Good and Bad News

So which do you want to hear first?

Let's start with the bad news since the good can help cushion it a little bit afterwards. Ok, the bad news is that yesterday Associated Food Stores purchased 29 of the Utah Albertson's stores. What does that mean for us couponers? Well, we're not sure. As a whole, Associated Food regular prices are lower than Albertson's regular prices. So for those of you who only live near an Albertson's, this may be good news. For those of you like me who only pick up the sale/promo items, then this may be bad news. Typically, Albertson's exceeds almost all stores in the amount of good deals you can get with sales+promos+coupons and Associated Food Stores don't seem to run as many promos as Albertson's does. It could be that they will step it up a bit since they are purchasing a chunk of the Albertson's stores, but then again, they may not. We'll just have to wait and see. On the whole, I'm taking it as bad news and am really keeping that in mind the next month or so and stocking up on items as much as possible.

The good news is that despite the bad news above, there are some great deals at the stores this week! Albertson's has a few different promos running on cool treats, Kellogg's items, and a few others. Smith's has a great promo on P&G products, in addition to some other great sales. Take a look at the PYP/GS lists to see further details. Here's what I got today:

Albertson's:



Items Purchased:
- 2 lbs red seedless grapes
- 2 can Chef Boyardee Pasta
- 5 Kellogg's Pop Tarts
- 2 bags Lays BBQ Potato Chips

Coupons/Promos Used:
- 2 $1 off of 1 can of Chef Boyardee Pasta
- 5 $.55 off of 1 box of Kellogg's Pop Tarts
- Store Promo (Buy 5 Pop Tarts, get them each for $1 - takes off $.50 per box)
- 3 doublers (2 redeemed at $1 and 1 redeemed at $.55)

Total Spent = $6.42
Total Saved = $24.44


Smith's:




Items Purchased:
- 1 bag Kroger Frozen Chicken Breasts (4 lb)
- 3 Dannon Activia Yogurt (4 pk)
- 4 gallons milk (not pictured above)
- 2 pkgs Smith's Hamburger Buns
- 2 bags Fritos
- 2 bags Santita's Tortilla Chips
- 1 Aussie Conditioner
- 5 Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioner
- 5 Herbal Essences Styling Products
- 5 Tampax

Coupons/Promos Used:
- 1 $2 off e-coupon for Aussie
- 5 $0.50 off of 1 box Tampax
- 3 $1 off of 1 Dannon Activia Yogurt
- 1 $1.50 off 1 bag Kroger Frozen Chicken
- 5 $1 off Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioner
- 5 Buy 1 Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioner, get a styling product for free
- P&G Promo (save $4 instantly for every 4 participating items purchased)

Total Spent = $39.13
Total Saved = $58.06

Take a look at the lists and get out there and SAVE!

More Albertson's Doublers in Today's Newspaper!

GOOD NEWS!

There are 3 doubler coupons in today's newspaper. Mine (from the Daily Herald) were in the actual newspaper portion of the paper, on page A4. There were 3 of them numbered 1, 2, and 3 and have limits of 3 per shopping trip per family. I've read on the PYP forums today that they are also available in the other papers. Check carefully so that you don't throw them out - they can help you get some great deals this week! Check out the PYP/GS lists for more details!

Happy Shopping!

The DR is IN!

Another fabulous deal this week at Albertson's. I read on the PYP blog that the Dr. Pepper 12-pks were on sale for B2G2 deal along with the Pepsi and Coke products. That combined with the Promo for buy $20 worth of Kellogg's/Dr. Pepper products and get $10 OYNSO (on your next shopping order) catalina, made the Dr. Pepper basically free! I was also able to use my Breyer's ice cream rebates/catalinas and got more ice cream too. It was a pretty good shopping experience, here's how it worked:




Transaction #1:

Items Purchased:
- 4 12-pks Dr. Pepper (on sale for $4.99 each)
- 1 20oz Dr. Pepper (to get my Dr. Pepper total over $20)
- 3 Angel Soft 4 double roll pks (part of the Mix & Match Promo)
- 3 Sparkle Paper Towels (also part of the Mix and Match Promo)
- 1 block cheese (on sale for $1)
- 5 Breyer's Ice Cream (used rain check to get them to $1 each - last week's sale)
- 1 watermelon

Coupons/Promos Used:
- $4 off of 5 Breyer's ice cream (catalina received last week)
- 2 of the $2 off of 1 angel soft toilet paper and 1 sparkle paper towel
- B2G2 free on Dr. Pepper (got 2 of the 12pks for free - subtracted $9.98)
- $3 off for the Mix and Match Promo (buy $10 worth of participating products, get $3 back instantly)
- Used $10 catalina from Rice Krispie treat purchase (see post below)
- $2 coupon for taking survey at bottom of a previous receipt

Total Spent = $10.77
Total Saved = $50.82
Received another $10 catalina, plus another $4 off of 5 Breyer's ice cream coupon

Transaction #2:

Items Purchased:
- 4 12-pks Dr. Pepper (on sale for $4.99 each)
- 1 20oz Dr. Pepper (to get my Dr. Pepper total over $20)
- 5 Breyer's Ice Cream (used rain check to get them to $1 each - last week's sale)

