Tomorrow is the day for Oral-B replacement brush-heads...

If you have an Oral-B electric toothbrush that needs replacement heads, tomorrow (Sunday Nov. 30) is a good day to buy them. A convenient convergence of sales, deals and a coupon makes it about as good a deal as I've ever found on these.

It's at CVS of course, and here's how it works:

• A November monthly deal gives $5 ECBs when you buy Oral-B replacement brushhead 6-pack.
• This week (Nov. 30 - Dec. 6), Oral-B brushheads are on sale for 20% off.
• Coupon: $1/1 Oral-B replacement heads 3-count or higher (PG 10/12)

Only one day in November overlaps with the weekly deal, so Sunday is the day!

CVS Deals 11/27 - 11/29

Here are the Black Friday Deals:

Money Making Deals:

• Buy Colgate Total Advanced, Clean, Advanced Fresh or Whitening @ $2.99, get $2.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • $1.50/1 here
    • $1/1 from the 11/16 SS
      
      
• Buy Aussie Haircare Product @ $2.99, get $2.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 10/12 P & G
    
    
• Buy Johnson's Soft Lotion @ $5.69, get $5.69 ECBs (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 here
    
    
• Buy Bic Soliel Razor @ $5.99, get $5.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
  
  • Coupon: $3/1 from the 11/2 SS
    
    
• Buy Garnier Nutritioniste cleansing towelettes (25 ct.) @ $5.99, get $5.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupons: $1/1 from the 8/24 RP, 9/14 RP, 11/9 RP
    
    
• Buy Maybelline Foundation @ $8.99, get $8.99 ECBs (Limit 2) - this is a recycled weekly deal
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • $3/1 from the 10/26 RP
    • $2/1 from the 9/21 RP
      
      
• Buy Loreal Lipgloss @ $6.99, get $6.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 11/2 RP
    
    
• Buy Covergirl Smoothers Foundation @ $7.99, get $7.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupons: $1/1 from the 10/12 P & G, 11/2 P & G
    
    
• Buy Covergirl Smoothers Powder @ $5.99, get $5.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 10/12 P & G, 11/2 P & G

Free Deals:

• Buy Hershey's King Size Bar @ $1, get $1 ECB (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupon: BOGO from the 9/28 SS, 11/9 SS
    
    
• Buy Gatorade G2 20 oz. @ $1.49, get $1.49 ECBs (Limit 3)
  
  
• Buy Sally Hansen Max Growth @ $3.79, get $3.79 ECBs (Limit 1)
  
  
• Buy Magnovox Remote or Phillips Headphones @ $6.99, get $6.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
  
  
• Buy Playtex 16 - 18 ct. @ $3.99, get $3 ECBS (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from here

Other ECB Deals:

• Buy one of the following small kitchen appliances @ $19.99, get $10 ECBs (Limit 1, but reported to be limit 2 – check your receipt after your first purchase to see if it says “Offer limit reached”)

Offer includes:

• Rival 5 qt crock pot
• Oster 10 cup rice cooker
• Black & Decker 12 cup digital coffee maker
• Home exclusives waffle maker
• Retro-style hot air popcorn maker
• 3-in-1 grill
• Electric griddle

For more information on all the Black Friday Deals see here.

The Chipped Mug

It's Don't Throw That Away Tuesday!

When this mug chipped a couple months ago, I knew that I couldn't throw it away. It was of the first things that I ever bought for myself with my own money. As I recall, it was purchased on a late night study break run to Wal-Mart when I was in college. Ten years later, it certainly has served its purpose, but I still didn't want to throw away something that could still serve a purpose. I think it works well as a pot for these African violets ... and it kept me from making one of the impulse buys that comes the easist to me (and that I'm trying to curb) - the home improvement purchase.

More Savings at Shoppers!

Check out this incredible run to Shoppers that fellow bargain-hunter Laurie did:

She bought $194.00 worth of goods and paid only $66.00! In total, she saved over $122 in coupons. When she finished checking out, her fellow shoppers (the ones waiting in line behind her and watching as that total ticked down) gave her a round of applause!

