A few today-only sales you’ll want to remember:

:: 50% off clothes at Value Village!

:: Until 1 pm only, Fred Meyer is having a doorbuster sale!

:: Select items are on sale at Walgreens through today only.

What other Labor Day sales will you be shopping? Or, are you gonna putz around the house and enjoy a day off?

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Welcome to September – one of my very favorite months of the year!

It’s also National Coupon Month and would you believe this year, The Coupon turns 100? (That’s a lot of clipping.)

So what can you expect in September from The Coupon Project?

:: Great webcast line-up! I’ll be webcasting LIVE on Monday, September 13th and Monday, September 20th at 8pm PST. I’m currently finalizing plans to have a special guest join me for one of the shows. I’m sensing a TON O’ FUN with the webcast, so stay tuned for good times.

:: “Landing the Job” series. You might recall in August my intent was to run a work-at-home series and then a “landing the job” series.  The work-at-home series took longer than expected, but I’ve not forgotten. Next week, I’m going to be sharing my very best tips on how to improve your resume and cover letter. If you’re currently looking for work – make sure to check in next week!

:: Awesome giveaways! I have a few giveaways lined up for the month of September, so don’t you go anywhere!

So what can you expect in September at the stores?

Some of you know I have a penchant for sharing what goes on sale on when at the stores. Pay attention and you’ll notice that there are many trends with store sales. Some are general – such as hot dogs go on sale in summer. Others are scary specific – like the 2nd week in April Albertsons likes to give away a 2-liter of pop.

Here are my observations about last September and what I hope we’ll see this year:

Labor Day: this weekend may well usher out the last of those “summer food item sales.” If your family eats hot dogs, ice cream, baked beans, and the like, pay particular attention to this week’s sales for last stockup opportunities.

Campbells: it was just about September we started seeing the first of the soup deals laste year. (Anyone notice the Campbell’s coupons in last week’s insert or this week’s Walgreens ad?)

Granola Bars/Fruit Snacks: think back-to-school snacks. These items went on sale last year, and may well again this year. In particular, Betty Crocker.

Frozen Food Choices: I noticed a slight uptick in frozen food deals about this time last year from the summer months. (Maybe it’s because people are headed inside to cook now?) In particular watch for pizza and appetizer-type items.

Band-Aids: there were a few last deals on Band-Aids about this time. These deals will likely phase out as we get into the thick of fall. (The best time to stock-up on Band-Aids and antibiotic cream is usually spring-summer months.)

Pasta & Pasta Sauce: start watching for coupons and sales on all sorts of pasta and pasta sauce. You will often see stores put pasta (either name brand or generic) on sale for about $1. This is a decent need-based price, but I personally try to stock-up at $0.50 or less. With coupons and sales, you can often find pasta for $0.25 and sometimes, free.

Peanut Butter: we may see some peanut butter deals, although the best peanut butter deal I found last year was at Walgreens last November in conjunction with a Unilever Register Reward deal. I paid $0.15 per tub and it lasted our family until about June. I’ll do better next time!

Kashi: last year we saw many Kashi coupons and sales. I personally LOVE their Heart-to-Heart cereal and would be all over a Kashi sale!

Glade: maybe it’s because people think about candles more in fall, but Glade did some pretty heavy promoting of their new Fragrance Collection last September.

Can you think of any other September sales you’d add to my list? Please share!

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Now I love the holiday season…don’t get me wrong. And I’m sure many of you do, too. (And if you live in Western Washingon as I do, you’re likely to be confused about what season this is anyways.)

However, am I the only one slightly annoyed by overly eager retailers such as this:

Yes…that’s right. This Friday Target has declared “Black Friday,” which I find completely ridiculous since Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, not some random Friday in July. Now I’m not opposed to seeing them do some killer one-day only type deals, but really…another name, perhaps? (Thanks for the heads up, Frugal Coupon Living)

Target isn’t the only one confused about the time of year, either.

