Birthday Party Time!

I am heading to California today for my daughter's birthday party and won't be back posting until late Monday or Tuesday. Get out there and score the awesome deals available this week- especially at Fry's!

I will have a full recap of my daughter's birthday party - Arizona Savings style. Which translates to the cheapest way possible! So far, I have spent 11.96 OOP on this party - this includes decorations, invitations, most of the food, and the candy for a candy bar buffet. I have everything purchased except for the pizza, which I am sure will be a sizeable expense. But I was able to pull everything else together for very little OOP, so I am happy!

Enjoy your weekend!

Target & Fry's!

TARGET:

.80 Chef Boyardee Cups (5)

-1.00/1 Chef Boyardee product Target IPQ (5) - print here

5 FREE

These coupons auto adjusted down to 80 cents each, so no overage. That's fine with me! Free is free! You could also get the Chef Boyardee cans which were .89, so still free with this coupon.

2.48 Girl Toddler Jelly Sandals - clearanced

I am in love with these shoes! I want some in my size! They were marked 6.48, so I was pleasantly surprised when they rang up so cheap!

7.48 C9 Women's Gym Shorts - clearanced

-5.00/1 C9 Target IPQ - no longer available

2.48

I was so excited to find these on clearance... it is way too hot to sleep in my flannel PJ pants!

4.96 subtotal + 1.71 tax = 6.67 paid on Target gift card

FRY'S

Attention: Whoever cleared the Gilette Body Wash shelf at the Fry's on Val Vista & Baseline the morning the new sale started, not cool. It seems as if you hit Sheryl's Fry's yesterday too. If this was the work of one crazed couponer, again, not cool. That's okay, I reworked my transactions and carried on. I had to work a bunch of candy for my daughter's birthday party into this order & I was pretty happy with the results, seeing how expensive candy is!

* indicates item is part of the "Buy 4, Save $4" P&G Deal and prices reflect after discount pricing.

5.99 Charmin Toilet Paper - 16 roll*
-.25/1 MQ 6/6 PG
-3.00/1 P&G EG - load here
1.99

1.50 Febreze Set & Refresh (3)*
-1.50/1 MQ from Febreze House Party (3)
-1.00/1 P&G EQ - load here
.33 overage each
If you would like any of these Febreze coupons, let me know! I have extras from the House Party!

1.99 Old Spice Red Zone Body Wash (4)*
-BOGO MQ 6/6 PG (2) - deducted 1.99 each
-1.00/2 MQ 7/4 PG
-2.00/2 P&G EQ - load here
-1.00/1 P&G EQ - load here
.02 overage for all

1.00 Suave Deodorant (3)
-.75/1 MQ 7/11 RP (3)
3 FREE

1.00 Oral B Indicator Toothbrushes (12)
-2.00/2 MQ 7/4 P&G (6)
12 FREE
Don't worry, there were still PLENTY left. :)

1.00 Ivory Body Wash (4)
-.50/1 MQ 6/6 P&G (4)
-.50/1 P&G EQ - load here
.50 overage for all 4

1.00 Kroger bagged candy (6)
7.29 Red Vines - gah! That is SOOO much money!

After all the items were scanned, my subtotal was $60. I used this $10/$50 Fresh & Easy competitor coupon. After the cashier hit total again, my subtotal went down to $35. I think the EQs came off that time. I had this $5/$35 Fry's coupon and since I was at $35, I asked the cashier if I could use it and she said sure! Hooray! This is a huge YMMV, so be prepared to be shut down. After all my coupons were scanned, here's what my total looked like:

-1.24 subtotal + 2.31 tax (yuck) = 1.07 subtotal
-.10 reusable bag credits = .97 paid on Fry's gift card

Target Toy Clearance Going on NOW in Mesa!

This was the scene at the Target in Mesa at Gilbert & Southern about an hour ago.

After seeing KC's haul of toys she scored this morning, I stopped by my Target during my lunch. The associates were just starting to mark down the toys to 75% off. There were lots of moms with carts overflowing with toys, but there were still toys being marked down.

I grabbed some free Chef Boyardee, clearanced shoes for my toddler, and some other things. I'll post that shopping trip a little later tonight. I didn't have time to wait for all the toys to get marked down because I was on my lunch, so I might stop by on my way home. Let us know if you find any good clearance deals!

Thrifty Tidbits - 7/29/10 edition

Phew, yesterday was a super busy day of Thrifty Tidbit activity! I am running around doing last minute things to prepare for our trip to California this weekend and pulling together loose ends for my daughter's second birthday party on Saturday.

BIRTHDAY PARTY:

I wanted to make a super cute banner and candy buffet table kind of like this one...

I don't want to spend a fortune on candy, so I think it will be a smaller version with maybe 3 or 4 glass jars. As far as the banner goes, I headed over to Scrapbooks, Etc. in Mesa on Lindsey & University and used their die cutting machines to cut out some super cute letters spelling out my daughter's name. I am using a hot pink and black color scheme and the whole banner only cost me 1.67 to create! And that was the cost of the paper. I will take a photo of the real thing at her party this weekend.

I am also trying to dig up some pizza coupons for her birthday party lunch. We are ordering pizzas from our favorite home town pizza place and they are pricey, but they accept competitor's coupons. I never have any pizza coupons around the house, because whenever we order pizza we get the $5 large from Hungry Howies. Do any of you guys know where I can snag some pizza coupons? Maybe I'll stop in at Domino's or Pizza Hut and see what they have. I'm looking for a BOGO or a $10 large or something like that.

