This week at Randalls (or your Safeway store) I was talking about what good deals they had. The image above is from the back of the regular ad that came out yesterday. These are all Randalls STORE COUPONS. This means that these are reimbursed by Safeway and are called “store coupons” which are a promotion from the store itself.

You can tell they are a store coupon because at the top of each coupon they say “Randalls Coupon.” These coupon can be combined with a regular manufacturer coupon that you either print off the computer, load to your Randalls card, or get in the Sunday paper.

You will know that these are manufacturer coupons, because at the top they will ALWAYS say “manufacturer coupon.”

This is the only time that 2 coupons can be used for 1 product. This is why I really love Randalls in-store coupons! Because they make for really great deals when you can use 2 coupons on 1 item! When you are using 2 coupons like this, it is called “stacking” not doubling.

Later, we can get into using these at Walmart. Check back tomorrow and I will post a little tutorial on that.

For now though, you can get this ad either in your mail or in the store itself. When you check out you must HAVE the in-store coupons for them to scan to get the price and your regular coupon, or even e-coupon.

To see the weekly Randalls match-ups go HERE. These are the store coupons and manufacturer coupon match-ups from that weekly ad.

::GROCERY::

Safeway Russet Potatoes 10lb bag – $2.99
Limit 2

Silk Half Gallon Milk Soy or Almond – $2.79
$1.25/1 Silk Half Gallon Milk printable
$0.75/1 Silk Pure Coconut Milk printable
$0.75/1 Silk Soy Milk printable
$1/1 Silk Soymilk or Almondmilk, exp. 3/31 (Kellogg’s Great Days)

Minute Maid OJ 89oz – $3.99
$1/1 Minute Maid Orange Juice, exp. 3/31 (Kellogg’s Great Days)
$1 off Minute Maid Pure Squeezed Light Orange Juice Beverage wyb Special K Cereal or Cereal Bars, exp. 2/29/12 (Take the Special K Challenge Booklet)
Limit 2

Safeway Orange Juice 128oz – $3.49
Limit 2

Campbell’s V8 V-Fusion Juice or Smoothie 36-46 oz – $1.99
$1/2 Campbell’s V8 V-Fusion Juice (Campbell’s, Make Game Day A Snap Booklet)
$1/2 V8 V-Fusion Regular or Tea, exp. 2/19/12 (SS 01/08/12 #2 R)
$1/1 V8 V-Fusion Smoothie, exp. 2/19/12 (SS 01/08/12 #2 R)
$1/1 V8 V-Fusion Smoothie Beverage printable
$1/1 V8 V-Fusion Smoothie Beverage printable
Limit 3

Gatorade 32oz – $0.89
Limit 12

Dr Pepper 6pk, 16.9oz bottles – $2.49
Limit 4

7 UP, Select Varieties, 2 Liter – $0.88
Limit 4

Kraft Shredded Cheese 16 oz – $4.49
$1/2 Kraft 2% Milk Block, Shred or Singles Cheese, exp. 5/31/12 (Kraft 20 Top Seasonal Recipes For 2012)
$0.50/2 Kraft Natural Shredded Cheese Product printable
Limit 2

Kraft Cracker Barrel Cheese 10oz – 3.49
$1/2 Cracker Barrel Products printable
$1/1 Cracker Barrel Natural Shredded, Block or Cracker Cuts Cheese (Kraft 20 Top Seasonal Recipes For 2012)
Limit 2

Deli Counter Cheese Cups 4-6oz – $3.49

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter or Brummel & Brown 8-16oz – $1.99
Limit 4

Dannon Danimals or Danonino Kids Yogurt 4-6 pack – $1.69
Limit 3

Jell-O Gelatin or Pudding Snacks 6pk – $1.99
$0.60/1 Jell-O Refrigerated Snacks, exp. 2/8/12 (SS 01/08/12)
Limit 3

Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal 14.5 oz or Fruity Pebbles 11oz – $1.99
$1/1 Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal printable
$1/1 Post Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal printable
Limit 4

Cheerios Original 8.9 oz, Frosted Toast Crunch 12.3 oz or Trix 10.7 oz – $1.77
$1.10/2 Cheerios Original, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Multi Grain Cheerios or Apple Cinnamon Cheerios  printable
$1.10/2 Cheerios Original, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Multi Grain Cheerios or Apple Cinnamon Cheerios  printable
$1/2 Cheerios Original, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Multi Grain Cheerios or Apple Cinnamon Cheerios printable
$1/2 Cheerios Original, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Multi Grain Cheerios or Apple Cinnamon Cheerios printable
Limit 4

Nature Valley Granola Bars 6.7-8.9 oz – $1.77
$1/2 Nature Valley Granola Bars, exp. 9/30/12 (Product Package)
$0.75/2 Nature Valley Granola Bars, Granola Nut Clusters or Granola Thins, exp. 3/3/12 (GM 01/08/12)
Limit 4

Campbell’s Select Harvest Soup 18.6-18.8 oz – $1.29
$1/2 Campbell’s Select Harvest Soup, exp. 2/19/12 (SS 01/08/12 #2)
$0.50/2 Campbell’s Healthy Request Chunky or Select Harvest Soup, exp. 2/12/12 (SS 01/01/12)
$1/3 Campbell’s Select Harvest Soup printable
$1/4 Campbell’s Healthy Request Chunky or Select Harvest Soup, exp. 2/12/12 (SS 01/01/12 #2 R)
$1/3 Campbell’s Select Harvest via Shortcuts.com
Limit 6

