I hit 4 CVS's today for their 2 day sales - there are 17 freebies today and tomorrow. I was only looking for a few of the items that I knew I would use or sell.

Got: 18 Listerines, 4 Halls cough drops, 4 Excedrin, 4 Zantac, 7 HIP eyeshadows and 8 Sally Hansen nail polishes.

Grand Total OOP $0.05 (and only because I couldn't find my gift card - haha)

Increased my total ECB's by: $65.01 (meaning I have $65 more in ECB's than when I started my trips today!! WOW!!)

Definitely a great bargain day! I might try a few more CVS's tomorrow to get more of the freebies if they are left. Today I just focused on the ones I really wanted or could resell easily. But free stuff is free stuff! :~)

Deals for week of 12/7:

Target:
-Airwick Lumin'Air Flameless Candles are on sale for $4.99. There is a $5 off coupon in today's inserts making these not just free, but a $0.01 moneymaker! I love flameless candles so I can't wait to try these. I bought 33 coupons from Ebay seller KalamazooClipper for $4.05 shipped.

CVS:
-The only deal I see there this week are the Duracell batteries if you have the $5/2 CVS coupon. Buy 6 packs for $18. Use (3) $5/2 CVS Duracell coupons. Pay $3 and get $5 ECB's back. A better deal if you have MNF coupons (but I used all mine a few weeks ago with the huge moneymaker Duracell deal).

Will update more later as I browse through the deals.

My 1st Black Friday Shopping

It's quite funny to say that yesterday was my very first Black Friday. I have worked in retail for 12 years and normally Black Friday means working, not shopping. My experience working also means I have seen the good, the bad and the UGLY in the way people act for the deals, so I have not really felt the motivation to go out there and hit the BF jackpot. Well, this year I decided to give it a try and took Kerstin along so she could experience this "fun" American tradition.

Thankfully the Walmart near us is a 24 hour WM, so that was our first stop. Why? Because it meant we didn't have to stand out in 20 degree weather waiting for the store to open! DUH! We got there around 4am and quickly realized there were Power Wheel Jeeps still available for $88. Riley's "big" Christmas gift - done! Then we stalked out the shrink-wrapped pallets that were surrounded by other hopeful shoppers for the Doorbuster deals we were interested in. They would be available at 5am. And gone by 5:02am. Not kidding.

Kerstin stood by the new Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera (only $69!) and I stood by the HP 3-in-1 printer/copier/scanner (only $29). It was great being able to split up and of course we text'd back and forth :~)

At 5am on the dot we heard, "GO!" from a Walmart employee and it was GRAB WHAT YOU WANT time!! Literally, I think all hot ticket items were gone by 5:02am. There was no pushing or shoving. Everyone was very nice and respectful - I even made friends with 2 women standing near me and we chatted as we waited.

K & I picked up the HP for me, a camera, card/case pack and extra 2gb card for both of us, a set of Rubbermaid containers, checked out a few other possible deals and then headed to checkout. We were through checkout in less than 10 minutes. Easy-peasy!

So we were on our way to Target and got there about 10 minutes before they opened. The line was wrapped around the store - so we stayed nice and warm in the truck!! I got a Shark Stick Vac for $10 and a pair of non-sale gloves for $9.99. Yes, I do occassionally pay full price just for the heck of it. *gasp*

We left there and went to Kmart where we found $9.99 hairdryers and Kerstin bought a memory card for her phone. Not many other great items at the big K store.

Dropped the Jeep off at Gigi's so as not to spoil Xmas for the little one, dropped our other goods off at home (so as not to have the truck broken into!) and headed to Arundel Mills mall.

Children's Place had a great morning deal - 20% off all purchases before 11am- plus you could use any coupons you had (I have a rewards coupon for 15% plus will get a $10 coupon towards future purchases). I got all 3 boys new winter coats and 4 pairs of PJ's for $100.

Kerstin got new PJ bottoms & awesome cute slippers from Old Navy and I picked up some fleece pants and slippers for the boys.

So what do you do when you finish shopping at 10am and it feels like you have been up all day?? Go to Panera of course for some breakfast & coffee!!!!

