What to do with expired coupons - Help our military!!

Each month, usually at the end of the month, I go through my coupons and throw out the expired ones.  There are still some stores that will take them, but for the most part, if they are expired, they are useless.

I ran across this post from Mummy Deals, and if you send your coupons to the military they can be used!  Check out the specifics here:

• There is no donation minimum so grab a stack and clip away.

• They ask that you clip them as they only have volunteers who are already super busy. It'll also save you postage.

• Separate them into food and non-food.

• Do not send Assistance Vouchers, Food Stamps, or any other assistance items. Store coupons, those only good at the store named are useless on a military base overseas. Do not send restaurant coupons.

• Use envelopes or baggies to separate them, not paper clips or rubber bands.

• Label them.

• Add up the totals per bundle.

• Send them to a participating base here.

Thanks, Mummy Deals, for giving us a GREAT way to use those expired coupons for a GREAT cause!!  Any time I can support the military, I'm there!!

Pottery Barn Children's Lighting SALE!!

Love Pottery Barn?  Then you'll love these prices on kids lighting.  Pottery Barn Kids takes up to 75% off select lighting as part of their latest sale.   The Hotel Striped Sconce drops from $35 to $8.99 The Percale Stripe Drum Shade drops from $30 to $8.99 The Ruffle Shade in cream drops from $45 to $24.99 Shipping is from $4.95 and sales tax is charged in states with Pottery barn Kids retail stores.  (Thanks, Brad's deals!)

Another Great Deal at Target-Olay Moneymaker

Love Olay products?  Hate to pay the price?  Then this is the deal for you!  WYB two Olay products, you will receive a $5.00 Gift Card!  Here's a scenario to make some money:
 
Purchase Two Facial Toners at $2.99 each
  Use two $2/1 Olay Facial Product mf 5/16/10 SS Insert
  Use $1/1 Olay Moisturizer or Cleanser  5/16/10 SS Insert
Pay as little as $1.98 plus tax OOP AND receive a $5.00 Gift Card

There are other products that range from $3.69-12.29.  Buy enough of these products and use this $20 Rebate WYB   (thanks Common Sense With Money!)

Target has some serious deals this week!!

Target is one of my favorite stores...and when Target coupons match up with a manufacturer's coupon AND it's on sale, I get excited!!  This week, some of the best deals I found are:


Shout Stain Remover $1.97
  Use the Target coupon for $1.00
  Use a mf coupon for .55 off
Pay only $.42 for one!!  (thanks Common Sense With Money!)

Nivea Face Gel for Men  $3.49
  Use $2/1 Target coupon
  Use $2/2 mf coupon (RP insert)
Pay only $.39 each!  (must purchase 2)


Eggo Frozen Waffles $1.75 (price cut at some stores)
  Use $1/1 Target coupon
Pay $.75 for one!

Green Giant Frozen Boxed Vegetables $1.00 ea
  Use $.50/2 printable coupon
Pay $.50 each (must purchase 2)

Target's Gift Card Deal:  (Thanks, Stretching A Buck!!)

Get a $5 Target Gift Card when you buy 10 SoBe Lifewaters:

SoBe Lifewater (20 oz) – $1/ea
Use B1G1 SoBe Lifewater (IE) or Printable (FF)
PLUS
Use $0.50/1 Target Printable Coupon
Final Price = $0.50/ea when you buy 2; It’s like getting 10 of these for as little as FREE with gift card (using 5 B1G1 FREE coupons)

Get a $5 Target Gift Card when you buy 5 Fiber One Items:

Fiber One Cereal or Bars – $2.50/ea
Use $0.75/1 Fiber One Cereal
Use $0.40/1 Fiber One Bars
Use $0.50/1 Fiber One 90 Calorie Chewy Bars 5/2/2010 SS Insert (exp 6/26/2010)
Final Price = $1.75-2.10/ea; It’s like getting 5 of these for $0.75-1.10/ea with gift card

Get a $5 Target Gift Card when you buy 10 Weight Watchers Smart Ones Frozen Entrees:

Smart Ones Entrees – $1.89/ea
Use $1/5 Weight Watchers Smart Ones Products or
Use $3/10 Weight Watchers Smart Ones Frozen Products or
Use $3/6 Smart Ones Jun 2010 All You Magazine (exp 7/31/2010)
Final Price = $1.39-1.69/ea; It’s like getting 10 of these for as little as $1.09/ea with gift card

Get a $5 Target Gift Card when you buy 3 Training Pants:

Huggies Pull Ups or Pampers Easy Ups (jumbo pks) – $8.99/ea
Use $2/1 Huggies Pull-Ups Training Pants
Use $2/1 Huggies Pull-Ups 5/16/2010 SS Insert (exp 6/12/2010)
Final Price = $6.99/ea; It’s like getting 3 of these for as little as $5.33/ea with gift card

For a complete list of Gift Card deals available at Target, go here.  (Thanks, Totally Target!!)

