Hiatus

Hi there,

After a lot of consideration, I'm going to be taking a break from this blog. I've been neglecting it lately and it just hasn't felt fun. I'm working on simplifying my life and realized that for now, having this half-neglected blog hanging over my head has become clutter. So I'm giving myself a break from it to see how that feels. Thanks for reading ~ I really appreciate it. For the best local penny-pinchin' blogs, visit the hilarious and unflinchingly honest broke207 and the dedicated, ever-frugal moneysavingmaineiac. Both are lovely.

Hugs and pennies,
Lynn

Good Deal on Clif Kid Z Bars

Noticed that the organic Clif Kid Z Bars at the Portland Whole Foods are priced at $.69 each. Use the $.50 off from the August/September Whole Deal or here for a cheap treat.

Add it up...

I decided to add up all my receipts from 2010 thus far and see exactly how much I've been able to save by being more frugal. This is an imperfect science as there's no way to figure out how much I've saved by shopping grocery store sales-- since not all the grocery stores give us that lovely "you saved" section like Shaw's does. But I can figure out how much I saved using coupons. And figure it out I did.

I took the giant, messy mound of receipts sitting on my desk and added it all up. Here's the data:

$947.80 saved with coupons on groceries & household items (Shaw's, Hannaford, Whole Foods, Rite-Aid, and Babies R Us (baby wipes))

Not bad! Especially considering it's still July and you know there's a margin for error as I'm not too organized and there are bound to be random receipts hanging out under the mud mats in my car, random coat pockets and other places. And $302.25 of those coupon savings were at Whole Foods. Likey. And like I said, that's not counting $ saved shopping sales or $ saved on non-grocery/household items.

How about you-- do you know how much you've saved?

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 7/28 to 8/3

To see all of this week's advertised sales at the Portland Whole Foods, click here.

• Avocado, 5 for $5
• Organic white nectarines, $1.99 each
• Tazo Iced Tea, 5 for $5, use $.50 off here
• Annie's Natural salad dressings, $3.99. Use $.75 off from May/June/July Whole Deal and $.75 off from 2010 Annie's calendar
• Back to Nature chocolate delight granola, 2 for $7. Use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts coupon book
• Nature's Path chocolate chip granola bars, 2 for $3. Use $1.50 off 2 from May/June/July Whole Deal
• So Delicious Coconut milk creamer, 2 for $4, use $1 off here
• Boca Burger Original Vegan, 2 for $7. Use $1 off 2 from 6/20 Smart Source insert
• Michael Angelo's Baked Eggplant Parmesan, 2 for $7. Use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts coupon book

Alexia Foods coupon

Got a nice new $1 off coupon from BzzzAgent on any Alexia frozen product. I haven't actually tried these yet but I always look at their sweet potato fries... anyone like these products?

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 7/21 to 7/28

To see all of this week's advertised sales at the Portland Whole Foods, click here.

• Organic bunched carrots, $.99 each


• Organic Braeburn apples, $1.79/lb.


• Organic Red Italian onions, $.99/lb.


• Stonyfield Farms nonfat yogurt, 10 for $5, use $.50 off 3 yogurts here


• Ben & Jerry's ice cream, 2 for $7, use $1 off from May/June/July Whole Deal


• Food Should Taste Good sweet potato chips, use $1 off 1 or $1.50 off 2 from 5/23 Smart Source


• Seeds of Change organic tiki masala sauce, 2 for $6, use $1 off here
• Blue Diamond Almond Milk, original unsweetened, $1.99. Use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts booklet, or from 5-23 Smart Source, $.50 off here , or $.55 off here
• Kiss My Face Liquid Hand Soaps, $4, use $1 off here

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 7/14 to 7/20

I know, I've been a total blog slacker lately. Maybe it's the swampy heat, or the teething toddler, or some sort of celestial interference (moon in Uranus?). In any case, here are this week's Whole Foods sales/coupon goodies. To see all of this week's advertised sales for the Portland store, click here.

• Olympus Greek Yogurt, 4 for $5
• Boneless Sirloin Steak, $6.99/lb.
• Cantalope, 2 for $4
• Organic Figs, 2 for $6
• Organic Pink Lady Apples, $1.79/lb.
• Annie's Natural Salad Dressings, 2 for $5, use $.75 off from 2010 Annie's Calendar and $.75 off from May/June/July Whole Deal (Good deal alert!)
• R.W. Knudsen Black Cherry Juice, 2 for $6, use $.75 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts book
• Food Should Taste Good Tortilla or Sweet Potato Chips, 2 for $4, use $1 off 1 or $1.50 off 2 from 5/23 Smart Source insert
• Seeds of Change Organic Tiki Masala Sauce, 2 for $6, use $1 off here
• Blue Diamond Almond Milk Original Unsweetened 32 oz., $1.99, use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts book or here (goes right to printer) or 5/23 Smart Source insert
• Kiss My Face Liquid Hand Soaps, 2 for $8, use $1 off here
  

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 7/5 to 7/13

To see all of the advertised sales this week at the Portland store, click here.

• In-store made Chicken Kabobs, $4.99/lb.
• In-store made Salmon Kabobs, $9.99/lb.
• Organic Yellow Peaches, $2.49/lb.
• Stonyfield Organic Lowfat Yogurt, 10 6 oz. for $5, use $.50 off 3 here
• Snikiddy Snacks Baked Fries, 2 for $4, use $1 off here
• Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk Cookies, 2 for $6, use $1 off from Mambo Sprouts Spring coupon book
• Honest Tea Organic Kids Berry Good Lemonade, 2 for $7, use $.75 off coupon here
• Nature's Path Organic Chocolate Chip Granola Bar, 2 for $6, use $1.50 off 2 from May/June/July Whole Deal
• Soy Delicious Creamer Coconut Milk, $1.79, use $1 off here
• Kiss My Face Liquid Rock Deodorant, 2 for $9, use $1 off here

Frugal F&$!-up

It's been awhile, both since I've posted at all, but especially since I've shared any assinine financial mistakes with you. Well, this isn't a huge one, but it seems that I've surpassed my grocery budget every single week of June. What's up with that? Well, a few things:

• Trying to hit that sweet Neutrogena rebate vortex that recently occured at both Rite-Aid and Neutrogena
• A bunch of personal crap conspired and left me with a little attitude -- "eff the grocery budget! Just eff it!"
• The hubster got a grill. So we've been getting stuff to cook on said grill, which is awesome. However, it does mean that he is eating less Clif bars (purchased at Whole Foods with stacked coupons, baby) over the sink for dinner and more pricey flesh o' the cow.
• My kiddo is eating more. I know, blame it on the baby.

