Aquafresh coupons

If you have children, you may want to sign up here for the Aquafresh "Little Steps That Last a Lifetime" program.  According to the email I received, registrants will receive coupons:

The Little Steps for Oral Care program provides parents with age-specific information about oral care and positive routines for children ages 0-9.

Regular email communication provides insight and advice from our child behavioral expert, Dr. Abi Gewirtz, as well as oral care tips from our dental experts. You’ll even get valuable coupons and new product offers*!

I'm not sure if coupons will be printable or sent via snail mail.

Reminder: print your online coupons today!

Since online sites for printable coupons often reset on the first of the month, be sure you print out anything you might want from coupons.com, SmartSource, Red Plum, and Coupon Network.  What you see today may change tomorrow!

Tip of the day: Printing coupons for less

Even though I have ink and paper expenses from printing online coupons, I'm positive I save more than it costs me to print them.  That being said, I do try to keep my expenses down and thought I'd share with you how I save money.

The most expensive aspect of printing coupons is purchasing ink.  I used to always buy new HP cartridges at office supply stores but a few months ago I switched to buying refurbished and have seen no difference in print quality or quantity.  Not only do I save money buying refurbished over new, but I also earn cash back from my purchases.  I buy ink at 123Inkjets (I've had no issues with refurbished ink cartridges, but if your printer won't use them they also sell some new cartridges, too) through Ebates.com and get a check back for part of my purchase price (currently the offer is cash back for 16% of your purchase price!). If you're not already an Ebates member and you do any shopping online, you will want to sign up.  All you have to do is search Ebates for the online retailer you're looking for (there are over 1000, including sites like Groupon, Lands' End, JC Penney, and Walmart just to name a few) then shop from their Ebates link.  Checks are mailed out quarterly -- I signed up earlier this year and just received my 2nd check from them recently!

Another option for reducing ink expenses is to set your printer to print in black and white and/or to set it on the draft or economy print setting.  I've recently experimented with the economy setting on my printer and my coupons don't seem to have any problems scanning at the register.

When my ink cartridges are empty I recycle them at Staples, where they give you $2 in Staples Rewards credit for each one (recently they were running a $3 special on HP ink, I think).  I watch for deals on paper and use my Staples Rewards towards my purchases.  Just this summer, I've been able to get reams of paper for free up to $2 each after Staples rebates.  If you're not a Staples Rewards member, you'll want to sign up.  (I think OfficeMax also offers an ink recycling program, but I rarely shop there since Staples is much more conveniently located to me.)

Even though I still have some expenses associated with printing coupons, I can do it without feeling the least bit guilty because of the amount of money I'm saving!

I'd love to hear about any other cost-saving printing tips any other readers have. 

8/28 - 9/3 Tops deals: cheap P & G products!

For anyone collecting gas points (I am!), the gas point earning period ends on Saturday and points can be redeemed through 9/17.  I was able to not only get some good deals, but I also wracked up bonus gas points while I was at the store today. Here is what I bought:

Transaction #1

2 bottles of Kraft salad dressing - $1.50 each, see note below
On sale 2/$4, used $1 off 2 coupon from the 8/28 SmartSource coupon insert

4 cartons of Philadelphia cooking creme - $1 each, see note below
On sale 2/$5, used 4 $0.75 coupons (double to $1.50) from coupons.com

2 cartons of International Delight coffee creamer - $0.57 each
On sale 3/$5, used 2 $0.55 coupons (double to $1.10) printed from here

2 packages of Frigo Cheese Heads string cheese - $2.25 each
On sale BOGO ($5.29), used a $0.40 coupon (doubles to $0.80) from coupons.com (it's not showing up for me now so it may no longer be available, but I think saw a coupon in one of the 8/28 coupon inserts)

1 carton of Tropicana Pure Premium OJ - $2
On sale 2/$6, used $1 off coupon from the September issue of All You magazine

1 carton of Friendship sour cream - $0.40
On sale 2/$3, used $0.55 coupon (doubles to $1.10) from here

Note: The Philly cooking cremes and the Kraft salad dressings were part of a Tops promo this week.  The ad that I received in the mail featured them as part of a "Buy 5 products, get a $3 coupon" and the ad my mother received featured all the same products but read as "Buy 6 products, earn 200 bonus gas points."  Since the Tops I shop at will be getting a gas station in the future but doesn't have one yet, I didn't know what to expect at check-out.  After my transaction completed, I did get a $3 Catalina coupon but when I looked at my receipt, it said that I earned 200 gas points for the deal.  So, I was able to get in on both deals!

