There was a tragedy in my life this week.  My smart phone died.  Over the next 12 hours I felt alone, abandoned and a little lost.  There was no checking my Google Reader and Calendar before bed, no alerts to wake up to in the morning and after I picked up our dry cleaning I fished fruitlessly in my purse to put a check mark next to that task.  My phone is one of the primary ways I (try) to stay organized.  I love the task feature of my calendar that lets mark through and check off completed tasks.  Sometimes I even add tasks at the end of the day just to get the satisfaction of checking them off!  With the daily integration of smart phones into our lives, it’s super easy and convenient to utilize digital calendars, coupons and more.

When it comes to hard copies of coupons, offers, gifts cards and the like, I have a zebra print, monogrammed folder that’s sub-divided into monthly sections based on expiration dates.  If that doesn’t secure my dork badge, maybe the fact that I then organize by product type will?  Grocery, necessities and toiletries, clothing, and so on.  My folder doesn’t get fully cleaned out every three months, but sometimes the visual reminder that I have unused “free” money hanging out in my bag is enough to get me motivated!

Since this is only my son’s third Halloween and he doesn’t really “get” it yet, I’ve been able to get by with not doing Halloween costumes.  I’m not opposed to it, but if he isn’t going to ask yet, I’m not going to add another to-do yet!  This is probably my last year I can get by with my lazy parenting on this front.  Do any of you have a go-to source for Halloween costumes, or do you get resourceful and do it yourself?

Today is the last day of Old Navy’s Sweater Sale.

Have you had a chance to check out the P&G brandSaver insert yet today?  With October being Breast Cancer Aware this insert is female heavy (admittedly, most coupons are) and many are high value.  A few of my favorites are below.

$1.00/1 Any Covergirl Product

$3.00/1 Venus Disposables 6 ct.

$2.00/1 Olay Facial Cleanser

$3.00/1 Olay Regenerist Moisturizer or Cleanser

$1.00/1 Pampers Cruisers Swaddlers, Sensitive or Extra Protection Diaper

$4.00/1 Sinex Product (Dayquil)

4 – $1.00/1 Crest Pro-Health For Me Products

$10.00/1 Oral-B Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush

$5.00/1 Oral-B Replacement Brush Head 3 pack

$1.00/1 Tide Detergent

And there are 8 Gillete and Old Spice in the back for the guys!

It’s a good weekend for coupon clippers!  RedPlum, Smart Source and P&G BrandSaver all have inserts in the Sunday’s paper.  The P&G BrandSaver has over $113 in coupon savings AND for every coupon reddemed by October 31, 2010 a small donation will be made to the National Breast Cancer Foundation by P&G.  Visit My Pink Plan to learn more about this program plus preventative care and more.

When it comes to brand loyalty I am the poster girl.  Sometimes it just doesn’t feel right trying a different brand.  There’s comfort in knowing exactly what my peanut butter, sour cream, ice cream, butter, bread, cereal, paper towels, toothpaste, hair product, mascara and so on will taste like, feel like and perform. I don’t like a lot of risk.  Buying different ketchup can be a risk (and I’m not always willing to take the leap).  Plus, do any of us really want to spend anymore time than necessary compare prices and seeking out coupons for things we walk in and put in our carts that we’ve been buying for years with good results?

It may not be the most logical way to shop, but I’m fairly certain I’m not the only one with brand loyalties.  However, being more frugal than I used to be, I am willing to go outside my comfort zone and try more brands depending on what’s the best value (especially if I have a coupon AND it’s on sale).  Store brands are usually comparable to some of my favorite brands in almost every category, who knew!  For most things I’ll try something new, and for others I will always stick to my brands.  I’m looking at you Hebrew National, Heinz and Frank’s.

Don’t miss the final days of the Old Navy Baby Sale!  Fall baby products are on sale starting at $5 along with Halloween costumes for the family.  Sale ends this Thursday, September 23.

I’m travelling across the country in the next week and my careful planning usually turns to neurosis around one week prior to departure.  And that’s where the recent coverage of bedbugs and my Google Reader lent a hand.  Here’s a Consumer Reports Money Blog post on Bedbugs, Bedding and Baggage: What Travellers Need to Know Now.

Did you notice on the cover of your RedPlum insert the plug for Dash for Deals?  It’s RedPlum’s take on the Daily Deal.  Today’s deal is 50% off a Total Gym with certain accessories and such.  I’m not sure if all deals are for higher priced products or things you can or would purchase in your everyday life. If there’s an option to sign up for inbox delivery I haven’t seen it yet. Check it out and let me know what you think!

