Jewel - Amazing deals this week (more free ice cream)!

Jewel has a truly fantastic Catalina deal this week - so good that I was able to get everything pictured above for $.59, plus make a $10 profit in catalinas (see the end of my post for more details on this shopping trip)! The promo is, buy $30 worth of select Unilever, General Mills, or Kimberly Clark products, and get $15 back in Catalina coupons. As I have mentioned before, the $30 threshold for these types of deals is based on whatever the products scans at before you scan your preferred card. This is the beauty of Jewel Catalina deals! And, although the deal is advertised as "buy $30, get $15," you can stack up to 3 deals per transaction, meaning that if you buy $60 or $90 worth, you will get back $30 or $45, respectively.

This promotion includes a wide variety of products, and you can get everything from Breyer's ice cream to Chex mix to paper towels for pennies on the dollar.

Here are some of the items that struck as especially good deals, plus some coupon match-ups and sample scenarios. Please note that pre-preferred card prices may vary some by store. Because of the nature of this deal, anything that has a preferred card price of half of less than what it scans for will essentially be free after the catalina. Most of the things on the list below are free (or better!) after coupons and the catalina deal.

Knorr Rice Sides @ $1.89 pre-card/$1.49 preferred. $1/3 printable coupon here or here (note on the second printable: the coupon is on pg. 2; it prints from a Save-a-Lot site, but it should be a manufacturer coupon that you can use anywhere). Also, every time I have bought these, I get a coupon for more, usually something like $1 off 4 or $2 off 8.
Lipton dry soup mix @ $1.99 pre-card/$.99 preferred. I don't think there are any coupons for it, but it's on sale for half of what it scans, so it's free after the catalina!
Green Giant Corn, Peas, or Green Beans, 11-15 oz. @ $1.29 pre-card/$.79 preferred. These make good fillers if you need something cheap to bump your total up over the $30/60/90 threshold.
Progresso Broth @ $2.99 pre-card/$1.49 preferred. Use $.50 coupon from 10/4 insert or printable coupon from Coupons.com.
Progresso Rich & Hearty Soup @ $2.79 pre-card/$1.49 preferred. Use $1/3 printable, $1.10/3 printable from Coupons.com, or the $.50/2 coupon from 9/13 or 10/25 inserts.
Progresso Bread Crumbs @ $2.99 pre-card/$1.99 preferred. Use $1/2 printable coupon from Coupons.com (good on any Progresso products except soup and broth).
Chex mix @ $2.99 pre-card/$1.69 after. Use $.50/1 coupon from 10/25 insert (good only on chocolate flavors), $.50/2 from 10/4 insert, or $.50/1 printables from Coupons.com (there are two, one is good only on chocolate flavors).
Gold Medal Flour @ $3.29 pre-card/$1.99 preferred. Use $.50 coupon from Eat Better America.
Yoplait Yo-Plus, Fiber One, or Delights 4-pk. yogurt @ $3.39 pre-card/$2.49 preferred. Use $1 coupons from 10/4 or 9/13 inserts, $1 printables from Coupons.com, $1.25 printables here and/or here, or $1 printables here, here, and/or here.
Wishbone salad dressing @ $2.49 pre-card/$1.99 preferred. Use $.75 printable coupon.
Breyer's ice cream @ $5.99 pre-card/$2.99 preferred. Use $.75 coupon from 10/18 insert or $1/2 printable coupon (note on the printable: the coupon is on pg. 2; it prints from a Save-a-Lot site, but it should be a manufacturer coupon that you can use anywhere).
Hellmann's Mayonnaise, 22 oz. squeeze bottle @ $5.39 pre-card/$2.99 preferred. Use $1/2 printable coupon (the coupon is on pg. 2; it prints from a Save-a-Lot site, but it should be a manufacturer coupon that you can use anywhere). And, make sure you get the right size and type of bottle - other varieties are included in the sale, but not all have the same pre-preferred price, which could throw off the total you need to get your catalina.
Scott paper towels, 1 ct. Mega Roll @ $1.99 pre-card/$1.29 preferred. Use $1/4 coupon from 11/1 insert.
General Mills Cereal
Cheerios, 8.9 oz. @ $2.99 pre-card/$1.88 preferred.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 12.8 oz., or Golden Grahams, 12 oz. @ $2.79 pre-card/$1.88 preferred.
Trix, 10.7 oz. @ $3.09 pre-card/$1.88 preferred.
Use $.55 Cheerios coupon from Coupons.com, $.55 Cinnamon Toast Crunch coupon, $1/2 coupons from 9/27 or 11/1 inserts, $1/3 coupon from 10/4 insert, or $1/2 printable coupon.

