Rite Aid this week: 3/21 - 3/27/10

There are quite a few free and cheap items this week at Rite Aid. You can find a full roundup of this week's deals at Moms Need to Know (thanks, Mindi!). I've listed the deals that I think are the best for playing The Drugstore Game this week (starter scenarios to come later), as well as the prices that are rock-bottom in my price book.

Huggies Goodnights,, Pull-Ups or Jumbo Pack Diapers, $8.99
Get a $1 Single Check Rebate when you buy 1 (limit 1)
$3 Huggies printable coupon IE Link or FF Link or Safari Link
$3 Huggies Little Movers printable coupon
$3 Huggies printable coupon
$1.50/1 Huggies Pullups Training Pants, exp. 4-25-10 (SS 02/28/10)
$1.50/1 Huggies Diapers, exp. 4-17-10 (SS 03/21/10)
AND use the $2/1 Huggies Diapers Jumbo Pack Rite Aid printable
Final price: $2.99 each after both coupons and Single Check Rebate

Huggies Wipes, $2.50
Get a $1 Single Check Rebate when you buy 2 (limit 1)
$0.50/1 Huggies Baby Wipes, exp. 4-17-10 (SS 03/21/10)
Final price: $1.50 each after coupons and Single Check Rebate

Kotex Lightdays Pantiliners, Maxi Pads or Tampons, $3
Get a $1 Single Check Rebate when you buy 2 (limit 1)
$2/2 Kotex Product, exp. 3-31-10 (First For Women, Mar)
AND use 2 of the $1/1 Kotex Pads, Lightdays or Tampons Rite Aid printable
Final price: $1 each after coupons and Single Check Rebate

Huggies Little Swimmers, $6.99
Get a $1 SCR wyb 1 (limit 1)
$1/1 Huggies Little Swimmers printable
Final price: $4.99 each after coupon and Single Check Rebate

Hershey’s, Reese’s or Cadbury Easter Bagged Candy, $1.88
$2/3 Hershey Easter Candy printable
$2/3 Hershey Easter Candy printable
$2/3 Hershey’s, Reeses, or Cadbury Candy, exp. 4-4-10 (SS 03/14/10)
$1/1 Hershey’s Kisses Chocolates, exp. 3-31-10 (ALL YOU Feb ‘10)
Final price: as low as $0.88 each after coupon

Purex Laundry Detergent, $2.99 with in-ad coupon
$1/1 Purex Natural Elements printable (IE) or Printable (FF)
Final price: $1.99 each after both coupons (if Natural Elements is included)

Print Friendly

CVS this week: 3/21 - 3/27/10

You can find a full roundup of this week's CVS deals at Bargain Briana (thanks, Briana!). I've listed the deals that I think are the best for playing The Drugstore Game this week (starter scenarios to come later), as well as the prices that are rock-bottom in my price book.

Colgate Total Advanced, Enamel, or Sensitive (6-7.6 oz) – $3.99
Earn $3.99 Extra Bucks (Limit 1)
$1/1 Colgate Sensitive Apr 2010 All You Magazine (exp 5/31/2010)
$1/1 Colgate Total Enamel Strength, Total Advanced Whitening, Total Advanced Clean, or Advanced Fresh Toothpaste 4oz+ 3/7/2010 SS Insert (exp 3/27/2010)
$1/1 Colgate Total Apr 2010 All You Magazine (exp 5/31/2010)
Final Price after Extra Bucks: FREE + Overage

Pampers Jumbo Pack Diapers or Easy Up – $8.97
Earn $3 Extra Bucks (Limit 2)
$2/1 Pampers Cruisers Diapers 2/21/2010 P&G Insert (exp 3/31/2010)
$1.50/1 Pampers Diapers or Pants 2/7/2010 P&G Insert (exp 3/31/2010)
$1.50/1 Pampers Easy Ups 2/7/2010 P&G Insert (exp 3/31/2010)
$1.50/1 Pampers Extra Protection 2/7/2010 P&G Insert (exp 3/31/2010)
Final Price after Extra Bucks: as low as $3.97!

Crest or Oral B Pro Health toothpaste or rinse, Scope Outlast, Glide Floss, picks, or Cross Action toothbrush – $3.99
Earn $2 Extra Bucks (Limit 1)
$0.75/1 Crest Floss or Picks 2/7/2010 P&G Insert (exp 3/31/2010)
$1/1 Crest Premium Toothpaste 2/21/2010 P&G Insert (exp 3/31/2010)
$1.50/1 Crest Pro Toothpaste 3/21/2010 RP Insert (exp 4/30/2010)
$1/1 Crest Rinse 3/7/2010 P&G Insert (exp 4/3/2010)
Final Price after Extra Bucks: as low as $0.49

