Wegmans Deals: 05/30-06/05

New Deals:

Florida Whole Seedless Watermelons - $3.99

Kellogg's Cereal (12.2 oz. Froot Loops, 14 oz. Frosted Flakes, or 20 oz. Raisin Bran) - $1.99 (through 06/27)
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 printable coupon here, here, or here, or buy 3 and use $1.50/3 coupon from 05/23 RP insert
Final Price: $1.49 each

Post Select Cereals - $2.49 (through 06/19)
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/23 SS insert or printable
Final Price: $1.99 each

Wegmans BBQ Sauce (19-20 oz.) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce from summer Menu Magazine
Final Price: $.99

Wegmans W Cola (12 pk./12 fl. oz. cans) - $2.00

Turkey Hill Ice Cream (1.5 qt.) - $2.49
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/02 RP insert
Final Price: $1.99 each

Ongoing Deals:

Produce -
Sweet Corn - $.25
Ocean Mist Artichokes - $.50
California Strawberries (2 lb. clamshell package) - $2.99
Wegmans US #1 3 lb. Bagged Apples - $2.97
Wegmans US #1 Russet Idaho Potatoes (5 lb. bag) - $1.99

Non-perishables -
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (8.4-8.7 oz.) - $2.29
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/02 RP insert
Final Price: $1.79 each
Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix (18.3-19.9oz.) or Cake Mix - $.99
Nabisco Club Crackers - $1.99
Wegmans Elbow Pasta (16 oz.) - $.69
Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Pasta Salad - $.99
Use $.40/1 printable coupon or printable coupon (doubled)
Final Price: $.20
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz can) Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans, or Cut Green Beans - $.39
Old El Paso Refried Beans (16 oz.) and Other Selected Old El Paso - $.99
Buy 2 and use $.60/2 printable coupon
Final Price: $.69 each
Goya Dried Beans (16 oz.) - $.99 (through 09/11)
Wegmans Chunk Light Yellowfin Tuna (6 oz. in water) - $.69 (through 06/26)
Keebler Vienna Fingers, Pecan Sandies, or Rainbow Chips Deluxe Cookies - $1.99
Buy 2 Sandies and use $2.00/2 peelie coupon on package
Final Price: $.99 each
Maxwell House Coffee (10.5-11.5 oz., select varieties) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 03/21 SS insert or $.75/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $.99-$1.24
Wegmans W Pop - $.69
Lay's Potato Chips (10.5-11 oz.) - $2.00
Garden of Eatin' Organic Tortilla Chips (9 oz. Salted Blue or Red Hot Blues) - $1.99

Use $1.00 printable coupon here or here
Final Price: $.99
Wegmans Hot Dog or Hamburger Rolls (8 ct./14 oz.) - $.99

Refrigerated -
Ball Park Meat Franks (16 oz. regular or 14 oz. lite) - $1.50
Buy 2 and use $.75/2 coupon from 03/14 RP insert
Final Price: $1.18 each
Hebrew National Beef or Reduced Fat Red Hot Dogs (11-12 oz.) - $2.00

Use $.75/1 coupon from 05/23 SS insert
Final Price: $1.25
Nestle Tollhouse Ready to Bake Cookies (16-16.5 oz., excludes holiday) - $1.99
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.49
Hillshire Farm Deli Select Ultra Thin or Premium Hearty Slices (8-9 oz.) - $2.99
Use $.35/1 coupon from 4/18 RP insert (doubled) or buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/02 RP insert
Final Price: $2.19-$2.49 each
Sunny Delight (64 oz.) - $.99

Meat -
Wegmans Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (Club Pack - 5 lbs. or more) - $1.99/lb.

Frozen -
Healthy Choice Select Entrees (8.5-9oz.) - $1.99
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 from ConAgra mailer
Final Price: $1.49 each
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Entrees (8.5-10.5 oz., all varieties) - $1.99
Buy 10 and use $4.00/10 printable coupon or buy 5 and use $1.00/5 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.59-$1.79 each

Paper/Toiletries/Cleaning -
Wegmans Facial Tissue (65-160 ct. cube or flat) – $.79
Wegmans 8 pk. Paper Towels or 12 pk. Bath Tissue – $4.99
Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel (7 oz.) – $1.88
Use $.75/1 Edge shave gel from 01/10 insert or $.55/1 Skintimate from 03/07 insert
Final Price: $1.13-$1.33
V05 Shampoo or Conditioner - $.77
Vive Pro Shampoo or Conditioner - $2.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 02/21 RP insert
Final Price: $1.99
Secret Solid Antipersperant (2.6-2.7 oz.) - $1.88
Use $.50/1 Secret product from 05/02 P&G insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.88
Bandaid Plastic 3/4" Bandages (60 ct.) - $1.50
Use $.50/1 from 03/18 4/25 SS insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.50
Old Spice High Endurance Deoderant - $1.88

Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 5/2 P&G insert
Final Price: $1.38

My Wegmans deals are based on the Sterling/Leesburg, VA sales ad and deals that I find in the Leesburg store.

With thanks to the coupon database at Mrs. Moneysaver for help in compiling this.

My store doubles coupons up to $.50, but Wegmans' coupon policies vary by store. Find the policy at your store here.

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

This Week

Sorry for my silence today!  With the holiday it really felt like a Saturday instead of a Monday -- which is always a good thing!

I just wanted to let you know that I'll have a very short blogging week this week.  I'll pretty much try to cram what I can into Tuesday and Wednesday, but that will be it for the week.  (I will publish my Wegmans deals as usual.)Thursday morning we're heading to South Carolina for a family wedding, and we'll be away through Sunday.
 
Monday morning I should be back in full swing!

PS - Just a reminder that I have two giveaways ending this Wednesday: the Grill Daddy and the Orient Automatic Watch.  Enter now to have a chance to win!

Top CVS Deals: 5/30-6/5

Thanks to Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living for the best CVS deal each week.  Read her full list here.

Neutrogena Clinical, Aveeno Ageless Vitality or Roc Brilliance (get $10 ECBs) Limit 1

$5 Neutrogena printable
5 Neutrogena March All You Magazine
$15 Neutrogena MIR HERE
$5 Aveeno SS 4/25 (expires Monday 5/31)
$20 Aveeno MIR HERE (expires Monday 5/31)
= $30 – $35 off after ECBs, coupon, and MIR

Suave Shampoo or Conditioner – 12 to 22.5oz, Styler – 9 to 11 oz, or Body Wash – 12oz $6/3 (get $2 ECBs wyb 3) Limit 2
$.50/2 RP 5/23
$.75/2 RP 5/23
$.50 printable
$.50 RP 5/23
B2G1 RP 5/23
= $.33 (when you combine 2 $.50 coupons and 1 B2G1 coupon) – $1.16 (using one $.50/2 coupon) each after ECBs

Ban Invisible Solid – 2.6oz $2.99 (get $2 ECBs) Limit 1
$.75 printable
$1 SS 4/18
= FREE – $.24 each after ECBs

B1G1 Johnson & Johnson Reach Floss – 30 to 100yds or Access Flosser – 28ct $1.99 to $5.49
$1 Flosser $P 10/18
$1 Flosser RP 1/3
$1 Floseser RP 3/7
$1 Flosser RP 5/16
B1G1 RP 1/3
= FREE – $4.49
Procter & Gamble Products including Charmin Big Rolls – 16 pk $9.99, Duracell AAA/AA – 10 pk, C/D – 4pk or 9 volt – 2pk $5.99, Bonty Extra Soft Paper Towels – 12 pk $12.99, or Puffs $.99 (get $10 ECB wyb $25) Limit 1 – see page 1
$.25 Bounty PG 5/2 (expires Monday, 5/31)
$.25 Charmin PG 5/2 (expires Monday, 5/31)
= varies

Deal Idea:
Buy 2 Packs of Chramin
Buy 1 Pack of Batteries
Use $.25 coupon
Get back $10 ECBs
= $15.72 or $5.24 each (about $.41 a roll – not bad!)

I already made a quick trip to CVS this week for the free Ban deoderant and the CVS diapers (see full list of deals).  Also, be on the lookout for clearanced Huggies diapers!  After I read Crystal's post, I found one mega pack 50% off at my CVS, but to my chagrin I had forgotten my $3 Huggies coupons!  Oh well, they'll always be another deal!

More Than Free Kelloggs Cereal at Giant!

