$3 Movies at Sequoia Mall in Visalia!!!

Hey friends, in case you didn't know already, the Regal Theater in the Sequoia Mall is offering $3 movies on half the screens!  There are 12 screens total and half,  "Sequoia Mall North," shows brand new release movies at full price, the other half, "Sequoia Mall South," show movies that were recently in theaters but not yet on dvd.  Our family of five loves this!  It's definitely worth the gas money to drive to Visalia, versus the expense of watching a full price movie with three kiddos!  Be sure to sign up for a Regal membership card when you buy your tickets.  You can earn free popcorn and other discounts just by swiping your card each time you're at a Regal Theater.  Sequoia Mall Theater sends out a weekly email with all the showtimes, and I've posted the $3 movies.  If you'd like to be added to their email list, please comment below and I'll have your name added.


This week's showings for Friday July 1- Thursday July 7:

SHOWTIMES FOR SEQUOIA MALL SOUTH:

Fast Five (PG-13)

12:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:05

Insidious (PG-13)

11:30, 2:05, 5:00, 7:40, 10:15

The Lincoln Lawyer (PG-13)

11:15, 1:55, 4:45, 7:25, 10:20

Priest (PG-13)

11:35, 1:45, 5:05, 7:45, 10:10

Rio (G)

11:25, 2:00, 4:55, 7:35, 9:50

Soul Surfer (PG)

11:20, 1:50, 4:50, 7:30, 9:55

Prices: All Day - $3

Sequoia Mall is also offering $1 movies throughout the summer:

SUMMER MOVIE EXPRESS

$1 KIDS MOVIES EVERY TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER!

Showing Tuesday, 7/5 & Wednesday, 7/6:

Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything (G)

Despicable Me (PG)

Please Note – Seating is Limited.  Both movies start @ 10am. The box office and concessions stand will open @ 9am on Tuesday and Wednesday for the Summer Movie Express.

My Target Loot: all this for $10.01!

5 Dreyer's Ice cream  (4 ice cream, 1 fruit bar)
     -(2)  $1/2 MQ from Save Mart freezer booklet (found in ice cream aisle at SM)
     -$5 Target gift card for buying 5
2 Nestle Drumsticks 4ct
     -$1.50/2 Catalina Q that printed for me at SM last time I bought ice cream
2 Revlon Eyelash curlers
     -$5/2 Target Q from last week's paper
     -$5/2 Catalina Q that prints at Target when you buy Revlon beauty tools
2 Kraft BBQ sauce
12qt Country Time Lemonade
     -$2 wyb 2 bbq sauce and 8qt lemonade or KoolAid *peelie Q on bbq sauce*
     (there were Lemonades 12qt bonus size for price of 8qt!)
Gulden's mustard
     -.50 TQ (given to me by a friend, looked like a peelie)

I got 5cent credit for each of my reusable bags, and saved 5% for using my Target REDcard debit.  My total OOP was $15.01, and after the $5 Target gift card, my grand total was only $10.01!!!

Save Mart Weekly Specials 6/29/11

***Special sale prices valid July 1,2,3,4:

***GM Cereal $1.79  MUST BUY 4. LIMIT 4 PER CUSTOMER
          Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Multi-Grain Cheerios, Cheerios, Cinnamon Burst Cheerios
          Check online clipping services for GM coupons.  I use eBay
***BarS corndogs 3lb, $3.99
***Ball Park franks bogoFree
***Kingsford Charcoal 16.6lbs $4.99 with in-ad coupon.  Limit one per transaction.
***Fresh white corn 6/96c

Regular sales valid Wednesday, June 29 through Tuesday July 5

Pepsi brand 12packs, buy 2 get 3 FREE (with $25 min. purchase). price $5.99
          comes out to $11.98 for 5 12 packs, or $2.40 each
Coke brand 12 packs, buy 2 get 3 FREE (with $25 min. purchase). price $5.99
          comes out to $11.98 for 5 12 packs, or $2.40 each
7up, Sunkist, A&W 2Liter, 79c wyb 5, limit 5
Minute Maid punch or lemonade 64oz, 79c, limit 4
Moran's frozen burger patties 3lb $7.99
Sunnyside hotdog or hamburger buns 4/$5
Knudsen sourcream 16oz 2/$3
Sunnyside cream cheese 4/$5
SaraLee buns 2/$5
Nabisco crackers $1.99
Capri Sun or KoolAil Coolers 10pk 2/$4
Peter Pan peanut butter 16.3oz $1.59
Hansen's apple juice 64oz $1.89
C&H sugar 4lb $2.49 limit 1
   50c MQ in last week's insert, or you can print one here (scroll down, it's on the right side by a green $)
Cantaloupe 97c
Kettle cooked Lay's, Doritos, Tostitos  $1.69ea wyb 2, limit 2
Lay's chips bogoFree