Crest Whitestrips 3D White Vivid 10 ct. ($31.99), 3D White Professional Effects 20 ct. or Advanced Seal 14 ct
Earn $10 Extra bucks (Limit 1)
$10/1 Crest Whitestrips 3/21/2010 RP Insert (exp 4/30/2010)
Final Price: as low as $11.99

Domino’s Sugar 4 lbs - $2.99
$0.40/1 Domino Sugar Product 2 lb+ (exp 3/31/2010)
Final Price: $2.59/each

Filippo Berio Olive Oil (16.9 – 17 oz) – $4.99
$1/1 Filippo Berio Olive Oil
Final Price: $3.99

Print Friendly

The Drugstore Game This Week: Starter Walgreens Transactions 3/21 - 3/27/10

If you're new to playing The Drugstore Game, these transactions should help you get started. If you don't understand the transactions, read my Drugstore Game Primer, Common Sense with Money's FAQ, and my explanation of How to Play The Drugstore Game at Walgreens.

It's not a great week for rolling Register Rewards, but it's a pretty good week for getting started. You'll find a list of this week's Walgreens deals here.

Transaction #1:
2 Planters Trail Mix 2/$3
2 Oscar Mayer Bacon $3 each

- 2 x $1.50/1 Planters Product Coupon printable (must become Planters Facebook Fan)
- $1/2 Planters Trail Mix from Walgreens March coupon book
- 2 x $1.50/1 Oscar Mayer Bacon printable (may no longer be available)

Pay: $2 + tax
Receive: $1 RR for Oscar Mayer

Transaction #2:
1 Colgate MaxFresh or MaxWhite Toothpaste or Toothbrush $2.99
1 filler, e.g., Household Gloves 33 cents w/ in-ad coupon

- $1/1 Colgate Max Fresh or White Toothpaste from Jan. All You (exp. 3/24) (or 75 cents/1 Colgate Max White printable)
- $1 RR from previous transaction

Pay: $1.32 + tax
Receive: $2 RR for Colgate

Transaction #3:
3 Huggies diapers $8.99 each
1 filler, e.g., Household Gloves 33 cents w/ in-ad coupon

- 3 x $3/1 coupons (see list of printables here)
- $1/1 Children's Activity Book coupon (will deduct $3)
- $2 RR from previous transaction

Pay: $13.30 + tax
Receive: $5 RR

Print Friendly

Walgreens this week: 3/21 - 3/27/10

I've listed the deals that I think are the best for playing The Drugstore Game at Walgreens this week (starter scenarios to come later), as well as the prices that are rock-bottom in my price book.

Schick Disposable Razors $6.99
$4/1 Schick Quattro Disposable 3ct from 3/21 SS
$3/1 Schick Disposable Razor Package any from 3/21 SS
$2/1 from Walgreens March coupon book (available in store by the weekly ads)
Final price: as low as 99 cents

Planters Trail Mix 2/$3
$1.50/1 Planters Product Coupon printable (must become Planters Facebook Fan)
$1/2 Planters Trail Mix from Walgreens March coupon book
Final price: $1 moneymaker

Oscar Mayer Bacon $3, receive $1 RR when you buy 2
$1.50/1 printable (may no longer be available)
Final price: $1 each wyb 2

Colgate MaxFresh or MaxWhite Toothpaste or Toothbrush $2.99, receive $2 RR
Use $1/1 Colgate Max Fresh or White Toothpaste from Jan. All You (exp. 3/24)
Use 75 cents/1 Colgate Max White printable
Final price: as low as free after coupon and RR

Receive $5 RR when you buy 3 participating items:
Huggies Wipes Refills $5.99
Huggies Diapers, Pull-ups and Good Nites $8.99
Poise or Depend $11.99
Kotex Feminine Care $2.99
50 cents/1 Huggies wipes from 3/21 SS
$1.50/1 Huggies diapers from 3/21 SS
$2/1 Huggies Little Snugglers or Little Movers from 3/21 SS
$1.50/1 Huggies Pull-ups from 2/28 SS
$1.50/1 GoodNites from 2/28 SS
$3/1 Huggies Diapers printable
$3/1 Huggies Little Movers printable (at Facebook; filter conversations to view "Just Huggies" to access the coupon link)
$3/1 Huggies Little Movers printable (FF, IE or Safari)
$1/1 Huggies diapers from Children's Activity Book
$1/1 Poise Pads from 2/21 SS
$1/1 Poise Liners from 2/21 SS

Deal Idea:
3 Huggies diapers $8.99 each
use 3 x $3/1 coupons
and $1/1 CAB coupon (will deduct $3)
Final price: Pay $14.97 + tax and receive $5 RR; it's like paying $4.99 per pack

Mars Candy Bars 49 cents
50 cents/2 Snickers from 2/21 RP
B2G1 Mars Milky Way Simply Caramel, 3 Musketeers Truffle Crisp or M&Ms Coconut Chocolate Candy from 3/7 RP
Final price: as low as free

