$8 Money Making Scenario

Ready for an easy money making scenario? Try

this out! Buy 2 Olay Regernist products then submit for this $15 rebate.

Yesterday, at Smith's, I found Olay Regenerist Facial Cleanser on sale for $6.49. I bought two of them and used (2)$3/1 coupons from P&G 1/17.

After I mail in my reciept and rebate from I will have actually made money on those facial cleansers! Here is how it breaks down:

1. Buy 2 Olay Regernsits for $6.49
2. Use (2) $3/1 coupons from P&G 1/17
3. You will spend $6.98 before tax
4. Send in for your $15 rebate
5. Money maker of around $8 depending on the amount of your tax

Pretty sweet deal! Just be aware the last day you can buy products for this rebate is TODAY 1/24! We are sorry we are just barley getting the news about this one out, but if you read our last post you'll see we are just getting back into the swing of things.

Confessions of a Burned Out Couponer

Emily and I have a confession to make to our readers.....we just experienced some

"COUPON BURNOUT!"

Since Thanksgiving time until about last week Emily and I didn't go on a shopping trip that included coupons. Did your mouths just drop? Honestly Emily and I we were just plain tired of grocery shopping, printing off online coupons, planning our menus and pulling our coupons out of the newspaper. Neither one of us could motivate the other and we were just so busy with the holidays and our little ones we couldn't find the drive to start using coupons. I think we were enjoying our break so much that we didn't even think about coupons until our husbands started pointing out the amount of money it was costing us to NOT use coupons.

This last week I told myself that I just needed to jump right back in. So, I started off by actually pulling the coupons out of the paper from (you aren't going to believe this) NOVEMBER! It took some work sorting through my mess, but I finally had things organized enough that I could start shopping again. I sorted through the grocery smarts lists, planned my menu, cleaned out my fridge, and made my way to the store and found myself GASP-enjoying using coupons again. The fact that I spent half of what I had been spending at the store and came home with 3x the amount of stuff definitely made my "coupon trip" exciting.

I remembered how I felt after I learned about using coupons for the first time at the store. Coupons were all I could think about, in fact I often time dreamed about how wonderful coupons were. I told everyone I knew about how wonderful coupons were. That was the whole reason I started this blog!

So, since we love sharing our coupon experiences with you, we thought we would share with you some tips to remember if you ever go through your own "Coupon Burnout".

• Don't stop your newspaper from coming each week- Despite the fact that I wasn't using coupons each week, now that I am using them again I am grateful that I have the coupons I need to save money at the store.
• Pull the coupons OUT of the newspaper- Sometimes a insert can be missing and unfortunately if it is one from November there is nothing the newspaper can do about it. If I had realized it was missing that week, the newspaper company would have brought me my missing insert, but to know it is missing I would have to actually take the paper out of that plastic bag.
• Be sure to use up some of your stockpile on your coupon break- I loved being able to shop from my pantry when I didn't want to go the store. I was able to use up a some of those items that were collecting dust so that I could make room for the stuff I would be buying in the future.
• Everyone deserves a little break, so don't feel guilty about taking one- Using coupons is a lifestyle and sometimes there are seasons in our lives when that lifestyle doesn't meet our needs. In fact that is exactly why I needed a little coupons break. Using coupons just wasn't fitting into my schedule. I had some family things come up that just seemed so my bigger to me than using coupons. I am over that bump and am ready to start saving at the store again. Of course, I feel bad that I wasted so much money that could have been saved by using coupons, but it also helped me to appreciate the value of a coupon.

Have any of you ever experienced a "Coupon Burnout"? If so, why do you think you burned out and how did you get back into the swing of things?

Coupons in Sunday's Paper

In the Daily Herald you should have received:

1 SS insert
1RP insert
In the SLT/DMN you should have received
1 SS insert

To read about how the Red Plum coupons are distributed click here!

To start your newspaper coupons right away, learn about the awesome newspaper deal we can get you here.

*If you ordered the paper and you didn't receive your paper or didn't get the correct number of papers please call the newspaper company first and let them know. Their numbers are on the left side of the blog. Occasionally if you are new to a route your carrier may miss your home. The newspaper companies are super easy to work with and will make sure your papers are delivered.

Easy Italian Soup

Yesterday was a soup kind of day and today is no exception. Here is one of my families favorites and guess what, it is all stuff that I keep on hand. I love being able to put my food storage to good use.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. Italian Dressing
• 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables (white onions; sliced green, red and yellow peppers) I prefer using fresh and cutting them up myself.
• 1 can kidney beans drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked (Sometimes I will throw in a ravioli pasta)
  
  Directions:
• Add the Italian dressing to your pan like you would some cooking oil. Brown your sausage, stirring occasionally to break into small pieces. Drain and then add your vegetables. If you are using fresh make sure to brown them.



• Add your broth, beans and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Stir in your pasta and simmer until the noodles are soft. Serve with cheese on top.
• I really like making soup mid morning and throwing it into my crockpot until dinner time. Be sure to not add the noddles until later if you plan on doing the same.

This dinner ended up costing me less than $4.00 and my family loved it!

Coupons in Sunday's Paper

In the Daily Herald you should have received:

1 SS insert
1 P&G insert
In the SLT/DMN you should have received
1 SS insert

1 P&G insert

To read about how the Red Plum coupons are distributed click here!
To start your newspaper coupons right away, learn about the awesome newspaper deal we can get you here.

*If you ordered the paper and you didn't receive your paper or didn't get the correct number of papers please call the newspaper company first and let them know. Their numbers are on the left side of the blog. Occasionally if you are new to a route your carrier may miss your home. The newspaper companies are super easy to work with and will make sure your papers are delivered.

FRIDAY MEANS MEGA SWAG BUCKS!