It's not the end of the world, and those are mostly legitimate reasons. But it doesn't feel great to this perfectionist. So July, you sweet blank slate, I'm going to try to stick to the budget...

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 6/23 to 7/4

To see all of this week's advertised sales at the Portland store, click here. It looks like this week's specials are mostly the same as last week's:

• Bread & Circus Bakehouse Organic Burger Buns, 8-pack for $1.50
• 85% Lean Beef Burgers, 10 for $10
• Veggie Burgers, 5 for $10
• Conventionally Grown Mangoes, $1/each
• Organic Peeled Baby Carrots, 2 lbs . for $2.99
• Bear Naked Granola, $3.99. Use $1 off from Whole Deal or here and $1 off from June Hannaford Organic & Natural booklet
• Chobani Greek Yogurt, 1 for $1, use buy 2 get 1 free here
• Honest Kids Organic Juice Boxes, 2 for $7, use $.75 off here
• Honest Tea Organic Kids Berry Good Lemonade, 2 for $7, use coupon here
• Kiss My Face SPF 30 Sunspray Lotion, $10.49, use $1 off here
• Happy Baby Yogurt Melts, $2.69, use coupons from Recyclebank (have to accrue points and have coupon mailed to you)
• Nature's Path Organic Chocolate Chip Granola Bar, 2 for $6, use $1.50 off 2 from May/June/July Whole Deal or here
• Soy Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer, $1.79, use $1 off here
• Kiss My Face Moisture Shaves, $6.49, use $1 off here
• Kiss My Face Olive Oil Bar Soaps, 2 for $6.50, use $1 off here
• Bach Rescue Remedy $14.99, use $2 off from Mambo Sprouts or $1 off from May Hannaford Organic & Natural book
• Spectrum Ground Flax Seed, 2 for $9, use $3 off here

More So Delicious/Purely Decadent coconut milk ice cream...

Happened to notice today that the Portland Back Bay Hannaford had the Purely Decadent coconut milk mint chocolate chip was on "close out" sale for $1 and change-- use this coupon to pick it up for super cheap. I haven't tried this flavor before but I'm betting it's worth the few dimes that you can get it for...

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 6/14 to 6/22

To check out all of this week's advertised sales at the Portland Whole Foods, click here.

• Mangoes, $1/each
• Organic Baby Brocolli, $1.99 each
• Organic Lettuce from Vermont/Massachusetts, 2 for $3
• Honest Tea Iced Tea, 64 oz., 2 for $5, use $.75 off 1 here
• R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Pear Juice, 2 for $6, use $.75 off spring Mambo Sprouts book
• Food Should taste Good Cheddar Tortilla Chips, 2 for $4. Use $1 off 1 or $1.50 off 2 from 5/23 Smart Source insert
• Annie's HomeGrown Bunny Fruit Snack, Organic Berry, 2 for $7, use $1 off from 2010 Annie's calendar
• Nature's Path Organic Chocolate Chip Granola Bar, 2 for $6, use $1.50 off 2 from May/June July Whole Deal or here
• Kiss My Face Moisture Shaves, $6.49, use $1 off here
• Kiss My Face Olive Bar Soaps, 2 for $6.50, use $1 off here
• Bach Rescue Remedy, $14.99, use $2 off here or $1 off from May Hannaford Organic & Natural book
• Spectrum Ground Flax Seed, 2 for $9, use $3 off here

Cheapness paying it forward...

I love stories like this.... every once in awhile you'll hear a story about a frugal priest or an old lady who skimps and lives on very little in order to leave something behind after they're gone. What motivates you to cheap it up?

Good Deal on Purely Decadent Coconut Milk "ice cream"

Happened upon a tasty deal at the Portland Riverton Hannaford (aka "Bad Hannaford") today. They had So Delicious Coconut milk coconut flavored (the vanilla and chocolate mint weren't priced as low) ice cream-- which is dairy free, soy free and gluten free-- and frickin' delicious!!!-- for $2.15. With one of these little sugars it was $1.15. Sinful. Not sure why it was so cheap there-- it usually is about $5 at Whole Foods.

Also noticed several items in the healthy/organic freezer section that were "priced to clear out." I got a box of Cascadian Farms organic winter squash that was marked down to $1.50-- with one of their coupons here or at coupons.com or bettycrocker.com it was $.50. They had a few other ice creams and an Earth's Best frozen mac & cheese meal that were also "priced to clear." Anyone found these at other Hannafords, or was it just this one?

Hot Hot Hot Neutrogena Rebates

You know I love the rebates. Just found this one for $10 back from Neutrogena when you spend $30 on their "facial moisturizers and/or facial treatments" between now and July 4th. And it doesn't say "Void in Maine." Rite Aid also has a rebate going on that includes Neutrogena Skin Care--spend $25 and get a $10 Rite Aid gift card, or spend $50 and get a $25 gift card. My brain is too excited to do the math but you could get some great deals by combining these two rebates. In addition there are coupons at Neutrogena AND coupons on some Neutrogena products in this week's Rite Aid flyer-- the Rite Aid coupons can be stacked with the Neutrogena coupons, as well as that sweet little $5 off $20 from watchin' your Rite Aid Video Values. The hubster uses a lot of Neutrogena products so we'll be stockin' up.

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 6/9 to 6/13

To see all of this week's advertised sales at the Portland Whole Foods, click here.

