Old Town Murrieta Plowboys

  I used to shop at Plowboy's Farmer's Market every week for my produce, but I stopped going for some reason.  I think I was under the impression they closed.  Maybe they did, but today I rediscovered them and love them just as much as ever!  Everything in the picture above (minus the children, of course) was $4.99!  The large bag of bananas was clearanced for $1, regular price was still only $.55/lb though.  I plan to freeze them for smoothies since today is clearly the last day of desirability.  The 5 lb bag of potatoes was $.97!!  The Watermelon was $1.50.  The kids are holding (and eating) my splurge item...organic honey crisp apples.  They were $1.69/lb but they are the best apples I have ever eaten.  They really taste like honey!  I've gotten honey crisp at the store before and was NOT impressed, but these are SO different! 
    They also had broccoli for $.89/lb regular price, pears for $.25/lb, plums for $.88/lb, and local bread and honey for various prices.  They carry a few staple items as well (like milk and cup o' noodles...you know...must haves) and lots of mexican and asian specialty items.  Anyway, if you happen to be at the corner of Kalmia and Washington sometime, check them out! 

I got the above pictures from their Facebook page.

  

Couponing with a Smart Phone

For those of you out there who have smart phones (I know I am talking to most of the population, including my 13 year old sister), there is an EXCELLENT tool I came across for helping me coupon on the go!!  If you use Google Reader, which I highly recommend, for following your blogs, you should totally try the mobile site!!  And if you don't, you should totally start using Google Reader!  It puts all your blog updates in a neat little inbox so you can peruse them without going all over the web.  Here's how to start if you haven't already:

Step 1:
Go to google.com/reader and sign in using your google name and password.
Or, sign up for an account if you don't already have one.

Step 2:
Click "add a subscription"
In the little box that comes up, type the home address of a blog you follow.
Repeat
Here are mine:

http://christianclippers.com/

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/ http://hip2save.com/ http://moneysavingmom.com/

http://www.savemoneylivejoyfully.com/ http://www.southerncalisaver.com/ http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/ http://thekrazycouponlady.com/

Step 3:
Once you have all your subscriptions in, you can see every update chronologically, or filter to show only one blog by clicking the name on the left side.

That's it!
Now, once you have it set up, go to your smart phone and open up the internet.  Go to google.com/reader/m.  All your blogs will load quickly and you will be able to see everything on one page without scrolling all over the screen.  There will be no distracting ads or sidebars.  Strictly the information you need to get your stuff free and get out of there.  SO HELPFUL!   Post a comment if you have any questions and I'll see if I can answer them, but I'm no computer genius, so nothing too hard...

Kingsford Charcoal at Home Depot

I just scored all this charcoal for my mom (120 pounds!!!) for less than $2,50 a bag!  Home Depot has twin packs for $7.97, and there is a $3 off one bag of Kingsford Charcoal coupon in the Vons MDA coupon book.  I handed them 6 coupons, but they took only one coupon per twin pack, since they said it is like getting the second bag for free when you buy them together, which is still a great deal, so I didn't complain! 

I went to check out at the self check because there was no line and I didn't want anyone behind me to be frustrated if I took a few extra minutes with my coupons.  As I lifted the first 40 pound bag over the scanner, the associate quickly came over with a scanning gun and said "I can scan those for you."  I guess I didn't notice they were heavy since Cohen weighs about that much!  :)

I also noticed in the small clearance section near the charcoal was a bunch of Glidden paint testers for $1.97, which there are $3/2 coupons for on coupons.com, making them $.47.  The coupon says they are only available at Walmart (which is incorrect), but it doesn't say you can only use it at Walmart.  I don't know if they will give you a hard time on that or not.

Kellogg's Rebate!

You can go HERE and print a form to get a $10 gas card when you purchase 10 select Kellogg's cereals.  You don't need receipts, just UPC's, so I happen to have 9 boxes in my garage already!  I will go buy a box of Raisin Bran this afternoon at Ralph's (they are $1.99 and I have a coupon) and get my $10 in the mail!!

Old Navy $2 Tank Tops!

From Sample Stuff:
"For reaching 2,000,000 fans on Facebook, Old Navy is celebrating by offering a pre-sale coupon good for $2 Solid Rib-Knit Tanks today (Friday) only. Click here to print your coupon. Valid for women’s, girls, and toddler girl tanks. Limit 10 per Customer. See coupon for more details. You’ll be able to get it without the coupon Saturday and Sunday."