Total retail was $41.28, I paid $15.03 after coupons and discounts, and received a $3 coupon I used on my next transaction.

Transaction #2

4 bags of Fresh Express salad - $0.99 each
On sale BOGO ($3.49), plus 3 of the bags I bought had $1 off coupons due to near "use by" dates

2 Yoplait Greek yogurt - $0.40 each
On sale 10/$10, used 2 $0.30 coupons (double to $0.60) printed from here

2 multi-packs (4-pack) YoCrunch fruit parfaits - $2 each
On sale 2/$5, used $1 off 2 coupon printed from the YoCrunch Facebook page

The following purchases in my second transaction were made as part of the "Savings for Back to School Success" promo featured in the Tops ad (buy $30 in Proctor & Gamble products, get a $10 prepaid MasterCard in the mail):
1 Pantene shampoo $3.50
1 Pantene conditioner $3.50
2 Gillette body washes $6.00
1 Gillette deodorant $3.99
1 Old Spice deodorant $3.99
1 Old Spice body wash $3.00
1 Crest Pro-Health rinse $3.50
1 Crest Pro-Health For Me toothpaste $2.79
Total P & G qualifying purchases: $30.27
Less coupons:
- $3.50 Free Pantene product coupon received in the mail from a recent Facebook offer
- $3.50 Free Pantene product coupon (I only signed up for the FB offer once, so I'm not sure why they mailed me another coupon, but who am I to argue with a free coupon? ;-))
- $3.99 Buy Old Spice body wash, get a free deodorant coupon from the 8/28 P & G coupon insert
- $3.00 Buy Gillette deodorant, get a free body wash coupon from the 8/28 P & G coupon insert
- $2.00 Gillette body wash coupon from the 7/31 P & G coupon insert
- $1.00 Crest Pro-Health rinse coupon from the 8/28 P & G coupon insert
- $1.00 Crest Pro-Health For Me toothpaste coupon from the 8/28 P & G coupon insert
Total out-of-pocket for P & G products: $12.28
After the $10 MasterCard mail-in-rebate, that's like paying $2.28 for a boat-load of health and beauty items.  I'm so excited about this deal!

Total retail for transaction #2 was $63.03, I paid $20.16 (I also used the $3 Catalina coupon from transaction #1), plus I will be getting back a $10 prepaid MasterCard.  Woo-hoo!

Transaction #3

1 package Sugardale bacon - $2.89
On sale for $3.99, used $0.55 coupon (doubles to $1.10 even though it states 'do not double' on it) I received in the mail from the manufacturer (remember, it pays to get on mailing lists!)

8 containers of YoCrunch yogurt - $0.50 each
On sale 4/$3, used 2 $1 off 4 coupons from YoCrunch Facebook page

I also bought another 2 packages of Frigo string cheese and 2 more multi-packs of YoCrunch fruit parfaits (with the applicable coupons, of course!)

Total retail was $29.75 and I paid $15.38 after coupons and discounts.

Overall, my products had a total retail value of $134.06 and I paid $50.57 for a savings of approximately 62%.  I will also be getting $10 back from the P & G rebate, plus I have now earned a discount of $2.90 off per gallon of gas. I have some more coupons that could net me the $3 off / 200 bonus gas points again, so I may go back one more time this week to take full advantage of it.

Free Target beauty bag



Head over here and sign up to receive a free Target beauty bag!  When these were available in the past, the bag came with product samples and coupons.  These went fast last time, and the site is running slow and timed out when I tried the first time, but if you get can in on this freebie it could be worth it!

