What I Got Wednesday 6/30

Signing up for free samples and writing to companies whose products you enjoy are both great ways to get goodies in your mailbox. Get yourself a separate email address, you can use Hotmail or Yahoo...whatever you like. Always order from trusted sites such as Walmart and Sweet Free Stuff. A lot of manufacturers will offer free samples or coupons right from their own website. Look for keywords such as Promotions, Offers or Coupons. Here's a look at what was waiting for me in my mailbox on Monday.

Lick ‘n Crunch Carob Dog Cookies from Three Dog Bakery *free sample no longer available
This was a 13 oz. package which contained 16 carob sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling. The Connoisseur Pup is love-love-loving these cookies. I love it when a company offers a free sample that is big enough for you to truly evaluate it. A dog will generally eat anything once, because its new and different. Now that he's had a couple of days with them, I know he really does love them and I will order them for him (he's got a birthday coming up this month...shhh! I want to surprise him!)

A coupon for $3.00 off *any* 2 of the new Aveeno Positively Nourishing products. *I signed up for a sample of Aveeno Nourish+ Hair Care which came last week, so this was a surprise bonus. You can still sign up for the Nourish sample and coupon here.
 

A group of coupons from writing to the makers of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. This is the sauce of choice in my house and we use a lot of it! I got 2 coupons for a free 18 oz. bottle and one for $1.00 off. Great timing, they are on sale at Jewel Osco right now for $1.00 a bottle so I'll get all three for free. It was interesting to also receive from them coupons for Ken's Steak House salad dressing and Ken's Steak House Marinades. It was interesting because I had no idea those two companies were connected and because I never knew Ken's made marinades. I'll be on the lookout for the Teriyaki variety. Side note, Sweet Baby Ray's is Gluten Free - so if that is a concern in your house, check them out! You can also sign up for Ken's Corner here and receive recipes, special offers and be entered into their monthly drawings.

$20.00 gift card from one of my local Jewel Osco stores. *Just as important as writing to companies to compliment them on their products, sometimes it is necessary to communicate exceedingly poor customer service. This was a nice gesture on their part to apologize for the experience. All is forgiven.

First issue of my free 12 month subscription to Woman's Day magazine. *I must have read about this one on one of my absolute favorite blogs, Deal Seeking Mom. She just posted it again, go here and read her post to find out how to get your own free subscription. Thanks Deal Seeking Mom!
 

$3.00 check from Pinecone Research. *More about that in the coming days.

We'll see what the rest of the week brings and I'll bring you the roundup next Wednesday.

Till next time... 

The Coupon Connoisseur

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July CSN Giveaway Announcement!

Recently I was approached by CSN Lighting and offered the opportunity to review one of their products or offer a giveaway to my readers for a fabulous prize. Well, I had never heard of CSN Lighting but now I am so glad I have! As you know my move to the new house has presented some challenges. Namely, that none of the wiring for the outside lighting works. Yep, that means that every night I take the Coupon Pup out to do his business in the pitch dark. I've tried the flashlight route, but that just doesn't cut it. I can't hook him up to his lead off his leash and juggle a flashlight too.

So, I've been looking for outside solar spotlights to shed a little light on the subject. As much as I would like to see out there, I'm not willing to spend over $100 each on the lights I found at my local big box home improvement center. I'm the Coupon Connoisseur after all! Wouldn't you know it?  CSN Lighting has exactly what I need at a price that everyone can afford - no coupons needed! This GamaSonic outdoor solar powered light comes in sets of 2, one for the front and one for the back of the house and sells for just 39.99.  Solar powered is good for the environment and for the pocketbook, what else could a girl want?

That got me thinking, with the money I'm saving on the solar lights maybe I can put the ceiling fan of my dreams out in my 3 season room. Having a screened in porch is great in the summer time, but it can still get a little muggy in there. That is IF you can stand to be in there with this ugly black light fixture Circa 19-oh-my-gosh-well before-I-was-born! Yes, this is a picture of the actual light in my house!

So, I looked around their website some more and there it was! I can just picture a nice summer evening under the breeze from this Monte Carlo fan.

Now that I found the fan, all I have to do is figure out if there is a compatible light kit. This is beyond the Connoisseur's expertise. I think I will give the nice folks in their customer service department a call and have them walk me through matching up the right fan to the right kit. I just love it when a company wants to help you choose a product you will be happy with.

Soon, one lucky reader will have the chance to choose a product they will be happy with. Keep coming back, in the next couple of days I will tell you how you can win a really great prize compliments of CSN Lighting.

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

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Right on Target, No sugar added!

There are a lot of people who firmly believe the myth that coupons are only for processed, high sugar junk food. I get exhausted from hearing and reading about this myth. So, today's post is an example of how you can get a great deal on household and personal care items etc. with coupons.

Today at Target I bought:

One 24 ct. box WetJet pad refills $11.49

One Air Wick Aqua Mist air freshener $1.99

Two Swiffer Sweeper 2 in 1 Starter kits $8.54 each

Swiffer Wet Jet liquid refill double pack $8.74

Two Oil of Olay body wash $4.97 each

Four 40 oz. bottles Heinz ketchup $1.00 each

Two 10-packs of  Ivory bar soap $3.97 each

I used the following coupons:

Two $2.00 off Swiffer Sweeper starter kit - Target Store coupon from the 5/16 Smart Source circular

Two buy Swiffer Sweeper get Swiffer refill free coupon from the Home Made Simple Decor Done Right Coupon Book

Two $4.00 off Olay Total Effects Body Wash coupons from the 6/6 Procter&Gamble circular

Two buy Olay Total Effects Body Wash get Ivory Body wash, bar soap or hand soap free from the 6/6 Procter&Gamble circular

One $2.50 off Air Wick Aqua Mist from the 6/20 Smart Source circular

Total after coupons was $22.88, not bad - but I'll make it even better when I send in for the Swiffer Refill Rebate. I'll get $10.00 back for "buying" more than $20.00 of Swiffer refills. That will make my final cost for all of that just $12.88! Without coupons the WetJet refills alone would have been almost that much! 

