Eat Better America Coupons

Get $6 in savings with coupons for Fiber One, Yoplait, Cheerios, and Nut Clusters with Eat Better America.

Click here to get your coupons.

Save some money at Ruby Tuesdays!

Right now Ruby Tuesdays is offering 2 great coupons to make a night out even nicer!

Here you can use a 20% off your entire order coupon or a 25% off your entire order coupon AND here you can use a Buy One Get One Free (up to $10) coupon.

All coupons expire March 2nd.

You *should* be able to use one of the % off your order and the BOGO coupon together, which makes for a super cheap date night. And as a former server (many many moons ago....) I kindly remind you to always tip based on price before any discounts. ;)

Check here for a Ruby Tuesdays near you!!

Thanks to MojoSavings!

Enter to win a Dooney & Burke Wristlet

RedPlum wants YOU to win a free Dooney & Burke Wristlet! Here's how:

"What we're most interested in are your super-secret, and super-weird family ingredients. Specifically we're looking for marinades made with out-there items. (Like the delicious concoction one reader shared, made with a base of Dr. Pepper.) We'll choose our favorite strange-ingredient marinade recipe and award that reader a gorgeous, nautical-inspired Dooney & Bourke* wristlet.

Simply e-mail your marinade recipe (it must be an original--not something you found in a cookbook or saw made on TV) on or before March 10,2010, and you could win a Dooney & Bourke!

NOTE: By submitting your recipe to RedPlum you agree that it may be used in any form in any of our publications with or without attribution.

*Dooney & Bourke is not associated with this giveaway."

Please note: The image in this post is not part of the Red Plum giveaway. It is a random D&B photo that I picked out to add some pizazz to the post ;)

Free Nabisco Cookies!

Become a fan of Nabisco on Facebook. Then return on March 1st and they'll have details on how you can get a free package of cookies when you buy some milk. I'm in!!

Click here to become a fan now!

Free 8x10 from Walgreens

TODAY ONLY!! (Feb. 25th)

Get your free 8x10 from Walgreens! Use the coupon code FREEPHOTO at checkout or print this coupon.

(Offer does not apply towards 8x10 collages or magazine covers)

Win It Wednesday: Lemon Squeezy

Today's giveaway is for a glass pendant from Lemon Squeezy!

A little about Christie:

Hi! My name is Christie and I am blessed to be able to stay home with my 2 boys and baby girl. I LOVE my job as a mom! I also feel like any little bit I can do to help our income is a good thing, so that's when I started my Lemon Squeezy Shop.

I've sold a variety of different items, but have narrowed it down to the few that I really enjoy making. I've recently started a craft blog with a few tutorials, and that has been really fun so far! My new blog is A Lemon Squeezy Home I've connected the two in my mind, because I'd like to do tutorials for those of you who enjoy their creative side, but also offer options to purchase items if you are too busy to make them.

So, how do you win? Click HERE to enter!!

Weekly Deal Wednesday: 2/25-3/3

Wow wow wow. I have been far too busy for my own good these past couple of weeks! These are my favorite deals after doing just a quick flip through the new ad.

Order extra coupons here and here.
Check the acronyms here.

Ronzoni Pasta
Sale: BOGO Price: $1.99
Use: (1) $1/2 mfr q (Print IP - if Smart Taste & Healthy Harvest are included in sale)
Final Cost: $0.99, or $0.49 each
OR
Use: (2) $0.75/1 mfr q (16/6 SS)
Final Cost: $0.49, or $0.24 each

Ragu Pasta Sauce
Sale: BOGO Price: $2.29
Use: (1) $0.60/2 mfr q (1/31 RP) AND $1/2 Publix q (Multiply Your Meals & Savings Booklet)
Final Cost: $0.69, or $0.34

Ground Chuck - Stock up price!!!!
Sale Price: $2.49/lb
Use: Buy 2 lbs, $1 off your $5 purchase FLIP
Final Cost: $4, or $2/lb

Juicy Juice
Sale: BOGO Price: $3.65
Use: $1/2 mfr q (Print IP)
Final Cost: $2.65, or $1.32 each

Green Giant Canned Vegetables - Stock up price!!!!
Sale: BOGO Price: $1.29
Use: $5/20 Publix q ( Print IP Italian Days)
Final Cost: $7.90, or $0.39 each

*I personally am going to go in and do this as a separate purchase. I'm going to get 20 cans, and use the Publix q plus a $5 off your order coupon making my OOP $2.90 (or $0.14/each)!!*

Del Monte Tomatoes, assorted - Stock up price!!!!
Sale: BOGO Price: $1.49
Use: $1/4 mfr q (2/7 RP)
Final Cost: $1.98, or $0.49 each

Hunt's Tomato Sauce - Stock up price!!!!
Sale Price: 6/$2
Use: $1/3 (Print IP)
Final Cost: Free!

Post Honey Bunches of Oats
Sale: BOGO Price: $3.99
Use: Free gallon of milk wyb 4 Post cereals Publix q (Yellow Adv. Flyer)
Final Cost: $7.98, or $1.59 each (incl. 4 cereals and the milk)

Dannon Activia Yogurt
Sale Price: 3/$6
Use: (3) $1/1 mfr q (1/10, 2/7 SS)
Final Cost: $3, or $1/each

Right Guard Deodorant - Stock up price!!!!
Sale: BOGO Price: $2.79
Use: $2/2 mfr q (Print IP)
Final Cost: $0.79, or $0.39/each

So these are my personal favorite deals of the week and what I recommend stocking up on. For a FULL ad match up please visit Michelle over at IHeartPublix!

