M.I.A.

Hello! Long Time No See!

Lots has been happening in my Fabule$$ little world the last few days. We are still out of town and will be until after the new year this weekend. It has been nice to be "home" relaxing and visiting with family. Our Christmas was wonderful even with a very nasty stomach bug mixed in. Naomi caught it first and then spread it to about 9 other family members including James and I. Trust me, you don't want the details, but let's just say, I thought I was on death's door the first night! So basically since we have been on "vacation" we have been trying to nurse ourselves back to good health so we can actually enjoy our time away!

As I said before, Christmas was wonderful this year. I was so excited to give out gifts and watch Naomi open gifts and actually enjoy it for the first time! My wonderful husband bought me a Not-Frugal-At-All diamond necklace!! I am not usually a jewelry kind of girl but oh-man, this is beautiful!!!!

What did you get for Christmas? Leave a Comment!

Anyways, there are a few good deals going on right now so I will try try try to get some posting done in the next few days! If I don't, please forgive me and still come read my blog!! The department stores are having some pretty good after-Christmas sales going on right now. Target's Christmas supplies are currently marked down 50%, but I think that in the next few days it will go down to 75%. This is a great time to stock up on ornaments, gift tags, plus gifts for next year. I picked up a free box of Puff's tissue yesterday. I recently received a coupon in the mail for $1.00 off any single pack and the Christmas packs just happened to be marked down to $.99, Free!!

Have fun and I hope you are having a relaxing week like me!

Frugal and Fabule$$ Holiday Treats!!

I just wanted to do a quick post about a Fabule$$ holiday recipe I found over at Frugal Chic Living! I always try to find a new recipe to try out every Christmas season and this year, these were it!

Chocolate Dipped Ritz Crackers - These cute little cookies taste just like a Thin Mint I swear, they are SO good!

Recipe:
1 pkg. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. Peppermint Extract (I used 1/2 tsp.)
1 sleeve Ritz Crackers (I ended up using 1 1/2 sleeves)
Crushed Candy Cane

Heat the chocolate in the microwave until just melted or melt in a double boiler and add the extract, stir well. Dip* crackers in chocolate until completely coated and gently remove excess chocolate, only needs a thin layer. Place dipped crackers on sheet of wax paper on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with crushed candy cane. Then place the cookie sheet in the fridge for 30 min until the chocolate is hardened. That's it, super easy!

I also used a bag of white chocolate chips for one batch and instead of completely coating the cracker, I left a tiny bit plain so you can eat them without getting chocolate on your fingers! I then dipped them in the crushed candy cane powder and they came out a little sparkly! This batch tasted kind of like a crunchy peppermint bark!

*Helpful Hint: use kitchen tongs to do the dipping, your fingers will thank you for it by not being coated in very hot, sticky, messy, melted chocolate!

Looking for any last minute gift ideas or basket fillers? These are perfect, just put 4 or 5 in a cellophane bag and tie with some ribbon!

So how are these "Frugal" you ask? I got 2 big boxes of Ritz crackers (4 sleeves in each box) last week for $1.99 with coupons and the bags of chocolate chips for only $1.88 each at Albertsons this week without any coupons. The peppermint extract was the most expensive ingredient at $4.05, however, I only used about 1 tsp of the bottle and will have plenty left for next year as well. I also had lots of mini-candy canes left over from last year so I didn't have to buy any.

Thanks for the great recipe Frugal Chic Living!

What are some of your favorite holiday treat recipes?!

Free Kashi TLC Chewy Bar!

Go HERE before December 31st to request your free sample! While you are there, sign up for the Kashi Community, you will receive lots of free coupons and samples!

Free Fresco Taco from Taco Bell! Hurry!

Go HERE now to print your coupon for 1 free Fresco taco from Taco Bell! Limit 1 coupon per person so hurry and print yours now before all 1,000,000 are gone!

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

I also wanted to take a brief second to tell you (even though it is supposed to be "wordless"!) that I probably won't be around much over the next week or so. We will be out of town for Christmas and celebrating the New Year. While I will have my computer with me, posting will probably be sparatic. I do plan on doing a "Year In Review" post in the next few days highlighting how much I have earned through various outlets on the internet this year along with my goals for the coming year, so check back often! As always, I love receiving comments and emails about deals you have found or questions you might have!

With all the stress of the holidays, I am planning to really relax over the next week. Spend time with family that I don't get to see much of, go snowboarding (for the 1st time in 2 years!) and do a little after Christmas sale shopping. I will try to let you all know of any great freebies or Fabule$$ deals I come across!

Again, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

FREE Peet's Coffee & Tea on Christmas Eve

If you are out and about shopping on Christmas Eve gathering those last few gifts and making meal preperations, please stop by your local Peet's Coffee and Tea. Any brewed coffee and/or tea are complimentary ALL day!

Plus as an added benefit, each store has chosen their own local non-profit organization to donate to and Peet's corporate matches what each store earns up to $1,000. I worked for Peet's a few years back and on Christmas Eve all of the tips that day went to our chosen local charity. I worked for a small kiosk in a market and we raised over $1,500 just in tips that day, it goes to a great cause, and hey, who wouldn't love a free cup of coffee or tea while out shopping that day!

Go HERE for more details, and HERE to find a Peet's near you!

HOT Huggies Deals at Rite Aid this week!

If you are a Huggies user, now is the time to stock up!

Head over to Frugal Living NW's post HERE to see how to get the Pure and Natural diapers for as low as $1.87 per pack after coupons, discounts and rebates!

The Krazy Coupon Lady also has a great scenario HERE using more readily available coupns. You'll pay $21 out of pocket for SIX packs of diapers!

Thanks for these great scenarios ladies!

Fabule$$ Printable Coupons

Here are a couple of printable coupons available on the web right now!
Yum! $1.00 off Starbucks Ice Cream HERE.

Go HERE to sign up for a $.75 off coupon from Silk Soy Milk.

