Target Practice

I dropped by Target this morning just to see if there was anything left after BF. I found a few good deals. But first I must confess something. I got a $10 GC on BF (purchase $100 and get $10 GC). On Sunday, I stopped by Target to buy Young Jedi Pinch some shoes and wanted to use my GC. His shoes cost $17.99 ($19.38 after tax). I gave the cashier my GC and money to pay the difference. Imagine my surprise when he gave me my money back along with the GC, then put the shoes in the bag, gave me my receipt and said thank you. It seems my $10 GC was actually a $20 GC. I thought about it after I got home, and I felt guilty. I knew something was not right. So I confessed today at Target that I should have only got $10 instead of $20. The wonderful lady at Customer Service told me not to worry about it...the registers made a few mistakes on BF. It seems their loss is my gain. So if you got a GC on BF, you might want to check to see if you got a little Christmas surprise.

Now back to today's shopping. The Tyson bagged chicken nuggets are on sale for $2.50 per bag. You can use a $1 Tyson Q from the HT penguin and get these for $1.50. The only problem is there are none on the freezer shelf. There are plenty of the Tyson chicken strips but those are not on sale. (Just a word of warning in case you pick up the wrong thing.) I got a raincheck for six bags so I will be ready when the freezer shelf is restocked.

I did get the Vaseline lotion. The lotion is $2.64. I used a $1 Q plus a $1.50 Target Q. The final price for the lotion is 14¢.

Mountain Dew 12-packs are 4/$11. I used a $1/2 Target Q making each 12-pack $2.25, which is a good price for this Mountain Dew lover.

The Sauve shampoo is $1.07...use $1 Target Q and these are 7¢. My mom likes this shampoo so I will be putting these in her Christmas basket.

My total today was $5.17. It should have been less. I used my own shopping bag and should have got a 5¢ credit. When I asked if the credit had been applied, the cashier said I can't get a bag credit when I use coupons!! What?!? I know it is only 5¢ but that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. The 5¢ is not going to bankrupt me but that just ticks me off. I confessed about the $10 overpayment on my GC and I was prepared to give Target their $10 back. But it was treated like it wasn't a big deal and I was told to keep my money. On the other hand, the 5¢ bag credit is a big deal because I used coupons! That's just wrong. Maybe it is just me, maybe it's just my mood today, but that just makes no sense to me.

**Pinch**

Timeless Tales From Hallmark

What fun to shop at Hallmark with $5/$5 and $10/$10 Qs. I got Little Bitty Beauty her first Christmas ornament, a LED Snowman, a kissing crystal mistletoe hanging thingy, and one red jingle bell. (I had to purchase the jingle bell for 99¢ to make my $5.)

The crystal mistletoe hanging thingy
I used one $5/$5 and both of the $10/$10 Qs in different transactions at two different Hallmark stores. The $5/$5 Qs were in Family Circle and Real Simple magazines. The $10 Q was a printable. I received $2 off your next purchase at one of the Hallmarks. Woohoo!

Total spent: $11.54

Retail value: $33.92

Now where did I print those $10 coupons from???

==Sleeping Beauty==

Shop Talk

I went to Harris Teeter Saturday to try out the new electronic e-VIC Qs. By the way, the Penguin is back...so take any Qs you want before they are gone!!

I bought a few of the advertised e-VIC items:
2 lb. package HT Rancher Beef Ground Chuck - $2.99 (limit 1)
6-pack Coca Cola - $1.99 (limit 1)
Cheetos - $1.47 (limit 2)
Gallon of HT Milk - $2.47 (limit 1)

I also bought these items that were on sale:
Morton Sea Salt $1.07 minus $1Q = 7¢
Kool-Aid Jammers $1.99 x 2
Nabisco Crackers B1G1 (bought 2) $3.69 minus $1Q from the Penguin = $2.69
Bagel Bites (Large Box) $5.88 x 2

I also bought bread ($2.69) and bagels ($3.99) at full price! Ouch!!

Now for the electronic e-VIC specials:
2 boxes of Betty Crocker potatoes ($1 each) $2 minus 50¢ Manu Q (doubled) AND 50¢ e-VIC Q = 50¢ (or 25¢ per box)
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix $1.50 minus 40¢ Manu Q (doubled) AND 40¢ e-VIC Q = 30¢
Betty Crocker Cake Mix (94¢) and Frosting ($1.50) $2.44 minus 75¢ Manu Q (doubled) AND 50¢ e-VIC Q = 44¢ for both

I used a $5 off $25 Q from CVS. The $5 off $30 e-VIC Q also was deducted.

