Update and a random bird

First, don't forget to enter the contest! Entries must be in by July 31 at midnight.

Second, a little follow-up on yesterday's post. I tried the Nuance Makeup Remover that I rambled incessantly about. It's pretty great! A few gentle swipes and my hot tranny mess lashes that I love so dearly were clean as a whistle. I forgot to try the moisturizer (yeah, my face is gonna fall off). I did remember the Age Renewal Anti-Oxidant Day Lotion this morning. It goes on like sunscreen. I kinda hate it so far - just feels too heavy. I'll keep using it and see if it works like a miracle on my skin. If it does, I'll deal with the heavy. If not, I'll give Sally's (Salma's) creams and serums a try since I love her makeup remover so much.

No post-related photo today. I have been thinking a lot about guineas lately though.

Free pens + Jen rambles incessantly about peeper removal

If the only thing you seem to be successful at lately is getting older (like me), and you have not yet started to slather creams on your face morning, noon and night (like me) and you read that article in InStyle that made you realize you should have been slathering yourself for at least the last ten years but you haven’t so your face is probably going to shrivel up and fall off before you turn 35 (like me)…this post is for you! No super great deals. Just mediocre deals on skin care.

I’m not a product snob about many things (just Viva paper towels, Seventh Generation dish soap & detergent, Diet Dr. Pepper, and anti- Apple), so I decided to give the CVS skincare products a go. They are B1G1 50% off this week. I picked up the Age Renewal Anti-Oxidant Day Lotion (that InStyle says I should have started using in my twenties) and the Age Renewal Deep Wrinkle Moisturizer (cause InStyle says you should use something with Retinol in it when you hit your thirties).

I also picked up a bottle of Nuance (by Salma Hayek) Dual Phase Makeup Remover. I take serious issue with most makeup removers. Here’s why: I’m super crazy about mascara. I want people to look at me and think “geez, those lashes are so thick and dark and long and insane; they must be super heavy; how does she keep those peepers open?” EVERY makeup remover I have EVER tried has been a disappointment. I have to scrub my lashes with a q-tip until I swear my eyes are about to fall out. I want a remover that I can gently swipe across my lashes and that’s it. No more scrubbing and cursing the day makeup remover was born. Cause I’m a lady.

Anyway, the Nuance remover is really pretty – it’s pink and clear and has iris silhouettes on it. Salma – Sally – I’m gonna call her Sally (Salma makes me wanna brush my teeth) – says (on the bottle) her products are inspired by her grandmother and are designed to help every woman enhance her individual beauty. Grandmothers are one my favorite types of people. And I want to be beautiful. It’s made of fun things like cucumber and rosewater and prickly pear. (BTW, the best margarita I ever tasted was prickly pear.) (I’m such a sucker for the word “rosewater”. Maybe it’s that is sounds a little old-fashioned-y. Maybe it’s that it sounds like something sweet girls would use and I often think about being sweeter.) Down to business: the remover is regularly $7.99 and is now on clearance for $3.49. Not sure why it’s on clearance since it’s not even supposed to come out until next month. I don’t know exactly when it hit shelves in Milton but it can’t have been long ago since it shouldn’t be there yet. Maybe putting something new on clearance is the retail version of “what, this old thing”.

I made two transactions – first an 8ct pack of PaperMate pens for $1.99 with a $1.99 ECB. Second, the skin care. I used the $1.99 ECB and a $5 off $30 from the magic coupon printer during the second transaction.

Be sure to stop by the magic coupon printer. I got another $5 off a purchase of $30 or more coupon today (and something else that I don’t remember – it was lame).

Original Prices: $43.96
Sale Prices: $31.46
Total Paid:$24.46
Total Savings: $19.50 or slightly over 44%

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Obviously if you are reading this, you are already a winner. Now is your chance to be a winner with a prize! Milton Milk Money is giving away this cute little aqua coupon clutch full of coupons (and a special handmade bonus surprise).

How to enter:

*leave a comment about your top couponing moment here = 1 entry

*leave a comment about your top couponing moment on the Milton Milk Money Facebook page = 1 entry

*post a status update on FB with the Milton Milk Money page tagged = 3 entries

P.S. If you have posted a comment here or on the MMM FB page in the past, you automatically receive an entry for commenting sans bribery!

$10 Tuesday!

