FREE (or almost free) Healthy Choice meals!

Go here TODAY (these coupons go fast) to print out a coupon for $2.00 off one Healthy Choice meal!!  (Remember to hit your "back" button to print two coupons!)

YAY!!  I love this coupon!  It surfaced briefly about a month ago, and I was able to get two free Healthy Choice frozen dinners.  (I am a fan of this particular brand because every meal includes dessert.  That's a must in my book.)  Incidentally, Healthy Choice meals are on sale at Kroger this week for $2.20 each, so if you want to use the coupon right away, you can get a meal for $0.20!  Awesome.

50% off at Michael's!

If you go here and sign up for Michael's e-newsletters, you'll receive a printable 50% off coupon via email in just a few hours!  YAY!

Sweet Deal: Kroger! (plus coupon matchups!!)

Since Kroger's MegaDeal event (buy 10 participating items, get $5 back) continues through Wednesday, Sep. 2, I thought I'd write a post specifically detailing how I got that awesome deal last week--and showing you how YOU can get one too!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Each item's first listed price takes into account the fact that you will have bought 10 participating items, and that you've received $5 back.  So DON'T take another $0.50 off when figuring out your math; I've already factored the promotional savings in.

IMPORTANT NOTE #2: To get the listed ecoupons, check out Shortcuts.com AND Cellfire.com.
IMPORTANT NOTE #3: Most of these coupons can be found on coupons.com (and most of the links lead there); however, if you want extra coupons, head to Smartsource.com to see if any are available!

Honey Nut Cheerios: $1.49
Use $0.55/1 printable coupon
Use $0.55/1 ecoupon
Final Price: $0.39

Pillsbury Toaster Strudels: $1.49
Use $0.55/2 printable coupon
Use $0.55/2 ecoupon
Final Price: $0.94 WYB2 [When You Buy Two]

Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits: $0.99
Use $1.00/2 printable coupon
Use $1.00/2 ecoupon
Final Price: FREE WYB2

Hamburger (or Tuna) Helper: $0.89
Use $0.75/3 printable coupon
Use $0.75/3 ecoupon
Final Price: $0.36 WYB3

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix: $1.49
Use $0.75/2 printable coupon
Use $0.75/2 ecoupon
Final Price: $0.75 WYB2

Betty Crocker Cookie Mix: $1.49
Use $0.40/1 printable coupon (remember, this will double to $0.80/1 at Kroger!)
Use $0.40/1 ecoupon
Final Price: $0.29

Nature Valley Granola Bars: $1.99
Use $0.40/1 printable coupon (remember, this will double to $0.80/1 at Kroger!)
Use $0.40/1 ecoupon
Final Price: $0.79

Betty Crocker "Warm Delights": ???
Use $0.50/1 printable coupon (remember, this will double to $1.00/1 at Kroger!)
Use $0.50/1 ecoupon
Final Price: FREE

Cascadian Farms Organic Cereal or Granola: $2.49
Use $1.00/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.49

Chex Mix Bars: ???
Use $0.60/1 printable coupon
Use $0.60/1 ecoupon
Final Price: ???

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters: $1.99 (BH note: These are SO GOOOOD)
Use $1.00/1 printable coupon
Use $1.00/1 ecoupon
Final Price: FREE

Old El Paso Refried Beans, Taco Shells, or Tortillas: $0.99
Use $0.60/2 printable coupon Unfortunately, this coupon has disappeared.  :(  But $0.69 WYB2 is nothing to sneeze at!
Use $0.60/2 ecoupon
Final Price: $0.39 $0.69 WYB2

SoBe Lifewater: $0.49
Use B1G1 printable coupon
Final Price: $0.25 WYB2 or FREE (depending on how the cashier scans the coupon)

Here's a possible deal scenario:


THREE Hamburger Helpers: $1.08
Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters: FREE
TWO Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits: FREE
Honey Nut Cheerios: $0.39
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix: $0.29
TWO Sobe Lifewaters: $0.49 or FREE


Total: 10 participating items for $2.25

Okay.  Those are just some of my favorite matchups involving some of the participating items.  To check out Kroger's weekly ad, go here and click on "weekly ads" at the top of the page.  However, be warned: this week's ad does NOT list all of the participating items in the MegaDeal event; once you get to the store, keep an eye out for the distinctive yellow tags marking all eligible items.  The items I've listed here are still eligible, to the best of my knowledge; however, as always, do your own research and don't blindly trust my calculations (I am a singer, after all...I can only count to 4, and sometimes 6)!

Have fun!

Where to Find Coupons: Restaurant Websites!

So here's the fourth installment in my "Where to Find Coupons" series, and it deals with one of my favorite things: FOOOOOD.
Did you know that by signing up online for your favorite restaurants' loyalty/membership/VIP programs, you can get free meals right and left??  Well??  Did you? 
...You didn't?
Okay, here's what to do:

1. Go to a restaurant's website.
2. Look around to see if they have some sort of membership club or loyalty program or something.
3. If they do, sign up for it. (NOTE: This would be a good time to use that nifty extra email address you created when you began your journey to become a coupon goddess (or god.  Sorry guys.)  Don't know what I'm talking about?  Check out this post.)
4. Check your email.
5. Print out your coupon(s).
6. Go eat free food.

