Pencil boxes (excludes licensed) limit 4 50¢
Fashion or licensed portfolios 50¢
70 ct. wide or college ruled 1-subject notebooks limit 10, 50¢
Simmons woodcase 10-ct. yellow pencils limit 4, 50¢
Crayola 24-ct. colored pencils or 8-ct. broad or fine-line washable markers limit 4, $2

Twist-It ruler or Target scissors 75¢
40-ct. drawing paper or 96-ct. construction paper $1
5-ct. Paper Mate Flair pens $2.50
1-ct. Paper Mate mechanical pencil $2.50
6-ct. EasyTouch pens $2.50
Other selected Pilot pens on sale $2.50
[print $1/1 coupon FriXion]
4GB Action Sports USB drive $9.99

Back to School Savings August 22 – 28 @ KMart & Target is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Tweet

That’s right! Who out there likes to wake up and sit down on a cold toilet seat first thing in the morning? Come on, be honest. I thought so. Now you’re wondering ‘why is she telling us this?’ Ah, young grasshopper, patience.

When I was younger I would have to walk 20 miles to school, uphill, in the snow, both ways

Let’s see, I was 15 years old, yeah, I am going waaaaayyyyyy back. Some 23 years to be exact. Holy Crap! That is a long time ago! But, I digress. I am not a morning person. My mom would come in and very nicely try to wake me up for school. I would begrudgingly get out of bed and shuffle into the bathroom. Not too far of a walk for me as it was just across the hall from my bedroom. Every morning I would brace my behind for the shocking reality that awaited it. {brr}

Somehow I would manage to get ready for school and rush out the door to the bus stop. There I would grouse about my morning and how I wished I had a cushioned toilet seat so my butt would not be so cold in the morning.

Cold Butt, Warm Heart

As is wont to happen, the holidays came around. My friend Laura came over to give me a Christmas present. And I must say I do not recall what I gave her, ever. I am horrible, I know. But I will never forget what she gave me. She was almost giddy with excitement as I picked up the somewhat square package. It felt heavy and she told me it was something I really wanted. I did not have a clue. Seriously, I forget almost everything soon after thinking or saying it. That can’t be a good thing.

Someone was at the ready with a camera, because I know there is a picture around somewhere. I will have to look around, but I feel it may be packed away. I carefully unwrapped the package. I must stop here and explain something. I am a horrible gift receiver. I love to give, but always feel awkward when I receive a gift. I never know how to react and show proper appreciation. I always smile and say thank you, but I am not one of those overly emotional gift receivers. Well, except for this one time.

I opened the package and laughed so hard. I did not know I could smile so big! To this day I think back on this and smile. It was the best gift I ever received ~ my very own cushioned toilet seat! I took it out of its packaging and made quick work of getting it in place. Boy, I sure wish I had one of those now. I still don’t like a cold butt first thing in the morning.

Twitter Moms & Target

This post answers the question: What was the most surprising gift you’ve ever received? Now it’s your turn. Was it funny or silly? Maybe it was sweet and sappy. It could be sad and soul-wrenching, too. Share your most surprising gift and you could win a Target $100 gift card. The sweepstakes ends December 27, 2009, so you have plenty of time to get your post up. Then be sure to come back and leave a link below so I can read all about it.

Butts image courtesy of Cody Pomeroy

Answer: Because I Don't Like A Cold Butt First Thing In The Morning #TargetGiftGiving is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Tweet

Nerdy Shopping & The Games We Play

So, yeah. Today I went shopping with Amanda. I would post her picture, but we have this deal ~ I don’t post pictures of her and she doesn’t post those really unflattering pictures of me ~ no problem. I have been wanting a new Scrabble game because I love Scrabble and my board is some 30 years old and I think it’s missing some pieces. It was off to Target for the $20 Deluxe Edition with the carry case & a free Scrabble card game to boot! I cannot wait for Christmas!

Class of 2009

I started my final college class towards my Bachelors in Accounting. YAY! I need to find out everything that is required of me, but I should be an official college graduate in December. My final class is Government & Institutional Accounting. Next order of business, find a job to help pay off all of those student loans that will come a callin’ in six months.

NaNo Novel Update

I have cracked the 35,000 word barrier and am getting some positive feedback over on my writing blog for those few excerpts I have bravely shared. I have lost a bit of my direction, but am okay with that. I will figure it all out and work on the editing and reworking after November has ended and my college studies have completed.

On another writing front, I will be picking up 3 shoe boxes of love letters and pictures when I visit my parents over Thanksgiving. The letters are correspondence from my grandparents while they were courting [isn't that a phrase that should be revived?] and when my grandfather went off to fight in WWII. I am really excited about this. I really am a romantic old sap at heart.

