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Not sure if this deal is Nationwide or regional, but you may want to check nonetheless. Wednesday (6/15), when you scan your ECB card at the coupon center you MAY get a coupon for a Pepsi fridge pack for only $0.99 (limit 1) – available that day (Wed) only!

(thanks SaveAtHomeMommy!)

The following is a guest post by Rose of Rose Knows Coupons.

I’ve had it with the cable bill. $60 + a month for a service we barely use is such a waste of money. That amounts to $720 a year! I can find much better things to do with $720 a year!

Now I know I’m a little late with “this new fangled tacknology” as my friend Bobby so graciously pointed out – but I’ll admit, in the past it’s been easier to pay the cable bill than it was to figure out cheaper alternatives.

So the other day we signed up for Netflix. The first month is free and we selected the $7.99 per month option that offers instant unlimited viewing. Now for a deal grabber like myself, I can’t just go to Netflix.com and sign up. I knew there was going to be some sort of reward offered for signing up through another site. The best rewards I found were My Points and Ebates.

My Points offered 2,000 points when you become a paying subscriber. And Ebates offered $8 cash back. I went with My Points because 2,000 points will get me at least a $10 gift card when I redeem my points.

Now that we have Netflix we can stream through our Xbox 360 which is connected to the basement TV, laptops and desktops. But that leaves us with the living room TV where the kids usually watch television. Thankfully, my kids do not sit in front of the TV for hours on end. They can do with out the TV shows that are on and the kid shows are mostly offered on Netflix anyways.

To solve the living room TV issue we decided to go with the Roku. The Roku is a little box that allows you to instantly stream your Netflix service on your TV. The Roku also streams Hulu Plus, Pandora and Amazon VOD (which is pretty sweet because I have Amazon VOD credit!). Roku prices start at around $59.99. And that $59.99 is a one-time fee, not every month like cable! Ebates offers $3.50 cash back on Roku.

If we start to miss TV shows we can also sign up for Hulu Plus which runs about $8 per month. Basic Hulu is FREE and has a HUGE database of shows and movies! Hulu Plus offers current TV shows after they air.

All in all we will be saving about $52 per month. I say “about” because the tax on my Charter bill is $22. I’m waiting to see what tax we will be charged now that we don’t pay $60 for cable. For the first year we will save $564 because of the cost of the Roku, but after that our cost per year is $96 to watch TV and movies. If we decide to go with Hulu Plus at $8 per month we will be paying $192 per year, saving us $528 per year! SWEET!!

It’s my job to print coupons. I need to print most coupons before I post them to let you know the specific details of the coupon such as if there is a size restriction, etc. I also WANT to print coupons – how else am I going to get all those HOT deals? 🙂 So needless to say, I go through a LOT of ink and paper!! Even as much as it costs to print all of these coupons, I still believe it’s worth it considering how much I save at the store!

Here are my best tips on saving on paper and ink:

Adjust Your Print Settings. If you go into your printer properties, you can adjust it to only print in black and white or some have a “draft” setting. I have NEVER had an issue redeeming a coupon printed in black and white as opposed to color. Just make sure your print setting still prints the “watermark” which is the faded image and wording that echos what’s on the coupon.

Buy Refurbished Ink. My “old” HP printer did just fine using a refurbished cartridge that was available on Ebay for only $5.00 shipped. These don’t hold as much ink as a brand new full size cartridge, so you’ll have to do the math and figure out if it saves you in the end. Sometimes it is better to just go to Staples, for example and use coupon and/or earn rewards. **be sure to check your printer warranty to make sure using other brand ink does not void the warranty**

Refill your own Ink. I have NEVER done this, but I know it’s successful for those who are brave enough. 😉 Ink refill kits are far less expensive than a brand new cartridge.

Recycle Your Ink Cartridges. Staples accepts your used cartridges up to 10 per calendar month, and rewards your with $2 back in Staples Rewards per cartridge. .

Take advantage of “FREE” Paper Sales. Staples is notorious for offering FREE after Rebate or Rewards paper! Keep your eye out for those and you may never have to pay for paper again!

Cancel Print. Some coupons print with a big ad, which is a great advertisement for the manufacturer, but a big waste of ink for us! Assuming you have no other print jobs in your queue, just hit the cancel button on your printer after you see that the coupon has printed. Coupon prints – no wasting of ink! If you’re printing your second copy, simply put the same piece of paper back in the printer so that the second coupon prints on the other end. Just make sure you hit the cancel button again after you see the coupon print.