CVS Deals Week of 11/23 - 11/29

Here are the deals so far, but don't worry, there are still plenty more for the week. Starting, Thursday, CVS will have a new batch of deals good for 3 days. Stay tuned!

Money Making Deals:

• Buy Maybelline Mineral Foundation @ $8.99, get $8.99 ECBS (Limit 2)
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • $3/1 Maybelline Foundation from the 10/26 RP
    • $2/1 from the 9/21 RP
      
      
• Buy Complete Multi Purpose Solution @ $8.99, get $8.99 ECBs (Limit 5) This was advertised as a limit of one, but the limit is actually 5 ... it seems like it's part of the December monthly deals.
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • $1/1 from the 10/26 RP
    • $2/1 from here (click on the coupon downloads link at the bottom of the page)

For more information on this week's deals see here.

My Trip to Shoppers

I did my first Shoppers trip today for their double/triple coupons promotion ... my total before coupons was $88.96... after coupons it was $11.12. Here's a breakdown of what I thought was worth buying:

Free Deals:

• Tums Smoothie @ $1.49
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 11/16 SS
    
    
• Breyer's Yo Crunch Yogurt @ $.80
  • Coupon: $1/2 from the 10/26 RP

• Starkist Gourmet Seas @ $1.67
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 9/14 RP
    
    
• Ronzoni Spaghetti @ $1.67
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 8/24 SS and the 10/5 SS
    
    
• Oikos Organic Honey Yogurt @ $2
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 10/12 SS
    

For Under a Dollar:

• Juicy Juice Harvest Suprise @ $2.89
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 9/14 RP
  $.89 after coupon
  

• 2 Lipton Tea Bags @ $1.09
  
  • Coupon: $1/2 from the 10/5 RP or the 11/16 RP
  $.18 for two after coupon

• Rubbermaid Produce Saver @ $2.20
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 11/9 SS
  $.20 after coupon
  
  
• Nivea Chapstick @ $2.39
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 10/19 RP
  $.39 after coupon
  

• Campbells V8 Soup @ $2.89
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 9/14 SS
    
  $.89 for one after coupon
  
  
• 1 Scott Extra Soft Bath Tissue 4 pack @ $2.99
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 11/16 SS
  $.99 for one after coupon
  
  
• 1 Starkist Creations Pouch @ $2.19
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 10/12 RP
  $.19 after coupon
  
  
• 4 Thai Kitchen Noodle Bowls @ $1.59
  
  • Coupon: $.50/1 from the 9/28 RP
  $.09 after coupon
  
  
• Green Giant Steamers @ $2.39
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 11/16 SS and the 10/5 GM
  $.39 after coupon
  
  
• Mazola No Stick Spray @ $2.29
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 11/9 SS
    
  $.29 after coupon
  

Other Deals:

• Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese @ $1.25
  
  • Coupon: $1/3 from the 11/2 SS
    
  $1.75 for three after coupon
  
  
• Smart Balance Peanut Butter @ $3.18
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 11/2 RP
  $1.18 after coupon
  
  
• Snyders EatSmart Veggie Chips @ $3.49
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 EatSmart all natural snacks from the 9/28 SS
  $1.49 after coupon
  
  
• Quaker Simple Harvest Granola Bars @ $3.59
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 from the 11/9 SS
  $1.59 after coupon
  

Shoppers Double/Triple Coupons starting 11/20!

For this promotion, Shoppers will be tripling coupons valued up to and including $.50 and doubling those valued between $.51 and $1.00.

So, coupon values work out as follows:

• $.25 = $.75
• $.50 = $1.50
• $.55 = $1.10
• $.75 = $1.50
• $1.00 = $2.00
• $1.25 = $1.25

Some locations are doubling/tripling for 4 days, others for the full week. Check out your store's weekly specials here.

The number of identical coupons you can use is limited to 4, but the total number of coupons is unlimited.

Discussion of this deal can be found here.

Don't throw that away!

InshaAllah, on Tuesdays, I'll try to post about something that you would ordinarily throw away, but can still be used.

