BIG Albertson's Doubler Trip

I ended up with 5 sets of Albertson's Twice the Value coupons this week (thanks, Kelly!) so I made two trips to use them all. I am stocked on summer beverages!

Item	Regular Price	Sale Price	Coupon	I Paid
(8) 12 packs of Diet Coke	$5.49	4/$10	$1/1 Doubler	$2.25/each
(17) Gatorade	$1.89	$1.00		$1.00/each**
(3) Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce	$2.99	$1.29	$1/3 Doubler	$0.62/each**
White Wine Vinegar	$3.79	$3.39	$0.55/1 Doubler	$2.29
(3) KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce	$2.69	$2.00	(3) $1/1 (3) Doublers	FREE
(3) 8 packs of Fruitables	$3.79	$2.79	(3) $1/1 (3) Doublers	$0.79/each
(2) 6 packs of Snapple	$7.49	$4.99	(2) $1/1 (2) Doublers	$2.99
(3) International Delights Creamer	$2.49	$2.19	FREE coupon (2) $0.55/1 (2) Doublers	$0.73/each
(2) Snyders Pretzel Bits	$3.49	$3.00	(2) $1/1 (2) Doublers	$1.00/each
24 pack Albertsons Water	$4.00	FREE when you buy 2 Synders		FREE

-          (2) $5 off instant savings **

-          $3/$30 Albertson coupon (home mailer)

-          (2) Snapple Rebates ($4.99/each)

= $28.71

Saved 78%

For more information on the Snapple Rebate, check out this post from Coupon Connections. This is a new rebate from the one earlier this year, so if you requested that one you can also request this one.

My check took a while to process from the first one. I e-mailed them after about 3 months and (lo and behold), my check was scheduled to be mailed the next day. If you haven't received your rebate, you can contact Snapple at snapplerebate@fulfillplus.com or call 1-866-309-6256.

Did you use your Albertsons Twice the Value coupons this week? How did you do?

Rare $1/1 Diet Coke Coupon

I have a serious weakness for Diet Coke. And by weakness....I mean addiction.

To celebrate reaching 1 million Facebook fans, Diet Coke is offering a printable $1/1 Diet Coke (16oz or 20oz). Head over now and print yours before they are gone.

While you are there, make sure to "Like" Coupon Newbie Blog as well!

*HOT* 5 FREE Cards on TinyPrints

Head to TinyPrints NOW, create 5 cards, and use the code OKL5CARDSFREE to get them all delivered to you for FREE. You can make Father's Days cards, birthday cards, graduation cards, etc. This is a great deal. I love sending these personalized cards to loved ones. I've seen them offer 3 free cards before, but never 5 so I would act fast. Click here to get started.

Thanks Organic Deals & Coupons!

Seattle Starbucks Deal (Today Only)

Stop by a participating Starbucks today (5/27) at 3pm and pick up a FREE pass to the Seattle Aquarium. This is part of the We Love You Friday promotion to reward Starbucks hometown fans. Tickets are limited and they will go fast.

Plus, participating Starbucks inside Safeway stores are selling Grande Frappuccinos for $2 after 2pm when you use your Safeway club card (5/27-5/30).

I checked and my local Safeway is participating in both promotions! I plan on stopping by right at 3pm to get a grande Frappuccino and an aquarium pass for $2!

While you at Safeway, you might want to check out the todays' daily deal.

Strawberries (3lb) on sale $3.77 (limit 2)
Angel Food Cake on sale $1.49

That's a lot of deals in one place!

Yet Another Daily Deal Site!

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I love daily deal sites. And I love receiving credit when I sign up for a new site!

Sign up for 8moms.com, a new daily deal site from Parenting magazine. Use the promotion code PARENTING8 when you register and you will receive an $8 credit.

You can use your code today to get a $15 voucher to Letter Learning for FREE. These look really cute. They are greeting cards designed to help your kids hand write notes to loved ones.

Or save your credit for another deal. But sign up now to make sure you get this credit.

Thanks Thrify and Thriving for this deal!

$5 for $10 to BabiesRUs.com or ToysRUs.com

Bitsy Bug is offering a $10 voucher to use on BabiesRUs.com or ToysRUs.com for just $5. Go here to sign up for Bitsy Bug and get this deal. Quantities are limited to so head over there now if you are interested in this deal.

