson's big General Mills sale tomorrow? I hate to say this, but if you want the best selection you will probably want to be at Albertson's bright and early. This is a pretty big sale and there are a lot of coupon ready people out there!!!

Also, Smiths is having their caselot sale. This is a great time to start stocking your pantry. Looks like they have lots of things to choose from.

Hopefully you all received your ads in the mail today. If not - you can click on the links to the right (scroll down a little - Favorite websites) to check out their online ads.

TIP: I read a variety of different blogs and some of the advice that was posted out there was to write down all the ingredients to 10-15 of your families favorite meals. Next, always keep those key ingredients on hand so you will always have those wonderful meals that your family enjoys the most!

Regardless of where you decide to shop this week - I would love to hear about the great deals you come by! I will probably end up shopping both Albertson's and Smiths. Don't forget that Macey's caselot will be coming up 9/17.