Use Coupons Even on Your Birthday!

Ok as I promised, this post is all about what you can get for FREE during your birthday month!

• Baskin Robbins - sign up for their birthday club and get 1 FREE 2.5 oz scoop on your birthday! 
• Burger King - join their Club BK and you'll receive a FREE Kids Meal on your child's birthday! 
• Champps -  join their Fan Club and you'll receive a coupon via your email address for a FREE dessert with the purchase of 1 entree. Just for signing up you'll also receive a coupon for a FREE burger!
• Chili's - sign up for their email club and you'll get a coupon every week, plus on your birthday you'll get a FREE dessert with the purchase of 1 entree. 
• Firehouse Subs - this is probably the most convenient one - simply go to any participating Firehouse subs, show your driver's license ON your birthday and you'll get a FREE medium sub of your choice! You can also subscribe to their newsletter and you'll instantly receive an email for a FREE Large Coke or Lime Aid with the purchase of a sub. 
• IHOP - join their Pancake Revolution and you'll receive a coupon for a FREE Fruity Rooty Fresh n Fruity just for joining and then you get the same coupon during your birthday month! You can also add your spouse's birthday so they can receive the sweet deal too!
• Moe's Southwest Grill - join Moe's E-World and you'll receive exclusive offers and coupons throughout the year. For your birthday you'll receive a coupon through your email for a FREE entree, excluding fajitas, no other purchase necessary.
• Red Robin - click on JOIN and they'll mail you a Red Loyalty card. Once you receive the card in the mail, go to their website and register the card. After you have registered the card you have 2 weeks to redeem your FREE burger of your choice and fries for your birthday! No other purchase necessary, you can get it to go and save on drinks and tipping. 
• Ruby Tuesday's - Sign up for So Connected and you'll receive a B1G1 coupon just for signing up and then on your birthday, they will email you a coupon for a FREE hand crafted burger of your choice, which also includes your choice of sides! No other purchase necessary, you can even order it to go! 
• Zaxby's - join their Zax Mail Club and they will mail you a coupon for a FREE Meal Deal. During your birthday month you'll receive a coupon through the mail for a FREE nibbler!

These are all the free deals I know about for your birthday!  Sign up now and if your birthday is months away, and if you're like me, you'll forget you signed up and you'll be in for a lot of free surprises!

Shopping at Pharmacies - Outlined by store

So I thought I would take a few minutes to give all of you a brief overview of basic coupon rules and tricks listed by store. Here are just the pharmacies, later on I will do grocery stores -

CVS

• Takes Manufacture coupons. 
• Extra Care Bucks or ECBs are CVS rewards that will give you money back to spend in the store on your next purchase. Always remember to have the cashier scan your Extra Care card first so you never miss out on the Extra Care Bucks! Every week, there will be ECB deals advertised in the weekly ad. Basically you will have to purchase a select product, and then, after purchasing the item, you will get a certain amount of Extra Care Bucks back. The Extra Care Bucks will come in the form of a coupon at the end of your receipt. These Extra Care Buck items will come with different limits. Some items will give you one ECB per card… other items may give you five ECBs. Sometimes there will even be FREE after Extra Care Buck items advertised! This means that you will buy an item for a certain amount and then get that same amount back after purchasing the item in the form of Extra Care Bucks! And even sweeter, if you have a manufacturer coupon to use on the free after Extra Care Buck item, then you’ll turn this deal into a moneymaker!
• CVS store coupons from the red kiosk machine - If you've ever been in CVS then you might have noticed a red kiosk machine. If you scan your CVS card then it will magically print out store coupons that have your name on them! You can pair a store coupon with a manufacture coupon and with ECBs.   
• When a product is on sale Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO), you are only allowed to use one manufacturer’s BOGO coupon.This means that you get 2 items for free! CVS allows this because they will get money back from the manufacture coupon for the free item.
• Once you’re ready to checkout, put your coupons in this order: $4 off $20 store coupon (or any other money-off store coupon), CVS store product coupons, manufacturer coupons and finally Extra Care Bucks.

Rite Aid

• Takes Manufacture coupons.
• Store coupons for products can be found in their weekly ad, check for limits though. Store coupons can be paired with Manufacture coupons. 
• Video Values Program - You spend a few seconds or minutes watching various video advertisements and for doing so, you earn video credits that allow you to print off coupons that are redeemable only at Rite Aid. Once you earn 20 video credits, you’ll get a bonus $5 off $20 purchase. Note:This offer is not available every month. And the best part, Video Values coupons can be stacked with manufacturer coupons for even more savings!
• One of the biggest perks of having a Rite Aid card is the fact that you can take advantage of their UP Rewards Program. The UP Reward program is an incentive program that allows manufacturers to provide a UP Reward to consumers for buying a specific product and/or specific number of products. Each week, different items, which generate a UP Reward, are advertised in their weekly ad. Note: This program is very similar to the Walgreens Register Reward program.  An UP Reward is a coupon or a number of coupons that print at the bottom of your receipt and can be used on your next purchase. Each advertised +UP Reward is limited to one per Wellness card (unless otherwise stated). Keep in mind that you must give the cashier your Wellness card or the phone number, associated with your Wellness card, prior to the items being scanned in order to be eligible for the UP Reward(s). And here’s the best part: There is no limit to the number of +Up Rewards redeemed in a single transaction as long as the pre-tax total is greater than the combined value of the UP Rewards. 

