Operation $40K

It was nice getting to spend a little of the day with you - and I hope you are able to put your new knowledge to good use soon! To those of you who ran into me at HyVee after the class - I TOLD you I was going there, LOL! I will have Pierce's policy up for you soon and try to add their weekly deals for you -- in the meantime, play around on the site and get the feel for it. I look forward to helping you save money! =) Blessings, Dannelle

I hit two stores today, spent under $20, and brought home about $170 of fun! Who doesn't love using coupons??!! Let's start with HyVee - that three day sale sucked me in! Just LOOK at that 4# box of strawberries (that weighed 4.75#) for under $4!  Just look at those babies - HUGE and super sweet! I got one of the last ones... I DID get my 1# salmon for $3.99 (everyone else has it at $9.99/#) but I did NOT get the ground beef deal - but took home a nice rain check instead! Remember, HyVee rain checks have NO expiration dates! =) Grand total spent: $7.98, saved $9...(53% savings) If you are reading this on Saturday - RUN to your Madison HyVee and get your rain checks for the strawberry deal and the ground beef deal - They were sold out and the rain checks do NOT expire!!! Now - for Copp's! Double Double day is our friend! I did three transactions - there was a stack of Philadelphia Cookbooks for $19.99 that were FREE when you bought four items from Philadelphia! ...

This is supposed to be a mail in offer through Kellogg's, but Copp's in Sun Prairie (Main St) had them in stock for INSTANT delivery!  (Yippee!) This saves you the $1.75 PER BAG shipping! The offer is: Buy two boxes, send in the UPCs and get the bag for FREE They do not require a receipt so chances are that you have 2 Kellogg’s cereals in your pantry already. You can get up to 5 bags per household, but you will have to pay $1.75 per bag for shipping - UGH! This rebate is valid through September 30th or while supplies last. **These are NEW and should be OK on the multi colored ink, lead-chromium-made-in-China thing.

I know my weekly shopping trips look insane: 15 packages of rice here, 15 cans of soup there, 10 bottles of juice here, 30 cans of Spaghettios, 20 boxes of potatoes, 36 boxes of cereal, etc. (You get the idea). I stock up on what is on sale and make sure it will tide us over for at least six months, until the next sale on that item rolls around. Here is my current stockpile, in it's full glory...2 shelving units in the basement, one chest freezer and three kitchen cupboards, and an old ice box. (My house is prehistoric). See? Not overly insane - Just enough to hold us for about 6 months and yes, the token Tupperware in the picture, LOL! Got any pics YOU want to share? Email them to me and I will be happy to share them with everyone!

HOW did I miss this on my weekend "Fun things to do list" ???! It's BACK!! Date: Saturday, April 16th Time: 6am-2pm Location: Capitol Square, Madison The first outdoor Dane County Farmer’s Market of the year opens this Saturday on the Capitol Square in Madison. The DCFM is the largest producer-only market in the country. The folks selling are the folks who produced it. All items are locally produced from Wisconsin.

It's funny, that I pulled up my ground beef post from last year and it was the exact same date: April 15th. It still looks like the HyVee packaging - so it tells me that mid April, they will probably have the same deal NEXT year too, LOL! If you plan to hit the sale on ground beef at HyVee this weekend (like I am, even though I have a full freezer), I hope you find a few useful ideas on that year old link! I know I am low on hamburger gravel. *Keep in mind: they changed the food pyramid a few years ago and, instead of meat being the star of the meal, it's now a cast player along with grains, veggies and fruits. The amount of ground beef you used to put into casseroles can be cut in half and supplemented with beans or veggies. This not only saves you money, but is healthier!

