Southeast Iowa Deals

McKim Family News

2011-04-22T14:30:00.001-05:00

So, after moving just a year ago, we're going to be relocating again this summer. Find the newest news on my new blog.

Anyone still out there?

2011-01-20T17:24:00.002-06:00

Just wondering if anyone is still reading this. :)

If you're dropping by looking for deals in Southeast Iowa, pop over to see Erin at A Good Deal Of Savings. She's in your area and covering the Mt. Pleasant/Burlington deals similar to what I used to do when I was there.

All's well here in Muscatine with our family. I've taken a part-time job and we're keeping busy. Never too busy for deals though. :) I know the Walgreen's folks on a first name basis and Fareway's my new grocery home. I still do some HyVee, but not very often. May have to hit the one day sale there tomorrow though.

Muscatine Fareway

2010-08-05T09:42:00.003-05:00

I was glad to see an 8 page ad from Muscatine Fareway this week. The 4 page ads don't have enough sale items in them for my liking.

68 cent Dole salad is a must buy, as is the 78 cent AE lemonade. Also glad to see pork sausage for $1.99 again, as I am about out. I've finally figured out that they run it about every 4 weeks at that price, so now I know how much to buy.

I might even get really crazy and snag a few minute steaks. I know, I know...I swore I'd never make the family eat them after my parents burned me out on them as a kid. But a few weeks back, I tried a couple and they were quite tasty. Much better than I recollect as a youngster. I think Fareway's might be better quality than the ones I remember as a kid that were filled with grissle and hard to eat. Maybe it's just my memory that's clouded of them. :)

If you're looking for the HyVee matchups for the week, pop on over to Penny Pinchin' Mom.

July Newspaper Column

2010-07-25T17:14:00.002-05:00

Here's a link to my column in this month's Burlington Hawk Eye newspaper. I tackle the topic of how to buy school supplies on the cheap.

The average family will spend $96 this year on supplies. No way that's happening around here! Just a few more things to purchase and both my people are ready. Now, all we need is late August. Bring it on, I'm ready!

HyVee Drugstore: Muscatine

2010-07-08T15:42:00.003-05:00

I scored a nice deal this week on some of the Oscar Mayer Deli Creations sandwiches. My HVDS has the turkey and dijon flavor on special this week for $1.25 each. Combined with my $1/1 coupon I got a cheap sandwich for some day when Mike can't get home for lunch. Can't beat a quarter for lunch.

Also got my HV Food to price match HVDS on Wonder brand buns at .77 each. Not a spectacular price, but about the best I can do up here in "the big city". Best part was they PM'd but let me keep the in-ad q, so I can do the deal again.

My HVDS also has Pillsbury brownie mixes for .88 each this week. I wish I had some more of those $1/2 'any Pillsbury' q's I found awhile back on the q board at Fareway. Would have made for like 33 cent mixes. Drat I spent them all already. :

Trying to decide if I want to go do the 15% off meat deal at HV Food tonight or tomorrow. I'm not really in need of anything so not sure it's worth it.

Definitely can not do as well at the HV Food or DS here as I could in Mt. Pleasant. Most of the ad specials here are on HV label products which I can't ever combine with a coupon. Occasionally I can pick up a hot deal like the sandwiches...but not regularly.

On the plus side, I have found a few deals at Family Dollar recently. Still learning the couponing ropes there, but the couple deals I've done have worked well and they've been very q friendly. Might be a possibility to pick up some nice savings there in the coming months.

I really hope someone runs a Nestle Toll House chocolate chip sale soon. I have about 15 $1/1's from the Fareway coupon board and I'm running low on them. Please? Someone. Anyone. :)

Monthly Newspaper Column

2010-06-25T15:55:00.003-05:00

High expectations can mean retail savings
From The Burlington HawkEye Newspaper, June 25, 2010,

I've never been a passive shopper. I have high expectations for customer service in the stores I patronize.

I suppose it goes back to my six years working retail in a department store during my high school and college days. My employer placed strong emphasis on customer service and merchandising.

As an employee, you either gave exceptional customer service or you got fired. It was a simple philosophy.

My years there have led me to expect nothing less than excellence from the stores I shop. Most meet or exceed my expectations, and I'm happy to fill out a survey or write an e-mail of thanks when I find superior service.

Occasionally, there are times when customer service or merchandising goes wrong. When that happens, I'm the customer who speaks up and asks for a manager.

Now, I'm certainly not advocating fabrication of facts to get a discount. If the facts are there, I have found that speaking up can yield some nice rewards that may save your pocketbook a few dollars.

A few years ago one of my children was going through the Thomas the Tank Engine phase. You know, the one where they have to have every pricey Thomas-emblazoned item they see? I was once fortunate enough to have found favor with the clearance rack gods and spied a Thomas T-shirt perfect for him.

Unfortunately, closer inspection revealed two problems with the shirt. First, it had a tag indicating it was part of a three-piece set, and — you guessed it — the other two pieces were missing. Second, I found a decent-sized stain on one shoulder.

The missing two pieces didn't really concern me, because it was the shirt I would have been most interested in anyway. After doing the tried and true mom-lick-and-spit test, I determined the stain was something I could remove with a good washing at home. I decided if it didn't come out, it would be all right. The shirt would soon have chocolate ice cream stains down the front anyway.

I wasn't as brave then as I am now, but looking back, I still feel great about how I handled the situation. I asked a clerk to call a manager, and clearly laid out the two problems with the shirt.

Knowing from my retail experience that they'd much rather sell the shirt than hold on to it, I offered a very low price. "Since the outfit is priced at $12 and there's a stain, will you take $3?" I asked. Imagine my surprise when the manager agreed. I was thrilled and so was my Thomas-lover.

On another occasion, I again found the gods of the clearance racks smiling my way. In need of a new winter coat near the end of the season, I managed to find one that fit in a style I liked. When I put my hand in the pocket, I discovered a half-dozen buttons, all missing from various parts of the coat.

Employing the same strategy as before and asking for a manager, I negotiated $20 off the clearance price.

Though I spent that evening sewing buttons on, I still smile at the thought of my great bargain every time I wear it.

Just this weekend, I was in a store that specialized in selling home furnishings. In need of some new accessories for a bathroom renovation project we're about to complete, I set to work scanning for clearance items to complement my new decor.

Browsing the aisles, my eyes landed on a clearance sign positioned over my ideal set of bath accessories. I was sure I'd hit the jackpot. My brain already was positioning the items in my new bathroom.

On closer inspection, it was clear the sign did not go with the items adjacent to it. Thinking it had been misplaced, I fruitlessly looked at all the nearby items trying to find the ones indicated on the sign. Eventually, I gave up and asked for a manager.

It turned out the sign was not for any of the items in the aisle and should have been pulled off earlier in the week. Taking the sign, the manager turned to walk away.

Disappointed, it took me a moment to compose myself.

And then, the shopping monster in me came out.

My shopping monster is somewhat akin to The Incredible Hulk. You don't want to meet me when I'm shopping and I'm disappointed.

Quickly regaining my composure, I stopped the manager from walking away.

Keeping my shopping monster in check, I calmly explained that I'd now spent more than 15 minutes trying to determine which items were on sale, now to be left disappointed. My firm, but polite question was, "How are you going to compensate me for both my time and for pointing out your signage error?"

I didn't give him room to wiggle. The store didn't deliver excellent customer service when they left incorrect signage in place. I clearly and politely communicated that I had an expectation that I'd be compensated for my trouble.

In the end, I got a bit of money off my purchase at that store. It wasn't enough to buy a pizza, but it covered the sales tax cost of my purchases. In the end, I left the store as a satisfied customer.

I fully recognize that mistakes happen and I appreciate it when stores own up to theirs.

It doesn't always work out so well, though. My grocery store was out of their value-priced milk this weekend. Since they were out of what I really wanted, I decided to see if they'd sell me another brand for the value price. I asked, and was told it wasn't possible.

I accept that negotiating won't always work. My philosophy is that I'll never know if I don't ask.
I'm not afraid of being told no.

The next time you're in a situation where the service doesn't meet your expectations, assess the situation. Determine your negotiation strategy based on the facts. Compose yourself, then speak up and ask for a member of the management team.

In this age of retail competition, you might be surprised what you get.

Quick Update

2010-06-24T15:02:00.003-05:00

Wow.

I haven't posted anything since school got out.

I wonder why?

Possibly the two little people in my house who are constantly needing something?

Or bickering?

Or hurting themselves.

Or needing to be taken somewhere.

Or picked up from somewhere.

Busy.

I do want you all to know that I am totally in love with Fareway. I used to be so loyal to HV, and now I feel a little bit like a traitor. I haven't been there in a couple of weeks. Why should I, when Fareway price matches them, is closer to my house, and a whole lot less hassle? I was in and out of there today in under 30 minutes picking up the 2 day sale specials. (Wow, wish I had some Q's for that Skippy $1 sale. So sad I don't.)

The only bad part of not going to HyVee is that they have our favorite kind of lunchmeat, Sara Lee Buffalo Turkey. But we're learning to eat something else and be content. Not to mention the HV stuff, while good, is like $8 per pound.

Talk about one way to save some money.

I've got an article coming out in tomorrow's Burlington Hawk Eye that chronicles my shopping experience in Waterloo this weekend. Was out visiting the parents and needed some rugs for the almost completed bathroom renovation.

Plumber.

Again.

Still. Holding us up!!!!

I think you'll enjoy it. I'll try to remember to post it here after it goes live on their site after 11 AM.

That is if the munchkins don't have me tied up doing their bidding.

How many days until school starts???

Free Snapple

2010-06-04T14:26:00.002-05:00

Muscatine HVDS is selling 6 packs of Snapple for $6.99. They have a rebate going right now for $6.99, and the form is available at the store. Best part is they're also giving away the envelope and stamp to mail in the rebate so there really is NO cost to you (other than tax).

Form says "1 per person". I take this to mean that everyone in the household can submit a rebate form if so desired.

Love it!

Sunday Insert Preview

2010-05-20T16:41:00.001-05:00

Deal Seeking Mom's weekly coupon insert preview is here. Looks like 2 for this Sunday.

New WalMart Deal List

2010-05-20T16:29:00.002-05:00

Hip 2 Save posted a new list of WalMart deals here today. I haven't done much WalMart-ing since I moved, so I have no idea what the prices are for these things in our area. The store here in Muscatine has been undergoing a massive remodel and I've gone there only when I've been desperate. It should be done soon though, so hopefully I can get out there and get the lay of the land before too long.

Coupons: Letting Go

2010-05-20T16:13:00.003-05:00

I finally decided it was time today.

I'd held them long enough.

They were burning a hole in my coupon box.

Those awesome $2 Marcal TP coupons. Wow. Holy smolies. Couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw them.

When did they come out, anyway? Last month sometime, I suppose, since they expire at the end of this month. I knew they'd make for some freebies at Fareway if I could hold out long enough.

Yeah, I plan ahead. But I just told Mike last week that somebody needed to have a TP sale soon or he was going to be getting darn friendly with the Land's End catalog. And I don't mean that in a 'hi I'd like to place an order' kind of way. Tee hee!

Last time I was in Mt. Pleasant I swung by the Fellowship Cup's coupon box and scored a whole slew of those poor Marcal coupons that were just sitting there.

Alone.

Forlorn.

Longing to get the right to go to the big coupon processing center in the sky.

Today, I gave them their freedom.

I snagged 12 packs of Marcal 4 rolls at $0.88 each thanks to a Fareway competitor running them on sale up here this week. Total cost? $10.56 and I used $12 in coupons. Who doesn't love better than free?

Also got two boxes of the Marcal facial tissues, which my Fareway just started carrying for .99 each. Two more freebies. Love that.

I'd have bought more, but I didn't want to be a shelf clearer. I did have this thought though, wondering if my bag boy thought I was preparing for a nasty stomach virus to strike my house. Three reuseable bags stuffed with TP is a little bit unusual. I just smiled and went on my way.

All in all I saved $18.25 with my coupons today at Fareway, most of it in TP. We're well set on that for awhile at least.

The bad part is, I still have more coupons. :) Or maybe that's the good part.

An Adventure At Wholesale Foods Outlet

2010-05-13T11:29:00.009-05:00

Here is a picture of today's shopping adventure. I almost feel like I live on the East Coast today because we were able to save 80% on this purchase. Isn't my little shopping assistant cute?

So this morning we ventured out to Wholesale Food Outlet here in Muskieville. We had not been in there before, but they were kind enough to send me some rockin' good coupons as a welcome to town gift.

You know what that means. :)

We HAD to go.

And the coupons were about to expire, which would have been a massive tragedy.

They were good ones too: $10 off a $25 purchase, one free 16 ounce sour cream ($1.39) and (get this!) one free breakfast bundle, which included one pound of bacon ($3.19), one gallon of orange juice ($4.63) and one dozen eggs (.99).

I about made the cashier have a heart attack when I told her I wanted to use all of these in one transaction. At first she tried to tell me I'd have to do three transactions. I protested (politely).

Then she said I couldn't get free items and have them count toward my $25 total. Again, I protested and asked her to check with a manager, because the $10 coupon did not say it could not be combined with other free offers. It did say it could not be combined with other dollar-off offers, but not freebies. That is a technicality that I never would have pushed before I became immersed in the coupon subculture.