Yesterday afternoon I headed over to Giant, primarily because of some good produce deals. I also noticed that there is a Kellogg's promotion running in which selected cereals are Buy 4 for $6.  I was sure that I could turn this into a good deal, but I didn't realize that Kellogg's would actually be paying me $1 to take the cereal from the store!

Here's how I did it:

Bought 4 of the selected cereals - $6
Used 2 $1.00/2 Kelloggs printables here and here
Used 2 Giant Dollar Doublers that were in the front of my ad (may not be all stores)
Paid $2 Out of Pocket
Then - SURPRISE - I received a $3 coupon off my next order!

The catalina coupon was a total shock; I couldn't find mention of it anywhere in the ad.  However, the coupon itself says that it is a promtion running through June 3 where if you buy 3 Kelloggs cereals you get a $2 coupon, buy 4 get a $3 coupon, or buy 5 get a $4 coupon.  I love this kind of surprise!

The cereals in the promotion included Raisin Bran, Frosted Flakes, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Rice Krispies, and Cocoa Krispies, all in specific selected sizes (check your ad).  Even if you don't have the Dollar Doublers, you could get all 4 boxes of cereal for $1 total!  Best of all, the sale only started yesterday, so there's plenty of time to do the deal multiple times!

I was also pleased with the other deals I got at Giant; I paid $20.38 for everything pictured, plus got the $3 coupon.  I got a watermelon for $3.99, blackberries for $.99, and 12 ears of corn for $1.99.  The yogurt was on sale for $.50 each, and using a $.50/8 and a $.40/6 coupon, I got them for slightly better than my max target price of $.40 each.  The ice cream was on sale for $2.50, and I happened to have a $2.00/2 Edys Slow-Churned coupon from a mailer.  That made them $1.50 each, a really good deal.  We love to keep ice cream around in the summer, but I really try to pay no more than $2/carton.

Here are my monthly grocery totals, which I haven't published in a while:

May:
Total - $310.76

June:
(I decided to start June shopping on Thursday with a larger Wegmans trip, just to save myself having to go early next week.)

Wegmans - $72. 31
Giant - $20.38
Total - $92.69

I'm stocked up on a lot of things right now, so I'm feeling pretty good. :-)

Free Summer Fun

Schools are about to let our where I live, and summer is practically here!  For me, since I have very young children, summer is not so much different from winter as regards schedule.  However,  I know that when your kids are in school all year and are suddenly home, you need to plan new activites for them.  So I wanted to highlight three different FREE programs that can brighten up your summer and keep you and your kids from getting bored, all with without spending a dime!

Kids Bowling - This is a national program that allows kids within the age guidelines to bowl up to 2 free games per day all summer long!  Plus, you can also purchase a bargain priced "family pass" that allows parents to bowl up to 2 games a day as well. 

Bowling is such a surprisingly great family activity!  It allows both activity and downtime, and even very young kids can participate with the bumpers up.  I'm really bummed that there's no participating bowling alley close to us, but there are several in the greater DC area.

Borders Summer Reading Program - Borders bookstores have a "read 10 books, get one free" program this summer. Can't beat that!  You can choose from a selection of 10 different free books.  I noticed that one is Ramona the Brave, by Beverly Cleary.  I loved the Ramona books as a child!  Johnny Tremain is also a fabulous book!  This program is for ages 12 and under, and it doesn't look like it has a minimum age.  However, judging from the reading level of the free books, it appears to be designed for kids who can read well on their own.

Regal Cinemas Free Family Movies -  Regal Cinemas offers free G or PG movies every Tuesday and Wednesday morning throughout the summer!  We're talking a free trip to the movies - who cares if they're not new releases?  Tickets are first come, first served.  My girls are probably not ready for all the movies, but we could defintiely go to some, like "Horton Hears a Who" and "Charlotte's Web."  Go to the website to find the movies playing in your area.

Some other theater chains have similar programs, so if you don't have a Regal cinemas in your area, see what your local theatre has.  A local independent theater in our town has a simlar program for $1 per ticket.  Sounds like a great rainy day activity!

For other free and cheap summer fun ideas, check out this comprehensive list at Money Saving Mom!

See other great frugal ideas at Frugal Fridays here and here.

Best Bloom Deals: 5/26-6/1

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Thanks to Sarah from A Bookworm's Bargains for sharing the best Bloom deals each week.  Her full list is here.  (She's been out of town, but will now be back to regular Bloom posts.)

Meat

Holly Farms Chicken Leg Quarters - $0.69/lb
1855 Premium Sirloin Pork Chops - $1.99/lb

Ball Park Meat or Beef Franks - B1G1
Use $0.75/2, found in 5/2 RP
Final Price: Varies

Hebrew National Beef Franks - B1G1
Use (2) $0.75/1, found in 5/23 SS
Final Prices: Varies

Produce
Yellow or White Corn - 12/$1.99
Whole Seedless Watermelon - $3.99/ea
Grocery
Ritz Crackers (12-16.5 oz) - B1G1
Final Price: $1.89/ea

Frozen & Dairy
Tyson's Family Pack Chicken (25.5-29 oz) - $4.99
Use $1.00/1, found in 4/25 SS
Final Price: $3.99

Danimal Drinks, Crush Cups, or Danino Yogurt - 2/$4.00
Use $1.00/2, found in 5/2 SS
Final Price: $1.50/ea

Tropicana Premium or Trop50 Orange Juice (59-64 oz) - $3.49
Use $1.00/1 (3/14 RP) or $1.00/2 (4/25 RP)
Final Price: $2.49 - $2.99

Household Supplies
Scott Paper Towels (6 Mega Rolls) - $4.99
Dixie Plates or Bowls (22-48 ct) - $1.69

Where I'm Shopping This Week . . .

 . . . nowhere yet!  Despite getting my menu plan and list actually together on Monday, various things have come up and I haven't yet made it to the store!  I'm thinking that I'll try for tomorrow morning, and try to do a combined trip for this week and most of next week too.

I'm definitely going to head to Wegmans for my staples and some of the good deals on Memorial Day cookout items.  All summer, but especially holidays like Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day, are great times to stock up things like hot dogs and condiments to use all year long.

I get my grocery store ads with my Wednesday Washington Post, and I saw a couple of good fruit deals that I plan to take advantage of the end of this week.  Harris Teeter has Eastern peaches for $.99 and blueberries BOGO.  Giant (sales starting on Friday) has blueberries for $2.50.  I can't even explain to you how much GiGi loves blueberries, so I've got to get some of these!

Oh, I did actually make a quick trip to CVS.  I got 4 Nivea body washes for $1 total!

A couple other good deals I've run across lately:

Restaurant.com now has 80% off their gift certificates!  This is when I usually buy mine:
Save 80% Off Restaurant.com $25 Gift Cert. Use code FLAG and pay $2 thru 5/31/10.

You can get 40 free prints if you sign up for York photo.  One of these days I'm just going to sign up with all these sites to get the free prints from each one and start printing some of my backlog of digital pictures!

Gina from Moneywise Moms alerted me to a great offer for Virginia residents:  Busch Gardens in Williamsburg is offering free preschool passes all summer for children 5 and younger!  You can read all the info here.

Nicole from Frugal Coupon Living shared that Amazon has $10 off a $30 Thomas the Train purchase promotion going on through May 31.  For instance, this Water Tower track set would be just $23.26 after the discount! I paid more than that for a Target brand track set that my daughter got for Christmas two years ago.  Thomas stuff can be pricey, but they're great toys, so this could be a great time to stock up for birthdays or even Christmas.  Ashley also has the details on a Toy Story discount too.

You can now sign up for the Wellness Rewards Program at Rite Aid.  It's free, and you get a $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon just for signing up.  You also get points from your purchases that add up to benefits.  Plus, you get 10% off Rite Aid brand products every day.  I don't shop at Rite Aid much, but I do head there every so often for a great diaper or holiday candy deal.  Since this is free, I'm definitely signing up!

Where are you shopping this week?  Any great deals you have your eye on?

n.b. Restaurant.com, York Photo, Amazon, and Rite Aid are all part of advertising networks of which I am an affiliate.

Giveaway Winners!

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to announce the winners for these two past giveaways! 

The winner of the Wonder Hangers is:

comment #30: littlelatina

The winer of the Covermate Food Covers is:

comment #5: Jane

The Covermate winenr has been notified by email.  The Wonder Hanger winner did not include an email.  If this is you, please contact me within 72 hours, or I will pick another winner.

