Saturday, July 30, 2011

Surprise On My CVS Trip

I didn't go out shopping at all today and I didn't realize that my Free Natural Instincts coupons were going to expire tomorrow and I don't shop on Sunday. So, I headed to CVS at 11 pm tonight and I had a very pleasant surprise at checkout!
  • 2 boxes of Clairol Natural Instincts Hair Dye, $8.99 each - Used 2 Free product coupons (Facebook offer) = 2 for Free
  • 1 Gallon of TG Lee Milk, $3.89
Ok, so by all accounts, I should have gotten the hair dye for free and paid for my milk - I had a $1 ecb out and everything. As the cashier rang everything up, I gave him my free coupons first and the screen said the hair dyes were $8.99 each, so he input each coupon at $8.99. After he took off those coupons, I looked at my total and it said 73¢. I was very confused so I read over the charges to make sure he didn't make the coupon value too high and everything was as it should be but under my coupons was listed "Extra Care Savings" and it had deducted another $4. I even asked the cashier why that happened and he had no idea. I wasn't complaining, I mean I was paying less than I thought, but when you use coupons a lot you kind of have a constant idea of what your total will be so it always throws me for a loop when something like that happens.

So, when I left the store, I read my receipt more carefully. It showed that the Hair Dyes' price changed after everything else and went from $8.99 to $6.99 each, I'm guessing it's because I bought 2 together or something like that. Either way, that $4 was deducted off my remaining total, so for everything pictured, I paid 73¢! Woo Hoo :)

Also, I noticed this particular color had these taller top pieces on the boxes:

They included a free small bottle of Pantene Shampoo (not travel size but not full size) and $27 in coupons. Since I don't dye my hair, I didn't really care what color dye I got - I would just give it away anyway. So, even though I don't really know anyone in particular who would want to dye their hair black, it was the only color with the coupons. So, I got them :) Now I get something out of it even though I don't use the hair dye :)
The coupons inside the box are:
  • $1 off Any Cover Girl Product
  • $7 off Crest 3D Whitestrips Professional Effects
  • $1 off Any Olay Facial Moisturizer
  • $1 off Any Tampax Product
  • $1 off Any Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant
  • $10 off Any Braun Electric Shaver or Epilator
  • $2 off Any Prilosec OTC
  • $1 off Any Olay Body Wash or Body Lotion
  • $1 off Any Pantene Expressions or Restore Shampoo or Conditioner
  • $2 off Any Venus Embrace Razor
All of the coupons expire 10/31/12 so I have plenty of time to put them to good use :)

I'm still psyched at my awesome trip :)

Free 7 Day Sample of Align Probiotic

Head over here to request your Free 7 day sample pack of Align Probiotic courtesy of Costco. *Note - you do not have to be a Costco member to request this.

My Hubby Brought Me A Present From Georgia :)

My husband had to go up to Atlanta for a job interview of sorts and he brought me a surprise :)
MMmmmm... They smell so good :) Sweet and peak of season Georgia peaches :) He also got me quite the assortment of local jams and such including peach butter, peach and vidalia onion salsa, sourwood honey, cinnamon peach jam, mayhaw jam, and apple butter :) I am very tempted just to open them all and try them, but I will be responsible. We tried the peach butter and it was delish!

Free 2oz Paris Amour Lotion at Bath and Body Works

Print this coupon and take it to your local Bath and Body Works this weekend to get a Free 2 oz bottle of their newest scent, Paris Amour :) This is only good July 29 - 31.

I got mine last night and it was completely free, no tax or anything! And it smells really good :)

My Orlando Trip - You Can Coupon at Retail Stores

After work yesterday, I remembered I had purchased a Groupon that was going to expire this weekend and I needed to use it. So, together with my mom and little sister, I went to Waterford Lakes. Here is what I got:
At Bath and Body Works:
  • Travel Size bottle of Paris Amour Lotion (new scent!), $1 on sale - Used Free lotion printable coupon (only July 29 - 31)= Free
At Old Navy:
  • 1 pair of Jeans, $25 on sale - Used $5 off $25 Purchase printable coupon (expires Aug 2) = $20
  • 1 pair of Purple Flip Flops, clearance 99¢
  • 1 pair of Green Flip Flops, clearance 99¢
So, to pay for my items, I used a gift certificate I bought from Groupon a few months ago. They had a deal where you could pay $10 and get a $20 gift certificate - I actually had a credit on the site so I got my certificate for free - the only catch was that it expires on July 30 (today). Anyway, after I used my $5 off $25 coupon and then my $20 Groupon I got for free, I only paid $2.76. Woo Hoo!

