Deals and Freebies Last Week

Quaker Granola Bars-I found a coupon on a store flyer in Sat. newspaper for $3 of purchase of $10 Quaker purchase. The Granola Bars were on sale for $2. This was also on unadvertised sale at Giant for $2 and the manufacture coupon worked. I was glad I didn't have to drive to the other store since I didn't see anything there I liked. I got 5 boxes for $1.40 each. There are always several coupons for this in the inserts but I didn't need to use those this time.

Wet Ones Travel Pack-$.25 at Walmart after $.75 printable coupon. I don't think it is available anymore.

CVS

Adidas Deoderant-This was free after ECB and $1 coupon. I just realized this had a $1 peelie and I could have saved the other coupon. Well this one is good till 06/09 so if, and there usually is, another deal on this I will try to use it. Maybe I am better off as the coupon I used would have expired sooner.
Nivea for Men-Free plus $1 overage after ECB and coupon.
How do you find these deals? Visit my favorite blogs on the left for lists of the best deals weekly.

Free Crystal Light using my last buy 3 Kraft products get a product free coupon from All You magazine. I think these are expired.

In the Mail:
Playtex Tampons Sample
Kashi Cookie-Yummy, I waited all week to take its pic then eat it!

From the company that must not be mentioned:
Dog Food
Coffee Sample

Family Fun Mag Subscription free with Amazon.com gift card from Stamps.com deal.

Coke for $1.50/12 pack at CVS

Check out Bargain Briana's post on how to get really cheap Coke at CVS. If my calculations are correct and this works you can get 4-12 packs of Coke products at $1.50 each! I am totally bumming because I was lazy and didn't enter My Coke Rewards Points and now have none. And I'm all stocked up on Pepsi.

Chinese Recalls

I am passionate about avoiding products made in China. Not just for the fact that American jobs are lost when companies move over seas but also because of the extensive and ever growing list of recalls of products made in China. It's down right scary knowing that these are everyday products that millions of Americans use. Even scarier? There are products for which it is very difficult to tell where the materials or ingredients listed originated, even if the final product was produced or distributed from a location within the states.

Here is a list of items recalled with links to more info. This list is not all inclusive as I am no expert but will serve as my way to warn reader of the dangers of these products. I will update it as I hear of new recalls, unfortunately that will be quite often.

Click here for an extensive list of recalls in 2007.

Latest Chinese Recalls
09/29/08 Cadbury Chocolates-One of the manufacturing plants used to be located just 15 minutes from me. The recall is in Hong Kong, Tawian and Australia as of now. It's nice to know that the company is getting what they deserve in lost sales and trust, regardless of where it is recalled. This just came out today. I wouldn't be suprised if the recall reaches us.

Baby Formula-I have not heard of the melamine tainted baby formula reaching the US but Coffee and Tea Products have.

The tainted milk has even harmed zoo animals.

The milk in the above products has been tainted with Melamine. What the heck is that? Umm...plastic produced by mixing urea with formaldehyde. It is used to make floor tiles, Formica, microwavable dishes, flame retardent fabric, Magic Erasers, oh, and don't forget pet food (tainted wheat) and now baby formula. So why is this plastic in our food? It's an inexpensive means of raising the protein levels of food products so they can pass inspection. Oh, ok then.

That is all I can stomach to write about today. Here's a tip to save money when you can't avoid taking your children shopping with you. Teach them about the poisons and dangers in products made in China and that you prohibit the purchase of it. Since just about everything is Made In China these days, well they are going to be hard pressed to find anything to spend your hard earned money.

As the first post on the topic, the list is very, very short. If you know of a recall I've missed please leave a comment. Thanks.

Free Bakin' Miracle or Fryin' Magic

I found this today and don't see any reason why this won't work to score a free product, other than the fact that I have never heard of this brand. On the other hand I don't often shop for this type of product either. My plan is to use a UPC symbol from a Shake N' Bake product already in my cabinet for umteen years. That is the only way this could be a good deal is if you already have it around or you get it cheap.

