THE NOVEMBER 2012 GROCERY CHALLENGE

[dancinmama]

On behalf of suzi and all of the gals here, WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME to the Grocery Challenge from me - dancinmama!!

If you have never clipped a coupon, or even if you have been using coupons for years, we'd love to have you join us. We are a crazy, fun-loving, and very friendly group of gals just chatting with one another about how to save big money using coupons. We are willing to help anyone, at any level, in any way that we can.

Don't think that you have to read through the pages and pages of posts to join in - most of it will be old, out-of-date information anyway. Just go to the last page of the thread and introduce yourself. Tell us what area of the country you're from and where you shop (grocery stores, national chain stores, Target, WalMart, etc.).

We'd love to have you join us on a regular basis, so don't be shy - just jump right in, have some fun, and save a ton of money in the process!!

Since we are trying to foster a sense of true community on this thread, please try your best to keep your fellow couponers in mind when you post. Here are some suggestions:

NEWBIES/OLDIES: If you post a HOUND ALERT requesting coupons from others, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE also post which insert/where the coupon can be found (Example: 1/2 SS) so that we can find it easily without having to research it ourselves. ALSO, if you need the coupon for a specific deal, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE try to remember to post the deal with your HOUND ALERT so that someone who may have the coupon(s) can decide whether they want/need to do the deal before sending out any of their coupons. THANKS!!

POSTING ABOUT A DEAL / HOT COUPON: Some people get overwhelmed by the number of posts and only have time to skim the posts for the information that they need the most. If you are posting a deal, please post something that makes it stand out like "CVS DEAL ALERT" or if you are posting to tell us that there is a new, hot coupon available, please post something like "$3/1 WHOLLY GUACAMOLE IP ALERT".

We want to make this thread as fun, friendly, and helpful as possible. These suggestions will save EVERYONE a lot of time when they are trying to "catch up" and read through past posts.

Okay, now let's have some FUN!! ;D

[dancinmama]

Okay, I'm not seeing anything for me at CVS for the rest of this week or next week. My EBs are all rolled, so it's all good. I may take a swing at the Lumene deal after sam's Qs arrive (thanks sam ), but I'm not really seeing too much that excites me.

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The Zombie Mulch game on Home Depot's facebook page is over. They had originally planned to let if go until 11/4 or 11/6, but I guess some computer wizards figured out how to get the coupons without really playing the whole game, so they shut it down (or that's the rumor).

I hope you all got to play and got your Qs. You can't beat $30 worth of free stuff from the garden dept. DH has an account, DS has an account, I have an account, I have an account for my mom, and DS's GF has an account, so I was able to get (5) sets of the coupons. A lot of people are using their coupons to stockpile P&G products (which are included in the garden department). As tempting as that is, 'I decided to focus on using them to stockpile items that I can never or rarely get for free at the drug chains: Miracle Grow, Round Up, Duraflame fire starters, and some trash bags. I also saw some garage towels and will look at those more closely next time I go in.

[skubikky]

How can that be when the Qs are for $4/1? Did the penny just go toward another Lumene product or did the coupon have to be reduced down?

They reduced the last $4 coupon down to whatever the before tax balance was.

[murphath]

Dancinmama wrote: The Zombie Mulch game on Home Depot's facebook page is over.

I, too, did the game 2x: once for myself and the second on DH's account--so $60 worth of q's. I've bought 2 bags of mulch & 2 bricks (the 2 $5 q's), a new fancy, dancey hand held fertilizer spreader (the $15 q), and a box of Duraflame fire starters (a $10 q). Have 1 $10 and 1 $15 left. Will probably get another box of the fire starters and use the $15 toward a winterizer fertilizer which costs @ $22. $7 plus tax is a good price for that stuff.

Thanks for the heads up on this--for DH's q's I just kept hitting the play button throughout the day as I passed by the computer. Each play would get @ 42 pts. w/o me doing anything. DH also actually sat down a couple times to play so by the end of the day, I had the q's.