So, thanks to all the deals I snag online, I got everything in the picture for $2.76 :) Now that's my kind of retail shopping!

    Free Charmin Extender

    Go here to request your free Charmin Extender! This is great if you buy the mega rolls of toilet paper because it will let the roll stick out just a little further from the wall so it's easier to roll :) This sample is courtesy of ALl You magazine!

    Free Sample of Kirkland Supreme Diapers

    Go here quick to get your free sample of Kirkland Supreme Diapers courtesy of Costco! *Note - you do not have to be a member of Costco to request this sample. Just select that you are not a member.
    Remember, even if you don't have a baby, this would be great to request for a baby shower gift basket :) You can even choose the size you want!

    Free 5 Ct Sample of Tampax Pearl

    Head over here to get a free 5 count sample of Tampax Pearl courtesy of Costco! *Note - You do not have to be a Costco member for this sample :)

    Thursday, July 28, 2011

    Free John Frieda Precision Foam

    Hurry over here and fill out the survey to see if you qualify for a Free John Frieda Precision Foam Hair Color :) If you qualify, you will be sent a "voucher" in the mail. Try quick, these go fast!

    Free Vinyl Handle Bag from VariousPackaging.com

    Hurry over to VariousPackaging.com to request your free sample vinyl bag with a handle :) Be quick, this one will go pretty fast!

    $1 off White Milk Coupon By Mail

    Go here and register to receive a coupon for $1 off Any Size of White Milk in the mail! Allow 8 weeks for delivery :)
    This is another rare one, so snag it quick!

    *Thank you Hip2Save for posting this deal!

    $3 off Playtex Baby Product Coupon

    Hurry over to Playtex Baby's Facebook page and 'like' them quick!. Then click here to print a coupon for $3 off Any Playtex Infant Product! This is a very high value coupon that can give you some free items :) This coupon is limited to the first 15,000 prints, so print yours now before they are gone!

    (Lots of people are having trouble getting the coupon to load on the Facebook page, but the "click here" link listed above is a direct link someone posted on their wall and it worked perfect for me!)

    Good Luck!

    Fantabulous Food! Blueberry Filled Cupcakes

    This week's recipe is actually a combination of 3 different recipes from 3 different places. The cake is from Our Best Bites, the filling comes from Naturally Ella, and the frosting comes from my good friend Angela :) I know you're probably thinking that this is ridiculously complicated already since it's 3 separate recipes, but it really isn't hard at all. Also, I made these for Memorial Day for my family and Justin's, and let me just say, they were a smashing success. It seems that combining these three recipes is like finding the holy grail of cupcakes - even if you're not a big blueberry fan. When I told my hubby that I would be making them again for this blog post, he made a very excited sound and said that would be fantastic. So, let's get cooking :)

    Easy White Cake:
    This cake was seriously so easy, I felt guilty making it. I've become kind of a snob about using box mixes since it's just as easy to make a cake from scratch and they taste much better - I know, I'm weird. But this one really is good, so you should definitely give it a try.

    Ingredients:


    1 box Duncan Hines Super Moist White Cake Mix
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1 cup sugar
    3/4 tsp salt
    4 egg whites
    1 1/3 cups water
    2 tbsp vegetable oil
    1 cup sour cream
    1 tsp vanilla
    1 tsp almond

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and put cupcake liners in cupcake pan.
    2. Mix all dry ingredients together in bowl of a mixer. Whisk together to mix well.
    3. Add wet ingredients and beat for 2 minutes until fluffy.
    4. Spoon batter into cupcake liners. Should be 3/4 full.

    Being that I was using the Cupcake Genius, I had to clip my top onto the pan to make the holes for the filling.
    Bake according to box directions (mine baked for about 22 minutes).
    The cupcakes are done when there is a slightly golden brown ring around the edge of the cupcake but the rest is still white.
    And when I pull the cupcake genius out of the cupcakes, they look like this
    5. Cool completely. Take a paring knife and cut a little cone shaped hole in the center of the cupcake (this is the advice of Our Best Bites). I was given this nifty pan set from Justin's Grandma for Christmas, so I don't cut my holes, they are baked in. (By the way, I totally recommend this pan, it's been really useful!)