Hershey's or Cadbury Easter Candy 8-10 oz. $2
$2/3 Reeses , Cadbury , Hersheys Candy 8 oz or larger from 3/14 SS
$1/2 from March coupon book
Final price: $1 each wyb 3

Good Filler Items:
Jello 50 cents w/ in-ad coupon
Hunt's Tomato Sauce 33 cents w/ in-ad coupon
Butterball Chicken Broth 50 cents w/ in-ad coupon
Walgreens Reusable Shopping Bag 33 cents w/ in-ad coupon
Household Gloves 33 cents w/ in-ad coupon
Easter Grass 33 cents w/ in-ad coupon
Lifesavers Jellybeans, Bubble Gum Eggs, Ring Pop 33 cents w/ in-ad coupon

Print Friendly

Morning Coffee: Baking In the Heat

It's been so warm here that it's reminding me of how I need to coordinate my baking to keep my oven use to an absolute minimum when it's hot because it heats up the kitchen and house so much. That, of course, requires advance planning - something I don't always make the time for. However, I'm happy to report that baking artisan bread in the toaster oven every day hasn't been a problem at all.

There's a thread at A Full Cup devoted to upcoming Target match ups. Links via Escalate Media Affiliate Network

Get a printable coupon (pdf) for $15 off a $150 furniture purchase at Office Max (expires today).They have some new lines of furniture that you can check out here.

Get a sneak peek at tomorrow's Meijer ad.

Get a printable coupon for $1/1 Kix cereal.

Get printable coupons for 50 cents/2 Nestle morsels, $1/1 Nestle cookie dough and 50 cents/2 Carnation Evaporated Milk (registration required). Via Printable Coupons and Deals.

Moms Need to Know has this week's Pathmark deals.

There are some new coupons at Red Plum, including 35 cents/1 Dixie cups. Links via Logical Media

Get a printable coupon for 75 cents/1 Ronzoni Smart Taste. These will give you free pasta at Ralphs this week.

Speaking of free at Ralphs, thanks to reader Ras for pointing out that some magazines, including the most recent issues of Rachael Ray Everyday and Parents, have $1/1 Ronzoni Smart Taste coupons.

I'm still getting used to my new Droid smart phone, but so far, I'm pretty happy with it. The price has come down even further for phones purchased with a new Verizon contract, so you can get a new Droidfor just $24.99 (existing Verizon customers can upgrade for $74.99). My purchase through Amazon Wireless was super easy - there's even a toll-free number at the top of the page that you can call and get someone in the U.S. who actually sounds reasonably intelligent on the phone. That's smart of Amazon, since that was the tipping point in my decision of whether to buy - once I got answers to all of my questions, I was able to decide to go ahead with the purchase. Disclosure: I'm an Amazon affiliate, so any purchase you make after entering Amazon through a link on Chief Family Officer supports this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you!


Banner via Escalate Media Affiliate Network

Afternoon Coffee: It's Mega Swag Bucks Day

Today is Mega Swag Bucks Day, which means you have an increased chance of winning big Swag Bucks. Learn why Swag Bucks is my favorite way to earn free money. Disclosure: If you join Swag Bucks using my referral link, I'll get bonus Swag Bucks, so thank you if you do!

The $3/1 Huggies diapers coupon is still there at Coupons.com, and right now you can get another $3/1 Little Movers diapers if you're a Facebook fan of Huggies. (Filter conversations to view "Just Huggies" to access the coupon link.)

Centsible Savings has a Walgreens scenario for you that uses the aforementioned Huggies coupon next week.

Get a printable coupon for B1G1 Stacy's Pita Chips. (Via Money Saving Mom.)

I'm envious of all you Earth Fare shoppers - there have been quite a few good offers for you lately. The latest is free Irish cheese with this printable coupon. (Via Coupon Cravings.)

Morning Coffee: Happy Friday!

Today's Amazon Friday Saleincludes a lot of coffee and nutrition bars. The Kitchen & Dining saleincludes some closet organizers, which make me lust for more organized closets. Disclosure: I'm an Amazon affiliate, so any purchase you make after entering Amazon through a link on Chief Family Officer supports this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Get a sneak peek at next week's Walgreens ad.

Get a printable coupon for $1/1 Multigrain Cheerios.

Bargain Briana has this week's Marsh deals, which include free yogurt and frosting.

Common Sense with Money has some current Kmart deals, including cheap Huggies and Quilted Northern toilet paper.

Stretching a Buck has this week's Giant Eagle deals.

Get a printable coupon for 15% off any in-store purchase at Staples, excluding computers. Expires 3/23. You can also get a sneak peek at next week's ad. I'll probably pick up the 4GB flash drive that's $4.99 after gift card rebate.

Get a free sample of Maven hair products.

There's a thread at A Full Cup devoted to match ups for the upcoming Harris Teeter triple coupons event. Links via Escalate Media Affiliate Network

Freebies 4 Mom explains how you can get a free photostrip from Shutterfly.