Prego Pasta Sauce 23.25-24 oz – $1.49
$1/2 Prego Italian Sauce (Campbell’s, Make Game Day A Snap Booklet)
$0.75/2 Prego Jars of Italian Sauce, exp. 3/31/12 (SS 01/08/12 #2)
$0.75/2 Prego Jars of Smart Italian Sauce, exp. 3/31/12 (SS 01/08/12 #2)
Limit 6

Pasta Prima 8-12oz – $2.99

Pace Picante Sauce or Salsa 24 oz – $1.99
$0.50/2 Pace Product printable
$0.50/2 Pace Product printable
$1/2 Pace Salsa, Picante Sauce or Queso Sauce (Campbell’s, Make Game Day A Snap Booklet)

Bulls Eye and Jack Daniels Barbecue Sauce 17.5-19oz – $0.99
Limit 4

Pepperidge Farm Baked Natural 5.8-10.2oz – $2.50
$1/1 Pepperidge Farm Baked Natural Cracker Chips, exp. 1/29/12 (SS 11/06/11 R)
$0.50/1 Pepperidge Farm Baked Natural Snack, exp. 1/29/12 (SS 11/06/11 R)
$0.75/1 Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals Snack, exp. 1/29/12 (SS 11/06/11 R)

Frito Lay Variety Pack 20 count – $4.99
Limit 4

Pop Secret 3 count – $1.49
$0.50/1 Pop Secret Premium Popcorn Product printable
Limit 4

Pepperidge Farm Tray Packs 9 count – $3.99

Oroweat Steak Rolls 15oz – $1.99

Mission Flour Burrito Tortillas 8 count – $1.79

Any Deli Party Tray – $5 OFF
Any tray over $29.99 or more

::FROZEN::

Van’s Waffles 7.5-8.5oz – $1.99
$1.50/1 Van’s Natural Foods printable
$1/1 Van’s Products printable
Limit 4

Safeway Select Pizza 14.25-32.7oz – $3.49
Limit 3

Morning Star Farms 5.25-14.5oz – $2.99
$1/1 Morningstar Farms Veggie Foods Product (Kellogg’s Great Days)
Limit 3

Hot & Lean Pockets 54-58.5oz – $9.99
$1/6 Hot Pockets Brand Item printable
Limit 3

Safeway Frozen Fruit 12-16oz – 20% Off
Limit 3

Safeway Frozen Vegetables 12-16oz – $1.29
Limit 4

Waterfront Bistro Large Cooked Shrimp 31-40 count, 2lb bag – $7.99
Limit 2

Dairy Glen Ice Cream 4qt – $4.49
Limit 3

::HOUSEHOLD & PETS::

Listerine Mouthwash 1-liter – 3.99 
$1/1 Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash printable
$1/1 Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash, New Total Care Zero Anticavity Mouthwash, Total Care Anticavity Mouthwash, or Listerine Zero Mouthwash printable
$1/1 Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash, New Total Care Zero Anticavity Mouthwash, Total Care Anticavity Mouthwash, or Listerine Zero Mouthwash printable
$0.50/1 Listerine Antiseptic or Zero Mouthwash, exp. 3/31/12 (SS 01/08/12 #2)
$1/1 Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash printable
$1/1 Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash, New Total Care Zero Anticavity Mouthwash, Total Care Anticavity Mouthwash, or Listerine Zero Mouthwash printable
Limit 4

Olay Skin Care 6 count bars or Body Wash 15.2-23.6oz – 5.99
$1/1 Olay Bar, Body Wash or In-Shower Body Lotion, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12)
$1 off Olay Bar, Bodywash, In-Shower Body Lotion or Hand & Body Lotion wyb Secret, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12)
$2 off Secret wyb Olay Bar, Body Wash, or In-shower Body Lotion, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12 R)
Limit 4

Pantene Hair Care 6.6-12.6 oz Shampoo, Conditioner or Stylers – $3.49
$3/2 Pantene Product, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12)
Limit 4

Dial 8 count bar, 16-18oz Body Wash, 12oz Lotion or 32-52oz Hand Refils – $3.49
Limit 4

Crest or Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste or 1 count Oral-B Cross-action Toothbrush - $2.69
$0.50/1 Crest Toothpaste or Liquid Gel, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12)
$0.75/1 Crest Toothpaste, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12)
Limit 4

Safeway Nasal Decongestant 12hr, 10 count – $2.99

Kleenex Facial Tissues 70 or 100 count – $0.79
$0.50/3 Kleenex Boxes or Bundle Pack, exp. 1/29/12 (SS 01/01/12)
Limit 2

Downy or Bounce Fabric Softener 34 oz liquid, 80 ct sheets or Bounce bar – $3.99
$0.50/1 Downy Liquid, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12)
$1.50/2 Downy or Bounce Product, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12)
$0.50/1 Bounce Product, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12)
$1.50/1 Bounce Dryer Bar, exp. 1/31/12 (Vocalpoint Mailer)
$2.50/1 Bounce Dryer Bar, exp. 1/31/12 (Vocalpoint Mailer)
Limit 2