The Consumerist reports that Sears “has already gotten up full Christmas-themed displays, just in time for Labor Day” and that Macy’s is already hyping up Santa’s pending arrival.  

Last November, I decided to dedicate hours of my life to pouring over Black Friday ads. You can imagine my frustration when some stores *cough SEARS* decided to do “every Saturday is Black Friday!” type sales for the entire month. This made it extremely challenging to pinpoint when the best sales actually were occurring. Retailers, you keep this up and no one is going to give a fart about your Black Friday sales when November 26 finally does roll around!

So even though I woke up to fog and had to bundle my kids in coats and hats before heading out this morning, please stores, my calendar still says it’s July. Let’s live the dream of summer for at least a few more weeks. Please?

Are you already thinking about shopping for the holidays? Do you think tactics such as these demonstrate a certain desparation on the part of the retailers? Or do you wish “everyday could be Christmas?”

Photo credit Pit Klad

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Is it just me…or do the years keep getting faster as I get older? I can’t say that I’ve really enjoyed making this discovery.

Whether I like it or not, it IS in fact a new month. Which means I want to spend some time giving you my best “game plan” advice on what to expect on sale. Ready?

According to my 2009 year-end post What Goes on Sale and When, here’s what came on sale July of last year:

HEAVY on Kraft and Kellogg’s deals – both offered rebates and there was an abundance of coupons including printables. Items such as mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, and tuna fish on rockin’ prices. Summer produce – such as cherries, tomatoes, and plums were cheap. Hot dog and ice cream deals continued. There were also a couple notable deals on bottled water and Gatorade. The best deals on school supplies were also found in July.

Do the school supplies surprise you? They sure through me for a loop last year. But believe it or not, expect to see some of the best school supplies in July. Christy over at Thrifty and Thriving has reported seeing patio furniture at Target for 75% already. I’m not overly surprised. They need to move this stuff to make way for school supplies. If you think I’m off my rocker, just you wait, oh Skeptical One.

At Albertsons this week we definitely are starting to see some of the Kraft promotions roll out. I’m sure hoping Kraft will oblige with some great coupons (anyone remember the HOT Kraft printables they rolled out last year)? I anticipate we’ll see Kraft for awhile this month.

Ready for my list of July food holidays? Sometimes deals *may* correspond to these, but more often or not, this is all in good food fun!

July is…
National Baked Bean Month
National Bison Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Grilling Month

And mark your calendars for…
July 1: National Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day
July 3: Eat Beans Day
July 6: National Fried Chicken Day
July 10: National Pina Colada Day (enjoy this day responsibly!)
July 14: National Grand Marnier Day (ditto)
July 17: National Peach Ice Cream Day
July 21: National Junk Food Day (did we really need a holiday for this in America? Oy!)
July 27: National Creme Brulee Day
July 31: Jump for Jelly Beans Day

For a complete list of what to eat every day in July, please check out The Nibble!

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TCBY will be offering dads a free cup or cone on their special day this Sunday. The  fine print reads “at participating locations,” so please, call your local store before heading out.

Thanks, Savor the Savings!

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UPDATE: There was some discussion about this on my Facebook page, but you will NOT get the rebate if you use a gift card according to at least two other deal blogs. Please be warned. Some people have mentioned doing a CVS deal this week to get a Sears card. Be warned!

If you follow me on Facebook, you probably noticed I thought last Sunday was Father’s Day. Let’s say it turned into a rather interesting moment at church when I enthusiastically wished my friend Eric a “Happy Father’s Day!”

The REAL Father’s Day is this Sunday and if you’re without a gift or two, consider Sears’ promotion: when you spend $50 on men’s apparel, you can submit in for a rebate to receive a coupon good for $50 in men’s apparel! Basically, you’d get $100 worth of men’s clothing for $50…or 50% off. Make sense? If you’re still scratching your head, you might want to read this.

There’s a mail-in rebate form OR you can submit it online. I’ve never filled out a rebate for Sears, so I highly advise you to scour that fine print before making any purchase!

