WOW! 504 Pampers Wipes $9.29 Shipped

**UPDATE**
No longer available at this price.

Currently on Amazon they have the Pampers ThickCare Wipes for $9.29 shipped right to your door! That is a great deal! That works out to be $1.33 per package. If you have any giftcards to go towards the price this deal is even sweeter! I purchased 2 boxes for only $7.04 thanks to a giftcard I had. For me, that's only $.50 a package. Saaaaweeeet!!

Here's what you do.....

Go to Amazon Mom and register or login. When you sign up you will receive an additional 15% discount along with the standard 15% discount when you sign up for Subscribe & Save delivery. This will also get you FREE 2 day shipping with Amazon Prime.

After you have signed up for Amazon Mom go here to purchase the wipes. Scroll down and clip the $.50 coupon, then choose Subscribe & Save (on the right side of the page) which will make your total discount 30%.

Grand total is $9.29!!

**Please remember that when you sign up for Subscribe & Save you are under no obligation and you can cancel at anytime. To cancel or modify your Subscribe & Save account, just click on "my account" and then "subscriptions" and you can change your options there.

Thanks Hip2Save!!

Are you a BzzAgent?

Have you ever heard of BzzAgent? It is a great website that allows you to sign up for different campaigns that they have going on. You get to test out new products for free! You will receive an email when you are invited to sign up for a campaign. Then you will fill out a short survey and BzzAgent will mail you your products. After you have used the products you log back in to your account and give a review of the product(s) that you tested. That simple, really!

Look what I received in the mail today! I received full-sized products to test out along with a ton of coupons. Score! I was so excited for these that I went and cleaned my bathroom at 10 pm just to see how the scrubbing bubbles worked. It worked awesome by the way!

If you are interested in becoming a BzzAgent then go to their website and sign up. Why not? It's free after all!!

Another successful trip

Last night I had another awesome trip to Target. I think by far Target may just be my favorite store to score fantastic deals!! You can use a Target coupon along with a manufacturer coupon to sweeten your deals. It totally rocks! So here are some highlights:

3 boxes Nature Valley Granola Bars $1.00 each - I paid $0.00!!
1 bottle Ibuprofen $.99 - I paid $0.00!!
4 Reeses Peanut Butter cups $2.76 total - I paid $1.38 for 4.
1 package of chicken drumsticks $1.99 on sale, regular price $2.99 - I paid $.99.
2 bottles of mouthwash $2.78 total - I paid $.78 for both.
4 Quaker Oatmeal cups $4.08 total - I paid $.52 each or $2.08 total.
1 bottle Season Salt $.90 - I paid $.30.

My total before coupons was $45.00. After I handed over my stack of coupons my total dropped to $26!!! How awesome is that!?!

The people in line behind me rolled up with their cart overflowing with food. I didn't stick around to see what their total was but I guarantee it was easily over $300 probably more. I felt bad because a lot of the items in their cart I knew I had coupons for in my binder. A little education will go a long way.

Happy couponing and have a great week!

How I shop for kids clothes

My kids get new clothes 2 times a year. In the spring and then again in the fall. Now, that's not to say that if I see an awesome deal on something while I'm out and about I won't purchase it. I'm not that much of a cheap wad!! I mean I just do 2 big shopping adventures. But I buy enough during those two times to last them a while and I pay pennies compared to what it would cost if I did buy the clothes at regular stores. How?? Consignment sales.

If you are able to find a consignment store or sale near you, here's what you will need to do immediately. First, call or text all of your girlfriends and let them know about it. Second, figure out your plan of attack when the doors open. Third, make sure you have a laundry basket, bag, or heck, a shopping cart even! Fourth, leave the kids at home with the hubby because you are going out with the girls to shop and then get pedicures after because you are worn out from all the bargain shopping!!

