HOT! | FREE Prescription Eyeglasses from Goggles4u.com (Pay $5 S/H)

"Like" Goggles4u on Facebook and get a code for a FREE pair of prescription eyeglasses. 

The selection of frames for this deal is limited and you will need to pay shipping and handling charges of $4.99 but still - FREE prescription glasses?!  WOOT!

I'm planning on getting a "backup" pair for my son who wears glasses; I used a similar code from another online prescription eyeglass store last year to get myself a new pair of glasses and I'm very happy with how they turned out.

Here's the fine print from their site:

Quick FAQ's


Delivery of eyeglasses in 10-12 days for regular pair of glasses that includes single vision lenses with normal to medium prescription (Conditions may apply)


For bifocal eyeglasses and varifocals and special prescriptions glasses, It may take 12-14 days. (conditions may apply)


Shipping is $4.99 per pair for USA and Canada. International shipping is US$9.99


Friendly customer service and soft return and exchange policy is exercised.


Powerful search system will help you find what you need in no time.


Price of regular pair of eyeglasses is US$ 25.99 which includes frame, standard lenses with coatings. We may upcharge US$ 5.00 or US$ 10.00 if you have strong prescription.


Eyeglasses with progressive lenses produced with highest precision. Our 99.9% progressive eyeglasses with work without any adjustment.


Get your eyeglasses with EMI coated lenses to eliminate Electro magnetic rays from computer and TV.

Go over and "Like" Goggles4u on Facebook to get your FREE code before they're gone. ;-)

Enjoy!

Let's Go Krogering! | Week of August 29, 2011 {$4/4 Participating P&G Mega Sale Event Begins!}

Wondering what's the deal with my weekly Let's Go Krogering! (LGK!) posts?

 Click here for more information.

My Kroger Trip, Thursday, August 25, 2011:

Spent: $51.70

Saved: $49.06 (49%)

This week, Kroger brings back the ever popular P&G Mega Sale Event: buy 4 participating P&G items, get $4.00 off at checkout. This Mega Event sale ends Sunday, 9/11/11, so you have plenty of time to gather your coupon or order additional coupons from my favorite clipping service if need be.

Be sure to check for the little postcard-sized flyer pictured below in your Kroger with the list of participating items:

I love the P&G Mega Sale because I can stockpile Iams Dog food for my latest member of the Insane Canine Posse - our German Shorthair Pointer, Brownie.  Now that he's four years old, he's calmed down...a little bit; see?

(All dressed up for my daughter's 10th birthday party a few weeks ago)

He still has his moments of utter pointer frenzy, however:

(In a frenzy because the girls were out back playing flashlight tag/hide & seek in the dark - and he was stuck inside.  He LOVES to chase "shineys".)

He is a really good dog, despite his nuttiness.  "Nutty" is kinda a standard feature on GSPs; he's our fourth so we've seen it all.  ;-)

Back to Krogering!

I didn't need too much this week at Kroger so I just focused on the best deals and lucked into some good finds in-store.  I also shopped Aldi on Sunday afternoon where I spent $49 on these items below (including a 1 lb smoked Black Forest deli ham for $3.49 which is seriously YUM - we had some last night at dinner):

Altogether, I spent $34.41 on groceries at Kroger yesterday (I subtracted the cost of the Iams since I have a separate line item in my budget for dog food); combined with my Aldi trip, my total spent for the week was $83.95 with a savings of $47.06 (I subtracted my savings on the Iams), or 36%. 

I'm hoping to keep my grocery budget at about $90 or less per week as I head toward the end of 2011; since I'm back to heavy-duty monthly menu planning, I think I can make this number work.  I hope so - after the loooong summer months with my three ever-hungry kids at home, my grocery budget could use a little relief!

Here's the deals I grabbed at Kroger on August 29, 2011:

P&G Mega Event Deals 

Iams Dog Food, $17.99 ea | $16.99 ea after Mega Event discount
$1.00/1, PG 07/31 (exp 8/31; use by end of day Wednesday!)
Final price: $15.99 ea

Gillette Body Wash, $2.99 ea | $1.99 after Mega Event discount
$2.001, PG 07/31 (exp 8/31; use by end of day Wednesday!)
Final price: FREE!

Advertised Deals

Coke & Diet Pepsi 12 pks, 4/$11.00 (must buy 4)
$0.75/1 Diet Pepsi 12 pk, SS 07/17   (exp 8/31; use by end of day Wednesday!)
$0.55/1 Sunny D 12 pk, peelies found on product
Final price: 4/$7.00 or $1.75 ea

Oreo Cookies, $2.50 ea
$0.75/2 Nabisco cookies or crackers, SS 08/07
Final price: 2/$4.00 or $2.00 ea

Kroger Cow Pal String Cheese, $3.50 ea
$0.50/1, Kroger My Magazine mailer coupon
Final price: $3.00 ea

Kettle Chips Potato Chips, $2.50 ea
$1.00/1, RP 08/07
Final price: $1.50 ea

Unadvertised Deals

Better Oats Oatmeal, $1.39 ea (this price good through 9/11/11)
$0.55/2, printable (no longer available)
Final price: $0.89 ea

Clif Kidz Fruit Twist, $0.69 ea
$0.75/4, Kroger catalina I received a few days ago
Final price: $0.44 ea

Clif Kidz Bar, $0.99 ea
$0.75/4, Kroger catalina I received a few days ago
Final price: $0.74 ea

Garden of Eatin Tortilla Chips, $2.00 ea
$1.00/1, peelies found on product yesterday
Final price: $1.00 ea

Kroger Gala Apples, 3 lbs, $3.99 ea
$0.40/1, Kroger loyal customer mailer coupon
Final price: $3.59/3 lbs or $1.20/lb

FYI: Kroger stores in the Cincinnati region allow unlimited coupons and double coupons to a *maximum* doubled value of $1.00 (ie: coupons valued at $0.50-$0.99 will double to $1.00).