• Conventionally Grown Peaches, $.99/lb.
• Organic Bunched Carrots, $1.99
• Organic Packham Pears, $1.49/lb.
• Cedar's Organic Hummus, 2 for $4
• Blue Diamond Almond Milk, $2.69 for 64 oz. Use $1 off from 5/23 Smart Source, Spring Mambo Sprouts coupon book, or here
• Olave Organic Olive Oil, $7.99-- 50% off
• Cascadian Farms Cereal Multigrain Squares (and most of their other cereals and granola bars as well), 2 for $7. Use $1 off from May/June/July Whole Deal or here and $1 off from coupons.com, cascadianfarm.com or bettycrocker.com making these $1.50 per box
• Nature's Path Organic Flaxplus Waffles, 2 for $5. Use $1 off from May/June/July Whole Deal.
• Earth's Best Kids Baked Chicken Nuggets, 2 for $7. Use $1 off here
• Seventh Generation Auto Dish Powder Free & Clear, $3.99, use $1 off here or from April Hannaford Organic & Natural boook
• Terra Chips, 2 for $5. Use $1 off from 3/28 Smart Source insert
• Odwalla Super Protein Nutri Juice, 2 for $5, use $1 off 2 here
• Knudsen Pear Juice, 2 for $6, use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts
• Bach Rescue Remedy, $14.99. Use $2 off from Mambo Sprouts or $1 off from May Hannaford Organic & Natural
• Think Thin Bars, 2 for $3. Use $.50 off from May/June/July Whole Deal and stack it with $.50 off here

Good Deal on Cascadian Farms

Noticed a good deal on Cascadian Farms Cereals this morning at Whole Foods. Most of the cereals are on sale for $3.50/box. Use the $1 off coupon from the May/June/July Whole Deal or here, and stack that little lady with the $1 off from Cascadian Farms, or here, or here. I usually just get the Whole Foods 365 O's for my kiddo, but at $1.50 the Cascadian Farms win out! They're on sale for another week. Likey! It looked like most of the Cascadian Farms granola bars are on sale too, so if that's you're thing, the same deal works.

Holy Crocker!

I was surprised to check the Betty Crocker coupons-- usually they are just for, well, Betty Crocker items. But right now, they have Cascadian Farms, Muir Glen, Ben & Jerrys (combine it with the Whole Foods q for extra savin') Huggies, and a ton of other coupons. Check it out here.

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 6/2 to 6/8

To see all of the Portland store's advertised sales this week, click here.

• Stonyfield Farm 6oz. Yogurt, 10 for $5. Go here for $.50 off 3.
• Odwalla Bars, $1 each.
• Tazo Iced Tea, 5 for $5. Use $.50 off coupon from May/June/July Whole Deal or here.
• Fage Greek Yogurt, 3 for $4. Use $.50 off coupon here.
• Cascadian Farms Cereal Multigrain Squares. Use $1 off from May/June/July Whole Deal or here, and $1 off from www.coupons.com.
• Seventh Generation Auto Dish Powder Free & Clear, $3.99. Use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts coupon book or here.
• Terra Chips Sweets & Beets, 2 for $5. Use $1 off from 3-28 Smart Source.
• Odwalla Super Protein Nutri Juice, 2 for $5. Use $1 off 2 here.
• Nature's Path Waffles Organic Flaxplus, 2 for $5. Use $1.50 off 2 from May/June/July Whole Deal.
• Bach Rescue Remedy, $14.99. Use $2 off 1 from mambosprouts.com $1 off 1 from May Hannaford's Organic & Natural magazine.
• Think Think Bars, 2 for $3. Use $.50 off from May/June/July Whole deal and $.50 off here.

Oikos coupon

The new June issue of Organic & Natural is out at Hannaford. There are only two coupons but they are decent ones:

• $1 off any Bear Naked 12 oz. Granola
• $1 off any 5.3 oz cup, 16 oz cup or 4oz 4-pack of Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt

The Oikos coupon is especially nice as they tend to go on sale regularly at Whole Foods and Shaws.

Kisses

At Shaws (Westbrook) this morning I happened to notice they had a bunch of Kiss My Face products marked down to 50% off in the little clearance area in the back with the day old bread. There's a nice little $1.50 off Kiss My Face products on coupons.com. The coupon does say something about the products being available at Walmart, so Shaws may or may not take it.

I also got a $2 off my purchase of $10 or more from the freezer section-- I think I got this because I got the husband a California Pizza Kitchen pizza. Likey!

Trashy

The other day at Rite Aid I noticed a little sign announcing the City of Portland trash bags would be going up in price from $7.5o for a roll to $10. If my math isn't failing me, this is a 33% increase, right? I believe this will be effective July 1st. In anticipation of shrewd shoppers hoardin' up on the $7.50 rolls, stores are limiting purchases to 2 rolls per transaction. So you might keep this in mind on your next several shopping trips. To make your dirty dollars go further, you might use the ever-fancy $5 off $20 from watching Rite Aid Video Values, or the recent $5 off $50 that Hannaford emailed out last week.

This is also a reminder to me to get back to composting, which though I never seem to use the compost for everything, it still makes me feel productive, and cuts down on our disposable trash, which cuts down on the $ we spend on trash bags. Just sayin'.

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 5/26 to 6/1

To see all of the Portland store's advertised sales this week, click here. Not too much different from last week:

• Glaceau Vitaminwater, 5 for $5, use $.50 off 1 from May/June/July Whole Deal or here


• Corn, $.33 each


• Think Thin Bars, 2 for $3, use $.50 from May/June/July Whole Deal and $.50 off here


• Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk Cookes, 2 for $5, use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts coupon book


• Blue Diamond Almond Milk, Original Unsweetened, $1.99. Use $1 from March/April Whole Deal (expires 5/31) and $1 from 5/23 Smart Source or here = free!


• R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Tart Cherry Juice, $3.99, use $.75 from Spring Mambo Sprouts coupon book or $1 off here
• Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt, 2 for $7, use $1 off from May/June/July Whole Deal or here
• Ciao Bella Blood Orange Sorbetta, use $1 off 2 from May/June/July Whole Deal or here

Amazing Yard Sale Score

I'm not much of a yard sale gal-- mostly because clutter seems to magically spring up around me like dirt around Pigpen. But this morning the hubster mentioned that the daycare across from us was having a big yard sale, and we mosied on over to check it out.

