Walgreens Extreme Couponing: Week of 10/23

How many of you shop at Walgreens? Did you know that Walgreens is the largest national drugstore in the U.S. I would never have guessed that. In my area, it seems as if CVS would be. I don't normally shop at Walgreens but this week, they had some great deals especially on baby wipes and grape jelly. In this haul, I came under $3 for all of my products. Give coupons a try and you'll be sweeping in huge savings!

Transaction #1:


TheraMax Cold & Flu Relief Nasal Spray, .5 oz $7.99
Buy 1, Receive $7.99 Register Reward


Transaction #2:


Carmex Lip Care, .15 to .35 oz $1.59
Buy One Get One Free
Use  2 $0.35/1 – Carmex Lip Balm – (facebook.com) 
Pay $0.45 each when you buy 2


Welch's Grape Jelly, 32 oz $1.50, On Sale 
With in ad coupon $3/2
Use 2  $0.75/1 – Welch’s Jelly – (tastetheharvest.welchs.com)
Final Price: $0.75 each when you buy 2


DiGiorno Pizza, 12 in $5.00
When you buy 2
Use 2 $2.00/1 – DiGiorno Pizza Product, any – (facebook.com)
Final Price: $3.00 each when you buy 2
*there was a $1/2 Walgreens coupon in the November booklet for this product making the final price $2.50 each. I was not able to get my hands on it! Darn!! Still cheap bc retail price is $6.99.


Huggies Wipes, 184 or 216 pack $4.99
Use $1.00/1 Huggies Baby Wipes, any 64 ct or larger from Huggies mailer
And Use $2.00/1 Huggies Diapers Big Pack or Wipes 184 to 216 ct from Walgreens Infant Care Booklet 
Final Price: $1.99


Total: $10.39, apply $7.99 Register Reward. So, $2.40 plus tax for $35 worth of products at Walgreens.


If you click on the links, you'll find that it takes you back to the facebook page for their respective products. When you "like" their product, they will allow you to print a coupon. Limit is 2 per person. Also, check out TheKrazyCouponLady. I find all of my great deals from her website.

Extreme Couponing: Weekend Haul

I have been collecting coupons for the past 2 Sundays and pretty much been researching to prepare for the hauls I'm about to show you. Now it's time to put what I learned in action. I performed some extreme couponing at the following major drugstores: Walgreens and CVS as well as at the mega superstores: Target and Walmart. I felt pretty good with the outcome of this weekend haul.

 

Target & Walmart: I spent $17 for about $60 worth of stuff.
Highlight: Palmer's Cocoa Butter for $0.27-originally $2.27 & Transformers action figure for $1.99- originally $7.99, Oral B Rechargeable Toothbrush for $2.82 -originally $12.82

CVS Haul: I spent $8.15 for about $35 dollars worth of stuff.
Highlight: Getting the Glade products for $0.66 a piece. The pumkin carving tool & candy was FREE. Also the Halloween candy bag was what Baby Eden collected for FREE!

Walgreens Haul: Hands down, my favorite haul! I spent $2.38 for $35 dollars worth of stuff.

Highlight: TheraMax Nasal Spray was FREE , Huggies Wipes was$2.49, Welchs Grape Jelly was $0.75 each. The coupons and register rewards brought down my out-of-pocket cost.

*I'll break down this haul in my next post. 

I was so happy that I did well using coupons to buy groceries and household products for the my first time. I still consider myself a beginner. I'll get better as time progress. Extreme couponing is seriously addicting and it only takes one great transaction to get you hooked!

CVS FREE Halloween gift & FREE 5X7 Picture!

Head over to a CVS near you today SUNDAY 10/23 with your baby in their Halloween costume and you can pick up a FREE Halloween goody bag & 5X7 picture with any purchase. Inside your goody bag, you will find a $5.00 off coupon for Halloween candy! Who needs more candy?!?


I dressed Eden up in her ladybug outfit. We walked over to our CVS and she was able to get her picture taken! That's a face of amazement! :P

Here are the freebies this week:


Pumpkin Masters carving tool $2.49 
Receive $2.49 in extrabucks reward (limit 1)
Final cost= FREE!