All you have to do to receive one coupon good for one FREE 16 oz. box of Bakin' Miracle or Fryin' Magic is enclose:

One UPC symbol from any size Shake 'n Bake®* or Oven Fry®* A 3" x 5" card with your Name, Address, City, State, Zip, and Phone in an envelope and mail to:

Little Crow FoodsFree Product Offer
P.O. Box 1038
Warsaw, IN 46581-1038

Limit one request per family, household, group, or organization.
Please allow 6 weeks for delivery. Offer void where prohibited or taxed.

Shake 'n Bake and Oven Fry are registered trademarks of General Foods

I also see no expiration date on this deal.

Last Week

My freebies from last week include:

Walgreens

Brita pitcher filter

Crest

Colgate (I messed up here and think I paid $1 for this)

Pert Plus

Glade Candle

Revlon Nail Color

Walmart

DH Cake Mix maybe

JJ Bath Buddy Soap

Target

Tylenol

Rite-Aid

L'Oreal Facial Cleansing Cloths

CVS

Just For Men made $4. $2 ECB, $2 printable coupon, and mail in rebate

Excedrin

In the mail

2 cascade action pacs (carried me two days till I got to the store :-)

Magic Eraser

"a monthly gift" I wish they would send me tampons monthly, wouldn't that be nice.

Ok, so these are my freebies. I am sad to say that I still haven't been able to get really good grocery deals and I don't know why. There are people out there paying nothing for pasta and tuna. I want to pay nothing for pasta and tuna! I can not live on free toothpaste and shampoo alone.

Shoot, I Goofed Again

Update: I received my rebate check and fast too! Only 10 days.

I have been keeping and posting a Free After Rebate list which I thought would come in handy for anyone looking to see many rebate offers in one spot. I try to keep these to simple "try me free" offers. There are alot of "money back gaurentee" rebates out there which means if you are not satified with the products you may get a refund. I won't generally list these rebates because I don't plan on buying something I wouldn't normally buy hoping I won't like it so I can get my money back.

The reason for this post is to bring to your attention that the Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake Rebate Form that I listed is a money back if not satisfied offer and I would not feel right about sending for the rebate if there was truly nothing wrong with the product.

I am going to send for the rebate however because I am dissatisfied with the fact that I went through the trouble of printing the form and buying a product I wouldn't normally have bought only to fill out the form and realize this is not a try me free offer which is the impression I got.

This is how I am filling out the form:
Reason I am dissatified: Other: Please Explain
"Rebate form doesn't state clearly, at the top of the form, that this is a money back gaurentee. I thought it was a try me free rebate which is the impression the form initially gives. I would have used my coupon on a less expensive product if this rebate was clearer."

Well it's worth a try. I seriously would have used the coupon on a different type and paid no more than $.12 for the cake. If I don't receive the rebate I will consider returning it (big pain) on principal. Any thoughts?

Now that won't work either. I can't return it to the store with the UPC cut out. Ok, if you've found yourself in this situation, wait 8 weeks to see if I get a refund. If not, return yours to the store. The rebate is good till Jan. I will keep you posted.

Giveaways

Here is a giveaway you will want to get in on. The Thrifty Mama is giving away a two year subscription to All You magazine. If you aren't familiar with this great resource for coupons and real world tips head on over to The Thrifty Mama and then find out how to received multiple entrys to win!

Got My Couponizer!

Since I wasn't able to win one, I took some B-day money and got a Couponizer. I have finished filling it with all my clipped coupons and I can see how much easier this is going to be for me already.




Initially I used the no clip system I learned from couponmom.com and will continue that to some extent. But with the Couponizer I can clip the coupons for products I will most likely buy, as well as high value coupons and coupons for items that are almost always free (ex. toothpaste). I also have a lot of coupons which came in the mail or with products or from catalinas, blinkies, internet, etc. I had no good way to organize these, didn't remember I had them or couldn't find them if I knew I had them.

Now they are all in catagorized pockets so if I am looking for a deodorant coupon I can pick up my compact couponizer, go to the Personal Hygiene pocket and search through a small stack of similar coupons.

There are also pockets for entertainment, restaurants, service and rebates so everything has it's own place and isn't scattered about.

I also received "The Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom" free, a value of $17.99, and you can too! Don't forget to use the code "STARTNOW" for 10% off your order. Click the banner above and start organizing and saving EVEN more!

