Great Deals I Got Yesterday

I usually wait until after getting the Sunday paper to shop for the weekend, but I had some time and ran out yesterday, and here are the best deals I got (REMINDER: grocery store sales are from Wednesday to Tuesday typically, so get out there by Tuesday if you want these!):

Foodland
* Post Selects Cereals - regularly $7.29 (which is why they're seldom seen in my house!), on sale for $3.99, coupon from the paper for $1 off 2. $3.49 ea.
* Yoplait Kids Yogurt (same as regular minus some sugar, plus Dora on the box) - reg. $4.79, on sale for $2.50 ea., coupon from coupons.com for $0.40 off. $2.10 ea.
* Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner - regularly $6.29, on sale for $2.99, coupon from the paper for $1 off ea. $1.99
* Hot Shot bug spray - reg. $4.99, on sale for $3.99, $1.50 off coupon. $2.49 ea. (BTW, this same coupon is in TODAY'S paper!)

Safeway
* Nectarines, plums and peaches are all in season and at killer prices.
* DiGiorno pizza - reg $10.49, coupon from weekly circular for $4.49 ea
* Dr. Pepper 2ltr - reg $1.99, $0.79 with coupon from weekly circular

Sorry, gotta go, time for church. Pick up your paper today - Walgreens esp. has some great back to school deals for parents. Longs has a few good ones, too. I'll break it down in another post.

The magic of eCoupons

Yesterday I briefly mentioned shortcuts.com and cellfire.com. For the uninitiated, these are sights where you can register your grocery club card (here in the islands the only participating chain I know of is Safeway) and load coupons onto your card, so that when you scan it at check out you automatically save $. The lovely thing about this is these e-coupons are totally stackable with paper coupons and other e-coupons. AND they tend to have the same coupons available as coupons.com.

An example:
This morning I needed some yogurt. Yoplait cups, regularly $1.29 ea., were on sale at Safeway for $0.80, or $0.60 ea if you buy a min 10. There was an e-coupon from cellfire.com for $0.50 off 6, an e-coupon for $0.60 off 6 from shortcuts.com, and a printable coupon for $0.50 off 6. All 3 were accepted, so I paid $4.40 for $12.90 worth of yogurt.

It's easy, it adds up. Do it weekly - there's always new ones!

One last thing - don't forget to check out Half Price Deals weekly! Salem Communications offers new gift certificates for half off every Wednesday at 9:00am. This week - Senor Frogs! W00T! Anybody wanna margarita on me? There's are lots of other deals available, so check it out!!!

Safeway Deals This Week

K. Here are the best deals I got at Safeway this week. Will try to get deals from Foodland up shortly.

* Pecan Sandies - Reg. $5.29, on sale for $3, had $1 off coupon from Coupons.com = $2
* Farmer John's Jumbo Hot Dogs - Regularly $3.99, on sale for $1.50, coupon from the paper for $1 off = $0.50
* Hormel Naturals Deli meats - Regularly $5.29, on sale for $3.50, $0.55 off coupon I'd picked up in-store last week = $2.95
* Chex Mix Turtle granola bars - Regularly $4.79, on sale for $3.50, $0.60 eCoupon from cellfire.com, another $0.60 eCoupon from shortcuts.com, $0.60 off coupon from Coupons.com =$1,70
* Fruit by the Foot - Regularly $4.49, on sale for $3.00, $0.75 off 2 from Coupons.com -$2.63 ea.
* Peaches - Regularly $4.29lb, on sale for $1.49lb.

Coupon available from Hawaiian Airlines

Yeah, I know, I know, I need to blog more faithfully. I got a couple of KILLER deals this weekend at both Foodland and Safeway. But real quick I wanted to let you know about an eCoupon available through Hawaiian. You'll need to have your Hawaiian Miles number handy, then click here to save 10%-20% on travel booked through December.

Incidentally, I found this out by following HA on Twitter. If you don't already tweet, give it some serious consideration, my lovelies!

Get yer paper!

It may take me a few hours...or days...to get the deals up on line, BUT, get your papers, there's SmartSource, Red Plum, Safeway, Walgreens and Sports Authority coupons in it this week, PLUS a dry cleaning coupon on the Advertiser - handy, if you've been taking advantage of the BCBG deals I've been telling you about! ;)

Back in the saddle!

