Picture People $18 for 6 Sheets

Get your coupon for Picture People's Big Bundle Package HERE!  $18 for 6 sheets of portraits of the same pose.  10x13 sheets and smaller.  Click the link and scroll to the bottom for details and restrictions.  Offer expires December 24th!

Review: Renpure Organics

My mom is a hair stylist so needless to say not only has my hair been dyed since I was in junior high but I'm also a bit of a hair care snob.  As of late I had been using Pravana shampoos but at salon cost I was still paying upwards of $15 a bottle.  That's a bit steep but I justified it because Pravana's products do not contain sulfates which make it safe for colored hair.

My kids and husband still use drugstore brands.  Our go to brand has been Herbal Essences so when CVS had it on sale for free during Black Friday, I ran over to grab a few bottles.  While I was in the shampoo isle, I noticed Renpure was also on sale for free with an additional taggie for a mail in rebate.  Sweet!  I grabbed a bottle of I Love My Hair! Body and Shine Shampoo and Conditioner without reading the packaging or giving it a second thought.

During my next shower I grabbed the bottles to try them out.  I absolutely LOVE the shampoo!  I have really thick, long hair so I usually use a TON of shampoo for one wash.  But Renpure's shampoo has a really thick consistency and lathers really well so I only had to use half of what I normally would.  Score!  After rinsing my hair it already felt smooth and soft.  I wasn't too fond of the conditioner as the consistency is a lot thinner than the shampoo so I had to use a whole lot more.  But when I finally read the bottle I was seriously impressed.  Renpure products are not only organic but they don't contain sulfates, parabens, dyes or colors!  Double score!  

Because I have so much hair, I normally don't blow dry it.  Since using Renpure, I've noticed that my hair dries a lot faster and it feels lighter.  I also don't wash my hair everyday or the texture gets crazy and dry.  By the second day my hair usually looks dirty and has a bit of an oily feel.  With Renpure my hair stayed gloriously soft, bouncy, and looking fresh.  My only gripe is the smell.  While it smells great, its a bit too clean for me.  I like to smell fruity.

So I think I found a new favorite!  And I don't even need to drag my mom along to the salon store!  Plus the price is only $6.99!!!  You cannot beat that!  If you didn't get a chance to pick this up during the Black Friday sale, no worries!  Look for "try this free" tags on Renpure products for a mail in rebate!  Renpure Organics is available at CVS and Walgreens.  Check them out on Facebook and Twitter or their website for some funny videos, the Renmond family story, and more!

See YOU Shop!

I've been slacking on couponing.  I hit Walgreens and CVS for their Black Friday sales but never got around to shopping their regular sales for the week.  There were a few deals I wanted to grab too.  But alas, one cannot cash in on every deal.  

So, that brings me to you.

Yes, you!  I know you all have either grabbed some awesome deals already OR you're just dying for a reason to  get out there and give it a try!  Send me pictures and details of your deals and I will post them here to share with everyone!  Each month I will have a Coupon Queen who will be featured on my blog and will receive an envelope full of great coupons!

Submit your deals to mritzpark@yahoo.com with "Coupon Queen" in the subject!

Target Tip to Avoid BF Craziness!

Here's something interesting I found on Thrifty and Thriving's blog regarding Target's price adjustment policy.  This is totally worth considering if you want to avoid the craziness of Black Friday!!  Click the link above to see their matchups.

Target has a 14 day price adjustment policy, so if you see anything here that you are interested in, you can pick it up before Friday, and then go in for a price adjustment on Friday or Saturday.   Just take your receipt to the customer service counter (you don’t need to bring in the items you bought, just your receipt).   They will give you a refund for the difference in price.   I have done this for several years, and I have never had a problem.   You have to make sure you bring your receipt in when the sale prices are in effect, which will be Friday the 26th and Saturday the 27th.   The price adjustment policy will not apply to items that come with a FREE gift card.

Target Stores Price Adjustment Policy
• If Target advertises a lower price either the same week or the week following your purchase, bring in your original sales receipt to Guest Services for an adjustment.

• Exclusions:  Price adjustments are not made for clearance prices or Target.com prices.

Silk Soy Milk Coupons

Get .55 off of any Silk Soymilk seasonal quart HERE.  Then sign up for a Silk account and print a $1 off coupon on any Silk half-gallon.  Silk's holiday flavors include mint chocolate, nog, and pumpkin spice.  Yum!

New Kraft Coupons!

There are several new coupons on the Kraft website.  Hurry on over HERE before they're all gone!  These will print twice so make sure to go back and print your second set!!

Winner!!! Just Dance Kids!

So before I announce the winner, I wanted to explain how I did this.  I used random.org to generate a comment number as the winner.  However since my first commenter had 2 entries in one comment, I counted her comment as #1 and #2 making 21 comments total.  Alright, so without further delay the winner of Just Dance Kids is.....

Kristen Hackney-Redman

Congratulations Kristen!  I will be emailing you soon for your mailing address!  Thanks to everyone for following, tweeting, and blogging this giveaway!  I will be posting pictures of our Just Dance party and my review of the game.  I also have a few leftover coupons for $5 off the game and free shipping from GameStop.com...post here if you're interested and I will get these out to you too!

See Me Shop: Albertsons (Week of 11-17-10)

Albertsons has been THE place to shop for the last few weeks!  I'm pretty proud of this week's shopping trip!