If you're local, hopefully you've tried Zankou Chicken, which is the best rotisserie chicken I've ever had. There's a fascinating article about the owners and their inability to grow into a major franchise because the founders' son killed his mother and sister.


Banner via Escalate Media Affiliate Network

Evening Coffee: Hot Huggies Coupon

Head over to Coupons.com for a $3/1 Huggies diapers coupon. It won’t last long, the best diaper coupons never do!

Money Saving Mom explains how you can get better-than-free Children’s Benadryl at Walgreens. I am very excited about this deal because I stash Children’s Benadryl everywhere in case of emergencies.

Get a printable coupon for $1/1 Starbucks Frappucino, then wait for them to go on sale for $1.25 at Walgreens. (Note: This is not a new coupon, so if you printed it before, you may not be able to print it again.)

Get a free Geo Trax DVD from Fisher Price. (Select your country to the right above the main image and press continue to get started.) These always take a while, but they do come. My boys enjoy watching them, and since they’re not obsessive about trains, I don’t have to worry about toy demands.

Apple Sauce Easter Craft & Apple Sauce Pie Recipe from Musselman's

My kids love Musselman's apple sauce, so I readily accepted when Musselman's offered to send me some applesauce for a craft as well as to eat. I was curious about the craft, which turned out to be for Bunny Place Cards that uses apple sauce in a very non-traditional way. Here's the "recipe":

What you'll need:
1/2 cup Musselman's Apple Sauce
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cinnamon (one 2.37 oz bottle)
glitter (optional)
white craft glue (optional)
waxed paper
bunny (or other Easter shape) cookie cutter
paint pens/glitter glue pens

Instructions
1. Stir together apple sauce and 1/2 cup cinnamon until the dough becomes soft. Knead the dough with your hands for several minutes until it holds together and is completely incorporated. If desired, add glitter while kneading for extra sparkle, and craft glue for extra strength. If the dough is too wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour and knead until the flour is completely incorporated.

2. Shape the dough into a disk and place it on a sheet of waxed paper. Place a sheet of waxed paper over the dough and roll it out to 3/4 inch thick. Use the cookie cutter to cut out bunnies or other shapes.

3. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of cinnamon on a cookie sheet and place bunnies on the sheet. Bake at 200 degrees for approximately two hours, turning bunnies periodically so they dry evenly and the edges don't curl. Brush of the excess cinnamon and air dry the bunnies overnight on cooling racks before decorating.

4. Once the bunnies are completely dry, write each guest's name with a paint or glitter glue pen and use them as place cards. You can add extra embellishments with acrylic paint, ribbons and/or fabric.

Note that these place cards are not edible.

If you're looking for something edible, I highly recommend Musselman's Apple Raisin Crumb Pie. I've adapted the recipe as follows:

Apple Sauce Raisin Crumb Pie
Serves 8

2 cups Musselman's Natural Apple Sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup raisins
4 eggs
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell with high fluted edge

1. Combine the apple sauce and brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add 3 tablespoons butter and stir until melted. Stir in the raisins. Set aside and cool to room temperature.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add to the apple sauce mixture. Pour the apple sauce mixture into the pie shell. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, blend the oats, sugar, cinnamon and butter until crumbly. Remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top. Bake the pie for another 25 minutes, or until the top and crust are golden brown.

This pie was a huge hit at my house. I reduced the sugar from the original recipe because I thought it was a little sweet. The mixture was a tad loose, so I might add another egg the next time.

Musselman's has some printable coupons on their web site, including $1/2 42-48 oz. Apple Sauce.

Disclosure: Musselman's sent me the supplies to make the bunny place cards, but the boys and I haven't gotten to them yet and I'm not sure when we'll have time. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Morning Coffee: More free food at Ralphs this week

The Buy 8, Save $4 promo at Ralphs this week is quite excellent. I just updated this week's matchups to include free Bumble Bee tuna and free Ronzoni pasta. Keep your eyes out for tagged items, because there seems to be quite a bit more than what's in the ad.

Christian Clippers has this week's Vons/Pavilions deals, which include free Gatorade G2 (if you have any of those coupons left!) and $1 Sara Lee breads and bagels.

Christian Clippers also has this week's Stater Bros. deals, which includes 29-cent Mission Corn Tortillas.

Common Sense with Money has some additional Walgreens deals.

Get 30% off at GAP, GAP Outlet, Banana Republic, Banana Republic Factory Stores, and Old Navy with this printable coupon (expires 3/21). Your purchases will also benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters.

When you sign up for Hannaford Supermarkets' weekly flyer, wine or healthy living emails, you'll also be entered for a chance to win FREE groceries for a year. I'm not familiar with Hannaford, but from their store locator, it appears they're in the northeastern U.S. Links via Logical Media.