First of all, I hope you aren't printing off everything I have posted today - you would kill a tree! Honestly, I didn't intend for that many posts to go out - it just seems that today is pretty darned busy day on the web! First of all, it's DOUBLE DOUBLE day at Copp's and Pick N Save! There are a few things that I have $1 coupons for  and we will see how they look at the store. From the add itself, I see: Iceberg Lettuce (I am craving BLTs) 1 pack of the $1.88/# boneless breasts (up to 2 pounds) Philly Cooking Creams (I have a few $1 coupons AND $1.50 off chicken WYB 1 Cream which should make the chicken almost free! Angel Food Cake at $1.99 Roman Meal wheat bread (I have some $1/1 coupons) Reynolds Wrap Foil (my neighbor always needs it) Reynold parchment paper Then a few more Uncle Ben's Rice packs! I think I have enough for two transactions...but I am bringing my coupon box in case I can squeeze out three! Then off to Madison before I teach that co...

A lot of diaper, feminie hygene and OTC meds in this one - keep in mind that there are supposed to be FOUR inserts in this Sunday's paper! It looks like a good week to get a few extra! =) What caught my eye is in RED Sunday coupon preview Regional coupon inserts & value differences are to be expected! (/X) after coupon = expiration date () before coupon = multiple of same coupon ETS = excludes trial sizes DND5 = coupon states Do Not Double, but barcode starts w/a 5 Smartsource coupon insert #2 Act Dry Mouth bottle $2 (5/31) Act bottle 16.9oz+ $1 (5/31) Allegra, Allegra-D or any Children’s Allegra $5 (5/7) Ascriptin $1.50 (7/31) Benefiber $1 (7/16) Benefiber Plus Heart Health product $2 (7/16) Bufferin 130 ct $1 (7/31) Dannon Greek 5.3 oz cups .50/2 (5/31) Doans Extra Strength Caplets $1 (7/31) Excedrin 20 ct+ .75 (6/4) Excedrin 80 ct+ $1.50 (6/4) Gas-X $1 (7/16) Gas-X Prevention $1 (7/16) Good Nites Jumbo Pack+ $2 (5/14) Huggies ...

If you have been been to my coupon class, you have heard me mention All You magazine. It is a magazine that is full of great coupons every month. You can either buy All You at Walmart for $2.47 an issue, or you can purchase a subscription online. I got a GREAT deal thru the local Girl Scouts this spring and you cna find great deals thru school magazine fundraisers! You help someone else out and score a great deal for yourself!  Right now Amazon has one year All You for $19.95 or $1.66 an issue. Here is what is in the May issue: A Kiss of Smoothness Hydrating Lip Care – Save $1.00 (exp. 07/30/11) p. 38 Advil, Advil PM or ThermaCare – Save $1.00 on ANY (exp. 06/30/11) p. 62 AMDRO – Save $2.00 (exp. 09/30/11) p. 177 AquaNet Silver Beauty – Save $0.50 (exp. 08/31/11) p. 77 Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (12 lb.) – Save $1.00 (exp. 07/31/11) p. 155 Banana Boat – Save $1.00 (exp. 05/27/11) p. 44 Birds Eye Voila! – Save $0.50 (exp. 08/31/11) p. 12...

It looks this is a good weekend to get more than one paper -- possible FOUR inserts! WOO-HOO! This one has some NICE, high value coupons in it, what caught my eye is in red. =) Sunday coupon preview Regional coupon inserts & value differences are to be expected! (/X) after coupon = expiration date () before coupon = multiple of same coupon ETS = excludes trial sizes DND5 = coupon states Do Not Double, but barcode starts w/a 5 Smartsource coupon insert #1 Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra Starter Kit $4 (5/29) Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra Refills B2G1F to $5.50 (5/29) Air Wick Freshmatic Starter Kit $4 (5/29) Air Wick Freshmatic Compact Refill $1.50 (5/29) Air Wick 100% Natural Propellant Spray B1G1F to $1.39 (5/29) Aveeno Active Naturals $3/2 (5/31) Aveeno Active Naturals $1 (5/31) Ban Solid .75 (6/4) Band any .40 (6/4) Bausch & Lomb Alaway eye drops $5 (6/30) Bausch & Lomb Opcon-A eye drops $1 (6/30) Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the...

