Couponing for Charity: 4/4 - 4/11

I've had so much fun getting freebies and even "making money" for charity the past three weeks, that I was highly disappointed about the prospects this week. Honestly, I'll be skipping Walgreens, CVS, and Target this week and making my Kroger list as slim as possible to stay on budget in this "five week month." So I will be getting NO goods for charity this week, but if you feel inspired, here are some suggestions from the pros.

Southern Savers seems more impressed with CVS this week if you want to pick just one store. She lays out how to get free gum, multi-purpose solution, and Colgate Total toothpaste. You can also get Dawn for just $.46 and perhaps some deals on Scotch tape.

Here are Southern Saver's match-ups for Walgreens. If you bought three papers today (or managed to score a few extra inserts from a recycling bin--I can neither confirm nor deny that I support such activities), you could get three Oral B toothbrushes for free. They also have a deal on Kotex and Dawn for $.49.

Coupon Katie lays out how the Double Coupon Days at K-Mart work this week. She notes several freebies like deodorant, dental floss, kitchen cleaners, odor eliminators, and bar b que sauce. From comments posted about K-Mart, that place sounds like too much work to me and there are always problems when you're trying to work the deals. I'll pass.

Kroger has a few sales but nothing free that I could see.

So what's your plan this week?

Couponing for Charity: 3/28 - 4/3 & Update #3--REVISED

I'm a little embarrassed to admit my confusion on this, but surely I'm not the only one. I just realized that the Walgreen's register rewards are an even better deal than I thought. I believed you had to use a $5RR for ONE item that cost at least $5--not so. You can buy as many things as you can adding up to $5 and use your RR like store credit. Boy, would this have saved me some bucks the past few months. At least I know it now that I have $11 in RR in my wallet. That said, I would have gone for the Dulcolax deal; so you might give that a try. Hip2Save has a good break-down of how to get a LOT for just $6 at Walgreens this week.

It's spring break this week--which means I'll have all three kids all the time. I'm not brave or insane enough to shop with all of them; so I snuck away today to Kroger, Walgreen's and CVS. Therefore, I decided to make just one post on my recommendations and my finds for charity.

If you're going to pick one place this week, choose Walgreen's. For all the Walgreen's match-ups go here and for Coupon Katie's picks, go here. The two best deals in my opinion are the Dove and Simply Saline products because both are money makers. Dove shampoos, conditioners, and styling products are $4, get $4RR. You can use a $2 printable to make each a $2 money maker, but you must buy them in separate transactions. For whatever reason, this deal is currently "rolling," which means you can use your $4RR from one transaction to buy the same product in another transaction and still earn the $4RR (not the case for most Walgreen's deals).

So in one transaction, I bought a Dove shampoo, paid only $2 since I used a coupon and received a $4RR. In the next transaction, I bought a Dove conditioner and a newspaper, used another $2 coupon and the $4RR, paid only $.37 and got another $4RR. It's tempting to keep doing this as long as you have coupons (check today's inserts), but I didn't want to be greedy. So in the end, I got both for free and made four bucks. I was going to keep both for our stock, but my husband gave me the look: "More shampoo--seriously?!" So charity wins out.

I was hoping the Simply Saline would be the regular kind we use for the kids, but the deal is only good for the Allergy and Sinus variety: $7, get $7RR. Since I had a $5RR from last week and a $1 coupon, I only spent $1 on this and got $7RR to use another time. But for "accounting purposes," we'll just call this a $1MM.

For all the CVS match-ups, go here and for Coupon Katie's picks, go here. The Oral B toothbrush deal was already gone at the CVS I visited, and I'm not one to chase all over town for a toothbrush. If you need Huggies, CVS has a good deal, and Listerine is only $.99 with a $1 printable. I was also impressed that they carry a line of 100% recycled paper towels; 8 rolls for just $5 (which I got for free from my Huggies ECB). And if you still need Easter candy, you can use this $2/3 printable for 3 bags of Reese's cups and pay only $1.33 a bag (deal good through Tuesday). So no charity deals here but deals can be found. And since Kroger didn't have any freebies that I noticed, here are my totals:

Total products to donate this week: 1 shampoo, 1 conditioner, 1 nasal spray

Total value of products to donate: $15 ($4 each for Dove products & $7 for Simply Saline)

Total spent: -$5

Total products to donate to date: 3 tubes toothpaste, 1 deodorant, 2 bars of soap, 1 shampoo, 1 conditioner, 1 nasal spray

Total value of products to date: $31.20

Total spent to date: -$8

How did you do?

Couponing for Charity: Update #2

If you're following along with my new mission to "Coupon for Charity" along with the Northwest Knoxville MOMS Club, here's how I did this week.

