50% off at Fisher Price and FREE Shipping!

Thanks to our friends at Frugalfriends.com - I just found out about this AMAZING deal. PERFECT for the holiday gifts you need to buy for your little ones.. or little friends. Fisher Price has 50% off sitewide at the moment with code save2011. They have a huge section of "Free Shipping" items - so if you chose an item from that area and apply the code.. WOW! I saw 2 kitchen sets, some play tables, chairs, lots of ride-on toys, some bouncers/swings and other outdoor toys. There's also some little stuff for infants/young babies - I didn't pay much attention to that area.

Now for the fine print - this is a VERY good deal. Often, these kinds of deals are mistakes. If that is indeed the case, they have a few ways to go about it. Sometimes, they will let the orders through. However, come 9:00 when the web guys get in, they will probably discover it and fix it. Meaning, no more sale. Go get your order in now, bc by the time you finish dallying it will be over. Other times, they can cancel your order. It is worth a try, and often, if they do indeed cancel your order, they will send you a 'make good' coupon. We'll see how this goes.

Go ahead to http://www.fisherprice.com/ and check it out. Share the deal with your friends. Post your finds.

Good luck!

New and Improved. Or is it?

While the words "New and Improved" are supposed to conjure up images of positive change, bright glowing good newness, it doesn't do that for me. To me, the words mean "We Failed. And We Fixed It". Lets use Shampoo as an example. We'll pick one that is guaranteed to smooth out all frizzies, tame all unrulyness, and give you sleek tresses like the hair models on all the advertisements for the product. You buy the shampoo. You like it. You do not have model-like hair in a day, but you are satisfied with the results. Fast forward to a year in, just when you're getting used to the product, and you are kinda liking it. You like the smell, the way your hair feels, its nice. On a random shopping trip to purchase some more, you see a very similar looking bottle, slightly differnet design, and "New and Improved - MAX Shine" emblazened across the top. Now either of 2 things can happen. You might have a choice between the "New" and the "Original", or you might ONLY see the "New". Both scenarios are not good.

The company is saying that all this time while they THOUGHT they were offering a fine product, they weren't. They realize it wasn't quite up to par. They failed. You did not get flowing silken tressess. You did not have a shiny long mane. They didn't quite put enough "smoothing protiens" in it or enough "shine enhancing extracts of guava". They failed. Their product was below grade. They fixed it.

You, the customers, suffer. Either you lost your old product (if they are not carrying "original" anymore) or they are charging more for the new one. Why, if it was their mistake, are they correcting it and charging you more for that? They promised great shine, they didn't provide, they now offer "New and Improved MAX Shine" - give it away for free! Offer it at a very low subsidized rate as an apology for all the years you misled your customers into thinking they're getting a great product, when in reality it needed improvement?

There is no "Max Shine" shampoo that I am basing this off of. This particular scenario is fictitious, but feel free to replace the 'shampoo' with something you can relate too. Think Pampers DryMax fiasco, or Head & Shoulders, or insert your favorite product that is now discontinued thanks to a better, upgraded, product. Humph

Just a little food for thought the next time you find your favorite products being replaced with products promising to be better...

FREE Printer at OfficeMax

Just a quick heads up - there's a FREE Printer deal going on now. Basically, you buy it for $100 plus tax on OfficeMax.com. Remember to sign up for MaxPerks (which is free) on their site, prior to purchasing. Its kind of like a rebate but a few weeks later the full $100 will be credited to your MaxPerks account. MaxPerk money can only be used in OfficeMax. I went ahead and bought one. Can't print coupons without a printer eh? ;) I hope in the next few weeks there will be more free deals like this so I can roll my bucks. Go to OfficeMax.com for more details.

Voting troubles...

I need to get this off my chest. Yesterday was voting day here. I can't stand all the rent-a-van's with loudspeakers mounted on top urging folks to go out and vote. a few houses down from me there's an intersection with a red light and all. Which means those blaring vans must stop... and who gets interrupted every other minute? Me. Coupled with the automated phone calls received at the rate of approximately 2 per hour.. its enough to make a person say "I WILL NOT GO OUT AND VOTE. LEAVE ME ALONE". It just felt like every minute of my day was spent listening to the phone ring, and loudspeakers droning messages of people to vote for. Not cool!