A couple months ago Tori shared with you about a new way to search the internet called Swagbucks. You get paid in 'swag bucks' to search the internet the same way you already search for things. After you earn your swagbucks you can redeem them for gift cards and other prizes from the swag store. You can read my post about swagbucks here for all the details.

As if it was already sweet enough to get rewarded for doing something you are already doing, how about having a MEGA swag buck day!
'Every Friday, Swagbucks gives you a chance to win huge, gargantuan, oodles, tons of....Mega Swag Bucks with your searches. From 3 to 100 Swag Bucks, we give away up to 10,000 Swag Bucks in Mega Bills every Friday!'
Taken from Swag Bucks official blog

So, make sure on Friday's you do some MEGA searching to win MEGA swag bucks! Be sure to check out our Swag Bucks tips here.
If you don't already have Swag Bucks go here to sign up. After you sign up check your e-mail and they will let you start searching!Check out the SwagBuck store and share with us what you are saving up for!

Tori and I are both super excited at how fast we are earning swag bucks just by searching the internet. We have been debating if we should use them towards air line flights and take a vacation. How many have you earned so far? Have you "purchased" anything with them yet?

$1 off Smuckers Uncrustables

Print off a $1/1 Smuckers Uncrustable coupon after you fill out your information. It's a bricks coupon so print it off twice! My kids love these and they make perfect quick fixes.

Free Basketball Game

I can't believe I am posting something RED on this blog because its two authors bleed BLUE through and through, but because it's FREE and I know we have some RED fans out there we will share this awesome deal with you. Use this coupon and get up to 6 family members in for FREE to a basketball game. Be sure to read all the details and print off this coupon on the Utah University website.

Thank you She Shops Smart reader Caitlin!

A Lot for Less

This A lot from Less comes from She Shops Smart Reader, Heather. Heather was able to pick up all 37 items for only $12.37! Heather's local store surprised her with a double coupon day and she knew that she needed to take advantage of it! It looks like it paid off for her! Great job Heather! Keep it up!

Thank you to all of our readers for sending us in your pictures! The response has been overwhelming! We have enough pictures to feature one of you a day for over a month! Make sure you keep sending them in, because who knows you might be featured next!

City Deals 50% off and FREE shipping

I just picked up a ton of great gift certificates for 50% off at City Deals. I was able to pick up unlimited quantities to Rod Works ($25 gift card for $12.50), Flour Girls Dough Boys, Sub Zero Ice Cream (2-$10 cards for $10) and tons of great golf courses in Utah. I buy these gift cards ahead of time and throw them into my "to gift" box. Next time I am in need of a gift I will pull one of these out. With 50% off and FREE shipping these will make great Mother's Day, Father's Day and birthday gifts. I think I will end up keeping my Rod Works cards. If I combine my gift cards with of course a....COUPON I might be able to find a killer deal on a table for my front entry!

Free Class at Pottery Barn Kids

This is a one hour session class taught by a design expert. Attendees of the class will be able to purchase the items featured during the class for 10% off. Be sure to see if a store near you is participating. The location in Trolley Square is providing this class in my area.

Recipes Using Sale Items

This week at Smiths, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls are on sale for .75 cents. Here is an easy recipe I love to use these for.

"CRESCENT ROLLS STUFFED WITH CHICKEN"-

or as we call them at my house

"CHICKEN PILLOWS"
4 chicken breasts
3/4 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. butter, softened
1 very sm. onion, finely chopped
2 pkg. crescent rolls
1/2 c. herb stuffing (or bread crumbs)
Melted butter

Directions

Bake chicken breasts in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (or just brown it it bite size pieces in a frying pan if you dont have much time). Cut into bite-size pieces. Divide each package of crescent rolls into 4 sections and press perforated lines together.
Mix the first 4 ingredients (chicken, cream cheese, butter, and onion) together. Place chicken mix in center of rectangular dough. Wrap dough around chicken mixture and press sides together.
Dip chicken roll upside down in melted butter and dip again into small bowl of bread crumbs. Place on cookie sheet and cook in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.
NOTE: Sprinkle garlic powder, seasoning salt, and coarse ground black pepper over chicken before baking, if you desire additional seasoning."

If I dont have bread crumbs on hand crushed ritz crackers work great too. Mushrooms inside are something else you can add. WARNING: If your new years resolution is to diet-- this one is not a very low cal recipe, but it sure it tasty! :) Enjoy.

Meal Planning Resolution

( Photo courtesy of This Week for Dinner)

This year one of my resolutions is to be a little bit more solid in the area of meal planning. Some weeks I have done really well in the past, but then there is those other weeks where I didnt even try. I was looking for recipes and found a site I really like called "this week for dinner". The site is run by a woman named Jane, who has a post DARING her readers to make meal planning a resolution. I am going to take her dare! If you are wondering, while I am typing this I am actually thinking- "oh boy- publically admitted it, now I have to follow it! yikes....

I am not a super decisive person (Tori is probably laughing as she reads this- I am more of a super undecisive person.) This for me means, meal planning is something I struggle with because I worry that I wont be "in the mood" for what I have planned for dinner. I do know however, that it is one very effective way of cutting down the grocery budget. When you plan the meals you are able to make sure you are using up what you buy, and not having tons of extra "this and that". When in addition you are following the grocery smarts way of shopping, suddenly the grocery bills can really be dropping. On "This Week for Dinner" she gives some other reasons to meal plan. The reason I love the most is you are not stressed when its dinner time. You have a plan, and all you have to do is follow it!

On her site Jane has a free download available for a meal planning sheet from "Whoops Bunny" that is sooo cute. I am totally a sucker for cool/cute paper products. I love notepads, cards, wrapping paper, etc.

So, this is one freebie I LOVE, plus it looks really cute hanging on my magnet board.

To check her site, and access the free downloadable meal planning sheet click here.

We want to hear from YOU!

