The lovely Smart Cents Mom (check out her awesome blog by clicking above) was cool enough to do an iTunes giveaway, and I won a $10 gift card. This day just keeps getting better! I'm so excited. Running over to iTunes to start browsing.
:)

I was excited to be off of work on a Friday, but little did I know how great it was going to turn out. And it's only 3:15!
Thanks to my oh-so-wonderful sis-in-law, I had a coupon card from Victoria's Secret for a free panty and $10 off a regular purchase. She also gave me two cards for Bath and body, 20% off purchase and free travel-sized item (no purchase necessary). So, I headed the the mall.

Stop #1, Victoria's Secret:

I got the panties ($8.50 value), the eye shadow and mascara (a $12 value). In addition to the coupon card, I had a leftover gift card with a few dollars left, so I paid nothing out of pocket!

Next Stop, Bath and Body Works:

I used the 20% off coupon card and the free travel size item for one of the hand soaps and the small lotion. I did a second transaction with the other hand soap and the hand sanitizer (free coupon here).
The soaps were on sale for $3 each, so total out of pocket for everything was $5.67!

Stop #3, Aeropostale:

There was a $3.99 rack full of summer stuff. I got the tank top, sleeveless shirt and pink short sleeved shirt off that rack. The thermal shirt was $9.99 and the Hoodie was $16.99.
The socks and undies were $0.99 each.
My total came to 40.93. I used the $10/$40 coupon here which brought it $30.93. I had a gift card left over from last Christmas that I used and got it all for free with $3.06 left on my card!

Grocery stops along the way (Target, Harris Teeter, KMart):

At Harris Teeter, I got the yogurt free (thanks to a giveaway) and snagged the muffin mix for $0.59.
Target had the green dot $1 on sale for 50% off, so I picked up the dad a grow your own sweet basil kit.
Unfortunately, we don't have a SuperTarget, so no free Bumble Bee Tuna, but I was able to use the coupon I printed last week for target at KMart, making the pouch only $0.29.
Total at all three places: $1.48

Original Total for the Day: approx $79.20
After coupons, savings, and gift cards, I spent: $6.84
That's 91% Savings!
Pretty sweet day if ya ask me.
:)

Be sure to check out the little coupon insert in this month's Shape (which many of you get for free I'm sure) for three different Pledge coupons that can be used for the $5 Target Gift Card deal this week. Details here.
:)

I was really hoping for triple coupons this week b/c haven't seen that deal in about a month, but oh well. There's always next week. In the meanwhile, there are still a few good deals to be had.

Kashi GoLean Crunch – 2/$6
Use the $3/1 coupon from Vocalpoint
FREE

Activia - $1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 9/20 insert
$0.99

Lean Cuisine – 4/$10
Use the $1/3 coupon from the 9/27 insert
$2.16 each

Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent-BOGO (no price listed)
Use the $1/2 coupon from the 9/27 insert

I missed last week b/c I was at a concert for the band featured in this post.
The Gaslight Anthem is my favorite band in the last forty years or so. They hail from Jersey and remind me a bit of Bruce Springsteen (he actually played with them in Glasgow). In my oh so humble opinion, they are brilliant! They're lyrics include references to everything from Dickens to Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn.
Last Wednesday night, I got to see them LIVE! It was amazing and I can't wait to find another venue close by that they may visit. While at the show with two of my best friends, we browsed the store area. They talked me into buying the vinyl record I had been eyeing. For $20, I got both their first and second albums. The first, Senor and the Queen has four songs on two 45s and Sink or Swim (their second album) is on 33.
I FINALLY got to listen to them tonight, and the old saying stands. A song never sounds as good as the first time you play the record.
Check out The Gaslight Anthem here.
Thanks for reading and I hope you like them as much as I do.
:)

A couple of months ago, a bunch of people posted the "Hand-Pick & Win" promotion over at Pace Foods. It's actually still going strong! You can enter once a day and there's no purchase necessary. Click on the "Hand-Pick & Win" picture and sign up. Then you click to enter. Type the security code and enter a code. If you don't have one, there's a link underneath the box.
1 in 20 wins. Let me know if you snag one!
:)

I had some Tuna in the pantry I've been meaning to use up. I went searching on the internet for easy recipes, found a couple, and modified one. Here's how I made it:
1 can of tuna in water
1 cup of no yolk noodles-cooked
1/2 bag of Bird's Eye Steamfresh Veggies
Mixed it all together and added some of the Good Seasons Garlic and Herb dressing.

