What Do You DO With All That Stuff?!

One fun side effect of bargain shopping is all excess of free (or super cheap) bargains! It only took me about 3 months of collecting to fill up all the nooks and crannies and realize that it's time to start donating.

I did a quick web search to find one place that would welcome everything from laundry detergent to deodorant. A local clinic serves a broad range of clientele and they were thrilled to have a variety of donations. They gave me an idea of their specific needs too so I can keep an eye out for those items. Depending on who they serve, single size laundry detergent may be better than larger bottles. The new all-in-one laundry sheets were a big hit!

What do you do with your overflow?

In My Mailbox this Week

WOW!! The work of September is starting to pay off!!

This week, we've gotten the following:

$10 rebate check. Free coupon for Country Bob. LUVS coupons.

Water bottle from Juicy Juice. Target Up! brand coupons & Herbal Essences Coupons.

Land O Lakes coupon & recipes. Free bag of Eukanuba & Nabisco coupon booklet.

I took the Eukanuba coupon to PetSmart and bought the 5 lb bag for large breeds. There's a $5 coupon in each bag. So, we took the bag out to the car, opened it, removed coupon, went inside and bought another bag. Twice. There were lots of bags left that said they had coupons inside, so I'll probably head back this weekend and snag a few more bags. Our puppies (now 10 months old) eat a LOT!!

Also, in the last photo are the $5 Discover cards we found in boxes of fruit snacks!! I had bought the boxes at least 2 months ago and tossed them in the snack tote in the storage room. I never even noticed that they might have cash cards inside, but low and behold, both boxes we bought were Winners!!

Coincidentally, this week at Dillons, the boxes are included in the Buy 10, Get $5 off deal. So, I gathered up my coupons and hit up 4 different Dillons. Each time you buy 5 boxes, you get a $3.50 catalina! I ended up with 6 MORE Discover cards!!

Here's how it breaks down:

6 boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit Roll Up Stickerz (Specially Marked Boxes) $1.29 ea / 7.74

Coupon (doubled) $0.50 off 2 boxes - 3.00

Catalina (to be used on next trip) +3.50

Gift Cards (I averaged 2 gift cards per trip) +10.00

Makes This Deal a MONEY MAKER!!

*** If you're looking for the boxes, check the ones in the back ~ that's where we found them.

Finding Coupons

I can remember when I started couponing and how frustrated I was reading about all the great deals other gals got, but I didn't have those coupons!

In order to build up my stash, I started buying extra papers and hubby volunteered to snag extras at the recycling center. In no time, I have built a very nice coupon binder.

One thing I've noticed, if you ever need to buy extra papers to get good coupons, buy a paper from a bigger city. For example, in today's Kansas City Star (which I buy at Dillon's for $2) they had 3 inserts: P&G, Red Plum and Smart Source. Often, the coupons are the same, but the values are a little higher (example, Campbell's Chunky soups $.75/4 instead of $.50/4).

Here is a list of coupons they have that the Wichita Eagle didn't have:

RedPlum
Hostess family size snack cake $.50/1
Snausages $1.00/1
M&ms, Skittles, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, Twix or Starburst $1/2 bags
Quaker Chewey Granola Bars $.75/2
Betty Crocker Decorating Cookie Icing $1/1
Nature's Bounty Your Life Multi $2/1
Nature's Bounty Any Product $1/1
Nivea Body Wash $1/1
Nivea Face Scrub, Wash, Lotion $1/1
Nivea Revitalizing Lotion or Eye Cream $2/1
StarKist Tuna Pouch $.50/1
StarKist Tuna Pouch $1/2

Smart Source
Campbell's Cooking Soups $.40/4
Krusteaz Muffin or Crumb Cake Mix $.50/1
Krusteaz Pancake Mix $.50/1
PediaSure 6-pack $2/1
Eckrich Smoked Sausage $.55/1
Tyson box Frozen Breaded Chicken $.55/1
Tyson bag Frozen Breaded Chicken $1/1
Curel Moisturizer $1/1
Curel Itch Defense Moisturizer $2/1
Jergens Moisturizer $1/1
John Frieda Collection product $1/1
Biore Skin Preservation product $3/1
Biore any product $1/1
Ban antiperspirant-deodorant $.40/1
Ricola NEW mixed berry with Vitamin C drops FREE bag
Ocean Spray Instant Oatmeal $1/1 box
Bird's Eye Voila! $1.50/2 bags
Revlon any color cosmetic product $1/1

These higher value coupons come in very handy during K-Mart double's week!

Toys R Us & Babies R Us

I don't have anyone in diapers anymore, but I do have a sweet nephew and a local clinic that I donate to. If you are in need of diaper deals, check this out:

Pampers big box, buy 2, get $15 gift card back.

Free wipes when you buy 3 Johnson & Johnson items.

• Best deal scenario I've seen was on Hip to Save
• Buy 1 Johnson's Soap Buddies $0.99
• Buy 2 Johnson's safety swabs 2/$3Total=$3.99
• Use 3 $1/1 coupons from the 9/20RP
• Final cost $0.99 for 3 Johnson's products and a 64 ct tub of wipes!

Need diaper coupons? Scroll to bottom of page 2 here for $5 off Pampers boxes.

Not buying diapers? Use this coupon for TRU Reward Members.