I had a few magazines, board games, & a puzzle to trade. I got $8 in trade credit, so now I am up to $28 in Bookman's credit. Last time I was there, I saw they had "A Bug's Life" DVD for sale. I didn't buy it then, but went back looking for it yesterday because I wanted to grab it for my daughter's birthday present. She's 2 - she doesn't know its a used copy. :) When I went back yesterday, it was gone! :( That's what I get for procrastinating! I didn't see anything else I wanted, so I'll just hold onto that trade credit until I see some more Disney movies pop up on the shelves. While I was there, I signed up my daughter up for the Bookman's Kids Club which will give me 10% off future purchases and a $5 gift certificate during her birthday month - which is next month! Maybe with all those Kids Club promotions, we can get 2 movies!

I had a Rubbermaid tub full of little girls clothing that my daughter never wore - either because it was the wrong season or because she had too many clothes. They were taking up a corner in my bedroom, so I hauled those off to Once Upon A Child and got $10 cash for them! Yay!

I had a couple of garbage bags of old clothing that doesn't fit us anymore, plus some other left overs from the yard sale I had earlier this summer. The garbage bags have been sitting in the same corner of my bedroom for a couple of months now waiting for the next yard sale. I decided today that I didn't want to look at the clutter anymore, so off to Goodwill I went. Hopefully, someone else will get some use out of that stuff.

And finally, Costco. I used to be a religious Costco shopper, dutifully buying my paper towels, toilet paper, & diapers in bulk. Spending about $50-75 a trip thinking I was getting a good deal. That was until I saw the couponing light! I haven't stepped foot in a Costco in over a year. But I did yesterday to pick up some prints of my daughter's 2 year pictures to frame and use as decorations for her party. They are unbeatable for local photo printing when it comes to quality and price. I looked into Snapfish and other online retailers, but no one could beat Costco's prices. I paid 3.33 for one 8x10 and four 5x7s. What a deal!

Phew... that was a lot of errand running! What are you guys doing to be thrifty in everyday life?

My Favorite Deals - 7/27/10 edition

ALL COUPONS AT SAFEWAY & FRY'S ARE WORTH $1.00!

FRY'S IS ACCEPTING COMPETITOR COUPONS!

CHEAPEST GALLON OF MILK: 1.68 at Safeway (limit 2)

CHEAPEST EGGS: .88 AA dozen at Fry's
CHEAPEST BREAD: .88 Fry's Sandwich Bread
.

For complete coupon match-ups, click here to view Pinching Your Pennies.

Albie's accepts manufacturer's coupons at face value.

Shopping Albertson's - The Arizona Savings Way

View weekly ad here!

An interesting "Buy this, get that" promo going on at Albie's this week...

1.49 Prego Pasta Sauce (Limit 6)
-1.00/2 IPQ - print here
.99 each wyb 2

Buy Ball Park Franks for 3.98, get a free 24pk. Aquarius Spring Water plus free 8 pk. Sara Lee Hot Dog Buns
-.75/1 Ball Park MQ 8/1 RP - coming out in this Sunday's paper!
3.23 for all three items or 1.07 each

Buy Smuckers Jam for 2.99, get free JIF Peanut Butter plus Albertson's bread free

$10 OYNO deal for select Kellogg's items - each item is $2
(Essentially makes each item $1 after Catalina savings are factored in)
Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies
Keebler All Bran Crackers
Keebler Wheatables
Keebler Nutri-Grain Bars
Keebler Town House Cookies
Kellogg's Pop Tarts
Kellogg's Cereal
Kellogg's Rice Krispie Treats
Kellogg's Fruit Snacks
Morningstar Farms Entrees
Mother's Cookies
Sunshine Cheez-Its
Toasteds Crackers

OTHER AWESOME DEALS:
.50 iceberg lettuce
1.88 fresh blueberries, 18 oz.

Bashas doubles coupons up to $1.00 every day

Shopping Basha's - The Arizona Savings Way

View weekly ad here!

Free butter & hand soap...

.99 Land O Lakes Spread

-.50/1 IPQ - print here

FREE

.99 Softsoap Hand Soap, 7.5 oz.

-.50/1 IPQ - print here

or -.35/1 MQ 7/25 SS

FREE or .29

1.25 Hunt's Ketchup

-.20/1 MQ 6/20 SS (Hurry, expires 7/31!)

.85

OTHER AWESOME DEALS:
B1G2F Sanderson Farms Bone-In Split Chicken
BOGO half gallon Basha's milk, Sunny D, Farmer John sausage
.49/lb. bananas

All coupons under $1 equal $1 again this week!

Fry's is accepting competitor's coupons for a limited time!
Print a Fresh & Easy $10 off $50 coupon here and a $5 off $35 Fry's coupon here!

Bring your reusable bags for a 5 cent discount per bag!

Shopping Fry's - The Arizona Savings Way

View weekly ad here

A Crazy 8's Sale and a "Buy 4, Save $4" P&G promo!

.88 Best Life Butter
-1.00/1 MQ 6/13 or 7/11 RP
FREE

1.00 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest or Smart Taste Pasta
-.75/1 Healthy Harvest MQ 4/11 SS
-.75/1 Smart Taste IPQ - print here and here
FREE

1.00 Crest Toothpaste
-.50/1 MQ 6/6 PG & 7/4 PG
-.75/1 MQ 6/27 RP
FREE
These all expire on Saturday, 7/31 so hurry and use these up!