Yankee Candle Coupon

Great coupon for Yankee Candle! Get $15 off your purchase of $45 or more! Click here to print or right click and save the image below!

Free Pancakes @ IHOP Feb 23rd

My little sister just texted me a hot deal that I had no idea about:

Today, Feb. 23rd, IHOP is offering free pancakes all day (well, until 10pm). Each guest can receive a free short stack! Yum! All they ask for is a donation to support their charity (although it's not required).

Looks like we're having breakfast for dinner tonight at my house (er..my IHOP)!

Restarant.com Discount Code

Time for the new Restaurant.com discount code! This week enter SAVOR at checkout to receive 80% off your gift certificates!

If anyone wants to send me one for my birthday next week, I love The Outback ;)

Happy dining!

Exchange your old games for Hasbro coupon @ Kmart

At Kmart on Feb. 27th and 28th, you can bring in your old games (you know--the ones that your kids lost the pieces to...or maybe ate...I don't know) and in exchange you will receive a 50% off Hasbro coupon to use towards purchasing a new game! Not too shabby! More info can be found here.

Thank you to Sheri at Swaggrabber and Michelle at IHeartSavingMoney for posting about this!

A coupon class surprise!

Yesterday I was out teaching one of my private coupon class parties. (Find out about hosting one of your own here)

Not only was it a really fantastic class, but look what I got surprised with!!!Thanks so much Malissa!!!

Target Mobile Coupons

Did you know that Target now offers Mobile Coupons? They're pretty good ones too! And since they're Target coupons, it means you can pair them up with Manufacturer coupons (mfr q) to sweeten the deal (my favorite thing to do!)

In my first text I got these:
$2/1 Gillette Fusion Razor
Pair up with: $4/1 Gillette Fusion mfr q from 2/7 P&G insert

$2/1 Gillette Venus Razor
Pair up with: $2/1 Gillette Venus mfr q from 2/7 P&G insert
AND
with: Free Olay Body Wash when you purchase a Venus Razor mfr q from 2/7 P&G insert

Yesterday I got these:
$1/1 Kraft Cheese (chunk or shredded)
Pair up with: $1/2 Kraft mfr q from 1/24 Smart Source insert (or check here or here)

$1/1 Planters food products (5oz or larger)
Pair up with: $1/2 Planters mfr q from 1/24 Smart Source insert

$0.75/1 M&Ms Premium chocolate candies (6oz or larger)

$3/1 The Fragrance Collection by Glade (excludes 2 oz mini candle)
Pair up with: $3/1 The Fragrance Collection any product mfr from 2/7 Smart Source insert
OR
with: $3/1 The Fragrance Collection any 10oz Candle or Reed Diffuser mfr q from 1/24 Smart Source insert


Quite a few good deals! The Razors would be wicked cheap (especially with the current Gift Card deal going on) and using the $3 off mfr q for any Glade should mean a free or very cheap candle!

Make sure you sign up for your mobile Target coupons!!

Victoria's Secret: Pink Nation Freebie & Coupons

I love me some Victoria's Secret freebies, don't you?

Right now if you join up at Pink Nation, you can print a coupon for a Free Fragrance Deluxe Sampler (no purchase necessary!), as well as a $10 off any $35 Victoria's Secret Pink Purchase coupon. Score! (If you're already a member of Pink Nation, you can get just the free fragrance coupon.)

And if you take the Meet Your Perfect Bra Match quiz (only takes a minute or so), you'll be able to print off another $5 off any Pink bra coupon! Double score!

So, go! Join up! When Pink Nation gets 1 million members, we all get a special free gift!

CVS & Walgreens

I have decided that I am no longer going to do drugstore match ups. I want to be able to post as many coupons and hot deals possible and doing match ups is rather time consuming. Instead, I will link you up with other great blogs who do these match ups on a weekly basis. So this week to get your drugstore match up, check out these ladies:

CVS - MyBatonRougeMommy

Walgreens - MomsByHeart

Coupons & Discount Codes

Del Monte Fruit - Various different printable coupons




Staples - $5 off coupon




Walgreens - 30 4x6 photos for $3: Use code winter30 (exp. 2/27)
15% off your contact lens order: Use code lovetosave (exp. 3/6)
PLUS contact lens rebates

The Children's Place - 15% off your entire purchase (exp. 3/16)






Target - Printable Coupons
Mobile Coupons





And since February is already coming to a close (!), don't forget to print your coupons off these sites before they "restock" on the first of March:

Coupons.com




SmartSource.com



Redplum.com

Smart Shopping Sunday

Being a smart shopper isn't just about getting your groceries for cheap or free. It can be applied to pretty much anything you buy: houses, cars, clothes, crafts.... the list just goes on and on! It's so easy too. All you have to do is really be aware and conscious of what you're getting. Here's an example from just last week:

My younger sister, we'll call her "C", wanted to make a personalized gift for someone special in her life. She's really good at photography (see samples of her work here) so she new that her gift would involve that. C decided on getting a nice frame, and the workings to make her own "scrapbook" inspired card. So we were off to JoAnn's (our local craft super amazing store). Armed with me I had the JoAnn's sale flyer as well as the Michael's sale flyer since Jo will accept competitor coupons and price match exact items (good info to know)!

First stop, the frames. There were tons of them! And for two indecisive girls like us, that could cause a wee problem. So to narrow down the field we opted to head straight to the ones that were 40% off that week. Once C had her frame picked out we moved on to the card stock and doodad section. Now this, if you could have seen us, was pitiful. We stared and stared at the scrap booking stuff til I thought our eyes would bleed die cuts. Out of all the paper there, C was very wise and choose to get the most bang for her buck: she went for the stock that was on sale 4 for $1. And on pure luck I found a cute, and inexpensive, pre-made matching doodads. At regular pricing plus tax everything she got would have been about $20. But this is where being a smart shopper comes into play!