Before I learned about grocery smarts I would DREAD going grocery shopping. I hated hearing the total at the checkout. After learning about the system, I found a whole new attitude and opinion on the topic of grocery shopping. Now its like a game that I am excited to play each week to see how much money I can save. Hearing the total is now my favorite part. I still take pictures on weeks I feel proud of myself for the savings! Tori and I love sharing with you what we have saved, but what we really love is hearing from our readers! We want to see your pictures! Don't pretend there has not been a week where you felt really proud of yourself, and the total savings your had! We know youve have had one! We also know you probably took a picture of it! :) So, dont be shy! Tell us about those weeks, and send us a picture of what your scored! We would love for you to show and tell, so we can feature it on the blog, and show others how you were able to purchase "a lot for less" using grocery smarts! Send us a picture, along with your total spent vs saved to Tori and I at our email- sheshopssmart@gmail.com

We cant wait to see your pictures and savings totals!

KraftMaid is Back

This one only sticks around for a few hours, so be sure to request your FREE Kraftmaid booklet quickly. I love browsing through my magazine for fun home decorating ideas. When you get to the website just hit the link up top that says request literature. Then hit consumer or homeowner. Follow with your zip code. Then fill out the necessary fields. We should receive our Kraftmaid literature in 7-10 days.

Free Half Gallon of Chocolate Milk Any Brand

Want to win FREE milk for a year? I bet our odds are slim to none, but how does a FREE half gallon of any brand of chocolate milk sound? After you enter in the giveaway a screen will pop up to tell you SORRY and that you didn't win. In the lower left corner it will say be sure to print your coupon for FREE milk. This made for a great way to start Monday morning. As always these types of coupon go fast and are rare, so be sure to not delay printing off this coupon. Mine expires 2/10/10.

Thanks Krazy Coupon Lady!

Coupons in Sunday's Paper

In the Daily Herald you should have received:

1 SS insert
1 RP insert
In the SLT/DMN you should have received
1 SS insert

To read about how the Red Plum coupons are distributed click here!
To start your newspaper coupons right away, learn about the awesome newspaper deal we can get you here.

*If you ordered the paper and you didn't receive your paper or didn't get the correct number of papers please call the newspaper company first and let them know. Their numbers are on the left side of the blog. Occasionally if you are new to a route your carrier may miss your home. The newspaper companies are super easy to work with and will make sure your papers are delivered.

Friday Swag Bucks Post

A couple months ago I shared with you about a new way to search the internet called Swagbucks. You get paid in "swag bucks" to search the internet the same way you already search for things. After you earn your swagbucks you can redeem them for gift cards and other prizes from the swag store. You can read my post about swagbucks here for all the details.

As if it was already sweet enough to get rewarded for doing something you are already doing, how about having a MEGA swag buck day!

"Every Friday, Swagbucks gives you a chance to win huge, gargantuan, oodles, tons of....Mega Swag Bucks with your searches. From 3 to 100 Swag Bucks, we give away up to 10,000 Swag Bucks in Mega Bills every Friday!"
Taken from Swag Bucks official blog

So, make sure on Friday's you do some MEGA searching to win MEGA swag bucks! Be sure to check out our Swag Bucks tips here.

If you don't already have Swag Bucks go here to sign up. After you sign up check your e-mail and they will let you start searching!

Check out the SwagBuck store and share with us what you are saving up for! I can't believe how fast my account is growing!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

 

"Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs"

If you were thinking of picking up this movie for your kids there is a coupon and a rebate available to make it a great price.

For the $3 off coupon- click here

The $4 Rebate from Ronzoni- click here

We have had it reported that Toys R Us has this show for  $14.99. This one turns into a good deal after the coupon and rebate! 

A Lot for Less

This week's A Lot for Less is from She Shops Smart reader Cindy! Cindy was at a class of mine last month and this was her very FIRST time shopping with coupons after my class! I would say she is an A+ student! Way to go Cindy!

• "I wanted to share with you photos of my first trip using this coupon system. It was quite an adventure, people were commenting on my cart while I was shopping, it was pretty funny. I really did have super full cart! Then I got to the checkout and I started sweating I was so nervous. I was thinking what if this didn’t work, there is no way I could afford all this, so I had a plan of running out of the store in case it didn’t work."

Well Cindy, it looks like it worked out great for you! Thanks for sharing this with us and showing those newbies out there how easy and successful shopping with coupons can be!

Total: $398

Paid: $154

Saved $244

Bought:
2 6packs of quilted northern toilet paper
2 ALL detergents
2 Snuggle fabric softeners
2 Krusteaz pancake mix
4 Del Monte canned tomatoes
2 Kroger Honey Bear bottles
4 Kroger Gravy Mix packages
2 V8 Fusion Juice
2 Welch’s Juice
8 cans of chili
2 boxes of Swiss miss hot chocolate
3 lbs of gala apples
4 bottles of Langers apple juice
4 boxes of Giradelli brownie mix
2 gallons of skim milk
1 gallon of 2% milk
3 ½ gals of chocolate milk
2 4 packs of dannon yogurt
3 Avocados
2 Dole salad bags
Tbone steak
3 loafs of smiths bread, wheat
4 bags of Ore Ida Fries
3 Stoufers entrees
7 Tony’s pizzas
1 Kroger Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
8 packs of Keebler cookies (my husband and little boy are happy)
7 Chex Mix bags (may be Christmas gifts!)
1 box of Saltine crackers
2 bags of Lays potato chips
1 42 ct. box of fruit snacks
4 lunchables
1 pack of Franks
Pork Loin Chops
2 cans of Campbell's crm of chick
2 cans of Campbell's crm of mushroom
2 boxes of Blue Bonnet butter
1 Tub of I can’t believe it’s not butter
7 Sure Deodorants
2 tubs of cottage cheese
2 tubs of sour cream

Wow, I bet Cindy's food storage looks incredible after a trip like this!

Tidy Up- What Inserts You Should Be Keeping

Okay, this has been a long time coming. I have been putting this off, but per many readers request here we go.

