Hidden Treasures

Photo from Flickr

If you're of the like mind that spices are crazy expensive, I have a little secret for you. Stop purchasing them in your local regular grocery stores! Not long ago I sent a care package to my mom in Alaska, and several of the items she needed were spices. I could seriously go broke if I purchased every spice and spice combo I have my eye on. Now mind you, my advice here doesn't necessary work as well with spice combos, but really, a lot of those can be homemade if you purchase the individual spices. So . . . what you do is buy your spices in ethnic stores. These places, my friends, are gold mines. My produce market I love so much - large bags of cinnamon for $2. They have most of the usual suspects, too: thyme, oregano, basil, etc. What actually made me think of this tidbit of useful information was a recent visit to a Mexican grocery store. Granted the meat in that place skivved me out, but pre-packaged spices are a pretty safe bet. I mean, come on, who passes up a decent-sized bag of oregano for .89 cents. Seriously!? They had oodles of spices and a large selection of specialty dried peppers. Those can be pricey at my regular grocery stores too, so knowing where to go to find them cheap is definitely a plus. I'm sure many of you already know this secret, but even I forget sometimes when I run out of something from my spice cabinet. There you have it. Buy spices in ethnic stores and spend more money on yourself. Your kids. Your pets. Whatever!

*FREE* 8"x10" Photo Collage

If you'd like to score a free 8"x10" collage, head on over to Walgreens.com through today (11/25). I uploaded 4 pictures Buppy chose, created the collage, and now we'll have a very inexpensive gift for his mother for Christmas - only the cost of the frame! Use code RGIFT2U at checkout and make sure to choose in-store pick up to make it absolutely free. 

This collage will be my 6th free one from Walgreens so far this year - gotta love that! I still need frames for 2 of them though, meaning it's time to hit up Goodwill. Thanks to Coupon Pro for posting this deal! Enjoy!

*FREE* Birthday Card

Tiny Prints is at it again! Today only (11/21) head on over here and order your favorite birthday card. At checkout, enter promo code FREEBD and your total should come to $0. I just ordered mine. Hurry!

*FREE* Thanksgiving Card

Hey all! Head on over to tiny prints to score a free Thanksgiving card today only (11/16)! Use promo code FREETHX11, and make sure you get in on this before the day is over. I just finished ordering mine. Enjoy!

A big thanks to Frugal Finders Facebook post about this!

FREE Granola Bars!

The Ellen DeGeneres show is currently giving away free boxes of Nature's Path granola bars, and you even get to choose from 4 flavors! I picked the chococonut, which sounds absolutely yummy. Their pumpkin spice flavor sounds great for Fall, too. Hurry - the site doesn't say how long this lasts!

Thanks to Coupon Pro Blog for posting this lovely deal!

*HOT* - Toy Story 3 Operation Game

I know I've been largely absent on here lately, but I'm trying to make a come back since we're rapidly approaching the gift-giving season. I've already come upon a stellar deal for Tiny Tot #1 for his birthday at the end of November. 

If you're located anywhere near a Toys 'R Us, head on over to score a Toy Story 3 Operation game for $1! Yes, I said $1!

We were planning to pick up the Cars version of this very game anyway, which comes in around $15 on sale. Both boys love the Toy Story movies anyway, so this just made sense! I picked up a 2nd one too that will either go to Buppy's niece or to Toys for Tots or a similar toy donation organization for the holidays. 

At my store, these were kept behind the customer service desk, I'm assuming, so they can regulate the number an individual can purchase. I know the gentleman next to me chose to purchase 4, so you should be able to purchase that many if you so choose. The recommended age range is 6+, so this will be a perfect gift. This sale lasts through Saturday, 11/12, but they were almost out when I got there yesterday around noon. Hopefully stores will get additional shipments throughout the week to replenish their inventories, but you might want to call ahead to make sure. No sense braving a Toys R Us this time of year only to leave empty-handed!

I can't wait to see what other fantastic sales will be offered this holiday season! A big thank you to Coupon Pro Blog for this heads up!

