Win Movie Tickets With M&M's

I have another movie ticket instant win to share with you! There are specially marked packages of M&M candies that say "Win Movie Tickets" on the front. After enjoying your candy you can enter the code into their website for a change to win 2 movie tickets, 1 movie ticket, $5 movie cash or $3 movie cash. All of these prizes come in the form of printable movie cash that are redeemable at local theaters for movie tickets or concessions. We purchased 4 M&M's at Hy-Vee where they are 2 for $.88. I won $3 in movie cash on each code. There is always a chance that you will not win, but with as many prizes as they are giving away, that chance seems pretty slim. Why not save some money on your next movie?!

Target Toy Sale!

Today is the day! Target has a ton of toys 70% off this morning. This is a great time to stock up for Christmas! Sadly, I didn't come home with much since my kids are getting older and play with toys less. The good new is, that leaves more for you! I should note that Target stores do not necessarily mark the same items down at the same times. This is regional. I was at the Target in Cedar Rapids on the SW side. Good luck!

Cheap Jeans

If you haven't already printed off the coupon for denim jeans off Target Coupons then you really should! They have lots of clearanced out jeans for next to nothing after the coupons. There are 2 that you can print, one for $2 off infant or kids jeans and another for $3 off men's or women's jeans. You can print coupons twice per computer so if you have more then one computer you can get lots of coupons!
I went to the Coral Ridge Target today and picked up 2 pairs of Men's Jeans and 1 pair of boys jeans. The regular price total was $54.97. After being on clearance for 75% off and using the denim coupons on each pair I paid $5.70 for all three! Can't beat that price!

Thrifty Thursday!

I decided Thrifty Thursday sounded better than Target markdown day :) Below is what I scored for today. Be sure to hit Target early next Thursday. The last Thursday in July is typically when they markdown tons of clearance toys to 75% off. That day is my favorite shopping day of the year! It is getting a little less exciting since the kids are getting older and growing out of toys, but still a fun time!
Target also had a whole end cap of baby food and formula on clearance today so if you have a baby check it out!
Today's deals-

Levi's Men's Jeans (2) $5.98 each- (2) $3 off Target Q's= $8.36
Turkey Bacon (2) $2.99 each- (2) $1 off Target Q's= $3.98
Chicken Thighs $4.99- $2 Target Q= 2.99
Toaster Strudels (2) $1.83 - $.50 manufacture Q= $3.16 (kid's bribe to be patient)
Bengay $4.24- $5 manufacture Q= -$.76
Papermate Pens $1- $1 Target Q= Free
Scotch Tape (4) $.50- (4) $.50 Target Q's = Free
Ziploc Containers (2) $2.22- $1 Target Q and $1.50 Manufacturer Q= $1.94
Pop Tarts (3) $5.97- $1 Target Q and $2 Manufacturer Q- $2.97
Kashi Bars (10) $2.99 - (2) $2 Target Q's & (10) $1 Manufacturer Q's = $9.92

Total $76.54
Total after coupons $32.56
58% Savings!

I hope everyone got some great deals today! Happy Shopping!

**Apparently I forgot to put the ziploc containers, pens and tape in the picture but they were included in the purchase. Oops!**

Free Pens, Tape & Sharpies

Is anyone getting stocked up on school supplies yet? What better way then to get it for free! Right now at Target you can get free Bic pens, Scotch tape and a 2 pack of Sharpie markers. Go here Bic Coupon and print off $1 off 2 Bic pen packs which are $.50 each at Target this week making them free after coupon. You can also go to target.com and print off coupons for $1 off Sharpie and $.50 off Scotch tape making them free at target this week. All three of these can be found in the back to school section. What is better than free?!

Katelyn's Picture Won!

Last week I submitted a picture of Katelyn eating Dole salad to the Dole Salad Smiles contest on the Hy-vee Facebook page. Thank you for everyone who voted for her! Her picture was selected and we won $100 gift card to Hy-Vee! I can't wait till Katelyn gets home from camp to let her know. She is going to be so excited! There are still two weeks left on the contest so take a picture and enter. It is worth your time! Hy-Vee Contest

Non-Stop Summer Fun Instant Win

I won! A few weeks back I was playing the Non-Stop Summer Fun Instant Win game through Wrigley's Jr. and I won! It said I won $5 summer fun bucks (whatever that is!). Well, I got it in the mail today. Apparently it is $5 to be used towards movie tickets, concession, books, cds or sporting good items. I am on a roll with wining movie tickets this summer!
If you would like to win go here Non-Stop Summer Fun. You don't need to make a purchase to play, use the free codes JKJ736WWR4 or P75D533ED2. This instant win can be entered twice per day. They are giving away prices every minute! The best time to play is later at night when there are less people online, however, you can win this one at any time. Let me know if you win! Good luck!

Target Kashi Deal

I feel like an extreme couponer today! I am off to Target to purchase 10 boxes of Kashi products. Target has a deal this week where if you buy 4 Kashi bars cookies, cereal and crackers you get one box free. I like Kashi products because they use natural ingredients, however, they are usually more expensive than other brands. That is where the coupons come in of course! If you are interested in this deal I suggest checking out www.coupons.com, www.target.com, or www.kashi.com and printing coupons first. You can also join Recycle Bank and earn points towards $2 off 1 Kashi product. It is super quick and easy to earn points on this website and they offer some great coupons as a reward for your time! I plan to use 2- $2 off 4 Kashi products (target.com), 2- $2 off Kashi (recycle bank), 8- $1 Kashi products (I got these on the back of my cereal boxes). After coupons it will make my Kashi products $.80 per box. Guess we will be stocked up on snacks for awhile. Let me know if you have questions about this deal.

