Ebb and Flow…

Be forewarned….this may sound a bit flakey but I think that I was able to get the gist across…

The thought started when I brought home an empty Ortega salsa jar from TGP’s. The full jar already had made me happy - part of a sale and with coupon cost me about 50 cents. I rinsed it out and it is sitting there waiting to be put in the recycle bin. My mom was finishing up making marinated roasted red peppers as part of my dad’s birthday gift…..now she needed a jar. How odd/cosmic/interesting that I happen to arrive home with the jar that she needed about 5 minutes before she needed it.

I believe that the Universe has a lovely ebb and flow of stuff – for actual physical stuff.

I joined Freecycle a few years ago and have benefited from both aspects of it – getting rid of things as well as receiving things that could be of use.

The extra coffee table that I did not have room for went to a woman who was starting out on her own after getting out of an abusive marriage and had nothing to her name.

My street hockey stick went to a kid whose mom was trying to get him to exercise more and this was the only sport where kids did not make fun of him and he wanted to keep on doing it.

I was able to pass on a Bumbo seat to a co-worker that could not afford one to have at her home for her niece that she babysat.

I was able to get about 60 egg cartons for the woman who sells farm fresh eggs - I have been the lucky recipient of free eggs before I got these cartons for her and I saw it as a way to say thank you since she will not take money for the eggs from us (family friend).

I was able to get a bunch of adult diapers for our family’s use.

There are more …..

Put it out there folks, things that you need will come to you and you will be passing your unwanted items to people that can use them…

Money, Money, Money...

It is amazing how quickly I can spend money – we got a mini bonus and I had mentally spent it 6 different ways. But I had to kick my own ass and transfer the same amount into my savings account to ensure that I stayed within my budget and did not go spending willy nilly.

I have been doing the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover. Very inspirational and it does work. It just takes a lot of discipline to do it. And saying “no” to myself is not easy.

I wish that I could travel where and when I want but I have the debt like an anchor around my neck, not letting me move forward. I have no one else to blame but myself – I made the decisions that led to it so I am making sure that I own up for my mistake and fix it. I will not take the easy way out. I do not want to be someone who files for bankruptcy or loses my house because I can’t be a responsible adult.

Herein comes the level of pride that goes with dealsmithing....I am very proud to declare my savings... Shoprite had some deals a few weeks ago where you got $20 to spend over the next four weeks. I was able to stretch the money even more...Saving $21.62 is good when you are spending $4 out of pocket but seeing the "You saved $75 " just blew my mind!!

Ultimately I want to take the money that is listed as savings on that receipt and put it in a special savings account….but that will be once the debt anchor is gone….

Deal Hoarding…

When to let go of a deal….

I recently watched the first episode of TLC’s “Extreme Couponing”…take “Hoarders” and combine with an obsession for getting a deal…

It is couponing beyond extreme….hence the name…

One woman has an incredible stock pile…all stuff that she got for free…that is insured for $35,000. (That is no longer free, folks…)

She often blows off plans with her friends and her hubby to go get a deal.

Deals come and go…they even repeat…

Sometimes it is just not worth chasing.

I could have gone out the other night and done a diaper deal that would have resulted in a box of 44 count diapers for $3.50 – talk about a great baby gift!

But I CHOSE to spend time with TGP – CHOSE to have some yummy French onion soup, CHOSE to have a few adult beverages, CHOSE to enjoy the company of others.

The deal was great but I CHOSE to let it go and do something good for my soul.

Yes, I enjoy the deal high…I enjoy the finds at 90% off…

But I CHOSE to do what was important for me….

I’m sure that I will continue to watch the show….but I will not live my life that way.

Ka-ching!!

I think that I can safely say that I have conquered Rite Aid…..It has never been the best place for deals, but today I surprised even myself!


Gain Dish Detergent – on sale for $0.89 - $1.00 off manufacturer coupon

No Nonsense Pantyhose - on sale for $2.99 - $1.00 off RA coupon

Depends Underwear – on sale for $12.99 - $3.00 off manufacturer coupon and $2.00 off RA coupon

2 boxes of Playtex Tampons – on sale 2 for $8.00 - $1.00 off and $1.50 off manufacturer coupons and $2.00 off 2 RA coupon

$4 off your $20 purchase Rite Aid coupon

Total is $9.37

But wait, it gets better!

$1 Up Reward for the No Nonsense
$2 Up Reward for the 2 Playtex boxes

$4 RA rebate for the Depends

So, when all is said and done, the actual total is $2.37!!

$2.37.....HOLY CRAP!!

D-D-D-Deals!!

So as not to bore you all with another pic of stuff, I simply would like to thank the following stores….

