February Budget Review: I didn't do so well...

Well, I just finished tallying up my budget review for February and it wasn't pretty. I went $41.26 over my $200 max monthly budget. Yet, looking over December, then of course the pantry challenge in January, it's understandable how that could happen. We needed food! I missed coupon shopping and went a little overboard.

I knew I'd gone over after my last shopping trip of the month, but I didn't think it was that much over. Sigh. It looks like I need to go back to the cash system for a couple months, to get back in line with my $200 budget.

I have several excuses running through my head. I'm so used to spending $40- $50 each week that spending nearly $70 my first trip of February really through me off. No, wait, I'm blaming it on Costco. Or maybe the fact that I've had this awful head cold for the past 3 weeks {I'm finally feeling better!} and grocery shopping, much less strategically using coupons just about fell to the bottom of my priority list. Regardless, I went over budget. I'm not going to dwell on it, I'm simply moving on and will do better in March.

I do have a couple goals for March I'd like to share with you all. I'm hoping to stock up on a few things at the case lot sales in April, so I'm trying to spend less this month, in order to accommodate those extra grocery items next month. So far, we're 10 days into March and I've only spent $30.38, so I'm right on track. I did purchase some food storage items last week {that I'll share with you all on Friday} so my powdered milk and eggs will help me to stretch my grocery trips out a bit farther this month.

How did you all do this past month? Any other Pantry Challenge participants go over budget, or was it just me? Feel free to share!

More News on Kmart Doubles...

I posted not too long ago about the possibility of our Utah Kmart stores participating in the upcoming doubles event starting April 4th. Well my stance has now gone from "reluctant" to "cautiously optimistic."

Kmart has decided to post a list online and 15 of the 16 Utah Kmart stores are on the list! You can check it out here. The only store NOT on the list is the West Valley location. Kearns is on the list though, so at least those of you  who live nearby will have a store to shop at.

We'll see what happens as the date draws nearer...

Thanks Amber & Common Sense with Money!

Get a $5 Credit at CityDeals!

I recently mentioned CityDeals, a Utah-based company that provides discounted gift certificates for restaurants, entertainment and retail shops. Gift certificates are offered for about 40%- 50% off retail value. Not only can they save your family money, but they make great gifts as well!

CityDeals recently contacted me and wants to give Utah Deal Diva readers a bonus for trying out their site...

The first 60 Utah Deal Diva readers

who register with CityDeals

will automatically get a

$5 credit in their account!

Hurry! Go here to register. You can see the "Register" tab above the search function towards the top of the right hand side of the page. By registering, you will receive weekly emails from CityDeals that include hot offers for your area.

$5 at CityDeals goes pretty far too! You can use the $5 to get...

...a Clark Planetarium show ticket for FREE!

...a Cinemark movie ticket for only $1.95

...a $24 combo pass to Cherry Hill for only $7

...a $25 Pier 49 Pizza gift certificate for only $10

...a $25 gift certificate to Cold Stone for only $16.25

These are just a few ideas from the thousands of places available on CityDeals! Remember- only the FIRST 60 to register get this $5 credit! Go here to register!

{Note:$5 credit will appear in your account within 2-3 days, if you're one of the first 60 to register!}

Free Philly Cream Cheese from Kraft First Taste!

Kraft First Taste members- go here to sign in to your account and request a coupon for FREE Philadelphia new cream cheese Minis!

Receive a coupon for ONE (1) FREE package of new PHILADELPHIA Minis (up to a $2.29 value). The same delicious flavors and creamy smoothness you love in the big tubs, now come in packs of 4 individual 1.25 oz. snap-apart Minis. So handy you can spread a little PHILLY anywhere! All coupons are offered while supplies last. Offer expires 6/30/2010. Up to a $2.29 value.

These offers never last long, so sign in and see if you're able to get one!

Not a member of Kraft First Taste and want to be included in hot offers like this? Simply sign up here! It's free and fun to try new things!

Thanks Hip2Save!

$5 off Clothes at Target!