It doesn't look like much, but it's actually pretty tasty. It only took about 15 minutes total, and combined with some fruit and yogurt, it'll be a good lunch tomorrow at work.

Please share your own tasty frugal recipes below!
:)

The Girly Gal is offering free stress balls here. I know I can always use something to relieve the stress every now and again.

Interested in starting a Vegetarian lifestyle? Get a free starter kit from vegkit.com. Details here.

Bazaar.com is offering a free sample of John Frieda's Frizz Ease Overnight Sample here. Make sure to click on the link that says "click here if you do not want to receive a trial subscription."

Head on over here to request your free 2010 women's health calendar from womenshealth.gov.

Anyone got a Noah's Bagels nearby? Click here to print a coupon for a free bagel on Friday, 10/30.

If you sign up here, you can download "Child of the Night" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra for free!

The last time that Harris Teeter did triple coupons (last month sometime), I got 2 Martha White muffin mixes and a small tub of Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip icing for free. I don't do a whole lot of sweets, but both of these are mighty tasty. I decided to combine them into muffin cupcakes. It took less than a Jeopardy episode for me to mix these up and bake them.
All you need for the muffins is 1/2 cup of milk. Put them in the oven and wait like 15 minutes. Simple. And oh so tasty!
:)

Crossing my fingers that Harris Teeter is tripling again this week.

This week I got a free sample of Curel lotion, Shape magazine, a Burt's Bees Acne medicine sample, free chicken sandwich (bringing my total to 3) and a Pinecone check (not pictured).
Love the free magazine samples. Can't wait for more to start arriving.
:)

I didn't get the totally awesome deal involving 2 $5 Gift Cards with Glade, but I still got a pretty good one.
1st transaction: 4 Glade Glass holders, 1 Glade tin (they only had 1 tin left) and 5 refills, Kashi GoLean Crunch, Chex Mix, Aquafresh Sample, Brita Water Pitcher (already on sale for $17.47).
The glass Glades only had a $2/2 coupon inside, so I used two of those and the $1.50/1 in the tin. Got five free refills with the coupon on the Glade site. I used the Vocalpoint coupon for the GoLean Crunch, the Target coupon for the Chex mis and a $4/1 Brita system in last week's paper.
Total before coupons and savings: $55.72. My total was $15.48. I still had $3.73 on an Amex gift card, so I paid $11.75 out of pocket. I got a $5 gift card out of the deal and will get another $5 rebate from Glade.
So technically after the gift card and rebate, I spent $1.75.

2nd transaction: George Forman (on sale for $24.14). Used the $5 gift card and got it for $20.35 with tax.
So technically after rebates and gift cards, I spent a total of $22.11 on all of this, which is less than the original price of the Brita. That's about 72% savings!

Mindy and Holly had an awesome cleaning giveaway going on over at Mommies With Cents and I won a Dorm Cleaning Kit! So excited. This will definitely come in handy in the near future.
Check out their blog; lots of fun frugal stuff!
:)

So, I was a little disappointed to see that there are no triple coupons this week, but there could be some potential. Don't have prices on the BOGO deals, but here's what I've found so far. Make sure to check your local store's coupon policy. Our store doesn't double internet coupons. Let me know what you find :)

Minute Rice - Ready to Serve- 3/$5
Buy 1 and use the $0.50/1 coupon from the 10/4 insert
$0.67

BOGO Deals not yet priced
Taquitos – BOGO
Get 2 and use 2 $/1 coupons from the 10/18 insert

Keebler Deluxe Grahams –BOGO
Use $1.50/2 here

Progresso Soup-BOGO
Use $1/2 coupon here

Breyers Ice Cream – BOGO (one rings up at half price)
Buy one and use the $0.75/1 coupon from the 10/18 insert

Bird’s Eye Steamfresh Meals - $5.99
Buy 2 and use 2 of the $1.50/1 coupons from the 9/27 insert (I think)
Use the buy 2 get one free from the 10/18 insert
$8.98 for 3 (note I think Target has a better deals on these this week)

Prego Sauce- BOGO
Use the $0.75/2 coupon from the 10/11 insert

Duncan Hines White Cake Mix – BOGO
Buy one and use the $0.55/1 coupon from the 10/11 insert

Hi and welcome to the first installment of what I hope to be a weekly post. I want to record (and share) what I do with all the stuff I get for free/really cheap at the grocery store each week.

