About every month or so, JCPenney.com offers a coupon for $10/$10+ purchase.  Last time, I was able to get 6 pairs of shoes for the girls (separate transactions) for less than $10 total. 

The best way to use this deal is to do a little bit of shoe shopping.  They always offer free shipping and if you search through the clearance/sale areas there are many deals to be found. Its taking everything in my power to not go crazy shoe shopping, especially when they have $29.99 ($19.99 after the discount) Chuck Taylors! Those usually run around $40 at least!

How to use the code: just enter GO4TEN at checkout and it will deduct the $10 from your order.  This offer is valid until Sept. 28th.

The rest of the site has $4.99 shipping, which isn't bad either.  If anything does not fit right, it is super easy to make returns at the store.

Additional savings can be found if you order through Ebates or Shop-at-home, where you get an additional percent back from your order (each website offers 3% back).  It probably wont amount to much, but I guess every penny counts.

Happy shopping!

Cheese please!

Before I moved to Wisconsin, I barely thought about cheese (especially since Im lactose intolerant), but now Im in love!  It could also be because I started cooking more, but I will blame it mostly on living in the Midwest.  We fly through it in our house and whenever I find a good deal, I just throw it all in the freezer for a later time.  Bricks of cheese seem to freeze and thaw better, in my opinion.

Here's the link for $5 off Kraft cheese.  A lot of grocery stores have deals to go along with this coupon since it has a great cause behind it: each coupon used gets 5 meals donated in its honor.  If that is not enough incentive, I don't know what is!

A lot of stores have catalinas (printable coupons at the register) to go along with this which you get $5 back for your next shopping trip if you buy $15 in Kraft foods.  This works at Meijers this week for $0.17 bricks of cheese (when you buy 10).  Im sure Copps or Cub has this deal in Madison, too. 

Enjoy & have a great weekend everyone!

Old Navy shopper?

I would say about 75% of my wardrobe is Old Navy, I love the deals I can find there!  Before you head out to the store, make sure you go to the Old navy section on Facebook titled "Barkers Bones".  I have yet to be one of the lucky ones to get $75 off $100 or more coupons, but usually I can get a pretty good coupon to take with me.  Make sure you play more than once...the coupon changes each time. These are nice because you can still use them with a sale in the store!

Other great coupon mailing lists for clothing stores:

1. Ann Taylor Loft
2. Gap
3. American Eagle
4. Claires (if you have a younger girl in the family)
5. Aeropostal
6. New York & Co
7. Macys
8. Express
9. Kohls
10. JcPenney

There are tons more.  Like I have said before, I sign up for everything, especially restaurants, on my "junk" email and you never know what you may get!  A lot of stores have the new fad of "text coupons", so keep your eyes peeled for those.  JcPenney has a great one which we have saved a lot with these past months.

Happy shopping!

Coupon pep-talk!

Since I've been using coupons for years, I am used to the negative side of them.  When I go to the store, I'm sure I am the cashiers nightmare with the amount of coupons I use.  Now I am proud of my savings and I do not care what they may think, but it can be almost intimidating using coupons.  Make sure you know the rules for the store you are shopping at because the cashiers can be wrong sometimes! 

Here are some ways to make coupons less stressful for newbies:

1. Organize, organize organize!  I always keep an ongoing list on our fridge and before I go shopping I check out sales, finalize my list and get my coupons out that I may need.  I put the coupons for that shopping trip in a separate envelope so I know exactly where they are.  If I'm getting something like trash bags and I don't know what I will end up buying, I get out all coupons for trash bags, so I don't fumble around in the store. 
2. You don't have to hit every great deal.  This tip is one I should really follow.  You should see our linen closet and pantry.  I am addicted to free toothpaste and cereal.  If you try to go out and get every great deal, you would drive yourself crazy!  Buy what you can use.  Also, just because you have a coupon doesn't make that the best price- if you are trying to use a coupon for salad dressing, but there is a better deal without the coupon, go for the better deal!
3. Dont feel bad about using coupons.  Before you get in line to check-out, make sure you have everything you may need out and ready to go.  As long as you are organized, there is NO reason to feel bad about using coupons.  I get all sorts of comments from people behind me and I try to not let it get to me, but I will admit its hard to not want to give up.  Especially with a grouchy cashier.  My opinion is, if people get annoyed with you they can go in a different lane! 
4. Stand up for yourself.  This goes back to the whole "grouchy cashier" category.  Some cashiers refuse to deal with coupons and they will do anything they can to say "nope, we cant take this".  In my experience, 8 times out of 10, they are wrong.  If you know your coupon is right, say something!  If the cashier is still salty, go right up to the customer service desk after your transaction.  Yes, this sounds time consuming, but its worth it.
5. Have fun!  Coupons are not for everyone.  Its hard for me to understand, but a lot of people hate using coupons.  If you cant have fun saving money and you think of coupons as a burden, stop using them.  I find saving money fun, so I brush aside the negatives of couponing.  Once you get the hang of it, couponing is really quick and easy...I promise!