If you are J.Crew crazy like many Roanoke Times-ers, you will be delighted to hear that the prepster brand’s outlet goodies are now available online.

But hurry – you can do this shopping weekends only, beginning today.

Keep in mind these are clothes made for the outlet, called J.Crew Factory officially. Banana Republic and Ann Taylor are also among the big names who produce clothes that go straight to the outlet and never hang on main mall racks. Sometimes you can’t tell the difference in quality. Other times, well, you were gently advised.

And remember, if you’re more the type who likes to find those deals in person, pawing through jumbled racks, Lynchburg is now home to TWO J.Crew outlets. That’s because that lucky city is the location of the company’s distribution center.

The second J.Crew outlet opened last month, in Lynchburg’s Windhurst community. If you’ve been, please share if you think it’s worth the hourlong drive.

Be on the look out for for a Red Plum insert this weekend.  I’ve seen on the web that some zip codes will be receiving a SmartSource insert as well but I don’t it’s local for us here in the Roanoke Valley.

Also starting this weekend, Hasbro will be offering coupons in preparation for Family Game Night on September 29.  You can learn more on their Facebook page here.

We have four jars of Smucker’s Orchard’s Finest perserves — plus a picnic-themed set of four stainless steel spreaders — to give away to a lucky Shoptimist reader.

We’ll send these out to the first person who tells us about their experience using a shopping-related phone app. Have you tried Grocery iQ or The Coupons App? Any others out there we should check out? Do tell.

We are hoping to gather your first-hand experiences and report back more on the blog.

Attention Bare Escentuals fans. If you’re ready for fall colors, check this out. 

Today only you can get a preview of the new season’s palette PLUS big discounts. Follow this link.

 Happy shopping!

Huggies has their own reward program, Enjoy the Ride.  Go here to sign up (and the same page is where codes can be entered as well).Matching my loyalty to Pampers diapers, I’m loyal to Huggies wipes and Little Swimmers.  And with swim lessons starting back this week I need to get shopping!

Just like Gifts to Grow, you can always find points on participating Huggies and Pull-Ups products and by looking around coupon blogs and socail sites like Facebook.  But, Enjoy the Ride is a little different from Gifts to Grow in that you can earn more point by going online and reading selected articles, sharing with friends and watching videos. And, bonus points are available sometimes in addition to the 10 points you get just for signing up!

Unlike Pampers, a lot of Huggies reward prizes are sweepstakes and you use points for a chance to win (sometimes amazing things like a kitchen full of new appliances).

Have you used this program?  What’s you’r experience?  If you’ve used both, which is your favorite?

This week has been filled with much anticipation and excitement for the Wingate clan.  We found out that we are expecting another baby boy.  This will be my second son and the hubs’ FOURTH if anyone is keeping count (besides me of course).

Of course I had dreams of hairbows and tutus and researching kid-friendly non-toxic nail polish, but my frugal side did a little happy dance when discovering my current inhabitant was another little fella.  I did a quick count and there are only four things we actually need before the new baby comes in January.  And 50% of those needs are just because I’m a sucker for a cute monogram.  One of the needs is obviously diapers.  I’ve gotten questions from expectant co-workers and friends on how to buy, where to buy and what to buy, so here are a few of my experiences.

We over-bought diapers early on.  I still have newborn size diapers left over from 2+ years ago so I suggest starting slow on the tiny sizes.  Newborns tend to chunk up quickly and outgrow the newborn and size 1 diapers in short order.  The size 2 diapers and up are a safe bet for longer time periods.

Sam’s is always a good place to stock up on diapers (and wipes and diaper ointment and baby powder and baby wash and you get the point).  Another great source is Diapers.com.  This website runs specials often, will set up auto-delivery if you choose and when I get home from work they’re sitting nicely by my door!  

Any diaper buying resources you’ve found helpful?  If you use cloth diapers I’d love to hear your experience too!

Update [10:23 a.m.]: Just found out that you can combine this sale with this online coupon code — G2C2010 — for another 15 percent off!

Stock up for your kids! The Children’s Place just announced a huge sale on its website  — an additional 25 percent off of fall items. Plus just $5 shipping on every order.

Check it out!

