This week we should find 2 coupon inserts in our Sunday newspaper:  1 SmartSource and 1 RedPlum.

Below is a preview of what we may find in each insert.  Keep in mind, coupon values do vary by region.

• Arm & Hammer $.75/2 laundry products (4/1/13)
• Barista Prima Coffeehouse $1.75/1 12ct K-Cup packs (3/10/13)
• Bausch+Lomb $3/1 Ocuvite product (4/30/13)
• Buitoni $1/1 refrigerated pasta or sauce (5/30/13)
• Campbell’s $.40/2 condensed soups excluding chicken noodle, tomato and Great for Cooking varieties (4/15/13)
• Campbell’s $.40/4 condensed chicken noodle and tomato soups (4/15/13)
• Campbell’s $.50/2 100% Natural soup (4/15/13)
• Classico $1/3 pizza or pasta sauces (3/31/13)
• Colgate $.50/1 4oz+ toothpaste (3/2/13)
• Compoz/Sominex/Nytol $.35/1 product (3/29/13)
• Ecotrin $1/1 product (3/29/13)
• Edge $1/1 7oz+ shave gel (3/24/13)
• French’s $.50/1 cheddar french fried onions (4/14/13)
• French’s $.50/1 French fried onions (4/14/13)
• Glade $.55/1 Premium room spray 9.7oz or Expressions fragrance mist starter kit (3/16/13)
• Glade $1.50/2 4oz jar candles (3/16/13)
• Glade $1/1 PlugIns Scented Oil twin refill or 2 single refills (3/16/13)
• Glade $1/1 PlugIns Scented Oil warmer (3/16/13)
• Glade $1/1 Scented Oil Candles holder or 2 refills (3/16/13)
• Glade $1/1 Sense & Spray twin refill or 2 single refills (3/16/13)
• Glade $1/2 automatic spray refills (3/16/13)
• Golden Grain Free Hidden Veggie package up to $1.99 wyb any Golden Grain product (3/2/13)
• Green Giant $.50/1 Seasoned Steamers (4/6/13)
• Hormel $1/1 Always Tender flavored meat (4/8/13)
• Hormel $1/1 Compleats microwave meal (4/8/13)
• Hormel $1/1 Country Crock side dish (4/8/13)
• Hormel $1/1 refrigerated entree (4/8/13)
• Hormel $1/1 Sandwich Makers product (4/8/13)
• iD Gum $1/2 packs (3/24/13)
• Jergens $1.50/1 Crema Collection product (3/2/13)
• Jergens $1/1 8oz+ moisturizer (3/2/13)
• John Frieda $3/2 products excluding 1.5oz or smaller, Precision Foam Colour, brushes and appliances (4/10/13)
• Johnsonville $1/1 fresh Italian sausage (3/31/13)
• Johnsonville $1/1 premium cooking sausage (4/1/13)
• Kleenex $.50/3 50ct+ or 1 bundle pack ets (3/23/13)
• Kraft $1/2 Homestyle macaroni & cheese 3.6-12.6oz (3/10/13)
• Lloyd’s $1/1 barbeque product (4/8/13)
• Maruchan $.50/1 bowl or Yakisoba (5/31/13)
• Mitchum $1/1 men or women product excludes trial and multipacks (3/17/13)
• NasalCrom $1/1 product (3/29/13)
• Olay $1/2 Simply body washes or bar soaps ets (3/31/13)
• Oreo $1/1 10.5oz+ package (3/22/13)
• Percogesic/Stanback $.35/1 product, 24ct+ on Stanback (3/29/13)
• Philadelphia $.75/1 cooking creme (3/16/13)
• Pillsbury $.40/2 crescent dinner rolls excludes twin pack (5/4/13)
• Playtex $1/1 Fresh+Sexy wipes (3/24/13) (2 coupons)
• Pledge B1G1 free multi-surface product up to $4.90 (3/23/13)
• Plus White $2/1 product (3/31/13)
• POISE $3/1 roll-on cooling gel, body cooling towelettes, personal lubricant, panty fresheners or feminine wash ets (3/23/13)
• POM Wonderful $.50/1 8, 16, 24 or 48oz bottle (3/12/13)
• Precious Galbani $1/1 cheese dnd (5/31/13)
• PUR $3/1 pitcher or dispenser (5/31/13)
• PUR $5/1 faucet mount system (5/31/13)
• Purina $1/1 6oz Beggin (4/10/13)
• Purina $1/1 9oz or smaller Busy (5/10/13)
• Purina $1/1 Baked Delights dog snacks (5/10/13)
• Purina $2/1 12oz+ Busy (5/10/13)
• Purina $2/1 25oz+ Beggin (5/10/13)
• Purina $2/1 Beneful dog food bag (5/10/13)
• Purina $2/2 multipacks Beneful Tuscan Style Medley, Romana Style Medley or Mediterranean Style Medley (5/10/13)
• Purina $3/6 tubs or 1 6ct variety pack Beneful Prepared Meals dog food (5/10/13)
• Rhodes $1/2 bread or rolls (3/31/13)
• Schick $2/1 Quattro for women razor or refill (3/23/13)
• Schick $4/1 Hydro 5 or Hydro Silk disposables pack (3/24/13)
• Schick $5/2 Hydro 5 or Hydro Silk razors or refills (3/24/13)
• SeaPak $.75/1 product (3/24/13)
• SeaPak $1/1 shrimp spring rolls (3/24/13)
• Smart Balance $1/1 spreadable butter or blended butter sticks (3/27/13)
• Smart Balance $1/2 buttery spreads (3/27/13)
• So Delicious $1/1 dairy free product (5/10/13)
• South Beach Diet $1/1 Good To Go bars (4/30/13)
• South Beach Diet $1/1 snack bars or Sweet Delights (4/30/13)
• South Beach Diet $2/1 smoothies 4pk, meal bars or ReadyMeals (4/30/13)
• Spam $1/2 12oz products (4/8/13)
• Starbucks $1.50/1 11oz+ coffee bag (4/10/13)
• Starbucks $1/1 5ct+ VIA Ready Brew (3/15/13)
• Starbucks $3/2 5ct+ VIA Ready Brew (4/15/13)
• Triaminic $1/1 product (3/31/13)
• Triaminic $3/2 products (3/31/13)
• Trojan $1/1 10ct+ condom product (5/12/13)
• Trojan $1/1 Vibrations product (5/12/13)
• Yoplait $.75/2 Go-GURT, Kids Cup or Trix multipack yogurt (4/6/13)
• Zantac $2/1 24ct or 30ct product (3/10/13)
• Zantac $5/1 50ct+ product (3/10/13)

