Starting Off the New Year! Cheap Books & Free Gift Cards

With the New Year upon us, people are making New Year's Resolutions, including financial ones. Many are buckling down and trying to find ways to save money, or even make money. I'm reminded of a few of my old favorites, and a new one.

Oldies But Goodies:

Couponing! Review some of my posts on successful couponing.

Swagbucks: earn Swagbucks by searching the internet, and cash them in for gifts cards or merchandise! In the year since I joined, I've cashed in my Swagbucks and gotten close to $100 in gift cards (for Starbucks, iTunes, and Amazon.com) and a book on organizing :)

InboxDollars: read e-mails, click on the links, and earn cash.

$25 CVS Challenge: See how I've gotten 180 items, and still counting, spending only $25 at CVS!

Other ways to make money on the internet, including my posts on getting a $500 Sears card & a $500 IKEA card.

And a newbie:
Paperback Swap: It's a great way to get rid of books that you don't want & find books you're interested in. Basically, you "post" books by searching for books you have that you want to get rid of. If someone else then selects one of your posted books, you print out the label Paperback Swap creates for you, put the book in a mailing envelope or for smaller books & attch the label, or use Paperback Swap's mailing wrappers (printed on regular paper). You then attach postage & mail the book. When the book is received, you get 1 credit, and the person keeps the book. That credit can be used to pick a book you'd like to get shipped to you. You also keep the books that are shipped to you; you don't mail them back. If you post 10 books upon joining, you get 2 "start-up" credits, so you can start receiving books right away.

The Shaw's Deals are Rolling!

I went to Shaw's yesterday & today, and the deal is working!

My first transaction, I didn't get any cats going through self checkout, and the customer service person said sometimes that happens at self checkout. Thankfully, they forced the cats for me. I heard later that the Old El Paso products are NOT producing a catalina, so I think that was the real issue.

Today, I went to a different store. I did the deal 2 more times, and it worked both times! I was careful to only buy things that were clearly marked with the big, red, "Get $15" tag. The $15 tags have the UPC on them, so you can double-check.

Here are the products I bought:
8.9 oz Cheerios
Progresso Beef Broth
Progresso Traditional Soups: Italian Wedding, Chicken Noodle, Chicken & Wild Rice
Scott's Mega Roll
PB Cookie Mix
BC Cake Mix: Yellow or Devil's Food
BC Frosting: Chocolate or Vanilla

In yesterday's transaction, I spent $14.67, and got $15 back for next visit. It would have been more of a profit but I bought my son a LaraBar :) Today, I spent $26.30 and got $30 back. 6 boxes of Cheerios, 2 cartons broth, 6 cans soup, 2 cake mixes, 2 tubs frosting, 2 cookie mixes, 5 rolls of paper towels. I didn't even use that many coupons!

Hope this information helps some of you :)

Awesome Shaw's Catalina Deal This Week!

Do Not Miss the deals at Shaw's this week! Spend $30 on participating products through November 11 and get a coupon for $15 off your next shopping order!

They're fofering the usual cake mixes and frostings, but also soup, broth, taco ingredients, paper towels, cereal, tea, and pasta sauce. Definitely some natural-leaning products available :)

Check out Wicked Cool Deals for coupon match-ups. HotCouponWorld is reporting that this deal is doubling & tripling - meaning you don't have to do a ton of separate transactions!

I hope to go tonight or tomorrow to try this out. Woo-hoo! Free groceries!

Close to Wrapping Up My CVS Challenge

I only have $2.08 left to spend in my $25 personal CVS challenge! In aniticipation of wrapping this up, I've actually been letting the CVS cashiers adjust my ECB's down. I've only lost pennies here & there, but I'm trying to maximize the ECB's I do have. Because of this, my profit margin has decreased. Plus, my transaction today cost $3.80 (the balance when figuring in coupons & ECB's spent versus earned), but it was stuff I needed for after the new baby comes.

