Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Grocery Advertised Deals 10/17/12

Here's a link to this week's advertised grocery deals.  Have fun shopping!

http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=20

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Safeway's Coupon Policy

Below is a link to Safeway's coupon policy:

http://www.safeway.com/ifl/grocery/Coupons-Policy

Stacking digital coupons with mfg coupons??

I found some information on a blog regarding stacking digital coupons and manufacturer coupons.  A question was raised specifically about Safeway's digital coupon policy.  I couldn't find anything specifically about Safeway only, but this article is pretty informative.  It was found on www.mrsmoneysaver.com:


Can I use both a digital coupon and a paper coupon on the same item?
*sigh* I know I’m going to ruffle some feathers here… 
Technically, the register will let you do this. But there’s more to this answer than a computer glitch.
Just because the register will let it slide, doesn’t mean you should do it.  You should not combine a paper coupon with a digital coupon on the same item.
I recently met with a senior manager from Kroger’s corporate office. Kroger and Safeway are the two leaders in accepting digital coupons and this manager handles Kroger’s online operations, so I figured this manager would know the answer to settle the whole digital/paper debate.
Sure enough, the manager told me that digital coupons are not supposed to be stacked with paper coupons.  And a fix for the computer system is coming that will no longer allow this. (I have an affiliate relationship with Cellfire, and my contract with them also states that their digital coupons should not be stacked with paper coupons.)
The reasoning behind not stacking digital and paper coupons is the same reason why you can’t use two paper coupons on the same item.  Both are savings from the manufacturer, and both count as a coupon.
For example, you can’t use 2 $1/1 manufacturers’ paper coupons on a single product.  Digital coupons are also manufacturers’ coupons, so using a paper and a digital on the same item is essentially the same thing as trying to stack two paper coupons.  Both are shady coupon practices, in my opinion, no matter what the cash register allows.
Let’s take a look at the wording on a few coupons-
Huggies diaper coupon from a home mailer I received today- “Limit one coupon per purchase as specified above. Any other use is fraudulent.”
Windex coupon from the May 9th SmartSource insert- “Limit one coupon per purchase…Any other use constitutes fraud.”
Betty Crocker Warm Delights printable coupon from SmartSource.com- “CONSUMER: No other coupons may be used with this coupon.”
This kind of wording is standard on coupons.  Even if the grocery stores said it was totally fine to stack paper and digital coupons, the manufactures are clearly not on board with that thinking.  Some of the manufacturers go so far as to call it fraud.  At the end of the day, is coupon fraud worth savings a few extra bucks on your groceries?  It’s something to consider and weigh with your conscience.
So there’s my two cents on stacking paper and digital coupons.  Now I’ll go back to sharing more neutral information so as not to offend any more of you…

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Grocery Deals for the week 9/19/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals!  Have fun shopping!

Advertised Grocery Deals - Pinching Your Pennies

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Advertised Grocery Deals 9/12/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals!  Have fun shopping!!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Grocery Advertised Deals for the week 8/29/12

Here's a link to this week's grocery advertised deals.  Have fun shopping!

Advertised Grocery Deals 8/29/12

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Grocery Deals for the week 8/15/12

Below is a link to this week's grocery advertised deals!  Have fun shopping!!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Grocery Deals for the week of 8/8/12

Below is a link to this week's grocery advertised deals! Have fun shopping!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Grocery Deals for the week 8/1/12

I can't believe it's already August 1st!  Time is just flying by.  We have been out of state, vacationing for most of the month of July.  It's been interesting not grocery shopping all month.  I'm looking forward to the sales this month as we get ready for back to school.  This should be a great month to stock up on some really good items.

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals.  Have fun shopping!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals for the week


Sale

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Advertised Grocery Deals for the week 7/18/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals.  Have fun shopping!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Monday, July 9, 2012

CVS, Walgreens & Target Deals 7/8/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised deals at CVS, Walgreens & Target!  Have fun shopping!!!

Pinching Your Pennies - CVS, Walgreens & Target

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Grocery Advertised Deals - 7/4/12

Happy 4th of July 2012!!!

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals!  Have Fun Shopping!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Grocery Advertised Deals 6/27/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals!  Have fun shopping!!

Grocery Advertised Deals for the week of 6/27/12

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Walgreen's, CVS & Target Advertised Deals

Here's a link to the advertised deals for the week at Walgreen's, CVS and Target.

Pinching Your Pennies - CVS, Walgreens & Target

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Grocery Deals for the week of 6/13/12

It's hot outside and I know it gets harder and harder to go grocery shopping, but hopefully these advertised deals get you moving!  Have Fun Shopping!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Advertised Deals

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Grocery Deals for the week of 6/6/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals!  Have fun shopping!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Grocery Advertised Deals for the week of 5/23/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals.  There are some great deals, just in time for the Memorial Weekend!  Have fun shopping!!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Grocery Advertised Sales for the week of 5/9/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals!  Have fun shopping!

Grocery Deals - Pinching Your Pennies

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Grocery deals for the week of 5/2/2012

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals!  Have fun shopping!

Click here to view this week's Grocery Deals!

Walgreens, CVS & Target Advertised Deals

Below is a list of this week's advertised deals at Walgreen's, CVS & Target...and in case you've ever wondered about the CVS clearance; they mark down clearance items on Sunday at 12 am.  They have some great clearance and some CVS stores are open 24 hours!