Today's post is about onion skins. I knew that I wanted to knit some socks for my brother, but didn't have the orange yarn that he wanted. I did, however, have some off-white yarn and onion skins. I also wanted there to be some brown in the mix. Imagine my husband's surprise when he came home to a pot full of onion skins, tea, and yarn!

To make the dye, you boil your onion skins for about five to ten minutes. Then, let the mixture cool down to room temperature. Next, submerge your yarn and bring to a slow boil. Allow to boil for about ten minutes. Cool again before washing.

Restaurant.com Gift Certificates - $2 for $25 GC!

If you ever are tempted to try Restaurant.com, now is the time. If you use the coupon code SURPRISE from now until 11/20/2008 at checkout, you will receive 80% off your order. The normal price they charge for a $25 gift certificate, is $10. So, with 80% off, you'll be getting a $25 gift certificate for $2.

Be sure, though, to read all of the fine print on any restaurant you're interested in. Many of the restaurants have extra stipulations. Most require that you buy two entrees and go in the evening. The certificate does not cover your tip. Some require that you also have a total of $35 or $50.

My family has been using Restaurant.com for a couple years now. We've had some really good experiences and some that were not so good. Here are a few that we've tried and liked:

• Kafe Kabab in Laurel, MD (requires $35 minimum purchase)
• The Italian Market in Gambrills, MD (requires $50 minimum purchase)
  
• Fins Hawaiian Fusion in Crofton, MD
• La Tasca Spanish Tapas in Alexandria, VA (reqires $35 minimum purchase)
  

If you have an account with ebates (this is a referral link), the deal is even better, as they'll give you 15% of your purchase price back.

Do you know any that you would recommend?

CVS Deals Week of 11/16 - 11/22

This week has a few good deals, the best of which being the battery deal. If you are going to go shopping this week, I highly recommend that you get out early. With the limit being high on the batteries, I have a feeling that they will sell out relatively early.

Free Deals:

• Buy L'oreal Age Perfect Pro Calcium @ $15.99, get $15.99 ECB (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • $1/1 L'oreal Moisturizer from the 10/19 SS
    • $1/1 L'oreal Moisturizer from the 9/21 RP
    • $1/1 L'oreal Age perfect or Age Perfect Pro-Calcium Moisturizer from a teapad near the beauty departement
• Buy Zantrex-3 2 pk @ $4.99, get $4.99 ECB (Limit 1)

Other Good Deals:

• Buy $20 of Duracell Batteries @ $5.99 (AA, AAA - 8pk; C, D - 4 pk; 9V - 2 pk), get $15 ECBs (Limit 3)
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • $1.50/1 from the 10/26 RP
    • $5/2 Duracell batteries from CVS
      

CVS Battery Deal Next Week

Attention CVS Shoppers! Next week, inshaAllah, there is going to be an awesome deal on Duracell batteries:

• Buy $20 of Duracell Batteries @ $5.99 (AA, AAA - 8 pk; C, D - 4 pk; 9V - 2 pk), get $15 ECBs (Limit 3)

This is a pretty good deal on its own, but it gets even better if you have coupons. Particularly if you have the following coupons:

• $1.50/1 from the 10/26 RP
• $5/2 Duracell batteries (this is a CVS coupon, so it can be used in conjunction with manufacturer's coupons, although you can only use one of these per transaction)

So, if you are going to CVS, be on the lookout and maybe even ask about the $5/2 coupon!

More info on next week's deals is available here.

$5 off M by Staples Products

There's a good coupon out right now here for $5 off M by Staples products. It has a minimum purchase of $5 and is valid until the 21st. I found these cool looking paper clips for $4.99. The coupon reads, "Minimum purchase requirement of $5 must be met," but I didn't have a problem using the coupon even though my purchase was $.01 under the minimum (although I was also purchases some padded envelopes).

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for the heads up!

Know Someone Who Rides Metro?

Sometime last week, my husband found this coupon for $.50 off a Sunday Washington Post in the Express. Being the good coupon husband that he is, he also took the coupon out of papers left behind by his fellow passengers. I don't know if there will be any more of these in the future, but it's something to keep an eye out for. Especially since many local grocery stores will double it. This weekend, I used it on the double pack and it still worked and doubled... so 2 papers for $1!