In other great news, a brand new CVS opened just a few blocks from my house!! They sent out some coupons, which I used in Transaction #33 below. It's quite large and has a different set-up than I'm used to, but I couldn't be more excited!

That said, here's what I've been up to:

Transaction #28 (September 11)
$6.99: Schick Slim Triple ST3 Disposable Razors
$6.98: 1 Crest with Scope Outlast Toothpaste, and 1 Crest with Scope Outlast Mouthwash

Used $3/1 Schick Disposable Razor
Used $1.98 ECB
Used $3.98 ECB
Used $3.98 ECB
Used $6.99 ECB
Put $.04 on a gift card

Transaction #29 (September 14)
$4.99: 1 Dyna Pep Energy Micro-Shot (2-pk.)
$2.99: 1 Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste

Used $1.50 off Colgate coupon
Used $1.98 ECB
Used $3.79 ECB
Put $.75 on a gift card

Transaction #30 (September 21)
$5.98: 2 Dry Idea roll-ons

Used 2 $2.00 off Dry Idea roll-on coupon
Used $1.98 ECB
Broke even - no OOP

Transaction #31 (September 21)
$2.99: 1 Dry Idea roll-on

Used $.99 ECB
Used $2.00 ECB
Broke even - no OOP

Transaction #32 (September 29)
$10: 1 Duracell AA (16-pk.)
$6: 1 Bounty Basic 6 Big Rolls
$1: 1 Dawn (10.3-oz.)
$8: 2 Bounce Dryer Bar (1-ct.)

Used $1.00 off Duracell multi-pack coupon
Used $1.00 off Bounce multi-pack coupon
Used $.20 off Dawn coupon
Used $1.50 off Bounce Dryer Bar coupon
Used $2.50 off Bounce Dryer Bar coupon
Used $5/$20 coupon (for giving CVS my e-mail address)
Used $1.00 ECB
Used $1.81 ECB
Used $6.99 ECB
Used $4.00 ECB
Broke even - no OOP

Transaction #33 (September 29)
$2.99: CVS Brand Apple Juice
$1.99: 1 2-liter bottle Sprite
$.05: bottle deposit

Used $1.99 off Srpite
Used $3 off any CVS product

Put $.04 on gift card

Total spent so far: $21.61 (transactions 1-10) + $15.91 (transactions 11-20) + $.07 + $.66 + $.00 + $.06 + $.00 + $.92 + $.85 + $.04 + $.75 + $.00 + $.00 + $.00 + $.04 - $10 rebate - $7.99 rebate = $22.92

ECB's earned: $25.99 (This does not include the ones I cashed in)

Profit: $2.23 (minus 2 42 cent stamps)