Walgreens 

• Takes Manufacture coupons. 
• No loyalty card needed.
• Store coupons for products can be found in their weekly ad, check for limits though. Store coupons can be paired with Manufacture coupons.
• Register Reward Program - manufacturer coupons that print out from a Catalina machine at the register after you have completed your transaction. The Register Rewards print out after you buy a participating product, which may be advertised in their weekly ad. There are also Register Reward deals that are not advertised in the weekly ads but are posted inside the store. When you have a RR in hand to use, you can only use ONE RR per item purchased. For example: If you are purchasing five items, you can use up to a combination of five manufacturer coupons and/or RRs. If you attempt to use more than five, the register will beep. If you run into a situation where you have more manufacturer coupons/RRs to use than products, look for “filler” items to add to your purchase. "Fillers" are inexpensive items, and they allow you to apply more coupons at checkout. Great options for filler items include clearance merchandise, small candies, and pencils. Note: Walgreens store coupons do NOT count towards your coupon-to-item ratio. In other words, the register will not beep if you are using more Walgreens coupons than items. Have I confused you yet??! Another important thing to note about RRs is if you purchase more than one of the same Register Reward participating item per transaction, you will only receive 1 Register Reward, NOT 2! For example, if Walgreens has Fusion Pro Glide Razors on sale for $9.89, get $5 RR when you buy 1. If you buy 2 razors, you will only receive 1 RR.Another important thing to note is that Register Reward deals do NOT roll! This means that if your receive a $5RR for purchasing 1 ProGlide Razor, you cannot use this same RR to purchase another ProGlide Razor and expect another $2RR to be generated, it will not happen!
• If there is a Buy One, Get One free or a Buy Get One 50% Off promotion, you can use two coupons for the items. You can also use a Buy One, Get One free coupon for items that are currently part of a Buy One, Get One free promotion–this essentially makes both items FREE! If you have any issues using two coupons on a Buy One Get, One free sale, refer to their coupon policy, which specifically states "When items are featured in a Buy One, Get One free promotion, up to two coupons can be used against the items being purchased, as long as the net price does not go below zero for the items being purchased."

I'd like to end by sharing a recent trip I took to Walgreens -

Dove Men + Care 6 pack on sale 2 for $12, get $4 in RR
 - 2, $4 off Manufacture coupons = $4
+ filler item: Crossword puzzle book on clearance for 49 cents
used $4 RR from previous week to make it a grand total of $1.33

Now I have $4 RR to use for next week or to use at Harris Teeter or Walmart - both stores take manufacture coupons from competitors.

8 Razors for 27 cents!

I recently wrote about how to save money at pharmacies, well you don't always need Register Rewards, Extra Care Bucks, or UP Rewards to get the best deals. This week I got 8 razors for 27 cents! How'd I do it? Rite Aid had Noxzema razors on sale for $2 and I just so happen to have $2 off coupons for them. So I hit the sale early in the week and got 2 packs for 27 cents!

As if the razors weren't exciting enough, I found some great deals at Target this week as well. Target had Dove Men + Care body washes and Dove + Men Care deodorants both on clearance for $3.38. I managed to get 4 body washes for $6.76 and 2 deodorants for 76 cents! I used a buy 1, get  $3.75 off for the body washes and I used $2 off coupons + $2 off 2 Target coupon for the deodorants. I found some more great deals in the food section. I managed to get a 12 pack of Sierra Mist for $1.50 by using a $1 off Target coupon. I also got 2 bottles of Kraft BBQ sauce and Country Time lemonade mix all for $1.64 by using a $2 off Manufacture coupon. Fresh Express salad was on sale for $2 and then I had a 75 cents off Manufacture coupon so it was $1.25! I also got Chips Ahoy for 99 cents each after $1 off Manufacture coupon. I discovered that Kroger has them on sale for $1.68 so I have to go back and do price matching, which means I'll be refunded 62 cents for the 2 packs I bought. Always check out the meat section for meat that's on clearance because it's close to expiring. The day I went I managed to score to packs of ground beef for $1.79 each! So it's possible to save on meat too, just check for packs that are marked down. Now before I get a ton of questions about why there's a pregnancy test in this picture, no we are not expecting. I got it because it costs me $3.99 after coupons which is an amazing price! And it doesn't expire until 2013 and I'm pretty sure it will be used before then. Now is the time to check for deals on school supplies and if you're like me and not in school or a teacher, stock up on office supplies! I got 10 pens for 2 cents by using $1 off Papermate item off Target's website.