Which Came First The Chicken Or The Egg?

In March we decided to get some chickens. We started with 24. We had 7 roosters and 17 hens. These were mostly Rhode Island Reds, some Bantams, and four were Leghorns. This summer we lost one of the leghorns when she was hit by a truck. After that we debated what to do with the 7 roosters, which were really worrying the hens with their constant, uh, desires. We decided to cull them down to 2 roosters. Not as bad as you would think, but not something I would want to do again if at all possible. That left us with 2 roosters and 16 hens. Then, this past week we lost 3 more hens ~ 2 of the leghorns & I think a bantam. We think a hawk got them.

Our purpose for the chickens is to get eggs, for us to eat and to sell. Lately we have been getting 8 – 9 eggs a day. Today we got one that had no shell and no yolk. It was also quite small. This is the second egg we’ve found this size, the first with no shell.

In Case You Haven’t Seen It

I originally found this posted over at The Succulent Wife’s Favorite Things. This commercial has had me and my family laughing all weekend:

Shopping ~ Graduating ~ Writing ~ Chickens & Eggs [shells are optional] ~ & Finally, A Little 'Clean' Humor is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Tweet

«««««««««««««««««««

Did you send off for your free Kashi cereal sample? I blogged about it here. I received mine today and there was a $2.00 off any Kashi cereal coupon inside. Why is this so great? Can you say really cheap, almost free, Kashi [after gift card] at Target this week?!

«««««««««««««««««««

So, here is the deal:

1. Buy 5 Kashi products (cereal, trail mix bars, frozen dinners) – $2.88 each
2. Get $5 Target gift card

There are several coupons out:

• FREE box of Honey Sunshine (Vocalpoint mailer)
• $2.00/1 any cereal (Kashi sample request)
• $1.50/1 Honey Sunshine (Vocalpoint mailer)
• $1.50/1 Honey Sunshine printable
• $1.50/1 cereal or trail mix bars printable
• $1.00/1 GoLean Crunch printable

Possible Deal Scenario:

5 Kashi products – $14.40
1 FREE ($2.88) Honey Sunshine MQ
1 $2.00 any cereal MQ
3 $1.50 MQ or IP
= $5.02 OOP
Get $5.00 Gift Card
Net cost – 2¢

**Thanks to Mommy Snacks for the coupon match-ups and links. Find more great deals like this in Andrea’s weekly Target Snack.

Did You Get Your Free Kashi Cereal Sample? is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Tweet

Before I get into why Target is such a wonderful place to shop (at least for me) I want to say a big THANK YOU to Coupons & Things by Dede.  Without your super fast service I would never have been able to take advantage of this wonderful Target deal!  I placed my order on Wednesday figuring it would still be cheap ice cream either way.  My order arrived today; just in time for the $5 gift card when you buy 5 Edy’s ice cream (and select others) at Target.  And a big THANK YOU to Jamie at IAmAMoneyMagnet.com.  It was Jamie’s post that brought this deal to my attention.  See how important these wonderful blogs are!

I have never had a problem with Target honoring my coupons (IPs, Target printables, number per transaction, etc.).  Last week when I had a bazillion coupons my cashier was super sweet even though her line was ever-growing.  Today my cashier did not hesitate or grumble when I noticed two of my MQs did not come off my total.  I was refunded the $2 in cash (I offered my gift card since I paid with it).

Transaction #1

Ice cream was seriously melting so this was a quick picture. There are 10 1/2 gallons just not the best placement.

4 Joint Juice 99¢ each (only charged for 3)
2 BOGO Free IPs (emailed to me)
Final cost- 99¢ for 4 (25¢ each)

5 Chef Michael Dry Dog Food $4.26 each
5 $3/1 MQ (8/23 RP)
4 $1.50/1 Target Q (1 was missed)
Final cost- 30¢ for 5

5 Edy’s Ice Cream $2.50 each ($5 Target GC wyb 5)
5 $1/1 MQ (8/23 RP)
5 $1/1 Target Q
Final cost- $2.50 for 5 (50¢ each)

1 Skittles Crazy Cores $2.29
1 $1/1 Target Q – expired 9/5
Final cost- $1.29

1 Black Belt $12.99

$52.05 Before Coupons
$21.98 MQs Used
$12.00 Target Qs Used
$18.07 OOP (w/ tax $19.62)
$5.00 Gift Card Earned
** 65% Savings **

««««««««««««««««««««
Transaction #2

5 Edy’s Ice Cream $2.50 each ($5 Target GC wyb 5)
5 $1/1 MQ (8/23 RP)
5 $1/1 Target Q
Final cost- $2.50 for 5 (50¢ each)

$12.50 Before Coupons
$5.00 MQs Used
$5.00 Target Qs Used
$2.50 OOP (w/ tax $2.56)
(paid with GC – Special K Deal)
$5.00 Gift Card Earned
** 80% Savings **

I must say, to stay on budget do NOT bring your kids.  Last time it was a hair straightener for Megan.  This time Amanda needed a belt.  Not a problem, but it does not make my total as pretty as I would like.  If you remove the belt, then I only paid $5.08 (should have been $4.56) plus received a $5 GC.  Not too shabby either way for what I purchased!

