Jewel Ad Highlights for 9/30 thru 10/6

The Procter and Gamble Catlaina Promo continues with a $10 OYNO for $30 in participating products purchased.  If you would like the UPC list, I would be happy to share it with you.  Remember, use the "shelf" price to get to the $30 threshold.  If you are new or need a refresher, check here for more info. 

Looking ahead, there's a ConAgra Catalina promo scheduled to start 10/3 and run thru 10/14.  Buy $25 in participating products and receive a $10 OYNO Catalina.  Thanks to CW, I have the extensive UPC list already.  Let me know if you want it.

Finally seems like Jewel is back in the swing of things!

Walgreens 9/26 thru 10/2

I hadn't planned on making a trip to Wags this week since there was nothing that I was too excited about in the weekly flyer, but my mind was quickly changed!

A blog reader over at the Super-Couponing site posted this great link to a $1.50 off coupon for Hyland's Cold and Cough 4 Kids.    That turns this FREE after RR product into a MM - so I am all over that!  It turns out that the coupon at this link is a little tricky to figure out how to get it.  A little work, but well worth the effort because it is an UNLIMITED print coupon (if you do it right)!  First, register at the site to get their newsletter.  You will receive a confirmation e-mail link that you need to follow.  Once you confirm you can get the coupon.  Go to the website again, and under All Brands, change the drop down box to Hyland's.  Once you do that the coupon will be right there.  Click on the coupon, enter your e-mail address in the box next to Submit and away you go.  The coupon is then e-mailed to you.  Check your e-mail and click the link to the coupon.  You will be able to print as many of these as you need when your print box comes up - just enter the # of copies you want printed.  You will only be able to access this coupon link twice (per computer)so make sure to get as many as you need. 

There's a new link to a Tilex coupon here, if you missed out on the previous ones.  If you print this twice you can get two bottles for $1 after manufacturer coupons and RR's.  That's a really good price on Tilex.  I don't use it much, but it's the only thing that works on tough bathroom mold.  The regular price on this is high so I stocked up on it and I am set for awhile.

Clorox wipes are also on sale 2/$5 with a $2 RR in return.  Use TWO of the Clorox facebook coupons here and get these for $1.00 after RR's and manufacturer coupons.  (when you get to the facebook page, click "Clorox home" and then the "Products and Offers" tab)

Just remember that the Clorox and Tilex are on the same RR promo so make sure if you get both you split out into two separate transactions. 

Lastly, I picked up some of the Vicks Sinex spray on sale for $6 with a $2 RR in return.  There's a $4 off coupon in the P&G insert from 9/26 so with the manufacturer coupon this is FREE.

New "The Basics" Page - CVS Shopping

I just wanted to point out that there's a new "Basics" page on the sidebar for shopping at CVS stores.  A HUGE Thanks to frugal Renea for working hard to put this together for everyone.  There may be some slight changes here and there as I get more info but the bulk of the basic info is there.  I learned a lot of new things I did not know about shopping at CVS and I think I may be ready to give it a try now! 

There is not a link to the CVS coupon policy yet, but if I can get my hands on it I will post it soon.  Renea has requested it from CVS, so hopefully they will respond with their policy soon.

Deals at CVS 9/26-10/2

If you are looking to try out the Oral-B Vitality Floss Action Rechargeable Toothbrush..this is the week to do it...for FREE! They are on sale for $23.00, with $13 in ECB's, making it $10..but use the $10 coupon from the 9/26 P&G insert and it is now free! There is a limit of 2 on your card, so you could get 2 of these free. They do stack the ECB, so if you don't want a $26 ECB, I would do the transaction in 2 separate transactions. Both the CVS's that I visit were out of these today, but ask for a raincheck. Rainchecks never expire and when you do purchase it, ECB's are still valid for it! Just be sure to use it before the P&G coupon expires on 10/31.

Olay daily facials 30 ct., cleanser or foaming wash 6.78-7oz are on sale for $5. If you spend $10, you get back $5 in ECB. Purchase 2 of these for $10, use 2 of the $2/1 Olay Cleanser from the 9/26 P&G, get back $5 in ECB and these are now 50 cents each!

