A few hot King Soopers updates…

Crunchmaster Gluten Free Crackers are B1G1 Free, and Dawn let us know that there is a printable for $1 off, making them about $1.10 each!  Note that King Soopers does not allow you to use two coupons on a buy-one-get-one-free sale.

Eggland’s Best Eggs are $1.99/dozen according to Charlotte, and if you have those 50¢/1 insert coupons, they’re just 99¢ after doubling!

Gloria said Gold Medal Flour is $1.77, and if you printed the 55¢/1 printable from Coupons.com last week, it’s just 77¢ for a 5 lb bag!

Zone Perfect Bars are $1 – use the 55¢/1 insert coupon and they’re free!  Thanks, Cynthia!

Thanks to Dawn, Charlotte, Gloria, and Cynthia for the hot tips.  See the rest of this week’s King Soopers deals herea.

I got my Diapers.com order last week, and decided to test out how their process for using paper manufacturer’s coupons works.  I mailed my coupons on Monday, I think, and yesterday I got an email letting me know my coupons had been credited to my account!

I had a few questions that weren’t answered on their website, so I decided to call (24/7 customer service!) and ask a few questions for my own benefit and so I could share with you.  Here’s what I found out:

Coupons are credited to your account and will come off when you purchase the applicable products.  If you mail in coupons for $3 off two packages of Huggies diapers, your coupon should automatically come off when you place two packages of Huggies diapers in your cart.

You do not need to purchase any products in order to mail in coupons.  If you’re preparing to place an order, mail your coupons off first, and then once they’re credited to your account, you can place your order and your coupons come off automatically!  I originally thought that I had to purchase the products and then send in the coupons for credit, but you can actually do the coupons first so that they are applied to your first order.

The only question I had that the representative wasn’t able to give me an answer for is how they handle expiration dates.  Diapers.com has to receive your coupons at least one week prior to the expiration date.  The ones I submitted expired a month or two out, but in my Diapers.com account, it says the expiration date is 3/11/2011, one year from when they were “deposited” in my account.

So, I’m not sure when your coupons expire.  According to what I see in my account, it seems they may give you up to one year to use them, but I’m not sure.  I asked the representative to email me when she finds out the answer to the expiration date question, and I’ll let you know when she does!

Don’t forget that you can save up to $24.97 at Diapers.com, first by using my referral code SPRINGSBAR to save $10 on your order, and then by submitting this rebate for $14.97 back by mail!  Shipping is free on orders of $49 or more.

Here’s a few Diapers.com scenarios for Luvs, Huggies, and Pampers diapers.  Totally cheaper than Sam’s or Costco!

Here’s some fun, cheap/free, and family-friendly activities that are going on in Colorado Springs this weekend!

St. Patrick’s Day Parade – get your wearing of the green on!  Seriously, I’ve never seen so many people get dressed up for St. Patrick’s Day.

Free rock climbing – this new climbing gym looks amazing and is open for free this weekend!

Free Lowe’s kids’ clinic – build a tabletop basketball game

Cheap coffee from a local coffee shop – happy second anniversary, R&R!

Know of any other inexpensive, family-friendly events going on this weekend?

I take my three kids, ages four and under, on about 75% of my grocery shopping trips.  We are the family you see at King Soopers all the time, with a very loud little boy pretending to be a fire engine driver, complete with siren.

We are the family with children who, for whatever reason, actually like those hard, crunchy cookies from the King Soopers bakery.

Even with the race car carts and free cookies, shopping with kids gets a little frazzling sometimes.  What do you do to keep your sanity when shopping with kids?  What are your best tips for staying on your cash budget if you do that?

How do you count the number of items required for a particular promo when kids are putting stuff in and taking stuff out of your cart?  Which stores have the best kid-friendly shopping carts and does it ever affect which store you shop at?

I’d love to hear your tips, questions, funny stories, and frustrations in the comments!

Related: Life As Mom has some great tips on shopping with kids!  Great minds must think alike, because I’d already planned to do this post when she published hers on Wednesday.

It’s time! Submit your Safeway shopping trip(s) here to participating in the Safeway savings contest! Remember, this is for Safeway purchases from 3/10 through 3/16 only.

The person who has been judged to save the most will win $50 in gift cards from Amazon and Diapers.com – and there may even be some runner up prizes. Go here for the full rules.