Gold Emblem candy corn, autumn mix or pumpkins 8 oz $0.99 
Receive $0.99 extrabucks reward (limit 1)
Final cost FREE!


By purchasing these two items you basically got your entire purchase for free plus you get some awesome goody bags! So go out and dress your babies for an early Halloween!

Walmart.com: Olay Spa Gift Set Caddy with Bonus 1-Year Subscription to Allure Magazine

Gals & (of course) guys, here's another sweet deal you totally want to score:


Walmart is offering gift bundles of Olay Spa Products for ONLY $9 + FREE SHIPPING! There are 2 gift sets to choose from:

Gift set #1 Venus Holiday Sensuous Skin Care
-Venus Embrace Razor
-Venus Satin Care Shaving Cream (2.5 oz)
-Olay Ribbons Body Wash (10 oz)
-Bath puff
-Shower caddy

Gift set #2 Venus Spa Breeze Sensuous Skin Care
-Venus Spa Breeze Razor
-Secret Lavender Body Mist (1.0 oz)
-Olay Ribbons Body Wash (10 oz)
-Bath puff
-Shower caddy
















Whichever gift set you choose, you will also receive a one year subscription to Allure Magazine (Value $23.00) or any one of 5 other publications. If however, you aren't an huge Allure/magazine reader, you can get a $9.99 rebate by filling out a mail-in-rebate form here. The rebate is on the bottom of the page so make sure you fill out the entire form, print, and then mail it to the address listed.


So basically, you're getting the whole gift set for free if you do the rebate! HOT DEAL!

These gift baskets are great gifts for friends and family since Christmas is just around the corner. I just bought one and the total came out to $9.72! 

NoMoreRack.com: FREE Black Data Cable for iPhone/iPad/iPod (Just Pay $0.99 Shipping)!

I couldn't let this deal pass up and wanted to share this with you guys! Go to NoMoreRack.com and get a FREE Black Data Cable foriPhone/iPad/iPod ($10 Value) and just pay shipping which is only $0.99. I got two of them because I am always in need of chargers. It's convenient especially when you're changing rooms and don't want to have to unplug the changer from where it's from.

I bet this deal is gonna go FAST!

Thanks, Hip2 Save

Extreme Couponing 101: Cutting Back Tips

I recently got into couponing I'd say after my 22nd birthday when I was getting all these cool freebies. I thought to myself, "Why not move into couponing and see what else I can get for free or discounted." LOL. No, I'm kidding! I think mainly it was a bit of desperation when I realized that I didn't have any income coming in and knew I wasn't able to live off my own savings I had for a rainy day. I had to make numerous changes in the way I spend now that I have a daughter. Some cutbacks/changes I made:

1.) Eating out less often:

I would say Jonathan and I probably eat out once a month if that.  But even if we do eat out, I always have a coupon for the restaurant.  For instance, yesterday we went out to BJ's to enjoy a FREE Pizookie right after having dinner at home. Cooking home meals are a huge money saver!

2.) Traveling long distance less often:

Sort of. We recently went to Riverside this past weekend to visit my cousin's which was a rare weekend getaway. But during the week, we don't travel around town that often. Instead we walk to the park that is about a mile away and have Eden play there. What's awesome is that I live 5 minutes walking distance from CVS and the library. You'll always see me walking Eden to those places everyday. It's good exercise!

3.) Being frugal in spending:

I used to be able to buy new outfits for Thursday nights and all kinds of stuff back in the days. Now that I have Eden; has that all changed! I prioritize what's important including how I spend my money. As cliche as it sounds, "money doesn't grow on trees" (I wish bc then you'll see me outside tending to it everyday..lol...j/k) you have to work damn hard for it! I much rather save for Eden's College Funds or on the things she needs rather than myself.

4.) Collecting cans 

You're probably thinking, "She's kidding, right? She doesn'treally do that!" Actually I'm do. You can earn a lot of money just collecting cans. I've even asked a homeless guy that comes around my neighborhood one time how much he makes collecting cans and he said he earns $40-50/day (un-taxed of course). I was like "Wow! That's a lot. Good job!" I mainly collect cans when I'm walking Eden to the park on my way there and back. I always run into about 15 cans/bottles everyday. I just throw them under the stroller basket area. First of all, I hate when people litter because it just makes the park look ugly and I think somewhere along my life, UCLA drilled that CORE 4 value of saving the environment! Recycle people!

