Awesome Deals!!

Okay, so I've been waiting to get some stuff in the mail before I made another post about my awesome freebies, and I think it's all finally come in!! One thing I have to say, don't forget about freebies!! They can be really awesome, you just have to have the patience to find the right ones! On Facebook, I "like" the page "Coupons Make it Free" and they tell you about deals you can find & free things companies are sending out!! Here's a picture of my most recent freebies:

Okay, this picture includes: A free sample of the new Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff shampoo, free Always pads, free sample of Splenda Essentials (with a $1 off coupon!) (This sample I got for my mom :) a sample of Prilosec OTC, a sample of Head and Shoulders, a coupon for a FREE can of Pro Plan cat food, a sample of Icy Hot Naturals (plus a $1 off coupon!) and a Cottonelle roll cover! (Which is adorable & I love those commercials ;) And the best part??? Everything here was FREE!!!!!! The samples are perfect for going on trips & for if needed in a pinch! A couple more things I am awaiting to see in the mail are: Disney Vitamin Gummies & Dove oil repair (FULL SIZE!) hair care :)

I am so excited about all my freebies! And it's so easy to get them & they send them right to your house!!


Last weekend was our monthly grocery shopping trip, and I spent some time online searching for coupons. We decided since we're taking a trip this weekend for our 1 year anniversary, we would only buy the things we really NEEDED or could get for a great price :) Our goal was to spend no more than $200 and I was worried we would go way over because we also needed meat, and LOTS of it! Kyle's parents took a trip with us, and his mom always brings me coupons from the Sunday paper :) (thanks Sallie!!) Here's the total from our shopping trip:

Our total was $201.46 and we got $10 cash back so our grand total was $211.46!! Now, this includes: 10 pounds of beef, at least 16 pounds of chicken, steak, lunch meat & cheese, and other essentials we needed :) I'd say we did awesome!! And we saved a total of 7% off our total purchase! I saved $16.02 just in coupons!!!! We had a free Pantene shampoo or conditioner, and then I had a coupon for buy 1 get $1 off another. The price of the Pantene was $3.77 a piece, so I got shampoo for free, and then conditioner for $2.77!! So, the total for both was $2.77!! I also got broccoli steamers from Green Giant for 99 cents a piece, and had a 50 cents off of 1! So I got both bags for under $2!!! It felt so great to see the savings!! My favorite part of couponing is giving the cashier my coupons & watching the total go down as they scan them through at the end of the transaction!! Coupons are SO WORTH IT!! It doesn't take long to find good ones & why not do it?!? You can save money! Easy and free!!! Could I say more??

Another way to save money that people over look is surveys. Always check the bottom of your receipts, cause many times there is an opportunity to save money! I have filled out 2 surveys for Petco (for cat stuff & stuff for our saltwater aquarium) and saved $4 total!! We have also gotten two 10% your total purchase because we have obtained enough points on our Petco card! Again, those are great!! If you make purchases from a store often, you can earn points and save money the next time you come in!!

My favorite store right now is Maurices, and I just happened to have a 20% your total purchase that I got the other day. So, I went in and found a really cute shirt and some jeans, and I got two 20% off a single item coupons! I also checked my receipt and if I do a survey, I can save $5 on my next purchase!!! I know I'll be shopping there again soon, so I'm definitely going to do it!! And if you love Chick-fil-A, they almost ALWAYS have a survey at the bottom for a free chicken sandwich!! Kyle and I love Chick-fil-A, and their chicken sandwiches!!


So, the moral of my story is, don't overlook the small stuff! Surveys, freebies, and coupons can save you money! I can't wait to share more of my deals :) Let me know if you find something too, I'd love to hear about it!! Speaking of, I'm going to check Groupon and Living Social for fun things we can do in Daytona Beach this weekend!! :)

Lauren <3

Freebies, Deals, & Couponing OH MY! :)

I remember watching those "Extreme Couponing" episodes and shaking my head, thinking "those people are crazy!! Why would they do that? How do they have time to do that?!" One woman said she lost her job, and used couponing to stay on budget & help provide for her family. I had no idea that could be me! I'm going on 3 weeks of no job (I've been putting out resumes like crazy!!) and have been going STIR CRAZY. If you know me, you know I'm not the type to sit around in the house all day and do nothing. As my husband says "Why do you always want to go-go-go? We always have to be doing something!" Sound familiar, Mom? ;)

I have decided, why should we be paying more for items we need, when we can get the same stuff, but cheaper? Now that I'm without a job, Kyle and I are watching our money much closer. And while I'm at home, I can coupon! I didn't even know where to start. I certainly wasn't going dumpster diving for coupons (again, crazy extreme couponers!) and computers are more my forte then newpapers and such. Facebook was my starting point. My friends had added coupon websites, so I decided to check them out. The first one I "liked" (in real life & on Facebook) was "Shop at Home.com" It's AMAZING. You can search for the items you want, or search under categories. (They also have a "freebie" section, which is great!) They have over 900 grocery coupons. That's crazy. And they're super easy to print out, just add the toolbar & you're good to go! Kyle & I saved about $20 last time we went grocery shopping! And it gets easier as you do it more.