Are you like thousands of Americans that THOUGHT they would get a return on their 2010 taxes but were shockingly surprised to see that you OWED money? Simple reason: they changed the withholding tables last year so LESS was taken out of each paycheck than normal, for the same amount of dependants! Example: in 2009, with 3 dependants, you might see $130 taken out of each paycheck for Federal withholding. In 2010 that dropped to $90. We saw this and changed my hubby's form to read "1", when it should have said "3".  (I am self employed with Tupperware and have no such form...) That number tells them to take out LESS from the check as you have more mouths to feed, the higher the number is. A little more was taken out of each of his paychecks in 2010 and we didn't mind. Interest rates for savings accounts were less than 0.5% -- it didn't really cost us anything for Uncle Sam to have that money instead of it being in our bank accounts! End result : ...

Welcome to our Penny Pincher Series! Today we are going to look at ways to keep looking your best without breaking the bank! I have shared a few ideas over the past year -- Repairing clothes. This means fixing hems, getting out stains, putting on new buttons. You can usually make it go a little longer for a lot less than you can replace it. Shopping at yard sales and Goodwill. It’s no surprise that I love hitting the garage sale circut once the season starts! The summer of 2009 was a GREAT year for me, I was VERY restrained last year while we were on the super saving mission! As for the thrift stores, it is OK to shop at “those” places- really. The money you spend at Goodwill/St Vinney's/Salavation Army stores helps others and helps your pocketbook, too. Train your eye to scan the racks for quality fabrics and then check the size since the items are not by size. Yard sales have rock bottom prices. We love the school yard sale and ritzy neighborhood sales! Sell at consignm...

Here is a list of some things in the Madison area to do this weekend - Just let me know if I missed something! =) Saturday: Kids in the Rotunda Every Saturday October thru May - Overture Center for the Arts Overture Center offers free arts programs designed for children and families at 9:30 AM, 11 AM and 1 PM. The popular performing arts series for children and families offers a relaxed, kid-friendly environment in which to enjoy a diverse lineup of local and regional musicians, storytellers, jugglers, theater troupes, magicians and dancers. **The 1 PM performances are sign language interpreted. Kids in the Rotunda takes place on the Rotunda Stage. This week: Magic Morgan & Liliana Isthmus Green Day April 16th (Saturday) - Monona Terrace Fun and educational exhibits, speakers and activities from 9am - 5pm, including a Family Play Zone with hands-on, sponsored activities for younger children. $5 admission for 12 & up, younger children are FREE as well as those that...

Check my Class Schedule page -- for my latest class updates!  I am adding new classes weekly: in different libraries, churches, even hospitals! This Saturday, I am in Madison for the Coupon Clipping 101 and next week, I am in Sun Prairie again, for the Meal Planning 101 Class! Both can save you hundreds of dollars a year, by themselves. Combine them and you can make that a savings of THOUSANDS of dollars in a year! Seriously, the two together account for almost half of the $40,000 I saved in less than one year. =)

We all know that Dollar Stores aren't usually the best place to find bargains...they have lower prices on some items, but those items are usually smaller sizes than you see at the "normal" grocery stores, so we don't really see any bargains. I DO like to shop there after holidays for the seasonal clearance! Here is the policy for Dollar General Stores... when they do a deal like this coming Saturday ($5 off a $25+ purchase) You can use coupons on regular items and come out pretty decent! Coupon Policy Updated 11/5/10 Dollar General is pleased to accept Manufacturer’s Coupons and Dollar General Store Coupons at any of our more than 9,000 stores. These coupons come from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, newspapers, magazines, print-at-home (internet), direct mail, product packaging, and in-store coupon boxes. Our coupon requirements are as follows: Dollar General will accept coupons, including Internet Coupons, provided they meet these requi...

