novathrifty

Not much would make me brave the Saturday Fourth of July mall traffic, but this deal might do it: Yogen Fruz is offering two items for the price of one between 10AM and 2PM on July 4 at participating locations.  Free item must be of equal or lesser value.

You can find your nearest Yogen Fruz location here.  I would recommend calling ahead to make sure that your location is participating.

Fresh produce prices are getting so good it is hard to narrow them down!  Be sure to check out the circular for the full list.  Here are my favorite deals this week:

Pork Spare Ribs – $1.88/lb

Steamship Roast – $1.99/lb

Hebrew National Beef Franks – $2.49

Blueberries – 2 pints for $3

Plums, Nectarines, or Peaches – 2 lbs for $3

Apples (Braeburn, Macintosh, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Janagold, Fuji) – $.98/lb

Gold Pineapple – 2 for $5

Grapes – $1.88/lb

Grape or Cherry Tomatoes – 2 pints for $3

Also, check out the circular in the Wednesday Washington Post for coupons for 2 free boxes of Richfood Spinach with the purchase of Breakstone’s Sour Cream, and a $1 apple pie with a $30 purchase.

*Magruder’s is a locally-owned grocery store with locations in Virginia, DC, and Maryland. You can find their nearest location here.  Their weekly circular is in the Wednesday Washington Post or on their website.

I’m sure that many of you were on the edge of your seats, so I’m happy to report that my order from The Coupon Clippers arrived in the mail today!  I ordered on Wednesday and it shipped on Friday, and it arrived perfectly in order.  I’m counting myself a satisfied customer and will likely order from them again.

Of course, this means I had to make another (hopefully final) trip to Harris Teeter today to use them.  The shelves were a little bare after the weekend so several of my planned transactions were foiled.  (But did I really need any more Pert Plus?)  I still managed to get some great deals.  I’ll spare you the details and just hit the highlights:

• I stocked up on Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  The 17 oz bottles are regularly $8.39.  They were on sale for $4.99, and I paid $2.99 each after this printable doubled.  (I also get 1% back from Upromise for Berio products—every little bit helps!)
• There’s an unadvertised deal on Hillshire Farm Sausage links.  They’re on sale for $2.99, and if you buy 2, you get $2 off your order.  If you use the $1 off 2 coupon from the 6/7 Red Plum, you can get them for $.99 each.
• Harris Teeter Naturals Diced Tomatoes are on sale for $1/can.  That is a great price for organic tomatoes!

Do you have any highlights from your weekend shopping?  Please share them in the comments, and feel free to leave a link!

Need a cure for the Monday blahs?  Ben & Jerry’s is offering buy one get one free sundaes every Monday between now and the end of August.  Be sure to mention the offer when you order.

Update: It appears that some Ben & Jerry’s locations are requiring a coupon to get this deal.  I would suggest printing out the offer page on the Ben & Jerry’s website and taking it in.

Thanks Money Saving Mom.

Get 25% off tickets to this Sunday’s (7/5) game against the Atlanta Braves with coupon code E-SAVER.  The game starts at 1:35PM and you can buy tickets here.

Take this coupon to your nearest Bath & Body Works to get a FREE Antibacterial Foaming Hand Sanitizer (a $4 value) with any purchase.  It’s good through 7/5.

It has a bunch of good coupons in it:

$2 off 1 Covergirl and Olay Simply Ageless

$50 off 1 Cottonelle SoothingClean Wipes Tub

$1 off 1 Cottonelle Aloe & E

$1 off 1 Bit-o-Luv Dog Treats

$1 off 1 Covergirl product

$2 off 2 Covergirl products

There were also some great coupons in this week’s SmartSource—I updated the Super Doubles Deals post with the matchups.

I made a second run to Harris Teeter yesterday (you can see the results of my first run here), and here is what I got:

I got 23 items for a total of $11.13.  Here’s the breakdown:

Original price: $82.08

Price after sales: $54.06

Price after coupons: $11.13

Savings: 86%

Here are a couple of tips for those of you who might be planning a run this weekend:

• Plan ahead.  Harris Teeter only doubles 20 coupons per day, so have your stack of 20 ready to go before you head to the store.  It will save you a lot of time!
• Plan for contingencies.  It is inevitable that Harris Teeter will be out of something you wanted to buy.  I usually have a second stack of “backup” coupons in case one of mine doesn’t work out.
• Know the rules.  It’s a good idea to occasionally review Harris Teeter’s coupon policy so that you know what will and will not fly.  Also, if you have concerns as to whether a particular coupon will work, or will double, check with a manager at customer service before checking out.
• Be flexible, and keep a sense of humor.  Checkout never goes quite as smoothly as I hope.  The manager had to be called over three times during yesterday’s checkout to explain to the (very polite, but quite young) cashier how to key in various types of coupons.  Just accept that this is likely to happen.  Be polite, and don’t get flustered.  It will all be worth it when you see your bottom line.

You can see a complete breakdown of what I bought and the prices after the jump. Read the rest of this entry →

My husband says today’s Pearls Before Swine strip reminds him of me.