Also, Dancin', I got the envie. Thanks.

[rubyslippers]

There are some hot Kraft coupons on a bunch of sites. I printed mine from bargainstobountydotcom. Does anyone know of a good deal on the Stovetop Stuffing? I use it for a zucchini casserole and I only have one in my pantry.

[constanz22]

Nov 2, 2012 13:21:53 GMT -5 rubyslippers said:

There are some hot Kraft coupons on a bunch of sites. I printed mine from bargainstobountydotcom. Does anyone know of a good deal on the Stovetop Stuffing? I use it for a zucchini casserole and I only have one in my pantry.

Thanks for the heads up. I noticed I was down to one box, too, when I made chicken bruschetta bake this week. There are usually all kinds of sales on Stove Top soon. CVS had it, last year, I think, for .77, and I think I got a couple free or close to it last fall at Target with a MC and Target Q.

[973beachbum]

Hi all! I haven't thought much about shopping lately but I did take everything out of the closets and organized it and put what I wanted to keep back really nice and neat. It is amazing how much organizing the closets make me happy once it is done. ;D

I put out a bunch of things like shampoo, BW, tooth paste and such to give away to people from the barrier islands who lost everything. This may make me shallow, but even though I basically gave away most of it, I kept the ones we really love and gave away all the ones we don't like.

[Deleted]

"This may make me shallow, but even though I basically gave away most of it, I kept the ones we really love and gave away all the ones we don't like. "

Not shallow at all. I think sharing what you have makes you generous.

[dancinmama]

Nov 2, 2012 15:22:55 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

Hi all! I haven't thought much about shopping lately but I did take everything out of the closets and organized it and put what I wanted to keep back really nice and neat. It is amazing how much organizing the closets make me happy once it is done. ;D

I put out a bunch of things like shampoo, BW, tooth paste and such to give away to people from the barrier islands who lost everything. This may make me shallow, but even though I basically gave away most of it, I kept the ones we really love and gave away all the ones we don't like.

Just cuz you don't like something, it doesn't mean that other won't. Anything that you give will be greatly appreciated by those in need.

[dancinmama]

Nov 2, 2012 10:04:25 GMT -5 murphath said:

Dancinmama wrote: The Zombie Mulch game on Home Depot's facebook page is over.

I, too, did the game 2x: once for myself and the second on DH's account--so $60 worth of q's. I've bought 2 bags of mulch & 2 bricks (the 2 $5 q's), a new fancy, dancey hand held fertilizer spreader (the $15 q), and a box of Duraflame fire starters (a $10 q). Have 1 $10 and 1 $15 left. Will probably get another box of the fire starters and use the $15 toward a winterizer fertilizer which costs @ $22. $7 plus tax is a good price for that stuff.

Thanks for the heads up on this--for DH's q's I just kept hitting the play button throughout the day as I passed by the computer. Each play would get @ 42 pts. w/o me doing anything. DH also actually sat down a couple times to play so by the end of the day, I had the q's.

Also, Dancin', I got the envie. Thanks.

I'm so glad that you took advantage of it. You can't beat $60 worth of free!!

I got yours also, if I didn't already post it. Got the deal done too!!

[FreeSalsa]

"HOUND ALERT 10/28 PG and 9/30 PG
Duracell hearing aid batteries ($3/2?)
Walgreens BOGO sale this week + $2 ea 8 pk after cpn.
TIA!The ones from 9/30 are expiring tomorrow The ones from last weekend are $3/1 6-pack or larger, or $1/1 any. I wish I had some to send, but I didn't want you to count on getting some any not being able to use them...Thanks emhalf, I didn't notice the expiration date of the 9/30 ones. I have one of those. I'll have to use that up today. The 10/28 PG $3/1 should be ok. I'll see if I can get some rain checks this week. "

Thanks, emhalf. As usual, I got all excited about a deal and then when I got there, discovered that the store price was more than what was on couponmom. This made the deal not worth doing, as they are available online for not much more than this deal should have been. Thanks anyway.