Was out of town and out of the loop. Back in the groove. Deals I got today:

Foodland
Now, I've not always thought Foodland had the best buys, but some I got today made them the clear winner this week. Incidentally, they've got Catalinas (those machines that print coupons at the register) now!
* General Mills cereals - some are 2/$4.50, some aren't. The ones that aren't have $1 off 2 peelies (those coupons on the box that say "buy now and save!"). But the peelies were good for the sale cereals, too! So I got Golden Grahams, Cookie Crisps, and Cocoa Puffs for $1.75 ea.
* Pecan Sandies. Normally $4.49 ea. Sale $3.49. Coupon I printed on-line for $1 off. Peelie for $1 off milk, which was on sale for $3.99/gal.
* Kraft Bagelfuls. Reg $4.99, on sale for $2.50 ea. Had a $1 off coupon. And the kid LOVES them!
* Dial Men's Body Wash - reg $8.49, on sale for $3.99, coupon for $1.00 off 2.
* Fusion Razor - Reg $13.99, on sale for $9.99, coupon for $4 off.

Also, Foodland has a great deal on ribs this week. Didn't buy any today, but spare ribs are $1.97 - and here's how to prepare them. Cut into shareable pieces. Throw into a pan (I use those disposable foil ones) and set over an indirect flame on your grill for 2 1/2-3 hrs or until the meat falls off the bone. Remove from grill, dump Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ over them, and return them to the grill over a direct flame for like, 2 min on each side. Oh. My. Goodness.
Also, for the salad-holic in me, Romaine on sale for $1.59.

Eh, I'm tired. Had a few good deals at Safeway. Will blog about them tomorrow.

Barbequuuuuuuuuuuuue!!!!

So the traditional Memorial Day barbeque is clearly the theme this week! Lot's of awesome deals right now, and for a change they are NOT all at Safeway ;)

Before you go, make SURE you check out coupons.com and print, print, print! Lots of high value coupons, especially on Kraft products, many of which are on sale this week!

First, let's go to Star Markets! I've never blogged about Star yet, but there's a few deals here that are the best around:
* 16-20 ct Black Tiger shrimp for $7.99 - AMAZING on the grill, and the best price on the big boys I see this week.
* Corn for $0.29/ear. That's better than $0.33 at Foodland and Times! Not only so, but it's local, and local is good!
* Stella Artois, 12pk for $13.49 - yeah, not the cheapest beer, but come on, it's STELLA!
* California Pizza Kitchen pizzas for $5.99. They HAD been $5.49 at Safeway, but that deal ended yesterday. Print your coupons as I told you and you'll find one for $1 off.
* Russett and red potatoes for $0.99. Foodland's got $0.99 for russetts, but I like reds better myself...nicer for potato salad

And now on to Times:
* Best Foods Mayo for 2/$5, and Sunday's paper had a $0.60 off 2
* Kraft American Singles, 12 oz, $2.59 - print out a coupon for $1 off 2
* Pepsi assorted 2 ltr sodas for $0.89 ea.
* Oscar Meyer Wieners, 16 lb., $0.99 ea.
* Tree Top Apple Juice, 2/$5
* Cool Whip aerosol cans, 2/$5, $1 off 2 coupon available on-line
* Red cherries $2.99
* Avocados, 2/$3
* Van Camps Pork and Beans cans, 2/$0.88

And not to be left out, at Foodland we have:
* Best Foods Mayo for 2/$5, and Sunday's paper had a $0.60 off 2 (yep, same as at Times)
* Best Yet 9 lb sacks of charcoal for $3.99
* Whole watermelon, $0.23/lb
* DiGiorno's pizza's, $5.79, print coupon for $1 off
* Kellogg's cereals for $1.99 ea - coupons were available on-line a few weeks ago for $1 off ea.!
* Oscar Meyer Deli Meats 2/$4 (they don't show what their Kraft Singles are, but there's a printable coupon for $1 off one Deli Meat and 1 pk Kraft Singles)
* Romaine lettuce, $1.49/lb
* Pepsi 12 can cases, 5/$13, or $2.60 ea.