CVS Deals Week of 11/9 - 11/15

Deal Sunday and Monday Only:

• Buy Loreal Adv. Anti-Wrinkle Serum 1 oz. @ $11.99, get $11.99 ECB (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • $1/1 from the 10/19 SS
    • $1/1 from the 9/21 RP

Free Deals for the Week:

• Buy Glaceau Smart Water 1 Liter @ $1.59, get $1.59 ECBs (Limit 1)
  

• Buy Listerine Cool Agent Blue Tinting Rinse 500 ml @ $3.99, get $3 ECB (Limit 5)
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • $1/1 from here
    • $.50/1 from the 10/5 RP
      
      
• Buy Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Cond. 10.2 oz. - 13 oz. or styler 2 - 8.5 oz. @ $2.99, get $2 ECB (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • $1/1 from the 5/4 RP
    • $1/1 from the 6/22 RP
    • $1/1 from the 9/14 RP
    • $1/1 from the 10/5 RP
    • $1/1 from the 11/9 RP
      
      
• Buy Palmolive 11 oz. @ $1.49, get $1 ECB (Limit 5)
  
  • Coupon: $1/2 from the 10/26 SS

For more information on all the weekly deals, see here.

Don't leave the refrigerator open!

One of the things I've been trying to teach my 3 year old daughter recently is not to leave the door to the refrigerator open too long. Of course, we're also trying to teach her to be more independent, so the two aren't exactly going hand in hand. Reminding her about conserving energy, though, has drawn my attention to ways that I can make our refrigerator more energy efficient. Here are some things I do:

• If I have something warm I need to put in the fridge (like leftovers or tea) I wait until it's cooled down to room temperature.
• If I'm going to use a frozen food in the near future, I let it defrost in the fridge. As the food defrosts, it's also cooling down my fridge!
• I've done the dollar bill test to make sure that the door is closing properly. If your refrigerator door can hold a dollar bill tightly when closed, then it is sealing properly
• I try to keep the freezer as full as possible and the fridge cleaned out. The freezer works more efficiently when full and the fridge works more efficiently when there is enough air for circulation around the food.
• Also, I haven't but I know I should be checking and cleaning the freezer coils.

Do you have any other tips?

A Tale of Free Yogurt

If you want some free Breyers yogurt, get yourself this coupon ... or maybe you have it already, it's the $.50/1 Breyers product from the 10/26 RP (this was not the coupon that inserts in the DC metro area had). The only place I could find this yogurt was Giant.

When I saw this post on Money Saving Mom, I was really excited about getting some free yogurt. So, I went straight to my coupons. Unfortunately, I received a $1/2 instead of the $.50/1 that other regions got. No problem. I ordered coupons off of ebay. Then, once they arrived, I realized that my usual grocery store, Safeway, does not carry Breyers yogurt. Okay, so, I went to Giant today to load up on free yogurt. I don't normally shop at Giant, but I knew that they double coupons up to $.50 and the Breyers yogurt was priced at $.80. When I checked out, though, the coupon beeped and the cashier didn't know what to do. I explained that she might have to adjust the price of the coupon down. She didn't know how to proceed, though, and called her manager to "help out". The manager looked at the coupon and said, "this is for ice cream." I explained that no, it was actually for any Breyers product as stated in the print. She replied, "What do you want me to do, give you free yogurt?" I said, "I want you to charge me the price of the coupon minus the value of my coupon." She ended up having the cashier ring me up without the coupons and then gave me a $10 bill after I checked out. I'm guessing that's not what they're supposed to do, but it worked out pretty well for me!

Harris Teeter Triple Coupons 11/6 - 11/9

Harris Teeter is tripling coupons again! They will only be tripling coupons valued at $.99 and under and will have a limit of 20 coupons per day per customer. Also, it is Harris Teeter's policy to only accept one coupon for BOGO items, they do not allow overages, and will only triple up to three identical items with manufacturer coupons (additional coupons for like item will be honored at face value).

