Germ Hotbeds!

I just read on Yahoo.com that the most germ infested places, studies show, in our homes are...

the refrigerator door handle
salt and pepper shakers
doorknobs
light switches
bathroom faucets
phone
dishwasher handle
t.v. remote

I must admit...I used to be in a great habit of wiping down the light switches and doorknobs w/ Lysol wipes quite regularly. However, I have not done it lately. So I would just encourage you to wipe down as many of these as you can as the winter is right around the door! =)

Free Glad Samples

Free Glad bag sample (Here from Wal-mart)....thanks to Ellen @ Thrifty & Chic Mom for the heads-up!

Spice Up Your Coffee & Staying Sweet w/ the Budget

Here are some great ideas to spice up your coffee at home while still being sweet on your budget!

Enjoy and let me know if you try it! I would love to hear the results!

(Click Here) This website has a great section on what Spices to add!

(Click Here) This website has 3 spiced coffee recipes (Fragrant Spiced Coffee, Mediterranean Coffee and Sweet Fennel Coffee.

(Click Here) for Homemade Coffee Mocha

Craving Holiday Flavors a Little Early...try these

(Click Here) for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes
**This blog is awesome crockpot365.blogspot.com! She has a ton of really great recipes!

(Click Here) for Spiced Holiday Coffee

30 % off Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic

Thanks Catherine for the heads up. I found a link from Southern Savers that will get you to the coupon (click here). I had a hard time trying to get it from my inbox to here. So this should work! Check it out...offer ends 11/16!!!

A Coupon Cutting Must See!!

I know you might find this crazy and a bit OVERWHELMING!! I did at first, so caution (wink). I actually did this with my 2 inserts last week. I didn't staple them, but used the sorting method! It worked great! Good luck!

Walgreens $5 off $20 Purchase! **UPDATED**

Check out my last coupon bar on the right. There is a Walgreen's Coupon for this Friday and Saturday only. The coupon is $5 off, $20 purchase. The deal is the total has to be $20 after all manufacture's coupons! So you will be spending at least $15 OOP. So, I'm sure you are wondering...what do you do when you get this coupon...well...I pull up my trusty Excel spreadsheet and start putting in numbers. I will put down all the things I want to buy and the total Q's. I will try to get as much stuff as I can using Q's and just keep adding it up until I get to $20...which is easy! I will post my scenario...

Some coupon match-ups I did earlier this week (click here)

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My Scenario:
$2.49 (2 coffee mate creamers)
-2.00 (2 creamers $1 off Q's)
10.00 (4 Kellogg's Cereals - get $2 in RR back)
-4.00 (4 Kellogg's $1 off Q's)
11.97 (3 Sudafed's - get back $5 in RR)
-4.00 (3 Sudafed Q's 1.50+1.50+1)
9.99 ( Lysol NeutraAir Starter kit - get $3 back in Rebates)
-5.00 (1 $5 off Starter kit Q)
+2.50 Folgers coffee (was in a hurry)
1.00 ( Holiday pens/pencils 5/$1)

$21.46 Subtotal
- 5.00 $5/$20 purchase
+ 1.31 tax
$17.77 OOP ($13.71 on GC, $4.06 OOP)

So, paid $17.77 and I got back $7 in Register Rewards (money off my next purchase) and will be eligible for $3 rebate (plus 10% when put back on gift card) and get all of the above!!

*****************************************

Other note: usually this would be a good time to buy a "free after rebate" item that Walgreens has in their EasySaver Catalog...i.e. Almay mascara! Please let me know if you have any questions. I would love to hear or see your scenarios!

One Other note: Walgreens policy is to have as many items as you have Q's! So keep that in mind. You might have to buy the little holiday pencils as "filler" items to make it even.

Check out the post here from Money Saving Mom ~ Walgreens 101 for those that are new!

Get to saving!

Free Photobook through Snapfish!

I'm not an Oprah fan...however, I love that she is providing FREE 20 page photobook now thru 11/16. You end up just paying shipping...I think it's $6.99! Coupon Cravings has the lowdown and the link here! It credits new and current Snapfish members!

Great gift idea, so hurry up and get yours!

Enjoy!

CVS...Went to Plan B! Redemption!

My dh (dear husband) needed some allergy meds. I jumped on it to get a chance to go to CVS solo! Wahoo. I was in heaven, well for a sec. I soon realized that the Cool Rinse is out and so is the Whitening Crest...as I already had my game plan on my excel spreadsheet print out... which included these two deals and I was trying to use the $5 off 30 Purchase! Wanted to use this CVS Q b/c I was getting Claritin - a more expensive item that I normally don't buy...which was gone...so we got Zyrtec ($18.99-had a better Q for this anyway!) So I had this planned and then got about the same deal with plan B! (God is so good. The other deal I happened to have all the Q's with me and even scored another $1 off CVS Q from a tearpad! Wahoo!!)