Overall, it was a fun day. I don't consider my 1st BF shopping to be the biggest or the best but it was fun. I wasn't looking for tons of big deals because honestly, I know that prices will just keep getting lower and lower as we get closer to Christmas. But I got a few things we needed/wanted as well as a few gifts, so it was worthwhile.

Busy Week

VERY busy bargain week .....

Shoppers had their double/triple event over the past weekend.

Superfresh has their doubles all week.

Wags has some great deals where you can just keep rolling RR's and get some great items almost free......Trying to get motivated to get to Wags tonight.

CVS has free mineral makeup, free contact lens solution and free Tylenol (with the right Q's) this week. And TONS and TONS of great Black Friday deals at CVS (not to even mention regular BF deals).

And, last but not least....this upcoming weekend starts Kmart doubles again.

Phew. I am exhausted just writing it all out. It's a good thing I have this week off of work but I am still not sure how I will fit in all these great deals.

More to come on my BF plan......

Kmart Doubles Grand Total for the week

Kmart --- Here are my grand totals from 7 trips this week:

L'Oreal Eyeshadows or mascara (12)
Dove Creamy Body Wash (18)
Zest 3-bar soap (6)
Revlon nail implements (13)
Vaseline Lotion (10)
Almay Cosmetics including Toweletts, Eye Makeup Remover, mascara & eyeshadow (28) (all free!)
Kotex pantyliners (6)
Crest Toothpaste (16)
Colgate Kids Toothpaste (3)
Colgate Toothpaste (3)
Bic Comfort Shavers (6)
Visine (21)
Dove Shampoo (1)
Dove Conditioner (1)
Maalox (2)
Bayer aspirin (1)
Vicks Hand Sanitizer (4)
Go Diego bandaids (3)
KY Jelly (4)
Goodlife Cat Food (4)
Arm & Hammer Essential Laundry Detergent (1)
WISP flameless candle refill (1)
Pledge Multi Surface cleanser (2)
Glade Oil Candle (4)
Pledge Duster (8)
Pledge Duster refills (4)
Pledge Multi Surface Wipes (1)
Pledge wipes (4)
Glade Fabric Refresher (16)
Glade Carpet Odor Eliminator (2)
Shout Stain Remover (4)
Altoids (8)
Kellogg's Frosted Mini-wheats (2)
Nail/Toe Art (4)
Energizer batteries (4)
Lifesaver pegged bag (1)
Complete Contact Lens Solution (6)
Glade Holiday candle holder (6)
Glade oil candle refills (4)
Sally Hansen Nail Polish Remover (4)
Sure Deodorant (8)
Right Guard Deodorant (4)
Dove chocolate bar (8)

$1038.74 worth of product
Spent total cash OOP: $67.83
of which $30.25 was tax
Total savings of 94%
Total items: 269

I am doing one last day at the Flea Market tomorrow - it is getting way too cold here. I gave away a bunch and of course restocked what we were getting low on. I hope to clear out a ton tomorrow. I normally come home with alot of bins but I think I will have a $1 clearance event towards the end......

I am estimating the remainder of the items will be sold for about $340 which leaves me with a profit of $272 solely for those 7 trips. Not too shabby!!

Kmart Doubles

Wow, it's been along time since I have logged in, much less posted. I have been so busy chasing deals I haven't had much time to post. My latest chase - Kmart doubles. Now, I hate shopping at Kmart, but I'll shop anywhere that pays me to take their products! Really,who enjoys shopping at Kmart??

This week they have double manufacturer coupons up to and including $2. That means that a $2 coupon is doubled to $4 off a product. This is big because it means lots and lots of free products. They also have a couple of B1G1 free deals which when combined with coupons = hidden overage. Almay products are 40% off so you can get alot more when combined with the $2 coupons that are doubled to $4.

Most of the coupons I have been using are from the Kmart Beauty Book --- and the true "beauty" in that is that the books are FREE!! Doesn't get much easier than that.

