I couldn't resist another run at the "Buy 3 Juices, get 2 snacks FREE" deal. I found 2 catalina coupons for $2.50 each. I'm just lovin' the free snacks and I totally needed to stock up on granola bars. I go through a box of granola bars a week, so each transaction yields another month supply! And hubby is totally loving all the juice, we're big juice fans, and it doesn't get any better than this!!

6 bottles Mott's apple juice $2.99 (reg. price) $2.00 (sale) -$2/2 (2) -$1.50/2
4 boxes Quaker granola bars ($3.49/box) free wyb 6 juice -$1/1 (4)
1 gallon Lucerne milk $2.99, -$2.99 (wyb 4 Quaker granola bars, get 1 gallon Lucerne milk free)

Total retail value: $36.89
Total saved: $36.89
Total OOP: $.06 (local tax)
100% savings

I'm glad I popped over to Jill Cataldo's website before I headed out yesterday. There was a 3 day sale at Dominicks - buy any 3 participating juices, get 2 participating snack items free. The deal got immeasurably better when coupons for the juice (Mott's apple juice) could be found in a coupon booklet recently spotted at Jewel. Which I actually found, while I was there grabbing newspapers (Saturday paper with coupon inserts) for $.99 each. Best price in the area.

Truth be told, I found a huge display of those coupon booklets, so I helped myself to a dozen or so. I was so thrilled to find them. The deal was on. I had my box of expired coupons in the car, and was ready to go. The snacks that were included in the deal were Quaker granola bars. Which was great - I have tons of expired Quaker granola bar coupons. I had coupon overage on the brain. It's been some time since that happened. And this Dominick's is typically coupon friendly. This was my day.

Here's what I found:
9 bottles of Mott's Apple Juice 64 oz. each $2 each -$1.50/2 coupons (x4)
3 bottles Ocean Spray juices 64 oz. each $2.29-$2.99 -$3/1 coupons (x3) = $.73 moneymaker!
6 boxes Quaker Granola bars $2.49 (free wyb 3 juices) -$3/5 quaker products, $1/1 True Delights = $4.00 moneymaker!!
6 bags Fritos/Cheetos on sale $1.49 (with in-store coupon) -$1/2 coupons (3)
3 jars Frito-Lay brand dip $2.29-$3.79 -$3/1 coupons wyb 2 FritoLay chips (3)
10 bags Nabisco Mini Oreo's, Chips Ahoy, etc. $.99 with instore coupon -$1/2 coupons (5)
2 Kraft Salad Dressing $2.00 -$1/1 coupons (x2)
1 Kraft Garlic & Herb Sandwich Shop Mayo $1.79 -$1/1 coupon
4 WishBone Salad Dressing $.99 -$1/2 coupons (2)

Total before discounts: $198.28
Total Savings: $167.17
Total OOP: $31.11

I have been not-so-patiently waiting for another good deal on cereal, and as it tends to happen, Dominicks is the place to be. Since no stores in Chicagoland double coupons, Dominicks is our saving grace - they accept expired coupons. Couple that with a Buy 10 get a $10 coupon OYNO, and I was in heaven. Oh, and Kellogg wasn't the only brand on sale, Keebler was, too! This was a great time to be couponing!

Transaction #1
10 boxes Keebler cookies (originally $4.19 - $4.39) on sale for $2.49
1 gallon milk (regular price $3.19) $2.69
Minus $1/2 coupons (x5)
Minus $2 milkpurchase wyb 2 Keebler cookies
Minus $3 register rewards from Walgreens
Total: $18.07
Total Saved: $25.60
and a $10 cat prints out...

Transaction #2
10 boxes PopTarts (regular price $3.39) on sale for $1.99
Minus $1/2 coupons (x5)
Minus $10 cat
Total: $5.25
Total Saved: $29.50
no cat prints....I ask the cashier, he tells me to talk to the service desk. I decide to do that after my next 2 orders are complete

Transaction #3
6 boxes Apple Jacks (regular price $3.59) on sale $1.99
2 boxes Kellogg's NutraGrain bars (regular price $3.99) on sale $2.49
2 boxes Keebler cookies (regular price $3.99) on sale $2.49
Minus $1/2 coupon (cookies)
Minus $.70 off 1 box cereal (x6)
Total: $15.87
Saved: $21.50
and a $10 cat prints out...