I was pretty sure I could combine them, and turns out, I was right. This is a great reminder that when you think you're right, it's always best to ask for a manager. I'd have let it go if they wouldn't have let me combine them, but I thought it was worth pushing the issue a bit. Turns out I was right.

Despite the protests of the cashier, I was able to use the price of the freebies to count toward my $25. So, before any coupons I had $25.17 in items. Of course, when you're using a dollar-off a purchase coupon like this the best scenario is to keep your total just over the required amount, hence the very small 17 cent overage.

Although it was my first time ever in that store, I ended up having to tell them how to ring up the coupons so they'd work. In the end they took off the $10 first, then the freebies. Maybe I can go work there someday. Ha ha!

My total afterward was $4.98. For three gallons of milk, a gallon of orange juice, a pound of bacon, pancake mix, syrup, eggs and sour cream I'd say I did more than ok. The milk alone totaled $8.43.

I'd say it was more than worth the drive to the south end of town to redeem those coupons. I don't think this is a store I'll shop often, but today it was definitely worth it.

The Joy of Walgreens

2010-05-11T16:50:00.005-05:00

I had some Walgreens coupons burning a hole in my pocket and register rewards that were going to expire. That would be a travesty to let good coupons go bad, so I was forced to make a run through there today. Actually, more like a crawl through there because I couldn't decide what to get. What you see here totaled $59.99 before coupons and register rewards.

After coupons, my total was reduced to a mere $6.50 out of my pocket, and half of that was tax.

My thanks to the person who left a whole slew of $3 off Clear Care coupons at my store. We use that stuff and those are high value. Much appreciated. :)

Is there any wonder why I love Walgreens?

Free Shampoo At HyVee

2010-05-10T12:25:00.003-05:00

Sorry my posts have been somewhat sporadic. It's busy around here. Weddings, dance recitals, graduations, baby showers, oh my. It really is spring! Oh and did I mention we're still in the bathroom remodeling mess? Busy is an understatement for McKimville right now.

I just wanted to make sure you all knew about the free shampoo at HyVee that ends tomorrow. There is a $1 off any shampoo over 2 oz coupon in their online ad this week. I think it's on the coupon page, usually page 4 of the online ad. Print it and use it to get several brands for free. I picked up a bottle of Suave this morning because it was priced at .99. I think V05 is also under $1. When the coupon was scanned it took of $1 with no issues.

Even if it's not your favorite brand, you can always donate it to your closest food pantry. They are usually very glad to receive hygiene or toiletry items.

If you really don't want the cheapie brands, you can combine a manufacturer coupon with this store coupon to score a nice discount on something else.

There are several other good printable HyVee store coupons this week. I got my Fareway store manager to take both the BOGO one for Tone's mini spices and the one for 10 85% lean hamburger patties for $9.

Be sure you take a look and use any you want before the ad ends tomorrow.

Weekend And Thoughts On Deals

2010-05-02T19:04:00.008-05:00

Well, this weekend was profitable for good deals around Muskieville.

First, some friends (thanks Jan and Dan!) called Saturday morning to let us know that the Muscatine bike club was running a bike rodeo and handing out free helmets to children in the HyVee parking lot until Noon. Seeing how Maggie needed one really badly, and that I wanted to get out there to do some price matching on Mt. Pleasant HVDS's big Saturday sale, we loaded up bikes and headed out.

Pause while I admit to you that Maggie has not had a new bike helmet since she was 1 year old. Yeah, it was well past time for a new one.

I figure a new helmet would have cost $12 to $15 at least and we got one for free. Whoo to the hoo!

Then we headed inside where I successfully got the Muscatine HV Food to price match Mt. Pleasant HVDS's awesome Saturday sale. I got some strange looks for toting my laptop in to the store and whipping it out at the checkout to show them the online copy of the ad, but it worked and I didn't have to spend any extra money on ink to print the ad. Why print it when I'd have just thrown away later?

There were several nice deals in that Mt. Pleasant ad. I took advantage of the chips and pop both. Sterzings here were selling for $3.59 and I got them price matched down to $2 per bag. Coke here was at $4.59 per twelve pack and I got them for $2 each. Seriously, do people pay $4.59 for a twelve pack? They must, but that is sheer insanity.

Until we moved here I did not know that it is apparently HyVee's corporate policy to price match ANY other HyVee ad. The way this has been explained to me by the folks here is that means they will price match any other HyVee ad from anywhere. My new Muscatine store tells me they regularly PM the Quad City ads, which I am going to have to figure out how to get my hands on. In theory, I suppose if Omaha had something on sale and I had the ad, I could get it matched here in Muscatine. It would be interesting to know if this holds true in Mt. Pleasant and other HyVee's around the state as well. I suppose if too many of us do this they'll rethink that policy though. :

I haven't checked to see if I can get Muscatine HV Food to match the MP HVDS in-store coupons. The one this month that's 'buy 1 gallon of milk, get the second for $1' is a great coupon. Mt. Pleasant HVDS almost always sells exclusively Roberts brand milk. Assuming it's selling for about $3, you should be able to use 2 of the 50 cent coupons out there, getting the price down to $3 for TWO gallons. That beats the ol' Aldi brand any day. Aldi up here's been running a whopping $2.35+ for skim. Go figure that I can do as well as (or better than ) that at Fareway. That's where I've been doing most of my milk buying lately as it's closer to me than the Aldi.

In unrelated coupon news, we're continuing to work on settling in. Mike spent the weekend painting our first room and we're pleased with how it came out. I am now on the hunt to find new curtains for our bedroom so that we can jockey the ones currently in there down to the newly painted room. Once I get all that done, I'll post you a picture so you can see his nice work.

The curtain hunt isn't going so well so far. Everything I like is more than I want to spend, and everything that's in my budget is ugly. JCPenney does have free shipping going right now on one set that may be a contender. I suppose we won't know how they really look until I order something and get them here and hung. The real dilemma is whether to buy something I like that doesn't totally go with my current bedding or buy something that does go with the current bedding which will likely only last another year or two. The current bedding was a $75 steal bought when we were spiffing up the MP house to sell. It's not awful, but I'm not in all-out-head-over-heels-kind of LOVE with it either. It's not high quality either so it's not going to last a super long time.

Oh the joy of dilemmas.

And the work on the bathroom project continues. Our first shower stall arrived damaged. Hopefully shower number two is in acceptable shape when it arrives this week. Waiting on that and the electrician now. Once we're through those, we should start to see real visible progress with walls being put in place. Can't wait for this project to be done and the dust to be cleaned up!

My April Article From The Hawk Eye

2010-04-24T20:44:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted this to the blog in awhile, so thought I would this month. You can go here to read my article that appeared in last Friday's Burlington Hawk Eye, or to make it easy, I'll copy the text below.

******

In the last six weeks, life in my home has been anything but ordinary. We left the town we’d called home for almost 13 years with our entire life’s possessions packed inside a 53 foot long tractor trailer. The term ‘packed’ might be a little generous. Crammed might be a more accurate term.

It turns out we have a lot of stuff.

You might want to sit down for this next part.

The state of my life the last six weeks has led to me virtually abandon my coupon hobby.

I know. It’s hard to believe. The ‘Coupon Mom’ without coupons. What could be more sad?

Even worse, there were about three Sundays when I didn’t even purchase a newspaper for the coupons.

It may take you a minute to get over the shock.

That’s ok.

Take all the time you need.

I wanted to hunt deals and use my coupons. I simply couldn’t. Matters related to the move were of a far more pressing nature. I simply had to set priorities. For these last few weeks the 250 cardboard boxes filling my new home seemed to be more important than saving a few dollars at the grocery store.

Did I mention we have a lot of stuff?

I am almost embarrassed to admit my first grocery store trip in my new community was made without toting along a single coupon. It was late on a Friday night, our first in the new home and it would be spent on an air mattress on the floor.

I’d finished packing the old house earlier that morning and was both physically and emotionally spent. Whether we were ready or not, the movers would be at our new door to deliver our belongings bright and early the next morning.

Quite honestly, I was exhausted and am pretty sure anyone who saw me would have thought a zombie had walked into the Muscatine Hy-Vee. To compound matters, I was shopping a store that I was unfamiliar with. In my old town I could have run in and run out of the store to get what I wanted in less than five minutes. This particular night I had no idea where the things I wanted were located and that only added to my growing exhaustion. There was no room in my brain to process coupons or figure out deals.

I walked through the store scooping up the essentials for the morning’s breakfast and a few cursory items for a first lunch and dinner. Among those essentials were milk, bread, eggs, butter and cinnamon rolls. And I didn’t once look at the prices.

For the record, my husband thinks cinnamon rolls are an essential item if heavy lifting is going to be required before Noon.

My priority at Hy-Vee that evening was to get the shopping done, not to save money. I needed what I needed and I needed it now. I didn’t want to comparison shop. I didn’t want to drive to three different stores. Heck, I didn’t even know what was in the ad that week because I’d been so preoccupied with the move.

All I knew was that in the morning was going to be faced with a hungry husband and three hungry guys from the moving company. If there weren’t cinnamon rolls, at least one of those four guys was not going to be very happy with me.

At that point, cost didn’t matter.

I wish I could tell you that first trip was the only time I shopped with such reckless abandon during our move. It wasn’t. My second trip to the grocery store was only slightly better than my first.

Before the move commenced, I did take the time to check out my new Hy-Vee on the Web, and discovered their Facebook fan page. In return for becoming their Facebook fan, I was offered a printable coupon for 10% off one total purchase. I printed the coupon and was pleased that amidst the moving chaos I was able to locate it again in time for my second trip to the store.

Like most people who are moving, I ran our perishables and pantry down to nothing before our move. Doing this meant that for several weeks prior to the actual move I saved significant dollars on our grocery spending. I bought only the barest essentials for almost three weeks to ensure that we wasted as little as possible at the end of our time in the old house.

I had some wiggle room in my budget.

That second grocery store trip was a major effort to restock the refrigerator with perishables and the pantry with meal making basics. We needed everything, whether it was on sale or not. Because I had such major shopping to do, I made a conscious decision to forgo coupons on that trip as well. My brain, still in a state of upheaval from the move, wasn’t yet up to processing coupons. I contented myself with the 10% savings off my total bill.

There is a time and place for everything, and over the last six weeks I have at times allowed myself the freedom to buy what I needed, when I needed it. If I’d tried a little harder I could have worked a few coupon deals on some of my purchases. I didn’t want to. I didn’t have time. I didn’t have the energy.

It turned out to be ok. I’m happy to report that the world hasn’t come to an end because I gave up coupons temporarily.

At our house, we do the best we can with our finances under the circumstances we’re in. I knew going into this that a stress-filled life event isn’t the best time for me to try to save money. I granted myself permission to spend what I needed to get us through.

We survived. No one starved. My wiggle room in the budget isn’t quite as much now, but I’m not too far over the line.

The good news is that most of those 250 moving boxes are emptied and put away. A few remain in the basement, but I’ll get there eventually.

I’m back to buying a Sunday newspaper and hunting deals again. Does it ever feel good.

MP&W Customers: Possible Moneymaker on CFL bulbs

2010-04-24T15:47:00.004-05:00

I waltzed into a nice deal today at HyVee. If you're in Muscatine and have MP&W, you can do this one too.

HyVee has a coupon in their ad for BOGO CFL lightbulbs. I bought one bulb today for $3.49 and got one for free. I was able to use 2 of the $1/1 GE coupons that we've been getting lately in the newspaper.

Therefore, I paid $1.49 for two bulbs out of my pocket.

That's a super steal for CFL bulbs. Best I've ever gotten them before has been $1 each. Well, except for that time last year when Heather got me 10 for free at Target, but that was a really rare occasion.

But, don't forget that MP&W offers a 50% rebate on purchases of Energy Star bulbs. Assuming I get back the full 50% ($3.49 purchase price of one bulb), I will have made $2 on the deal.

$2 Era Detergent at Menards

2010-04-23T15:01:00.003-05:00

Menards has a 3 day ad for the weekend that has several good things in it.

Among them, 50 oz Era laundry soap for $3.

We have $1/1 coupons that expire at the end of the month. I also had some blinkies that were .50/1.

I'll take $2 or $2.50 laundry soap.

And I bought enough to make $10 and snag up all the free after rebate items in the ad. Love it.

Muscatine HVDS Report

2010-04-21T10:35:00.003-05:00

Ran to Muscatine HVDS today and nabbed some more of the Ziploc containers that they're now running for .88 each. This time I used my $1.50/2's.

I need to quit on these. I have enough.

But they're so cheap!

Maybe I'll give some to my mother in law. She takes a lot of food to people for her church.

Muscatine HVDS also ran a nice in-ad q this week for $1/1 Roberts milk. Combined that with a .50 q from the weekend papers to get a gallon for $1.49 this morning. Wish I had about 4 more of those. Other deals I picked up were name brand tuna for .55 each (I am loyal to name brand, can't do the super cheap stuff) and Tornado snacks for $1.77 and I had a .50 q. Most of you remember that these make Owen very happy!

It's reported that HyVee's going to run another of their Red Hot weekend sales this weekend. We'll see what they serve up for deals. Hopefully something good.