A lot of times, it seems like the items have no real connect and definitely won't make a meal, but I usually manage to string things together into some semblance of a meal. Usually things I share will be easy for work, as I do a lot of my eating there, hehe.
OK..here goes.

Simple, cheap Lo Mein
I started with leftover veggies from my Bird's Eye Steamfresh deal ($0.30/bag)
I had the No Yolk noodles (will be free when I get the rebate)
We had a bit of fresh onion, green pepper and broccoli in the fridge
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce (already in the fridge)
1 tablespoons cornstarch (already in the pantry)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil (you can use just about any oil in place of this->in the cabinet)
Water (always free, hehe)

Here's how I made it:
Cooked the Pasta according to the package directions. Drain it and set it aside.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet (add some nonstick spray if you like) and add the oil. Let the oil get really hot and then add the onions.
Reduce to medium high heat and let the onions cook for about a minute or two, stirring frequently.
Add all the other veggies and cook for about 4-5 mins, stir frequently.
When you're satisfied all the veggies are cooked well enough, add the soy sauce and stir in the pasta (you can add more than 2 tablespoons depending on how much you're cooking).
Stir until the soy sauce is evenly distributed among the ingredients. Finally, add a mixture of 1 tablespoon corn starch and 2 tablespoons water. Stir until all of that has mixed well and dissolved. Add pepper to taste.
That's it! Serve.
Wish I had a photo but I fixed it yesterday and devoured it, so...it's gone.
Turned out a lot better than I expected.

Please share your own cheap recipes below!

I did pretty good this week, especially considering last Monday was a holiday. Here's what I got:
Kotex Pads/Tampon Samples (can NEVER get enough of these for free)
Secret Clinical Strength thanks to Vocalpoint
Free Chicken Sandwich coupon from Chick-Fil-A
Avon Perfume samples and catalogs
BzzAgent Welcome Packet
Check from Pinecone Research
Swine Flu Vaccine Info from Vocal Point.
:)
What'd you get?

I'm so excited! I won the YoPlus giveaway over at Living Rich With Coupons. Check out this wonderful blog here.

Thanks, Living Rich With Coupons!
:)

YoCrunch is hosting an awesome post Halloween Deal. You can send in one candy wrapper from Halloween Candy and they'll send you a coupon for a free yogurt cup.
Check out the details and where to mail the wrapper here.
:)

App Shopper has another great free app here.
Buzzword Frenzy is kind of like Catch-Phrase. You can play with other people or race against the clock, trying to find as many words as possible before time runs out.
:)

If you've got an iTouch or iPhone, check out this page to download a Photoshop app for free!
:)

If you have a corner bakery anywhere nearby, sign up here to receive a free cookie!
:)

Click here to download "We're Gonna Fight" by Pennywise for free!

Not a whole lot going on at Target this week, but here's what I found so far:

Raovac 4-Pack Batteries - $1
use the $1/1 coupon from 10/18 insert
free

$5 Target Gift Card when you buy 2 Vaseline Products - $5 each
Use the $1/1 coupon from the 10/18 insert
$2 each after coupon and Gift Card

Lean Cuisine - 5/$9
Use the $1/3 coupon from the 9/27 insert
$1.60 each

Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup - 5/$3
use the $0.40/4 coupon from the 10/4 insert
$0.52 each

Hope to have some more if I actually make it to Target this week.
:)