Frame - already 40% off PLUS I had a 25% off your entire frame purchase Michael's coupon
Card stock - on sale 4/$1
Doodad - I had a 50% off any regular priced item Michael's coupon
--Then had a 20% off your entire purchase Michael's coupon

C's final total - $7 and some change! So just by being aware of what we were buying and what types of coupons that were available, she was able to save 65%!

Sneak Peak Saturday

You know what Saturday means! Time to get a sneak peak at Sunday's coupon inserts!

It's looking like a standard 2 inserts:

2/21 Redplum
2/21 Smart Source

Looks ok based on the preview. Please remember that all coupons are not created equal! Actual coupons and their values vary by region! Use this preview as a guideline!

Fabulous Friday Finds: It's A Party

I have received some news within my family that just is not allowing me to get into the blogging mindset (hence no Tackle Me Thursday and no Favorite Five Friday). But I don't want to leave my readers empty handed two days in a row, so...

Please check out Fabulous Friday Finds over at Tuckers Take Tennessee. There is a fun link party going on for the great things you find: from DIY crafts, projects, handmade goods.... anything!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Free phone calls from Disney Princesses!

Holy cannoli, this is the mother of all freebies (well, at least it is in a house full of little girls)!

You can get TWO, yes two!, free phone calls from Disney Princesses. Here's how:

First, become a member of DisneyRewards.com, then go to Special Offers. Scroll til you see the Disney call, register and you're done.

Second, is a free call from Princess Tiana. To redeem this one, just enter code gumbo into the box. (Thanks to CouponingToDisney for this 2nd deal)

Easy as that! In less than 5 minutes you can get set up for your 2 free calls. We're surprising all the girls and taking them on their first trip to DisneyWorld for my middle daughter's 4th birthday. And now I've just scheduled for Princess Tiana to call that morning as well. She is going to flip out like never before!!

Cheap Chapstick @ Publix

Get cheap Chapstick at Publix!

Various different kinds were only $1.49 at my store. Being that one of my daughters thinks these are tasty little treats... well, let's just say I need to stock up while at this price!

Mmmm... smooth lips!

Chapstick Medicated
Price: $1.49, Buy 2
Use: (1) $0.50/2 mfr q (12/13 RP) AND (2) $1/1 Publix q (Green Adv. Flyer)
Final Cost: $0.48, or $0.24 each

Chapstick Original, Cherry, or Moisturizing
Price: $1.49, Buy 3
Use: (1) $1/3 mfr q (1/31 RP) AND (3) $1/1 Publix q (Green Adv. Flyer)
Final Cost: $0.47, or $0.16 each

If you don't have the mfr coupons you can order here or here. If you don't want to order, just use the $1/1 Publix q to get Chapstick for just $0.49 each!

Win It Wednesday: MLK Designs

As always, hosted by the fabulous Meghan at Tuckers Take Tennessee
:

Enter to win any design of your choice from MLK Designs!

A little about Mel:

My name is Mel and I have been married to my awesome husband Kevin for 7 years, I am mommy to 2 beautiful little girls Kate & Claire and I am middle school math teacher, photographer & graphic designer! You can find me rambling at my blog: http://www.thelarsonlingo.blogspot.com

After my oldest daughter was born 2.5 years ago, I started designing birth announcements & holiday cards for family and friends. After encouragement from my best friend & my husband to start a business selling them, I finally did that & opened up an etsy shop in October.

MKL Designs is my etsy shop where I design & create Holiday Photo cards, Birth Announcements, Bridal & Baby Shower Invitations, Save the Date cards & Birthday Invitations.

Good thing I am a night owl, because I stay up WAY too late every night! I create cards & invitations late at night when my girls are sleeping. Who needs sleep when there is coffee (which I love and can't live without!)

Other things I love are pizza, brownies & ice cream and the color pink. I am obsessed with shopping at Target. I love watching all sports, especially college football (Go Buffs!) I was born & raised in California and love living here. I love Jesus & strive to live my life for him even though I fall short each day. Cooking, baking & entertaining others brings me joy!

I am passionate about photography & almost always have my camera in my hands. A perfect vacation for me is sitting on a beach in Hawaii, reading a good book & drinking something tropical. I am so blessed with an amazing family & awesome friends. Life is good!

Enter to win any design of your choice (birth announcement, bridal or baby shower invitation, save the date or birthday invitation) that are in my etsy store: www.mlarson17.etsy.com

So, how do you win? Enter HERE at Tuckers Take Tennesse!

Weekly Deal Wednesday

Let's just get to it shall we? There are some great deals this week!

Acronyms found here
Order extra mfr coupons from here or here
And remember, if your store doubles coupons, your final cost will be less than what I've stated (lucky you!)