Duracell Batteries AA or AAA 8-10 count, C or D 4 ct., 9 Volt 2 count – $2 OFF
$1.50/1 Duracell Coppertop, Ultra Power, Ultra Photo Lithium or Specialty Batteries, exp. 1/31/12 (RP 12/11/11 R)
$1/1 Duracell Coppertop, Ultra Power, Ultra Photo Lithium or Specialty Batteries, exp. 1/31/12 (RP 12/11/11)
$0.75/1 Duracell Coppertop, Ultra Power, Ultra Photo Lithium or Specialty Batteries, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12)

Glad To Go Containers 3-8 count – $1.99
$1/1 Glad To Go Containers w/Dressing Cups printable (if included)
Limit 2

Reynolds Wrap Foil 35-75sq ft – $2.99
$1/1 Reynolds Wrap Product printable

Chinet Plates 15 count or Cups 18 or 25 count – $2.49
$1/1 Chinet Product printable
FREE Chinet Napkins wyb Chinet Plates printable
$1/2 Chinet Cut Crystal Cups or Plates, exp. 2/26/12 (SS 11/20/11 R) (if included)
Limit 2

Swiffer Refill 24-32 count or Clorox Wipes 150 count – $6.99
$0.50/1 Swiffer Refill or Dust & Shine, exp. 1/31/12 (P&G 01/01/12)
FREE Swiffer Sweeper Refill wyb Starter Kit printable
Limit 3

Febreze Air Effects, Set & Refresh or Glade Decor Scents – $2.50
Limit 3

Oxi Clean Stain Remover 6.2-21.5oz, 10 count packs or Safeway Ultra Detergent 50oz - $3.49
$1.50 off OxiClean Pre-Treater AND OxiClean Versatile Powder, Liquid, Gel, or Power Pacs printable

Fancy Feast Canned Cat Food 24/3oz pack – 10.99
Limit 3

Tidy Cats Scoop Litter 20lb – 5.99
Use $1/1 Purina Tidy Cats Cat Litter printable
Limit 3

Kingsford or Match Light Charcoal 6.3-8.3lb – $4.99

There are some great resources on MyLitter and I want to make sure that you know how to use them and where to find them! Many of these actually cost me money to have on my site and so I want to make sure that you take advantage of it!

One of the coolest tools to help you save some money and make your meal plans is the Coupon Database. What that is, is a place where all the unexpired coupons are listed. There are over 4,000 coupons cataloged at a time in this baby! You can find Target coupons, sort by brand, or item or even value.

First thing to do (see picture at top) hoover over the “Printable Coupons” tab in the navigation bar at the top of my blog.

After you “hover over” the “printable coupons” tab you will see the drop down in the picture below:

From here, just click on the “Coupon Database” image.

Did you know that you can even add coupons to it? If you find a great coupon that is not listed you can have it added to the database for others. This is a great way to share and help others coupon. Just go HERE to add a coupon. 

Once you are in the Database, go to the “search” and type in anything you are looking for. It can be ANYTHING! If you don’t find it the first time, try another brand.

Lets say for example that I am making spaghetti  for dinner. I can come to the database and look for all the coupons I will need for dinner before I go to the store. I might type in:

Pasta
Barilla
Tomato Sauce
Hunt’s
Garlic
Olive Oil
Garlic Bread
Diced Tomatos

Just type in your recipe and see what coupons you can find. As you can see, I typed in both the item I was looking for AND a name brand, just to make sure that I found the best coupon! Obviously, just type in 1 thing at a time.

In this search I needed diapers, so I typed in “Huggies” 33 different coupons matched. It breaks it down into the value of the coupon, where to find the coupon, any restrictions, and if it is a printable coupon the link to where you can print it.

Just because I always get this question! NO, you can’t print every coupon that is listed. Only the coupons that say “Printable” and have a blue link can you print from here.

What it does, is show you where you can find ALL the Huggies coupons out right now. Both printable and ones that come in the Sunday paper, in the mail, tear pads, blinkies, and peelies plus in the magazines!

If you have any questions, please ask them! I want this to be as easy as possible and for you to save the most money. Also, take advantage of the resources that are free on here for you!

As much as I love my MacBook and iMac, I will admit I have more problems printing coupons then others. I have noticed a big difference since the latest update of os Lion. Thanks to Mich-ael on Facebook for finding a solution. I hope that this helps you also if you are having problems not only on a Mac but on a PC as well.

This is what Mich-ael found:

We’re sorry to hear about your trouble printing. An update has been released to support printing on Safari 5.1 browser in native 64bit mode on Mac OS X Lion. You should also be able to print from your Firefox browser. If you have previously installed the Coupon Printer and cannot print coupons, please uninstall the Coupon Printer and reinstall it from this link http://print.coupons.com/c?ouponweb/help/print/instal?l.html to get the latest version. We hope this information has been helpful, please let us know if you continue to have issues printing by sending an email to support@couponsinc.com. Thanks for your support and cooperation

When you go to that link there is also the coupon printer update for Windows!

Hopefully that will help, I also have a few older posts that you can look through if you need more info and help.

How to print bricks coupons if you are having trouble.

Trouble finding and printing coupons? This might help!

How to save money on ink!

Let me know if that worked for you!

Does your coupon binder look like mine right now? I hope not, but at some point they do need some TLC! My kids went back to school today so that will give me a little time to get it taken care of! I know some of you have kids home until Wednesday or even later, so you might have to wait until then, OR get them to help you!