Is your coupon box hanging file folder overflowing? Here are the inserts you should still have in your files.

2009 Inserts
SS 3/29-There is a coupon for Imodium that doesn't expire until 3/29/10
Rp 6/7- There is a coupon for Dramamine that doesn't expire until 6/7/2010
SS 6/14- There are still some Listerine and and Reach coupons in this insert that don't expire until 5/31/2010
SS1 (EEK mouse on the cover) 9/13- There is a coupon for Duncan Hines Muffins that doesn't expire until 1/10/10. There is also a coupon for Midnite Pm that doesn't expire until 6/30/10
SS2 (Pearle Vision) 9/13- There is a coupon for Welches Juice that doesn't expire until 1/15/10
SS 9/27- There are multiple coupons for Welches products that don't expire until 1/31/10
SS1 10/4- (Lens Crafters on front cover)- There are various coupons still usable
RP 10/4- There are various coupons still usable
SS 10/11- There are various coupons still usable
SS 10/18- There are various coupons still usable
RP 10/18-There are various coupons still usable
SS 10/25- There are various coupons still usable
RP 10/25-There are various coupons still usable
SS 11/1- There are various coupons still usable
RP 11/1- There are various coupons still usable
SS11/8- There are various coupons still usable
RP 11/8- There are various coupons still usable
SS 11/15- There are various coupons still usable
RP 11/15- There are various coupons still usable
General Mills 11/15- There are various coupons still usable
SS 11/22- There are various coupons still usable
P&G 11/29- There are various coupons still usable
SS 12/6- There are various coupons still usable
RP 12/6- There are various coupons still usable
SS 12/13- There are various coupons still usable
RP 12/13- There are various coupons still usable
General Mills 12/13- There are various coupons still usable
P&G 12/27- There are various coupons still usable

Inserts for 2010
SS1- There are various coupons still usable
SS2- There are various coupons still usable
RP1- There are various coupons still usable
RP2- There are various coupons still usable
General Mills- There are various coupons still usable

If you have an inserts in your box that isn't listed on this list than you can throw it away now. Hopefully that gives you guys some more room.

How to Read the Coupon Index Column

When you check out the printable grocery shopping lists from Grocery Smarts, do you ever wonder what all that lingo in the coupon index column means? Here it is all explained for you.

The other common question we get asked is what does DND and DNT mean?

DND and DNT mean, do not double and do not triple. If there is ever a double coupon day (rare here in Utah) it just means those coupons will not be able to be doubled or even tripled.

Making Signing up for Freebies Easier

Do you ever get tired of typing your information in a hundred times a day to print off coupons, sign up for free samples, and make online purchases? One thing that I found made the process lightning fast was to use the auto fill feature on my google toolbar. I am sure auto fill feature is available on many other toolbars as well. By typing your information into auto fill, almost every time there are "fields" that ask for your personal information you can just press auto fill and it will fill in the fields with your information.

Another tip* Nobody wants their e-mails flooded with offers from every company we sign up to request freebies from. Create a junk e-mail address that you only check occasionally. A great way to help me remember my junk e-mail address is to make it obvious, torisjunkmail@mail.com. Obvious huh!

$3 Brita System

I went to check out Brita's today at Lowes and they are on sale for $8 this week. Use the $5/1 printable we shared with you earlier today and you have a Brita pitcher for only $3! Talk about shopping smart! My husband and I each purchased one and I plan on giving mine to my cousin for her upcoming wedding.

$6.31 total for (2) Brita 5 cup Water Pitcher Filtration Systems!

$5 off a Brita System online coupon

Last night as my husband and I kicked off the season premier of the Biggest Loser together, (I can't believe this is the first season I have watched. I must of teared up at least half a dozen times.), they mentioned how much better filtering your water can be. In fact better than bottles of water. Each year I waste a ton of money on bottled water, and that doesn't even include how bad plastic bottles are for our environment. I decided to take the plunge and buy a Brita filtering system. If you take the pledge to not use water bottles you can print off a $5 off coupon for any Brita system. As soon as I find the best place to use it I will let you know. It appears to be at Lowes, but I'll check later tonight!

Sunflower Market

One of my favorite places to shop for my meat and produce is Sunflower Market. On Wednesday's they even have double ad Wednesday's. It means this new ad starting today and last weeks ad items are both on sale. The closest one to me is in Orem, but I feel like it is going to once a month or so.

Here are some of the items on sale this week:

This Weeks Ad

Texas Rio Red grapefruit, .17 ea

Kiwi fruit, .19 ea

Green cabbage, .34/lb

Clementine tangerines 3lb bag, 3.99

celery, 1.00 ea

hothouse cucumbers, 1.00 ea

Last Weeks Ad

Red "A" potatoes

.29/lb broccoli

.88/lb jumbo sweet onions

.88/lb green onions

.50radishes

.50cilantro

.50parsley

.50carrots 1lb bag

.50super select cucumbers

.50green bell peppers

.50Bosc, Anjou, Bartlett, Red and Comice pears

.88/lb eggplant

Florida's Natural orange juice 64oz, 2.89

center cut pork loin chops, 1.99/lb

fresh ground turkey, 1.99/lb

Thanks PYP for the list of what was on sale this week.

Free Gourmet Candy Apple Sample

Request a FREE sample of Ivan Mogs Gourmet Candy Apples.

Yummy! I choose a double dipped apple, and I bet you anything that Emily will choose apple pie. Carmel apples are Emily's way of justifying being healthy and eating candy at the same time. And as for me, most times I just pull the carmel off and leave the apple behind!

*Sample contains one half of a gourmet candy apple of user’s choosing. Offer valid from 12.26.09 until 05.01.10 or while supplies last. Users must be 18 years or older to participate. Limit one sample per family, household, address or email address. Limited quantity, dispensed on a first-come-first-serve basis. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer is only valid for Continential US residents.