And, here are the details from my trip earlier today:

5 Progresso Rich & Hearty soup @ $2.79 pre-card/$1.49 preferred = $13.95/$7.45
5 Yoplait @ $3.39 pre-card/$2.49 preferred = $16.95/$12.45
5 Progresso chicken broth @ $2.99 pre-card/$1.49 preferred = $14.95/$7.45
12 Knorr Rice Sides @ $1.89 pre-card/$.99 preferred = $22.68/$11.88
11 Lipton soup mixes @ $1.99 pre-card/$.99 preferred = $21.89/$10.89
1 can Jewel pears @ $1 (a filler so I could use the full amount of a $5 catalina coupon)

Before preferred card: $91.42
After preferred card: $51.12
Minus coupons:
$4 off $40 purchase (Look out for these coupons - they may either print after your transaction, or you might find them lying around the check-out areas. I found this one in the bottom of a shopping cart.)
(5) $.50/1 Progresso broth
(5) $1/1 Yoplait
(1) $1/3 Progresso soup
(1) $.50/2 Progresso soup
(1) $1.75/7 Knorr sides (coupon received from buying Knorr on my last trip)
(1) $1.25/5 Knorr sides (also received on my last trip)

I then paid with $35 in catalina coupons from previous trips and $.59 in cash ($.47 of which was tax) and got $45 back in cats! And to think that I used to refuse to shop at Jewel because I thought they were too expensive...

JCPenney Rewards

I recently received an email from JCPenney about their new JCP Rewards program. In my opinion, the best part is that when you sign up, you get a coupon for $10 off any purchase. Since the minimum purchase requirement is only $10, that means you could get $10 worth of free stuff! According to the email I received from them, you register a credit or debit card with your rewards account, and then you get points for purchases made with that card. When you get enough points, you can redeem them for additional $10 coupons. Go here to sign up.

CVS - Going Green Saves Money!

CVS recently started a "green bag tag" promotion using tags like the one pictured above. I found mine hanging on a small display near the register at the front of the store. You buy the tag for a one-time cost of $.99 and then attach it to any reusable bag. After purchasing the tag, you will get $1 ECB every fourth time you use it. So, basically, you'll earn back the cost of the tag after 4 uses, and then it's only profit after that - plus you're reducing plastic waste! There is a "limit of one Green Bag tag use/scan per day" per Extra Care card.

Menards - Free Super Glue, Floor Cleaner, & $.79 Salsa

There are several rebate deals at Menards this week. Here are the ones that stood out to me:

6-pk. Fix-All Super Glue @ $2 - $2 mail-in rebate = FREE after rebate
Limit 2 six-pks. per household

Carpet or Hard Surfaces Flooring Cleaner @ $3 - $3 mail-in rebate = FREE after rebate
Limit 2 cleaners per household

Chi-Chi's Salsa, 16 oz. @ $1.79 - $1 mail-in rebate = $.79 after rebate

Castilla Bird Feeder @ $4.99 - $4 mail-in rebate = $.99 after rebate
Limit 2 feeders per household

20' Outdoor Extension cord or 3-outlet Power Stake @ $3.99 - $2 rebate = $1.99 after rebate
Limit 5 cords or stakes per household

Prime Vision or Rally Wiper Blade @ 2/$3 (not a rebate deal, but seems like a decent price to me)


There are some additional things to be aware of concerning Menards rebates. For items that are simply free after rebate, you are required to also purchase $10 of products that are not free after rebate. However, you should be able to count items that have rebates but are not free toward that $10. If you don't want or need anything else, you could also get a $10 gift card to meet that purchase requirement. Most (maybe all?) Menards also accept competitor coupons, so if you have a coupon for money off your next order at another hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowe's, you could use that to get an even better deal.

