Love For the Confederate Jasmine

I just wanted to take a moment to share our beautiful confederate jasmine before it stops blooming for the season :)

I just wish I could post the smell :) It smells wonderful!

Always Check Your Junk Mail...

I just wanted to show you what can come of things that look like junk mail:

I was sorting through a pile of junk mail, and I came across an offer for 1 Year of Better Homes and Gardens magazine for $3.99! And it had an additional offer to get the All-Time Favorites and Best-Loved Cookies Cookbooks :)

Anyway, I just wanted to give an example of why you should always look through your junk mail. It may not be so junky after all :)

Fun in the Mail

This week has really been no comparison to the last few weeks, but at least I got somethings :)

Tuesday:

• $9.98 Staples Rebate Check
• Free Microphone Headset from 1SaleADay :)

Wednesday:

• Degree Women's In Motion Deodorant + $1 off coupon

Thursday:

•  Sample of H20 Sea Pure Moisturizer
• Carefree Acti-Fresh Pantyliner + $0.50 off coupon
• 2 Dooney & Bourke Cell Phone Cases from 1SaleADay - They cost $7.98 for both!
• Coupon for Free Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo or Styling Product

Check that out :) Completely free full sized product :) Gotta love it :)

Friday:

• ToastaBag and $1 off Any Jarlsberg Cheese

The ToastaBag is a neat little item that will toast your grilled cheese in the toaster - no butter required! I was very excited to get this one :)

Yesterday's Shopping Trips

I had to run to Walmart to get some last minute supplies for my activity at church, and I figured I would make the most of my trip by picking up some coupon deals for myself :)

Here is my string cheese that I made money off of :) Walmart sells these individual ones for $0.33 and my coupon was for $0.40 off :) It tasted fantastic.

And I got my two free packs of Wilkinson Sword razors :) It took a little hunting in the razor section - they were at the bottom of the racks and in a small section, but this is what they look like.

I also picked up four 4 packs of Scott's Naturals Toilet Paper, $2.68 each. I used four $1 off coupons, making them $1.68 per 4 pack :)

On a less fun note, the price of milk in Aldi is officially $2.99. I was bummed. This has always been my cheap milk source. Within 6 months, I have watched the price go from $2.19 to $2.39 to $2.89 and now to $2.99. I know this is still cheaper than anywhere else - at Walmart it was almost $4! - but it is a depressing example of the fast rise in our cost of living. And don't even get me started on gas prices :(

Sorry For Blogging Lapse

Hey Guys,

Sorry for not posting much yesterday and today. I had a big activity I was in charge of that I had to run around and organize yesterday, then when I got home blogger was down and I couldn't get in until now :( Also, all of my posts from the 11th and 12th have somehow been deleted. I've reposted the ones that I still have saved, but the others are gone. You can still see the thumbnail of it on my Facebook feed. Sorry for all the problems, but now, I am back up and running and will be sending you deals all day :)

Thanks for reading!
-Megan-

My First Jalapeño

I have tried growing various peppers every year for years now, but I've never had any success... until now! I guess we finally figured out the pepper growing formula because today, I finally cut this guy off my jalapeño plant:

Isn't that a beautiful sight? :) My husband sniffed it and said, "Wow, that smells really hot." I laughed at him because I thought he was joking, but it turns out he honestly didn't know what type of pepper it was. Isn't he cute? :)

Great Meals on Great Deals Coupons at Publix

Look around your Publix for this display! It has 9 different store coupons making for some sweet deals (heads up, these are also available to print on their website). Now you don't have to print these out and use up your ink!

Print These Now!

Coupons.com has added the $1 off HP Colorlok Paper coupon again! This is a very useful coupon, as Staples puts this paper on sale with a full mail-in rebate, so with the coupon you make $1 :) You should definitely print two of these now in hopes of the sale. I've gotten 6 free reams of paper for free with the :)

And while you're on Coupons.com, you should print this coupon:

 Walmart has a pack of 4 Wilkinson Sword disposable razors for $0.97, so print two and make $0.06 with these razors!

Last Publix Day For Gas Card :)

So, I went to Publix with my $5 off $30 coupon and $10 off $50 gas card coupon for the last time before the sale ends. So, I had to make my pre-coupon total at least $30. Here's how I did it.