1.00 Oral B Toothbrush
-.50/1 MQ 6/6 PG
-2.00/2 MQ 7/4 PG
FREE
These expire 7/31 & 8/1, so hurry and grab these freebies!

1.19 Bounty Paper Towel (single roll) - this is the regular price
-.25/1 MQ 6/6 PG & 7/4 PG
.19 each

.88 Tonys Crispy Crust Pizza

-1.00/2 MQ 4/25 SS (Expires Saturday, 7/31!)

.38 each wyb 2

Minute Maid/Watermelon Deal if you can find the hangtags on the Minute Maid 2 liters:

1.00 Minute Maid Lemonade

1.50 Dulcinea watermelon

-1.00/1 hangtag MQ found on Minute Maid 2 liter bottles

-.45/1 Dulcinea watermelon 6/6 RP

.50 for a watermelon and a 2 liter bottle of Minute Maid lemonade!

Thanks Sheryl!

2.50 Post Cereal, 13-25oz (Honey Bunches of Oats, Raisin Bran & Fruity Pebbles pictured)

-1.50 wyb 2 Post Cereals plus 1 gallon of milk

Pay 1.75 for each box plus a gallon of milk

Not the best deal, but if you're buying cereal & milk anyway, this might be a good option for you.

3.33 Arrowhead Water, 24pk, .5 ltr

-.75/1 MQ 7/25 RP - regional coupon

2.33

Buy 4, Save $4 P&G Event!

Here's a possible scenario... if you try it out, let us know if you are successful!
1.99 Gilette Body Wash, 12-18 oz (2)

1.99 Old Spice Body Wash, 12-18oz (2) - Red Zone, Odor Blocker or Dry Skin Defense Body Washes

-2.00/1 Gilette MQ 7/4 PG (2)

-1.00/1 Old Spice 7/4 PG (2)

-2.00/2 Old Spice PG EQ (Red Zone, Odor Blocker or Dry Skin Defense Body Washes) - load here

ALL 4 FREE

Jenny A. tried out the P&G deal and this these scenarios for moneymakers!

Great job & thanks for sharing with the rest of us!

4 Gillette body wash, $2.99 each

- $5.98 (2 BOGO body wash coupons)
- $4 (2 $2/1 coupons)
- $4 P&G sale
= $2.02 moneymaker

4 Old Spice Red Zone body washes, $2.99 each
- $5.98 (2 BOGO body wash coupons)
- $1 ($1/2 coupon)
- $2 ($2/2 eCoupon from Fry's website)
- $1 ($1/2 eCoupon from Fry's website)
- $4 P&G sale
= $2.02 moneymaker

OTHER AWESOME DEALS:

.33 Sweet Corn on the Cob

.88 cantaloupe

.88 Navel Oranges

.88 AA dozen eggs
.88 Fry's sandwich bread

.88 Fry's half gallon milk

1.77/lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, thighs, or tenderloins (First 4)

All coupons under $1 equal $1 again this week!

View Safeway's NEW coupon policy here!

Shopping Safeway - The Arizona Savings Way

View weekly ad here!

Free and cheap dairy this week at Safeway...

.99 Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter (with in-ad Q)

-.55/1 IPQ - print here

FREE

1.50 Lucerne Shredded or Block Cheese

-.55/1 Real CA MQ 5/23 SS

-.55/1 IPQ - print here
.50

1.99 Chinet Plates (with in-ad Q)
-1.00/1 IPQ - print here
.99

3.99 Downy Fabric Softener
-.25/1 Downy MQ 6/6 PG (hurry, expires 7/31!)
-.50/1 Downy MQ 6/6 PG (hurry, expires 7/31!)
-2.00/1 EQ - load here
.99

2.49 Lucerne Sliced Cheese
-.55/1 Real CA MQ 5/23 SS
-.55/1 IPQ - print here
1.49

2.49 Lucerne String Cheese (with in-ad Q)

-.55/1 Real CA MQ 5/23 SS

-.55/1 IPQ - print here

1.49

7.99 Pampers or Huggies diapers (with in-ad Q)

-3.00/1 Huggies IPQ - print here coupon states 60 ct., these packages are not that big.
-3.00/1 Pampers Vocal Point home mailer MQ - no longer available, but sign up here for future coupons!

4.99

OTHER AWESOME DEALS:
1.29 18 ct. eggs (with in-ad Q)
1.68 Dairy Glen milk (limit 2)
BOGO Thomas Plain Bagels or English Muffins (3.99)
BOGO Ruffles Potato Chips (3.99)

WHAT OTHER DEALS ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEK?

One Last Fry's Mega Run! $119.49 in groceries for 3.84!

I will miss this 2 week mega event Fry's has had.

There have been all kinds of freebies and moneymakers!

My Fry's at Val Vista & Baseline was out of Captain Crunch & Softsoap so I had to rework all of my transactions on the spot- I hate that! I had to work hard to get my total above $35 to use my 5/35 Fry's coupon, but the paper towels & toothpaste helped. I was ready to split my transactions because I had so many like coupons, but my cashier scanned them all in one order. I also needed to use up all those Crest & Bounty MQs before the weekend because they all expire 7/31!

*'d items are part of the Mega Event. Prices reflect pricing after the $5 discount is applied.