Seafood Sale:
Fresh whole Keta Salmon $3.99lb
Tilapia fillets $3.99lb
Raw large prawns $5.99lb
Catfish nuggets 2.5lb bag,  $5.99



click to view complete Save Mart ad

My CVS Loot and BREAKING NEWS on CVS coupon policy!

Make sure and read down to the bottom for my breaking news on CVS coupon policy!

My CVS Loot: $25.21 total expense after ECB

Tonight's CVS Loot: 2 Huggies Jumbo pack diapers, 2 Twizzlers, 12pk Charmin TP, RepHresh tampons, Huggies wipes, 4 50oz Wisk..........total of $25.21 after ECB.

Let me break it down for you:

2 Huggies diapers $9 each
   -$4 ECB wyb 2
   -$2.50 MQ (Manufacturer coupon) I got in the mail
   -$2 MQ
   -$3/$15 wyb baby items, CVS Q that printed for me last week
2 Twizzlers $2 each
   -$1 CVS Q
   -$1 CVS Q (these have been printing every time I go in)
   -.75 MQ
   -.75 MQ
Charmin TP $5.49
   -$1 Target Q ***That's right, a TARGET COUPON***
RepHresh Tampons $6.79
   -$6.79 ECB
Huggies Wipes $3.29
   -$2 Huggies wipes CVS Q that printed last week
   -.75 Huggies wipes MQ (I got in the mail)
4 Wisk laundry soap $8.39, BOGO FREE
   -$2 MQ
   -$2 MQ
   -$2 MQ
   -$2 MQ ***CVS DOES ALLOW YOU TO USE A COUPON WITH A FREE ITEM ON BOGO SALES!***

Even though I used some past ECBs to pay for my purchase, I will tell you exactly what my total expense was for these items...  $36 OOP (out of pocket), got back $10.79 ECB, so my total expense was $25.21!  ($4.40 of that was just taxes, boo)
 
So, my breaking news of the day is this:  CVS honors competitor coupons!!! Did you just fall off your chair, or am I the only one who didn't know!?!  Last week I noticed something about competitor coupons on the sign at the CVS store on Olive, so yesterday I asked about it at the Westwood store.  The checker hadn't heard about that, so she asked the manager and was told that YES, THEY DO HONOR COMPETITOR COUPONS!  Hooray!  This is how I was able to use my awesome $1 Charmin coupon from Target.  It didn't scan through, but the checker just manually entered it.  I'm not giving any guarantees, but the people at Westwood CVS were totally cool with it! 

Want more info on shopping CVS?  Click Here!

I saved 80% at Save Mart! $18.61 for 20 boxes of cereal and 5 gallons of milk

I have to share about my awesome savings tonight at Save Mart.  Last Wednesday when the new sale started, I was excited to see the General Mills cereals on sale $1.49 each when you buy in increments of 4. 
 We're not big on sugary cereals so it's great to find deals on ones I already prefer to buy. 

I had only one single coupon on hand for General Mills, so I went on eBay to check for any available coupons for sale.  I easily found $1/2 coupons and bought a set of 15 for only $1.99 with free shipping.  I was surprised to find another great coupon in my eBay search... FREE MILK when you buy 4 General Mills cereals!  I got a set of 5 for $4.99 w/shipping.  Yes this is pricey for coupons, but when you consider the value of 5 free milks (over $15 value) this was a great deal for me! 

Now that you know where I found all my great coupons, here's the breakdown of my transaction:

20 boxes GM cereals (I got 16 Chex and 4 Cheerios) @ $1.49 ea
5 gallons milk @ $3.19 ea
10 coupons for $1/2 GM cereals
5 coupons for FREE MILK wyb 4 GM cereals
I also saved 5cents for each reusable bag I used
MY GRAND TOTAL WAS $18.61!

In all fairness, I did spend $6.98 for coupons from eBay (and used all but 5 cereal Qs).  If you factor in that expense, my true total is $25.59 for 20 boxes of cereal and 5 gallons of milk.  The price per item is barely over $1!