And finally to Safeway:
* Ribeyes, $5.49/lb (best price in town, and their Rancher's Reserve is awesome. And I only eat ribeye, 'cause I'm spoiled....)
* Red cherries $2.99 (same as at Times)
* Bushes Baked beans, 28 oz (the BIG cans) 2/$4
* Kraft Salad dressing, 2/$4, print coupon for $1 off ea.!
* Hebrew National Hot Dogs 50% off (not as cheap as the $0.99 Oscar Meyer Wieners at Times, but darned fine tasting dogs)
* Mangos, $1.25/lb

Now - with shrimp, corn and Stella from Star, cheese, dogs, cherries and whipped cream from Times, charcoal, lettuce, watermelon and soda from Foodland, and steaks, baked beans, salad dressing and mangos from Safeway, you now have NO EXCUSE not to throw the AWESOMEST barbecue in the neighborhood this weekend!

Hope you've been printing and clipping!

So the ball-n-chain sends me out yesterday with a list. Like I don't have enough food in the house already! But he had a few things he just NEEDED and I wanted some fresh produce. Here's the best deals I found:

SAFEWAY
* They've got a promo right now, "buy 5, save $5". Basically, certain items are already on sale, but if you buy 5 or more (mix and match, at the same price point), they're $1 ea. cheaper. On the list I had was "sugary cereal", since my guys are too lazy to add their own. Luckily, Kellogg's cereals qualified for this promo! Cereals that are normally $5.99-$6.19 were on sale for $4. Buy 5, and they're $3 ea. But wait. 2 weeks ago I had printed, at Safeway.com, coupons for $1 off ea for Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, Corn Pops, Frosted Mini Wheats and Frosted Flakes, all of which were on sale. Boo-yah!
* Breyer's 1.5 quart ice cream - normally $7.99 ea,, on sale 2/$7! But wait - I had coupons from the paper 3-4 weeks back for $0.75 off 1. So I got 2 for $5.50, or $10.48 off!
* Fruit-By-The-Foot, my kid loves this stuff. Normally $4.19, on sale for $3, buy 5 and they're $2. I had 2 coupons I'd printed on line for $0.75 off 2, so the tally was $8.50 for $20.95 worth of snacks.
* Catalinas on Pillsbury dough - three different items qualified for a buy 3, get a $3 catalina deal. They were cinnamon rolls, pizza crusts, and french bread loafs, all of which are very tasty ANYWAY. Getting $9 back at the register only made the deal sweeter.

FOODLAND
Chase had put, on his list, some hippy crap, like soy milk, etc. Foodland is often more expensive than Safeway, but they have a better selection, IMHO, of local/organic/healthy/hippy stuff. I was pleasantly surprised when I got there.
* First - oranges were cheaper at Foodland this week than Safeway. Damn me, should have waited and bought them here. They were on the list, but I didn't re-check the circular before leaving the house. Don't make my mistake!
* Romaine lettuce was also cheaper than Safeway, at $1.79/lb (but tomatoes on the vine were better at Safeway - $2.99/lb.)
* Kraft shredded cheese - regularly $5.29 for an 8 oz. bag, they're currently 2/$5. A good thing to stock up on, especially to use to make pizzas with that dough from Safeway!
* Selsun Blue - the anti-dandruf shampoos don't usually come cheap, and I don't really need them, but the husband likes them. Well, they had some, regularly $7.99 ea on close-out for $3.49. I just happened to have coupons for $2 off ea., and $1.49 for a $7.99 bottle of shampoo, while not as good as free, is still a good deal.
* Gillette Sensor 3 4pk razors, regularly $10.49, on sale for $5.99, I had $2 off coupons.
* Organic Valley Eggs - now, you know you pay a premium for the organic, cage-free stuff, but organic eggs really are a little tastier. Normally I don't get them because of the price, but 1/2 dozens, normally $4.99, were on sale for $3.49, and there were coupons in store for $1 off. Don't get the full dozen for $6.99 - get 2 half dozens, so you can use 2 coupons!
* Meadow Gold yogurt. Their stuff is pricy, but if you've ever had the guava flavored one, you'll know why. Anyway, normally they're $1.69 ea., on sale for $0.79 ea. More than 1/2 off. PLUS the Meadow Gold lady was in the house with samples and coupons - some for buy 3, get 1 free. That brings them down to about $0.59 ea., which is more tolerable. And yummy.
* Post Trail Mix cereal - normally $7.99 ea, on sale for $4.59, I had $1 off coupon. Not technically a "sugar cereal", but tasty and healthy.