Classico Pasta or Alfredo Sauce
Sale: BOGO Price: $2.49
Use: (2) $0.75/1 mfr q (1/10 SS)
Final Cost: $0.99, or $0.49 each
OR use (1) Free Pasta Sauce wyb Alfredo Sauce (1/10 SS)
Final Cost: Free (if you live in FL)

Progresso Soups
Sale: BOGO Price: $2.29
Use: (1) $0.50/2 mfr q (1/3, 2/7 GM)
Final Cost: $1.79, or $0.89 each

Progresso Bread Crumbs
Sale: BOGO Price: $1.83
Use: (1) $1/4 (Print IP)
Final Cost: Buy 4, $2.66, or $0.66 each

Eat Smart Vegetables
Sale Price: $1.00

Hunts 100% Natural Tomatoes
Sale: BOGO Price: $1.89
Use: (1) $1/4 mfr q (Print IP - play as the Hunt's lady)
Final Cost: Buy 4, $2.78, or $0.69 each

Mueller's Pasta
Sale: BOGO Price: $1.39
Use: (1) $1/2 mfr q (1/3 SS)
Final Cost: $0.39, or $0.19 each

Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats
Sale: BOGO Price: $4.19
Use: (1) $1/2 mfr q (Print IP1 or IP2) OR (1) $1/3 mfr q (2/7 RP)
Final Cost: $3.19, or $1.59 each OR Buy 4, $7.38, or $1.84 each

Crisco 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sale: BOGO Price: $5.94
Use: (2) $0.75/1 mfr q (2/14 RP)
Final Cost: $4.44, or $2.22 each

Wish-Bone Dressing
Sale: BOGO Price: $2.61
Use: (1) $1.50/2 (1/31 RP)
Final Cost: $1.11, or $0.55 each

Nestle Coffemate Chilled Creamer
Sale: BOGO Price: $2.19
Use: (2) $0.75/1 mfr q (Print IP) OR (1) $1/2 mfr q (Print IP)
Final Cost: $0.69, or $0.34 each OR $1.19, $0.59 each
*If your store accepts Food Lion as a competitor use (2) $1/1 FLIPs combined with either of the above mfr q to get free creamer! Or use them alone to get creamer for $0.19!

Angel Soft Toilet Paper
Sale Price: $5.49
Use: (1) $0.50/1 mfr q (2/14 RP)
Final Cost: $4.99

General Mills Cheerios
Sale Price: $1.99
Use: Various mfr q (Print IP)

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
Sale Price: $0.59

Softsoap Liquid Hand Soap
Sale Price: 5/$5 or $1 each
Use: (1) $0.35/1 mfr q (1/31 SS)
Final Cost: $0.65/each

Free Photo Coasters @ Snapfish

Become a new member at Snapfish and earn 50 free photo credits and 6 photo coasters!

Just go to Snapfish.com and sign up. Upload some pics. Then go to "Your Account" (top right corner) and follow to "account credits". From there you can redeem the above free offers.

And just to sweeten the deal (which I love doing), use the code PRESDAY at checkout (until Feb 19th) to get free shipping.

Just a few minutes of your top and you'll have lots of cute free stuff on its way to your house!

Thanks to Hip2Save for the great coasters find!

Coupons & Discount Codes

Sometimes you just need a good round of coupons and discount codes. Here's what I have for you today...

Snapfish.com - Free standard shipping for photo gifts for President's Day extended through Feb. 19th. Use the code: PRESDAY

Aveeno - $1 off coupon PRINT IP

BettyCrocker.com - $20 in coupons!

The Children's Place - 15% off your purchase (exp. Feb. 18th)

Del Monte - $1 off coupon PRINT IP

Restaurant.com - 80% off with code: HEART

Panda Express - Free Firecracker Chicken

Target Tuesday

First thing I noticed this week is that Target is offering the great deal on Gillette razors again like last week.

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor (purchase 2)
Sale Price: $6.99
Use: (2) $2/1 mfr q (2/7 PG) AND (2) Free Olay Body Wash wyb Venus Embrace or Breeze Razor (2/7 PG)
Receive: Free $5 giftcard with purchase of any 2 Gillette products listed
Final Cost, OOP: $9.98
Final Cost after GC: $4.98. or $2.50 each
*Sweeten this deal and save an additional $2/1 if you've signed up for Target Mobile coupons. If you haven't you can do so here.*

Gillette Fusion Razor (purchase 2)
Sale Price: $6.99
Use: (2) $4/1 mfr q (2/7 PG)
Receive: Free $5 giftcard with purchase of any 2 Gillette products listed
Final Cost, OOP: $5.98
Final Cost after GC: $0.98
*Sweeten this deal and save an additional $2/1 if you've signed up for Target Mobile coupons. If you haven't you can do so here.*

Click here to go see the rest of the ad match ups for Targets ad this week! Thanks to Totally Target!

Money Saving Monday: Pay Attention!

Yesterday was grocery shopping day for my family. And I got to be reminded of one of the cardinal rules to couponing: Pay attention during checkout!! Regardless of what store you're at, no matter what you're buying, or even whether or not you're using coupons: pay attention!! We drive all the way to the other side of town to shop at my most favorite Publix store (back on the side of town we used to live on). I really just prefer their layout, plus I have good relationships with the managers and a lot of the cashiers. Anybody who talks to me frequently enough knows how much I adore Publix. I have fantastic shopping experiences there, with the exception of a few questionable times (and one just down right bad store), I truly love it. But here's why I'm reminding you of this important rule....

I have "Coupon Etiquette" that I like to follow. And part of that involves me pre-prepping my coupons prior to getting in line. I get out all the coupons I'm going to hand over, separate the manufacturer coupons, Publix coupons, and Competitor coupons, and most importantly I count how many I'm going to hand over. So for this particular trip, I counted really fast, handed the coupons over to Henry (the hubby), and left to go put something back. Upon my return I found Henry holding the $1 off milk coupon that should have been scanned. He told me "See, it says 'Do Not Double Or Triple' so we couldn't use two". Cashier: "We can't double the coupons" Me: "I know, Florida doesn't do doubles" Cashier: "No you only got 1 milk so you can't use 2 coupons" Me: "It was an accident that you were given 2". I then proceeded to explain what the wording meant, and why it was not applicable to the mistake of giving her 2 of those coupons. I'll leave out the further bickering the cashier tried with me. At the end of the transaction I see only 4 coupons scanned and a much higher final total than I have seen in almost a year, so I just asked if all the coupons had been scanned (remember, I wasn't there for all of that part, so I was just making sure). Of course I got a snarky reply and said don't worry, I'll just check the receipt before I go. Then I remembered, the manager was allowing us to substitute some cereal and were supposed to remind the cashier to ring them up BOGO free as they would not on their own. Henry said he forgot. The cashier, really testing my patience, had the nerve to tell me "If it was BOGO I would know." Me: "No, the manager was allowing us to sub these, and you would have had to enter it manually" Cashier: "If it's not BOGO it's not going to ring up that way" (Well thank you Captain Obvious!). Again I told her forget it, we'd take care of it.

