Today's could-have-been--free-CVS trip.

Two bottles of Pantene conditioner
three garnier facial products
1 pack of gum
1 box of power bars
1 LA Looks gel

Out of pocket, $2.93!!!
It could have been free, because I had another four dollar Extra Buck, but I didn't want to waste the dollar.

Tropical Traditions Organic Raw Honey Review and Giveaway

I've turned into quite the Tropical Traditions junkie. They really have the best products around, and I love the ethics of the company. This time they sent me for review, a jar of organic raw honey.

What else can I say, but YUM! Their products never disappoint, and this honey was no exception. I have no shortage of high quality honey, as there is a local beekeeper close to family and I get special delivery. Yes, I'm spoiled, I know.

I was surprised that raw honey has a creamy, and very opaque consistency, almost like soft butter. It was an excellent taste, spreadable and neat, because it hasn't been exposed to heat. They warm it up just enough to get it flowing, the same temperature it's kept at in the hive, so you are really getting all the nutrients that come with eating honey.

Certifying honey as organic is no small feat, either. They have to place the bees miles away from the congestion of cities, and keep an entire four mile radius of the hive's location organic. I also learned that bee's instincts keep them with in four miles of their home. So much knowledge! Read more...and get some...here!

What I did with it:

Using honey really isn't rocket science. You can use this wonderful, organic, raw honey in anyway you would use regular honey, although it really is outstanding when you don't heat it up. I ate it on warm, homemade crumpets and in iced green tea.

Tropical Traditions is giving away a bottle right here:

As usual, to win, please sign up for their email letter, and leave a comment here telling me you did. I need to be able to get a hold of you, so please make sure your email address is available on your blogger profile, or leave me another way to contact you.

Five Extra entries, Leave a comment for each:

Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter

For two extra entries, Leave a comment for each:

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You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US to win. Sweepstakes ends on July 15th at midnight.



I received a sample from Tropical Traditions for review, however, I only recommend products I like. All claims are mine, mine alone, and your results may vary.

Tomorrow's game plan!

I'm looking for a big haul this week, ladies and gentlemen, so let's get started!

Giant deals:
It's dairy month! That means five dollars off when you buy 7 dairy items. I can make this work!
According to one blog, the dananino yogurts my daughters ADORE will be $1.89 this week, along with a dollar off one coupon in the paper. I will be purchasing 7 papers this week...so 7X$1.89= $13.23 - $5 dairy package -$7 in one dollar off coupons = $1.23 for SEVEN packages of little yogurts. These can be frozen. Maybe I should do it twice!

The thing about this is, you kind of have to be willing to put some time in to shopping, as you'll need to do multiple transactions. For me, that means going through the stores at least twice. I don't like to stand at the register and do two trips, unless I do self check out, and then I don't mind so much.

Borden cheese slices are two dollars each. I have six dollar off one coupons for them, and smart balance milk is 2.69 a half gallon, and I believe I have two 1.50 off one coupons for those. If I purchase five cheeses and two milks, that's $15.38, minus five dollars for a dairy package, and five dollars for cheese coupons and three dollars for milk coupons, and this transaction should be $2.38 out of pocket. As long as the cheese slice coupons are the correct ones. I won't know till I can actually lay eyes on the circular, which won't be till tomorrow.

8th continent soy milk is also included in the sale. They are 2.50 a gallon, with $1 off one coupon making its appearance tomorrow. Buy 7, $17.50- 5 dairy package= 12.50- $7 coupons= 5.50 for seven half gallons of soy milk. So, if any of my lovely readers would like me to pick up some soy milk in this lovely deal, I'm charging 50 cents a half gallon. :)

On to Walgreens, ladies and gentlemen, is it any wonder why I'll be getting up at three am? Omega Smart Fish oil is FREE after store credit, get that, free, and if your printer isn't out of ink you could actually make some money on the deal. I'm sad, because I'm out of ink, but I'll still be picking up FREE fish oil for some lovely relatives. Also free this week after store credit is Healthy Women soy supplement. These two items will be purchased in one transaction along with one sobe life water ($1 store credit) and two mars candy bars to fulfill Walgreens store coupon policy.