Plan A:
transaction 1:
$18.99 Claritin D (Earn $2 ecbs)
- 3.00 Claritin Printable
$ 3.99 Listerine Cool Blue (Earn $3 ecbs)
- 1.00 Listerine Printable
$ 6.98 2-Crest Whitening TP (Earn $6.98 ecbs)
- 1.50 2-Crest $.75/1 Q
- 5.00 CVS $5/$30 purchase
- 6.00 ECB's from last week
$14.93 OOP (including tax)

**Higher than I would normally pay OOP for anything at CVS, but I would not normally buy Claritin!**

transaction 2:
$19.00 2-Jumbo packs of Huggies!
- 2.00 CVS any Huggies
- 3.00 2-$1.50/1 Home mailers
-$6.98 ECB's from trans #1
$7.95 OOP (including tax!)

So Plan A failed...as there was nothing available from plan A.

I happened to see an end cap with the rimmel mascara deal. $6.99 get $4 ecbs. I had a rimmel Q and saw there was a tearpad with a CVS Q $1 off any Rimmel. So I added 7+19...needed $4 more dollars to get to $30 to use the Q! So I headed over to the Garnier Shampoo/conditioner/syler deal. $2.99 get $2 ecb. I had a $1 Q. Perfect...threw in some candy to make up a great back-up plan.

Plan B:
$18.99 Zyrtec (earn $1 ecb)
- 4.00 Zyrtec Q
$ 6.99 Rimmel Mascara (earn $4 ecbs)
- 1.00 CVS $1 off Rimmel (tearpad on display)
- 1.00 $1/1 Rimmel from inserts
$ 2.99 Garnier Conditioner mask (earn $2 ecbs)
- 1.00 $1/1 Garnier product from inserts
$ 1.50 3 - candy bars (to bump up my total)
- 5.00 $5/$30 purchase
- 6.00 ECBs from last week
$13.86 OOP plus got $7 ecbs!

transaction 2:
$19.00 2-Jumbo packs of Huggies!
- 2.00 CVS any Huggies
- 3.00 2-$1.50/1 Home mailers
-$6.00 ECB's from trans #1
$8.84 OOP (including tax!)

Total OOP $22.70
For Zyrtec (originally $18.99!), Mascara, Hair Conditioning mask and 2 Jumbo bags of diapers!
Not too bad for a little impromptu run!

If your out at Walgreens and Like Neutrogena...

Check out this deal from Sisterly Savings (here). She saw some Neutrogena foundation on sale for $5. I have not been in the Walgreens yet in our area, but if you are planning to go...check it out. Not a bad deal, paired with $1 off Q...$4 deal!!

My Planned Walgreens Trip...still in plan mode!

Well, I am currently thinking this plan for this week...although, I'm debating the Nestle Toll house and Jif deals...

$2.49 ~ 2 Coffee Mate Creamers (BOGO w/ in-ad Q)
-1.00 ~ $1/1 Coffee Mate Creamer
-1.00 ~ $1/1 Coffee Mate Creamer (making 2 for $0.49!)

$0.99 ~ Reach Dental Floss (w/ in-ad Q)
-1.00 ~ Reach Dental floss Q (making this free!)

*not the correct floss Q! boo hoo

I really like the black and blue package Reach Dental floss!! I'm so glad it's free(or so I think it applies)!!! I'm still trying to find my other Q to get 2 instead of one to add to the stockpile.

I already bought the "free after rebate" Almay mascara...($6.99-$1 off Q, deal is use $1 Q and get the entire $6.99 back plus 10% for putting it on a gift card.)

Cranberry-Apple Dessert

I found this link in my email from Betty Crocker website...

If you picked up the Bisquick that was on sale this week at Albies, here is a recipe that you might want to try. (I personally have not made it, but am adding to my list of need to make)

Cranberry-Apple Dessert (click here)

Let me know how it turns out, if you try it.

Enjoy

Free Coffee @ Coffee Bean Tonight...11/11 Only! Did anyone make it in?!?

The Thrifty Mama posted about Free Coffee (here)

I did not check to see if our locations are doing this...so you might want to call first if you are wanting some holiday coffee! Sounds sooo good!

Enjoy!

Walgreens 11/9-11/15...in progress

With Walgreens, remember that you can combine the in-ad Q's with manufacture's Q's!

Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent ~ Buy One get One $6.99
~ IP (here) $1/1
Use 2 Q's, final price $2.50 ea

Domino 5 lb Sugar $1.99 (in-ad Q)
~Q $0.35 & $0.50 in RP 10/12

Coffee Mate Creamer ~ BO at $2.49, get One Free(in-ad Q)
~Q $1.00/2 in 11/2 RP
~Q IP (here) $1/1
Use 2 Q's $1/1 = $0.49 for two creamers!
Use $1/2 = $0.75 for two creamers

Nestle Toll House $ 1.99 (in-ad Q)
~Q $1.50/3 in 11/2 RP = $4.47 for 3 bags
~Q $0.50/1 in 11/2 RP = $1.49 ea.

Betty Crocker $0.99 (in-ad Q) limit 3
~Q IP here $0.75/1 = $0.24 ea
~Q frosting or cookie mix $.50/1 or $1/2 in 10/19 SS
=$0.49 ea

Schick Quatro $6.99
~Q $2/1 (expires today!! from 10/5 SS)
~Q from Easy Saver Catalog $3.00
= $1.99 ea

Reach Dental Floss ~ $0.99 (in-ad Q)