Thank you so much to all who entered the giveaways!  Also, don't forget to enter my current giveaways for the Grill Daddy and the Orient Automatic Watch!

Call for Guest Posts

At the beginning of July, the girls and I will be headed for the beach for a week with my family!  After that, we'll probably stay at my parents' home in North Carolina for at least an additional week.  (Unfortunately, Michael has to stay home and work so that he can take off when the baby comes.) 

During our vacation, I'll still be monitoring the blog and blogging a little, but I'd also like to be able to take a break.  Therefore, I'm looking for a bunch of great guest posts from fellow bloggers and readers!  That way you'll still have some great articles to read while I'm sunning my (hugely pregnant) self on the beach. ;-)

You don't have to be a frugal blogger or even a blogger at all to write a guest post.  It also doesn't have to be specifically about saving money; I'm open to anything that fits in with my tagline, "living the good life on less."  Cooking techniques, recipes, gardening, preserving produce, saving money on anything, frugal fun, frugal crafts: these are just a few of the topics that come to mind!  Just email me with your idea or finished post, and I'll let you know if I think it would be a good fit.

If you're a blogger, I'd love it if you could spread the word, too!  Any posts I don't use during my vacation, I'll be saving to use when the baby comes at the end of August!  Thanks!

Wegmans Deals: 05/23-05/29

Lots of great deals this week for your Memorial Day Weekend celebrations or just to stock up for summer cookouts!

New Deals:

Jumbo Cantaloupes (size 9) - $2.00

Wegmans Hot Dog or Hamburger Rolls (8 ct./14 oz.) - $.99

Garden of Eatin' Organic Tortilla Chips (9 oz. Salted Blue or Red Hot Blues) - $1.99
Use $1.00 printable coupon here or here
Final Price: $.99

Coca-Cola (12 pk./12 fl. oz. cans or 6 pk./ 16.9 fl. oz. bottles) - $.2.75

Hebrew National Beef or Reduced Fat Red Hot Dogs (11-12 oz.) - $2.00
Use $.75/1 coupon from 05/23 SS insert
Final Price: $1.25

Wegmans Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (Club Pack - 5 lbs. or more) - $1.99/lb.

Old Spice High Endurance Deoderant - $1.88
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 5/2 P&G insert
Final Price: $1.38


Ongoing Deals:

Produce -
Sweet Corn - $.25
Ocean Mist Artichokes - $.50
California Strawberries (2 lb. clamshell package) - $2.99
Wegmans US #1 3 lb. Bagged Apples - $2.97
Wegmans US #1 Russet Idaho Potatoes (5 lb. bag) - $1.99

Non-perishables -
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (8.4-8.7 oz.) - $2.29
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/02 RP insert
Final Price: $1.79 each
Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix (18.3-19.9oz.) or Cake Mix - $.99
Nabisco Club Crackers - $1.99
Wegmans Elbow Pasta (16 oz.) - $.69
Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Pasta Salad - $.99
Use $.40/1 printable coupon or printable coupon (doubled)
Final Price: $.20
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz can) Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans, or Cut Green Beans - $.39
Old El Paso Refried Beans (16 oz.) and Other Selected Old El Paso - $.99
Buy 2 and use $.60/2 printable coupon
Final Price: $.69 each
Goya Dried Beans (16 oz.) - $.99 (through 09/11)
Wegmans Chunk Light Yellowfin Tuna (6 oz. in water) - $.69 (through 06/26)
Keebler Vienna Fingers, Pecan Sandies, or Rainbow Chips Deluxe Cookies - $1.99
Buy 2 Sandies and use $2.00/2 peelie coupon on package
Final Price: $.99 each
Maxwell House Coffee (10.5-11.5 oz., select varieties) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 03/21 SS insert or $.75/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $.99-$1.24
Wegmans W Pop - $.69
Lay's Potato Chips (10.5-11 oz.) - $2.00

Refrigerated -
Yoplait Kids Yogurt - $1.99 (through 05/27)
Use $.40/1 coupon here, here, here, and here or $.35/1 from 3/25 and 4/21 inserts (doubled)
Final Price: $1.19
Ball Park Meat Franks (16 oz. regular or 14 oz. lite) - $1.50
Buy 2 and use $.75/2 coupon from 03/14 RP insert
Final Price: $1.18 each
Nestle Tollhouse Ready to Bake Cookies (16-16.5 oz., excludes holiday) - $1.99
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.49
Hillshire Farm Deli Select Ultra Thin or Premium Hearty Slices (8-9 oz.) - $2.99
Use $.35/1 coupon from 4/18 RP insert (doubled) or buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/02 RP insert
Final Price: $2.19-$2.49 each
Sunny Delight (64 oz.) - $.99
Frozen -
Healthy Choice Select Entrees (8.5-9oz.) - $1.99
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 from ConAgra mailer
Final Price: $1.49 each
Stouffer's Red Box Entrees (8.375-12 oz., select varieties) - $1.99
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Entrees (8.5-10.5 oz., all varieties) - $1.99
Buy 10 and use $4.00/10 printable coupon or buy 5 and use $1.00/5 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.59-$1.79 each

Paper/Toiletries/Cleaning -
Wegmans Facial Tissue (65-160 ct. cube or flat) – $.79
Wegmans 8 pk. Paper Towels or 12 pk. Bath Tissue – $4.99
Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel (7 oz.) – $1.88
Use $.75/1 Edge shave gel from 01/10 insert or $.55/1 Skintimate from 03/07 insert
Final Price: $1.13-$1.33
V05 Shampoo or Conditioner - $.77
Vive Pro Shampoo or Conditioner - $2.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 02/21 RP insert
Final Price: $1.99
Secret Solid Antipersperant (2.6-2.7 oz.) - $1.88
Use $.50/1 Secret product from 05/02 P&G insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.88
Bandaid Plastic 3/4" Bandages (60 ct.) - $1.50
Use $.50/1 from 03/18 4/25 SS insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.50

My Wegmans deals are based on the Sterling/Leesburg, VA sales ad and deals that I find in the Leesburg store.

With thanks to the coupon database at Mrs. Moneysaver for help in compiling this.

My store doubles coupons up to $.50, but Wegmans' coupon policies vary by store. Find the policy at your store here.

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Menu Planning Monday

Can you tell we have a lot of salad greens in our garden?!  I've planned salad for almost every night this week!  I'm also thinking that I can use the first of our spinach in the pasta for Friday night!

Breakfasts:
cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, eggs

Lunches:
mini pizzas, tuna pasta salad (from Suddenly Salad deal), peanut butter, cheese and crackers

Dinners:
Mon - Shepherd's pie (basically whatever I concoct out of extra cooked ground beef and leftover mashed potatoes), salad, homemade foccacia
Tues - Picnic at Daddy's softball game! (hot dogs, popcorn)
Wed - Baked chicken, roasted potatoes, salad
Thurs - Leftovers
Fri - Pasta with spinach and white beans (something similar to this), salad, bread
Sat & Sun - Grilling for the weekend and upcoming week!  We'll probably do hamburgers, chicken, and maybe something else.

Baking list:
- muffins for a playgroup on Friday
- French bread or more foccacia

See more menus at Menu Planning Monday.

Top CVS Deals: 5/23-5/29

Thanks to Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living for the top CVS deals each week.  Check out her complete list here.

B1G1 50% Off Cover Girl Cosmetics $3.49 – $10.49

$1 P&G 5/2
$2 May Rouge Magazine
$2.50 P&G 5/2
= varies, as low as $.12 each
Nivea Body Wash, Lotion, Cream or Serum $4.99 – $21.99 (get $5 ECB wyb $15) Limit 1
$1 Women’s Body Wash RP 4/11
$1 Body Lotion RP 5/2
$1 Women’s Body Wash April All You Magazine
$3 Men’s Body Wash RP 5/2
$4 Women’s Body Wash RP 5/2
B1G1 Women’s Body Wash May All You Magazine
= varies

Deal Ideas:
Body Wash is around $5.50 each
Buy 3 and two $4 coupons plus a B1G1 coupon = $2 MONEYMAKER
Buy 3 and use two $2 coupons plus a B1G1 coupon = $2 or $.67 each

Old Spice or Gillette Body Wash – 10 to 18 oz $4 (get $4 ECBs) Limit 2
$4/2 Gillette Deodorant P&G 5/2
B1G1 Old Spice RP 4/18
B1G1 Gillette or Old Spice P&G 5/2
= $4 MONEYMAKER wyb 2 with B1G1 coupon
B1G1 Gatorade Thirst Quencher – 32 oz or Sobe Lifewater – 20 oz
B1G1 Sobe printable
= FREE

Lindsay Large Pitted Olives – 6oz $5/5
$1/2 printable
= $.50 each

I actually never made it to CVS last week.  There are always weeks like that!  However, I have a lot of ECBs to use from some great deals the previous week, so I'm definitely planning a trip early this week.  I'm hoping to do the Nivea deal, which looks pretty good, as well as the Old Spice or Gillette body wash.

