If Every Day Were an Aldi Day

It all started with an envelope in the mail.

Inside were two Aldi gift certificates and a card with simple but powerful words: Your heavenly Father knows. Thank you. You know who you are.

And then there was an email from another friend asking if we would like another Aldi gift certificate. Thank you. You know who you are.

Guess God owns some serious shares of Aldi stock!

During my first Aldi run, the man behind me was using a gift certificate, but only had about $15 worth of merchandise for his $25 certificate.

"Sir, I can't give you any cash back and you still have $10 left on the gift certificate."

"Well, I don't want any cash back."

"But Sir, why don't you just go buy yourself some meat or something?"

"Nah...... Hey! Can I just give the lady behind me the rest of the certificate?"

"Uh...." Calls the manager over. "This guy wants to give that lady the rest of his gift card. Can we do that?......No, Sir. We can't do that."

Everyone stands around looking at each other.

Well, I couldn't help myself, now could I?

Me: Well, how about if you just ring up that lady's groceries along with his and just let this guy go on his merry way with his groceries?

The manager smiles. The cashier smiles. The guy smiles. The lady smiles. I smile.

And then I nearly start crying. I guess because I witnessed a simple act of goodness that almost didn't happen. Then, while I was still joyful about that random kindness, as I was loading my groceries into my van, a hippie man came up to me and wanted to take my cart. Upon seeing my 40 lb bag of softener salt, he kindly said, May I? Then proceed to load it up for me.

If every day were an Aldi day, we'd give out of our abundance to those who are in need. We wouldn't need unemployment because those making extra would give generously to those not having enough. We wouldn't buy more just because we could, but we'd pay for the person behind us just because. If every day were an Aldi day, we'd help one another without thinking about how we might be inconvenienced.  

And we'd do it with a smile.

Beauty, Boy with a Basket & Blessings

How's that for a post title? Guess no one is too interested in Baked Potato Soup, eh? Meh. I guess my feelings are only hurt a little. {*giggle*} Here's a couple snapshots of my day:

:: before ::

:: after ::

Does anyone else cut their own childrens' hair? I am just too frugal to fork over $10-$15 {times each kid} for a kid's hair cut. I really need to get some sort of book or find a website for cutting girls' hair. Suggestions? I think for the first major cut {just trims up until now}, I did not half bad. Sienna got hers cut as well, but it was more of a trim. I nearly freaked out after making Tatiana's first cut, but I know it will grow back. It was just soooo long and straggly looking and very high-maintenance. Hopefully this shorter do will be a little more brush-n-go.

And since this somewhat fits under the beauty category, here was my score at Wal-greens today:

Total OOP: $1.13 for the tax and one candy bar.

I plan to go back to get 2 more free Garnier products, since they were limiting to 2 per day. I *so* want to do the Huggies deal, but unfortunately they only had 2 Gentle Care products instead of the 3 I needed. I was so bummed. I may try a different store later in the week, but think because of the popularity, I may have a hard time succeeding. I'm trying to do more Wal-greens/CVS deals, even if it's just one or two a month, to keep my stockpile going for myself and any other families that may need it. It can kind of be a pain to collect all the coupons & research the deals, but I think of it as my opportunity to possibly bless others. Guess it fits in the blessings category too!

Now for my boy.


That's my handsome son, concentrating hard on putting raisins into a little toy basket. He loves this basket. Go figure. I think because it's just his size & opens and closes. I've been sitting him in the booster seat from time to time, instead of in his high chair and he looks like such a big boy! Kinda makes me sad and happy all at the same time. He got so excited when he saw the camera. What a little ham!

And finally, here's a wonderful blessing that was given to me by a lady in my small group:

It's a basket filled with fancy shampoo, conditioner, Bath & Body Works hand soap, a body loofah, and a bag of chocolates {yum!}. She had won it as a door prize for something & passed it along to me, saying in a lovely card that she knows how hard pregnancy can be and wanted me feel pampered a little! It made me feel so special and like God cares about even the little things, like me.

Hope your week is filled with blessings both big and small alike!