Shelf Price $74.28
Minus VIC $30.77
Minus CVS Q, paper Qs (doubled) $10.30
Minus e-VIC Qs $6.40
Total OOP $26.81 (excluding tax)

I want to mention a couple of tidbits about the electronic e-VIC Qs. You can only access your list through the email message from HT. You cannot find the e-VIC Q offers when you go through harristeeter.com so don't delete your emails from HT. (Thanks to Sleeping Beauty who found this out the hard way!) You can only use each Q one time then you have to reload the Q to your card. For some reason, the Qs that I used still show up as being on my card but they really aren't on my card. (Hope that makes sense.) The $5 off $30 Q is only deducted AFTER all paper Qs.

My daughter has her own VIC card. I cannot load her Qs from my computer. I can't look at or manage her e-VIC Qs from the same computer that I use. This is not a problem for me since we also have a laptop computer. But it may be a problem for those of you who only have access to one computer but have more than one VIC card. Also, she was not offered the same Qs that I was offered.

Another thing I don't like is the only way I can print my list of Qs is if I print a shopping list from the Harris Teeter ad. Then it prints ALL the Qs I have on my card...all three pages.

I can put up with the little quirks. I think I am going to like this new electronic e-VIC Q program.

**Pinch**

Saving More Money At Harris Teeter

I think I am going to like the new Harris Teeter e-VIC electronic coupons. There is a new coupon posted...save $5 on a $30 or more purchase. This offer is good through November 30th. If you haven't signed up for the e-VIC electronic coupons, now is time!

**Pinch**

Black Friday Comic Relief

Sleeping Beauty and I spent the past week plotting what we were going to get on Black Friday (BF). We were calling each other all day on Thursday sharing last minute tips and scoops. Sleeping Beauty went shopping with Mr. Beauty and I'm sure she will report about her experience in the next few days. I went shopping with my daughter, Little Miss Sunshine, or her BF name...Little-Miss-I-Can't-Believe-I'm-Doing-This. She was a lot of fun...really...I'm not being sarcastic. She was a lot of fun! This is the first time Little Miss Sunshine has been BF shopping. Usually she spends BF as the sales associate dealing with all the unhappy customers who didn't get one of the two computers advertised in the sale paper.

Little Miss Sunshine picked me up at 1:30 AM. We headed out to Target with all the store fliers, the Target Store map, and a list of things we wanted. On the way there, we got organized and we strategized.

The Target parking lot was packed and the line was L-O-N-G. At 2:45, a very nice Security Guard announced that all the tickets for one of the TVs had been given out and if that was the only thing people were waiting for, well, it was too bad. A lot of people left and we moved closer to the door. There were probably 150 people ahead of us now. I am so glad the couple in front of us left. They were doing strange things under their blanket! I hope they left and got a room somewhere.

Sleeping Beauty called me...she was at Kohl's. She said it was raining on her side of town. Being a good friend, she shared the rain. As soon as we ended our conversation, the rain started. But never fear, Little Miss Sunshine and I were prepared...we had an umbrella. We shared our huge golf umbrella with the very nice couple behind us. It only rained for a few minutes. Finally, the appointed hour arrived and the doors opened. I have to give Two Thumbs Up to Target. Everything was organized!

I got everything on my list. I had no problem doing price matches.

Wii NHL Slapshot - Target price matched K-Mart's sale price (Target $59.99; K-Mart $39.99...I saved $20)
Kid's Character PJ's - Target price matched Walmart's sale price (Target $5; Walmart $4...I saved $1)
Kid's Slippers - Target price matched Walmart's sale price (Target $5; Walmart $3.50...I saved $1.50)

I also bought the Batman DS game ($7), several pairs of boy's jeans ($6), several pairs of gloves ($1), and several Sandwich Makers ($3). I spent $107.97 and got a $10 gift card. It was worth the wait, especially for the Wii and DS games.

I was home by 5:00 AM, asleep snug in my bed by 5:15, and didn't see daylight again until Noon. I did go to Kohl's after dinner and bought two more Pillow Pets. I used two of the $10 off $20 coupons that were in the paper and also used a 15%-off-total shopping pass that I printed. I think Mr. Pinch and I were the only customers in Kohl's. That place was dead...and thoroughly trashed!