If you choose to make your qualifying purchases online, you might want to initiate your transaction at Shop at Home where you’ll earn an additional 5% cash back. (See more on how Shop at Home works.)

Thanks, Laura!

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UPDATE: I just heard from Thrifty NW Mom. Del Taco contacted her to let her know this deal is ONLY good at select Midwest Stores and in Arizona. I sure wish companies would do a better job of indicating these things in the ad’s fine print! So sorry!!

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, Del Taco restaurants will be offering $0.29 tacos from  3-9 p.m.! There is a limit of 12 tacos (good night, please share if you’re going to order that many!). For details on this offer, and to find a location near you, go HERE.

As always, I highly recommend you call your store ahead of time to make sure they are in fact participating. On the original ad the fine print reads “price and participation may vary” which means I’m calling first!

Anyone think I’d have luck trying to freeze these? (Just kidding.)

You might also want to “like” Del Taco on Facebook. If you do, you’ll be able to print a coupon good for a free chicken soft taco with any Del Taco purchase. (Hmmm…is anyone thinking what I’m thinking?)

Thanks, Thrifty NW Mom!

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Today I will be celebrating Resurrection Sunday with my family and friends. As such, I won't be posting for the rest of the day. I hope everyone has a great Easter!

See you on Monday for more great deals, coupons, and fun! 
 

Photo credit Billy Alexander

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Looking for something fun to do this weekend? 

The News Tribune has an extensive list of both Easter Events and Easter Services HERE. 

Additional, Amber over at Coupon Connections NW informs me that tomorrow Fred Meyer stores will be having some free fun things for the kids including a bunny hop, and cupcake decorating. Check it out HERE.

Photo credit Renate Kalloch 

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April is a great month to shop and look for deals if you consider yourself "green!" April 22nd is Earth Day, and last year, there were LOTS of freebies to celebrate. Many stores offered reusable bags, there were coupons for items with earth-friendly ingredients and packaging, and anyone remember the rebate for a free package of Reynolds recycled foil? How about Home Depot giving out eco-friendly lightbulbs? Watch for these items as we approach April 22nd.

What else do I anticipate for April?  

Eating Well Promotion at Safeway. This isn't a promise, but a possibility. Last year, Safeway ran a great "Eating Well" promotion through a good portion of April, and I understand this promotion has been done in past years. Many organic, natural, healthy, and green items were included – items that aren't usually part of the hot stock up sales. While I don't generally follow Safeway, I'll do my best to let you know if they run this promotion again.

Clearners. We should continue to see some promotions, sales, and coupons for household cleaners as we're in the thick of spring cleaning.

Trending into Summer Items. Anyone notice we're already seeing coupons for items such as charcoal? I anticipate we'll see more and more coupons for items typically associated with summer, including sunscreen, condiments, and the like. In viewing my matchups for April 2009, it looks like there were some deals on Kraft. 

Easter Clearance. If you like Easter decor and candy, start watching the stores starting next week. I would love it if they also placed some of the baking and cooking items on sale such as ham, cookie dough, and spices, but no guarantees. Worth checking on though. 

According to The Nibble, April is also: National Grilled Cheese Month, National Soy Foods Month, and National Soft Pretzel Month, among others. These holidays may or may not influence store sales, but they're fun to note!

Other days you may wish to mark on your calendar:

April 2: National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day
April 5: National Raisin & Spice Bar Day
April 8: National Empanada Day
April 11: National Cheese Fondue Day
April 12: National Licorice Day
April 16: Day of the Mushroom
April 17: Healthy Kids Day
April 19: National Amaretto Day
April 22: Earth Day (and also, National Jelly Bean Day!)
April 28: National Blueberry Pie Day
April 30: National Raisin Day

Hmmm. I'm thinking we'll celebrate National Cheese Fondue and National Jelly Bean Day. What about you?

For more fun food holidays, check out The Nibble.       
    
Photo courtesy Horton Group
  

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