Dole 4 pack fruit cups are on sale for 3/$5. Use the $1/3 coupon from the August All You (AY) magazine, the $.75/3 from teh 8/8 SS, or the $1.00/2 coupon from the Brainfuel program (coupon inserts found in insulated lunch boxes) and get these for a decent price.

Check Your Sunday Coupon Inserts

There have been many wide spread reports that the Sunday newspapers have inconsistencies with the coupon inserts.  Not all inserts that were supposed to be in the Chicago Tribune were included and is varied by delivered or store bought.  I was one of the lucky ones and received all my coupon inserts in both of my delivered Tribunes, BUT my local newspaper is where my P&G insert was missing.  I certainly hope there's not a coupon insert shortage!

One source is reporting that there was a bankruptcy within the Chicago Tribune, but according to the Tribune website, that actually occurred back in December 2008 and the Tribune was reorganizing to balance their budget.  I don't believe that has anything to do with the problem with coupon inserts. 

Remember you can always call and report this, they know exactly which ads and inserts you were supposed to get.  The Tribune number for customer service is 1-800-874-2863.  Sometimes they will re-deliver your Sunday paper tomorrow morning, or you can request a credit and get an extra week added on to your subscription.  It's too bad this had to happen on a week with THREE inserts!!

$110 in P&G Coupons

Here's a link for another P&G coupon booklet.  This offer runs from August 20, 2010 thru December 31, 2010 (my birthday!) and requests must be postmarked by 1/14/2011.  Just purchase $50 in P&G products between the above dates, fill out the printable form at the P&G link and mail it in.  This one should be easy, peasy with the P&G Catalina promo that started at Jewel stores today.

Jewel Ad Highlights for 9/23

Here's a few of the highlights from the Jewel ad for 9/23 thru 9/29.   To see the ad on 9/23 go here. 

Doritos are on sale 2 for $4 so if you were lucky enough to get your hands on the $2 Salty Snack WT's I mentioned here, you can get these FREE.

There's a "Savings Spotlight" promo that gives you a $5 instant savings for each 10 participating items that you purchase.  There's a UPC list (thanks to CW) so if you need it, let me know.  Some of the items included are: Coke products, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender's, Kid Cuisine, Tony's, Brownberry Health-full 10 grain bread, Ice Mountain, Powerade, Propel, SoBe, Bird's Eye, Jose Ole, Ore-Ida, Chi-Chi's salsa, Hershey's baking chips, People Magazine, Planters, Gatorade, Crisco, Keebler, Snyder's, Sunshine Cheez-It, Kellog's, Quaker and Wisk.  Buying 10 particpating items esentially gives you a .50 discount on each item.  If you found those $3.00 mixer WT's also mentioned here you can grab some Coke products for FREE.  There's also a Brownberry coupon for .55 off in the 8/15 SS, a Wisk coupon for $3 off in the 8/29 RP and a $1.00 off  TWO Cheez-It coupon in the 8/29 RP.  There may be more coupons for participating items, these are just the ones that I looked up. 

The Cole's breadsticks are on sale B1G1 this week so if you weren't able to get them last week you can get them this week.  Don't forget to grab the coupon that I posted about here.  Printing it twice gets you two boxes for $2.49. 

Lastly, I wanted to mention that there's a P&G Catalina promo scheduled to start on 9/24 and it runs thru 10/6.  Spend $30 in P&G participating products and receive a Catalina for $10 OYNO.  I have the UPC list so if you want to get a jump start on this one I'd be happy to share it with you - just let me know.  Some P&G products are on sale in the ad that starts 9/23.  Luckily there's also scheduled to be a P&G insert in this Sunday's paper and the last P&G insert coupons from 8/29 don't expire until 9/30 so there's time on this promo to use both sets of insert coupons.  (Thanks to CW for the info on this Catalina promo!)