DH says we may need to invest in a secondhand refrigerator (needed for all the eggs we are getting) AND another upright freezer.  One thing is for certain, we are not going to starve any time soon, or lack for dessert!

Target – I Think I Love You is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Tweet

Ivy is one lucky dog!  Not only did she get some great dog food, I mean, have you seen this stuff?  It looks like something people would eat.  But I get it for free (or better than free as the case was today).

But first, a moment of silence for the $5 Walgreens RR that expired on 8/31 never to be used.  It was a valiant effort on my part, but alas, it was not meant to be.

Okay, back to the happier stuff.  I noticed all of my Walgreens RR were set to expire on 9/2.  Let’s see, I had a $10, 2- $4, & 2- $2 RRs and did not see the point in going to Walgreens.  So, I took the advice of other bloggers, who know about such things, and asked if I could use them at Target (I used the balance at Kroger).  I am grateful for not having to buy stuff I did not want just to not lose money.  Did that even make sense?

3 Chef Michael dry dog food $4.26 each
3 $3/1 MQ (8/23 RP)
3 $1.50/1 Target Q
Final cost- 72¢ profit

2 Gerber bottles 99¢ each
2 $1/1 Target Q
Final cost- 2¢ profit

4 Special K bars $2.39 each (buy 4 get $5 gift card)
2 $1/2 IP (see Coupons.com in my sidebar)
4 50¢/1 Target Q
Final cost- $5.56 (56¢ after gift card)

1 Stereo Cable $9.99 (for Amanda)

$34.31 Before Coupons
$11.00 Coupons Used
$8.50 Target Coupons Used
$14.00 RRs Used (woo hoo!)
81¢ OOP (w/ tax $1.78)
** 98% Savings **

More Free Dog Food @ Target is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Tweet

First, let me just say I try very hard to be a courteous couponer.  I had a ton of coupons yesterday and when I went to checkout no one was in line.  Of course, as soon as I was ringing up everyone decided it was time to check out as well.  Go figure!  I sneaked a peek behind me, but would not meet anyone’s eyes.  I just continued as quickly as possible with so many coupons.  Megan said I was getting some evil looks, especially from the lady directly behind me.  I think she wished she was so smart and saved so much!  =)

4 Johnson’s Buddies soaps 97¢ each
4 $1/1 Target Q (adjusted to 97¢)
Final cost- FREE

4 Gerber baby bottles 99¢ each
4 $1/1 Target Q
Final cost- 4¢ profit

4 Glade Scented Oil tins $1.66 each
4 FREE refill with holder purchase
Final cost- FREE
*note- this should have been $2.50 off the refills, but with so many coupons I didn’t push it

4 Glade Scented Oil Refills $2.50 each
4 $1.50/1 MQ (found inside of tin)
Final cost- $4 for 4 ($1 each)

2 Bounce Dryer Bar $3.79 each
1 $2.50/1 MQ & 1 $1.50/1 MQ (vocalpoint mailer)
Final cost- $3.58 for 2 ($1.79 each)

5 Tide travel size 97¢ each
5 $1/1 MQ
Final cost- 15¢ profit

1 Dove Visibly Smooth deodorant $3.29
1 $2/1 MQ (won from HPFP)
1 $1/1 Target Q
Final cost- 29¢

8 Kellogg’s Pop Tarts $1.94 each
4 $1/2 MQ
8 75¢/1 Target Q
Final cost- $5.52 for 8 (69¢ each)

2 Kellogg’s Nutrigrain Bars $2.39 each
1 $1/1 MQ
2 50¢/1 Target Q
Final cost- $2.78 for 2 ($1.39 each)

4 Joint Juice 99¢ each
2 BOGO FREE IP
Final cost- $1.98 for 4 (50¢ each)

8 Easy Mac cups 82¢ each
2 BOGO FREE IP
2 $1/2 IP
Final cost- $2.92 for 8 (37¢ each)

5 General Mills cereal cups $1.00 each
5 $1/1 Target Q
Final cost- FREE

1 Chef Michael dry dog food $4.49 each
1 $3/1 MQ
1 $1.50/1 Target Q
Final cost- 1¢ profit

8 Chef Michael canine creations 89¢ each
4 BOGO Free MQ
4 BOGO Free Target Q
Final cost- FREE

2 BIC pens $1.00 each
1 $1/2 IP
1 $1/2 Target Q
Final cost- FREE

1 Bed Head 1″ Straightener $49.99 (for Megan) not pictured

$139.62 Before Coupons
$41.82 Manufacturer Coupons Used
$26.94 Target Coupons Used
$70.86 OOP (w/ tax $75.77)
Used $30 gift card & $45.77 cash

