FREE - Blooming Onion

Just heard about this from my friend Kelly!
Become a fan of Outback Steak House on Facebook and get a FREE blooming onion [w/a purchase of a entree]

What to get to prepare for a new baby

Clothes:

• "Baby's homecoming outfit"
• Onesies (5-8)
• Sweater or Jacket (2-3)

For extra layering outside:

• Warm sleepers with feet (5)
• Gowns with elastic bottom (4)
• Infant Hats (2-3)
• Socks or Booties (4-7)

Basic Gear:

• Rear-facing car seat
• Front pack/sling
• Bouncer Seat/a few are good to have
• Diaper Bag

Sleep Time:

• Crib
• Crib Mattress 
• Crib sheets (2-3)
• Waterproof mattress protector
• Bumper
• Sleep positioner
• Bassinet
• Receiving blankets

Bathing:

• Baby bathtub
• Baby hooded towels (3-5)
• Baby washcloths (3-5)
• Floating water thermometer
• Baby wash
• Baby lotion
• Baby brush and comb
• Baby nail clippers

Feeding:

• Bottles
• Nipples
• Bottle and nipple brushes
• Dishwasher basket
• Bottle holder
• Nursing bras
• Nursing tops
• Nipple cream
• Breast Pump
• Breast pads
• Disposable freezer bags/bottles

Diapering:

• Disposable diapers
• Wipes
• Diaper rash cream
• Portable changing pad
• Diaper disposal system
• Diaper disposal liner refills

Medicine:

• Petroleum jelly
• Infant's acetaminophen [Tylenol]
• Saline nose drops
• Bulb syringe
• Antibacterial ointment
• Tweezers
• Baby nail clippers
• Rubbing alcohol
• Baby-safe sunscreen or block
• Baby-safe insect repellent
• Gas drops [these work wonders!!!]
• Hylands teething tablets [these are a life saver!!!!]

FREE - Glamour Magazine

Mercury Magazines is offering a free 1-year subscription to Cosmopolitan!

* No purchase necessary. No credit card required. No strings attached.*

Thanks to

Baby's and Diapers!

Im not sure how much help this will be to anyone, but i came across a EBook i printed when i was pregnant last year. Here are some of the things in it! If you want to read everything in the book, you'll have to go to the site linked above!

Ways to get FREE Diapers:

• Diaper Drive - Usually done by someone other than yourself and usually done by community donations, friends, church groups, community members can help organize diaper drives. [Ive never heard of one of these, but figured id throw it in there anyway in case there's one in your area!]
• Baby Shower - People DO have "diaper showers" all the time. Everyone just brings a pack of diapers to the shower along with their gift or as the gift.
• Online Groups - Join some online "Parents" groups. Search for one in your area here: http://groups.yahoo.com/
• Your OB - A good way also to get free diapers and formula is to ask your OB. They have lots of free items from Manufactures.  If they don't give them to you right away, just as. It never hurts to ask!! They have free diapers, free creams, free parenting subscriptions, sometimes goodie bags. Especially companies like Similac and Enfamil. they want you to buy after you sample so they give you a large bag of goodies, including diapers, wipes, lotion, diaper cream, formula, etc.. They have reps go there all the time to sell and give away free diapers and formula to the hospitals too. They are more than willing to help you out!
  
• Manufacturers - I have been receiving diapers from Manufactures, just samples, but every diaper counts! You would want to contact  all the major companies, like Huggies, Pampers, Luvs, etc. and they will put you on a mailing list and or send you diapers when you give them a cop of the birth certificate. They will also send you coupons! [also sign up your mom or mother in-law or someone who wont mind, that way you will get double, or triple the coupons!]
  
• Fill Out Forms - Another great way to get free diapers and items are to fill out offers, even if you don't use the specific brand its a good thing to have. When your due date comes around you will get packages from all the places you sent the offers into and receive things like formula, diapers, money savings coupons! Always check your mail box for offers and coupons even if you don't think you will use them, keep them until the expiration date, you might find out you need it or like that certain brand!