Walgreen's, CVS, & Target Deals - Click Here

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Advertised Grocery Deals for the week of 4/25/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals.  Have fun shopping!

Advertised Grocery Deals - Click Here

Monday, April 23, 2012

Walgreen's, CVS & Target advertised deals this week!

Here's the advertised deals for Walgreen's, CVS & Target this week:

Pinching Your Pennies - Walgreens, CVS & Target

My visit to WINCO Foods!

Last week, I stopped into Winco Foods.  Excited to see if this store lived up to it's claim of being the "Supermarket Low Price Leader."  I must say, I was pleasantly surprised!

Competition is a good thing for us shoppers.  The more stores, the more competition and I love low price wars.  Winco is set up like a big box store, reminiscent of a warehouse store.  No advertisements, no grocery clerks, you bag your own here.  The prices you see are the prices you get.  This simple philosophy is how they are able to keep their prices so low, and low, they are indeed.

I wasn't really there to shop, but more to observe and wrap my mind around this store.  I'd have to say, about 80% of what I saw was at a lower price at Winco than the other stores.  Sure it's a drive and unfortunately they don't have a West Valley store planned for any time in the near future, so its a store you have to plan to go to.  They do accept manufacturer coupons at face value and sometimes offer coupons on their website at www.wincofoods.com. 

Overall I was impressed and in awe of some of the great deals!  I am definitely going to incorporate Winco into my grocery store shopping list.  With prices as low as I saw, I figure once a month would be well worth the trip!!!

Here's a peek at some of the items I saw:











Thursday, April 19, 2012

Monday, April 16, 2012

Advertised Deals at CVS, Walgreens & Target

Below is a link to this week's advertised deals at Walgreens, CVS & Target!

CVS, Walgreens & Target

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Grocery Advertised deals for the week 4/11/11

Below is the link to this week's grocery advertised deals!  Have fun shopping!

Pinching Your Pennnies - Grocery Deals

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Advertised Grocery Deals for the week - begin 4/4/12

Here's a link to this week's grocery deals which begin tomorrow!  Have fun shopping!!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Monday, April 2, 2012

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Grocery Ads for the Week

Below is a link to this week's grocery advertised deals!  Have fun shopping!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals for the week

Monday, March 26, 2012

Paid $5.79 for all of this

For only $5.79 (with tax) I purchased the following today:

6 Colgate Toothpastes - on sale for $1 @ Fry's - coupon doubled to $1 = FREE

6 bottles of French's Mustard - on sale for $.99 (mega savings) @ Fry's - coupon doubled to $1 = FREE

4 bottles of Sunny D - on sale for $.99 (mega savings) @ Fry's

1 Wholly Guacamole - on clearance for $2.39 @ Fry's - coupon doubled to $1 = $1.39

1 Colgate Toothbrush - on sale for $2.99 @ CVS - coupon $1, CVS bucks $2 = FREE


Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

NEW Grocery Store - WinCo Foods - Coming Soon!

We are "The Supermarket Low Price Leader," proudly offering 24 hour service at each of our WinCo stores for your convenience - this is the bold statement on the front page of WinCo Foods' website! .  With this great claim, I openly welcome yet another grocery store, WinCo Foods, to the Az market!

Idaho based WinCo Foods, Inc. will be opening the first of April in Phoenix and Glendale!  The first two stores will be at 330 W. Bell Rd in Phoenix and 5850 W. Bell Rd in Glendale. 

With a warehouse style look similar to that of Costco and Sam's Club, WinCo food's no frill approach to selling groceries helps make them one of the lowest grocery stores around!  To keep costs down, customers bag their own groceries and cannot pay with a credit card because of high transaction fees.  However, debit cards, cash and checks are accepted. 

In addition to their low price claim, they will also be accepting mfg coupons at face value.  Below is a link to their coupon policy. 

WinCo Foods Coupon Policy

I'm so excited to see what types of sales and products they will have available.  Grocery competition is always a good thing for us coupon shoppers!!!  Hopefully they'll open a store in my area in the very near future!!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Coupon Shopping for a Diabetic

My husband struggles with diabetes.  He is a Type 2 diabetic, diagnosed about 5 years ago.  It's been a tough transition.  Him and I both love food.  We laugh about how we even build our vacations around the best places in the country to eat!  Mexican, BBQ, Italian, we like it all.  In addition to food, we both love dessert.  There's nothing like a great pastry, cupcake or cookie!!!  So needless to say, changing eating habits and switching out the things you love for the things you need, can be difficult.

Eventhough, he is the only diabetic in the family, it affects us all.  We have all had to make changes in our eating habits, which is not necessarily a bad thing - its really what we should have been doing all along.  And as a result, I have had to change the way I grocery/coupon shop.

He needs to eat lean meats, lots of veggies & fruit and less caffeinated drinks and carbs.  So I find myself using less coupons for processed foods and sweets and using my coupons for things like condiments, snacks for the kids, some canned foods, frozen veggies and fruits, paper goods, cleaning supplies and personal health & beauty items.

Every Wednesday, I price match produce.  I make a list of all of the produce sales and do as much price matching at Walmart as I can.  I make him a lot of fresh veggie juices in our juicer, so veggies don't last very long in our house.  If I need additional veggies throughout the week I will usually go to Food City where the prices always seem low.