Garden Update #4

Gardening season is really now in full swing!  It's time to harvest spring crops and plant summer ones, as well as putting in flower borders and generally preparing for summer!

I'm about halfway done with my main garden planting.  My husband still needs to help me dig out an additional section of our side garden bed, and I need to plant more in the main bed as well.

We've really been eating from the garden already though!  My over-wintered mesclun greens are huge, and we can't eat them fast enough.  I'm probably going to take them out altogether when I finish the summer planting, because some of them are past their prime, but in the meantime I'm just trying to pick and eat them as fast as we can.  I also have another two rows that I planted in March that need to be picked every couple of days!  The row of radishes I planted in March are also ready, and we've eaten about 2/3 of them.

We're still getting strawberries as well, although it's really only a small handful every day or two.  Nevertheless, they taste delicious!

I'm very excited about everything I'm planting for the summer; I can't wait until July when everythings starts to ripen!



PS - For those of you interested in gardening: next weekend, Home Depot is holding a free gardening workshop.  This sounds really good.  They will cover basics like soil, composting, and rain barrels. Unfortunately, we're going to be out of town for a wedding, because otherwise I would definitely attend.  I'm still very new at this and lead to earn all I can!

Note: Home Depot is part of an advertising network for which I am an affiliate.

Review and Giveaway: "Grill Daddy" Grill Cleaning Tool

Today I have another fun (and very seasonal) review and giveaway for you.  It's the Grill Daddy grill cleaning tool. 

The Grill Daddy is a steam powered grill-cleaning tool that sanitizes grills and eliminates the burnt on food, grease and dirt. Cleaning grills can be a difficult and time-consuming task but the alternative is far worse. Unwashed racks can house bacteria that could contaminate food and leave an unsanitary and bad taste.

Utilizing specially designed stainless-steel brushes, the Grill Daddy releases water as users brush, hitting the grill and turning to steam while rinsing away unsanitary debris.

Other features:

· Steam-powered

· No rancid greasy residue builds up on the brush (liquefies and melts it away)

· Safe for porcelain, steel and iron grills (hot or cold)

· Ergonomic handle keeps hands away from heat and provides maximum leverage

For the past two years, since we got a house and a grill, my husband and I have been learning grilling as we go along. Last year we bought an ordinary grill brush, and it's been sitting on my windowsill for ages, caked in grime. Ewww! So I was excited to try this tool, which uses steam to clean the grill.
The Grill Daddy arrived in a huge box; it certainly is the "big daddy" of grill brushes! After reading the instructions, I realized that steam does not actually come out of the brush; rather, the brush sprays water on the hot grill racks to make steam.

The good points of the Grill Daddy include the long handle, which is designed to be ergonamic, and the large brushes. The brushes are also dishwasher safe, a huge deal to me (remember the grimy brush mentioned above). You do have to unscrew them to wash them in the dishwasher, however.

On the negative side, the water came unevenly out, and a lot came at a time. You really would need to remove your hot grill racks from the grill to avoid putting it out. I would say you definitely want to use this brush after each time you grill, and not while you're prepping.

All in all, my husband really thought that it would be easier just to use spray bottle of water and a regular grill brush.  However, if you really grill a lot or have a particularly hard to clean grill, this product might be right for you.  I also still love that this brush itself is so much easier to keep clean than my old greasy one.

One lucky reader will have a chance to win a Grill Daddy!  To enter, please just leave a comment on this post saying what you like about the product.  (You must do this to enter.)  For extra entries, you may do any or all of the following, for a maximum of 5 entries (please leave a separate comment for each):

1) Follow Frugally Blonde by rss feed.

2) Follow Frugally Blonde by email

3) Follow Frugally Blonde on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. (Leave a link to your tweet.)

4) Blog about this giveaway. (Leave a link to your post.)

The contest ends on Thursday, June 3, at midnight. The contest is open to residents of the US only, and the winner must provide a valid mailing address (no PO boxes).  I will choose the winner randomly and notify him or her by email, and he or she will have 72 hours to respond.  Good luck!

This is a Mama Buzz review.  The product and giveaway prize were provided by Grill Daddy for this review.

Giveaway: Orient Automatic Watch

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Orient Watches Japan about running a giveaway.  This is not a product I have seen or reviewed, but their watches look really nice, so I agreed.  I thought having a chance to win a luxury-type watch would be a nice gift to my faithful readers!

I found it interesting to learn from the website about the difference between a mechanical (automatic) watch and our usual battery-powered watches:

"A mechanical watch is powered by a mainspring, without using electrical power. The winding of the spring causes the "heart" of the watch to beat, and this human-like quality is one of the unique beauties of Orient mechanical watches. "

You can read a review from the website of the Orient Black Mako.

One lucky Frugally Blonde reader can win an Orient Watch!  The watch offered is the one pictured, the BNQ1X003M.  It is a ladies' watch, and it has the following features:
 - Day-Date Functions
 - Orient 3-Star
 - Stainless Steel Case
 - Screw Caseback
 - Water Resistant 50m
 - Fully Automatic
 - Band is adjustable with a fold over buckle

To enter, please just leave a comment on this post saying why you'd like to win.  (You must do this to enter.)  For extra entries, you may do any or all of the following, for a maximum of 5 entries (please leave a separate comment for each):

1) Follow Frugally Blonde by rss feed.

2) Follow Frugally Blonde by email

3) Follow Frugally Blonde on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. (Leave a link to your tweet.)

4) Blog about this giveaway. (Leave a link to your post.)

The contest ends on Thursday, June 3, at midnight. The contest is open to residents of the US only, and the winner must provide a valid mailing address (no PO boxes).  I will choose the winner randomly and notify him or her by email, and he or she will have 72 hours to respond.  Good luck!

The giveaway prize is provided by Orient Watches.  I did not try out this product, and I received no compensation for this giveawawy. 

Restaurant.com 70% Off Promo!

There's another good restaurant.com promo going on right now, for 70% off your $25 restaurant gift cards.  My family has found these gift cards to be very worth it.  I buy them when they're a huge percentage off, and they've allowed us to enjoy dinner out when couldn't have otherwise.  As always, just be sure to read the restrictions.  Click the button above to find a participating restaurant near you!

Full disclosure: I am a restaurant.com affiliate, so if you purchase through my link, I'll receive a small percentage.  Thanks for supporting Frugally Blonde.

Harris Teeter Super Doubles

I made a trip to Harris Teeter's Super Double Coupons promotion last night.  I couldn't get there early in the day, as I would have liked, since Lulu has croup, so I couldn't really take the girls.  It was peaceful shopping by myself, even though I usually dislike going out at night!

As I predicted, my store was already out of some of the best freebies, but I did score some great cheap deals that I am very excited about.

I got six jars of Classico pasta sauce for $.59 each, using the $1.50/2 coupons that were on Coupons.com last month!  I also got two bags of Wacky Mac pasta for $.35 each and 3 boxes of Mueller's pasta for $.33 each.  These deals are great because we go through the pasta and marinara very quickly!  It is my go-to meal on busy nights or when I don't feel like cooking or when we just need comfort food.

I was also excited about the Nature's Promise bread for just $.44 each.  I so rarely buy sandwich bread, since it has to be under about $.88 to be cheaper than homemade (and I'll only buy real whole wheat).  So when I do get a deal like this, it's a nice break from baking or a good backup for when I'm behind!

In total, I spent $26.63 for the items pictured, which were originally worth $90.75.  It's not the most amazing shopping trip ever, but it is a savings of about 71%.  It also included a few items that weren't super doubles deals, like the Harris Teeter little boxes of raisins (a good value) and the Harris Teeter brand OxiClean (much cheaper than the real deal, so I'm trying it).