Stuff I've gotten:
1 bottle CVS Chewable Aspirin, 36 count
1 bottle Excedrin, 10 count
3 bottles Mylanta Ultimate Strength Mint
2 Neutrogena facial soaps
2 Stayfree Pads, 16 ct
2 bottles Natural Dentist Mouthwash
1 Extreme Energy Shots
1 Renuzit TriScents Air Freshener Starter Kit
1 Maybelline Dream foundation
1 Irish Spring Body Wash 15-18 oz.
4 Dry Idea roll-on deodorant
1 Colgate Maxwhite toothpaste
1 CVS Vitamin D 400 iu, 100 ct
1 Schick Intuition Plus razor
1 Bayer Contour blood sugar meter
4 Crest ProHealth toothpastes
4 boxes Post Trail Mix cereal
1 Ensure 6 pack
3 packs gum
1 Paas Egg Dyeing Kit
2 bags Easter Grass
2 Easter baskets
1 Skintimate Shaving Cream
1 Edge Infused Shaving Cream
6 3M Hooks
1 Garnier Fructis Conditioner
2 boxes Frosted Mini-wheats
1 box Frosted Flakes
1 Adidas A3 Deodorant
2 Speed Stick Pro deodorants
4 Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste
2 Mennon Speed Stick Pro deodorants
1 Pampers Cruisers packages
16 SoyJoy Bars
2 Thermacare Heat Wraps, 1 ct boxes
2 Always Infinity 32 & 36 ct maxipads
2 Caliber 1-Subject Notebooks
2 12″ Wood Rulers
2 School Glue
2 5″ Pointed Tip Scissors
3 Paper Mate Grip Pens (8-ct.)
2 CVS 5-Subject Notebook
2 Tylenol Arthritis
2 Papermate Pen, 10-ct
2 Pencil packs, 24-count
2 Filler Paper packs, 150 sheets
1 CVS Tampons, 10-ct
2 Composition Books, 100 sheets
1 Pencil Case
1 Cow tale candy
2 Pilot Easytouch Pen, 2 Pk
2 Caliber 100-Page Composition Books
1 Caliber Index Card Case
1 Caliber Sticky Notes
1 Blink Tears eye drops
2 Stayfree Pads (28-48 ct.)
2 Caliber Brand Pens (20-ct.)
2 Caliber pharmacy 1-Subject Notebooks
2 Caliber Compass/Protractors
2 Caliber Flexi Rulers
2 Caliber Glue Stick (3-pk.)
1 CVS Mouthwash, 250 mL
1 Revlon ColorStay Mineral Mouse Makeup
2 Paper Mate Pens, 10 pk
2 Caliber Filler Paper (150-sheets)
2 Caliber Mini Composition Notebook
2 Caliber Recycled School Box
1 Philips Earhook Headphones
2 Caliber Composition Books
1 Carefree Ultra Protection pads
1 Tot Stapler
3 Larabars
1 Glade Scented Reed Diffuser
1 pack Schick Slim Triple ST3 Disposable Razors
1 Crest with Scope Outlast Toothpaste
1 Crest with Scope Outlast Mouthwash
1 Dyna Pep Energy Micro-Shot (2-pk.)
1 Duracell AA (16-pk.)
1 Bounty Basic 6 Big Rolls
1 Dawn (10.3-oz.)
2 Bounce Dryer Bar (1-ct.)
1 32 ounce bottle CVS Brand Apple Juice
1 2-liter bottle Sprite

Shaw's Deals This Week!

Shaw's is having a deal this week where if you purchases $25 of certain products, you get a $10 catalina off your next purchase. I went out to see if the deal works on pre-sale prices, and it does!

Here's what I got. The tuna & pizza are also free this week with coupons.

Transactions #1
$7.50: 3 boxes Rice Krispies (psp $4.49)
$7.50: 3 boxes Frosted Mini-Wheats (psp $4.29)

Used 1 $1.50 off coupon 2 boxes Frosted Mini-Wheats (printable)
Used 3 $1.00 off 1 box Rice Krispies coupons (Vocalpoint)

Out-of-pocket: $10.50
Catalinas received: $10.00

Transactions #2
$7.50: 3 boxes Rice Krispies (psp $4.49)
$7.50: 3 boxes Frosted Mini-Wheats (psp $4.29)
$2.00: 2 Tony's Pizza For One
$2.00: 2 Bumble Bee Premium Chunk Light Tuna pouches

Used 1 $1.50 off coupon 2 boxes Frosted Mini-Wheats (printable)
Used 2 $1.00 off 1 box Rice Krispies coupon (Vocalpoint mailer)
Used 1 free 1 box Rice Krispies coupon (Vocalpoint mailer)
Used 2 $.50 off Tony's Pizza For One coupons (doubled) (6/7 MartSource insert)
Used 2 $1.00 off Bumble Bee Premium Tuna coupons (6/14 Smartsource insert)

Cashed in $5 catalina from deal 2 weeks ago (I don't count this toward overall out-of-pocket since it was part of another deal)

Out-of-pocket: $4.00
Catalinas received: $10.00

Total overall out-of-pocket cost = -$.50!

Yes, that's a negative, people!