In summary, some super-cheap deals at Safeway, some real good prices on premium foods at Foodland this week. Gotta go get my paper now. I'll let you know if there's anything exciting in it.

Great Deals This Weekend

Sorry for not blogging; was ill there for a bit. Great deals I saw today at Safeway:

* 2 liter Pepsi products, regularly $1.69, on sale for $0.75. AWESOME deal, but when I got in the store it got sweeter - buy 6, get a 12 pack of cans FREE. That's over $14 worth of soda for $4.50!
* DiGiorno Crispy Flatbread Pizza, normally $10.99, on sale for $5.99. I had a coupon I'd printed last week for $1.25 off, or $4.74!. That coupon is no longer available, but one for $1 is. Click here to get it.
* Special K cereals, regularly $6.99, on sale for $3.49 (btw, Target has the same price this week). I had an internet coupon for $1 off. That coupon is also no longer available, but lots of other cereal ones are, so check them out.
* Duncan Hines cake and brownie mixes, buy 2, get 3 free.

Also, for a special Mother's Day lunch, I found jumbo shrimp and sea scallops for $9.99/lb ea. ($7 and $6 off, respectively). Red bell peppers were $2.99 ($2 off), and portabella mushrooms $3.49/lb (half off). With a nice lemon herb marinade, skewered and grilled, made on heckuva lunch.

Another great deal I did NOT take, because I didn't have all the coupons printed - Crystal Light was $1.49/box if you buy at least five, and there are $1 off coupons available on line. Will go back later.

Walgreens had a few good ones. Will blog some more soon.

Free is good!

Free 2 pc Grilled Chicken meal at KFC! Click here today or tomorrow ONLY to print yours. Offer good until 5/19/09 excluding Mother's Day (because you should PAY to take your mom to lunch on Mother's Day, ya cheap bums!). You'll get 2 pc. grilled chicken, 2 sides of your choice and a biscuit - no other purchase necessary.

Other deals I forgot to mention:
* Mangos 2lb/$1 at Safeway
* 25% off all tequillas at Safeway
* LWFG ends TODAY at Safeway

Sweet Deals

K. Haven't been to the stores yet, but scanning the papers, this is what I see:

WALGREENS
* Oral-B Power Tooth Brush - $5.99, $1 register reward for your next purchase, $3 off coupon = $1.99
* Tide liquid - $6.99, $1 register reward, $0.35 coupon = $5.64
* Right Guard deodorant - $2.99, $2 register reward, $1 off coupon = free
* Colgate Sensitive toothpaste - $4.49, $4.49 register reward = free
* Listerine - 2/$9, buy 2, get $4.50 register reward = $2.25 ea

SAFEWAY
* Buy 2 - 12pk Coke cans, get 2 - 12pks AND a 24pk of Dasani water free
* Glade Candles - store coupon for $1.99 ea., manu coupon for $1 off = $.99
* Avocados for $.99 ea (which is AWESOME, since I signed up to bring the guacamole for the Cinco de Mayo potluck!)
* Lobster tails $9 off = $7.99 ea
* Living Well, Feeling Great promo - buy $30 of indicated merchandise, get $10 catalina

FOODLAND
* Naval oranges - $.49/lb, limit 7lb

DINING OUT
Great coupons for Red Lobster, Cattle Company, McDonald's, Taco Bell and Chuck E. Cheese. Just don't take your mom to the golden arches for Mother's Day, k, ya cheap bastards? Buy her steak or lobster.

And $10 off Teleflora orders, if you're like me and you're kinduva screw-up who forgot about her mom until JUST NOW...

ALSO....
Check out this excellent post from my friend Jill about how it is NOT cheaper to shop at Walmart. Not only does the place suck the life out of communities, IT IS NOT CHEAPER.

Grilled Lamb Chops...Oh. My. Goodness.

Another trick to getting cheap food - check the "reduced for quick sale" areas. At Foodland yesterday I just happened to go in right after they'd put out about 5 carts full of discontinued merchandise.

Let me interject this here. I grew up in a family that ran, among other things, some convenience stores. Mom always brought home the milk that was a day from expiration, and for the following reason - read the labels and there are guarantees that the stuff is good for X amount of days after purchase, the expiration date is just a limit on when a retailer can sell, NOT when you can consume.