For more match ups and gift card deals, go here.  (Thanks!  Totally Target!)

Coupons Reset!!

Since today is May 31st, the coupon sites are reset with new coupons.  Some of these are pretty hot, so you may want to print them now before they are gone.  Some areas only allow so many.

My favorite sites:

coupons.com
redplum.com
smartsource.com

Steal of a Deal from Kraft - 1/2 Price Minor League Baseball Tickets

Looking for some great ideas for this summer, that won't break the budget, but will include the whole family?

Kraft is offering a "steal of a deal" on minor league baseball tickets through September 7th.  Just show up at the box office, bring a Kraft Singles wrapper, purchase one ticket and get another ticket FREE!!  This offer is good for every Tuesday night home game.  There are a few cities that are not participating, so go here for exclusions and details.

Restaurant Gift Certificates 80% off!!

Restaurant.com is a great place to purchase gift certificates.  And right now through May 31st, they are 80% off!  That's right, 80%...that means you can purchase a $25 Gift certificate for $2.00!!  Just enter promo code FLAG.  Now that's a price that allows a family to be able to eat out at a budget friendly price.

Memorial Day Sales - Don't miss some great deals!!

Memorial Day is a time we should all stop and remember the freedoms we enjoy and the lives that were sacrificed to obtain those freedoms.  Without veterans as well as their families, and all that they gave, we would not be in this free nation!!

Memorial Day is usually a day of getting together with friends and family and enjoying the day, whether it be grilling, picnicing or just being together.  But Memorial Day is also a day that retailers put forth a great effort to ensure awesome sales.

Here is a short list of some sales you will see this weekend:

Bath and Body Works - Buy 3, get 3 FREE; 50% off select items; and don't forget about the coupon available (purchase $10, receive a FREE full size body care item!)

Old Navy - 50% off clearance items through 5/28;  coupon available on their Facebook Page

Gymboree - Save up to 60% and earn $25 in GymBucks for every $50 you spend

Babies R Us - Go here for printable coupons good through 5/31

JC Penney - Go here for a printable coupon good through 5/29

Nine West - 50% off online and in stores

Michael's - 4 hour madness event on Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Go here for a 20% off purchase coupon

The Children's Place - $5 Days with an additional 25% off, with savings up to 60% off

Kirkland's - Sidewalk Sale through 5/31 with an additional 25% off Green Tag merchandise

These are just a few that I found.  I would love to hear about any more you have discovered!!

Free and Cheap Summer Movies

Check out this great article for a listing of FREE and cheap summer movies!!  http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-50371-Raleigh-Childrens-Entertainment-Examiner~y2010m5d26-Summer-schedule-of-free-and-cheap-movies

Veggie Tales 'Girl Power' Items

Veggie Tales will be releasing a new DVD "Sweetpea Beauty, a Girl after God's Own Heart" on July 31st.  You can pre-order this DVD now.  There are three different bundles available so pre-order yours now.

• Special offer #1 - Sweetpea Beauty DVD and Sweetpea's Songs for Girls $14.99
• Special offer #2 - Sweetpea Beauty DVD, Sweetpea's Songs for Girls and Minnesota Cuke: Samson's Hairbrush $19.99
• Special offer #3 - Sweetpea Beauty DVD, Girl Power Triple Feature DVD, Sweetpea's Songs for Girls and a Sweetpea digital watch $29.99

Each of these will ship to arrive on the release date of 7/31/10.  FREE shipping on orders of $40 or more.

Along with this great new release, Veggie Tales is running a $5.00 DVD clearance sale.  These make wonderful birthday or Christmas gifts.  It's also fun to bring out a new DVD as a surprise for the kiddos!  All of my kids (even the 17 year old!) LOVE Veggie Tales.