Uninspired

2010-04-16T16:25:00.002-05:00

Wow, I am uninspired for grocery shopping and meals for next week.

I don't think the sales this week are that great, and I'm out of ideas for things to cook. I'm having one of those days where I feel like all we eat are chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese, frozen pizza and spaghetti.

Part of me sometimes gets really tired of eating "kid food". The other part of me gets tired of fighting with them if I try to serve something outside the realm of kid-friendly.

I think the other part of my issue is that I am needing so many "quick fix" meals lately as it seems like I've been gone a lot during the day.

Back to scouring the ads, looking for that elusive inspiration....

MP: Coke $5 Twelve Packs

2010-04-16T16:23:00.001-05:00

Heard a report today that MP WalMart is selling Coke 24 packs for $5. Nice price if you're in need.

Wags Capers

2010-04-11T17:17:00.002-05:00

I ran to Walgreens this afternoon and got some of their Snuggle sheets that are on sale for $3.99. Love 80 dryer sheets for .99.

I also did the BOGO Lysol deal twice and my store let me use two coupons, which was really spectacular. They seem to be super coupon friendly and someone's even stapling coupons to the shelves. I found a $4 Fusion razor coupon there yesterday, which I'm hoping will make for more free razors before it expires. Can we hope? Do I need them?

All told I walked out today with $21.83 worth of stuff, paid $6.50 ($1.05 of it was tax) and earned a $3 RR for next time.

Not bad.

Walgreens and Thoughts on HyVee's "Red Hot" Sale

2010-04-10T17:05:00.002-05:00

Just got back from a late trip to Walgreens. I love it when I pay .75 and they pay me $1.50.

:)

Got four of the Velveeta cups, one Dawn and had to buy a bag of M&M's for Owen so that I would have enough total to use my RR. Total on that transaction? 40 cents.

Then, just as we were leaving I noticed my Wag had the exact same TP on sale for $5 that HyVee has today on their supposed "Red Hot" sale for $5.49. Except, those of us who are in the know realize that there's a $1 off coupon in this month's Walgreen coupon book taking the price to just $4 vs. HyVee's outrageous price today. (To Heidi: I know they had this deal last week but I didn't do it.) I had more RR's to burn, so I bought some. I'll take 12 double rolls of Cottonelle for 35 cents.

I have smoldered all weekend about HyVee's "sale" this weekend. IMHO, there's nothing on that sale that is even remotely a good deal, save for perhaps the Hamburger Helper at 80 cents per box. It often goes in the 99 cent range though, so even that's stretching the 'deal' concept a bit for me.

As much as they advertised and hyped this as "the best sale of the year" it was a complete dud. Aldi blew HyVee's $1.38 half gallon of milk out of the water this week. HyVee themselves has had half gallons for either .88 or .99 earlier this year. No way $1.38 is their best price of the year.

Even the strawberries weren't that great. They have been on sale in other stores around the state for .99 a pound in the last week or two.

Walgreens bested them on the Cottonelle by almost a full $1.50. I've gotten Cheerios for far less than $1.48 a box a couple times this year AT HyVee.

I don't fathom in the slightest how they can possibly pump up these sales as "the best of the year".

How's that kid song go?

"Liar liar, pants on fire...."

I have been a HyVee loyalist for years, but "Red Hot Weekend Sale" is turning out to be more than slightly a misnomer in my book. Frankly, I think it's right to call them out for this rotten sale.

Rotten is rotten---and this one was.

If they keep it up we're all going to eventually just ignore their ads. I hope they "get it" pretty soon and start finding better deals or quit with the misleading advertising.

.

Fraudulent Pepsi Coupons

2010-04-08T16:08:00.003-05:00

Scott at Mt. Pleasant HVDS emailed this morning and asked me to pass along that there has been a fraudulent coupon circulating in the area for a free 12 pack of Pepsi with a $5.99 maximum value. There is a similar fraudulent one circulating for a free bag of Doritos, up to $5 value.

These coupons appear to be a manufacturer’s coupon with an expiration date of 12/31/10.

These are fraudulent coupons that have been distributed online and may be in use anywhere in the country.

Seriously, these are coupons that are just too good to be true. If Pepsi was legitimately giving away free 12 packs, it would be all over the news and Internet. The same holds true for Doritos. National brands just don't do this kind of stuff.

If you have one of these, please don't use it. Fraudulent coupons just make it harder for the rest of us to use our legitimate coupons.

Muscatine HyVee Coupon Policy

2010-04-08T15:51:00.006-05:00

I've got to revise my opinion about Muscatine HyVee a little bit after the events of this morning at my house.

I got the Muscatine HyVee's coupon policy today, straight from the store director.

Get this.

After I emailed them last week to find out what they were going to do in light of the revised coupon policy that came out on March 30, he came to MY HOUSE this morning to talk to me about it.

That's some impressive service.

So, they're doing almost the same at Mt. Pleasant, with one exception.

Muscatine is going to $4 on IP's (Mt. Pleasant is going to $5).
They will take a BOGO IP (same as Mt. Pleasant).
They will not take any IP's for 'free' items (same as Mt. Pleasant).

This new policy starts April 19 in Muscatine.

I can totally understand them being leery of the 'free' IP's, since I think it's incredibly rare that there are any legit IP's for free items. Most of the time the only free coupons I've ever had have been snail mailed to me by the manufacturer when I've contacted them with a complaint or when I've been a winner in a contest or online promotion. IMHO, that's fair and a legitimate protection for their business.

FYI: If I ever get anything in the mail that LOOKS like an IP, I save the envelope and the letter that came with it and take the whole thing to the store when I want to use the coupon. Never had one lick of trouble when I've done it this way.

But to come to my house and discuss this with me? Impressive.

I just happened to drop the word to one of the assistant managers who called me to discuss my email to corporate that I had a little blog with a few hundred readers a week if he'd like to drop by and read it.

The power of the blog must carry some weight. :)

Overall I think this is a good compromise, just like what Mt. Pleasant did. They need to allow consumers to save money, but they have to protect the profitability of their business and ensure they are able to be reimbursed for coupon discounts. It's a fine balancing act and I don't envy them.

One hour 'til the sale details are released for the weekend. I should'a pumped him for some advance info when he was in my foyer this morning. Boo I didn't think about it until too late!

Weekly Grocery Ad Links

2010-04-07T16:54:00.004-05:00

Sara's got her central Iowa Fareway matchup's over here at Learning The Frugal Life. These vary from store to store, so check your local ad before you head out. Love her blog. Click over and see photos of her weekend project---building a chicken coop. She's amazing.

If you're looking for more HyVee matchups, Penny Pinchin' Mom has her comprehensive listing for the week over here. Her blog is a good resource for deals of all varieties, so don't just limit yourself to her HyVee post.

HyVee "Red Hot" (?) Weekend Sale

2010-04-07T15:07:00.002-05:00

Looks like there's another weekend sale coming up at HyVee this weekend. Details come out tomorow night (Thursday) at 5:00. They've leaked that there will be Cottonelle bath tissue, HyVee milk, Cheerios and Ruffles chips.

Now we wait to see if they are really smokin' hot specials or if they're just lukewarm.

The intensity of the heat from most of these 'hot' weekend sales hasn't been enough to toast a marshmallow, IMHO.

Guess we'll know tomorrow night.

Clarification On HyVee's New Coupon Policy

2010-04-07T14:56:00.004-05:00

Well, if you haven't heard, HyVee came out with a new coupon policy last week. You can read more about it on their website.

Basically the change to the policy allows each store to set the maximum dollar value they'll accept on Internet printable coupons.

I've been trying to track down what Mt. Pleasant and Muscatine HyVee's are doing so I could share it with you all. Heard the following from Willy Amos in Mt. Pleasant:

Mt. Pleasant HyVee Food Store will accept IP's up to $5.
They will accept IP's that are for buy 1 get 1 free.
They will not accept IP's for any outright free items.

I think this is a very fair compromise. Given the amount of fraud that exists in IP's, I am sure stores have to take some action to attempt to avoid excessive losses. I'm glad to see that they will begin accepting the BOGO coupons. The old HyVee coupon policy excluded those and there are often some nice legitimate coupons out there like that. I've rarely seen an IP for an outright free item, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Still waiting to hear a firm answer on what Muscatine is going to implement for their rules.

Anyone in Burlington, Washington or other areas know how your store is handling this change? Leave a comment and let us all know.

How To Know A Good Deal-i-o

2010-04-06T16:08:00.004-05:00

I know we have some new readers as I start to make new friends in Muscatine.

Yeah, can you believe that? I have a couple new friends! :)

I just want to toss out an example here of how you can do better than the store brand with coupons. One of the biggest myths in shopping is that stores lead us to believe their private label brand (Midwest Country Fare, HyVee, Fastco, etc) is cheapest.

Aldi's business is built around the premise that they're always cheapest. While they are often cheapest, that's not always true and especially not if you are using coupons.

So....

This week Muscatine Fareway has 64 oz Fastco orange juice on sale for $1.99. You'd think this was a good price unless, like your favorite blogger, you had a BOGO coupon for Tropicana 64 oz. Tropicana was on sale last week at HyVee and with my q I was able to them for $1.50 each. I beat the sale price of the house brand by almost 50 cents.

Don't be fooled into thinking the house brand is always cheapest. Sometimes it is, but when you have coupons you can often get the name brand for less.

Grocery Ad Day

2010-04-06T15:57:00.009-05:00

I love Tuesday. I know, I said that last week.

The grocery ads were on my porch before 8:45 this morning. Sweet!

I am not as good as the "bigtime" bloggers but definitely see a few things worth picking up in the ads. Little People Wealth has her complete post of HyVee deals for the week up over here. I definitely think the Capri Sun and Kool Aid Fun Fizz deal looks like a worthwhile one to do.

Don't forget to check HyVee's online ad and see if there are any printable coupons you want to use. I've talked to several people recently who still didn't know HyVee has a second ad every week on their website.

At Muscatine Fareway, I see the following:

Ken's Dressing 2 for $3, and we have $1/1's. Whoohoo for 50 cent salad dressing!

Bananas .29/lb, which beats what Aldi usually has them at and they're probably better quality.

Chicken leg quarters .39/lb in a 10 lb bag. Cheap dinner around here, because 10 pounds will feed us for a good long time.

There's a nice in-ad q for 2/$2 Fastco shredded cheese (8 oz). That matches the best price I've ever seen HyVee run (.99), save for their very first Red Hot Weekend sale they ran in January when we got them for like .20 per bag. Since that's not going to happen all the time, .99 is my buy price.
Fastco pop 2 liters are .49 each. Never tried the brand, but might have to at that price.
Oscar Mayer cold cuts (bologna, salami) are $1.67 and we have $1/2's.
They should price match Wholesale Foods Outlet (WFO) on their Hamburger Helper at .98. We have .75/3's which make a cheap dinner too. I have enough in the basement though that I will probably not do this deal this week. Gotta know when to say "when". LOL!
But, Fareway's too high on their Hillshire Farm sliced meats this week. They're $2.69 and they've run them at $2.50 for the last couple weeks. I like that brand a lot, but really hate buying things when I know they're overpriced. Hopefully I got enough to last us through to the next sale.

I laughed myself silly at the WFO ad. Just a couple weeks ago they ran Pepsi twelve packs 4 for $10 with an in-ad coupon. This week they think 3 for $11 is a deal. Worse yet, Fareway is advertising 3 for $12, though I am sure they will match WFO's price. Oh puh-leeeze!!

What do the rest of ya'll see for deals this week? Leave a comment and let me know. I don't want to miss anything.

Everything's A Dollar

2010-04-05T15:24:00.003-05:00

So last week I almost forgot it was Easter and that I had to get some bunny stuff. I still have a little bit of Jello brain from the move, I think. Our stuff's all here, but the routines just don't seem quite established yet.

We're working on it.

So, my only alone time during the week to do said shopping is when Maggie's at preschool. Not being inspired to buy either one of my munchkins a big gift (translate: pricey) I thought I'd take on a new adventure: the dollar store. Somehow moving every one of your earthly possessions quickly convinces one that their children are overendowed with toys, playthings and other assorted treasures (translate: junk). At least it did me.

I'd never been in Muscatine's "Everything's A Dollar" until then but thought I'd run through and see if they had anything worth picking up.

Holy smokes, I killed over an hour wandering around in that place!

I was impressed with some of the values they had. Some of their holiday and seasonal decor for only a buck was pretty decent. They had some very cute Easter wall decor and I kind of wish now that I'd picked up an item or two of that. I would guess it would be a super place to hunt for some cheap Christmas items.

That being said, some of their other items were overpriced, even at a dollar. If I didn't know better, I'd think $1 for toothpaste was a good deal. Most people do, and I suppose that's how they get traffic through the door. But $1 is definitely not a good deal when I can regularly get it for free. Their house brand of zip-top bags would seem to be a good deal at $1, until you learn that you can regularly buy Ziploc brand for 50 cents or a quarter (even better!). Aluminum foil for $1 would also be a good deal except that I'm stocked on freebies from Walgreens until Armageddon strikes.

Now, if they only took manufacturer's coupons there would be some superb deals to be had there. But they don't.