Target just released a coupon for $5 off a $30 purchase of Circo or Cherokee children’s clothing! You can print it here. You can print two, but you'll only be able to use one per transaction.

The great news is, the coupons doesn't exclude clearance items, so hit up those racks and make that $5 off stretch even farther!

Thanks TheThriftyCouple!

More Homemade Bread: My New Bread Pans!

I adore homemade bread. The smell of freshly baked bread is enough to put anyone in a food coma for at least an hour or two. I too love how economical it is- homemade bread costs around .50 per loaf, whereas a great deal on good, store bought bread is $1.50. I don't even mind spending the time to make homemade bread!

Yet despite all this, I still bought it from the store. Why? Because it's easy to make into sandwiches and toast, which are two very common foods served in my home. My homemade bread is hard to slice since it ends up being rather tall. If I do manage to slice it thin enough, it's still too big for my toaster! At our house, homemade bread is served at dinner, in place of rolls or store bought french bread.

A few weeks ago I was browsing amazon.com and found this fantastic 12" long bread pan. I had a thought- Instead of continuing to buy loaves of store bought bread, why not fix the issues I have with my homemade bread?! With this pan, my homemade bread would be shaped more like store bought bread, making it easier to slice and small enough to fit in my toaster. I had a credit on Amazon from Swagbucks, so I took the plunge and bought it.

I've had the chance to try it out and I must say- why didn't I buy this pan years ago?! It's perfect! I first tried it with my normal bread recipe, then even tried a new Honey Wheat Sandwich loaf recipe. Both were a complete success! The pan is great quality and I love the non-stick surface. The picture above was taken right after I took the bread out of the pan!

After letting my bread cool for a few hours, I sliced it into thin slices and look how amazing it turned out! I couldn't be more pleased. We've eaten it as sandwiches, toast, and I even made it into french toast a few days later.

I even decided to take things a step further and got this Professional French Bread pan as well! If you've never made homemade French Bread, you're missing out. I recommend this recipe here. My husband told me it was the best bread I've ever made- and I think I agree. It was incredible. My family devoured almost an entire loaf one evening with dinner, then the next night, I made the other into homemade French bread pizza. Again- delicious!

Factoring in the cost of bread at the grocery store, I figure it will only take a month before these pans pay for themselves. I love little discoveries like this! Again, you can check out the 12" long bread pan here and the French Bread pan here. Enjoy!

{And for those of you curious, I haven't bought store bread in over a month now!}

Last Chance to get ALL YOU for only .70 per issue!

The deal I was offered for All You magazine at the ridiculously low rate of .70 per issue will have to be pulled early. Instead of ending on March 15th, it will now end Friday, March 12th.

Campus Fundraisers is the company offering this deal and expressed hoped for it to become a more regular offer. However, I guess All You doesn't like that sort of competition, so they're mandating that this deal ends on 3/12. I really don't think it will be available again, sadly!

So this really might be the last chance we have to get All You magazine for less than $1 per issue. Go here to read how this deal works. It's quite simple, really. If you already have a subscription in place, I suggest ordering it again as this new 40-issue subscription will just tack on to your previous subscription. That's what I'm going to do!

Let me know if you have any questions. I apologize for this inconvenience!

New Huggies Coupons!

There are new Huggies coupons available on coupons.com! I've been watching the site diligently, waiting for them to appear in our Utah zip codes to no avail. Nevertheless, they're showing up in several areas, including zip code 63366. If you feel comfortable entering in another zip code, you can go here to print them. {You will have to enter the other zip code, 63366.}

• $2 off any one Huggies diapers
• $2 off any one Huggies Overnites diapers
• $.75 off any one Huggies baby wipes, 64ct or larger)
• $2 off any one Pull-ups Training Pants
• $2 off any one Goodnites Sleep Pants

I posed this question to those on my Utah Deal Diva Facebook page. What is your take on entering in other zip codes on coupons.com? I understand why coupons.com has the zip code entry system as there are many products that are regional. However, for items such as Huggies diapers, it's very frustrating for our area to not be offered these coupons!