I got my coupon matchups for this promotion from Southern Savers and Mrs. Moneysaver. I'm going to see what coupons I have left or can still print, and maybe I'll make another trip tomorrow to see if they've restocked some items. I'm coming in well under budget for May right now, so I still have a little stock-up money to spare!

Kashi Deal at Target

I just wanted to share the good deal I got on Kashi products at Target yesterday.  I wasn't sure that I was going to do this week's Kashi $5 giftcard deal, because there don't seem to be many Kashi coupons out there right now.  I did go in with a $.75/1 frozen Kashi product from the June All You magazine and a $1.00/1 any Kashi product that I'm not sure where I got (it looked like it was cut from a box).

I had seen on several blogs that there might be Kashi peelies out there, and sure enough, in the cereal aisle of my Super Target I found peelies on the Berry Go Lean Crunch.  It was one peelie with 3 coupons: $1.00/1 cracker or bar, $1.00/1 frozen item, and $1.00/1 Organic Promise cereal.  Since I now had five coupons, I bought the appropriate products and ended up with this deal:

5 Kashi products @ $2.88 each - $14.40
- (4) $1.00 coupons
- (1) $.75 coupon
- $5 giftcard from previous deal
= $4.65 for all, or $.93 each
And received $5 giftcard for next deal!

This was not quite as cheap as I sometimes get cereal and crackers, but I love both the health value and the taste of Kashi products, so I was excited to get these!

Wegmans Deals: 5/16-5/22

There are not too many new deals in the ad this week, and I haven't been able to make it to the store yet.  However, look through the categorized list to see some of the good deals from past weeks still going on.  My favorites are the sweet corn, 90% lean ground beef, and the Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad mix.

New Deals:

Wegmans Elbow Pasta (16 oz.) - $.69
Pepsi-Cola (12 pk./12 fl. oz. cans or 6 pk./24 fl. oz. bottles) - $2.75


Ongoing Deals:

Produce -
Sweet Corn - $.25
California Strawberries (2 lb. clamshell package) - $2.99
Ocean Mist Artichokes - $.50
Wegmans US #1 3 lb. Bagged Apples - $2.97
Wegmans US #1 Russet Idaho Potatoes (5 lb. bag) - $1.99

Non-perishables -
Honey Bunches of Oats - $2.00 (through 05/22)
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 3/14 SS insert
Final Price: $1.49 each
Special K Cereal - (12-14 oz.) $2.29
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 Special K from 05/02 RP insert or printable
Final Price: $1.79 each
General Mills Fiber One Bars - $2.50
Use $.40/1 coupon here, here, and here (doubled)
Final Price: $1.70
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (8.4-8.7 oz.) - $2.39
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/02 RP insert
Final Price: $1.89 each
Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix (18.3-19.9oz.) or Cake Mix - $.99
Nabisco Club Crackers - $1.99
Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Pasta Salad - $.99
Use $.40/1 printable coupon or printable coupon (doubled)
Final Price: $.20
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz can) Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans, or Cut Green Beans - $.39
Old El Paso Refried Beans (16 oz.) and Other Selected Old El Paso - $.99
Buy 2 and use $.60/2 printable coupon
Final Price: $.69 each
Bush's Baked or Grillin Beans (22-28 oz.) - $1.50
Buy 2 Grillin Beans and use $1.00/2 coupon from 04/18 SS insert
Final Price: $1.00 each
Goya Dried Beans (16 oz.) - $.99 (through 09/11)
Wegmans Chunk Light Yellowfin Tuna (6 oz. in water) - $.69 (through 06/26)
Keebler Vienna Fingers, Pecan Sandies, or Rainbow Chips Deluxe Cookies - $1.99
Buy 2 Sandies and use $2.00/2 peelie coupon on package
Final Price: $.99 each
Maxwell House Coffee (10.5-11.5 oz., select varieties) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 03/21 SS insert or $.75/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $.99-$1.24
Wegmans W Pop - $.69
Lay's Potato Chips (10.5-11 oz.) - $1.99

Refrigerated -
Stonyfield Farms Yogurt - $.60
Buy 3 and use $.50/3 printable coupon (doubled)
Final Price: $.27 each
Yoplait Kids Yogurt - $1.99 (through 05/27)
Use $.40/1 coupon here, here, here, and here or $.35/1 from 3/25 and 4/21 inserts (doubled)
Final Price: $1.19
Ball Park Meat Franks (16 oz. regular or 14 oz. lite) - $1.50
Buy 2 and use $.75/2 coupon from 03/14 RP insert
Final Price: $1.18 each
Nestle Tollhouse Ready to Bake Cookies (16-16.5 oz., excludes holiday) - $1.99
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.49
Hillshire Farm Deli Select Ultra Thin or Premium Hearty Slices (8-9 oz.) - $2.99
Use $.35/1 coupon from 4/18 RP insert (doubled) or buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/02 RP insert
Final Price: $2.19-$2.49 each
Sunny Delight (64 oz.) - $.99

Meat -
Wegmans 90% Lean Fresh Ground Beef (Club Pack - 6 lbs. or more) - $1.99/lb.

Frozen -
Healthy Choice Select Entrees (8.5-9oz.) - $1.99
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 from ConAgra mailer
Final Price: $1.49 each
Stouffer's Red Box Entrees (8.375-12 oz., select varieties) - $1.99
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Entrees (8.5-10.5 oz., all varieties) - $1.99
Buy 10 and use $4.00/10 printable coupon or buy 5 and use $1.00/5 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.59-$1.79 each

Paper/Toiletries/Cleaning -
Wegmans Facial Tissue (65-160 ct. cube or flat) – $.79
Wegmans 8 pk. Paper Towels or 12 pk. Bath Tissue – $4.99
Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel (7 oz.) – $1.88
Use $.75/1 Edge shave gel from 01/10 insert or $.55/1 Skintimate from 03/07 insert
Final Price: $1.13-$1.33
V05 Shampoo or Conditioner - $.77
Vive Pro Shampoo or Conditioner - $2.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 02/21 RP insert
Final Price: $1.99
Secret Solid Antipersperant (2.6-2.7 oz.) - $1.88
Use $.50/1 Secret product from 05/02 P&G insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.88
Bandaid Plastic 3/4" Bandages (60 ct.) - $1.50
Use $.50/1 from 03/18 4/25 SS insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.50

My Wegmans deals are based on the Sterling/Leesburg, VA sales ad and deals that I find in the Leesburg store.

With thanks to the coupon database at Mrs. Moneysaver for help in compiling this.

My store doubles coupons up to $.50, but Wegmans' coupon policies vary by store. Find the policy at your store here.

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

A Confession

This weekend I was not at all frugal. 

Saturday night I was exhausted and cranky, and I actually made my husband go get us pizza, rather than eating some leftovers or making pasta.  Sunday . . . I really blew the budget!  My sister and I had planned to go see a play together in DC.  We got a great deal on "young professionals" tickets at the Shakespeare Theatre, but that was the only frugal part of the day.  We went out for an expensive (at least by my standards) lunch, and after the theatre we stopped for a ridiculously expensive (but very yummy) cupcake.  THEN, since I had come all the way out there, my sister persuaded me to stay and see a movie with her!  Since this pregnant mommy of course needed more food by then, we bought a hot dog, popcorn, and sodas at the movies, and you all know how absurd the prices for those are. 

Now, I had a really fun day with my sister, and it was such a nice break!  However, the money I spent: OUCH!

In some sense, I could justify the expenditures by saying that I never do this, so I can treat myself once in a while.  That is very true in a way.  Weekends like this are certainly rare, and I wasn't spending money we don't have.  However, I have to admit to myself that justification is not quite accurate.  I hadn't exactly saved up and earmarked the money for these particular things.  This was more of a spontaneous thing, and I was using "discretionary" money that is really supposed to be for more important unexpected expenses than "Mommy doesn't feel like cooking."

Why do I share this?  I guess want to make sure you all know that I'm not perfectly frugal!  I am committed to the lifestyle we lead, but at times I get tired and frustrated with it.  And I certainly get tempted to spend more money than I should, and, once in a while, I give in.

I feel like I shouldn't have quite spend all that I did this weekend, but I'm also not going to wallow in guilt.  I think this once-in-a-blue-moon spurge has satiated me for a while.  I feel like: okay, I splurged and had a good time, but now I'm going to back to focusing on what I know are more important goals for our money.  In reality, I wouldn't want to live like that every weekend, and I know that we certainly can't afford to!