Next transaction, depending on the price of the items in question. (We haven't left Walgreens yet)

8- gilette body washes
4- gilette deodorants

Use- 4 Bogo coupons for the body washes and four one dollar off coupons for the body washes, and two bogo coupons for the deodorants. This SHOULD be enough to get me over the $30 to get 10 RR back. I expect to pay zero dollars out of pocket for all of this, since I will be using the RR from the vitamins.

Off to shoprite.
Ban deodorant will be free after $.75 off coupons, and BAR S hot dogs will be .49 each. I have four dollars in store credit to use, so I see no money leaving my pockets here as well. *happy dance!!!*

I'll be stopping at another Walgreens to hit them up for another fish oil on the way home. This is important.

Now, on to CVS. By the way, my eleven year old will be doing all this with me. I wonder if she'll break?

So, at CVS we'll do TWO transactions. I've got about seven dollars in store credit there, so I want to be sure to maximize rolling the credit to minimize cash spent out of pocket. This may be a sickness, I'm not sure, but I'm having fun, so I'm going to roll with it.

First transaction:
Buy two Colgate toothpastes at 2.79, get two dollars back for each one. Use two one dollar off coupons. Make 21 cents on each. Buy two bottles of Crest 1 liter pro health rinse, use two-two dollar off coupons, and two oral b pulsar brushes, use two- $3 off coupons. I have seven dollars in store credit, so I see this coming out to be about 8 dollars, but I'll be getting back fifteen dollars in ECB.

Then buy:
Four of my most favorite lip balm in the whole world, on sale two for six, with a five dollar of coupon for two, two times. (so ten dollars off.)
Two crest 6 oz pro health at 3.99 with a dollar off coupon each.
and one dawn dish detergent.
This should take me over the thirty dollars I need to get a FREE gillette proglide razor. Oh, yes, free is good, but I can take a four dollar coupon off that as well! Why, yes, I would like to get paid four dollars to take a razor out of the store that also happens to be my husband favorite!!!! And all off the stuff in this transaction will be absolutely free! (I may have to fork over a dollar or two in taxes. I hate taxes.)

Wish me luck! Any questions, give me a holler!

And the day of bargaining comes to an end.

I'm tired.

Late night last night, early morning this morning, and a long day of battling with multiple cashiers has left me tired, frustrated, and a little concerned with the education system in America. I literally had to argue, with a human, in each store, to receive the deals advertised in the paper.

Whether it be an incorrectly marked items included in a sale (Target) or a missed case of soda that the cashier somehow managed to miss after she specifically ASKED me not to put it on the counter, which almost DOUBLED my bill (Weis), or the customer service guy at Weis who was, well, a little taken aback at the numbers coming out of my mouth, to the lady at Shoprite who regarded my internet coupons as if I'd conjured them in a cauldron rather than printing them off of coupons.com. Or maybe we want to talk about Walgreens, who deliberately manufactured a lesser discount than the one the coupon I handed her offered.

Ugh. At the end of the day, though, I spent a little over fifty dollars out of pocket and got ridiculous deals. At Target, I took my Cafemom gift cards, which totaled $125, and got 12 rolls of paper towels, 24 rolls of toilet paper, three boxes of tampons, a bottle of shampoo, a bottle of conditioner,bottle of baby shampoo, two pounds of deli turkey, four sticks of deodorant,6 bottles of high heat Pam, a dress, three shirts, two of those razors my husband likes, two bottles of nail polish, three garden hoses, two large bags of Iron Man, Spidermanand truck toys for the kids- roughly three hundred and fifty dollars worth of items, for only $20 out of our bank. It looked like this:

At Walgreens, I completed the deal I mentioned the other day...(small stack on the right)

The stack on the left, was $13 at Shoprite, and included, 1 pack of coffee, five boxes of tissues, a bottle of baby shampoo and a bottle of baby body wash, two boxes of pasta, a pound of cheese, and a box of bagel pizzas, (refrigerated items not shown). I got two dollars back on my next order. According to the receipt, this order was $30.

Finally, and this is a much less impressive picture and a much more impressive deal-

I spent $8 at Weis, and after breaking the customer service guy and two trips back out to the car in the pouring rain, they actually CHARGED me $8. I brought home five cases of soda, two boxes of veggie pasta, and two bags of chips. I have to say, though, the manager over there is fabulous, very friendly, very sweet, very helpful. The signage, not so much.

Oh, and one more deal I'm happy with....

Our gas bill for the week. I'm officially taking 24 hours off couponing before I get ready to do it again next week.