• 2 King Hawaiian Snackers rolls, 2 for $3 - Used $1 off 2 Publix coupon = $1.00 each
• Kingsford Charcoal = $6.19
• Publix Charcoal, buy theirs get ours free $4.19 = Free
• Pork Spare Ribs 4.10 lbs, $2.49 plb - Used $3.50 off Pork wyb Kingsford Charcoal and King Hawaiian rolls and $3 off Meat wyb Kingsford Charcoal Publix coupon = $3.71
• 2 Bags TIdy Cats Kitty Litter, $2.49 B1G1 - Used two $1.10 off Tidy Cats coupons = $0.29
• Trop Farmstand Apple Juice, 2 for $6 = $3.00
• 2 Tropicana Orange Juice, 2 for $6 - Used $2 off wyb 3 Tropicana or Quaker Products = $4.00 for 2

Add to this my $5 off coupon and I paid $14.82. Plus, I got a rain check for the gas card for $40 because they were all out. I had been waiting to do the charcoal/meat/hawaiian rolls deal for a while, and I'm glad I did because it really paid off :)

Proud Publix Trip

I wanted to get into Publix again this week to take advantage of the $10 off any $50 Gas Card offer and to use my $5 off of $30 coupons which expire tomorrow. So, here's my take for the night:

•  2 Eggo Fiber Plus Waffles, 2 for $4 - Used two $0.75 off coupons from the newspaper = $1.25 each
• 2 Packs Pepperidge Farm Stone Baked Rolls, $3.00 B1G1 - Used two $1 off coupons from the newspaper = $1.00 for 2
• 2 Knorr Rice Sides, $1.49 B1G1 - Used two $0.55 off Any Knorr Side Publix Coupon (hanging in the store on a display near the front at mine, or printable on their website) = $0.39 for 2
• 2 Jell-O Temptations 3 Packs, 2 for $5 - Used two $0.75 off coupons from inside the packages = $3.50 for 2
• 2 Philladelphia Cooking Cream, 2 for $4 - Used two $1.50 off coupons from blinking box = $1.00 for 2
• 2 Kikkoman Seasoning Packets, $0.89 each - Used two $1.00 off Any Kikkoman printable coupons = $0.22 Overage
• 6 Pack of Eggs, $0.95 - Used $0.55 off Any Eggs wyb Any Kikkoman Product = $0.40
• 8 Yoplait Yogurts, 20 for $10 - Used $1 off 8 Yoplait coupon from GM coupon booklet and two $1.00 off Any 4 Yoplait Publix coupon from display in the store
• 3 Bananas = $0.57
• 8 Fresh Sweet Corn = $2.00
• 4 Tidy Cats Kitty Litter, $2.49 B1G1 - Used four $1.10 off Tidy Cats Litter printable coupons = $0.58 for 4
• Two $25 BP Gas Cards - Used in-ad coupon for $10 off $50 Gas Card with $25 purchase = $40

Add to all of this my $5 off $30 purchase coupon and I paid $48.02, so basically I got my groceries for free and $1.98 off of the gas cards :) I plan on going in tomorrow to get another set of the gas cards before the deal ends and before my $5 coupons expire. Hopefully I can do just a well then.

I also wanted to note that I got my "limited" deals at Walgreens earlier as well. For the 2 Clean and Clear Body Washes and 1 Tylenol Precise Patches, I paid $0.36 in tax :) It would have been better if I could have gotten my 2 other Tylenol patches, but oh well.

Coupon Hunting Yields Sweet Find!

Last night while walking the dog, I did a little "coupon hunting." For those of you who don't know what I mean, I looked through recycling bins for coupons - I have no shame. And let me tell you, it paid off! I found quite the coveted coupon insert!

I couldn't believe it! I had searched through I can't tell you how many papers last Tuesday on a big coupon hunt and didn't come across a single one of these! I had just settled on the fact that it was a regional thing and we didn't get it here, which is apparently false. I didn't know whether to jump for joy or call and chew out my paper delivery person for snaking mine (I'm so vindictive).