What a Quarter {or a couple} Will Buy

All of these deals were found at my local Wal-Mart. I think one of the best things we can do as saavy grocery shoppers is to know where, in each store we shop at, the discount groceries are located. For example, at my Wal-Mart, the clearance groceries are found in the "Seasonal" aisle and at Woodman's the discounted items are in shopping carts at the front of the store and in carts in the produce section. What's even better is if you have a coupon for an already deeply clearanced product; it usually means free or next to free!

So, even in today's economy, a quarter can buy more than just a gumball from a vending machine. See:

:: Crystal Light On-the Go Packs - 25 cents ::


:: Big Bag of stuffing - 50 cents ::


:: 4 pound bags of sugar - $1 ::


:: Ground Fair Trade Coffee - $2 ::

Not pictured:
Generic Crystal Light Drink Mix - 25 cents {!!!}
Dented Box of Pasta - 50 cents
Gatorade Mix {for Hubs} - $1

The craziest deal was probably the Crystal Light On-the-Go Packs. Even the check-out ladies were Oohing and Aahing, when I was paying. It's not something I normally buy as they are too expensive for my budget at $2.50 per box. I figured since I am pregnant & drinking a lot more, especially on the go, they will come in quite handy. {Oh, and I bought some for a friend too!} The rest are all items I would've bought sometime in the near future, so it really is a long-term savings for my budget. All my goods will go hang-out in my basement pantry until I'm ready for them.

Steals & Deals for the Week

No.....Thank you!

I got this $5 Starbucks Gift Card in the mail yesterday as part of a Catalina** promotion they were running. If you bought a bag of Starbucks coffee at participating retailers, you receive a Catalina with a special code to input online. My dad bought the coffee, noticed the Catalina & saved it for me. What a great dad! Also FYI: If you register your Starbucks gift card online, you can get extra benefits at participating Starbucks locations, such as free refills on your coffee & free extra syrup flavors.

**Catalina: a coupon that prints at the register from a separate machine after you check-out

Jewel: Last weekend I took advantage of their General Mills deal. If you buy 10 participating items at $2 each, you get an instant $10 off your order, making the items $1. You had to buy them in multiples of $10. Adding some coupons with that {they take expireds so I was saving them for such an occasion as this}, I was able to purchase 12 boxes of cereal, 4 bags of Cheerios/Chex Snack Mix, 4 boxes of Nature Valley Trail Granola Bars, and two packs of gum {for the Hubster} for a grand total of $11.73!

CVS: I haven't been CVSing as avidly as I did when I first started {March} as a) I have a decent stockpile beginning to build up and b) would rather devote the necessary time/energy to other things. They had a sale on Oral-B products {Buy $20, Get $10 ECBs} and hubster has an Oral-B Vitality Toothbrush. At $17.99 for a pack of 3 replacement heads, I thought it would be a good time to get them now. I also picked up a box of Crest Toothpaste, 2 boxes of Aquafresh, and some Schick shaver refills {$8.88, get $6 ECBS + I used $4 Q}. I ended up spending $10 OOP, but that was fine with me, since the refill heads alone cost nearly double that!

Pick up any goodies last week? Get any free samples in the mail?

Good Deals

Here are some good deals I see to be gotten this week. I am not including any CVS ECB deals, as maybe you're not into that sort of thing.

CVS
Herbal Essence Hair Products are BOGO. {Price at my local store is $4.29} Combine that with coupons from recent inserts for $3/2 = $1.29 for two bottles. I just had hubby stop by and do this deal today. I had two coupons, so I got 4 bottles of shampoo/conditioner for $3.18!