Save $.55 off Horizon Organic butter HERE.

Get $3.00 off any 2 Loreal Paris products HERE.

As always you can print coupons right here on my blog courtesy of Coupons.com! Just scroll through the coupons available in the widget on the right column and print the ones you want!

Other Printable Coupon Resources:

Smart Source

Red Plum

Coupons.com

*These websites allow you to print each coupon twice per computer.

Happy Printing!

Hurry! Free Pint of Creamer from International Delight!

Sorry I couldn't post this sooner, I have been gone ALL day! Tis the season for being busy!

If you become a fan of International Delight on Facebook HERE, you can then go to their "Holiday Giveaway" tab and register for your free pint of creamer! It will be a coupon that is mailed to you. Hurry though, they are only giving away pints to the 1st 100,000! Being a fan of companies on Facebook is almost always beneficial, I have gotten several freebies and coupons from companies off Facebook this year!

Fred Meyer Deals: Week of 12/20 - 12/24

Fred Meyer has a couple of good prices this week, also be sure to pick up their additional savings coupon booklet at the front of the store with the weekly ads. They have several store coupons that you can pair up with manufacturer coupons to get some great deals and they usually last til the end of the month!

This week the prices are good only through Thursday 12/24, I am assuming a new ad will come out Friday morning with the After-Christmas sales.

Fred Meyer Butter $1.50 each with in-ad coupon, limit 4

Campbell's Cream of Chicken or Mushroom Soup, $.59 each
Use $1.00 off 4 Printable
Final Price: $.34 each! (Limit 4)

Starbucks Coffee 2 for $11 with in-ad coupon ($5.50 each)
Use $1.00 off 1 Printable (no longer available) or $1/1 from Dec. All You magazine
Final Price: $4.50 each

Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 8 oz. $1.00 each with in-ad coupon
Use $.55 off 2 Printable
Final Price: $.73 each when you buy 2

Did you find any other great deals at Fred Meyer this week? Leave a Comment!

Hooray for Albertsons Doublers!

This morning I got an early Christmas present in my Sunday Seattle Times, 3 Albertsons Doubler coupons! These coupons are great because you use them in conjunction with any manufacturer coupon with a value up to $1.00. These coupons are good through Thursday this week too! Better than the usual Tuesday expiration!

We were out of coffee this morning so I sent my husband to the store for some Starbucks which was on sale for $7.99 (not cheap!). He used $1.00 off 1 manufacturer coupon and then a doubler and got the coffee for $5.99 (not too shabby). Unfortunately now I only have 2 left to use on other items!

Deal Scenario:

Kraft Shredded Cheese, 5-8 oz. - On sale $1.49 each x 4

Use 2 $1.00 off 2 Printables

Use 2 Doublers

Final Price: $1.96 for 4 bags! ($.49 each!)

There are a few other items that would match up well with the doublers.

Del Monte Canned Vegetables, on sale $.50 each

$1.00 off 4 Printable

Use 1 Doubler

Final Price: 4 Free Cans!

Check out some more ideas to use your doublers HERE, Thanks Frugal Chic Living!

Did you get doublers this morning too? What are you planning to use them on? Leave a comment!

Free Hot Chocolate at Target!

Target has a couple great deals going on right now!

First: Go to Target's coupon generator HERE. Some of these coupons are manufacturer coupons, some are Target coupons. The manufacturer coupons have a Target logo on them, however, you can use them at other retailers. The Target coupons say, "Target Web Coupon", these you can only use at Target. You can print 2 of each coupon per computer.

Next: Make sure you print 2 of the $1 off Swiss Miss hot chocolate coupons. The Swiss Miss milk chocolate 10-pack's are on price reduction right now for only $.97 - That means, FREE hot chocolate!! Since the value of the coupon exceeds the value of the product, it may beep at the register, the cashier should be able to adjust the value down to $.97. I am not sure how long this deal is going on, but the coupon expiration is 1/2/2010.

There is also a coupon on the site for $1.00 off 2 Ghirardelli products. The Ghirardelli Squares are on sale this week for $3 each. Pair one of these coupons with two $1.00 off 2 coupons from Coupons.com and get 2 bags for $3! This deal is only good through Saturday - tomorrow! If you use these in Christmas gifts like me then this is a great opportunity to buy them. I usually add a couple to gift bags every year as an extra treat! :)

*Just FYI - I went to my Target tonight for my free hot chocolate and they were out. If you are making a special trip, it might be a good idea to call your store first to make sure they have it in. Going to try to hit up a different one this weekend and get it.

Walgreens: John Frieda Root Awakenings for $.49!

Head over to Common Sense with Money's post HERE about how you can score 2 bottles of John Frieda's Root Awakenings for only $.99!!

Also if you become a fan of Walgreen's on Facebook you can also score a 15% off coupon good today and tomorrow (12/18) only.

Free Shipping Day!

As I said in my earlier post about E.L.F. today is free shipping day on the internet and there are over 700 retailers participating!

Check out Free Shipping Day for a list of participating retailers!

Make sure you start out at Ebates or Shop At Home first so you can also get cash back on your purchases. Both companies will deposit $5 in your account just for signing up!

E.L.F. FREE SHIPPING TODAY!

Today is the day to shop online! There are a TON of retailers offering free shipping today only in the last dash for holiday shopping!

My favorite free shipper today though is E.L.F. (EyesLipsFace). They have great makeup starting at only $1! Usually their shipping is a flat rate of $6.95. Just do your shopping and enter the code ELFCMO during checkout to receive the discount.

Also, make sure you shop through your favorite cash back site as well. Ebates is offering 4.0% cash back from E.L.F. plus if you are new to their site you will receive a $5 sign up bonus! Go HERE to sign up!

These would be great for last minute stocking stuffers! I am definitely going to get a few things ordered today!

Thanks Deal Seeking Mom!