[FreeSalsa]

Nov 1, 2012 18:21:48 GMT -5 dancinmama said:

Okay, I'm not seeing anything for me at CVS for the rest of this week or next week. My EBs are all rolled, so it's all good. I may take a swing at the Lumene deal after sam's Qs arrive (thanks sam ), but I'm not really seeing too much that excites me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Zombie Mulch game on Home Depot's facebook page is over. They had originally planned to let if go until 11/4 or 11/6, but I guess some computer wizards figured out how to get the coupons without really playing the whole game, so they shut it down (or that's the rumor).

I hope you all got to play and got your Qs. You can't beat $30 worth of free stuff from the garden dept. DH has an account, DS has an account, I have an account, I have an account for my mom, and DS's GF has an account, so I was able to get (5) sets of the coupons. A lot of people are using their coupons to stockpile P&G products (which are included in the garden department). As tempting as that is, 'I decided to focus on using them to stockpile items that I can never or rarely get for free at the drug chains: Miracle Grow, Round Up, Duraflame fire starters, and some trash bags. I also saw some garage towels and will look at those more closely next time I go in.

NOOOOOO!!!! DH and I were going to play it this weekend and I just told some people about it yesterday. Grrr. Stoopy hoomins. I purposely waited because it was supposed to be available for a few more days. That stinks!

[dogmom]

Nov 2, 2012 13:21:53 GMT -5 rubyslippers said:

There are some hot Kraft coupons on a bunch of sites. I printed mine from bargainstobountydotcom. Does anyone know of a good deal on the Stovetop Stuffing? I use it for a zucchini casserole and I only have one in my pantry.

Not a great one, but an okay good sale, Meijer currently (where I live) has Stovetop for 5/$5.

[dancinmama]

Nov 2, 2012 16:56:00 GMT -5 FreeSalsa said:

Nov 1, 2012 18:21:48 GMT -5 dancinmama said:

Okay, I'm not seeing anything for me at CVS for the rest of this week or next week. My EBs are all rolled, so it's all good. I may take a swing at the Lumene deal after sam's Qs arrive (thanks sam ), but I'm not really seeing too much that excites me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Zombie Mulch game on Home Depot's facebook page is over. They had originally planned to let if go until 11/4 or 11/6, but I guess some computer wizards figured out how to get the coupons without really playing the whole game, so they shut it down (or that's the rumor).

I hope you all got to play and got your Qs. You can't beat $30 worth of free stuff from the garden dept. DH has an account, DS has an account, I have an account, I have an account for my mom, and DS's GF has an account, so I was able to get (5) sets of the coupons. A lot of people are using their coupons to stockpile P&G products (which are included in the garden department). As tempting as that is, 'I decided to focus on using them to stockpile items that I can never or rarely get for free at the drug chains: Miracle Grow, Round Up, Duraflame fire starters, and some trash bags. I also saw some garage towels and will look at those more closely next time I go in.

NOOOOOO!!!! DH and I were going to play it this weekend and I just told some people about it yesterday. Grrr. Stoopy hoomins. I purposely waited because it was supposed to be available for a few more days. That stinks!

So sorry about that. Anytime I hear about anything this "hot", I waste no time. You just never know when it's gonna get turned off.

[dancinmama]

Nov 2, 2012 16:54:39 GMT -5 FreeSalsa said:

"HOUND ALERT 10/28 PG and 9/30 PG
Duracell hearing aid batteries ($3/2?)
Walgreens BOGO sale this week + $2 ea 8 pk after cpn.
TIA!The ones from 9/30 are expiring tomorrow The ones from last weekend are $3/1 6-pack or larger, or $1/1 any. I wish I had some to send, but I didn't want you to count on getting some any not being able to use them...Thanks emhalf, I didn't notice the expiration date of the 9/30 ones. I have one of those. I'll have to use that up today. The 10/28 PG $3/1 should be ok. I'll see if I can get some rain checks this week. "

Thanks, emhalf. As usual, I got all excited about a deal and then when I got there, discovered that the store price was more than what was on couponmom. This made the deal not worth doing, as they are available online for not much more than this deal should have been. Thanks anyway.