I spent $80 on clothes for my 2 boys the other day. The picture below is what I purchased for just 1 kid. There are 16 shirts (3 of which came with matching shorts), 4 pj sets, 1 vest, 1 dressy outfit for church, 2 swimming shorts, and 2 pairs of shorts by themselves. The most I paid for an item was $2.50. Not bad!! Not bad at all!! For my other son I purchased just as much if not more for him. Plus, my older son still has outfits from last summer he still fits into so we can rotate those in as well. I went to the consignment sale on half price day and there was still plenty to choose from. And, I even put items back because I didn't want to go too overboard. There were people there that bought waaaayyy more than I did. But I have a budget people! Buy what you can afford. I am impressed with what I purchased though.

This is a great way to get nice name brand clothes at an amazing price. Happy shopping!

A penny saved...

...Is a penny earned. Hello all! I hope you have had a great weekend. Our weekend was pretty uneventful except for my hubby finishing up the trim around the baseboards of our new flooring and my exciting trip to Target. More on Target in just a minute. I'm so glad to finally have the flooring finished. It looks great and Matt has done an amazing job. I will post pics soon of the transformation. On to Target...

I can't express to you the amount of money that you can save by using coupons. I've said it a thousand times!! It is amazing the deals that are out there that anyone can get from using coupons. I've been able to try out so many new products that I wouldn't normally buy without coupons.

So yesterday I went to Target with my coupon binder in tow. I knew this was going to be a good trip but I didn't know how good it was until I checked out. Here are a few highlights of what I purchased:

4 Men's Dove Deodorants $3.99 each - I paid just $.99 each.
1 roll Bounty paper towels $.99 each - I paid $.74 for 1 roll.
9 boxes of Nature Valley granola bars $1.00 each - I paid $0.00! FREE!!
1 2 liter bottle of Diet Pepsi Max $1.25 - Free!!
1 box Kelloggs Crunchy Nut cereal $2.50 - I paid $.50.
1 jar Newmans Own Marinara sauce $1.89 - I paid $.89.
2 jars Miracle Whip $2.50 each - I paid $1.00 each.
1 package Kraft sliced cheese $2.54 - I paid $.54.
1 lb ground beef $1.99 - I paid $.99.

The most expensive item I purchased was chicken breasts that were $5.39. My grand total for everything you see in the picture was $125. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous because I knew my total was going to go down but I wasn't sure by how much. After all my coupons were scanned my total out of pocket for everything in the picture was $67.27!!!! Can I just tell you how excited I was!!??!! Saaaweeeettt!

I walked out of that store with my head held high feeling like a million bucks. I might have been one of the last customers out of Target but I really didn't care. My hope is to inspire others not to brag. Even though I was so excited about my loot I want to let you all know that anyone can do this. It does take patience and some understanding of how everything works but if you are serious about it, you can accomplish the same thing.

If you ever have any questions please leave it in the comments or send me an email. I hope you all have a fantastic week. Now I'm going to go sit with my hubby and watch Les Miserables with a granola bar and Pepsi.

Making money

I have been a stay at home mom for 2 1/2 years now. I have loved every minute of it. I've said it a million times and will probably say it 1 million more. Oh well! Before I left my job I was the bread winner for the family while putting Matt through school. I have tried to look for things that I can do at home to make extra money and there are just so many scams out there. It is so difficult to know which one is legit and which one is going to rob you blind. And then a friend told us about product studies. The light bulb went off!

We have found so many different research companies to sign up with. We have used our product study money to make updates to our house, to go on vacation, buy presents for the kids and us too and so much more! Plus, you get to learn about and try new products before they hit the market. We put crown moulding in our bedroom and it was free from product study money. All last year every product study I did I used that money to pay our insurance deductible from having Jaxon. Wow! If you live in a big city or around a big city more than likely there is a research company near you. Do a Google search for "market research companies in ___"(insert your city) and see what pops up. Here is a list and links to the companies that we are currently signed up for.

Bryles Research
Murray Hill Center-I don't see the link to sign up with them but you can probably call the office in your area and ask how to sign up
Plaza Research
Schlesinger Associates
Fieldwork Dallas-click on "join our database" on the left hand side of screen
Savitz
Delve-click on "consumer sign up" in the middle of the page
Market Research Dallas
Opinions-Unlimited
Focus Pointe Global

Have fun!

