Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Hasta la Vista, January

So, as for my January Goals, I managed to squeak out of the month accomplishing most of what I set as goals for myself.

1. blog blog blog : still room for improvement in my mind. I really want to get my Coupons 101 page complete, err, started. So, I don't feel like I can cross this off my list yet.
2. clean office / scrapbook area : Well, I moved the furniture around to how I want it, so that's a start. I'll be more specific in my goals in this area for February.
3. Take down Christmas decorations (already 1/2 way done with this one!) : Check!
4. Attempt to keep up w/ TheFlyLady at least 50% of the time each week: Check!
5. Sell 5 things on ebay Check!

Monday, January 31, 2011

McDonald's Valentine Treat Booklets





If you want something different than the standard candy hearts or red hots to hand out on Valentine’s Day, consider a Valentine Friend Pack from McDonald’s. Each friend pack is $1 and contains 12 coupons for FREE items that can be used by kids ages 12 and under. Below is a list of the coupons included…
* FREE Apple Dippers (3 of these)
* FREE Apple Juice or Milk Jug (3 of these)
* FREE Small Cone (3 of these)
* FREE Hamburger (3 of these)
** One FREE item per certificate. Redeemable by children ages 12 or under. Limit one certificate per person per visit. Keep in mind that these coupon booklets are only available at participating McDonald’s locations, so you may want to contact your McDonald’s ahead of time to see if they are participating.
Please leave a comment if you spot there anywhere in Tucson! To me, they're worth making a stop. 

Stock Up and Coupon Prices

Check out my Coupon 101 page for information about average prices I pay for household items and groceries. This might make you look at your own household spending with a closer eye. While you're there, comment on the post about a possible Bargain Bootcamp this summer.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Free Gum

CVS: FREE Extra Dessert Delights Gum



You can score FREE gum at CVS this week! Here’s how…
Wrigley Extra Dessert Delights gum is on sale 3/$2
Buy one package for $0.67
Use the $0.75/1 coupon found
here (this coupon will need to be adjusted down)
Final cost FREE!


I like FREE!

< Thanks, Hip2Save >

Checking in on January Goals

Did you set some goals for yourself for January? We have a week left in January, and I wanted to evaluate my success (thinking positive!) for the goals I set for myself.

January Goals

1. blog blog blog : Working on it. I feel like I am branching out a bit and not just posting deals, and this makes me happy! I still want to draw in more followers and get some feedback from readers.
2. clean office / scrapbook area : This one's a total bust so far!
3. Take down Christmas decorations (already 1/2 way done with this one!) : Check!
4. Attempt to keep up w/ TheFlyLady at least 50% of the time each week: So far, so good.
5. Sell 5 things on ebay : Sold 3 sets of coupons on ebay and I sold my pump on Craigslist. 1 thing to go!

I am doing my happy dance right now!

Diaper Deals

Those of you with kids, planning to have kids, or know someone with kids, this Diaper Deal Round Up is for you. My #1 advice to expecting moms or those planning to have kids is to never pay full price for diapers. Always use a coupon and combine with a great sale. Stock up on diapers because you will never have enough. I stocked up for baby Patrick before he was born and through his 6 month "birthday." I have not bought diapers since October. My goal to to make it through his 1st birthday without buying any more diapers for him. We're two months away and I can easily get to March 31, and now I am thinking we'll be good till he is 18 months old.

Here is a Round Up of pretty good diapers sales this week. I would consider these stock up prices, if you have the coupons to make the deals work. I do not consider these prices worthy of driving all over town to hit up every.single.store though.

Diaper deals round up for the week of 1/23!

CVS

Buy Huggies Diapers or Pull-Ups (jumbo packs) - $8.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$2/1 Pull-Ups printable
$1.50/1 Huggies diapers - 1-23 SS
$2/1 Huggies Little Snugglers/Little Movers - 1-23 SS

$2/1 Huggies Pull-Ups - 1-23 SS
Final Price = $5.99 after coupons/ECBs

TARGET:

Buy 3 Huggies or Pampers jumbo packs (includes diapers or training pants) - $8.99/each, get a $5 Target gift card
$1.50/1 Huggies Snug & Dry diapers printable
$1.50/1 Huggies diapers - 1-23 SS
$2/1 Huggies Little Snugglers or Little Movers - 1-23 SS
$1.50/1 Pampers diapers or pants - 12-26 PG
$2/1 Huggies Pull-Ups - 1-23 SS
$2/1 Huggies Pull-Ups printable

SCENARIO:
Buy 3 Huggies jumbo packs - $8.99/each

Use 3 $2 coupons

Spend $20.97 OOP, get a $5 Target gift card
Final Price = $15.97 after coupons/gift card ($5.32/each!)

OR

Buy 3 Pampers jumbo packs - $8.99/each

Use 3 $1.50/1 coupons

Spend $22.47 OOP, get a $5 Target gift card
Final Price = $17.47 after coupons/gift card ($5.82/each!)

NOTE:  I always keep a $5 Target gift card "on hand" to "roll" into deals like this!  This is a pretty good price if you use Pampers since they don't go on sale as often as Huggies.  You should be able to mix and match the Pampers and Huggies, too!

WALGREENS

Buy Huggies jumbo diapers, Pull-Ups or Good-Nites - $8.99, get a $2 Register Reward(RR)
$1.50/1 Huggies Snug & Dry diapers printable
$1/1 GoodNites printable
$2/1 Pull Ups printable
$2/1 Huggies diapers - 1-23 SS
$2/1 Huggies Pull-Ups - 1-23 SS
Final Price = $4.99 after coupons/RR

< Thanks, Melissa, for the Diaper Sale Round Up >

Also worth mentioning is the recommended Diaper Stock Up:
                   Size        QTY of Packages  (based on jumbo packs)
1                     10  (~440 diapers)
2                     22  (~946 diapers)
3                     24  (~888 diapers)
4                     18  (~594 diapers)
Size 5 and 6 are variable as your child may or may not ever get to that size.
Isabella wore size 5 for a limited time because she was smaller and potty trained at 22 months.
JJ wore size 5 for about 4 or 5 months, and we went through about 10 packs of size 5 before he transitioned to Pull-Ups and Underwear. He started potty training at 26 months.


Thursday, January 20, 2011

Premier Jewelry Party Friday

Friday @ 5:30

I am hosting a Premier Jewelry Party tomorrow. I love these types of houseparties because I love getting together with friends. Even without the fun bonus of usually earning lots of free products, the direct sales type of house parties are always a good timeto socialize, see new trends, and just relax. No pressure, except to have fun! 

If you are up for a fun, social hour, stop by tomorrow between 5:30 and 6:30. We'll have lots of snacks and drinks on hand!