Me On Nuts, Rite-Aid is Nuts, Walgreens Even Nuttier and Pepsi Pricing

I love nuts so I buy them a lot. Before I started all this frugality, I just bought nuts regardless of the price because I figured I'm going to buy them anyway so why pay attention to the price. I used to have this attitude toward gas too (yes, I'm a little ashamed of myself).

Last week Planters Nuts went on roll-back at Walmart for $3 (smaller cans, which make them cheaper per oz then the larger size) making them .32/oz for Cashews and .26/oz for mixed nuts. I thought that was pretty cheap and bought four cans. I would eventually like to stock up because we do eat at least 2 cans a weeks. So four cans was not a lot but I was afraid that there would be a cheaper sale elsewhere.

Well they did go on sale at Rite-Aid for $3.88 for the larger size, bringing the price to .22/oz for Cashew halves and mixed nuts (about .39/oz on whole cashews and deluxe mixed nuts). The problem is they, of course were sold out (or did they ever stock the shelves to begin with, sometimes I wonder).

The nutty part of Rite-Aid's nut sale was how they try to pawn off the store brand nuts at $3.99 making whole Cashews .41/oz and premium nuts .47/oz. The ad says "Compare to Planters". Why? So you can see that Planter's, the better, less buggy name brand is actually cheaper than the store brand?

Ok, I thought that was bad but then I saw Walgreens Planters sale B1G1 at $6.99 a can! Are you nuts, Walgreens? It's not just about being cheap or even being frugal. Comparing prices is smart to avoid being ripped off big time.

Take the Pepsi 12 packs on sale at Rite-Aid. 3/$11 or $3.67/ea. Ha! Next week at CVS you can get Pepsi at $2.25 per 12 pack wyb 4 (after ECB) plus a free 2 liter Sierra. See frugalsuz for details. But don't buy Pepsi at CVS this week at 3/$11. I love how they say "Limit 6" like this is an excellent deal.



What are your thoughts on all this shifty advertising?

Some Things I Did Not Know About CVS

A while back I read a post containing shopping tips that mentioned two tips that go hand in hand. 1. shop on the same day of the week and 2. get to know an employee who can share sales info with you. I searched for this post and unfortunetly I am having a hard time finding it. I can say that I read it on one of the blogs in my list to the left. (if you happened to have written the post I am refering to please send a link, it was great)

I never really liked shopping on Saturdays because the new sales pricing was going up and the old ones were coming down and I would be afraid to buy something that was on sale but didn't have the sales pricing on the shelf or buy something going on sale but maybe the computers weren't updated yet.

One Saturday I did go to CVS and mentioned my concern to the employee putting up new tags. She explained that yes, the outgoing sale was still valid, even if they already took the tag down, due to time constrainted. Of course this is pretty obvious. But what she told me next I had no idea.

She explained that because the new flyer comes out Saturday, the two weeks overlap that day making Saturday the best day to shop. In the perfect world you could do 2 weeks of CVS shopping in one, not that you would ever find all the products in one trip, but still good to know. This also explains why sometimes items are sold out even by Sunday afternoon.

The employee was eager to share with me details about how you can use sales, ECBs and coupons to get cheap and free prices. It was funny, the two of us kneeling in the aisle flipping through the flyers. I took advantage of the situation and ask several questions to help clarify CVS shopping for me. I also made sure to take note of and actually remember her name.

One other tid-bit of info regarding the overlapping sales is this:
ECBs shown in the monthly flyer are good both weeks but if the ECB deal is shown only in the weekly sales flyer you will have to wait until the sale officially starts on Sunday to take advantage of that. As an example I will use this list of best deals posted by frugalsuz:

CVS

Nivea for Men Bodywash $4.99, use $1 coupon (7/20 SS) and get back $4.99 ECB (Limit 1) = $1 overage

This Nivea deal is in the Sept. extra value book, so look for it on Saturday.