Free Photo Collage

Hurry --- this expires tonight. I just ordered my free 8"x10" photo collage from Walgreens. They run this promo several times a year; thus far I have 3 framed collages and 2 unframed, all of which were free because of a promo just like this. Pair a free collage with a spiffy frame and presto: instant inexpensive gift for family or friends. If I happen upon any others this fall, I think I'll order some of the kid's pictures for Buppy's parents for holiday gifts. He's already received 2 of only their pictures as Father's Day and birthday gifts. Gotta love that! Head on over to Walgreens photo and get started. Hurry!

Free Ice Cream for a Good Cause

I'm not sure if we have a Cold Stone Creamery near us, but I'll be sure to find out soon (just checked, we do!). September is Make-A-Wish month, and Cold Stone is doing their part to help out. They're accepting donations for the foundation all month long, and on September 27 from 5pm - 8pm, they're hosting the World's Largest Ice Cream Social, offering a 3 oz. sample of a special creation (sweet cream ice cream, brownie, rainbow sprinkles and fudge). Head on over here for all the cool details. Donations to Make-A-Wish + free ice cream = win-win for everyone! Go support and enjoy!

Free Sample - Vitamin Gummies

Head on over here to score a free sample of vitamin gummies in either Cars or Princess shapes. We're constantly looking for coupons and ways to save on kid's vitamins --- those things aren't cheap! Thanks Coupon Pro Blog!

Kids Meal Deals

Because school's back in session now, Cub Scouts and soccer are evening events for the kids. Since they take place in a town about 25 minutes from our house, sometimes Buppy has to do dinner at a restaurant, like it or not. There simply isn't enough time in the day to come home, eat dinner, then head out for the activities. 

With that being said, I happened upon a link a few weeks back that's been helpful in our search to make eating out with kids as affordable as possible. My favorite one thus far is Kids Meal Deals. I've made a few phone calls to confirm that restaurants listed are in fact participating, and it's been accurate. I also love that I can enter a city/state or zip and then the specific day of the week I'm looking for, which really narrows my search and yields only the results I'm seeking. Doesn't get much easier than that. Give it a try if you have little mouths to feed and a busy schedule (or just don't feel like cooking tonight).

On a totally separate side note, I've been getting a lot of freebies and coupons in the mail lately. I think Buppy's favorite came today --- a coupon for a free candy bar as part of the Random Acts of Chocolate campaign. Sweet!

Labor Day Steals & Deals

Today was a decent day to snag some steals and deals at local stores. Thanks to Coupon Pro Blog for pointing them out. I love that site!

Here's the mayo I picked up from Walgreens. It's normally $7+ (which is an insane price) at their store, but with the in-ad coupon, it was down to $2.99. I had a $1 Walgreens coupon that was going to expire this week, so after using that too, I paid $1.99. Good thing too; we just ran out of mayo.

Here we have the few things I picked up at Rite Aid.

Renu contact solution - $8.99 (on sale)
- $2 off coupon
= I paid $6.99
+ $7 UP reward
= FREE

Crest complete toothpaste - $3.99 (on sale)
- $1 off coupon
= I paid $2.99
+ $3 UP reward
=FREE

Reese's peanut butter pumpkins - 2/$1
- $.50 off coupon
= I paid $.25 each

Lastly, I stopped at CVS. 

Sensodyne toothpaste - $4.49 each (on sale)
- $2.50 off 2 coupon
- $3 off 2 CVS coupon
= I paid $3.50 for 2 (which is STELLAR for Sensodyne)

GUM Periobalance lozenges (30 count) - $15.99 (rain check price)
= I paid $15.99
+ $16 ECB
= FREE

Hershey Air Delights candy bar - $.99
= I paid $.99
+ $.99 ECB
= FREE

Dove candy bar - $.79
- Free Dove candy bar CVS coupon
= FREE

Skinny Cow candy (2 of them) - $.99 (rain check price)
- B1G1 free coupon
= I paid $.99
+ $.99 ECB
= 2 for FREE

Carefree liners - $1
- $.50 off coupon
= I paid $.50
+ $1 ECB
= + $.50

I also had $13 in ECBs to spend at CVS, which helped to bring my total down. Always a good thing, right?

As I said, it was a pretty good day for deals. Overall I spent around $24 at the 3 stores and received $29 back. I love making money while shopping! Anyone else have any great deals I forgot to take advantage of? 