Why? Because if you got sick off the stuff you could sue the bejesus out of them, that's why. They are all about CYA, so you're safe.

Anyway, as Foodland last night I had salad on the brain. It's what I wanted for dinner, and had stopped in, in theory, only to buy a head of romaine and some tomatoes. But all the discontinued things were the organic stuff they carry, and when they mark down, it all goes half off (or better). I picked up plenty o' salad dressing, as well as some tortellinis and hummus mix on the cheap. May still be going on - get yours before it's too picked over.

ANYWAY, tonight I grilled. Lamb chops. Which I'd purchased previously and froze (side note - this was on a Wednesday morning I found them, and quite a selection. Maybe that's they day they refresh all the merch?) for half off because they were close to their expiration date. Actually, that day I grabbed 2 packs of 4 ea., plus some ribeyes and pork chops. The key? Put the damned stuff in the friggin' freezer when you get home. Leave it in the fridge, you'll have to toss it soon. Freeze it, you're cool.

Thawed them out 2 days ago and have been marinading in shoyu and Worcestershire sauce since. Grilled over Maui Kiawe charcoal (purchase previously from Foodland on sale) with black pepper and fresh rosemary rubbed in before grilling.

Another cheap tip - go on up to Home Depot and buy live herbs you use frequently. So easy to grow in a window box and so cheap in the long run, not to mention much tastier.

Chops were AMAZING, according to even my ultra-pessimistic and picky husband.

A huge ribeye is now thawing in the fridge....can't wait....

Cheap 'Chokes and Beyond

Was at Safeway on Sunday. Bought my artichokes for $1.99 each. Like, um, 8. What can I say? I love 'chokes, especially when they're cheap! Other deals I got:

* 2 boxes of Safeway pasta free when you buy 2 jars of Classico pasta sauce for $5
* Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn - buy one at $4.19, get one free, plus I had 2 coupons for $.40 off each
* Keebler 100 Calorie snacks - 2 for $5, I had 2 coupons for $.75 off each
* Scott TP (I prefer Charmin myself, but the husband likes this stuff) - 12 pack was $5 off, for $8.99. I had a coupon from on-line for an extra $1 off
* Triscuits - dang, I lost my receipt, think they were 2/$5. I had a $1 off coupon for 2. Incidentally, this coupon was NOT from on-line OR a paper; it was one of those I picked up in the store a few weeks ago. You know how they hang them out sometimes. When you see those, grab some and save them. They are usually manufacturer's coupons, and no, I am NOT above taking them from one store and using them at another that has a better deal.
* Reynold's Recycled Aluminum Wrap - $2.49 ea., on-line coupon for $1 off ea. Bought 2.

So in the end, saved about 60% with club card and coupons AND got a $10 catalina at the register for my next purchase, because every one of those items, except the 'chokes, qualified for the LWFG promo (buy $30, get at $10 coupon).

'Tair has asked me that if the Safeway promo is called "living well, feeling great", does light beer qualify? I checked, and the unfortunate answer is no. Apparently, Safeway thinks that while Sarah Lee Cheesecake Bites are healthy, liquor of any kind is not. But at Foodland, take heart - GOOD beer is on sale - Bitburger 1pt 4pk cans, 2/$9, regularly $7.99 ea. Nearly half off, and that ain't not bad for good beer.

Also, just got my Aloha Diner's Club Card. Really some good deals there. Regularly $21.95; got mine on sale through the bookstore's recent food drive for the Hawaii Food Bank for only $14. Check out the deals here.

FURTHERMORE, I just ordered BOGO gift cards through the country station I listen to (yes, I'm one of those), KHCM. Each Wednesday at 9am they post a new deal. 50% off local entertainment, coming in the form of buy one, get one gift certs. I got $50 worth of gift card for Just Tacos for $25. Click here to get yours.

Get yer paper!

It's 5:49 am. I got my Sunday paper an hour ago. Great coupons for toiletries and dining out. Definately pick it up; some are high dollar. Will go to Safeway at sun-up to pick up a week's worth of cheap artichokes. Will let you know what other deals I find.

Incidentally, was at the mall last night. Only made it to two stores before I got the call to come home and deal with Dave and his little buddy Matthew. Of course, I spent about an hour and a half at one store....Anyway....at Sephora I needed a new Dior mascara, the best damned mascara on the market. Dave had managed SOMEHOW to actually friggin' BREAK mine (can you imagine?!?). Got a free eye shadow primer for having a club card, so that was cool.