I also price match meat.  I look for the best deals on meats and price match as much as I can at Walmart or go to each store (depending on the store's quality of meat) and purchase the meat.  Just last Friday, Safeway had a deal for Jennie O ground turkey...only $5 for 3 lbs!  This was a great price.  Turkey is a great meat alternative for him, so I went to Walmart and price matched and got 15 pounds for only $15...just $1 a pound!  I buy a lot of chicken breast and the great thing is I can price match that to a low price almost every week.

While I do pass up some great coupon deals just because they aren't good for his diet, I am still saving lots and lots of money on the things that we need/use.  I guess the biggest difference is I don't just buy something because I have a coupon for it, I think about the diet he needs to be on first and I shop accordingly.

Sometimes people tend to think a "healthy or special diet" is much more expensive.  But whether you are a diabetic or have another illness that requires a "healthy or special diet"  there is a way to utilize coupons & price matching to save lot of money!!!




Grocery Deals for the week - 3/14/12

Below is a link to this week's grocery advertised grocery deals.  Have fun shopping!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals for the week

CVS, Target & Walgreen's Deals for the week beginning 3/11/12

Below is a link to this week's CVS, Walgreens & Target deals!

Pinching Your Pennies - CVS, Target & Walgreens

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Grocery Deals for the week 3/7/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised grocery deals!  It's always great to start planning early.  Have fun shopping!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Walgreen's, CVS, & Target Deals for the week 3/4/12

Below is a link to this week's advertised deals at Target, Walgreen's and CVS!  Have fun shopping!

Pinching Your Pennies - Target, Walgreen's & CVS

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Grocery Ads for the Week 2/29/12

Below is a link to this week's grocery advertised sales...have fun shopping!!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Updated CVS Coupon Policy

Below is a link to the newly revised/updated CVS Coupon Policy:

CVS Coupon Policy

Walgreen's, CVS and Target Deals for the week 2/26/12

Below is a link to this week's Walgreen's, CVS and Target advertised deals for the week.  Have fun shopping!

Pinching Your Pennies - Walgreens, CVS & Target

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Paid $7.34 for all of this, Saved $80.24 today at Fry's



At my local Fry's today, I picked up some great deals!  I found the clearance corner and got some great deals from that rack and found some additional savings throughout the store.  Picked up the following:

Tylenol Precise Patches - $7.49 regular price, on sale for $6.09 had a $5 coupon - paid $1.09 each for a total savings of $19.20 on 3.

Swiffer Duster - $2.99, had a $2.00 coupon - paid $.99, saved $2

L'Oreal Haircolor - $8.97 regular price - clearance price $1.99 - had a $5.00 off 2 coupon - paid $-.51 each, bought 4, saved $35.88 and made $2.04 on this purchase

Covergirl Lipgloss - $6.75 regular price - clearance price $2.00 - had a $1.00 off coupon, paid $1 each for a total savings of $11.50 on 2

Covergirl Lipstick - $5.25 regular price -  clearance price $2.50, had a $1.00 off coupon, paid $1.50, for a total savings of $3.75

Dove Bodywash - $7.49 - markdown price $2.62, had a $1.00 off coupon, paid $1.62, for a total savings of $5.87

Total Retail Price:  $87.58
Purchased Price:  $7.34
Savings:  $80.24

In addition to the items pictured, I also picked up some Old El Paso Refried beans, on sale for $1.25, had a $.50 coupon that doubled, so I paid $.25 a can.  I also picked up some Zatarrans rice mixes for .39 a box.

Store Markdowns at Fry's!!

Went to Fry's this morning and noticed there were several unadvertised "markdowns" or "clearanced" items throughout the store.  These are great sales to match up with coupons for additional savings!  I took a few pics of some of the things I noticed.  There were several more but I tried not to over do it in pictures :-)  Just want to give you an idea of what the tags look like.  I recommend taking a quick stroll through every aisle when you shop to look for these types of great deals!!!







Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Grocery Deals for the week 2/22/12

Here's a link to this week's grocery advertised deals!  Have fun shopping!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Monday, February 20, 2012

Paid $1.77 for all of this!

Went to Bashas and Target and picked up these items....paid a total of $1.77 with tax for all of it!
Includes:  Glade candles, spray, Welch's Grape Jelly, Mentos Gum, Maybelline Lip Gloss and Loreal Eyeshadow!


FRY'S Revised Coupon Policy!!!!!!

Fry's has recently made some great coupon policy changes!  They are now accepting and doubling unlimited coupons!  No longer are we restricted to only 3!!!!!  In addition, they are taking Catalina coupons with other store logos on them!!!  Here's a link to the revised coupon policy:  http://www.facebook.com/frysfoodstores?sk=app_6009294086

Kmart Coupon Promotion Clarification

Just a clarification on the current KMART coupon promotion: The promotion runs through 4/28/12.


You must be a Shop Your Way Rewards member to participate. Kmart will double mfg coupons with a face value up to $1.00 or less. 


Doubling a coupon cannot exceed the current retail price of a single item.


Limit 5 coupons per day, $25 purchase requirement of grocery and drugstore items.


Valid on Weds & Saturdays! 


Watch for promotions regarding savings...at times they will double coupons up to $2.00!