For the full list of ad matchups for this week, check out this post (thanks, Savings Lifestyle).

For the latest Catalina deals at Kroger, check out this post at Southern Savers.

Menu Plan Monday | TNFM September 2011 Monthly Menu Plan

I plan my family's dinners in five week blocks to maximize my savings at the grocery store and minimize my stress at dinner time. You can read more about my strategy here in my Q&A post here.

After a long summer of grilling out in bulk on the weekends and munching on the yummy leftovers as is or repurposed in different recipes until they were gone (and then - and only then - resorting to turning on my oven and actually doing that little "cooking dinner" thing), I'm back to my monthly menu planning self.

Menu planning for my family is a cornerstone of my frugalista mindset. 

With menu planning I can:

:: Save Time. If I spend an hour once a month plotting our what works best for our family dinners based on our family's schedule for the coming 4-5 weeks, the task is DONE.  D-O-N-E done!  A small investment of time up front that saves me oodles of lost (and stressful) minutes in the weeks to come.

:: Save Money.  By planning a month/4-5 weeks at a time, I can incorporate double duty dinners (where I bake two of the same meal and freeze one for a busy night) as well as plan for leftover makeover dinners (where I bake a meat one night, usually in my slow cooker, and then use the leftovers in a different recipe).  As I see those meats/main ingredients come up on sale during the month, I can stockpile them in my freezer then thaw them out when I need them rather than buying them when they aren't on sale. Plus, with a menu plan in place, I can "shop my stockpile" in my freezer and pantry before I shop at the stores, meaning I won't need to buy recipe ingredients I already have on hand.

:: Save My Sanity!  If you're in charge of making dinner at your house -whether you're a parent or not - you KNOW how stressful it can be to be scrambling for dinner ideas at 5:00 in the afternoon.  Knowing ahead of time what's for dinner, and scheduling my "easy" meals for our families busiest nights saves my sanity at the end of our busy days. And that, my frugalista friends, is priceless!

If you haven't adopted menu planning yet, I encourage you to give it a try.  Start with planning a week at a time and build a database/notebook of your own weekly menu plans.  Once you have several weeks worth, you can compile them into a monthly menu plan of your own.

Also, in the coming four Mondays of September, I'll be posting a series on How to Build a Monthly Menu Plan.  Be sure to check back on Monday, September 5, 2011, for the first installment of the series.

For those of you who would like to use my TNFM September 2011 Monthly Menu Plan, here it is via GoogleDocs:

TNFM September 2011 Menu Plan

The menu plan is printable and is formatted in a spreadsheet for the month.  It includes links to recipes found online for your convenience.  You'll also see a KEY at the bottom left corner that looks like this:

KEY
CROCKPOT (CP)
DOUBLE DUTY DINNER (DDD)
LEFTOVER MAKEOVER (LOMO)
LEFTOVER CLEANOUT (LOCO)

CROCKPOT recipes are - quite obviously - recipes prepared in a slow cooker.  These are great recipes for busy days when you need to simply toss the ingredients in and go-go-go until dinner time.

DOUBLE DUTY DINNER recipes are meals I cook a doubled amount of (x2); we'll have one for dinner that night and the second one I freeze for a future dinner - usually for one of my family's "busy" nights.

LEFTOVER MAKEOVER recipes are meals using leftover main ingredients/meat from a prior dinner (usually a crockpot dinner) in a different/new recipe. 

LEFTOVER CLEANOUT is something I try to do once a week.  We invariably have a little bit of this and a little bit of that leftover from our dinners in the refrigerator at the end of the week; by having a leftover cleanout night, I can clean out the refrigerator and get an idea of what I'll need to add to my shopping list.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask in a comment below. ;-)

FYI: For links to some of my past monthly/5-week menu plans, be sure to check out this post.

Looking for more menu planning inspiration? Be sure to hop through the links at Menu Plan Monday over at Org Junkie.

Weekly Deals Roundup | August 28 - September 3, 2011

Check out these sites for the best ad matchups around
SW Ohio this week, August 28-September 3, 2011.

