Staying organized & deciding which deals to get

Sometimes people ask me “jeez, you post so many deals, how do you keep it all organized?” First, I don’t do every promo that I post. But if I only posted what I get, it would have such a narrow focus, not much of a blog following.

But here’s how I do it-

I keep a notepad and pen on my desk, where my computer is. Then, as I look at ads & do posts, or find deals on hcw, I jot them down. But only if they interest me. On Mondays, when I get my inserts, I look through them and see what my assortment is as far as matching it up to deals. Then I just decide from there how important it is to me to get that item and try to fit it into my schedule. For example, both Acme and Superfresh have some pretty good deals this week, but I chose Acme for my weekly trip. The deals at Superfresh, while good deals, just not “must-do” or anything, so I probably won’t get there. I put an asterisk or circle or underline it if it’s a super-duper freebie of an item I really need or moneymaker.

Especially for beginners, you can’t do every deal. I seriously see women posting about going to eight different stores and running all over town for stuff. You’ll make yourself nuts with that. Slow & steady wins the race. Remember to start with a prioritized list of items you want to stockpile, and take it from there. It’s much easier to incorporate this into your everyday thinking & shopping if you don’t let it consume you.

I’m also working on a creating a shopping list document to post here as a resource, to help everyone (including myself!) stay organized.

Reverse Matchups, April 10

For a complete list, go HERE. For new readers, reverse matchups are just my brain spitting out what I see when I flip thru a coupon insert. It came as a result of a few people saying to me “I dunno, I look through the coupons and I just don’t see anything I’d want.”

Smartsource/SS

A.1. $1/1 bottle steak sauce or marinde 10oz or larger (5/8); I won’t use this one, we don’t use A1

Air Wick FREE warmer unit wyb your favorite air wick scented oil refill fragrance (5/22)
Air Wick $1/1 scented oil twin refill pack or (2) single refills (5/22)
Air Wick $2/1 freshmatic compact odor detect starter kit (5/22)

Airwick deal at CVS this week, will be very cheap or free after Extra Bucks.
Breakstones $1/2 sour cream 16oz or larger (5/31); probably won’t use this
Cheerios $1/2 boxes of Frosted, Apple Cinnamon, Banana Nut, Fruity, Chocolate, Oat Cluster Crunch, Yogurt Burst, or Cinnamon Burst (5/21)
Chex Cereals $0.50/1 box of Rice, Corn, Wheat, Honey Nut, Chocolate, Multi-bran or Cinnamon (5/21)
Chex Mix Treats, Golden Grahams Treats or Milk ‘n cereal bars $0.50/1 box (6/4)

GREAT General Mills deal at Superfresh currently. Ok deal at Acme–this stuff will be cheap or free.
Garnier Nutrisse shade or Multi-Light kit $2.00/1 (7/10)
Garnier Moisturizer $1/1 (7/10)
Garner Brusher 2x cleanser $1/1 (7/10)

Garnier deal at Walgreen’s this week, CVS always has Garnier deals and I really like the SPF28 moisturizer.

Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip Dressing $0.75/1 22oz or larger (5/8) Will probably be almost free at Acme or Superfresh, after doubling & a sale.
Kraft Dressing $1/2 24oz bottles (5/8)

Seattle’s Best Coffee $1/1 12oz bag (6/10); this is one item that I’ll go to Giant for; they often have it on sale for $5.99.

Red Plum:

ALL $1.50/1 any free clear oxi-active laundry detergent (5/22)
ALL $1/1 any laundry detergent (5/22) I’ll clip & save for possible deal at Kmart or Walgreen’s
Covergirl $2/1 any lipperfection product (5/31)-check Ulta and stack with store coupon

Hefty $0.55/1 any waste bags (6/30)
Hefty $1/2 any packages (7/31); keep & possibly use at Dollar General or CVS
Kellogg’s $1.50/3 any packages of corn pops, apple jacks, froot loops, honey smacks, frosted mini-wheats little bites, cinnamon and/or kellogg’s frosted flakes cereals 10oz or larger, any flavor, mix or match (5/22); seriously, no more Kellogg’s……….but I’ll file them.