FREE Carmex @ Walgreens thru 9/25

Carmex Moisture Plus is on sale thru 9/25 at Wags for $2.99 with a $2 RR in return.   Carmex e-mailed me this link to a $1.00 off coupon for the pink or peach tint Carmex Moisture Plus (coupon can ONLY be used at Wags).  If you print this coupon twice you can grab TWO of these for FREE after coupons and RR's - just remember to separate out your transactions. 

At my store, these pink and peach tint Carmex were not with the regular lip balms.  These were on the side of an end-cap close by the lip balms (right across from the one of the pharmacy windows).

$15 off $30 Apparel Coupon - K-mart

I am a little late with posting this one - better late than never, right?!?  There's a $15 off of a $30 apparel purchase coupon for K-mart in Sunday's Chicago Tribune.  It is on page 6 of the main/front section.  Hopefully you haven't put out your recycling yet and you can still grab this out of the bin!  :)  The coupon is good until 9/25  and there are a couple exclusions in the fine print.

More Hilander/Kroger Goodies

If you are planning on heading to Hilander/Kroger to take advantage of some of the great deals Tara listed here, you may want to add a few more of these items to your list. 

Bumble Bee Light Tuna pouches are on sale for .99 each.  Bring along the .55 coupon from the 9/12 SS and you will get these FREE when your coupon doubles.  As Tara already pointed out, no overage on doubles at Hilander/Kroger - the register only doubles to the value of the item, but FREE is good too!

Smart Balance half gallon milk is $3.39.  Load the $2.00/1 coupon to your Plus Card here and combine that with the $2.00 off 1 coupon from the 9/12 RP to turn this into a MM.  You will "earn" .61 on this one!

Lastly, you might want to check your coupon binder for a home mailer coupon for $1.00 off any Charmin.  I had two of these in my binder, but I couldn't remember when I received them and where it came from.  If you have this coupon you will have an even better deal on the Charmin that Tara originally posted about.

A BIG Thanks to Tara for her original post - that helped my shopping out a bunch!

CVS deals 9/19-9/25

If you are new to CVS, watch for info. on how to get started there soon! The main thing to know about CVS is that they do require you to have a card, so if you don't have one--that is the first thing you will want to do to take advantage of the deals. Because they put a limit on their deals, be sure to get a card in your husband's name too (no, he doesn't need to be there to get it..nor to shop)!

Ok--here are some of the deals going on this week:

If you haven't gotten enough of the Quaker deal yet from Hilander--here is your chance to get more! Quaker Quick Oats 18oz, Instant Oatmeal, and Granola Bars 8-10 ct. are all on sale for 2/$5....with $2 Extra Care Bucks (ECB) on 2, which makes them 2/$3. Use coupons to make this even better. Use two of the $1/1 coupon from the 8/29 RP or the 9/12 RP, makes these 50 cents a box! There is a limit of 1 offer per card.

Revlon Super Lstrous, Moon Drops, Color Burst lip color or Double Twist Mascara are on sale for $6.99 with a $5 ECB, making them $1.99. Use this $2 coupon (remember to print it twice) and you now have free lipstick and a .01 mm. There are also $1/1 Revlon Cosmetics in the 9/12 SS, making any of these $1 (pretty cheap makeup!). Limit of 6 per card.

Edge Infused 7oz or Schick Hydro 8.4 shaving gel are on sale for $2.79, with $1.80 in ECB, making them 99 cents. Use the $1/1 Schick Hydro Shave Gel from 8/8 SS to make it free. Use this B1G1 coupon (value up to $2.75) to get both for $1.03 (limit 1 per card--which is why only one ECB will be awarded).

Lastly, Right Guard Total Defense, Sport or Dry Idea (2-4oz) are on sale for $2.99, with $2 in ECB, making them 99 cents--limit of 3 per card. Use this $3/2 Total Defense coupon, pay $2.98, get $4 in ECB, making this a $1.02 MM! Use this Facebook coupon for $1.50/1 Total Defense and it is still a .51 MM! Since the limit is 3, use both of these coupons and it is now a $1.53 MM! You can also use this Dry Idea $1/1 coupon to make this one free.