Kids Eat Free at Qdoba This Weekend! 12/19 - 12/20

One of my FAVORITE restaurants, Qdoba Mexican Grill, recently expanded their kids menu and to celebrate they are offering a special this weekend only!

Purchase an entree and receive a kid's meal for FREE!

Adult and child must be present, no coupon necessary! I would recommend calling your local Qdoba before making a special treat as not every Qdoba is participating.

While you are there, pick up a Qdoba card for your future visits! This is a great loyalty card to have because you get a free entree for every 10 purchased and you get a free order of chips and salsa when you register your card online! PLUS, on your birthday they email you a BOGO coupon! (I think that between my friend and I who go there once a week for lunch have racked up about 25 free burritos over the last few years!)

The Couponizer Giveaway Winner Announcement!

Wow! I can't believe how many entrees were received for this giveaway, that is great!

Congratulations goes out to Stephanie!

Her Christmas List Is: I want some kitchen stuff...griddle, cookie sheets, mixer...

Well Stephanie, Santa has brought you a Couponizer for Christmas this year as well!
The winner has been sent an email with instructions on claiming her prize. If I do not hear back from her within 24 hours, another winner will be selected from the entrees.

Please don't forget, The Couponizer is having a holiday sales event, buy 2 get 1 for 1/2 price! These make excellent gifts or it would also be a great idea to buddy up with a couple other frugal friends or neighbors and go in on them together to get a great discount!

Go HERE to check out The Couponizer's website and buy one for your own!

Awesome Giveaways!

If you haven't entered my giveaway to win The Couponizer yet, do it soon, comments close in 1 hour! Go HERE now to enter! Winner will be announced later this afternoon here on the blog and the winner will be notified via email.

Money Saving Mom is also doing a fantastic 24 hour giveaway HERE. Enter to win one of five $100 gift cards from Shop at Home!

The Good Deal Gal is also running a Fabule$$ giveaway HERE! Enter to win a bunch of Betty Crocker goodies and a $15 pre-paid Mastercard!

Sage and Savvy is giving 2 readers a $25 T.J. Maxx or Marshall's gift card! Go HERE to enter!

Good Luck and check back in a couple of hours to see if you won your very own Couponizer!!

$1 off General Mills Printable Coupon!

Did you know that General Mills recently announced that they are reducing the sugar content in their cereals marketed towards kids under 12? Now the sugar content is in the single digits per serving! Please go HERE to read more about the health benefits of cereal in your diet. The company has also been reducing sugar in their other cereals as well as upping key ingredients like Vitamin D, Calcium and adding Whole Grain.

For a limited time you can print off a $1 off coupon for Trix, Cocoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Lucky Charms HERE.

*A big Thank You to General Mills for sending me 4 VIP coupons for free cereal through My Blog Spark! If you run a blog, I highly recommend signing up for My Blog Spark. It is a fun blogger community and you often get to particiapate in product reviews, surveys and great giveaways!

Fabule$$ Printable Coupon - $1 Off Lip Smackers!

Go HERE to print of a coupon for $1 off any Lip Smacker product! These make great stocking stuffers for any teenage girl in your life! I remember back in the day when we used to compare who had the best flavors! Should be able to print off 2 per computer.

Thanks Frugal Living NW!

No Albertsons Doublers

From what I am reading around the blogosphere (haven't been home to check my Seattle Times) there were no doublers included in the Sunday paper like they were rumored to be. Bummer!

Did you receive any in your Sunday paper, and which paper?

BUT... right now if you spend $25 before coupons and tax at Albertsons 3 doublers should print out at the register after your purchase! My recommendation is to buy the things on your list this week that you don't have coupons for or have coupons with values greater than $1.00 in your 1st transaction, then, in a 2nd transaction buy 3 items with 3 coupons and use the doublers. Use the doublers on your best deal possible. Check out my post HERE on the Albertsons deals for this week and see what you can get for super cheap!! These deals are good through Tuesday.

My plan for Tuesday evening after we get home from Chelan is to go buy some basic staples for the week and then with my doublers buy 6 boxes of Chex cereal for $3.00!

Off to Winter's Paradise!

This will be my view for the next 4 days! My family and I are heading up to Chelan, WA for a relaxing long weekend with family! We go to Peterson's waterfront this week every December, my husband actually popped the question to me 5 years ago yesterday right on that very dock! It is a wonderful family tradition and I cannot wait to get up there and get into that hot tub out in the crisp night air!

Please bare with me on deals and emails this weekend as I am not sure if I will be able to use my laptop while I am there. There is internet in the office but I am not sure how much I will want to go down there and sit on the computer while the rest of my family decorates gingerbread houses and watches Christmas movies!

While I am away, don't forget to enter my giveaway HERE! Many will enter, only one will win a Fabule$$ Couponizer!! Winner will be chosen on Monday!

Hope you all have a wonderful winter-y weekend! What are your plans?!

I LOVE Online Survey Companies!

I received $25 in my Toluna account today just for making spaghetti for dinner the other night!

If you are a new reader to this Fabule$$ blog then you may be interested to know that I love love love taking online surveys! Check out my post HERE to learn how I got started and some companies that I personally recommend joining! So far this year I have received over $200 in checks and many many free products to test out and even got paid to try them!

As always, please feel free to ask if you have ANY questions about taking online surveys. It can be a little overwhelming when you are first starting out, so I definitely recommend only joining one or two companies at first and then join more as you get more comfortable. This by no means is a way of earning a stable income, however, the free products and small checks have been very helpful with our budget this year, especially before I started working part time again.

If you take surveys online like me, let us know how much you made this year?!

Leave a comment!

Stride Rite: 50% Off Sale!

From now until December 22nd, Stride Rite is having an in-store only sale and select styles are 50% off! Their shoes are typically pretty spendy so 50% off would be very nice if your toddler needs any shoes.

These were the only shoes that Naomi could wear for a long time because she has wide and tall feet and nothing else was comfortable for her!

