♥ Money Saving Mommy ♥

Free Chickfila spicy chicken biscuit!!!!

2011-01-04T16:06:00.002-06:00

There's still time to sign up at chick fila's website for the free chicken biscuits this week! Just go here to reserve your spot: www.chickfila.com

Free goodies on your bday!

2010-10-02T11:02:00.000-05:00

Here's a list of some of the great things you can get for free on your bday (without strings attached or purchase required)
Red Robin email club (free entree on your birthday)

Sonic (free drink or tots on your bday)

Ihop (free rooty tooty meal or substitute of equal value)

There are many many more, I would suggest going to your favorite restaurant or place of business's website and see if they have an e-club, then if you are worried about spam, set up a free account somewhere like yahoo so you can save that for your bday emails!

Free Aveda on your bday!!

2010-10-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

My birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I am looking forward with great anticipation to the plethora of freebies I am expecting in my mailbox and email! One of my favorite places is Aveda, and they have a birthday program where you can get a free gift on your bday! Here is the link to sign up, it's a $24 value so it's great! If you aren't a fan of Aveda you may know someone who is and can use this product as a gift!

How to save on your monthly bills!

2010-06-29T08:26:00.000-05:00

I recently started going through all of our bills and looking for ways to save on them, or things we have that are excess, and I ended up saving us a lot of money! Here are a few of the things I did and a few things I've heard from other people!

Car/Renter's Insurance -- I called around to a few companies and found the lowest price, switched over to them and I'm saving over $500/year and I was able to get Renter's insurance cheaper too, that saved me $30/year!

Cable/Internet -- We are stuck with a not so great cable company because of the contract our apartments signed a long time ago, so we have been overpaying by a lot for a few years now. We found out we could get different internet, just not cable, so we called another company, and saved $15/month on that and we have better service!

Rent -- we live in a place that we absolutely love but we are overpaying by a lot to live here. We decided this year to find a cheaper place to live, and we just signed a lease on a rent house that is $300/month cheaper than where we are now and it's bigger!

Electric -- I've heard from lots of people although I haven't tried this because I am entirely too forgetful :). I have heard that you can set up all of your major electronics on either a power strip that turns off or you can unplug them (except the fridge of course) before you leave for the day! I have 2 friends who have done this for a long period of time, both live alone and have bills around $30/month. This could be a huge savings opportunity if you can remember to do it! At least remember to turn off your lights, TVs, radios, etc when you leave for the day, and during the winter time put blankets or towels at your doors to keep the cold out.
Also, call your electric company to see what you are paying per killowatt hour (my current rate is 12 cents) and see if they have any plans that will lower your monthly rate!

Do it yourself! -- You can do things like I've mentioned before, make your own pizzas, do your own mani/pedis, etc, but you can also do things around the house to save some money! Do your own lawn, pool, and house cleaning if you are currently paying a service to do it. It's a great way to learn new skills and it will save you a lot of money each month! Just think, if you are paying $30 every 2 weeks to have someone mow your lawn, you are paying $720/year which is almost $2/day!

Just take a look at your bills, see what you can cut back a little, and always be looking for a better deal!

FREE Sample of Bacon Salt!

2010-06-16T00:50:00.000-05:00

Go here to get a FREE sample of Bacon Salt!! I have heard from some people that it's charging $1 I'm guessing for shipping, but in our area you shouldn't have a problem! It didn't charge me :).

Thanks again Collin!

FREE DaVinci Pasta & Recipe Cards!

2010-06-16T00:48:00.000-05:00

Simply go here and “Like” DaVinci on Facebook to score a FREE package of DaVinci Pasta and complimentary recipe cards! After “Liking” them, send an e-mail to promotions@worldfiner.com with your shipping address, year of birth, and Facebook ID (so they know who you are) and they'll send you the free pasta and recipe cards! I also looked them up without the link so this is their actual page.

Thanks Collin!

FREE Custom Fabric Sunglasses Cloth!

2010-05-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

MarineLayer.com (t-shirt company) is offering up a FREE sunglasses cloth, probably in hopes that you'll fall in love with their product, but hey, it's a great freebie!! Just head over here to get yours!

Thanks Collin!

Honey Nut Cheerios Instant Win Game!!

2010-05-16T20:40:00.000-05:00

Go here to play the Honey Nut Cheerios Instant Win Game, it's pretty fun! Good luck, let me know if you win!

For all the mommies and soon to be mommies out there...

2010-05-16T17:03:00.000-05:00

There are so many awesome resources to get free samples and even full sized products for those expectant moms! I wasn't even a couponer back when I was pregnant, yet my mailbox was constantly overflowing with tons of freebies!! Here are a few of them:

Enfamil -- when I registered they sent me 2 free cans of formula (full sized cans, not samples), a diaper bag, some freezer packs for the diaper bag, and each week they would send me a check good for purchase of more formula!

Similac -- They sent me lots of free formula too which I shared with friends because I chose to feed David enfamil, but I remember getting a lot of free products from them as well

Juicy Juice -- They sent me a free water bottle for David (just his size) but sometimes they'll send out sippy cups too. Plus I've gotten some coupons!

Gerber -- I think they sent me some sort of product, but I know for sure I got TONS of coupons on everything from onesies to bibs, anything and everything you could imagine coupons for!

Seventh Generation -- You'll notice I talk a lot about Seventh Gen, it's because they make such great products! If you're considering the all organic path when raising your child, they make great baby products!

Pampers -- They'll send you coupons, plus you can join the Gifts to Grow program and earn points to redeem for free products!

Huggies -- They'll also send you lots of coupons, even some free samples, then they have the Enjoy the Ride rewards program (I've already been able to redeem points for a $25 kohls gift card)

Toys R Us -- They have Geoffrey's bday club, they will send you a free gift and card for your child's birthday, and then you can take your child into the store the week of the birthday and they'll give him/her a crown, balloon, and announce his/her bday over the p.a.system!

Babies R Us -- When you're looking for a good place to register, this is definitely it! They'll provide you with some free items when you register (it varies year to year on what they give) and you'll get coupons throughout your pregnancy!

Poptarts Sprinklings -- This is a club for your kiddos for their birthday as well, they'll get a free poptart, card, banner to hang up, and they'll send some cute bday ideas for you as well. They also send a kit on the half bday!

Sonic -- They have a kids club that will get your kiddo a free kids meal on their birthday, and then a discounted meal on their half bday. (there's also a club for grownups where you can get a free drink/milkshake/tots on your bday!)

California Pizza Kitchen -- They sent me an email inviting David last year but unfortunately he was sick, but the invite said if I brought him in sometime in the 2 weeks around his bday, he would get a free dinner, dessert, and drink, and they would do something really cool, but we didn't get to find out what all it entails. It also didn't require us to purchase any other meals or anything, which is nice.

If you know of any others or if I have left any off, please let me know!

Also...

2010-05-16T16:39:00.000-05:00

For those of you who were at the coupon class and gave me your email address, I haven't forgotten to send you an email with notes from the class, just haven't had time! I will get them to you as quickly as I can! For those who weren't at the class, if you want a copy of the notes please email me at couponmommy85@yahoo.com with CLASS NOTES as the subject line and I will reply with a copy of the notes. Please note I will NEVER use your email address again unless you specifically ask me to email you with something else, nor will I ever sell your information. I hate spam, so I'm not going to pass any along to you.

Free Sample of South Beach bars!

2010-05-16T16:37:00.000-05:00

I got this one a couple of months ago and it was DELICIOUS!!! It's available again, so hurry and get yours! Go here and fill out the questions to get your sample bar (allow 4-6 weeks for delivery).

Thanks Collin!

Check out Hip 2 Save!

2010-05-16T16:33:00.002-05:00

Collin over at Hip 2 Save is doing a great "You in bloom" segment, talking about organization and lots of other great things! Go check it out when you have a chance, I'm learning a lot!!

Sorry for the lack of posts , computer issues!!

2010-05-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

As in, I haven't been able to get any time on the computer! Anyway, I'm about to post lots of goodies, so keep your eyes open!

Come join me on Saturday for some food and fun!!

2010-04-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

Just a friendly reminder, the coupon class/party is on Saturday May 1st, 1pm at Joe's Pasta and Pizza in Colleyville! Everyone is welcome and bring a friend or two if you know someone who would enjoy it!! I have SO MANY GIVEAWAYS to do!! Everyone will leave with something maybe even 2 things! I can't wait! If you have questions or need directions, email me at couponmommy@yahoo.com!! Can't wait to see you there!