Where to get FREE coupons: [i did this and it really works!!] -
You will have to call and write to a bunch of places, but after the savings its worth it!! About a week after making the calls i started receiving all sorts of things in the mail!! Formula, coupons, samples, etc etc.  Here is a list of all the numbers you can call!! [some are automated]

1. FREE New Mothers Kid from Pfizer - 1-800-223-0182 say you are interested in the new mothers kit and also let them know if you are having twins. etc They will ask you how you heard of this offer. Tell them a friend told you. You get Desitin, Pedicare, Purell, and other Pfizer products.
2. Evenflo - 1-800-233-Baby Free gift pack for Multiples - full of bottles, nipples and toys
3. Avent - 1-800-54-Avent free info and sample [wonderful samples for BFing moms!]
4. Balmex - 1-866-844-2798 press 0 - Free Samples/Coupons
5. Carnation Good Start - 1-800-242-5200 free club with checks free and dollars off formula.
6. Del Monte - 1-800-USA-BABY [coupons and samples].
7. Earths Best - 1-800-434-4246 Press 1 for free coupons
8. Free Evenflo Product Coupons, Booklets and Info - 1-800-356-2229
9. First Years - 1-800-533-6708 Free toys for Multiples
10. Gerber - 1-800-443-7237 Free Coupons
11. Huggies - 1-800-544-1847 samples/coupons
12. Johnson and Johnson - 1-800-526-3967 coupons
13. Pedia Care - 1-800-717-2824 $23.00 off in coupons and coupons for free items and new mothers pack.
14. Similac - 1-800-Baby-Line  Welcome addition club checks for formula [love these]
15. Nestle Infant Nutrition - 1-800-22-0453 www.verybestbaby.com they send coupons for5 cans of carnation good start formula!
16. Mead & Johnson - 1-800-222-9123 www.enfamil.com you can receive a one time shipment of complimentary formula; one care for each baby.
17. H.J Heinz Consumer Services 1-800-872-2229 Coupons for baby products
18. Modial Industries - 1-216-626-4490 Different gifts, some people get diaper genies!
19. Carnation - 1-800-547-9400 sends booklets on pregnancy, nutrition, formula coupons, samples, order forms for upcoming programs and other pamphlets.
20. Midas - 800-621-0144 Midas dealers off discounts on car seats. You can return the seats to Midas and get credit for services at any Midas shop!
21. One Step Ahead Catalog - 1-800-274-8440

The Key to buying cheap diapers is breaking the price down per diaper. It varies per size so keep that in mind. Here are some interesting numbers...

• 22 Cents per diaper is a decent price
• 18 Cents is the average price found per diaper size 1 on ebay.
• 10 Cents is the most i ever paid for diapers
• 8 Cent diapers can be found using coupons [also extra bucks, rebates, etc:

Shop anywhere there is a sale!! There are always sales! Look for coupons!
Hope this helps a little!

Target Toy Coupon Match Up

 Thanks to Ginger @ Attn. Tagret Shoppers


LeapFrog Tag Reading System - $39.99
- Use $10.00 Target coupon
- Use $10.00 LeapFrog Coupon
Final: $19.99
NOTE: There is a $3.00/1 LeapFrog Tag Book coupon too!