Goodyear Bashas Great Finds - FREE Glade

Below is a link to a fellow Goodyear coupon blogger's site who found some great deals at Bashas including FREE Glade!!

http://accidentalfrugalista.blogspot.com/2012/02/bashas-free-glade-winter-collection.html

Sunday, February 19, 2012

CVS, Walgreens & Target Deals for the Week

Below is a link to this week's CVS, Walgreen's and Target advertised deals for the week!  Have fun shopping!!!

Pinching Your Pennies - CVS, Walgreens & Target

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Paid $1.08 for all of this, saved $18.57

Today at Fry's I picked up 3 Colgate Toothpastes, 3 Colgate Toothbrushes and 3 Secret PH Balanced deodorants and paid only $1.08 and saved $18.57.  Here's how I did it:

Colgate Toothpaste, regular price $1.99, on sale for $1.00, coupon doubled to $1.00 = FREE
Colgate Toothbrushes, regular price $2.29, on sale for $1.00, coupon doubled to $1.00 = FREE
Secret  PH Balance Deodorant, regular price $2.27, clearanced to $1.36, $1 coupon = $.36 each.


Tuesday, February 14, 2012

CVS, Walgreens & Target Deals for the week!

Here's a link to this week's CVS, Walgreen's and Target advertised sales!

CVS, Target & Walgreens!

Preview Grocery Deals for the Week!

Tomorrow begins the new grocery sales for the week!  Below is a link to the forum which lists the grocery sales/ads.   You can begin to preview the sales today!!!  As the day progresses more and more stores will be added, so keep checking back to get a complete listing and get your shopping list together!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

I spent $2.50 today

On a quick trip to the grocery store today, I picked up all of the following items for only $2.50!  All of the pasta packages and boxes of rice were only $.25 ea after coupons and the 3 packages of Bic pens were free (on sale for $.99 and had a $1.00 coupon)!

These were all purchased at Fry's and their sale just started today!!!


P&G Mailer - $27 in coupons

It was a great surprise to open my mailbox and see a new P&G Coupon Book!  Enclosed were over $27 in coupons!  If you haven't already, sign up at www.pg.com to receive coupon books and samples delivered to your home! 

Here's a tip:  I signed my husband up to with our P.O. Box address, so I receive one at home and he gets one addressed to him at the P.O. Box!!!

Grocery Deals for the week!

It's shopping day again!!!  Below is a link to this week's grocery deals!  Have fun shopping!!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Monday, February 6, 2012

Kmart - Doubles Coupons on Wednesday & Saturdays

Kmart will double manufacturer coupons up to $1.00 on Wednesdays & Saturdays!  In order to take advantage of this great deal, you'll need to become a "Shop Your Way Rewards member."   You can do this online at www.shopyourwayrewards.com.

Kmart will double up to 5 coupons per customer per day.  Kmart will double mfg coupons with a face value of $1.00 or less.  You must also have a total purchase of $25 of grocery and drugstore items.  Coupons can also be found on their website at www.kmart.com/coupons

Sunday, February 5, 2012

3day sale at Frys!

February 5-7th, Frys is featuring the following on sale: Coke, Pepsi or 7up soft drink 12 pks - buy 4 for $9 (must buy 4, $25 minimum purchase) Kroger Cheese 3 for $5 Blueberries $1 Whole boneless ribeye - $4.77lb Clover club potato chips 4 for $5

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Coupons are great & so are closeout stores!


There's nothing like handing the cashier a stack of coupons and watching the total amount due on the screen get smaller and smaller!  But what about those items that still cost a pretty good penny even with a coupon?  Or what about those times when your stockpile has run out and you don't have a coupon for an item?  Well, believe it or not there is a way to save without a coupon - you can save at a store that sells closeouts, like Big Lots!

It's been awhile since I had visited Big Lots but I took some time to browse the store the other day and I was pleasantly surprised to find great pricing on things that we use often.  For example, they carry Air Wick, Glade and Febreze air freshners, oils, etc.   Their normal price is well below the normal price at even Walmart!  The Febreze Homoe Collection diffuser is only $2.50 @ Big Lots (regular price) and the Glad oils with a warmer are only $2.25!  Same holds true for many health & beauty and cleaning items! 

So next time you are out of a coupon and need an item, rather than going to a regular store and paying retail, check out a closeout store like Big Lots and buy the item at a much lower price than retail!

I

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Monday, January 30, 2012

Day#30: $2 meal from Fresh & Easy

Today I went to Fresh and Easy and bought 2lbs of hamburger meat, 1 bag of frozen French fries, 1 pkg of hamburger buns and 1 2-liter soda. I used my "friends" card and had $7 of reward cash loaded on it. After the reward, I paid just a few cents over $2 for all of my food! I really love the generous friends reward program at f&e. For each $1 you spend you accumulate a point and the points add up quick since the popular items typically have bonus point incentives. Once you reach 500 points you can convert them to cash. Each 100 points = $1.00 off your transaction! It's a great way to save even more money! I don't mind paying $2 for dinner for a family of four!!!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Day #29: Walgreens, CVS & Target Deals for the week

Below is a link to this week's advertised deals at Target, CVS & Walgreen's!  Have fun shopping!!!