I give my receipt a once over and find two things: 1) Henry gave the cashier the coupons before she was done scanning everything and she just did random scans here and there... therefore making it difficult to see if all the coupons were scanned properly and 2) Of course, the cereal did not ring up BOGO. So we head to Customer Service... The manager is super nice, and gives us the refund for the cereal ($13.00). I didn't say anything about the cashier, although I wanted to, but I decided to go to my car first and scrutinize the receipt. And it's a very good thing I did! She didn't take off my $5 off your order coupon, or $3.89 off for my free Oreos (yummmm), and a couple other misc. coupons. Back to Customer Service I go, where this time I lay it out about how we didn't appreciate the cashiers attitude or how she scanned the coupons. But here's why I love Publix so much: The manager agreed how she did the coupons was a nuisance, because it was making it hard for him to find her errors. He also apologized profusely for her behavior as well. I asked for him to get her coupon pouch so we could go over all my coupons, which he did. And I got back another $12.00!

Moral of the story: Had I just taken this ill informed cashiers word about all the coupons being scanned, or about the cereal, my grocery bill would have been $25.00 HIGHER! By paying attention (better late than never!) my bill went from being $72.00 to just $47.00! Don't EVER be afraid to check your receipts and ask for corrections when it's wrong. Now that's 25 extra dollars that I can put towards buying some fun craft supplies for my kids, or put towards a bill... So remember: PAY ATTENTION!!

Free Firecracker Chicken

Get a free serving of Firecracker Chicken from Panda Express with the purchase of 2 or 3-entree plates with coupon below. Expires Feb. 25th.

Smart Shopping Sunday

Today I plan on spending my day with my family and promised no blogging. So to honor that I am linking you to a site with the great deals for the week.

Visit the posts for CVS and Walgreens on MomsByHeart.net to see what you can get now!

Sneak Peak Saturday

Time to see tomorrow's coupon insert. That's right, just singular - insert. Ah well, we weren't scheduled to receive anything this week. So I guess we'll take what we get and we'll like it. :) (I'm still glad I got extra papers last week!)

2/14 Redplum Preview

Favorite Five Friday: Valentine's Crafts

To keep with the Valentine's Day theme, I'm going to list 5 of my favorite Valentine's crafts I've come across and/or done with my kiddos. It's not too late to get some last minute crafting done!

1. Valentine's Mailbox from Somewhat Simple
Really easy, super kid friendly craft!

2. Baby Blocks from Fireflies and Jellybeans
Not actually for V-day but you could easily give it a V-day theme!

3. 6 Valentine Card Ideas For Your Guy from How Does She...
I love love love all of these!

And what would Valentine's Day be without a little Martha Stewart....
4. Valentine's Day sign card from Martha
This is perfect if you have little hams who love to be in front of the camera like my kids!

5. Lots of sweet treats to make from Martha
Sorry, there was no way to just pick one!!

Tackle It Thursday

Today on my Tackle It Thursday I have something that is very hard for me to accomplish. Very hard. A little back story: Yesterday my body was working against me. First I had some kind of choking fit. It was really scary. I mean I've choked before, but this was way worse. I'll spare you the gross details, but by the time it was over my abs and ribs were sore and hurting. My voice was a little deeper and raspier. Second, last night I realized I was coming down with mastitis (simply put: an infection of the breast of breastfeeding moms). I started taking an onslaught of things to help stop it, or at least prevent it from becoming full blown mastitis.

Today, my throat is really raw and my voice sounds so funny. It would be almost cute if it didn't hurt so much. That's less of an issue for me though. It does seem that I was able to prevent full blown mastitis, which is good. If you haven't had it before - compare it to the worst kind of flu. With 3 kiddos I just don't have time to be taken out like that. Which is why #1 on my list today is going to be so hard....

1. Rest. Lots and lots of rest.
2. Make Valentine's Day boxes for the girls to receive their Valentine's in for tomorrows party.
3. Help the girls fill out their Valentine's for the party.
4. Work on details of my 2nd daughters birthday party.

That's it. I'm keeping it simple today. But that rest part... that's going to be hard!

Restarant.com Discount Code

This week use the promo code: HEART at checkout on Restaurant.com to receive 80% off your gift certificate!

I'm sure there's tons of you going out to eat this weekend, and with Restaurant.com there's no need to break the bank over doing it! These gift certificates are ready immediately for printing, so print off on some cute card stock and you're good to go! Enjoy!!

Weekly Deal Wednesday

Time for your weekly deals at Publix!

Acronyms can be found here.
If you need these mfr coupons, you can always order from here or here.
Note: If your store doubles (unlike those here in Florida) your Final Cost will be lower than what I've estimated.

Alright here we go....

Hallmark Card, Gift Wrap, or Party Goods
In Ad Coupon: $0.99 off 1 (minimum purchase of $0.99 required)
*There are tons of $0.99 cards, bows, and stickers so they would be free.

Free $10 Publix Gift Card wyb $50 American Express Gift Card
In Ad Coupon: This is like $10 in free money!