Bath and Body Works - FREE with $10 purchase

Bath and Body Works makes it almost impossible to run out of their items, with these awesome coupons.  Another great coupon is available from Bath and Body Works.  Receive a FREE full size body care item with any $10 purchase!  This coupon is good until June 10th.

Along with this coupon, B&BW is still running their Buy 3 Get 3 FREE sale!  And their sales are also good online, so if you can't make it to the store, order online, use the coupon and still get GREAT prices!!  And with any $40 purchase, you will receive FREE shipping!!  What a deal!

Blue Bunny - Coupon for $1.00 off

Love Ice Cream?  Then enjoy this $1.00 off coupon from Blue Bunny, good towards one novelty carton.

Michael's Coupon Bonanza

Get over eight coupons good through 5/29/10 at Michael's.  Certain exclusions apply.  Check coupon for details.  Plus, get your 40% off weekly coupon here.

Top Five Summer Fun Activities For School Age Children

Check out my article for the Examiner!!

http://rss.examiner.com/RSS-50371-Raleigh-Childrens-Entertainment-Examiner.rss

True Lemon, True Lime and True Orange Samples

If you're like me, you don't always drink enough water.  Well, here is one way I have used to drink more water. True Lemon, True Lime and True Orange is a powder that you add to your bottle (or glass) of water, giving it the flavor of fresh squeezed lemon, lime or orange.  It has no calories, and does not give it a sweet flavor.  Just the TRUE LEMON, TRUE LIME, or TRUE ORANGE flavor of fresh squeezed!  The packets fit in your purse too!  Go here to sign up and receive your FREE samples, and $1.00 off coupon.

The Knack - by Michael's May Event

Are you a member of The Knack yet?  Sign up here for coupons, deals and notification of awesome events.

For the month of May, The Knack is offering a FREE Family Event making an American Girl Craft Flower Card.  You will be making a beautiful vase of flowers card for someone special.  It takes place on 5/29/10 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  and is only available in US stores.  This is while supplies last.

Father's Day Deals at SeeHere

Check out SeeHere and score 50% off all photo mugs...and FREE shipping!!  Use promo code mug2010 for this deal.  What a great Father's Day gift for the special Dad in your life!  What Dad doesn't like pics of the kiddos in his life!!  And to see them on his coffee mug every morning, it doesn't get any better than that!!  This deal is good until 5/31!!

Target Tuesday...Check out the deals!

Today, I decided to make a Target visit, and am I ever glad I did!!  I scored some huge deals, including some FREE items!

Here's the scoop:
     Febreze Noticeables Starter           $5.99 - $4.00 QP = $1.99
     GE Energy Smart CFL Light Bulb      $1.99 - Target QP $2.00 = FREE
     Dove Ultimate Deodorant                  $3.49 - $2.00 QP AND $1.00 Target QP = 49 cents
     Ben Gay Vanishing Scent Cream        $4.29 - $5.00 QP = FREE plus   overage
     Johnson & Johnson First Aid Kit to go          $ .97 - $1.00 QP = FREE plus overage
     60 watt Reveal Light Bulbs (4 pk)      $4.49 - $1.00 QP - $1.50 Target QP = $1.99
     Colgate Clinical Protection Toothpaste  $3.49 - $1.00 QP - $1.00 Target QP = $1.49
     Carefree Panty Liners 22 ct                   $.99 - $1.00 QP = FREE
     100 Calorie Pack (purchased 4 boxes)   $2.41 ea  used 2 BOGO FREE QPs and Target QP
     B3G1FREE = $2.41 for 4
     Oscar Mayer Deli Lunchmeat (purchased 4 pkgs)  $3.04 ea   used 2 $2.00 QP, 1 $1.00 QP and Target
     QP B3G1 FREE = $4.12 for 4 pkgs
     Kashi products purchased 3 boxes of Kashi bars at $2.79 ea and 2 boxes of Kashi cereal at $2.88 ea
     used 1 $1.50 QP, 3 $1.00 QPs, Target QP B3Get $1.50 off = $8.13 and received $5.00 Gift Card

     My total purchase price was $168.44 and my Out Of Pocket (OOP) was $73.55 - $15.09 Target Giftcard I had from a previous visit.  My total OOP was $58.46!!