Here's the trick to buying coupons on eBay... It has to be worth it.  You need to order them in time to receive them before the sale ends and/or the coupons expire.  Buy from a seller with great reviews and fast shipping.  Order from a nearby state if you're concerned about getting them in time.  **Even if you follow all these tips, you may still have the bad luck to receive coupons after a sale has ended.  You have to be willing to take the chance and hopefully you'll find another sale before your coupons expire.

Follow the seasons...  Now that I've been hard-core couponing for an entire year, I've seen the cycles of sales and special promotions.  Last year around this time and a little closer to August, there were really great deals on cereals, Pop Tarts, and kid snacks.  Buying when the time is right, and buying enough to last you 'til the next great deal is key in keeping your grocery bill low.  If I had bought only 4 boxes of cereal at Save Mart today, knowing how my kids eat cereal I would have had to buy more at a higher price later.  Buying lots now at a super cheap price means we're good for awhile and I won't buy any more cereal unless it's less than $1.  I also know that when the kids are back in school I'll be sending large amounts of class snacks... with all my Chex I can mix up a big batch of Chex Mix for a tiny fraction of the cost of the giant box of snacks I used to purchase at Costco.

Free Movie from Blockbuster Express

You all know I'm a huge fan of the 99cent store.  

If you happen to be in there today, grab yourself a free movie from the Blockbuster Express kiosk.  

Code BBXMONDAY good only today 6/27 and movie must be returned 9pm tomorrow.  

There is also a kiosk in Food 4 Less.  

Another great deal for Blockbuster Express in on Groupon today.  For only $2 you get 5 movie rentals!  

Sign up for  Groupon  and go to "Wichita" to see this deal.

Shopping at CVS

I've had some questions about shopping at CVS.  Here's a mini-breakdown... 


The Extra Care Bucks (ECB) print out on your receipt for specific sales. For example, on sale this week Rephresh Tampons, $6.79, free after ECB. This means you pay $6.79, and when your receipt prints there will be a bottom portion that says $6.79 and you can use that to spend like cash on your next transaction.

Here's how you get thing BETTER THAN FREE at CVS, using an example from last week at CVS: Colgate toothpaste on sale $2.79, with $2 ECB. You have a coupon for $1 off Colgate toothpaste. So, you pay $1.79 oop (out of pocket), and get back $2 ECB, which in the end you're total cost is -.21! You just MADE a 21cent profit for buying toothpaste!
To spend the least OOP, divide up your transactions. This can be annoying, and may be inconsiderate if there are a million people in line, so you be the judge for what works for you (I sometimes do this, sometimes don't). Buy something that gives ECB, then use those bucks to buy your next item. 

The nice thing about CVS is that their bucks last for a month. Rite Aid bucks only last two weeks, which is not so convenient in my opinion. Also, CVS bucks can be used for milk (which we always need) and Rite Aid bucks cannot.
CVS also allows you to combine store coupons and Manufacturer coupons. When you sign up for your free CVS card, you'll get a little key tag. Every time you shop, scan your tag at their price checker thingy and it will give you coupons. These will vary day to day and may be different for different people. Dollar off purchase coupons CAN be combined with other CVS coupons, so if you ever get something like this "$3 off when you spend $15 on baby items" and another that says "$2 off Huggies wipes" (I actually have these both), you can use those together along with manufacturer coupons to get a great deal!  

I am happy to help with your CVS shopping questions.  MoneySavingMom has a great tutorial for CVS 101 

$16 for Eight Color Portrait Sheets ($144 Value) Plus Photo Shoot at Picture People in Visalia! $144 value!

I know I was just talking about how much I love Groupon, and here is why!  

I just quickly checked to see if there are any great deals today, and sure enough here is a super great one!  

Picture People is a really nice portrait studio in the Visalia Mall, and they are so convenient because you leave with your photos in your hand.  The problem is that they are just so stinkin' expensive!  The one time I had photos done there was because I had a flyer for one free portrait sheet and that was all I got.  But with this Groupon deal, I can get 8 color portrait sheets, plenty to capture the extreme cuteness of my three babies.  I hope you grab this deal quickly, it is only good until tomorrow midnight or when they run out.

I want this awesome deal!

Dreyer's Ice Cream $1.59 each!!!