Kellogg's Ceral (Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Fruit Loops, or Frosted Mini-Wheats)
Sale: BOGO Price: $3.99
Use: (1) $1/3 mfr q (2/7 RP) - purchase 4 boxes
Final Cost: $6.98, or $1.74 each

Assorted Pork Chops
Sale Price: $1.99/lb
*This is their lowest price point, stock up!

Various Produce
They're having some good prices on various fruits and veggies!

Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread
Sale Price: 2/$3
Use: (2) $1/1 mfr q (Publix Grape Magazine - free in front turn style)
Final Cost: $1, or $0.50/each

Post Cereals, Various
Sale: BOGO Price: $4.19
Use: (1) $1/2 (1/17 SS) or (2) $2/1 mfr q PRINT IP
Final Cost: $3.19, or $1.59 each OR $0.19, or $0.09 each
*Free gallon of milk wyb 4 Post cereals (Yellow Adv. Flyer)

General Mills Cheerios
Sale Price: 2/$5
Use: Various coupons available HERE

Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
Sale: BOGO Price: $2.19
Use: (2) $0.40/1 mfr q (2/7 GM, PRINT IP1 or IP2)
Final Cost: $1.39, or $0.69 each

Blue Diamond Almonds
Sale: BOGO Price: $3.19
Use: (1) $1/2 mfr q (11/15 SS, 1/17 SS)
Final Cost: $2.19, or $1.09 each

Nabisco Chips Ahoy! Cookies
Sale: BOGO Price: $3.79
Use: (1) $1/2 mfr q (Nabisco Calendar)
Final Cost: $2.79, or $1.39 each

Fiber One Yougurt
Sale: BOGO Price: $2.50
Use: (2) $1/1 mfr q (PRINT IP1 or IP2) OR (2) $0.50/1 mfr q (1/3 GM, 1/24SS)
Final Cost: $0.50, or $0.25 each OR $1.50, or $0.75 each

Shedd's Spread Country Crock
Sale: BOGO Price: $2.05
Use: (2) $0.40/1 mfr q (12/6 RP)
Final Cost: $1.25, or $0.62 each

Good Life Recipe Cat Food
Sale: BOGO Price: $4.49
Use: (2) $2/1 mfr q (1/24 RP)
Final Cost: $0.49, or $0.24 each
**STOCK UP ON THIS!!!**

Excedrin Pain Medicine
Sale Price: 2/$5
Use: (2) $2/1 mfr q (PRINT IP)
Final Cost: $1, or $0.50 each

Win It Wednesday: Bebebows

Today's giveaway is for a $30 voucher to Bebebows.com!

Bebebows.com is the largest webstore in Asia that carries a vast range of fashionable baby headbands.

Our hair bows are exclusively handmade and unique. There are no two identical pieces in the world.

Made from high quality ribbons and colourful designs, they can match and compliment any child's clothing.

We accept payments via Paypal, and most orders are generally ship via normal post from Singapore on the same day. Visit our website today and stand to win Bebebows vouchers!

Want to win? Go HERE to enter!!

Target Tuesday

It's Target Tuesday! Did you get your cheap games last week? We got some! Classic Monopoly, Get Out of Jail Monopoly, Scrabble Slam!, and Pictureka! (with the flipping Penguin) all for just $22! I was very happy. Plus I still have coupons left over, so I'm going to go back this week for more. We love games at our house. :)

Alright, so let's see what we can get this week at Target...

Quaker Cereal
Purchase (5) Quaker Easy Express Cereals = $5.10
Receive: Free $5 giftcard with purchase of 5 selected Quaker items
Final Cost, OOP: $5.10
Final Cost after GC: $0.10

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor (purchase 2)
Sale Price: $6.99
Use: (2) $2/1 mfr q (2/7 PG) AND (2) Free Olay Body Wash wyb Venus Embrace or Breeze Razor (2/7 PG)
Receive: Free $5 giftcard with purchase of any 2 Gillette products listed
Final Cost, OOP: $9.98
Final Cost after GC: $4.98. or $2.50 each

Gillette Fusion Razor (purchase 2)
Sale Price: $6.99
Use: (2) $4/1 mfr q (2/7 PG)
Receive: Free $5 giftcard with purchase of any 2 Gillette products listed
Final Cost, OOP: $5.98
Final Cost after GC: $0.98
*Sweeten this deal and save an additional $2/1 if you've signed up for Target Mobile coupons. If you haven't you can do so here.*

Healthy Choice Frozen Meals or Fresh Mixers (purchase 10)
Sale Price: $2.50
Use: (10) $0.75/1 mfr q (1/10 SS)
Receive: Free $5 giftcard with purchase of 10 Selected Healthy Choice Meals
Final Cost, OOP: $17.50
Final Cost after GC: $12.50, or $1.25 each

If you treated these deals with the gift cards like you would with the rewards systems at a drugstore, you could help keep your OOP expense lower by doing several small transactions. For simplicity sake you could do this: start with the Quaker deal as your first transaction. Then buy the Gillette Venus razors and body wash, using the gift card from the Quaker deal to lower your OOP. Next up would be the Gillette Fusion transaction, using the card from the Venus deal. Finishing up with Healthy Choice using - you guessed it - the card from the Fusion deal. If you did it that way your ending OOP should be approx. $24 and you walk away with a $5 gift card (if you did all of these together you'd be looking at approx. $39 OOP and $20 in gift cards). So the outcome actually ends up being the same, the difference is really how much you want to spend out of your own pocket.

As always, if you don't recognize my acronyms, you can read them here.
And if you don't have these mfr coupons you can order from here and here.