• Advil $1/1 Children’s product (3/31/13)
• Advil $1/1 Congestion Relief, Allergy & Congestion Relief, Cold & Sinus or Allergy Sinus product (5/12/13)
• Advil $3/1 Congestion Relief, Allergy & Congestion Relief, Cold & Sinus or Allergy Sinus product (2/24/13)
• Crest $7/1 3D White Intensive Professional Effects 7ct, Professional Effects 20ct, 2 Hour Express 4ct or Advanced Vivid 14ct ets (3/31/13)
• Dimetapp $1/1 Children’s product (4/6/13)
• Ecsemin $1/1 cream (4/30/13)
• Emergen-C $1/1 10ct or 30ct drink mix (3/31/13)
• Eucerin $1/1 Aquaphor .35-14oz skin care, lip care or baby care product (3/5/13)
• Eucerin $2/1 2-16.9oz product (3/15/13)
• got2b $2/1 full size item (3/17/13)
• L’Oreal $2/1 Preference shade (4/6/13)
• Nivea $2/1 12-16.9oz for men body wash, shower gel or lathering body scrub (2/24/13)
• Nivea $2/1 2-16.9oz body lotion, Q10 serum, gel, firming, sun-kissed or for men body lotion (3/5/13)
• Nivea $3/2 lip care products .59oz tin, .17oz stick or .3oz tube (3/5/13)
• Nivea Buy for men face care product (post-shave balm, face wash or moisturizer), get 1 shave gel or foam free up to $2.99 (3/5/13)
• Olay $3/2 Complete facial moisturizers, daily facials, fresh effects or cleansers excludes Pro-X, Regenerist, Total Effects or Age Defying Series and trial (3/31/13)
• Osteo Bi-Flex $3/1 30-60ct (3/27/13)
• Osteo Bi-Flex $5/1 70ct+ (3/27/13)
• Paseo/Fiora $.50/1 bath tissue excluding single roll (3/31/13)
• Paseo/Fiora $1/1 12 roll bath tissue or 8 roll paper towel (3/31/13)
• Prosacea/Psoriasin $1/1 gel (4/30/13)
• Purina $.50/1 3.15lb+ Friskies Rise & Shine dry cat food bag or 6 Friskies Rise & Shine wet cat food cans (6/24/13)
• Purina $.50/6 Friskies Plus cat food cans (5/10/13)
• Purina $1.50/3 3.15lb+ Friskies dry cat food bags (5/10/13)
• Purina $1/2 cat treats (5/10/13)
• Scope $1/1 750mL+ mouthwash or 4ct singles pack ets (3/31/13)
• Sundown Naturals $1/1 product (3/12/13)
• Venus $4/1 6ct or 8ct refill pack ets (3/31/13)
• Venus & Olay $4/2 3ct refill packs ets (3/31/13)
• Wet n Wild $1/1 product (2/23/13)