Cereal
If you don't have enough in your stockpile, there's a few good buys out there. Kmart has General Mills {select varieties} for $1.50 a box, if you buy 4. Combine that with coupons that are nearly always in the inserts for $1/2 or $1/3. I have 2 $1/2 coupons so that works out to $1/box. An even better deal is at Valli Produce {if you live near me & get the flyer, you could always Price Match at WM} for $1.25 a box, if you buy 4. Combined with the aforementioned coupons works out to 75 cents per box. I am comping this deal at SuperWM either tomorrow or Saturday. {I am also comping a few other things from Valli as well, such as Dean's half-gallons of milk for 99 cents. Combined with a insert coupon for 50cents/2 works out to $1.50 for one gallon!}

For you health nuts {or aspiring health nuts like me}, you can read all about how to get Kashi for 50 cents a box. Now that's a sweet deal! {FYI: these coupons from "bricks" never work for me in Firefox, only in IE. If you attempt to print it in Firefox & it doesn't print, you will be out of luck. YMMV. Remember to hit your back button on your browser after printing the first one so that you can get the limit of two.} Edited to add: Regular price at SuperWM is $2 box, which means free Kashi, ya'll!

Jewel
Suave Hair Care Products are 89 cents. Combine with a coupon from last weeks insert for $1/2 works out to 80 cents for 2 bottles.

Did you know some Jewel stores accept expired coupons? I am going to call the store that I would go to & find out of mine does. If you do your regular shopping there, you can read all about how to earn yourself some free movie tickets.

What deals are you getting this week?

BOGO x 2

BOGO = Buy One, Get One a.k.a B1G1

I always wondered what would happen if a store had a buy one, get one promotion & you had a BOGO coupon for the same items. In my mind, I figured you would buy one item and get TWO free. Not so. After reading this thread, I learned that essentially the store pays for the free one that they are promoting & the coupon/manufacturer pays for the other free item. Instead of buy one, get one, it's buy none, get two!! Sweet!! Usually these types of deals don't overlap with the coupons, for obvious reasons {free stuff, ya'll}. I tried it today at CVS and it works! I was actually kinda shocked. I purchased two Covergirl face products featured in this week's CVS BOGO promotion. I had a Covergirl coupon for "Buy any Covergirl foundation, get a Covergirl face product free". I bought a foundation for $5.99 and a face product for $7.99. The $5.99 came off for the store promotion since it was the least expensive item and the cashier just had to enter the amount for the facial product {blush} which was $7.99 for the coupon. All I paid was the tax. Now that's a sweet deal!

Wal-Mart's Price Matching Policy

Ok. I feel vindicated! After a comment on a previous post alerted me to Wal-Mart's price matching policy, I attempted it last week with milk. Meijer had their house brand of milk on sale for $1.99, so I brought my ad in to my local WM expecting to be able to get their house brand for that price. Request denied. My cashier even asked another cashier and they both chimed in together with, "Oh no. We don't do that here. See. It's the MEIJER BRAND of milk on sale." I tried to explain that I'd "heard" that WM does do it, but to no avail. I paid $3.29 for the milk I needed anyway. I did call their corporate office, but had not received a response. Until today. The manager from my local store called to answer my questions. He said that it really didn't happen that often, but that they had had a meeting & they will match house brand to house brand. *Insert Hallelujah chorus here* I was very nice about the whole thing & just said that maybe their cashiers weren't aware of the policy. I also asked who they considered a "competitor", as there really aren't any other major competitors in that small town. He said, "Bring in any ad." He even mentioned some southern stores {Publix?} & said to just bring in my ad. Needless to say, this guy's name is burned into my memory. Now I/you can get more things in one place! This week I even had a nearby SuperWM match the Airwick Freshmatic Mini that CVS has on sale for $4.99. Add a $4 coupon {click "print now" under Money Saving Coupons ~ requires registration} to that and you've got a great deal. My cashier was so funny. She just kept saying, "Wow. Now that's a great deal."

Cheap Cereal

So, now that I've learned more about using coupons, my new limit for cereal is $1/box, unless it is something really special, like Kashi. This good cereal deal on Malt-O-Meal falls into my new guidelines. Malt-O-Meal is kind of a generic brand of some popular cereals like Cheerios, Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms, etc. It was rumored that Wally World carried Malt-O-Meal cereal bags on rollback for 2/$2, but I've been unable to find it there. Supposedly there are boxes of it as well at WM, but I didn't have a chance to look & price it out {anyone?}. Meijer carries this product at a standard price of $1.99 per bag. This $1.50 coupon doesn't expire until 8/31/2008. So print yourself some {use more than one computer if you have to} & the next time you go by a Meijer, pick up some 50-cent cereal. There is also a $1 off coupon which would still be a good deal at $1 a bag. Don't like all the sugar for your kiddos? Give it to your local food bank!