FREE Nursing Cover! Just Pay Shipping

Right now Udder Covers is offering a wonderful holiday special, a FREE nursing cover! These covers are valued at $32; all you have to pay is $8.95 for shipping. They also have great 3 piece gift sets available; the code will take $32 off your order no matter what you add to your cart!

If you or anyone you know is expecting a baby (I know A LOT of people who are!) these make wonderful baby shower gifts! They are very handy for nursing when you are out and about. I ordered the "Carson" cover recently and it will make a great addition to any baby shower gift basket or as a gift itself!

Fabule$$ Albertsons Deals: 12/9 to 12/15

Here are some of the best deals I can see at Albertsons this coming week. No doubler coupons but quite a few good in-ad dairy coupons. Maybe we'll get lucky and get doublers in Sunday's paper; we'll see! These prices are for Western Washington locations. Sometimes prices vary so it is always a good idea to check your local ad before making a special trip.

16 oz. Darigold Sour Cream - $1.99 w/ in-ad coupon (limit 2)
Use $.30 off 1 from 10/11 SS insert
Final Price: $.69 each!

1 lb. Darigold Butter - $1.79 w/ in-ad coupon
Use $0.30 off from 11/22 SS insert
Final Price: $1.49 each! (Great time to stock up on butter for holiday baking supplies!)

Sargento Shredded Cheese - $1.49 w/ in-ad coupon (limit 4)
-$0.55 off (from December All You Magazine)
Final Price: $0.94 each!

Campbells Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom Soup - $.79 each
Use $1.00/4 Printable
Final Price: $.54 each when you buy 4!

Chex Cereals $1.50 each when you buy 3
Deal Scenario:
Buy 6 Boxes Chex Cereal - $9.00
*Use 3 $1.00/2 Printables (need 2 computers to print 3)
Final Price: $6.00 for 6 boxes!
If we get 3 doublers on Sunday you could get 6 boxes for $3.00! I am going to wait and see, I need to stock up on Chex cereal so I can make Muddy Buddies to give away as holiday goodies!
$1.00 per box is good but $.50 per box is twice as good! Keeping my fingers crossed...
*Did you know you can print coupons.com coupons right from my blog? See the box on the right of your screen!

Baking Supplies:

16 oz. Karo Syrup - $2.49
$.50 off 1 from 11/8 SS insert
Load $.40 off 1 Upromise e-coupon to your savings card ($.40 savings will appear in your Upromise account)
Final Price: $1.39 - Need to get this for my Fabule$$ Caramel Corn!!

14 oz. Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk - 2/$4
Use 2 $.55 off 1 from 11/8 RP insert
Final Price: $2.90 wyb 2 ($1.45 each)

Carnation Evaporated Milk - 10/$10
Buy 2 and Use $.50/2 from 11/1 RP insert (or $.50/2 printable HERE)
Final Price: $1.00 for 2 cans

Fleishmann's Yeast Strip, 3-pack - $1.29
Use $.40/1 from 12/6 SS insert
Load $.40 off 1 Upromise e-coupon to your savings card ($.40 savings will appear in your Upromise account)
Final Price: $.39!

Check out Frugal Chic Living's post HERE to see a great scenario for the Betty Crocker promo running this week and other great coupon match-ups!

HURRY! Coupon for a FREE Bag of Stacy's Pita Chips!

If you have a Facebook account, go HERE now and become a fan of Stacy's Pita Chips. Then fill out the form in the Free Stacy's tab to receive a coupon in the mail for a free bag of pita chips!! Hurry though, this is only open to the 1st 65,000 people and it has been up for a while, most likely won't be available through tomorrow. After I filled out the form it said my coupon should arrive within 2-4 weeks! Pretty quick in the freebie world.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

The Couponizer: Review and GIVEAWAY!

Ever since I saw The Couponizer for the first time I have been itching to get my little couponing fingers on one to try out! So needless to say, I was ecstatic when they sent me one to review!

The Couponizer® is a 6-piece coupon organizing system.

- The Couponizer itself is a spiral bound book containing 18 grocery category pockets, a 3 pocket customer loyalty sleeve, and several other non-grocery pockets including rebates, restaurants and retail.

- A tear pad Shopping List for jotting down your lists.

- A CoupStacker mat that you can pre-sort your coupons on. Which is very handy!

- A Coup Tracker note pad for you to keep track of your savings from each shopping trip.

- A cute little pair of Scissors for you to clip whenever, wherever.

- A clear plastic Carrying Bag for you to store your Couponizer, scissors and sorting mat all in one place. This way if you drop it accidentally, nothing falls out!

What I LOVE:

The Couponizer is a great little compact system for those of you just starting out with a new hobby! As you can see from the photo below, my system was a very large zippered binder that is bulky, heavy and lets face it, I got a lot of looks walking around the grocery store with a binder full of coupons! The Couponizer is small enough that I can carry it in my diaper bag at all times and it fits nicely in the front of the shopping cart!

I love all of the great organizing categories and that there are pockets up front for you to put the coupons you are going to use on a particular shopping trip all in one place so you can easily hand the stack to the cashier. I can't tell you how many times I have had to stop before I get to the register to find all the coupons I need to use and often lose track of them! There is also a great elastic band on the back cover that you can slip over the front to keep your book tightly closed.

I also love the store loyalty pockets provided at the front of the book. This way I can keep all of my gift cards and membership cards with my coupons and don't have to go searching through my purse at the cash register. Although, I wish there was one more sheet, I have a lot of cards!

What I would Change:

There are only a couple of very minor changes that I would make if I could.

- I would add a category for Natural/Organic Foods, most grocery chains have all of their organic grocery products in one area of the store. If I could group all of those together in one pocket it would be much easier than flipping through every category when I am in the natural foods section of the store.

- As I said above, one extra page of customer loyalty sleeves. I have memberships to several stores and often have gift cards on hand as well.