Please see my disclosure policy.

From February 6 to February 19, Fry’s is offering 4x the Fuel Points on every RESTAURANT gift card purchased.  If you are planning a date night or dinner out, pick up a gift card and get the extra gas reward savings!

Please see my disclosure policy.

Reminder – Today is the last day to vote…

Vote Heads or Tails and you may just win a Free Papa John’s Pizza.  Vote in the Papa John’s Super Bowl XLVII Coin Toss Experience before February 2 @ 11:59 p.m. PST.  If you call it right, you will win a FREE large 1-topping pizza.

Please see my disclosure policy.

Zaycon Foods is currently taking orders for their CarveMaster Old Fashioned Hams and Premium Pork Sausage Links.

The CarveMaster Old Fashioned Hams are fresh (not frozen) and each 22 lb. order contains two individually vacuum sealed hams per case.

• Made from fresh outside muscle only Precooked and slow smoked with real apple wood
• Approved as LEAN by the USDA
• Completely boneless for easier carving
• Freshness guaranteed for up to 100 days
• Available for ordering NOW in: TN, NC, GA, SC, FL, AL, MS, VA, OH, KY, IN, IL, MI, KS, MO, OK, AR, LA, TX, AZ, CA, WI, NV, WY, IA, WA, OR, NE, ID, WV, UT, MN & CO.

The Premium Pork Sausage Links come frozen and each order contains two 10 lb. boxes of 1 oz. links.

• The best trim (loin, ham, belly)
• Fresh – “Today’s trim is today’s sausage.”
• 100% natural spice blend
• Available for ordering NOW in: TN, NC, GA, SC, FL, AL, MS, VA, OH, KY, IN, IL, MI, KS, MO, OK, AR, LA, TX, AZ, CA, WI, NV, WY, IA, WA, OR, NE, ID, WV, UT, MN & CO.

It looks like they are also taking orders for:  Alaskan Cod Fillets, Sockeye Salmon, and Premium Catfish

I have purchased from Zaycon many times and have always been impressed with the quality.  If you are unfamiliar with the process of ordering from Zaycon Foods, it is pretty simple:

• Once you sign up, look for the event you are interested in, you will select a pick up location that is convenient for you.
• You will pay for your order at this time.
• Be sure to print out your receipt and hold on to it.
• The day before your pickup they will send you a reminder email.
• The day of your pick up event, simply take your receipt and show up during the pickup times (generally a 2 to 3 hour window of time).
• You won’t even need to get out of your vehicle.
• Once they confirm your order, they will ask you where you want the box put (backseat, trunk, etc) and you are on your way!

Please see my disclosure policy.

There are several days each year in which entrance fees are waved at the National Parks, and Monday is one of those days!