There is a lot of other stuff that's on sale this week, but I had some good coupons for this stuff and didn't really need any of the other items. Check out HotCouponWorld for more details!

More Shaws Freebies

Shaws has a coupon book available called "Cool Savings"; they had them at customer service, though at HotCouponWorld, it's been reported that they are on display at the freezer section and at other places throughout the store. There are lots of $1 off coupons, but also coupons for free frozen yogurt (this coupon is expired, but the booklet is new, and the manager said they would still take it), free bagels, free veggies, free pie crust, and free frozen lemonade. Some coupons are store coupons (which can be combined with manufacturer's coupons), and some are manufacturer's coupons.

There were plenty of booklets there, so I asked if I could take a few :) Make sure to grab some when you're doing your catalina deals this week!

Shaws Deal: $10 off next order

Shaw's is doing another one of their catalina deals: save $10 off your next order when you buy $25 participating products. The deal runs from 3/1/09 to 3/14/09 and is based on shelf prices. You can roll the catalinas, meaning if you do one transaction and get a $10 catalina, you can use it on transaction #2 and still get another catalina. There are also quite a few freebies (and cheapies!) available this week.

I went & did 2 transactions this morning. The 1st was just products from the promotion. The 2nd was more as I was trying to use the 97 cent Cheerios coupon, as well as the fact that I just needed lots of stuff :)

Here's Transaction #1: (I'll put the shelf prices in parentheses):
1 box Wheat Thins ($3.29): $2.50
3 boxes Triscuits ($3.29 each): $7.50 for 3
3 Starkist Albacore Tuna Pouches ($2.19 each): $5 (3 for $5)
1 box South Beach Peanut Butter Cereal Bars ($3.79): $2.50
1 box Kraft Bagelfuls ($2.50): $2

Coupons used:
2 $2 off 2 boxes Nabisco crackers coupon, Smart Source 1/25 insert
1 Buy 2, Get one Starkist pouch free coupon, Red Plum 2/22 insert
1 $1 off 1 SB Cereal bars coupon, Smart Source 2/8 insert
1 $1 0ff Bagelfuls printable

Total shelf cost: $26.02, $19.50 sale price total
Minus $7.67 coupons equals: $11.83
Received $10 catalina, True cost: $1.83

I'm not going to type out all the details of what I got in this transaction - just the freebies and the products that go toward the catalina - but here's a summary of the rest. I got bananas, brocolli (on sale 99 cents/lb), sliced turkey breast ($1 off coupon, on sale $4.99/lb), 12 cans Del Monte tomatoes (10 for $10, used $1 off 12 coupon from 2/8 Red Plum), 4 cans No Salt Del Monte Tomatoes (10 for $10, used $1 off 2 coupon from 2/8 Red Plum - 50 cents a can!), 2 Tropicana OJ's (2/$6, used $1 off 2 coupon from 1/4 Red Plum #2), and one box of Cheerios, 14 oz ($3, used 55 cent printable which doubled, used store coupon from circular "97 cent Cheerios if you spend $25 after all coupons and discounts", including cashed in catalina from previous transactions - Cheerios money maker!), and then the freebies and catalina stuff:

Transaction #2 Freebies & Money Makers!
3 Quaker Snacks 3.08-4 oz: $1 each
2 Frank's RedHot Sauce: $1.29 each
8 pouches Carolina rice mix: 3 for $2

Coupons used for those products:
3 $1 off 1 Quaker snacks coupon (making them free!), 1/18 Red Plim insert
2 Free up to $1.29 Frank's RedHot coupon, 3/1 Smart Source insert
$1 off Shaws coupon Frank's RedHot ($1 money maker!)
4 $.75 off 2 Carolina rice mix which doubled ($.66 money maker!)