Disney Movie Rewards!! So Rewarding!

2010-04-26T09:49:00.000-05:00

I started doing Disney Movie Rewards about 2 months ago, and it took me barely any time to start getting freebies! Now, I absolutely LOVE this program! You can save up your points for really big items even blue rays, I have chosen to get re-usable bags both times I've saved up my points but it wouldn't be hard to save up for something a little bigger! You get points regularly in your email, and you get them inside Disney Dvds that you buy! They have tons of rewards to offer! Check it out here!

** Also, on a side note, if you are worried about filling up your inbox by signing up for these things, set up a "junk" account :). I have a few junk accounts on yahoo so I can keep my newsletters organized so I can find the deals easily!

Product Review: Lorina's sparkling beverages!

2010-04-18T22:25:00.000-05:00

I have been drinking Lorina's sparkling lemonade for years now, I just love it so much! It's not heavy on the sparkling, it's a very light taste and they have lots of flavors to choose from! Mine is the French Berry Lemonade, it's so perfect for a nice relaxing meal! It's not very expensive either, the store closest to me that sells it has a pretty big bottle of it for around $5, but it's enough for 4-5 people to share! I absolutely LOVE Lorina's, if you have a location near you that sells it I highly recommend trying it!

Thank you to Lorina's for allowing me to review your delicious products!

Reusable bags!

2010-04-18T22:03:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know, I talk about these a lot, but I also save a lot of money by finding opportunities to get these bags for free! So, naturally, you can understand my excitement when I got 5 new free ones in the past 3 days!! Here is my collection of bags:

So now, I have 11 bags which means an extra $.55 in savings on my grocery trips! I'm still waiting on 3-4 to come in the mail too, and these savings quickly add up! Plus, as you'll notice, I don't carry "plain" bags and I actually get lots of compliments on my bags in the store! I only paid for 2 of those bags, the rest were free! I got the Bebe one from that facebook promotion they did a month or two ago, the Princess and the Frog one is from Disney Movie Rewards, the two blue ones with blue and white waves on them were from Unilever, the 3 white ones are from Cafe Press (you have to pay $1.25 shipping but I had a paypal gift card), the black with writing is from Kohls and I also had a gift card for that one, the pink one and the black with white decorations are from Market Street (the only 2 I bought) and the green one I just got today from Target!! Target is running a promotion, I've heard it's all week but both of my stores ran out today, so I don't know if that's true. So, keep your eyes peeled for these deals and of course I'll tell you when I find them, and start using your reusable bags! :)

Lots of free samples from Walmart!!!

2010-04-18T21:55:00.000-05:00

Go here to access lots of samples from Walmart, I usually receive mine in a couple of weeks, but still allow 4-6 weeks for delivery! Below are the current ones available, but I would bookmark this site because they add new ones pretty often!

Free Sample of Parents Choice Infant Formula

Free Sample of Crest 3D White Strips

Free Sample of Benefiber Orange

Free Sample of Dove Men + Care

Thanks Brandie!

Sorry (again) for the lack of posts!

2010-04-18T21:50:00.000-05:00

I've been so busy planning the big party/class on May 1st that I just realized I haven't been posting all the great deals and freebies!! So I do apologize for that, but let me tell you for those who are coming to the class/party you'll definitely be excited to see how many FULL SIZE products I have to give away for FREE!!! I am so excited about May 1st, I can't wait for it to be here and I haven't even received all of the shipments of goodies yet! So many great things to give away, and you are welcome to invite anyone you want to bring, it's completely open to anyone who wants to come! I am goign to set up a little play area for the kiddos too, there won't be a babysitter but there will be things to (safely) distract them and keep them busy! So I look forward to seeing y'all there, it's going to be a great time!! Now on to the great deals and freebies...

Almost to 50 fans! Y'all are awesome!

2010-04-12T22:37:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to take a minute to say Thanks to all of my fabulous fans, you are what keeps me going and you all keep me motivated to look for more great deals to share!! I hope you can all make it out to the coupon class/party, it's going to be a lot of fun and a few great companies are sending me some sample products for you all to try, so I am really looking forward to it!

Thanks again for all of the encouragement and support (and letting me know when you find deals on your own!)!!

It's here... Coupon/healthy living class!!

2010-04-08T22:08:00.001-05:00

The coupon/healthy living class will be on May 1st at 1pm, in Colleyville, TX! Check the facebook page for more details, or email me! I will have TONS of coupons to give you, and lots of giveaways too!

Couponmommy85@yahoo.com for more info!

FREE Stouffer’s Brand Pot Holder!!

2010-04-08T21:47:00.000-05:00

This is so adorable (in my opinion, but I love kitchen supplies lol) and a great freebie! All you have to do is register if you haven't already for this Stouffer's Reward program, then take a survey and you'll have enough points for the pot holder! Takes 10-12 weeks for delivery.

Free Shirt from Aeropostale!

2010-04-08T21:45:00.000-05:00

I just went to get mine tonight and they still had lots!! Just take the cover of the May Seventeen Magazine or print out the home page of seventeen.com and take it in, the shirt is really cute! It's a $17.50 value too, so very exciting!!

Terracycle!!

2010-03-31T22:18:00.001-05:00

Just became a member of Terracycle, I started the brigade "Dfw Money saving mommy cares" so if anyone wants to save some either candy wrappers, chip bags, or cookie bags (like the single serve ones) and help to donate to a great cause (right now I have it set on Unicef but will change once I find a local charity) please go to the page below and join my brigade! It's all free, all you do is save things you'd normally throw away! You can read more at Collin's page Hip 2 Save or you can visit the Terracycle website!!

Also, if you know of a local charity that could use the donations, please let me know!! Couponmommy85@yahoo.com

Free Pantene Sample from Vocalpoint!!

2010-03-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

Go here to get a free sample of Pantene shampoo!! If you're not already a Vocalpoint member, I highly recommend becoming one, you'll get lots of free samples like this and sometimes even full size products for free!

Free Samples of Emergen-C!!

2010-03-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

I love having this stuff around, it's great if you feel a cold coming on or if you just don't feel like you've got enough energy you can get this quick boost of vitamin C!! Go here for a free sample kit!! I keep this in my desk at work just in case!!

Ways to save money at home, Ciara style!

2010-03-19T23:45:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of the things I do to save money at home, some of these things you may not realize you can do, but if you try you may be surprised!! Feel free to email me to ask for further details or help!

Pedicures/Manicures, I get them bi-weekly at Ciara's Salon haha. A few years ago I bought a foot bath/massager (Sears puts them on clearance a lot, mine is nice because it has a remote!) and I use that and a few other small inexpensive tools to do my own pedicures! I also do my own finger nails, so I save roughly $80-100/month doing that myself. For you ladies who like to have french manicures, most grocery stores carry kits to do it, and it comes with a template and everything, not too hard at all. Just remember, practice makes perfect!

I try to find ways to make everything we could ever want from an expensive restaurant at home. For instance, Walmart carries some delicious filets of steak, or you can get filet mignon (2 servings) for less than $5. Pair this with your favorite veggies, then make a salad or a dessert if you want more than a 1 course meal! Not hard to do at all, and you're saving approximately $50-$60 depending on where you usually go to eat steak! I also make pizza at home, I bake my own cakes for every person in my family (if you want to see these go to sweetsbyciara.blogspot.com)

Birthdays, here's my specialty haha. I have a toddler, so obviously his birthdays are a big deal, I want to make them something special and something my friends and family will admire and talk about! So, with the help of my very talented mom, I do my own invitations, cake, food, and decorations. The only thing we go get is balloons and party favors. You don't have to be super creative or anything to make this work for you. Just get familiar with Microsoft Word and find a place where you can print invites on card stock for cheaper than purchasing a bunch of them. Making my own invitations saves me a lot, for example the first year we needed 60 invites, if I purchased these from a store the way I wanted them to look they would cost around $23, I spent $5 for 60 invites, and they were 100% personalized. On a cake, the first year I didn't bake one and it cost $90 to get one to feed those 60 people that matched the theme, last year I made 2 cakes and only had to spend maybe $15 total. As you can see, simple things like this make it a lot easier and I am able to spend more on his gifts than his party! If you want to save money on your cakes but you don't think you can bake or don't have the time, look at my website above and I do cakes much cheaper than the stores do.

