Menu planning

One of the best tools that has helped to save money on groceries is weekly menu planning. Especially now that I am a mom, I do not have the time (or energy) to go to the grocery store several times a week. I came across this menu planning document a while back, and I love it. I use the second one pictured on the page. I like having my list and menu all together on one page. It's also nice to have the grocery items separated into categories. Before using this I would shop with a list of items only to find that I forgot to get something in the dairy section clear across the store. I was constantly back tracking. It takes some planning ahead of time, but it's nice knowing what's for dinner each night and not having to come up with something once I come home from work.
The project girl website has some other cute ideas as well.

Free photos

Walgreens is offering a deal that ends today. You can get 20 prints for free. Go here and order your pictures. You can type coupon code PRINTS20 when ordering and you'll get them free. You can order online today and pick them up in your closest store tomorrow and pay nothing. I just ordered my free prints!

Snapfish Deals of the Week

Snapfish is celebrating a 10 year birthday and are offering some good deals to go along with it. Click here to check them out.

One of the deals is 100 prints for $10 plush free shipping. These deals expire in a couple of days.

CVS Deals

After doing some reading about how to navigate my way into CVS shopping, I decided to give it a go yesterday. I looked through their ad, circled items, made a list, organized my coupons, and I was ready to go. My plan was to do one transaction buying the products that I would earn ECB'S (extra care bucks) and then do another transaction using the ECB's to buy things on sale that I had a coupon for. This ended up working out pretty well. I spent $30 out of pocket and bought $22 worth of more stuff using the ECB's I had earned and not having to pay out of pocket. In the end I still have $2 worth of ECB's to use on my next purchase. I got $52 worth of products for $30. I think next time I will do things a little differently though so I can walk out spending less. I did learn a few things from this trip: (1) Having an 11 month old that decides to make his loudest noises while in the store can stress me out and cause me to loose a little focus (2) Double check the size on the product even if the sale tag on the shelf is right below the one you picked up. This will save me time and confusion at the register.

If you are curious about how to maximize on CVS deals and how to start using their extra care bucks (money back coupons at the end of your receipt that can be used on your next purchase) click here.

coupon coding

While at the grocery store the other day I learned some good info that I would like to pass along. The guy checking out my groceries, helped me understand a few things about the coding on the bar code of coupons. Here's a rundown of what he told me. If the first number at the front of the barcode is a 5, it will double or triple even though the coupon may say "do not double or triple." If that number is a 9, it will not. In the picture you can see I have circled the five, so I know this will double. In the second grouping of numbers, if the second number is a 0 you can use it on any variety of the brand listed, not just the stated flavors or size. In the picture I have underlined the number. It is a 3 so it is only good for what is stated on the coupon. Hope this helps you some. I was very thankful to the guy for sharing these tidbits with me.

Stoneyfield yogurt coupons

I'm a big fan of Stoneyfield's organic yogurts, but was kind of sad that I rarely see coupons for them. I however didn't think to look on their web site. Luckily, there are people smarter than I am :) Saw this on Money Saving Mom. You can register on the stoneyfield website and are able to print coupons once per month. However, I noticed that they must be redeemed within 10 days of printing them. While on their website I also found this deal. When you buy 4 specially marked yo-baby products and enter the codes in on the website, you get a free Leap Frog book. So, if you are already buying the products, why not get something free?

Restaurant Deals

If you live in the Raleigh area, there's a good site that offers 1/2 off restaurant certificates. They have many good local restaurants like Bogarts, Michael Dean's, Lucky 32, NOFO, Ruckus pizza, and many more. They have a limited supply of each, and they do sell out quickly. They usually replenish their supply near the start of the month, but I've found, I just have to check frequently. They are usually in quantities of $25 (you pay $13.50) or $50 (you pay $25). It's a great place to check out if you are wanting to try a new place and score some savings while you are at it. They also have other certificates for spas, golf, etc. Check it all out here on zspotlight. If you are not in Raleigh, they also have several other NC locations as well as Myrtle Beach.