So what did I buy? Some workbooks, coloring books, big bottles of bubbles and a few candy items.

Essentially more junk. ;)

Anyhow, all this being said, I thought my experience was a good reminder that we really need to shop with our eyes open, and yet another reason to learn the "best prices" of the items we buy.

Stores are tricky and they want to sucker you in. We just have to be smarter than their marketing gimmicks.

Psychic Couponing

2010-04-03T15:16:00.008-05:00

Well, I had my first Muscatine coupon fight today.

Score:

Me 1

Muscatine HVDS 0

*****

Advertised in this morning's newspaper (yeah, there's a Saturday newspaper!) were Ziploc storage containers for .99 each. I happened upon some $1/1's for these a few weeks ago at Fareway's coupon board, and snapped up several knowing they'd come in right handy if someone would run a sale.

HVDS tried to tell me I couldn't use them this morning.

If they'd have said it was because of the overage, I'd have said ok since that coincides with their coupon policy.

But they didn't say it was because of that.

They said it was because they'd "already applied the exact same MQ".

The ad said nothing about the price being after MQ, so I pushed it. All the way to the store manager. I politely but firmly pointed out to him that I had no way of knowing that an MQ had already been applied since the ad simply stated the price as .99 each. I also mentioned that in Mt. Pleasant, these types of sales are clearly spelled out as ".99 after MQ".

If the ad had said "after MQ" I'd have agreed that other MQ's couldn't be combined and I wouldn't have made the trip. I already have a whole shelf full of the darn things and don't really need more, but I figured for free they were worth the trip.

"Where'd you get these coupons?" he wanted to know.

Doesn't really matter where I got them.

I'm in possession of them.

I'd like to use them in your store please.

Or I suppose I could just go price match you at a competitor and give them my business.

Now, try to follow this.

I couldn't use a $1/1 MQ, but if I wanted to use my $1.50/2's that I also had along, those would be fine because they came from the newspaper and not from the manufacturer.

Huh?

Don't ALL coupons come from the manufacturer? At the top they both said "manufacturer's coupon".

Needless to say, I won the battle and walked out with 6 free Ziploc storage containers. They adjusted the $1 q's down to .99. Fine with me. I'm not quibbling over a penny.

For future clarification, I asked how one was to know that a coupon had already been applied since the ad did not make any mention of this.

The response?

"If the price is ridiculously low, it's probably because we've applied a coupon already."

Whoa, Nellie! Apparently I need to put on my psychic hat before I read the Muscatine HVDS ad in the future.

Obviously still learning the ropes up here.

This HVDS does seem to run some really good blowout Friday/Saturday specials though.

I'll get on to it eventually.... or I'm seriously going to need to find a good psychic to interpret the ads for me.

$3 Off DiGiorno Pizza for FB Fans

2010-04-01T16:02:00.001-05:00

Penny Pinchin Mom has details on an April Fools promotion that DiGiorno pizza is running. If you follow her directions you can score a $3 off coupon for pizza and breadsticks.

I didn't do the "fool your friends" thing, but followed her directions to scroll down to the bottom and click on the tiny lettering that allows you to get the coupon without fooling your friends.

HyVee and Fareway for the week.....

2010-04-01T12:54:00.003-05:00

Learning The Frugal Life has your list of HyVee deals up here on her blog. She's got Fareway up over here, but remember this is Central Iowa's ad. Some of the things are different that I see in Muscatine's ad and I assume Burlington's ad is different than either of us got.

Penny Pinchin' Mom (formerly Kansas City Penny Pinchin' Mama) has her list for HyVee up here.

Both these ladies do a lot of work for us each week on these lists. Thank them by clicking over to their sites.

Also take note that HyVee has recently issued a new coupon policy. It says that store directors can now set limits on the dollar values of IP's that they will accept. Might be time for a chat with your store director to find out how they're going to handle this where you shop.

Grocery Ad Day!

2010-03-30T16:17:00.005-05:00

I love Tuesday. Grocery ad day...who-hoo!

A quick scan through my Muscatine Fareway ad shows some promise for a few deals.

They've got Farmland sausage rolls or links 4/$5 and we have $1/2's.

Yeah, I'll take 75 cent sausage links. Hello cheap breakfast-for-dinner night. That always wins me "mom of the year" around here too if pancakes accompany the sausage.

Also Betty Crocker boxed potatoes are $1 and there are .25/1's out there. There might be a printable on the Betty site but I haven't looked yet. I've gotten boxed 'taters cheaper than this, but still beats the store brand, so it's a "buy" for me.

Solo plates are $2, and we have .75/'s. I can never have enough paper plates. This q expires tomorrow though, so it's a must-do on Wednesday if you want the deal.

Hunts tomato sauce is 4/$2, I have a $1/5 q from a homemailer. Not a super price on this, but if you're in need it's a decent deal.

Rhoades frozen rolls are $3.29, use $1/2's to get them for well less than $3 per package. I have a kazillion of these q's and shall be stocking up because the cinnamon rolls are rather popular with one 5 year old (and her father) around here.

Old Orchard frozen OJ is on sale for $1 and there is a nice $1/4 printable on Old Orchard site. That's about as cheap as I've found frozen orange juice.

The Fareway $1.50/2 in-ad q for Kraft cheese and Nabsico crackers should make for a nice deal-i-o as well. HyVee's got Nabisco crackers for $1.88 this week, and Fareway should price match that. They're running shredded cheese for $1.67 which isn't a great price considering Muscatine HV Drug has a whole slew of Kraft cheese for 50 cents a bag right now (limited varieties though). But, when you use the q and the price match, a bag of cheese and box of crackers should cost just $2.05, or $1.02 per item, which is pretty good for the name brands.

Noticed both Pepsi and Coke are running specials all over town this weekend. Good time to stock up on pop if you can. It will probably be a few weeks before we see 12 packs at $2.50 again.

HyVee has C&H sugar at $1.88 this week, and there is a printable on SmartSource for .50/1. That will lead to some cheap baking. I assume Fareway will have this deal as well.

And guess what came in my mail today? A flyer for Wholesale Foods Outlet, which is a grocery store on Muscatine's south end. Haven't been there yet but their ads seem to have at least one really good deali-i-o every week. The ad sort of reminds me of Dave's SuperValu in Mt. Pleasant, as they carry a lot of the Our Family brand products.

I just haven't needed to go because Fareway price matches them. But, I have to go now because this flyer had in it a coupon for: GET THIS---- a free dozen eggs, a free gallon of orange juice and free 1 lb. bacon! Whoop-de-doodle!

It also had a free 16 oz. sour cream and a $10 off a $25 purchase. I don't know if they take MQ's, but if they do that $10 off could lead to a very sweet shopping experience.

My grocery trip this week will have to include some special Easter things. I am supposed to bring a salad and dessert to the family gathering.

Since it will transport easily, I think I will just make a cake (since I have so many mixes and frostings).

I am stumped for a kind of salad to make though. I suppose that strawberry-pretzel salad is always good. Other ideas would be welcomed though. Leave a comment if you have any inspiration for me.

MP HVDS New Ad: March 30 through April 4

2010-03-29T20:38:00.002-05:00

Mt. Pleasant HyVee Drugstore has a new sale starting Tuesday, March 30th and running through April 4th. The ad will be in the Mt. Pleasant Shopper on Tuesday.

20% off all giftware
Sara Lee Whole grain White 2/$3.00
Sterzings 4/$10.00
Coke 12 pack 4/$10 after instant coupon
Robert milk gallon $2.00 after instant coupon (limit 1) 1%, skim, 2%
Hyvee large eggs dozen $1.38
Charmin 9 roll $3.98
Seed Potatoes 49 cents per lb
Onion Sets 99 cents per pack
Malto Meal cereal 88 cents 10-12 oz
Twizzlers 2/$3.00 16 oz
Planters Trail mix 2/$3.00 6 oz
All Easter Candy 20% off Regular Price
Biofreeze $8.88 3-4 oz
Prilosec Otc $23.99 42ct
All Hyvee Health Market Vitamins Buy one get Second ½ off
All Cover girl Makeup 25% off Regular Price
Fun Saver Cameras 27exp $4.48
Top soil $1.48 40 lbs
Hormel Precooked Bacon $1.98
Pepsi 24 packs $2.00 off the purchase of 2 -24packs= Final Cost 5.48 each ( in ad coupon)

MP HVDS In Store Coupons

2010-03-29T20:32:00.002-05:00

Mt. Pleasant HyVee Drugstore is offering some nice coupon specials right now. These are in-store coupons located inside the Jefferson Street entrance. These deals are all good through April 3.

High Energy Suet cakes .49 Limit 4
Hy-Vee shredded or block cheese $1.25 Limit 4
Buy 3 Burpee seed packs Get 4th Free Limit 4
Chinet Plates Buy one Get one Free Limit 2
Xtra Detergent $1.99 60 oz Limit 4
$1.00 off any Hy-Vee pain reliever 100ct or larger Limit 2
$1.00 off your favorite brand of toothpaste Limit 1
$1.00 off any Multipack of Energizer Batteries Limit 2

Hello Walgreens.

2010-03-29T13:12:00.003-05:00

Hello Walgreens.

It's been a long time since we've seen each other. Months, really.

Who doesn't love Betty Crocker Warm Delights for 25 cents? Thanks for having them on sale this week for $1 and letting me use my .75/1 q's.

Really, very generous.

It totally sabotoges my 5:45 AM trip to the gym.

And the free Dove shampoo? Nice.

Better with the $1.50 coupons from yesterday's paper.

Thanks for the moneymaker. I needed that $1.50 to pay for my Warm Delights.

I was running low on vitamins too and appreciate the freebies today.

And cough drops. Oh, on those I'm well stocked, but when you're selling them for .99 and I have a $1 q, I just have to add another bag to the pile.

Someone, somewhere can use them, I'm sure.

Total spent, less than $10. I decided to take my last $4 register reward home. I promise to come and play another day.

Thanks, Walgreens.

Fareway!

2010-03-28T20:37:00.003-05:00

Holy smokes, Mt. Pleasant coupon friends. We have been missing out.

Fareway ROCKS!

I was in that place yesterday for about an hour and a half (without children, obviously) and do they ever have some smokin' good deals.

Regular price on Marcal TP 4 packs? $1.19. Hello $0.19 TP. We are going to become good friends.

Marcal napkins? Regular price $1.99, but the manager says they regularly go for $1.50. We shall become good friends too at $0.50 each. Chex snack mix? Regular price $1.50. Should be less than $1 after q's and a nice sale.

Betty Crocker frosting was on sale for $0.78 and I had some 50 cent q's. There were also 25 cents q's right on the packages. Sweet. Literally.

Oscar Mayer bacon was $2.50 and I had a 75 cent q. Wished like crazy that I'd had more of those.

But the thing I liked best was that they automatically price matched HyVee's weekly ad, including yesterday's one day sale. Muscatine also has a Whole Foods Outlet store, and they were running Pepsi 4 twelve packs for $10 with an in-ad coupon. They even matched the price and took the competitor's coupon.

In one stop I got everything I needed, save one item that Fareway didn't carry. Not too shabby. I saved on time, gas and headache.

I can get used to that.

I can hardly wait for Tuesday when the new grocery ads come out. Seriously. I am a case. :)

All in all I saved about $15 there with my q's yesterday. Not bad for my first go at serious Fareway-ing, and considering I'm still rebuilding the stockpile.

Tomorrow's goal? Take on the Muscatine Walgreens for the first time. Like I need more free shampoo. But hey, if they're willing to give it away this week, I suppose I will gladly take it off their hands.

Look out!

Random Thoughts

2010-03-23T11:37:00.002-05:00

I got a new refrigerator yesterday and was I ever glad it fit through the kitchen door! It actually came in easier than the old one went out. This new one is just like the one we had in our Mt. Pleasant house, and definitely helps to make the kitchen feel more like home. I can finally open the door and know where stuff is! The $500 rebate that I got for it earlier this month from the State of Iowa helped a lot too and the local utility up here does a $75 rebate on them.

And I have a new dishwasher sitting here waiting to be hooked up. Whoo-hoo! And there's a $50 rebate on it from the utility. Awesome.

I had a 10% off coupon for Lowe's that saved us a ton of money on both appliances. Did you know that if you ask for a moving kit at the Post Office there's a 10% off for Lowe's in it (up to $5000)? 10%'s not a lot, but it's better than a kick in the seat of the pants.

Maggie's definitely not used to living here yet. The house is ok, but she thinks "there's a bad smell outside" most of the time. The smell of the corn processing plant and ketchup facility can be noticable. I suppose we all will adjust our noses in time.

Owen had a good first day of school and seems really positive about his experience so far. That is definitely an answer to prayer.

We checked out a new church Sunday and were welcomed wholeheartedly by the congregation. Despite being anxious at first, both kids quickly got over their nerves and settled right in. At one point Maggie was off on the other side of the sanctuary talking with an older lady. Our kids are pretty outgoing and I think wherever we join, they'll fit in quickly. At least I'm praying that way.

Love it that the grocery ads here come out on Tuesday morning in the free home-delivered shopper-type paper. Gives me all day to plan for the ads that start on Wednesday. Looks like HyVee is having another one day sale on Saturday, 8 to 8. Ragu for .99, canned veggies for .38 and rotisserie chickens for $3.99. Will have to make time to hit that one for sure.