    Blueberry Filling:


    Ingredients:
    2 cups of blueberries
    1/4 cup sugar
    2 tbsp corn starch

    1. Place blueberries in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Let heat until juice begin to extract from blueberries and fill the bottom of the pan. 
    2. Stir frequently, add in sugar and stir until dissolved. Allow to simmer a little. 
    3. Add corn starch. The sauce will begin to thicken and it should be consistency of pudding (the sauce will thicken as it cools.) If the sauce is too thick before cooling, add a spoonful of sugar. Scrap into a separate bowl and set aside to cool.
    *When I made these on memorial day, this made enough to fill 20 cupcakes, so you may need more depending on how many you make and how much filling you like to put in.

    To fill the cupcakes, I started by pressing my finger inside the cooled cupcakes to make the hole a bit bigger.
    Then take a butter knife to scoop some of the filling into the hole.
    Then use the knife to press the filling into the sides of the cupcake.
    Then just keep on filling the cupcake up until the hole is full. Repeat with all the cupcakes.

    Angela's Cream Cheese Frosting:


    Ingredients:
    32 oz powdered sugar (more if you live in Florida)
    2 sticks butter
    2 blocks cream cheese
    1 cup shortening
    1 tbsp vanilla

    1. Make sure your butter, cream cheese, and shortening is all at room temperature.

    2. Combine butter, cream cheese and shortening in a mixer and until smooth.

    3. Add vanilla and mix well.

    4. Add powdered sugar very slowly (or it will look like it snowed in your kitchen).

    I know that many of you do not use any type of cake decorating tools. They are a bit intimidating to say the least! But be not discouraged! I have recently become a huge fan of the star-tip swirl. It's probably the easiest cake decorating technique and it looks good every time. Doing this can really make a huge difference in how fancy your cupcakes look without adding much time and effort.
    I ran out of blueberry filling and icing, so I used some of my homemade strawberry jam to fill and top the extras. Let me just say - they were delicious. It seriously tasted like a biscuit with gravy.
    Unfortunately the jam ones didn't look quite as pretty.
    Also, just so you know, if you double this recipe and use the cupcake genius you will end up with almost 100 cupcakes. Yeah - it was a lot. It took us quite a while to bake and finish them all. Hopefully they will be enjoyed by lots of people.

    So give these a try! It seriously ended up being the perfect combination. Everyone who tries one loves them, even if they are not blueberry fans.

    Free Sample of Soft N' Free

    Head over to Soft N' Free's Facebook page and 'like' them to request a Free sample of their Milk Protein & Olive Oil Line :)

    75¢ off Nature's Own Bread Coupon

    Hurry over to Coupons.com to print this coupon for 75¢ off Any Nature's Own Product! If you don't see it, change your zip code to 90210 (I had to change mine to find it). Coupons for necessities like bread are very few and far between, so I would definitely recommend printing this one before it's all gone.

    $2 off Cutter Insect Repellent Coupon

    Head over to Cutter's Facebook page and 'like' them to print a coupon for $2 off Any Cutter Product :)

    Free Sample Pack from U By Kotex

    Head over here to snag your Free sample pack from U by Kotex with 2 tampons, 1 pad, and a money saving coupon :) This is a new offer, so you can request it even if you've already gotten one!

    Free Sample of Honeysuckle Breast Milk Storage Bags

    Head over to Honeysuckle Breast Milk Storage Bags Facebook page and 'like' them to claim a Free sample of Breast Milk Storage Bags :) Even if you wouldn't currently use them, these would make a nice addition to a baby shower gift :)

    Free Sample of Ball RealFruit Classic Pectin

    Hurry over here to get a Free sample of Ball RealFruit Pectin :) Perfect for all the delicious berries that are in season right now!

    Wednesday, July 27, 2011

    Like Show and Tell Meg on Facebook

    I have a Facebook page now :) Check it out here and 'like' my page to get updates when I post a sweet deal on your Facebook feed! How easy is that?

    $2 Fandango Movie Ticket from Groupon!

