Sunday Coupons

Yesterday I noticed something fun in the Smart Source. Smiths put some store & manufacturer coupons right into the insert. Gotta love that! I'm looking forward to a new Red Plum and new sale ads. This has been a slow shopping week for me but that's the benefit of being a smart shopper. Now I'm so stocked up, I can pick and choose which sales to hit while I use up what I have. I love it! I've also added more items to the shopping "rules" list in my previous post. (click HERE) I'll probably keep adding to it as I think of things or get suggestions or ideas from you. Be sure to check it out.

Pinching Your Pennies

Want to share deals or post big savings tips? Pinching Your Pennies is an AWESOME forum for doing just that! There isn't a ton of participation yet in the Nevada Forum so I thought I'd do a post to get awareness out there so we can all start using it! Basically, you just register then can share info on extra deals you find as you are out shopping. The Grocery Smarts lists are great, but if you find something extra - this is where you can post it for everyone to see!

I'm always hearing about various deals and sometimes there is just too much info for me to post on this blog. If we all share our info and start using this forum it can be a great smart shopping tool for all of us! I'm excited to see how we can help each other.

Read the guidelines for joining HERE

Link to the NEVADA forum HERE

Vons

No Red Plum yesterday?! Well, I made up for it with an AWESOME trip to Von's today! Last week they had the Kellogg's fruit snacks on sale for $1.00 a box but when I ran to get some...they were GONE. I asked for a rain check and today I went, they had plenty and I got my 8 boxes of fruit snacks for $1 each. I know that probably seems like a lot but we seriously go through those fruit snacks like crazy. Treats for play dates, school, sports, scouts and church to name a few. I also had to get in on the buy 2 get 3 free Betty Crocker deal. We have so many GM coupons right now and there are always printables for those and YES you can use a coupon on each item even if it's FREE! Woo hoo! The popcorn was BOGO and I had 2 coupons for that. So here's the breakdown:
The total value of my bill for these 20 items was $46.40 & I paid $10.95 or $0.54 each! That was so much fun. I love shopping this way. It was good to have a great trip because lately the sales have not been very exciting for me and I haven't been shopping much. Um... hello... Albertsons ...we are waiting for a killer sale! Some other good deals worth checking out at Vons this week are: Red seedless grapes $0.78lb (dang I bought them for $0.88lb on Mon) Coke or Pepsi 12 packs $2.49 each when you buy 3, Sweet California navel oranges $0.48 lb, & baby peeled carrots $0.99 a bag. Get out there and get some deals!

Big Deals at Albertsons

I'm so excited for the Albertsons promo this week...
The spend $30 get $15! It's on the back page of the sale ad and you can check out the Grocery Smarts list to see for yourself just how many 4 & 5 star deals there are. I LOVE this promo. They had one like it in November and I stocked up on so much but spent so, so, so little! I think this one is even better because there are such great items included in the sale. Not just the typical granola bars, cake mixes, frosting and cereal but seriously cool name brand items like Pampers, Cascade, Gain, Bounty and Tide!! The main thing to remember is that you have to separate your $30.00 transactions to earn more than one $15.00 voucher. You can only earn one per transaction. Just use that plastic divider bar at checkout. It may take a little more planning at home before you go but so worth it in the end. I can't wait to get there and score some great deals!

Back To Smart Shopping

Did you get your 3 inserts in the Sunday paper yesterday? That's right, 3 inserts...Yippee! Now I'm all rested after the Holidays and ready to get back to Smart Shopping. The Nestle promotion at Albertsons (ending tomorrow) has been great so if you haven't had a chance to get over there you might try and check it out. Hopefully we'll get some killer sales this week so we can dig into all our new inserts. I can't wait.

Alphabetical Coupon Index

A new feature was added to Grocery Smarts website that will help you get even MORE savings and value out of your coupons! Once you've entered the passport and are on the page with the Nevada map, look just below the website logo and you'll find a link that says "Alphabetical Coupon Index". Click on it to find a full listing of ALL current coupons that have been released in our area through the Review Journal AND the direct mail.How do you use it? It is simple... if you need or are planning to buy something that isn't on a list and you want to know if you have a coupon for it, just pull up the Index and scroll through it alphabetically until you find what you are looking for. If there is a coupon for what you are looking for, it'll tell you what the coupon value is and what week it was published! So, you need some Benadryl for a sick kiddo? If you were to check the index, you'd find: Benadryl Allergy Product, any (except trial size) $1/1 (12/28/08) RP-9/28
AWESOME, HUH? This list will be updated weekly with new coupons and expired ones will be pulled out.
CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT

8 Hour Sales

Albertsons & Smith's have 8 hour sales today. Smith's 8 hour is on the Grocery Smarts list and there are a couple of 4 & 5 star items worth checking out. I'm looking at:
Smiths dozen large eggs $0.99
Kroger semi-sweet baking chips 6 oz $0.50 (I hope the mini chips are included)
These deals are only good today from 3pm to 11pm. Albertsons 8 hour is today from 1pm to 9pm. I'm interested in:
Kellogg's cereal (corn pops, corn flakes, froot loops, raisin bran) $1.50 use $1/1 coupon corn pops or froot loops RP 11/9 = $0.50!
Tostitos Chips 2/$3.00 limit 2
Albertsons shredded cheese 3/$5.00 ($1.66 each)
So if you were planning on shopping today be sure to check out the 8 hour deals.

Watch Grocery Smarts on TV!

Great news! If you want to learn more about what Grocery Smarts is or how to use it, KVBC News 3 (local NBC affiliate, channel 3) interviewed GS Instructor Mandi and went shopping with one of her students to show how it all works. The air dates will be:
Segment 1 (Mandi's Interview): Mon Nov. 24
Morning News - 5 to 7am
Noon News - 11 to noon
Segment 2 (Shopping with Michelle): Tues Nov 25
Morning News - 5 to 7amNoon News - 11 to noon
We are really excited for you to check it out!

I Love Target

O.K. Here's my confession. I am and have always been a Target Girl. That is, I LOVE TARGET! I was thrilled in July 2008 when a new one opened near me in Henderson. This place rocks. It's huge, new, clean and...has an expanded (large) grocery section. The shopping carts alone are worth the trip. You've gotta take a little spin around the store with one. So cool! My favorite time to go there is somewhere between 8:00p.m - 10:00p.m. I head to the Food Avenue to get my REFILLABLE diet coke and start cruising, always starting at the killer dollar section. The store is quiet and almost empty...ahhh my happy place. BUT--since becoming a Smart Shopper I have spent much less time and money at Target. There are still good deals there and Target.com has printable store coupons that you can combine with Manufacturers Coupons and get serious discounts. (Especially when it's a clearance item) So I must dedicate some of this blog space to my beloved Target. I'll let you know the sale prices I'm excited about each week.