Rite Aid 11/15-11/21

Rite Aid has some freebies this week. Coupons.com has the $5/25 or $3/15 depending on your zip code. You can also check out the video values ads to earn a $5/20 coupon and others. My fav five star Rite Aid cashier also told me that sometimes surveys pop up on riteaid.com that only take a few minutes to fill out and then you can earn a $5 gift card. Be on the lookout for those!

Freebies:
*Crest Extra White Plus Scope Toothpaste $2.69, SCR for $2.69, Use the $0.75/1 from PG 11/1, money maker of $.75

*GE Energy Smart Light Bulbs $2.00 each, $2 SCR when you buy 2, Use the $1/1 from SS 10/4

*Renuzit Adjustable Air Freshener $0.99, $1 SCR when you buy 2, Use B1G1 coupon on coupons.com

*Kotex $2.99, $2 SCR, use $1 coupon from Oct. All You

*Tic Tac Chill $1.00, Use the $1/1 from RP 9/20

*Robitussin To Go 10 ct. $6.99, $4 SCR, $2.00 coupon available here

Check out all the matchups at my frugal adventures.

The Red Plum today also had some Ragu and Skippy coupons that can be stacked with the store Albertsons coupouns (also in the paper) to get really cheap Ragu and Skippy. Don't forget to get your pie and ice cream through Tuesday, unfortunately the catalina deal is dead, but you can still score 2 pies and 2 ice creams for $6.39 (or less is you have coupons). Get a rain check if your store is out and they will honor the deal for up to a month.

Friday Food for Thought

Here is my take on what managers really think of couponers. Of course, just like cashiers there are several levels of couponers. I certainly hope you are a 5 star couponer by now. 5 star couponers are polite, friendly, informed, and stand up for themselves. They don't try to get away with anything though and they don't go ballistic over the refusal of a .50 coupon. So I think if you are a five star couponer...the managers actually like you. Why? Because you come in to the store regularly, so you spend money. They also know that you talk out in the community, whether it is via conversation, blogs, or emails, good deals are shared. So is bad (or good) customer service. Coupons are very "trendy" right now, mostly because of the economy. Good managers know that lots of their customers are going to coupon, so if they don't choose to coupon in their store, they will probably go somewhere else to shop.

I actually dated a grocery manager in a previous life...(he wasn't a manager then) and now through the magic of Facebook, we still chat occasionally. I asked him about this and he said, that yes coupons are a pain, (to redeem) but he also said that he is impressed when a shopper takes time to plan out a shopping trip. I am sure this is how most managers feel. Do you agree with me? Are you a 5 star couponer?

Reader's Deals

I got some great deals from readers. Audrey said, "If you buy 3 "sets" of the pie and ice cream the catalina will give you $15. The Albertson's checker and manager went over my receipt this morning to find out what triggered it." The Breyer's ice cream is part of the buy $30 get $15 catalina promotion running through today. I tried this today and it did not work for me. I am emailing catalina to see why, but you might have better luck.

Heidi sent a link to a $10 coupon for the UP DVD here. Several stores have this priced around $19.99. I saw one today that also had a rebate sticker for a free plush toy (via mail) with purchase. There are also two rebates out ronzoni pasta for $4 with purchase of pasta and DVD or bird's eye $5 rebate with two Viola meals and DVD purchase. If you want an even more advanced and cheaper deal, check out cheaper by the dozen. There is also a Target coupon you can stack with the $10 coupon. Keep your eyes peeled this time of year there will be rebates on movies with products. Last year I got one for Shrek the Halls and the Tinkerbell movie.

Thanks, Audrey and Heidi. If you find a good deal you would like to share, please email me at dealsbydawn at yahoo dot com.

Store Secrets: Walmart (dot com)

Anybody that knows me well, knows I do not shop at WalMart very often. I don't like how crowded the store is and it is a huge spending trap. Yes, a bunch of "cheap" stuff still equals a lot! I do however love walmart.com. One of the best features is their FREE SAMPLES. They always have several different ones available. They also rotate them frequently and often the samples come with high value coupons. Right now in fact, there are samples of both Huggies and Pampers available, also Garnier and Prilosec. Click here now to check them out. Be sure to check back often for new freebies too.

Deals of the week!!

Just picked up my Tuesday paper and besides some great deals at Albertsons next week, there are tons of great deals tomorrow, Veterans Day!! Some Fred Meyer coupons caught my eye,
*Save $5 on any pair of shoes $14.99 and up
*Save $5 on any apparel $14.99 and up
*Take an Extra 15% off apparel, shoes & accessories, no limit and may be combined with above two coupons. These are good only from 7 AM-1PM. You should be able to get these coupons in store at customer service.
*Also at Fred Meyer spend $150 (on most anything, some exclusions) get a free turkey with coupon. This coupon is actually in the paper, not an insert. $150 is a lot to spend, especially now that you are a coupon diva, but if you are hosting Thanksgiving or needing to really stock up, there is an extra incentive for you. Offer good through Saturday.

*Macys also has a 15% off coupon here to go with their sale through tomorrow.

*JC Penney-pick up an extra savings card at any register to reveal your discount, either an extra 15, 20, or 30% off. Offer good through Saturday.