If you have any beginner questions, as always I'm here for you! 
My new email is: beingcheapiseasy@gmail.com or you can message me through this blog. 

I love all comments!

Ashleigh

Fall means movie nights!

One part of Fall that I absolutely love are the cool nights, especially with some good food and a movie.  We have been members of Netflix for over a year and we love it!  If you have not tried out Netflix yet, let me know and I can email you a FREE month.  Now that we have Tivo, its even better because we can watch movies instantly.

Here are some other cheap ways to watch movies:
1. Redbox.  I was shopping (at Meijer, of course) and I saw the Redbox and I thought we would try it out.  Movies are $1 a night, but there are many ways to get free rentals.  If you join their texting service, they send out a free rental the first Monday of each month.  There are also many other giveaways.  Join, its free!
2. Blockbuster Express.  This is the same concept as Redbox, it seems areas have one or the other.

This blog seems pretty simple, but I just thought I would remind you there are cheap ways to rent your favorite movies and TV shows!  The boy loves scary movies, so our fall movie list is filled with cover-your-eyes horror classics.  I sneak in a few girly movies or Glee when I get the chance though!

Dont forget the popcorn!

Ashleigh

Gap + Amazon deals

Since there are so many money saving blogs out there, I try not to post every great deal that is going on...that is their job!  Some are too good to not tell you about though!  Here are two that have the bloggers buzzing.

1. 15% cash back through Ebates at Gap.com.  Although you dont get the cash back right away, this is a great deal if you are already shopping for some new fall clothes.  Plus, if you sign up with my link, I am one person closer to that Ipad...no pressure though.

2. Amazon Mom.  This is my favorite!  I am a slight Amazon addict, especially when I start Christmas shopping.  With Amazon Mom, you get FREE prime shipping for 3 months (thats 2-day shipping), as well as diaper deals and many other perks.  You can use the free shipping on anything on the site, not just diapers.  I love the Amazon digital section, you can download MP3 albums for super cheap and they have a lot of great freebies. 

Happy shopping everyone! 

Stacking coupons

When I start to explain coupon use to people, I always get a lot of questions about the term "stacking" coupons.  Stacking is used with store coupons AND manufacturer coupons.  You can use both for one item to bump up your savings.  As always, make sure you read the fine print on store coupons to make sure there are not any restrictions.  Here are some of my favorite stores to "stack" with:

1. Target.  This is how you get a lot of great deals and free items there.  To find the coupons, go to the bottom of the website and click on the "coupon" tab.  Not all coupons listed are Target store coupons, some are manufacturer.  Once you print them you will know.  The store coupons say TARGET WEB COUPON on the top.  
2. Babies r Us/ Toys R Us- any mailed coupons or online coupons can be stacked with others.  This is great because their prices are higher
3. Drug store coupons: Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid all have store coupons.  If you visit the forums at Afullcup.com you will see people chatting about the deals they find.
4. Meijer Mealbox :I like these because you can print off numerous coupons.  You may not be able to use them all in the same shopping trip, but these are great for sales.

There are many other stores which allow coupon stacking, you may want to check your local stores.  Stacking is also helpful with places that double coupons, you can get things more than free that way.  We call that "overage".

Any questions?  Just ask! I have a new email: beingcheapiseasy@gmail.com

A whole new shopping world!

Hello again!  I'm baack!  The move was long and we are still unpacking, but Grand Rapids is great so far!  We get lost daily, but we will get the hang of it eventually.  I do miss everyone in Madison and my stores (Woodmans, especially).  I'm working on some new posts, so stay tuned! 

As always, make sure to email subscribe!

Ashleigh

Meijers new program- Mperks

When I was in Wisconsin, I really missed my Meijers.  If you are unfamiliar, you can get anything you can think of there.  Like a Walmart, but much better (in my opinion, of course). I love the grocery department and they have great prices.  Now, to make it even better, they are offering some new perks.  Mperks, to be exact.  You just add your cellphone number to the website, then load coupons to your phone number.  When you checkout, you automatically have the coupons taken off your order.  You can use other coupons with these, which helps you save even more!  There is an Ipod/I-touch application to use with this also which helps you find what you are looking for in stores.  Eventually you will be able to load Meijer Mealbox coupons to this also. I have yet to try this, but I am super excited to take my I-touch to the store...they have even added Wi-fi hotpots throughout their stores so people can use their I-touch.  I'm such a tech geek, this was the highlight of my day when I went on my first Meijer run.   Since I'm new to the stores anyways, this will help me save time from wandering around. 

Make sure you sign up soon!  They have a great coupon for $2 off any $5 purchase or more.