Unless otherwise noted, all rebates are submitted directly to Menards, not to each individual manufacturer, so you can submit everything all at once. Also, the rebate will come in the form of a merchandise check, which is good only at Menard's. However, you can "roll" your Menards gift checks, meaning that you can use your merchandise check from one week to purchase the rebate items for another week. By doing this, you will minimize your out-of-pocket expenses.

Walgreens Highlights - Week of 10/25-10/31

As I mentioned in my previous post, I wasn't up to posting much lately due to traveling and sickness in our family, but I think things are better now, so I'm back! If you're new to Walgreens shopping, check out my post here, which explains their system and how to get the most for your money when shopping there. Here are the best deals I see for the week of 10/25:

Buy 2 Trident Layers gum @ $.99 (with in-ad store coupon)
Use (2) $.75 printable coupons or B1G1 coupon from 10/18 insert
Pay $.48-.99, get $1 in Register Rewards; final cost = $.52 profit or FREE after coupons and Register Rewards
*Note: This Register Reward (RR) deal is not advertised in the flyer, but it is an October monthly deal.

Buy (2) Sudafed PE 20 or 24 ct. or OM nasal spray .5 oz. @ 2/$12, get $3 RR
Use (1) $2 coupon from 8/2 or 10/4 insert and $4 coupon from 10/4 insert (Note: must buy at least 1 nasal spray in order to use the $4 coupon)
Pay $6, get $3 RR; final cost = $3 for 2, or $1.50 each after coupons and RR

Buy Robitussin To Go 2 ct. @ $2.49, get $2.49 RR = FREE after RR

Buy Chapstick Fresh Effects @ $2.99, get $2.99 RR = FREE after RR

Buy Dulcolax Balance @ $7, get $4 RR
Use $3 coupon on package
Pay $4, get $4 RR = FREE after coupon and RR
Submit for $5 mail-in rebate here and make a $5 profit!

Buy 1 Fiber Choice 10 ct. or Beano To Go 12 ct. @ $2.49, get $2.49 = FREE after RR

Buy 1 Super Poligrip Denture Adhesive @ $2, get $2 RR = FREE after RR

Buy 8 select Dove hair care products @ $4.99, B1G1 free = $19.96
Use (8) $1.50 or $1 coupons from 10/4 insert
Depending on what coupons you have, pay $7.96-$11.96 after coupons and get $10 RR; final cost = $2.04 profit to $1.96 for 8 ($.25 each) after coupons and RR
*Note: This RR deal is not advertised in the flyer but is an ongoing October monthly deal. Also note that the $1.50 coupon is good only on conditioner, while the $1 coupon is good on any Dove hair care product.

Buy 2 Bayer Contour or Breeze 2 glucose meters @ $14.99 (these are part of the buy $20, get $5 promo)
Use (2) $30 coupons from 10/25 insert (coupons will need to be adjusted down to the purchase price; they will not take off $30 when the meter costs $14.99)
Pay tax and get $5 RR; final cost = $5 profit after coupons and RR

You could also use the Bayer "buy $20, get $5" deal to get free vitamins:

Buy 1 Bayer Contour or Breeze 2 glucose meter @ $14.99 and 1 box 50-100 ct. One-A-Day vitamins @ $6.99 = $21.98
Use $30 meter coupon from 10/25 insert and $2 One-A-Day coupon from 9/27 insert
Pay $4.99, get $5 RR; final cost = FREE after coupons and RR

Even if you don't use glucose meters yourself, as you can see, it is sometimes financially beneficial to buy them anyway. Plus, some charitable organizations accept them as donations, so you can also help others in the process. Or, you can strip them for parts - if the meter comes with test strips, many diabetics appreciate receiving just the strips, since those can be quite pricey. I have also heard that the batteries from the meters will work in some pacemakers.