You can do a lot of things that will save you money if you just try to simplify your expenses. Make a list of what you spend every month, especially if you are going to a salon to get your nails done, and just watch the person who does your nails next time. I've never had any training or lessons, I just watched last time and figured out how to do it. And remember, practice makes perfect. If you're worried, wait until you are home for a day or two and do it then so you don't have to go in public right after you do it :).

Instant Win Games Roundup!

2010-03-18T22:29:00.000-05:00

There are a few awesome instant win games out there right now, here are the ones I'm attempting to win :-)

Victoria's Secret

You can win a new bra or even up to a $500 gift card!! Go here to play!

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Dove Soap Toss Game

Play the game and then it will give you the option to do the instant win. The game is actually pretty fun!

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Dave and Buster's Instant Win

Play the basketball game and then you'll find out if you've won!

Introducing the Dfw Money Saving Mommy Newsletter!

2010-03-16T20:41:00.002-05:00

Introducing the Money Saving Mommy newsletter! I would rather you not have to put your email address in a more public place, so if you would like to subscribe, simply email me on facebook or at couponmommy85@yahoo.com with your email address and I will send this newsletter out once a week with your weekly update on all the great savings available!

Product Review: Newman's Own Organic

2010-03-15T22:15:00.001-05:00

Newman's Own Organic is a company that was started in 1993 by Nell Newman and Peter Meehan. They started with just a dream of making affordable, healthy organic products, living by the slogan "Great tasting products that happen to be organic". As a consumer of their products for many many years, I can testify that they have indeed met their goal and done so quite successfully!

They started out with pretzels, then soon moved to many other products, including their famous "Fig Newman's" (organic figs, organic sugar, organic flour, and without hydrogenated oils), and also to "Newman O's" (my personal favorite, and in my opinion much better tasting than that other cookie that looks similar). They now have tons of delicious organic products, including organic chocolate, mints, popcorn, even tea!

My favorites, the Newman O's, come in several different flavors as well, such as "Hint of Mint", "Peanut Butter", "Ginger 'N Creme", "Chocolate", and even a wheat free, gluten free variety! Their cookie line uses palm shortening, which is plant derived, so it has no cholesterol and is lower in saturated fat than butter.

Although it can be quite difficult to keep a product affordable while still keeping such high standards and producing such a high quality product, Newman's Own Organic has managed to keep a great balance, and luckily for us, they've kept their high standards!

Go to their website today and see where you can find these delicious foods and snacks, and let me know what you think! I know you'll fall in love with them the way I did!

All company information is credited to Newman's Own Organic, thank you to Newman's Own Organic for the phenomenal opportunity to review your product!

Product Review: Seventh Generation

2010-03-14T23:18:00.000-05:00

Thank you Seventh Generation for allowing me to review your products.

Six months ago I started my switch to all organic cleaners, including my dish soap, and I have found that Seventh Generation has the best products out there! I can actually use the shower cleaner in my son's bathtub, it cleans just as well if not better than any non-organic products, and it is so safe and natural that I was able to simply rinse the tub and he could get straight in. You could only smell a clean smell, not a chemical cleaning product smell. I get sick from smelling all of those chemicals, and I was worried my son would be the same way which is why I switched, and I can walk into a room after just cleaning it all over with Seventh Generation products and it doesn't affect me at all.

Seventh Generation makes lots of great products for you to clean your home and maintain it on a daily basis, some of my favorites are their Natural Shower Cleaner, the Natural Dish Soap, and the Natural All Purpose Cleaner! They also make baby products such as diapers, wipes, training pants, and detergent!

Are you ready to make the switch? You can get coupons on their website, and the products are actually very reasonably priced, very competitive with the other products that are out there! Make the switch to organic today, and the environment and your family will thank you!

Product Review: Purex 3 in 1 sheets

2010-03-14T22:17:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Purex for letting me review this product! I recently received a sample of the Purex 3 in 1 sheets, and as soon as I tried the first one I fell in love! These are literally the steps to doing your laundry with these sheets...

1.) Put the sheet in the washer after you start the water

2.) Put your clothes in

3.) Transfer the sheet with your clothes to the dryer where it acts as a dryer sheet.

At first like many of your are I was skeptical about how this could work and how well it would do the job. Well let me tell you, I have NO doubts about this product now. I immediately went out and bought more because I was so excited at how easy it made laundry!! It didn't even feel like a chore, there wasn't a heavy bottle to pick up, no measuring to do, and I didn't even have to add any softener because it's already on the sheet! This will also save you money, because you can just buy a package of these instead of having to buy detergent, softener, and dryer sheets! I am very impressed with Purex, they've certainly come out with a break-through product that comes in extremely handy! Go to their website to learn more!

Free Sample of Dunkin Donuts Coffee! Woohoo!!

2010-03-08T22:37:00.001-06:00

I love love looove Dunkin Donuts! You can get a sample of their Dunkin Turbo right now!! Just click below!

Product Review: Kashi Honey Sunshine Cereal

2010-03-07T21:47:00.000-06:00

Recently, Kashi sent me a coupon for a free box of their new Honey Sunshine Cereal, and I am so glad they did because I absolutely LOVE it! It has such a good flavor, for those of you who like sweet cereals it has a slightly sweet taste, but not too sweet for those who enjoy the less sweet, more nutritional cereals! There are so many benefits to eating all of Kashi's delicious cereals, and all of their other foods, because among many other healthy benefits they have their signature Seven Whole Grains. This is a great addition to your healthy lifestyle because especially with this cereal you're getting high fiber (6g of Fiber) and 20g of whole grain which is over 30% of your daily needs! Plus, it is all natural, with no artificial sweeteners, flavors or preservatives! If you haven't started the switch to whole grain in your life yet, I highly recommend it! You will feel so much better and your body will be so much healthier!
On another note, if you enjoy Kashi's cereals and other delicious foods, you should sign up for their newsletter, you will not only get lots of healthy living tips, but occasionally you will get GREAT coupons! I have to say Kashi is a great company who provides an amazing product at very reasonable prices!

Thank you so much to Kashi for letting me review this delicious product!

Free Nescafe Coffee Samples!

2010-03-03T22:36:00.000-06:00

I got this sample back in the fall and these are so delicious!! Just go here and become their fan on facebook and then fill out the information. It comes with 6 samples (basically 6 free cups of coffee)!!!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Belle Du Jour Jewelry!

2010-03-03T21:52:00.000-06:00

I purchased a ring from Belle Du Jour back in October and I must say, it's beautiful and after all of the daily wear and tear it still looks amazing!! The lovely owner Suzanne comes to our office about once a month and today I finally asked her if I could post something about her business on this blog. I am so glad that she said yes, because I want all of you to be able to check out her beautiful jewelry!! Go to her website and check out what she has, it's very reasonably priced and she has a great selection! Thank you to Suzanne for letting me review your products!!

I need your feedback!!

2010-03-01T22:47:00.001-06:00

Please go look at the discussions tab on my fan page! I need to know how many people are interested in a coupon swap party so I can start planning! Thanks!!

Total Greatness AKA Recycle Bank

2010-03-01T22:33:00.000-06:00

I waited to post this because I wanted to check it out first to make sure it's legit. I did check it out and got my free coupon in literally less than 10 days!! Go here to sign up for Recycle Bank, once you do you'll be awarded 40 points. Then if you sign up for the Ebay Green Team you'll be awarded 50 more pts, then if you sign up today, March 1, and enter promo code RecycleYourMags (this may be valid longer than today, this is just what I was told by another blogger)

I signed up 2 weeks ago and used my 50 points to get a free box of Kashi cereal (go to groceries, then cereal) and then today when I entered my extra code I was able to get another coupon for free dish soap!! Go to Household/cleaning for this one. It's awesome, and if you want you can sign up for curbside recycling and earn even more points!!

RaceTrac freebie!

2010-03-01T22:27:00.000-06:00

Do you have a Race Trac gas station near you? If so go here to score an awesome coupon for free Tom's Bugles when you buy any $0.99 Tom’s item. The coupon is valid thru 4/5/10. Also, go to their website www.racetrac.com and sign up for the insider email thing, you'll get freebies like this almost monthly, it's great!

Allure Freebies!

2010-03-01T22:25:00.000-06:00

Go here each day through the 4th at 12 pm EST (11 central) and be one of the first 500 to register to win one of these great prizes!! You're probably thinking it won't be even possible to win, but I won TWICE in October!! Two days in a row I was there right on time and got some awesome prizes! One thing I won was a bottle of perfume, the other was a huge gift pack with bath salts, sugar scrub, body spray, lotion, body butter, etc. The prizes took about a month to be delivered to me, but it was well worth it!! Each day they have a different prize go check it out!