The Del Ray Music Festival takes place on Saturday June 27 from 10AM to 10PM at the Mount Vernon Recreational Center in Del Ray (directions here).  There is an eclectic lineup of music, plus food and games.  Admission is free.

If you’re heading out to do some shopping this weekend, here are a few deals to keep in mind:

Borders has yet another coupon (good through 7/2) for a free 12 oz beverage at Seattle’s Best.  And take this coupon along with you for 20% off any one item (good through 7/4).

Old Navy has shorts, swim, and tees for $5 each today through Sunday, while supplies last.  And check out Old Navy Weekly for a coupon for 15% off your purchase (click on “Get their no-sweat style . . .”).

Take this coupon to a Sephora store inside a J.C. Penny for a free 10-day sample of Bare Escentuals Matte Foundation and a baby buki brush.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the 2009 Entertainment Book Giveaway!  I really enjoyed reading all of your comments, and several of you made great suggestions that you may see implemented here in the next few months.  Congratulations to the winner, chosen at noon by Random.org:

# 27 – Lisa

She has been notified by email and will be receiving her book soon!

For everyone else, Entertainment Book has a pretty decent promotion going right now: you can get a 2009 Entertainment Book for FREE (plus $4.99 shipping) when you reserve your 2010 Entertainment Book.  Prices for the 2010 edition range from $25 to $51 (DC/NOVA’s was $30 last year).  This is not a bad deal, particularly if the new book contains $20 worth of Safeway coupons like it did this year.  (*Note: only two of these are still valid).

Thanks again for reading NovaThrifty!

If you’re new to couponing, or want to better understand how to use the grocery store deals posts, start here.  These deals are shared each week as part of the BeCentsable Grocery Gathering.

Pork Chops – $1.99/lb and Chicken Thighs – $.99/lb–Pair them with this $5 off $15 coupon to get them even cheaper.

Birds Eye Vegetables – $1
Use $1 off 3 printable
Final = $.67/ea for 3

Ragu – $2
Use $.60 off 1 coupon from 5/7 Red Plum (doubles to $1.20)
Final = $.80

Del Monte Fruit Naturals – $1
Use $1 off 2 printable (registration required)
Final = $.50/ea for 2 Read the rest of this entry →

Don’t forget to enter my Entertainment Book Giveaway—I’ll be choosing a winner tomorrow at 12PM EDT.

Here are a few free things to do this weekend:

The Smithsonian Folk Life Festival began yesterday and runs through the weekend, then again July 1-5 on the National Mall.  I have been in the past, and is definitely worth a visit.  You can check out the website for logistical information and the full schedule, and DCist has done a great job of picking out the highlights.

The McLean Central Park Summer Concert Series kicks off on Sunday at 3PM with Grammy-nominated guitarist, singer, and songwriter Bill Kirchen.

If you can deal with the heat, outdoor movie season is in high gear.  You can catch Footloose on Friday at the Rosslyn Outdoor Movie Festival; Boomerang Cartoons, The Dark Knight, and Mamma Mia! on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday respectively at Cox’s Movies Under the Moon, and Superman IV on Monday at Crystal Screen.

Know of other free (or cheap) things going on this weekend?  Please share them in the comments.

Need something to do with all those <$1 coupons that you don’t need for Harris Teeter this week?  Bloom is tripling coupons up to $.99 this week.  There’s a limit of 20 coupons per visit, per day.  You can find your nearest Bloom and check out the circular here.  You can also see a few match-ups here.

Thanks to Laura for the heads-up on this.  Check out her post to see how she saved almost 90%!

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a little preoccupied (read: obsessed) with Harris Teeter’s Super Doubles sale this week, so I think I’m going to take the week off from Safeway deals.  If you’re planning a trip to Safeway this week, check out Gina’s post at Moneywise Moms.  A few highlights:

Assorted Pork Loin Chops – $1.69/lb

Safeway Frozen Vegetables – $.99/bag

Safeway Split Chicken Breast, Drumsticks, Thigh, or Leg Quarters – $.99/lb

I’m not much of a photographer—you can see why I don’t post photos very often!  But I wanted to show you the results of my Super Doubles trip to Harris Teeter today.  Total cost for everything you see below: $17.76.

Here is the breakdown:

Original price for 37 items: $82.91

Price after sales: $59.24

Price after coupons: $17.76

Savings: 79%

A couple of notes:

• I didn’t get any overages.  Harris Teeter used to sporadically give overages, but I think they’re tightening up on this.  Coupons only doubled to the value of the item, even for full-priced items.  Not that I’m complaining—I actually think that this rule is perfectly fair.
• The Kraft Catalina deal didn’t work for me.  I bought 5 Kraft cheese items, so I should have gotten a coupon for $4 off my next purchase.  I checked with the manager, who told me that the promotion was over.  I had been under the impression that it was going on until July 12, and apparently it is working for some people.  Maybe it’s store by store?