Target

$0.39 box of 375 count Q-tips (manufacturer & Target coupon)
$1.99 Purex 3 in 1 – 20 loads of laundry for ten cents each? Yeah, I’ll take that!

Rite Aid

For $0.42, I took home:
2 20 oz. Pepsi Max’s
1 snack size bag of Doritos
2 packs of Orbit gum

The Pepsi’s had BOGO coups from both RA and the manufacturer (combined equaled to 2 free sodas), the Doritos coupon was for a free bag when you bought 2 Pepsis and the gum was a BOGO coupon as well. (The person at the register keyed in the full price vs the sale price. Total should have really been about $1)

Shoprite

I saved $28.50 between sales and coupons – OOP was $11.66 for 4 packs of Weaver chicken products (nuggets, tenders, etc.) at $1.99 each, cottage cheese at $0.77, 2 boxes of Quaker Instant Oatmeal at $1.50 each and Milk at $0.99. Only thing I paid full price for was the chopped spinach ($0.99) which I need for dinner tonight.

Wheeling & Dealing...

Retail therapy in any form is good....getting a deal is even better!!

I know that you're all used to me posting about CVS, Walgreens and occasionally Rite Aid and Target but I have had a couple of trip lately at the supermarket where I just have to stop and glow about the savings....

Last two trips went a little something like this:

Purchased shredded cheese, ice cream & sausages
Total savings between items being on sale & coupons = $19.56
$2.78 OOP

Purchased many frozen treats, yogurt, snacks, bacon & eggs
Total savings between items being on sale & coupons = $28.86
$7.06 OOP

Both times the cashiers complimented me on savvy shopping!

Sausage Priorities...

All of Friday's errands were delayed when I discovered a deal on sausage....

Not just any sausage, mind you, but Al Freso sausage...major noms....

Regular retail = $4.49

On sale = $2.49

Coupon = $2 off

End result = 4 packages of sausages for $1.96 - less than what even one package was for the sale price.......

Yes, I find this to be fun....

And I love it even more when the receipt says "You have saved $16.00!

Smooth....

Very appropriate for summer....

Intuition Razors

On sale at Target for $6.99 each
Buy 2 razors and get a $5 gift card to Target

Use two $4 off coupons

OOP = $6.61

Pay with $5 Target GC from another deal purchase

OOP = $1.61 (actually $1.56 since I got the credit for bringing my own bag)

Rinse and repeat (if you have more of the $4 off coupons)!

Not bad for razors that normally retail for $8.29 each!!

Deal-icious.....

I know that I haven’t shared any deals lately…the drugstores have been “eh” so there has not been much to talk about….

But this week’s Shoprite deal on Coffemate was “deal-icious”!! (it’s a word….seriously…)

On sale this week – Cofeemate = $1.24 each

I bought two bottles

Coupon - $1 off each (2)

Canvas Bag Refund - $0.05

Total Cost = $0.43 for 2 bottles of Cofeemate

Bonus – got a Catalina for $0.75 off my next purchase of 3 Coffeemate bottles…it will double to $1.50 and if I use it this week, then I can get 3 bottles for $2.22 ($0.74 each).

I’m ignoring the fact that their expiration dates are through May….don’t want to think about what preservatives are in there…I just want my coffee to be sweet and creamy….

Extended Dealsmithing High....

*Gasp* I am in awe of today’s deals…..

Remember the Toys R Us gift card that I got yesterday? I spent it at Babies R Us on majorly clearanced items so I can give a plethora of onesies to my friend that just had a baby. Throw in some baby wipes that I got a great deal on and it’s a pretty decent gift!

The cashier was actually admiring my deal at the register and then his eyes bugged out of his head when I told him how I got the gift card. Tee-hee! Yeah, I don't pay full price, there’s no need to.

And then I hit Bath & Body Works - armed with a coupon and a dealsmithing mindset. Antibacterial soap - usually retails for $5, sometimes goes on sale for 3 for $10.....This week it's 4 for $10. And I had a $10 off your $30 purchase coupon.

Bought myself 12 soaps - each cost about $1.67 before tax. (OOP was about $22). They are never that cheap!! And yes, I have a use for them, I didn’t just frivolously buy that many soaps.

The Deal Game...

Victory is mine! I looted, I pillaged, I plundered!!!

I got board games for 56 cents each!! YAY!!

I was the hero to a few moms - I got the guy with the big ladder because we needed one more game to complete the deal. And I pulled the "I see you in line without a rebate form, here take one" chat too.

The games were $3.99 each.
If you spent over $25 you got a $10 Toys R Us gift card – this week only.
And then all the games shown above had a $2 rebate through Hasbro.