I have made 4 trips so far and here is a breakdown of what I have gotten:
L'Oreal Eyeshadows or mascara (12) @ $6.49 each (overage)
Dove Creamy Body Wash (17) @ $4.79 each / (1) @ $4.29 each
Zest 3-bar soap (6) @ $2.19 each
Revlon nail implements @ various prices under $2 (13)
Vaseline Men's Lotion (7) @ $2.99 each
Almay Cosmetics @ various prices including Toweletts, Eye Makeup Remover, mascara & eyeshadow (20) (all free!)
Kotex pantyliners (6) @ $1.29 each
Crest Toothpaste (12) @ $2.49 each
Bic Comfort Shavers (6) @ $3.99 each
Visine (20) @ $3.99 each
Dove Shampoo (1) @ $3.99
Dove Conditioner (1) @ $3.99
Maalox (2) @ $3.99 each
Bayer aspirin (1) @ $2.89
Vicks Hand Sanitizer (4) @ $1.50 each
Go Diego bandaids (3) $1.99 each
KY Jelly (4) @ $3.99 each
Goodlife Cat Food (4) @ $3.99 each
Arm & Hammer Essential Laundry Detergent $3.79 free w/ coupon
WISP flameless candle refill (1) @ $2.50
Pledge Multi Surface cleanser (2) @ $2.50 each
Glade Oil Candle (4) @ $5.99 each
Pledge Duster (2) @ $2.79 each
Glade Fabric Refresher (16) @ $3.79 each
Glade Carpet Odor Eliminator (2) @ $2.29 each
Altoids (8) @ $1.74 or $1.69 each
Kellogg's Frosted Mini-wheats (2) @ $2.67 each
Nail/Toe Art (4) @ $2.99 each
Energizer batteries (4) @ $4.19 each
Lifesaver pegged bag (1) @ $1.25 each
Complete Contact Lens Solution (6) @ 7.49 each (overage)
Glade Holiday candle holder (4) @ $2.99 each
Glade oil candle refills (4) @ $2.99 each
Sally Hansen Nail Polish Remover (4) @ $1.99 each

$832.68 worth of product
Spent total cash OOP: $47.41
of which $25.03 was tax
total savings of 95%
Total items: 204
($0.23 per item)

Two more trips planned and will post grand totals after all is complete. Lovin' these Kmart doubles!!

Win FREE baby slings!!

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

Flea market total.........

$1057!!!! Wahoo!!

Three months of "shopping" at CVS, Walgreens & Target: ~$60

One day of selling at Flea Market: $687















Baby sleeping after spending day helping Mommy & Daddy: Priceless!
















Going back to the FM tomorrow to round our earnings out to $1K!!!!! :~)

Wow....it's been a while since I posted. This was supposed to be a slow bargain week and it didn't turn out to be so slow. Lots of great deals on Pantene & Perfect 10 hair care at Target. I even have a slightly different haircolor to show for it!! ;~)

Here are the Food Lion deals pulled from The Grocery Game. These are only good until 5/27 (Tuesday).

Buy any 4 General Mills Cereals, Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks, Nature Valley Granola Bars or Fiber One bars in a single transaction and save $6 instantly at checkout.

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks 2/$4, $1/2 in GM insert from 5/25 paper.
Scenario: (4) BC Fruit Snacks = $8 - $2 coupons - $6 instant savings = FREE

General Mills Cheerios (and maybe other types, not clear) $3.31 each, $1/2 in GM insert from 5/25 paper.
Scenario: (4) Cheerios = $13.24 - $2 coupons - $6 instant savings = $5.24 or $1.31 a box

Other noteable deals:
Uncle Ben's Country Inn or Long Grain & Wild Rice $0.89 each ($1/2 or $1/1 in 3/9 RP)

Hamburger Helper Skillet Mixes $10/10
Suddenly Salad $2.32 each, BOGO free
Buy (1) Hamburger Helper + (2) Suddenly Salad and use $1 off coupon from 5/25 GM insert, pay for the 3 items = $2.32 for all 3 items(could also use this coupon for (3) Hamburger Helper mixes for $0.67 each)

Bisquick Shake 'n Pour Pancake Mix, 10/$10, buy 2 and use the $1 off wyb 2 in the 5/25 GM flyer = $0.50 each

Quaker Simple Harvest Cereal Bars, $1.59 (closeout), $1 off in 5/4 & 4/6 SS) = $0.59 each

Quaker GranolaBites are also on closeout for $1.33 each.