For some reason I prefer Pampers over other diaper brands.  Early on them seemed to work better for my little guy and had a “baby” smell to them.  Not necessarily great reasons to be brand loyal, but in my mind, I choose Pampers.  I haven’t been as dilligent as I should be on using the Gifts to Grow program though. 

You can sign up for Gifts to Grow here.  Each package of diapers, wipes and training pants has a code on them.  Typically the diapers and training pants are on a label adhered to the interior packaging  or bag and wipe are on the exterior box.  You can click here to search by individual products.  Other resources for codes are Facebook and coupon blogs that find codes around the web and online particularly around holidays or promotional specials.

Once you’re signed in and have codes, redeem them by enter the 15 digit code online.

I have extreme patience when it comes to reward programs, but if you don’t, there are several rewards you can earn with just a few points.  My favorites that  I save up for are gift cards to Gymboree and Diapers.com, birthday invitations from Shutterfly and Sam’s Club gift cards. 

Do any of you use Gifts to Grow?  What are your experiences?

I received the following from Lee Clark, the Director of Development and Administration at the Rescue Mission:

On Saturday, September 18, the Rescue Mission’s Thrift Store, located at 421 4th Street, SE, Roanoke, VA 24013, will close and the 72 Hour Blitz will begin.  Working around the clock, teams of volunteers (including employees from Blitz sponsors Kroger and Coke) will totally renovate the store with new paint, new displays and all new merchandise (new to us anyway!). 
 
In anticipation for the Blitz, starting Monday, 9/13/10, merchandise will be reduced daily with a BLOW OUT sale on Saturday 9/18.  If you think Mission Thrift Store prices are cheap now, be sure to shop the week of September 13 for unbelievable prices.
 
On Saturday, September 25, from 10am-5pm, the Rescue Mission Thrift Store will hold it’s GRAND OPENING Celebration to welcome shoppers into the newly renovated space.  The store will be fully stocked with merchandise special for this event.   

Roanoke, VA – The Rescue Mission Thrift Store has been a service to the community by recycling clothing, furniture and other items for more than 62 years. 
 
·         The Rescue Mission is charitable, providing 20,000 items of clothing and furniture help for families each year,
·        The Rescue Mission is green, recycling  290,268 pounds of textiles each year,
·         The Rescue Mission is an efficient way to help the poor, generating sales through the Mission Thrift Store to provide food, shelter, medical care, recovery programs, case management and more for thousands of homeless people each year.
·         The Rescue Mission Thrift Store is a good deal.  Thrifty shoppers find bargains galore each day at the Thrift Store.

There are several good coupons in today’s SmartSource insert.  Here are a few of my favorites:

$0.75/1 any flavor Tabasco

$1.00/1 Colgate ProClinical toothpaste

$0.40/2 Pillsbury sweet rolls or Grands sweet rolls

$1.00/1 Marzetti caramel dip

$1.00/1 medium FInish Quantum Pwerball tab

$1.00/1 Arm & Hammer Power Gel detergent

$1.00/1 Scotch-Brite bathroom cleaning tool

$0.75/1 Nature Valley Granola Thins

$1.00/3 General Mills cereals

$1.00/1 Pillsbury Sweet Moments bite sized brownies

$1.00/1 Lysol disinfectant spray AND

$3.00/1 Lysol Healthy Touch hand soap starter kit

$1.50/1 Starbucks Natural Fusions coffee or any Starbucks coffee

There are also $3 and $4 coupons for Logan’s with qualifying food purchase.  After seeing so many coupons for Pillsbury, the oatmeal cookies hanging out in my fridge are starting to tempt me!  Happy clipping!

I’ve almost convinced myself that I could get away with wearing leggings with a cute dress and boots this fall.  We’ll see if I follow through.  If you’re on Team Leggings, don’t miss this deal!

There will be one insert in your Sunday paper this week from SmartSource with some really great coupons.  Also be on the look out for restaurant coupons and offers from other retailers.  Check back Sunday for more details!

There were a few comments asking about signing up for the Daily Deal e-mails.  First, click here.  Once you’re on the Daily Deal home page click on Sign In (near the top right corner) to create an account.  You’ll need to create an account to purchase deals, but if you just want to receive the daily e-mails, there is a Daily E-mail Alert section below the Sign In and Facebook, Twitter, E-mail section that lets you enter your e-mail to simply receive the Daily Deals in your inbox each morning.

MSN had this article about clever ways to save $5,000 this year.  Take a look and see what you think.