*Check back tomorrow because I'll post some pictures of my hauls!*

It's The Big Four Months Baby!

What's up with Baby Eden, you might say? She's four months today and she's changing before my eyes. She is just darling.She is just full of life! Eden lights up the room with her presence. I always say it's because she has a "twinkle" in her eyes. I thought I share what she's been up to leading up to the four month mark...

1. She stands up with assistance and eager to take steps. Also, when she's in her walker, she tends to push herself backwards only. Haven't been able to push herself forward just yet. 

2. Her hands are always in her month. I don't know if she's teething or just wanting to suck her hand. I have to pull her hand out of her mouth. I'm a germaphobe and seeing the things that she touches go into her mouth freaks me out a bit. lol

3. Eden smiles when you smile! I absolutely love it. I think it's the absolute cutest thing when babies smile. They're literally all gums!!!

4. She laughs super loud when you tickle her on her chest.

5. She doesn't get fussy when held. I think it's on account of being surround by so many people. My mom's house is literally a train station.

6. Her motor skills are definitely intact. She's grabbing everything in sight.

7. She's super observant especially when we go outside and visit the garden. She loves vivid colors!

8. Eden can hang on to your fingers while standing. She prefers standing over sitting. (Just like her mama!)

9. I've been reading her the same book "Guess How Much I Love You" by Sam McBratney over again and she's beginning to recognize the pictures and repetition.

10. She still wakes up at 4:30AM regardless of the time I put her to sleep.

She's gone a long way and I can honestly say that time flies by so quickly. If you don't cherish it at the moment, it'll all be gone. I wish I can keep her this small forever. She's so much fun. I'm already seeing that she's testing me and seeing how far she can push my buttons. Can you believe that? At four months, this beautiful lovebug is seeing if she can get away with little things.

God bless my little Edenbug!

Eden's Spooktacular Weekend

This past weekend we headed down to Riverside to visit the cousins (Eden's aunties and uncles) and we just had a blast. It was a weekend getaway from Fresno and I was in much need of it. The drive to SoCal was difficult with Eden because we had to make many pit stops. Pit stops included diaper change, feeding stop, plain fussiness, etc. You never know what kind of day she's going to have but we made the best of it.

The weekend was filled with GOOD FOOD! When I say GOOD, I mean GOOD!!! Carne asada, chicken, shrimp tacos, rice, beans, you name it. I have to admit it was a million times better than the taco man. It was a family feast where we all helped to prepare the food and bask in each other's company. My cousins and I had way too much to catch up on and it was great because they got to see Baby Eden again. Eden had a great time and was on her best behavior which I didn't think she would be especially since she's in a new environment. She's definitely recognizing faces and didn't even fuss when she's in the hands of people other than her mama. I like that she was so great with everyone. We have to do more of these weekend getaways!

I <3 Carne Asada! So good when it's grilled! Thank you Grill Master Jonathan & Gabe!

Chopping up the cilantro, onions, and lime. Had to take a picture of it.

Final product! It makes my mouth watery just looking at it. :)

My pride and enjoy! She makes me soo happy. I'd go the distance for this kid!

The girls are in the kitchen cooking and catching up on all the latest news. I think we were talking about the Kardashian wedding...ya know, the important stuff in life...lol

The boys were shooting zombies and chillin'!

They are way too competitive and super into the game.

Baby Eden and Auntie Ruthie. Eden was a little ladybug for the Family Halloween Party.

Getting kisses from her Tia Loca.

 Eden and her Auntie Thaoie!!!

Look at those chunky legs. I love my little girl!

*Photo Credits to you Thaoie! I stole some from Fbook. Thanks!

Greatest Craigslist Haul: Part II

Toys, toys, and even more toys!!!! We've all walked down the toy aisle at Target looking left and right seeing toys stack up to the ceiling. It's inevitable how overpriced toys are these days. Though some toys may be an investment, most of them are played with for a couple of years and thrown out or forgotten.  For me, I knew that I didn't want to spend a fortune on toys. So...I go after second-hand toys from Craigslist. That's right, Craigslist is my friend!

