MelissaStuff

  I’m aiming to get back in the swing of deal shopping, especially at CVS because I get such great deals there. When my shopping buddy and I were at CVS last night we did the Bengay deal with the $2/1 coupon that came in the newspaper. But if you print this coupon out, you will get it cheaper. And if you’re disciplined enough to mail in the receipt for the rebate, you can actually make money when you buy Bengay Pain Relief at CVS this week. Here’s how: Buy one Bengay Pain Relief + Massage product – $5.99 Use $3/1 printable Pay $2.99 out of pocket, Get $2 ECBs Submit for mail-in-rebate from the 6/20 RedPlum insert Free plus overage after coupon, ECBs and rebate

I love the blogging world because you just never know what you will come across or who you will befriend. Today I found a blog called God Etched Your Name on Our Hearts . This family is in the process of adopting a little boy from Africa – Ethiopia to be exact. As a part of their fundraising, they are offering some very cool items that you can win by purchasing raffle tickets. The tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. Here are the things that will be raffled off on July 2nd: A Custom Key Fob – you can put words, the image of a special country or even an entire saying or verse on these.   A God ETCHED your name on our HEARTS Key Fob   Blanket and burp cloth Custom Pitter Patter Art Africa shirt (you get to pick the fabrics and colors) Or they have a few other items to be raffled off on July 6: Lifesong for Orphans Gold t-shirt Faith, Love, Hope men’s shirt   Faith, Hope, Love women’s shirt An 18x24 print of this beautiful depiction of grace (sorr

The twice a year Disney Store sale has been extended. You can now get 50% off on more than 400 items. Shop now because the sale will end next Tuesday, July 6th.

Drum roll, please . . . our next Blogmania sponsor is Rockin Green Laundry Detergent . Originally created for washing cloth diapers, Rockin Green is made with all natural ingredients and is eco-friendly. In addition, it cleans really well. I’m not so green that I can bring myself to go the cloth diaper route, but we have one child still putting the finishing touches on potty training so we have lots of clothing to wash. I have been using Rockin Green for the last few loads and I’m quickly becoming a fan. We will be doing a giveaway as part of Blogmania for Rockin Green Laundry Soap (by the way, the soap is not electric green, just if you’re wondering.) Keep your eyes peeled. All of us mommies and daddies and grandparents or even broke, single folks can use laundry soap.

Oh, I’ve been so busy working on my Blogmania plans, I completely forgot to remind everyone today to enter the Pear Tree Greetings giveaway . It ends at midnight, so if you are a night owl, go . . . now . . . HURRY!

Just a quick heads up that I was shopping at CVS last night and saw one of their Gillette shampoos clearanced to $1.17. There were coupons in June’s P&G coupon insert for $1 any Gillette haircare so you could get it for $.17. And, there was a tag where the Aveeno baby wash usually is that said it had been clearanced down to $1 something. There weren’t any left so I’m not quite sure what it was or if there were coupons to match. But check in your area. (This will not work for the Aveeno deal this week unless you have a manager that loves you and wants to manually force it through.)

  If you haven’t heard of Alice.com you should try them out.  You can order everyday items and they’ll deliver right to your door. The prices aren’t generally a steal, but if you are desperate (big and pregnant, sick, overwhelmed, whatever) it’s a good price for having it sent right to you. Right now is the perfect time to try it as they are offering the chance to get up to 75% off of your order in honor of their anniversary. Go spin their wheel and see what you get. I only got 15% but I might peruse a bit later to see if I can find anything that makes it worth it. (The chance to win is only good for the next 24 hours.)