The second place I made it to was BCBG. Current deal - buy $300 worth of regularly priced merchandise, save $100. Now, I did have one blouse there that was from the clearance rack, but they paired it with a dress and gave me the discount, anyway. Maybe it's good to hit them later in the evening when they're not thinking straight....

Anyway, got 2 dresses, a shrug and a blouse and saved $200. Good deal but still....ouch. Those of you who can do math understand. Cute though. If you like (and can afford) higher-end spring clothes, check it out....

Tips and Tricks

Okay. I'm going to take a moment to write down certain techniques I've learned for getting great deals on groceries and more. Props to Jill Cataldo, an old friend I knew as Jill Ratzlaff back in the day, and her awesome website for being such a great reference. Her website is pretty specific to the Chicagoland area; this here is my attempt to provide a similar service locally.

1. Coupons should be viewed as money. If you can at all conceivably see yourself ever purchasing that product, CLIP IT. Sure, you may not need Pepto Bismol today, but tomorrow when the market drops another 150 pts you just might, and that $1.50 off may lessen the pain a little.

2. Just because you got the coupon this week doesn't mean use it this week. Look. Grocery and big-box stores have a 12 week cycle of sales, meaning at some point in that 12 weeks each item in the store will be at it's lowest price point. That's when you swoop in with you high value coupon to couple it with the low priced merchandise and get the awesomest possible deal.

3. Bigger is not necessarily better when couponing. The Walmart mentality has conditioned us to think we get a better deal buying in bulk. But it is not usually so. First, studies show that much of bulk purchases are thrown out, spoiled before consumed. But beyond that, consider this - some coupons to not specify a minimum size. Which means you can take, say, a coupon for $1.25 off Dove deodorant, and instead of buying the $2.99, 4 oz version, pick up the 1.4 oz trial size at $1.29. Do the math - $0.04 for 1.4 oz is a better deal than $1.74 for 4 oz.

4. Store coupons can be stacked with manufacturers coupons. An example. Walgreens advertises in their weekly circular that all Garnier shampoo is half off - $2.99. But they've got an in-store coupon for an additional $2 off. Cool! But if you also have a coupon from the paper or internet for $1 off, they'll let you use it - and pay you $0.01 to relieve them of their shampoo.

5. Watch for catalinas - those coupons that print up at the register. They're called catalinas because of the printer that's used to generate them. Some will come up with no advertising. Often when you purchase one brand, say, Boca veggie patties, that'll trigger a catalina for a dollar off Morningstar veggie patties. You can't really know in advance when those will come up. But then there are other times stores will advertise a promotion, and sometimes they're for kinda high-value catalinas. The only two stores I know of locally that do it are Safeway and Walgreens. At Safeway it'll work like this - buy $30 worth of selected merchandise and get a coupon for $10 off your next purchase at check out. Walgreen's calls theirs Register Rewards. Target occasionally gives gift cards.

6. Each week each store will usually have one or two super-awesome deals. When not perishable - STOCK UP SHAMELESSLY.

7. Big chain stores have websites. First, get to know them for the circulars and printable coupons. Secondly, sometimes you can load coupons onto your club card that can be paired with paper coupons.

It's late. I'll blog more when my mind clears. Aloha.

Free Burgers at BK!

In today's KaLeo, on the back page, there are coupons for free Double Stackers, Whoppers, and Croissan'wiches when you purchase a value meal, and one for a $0.99 kid's meal. Talk about a cheap date!

And DON'T throw away you're receipt! On the back BK has a number to call. They'll make you take a short survey and give you a coupon code for ANOTHER free Whopper.

BTW, if you're not on UH campus to pick up a KaLeo, no worries - they usually put the same coupons in all the local papers.

Helpful websites

If you don't already know, there are lots of great websites to visit to get printable coupons, free stuff mailed to your home, etc. Just Tuesday I got a Duncan Hines Warm Delights in the mail. Cool!

