I wrote in my previous post about getting serious about couponing. Today I went to CVS and got a box of Mucinex and a bottle of Lubriderm lotion and paid no cash at all! Both of these are fairly expensive items, but ones that I felt like we needed. The Mucinex is for my cough that won’t go away, and it was on sale for $11.79. The Lubriderm is for Jacob who has dry, sensitive skin, which is a mess right now after having an allergic reaction to some laundry detergent. I had a $2.00 off Lubriderm coupon, which made it $5.49. Then I had $10 in CVS Extra Bucks that I earned earlier in the week with their Pepsico deal (buy $20 worth and get $10 ECB). Finally, I had a $10 CVS gift card that I earned from My Points. I got both products, paid no cash, and still have over a dollar left on my gift card. Very cool.

I have decided to start couponing. Real, serious couponing. We recently made a trip to Alabama to visit family, and also went to Auburn to visit friends. My friend Lindsay, with whom we stayed, showed me how to do real couponing. She showed me her system, and I’ve already got mine going. There are several websites and blogs that provide so much information, it is pretty easy. These wonderful bloggers make databases of coupons, match them up with store sales and rewards (like CVS extra care bucks and Walgreens register rewards), and show you how to get some great deals. I’m saving entire coupon inserts, and the lists I check online tell which insert each coupon is in. I will have to build up my coupon collection before I can get the full benefits, but I’m already saving some money. This method does require some time and organization, but I think it is going to be worth it. Here are some of the sites I have started reading:

Deal Seeking Mom

SwagGrabber

My Frugal Adventures

Remember that coupons do vary by region, so not everything you find will necessarily be available to you. And you have to look through the options and work out your own best deals sometimes. Make sure to look at the e-coupon sites if you have store cards, such as a Kroger card, because you can “stack” e-coupons with printed manufacturer coupons. I just got five Healthy Choice frozen meals for 7 cents each by doing that. As I get more experienced, I will share more tips. You’re welcome to share tips too!

My Entertainment Book came in the mail recently! We get one of these each year because they save a lot of money, especially if you eat out very often. There are coupons for restaurants, golf courses, sporting events, and lots of other stores and shows. Most of the coupons are “buy one get one free.” The Entertainment Books are different for different areas, so there are even coupons for local businesses. Once you own and register a book, you can even check their website for other deals and coupons. I definitely recommend ordering an Entertainment book if you haven’t already!

I just printed out some new calendar pages from Vertex42. I did this about the same time last year, and it has worked really well. I just printed out the calendar pages, which are free, and put them in a 3-ring binder. I added some notebook paper and dividers, and I have my own planner. I keep everything together in the binder–lists of things to do, meal lists, lesson plans, and anything else I need to write down and keep up with. I use the monthly calendars, but Vertex42 has several different calendars to choose from. They are in PDF files, so you just open them and print. Easy and free!

We have a bakery nearby where Heiner’s and Sara Lee bread is made. One great perk of having this bakery in town is the outlet store next door to it. They sell bread right there next to the bakery for half the price that it is in the grocery stores, and sometimes it is on sale for even less. I have gotten Sara Lee bread for as low as $0.25 per loaf!

Going to the bread store (as we call it) really saves a lot of money for us. Not only do I get good prices, but I get good bread. Sometimes the dates are a little close, but usually the bread is fresh. I just went on Monday, and I got ten loaves of bread for about $10.00. The only bread I can get for a dollar a loaf at the grocery store is the store brand, and often even it is more than $1.00. The Heiner’s and Sara Lee bread is a lot better, too! I put the extra loaves in our deep freezer and get them out as needed. I just set a loaf out on the table to thaw, and you would never know that it had been frozen. Since the bread freezes well, I only have to go to that store about once per month.

This is my only experience with bread outlet stores, and it has been a very positive one. If you have one near you, give it a try…you might find some good deals and save a little grocery money!

Am I the only one who had not noticed the big red movie rental machines inside Wal-Mart stores? Maybe so, but I have discovered them now! My husband and I were just talking recently about the price of renting movies at Movie Gallery, and how expensive it is to rent new releases (and their definition of “new” is questionable ). Then, thanks to The Centsible Sawyer, I discovered Redbox. More importantly, I discovered how to get free movie rentals from Redbox!

If you go to Inside Redbox, you can get promotional codes for free rentals. Right now they are posting codes on Mondays…we got our first movie today for free! It is a one night rental, so in order to be free it must be returned before 9 PM the next night. The other great thing about Redbox is that the movies are only $1.00 per night, so even when you don’t have a code you can get a cheap movie rental! There are other codes, too, and The Centsible Sawyer has been posting some codes on Sundays, too. Check out her blog for this and other deals.

Using Redbox is not hard. It has a touch screen and takes you step by step through the process. There is a button to touch for renting with a promotional code. You will still have to swipe a credit or debit card to rent the movie, I suppose so they can charge you if you don’t bring it back. To find out if there is a Redbox near you, go here.

A friend recently introduced me to CurrClick, a website that sells homeschooling curriculum that you can download. The cool thing about CurrClick is that they offer at least one free item each week if you sign up for their email newsletter. And yes, it is actually free! Some of the material, such as the lapbooks, would even be useful to people who don’t homeschool. I just download the free material and save it on my computer until I am ready to print and use each one. Check them out!

The ladies at 5 Minutes for Mom are giving away some Magic Bullets! Just leave a comment on their post to be entered to win one! I’ve never tried one of these, but it looks great for making baby food .

If you have a Cold Stone Creamery near you, make sure to sign up for the Birthday Club on their website. By joining the Birthday Club, you will receive a coupon for free ice cream around your birthday. The coupons are usually available a few days before your birthday and expire one week after your birthday. We went to Cold Stone Creamery tonight and used Jacob’s coupon for one more birthday treat. Of course, we had to buy ice cream for ourselves, too ! They also had a Monday special that allowed us to get Skylar’s ice cream free, too. The ice cream treats there are rather expensive, but it is nice for a special occasion. You can register yourself and your children, so each member of the family can get free ice cream for his or her birthday!

Use the code SAVE20 to save 20% on all purchases from Hooked On Phonics. You can also get a free Super Activity Kit on orders over $50.00 with the coupon code FG7009. If you have never used HOP, take a look at this product review!