My second Craigslist goal was to go after toys for Eden. My favorite toy brands are LeapFrog and Vtech (both pretty pricey in stores) simply because they're educational and make cool noises that Eden loves. I found a LeapFrog Learning Table for $15 and it was a steal. The person I bought it from was nice enough to replace the batteries. I thought that was sweet. This activity table is so neat. It teaches kids the alphabets, shapes, and colors plus it plays music. I knew I had to have it for Eden!

When I brought it home, I had to hide it from Eden because I didn't want her to play with it until I knew it was clean. It's a used toy and what scares me is the fact that I don't know how many kids played with it. Therefore, I wanted it to be squeaky clean and germ-free. My cleaning procedure:

1. Initial wipe down with soap & warm water with cloth
2. Use a toothbrush dipped in soapy water to get in the nicks and cranny
3. Wipe down again with fresh soap & warm water
4. Spray Clorox on cloth, wipe down
5. Wipe down again with fresh soap & warm water
6. Air-dry for a couple hours

This is a "Before" picture. There was dirt in the letters and in tiny places that had to be cleaned. I had the fiance toothbrush it.

This is the "After " picture . The toy looks brand spankin' new. Eden loves it.

These toys were purchased together on another listing. I thought Eden would enjoy these toys because most of them were electronic. I got all of the toys pictured above for $10 (breakdown: he gave me the play center for $5 and the rest of the toys for $5). Total steal! As you can see, these toys and play walker were in dire need of a good cleaning.

The toys are nice and clean! It nearly took 2 hours to clean the toys. The play center had to wait another day.

I was able to find most of the toys online and compare them to the store prices. 

LeapFrog Learning Table  Store Price: $45           

Vtech Learn & Discover Driver   Store Price: $16

Fisher-Price Corn Popper  Store Price: $14

Baby Einstein Discover & Play Activity Center  Store Price: $100

Fisher-Price See & Say  Store Price: $10

I would have spent over $185 for all the toys listed above but instead, I paid $25. It may have taken time to clean all the toys but it was well worth it. I hope I convinced you to look into buying on Craigslist.

Greatest Craigslist Haul: Part I

Let me just put it out there now: I am absolutely obsessed with Craigslist! You can pretty much find anything that you need on this website and I love it when I can catch a great deal. In the past, I mainly used Craigslist to sell my things; not actually buy stuff. It wasn't until my mom noticed that Eden didn't have much toys to play with that I started looking at the "for sale" column on Craigslist. It is so much cheaper to buy toys, baby clothes, etc this way. PERKS: Babies grow out of their clothes so quick that they're hardly even used and toys can easily be cleaned (p.s. this will be Part II of my craigslist haul).

I've been looking to get Eden a complete baby crib set since she was born but just didn't have the money to afford it. They run about $150 easily in stores and that my friend, is a lot of money especially since they only use it for about a year (if you're lucky). Well, today was totally my day because I just purchased a COMPLETE crib bedding set for....wait for it....$35 bucks!!!!!!!!!!!! I know a good deal when I see it and I was so lucky to stumble on this one. The crib bedding set came with:

2 Fitted Sheets

Diaper Stacker

Comforter

Window Valance

Bumper

Skirt

 I love the ruffles. Aren't they just adorable!

There's tiny bears on the mobile. Eden loves em

The best part was decorating the crib and putting the sheets on. I love how they came out. This set would have been something that I picked out of the store.

We put Eden in the crib and she loves it. She was amazed at the spinning mobile

I was told that the crib set was hardly ever used because her baby didn't sleep in the crib, she slept with the parents. Looking at the set, I would tell it was still in mint condition (of course, I washed all the linens and I made sure I cleaned everything). She was even sweet to throw in a matching lamp, picture frame, and a Vtech musical mobile. OMG HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!!!!!!! She totally made my day and it was worth the trip to a neighboring city (Parlier) that was 20 minutes away (all highway and great scenery!)

Goes hand in hand with the bedding set

 I love this picture frame!!!!

I couldn't believe that she threw in this Vtech Dream & Play Light-Up Mobile. This alone is valued  at $30. She said it was brand new too. She just never used it.