Couponing Tips

I wanted to share some helpful tips for successful couponing. Let me just say....I LOVE COUPONS!!! They are the best thing ever! I have been couponing for about 2 years now. It has been worth every minute of it. There are so many "secrets" to getting free groceries or other items from the stores free. Recently, I have been able to stock up Special K cereal for so about $.50 a box. That's awesome!! I was happy about that. I can offer some tips though that might help others looking to save money. I will try to make as much sense as possible.

1) Shop at more than one store if you are able to. I used to limit myself to just Walmart b/c I always thought Walmart had the best deals. Not true. I shop at Walmart, Super Target, Kroger, Brookshires, Walgreens, and CVS. It may seem like a lot of stores but it's not like I go to all of these every week. Broaden your horizons if you have a favorite store.

2) Become familiar with the stores coupon policy. Every store's coupon policy is different. Contact the stores customer service and they will usually email you back a copy of the policy. Keep a copy of that policy with you when you are at that store. You never know when you will get an unfriendly cashier or someone that doesn't know the policies.

Walmart
Target and Target's Price Matching Policy
Walgreens
CVS does not have a coupon policy available but these are some tips to understanding their store.
Brookshires

3)There are several websites to get coupons from. Examples:

www.coupons.com
www.bettycrocker.com
www.eatbetteramerica.com
www.redplum.com
These are just a few examples. Also, you can go directly to the manufacturer websites and get on email lists. I receive offers and specials that way too.

4) Give yourself a budget and stick to it. There will be times when you will splurge and I tell myself that's ok...every once in a while. Not all the time!!

5) Stay organized with coupons. It may seem overwhelming at first but if you stick with it, you can walk out of a store and saved so much money. Get a binder, baseball card inserts and dividers and organize your coupons by sections. If you would like to know how I have my tabs on my dividers just ask. I just smile b/c I see other people checking out spending so much money and I don't. There is a lot to learn but don't give up.

6) Plan your meals around what is on sale at the stores. Those weekly ads that are in the newspaper are there for a reason. Read them and plan your dinners around that. I plan my meals 1 week at a time since the sales change weekly. If chicken is on sale this week then I get it while I can. Today I got chicken breasts at Target and I had a Target coupon for free frozen veggies when you bought a bag of frozen chicken. There's dinner one night this week! Easy!

7) There are websites/blogs that can guide you through the process of coupons. My favorite site is www.hip2save.com. I am so glad I came across this site. She puts together deals for you so you just have to look up the coupons and go shopping. Love it!! There are so many other blogs along the same line.

8) If you want to save money then you will find the time to coupon. People have said to me...Oh you have 2 young kids wait until they get older. You won't have as much time. My response is this is not an option. I am not super rich and I do this not only to save money but it is also fun too. This will be something that I will be doing as long as I have fingers to cut out coupons. Even if you only save $5 on a shopping trip that is $5 in your pocket.

9) Do not pay any website to do couponing for you. There are websites that will charge you for shopping lists or the coupons themselves. There are way too many other blogs you can look at for FREE! I will say that if there is an amazing deal that I would like to stock up on, I have in the past, bought coupons off of ebay. But it is a rare thing for me to do that. This is all about saving money right!!

10) Stores usually get reimbursed for the coupons you use. In the small print on the coupon it says something like the store will get back $.08 handling fee for each coupon used. So the store gets reimbursed for the amount of the coupon plus the $.08. So they are still making money even though you may have gotten the item for free or really really cheap. So I don't feel bad at all when I score a great deal.

11) DO NOT FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO USE EVERY COUPON BEFORE IT EXPIRES!!! In my opinion, there is no need for an expiration date. This is a ploy by the manufacturer to get you to spend money. It makes you feel like you have to use the coupon or you will miss out. If you use every coupon you will not save money. You will more than likely end up spending more out of pocket. There is always going to be a sale on something. There will always be another coupon that will come around for you to use. After doing couponing for a while you will catch on to what coupons are most frequent.

I know this may seem like a lot of information but it is very helpful. I'm sure I have forgotten something but these are the main points. Please know these are just my opinions and tips. What may work for me might not work for you. Good luck and happy couponing.