Figured it was time for another $10 Tuesday, so I spent my lunch break in Target with my trusty coupon organizer. I purchased a graphic tee that makes me wanna sing Springsteen songs, a pair of black jeans (yes, I've just started to allow black jeans again for the first time since 1993), 2 cans of Suave dry shampoo, a 2 pack of gel pens and a 2 pack of sharpies. All for $7.86! I think I'll spend the remainder on a copy of Real Simple because A) I'm addicted to magazines, B) Real Simple is printed on nice paper and usually smells pretty good and C) I have a coupon for it!

Break it down now: $3 off denim Target coupon, $2 off graphic tees Target coupon, $1 off Sharpie Target coupon, $1 off Papermate Target coupon, 2 free Suave product coupons, 5% off total with Target debit card. Get the Target coupons for yourself at Target.com. See my earlier post for how to get the Suave coupons.

Original Prices: $38.42

Sale Prices: $20.09

Total Paid: $7.86

Total Savings: $30.56 or slightly over 79%

Money for Nothing and Your Suave for FREE

Remember waaaay back on June 7 when I told you to visit http://www.suave.com/canyoutell/ to watch a few short hair care videos and win coupons? My 2 coupons for FREE products have arrived. And they have holograms on them! You can still get in on this action.

Beauty and the Beast

The ECBs and RRs have been consistently disappointing over the last few weeks. If you are in the market for hair care, some Pantene products are 2 for $6.97 with a $2ECB at CVS. And if you are still hanging on to the $3 off 2 Pantene products coupon from the June 19 Smart Source like I was, you can bring it down to $3.97 (coupon expires July 31). I also picked up two packs of Cottonelle flushable wipes on sale for $1.99 each and used a 75 cents off two coupon from a the July 17 SmartSource. The magic coupon printer gave me a $1ECB, so I used it on this transaction as well. I wasn't thinking clearly and made my second transaction consist only of an 18 pack of Cottonelle toilet paper. It was on sale for $8.99. I had a 75 cent coupon from the July 17 SmartSource and the $2ECB from my Pantene purchase. So I had to add a filler item - remember, ECBs count as coupons and you must have an item for each coupon. I should have purchased the wipes along with the toilet paper instead of in my first transaction. Oh well, I had a caramel for dessert today.

I also dropped by KMart, which is rare. They have Organix shampoo and conditioner B1G1 this week. I adore the coconut milk! (BTW, I stopped by the closing KMart on Airport last week. Don't waste your time. The "big" sale is currently only 20-40% off. Maybe watch for the percentage to go up. Maybe not. It is interesting to note that a closing ransacked KMart looks almost exactly like a regular KMart.)

Original Prices: $43.86

Sale Prices: $27.06

Total Paid: $19.56

Total Savings: $24.30 or slightly over 55%

What's in yoooour binder?

So this is my binder and my coupon carrier. And a piece of wood that is giving my the okay on couponing.

In my binder I have a zipper pouch with goodies such as scissors, a calculator, paper clips, tape and envelopes.

I prefer to organize my coupons by category (manufacturers) and store.

I store my coupons in baseball card sleeves. One per sleeve so I can look at the product on the front and the expiration date on the back. (Multiple copies of the same coup can go in the same sleeve.)

I also keep coupon policies in pocket protectors in the back of my binder. Yes, if I am going to be doing quite a bit of couponing, I take my binder in the store(s) with me.

I keep a small coupon carrier organized by store with the coupons I know I will use during a shopping trip. I use this even if I bring my large binder along.

So, tell me. How do you organize your coupons?

They Do Exist!

I’m finally starting to receive free samples. The first was a 10 pack of Tide Stain Release in-wash boosters. I love this stuff! I love it so much that I don’t care that the lil’ liquid sample leaked all over everything. At least my mailbox smelled good for a few days.

Bonus: $2 coupon came with the sample.

Want free samples? Sign up here.

Playin' Possum

I have committed the cardinal blogging sin: not posting. My bad. Honestly, I haven't been very impressed by deals/coupons over the last couple weeks. Only two things got me excited: the Books-A-Million coupons in the Sunday paper and Bealls B1G1 $1 on bras. I'll play catch-up today and let you see what I've been up to. But first...

Shout out to Susan at the Copper Possum Antique Mall in Milton! Stop by and see cool Susan and all the cool stuff. I bought this bike there:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Copper-Possum-Antique-Mall/360305829649