FREE Cottonelle wipes for you and a friend!

Cottonelle is giving away a free tub of their moist flushable wipes. Simply go to http://www.getfreshwithafriend.com/ to sign up. They'll send you a coupon by mail. Head over and snag your coupon!

CVS began their serious summer clearance - 90% off. There's not much left but if you have a CVS near you its worth a stop. I picked up a couple beach toys (think indoor sandbox) for 29 cents, some were 39 cents. I was even lucky and found the Zone Interactive Gaming System (a Wii-like thing) for 3.99, regularly 39.99 - supposedly a 70.99 value. Someone will be happy when they get that as a present. Oh I also found Huggies little swimmers diapers for 1.09, regularly 10.99. I picked up a large and a small, the only ones they have. Whatever I don't use I'll give away. At that price.. So go try your luck today. Remember, the final clearance sale started on Sunday.. so that's why most of the stuff is picked over. I walked into the store to see woman with 2-3 shopping carts piled high with stuff, everyone grabbing.

Updates will be slow over the next few weeks due to all the Holidays.. but we'll try to keep you entertained! :)

To be, or Gymboree, that is the question!

There's a great deal going on right now at Gymboree. They are offering 30% off sitewide. There are 20% coupons out there that are stacking with this deal. So get 30% off and an additional 20% off your Gymboree purchase. The coupons for the 20% off can be found as an orange insert in the Parenting Magazine, Parents Magazine, Family Fun Magazine, among others. I've got some extra codes.. first couple people that comment and leave an email address will get a code.

Have a lovely evening!

An interesting deal for many low cost gifts and stuff...

Ok - here's an interesting one. The last few days was more rambling then saving so today we will give you some savings.

Graveyardmall.com has all kinds of goodies on their site. Overstocks - not sure what they actually get and where they get it from, but they sell a mixture of gifts, toys, electronics, home furnishings, etc. They are running an interesting deal now where you get 50% off your order. The catch? Your order ships Sept 17. So if you want something NOW - the deal is not for you. If you want to get a headstart with holiday shopping - the deal IS for you!

A couple items of interest... They have the RadioFlyer inchworm riding toy for 39.99 - so after the coupon, its just $20.  There's also a cool puppet show theater thingy for kids for $49 normally, so now $25. And what I really like - this climbing wall ballpit for $60, so now $30. I'm still deciding if I should spring for that one. I know the kids would like it - I have room for it in the new playroom I built, but do I want to spend that much? I dont' know. There's also lots of small toys and trading cards from like $2-$10 - which become, well I don't need to keep doing the math for you.. $1-$5. Check out the site, find yourself some stuff, enter code shipbyseptember17 and wait for your stuff at the end of September!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

$5 Target Giftcard Giveaway

$5 Target Giftcard - Yours FREE, if you become a follower of this blog and get picked as a lucky winner. When we have 25 followers, I will be giving away a FREE $5 GC to a lucky winner. Don't scoff at the thought of "only $5" bc if you will be following this blog regularly you'll see that you can stretch that $5 to $50 if you do it right :) We will be giving out more prizes as we reach new follower milestones. Just click to become a follower and you will be entered in all future giveaways! Now THAT'S a deal!

The Wonderful World of Soy!

My dd has a milk allergy. I need to keep both of the twins off of milk due to cross-contamination. My son can put a pacifier or toy in his mouth after drinking milk, and then my daughter can put it in her mouth - and voila. We've got transfered dairy. The slightest bit of milk is enough to cause a reaction in her. A kiss from me hours after I had a coffee, or a touch on a surface that might have seen a splash of milk, you get the picture.

Now that they are over a year old its really time to get them on a milk-substitute. I've tried Rice Dream, Rice Dream Vanilla, Soy Dream, Soy Dream Vanilla, Chocolate, etc. There's far too many companies that are making milk substitutes in all different sizes and flavors and its very confusing to the consumer. In addition, its pricy. Every time I 'try' a new version, I need to buy it. The kids take a sip and they decide they dont' like it. I keep trying.