The rest on this list are not in the extra value book so you'll have to wait until Sunday

(not the best example of why shopping Saturday is better, but it gives you idea. Maybe by Saturday the shelves will be restocked!)
Sunday & Monday only: L'Oreal Advanced Revitalist anti wrinkle serum $11.99, use $3 coupon (7/20 SS) and get back $11.99 ECB (Limit 1) = $3 profit
Crest Pro Health $2.99, get back $2 ECB (Limit 2) and use $1 coupon (8/31 P&G) = FREE
South Beach and Kashi Bars two for $5 (buy two of each), use two $2 South Beach coupons and two $2 Kashi coupons plus a $2 off $10 coupon = FREE
Adidas deodorant $4.99, use $1 coupon (7/27 or 9/7 RP) and get back $4 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
Pepsi 12 pack four for $12 and get back $3 ECB (WYB 4), use Sierra Mist Q (free bottle WYB 3 profitcases of Pepsi)

Free Money CVS Advisory Panel Survey

If you signed up for the CVS Advisory Panel, check your email because there is a survey being conducted this Sunday. If you get both the CVS and Walgreens flyers in your Sunday paper, you will be asked to compare them and complete a survey in exchange for $10 ECBs! You know your going to be comparing them anyway! You have to take a pre-survey (by today, I think) to see if you qualify.

If you don't get these flyers together in the Sunday paper, take the pre-survey anyway and you will get $2 ECBs for less then 5 minutes of your time.

Free Money With Thank You Points

If you are going to be making a larger purchase, here's a way to make the most of your buying power.

Consider applying for a Citi Card with Thank You points. You can get 10,000 Thank You points with a $300 purchase. You can then cash the Thank You points in for a $100 gift card to places like JCPenney or Panera. See a list here. You can also choose cash or product rewards but I think the gift cards give you the best value for your points.

Check out little know benefits of using credit cards here.

Bank of America Gave Me $220

I received $220 from Bank of America last month for this deal. I thought the envelopes were junk mail and set them aside to open and be sure it was actually junk at another time. I thought the money would be directly deposited into my account. Oops!


But I got the money and yeah! I got $50 each for opening a business checking and credit card account, $20 for a business savings and $100 for referals.

You can also earn rewards for opening personal accounts if you don't have a business. See your branch for info and make sure your favorite teller gets credit for refering you!

Fuel Cost Per Mile Summary

I posted earlier about my MPG and have figured out my cost of fuel per mile as well. With Hess gas my cost was $.1286 per mile. Sheetz gas was $.1356 per mile. Sheetz was $.02 less per gallon and my mileage with Sheetz was 1.553 MPG less than with Hess. I beleive Hess to be a higher quality gas than Sheetz so it appears that you do get better mileage with better gas. It also appears that even if you spend more on better gas, it is actually cheaper.

Here is the formula I used:
MPG X Gallons Purchased=Total Miles Driven
Total Cost/TMD=Fuel Cost Per Mile

Example: On 09/04 I purchased gas at Sheetz. My MPG since my last fill up at Hess was 27.66. I multiplied 27.66 by the volume (11.9 gallons) I purchased at Hess the week prior which comes to 329 Total Miles Driven.

The cost of the gas at Hess was $42.33 which I divided by 329 for a Fuel Cost Per Mile of $.1286.

If anyone sees any flaws in this formula let me know because my mind was kind of boggled by this but I think it's right. Also, I created an Excel spreadsheet so all I have to do is plug in the numbers next time.

Let me know if you find this information interesting and useful.

Mileage

While I'm happy gas has come down a bit, I didn't do so hot in the mileage and price paid dept. this week and I'm not happy about that.

First of all, I went out Friday for some groceries and gas. On the way to the store I noticed gas at Sunoco and Turkey Hill, across the street was $3.49/gal. I didn't feel like stopping until after the store. At some point I heard a report on the radio that because of Ike prices were bound to go up. I sighed and switched stations.

When I returned to Sunoco I started pumping only to realize that the price went up 10cents in less than 1 hour! I looked across the street to see a packed Turkey Hill and $3.49 gas. What the...? Not only did I spend more money but I also felt like an idiot all by myself at Sunoco.

So this morning I figured out my mileage and got 26.09MPG down from 27.66 MPG. Why the difference? Well, I had to go to work a few days and while I didn't have a particular time to be there, I was running fairly late as usual. Not to mention I have to be back for the bus at a certain time too. So I didn't take it as easy as I would have liked. I'm not talking about speeding. I just like to, when possible, coast to stop signs or turns and down mountains. This saves gas and brakes. I know I need to prepare for my days and allow myself a few extra minutes. Just one of the habits I need to work on.