You know how sometimes when you go shopping and have an idea of what you're looking for, it's an utter failure. Tears in the dressing room, hours of frustrated wandering. And other times, things feel so serendipitous that it's like the Goddess of Shopping is waving her magic wand (or credit card?) down upon ye. Well this was one those magical, serendipitous days.

I'd been wanting to slowly change over the mountain of plastic toys in our living room to more natural toys, like wooden ones. Besides the health and environmental implications of plastic, it just looks crappy. Well, let's just say that at this yard sale I speak of, I got my wood on. Serious Woody. (And a few cool books and a xylophone.)

And to offset the influx of unshiny, faded, potentially cootie-infested toys coming into our home, I brought a few big bags of baby clothes and other toys that the kiddo could care less about over. When I went to pay for my second load of goodies, one of the women that works at the day care told me to just take the stuff because we had brought donations... So, basically, all of this for $2. And we cleared out some clutter.

Oh, and I apologize for the ultracraptacular photos. Someday I will learn to take a decent shot...

Buy one get one hummus q

Hot hummus coupon-- thanks to Vegan Coupons. Click "like" on the Athenos Facebook page for a buy one, get one free coupon. I know Shaws does not accept b1g1 free internet coupons-- does anyone know if Hannaford or Whole Foods does?

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 5/19 to 5/25

For all the advertised sales at the Portland Whole Foods, click here.

Not too much going on this week that floats my boat, but your mileage may vary:

• Olympus Greek Yogurts, 10 for $10
• Organic Brocolli, $1.99/lb.
• Organic Gala Apples, $1.99/lb.
• Gardenburger Veggie Burgers, 2 for $6
• Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk Cookies, 2 for $5, use $1 from Mambo Sprouts coupon book
• Blue Diamond Almond Milk Original Unsweetened, $1.99, use $1 off from March/April Whole Deal and $1 off from here = free
• Glaceau Triple XXX Vitaminwater (what makes it XXX?!?), $5 for 5. Use $1 off 2 from the 4-25 SmartSource & $.50 from the May/June/July Whole Deal or here = free
• Knudsen Organic Just Tart Cherry Juice, $3.99, use $.75 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts coupon book or $1 off here
• Snikkidy Snacks Grilled Cheese Corn Puffs, 2 for $4, use coupon here = free!
• Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt, 2 for $7, use $1 off from May/June/July Whole Deal or here
• Ciao Bella Blood Orange Sorbetto, 2 for $7, use $1 off 2 from May/June/July Whole Deal or here
• Think Thin Bars, 2 for $3, use $.50 off from May/June/July Whole Deal & $.50 off here

A few good coups...

I know, I've been completely slacking in here lately. Teething baby, day job and other life distractions have been squeezing out my free time. But wanted to point out a few coupons in todays newspaper that I liked:

• For Portland area folks, there's a $3 off $10 coupon on the front of the Walgreen's ad. You can use this at the new Walgreens on Allen Ave or you can bring it to Rite Aid (and probably CVS too) as they take competitors coupons.
• You know how I love the rebates, so imagine my delight to see a rebate form for $2.50 back when you buy a 25.5 oz or larger Bertolli olive oil between 5/16 and 6/30. I haven't been able to find any Bertolli olive oil coupons to pair with this, but I'll let you know if I do. And, it doesn't appear to be void in Maine. Smokin'.

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 5/12 to 5/18

To see all of the Portland Whole Foods advertised sales, click here.

• Olivia's Organics Salad Mixes, 2 for $4. Use $1 off coupon here
• Paesano Unfiltered Olive Oil, $9.99/lt. (50% off)
• Blue Diamond Almond Milk, Original Unsweetened, $1.99. Use $1 off from March/April Whole Deal, stacked with $1/off from Spring Mambo Sprouts coupon book, or here, = free!
• Knudsen Organic Tart Cherry Just Juice, $3.99, use $1 off here
• Snikiddy Snacks Grilled Cheese Corn Puffs, 2 for $4, use coupon here for free!
• Odwalla Strawberry Banana Smoothie, 2 for $5, use
• ThinkThin Bars, 2 for $3. Use $.50 from May/June/July Whole Deal or here, stacked with $.50 off here (good deal alert!)
• Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt, 2 for $7, use $1 off from May/June/July Whole Deal or here
• Ciao Bella Blood Orange Sorbetto, 2 for $7, use $1 off 2 from May/June/July Whole Deal or here
• Glaceau Triple XXX Vitamin Water, 5 for $5, use $.50 off 1 from May/June/July Whole Deal or here, stack with $1 off $2 from 4-25 Smart Source insert, making them free!

Coupon Blues?

Got the coupon blues from the ultra lame, lone Smart Source insert in this morning's paper? Head on over to Broke 207 and check out her post on overage on lotion. Good stuff.

Free Bacon Salt

Okay, this is bizarre and hilarious. Click here to sign up for free silly stickers regarding nasal abuse of bacon salt. The stickers come with a sample of bacon salt as well, which is, surprisingly, vegetarian, and "makes everything taste like bacon."

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 5/4 to 5/11

For all of the Portland store's advertised sales this week, click here. There are a few really good deals this week:

• Olivia's Organics Salad Mixes, 2 for $4. Use $1 off coupon here. (these are usually $3.99 each but with sale and coupon, they're $1)
• Organic Leeks, $1.99/lb.
• Purely Decadent Frozen Coconut Milk Dessert, 2 for $7, use $1 off here (these are usually $5.39 each and w/coupon they'd be $2.50 each)
• Naked Coconut Water, 2 for $3, use $.50 off 1 from May/June/July Whole Deal
• Naked Juice Red Machine Juice, $2.50, use $1 off here
• Spectrum Fish Oil, $15.99, use $3 off here
• Think Thin Bars, 2 for $3, use $.50 off here , stack with $.50 off from May/June/July Whole Deal (these are usually $1.69 each, this would make them $.50 each)
  

Hannaford coups

Thanks to Teresa at Money Saving Maineiac for pointing out a few nice Hannaford coupons. Pick up their Close to Home coupon book (I found it at the front of the store by the produce). There's a $1 off coupon that can be used on any "close to home" products. Use the map here to find eligible products. I purchased some local Kate's butter for about $.70 after the coupon. I also got a 32 oz. jar of Casa Visco pasta sauce for about $.55.