I also bought something tonight that I thought I would never, ever buy...

...a Justin Bieber shirt for Princess Pinch. She is going to be thrilled. I, on the other hand, will probably throw up every time she wears this shirt! The shirt was only $5...I think I overpaid by $4.98!

Now for the comic relief part. Before I tell this story, which I find sooooo funny, I realize that it is not funny to the Police Officer or the person that owns the car. But bear in mind that it was 3:00 in the morning, we have been standing in line for over an hour and still have an another hour's wait, it is raining, and it is slightly on the cold side.

Little Miss Sunshine is standing in the road by the sidewalk. She calmly announces that the Police have arrived. No sooner had she said that when a LOUD BANG is heard. For about two seconds, everything was really quite. Then laughter, LOUD laughter, starts. The Police Officer had a wreck...right in front of the crowd. He slammed right into a car! (No one was hurt or this story would not have been funny.) Just about everyone in the line starts holding up their cell phone to take pictures. I bet within 10 seconds of that Police Officer hitting that car, the pictures were popping up on Facebook. Little Miss Sunshine texted her picture to all her contacts.

About 15 minutes after the accident, three more Police Officers show up. As soon as they parked, they turned on their blue lights. Then the crowd starts laughing again...and taking pictures again.

I feel bad for the person in the car, but it provided a little comic relief to those of us standing in the line.

I hope each of you had a good time shopping on Black Friday. I can't wait to do it again. Only 364 more days!

**Pinch**

Harris Teeter e-VIC Coupons

UPDATED
Harris Teeter just announced that the e-VIC coupons CAN be combined with a paper coupon. Woo Hoo!! It may take up to an hour for an e-VIC electronic coupon to be added to your VIC card.
**********
I got an email from Harris Teeter yesterday:

Because you're a Very Important Customer and an e-VIC Member, we wanted to give you a sneak peek into this great new way to save. Below are the details on how you can link valuable manufacturer coupons directly to your VIC card. This week includes offers from great brands like Green Giant, Breyers, Pillsbury, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Borden and many more. You can look for great new offers anytime it's convenient for you to browse the list of e-VIC coupons (we're adding more all the time!). Please take a minute to enroll in this program, download some offers and SAVE. If you have any issues, please contact Customer Relations at 1-800-432-6111. Thanks for your support!

The email then explains how to sign up for e-VIC coupons.

Whether you want to sign up for the e-VIC coupons is your choice. But I want to point out a couple of things. These are electronic coupons that will be loaded to your VIC card and WILL NOT double. The e-VIC coupons are manufacturers coupons (NOT store coupons) and CANNOT be stacked with a paper coupon. The e-VIC coupons can only be used once. You will have to reload the coupon (if it is still available) if you want to use it again.

I did not see anything that I don't already have. At least my paper Qs will double (or triple).

**Pinch**

Product Review: Renpure Organics Shampoo and Conditioner

We all know that using coupons can save us tons of money on products we use and love. Coupons also allow us to get products we have never used before at very little cost, sometimes for free, and sometimes we even get paid for buying new products. Sometimes these products are great and sometimes these products are not so great. From time to time, Sleeping Beauty and I do a review of products we would never have bought unless it was a good deal because of coupons.

Our ranking will be:
Two Coupons Up - I love this product and will buy it again at full price...even without a coupon...even if it were not on sale.

One Coupon Up - I love this product and will buy it again when it is on sale or when I have a coupon.

One Coupon Down - This product is okay, but I would only get it again if it were free.

Two Coupons Down - No way will I take the time to even pick this product up. I don't care if it is free or if I get paid to take this product home.

Today's product review is Renpure Organics Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner. This is taken directly from the bottle of shampoo..."My luscious hair needs lift! Made with 100% certified organic extracts and safe, fresh, natural ingredients. No sulfates, parabens, color, dyes."

I have used the shampoo and conditioner for a week. You know how your hair squeaks after you wash it? My hair never squeaked. It never felt clean. After I dried my hair, it was limp and had no body. It definitely had NO LIFT! Even after I washed my hair, it looked and felt like I had not washed my hair in a week. This shampoo and conditioner is terrible!! As soon as I took the picture, I put it in it's new home...the garbage can.