Breyer's Yogurt, $0.50 each X 6= $3.00, use $1/6 (3/9 SS) = $0.33 each

Fl bacon is on sale $1.79 FLIP : $1 off = 79 cents a pack!

Feeding the family (gourmet) for next to nothing.....

Last week was a pretty awesome week at Wags. For every 9 Crest toothpastes that you buy (for free with coupons) or 6 Covergirl cosmetics (almost free), you get $20 in register rewards (RR's) for your next purchase.

Well I accumulated about $180 worth of RR's. Last night we stopped at Wags and I ran in to get some snacks and basic foods for lunches this week. Fruit cups, Cheez-its, pudding, the basics. Of course I used my RR's. But I also rolled some of them into $60 & $20 Omaha Steaks gift cards.

So today I went to Omaha after work and got one heck of a deal to feed the family for the week. I have to mention this is the 3rd time I have done this or something similar and it is such a great way to do our grocery shopping for the week!! LOL

Here is what I got:
~10 burgers
~6 franks
~4 chicken breasts
~2 filet mignons
~2 top sirloins
~2 shrimp fettucine (it was DELICIOUS for dinner tonight, served it with my free Food Lion fresh, not frozen, garlic bread!)
~4 stuffed baked potatoes
~garlic mashed potatoes
~creamed spinach
~vegetable medley

Retail total of all the above products: $249.88
Total discounts $153.94
Net total $89.95
Gift cards used $60 + $20
Total cash OOP $9.95 WOW!!!!

My Safeway Totals

(32) 12-pack Dasani fridge pack

(32) bags of Ghiradelli chocolate (24 of which survived, 8 melted!!)

(96) Hallmark Expressions cards

Total OOP $30.15 and have (2) $5 off your next order coupons

If you have to be sick.......

......you might as well get paid for it!!

More foot problems for me. What a surprise! I saw Dr P and besides needing a special ointment and antibiotics, I also get to endure a little extra torture from Drew or Ulli (or whoever is sucker enough to have to help me.....) The lucky helper gets to jam the gauze pad into the surgery area and listen to me scream. Yep, definitely the highlight of the day.

Anyways, here are two current gift card offers for filling a prescription at CVS.
http://www.hot-deals.org/text/cvs1/
http://www.shoppersresource.com/images/printable/cvs1-063008.jpg
**(change to landscape to print properly)

$25 can go a L-O-N-G way in CVS world!!

Here's an awesome deal at Safeway through Sunday 5/11. Thanks to Fannie for breaking down the details:

Buy:
12 - Warm Wishes/Expressions Hallmark cards $.99ea
4 - Dasani 12 pack fridge pack water $3.00ea
4 - votive candles by hallmark $3.00ea or 4 - Ghiradelli Chocolates
(you will need the coupons for the two items above to be free -- check the card aisle for the displays for both promos)

Cpns Used:
4 - free votive candle cpns or 4 - free Ghiradelli chocolates
1- Score $5 catalina from last time (or for 1st transaction you will just pay $5 more)

Safeway deductions that come off automatically
$.99 x 3 hallmark cards
$3 x 4 dasani fridge packs (buy 3 cards get dasani for free)
Total $4.14 OOP and got another $5 catalina for the score $5 promo
Rinse & repeat!

One of my transactions the cashier gave me the coupon max for the Ghiradelli, so $5.99 off on each. My total OOP for that transaction was only $0.29 and I didn't even have to use my $5 cat!!! Woohoo!!

My totals for today:
(12) 12-packs of Dasani water
(12) bags of Ghiradelli chocolate
(36) Hallmark greeting cards
Total OOP $12.22 and have (2) $5 catalinas to roll into this deal again and again!!! So that is a net of $2.22 for all the above!

Oh....and if that is not enough incentive for this great deal.....
Free Movie Ticket Link You need to buy 3 Ghirardelli products and they will send you a movie ticket to see "maid of honor" or any Sony Pictures/Tristar film up to $12.00

I will definitely be hitting a few more Safeways between now and Sunday!!