Thanks The Thrifty Couple!

The Grocery Smarts Lists are Up

Just a reminder that many grocery stores sales refresh on Wednesday. Be sure to check them out and figure out where you are going to shop this week. Like I said earlier the sales have been some what slow, but I can see this week they are picking back up. I am not sure where I will be shopping yet; decisions, decisions. Where will you be shopping this week after looking at the lists?

Fresh Market Preview

Here is a look at the upcoming list for Fresh Market.

Thanks PYP

Free audio Download of the book "Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Go here to score a FREE audio download of the "Long Winter" book by Laura Ingalls Wilder. You can only download this TODAY for FREE. I love Laura Ingalls Wilder and can't wait to use this on my next road trip.

Thanks a ton MoneySavingMom!

Saving Money Around Town

After I teach a class people are usually floored at how easy saving money with coupons can be and then their wheels just start turning. One of the funniest questions I get is "Does this work at the mall?" I always giggle because wouldn't that be the best!

Well, of course the mall doesn't put out manufactures coupons, so it doesn't work quite like we are accustomed to at the grocery store, but there are ways to save on clothes, local restaurants and on local entertainment. Here are some of my favorite ways to save money around town.

Saving Money on Clothes

• One of my favorite ways to save money at clothing stores is to stack promo codes. Stacking promo codes just means that when you checkout there are promo codes for FREE shipping, $10 of a $50 purchase and 10% off when you use your stores charge card. Stacking promo codes doesn't work everywhere, but many online stores do allow stacking. Some of my favorite places to stack codes is at Kohl's, Old Navy, Gap and Victoria Secret. Now you are wondering where to find the codes. I just Google "promo codes for such and such store". It takes some weeding to find what codes are still valid, but it usually pays off.
• Use a website like ebates to see if they will give you a percentage of your purchase price back to you. I never buy anything online without checking to see if ebates offers a percentage back. Every quarter I usually receive a check in the mail for around $20.
• Of course many stores do offer coupons, so be sure to sign up for their e-mails list and mailing lists. I don't always use the coupons that come in the mail, but if there is a great sale and I can use my additional 15% off coupon you bet I'll head towards the back clearance section to see whats on the racks.
• One of my favorite places to find coupons for Old Navy is at Old Navy's Weekly Hunt. It can be frustrating and rewarding all at the same time. Just go here to learn the ins and outs of Old Navy Weekly. If you can score a $75/$100 purchase it makes buying clothes VERY affordable. And yes, I have scored a $75 off $100 purchase coupon in the past.
• If I have my eye on an item and it is still at full price I never hesitate to ask a store employee when their next upcoming sale is. Sometimes I'll just go back then and hope that the item is still there.
• The worst is when you buy an item and and then next week you see it on sale. I keep ALL of my receipts (it is seriously out of control), but I never hesitate to ask for a price adjustment if an item I just purchased at full price went on sale. Not all stores will adjust the price, but many are happy to refund me the difference with my receipt.

Saving Money at Local Business

• One of my favorite ways to save money in my area is by using the website City Deals. They offer gift cards to local business for a discount. Just enter in your zip code and see what offers available in your area. Some of my favorites have been buying a $25 Rod Works gift card for $12.50 and a $50 golf pass for only $25. The only downside is that you have to wait for them to be mailed out to you, so if my husband and I are planning an upcoming date night I look at City Deals about 2 weeks before and purchase a restaurant gift card and discounted movie theater gift card so it makes it in time for our date night. Some gift cards are discounted up to 50% off, so it makes date night super inexpensive. For Christmas we gave gift cards to many family members. City Deals doesn't just include restaurants either, they have gift cards to retail stores, salons, hotels, and so much more. This one of the best kept secrets I USE to have until now =)
• The Entertainment Book. I always purchase an Entertainment Book. It is chucked FULL of local coupons to every place imaginable. In fact the Utah book has over $16,000 in coupons. For a small price to purchase the book it saves me 100 times that . I use that book everywhere we go. It has come in handy in more times than I can count. Right now they are on sale for about $20 depending on where you live. You can see most of that coupons that are included in the book too.

• Check the newspaper each Sunday. Many times the Sunday newspaper includes coupons to Hobby Lobby, or even the Gateway Museum. I just flip through the pages each week to see what's in there.

That's enough for today, but be on the lookout for How I Save Money Around Town part 2 tomorrow.

Free Taco Bell Fresco Taco

Ready for some FREE food! Be sure to print off a coupon for a FREE Fresco Taco at Taco Bell. Limit one per person. Choice of Beef, Chicken or Steak taco. The coupon prints off via Smart Source.

Free 16x20 poster at Shutterfly

Log in to Shutterfly and at the top it says My Account. Then scroll down and near the bottom of the page it says My Special Offers. Enter in FREECALENDAR and you will receive a FREE 16x20 poster. Right now they cost $19.99. You need to order your poster by 1/11. Shipping is not included. When I clicked to have it shipped it costs $4.99. My total with tax came to $5.11. All additional calendars end up being 50% off. Be sure to go through ebates to order your calendar and you'll get 10% back.

Thanks to the The Frugal Find for sharing this!

Free Binders at Staples

It is that time of year when you feel the need to get "organized" and put all your New Year's resolutions on paper. This week Staples is having some awesome deals to help you get the supplies you need to start organizing your goals.

Buy ANY Avery heavy-duty view binder and get 100% back in Staples Rewards. Limit 4 binders per household. This week only. Purchase price of binder will be credited to customers Staples Rewards account. Staples Rewards will be mailed in February.

• Free Scotch pop-up desk grip tape dispenser
• *$3.99-$1 instant savings-$2.99 easy rebate= FREE
• In store only. Limit one rebate per household. While supplies last.

• Free Pentel Hyper G retractable gel pens, medium assorted 4 pack
• $6.99-$3 instant savings-$3.99 easy rebate=FREE
• In store only. Limit one rebate per household. While supplies last.