Pinching Your Pennies - CVS, Walgreens & Target

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Day#26: Free or almost Free items at Frys

After dinner, my husband and I went to Frys to pick up some of the great deals this week! Here are some things that. picked up that were free or very close to it: Blistex lip balm: on sale for $.89, had a $.35 coupon which doubled to $.89 so they were FREE! (bought 3) Carefree pantyliners: on sale for $1.00, had a $.50 coupon which doubled to $1.00, so they were FREE! (bought 3) Rotel tomato sauce: on sale for $.79, used digital coupon for $.25 off, had coupon buy 2 cans Rigel, get 1 tomato sauce for free! Hunts tomatoes: on sale for $.49 ea, used coupon buy 3 save $1.00, paid $.16 ea. (bought 9) Nice and Easy hair color was regular $9.99, on clearance for $4.25, I had a $3 off coupon, paid $1.25 ea (bought the only 2) Welch's light grape juice and essentials juices: regular $3.69 on sale for $1.99, had a $1.00 coupon, paid $.99 (bought 4) There were definitely some great deals but these were the highlight of my shopping trip!!!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Day#25: Free Movie Prescreening

Today my 17 yr old (almost 18-yikes!) daughter and I went and enjoyed a great "chick" flick called "The Vow.". This is one of those movies that we saw previews to weeks ago and promised each other we would go see it together once it came out. It's not due to debut in theaters until February 10th, but tonight we had the opportunity to prescreen it....for FREE! How you might ask? Well I signed up at www.gofobo.com. It's a website that offers free movie screening opportunities. Because I signed up and added my email address, which is free by the way, I get notifications of upcoming movie offers. Watching a movie a couple weeks before it comes out, and for free, is pretty nice!!! When a movie is available, you log in, print out your passes (two per person typically) and go to the theater on the specified date. So what's the catch? Well for starters, passes are limited. There are only so many available, so you want to make sure you print the passes as soon as you can. Passes are like invitations, not tickets, however you need a pass to take to the theater in order to get a ticket. The theater will also give out more passes than tickets, so you want to make sure you get to the theater early! My daughter and I got there about 2.5 hrs early, got our tickets, left to grab a bite to eat and went back and got in line for the movie. So if you are patient enough to wait a bit, then you can handle the worst of it. At our movie Prescreening, the theater gave out a gift bag to a lucky winner and at the end of the movie the ladies were given a Ralph Lauren romance perfume sample. So all in all, I have to say the wait was definitely worth it. My daughter and I liked the movie and had a great time together! So check out www.gofobo.com for Prescreening opportunities!!!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Day#24: Grocery deals foe the week

Below is a link to this weeks grocery deals. Have fun shopping!!! http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=20

Monday, January 23, 2012

Day #23: Grab Bags Valued at over $300

Day #23:  Although this next bit isn't about coupons, it's such a GREAT deal that I had to share!!!  Today my husband and I were in Phoenix and had some extra time before our next meeting, so I persuaded him to go into the store "Last Chance" at 18th St. and Camelback.  It's been years since I have been in there.   Last Chance is a "clearance" store which has clothing, shoes and accessories, mainly from Nordstroms.  It's one of those places where you can find a $200 jacket for $30.  You might have to look through a lot of things to find that diamond in the rough, but when you find it, its well worth it!

While we were in there, over the loud speaker I heard a woman say they had "grab bags" in checkout lane 3.  I wasn't sure what a "grab bag" was but watching the other women in the store make a bee line to checkout lane 3, I knew it had to be good!  So being people who love a great deal, my husband and I followed the others to checkout lane 3 to see what the commotion was all about.

Turns out Last Chance will take cosmetics, hair products, colognes, perfumes, lotions, skincare and haircare products and occassionally (sometimes daily, sometimes, weekly - depending upon the quantity on hand) and will shrink wrap them into a nice big bundle.  These items come from the cosmetic counters at Nordstroms and from various stores.  They then sell the bundle for a flat rate.  In this case $19.99!!!!

At first, I wasn't sure if I should buy one, since I hadn't experience the whole "grab bag" concept before, but I am sure glad I did!!!!  Let me tell you, it was crazy!  First of all there were so many women looking and grabbing the bundles/grab bags, but it was also crazy trying to figure out which one to buy!  They are stocked with so many products!   Now that I've gotten home and unopened the whole thing, I am shocked at the value of the items and how much money I saved, I must have saved 95% in that one purchase!  One of the items alone, a Boosting Collagen syrum from Somme Institute has a retail price of $82.  In my grab bag I had items from Origins, Perricone MD, Stila, Smashbox, Cool Water Cologne, OPI, Big Sexy Hair, Neutrogena, Burts Bees, and so many more!!! 

Below is a picture of what I got for only $19.99.  The picture is missing some OPI nailpolish, and a couple of Smashbox products that my teenage daughter has already taken to her room!!  This grab bag concept gave me that same adrenilin rush as coupon shopping!  It was definitely worth the $19.99. 

So if you are ever in Phoenix near 18th St. & Camelback, stop by Last Chance and check to see if a grab bag deal is in the horizon!!!