All in all, I think this is an EXCELLENT system for new and experienced frugalistas! I remember the beginning days of this couponing hobby where I used to keep a small stack of coupons in my purse. I would lose them frequently, forget to use them at the register and just get totally overwhelmed when out shopping. I would have been much more confident having this organizing system by my side!

Special Holiday Offer:

The Couponizer is offering a special promotion for the holiday shopping season! Right now if you buy 2 Couponizers you get one for 1/2 off! Order one for you and two for gifts or just get a couple of friends to go in together to save some money! With this special, each Couponizer only costs $16.62 before shipping! Go HERE to order yours today!

Disclaimer: I did not receive payment for this review. A Couponizer system was sent to me free of charge to review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions and not everyone may have the same opinion of the product. I also took all of the photos used in this reveiw.

************GIVEAWAY!**************

Amy Bergin the President of The Couponizer has graciously offered to send a free Couponizer to one of my Fabule$$ readers! This giveaway will end 1 week from today at 4 p.m. PST on 12/14/09. Comments received after that time will not be counted. The winner will be selected through Random.org and will have 24 hours to respond with their mailing address and I will pass the information on to Amy, who will send The Couponizer to the winner!

Get up to 4 Entries!

1st Entry is mandatory before other entries. Leave a comment on this post telling us what you want for Christmas this year! Make sure you also leave your name and email address so that I can contact you if you win! To avoid spam, enter your email like this: fabulesslyfrugalmom (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Additional Entries:

- Become a subscriber or follower of my blog and leave a seperate comment to let me know you are a follower!

- Follow me on Twitter HERE and tweet about this giveaway. Make sure you put @SamanthaWitt in the tweet. Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so!

- Blog about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with the link to your post!

Please make sure you leave your email address in each entry.

Good luck! The winner will be announced on Monday, December 14th!

M.I.A. This Weekend!

Sorry I haven't been online all weekend, what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend at home ended up being pretty busy out and about! Among our Fabule$$ adventures this weekend, we got our Christmas tree! And hey, we even saved some money on it!

Every year for the past 6 years (with the exception of 1 year that we didn't get a tree because we weren't home much) we have gotten a tree from a lot up in Bothell that is family-owned called, Donna's Trees. We are always super happy with what we find and we even get a coupon in the mail for money off our tree purchase!

I have to say, I am extremely excited for the holiday season this year because Naomi is old enough to start getting excited about it. Let me tell you, this kid is obsessed with Christmas lights and santa and snowmen, all of it! She even got to put the star on the tree this year and was very proud of herself for doing so!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I will be sure to keep you posted on all the latest holiday deals!

What did you all do this weekend?!

New $5 Magazine Deals at Amazon!

Amazon.com has a new set of great magazine subscriptions on sale for only $5! There are quite a few on the list but some of my favorites are: Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Harper's Bazaar, Redbook and Popular Mechanics.

Go HERE for the complete list! These are a great way to redeem Amazon gift cards you have gotten from Swag Bucks!!

Thanks Krazy Coupon Lady!

$5 Off Any Puchase at Hallmark Gold Crown Stores!

Go HERE to print this Fabule$$ coupon for $5 off any purchase at a Hallmark Gold Crown retailer in the U.S. with no minimum puchase! Valid through 12/24.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

McDonald's: Free Frappe for Western Washingtonians

Go HERE to print your coupon for a free Frappe at McDonalds. They come in mocha or caramel flavor and the coupon is only valid at Western Washington locations.

I haven't tried one of these yet, but hey, it's always nice to have a treat while out Christmas shopping! Even better if it is free!

Thanks Seattle Moms Deal Finder!!

E.L.F. Free Gift with ANY Purchase!

Make any purchase at EyesLipsFace right now and get the 27 piece make-up kit pictured ($80 value) above for FREE! Prices start at just $1 per piece plus $6.95 shipping. I just ordered a $1 eyeshadow duo and a $1 waterproof mascara duo for $8.95! Just enter the coupon code: LOYAL at checkout to get the make-up kit added to your order! I will also be getting a 2nd free gift with my order for referring 3 friends!

This is a great company from what I hear, all of my friends LOVE their make-up and since I probably won't need the big kit, I can gift it to someone this Christmas!

Thanks The Good Deal Gal!

Deals, Deals, Deals

Sorry for no posts today! I honestly wasn't finding much out there worth reporting on. Hopefully tomorrow will be more Fabule$$!

Note to my readers, if you find any great deals out there on the web or anywhere else, please feel free to email me at fabulesslyfrugalmom@hotmail.com. If I post your find, I will credit you and your blog if you have one! These can be local Northwest deals or nationwide deals.

Until then, have a wonderful night! I am going to kick back, relax with the hubs and watch a movie!

Freebie! Aveeno Tote Bag!

Hurry and go HERE now to request your free Aveeno tote bag from Martha Stewart Body+Soul, worth $8! These freebies always go quick and it is only while supplies last so don't wait! Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery!

Thanks Cha Ching on a Shoestring!

Various Store Coupon Policies

I have come to realize over the past couple of weeks that printing off store's coupon policies and taking them with you when shopping will benefit you greatly when deal shopping. I have had several instances where the cashiers often don't know their own store's policies on accepting coupons. I have also had readers with questions about which stores take which coupons, etc.

Here is a small list of stores and their coupon policies are linked to the name. Print these off and take them with you when shopping! Trust me, this will be a great piece of paper to have when you are disputing whether or not Walmart takes internet printables! (Yes, they do!)

Super Centers:

Target (Thanks KCL!)

Walmart

Grocery:

Safeway

I am actually quite surprised that a lot of stores, like Walgreens, Target and Albertsons, don't have a coupon policy available for printing from their websites. I recommend taking any issues you have at the register to customer service. Sometimes all it takes is a manager to help sort out an issue.