One other reason for the lower mileage could very possibly be the Sheetz gas I put in last time. I generally try to buy Sunoco gas, but if Giant or Sheetz is cheaper or I'm in a certain part of town, I fill up when and where I can.

I will figure out the price per mile as well to see if using cheaper gas is actually cheaper and post a summary of my MPG and fuel cost per mile. I've called it fuel cost per mile because it will not include all the other costs of operating a vehicle such as wear and tear and insurance. I had read a few years back that the average cost per mile was $.50. Ouch! That was an eye opener then, and I don't even want to know want it is today.

Kiss My Face Giveaway Ends Today!

I don't know how I missed this giveaway for Children's Kiss My Face Products. With DD any kids bath and body products are appreciated. Get over to Stretching a Buck now for your chance to win!

Give-A-Way

Had to end this early as I was getting phone calls from lawyers.

Guess this particular company doesn't want/need any extra promotion.

I promise to never in any way, shape or form mention this company again. Promise.

Freebies and Deals, Stamps.com and Price List

Walmart
Free Purina 3.5 lb Cat Food with coupon here.

Free Centrum after rebate plus used a $3 off coupon so purchasing this at $9.99 gives a $3 overage. Rebate form and coupon in last weeks inserts.

CVS
Loreal Facial Cleansing Cloths Free
2 bags Chex Mix $.99 each. Used 2 coupons for $1.oo off.
2 Packs Extra Care Gum on sale for 2/$2. Used 2 $.75 coupons from last couple All You issues and paid $.25 each.
Hawaiian Tropic Flip Flops were $5.99 at 90% off came to $.59!

In the mail received 2 pads and 2 tampons and a Schick electric razor.

I called Stamps.com to cancel my subscription, after I printed all my excess postage onto envelopes so not to miss out. I wish I had called sooner because I paid for 3 months at $17.99! With this promo I got a $25 Amazon card and $25 in postage. I've learned my lesson and will following moneysavingmethods.com footsteps and keep everything I sign up for organized. She also recommends entering the date to cancel in Outlook with a reminder and writing a reminder in your planner. So they waived this months fee, gave me $10 in postage, sent more stamps and told me the date I would need to call by to cancel.

At Giant I got a free bag of Green Giant Corn in a steamer bag with sale and coupon. I don't usually buy the steamer bags because 1. they are more expensive and 2. I don't think it is healthy to microwave food in plastic. So when I do get a deal on steamers I still use a glass bowl.

Cambells and Tomato Soup on sale for $.66 a can and used a $1/10 from recent insert to make it $.56 a can. It may be cheaper at times, I am not sure but I have gotten a good start on my price list so in the future I can take advantage of the best deals.

Make Money from a Previous SCR Deal

Turns out this is only good if you purchase a bottle that has a peelie.

*Charles Worthington Results, Dream, or Big hair care product
Go to Hooray for Rebates for instructions. Expires 12/31/08

Here is my plan: I remembered that this was a Free after SCR at Rite-Aid a while back. I went to the SCR site and saw it was an August deal. I clicked on it and narrowed the date down to 08/03 to 08/05 and was quickly able to locate my reciept. So not only was it free after SCR but I should be able to make $4.99 if this works.

Hannah Montana You Make Me Look Bad

Yeah my kid is a freak for Hannah Montana. This didn't happen until she went to a party of another Hannah Montana freak, but hey, I can't keep her in a bubble all her life right? I don't mind my daughter's infactuation with Hannah (as long as she doesn't turn into a Brittney) but I have a problem with spending money on products that make Hannah Montana and others richer then they already are and leaves me, well, with less money. And have you notices these products are everywhere! I thought celebrities just signed on to sell with one company like, Walmart, or KMart, or JCPenney but not anymore.

I bought a HM back pack at Walmart and in as few words as possible, describe the purchase as follows:
Backpack, needed.
Walmart, bad.
One zipper pull, bad.
Hannah Montana, good.
$10, good.