These are just the best deals I scored today on my Target Tuesday visit.  Don't forget, you can stack manufacture's coupons with Target coupons to double score.  I always check the Target website for new coupons before I go shopping.


 

FREE Shake at Sonic!!

If you're like me, you LOVE Sonic, especially in the summertime.  They have some of the most refreshing drinks around (can anyone say "Cherry Lime-Ade"), as well as yummy ice cream shakes and desserts.

Through 6/27/10, when you buy an ice cream shake, you can get another shake for FREE!  Yes, FREE!!  And if you don't want to use the FREE shake during that visit, they will give you a coupon good for a FREE shake.  The coupon doesn't expire until 7/15/10.

Bath & Body Works - FREE Signature Collection Body Care with $10 purchase

Another great coupon from Bath & Body Works...FREE Signature Collection Body Care with any $10 purchase.  When used along with their other great sales, you could score big!!  This coupon is good until May 31st, so check out their bargains either in store or online.

Love to read? Check out Barnes & Noble...FREE E-Books!!

Starting today, Barnes & Noble is offering for 5 weeks - 5 FREE E-Books.  Just visit a Barnes & Noble store, show them your Nook or device loaded with the BN eReader.  A new book by a best-selling author will be available every week for 5 weeks.

Savings Delivered To Your Home!

Home Made Simple has the P&G Savings Booklet available. Over $30.00 worth of P&G coupons are in this booklet.  It is mailed to your house and many times has higher value coupons than are available in the newspaper.

Freschetta Pizza Coupon!!

Go here to get your coupon for $1/1 Freschetta Pizza.  This is definitely a frozen pizza that is worth the price!!

Nivea Happy Hour!!

Check this out to get your coupons from the Nivea Happy Hour!!

Great deal for coffee lovers!!

Gevalia is at it again...3 boxes of coffee and a stainless steel coffee scoop for only $3.00!!  And shipping is FREE!!  This will enroll you in their club.  But there is no further obligation.  Just cancel your membership once you receive the coffee if you wish, and you just snagged 3 boxes of coffee and a stainless steel coffee scoop!!  It can't get much better than this!!

FREE panty from Lane Bryant

Through May 19th, receive a FREE panty from Lane Bryant.  No coupon necessary ... visit any Lane Bryant.

Digital Coupons - Loading them onto your shopper card

Although there are many printable coupons on the internet that help with your coupon shopping, don't forget those coupons that can be loaded directly onto your shopper card.  Unfortunately, Harris Teeter does not allow loadable coupons.  But Kroger does.

Here are the sites ... they can be used along with manufacturer coupons to make your savings even better!  (They do not double but are face value only)

Shortcuts.com
Cellfire.com
Kroger.com

Bath and Body Works...FREE with $10 purchase

Bath and Body Works does it again!!  Purchase any item for $10 and receive a FREE full size signature collection body care product!!  And to make this an even better deal, B&BW's is still offering their Buy 3 Get 2 FREE or Buy 2 Get 1 FREE!

Use this coupon along with the BUY 2 Get 1 FREE and it becomes Buy 2 Get 2 FREE!!  It doesn't get much better than that!!

 Or use the coupon and purchase 2 candles for $10 and receive a FREE full size Signature Collection Body Care Product!!  

FREE Philosophy Products!!

Love Philosophy skin care products?  Then this is for you...I know they can be a little pricey, but when you can get them for FREE, even I take notice!!

If you purchase $75.00 worth of product, they will send you a FREE surprise gift bag filled with $40.00 worth of Philosophy products!!  Now that's a steal!!  Just enter promo code SURPRISE.

Love Starbuck's? You're gonna LOVE this!!

From May 7-16, Starbuck's is offering their Frapuccino for 1/2 price!!  What a great way to try one of these yummy blended drinks!  This offer is good from 3-5 p.m.

All You is giving away FREE sample every day in May!

Check out AllYou.com and sign up to receive a new FREE sample every day in May.

Kraft Foods FREE Sample Summer Packs!!

Kraft has just announced on their Facebook page that they are giving away (Yes, folks FREE!) Summer Sample Packs.  All you have to do is become a fan of Kraft on Facebook and follow the prompts.  You can choose between 4 different sample packs of Kraft items.  Don't miss this one!!  This offer expires 5/9/10.