The wonderful folks over at ZenSoy responded to my desperate plea via email and sent me a surprise package. I received a whole packet of money saving coupons, including those for a free product. In addition, they sent me some Vanilla Soy on the Go samples. Thank you!

I can't give a review on the actual products as I'm not the one eating it. And every kid has different tastes so its hard to say which one 'tastes better'. But I can tell you that my son took to the ZenSoy vanilla flavored soymilk rather quickly. He is now fully acclimated. I am so happy. Its one less thing to worry about. Packed with nutritious vitamins, protien, and calcium, this 'milk' should keep him going until he gets a bit older and is able to transition to real milk, without risking cross contamination.

Unfortunately, my daughter has not taken to it yet. I dont' know if I should find yet another company to try, or another flavor, or to just keep on pushing this one to make it simpler and easier on me.

I don't like allergies!

Review on Playskool Diapers

A while ago I purchased a package of Playskool Diapers in one of my 'deals'. It was only one package, and to be honest - I've heard a couple of negative comments about this particular brand. I figured - how bad can it be? Is it leaky? I'll use them during the day! I mean what can be bad about a diaper? Especially a free one?

Well.. to start, lets just say there is no stretchy material in the waistband. You get 2  weak little velcro like  tabs. These are attached to a mere strip of material that you're supposed to pull and close tightly to make sure the diaper is attached to the baby. So it ends up that there's diaper in the front, diaper in the back, and a thin strip that looks like wax paper on both sides. I mentioned the velcro is little, and weak. And indeed it is. It is a bit too small and a bit too weak which results in it unsticking and opening, regularly. So my kids are toddling around, with diapers falling off constantly.

My daughter got her very first real 'diaper rash'. It looks like a red burn. She never had it before.

There isn't enough padding or polymers or whatever it is they use to absorb and hold in liquid.

Now to make it personal, my kids were playing with the neighborhood kids, and my daughters diaper fell off. All the bigger kids were pointing at her and laughing, and making fun of her. At 16 months old, she was actually embarrassed. She ran over to me all sad.

Now tell me, who is responsible for making causing my baby shame? Playskool! 'Nuff said.

Facebook anyone? Cheapo Smartwater

Do many of you guys Facebook? I'm still learning (or trying to anyway) about the readership of this blog. There are facebook freebies lots of times.. Like today, if you " like" Walgreens on FB you will get a free purse sized photobook. I'm also going to put in a shameless plug here for my friend Lori who takes care of "We Pillage The Village" on FB. "like" her on FB to see other FB giveaways, as well as other deals. She does a good roundup of deals on a regular basis.

So this week I've been hitting CVS for Smartwater. Now before I hear all of you naysayers going on and on about "water is water" and "how can water be smart?", I want to clarify things. Some of us, are very astute and have a remarkable sense of taste. To those of us, such as myself, regular tap water is downright offensive. Most Spring Waters fall into that catagory as well. Nasty chlorine undertones. Vile hardness. One would think the fine imported waters of France and Fiji would past muster eh? No. Evian? Fiji? Blechhh. Such an assault on the taste buds. A creamy texture, with a cloudy undertone. Ugh.

The perfect water? SmartWater by Glaceu. A blank canvas in the world of water. It tastes like nothing. Like absense of. Zero. Nada. Nothing. And that's what water should (or shouldn't) taste like. Water is not supposed to have a taste, or a texture, or undertones, or scent. Water is 'absence of". Water, is a blank Canvas for your palette. Smartwater.

So, on to the deal. This week at CVS, buy 10 SmartWater (or Fuse, Powerade, or VitaminWater) and get back $5 in extrabucks. Extrabucks are CVS Loyalty Dollars that you can spend in their store. Its like cash. You use it to buy stuff there. You need to swipe your card to get that deal. Card is free. So you buy 10 waters, and you use 3 of the $1 off when you buy 3 SmartWater coupons that are hanging on a pad near the fridge in MOST CVS stores I've been to. So you pay $7, and get back $5, so your total was $2 for 10 slim bottles of goodness.