I haven't gone through all the ads and coupons yet, but right away I spotted a deal that I had to share! 
On the back page of the Target ad, there is a special:  Free $5 gift card when you buy any five frozen treats listed: 6ct. Dreyer's fruit bars, 1.5Qt Dreyer's or 14oz. Haagen-Dazs ice cream.
Here's your best deal, to get the Dreyer's for $1.59 each:
Buy 5 Dreyer's ice cream or fruit bars
Use 2 $1/2 Dreyer's ice cream or fruit bars coupons (found in the coupon booklet in the freezer section at SaveMart)
Pay $12.95 Out of pocket
Get $5 Target card for your next purchase, making your total cost $7.95 for 5 Dreyer's, $1.59 each!

Save 80% - Get $25 Restaurant Gift Certificates for only $2*

Restaurant.com is the best deal for those of us who love to eat at restaurants but whose wallets would rather cook at home.  Restaurant.com sells certificates for local restaurants at a deep discount.  Usually you would pay $10 for a $25 certificate, but they are currently running a special to save 80%... which means you can pay only $2 for a $25 certificate to a participating restaurant!  The details for each restaurant may vary, please read each description before making your purchase.
How it works... Sign up for restaurant.com.  Put in your zipcode or the zip of the area you'd like to eat in (there are many in Visalia).  Choose your certificates.  Use code SUMMER to save 80%.  Print out your vouchers and go eat!!
We have found some new favorite restaurants using this site, including El Rosal, Rio Grill, and Fugazzi's in Visalia.  Rosa's in Porterville is a favorite that participates (read carefully, doesn't include pizza/calzone).  I usually buy a few certificates when they're 80% off, print them out, and keep them in a little photo flip book in my purse so they'll be handy when we're out and feeling spontaneous.

Start saving at Restaurant.com

Get $10 for free and start saving on No More Rack!

Give me my $10!

Sign up for NoMoreRack.com and instantly get $10 to spend on your first purchase. Every day they have 8 items at clearance prices, and shipping is always only $2 per item. I have ordered name brand Tshirts for my hubby. They always have great prices on clothes, toys, shoes, jewelry, lingerie, etc. Check it out! You could score a free item with your $10 credit!

Fun for Five, Groupon style!

 Today my mom and I took my three kiddos to Storyland and Playland in Roeding Park (right across from Chaffee Zoo in Fresno).  We'd never been, so I took a chance a few months back when Groupon had an awesome deal.  For only $5, I got a bracelet for entry to both areas and unlimited rides!  A regular $13 value, with a limit of 5 per person.  So, for only $25 and the cost of driving, all five of us had a super fun day.  I was really impressed with Storyland and Playland and we'll for sure be going back!

I'm a die-hard Groupon fan.  I get daily emails for their daily deals, and whenever I see one I like I can quickly buy it from my iPhone or the PC if I'm at home. 
Another recent deal was $10 for $20 at Old Navy.  Well, I just read that Old Navy has a super sale on tank tops tomorrow... only $2 each!  If I choose to use my Groupon on that, I can buy a total of TEN tank tops for the $10 I paid for my Groupon deal!!!  I could go on and on, but take my word for it... GROUPON ROCKS! 
How does it work?  I'm glad you asked :)   Sign up with the link below.  Buy your Groupon.  Usually within a day, you will get an email that your deal is ready.  Log-in to Groupon and print your certificate.  Bring the certificate to the store or restaurant and use it like cash.  For online deals, you would use the code at check-out.  Easy peasy! 
Now go check it out and start saving!  I'll be posting whenever I see an awesome local or online Groupon deal.

Sign me up for Groupon!

Find of the Day!!! 6 cards for 99 cents

I love to cruise for deals at the 99Cent Only store on Henderson.  There are always some great finds there, I never leave empty handed. 
Today I found a few noteworthy items:
Long bulky scarves, I'm putting those away for Christmas!
Broccoflower (a cauliflower/broccoli hybrid)
Mini Marshmallows, 10.5oz bags 2/99cents (with all the Rice Krispies we have stocked up...Rice Krispy treats, here we come!!!)

My super find of the day.... *Drum roll, please!*.... 6 pack of handmade cards for 99cents!  There are lots of packs of these, some with 6 cards and some with 4.  They're not cheapy looking, they look like the kind that would cost a few bucks each.  There are some with sparkles and embellishments.  You have to look closely or you'll miss this great find.  At the front of the store near the balloons and gift bags, find the giant helium tank and look down.  There are several boxes full of these on the very bottom shelf.  