Update 6/25: I forget to mention that on my way home I stopped in at Giant’s Alexandria Commons location which has some special sales going on this week including boneless chicken breast for $1.58/lb.  I picked up 9.5 lbs of chicken for $15.04 and paired it with this coupon, so I paid $10.04 or $1.05/lb.  This is hands-down the best price for chicken I have ever seen!  The sale ends tomorrow, so get there today if you want to stock up!

I also got 4 pints of blueberries for $5.  Blueberry cobbler anyone?

I’m sure this won’t be my last trip to Harris Teeter this week.  Have any of you made it yet?  I would love to hear how you did, and feel free to leave a link in the comments!

I generally only get one or maybe two copies of the Washington Post each Sunday.  I’ve been intrigued by the idea of purchasing coupons from a coupon clipping service for a while, and I’ve decided that Harris Teeter’s Super Doubles week is the time to try it out.  I had heard good things about The Coupon Clippers, so I decided to order a few coupons from them.

Here’s how it works: you search the website for coupons that you’re interested in purchasing.  Most are marked down significantly below the face value of the coupon, like around $.15 for a $1 off coupon.  You have to spend at total of $3 on coupons to check out, and you are charged a modest (around $.50) administrative fee plus $.44 postage.  My total cost was $4.02 for coupons with a face value of $23.50.  If they all double, they will be worth $47.  That seems like quite a bargain to me!

The big question will be whether the coupons will arrive in time for me to use them at the Harris Teeter Super Doubles sale.  My receipt said that they will ship on June 26 (Friday).  They should arrive in 2 or 3 days.  That means that if all goes well, they will arrive by Tuesday and I can spend them on a Tuesday evening trip. I’ll let you know whether it works out!

I tried to choose coupons that I will likely use anyway, in case they don’t arrive in time.  If you’re interested in trying it out for the Harris Teeter sale, you should definitely order today!  There are some good ones available, like $2 off Starbucks Ice Cream (making it $1), $1 off 2 Bumble Bee Tuna Pouches (making them $1), or $1.50 off 1 Dawn Pure Essentials (making it $.29).

UPDATE: One quick reminder: Harris Teeter’s coupon policy states that they will only double 3 coupons per like product (I’m assuming this is per day).  If you’re ordering today, you’ll likely only have 1-2 days to use them on this sale.  Keep that in mind when deciding how many of each coupon to order!

So have you tried the Coupon Clippers?  What did you think?  Am I going to get my coupons in time?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.

If you’re new to couponing, or want to better understand how to use the grocery store deals posts, start here.  These deals are shared each week as part of the BeCentsable Grocery Gathering.

I’ve been a serious couponer for about a year now, and I really think that that this week’s sales at Harris Teeter are the best I have ever seen!  Be sure to check out the Super Doubles post, and clear your calendar for a week of grocery shopping madness!

Here are the best non-Super-Doubles deals that I saw this week:

Starbucks Ice Cream – $3
Use $2 off 1 coupon from 6/21 SmartSource
Final = $1

Chex Mix – $1.44
Use $.50 off 1 coupon from 6/7 SmartSource (doubles to $1)
Final = $.94/ea for 2

Blue Diamond Almonds – $1.84
Use $.50 off 2 coupon from 5/17 SmartSource (doubles to $1)
Final = $1.34/ea for 2

Lawry’s Marinades – $1.49
Use $.50 off 1 coupon from 5/17 Red Plum (doubles to $1)
Final = $.49

Purina Dog Chow 18 lb – $7.34
Use $3.50 off 1 printable (registration required)
Final = $3.84

Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner – $1.59
Use $.50 off 1 coupon from 6/7 SmartSource (doubles to $1)
Final = $.59

Lysol Bathroom Cleaner – $2.09
Use $.50 off 1 coupon from 6/7 SmartSource (doubles to $1)
Final = $1.09

Daisy Sour Cream 16 oz – $1.67
Use $.60 off 1 coupon from 5/31 Red Plum
Final = $.47

French’s Yellow Mustard 20 oz – $2
Use $.50 off 1 coupon from 6/21 SmartSource (doubles to $1)
Final = $1

Hunt’s Ketchup – $1.50
Use $.20 off 1 coupon from 5/10 SmartSource (doubles to $.40)
Final = $1.10

Pop Secret – buy 2 get 3 free (must buy 5) at $1.26/ea
Use $.50 off 2 coupon from 6/14 SmartSource (doubles to $1)
Final = $1.06

Mars Candy Bars – buy 2 get 3 free (must buy 5) at $.39/ea
If you have 2 of the coupons from the Free Chocolate Fridays, you could get all 5 for free!

Kraft Cheese Catalina Deal: Buy 3 Kraft cheeses, get $2 off your next order; buy 4, get $3 off your next order, and buy 5, get $4 off your next order.  Kraft chunk cheese is on sale for $2, so if you buy 5, you’ll get them for $1.20 each.  UPDATE 6/24: This didn’t work for me today; I checked with the manager and she said that the Catalina deal was last week and is now over.  I had read that it was going on for at least another week.  Is it working for anyone else?

Kashi Pilaf – $.94/ea