In addition to the above deals advertised in the weekly ad, the following deals were advertised in the 9/27 ad but are actually valid for the entire month of October, so you can still get them:

Buy 1 Emergen-C Booster 2 pk., 2.5 oz. @ $3.49, get $3.49 in RR = FREE after RR

Buy 1 Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion, 6.8 oz. @ $6.99, get $6.99 in RR
Use $1 coupon from 10/18 insert or $1.50 printable coupon (if you printed it when it was available)
Pay$5.49-$5.99, get $6.99 RR; final cost = $1-$1.50 profit after coupon and RR

Buy 1 Halls Refresh @ $1, get $1 RR
Use $.75 or $.35 coupon from 9/27 insert
Pay $.25-$.65, get $1 RR; final cost = $.35-$.75 profit after coupon and RR

CVS Highlights - Week of 10/25 - 10/31

Between traveling and sickness in our family over the last couple weeks, I wasn't up to posting last week, but I think things are on the upswing now, so I'm back on the blog. There aren't a lot of freebies at CVS this week, but there are some pretty cheap items. If you're new to CVS shopping, check out my post here, which explains how to make the system work for you. Here are the best deals I saw:

Buy 1 Nova Max glucose meter @ $9.99, get $9.99 ECB = FREE after ECB

Limit 1 deal per Extra Care card

*Note: Even if you don't need glucose meters yourself, many charitable organizations accept them as donations. Or, you can strip them for parts - if the meter comes with test strips, many diabetics appreciate getting just the strips, since those can be quite pricey. I have also heard that the batteries from glucose meters will work in some pacemakers.

Buy 1 Gillette Fusion razor @ $9.99, get $5 ECB

Use $4 coupon from 9/27 insert

Pay $5.99, get $5 ECB; final cost = $.99 after coupons and ECB

Limit 1 deal per Extra Care card

Buy $20 of select Dove products, get $10 ECB

Buy 5 conditioners @ $4 each = $20

Use (5) $1.50 coupons from 10/4 insert

Pay $12.50, get $10 ECB; final cost = $2.50 for 5, or $.50 each after coupons and ECB

Limit 1 deal per Extra Card card
*Note: If you have a Walgreens, Dove is a better deal there this week!

Buy $20 of select allergy and cold remedies, get $10 ECB

Buy 3 Sudafed OM nasal sprays @ $7 = $21

Use (2) $2 coupons from 8/2 insert and (1) $4 coupon from 10/4 insert

Pay $13, get $10 ECB; final cost = $3 for 3, or $1 each after coupons and ECB

Limit 1 deal per Extra Care card

Jewel - Great Deal on General Mills Products!

From 10/15 through 10/21, Jewel will be running a promotion on select General Mills products, including certain Betty Crocker, Green Giant, Progresso, Pillsbury, Cascadian Farms, and Totino's items, plus some General Mills cereals: when you buy $25, you get a $10 "off your next order" coupon (OYNO). However, the thing that makes these deals so great at Jewel is that the $25 threshold required to get the $10 coupon is based on the prices before you scan your preferred card. This can make for some truly amazing deals!

In addition to the "buy $25, get $10" promo, there is also an overlapping deal on Pillsbury refrigerated products: buy 4, get $2 off your next order; buy 5, get $3; buy 6 or more, get $4. Items that appear to be included in both promotions are crescent rolls, cookie dough, cinnamon rolls, Grands!, and pie crusts. If you satisfy the requirements of both promotions, you should get both coupons, so you could potentially get back a total of $14 if you buy the right items.

Here are some of what I consider the highlights of the promotion:

2/$4 sale price (pre-Pref. Card price = 2/$9.90, or $4.95 each)
General Mills cereal (selected varieties)
Betty Crocker fruit snacks (selected varieties)
Fiber One toaster pastries
Gold Medal Flour, 5 lb. bag

2/$5 sale price (pre-Pref. Card price = 2/$9.90, or $4.95 each)
Betty Crocker fruit snacks (selected varieties)
Pillsbury Simply Cookies, Ready to Bake Cookies, Chub Cookie Dough, or Pie Crust (selected varieties)
Yoplait Gogurt, Kids Yogurt, Yo-Plus, or Fiber One Yogurt, 4-8 pk. (selected varieties)
General Mills or Nature Valley Cereal Bars (selected varieties)

3/$5 sale price (pre-Pref. Card price = 3/$8.90)
Progresso High Fiber Soup (19 oz.), Progresso Microwave Soup (15.25 oz.), Progresso Rich & Hearty Soup (18.5-19 oz.), Progresso Traditional Soup (18.5-19 oz.)