Menu Plan this Week

Is it Monday again already?  We had a busy weekend, and I'm scrambling to come up with a menu plan and get my coupons together before my usual shopping day tomorrow. 

Here's the simple stuff I've put together for this week:

Breakfasts:
cereal, yogurt, oatmeal

Lunches:
Roast beef sandwiches, leftovers, peanut butter

Dinners:
Mon - Salad w. leftover barbecued chicken, bread
Tues - Mom's Portable Beef (I do it in the slow cooker), mashed potatoes, veggie
Wed - Baked Ziti, salad
Thurs - Leftover ziti
Fri - Black bean soup w. cheese quesadillas
Sat - Parties, parties, and more parties this weekend!  I need to bring some food, but I'm not sure what yet.
Sun -

Baking List:
- sandwich bread (done!)
- sandwich rolls

Check out Menu Planning Monday over at OrgJunkie.

Best CVS Deals: 5/16-5/22

Thanks to Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living for the top CVS deals each week.  Check out her full list here.

B1G1 CoverGirl WetSlicks AmazeMint $5.99
$1 P&G 5/2
$2.50/2 P&G 5/2
B1G1 RP 4/11
= FREE – $2 each

Clairol Herbal Essence or Aussie Shampoo, Conditioner, or Styler- 5 to 15 0oz $2.99 (get $2 ECBs) Limit 2
$1 Herbal Essences RP 5/16
$2 Aussie Syler wyb Aussie Shampoo or Conditioner RP 5/16
= FREE after ECBs

Blade 5 Razor System $6.99(get $6.99 ECBs) Limit 1
= FREE

Mennen Speed Stick – 2.3 to 2.7 oz $2.99 (get $2 ECBs) Limit 2
$.75 Lady printable
= $.24 after ECBs

Mix and Match – get 10 for $12 or $.83 each (see last page)
Including Dawn Dish Soap – use $.50 from P&G 5/2
Including Taster’s Choice – use $.75 printable or $.50 from SS 2/28

Looks like there are some good cheapies and freebies again this week.  I'll definitely be going in for the Clairol or Aussie shampoo and conditioner.  I'm just about out of shampoo and condioner for myself, and since I rarely pay for those items, I've been waiting for a CVS deal!

The 12 for $10 mix and match grocery items could be a good deal too, if you need some of those items.  In addition to the Dawn and Nescafe, it includes Puff's tissues and Glad room spray, as well as a number of other food items.

Giveaway Winner & Enter Current Giveaway

I'm excited to announce that the winner of my recent Yoplait Greek Yogurt Gift Pack Giveaway is

comment #66: Julie

Thanks so much to all who entered.  I will also be announcing the winner of the Wonder Hanger giveaway shortly.

Also, just a reminder that there are only one day left to enter my Covermate Food Covers giveaway.  I've been using these all week and finding them really useful, so enter now to have a chance for a free package of your own!

It's Yard Sale Season!

Yard Sale season is now in full swing in my area, and I've already gotten a few great bargains. Last Saturday morning, for $15 total, I picked up a maternity shirt, a pair of maternity pants, about 4 baby outfits, a car organizer, a toddler sleeping bag, and 2 name-brand (Hanna & Gymbo) dresses for Lulu!


Another thing I enjoy about going to yard sales is having a peaceful Saturday morning out on my own!  Having discovered that it is too difficult to bring young children, I leave them home with my kind husband.  They usually both end up in Mommy and Daddy's bed, "sleeping" with Daddy!

I've really gotten more into yard sales in the past few years, and my latest article on Galtime gives some tips on how to maximize your "yard-saleling" experience.  Feel free to check it out!

Couponing for Beginners: How to Manage Your Coupons

In this overdue 2nd post in my "Couponing for Beginners series," I am covering how to organize your coupons.  (You can read the first post in the series, How to Get Coupons, here.)

If you are just getting started or are a "casual" couponer, an envelope or two may be all you need.  I also used to have a cute organizer that I bought at a drugstore with pockets for each store category.  However, once I got into "serious" couponing, I quickly outgrew such a small booklet

Of couponers who save most or all of the weekly coupons and actively hunt down bargains based on the coupon deals, there seem to be two schools of thought: the "cut out" method and the "whole insert" method.  As you might imagine, the first group cuts out all their coupons and organizes them (usually by category) in a box or binder.  The second group simply files their newspaper inserts by date and cuts out what they need before each planned grocery trip.

There are ups and downs to both methods.  The cut out method enables you to quickly find any coupons you need, and you have your coupons available at the store if you find an unadvertised deal.  Cutting them out also may help you easily remember what items you have coupons for.  However, cutting out and organizing all the coupons every week can definitely be time consuming, and depending on what you use, your box or binder can become unwieldy.

If you plan to use the whole-insert method, here is a pretty detailed post with ideas to make it work.  Crystal also just published her own overview of the various coupon-organization methods, which is definitely worth checking otu.

I personally use the cut-out method, using a shoe-box sized plastic box from the dollar store.  I really got the idea from Crystal's coupon box, but I have adapted it to my needs.  I'm planning a follow-up post to share exactly how I organize my coupons.  If you are interested in the binder method, you might check out the Couponizer*, which is spoken well of.  Erin also has a post here on how she made her own coupon binder, as well as links to lots of other bloggers' coupon systems.

Whatever system you use (and I think you'll find you'll adapt to your own needs over time), the important thing is to keep your coupons organized.  Having a good system saves a lot of time both preparing for shopping trips and while in the store, and it ensures that you don't miss out a great deal.

Coming Up Soon: the 3rd post in my "Couponing for Beginners" series: How to Make Your Coupons Work for You.

*Full disclosure: I am a Couponizer affiliate, so if you purchase the Couponizer through my link, I receive a small percentage.  Thanks.

Photo by daitenshi6.

Wegmans Deals: 05/09-05/15

New Deals:

Sweet Corn - $.25

Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Pasta Salad - $.99
Use $.40/1 printable coupon or printable coupon (doubled)
Final Price: $.20

Maxwell House Coffee (10.5-11.5 oz., select varieties) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 03/21 SS insert or $.75/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $.99-$1.24

Doritos Nacho Chips (11.5-13.875 oz.) - $1.99

Nestle Tollhouse Ready to Bake Cookies (16-16.5 oz., excludes holiday) - $1.99
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.49

Hillshire Farm Deli Select Ultra Thin or Premium Hearty Slices (8-9 oz.) - $2.99
Use $.35/1 coupon from 4/18 RP insert (doubled) or  buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/02 RP insert
Final Price: $2.19-$2.49 each

Sunny Delight (64 oz.) - $.99

Wegmans Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (Club Pack - 5 lbs. or more) - $1.99/lb.

Bandaid Plastic 3/4" Bandages (60 ct.) - $1.50
Use $.50/1 from 03/18  4/25 SS insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.50


Ongoing Deals:

Produce -
California Strawberries (2 lb. clamshell package) - $2.99
Ocean Mist Artichokes - $.50
Wegmans US #1 3 lb. Bagged Apples - $2.97
Wegmans US #1 Russet Idaho Potatoes (5 lb. bag) - $1.99

Non-perishables -
Honey Bunches of Oats - $2.00 (through 05/22)
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 3/14 SS insert
Final Price: $1.49 each
Special K Cereal - (12-14 oz.) $2.29
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 Special K from 05/02 RP insert or printable
Final Price: $1.79 each
General Mills Fiber One Bars - $2.50
Use $.40/1 coupon here, here, and here (doubled)
Final Price: $1.70
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (8.4-8.7 oz.) - $2.39
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/02 RP insert
Final Price: $1.89 each
Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix (18.3-19.9oz.) or Cake Mix - $.99
Nabisco Club Crackers - $1.99
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz can) Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans, or Cut Green Beans - $.39
Del Monte Canned Corn, Green Beans, or Peas - $.79 (through 05/08)
Buy 8 and use $1.00/8 coupon from 3/21 RP insert
Final Price: $.66 each
Old El Paso Refried Beans (16 oz.) and Other Selected Old El Paso - $.99
Buy 2 and use $.60/2 printable coupon
Final Price: $.69 each
Bush's Baked or Grillin Beans (22-28 oz.) - $1.50
Buy 2 Grillin Beans and use $1.00/2 coupon from 04/18 SS insert
Final Price: $1.00 each
Goya Dried Beans (16 oz.) - $.99 (through 09/11)
Folger's Classic Roasted Coffee (10.3-11.3 oz., Excludes Decaf or Simply Smooth) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 Folger's product from 02/21 insert
Final Price: $.99
Wegmans Chunk Light Yellowfin Tuna (6 oz. in water) - $.69 (through 06/26)
Keebler Vienna Fingers, Pecan Sandies, or Rainbow Chips Deluxe Cookies - $1.99
Buy 2 Sandies and use $2.00/2 peelie coupon on package
Final Price: $.99 each
Wegmans W Pop - $.69
Lay's Potato Chips (10.5-11 oz.) - $1.99