Coupons/Promos Used:
- $4 off of 5 Breyer's ice cream (catalina from transaction #1)
- B2G2 free on Dr. Pepper (got 2 of the 12pks for free - subtracted $9.98)
- $10 catalina (from transaction #1)

Total Spent = $3.00
Total Saved = $30.44
Received another $10 catalina, plus another $4 off of 5 Breyer's ice cream

Transaction #3:

Items Purchased:
- 4 12-pks Dr. Pepper (on sale for $4.99 each)
- 1 20oz Dr. Pepper (to get my Dr. Pepper total over $20)

Coupons/Promos Used:
- B2G2 free on Dr. Pepper (got 2 of the 12pks for free - subtracted $9.98)
- $10 catalina (from transaction #2)

Total Spent = $1.57
Total Saved = $26.42
Received another $10 catalina

So totaling everything:

Spent = $15.34
Saved = $107.68

One caution, if you're thinking about heading out to Albertson's to get the Dr. Pepper, beware. I have heard that the Utah stores are no longer offering the B2G2 free deal on the Dr. Pepper, so the price will be $10 + tax for 4 12-pks, which isn't a bad price, but definitely not as good at the tax only deal I got. I have heard (and this isn't confirmed) that the Idaho stores are still offering it, so you may have better luck up there. It may be worth a call to your local store if you are interested, the worst they can say is no.

(By the way, we gave 4 of the 12-pks to my Mom, so we really didn't buy 12 12-pks for just us!)

Guess How Much?!?

Take a quick guess at how much I spent for all of this:

10 boxes Rice Krispie Treats and 9 cartons of Breyer's Ice Cream (16 oz).



Give up? Well, I spent:

$.57 - that's right 57 cents!

Want to know how?

Well, like I mentioned in the post below (you may want to read that one first), there are some great deals going on this week. I actually used 2 different promos for each set of items. Here's how I did it:

10 Rice Krispie Treats:
$28.80 (On sale for $2.88 each at Albertson's)
-$10.00 (Kellogg's Promo, buy 5 participating items, save $5 instantly)
-$10.00 (Kellogg's/Dr.Pepper Catalina - see post below for details)
-$10.00 (Mail in Rebate for 10 Kellogg's/Keebler Items - see post below)
.56 (tax)
Total = -$.64 (overage)

9 cartons of Breyer's Ice Cream (16 oz):
Buy 4 Breyers ice cream 16 oz. pints for $4 (on sale for $1 each)
Use 2 $1/2 coupons HERE and HERE.
Use 2 Albertson's doublers
Final price: FREE + tax
Then, you'll get a $4/5 Catalina coupon at checkout.
Use that to buy 5 more, and you'll pay just $1 (+ tax) total for the next 5!
Another $4/5 Catalina will print, so wash, rinse, and repeat!

So for the first 4 cartons, I paid $0.06.
For the next 5 cartons, I paid $1.15 (and I got another catalina!).
Total spent for ice cream = $1.21

So $1.21 - $.64 (overage above on the Rice Krispie Treats)
Total Spent = $.57

Not too shabby huh? That's exactly what my kids and husband are thinking!

You gotta LOVE saving money!

Good Deals for the Week

Ok, you're wondering where the posts have been right? Well, to be honest, a lot has been going on for me. I had family in from out of town for a week, then some major deadlines at work, so I've been focused elsewhere. And really, it hasn't been bad since there haven't been any really great sales lately. Albertson's has been doing the same Promo for 4 or 5 weeks and although there were some good deals, they have been almost the same every week. And Smith's, although pretty low in their everyday prices, hasn't really had anything spectacular. Until this week, that is. So here are some of the great deals to be aware of for this week (sorry it's already Saturday and I didn't get this up sooner):

Week of 7/15/09 - 7/21/09

Albertson's:
PYP Link
- Pepsi 2-liter Promo: Buy 4, get 2 FREE Giant Cheetos .5 oz.
- Snapple 6 ct. 16 oz. All Natural or 12 ct. 16.9 oz. promo: Save $2 instantly when you buy 2.
- Great deals on Albertson's fruit snack, powdered sugar, brown sugar
- Epic Savings Mix or Match promo: Save $5 instantly for every 10 items you buy. Basically the same items as the last few weeks, but I heard that this is the last week for this promo, so hopefully we'll get a new promo next week!
- Nestle promo: Save $2 instantly when you spend $10 on participating items.
- Kellogg's promo: Buy 5, save $5 instantly. No limit. Select participating items.
- 2 doublers in this weeks ad as well as doublers from Sunday's Red Plum Packet. The numbers are the same on the doublers, so you can't use them together.
- Also, right now there is a catalina deal going on for Kellogg's/Dr. Pepper items. Here's the details on the catalina:

Spend $20 on participating Kellogg's and Dr. Pepper products between
7/17/09 and 7/29/09 and receive a coupon for $10 off a future purchase.

See post #30 in this week's Albertson's forum for a UPC list of participating items.