I bought a HM T-Shirt at JCP for $10, free with coupon. Good.

But Hannah Montana fruit snacks at the grocery store? Please. First, those fruit snacks are junk. Second, I have no coupon and ther is no sale. This is what I say to my DD. "Don't you think Hannah Montana has enough money?" God knows half her songs are about how great it is to be a rich celebrity. What is up with that? Plus, "Wouldn't you rather keep our money instead of giving it to Hannah Montana who has enough already?" My DD sometimes whines that "so and so has more webkinz" then she does. "So what, you have more this or that" or "went here or there" so don't worry about it!

It would be so nice if she could aspire to catch up to Hannah Montana in the money department.

Does this make me a bad mommy?

Mileage

I have been wanting to write about my mileage here and see what I can do to improve it and keep tabs on what I've done to make it worse so I can avoid it next time. I have figured that for the period of 08/22 to 09/04, I have gotten a whopping 27.66 MPG. Not too shabby, but I think I can do better. Now that I'm on track, here are a list of things I know I can do to make my mileage better or at least not make it worse:

I will check that my tires aren't low every time I drive the car.

I'm sure it could use a new air filter, after 160,000 miles, I'm not sure I ever changed this, oops.

I'll do the speed limit and coast when I can. This is a bonus because I will save my brakes too. No jack-rabbit starts either.

This tank was Hess gas. I wonder how it compares to Sunoco, Giant or Sheetz? I'll let you know.

I know there are other thing I can do but can't think of them right now. Do you know of anything I can try?

Freebies and Deals, A Rant and Tomatoes

Here's how I did this week.

Freebies in the mail:

Roll of toilet paper

Pack of Stride Gum

Coupon for free box of Cheerios

CVS Freebies

Dawn Dish Soap

Colgate Toothpaste

Rite-Aid Freebies

Pantene Conditioner $4.99 ($2 off coupon from 8/31)

Pantene Hair Spray $3.50 (free with Pantene Conditioner-coupon from 8/31 insert)

Crest Toothpaste $2.49 ($1 off leaves $.25 overage)

Rite-Aid Deals

The following, along with the Pantene Products and Crest above will go toward September SCR #75

1 Tampax Pearls $6.99 (use $1 off coupon)

3 Crest Pro-Health Rinse at $4.99ea. (SCR #602-$10 back on 3) I used $1 off coupon for one of these.

Warning-Rant Ahead-I also had a coupon for $2 off 2 Crest toothpaste products from a Giant mailing. It was a manufacture coupon and I thought I might have to argue that, while these rinses are not "Crest toothpastes" they are "Crest toothpaste products". Crest has always been a toothpaste so the rinses should be a Crest toothpaste product. Am I right? Anyway, I didn't get that far because the cashier said they can't accept it because it was for Giant. I pointed out that it was a manufacture coupon but no go. Rite-Aid has also denied my internet coupons (though I still try since some cashiers forget, don't know, whatever). Other stores don't have a problem with these coupons, so why Rite-Aid? My guess would be that they just don't get how to properly submit coupons in the first place and it has nothing to do with the internet or the fact that the MQ happens to have another store name on it. End Rant.

These items get me to $32.94 and a $10 gift card for offer #75.
And the grand total for those items is $.29 overage. Not bad. I think I'm getting the hang of this. Thank you frugalsuz. Her post was a huge help for getting these things my family needs for free!

Also shown are a Glade plug-in I got free at Walmart after a coupon for $4/off and a coupon for a free Crest toothpaste product.

In the background are tomatoes my husband and I canned last night. For the time and effort involved I wondered if it was worth it. Well, we'll have the satisfaction of eating our own 100% organic tomatoes for a little while longer and the time spent together didn't kill us. When I asked DH to help me with this task, he said, he works all day and was so hoping to come home to full jars lined up on the counter. I must have said "I can't believe you expected me to do this all by myself" about 20 during the whole process.

Coupon Organizer

If your coupon stash looks anything like mine, get over to Mom's Need To Know for a chance to win a Couponizer. I am so frustrated with not being able to find the coupons I need or know which ones I have. I haven't been able to find a decent place to keep my coupons so if I don't win one I am going to buy one.