Submit your Safeway savings below. If you are reading via RSS or email, you’ll need to click here to see the form. Only one submission per household, so make sure you’re done shopping before you submit your entry! The deadline to enter is midnight next Wednesday March 17th.

Note: if you want to participate in the contest and have included the below information in a blog post, please simply email me at springsbargains@gmail.com with a link to your post.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Kelly emailed to let me know that there’s a printable coupon for 50% off on X S Threadz’ website!  By the way, X S Threadz is one of the stores that’s on the Colorado Springs Bargain Map – I’ll be adding more stores soon and will update when I do.

Dunkin Donuts is serving up free coffee in March!  You can get a free medium hot or iced coffee on Mondays at participating locations.

Here are the Dunkin Donuts stores in Colorado Springs. You may want to call ahead to confirm these stores are participting.

Thanks, Matt!

Become a fan of Rayovac batteries on Facebook and you’ll have access to a printable coupon for $1 off!  These are often in the dollar aisle at Target, so it could mean cheap or free batteries.  Know of anywhere else that would make these batteries a good deal with the coupon?  Thanks, Mojo Savings!

Another Facebook promotion: become a fan of Redbox and on March 17th you’ll be given a unique code that’s valid for a free one-night DVD rental.

I’d love to have you become a fan of Springs Bargains on Facebook while you’re there!

Today and Saturday wrap up Chick Fil A’s customer appreciation week – they’ll be giving out fun cow items at their restaurants all day today (Friday), and on Saturday the cows will be dancing in the Colorado Springs St. Patrick’s Day parade!

We went to the parade last year and it was a lot of fun.  Here’s hoping for good weather this year.  I’ll have a wrap-up of free stuff to do this weekend… There’s quite a few events!

Here’s your Albies deals – it’s a pretty short list of hot deals this week, but be sure to check out the entire ad to make sure I didn’t miss anything.  No idea if they’re still doubling coupons – if you find out, please leave a comment!

Meat, Dairy, and Frozen

Ground Round (5 lbs+) $1.88/lb
Rating: 3.5-4

Pork Loin Assorted Chops 97¢/lb
Rating: 3

Deli Meat $4.99/lb
Rating: 4-5 – looks like they have pastrami, roast beef, and salami included (among others) – those are hot prices for those types of deli meat!

Tombstone Original Pizza $2.50
Rating: 3 – a bit cheaper with Safeway’s frozen food promo

Produce

Strawberries (1 lb) $2
Rating: 4

General Grocery and Household

7Up, RC, or A&W 2-Liters 80¢ when you buy 10 (limit 2 rewards per transaction)
Rating: 5

Vitaminwater, Smartwater, Fuze, or Cascade Ice Sparkling Water 80¢ when you buy 10 (limit 2 rewards per transaction)
Rating: 4

See anything else?

This weekly ad review is part of BeCentsAble’s Grocery Gathering.

Just a reminder about the big consignment sale going on this weekend:

The MOMS Consignment sale is Saturday, March 13th from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM at the Douglas County Events Center in Castle Rock.  Admission is $1, but you can get a coupon for free admission from their Facebook page.  More information on the sale on their website.

Some good-to-remember tips they just sent out via their email list: the line forms quickly, but they let 100 people in about every 5 minutes.  Bring a wagon, bags, or something to hold your goods in.  They take Visa, Mastercard, cash and check with ID.

I’ve heard other moms say to leave the kids and the stroller at home if you can, and from my very limited consignment sale experience, I can vouch that they’re right!

Psst - if you’re headed to Castle Rock for this sale and are hoping to find some deals on maternity clothes, there was some discussion about maternity clothes last week and Julie revealed that the Motherhood store at the Castle Rock Outlets sometimes has awesome clearance deals!

I’m excited to be introducing a new feature here on Springs Bargains – a local bargain map!  I’ve created a Google Map with thrift and consignment stores, scratch and dent grocers, ethnic markets, and more.  If you’re looking for some new places to find bargains, try using the map to find bargain haunts in your part of town – or wherever you’ve got an errand to run!

Here’s a small version of the map:

You can view a much larger Colorado Springs Bargain Map here.  You can find this link in the top green navigational bar under Local Information, and also on the sidebar under Special Features.