LeapFrog Tag Jr Reading System - $28.99
- Use $10.00 Target coupon
- Use $10.00 LeapFrog Coupon
- Also a $10.00 LeapFrog Coupon here
Final: $8.99

LeapFrog Tag & Tag Jr Books - $8.99
- Use $5.00/1 LeapFrog coupon (check back for reset on coupons)
Final: $3.99


LeapFrog My Puppy Pal, My Violet or Scout - $14.99
- Use $5.00/1 Target coupon
Final: $9.99

 Clue Secret & Spies - $23.99
- Use $5.00/1 Target coupon
- Use $5.00/1 Hasbro Coupon
Final: $13.99

Pictureka! Flipper Game - $23.99
- Use $5.00/1 Target coupon
- Use $5.00/1 Hasbro Coupon
Final: $13.99


Guesstures - $24.99
- Use $5.00/1 Target coupon
- Use $5.00/1 Hasbro Coupon
Final: $14.99


Up (the movie) or Monsters, Inc. (Blu-Ray) - $34.99 ea.
- Use $8.00/1 Monsters, Inc coupon (bricks)
- Use $10.00/2 WYB both Up and Monsters, Inc
Final: $51.98 or $25.99 each

Energizer Batteries or Flashlight
- Use $1.00/1 Target coupon
- Use $1.00/1 in 10/4 SS insert

I'll try to keep it simple...

So the past few weeks/months friends have been amazed by my steals and deals and have been asking me to help them out and get them started in the world of couponing! So i figured it was about time to write this all out for you guys!


Step 1 - 

• Buy a Binder. A five star type zipper binder would be best, so things don't fall out and it holds up good! But any will do.
• Get Baseball Card holders
• Dividers
• Page Protectors [i use those for over flow coupons and to put my coupon/story policys in]
• Some sort of labeling system. I bought a cheap hand help old school labeler [the hand gun type].

Step 2 -

• Start buying Sunday papers! We buy 3 cause my husband likes to read and i like the coupons, so he gets a Sunday Republican, Boston Globe, and The Harold. It might sound like alot of money but you make up the difference in savings!! And see if family members will give you their coupons inserts!

Step 3 [optional]-

• Get a printer. Any printer will do. Doesn't have to be fancy! Just one that will hold up for you when you start printing all your IP's [internet printable coupons]. You could also use a public librarys computer/printer [although you will prob have to pay per page printed] or a family members printer.

Step 4 -

• Start organizing your coupons! 

• My binder is set up like this:
• Take a Divider Label it GROCERY
• Now take your baseball card holders [i have 3 in this section + 1 page protector]
• Then label each pocket w/e you want. I.E. Frozen, Drinks, Cereal, Snacks etc etc [i make mine more specific only cause its easier for me i.e In the cereal section, Quaker, GM, Kelloggs etc.]
• Next section and new divider Label it Health - you will have your Meds, toothpaste, toothbrushes, fem. hygiene etc. i only use one card holder and one page protector
• Beauty - I have 1 card holder page. Pockets are labeled Razors, Lotion, Skin Care, Shampoo/Conditioner, Shaving Cream, Deodorant, etc.
• Next is Household - I have 2 card holders. Cleaning, Plastic [which is sandwich bags, trash bags etc.], Lysol, Glade, Fabreze etc. [but like i said before you can do whatever you want, this is just what makes since to me!]
• Now i know not everyone has babies/kids and animals but i do, do i make a section for Baby and Animals. And Label those as you wish. Diapers, Formula, Wipes, Dog food, Cat Food, Treats etc.
• In  for the back of my binder. I tried to find a copy of all the store and coupon policy's of the stores i shop at, printed it and put them in page protectors, so i can refer back to them if need be! If your a Target shopper you might want to keep a copy of their coupon policy in your purse, cause they are known for giving you a hard time as to what they are allowed to do and not to do!
  

Step 4 -

• Printable Coupons! There are many places to get Printables often called IP's [internet printable]. Here is a list of places to get all sorts of coupons from. You will need to sign up!

1. Coupons.com
2. Smart Source
3. Red Plum
4. Coupon Bug
5. Target Printables [which can be combined with a manufacture coupon] 1 & 2 
6. Pillsbury
7. Betty Crocker
   
8. Coupon Cabin [this one has coupons and codes for different retail stores etc.]
9. Hot Coupon World [on the side bar is the Target Coupon Link, CVS Price Book, Coupon Data Base etc etc. Take your time and play around on the site].
10. Old Navy Weekly once a week they reload coupons, some big value coupons $75/$100, $50/$100 etc etc, but you need to hunt for them and its not easy, but i figured i would just throw that in.