Hello!!

OK, so I am about to send out an email to my family & friends to let everyone know where this blog is. Welcome!!!!!

This is definitely a work in progress. I am going to start posting deals and upcoming deals when I can....just bear with me. If you have a question, please feel free to ask.

Hope you enjoy reading!!

p.s. Don't forget to leave me comments and let me know what you think ;~)

What's HOT this week - lots of dental care!!

This morning I checked out the Pasadena flea market to see who my competition is and start organizing my upcoming sale in my mind. Drew & I will be organizing my stash and planning a Saturday soon to sell off as much as we can. It is kind of strange to think about selling it..... I worked hard for all the goods.... but I also can't wait to have the cash in hand!! ;~)

Then I went to CVS and made some money!!! I got:
(3) Colgate 360 toothbrushes -$1 q
(5) Orapik Travel tools
(1) Aquafresh Extreme -$1 q
(1) Aquafresh Advanced -$1.50 q
(2) Tums QuikPack -$1/2 q
(3) Adidas deodorants -$4.99 q's on each
(4) Baltimore Sun Sunday papers (for the coupons of course!)

Also used a $5/$30 CVS q and $34.94 in ECB's.....
$0.94 OOP and earned........$50.67 in ECB's!!

Then off to Wags to try out this week's P&G deal. Unfortunately someone had hit the store pretty hard before I got there so I had to mix and match some.

1st transaction:
(4) Crest Pro-Health toothpaste
(1) Covergirl blush
(2) Covergirl powders
(2) Covergirl eyeshadows
Used Q's/IVC's for the Crest and Covergirl and (2) $4 RR's that were close to expiring. Total before tax was -$0.28, total OOP was $1.85 and earned (2) $10 RR's to use on future transactions.

2nd transaction:
(6) Crest Pro-Health toothpaste
(1) package of ace bandage "tape" (for my toe!)
Total OOP $4.19 (all of this was the tape for my toe and tax!)
and earned a $10 RR back.

I really needed 9 Crest to make the best deal....but I still think I did ok, especially since I really only paid for the bandage tape which I needed.

BzzAgent

An awesome site to check out is http://www.bzzagent.com/. It is free to sign up and takes little to no effort to earn great rewards and free products.

I signed up in February and have been offered the following campaigns so far:

-Horizon Milk: received several coupons for free 1/2 gallons plus other $$ off coupons
-Glade WISP flameless candle: received a free WISP candle, 2 free refills and several coupons.
-Tropicana Pure Valencia orange juice: received 5 coupons for free orange juice. Even better, I used those coupons at Safeway during the Living Well promo and turned free orange juice into a $10 off your next grocery shopping trip coupon!!
-Claritin Redi-Tabs: received a free box of Claritin redi-tabs and a bunch of $3 off coupons.

and the best by far........

-Logitech Harmony One universal remote! Retails for $250!!!!!!!!!
Drew was beyond excited to set it up and it is soooo easy to use and awesome! Mom, if you are reading this, no more fears using our TV/DVD/Cable/etc when you come over!! It has a touch screen and automatically sets all components to whatever setting is needed with the touch of one key.

BzzAgent is so easy to do and free. You literally only have to write up 3 or 4 quick (think 5-6 sentence) reports for each product. Once you write up reports you receive points and eventually can redeem them for even more free stuff.

So to recap, it's free to sign up, you get free products and/or coupons, and then when you write up small reports you earn more free products. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

CVS - May Monthly Deals

Here is one of the scenarios I did today at CVS. This is a great moneymaker deal when combined with coupons. I used the $5/30 CVS coupon emailed to me but can also work great with a $3/$15.

1 Aquafresh Extreme Toothpaste
2 Aquafresh Advanced Toothpaste
2 Tums QuikPack
3 Adidas Deodorants
Total $33.32

Coupons
-1.50 Aquafresh Extreme
-1.00 x 2 Aquafresh Advanced
-1.00 wyb 2 Tums
-4.99 x 3 Adidas (in All You magazine available for purchase at Walmart)
-5.00 CVS coupon
-7.99 ECB

Total OOP $0.86 + tax
Earn $33.32 in ECB's

Walgreens 5/4-5/10 Awesome deals!!!