    Wow, this is a sweet deal! Groupon currently has a nation wide deal where you can get a single movie ticket on Fandango.com for only $2! There is a limit of 2 per customer, so you can snag a movie date night for only $4!
    Go here to get your tickets now!

    2 Free Issues of Family Circle Magazine

    Head over here to get 2 Free issues of Family Circle magazine delivered to you courtesy of ValueMags.com. I have gotten this offer before and they will never even send you a bill! You just get the 2 issues completely free! You will get your two magazines October 1st and 17th - no strings attached!

    Free Glasses from Coastal Contacts!

    This is a really awesome freebie for any glasses wearers. Coastal Contacts is currently giving away 10,000 pairs of glasses for Free! You need to have your prescription handy and know your pd (pupillary distance) to make sure they will fit right. Here is what you need to do to snag yours!
    1. 'Like' Coastal Contacts on their Facebook page .
    2. Head over to their website and choose from their eligible free frames!
    3. Imput the code you received on their Facebook page at checkout.
    That's it! The free offer is only valid on the frame that will come up when you follow the link I posted above with 1.5 index lenses. So, if you need a thicker lens or have any treatments put on them (scratch resistant, non-glare, etc) there will be an additional charge. You will also have to pay the shipping. Even given these fees you have to pay, you will still be getting an incredibly cheap pair of prescription glasses!

    Keep in mind, the free offer is only for the first 10,000 people, so hurry to snag yours before they are gone!
      *I will tell you that Coastal Contacts does these giveaways periodically, so if you don't have your prescription handy or don't know your pd (pupillary distance), be sure to go by your optometrist and get a copy of yours for the next giveaway!

      Tuesday, July 26, 2011

      Fun in the Mail

      Man, it has been a great week for fun mail and it's only Tuesday :)
      • Strawberry Soy Joy Bar 
      • Sample of Honey Nut Cheerios and a 75¢ off coupon
      • Publix Family Style Magazine (with coupons)
      • Target Back to School Mailer (with coupons)
      I was super excited to get the Publix and Target mailers and here is why :) These are the coupons they included.

      The Publix Mailer:

      • Free Half Gallon Publix Milk or $3 off wyb 2 Carnation Breakfast Essentials Items
      • $2 off Biggest Loser Sensible Refrigerated Entrée
      • $1 off Friendship Dairy Item
      • 70¢ off Publix Bakery 4-ct Sliced Bagels
      • $1 off 2 Publix Deli Kids' Meals
      • $1 off Steak-EZE Angus Philly Beef Steaks
      I recommend subscribing to all of Publix's magazines as many of them include coupons that you can't get anywhere else. If you want to sign up for them, just go to their website. It only takes a few minutes and it's totally free :)

      The Target Mailer:
      • $1 off Paper Mate Item
      • $1 off Scotch Purchase of $2 or More (Scissors or Tape)
      • $1 off Expo Item (2 ct or + dry erase markers or cleaner)
      • $2 off Post-It purchase of $2 or more
      • $1.50 off Mead or Five Star Nylon Binder
      • 75¢ off Five Star Moveable Tabbed Dividers Notebook
      • $1 off 2 Bic Stationary Items
      • $1 off Crayola Dry Erase Item
      • 50¢ off 50ct Crayola Item
      • 50¢ off 12ct Elmer's School Glue Sticks
      • $1 off 2 Quaker Chewy Granola Bars
      • 50¢ off Nabisco Cookie Packs
      • $1 off 2 Kraft Easy Mac 4 ct
      • $1 off 2 Kraft Snacking Cheese (String-Ums or Twist-Ums)
      • $2 off Pediasure Nutritional Drinks
      • $1 off 4 or 6 ct Dannon Danimals
      • $1 off 2 Oscar Mayer Lunchables
      • 50¢ off Wet Ones 24 ct
      • 75¢ off Aquafresh Kids Pump Toothpaste
      • $1 off Fluoride Free Toothpaste and Toothbrush
      • $10 off Sonicare for Kids Electric Toothbrush
      • $1 off Oral-B Stages Toothpaste or Toothbrush
      • 75¢ off Nexcare Bandages Item
      • $5 off Kids' Apparel Purchase of $30 or More
      • 75¢ off Hanes Apparel Item (Boys or Girls)
      • $5 off Cherokee Kids' Uniform Purchase of $30 or More
      • $5 off Leapfrog Item
      • $5 off First Act Discovery Acoustic Guitar
      • $5 off Dora the Explorer Purchase of $14.99
      • $3 off Play Wonder Girls' Doll
      • $1 off 3 Greeting Cards
      This is a very coveted booklet and I'm stoked that I got one. All of these expire 8/28/11.