According to my plan, I was going to buy 1 tube of toothpaste, 1 bottle of mouthwash, and perhaps some hand soap. I didn't find the Dial soap, and the mouthwash was not the right size to use my coupon. However, I did "make $1" on the Colgate deal at CVS and I finally found the Buddies soap at Target. Since I had 4 $1/1 Johnson & Johnson coupons, I bought 4 Buddies priced at $.97 each. Since the register won't acknowledge a coupon for more than the value paid, the clerk had to manually type in $.97 each time; fine with me. I decided to keep two for the boys and add two to the charity fund.

Total products to donate this week: 1 tube toothpaste, 2 bars of Buddies soap

Total value of products to donate: $5.93 ($3.99 for toothpaste and $1.94 for soap)

Total spent: -$1 (it's like having an extra buck in the bank to spend another time)

Total products to donate to date: 3 tubes toothpaste, 1 deodorant, 2 bars of soap

Total value of products to date: $16.20

Total spent to date: -$3

How did you do?

Couponing for Charity: Update #1

Here is the first reality check for my new mission: couponing for charity (click here for more details on how all these deals work). I'll start with the good news: I now have two tubes of toothpaste and one deodorant for my cause and they were not only free; I "made" $2. The bad news is that if you're not careful, trying to work the deals can be confusing, disheartening, frustrating, and exhausting. Even though my experiences this week have been up and down, I encourage you not to give up. I'm certainly not.

My quest began at Kroger on Tuesday. Specifically for charity, I was looking for Speed Stick, Irish Spring, and Dial soap. I had to be careful to pick the Speed Stick variety on sale, but that was free after coupons($1.50 on sale, -$.50MD, -$.50 MC doubled). The Irish Spring was also a good deal, but since that's my hubby's favorite, we're keeping that soap. I couldn't find the Dial soap for the sale price advertised; so I put that coupon away for another day.

Thursday is typically my Walgreens day, but I needed a few items at Target. The best deal was 4 Mini Wheats (Bobby's favorite) for $.56 each (4/$10 gets you a $5 gift card with no expiration date; I had 2 $1/2 manufacturer's coupons and 1 $.75 Target coupon from the recent mailer). I also got a bag of Almond Joy Pieces for $.29 ($2.29, $1 MC, and $1 TC). I searched for the free Buddies soap Coupon Katie describes with the $1/1 Johnson and Johnson coupon but couldn't find them anywhere.

I was also tempted to get the Dial soap for charity for just $.02, but I really needed soap to refill our hand dispensers in each bathroom. Though it may sound great to just get new bottles every time one runs out, that's a poor environmental choice. I usually try to find the refills in the containers that use far less plastic, but this Target didn't have those. So I did save $1.35 off my Dial purchase ($1 TC, $.35 MC), and now I'm set for weeks.

When I went into CVS for the deodorant deals, I was met with empty shelves and no sign that they even sell one item I had coupons for. I just walked out.

I then went to the Walgreens nearby on my next deal seeking adventure. Tip: There are several cases where they are within eye-sight of each other: Western Ave. & 275, Clinton Highway & Merchant's Drive, Middlebrook Pike, Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge, etc. Brooke was amazingly patient.

This is where I got the "money maker" for toothpaste: buy 1 Colgate for $3.99, get $4RR. Using a $1/1 coupon made each tube a $1 money maker. I bought one tube each in separate transactions to get multiple register rewards (only one per transaction). The trick is finding something of value for at least $4 within the next 2 weeks. I'm hoping there will be a diaper deal, especially with the new $3 Huggies coupons just released. I decided to forego the toothbrush deal; I think I can do better.

This has nothing to do with my charity finds but it's a good lesson to learn: it's not always easy finding the right deal for your register rewards. I needed to use a $5RR that was expiring today (couldn't let that happen!). Originally I was going to buy 2 bottles of Purex laundry detergent for $5.99. With my RR, that would be just $.99 for 2 bottles--score! Not so fast. None of that Purex detergent was rated for the HE washers. I don't know what happens if you run non-HE detergent in an HE machine, but I'm not willing to risk MY washer. So, plan B. Walgreens also had the larger bottle of Tide the same price as K-mart and Target, and I had a $1/1 MC. Wouldn't you know none of these sale bottles were HE rated either?! So, plan C. I purchased the smaller HE Tide (not on sale--crazy, I know), but it still only cost me $3.

I hemmed and hawed over the Kleenex deal as well, because the $.89 price is only good for 3 boxes, and I needed 6 boxes to get the $3RR. I should've just bought them, but Brooke was squirming, the phone was ringing, and I wanted to be done with it. To get my coupon / item ratio correct, I also made an impulse buy. Remember my post about trying to find items for stuffing Easter eggs? Well, they had Dove eggs on sale 2/$7 with a $1 RR. It's not a great price, but I wanted them for their Easter baskets.

After all this shopping, I rewarded Brooke with Mother Goose at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. It's a free class for babies to age three the first and third Thursdays of the month. Lori, who leads it, is great. Babies meet at 10am, toddlers at 10:45am, and 2s/3s at 11:30am. It's important to mix in play with the errands or you'll hate yourself within a month.