In March, I posted what I thought was a great deal on the Dallas Morning News . Joey and I signed up for it, understanding that we had to keep it for at least 90 days. After the 90 days was up, we reevaluated and decided we weren’t using the paper at all except for the coupons that came on Sunday. Knowing they had Sunday subscriptions, we decided to cancel the year long subscription and change our plan. When I called, I was told that I was wrong and I could not cancel until after 180 days. I knew I hadn’t misunderstood the rep, the agreement was 90 days. When pressed, they told me I had to produce the original receipt and prove that I had agreed to 90 days. Not only did this mean I was responsible for finding a tiny, credit card sized receipt that is months old, but then they told me I had to have the bank fax it in. After an hour and a half on the phone and being on hold and hung up on multiple times, they finally refunded 1/3 of the original amount I paid and agreed to refund the s

I am thrilled to tell you that you can now print all of your Smartsource coupons right here at MelissaStuff. I get a small commission off of everything you print, so print away!! From now on, when I link to a Smartsource coupon from any of the grocery store or drugstore deal posts, it will simply redirect you to this page on the blog. And if you ever just want to browse through the Smartsource coupons you can click on the link at the top of every page on the blog. Woo-hoo! Can’t wait to get started myself. LOL

Just a reminder that Nielsen Home Scan is still looking for members. I know some of you have not had success in the past. I would recommend trying to reapply even if you have to use a different email address or something. They seem to be pretty interested in getting new members so I don’t know why they would turn you down. Nielsen Home Scan is a great program to use to earn rewards . . . especially if you have a child who thinks scanning items is fun. I was a panelist and entered my information consistently when I was single. They ship you a small handheld scanner and you use it to scan the items that you purchase. They want to keep track of spending habits, so you also scan coupons if you use them. As you scan, you earn points that you can redeem for cash and prizes. A lot of couponistas also use the scanner gun to make sure that printable coupons will scan or to verify the amount of a coupon. Try it out and let me know if you get accepted.

If you are looking for extra trees for your yard, now would be the time to go get them. Several brick and mortar Lowes around me are clearancing out their remaining trees and they’re at 75% off. (The sale does not include crepe myrtles or palm trees).

The winner was #317 – Jenny D. Congratulations!! If you didn’t win this time, keep entering . We have contests ending all the time and you may be the very next winner. But you can’t win if you don’t enter :)

I bought these cute leg huggers for Weston today on bTrendie . They’re great for babies like mine who don’t want much skin showing even if it’s 100 degrees outside . . . or for when the baby starts crawling and needs their knees covered . . . or even when you start potty training so you don’t have to pull up pants and pull down pants when you’re hurrying. They are only $12.99. If it’s your first purchase with bTrendie , you’ll get a $10 credit which makes them $2.99 plus shipping. Plus they’re made from bamboo which makes them super eco-friendly if you’re into that kind of thing. . . . and if you have girls – unlike me – they have really cute ones for them too. Hurry! This kind of good deal will go fast on bTrendie .

I told you late last week that MelissaStuff had been accepted as a participating blog in Blogmania. As a part of Blogmania, each participating blog has to obtain their own sponsors. One of the first sponsors for my part in Blogmania is Lauren Denman, Mary Kay consultant. Currently there is an ongoing giveaway from Lauren’s online Mary Kay store for a travel set of Timewise Skincare . If you have never tried out Mary Kay’s products, let me share some of the best! Satin Hands - Loved for its super-softening results that you feel instantly, this long-standing favorite cleanses, exfoliates and moisturizes in three easy steps. Available in Fragrance-Free and Peach. Mary Kay Compact - Customize your perfect color palette of eye and cheek colors or powder with this sleek compact's patented† magnetic refill system. Also holds applicators and a Mary Kay® Creme Lipstick or NouriShine® Lip Gloss TimeWise 3-in-1 Cleanser – this cleanser doesn’t just clean. It also exfoliates and

There are some GREAT, high value coupons for cleaning supplies available at Coupons.com right now. I'm not sure how long these will last, so wanted you to know about them. $3.00 off any Green Works Laundry Detergent $2.00 off any Green Works Laundry Detergent $1.00 off any Green Works Cleaning or Laundry Product $1.00 off any Green Works Dishwashing Liquid $2.00 off Liquid Clorox 2x Stain Fighter and Color Booster Free Clorox Liquid Bleach Clorox 2 with purchase of 45 oz. Clorox 2 product I noticed at CVS today that they were clearancing out some of the Green Works cleaners, so print these coupons and keep them ready. These coupons will most likely disappear on July 1st, so print them in the next few days.

