Last night I did a big coupon trip to Target.  I don’t do these often and it had been awhile.  I have been pretty much fallen off the coupon wagon lately and needed to get back at it.  We had just been doing our big Trader Joe’s trips and more frequent small trips to the grocery store for things like lunch meat, buns, milk etc (these small trips are dangerous though and we want to be better at avoiding them).  We get organic beef locally, eggs from a friend, and some produce at the Saturday Market and Costco.   But, our stockpiles were diminishing and I wanted to make sure I used my good coupons before the baby came and they expired.

At the same time I was “Targeting,” hubby ran (literally) to Walgreens with the twins in the BOB to get some other coupon items…..I just think he is amazing!  What is better than a husband who watches the kids, runs with them, uses coupons correctly, and loads it all back up to run home?  I am still trying to picture the whole thing.  Somehow he fit a pack of diapers, 2 things of toothpaste, 2 cans of oatmeal, 3 rolls of tin foil, and a rain cover in case the weather turned.

Here is what I got:

(Sorry for the iPhone pic)

Pack of Huggies diapers-$4.50

Big bag of Huggies wipes-$3.50

Shout-42 cents

Butterfinger candy bar-free

Ritz Crackerfulls-free

Kraft mac-free

Olive Oil mayo-free

Welche’s White Grape-$1.64 (kids don’t really drink much juice so I might make popsicles with it)

Deli meat-free

2 Activia yogurts-66 cents each

3 boxes of Fiber One cereal-about 75 cents each

2 Boxes of Fiber One bars- about a dollar each

4 pack of lightbulbs-50 cents

Wet Ones-$1.50

Strawberry Shortcake bandages- 87 cents

Armor All tire cleaner- 29 cents (reg $3.29)

Armor All leather cleaner-$1.80 (reg $5.29)

2 Toy Story Playtex sippies-$5.74

Total before coupons-$77.73

Total after coupons-$30.37

Minus $5 gift card from Fiber one deal-$25.37

Pretty sweet since the regular price of the diapers, wipes, and sippies alone is $23.47

Everything went smoothly on this trip.  Cashier did great.  Only one coupon beeped and she pushed it right through since it was a valid use.  I usually ask if they want the coupons with the items, or all at the end…she said at the end was good except the ones for free products. So I put all my items up first with their corresponding “freebie” coupon and it worked great.  That way she was not searching for the price of the item at the end when she needed to fill out the value. As always, I warned the lady behind me that I had a lot of coupons in case she wanted to change lanes.  She was not overly friendly with me until she got curious how I was getting the deals.  Only one hitch of the trip… as I was trying to watch my coupons go through, and give her a 20 second coupon run-down, her little son lifted up my shirt to see what in the world was under there (I am about 12 days from due date).  Must look pretty pregnant of small children are curious what is under my shirt.

Did you score any great deals this week?

Sign up to win “Free milk for a year” and you can get a coupon for a free half gallon of chocolate milk with the purchase of 2 gallons of regular milk.

We go through tons of milk and my hubby loves chocolate milk as a treat. It says you can purchase any brand of milk to get your free half gallon of chocolate ($3 limit). I am wondering if I might even be able to find some organic chocolate milk to use the coupon on?

Sign up quickly before it reaches its limit!

Were you able to get your coupon?

Had to throw this post up to tell you that Babysteals.com and Kidsteals.com both have Ju-Ju-Be products featured this morning for 50% off. I LOVE Ju-Ju-Be products and they are very rarely on sale. The quality is amazing, they are super fun, and WASHABLE!

Kidsteals has a Mini be in “Groovy Garden” for $35

The Mini be works well as a smaller diaper bag for just the basics, a toddler/kid back back, or an easy to carry purse.

Babysteals has a Belights in “Pink and Green” for $17.50 (Groovy Garden is sold out)

The Belight is a great comfortable bag that is easy to throw on your body. I am excited to use it with the next baby when I am wearing them in a sling or carrier and need a bag that won’t interfere or weigh me down.  It comes with a light changing pad. I have heard that people are surprised how much this little bag can hold.  Since the straps tie they are also easily adjustable.

In case you were wondering, I got the Belight in Pink and Green…then I found out there was the Mini be on Kidsteals and I am telling myself that I made the right “decision” between the two.

(Photos from Babysteals.com)

Most everyone I know loves shopping at Target. The merchandise is appealing, the clothes are things you might actually want to wear, and the hunt for a good markdown is fun.  After shopping there for a bit I have learned a few tricks that help me make the most of my money.

-Target stores often do markdowns on Thursdays.  They manually scan and then tag the items with red stickers and either leave the item where it is, or often move it to an end cap.

-Common clearance markdowns include 15%, 30&, 40%, 50%, 75%, and 90% (occasionally other markdowns can be seen).  Consumable household items (zip lock bags, toothpaste etc.) often start off at 15%, while goods like clothes often start at 30%.

-Don’t just look for the red clearance sticker! Be sure to check the upper right hand corner of the red sticker for a number that will tell you what percentage off the item is.  15% off is not that impressive and a regular sale price is often times lower than that.

-Toy clearances happen twice a year. Once in August to make way for new toys for the Christmas season, and then again after Christmas.  I usually wait for them to hit 50%-75% off and then stock up.