To summarize, I did more running around this week than normal in the name of research. In the future I will limit myself to either Target, CVS, or Walgreens in one week. If you really want specific deals at CVS, I'd recommend shopping earlier in the week, as I've missed out twice now.

Total products to donate this week: 2 tubes toothpaste, 1 stick of deodorant

Total value of products to donate: $10.27 ($3.99 each for 2 toothpastes and $2.29 for deodorant).

Total spent: -$2 (it's like having two bucks in the bank to spend another time).

How did you do?

Couponing for Charity: A Mission Begun

Over the past six months that I've been eagerly couponing, I've sometimes picked up deals that we don't typically use or more of a product than we really need. If I buy one more box of toothpaste or can of soup, my husband may insist I seek counseling for my addiction.

However, rather than give up my thrill of the deal, I've decided to channel my money saving super powers to help those less fortunate. The idea is to gather some of the freebies or super deals out there and donate them to a good cause. I'm calling it "Couponing for Charity" and will begin writing posts regularly with specific deals if you'd like to join along.

First of all, I'm not talking about all the free samples you can sign up for. I find most of those a waste of the manufacturer's resources (packaging, shipping, etc.) and would rather they channel their energies into coupons. I'm talking about the freebies that bloggers highlight all the time, if you're willing to do a little homework.

To help me on my journey, I've enlisted other savvy shoppers, members of our MOMS Club chapter that supports SAHMs and part-time working mothers, to do the same. By the way, if you live in the 37931, 37921, 37909, or 37923 north of I-40 zip codes, we'd love to have you check us out! I've learned that many of these fabulous ladies are already experts at finding deals, clipping coupons, and working the specials at places like Walgreens and CVS. So now it's just a matter of hunting and gathering.

For simplicity sake, we're going to have a trial run for six months and see what we get. We're aiming for hygiene products mostly (things that qualify for register rewards / ECBs or items we can get for free with coupons). After looking at weekly match-ups that other bloggers do, I'll make my recommendations on my blog. I'll list what I plan to pick up for charity that week and how it will cost me little to nothing or even save me money. At the end of the summer, we'll look at what we've all acquired and vote on a charity to donate to (probably something related to women or mothers). Service is a big part of what we do.

Here's an example. A few weeks ago, Walgreens had a RR for Dove Men's Body Wash: spend $6, get $6RR. Since I had a $1.50 coupon for that product, I only spent $4.50 and got $6RR. In a separate transaction, I bought a pack of Huggies diapers on sale for $9 and used my $6RR and a $2 coupon. I had to buy another item to get the coupon ratio correct, but stay with me. In the end, I only spent $5.50 for both diapers and body wash (cheaper than if I'd bought the diapers alone), and as a bonus, the diapers gave me another $3RR. Since my husband is more of a bar soap man, I'll donate the men's wash to our cause. It's a win-win: I saved money and a charity gets a great product for someone.

I plan to keep a running tally of my finds (value vs money spent). In the above example, I'd record a $6 value and -$1.50 (a "money maker"). That will make me feel better when I spend some money on products--like $.24 for a tube of toothpaste.

Thanks to Gabe from Couponing in Critical Times for the inspiration to get this going. If you need guidance for mastering CVS or Walgreens deals, Coupon Mommie has put these tips together.

There are several deals you might consider this week. At Kroger, if you buy 8 qualifying products, you save $4 instantly. With that sale, Speed Stick deodorants are $1; with a $.50 coupon that Kroger doubles, that one's FREE. I'll buy 2 3-count bars of Irish Spring soap on sale for $1, use a $.50/2 coupon, and pay only $.50 each. Dial hand soap (also $1) will only be $.30 after a $.35/1 coupon.

Click here for Coupon Katie's Walgreens recommendations and here for all the Walgreens match-ups. I'll be picking up the Colgate (spend $3.99, get $3.99RR) and will use a $1/1 coupon. I'll be doing this in twice in separate transactions to get two register rewards to use next week. I also have all the coupons for the $.38 toothbrushes and the $.22 boxes of Kleenex.

Click here for Coupon Katie's CVS recommendations and here for all the CVS match-ups. This will be my first trip to CVS, but I have my new card and I'm ready to give it a try. I'm excited about the Dove and Degree deodorant special (spend $15, get $5ECB) that should make 6 of them $.17 each with coupons. If you have not printed these high value coupons, do it now before they're gone. I have 3 $3/2 coupons (hoping the Degree Girl is included in the special) and 1 $1.50/2 Dove coupon if not. I'm hoping the shelves won't be clear by the time I get there. Save a few for me, will you?

I'll let you know how my plan works out (with totals) in a future post. If you have any tips for me and my money saving mommas, please leave a comment.