Sunday, January 22, 2012

Walgreens, CVS & Target deals for the week

Below is the link to this weeks Walgreens, CVS, Target & more deals!! http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13

Day#22: Free Office Supplies

In this week's Staples ad, there are several "free" office supplies. Each are free after an "easy rebate.". An rebate is different than a mail in rebate because you can submit an easy rebate online which helps to speed the process. These are great stock up items! This week the following items are free after rebate: Scotch pop up desk grip tape dispenser - you pay $2.29 @ register, after easy rebate it's FREE Staples photo plus 4"x6" paper, gloss 60pk - you pay $9.99 @ register, after easy rebate it's FREE Command medium picture hanging strips, black - you pay $3.99 @ register, after easy rebate it's FREE Trend Titanium IS 2012, 3 users PC/MAC - you pay $69.99 @ register, after easy rebate it's FREE The following item is free after mail in rebate: McAfee Total Protection 2012, 1 PC - you pay $59.99 - $9.99 instant savings, you pay $50 @ register, after mail in rebate it's FREE There are also several $1 items in this weeks staples ad as well. It's a great time to replenish those office supplies at a low price!!!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Days #19 & 20: Cuckoo for Coupon Deals

So blogging everyday turns out to be a march harder task than I originally thought!!!  I have all the best intentions but for some reason, 24 hours in a day isn't always enough :-)

So today, in hopes of making up for my missed day, I thought I would share another resource with you all.  I came across a site with an interesting name - "Cuckoo for Coupon Deals."  Cute site with lots of great coupons and information.  Below is a link to some of the coupons available for downloading and printing:

Cuckoo for Coupon Deals

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Day #18: Planned my shopping trip

Thankfully my freezer has a lot of meat and my cupboards are pretty full, so since I don't need much this week, I plan to buy only those things that will cost me very little.  Here's what I got on my list:

Fruits & Veggies: (I plan to price match most of these at Wal-mart)
Cherries 1.99lb @ Fresh & Easy (F&E)
Fiji Applies .50lb (sold in 3 lb bags @ F&E)
Blackberries .77 ea @ Sprouts
Carrots .25lb @ ElSuper
Celery .49 ea @ Food City
Red Grapes .97lb @ ElSuper
Lettuce .33 ea @ ElSuper
Navel Oranges .16lb @ Food City
Strawberries 1.50 ea @ El Super
Tangerines .33lb @ ElSuper
Tomatoes .25 @ Food City

Meat: (I will price match @ Wal-Mart)
Beef Chuck Steak $1.99 lb @ Ranch Market
Beef Roast Top Round $2.49lb @ Safeway
Boneless Chicken Breast $1.49lb @ IGA (Thursday only)

Margarine - I can't believe its not butter 1.49 - $1 coupon = .49 @ Albertsons
Milk 1.57 gal @ Albertsons
Del Monte Fruit Naturals $.98 - $1/2 = .49 ea @ Fry's
Hormel Pepperoni $.98 - $1/2 @ Fry's
Hunts Pudding/Jello .88 - .50 (digital coupon)= .38 @ Fry's
Pure Protein Bar $1 - $1 = FREE @ Fry's
Scotch brite sponges .98 - $1/2 @ Fry's
Barilla Pasta .99 - $1/2 = .49 @ Albertsons
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks .99 - $1/2 = .49 when you buy 4 @ Safeway
Cinnamon Toast Crunch 1.88 - 1 coup = .50 ($1.00) @ Safeway
Jello Pudding 1.99 - $1 = .99 @ Safeway
Post Fruity Pebbles $1.99 - $1 = .99
Colgate .99 - .99 = FREE @ Safeway
Old Ochard Juice 1.99 - .50 ($1) = .99 @ Bashas

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Monday, January 16, 2012

Day#16: Want to save $117 more?

Want to save $117 more? Register at http://www.healthyessentials.com Print over $71 in coupons at home on your favorite brands. Plus receive an additional $46 in coupons by mail to use on your next shopping trip when you spend $50 on Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies' products by 3/8/2012 Offer expires 4/28/2012 or while supplies last.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Day #14: Supermarket Rip-Offs

Day #14:  Below are some tips on how to avoid "Supermarket Rip-Offs" - the full article can be found in the February 24, 2012 issue of the "All You" magazine, wirtten by Teri Gault, founder of the TheGroceryGame.com; and Jeff Yeager, author of the Cheapskate Next Door.

Here are some of the biggest grocery store schemes and tips on how to outsmart them:

1.  Big Packages:  Items purchased in larger packages doesn't always equate to larger savings!  Divide the cost by the number of ounces of grams to determine the best value.  If you have a coupon, do your calculations after you factor in the savings it provides.

2.  Salad and Hot food bars (deli):  There's nothing wrong with picking up a quick entree or side dish for tonight's dinner but be careful what you choose.  Since its sold by the pound it will probably cost much more than preparing it yourself.

3.  Packaged lunch meat:  Cold cuts are convenient but you pay a premium for pre-slicing and packaging.  Buy uncut ham and slice it yourself for sandwiches.  Serve thicker slices for dinners and use smaller pieces to flavor soups or pastas.  Freeze anything you don't use right away.  Do the same with a whole turkey breast. 

4.  Bottled water:  Even at its cheapest, 1 cent per ounce, bottled water is still more than 300 times as costly as tap water.  Drink your tap water.  Install a filter if taste or contaminants are a concern.

5.  Sale prices in multiples:  For example, a 10 for $10 deal on applies might sound great until you realize that you are paying $1 per apple.  Use a calculator to ensure that you are actually getting a bargain!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Days 12 & 13: Sunday Coupon Preview

Oops, I missed Day 12!  I tried to blog every day, I really did, but somehow day 12 slipped by!  Funny thing is I realized I forgot at about 12:15 a.m. today.  Just missed it by 15 minutes!