• $1 HammerMill CopyPlus cope paper 500-sheet ream
• $6.29-$1.29 instant savings-$4 easy rebate=$1
• Limit 2 rebates per household.

• Staples Photo Plus 4x6 paper 60/pack
• $9.99-$8.99 easy rebate=$1
• Limit 2 rebates per household

I have a Staples Rewards account and have bought things that were FREE after I received my Staples Rewards check in the mail. I have always received my rebate and have never had any problems with my Staples Rewards account. If you don't already have one they are super easy to get. Just ask one of the associates when you visit the store. My favorite thing about their reward program is you can submit your items over the Internet with your receipt.

Tag Reader Books on Sale at Target

This week at Target they have Tag and Tag Junior reader books on sale for $9.99. Use the $4/1 coupons from the Parade Magazine insert and it makes them each $5.99.

Happy New Year

I am so excited to be back! I missed my blog and all of you wonderful readers! On New Year's day I sat down and looked back on my goals that I had made for my family last year. A couple of the ones on the top of my list included saving money on groceries and building up a food storage! Both of those goals were achieved and in a way I couldn't have expected. As I added my monthly report cards for 2009 I figured I saved over $6000 at the grocery store this year! The best part about it is that my food storage is INCREDIBLE! I have toothpaste that I scored for FREE shoved into each crack in my linen closet. I boxes of .25 cereal shoved underneath our beds and my pantry shelves can't hold another bottle, box or package! I have been creative and have all kinds of every day necessities hidden in my home.

If you are looking to save money on groceries like I have it really is as simple as booking a FREE class. I will come and teach you how I organize my coupons in 5 minutes or less. I will show you how to navigate the Grocery Smarts lists (The BEST thing ever. The lists are FREE and literally do all the work for you). Then I will tell you how I plan my meals, where I like to shop and how I check out with my coupons!

When you host a class there are some awesome hostess incentives as well! To get your class on the calendar so you can start saving money on groceries just send an e-mail to me at sheshopssmart@gmail.com and we can set the date.

Coupons in Sunday's Paper

This morning was like Christmas morning all over again! Today in the Daily Herald there were 5 inserts! Yes, you read that right FIVE!

2 Smart Source Inserts
2 Red Plum Inserts
1 General Mills Insert

In the Salt Lake Tribune and Desert Morning News you should have gotten:

2 Smart Source Inserts
1 General Mills Insert

To read about how the Red Plum coupons are distributed in Utah click here!

No matter what paper you get be sure to pull our your Parade Magazine insert and take out the $4/1 tag Reader book coupons!

Just a suggestion, we recommend holding on to the stores weekly ads for the week in case we find deals that require price matching. Want to know how to keep these ad's organized, check out our post here.

On weeks like this one I typically pick up some additional newspapers. For only $1.50 you get hundreds of dollars in coupons! However, just like I have shared in the past----the newspapers in the gas stations and grocery stores DO NOT put in the same inserts as they do in the subscribers papers. I got to the newspaper stand and flipped through the Daily Herald. They did not include the General Mills inserts this week. Then of course the Salt Lake Tribune and Desert Morning News do not include Red Plum inserts because they come in the mail.

The only way to insure you get the coupon inserts you need is to become a subscriber. We are also able to offer you an incredible deal on the paper too! Less than $1 a paper! It ends up being cheaper than going down to buy your paper each week and you are guaranteed the coupons!

*If you ordered the paper and you didn't receive your paper or didn't get the correct number of papers please call the newspaper company first and let them know. Their numbers are on the left side of the blog. Occasionally if you are new to a route your carrier may miss your home. The newspaper companies are super easy to work with and will make sure your papers are delivered.

Online Coupons Reset

Yesterday was the first of the month, so you know what that means! The online coupons, Group A-Group C have reset. Here are some tips about online or Internet printable coupons:

The IPS

• Manufactures set limits on the amounts of coupons printed. When the limit is reached they pull their coupons off. That means occasionally you will go the print a coupon and it will be gone unless you printed it off at the beginning.


• This is even more important toward the end of a month. Coupons group A-C are reset at the first of the month, so on the FIRST, when the coupons reset, they start out at zero.


• Sometimes manufactures will reset their coupons after the limit is reached, but don't count on it. Just consider yourself lucky if they do.


• I know some people are having problems with IPS. I wish I could help out in that area, but I am not tech savvy enough. I have heard that switching browsers can help. Example: On Internet Explorer and they won't print try Fire Fox or vice virsa. Another great resource is pinching your pennies. They have an entire forum to troubleshooting your IPS.

Some questions to commonly asked IP questions answered:

• Where are online coupons located? All over! You can see over the the left hand side of this there are online coupons, group A-Singles . You can also find coupons on manufactures websites, you can receive them via-email and sometimes websites will give them to you after you join their mailing lists or take a survey for them. When the Grocery Smarts lists are up you will see links that take you to online coupons. The best part about those lists are that if there are coupons online, they are on the lists. You will never have to search for coupons for items on the list yourself! Grocery Smarts lists do all the work for you.
  
• "Are IP'S worth it? It seems like a lot of paper and ink to be wasting." My answer is it depends. I think after you have a couple months worth of newspaper coupons its hit and miss. I only print ones of that make things close to FREE or if it is something I really like or know I will need. You'll never catch me printing of cereal coupons or toothpaste coupons. That is because I have DOZENS of them from my newspaper.


• Now, if you are staring out and only have a few coupons from the paper on the list then I definitely recommend using IPS to maximize your savings. My sister in law started out and only had a weeks worth of coupons, but wanted to start saving right away, so she maximized her coupons by using IPS. She told me her husband was frustrated by all the paper in ink she was using, but after she shopped she had saved over $50. That paper and ink WAY over paid for itself. IP'S are a great way of subsidizing newspaper coupons, but not a great substitute! Newspaper coupons will benefit you way more in the the long end.