Now there are ways to maximize this deal of course. Scan your card at the Price Scanner/Coupon Scanner when you get to the store. You might get a coupon that says "save $5 off your order of $15 or more". Or any other kind of coupon. Register your CVS ExtraCare card online. You'll receive offers in your emailbox.

Lets say you receive a coupon in your emailbox that says "Save $3 off your order of $15 or more". So we will take that $10 water order and add some more $$$ to it. We'll add a $7.99 blink eyedrops that are free this week. Free, after ECB. You pay 7.99, you get back 7.99. So it technically costs you nothing, whether you use it or not. That's another story. So if you buy it, it'll bulk up your order to 17.99. You will use your $3 coupon, and your $3 in water coupons, and the $1.50 blink coupon (From their website, or from a sticker on the box) and you will only be paying 10.50. And guess what. You will RECEIVE 12.99 in ExtraBucks back, so this order was a total profit.

I know CVS'ing can be confusing and the purpose of this blog is not to go into the weekly CVS Scenarios. There are plenty of message boards devoted to that. iheartcvs.com, or slickdeals.net - are all great sources. My point was to share the great deal on Smartwater - which if I can say so myself, is awesome! I threw in the Blink stuff in case you want to try and maximize on the deal. If you have any questions just comment.

Thanks for reading!

Edit: The water deal is limit 2 per card, even though it says 1 in the ad. Do the deal once, then repeat. Do not buy all 20 at once or you will only be credit the ECB for 1.

Great GAP deal...

For those of you that buy Gap clothing - there's a great deal going on now. on Groupon you can purchase a $50 coupon for only $25.00. So that's 50% off. You need to use it in store and at the time you use it you can possibly maximize your savings by using another coupon on top of that! I just snagged mine!

In other news, I hate incompetent people. Hate is a strong word, but I just don't like being surrounded by incompetent & inconsiderate people Inconsiderate and Incompetent generally go hand in hand. . I cant' take it. You see them all around you in an average day. Its the taxi-cab driver that is honking his horn at 4:30am - or the cashier at the supermarket where you are waiting with a bottle of milk - chatting on the phone so she can't ring you up. Its the customer service rep that is talking to you like you're a moron, when she's so far gone she's addressing you as Sir, even though you sound like a female and have a female name.  I don't like it. But, I live in America, in 2010, in a world filled with all kinds of people. And not always can we chose the people around us.

Free Toothbrushes, Shavers, Pens, and more!

Hope you all had a great weekend. I certainly did. I always wondered why certain liquid items come packaged with seals so they can't leak - unless the item is opened, or crushed/packaging broken. And other items come with simple covers - and can open and leak easily. Every time I purchase Dawn dishwashing soap, I have soap in my bags when I get home. This weekend the kids were playing with a SoftSoap hand soap. Somehow they got into my stash of soap in a box, and they had lots of fun emptying the box. Well a couple of bangs with the soap into the floor - and covers snapped, soap leaked, etc. It was a mess. Its hard to clean soap off of wood floors! Or any floors for that matter. The kids are infatuated with bottles and covers and love opening stuff. Right now one of the only items I let them play with is sample sized Johnsons BabyLotion and Shampoo. Bc underneath the cover, there's a little seal. Even if they open it, which they do, they can't get the contents on them. And I know its dangerous - to be playing with little bottles and covers - so keep in mind that whenever they are playing with them - it is under adult supervision!  Anyway, this got me thinking. Of leaky shampoo. Leaky lotion. Leaky stuffs, in general! Companies should spend the extra few cents in placing seals under lids in items, like Ketchup - so they won't leak!