FreeSalsa: That happens to me all the time too. A price for a deal will be quoted and when I go to my store it can be anywhere from $.10-$.30 higher.

[rubyslippers]

Has anyone heard from Frugalsuz? I hope she's ok.

[marvholly]

Ruby
Tell me about the zucchini/stuffing casserole, please.

It appears my complaints (NUMEROUS) to corp at Safeway (Dominicks) have had some effect. The Tony’s produce dept monthly booklet was actually available on 11/2. That is about 2 weeks earlier than usual. However, the Fresh Express coupon this month is for an item my regular store has NEVER stocked. The same coupon was in the Sept book and I checked for it all month. NADA. Spoke to the newish (July) store mgr and he said he would speak to the produce mgr but I do NOT have high hopes. Both the produce and meat mgrs run their own fiefdoms and have not paid any attention to the store mgr for the last 3 mgrs (5+ years). I suspect I will be filing several more complaints w/corp.

NOTE: 2-3 other stores in the SAME region do stock the FE clamshells but are not on my regular travel pattern.

Looks like Frugalsuz got caught in the NJ power outage. She has not posted on her blog all week.

[Sam_2.0]

Marv - do you have a camera phone? I would start taking pics of the empty shelf EVERY TIME you go in there, and tweet it out to the store. I bet you it gets remedied ASAP!

[Sam_2.0]

Hound Alert Right Guard $3/3 coupons available on coupons.com. Its not DH's favorite, but he will use it. If anyone can spare a few of them let me know Thanks!

[rubyslippers]

Nov 3, 2012 7:58:29 GMT -5 marvholly said:

Ruby
Tell me about the zucchini/stuffing casserole, please.

It appears my complaints (NUMEROUS) to corp at Safeway (Dominicks) have had some effect. The Tony’s produce dept monthly booklet was actually available on 11/2. That is about 2 weeks earlier than usual. However, the Fresh Express coupon this month is for an item my regular store has NEVER stocked. The same coupon was in the Sept book and I checked for it all month. NADA. Spoke to the newish (July) store mgr and he said he would speak to the produce mgr but I do NOT have high hopes. Both the produce and meat mgrs run their own fiefdoms and have not paid any attention to the store mgr for the last 3 mgrs (5+ years). I suspect I will be filing several more complaints w/corp.

NOTE: 2-3 other stores in the SAME region do stock the FE clamshells but are not on my regular travel pattern.

Looks like Frugalsuz got caught in the NJ power outage. She has not posted on her blog all week.

Marvholly, you have PM.

[dancinmama]

Nov 3, 2012 6:57:33 GMT -5 rubyslippers said:

Has anyone heard from Frugalsuz? I hope she's ok.

I emailed her right before the storm and haven't heard. Her last blog post was also before the storm.

She may not have any electricity.

[dancinmama]

Nov 3, 2012 10:47:06 GMT -5 Sam_2.0 said:

Hound Alert Right Guard $3/3 coupons available on coupons.com. Its not DH's favorite, but he will use it. If anyone can spare a few of them let me know Thanks!

sam: Are you kidding? You've got it!!

I've got (2) $3/3 off my computer. I can print two more off of DH's computer (I think) if you want them.

Just let me know, PM me your addie, and let me know if there are any insert coupons you'd like me to send.

[973beachbum]

Hi all! The house still looks like a war zone. I guess it is better than the neighborhoods that look like war zones. I am still gathering stuff to give away. It was kind of liberating to just clean out the closet and know that if the stuff runs out I will either find another great deal. I am sure something will come along before it runs out. So since I cleaned out the closets I went out today to CVS and bought more some of which I will also stick in the give away pile. Here is what I got

3 Lumene eye makeup remover 6.89 ea
2 revlon nail clippers...................3.19ea
2 dawn dish det...........................0.99ea
3 crest complete rinse..................2.99ea
1 Tide............................................5.94
2 Covergirl makeup....................... 11.98
total................................................55.92
Minus $10/$50, 20% $4.50,3@$4 lumene,8.50 MC's and $22 in ECB's for a final OOP of $1.82.