The View From Mulberry Street

2010-03-17T20:27:00.002-05:00

Well, we're here!

We made it in one piece, no one's killed anyone yet and Mike and I are not getting a divorce. All in all I'd say that's a pretty successful move, wouldn't you?

We managed to fill one entire 53 foot long semi trailer almost completely. Man, we have a lot of stuff. It took 2 days to pack us, 2 days to load and a good day and a half to unload at the new house.

Insanity, I tell you.

We are crazy about our antique furniture though, which isn't really a good hobby to have when you're moving.

It all made it just fine except for one parlor table that needs regluing. In reality, it needed regluing before we ever thought about moving though, so it's not a big deal. It will be off to the furniture doctor soon.

We stopped by the new house on Thursday after the closing to drop off china that I wasn't going to let the movers touch and then came for good on Friday afternoon. The previous owners had done a wonderful job of preparing the house for our arrival so there wasn't even cleaning work to be done. We camped on an air mattress and were up and unloading right away Saturday morning (in the rain).

Well, I might be a little generous with my use of the term "we" there.

Mike and the movers were unloading in the rain.

I was on the porch supervising with a cup of coffee in my hand. ;)

Thankfully the rain stopped mid-morning and the rest of the day went uneventfully. By mid-afternoon I had everyone's bed's set up and made, so felt like we were doing great.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were spent trying to open boxes and get rid of the copious amounts of packing paper that the movers used in every box. Tonight we have 22 boxes of paper to get rid of in the morning. YIKES! And there's more to go. We probably have 75+ broken down cardboard boxes (all really nice) that we need to do something with as well, even after giving away a whole van load to friends that are moving soon. The movers told us they sell well on Ebay or Craigslist, so perhaps I will get adventuresome and try that.

Our household contents weighed in at 16,500 pounds...well under the estimated 20,000 that they'd thought it might be. I suppose that is because I drove some of the heavy marble tops for our parlor tables in the van. And I purged a lot of stuff before we came. Ok, maybe they just overestimated. :)

We had over 200 cardboard boxes, most of which are now empty. (The movers took all the empties we had at the time with them when they left.) The basement still has a ton to open (50+) but the main levels of the house are in pretty good shape. The dining room table's heaped with junk I don't know where to put, but we're beginning to make some headway on that too.

We're beginning to move on the bathroom project as well and have folks lined up to come do some measuring and pricing. Mike is far taller than the showerhead, which makes taking a shower for him a rather interesting experience. I can't really relate to his agony, since I have no problems in that regard. We also hope to get a refrigerator and dishwasher purchased this week, perhaps at Lowe's, since I have a 10% off coupon for there and they're running a sale AND I have my Iowa appliance rebate certificates.

I have yet to venture out to do any real stock up shopping, but the ads are making me excited to be so close to Walgreens and Fareway. We've hit HyVee a couple of times for essentials, and I managed to save $7 by being a Facebook fan of the Muscatine store. Love that! I did get my pantry unboxed today too, so at least I now have some idea what I might need to go buy.

So, long story short, we're here. We're working on getting settled in. And did I mention we're tired?

Thanks for hanging in there with me through this. I'll be back to writing up my thoughts on deals soon.

Appliance Rebate?

2010-03-02T14:34:00.002-06:00

Just wondering if any of us got in on the appliance rebates yesterday?

It took me all day but I finally was able to get in right at the end for a refrigerator rebate. Whaaa-hooo! I also got onto the waiting list for a dishwasher one. We'd like to replace both fairly soon after we move into our new home.

I will say that was among the most frustrating things I've done lately. Government is so grand. I feel particularly bad for those who wanted one but couldn't keep trying all day like I could. I f you were at work, at some point you had to quit trying and get on with your real job, I would guess.

It didn't seem quite as well run as it could have been. The government should have been prepared for more interest than I think they were.

I wish I'd have tried for a clothes washer one as well. The appliance guy was here today giving my washer and dryer one last cleaning and tune up before we move. He prononuced my washer "on the road to death". Uh oh!! He said the bearing is showing signs of beginning to go out and it would be $700 to replace it.

$700?!?!?!

Uh, I don't think so, especially considering this is an 8 year old washer.

On the good side he gave it 6 to 18 months though so at least we can plan ahead for that one.

Unity Biofuels: Awesome Gas Coupons

2010-02-26T16:44:00.003-06:00

It is really hard to find coupons for gas. Unfortunately, it's something that in today's society we pretty much all need.

Thankfully the folks at Unity Biofuels in Olds and Mt. Pleasant are coming to our rescue again this month by providing some really nice printable coupons here on their website. These are all good through the end of March.

With a $10 fuel purchase you can use a coupon from the site to select a free regular sized bag of chips, a free breakfast sandwich (Mmmm!) or a free Quizno cookie (double Mmmmm!).

Hello, deal hunters....those are nice freebies to get along with something that you're going to have to buy anyway. If nothing else, print the coupon, get some gas and snag a free cookie for the kids. You'll win "Mother of the Year" and not have spent an extra cent (except a little tax).

I l-o-v-e it when I can do that!

This month's coupons also include gasoline coupons with values of $1 and $2 off with a $20 purchase. There is also a 5 cent per gallon discount coupon available, and it jumps to 7 cents per gallon if you pay with cash.

Not only do they have the kind of gas that runs the Flexfuel vehicles, but they have just regular ol' stuff to run my mini-van around town. You can get just "normal people" gas there too, so don't think you have to have a fancy-schmancy vehicle to stop there. They fuel 'em all.

What I really like about Unity is that they're locally owned. Ok, that's true, but probably THE thing I like MOST about Unity are the Quizno's subs. Have you had one of those sandwiches with the yummy bacon on top? Mmmmm, goodness!

Oh, I should not be typing this so close to dinner time.... :(

Personally, when the price is roughly the same, Mike and I prefer to support our locally owned businesses when we can.

I hope you do too.

HVDS March 2nd Ad Preview

2010-02-25T15:30:00.003-06:00

Here is the MP HVDS ad that will be out March 2nd in the MP Shopper. Don't forget to go here and sign up for their email club. I signed up yesterday and received a coupon for $5 off my next purchase today via email.

Also, don't forget that this coming weekend, February 27 and 28th will be the last double coupon weekend of the month up there. Stop in and take advantage of the opportunity to increase the value of your coupons. I did really well up there the last two weekends using this promotion.

***Ad begining March 2nd****
Sunkist, 7up,Dr Pepper 12 packs 4/12.00

Sara Lee Classic White Bread 1.28

10% off regular price on all magazines everyday

Hyvee large eggs .88 dozen

Paseo paper towels 6pk or bath tissue 2.77 12 roll (Anyone tried this brand? Is it decent?)

Roberts gallon milk 1%, skim, 2% 1.98 (there are .50/1's out there, making for cheap milk)

Hyvee low dose 81mg enteric aspirin 120ct 1.98

Juicy Juice 2/3.00 46oz

Auqa Pod water 8pack 3/$4.00

Voortman cookies roll pack $1.18

Prilosec Otc $23.99 42ct

Sobe Life water 1.00 20 oz

Dr Pepper 2 liter reg or diet .69

Twizzlers 2/$3.00 16oz

Purex Detergent 1.99 50 oz (I think there were BOGO q's in recent inserts for this making for mighty cheap laundry soap if you are not brand loyal.)

100.00 off any in stock lift chair

One Day Sale @ HyVee Tomorrow

2010-02-25T14:16:00.000-06:00

Sara has the details on the One Day Sale tomorrow at HyVee. I didn't think it was that great of a sale, but you might feel differently so be sure to check out the specials.

Cheap Garnier?

2010-02-25T14:15:00.001-06:00

Amy reports in that she found Garnier shampoo on clearance at Target for $1.24 per bottle. This was found in the shampoo aisle.

She didn't say, but I assume it was in West Burlington.

Happy hunting!

Teeth Grinding

2010-02-24T15:49:00.003-06:00

So, in McKim family news unrelated to coupons, Maggie has been diagnosed as a night time teeth grinder.

After several days of whining about her mouth hurting I finally took her seriously today when she refused to eat her lunch. Citing pain in her mouth, my otherwise lunch-loving child would not eat. "It hurts to chew," she complained.

And then the waterworks started.

Being the dutiful mother, I did what all mothers do when confronted with a problem of this type.

I put on my dentist costume.

Grabbing a flashlight, I had her open up. Peering in, I could see no visible evidence of injury or redness.

Taking off my dentist hat, I quickly admitted defeat.

I called the dentist. He got her in. Several x-rays later it was determined that she's actually chipped several of her baby teeth. This would be, in the dentist's words, "evidence" that she's grinding in her sleep.

Great.

How was I to know? Once she's in bed I rarely go in and check on her. I learned long ago that it is never wise to wake a sleeping child unless it is a dire emergency along the lines of a fire, tornado warning, or similar natural disaster.

And, I sleep across the hallway in another room. There's two closed doors between us. Like I'd HEAR that?

So now we wait a few days to see if she keeps complaining of pain. If she does, she may get a mouth guard to wear at night.

Putting a mouth guard into a five year old? Oh boy, won't THAT be fun......

HyVee For The Week

2010-02-24T15:33:00.003-06:00

Kansas City Penny Pinchin' Mama does such a nice job with the HyVee matchups every week. Go over here to her site to see what the best deals are this week.

It's killing me not to be able to do any of these deals, but I'm really not buying anything more than fresh items right now.

Sigh.

Killing me.

Did I mention that?

The whittling down of the stockpile continues. Mike even noticed the dramatic decrease in our frozen goods the other day, so I must be making some progress. He typically doesn't comment on those things, so I took that as a good sign. I fear the freezer in particular will never all be completely used up before the move, but we're making good headway. I'm hoping to borrow some freezer room from my mother-in-law and perhaps a friend or two for a few days while we're in transition.

Remember that our MP HV Drugstore will double coupons up to 50 cents this Saturday and Sunday. If there are coupon matchups and the HV Drugstore carries the item you want, it makes sense to do your shopping there. They honor the sale prices advertised at the food store for items they have in stock.

I did this last weekend with some of the $1 Hamburger Helper. Instead of saving $0.75 with my coupon and paying $2.25 for three boxes at the food store, I waited until Saturday and shopped HV Drug. Doing that helped me get 3 for $1.75 which is a very good price for Hamburger Helper.

Oh wait, what was that I said earlier about whittling down the stockpile? Ignore the fact that I just told you I bought THREE Hamburger Helpers when I already had 8 or so in the basement. It'll transport just fine in the moving truck.

I know.... some of you are diametrically opposed to Hamburger Helper for it's virtual lack of nutritional value, but it's easy, we like it and I get few arguments about it from the little people. Sometimes, that's more important to me than nutrition. And hey, I served a salad, vegetable and fresh fruit with it so that counts too, doesn't it? ;)

Swim Lessons @ MP Rec Center

2010-02-24T11:45:00.003-06:00

I am glad to see the MP Rec Center is offering some winter group swimming lessons for kids. For those who might be interested, here are the details.

Pike: For preschoolers. Designed for new swimmers. Wednesday 4 to 4:45

Eel: For kids that are comfortable in the water. Kick, float, paddle. Wednesday 4:50 to 5:35

Polliwog: Beginning level. Floating front and back, front paddle stroke, back paddle. Monday 6:00 to 6:45

Guppy: Builds on Polliwog level. Independent floating without device, front and back crawl, beginning backstroke. Monday 6:50 to 7:35

Cost is $26 for members and $48 for non-members. Lessons will run 8 sessions, beginning March 17 and go through May 5.

If we weren't moving I'd have my two little people signed up. I've often wished for an opportunity to keep their skills up that extends beyond the two weeks of swim lessons at the public pool in the summer.

Ground Beef Sale at MP HVDS

2010-02-23T13:44:00.002-06:00

I got an email from Scott this afternoon about the following sale at MP HVDS....

"Here is a deal going on right now.... I have 3lb packages of 85% lean ground beef on sale for $3.99 per roll. Also have 80% lean 1lb packages for $1.25 each. They are close dated and need to sell. It's while supplies last so hurry in and get in on the deal.

I have an ad coming out on Tuesday March 2. It will be in the MP Shopper. The good news is that you will be able to preview it Thursday of this week. There will also be a in-store coupon for the month of March coming out Monday as well so look for that preview on Thursday as well.

We are also putting the final touches on our new website at www.hyveedrugmtpleasant.com so watch for that shortly. It will be up and running middle of next week."

Personally, I can't wait for HVDS to get their own website!

MP HVDS Website

2010-02-23T13:07:00.002-06:00

MP's HyVee Drugstore is getting ready to launch a new online presence. Go here to sign up for their email updates. Click on the MP HVDS logo on the sidebar.

The HVDS in Muscatine uses this service and it's really quite nice. I get their ads emailed to me every week. Makes it pretty convenient to know what's on sale.

Links To Deals For The Week.

2010-02-21T15:08:00.003-06:00

I taught another coupon class on Thursday night last week and know we have some new couponers along for the fun.

Here are the Walgreen's deals for this week over on Common Sense With Money.