Smith's:
PYP/GS Link
- New York Steak, super value pack - $2.99/lb. My Dad works in the meat dept at Smith's and told me that he hasn't seen these steaks this low in over 10 years - great deal!
- Great deals on milk, OJ, Yogurt, etc.
- 10 Item Mega Event: Receive $5 off instantly when you buy 10 participating items. Great deals on items with the sale, promo, and coupons! It's been a while since Smith's had a promo like this, take advantage if you're able! See the list for participating items.

In addition, there is also a Kelloggs/Keebler Fuel for School $10 Rebate. Click HERE for details (scroll down and click the Fuel for School pic on the right hand side at the bottom - you'll have to set up a username and password, then it should take you to the rebate form that lists all participating products and details)! If you combine this with some of the sales, promos, and coupons at the stores, you can get a great deal. It gets even better if you use all of it with the catalina as well. Keep in mind, that it's limited to 1 rebate per household and all items have to be purchased in one transaction (i.e. one receipt).

Here's what I bought this week:

Albertson's (sorry no picture):

Items Purchased:
- 5 powdered sugar
- 2 Jet Puffed Marshmallows
- 3 Capri Sun Sundrise Drink 10 pks
- 5 Spray 'n Wash Stain Sticks

Coupons/Promo's Used:
- 5 coupons for 50 cents off of any Spray 'n Wash Product
- 3 coupons for $1 off of any Capri Sun Sunrise Product
- 3 doubler coupons - redeemed at $1 each
- $5 off for Epic Promo (Buy 10 participating items, saved $5 instantly)

Total Spent = $10.27
Total Saved = $35.02


Smith's:




Items Purchased:
- 5 Tombstone Pizzas
- 10 Kraft Shredded Cheese
- 14 Propel Flavored Water
- 4 Cherry Coke 2-liters
- 3 Cheez It's
- 6 Durcaell Batteries
- 4 Kleenex Tissues
- 4 pkgs Keebler Cookies

Coupons/Promos Used:
- 2 coupons for $1 off of 2 lbs of cheese
- 6 coupons for 75 cents off of 1 pkg of Duracell batteries
- 2 coupons for 50 cents off of 2 Kleenex boxes
- 2 coupons for $1 off of Keebler cookies
- 2 coupons for 55 cents off of Keebler cookies
- $25 off for Mega Event (buy 10 participating products, receive $5 off instantly - used 5 times for 50 items)

Total Spent = $53.40
Total Saved = $63.85

Great deals this week at Smith's. They don't do these Mega Events very often, so get out and take advantage!

Try Tyson Skillet Creations FREE!

Tyson is currently offering a MAIL-IN REBATE on there new Skillet Creations for up to $8.99!! And there is a $1/1 PRINTABLE coupon available to, making this offer a money maker! They look yummy!

Thanks Good or Free Deals!

Valassis Pulling All Red Plum Coupon Packets from Newspapers in Utah!

That's right. Valassis has decided that instead of offering their coupon packets in the newspaper, they are going to go with a mail format. Of course that means that a lot of us who count on those coupons to save money for our families will more than likely be limited to one set. And it also means that tons of other "non-couponing households" will just throw their coupons away with the other junk mail. Pinching Your Pennies is starting a petition to try and let Valassis know how much we Utahns count on and use their coupons. If you're like me and would be devastated if this happened, let them know! PYP has a form letter all typed out and ready to go for you to copy and paste into the comment section on the Valassis website. Simply go to the Pinching Your Pennies Website (click HERE) and scroll down to the post about Valassis that was posted on Friday, July 17th. Click on one of the links on that page and it will give you instructions on how to participate. Let's make our opinions known! If enough of us let them know how much we need them, we just might be able to get them to leave them in the newspapers!

Free BBQ Bacon and Cheddar Roast Burger Coupon at Arby's!

Get a FREE Arby's BBQ Bacon & Cheddar Roast Burger with ANY soft drink purchase! Click HERE to print your coupon!

Thanks Good or Free Deals!

This Week's Good Deals and My Shopping Purchase (not!)

Ok, so you're wondering about the strange title of this post right? Well, first of all, let me say that Albertson's and Smith's have basically the same deals that they had last week. Each had a Promo (either the Epic Promo or the Daytona 500 Promo) that is continuing through this week's ad. I won't bother to list them all out again since you can refer to the last post for those details. There are a few changes, but nothing spectacular worth mentioning specifically. There are also a few other deals on sale outside of the promos, but you can refer to the PYP/GS lists for details on those.

The "not" from the blog title refers to the fact that I'm not planning to go to either store as of right now. Sorry, I know there are some of you that count on planning your shopping around my purchase. Just because I'm not purchasing anything doesn't mean there aren't any good deals, it simply means that I am either stocked and don't need or don't use any of the items on sale. Of course I always say this and then end up heading out towards the end of the ad (like on Mondays when doublers come out), so don't be surprised if that happens because I hear more doublers are coming out in this Sunday's paper.

If any of you get any great deals out there, please email me at jjzhawks@hotmail.com with a list of what you bought, spent, and saved - as well as a picture if you can. It would be great to see a purchase from someone else, I'm sure you're all getting tired of seeing my purchases.

Good Luck and Happy Shopping!