If you’ve got a favorite bargain-hunting place in the Springs area that you think should be added to the map, please contact me so I can consider adding it!

Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear!

Update: go here to submit your savings!

After writing up Safeway’s inordinately long number of deals this week, I had an idea… How about a contest to see who can save the most at Safeway this week?  There are a ton of great deals, and if you think you have the super-shopper skills to save more than anyone else, listen up:

Shop at Safeway this week and save your receipts.  Take a picture of your purchases.  Send me the pictures, your total spent, and your total savings to me by next Wednesday, March 17th.  I’ll look at all the entries and judge who got the best overall savings.

The winner gets a $25 Amazon.com gift code and a $25 Diapers.com gift code! Who knows – there may even be some runner-up prizes.

Since this is a contest, not a giveaway, it’s based on skill, not luck.  I’ll be judging who got the best overall deals.  Hint: I’m partial to shoppers who can get great savings on a well-rounded cartful of deals, not just one item like 100 boxes of Fruit Snacks. 

Put your super-shopper skills to work and you may win more than you even spend!  There’s no need to blow your grocery budget to win, either.  I’m looking at the most impressive savings, not who got the most food.

Who can win?  Anyone! Springs Bargains is here to serve Colorado Springs, but since there are Safeways all over the country and the grand prize is something that can be used anywhere, this contest is open to anyone, anywhere!

What are the rules? Be honest.  Email me pictures and data from your Safeway shopping trips from March 11-16, 2010.

Is there a minimum or maximum purchase amount? Nope – spend as little or as much as you want.  You can make one trip to the store or twenty.  You can spend $20 or $2000.  Winners will be judged on savings totals and the best overall deals.

When do I need to have my stuff to you by? No later than midnight next Wednesday, March 17th.

How do I get my pictures and stuff to you? Please use this form.  Only one submission will be accepted per household, so save your pictures and numbers to upload all at once.

Got more questions?  Leave a comment and I’ll answer it there.  Start making your shopping lists!

Note: Safeway is not in any way a sponsor of this contest – but if they’d like to kick in a gift card or two, they can feel free to contact me!

Image from swamysk on Flickr

A reader emailed to ask about a cheap car wash in Colorado Springs:

My car is filthy and I am ashamed to be seen in it! Does anyone know of any good prices/deals/discounts on car washes in town?

Whether it’s a tip on a cheap on an automatic wash or the lowest priced manual car wash in town, leave your tips in the comments!  I ahem may have to use some of the tips myself.

If you can go to Safeway this week and keep all their promos straight, I’ll award you a gold star!  There are two different Buy 5 Save $5 promotions, a weekend sale, a few awesome regular deals, and the frozen food promotion continues this week!

I’m going to direct you back to last week’s post for the frozen food promotion – there’s not much new in the ad, so I’ll assume most of the prices stayed the same through this week.  (I’ve updated the ones that did have changes in the ad).  Remember, you’ll earn $10 on your next order for every $25 you spend in participating frozen food products – which is basically a 40% savings even before coupons!  Go here for the list.

Note: a lot of you have contacted me about the Safeway at Constitution and Powers – they are only accepting one printable coupon of any kind per transaction, so please know this and keep it in mind.  As far as I know, this is a single-store policy and hasn’t been reported anywhere else in Colorado Springs.

Buy 5 Save $5 Cereal Sale

Purchase any combination of these cereals and save $5 at checkout.  There is a limit of 20, so you’ll be able to do four groups of five per transaction.  Prices below are assuming a $5 discount for purchasing 5.

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes $1
Rating: 3-4 – couldn’t find any coupons, if you know of any, please share!

Quaker Oat Squares $1
Use $1/1 insert coupon
Net cost at checkout: FREE!
Rating: 5 – if you like this cereal (Jeremy does!), I’d still rate it pretty highly even without coupons… We’ll be stocking up since this variety doesn’t go on sale often.