*Kroger (08/29 - 09/28)*

**HOT! P&G Mega Event Sale beins 8/29/11: buy 4 participating P&G items,
get $4 off at checkout!**

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Savings Lifestyle)

*Meijer*

**HOT! Buy $30 in participating P&G products, receive a MIR (mail in rebate)
 for $10 at checkout!**

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Stockpiling Moms)

*Aldi*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Cincinnati Cents)

*Walgreens*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Common Sense with Money)

*CVS*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Common Sense with Money)

*Rite Aid*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of The Thrifty Mama)

*Target*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Stretching a Buck)

*Walmart*

Current deals and matchups (as of 08/24/11) here (courtesy of Passion for Savings)

++++++++++++++++++++

Not from my part of SW Ohio but still need matchups for the stores near you?

I encourage you to check The Frugal Map for *your* store. 

The Frugal Map features links to ad matchups from bloggers around the country each week.  If you're a blogger who covers stores in your area that you don't see listed at The Frugal Map, I encourage you to submit your blog to be listed on The Frugal Map.    ;-)

Let's Go Krogering! | Week of August 22, 2011 (Back to School Mega Event + Unadvertised Deals)

Wondering what's the deal with my weekly Let's Go Krogering! (LGK!) posts?

 Click here for more information.

My Kroger Trip, Thursday, August 25, 2011:

Spent: $26.91

Saved: $23.84 (47%)

My Kroger Trip, Saturday (oh so early!), August 27, 2011

Spent: $49.93

Saved: $57.49 (53%)

As I mentioned yesterday, we returned from our mini-vacation on Wednesday afternoon and had a whirlwind of little chores to get finished before the first day of school for my older two on Thursday.

We stayed in a cottage {but where oh where, you wonder - that answer to follow in another post ;-) } with a full kitchen so we had some groceries left over from our "vacation shopping trip".  I didn't need too much at Kroger on Thursday as a result. 

I also needed a little more time to get my coupons and list organized for one last trip through the Back to School Mega Event sale: buy 10 participating items, get $5.00 off at checkout.  This Mega Event sale ends Sunday, 8/28/11, so be sure you stock up on the deals you need before they're gone.

And yes, that is Kroger Deli Fried Chicken you see in the top photo.  It is one of my kids faves (mine, too) and while I am more than capable of frying up chicken here in my own kitchen, it is one of my least favorite meals to cook because it is just so.darn.messy.  Plus I end up getting about half a dozen little grease splatter burns on my wrists.  ;-) 

When we need a quick and easy dinner, I'm more than happy to pay a bit more at the deli for and let the fine folks at Kroger do the hard work (and the cleanup!).

Here's the deals I grabbed at Kroger on August 25, 2011:

Kroger Deli Fried Chicken, 8 pk, $5.99 ea
$0.85/1 Kroger Deli Fried Chicken, My Magazine mailer coupon
Final price: $5.14 ea (and worth every penny!)

Keebler 8 pk Sandwich Crackers, $1.50 ea
$0.75/2, RP 07/24
Final price: $1.00 ea

Dial Soap, $0.88 ea
$0.35/1, RP 08/07
Final price: $0.18 ea

Better Oats Oatmeal, $1.39 ea
$0.55/2, printable (no longer available)
Final price: $0.89 ea

And here's the deals I grabbed at Kroger at just past o'dark-thirty this morning (lol!), August 27, 2011:

Mega Event Deals 

Kellogg's Frosted Shredded Wheat, $2.99 ea | $2.49 ea after Mega Event discount
$1.00/2, RP 07/24
Final price: $1.99 ea

Old El Paso Tortillas, Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce, Old El Paso Taco Shells, $1.49 ea | $0.99 after Mega Event discount
$0.60/3 printable* (no longer available)
Final price: $0.66 ea
(I bought 8 total so 2 were full price at $0.99 ea)

Hormel All Natural Lunchmeat, $2.99 ea | $2.49 after Mega Event discount
$1.00/2, Kroger My Magazine mailer coupon
Final price: $1.99 ea

Metromint Water, $0.99 ea | $0.49 after Mega Event discount
B1G1FREE, printable here
Final price: (2) FREE! (The register took off the $0.99 full price for the free item.)

Skyline Frozen Chili, 2.49 ea | $1.99 after Mega Event discount
$0.50/1, SS 08/07 (I believe this coupon was regional to the greater Cincy area.)
Final price: $0.99 ea

Cheez-Its, $2.99 ea | $2.49 after Mega Event discount
$1.00/2, printable here
Final price: $1.99 ea

Other Deals

Sara Lee Bread, $2.00 ea
$0.55/1, RP 08/14
Final price: $1.00 ea

Better Oats Oatmeal, $1.39 ea
$1.00/1, Tearpad coupons (given to me by one of my fellow couponista friends; thx A!)
Final price: $0.39 ea

Orbit Gum, $0.69 ea
$0.50/2, SS 07/31
Final price: $0.19 ea

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, $2.18 ea
$0.75/2, peelie found on product a few weeks ago
Final price: $1.68 ea

Sargento Snack Cheese Sticks, $3.99 ea
$0.75/1, Kroger My Magazine mailer coupon
Final price: $2.99 ea

Clif Kidz Fruit Twist, $0.34 ea
FREE, Kroger catalina I received a few weeks ago
Final price: FREE!

Clif Kidz Bar, $0.99 ea
FREE, Kroger catalina I received a few weeks ago
Final price: FREE!