-TARGET NOW PRICE MATCHES! Take the full add from the other store to the customer service desk and they will match for the exact same item. This even works on things like food items.  If you have a manufacturer coupon, a target coupon, and price match if it is cheaper somewhere else you can get a great deal! Price matching is a great way to prevent driving all over town to get the best deal.

-Target has coupons. There have been some changes recently and I believe that some of the coupons on their site are now manufacturer coupons for Target and some are still store coupons. Since you can only use one of each type on an item the Target coupons are more exciting because you can still pair them with a manufacturer coupon from your Sunday fliers or coupons.com coupons etc.

Valuable Target links:

Target coupons!!!

Target’s coupon policy

Target’s price matching policy

If you are a big couponer you might want to print those policies out.  Keep them with your coupons in case you need to refer to them in the store or politely show your cashier.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions or tips!

What is your favorite Target product, line, or snack?

The Children’s Place has their very cute Rugby sweaters on sale this week for $5. They have sizes from infant through big kid.  If you use the code GGAC9 you should get an additional 15% off making them $4.25! Shipping is $5 on any size order.  The $5 Rugby sweater sale is also going on in the stores, but I felt I was more likely to find the sizes and colors online than in the store. With the 15% off code it basically made up for my shipping. They also have matching hats (my favorite), mittens, and scarfs. If you need these for your kids or gifts SHOP FAST……some sizes are selling out.

I won’t go into all the details, but things around our house have been a bit crazy.  Sadly, my blogging time has suffered.  Hopefully I will be able to gradually get back into the swing of things.

The deals seem to be increasing and its the perfect time for me to start getting more posts up.

Here are a few of my favorite deals out there right now.

Are you in charge of the fruit salad?

Get 50 cents off certain Dole products with this coupon.  If it goes on sale and your store doubles this should be able to score some FREE fruit. If you go to the link it is currently on the first page. This coupon will probably reach its limit soon. You can print two per computer by hitting the back button as soon as the first prints.

Other coupons.com coupons I think are definately worth printing:

$1 off (one) Special K Blueberry cereal

55 cents off any Challenge Dairy product

$1 off (2) boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta

$1 off Good Earth tea

There are also some other great cereal coupons, some Pillsbury coupons, and even some Hasbro toy coupons.

Things to remember on your next shopping trip:

Keep your eyes open for great deals on baking ingredients during the holidays and stock up!

Also, If your family enjoys eating some Thanksgiving favorites throughout the year (like stuffing, cranberry sauce, olives, etc), be sure to stock up this week when they are on sale!

Here are some of my favorite resources! Enjoy!

Internet printable coupon sites:

Coupons.com

SmartSource.com

RedPlum.com

My favorite place to print Target store coupons:

OrganicGroceryDeals.com

Blogs that have lots of great deals and coupon match ups:

Money Saving Mom

Bargain Briana

Mommy Snacks

Store Specific Blogs:

Attention Target Shoppers

Great for freebies:

Freebies 4 Mom

“Deal”icious Mom

Great local coupon match-ups:

Frugal Living NW

Word of mouth program:

Vocalpoint

Rebate program for online shopping (Easy to use and includes many popular retailers):

Ebates

Home Made Simple coupon book (temporary link):

Sign up here

Leave a comment with your favorite coupon/bargain/freebie resources!

I love sifting through all the online deals to find my favorites to share with you! Here are a couple great freebies I am seeing right now.

Kodak is giving away a FREE $15 gift code through your email address to the first 300,000 who sign up. It looks like there will be a three phases where they release 100,000 at a time.  This would be a great way to order some pics that have been collecting on your computer or check a Christmas gift off your list. Above is a picture of a very cute photo book designed by Martha Stewart that starts at $9.99.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Edible Arrangements is giving away a 6ct box of chocolate dipped fruit to the first 100,000 who become a fan on Facebook. After you become a fan click on the “free Dippedfruit” tab to register. I am guessing this one will go pretty fast. It looks like you can pick it up to avoid shipping if you have a location near you.  It if you are a neighbor of mine you will have to pay shipping or drive just a bit to pick them up. What a yummy treat!

Thanks Bargain Briana and Money Saving Mom!

Were you able to get these? Have any questions?

I just found this coupon today and I am SO excited about it.  We love Happy Baby products.  Go here to print your coupon for one FREE product (states one per person). I have found the best selection at Whole Foods and when you have a good coupon it is a great place to redeem them. You can also find a small selection of their products at some Targets and other retailers.  Print your coupon quickly. They probably won’t leave this offer up for long!

There are many online stores that have sales frequently.  Many times the shoes that are at a significant savings are the ones that have been on clearance for quite some time or just have a couple sizes left.  When I saw this sale I thought it was worth mentioning!

Piperlime (sister company to Gap, Old Navy etc.) is hosting its “Sweet Deal Event” and has 30% off a great selection of kids shoes.  Some of the brands featured rarely go 30% off.  Piperlime also always has free shipping (and free return shipping within 45 days). If your kids need shoes this is a good time to get some nice shoes at great prices!

Some brands include:

• Pediped-These are GREAT prices for them!
• See Kai Run (only saw their “Smaller” line for babies)
• Robeez
• Keen
• Umi
• Primigi
• Converse
• Puma
• New Balance
• Stride Rite
• Naturino
• Teva
• Keds
• Geox

Thanks Baby Cheapskate!