6/23 Trip

I spent $12.23. I saved around $45. I got 2 coupon boxes and some dividers in case people want them after my couponing class which is July 5 at 10 AM at CCBF. It's free! The ugly shirt was free, too and so were the first aid kits. The cleaners were $1 each. The toothpaste was a $1.50 moneymaker.

Temecula Regal Summer Movies at Edwards July/August

Here are the rest of the movies for this summer along with reviews from Focus on the Family.

Movies show Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10 AM.  Admission is $1 for everyone 4 and older.

I recommend not getting there too early.  The crowds aren't that bad and some of the previews are (what I consider) inappropriate for some youngsters.   Their "First Look" advertisements are not all geared to kids, as far as I can tell.

7/5-7/7
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs   Review
or
Gulliver's Travels  Review

7/12-7/14
How to Train Your Dragon  Review
or
Nanny McPhee Returns  Review

7/19-7/21
Pirates Who Don't Do Anything  Review
or
Chronicles of Narnia (Does not specify which one)  Review  Review  Review

7/26-7/28
Ramona and Beezus  Review
or
Despicable Me  Review

8/2-8/4
Monsters Vs. Aliens  Review
or
The Spy Next Door  Review

Walgreens 6/19-6/25

I wouldn't drive to Walgreens just for this deal, but if you happen to be there anyway...

Buy ALL 3 Participating 3 G Series Fit Products in a single transaction = $5 Mail-in Rebate printed out at checkout
Deal Scenario:
Buy G Series Fit Prime $1.50
Buy G Series Fit Perform $1
Buy G Series Fit Recover $2.50
Total = $5
Submit for the $5 mail in rebate (printed at checkout)
Final cost all 3 for FREE!

Thanks, Hip2Save.

Great Challenge Butter Coupon

Go to the Challenge Butter Facebook page to print a $1 off coupon!  Sometimes this butter gets as low as $2.49, so after the coupon would be $1.49!  I will let you know when I use mine!

Current Stockpile Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure why I feel the need to share this...but I do.

Chuck E Cheese Coupons

Chuck E Cheese has some great coupons out right now.  You can get 115 tokens for $15.  That's about $.13 per token.  Click here for the coupons.

$4 off Schick Coupon/$3 off Lysol Healthy Touch

I guess these coupons must have been regional because I did not receive them in the Press Enterprise.  I'm going to check the LA Times when I go out later, but if you REALLY wanted the razors, you can order the coupons here for $.40 each. Or you can order 20 copies of the entire insert with both coupons here for $18.99.  That would be if you were crazy.

Disclaimer:  I cannot vouch for the trustworthiness of those sites, since I have never ordered coupons off of a service, but LOTS of people do.  I am wary of trusting they will actually mail it and kind of feel like it's cheating.

Update: The Californian and the Union Tribune both had the razor coupon, but not the Lysol one.

80% off at Restaurant.com

If you like to eat out as much as I do, this may be the time to try restaurant.com.  They sell restaurant gift cards for discounted prices.  Right now they are offering 80% off their already low prices.  They offer these special codes semi-frequently, so there's no need to stock up, but I would recommend giving them a try.  

There is a little fine print, so you won't really be eating for 80% off, but you will get a significant discount.  Not every restaurant is available.  In fact, most of them were restaurants I had never heard of before, but some of them were places I actually eat, like the Studio Diner in San Diego (SO good!!  Their "Count of Monte Cristo" is to die for...and to die from!).

How it works:
You buy a $25 gift card to Stadium Pizza (for example) for $2 (after the 80% off code).  To use that gift card, you have to have a minimum purchase of $35, and they add 18% gratuity automatically and most say "no take out, dine in only."  So you spend around $20 after tax and tip for a meal that would have normally cost around $45. 

I've used 3 of them and I think it's nice to have a way to go and eat a nice meal for an affordable price.  Plus, it encourages me to try new restaurants I've never been to before.  When you browse the restaurants, you can check out their menus as you go along to see how much their meals and drinks cost and what kinds of things they offer.  That will help you decide what size of gift card is right for you and your family. 

The promo code is DEAL and is good until 6/13.