Edited to add: I found the cereal at a local Super WM today in a bin in a main aisle near the groceries. It was $1. I had one $1.50 coupon and two $1 off coupons, so I earned 50 cents overage for three bags. Sweet!

P.S. Just wanted to mention that is a bricks.coupon which I can never get to print in Firefox. I always have to use my back-up IE. YMMV.

Start Shopping CVS for Less Than $1

If you are considering shopping the CVS method {or are trying to convert someone}, this might be a good time to start. Here is a beginner scenario to get you started:

Buy 5 Excedrin for $1.99 $9.95
Use 5 $2 off coupons {here, here, or here} -$10.00

Just pay the tax and get $5 ECBs for your next order! {You might want to throw in a candy bar so they don't look at you like you're a coupon criminal!}

This scenario is great for several reasons:

#1 - It's super simple!
#2 - It doesn't involve any of the elusive free-after-ECB items such as the CVS Pain Relief Gelcaps or the Softsoap Spa Radiance {am I the only one who can't find any???}
#3 - Super low OOP {out-of-pocket}
#4 - It doesn't require any CVS coupons or coupons from previous newspaper inserts

Let me know if you have any questions or are giving this scenario a try!

P.S. There are boxes of Excedrin that are shrink-wrapped together that are a special "get one free" package. These also "work" for this deal, so if you can find them, you could get 10 boxes, instead of 5!

Deals for the Week

I got so many good deals this week, I've actually lost track. Here is all my loot from Monday, when I went shopping with my good ole' friend Michelle.

::Goodies from Target, CVS, and Hilander::

I think I've found a new shopping buddy, *wink, wink*.

Total OOP {from 3 different stores}: $11 and some change
Total ECBs received at CVS: $14

So even after going to 3 different places, I was still $3 ahead! I tried to show Michelle the ropes at CVS. Easier said than done as 1) even though it was still March {the 31st} some of the March deals weren't printing ECBs and 2) even though it was only Monday, they were completely sold out of the Softsoap Spa Radiance {checked two different CVSs} 3) nobody had any April flyers available even though the stores were already changed over for their April deals. Grrrr. We did get manage to get in on the Essence of Beauty deal {three little goodies for free after ECBs} and some free {after coupons & ECBs} Lady Speed Stick deoderant. One of my favorite finds though was the Ken's Dressing at Target for $1.87/bottle. I had 3 $2/1 coupons so I let Michelle get a free bottle & then I got two free bottles. I also got some free cat treats for my mom's cat. I had coupons for the AirWick & for the frozen veggies {which came to $.50 per box after double coupons}.

I hit the Target mid-week when I discovered the Target coupon generator over at A Full Cup. The Nature's Valley bars came out to $.86 after stack the Target & manufacturer's coupons. I hear that some of their organic Archer Farms cereal is on clearance for $1.68. There is a coupon on the generator for $1/1 = $.68/box of organic cereal. Now that's a sweet deal!



Last night, I hit the Hilander for Kroger's Mega 10 event.

::Hilander Goodies ~ 2 Minute Maid OJs not pictured::

In hindsight, I wish that A) I didn't go so late at night B) I knew where everything was located C) I had more time to shop leisurely and D) they would've accepted my Excedrin coupons. {Although, I see that next week CVS has Excedrin on sale for $1.99, which with the $2 coupon makes it free, plus you get $1 ECB. Sweet!} All in all, I got $55 worth of groceries for $18, so I guess I can't complain. I guess some of the best deals were the $.50 bags of Goldfish crackers, the free French's mustard, the nearly free Nature's Way rice mix {not part of the deal, but the regular price is $1.07 and there are online coupons for $.50 when doubled = $.07/box}, and the free Pillsbury rolls.

