Loads of printable coupons!

As the wife of a veteran, my interest always perks up when I hear or see something relating to veterans.  Check out the Believe in Heroes website, where you can not only support our veterans through donations and purchases, but there a over 50 printable coupons available for brands that also show their support.  What a win-win for us all!

Coupons for holiday gifts!

I can't believe we're into November already and the holiday season approaching quickly!  I'll admit, I'm not a morning person at all so I've never been one to get up before the crack of dawn and fight the crowds for awesome Black Friday deals.  Instead, I'm starting to be on the lookout for coupons I can use to hopefully make my budget stretch a bit farther. 

My husband and I were just talking about buying the new Simon game for our kids, so imagine how thrilled I was to find a coupon!  Go "like" the Family Game Night Facebook page and get a printable $5 coupon for Simon Flash.

If you're looking to give the gift of movies, there are also DVDs/BlueRay coupons for several movies at coupons.com.  To find them quickly, click the "Home Entertainment" link on the left.

Today is Mega Swag Bucks Day!

Today is Friday, so you know what that means, right?  Every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day, where the chances of being rewarded large denominations of Swag Bucks is increased.  Go do your searches now!
 
Not familiar with Swagbucks?  Here's the deal:

Swagbucks is a search engine (like Google or Yahoo).  You are awarded points randomly (called Swag Bucks) when you search the internet, answer surveys, watch videos, play games, etc.  Once you sign up (it's free!), you can also refer friends and family and earn points from their referrals.

I normally earn my points through doing the web searches only (and really, who doesn't already do that?  Why not get rewarded for what you're already doing?). I seem to get points after my third or fourth search and I try to do it once in the morning and again in the evening.  When I earn points for a search, they are generally in the 7 - 10 point range.  This past week, I did a couple of surveys and earned a bunch of points very quickly.  And every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day, where the odds of winning high-value Swag Bucks are increased.

Swag Bucks are redeemed in the Swagstore.  While there are a lot of things to choose from, my favorite item hands down is the $5 Amazon gift card for 450 points.  I know, that sounds like a lot of points, right?  I've only been using Swagbucks a short time (and as much as I try to get my search points twice a day, life often gets in the way or I forget) but I've already cashed in for $25 in Amazon gift cards that I plan to use towards Christmas gifts.  I figure by next year I'll be consistent enough about it that I will have quite a bit of free money to play with!

Interested?  Sign up at Swagbucks (remember, it's free) and start earning free stuff!

*Hot*: Free Nestle hot cocoa next week at Tops!

When I skimmed it this afternoon, I wasn't overly impressed with next week's Tops ad.  One thing that jumped out at me was the Nestle hot cocoa sale.  They will be on sale 10/$10 and get the 11th free.  I'm not a coffee drinker at all, and I'll drink tea if there isn't another choice, but I LOVE hot cocoa so buying 11 boxes is not a stretch for me at all.  The Walmart website has $0.55 coupons for any size Nestle hot cocoa mix (click "Get Nestle coupons" on the right-hand side), which will make them free after the coupon doubles!  So, if you're like me and plan on buying 11 boxes, these will be a steal!  With 4 coupons (if you have access to more than 2 computers and use more than 4 coupons, remember that only the first 4 will double per Tops' coupon policy), it'll cost $6.00 for 11 boxes, or $0.54 each! 

While you're there printing the cocoa coupons, you might also want to print the Hot Pocket coupons because they will be on sale 5/$10.

Tip of the day: When in doubt, print it out!

Just a few days ago I saw printable coupons for Hanover canned beans over at coupons.com.  Since I had never heard of them, I hemmed and hawed about whether or not I should print them.  I decided not to print them and guess what?  My Tops ad came in today's mail and lo and behold next week there is a promo on Hanover products (beans are 5/$5) where you get $2.00 off instantly when you buy any 10.  Grr!  So, learn your lesson from me and print any coupons you see if there is any doubt you may or may not ever need them!