If you hadn't heard of this before, it came out last week when the regular P&G Brandsaver did, but this one is filled with Target store coupons for P&G products. Why is this so great? Because all of these can be used together with the P&G manufacturer coupons to increase my savings! I'm so excited about my potential deals I can snag with these babies :)

Free Avery Sticky Notes Sample

Man, the freebies just won't stop today! I feel like I can't get anything else done :)

Head over here to request a free sample of Avery Sticky Notes :)

*Update* Swiffer Giveaway at 8pm

Swiffer has just updated their Facebook page and the giveaway will begin at 8pm and the freebies will go to the first 12,500 people who request them :) Good luck!

Free Aveda Sample! Hurry!

**Update to the Aveda sample. They are all out, but you can still print this certificate and get the sample in an Aveda location! Check it out:

"While the samples we're mailing out have gone, you can still get your Trio Sample Pack at a participating salon near you. Simply print out the certificate from the "Free Samples" tab and bring it to a participating location, found here: certificate"

Aveda is giving away free samples to the first 20,000 who request it on their Facebook page. I just got mine! Run over and request one now!

John Frieda Root Awakening Sample

Head over here to get your free sample of John Frieda Root Awakening courtesy of Walmart :)

Free Subscription to Martha Stewart Living!

Head over here quick to score a Free 1 year subscription to Martha Stewart living Magazine!

Walgreens Likes Couponers? Are You Sure?

 Recently, I had an unpleasant run-in with Walgreens - after which I wrote to their corporate office. I was contacted by the store manager by email apologizing for my experience, he said, "We very much want our coupon shoppers to shop here, I just got done talking about this at the last employee meeting we had." 

The manager was very nice and this is in no way against him. He did everything in his power to make things right, and I really appreciate it.


That being said, today I was in a different Walgreens to take advantage of their advertised deals and was met with this: 

These were both items that, when you combine the sale with the available manufacturer coupons, were completely free.  Now, I understand imposing a limit and all but it should be reasonable. Limit 1? Seriously? This isn't Black Friday, this is just a normal sale.

Wouldn't you think that when they know it's going to be a hot item that they would just distribute more than one box at a time to their stores? Oh no, let's just dupe people into coming in so they can be mad they only get one. I know that with the rise in "extreme couponing" due to that unrealistic show on TLC that stores are starting to realize why their sale items disappear from the shelves so quickly when just one customer has enough coupons to take out an entire palate of a product. This is not only excessive, but extremely inconsiderate. I have only once cleared a shelf of an item, but it was only a shelf. I knew for a fact that the store had more in the back, so I didn't need to feel bad about it. This is not the case with a store like Walgreens. They seem too afraid of having one too many items at the end of the week than making a legitimate sale.

Anyway, I'm rambling, sorry. This just really burns my biscuit. Walgreens is now attempting to correct one extreme with another, which is never the right way to go about it. Why not, instead of treating us like 5 year olds, give us a realistic limit. It is entirely possible that I could have had no coupons for these items and just wanted to take advantage of a store sale, like most average consumers. Even before my couponing days, I would always buy a few of an item when it was on sale at a good price and I think that's true for most people. I admit, it is frustrating to go to a store only to find out that they are all out of a product, but I stand by the fact that it is worse to be frustrated at the store because they literally won't sell you products that they physically have than to be frustrated with other couponers who got their first. That's the luck of the draw, the store limit is not.
So Walgreens, if in fact "We very much want our coupon shoppers to shop here," maybe you should make it a bit more conducive to shop in your store without these types of frustrations.

Swiffer Giveaway Today!

Swiffer has posted on their Facebook page that they will be giving away 100,000 Swiffer 360 Dusters throughout the month of May and the first 25,000 will be given away sometime today! They haven't said what time, but go ahead over here and "like" Swiffer on Facebook to get ready! I'll let you know when it's going to happen as soon as I find out!

My General Mills Groupon

It Came!

My sweet Groupon deal I posted a few weeks ago came in the mail yesterday! Not a bad deal for $10, I must say :) And it even came with those $15 General Mills coupon books! Woo Hoo! My pantry looks really full now.