The Fine Print:

Never Expires

Limit 1 voucher per household

Can be redeemed at babiesrus.com or toysrus.com

Not redeemable for cash, except as required by law

You cannot use customer credit on this Bitsy Special

Birthday Freebies

I came across an article in Family Circle this month called 30 Birthday Freebies. My birthday is coming up in July and obviously I love a Freebie.

Here are some of my favorite birthday freebies. Most of these freebies require online registration, so sign up now to receive your freebies on your birthday. Click on the links below or click here to view the full article for more freebies and links.

Starbucks: FREE beverage for Starbucks card holders

Red Robin: FREE Burger

DSW: $5 certificate for members

Join Aveda's Birthday Program today and get a free, full-size product on your birthday!: Present valued at up to $24 for members

Ulta: Free eyebrow waxing at the Benefit Brow Bar.

The Stockpile Chef

Welcome to the first installment in what I hope will become a regular feature on the blog, "The Stockpile Chef". I will be sharing recipes that mainly use ingredients that I have in my stockpile (and hopefully you do too).

As much as I try and meal plan, some weeks it just doesn't happen. But with a well stocked pantry and freezer and usually a quick trip to the produce stand, I can generally come up with a pretty good variety of meals. We always have chicken breast (either from Costco or Zaycon Foods) and beef (ground and other cuts). We have been buying our beef from Baron Farms. It is more expensive, but it is worth the extra expense for us.

Obviously, I can't stockpile fresh fruits and vegetables but I always buy a basic ingredients that I know we will use (salad fixings, onions, garlic, apples, bananas, etc). Then I add in whatever is in season and build my menu around those items.

On to the recipe...Swiss Steak Quick and Easy. The only thing I had to purchase for this recipe was the mushrooms.

Photo and Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Swiss Steak Quick and Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 pounds cube steaks, pounded thin and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (1.2 ounce) package brown gravy mix
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles

Directions

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Dredge steak strips in flour. Working in batches, place strips in hot oil. Fry until browned on both sides. Remove to a warm platter. When all meat is browned, return meat to Dutch oven, and stir in onions, mushrooms, salt, pepper, gravy mix, and stewed tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 30 to 45 minutes.
2. About 20 minutes before steak is finished, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
3. Serve Swiss steak over noodles.

Rite-Aid Coupon Policy Changes

Rite-Aid has updated their coupon policy. You can find the new policy here. As always, I recommend printing a copy if you are a regular Rite-Aid shopper.

Here are the major changes:

* You can no longer use a BOGO coupon in conjunction with a BOGO sale.

* You can use one $ off coupon in conjunction with a BOGO sale.

* You can use a BOGO coupon and a $ off coupon when purchasing two items.

* You can use 4 like coupons per transaction.

Let me give you a couple examples (completely made up). Assume you are purchasing two products in each scenario.

Pantene Shampoo and/or Conditioner (reg price $4.99) On Sale BOGO

- Buy one Pantene Shampoo, Get a Pantene Conditioner free (BOGO coupon)

= NO

Pantene Shampoo and/or Conditioner (reg price $4.99) On Sale BOGO

- (2) $2/1 Pantene coupons

= NO

Pantene Shampoo and/or Conditioner (reg price $4.99) On Sale BOGO

- (1) $2/1 Pantene coupon

= YES

Pantene Shampoo and/or Conditioner (reg price $4.99)

- (1) $2/1 Pantene coupon

- Buy one Pantene Shampoo, Get a Pantene Conditioner free (BOGO coupon)

= YES 

Questions?



Fred Meyer Finds

Here are a couple great deals that I found at Fred Meyer today.

Topsy-Turve Tomato Planter (reg $12.99) On sale $7.99

Turf King Potting Soil (reg $4.99) FREE when you buy Topsy-Turvey (with in-store coupon)

= $7.99 for both!

I've heard good things about this tomato planter and can't wait to try my black thumb at it. I'll get some tomato starts at the farmer's market this week. Anyone tried these? Have any advice? 

Thanks to Frugal Chic Living for the tip on this deal.