I've gone back and forth on this and have just opted to let you choose for yourself. It's understood that coupons.com offers coupons for regional products, which is why the zip code system is in place. Yet what if users opt to leave the zip code field blank, or type in different code? I've tried to contact coupons.com to hear what they suggest, but they never contacted me back. I have read their Terms of Use Agreement and nowhere in it does it state users must enter in the zip code to which they reside and only that zipcode. So decide for yourself, until they opt to come out with a clear answer to this question.

Free Prevacid Sample & more

Sign up for the Prevacid Panel here and you’ll receive a 14-Day trial of Prevacid 24-HR for free.

Expecting moms: you can also sign up for a free sample of BeNice Prenatal Vitamin Drink Mix here.

Thanks MoneySavingMom!

Yet Another Johnson's Coupon!! More FREE Buddies!

You can now print another $1/1 any Johnson's Baby product coupon here, on redplum.com! This coupon has been visible since Sunday, but it wasn't working until now! I found mine on the bottom of page 2.

Print it and use it at Smith's, Target, or Walmart to get the Buddies bars for free!

If you haven't already printed it from coupons.com, you can do that as well!

New BOGO Land O Frost Coupon!

Go here and click on the link on the upper right hand side of the page to print a BOGO coupon valid on any one Package of Land O’ Frost Bistro Favorites! {You can leave the field for a Twitter account blank!}

Thanks PrintableCouponsandDeals!

New Hasbro Game Coupons!

There are a ton of new Hasbro game coupons here! Use these at Walmart or Target to get games for less. Keep an eye out for toys on clearance, as well as travel sized toys.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• $5 off one Bop It Game
• $2.00 off one Playskool Mr. Potato Head Classic
• $3.00 off one Playskool Mr. Potato Head: Toy Story
• Buy One Get One Free Hasbro Pony Friends Single Assortments (Not to exceed $6.99)
• $5.00 off one Playskool Sit 'n Spin
• $5.00 off one Playskool Busy Ball Popper
• $2.00 off one Playskool Glowworm
• $5.00 off one Playskool Step Start Walk & Ride

Leslie from One Cheap Chick found the full sized Bop-It game on price cut at Target for $15. She combined the $5 manufacturers coupon here with the $3 off Target coupon here to get it for only $7! Using these same coupons, you can get the travel sized version for only $1.99! Thanks Leslie!

Save $1 on Kix!

I'm rather excited about this coupon: Go here to print a $1/1 coupon for any one box Kix cereals. Valid on regular Kix, as well as Berry Berry Kix and Honey Kix. Coupon expires 1 month from print date.

My kids love Kix! Here's hoping we can find a decent sale within the next month!

Discounts on Local Hot Spots through CityDeals!

As most of you know, I'm a big fan of saving money in all aspects of life. I enjoy eating out and doing fun things, however, we don't have a budget that allows for tons of extras, which is where coupons and discounts come in handy! CityDeals is an online site based here in Utah that offers heavy discounts on gift cards for a variety of establishments.

If you've never heard of CityDeals, then you've got to stop by and see what great offers they're giving Utah Deal Diva readers! I've added an "Exclusive CityDeals Offers" Tab at the top- you'll have to check back often as the deals will change frequently! You can purchase gift cards for as much as 40%- 50% off! Go here to check it out!

My RiteAid Trip: Averaged .38 per item!

I went to Rite Aid this morning! You can see my deal ideas here. It's a very good week at Rite Aid so even if you don't go there often, or it's a bit of a drive, you might want to reconsider. I did the exact transactions I posted earlier and they all worked beautifully! I got over $60 in CoverGirl products for FREE.

They were fairly well stocked with most items. Seems most Utah stores are running very low on the Pampers Cruisers. At 10am, my store had only 1 package left! My store will allow shoppers to get an IOU, where you pay for the item now and pick it up later. Ask your store manager if this is an option if you'd like to get several packages of diapers. The diapers in the pic are a stand in- I actually got an IOU for mine. I also had to get an IOU for the Gillette body wash as they were out of that as well.