If you ever need extra coupons or didn't get regional coupons, try Coupon Clippers . Kroger has their Daytona 500 10/$10 sale going on for Participating Items! ~ get $3.00 off instantly at register when all 10 products are purchased in same transaction~ 10 participating items get $3.00 off  (Prices After Instant Savings WYB 10) $0.99 CocaCola Soft Drinks 2 Liter $1/4 2L of CocaCola Total: 4 2L for $3 $.69 Gatorade 32 oz $.69 Chef Boyardee pasta cup or can $1.00 Kroger Cheese 68 oz or Singles 12 oz $.69  Banquet Entree 5 - 10.25 oz $1.00 Kroger Tortilla, Chips and Cheese Balls $1.97 Breyers Ice Cream 48 oz Country Time or Kool-Aid Drink Mix $.99  Kroger E-coupon $.50/1 Total: $.49 Capri Sun or Kool-Aid Jammers $1.60 $1.97 Klondike Frozen Treats 46 ct $0.75/2 Breyers Ice Cream, exp. 7-25-10 (SS 06/27/10) Total: $1.32 wyb 2 (after coupon and instant savings) $0.95 Totino’s Pizza 9.8 - 10.9 oz

I am so excited. I got a phone call tonight from the Pillsbury Ambassador research group that has been running this contest . .  and I have made it from thousands to one hundred and now to the final 12! From here, they will be picking the four that will post their recipes to let America vote for the best. It would be absolutely crazy if I made it into the final four. They called to ask me to simplify my recipes just a bit so that they could be made and baked within thirty minutes. I think I came up with some great modifications that might just be easier and better than my original recipes. In order to speed up the process, I suggested that for the Zesty Jalapeno Chicken Wrap that you use canned chicken, chop the cilantro, onions and jalapenos together in a food processor, cut the wrap into smaller pieces so it cooks faster, and buy premade jalapeno ranch dip. If that still didn’t make the time cut, I offered two new recipes: Pecan Cheesecake Rolls 1 Tube of Pillsbury C

It’s your last chance to enter. The Cozy Coupe giveaway ends tonight at midnight. Pear Tree Greetings giveaway will also end tomorrow night at midnight, and only three people have entered the $5 Amazon gift card giveaway by telling me what products they would like to see given away under the theme “All the Men in My Life.”

There are lots of new coupons on Cellfire today. Log onto cellfire.com today and add them all to your card. You never know what you may find a great coupon matchup for when you get to the store and the Cellfire coupons are just a great added bonus savings! Here's What's New Today for Your Shopper Card: $0.50/1 any flavor/variety Nature Valley® Granola Bars.  $0.50/1 Betty Crocker® Fruit by the Foot®, Fruit Gushers®, Fruit Roll-Ups® OR Fruit Roll-Ups® Fruit Stickerz® Fruit Flavored Snacks. $0.50/1 40 OZ. OR LARGER Original Bisquick® OR Bisquick Heart Smart® Baking Mix. $0.75/2 any flavor Betty Crocker® Box Supreme Brownie Mixes. $0.75/1 MultiGrain Cheerios® cereal. $0.55/1 Cocoa Puffs® cereal $0.75/1 Golden Grahams® cereal $0.40/6 any variety Yoplait® Yogurt cups (Includes Original, Light, Thick & Creamy, OR Whips!®) OR any flavor Yoplait® Original OR Light Smoothie. $0.50/1 any flavor Betty Crocker® Warm Delights® Bowls OR Betty Crocker® W

CVS is having a B1G1 FREE Special on M&M this week. Pair this special with the B1G1 Manufacturer Coupon in the 6/27  Red Plum insert and you get 2 FREE bags of M&Ms. This kids will love, love, love this FREEBIE!! Thanks couponsequalcash !