Seriously.  It's just that easy.

I've only signed up with a few restaurants so far, but I've already gotten some AWESOME deals (free Coldstone on your birthday, anyone?).  If you want to try this yourself (and really, why wouldn't you?) start with the places below--I've linked directly to the sign-up page for each club/newsletter/whatever--and then Google YOUR restaurant's website to see if they have a similar program! 

Coldstone Creamery
Cheeseburger In Paradise
Old Country Buffet
Olive Garden
Red Lobster
Red Robin
Starbuck's (see this post)
T.G.I.Friday's

And here are a few fast food joints (because, you know, I'm a college student):
Arby's
Burgerville (Enjoy, Northwesterners... *sob*)
Wendy's

Where to Find Coupons: Contact the Manufacturer!

This next strategy was the third step I took on my journey to couponing, and it's probably the one that freaked me out the most (in a good way).

I decided (innocently enough) to contact the manufacturer of one of my favorite products to let them know how much I enjoyed the product. So I went to the product's website--for this example, we'll say the product is Skintimate shaving cream--and found the contact form. I filled out my contact info and then wrote a quick little message about why I specifically liked their product. It took like two seconds. Lo and behold: five days later, I received a very nice letter in the mail, thanking me for my comments, and included in that letter was a coupon for a FREE Skintimate product. Any Skintimate product. Any size. !!! So I started writing to a few more of my favorite products' manufacturers.

Now, keep in mind that I've only been writing to manufacturers for about two weeks, and during that time, I've spent probably 10 minutes total contacting these people. Here are the coupons I've received so far:

FREE Skintimate product

FREE Hostess/Wonder/HomePride product

FREE Bagel Bites (don't judge me)

FREE Clorox Disinfecting Wipes (the big tub)

Two FREE Chiquita Fruit Bites

Two $0.50 coupons for Edy's (that's "Dreyer's" to you Northwestern folks) Fruit Bars

Two $1.00 coupons for any Campbell's/Pace/V8/Prego/Pepperidge Farm product

Two $0.50 coupons for Bagel Bites

Not bad for two weeks, right? (Why haven't I ever done this before??) Keep in mind that some manufacturers actually do want to hear your praise, suggestions for improvement, displeasure, etc., so this is valuable feedback for them. I don't gush when I write to them; I just honestly state what I like or would improve about each product, and thank them for their work. It seriously takes almost no time at all, and it nets me some free and/or very cheap items! Sweet! Try contacting your favorite product's manufacturer today, and see what happens!

Where to Find Coupons: The Sunday Paper

Have you ever flipped through those colorful coupon inserts found in your Sunday newspaper, and then tossed them in the recycling because "All that stuff is way too expensive to begin with, so those coupons won't save me any money"? Me too. But now that I've discovered the secret to couponing success (matching up coupons with awesome sales/promos and then stockpiling the items in question so you won't have to buy them at a higher price)(wow, that's a long secret), I've realized that the Sunday paper is INVALUABLE. If you don't already receive the Sunday paper, try DiscountedNewspapers.com. You can save quite a bit by subscribing through that site as opposed to the newspaper's own office.

Most hard-core couponers purchase about four to six papers every Sunday. Yes. Four to six. Every Sunday. That way, when something goes on an awesome sale, they can stock up even more than usual, because they have more coupons to use. This makes sense, but I'm taking baby steps into this world of couponing, and am not quite at the "four-to-six papers" level yet. Plus, I live in a tiny apartment that has almost no storage space, so I couldn't do major stockpiling even if I wanted to. I can only stockpile two or three items ahead. :-(

So here's what I do. Every week, I check out this awesome site: TaylorTownPreview.com. Scroll down the page a bit, and you'll see a "Preview Pages" column. Click on the upper-most date. ...See? This awesome person previews every coupon insert that will be in the paper on that date! This way I'm able to decide--based on how often I use certain products, how often they go on sale, and what the actual value of each coupon is--whether or not it's worth it for me to buy the paper that Sunday. (I can't do a weekly subscription because the local paper won't deliver to my address. *pout*)

Adding the Sunday paper's coupon inserts to my couponing arsenal was my second step (after learning about internet printables) on the journey to couponing. It's been VERY valuable so far.

Where to Find Coupons: The KCL Coupon Database

Oh boy. I just found this database of printable internet coupons today, and it is the BEST. DATABASE. EVER. It's organized alphabetically, so if you're looking for a coupon for a particular product, you can scroll directly to it. How handy! (Check out Krazy Coupon Lady's main blog too, while you're at it.)

Coupons.com Printable Coupons

Another great printable coupon site is Coupons.com. This site keeps track of your number of prints, and will "close" a coupon to you after two or three, so be aware of that. (Check out the RedPlum post below for more strategies to maximize your savings while using printable coupon sites.)