Here's what I did:

.49 Spaghettios (8)*

-.50/2 IPQ (4) - print here

.01 overage each

1.09 Mentos*

-.55/1 MQ 4/25 SS

.09

.99 Philadelphia Cream Cheese (5)

No coupons :(

.88 Pepsi 2 liter products (12)*

Price matched to Safeway's in-ad Q - used 3 coupons because the limit is 4 per coupon

$5 mega event discount still comes off (.50 discount per item) making each 2 liter bottle 19 cents

.19 each

Plus, I received 3 Free Redbox codes catalinas! (1 for every 4 products purchased.)

.49 Quaker Rice Snacks (4)*

-.50/2 IPQ (2) - print here

.01 overage each

1.00 Crest Toothpaste (16)

-various MQs from 6/6 PG, 6/27 RP, & 7/4 PG (16)

16 FREE

1.19 Bounty Basic Paper Towels (11)

-.25/1 MQ 6/6 & 7/4 PG (11)

.19 each

2.08 Fry's milk (2)

13.45 subtotal + .69 tax - .30 reusable bag credits -5/35 Fry's IPQ (print here) = 8.84

Paid with $5 Kraft OYNO + 3.84 on Fry's giftcard

Received $5 Kraft OYNO & 3 Red Box Codes

FINAL COST: 3.84

If they had been in stock with the Captain Crunch & Softsoap, I would have made money, but I am not going to complain about getting $120 worth of groceries for 3.84. Goodbye Mega Sale ... I will miss you!

Mail Call Monday 7/26/10 edition

Today was the Mail Call Monday of magazines!

FREE MAGAZINES -

Bloomberg Business, OK!, Forbes, Truckin', Chevy, Flying & Spin .... phew! 7 magazines!

COUPONS-

I got the P&G insert for the upcoming Sunday. Lots of good BOGO coupons in there, so make sure to grab a few extra papers this weekend.

GROCERY ADS-

As usual, this is an early, quick glance at the ads. Check back on Wednesday morning for "My Favorite Deals" list!

• Albie's - No doubling coupons mentioned, but they do have an interesting "Buy this, get that" promo going on.
• Free JIF peanut butter & Albie's sandwich bread wyb Smucker's Strawberry Jam
• 1.88 fresh blueberries
• 1.49 Prego Pasta Sauce
• .50 iceberg lettuce head
• Basha's - Free Softsoap and a huge BOGO sale!
• B1G2F Sanderson Farms Bone-In Split Chicken
• BOGO half gallon Basha's milk, Sunny D, Farmer John sausage, ...
• .49/lb. bananas
• .99 Softsoap -.50/1 IPQ = FREE
• Fry's - Save a copy of this ad in the event of a grumpy cashier! It advertises competitor coupons & the $1 coupon event!
• 1.77/lb. boneless skinless chicken
• .88 AA dozen eggs
• 1.50 Kroger cheese
• .88 cantaloupe
• Safeway -Loving this milk price & lots of in-ad coupons to use at Fry's! :) $1 coupon event continues!
• 1.68 Dairy Glen milk
• .78/lb. green seedless grapes
• 1.50 Lucerne cheese -.55/1 Real CA IPQ = .50 (If cheese has CA seal)
• 1.29 18 ct. eggs (with in-ad Q)
• 7.99 Huggies & Pampers diapers (with in-ad Q)

WHAT TREASURES DID YOU FIND IN YOUR MAILBOX TODAY?

PS - As I suspected, when I stopped into Fry's about the raincheck snafu on Saturday, they apologized for their mistake! Ha! They apologized for giving me an even better deal than I expected! Crazy. Fry's has great customer service & that's a huge reason why I redeem my valuable coupons there instead of other stores... ahem, Albie's.

Fry's Mega Run = 5.70 profit!

Well, I didn't end up going to Fry's last night because my pain meds for the root canal started making me super sick. I feel better today, so off I went. We were totally out of milk (which was already in the fridge, so  not pictured) and I already had my three transactions mapped out. Thank goodness this Fry's had everything in stock. I had a couple of rainchecks from last week's lower prices, which (as you'll see) caused some unexpected overage. I did 3 transactions at SCO to lower my OOP costs. *'d items are part of mega event. Prices reflect wyb 10 pricing.

#1

.99 Philidelphia Cream Cheese (5)*

-1.00/1 IPQ (4) - print here - I only had 4 coupons, but it still was profitable!

Paid .95 OOP, earned $5 OYNO

.81 profit each

.67 Idaho Potatoes (3)*

-.75/3 IPQ - print here

.34 each

.49 Quaker Rice Snacks (2)*

-.1.00/2 IPQ - print here

.01 overage each

1.94 subtotal - .05 reusable bag credit + .17 tax = 2.06 total

Paid with $2 Dannon OYNO & .06 change

Earned $5 Kraft OYNO

2.94 profit

#2

.49 Oroweat bread - clearanced

1.46 bananas (.49/lb.)

-1.00/3 lbs. Bashas home mailer Q

.46 or .15/lb.

2.49 Thomas Mini-Bagels - needed these to go with all that cream cheese!

-1.00/1 MQ found on Maxwell Coffee a few months ago

1.49

.88 Kraft Shredded Cheese (5)*

Raincheck price from last week was 1.49, which was the final price wyb 10. But the cashier entered that price as the register price and the $5 mega event deduction still came off at the end making these 50 cents cheaper than they should have been. I was trying to figure out why my totals kept going negative, but until I started typing this, I had no idea what was going on.