3/$5 sale price (pre-Pref. Card price = 3/$9.50)
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, Grands!, or Cinnamon Rolls


As a general rule, my strategy when doing these deals at Jewel is to do multiple transactions, starting with the one that requires paying the least amount out of pocket but still yields the OYNO coupon. Then, in subsequent transactions (usually over the course of several days), I buy $25 worth (based on pre-Preferred Card prices) and use my OYNO coupon (s) to pay for it. If I have done my math right, I usually pay less than a dollar out of pocket after using my OYNO coupons. Then, each transaction yields new OYNO coupons, which I can use on your next transaction. If you want to really stock up and get the most for your money, you can keep on "rolling" your OYNO coupons into the same deal over and over again, until you have sufficiently stocked up on what you need. If you combine this sale with other manufacturer coupons, you can also often create overage, which I use to buy meat and other things that are harder to get good deals on. The last time Jewel had a similar deal, I got a few hundred dollars worth of groceries for a total of less than $20 out of pocket, so these deals can definitely help with your grocery budget! I have outlined a couple scenarios below that I thought might be helpful.

Buy 5 General Mills cereals, including at least 2 Fiber One and 1 Cinnamon Toast Crunch @ $2 sale price/$4.95 shelf price
Buy 1 can Green Giant vegetables @ $.75 sale price/$1.25 shelf price
Use (2) $.75/1 Fiber One printable coupons, (1) $1/2 General Mills cereals printable coupon, and (1) $.55/1 Cinnamon Toast Crunch printable coupon
Total before Preferred Card (shelf prices) = $26
Total after Preferred Card (sale prices) = $10.75
Total after coupons = $7.70
Get back $10 OYNO coupon, for a profit of $2.30!

Buy 5 Pillsbury Simply Cookies @ $2.50 sale price/$4.95 shelf price
Buy 1 can Green Giant vegetables @ $.75 sale price/$1.25 shelf price
Use (5) $1/1 Pillsbury Simply Cookies coupons from 9/13 insert
Total before Preferred Card (shelf prices) = $26
Total after Preferred Card (sale prices) = $13.25
Total after coupons = $8.25
Get back $10 and $3 OYNO coupons, for a profit of $4.75!
Note: There are also $1/2 printable coupons for cookie dough, if you don't have enough of the insert ones

Buy 5 Fiber One or Yo-Plus yogurts @ $2.50 sale price/$4.95 shelf price
Buy 1 can Green Giant vegetables @ $.75 sale price/$1.25 shelf price
Use (5) $1/1 coupons from 9/13 or 10/4 inserts or $1/1 printable coupons from Coupons.com or here
Total before Preferred Card (shelf prices) = $26
Total after Preferred Card (sale prices) = $13.25
Total after coupons = $8.25
Get back $10 OYNO coupon, for a profit of $1.75!

Another thing to watch out for: the pre-Preferred Card price is not always the same as the shelf price that is marked on the shelf above the sale sticker. Sometimes it is listed in very small print, but not always. If it's not listed anywhere, you can find a price scanner at your store (my store has them in the liquor and frozen food sections); the scanner will typically show 3 prices for an item: the regular price, sale price, and preferred price. The amount that counts toward this deal is the middle one, what the scanner calls the "sale price."


Other participating products include:

Betty Crocker cookie pouches @ 3/$5 (pre-Pref. Card price?)
Betty Crocker Warm Delights and Warm Delights Minis @ 3/$5 (pre-Pref. Card price?)
Totino's Pizza Rolls @ $3.49 (pre-Pref. Card price = $3.99)
Pillsbury Savorings @ $3.49 (pre-Pref. Card price = $4.49)
Betty Crocker Traditional Brownie Mix @ $10 (pre-Pref. Card price?)
Betty Crocker Specialty Potatoes @ $1.67 (pre-Pref. Card price?)
Green Giant Boil in Bag Veggies @ $1.99 (pre-Pref. Card price = $2.29)
Green Giant Vegetables @ 4/$3 (pre-Pref. Card price = 4/$5)
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers (no sauce) @ $2.19 (pre-Pref. Card price = $2.40)
Cascadian Farm All Natural Cereals (selected varieties) @ $3.99 (pre-Pref. Card price = $4.99)

$.20 Ronzoni Pasta at Jewel!