      Ask Megan: Ins and Outs of Free and B1G1 Free

      Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupons are my favorite thing about coupons other than completely free coupons :)
      This is one of those topics that I get a lot of confused faces when I start to explain. I will try my best, but it really does take a little bit to wrap your head around if you haven't heard about it before. So, I will try and explain it as best as I can and I will also give you links to a video where it is explained by an actual person :)

      What is a Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupon?
      This may seem pretty self explanatory, but just so there is no gray area... B1G1 (or BOGO or Buy 1 Get 1 Free) means that if you purchase one product, you can get another of the same product for free. This would mean that you are getting both items for half the retail price.

      So, you're probably thinking, big whoop. If you are a seasoned coupon user, you know that you can often get products for cheaper than half the retail price, so why would this be so great?

      What makes B1G1 coupons so great?
      Well, the great thing about B1G1 coupons is not necessarily the coupon's deal itself, but the deals you can pair it up with. The shining wonderment of the B1G1 only occurs when paired with the B1G1 sale. 
      *Now before I go into it too much, know that some stores have recently changed their policy on B1G1 coupons, so you will need to check with your specific store before giving it a try to avoid frustration.*
      I will be giving my examples according to my favorite store's coupon policy, Publix. So, this is how things work there. 

      Say that Publix is having a buy one get one free sale on Velveeta Shells and Cheese. 

      Now, if you were just a normal customer who came in to take advantage of this sale (i.e. with no coupons), you would pay the retail price of one and leave with both, essentially getting both items for half price. Under this type of sale, we can literally say that the store pays for the second item.
      Average Customer's Deal
      Now, when you have a buy one free coupon, the transaction still works the same in that the store still pays for the second item when you purchase the first. This is where the coupon works its magic. When you hand over the coupon, the store still pays for one of the items and then the coupon pays for the other. So, essentially, other people are buying your items for you and you leave with 2 items for free!
      Coupon User's Deal
      Now can you see why these are my favorite types of coupons? Sometimes it is a gamble as to whether or not a store will put an item on sale while the coupon is valid, and that's just the chance you take. I usually wait it out and will go in to use my coupon within the last few days if it's an item that I really want or need, but many of them I just let them expire and move on. 

      How do Free coupons play in?
      I like to do the same thing with my free item coupons. First of all, you know you are at the very least going to get one item for free, so I keep these in the front of my binder to make sure I see them often and don't let them expire. Basically I like to hope on the greedy side with them and I don't immediately run out and use my free item coupons. If they go on sale B1G1, I can use them the same way as the B1G1 coupons and get 2 items for free. These scenarios are where your coupons work like actual money. If the item doesn't go on sale, I just go in the store for the last few days that the coupon is valid and get mine.

      Is there any actual cost?
      This is something that I wanted to be sure to explain before I end it - even though you are not charged for the actual price of the item, certain items will still be charged tax. The only items that you will not have to pay tax for are certain food items. Occasionally the "Free" item coupons will not be charged tax, but the B1G1 coupons will always be charged tax on the one item your coupon technically bought. 

      So, hopefully this hasn't confused you more. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to comment with them on this post or send me an email at showandtellmeg@gmail.com and I will try to explain it further :)

      Also, if you are more of a visual person, Collin over at Hip2Save did a very helpful video explanation about this very topic where she goes into the 'ethics' behind other methods of using a B1G1 coupon. I found it really useful :)

      CVS Trip :)

      Woo Hoo! I went by the PSJ CVS on my way to the post office today and they had the Skintimate I needed!

      • 2 bottles of Skintimate Cream Shave, $2.19 each - Used $1.50 off printable coupon (no longer available) = 69¢ each
      These were all I needed to put me over the $20 mark before coupons on the Schick ecbs deal, so I got $10 ecbs back and another $1 ecb for my green bag tag :)