$5.00/$50.00 Grocery purchase, Kroger loyal customer mailer coupon

Manager Specials (50% off or more for quick sale)

Round Steak (London Broil), $4.38 (2.79/lb for 1.57 lbs)

Dole Asian Crunch Salad Kits, $1.29 ea

Notable Sale Prices

Seedless Grapes, $0.99/lb

Tyson Bone-in Chicken Breasts, Drumsticks, Thighs, $0.99/lb
(*Great for baking in crockpot, making oven baked chicken, or cooking and shredding for enchiladas!*)

Kroger Salad Dressing, $1.25
(*My oldest son eats salad with Kroger Caesar Light every night at dinner.  It's a MUST have in our house!*)

Chicken of the Sea Albacore Tuna Pouch, $1.25 ea (Closeout price)

FYI: Kroger stores in the Cincinnati region allow unlimited coupons and double coupons to a *maximum* doubled value of $1.00 (ie: coupons valued at $0.50-$0.99 will double to $1.00).

For the full list of ad matchups for this week, check out this post (thanks, Savings Lifestyle).

For the latest Catalina deals at Kroger, check out this post at Southern Savers.

*Affiliate link; thanks for your support of this site!

Target | *HOT* Deals on Back to School Lunch Items - Capri Suns, OM Deli Fresh Lunchmeat, FREE Bread!

My Target Trip 8/26/11

Spent: $20.99

Saved: $15.26 (42%)

It's back-to-school time at my house (and likely at your house, too!) which means it's also back to packing lunches for my kiddos each day. This year, my youngest is in all day kindergarten so I'm packing (3) lunches every night.

(I always pack the night before so I have *some* semblance of sanity on our school mornings, lol!)

My daughter buys once a week or so when the school lunch is pizza or nachos and my older son likes to buy on pizza day, too. The biggest cost of having (3) kids packing each day is the cost of the school milk cartons: at $0.50 ea/pint, it adds up to $7.50/week.

For $7.50, I can buy three GALLONS of milk at Kroger. Holy ouch!

So when I perused the Target ad last Sunday morning (early morning; we left for our mini-vacation on Sunday) and saw the Capri Sun deal, I knew I needed to get in to Target before the sale changed over at the end Saturday night.

While I was in store, I found another great deal on OM Deli Fresh lunchmeat and FREE bread. Hurray! I love *stumbling* across a deal!

Here's the deals I grabbed last night at Target:

Capri Sun 20 pks, 3.99 ea
*Buy 3, get 1 FREE - advertised deal*
$0.50/1 Capri Sun 10 or 20pk, TARGET printable coupon
Final price: $2.86 ea after FREE item and coupon
(That breaks down to $0.15 per juice pack - a MUCH better deal than $0.50 per school milk!)

Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Lunch Meat, $2.99 ea
*Buy 2, get 1 loaf Orowheat or Brownberry Bread FREE - advertised deal*
Buy 3 OM Deli Fresh Lunchmeats, get 1 FREE, TARGET printable coupon
Final price: $2.24 ea for OM Deli Fresh Lunchmeat after FREE item  + (2) FREE loaves Brownberry Bread (priced $3.09 ea)

This Target sale ad ends on Saturday night (8/27) so if these deals are ones you need for packing lunches at your house, be sure to print those coupons and hop over to your Target today.

Enjoy!

CLIP | Sunday Coupon Preview 08/21/11 (3 Inserts - 1 SS, 1 RP, 1 PG)

It's that time of the week - time to look ahead at the anticipated Sunday insert coupons so you can start planning for next week's store deals. 

It's always useful to know how many coupon inserts to expect each Sunday and even more useful to know which coupons you'll find in those inserts so you can decide as early as possible if it's a good week to order coupons from a clipping service*.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This Sunday, 08/28/11, there will be (3) inserts in the Sunday newspapers - 1 SS, 1 RP, 1 PG.


Remember, coupons can and do vary by product/brand and vary by value depending upon geographic regions in the USA.

Be sure to check the Insert Schedule for 2011 to look ahead at the upcoming weekends if you haven't already; make a note on your calendar which weekends extra inserts are expected so you can plan ahead to grab extra papers. 

Here are some of the upcoming coupons that look good to me:

Smart Source

$0.55/1 Barilla Pasta Sauce

$0.50/1 Chex Cereal

$1.00/1 Energizer Batteries

$1.00/1 Mt Olive Pickles, Peppers, or Relish

$0.50/1 White Castle frozen 6-pack microwaveable hamburgers or cheeseburgers (Which I won't need to buy since a WC just opened up down the road from me! Mmmmm!)

Red Plum

$1.00/1 Nutella (My hubs tried this when he was traveling for work and now we're both hooked. Serious YUM.)

$0.55/1 Sara Lee Iron Kids Better White Bread

$5.00/1 Zyrtec adult 24+ ct

Proctor & Gamble

$1.00/1 Cascade

$0.50/1 Crest Toothpaste 4 oz+

$0.50/1 Dawn

Oodles of Febreze brand coupons

$0.50/1 Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

For the full list of upcoming insert coupons, be sure to check out this post at Sunday Coupon Preview.

