Great online sales this week - Children's Place, Macy's, and more!

There are some great online sales going on right now! Here are some of the best that I have seen:

• The Children's Place Friends & Family Sale - 25% off everything! Sale ends 4/28. Enter code FRIEND for discount.
• Macy's Friends & Family Sale - 25% off your purchase. Extra 10% off electronics, lighting, furniture, mattresses, & rugs. Sale ends 4/30. Use code FRIEND.
• Totsy (private sale site for Moms) is having one of their blowout sales right now, which means even lower prices on lots of good stuff for moms and kids! These sales last until the items are gone, but they go quickly!

Happy Saving!

Frugal Mama Deals: Great deals on Baby products at CVS this week!

CVS has some good deals on baby products this week (sale goes 4/15-4/21). Enjoy!

• All Johnson's Baby Products $2.99 - Use .50 off 1 Johnson's product from Coupons.com . Final Price = $2.45
• Desitin $2.99 - Use $1 off Desitin coupon . Final price = $1.99
• Spend $20 on any Burt's Bees products, get $5 back in extra bucks. The ad says "any Burt's Bees" so I'm hoping this applies to Baby Bees products as well. I love their baby products, especially the bubble bath because it smells like honey! I will report back when I get home from the store!

Happy Shopping!

Deal Alert: Free bag of beauty goodies from Target!

Target is giving away free bags of beauty goodies today! Like them on facebook to get one! I just did this, and the website is VERY slow (probably because so many people are using it), so be patient! Eventually it worked for me.

Deal Alert: AVIA Spa Cut-a-Thon for MS, April 1st

AVIA Spa in Santa Barbara is having a Cut-a-Thon on April 1st to benefit the Walk for Multiple Sclerosis. For a minimum $30 donation, you can get a dry haircut, wet haircut, or blow dry/style up to $100 value. You can call to reserve a spot, or they will accept walk-ins on April 1st. Get a great deal on a haircut or blowdry and support a great cause at the same time!

Cut-A-Thon benefiting the Walk for MS
April 1st, 10 AM - 4 PM
The Salon at AVIA
350 Chapala Street
(805) 730-7303

Weekend Idea: Hunger Games at the Drive-In!

I just discovered the West Wind Drive-In Theater in Goleta, and it's awesome. It's a great deal and you get to sit in the comfort of your car without pesky interruptions from other movie-goers. You could even take the kids with you since no one else will hear them if they make noise! And you can bring your own snacks without having to stuff them in your purse or jacket. :)

This weekend, the drive-in is showing HUNGER GAMES! Score!
Showtimes this weekend: 7:30 & 10:15 (arrive early to get a good spot!)

West Wind Drive-In Theater
907 South Kellogg
General Admission $6.95
Kids 5-11 $1.00 (under 5 = FREE)

Deal Alert: $5 for $10 at Amazon.com

Right now you can get a $10 Amazon credit for only $5! Click here to grab this deal!

After your purchase, go into your AmazonLocal account under “vouchers” and you will be able to grab the code right away. Add to your Amazon.com account and the $10 is available instantly. (which never expires!)

Fine Print: Amazon.com Gift Cards (“GCs”) do not expire

• Limit one GC per household
• GCs may be used only for purchases of eligible goods on Amazon.com or certain of its affiliated websites. GCs may not currently be used for purchases on AmazonLocal. For redemption options, see www.amazon.cm/gc-legal
• Except as required by law, GCs cannot be transferred for value or redeemed for cash. Purchases are deducted from the GC Balance. You must pay for any remaining balance on your order with another payment method. Your gift card claim code may be entered when prompted during checkout. To redeem your gift card using the Amazon.com 1-Click® service, first add the gift card funds to Your Account. To redeem or view a GC balance, visit “Your Account” on Amazon.com. If you have questions about redeeming your gift card, please visit www.amazon.com/gc-redeem. Amazon is not responsible if a GC is lost, stolen, destroyed or used without permission. See www.amazon.com/gc-legal for complete terms and conditions. GCs are issued by ACI Gift Cards, Inc., a Washington corporation. ©,®,™ Amazon.com Inc. and/or its affiliates, 2012
• Purchase of GCs on AmazonLocal is valid for US-based customers only

Thanks, Southern Cali Saver!

CVS Shopping Trip 3/18/12

Periodically I will try to post examples of my coupon shopping trips so that you can see exactly how this couponing thing works! This week there are some really good deals on things my family uses often, so I ended up going to CVS, Rite Aid, Vons, and Trader Joe's. And it was raining. It was quite an exhausting afternoon, but getting the best deals usually means more work.

Note: SS = Smart Source Insert, RP = Red Plum Insert

CVS Shopping Trip

Transaction #1
• 2 Bags M&Ms Easter Candy - 2 for $6 and $1 ECB when you buy 2
  Used $1 off 2 M&Ms coupon from RP 3/18
• 1 Colgate Optic White Toothpaste - $3.49 and $2 ECB
  Used $1 Off Optic White coupon from SS 3/11
• Total: $10.31
  Used $5 ECB from Beauty Extra Bucks that I got on my last shopping trip
• Paid: $5.31 and got $7 back in Extra Bucks

Transaction #2
• OB Tampons - 2 for $9
  Used .75 off coupon from SS 3/18
• Carefree Pantyliners - $1
  Used $1 off Carefree product coupon from SS 3/18
• 2 Suave Deodorants - $1 each
  Used .75 off coupon from SS 3/18 (I only had 1 coupon but I bought another deodorant anyway)
• 1 Ziploc Gallon Freezer Bag - $4.59 (not on sale but we needed them)
  Used .50 off coupon from SS 1/15
• Total: $14.88
  Used $5 in ECB from Transaction #1
• Paid: $9.88

In total, I paid $15.19 vs. $47.86 at full price. That is a $32 savings, or 68%! Not too bad.

As a side note, when you watch "Extreme Couponing" and you see people getting a 100% savings or close to it, it's because they are buying only items that they can get for free with coupon match-ups. They are not picky about what type of items they buy - they just buy whatever is on sale, usually for around $1 since that's the value of most coupons. For me, there are certain items that I buy brand-specific for my family (such as deodorant and facial products), and other items that I buy based on the best deals (e.g. toothpaste and soap). I also buy things I can get for free regardless of the brand, and then I donate them!