Turtle Love Rings are on the way!!!

2010-02-26T20:09:00.000-06:00

If you signed up for these Turtle Love Committee fun engagement rings, they are on their way!! Check your email for confirmation!! I'm so excited to get mine!

New to Couponing?

2010-02-24T21:00:00.000-06:00

Are you new to couponing? Read my Couponing 101 post! Feel free to email me with any questions, suggestions, or just thoughts you have!

Product Reviews!

2010-02-24T20:58:00.000-06:00

Seen any products you're curious about and want to try but aren't sure about them? Email me at couponmommy85@yahoo.com and if it's something I am able to review, I will do a product review on it! Who knows, I may even be able to find you a way to save money on it!

Free kit from P&G Pro!

2010-02-24T20:54:00.000-06:00

Free starter kit from P&G Pro! Just go here and register, you'll receive Febreze Air Effects (2 oz), Febreze Fabric Refresher (2.8 oz), and A Swiffer Dry Cloth!! Takes about 6-8 weeks for delivery!

Thanks Brandie!!

Jenny-O Product Rebate!

2010-02-24T18:56:00.002-06:00

This is such an awesome rebate to get! Jenny-O has some delicious products, and theirs is the only ground turkey I will buy because it's always so fresh! Go here and create an account, you don't have to enter the giveaway, just look at the top of the page where it says "Create Account" and do it that way. Once you create your account, you can sign in, and look to the right side of the page, you'll see the rebate offer. Only open to the first 25,000 who sign up so hurry!! It's a rebate for an entire product, up to $5!!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Oregon Chai

2010-02-24T18:50:00.001-06:00

As I am sure many of you can tell, I am a big fan of Chai! I would like to thank the people at Oregon Chai for letting me do this product review!

I was actually sent a free sample of this delicious drink several months ago when they did a sample giveaway, and I instantly fell in love! I have been drinking chai lattes for many many years (over 15) and never have I tasted one as perfect as this. It's a simple powder or liquid formula that you mix with one ingredient (depending on which formula you use) and you have a wonderful cup of fabulosity! To go and buy this in the store is very affordable, most of the stores in my area have a box of 8 packs on sale for $3.69!

The Original Chai Latte Mix (my personal favorite) is a smooth blend of Honey, Black Tea, and Spices. It's great if you have a sore throat, it's awesome on a cold day, it's even delicious over ice!! I went out and bought an 8 pack shortly after trying my sample and I went through it in just a few days because I simply couldn't live without my 2 or 3 cups every day!

They also have other delicious flavors and I am still working on trying all of them! Some of the other flavors they have include Vanilla and Sugar Free Original! If you visit their website, you can find many recipes and beverages you can make with their mixes!!

If you haven't tried Oregon Chai yet, I would highly recommend it! It's a cup of warmth, happiness, and deliciousness!

Thank you again to Oregon Chai for letting me review your product! Y'all rock!!

The rings are still coming!!

2010-02-23T08:20:00.000-06:00

The lovely team at Turtle Love Committee has emailed me to let me know we should be receiving these rings from back in January in the next few weeks. They are a small store and were not expecting such a mass quantity of rings to be ordered. I do however appreciate that instead of canceling the orders or saying that they are void as many companies have done to us, they are being a stand up company and still honoring our orders!! So just hang on tight, and for those who have no clue what I'm talking about, just ignore this post :). (But read the others haha)

Jack in the Box free!!

2010-02-23T08:01:00.000-06:00

Jack is at it again :). Go in today (2/23) and purchase a large drink, and you'll get a free sandwich!! These look so good, I can't wait to get mine! Go to Jack's website for more information. Also, while you're there sign up for his email list, they send out a LOT of good stuff, and for your bday they send you a coupon for a free dessert!!

Free Pancakes today!!

2010-02-23T07:58:00.000-06:00

Ihop is giving 3 pancakes (short stack) away to each person who comes to eat at their restaurant today. They are trying to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network, so any donations you can make will be greatly appreciated!

FREE All-Bran Promise Pack!

2010-02-22T22:35:00.002-06:00

Go here for your free All-Bran promise pack! I have no clue what will be in it, but I'm sure it's something exciting :-).

Free Sample of Olay Total Effects Body Wash

2010-02-22T22:33:00.002-06:00

Go here to get your free sample of this great body wash!! I got my sample last year when they offered it and I LOVE it!!!

Free South Beach Bar!

2010-02-22T22:31:00.001-06:00

Just go here to fill out your information and receive your free South Beach Bar in the mail!! Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery! Looks very delicious!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Kardea Nutrition Bars!

2010-02-22T19:47:00.000-06:00

Thank you very much to the wonderful people at Kardea for allowing me to review their product on this blog.

This morning I tried a delicious and very filling Kardea breakfast bar. I tried the Chai Spice flavor and it is SO delicious! I had another one for my afternoon snack because they were so good I couldn't wait! This fantastic bar is actually really good for your heart health and for helping to lower cholesterol! At only 150 calories/bar, it's a great chance to help you with your weight loss goals too!

The fabulous team over at Kardea has made a special discount code for my readers only! If you want to experience these for yourself, head over to their website and check it out for yourselves!! I am very excited to try some of the other flavors available, and with this discount they've given us it will be much easier to do so!! You can get 25% off your order by entering DFW25% at checkout! Here is a deal scenario:

Buy the 15 pack of Chai bars regularly priced at $24.95

Enter code DFW25% where it says "coupon code" save $6.24

Shipping costs $9.23

That brings your total to $27.94 which is only $1.86/bar! Not too bad for a full breakfast!

They have lots of other bars and multipacks on their site, so you may be able to score an even better deal!!

Thanks again to the great people at Kardea for letting me review their product, and for making this great product!!

Free sample of Lemon Heads!!

2010-02-17T21:25:00.000-06:00

Just go here to score your free sample of the New Tropical Chewy Lemonhead & Friends Candy!

Thanks Brandie!

Swagbucks Reminder

2010-02-11T20:31:00.000-06:00

Here is a friendly reminder to sign up for Swagbucks if you haven't already!! I have only been a member since November, and I just ordered my free $10 Starbucks gift card! I didn't have to pay any shipping, didn't have to pay anything at all!!! Plus I still have some left which I am considering using on something else cool, just haven't decided what yet!!

Freebies today!!

2010-02-10T13:17:00.000-06:00

Today I had some great freebies!

5 packs of Dannon Yogurt (see previous post for details)

Wall Plaque (had my $5 Kohls coupon, this was on sale for $5)

Purina Pro Plan dog food 6 oz (coupon from 2 Sundays ago in the paper, valid at Petsmart only)

2010 Women's Health calendar (sent off for this a few months ago, deal no longer available)

Venti (large) Starbucks drink (got a coupon for a free one in the mail because I sent a complaining email)

To get the Kohl's deal, go to www.kohls.com and sign up for their email list, you'll receive a $5 off any $5 or more purchase. They have a lot of great sales going on, so this can easily be used to get something for free!

Free Dannon Yogurt at Target!!!

2010-02-10T13:11:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much to Hip2Save for posting this awesome deal!! I LOVE yogurt, so I was very excited about this!! I don't know if every Target will have this same deal, so you'll just have to check at yours. If you live by me, I didn't get all of the ones they had, I left some for my lovely neighbors :). Here is the deal:

The Dannon Yogurt 4 packs are on sale for $1 (just look for the blue ones, my store had strawberry or peach) and they have a $1 off peelie coupon on them!! This was very hassle free since the cashier could see the coupon on the package, I didn't have any problems for once!! :)

Again, thank you to Hip2Save, go look at her blog, she's got some GREAT couponing deals!!!

Free Bic Razors

2010-02-03T14:27:00.002-06:00

2 free packs of Bic razors at Kroger! **update!! Deal is good!! I just went up there and got mine!!**

Right now in their ad they have the Bic Soleil 4 pack of razors on sale for BOGO free! Then, there's a coupon from the paper (not sure which one, but probably back in December or Jan), for BOGO free on Bic disposable razors!!

My freebies tonight!

