They're Back!

ExtraCare Bucks (ECBs) are back at CVS this week! Phew - that was a long wait. There aren't a ton of things that I am dying to scoop up, but I am excited to get things "rolling" again.

CVS is a little tricky to master, but once you do, you can save a bunch of money and sometimes even make a little in the process. Want to learn more? Book a class and have at least 12 new moms there. You will receive a $20 gift card and an invitation to my monthly Advanced Coupon class for you and 1 friend! At this class, I will go over CVS, Walgreens, and Target shopping as well as how to get your hands on even more coupons!! Take your savings to a whole new level and call me today to book a class!

NEW Gift Card Options!

It's no secret that I teach coupon classes... and at those classes I show you how to use Grocery Smarts, a free website that matches weekly sales at local stores with coupons. I love this website and have found that it is the most comprehesive and accurate website out there for our area... and it's free! As you get started, you learn that there are lots of places to get coupons, but if you've been collecting coupons at all, you've probably learned that the single best, most consistent source (not to mention the easiest and most effortless way to collect them) is to get a Sunday Only subscription to the newspaper.

If you've been to one of my classes, you know that through me you can get an exclusive discount on a Sunday Only subscription AND can can get a $20 gift card to Albertsons for ordering 4 or more Sunday papers. The gift card helps ease the cost of your subscriptions, plus gives you something to use the first time you use Grocery Smarts to go shopping!Why on earth would someone want more than one paper? Since part of the couponing concept I teach is to have one set of coupons for each person in your home, getting the right number of papers for your family is important and for the average family of 4, this option has worked out great.But starting this week, I can now offer...

$5 Gift Card for ordering 2
$10 Gift Card for ordering 3
$20 Gift Card for ordering 4 or more!

As you know I only offer gift cards at classes... However, since this is a NEW option, I'm opening it up to everyone who has been using the website and just hasn't gotten around to ordering their papers yet! So, whether you've been to a class or not, this is a perfect opportunity to get your papers started AND still take advantage of the new gift card incentives! So... how do you order? Call me by this Saturday (5/30) at noon and I will honor my gift card incentives for all phone orders! I have a couple of classes that day, so don't worry if you can't get through, leave a message and I'll get back to you before my offer is up. When we connect, you can also peg me down to answer any questions you have, we can go over subscription rates, or you can even book a class!

My number is 702-882-0172

QUICK NOTE: Don't let your friends miss out! By clicking on the little white envelop below you can email this post to your fellow couponing friends or just give them a call to let them know! Newspapers ordered with this offer will be processed with my next batch and will start delivery on Sunday, June 7th.

No Inserts

Did your heart skip a beat when you couldn't find any inserts in your paper this morning? This couponing has given me a sad spot for holiday weekends since the coupon gurus think they can take a vacation too. As if we take a vacation from saving money! Alright, well, I suppose it's ok since they usually make up for it the week before or after by blessing us with DOUBLE inserts (did you catch them last week)!!

So, for those of you who were supposed to start receiving your papers this week (I think I called all of you) we held your subscription so it will start next week when you will actually have coupons to retrieve.

Did you know... that you can have the Review Journal put a hold on your paper for the weeks that there are no coupons? I didn't know this until yesterday, but will make sure I check the Coupon Schedule and save some trees next time. Just call customer service 383-0400.

I hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Old Navy $1 Flip Flop Sale!!

Saturday (tomorrow 5/23/09) only, Old Navy is having their annual $1 flip flop sale!! Get in line and get there early to take advantage and stock up for your family. I hear they only allow 5 per customer so you may want to make a few trips.

Here is a list of local store locations - have fun!

Gas Rewards

With gas prices on the rise again :-( I thought it was about time I did a post about what grocery stores have gas reward programs and where you can find participating gas stations! So, while you are saving money at the store, save at the pump too!

Albertson's - Check here for program details and participating stations.

Smith's - Fuel Rewards program is a bit tricky - check here for details and then click here for participating fuel stations.

Vons - PowerPump Rewards - program details here and here is a list of their fuel stations.

Summer Fun

Yipee! Announcement!!

As if I don't have enough to do - I started a new blog! Summer is almost here and I am kind of freaking out about entertaining 4 kids for 3 whole hot summer months. I put together a list last year of activities to do in the area & thought it would be fun to put them all together in a super cute blog (thank you to my friend Ragan for polishing it up for me). So, check it out, link it to your blogs, and pass it on!! I am only about half way though my list, but I welcome any other ideas y'all may have.

Let's have some good cheap fun this summer! Enjoy!!

Last Minute Deal

I didn't get to the store this week until Tuesday (the last day of the sale-naughty). I was excited that I got everything I wanted, and wanted to share with you what I got.