• "How long do IP'S last". IPS have expiration dates on them the same way other coupons do. Most times they expire WAY faster than the ones in the paper. That's why I only print the ones off from the list that week. Otherwise they tend to expire before I have a chance to use them.


• "Can we print them off in black and white?" It depends on your store. Some stores will take black and white, some will not. Be sure to ask if you are planning on trying black and white. There reason behind that is they are trying to protect themselves from illegal photocopied coupons.


• Do all stores take IP's and the answer is no. Not all stores do take IPS. I do know that Albertsons and Smiths DO and as of August first Associated Foods started accepting IP's again. My suggestion with other stores is call ahead and ask if you are planning on using them on your shopping trip.

Also don't forget the two IP's per HOUSEHOLD rule! Have fun printing!

Salt Lake City Christmas Carol Sing Along

Are you already for Christmas? I can't believe it is only 4 days away! If you are all caught up and ready to do something fun with the kids be sure to check out the annual Larry H Miller's Christmas Carol Sing Along at the Energy Solutions Arena tonight. The event is FREE and open to the public. This year they are going to have a special appearance by Jon Schmidt. No tickets are needed to attend the event and seating is general admission. The doors will open at 6pm. Printed programs with lyrics will be handed out so that the audience can sing along. Each person who attends will also get list of FREE things:

• a hot dog and and soft drink
• a free Utah Jazz game ticket (January 4th vs. New Orleans, January 6th vs. Memphis, or January 29th vs. Sacramento, while supplies last)
• a 2010 Salt Lake Bees game ticket (FREE reserved seat for any April 1st- May15th home game, while supplies last)
• popcorn at any Mega Plex Theater
• A B1G1 FREE coupon for the super Go Karts at the MillerMotor Sports Park.

They are also offering a FREE ticket for UTA Trax on December 21st from 5-10pm to and from the Energy Solutions Arena.

FREE Ride, dinner and singing! Pretty cool! See you there!

The Lights at Thanksgiving Point

Looking for something fun to do? Head over to Thanksgiving Point for a drive through their Holiday Light display, open from November 28 - December 27. Update* The coupon that had been posted here ealier was for last year! I called Thanksgiving Point to find out where coupons available for this year were and she mentioned that there were $2 coupons available in, The HomeTown Values Magazine (mine came in the mail), the Kid to Kid store in Lehi (I called and they said they still had TONS and they mentioned it was good fo use any day) and the Comcast booth at the University Mall.

My kids are young and had a great time looking at the lights, but the highlight of their night was feeding the reindeer and seeing Santa, oh and who could forget the FREE cider. My advice is to get there early to see Santa. Last week they closed the line early and there was still over an hour long wait. Oh, and I heard he is only there on Tuesdays. You may want to call ahead to confirm that.

Mega Swag Bucks

A few weeks ago I shared with you about a new way to search the internet called Swagbucks. You get paid in "swag bucks" to search the internet the same way you already search for things. After you earn your swagbucks you can redeem them for gift cards and other prizes from the swag store. You can read my post about swagbucks here for all the details.

As if it was already sweet enough to get rewarded for doing something you are already doing, how about having a MEGA swag buck day!

"Every Friday, Swagbucks gives you a chance to win huge, gargantuan, oodles, tons of....Mega Swag Bucks with your searches. From 3 to 100 Swag Bucks, we give away up to 10,000 Swag Bucks in Mega Bills every Friday!"
Taken from Swag Bucks official blog

So, make sure on Friday's you do some MEGA searching to win MEGA swag bucks! Be sure to check out our Swag Bucks tips here.

If you don't already have Swag Bucks go here to sign up. After you sign up check your e-mail and they will let you start searching!

Check out the SwagBuck store and share with us what you are saving up for! I can't believe how fast my account is growing!

Shutterfly B1G1 50% off

At Shutterfly they are offering photo books for buy 1 get 1 50% off. I ended up making a book for my kids great-grandparents for Christmas. They treasure them every year and look forward to them! You also get FREE shipping when you spend $50 or more dollars. If you order yours before the 19th it will make here in time for Christmas too! Be sure to check out the Holiday shipping guide for your order. Make sure you shop through your e-bates account and you'll get an extra 10% back on your purchase! Ebates is a FREE website that gives you cash back on your online purchases. It is FREE to sign up and then they mail you a check with your e-bate. I received a check for $15.00 last month.

Mega Swag Bucks

A few weeks ago I shared with you about a new way to search the internet called Swagbucks. You get paid in "swag bucks" to search the internet the same way you already search for things. After you earn your swagbucks you can redeem them for gift cards and other prizes from the swag store. You can read my post about swagbucks here for all the details.

As if it was already sweet enough to get rewarded for doing something you are already doing, how about having a MEGA swag buck day!

"Every Friday, Swagbucks gives you a chance to win huge, gargantuan, oodles, tons of....Mega Swag Bucks with your searches. From 3 to 100 Swag Bucks, we give away up to 10,000 Swag Bucks in Mega Bills every Friday!"
Taken from Swag Bucks official blog

So, make sure on Friday's you do some MEGA searching to win MEGA swag bucks! Be sure to check out our Swag Bucks tips here.

If you don't already have Swag Bucks go here to sign up. After you sign up check your e-mail and they will let you start searching!

Check out the SwagBuck store and share with us what you are saving up for! I can't believe how fast my account is growing!

DownEast Scarfs

Express Coupon

Here is a coupon for Express Clothing stores. And right now when you log on to their homepage and you sign up for their e-mail you get 15% off your next purchase.
Expires Dec. 13th

Free Shipping at Land of Nod

Looking for some stocking stuffers or last minute Christmas gifts. Check out Land of Nod. They are offering FREE Shipping from now until December 14th when you enter in the promo code, SNOW. In the fine print it does say that most furniture is excluded from FREE shipping, but that children's table and chairs are included.