To see what deals other bloggers have snagged, visit this post at Money Saving Mom!

I never realized shopping and deal-grabbing could actually be a hobby! It is so much more fun when you do it with a friend too. Wouldn't you agree? Do you ever deal shop with friends?

Saving $$ on Groceries: the month in Review

I'm hooked. It's partly due to the fact that I recently lowered my grocery budget by $100 per month. It's really mostly due to the inspiration at Money Saving Mom. I *love* this blog. She's got all the sweet deals already worked out for you, every week, broken down by store, complete with links to online printable coupons. Could saving money get any easier??

This month concludes my first month shopping the deals at CVS. Now that I am fully stocked up on toothpaste and deodorant, I have started a give-away box for those who need it, whether that be friends who are too busy to shop the deals {need some goodies? email me privately!} or someplace local that accepts donations. I have slowly whittled my ECBs down to $3, but thanks to a friendly CVS cashier, have a raincheck for some Listerine Smart Rinse for Kids, that when combined with $1/1 coupons will give my ECBs a little boost. Hooray for rainchecks!

This week I got some great deals at Meijer, thanks to their 10/$10 deal. According to my receipt, I got $75.92 worth of groceries for $39.33. Not too bad for just starting to work the deals! It's a shame that my local Meijer doesn't double coupons or I could've gotten many goodies for free. My favorite part of the deal was for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. It was part of the 10/$10 deal and there is online printable for $.75/1 making them $.25 each! You could either get a 15 oz tub or two smaller 7.5 oz tubs. I picked up several for myself and my grandma as well, who is on a fixed income. I also got some Life cereal for $1/box by combining their deal for 5/$10 on Quaker brand items with a $1/1 coupon. These deals run through Wednesday, in case you were hitting your local Meijer soon and hadn't gotten these goodies!

I've called many a grocery store in the suburbs east of me, in the area that I am most familiar, looking for coupon-doubling stores, but to no avail. Why don't any of those stores double??? Lo and behold, after consulting with a dear friend that I consider my local area resource {whom I will be buying Starbucks for tomorrow as a thank you}, I was turned on to not one, but TWO, grocery stores in the major city near me that double. One is Hilander {Kroger} and the other is Logli {Schnuck's}. I am planning a trip tomorrow to one of them that is running 10/$10 deals as well & will be getting some {nearly} free Green Giant frozen veggies and free Totino's pizza rolls. Once I confirm another money saving strategy at Kroger, I will post about it here.

Another great addition to my bookmarks has been the Sunday Saver circular. {This is the link for Illinois, but there is a drop down box where you can select your state.} It has links to all the stores divided by category. Then you can just look up each store to compare the deals. This has been invaluable to me in planning my shopping trips.

I also can't stop reading the forums over at Hot Coupon World, especially the ones about CVS. I like the CVS forum because you can also see previews of the upcoming weeks sales {Huggies diapers, ya'll} so you can plan your purchases accordingly. Check out the forum for your local grocery store to save yourself some moola.

We went to dinner at the home of a church family last Friday and the wife started mentioning how her and her husband were discussing how to lower their grocery budget. WELL, let's just say she got an earful ;>)

Let me know if you find something I've mentioned interesting. Any other online sources of inspiration for getting good deals?

Deals for the Day: FREE STUFF!

Here are my scores for today:

The Johnson & Johnson Buddies soaps were from Target. They are kinda cool as they are a bar of soap within a scrubbie net. They were $.94 each. Combine that with two $2/2 coupons & that means I made $.06 per bar. They are $.99 at CVS, in case you will be shopping there soon. I'm sure that they are probably available at Wally World as well. You can find the $2 coupons here, here, and here. Get your kiddies some free soap!