Through Wednesday, Jewel is running a promotion to get $3 off your order instantly when you buy $10 worth of participating products. One of the items is Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta, which is on sale for $1/box. There are printable coupons for $1 off 2 at both Coupons.com (mine was on pg. 3 of the coupons) and here. I was able to print 2 coupons from each site by hitting the back button. After coupons and store promotion, each box of pasta is $.20 each! Here's the math for a sample scenario:

Buy 10 boxes of Ronzoni @ $1 = $10
Use (5) $1/2 coupons = -$5
Minus $3 instant savings
Final cost = $2 for 10 boxes, or $.20 each!

That is a great deal, especially for all-natural whole grain pasta! But, to make this deal even better, there is also a Upromise coupon for $1 off 2 boxes of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest, making the final cost $1 for 10 boxes, or $.10 each! The Upromise coupon will not come off at the register, but the amount will be added to your Upromise account if your Jewel card is registered with them. If you don't have a Upromise account yet, you can go here to get started. As I mentioned in my posts here and here, money earned through Upromise can be used to either save for college or pay existing college loans.

You may remember that in previous Jewel posts, I wrote that the deals that generate coupons for money off your next order work off the price before you scan your preferred card. I wanted to point out that this is not the case with the instant savings promotions like this one. These kinds of promotions are based on the sale price advertised in the ad; you will see the discount come off at the register after you scan the required dollar amount.

Check out what's free at Menard's this week!

All-Purpose Paint Brushes (3" trim brush or 2" angle sash brush) @ $4 - $4 mail-in rebate = FREE after rebate
Limit 4 brushes per household

16' Tool Shop chrome tape measure @ $2 - $2 mail-in rebate = FREE after rebate
Limit 3 per household

Turtle Wax Cotton Shop Towels 12 Pack, Cleaning Cloth 16" x 12", or Chenille Wash Pad @ $2 - $2 mail-in rebate = FREE after rebate
Limit 2 per household

ProWash Detergent or Dry Cleaner's Secret @ $5 - $5 mail-in rebate = FREE after rebate
Limit 2 per household

Oven Mate Drip Sheet @ $3.99 - $3 mail-in rebate = $.99 after rebate
Limit 2 per household

100-ct. clear mini light set @ $1.97 - $1 mail-in rebate = $.97 after rebate
Limit 5 per household

Dash Duster @ $3.99 - $3 mail-in rebate = $.99 after rebate
Limit 3 per household


There are some additional things to be aware of concerning Menards rebates. For items that are simply free after rebate, you are required to also purchase $10 of products that are not free after rebate. However, you should be able to count items that have rebates but are not free toward that $10. If you don't want or need anything else, you could also get a $10 gift card to meet that purchase requirement. Most (maybe all?) Menards also accept competitor coupons, so if you have a coupon for money off your next order at another hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowe's, you could use that to get an even better deal.

Unless otherwise noted, all rebates are submitted directly to Menards, not to each individual manufacturer, so you can submit everything all at once. Also, the rebate will come in the form of a merchandise check, which is good only at Menard's. However, you can "roll" your Menards gift checks, meaning that you can use your merchandise check from one week to purchase the items for another week. By doing this, you will minimize your out-of-pocket expenses.

Free Universal Remote at Staples!

This week at Staples, the GE 4-device universal remote is free after rebate! It is priced at $9.99 after the instant savings discount, and it has a $10 Easy Rebate. This could make a good stocking stuffer for someone at Christmas!

According to their ad, these rebates are both done through their Easy Rebate program. If you've never done a Staples rebate before, their "easy rebates" really are, well, easy. The rebate forms will print at the end of your transaction so you can mail it in, or you can submit it online here. Personally, I prefer to do the online submission because it's easy and I know I won't lose anything before mailing it in.