Hilander - Free Barilla Pasta and More!

If you are headed by Hilander this week (sales end Wednesday 9/22), there are a few things you might want to stop and pick up...

Barilla Pasta is on sale for $1. Use the .55/1 coupon from the 8/29 SS which will double to make this FREE (Hilander registers are smart about this and it will only double up to the ammount of the item, so no overage).

Kroger Buns & Bread are also on sale for $1 this week. Load the .20/1 coupon onto your card also on the Hilander website and get this for only $0.80.

Charmin Bath Tissue (12 double rolls or Basic 16 double rolls) is on sale for $5.99. Use the .25/1 ANY Charmin coupon from the 8/29 PG which will double AND load a $3/1 Charmin coupon on your card from the Hilander website. This is comes out to $2.49 for 16 double rolls.

Quaker Instant Oatmeal is still on sale for $1.98. Use the $1/1 coupon form the 9/12 RP and load a .50/1 coupon from the Hilander website onto your card to make this $0.48 for a box. The new Mix-Up Creations flavor is included in these coupons - my kids have loved this!

And lastly one more SoBe deal. SoBe's are on sale for $1. If you have any B1G1 coupons left from playing the game, pick up two of these and use the B1G1 coupon with a .50/2 coupon loaded on your card from the Hilander site. They will be $.50 for 2 or $.25 each - not free I know, but if your family is getting addicted to these like mine and you are running low this might be a good option.

A Little Help from my Frugal Friends!

My frugal friends Tara and Renea are going to join me in posting deals and frugal tips to help you save more money. 

Tara's an expert when it comes to Hilander/Kroger so she is going to be posting deals that you can find there, as well as any other stores that she may shop at along the way.  Tara has alerted me to many great finds at Hilander in the past, and now she can post them directly here to get those to you faster. 

Renea is a CVS shopper and I welcome her advice on CVS shopping since that is not a store that I have tackled yet.  She will also post any other deals that she runs into while out and about.  In the future look for a "basics" page on the right sidebar for those new to CVS or those needing a refresher. 

Between the three of us I hope to make this blog a more well rounded place for you to visit and find your weekly deals.  Please be kind to us though, we are all doing this as a hobby and can't always get deals posted right away (or at all).  Family comes first, shopping second!  :)

(Hint: you can tell which one of us is posting by the small print at the bottom of each post)

Walgreens 9/19 thru 9/25

There's only a few things worth mentioning at Wags again this week.  Here's what was on my list:

Trident Gum is on sale this week with the in-ad coupon for .79 each.  You can turn this into a money maker and earn some overage if you pair this in-ad coupon with the $1.00 off 3 packs of Trident coupon from the 9/12 SS insert AND the Wags coupon for $1.00 off 2 from the monthly coupon booklet.  YES!  You can use TWO different Wags coupons on the same item in the same transaction.  To get the most out of this deal you need to be VERY careful about how you hand over your coupons.  You will want to hand over the manufacturer coupon first, the in-ad coupon second and the monthly coupon booklet coupon last.  Only with your coupons in this order will you get any overage.  I purchased 9 packs of gum so this is how it worked out:

9 x $1.00 each = $9.00
minus $3.00 manny Q's = $6.00
minus $1.89 in-ad Q =  $4.11
minus $4.50 Sept. Q = .39 Overage and 9 FREE packs of Trident

Next, ThermaCare heat wraps are on sale for $2.49 with a $1.50 RR in return.  Go here to print a $1.00 off coupon to get these for FREE after RR and manufacturer coupon.  This is an unlimited print Q so print as many as you need.  These are wonderful to have around for those days when you have aches and pains! 

Lindt chocolate bars are on sale 2/$3 and this is a great price for delicious specialty chocolate.  This is my special "mommy treat" that I hide in my desk and save only for me.  It's so creamy and smooth, well worth $1.50 each!  I indulge in one piece when I hide away in my office for some "me" time and they last me quite a long time.  I had some $1.00 RR's to use so I thought I deserved a treat an splurged on these for myself, the overage from my Trident purchase helped pay for them too.