Bargaineering reminds us that American Express offers superb purchase protection.

Sweetnicks has a recipe for Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies. Oh my!


Banner via Escalate Media Affiliate Network

Afternoon Coffee: Homemade Noodles Look Easy

Once a Month Mom makes noodle-making look and sound incredibly easy. I am definitely intrigued and going to try this.

Use the printable coupon for $4/1 Hungry Hungry Hippos to get the travel game cheap at Target or Walmart, where it sells for around $4.99. Note that you may have trouble finding it - my Target stopped carrying the travel version. (Via Coupon Cravings.)

Get printable coupons for $2/1 Dove Hair Care and $1.25/1 Dove Body Wash. I just printed mine and they expire 6/15, which gives us plenty of time to use them. But Common Sense with Money reports that Dove Hair Care will be free after Register Rewards in two weeks, so I'll be using the hair care coupons then. I'll keep my eyes open for a body wash deal - Dove is by far my preferred brand for my very sensitive skin.

Moms Need to Know has this week's Giant deals.

Freebies 4 Mom explains how you can get a B1G1 Physicians Formula coupon and has some rebates to go along with it.

Couponing to Disney reports that there's a new $1 coupon book at McDonald's with coupons for free kid-friendly items.

Marc Bittman suggests making oatmeal with celery (!), soy sauce and sesame oil.

A Full Cup has a list of some current commissary deals. AFC is my favorite coupon forum, and it has a great coupon database as well (registration required to use the database, but not to read most posts). Banner via Escalate Media Affiliate Network

Check out the Festival of Frugality #221, which includes my post on how The Drugstore Game has changed my shopping habits.


Banner via Escalate Media Affiliate Network

Ralphs: 3/17 - 3/23/10

Note: This summary of deals is based on the ad I get in Los Angeles, where Ralphs stores double coupons up to $1 (one like coupon per transaction). I don't list all of the deals, only the good ones. If I missed any, please let us all know in the comments. You'll need a Ralphs Rewards card to get most of these deals, so I use the Rewards card price in this post and assume you have your card scanned with each transaction. In addition to the coupons listed, you can also add electronic coupons to your Ralphs Rewards card at these sites: Shortcuts.com, Cellfire.com, Softcoin and Upromise. If you give Ralphs your email address, they may also send you emails with e-coupons that are exclusive to your card. And if you bring reuseable bags, Ralphs will give you 5 Rewards points for each bag used (though you may need to remind the cashier).

There's a coupon on page 5 for 2,000 Rewards points when you transfer a prescription to Ralphs pharmacy. That works out to a $20 coupon when you get your quarterly certificate, so if you'd get a little more money if you use the $25 Rite Aid transfer coupon that's in this week's RA ad or the $30 transfer coupon that was in last week's Vons circular. (I believe all Ralphs pharmacies accept competitor coupons.)

Make sure you play the Hit the Hoops Sweepstakes because everyone seems to win something. So far I've won a $5 store credit and a Kraft cheese cubes.

The game ties into this week's Buy 8, Save $4 promo. You can see a full list of the participating products here (pdf). The following prices are for items listed in the ad; price is after promo savings:

Simply Orange Juice $2.99

Sargento Shredded Cheese or Deli Slices $1.99
Use $1/2 from 1/31 SS
Final price: $1.49 each when you buy 2

Yuban or Maxwell House Coffee $4.99

Classico Pasta Sauce $1.49
Use $1.50 off fresh beef wyb 2 Classico sauces from 3/14 SS
Final price: Varies

Mott's 100% Apple Juice 99 cents

Lean Cuisine or Stouffer's Entrees $1.69

Powerade 39 cents

2 Liter Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero 79 cents

Tostitos Tortilla Chips or Lay's Potato Chips $1.99

Nabisco Snack Crackers $1.99
Use $1/1 from 1/24 SS
Final price: 99 cents

Kellogg's Cereal or Pop-Tarts 12-ct $2.49
Use $1/3 cereal from 2/7 RP
Use $1/2 Apple Jacks, Froot Loops or Corn Pops from 3/7 RP
Use $1/2 All Bran, Frosted Mini Wheats or Raisin Bran from 3/7 RP
Use $1/2 printable
Final price: $1.99 to $2.16 (get a better deal at Target through Saturday)

Chips Ahoy Cookies $1.99

Daisy Sour Cream $1.79

International Delight Creamer or Land O Lakes Half & Half $2.49
Use $1/2 International Delight from 3/7 SS
Final price: $1.99 wyb 2

Kraft American Singles $2.49

VitaminWater 75 cents

Smart Balance Spread $1.99

Planters Peanuts or Pop-Secret Popcorn $1.99
Use $1/2 from 1/24 or 3/7 SS
Use $1.50/1 printable (when you become a Planters Facebook fan; via My Good Cents)
Final price: as low as 49 cents