There's also a coupon for $1 off 1 lb. or more of Old Neighborhood roast beef from the deli, and a free 6 oz. Stonyfield yogurt when you buy a 32 oz. Stonyfield yogurt.

Props (does anyone say that anymore?) to Hannaford, who can be skimpy on the coupons, for promoting local food.

New Healthy Coups

Thanks to Organic Deals & Coupons for pointing out these great new coupons. Some of them can only be used at Earthfare, which we don't have in Maine, but others are manufacturers coupons and should be good anywhere. Check 'em out here.

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 4/28 to 5/4

Below are this week's good deals and sales/coupon match-ups for Whole Foods. For all the advertised sales for the Portland store, click here. Don't forget to print out whatever you might need from the March/April Whole Deal here. These are good through 5-31.

• Oikos Greek Yogurt, 4 for $5, use $.50 off coupon here
• Grape Tomatoes, 2 for $4
• Organic Cameo Apples, $1.49/lb.
• Honest Iced Tea, 5 for $5, use $.50 off here, or use buy 1 get 1 from April Fool's Day promotion
• Garden of Eatin' Organic Blue Corn Chips, 2 for $6, use $1 off here
• Spectrum Fish Oil, $15.99, use $3 off here
• Food Should Taste Good Yellow Corn Chips, 2 for $7, use $1 off here
• Think Thin bars, 2 for $3, use $.50 off here

And you can still find free Almond Breeze almond milk-- $1.99-- use $1 off from the March/April Whole Deal or here, stacked with $1 off here.

Good deal on Yo Baby yogurt meals

Was at Whole Foods today and happened to notice an unadvertised sale on the Yo Baby yogurt 3 in 1 meals-- $2.50 for a 4-pack. Use one of these $1 off coupons and stack it with a $1 off here, making these $.50. (There are also $1 off Yo Baby meals in the latest Mambo Sprouts coupon books, and there are blinkies out there somewhere too...) This sale is only good through tomorrow, 4-27-10.

Free Teeccino Sample

Okay, so I just said I don't usually post on freebies. But this is a product I used to use a lot-- especially when I was trying to give up coffee. It's an "herbal coffee" but has no caffeine and just uses natural ingredients. Click here to register for a free sample.

Barterin'

I'm no expert on bartering, not by any means. But recently I've had a couple of experiences that have peaked my interest and made me wonder if there were other areas I could use bartering in.

My first experience involved trading some coupons -- hurray!-- for some fresh, local, organic, vegetarian-fed rainbow eggs. We go through quite a few eggs around here, so this was a good one. The arrangement was struck by meeting on a coupon website, afullcup.com (awesome, amazing people here who put my couponing to shame) and we agreed to rendevous behind Hannafords for the exchange. Sounds a little smutty, but I promise it wasn't (sorry to disappoint)-- her kids and hubby were present, as was my tot and my mom. Easy, breezy, and we got a lovely array of rainbow eggs.

The second recent swap was babysitting. My husband and I hadn't been out together since last September and enough was enough. So we swapped babysittin' with some friends and that was great.

Do you barter?

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 4/21 to 4/27

For all of this week's Portland specials, click here. For Whole Deal coupons, click here or here.

• Blackberries, 2 packages for $4
• Good Neighbors Organic Hummus, 2 for $4
• Organic Kiwis, 2 for $1
• Organic Gala Apples, $1.79/lb.
• Goat Cheese Logs (Yea!) $2.99
• Odwalla Bars, $1/bar
• Biokleen Liquid Laundry Detergent, Free & Clear, $8.99, use $.75 off 1 here
• Annie Chun Pad Thai Noodle Bowl, 3 for $7, use $1 off here
• Nature's Path Corn Flakes Cereal, $4.99, use $1.50 off 2 from March/April Whole Deal
• Seventh Generation 2-ply bath tissue, 2 for $7, use $2 off 2 from Winter Mambo Sprouts booklet or here
• Cedar's Mediterranean Food Cucumber & Garlic Tzatziki, 2 for $4, use $.55 off 1 here

Free sample of Nescafe Taster's Choice coffee

I don't usually post freebies because so many sites do, but I saw that this one was gluten-free according to befreeforme.com. Apparently most instant coffees have gluten in them, and this one doesn't. Click here to order free samples of six varieties of Nescafe.

Cheap Sammich meat

So I don't eat meat, but some of my best friends do... Anyways, I was at Shaw's this morning and I happened to notice they have a buy one, get one sale on Hormel natural deli meats. They're just under $5 for two, and they had blinkie coupons for $1 off right next to the meat, meaning you could get two packages for $3.

Free Baby Sign class in May

There's a free baby sign class next month through Community Counseling Center. Dates are Saturdays, May 1, 15 & 22 from 11a.m.- noon at the Portland Public Library in Monument Square. Parents/caregivers and kidlets 0-3 are welcome. I can't figure out how to add the attachment here, but if you're interested, let me know and I'll forward you the email. To sign up, contact the Children's Library at:

871-1700, ext. 707
or
childrens@portland.lib.me.us

Coupon Guilt

So yesterday at BJ's I had a little coupon related incident. I was going to get frozen blueberries w/a $1.50 off coupon and olive oil with a $4 (sweet!) off coupon. I went to the self-checkout line and per usual the manager had to come over to make the incessant beeping stop. I was pretty sure that she scanned my $4 off coupon a second time, and sure enough when the receipt printed out, it $8 had been taken off of my giant jug o' olive oil. I brought the receipt up to the same manager who'd helped me and told her what happened, and she said "don't worry about it." Even though there wasn't really anything else I could have done at that point, I still felt guilty about it. Okay, and a little psyched too. I admit it.

Any thoughts? Would you have done anything differently?