I get lots of questions in my classes about the type of things I buy. This week, I was just picking up some staples: milk, eggs, bread, meat (enough for 5 meals for my family), fruits, cereal, yogurt. Most of these items are things don't have coupons, but by simply looking at the lists and deciding which store had my 'staples' on the best sale, I was able to save a bunch of money. Here's how it broke down:

Total Value of Items - $162.02
Store Club Savings - $58.54
Coupons - $19.25
Total Out of Pocket - $84.23

This is a savings of 48%!! Not bad for things I had to buy anyway!

Time to Celebrate!

Whoo Hoo!!! Grocey Smarts is growing by leaps and bounds. Many of you have asked about lists in other areas for your friends and families out of state. I am SOOOO excited to give you the following information for the NEW Grocery Smarts lists in the following areas:

Southern California - "g92ro1"

Idaho - "g83ro1"

Eastern Washington - "g99ro1"

Utah - "g84rcm"

Southern Nevada - "g89cjm"

Coming Soon... Arizona, Western Washington, Oregon & Northern California! I'll make another announcement as soon as lists for these areas are available! So keep an eye on my blog for more information.

Please help me pass the word by emailing this post your friends and family (just use the little envelope below). I am sure the more these lists are used, the quicker we can get lists up and running in other areas.

Getting Started...

All aboard!!! Have you hopped on the Money Saving Train? Have you been to a Coupon Class and are WAY excited to start saving TONS of money??? Are you a bit dazed and confused about what you just learned & are a little hesitant to get started?? Take a deep breath and keep reading as I go over a few simple hints to help you get off to a smooth start....

#1 - Do you have enough papers for your family? This is the single most important thing you can do to maximize your savings. You will still save by using the list, but if you want to cut your bill in half or more, you must have your "secret number" of papers (ok - it's not secret - you need one set of coupons or one Sunday paper for each person in your home).

#2 - What do you do with all those papers? Find all your SmartSource inserts, write the Sunday date on the front, put them all in a sheet protector and in a binder, and do NOT look or cut anything out yet!

**I also will pull out all the JoAnns & Michaels ads out of all my papers, just in case I need some project materials, and at least one copy of the CVS and Walgreens ads - I like to see them as I am looking at my lists**

#3 - Set your alarm for Wednesday morning so you can get up early, and start printing off your grocery list. OK - you may not have to set your alarm, but I LOVE Wednesdays!! Check your Website Instructions sheet from the class or email, and simply print your list, clip your coupons you have filed in your binder, and you are on your way to HUGE savings.

#4 - CALL ME!!! If you have any questions about a list, coupon, need a little shove in the right direction I would love to hear from you!! I want to hear your success stories - heck, if you get really excited and decide to take a picture, send it to me too and it just may get added to my Grocery Gallery.

Once you have a few weeks under your belt, you will see just how easy it is and be a pro all on your own. Then you wil be so excited to share with your friends you will be dying to host a class!! All you need is 8 new moms to receive a $20 gift card to your favorite grocery store! So call me to set your date!

That's it... FULL STEAM AHEAD to Massive Savings!!

Stamp Out Hunger

If you have been to my class you have heard me talk about how much extra 'stuff' I now have by simply shopping using the Grocery Smarts lists. One of the first things I recognized was that when it came time for the Boy Scouts from church were doing a food drive, I actually had excess that I COULD give away and not feel a dent at all in our food storage. What a GREAT feeling!!!

You want to experience the same thing? Special thanks to Colette (my coupon guru) for pointing this out!! May 9th is "Stamp Out Hunger" Day & if you are like me and have food coming out of your ears, then what a better way to give back!!

"Stamp Out Hunger™ is the nation’s largest single-day food drive. Last year, over 73 million pounds of food were donated to food banks. Join in the fight to end hunger on Saturday, May 9, 2009, by leaving non-perishable food donations in a bag next to your mailbox for your letter carrier."

Check out the website for more info: http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/

FREE Chicken

Hey there! You may have already seen this, but I figured what better place to advertise a FREE meal than here!! Thanks to the Oprah Show & KFC, you can get a 2-piece chicken meal for FREE by printing this coupon. Don't forget to print it twice & have a date night for under a buck!

Note: It may take a while to print since this is such a hot item right now, and it will only be available until tomorrow night! So hurry!!

CVS Sadness

You know you're a Grocery Geek when you go into serious withdrawls when CVS doesn't post any Extra Care Buck (ECB) rewards!!

I don't know what I am going to do with myself this week! Rumor has it that there won't be any ECBs this month for California or Nevada shoppers while CVS is 'absorbing' Longs Drugs. I don't know about you, but this is going to be a VERY long week for me.

Check out this week's CVS list at Grocery Smarts.com.