The general rule is that you can use one manufacturer coupon and one store coupon per item. Certain restrictions do apply, and occasionally you have to buy more than one item. Most stores do not pay overage if a coupon's value is more than the cost of the item, however, the cashier should be able to adjust the coupon down.

Also, it is a good idea to have a cheap "filler" item on hand to purchase that will make your total more than zero. In my experience, cashiers and managers don't like to "give away" free products, even though the manufacturer will be giving them the value of the coupon back, plus $.08!

I hope this helps with any confusion you may have had and any future coupon issues that may arise!

Target Deals: Week of 11/29 - 12/5

Marcy over at Stretching a Buck has compiled the best deals for Target this week. Thank you!

This would be a pretty good week to stock up on diapers if you need them!

Huggies Diapers (big pack) - $18.99
Use $1.50/1 here or in 11/15 Smart Source insert
Use $1/1 in 10/25 & 11/15 Smart Source inserts
Use $2/1 in 11/29 Parade magazine
Final Price = $16.99-17.99 each; It's like getting 2 of these for $14.49-15.49/ea with gift card

Pampers Diapers (big pack) - $18.99
Use $1.50/1 or $2/1 in 11/29 P&G insert
Final Price = $16.99-17.49 each; It's like getting 2 of these for $14.49-14.99/ea with gift card

Happy Cyber Monday!

Hello! I am back! Well my couple of days off ended up turning into 3. We had a lovely relaxing weekend over in Leavenworth complete with lots of turkey and a little Black Friday shopping as well!

But now that I am home I am realizing that the Christmas rush has begun and I have spent the last hour buying a few gifts online. Amazon has a few good deals today, check them out HERE.
I am not going to divulge everything I bought since I know a lot of my family members read this blog and I want their gifts to actually be a surprise!

I did order one of THESE for a couple of young girls in my family.

And just a reminder, the $5 magazine subscription deals ends today on Amazon, so make sure you get your orders in soon!

Stretching a Buck and Thrifty NW Mom have a couple of great Cyber Monday Round Up lists HERE and HERE if you are looking for more deals and coupon codes.

Check out my online shopping guide HERE for more information on buying gifts online this Christmas.

If you do shop online today I highly recommend shopping through Ebates first as you can get cash back on your purchases, some of the sites have 10% back if you shop today! Plus, you get a $5 sign up bonus and it is free to register. Definitely worth it if you are shopping online today!

Have you found any Fabule$$ Deals online today? Let us know where! Leave a Comment!!

Amazon Magazine Subscriptions Only $5!

Ok one last Fabule$$ deal! lol!

From now until 12/1 Amazon has put 10 magazine subscriptions on sale for only $5 including Real Simple which is usually $54 for a year! I have been waiting for Real Simple to go on sale again as I missed it last time it was $5. I used one of my Amazon gift cards from my Swagbucks earnings to pay for this and got the subscription totally FREE!

Go HERE for the complete list of 10 different magazines on sale for $5, which includes: Sports Illustrated, Popular Science, Travel + Leisure, House Beautiful, Cosmopolitan and Southern Living!

These would make great Christmas gifts as well because their first issue won't come until after Christmas.

Have a Wonderful Thankgsgiving!

I am extremely thankful for this amazing life that I have been blessed with. I have an amazing husband, who gave me a beautiful daughter and they have given me happiness in my life that I never could have imagined. I am also thankful for our wonderful families and great friends!

I am incredibly thankful for this blog! I started it a few months ago with the thought that it wouldn't be much more than a place to let my family and friends know where to and how to find deals and money saving strategies. There are so many other money saving blogs out there and I am so thankful to now have many readers from across the country that come and visit every day! I only hope that you will all continue to come back to read and comment often! I am thankful for all of you!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am going to take a blogging break for a couple of days to relax, spend time with my family and enjoy my abundant blessings!

If you do choose to go out shopping tomorrow, I wish you all the best deals! Stay warm, be safe and don't get trampled!

Black Friday Shopping Strategy

Are you getting geared up for shopping this Friday? If the idea of it is stressing you out (much like it is me!) then I highly suggest you go HERE and check out Couponing to Disney's extensive Black Friday shopping planner!

She has separated out the best prices at different stores so you can make a list of your own and decide which stores to hit up! I will definitely be checking this out when I make my plan on Thursday night!

POLL: What are your plans for shopping this year? Black Friday? Staying home and shopping Cyber Monday or just winging it?

I think I am going to try and do a little of all 3! I haven't seen any deals that I feel I must get out of bed at 3 am for yet so I might try and make it out by 7 or so, we'll see! Plus I am excited to do a lot of shopping through Amazon this year with all the Swagbucks I have earned!

Wordless Wednesday

IKEA: Lunch for $1 on Black Friday!

If you will be headed to IKEA on Friday for some shopping, head there for lunch too! You can get a 10 piece Swedish Meatball meal for just a buck after 11am on Friday! It comes with mashed potatoes and cream sauce as well. Not vailid at all locations, go HERE for more details!

If you decide to go earlier or on a different day, you can get a FREE small breakfast Friday through Sunday this weekend!

I also noticed when flipping through their black friday ad that they will have 6 wine glasses on special for only $1.99! They are also having some pretty good furniture deals, go HERE to check it out.

Fabule$$ Albertsons Doubler Deals!

I didn't really need to go to the grocery store this week because we are fortunaate enough to be going away for a long weekend in our hometown of Leavenworth to spend Thanksgiving with family! I did however want to hit up Albertsons with my 3 doubler coupons to further fuel our coffee addiction with this Coffee-Mate creamer deal!

Did you get doublers? Usually they are only good for 3 days but since this week is Thanksgiving, all the store deals have been extended through Thursday so there is still time to use those coupons!

Here is what I bought: (sorry for the picture quality!)