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 4/14 to 4/20

For all advertised sales at the Portland Whole Foods, click here. Print Whole Food coupons from here or here, or pick up some issues next time you're in the store.

• Mangoes, 2 for $1.50




• Organic Kiwis, 2 for $1




• Knudsen Organic Cranberry Pomegrante Juice, 2 for $6, use $1 off from winter Mambo Sprouts coupon book




• Annie Chun Pad Thai Noodle Bowls, 3 for $7, use $1 off when you sign up for newsletter here




• Knudsen Juice Mega Antioxident, 2 for $5, use $1 off from winter Mambo Sprouts coupon book




• Nature's Path Corn Flake Cereal, $4.99, use $1.50 off 2 from March/April Whole Deal




• Seventh Generation 2-ply Bath Tissue, 2 for $7, use $2 off any 2 from winter Mambo Sprouts coupon, or $1 off 1 here

More goat cheese...

So one of the things I've been doing to garner more sweet, sweet coupon love is writing companies whose products we purchase frequently and complimenting them. Some of them don't respond at all, others send an email thanking me for thanking them, and then there are others who send me some sugary coupon goodness. Yesterday I received a coupon for up to $6 off of President's cheese. They have big old creamy logs o' goat cheese at BJ's for just over $6, so this will make for some very inexpensive goat cheese. Likey!

Backed up?

Click here and enter promo codo SUPERFRUIT for a free sample of Mariani dried plums (aka prunes). These are pretty tasty.

I'm back...

I've been quiet this week-- we had a family emergency but all is well now and I'm back to daydreaming about coupons. I'm planning a lil' trip to Toys R Us and/or Babies R Us this weekend to check out the Seventh Generation deals going on and I'll report back. Looks like there should be some Seventh Generation coupons in tomorrow's paper if you can't hunt down enough on the interwebs.

50% off at Mesa Verde

The 50% off gift certificates at Mesa Verde are back on the Maine Dollar Saver website. They have yummy Mexican food with several vegetarian and vegan options.

Sweet Seventh Generation Deal

Organic Deals & Coupons has created a nice scenario for purchasing Seventh Generation products. Check it out here. Note that this is at Babies R Us or Toys R Us, but isn't just baby products-- they have lots of great cleaning products too.

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 4/7 to 4/13

You can view all of this week's advertised specials at the Portland Whole Foods here. And coupons can be found here or here. Here are the highlights:

• Mangoes, 2 for $1.50-- more than 50% off


• Woolwich Goat Mozzarella, $3.99 -- 50% off (and super delicious!)


• Santa Cruz Organic Orange Mango Juice, $3, use $.75 off from winter Mambo Sprouts coupon booklet
  
• Nasoya Organic Extra Firm Tofu, $1.99, use $1.50 off 2 from March/April Whole Deal or here


• Organic Valley Butter unsalted, $4.49, use $1 off from Rootstock or here
  
• Kiss my Face Liquid Soap, 2 for $8, use $1 off here


• Kiss my Face Shower Gels, 2 for $16, use $1 off here

Free goat cheese!

Thanks Money Saving Maine-iac for this post on Chavrie goat cheese. Click here to sign up to receive a coupon for free goat cheese. I heart goat cheese...

So Delicious Coconut Milk Coupons

Mambo Sprouts, a super resource for coupons for healthier foods, has some coupons for coconut milk beverage and coconut milk yogurt here. These are dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.

Seventh Generation rebate

A sweet little rebate for those of you who use Seventh Generation products. $5 back for any three Seventh Gen purchases. The form is here. I've gotten a couple of great deals at Babies & Toys R Us using Seventh Gen coupons, in store coupons, and the Seventh Generation $5 off when you buy $30 in products. This makes it an even better deal. And-- it doesn't seem to be void in Maine.

Honest Tea buy one, get one free coupon-- only printable today

This April Fool's Day promo can only be printed today, so enjoy. Would be nice paired with one of these. These buy one get one can be printed as many times as you'd like (today), but I had to play around with my printer settings a bit because they were printing in a very large size.

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 3/31 to 4/6

Here are the sales/coupon match-ups for this week at the Portland, Maine Whole Foods. You can check out the whole sales flyer here.

A few of these deals have coupons that expire today, 3/31.

• Stonyfield Farm Nonfat yogurt, 6oz, 5 for $3. Use buy 4, get 1 free only today, 3/31 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal

• Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea, 2 for $6. Use $1 off 1 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal only good today! And/or $1 off from Smart Source insert, 1/10/10 or 2/21/10

• Terra Vegetable chips, 2 for $6. Use $1 off here or here

• Kiss My Face Liquid Moisture Soaps, 2 for $8, use $1 off here

• Steaz Organic Iced Tea, 5 for $4. Use buy one get one here

• Santa Cruz Organic Orange Mango Juice, $3. Use $.75 from winter Mambo Sprouts coupon book

• Organic Valley Butter, Unsalted, $4.49. Use $1 off here or from Rootstock pamphlet

More Whole Food coupons online

Thanks to Vegan Coupons for letting us know about these semi-secret Whole Foods coupons. These are the same as the ones in this months Whole Deal, but there are more of them available to print than at the regular coupon section of WF's website. Check 'em out here.

Cutie Alert

Those yummy California Cuties are on sale at Shaw's this week for $3.99 for a 3 lb bag. Use one of these to sweeten the deal. I just went to Shaws and they doubled the coupon, making it just under $3, which is a pretty good deal.

Zip it!

Word on the street (okay, not really on the street, but on the coupon message boards I frequent) is there's a sweet little cat deal going on at Shaws right now on Ziplocs. Buy three boxes priced at $1.99 (not sure if there are certain requirements on the sizes-- the person who posted bought three quart sized boxes) and get a catalina coupon good for $2 off your next order. Combine this with coupons from the 3-21-10 Smart Source insert (or maybe from inside the boxes of Ziplocs you already have in your cupboards?) for a nice little deal. Then, shuffle on over to here where you can get a $5 rebate for your three boxes of Ziplocs. This rebate deal allows you three chances at the rebate-- so you might even want to roll your $2 cat and do the whole thing over again. Ah, the sweet, sweet quadumvirate (okay this is so not a word but I couldn't find the quad-equivalent of triumvirate) -- sale plus coupon plus catalina plus rebate. Swoon!