** FIRST - I want to tell you something you already know… when you have a clean, organized binder or storage method and coupons cut out, life is soooo much better! When you need to go to the store and have no coupons to take with you ready, it is frustrating as you know that you are just wasting money. Start off the New Year by giving yourself the gift of saving money by being able to find those coupons! 

Sadly, we have not gotten a lot of coupons in the past few weeks. This will make it easier to get everything sorted out though.

If you have inserts just piled around start by getting them all together by insert.  OR this also applies if you get really behind in cutting them out.

Always start by cutting the most recent inserts out first. These can be the most import ones to get cut out for a few reasons.

• Have the furthest expiration date
• You are not yet sick of cutting and will cut out more
• None are expired
• Coupon matchups are currently out for them

I store my coupons 2 different ways. Each week I cut out 3 of my inserts (every coupon) and I organize them in my binder. You can see how I organize my binder HERE and how to make one. The other 6 or so inserts I store in a file box as whole inserts. 

I label in big huge numbers the date that the insert came out. You can find the date by looking on the spine of the insert like in the picture above. Then I store them in the file box until I need a coupon and cut them out as I need them.

I started doing it this was because my binder was getting too big when I cut out about 10 inserts a week. Plus it was taking me too long and I was putting off doing it. If I can have at least 3 of each coupon with me in my binder I am really happy with that. If it is a HUGE sale and I have planned ahead I can cut out the additional coupons I will need and add them to my binder OR I might have to actually try and come back to take advantage of a deal if I don’t have enough coupons on me.

If you get too far behind get some help, or just start over! No worries just jump on in where ever you can! Last night I paid this little girl $5 to pull all the inserts out of the papers and sort them for me. It took her 2 hours, it would have taken me an hour, but sooooo worth $5!

Readers Amber & Jeri found these on clearance at her store, the Danimals were only $.99. I find these on sale and clearance a lot.

The reason that I use a coupon binder is so that I have all my coupons with me all the time. Most of the really good deals I find are unexpected. The cool thing is that unless they have marked out the barcode you can use a coupon on clearance item. There are always coupons for these items and you could possibly get them free depending on the coupon amount!

Thanks Jeri for sending the photo in!

Because today is Wednesday, and the grocery store matchups come out today, I wanted to make a quick video to show you how to find your store deals! There have been a few changes and it is better to be safe than sorry, you will need to find your deals!! They are not hiding they have just been moved!

It is early still, so hang in here with me!

Plus, for those of you who watch the video, there is a surprise!

So did you watch it? Did you learn anything? It was really boring huh?! I know, it was early, I just wanted to make sure you knew where to find a few things!

There is not a big surprise, I am just going to do a quick 24 hour giveaway… although these are really good!

Leave a comment on my blog to be entered to win a $49 Voucher to Peeled Snacks.  These are really yummy dried fruit snacks that are so naturally sweet they taste like candy! Shipping is $7, which I will send you $7 via Paypal to cover that so you are not out anything. Just leave a comment and let us know which Grocery Store matchups you look for! Winner will be picked Thursday morning and posted at 8am.

I would like to thank those of you who emailed me to let me know that you were missing my series… that was a complete FAIL on my part! I wrote them all out this weekend and was pretty proud of myself for having them all scheduled this week, only to have you guys point out that they were not posting. NICE. Sorry about that!

This week I want to talk about money saving apps for your phone. There are just about millions to choose from, most should be free or only about $.99 to buy, but it is hard to know what is worth having cluttering up your dash!

This week I want to highlight the apps I use (and the ones you like!) and see if there are any that can help you save some money! I have found that the apps I use, have paid for the extra service fees for having Internet and a data plan on my phone.

Gas Buddy - This FREE app helps you find the cheapest gas on the go. In one click, locate gas stations near you and see their current gas prices. Never overpay for gas again. I love this esp. since I have so many stations to choose from, now I know where to go!

Coupons.com - Of course! I love this app because it help me with matchups. BUT I see so many people in the store using it also. If you get to the store and wonder if you forgot a coupon or if there is a coupon for a product you can look it up now! If you can use a wireless printer you can also print from it as well! FREE also!

I got home from the FOX 26 segment I do on Monday’s and was so frustrated to see the problems that you are having with certain coupons and the CRAZY things that cashier’s and managers MAKE UP at the registers to explain why they will not take your coupons for no reason.

Also, there is a RUMOR going around in management at Walmart that they can not take any coupons that have a Del Rio, TX remit address. This rumor goes around every so often and I actually posted about it 2009!

THIS IS NOT TRUE!!!!

About 90% of coupons are submitted to either Del Rio, TX or El Paso, TX!

Del Rio Texas is the location of the processing center for International Outsourcing Services (IOS).

IOS is the United State’s largest coupon clearinghouse for grocery store retailers’ and manufacturers’ coupons.

Pull out a stack of coupons and look at the remit address… it is probably Del Rio, TX. For Walmart to not take any coupons that will be remitted to Del Rio, is completely incorrect!

O.K. I am done now… I just want management and ill informed cashier to STOP making things up. As the consumer, we need to be as educated as possible to know when they are not telling the truth. If you are ever unsure, please call the corporate office of that store and ask them to find out the answer for you.

This week I want to talk about money saving apps for your phone. There are just about millions to choose from, most should be free or only about $.99 to buy, but it is hard to know what is worth having cluttering up your dash!

This week I want to highlight the apps I use (and the ones you like!) and see if there are any that can help you save some money! I have found that the apps I use, have paid for the extra service fees for having Internet and a data plan on my phone.

