Chance to win THE QUAKERS OF NEW GARDEN

Celebrating my daughter coming home this week. Like my author page and leave a comment and next Friday, July 27, I will have a family member choose one person to receive an autographed copy of The Quakers of New Garden. Go to and click Like and leave a comment at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Susette-Williams/182094681851446?ref=hl

Stocking Up

I save between $500 - $1,700 a month. We have a very large family. One thing I have found since 'serious coupon shopping' is that I can afford to buy the 'nicer' things instead of settling for what I used to think was cheap. Example: Last week I bought Intuition Plus and Schick Quattro razors from Target for $.49+tax each. I bought 22 packs! (Totaled a little over $11 and saved like $237 on them!!!) Before, I would have bought cheap disposable razors...and trust me, I've realized the difference getting to use 'the good stuff' instead of the cheaper brands! (I have enough stocked up to last 3 women 2 years, and 4 men 1+ years.)

Each week/month you stock up on different things that are on sale and then you should not have to pay full price again the rest of the year for each of those items.

I know that between January to March, tooth brushes, tooth paste, mouthwash, and dental floss are all on sale free, cheap, or I can even make money buying some things (mainly tooth paste and floss). I stock up during those months on those items to last the whole year.

It helps to figure out how much your family will consume in a year so that you know how much you need to stock up. (If I get extra, more than I know my family will consume, I give it away to individuals in need, church pantry, non-profit organizations, etc.)

Learn each stores coupon policies, look for best sales, and match coupons to sales!

Free Pampers Extra Protection Sample

You can get a free Pampers Extra Protection sample at: http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid80785.aspx

Free Intuition Plus or Schick Quatro Razors!

Another "freebie" this week is if you got the paper, Target has Intuition Plus razors and Schick Quatro razors on sale for $6.99. Target also had a coupon in this weekends paper for $4 off either razor. Use Target's coupon in conjunction with a manufacturers coupon (there are $3 off and $4 off coupons in previous papers) or some of the razors had $3 off coupons on the package, and the razor is free...or you can make a $1 buying them. Target will not give you back cash. What I did was buy 6 razors and some headbands for my daughter, and my total came up to $.14! :-)

Free Blue Bunny ice cream

You can get Free Blue Bunny ice cream if you buy it this weekend!

Go to

http://www.bluebunny.com/Content/Rebates/2009_Labor_Day_Email_Offer.pdf

and print out the mail in rebate form.

Share your freebies and I'll pass them on!

More FREE Stuff!!!

Walgreens: 8/30-9/5

I love free stuff! Granted, you have to buy something to get the register rewards that make it “Free After Register Rewards” but that’s okay with me. I use the register rewards to buy other things, such as milk, or things that offer more register rewards.

Here’s is another Register Reward tidbit…you can NOT use a RR (Register Reward) to buy the same product or it will NOT print out a new RR.

Here is what is coming on sale “Free After Register Rewards”.

$5 RR WYB Rembrandt Toothpaste $5 FREE
$1.99 RR WYB Carefree Ultra Protection Pantiliners $1.99 FREE

$2.99 RR WYB Colgate 360 ActiFlex Toothbrush $2.99 FREE

$3.99 RR WYB Men's Zone 6 Blade Razor System $3.99 FREE

What I would do is buy the first two items which give me a total of $5RR + $2RR= $7 in RR’s. Then I would buy the second two items with those register rewards and I would have to add what is referred to as a “filler”. It is an item to make up the difference in price, which in this scenario is only a couple cents. You can usually use a candy bar or something relatively cheap. During the school supply sales there were always cheap items to use as fillers. Do not forget yesterday’s tidbit concerning RR being considered coupons, so you can only use 1 coupon per item, which is another reason you may need a filler…if you have a coupon to pay for the items besides using RR’s.

Hopefully I have not confused you. Anyhow, once you buy the first two items, you use the RR’s to buy the second two items (and add in 1 filler), then you can use the RR’s from the second two items to go back and buy the first two items (plus 1 filler) another day, or at another Walgreens.

Be nice to your cashiers or they may not offer these wonderful savings for us in the future. By be nice, I mean, do not show up in line with multiple transactions. You want to abide by their guidelines and not cause customers who are waiting in line behind you to have long waits, or cause workers frustration.

Remember: It’s nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice!

Whiter Teeth the "affordable" way!

While my three older children can afford to pay more money to whiten their teeth, it is harder to delve out the money for hubby, myself or my three younger children (all teens now). I saw one of those recent stories how somebody else did it cheap by getting samples or trials, which required giving your credit card and having to remember to cancel your "subscription" on time, or they would automatic charge your card and send you your next shipment.

Walgreens has become my new favorite store this year. If you would have told me a year ago that I would shop at Walgreens more than Walmart, I would have laughed and thought you were crazy. I will do other blogs in the future on the wonderful benefits of Walgreens in the future along with other tips to help people survive on a tight budget. As I already mentioned, I have six children, five of which still live at home, so I am ALWAYS looking for a way to save money. I have also found ways to buy Name Brand products for ridiculously low prices!

To help you out a little, I'll explain Register Rewards (RR) for those of you who do not understand what they are. A RR is a coupon for money off your next purchase (or future purchase) and they are normally only good for a week-and-a-half so you do not have long to "spend" them. This week, you can buy a 12oz bottle of New Softsoap Nutri Serums for $3.99 and then after you pay, it will print out a RR for $4. So in essence you get the New Softsoap Nutri Serums for free (or basically pay tax on the item).

Now let's explain about redeeming a RR. A Register Reward is considered a "coupon". You may only use ONE coupon per item. So you can not purchase ONE item and use a manufacturers coupons AND a RR. You have to add another item on to your purchase and your purchase MUST exceed the RR. Walgreens will NOT give you money/cash back!

Walgreens has a special this week, that if you buy both the Listerine Whitening Strips + the Listerine Whitening Pen, you will get $10 in RR. They ALSO have a special that ends Saturday, Aug. 22, that if you spend $25 (after coupons have been deducted, your total purchase must be $25) you will get a $5 RR.

If you DO NOT have manufacturer coupons, then you spend $25 for these two items and get a $10RR and a $5RR = $15 in RR. So, in reality it cost you $10 plus tax to buy both Listerine Whitening products.

(Coupons for $3 off each of these products can be found in coupon flyers in the Sunday newspaper: Red Plum coupons on 4/26; and Smart Source coupons 6/14.)

If you are using two of the $3 off coupons, you need to add items to total the $25 in order to get the extra $5 RR.

Here is the "current" special for Walgreens and how I did this:

Offer good until Sat. August 22, 2009:

Listerine Whitening Strips $15 (in ad)

Listerine Whitening Pen $10 (in ad)

New Softsoap Nutri Serums $3.99 (in ad)

Conair Professional Brush $2.99 (in ad)

Total: $31.98

-$ 6.00 (2 x $3 off coupon off Listerine Whitening)

Total: $25.98 plus tax

After you pay $25.98 plus tax you will get back these Register Rewards:

$5.00 register reward - for spending over $25 in ONE transaction

$10.00 register reward - Listerine Whitening Strips & Listerine Whitening Pen

$4.00 register reward - New Softsoap Nutri Serums

$2.00 register reward - Conair Professional Brush

$21.00 register rewards in total!

$25.98 plus tax - $21.00 = $4.98

So, in reality, it really only cost you $4.98 plus tax to buy those four items! Now you can go spend that same $21 again!

Enjoy your whiter teeth on a budget!