Need help with learning to coupon or with keeping your coupons organized?  Check out these posts for some ideas on how to get started:

:: Back to Basics | How to Coupon
{This is a four post series that covers the basics of learning how to coupon, from finding and organizing coupons to planning and executing your store trips}

:: 8 Tips to Organize Your Coupons Each Month

::  Couponing Terminology
{Do all those couponing acronyms and abbreviations look like jibberish?  This is a brief list of some of the most common ones and what they mean.}

Also, be sure to check out some of the HOT printable coupons that were released this week as well; if you'll use them, print 'em before they're gone.

Have a great weekend!

*Affiliate link; thanks for your support of this site!

CLIP | *HOT* Printable Coupons {Avent Pacifiers & Bottles, Vitamins, Great Day Eggs, & More!}

There were some *HOT* printable coupons released this week!  Time to fire up your printers and get them before they're gone!

Remember, you can print (2) unique coupons per IP so be sure to print (2) per each coupon you want.

Here are some of the best ones I see as of 8/26/11, 6:15 pm EST:

:: $1.00/2 Yogi Granola Snack Crisps

:: $1.00/1 any Brita Bottle System, single or twin pack

:: $1.50/1 Avent Pacifier pack

:: $3.00/1 Avent BPA free multi-pack baby bottles

:: $2.25/1 Nature's Bounty Your Life Multi-Vitamins

:: $2.50/3 Disney or Marvel Vitamins

:: $1.00/1 Barbara's Cereal

:: $0.55/1 Carton Great Day Eggs (sold at Walmart)

:: $0.50/1 Entenmann's 6 ct Snack Packs

Enjoy your weekend!

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links; thank you for supporting this site!

Welcome Back!

Hello, my dear frugalistas!

We returned home from our mini-vacation Wednesday afternoon. Amidst all the unpacking and laundry, I also had all of my final back-to-school prep to do for my older two who started school on Thursday as well as a meet-the-teacher night at school.

Then yesterday and today, between getting back in the back-to-school groove and running hither and yon getting a few last uniform pieces that fit, I spent about a gajillion minutes (and I think all the ink in one pen) just filling out the standard back-to-school forms (3x the forms this year since my youngest starts kindergarten on Monday - ALL day kindergarten).

It's been a whirlwind week to say the least but I am back! And I am rejuvenated from our peaceful little vacation and glad to be back. I'm glad that you're here, too. ;-)

I've got some of the usual end-of-week posts coming up as well as a belated Let's Go Krogering! post that I'll likely put up tomorrow (Saturday) since I'm planning to go Mega-ing tonight.

And now that summer is behind me and all three of my kids are in school all day, I'm hoping to really get down to the nitty gritty of improving this site. I've got a looooong To Do list that's been gathering dust the past few months and I'm anxious to get started.

Thanks for stopping by! Time for me to get back to work!

End of Summer Break | August 22-24, 2011

I'm taking a few days off to hang out with my favorite blue-eyed freckle faces before school starts for them on Thursday, August 25.

I'll post my weekly Let's Go Krogering! trip on Thursday afternoon.

In the meantime, here are some great back-to-school links to visit:

:: Need some inspiration for packing back-to-school lunch boxes? My friend Erin (aka the $5 Dinner mom) had an awesome series last week with ideas for school lunches, ways to get organized to pack those lunches, and all sorts of themed lunches. Best of all, she's got a post with a recap of the series- easy! Check out her Back to School Lunch Recap for all the links to the original posts.

:: Amy over at Mom Advice has a HUGE list of Back to School Tips, Resources and Project Ideas. This is a monster list of links so wait until you have a cuppa joe in hand and a half an hour to spare before clicking through to visit. You'll find lots of wonderful ideas.

:: If back-to-school is actually back-to-homeschool for you, make sure to read Toni at Homeschool Planning: Back to Homeschool. All of you homeschooling families have my utmost respect for your perseverence and dedication!

I hope you find some ways to enjoy the last blast of summer with your gang! 

Weekly Deals Roundup | August 21 - August 27, 2011

Check out these sites for the best ad matchups around
SW Ohio this week, August 21-27, 2011.

*Kroger (08/22 - 08/28)*

**HOT! Mega Event Sale continues through 8/28!**

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Stockpiling Moms)

*Meijer*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Savings Lifestyle)

*Aldi*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Cincinnati Cents)

*Walgreens*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Common Sense with Money)

*CVS*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Bargain Briana)

*Rite Aid*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of The Thrifty Mama)

*Target*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Stretching a Buck)

*Walmart*

Current deals and matchups (as of 08/17/11) here (courtesy of Deal Seeking Mom)

++++++++++++++++++++

Not from my part of SW Ohio but still need matchups for the stores near you?

I encourage you to check The Frugal Map for *your* store. 

The Frugal Map features links to ad matchups from bloggers around the country each week.  If you're a blogger who covers stores in your area that you don't see listed at The Frugal Map, I encourage you to submit your blog to be listed on The Frugal Map.    ;-)

CLIP | Sunday Coupon Preview 08/21/11 (1 Insert - 1 SS)

It's that time of the week - time to look ahead at the anticipated Sunday insert coupons so you can start planning for next week's store deals. 