Just wanted to mention this great deal on laundry detergent. CVS has Xtra Laundry Detergent on sale 2 for $3.00 this week. There was a coupon for $1.00 off any size Xtra Laundry Detergent or Fabric Softener in the 6/6 SmartSource insert. That means you'll be able to get laundry detergent for $0.50  - definitely a GREAT deal. I've never used this laundry detergent, so I'm not sure what it's like. If you have a specific brand of laundry detergent that you use, you could still think about buying a bottle of this and donating it. One more thing, with a price this low I would not be surprised if this is out of stock. CVS is GREAT about giving rain checks...just go up to the cashier and tell her what you want a rain check for. She will fill out a small form and you'll be able to bring it in at a later date to receive the same sale price! Thanks Managing His Money!

I read this excerpt on a new blog I was referred to today . . . My sister-and-brother-in-law are on a plane bound for Africa* tonight.  It is a momentous occasion for them.  They are going to pick up their new son.  He is five-years-old.  I am so excited for them.  Jodie wrote today, "We’re on our way. I’m sitting on the plane as I write, filled with wonder that this day has actually arrived. Paperwork has been approved, bags have been packed, preparations have been made, and we’re actually on our way to see our son. It feels surreal, dream-like." Jodie met a certain little boy on a mission trip over a year ago.  He had been living in an orphanage for several years.  He has watched most of his friends leave to be adopted . . . and has been waiting and asking for a family of his own.  Jodie could not shake the connection she felt with him.  Several months later, Michael went on the same mission trip, and felt the same pull.  When he came home, he talked to J

Best Foods Mayo (16.5 oz) — $1.50 Use 75c/1 printable plus the $1/2 Target coupon from 4/25 RP Total: 25 – 75c ea Pampers Wipes — $2.39 Use $2 from 6/6 P&G Total: 39c *note: this is cheaper at Walmart Buy 1 Q-tips (170-count) at $1.89 Use $1/1 Q-tips coupon Total: $0.89 after coupon Buy 1 Q-tips (375-count) at $2.39 Use $1/1 Q-tips coupon Stack with $1/1 Target coupon from the 4/25 insert Total: $0.39 after coupons Solo Cups 25 count — $2.50 Use $1 from 6/20 SS and use $1 Target mobile coupon Total: 50c ea Dean’s French Onion Dip 16 oz — $1.25 Use $1/2 printable (must join the club) Total: 75c ea Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs 16 oz — $1.39 Use $1/2 printable Total: 89c ea Cool Whip whipped topping 8 oz — 99c Use 20c/2 from 6/27 SS Total: 89c Crystal Light 10 count drink mix — $1.97 Use $1 printable Total: 97c Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce (28 oz) — $1.99 Use $1 from 5/23 SS (exp 6/30) Total: 9

ECB DEALS: $9.99 ECB wyb Kodak Picture Movie DVD $9.99 Limit 1 Use $5/1 on Kodak Picture Movie DVD, printing on CVS receipts last week Possible $5 MoneyMaker Spend $25 in Aveeno Products (prices start at $6.49), Get $10 ECBs (Limit 1) Buy 4 Aveeno products at $6.49 Use 4 $1.50/1 printable Plus use $10 mail-in-rebate Free after coupons, rebate and ECBs Mars Candy Bars (1.08 – 2.17 oz) — B1G1 free Buy 1 M&M and 1 Pretzel M&M Use Buy any M&Ms and get free pretzel M&Ms from 6/27 RP Total: 2 for free Buy $20 worth of Schick or Playtex Feminine Care Products and get $10.00 ECB (limit 1) Buy 2 Schick Hydro 3 Razor — $8.99 ea Buy 1 Edge Shave Cream (7 oz) — $2.99 ea Use (2) $5 from 6/13 SS (hydro) Use (1) 75c from 6/27 SS (edge) Pay $10.22 and get $10 ECB Total: 8 cents each Plus you can submit for a rebate for one of the Schick Hydro razors . Spend $10 Select Household Helpers at $2.50, Get $5 ECBs (Limit 1

