Super Savings Saturday

I'm feeling rather festive tonight... Christmas music is playing, the trees are lit, tea is brewing (I love Celestial Seasonings Christmas teas :-) ), candles are burning, it's icy and cold outside, and I'm happy to be indoors. Here's the result of this week's trip to Walgreens:



My total came to $20.68. (The receipt proclaimed savings was $39.70, but I always tend to think those numbers are inflated... :-) ) I paid with my Walgreens gift card (result of past months' EasySaver rebates), received a $10 Catalina, and should get $10.45 in EasySaver rebates as a result of my purchases (includes 10% gift card bonus), so my effective total spent is $0.23. I could have done better, but with Christmas coming up, I'm okay with spending a bit more.

Since I bought very few groceries this week, I almost didn't post a picture. But, should anyone be curious, here's what I picked up at Kroger and our local produce market:



The apples were $1.99 for a three pound bag, BOGO, so I picked up two bags. Limes were clearanced to $.79 a bag, and the tomatoes to $2.49. My total at the market was $5.64. At Kroger, the sour cream was on sale (though not an amazing one) and I had coupons, making them $.79 each, and I rolled the yeast deal one more time with a coupon a friend gave me. My favorite find at Kroger was the raspberries--on manager's special at $1.00 per box. I love fresh raspberries, but the price is usually insane, so I skip them. I used three yeast Catalinas when I paid, bringing my total to $2.75. I also received another $.50 Catalina on the yeast, which will double to $1.00 on my next order.

For more savings inspiration, visit the Crystal at Money Saving Mom.

I'm off to enjoy my cup of tea and get some things in order (hello, dirty dishes... :-) ). Hope you have a restful Sunday and stay warm!

$2 off any Alibris Order

Alibris is offering a coupon for $2 off any order. They usually have decent prices anyway, so I was happy to find the coupon. (Great for ordering Christmas gifts, too!) The code is SNOWMAN2 and is good through December 20.

Another Walgreens Deal

Glade Flameless Candles are on sale for $7.99 this week at Walgreens. There is also a $3.00 EasySaver Rebate for the month of December, limit two ($6.00). But for a really sweet deal, use these: A BOGO coupon from Glade and one of the recent $3.00- or $4.00-off manufacturer's coupons. End result? Two free candles and up to two dollars of overage. Sounds good to me!

Money-Maker at Walgreens

Walgreens is offering a $10 Register Reward this week when you purchase three of selected P&G hair products. Among them are the Nice 'n' Easy Root Touch-Up kits, some of which are clearanced to $2.89. There were coupons in the 12/2 paper for $2.00 off the Nice 'n' Easy kits. Buy three kits, paying about $3.00 with tax, and you get a $10 Catalina, good on your next order.

For more money-saving ideas, check out Crystal's blog at Biblical Womanhood.

Patience is a Virtue...

My laptop is on the blink and I've tried to figure out if the damage is due to a rodent or yours truly. Actually, it's not my computer that's on the blink. It's the power cord, which was either chewed or melted partway through. Or maybe a combination of chewed and melted. I worked on some projects yesterday while gingerly holding the wires in exactly the right place, so that it could charge while I was working. My fingers got rather warm (the electricity melted through the medical tape I'd attempted to insulate it with), I eventually stopped holding the wires just right, and it stopped charging.

This morning I stopped by a local computer store, hoping they might have a power cord they didn't need and would give me a good deal on it. I explained the situation, and an employee informed me that he has a cord at home--he used to have a laptop identical to mine. And I may have the cord for five dollars. I was thrilled. I have to wait for him to bring the cord to the store, but that price is well worth the wait.

Moral of the story? Get creative--and be patient. :-)

Edit: I have the cord now... but apparently I misunderstood when he told me the price. It was $25 instead of $5. If I'd heard him right the first time, I think I would have tried to bargain. It's more than I would have like to pay, but still a definite savings over the other ones I found.

Jane Makeup: Better Than Free

Walgreens is offering Jane Be Pure Mineral cosmetics free after EasySaver Rebate for the month of December. This is obviously a pretty good deal by itself, but it gets sweeter: Sign up for Jane's email list and they'll give you a printable coupon for $2 off any Jane Cosmetics purchase. Walgreens will send the rebate for the full purchase price, even though you used a coupon to buy it. For greater savings, request your reabate in the form of a gift card--they'll add 10% to the total amount.

Kroger Money-Maker: Fleischmann's Yeast

Yeast is about the last thing I'd expect to be a money-maker, but at the moment it is. There have been recent coupons (in 10/7, 11/4 and 12/2 inserts) for $.45 off a three-pack of Fleischmann's yeast. The in-store prices vary, from $1.29 up. The $.45 coupon doubles, bringing the cost down $.90. But the best part is the Catalina--a $.50 Catalina prints when the yeast is scanned at the register and it doubles when used on a later order. You can roll the Catalina and do the deal over and over again. Even if you don't have many yeast coupons, it's still an okay deal with just the Catalinas. Here's how it worked for me:

$1.69 (on sale)
- .90 (doubled coupon)
.79
- 1.00 (doubled Catalina)
(.21) overage

I rolled it several times after my coupons were gone, so my end price was higher per packet. I don't know how long this Catalina deal is good--reports have varied from 12/3 to 12/9.

For more money-saving ideas, check out Crystal's blog at Biblical Womanhood.