*Albertsons, good until next Tuesday. The loss leader of the year...Buy one Sara Lee Pie ($6.39) and get another Sara Lee Pie AND 2 Breyers Ice Creams FREE!! But, it gets better...there are coupons for both items and since you are "buying" four items, you can use four manufacturers coupons. Redplum.com (sidebar) has the Sara Lee coupon, and 10/18 RP has the 0.75 off Breyers. Go early to get the good kinds of pie and ice cream. They will go fast...best of all there is NO LIMIT! (Don't go crazy though...) I am assuming that means they are well stocked, but you never know. Last year I ended up with pumpkin and vanilla, good but not my first choice of flavors. :)
Please check out a thrifty mom and the krazy coupon lady for all the coupon links. There are some good Albertsons coupons to stack with manufacturers coupons.

No, I am not hitting all these deals and no I am not shopping all day tomorrow. :) I plan on going to the parade and honoring our veterans. Happy Veteran's Day!

Rolling the cat

I wanted to try at least one more time to see if I could get my cat to roll, and it worked! The breakdown: 4 cookie mixes, 4 potatoes, 1 soap, 2 yogurts, 2 soup mixes, 6 pasta/rice mixes, and two cake mixes. The total was $30.89 I had 7.20 in coupons, then used my $15 in catalinas, so my total was $8.69, but I used my $15 cash from my "faux" catalina. All three transactions spent $52.14, but I still have $15 in catalinas and $6.31 left over in cash from the promotion. All in all, pretty great for all the stuff we got.

A few things to remember with catalina deals or promotions:
1)Make sure you have the right product! There are usually several sizes, but only one is the correct one. Also other brands, especially store brands are made to look like name brands and placed right next to each other, so make sure you have the right brand. There should (but not always) be tags advertising the promotion by the participating products so look for these.
2) Double, triple check before you get to the register that you have all the products and that your total adds up to the right amount.
3) Make sure you get the desired results, after your receipt prints, the catalina will print, watch for the flashing green light and the beep. Cashier tend to hurry through this, so make sure you get them. If not, let someone know. You can also call catalina at 1-888-8COUPON if your transaction didn't go right.
4)Keep trying, these promotions can be lots of fun and great ways to stock your pantry.

Step # 9: Rebates

I love earning rebates, especially high value ones and those at Rite Aid. Rite Aid rebates are all done online, so it makes it easy. Read here for more info Most other rebates however, have to be done through the mail. It is a good idea to do these as soon as you get home from the store. That way it is fresh on your mind and you have the receipt and UPC codes in front of you. Most rebates require the original receipt. If you have two products that have mail in rebates, ask the cashier to print out a duplicate receipt for you. If you are doing a mail in rebate from a product bought at Rite Aid, make sure you enter you info in the computer before you send off the receipt. It is also a good idea to make copies, keep a contact number/email, and keep a record when you sent it off, in case you have a problem. Most of these totals are before coupons, so it you combine them with sales, promos, and coupons, they become money makers!

Some rebates to look out for right now:

SC Johnson Buy 3 products get $5 back.
Real Simple Buy $15 worth of participating products get $5 back
Johnsons Rubber Ducky water tester with $7 product purchase
Try me free peelie offer on Gerber Yogurt Blend
Pampers diaper clutch, free with Pampers Big Box purchase at Albertsons(catalina rebate form will print)

Any other you are working on? I will post any new rebates I find.

Catalina Success!

This is how it is supposed to work, just like I had planned in my last post. The catalinas printed with no problem. My out of pocket was $23.11 and I got $15 back. Tomorrow I am going to "roll" the cat. I am going to do the deal again, use my $15 cats to pay half and then get $15 more back!

Cat, round #2

Okay, got some more coupons and my list...we are going to try this again. Here is what I am going to get: 1 mayo (2.99), 2 Caress soap (4.98), 2 toaster strudels (5.98), 2 Kleenex (1.98), 2 yogurt delights (4.98), 1 broth (1.49), and 4 Cottonelle wipes (7.96). Total of 30.36 I am using 2 $1 toaster strudels, 2 $1 yogurt, 2 0.50 Kleenex, $1 broth, and .50/2 and .75/2 wipes. So my after coupon total is $23.11 and I should get back $15 in cat coupons. I am also going to buy a few more things and use my double coupons.

Rite Aid Deals 11/8-11/14

New $5/25 coupon at redplum.com.

Freebies:
*Herbal Essences Hair Care buy one get one free. Use buy one shampoo, get one styler free 10/11 P&G. Also did you get your free Herbal Essences coupon by mail, now would be a good time to use that. Both scenarios get you two free products, do both to get four free products.

*Oral B Crossaction Toothbrush $2.99, SCR for $2.99, use with .75 from 10/11 P&G to make this a money maker.

Good deals:
*GE Reveal Lightbulbs 2/$4, $2 SCR when you buy two, also a $1/1 coupon in 11/1 SS.

*Also Lysol Steam mop on sale for $34.99 with a $5 SCR. Has anyone used this? Is it any good? I am thinking about one, but don't want to waste money if it is not great.

Check out hip 2 save for all the matchups. Not a great week, I am hoping for some deals on baby wipes, trash bags, and dish soap soon.