Red Laser - LOVE this app! We have used it, I can’t even tell you how many times. Shop smarter. RedLaser Barcode Scanner searches for low online and local prices from hundreds of thousands of retailers. Features product results from Google, eBay, Milo, Shopping.com, Buy.com, Half.com, and TheFind!

We use this in the store to make sure that we are getting the best price. Recently we were shopping for Sperry shoes for my daughter, the store sis not have her size and they were a little pricey. We scanned the bar code on the box and found them for $20 less online and in her size! This app can be found for iPhone and Andriod. It is free.

Card Star - This app allows you to put ALL of your store loyalty cards on your phone so you can loose those annoying key chain fobs! All you do is type in your card number and the cashier just scans your phone, so there is no fumbling with trying to find the card! You can also add your library card, fitness club and any other card you scan and use! This app can be found for all iPhone and Android phones. It is free.

Stay tuned tomorrow, I will have more money saving apps for you!

A few weeks ago I posted the information below about fraudulent coupons below. I am still getting quite a few emails from readers that know people are using them and what should they do about it.

This is a hard one.

All you can really do is point them in the right direction. Show them this blog post or print off the CIC information sheet below.

After that if they choose to continue to steal from the store that is on them.

Now, here is another issue that I think needs to be addressed. A few people have said that they have been told the $6 Schick coupon from Coupons.com is fraudulent. They have even talked to corporate at Walmart and they said it was. This is a comment from a reader:

“I called customer service at the corporate headquarters who told me this coupon was fraudulent, they had flagged the coupon, and would no longer accept it. They cautioned me to be very careful when using Internet coupons as many are counterfeit or are a fraud.”

If I was to be told this at the register and embarrassed in front of people I would be furious. To be told it on the phone is bad enough, but they are not giving the entire story when they say things like this. Fraudulent is a word that is being tossed around a little too much. This coupon came from Coupons.com the MOST legit site to print coupons there is. I am sure they would not be happy to hear that they are being accused of fraud.

This is what I believe is going on.

This coupon is COMPLETELY legit, if YOU printed it off your computer from coupons.com. Someone decided to photo copy this coupon (which YOU CAN NOT DO!!!!) and once it is copied THAT particular bar code is what is fraudulent. Not the legit coupon YOU printed off! Because corporate and many store managers do not know anything about coupons, or the lingo, or how to read the reports from the CIC they assume falsely that ALL those coupons are fraudulent. Not the case.

What to do if they refuse your coupon saying it is fraudulent? Take a deep breath! Make sure you know where YOU got the coupon. Don’t take printable coupons from anyone and NEVER buy them. There is a phone number on the coupon that you can call and verify that it is legit. Call the manufacturer if you have to, to get confirmation that is is legit. Once you know that it is use it somewhere else. Never let anyone belittle you at a register. I would say, “Please do not accuse me of fraud or stealing, as I take that very personally. Let’s take a second to verify this coupon.” Be polite, step aside and call a manager. They will not want to spend the time to call and verify you will probably have to do that. Even if it is a $.25 coupon, I will take the time at this point in my life to feel better about a situation and to educate a cashier and manager if needed. Mostly because I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.

I have gotten a few emails this week regarding the above coupons. For some reason these are really making the email rounds right now. There are a few clues that should let you know that these are likely fraudulent coupons:

• They are “high value” – $3 off Oscar Mayer deli meat will likely make it free, at the most you might see $1 off.
• They are sent in a PDF format and do not come from the manufacturer.
• They just don’t “look” right.
• There are multiple coupons in the PDF from different manufacturers.

If you ever have any questions about coupons please go to the CIC (coupon information center) and look at the fraudulent coupon list and see if they are on there.

Here is the direct link to the Nestle coupon CIC info.

Thank you Lisa and everyone else that sent over these coupons this week!

**THIS DEAL IS ENDING SOON… CALL NOW IF YOU WANT IT!

After a very long and frustrating ordeal, I have been in contact with management who is able to help us with this deal. You can get the Houston Chronicle delivered to your home for $.50 each paper UNTIL September 26th. After that, the price goes up to $.75- $1.

YOU MUST FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS

These are the details:

• Up to 5 Sunday papers delivered each week.
• Must pay for each subscription for the entire year in advance (so $26 each or $130 for all 5 a year)
• If you already have a subscription, you can ADD to the one you have. If you get 3 now, you can add 2 at the $.50.

To get this deal you need to call  1-855-753-8265 (toll free).

This is not the Chronicle. This number is to a service that is hired to handle phone calls.

** DO NOT call the 713 number you must call the 855 number and TELL them that you want the multiple subscriptions delivered Sunday each.

IF you call the 855 number and they tell you they con’t do this deal. Hang up and call back to get someone else.

** If you have a problem with your subscription, DO NOT call the 713 number they will not be able to help you. You will  need to email doug.windsor@chron.com to get your order straightened out.

I get emails often asking if I sell coupon binders. I don’t because I would have to charge too much to make it worth the time to put together. Plus, we are all frugal ladies/men here and I figure you want to save some money and do it yourself! I have had a few different binders but I almost always have the same things on the inside.

You can watch a video HERE of how organize my binder.

Places to buy supplies. I would estimate it to cost about $40 to put together a good binder.