More Tops deals 8/21 - 8/27

I  finished up my Tops shopping for the week, and this is what I bought:

Transaction #1

4 containers of Clorox wipes - $2.00 each
On sale 2/$5, used 4 $0.25 coupons (double to $0.50) printed from coupons.com (I'm not seeing any of the coupons I used on the Clorox deals now, so they may no longer be available)

1 bottle of Clorox bleach - $1.50
On sale 3/$6, used $0.25 coupon (doubles to $0.50) printed from here

1 bottle Hidden Valley Ranch Farmhouse dressing - $2.00
On sale 2/$6, used $1 coupon from the 8/21 SmartSource insert

1 bag of Fresh Express Iceberg Garden salad - $0.99
On sale for $1.49, plus used the Super Coupon in the Tops ad

1 package of Land O Frost deli ham - $1.99
On sale for $3.99, plus used the Super Coupon in the Tops ad

1 loaf of Tops Italian bread - $0.99
On sale for $1.99, plus used the Super Coupon in the Tops ad

3 packages (2-tub pack) Land O' Lakes Fresh Buttery Taste spread - $0.67 each
On sale 3/$5, used 5 $0.50 coupons (double to $1.00) from here (must register)

My total retail cost was $38.98 and I paid $13.31 after discounts and coupons (I also used the $5 Catalina coupon from the Clorox deal earlier in the week), for a savings of approximately 66%.  I had hoped to earn another $5 Catalina coupon from the Clorox deal again, but again in didn't print.  I did notice, though, that my receipt showed I earned 200 bonus gas points from the Clorox deal.  After doing some Internet searching, it turns out that there are different Tops deals regionally, and many of the "Spend $X, get $X back" deals don't exist where there are gas stations, but instead they offer extra gas points.  Since my regular Tops (Mt. Read in Greece) is getting a gas station soon, they must have switched over to the alternate deals.  While I would've liked the $5, I did earn an extra $0.20 off per gallon from this deal.  Since you can get 30 gallons of gas with gas points, $0.20 per gallon x 30 gallons = $6 savings, I actually made out better.

Transaction #2

1 box of SnackWells granola bars - $1.00
On sale 4/$10, used $0.75 coupon (doubles to $1.50) from the September issue of All You magazine (this is my new favorite magazine -- it's a great source for high-value coupons)

2 cans of Chef Boyardee whole grain pasta - $0.50 each
On sale 10/$10, used $0.50 off 2 coupon from the September All You Magazine

1 box Aunt Jemima frozen waffles - $0.67
On sale 3/$5, used $1 coupon from "liking" them and then watching the video on their Facebook page

2 packages Carefree pantiliners - FREE
On sale $0.99 each, used 2 $0.50 coupons from the 8/21 SmartSource coupon insert

Total retail value was $11.14, I paid $2.67 after coupons and discounts, and I saved about 76%.  At this point, I've also earned $2.40 off per gallon of gas!

8/22 Target deals (and some venting!)

I hadn't been to Target in several weeks, but wanted to take advantage of some deals there today.  I generally love shopping at my local Target.  Notsomuch today.  I usually hit the store on a mid-week morning, but shopped Monday afternoon today.  It seems that all the registers opened when I got in line were being run by cashiers-in-training (I have no problems with this -- everyone has to learn and is new at one time or another).  Unfortunately, the employee who was supervising my cashier was less than knowledgeable about coupons (and of course, I had a bunch of coupons).  Now, I know there are couponers out there who are trying to pull a fast one and use coupons fraudulently.  However, I'm not one of them and I always play by the rules, read the wording and descriptions on my coupons, and familiarize myself with each store's coupon policy.  I only wish the store's own employees would do the same (especially if they are training other employees!).

Anyway, here is what I bought:

Transaction #1

1 bottle Up & Up baby shampoo - $0.87

Priced at $1.37, used $0.50 Up & Up hair care item Target coupon

This is where my trouble started.  This coupon appears regularly on Target's website and I have used it many, many times on both the baby shampoo and hair detangler.  I've never had an issue until today, when the "supervisor" told me that the coupon is good only on the color protecting shampoo (say what?!?) but that she'll let it go through just this once (really?!?).

1 pouch Tide single load detergent (travel/trial section) - FREE

Priced at $0.97 (although the shelf price said $0.99), used the $1 off any Tide detergent coupon from the 7/31 Proctor & Gamble coupon insert

As far as I can tell, this coupon scanned fine once my cashier actually scanned it.  The supervisor first told me that I didn't buy any Tide.  When I produced it from my bag, the issue was then that the coupon wasn't good for that size.  When I politely showed them the wording on the coupon and that it said "any Tide" and had no size restriction (which a lot of coupons do), he was finally allowed to scan it.