Ghirardelli Brownie Mix or Krusteaz Muffin Mix $1.99

Best Foods Mayonnaise or A-1 Steak Sauce $2.49

Arrowhead Spring Water 24-pack $3.49

Del Monte or S&W Tomatoes 49 cents
Use $1/4 Del Monte tomatoes from 2/7 RP
Final price: 24 cents/can wyb 4

Coke 12-packs $4.49

Brawny Paper Towels 8-roll or 6-big roll $5.49
Use 50 cents/1 from 3/14 RP
Final price: $4.49

Air Wick Oil Refill $1.99
Use $1/2 singles from 2/7 or 3/7 SS

Lysol Household Cleaners $2.49
Use assorted coupons from 3/14 SS
Final price: Varies

Ken's Salad Dressing $1.99

American Beauty Pasta 69 cents

TRESemmé Hair Care $3.99

Dial Soap 8-pack or Softsoap Body Wash $3.99

Aquafresh Toothbrush or Toothpaste $2.49
Use $1/1 toothbrush or 75 cents/1 toothpaste from 1/3 RP
Final price: $1.49

DiGiorno or California Pizza Kitchen Pizza $3.97
There's a Catalina deal for the CPK pizzas:
Get a $1 Catalina coupon to use toward your next purchase when you buy 2
Get a $2 Catalina coupon to use toward your next purchase when you buy 3
Get a $3 Catalina coupon to use toward your next purchase when you buy 4 or more
Final Price: As low as $3.22 each

Ore-Ida Potatoes $2.49

Morning Star Farms $3.49
Use $1/1 from 2/28 SS
Final price: $2.49

TGI Friday's Appetizers $2.99

Armour Meatballs $2.99

C&W Frozen Vegetables $1.99

Poppers Appetizers $2.99

Birds Eyes Steamfresh Frozen Vegetables $1.99
Use $1/3 from 2/28 SS or 3/7 RP
Final price: $1.66 each wyb 3

Deluxe Ice Cream $1.49

Tyson Any'tizers Appetizers $2.99 (the picture looks like boxes, not bags)
Use 55 cents/1 from 1/24 or 3/7 SS
Final price: $1.99

Update: The sale seems to include quite a bit more than what's in the ad, so keep your eyes open. The following items are also included in the sale:

Bumble Bee Tuna pouches 99 49 cents after promo discount
Use 55 cents/1 from 2/21 SS
Or use $1/5 printable
Final price: as low as FREE

Ronzoni Smart Taste or Healthy Harvest Pasta 99 cents
Use 75 cents/1 Smart Taste or $1/2 Healthy Harvest printable
Final price: as low as FREE

Coupon Deals
Oscar Mayer Sliced Bacon $2.50
Use $1.50/1 printable (may no longer be available)
Final price: $1

Cuties Tangerines 3 lb bag $2.88
Use 55 cents/1 from 3/14 SS
Final price: $1.88

Oscar Mayer Lunchables $1.69
Use 75 cents/1 Combination Subs printable if included in sale
Final price: 69 cents

Smucker's Fruit Spread $2.49
Use 25 cents/1 from 2/21 RP
Use $1 off Smuckers Fruit Spread and Jif Peanut Butter from 1/3 RP
Final price: varies

Hostess Twinkies or Cupcakes $2.50

Wonder Whole Grain or Classic Bread $2.50

Other Deals
Center Cut Pork Loin Chops $1.99/lb

Country Style Pork Strips $1.99/lb

Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs $1.19/lb

Pork Shoulder Butt Roast $1.99/lb

Tilapia or Swai Fillet $2.99/lb

Private Selection Pre-Sliced Meats and Cheeses $3.50

Fresh Express or Fresh Selections 99 cents

Braeburn, Granny Smith, Red or Golden Delicious Apples 99 cents/lb

Strawberries $2.50

Russet Potatoes 50 cents/lb

Passover Savings
Elite Chocolate Bar $1

Manischewitz Gefilte Fish $5.49

Empire Kosher Turkey $1.99/lb

Tabatchnick Soup $2

Yehuda Matzos $3.99 for 5 lbs. w/ in-ad coupon and $10 minimum purchase

Gefen Macaroons $1.50 with in-ad coupon and $10 minimum purchase

This post contains affiliate coupon links, so printing through those links supports this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you! Reach Chief Family Officer's full disclosure and disclaimer here.

Banner via Escalate Media Affiliate Network

Print Friendly

Ways To Make & Save Money #11: Communicate With Your Family

Every Monday, I share a way to make and/or save money, as I strive to achieve my New Year's Resolution of banking a large sum of money by year's end. You can read the rest of the series here. (Sorry this one is late - I had a crazy weekend!)

I totally believe it when I hear that financial issues can cause huge problems in family relationships because I know firsthand how important money is. One thing that helps our family tremendously is good communication about finances and goals.