Overall I spent $13.43 out of pocket! OK, I did pay with my Rite Aid Single Check Rebate check from last month, so my "real" OOP cost was $25.68, which includes tax. I'll get $8 back in rebates, as well as a $10 Rite Aid gift card, so my final cost is only $7.68 for all 20 items, which averages to only .38 per item! only Thirty-eight cents each for Pampers diapers, John Freida shampoo, Covergirl cosmetics, Gillette deodorant, and more!!

You can go here to see all the details of these sales and offers.

Free Sample of Huggies, John Freida & more!

There's a new free sample offered by Costco right now! Go here to sign up to receive a free sample if Huggies Snug & Dry diapers, any size! No membership number required. {Note: the site is running very slowly right now...}

More free samples:

• Free sample of StoPain pain relieving gel here.
• Get a free sample of Lipton Green Tea here. 
• Become a Fan of Nescafe on Facebook and you can get a free sample here!

Thanks Free Stuff!

More Free Johnson's Buddies!

HURRY! There's a new $1/1 coupon for Johnson's baby products here! I found mine on page 12. This one will not last long!

Use it at any SUPER Target and not only can you get 2 Johnson's Buddies bars for FREE, but it will trigger a catalina for $2.50 off 3 Johnson's baby products! Go back and get 3 more Buddies bars and you will have paid a whopping .41 for all 5 items! {And another catalina will print!}

Save on Easter Candy!

Go here to print a coupon for $1 off 2 Lifesavers Jelly Beans! {These are my favorite!}

Here are a few more Easter treat coupons:

• $1/2 Wonka Jelly Beans: SweeTarts, Spree, etc.
• .75/2 Pillsbury refrigerated holiday cookies
• $1/2 bags Nestle chocolate Eggs

Rite Aid, week of 3/7: Tons of FREEBIES!

There is a great promotion going on at Rite Aid this week. By purchasing $30 of select P&G products, you can receive a $10 Rite Aid gift card. Promotions like this are beneficial because the $30 is before coupons! We got a giant new P&G insert in the paper as well, so we'll get to use some of these hot new coupons this week!  I've given a couple different scenarios below. Remember we also have this $3 off $15 purchase coupon, as well as a new $5 off $25 purchase coupon {thanks Hip2Save!} to maximize savings.

If you're new to Rite Aid shopping, you'll want to read this post first.

Also, if your store is giving you a hard time about using a BOGO coupon on a BOGO sale, politely carry along RiteAid's corporate coupon policy here. It clearly states that you can combine both sale and coupon to get both items for free!

The new P&G promotion is valid from 3/7-3/13. Brands included are: Prilosec, Metamucil, Align, NyQuil/DayQuil, VapoSyrup, Always/Tampax, Gillette Razor Cartridges or Shave Gel, Pampers, Clean ‘n Go, Swipers, Crest, Oral-B, Scope, Fixodent & Glide. The $10 gift card will be mailed via participation in the Single Check Rebate program here. Simply enter in a few pieces of info from your receipts and RiteAid will keep track of your qualification status. Remember to save your receipt and send it in for the P& G Year of Savings coupon booklet!

P&G Deals:

Vicks Nyquil or Dayquil, $4.99

• Submit for a $2 Single Check Rebate
• Use the $1.50/1 coupon from 2/21 PG or 3/7 PG
• Final price: $1.49

Crest Toothpaste 4-6.2 oz., $2.74

• Submit for a $1 Single Check Rebate #39
• Use the $0.75/1 coupon from 3/7 PG
• Final price: .99
• **Note: The Crest and Oral-B SCR are the same- so you can only submit it once, for 1 item! So you can get it either for the Crest OR the Oral-B toothbrush, but not both!

Oral-B Advantage or Pro Health manual toothbrush, $2.74

• Submit for a $1 Single Check Rebate #39
• Buy 2 and use BOGO Oral-B Advantage coupon from 3/7 PG
• Final price: .87 each
• See note above about SCR!