This trip is also a great example of how you can combine coupons & rebates to save even more money. Almost all rebates will accept your cash register receipt for the pre-coupon purchase price requirement. In this case, I will have paid nothing out of pocket for the refills, yet I will still qualify for the $10.00 rebate. Always read the fine print on any rebate carefully. Once in a while you may run across one that is computed on the post-coupon price.

The Home Made Simple Decor Done Right coupon book is full of great coupons, and will show up in your mailbox quickly. The coupons don't expire until October so go here and get yourself one!

The last thing that I want to make note of about this trip is the ketchup. You'll notice I didn't mention anything about having a coupon for the ketchup. That is because I didn't have one! Gasp! The Coupon Connoisseur bought something she didn't have a coupon for? You bet - and here's why. My personal best price on a 24 oz. bottle of Hunt's ketchup is 80 cents (in fact I've never paid more than that for it in two years). Right now many Target stores have the 40 oz. bottles of Heinz on sale for $1.00, but there aren't any current Heinz coupons. If you break it down, my usual purchase with coupons for the smaller bottles works out to 3 cents an ounce. Here I'm only paying 2 cents an ounce with no coupons by buying the Heinz. The lesson here is that sometimes you can find a bargain even without a coupon and you should never pass up a rock bottom price like that in hopes of getting a better deal down the road.

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

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Drop-In to Target for a clean bowl!

If you are like me, you like your bathroom to be sparkling. Scrubbing Bubbles Vanish Drop-Ins help keep your bowl nice and fresh between scrubbings. Tara over at Deal Seeking Mom has a way to help you get two 2 packs for FREE!

Head on over to Target.com and print a coupon for Buy One Get One Free on 2 packs of Drop-Ins. Then, stack that with the printable B1G1 manufacturer coupon from coupons.com and get two 2 packs for FREE. 

While this is well within Targets policy to accept one Target coupon and one mfr. coupon, your mileage may vary (YMMV) depending on your cashier. You can be prepared and take two of the $1 off Scrubbing Bubbles toilet cleaner coupons from the 6/13 Smart Source circular. Worst case scenario you'll be paying around $1 for both.

If you didn't pop over and pay Tara a visit when she was featured in my Try This One Thursday  back in March...what are you waiting for?!? Head on over!

Till next time...  
The Coupon Connoisseur

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$1 Jamba Juice - Wednesday June 16th

If my daughter could, she would exist solely on a diet comprised of Jamba Juice and Chipotle. In a few months when she turns 18 she probably will too, but I digress. While their smoothies are yummy...it can become a pricey vice.  All that will change this Wednesday, June 16th for one day only. Stop in at your local Jamba Juice for a 16 oz. Superfruit Smoothie for just a buck! 

If you really love their smoothies, check the freezer section of your local grocery store. Dominick's in the Chicagoland area currently has the frozen make at home mix on sale for $2.50. Use the $1 off coupons from the 6-13 Smart Source circular or on coupons.com. My bag has a coupon on the back for $1 off my next in store purchase. It just might net you a free smoothie on Wednesday if you find the same.

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

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Is there a Diva in the house? Thankfully YES!

I'm a firm believer that it's never too late to right a wrong, and that is exactly the purpose of this post. Way back in the end of March I started something called Try This One Thursday. The idea behind this was to hook you up with some of my favorite money saving blogs.  In particular, I planned to introduce you to the ladies over at Drugstore Divas. When I first started my blog they welcomed me to the blogging community with open keyboards and even made me a part of their Supermarket Social. Well, with the move etc. I never did write that post, and shame on me. Take a few minutes to pop on over and say hi to Lisa, Beth and the newest Diva, Cathy. Cathy has written a very informative post on the recent recall of those super cute Shrek 3 glasses that McDonald's was offering.

While you are there poke around and read some of their other posts. These ladies don't miss a great deal ever!

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

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Get Glowing to Walgreens!

Jergens Natural Glow Healthy Complexion Moisturizer is one of my favorite products ever. I got a sample tube and have been in love with it ever since. I love a nice tan as much as the next person, but am not one to sit in the sun and bake. The health risks are just too serious to have that sun-kissed look for a few months of the year. The problem with trying not to tan the "natural way" is that self-tanners can leave you looking like an orange freak. 

That is one reason I am so in love with the Jergens Natural Glow line. It has an SPF20 but gradually tans you (within a couple days with regular application) and isn't greasy and doesn't stain your clothes. It will leave your skin super smooth to boot! Right now the 2 oz. is on sale for $4.99 at Walgreens with a $5 Register Reward when you buy 2. Use two of the $2.00 off Jergens Natural Glow products coupons from the 5/16 Smart Source Circular. Pay $5.98 and get back a $5 RR = .98 for both. Your skin will thank you.

Till next time...

The Coupon Connoisseur

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