Today's Deals

Today, I just took pictures of most everything together :)

I started off my evening after work by going to CVS. I got my $3 off $10 of cosmetics coupon from the magic coupon machine :) Which I promptly used to get my Natureluxe Gloss Balm that I have been wanting :) It wasn't on sale (even though I thought it was - this is why you should read your sales carefully and not get too excited). So, I got

• 2 Natureluxe Gloss Balms (love this stuff! Thank you Bzz Agent!) - used the $3 off from CVS along with a $3 off andy 2 Natureluxe products coupon I got in the mail.
• Carefree Pantiliners, on sale $0.99 - Used $1 coupon from the Sunday paper = Free
• 2 Gallons of TG Lee Milk, $3.19 - Got $2 in ECBs = $2.19 per gallon

So, I know it could have been better, but at least I had enough ECBs to pay the difference and paid nothing out of pocket and I got my lip schmuck I've been waiting to get.

Then I headed over to Target. I hadn't planned on going there at all, but my husband had a prescription to pick up. Man did I luck out!

• 4 Nivea Energy Body Washes, on sale $2.43 - Used four $3 off Nivea Men's Body Wash coupons from the newspaper = $2.28 Overage
• 1 Nivea Platinum Protect Men's Body Wash, on sale $3.19 - Used $3 off Nivea Body Wash coupon from the newspaper = $0.19
• Scotch scissors, price cut $1.49 - Used $1 off Scotch Scissors printable coupon = $0.49
• Mio Liquid Drink Enhancer, $3.49 each- Used two $1 off printable coupon and two $1 off Target coupon = $1.49 each
• 2 Packs Wrigley's 5 Gum, $1.39 each - Used $1 off 2 printable coupon and $1 off 2 Target coupon = $0.39 each
• 2 Magnum Ice Cream Bars, price cut $3.29 each - Used two $1 off printable coupons and two $1 off Target coupons = $1.29 each

So, as you can see, I didn't go hard core couponing today. I used lots of coupons, but by no means did I only get things that were free. The Mio coupons were going to expire on 5/10 and I really wanted to try it. The Magnum bars were one that my husband had seen a commercial and said, "wow, get some of those, they look good," and I wanted to cheer him up with the surprise, so I went ahead and got them. See, I'm not totally consumed by coupons :) I just like to get as much for free as I can, but I am not going to deny myself a want or need because I don't have a coupon for it :)

Money Maker on Nivea Body Wash at Target!

I went to Target to pick up my husband's prescription last night and decided to check out the Nivea situation as I always do (they have been out of stock on it for a few weeks now). I was elated to find this:

Not only was the shelf fully stocked, but they are also on sale! If you still have any of the $3 off Nivea Body Wash coupons from the newspaper several weeks ago, you will make $0.57 off each bottle you purchase, men's of women's! how sweet is that?! So, I suggest you run over there before they are all out!

Deals To Snag This Week!

My friend Tara has inspired me on this one :) Each week she asks me what my "deal of the day" is on Sunday, so I figure I will start making a post about that each week so you can all get a heads up.

• Carefree Body Pantiliners (20-22 count), on sale $0.99 - Use Free or $1.00 off Carefree Product coupon from this Sunday's SS insert = Free
• Scan your CVS card at the Magic Coupon Machine in the front of the store as you go in. The ad says that everyone will get a coupon for $3 off any $10 cosmetics purchase! They have a good ECB deal on Revlon and Covergirl as well as sales on other brands, so it should make for a good buy after that coupons stacked with manufacturer coupons and the ECBs!
• Xtra Laundry Detergent, on sale $1.49 - Use $1 off 2 Xtra detergent coupon from the 5/1 SS insert = 2 for $2
• Mitchum Deodorant, on sale $1.99 - Use $1 off Mitchum Deodorant coupon from this Sunday's SS insert = $0.99
• TG Lee Milk, $3.19 1 gallon - Buy 1 get $1 ECB, limit 2 - Use $1 off printable coupon = $1.19 per gallon

• Sunburnt Gel, on sale $3.99 - Use $0.50 off printable coupon then submit for $3.99 Mail-In Rebate printed at checkout = $0.50 Money Maker
• Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facewash, $5.99 B1G1 - Use B1G1 coupon from 3/27 SS insert = 2 for Free
• Tylenol Precise, $7.99 - Use $5 off coupon from this Sunday's SS insert or $5 printable coupon with $3 off coupon from the Walgreens Monthly Coupon Booklet available at the front of the store = Free
• Nexcare Bandages 30 pack, $2.99 - Use $1 off printable coupon or $0.55 off coupon from 5/1 SS insert + submit for $2.99 Mail-In Rebate on back of package = $1 or $0.45 Money Maker

*I have already read several blogs saying that all the Clean and Clear was gone at many Walgreens stores yesterday before noon, so it's not likely this one will still be available as Walgreens doesn't tend to get restocked throughout the week especially on their sale items like this. If you do find it, please post and let us know where!