If you were lucky enough to print the $1.00 Tilex coupon that was recently on Coupons.com (print limit was met very quickly) you have yourself another great deal at Wags this week.  Tilex is on sale 2/$6 with a $2 RR in return.  With TWO of these printables you will get these for $2/2 after RR's and manufacturer coupons - that's a steal for Tilex, which I have NEVER seen a deal on!  If you didn't get the printable there's a $1.00 off TWO coupon in the 8/22 SS which will make these 2/$3 after RR & coupon - still a great deal.  Unfortunately, my store was out of these today when I stopped so I wasn't able to get in on this deal yet. 

Lastly, I wanted to point out that Gain dish soap is .89 with the in-ad coupon.  If you still have the $1.00 off coupon from the 8/29 PG insert you have yourself another money maker.  Hand over your manufacturer coupon first, and then the in-ad coupon otherwise you will not get any overage.  This will get you .11 overage for each one that you purchase.  I used up all my Gain coupons at Wal-mart where these are .97 each - over there you only get .03 overage.

Super-Couponing in Belvidere, IL

If you are interested in learning the very basic fundamentals of couponing I encourage you to attend Super-Couponing with Jill Cataldo.  Super-Couponing is coming to Immanuel Lutheran Church in Belvidere, Illinois on December 2nd, 2010 from 7-9 PM.  For just $5 you can attend the Super-Couponing presentation and learn all the great tips and tricks that can save you thousands of dollars on your shopping budget. 

Pre-registration for this event is required to attend and it is open to the general public.  The deadline to register is November 24th, 2010.  If you are interested you can register by sending your name and phone number with a payment of $5 per person made out to Immanuel Lutheran Church.  Mail your registration to:

Immanuel Lutheran Church
1045 Belvidere Road
Belvidere, IL 61008

If you have any questions or wish to register over the phone, you can call Renea at 815/544-5472 or the church office at 815/544-8058 to sign up and then mail your payment by November 24th, 2010.

Register now and bring a friend or two, you won't be disappointed!

Woodman's 9/17

There's a couple good finds over at Woodman's that I wanted to share with you. 

The Marzetti salad dressings are on sale for .99 each thru 9/28.  Use the $1.00 off coupon from the 8/8 SS or the 9/12 SS to get these FREE with .01 in overage.  Check in the salad dressing aisle for these. 

Blue Diamond almonds are on sale 2/$5 and the tag on this sale shows it's running thru 12/2010.  If you are a fan of these almonds you KNOW how expensive they normally are.  Use TWO $1.00 off coupons for these from the 8/22 SS and you will get these for a steal!  $1.50 each is the lowest I have ever seen these almonds, and trust me they are worth it.  I love the sea salt one and this container makes for a great grab-n-go snack on the run, it fits perfectly in your cup holders in the car. 

Over in the meat department the Gold 'n Plump family packs of thighs and drumsticks are on sale for $3.99.  These are the HUGE packages.   You can turn this into an awesome deal if you stop in over at the liquor department before you grab your chicken.  Look for this WT:

With it you will get these family size packages for $2.99 each, which is a great price.  There were plenty of these tags left on the shelf today so there's plenty to go around.  (If you are not familiar with Wine Tags, read my post here for a complete explanation)

While you are snagging WT's you will want to watch for these two also: 

The $2 WT is for ANY mixer or salty snack, the $3 WT is for ANY mixer or ice.  These are great to have on hand to use on soda - which IS a mixer!  :)  Think lemonade, soda, bottled water, juice, etc...you get the hint!

Lastly, I want to remind you that the small bottles of Frank's Red Hot are .89 each.  Use the $1.00 off coupon from the 7/25 SS to get these FREE with a little overage. 