Binders:
I use a Case It Dual ring Binder. It has 2 sets of rings inside. In one side I put all my coupons for everything I would find in the grocery store and on the other side I put everything I would find at the drug stores. You can find a Case It binder HERE for $16.33 (this is a good price!)

Baseball Card Pages:
I use baseball card holder pages to store my coupons. I might have to fold them a little bit to get them to fit but I love being able to see everything that I have, and it makes it easy to pull out the expired ones! I get mine on Amazon because I need the thicker plastic to hold up longer. You can get them at Walmart, they are about 35 for $5.98. These pages at Walmart are cheaper quality and you will have to replace them after a while. They are located in the front of the store by the baseball and Pokemon cards. Target has a bigger pack for about $15 but they are always sold out. Go HERE to see the Pro Series for $14.99 on Amazon.

Page Dividers:
Use heavy duty ones, if they are the paper kind they will just tear, you need to use plastic.
Avery 8 Tab Write on Plastic $5.47
Avery Big Tab pastic dividers $2.99

I used a label maker to label mine so they look nice

Page Dividers (another method):
If you would like FREE binder divider pages, you can go HERE and get some I made. The file is very big and will take a minute to download, but they are really cute! If you do it this way, slip these pages into sheet protectors and use these as your dividers!

Finally, I ALWAYS have copies of all the coupon policies of the stores in my area. Your stores will be different then mine. To find the ones that you need, just Google your store name and add “coupon policy” at the end. That should bring them up.

• Walmart Coupon Policy
• Target Coupon Policy
• CVS Coupon Policy
• Walgreens Coupon Policy
• Kroger Southwest Coupon Policy
• Randalls Coupon Policy

Last but not least I always keep a pair of scissors and a small calculator in my binder

I have a favorite blog that I followed when I first started couponing. I almost quit following them because she always posted deals for King Soopers and Dominick’s. I loved her other deals but I needed someone who had deals for stores in my area.

Then one day I realized that many stores are affiliates of 1 main store or company! I also realized that although she was posting King Soopers deals, there were really the same as my Kroger deals!

Take a look at the images above, those are all Kroger affiliate stores. You might have 1 of those stores but can look at the ad for any of the other stores and see the same deals.

**Of course, prices can vary from state to state.

These images illustrate all the Safeway affiliate stores. I have Randalls here in Houston, Dallas has Tom Thumb and so on. Also, some regions ads come out on Sunday with a new ad and some are Wednesday. For example, Safeway ads usually come out on Sunday, my Randalls new ad comes out on Wednesday, so from Wednesday to Saturday we have the same ad.

Why are they not all called Kroger or Safeway? When these larger companies buy smaller chains, many times they keep the same names so people are comfortable shopping there.  (The buyout of Randall’s marked Safeway’s return to Texas ten years after the original stores in Houston were sold to AppleTree.)

Here are the Deep Discounted Stores:

• Aldi – U.S. operations of a German group
• Cash & Carry (Chicago)
• Food 4 Less (Los Angeles area and northern California; Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada)
• Grocery Outlet (West)
• Marc’s (Ohio)
  • Xpect Discounts (Connecticut)
• Sharp Shopper (Pennsylvania, Virginia)
• ShopRite (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania) – affiliates owned and operated by Wakefern Food Corporation
  • PriceRite (Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland, California) – owned by Wakefern
• Smart & Final (West), also owns Henry’s Farmers Market and Sun Harvest
• Supervalu (Midwest, mixed franchisee-and directly-owned stores, also owns banners including Cub Foods, Save-A-Lot, Acme)
• WinCo Foods (West)

Here are the National Chains:

• Aldi

• Costco Wholesale

• Delhaize Group
  • Bloom
  • Bottom Dollar Food (Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia)
  • Food Lion
  • Hannaford
  • Harveys
  • Sweetbay Supermarket

• Kroger
  • Baker’s
  • City Market
  • Dillons
  • Food 4 Less
  • Foods Co.
  • Fred Meyer
  • Fry’s Food and Drug
  • Gerbes
  • Hilander
  • JayC Food
  • King Soopers
  • Pay Less Food
  • QFC
  • Ralphs
  • Smith’s Food and Drug
  • Scott’s Food & Pharmacy

• Piggly Wiggly

• Safeway
  • Carrs
  • Dominick’s
  • Genuardi’s
  • Pavilions
  • Randalls
  • Tom Thumb
  • Vons

• Sam’s Club

• Sears Holdings Corporation
  • Kmart Supercenters

• SuperValu
  • Acme Markets
  • Albertsons
  • Cub Foods
  • Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy
  • Hornbacher’s
  • Jewel-Osco
  • Lucky
  • Save-A-Lot
  • Shaw’s
  • Shop ‘n Save
  • Shoppers Food & Pharmacy
  • Star Market

• SuperTarget

• Walmart Supercenters

• Whole Foods Market

Thanks to Wikipedia!

Some readers are having trouble finding the coupons they want because they are not sure where to put that zip code to get the same ones that everyone else is getting.

When I post a deal or matchup and there is a printable coupon associated with that deal, usually from Coupons.com, many times you will need to use a certain zip code to find that coupon. All you do is click on the link I provide and when you get to the Coupons.com page (above picture) you will need to look in the left hand corner.

You can see above where I used 77380 ( spring, TX) as the zip code. Many times we suggest 90210, or 77477 and this is where you would type the zip code to get the different coupons. Hope that helps!