Each bottle is $6.99 and I bought it at CVS when it was B1G1. There was also a hangtag for a try-me-free rebate. I sent the rebate in and received a check for $6.99. The final cost is the tax I paid, the stamp and envelope. I will NEVER get this shampoo and conditioner again even if the cost is reimbursed. I will not buy it to donate. I will close my eyes when I pass by it on the store shelf.

Renpure Organics Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner: Two Coupons Down

**Pinch**

Rite Aid Success

I paid $12.67 and got back $9 for the diapers. I paid $2.63 for two Dry Idea deodorants, wrapping paper, and Herbal Essence shampoo & conditioner. I got back $4 for the shampoo. I did the Herbal Essence deal again, paid $1.44 and got back $4.

My totals were $16.74 for three transactions and I got back $17 in +UP rewards.

==Sleeping Beauty==

Sunday's Target Trip

I spent around $23 and got three $5 gift cards. One GC was for buying the Glade products.

I purchased the other two GCs just to get the infamous Target dog Leggo set. Now what am I to do with those? One will go to my nephew and the other is up for ideas.

==Sleeping Beauty==

Life Happens

Sleeping Beauty and I were away from the blog for a few days. Actually it was 14 days. But who's counting?

Sleeping Beauty was busy working. I hope she is making lots of money because Christmas is just around the corner and I would love to get a big expensive present from her!

My excuse for being away is this...my computer email got hacked. It happened one dark and stormy night. Sleeping Beauty asked me if I sent her an email at 5:30 in the morning. I told her I didn't and never gave it a second thought...until my son called me later that day and asked why I was sending him all sorts of strange emails. That's when I discovered that my personal email account had been hacked. Apparently someone, somewhere, thought it would be funny to send everyone on my contact list advertisements for all sorts of things. It took a while to contact everyone and apologize. It took some time but I think I have everything cleaned up. So if I sent any of you strange emails, I apologize.

It is one of those things that's not funny...but then again it is sort of funny. One person even mentioned that my computer gave their computer an STD. I gave my computer a dose of penicillin and I think it is okay now. Personally, I don't think it was my computer that transmitted a horrible virus. But it is hard to argue that fact when I am sending emails to people telling them the benefits of Viagra or how to obtain a mind-blowing O -- and I'm not talking about O as in Oprah.

Anyway, I was busy trying to undo some damage...both to my computer and to some family & business associates. Some people were not amused!

But we are back...and ready to shop!

**Pinch**

Toy Story Freebies

Johnson & Johnson - Toy Story book when you buy three Band-Aid, Neosporin or Purell products. I bought three Band-Aid products for $2.22 (after Qs) at Target. The book will be a nice stocking stuffer for a my 3-year-old grandson who is a big Toy Story fan. Also included with the book were $6 in Qs. The grandson is NOT getting the Qs!

Kellogg's - Toy Story Hamm piggy bank. There is a code in specially marked boxes of Kellogg's cereal for Toy Story products. I ordered the bank on a Friday and received it the following Thursday. The best part...no shipping charges.

**Pinch**

Target Deals

I stopped by Target this morning and found some good deals.

Stove Top Stuffing - on sale for 79¢ each...used a Target Q for 50¢/2 and IP Q for $1/2. Grand total for each box of stuffing is 4¢.

Olay body wash with bonus body lotion ($5.39)...used a $5 Q off Olay when you buy any Secret deodorant (trial size is 97¢) and $1 Q for any Secret deodorant. Grand total for Olay and Secret deodorant is 36¢. (I got 3¢ overage for the $1 Q.)

Air Wick candle ($2.99)...used a $3 Q. Grand total FREE. (I got 1¢ overage.) These candles were on an end cap and the only scents at the $2.99 price are Cherry Tart and Warming Spice. Cherry Tart was the only scent I found.

Santa asked me to pick up a couple of games. I don't mind helping that Jolly Fat Guy as long as I have coupons. (Note to Santa...send me some coupons for the Wii NHL Slapshot game and the Pittsburgh Penguins jersey that Young Jedi Pinch has on his list.)

Toy Story 3 Operation is $15...used a $5 Target Q from the Toy Coupon Book and a $5 Hasbro Q. Grand total $5.

Scrabble Jr is $10.99...used a $5 Target Q and a $5 Hasbro Q. Grand total 99¢.

Don't forget to carry your own bags. Target gives 5¢ for each bag. Every little bit helps.

**Pinch**

A Few Snippets

I thought I would share a few shopping trips from the last few weeks.