Here's a few where you can print your own coupons:
www.redplum.com
www.smartsource.com
www.coupons.com

Now, a few weeks ago I'd been to Foodland and tried to use an internet coupon for some Lucky Charms, which they happened to have on sale for St. Patrick's Day, which cracked me up. But I was informed by the cashier that they don't accept internet coupons. Later, I was checking their website and right there on Foodland's own website was a link to print your own coupons! So I emailed corporate asking who's wrong, your cashiers or the webmaster? The response - they DO take internet coupons. Last time I tried it at Foodland, though, they tried to refuse me until I whipped out my copy of the email. And after the manager read it and said, "Oh yeah, I've heard about you..." they took them. LMK if you want me to forward you a copy of that email so you can get your deals, too.

Safeway has a cool deal you can do with your club card. If you click here and sign up, you can load coupons right on to your club card. The savings will come off automatically at the register. AND you can still use a coupon on top of that. Example: a $5.99 tube of Crest toothpaste was on sale at Safeway for $2.99. Half off is good! But I'd loaded a $1 off coupon on my club card AND had a $1 off coupon I'd found on-line. Ta-dah! $0.99 for $6 worth of toothpaste!

I'll post more handy links as I think of them.

Jeff forced me to!

K. Jeff - the brat who works for me - asked me to start this blog. So here goes. Let's see if we can't advertise the slick deals in Honolulu.

Right now at Safeway they've got their "Living Well, Feeling Great" promo going on. The deal: buy $30 worth of indicated merchandise, get a coupon at the register for $10 off your next purchase of $10 or more. Imagine - $30 of stuff that's already on sale PLUS $10 back at the register! Killer! But there's more. Bear in mind that that $30 is BEFORE you use coupons. So you'll be able to ring that total down some. I'll probably go over the weekend and will blog again to let you know what best deals I see.

Last week, for example, I got the following deal:
* Marzetti's salad dressing. Regular price: $5.39 ea. Sale: Buy one, get one free. Coupons I had: $1.00 each. Since both rang through the register, even though the second is "free", you can still use a coupon on it. The end result? $10.78 worth of salad dressing for $3.39. PLUS it qualified for the $10 off coupon.

Other past deals:
*Intuition razors: Target had them on sale almost half off for $7.69 ea. Buy 2, and get a $5 gift card at the register. I had 2 - $4 off coupons. SO I paid $7.38 AND got $5 back - like paying $2.38 for $30 worth of razors!
* Kellogs cereal and eggs - Foodland had Kellogs cereal for 3/$12. Okay deal. But wait. In their circular they had a store coupon for buy 3, get three free. That's 6/$12. Better deal! But wait. I had coupons I printed from on-line for $1 off 2 boxes of Frosted Flakes. That's only $9 for 6 boxes of cereal. But wait! In the store they had coupons for buy 2 boxes of Kellogs, get up to $2 worth of eggs free. And that week they had eggs for $1.88 for 1.5 dozen. Remember, you can stack store and manufacturers' coupons. End deal? $9 for 6 boxes of cereal and 4.5 dozen eggs (yeah, right, who can eat so many eggs, you ask? But it was the week before Easter....)
* Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner for $2.99ea. at Walgreens. Good deal. But wait. In-store coupon for $2 off. Better deal. But wait. I had $1 off coupons from the Sunday paper. SCORE! FREE SHAMPOO.

Deals this week:
* At Safeway, buy 2 Classico pasta sauces for $5 and get 2 Safeway brand pastas for FREE. Two meals for your family for $5. Awesome!
* Still at Safeway - artichokes, $1.99 ea. These are usually $4.99. One is a whole meal for me. Good deal. Available Sat and Sun only.
* At Target - Herbal Essences shampoo/conditioner for $2.99. Sunday before last had a $2 coupon for the same. $.99 for a $6 bottle of shampoo
* Back at Safeway - they have awesome deli sandwiches. Get one this week with free chips and a 20 oz. soda. If you have the sales circular (ask at customer service if you don't get Midweek), there's a coupon to get the sandwich for $4.49. Let's do some math. $5.99 for the sandwich, $.99 for the chips, $1.49 for the soda.....you just got $8.47 worth of food for almost half the price. Not bad!
* At Foodland - Suave shampoo for $1 ea. A few weeks ago, there was a coupon for $1 off 2 in the Sunday paper, and $0.50 for a bottle of shampoo ain't not bad.

Will go shopping and post new deals soon. In the interim, pick up the Sunday paper and don't let go!