Alright. Off to unpack from our weekend in Connecticut. A blog will follow shortly about our trip. Suffice it to say, the town we stayed in was bizarre. Weird. Ghetto. More of that to come. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Free Movie Night

Tonight, redbox is kindly granting anyone and everyone a free movie rental. All one has to do is 'like' redbox on Facebook and bam --- they generate a unique code valid today only, Thursday, 8/25/11. I've actually had my free code jotted down and in my car since Monday when I learned of the deal.

Buppy and I love redbox, but we both find it interesting that when they offer free one-day only codes, they're usually for Thursdays, which are Buppy's overnight shift at work. No loss here though; I plan to rent a free movie and redeem my coupon for a free dip at Ruby Tuesday. I also have to run to CVS as I have some coupons that expire tomorrow. Free + free + coupons --- can't beat that.  Thanks redbox, Ruby Tuesday and CVS!

Freebies (Or Close Enough For Me)

I know I repeat myself often, but who doesn't love free? I had a Walgreens coupon for $8 from a previous purchase that was set to expire today. After losing $1 coupon to expiration last week (eeekk!), I wasn't about to see my $8 beauty go to waste. Heck no! So . . . I checked with Buppy this afternoon and as I suspected, we needed cereal. I don't eat it, so I never know unless he tells me. Not my style, ya know? Anyway, it happened to be on sale for 2/$4 (limit 4), and I happened to have a $1/3 coupon that matched these brands (how handy is that?!). The cereal came to $8 total, but with my $1/3 coupon, I knew I needed another dollar item. I almost snagged a turkey sausage stick, but then the prunes I'd been meaning to buy cried out, conveniently priced at $1 per box. My total rang up to $9, I handed over my cereal coupon, then my $8 Walgreens coupon and walked out with what's pictured below for absolutely nothing. Not a penny. Free! Have I mentioned I'm a fan of that?

Next up is mainly what Staples has blessed me with over the past few weeks with the exception of the package of 8 Paper Mate blue ball point pens, which was free at CVS several weeks ago. While I did have to pay a bit out of pocket to begin with, when all is said and done, what you see below will have cost me a total of $1.50. The 500 count multipurpose paper will end up costing me 50 cents, while the 100 count 4"x6" Kodak photo paper will be $1 after rebate. The highlighters (Bic, brite liner Grip, yellow, 5 count) and the other package of pens (Zebra, Z Grip, 7 count, black, retractable) will be 100% free after I receive the rebates from Staples. Oh yeah, I also scored 100 free business cards, just in case I hit that unemployment line again any time in the near future (knock on wood). Pretty much free office supplies? Where the heck were these when I was in college? Oh wait, I'm sure I merely didn't know to look for them. Oh silly me! But really, what college kid knows there are such fab deals out there? No one I knew at that point in my life, that's for sure. I've come a long way baby!

Ah, I'd say I'm satisfied with how my steals and deals have been treating me lately. Anyone else have some fun ones to share?

Steals & Deals, Costly Repairs & Joining the Gym

Not that I needed any more contact solution, but it was 100% free, so why not? The stuff doesn't go bad, right? So . . . I got 3 bottles of Pampered Hands Softsoap (2 tangerine, 1 raspberry scented), a 5-count package of Allegra (for Buppy's allergies) and a 12-ounce bottle of contact solution for 46 cents out of pocket. Then I received $12 back in coupons for CVS, plus I mailed off a rebate for $7 for the Allegra. Talk about a great shopping day: 46 cents out of pocket with a total of $19 back in the end. Yes please!

Thank goodness, too, because it slightly lessened the blow of the rest of the day. We were scheduled to hit up Boordy Vineyards because we have free concert passes that get us in to see a band and go through their entire wine tasting (a $20 value per person). Yeah, rain did away with that plan. Now I have an entire batch of cold spinach dip to eat. We plan to try again in 2 weeks for the British Invasion concert, and then I'll again make some appetizers, stuff some of our giant green olives with blue cheese, and bust out the still-unopened Kalamata bruschetta. Hopefully.