Nordstrom

I have a part-time job at Nordstrom and I love it! It is a great place to work and they are flexible with the hours that you work to meet the needs you have. Yesterday was the first day of the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. For those of you who are not familiar with this sale, it is like Christmas in July! It is a big deal to our Nordstrom customers. We get the Fall merchandise in early and mark it on sale for 2 weeks. It is worth checking out our website if you are interested in new styles of name brand items at a discounted price. Be sure to check out the Rack side of the site also, that is where the great clearance deals are held!
This sale is great, however, it is not what inspired this post. I finally got a chance to go through our Anniversary sale catalog and as I flipped to page 72 it confirmed why I love Nordstrom. There is a beautiful little boy modeling in Nordstrom's biggest catalog of the year that just happens to have Down's Syndrome. I am so proud to be a part of a company who recognizes that people with special needs are important to include! If you would like to see the picture, here it is! Nordstrom

Store Surveys

Have you ever wondered if you actually can win if you fill out the surveys at the bottom of your receipts? I did, so a few month ago I decided to fill some out. This was a short lived idea but I did get a few filled out from Wal-mart, Target, Dollar General and Gymboree. Skipping forward to June, I got a knock on the door and it was the FedEx man. I opened the package and found a $500 gift card to Gymboree! Apparently it does pay to fill out the surveys! It only took a few minutes to answer their questions and in return my kids are getting free clothes! I encourage you to fill them out and let me know when you win!

Target Finds

I am back from my trip to Coralridge! It is always way more work to shop with 3 kids than just running there by yourself! If you were in target with me, sorry! I was able to score some pretty great deals. Above is what I came home with and below is how I got my bill from over $30 down to $10.49 (both are after tax)

Jif to go $2.29-$2.29 coupon from mail = free!
Sharpie markers $1-$1 target printed coupon= free!
Papermate Pens (2) $2.04- $2 target printed coupons($1 off each)= $.04
Benadryl Itch Stick- $2.29-$2 printed coupon from coupons.com= $.29
Rice Krispie Treats= Clearance to $1.67 (impulse buy!)
Hefty One Zips (2)- $3.94- $1 target coupon and $1 manufacturer coupon= $1.94
Ziplocs $5-$1 target coupon and $1 manufacturer coupon= $3
Aussie Hairspray (2) $4.54- (2) $3 manufacturer coupons= -$1.46
Herbal Essences Shampoo $2.84-$1 target coupon- $1.84
Kid's Jeans Clearance to $3.74- $2 target coupon= $1.74

I paid a little more than what I actually should have because my cashier charged me for 2 benedryl itch sticks and only 1 hefty bag from some reason. Oh well, it still came out to about 64% savings. Pretty good for a shopping trip with kids!

Target Markdown Day

Today is markdown day at Target! On Thursdays I try to hit Target early and see what they have new for markdowns in grocery, household and toys. This is regional so if you live outside of Cedar Rapids it could be a different day for your markdowns. We are headed to the Children's Museum today so I will check out the Coralville Target and let you know what deals I was able to score! Have a great day!

Target Couponing

I lOVE shopping at target. They always have great deals to match up with coupons that I have. In case you have never tried Target's coupons, the best part is, you can stack a target coupon with a manufacturer coupon. That makes double the amount off of one product! You can print Target coupons by going hereTarget. I would definetely print off the toothbrush coupons, jeans, and sharpie one. I got a 2 pack of sharpies free yesterday with that coupon. They are located in the back to school section. It always makes me feel good to get something for free!

Fishful Thinking

While I was looking up the link for Crowd Tap, I noticed I had a Quick Hit for Fishful Thinking. I had never heard about this before so I thought I would check out the website. It is actually a very helpful website for parents! It is designed to assist in raising optimistic children. They have lots of activities and advice. Check it out! I think we will try making a story book tomorrow. The story book maker is under Family Fun. Here is a link. Fishful Thinking

Crowd Tap

Have you heard of Crowd Tap? It is a website that wants your opinion. They keep track of points based on your opinion and you can cash in your points for Amazon gift cards. They also offer opportunities to try out free products, enter contests and more! Here is a link to sign up and try it out. Crowd Tap

Radio Station Contests

Some of the easiest ways to win items is by entering local contests. The local radio stations such as KHAK are always running contests to promote local artists and businesses. Recently I won tickets through KHAK's facebook page for all of the Harry Potter movies this week at Wehrenberg Theaters. I also won tickets to Kid's Rule Movies in Coralville and Iowa City. Check out their contest page at this link. It is worth searching other local radio stations for their pages also. Good luck! KHAK Contest Page

Wal-mart Facebook Sweep

Wal-mart is running a facebook contest called Mater's Secret Mission. Check it out for a chance to win movie tickets. I won last night! It appears you have the best chance of winning if you have your information all filled out and encoded and ready to to send when the clock hits :59. For example, I won this morning at 1:59. Here is a link to check it out! Mater's Secret Mission

My first post!

How exciting! This is my first post on my new blog! I have decided to start a blog for sharing local deals I find. I will also add a sweepstakes or contest that you should be entering! I have been a dedicated coupon clipper and sweeps enterer for over a year now and it pays off! I have won an xbox 360 prize pack with the kinect and games, smart pen, gift cards, movie tickets and more! It is so much fun and allows you to get items you normally could not afford. Anyway, I am looking forward to sharing what I find and encouraging you to share too!