Here are the Target deals on Stretching A Buck.

Here are the current HyVee matchups from Kansas City Penny Pinchin' Mama for the ad that runs through Tuesday at our store. New posts for HyVee will be up Wednesday on her site. Our ad will be out in Tuesday night's paper and sales start Wednesday morning in Mt. Pleasant.

Here are the current WalMart deals from Centsible Savings. Note that our Mt. Pleasant WalMart often has different prices than what are found on the blogs and does not always carry every item on these deal lists. But, it never hurts to look!

HV Drugstore: Mentos and Email Coupons

2010-02-21T14:53:00.006-06:00

I think you may be able to score a very good deal on Mentos gum at our MP HV Drugstore using the .55/1 coupon from today's SmartSource. I was up there yesterday and I am pretty sure there was a display of Mentos near the Jefferson Street entrance/checkout area that was signed 77 cents each. With the coupon, you'd pay just 22 cents for a bottle if the price is correct.

Worth a look-see if you're headed that way.

Don't forget they are doubling coupons up there (up to 50 cents) every Saturday and Sunday in February. This means if you have a coupon worth $1, it will be worth $1.50 at checkout. If you have a coupon for 40 cents, it will be worth 80 cents at checkout.

I scored a ton of nice deals yesterday including Lady Speed Stick and Suave for well under $1. He also has the Hamburger Helper on sale for $1 each that the food store has this week, so instead of using my 75 cent coupon at the food store, I waited until Saturday and turned it into a $1.25 cent discount on three. Gotta do the deals where the bargains are in my opinion.

I could not post them, but want to make you all aware that Scott has started releasing coupons to those that have signed up to get his store email updates. The coupons this weekend included a free dozen eggs and a free 6 pack of HyVee green tea drinks. I was also able to get milk for 99 cents using his weekend email coupons and a manufacturer coupon. Also snagged 9 rolls of Charmin for $1.49 after store and manufacturer coupons.

If you're not getting his email updates, leave your contact information at the store. If he keeps doing these awesome email coupon promotions, you will want to be on that list for sure. Or you can email and ask to be added to the list. Send your email to 7057director(at)hy(hyphen)vee(dot)com. I spelled this out to try to help Scott avoid getting a bunch of spam. Hope you can figure it out.

$200+ Appliance Rebates For Iowans

2010-02-19T11:53:00.003-06:00

If you're in Iowa and thinking about buying a new refrigerator, dishwasher or clothes washer in the next few months, you may want to click over here and read about a new rebate program the State of Iowa is going to implement on March 1. It's designed to be sort of like the "Cash for Clunkers" car program last fall. They want to get rid of old appliances and replace them with new, more energy efficient ones.

It also looks like some boilers, air conditioners, geothermal systems and hot water heaters will qualify.

There are a whole host of hoops to jump through, but the rebate dollars are potentially worth it. You have to reserve your rebate online or via toll-free number starting March 1 at 8 AM, then make your purchase of a qualifying product and postmark your paperwork in the next 30 days. At least that's the way I read all the government-speak related to this program.

There are only so many reservations that can be made for each kind of appliance. Like most things, it's probably something you'll want to get on top of when the program begins at 8 AM on March 1 if you're interested.

The information says a website with details and a toll-free number for questions will go live next week.

We'd planned to purchase a new fridge and dishwasher for our new home, and this rebate program will help us get that done.

Note that the rebate dollars will be returned in the form of a pre-paid Visa card.

Random Thoughts & Walgreens Tutorial

2010-02-17T16:21:00.003-06:00

Well, after a long five days with virtually no Internet connection it is good to be back blogging agian. Saturday morning our modem decided to give up and poop out. We finally got a replacement one from our provider yesterday. After some drama hooking it up (which generally involves me foolishly thinking I could impress the husband and have it set up when he got home) it is good to be back online again. I didn't realize how much I use my Internet every day until it was gone.

There's still time to sign up for tomorrow night's coupon class at the Fellowship Cup. I'll start at 6:30 and will try to wrap up by 8 so those that need to skee-daddle can do so. I don't mind sticking around for a few late questions though, I just need to be home by 9 to see Project Runway. ;)

If you're new to coupons, Common Sense With Money just posted a nice Walgreens tutorial here and an equally nice Target tutorial here. Reading through them was a good refresher for me as well. Sometimes those drugstore games can get tricky.

Plans for the move continue. I'm sorting out closets and selling and giving away things. In some respects I can see the value of moving a household every so often. It does motivate one to purge the unnecessary, that's for sure.

Sock Puppets at Orscheln Store

2010-02-12T15:31:00.001-06:00

Owen brought home a flyer today that says there is a Kid's Clinic tomorrow, February 13th at the Orscheln Farm & Home store in Mt. Pleasant from 1 to 3 PM. It says they'll be making sock puppets. No cost is listed, so I assume it's free?

Might be a fun thing to check out if you're looking for a way to kill an hour of the afternoon with your little people.

Walgreens Today

2010-02-12T15:10:00.003-06:00

I did pretty well at Walgreens this morning. I decided I had to get there today no matter the weather. The drive there was a little snowy but by the time I came home the roads were fine.

I started out with $19 in RR's.

I ended up paying about $15 OOP over 4 transactions.

All this stuff total would have cost over $100 at regular price.

I'd say it was worth the drive this morning.

Winter Weather

2010-02-10T16:05:00.002-06:00

Ok, I will say it. I am officially sick of winter.

I have got $19 in Wag RR's and a significant amoung of Kohl's Cash that need to be spent by this weekend.

I'd hoped to get to Burlington today but got caught up in hosting the person who's appraising our house here, so that didn't work. Maggie's got activities tomorrow so that's not going to work. And Friday and Saturday I hear there's a chance of snow again.

Goodness.

Bring on spring. I am ready.

Sigh.

Even More Sales @ MP HVDS On Friday

2010-02-10T15:56:00.002-06:00

And here are yet a few more specials for Friday's sale at HVDS. These are not specials you need a coupon for. They're just in-store sale items.

Flour sack towels $1.12

Hyvee bagged candy $1.12

Duracell batteries 2, 4, 8 packs $3.12 (coupons are out there, but I don't have any...)

Twizzlers licorice 2/$3.12

Mentos Gum 15ct 2/$1.12 (are there any current q's for these?)

Kraft Ranch pasta salad 2/$1.12

Hyvee Peroxide or Rubbing alcohol 2/$1.12

Juicy Juice 46oz $1.12

Pledge Cleaner 9.7 oz $2.12 (we have $2/2 coupons for this)

More Friday Specials @ HVDS

2010-02-10T15:54:00.004-06:00

Here are the in-store coupon specials for Friday's big sale at our MP HVDS. Coupons can be found inside the Jefferson Street entrance. Ask an employee if you can't find them.

Asst Pepsi 24 packs $5.12

Purina Dog Chow$9.12

Buy one ink refill get 2nd for $1.12

Buy 2 Hallmark cards get 3rd for 12 cents

Paseo paper towels buy 2 get 3rd for $1.12

Asst Coke 12packs 4/$10.12

Buy 1 Hyvee Drugstore $100 Gift Card and Get a FREE $12.00 Gift Card

Coupon Class Reminder

2010-02-08T13:16:00.002-06:00

Just a reminder that I'm planning to teach one more coupon class on Thursday night, February 18th. We'll get started at 6:30 and try to wrap up by 8:00. The class will be held at the Fellowship Cup office, right across from the Mt. Pleasant Post Office.

There is no cost to attend, but if you could bring a couple of canned food items to help stock the Fellowship Cup's food pantry that would be appreciated.

I do need a minimum number of participants to make it happen. I've posted all the details here if you're interested.

Don't forget to call the Fellowship Cup to reserve your space so I know you're coming.

Looking forward to seeing you all there and discussing our favorite topic. :)

MP HVDS Ad: February 12th

2010-02-08T13:02:00.003-06:00

Scott sent along his ad for Friday the 12th's One Day Sale at the Mt. P HVDS. It will run 12 hours 8 to 8.

Roberts gallon choc 2% milk 2.12
Ground beef 90% lean 3/ 4.12 1lb (1.38 LB)
Hyvee green tea 1.12 6 pack
Digital prints 12 cents
Tina’s Brand burritos 5/1.12 3-5 oz
Sterzings 5/10.12
Hyvee Oyster cracker 2/1.12 12 oz
Nestle candy bar 3/1.12
Sara Lee whole grain white 1.12
Hyvee omeprazole ( Prilosec ) 19.12 42ct
Giftware 21% off reg price
Deluxe wash cloths 2.12 12 pack
Champion sweatshirts (closeout ) 6.12

He says there will be a pop item but the price isn't finalized yet.

Plus get an additional 12 cents of all vendor coupons this day with no limit to it.

I know Owen will love the chocolate milk and I just might have to treat myself to a new pack of wash cloths. Those sweatshirts also sound like a nice brand for a fabulous price. I'm sure I'll run into to several of you up there that morning.

WalMart Clearance

2010-02-04T14:48:00.004-06:00

Just wanted to alert you that our MP WalMart has some massive clearance sales on clothes for kids going on right now. I like to buy a season ahead for my kids and picked up a number of $3 items today including pj's, a dress, and a top and pant set.

I didn't have time to really dive in, but could see rather quickly that there were deals to be had as they get ready to make room for the spring merchandise.

The clearance aisles looked pretty packed to me too. Lots of makeup items, but nothing I had a coupon for. They had a ton of Loreal skin products clearanced out including the spendy SkinGenesis stuff.

Might want to spin through if you're out that way.

My thanks to Heidi for alerting us that the clothes had gone to good clearance prices.

HVDS: We've Cleaned Them Out Of Ziplocs!

2010-02-04T14:39:00.002-06:00

Received the following e-mail from Scott at HyVee Drugstore in Mt. Pleasant:

"Ok, I learned something over the last 2 ½ days and that is ……. you people love Ziploc bags. On Tuesday morning we had near 1200 bags and 600 containers. We have sold all those and then some since that day. I have 200 left as of 1:20 today (Thursday) and that is all I can get. Sorry if you haven’t been able to get in and get some, but WOW!

I will make it up somehow to all of you."

He says I'll have his next ad shortly. When it arrives, I'll get it up for you.

Serious Damage Done At Kohl's

2010-02-03T15:48:00.003-06:00

I flew through Burlington this morning, making stops at Walgreens to do the double dip meter deal, Target to do the Hasbro game deal and Kohl's to do lots of damage to their clearance racks.

If you haven't darkened the doorway of Kohl's lately it might be time to do so. I was able to find some long sleeve t-shirts for Owen for just $2.80, pj's for Maggie for under $4 and a really nice winter coat and snowpants ensemble for her for next winter for under $30. The racks were positively overflowing with 60, 70 and 80% off discounts. I found several good items in the mens and ladies departments as well, including Docker brand pants for Mike for $12. I figure he can always use those.

Even in the home section I was able to snag a new set of flannel sheets for our bed that regularly were $159 for just $30. Can't wait to sleep on that luxury! Getting up is hard enough in the morning, but if the sheets are really comfortable I'll probably never 'rise and shine'.

Plus, there's Kohl's cash going on right now too so you'll earn back $10 for every $50 you spend. Yeah, um...I earned a few of those. ;)

If you're going that direction and have the time to pop in, you might find a great deal.

HyVee For The Week

2010-02-03T15:46:00.002-06:00

Well, from what I see it's kind of a boring week at HyVee, except for the Wheat Thins sale. But that might be because I've got tunnel vision. I'm only buying basics and not able to stock up as we continue to whittle the stockpile down for the big move.

KC Penny Pinchin Mama has your weekly HyVee corporate ad matchups here.

They're also running another Red Hot weekend event this Saturday and Sunday. Those ad details are set to be released tomorrow (Thursday) at 5 PM. Hopefully there will be something exciting on special.

Huggies As Low As $2.99!

2010-02-02T16:48:00.003-06:00

UPDATE: this does appear to be a limit 1 deal. Ok, so 1 per transaction. Nothing says you can't go through the line multiple times in a week, does it?? :)

Well I am certainly glad Walgreens has not made me out to be a liar.

Last month when I spoke to the MOPS group from Harmony Bible Church, I told them that I fully expected Walgreens to run a smokin' hot Huggies diaper deal in either February or March. They did it last year, and so far I think the sales this year are really mimicing what happened last year.

Thankfully, it appears next week is the week, and I am not a liar.

Common Sense With Money has the details here that explain how you can get Huggies next week for $2.99 per pack. To get them this low you will need to print the available Internet coupons NOW! You'd also have to have your hands on a Walgreens Childrens Activity Book that will save you another $1 per pack. These Activity Books are rather hard to come by though. Locally I've only found it once. So, they'll be $3.99 per pack if you can't get the Activity Book. Still pretty darn cheap for namebrand diapers.

As soon as word gets out about this those printable Huggies coupons will disappear like a popsicle on a hot summer day.....G-O-N-E!

MP HVDS Ad 2/2 to 2/8

2010-02-01T15:37:00.004-06:00

Here is the ad that will be out in tomorrow night's MP Shopper for our HVDS.

As promised here is next week's ad starting on Tuesday 2nd through Monday the 8th.

