COUPON: Ore-Ida Steam 'n Mash

I love these Ore-Ida Steam n Mash potatoes, we tried them for the first time at Thanksgiving and we were quite impressed at both how easy they were and how good they tasted.  You can grab a $1/1 coupon here (look for the button on the left side of the page). While you are there they are looking for new creative ways to mash potatoes in their Mash Destruction contest.

Publix Coupon Matchups

I'm happy to say that for the second week in a row I'll be able to do a super cheap shopping trip.  Passionate Penny Pincher has her Publix Coupon Matchups posted.

I'll only be picking up a few items this week:

Marzetti Simply Dressed Dressing, 12oz jar - BOGO $3.49
-use $1/1 coupons from 1/30 SmartSource or
-print $1/1 coupons
= 2/$1.49 (or .75 each)

Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Regular or Organic Imported, 16oz bot - BOGO $6.65
-print $1/1 coupons
= 2/$4.65 (or $2.33 each)

Sargento Shredded Cheese, 5-8oz pkg - $2.00
-print $1.50/1 Extra Sharp Cheddar or Pepper Jack Publix Store coupons 
=.50 each 

K-Cup FREE Samples!

Barista Prima Coffeehouse is offering a FREE sampler pack of their k-cups.  Go here to sign up for it.

FREE Canvas is BACK!

I love this deal and I love the beautiful pictures we've had put on canvas and hung around our house thanks to this deal.  And now it's back .... again.

Get a FREE 8x10 canvas from Canvas People, just pay shipping.  If you want to upsize you can do that with a massive discount as well ($50 off). Click here to check out this deal and order your free canvas.

Half Off Deals: Questions To Ask Before You Buy

Before you jump on that 50% Off Daily Deal you are about to buy, take a closer look at the deal, and ask yourself a few questions.

1. How likely am I to use this deal?  If the deal is for someplace you never go, are you any more likely to go there if you have it already paid for?  Probably not.  If it's someplace you've been wanting to try, you might.  If it's one of your favorite places, you'll probably use the deal as soon as it's available.

2. Will you use it before it expires?  See question 1.  For us, there are some places we like but only at certain times of the year.  So if the deal is only good for 6 months will we use it within that time frame?  Or will we forget we have it before it gets used?  Always check the fine print on these deals to know how long you have to use them before they expire.  If you don't use them before they expire you just wasted money buying the deal.

3. How much will it really save you?  This is a big one, and one we've had to ask ourselves more and more lately.  It seems that the daily deal sites and the restaurants have caught onto the fact that the real way to make money on these deals is to give you a deal that is 50% off an amount that is higher than what you would normally spend.  If the average ticket for 2 people is $20 then make the deal for 50% off $30.  The end result is that in order for the person to get their money's worth they will either have to bring an extra person, or order more... or forgo a portion of their "savings".  Given the example of above, if you normally only spend $20 for dinner for 2 and you buy a deal that is 50% Off of $30, you'll really only be saving $5 (or 25%) Off of what you'd normally pay.

If the restaurant is one you aren't familiar enough with to know their prices, check them out online before you buy and get an idea of what you should expect your bill to be.  Due diligence will save you a lot more money than any 50% Off deal.

Coupons In My Mail

Lately, I've enjoyed taking the time to email the companies whose products I enjoy.  Last week I emailed 3 different companies (actually probably more than that) and they all not only emailed me back but sent me coupons in the postal mail.

Fresh Step Cat Litter - this is the only cat litter I've used for years.  I know I tried others when I first got my kitties but Fresh Step was the only one that really did what it said and kept the odors away. 

Their Response: 1 coupon for FREE Fresh Step cat litter up to 21lb.

Starkist Tuna - it's the only tuna I buy and I used to hate the cans and having to drain them. So, when they came out with pouches I cheered.  When I found coupons online a couple of weeks ago for .50 cents off and the pouches were on sale for $1 (and the .50 cent coupon doubled making them free) I cheered!  So, while I was cheering, I emailed them to thank them for coming out with the pouches.

Their Response: 2 coupons for .75 Off 2 Starkist products.

Fresh Express Salad - There's just no way I'm going to chop lettuce to make a salad.  So, if I'm eating salad at home you can guarantee it's a packaged salad.  Fresh Express salads were on sale for 2 weeks at Publix, BOGO.  I bought a couple including their "Strawberry Fields" spinach salad kit.  It was quite good. So, I emailed them to tell them so.