Well to make up for it, I've got a great resource for you!  It's called "Sunday Coupon Preview."  You can add your email address to this webpage and you'll receive notification about the coupons that will be coming out in the next Sunday paper!

In addition there are several printable coupons on their webpage.  The address for the webpage is:  www.sundaycouponpreview.com

I think this is a great resource to not only help you plan your next week's shopping list but it also helps to determine how many newspapers to buy!  Let me know what you think about this resource.




Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Day #11: Grocery Prices on the rise in Arizona

Below is a link to an article that I found on the front page of the local MSN webpage.  Grocery prices are yet again on the rise in Arizona due to various factors.  It's an interesting read and another reason why coupons are a great resource to save money!!!

Grocery Prices are on the Rise in Arizona

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Monday, January 9, 2012

Day #9: Groupon

Beyond groceries, there are sites that offer coupons and deep discounts towards dining, entertainment, retail, travel and more!  Groupon (www.groupon.com) is a great site that offers local deals on all of the above.  Here is how it works:  Groupon negotiates huge discounts—usually 50-90% off—with popular businesses. They send the deals to thousands of subscribers in their free daily email, and they send the businesses a ton of new customers. That's the Groupon magic.

Here's an example of a groupon deal that I purchased:  I paid $15 for $35 worth of food at Dillons BBQ Restaurant.  I received an email with advertised deal.  I clicked the link, followed the instructions, paid the $15 and was able to print my certificate for $35.  I took that certificate to Dillons and my husband and I had a great meal!

Signing up with Groupon is free and once you do, you'll begin receiving deals for all sorts of great businesses and travel destinations.  The catch with groupon is the deals are limited, sometimes to a quantity and sometimes to a time period.  So make sure you get your deal quick.  Each day there is a new daily deal.  Sign up and see how much  you can save!!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Day #8: Sunday coupons

I'd you get your paper today? There are several inserts in it. Make sure you pick up copies before the day is over!!!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Day #7: College & Coupons

College and coupons aren't two words you normally see together but they are a great pair! Our daughter is getting close to finishing her senior year of high school and will be starting college in the fall. She will be older and responsible for much more. She will have her first job, which means first checking account and first budget. So one of the best skills I can give her to take into adulthood is how to shop wisely and stretch her budget as far as she can using coupons. She knows that when she does move out, mom will fill her pantry with Many sorts of coupon items but eventually her pantry will become her responsibility. To prepare her for this, she has been couponing now. She doesn't buy much yet, but when she does, she checks for coupons! She buys certain makeup products and other small items and isn't embarrassed to use her coupons. She realizes each coupon is typically valued at $1, so evey dollar she can keep, is in her favor. Hopefully when she is in college she won't have to live on a diet of roman noodles like most of us had to. Hopefully she will have full cupboards of great food on a roman noodle budget because she understood the value of coupons at an early age! it's never to early to teach your kids how to use coupons or too late for that matter!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Day #6: Spent the day grocery shopping

Seems like I spent most of my day grocery shopping. Usually I will go to one or two grocery stores but today I visited just about every one of them. There were various sales at different stores that I wanted to get, so I found myself all over town. I don't mind days like this, it's nice to go alone, take my time and save money. I find it relaxing, almost therapeutic; but I will say at the end of the day, I am very tired. I noticed several shoppers with coupon binders at the different stores today! It's great that coupons are really catching on. I was able to stock my freezer with great deals on meat from Fresh and Easy (I was able to use special coupons I received for additional money off) and chicken from Safeway. I picked up great snacks at low prices from Safeway, Albertsons and Walmart. Both of my pantries are stocked with things we all like and I was able to do some price matching at Walmart on fruits and veggies. The best part of my day was not having to cook dinner! My husband decided to BBQ for all of us!!! So all of my shopping, time and use of energy paid off - I brought home the bacon, well in this case the chicken and he cooked it!! Not a bad way to end a shopping day!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Day #5: A Coupon Corporation?

Believe it or not, there is a corporation dedicated to Couponing.  It's called the "Coupon Information Corporation (CIC)."  The CIC was founded to encourage integrity in connection with the redemption of manufacturers' coupons and participation in other promotional programs.

On their website: http://www.couponinformationcenter.com you can find valuable information about couponing as well as the laws and policies regarding the appropriate use of coupons.  You can also view an up to date list of counterfeit coupons circulating the web.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Day #4: Frustrated at Walmart

Day #4:  So today is day #4 of my 365 days of blogging and I thought I would focus on my experience at Walmart today.  Whenever I talk about coupon policies at stores, it never fails, our class will spend a big chunk of time on the subject of Wal-Mart.  Many are frustrated about the differences in the coupon  and price matching policy from store to store and today I experienced some of that frustration.  But I must say, it ended on a positive note.

Today my daughter and I went to Walmart to price match some of the deals at local grocery stores.  I was specifically looking for Nivea lip balm.  It's on sale for $1 at Albertson's and I had 6 - buy 2 save $3 coupons!  This is a great deal.  I buy 2 for $2 and get $1 overage to use towards my other items.  The Nivea coupon clearly states that you can use only 4 coupons in one transaction.  I was prepared to follow and stay within this limit, as I strongly encourage other couponers to do.  In addition to the Nivea items, I was also purchasing 2 free Speedstick deodorants, 2 free packs of gum and some price matched produce and laundry soap.  So as you can see, not very much in my grocery cart, but according to my calculations, these strategic purchases would really pay off.