Refrigerated -
Stonyfield Farms Yogurt - $.60
Buy 3 and use $.50/3 printable coupon (doubled)
Final Price: $.27 each
Yoplait Kids Yogurt - $1.99 (through 05/27)
Use $.40/1 coupon here, here, here, and here or $.35/1 from 3/25 and 4/21 inserts (doubled)
Final Price: $1.19
Ball Park Meat Franks (16 oz. regular or 14 oz. lite) - $1.50
Buy 2 and use $.75/2 coupon from 03/14 RP insert
Final Price: $1.18 each

Meat -
Wegmans 90% Lean Fresh Ground Beef - $1.99/lb.
(see Classico deal above)

Frozen -
Pillsbury Toaster Strudel (10-11.5 oz.) - $1.99
Use $.35/1 coupon from 01/03 or 02/07 inserts (doubled) or $.55/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.19-$1.44
Aunt Jemima Waffles (12.3 oz.) - $1.49
Healthy Choice Select Entrees (8.5-9oz.) - $1.99
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 from ConAgra mailer
Final Price: $1.49 each
Stouffer's Red Box Entrees (8.375-12 oz., select varieties) - $1.99
Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls - $1.99
Use $.75/1 coupon from 03/07 RP insert
Final Price: $1.24
Hot or Lean Pockets (9-10.8 oz.) - $1.69
Buy 3 and use $1.00/3 coupon from 04/25 RP insert
Final Price: $1.36 each
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Entrees (8.5-10.5 oz., all varieties) - $1.99
Buy 10 and use $4.00/10 printable coupon or buy 5 and use $1.00/5 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.59-$1.79 each
Paper/Toiletries/Cleaning -
Wegmans Facial Tissue (65-160 ct. cube or flat) – $.79
Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel (7 oz.) – $1.88
Use $.75/1 Edge shave gel from 01/10 insert or $.55/1 Skintimate from 03/07 insert
Final Price: $1.13-$1.33
Irish Spring Soap (2 bars) - $.88 (Limit 2)
V05 Shampoo or Conditioner - $.77
Wegmans 8 pk. Paper Towels or 12 pk. Bath Tissue – $4.99
Tom's of Maine Toothpaste (4-6 oz.) - $2.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon recently available to print
Final Price: $1.99
Vive Pro Shampoo or Conditioner - $2.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 02/21 RP insert
Final Price: $1.99
Secret Solid Antipersperant (2.6-2.7 oz.) - $1.88
Use $.50/1 Secret product from 05/02 P&G insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.88
My Wegmans deals are based on the Sterling/Leesburg, VA sales ad and deals that I find in the Leesburg store.

With thanks to the coupon database at Mrs. Moneysaver for help in compiling this.

My store doubles coupons up to $.50, but Wegmans' coupon policies vary by store. Find the policy at your store here.

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Menu Planning Monday

We grilled out for the first time this season on Saturday!  We continued our practice of the past few years of grilling a large amount of food on the weekend and eating it all week.  We cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, kielbasa, and chicken, plus potatoes, onions, and apples!  My husband is getting more expert at grilling, and everything turned out really well.  I got a really yummy Mother's Day dinner out of it as well.

Here's what I'm planning for the rest of the week:

Breakfasts

yogurt, cereal, toast, banana bread

Lunches

sausage subs, cold cut sandwiches, peanut butter

Dinners

Mon - Leftover grilled hotdogs & hamburgers, potatoes, corn

Tues - Grilled kielbasa, sauerkraut, potatoes, salad

Wed - Chili (x3) - bringing meals to two friends with new babies!

Thurs - Leftovers et al (Daddy out late)

Fri - Baked Ziti, salad, bread
Sat - Weekend tba - maybe grilling again!
Sun -

Baking List
 - sandwich bread (rising as we speak)
 - banana bread
- French bread

Check out Menu Planning Monday at Org Junkie.

Thanks to Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living for sharing the best CVS deal with us each week.  See the complete list here.

Always Thin $1

$1 P&G 5/2
= FREE

Bayer Low Dose – 32 ct $1
$1 SS 3/21
= FREE

Carefree Body Shape $1
$1 SS 4/25
= FREE

Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste – 4.2 oz or Rinse – 8.4 oz $3.50 (get $3.50 ECBs) Limit 2
$.75 P&G 5/2
= $.75 MONEYMAKER after ECBs

Schick Hydro 3 or Hydro 5 Razor System – 1 ct or Cartridges – 4 ct, $8.99 (get $4 ECBs) Limit 1
$5 SS 5/9
= FREE after ECBs

Whoo-hoo - a bunch of freebies this week!  I need to try to get down to CVS tomorrow, before they're out of everything.  I went on Friday last week, and I was disappointed to miss out on the Nivea deal, as all the coupon items were gone.  I'm hoping I'll have better luck this week!

Saving Money on Greeting Cards

Yesterday I rushed to the store to buy my Mother's Day cards, and I was practically fighting people for them!  I know I've heard that Mother's Day is one of, if not the biggest, greeting card holiday.  I mailed 7 cards yesterday afternoon, and at regular stores prices of around $2.50 and up, that could quickly add up to a lot of money!  However, you don't have to stick to Hallmark to find nice greeting cards to give and send.  Here are some ways to save money on cards:

"Budget" lines of cards - Many stores are exapnding their selections of $.99 or even $.50 cards.  I guess they realize that not everyone can blow $3.59 for every family birthday card.  These budget cards may be harder to find for holidays like Mother's Day, but they are easy to find for events like birthdays and baby showers.

Card collections - Many stores, such as Sam's and Costco, Michaels, and Target from time to time carry boxed collections of 20 or 50 greeting cards.  This could be a really good option if you send a lot of cards; I've seen collections that work out to considerably less than $1.00 per card.  However, it's probably good to get an idea of what types of cards are included first, as the cards will probably tend toward the adult and generic.

Dollar Store cards - The dollar store is my top source for greeting cards.  Mine has a whole double rack of cards for $.50 each.  They are perfectly nice, regular greeting cards, too; no one need know that they're from the dollar store!

Making your own - If you're creative, it can be fun and meaningful to make your own cards.  Of course, the cost of homemade could very widely, depending on if you buy materials or not.  However, I bet most people have enough paper and craft items around the house to easily make some simple, cute cards.  And if you have kids, their handiwork is always popular.  There is also the option of printing cards on the computer.  The cost of greeting card software could easily pay off over time.

E-cards - No, they're not the same as a physical card, but if you're really short on money and time, they're much nicer than nothing.  Many sites, such as American Greetings and Hallmark, charge a small fee to access all their cards (which could be worth it if that is your way to sending cards.)  A good free site is 123Greetings.

I think that people appreciate your taking the time to think of them, whether the message is sent by email or snail mail, and whatever the cards looks like!

How do you save on greeting cards?  Please share!

Check out Frugal Fridays on Life as Mom and Mrs. Moneysaver.

Fresh Strawberries

This afternoon the girls and I sampled the first few of our homegrown strawberries!  Unfortunately, I think our neighborhood bunny rabbit beat us to the first two, prompting my panicked call to Michael yesterday to stop at Home Depot for chicken wire on the way home! 

I am so over-the-top excited about these berries.  To me, there is something even more exciting and mysterious about homegrown fruit than about homegrown vegetables.  As much as I love fresh veggies, they are the workhorses of the family meal - the sensible green salad or steamed side dish.  But fruit, on the other hand, with its succulent sweetness, is another whole level up.  And berries . . . they are the jewels on the crown of produce!