Oral-B Pulsar 3D White Toothbrush — $4.99 RR: $2 wyb 1 AND it’s printing a $3 RR too! Buy 2 and use the B1G1 from the 6/6 P&G and the $1 from the Rouge Magazine (if you got it in the mail) Pay $3.99 and get a $2 RR and a $3 RR Total: $1 money maker! Reach Floss 55 yards or Reach Crystal Clean Toothbrush — 99c Use $1 from 3/7, 4/11 or 5/16 RP Total: Free! Reach Toothbrushes — Buy 4 and get a $4 RR Buy 4 and use 99c in ad coupon Plus use 2 Buy 1, get 1 free from 12/6 or 1/3 RP And 2 $1 from 3/7 or 5/16 RP Pay $0 and get $4 RR Total: $4 money maker! Buy $15 worth of participating Kraft products and get a $3 RR Scenario: Buy 4 Oscar Mayer Deli Creations — 2/$4 Buy 4 Kraft Salad Dressings — $1.99 Use 4 $1/1 Oscar Mayer from 5/16 SS or $1 printable Plus use 4 $1 Kraft dressing coupons from 6/20 SS Pay $7.96 and get $3 RR Total: 62c ea Colgate Toothpaste 6.4 oz or Wave Toothbrush — $1.49 (with in ad coupon) Use 75c/1 from

UPDATE: Because of some great sponsors who have signed up, I will be going with the "All the Men in my Life" theme, but please comment with your ideas for other sponsors that would fit this them in order to win the gift card. As most of you know, I am new to the world of blogging – for anything besides anonymously processing life. (Guess it’s not so anonymous anymore.) But, to the point, I am excited to announce that I was accepted to participate in the bi-annual Blogmania for this upcoming September. I’m still learning all the ins and outs, but basically for two days in September I won’t post anything but information about Blogmania. Over one hundred blogs will be linking together to offer you amazing giveaways – everything will be worth more than $100 - and crazy fun! I am currently debating between two themes – “All the Men in My Life” and “There’s a Party in My Tummy – Yummy, Yummy!” . . . so tell me which one you would like to see AND please suggest some items you t

After stopping at the Czech Stop , we continued on with a brief detour to drop off some things with family in Waco and made it to Salado, Texas by lunchtime. Salado is a quaint little town on the South side of Waco just before you get to Austin. When I was growing up, Salado was about all the vacation my parents could afford and we visited at least once or twice a year. Stagecoach Inn got its name because it was a stop on the stagecoach route where travelers would stay overnight before resuming their trip. As time wore on, buildings were added and the original house expanded to include all of the area known today as Stagecoach Inn . There is a long history of staying and eating at Stagecoach in my family. My grandmother went there for decades before she ever took my mom. My mom’s first visit occurred in her late teens and she introduced me to the experience as an infant. Now, I have taken my boys there. It is a sweet legacy with wonderful memories for all of us. The original ho

  New $5.00/1 Enfagrow Coupon

    So, this weekend, my mom and dad decided to take me and my sister with them on a quick out of town trip to celebrate my mom’s birthday. (We offered to take my brother, but apparently he couldn’t go. And we did take Weston because he goes everywhere with me at this point in time.) It’s been a LONG time since the four of us have gone any kind of trip together . . . probably since before I got married, so close to eight years ago. But growing up we did it a lot. My brother is ten years older than I am so by the time I was 8 or 9, he was already living his own life. The trip we took this weekend is one we took frequently growing up. We left the DFW metroplex and headed south. We stopped in West, Texas at the Czech stop . My family has been visiting this little nothing gas station for as long as I can remember . . . and although, my general principle is to not eat anything that is sold out of a gas station (at least if it isn’t prepackaged), this is the one exception to that rul

' target=_blank>Amazon is offering a great deal once again on their ' target=_blank>Video on Demand movies and tv shows. Just go to their ' target=_blank>Video on Demand section and choose a movie to download, you can use the codes HDNATION and FILMRIOT to get $6 in free credit. Depending on what you choose to download, you could get multiple shows. They even have a section of $.99 rentals. You can stream them straight from your computer or download them to your Tivo. I was able to use both codes. I just clicked on the “Redeem a gift card or promotion code” link underneath the movie I was interested in and entered the codes. Enjoy!!