While you are there make sure you watch the shelves for all the great manufacturer coupons that Woodman's hangs up for customers to use.  Remember - just because you get these coupons at Woodman's doesn't mean you have to use them at Woodman's!  :)  It's OK to take them and save them for an upcoming sale at a different store!

FREE Post-It Notes @ Wal-mart

Wal-mart still has the $1 Post-It Super Sticky notes so if you haven't already picked up some of these you should do it before they are gone.   I saved a .pdf coupon for $1.00 off making these FREE.  The coupon expires 9/30.  I will gladly share this coupon with you if you would like it, just send me a note.  It's an unlimited print coupon and it does not beep at the register so print as many as you think you will need to stock up for awhile.  The Post-It notes are located in the school supply area which is in a clearance section of the store.  At my store they were back in the area where the gardening supplies are usually kept. 

Jewel 9/16 thru 9/22 Preview

If you are looking to get a jump on your Jewel shopping for this next week I have some of the details and info you will need for the sale that starts 9/16 (Thurs). 

There's an instant "savings spotlight" sale that saves you $3 for each 6 participating product that you purchase. After the instant savings are applied your cost is .99 each before coupons.  There are a few items pictured in the ad, but there's more to it when you see the UPC list.  If you would like the UPC list, send me a message and I will be happy to forward it to you.  Some items listed are Betty Crocker baking mixes, Warm Delights, Bisquick, Gold Metal flour and Peter Pan.  I know there's many coupons out there that match up to these products, and don't forget to check your ConAgra coupon home mailer that has a $1.00/2 Peter Pan coupon in it. 

There's a Suave Catalina promo also running 9/16 thru 9/22 and there's a couple "Double Dips" involved with this one.  Purchase $10 in participating products and receive a $3 Catalina OYNO.  I have a current UPC list with a list of the UPC's that double dip.  I'll gladly share if you request it.  The double dip products are part of a Catalina promo that generates a $2 OYNO Catalina when you purchase 2 products.  There's a printable coupon that lines up with the Naturals Body Lotion on the double dip products list here. 

There's a new Labels for Education promo starting on the 16th as well.  Purchasing $15 in participating products will earn you 500 Labels for Education Bonus Points for your school of choice.  I  don't have this UPC list, but as soon as I get it I will update this post.  I wanted to point out that there's printable coupons for many of these products here.  Products listed in the ad are Spaghetti O's, Chunky Soups, Campbell's Condensed soups, Pop Secret and Swanson Broths. 

Lastly, Cole's breadsticks (these are YUMMY!) are on sale $3.49 - B1G1.  There's a printable coupon for .50 off one Cole's breadstick product here.  You will be able to print this coupon twice per computer if you hit the back button.  Use TWO of these and get TWO packages of breadsticks for $2.49. 

When you check out at Jewel, don't forget to get your stickers for the cookware promo running thru early 2011.  For every $10 spent (pre-coupon) you will get one sticker.  Save up the stickers to purchase professional quality cookwear for .01 each.  Even if you aren't saving them for yourself, grab them because I am sure you have friends who are saving them (hint, hint!).  You can always trade these with your frugal friends for coupons that you can use! 

Happy Shopping!

(UPC lists courtesy of CW!)

Jewel Salad Deal 9/14

I was at Jewel today picking up a few things from the General Mills Catalina promo going on right now and I found a great deal on salad and feta cheese.  You will first need to head over to Facebook here and grab the B1G1F coupon that is offered when you "like" Athenos feta cheese.  You should be able to print it twice if you need it. 

Athenos feta cheese is on sale at Jewel right now 2/$5.  Grab two of these, one will be free so it will cost you $2.50.  Next, head on over to the produce department where the Fresh Express salads are $3.49 - B1G1F.  Grab two of these, and right in front of the bags of salad is a tearpad that you NEED to make this deal really work for you.  I found these at the Sycamore Jewel today so if you are shopping at any other Jewel store it may be hit or miss.  The tearpad is for $1.00 off lettuce or bagged salad when you purchase one Athenos cheese.  Since you are buying TWO bags of salad and TWO feta cheese you need TWO of these $1.00 tearpad coupons. 