Toward catalina:
2 boxes Triscuits ($3.29 each): $5 for 2
6 Starkist Albacore Tuna Pouches ($2.19 each): $10 (3 for $5)
1 loaf Arnold Whole Grain Classics Bread ($3.99): $2.50
1 Planter's Trail Mix ($2.19): $1.75

Coupons used:
1 $2 off 2 boxes Nabisco crackers coupon, Smart Source 1/25 insert
2 Buy 2, Get one Starkist pouch free coupon, Red Plum 2/22 insert
1 $1 off Arnold's Bread coupon, ALL YOU March magazine

Total shelf cost: $25.90, $19.25 sale price total
Minus $5.34 coupons equals: $13.91
Received $10 catalina, True cost: $3.91 for promotional stuff

Here are the products included in the catalina promotion. Check HotCouponWorld for coupon matches.
2 for $4
Crystal Light Drink mix
Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs Snacks
Kraft Bagel-fuls

2 for $5
Kraft Dressing
Kraft American Cheese Singles
Oscar Mayer Deli Creations
Oscar Mayer Fast Franks
Grey Poupon Mustard
Nabisco Snack Crackers
Arnold Whole Grain Classics Bread
Kraft South Beach Living Cereal Bars
Nabisco Cakesters

2 for $6
Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip
Kraft Deli Fresh Natural Cheese Slices
DiGiorno or California Pizza for One or Flatbread Sandwiches
Claussen Pickles
Jello gelatin or pudding snacks
Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Shaved Deli Meat
Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked BaconNabisco
Oreo cookies
Nabisco 100 Calorie packs granola bars
Kraft Polly-O String Cheese

3/$5
Starkist Albacore Tuna Pouch

4/$8
CapriSun or Roarin Waters Juice pouches

4/$5
Planters Trail Mix (this rang up as $1.75 for me)

10/$10
Kraft Easy Mac

More CVS Finds & Money Makers

Today, I continued gathering purchasing for my $25 CVS challenge! This week, the Natural Dentist mouthwash is a $2 money maker after rebate, and the Renuzit TriScents is a $.51 money maker after ECB's. You can read more about this week's deals over at Common Sense with Money or Deal Finding Mom.

Transaction #3
$7.98: 2 Stayfree Pads, 16 ct
$19.98: 2 Natural Dentist Mouthwash
$4.99: Extreme Energy Shots
$5.49: Renuzit TriScents Air Freshener Starter Kit

Used 2 $2 off Natural Dentist coupons
Used BOGO Stayfree coupon from 1/4 insert
Used $4 off Renuzit TriScents Air Freshener Starter Kit from 2/22 insert
Used $5 off $15 CVS coupon printed out on last receipt
Used $10 & $3 ECB from last transaction

Total OOP after tax & ECB's: $8.67
ECB's earned: $18.99

Will also get $10 in rebate for mouthwash.

Total spent so far: $4.28 + $3.41 + $8.67 = $16.36
ECB's earned: $18.99
(This does not include the ones I cashed in)

Profit: $12.21 (includes $10 rebate, minus 42 cent stamp)

Stuff I got:
1 bottle CVS Chewable Aspirin, 36 count
1 bottle Excedrin, 10 count
1 bottle Mylanta Ultimate Strength Mint
2 Neutrogena facial soaps
2 Stayfree Pads, 16 ct
2 Natural Dentist Mouthwash
Extreme Energy Shots
Renuzit TriScents Air Freshener Starter Kit

Free Kashi Entry

Get a free Kashi entree! Your coupon will be mailed in 2-4 weeks.

My Shaws Adventure

I finally ventured out to Shaw's this morning. I'm glad I did because I made 87 cents buying 20 cans of soup, and got some other cheap stuff as well.