Walmart has been struggling financially — especially since Target has been offering lower prices, price-matching and great coupons. Because of this, Walmart is now “ready to roll up its sleeves to win the lowest-price battle with its rivals.” One of the changes Walmart is promising to make is to provide lower prices and a better ad-matching policy: Wal-Mart said store managers will check competitors’ prices more frequently. The company will press suppliers to lower their costs and will simplify its “ad match” policy. From now on, if customers find a lower advertised price, Wal-Mart promises to match that price at the register in all stores without requiring shoppers to bring in a competitor’s ad as proof. Knowing how Walmart cashiers tend to have a lack of training and understanding of the corporate Walmart policies regarding price-matching and coupons, I don’t have great faith that all stores are going to readily allow you to price-matching without a competitor’s ad, but I’m h...

As part of their global literacy campaign, Scholastic and Kumon have partnered to encourage the development of reading and math skills in children. Participate in their program and your child can earn up to five free books from Scholastic. Here’s how: STEP 1 Download and print the READING and/or MATH activity sheet(s) for your child’s age group. STEP 2 Have your child complete the activities for his or her age group. Your child can complete the MATH activity sheet, the READING activity sheet (or both)! Children can earn two books by completing one activity sheet and five books by completing two activity sheets. The more they LEARN … the more they EARN! STEP 3 Download the reward redemption form, print and complete all fields. Mail the completed form and your child’s activity sheet(s) to Scholastic to qualify for your rewards! This is SUPER to segway into the summer reading programs!

Who doesn't love FREE? A great reason to plan your trip for early that morning! Free reusable bags from Target on April 17th

So far, it looks pretty darned decent, compared to their normal ad! Dairy Deals: Deans 5QT pail of ice cream $3.99 -Use "Extra Savings Coupon' in flier - no other coupon able to be used Blue Bunny Ice Cream Squares (56 oz package) $2.99 - use the $1 printable from Blue Bunny (off facebook) Final Price $.99 after doubling Daisy Sour Cream  (16oz) $1.66 $.50 peelies from Cub Foods Total: $0.66 after doubling Danimals $1.99 Use $1/1 from 3/27 SS Total: FREE after doubling International Delights $2.49 Use $0.55/1 International Delights printable coupon Total: $1.39 after doubling **you can get these FREE at Copp's this week Smart Balance Spread $2.79 Use $1/2 from 3/6 SS Total: $1.79 each, when you buy two ...I would just spend the extra $0.20 and get REAL butter at KwikTrip Meat Deals Cook's Ham Portion $.79/# with in add coupon and $25 purchase. GREAT name brand and GREAT price! Frozen Cod Loins $3.99/# -Use "Extra Savings Coupon...

This Saturday, April 16, is Double Double Daze at Rainbow Foods, Copps and Pick N Save. That means you can double up to ten coupons, instead of five, on Saturday; all other coupon doubling rules and restrictions apply. If you are new to shopping Double Daze, be sure to read Roundy’s (Rainbow Foods, Copps, and Pick N Save’s) double coupon policy before you get started to understand all the restrictions of their double coupon promotion. Three things to remember about this list of deals. First, it is from Pocket Your Dollars out of Minnesota and I have updated it with our Wisconsin prices... my changes are in red Second, it does not include every sale-priced item that has a coupon. It only has those items whose final price is low enough for us to mention it. Thirdly, it is a starting list: as we learn of more deals whose final price is low enough, we will update this list. Items that are added throughout the week will be noted as NEW. Items whose final price changes as a ...