Transaction #4
2 boxes Keebler cookies (regular price $3.99) on sale $2.49
6 boxes Frosted Flakes (regular price $2.99) on sale $1.99
2 boxes Apple Jacks (regular price $3.59) on sale $1.99
1 jar apricot preserves (regular price $2.79) on sale $1.99
2 64 oz. bottle Ocean Spray juice blends $2.99
Minus $1/2 Kellogg cereals (x3)
Minus $.70 off 1 box cereal (x2)
Minus $1/2 coupon (cookies)
Minus $3 off winetag coupons for the juice
Minus $10 cat
Total: $9.73
Saved: $33.00
and a $10 cat prints out...

I go to customer service after my transactions, ask if the purchase where no cat pr inted could be re-rung or returned. The cashier offered me $10 cash instead of the cat. I happily accepted and was off on my merry way.

Total Saved during this long shopping trip: $109.60
Coupons spent: $49.60
Total OOP: $38.56 (I've subtracted the $10 cash from this)
Plus another $10 cat in my wallet...
Quantity of items purchased: 44

On the way home from work, I popped in to Dominicks to grab another round of the cheap cereal.

Quaker Life and Captain Crunch cereal (12-15 oz. boxes) were on sale for $1 a box when you buy 4 or more. Which is a great deal in itself. But I made it a little sweeter by adding in some $3/5 Quaker product coupons from Butera flyer back in March (expired, but Dominicks takes those!)

If that wasn't sweet enough, I had a $4 catalina left from grabbing some Kellogg's cereal when the national catalina was running.

10 boxes of Captain Crunch = $10 plus $.22 tax
- $3/5 Quaker product coupon (x2) = -$6
- $4 OYNO catalina coupon = -$4
My total = $.22 (tax)
Savings = 100%!!

I still have one more catalina, a $3 catalina from Jewel that I believe is expired = looks like more free cereal for me. No question on what's for breakfast...cereal isn't a question in my life anymore, it's an answer - the only question is: which box do I open next??

Cereal.

What do you think of when you hear that word? When I was younger (much younger), cereal was a treat - we had cereal once in a rare blue moon. Being raised by a single mom with 3 kids, and half the neighborhood eating at our place, that might have something to do with it.

Then, before I started couponing, cereal was a siphon in my wallet, carefully, thoroughly sucking out the few dollars I had for our weekly grocery shopping. Hey, regular priced cereal costs more per pound than meat or produce - and you can't stretch it as far. Believe me, I've tried.

Now, cereal is funny. It's hilarious. It's almost an event. Sometimes it's even a joke.

The conversation starts like this:

"I think I want something to nibble on." (DH)
"Hmmmm..." (me, distracted by the tv, a good book, magazine, or playing on the computer) "cookies?"
DH shakes his head
"Leftovers?" I reply, raising an eyebrow
DH laughs
"Cereal?" Knowing full well he wouldn't go for my first two options, didn't matter what they were. Oh, and there were no cookies, anyway.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Like I could hear his thoughts from across the room - they just took some time getting to me. Might've got lost somewhere around the edge of the coffee table.

Then comes the long pause. (Don't worry, I was wiating for it.) DH ambles into the kitchen. "Which one?" Here's why I find it funny:


Once upon a time, there was no concept of which one - there was one box, and it was usually almost-empty. Now, there are more than a dozen different kinds on hand at all times. Hubby scratches his wondering for a few seconds, before finally deciding which one and going down to the pantry in the basement to get it. Though, in most scenarios, he'll offer to grab me a fresh box of cereal too. (Since our tastes are rather different - me = Honey Bunches of Oats....him = Froot Loops.)

Now, there's a killer sale at Dominicks on cereal. Not that I really need more, but at these prices, I can't pass it up. I can get Captain Crunch for $.40 a box. There are other deals to be had, but for that one alone - I'll be out shopping.