You will pay the $2.50 for the two packages of feta cheese and only $1.49 for two bags of salad.  $3.99 for all four packages and if you are a fan of feta cheese you know this is an awesome deal!  This is usually pricey cheese.  I see some Greek salad in my future!  Enjoy!

Walgreens 9/12 thru 9/18

OK, I am really trying hard to get back into the swing of all things shopping but right now there's still not much to get me excited about!  Here's what I found at Wags worth picking up this week . 

First, my all time favorite razor, the Schick Intuition,  are on sale this week B1G1F.  If you head over to the Schick Facebook page here and "like" them you can grab a $4.00 off coupon.  These are priced at $9.99 each, but with the sale they are 2 for $9.99.  Use TWO of these Facebook coupons, which are an unlimited print, and get these WONDERFUL razors for $1.99 - that's less than $1 each!  To print multiples of this coupon, when the print box comes up just type in the # of copies that you want and out they print. 

Next, Colgate Total toothpaste is on sale for $2.99 with a $2 RR in return.  Use the $1.00 off Colgate coupon from the 9/12 SS and turn this into a .01 MM. 

Lastly, Listerine mouthwashes are on sale for $3.99 with a $1 RR in return.  You will want to check your coupon binder for your recent Catalina coupons because just a week or so ago Walgreens was issuing a $2.00 off Listerine coupon (Listerine Zero OR any Listerine/Rembrandt product).  You may have some of these in your stash if you were lucky enough to get one.  There are various Listerine mouthwash coupons current right now, and you can find them all over at Coupon Tom.  If you use this mouthwash (the whitening Listerine mouthwash is GREAT!) this is a pretty good deal.  It turns out to be either .99 each or $1.99 each depending on which coupon you use. 

If you have any RR's that you need to roll, you might want to try the Impruv lotion.  They make a good filler because they are $4.99 with a $4 RR in return.  If I have to use filler items I try to choose products that will generate another RR so I can stretch those out far as I can.  You would end up paying .99 OOP for this lotion. 

A little birdie told me that inventory is going on this week at Wags.  You will want to keep your eyes on the clearance bins at Wags between now and the next week or so.  Inventory time is when stores usually find back stock or odds and ends laying around the store that often times end up in the clearance bins.

$5/5 Kraft Printable! (Reset!)

My frugal friend Dawn sent me a text today to alert me that there's a great $5 off 5 Kraft products printable coupon here.  The great thing is that this coupon has been out for awhile now and it's been reset.  If you printed this one in the past, chances are you will be able to print it once again!  Go get this great coupon before it's gone.  You will have a month to use it before it expires. 

Hilander Cart Buster Savings Event

Hilander is currently running a Cart Busters Savings Event Sweepstakes instant-win game. Go here to play.  Anyone with a Plus Card can play once per day between now and 9/18 for a chance to win one of the following prizes:

FREE Banquet Fruit Pie
FREE Quaker Instant Oatmeal
FREE Propel (710 mL)
FREE Pepsi Max or Sierra Mist (2 L)
FREE Cracker Jacks
FREE Trop50 (59 oz.)
FREE Can of Original Pringles
FREE Roll of Bounty

Don't forget you can win at the Summer of Savings Sweepstakes thru 9/11 too, just go here for that one.  I hope you get lucky and win some of these great prizes!  A big Thanks to my frugal friend Tara for pointing this out and a big Thanks to Hilander for all these wonderful prizes - keep 'em coming, Hilander!

FREE Ultra Gain Dish Detergent

Wal-mart has the 11 oz. bottles of Ultra Gain dish detergent for .97 each.  Use the $1.00 coupon from the 8/29 PG insert and get this FREE!  If you choose the right cashier you will even get .03 overage for each one you purchase.  

A FREE House?

A FREE house....do you think that is possible? 