2010-02-02T21:46:00.000-06:00

I have mentioned Market Street (also known as United in other areas of TX) before, and they always have such great deals going on! This week's special Meal Deal was when you buy a 2 lb velveeta you get rotel, On the border chips, and jimmy dean sausage for free! Then I also had a coupon for them for spend $10 get a free gallon of milk. I still have my coupons that Bar S sent me, so I also got 6 packs of hot dogs, they were on sale for $.99 each, so I used my $5 any $5 purchase coupon and a $1 off coupon! I also picked up some excedrin and some ketchup, my original total was $24.57, ending total was $7.91, a savings of over 70%!!! Here is my transaction and the picture of my great deal!!

Gallon of milk $2.39

Excedrin 24 ct $2.79

On the Border chips $3.29

Store brand Ketchup (was 75 cents cheaper than name brand) $1.49

Rotel $.99

Bar-S Hot dogs $5.94 (6 packs)

Velveeta 2 lb $4.49

Jimmy Dean sausage $3.19

Total Sales $24.57

minus $.05 for bringing my own (super cute) bag

Meal Deal - $7.47

Bar S Coupons - $6

Free Milk coupon - $2.39

Excedrin coupon - $.75

Ending total $7.91

Awesome free stuff I got from Toys R Us this weekend!

2010-02-02T21:30:00.000-06:00

There was a great facebook freebie where if you became a fan of Babies R Us and signed up on their page they sent you a $5 e-gift card, also good in stores! It was also good at Toys R Us, so I went up there (I had 2 gift cards because I have 2 facebooks) and got the following items for free:

3 Matchbox cars
1 Track (small orange track to drive the cars on)
1 wind up bath toy (sesame street)

It actually came out to exactly $10 before tax, so I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket! Very exciting! I would have pictures, but of course the little monster otherwise known as my son found the toys right away and hasn't let go of them since! :-)

Great Instant Win Game!!!

2010-01-31T22:38:00.000-06:00

Seriously awesome instant win game over at Kikkoman. I played twice and won both times!! They are giving away several different prizes (some are coupons that you'll need your printer ready to get, the others they will mail to you) all of which are quite awesome!

Prizes You Could Win:
• Silicone basting brush
• Spoon rest
• Stainless steel tongs
• Cookbooks
• Buy One Get One Free
• Coupon for $1 Off 10 oz. bottle of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
• Coupon for $1 Off 10 oz. bottle of Kikkoman Curry Sauce

I won a spoon rest and the tongs!! Good luck, oh and use pin # 0996753 :-)

Sending Nice Emails

2010-01-31T11:46:00.000-06:00

I have covered this topic before, however I wanted to share my most recent nice email stories! First, I emailed Glade to tell them how much I love their product, they sent me a nice email back, and a coupon for a free candle (the 4.9 oz fragrance collection)!!! Then, thanks to Sandy telling me about her experience, I emailed Bar-S (the people who make those great hot dogs that are always so on sale), and then sent me a $5 off any $5 Bar-S product (so if I catch the good sales I could score possibly 5 free packs of hot dogs) and lots of 25 cent off coupons!! These will triple at Kroger or Albertsons, so if I just watch for one of their good sales, I could potentially get free or near free products! Now, not all companies send you some sort of reward or coupon for saying something nice, but most do! Plus, you're doing something nice for them in return by giving them some positive feedback!

On the other side of that, if you have a bad experience please tell them that as well. I emailed Starbucks about a recent experience and they are sending me 2 free drink coupons! You may think that's not nice to send them a negative email, but they need this feedback to improve their customer service. Otherwise the next person they make angry may not email them, they may just go tell everyone they know and that company may lose lots of customers.

So basically, remember to give feedback!! It's important for all involved and could save you money!! :)

Sorry for the delay!

2010-01-17T21:37:00.002-06:00

As usual, life happened lol, so the rest of my post will be up tomorrow! I will say however that Target was awesome with fixing my problem!

My Grocery Trips January 2010

2010-01-17T13:54:00.000-06:00

Here is what I promised, the details of my 2 grocery trips!

Market Street

8th Continent Soymilk $2.99
Red River Milk $2.39
International Delight Vanilla Latte $1.79
Red River Heavy Whipping Cream $.99
Glade 4.9 oz Soy Candle $5.79
Lawry's Marinade $2.79
Mrs. Bairds Bread $1.99
Mrs Bairds Hot Dog buns $1.99
Food Club Long Grain Rice $.69
Food Club String Cheese 24 pk $6.49
Boneless Skinless Chicken 1.71 lbs $6.14
Boneless Pork Chops 1.15 lbs $5.76
Eckrich Smoked Sausage (2pks) $6.00
Market Street brand Sausage $2.29
Bar S Hot Dogs (2 pks) $1.98
White Seedless Grapes 2.82 lbs $10.12
Del Monte Orchard Select (jars of fruit) $3.59
Del Monte Orchard Select (jars of fruit) $3.59
Bag of Baby Spinach (fresh express) $2.99
Navel Oranges 1.70 lbs $2.70
Red Pears 1.58 lbs $.93
4 Bring your own bag discounts = -$.20

Total Sales $68.32
Health Food Meal sale (free spinach, long grain rice, and lawry's marinade)= -$5.47
$1 off Bar S when you buy 2 packs = -$1
$1 off Ochard Selects (2 coupons) = -$2
$1 off any Mrs. Bairds product (got this for emailing them) (2 coupons) = -$2
$1 off 8th Continent Soymilk (peelie coupon on package) = -$1
Free International Delight coupon (for being a facebook fan) = -$1.79
Free Glade candle 4.9oz (for emailing company) = -$5.79

Total Coupons $13.58

Total after coupons $54.74

This was my smaller shopping trip, next is Target! The healthy food meal sale is going on and it is when you buy the boneless skinless chicken breasts (cost me $6.14) you get free fresh express spinach, long grain rice, and a bottle of Lawry's marinade!

Target

I was typing up the details from my Target trip, when about halfway down the receipt I noticed some extra charges, something I didn't even buy is on there, so Target will be posted later tonight, I have to go back up there and figure out what they are charging me for on my receipt!! So stay tuned for part 2!!

Making the most out of Samples!

2010-01-17T12:46:00.000-06:00

You may notice a lot of buzz about free samples lately, not just on my blog but on a lot of others as well. And you may be thinking "it's just a little sample, it won't do me any good, so I won't get it", however samples can really last you a long time if you put them to good use! As an example, I got a free facial from Clarins (all natural facial products, sold at Macy's and Dillard's) a while back, and along with my facial they gave me 2 samples of their amazing products. I got this facial back in November and was given a .5 oz sample of their face wash, and I am still not out of it. You barely need any to lather up and wash your entire face, so it has lasted me a full 2 months, and I still have a few more weeks worth in the bottle. As a result, I haven't had to buy any face wash since November, saving me at least $4/grocery trip!

Another one that is one of my favorites is Aveda Rosemary Mint Body/Hand Wash. I received a sample of this (4 oz.) back in October, and just ran out right after Christmas. So 2 months of not having to buy body wash which saves me at least $5/grocery trip and that's just if I was buying Nivea or another less expensive brand.

This may seem like only a small amount of savings, but remember every dollar counts, and eventually those dollars add up to a lot of savings! My dad picks up pennies off the ground, and I used to think that was crazy until I saw the jar of coins he had saved up (about $40 worth). That's $40 we wouldn't have had if he wasn't keeping an open eye and performing such a simple task!

For those of you who are new to couponing, just keep stocking up on these little freebies and eventually you'll realize you haven't had to pay for body wash or face wash or whatever else you may have stocked up on in a really long time! I won't have to buy lotion for at least 2 years now because of all the lotion freebies I've gotten.

Another small but great thing is whenever you go to certain fast food chains (and some sit down restaurants), you will notice on the bottom or back of your receipt that there is a survey you can take and in turn you will receive a free item (Wendy's does free frosties and free burgers, Sonic does free route 44 drinks, Taco Bueno does free burritos, etc). This is GREAT for when you just want a small meal for free, or if you forget to take your lunch to work, and can save you LOTS of money! I had a string of the Sonic surveys at one time, I got around 7 in a row, that's a savings of around $14!! Plus, I didn't waste any gas because I got them on my way home.

As a reminder, you can sign up at Kohls.com with only your email address and they will send you a $5 off any $5 or more purchase coupon! I used these a lot back in September and got my son a lot of free toys for his birthday!!

All of these things can save you lots of money, and they add up to some really great savings!!

Swagbucks!