Coupon Policys [sorry most are from other peoples blogs] -

• Target 
• WalMart
• CVS 
• Walgreens [WAGs]
• Rite Aid
• Stop and Shop [cant find one]
• Big-Y [cant find one]
  
• Shaws [cant find one]

Stop and Shop -
S&S is my Fav. Grocery Store of the three in my area!! They are so lenient and don't give you a hassle when using any amount or combination of coupons! Watch for their $1 double coupons on the back page of the flier!! This means you can use 1 doubler w/any $1 Manf Q! Sometimes it stats you need to spend $15 to use the 3 or 4 Doublers. You can also use Big-Y double coupons [found usually on the back page of their flier [some weeks there may not be any]]. Ive used 4 S&S Doubles along with 6 Big-Y Doubles all in the same trip!! Also if you use S&S's scanner system you can save even more! It gives you additional savings as your shopping! I find that using the scanner saves me time! I scan and bag as im shopping then all i have to do when i get to the register [i use self check out] is scan the bar code and my list loads in the computer then i scan my coupons!

Abbreviations you'll need to know to make since of peoples blogs [taken from Lindsay @ frugalandfabulous]:

• $1/1 - a coupon for $1.00 off one item
• $1/2 - a coupon for $1.00 off when you buy two items
• Catalina - any coupon that prints by the register for money off your next order (used by Stop and Shop & Walgreens "RR" is an example of this)
• CRT - Cash Register Tape/Store Coupons
  
• DH - Dear Husband/My husband
• ECB - Extra Care Bucks (basically CVS cash)
• KBB - Kmart Beauty Book (found in Health & Beauty section)
• MFC - Manufacturer coupon
• LMK- Let me know!
• Rolling- Using ECB or RR's to buy something that will generate more ECB (and spending little to no money OOP)
• OOP- Out of pocket (what you actually spend)
• RR- Register Rewards (like Walgreens Cash)
• SCR- Single Check Rebate - Rite Aid's rebate system
• SS- Smart Source (Coupons from Newspaper)
• S&S - Stop and Shop
• Wags- Walgreens
• WYB - When you buy
• YMMV - Your mileage may vary (this may or may not work for you)

My Fav. Blogs:

• Frugal and Fabulous 
• Babies and Bargains 
• Deal Seeking Mom 
• Coupon Cravings 
• Attention Target Shoppers
• Hip 2 Save

[those are only a few... want to see more look at the side bar on the left of my blog]


(Rookies if there is anything im missing PLEASE let me know!!)

*Hope this helps you guys get started. i know its not the best, but i tried=)

Thanks you for shopping with me [CVS]

Todays trip went like this:

• Bayer Contour Meter $14.99 FREE after MIR + used $30.00 coupon [adjusted to $14.99] = FREE (will donate this...unless anyone needs it on here?)
• Bounce Bar $3.99 - used $1.00 Manf Q = $2.99
• Colgate TP - $2.99 - used $1.00 Manf Q = $1.99 + got $1 ECB
• Cascade - $6.49 - used $1.00 Manf Q = $5.49
• CVS Green Bag Tag - .99
• 2 Gold Emb. Nuts .99 ea - used $2/2 CVS Q

Subtotal: $31.43
Used coupons above + $5/30 CVS coupon
Used $6.50 in ECBs i needed to use
Got back $1 ECB and will send in the Bayer MIR for $14.99
So i made $15.99!
SAVED: $98.93!

[for the newbies MIR = Mail in Rebate]

CVS

Take a short Medicare Part D Quiz and get a $5/$30 CVS Coupon!

Payless

Print this coupon for 50% off ANYTHING in the store!! Coupon is only good till tomorrow!!