These are the deals that I will be running out to try and snag today. What are your favorite deals this week?

*Thanks to Hip2Save and Couponing To Disney for their lists of these deals!

Free Always and Tampax Samples

This sample is back up again! I got it a while back, but if you haven't requested one, I highly recommend it :)

Being Girl is a website sponsored by Proctor and Gamble and they give out samples of P&G feminine care products, so Always and Tampax. 

This sample pack includes:

• 3 Tampax Pearl Tampons (1 Regular, 1 Light, 1 Compak Light) 
• 2 Always Ultra Thin Pads (1 Regular, 1 Long/Super) 
• 2 Always Thin Liners

Also, they don't tell you, but the pack comes with coupons! Mine came with the following:

• $2 off One Always Pads
• $1 off One Always Pantiliners
• $1 off One Tampax Pearl
• $1 off One Tampax Compak Pearl

So, as you can see, this one is well worth requesting! So go here to get yours!

Free Downy Giveaway Today

Downy posted on their Facebook page today:

"Fans, don't forget our next giveaway is Monday May 9th, 2011 at 
6pm Eastern Time. More than 14,500 Ultra Downy April Fresh
samples will be given away! Be sure to tell your friends! Good 
Luck!"

So be sure to "like" Downy on Facebook so you can be ready at 6pm!

Happy Mother's Day

So, as you hopefully know, today was Mother's Day :) I hope all you mothers out there had a nice, relaxing day. As far as my Mother's Day, I have a little recap for you.

Since I had already made the fondant for the Jack Daniel's cake this weekend, I decided I could make a little Mother's Day cake for my mom :)

I carved the cake out and even carved out grooves in between the petals.

And check out the cute little bee :)

My mom liked it.

And she also liked her Butterfingers :) and her voucher for Family Fun Magazine.

I think she likes her cake :)

After we had dinner and whatnot at my parent's house, we went to visit my mom's mom, my Grammy. Grammy passed away last November, so this Mother's Day has been a little tough, especially for my mom. I miss Grammy enough as it is, I can't imagine how hard it is for my mom. So, we visited her grave and took her flowers, some from my mom and some were sent from my Uncle - he would always send her a bouquet for Mother's Day so he asked my mom to take it to her.

We left her flowers for her so she could enjoy them :)

After the cemetery, we went to visit my dad's mom, my Grandmother. She has her own set of mess this year. She had surgery on her stomach back in March and the doctor said she should be good as new in 2 weeks. Well, that was the last week in March and things have been so difficult for her that they ended up having to redo the surgery to encourage the site to heal properly. That was Thursday 1 week ago. Last Sunday morning, 3 days after the new surgery, she fell and broke her femur a few inches above her knee. She then had to have another surgery to have 2 metal rods put into her leg. She had to go from the hospital to a nursing home, where we visited her today. After her recovery in the home, she will then have to use a wheel chair for 5 months. Not a fun way to spend your Mother's Day, or any day for that matter, but we all wanted to visit her to boost her spirits. Luckily, all of my cousins had the same idea, and she was visited by all 9 of her Grandchildren and their spouses and children which she really enjoyed.

I had also made a flower cake for Grandmother which she said tasted great :)

My Aunt Gwen decided to give Grandmother a happy toe while she was asleep earlier in the day :)

So, we hung out with Grandmother for a while. It was great to see her happier. She has been so down trodden since her surgery that we were all getting worried about her. She has always been an active lady even if it's just going to work, which she still does every day, so she was so depressed being bedridden and in pain constantly. Hopefully we can keep her spirits higher while she recovers and bring the fun to her.

I hope everyone out there had a wonderful Mother's Day. As you can see, ours was a bit different than normal, but the theme was still the same - love for Mom. I love my mom so much and I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have her in my life. I hope she knows how much I appreciate her everyday :)