I am leaving town for the weekend for a much anticipated trip with my parents and my sister (and of course, the baby). I can’t wait to just be an adult for a weekend. It’s nice when the baby is small enough that he doesn’t mess with that feeling yet. I did want to give you a heads up though as I don’t know how much WiFi we will have and therefore I don’t know how much I’ll be able to post. Enjoy your weekend!!

Several new giveaways were posted this week and there are several more to come . . . including a "Miracle" event. Get caught up on any giveaways you might have missed, by visiting the giveaway linky! If you have a giveaway to post, please add it. We would all love a chance to win!!

Right now you can go to the Bar-S coupon page and print a coupon for $1/2 packages of any Bar-S Ham & Poultry Lunch Meat! My boys eat the fool out of their hot dogs and I’m pretty sure I could argue that qualifies as “lunch meat.” If not, we can use it on the bologna. I know we eat some HIGH quality stuff around here. LOL Plus each week Bar-S gives away a full week's supply of Bar-S Bacon on their Facebook Page . The winners are picked randomly so you have as good of a chance as any to win so go now and like their Facebook page ! Thank, DFWMommy.

Looking for something to do this summer? Print this coupon and get $5 each person up to 10 people. HURRY!!! It’s likely to run out of prints soon.

Just a reminder to sign up for the free Home Made Simple newsletter .  Their newsletter will update you on their monthly free giveaways. In addition, sometimes they have even sent full-size sample products. It’s a great resource.

Disney Store has their PJ pals on sale for $7.99 a pair. They are so cute too! Also if you buy a Toy Story item, your entire order ships free! Just click on the Toy Story banner on the site to see all the eligible Toy Story items. Many of the toy Story items are already sold out but this is a great sale.

Kelloggs has just issued a voluntary recall of Kelloggs Corn Pops, Honey Smacks, Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks because they do not meet quality standards. “We have identified a substance in the package liners that can produce an uncharacteristic waxy-like off taste and smell.” Here are the code dates you need to look for: Kellogg’s® Apple Jacks® UPC 3800039136 17 ounce package with Better if Used Before Dates between APR 10 2011 and JUN 22 2011 UPC 3800039132 3 8.7 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between JUN 03 2011 and JUN 22 2011 Kellogg’s® Corn Pops® UPC 3800039109 12.5 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between MAR 26 2011 and JUN 22 2011 UPC 3800039111 17.2 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between MAR 26 2011 and JUN 22 2011 UPC 3800039116 9.2 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between APR 05 2011 and JUN 22 2011 Kellogg’s® Froot Loops® UPC 3800039118 12.2 ounce packages with Better i

Don't forget to search, search, search! Today is Mega Swagbucks Day and you can earn double, triple, quadruple what you normally earn. If you haven't signed up, start today ! I've already redeemed $60 worth of Amazon giftcards and have $15 more waiting for me to decide what I should buy. You could be reaping the same rewards. Go here to read full explanation of how Swagbucks works.

bTrendie has these shoes on sale for $19.99. If you’re a first time buyer, you’ll get $10 off your order – making them $9.99 plus shipping. They have a bunch of cute styles. These would be adorable for a little girl. And these tuxedo shoes would be perfect for any little one. All of the shoes are top grain leather with rubber soles that won’t slip. They all have Velcro closures to make it easy on Mommy!

Don't leave the porch empty-handed. Front Porch Sale, June 25 - June 27 I’m going on a get away from home trip this weekend with just my parents and my sister (and my baby, of course). Can’t tell you how excited I am, and I can pretty much bet you that we’ll be eating at at least one Cracker Barrel. I’m excited to see what I can find at Cracker Barrel’s Front Porch Sale where out of season and overstock items are up to 70% off!!