My husband and I have embarked on an enormous frugal adventure that we hope will pay BIG dividends for our family.  Of course it is going to take a lot of hard work on our part to make it happen, but we are up for it.  We stumbled upon a "once in a lifetime" opportunity recently that we just couldn't pass up.  My frugal personality has me planning a challenge for ourselves that I think is entirely possible.  I love a good challenge and I don't like to fail so chances are good we will succeed.  :)  Only time will tell!

We recently purchased an entire "estate" in our small town which includes a three bedroom, two story house with a two car garage and full basement.  This "estate" also included a full size 1996 Dodge Ram pick up truck with a snow plow, a tractor, a riding lawn mower, a 25 ton log splitter, a fishing boat and trailer, a canoe and the entire contents of the house and garage. The garage was filled with high quality wood working tools, as well as many usual garage type items you would find in any household garage.  The house was filled with many, many treasures. 

This "estate" belonged to a 52 year old gentleman who passed away in October of 2009.  His only living relative, who is his sister,  lives several hours away and is in a home with Alzheimer's disease.  Her husband had taken over handling the affairs of the estate and really didn't have time, energy or resources to devote to cleaning up and tending to this home and it's contents.  He just wanted to be rid of it after almost 10 months of dealing with his brother-in-law's estate.  None of the distant relatives wanted it either, and maybe you will see why in just a minute.

The brother-in-law had someone lined up to purchase the entire estate, but after several months of that person dragging their feet he decided to offer the estate to the next interested party, which was my husband and myself.  The asking price for this entire estate...$15,000.00.  It's not everyday that you are offered to purchase a three bedroom home for $15K so we jumped at the opportunity to turn this into a frugal adventure! 

Structurally, the house itself is in great condition.  It is an older home but has been well cared for throughout the years.  The problem is that this man could have been labeled as a "hoarder".   These are photos of the house in the condition it was in when we walked in the door: 

And yes, the entire house and garage looked like this!  The floor was covered in newspapers and mail that had to be from the last 10 years.  (It killed me to see all those unused coupon inserts!)  Some of this was the result of intruders breaking into the house while it sat vacant, but most of it was just the way this man lived.  Now maybe you can understand why no one that knew this man wanted to take on this huge task.  The refrigerator still had food in it...from October 2009 (just trying to add effect here so you could imagine the odors that went along with these photos).  My husband literally had to take a snow shovel and "shovel" a path through the rooms so that we could get in and move things around.  I have always considered myself a "dumpster diver" and to me, this was the ultimate "dumpster dive" if you know what I mean! 

Today we closed on this property so it is officially ours, but three weeks ago we were given permission from the owner of the estate to "treat it as our own" so we have been working diligently to clean it up and start our adventure.  So far we have filled two 20 cubic yard dumpsters and put most of the papers out for the recyclers.  It's going to take a lot more work, but we have come a long way already.  Here's what those same rooms look like now:

With the help of some family members, I am quite proud of the progress that has been made in just three short weeks!

I am a country girl and would never leave my 5 acre farmette out in the country to move into the city, so we won't be living in this home.  Our intention is to fix it up and rent it out.  We have had plenty of experience with "fixer-uppers" after rehabbing two farm houses, so I know we can do a lot of what needs to be done ourselves, and in case you didn't already get it, we aren't afraid of a little hard work.  :) 

So, now here's the challenge I have come up with - between having an "estate" sale to sell off the items that we are not going to keep for ourselves and rent I plan to turn this into a FREE house - that's right, I am going to keep track of all expenses including purchase price, closing costs, clean up costs and repairs and see how quick we can make back our money on this adventure!  I'll bet it won't take long at all - I am even guessing that we can do it before we get the house rented out. 

So, as you can see, I have been very busy with new frugal adventures and that's why I haven't been out in the stores very much.  I am so grateful for our stockpile because it has kept me from having to run to the store for groceries when I needed to be helping.  I have a huge box of paper towels from a past Jewel deal that are going to be put to use with all my FREE cleaning supplies once this place is ready for a good scrubbing. 

I will post updates as the clean-up and rehabbing progress, and I will also post about how close we are to meeting our "challenge".  Any guesses on how long it will take?