Oral-B Cross Action Power toothbrush, $5.99

• Use $3/1 from 3/7 PG
• Final price: $2.99

Pampers $9.99

• Use $2.00/1 from 2/21 PG {or use $1.50/1 from 2/7 PG}
• Final price: $7.99

The "I Need Diapers" Scenario:

Purchase 3 Pampers Jumbo packs, $9.99 each

Purchase 1 Pampers wipes, $2.49

• Subtotal: $32.36
• Use $5/$25 coupon here
• Use three $2/1 pampers coupons from 2/21 PG
• Use one .50/1 wipes coupon from 2/7 PG
• Pay $20.96 + tax OOP
• Submit for $10 Rite Aid Gift Card
• Final price: $10.96, which makes it $2.74 per item!

Another Scenario:

{1} Pampers, $9.99

{1} Pampers wipes, $2.49

{1} Vicks Nyquil or Dayquil, $4.99

{1} Crest Toothpaste 4-6.2 oz., $2.74

{2} Oral-B Advantage toothbrushes, $2.74 each

{1} Oral-B Cross Action Power toothbrush, $5.99

• Subtotal: $31.68
• Use $5/$25 coupon
• Use $10.49 in coupons listed by each specific deal above
• Pay: $16.19 OOP
• Submit for $3 in Single Check Rebates
• Receive a $10 Rite Aid gift card
• Final price: $3.19 for all 7 items, including a package of Pampers diapers!

Other Deals:

Starburst, Buy one at $1.49, get one FREE

• Use BOGO coupon from here
• Final price: Two for FREE!
• Note: the coupon says max value is $1.10 and the price is $1.49- so I'm not completely sure this will work. Please let me know if you're able to get 2 for free, or if they make you pay the .39 difference!

John Frieda Shampoo or Conditioner, select varieties, 3 for $15

Deal Idea:

• Purchase 3 for $15 total
• Use the $3/$15 Rite Aid coupon
• Use three $3/1 coupons from 3/7 SS {yet another advantage of getting multiple papers!!}
• Pay $3 + tax OOP
• Submit for a $5 Single Check Rebate #41 {must buy $15 worth to get rebate!}
• Final price: All 3 for FREE + small money maker!

Biore Skin care products, 3 for $15

Deal Idea:

• Purchase 2 cleansers and 2 strips, $20 total
• Use $5 off $20 coupon from the Video Values program here
• Use two coupons for FREE Biore Cleanser wyb Pore Strips, from 3/7 SS {subtract $10!}
• Pay $5 + tax OOP
• Submit for $5 Single Check Rebate
• Final price: All 4 items for FREE! {ok, you'll have to pay tax!}

CoverGirl cosmetics, BOGO sale

• Use BOGO Covergirl Face products coupon from 2/7 PG
• Final price: Both items for FREE!

Gillette Deodorant, $4 each

• Buy 2 and submit for a $2 Single Check Rebate
• Use two $1/1 coupons from 2/21 PG
• Also use two "Buy 1 Gillette deodorant and get 1 Gillette body wash free" coupons from 3/7 PG
• Buying the 2 body washes will most likely put you over the $15 limit, so you can use the $3/$15 coupon!
• Final price: $1 for all 4 items!
• Yes, Gillette is a P&G brand, however this doesn't qualify towards the $10 Rite Aid Gift card deal, unfortunately!

Coupons in the Parade Magazine!

Don't toss out those Parade magazines from today's paper! One page in there's a $1/1 coupon for the new Wheatables Nut Crisps! I haven't tried these yet, but I did see them at my Walmart for $1.98- so only .98 after coupon! The coupon doesn't expire until May 30th though, so you might want to hold on to it and see if a better deal comes along. {Which is what I'm going to do!}

Also, my SL Trib Parade mags have a $1/1 Polident coupon on page 7. The DMN editions didn't have this coupon.

This was a very good week to get the paper! Our coupon inserts were absolutely packed! If you have been thinking about getting the paper and would like to know more about the deal I'm able to offer, go here, then email me at utahdealdiva at gmail dot com for specific pricing info. I have the best deal in the state and can get you a Sunday paper for only $1!