Other fee-free days are:

• April 22-26 – five days during National Park Week
• August 25 – National Park Service Birthday
• September 28 –  National Public Lands Day
• November 9-11 – Veterans Day weekend

For more information, check out the National Park Services site.

Note:  Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

Please see my disclosure policy.

Don’t forget, postage rates increase January 27.  A first class stamp will increase to $0.46.  Now is a good time to get some Forever Stamps to avoid paying the extra price.  For more information on upcoming price increases, go HERE.

Please see my disclosure policy.

If you find yourself at Target, look for the Green Apple Chapstick.  It is $0.68 and can actually be a moneymaker with the current Ibotta offer.  Once you purchase the Chapstick, submit your receipt to Ibotta and earn $1.

Remember, if you have not yet signed up for Ibotta, the $5 sign up offer for new users ends Friday 1/11.  If you would like to read more about Ibotta, you can view my previous post HERE.

Please see my disclosure policy.

This weekend it looks like there may be as many as 6 inserts in the newspaper:

• (2) Redplum
• (3) Smartsource
• (1) Target Johson & Johnson (this one may be regional)

Please see my disclosure policy.

I have heard people say, “Oh, it’s too much trouble to use coupons.”  Or, “It’s just not worth it.”  Really?  Since the beginning of the year, I have been keeping track of how much money we have saved using coupons and coupon codes.  My Year to Date savings is $6,167.34  My rule of thumb was, if I had to go to some extra effort to save money, such as clipping a coupon or hunting down a coupon code when shopping online, I notated the savings.  In my opinion, that kind of savings is definately worth the effort!

Please see my disclosure policy.

As the New Year starts, many people are setting goals, and some of those goals are financial.  While I am not a financial adviser, I want to share some of the things that have worked for me and my family.

I am getting a very tired of hearing about how horrible it is to use credit cards. I don’t know how many times I’ve read that if you want to live debt-free you should get rid of your credit cards. Here is my unsolicited opinion….use credit wisely. Yes, we use our credit cards and get bills in the mail each month, BUT we pay those bills off in full each month. We use our cards to their fullest advantage. Each of the cards we use has some type of reward associated with it.

Years ago, I had a Barnes and Noble credit card. I earned certificates to get free merchandise at the bookstore. Given how much I love to read, this was right up my alley. Well, they decided to discontinue the program. I stumbled onto Chase and their Amazon.com Rewards credit card. At the time, I knew Amazon sold books, so that was a good incentive for me to apply. Since then I have acquired hundreds of dollars of merchandise from Amazon at no out of pocket expense. I use this card for almost everything. The catch is, I pay off the entire balance each and every month. Yes, the credit card companies probably hate me because they are paying out roughly $20 in reward money each month and they are not getting any interest out of me, but I don’t care.

A few months ago, I shopped for my daughter’s birthday gift. I found the bike on Amazon for $80. I checked again, the price and it was $65 (+ shipping). I checked my credit card rewards and I had $20+ in Amazon reward points available, plus $5 in a gift certificate. By the time I was done, I bought a bike for my daughter that could have cost us $80, but instead it was only $45 out of pocket.

Our Fry’s (Kroger) stores have advertised their branded credit cards for awhile. I gave it a lot of thought before deciding to apply. Since I shop at Fry’s weekly, and I can get additional grocery and fuel savings, I decided to go for it.  I only use this card for my trips to Fry’s and the fuel center, but the points add up. When I reach a certain number of points, they send me a $5 check to use in store toward purchases.  Why would I turn down free groceries? Like the Amazon card, I pay off the balance each month.

Target is another place I find myself each week. I was reluctant to get a Red Card because it would mean I would earn fewer Amazon reward points. However, doing the math, the additional 5% off each purchase made with the Red Card is more beneficial.

I’ve heard people brag about not owing anyone because they don’t have a single credit card in their name. That is wonderful. I certainly don’t suggest taking on mountains of debt. These same people then complain because when they do need credit (for a car loan or home loan) they have trouble because they don’t have a strong credit score.

My suggestion is live within your means. Only purchase things you can afford. Find a credit card with a reward that will benefit you. You don’t need to get rid of all of your credit cards, you just have to learn to use them wisely!

Please see my disclosure policy.