2010-01-16T22:19:00.000-06:00

If you look at the side bar of my page, and also at the bottom, you will notice some Swagbucks widgets! If you haven't tried Swagbucks yet, I would definitely recommend giving it a try!
Basically you just search on their search engine (works just as well as any others) and you win "Bucks" for your searches. You won't get a Buck every time, but I get at least 1 out of 5. Then they have Mega Swagbucks Fridays where you can even win 500 Swagbucks!!
These Swagbucks can be used to buy great gifts, there are gift cards, movies, toys, even a Wii or an Iphone!! I have earned about 35 in the past 2 weeks, so it's not very hard to do, and one of my friends has already gotten enough to get a Starbucks gift card!
Oh, and another awesome part, they have a place where you can return your old cell phones and get points for them, and there are never any shipping charges!!
I haven't gotten any spam mail from them either, so I feel pretty safe about the site! You can start searching from my sidebar!

Coming Soon...The Big Scoop!

2010-01-16T21:44:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow I will be posting my amazing grocery savings!

Just as a sneak peak...I saved over $70 with my coupons and got
1 month worth of food for under $250!

Check back tomorrow night, I will also post an update on Facebook once I get this page updated!

Enjoy your weekend!

Free Window Cling!!

2010-01-14T22:38:00.000-06:00

Get a window cling for your car! This window cling is a fabulous reminder for you to grab your reusable bags when you are going to the store! This isn't a sticker, it's removable and reusable. :)

Thanks Brandie!!

Great Kroger Deal!!

2010-01-14T22:24:00.000-06:00

Kroger is having an amazing sale on lots of handy items! I got lots of free food and other items tonight, here is the breakdown:

Hormel Pepperoni 3.5 oz packages (look in the ad, it's a specific kind) on sale for 10/$10 (I got 2 packs, I had 2 coupons)

Printable coupon here $.50 off (doubles to $1.00) Remember to hit the back button and print twice!

= free!

International Delight $1.99

Facebook fan coupon I just received today for a free bottle

= free!

Gatorade G2 on sale 10/$10

$.50 coupon from last week's paper (doubles to $1)

= free!

Starkist Tuna pouches (I got really lucky on this one) on sale 10/$10 I bought 4

I had a bogo free coupon from vocalpoint, and 2 $1 off coupons from the same site

Then I found a $.50 off coupon from one of the last few papers in my coupon book (doubles to $1)

= 4 packs free!! (that's 4 lunches for me!)

Birds Eye frozen Vegetables 10-12oz - $1.00

-$.50 coupon from either the 1/10 paper or the 12/6 paper (doubles to $1.00)

= Free!

Hall's Cough Drops - $1.00

-$.50 coupon here (doubles to $1)

= Free!

You'll also notice the lovely bag in the background, one of my reusable bags :). (Yeah, I did have to sneak that comment in there somewhere)

Thanks Leah for the heads up on the sale and for taking the time to look through the ads and find these great deals!

Free Uniball Pen for first 10,000!!

2010-01-13T18:52:00.000-06:00

Starting at 12:00 pm Central every day you can go sign up for a FREE Uni Super Ink pen from Uni-Ball. 10,000 pens will be given away daily thru April 30, 2010!

This pen is supposed to help prevent check fraud! Some inks can be wiped away from important documents using chemicals by criminals. The Super Ink forms an unbreakable bond with paper fibers helping prevent check fraud!!!

Thanks Brandie and Hip2Save

Extra Special Post coming soon!!

2010-01-12T22:09:00.001-06:00

Stay tuned to ♥ Money Saving Mommy ♥ for a very exciting post! I'm going to put even more effort into it with my shopping trip this weekend just because I love you all so much! I'm going to (hopefully successfully) make a list of every coupon I use and the original prices of all the items I buy so I can show you just how much I saved per item! This will be a daunting task so I'm sure the post won't be until Sunday, but I will update you here and on Facebook so you can see it as soon as I post it! I know you are all so very excited lol, just try to get some sleep anyways :).

Reusable bags!

2010-01-12T22:01:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to remind everyone of the rewards of using the reusable bags! Many stores now are rewarding us for using these bags with 5 cent discounts which may not seem like much, but it comes in handy, especially if you coupon and get really close to free, sometimes it will take your total down to free! The rule is usually you only get the discount on the bags you actually need to use (for example, you can't bring 5 bags for one item), however if you get a really awesome cashier they will give you however many you bring!
This helps the environment, gets the clutter of the paper/plastic bags out of your kitchen and actually probably in a small way helps the economy. I used to work for a grocery store and plastic bags back in 2005 cost 5 cents per bag for the company to buy, 7 cents per bag for paper. So you are saving the company some money by using them, which in turn allows them (and hopefully they take the opportunity) to lower their prices.
I don't like blah bags, so I buy them when they are A.) on sale and B.) really cute! If you live near a Market Street, they have really adorable bags, even some that look like footballs if you are male or have a man who goes to the store!

Free stuff today!

2010-01-12T21:56:00.000-06:00

I made another Target stop today, I wanted to look for these items last night but didn't have time as Target was closing :).

Gillette body wash $2

I used a $2 off any Gillette body wash coupon (I think it came in one of my other gillette products I bought a long time ago)

Gillette Clinical Strength deodorant $2

I used a $2 off coupon (also came off another product)

Huggies wipes $1.57

I used a $.50 off Target coupon and a $1.00 off Mfg coupon (found in a coupon book I got at Tom Thumb in the health/beauty section)

Then I had 2 bags that I brought, so when that discount was taken off the wipes were free instead of 7 cents + tax! (See, this really does come in handy!)

Freebies Monday Night!!

2010-01-12T21:48:00.001-06:00

Here are the awesome deals I got last night:

Kashi cereal on sale at Target for $2.75

I had a $2 off Manufacturer coupon and a $.75 off Target coupon (remember, you can stack a mfg and target coupon on items at Target)

Ham Steak $2 (also at Target)

I had a $2 off any Archer Farms ham product from the Target website

Libby Vegetables at Kroger 2/$1.00

I had 2 $.50 off of 2 coupons that doubled to make them all free!

Don't forget to get your monthly coupons!

2010-01-10T00:16:00.000-06:00

Don't forget to go to a few sites and get your coupons for the month! One of my favorite things about this is that you can pick out only the ones you will use, so it saves you some time and saves some paper! :) My favorite sites to get coupons are:

coupons.com

target.com

redplum.com

Also, if you have a newer phone there are some great sites where you can download coupons directly to your phone. I have a RAZR (yeah I know, I also live in a cave :) ), so I can't use this function, but if you have anything newer than that it should work! Check Brandie's page, she has a really good list of these cell phone coupon pages.

Awesome Kroger Mega Deal!!

2010-01-09T23:52:00.001-06:00

Update: This deal is good through Tuesday!!

This is such a great sale they are having at Kroger! I'm not sure how long this deal is going on, once I find out I will let you know! They have these "mega deals" pretty often, however they usually aren't quite this awesome! The one they are currently running is when you buy 3 boxes of Kellogg's special K cereal (select varieties) you get a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread, an 8 oz package of sausage gravy and a gallon of milk free ($7.08 value)!!! The cereal is on sale for 3 for $7, so without coupons you would be able to get everything for $7.58. I had 2 coupons to use, one was $5 off when you buy 4 boxes, so I got 4, then I also had a coupon for buy a box of Kellogg's cereal get a box of the new Kellogg's special k granola for free! So, my transaction went like this:

Kellogg's Special K x 4 = $9.33
Kellogg's Granola = $2.34
Kroger Bread $1.00
Kroger Sausage Gravy $1.50
Kroger Eggs $1.59
Kroger Milk $2.99

Total (w/o tax) = $20.81
- Kroger sale = 13.73
- Coupons = $4.43

Sorry for the delay in posts!

2009-12-20T15:32:00.000-06:00

I wanted to let you all know I haven't forgotten about this blog, I've just been super busy! Hopefully after the holidays it will calm down enough for me to really start this up and give y'all some serious couponing advice :). In the meantime, check out Brandie's holiday gift guide and don't forget to get yourself some free or cheap grocery totes so you can save 5 cents per bag on your grocery bill, and help save the environment at the same time!! I just got 2 free ones in the mail today, I'm so excited!!