Okay! On to the deals! These are the best deals that I'm seeing so far. These are priced for the DC metro area and the coupons are those that were available to that area as well (different areas get different coupons).

Free Deals:

• Muir Glen Tomato Paste @ $1.99
  Coupon: $.75/1 from the 10/26 SS
  
  
• Fleischmann's Yeast Packets @ $.99
  
  • Coupons:
    $.45/1 from the 10/5 SS
    $.40/1 from the 11/2 SS
    
    
• Reynolds Cut-Rite Wax Paper @ $1.50
  
  • Coupon: $.50/1 from the 10/19 SS

Other Good Deals:

• Muir Glen Soup @ $2.29
  
  • Coupon: $.75/1 from the 10/26 SS
    .04 after coupon!
    
    
• Wet Ones Wipes 40 ct. @ $2.79
  
  • Coupon: $.75/1 from the 11/2 SS
    .54 after coupon!
    
    
• Arnold 100% Natural Bread @ $1.99
  
  • Coupon: $.55/1 from the 10/12 SS
    .34 after coupon!
    

• Betty Crocker Frosting @ $1.89
  
  • $.50/1 from the 10/19 SS
    .39 after coupon!
    
    
• Sure Deodorant @ $2.59
  
  • $.75/1 from the 10/19 SS
    .34 after coupon!
    
    
• Shout Laundry Stain Remover @ $2.89
  
  • $.75/1 from the 10/5 SS
    .64 after coupon!
    
  
  
• Carnation Evaporated Milk @ $.99
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • $.50/2 from the 9/14 RP
      
    • $.50/2 from the 11/2 RP
      
    .48 after coupon!
    

There is more discussion of this promotion on Hot Coupon World here.

Election Day Freebies

Check out this post by Mommy Making Money for some voters-only freebies!

Rite Aid Deals Week of 11/2 - 11/8

Remember, when shopping at Rite Aid all deals are limit one. Also, don't forget to use your $5/$25 coupon!

Money Making Deals:

• Buy 10 Soy Joy Nutritional Bars, 1.6 oz. @ 10/$5, get $5 SCR
  
  • Coupons:
    
    • B1G1 from the 9/7 SS
    • $2/$10 from the 9/7 SS
    • $2/$10 from the 10/19 SS
    • B2G1 from the 10/19 SS

Free Deals:

• Buy GUM Toothbrushes, Value Pack (Twin Pack) @ $1.99, get $1.99 SCR

Other Good Deals:

• Buy $20 worth of Duracell Coppertop Batteries, get $10 SCR (This is a monthly deal, but batteries are 40% off this week, so this is the best week to take advantage)
  • Coupon: $1.50/1 from the 10/26 RP
    
  Scenario: Buy 7 battery packs @ $3.30 each = $23.10, Use 7 $1.50/1 coupons = -$10.50, Get $10 SCR. So, you've paid $2.60 for 7 packs. If you have a $5/$25 coupon, this will become a free deal!
  

CVS Deals Week of 11/2 - 11/8

Money Making Deals:

• Buy FreeStyle or FreeStyle Lite @ $39.99, Mail in rebate for $29.99, get $10 ECBs (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupon: up to $65/1 Freestyle Blood Glucose Monitoring System form the 5/11 SS
    
    
• Buy Crest Pro-Health Whitening Toothpaste 4.2 oz. @ $3.49, get $3.49 ECBs (Limit 1)
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 Crest Toothpaste from the 10/12 P & G
    (This seems to be another advertisement for what is actually a November Monthly Deal)
    

Free Deals:

• Buy Nova Max Blood Glucose Monitoring System @ $9.99, get $9.99 ECBs (Limit 1)

More information on these deals and coupon matchups is available here.

CVS November Monthly Deals

Money Making Deals:

• Buy Crest Pro-Health Whitening Toothpaste 4.2 oz. @ $3.49, get $3.49 ECB (Limit 2) (the limit is reported to be higher in some areas... be sure to check your receipt after you've purchased two!)
  
  • Coupon: $1/1 Crest Toothpaste from the 10/12 P & G

All the monthly deals and coupon matchups are discussed here.