$3.99 plus FREE shipping

$24.99 plus FREE shipping

$5.95 plus FREE shipping

Free She Shops Smart Class Tonight

Just a reminder that She Shops Smart is having a FREE class TONIGHT at 7pm.

We can't wait to meet you all and teach you to shop BIG on a small budget!

In our class we will be going over the following:

• Shop at only one grocery store- no running around town!
• Buy all your families’ groceries, household, and personal care items (including diapers) all for about $200 for a family of four- while building massive food storage at the same time!
• No clipping and filing individual coupons- Quick and easy! A HUGE way to save money!
• Eat a healthy, well balanced diet, and have ease in meal planning!
• Use the FREE website- There is no cost to attend and no cost to use the website
• Get a newspaper subscription at a great price

In addition we are going to be having door prizes and raffles during the class. The class is going to be a ton of fun and it will help you start saving money for the upcoming holidays! E-mail us at sheshopssmart@gmail.com to reserve your seat.

See you soon!

Tori and Emily

Hooked on Phonics 50% Off plus FREE shipping

Hooked on Phonics has their Learn on the Go 4 pack on sale for $18.95. After you put it in your cart add the promotional code HOP50 and it will take 50% off and give you FREE shipping. With tax it ended up costing me $10.08 vs. the $39.95 retail price. Thanks to PYP for this great birthday gift for my soon to be 3 year old.

Free 7-11 Hot Beverage

Is this weather making you want to cuddle up with a blanket and sip a hot drink? Print off this coupon and pick up a FREE 12 oz hot drink at 7-11. Thanks to the ThriftyCouple!

Neighbor Gift Ideas

One of the reasons I buy "extras" throughout the year is to plan ahead for gifts. I have bought birthday presents, neighbor gifts, baby shower gifts, wedding shower gifts, and so many more gifts for less by using coupons. With Christmas right around the corner I thought we would compile a list of items that are on sale this week to use for neighbor gifts!

• At my Smith's Sprite was on sale for .79 and when you bought 4 of them you got one for FREE. They also had hanging tags on them for $1/2. Each Sprite ended up costing me .23!!! I am going to give them to my husband to take to his co-workers (whom I have never met) and put hanging tags on them that say, "We wish you a Merry and SPRITE Christmas". Another idea was to tie a roll of Scotch tape at the top and hang a tag that reads, ""Holidays can be stressful. Sit down and have a scotch and soda!"
• A package of Hostess Donuts are on sale at Smith's for $1.67. Add this saying on to a little card and you have a cute gift for a close friend, "Donut" you know we love you??? Have a happy Holiday!"
• Progresso Soups are on sale for .63 cents at Smith's this week. Grab a couple of soup bowls from Tai Pan Trading (I love these and always buy a couple extras with gifts in mind. I think they cost me $1.25 and they come in a couple different colors. And did you know they opened a store in the University Mall!) I put the soup in the bowl, wrapped it up in clear cellophane tie a bow on it and Viola....you have a great teacher gift! If you feel like you need a little more...add a box of Ritz crackers for .99 cents at Smith's this week.
• Freschetta Pizzas are on sale for $2.87 after coupon at Smith's. Add a tag that reads, "Warm up to a wonderful Holiday Season "Topped" with Christmas cheer!" and you have another gift off your list.
• Smith's has cream cheese on sale for .88 cents and Ritz crackers on sale for .99. Whip up a Cheese Ball and some Crackers and say, "We don't mean to sound "Cheesey", we just hope you have a "Ball" this Holiday Season! Or "Spread a little Christmas Cheer this Holiday Season!", or "Have a "ritzy" Christmas season and "spread" around the joy!". Last year when we received one of these from my husbands aunt she added these adorable chocolate covered mice on the plate. Can I tell you how cute it looked!
• A 12 pack of Dad's root beer is on sale for $1.67 at Fresh Market. Add, "We're "Root"ing for you to have a Happy Holiday Season and a Wonderful New Year!" and you've got another GREAT neighbor gift idea.
• Brownie mixes are only .48 after coupon at Fresh Market. Add, "Whip up this mix for a wonderful holiday fix! Wishing you a "rich" Holiday Season!!" or maybe "Christmas is Jolly, Christmas is sweet. I’m stressed out so make your own darn treat!" or maybe even "We're trying for BROWNIE POINTS this season!" Consider adding a wooden spoon for the $ store for an extra touch.
• Macey's has the Rhodes Warm and Serve rolls on sale for .88 cents after coupons. Use, "Here's a little holiday treat. Rise and bake, it can't be beat! Warm fresh rolls just for you. Top with butter that's all you do! Warm Holiday Greetings to you" and you have another person off your list.
• Reams has light bulbs on sale for .99 cents. Add, ""Have a bright and radiant Christmas" to the package.
• Krazy Coupon Lady gave a great scenario for how to score wrapping paper for only .49 from Hallmark. I was able to score 4 rolls. Put a little card on them that says, "Wrap" yourself up in a wonderful holiday season!". It seems like last minute people are always a little short on wrapping paper on Christmas Eve. I am going to add a scripture that says, "And they found him WRAPPED in swaddling clothes in a manger." on my rolls.
• Utah Deal Diva found dessert sized paper plates for FREE at Winco. Add a tag that reds, "Don’t let your dishes pile up this busy holiday season. Let our family ‘do the dishes’ this week! Merry Christmas!"
• Chex Mix is on sale or only .49 cents after coupon at Walgreens. Wrap a bow around the package and slip in a tag that reads, "Santa ‘chex‘ his list twice to see who’s been naughty or nice. So be good for goodness sake!". Also consider trying one of the homemade chex mix recipes that I showed you.

This list should help you get started, but be on the lookout for more to come soon!

Free Shipping at Walgreens

This offer is only good today, December 7th.

Go here to become a fan!