We zipped over to A&W to meet up with a friend of mine - and decided that it was a PERFECT day for Root Beer Floats & hot dogs! Ms Sarah had her ketchup dog... I did the Coney, sans onion. Do you know how hard it is to eat a chili cheese dog while driving? Don't. (LOL) They simply don't have enough napkins in the world for that special kind of mess - I am just happy that I was wearing a black shirt. It will be more forgiving of the glow in the dark cheese sauce until I wash it out tonight. (sigh) My Monthly Total: $100.00 -$1.89 Copp's 4/2 -------- $98.11 -$3.46 Wags 4/5 -------- $94.55 -$8.69 Copp's 4/6 -------- $85.86 -$2.11 Wags 4/6 -------- $83.75 -$4.07 Copp's 4/9 -------- $79.68 -$.98 Walgreen's 4/12 -$3.70 Copps 4/13 -------- $75.00 to go! -10.13 A &W -------- $64.87 to go

LIKE Ball Park Franks on Facebook and print off a $1/1 coupon (twice) - these will go on sale soon for Memorial Day - you could get two packs FREE! Hurry -- they said "while supplies last......."

#7 - Karen who said : I like the Buckeye Bars recipe :) (thanks to Random.org) Please send me a note with your addy to : op40k@aol.com  so I can mail it out to you! Congrats~!

OK -- Walgreen's didn't go as I had planned - they weren't totally restocked from the delivery and I couldn't make a second trip back! I DID get two sets of the Carefree Pantiliners @$0.99 , with the $.50/1 coupon found in the 3/27 RP and only paid $.49 - to get back a $1 RR. I left the store with $2 in RR and a nice addition to the church donation for the week! Nothing like making $1.02 while helping other people out! =) Then came today's Copps run! I had preordered two cases of Nabisco Animal Crackers last week for the church children's donation - and they came in late - I still got them today and used that to bump up my base total for my coupons! Sadly, I did NOT get a case break this time, but am taking that money out of our "donation funds" and still feelgood about helping little kiddos! It is SOOOO cool that they came with Easter packaging! =) Another fun surprise was the Kool-Aid! It was on sale and I didn't remember seeing it in ...

Last week, I shared a re-purposing of an old entertainment center here WHAT do you do with that old monster of a unit? I guarantee you that it won't sell on craigslist in the middle of 400 others that are listed! NO ONE will pick it up if you leave it out on the curb -- unless they are creative and can think of alternate uses! Check out these creative ideas for the kiddos: Play kitchens and dress up centers An adorable play kitchen here Another adorable one here And this cutie here Armoir Styles? Look at this! A dress up center here Here is a DIY for the same kind of thing from scratch here I think that finishes my series on Entertainment Centers - unless you have an idea to share. =)

Here is what I saw this week in the flier that grabbed my attention, for a better list of deals, check out www.Iheartwags.com or www.wildforwags.com =) **Keep min mind that this week Personal Care items are on the donation list for the food pantries! Luster White 7 toothpaste 2.6 oz $4.99 = $4 RR Use the $1.50/1 coupon found in the 2/13 or 4/3 SS Pay $3.49 Get back a $4 RR Final cost Free + a $0.51 Moneymaker! Carefree Pantiliners 20 or 22 oz $0.99 = $1 RR Use the $0.50/1 coupon found in the 3/27 RP Pay $0.49 Get back a $1 RR Final cost FREE + a $0.51 Moneymaker! Buy 2 Always LeakGuard Plus Pads (20 or 22 count) 2/$6 = $4 RR (monthly deal, valid 3/27-4/30) Use 2 of the new $1/1 coupons found in the 4/3 PG Pay $4 Get back a $4 RR Final cost – 2 for FREE!

Sunday coupon preview Regional coupon inserts & value differences are to be expected! (x) before coupon = multiple of same coupon ETS = excludes trial sizes RedPlum Coupon Insert Bertolli Pasta Sauces Save $1.50/2 (5/15) Cap’n Crunch Cereal Save $1.00/2 (8/31) Cheer Detergent any Save $1.00/1 (5/31) Degree Men Adrenaline Series Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant Save $1.00/1 (5/15) Degree Men or Women Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant Save $1.00/1 (5/15) Degree for Women Premium Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant or Body Mist Save $1.00/1 (5/15) Era Detergent any Save $1.00/1 (5/31) Febreze product with Gain Save $1.00/1 (5/31) Gain Detergent any Save $1.00/1 (5/31) Gain fabric softener or sheets Save $1.00/1 (5/31) Head & Shoulders Shampoo buy One Get One Head & Shoulder 13.5oz Conditioner FREE to Save $4.74 ( 5/31) Hellman;s product 16.5oz or larger .75/1 (5/15) Iams canned dog or cat food Buy 3 Get 1 FREE to Save $1.00 (5/31) Iams Healthy ...

