Buying what you don't need

I stole this question/answer from another blog because I think it is a great way of thinking. I was thinking of donating to a charity and this is a way to do it.

Do you think its worth buying free items even if you won't use them?!?In my opinion yes... its extremely worth it!
The main reason being:
"Sometimes you have to buy products you don't need to get products you do. Now this rule might seem like a hard one to understand. Here is an example- The other day I went to Walgreen's because they had a great promotion going on. You had to buy 10 Gillette shaving products and you would receive $5 back to use in the store. So I went in and got 10 of the cheapest shaving gels which were $2 a piece for a total of $20. Well Walgreen's had a store coupon for $1 off each shaving gel which brought the total down to $10. Plus I had 10 $1 off manuf coupons bringing the total down to nothing but tax!!!:) I then used the $5 in another transaction to get 4 FREE newspapers to get more coupons... So I walked out of there with 10 FREE shaving gels that I didn't need, but 4 FREE newspapers that I did!!"
Here are some ideas to make use of those freebies-

• Make Gift Baskets for friends and relatives. There is so much more thought that goes into making a homemade gift basket. My grandmother received this (pictured above) on her Birthday and loved it. I wrapped up toothbrushes, toothpaste, cleaning supplies, air fresheners and much more. It might seem odd but she thought it was creative and unique. Its also nice to know that your giving others items they will actually use, unlike some gifts!
• Donate the items to a homeless shelter or Women's shelter. You could also research online and donate to a cause your most passionate about.
• Have a garage sale every couple months. This is a win win situation- You make some money and also help others who don't "coupon" get a great deal too!
  Make money selling items on EBay. This is a fun hobby to pursue along with "couponing". When you just can't resist saying no to a freebie at least you can sell it on EBay!
• Try new things!! For example if you find a free deal on a food item you've never tasted then give it a chance. That's the fun of using coupons... you don't have to be brand loyal... you can try new things!

Friday Finale

My husband is begging for me to get off the computer, so this Friday Finale will be short and sweet.
Grand total
Spent 43.01
Saved $104.41
That is about 70% savings! Yay me!

Bolt DVD Coupons

If you have a little one like me, this is a great offer for you. Target has a couple coupons on the new Bolt movie coming to DVD and BlueRay. If you buy the BlueRay you receive $10 off and with the DVD you'll receive $5. Go here to print the coupon.

This is a great Easter basket gift instead of candy.

Junk Mail Is Sometimes a Good Thing

I typically complain about junk mail. I think it is a complete waste of paper (= tree). But, I do flip through it while dumping it into the trash. But, this week has been profitable for me. Here are some little nuggets of savings I found.....

1. A large booklet of Target coupons that also included a $5 coupon on groceries.
2. An offer from Glade that had a coupon for their new candle coming out in a few weeks. (I think this came from being registered on their site.

3. A booklet from a local outlet mall with coupons to some of their stores (Gap, Old Navy, Anne Taylor, and others). A lot of these did not have a minimum purchase amount!

Not bad for just opening your mailbox!

Friday Totals

Ok, here we go....

CVS

Total $12.51
Savings $44.64(still have $2 for next week)

78% Saved

Publix

Total $ 14.82

Savings $42.50

74% Saved

Target

Total $18.69

Savings $11.68

38% Saved

Not great savings here because $9.50 was a huge bottle of Tide, but for the other $9.16 I bought a beef roast, motts applesuce, pledge, snuggle fabric softner and gum.

Grand total

Spent $56.02

Saved $98.82

Yes, I went over my budget, but I blame it on the Tide.......

5 Great B1G1 Deals

Here are my top five buy-one-get-one-free deals lately:

• Yankee Candle Company here B1G1 50% off. They have candles as low as $14.99.
• Bath and Body Works here (ok, so this is a B2G1) This offer applies to the Signature Collection. If you order online you can get free shipping with orders over $60. Use FREESHIP60 when checking out.
• Baskin Robbins here This is good for their great sundaes. Better hurry on this one, it ends on the 28th of March.
• Glade Air Fresheners here There are two coupons, one for the Sense and Spray Automatic Spray. The other coupon is for the Plug-in Scented Oil Lasting Impressions. Also, if you register on the site, you can request a booklet of more coupons.
• Blackberry Phones here I am a huge fan of Blackberry (or "crackberry" as my husband says). I love being able to check my email and Facebook wherever I go. I really want the touch screen model, but alias, AT&T does not carry that model. This deal is through Verizon.

Amazon $5 Gift Certificates

Right now, Amazon is giving away $5 and $10 gift certificates for subscribing to certain magazines. Go here and you will find the rather long list. Here are a few honorable mentions:

Food Network $11.99

• Redbook 9.99 (for 2 years!)
• Harpers Bazar $8.00
• All You $19.99 (lots of coupons and may pay for itself in the end)

I am a lover of magazines. It is nice to turn off the TV and just flip through a magazine at the end of the day.

Glade Coupons

I have to admit, I was a little jealous that I was not able to get all of those Glade airfreshners last week at Walgreens. I never requested the Glade coupon book and did not have all of those wonderful high value coupons. But Saturday it came and it was wonderful!

One semi good deal that I was able to snag was at Publix.

The Scented Oil candle holders were 2/$5 (seriously, it was). I had the B1G1 coupon and the $3 coupon from the Glade book. I spent $2 for 2! While it was not free, I do enjoy my nice sweet smelling candles! Plus, inside of each package was a coupon for another $2 off your next candle holder and a B1G1 for the refills! Yay me!