Reuse Paper. Even if a piece of paper has been printed on, if the other side is blank – it’s usable! I have been known to print coupons on scrap paper. I just make sure I put big X-marks on the scrap side, to ease confusion. If a cashier gives you an issue, a good come-back is: “Well, this coupon I clipped from the newspaper insert also has something else on the back of it. Does that void this coupon too?” (oh snap!)

Buy a Printer that uses lower priced ink. I recently purchased the Kodak 5250 All-In-One Wireles Printer. It is currently priced at $99.99 on Amazon (price can change at any time). Now, let me warn you – the reviews on this printer are not the best. But, I think some of these people have unrealistic expectations. I have not had ANY problems with my printer and just love it. The best part is, the black ink cartridge is only $10 at Walmart!! I only use it to print my coupons (and other random things)…so I don’t know what the “photo quality” is. I get my photo prints for free, why would I print them myself? 😉

What ideas do you put into practice when printing coupons? Leave your comments below!

SOLD OUT 🙁
Amazon has a Smokin’ HOT stock-up price on Puffs tissues!! Currently, you can get Puffs Plus Lotion Facial Tissues, Regular Box, 68-Count (Pack of 30) (down from $53.87!) for only $14.58 with FREE Shipping with Amazon Prime, Amazon Mom or Super Saver Shippping (orders of $25 or more).

Considering that there we hardly ever see a Puffs coupon – or if we do it’s a teeny tiny $0.25 off 3 boxes – this is ONE AWESOME DEAL!! Plus, they are the ones with lotion!

*If you are interested in this deal act fast as Amazon prices are subject to change at any time!

(thanks MySweetSavings!)

How do you save on produce? Now there’s a question I get a lot! My family eats a lot of fresh produce. My husband is HUGE on eating an apple a day (or banana, or orange) and my 4 year old would live on fruits and veges if I let her! Not a bad problem to have – but fresh produce can get expensive!

I thought I’d outline a few “tricks of the trade” and common sense strategies that I try to put into practice.

Know what’s in season. Obviously if something is plentiful, it will have the best sale price (and flavor). If it’s not on sale, opt for frozen. Fruits and veges are frozen at their peak, so they are almost as good as fresh. Almost. 😉

Look for manager closeout or soon to expire foods. If you plan on using the item for dinner that night, you can get away with purchasing a soon to spoil item. Example: super ripe avocado = yummy guacamole.

Weigh Pre-packaged Produce. If you’re purchasing a 5 lb bag of potatoes, weigh a few of them to get the heaviest bag. You will be surprised at the weight difference between bags.

Shop Farmer’s Markets or Roadside Stands. You not only save money but you support local agriculture! Strawberry and apple picking are 2 events we look forward to every year. In fact, we do it a few times each season. And I never pass by a roadside stand. It’s just too much fun!

Grow Your Own Food. We plant a vegetable and herb garden every year.  We also grow our own sprouts indoors, which my daughter will eat by the jar-full! I have even been known to can tomatoes once or twice. I know there are many of you who are EXPERTS at this and really save big throughout the year.

Don’t buy EVERYTHING Organic. In a perfect world, everything I buy would be organic…but until that day comes, here are the top 12 foods you should buy organic as they have the highest traces of pesticides:  Nectarines, Celery, Pears, Peaches, Apples, Cherries, Strawberries, Imported Grapes, Spinach, Potatoes, Bell Peppers and Red Raspberries.

Shop at Aldi. My mother in law always has the BEST apples and oranges on her countertop. She shops at Aldi.

Do Your Prep Work. As soon as I get home from the store with my fruits and veges….I go to work. I make watermelon and canteloupe balls, carrot and celery sticks, chop my bell peppers, rinse and dry my berries and put them in a large divided vege tray with a lid. The 2nd shelf of our fridge is dedicated to just this container. This makes it more likely that we’ll eat everything I  purchased before it spoils. Wash your salad greens and herbs, wrap them in a damp paper towel and seal them in a zip bag.  This keeps them fresh longer and ready to go when you need them.

Use produce saving containers and bags to extend the life of your produce.

Re-Purpose. If you are using celery and broccoli in a vege tray on Monday, consider throwing the leftovers into a soup later in the week. If you bought too much green pepper that week, chop them and freeze them for chili later.  If you purchased limes for your Corona, use the leftover to sqeeze on your fish dinner.

Use coupons. YES! Fresh produce coupons really do exist! We frequently get coupons for tomatoes, fresh pineapple, salad blends, fresh berries and more!

Use Catalinas. Catalinas generated by purchasing other items can be applied towards produce on your next order.

Apply Coupon Overage. Some stores such as Walmart allow you to earn Coupon Overage (coupon value exceeds the price of the item you are purchasing), which can be applied towards other items in your transaction, such as fresh produce!

How does your family save on fresh produce? Please share by leaving your comment below.