Coupons Coming Sunday!

Here are a few coupons scheduled to come in the paper Sunday that I am very excited about!

Pillsbury Frosting or Brownie Mixes $1.00/2 (exp. 9/30/11)

Soft Scrub total or bleach clean product Buy one get one soft scrub cream cleanser or gel FREE no 36oz To $3.79 (exp. 7/10/11)

Tic Tac single pak or multipack $1.00/1 (exp. 8/31/11)

Visine product any $1.00/1 (exp. 9/18/11)

Goodnites Underwear jumbo pack or larger $2.00/1 (exp. 7/9/11)

Huggies any diapers $1.50/1 (exp. 7/9/11)

Huggies any little snugglers or little movers diapers $2.00/1 (exp. 7/9/11)

Shick Hydro razor, any $4.00/1 (exp. 7/24/11)

You can find the complete list here.

Birthday Deals!

Since today was my birthday I thought I would go gather up some freebies and share them with you!  These are my favorite birthday deals, but there are lots more posted on Savvy Couponer, so check those out, too.  I recommend signing up the month before your birthday as many offers are sent out on the first of the month.


Red Robin has a Red Royalty club.  Just stop by and pick up a card and register it online.  You will receive a free appetizer within the first 14 days of signing up, a free burger in the month of your birthday, a free entree for every 9 purchased and a $20 credit if you dine 5 times in the first 5 weeks.  You may only redeem one reward per visit and the highest value reward will be used first so keep that in mind.

Sonic offers your choice of a free medium Tots, a regular CreamSlush Treat or a medium drink when you join their Sonic Cruisers Club.

Souplantation gives you a buy one get one free coupon with the purchase of 2 beverages coupon when you join Club Veg.

Hometown Buffet gives you a buy one get one free buffet coupon when you purchase 1 beverage if you join their e-club.

Swagbucks.com gives you 50 Swagbucks on your birthday if you are a member.  If you aren't familiar with Swagbucks, it is a search engine powered by Google that rewards you randomly with points for performing normal searches.  You can use the points to purchase a variety of things, but I have only purchased Amazon.com gift cards.  I signed up a few months ago and have already earned about 3 $5 cards for minimal usage.  If you do sign up, do it here.  I will get points for referring you!  :)

I recommend signing your kids up for Chuck E Cheese coupons.  You will receive free tokens on their birthday AND their half birthday!

As always, Denny's offers a free Grand Slam on your Birthday with valid ID, no membership required.

Free admission to Glen Ivy Hot Springs on your birthday.  You must bring a valid I.D.

Join the Pancake Revolution, and receive free MEAL at IHOP just for signing up, on your birthday and on your 1-Year anniversary of joining

Free beverage, when you register any Starbucks gift card online.

Sephora gives you a free gift on your birthday (mine was vanilla cupcake bubble bath/body wash) when you sign up for their Beauty Insider Club (I signed up in the store right then).

Promenade Temecula offers a birthday club with a free surprise!  I don't know what it is.  :(

So there's a few to get you started.  I'm sure there are tons more out there.  Happy Free Birthday!!  And don't forget to check out the others on Savvy Couponer!

Bakery Outlet

Before WIC started giving whole grains, I used to get all my bread products at the Bakery Outlet at 26019 Jefferson. It's a very inexpensive way to get bread if you aren't too squeamish about expiration dates.  Most of theirr products are "sell by" in the next few days, but they do offer some fresher products as well. I keep my bread in the refrigerator anyway, and I've never had any of their bread mold before we could eat it.  It's a good place to get a lot of hot dog or hamburger buns if you know you will be barbecueing the next day. 
You can get coupons for a free item every week in the pennysaver that comes on Wednesday.  They offer a punch card and when you fill it, you get another free item.  Wednesday and Sunday are "double punch days" so you can get a free item twice as fast if you shop those days.
And here's a secret for first time shoppers.  Check out the selection that sits by the cashier because when you check out, you get to choose one for every $5 you spend.
I used to spend $10 and come out with 4 bags full to the top with bagels, English muffins, bread, buns, pirate's booty, etc.  So check it out sometime.

Fresh and Easy 6/8

If you've never been to Fresh and Easy, this might be a good week to check them out.  Normally they send out a $3 off $30 coupon or a $5 off $50 coupon, but this week is one of the rarer $5 off $25 coupons (that's 20%!)  But, they don't accept manufacturer coupons, so in that sense, they aren't the best choice for regular couponing, but here are some deals I think might be worth getting.