Money Saving Monday: Valentine's Day Freebies

Who doesn't love some freebies for Valentine's Day (or any day for that matter, right)? Here are some things I've found:

Free bowling game from Brunswick. Click here to print this PDF coupon (meaning you have an unlimited print amount)! Four print per page with a cute little Valentine's theme. We printed a bunch off and are putting them with the Valentine's we're going to be giving out at the kids V-day party. Be sure to check to see if there is a location near you!

25 free 4x6 photo prints from Walgreens.com. Enter the code: LOVE10 at checkout when you buy 25 or more. (So if you buy just 25, then they're all free!) Expires Feb. 13

Free Valentine's themed screen saver. Click here to download.

Save yourself the cost of stamps and send a free e-postcard. Click here to pick on now.

Free shipping and no service charge with 1-800-Flowers.com! No promo code needed.

Free Cupid's Handmade Crafts E-book. Click here to download.
"Prepare for a day of fun and romance with over 30 cute Valentine's Day ideas for accessories, home decor, gifts, cards and kids crafts. Whether you're making traditional valentine cards, or creating a special gift for that special someone, FaveCrafts has you covered with tons of Valentine ideas and projects.

Decorate your house with an easy felt sweetheart garland, or start an intricate crochet chocolate box project. Whatever you're doing this Valentine's Day, you'll enjoy our favorite Valentine's Day ideas by downloading this eBook for free!"

My Savings: $10k in '10

My blog is a nice way for me to track my own personal savings. I tried to keep my receipts for each month, but they always get lost in the abyss of my desk. I tried keeping a spreadsheet, but well, it just didn't work. Instead I like to try to do a weekly post of my savings.

I can tell you that in Jan. '10 that I saved $800 on the nose. All of that was at Publix. (Not too bad, although my personal goal is to start saving $1,000.00 per month.) So I'm going to be spring boarding from that.

My 2/7 Publix trip:
I got $131 worth of groceries for $50. Roughly $35 of that $50 though was spent on items that I wouldn't normally buy. But I have several birthday parties coming up, a Valentine's party, it's dinner/game night this week at my house with friends, and I picked up a few things to donate to my church for an upcoming BBQ. So this week so took advantage of some sales to stock up on things that we'll need (plates, napkins, hot dogs, etc to help keep party costs down). That leaves about $15 that I had to spend on our actual groceries. That's the type of week I like!

Now you may have noticed my title: "$10k in '10". My couponing journey began in March 2009. For those 9 months in 2009 I saved just over $6,000.00! I have decided that my goal this year is to save $10,000.00 in 2010! I'm on my way with $892.00 in savings so far. In fact, as I'm writing this, I've just decided I'm going to make a little button to keep on one of my sidebars that I will update with my savings. That will be fun! ;)

Feel free to include your savings from the week in a comment below!

Smart Shopping Sunday: Pt. 2

We're going to start off today with CVS. They are my preferred drugstore over Walgreens. I don't know why it is, but it seems locally my Walgreens have trouble understanding how coupons work. Being that I have 3 kids in tow more often than not, I don't have time for schooling employees, so CVS is just nicer for me. So here we go...

I'm going to be using typical acronyms, so if you don't know them, just read up on them here. Don't worry if you don't have these manufacturer coupons. You can order some here and here.

CVS

Nabisco Crackers (Triscuit, Wheat Thins, or Ritz)
Sale Price: 5/$10
ECB: $3 (wyb 5) (Limit 1)
Use: (5) $1/1 mfr q (1/24 SS)
Final Cost After Coupons: $5, or $1 each
Final Cost After Coupons & ECBs: $2, or $0.40 each




Gillette Fusion Razor
Sale Price: $8.99
ECB: $4 (Limit 1)
Use: (1) $4/1 mfr q (2/7 PG)
Final Cost After Coupon: $4.99
Final Cost After Coupon & ECB: $0.99

Listerine, Reach Floss, or Reach Toothbrush
Sale Price: $3.99
ECB: $2 (Limit 2)
Use: (1) BOGO mfr q (1/3 RP) and (1) $1/1 mfr q (floss, 1/3 RP; toothbrush, 10/18 RP)
Final Cost After Coupons: Varies - See transaction example below


While there are for sure more deals than this, I wanted to keep it simple so I could do an example of how I would do these deals for any beginners out there. As always, there are actually a few variables, but here's how I see things.

Deal #1
(5) Boxes of various Nabisco crackers @ $10.00
(1) Gillette Razor @ $8.99
(2) Reach Dental Flosses @ $7.98

Use these coupons:
(5) $1/1 Nabisco mfr q
(1) $4/1 Gillette mfr q
(1) BOGO free Reach mfr q
(1) $1/1 Reach mfr q

Total before coupons = $26.97
Total after coupons, Out of pocket = $12.98
ECBs earned for next transaction = $11

You can look at this 2 ways: That after ECBs and coupons your net cost for everything was just $1.98. Or you can count that $11 in ECB towards the savings of the next transaction you use them in. They are used like cash and great to have! Here's another way to do this broken into smaller transactions.

Deal #2
Transaction 1
(5) Boxes of various Nabisco crackers

Use these coupons:
(5) $1/1 Nabisco mfr q

Total before coupons = $10.00
Total after coupons, OOP = $5.00
ECB earned = $3

Transaction 2
(2) Reach flosses (or toothbrushes)

Use these coupons:
(1) BOGO free Reach mfr q
(1) $1/1 Reach mfr q
$3 ECB from Transaction 1

Total before coupons = $7.98
Total after coupons, OOP = $0.00 + tax (the $3 ECB may be adjusted down to $2.99, this is ok)
ECB earned = $4


Transaction 3
(1) Gillette Fusion Razor


Use these coupons:
$4/1 Gillette mfr q
$4 ECB earned from Transaction 2

Total before coupons = $8.99
Total after coupons = $0.99
ECBs earned = $4

So at the end of these 3 smaller transactions you end up spending just $6.00 OOP and walking away with $4 ECB for your next deal. Deal #2 is the better way to go if you want to keep your actual spending lower. But there is nothing wrong with Deal #1 either. Remember: ECBs print at the end of your CVS receipt, don't throw them away!!