Buy Chinet insulated cups At $2.99, get bag of coffee free with instant coupon
Buy assorted Coke 12 packs 4/$11.00 get 6 pack of Diet Coke free with instant coupon (plus deposit)
Planters mixed nuts or cashews $1.98 9-11oz
Ziploc bags or containers .58 after instant coupon
Sara Lee classic white bread 1.28
Hy-Vee mandarin oranges 2/1.00 14 oz
Folgers classic roast coffee 31-33 oz 6.48
Asst Hy-Vee cereals 2/3.00
Trident gum 18ct 2/1.00
Valentine turtles box 6.88 (reg prc 14.88)
Hy-Vee hot dog or hamburger buns .97
Sterzings 2.28
All Hy-Vee health market vitamins 20% off reg price with your Hy-Vee reusable bag
Halls refresh cough drops buy one get one free with instant coupon
Glade candles 2/4.00 4oz (coupon matchups, anyone??)
Paseo Bath tissue 2.88
1 lb roll ground beef 85% 1.77
Aquafina 24 pack water 3.99

Free gallon of milk with any $20 order with coupon from ad

Plus don't forget every weekend in February: double coupons up to 50 cent and a total of 5.00 off on your order!

And don't forget about the in-store coupons for freebies when you spend $10.

I'd say it's a good week to shop our HVDS and score some nice deals.

MP HVDS: February In Store Freebies

2010-02-01T15:31:00.002-06:00

With a $10 order you can get any of the following items for free at HyVee Drugstore this month. The in-store coupon sheets usually hang by the Jefferson Street entrance. These coupons are good through February 28.

This time pop, milk, gift cards and prescriptions do not count toward your $10 total.

Free roll Bounty paper towels
Free bag HyVee shredded cheese
Free HV tortilla chips
Free 1 lb HV white bread
Free 12 pack 7 UP/Dr. Pepper
Free Bar S hot dogs
Free 100 ct. HV pain reliever
Free HV cough syrup

Scott says he's going to run a one day special on Friday, February 12th. Mark your calendar and read about it here first.

Possible HyVee Catalinas

2010-01-31T16:04:00.003-06:00

The Iowa GDA group on Yahoo has been discussing the following catalina deals at HyVee. I assume these are corporate wide and that you'd be able to get them at our Mt. Pleasant store with a qualifying purchase, but don't know that for sure. HyVee's not always the best at signing their catalina deals. I wish they would, I think people would buy more if they knew about them.

Dole fruit cups Buy 4 get 50 cents
Prego buy 3 get $1
Uncle Bens buy 6 get $1 on Ready Rice.
Buy 3 Old El Paso get $1 off your next beef/meat purchase
Ziploc bags buy 3 get $2
Green works bathroom items buy1 get 50 cents

Shoppers in the Des Moines area are reporting their stores are having Ziploc bags on sale for 50 cents per box. They're using coupons and earning the $2 catalinas, making for a very sweet deal. Last time I looked our store was still at regular price on these, but if anyone finds them for a great deal please leave a comment.

Cheap Pet Items @ HVDS

2010-01-31T15:45:00.001-06:00

The MP HyVee Drugstore just got a shipment of sample of Purina brand new cat and dog items. Scott says he has marked them very cheap to move them. If you've got a pet, it might be a good time to pop in there in while there is a good selection left.

Roberts Dairy Coupons

2010-01-30T17:22:00.002-06:00

Am I the only one who didn't know that Roberts Dairy has a website with coupons? Maybe so, but if you didn't know either, go over here and register with them. You can then have access to print some of their online coupons. Right now the following are available:

50¢ off Roberts 24-oz Cottage Cheese
40¢ off Roberts 16-oz Sour Cream
55¢ off Any Gallon of Roberts Milk
30¢ off 3 Roberts 6-oz Yogurts

I know some people are really brand loyal to them. We're not, but when it's the cheapest with a coupon you can bet I will buy it. Often we can do well at our HyVee Drugstore when a sale on milk there is combined with our Roberts coupons. Often when they run a sale and I have a coupon I can get milk cheaper there than Aldi. Not always, but sometimes.

Their website says there will be more coupons in the March 7th inserts. Yay for that.

Sunday Coupon Preview

2010-01-30T17:18:00.001-06:00

Should be two inserts coming in tomorrow's DSM Register. The preview is posted here on Southern Savers.

Remember that we don't always get the same as she posts, but it should be close.

Walgreens For The Week

2010-01-30T17:13:00.002-06:00

Cowabunga, the list of deals at Walgreens this week is as long as my left arm! Hip 2 Save has your matchup list over here. Looks like the Pepsi deal is repeating from a couple weeks ago with the $10 RR available when you buy $20 worth. It's a profitable week for glucose meters as well if you have any of those coupons around.

I got a chance to Wag today in Burlington and did really well. I got $18 worth of stuff for $1.78 OOP, plus I earned back a $2 RR. Not bad for a 15 minute run-through with hubs and kids in tow.

New House!

2010-01-29T16:33:00.015-06:00

Well, we got the deal done and I promised you a link to some pictures of our new house. Sorry for the repeat to those of you who are my Facebook friends.

It's not signed, sealed and delivered yet, because the place is going to have to pass a few inspections. Hopefully that goes off without too much issue. Having just been through it here, I know how stressful those things are, especially when you live in a 100+ year old house.

Before you all comment, yes, if you know where I live now, this looks a lot like my current house except my current place is a true Victorian and this is technically a post-Victorian.

It is larger though, and our current house does not have a finished attic like this one does. We'd always had visions of finishing the attic here, but that will now be left for future owners to do.

We've had a few interesting coincidences along the way. Our current house was 104 years old when we moved in. This house? 104 years old this year. Our current house color when we moved in? Gray. This house? Gray. Our current house needed a bathroom reno and central air installed when we moved in. This house? Needs a bathroom gut and central air. Odd, huh?

Oh, it's not a perfect house by any means. It definitely needs some stuff in the way of updating and remodeling. What old house doesn't? At least it will be fun work and not a new roof or new water heater. I mean really, who invites friends over to come see their new roof or water heater?

The part that excites me most is that it's so large. Our house here, at 3000 square feet, felt really big when we moved into it. We came here out of 800 square feet, so in fact it echoed in some rooms. In 11 years we've filled this place up pretty well.

At 4300 square feet, those days when everyone's cranky should be very easy to manage in the new house. That's a full thousand square feet of space for each of us. On those days I fully intend to tell Mr. or Ms. Cranky to go find their own thousand until they can find their inner happy.

Finally, being true to form, I must confess that we did not pay the asking price. You would not have expected your favorite deal-loving blogger to pay full price would you? Nah, you'd have been seriously disappointed with me.

Fingers crossed.... and praying we get through the inspections without any hitches.

Moving Update

2010-01-27T11:47:00.002-06:00

Well, most of you have probably seen the sign in our yard that reads "sale pending". You may have also read the speculative article in the MP News last week about Mike's possible resignation from the City Council. Goodness, nothing like throwing a guy out the door before he's ready to leave or anything!

But, yes, we have accepted an offer on our house and are proceeding with an offer on a home in Muscatine. In fact, we just signed the offer papers and sent them off today. Every time the phone rings I jump, hoping it's news. The sale of our house is not a "done" deal yet, but we're getting close. There sure are a lot of hoops to jump through when buying and selling a home.

I will say, I think it is more fun to be the buyer than it is the seller. If we get the deal done up there I will post you all a link to check out our new house.

Back to waiting for the phone to ring....

Have I mentioned I'm not good at being patient? :)

Cheap Dannon Yogurt?

2010-01-27T11:46:00.001-06:00

It has been reported to me that earlier this week our MP HV Drugstore was blowing out 6 oz. Dannon yogurt cups at 5 for $1. I don't know if there are any left, but at this price, plus our coupons for that brand, you'd be getting a very good deal.

Unity Biofuels Coupons & Freebies!

2010-01-27T11:34:00.003-06:00

I received an email this week from reader Cara, who wanted us all to know that coupons are available for our local Unity Biofuels gas stations and convenience stores. She says:

"Unity Biofuels has coupons at their website over here. Just click on “click to see our ads!” under Current Specials and you will see the coupons. Also don't foget you can sign up for savings at the Quizno's website for deals on sub sandwiches. Click on “Sign Up for Toasty Deals” and you will eventually be able to print a coupon for $2.00 off a regular or large sub."

After I received her message I went over and checked out the coupons and she's right----there are some good ones. With a $10 purchase you can get a free candy bar, soda, coffee or hot dog. There are also some nice coupons for fuel discounts in amounts of $1, $2 and one for 7 cents off any kind of fuel. Looks like they're all good through the end of February.

I already get the Quizno's emails, but I didn't know Unity had coupons on their site. If you're buying gas anyway, you might as well get a freebie or a discount.

Thanks Cara!

HyVee Food Ad For The Week

2010-01-22T16:11:00.004-06:00

If you're looking for the HyVee deals for the week, head over here to see what Sara's posted. She's also listed the Sunday One Day sale items in her post. Remember the Sunday sale runs 8 AM to 8 PM, and if they're out of something you want you should be able to ask for a raincheck.

Yay for 1/2 gallons of milk at $0.88 again! Boo to the limit of 2.

More HVDS Scoop

2010-01-22T16:06:00.003-06:00

Received a message from Bobbi, who was shopping our Mt. P HVDS. She reports:

"I stopped by MP Hy-Vee Drugstore today and found a couple deals that everyone might like to know about. Hy-Vee bleached flour is 99 cents, beating the 1.29 on sale at Hy-Vee Grocery this week. The new Method laundry detergent (plant based detergent in a pump bottle) is only $5.88 and there is a $2 coupon at www.methodlaundry.com. Pay only $3.88 for a natural laundry detergent!"

If you bought those two things, you'd be about halfway to $10. Once you're at $10 you'd get to select one of the free item specials running through the end of the month (Coke, bread, eggs, hamburger, etc.).

Sounds like a good deal to me.

Double Coupons at HVDS in February!!!

2010-01-22T14:42:00.003-06:00

Whoo-hoo! Finally we've gotten a store to offer us a double coupon promotion!

A big shout out to our Mt. Pleasant HyVee Drugstore for offering this nice special. Here are the details Scott sent me:

"Great News for the month of February! Every Saturday and Sunday in February we'll have double coupon days. So come in and save even more with the coupons you have. We will double the coupons up to 50 cents and a total of 5.00 per order."

Time to start thinking about what coupons you'll want to use!

Leave a comment if you come up with any great scenarios for this promotion. They don't come around very often here, so be sure to plan to take advantage.

Sweet HVDS Deals

2010-01-22T14:37:00.003-06:00

Scott from our Mt. Pleasant HV Drugstore sent this to my inbox this morning. It's a deal just for those who read this blog or have signed up to receive his emails.

"I have a great deal for all of you that do some of your digital prints online! Stop by our store over the weekend and received a coupon for 20 free prints good at Hy-vee.com. Stop in at the photo counter to get yours. Coupon is good until Jan 31st 2010."

Now, who doesn't like free photos? :)

Also going on right now:

Ziploc bags are back! 4/5.00 (We have coupons, don't we??)
Buy Chinet insulated cups and get a 3lb bag of ground coffee free with instant coupon.
Bring in your Hy-vee Reusable Bags and get 20% off all over the counter medicines
Plus don’t forget to sign up for the free concert tickets to see Tim McGraw in Des Moines

$5 SC Johnson Rebate Reminder

2010-01-21T14:17:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to remind you all that the $5 rebate on SC Johnson brand items is still going on through the end of June. This rebate is super nice because you can do three per household.

I finally found time today to sit down and get mine filled out. Using coupons, I bought three Glade items awhile back (ok, a LONG while back) for less than $1 each, and will end up making back the full $5 rebate. Love that.

Deal Seeking Mom has details and a link to the $5 rebate form here.

If you're new to coupons, this would be a great rebate to start with. SC Johnson often puts out nice coupons and sales on their products are relatively easy to find. Their brands include Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Windex and Ziploc...among others. Very likely you buy their brands anyway, so take advantage of this chance to earn back $5 of what you spend.

Hot Printable Coupons

2010-01-21T14:12:00.002-06:00

I was delighted to snag a couple of the $1/1 Baked Lays coupons that have recently appeared on the Smartsource.com Web site. These are among my favorite chips, and $1 coupons don't come along for them very often. Remember you can print two per computer, so if you're like me, it's time to get a'printin'.

There was also a nice value coupon for Pillsbury cinnamon rolls on the same site. The $1/2 printable combined with a sale will make for a cheap Sunday breakfast ---and make me a popular mommy. Often Pillsbury's printables are for higher values than their Sunday paper coupons.

If you want either of these, you will want to get over there and print them before the limit is reached.

Coupon Class Set

2010-01-19T16:31:00.002-06:00

For those that are interested, The Fellowship Cup has agreed to host one last coupon class for you.

I will speak on Thursday night, February 18th at 6:30. There is no cost to attend, but a suggested donation of two canned food items to stock the Fellowship Cup's pantry would be appreciated. I have a prepared presentation that runs about an hour and then I'll take time for questions if there are any.

I know there were a few of you who wanted a Saturday class. The majority I heard from said a weeknight would be ok with them. Hopefully I'm giving you enough notice to be able to be there.