CVS purchases were:
Transaction #1
(2) Irish Spring 3-pack bars $4.98 ~ Buy $10 of Irish Spring, get $5 ECBs
(2) Irish Spring deodarant $5.98
(2) Charms Blow pops $ .66 ~ filler

Irish Spring Coupons - $1.35
ECBs -$9.98

Total OOP: $.37
ECBs earned: $5

Transaction #2
Fructis Shampoo $2.99 ~ Get $2 ECBs
Fructis Leave-in Conditioner $2.99 ~ Get $2 ECBs (
2) Nivea Mens' Shave Gel $5.58 ~ Buy $5 of Nivea, get $2 ECBs

Fructis Coupons -$2.00
Nivea Coupons -$4.00 ECBs from Trans #1 -$5.00

Total OOP: $1.04
ECBs earned: $6

Just as a heads up, next week, March 16-22, CVS will be featuring Listerine Smart Rinse {for kids} for $2.99 with $2.99 in ECBs. There is an online $1/1 coupon available here. Plus, there is a tear-pad at the Listerine display with a mail-in rebate. If I am calculating correctly, not only will these be free, but you will get back $4 per bottle. {I'm still new at this though, so I could be wrong.} Limit 2 on this deal, I believe. Super money-maker!!

I have been having a hard time finding a place to use my $2 off a box of Honey Bunches of Oats with Chocolate Clusters {new product} coupon. My local {dinky} Wally World doesn't carry it & low and behold my beloved Woodman's does not accept internet coupons. {BOO!} I called Meijer tonight since we will be heading out that way tomorrow & she told me that Post cereal will be on sale for $2 per box. Free cereal ya'll!! Stock up!

Any other great deals you're getting this week?

Round Two

DING! While visiting my dad in the big city over the weekend, my little daughter came down with the sniffles and needed some cough/cold medicine. Now which pharmacy should I purchase this medicine from?? I pondered. Aha! CVS, of course! {Wouldn't you know it that the nearest CVS is only 1 city block away?! There is also a Wal-Greens about half a block away, along with a Hancock Fabrics & a Dominicks with a Starbucks kiosk right across the street. Uh, Dad? When can I move in???} Since I needed the medicine, I used up some of my ECBs to pay for it.

Round #2

Triaminic Thin Strips $4.99
Chicago Tribune $1.79
CVS Smarties Candy $ .99
Cadbury mini-eggs (3) $2.97
Oral-B Toothbrush (2) $9.98

CVS Candy Q -$ .99
Oral-B Q -$2.00
Hershey's Candy Q -$1.50
ECBs -$14.95

Total OOP: $1.46
ECBs for next visit: $9.98 {plus $1 leftover from very first visit}

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. I need to learn to read my coupons a little more carefully though. After scanning my CVS card, I thought the coupon said $3/$10 purchase, but in reality, it was $3/$10 CVS products purchase. Yeah. Big difference. Anyways, I plan on keeping one toothbrush & one of my toothpastes in my overnight bag {along with my new Venus razor} so that I don't have to keep repacking these items since we've been traveling nearly every weekend. I plan on sewing up a cute little satchel for all these toiletries, when I finally get a little time. Right now, an Easter dress for the littlest daughter is at the top of the priority list.

P. S. Need a free sports bra? I ordered mine here after reading this post.

CVS Time!

I tried my hand at all this CVS commotion that I've been reading about. I was really excited to try this, as it seems sort of like a puzzle, getting the coupons & deals & ECBs to all work together, and I love puzzles!! I sorta felt a little sneaky, like I was trying to buck the system & one of my nearest & dearest friends shared that she felt the same way, which I think is sorta comical. At first I was skeptical and didn't really want to invest $$ in some system that I'm not sure would work. But, three things convinced me.

One: I would only plan on making a small initial investment, like $20 or less. Enough to get the ball rolling, so to speak, but not enough to bust my budget. I would try to squeeze this into my newly reduced grocery budget of $75/week.

Two: If after my first few trips, if I didn't think I would want to continue, I would just spend my ECBs on grocery type items that I would normally buy, therefore not really spending any extra money & still getting all the items that earned those ECBs for "free".

Three: I will look as this as a ministry opportunity by donating any items I don't think I'll use to Rockford Rescue Mission or another local charity. I can even roll over my ECBs and buy things that I know I won't use, just so I can donate them. I want to call RRM and another local womens' shelter to see what types of donations they can really benefit from. I encourage this mindset to those of you that are hesitant to try this, but don't think you could really benefit. I'm sure there are many others out there who could. Maybe you can't afford to give much money or loads of time, but who can resist shopping in the name of the Lord?? LOL!