The history of our homegrown strawberries is neat, too.  Two years ago this spring, just after we moved into our house, I received some plants from a generous gardener on Freecycle.  She gave me my mint, which has spread each year in epic proportions, prompting many offers of my own excess on Freecycle.  She also threw in one strawberry plant.

I had the plant in a pot for the past two years,  and it flowered, but never actually produced fruit.  Last year, after strawberry season, I planted it in the ground in a small bed next to my porch.  There, it sent out a ton of runners and filled up the bed.  And this year, the healthy-looking plants are producing small but healthy and bright red berries!

Those berries we tasted this afternoon had that amazing, sunshiny taste that I associate with fresh strawberries.  They are seriously practically a different fruit than the store-bought variety.  I bought some California strawberries at the grocery store this week, since they were good price, and my girls adore them.  However, they tasted more like gargantuan red pieces of styrofoam, flavored with a mildly pleasant strawberry flavoring!

When I was a child, we several times traveled to South Carolina in May to pick strawberries.  Since there were so many kids to pick berries, we literally came home with bushels of them.  We ate them nonstop for days, and my mom froze many and baked everything strawberry.  I'll have to share the recipe for her yummy refrigerated strawberry pie some day!

We also might visit a u-pick farm in the next few weeks, as our few plants will not satiate the voracious appetite for fruit around here.  I'm so glad my girls will have a similar childhood memory of that uniquely sweet taste of fresh-picked berries, and some this time from their own garden!

Best Bloom Deals: 5/5-5/11

Thanks to Sarah at A Bookworm's Bargains for providing us with the best Bloom deals each week.  You can see her complete list here.

Meat
Holly Farms Chicken Breasts or Tenders - $1.99/lb
Center Cut Pork Chops - $2.49/lb
Natural Choice Ground Turkey (16oz) - $1.99
Produce
Strawberries or Blackberries - $3/5
Watermelon - $.59/lb

Grocery
Kashi Cereal - $6/2
Final Price: $3.00/1

Campbell's Select Harvest Soups (18.6-18.8 oz) - $10.00/10
Final Price: $1.00/1

Frozen
Lean Cuisine Dinners or Entrees - $1.88
Minute Maid Ades and Punches - $.99
Edy's Ice Cream - $6/2
Final Price: $3.00/1
Tyson Any'tizers (10-11 oz) - B1G1
Final Price: $2.00/1
Red Baron Pizza - $10.00/3
Final Price: $3.34/1
Baby
Huggies Box Diapers - $19.9

Wordless Wednesday: Fruit of the Earth

Look what's happening in our garden!!!!

"Doubtless God could have made a better berry.  Doubless God never did."
                                                                                 -- William Allen Butler

Wordless Wednesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wegmans Deals: 05/02-05/08

New Deals:

California Strawberries (2 lb. clamshell package) - $2.99

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (8.4-8.7 oz.) - $2.39
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 05/02 RP insert
Final Price: $1.89 each

Special K Cereal - (12-14 oz.) $2.29
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 Special K from 05/02 RP insert or printable
Final Price: $1.79 each

Old El Paso Refried Beans (16 oz.) and Other Selected Old El Paso - $.99
Buy 2 and use $.60/2 printable coupon
Final Price: $.69 each

Classico Pasta Sauce - $2.09 (regular price)
Deal Idea:
Buy 2 Classico sauces, one red, one white
Buy $1.99/lb. ground beef
Use Buy 1 red sauce get 1 white sauce free coupon recently available to print
Use $1.50 off beef when you buy 2 Classico sauces coupon from 3/14 SS insert (expires 05/09)
Final Price: Like getting both sauces for $.59 when you buy beef

Lay's Potato Chips (10.5-11 oz.) - $1.99

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Entrees (8.5-10.5 oz., all varieties) - $1.99
Buy 10 and use $4.00/10 printable coupon or buy 5 and use $1.00/5 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.59-$1.79 each

Secret Solid Antipersperant (2.6-2.7 oz.) - $1.88
Use $.50/1 Secret product from 05/02 P&G insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.88

Geeting Cards - Save $1.00 off 3
Deal Idea:
Buy 2 greeting cards for $.99 each and 1 greeting card for $1.99.
Use $1.00/1 coupon from April reusable bag promotion.
Get an additional $1.00 off 3.
Final Price: $.66 each


Ongoing Deals:

Produce -
Ocean Mist Artichokes - $.50
Wegmans US #1 3 lb. Bagged Apples - $2.97
Wegmans US #1 Russet Idaho Potatoes (5 lb. bag) - $1.99

Non-perishables -
Honey Bunches of Oats - $2.00 (through 05/22)
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from 3/14 SS insert
Final Price: $1.49 each
General Mills Fiber One Bars - $2.50
Use $.40/1 coupon here, here, and here (doubled)
Final Price: $1.70
Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix (18.3-19.9oz.) or Cake Mix - $.99
Nabisco Club Crackers - $1.99
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz can) Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans, or Cut Green Beans - $.39
Del Monte Canned Corn, Green Beans, or Peas - $.79 (through 05/08)
Buy 8 and use $1.00/8 coupon from 3/21 RP insert
Final Price: $.66 each
Bush's Baked or Grillin Beans (22-28 oz.) - $1.50
Buy 2 Grillin Beans and use $1.00/2 coupon from 04/18 SS insert
Final Price: $1.00 each
Goya Dried Beans (16 oz.) - $.99 (through 09/11)
Folger's Classic Roasted Coffee (10.3-11.3 oz., Excludes Decaf or Simply Smooth) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 Folger's product from 02/21 insert
Final Price: $.99
Wegmans Chunk Light Yellowfin Tuna (6 oz. in water) - $.69 (through 06/26)
Keebler Vienna Fingers, Pecan Sandies, or Rainbow Chips Deluxe Cookies - $1.99
Buy 2 Sandies and use $2.00/2 peelie coupon on package
Final Price: $.99 each
Wegmans W Pop - $.69

Refrigerated -
Stonyfield Farms Yogurt - $.60
Buy 3 and use $.50/3 printable coupon (doubled)
Final Price: $.27 each
DanActive Yogurt - $1.99 (through 05/08)
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 02/28 or 03/28 SS inserts
Final Price: $.99
Yoplait Kids Yogurt - $1.99 (through 05/27)
Use $.40/1 coupon here, here, here, and here or $.35/1 from 3/25 and 4/21 inserts (doubled)
Final Price: $1.19
Ball Park Meat Franks (16 oz. regular or 14 oz. lite) - $1.50
Buy 2 and use $.75/2 coupon from 03/14 RP insert
Final Price: $1.18 each

Meat -
Wegmans 90% Lean Fresh Ground Beef - $1.99/lb.
(see Classico deal above)

Frozen -
Pillsbury Toaster Strudel (10-11.5 oz.) - $1.99
Use $.35/1 coupon from 01/03 or 02/07 inserts (doubled) or $.55/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.19-$1.44
Aunt Jemima Waffles (12.3 oz.) - $1.49
Healthy Choice Select Entrees (8.5-9oz.) - $1.99
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 from ConAgra mailer
Final Price: $1.49 each
Stouffer's Red Box Entrees (8.375-12 oz., select varieties) - $1.99
Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls - $1.99
Use $.75/1 coupon from 03/07 RP insert
Final Price: $1.24
Hot or Lean Pockets (9-10.8 oz.) - $1.69
Buy 3 and use $1.00/3 coupon from 04/25 RP insert
Final Price: $1.36 each

Paper/Toiletries/Cleaning -
Wegmans Facial Tissue (65-160 ct. cube or flat) – $.79
Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel (7 oz.) – $1.88
Use $.75/1 Edge shave gel from 01/10 insert or $.55/1 Skintimate from 03/07 insert
Final Price: $1.13-$1.33
Irish Spring Soap (2 bars) - $.88 (Limit 2)
V05 Shampoo or Conditioner - $.77
Wegmans 8 pk. Paper Towels or 12 pk. Bath Tissue – $4.99
Tom's of Maine Toothpaste (4-6 oz.) - $2.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon recently available to print
Final Price: $1.99
Vive Pro Shampoo or Conditioner - $2.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 02/21 RP insert
Final Price: $1.99
My Wegmans deals are based on the Sterling/Leesburg, VA sales ad and deals that I find in the Leesburg store.

With thanks to the coupon database at Mrs. Moneysaver for help in compiling this.

My store doubles coupons up to $.50, but Wegmans' coupon policies vary by store. Find the policy at your store here.

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.