Awesome deals at Wags this week!! Huge thanks to HCW for some great scenarios. Here are the ones I will be tracking down this week:

(10) Pro Health Toothpaste 10x $2.50 = $25.00
(10) $1/1 Pro Health Coupon (P&G 4/6 exp 5/31) 10x $1/1 = -$10.00
Now use the IVC for $3/2 Crest Pro Health = -$15.00
Total would be $0.00 (just add tax) and receive a $20 RR back

Zantac 150 cool mint tablets are $3.99 & you get a $3RR...there is a $5 IP coupon on Walgreen's own site good on ANY Maximum Strength Zantac 150 Cool Mint Tablets! Some Wags don't do overage so this might be a no-go. I have gotten 40+ with overage at WM so I am not so worried about this one!

Cover Girl Buy 1 Get 1 50% off, plus a $20 RR wyb 10, combine with great CG q's from past inserts and 5/4 inserts. Some low price CG items:
Eyebrow and Eye Enhance (two small pencil) 2.99Nail polish 3.99Power Puffs 2.99Sharpener 3.29Eyeshadow 3.49Retractable Pencil 4.99Eye liner pencil 4.79Lash Curler 4.99Lip Slick 3.99Concealer Tube 4.79

$9.99 - Venus
$0.10 - Filler
=$10.09-$4.00
- $4/1 manu Venus-$6.00
- P&G RR= $0.09 oop + tax
Get $6 RR

Charmin Toilet Paper x 4
= $13.96
-$2.00 - $.50/1 7-day x 4
-$1.00 - $.25/1 manu Charmin x 4
-$10.00 - P&G RR
= $0.96 oop + tax

****Important note: make sure you do not use an RR from the same deal into the next deal or you will not get another RR. For example, if you get a $6 RR from the Venus, you can not use it to buy Venus again and get another $6 RR. You have to rotate deals.***

Will post more as others start reporting how the deals pan out! Stay tuned.....

Where do I get my deals.....????

I have to give credit where it is due. I am not the mastermind behind all of these deals. Some of them I have found through my own research/trial and error. But most of these come from a group of wonderful ladies that are part of an online community. We are a group of women that work together to strategize the current sales at different stores and match up coupons to purchase items at little or no cost (or even get paid to shop!!) I also reference other coupon boards and by combining the knowledge of many smart shoppers, I am able to maximize my savings. I am simply logging most of my deals here to make it easier for me to 1) keep it organized and 2) share the deals with my friends & family.

I found the online groups in late December by accident and I was instantly drawn in to how they were walking out of CVS with $50, $60, $100 worth of stuff for pennies. At first I was a bit skeptical, but I soon realized it is only a matter of maximizing the deals to your advantage.

There is NOTHING illegal about how we coupon (often referred to as super couponing). I do not and will not advocate improper coupon usage. We follow all coupon requirements. There are enough great deals out there that you do not need to cheat the system to get them.

Why am I "buying" diabetes monitors and 30 boxes of toilet cleaners?? Well, because they are free, moneymakers or will sell great in a flea market. Sometimes we have to acquire items we don't actually want in order to get items we want. One of the other concepts of super couponing is to stockpile. What this means is you purchase as many items as you can when it is either free or rock bottom pricing so that you will not need to purchase it again at full retail price. You will never want to pay full price for toothpaste again. In fact, even paying $0.50 a tube for toothpaste will seem like a ripoff!

What makes me even more excited than free?? A moneymaker!! Simply put, this is an item where the sale price is so good that the coupon value is higher and you gain the difference! So if an item is on sale for $2.50 and you have a coupon for $3 off that item, you are making $0.50 on that item. Now the store isn't going to hand you money out of the register....you will just plan for this overage and incorporate it into your other purchases in this transaction. Ie. this overage will help pay for something else that you are buying that is not free.

Follow me on my journey and we will save TONS of money together. It is also alot of fun -- what's better than walking out of a store with tons of bags AND your wallet full?!?!