Ok. So on to the details! Things did not go as I had planned {isn't there a Bible verse about this?}, but I was able to think on my feet and adjust my purchases. I had a limited amount of time, which was good in a way, since I had to just find what I planned & be done with it.

Transaction #1

Venus Razor 9.99 {6 ECBs}
Dove Dark Chocolate 1.99 {1 ECB} ~ Just because it looked yummy & DD #2 loves chocolate!
3 Lypsyl 8.97 {8.97 ECBs}

CVS $4/$20 coupon
Venus $4 coupon
Total OOP: $13.94


Transaction #2
Old Spice Deoderant 2.49
5 Colgate Total 14.95 {14.95 ECBs}

Old Spice $2 coupon
$14.97 ECBs from Trans #1
Total OOP: $.63
ECBs to use for next visit: $15.95

I originally planned on getting the Oral B toothbrushes and some Hershey's Easter candy that I had coupons for, but they were ALL OUT of BOTH!! I also got the last three Lypsyls. I guess I will have to hit different CVSs or go on a different day. God is really amazing because after I went for groceries this week, I had only $12 left. I then found an extra $3 in my wallet. I also received my $4/$20 coupon yesterday morning to help with my purchases. And wouldn't ya know it, my total OOP came to $14.57!! I had 43 cents left to spare ;>) I forgot to scan my card when I first got to the store, so I probably missed out on another good deal, but I will remember next time. I also didn't realize that the ECBs print for each item and can be used separately. I thought they printed for a total on each transaction. This will help me plan my next trip. Now I can't wait til Saturday to buy Sunday's paper. We will be in Chicago this weekend & you can bet that I already know where the nearest CVS is {and of course where the nearest fabric store is: right across the street from my dad's condo, wouldn't ya know}! For more good CVS deals, check in with MoneySavingMom & don't miss my friend Steph's CVS deals either ;>)

If you CVS, do you find that it's better to get the monthly deals towards the end of the month, figuring that everyone else grabs them at the beginning?

Good Deals

I guess I will be starting off 2008 with some good deals that maybe you have not heard of yet. Have you discovered Redbox? Maybe I am just the last to know, what considering my sleep deprived fog and all. Of course borrowing movies from your local library is the most cost effective way to go {free, folks!}, but if you enjoy new releases and renting instead of forking over huge amounts of cash to go to the theatre, then consider the $1 a day rentals Redbox has to offer. You can even view & reserve the available titles online. Upon arriving at the machine {imagine a vending machine for DVDs}, you swipe your debit/credit card & walk away with your rental. You are simply charged $1 a day until you return the movie. Even if you keep it for two or three {!} nights, you'll still come away less expensive than the big rental stores. You can also conveniently return the movies at any Redbox location. Sign up with your email today for a free $1 rental! And you can double all the coupon & free rental goodness by having your spouse sign up too. If you live near me in real life, then rest assured that your local Kmart, Wal-Mart, or Jewel has a Redbox in it!

I was able to browse through Menard's the other day. All Christmas stuff is 50% off. Not the biggest discount out there I'm sure, but they have some beau-ti-ful decorations, especially for the tree. Hopefully I can get back there to scoop up some of it!

The best deal I've come across recently was at Aldi. They had 2-packs of LeapFrog games for $4.99! I thought these would make great gifts to add to your stash for future kid birthdays. You could even break up the pack, which would come out to $2.50 per game. Hard to beat that! For some reason I didn't buy any, but I am trying to figure out how to get back there so I can get me some ;>)

Any great sales out there? Are there any 80%-off Christmas decorations left at Hobby Lobby?

Black Friday

This post is also known as, "The Ridiculously Extreme Measures I Will Take to Get a Great Deal on Fabric."