Cha-Ching

I love getting good deals. Hopefully you know that by now. Have you seen the Ikea commercial where the lady thinks she stole everything b/c she got such a good deal?

This is totally me all the time!! Last night I went to CVS and scored all of this for $2.12.

How did I do it? Here's how: I had $10 worth of CVS ECB (extra care bucks) to spend. I wanted to find a deal where I could roll my ECB and get things I needed.

Transaction #1:

2 Herbal Essence shampoo & conditioner $2.99 each

Total: $5.98

Minus $5 ECB

Total out of pocket: $.98 plus tax $1.06

Got back a $2 ECB

Transaction #2:

2 Herbal Essence shampoo & conditioner $2.99 each

Total: $5.98

Minus $5 ECB

Total out of pocket: $.98 plus tax $1.06

Got back a $2 ECB

So now I had $4 in ECB to spend on something else.

Transaction #3

1 Suave body wash $2

Total: $2

Minus $2 ECB

Total out of pocket: $0

Transaction #4

1 Suave body wash $2

Total $2

Minus $2 ECB

Total out of pocket: $0

I received the $10 in ECB b/c I signed up to be on the CVS Advisor Panel. All you have to do is go here and sign up. I completed a survey recently and I received $5 ECB. They will email you a survey to complete and if you qualify you will get different amounts of ECB for completing the survey. FREE MONEY PEOPLE....FREE!! My sister completed the survey and received $5 in ECB but she doesn't have a CVS nearby so she sent it to me. Thanks Jessica! So I went shopping.

**Note**

I had to do so many transactions b/c the ECB were not only under my name but my sister's name as well. So that meant my sisters card had to be scanned in order to get the ECB so that's why the cashier had to separate everything into different transactions. Even though I did so many transactions it didn't take long at all. Very easy!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I have not bought laundry detergent in over a year. Not b/c I don't wash my clothes but last year I was able to score 8 bottles of laundry detergent for FREE!! Well, now all of that laundry detergent has been used so I recently bought my first bottle. But detergent is so darn expensive when you add up how much you buy it for and how much you use. Now that Levi is potty training I am doing a lot of laundry... A LOT....A LOT!! So I thought I would try to make my own detergent and see how it turned out. If it turned out ok then I could have more detergent for a lot less than what 1 bottle costs. So I found this recipe here. I followed it exactly and it made enough to last me for a while. Then I also found this site here and they did an experiment (non scientific) between Tide and the homemade stuff. Pretty interesting. I bought all of my ingredients at Kroger for a total of $8. The next time I make a batch it will cost me $1 for the Fels Naptha soap. $1!!! Here is a picture of how much I was able to make.

Good luck and I hope you can enjoy saving some money too!

**Note**

There are many different variations of homemade detergent. You can even add other scents to your detergent if you want. Most recipes have the same basic ingredients though. Just do a search for homemade laundry detergent and find one you like.

Great deal on diapers!

Matt and I were so good about stocking up on diapers for Levi. We didn't have to buy any diapers for him until he was around 7 months old. This time we have not been so great at stocking up. Here we are at the end of my pregnancy and we hardly have any diapers at all. So I have been searching for deals and sales to try to stock up quickly. Here are a few tips for anyone who has kids in diapers or even better would like to purchase diapers and send them to us (hint hint):

1. diapers.com - If you are a first time user to diapers.com you can usually find a discount code to get $10 off your purchase of $49 or more. Today I purchased 1 extra large box of size 2 diapers (228 diapers in the box) and 2 jumbo packs of size 3 diapers (72 diapers total) for a total of $49.97. But then I had a discount code b/c my total was over $49 and my total came down to $39.97. On top of that there is a mail in rebate of $14.97 that I will be getting. So for 300 diapers total I will be paying $25. Not a bad deal! Also, since my total was over $49 I qualified for free shipping. If you would like to do this deal you can use the discount code: melr4741 to get the $10 discount. Remember this is only for first time users and your order has to be over $49. The info for the mail in rebate can be found by clicking here. diapers.com also accepts manufacturer's coupons and does price matching from other websites. Even if the price matching is only a dollar or two...that can add up.