Some of my favorite current coupons on Coupons.com:

$0.50/6 Yoplait yogurts (This may seem not-so-great, but if your store doubles coupons, and if you pair it with a sale, and if you eat yogurt all the time, it's pretty good! ALSO: I want the world to know that if you freeze Yoplait "Whips" yogurt, IT TASTES LIKE ICE CREAM. This is not a lie. Try it with the Chocolate Mousse flavor. Trust me on this one.)

$1.00/2 Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (any size/variety) (I love this coupon. Here's why: if you pair it with the same e-coupon AND Kroger's MegaEvent sale, each tube is FREEEEE! Even without the event and e-coupon, use this on two of those cute little 4- or 5-biscuit tubes [note that the coupon says "any size"] at Walmart and get them for almost free.)

$0.40/1 box Nature Valley Granola Bars (Good if your store doubles AND if paired with the same e-coupon.)

$1/1 One-A-Day VitaCraves product (12ct+) (I am so stupidly excited about those VitaCraves gummy vitamins. I mean, all your essential vitamins and minerals in a FRUIT SNACK?!?!? Sign me up! ...aaaand for the adults among us: this coupon is also good on any other One-A-Day product.)

$1/1 box Special K Blueberry Cereal (When paired with a great Walmart sale, this made for a $0.25 box of delicious cereal.)

There are TONS more coupons on this site, so you should really go check 'em out.

RedPlum Printable Coupons

I'd like to introduce you to the wonderful world of printable internet coupons. RedPlum.com is one of the best places to find great printable coupons. (It also publishes one of the leading...ahem...junk mailers, and does newspaper inserts too.) To maximize your savings, remember:

• Enter your zipcode at the top. Sometimes special offers and coupons will show up for specific zipcodes, so it's worth checking to see if yours is one of them!
• Some coupons have a counter; when they've been printed a certain number of times, they disappear. So print coupons as soon as you find them to avoid missing out.
• To save on ink, make sure your printer's on the "Fast" or "Light" setting BEFORE you click "print"; these coupons print automatically.

Here are some of my favorite currently-available coupons (and check out the bottom of this post if some of my notation weirds you out):

$2/1 Rimmel mascara (I heard these are on sale for $2.09 at Walgreen's this week!! Thanks, MoneySavingMom!)

$0.50/1 box Lean Pockets (Check to see if your store doubles coupons. At my Kroger, they'd double this coupon to $1.00, and since these are on sale for $2.00 right now, I could get a box for $1.00! Not bad!)

$1/1 Rimmel product (This would make a little nail polish or something either close to free, or free!)

$1/1 Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion (200ml+) (This might pair well with a good sale, but note that since the size is specified, we can't use this coupon to get a free travel-size lotion. Boo.)

$1/3 DelMonte Fruit Naturals Cups (8oz) (These are super-cheap at Walmart right now, which is great, because the pink grapefruit type is like heaven in a plastic cup.)

$1.50/2 Kellogg's Frosted MiniWheats, All-Bran, and/or Raisin Bran (11.4oz+) (This would be great paired with a similar Target coupon, since Target allows stacking of store coupons and manufacturer coupons. So keep an eye on those store flyers!)

There! Have fun!

(Note: "$1/3" = $1.00 off 3. "200ml+" = 200 ml or larger.)

Sweet Deals at Target

There are some sweet deals going on right now at Target!

BH Tip: Target allows "stacking" of manufacturer's coupons and store coupons. This means that if you have a manufacturer's coupon for, say, Dove deodorant, you can use it WITH a Target coupon for Dove deodorant. Use this strategy to maximize your savings, as I did here:

Target has Dove Ultimate Visibly Smooth Deodorant for $3.29 this week.
Use $2 off 1 Dove Deodorant printable coupon
Use $1 off 1 Dove Deodorant Target printable coupon (scroll down to the "Expiring 9/12/09" section, enter "1" in the box next to "Dove Deodorant", scroll down to the bottom, and click "Get Coupons". Then print it!)
Final price: $0.29

BH Tip: Always check to see if a coupon specifies the size of the product in question; for example, the Target Dove printable clearly states that the coupon is not to be used for travel-size deodorants. But the coupon below clearly does NOT include a size requirement, which is why we're able to get such a sweet deal:

Target has General Mills Single-Serve Cereal Cups for $1.00 this week.
Use $1 off 1 General Mills Cereal Target printable coupon (scroll down to the "Expiring 9/12/09" section, enter your requested number of coupons next to "General Mills Cereal", scroll down to the bottom, and click "Get Coupons". I printed five.)
Final price: FREE

See? Isn't this crazy-fun?

Bath & Body Works Freebies

Here are two fun coupons for Bath & Body Works freebies! They're especially great if you're thinking ahead to Christmas presents.

Get a FREE Signature Collection Body Care or Home Fragrance item with any $10 purchase. Expires 8/27/09.

Get a FREE Signature Collection travel size item with any purchase. Expires 9/9/09. ...I used this coupon, and the "travel size items" are actually pretty big! Lots to choose from, too. I lucked out because I found a HUGE bottle of shea lotion on clearance for $3, so that was my purchase. I walked out with $20+ worth of merchandise for $3. Wheeeee!