I guess I was in denial about how many people would want to get a killer deal on flannel {99 cents a yard}! Is flannel really THAT popular? Apparently it was either denial or ignorance. After a really great night of sleep, I woke up feeling well rested, despite my alarm clock not being set to go off until 7:30 am. Good thing I didn't wait for that alarm or I would still be at JoAnn's waiting to get my fabric cut. I make the 40ish minute hike to the JoAnn Superstore, stopping at Panera beforehand to fuel up my tank. I arrive at JoAnn's about 7:30ish. Parking lot seems pretty full, but plenty of spaces left at the back & no need for excessive circling. I score a spot near the front. YIPPEE! I get my cart & start looking around. Humph. Out of probably 200 or so bolts of flannel, there are about 15 left on the shelf. I notice everyone's cart is filled to overflowing with flannel. Seriously people, what are you doing with 20 bolts of flannel? I start to develop my flannel acquiring strategy. I do some more looking around. Check back for the flannel. Humph. Still nothing. I notice A LOT of people waiting to get fabric cut. I think that I am so smart, but really I turn out not to be that I will take a number NOW, then do more looking while I am waiting for my turn at the cutting counter. My number is 87. I actually check back at the ticket machine because at this point I am in disbelief since they are serving number 23. Here's where the denial really sets in. I look around some more. I pick out some beads for a little gift for my mom. I look at Christmas fabric. I notice there is a bin where they are putting the recently cut fabric {mostly flannel in there} where I can scoop it up before it goes back on the shelf. I score some cute circus flannel & some owl flannel. I keep going back to the bin & the shelf. I acquire several solids and a jungle flannel {destined for a crib sheet}. I decide to "hang out" in the pattern cutting area. It's quiet. Plenty of room & seating. I get thirsty & help myself to a bottled Dasani from the front cooler {of course I paid for it at the end}. I start to panic. I have a 11:15 doctor's appointment in Woodstock. I start weighing the importance of going to the doctor versus getting my good fabric deals. Yes. I am that crazy. It is now 9:20 am and they are only on number 26. Yep. Moved up 3 numbers in one hour. My logical brain now starts timing the number calling. I realize that the likelihood of me delivering this baby BEFORE my fabric gets cut is extremely high. I walk around a little more. I notice another line near one side of the store where they usually cut the upholstery fabric on the really big bolts. I approach the counter. "Are you calling the numbers also orrrr..................???" "Oh, NO. We don't have a ticket machine. You just get in line." I feel a mixture of dumb luck and guilt. Lucky that I figured out this little "secret" line, yet guilty that I will probably get my fabric cut before the some people that have been waiting longer than I have with their tickets at the other counter. I get in line. I am about 8th. I meet a really great lady in her early 60's, who turns out to be my fairy shopping godmother. She gets me a chair from the pattern area so my 45 week pregnant belly I can sit down while waiting. She gets me another water bottle. She pushes my cart. I hope the Lord blesses this lady's pants off today. The way she treated me, a total stranger, almost brought me to tears. Seriously. The kindness of a stranger can be very overwhelming. {Or is it just all the hormones?} I continue to calculate the rate my line is moving. I start to feel relieved as I don't think I will have to abandon my cart after all to make it to the doctor's office on time. After waiting in this line about 1 1/2 hours, I get the fabric cut. I feel badly for the people in the other ticketed area as they are only calling number 70. I would still have been waiting. I wait in line for the checkout. Giddy excitement again, when the line up at the front moves QUICK. Too bad I get the putsy kid who can't read my fabric ticket and has to type in each one by hand, then blaming me, scans my coupon before he has rung up all my items & now I am not getting the discount on that part of my order & he can't fix it so he has to start ALL OVER AGAIN. I would've made it to my appointment on time if it weren't for that checker. I call ahead out of courtesy to let them know I will be late. I arrive at the office & everything is right with the world again. Hey, a girl's gotta get her good fabric deals when she can!

Note to Self: When you are 37 weeks pregnant, do NOT drink TWO water bottles & then expect to be able to hold it for 2 hours. If you try this you will be very uncomfortable & will barely be able to walk because of all the pressure.

P.S. I am one centimeter. I was praying for more, but I guess it's better than 0.