Their Response: 4 coupons for .55 Off 1 packaged salad

Not bad for maybe 5 minutes of time spent to email these companies and pass along my praise.  While I was emailing I also emailed Thomas bagels.  This was the most surprising response of all.  Within 10 minutes of sending the email my phone rang.  It was a rep from Thomas Bagels/ Bimbo bakery (do you not love that name!) letting me know that they could not send me any more coupons because they'd just sent me a few last month for Arnold Bread (my favorite bread) but they did want to thank me for the compliments and let me know that I could request more coupons next year.  So, I didn't get any coupons from that email but any company that will take the time to not just reply but to call a customer like that, is a win in my book.  They could have just ignored me.  They could have emailed, but they called!  Who does that!  Evidently, Bimbo Baker does! LOL

Cooking From My Stockpile : Shephard's Pie

I love Shephard's Pie and always have, but I'm terrible with making anything to do with gravy.  So I was so happy when I ran across this recipe the other day.  So this is what we are having for dinner tonight, all using items from our stockpile.  I'm making mashed potatoes from scratch using potatoes I got FREE at Publix several weeks ago (we cut them up and froze them).  Granted, I also have plenty of packets of instant mashed potatoes on hand that I could have used.

Shephard's Pie
1 bag mixed frozen veggies
1lb hamburger (or ground turkey or chicken)
1 lb potatoes (boiled and mashed) or mashed potatoes from a box
1 jar Heinz beef gravy
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup cheese (shredded or velveeta)

Brown the ground meat and onion.  Add the veggies and stir.  Cook for a couple of minutes to let the veggies thaw.  Add the gravy and mix.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Pour it all in a casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes and cheese.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown.

FREE: Bag of Beauty Samples

There's a sweet deal over at Target that you can sign up for.  Sign up and get a free bag of beauty samples and coupons.  I love me some free samples and it's even better when I get a whole bag of them!

Click here to sign up for your free bag of beauty samples.

Sunday Coupons 3/6

We had 2 inserts this week, 1 Redplum and 1 SmartSource.

Redplum

• $1/1 bag of DOVE Chocolates
• .75/2 single bars of DOVE Chocolate
• $3 OFF any Nature's Bounty CO Q 10
• $4 OFF any FLex-a-min supplement
• $2 OFF any Nature's Bounty supplement
• $2 OFF any L'Oreal Cosmetic Face Product
• $2 OFF any L'Oreal Powder, Blush, or Primer
• Save $1.50 WYB BOTH Folger's Instant 8oz or larger AND an International Delight creamer
• $1.50/ 3 StarKist products (expires 3/20)
• .75/2 Starkist products 
• BOGO Pure Protein bars
• $1 OFF any Pure Protein powder
• $1 / 1 Pedigree Jumbone
• $1 / 1 Pedigree Marrobone
• $1/1 Goodlife Recipe Food for Cats
• .75 / 1 Jimmy Dean Fully Cooked product
• $3 OFF any Ester-C product
• $6 Osteo-Bi-Flex caplets, softgels or powder (excludes liquid)
• $3/1 bag of NEW Pedigree Food for Dogs (3.5lbs or larger)
• BOGO Pedigree Canned Food for Dogs
• $1/1 Mr. Clean twin pack or 2 Mr. Clean products
• $2 / 1 3ct-4ct Gillette Mach 3 or Venus disposable
• $3 / 1 6ct or larger Gillette Mach 3 or Venus disposable
• $2 / 1 Wisk laundry detergent
• .35 / 1 BornFree or BF Family Shell or Hard Boiled Eggs
• .55 / 1 package of Popeye, Allens or Veg-all SteamSupreme Brand Frozen Vegatables
• .75 / 1 Dole frozen fruit package
• $1 / 3 Birdes Eye Steamfresh varieties
• .30 / 1 family size On-Cor entree
• $1 / 1 Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich or bowl
• .75 / 1 Bob Evans frozen stuffer item
• $1 / 1 bag of El Monterey Mexican snacks - taquitos, tamales, mini chimis or quesadillas
• $1 / 1 Jose Ole item (16oz or larger)
• .75 / 1 Rosina meatballs
• $2 / 1 4oz tube of JointFlex Pain Relieving Cream