Got to love my funny, frugal life...
Oh, and for details on the cheap cereal - go HERE.

I finally got the ads early (the ones starting Thursday) and had 10 minutes to look over where the cheap eats are - looks like my pals at Dominicks got my back this week! Here are the highlights:

Nabisco snacks (4-8 oz.) $10/10 - use $1/2 EXPIRED coupons from Back to School booklet = $.50 per bag

PopTarts - $1 (WYB in multiples of 5) - use $1/2 blinkie coupons EXPIRED = $.50 a box

Rice-A-Roni $.99 - use EXPIRED coupon for $1/4 to get these for $.74 each (not rockbottom, but a decent enough price)

$.99 lb. green grapes

$1.99 lb. 80% lean ground beef - not a bad price for this, I hate to say

Now, can it actually be called shopping when you don't actually pay for the merchandise, you only pay the tax? Well, that's what I've been up to the last few evenings! I've gone to Dominick's and grabbed Colgate toothpaste and used the $1 coupons (manufacturer, of course) provided in Jewel's ad last week - that adds up to free toothpaste for DH & I, my mother, my sister (and family), and my assorted inlaws - with a few leftover to donate to the women's shelter!

That's what I call a good deal! What made it even better is that at the Dominicks I prefer to shop at, the items were correctly tagged, but rang up wrong at the register - so I got one free (their policy for an item ringing up wrong - love it!!)

I bought:
24 tubes Colgate toothpaste (and I didn't even make a dent in clearing the shelves either - there were plenty for the couponers)
1 6lb. pkg. Rancher's Reserve beef patties (24 count) marked down to $5.99! I used (2) $2.00 YBs expired from Jewel and when all was said and done....

I got 100% savings!
I paid $3.36 and tax on my order was $3.37 - I only paid the tax for all those yummy goodies!

That's what I call shopping and saving!

In the Jewel flyer, there are a bunch of manufacturer coupons, including a coupon for $1/4 Rice-A-Roni & Pasta-A-Roni. These are on sale at Dominicks for $.75 each when you buy 4. Grab a few Jewel flyers are buy the rice and pasta mixes for just $.50 each in multiples of 4.


There is no limit on the number of these you can buy per transaction! I just grabbed a dozen this morning without any problems at all. Remember, for every $50 you spend at Dominicks (after fresh value card and store coupons), you receive $10 in Kohl's Cash!

$.99 lb. for the following items:
Pork loin rib half-sliced
Smoked Shank 1/2 ham
Boneless Sirloin Pork Chops
Honeysuckle or Jennie-O Turkey Breast (bone-in)
Mangos
Baby carrots
Green onions
Navel Oranges
Gala Apples

Also $.99:
Fresh Express salad shreds and mix
pint of blueberries
Filone Artisan Breads (love the Asiago one!!)
5 lb. Russet potatoes

Other Deals:

$.88 6-8 oz. pkgs. Pepperridge Farm goldfish
$.77 2L 7-Up products

Buy 3 Save $3 instantly on selected cereals (remember to use your expired coupons on this!!) Limit 18 boxes per cardholder, per transaction

Meals:

Mango Pork Tenderloin

Ham and Mashed Potatoes

Orange Pepper Turkey Breast

Dijon Pork Chops

Turkey & Spinach Salad

Ham & Potato Casserole

Apple Crisp

Blueberry Blonde Brownies

Blueberry Muffins

I was looking through the DOminicks sale ad that ends today, and had my box of carefully filed expired coupons and found some tasty match-ups:

$.99 Quaker Chewy Granola Bars - limit 3
Pair this with $1/2 or $.75/2 = $.50-$.61 a box

$.99 Wishbone salad dressing
Pair this with $1/2 coupons ( I have several) = $.50 a bottle
Stack this with $1 off Chicken, Beef, or Produce WYB2 Wishbone Salad dressings
$.99 lb. Chicken drumsticks, thighs, and leg quarters
$1.69 lb. 80% lean ground beef
$1.99 lb. London Broil
Looks like I'll be taking home some cheap meat!