Today I was invited by a couple of friends to a company picnic. I was excited to hang out with them and to have something to do on Saturday. It's always fun when we all get together; however, I wasn't expecting such a cool day!
It's finally starting to get rather chilly down in these parts, so the day was a bit windy, but after a few minutes, we got used to it. The picnic was also the 40th anniversary of the local company. The owner had employees, their family and friends out to his farm for games, hay rides and catered lunch.
We watched a few guys skeet shoot and met a friendly horse. We played this game that's kind of like skee ball but with bean bags. I was really bad! haha.
There was bingo going on inside as well. I ended up winning a couple of things for my future kitchen (a dish sponge and some storage containers) and some toys for the kids (see the pics below).
The gracious hosts also let everyone take home the center pieces, so I snagged a pumpkin and two smaller veggies. The mini squash actually looks like it's smiling!
I wish I'd have thought to take my camera with me because it was a really beautiful farm out in the country. 1350 acres total!
And for tonight? A free rental from Redbox in the company of a wonderful friend I haven't seen in a while.
:)


Tribeca is on top and Sundance is on the bottom. They're my babies!

In the market for more traffic? Wanna do reviews and get free stuff? Jolly Mom currently has a series going on how to improve your blog and make it work for you.
Check out the newest post, How to Contact Companies for Product Reviews here.
Check out other articles in this series here.
Thanks for the wealth of information, Jolly Mom! I know I'll be using it in the near future.

Congratulations, The D's! You won the Red Lobster $5 gift card giveaway. Check your e-mail.
:)
Thanks everyone for reading and commenting. I hope to have another giveaway soon.

Check out my post here for links and specific deals.

Here's what I got:
2 bags of Bird's Eye Steamfresh veggies - $0.60 each after coupons and VIC Savings
1 Pourable Mr. Clean cleaner - $0.49 after coupons and VIC Savings
1 can Dole Mandarin Oranges - FREE after coupons and VIC Savings
1 Dole Fruit in Gel Bowls - FREE after free coupon
1 Yoplait Yogurt - FREE after free coupon
1 Redbox DVD - FREE
If you haven't used it yet, the code BREAKROOM still works

Original price before VIC savings and coupons - $17.39
VIC Savings - $4.78
Coupons tendered - $11.35
Total Paid - $1.26 (that's 93% savings!!)
So, I didn't get a whole lot, but I saved a whole lot! Thanks for stopping by and please share your savings with me.
:)

Just got back from Harris Teeter. Not too much going on this week, but here are a few deals I've found.

Dole Mandarin Oranges in Light Syrup - 5/$5
Use the $0.50/1 coupon from the Ladies' Home Journal October issue
FREE

Birds Eye Steamfresh Broccoli Cuts or Mixed Vegetables – 5/$5
Use the $0.35/1 coupon from the 9/27 SS insert
$0.30 each

Mr. Clean Pourable Cleaner - $1.99
Use the $0.75/1 coupon from the P&G mailer
$0.49

VO5 Shampoo or Conditioner - $0.79
No coupon needed

Hot Pockets/Lean Pockets Breakfast Sandwiches - 5/$10
Use the $0.75/1 coupon from the 9/27 SS insert
$0.50

Pop Tarts – 2/$4
Use the $0.55/1 that came with the Sprinklings sample
$0.90

Hot Pockets Calzone - 5/$10
Use the $0.50/1 coupon from the 9/27 SS insert
$1

Nature Valley Nut Clusters – 2/$5
Use the $1.60/1 printable from a few weeks ago
$0.90
Check your local store. This was in my e-mail specials but not at the store or in the newspaper ad.

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls – 3/$5 ($1.67 each)
Use the $0.50/2 coupon from the 10/4 SS insert
$1.17 each

Keebler Chips Deluxe – BOGO @ $4.19
Use $1.50/2 coupon here
$1.35 each
The Club Crackers are BOGO too, so you could mix and match for the Kellog’s rebate

Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza -5/$10
Use the $1/3 coupon from the 9/20 insert
$1.67 each

General Mills Lucky Charms & Frosted Cheerios – BOGO @ $4.39
Use the $1/2 coupon from the 9/20 (I think) SS insert
$1.70 each

All Laundry Detergent - BOGO @6.19
Use $1/1 coupon from the 10/4 SS insert
$2.10

Del Monte Fruit Naturals – 10/$10
Use the $1/3 printable from a month or so ago
3/$2

Freschetta Brick Oven Pizza - $3.99
User $1/1 Coupon from the 9/27 insert
$2.99

3M Scotch Pet Hair Roller - $3.49
Use the $1/1 coupon from the 9/27 insert
$2.49

Hormel Fully Cooked Entrees – 2/$10
Use the $1/1 coupon from the SS insert
$4 for one

Quilted Northern Bath Tissue, 9 Mega, 12 Double, 24 Reg. Rolls - $5.99
Use the $1/1 coupon from the 10/11 insert
$4.99

:)

If you have a Kindle, you can go here to download a free copy of Giving Chase.