Smart Shopping Sunday: Pt. 1

Did you know you can score cheap to free items weekly at your local drugstore? I know for me, I wasn't a believer. I mean, have you seen how much they mark up their prices?? AT Publix a 3 lb bag of Friskies cat food is a mere $3.99, but at CVS it's $6.99! I just couldn't see how you could get anything for a decent price, let alone free. But alas, I was wrong. And my house is now filled with all my great scores from both CVS and Walgreens.

I have been asked "But if you get such great deals at Publix, why do you bother with these extra stores?". The truth is, not everything goes on sale right when I need it at Publix. The drugstores are better for getting good deals on personal care items, at least for us. And if I can get those for cheap or free, that means that I can take them off my weekly grocery list, therefore lowering my out of pocket expense. It takes a little extra time and effort. But it's worth it to me. So each weekend I'm going to be highlighting some good deals at CVS or Walgreens, maybe both. Remember, what I post is not necessarily all the deals, so you'll want to get out your ad and look for what's good to you and your family.

Here are my quick tips for shopping at drugstores:

1. Just like at the grocery store, shop the sales and coupon match to those sales
2. Utilize their reward programs (free). For CVS that would be ECBs (or ExtraCareBucks); for Walgreens, aka Wags, that would be RRs (or Register Rewards)
3. Try to get items where the ECB or RR will be equal to or more than the actual cash you spend out of pocket to maximize your savings.

Now this does take a little more effort to learn how to do than just couponing at your local grocery store. That's mainly because of the rewards systems. But it's worth it once you do get it. So remember, start small. No need to attempt large complicated transactions to begin with. My friend Meghan and her hubby have done a great job with starting out at CVS. You can read about their trips here.

Sneak Peak Saturday

It's Saturday! It's time for your sneak peak at tomorrows coupon inserts. We're scheduled for FOUR inserts, yipee! We're also NOT scheduled for any inserts the following weekend, so you may want to double up tomorrow.

Please remember: coupons themselves and their values can vary by region. Use this preview as a guide, not a promise, of what you'll have tomorrow!

2/7 Smart Source and General Mills Coupons
2/7 Redplum Coupons
2/7 Proctor & Gamble Coupons

Favorite Five Friday: Blogs

Today I think I am going to go with five of my favorite blogs. That's good and easy this morning. :)

1. Project 365: Meghan's journey through 2010

2. Kevin & Amanda: Adorable free fonts and tutorials

3. Little Painted Polka Dots: Really, you need to just visit her shop and snatch up the cuteness she creates

4. Top Mommy Blogs: A great way to vote for your favorite mommy blogs

5. Crumbs in the Minivan: I stumbled upon this the other day. Mommy stories that are just plain funny and true.

I hope you guys will take a few minutes and check these blogs out. :) Happy Friday everyone!

Tackle It Thursday

As a part of my rotating daily themes, I'm introducing Tackle It Thursdays!

It's safe to say as a stay at home-and homeschooling-mom to 3 girls we're busy. And a lot goes on in our house each day. Tea parties, movie time, baking time, fort building, pet worlds are created and destroyed. All this means one thing: a load of mess to clean up. Of course I have my daughters help, but we all know, the majority falls back on mom. So while I'm running around with them all day (having fun of course) things get piled on the desk instead of sorted away, the books get laid on the bookshelf instead of put up, etc etc. My fix for it: Tackle It Thursdays. A day set aside for catching up on the dirty work. It really works out beautifully for me. I like the how to be in good order for the weekends. That way when we do our running around on the hubs days off, we can return to a nice clean space.

Here is what is on my To Do list for today:

1. Clean off my desk! By doing that, I guess I better aim high and clean out it's insides too. I'm scared...
2. Find a new toy basket for the living room for the baby's toys.
3. Have the girls clean up their room.
4. The bathrooms. Clean them.
5. And my nemesis... catch up the laundry AND put it away. In the same day. (I can do this, I can do this, I can do this... I say as I click my red heels...)

There. A simple 5 task list. I'm going to hold myself accountable and make myself post a comment at the end of the night reporting what I have finished. If you do a Tackle Me Thursday, share your list here! Alright so here I go, time to get at it!!

Win It Wednesday

Presented to you by: The Tuckers Take Tennesse

Somewhat Simple is giving away vinyl letters to make a family growth chart!

A little about Stephanie...

Hello My Name is Stephanie...

I am just your average stay at home mom who loves to craft in any spare time I find! I am married to my best friend and together we are raising 3 sweet kids. They keep us busy but make life fun! We are Orange County transplants who have been living in Phoenix for the past 4 years. We are so happy here!

I love ice cream, autumn days, Sunday naps, vacations, game nights and shopping. I am a bit obsessive compulsive and I love all things organized.I love reality TV and the scent of a new car. I wish someone would scratch my back for an hour or more every night. I love to laugh til I cry and I love a good phone call from a great friend. I love a new tube of toothpaste and a new jar of peanut butter.

I craft because I don't want to face that ever-growing pile of laundry that I despise more than anything else in the world! (I also hate Peeps marshmallow candies, mushrooms and Whoppers- they are disgusting.)

So, how do you win?

Click HERE and enter!