Transactions #1
10 cans Healthy Choice Soup, $1 each
2 pouches Starkist creations Mango Salmon, $2 each
3 pouches Starkist light tuna in oil, $1.25 each

Used 4 $1 off tuna coupons from vocalpoint mailer
Used BOGO tuna coupon from vocalpoint mailer

Paid $12.75 OOP
Got $10 off your next purchase catalina
I was supposed to get another $1 off catalina for the tuna, but it didn't work

Transactions #2
10 Traditional Progresso Soup @ 3/$4
3 bottles spring water @ $.89 each
.55 lb Healthy Ones deli ham ($3.99/lb)
.35 lb Healthy Ones deli turkey ($5.99/lb)

Used 2 $1/4 Progresso coupons from 2/8 newspaper insert
Used 2 $1.10/1 Progresso coupons
Used 2 $.55 off Healthy Ones lunchmeat which doubled
Used $10 catalina from last purchase

Paid $3.84 OOP

So the Healthy Choice soup worked out to be free, the Progresso was a moneymaker of $.86, the 5 pouches of tuna were $2.75, and the lunch meat (almost a pound) was a little over $2 (could have been free if I bought less).

Not too bad! Most of the soup will end up at the food pantry, which is pretty cool! I could have done the Progresso deal one more time, but Bear (my son) was getting antsy. 20 cans of soup is enough :)

CVS Money Makers This Week

There are some money makers at CVS this month, and for one of them, you don't even need coupons!

Neutrogena Facial Bars:
Buy 2 at $2.99 (works on regular & fragrance-free)
Get $10 ECB's (buy 2 Neutrogena products, get $10 ECB)
$4.02 money maker!

Mylanta Ultimate Strength (Cherry or Mint):
Buy up to 5 at $3.75 each (price in Boston)
Use $2/1 printable or $4/2 Pepcid, Mylanta, Lactaid, Rolaids, or Imodium Product coupon from 1/4 Red Plum insert
Get $3 ECB back for each (these are hard to find!)
$1.25 money maker for each one!

Rite Aid Today & Tomorrow

Rite Aid has some good coupons, only good tonight & tomorrow: $5 off $20 & $10 off $30. There are some free-after-rebate items that you could use this to help finance, or stock up on something you need that's on sale. Check out these suggestions from Frugal RI Mama & Southern Savers.

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

I'm traveling to California tomorrow and will be gone for nine & a half days. I'm sure I will post occasionally because I'll be mourning the lack of a CVS there. There is a Walgreens, however! But I'm even considering leaving my coupon book at home. Imagine that!

And I have a super-exciting update for you guys, though you may think I'm crazy! I got a big pay-off with very little effort and I'm excited to tell you guys about it.

In the meantime, here's a great freebie my husband sent me: How To Get 1,525 Free Digital Prints :)

BIG NEWS: 60 Free SoyJoy Bars at CVS!

In less than a week, we are traveling to California & will be gone for 9 days. I realized yesterday that a good portion of CVS ECB's that I had left over from December's 2-day sale would expire while I was there. I promptly went to CVS's site, and to my dismay discovered there are no CVS's anywhere near where I will be!

While I was mourning the demise of my ECB's & trying to contemplate a scheme in which I could spend these, I found out about an unadvertised deal that is free after ECB's. You can now get either 5 or 10 boxes of 6 SoyJoy bars, depending on where you live, totally free! Bear (my son) and I ran out this morning and made money by purchasing 10 boxes of bar, as well as some of the other free after ECB items for this month, in 2 transactions. I had 2 $4 off $20 coupons, so I made $8!

You need to be this in 2 or more transactions, though. I would recommend buying 5 boxes in your 1st transaction. You could also buy one box at a time if you don't have any ECB's saved, and pay for each subsequent transaction after that with the ECB's you received in the previous transaction. After buying 5 boxes, look at your receipt and see if it says "SoyJoy bar limit reached". Some people are reporting they could only get 5; others are saying it worked with up to 10. There are coupons in the 1/4 paper for SoyJoy bars, but they are not meant to be used with the boxes.

One other warning: I really needed to search for these bars to find them. They were not with the individual SoyJoy bars in the diet needs/nutritional bars section. I checked the grocery section & the candy section as well, since some people were reporting they had found them there. Finally, I found them on display at the end of an aisle near the pharmacy.