I didn't see any good deals on produce there this week, but next week:
$.99 pint blueberries!!
Can I just say.....YUM!

Items are with $20 minimum purchase - which I normally don't go in for, but here's Dominicks policy regarding that:

What does "minimum $10 (or $20) purchase required" mean?
To use store coupons that include a minimum purchase requirement, you must spend a minimum dollar amount on that shopping trip. You will reach the minimum purchase amount based upon total purchases before your Club Card discount is applied. This total will include the coupon item's regular price, not the discounted price. For example, the regular retail price of a box of Cheerios (before coupon and before Club Card discounts) will count toward the minimum purchase required in order to use the Cheerios coupon.

Found at: www.jillcataldo.com

Please check individual store for pre-sale price of items listed below.

$.88 Fritos/Cheetos (limit 4)
$.79 Doninicks apple juice 64 oz. (limit 3)
$2.33 12 pack Coca-Cola product (limt 3 - must buy 3!)
$1.99 Honey Bunches of Oats 14.5 oz. - must by 3 (limit 20)

2/$1 lbs. Bartlett Pears


Also: over at SuperTarget

Printable Targert coupons on the following items:
Duncan Hines Baking product $.50 off any one (cake mixes come to $.47 each)

General Mills cereal - $1/2, also there are $1/2 printable/newspaper insert coupons, pair this with Monster cereals for $.99 a box. Hey, that's cheaper than generic!

$1 off Skippy Peanut Butter - prices average around $2.04 a jar, some take home some cheap pb after coupon!

All Target printables are unlimited, but beware at the store, some cashiers may limit you to one per transaction. That's when you split your order up, or bring friends/famiyl with you to shop - more couponers, more fun!

This is soup and crackers/bread kind of weather and thanks to the deals I've been getting - I'm plenty stocked up on all the goodies to make soup night a quick, easy, and flavorful dinner!

Nabisco snack crackers $.99 a box, limit 4
The great thing about this is - you can use your expired coupons on it - like those $1/2 Nabisco snack cracker coupons from the booklet Nabisco put out around August (back to school booklet with yellow cover).

I've grabbed my first set of 4 boxes, but by no means will this be my last!

Nabiscoland - here I come...

Last night, my friend & I went to Dominicks for the mix 'n' match sale - combining our items because we each found more than 10 but less than 20 items that were considered part of the sale. With the Mix 'n' Match Sales, you must buy 10 items to save $5 instantly. And the beauty of it was: Dominicks accepts expired coupons. So last night, they accepted over $45 worth of them. Our savings was 69%, saving $100.xx and costing us each around $22.
For that much $$, we grabbed:

6 containers BC frosting
9 boxes Jello-Pudding mixes
20 boxes of cereal (mostly Kellogg's/General Mills - using the $1 off per box Q's)
3 Hamburger helper
1 jar of grape jelly
4 boxes crackers
1 box cookies
2 gallons of milk
4 boxes of Poptarts

Not too bad - especially for all that cereal. It's much easier to hit that kind of sale with a friend.

Here are the highlights I've found in the Dominicks flyer. With overlapping promotions, all the items listed here are on sale from Friday-Sunday.

Buy 5 - Save $5, Mix & Match selected cereals (more than 50 to choose from):

Kelloggs Corn Flakes $.99
Quaker Life $.99 (printable Q's $1 off = so it's FREE)
Post Raisin Bran $1.49
Post Fruity Pebbles $1.49
General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios $1.99
Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats $1.99

I don't know what other cereals are on offer, but I'm gathering all my coupons and going to see!

$1.99 10 lb. bag potatoes
$2.49 - Safeway water 24 pk.

Also, using in store coupon (with $10 purchase, before coupons) limit one each per transaction:

Oreos - $1.29
Classico Pasta Sauce - $1.27
Pillsbury cake mix - $.79
Safeway Oats - $.99
Knorr Lipton Side or Veggie Plus - $.88
Cocoa Cola 24 pk. - $4.99
Tostitos Scoops - $1.77