Walgreens:
I got 11 toothbrushes and five dental flosses...PAID $1.41 (no rewards used, only Qs). If anyone needs any new toothbrushes, come see ME!

I also got six bags of Ricola cough drops and nine packs of Trident gum. (Pinch has a bag of drops and I dropped the gum off at my Dad's.) I PAID 36¢ for two bags of drops and three packs gum. I did the dirty deed three times.

Rite Aid:
I got four dish towels and nine kitchen tools...PAID $1.31 for ALL on that receipt. And yes, I bought more.

CVS:
I got six packs of Mentos gum and one candy bar. I had B1G1 Qs for the gum and it was a B1G1 sale. I had to buy the candy bar because my subtotal was negative 13¢, add 45¢ tax...I PAID 32¢!

==Sleeping Beauty==

Harris Teeter Fast Forward

Remember the catalinas from a few weeks back that we got at Harris Teeter? Well, this week I had $16 to spend. I used one of my $8 catalinas for the Del Monte veggies that were buy 2 get 3 free and the Kleenex that were on sale for 88¢ a box. This is how it went down.

5 cans of Del Monte veggies (buy 2 get 3 free sale) combined with coupon
6 boxes of Kleenex (sale 88¢) combined with coupon
2 bags of Hall's cough drops on clearance for $1.25 each...had coupons for those also

I paid $2.29 OOP after using my $8 catalina.

I didn't realize until I got outside that the cashier had charged me for 7 boxes of Kleenex. I was refunded 95¢ when I went back in. Why don't I catch these things when they happen or before I leave the store??

$2.29 - 95¢ = $1.34 OOP

AND I GOT A CATALINA FOR $3 OYNO FROM KLEENEX

MIGHT I ADD ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

==Sleeping Beauty==

Flashback

Okay, you have all heard it before...sometimes life gets in the way!

As far as Super Doubles went, it was a blast. No, I didn't go every day but I didn't miss many days. Free is always good and I really can't remember what all I got. I can't find my receipts right now. The Lysol Neutra Air was one of the free items. I got Advil for free because I had a coupon from Advil for a free box. I paid 99¢ for Kleenex hand towels. I think Doritos came out to being 99¢ per bag. I paid 49¢ for the big bottle of Crisco oil. Glade aerosol in Christmas scents was $2.50 per can. I bought three cans with a $3/3 coupon and whatever other ones I used, I remember it coming out to 60 some cents per can, and it smells wonderful. Bush's Grillin' Beans were free. I don't know if they are good or not but I have four cans to try out. The Martha White muffin mix was just pennies per pack. Sorry I can't do a better job and I didn't take any pictures this time either. I believe the Campbell's great for cooking soups were free also.

Can't wait to do it again!

==Sleeping Beauty==

New Catalina Deals

These catalina offers will make Super Doubles at Harris Teeter even better. (OYNO means On Your Next Order)

Betty Crocker Skillet Helpers - Buy 3, get $1.50 OYNO. Buy 4, get $2 OYNO. Buy 5+, get $3 OYNO. All purchases must be in a single transaction. Good 11/1 - 11/28.

California Pizza - Buy 2, get $1 OYNO. Buy 3, get $2 OYNO. Buy 4+, get $3 OYNO. All purchases must be in a single transaction. Good 11/1 - 11/28.

Kellogg's - Buy 3+ cereals, get catalina for a free gallon of milk. All cereal purchases must be in a single transaction. Good 10/24 - 11/20.

Kleenex - Buy 4, get $1 OYNO. Buy 5, get $2 OYNO. Buy 6+, get $3 OYNO. All purchases must be in a single transaction. Good 11/1 - 11/28.

Pampers - Buy $25 or more of Pampers Cruisers Diapers and Pampers Wipes in a single transaction, get $5 off your next purchase of any Pampers product. Good 11/1 - 11/27.

Pillsbury (crescents, cookies, sweet rolls, Grands biscuits, Grands sweet rolls, pie crusts, dinner rolls, loaves, breadsticks and pizza crust) - Buy 4, get $1 OYNO. Buy 5, get $2 OYNO. Buy 6+, get $3 OYNO. All purchases must be in a single transaction. Good 11/1 - 12/26.

Tombstone Pizza - Buy 4, get $2 OYNO. Buy 5, get $3 OYNO. Buy 6+, get $4 OYNO. All purchases must be in a single transaction. Good 11/1 - 11/28.

**Pinch**