Special thanks to my friend E & Common Sense with Money for the heads up on this deal! CSWM is the only blog I have found reporting this, so news of the deal is not widespread yet. It looks as if it's a month-long deal, but if I were you, I'd head to CVS & get some SoyJoy bars! Now i just have to figure out what to do with mine since we can't eat soy :)

Happy New Year to All!

Happy New Year to all my readers! I hope 2008 was good to you.

I plan on having a great 2009! I hope you'll continue to grow with me as we strive to live frugally and naturally, blessing others in the process!

Have You Been Surfing Through Swagbucks Lately?

I have to say I'm really enjoying Swagbucks. I explained more about Swagbuucks in a previous post, but basically, you use the Swagbucks search engine (which uses Google & Ask.com) and you win Swagbucks. I already have enough Swagbucks for a free gift card, but I'm saving them up.

I wanted to applaud a friend of mine, who I'll call E, because she has been faithfully using Swagbucks and has earned 33 Swagbucks for herself & for me! So if you join (through me, please!), invite your friends to join. You win up to 100 matching Swagbucks for each friend you invite!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my readers! Celebrate by heading over to Don Francisco to get a free sample of coffee. Or you could head out tomorrow & stock up on decorations for next year, as they will be on sale!

It's Like Christmas!

I have gotten so much great stuff in the mail the past few days that it feels like Christmas! Oh, wait, it is Christmas! But all this great stuff in the mail makes it really feel like a holiday :)

First, I got a $10 check. A few weeks back, I received a $10 virtual gift card via e-mail from Magazines.com. Money-saving Methods pointed out the fine print: you could request your gift card in the form of cold hard cash! This is truly remarkable because I am not really a regular customer. As a birthday gift to my sister, I annually renew her subscription to a magazine. It's actually cool because Magazines.com will automatically renew it for you (and I am prone to forget!). A few month ago, Magazines.com sent me another $10 gift card for fun, and I got a free magazine subscription with it. That arrived today as well!

Then today, I received 3 things from Rite Aid: my November rebate (over $118), my Gift of Savings $20 gift certificate, and my free Diabetes tote, full of coupons, samples, rebates, and even free music downloads!

I also received a CD that I pre-ordered months ago & had completely forgotten about. And I hit my 2nd CVS (hit the 1st one last night) and the 2nd one had the Arm & Hammer Essentials cleaners. I scored 5 of those, more Listerine, and more Right Guard and made some money in the process!

And I became an aunt again yesterday! Merry Christmas to me!

Free Photos!

Money Saving Methods has a great heads up on a free photo deal.

Order an 8X10 print from Walgreens.com to be picked up at your nearest Walgreens, enter FREEGIFT as your coupon code, and get a free 8X10!

Order another 8X10 print from Snapfish to be picked up at your nearest Walgreens, enter WALFREE as your coupon code, and get another free 8X10! If you're not already a member of Snapfish, go here first to order 50 free prints.

I know the Walgreens deal works because I just did it, but Snapfish's site is not working for me right now. I'll have to try again later.

Edited: Snapfish is now working, but unfortunately, it's making me pick it up at a different Walgreens. Oh, well; it's still free!

Free Olay Regenerist at Walgreens

Through Saturday at Walgreens, Olay Regenerist cleansers or moisturizers are on sale buy-one-get-one-50%. Then, you can get a $15 gift card back from OLAY by mailing in this form.

I hit up Walgreens this morning, and grabbed 2 Olay Regenerist deep hydrating mousse cleansers for $9.99 each. I had trouble figuring out what was a cleanser, so I just picked one that was fairly obvious :) They both rang up as $9.99, but then $5 was taken off. I used the $5/2 coupon from the 12/14 newspaper insert, used my last $5 Register Reward from the Walgreens 4-day sale, and paid $5.23 (with tax) out of pocket, so after the gift card rebate, this is a moneymaker!

This would make a great stocking stuffer, but I think my son's a little young for it :)