This is the magical time of year that you can find coupon binders for a good price. Walmart currently has the Case It double rings for $14.97. Any other time of the year and these bad boys are $25 on Amazon if you can find them!

If you are looking to get a binder, get one now. If you want to live on the edge, you can wait a few weeks and see if you can pick one up on clearance or marked down after school has started.

You can watch a video HERE of how I do my binder.

This is how I organize my binder:
These are the categories that I have in my binder.

First section:

Second Section:

Places to buy supplies. I would estimate it to cost about $40 to put together a good binder.

This is reader Holly M’s. stockpile in her garage. I Love, Love, Love her peg board! I have wanted a place to put one for a few years now. If I would have realized how easy it was to make one I would have done it by now! Holly made this one herself (no help from the husband!) quickly and they don’t cost that much.

The reason that I would like the peg board is to be able to hang some of those items that fit weirdly in a box or basket. Razors are a space killer for me. I would to be able to hang them and other items like they are hanging in the store.

I called Home Depot and they have a 4×8 peg board for $16.75 and a 2×4 for $7.97. You will need something behind it to push it out from the wall so you can put your hangers in. Holly used a dowel screwed into the wall, you can also use a piece of flat trim. If you can find the studs in your wall I would attach it to those to hold the weight. Holly did not hit any with hers but my luck if I didn’t it would come crashing down with any weight

Once you have the dowel or trim on the wall you can attach the peg board to them. Holly used 5 screws on top and 4 on the bottom.

Once the peg board is on, the hangers to hang them with are around $.87 each OR a better deal is a bag of 32 for $6.98. Basically for under $20 you have an awesome holder for you stockpile items to hang.

Do any of you have a peg board? How did you make yours?

From Holly:

Hey guys.. This was VERY EASY to do. I bought the flat trim at Home Depot like Tiffany explained. I had them cut the trim for me at no extra charge. They cut it exactly in the middle and it was the perfect length as I used the 2×4 peg board. I used a few small screws and attached the trim to the back first and then had one of the kiddos hold the whole thing up against the wall as I drilled a long screw into each corner. Like Tiffany said, it is SO much easier to hang things like razors, fly swatters, the benadryl itch sticks, etc on it. They just don’t look as nice stuffed in a bucket. Hubby works for wal-mart so it’s like an OCD thing for him to face all of our shelves even after a hard days work, lol !! I hope you all find this as easy as I did. It was a great inexpensive investment. I plan on doing another one next to it this weekend. And Tiffany: Good Find on the 32 pack of pegs. I bought them individually at Home Depot for almost $1 each. That’s why I don’t have very many !! Thanks. I’ll be sure to get them in bulk next time.

This past weekend, having kidnapped my  nieces for a few days, I finally had to return them to their parents. On the way into the city there is the distribution center for all produce for much of the city of Houston. It is like a huge warehouse market area with lots of trucks and loading docks. One of the vendors also sells produce in an un-airconditioned building (this info is important because we are talking about Texas!).

BTW- Is there really a cuter baby? Don’t answer that…

What I like best about this place is not the prices, but that it really gets the kids excited about eating vegetables! They start begging, I mean asking for fruit and vegetables! Wow, who knew? They always want to try new things, I give each child a bag and have them help me decide what we will be having for dinner this week. They can also pick out what they want to eat.

The prices are a little bit less then what you can find in the local stores. It is not low enough to make a special trip, but if I am anywhere close it is worth it to stop.

This is the place, that when we started a fruit and vegetable co-op they delivered to us. They also deliver to most of the restaurants and small grocers. Consider finding where your stores get their produce from and buying it direct OR just go and check things out, maybe they have a little store like our that you can purchase from.

I paid about $33 for what you see in the picture above.

If you are in Houston:
Caninos Farmers Market
2520 Airline Dr
Houston, TX 77009

I really wish I had not gone with the 5 things, this could really be a list of about 100. For all the wonderful deals I get at a warehouse store there are so many that are not a good deal. Unfortunately, buying in bulk doesn’t always mean that you get the best deal. The most important thing to do when shopping at a Sam’s club or other store is to price everything out BY THE OUNCE. This will let you know if you are getting something cheaper then at the grocery store with or without coupons. Of course this means that you need to have an idea of what you are paying at the grocery store, that is your homework! Start keeping a list, or paying attention to it!

These are the top 5 things that I think are the worst deals at a warehouse store:

1. Razors! Hands down! This was what I would GO to Sam’s for. A refill for mens razors last time I looked was almost $50. That was for 15 cartridges, I won’t pay more then about $1.50 for a new razor that has 2 blades in it. I am looking at about $20, worst case for the same thing plus all the new razor handles.

2. Toothbrushes and Toothpaste - A pack of toothbrushes at Sams is $13.88 for a 6 pack. People pay for toothbrushes?!! They pay $2.25 for one? My price point for a toothbrush is FREE, if I am paying more then that I don’t feel like it is a good deal OR it better be a pretty dang nice toothbrush and cost me $1! Toothpaste, is also pricey, at over $2 a tube as well. We are getting it free again this week at Kroger.

3. Gum and Candy - First, I don’t really want a bulk amount of candy around my house, I don’t want anyone eating that much sugar. Second, there are too many coupons out for single packs to pay $9.88 for a bag of M&M’s. Even if I really like the Peanut Butter kind! If I wait I know that I can get the single serve bags and packs for as little as free to $.25 a bag. Gum should also be one of those things where you get close to free, not $5 for a 3 pack for Trident, when Walgreens had them $.12 each last week.