Notes:

1- Megan is reimbursing me for her straightener $49.99 – leaving my portion of the transaction at $20.87
2- Will submit for $10 Fuel for School Rebate = $1.70 profit on Pop Tarts & Nutrigrain Bars (thanks to Queen at My Brain is Inside Out for posting that there are actually four different Fuel for School Rebates)

For my family, who may be checking this out.. the baby stuff is for Juliann’s new baby.

Couponing @ Target is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Tweet

Megan, Jessica, and I ended our day of shopping with a trip to Target for some free and super cheap items.  Oh, and I splurged a little on the Alexia crunchy snacks.  I really like them.

2 Glade Scented Oil Refills $2.99 each
2 $1.50/1 MQ (found inside scented oil tin)
Final cost- $2.98 for 2 ($1.49 each)

2 Glade Scented Oil Glass Candle Holders $3.49 each
2 Free with refill purchase MQ (8/2 SS)
Final cost- FREE

4 Glade 2 oz. Soy Candle $3.19 each
4 FREE MQ (8/9 SS)
Final cost- FREE

4 Dove Visibly Smooth deodorant $3.29 each
4 $1/1 Target Q (get yours here)
4 $2/1 MQ (won from HPFP) get yours here
Final cost- $1.16 for 4 (29¢ each)

4 General Mills Cereal Cups $1.00 each
4 $1/1 Target Q (get yours here)
Final cost- FREE

2 Alexia crunchy snacks $2.78 each
2 $1/1 MQ (8/9 SS)
Final cost- $3.56 for 2 ($1.78 each)

1 Up Napkins $2.69

$51.13 Before Coupons
$8.00 Target Coupons Used
$32.74 Coupons Used
$10.39 OOP (w/ tax $12.36)
** 80% Savings **

Target – Free Cereal & Candles is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Tweet

I was thrilled with the deals I found at Target.  And my cashier was too sweet!  She pushed through all my coupons (even though a few generated overages) with a smile and said, “No worries”.

2 Chef Michael’s Dog Food $4.49 each
2 $1.50/1 Target Q (I thought this was $1)
2 $3.50/1 IP
Final cost- $1.02 profit

2 Nexcare bandages 8-ct 99¢ each
2 $1/1 IP
Final cost- 2¢ profit

2 Kashi TLC dark chocolate oatmeal cookies $2.74 each
2 $1.50/1 IP
Final cost- $2.48 for 2 ($1.24 each)

$16.44 Before Coupons
$15.00 Coupons Used
$1.44 OOP (w/ tax $2.13)
** 91% Savings **

Free Dog Food & Bandages @ Target is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Tweet

Megan must have the magic touch.  Two days ago we were at Target and I decided to find out if my $3 Purina ONE dog food coupon would work on their dog biscuits.  Not wanting to do anything wrong or “pull a fast one” I decided to get one bag and ask the cashier to ring it and the coupon first to make sure it was acceptable.  It was!  Yay, 58¢ dog treats!

Next we headed back home and stopped in at Walmart, which does not carry the dog biscuits and will not adjust the coupon amount so I can buy the cans (says package means bag, sigh).  No biggie, less of my shopping for Walmart, more for everyone else.  Megan was going to be near Target yesterday, so I gave her my last two $3 MQs and asked her to pick up two more bags.  Oh, and I gave her some money, too.

So, Megan goes to Target and gets two bags of dog biscuits and is in line to pay when she spots a one-dollar bill near the register.  She asks the lady ahead of her and the cashier and the cashier tells her to keep it.  What’s more, as she is leaving she finds another dollar in the parking lot!

2 Purina ONE dog biscuits $3.58 each
2 $3/1 MQ
Final cost- $1.16 for 2 (58¢ each)

$7.16 Before Coupons
$6.00 Coupons Used
$1.16 OOP (w/ tax $1.52)
$2.00 Found Money
48¢ Money Maker!!!! (counting tax paid)

Free Dog Biscuits @ Target – Woo Hoo! is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Tweet