Then there was the real kick in the teeth. I dropped off my car to get new front tires, and turns out my rear brakes were basically gone. I could tell something was a bit off, but I'm no mechanic. When all was said and done, I picked up my car with new front tires, new rear brakes and some other minute stuff tweaked for $850+/-. Thank goodness for well-funded emergency accounts. I feel safer driving now, and I guess that's what really counts, right? Right.

Lastly (for today's blog anyway), I joined a local gym. I haven't been a member since I lived in Frederick in 2008, and it's about time. Time to get serious about getting in shape, especially since my eating habits have vastly improved for the most part. Their normally $75 enrollment fee is only $1 during the month of August because they're celebrating their birthday, and the monthly fee is only $25 with no contract. Can't beat that around here, that's for sure. Their hours work for me, they have a lot of the equipment I enjoy working with and the staff seems friendly. An hour of cardio and an hour of lifting today might have been a bit much for my 1st day back in action, but I feel great. I'm sure the soreness will kick in just in time for me to roll out of bed for work tomorrow. Now to just stick with it . . . Wish me luck!

Coupon Ninja 6/26 (Making $$ Again!)

The Coupon Ninja (read: me) had a pretty good shopping day on Sunday. I'm still waiting to fill a few rain checks from last week and the week prior, but no one was out of what I wanted today. Hurray! I scored these 2 items at CVS. The Zyrtec alone sells for $6.99 (for the 5 count, I know, it's outrageous), and the tampons for $6.99 as well. Me? I paid $6.78 out-of-pocket total (with my Dove DISCOVER card!) and received 2 coupons for future purchases, 1 for $6 for the Zyrtec and 1 for $6.79 for the tampons. Do the math, and I made $6.01 on this sale. Score 1.

These goodies came from Rite Aid. The tea was 100% free because I had a coupon, as was 1 of the toothpastes because I had a rain check from last week. I paid $5.50 out-of-pocket total for these items, and between +UP rewards and a Single Check Rebate for the hairspray, I will eventually get back a total of $11.37. Once again, that math means I made $5.87 on this sale. Score 2.

Lastly, I hit up Walgreens.The Chex Mix was 100% free because I had a coupon from the manufacturer for a free bag, any size. I decided their new flavor, Italian Herb and Parmesan, looked like a good one. My parents and were talking about my stomach issues earlier in the day, and what do you know? The Ultimate Flora (a probiotic supplement) was on sale for $20 with a $20 mail-in rebate offer. I paid $22.65 total out-of-pocket for these items (when the Ultimate Flora usually sells for $24.99 alone), received back a $2 Register Reward coupon good for a future purchase, and I already have the $20 mail-in rebate sealed and ready to go. The $22+ out-of-pocket total seemed high (compared to my normal out-of-pocket amounts), but in the end it'll work out fine and hopefully I'll have found a new product to help my unruly tum-tum. Score 3.

In the end, I spent $34.93 today and will eventually wind up with coupons/rebates totaling $46.16. Anytime I eventually make $$ while shopping is good day, right? For sure. Anyone else have any stellar deals this week? Good luck!

Onions Anyone?

My dad and I were having a conversation the other day about onions and how none we find nowadays are mild. Whenever we discuss produce, I always have to mention the produce market I visit here weekly and how outstanding their prices are. I realize that onions aren't something that are going to break the bank, but I had to snap these pics for my dad when I was at the market a few weeks back. Hmmm, do I buy the "cheap" onions or the "expensive" ones? Oh decisions, decisions.

Razors, Hair Products & Gum

Yesterday was a decent shopping day, but I definitely had to pick up a few rain checks for things CVS and Rite Aid were out of. Seems to be the case a lot lately, and nothing is coming in in a reasonable amount of time. Hmmm. Oh well. No sense getting worked up over steals and deals, is there? No, I thought not.

Below are the few things I picked up last night. I got 2 Schick razors (with 2 blades each, which I appreciate), a can of Suave hair spray, a bottle of LA Looks hair gel and 3 packages of Stride gum.