-1.00/1 peelie MQ found on cheese (5)

.60 overage, earned $5 OYNO

Should have made .62 profit each, but made 1.12 each

.67 Idaho Potatoes (3)*

-.75/3 IPQ - print here
.34 each

.49 Quaker Rice Snacks (2)*
-.1.00/2 IPQ - print here
.01 overage each


5.33 subtotal - .05 reusable bag credit + .30 tax = 5.58 total
Paid with $5 Kraft OYNO & .58 change
Earned $5 Kraft OYNO
2.94 profit


#3
2.49 Tombstone Pizza (4)*
-2.00/1 Facebooke IPQ (4) - print here
.49 each

1.00 Dole Salad (4)
-1.00/1 IPQ (4) - print here
4 FREE

.99 Captain Crunch (6)*
Same thing that happened with the cheese, happened with the Captain Crunch. Raincheck price from last week was 1.49, which was the final price wyb 10. But the cashier entered that price as the register price and the $5 mega event deduction still came off at the end making these 50 cents cheaper than they should have been. I was trying to figure out why my totals kept going negative, but until I started typing this, I had no idea what was going on.

-.50/1 IPQ (4) - no longer available
-1.00/2 MQ 5/16 RP
Should have paid .66 each, but ended up paying .16 each

2.08 Fry's milk (2)
Free milk wyb 3 Quaker cereal tearpad MQs found at Safeway
2 gallons free
I checked with the store manager before using these and got the okay. He said since they were classified as "Manufacturer's Coupons" he was absolutely fine with accepting them even though they specified Lucerne milk.

I added a third gallon of milk onto my order because it was going negative.

I used a 5/25 Bashas home mailer coupon so that left me with a zero subtotal - .20 reusable bag credit + .38 tax = .18 total paid in change.

FINAL SUMMARY: 5.70 profit

I feel bad about how the raincheck items ended up way less than they should have been, but I can't go back out today. I'll stop in on Monday and see what they want me to do. I know they'll probably tell me not to worry about it (whenever I've gone back after the fact, they usually don't care to fix it), but I'd rather give them the opportunity to fix it if they want to.

Thrifty Tidbits - 7/23/10 edition

After some tylenol with codeine and resting yesterday afternoon, I am feeling much better! Root canals are just plain awful! Thanks to all of you sweet readers who wished me well. At least I can eat today. I am catching up on all the new printable coupons and awesome deals that surfaced while I was resting on the couch yesterday, watching "The Little Mermaid" over and over again with my almost 2 year old.

PRINTABLE COUPONS

Here are the coupons I am printing today:

.75/2 any Taco Bell Originals products

Free bananas at Circle K - good today only!

PRESCRIPTION COUPONS:

I had to fill a prescription for Tylenol with Codeine after my root canal yesterday, but I remembered I clipped a coupon last Sunday for a $10 Kmart gift card with any new prescription. I was in serious pain, but (being the obsessive frugal person I am), I drove further to Kmart so I could get that gift card. The prescription ended up being $10 even, so with the $10 gift card, it was a wash.

GIVE AWAY

I entered Desert Deals Diva's give away for a 16x20 rolled canvas print. If I won, I would get a print of one of my wedding pictures or a family photo. It ends Tuesday, 7/27 at 8pm AZ time - enter here!

SWAGBUCKS

Today is Friday - Mega Swag Bucks Friday! I've been searching this morning and I've already won 10 Swagbucks! I am hoping to pay for Christmas presents with Swagbucks this year. How many Swagbucks do you have? If you aren't signed up, click here to get started! If you start now, you could definitely have a ton of Swagbucks racked up by the holidays to pay for those Christmas presents!

I'm planning a trip to Fry's today, so I'll post that later today. I'm hoping they have Captain Crunch, Kraft Cheese, & Philidelphia Cream Cheese in stock!

Ouch!

I am out for the day. I had a root canal early this morning and and now that the numbness has worn off, I am in a world of pain. Hopefully, I will be back to normal tomorrow. This is not fun!

Quick Target Run

I went to Target today searching for some awesome 90% off summer clearance deals, but came up empty handed. Desert Deals Diva definitely found way better deals than I did. I am super jealous of the drink bucket she snagged for 50 cents!

I did need garbage bags, so I was happy to find some Hefty bags clearanced to 4.54. I used this 1.00/1 Facebook IPQ to grab them for 3.54.

I also found another pair of clearanced C9 men's socks for 4.88. I used the $5 C9 Target IPQ (no longer available) to get them free.

I paid 3.85 on a Target gift card. I've been to both Targets near me - Power & Southern and Gilbert & Southern and am not finding any more summer clearance. Have you guys found any good summer clearance deals?

My Favorite Deals - 7/21/10 edition

ALL COUPONS AT SAFEWAY & FRY'S ARE WORTH $1.00!

FRY'S IS ACCEPTING COMPETITOR COUPONS!

CHEAPEST GALLON OF MILK: 1.67 Albie's (limit 2)

CHEAPEST EGGS: .69 AA dozen at Basha's

CHEAPEST BREAD: .88 Fry's Sandwich Bread

For complete coupon match-ups, click here to view Pinching Your Pennies.

Albie's accepts manufacturer's coupons at face value.