Banana Boat Sunscreen (reg. $9.99) On sale $8.99

- $4/1 off in-store manufacturer's coupon

Spend $25 on participating products get a $10 catalina

3 sunscreen = $26.97

- (3) $4/1 coupon

Receive $10 catalina

= $1.65/each!

Foster Farms Ground Chicken Breast (reg. $4.59)

On Clearance $2.29

- $1/1 Foster Farms Chicken Breast Product

= $1.29/each!

If your store doesn't have the clearance packs, you should still be able to find these on sale for $2.99 each. With the coupon you will only pay $1.99. Thanks Coupon Connections!



Albertson's Doubler Deal Ideas

We will be getting 3 Albertson's Twice the Value coupons (aka doublers) in tomorrows' paper. You can use these coupons to double the value of any manufacturers' coupon up to $1.00. You can use 3 doublers per transaction and do up to 3 transactions in a row. The doublers are valid Sunday-Tuesday.

Here's are my top 5 favorite deals. Check out Happy Money Saver and Coupon Connections for more deals.

Emerald Breakfast on the Go bars $1.99

$1/1 printable coupon

or
$1/1 from 5/1 RP insert

+ doubler
= FREE

 

Luna Bars $1.00

$.50/1 from 5/1 insert (regional)

+ doubler
= FREE

 

Kraft Salad Dressing $1.50$1/2 Kraft Dressing (5/15/2011 RP Insert)
+ doubler
= $0.50/each wyb 2

Duncan Hines Family Style Brownie Mix $1.00

$.50/1 from 4/10 SS

+ doubler
= FREE

 

Lawry’s Marinade $1.00

$.50/1 Lawry’s Marinade (5/15/2011 RP Insert)

+ doubler

= FREE

 

Out of doublers? You can still score FREE pasta!

 

Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta $1.00

$1/1 from 5/15 SS
= FREE

 

How To Make a "Good" Deal a "Great" Deal

I took advantage of two good deals this week that I was able to turn into great deals with coupon “strategery”. These are great examples of how a little coupon knowledge can go a long way.

I love all things coconut so I have been dying to try this Coconut Body Scrub. Regular price is around $5. I have seen it for around $3, but even that seemed a little high. So when I saw it at Walgreen’s this week for $1 (after Register Reward), I decided to get it. But then I read this post on Coupon Connections about a big moneymaker on Gillette products and decided to combine those deals to get my body scrub for FREE. I didn’t have all the coupons needed for the scenario Amber gave on Coupon Connections, but I put together a deal that worked for me.

Good Deal:

Coconut Body Scrub 2/$6
Receive $4 RR when you buy 2
Final Price = $1/each

Great Deal:

(3) Gillette Body Wash (unadvertised B1G1 50 % off. $3 RR when you buy 3)
(2) Gillette Deodorant (B1G1 50% off)
(2) Coconut Body Scrub (2/$6)
- (3) $2/1 Gillette Body Wash (5/15 RedPlum insert)
- (2) FREE Gillette Deodorant when you buy Gillette Body Wash (5/1 P&G)
= $5.85
Received $3 RR on Gillette
Received $4 RR on Coconut Body Scrub
= $1.15 Profit

My stockpile of canned beans was really low (one can of black beans!), so I had been watching for a good deal. I am a bit of a bean snob and prefer either S&W or Bush's. I can get S&W at Costco for $0.68/can which is a decent price. But Top Foods had a sale this week on Bush's beans that I took advantage of.

Good Deal:

Bush's Canned Beans
15/$10 or $0.66/can

Great Deal:

Bush's Canned Beans (15/$10)
Bought 38 cans
= $25.33
- $5 off $25 purchase from the Chinook Book
= $20.33 or $0.54/can

For me, that is a great stock up price. I was able to get black, pinto, garbanzo, white, and cannelli beans. Sure 38 cans is a lot of beans, but most of them don't expire until 2014 so I know we will use them. And now I don't have to think about beans for a while.

Coupon Newbie Blog Now on Facebook!

I finally have a fan page on Facebook set up for the blog! It's still very much a work in progress, but head over and "Like" the page now so you don't miss any upcoming deals. I hope to use the Facebook page to tell you about quick deals that don't require a full blog post, post blog updates, and answer any questions that you have.