My tip for the week - Every time you go into a store, pick up their weekly ad and carry it with you. Even if you're not a couponer, I cannot tell you the # of times something has rung up wrong! If you have the ad with you then you'll know the prices and will have the ad ready to show the cashier if items ring up wrong. If you don't have the ad in front of you then it's likely that you'll overlook a great deal or pay more than you should. I always grab the ad when I walk in even when I have made a list and then when I'm done shopping, I put the ad back so I don't take it home with me thus avoiding stacking up papers!

Stay tuned, my next post will be about FREE meals during my birthday month!!! You won't want to miss what restaurants deals to sign up for before your birthday!!!

Saving Money on Projects in our Yard

So not only can you save money by using coupons, you can do your own yard work! Mowing the grass is 1 thing you can do yourself, but what about cutting down trees? Well we have a lot of trees to cut down in our yard. We have cut down 6 trees in our yard by ourselves and we still have at least 3 more to cut down.  We have also have ripped out Juniper brushes. We have even replaced our mailbox. All of these tasks have really improved the look and feel of our yard and it only costs us a few days of time and lots of sweat! We have saved at least $500 by doing all those projects ourselves.

Here are a few pictures of our latest adventures in the yard -

Learning to Save Big at Pharmacies

Shopping at pharmacies with coupons can be overwhelming and intimating. When I first heard about Register Rewards, Extra Care Bucks, and UP Rewards, I thought it was a crazy idea to spend money to get a store credit to buy more stuff. Why would you spend money to get back just a small portion of it in store credit? At first I didn't bother trying to learn because it seemed like a waste of time and coupons. If you've ever tried to buy food or health and beauty items at a pharmacy without coupons, you know how expensive things can be there! Well hopefully after reading this post you will know that there are major savings to be had if you learn all the tricks and tips to shopping with coupons at pharmacies.

Last week I looked online at the deals to be had and I made my list of sale prices and the coupons I had to go along with them. I always calculate the final prices and write them down before I go to the store. The reason I do this is because what may be a great deal to someone, may not be considered a great deal to me so rather than waste my time at going to the store, I calculate everything to determine if it's worth my time and energy.

Here are the deals I got last week -

At Rite Aid

Transaction #1:
Crest Scope Outlast toothpaste $2.69
- $1 off Manufacture coupon
$1.69 + get back $2.69 in UP Rewards

Transaction #2:
Ritz Crackers on sale for $1
Diet Coke 1.25 liters $1.59
- $1 off Manufacture coupon for Ritz crackers + Coke

Excedrin 20 - 24 count on sale for $1.99, get $1 in UP Rewards for 1
- 75 cents off Manufacture coupon
Used $2.69 UP Reward from 1st Transaction, paid 44 cents after tax! Got back $1 in UP Rewards

Transaction #3:
Stayfree Maxi Pads 16 - 24 count on sale 2 for $5, plus get $2 in UP Rewards when you buy 2
- $1 off Manufacture coupon
- B1G1 Manufacture coupon
- $1 UP Rewards from previous transaction
89 cents with tax! Got back $2 in UP Rewards

Transaction #4:
Pringles on sale 3 for $3.99
- $1 off 3 Manufacture coupon
- $2 UP Reward from previous transaction
$1.07 with tax!

Altogether I spent $4.30 for 1 tube of toothpaste, 1 box Ritz crackers, 1 Diet Coke, 24 count of Excedrin, 2 packs of Stayfree pads, and 3 cans of Pringles. Not bad for food, medicine, and toothpaste! And it only took me 3 minutes to check out and 30 minutes to put find everything in the store.

At CVS

Transaction #1:
Pantene Pro-V Shampoo or Conditioner 12.6 oz on sale 2 for $6.97
- $2 off 2 from Red Magic Coupon Kiosk
- $3 off 2 Manufacture Coupon
- $1 in Extra Care Bucks from previous week
$.97 + get back $2 in Extra Care Bucks
Total cost after $2 in ECB, FREE

Transaction #2:
Scott single roll of toilet paper on sale for $1
- $1 off Manufacture coupon = FREE

Finish Gel Pacs Dish washing detergent on sale for $2.99
- 75 cents off Manufacture coupon = $2.24
Total cost after using $2 ECB from 1st Transaction = 55 cents with tax! 

Altogether I spent a grand total of $2.06 for 2 bottles of shampoo, 1 roll of toilet paper, and 20 gels packs of dish washing detergent. Not too bad for 30 minutes of shopping!

I hope reading the details of these 2 shopping trips has taught you that couponing at pharmacies is possible. If you're new to couponing or just want to start shopping at pharmacies, check out each store's coupon policy on their website so you know the rules.

My tip for the week - At most stores you can use a B1G1 coupon with a cents off or dollars off coupon. The reason is you are allowed 1 Manufacture coupon per item. So for example, 1 of the deals above was for Stayfree pads, I used a B1G1 Manufacture coupon and a $1 off Manufacture coupon. Most people are surprised to learn this, but it's really awesome!