10/30 - 11/5 Tops deals

I'm not really sure what to think about today's shopping trip at Tops. On the one hand, I'm a little shocked because I think it's the most money I've spent on any one transaction since I started hard-core couponing earlier this year.  On the other hand, I did save a pretty high percentage of my bill and I walked away with a lot of food.  Anyway, here's what I bought today:

4 cartons of Chobani yogurt - $0.40 each
On sale 10/$10, used 4 $0.30 coupons (double to $0.60) printed from here (sign-up required)
5 Hatfield ham steaks - $1.50 each
On sale 2/$5, used 5 $1.00 coupons (1 from the 10/16 Red Plum coupon insert and 4 from the Red Plum website that I no longer see available)
Notes:  I have picked these up cheaper in the past, but it was still a low enough price for me to justify buying them.  Also, I've already used mine, but if you haven't yet printed the coupon from registering here, it'll get you $2.00 off!  Who doesn't like $0.50 ham steaks?!

8 boxes of Yoplait Go-gurt - $1.25 each
On sale 3/$6, used 4 $0.75 off 2 coupons (double to $1.50) I printed from coupons.com but no longer are available - sorry!
8 packages of Yoplait Trix yogurt - $1.15 each
On sale 3/$6, used 4 $0.85 off 2 coupons (double to $1.70) printed from here (must register)

As you can see, my kids LOVE yogurt. It's a staple in our house!

4 boxes Jolly Time Homemade microwave popcorn - $1.75 each
On sale BOGO ($4.49), used 2 $1.00 off 2 coupons printed from here (sign-up required)

4 boxes Jolly Time Healthy Pop microwave popcorn - $1.75 each
On sale BOGO ($4.49), used 2 $1.00 off 2 coupons also printed from here

4 bags No Yolks egg noodles - $0.87 each
On sale 3/$5, used 4 $0.40 coupons (double to $0.80) printed here
Note:  If you are a Saving Star member, you will also get $0.40 back on this.
2 packages Dole fruit crisp (peach flavor) - $1.00 each
On sale 2/$4, used 2 $0.50 coupons (double to $1.00) printed from here
Note: While all the flavors are on sale, this coupon is good on the peach flavor only.

4 bags Nestle morsels - $1.49 each, see note below
On sale $1.99 each, used 2 $0.50 off 2 coupons (double to $1.00) from here

4 cans Carnation evaporated milk - $0.75 each, see note below
On sale 4/$5, used 2 $0.50 off 2 coupons (double to $1.00) also from here
Note regarding the Nestle and Carnation purchases: These are OK prices, but I could've done just as well with a store brand or at Aldi.  However, Tops is running a store promo where if you buy any 8 featured items (which included these) you get a bag of Diamond chopped walnuts FREE.  Since the nuts retailed for $3.99, I decided to buy these items (which I needed anyways) here instead of paying the same price for the generic versions, plus I was able to score a freebie.

8 cans of Progresso soup - $0.75 each
On sale 10/$10, used 2 $1.00 off 4 coupons printed from here (there are also coupons in the 10/23 SmartSource coupon insert)

I also bought produce and meat, which I didn't have coupons for (but I did use a $3.00 Catalina coupon I earned last week to help offset some of their costs).

The total retail for this trip was $219.79 and I paid $85.48 after discounts and coupons, for an approximate savings of 61%.  Like I mentioned earlier, I had some sticker shock at that total because it's been ages since I spent that much on one transaction!  Luckily, I have a boatload of food to show for it.

New printable coupons = free/cheap organics!

Today is the start of a new month of printable coupons!  I was excited to see coupons for organic food over at coupons.com, where there are coupons for $0.75 off any Muir Glen product and $0.75 off any Cascadian Farm product.  I know the Muir Glen coupon will score you some free tomato paste or tomato sauce at Wegmans after the coupon doubles, and the Cascadian Farms coupon should make for a good deal, too.  I know my Wegmans clearanced out a lot of the Cascadian Farms frozen veggies over the summer (which would've made them free with this coupon -- hopefully your local store still carries them), but the frozen potato products should be pretty reasonable after the coupon doubles. 

There is also an $0.85 Cascadian Farm coupon available here at the Pillsbury website, after you register. (Not organic, but while you're there you can also print a coupon for $0.85 off 2 Yoplait Go-gurts and other kid yogurts, which pairs up nicely with the 3/$6 sale going on this week at Tops!).

If you're looking for free organic milk, you can register here and get a coupon for $0.55 off any Horizon organic product.  If your Wegmans carries the milk singles (not all do, but you can search your local store's stock here), they'll be free after the coupon doubles.