Couponin' article

Thought this was an interesting (although a bit brief) article on couponing and "class." Have you ever been embarrased by a clerk while getting your coupon on? I admit there are certain stores-- like Whole Foods-- where I routinely hold my breath and/or seek out certain cashiers to avoid embarrasment/uncomfortable feelings.

Vegan Boca Burger coupon

Nice little coupon for Boca Burgers here. I used to live on these, and would occasionally marry them to morningstar veggie bacon for a pseudo bacon burger. Good times.

Good deal on Earth's Best baby food

Was at Babies R Us today and noticed they had cases of some flavors of Earth's Best organic 1st and 2nd baby food on sale-- buy one case for $8.99, get one case free. Not sure if you could double up and use one of these too, but worth a try?

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 3/24 to 3/30

There are some good deals this week at Whole Foods. For this week's advertised sales, go here.

• Organic bunched carrots, $1.79 each

• Annie's Homegrown Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks, 2 for $6, use $1 off 2 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal


• Stonyfield Yogurt, 6oz. 5 for $3, use buy 4, get 1 free from Jan/Feb Whole Deal, stack with $.50 off 3 here


• Cascadian Farms Organic Granola Bars, 2 for $7, use $1 off from March/April Whole Deal, stack with $1 off here


• Brown Cow West Maple Yogurt, 6oz., 5 for $3, use buy 4, get 1 free from March/April Whole Deal or here , stack with $.50 off 3 here


• Boca Burger Organic Vegan Original, 2 for $7, use $1 off 2 here


• Odwalla Mango Tango Smoothie, 15.2 oz, 2 for $5, use $.50 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal


• Delallo Fusilli Pasta Organic Whole Wheat, 2 for $4, use $1 off 2 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal


• Nature's Path Optimum Slim Cereal, 2 for $6, use $1.50 off any two Nature's Path Organic Cereal Items from March/April Whole Deal


• Knudsen Just Juice Black Cherry, 2 for $6, use $1 off from Mambo Sprouts winter coupon book or here


• Santa Cruz Organic Applesauce, 2 for $6, use $.75 off from Mambo Sprouts winter coupon book


• Snikiddy Snacks Grilled Cheese Corn Puffs, 2 for $4, use buy 1, get 1 free here and $1 off here (thanks Money Saving Maine-iac!)


• Kiss My Face Orange Cream Detangler, $6.99, use $1 off here


• Kiss My Face Kids 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner, $6.99, use $2 off here
  
  Also, Tazo tea is on sale until March 30th-- use the $1 off coupon from the Jan/Feb Whole Deal.
  
  And the unsweetened Blue Diamond Almond Milk is $1.99, use $1 off from either Jan/Feb or March/April Whole Deal, and stack with $1 off from 2/28 Smart Source or here.
  Likey the free almond milk!
  
  

My Little Purple Piggy...

Alright, I'm back from my downer yesterday about my underearning. My little purple piggy bank is getting fat (but not yet ready for the slaughter). I am really quite pleasantly surprised at how those little pockets of cash here and there add up. Plus it's just plain fun. I have no idea what, if anything, I'll do with the innerds of my little piggy, which is probably a good thing. Maybe we'll put it towards the principal of our mortgage, or in our kiddo's college account, or maybe we'll just let it sit there collecting heaps of compound interest (haha). But I've grown to love my little trips to the bank with my three bucks here and my $1.72 there. The tellers puzzled faces be damned. And there's still a little pile of Euros from our trip to Spain several years ago that I need to cash in.

My experiment with the Examiner is not quite going so well. I've posted three articles so far and netted about $.90. I have to make it to $25 to even cash out, which probably means writing, oh, about 750 more articles. But hey, it's given me an excuse to write, and maybe some clips for my "portfolio." And it's been fun, which writing isn't always. And fun is something I can always use more of. Shameless self-promotion alert: if you click here or here , you can read about my fab friend Maggie and her Nia classes. And help me get to that $25 payout before I'm too old to drive myself to the bank.

Nocial Necurity

The other day when the mail came, my heart started to race as usual. What kind of coupons might be waiting for me? Or tiny checks for hours spent doing surveys on facial moisturizers? Or samples I'd signed up to receive months ago and long since forgotten? Well, those things were there in the mail but so was my social security statement. In the past I've glanced at these statements and then filed them away in a dusty drawer. This time I really looked at it, or at least the part about my earnings. The statement basically documents, in one column, how much I've earned each year since I began working. I was disturbed and a little shocked to see how little it was. Actually it made me want to throw up a bit. I've never earned more than about, let's say, just under $30,000 a year. Now, I have a masters degree, for whatever that's worth. When I looked at that statement and saw the reality of it, it felt like a gut punch.

I know that there are many more important things than making money. The social security statement doesn't list time I've spent volunteering, or that I've worked in non-profits, or the awful, amazing time I spent with my family after my brother's death. But let's face it, money is charged. Most of us want more of it-- that's why we read and write blogs like this, right? And to perhaps oversimplify, there are two ways to have more money-- spend less, or earn more.

So this has really got me thinking about my "underearning" and why that might be. I haven't come up with any answers yet. Low self-esteem? Lack of ambition? The wrong personality type to follow a career path that would net me a big paycheck? The fact that I'm for the most part out of the workforce currently while I raise my little one complicates this even more.

I actually thought long and hard about even writing this, so ashamed I was about my underearning. But as they teach you in writing classes, or at least the good writing classes-- if you're feeling shame or other strong emotions-- write it. Somebody else is bound to relate. So, there it is. I'm Lynn and I'm an underearner. Anybody else?

Walgreens? Ehhh.