Click here to "Like" Coupon Newbie Blog on Facebook.

Couponing Discoveries

This recent post by the Krazy Coupon Lady inspired me to share some of my favorite coupon discoveries. These are all items I tried because they were free or very cheap and ended up loving.

Finish dishwasher tablets. Much less messy than liquid detergent and I don't have to worry about little hands getting in the detergent when my son is "helping" me load the dishwasher.

John Friend Luxurious Volume Shampoo and Conditioner. I have stick straight, uber-thin hair. I love how this shampoo and conditioner makes my hair feel. I can "feel" the volume.

La Croix Sparkling Water. Love the grapefruit flavor. Very refreshing.

Got 2B Smooth Operator Smoothing Hairspray. I rarely have time to dry my hair in the morning, but a quick spray of this hairspray ensures that I don't get flyaways as my hair drys.

Better Oats. My favorite flavor is the Abundance Maple and Brown Sugar. Love the flax seeds and dried cranberries. I eat this every morning.

Seventh Generation Multi Surface Cleaner. I love the smell of this spray. It makes me want to clean my kitchen counters...which is saying a lot!

Have you discovered any new products recently?

Repost: How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I posted this last week, but it appears to have been deleted during all the issues Blogger was having. I apologize if you have already read this one.

I've shared before that part of what makes couponing such a good hobby for me is my obsessive love of organization. After 4 months of couponing, I realized that my current system wasn't working for me anymore. You can see my post here about how I was organizing my coupons. I liked this system for how easy it is to maintain. But I was frustrated when I would get to the store and find a great sale or clearance on an item I didn't pre-clip the coupon for.

So I decided to change my system so I can have all my coupons with me when I shop. And I knew the 7 hour car ride to our vacation destination would be a great chance to clip all my coupons. After I had all my coupons clipped, I sorted them into categories.

Choose categories that make sense to you. You can organize by product type, product name, or insert date. I chose to organize by product type and chose categories that I would remember. Someone might wonder why I file canned fruit under "Produce" and not "Canned Goods" or why dishwasher detergent goes under "Household" and not "Cleaning Supplies". But it works for me and I know where to find everything.

I got this box at Target for $4.99 and the cute flags for $3.49. You could do this without the cute flags but what fun would that be. The envelopes were 5x7 leftovers from our wedding invitations.



The envelopes that are tagged on the left are the products and the tags on the right are for particular stores. I cut open one side of the envelopes so the longer coupons would fit.

A thing of beauty....if I may say so.



Albertson's Doubler Trip

(Please note the small hands stealing juice boxes in the right hand corner. Sneaky little one!)

I had 12 Albertson's double coupons to use this week. The S'mores supplies were a bit of a splurge, but we have a fire pit in our backyard and I start craving them everytime my husband starts a fire.

We are getting Doublers again this Sunday and it looks like there will be lots of freebies. Look for a post later in the week with more information. Also, Albertson's just released an update to their coupon policy that specifically addresses using Doublers. See the post here over at Coupon Connections.

Item	Regular Price	Sale Price	Coupon	I Paid
(2) Hershey Bar 6-pack	$3.99	$2.99	(2) $1/1 (2) Doublers	$0.99/each
(2) Graham Crackers	$3.99	$2.99		$2.99/each
(2) Marshmallows	$2.19	$1.99	(2) Free (up to $1.25) when you buy Hershey bar and Graham Crackers	$0.74/each
(6) Powerade Zero	$1.59	$1.00	(2) BOGO	$0.66/each *
(4) Goldfish	$2.69	$1.50	(2) $0.75/2 (2) Doublers	$1.12/each *
(4) Tositios	$3.99	$2.50	(4) $1/1 (4) Doublers	$0.50/each
(2) Apple Juice boxes 3-pack	$1.99	$1.00	$1/ (2) Doubler	FREE
(2) Soy Sauce	$2.59	$1.99	(2) $1/1 (2) Doublers	FREE
Eggs	$2.79		$0.55/1 when you buy soy sauce Doubler	$1.69

- $5.00 for purchasing 10 participating items

= $15.13

Saved 78%