SmartSource

• FREE Accu-Chek Aviva meter with purchase of any ACCU-CHEK Aviva test strips
• Save $1 on Fresh Beef WYB 2 Classico Pasta sauces
• .40/1 New York brand frozen products
• $1 / 2 Boxes General Mills cereals
• .50 / 1 box Total cereal
• .50 / 1 box Chex cereal
• .75 / 2 Nature Valley granola bars
• .50 / 1 box Chex Mix treats, Golden Grahams treats OR Milk 'n Cereal bars
• .50 / 2 boxes Betty Crocker fruit snacks
• .50 / 1 Yoplait Delights Yogurt Multi-packs
• .40 / 1 box Fiber One Chewy bars OR 90 Calorie Chewy bars
• .40 / 1 box Fiber One 90 Calorie Chewy bars
• .40 / 1 pouch (17.5 oz or larger) Betty Crocker Cookie mix
• $1.50 / 1 Wanchai Ferry frozen entree
• .50 / 1 Yoplait Kids cup yogurt
• .50 / 1 Hormel Natural Choice deli sandwich meat or chicken strips
• .30 / 4 Campbell's Condensed Great for Cooking soups
• .75 / 1 bottle Kraft BBQ sauce
• $1.50 / 1 Pedialyte product
• $1 / 1  any Tyson Any'tizers bag
• $1 / 1 Tyson Any'Tizers Homestyle Chicken Fries
• $1 / 1 Celestial Seasonings tea
• $4 Off 2 Dinner Entrees at Olive Garden
• $2 Off 2 Lunch Entrees at Olive Garden
• $1 / 1 WONKA Exceptionals bar (3.5oz) or bag (8.5-9.5oz)
• $1 / 1 WONKA Exceptionals bag (8.5-9.5oz) or Fun Size bag (12oz or larger)
• .75 / 1 Farm Rich product
• .55 / 1 20oz bottle of New Faultless MAXX spray starch
• $3 Off food purchase of $10 or more at Logans
• $5 Off food purchase of $20 or more at Logans
• BOGO Airwick spray
• $1 / 1 Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste
• $1 / 1 Midnite or Midnite PM
• .55 / 1 Luden's 25ct or 30ct bag
• $1 / 1 AirWick Scented Oil twin refill pack (or 2 single refills)
• Get a Double Fresh Warmer Unit WYB Airwick Scented oil refill fragrance
• $1 / 1 CustomEyes Mascara or any Revlon Color Cosmetic product
• $1 / 1 ColorBurst Lipgloss or any Revlon Color Cosmetic product
• $2 / 1 Almay cosmetic product
• $1 Off People magazine
• $1 / 1 package Scott towels (Dollar General coupon)
• $1 / 1 Windex product (Dollar General coupon)
• $1 / 1 Pledge product (Dollar General coupon)
• $2 / 1 Gold Bond Ultimate deep moisture body wash
• $1.50 / 1 Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra refill (3 coupons)
• $1 / 1 Lysol No Mess Automatic Toilet Bowl cleaner
• $1 / 24 3oz cans of Fancy Feast
• $2.50 / 1 Hartz Ultraguard flea & tick topical drops
• $1 / 1 Fruitables 46oz bottle or 8pk juice boxes
• .75 / 1 Finish Quantum, Powerball or Gelpac
• .55 / 1 Finish Jet Dry
• .40 / 1 Finish dishwasher cleaner
• $1 / 2 Lysol toilet bowl cleaners
• $1 / 2 Lysol bathroom cleaners
• $1 / 2 Lysol anti-bacterial kitchen cleaners
• $1 / 2 Lysol multi-surface cleaner pourables
• $1 / 2 Lysol all purpose cleaner triggers
• $1 / 2 Lysol disinfecting wipes
• $1.50 / 1 Crunch 'n Clean dog biscuit or treat

To get a heads up on what's coming next week, be sure to check out the Sunday Coupon Preview

Swiffer Deal at Walgreens This Week

I posted previously about the Swiffer deal at Walgreens that starts today, however I may have given wrong info (actually, I'm pretty sure I did).  Since the deal is Buy $10 worth of certain products (including the Swiffer refills) and get a $3 Register Reward, and the refills are on sale for 25% off (making them $4.49) you'd actually need to purchase more than just 2 of the refills to get the deal.

So here's my new plan (because I ordered some of the BOGO coupons).
You'll need 2 of the BOGO Swiffer refill coupons to make this deal work.

Buy 4 Swiffer Refills @ $4.49
-use 2 BOGO refill coupons
= 4/ $8.98
-get $3 Register Reward
(= 48 ct for $5.98) -

For the record the best non-sale/non-coupon price for Swiffer refills is at CostCo. They have the 48ct wet refills for around $12.??.  I'm not sure the price on the dry refills but I think it's even better than that.  Either way, this BOGO coupon is a great deal.

Kroger also has the Swiffer refills listed in their online ad this week for $6.99 (the ad says 2-32ct) so if you can actually get the higher count refills for this price and use the BOGO, this could be a pretty good deal as well (without the worry of Register Rewards).