Summer is back... and so am I!

So finally I am in the mood to get in the groove. As planned last year, this year we worked on building our raised beds for the garden. I have the garden all started, and even added a new furry friend. I will try and post some pictures of the garden and Snowball tomorrow. But todays blog is about couponing, and building a stockpile.

With TLC's show Extreme Couponing, a new viral fever has spread! Obviously, frugal living requires a certain level of couponing. But I definitely do not go to the extreme as we have seen on the show. My Sundays do involve getting the paper and going over the coupons, if there are some really good coupons for things that I may need or would like to stock up on, then I get some extra papers. I seldom cut them out on Sundays (I prefer to keep my Sundays for going to church, sharing with the kids, and relaxing), but I do check out my online sources for printable coupons. 

Some great places to find awesome groceries, toiletries and household items coupons are: MyPoints - with MyPoints you receive points for printing and redeeming your coupons, your points can be redeemed for awesome gift cards to your favorite shops, they are directly linked to Coupons.com, SmartSource, and Cellfire. Another really awesome websites for day to day couponing, freebies, giveaways, and more is Hip2Save. Colin (the website owner) is updating through out the day new offers, free samples and awesome online deals! I also frequent Coupon Dad for all sorts of coupons, occasionally coupons that I do not find at Hip2Save. One last source for weekly shopping list, sales database,  and coupon database is Coupon Mom. It is always awesome to have different sources, as I can understand how hard it is to keep up with all the awesome deals that are available out there. I have learned over the past few weeks that Facebook is a wonderful resource for finding coupons and giveaways. I also try to stop at my local CVS (if I am out and about) at the magic Coupon machine to check for new coupons and deals. 

Lastly, I try to stick to my local Price Chopper store (even if the prices are a little higher than say Target) for several reasons. One being that it is my local store and I do not have to travel, thus spend gas, to get my groceries. I know most of the cashiers, and I know who I am comfortable enough with to bring my coupons to. But most importantly is that for every $50 I spend at Price Chopper, I get 0.10 off per gallon of gas at Sunoco!!! Now how can you beat that??? Last time I filled up my tank I only paid $1.38!! Of course I still do make it to my larger stores like Walmart and Target, if I am in the area or have a planned shopping trip for those really awesome deals that I just cannot resist!  

With all that being said here are some awesome deals I came across today:

Downy Facebook-Giveaway  Get a free Downy UnStoppables (Not a coupon but an actual bottle of Downy!) You do have to like them on Facebook

Pantene Coupon Giveaway this is for a free bottle of Pantene (up to $4.99) coupon mailed to you within 4 to 6 weeks (same as above have to like them on Facebook)

Free Sample of Ocean Spray Sparkling Juice You'll receive a free sample of their new sparkling juice in the mail

Hope you enjoy the freebies and start chopping your bills down!