2. Walgreens and CVS - Usually Walgreens and CVS have deals on diapers. They aren't always the best deals out there but it is a great way to get diapers for less. You can get register rewards or extra care bucks from purchasing other products and use those to get diapers for cheap. You can also use manufacturer coupons to sweeten the deal.

3. Price matching at Target vs Walmart - If I get a weekly ad from Albertsons, for example, and they have Luvs diapers on sale then I will price match that at Target instead of Walmart. For some reason, at Target the box of size 5 diapers has more in it than the size 5 box sold at Walmart. The prices are pretty close to the same but if I can get more diapers, why not? I don't know if this same thing applies to other brands since we only use Pampers or Luvs. I also price match more at Target only b/c Target is closer than Walmart. You can also order diapers from the Walmart and Target websites. Either way, price matching along with coupons can save you money.

Those are my top 3 tips. I hope that helps anyone who may have kids in diapers. And don't forget, if you would like to send diapers our way then feel free to email me for our address. (hint hint).

Attention All Moms!! Money Saver!!

So here is a tip to help out all those Moms out there! Today at Target I was able to get 3 packages of toddler flushable wipes for FREE! Yes I said FREE! I will definitely be stocking up on these while the coupon and sale are still good. I'm so excited about this b/c I will have 2 kids soon using diapers and wipes. Even though these are the flushable wipes I will still use them like my regular wipes. If you don't have children you can use these as gifts for those that do. So if you are interested here is what you do:

In the baby isle with the wipes the toddler flushable pack (48 count) are priced at $.97. Also, Target does have the tubs priced around $1.60 so after the coupon only about $.60 each. Still a great deal either way.

Go here and print off the Target coupon for $1 off any up & up brand diapers or wipes.

The coupon is located under the section labeled "Expiring 12/05/09". You can print off as many as you would like. Just put a number in the box. Then click the Get Coupons button. Your coupons will show up on the next page. Then hit your browser's print button.

Now, on the coupon in the small print it does say "limit 1 per transaction" but you can still get more than one package at a time. I would recommend no more than 5 at a time. Just so you don't get problems from the cashier. If you have other items to purchase at Target then you will have no issues with this. If you want to only get the wipes make sure to tell the cashier that the coupon value will be have to be adjusted down to match the price of the wipes. Otherwise, the coupon may beep since the value of the coupon is more than the price of the wipes. If the cashier says they can't do that then don't be scared. Trust me, they can adjust the value! Ask to speak to a Lead Cashier that can adjust it. In the Target coupon policy it also states they can adjust the value of the coupon. For this money saving deal it is worth it to stand your ground.

That's it! You have just scored free wipes! Let me know if you get your free wipes. I know I will be making several trips to Target for this deal.

Every penny counts

Since January I have been trying so hard to lower our monthly grocery bill. When I was working it was so simple and easy to just go to Walmart and buy everything in just one shot. I never really felt like cooking meals after working all day. It was always usually something frozen and I could just pop it in the oven. You don't realize how much you are spending on all of that "convenience" food. On top of the fact that it is just not healthy.

I decided that I would start cooking more meals. I looked for new ideas and combinations of food. I'm no chef but I'm pretty darn close to Paula Dean or Rachel Ray. Yeah right! I started putting together a menu plan. I planned out our meals 2 weeks at at time. I asked Matt for ideas on what he wanted to try or things that maybe his mom made that he liked. Once I had my 2 week plan I started looking in the weekly grocery ads for deals. I always had the notion that Walmart was the best place and had the best prices. And I have discovered that while Walmart does have good prices on some things, they are not always the best deal. I now shop at Brookshires, Albertsons, Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens. Don't count out CVS and Walgreens b/c you can find good deals on cereal, pizza, and toiletries.

I have been doing this now for several months. The first month I lowered our bill by about $20-$30. I was bummed b/c I thought I could do better but I kept going. The second month I lowered our bill by about $50-$70. Much better. This last month I lowered our bill by $150! Can you believe it? Let me just clarify too that when I use the word "groceries" that includes diapers, wipes, jar food for Levi (which now he is finally getting his molars so he can eat more normal food), toiletries, and of course food for us. What a difference it makes to save money. I wish I had only done this sooner.