It's always useful to know how many coupon inserts to expect each Sunday and even more useful to know which coupons you'll find in those inserts so you can decide as early as possible if it's a good week to order coupons from a clipping service*.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This Sunday, 08/21/11, there will be (1) insert in the Sunday newspapers - 1 SS.


Remember, coupons can and do vary by product/brand and vary by value depending upon geographic regions in the USA.

Be sure to check the Insert Schedule for 2011 to look ahead at the upcoming weekends if you haven't already; make a note on your calendar which weekends extra inserts are expected so you can plan ahead to grab extra papers. 

Here are some of the upcoming coupons that look good to me:

Smart Source

Oodles of Claritin coupons (hello, Fall Allergy Season!)

$0.25/1 Clorox Bleach

$1.00/2 Glad Food Storage

Oodles of Glade brand coupons

*HOT!* $0.25/1 Heinz Ketchup

$1.00/2 Hershey Chocolate Bar 6 pks

$0.50/1 Nestle Toll House dark chocolate morsels

$3.00/2 Pantene products

For the full list of upcoming insert coupons, be sure to check out this post at Sunday Coupon Preview.

Need help with learning to coupon or with keeping your coupons organized?  Check out these posts for some ideas on how to get started:

:: Back to Basics | How to Coupon
{This is a four post series that covers the basics of learning how to coupon, from finding and organizing coupons to planning and executing your store trips}

:: 8 Tips to Organize Your Coupons Each Month

::  Couponing Terminology
{Do all those couponing acronyms and abbreviations look like jibberish?  This is a brief list of some of the most common ones and what they mean.}

Also, be sure to check out some of the HOT printable coupons that were released this week as well; if you'll use them, print 'em before they're gone.

Have a great weekend!

*Affiliate link; thanks for your support of this site!

CLIP | *HOT* Printable Coupons {BOGO Athenos Feta, Land O Lakes Butter, Minute Maid Juice Packs & More!

There were some *HOT* printable coupons released this week!  Time to fire up your printers and get them before they're gone!

Remember, you can print (2) unique coupons per IP so be sure to print (2) per each coupon you want.

Here are some of the best ones I see as of 8/19/11, 7:15 am EST:

:: $0.50/2 packages of Land O Lakes Butter

:: $0.75/1 Land O Lakes Cinnamon Butter Spread

:: $1.00/5 any Buddy Fruits

:: $1.00/1 any Minute Maid Juice Packs 10pk

:: $4.00/1 Claritin 24 ct+

:: $1.50/1 Spenda Essential No Calorie Sweetner

:: $2.00/2 GoodBelly Quarts

:: $1.00/1 Post Shredded Wheat Cereal

:: Buy 1 Get 1 FREE, Athenos Feta Cheese (via Facebook)

Enjoy your weekend!

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links; thank you for supporting this site!

Back to School Deals 2011 | Week of August 14 - August 20, 2011

Once again, it's time to look at the best deals this week (8/14-8/20) on school supplies by price comparison as well as current school supply coupons as compiled by Your Retail Helper.

*Please note that some prices may vary slightly by geographic region.*

Image courtesy of Your Retail Helper.

Graphing Calculators
Texas Instruments 84 Plus $95 - Wal-Mart
Texas Instruments 84 Plus $109.99 through Wed - Office Depot
Texas Instruments 84 Plus $109.99 - Staples

Backpacks
Embark $9 - Target
$4.88+ - Wal-Mart

Facial Tissue
Kleenex $1.09 with card - Walgreens

Crayons
Scholastic 24 ct 25¢ - Office Depot
Cra-Z-Art 24 ct 25¢ - Wal-Mart
Penway 24 ct 29¢ w/card - Walgreens
Crayola 24 ct 99¢ w/card - Walgreens

Washable Crayons
RoseArt 10 ct $1 - Staples
Crayola 24 ct $1.50 - Target

Markers
Crayola 10 ct 97¢ - Wal-Mart
Crayola 10 ct 99¢ w/card - Walgreens

Washable Markers
Crayola 8 ct $1.50 - Target

Water Colors
Cra-Z-Art 8 ct 97¢ - Wal-Mart

Colored Pencils
Crayola 12 ct 97¢ - Wal-Mart

Sharpies
4 ct $3.97 - Wal-Mart
8 ct Fine Point $3.99 - CVS
8 ct Markers $3.99 w/card - Walgreens
10 ct Markers $4.99 - Target

Glue
Elmer's 4 oz 79¢ w/card - Walgreens
Elmer's 4 oz $1.49 - CVS

Glue Sticks
Avery 3 ct 50¢ - Staples
Elmer's 2 ct 79¢ w/card - Walgreens
Elmer's 3 ct $1.50 - Target
Elmer's 6 ct $1.97 - Wal-Mart

Folders
1¢ - Office Depot
2 pocket 15¢ - Wal-Mart

Scissors
It's Academic 5" 49¢ w/card - Walgreens
Schoolworks 5" 25¢ - Office Depot

Rulers
12" Wooden 29¢ w/card - Walgreens
12" Plastic 1¢ - Office Depot

Pens
Bic Clic Stic 5 ct 50¢ - Staples
PaperMate 10 ct 2/$1 - CVS
Bic Ultra 8 ct 99¢ w/card - Walgreens
PaperMate 12 ct 97¢ - Wal-Mart