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks $1
Use 50¢/2 printables from Coupons.com or Smartsource.com or insert coupons
Net cost at checkout: 50¢
Rating: 3

Note: there may be a catalina deal going on to make it free or a moneymaker!  Saving with Shellie says there’s a catalina promo for $1.50 on your next order when you buy 3, $2.50 when you buy 4, or $3.50 when you buy 5 or more.  Haven’t confirmed it’s happening here in Colorado, but often BC Fruit Snacks promos are nationwide.  (Here’s some catalina help)

Nature Valley Granola Bars  $1.50
Use 40¢/1 printable from Coupons.com or Smartsource.com 50¢/1 or 70¢/2 insert coupon
Net cost at checkout: 50¢ to $1
Rating: 4-5

Honey Nut Cheerios $1.50
Use $1/2 insert coupon
Net cost at checkout: $1
Rating: 3

Post Fruity Pebbles $1.50
Coupons?
Rating: ? – do you Colorado readers have insert coupons for Post cereal?  The coupon databases said there were some out, but I can’t find them… We usually get them in the Post, though!

Kellogg’s Raisin Bran $2
Use $1.50/2 from RedPlum.com or $1/2 insert coupon
Net cost at checkout: $1.25-1.50
Rating: 2-3

Post Honey Bunches of Oats $2
Rating: 3, maybe a little higher if you’re brand loyal – doesn’t go on sale too often.  There may be coupons out and I’m just missing them!

Lucky Charms $2
Use $1/2 insert coupon
Net cost at checkout: $1.50
Rating: 3?  Lucky Charms don’t go on sale as often as some of the other General Mills brands.

Buy 5 Save $5 Delicious Deals

Buy five or more of the following products, save $5 or more instantly to make each item 99¢ each

Eating Right Cut Vegetables (12 oz) 99¢
Rating: ?

Fresh Express Salad Blends (4.5 to 12 oz)
Rating: 3-5 – great deal if some of the fancier blends are included, a pretty normal price for some of the iceberg blends.

Marie’s Pourable Dressings (11.5 oz)
Use $1/1 printable from Smartsource.com, Marie’s website, or insert coupon!  Thanks, Joanne!
Net cost at checkout: FREE!

POM Wonderful Tea (16 oz)
Rating: ?

White Mushrooms, Sliced or Whole (8 oz)
Rating: 4

Weekend Sale – Saturday and Sunday Only

Oscar Mayer Deli Shaved Lunchmeat (7-9 oz) $1.99, limit 5
Use $1/2 insert coupon
Net cost at checkout: $1.49
Rating: 5

Mott’s Apple Juice (64 oz) 99¢, limit 2
Rating: 4 – it’s been cheaper than this a handful of times, so I can’t quite say it’s a 5, but it’s pretty close!

Fritos or Cheetos $1.29
Rating: 4

There’s a couple of other weekend sale deals, but nothing that seems to be a great price.

Meat, Dairy, and Frozen

Rancher’s Reserve Beef New York Strip Steak $4.99/lb
Rating: 3

Safeway Corned Beef Points $1.49/lb
Rating: 4, but it could go lower with the start of next Wednesday’s sale cycle.

Basic Lunchables 99¢
Rating: 3 – there were printables available awhile back, you might check to see if you have one!

Lucerne Stick or String Cheese (12 to 16 oz) $2.49 with in-ad coupon, limit 2
Rating: 4 – not quite as good as the Precious string cheese deal last week, but still a great price for this type.

Breyer’s Ice Cream $2.50
Rating: 3, maybe a 4 – it’s been awhile since we’ve had a sale on Breyers!  Sometimes goes as low as $2 without a coupon.

Produce

Carrots (1 lb) 50¢
Rating: ? – the ad just says “carrots” but pictures baby-cut carrots… it’s a good deal for baby carrots but not really that great of a buy for regular carrots.

Large Hass Avocados 88¢ each
Rating: 3

Artichokes $2 each
Rating: 3

Jumbo Navel Oranges 50¢/lb
Rating: 4

Green Cabbage 29¢/lb
Rating: 3

Bulk Red Potatoes 69¢/lb
Rating: 2 – 50¢/lb if you buy a 5 lb bag at King Soopers this week.

General Grocery and Household

Barilla Pasta 88¢
Use 55¢/1 insert coupon
Net cost at checkout: FREE
Rating: 5

Rosarita Refried Beans 79¢
Use 50¢/2 insert coupon (expires 3/14)
Net cost at checkout: 19¢
Rating: 5

Don’t forget about the frozen food promo – it’s a hot one, with tons of deals!

This weekly ad review is part of BeCentsAble’s Grocery Gathering.