Right now, it’s just Marc and me who make most of the decisions. We are really on the same page when it comes to our financial goals, and we agree on living frugally, limiting spending, and saving as much as possible. Plus, I appreciate how supportive he is of all the work I do to keep our grocery and household spending down – most weeks, he takes the boys to swim class alone so I can go grocery shopping by myself. (It’s funny how easy it is to hit five or six stores if I’m alone and how hard it is to do more than two if I’ve got the kids.) In turn, he appreciates how hard I work at saving us money while maintaining our lifestyle.

Even though our kids are young, we take advantage of opportunities to talk with them about money. Just yesterday, the boys asked for Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, which I haven’t bought recently because I haven’t been able to find it for 50 cents or less (note: that’s my target price on cereal). Of course, there’s a ton of cereal in the house, and other breakfast foods too, but not that specific variety.

I sat down and explained that we don’t have any Cinnamon Toast Crunch right now because I haven’t found any good sales. But I got an adorable plea to "Please, can you buy it anyway?" So I responded, "Sure, I can buy expensive cereal, but I won’t be able to buy you toys. Would you rather have a new toy or Cinnamon Toast Crunch?"

I could almost see the computations in their head as they processed the question. And then came the answer: "A new toy." Alex said it first, but Tyler said it too, and in a way that made it clear he wasn’t just parroting his older brother.

Here’s another example of why communication is important: I buy lots of things, but if Marc can’t find them when he needs them, he’s liable to go out and buy more stuff at a much higher price (and with good reason!). So we have designated places in the house for our stockpile – toiletries are in a closet, separated by category; paper goods are in a hall closet, although I recently stockpiled so much that there’s also a tower on the landing of the stairs; light bulbs are in the garage, etc. I also let him know what food is in the fridge/freezer/pantry, because he’s so polite and cautious about not eating anything that I might have plans for.

Of course, we talk about the big picture too – a lot. While we don’t plan regular meetings to discuss our family finances, I keep him in the loop on how we’re doing on spending, saving and any changes I think we should be making. On the rare occasion that we don’t see exactly eye-to-eye, we compromise.

The best part of all this communication is that everyone is happy, because we all know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. And that gets us to our goals all the faster.

Morning Coffee: Get a Free Golf Club

Here's a rare offer: TaylorMade Golf is giving away 20,000 irons from their new Burner line of clubs. You have to answer several questions, and those who give the answers that TaylorMade is looking for will get a 6-iron. All others will receive a $10 off promo code for TaylorMade's webstore. As always, be sure to check the official rules before registering. (Via Swag Grabber.)

Coupons.com has some new coupons, including some great Rite Aid coupons like $3 off a $15 purchase and $2/1 Benadryl. Links via Escalate Media Affiliate Network

I monitor the coupon forums extensively, but here’s a store I’ve never heard of before: Roche Bros., which will double up to five $1/1 coupons on Tuesdays. It looks like they’re in Massachusetts – find your local store and give them a call to see if they participate in these weekly doubles.

Coupon Cravings has a great post on trading in video games. I usually sell mine on Amazon, and I had no idea that the value you can get back varies so much. It definitely pays to check more than one store!

Facebook fans of Redbox can get a code for a free rental tomorrow (3/17). (Via Bargain Briana.)

In case you needed confirmation: The LA Times says you can legally park at broken meters (but people are receiving tickets anyway).

There are currently four free Kotex sample packs available, including a new one for the new line of U products.

Common Sense with Money explains how you can make money buying Sudafed Mist this week at Walgreens if you got the right coupons in Sunday’s paper (they weren’t in the LA Times :( ).

Common Sense with Money also has some details on the upcoming Kmart doubles that may mean a special trip to Kmart won’t be worth the trouble. (It never is for me!)

Facebook fans of Ritz Crackers can get a free sample of their new product Munchables.

Here are a couple of Stride gum deals: Facebook fans get a free sample pack. Anyone can print this Buy One, Get One Free coupon (goes straight to printing). (Via Common Sense with Money.)

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week at Borders.

The Drugstore Game This Week: Starter Rite Aid Transactions 3/14 - 3/20/10

If you're new to playing The Drugstore Game, these transactions should help you get started. If you don't understand the transactions, read my Drugstore Game Primer, Common Sense with Money's FAQ, and my explanation of How to Play The Drugstore Game at Rite Aid.

You'll find a list of this week's Rite Aid deals here.