Pencils
Office Depot Brand 12 ct 25¢ - Office Depot
USA Gold 10 ct $1.44 - Wal-Mart

Mechanical Pencils
Bic 5 ct $1 - Staples
PaperMate 20 ct $2.47 - Wal-Mart
Bic Shimmer 26 ct $3.50 - Target

Dry Erase Markers
Expo 6 ct 99¢ w/card - Walgreens
Expo 4 ct $3 - Target
Expo 4 ct $3.47 - Wal-Mart

Highlighters
Bic Brite 5 ct 79¢ w/card - Walgreens
Sharpie 4 ct $1.47 - Wal-Mart
Bic B2G1 Free - Staples

Composition Books
25¢ - Office Depot
100 sheet 40¢ - Wal-Mart
Mead/Penway 120 sheet $1.99 w/card - Walgreens

Notebooks
70 sheet 20¢ - Wal-Mart
70-80 sheet 3/$1 - CVS
60-70 sheet 49¢ w/card - Walgreens

Binders
1" Economy 92¢ - Wal-Mart
1" Avery $2 - Target
1/2" to 3" BOGO Free w/card - Walgreens

Filler Paper
120 sheet 1¢ through Wed w/$5 purchase - Staples
150 sheet 75¢ - Wal-Mart
Penway 79¢ w/card - Walgreens

Store Coupons

Office Max - 20% off anything you can fit in their Brown Paper Bag from Sunday Paper

Other Coupons

$0.40 off three (3) KLEENEX On-the-Go Tissue Packs
$1 off Post-It Super Sticky Notes any purchase of $5 or more 8/14 SS Exp 9/18
$2 off Post-It Label Product any purchase of $5 or more 8/14 SS Exp 9/18
$2 off Post-It Note Dispenser any purchase of $5 or more 8/14 SS Exp 9/18
$2 off Post-It Tab, Flag or Pocket Product any purchase of $5 or more 8/14 SS Exp 9/18 Bic Stationery Products $1 off 2 - 7/31 SS Exp 9/30
$1 off any Scotch Pop Up Tape Dispenser Exp 9/30
$1 off any Scotch Poster Tape Exp 9/30
$1 off any Scotch Packaging Tape Exp 9/30
$1 off one roll of Scotch Magic Tape Exp 9/30
$1 off any Post-It Label Product Exp 8/31
Target 75¢ off Post-It Flags or Tabs
Target 50¢ off Scotch Magic Tape
Target $1 off Papermate Writing Utensil item
Target $1 off select Expo Dry Erase item or cleaner
Target $1.50 off Mead Cloth Binder
Target $1 off select Crayola Dry Erase items
Target $0.50 select Crayola 50 ct product
Target 50¢ off 12-ct. Elmer's school glue sticks
Target 75¢ off Five Star moveable tabbed dividers notebook
Pilot Pens $1 off
$1 - $2 off various Post-it Products Exp 12/31
$1 off Scotch Restickable Strips or Tabs Exp 12/31
$1 off Scotch Pop-Up Tape Dispenser Exp 12/31
$1 off Scotch Ultra Edge Non-Stick Scissors Exp 12/31
$1.50 off Scotch Poster Tape Exp 12/31
50¢ off any Mead vinyl binder Exp 9/10
$1 off any Five Star Flex NoteBinder Exp 9/10

HOT! | FREE CVS Bodywash! (Facebook Offer)

Here's a nice little freebie for you CVS shoppers!

"Like" the Minute Clinic on Facebook and CVS will email you a coupon for a FREE full-size moisturizing bodywash.  Woot!

This offer is available until 8/17/11 or while supply/stock of coupons lasts.

Click here to like 'em and get your coupon before they're gone!

Enjoy!

Let's Go Krogering! | Week of August 15, 2011 {Back to School Mega Event Sale 8/15-8/28!}

Wondering what's the deal with my weekly Let's Go Krogering! (LGK!) posts?

 Click here for more information.

My Kroger Trip, Monday, August 15, 2011:

Spent: $16.96

Saved: $25.99 (60%)

Woohoo!  The Mega Event sale is back at Kroger with a Back to School theme: buy 10 participating items, get $5.00 off at checkout.  This Mega Event sale runs 8/15-8/28 so you have plenty of time to clip your coupons and stockup; if you need extra coupons, don't forget you can order clipped coupons from my favorite clipping service.*

I didn't get too much today because we don't need very much this week and because I wanted to wait and see the full list of participating items and coupon matchups (thanks, Southern Savers!).   I also made a few shopping trips on Sunday 8/14 to grab some deals at Meijer with my mPerks coupons (spent $5.71; saved $16.96), Aldi for the usual milk, produce, and pantry items ($34.01), and Kroger for the last of the best deals from the Cart Buster sale (spent $9.30; saved $3.50), bringing my total for the week to $65.98 spent and $46.36 (41%) saved.

Oh, and just for fun, I thought you might like to see that I wasn't the only early bird at my Kroger this morning at 8:00 am...

Yes, that is a chicken.

Yes, it is crossing the road.