Once we got to the register, I let the cashier know about my price matched items.  She would not price match my produce because I didn't have the ad with me, but thankfully the lady behind me had hers.  The customers behind me also became nervous, because like me, they hadn't received all of the ads in the mail yet (due to the holiday mail run) and were using lists that they compiled from the internet ads.  This is another confusing part of their policy - the commercials make it appear that they price match based on the information we give them with little to no hassle, however at some Walmarts and depending on the cashier, you may be required to show the ad in order to receive the matched price.

Once we got to the Nivea lip balm, the transaction went south.  She would not price match those because I didn't have the ad.  I asked if they had the ad in the store at one of the checkout lanes, which they normally do and she went to look but came back with last week's ad and told me they just didn't have the current ad and that was the end of that.

I was frustrated and asked to have my order canceled.  I placed the items back in my basket and told her I would look for the ad at one of the checkout lanes.  My teenage daughter was ready to go and leave these little purchases behind, but it was the principle of it all for me.  I just couldn't leave without it resolved.

Three lanes down, there was a cashier with all of the current ads and there it was - a picture of the Nivea lip balm with a big $1 price advertised next to it.  I had a total of 8 Nivea lip balms and 4 coupons. So at that point, I thought it was all gravy from there - clearly it was advertised and I was within the limits of my coupon...but it wasn't that smooth of a transaction.  The cashier called her manager over before she would price match.  The manager said she would only price match to a total of 2 of my coupons.  So instead of 8 lip balms and my 4 coupons, I could only buy 4 and use 2 coupons.  At this point, the frustration really mounted up, but of course, I had to keep my composure and be polite while getting my point across - that which I did.

I ended up purchasing only 4 Nivea Lip balms and using only 2 coupons as the manager allowed.  However, I did talk with the manager for about 30 minutes about the confusion and frustration many of us couponers experience when shopping at Walmart.  I expressed my concern about different rules at different stores and different registers for that matter, and I listened as she expressed her concerns and frustrations with different couponers.  It was interesting.

Apparently there is much fraud going on and couponers abusing the system, so much so that store managers are using their right to limit couponers on the number of items they can price match and purchase using coupons.  Unfortunately shows like Extreme Couponers make it appear as though we can buy hundreds of dollars of groceries for $.01 or so; but in reality there are many coupon rules that are broken in order to accomplish that feat.

I could only hope that Walmarts across the board clear up their coupon policy and create a standard that is applied at every register and every store across the country.  This would definitely alleviate all of the confusion and much of the frustration!

I also encourage you to have your ads with you when you go to Walmart because you will probably have issues price matching if you don't.

I also encourage you to stay within the coupon limits.  Don't go extreme.  3 or 4 coupons is an acceptable max.  Unfortunately a few "extreme" couponers are ruining it for the rest of us.  I miss the "old days" when a coupon was accepted and there weren't so many limits and so many managers having to get involved.  Unfortunately "shelf clearers" have created a bad name for us couponers and have put the manager's eyes on us.

And another thing, fraudulent coupons are a crime.  You can get arrested.  So please be sure you are not duplicating coupons or trying to use fraudulent ones.  This is also a big crime on the rise, creating obstacles for us trying to do things by the book.

My conversation with the store manager ended on a positive note.  We were very supportive of one another and understand each other's frustrations.  I'm glad it ended that way.  Hopefully she'll be much more understanding when dealing with the next coupon shopper and I, well hopefully I'll experience less frustration while at Walmart.  :-)








Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Grocery Deals for the week of 1/4/11

Below is a link to the grocery deals for the week!  Have fun shopping!!

Pinching Your Pennies - Grocery Deals

Day #3: Organize Your Coupon Book

I have gotten so far behind with my coupon organization during the holidays.  I find that I have coupons floating all around my binder and many coupon inserts that I still need to clip!!!  I went to the store yesterday only to wind up frustrated because I was so unorganized! 

So I have decided that today will be a day of coupon organizer organization!  Sometimes you just have to take that extra time to set yourself up correctly, if you know what I mean?!  So I encourage you, take some time out this week, clean up your coupon binder, clip those coupons, put them in the right spots and get ready for the next big sale!!!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Day #2: FREE Coupon Workshops

I just updated the calendar with the latest Coupon Workshops.  The next class will be on February 18th from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Goodyear City Hall, 190 N. Litchfield Rd, Room 117.  Classes are FREE and open to the public.  To register for the class call the City of Goodyear at 623-882-7525. 

Check out the FREE Coupon Workshop page on my blog for more information about the class!!! 

Sunday, January 1, 2012

CVS, Walgreens, & Target Deals of the week

Below is a link to this week's deals at Target, CVS, & Walgreens!  Have fun shopping!!!

Pinching Your Pennies - CVS, Walgreens & Target

Day 1: Blogging my Year of Coupons

Day #1:  I thought I would try something new this year.  Since this will be my first complete year of coupon blogging, I thought I would make an effort to blog each day about coupons, shopping, special deals & anything else that may be relevant! 

Today, I was pleased to start off the new year with 4 coupon inserts in each Sunday paper!  There was a P&G insert (yippeee!), a Red Plum insert and 2 Smart Source inserts in today's paper!  That's a great way to start 2012!!!  If you haven't picked up your papers yet, you still have a couple of hours to do so!  This is a great way to start the new year of savings off right!!!