3 packages (3-packs) Trident White gum - $1.32 each

Priced at $1.99 each, used the $1 off 2 Trident 3-packs Target coupon and the $1 off 3 coupon from the 8/7 SmartSource coupon insert

For some reason, the Target coupon didn't scan but this time the cashier stood up for me and assured his supervisor that I indeed bought the correct items and quantities :-)

1 package (3-pack) Orbit White gum - $0.99

Priced at $1.99, used $1 off coupon from here (even though it is on the Target website, it is actually a manufacturer coupon)

6 packages of Lean and Hot Pockets - $1.63 each

4 were on sale for $2 each and I found 2 more on clearance for $1.90 each (the Philly Steak and Cheese Lean Pockets are being discontinued), used 2 $1 off 3 coupons from the 8/21 SmartSource insert

1 package Dannon Activia yogurt - $1.00

On sale for $2, used $1 off Dannon Activia Target coupon

1 package Danimals yogurt smoothies - $1.00

On sale for $2, used $1 off Danimals Target smoothies coupon

1 package BIC Twin select razors (14-count) - $0.94

Priced at $2.94, used $2 off coupon from the 7/31 SmartSource

1 bottle of Garnier Fructis conditioner - $0.79

On sale for $2.79, used $1 off Garnier Fructis hair care item Target coupon and $1 manufacurer coupon from the 6/5 RedPlum coupon insert (there are also coupons in the 7/24 RedPlum insert and printable coupons here)

There are several varieties on sale for $2.79 and the one I picked had a bonus leave-in treatment attached to it.  The supervisor said my coupons wouldn't work because there was a free bonus product attached to the conditioner bottle, but she would push them through for me again "just this time."  Both coupons actually worked fine without being pushed through.  Go figure.

Update:  Oops!  I just realized that the bottle of conditioner I bought was 13 ounces and the Target coupon was for 24 ounces.  I feel bad for not using the coupon correctly.  :-(

2 packages Hefty One-Zip storage bags (7-count travel size) - $0.49 each

Priced at $0.99 each, used $1 off 2 coupon from the 8/14 Red Plum coupon insert

1 package Wet Ones wipes - $0.47

Priced at $0.97, used $0.50 off Wet Ones Target coupon 

3 bottles of Vitaminwater - $0.59 each

On sale for $0.88 each, used the Buy 2 Vitaminwaters Get 1 Free Target coupon

4 boxes (20-count pkg.) of Capri Sun - $2.87 each

Priced at $3.99 each, Target is currently running a buy 3 get 1 free promo, plus I used a $0.50 off a 10-count or 20-count Capri Sun Target coupon

Seeing how this is the equivalent of $1.44 per 10-pack which is currently on sale for $1.79 at Wegmans and priced at $2.50 at Tops, I think I will go back to Target for more of these later this week.  School will be starting soon and we'll be going through these quickly!

And I know that this will sound petty, but I brought 2 reusable bags in and both were used.  My cashier was going to give me the $0.05 credit twice, but the lady supervising him said to only give it to me once.  I generally only need 1 bag, but I've always been given $0.10 credit on the rare ocassions I bring in 2 bags.

My original total was $58.12 and I paid $37.29, for a savings of about 36%.  I left feeling like I really had to fight to earn every penny of it, too!  I also had a Catalina coupon print out good for 1 free packet of Kool-Aid.

When I was in the dairy/frozen section, I realized that the $4.99 Jose Ole tacquitos I bought earlier in Tops were $3.99 at Target.  Of course, I had all my Tops coupons out in my car, so I figured I'd return another day to buy them.  But, my son reminded me out in the parking lot that we forgot to buy a lock for his bike, so I figured I might as well grab the Jose Ole coupon and go back in for a few things.

Transaction #2

1 Master bike lock - $4.99

Not on sale and no coupon.  Rare for me!

1 packet of Kool-Aid - FREE

Priced at $0.22, used the free Catalina coupon from the previous order

1 box Jose Ole tacquitos - $1.99

On sale for $3.99, used $2 coupon from the 8/21 SmartSource coupon insert

1 package of Dannon Activia yogurt - $1

On sale for $2, used the $1 off Dannon Activia Target coupon

1 package of Danimals yogurt smoothies - $1

On sale for $2, used the $1 off Danimals Target coupon

The original total was $15.95 and I paid $9.40.

Hopefully I'll have fewer issues when I go back later this week!