Well, back to the deals. I'm going to focus on Target right now. There are lots of good deals going on at the moment. Head over to Target.com and click on "Grocery Coupons" on the bottom of the site. You can usually print 2 of each coupon per computer. There is a $1 off of any 1 Bic Stationary Item - which will give you a free package of Bic pens. They have various 10 packs for $1. There is $1 off any colgate toothpaste or toothbrush - and there are 97 cent toothbrushes, so that's free brushes. For $1.99 I bought on ebay 20 coupons for $3 off any Schick Disposable Razor. With that I got 20 free Schick Quatro Razors. Theyr'e normally $6.49 a pkg of 3. They are ringing up as 5.49 now, and for every 2 you buy you get a free $5 Target Giftcard. So you are paying 10.98 for 2, and after the 2 $3 coupons its 4.98 - and you're getting back a $5 GC. Keep on doing that. Just make sure to purchase them in groups of 2. This deal is running until the end of the month so no need to purchase all 20 at once. Get a couple of razors, couple of pkg's of pens, and a few toothbrushes. Oh there's also $1 off of 1 post it note cube. Here's the coupon - https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0zf2kcGxXwQMTY5NDU5ZDItMjQ0ZS00ZDc5LTk2MjEtNTNlNTJlYTg3NTdm&hl=en&pli=1

So pick up some $1 pkg's of post-it note pads.

There's always deals going on in Target. Make sure to review the available coupons on Target.com before you shop. You can match up a Target Coupon plus a Manufacturers Coupon on the same item. I purchased over 60 bottles of Scrubbing bubbles free that way. There were $5 manufacturers coupons in the newspaper, and $5 Target coupons, and the items were 8.99... so you do the math. Yes, sometimes you even make money.

Well that's it for today. One of these days I'll bring you some CVS deals!

Become a Follower - because I'm overflowing with deals!

I'm overflowing with deals - can't wait to share them with you all post by post. Right now I am talking to the four walls. Well, the big vastness of internet - no walls other then firewalls. I need to know that I have an audience that is wanting to read about the stuff I have to share - so click on the "become a follower" button/link. Like that I know that you are there and patiently waiting for some wisdom! It'll keep me grounded and force me to post regular updates!  Thanks :)

The Beginning!

All good things must start somewhere. Day after day I encounter 'blog moments' where I tell myself that whatever it is that's happening - it would make a great blog post. However, I dont' have a blog. Oh well I do - blogs I've started in the past but never made it past 2 posts, etc etc. I want to change that. I want to begin blogging in earnest. Those of you that know me, I'm a couponer. I love savings. Any kind of savings. And I'd do whatever I can to get those good delicious savings. So, for now this blog will be about savings. And how you can get great stuff for yourself and your kids and your family - for little or no cost. Of course, my daily random 'blog moments' will be blogged too. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it. Well - I hope to enjoy writing it. And I'm SURE your pockets will like the great deals I will be posting.

I'm going to start you off with a great deal. Pampers. Huggies. Luvs. Diapers! August and September's Parents magazine carried a bright orange pull out coupon insert featuring 20% off any diaper purchase at Amazon.com. August's Parenting Magazine carried the coupon as well. In addition, Amazon.com is offering free 2 day shipping on diapers, and 30% off your diapers purchase if you 'subscribe and save'. That is, you say you want regular shipments of the dipes - of course you can cancel that service minutes after you place your order. Oh and lastly, there's a $1.50 instant coupon for Pampers brand diapers. So, head over to Amazon.com - and select a nice big box of Diapers in the size you want. Chose Pampers brand for the best deal. Purchase the above magazines for the coupons. Try to get all 3. One is better then nothing though. Your diapers would start at about $40 a box, and after the 30% off subscribe and save it should go down to about $28, and after the 20% off coupon from one of the Mags - it should go down to about $20, and then there's the $1.50 coupon instantly applied at checkout - that brings you down to about $18, and then feel free to add the additional 20% off coupons from the other magazines - the next one should bring your order down to about $10, and the final one should bring you down to about $3! That's right. $3 for a super-sized big box of almost 200 diapers - depending on the size. The beauty in this deal is that the differnet coupon codes 'stack'. That is, you can apply all 3 - from all 3 magazines - provided of course that the first digit in the couopn is a differnet letter. If you get the September Parents magazine, and the August Parents, and August Parenting - you'll get all 3 different beautiful codes. Many drugstores still have these mags in stock!

I hope you get to save some $$$ with my first post - and I should have a new deal coming up in a day or so!  Take care for now!