On our blog you will see the links to some of my favorite blogs to look at and follow. You may think that it takes so much time to clip coupons and look at blogs. But it really doesn't once you have a system down. Now, I am still learning all the tricks and rules but if you ever want to know how you can save please feel free to ask me. Every penny counts!

Thrifty!

It is so hard to pass up a good deal when you find it. You keep thinking about that one thing until finally you just break down and go and get it. You then ask for forgiveness from your husband later for spending some crazy amount of money! That's kinda how I am recently except I don't have to ask for forgiveness. My husband thinks it is awesome when I find a good deal.

It started with tomato sauce on sale at Walgreens for $.39. I needed tomato sauce for homemade bbq sauce I would be making this week. Why not stock up on it while it is on sale? So I got my 3 cans. Also Sally Hansen lip gloss was on clearance for 40% off this week. With some coupons I had I was able to get 2 tubes of lip gloss for about $.59 each. I also had 5 coupons for $1.50 off Colgate toothpaste. Again, it was on sale for $.99 so I got 5 tubes for free. My total savings at Walgreens was $21.37.

I went across the street to CVS for my next stop. If you know anything about CVS when you make certain purchases you can get Extra Care Bucks back. You can use these on your next purchase. I purchased 3 Suave body washes that were on clearance for $2 each. I had 3 coupons worth $1 off each body wash. So I paid only $3 for 3 body washes. I got $2 in Extra Care Bucks back. Cereal was on sale for $4.79 and also was buy one get one free. So I got 4 boxes. With the coupons I had for cereal my total came to $1.58. I used my $2 in Extra Care bucks so it was free! I also had 5 more coupons for $1.50 off Colgate toothpaste. It was on sale for $.88 cents. So it too was free! Campbell's soup was on sale and also buy one get one free. For 4 cans and with my coupons I paid $.98. My total savings at CVS was $40.57.

My total out of pocket expense: $6.83. Now that is just thrifty.

Coupons are awesome!!

Our goal for 2009 is to save as much money as possible. One way for us to do that is by using coupons. In the past I would use coupons just whenever I saw a great deal. But oh no...not anymore. Now that I am at home I can really shop around for great deals on food and other necessities. This last week I found a coupon for $3 off any CVS brand item. That is how it all began. For my first purchase I went to CVS and they had kids body wash on sale for $1.50 each. I got 2. I used my coupon and the final price was FREE! I was so excited. With this coupon there was no limit to the number of times you could use it. So I went home and printed off more copies of this coupon. Then the real fun for me started. Here is what I scored:

2 kids body wash=FREE
2 adult boy wash=FREE
1 box gallon size storage bags=FREE
2 toothbrushes=FREE
1 baby shampoo=FREE
1 roll of travel wipes (fits in your cup holder)=FREE
1 aloe body wash (for when babies or kids have a cold)=FREE
2 tubes of lotion=FREE
2 bars of soap=FREE
1 pack of wipes=FREE
1 dental floss=FREE
1 roll of 140 wipes=$.31 (price $3.29)
2 packs of wipes=$1.08 (on sale 2 for $4)
1 shaving cream=$1.07 (price $3.99)
1 box of 20 trash bags=$2.15 (price 4.99)
2 bags of peanut butter filled pretzels to enjoy our savings=FREE

Our total savings was $55.27. We were able to get 23 items total. This was a great way for us to get a start on storage items. These were all things that we needed and we were able to get them for free. How awesome is that! It is totally a rush to walk out of a store with free stuff.

The day before I started my CVS trips I went to Walgreens. With all of my coupons I used at Walgreens I saved $37.19. Again, I was able to get items we needed like paper towels, shampoo and conditioner, toilet paper, toothpaste, and cleaning supplies.

I hope that I can stick to this and really save us money. It's kind of like a puzzle to me to see what coupons I can combine and get super cheap or free stuff. Happy savings to everyone!



Our loot from CVS. The only thing not pictured is the pretzels b/c we ate those of course.