Info From Amazon:
"Together they find a special love-can it survive the threat stalking her?
Some small towns grow really good looking men! This is the case with the four Chase brothers. The home grown hotties are on the wishlist of every single woman in town and Maggie Wright is no exception.
Maggie has finally had it with the men she's been dating but a spilled plate of chili cheese fries drops Shane Chase right into her lap. The sheriff is hot stuff but was burned by a former fiancee and is quite happy to play the field.
After Shane's skittishness sends him out the door, Maggie realizes that Kyle Chase has had his eye on her from the start. Now that Shane has messed up, Kyle has no intention of letting anything stop him from wooing her right into his bed.

Despite Maggie's happiness and growing love with Kyle, a dark shadow threatens everything-she's got a stalker and he's not happy at all. In the end, Maggie will need her wits, strength and the love of her man to get her out alive.

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, and some violent situations."

If you have a "la Madeleine" anywhere near you, you can print the coupon here for a complimentary pastry.
:)

Nutrition 53 is offering free samples of Lean1, Neuro1 and Sleep1 here. They advertise free shipping as well-the box says no payment method necessary because the total is $0.00. But make sure you double check before entering any credit card information, because they wouldn't ship to my zip code for free. It's $1.97. If you can get the free shipping, it's a great sample pack though.
Let me know if you have any success.

Visit Urban Outfitters here to 25 free tracks from iTunes. The best part? The code they give you doesn't expire until March, 2010!
:)

.


This is my favorite part about getting off of work late Sunday night. I get to come home and post my freebies. Makes me feel accomplished for the week, hehe!
Here's what I got:
Several types of samples from Mario Badescu Skin Care (Website Link).
Free Chicken Sandwich coupon from Chick-fil-A. Join the chicken wave here. (They are currently offering a free Coke Zero for signing up)
$10 Home Depot Gift Card from Joyful Reviews & Giveaways
A Check from Pincone Research
Nature Valley Nut Clusters Sample Pack
A Yoplait Yoga Mat & Coupon For Free Yogurt (yay giveaways!)
Kashi GoLean Crunch coupons from VocalPoint.

A very successful week if I do say so myself. Can't wait to check the mail this week.
:)
Thanks for stopping by!

So everyone's been talking about the Keebler rebate opportunity here.
Kmart has Keebler cookies, Club and Townhouse crackers on sale 2/$5 this week.
Assuming the "tokens" are on these packages, you can get 2 Keebler Cookies and use the coupon I mentioned in this post and then mix and match on the other three packages, the total comes to $11, making everything only $1 after rebate.
Not sure if all Kmarts have this deal or not, but it was in the weekly circular so it's worth checking out.
:)

Not a lot going on at Target this week, but here's a couple of deals you could check out.

Free Nature Valley Nut Clusters when you buy 3 Nature Valley Granola Bars ($2.50 each)
Use the $0.70/2 coupon from the 10/4 insert.
$2.67/box plus free nut clusters

Aussie Hair Spray - $2.99
Buy 2 and use the $2/2 coupon from the 10/4 insert
$2 each
If you don't need two you could always use the $1/1 coupon from this week's insert and get one for $2.

Don't know the exact prices on these deals but they're worth checking out:

Skippy Peanut Butter
Use the $0.40/1 Coupon from the 10/4 RedPlum insert
combine with the $1/1 (on 15 oz or larger) here.

If you're getting your Keebler stuff for the rebate at Target, there's a $1/2 Keebler Chips Deluxe here.

:)

Got any more? Let me know! :)

Kellog's is doing a $10 Rebate when you buy 5 of any select Keebler snacks. Check out the details and print the form here.

Here are a couple of coupons you can use to sweeten the deal:
$1.50/2 Keebler Cookies

$1/2 Rice Krispie Treats

:)

There's a great giveaway going on over at Life as a "CEO". I would love a free month of Netflix. Click here to enter for yourself.
:)