Grocery Trip 12-05 and 12-06

2009-12-07T22:38:00.000-06:00

As promised, my blog will show you how to save money getting groceries. I work off of a $300/month budget to feed 3 people. Yes, I know that sounds almost impossible without eating Ramen noodles every night, but I do not have to ask my family to sacrifice, and we are still able to have good healthy and filling meals every day. Here are a few of my tricks for saving money:

1.) Look for great sales (I look at Ads from all of my local stores to find out if any stores are having mega sales or any great deals)
2.) Don't drive to 5 different stores hunting down good deals. Target, Walmart, Market Street/United, and I think Albertsons all price match. That means if a good deal is in an ad from another store, they will honor that price. I split my grocery trip between Target and Market Street now, because I figured out that I actually save about $50/month doing so.
3.) Look at Store brands also. One of the main reasons I shop at the two main stores I love is because they have AWESOME store brands. You want to find good store brands that taste/work the same as the regular brands. But, you also want to check store brand vs name brand w/ coupon. For instance, if you need paper plates, and the 28 pack of Dixie brand plates is $3.29, and you have a coupon for $.50 off, and the store brand is only on sale for $3.19, that's not a better deal. But, if the store brand was on for $2.50 for a 28 pack, that's a great deal!! Target and Market Street are both awesome stores to find these deals at! The only other thing I would reccommend with this is to make sure you try the store brand before buying a lot of it. It's rare that I find a store brand that doesn't taste/work the same as the name brand, but it happens sometimes.
4.) Also look for good deals on if you buy more than one product. My biggest example of this is with Pillsbury items, all of their coupons are for if you buy more than one, and it works out to your advantage in the long run. I can serve my family a great breakfast for just around 50 cents/person because I buy lots of the cinnamon rolls and biscuits when they are on sale and I can use coupons!
5.) One of the really awesome things about Target is that they will let you use 1 manufacturer coupon and 1 Target coupon on each item. So let's say for instance, Bounty paper towels are on sale right now for $9.99. I have a $1.50 off Target coupon and a $0.50 off Manufacturer coupon, I can use both of these on this product, making it $7.99!!

So, this weekend I went to both Target and Market Street, and the way I decide what to buy at each store is I have shopped a lot at both places and in general I know how much they charge for items before they're having a good sale.

I had lots of free item coupons, and I found the best deals at each of the 2 places, maximizing my savings! I saved $51.71 at Target with coupons, and I saved $4 at Market Street (bought a lot of items I didn't have coupons for).

A great example of buying store brand vs name brand, Market Street sells their milk for $2.29/gallon as opposed to almost $5 for name brand! Target has their chicken nuggets (dino shaped ones) on sale for $3.99 as opposed to the smaller bag of Tyson which is going for $6.99!
One of the really good deals I got was I had a coupon for Nivea lip care buy one get one free. Then I had another coupon where if I bought 3 Nivea lip care I got a free big bottle of Nivea lotion! So I bought my 3 nivea, only paying for 2, and got a free bottle of lotion!
I usually buy Digiorno pizza, but I saw that Freschetta had peelie coupons on them for $1 off, making them cheaper than Digiorno, so I got the Freschetta instead. Looking for these types of deals and just being willing to try new things will help you save money as well!

I spent $269.80 total on my groceries, and I was able to get an entire month of food for 3 people. That means I can feed my family 3 meals/day for 31 days. Now this cost was including hand soap, body wash, shampoo, a pack of sponges, a scrub brush, and a lot of other non-food related items, plus lots of snacks. I would guestimate that I actually spent about $169 on actual food that we will eat dinner/breakfast/lunch with, making it $1.81/day per person for us to eat.

I also got a great deal at Kohls which I will probably post about tomorrow! Make sure to check the other blogs which I check daily so you can get some awesome freebies! Have an awesome week and email me if you have any questions or need any shopping advice!!

couponmommy85@yahoo.com

New posts coming soon!!

2009-12-07T22:37:00.000-06:00

I apologize for the delay in posts, I have very limited amounts of time to do...well....anything at all haha, so I haven't been able to get online to post. I hope you all have been reading the other blogs in the meantime and getting some awesome deals!!

More posts to come in the next few minutes!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2009-11-26T10:26:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!! I hope y'all have a great holiday and have safe travels wherever you may be going!! I am very thankful for my readers (all 4 of y'all ROFL), I want to spread the good news of saving money to whoever I can!! :) Have a great Thanksgiving!!

2 Free Breathe Right Nasal Strips!

2009-11-21T22:14:00.001-06:00

Go here for 2 free Breathe Right nasal strips!!

Thanks again FSF!

Free Steaz Tea!! Full size!!

2009-11-21T22:09:00.001-06:00

Go here to print your coupons for your free Steaz tea!! I absolutely love this stuff, it's delicious and it's 100% natural!! I need to branch out and try a new flavor, but right now my fav is the White Tea with Lime and Pomegranate!! This offer is only available to get at Target, so hopefully there is one near you!! It's good until the end of the year also, so you can always wait until you come to visit me to get your free ones!! :)

Free Tomato Seeds!

2009-11-21T22:03:00.001-06:00

Go here and vote for your favorite barn, and then after you do that you will be prompted for two codes, code 1 is CX, code 2 is 01, and the type of soup is tomato. Enter your info and the seeds will be on their way!!

Thanks FSF!

NOTICE FOR Free Ultimate Cleaning Cloth DEAL!!!

2009-11-21T21:45:00.000-06:00

For those of you who may have seen this freebie on free sample freak (or any other blog) and become a fan, this company is now saying if you want the "free cloth" you have to pay $2.99 s/h. They basically misrepresented their "great deal" by telling us all it was going to be some kind of great deal.

Let me be very clear here though, Brandie at Free Sample Freak had NOTHING to do with this, she was simply passing on a great deal. I don't want anyone to stop visiting her site because of these morons who thought it was ok to false advertise and use trickery to get more facebook fans!

Anyway, I'm stepping off of my soap box now LOL, just wanted to let you all know. I have removed myself from their fan list and reported them to FB!

Brandie, you are awesome!

Free Sample of Slippery Stuff

2009-11-21T21:36:00.001-06:00

Haha, make sure the kids aren't in the room for this sample!!

Go here for your free sample of Slippery Stuff personal lubricant!

Thanks FSF!

Free Sample of True Lemon!

2009-11-21T21:34:00.001-06:00

Go here for a free sample of True Lemon!

Thanks Free Sample freak!

Free Sample of Arm and Hammer Toothpaste!

2009-11-21T21:30:00.000-06:00

Go here and fill in the form for a free sample of Arm and Hammer toothpaste! If the link doesn't work, try pasting http://tryarmandhammer.com/ into your browser!

Thanks Free Sample Freak!

Free Sample of Millstone Coffee

2009-11-21T21:22:00.001-06:00

Go here for your free sample! Also, while you are there, look at the other samples available, just click here to see all the samples available! I did a bunch a couple of months ago and have received most if not all of them! Again, 4-6 weeks for delivery :)

Free Kashi Chewy Trail mix bar sample!

2009-11-21T21:19:00.000-06:00

Go here and fill out the form to receive your free sample! May take 4-6 weeks to get it, but it's worth the wait! :)

Also, they will ask if you want to join the online community, I am a part of that and they send out some awesome coupons and samples to you!

Freebies on Wednesday!

2009-11-21T21:04:00.003-06:00

I had lots of coupons to go use and a day off during the week, so I went and got lots of freebies! Here is the picture and the breakdown...

I received the All you mag in the mail
I had a $5 off any purchase for hallmark, so I shopped their clearance section and found a CD (which I love btw, been listening to it everyday!), and a very pretty trinket box that says "Live simply", which is my motto haha
I had purchased something at Target a few weeks ago that had gone bad before I bought it, so I called their consumer hotline on the box and they sent me a $3 coupon for any market pantry/ archer farms food or beverage purchase. So with that I was able to get a jar of crushed red pepper, a can of green beans, and a box of hot cocoa!
I had a $5 Kohls coupon as well (off any purchase), so with that I got a gift bag with body wash, lotion, and a loofah, and then to make it exactly $5 I got a kitchen towel!
I got coupons for free Steaz drinks (there is a link on hip2save that I will be posting soon if it's still valid)

So make sure if you've been checking these other blogs I've mentioned that you're getting your freebies! Also, another tip I have is to combine your freebie trips into one night/week so you aren't wasting gas money :).

Some awesome customer service!!

