CVS Deals - Week of 8/16/09

If any of these items are on your shopping list, click here for the details on how to get them at the lowest price possible thanks to Deal Seeking Mom!

:: 3-Day Deals – Sunday Through Tuesday Only
CVS/Caliber Filler Paper (150-sheets), $0.99
Get $0.99 ECBs (limit 2)
FREE after ECBs!

Paper Mate Pens, $0.99
Get $0.99 ECBs (limit 2)
FREE after ECBs!

Caliber Recycled School Box, $1.99
Get $1.99 ECBs (limit 2)
FREE after ECBs!

CVS/Caliber Mini Composition Notebook, $1.99
Get $1.99 ECBs (limit 2)
FREE after ECBs!

Philips Earhook Headphones, $6.99
Get $6.99 ECBs (limit 1)
FREE after ECBs!

:: Other Deals Available Throughout the Week
Aquafina or Pepsi (12-pk)
Johnson & Johnson First Aid To Go! Kits
L’Oreal Advanced Revitalift Deep Set Wrinkle Repair
Colgate FreshMax or MaxWhite Toothpaste or Toothbrush
Listerine Original, Cool Mint, or Fresh Burst (1-liter)
L’Oreal EverPure Shampoo, Conditioner or Styler
AMC Entertainment Card
Sobe Life Water
Post Honey Pecan Bunches Cereal
Wet Ones Wipes
Welch’s Grape Jelly
Purex Laundry Detergent

Wags deals - Week of 8/16/09

Here’s some of the best of what Deal Seeking Mom sees at Walgreens this week. If any of these items are on your list, click here for details!

Softsoap Nutri Serum
Velveeta Shells & Cheese Cups
Conair Professional Brush
Kotex Products
A&W, Canada Dry, Sunkist, Hawaiian Punch (12-pk)
Bengay
Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
Select Kellogg’s Cereal (12 to 20-oz.)
Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrient 3-Minute Treatment
Mars Candy Bars
Scotch Mailer
Trident Gum
Starbucks Bottled Frappuccino
Lindsay Olives
Dole Fruit Bowls
Pringles
Motts Apple Sauce
Welch’s Grape Jelly

Walmart's Coupon Policy

Click here to print it for yourself: Walmart Coupon Policy

Wal-Mart accepts the following types of coupons (see guidelines below)

• Manufacturer coupons (Cents Off)


• Free merchandise (or manufacturer's Buy-One-Get-One-Free) coupons


• Store coupons


• Pharmacy (Advertising and Promotional) coupons


• Internet coupons


• Soft drink container caps

The following are guidelines and limits:

• Wal-Mart only accepts coupons for merchandise we sell and only when presented at the time of purchase.


• Coupons should have an expiration date and be presented within the valid dates. Wal-Mart will not accept expired coupons.


• Internet coupons should be legible and say "Manufacturer Coupon." There should be a valid remit address for the manufacturer and a scannable bar code.


• Only one coupon per item is permitted.


• Use of 40 or more coupons per transaction will require approval by Customer Service Manager.

School Supply "Sales" - BEWARE!

There are lots of “sales” at various stores this week, but beware! Walgreen’s has a “sale” on their 8-pack of washable markers for $2.99, though Walmart’s everyday low price is only $2.50. Likewise, CVS is having a “buy one, get one 50% sale” on their 24-count box of crayons. It sounds great, but at $2.49 a box, it makes much more sense to go to Walmart and get them for just 30 cents!

I’ve been doing lots of price comparison shopping for my boys (going into 1st and 3rd grades) and these are the best deals I’ve found for this week on the items they need:

Walmart
24-count Crayola crayons – 30 cents
8-count washable Crayola markers – $2.50
Fisker scissors – $1.50
1-subject spiral notebooks – 25 cents
24 pencils – 84 cents
Notebook paper – 50 cents

CVS – sales good only through Tuesday of this week
Pencils – you can buy one set of 12 for $1.99 and then receive Extra Bucks at checkout for $1.99 (limit 2 per Extra Care card)
Notebook paper – you can buy one package for $1.99 and then receive Extra Bucks at checkout for $1.99 (limit 2 per Extra Care card)

Walgreen’s
Pencil top erasers – 15 for only 29 cents

Office Depot
2-pocket folders – 5 cents (limit 5 per transaction)

Kmart
Composition notebook – 50 cents

T.G.I. Friday's

If you like T.G.I. Friday's, here is a free program with great perks that you might be interested in signing up for!