And yes, my kids did chase that poor bird for five minutes trying to catch it (I felt like I was in the scene from Rocky 2 - you can watch it here on YouTube if you haven't seen it).

There's a farm just across the way from my Kroger; maybe this chicken flew the coop?  We may never know.  This I do know: my kids will be looking for that bird every.single.time we stop at our Kroger from now until eternity!

Here's the deals I grabbed at Kroger on August 15, 2011:

Mega Event Deals 

PopSecret Popcorn, 10pk, $2.49 ea | $1.99 after Mega Event discount
$1.00/2, printable here
Final price: $1.49 ea

Keebler Jumbo Fudge Sticks 6pk, $2.39 ea | $1.89 after Mega Event discount
$0.70/1, printable here
Final price: $0.89 ea

Skyline Frozen Chili, 2.49 ea | $1.99 after Mega Event discount
$0.50/1, SS 08/07 (I believe this coupon was regional to the greater Cincy area.)
Final price: $0.99 ea

Cheez-Its, $2.99 ea | $2.49 after Mega Event discount
$1.00/2, printable here
Final price: $1.99 ea

Hormel Compleats, $2.49 ea | $1.99 after Mega Event discount
$0.55/1, SS 08/07
Final price: $0.99 ea

Other Deals

Kroger Baby Carrots, $1.25/lb
$0.40/2, Kroger My Magazine mailer coupon
Final price: $1.05 ea
Notable Sale Prices

Seedless Grapes, $0.99/lb

FYI: Kroger stores in the Cincinnati region allow unlimited coupons and double coupons to a *maximum* doubled value of $1.00 (ie: coupons valued at $0.50-$0.99 will double to $1.00).

For the full list of ad matchups for this week, check out this post (thanks, Savings Lifestyle).

For the latest Catalina deals at Kroger, check out this post at Southern Savers.

*Affiliate link; thanks for your support of this site!

Extreme Couponing on TLC Fallout: Newspaper Thefts on the Rise

If you haven't yet seen the coverage on Yahoo! or on the Huffington Post, you can read the original news story about an extreme couponer charged with stealing newspapers in Arkansas.

I'm sure this case is only one of many out there; I know I've bought many an extra Sunday paper over the years I've been consistently couponing (there's nothing extreme about what I do; I don't have any Armageddon-style stockpiles in my basement, bathroom, or taking up a room of my home) only to get home and find that the coupon inserts that should be tucked safely inside the paper simply aren't.

Coupon inserts - and by extension, Sunday newspapers - have been targeted by thieves looking for coupons to use, sell, or trade for a very long time.

But with the advent of TLC's show, a show which in my opinion does nothing to educate people in the right way to use coupons to lower their budget but instead relies on the shock and awe theory of reality tv, the demand for coupons has increased.

If you need more coupons, please realize there are LOTS of ways to get them, ways that are totally on the up-and-up.

:: Ask everyone you know who gets the Sunday paper if they wouldn't mind saving their coupon inserts for you. My parents live in town and they save theirs for me; thanks Mom & Dad!

:: Start a collection site for extra coupon inserts in your workplace or your church and use those extra coupons to not only help your family budget but to give back. You can donate some of those freebies and cheapies you get with coupons back to your church (to be given to families in need or to the local food pantry) and to your co-workers (think coffee break snacks, personal care items like tissues, and whatever else you have that you don't need - you'll surely bless others with your generosity!)

:: Start a coupon club with like-minded couponing friends and swap coupons among your group. I have a friend who coupons who needs to buy organic/natural products for her food allergy kids; she and I are always trading off coupons that we know the other one will use.

:: Order extra clipped coupons or whole inserts from a clipping service*. This is a great way to get multiple copies of specific coupons without buying multiple newspapers.

:: Pony up the extra $1.75-$2.50 for an extra paper on Sunday morning; if you're saving money with your couponing efforts (which, if you're consistent, you should be saving an average of 50% per week), surely you can build an extra $5 or so into your grocery budget category to cover the cost of a few extra papers.

What do you think about the rise of Extreme Couponing on TLC and the future of couponing for us everyday couponers? 
*Affiliate link; thanks for your support of this site!

Weekly Deals Roundup | August 14-August 20, 2011

Check out these sites for the best ad matchups around
SW Ohio this week, August 14-20, 2011.

*Kroger (08/15 - 08/21)*

**HOT! Mega Event Sale returns 8/15-8/28!**

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Savings Lifestyle)

*Meijer*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Stockpiling Moms)

*Aldi*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Cincinnati Cents)

*Walgreens*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Common Sense with Money)

*CVS*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Common Sense with Money)

*Rite Aid*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of The Thrifty Mama)

*Target*

Current deals and matchups here (courtesy of Stretching a Buck)

*Walmart*

Current deals and matchups (as of 08/10/11) here (courtesy of Passion for Savings)

++++++++++++++++++++

Not from my part of SW Ohio but still need matchups for the stores near you?

I encourage you to check The Frugal Map for *your* store. 

The Frugal Map features links to ad matchups from bloggers around the country each week.  If you're a blogger who covers stores in your area that you don't see listed at The Frugal Map, I encourage you to submit your blog to be listed on The Frugal Map.    ;-)