It's been a year now, since we started Ms Sarah in Karate. We had a few batches of Parks and Rec classes first, then bit the bullet and went into the regular program. Sarah LOVES the classes, her instructors and super excited to go! They do a mix of martial arts here and seriously, put the kiddos thru their paces as you can see with this drill: We are delighted to say that she just earned a stripe for her Orange belt - you can see how proud she was in this picture: Three days a week you can find us here, sometimes four. It really DOES help the kiddos with focus, respect and self control - it's amazing! My little high "I" person is able to ignore the walls full of mirrors and pay attention to what the instructors are saying, that is HUGE for her, LOL! Congrats Ms Sarah - we are proud of you!

I need to borrow someone's coupon binder for the taping of my next TV segment! I am going to be on NBC15's morning show in a few weeks to talk about Coupon Clipping and, we need an example of one for the segement. Those of you that have been to my classes know that I don't use one, I have my coupon box -- I tape the morning of the 26th. I PROMISE to give it back to you that same day - I KNOW how we all love our coupon stash, LOL! Just let me know - thanks!

They have their policy right on their website 3/30/2010 Hy-Vee is happy to redeem your coupons. The following rules apply when accepting vendor coupons clipped from newspapers or magazines, received by mail, or obtained legitimately from the internet: -The coupon must be legible. -The coupon should have a scannable bar code (UPC) and a remittable manufacturer’s address. -Coupons must have an expiration date and must be used within the stated time frame. Expired coupons will not be accepted. -Only one vendor coupon per item will be accepted. However, a customer may use a vendor coupon in combination with a Hy-Vee coupon on the same item. (You can stack them) -Coupon values that exceed the price of the item will not be accepted. -Soft drink container caps will be accepted. Due to increased fraud, the following two additional rules apply to internet coupons: -Vendor coupons that involve any kind of free product will not be accepted, including “buy one, get one free” offers. -A Store Direc...

Last week didn't go according to plan with the surprise surgery so a few things are brought forward from last week's plan. The beauty of being able to "punt" with life =) Any time you see ** it means it was something pulled out of the freezer. Here is the list: Breakfast will include: -toaster waffles (we are down to one box!) -Yogurt (I still have 10 packs left...but have her thinking they are "pudding", LOL) -hard boiled eggs (yes, I am slowly thawing them out) -boxed cereal (might as well, we have 27 boxes in stock!) Lunches as normal (sandwiches, soup, left overs, tappas plates) and for dinner... Monday - Mexican Night: Chicken Enchiladas**, corn** and refried beans Tuesday - Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, potato salad Wednesday - (Breakfast night): Quiche: bacon**, onion, mushroom Thursday - Italian night: Ravioli with red sauce Friday - Meatless night: scrambled eggs with veggies Saturday - Chicken Nuggets**, rice pilaf, corn** Sunday - homemade piz...

McDonald’s has recently released their Spring Treat Books! Inside you will find free coupons for: 3 FREE Ice Cream Cones 3 FREE Apple Juice or Milk 3 FREE Hamburgers 3 FREE Apple Dippers You can use 1 per child per visit and they don’t expire until July. (or so I have heard, but I didn't see any date on them.... Anyways, what does this mean to you? I FOUND some! :) (with the help of my friend Kelley) One lucky reader will get their own set - but hurry, I plan to mail this out on Wednesday morning! You have until midnight on Tuesday to enter. Just reply to this post (on my blog) with your favorite recipe on my recipe page - easy, right? Good luck!