Another great website is the Krazy Coupon Lady (sounds like me ;) and they send you about 5 emails a day with different deals. On Facebook, I "like" Hip2Save.com (which is awesome!!) This website tells you what's on sale at what store, which coupons you can use, what register rewards you can get back, and the total price! They even give you links to the coupons you can use. And you can search by store. Also, they have a "beginner's guide" that teaches you the lingo, and gives you some tips to help get you started with couponing. I know, I know, it's not "your thing." But, I didn't think it was mine, either. And I'm not perfect, but I'm getting better and better at this. When I first started couponing, I got some extra stuff that I didn't need right away, because I got a good deal on it. How thankful am I for that now!! Kyle & I have extras of items we use everyday. I never thought I would be in this situation. And you never know when/if you will be too! Why not save some money? It's really not hard. The websites tell you how to do it! It's certainly worth a try :)

I will give you some examples of how freebies, deals, & coupons have worked for me!! First of all let me say that I like clothes. No, no....I LOVE clothes. They're my favorite thing to shop for. Seriously. I don't know why, but they make me happy. I usually buy a new clothing item once or twice a week. Well, now that we're on a tight budget, we certainly can't afford for me to do that. So, today I went shopping. But, I had a plan! First, I went to Target. They have AWESOME clearance sections. (Not only on clothes, either!) I was just wandering around when I found a GEM. This adorable little brown dress with ruffles on the front began calling my name. My heart began to pound, but, I had to be careful. I wasn't going to spend over $15 on a dress today. I checked the size first (usually this is the quick deciding factor) and it was right. Whew. Next, the price. I closed my eyes for the anticipation, and flipped the tag over. I couldn't believe my eyes.

This is what I saw:

I couldn't BELIEVE IT!! A dress that was $27.99 I got for $6.98!! It was exhilarating! & The dress fit wonderfully. Here is my beautiful new little brown dress!

And don't forget the cute little detailing on the top....

EEEKKKK!!! Yes, deals make me squeal ;) I was SO happy. I decided today I was going to find some more deals on clothing. Heck, I found this deal, what else could be in store for me today?!?! So, I decided to wander on over to Ross. I really should go there more often. They have great deals! But, their regular prices weren't good enough for me today. No, no, no. I went straight for the clearance section. I have been doing Zumba classes lately, and decided I needed a new shirt to shake my booty in! ;) And that's when I wandered upon this gem:

AND....it's Roxy. SCORE! But, the best part about it was the price. Here's the original Roxy tag & the Ross tag:

(Sorry it's turned!) I got this shirt for $4.27. WITH tax. The original price was $26.50!! Oh yes, it was awesome :) I bought a dress & a shirt today for a little over $10. I'd say that's a pretty successful shopping trip!!

Now, I'll move on to my Freebies. Coupons Make it Free on Facebook is AMAZING. I've gotten so many samples for free, & I won a $25 gift card to Restaurant.com! & I bought a $25 gift card for $2!! That's the way I like to eat :) I also decided to sign up for freebies, deals, and emails from certain products. I signed up for Tide, because that's the detergent Kyle & I use. One day I came home & there was a package on the table and it was for me. Kyle didn't know what it was, and I hadn't ordered anything, so I was curious. I opened up the package and lo and behold this was awaiting me inside:

That's right!! Free sample detergent, a 10 pack of stain release in-wash boosters (& if you know me and/or Kyle you know how often I have to use these!) and a $2 off coupon!! What a great surprise!! This is why I LOVE freebies!!!

Last week Coupons make it free put a new deal on my Facebook newsfeed: $10 off a $10 or more purchase from Pier 1 Imports. Now, I don't usually shop there (it's a little too pricey for my taste) but I figured, why not? I can find something & get it for free!! So, off I went with my coupon & began to shop!! & this is what I found:

Okay, I LOVE Zebra prints. They speak to me, I couldn't help but buy this adorable little re-useable Zebra cup! & the little rocks I plan on putting in the bottom of a few little vases I have. They will make cute little decorations on our table :) And although this purchase wasn't completely free, this is all I had to pay:

YUP!! $2.62 :) Gosh, I love coupons!!

I hope this little rant-post inspired some of you to try couponing. It's easy, fun, and rewarding!!! I also have lots more freebies coming in the mail, and I will be sure to take pictures and keep everyone updated with them. Swagbucks.com is also an awesome website! You get "swag bucks" for searching for stuff or participating in chats on the website. And you can trade these bucks in for REAL STUFF!! Such as Amazon giftcards, jewelry, clothes, etc. You will just have to see what I got. Mom, you will LOVE it :) It's so....ME. Well, I hope you have enjoyed my rant. As you can see, all of this is very exciting to me. If you have any questions about anything, let me know! I'll be happy to help! Kyle & I are going grocery shopping this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to update ya'll with some great new deals! :)

Thanks for following!!!

Lauren <3