REstaurant Certificates

Here is a great savings to jump on at Restaurant.com. For a limited time, you can purchase a $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant in your area for only $4. Plus, you'll get another $10 gift certificate for free! And we like free, don't we?

Restaurant.com

To find your local participating eateries, just put in your zip. At checkout enter the code: GREEN Your total will be adjusted and you'll see your savings. There are minimum purchases with every certificate and alcohol is not considered part of your total. I think the requirements are very reasonable. I think these are wonderful for cheap lunches with friends or inexpensive "date nights" with the hubby.

IKEA free breakfast

Who doesn't love IKEA? Super cheap items and now a free meal! The Atlanta IKEA is giving away a free breakfast starting on the 20th of March!

http://info.ikea-usa.com/seizethedays/

Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book

Do you like Rachael Ray? Want a free book?

Get a FREE copy of Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book by mail when you send in one UPC and an original receipt from the purchase of any of these participating products:

• Crocs
• Snyder's of Hanover
• Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets
• Funjet Vacations.

You'll find this offer on page 128 of the April issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray (you can also get a free trial issue of the magazine here). Send the UPC and receipt to:
Every Day with Rachael Ray Attn: Spring Ahead
16 East 34th Street New York, NY 10016
As always, there's a limit of one per household while supplies last. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
(I am pretty thankful that I have a bag of Snyder's Pretzels in the pantry (that I had a coupon and found on sale at Kroger!)

A Sign of the Times

It is so easy to save money with all of the coupons out there and freebies we share with each other. But I think that it is only fair to share ways to stay away from snicky ways companies try and take our money. Here is an article someone sent me that I think is worth mentioning. It seems that everyone is trying to nickle and dime you. Just a little thought...

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/03/13/dq-charging-for-nuts-whip-cream-why-so-cheap/

I recently was asked by a store clerk how did I get so many coupons. I have two huge coupon organizers that look like they are going to explode, and various other stacks that are waiting to go in. Here is how I get so many....

I buy one paper on Sunday. On Thursdays, metro Atlanta residents receive a small weekend promotional paper from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that has the same coupons as the Sunday paper inside...free. I am a kind neighbor and pick up the one from the house next door (that is up for sale with no one living there) to help the street look better ;-) With all of that I end up with three sets of coupons each week.

Every few weeks, I go on Ebay and spend about $2 and buy some more coupons. Usually you can get about 100-200 coupons for that amount....which is a very good deal. I get a lot of coupons that are not printed in this region of the country (why, I have no idea). These are handy sometimes.

Happy shopping!

OK, I have to admit, my inner geek came out last night. I had read that at 8:30PM EST Old Navy would reset their coupons. These were great coupons ($75 off $100, $50 off $100, 20% off, etc.). Well, I waited and waited until 8:30, the page loaded, I found the coupon and WHAM! - the whole site freezes up and crashes. Talk about a buzz kill!

So, this morning I went to the site again and printed out a nice "$5 off $25" with no problem. To find this hidden coupon is not hard. Just click on the trees to the right of the lady in the white and floral dress. The stipulation with this coupon is that it has to be sunny outside (seriously, that is what it says). If it happens to be raining, like in Atlanta today, use the "$5 off $25 when it it rainy" coupon. Just click on the dog on the right of the screen.
http://www.oldnavyweekly.com/

Another coupon that has been going around is a 30% off your total. This one can be used at Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic. Five percent of your money saved will go to the charity of your choice. Here is the link:
http://www.gapgiveandget.com/np/lls.html

Books-A-Million Coupons

I am on my way to Books-A-Million this afternoon to enjoy a nice free coffee and a little "child free" reading time. Here are some great coupons! Enjoy!

http://www.booksamillioninc.com/save/coupons/isc_mcc50.html

Longhorn Coupon - Free Appetizer

It this economy, it is hard not to find an awesome coupon for something free! Here is a coupon for a free appetizer at Longhorn.....and who doesn't like Longhorn? Now, you do have to buy two adult meals, but hey, you are there to eat dinner, right?
http://www.longhornsteakhouse.com/menu/3_9_09_coupon.asp?cmpid=lh3909eblastpromo

Bath and Body Works

I love "bath stuff," but usually only Bath and Body Works (Sweet Pea!). I found this little gift if you purchase any item from the Signiture Collection ($10.50 for wash).

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3518446&cp=3161131&cm_re_o=m2n%20ZVCjCuwzfAywn.vCjCdyww%20fBfw%20cbft%20zEY%205Aygtzlw

FYI - If you sign up to get on their mailing list (when you are in the store), you will receive coupons in the mail every couple of months. Whenever I have gone in to use one of these coupons, they are always in the middle of a great sale! And often I have seen coupons for new items - for free! Then, there are the Christmas time coupons....ah, those are always good times!

Old Navy Coupons

I found this fun game from another blog. It is hilarious! The point is to find hidden coupons within the ad. Here is the link...
http://www.oldnavyweekly.com/
Most of the really great coupons are gone for this week, but the site says to keep checking back. I found a 20% coupon which was pretty handy last Saturday!

Shopping this week!

I like to get all of my shopping done early in the week, typically Monday or Tuesday. This week, I think I did pretty well. There were somethings that were a little pricer that ran up my total at Kroger. Yet, I am only buying a few things at Publix this week so I suppose it evened out. Here is a break down of what I spent.....

Kroger

Spent $51.73

Saved $46.90

Savings 48%

CVS

Spent $14.06 (this would of been $2 cheaper if I hadn't make a mistake and pick up the wrong shampoo)
Saved $62.07

Savings 82%

Earned cash for next week $8.00

Grand Total

Spent $65.79

Saved $108.97