Mars $1/2 any Easter products (MANY listed, including singles) (4/24)-FREE at Walgreen’s this week, with this coupon!
Rhodes $1/1 any package of cinnamon rolls or orange rolls (7/31); I really like these & can never find them in stores around here; Acme frozen mgr told me Acme discon’td them.
Rhodes $1/1 any package of warm-n-serv rolls (7/31)
Rhodes $1/1 any package traditional bread or rolls (7/31)
Snuggle $0.75/1 any fabric softener liquid or dryer sheets (5/22)-will probably be very cheap at Superfresh or Acme, the small package of dryer sheets

Acme ad-$1 catalina offer, April 8-15

Ok, here’s the deal. In the middle of the ad, it says that you will receive “$1 on your next shopping order” if you purchase any of the items listed below. I have no idea how this will work, this is new to us Acme veterans. If I buy ten items, will I get ten $1 catalinas, or one $10 catalina? Who knows. It also says that we can redeem as many as we want, I’m not so trusting. There have been other catalina offers, and the week after the deal, I’ve been hit with the “you can only redeem two of those at a time” that cashiers sometimes pull out of their butts. If I have to do my weekly shopping trip in two weeks in $2 increments, then this deal is not really worth it to me. I’d love to offer to be the guinea pig, but I do have plans for Fri/Sat/Sun. So if someone else tries it, please post on the fb wall or on a comment here. Here is the list of items with some matchups. As always, check your e-savings.

Super Chill 12 packs 2/$4
Oscar Mayer Fun Pack Lunchables 2/$5
Tostitos Salsa or Tortilla Chips 2/$5, 2/27 inserts (if that variety is included)
Purex Complete Crystals or Liquid Laundry Det 72oz $2.99, 2/20 3/13 inserts (will be free with that $2 coupon)
Gatorade or G2 Sports Drink 8pk 2/$10
Knorr Sides 3/$3
Classico Pasta Sauce 2/$4, 3/6 inserts, but must buy beef with item
Dannon Activia, Danimals Crush Cup, or Light & Fit 6pk, Danimals Coolision or Drinkables 6pk 2/$4, will be free with $1 coupon from 2/27
Bounty Basic 8ct $4.99 In last week’s inserts?
Charmin Basic 12ct $4.99, last week’s inserts

San Giorgio Pasta 3/$3
Tropicana OJ 89oz $3.99, 3/6 inserts
Welch’s Essentials 2/$5,
Bakery Fresh Iced Lofthouse Cookies 2/$7
Tyson Fully Cooked Entrees $3.99 
Johnsonville Bratwurst or Italian Sausage $3.99
Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage $2.99
Hormel Natural Choice Lunch Meat $2.99
Tyson Breaded Chicken $4.99, 1/23 and 1/30 inserts
Boursin Gourmet Cheese Spread $3.99, look for $1 peelies, I always see them
Nabisco Snack Crackers 2/$6
Starbucks Coffee $7.99, I keep finding banners for printables when I’m online
Pasta Prima Pasta $2.99
Wesson Oils 48oz $2.99, 4/3 inserts
Lipton Iced Tea 12pk 2/$10 
Huggies Diapers Big Pack $19.99 (get a $5 coupon) use the coupons dot com toolbar on here to get the $3 printable!
Malt O Meal Cereal 2/$5
Mott’s Apple Juice 2/$4
Mott’s Apple Sauce 2/$4
Kettle Potato Chips 2/$5, $1 coupons last week
Pop Secret 3pk 2/$3
Allegra 12 hr Allergy 12 ct $8.99, coupons for this everywhere, I’ve seen tearpads in every store
Blue Diamond Almond Breeze 2/$5
Hershey’s Baking Chips 2/$4
Hershey’s Package Chocolates 10/17oz 2/$6
Welch’s Grape or Reduced Sugar Grap Jams or Jellies 2/$4
Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner 2/$6, 3/6 inserts
Energizer 2-10ct AA, AAA, C, D, 9vlt $6.99 (get $2 coupon), 3/27 inserts
Swiffer Wet Jet Starter Kit $19.99 (get $5 coupon), coupons last week, home mailers
Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing $2.99, 3/13 inserts
Emerald Nuts Premium & Sweet n Salty 2/$8, 3/13 inserts
Dr. Pepper 4/$4, must buy four
Welch’s 100% Grape Juice 2/$6, 2/13, 2/27 inserts
Colgate Toothpaste/Toothbrush 2/$6, coupons last week
Beneful Dog Food 15.5lbs $16.99
Tidy Cats Litter 20lb $3.99, 1/30 inserts

Acme-$1 catalina offer

I’m looking at my ad and still trying to digest it. Dozens of items are offering a $1 “off your next purchase” when you buy them. I see lots of useful items and some great deals. But I need to digest it–I mean, if I buy 30 items, do I really need to wait for 30 $1 catalinas to print out? And what if the cashiers go to the “Only can redeem 2 per transaction” rule when I try to redeem them?