These prices reflect the 20% discount you would receive if you spent $25 and used the coupon.  Remember to keep your total as close to $25 to receive the maximum discount.

Fresh Chicken Breasts                               $1.99/lb     
Grape Tomatoes                                        $1.20/7-10.5 oz packs (must buy in multiples of 2)
Various produce packs                              $.78/each (peppers onions, baby carrots, bagged salad available)
Blueberries                                                $3.19/18 oz
Blackberries/Raspberries                           $3.19/12 oz
Capri Sun                                                  $1.33/10 pack (must buy in multiples of 3)


Tomorrow, you can look at their entire ad here.

Why I won't shop at Walgreens

My very first coupon endeavor was to a Walgreens.  I got 2 bags of Planters Nuts for FREE!  It was exhilarating!  The cashier was nice and told me about the people who would come in and get $80 worth of merchandise for a few dollars.  I was excited.  This was before I met Rite Aid.  I was naive.  As time has passed (since March 18, 2010), Walgreens has changed a little and in ways that make it too difficult to bother with any but the most earth shattering deals, and even those are usually out of stock by the time I get there.  Anyway, here are the differences that keep me away.

One, their Register Rewards (equivalent to an +Up Reward or Extra Care Buck) are considered manufacturer coupons.  This slight difference means that if you want to buy a razor and have a coupon from the paper, you can't spend your Register Reward at the same time unless you want to buy another item (maybe a candy bar or something) so you don't have more coupons than items.  It doesn't matter the amount of the other item, as long as your subtotal doesn't exceed the amount of the RR, but still, I don't want to have to buy a $.50 item to use my coupon.  I think that's lame.  CVS and Rite Aid have no limit on the amount of Rewards you can spend in a transaction.

Two, if you were at Walgreens last week and got a Register Reward for buying...oh, say, Cottenelle Toilet Paper and this week they have a deal on Huggies Diapers (something like buy one get $3.00 in Register Rewards).  If you use that Register Reward from last week with your Huggies Diapers and candy bar or whatever, your Register Reward for the diaper will NOT print because both last week's deal and this week's deal are from Kimberly Clark.  They do this so you won't go and buy a razor, get the Rewards and spend them on another razor and so on but how would the average person know the parent company of every item they are buying?  Rite Aid and CVS both have membership cards, loyalty cards, or whatever you want to call them, so they can limit the number of times you can buy an item at a certain price.  While some see that as an invasion of privacy, and I do understand that, I see it as a way of keeping the shelves stocked for people who don't show up the first hour of a good sale.  Those foil helmeted conspiracy theorists are welcome to shop at Walgreens where there is no invasion of your privacy.  They can even were fake glasses and a mustache to keep the security cameras from facially recognizing them if they want, but I will shop at Rite Aid.  :)

So that's why I won't post many Walgreens deals here although there are people who LOVE Walgreens and only shop there.  They do have good deals occasionally that don't require you to jump through hoops, and if I see one, I will let you know, but you better get in the car and go immediately or they will be out.  Actually, call first.  They will do a stock check for you and save you some gas and time.

My First Blog Giveaway!

Wow, isn't this exciting?!  I'm like a real Blogger now!  Our very first sweepstakes!  Ok, maybe not quite...
I have this Lexmark all in one printer that needs a black ink cartridge, but other than that, works great.  It's a perfect tool for a new couponer!  The ink is about $35 but you can find it cheaper on amazon.com.  Once you have the cartridge, you can refill it a several times for pretty cheap. Anyway, the person who comments first or needs it most gets it!  I haven't decided which yet.  I may only get one comment which will make it easy. 

RecycleBank.com

So, I've heard about this website for quite some time and finally decided to check it out.  I thought you only got points for recycling through your trash pickup, which we don't have, but it turns out you can watch a little propaganda, answer about 3 questions (I even missed one) and earn points (about 25 per video).  You can use those points to buy some good coupons.  I'm saving mine up for something good, but there is Kashi, Ziploc and some other ones I would possibly use.  You can check it out and if you sign up from this link, I get 10 points for referring you!  Then you can refer other people to earn you ten points too!