Target loot: $29.06 for everything!

A1 sauce $3.19- $1 MQ= $2.19 (not a steal, but this stuff is always pricey!)
2 Kraft dressing $1.59 each - $1/2 Target Q- $1/2 MQ= $.59 each!
Funfetti cake mix $1.09 & frosting $1.43- $1 when you buy both Q
2 pasta sauce & 2 Pasta - 2 Target Qs for $1 off when you buy sauce & pasta= all 4 for $3.86 (could have been even less, but I    bought a more expensive lasagna that I needed instead of other cheaper pastas) Kraft Veggie Pasta $1.49 - $.50 Target Q (not very cheap but I wanted to try it.)
9 Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (we're addicted!), $1.25 each- 3 MQs For $1/3= $.91 each (a great deal for this brand!)
2 Liz Lange shirts $3.24 and 3.74 - 2 Target Qs for $3 off any Liz Lange item= 2 shirts for $.98 total!
2 Revlon beauty tools, Free after $5/2 Catalina Q (and another printed out for next time!)
Baby shirt $1.74 clearance
Up&Up panty liners $.89- $.75 Target Q = $.14!
My big splurge impulse buy, 2 cute throw pillows $4.98 each (reg. $19.99). These were 1/3 of my bill, but I like them ;-)

I also saved $1.46 by using my Target Red Debit Card. I save 5% on all purchases, and the money comes straight out of my own bank account.

Save Mart Weekly Deals 6/22/11

Save Mart Weekly deals

_____________________________________________

3 day sale Friday-Sunday

Strawberries 1lb 97c

Farmer John hotdogs 1lb 99c

Pepsi, MtDew, Dr.P, Mug Root beer… 24pk $4.99 when you buy 2

Regular sales thru Tuesday, 6/28

Chicken 59c/lb… 10lb leg quarters $5.90!!

Foster Farms ckn breast max pack, bogo free

FF “preferred ckn parts” (Half Breasts & Thighs In One Pack) $1.69/lb

Driscoll’s berries bogo free

Coke 12 packs $5.99, buy 2 get 2 free with $25 purchase (limit 2 free per purchase) includes Sprite, Diet, Cherry, etc.

Pagasa Pasta 7oz, 4/$1 (in the Hispanic section)… these are great, alphabet pasta, elbows, fideo

Charmin 12pk big roll TP or Bounty Basic 8pk paper towel, $5.49

   *$1 or 25c Manufacturer Q Bounty Basic

   *25c MQ Charmin

Silk Milk $2.50

Emma’s Comfort Coop Eggs 2/$3 doz.

    *55c Q in the booklet found in the freezer aisle at SM, makes this 95c/dozen!!!

Frigo string cheese 12oz, $3

    *I can’t find any Qs, but this isn’t a bad price

Daisy sour cream 16oz $1.99

    *55c Q in freezer booklet, makes this $1.44

Ten for $10 Sale: a whole page of Sunny Select items on sale for $1 each!  Including: marshmallows, biscuits, oats, ketchup, mustard, frozen veggies, canned items(tomatoes, beans,etc), pasta, popcorn, pudding packs, etc.

Johnsonville ground Italian sausage 1lb/ $1.99 with in-ad coupon

Pepsi, Diet, Mt Dew 2L, 4/$4 (must buy 4, limit 4)

GM Cereals $1.49/each when you buy in increments of 4.  Includes: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 11.8 oz. Cocoa Puffs, 12 oz. Golden Grahams, 8.9 oz. Cheerios, 10.7 oz. Trix Or 12.8 To 14 oz. Chex.

    *Check coupons.com for coupons, I’ll keep you posted on what I find.

Dreyer’s Ice cream or fruit bars 2/$6

    *$1/2 Q in the freezer booklet, makes this 2/$5!

Nestle Drumstick and other ice cream novelties 2/$6

    *$1/2 Q in the freezer booklet, makes this 2/$5

Doritos, Lay’s, Sun Chips 2/$5

Totino’s Pizza or pizza rolls 4/$5

    *I’m sure there are Qs for these, they’re always coming out!

Gatorade 8pk 2/$10

Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip 2/$5

    *75c Q, makes this $1.75

Weight Watchers Smart Ones meals, 5/$10