If you want to attend, please call the Fellowship Cup at 319-385-3242 with your name and telephone number to reserve a seat. I would like to have at least 12 attendees to make the class happen. Frankly, in the middle of a house move, it's just not going to be worth my time to get ready for fewer folks than that.

They've got seating for 60, so bring a friend.

Spread the word, please. If the details of our house sale continue to fall into place, this will be my last public appearance before we move.

And yes, to those who are wondering, I definitely hope to continue the blog once we get settled in our new community.

Target Clearance

2010-01-19T16:30:00.003-06:00

Bobbi reports in that Target is having some nice clothing clearance sales at 75% off for the whole family. She said she got toddler jeans and t-shirts today for $1.74 each. That's garage sale prices, in my opinion.

Check it out if you're nearby.

Thanks for the report, Bobbi!

More Thoughts On Diapers

2010-01-18T16:30:00.005-06:00

Mercedes, author of the popular blog Common Sense With Money, posted an article today about her "buy it" prices for diapers. Given that several of the MOPS mommies were interested in this topic, I thought it was worth linking you to. Go here to read her thoughts.

In reality I think what she's saying about diapers generally holds true for most everything. If you don't have a stockpile and need an item now, you have to find the best deal you can within the realm of stores and coupons available to you at that moment. But, if you have the luxury of time and can wait, then by all means hold out for a good deal.

This method of shopping runs true with everything from diapers to macaroni and cheese. Buy it now if you need it, hold out for a sale if you can.

For example, this is why I've been known to get 10 boxes when HyVee runs their house brand mac and cheese at $0.19 to $0.25. I know that's about as low as it's ever going to go, so I use that chance to stock up for the weeks ahead when it's back to regular price of $0.60 to $0.75 per box.

I've also been known to buy just one can of frozen orange juice at a time, waiting (and praying) for a sale when my stockpile's been depleted. Orange juice is a popular item around here, so when I'm out, I will buy it. In that case, I select the best buy I'm able to get that day and purchase just the amount I need for the week... and wait for a sale. If there is one the next week, great. If not, I repeat this process until there is. I figure, why buy five at an inflated price and then have a sale turn up next week?

Opportunistic shopping will save you money in the long run, whether you need diapers or frozen peas. As Mercedes says though, you have to have the available resources to make those extra purchases when items are at their best price. Sometimes eeking out an extra $5 or $10 from the weekly grocery budget to build a stockpile can be a challenge. If you're able to do it, it pays dividends in the end.

Walgreens: Pampers Diapers

2010-01-17T14:41:00.003-06:00

When I was at the MOPS group on Friday, several ladies asked me about getting diapers with coupons. This week, Walgreens has Pamper’s Jumbo Pack Easy Ups and Baby Dry Diapers on sale 2 for $20 with a $3 Register Reward. This would be like paying $8.50 per pack.

If you have some coupons, like the $2/1 coupons from the 12/27 Proctor & Gamble insert, you could use one coupon on each package. If you had two of those coupons you'd pay $16 and still get back a $3 Register Reward. In that case, your final cost would be $6.50 per package.

This isn't as cheap as I've seen diapers, but if you're brand loyal to Pampers it might be worth checking out. Sorry, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to those prices since I'm beyond that at my house.

If you're in need of coupons and in the Mt. Pleasant area, stop by the coupon exchange box at the Fellowship Cup (across from the Post Office). There are often diaper coupons available for pickup there. Actually, there are coupons for most everything in the coupon exchange box up there. There's no cost to take from the box, it's just asked that you bring any coupons you have that you're not going to use to leave for others. The Cup is open 9 to 3 most days, so just stop by and ask to see the box.

Interest In One Last Class?

2010-01-17T14:35:00.002-06:00

Most of you loyal readers of this blog know that we put our house on the market last month. We're beginning to think about a spring move to Muscatine if the details of the sale go through as we expect them to.

I have had a couple of folks tell me they'd like me to do one last coupon class in the area before I leave.

If you'd like one, tell me what day of the week and time works best for you. If there's interest, I'll see if I can arrange something with the Fellowship Cup here in Mt. Pleasant.

Here are some choices of times to consider.

Weekday morning
Weekday evening
Saturday morning
Saturday afternoon

Leave a comment and let me know if you're interested.

Walgreens This Week: Pepsi Deal!

2010-01-17T14:22:00.003-06:00

If you're new to couponing and want to see the Walgreen's coupon matchups for the week, head on over here to Hip 2 Save to view her comprehensive list.

I personally am really happy to see the awesome Pepsi/Lays/Doritos deal return this week. If you're a Pepsi-loyal household like me, this is about as cheap as we will ever be able to score 12 packs. This week Pepsi is on sale at Walgreens for $3 per 12 pack (5 for $15). That in itself is a fairly decent price, but it gets even better when you realize that there is a Register Reward promotion going on now on these items. When you spend $20 on products from Pepsico pictured in the ad like Tostitos chips and dip, Pepsi 12 packs and 2 liters, Lays chips and Doritos, you will get a $10 Register Reward. So, your purchase might look something like this:

5 Pepsi 12 packs = $15
2 bags Doritos (sale price this week 2 for $5) = $5
Total out of pocket = $20 plus tax and deposit
Receive $10 Register Reward to spend on your next transaction
It's like paying $10 plus tax and deposit for all 7 items!

I will have an even lower OOP (out of pocket) cost because I have $7 in Register Rewards to spend this week. I expect Mike to spend $13-ish and earn back a $10 Reward when he does this deal tomorrow. Sweet!

WalMart Toy Clearance

2010-01-15T14:42:00.000-06:00

I would love to hear a report on WalMart's toy clearance aisles if anyone has been out there lately. Last time I was in the MP store they had a lot, but it wasn't cheap enough for me yet.

I did receive a report that they'd recently clearanced girl's holiday dresses to $2. Might be worth a look-see if you're there.

HyVee Weekend Sale

2010-01-15T14:11:00.004-06:00

Here are the matchups for the big sale that starts tomorrow at HyVee. Do not miss out on the Kraft shredded cheese. This is an amazing price and it will freeze well.

I borrowed these from Sara over at Learning The Frugal Life. Thanks, Sara!

Hy-Vee Hot Deals Sale January 16th and 17th

Dole Bananas $.28 lb
73% Lean Ground Beef 5 lbs $4.95
Kitchen Fresh Tenderloin Sandwich $1.99
Pepsi 2 Liters $.77 (limit 10)
1/2 Gallon Hy-Vee Orange Juice $.99
Jack's Frozen Pizza $1.98

Kraft Natural Shredded Cheese 5 for $6.00
- $5.00 (off your next shopping order, prints out with receipt)
= like getting 5/$1.00

Frosted Flake Cereal 14 oz $.99 (limit 2)
- 1.00/2 (12/13 RP)
= 2/$.98 or $.49 each

A word of warning about the cheese promotion. The way I read the ad, I'm pretty sure if you buy 10 cheese in one transaction you'll only get one coupon for $5 off, not two. If you want 10 bags and two $5 coupons, you're going to need to do two separate transactions.

If they run out and you get a raincheck, I understand the catalina (cat for short) $5 coupon deal will print through at least the 24th of this month. Getting that 24th date from the Web, though the store tells me it's running through the 31st. Either way, if you end up with a raincheck because they're out of stock you've got a few days to still get your cat.

Newbies, let me know if this doesn't make sense to you and I'll try to answer your questions.

Man, I hate missing out on the cheese deal, but I have to start using up my freezer stockpile if we're going to move.

Must....practice....restraint..... :)

Welcome Newbies!

2010-01-15T14:08:00.002-06:00

I have taught two coupon classes in the last two days, so I want to give a shout of welcome out to any of you who are stopping by this blog for the first time. I enjoy talking coupons and could have made both the Hearth & Home class and the MOPS class go on for double their scheduled length.

If you want to leave a comment, you can do so at the bottom of any post. If you don't have a Blogger account, you can leave one as "anonymous". I do read all the comments and will try to respond to questions.

Getting ready for those two classes took up some of my spare time this week, so sorry I haven't been posting much.

Glad you're here and hope you find my musings helpful.

More HVDS Deals

2010-01-11T14:11:00.003-06:00

And the deals just keep rolling in from the MP HyVee Drugstore. Here's another one that just came to my inbox from Scott....

Through Monday, January 18th, if you buy any three 7up/Dr. Pepper/Sunkist 12pack at three for $11.00 you will get three diet two liters free (7up/Dr. Pepper/Sunkist brands).

ALSO...

Register to win a pair of Tim McGraw tickets, plus dinner and a hotel stay in Des Moines that night. The concert is February 13th at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The drawing will be held February 5th. The registration box is in the pharmacy.

What an awesome Valentine's Day treat that would be!

Scott says, "Someone needs to win these tickets so my wife doesn’t make me take her to it."

So, get signed up while you're there scooping up all the other good deals.

Christmas Clearance: $0.25 Items

2010-01-11T13:15:00.001-06:00

Mt. Pleasant HyVee Drugstore has just reduced two carts full of Christmas candy and decorations.

Every item is now just $0.25. That's right...a quarter.

It's that price until it's gone.

Get up there while the gettin' is good.

HyVee Website Printables

2010-01-09T15:16:00.003-06:00

If you're headed to HyVee, do not forget to check their online ad and get a couple of great deals.

There is a printable coupon in the online ad for a bottle of Softsoap. Regular price on this is $2.19 at our MP store (seriously...who pays that for soap?), but with the coupon it's only $0.88. We got $0.25/1 coupons last weekend which make it a very good buy at $0.63 if you're in need.

There is also a printable that makes Hefty One Zip bags $1. Regular price on these is $2.39, which I would never pay unless I was certifiably nuts. But, I was pleased to see that some of the boxes have peelies on them for another $0.15 off. Be warned, the peelies beep and have to be pushed through manually.

Assistant Manager Tina told me they're seeing very few of those printable coupons from the online ad. I find it amazing that people would rather pay regular price than take the time to print a coupon. Funny, isn't it?

Spread the word that these printables are out there.

GDA: Holiday Cookie Dough

2010-01-09T15:13:00.004-06:00

It's the time of the year for nice clearance sales on holiday cookie dough. I almost didn't walk through that aisle today at the MP HyVee but turns out, I'm glad I did.

They have both Pillsbury and Toll House brands of dough from the holidays clearanced to just $0.99 each. These were regularly priced at $2.99 to $3.49 each. There are also some clearance chubs of Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough (not holiday) for that same price. They were regularly $3.99. They do have a short expiration date of January 15, but the package clearly says they're good for two months if frozen by that date.

I had some peelies I nabbed awhile back for $1.50/2 Pillsbury doughs. I walked out with four packages for $1.00. Get that? $0.25 each. Whaaa-hoo!

Love that!

MP HV Drugstore: Awesome In Store Coupons

2010-01-09T11:08:00.005-06:00

I got a message yesterday from Scott at our Mt. P HyVee Drug. He's running some amazing in-store coupon specials now through the end of the month. I plan to take advantage of some of these for sure.

With a $10 purchase, you can get any one of the following items for free. With a $20 purchase, you can get two for free (and so on).

Free gallon of Roberts milk
Free 1 pound 85% ground beef
Free half gallon HyVee ice cream
Free dozen eggs
Free 12 pack of any Coke product
Free Sara Lee bread
Free Tombstone 9" pizza
Free 100 ct. Advil tablets

IMHO, I'd say the Coke is probably the best freebie, since it's one of the higher priced items. But, if you need the others, free is always better than having to pay for it. :)

There are a few restrictions, but they're all things you'd expect.

Only one coupon for a free item may be used with each $10 in purchases. So sorry, you can't spend just $10 and get Coke AND ice cream free. If you wanted both you'd have to spend $20.
Your total must be $10 after all coupons are deducted (store and manufacturer).
And obviously, the purchase price of the free item does not count toward your $10 total.
Prescription purchases are excluded from this offer.

And here are some more in-store coupon specials good through the end of the month.

BOGO free on 5 x 7 or 8 x12 prints
$2 off any Champion sweatshirt or t-shirt.
$1 off any HyVee cough syrup
20% off any one item from the gift department
Buy 3 Hallmark cards, get the 4th free
$1 off 3 bags of Valentine candy
$1 off any shampoo (combine with manufacturer q's for a possible good deal).
$1 off any package Luvs diapers (if you have any manufacturer q's these could be a good deal).

Copies of the in-store coupons are available inside the Jefferson Street entrance or ask any employee.

If you want to start receiving the MP HVDS specials in your e-mail box, leave your name and e-mail address at the store.

If you work out any good deal scenarios to maximize the freebie coupons, post them for us in the comment section.

Walgreens Ad 1/10

2010-01-08T16:54:00.002-06:00

Walgreens deals for next week are up here on Southern Savers. Remember to check the ad for our area to confirm sales before you drive.

Personally, I think I'm holding out for the week of the 17th. The previews of that week look much better for things I need. The way this winter's going though, there'll probably be another snowstorm just about that time.

Enough snow. Bring on spring already.

Sunday Coupon Previews

2010-01-08T16:52:00.001-06:00

Southern Savers has the insert previews for the weekend up over here. Looks like only two coming this weekend. What a letdown after last weekend's five!