Resulting in seven games totaling $3.93 before tax.

56 cents per game!

My receipt also proudly proclaimed “You saved $53”!

Cereal For All...

One of the reasons that I was SO excited to get a working printer was this week’s Kashi cereal deal at Target.

5 boxes on sale at $2.88 each
4 coupons at $1.50 off each
1 coupon at $2.00 off
OOP = $6.40

Received a $5 Target gift card for purchasing 5 boxes

Boxes of cereal = $0.28 each!!

And a receipt that proclaims – “You saved $15.95”.

9/9/09

"Knowing your penchant for darkness, is 9/9/09 big in the darkness community because it is the mirror image of 666?"

Sheesh, can't even celebrate a nifty date anymore.

I took advantage of the deals out in the world - scored a bunch of wine that will combine with a rebate and make each bottle ridiculously cheap.

Did I say cheap? It has such a negative connotation……

In-expensive, yeah, that's the word!

Fresh....

Even though I still felt icky yesterday, I found the strength to do a mini dealsmith run – mainly because the Listerine deal was not to be passed up.

Wags sale – 2/$9
$3 Register Rewards on purchase of 2
$2 off manufac coupon for each bottle

End result - 2 one Liter bottles for $2

Bonus – I paid with RR from my last trip so my OOP was 35 cents. (did the deal twice so the total was 70 cents for 4 bottles)

Double Bonus – each one Liter bottle came with a 250 ml bottle attached to it.

Triple Bonus – the printable coupons I used tie back to my MyPoints account so I earn credit towards my choice of a gift card while saving money.

I love it when it the deal just comes together….

Deal Balance...

Dear Drug Stores,
Sorry that you haven’t seen me much, but the deals have not been that great and my stockpile is pretty darn full. So full that I brought a goody bag to my friends birthday get together to get rid of some of it!! But if you start having some good deals, I will be back to pwn you!!!
- Me


Dear Target,
Thank you for the deals!

Digiorno pizza & 2 liter Coke bottle = Combo Sale price & Manufac coup = $4.25

Morning Star grillers = after Target & Manufac coups = $0.69

Softsoap Ensemble = after Target & Manufac coups = $0.04

Nexcare bandages= after Target & Manufac coups = $0.19

- Me

Swag, Swag, Swag....

Since I am obviously in Deal/Freebie mode today (ok, that’s every day), I have to share about Swagbucks too.

Easiest explanation - you win stuff when you use their site to do an internet search.

The results are powered by Google and Ask. All the "Deal Moms" are using it/recommend it, so I figured that it would be worth checking out. I always wait a while before sharing stuff with my friends – I have to take it for a test drive/kick the tires myself!!

I started about 3 weeks ago and have earned 81 Swagbucks so far. I'll be cashing in for some Amazon gift cards! Check out the store here - http://www.swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-home

So, if you want to try it out – here’s my referral link – http://swagbucks.com/refer/DizzyVizzy - you will get some Swagbucks just for signing up!!

New Deo from Dove!!

Sorry boys – it’s “Girl Talk” time – no, not the band – stop reading unless you are very interested in deodorant!!

Just us girls?

If you are a guy and are still reading, it’s ok...you can stay...

So, I’m feeling all cool – I got to try out the newest Dove deodorant – Ultimate Visibly Smooth!!

It smells lovely (Wild Rose) and even better, it minimizes the look and feel of underarm hair over time! w00t! I’ve been using it about a week and a half and it is now going to be a permanent part of my daily beauty regimen!

So, it’s a 24 hour anti-perspirant and it leaves you stubble free longer. Hmm…what’s not to like? Bonus – it does not leave white marks!

http://www.dove.us/visiblysmooth


They have a Facebook page and are doing a giveaway (picture on the left) a week –

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dove-Visibly-Smooth/58040884511?v=wall&viewas=0


I have great coupons so that you can get your own! Just email me your name and mailing address at dizzyvizzy at hotmail.com if you want me to send you one.

Just wanted to mention it again - Dove provided a complimentary sample and coupons for me to share. Yay for Dove letting me try new things and letting me share with my friends!!

Free Salad Dressing Anyone?

The deal gods are smiling this week if you like salad dressing and have a Shaw's in the vicinity.

Wicked Cool Deals has the original post and link for the coupon - here
(make sure you go back and print two!)

Buy 2 Wish Bone Salad Dressings - on sale at 2 for $4

Use 2 of the $0.75/1 Printables (DOUBLED at Shaws)

Total Out of Pocket = $1.00

THEN - Get a $1.00 Catalina coupon good on your next purchase!!!