Shopping Albertson's - The Arizona Savings Way

View weekly ad here!

Besides the chespest milk, not much going on at Albie's this week...

.29 M&M, Mars Single Bars (w/ in-ad coupon)

-BOGO MQ 6/27 RP

.14 each wyb 2
.

.99 French's Yellow Mustard or Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce (w/ in-ad coupon)

-.30/1 MQ 6/20 SS

-.50/1 IPQ - print here

.49

.77 Sunny D (w/ in-ad coupon)

-.25/1 IPQ - print here

.52

OTHER AWESOME DEALS:
.99 Mott's Apple Juice, 64 oz
1.00 cantaloupe
1.67 Albie's gallon milk (limit 2)

Bashas doubles coupons up to $1.00 every day

Shopping Basha's - The Arizona Savings Way

View weekly ad here!

Not much going on at Basha's either...

Buy 10, Save $5 - Mix & Match Event
Prices reflect wyb 10 pricing

.99 Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
-.50/1 MQ 5/30 GM
.01 overage

1.49 Pillsbury Toaster Strudel
-.35/1 5/16 SS
.79 each

OTHER AWESOME DEALS:
.99 strawberries, 1 lb.

All coupons under $1 equal $1 again this week!

Fry's is accepting competitor's coupons for a limited time!

Bring your reusable bags for a 5 cent discount per bag!

Shopping Fry's - The Arizona Savings Way

View weekly ad here

A lot of the same mega event items are continuing this week, but some of the prices have increased:

.25 Crayola Crayons (Limit 6)

1.00 Crayola Classic Markers, 10 ct. (Limit 6)

Since there are limits now, you'll have to spend a bit more OOP, but it's still a moneymaker. Here's a sample scenario you can do.... Thanks Eve!

6 crayons at .25 each

2 packs of markers at 1.00 each

Pay 3.50 OOP, earn $4 OYNO
.50 profit

1.00 Dole Premium Classic Salads
-1.00/1 IPQ - play game and print here*
FREE
*You need to register with an email address and use zip code 02019. If you win, you get a free salad coupon. If you lose, you get a coupon for 1.00/1.
Thanks Sheryl!

MEGA Event: Buy 10, Save $5.00, Mix & Match
(prices assume 10 participating items in a transaction)

1.49 Kraft Mayonaise or Miracle Whip
-1.00/1 Miracle Whip Facebook IPQ - print here
-1.00/1 Safeway Store Coupon from the "Get Out and Grill" Booklet
.51 overage

.88 Pepsi products, 2 liter
-.25/1 hangtag MQ found at CVS
.12 overage

1.00 Suave Deodorant
-.75/1 MQ 7/11 RP
FREE

1.00 Aquafresh Cavity Protection Toothpaste (4.6 - 6.4 oz)
-1.00/1 IPQ - print here
FREE

1.00 Softsoap Hand Soap
-.50/1 IPQ - print here
FREE

1.00 Ivory Bar or Body Wash
-.50/1 MQ 6/6 PG
FREE

1.00 Crest Toothpaste
-.50/1 MQ 6/6 RP
-1.00/1 MQ 6/27 RP
-.75/1 MQ 7/4 PG
FREE

.99 Philadelphia Cream Cheese
-1.00/1 IPQ - print here - register, confirm through email link, then click home tab. Coupon is on right side.
FREE
*Purchase 5 Cream Cheeses or other participating items, earn $5 OYNO

Here are the Catalina details...
7/19 - 8/15/10
Purchase 5 participating items from this list in one transaction, receive $5 OYNO
Kraft Singles
Kraft Parmesan Cheese
Kraft Natural Cheese, Shredded, Crumbles, 5 oz+
Kraft String-Um Cheese
Kraft Cracker Cuts
Kraft Deli Deluxe
Kraft Philly Cream Cheese
Velveeta
Cracker Barrell 5 oz+
Cheez whiz
Breakstones sour cream16 oz+
Breakstones cottage cheese 16+
Knudsen sour cream
Knudsen cottage cheese

.49 Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks
-1.00/2 IPQ - print here
FREE wyb 2

.49 Spaghettios
-.50/2 IPQ - print here
.01 overage wyb 2

.67 Rice-a-Roni, Pasta Roni, Idohoan Potatoes, or Kraft Easy Mac Cups
-.75/3 Idohoan Potatoes IPQ - print here
.33 each wyb 3

2.49 Tombstone Pizza
-2.00/1 Facebook IPQ - print here
.49

1.49 Wishbone Salad Dressing
-.50/1 IPQ - print here
.49
.

1.77 Quaker Cereal
-.50/1 Captain Crunch MQ 5/16 RP
.77
Plus, if you can find the "Buy 3 Quaker cereals, get Tropicana OJ free" tearpad coupon at Safeway, you'll pay 2.31 OOP for 3 boxes of Captain Crunch & OJ when you buy 3!

1.49 Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers
-.50/1 IPQ - print here
.49

1.50 Q-Tips
-.30/1 MQ 5/23 RP
-.60/1 IPQ - print here Out of prints! Thanks Leli!
.50

1.50 Degree Deodorant
-1.00/1 IPQ - print here
.50


OTHER AWESOME DEALS:
1.00 blueberries
.15 Top Flight Notebooks

All coupons under $1 equal $1 again this week!

View Safeway's NEW coupon policy here!

Shopping Safeway - The Arizona Savings Way

View weekly ad here!