http://www.fridays.com/gmms/GiveMeMoreStripes.aspx

Another freebie - RightatHome.com

I subscribe to a newsleter from S.C. Johnson who sells things that we are all familiar with like Ziploc, Glade, Windex, Pledge, Shout, etc. The following link will take you to a website that will allow you to receive a free Ziploc pack-and-go gift pack and you can also sign up for their newsletter so that you can receive future offers that are similiar in nature, as well as occasional coupons and just good general information.

http://www.rightathome.com/offers/0907RAHgift-freeziploc/?sid=email&cid=rah200907offer&rid=117944892

Walmart freebies

Did you know that Walmart offers freebies on a regular basis? Click below to get in on it!

http://instoresnow.walmart.com/In-Stores-Now-free-samples.aspx

Take it slow

I went by Books-a-Million today and found the other book that I've been wanting to read: Amy Dacyczyn's The Complete Tightwad Gazette. The book is HUGE - nearly 1000 pages with tiny font similar to a newspaper; hence the term "gazette" in it's title, I suppose. I've only made it to page 113 so far, but I've gotten a good mixture of interesting tidbits on how to be more frugal, as well as some pretty extreme examples of how to be a tightwad such as how to get cheap return address labels by cutting out the mailing labels from your junk mail and gluing it to your reused envelopes. Okey dokey, then...

Today's tip comes from the preface - "Choose one new idea a week. One new skill per month." That's a great way to not become overwhelmed by trying to become more frugal. If you usually stop by Blockbuster's a time or two a week and rent an armload of movies (that, if you're anything like our family, you don't take the time to watch before they are due back), then try out the Redbox machine that I talked about in the previous post instead. That's a 33-50% savings for a movie rental right there (if you take it back within 24 hours). If you eat out regularly, cut your eating out to a couple of times a week. You'll see an immediate difference in the money that's left in your pocket, I promise.

Find the fun in being frugal!

Redbox

Looking for something to do that is frugal, yet entertaining? Have you tried a "redbox" yet?

This is a neat way to get a movie rental for $1 per night. It is similar in nature to the old books-on-tape that Cracker Barrel carries (yes, Mom, I know...those aren't old to everyone). Basically what you do is pick a movie, insert your debit card (notice I said debit), and you are charged only $1 per every 24 hours that you have the movie. If you like it enough to hold on to it for 25 days, it's yours! You can return the movie to any Redbox rather than returning it to the one that you purchased it at, so that makes it extra convenient!

Go to www.redbox.com and click on "Find a Redbox" to find one near you. Also be sure to look on the gray bar just under the heading for "Get a Free Rental" so you can get one for free! Pretty frugal, huh?

Reduce the fat content of hamburger meat

To aide in my efforts to become frugal, I'm reading a book by Jonni McCoy called Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy. I was turned on to this book after it was referenced in one of my favorite blogs - http://www.thesimpledollar.com/.

I've recently been buying the cheaper hamburger meat at Kroger because it's the cheap hamburger meat that is on sale, though I've felt a little guilty about the increased fat content of the meat. She writes, "Some people are concerned about the fat content of the cheaper hamburger. To tackle the fat, cook the beef, then rinse it with hot water. This gets the same results as buying expensive lean ground beef...and will cost you less."

Beginning Blogger

This is uncharted territory for me, but I desperately need an outlet to document and share my new hobby - being frugal! It began in January when my husband and I enrolled in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and I think my interest grows as the days go by. My frugal efforts began by researching couponing extensively in an attempt to learn to save a little extra money each month. I've saved more than $1000 in the 4 months that I've done that and had so much fun with it that I held a class on couponing at our church to share it with others.

A couple of months into couponing, in an effort to sharpen my skills, I started reading various blogs like A Thirfty Mom (http://athriftymom.com/) and Saving and Giving (http://savingandgiving.blogspot.com/). These give great tips about couponing and where to find the best deals and sales, and I've saved a hundred dollars or more by using the information on their website in my shopping expeditions.

In addition to that, I subscribe to a daily email from a blog called "The Simple Dollar" (www.thesimpledollar.com) that is focused on personal finance. He discusses a wide variety of topics and what I read in those emails encourages me to think about frugality and how I can do more and more.

So, that's where I am. I'm trying to learn to be frugal, not only at the grocery store, but throughout all that I do. It has become much less about saving money, but rather more about how I can get by on less. It's become a game, and I'm VERY competitive.

Let the game begin!