Funny story about the hair products ---- I used to use higher-end salon products. Not super expensive, but $15-for-a-bottle-of-gel expensive. That is, until my college roomy and her sisters (with hair like mine, quite wavy/curly/unruly at times) told me the cheap stuff works better. I wasn't a believer, but decided to give it a try anyway. What did I have to lose? Truth be told, they were right. I have no idea why and couldn't explain it for the life of me, but it's true. So hello to the Suave and LA Looks!

Anyway, I digress. I paid $4.12 for everything below out of pocket, which isn't too shabby considering the razors were supposed to be $9.99 each. I also received $3 back in coupons to use towards future purchases, so all-in-all, I did alright. And I was even a good girl and came home for dinner instead of picking up Dominos pizza (2-for-Tuesdays) or Chick-fil-A (which also definitely crossed my mind).

DISCOVER

To be honest, I don't really remember signing up for this one. I mean, I kinda vaguely remember the mention of Spa Cash, but I guess I wasn't really paying too much attention that day. Regardless, my day brightened when I opened my mail yesterday afternoon and found a $15 DISCOVER gift card. Yes, I received $15 for doing absolutely nothing, and I can spend it anywhere DISCOVER is accepted. Dove, you rock my socks!

Making $$ While Shopping

Remember a few posts back when I mentioned how I made out like a bandit last week when shopping? Well, here's the pic. For everything seen below, I paid $11.12 out of pocket. As you can see, I got 2 bottles of Veet, a large Crest mouthwash, 2 Gillette body washes, 2 Gillette deodorants, a SoBe beverage, a Gillette razor and a bottle of Blink eye drops. It's a stellar deal at that, but then . . . guess what I got back to spend on future purchases? Try $21.50 in coupons! I made $10 on this trip! Um, pretty sure this is one of my best catches so far. Love it!

Steals & Deals 5-15-11

Today was a decent day for sales. I found some Sensodyne toothpaste (the only kind Buppy can use) for $4.49 each, and Rite Aid had a video coupon for $1.50 off, so I made out at $2.99 per tube. That stuff ain't cheap! I also found Crest toothpaste on sale, $2.99 each with a $2 UP reward each at Rite Aid (limit 2), plus I had a $1/2 coupon. Not bad. The kids toothpaste was on sale at Walgreens for $1.99 per tube, and I had a $1 off coupon, so that was only $.99.

The Irish Spring 2-pack of bar soap was $.88, and the Dial 3-pack (hard to see underneath it) was $1.88 with a $1 EBC at CVS. Yay for cheap soap! The Pantene shampoo & conditioner was on sale 2/$7; I had a $3/2 off coupon, and I got a $1 RR reward at Walgreens. Pantene used to smell like gummi bears, which was why I loved it. Now? Not so much. Still gets the job done though. As for the Herbal Essence hairspray and gel (both of which I needed ASAP) --- they were on sale 2/$5.97, I had $1 off coupon and I received $2 EBC at CVS.

The Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor was $9.89. I had a $4 off coupon and received $5 in RR from Walgreens. Sweet! The Dove+Men Care was $3.99; I had $1 off coupon and received $3 in RR from Walgreens. Love that.

The Tylenol Precise heated wraps for back/body pain were on sale last week at Rite Aid, and I had a raincheck for the 3 pack for $5. I also had a $5 off coupon, so that was zippo out of my pocket today. How can you go wrong?

Lastly, I purchased 2 Neutrogena sunblocks for $10.49 each. I used 2 $2/1 coupons, plus the $3 off a $10 healthcare purchase at CVS, bringing that down to $13.98. Paid that and got back a $10 EBC. Sunblock is never cheap, and Neutrogena is nice and light. I'm very happy with this score.

Not pictured, we found 24 packs of Mt. Dew on sales for $4.49 each at Safeway for Buppy. I'm not a soda drinker, but Buppy loves his Mt. Dew., so we headed there today to pick some up. Also got some juicy, sweet white corn for dinner, 4/$1. Can't beat that. We tried to pick up some more chicken (I picked some up yesterday) for $1.49/lb. (boneless, skinless breasts), but they were completely out. They had a totally full bin yesterday, but the store was swamped today at 5pm. Who knew today was 'everyone and their grandmother goes to Safeway at 5pm Sunday'??

So there we have it. Hopefully some of you scored these deals, too!