(2) 32 oz. Coffee-Mate Creamers - on sale for $2.49 each

(2) 8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese @ $.88 each with in-ad coupon

(2) 8 oz Shredded Kraft Cheese - on sale for $1.88 each

Sub-Total: $9.62

Used 2 $1.00/1 Coffee-Mate Coupons

*Used 1 $.55/2 Philadelphia Coupons

*Used 1 $1.00/2 Kraft Cheese Coupons

Used 3 Twice the Value doubler coupons (-$3.00)

Final Price: $3.07! Just about $.50 per item!

*You can print Coupons.com coupons from the coupon printer to the right of my blog! Just scroll through to the ones you want and print as you go!

For a few more doubler scenarios, check out The Krazy Coupon Lady's post HERE. Lots of freebie options!

Did you score any great grocery deals this week?!

Freebies: Seventh Generation Dryer Sheet Sample

Go HERE to request your free sample pack of Seventh Generation's new dryer sheets!

You must be a member of their online community to receive the sample, sign up is quick, easy and free. Thanks Deal Seeking Mom!

Rite Aid Gift of Savings Program

Hoorah for Rite Aid promotions! They have brought back their gift of savings promotion from now until December 24th! This program is great because all you have to do is save all of your receipts between now and then and enter them on the website.

Spend $25-$50 and get a $5 certificate
Spend $51-$100 and get a $10 certificate
Spend over $100 and get a $20 certificate

The greatest part of this is that this is on top of any single check rebates you receive as well as before coupons! Go HERE for more details and to enter your receipts!

If you are planning a trip to Rite Aid go HERE and print a coupon for $3 off any $15 purchase and $2 off any Rite Aid brand beauty product! Also go HERE to print a $5 off $25 purchase. Split your purchase into 2 transactions and use all 3 of these coupons!

For the Mommas has some great coupon match ups and scenarios for this week HERE and HERE, thanks!

These coupons are good for a while so you could save them for this weekend's Black Friday sale to make your dollar stretch!!

FREE - 1 Month Trial for Amazon Prime!

Ok so the "Official" holiday shopping season begins in less than a week! EEK! Are you ready?! This is the first year that I am feeling pretty confident in my shopping plans and don't think I will end up going to over board or over budget, but we'll see how the next month goes!

This is an awesome offer from Amazon.com, sign up HERE for a completely FREE one month trial of Amazon Prime. With this program you will receive free 2-day shipping on every purchase shipped from Amazon.com with no minimum order. Plus you can upgrade to one day shipping for only $3.99.

This program costs $79 per year and it will automatically renew after your free month. If you do not want to keep the subscription I highly suggest you go to the "My Account" section after signing up and click on "Do Not Upgrade" to automatically end your subscription after the first month. Definitely mark the end date on your calendar to make sure you are not charged the $79.
This offer is for new customers only, so if you have taken advantage of the free month before, you can't again.

I usually buy at least one or two Christmas gifts from Amazon every year so I signed up for this right away!

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Want to Win a $1,000 Safeway Gift Card?

Safeway and Star 101.5 have teamed up to promote Safeway's New Everyday Low Prices program again in the Seattle area! Between now and 11/29 go to any Safeway (you will probably be there buying stuff for Thanksgiving anyway) and snap a photo of yourself next to one of the new Everyday Low Prices yellow tags. Then go to Star 101.5's website and upload the photo. They will choose 4 lucky people to win a $1,000 Safeway gift card! Now who couldn't use an extra $1,000 this Christmas?!

Go HERE for more details and the official rules!

Free Sample: Huggies Pure & Natural Diapers

Sign up HERE for a free sample pack from Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers! You can request newborn or size 1, and they will send you a 3-pack with a coupon! I am usually a Pampers snob, but I do like this version of Huggies. The diapers are made of natural and organic components and are very soft and absorbant!

This would be a great sample to sign up for if you are expecting or if you have a friend that is expecting. You could also add this sample pack to a gift basket for a baby shower gift!

One offer per household, expect 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Thanks Frugal Living NW!

Frugal vs. Healthy?

Is it possible to buy healthy foods while on a budget? This is a very popular question throughout the blogger community. While it is harder to find coupons and deals on healthy and organic foods, it is not impossible. I wanted to touch on this subject because of the fact that I am personally trying to transition my family to healthier, cleaner foods but save money at the same time and I want to share with you some ways that I am doing that.

Last night at Fred Meyer I was able to buy $20 worth of healthy and organic foods for under $6!
Here is what I bought:
Organic Bananas - On sale $.79/lb
Spinach - Clearance Priced $1.19, Reduced from $3.99!
2 Tropicana 50 Orange Juice - On sale 2/$5, used $1/2 coupon to make it $4
Oikos Greek Yogurt - Used 3 Coupons for Free Oikos, Saved $9.67!
Total: $5.98, Savings of 70%!

Yes, a lot of the time, the coupons that get you the best deals are for foods that are un-healthy and/or processed. But you have to remember one very important couponing rule: if I wouldn't buy this in a normal situation, should I really buy it just because I have a coupon? The answer is no. Just because you can get 5 packages of chocolate cookies for $.50/box, should you? Your wallet and your waistline will thank you in the long run for not bringing those cookies home!

Mambo Sprouts is one of my favorite online resources for finding natural and organic product coupons, and even coupons.com and smartsource.com often have printable coupons available for healthy foods.

What about dairy, produce and meat you ask?

Dairy: Organic Valley and Horizon Organic both have printable coupons available on their websites that you can print and use on organic dairy purchases. You can really start to see big savings by saving these coupons and using them on items you find that are close to their pull dates. These products are still good but the store manager marks them down to move them off the shelves a couple of days before they expire. Did you know you can freeze cheese and butter for up to 3 months? Plus, you are allowed to use a coupon on these clearance priced items! I once got a gallon of Organic Valley milk that was 5 days from pull date for $.59 because I had a $1 off coupon and the milk was marked down to $1.59. My daughter drinks a lot of milk so we were easily able to use the milk before it went bad.