Here's my idea for this week:

Transaction #1:
1 Visine $6
2 Band Aid bandages $3.98 ($1.99 each)
1 Benadryl Cream, $3.99
1 Johnson’s Baby Care Essentials to Go Kit $3.99
1 Cortaid Cream $3.99

- $5/$25 Video Values Coupon
- $3/1 Visine in-ad coupon
- $3/1 Visine Multi-Symptom Relief printable or $3/1 Visine Product from March All You
- 2 x $1/1 Band-Aid Brand Product from 1/3 RP
- $2/1 Benadryl RA printable
- $1/1 Benadryl Product from 3/14 RP
- $1/1 Johnson’s Baby Care product in-ad coupon
- $1/1 Johnson’s Baby Product from 3/7 RP or printable
- $2/1 Cortaid Product from 1/3 RP

Pay: $1.95 + tax
Receive: You have $21.95 toward the Buy $50 of Johnson’s products, Get a $25 gift card SCR #24

Transaction #2:
1 Visine $6
1 Benadryl Cream, $3.99
1 Johnson’s Baby Care Essentials to Go Kit $3.99
1 Post Cereal $1.88
1 small filler, as close as you can get to 14 cents

- $3/$15 printable
- $3/1 Visine in-ad coupon
- $3/1 Visine Multi-Symptom Relief printable or $3/1 Visine Product from March All You
- $2/1 Benadryl RA printable
- $1/1 Benadryl Product from 3/14 RP
- $1/1 Johnson’s Baby Care product in-ad coupon
- $1/1 Johnson’s Baby Product from 3/7 RP or printable
- $2/1 Post Shredded Wheat or Grape Nuts printable

Pay: (cost of filler – 14 cents) + tax
Receive: You now have $35.93 toward the Buy $50 of Johnson’s products, Get a $25 gift card SCR #24

Transaction #3:
1 Visine $6
1 Johnson’s Baby Care Essentials to Go Kit $3.99
1 Cortaid Cream $3.99
1 Johnson's Baby Soap* (comes in pink box) $1.99

- $3/$15 printable
- $3/1 Visine in-ad coupon
- $3/1 Visine Multi-Symptom Relief printable or $3/1 Visine Product from March All You
- $1/1 Johnson’s Baby Care product in-ad coupon
- $1/1 Johnson’s Baby Product from 3/7 RP or printable
- $2/1 Cortaid Product from 1/3 RP

Pay: $2.97 + tax
Receive: $25 gift card for SCR #24

Summary: Get a $25 gift card for less than $5 + tax out of pocket, plus take all of these items home

This post contains some affiliate coupon links, so printing from those links supports this site at no additional cost to you. Read Chief Family Officer's full disclosure/disclaimer.

Print Friendly

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

I had some organic chicken thighs in the freezer, so I adapted this recipe from this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken recipe. Despite the reviews saying the meat came out dry, I found the recipe to be pretty forgiving, and the sauce thickened beautifully when I added the cornstarch. In fact, I will probably halve the cornstarch next time so the sauce is a little more runny.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Serves 4 to 6

nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup finely minced onion or 1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

1. Spray the inside of the crock with nonstick cooking spray. Add the thighs to the crock.

2. Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice. Cover the pineapple and store in refrigerator.

3. In a small bowl, combine the pineapple juice, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic and onion. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

4. Before serving, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and stir until the cornstarch has completely dissolved. Pour the cornstarch into the crock and stir to combine. Add the reserved pineapple and heat through. Serve with rice.

Morning Coffee: Adjusting to Daylight Savings Time

The worst thing about Daylight Savings Time is the morning! We're early risers so waking up at 5 feels like waking up at 4, which is not a good feeling, to say the least. Hopefully it won't take us long to adjust to losing an hour yesterday.

Today's Ebates Daily Double store is Adobe, which is giving 10% cash back (instead of the usual 6%). So if you've been thinking about buying any of their products, today would be a good day. To learn more about Ebates, read my original review. If you sign up through my referral link, we'll both get a bonus when you make your first purchase within 30 days!

Get a free photo book from Kodak Gallery and Target by using code tgtfreebook at checkout. Offer expires 3/31; you'll have to pay shipping and handling of approximately $1.99. You can find this and more photo offers from Target in this week's ad. If you're a new customer, you can get 50 free prints when you join Kodak Gallery. (Hat tip: Christian Clippers.)

I recommend free stuff all the time, and I try to only recommend products from reputable sources that I'm fairly confident will come. Last year, one of the free items was a burrito from Evol, and as I mentioned last week, the coupon finally arrived via email. I was able to use my coupon at Whole Foods yesterday, where the burritos were on sale for $2.50. I only saw one flavor (Pork & Green Chile) but I didn't look too hard either. I plan to try it in the next week or so . . .

Growing Up Gabel explains how to make tomato sauce from scratch.

Love & Olive Oil's recipe for Mini Chocolate Cheesecake looks divine.

Mommy Snacks is giving away a $25 Kroger gift card to spread the word about Box Tops for Education. Ends 3/17.

Stretching a Buck has this week's Target deals, which include cheap Kellogg's.

All Financial Matters makes an interesting point about Berkshire Hathaway: "The bigger they grow, the harder it is for them to continue [their previous level of] growth. Each investment is a smaller and smaller piece of the pie."

Bargain Briana has this week's Meijer deals.