And if that wasn't good enough I got back $27 in ECB's back plus a $10 Beauty club ECB.

[frugalsuz]

Hi all. Just wanted to say that I'm cold but ok. Still no power and looks like it will be a while. Getting gas is insane but luckily we didn't have any damage to our house. I'm looking forward to work on Monday for the heat! ;D

[dancinmama]

Nov 3, 2012 15:58:05 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

Hi all! The house still looks like a war zone. I guess it is better than the neighborhoods that look like war zones. I am still gathering stuff to give away. It was kind of liberating to just clean out the closet and know that if the stuff runs out I will either find another great deal. I am sure something will come along before it runs out. So since I cleaned out the closets I went out today to CVS and bought more some of which I will also stick in the give away pile. Here is what I got

3 Lumene eye makeup remover 6.89 ea
2 revlon nail clippers...................3.19ea
2 dawn dish det...........................0.99ea
3 crest complete rinse..................2.99ea
1 Tide............................................5.94
2 Covergirl makeup....................... 11.98
total................................................55.92
Minus $10/$50, 20% $4.50,3@$4 lumene,8.50 MC's and $22 in ECB's for a final OOP of $1.82.

And if that wasn't good enough I got back $27 in ECB's back plus a $10 Beauty club ECB.

Now, I NEVER want to see any posts from you about not being up to par with the rest of us.

That was EXCELLENT!!

[dancinmama]

Nov 3, 2012 16:46:21 GMT -5 frugalsuz said:

Hi all. Just wanted to say that I'm cold but ok. Still no power and looks like it will be a while. Getting gas is insane but luckily we didn't have any damage to our house. I'm looking forward to work on Monday for the heat! ;D

Sounds like a good excuse to cuddle up in front of a roaring fire to me.

[rubyslippers]

Frugalsuz: I'm glad you checked in and hope you have heat soon.

Beachbum: You did great!!!

I went to CVS today to roll some ECB's before Black Friday. I bought 1 Oral B Vitality for $23.00 (raincheck from a couple of years ago), 1 Dawn @ $.99, 4 Glade candles $12.00, 1 caramel, 1 bag of CVS chips for $1.00, and 2 Dry Idea deodorant for $3.99 BOGOF. I used $5/30.00, $.75 Dawn MQ, $1.00 Oral-B MQ, 2 Glade BOGOF candle IPQ, $1.50 CVS crt on deodorant, $1.00 crt on the chips, $3/2 Dry Idea IPQ and $23.00 ECB's. I received $13.00 and $5.00 ECB's for Oral-B and $4.00 ECB's for the Glade. I'll also send in for the $10.00 Oral-B rebate. I spent $2.35 OOP.

Meijer: I bought 5 cans Campbells tomato soup for $3.00 minus $1/5 IPQ = $2.00. I received a $1.50 catalina. I then bought 4 Stovetop Stuffings for $4.00 minus $2.00 IPQ's minus $1.50 catalina for $.50.

[973beachbum]

Nov 3, 2012 16:46:21 GMT -5 frugalsuz said:

Hi all. Just wanted to say that I'm cold but ok. Still no power and looks like it will be a while. Getting gas is insane but luckily we didn't have any damage to our house. I'm looking forward to work on Monday for the heat! ;D

Good to know you are okay! I hope the power comes back on soon!

[bluecluessubtlety]

Question on CVS beauty club - wth counts towards that? I have had a $1.43 until next reward for months and nothing I buy goes. No hair products, lotions. Is it only makeup that applies?

[bluecluessubtlety]

Hound Alert

$3/2 Aveeno from 10/28 SS - I would love to get my hands on 6 of them to pair with rainchecks. Let me know your ISO.