My first encounter with Walgreens was not a stellar one. I went in armed with the $3 off $10 purchase that I mentioned was in the Sunday paper, a couple of $.50 off qs to use with the buy one, get one free Blue Diamond almonds, and a Walgreens coupon promising Reynolds wrap tin foil would be a breezy $.89. They were almost out of the kind of almonds I wanted, and totally out of the tin foil. I grabbed some dried fruit to make my purchase $10 so I could get the $3 off, but my other coupons brought my total down to $8 something, so I couldn't use the $3 off. Now in my experience, at Rite Aid, they'll take your $3 off $15 or $5 off $25 coupon even if your other coupons bring your total down under that amount. So yeah Walgreens, you're all shiny and new, and I'll probably explore you again, but for now-- still a Rite Aid girl.

Oh, and I saw a big sign on the Forest Ave Rite Aid exclaiming "We accept all competitors offers." So maybe I'll just jaunt over to Rite Aid with my tin foil coupon and my $3 off $10.

Shaws Gift Card Deal

Thanks to Money Saving Maine-iac for pointing out a great Shaws promotion-- buy a $250 Shaws gift card and get a free $20 Shaws gift card, or buy a $300 Shaws gift card and get a free $30 gift card. A great way to shave an easy 10% off the top of your grocery bill. Read all of this weeks Shaws deals, including free Honest Tea, here.

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 3/17 to 3/23

Here's what I'm seeing for good deals at WF this week. By the way, I had a great cashier the other day there who actually was cheering me on for my coupon usage. I'll be heading for her checkout lane whenever possible!




• Organic Cameo Apples, $.99 lb.-- 50% off

• Dancing Deer Chocolate Chunk Brownies, 6pack, 2 for $6-- over 50% off

• Garden of Eatin, Sesame Blues, 2 for $5, click here for $1 off 1

• Muir Glen Diced Tomatoes, 2 for $4, click here for $1 off

• Delallo Fusilli Pasta, Organic Whole Wheat, 2 for $4, use $1 off 2 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal

• Brown Cow West Maple Yogurt, 6oz., 5 for $3, use this and stack with buy 4 Brown Cow cups, get one free from March/April Whole Deal

• Odwalla Mango Tango Smoothie, 15.2 oz. 2 for $5, use $.50 off 1 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal

• Nature's Path Optimum Slim Cereal, 2 for $6, use $1.50 off any two Nature's Path Organic Cereal Items from March/April Whole Deal

• Knudsen Just Juice Black Cherry, 2 for $6, use $1 off from Mambo Sprouts winter coupon book or here

• Santa Cruz Organic Applesauce, 2 for $6, use $.75 off from Mambo Sprouts winter coupon book

Walgreens coupon alert

Haven't tried Walgreens yet, despite several drive-bys... but I happened to notice in this Sunday's paper, that in the front of the Walgreens ad was a $3 off your $10 purchase, valid only at the new Forest Ave. store. Driving by I also noticed they have those yummy blue diamond almonds on sale for buy one, get one... I'm going in! Anyone else checked it out yet?

There are also some good Rite Aid deals this week. There's a $25 rebate when you buy $50 of Johnson & Johnson products (includes Neutrogena, which my hubby uses, Band-aids, etc.). The $50 is before coupons. I am seriously smitten with Rite Aid, and I will do a more in-depth post (love letter) on its best qualities soon. But yeah, I'm still going to have to have at least a brief fling with Walgreens. Just to see if I'm missing anything.

Extras, Extras!

This weekend I was able to snag a couple extra newspaper coupon inserts. First, I have the best parent in-laws ever-- they not only are wonderful people, but my mama-in-law gave me her extra inserts yesterday and indulged my coupon talkin'.

Today, we ended up at Artemesia for brunch which was delightful in many ways (good food, efficient and pleasant waitress, baby who remained calm and entertained until it was time to go, and last but not least the sighting of a gentleman with a braided rattail), one of the ways being that as we waited for our table, I spied a lone Sunday paper spread out on a bench in the waiting area. I eyed it hungrily as other waiters perused it, forgetting for a moment that I was also hungry for brunch and that we had our little ticking timebomb of a toddler with us. As soon as the other folks were seated, taking some portion of the paper with them, I sidled up to the paper and held my breath as I rifled through the paper under the guise of trying to entertain my little one. And then... yes, I found the Red Plum. And a moment later-- Smart Source. Twas a good weekend for this couponer indeed.

Do you get extra coupons? Where do you find yours?

Examination Station

So I'm trying another little experiment. That's how I convince myself I've not leapt over the deep end into crazy housewife land, by saying "it's just an experiment." I'm trying writing for the Examiner, which actually seems like a somewhat cool, well, experiment. I figure it's another way to keep me writing, make a few cents on the side (I've already made 20 cents, watch out purple piggy bank!) and gather up some clips for any future writing endeavors. So I'm now a Portland Healthy Living Examiner. Let me know if you have any ideas for little articles~ healthy living could include quite a bit. Of course my first article was about savin' money. Check 'er out here.

Free & Cheap drinks at Whole Foods

Shoutout to Organic Deals & Coupons and The Thrifty Mama for the heads up that Clif Quench Sports Drinks are $1 off at Whole Foods this week. Use the $1 off coupon from the March/April Whole Deal, and that makes them free. I verified that these are indeed on sale at the Portland Whole Foods. Also on sale there are the small Izze sparkling sodas. Use this and they should ring up at about $.25 each. Plus they're super yummy and have no added sugar.

Envelope Me

The envelope experiment has been pretty interesting. Despite my initial resistance and paranoia about carrying my grocery money around, I'm actually starting to enjoy the change. It feels much more immediate to pay with cash than swiping a little plastic card. And then there's the extra coins left over at the end of the week. I don't know that I'm spending less or more than I would otherwise-- it's just different. I do like knowing exactly how much I have left without having to do math-- I just peek in my envelope and that's that. So we'll see, but I may just continue with this cash thing, especially if I can make it to the end of the month without losing any of it.

Whole Food Deals

Hi~

Sorry my posts have been sporadic this week. I should be able to post more from here on out. In the meantime, visit Money Saving Maineiac's coupon match-ups for this week's Whole Foods deals.

Trader Joes?

Sounds like the sad hollow husk that used to be Wild Oats could be resuscitated in the form of a Trader Joes...

read about it here or here!