2009-11-21T20:46:00.000-06:00

I know many of you are wondering about the free pullups, pads, and cereal I posted this week....well here's the scoop! I had previously purchased some of these same products that had problems. I wrote emails to each of the companies, and as a result I received some wonderful coupons! I greatly appreciate these companies and their fantastic customer service! I highly suggest that if you have a problem with a product you have purchased that you bring this problem to the manufacturer's attention. Sometimes it could be a recurring problem that they aren't aware of, and your email could help solve a major issue!

Oh the other side of that, make sure to send nice emails as well. I make sure to send 2 nice emails for every angry or upset email I send, so I don't feel like a mean old lady! LOL! I sent an email to a company who had sent me a sample of something that I really LOVED and because I sent them an email they are sending me coupons to buy their wonderful product! :)

Free Sample of Stacy's chips!!

2009-11-17T10:22:00.001-06:00

GET a FREE sample of Stacy's® Simply Naked Pita Chips -

http://AllYou.chtah.com/a/tBLAsnVB7uBfoB73RWoDvmXU-qP/stcy2-3

Make sure if you don't want a "trial" subscription that you select that option!!

Big Deal from Target last week!

2009-11-16T23:01:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know many of you who are already friends of mine on Facebook were wondering about this deal, so here is the scoop!
On the 11th, I went up to Target just to get a Mr. Potato Head dressed as Santa (pictured above), he was on sale for $5.99 and I had a $5 off coupon. So I happily spent my $1, and out popped a coupon for a $20 gift card if I purchased a new prescription or transferred a new prescription. I just went to the doc a few weeks ago and had a prescription for headache meds, so I took that and got it filled.
I got a $20 gift card!
That night, I needed pullups, and I also needed undershirts for my hubby, so I went back up to Target. I already had coupons for free Always 18 packs of pads (I had 2 of them, you can score these at beinggirl.com, just request that sample pack, it's inside the package with the samples of pads). So I went and got pullups, and found peelie coupons on each package, one was for $1.50 off, one was for $3 off, then I got my hubby's shirts, they were supposed to be $10 but were ringing up at $12. But, after all of my coupons and all the sales, my total was $29, minus the gift card, all I paid out of pocket was $9. Then, I went to customer service after I noticed the shirts rang up wrong, and the very nice lady adjusted it for me and gave me $2 back, making my actual total $7 for 2 packs of pullups, 2 boxes of pads, and a pack of undershirts!
Then, I went to Kroger just to browse and look for good deals. I stopped by the halloween clearance table, and saw some adorable stickers (pictured above also), and then I saw a box of Hefty one zip halloween themed baggies!! This table was marked 75% off, which would've made the baggies 50 cents each!!!! I thought it had to be a mistake, and I had a coupon for $1 off if I purchased 2, so I looked in the baggie section, and of course, they weren't on sale. But when I went to the register, I asked the cashier to price check it, and explained that they had been on that table. She talked to the manager and she marked them down 50%, making them $1/each. So for 2 boxes of baggies and a package of 150 stickers, I paid $1.30!
So, to recap, I got all of the above pictured items for approx $9!

Free stuff from Saturday!

2009-11-16T22:57:00.001-06:00

AWESOME day of freebies on Saturday!! First I want to thank Clarins for the wonderful facial and samples!! I won another Glamour contest and for this one received all of the Tree Hut products seen above: body butter, sugar scrub, shower gel, lotion, and body spray! It smells amazingly good! Also, received my name your own brand T-shirt, and my Parenting ...The Early Years magazine. I also received from Beech Nut baby products, coupons for free items, so I was able to get 2 free jars of baby food which I'm hoping I can mix with something like yogurt to make my son like them, and a thing of Oatmeal which I think he will like, it has fruit in it. I had a $5 Hallmark coupon, so I went there and was able to get an amazing peppermint bark bar, a card for a gift, and two spools of ribbon!! I also had an Aveda coupon for free Rosemary Mint body/hand wash. It also smells amazing!! :) Also, not pictured is a 10 oz package of fillet of steak, bacon wrapped, that I got free from Wal-mart!

Free stuff in my mailbox today!!

2009-11-16T22:53:00.001-06:00

Freebies in my mailbox today!! A (RED) button, 6 tasters choice coffee individual packs, a pack of Oregon Chai tea which I am drinking now and it's amazing! Also, 6 Pantene coupons, a coupon for the Chai, and a $3 off any market pantry/archer farms purchase for Target (got that one to replace the frozen meal I bought that had already expired 2 months earlier). I would like to say Thank You to the Target customer service hot line. I just called on Friday and the coupon already arrived today!

Free Photo Cards!!! UPDATE

2009-11-15T00:57:00.000-06:00

***This one is no longer working***

Go here and register to receive 50 FREE print cards!! I did an adorable one of my son, the picture is recent but not one that looks like it's from Christmas, but who cares, it's cute and free! Also, at checkout make sure you enter the code newbaby to get your free cards! Free shipping as well!
Thanks hip2save

Couponing 101

2009-11-14T23:24:00.001-06:00

I know a lot of people who have asked me exactly how to get started with couponing. It all depends on each person, and each person's environment. It is imperative that you sit down and figure out exactly what products you use and on what basis you use them. Do you need to buy shampoo once a month or once every other month? It will help to keep your budget functional if you know these things. For instance, I know if I buy an 18 pack of paper towels I can get through 2 more grocery trips before I have to buy more. This is usually a $15 purchase, so I know I won't have to spend that money for a while and that's very reassuring and very useful information.
The basics though, that I tell everyone who asks, is the routine that I do every week. The following is my "couponing schedule":
Sundays I clip all of the coupons (the only ones I don't clip are hair color coupons because my sister in law does my hair) and organize them in my coupon folder. I organize mine alphabetically, and I put them in a binder using baseball card sleeves. Just organize them in a way that makes sense to you.
Monday-Saturday I check the blogs I have listed on the right hand side of my page, and go do any free item runs that I can, sign up for email lists that look safe and do not require any purchases. These 4 blogs are extremely helpful and I am so grateful to these ladies who take time out of their busy days to update them!!
On Thursday of every week, Old Navy has a coupon update on their page oldnavyweekly.com , it happens anytime at an unspecified and unknown time. Just click around their site and you'll find great coupons! They sometimes even have the $75 off $100 purchase coupon! It's like a fun puzzle, and on freesamplefreak.com, the wonderful and talented Brandie has a live chat to discuss with each other where the coupons are located.
The primary stores you will notice that I shop at are Target, Market Street (United), Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and Kroger. I love Albertsons and Rite Aid, but I unfortunately do not have them in my area. Target has an awesome coupon policy and they will let you "stack" a manufacturer coupon and a store coupon. Some stores such as Market Street I don't receive ADs for in my mail, I live just outside the mailing region, so I just pick up the Ad in store or check online at marketstreetunited.com
Here are some definitions and abbreviations, I will try to avoid using these but I will slip sometimes and use them:
WAGS: Walgreens
MFG Coupon: Manufacturer coupon (this will say "manufacturer coupon" somewhere on the coupon
Store coupon: a coupon that can only be used at the specified store, usually Target has these
Price Match: a few stores do this, check with your local stores to be sure. This is where they will accept a price from another store, provided you have an Ad to prove it. For instance, let's say Walmart has a Mr. Potato Head on sale for $4, and it's $5 at Target, if this is an advertised price in Walmart's ad, you just take that Ad to Target and they adjust the price.
Also, I will post pictures not only here but on my Facebook page as well! Just click on the link on the right hand side of my page to get the FB updates too!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me anytime at couponmommy85@yahoo.com !!
I will post some pictures soon of the great deals I have gotten this week along with a description of how I got them! Have a fantastic weekend!

Welcome to Money Saving Mommy!!!

2009-11-14T22:08:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog, where I will make an effort everyday to bring to you the best deals in the DFW area.
Where should you start when you are a beginner at couponing? My favorite sites and ones I will reference multiple times throughout this blog are metroplexsavers.blogspot.com , freesamplefreak.com , hip2save.com , and mojosavings.com. The lovely ladies who own these websites are so great at finding weekly deals from different stores, and at finding the free samples and items that you can either get by signing up on a website, or just with your coupons!!
My website will primarily focus on how to get your grocery bills down to a minimum while still getting everything you need, however I will also be posting the free things I come across!
I have to work with a $300/month budget for me, my husband and my son, which includes ALL groceries for the entire month. I know it can be hard sometimes to make a budget work, so my goal is to give you all of the advice I can on how to make your budget work for you! So look around, and enjoy saving money! ♥