Have you experienced the power of group buying? There’s a rush you get from knowing you’re getting the best possible deal on something you want or need. The Daily Deal is now providing the group buying experience for the Roanoke area and beyond. Recent deals have been $8 for $16 of authentic Mexican food at El Rodeo/El Toreo, $14 for $30 worth of food and drinks at Martin’s Downtown in Roanoke, $10 for one hour on the indoor golf simulator at Golf Around the World in Roanoke, $10 for an hour long spa manicure and pedicure at Missy’s Nails in Salem and the one that won my husband over. . . $12 for a Double Platinum Car Wash at Tanglewood Auto Wash in Roanoke. Great deals, huh?

It works simply. You sign up for a daily e-mail that announces a new deal that’s 50-90% off regular prices at restaurants, spas, events and more. Each deal has a minimum number of buyers needed to make the deal active before it expires (which could be that day or longer so be certain to check the
terms, location and other details). Once that number is reached, the deal is on! Within 24 hours of purchasing you’ll receive an e-mail letting you know the voucher is ready to print and you just have to log on to your account, print from the My Deals page and enjoy!

You can also share your favorite offers with your friends on Facebook, Twitter or by e-mail. In addition, if a friend you refer makes a purchase on a deal within 30 days, you get $10 in Deal Bucks applied to your account for a future purchase.

There are 50 new target coupons available to print.  Go here to start saving!!!  There are several coupons for clothing, accessories, necessities

I hope you’re enjoying your Monday off work to rest and relax and the kickoff of college football season!

Even though it’s not a big week for coupons, don’t miss the Labor Day sales EVERYWHERE.  The last of the back to school deals are wrapping up this week and you’ll find the following plus a few that were highlighted in this week’s inserts.

Staples

Staples Notebook $.09 with $5.00 purchase (limit 5)

Staples Filler Paper $.09 with $5.00 purchase (limit 5)

Pilot Easy Touch Pens $.25

Sharpie Accent Highlighters $.25

Staples Index Cards $.25

Staples Pink Cap Erasers $.25

Office Max

12 Inch Ring Binder $.05 (limit 3)

1 Subject Notebook $.05 (limit 3)

12 Pack Pencils $.10 (limit 3)

Composition Books $.50 (limit 3)

36 Basic Pencils $1.00

Many, many, MANY retailers are having some sort of sale this weekend.  You’ll find inserts in your Sunday paper from Target, JC Penney, Office Max, Best Buy, Home Depot, Macy’s and more!  I also received a RedPlum booklet in my mailbox this week (not sure which day though since I hadn’t checked in a few).  It had several pizza and restaurant coupons though and inserts have been a little sparse in the department lately.

I noticed on my morning commute earlier this week a Kroger sign on a Shell gas station and did a little research.  I found this on Shell’s website.  According to the site, Kroger rewards cards holders can use their cards at participating Shell stations to receive discounts at the pump.

And finally, tonight is the last First Friday’s in Roanoke for the year. So, if you don’t have plans and are at least 21, go by Railside Amphitheater in dowtown Roanoke, listen to the Worx, have fun and  know your $5 entry fee will go in part to local area charities. 

Happy Labor Day!

The Consumer Reports Money & Shopping blog had this interesting post yesterday about what consumers download to their Androids and iPhone as far as coupons go, and what it says about them.  What do you think, accurate or not?

Starting and using a rewards program can be a little intimidating at first.  It’s always wise to start slow with only one store, check the policies and guidelines as you go and just give it a try! 

In particular, CVS allows you to earn ExtraCare Bucks (ECBs) through the ExtraCare Program.  ExtraCare Bucks are earned for purchasing certain items when you use your ExtraCare  card and they print out after the purchase and can be used for future purchases.  Typically, ExtraCare card users earn 2% back for every in-store and online purchase and 1 ECB for every 2 prescriptions purchased in-store or online.  When your register receipt prints every three months (or less often depending on how often you shop), the ECBs print as well or you can go online and print you ECBs from home.  The key to significant savings is to combine ECBs with a sale price on items that will earn  you more ECBs and a manufacturer’s coupon.  This way you can stock up on necessities for a fraction of the cost!

Other benefits of the ExtraCare Program are instant savings on products featured in the weekly store circulars and even earn more ECBs on select brands advertised.  You’ll get additional special offers and coupons printed on your receipt and receive exclusive savings (like a $5 off coupon) delivered directly to your inbox!