Produce and Meat: Every time I go to the grocery store I browse through the manager's specials or clearance priced items in the produce and meat sections. It is the same case as above, these items that are marked down are a few days from their pull dates. You are able to freeze meats and many produce items. Just because it is marked to clearance doesn't mean that the item has gone bad. The spinach I bought last night had 3 days left before the pull date, because I go through a lot of spinach making "green smoothies" for Naomi and I, I know that I will use up all the spinach with no problem!

I also frequent the local Farmer's Market during the spring, summer and fall months as I often find my produce for substantially cheaper than I can at the supermarket. Plus I know I am supporting local and organic farmers. You can also grow your own herb garden in any window seal at any time of year for practically free and natural flavors.

Just can't find coupons for the things you need? Stock up when items you buy the most of are on sale and use coupons where you can even if its just for your toiletry and household items. Everybody needs toilet paper and there have been very few times in the past year that I have had to resort to Costco for toilet paper because I can almost always find it cheaper by pairing coupons and sales. I won't have to buy a razor, toothpaste or air fresheners for a LONG time and what I have stocked up on I have paid zero to rock bottom prices for.

What are some ways that you have saved money on healthy and/or organic items lately? Leave a comment!

Starbucks: Free CD with $15 RED Purchase

For a limited time at Starbucks, spend $15 and receive a free "All You Need is Love" CD. Songs on the cd are featuring U2, Dave Matthews Band, John Legend, and Playing for Change.

You could buy a $15 gift card for yourself and then get the CD for Free! This would be a great stocking stuffer or complete gift for the Starbucks lover in your family!

Thanks Much Coupon Cravings!!

Toys R Us: Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head $1.99!

Toys R Us is having a Doorbusters sale this Friday and Saturday (11/19-11/20). Time to put those toy coupons to good use!

Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head - On Sale $3.99
Use $2 off 1 Printable
Final Price: $1.99 each!

Thanks Frugal Living NW!

There should be a ton of great Black Friday promos coming up throughout the next week so keep checking back here for updates on some Fabule$$ deals!

Coupon Round Up

Go HERE to request your $1 off coupon by mail from Puffs. This will be great for the nasty cold and flu season that is ahead of us this season!

Go HERE for $.50 off any Ro*Tel. Wait for the welcome screen to change to the coupon. (Thanks for both of those Money Saving Mom!)

Go HERE for $2/1 Butterball Whole Turkey! While you are there print the $.75 off any Duncan Hines Muffin Mix, they on sale at Fred Meyer this week and this coupon makes them pretty cheap! Great breakfast idea for your Thanksgiving guests! (Thanks Krazy Coupon Lady!)

I got an email yesterday for $1/1 Starbucks Ice Cream HERE! The Caramel Macchiato is my FAVORITE!!

Target released a new coupon program this week. Now you have to print all Target coupons from their site HERE and there is a maximum of 2 prints per coupon. Kind of a bummer because there were no print limits before but I guess all good things must come to an end. Stretching a Buck has the details plus some great matchups available for these coupons HERE, thank you!!

New Coffee-Mate Coupon Available!

Go HERE to print a new $1/1 Coffee-Mate Creamer coupon! You should be able to print 2 per computer.

This comes at a great time actually! There is a rumor out there that we will be getting Albertsons doublers in the Sunday paper. If we do get them, here is a Fabule$$ scenario:

(Buy 2) 32 oz. Coffee-Mate Creamers - On Sale 2.49 each,

Use 2 $1.00 off 1 printable coupons from above

Use 2 Albertsons Doublers (-2.00)

Final Price: $.98 for 2 bottles of creamer!

I usually buy their fat free french vanilla flavor but we got some peppermint mocha flavor last week and it was SO good! What is your favorite flavor?

Thanks Deal Seeking Mom!

100 Free Prints from Snapfish! Today Only!

Today only at Snapfish.com you can get 100 free prints with ANY purchase of $5 or more! Just enter the code FREE5 at checkout. Plus, if you are a new member you can get an additional 50 free prints for signing up!

You can make this deal even better by signing up with Ebates HERE and receive 10% cashback on your Snapfish purchases, plus you will get a $5 sign up bonus when you join Ebates!

Thanks Frugal Living NW and Money Saving Methods!

Lack of Posting

Hello Blogosphere!

I just wanted to give a quick hello and say I am sorry for my lack of posting the past few days. I got hit with either the flu or a bad bad cold last week and have had very little energy to do anything but sleep for about 5 days now!

Rest assured, I am feeling much better today and as soon as I get my daughter down for her nap I will be on here with a few new deals for all of you including this week's Albertsons match-ups later this evening!

In the meantime, if you are in the market for a turkey, as I know many of you are! Frugal Chic Living did a great round up of Turkey prices HERE and The Good Deal Gal has a list of printable coupons you can use for your Thanksgiving feast HERE! Thanks for putting these together ladies!

See you back here later today!

UPDATED: FREE Holiday Photo Ornament!

**UPDATE** I received an email this morning regarding this order. Apparently it was a promotion that was running for people who bought Santa packages in the malls. They were able to come home, use the code and then get the free ornament. All orders have been placed on hold until further notice. If you do end up buying a Santa picture package you will probably be able to redeem this code for your free ornament though. I hate to admit but it sounded too good to be true!

Hurry! I am not sure how long this promo will last! Sometimes freebies like this don't last very long because of high demand. I just ordered mine (the red one below but with a photo of my cutie!) tonight with no problems, totally FREE!


-Go to SeeHere.com and sign up, remember to use your newsletters email address if you decide to receive future promotions from them.

-Then go to photo gifts and choose between either the white or red photo ornament, they are priced at $12.99. Upload your photo and then add to cart.

-Once you get to check out enter mallornament in the promo code section and you will see your total go to $0.00! You don't even have to pay for shipping!

This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for a grandparent or to keep for yourself!

Thanks as always Money Saving Mom!