I loved everything I got and I really have to thank the girl I bought it from because she was so sweet. What I learned is that sometimes you can't get your kids everything but you make do with what you have and you find alternative ways to find them something that they might like that fits in your budget. This definitely fit in mine.

Baking Surprise for the Mama

Yesterday was my mama's birthday and I wanted to do something nice for her. I thought I'd bake something that she could sink her teeth in when she came home from work. She loves cinnamon and anything sweet. So I made it my task to bake her the best snicker-doodle cookie ever!

I was so tempted to purchase pre-made sugar cookies but those cookies would not be filled with love, gratitude, or even hard-work. So I set out to find the perfect recipe. I used the snickerdoodle recipe from Lovin' From the Oven which is one of my favorite baking blog. This blog belongs to a family friend of mine who is an amazing baker. Let me tell you, her baking photos will make you start drooling over your keyword.

The funny thing is that I thought I would be great at baking after taking so many lab courses over my college years. But for some reason, I feel as if I'm a lot better in the lab than in the kitchen; baking-wise. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the fact that I can taste your own baking that scares me. Because in the lab, you can't taste your own chemicals. I am subject to people tasting if it's great or not and that's what scares me. LOL

But hey, it's the thought that counts.

I love having the iPad in the kitchen because you can pull up anything real quick. Super handy I must say!

 This was the fun part! I love rolling it into a ball!

I get so nervous when I have to put it in the oven.

Packaging the treats!

Happy Birthday Ma!

My favorite helper in the kitchen. She makes sure I don't burn the cookies. "Hey Mom, cookies done!"

Here is the recipe if you would like to try your hands at baking the yummiest Snickerdoodle!

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For rolling:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with
an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and
beat until smooth.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and
cream of tartar.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for
30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the
topping.

6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a
ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it
onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.

7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies
may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are
removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be
soft and chewy in the middle.

My Birthday Freebies!!!!

I just turned the BIG 22!!!!! Ok, I know it isn't a huge milestone like when you turn 21 or 25 but hey, it's another year I have to add to my internal calendar. Anywho, my 22nd birthday was a BLAST and the highlight of it was actually collecting all the birthday freebies with my little fam bam! I got so much free stuff by simply joining e-clubs from major restaurants and companies. All you do is fill out your information on their website and they send you loads of coupons for free desserts/appetizers/gift bags/discounts/updates all to your inbox. What's even more amazing is that they reward you with the best freebies on your birthday. I'd say I have enough free coupons to eat out this entire month. Take a look at  some of the birthday freebies I scored today:

Denny's: FREE GRAND SLAM on your birthday!!!!

Baskin-Robbins: FREE Scoop for joining the Birthday Club

Del Taco: Free PREMIUM Shake for Birthday & 2 Chicken Soft Taco for joining e-club

Sephora: Free gift (3-in-1 Shampoo, shower gel & bubble bath) It smells soo good!!!

Ulta: Free Eyebrow Wax on your birthday & Coupon ($3.50 off $10 or more + 3X Bonus Points) 

I got 3 OPI nail polish that was on sale: Buy 2 & get a Top or Base Coat for FREE. I'm excited to try the Pink Crackle polish! P.S.The eyebrow wax is valued at $20 and it's free on your birthday. I got my eyebrows done today and they did a great job. (I didn't know they waxed your eyebrows on your birthday until I asked so it's always good to ask!)

There's so many places I still have to hit up. I have coupons for the following places:

Black Angus: Free Steak Dinner on your birthday + Free Dessert (I'm actually going tomorrow since it's my mom's birthday so free dinner for the both of us)

Carrows: Free Dessert for birthday and for joining (2 separate coupons for two separate occasion-Can you say Double Whammy!)

Applebee's: Free burger

TGIFriday's: "Jump the Line" Pass + Free Appetizers OR Dessert

Round Table Pizza: Free personal pan pizza

Johnny Rockets: Free hamburger

Go out and get your freebies for yourself! Oh, and make sure you share this your mom, cousin, brother and sister to get theirs too! You don't want them to miss out on this opportunity to save lots of moolah! You can also check this website here for other freebies I didn't mention. Hey, nothing beats FREE!!!!