4. Photos – Now, I have purchased 100′s of photos at Sam’s club in the past, and if I need them asap same day, I would have to go back. They charge $.13 a print. I can get 100 prints for $.02 a photo if I order online to one of the 20 different places that myself and other bloggers post regularly. When you get a bunch at a time that is the difference between paying $13 for 100 or paying $2.

5. Cereal! This makes me sick to think of how much cereal I have bought in the past at Sams without even looking at the price. They have bags and boxes of cereal priced as much as $4-$5 dollars a regular box! That same box I can get at the store with coupons for $1 – $1.25.

I could easily keep going… tuna, soup, spaghetti sauce, pasta, cookie and brownie mix, yogurt, etc. are all much cheaper at the grocery store with coupons.

Although you can get them cheaper at the grocery store, it means that you still need to shop smart. If you are prepared with or with out coupons you will know when you see a good price and maybe the best price IS at a warehouse store. The most important thing to do is start paying attention to the prices of the things that your family uses everyday, some things break down to price per ounce, so you can even compare that from grocery store to grocery store. OR grocery store to Walmart.

Here are some free printable sheets to help you get started:

• Price Book Sheet – Track you prices by date, store, item, price etc.
• Shopping List – You spend 40% less when you have a list!

If you missed my 5 things I WILL buy at Sams Club you can go HERE.

People ask all the time if I shop at Sams Club or Costco. The answer is…. sometimes. The first few kids we had we shopped at Sams club all the time. I always bought in bulk just like my Mom had with my large family growing up. But after I started couponing and paying attention the cost per ounce on items, I quickly found that I was paying less at the grocery stores with coupons. For 5 years we didn’t have a membership. My parents still had theirs and occasionally I would tag along to see what I was missing, especially on Saturdays to get the samples.

These are the things that I buy personally at Sams Club because I think they are cheaper.

1. Gas. At our Sams Club here the gas is a good $.10 cheaper. This would be my #1 reason to have a card again.

2. Twin Mattresses. Weird I know, but in our experience we have gotten the best deals consistently at Sams on mattresses for our kids. If you figure a mattress and box spring for 7 kids we have bought a few! I always do my research and we always find the best deal at Sams Club. We paid $119 for a nice pillow top twin in June.

3. Honey. We use A LOT of honey around here. Price per ounce Sams has the best deal. Plus, there is not always coupons for honey and when there is, they are the more expensive brands.

4. Dinner Rolls. I buy the big bags of 25 for around $2.50. We use these all year long for school lunches. They are the perfect size for sandwiches for the kids. Probably not worth the membership alone, but I always grab a bag when we are in.

5. Tilapia Fillets. Price per pound I can’t beat the price for the individually wrapped frozen tilapia fillets. We eat a lot of fish so I watch for it to go on sale, I can’t beat the everyday price at Sams.

Do you shop at the warehouse stores? What do you buy?

Stay tuned for the 5 things I will NOT buy….

** Check out my LOADED binder giveaway on Facebook.

I would only get a binder that has a handle and for me a carrying strap. I have to hang onto too many kids in a parking lot to be carrying this anywhere other than my shoulder. : )

I use a Case It brand binder that has 2 rings inside. One is a 2 1/2 inch ring and the other is 1 inch ring.

In Aug. for back to school it is easy to find these binders.

The left section is bigger and holds all my coupons for groceries or things I might find in a grocery store. The right side I use for everything that I buy at CVS or Walgreens. Toiletries and Pharmacy items.

I love this binder because it has so many pockets and zipper bags. I keep store circulars, grocery cards, coupon books and scissors here.

PUT YOUR NAME IN YOUR BINDER! Just incase you loose or forget it in the cart, make sure someone can get it back to you!

I use baseball card holders to store my coupons. I have a few clear CD pages in here but those are just in the back for really big coupons I can’t fold. I cut and put all my coupons in at one time. You can watch aVIDEO HERE how I do this, its on my old site, so don’t get freaked out!  This method is best for me. I love to be able to flip through the pages and see exactly what I have, it also makes pulling out expired’s easy. My sections of the binder are labeled like the isles of a grocery store. I sit my binder in the child seat of the cart ( if a kid is there I have to put the binder in the cart) than I as I walk down the isles I just flip to that section of the binder and can easily see what coupons I have.

These are the categories that I have in my binder.

First section:

Dairy

Snacks

Baking

Canned

Deli

Boxed

Frozen

Drinks

Cereal

Cleaning

Non-Food

Pets

Mom/Baby

Second Section:

Deodorant

Teeth

Shaving

Lotion

Shampoo

Make-Up

Pharmacy

Paper

Places to buy supplies. I would estimate it to cost about $40 to put together a good binder.

Binders:

During the back to school sales try Target, Walmart, Walgreens and the Office Supply Stores.

Baseball Card Pages:

I get mine at Walmart, they are about 35 for $5.98. They are located in the front of the store by the baseball and Pokemon cards. Target has a bigger pack for about $15 but they are always sold out. I have heard that people get them at the Dollar Store but I have looked for a year and have never seen them.

Page Dividers:

Again, usually Walmart. Just make sure you don’t use the paper pages, they will tear in no time. Get the plastic pages. I used a label maker to label mine.