Moneymaker yogurt deal plus free Kraft cheese if you can find the peelies!

1.79 Yoplait Yo-Plus (with in-ad Q)

-.50/1 MQ 6/20 SS, 6/27, or 7/11 SS

or -.50/1 IPQ - print here

.79

1.79 Fiber One (with in-ad Q)

-.50/1 MQ 6/20 SS or 7/11 SS

or -.50/1 IPQ - print here
.79
.

1.79 Yoplait Delights Yogurt (with in-ad Q)

-.50/1 MQ 6/20 SS, 7/11 SS

-.50/1 IPQ - print here

-1.00/1 Shortcuts EQ - load here
-1.00/1 Cellfire EQ - load here

2.21 overage

2.00 Kraft Salad Dressing
-1.00/1 Safeway Store Coupon from the "Get Out and Grill" Booklet
-1.00/1 MQ 6/20 SS
FREE

1.99 Kraft Shredded or Chunk Cheese
-1.00/2 blinkie MQ
-1.00/1 peelie MQ (I found some at Safeway this week, check Fry's too)
.99 each

An even better deal...
If you can find 5 peelies and buy 5 Kraft cheeses:
Buy 5 Kraft cheeses at 1.99 each, use (5) 1.00/1 peelies
Pay 4.95 OOP, earn $5 OYNO
5 packages of Kraft cheese for FREE!

Here are the Catalina details...
7/19 - 8/15/10
Purchase 5 participating items from this list in one transaction, receive $5 OYNO
Kraft Singles
Kraft Parmesan Cheese
Kraft Natural Cheese, Shredded, Crumbles, 5 oz+
Kraft String-Um Cheese
Kraft Cracker Cuts
Kraft Deli Deluxe
Kraft Philly Cream Cheese
Velveeta
Cracker Barrell 5 oz +
Cheez whiz
Breakstones sour cream16 oz+
Breakstones cottage cheese 16+
Knudsen sour cream
Knudsen cottage cheese

1.49 Motts Medleys Juice, 46 to 64 oz

-.50/1 MQ 6/13 SS

.49

1.49 Dixie Plates, 25-40 ct. (with in-ad Q)

-.50/1 MQ 5/23 RP

.49

2.89 Pam Cooking Spray
-1.00/1 Safeway Store Coupon from the "Get Out and Grill" Booklet
1.89
.

4.99 Hefty Trash Bags, 18 to 80 ct. (with in-ad Q)

-1.00/1 IPQ - print here

3.99

OTHER AWESOME DEALS:
1.68 Dairy Glen gallon milk
.20 Sweet Yellow or White corn on the cob
.

WHAT OTHER DEALS ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEK?

CVS & Fry's!

I'm not sure how it happened, but our household ran out of lots of necessities at the same time - paper towels, diapers, milk, & garbage bags! These are important things so I headed out today to purchase these items with the lowest OOP possible. I didn't get garbage bags, but I got everything else on my list.

CVS

8.99 Huggies Diapers

-3.00/1 IPQ - no longer available

-2.00/1 CRT printed today at CVS coupon kiosk

Paid 3.99 OOP, earned $3 EB

.99 cost

4.44 CVS Paper Towels (8 pack)

I bought both of these items plus 2 bags of CVS candy so I could use the $10 EB I had. I paid .62 OOP and earned the $3 EB for the Huggies. So, it was a net cost of 7.62, but I only paid .62 OOP.

FRY'S

I had a huge list planned, but there were lots of empty shelves when I got there. I'm not surprised, because its the last day of the sale. So I just grabbed rainchecks for those items (Kraft Cheese, Suave deodorant, Captain Crunch).

2.08 Fry's milk (2)

1.39 bananas (.49/lb.)

-1.00 off 3 lbs. bananas Bashas home mailer Q

.39 for 3 lbs. or .13/lb.

MEGA EVENT ITEMS:

1.49 Dannon Yogurt, 6 pack (4)

-1.50/1 MQ 6/6 SS (4)

.01 overage each, plus earned $2 OYNO for buying 4

2.04 profit total

1.49 Pillsbury Toaster Strudel (4)

-.35/1 MQ 5/16 SS (4)

.49 each

Not free, but needed fillers for my 5.00/25.00 coupon and my husband has been asking for these.

1.00 Softsoap (4)

-.50/1 IPQ (4) - print here

4 FREE

.49 Spaghettios (4)

-.50/2 IPQ (2) - print here

.01 overage each

1.49 Miracle Whip (4)

-1.00/1 Safeway coupon from Grilling Coupon Booklet (4)

-1.00/1 Facebook IPQ (4) - print here

.51 overage each

I used a 5.00/25.00 Bashas home mailer coupon and got .20 in reusable bag credits which brought my total to negative 60 cents. I added on a candy bar and gave it to my cashier.

Zero OOP, earned $2 Dannon OYNO = 2.00 profit!

If you didn't get to Fry's this week, don't worry. The Mega Event continues next week with a lot of the same products. Some of the prices have slightly increased, but there are still lots of freebies!

Check back tomorrow morning for "My Favorite Deals" list!

First Fry's Mega Run + Target!

I made a quick run to Frys yesterday because I needed soda for a lunch at the office. I donated three 2 liter bottles to the office lunch party, so that's why they are not pictured.

.75 Pepsi 2 Liter products (6)

-.25/1 hangtag MQs found at CVS (6)

.25 overage each

.49 Spaghettios (4)

-.50/2 IPQ (2) - print here

4 FREE

1.00 Reese's Cups (king sized)

.50 Kit Kat

-.04 subtotal + .11 tax = .07 paid cash

I forgot about the overage from the soda, so I had to throw on some candy bars at the register. I hate that! If I hadn't been rushing around, I could have grabbed a gallon of milk or produce or something instead of candy. Oh well, my husband always loves my overage candy I bring him home. They are not pictured because they were in the fridge cooling down from the hot car.

I also ran into Target looking for clearance finds. I didn't find a whole lot. The summer clearance was pretty wiped out. I needed envelopes to send my daughter's birthday invites out in, but I didn't want to spend a ton of money doing it. So, I was so excited to find some clearanced graduation invitations on an end cap in stationary that will work perfectly. They were 50 cents each. Much better than making my own envelopes or buying note card envelopes at a scrapbook store. I also found a giant bubbles refill in the summer clearance section. It was marked down from 3.99 to .99. My daughter is a bubbles fanatic, so this was a good buy for us. My total OOP was 2.16 paid on a Target gift card.

I'm heading back to Fry's today for another mega run before the sales prices increase tomorrow. I'm also working on "My Favorite Deals" list that I'll post tomorrow morning!

Mail Call Monday - 7/19/10 edition

Today's mail call is a bit quiet, but my ads came early for the first time in 2 weeks, so I am happy!

COUPONS: I received 2 free Kellogg's products manufacturer's coupons in the mail today to replace 2 boxes of Apple Jacks I had that were included in the 6/25/10 recall. I just called that in last week, so I am pleasantly surprised to see they are already here! The customer service agents were so helpful too! I didn't have the numbers off the boxes with me, but they processed the recall information anyway. Have you checked your cereal stockpile? Click here for all the information!

FREE MAGAZINES: I got my weekly subscription to OK Magazine. I am finding this magazine to be similar to the National Enquirer as far as quality content goes, but who doesn't love a good trashy celeb magazine? Especially when its delivered free to my house?

GROCERY ADS: Here's the scoop on the sales beginning this Wednesday:

• ALBIE'S - No doubling coupons, but some good deals:
• Cheapest milk at 1.67/gallon (limit 2)
• .99 Mott's Apple Juice
• 1.00 cantaloupe
• BASHAS - Cheap eggs, strawberries, and a mix & match event
• .69 AA dozen eggs (limit 2)
• .99 Driscoll's strawberries, 1 lb. package (limit 3)
• Buy 10, Save $10 event with select GM, Betty Crocker, & Pillsbury items
• FRY'S - Quadruple Coupon Event continuing & Mega Event continues with higher prices
• Kraft Cheese is increasing from 1.38 to 1.49
• Life & Captain Crunch cereal is increasing from 1.49 to 1.77
• Pepsi 2 liter products are increasing from .75 to .88
• Crayola crayons and markers prices are staying at .25 and 1.00
• SAFEWAY - Quadruple coupon event continues, cheap milk
• 1.68 Dairy Glen Milk
• 2.00 Wheat Thins -1.00/1 IPQ = 1.00
• .20 corn on the cob

WHAT FUN THINGS DID YOU GET IN YOUR MAILBOX?

Thrifty Tidbits - 7/19/10 edition

PRINTABLE COUPONS:

Now that I've got Safeway out of the way for this week, I am preparing for my Fry's Mega Mix & Match Event run. I'm crossing my fingers there are still some items left, but I am prepared to grab rainchecks if necessary. I've been printing out some coupons in anticipation of my Fry's trip including this 1.00/1 Miracle Whip Facebook coupon and this .50/1 Softsoap coupon.

GIVE AWAY! I just entered Desert Deals Diva's CSN Stores give away for a $60 gift certificate! Have you? Hurry, click here! It ends Tuesday 7/20 at 8pm AZ time!

BIRTHDAY PARTY:

My sweet baby girl is turning 2 next month! I can't believe I have a toddler. Her birthday party is coming up quickly and I am trying to be as frugal as possible. Here's what I've done so far...

Tutu- I love everything about having a little girl. Bows, headbands, and tutus! It is so much fun to dress my little doll up. She doesn't mind yet, but I know this will end soon. I made her a tutu for her 2 year photos and although not professional at all, it turned out surprisingly well for my first one. The supplies cost me a total of $6.96 at Hobby Lobby. I bought 2 rolls of hot pink tulle and 1 package of elastic for the waistband and used 40% off printable coupons I found on their website. I used this online tutorial and it only took me about 45 minutes to put it together.

Here's a photo of the finished product:

Photo Shoot- A good friend graciously offered to take my daughter's 2 year pictures for free! What a great friend. It was miserably hot even at 9am in the morning and we were all super sweaty and gross by the time we were done, so she really went above and beyond the friend call of duty. Thanks Katy!

Invitation Design- My other awesome friend, Kristy designed the invitations and did an AMAZING job. There were tons of designs I loved, but we settled on this one (edited for family privacy)-

Invitation Printing- I sent this file over to Walgreens and using their free 25 prints deal when you sign up, I got all the invitations printed for free! I also avoided shipping charges because I picked them up in the store.

So far, I am into this $6.96, the cost of the tutu supplies. I'll have to get creative with the food and party expenses, but I love a good challenge!

What have you done to control costs of your children's birthday parties?