Here's what I got:

12x Swanson Canned Broth

4x Green Giant Canned Veggies

3x Farmer John Breakfast Sausage

12x Ragu Pasta Sauce

6x Sierra Mist 2-liter Soda (there's only 5 in the picture)

3x Barilla Pasta Noodles

2x Chex Mix

2x Wheat Thins

2x Ritz Crackers

2 gallons of milk

1 Reddi Wip Whipped Cream

1 Welch's Juice

1 Food Should Taste Good Cheddar Chips

and a box of Mike & Ikes for my little guy.

I tossed my receipt but my total was $20 and some change.

Here's the breakdown:

Buy 10, Save $5 Promo:

Ragu Pasta Sauce - .99 after promo

- $1/2 Ragu Coupon from Safeway Thanksgiving Coupon Book

Final Price = .98 for 2

Barilla Pasta Noodles - .79 after promo
FREE wyb 2 Ragu Pasta Sauces from 11/14 newspaper insert

Chex Mix - $1.49 after promo
- .50/1 Printable Coupon HERE
Final Price = .99

Ritz Crackers - $1.99 after promo
- $1/1 Coupon from 11/14 insert
Final Price = .99

Reddi Wip - $1.49 after promo
- .50/1 Coupon from 11/14 insert
Final Price = .99

Other Deals:

Green Giant Canned Veggies - 2 for .88 (limit 6)
- $1/4 Safeway Thanksgiving Coupon
Final Price = .76 (.19 ea for 4)

Wheat Thins - $1.99
- $1/1 Facebook Coupon HERE
Final Price = .99

Farmer John Breakfast Sausage - .88 with in-ad coupon (limit 4)
- .75/1 Printable Coupon from SmartSource.com (no longer available)
Final Price = .13

Swanson Canned Broth - .44 with in-ad coupon (limit 12)
- $1/4 Safeway Thanksgiving Coupon
Final Price = .76 (.19 ea)

Sierra Mist - .99
- $1/1 Safeway Thanksgiving Coupon
Final Price = FREE

I got the Welch's Juice and Food Should Taste Good Chips from a free coupon from each brand's Facebook page.  However, I don't believe these are being offered anymore.  BUT keep your eye out and I will post any free offers I see on my FB page.  If you shop Albertsons this week, I would love to hear about the deals you got!  Email me at mritzpark@yahoo.com!

See Me Shop: Rite Aid (Week of 11-14-10)

I *LOVE* good deals on diapers!  This sale at Rite Aid ends on Saturday so make sure you take advantage of it while you can!

HINTS:  Sign up for the Rite Aid Wellness + savings card at RiteAid.com and while you’re there click on the link for Rite Aid Video Values – you watch a commercial and get a coupon to print at the end.  The great thing about Video Values is that the coupons are store coupons which means you can stack these with manufacturer coupons!

Here’s what I got: 2 packs of Huggies Little Movers diapers, 2 Colgate Advanced toothpastes, and 1 Colgate 360 toothbrush.

Here’s the price breakdown:

Huggies diapers - $8.99 sale price
- $2.50/1 Huggies printable coupon (coupons.com)
OOP (Out of Pocket) = $6.49
- $3 +Up Reward
Final Price = $3.49

Colgate products – $6.99/3 sale price
- $1/1 Colgate 360 Video Value Coupon
- $1/1 Colgate Toothpaste Video Value
- $1/1 Colgate Toothbrush printable coupon (smartsource.com)
- $1/1 Colgate Advanced Toothpaste 10/31 P&G newspaper insert
- .75/1 Colgate Product 10/31 P&G newspaper insert
OOP = $2.24
- $2 +Up Reward
Final Price = .24 for all 3 items!!

I also used the $4/$20 purchase Video Value coupon that you earn by watching 20 Video Value ads on the Rite Aid website.  I paid $12.87 with tax and got back $8 in +Up Rewards making my final total $4.87 for everything pictured!

Coupon 101

I've only been couponing for about a month now but I have learned and saved so much and I want to share with you all!  If there are any unanswered questions, let me know and we can find out together!

So first off, we all get coupons in the Sunday newspaper...SAVE THOSE!  Better yet - subscribe to your local newspaper.  I have a subscription for weekends only.  This saves me the hassle of having to go out and hunt down a newspaper with ALL the ads in it.  Plus it saves on printing!

Secondly, there are TONS of online resources for coupons!  (WARNING: You WILL go through a ream of paper in about 2 weeks!  LOL!)  Most of these coupons will print at least twice so make sure you print the max limit.  Here are a few top sites:

Coupons.com
SmartSource
Red Plum

Third, make sure you are a member of your local store's preferred customer/savings card!  I have one for Vons (Safeway), Albertsons, Rite Aid, and CVS.  They come in handy for extra savings!  I'll write up a post about each individual store sometime this week.

And finally, make sure to look through your weekly sales ads.  I get mine in the mail on Tuesday.  There are usually coupons in each store's ad.  If the coupon says "Manufacturer Coupon" at the top then you can use it anywhere.  Coupons that are only redeemable at a certain store are great too because you can stack those!  Here are the stores that have their own online coupons:

Rite Aid
Target
Albertsons

My absolute favorite coupon secret is stacking.  Stacking is when you use more than one coupon on one item.  This is only possible if you have a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon.  You cannot use 2 manufacturer coupons on one item.  

Another couponing secret is catalinas.  Ever notice the box next to the cash register that prints out slips for stuff like discounted oil changes?  Those boxes are managed by a company called Catalina.  Catalinas are received by purchasing a certain amount of a product during the promotion period.  The tricky thing is that these aren't advertised.  However most coupon enthusiasts will share the promotions they find.  Last week at Albertsons the promotion was buy 3 boxes of Pop-Tarts and get a $3 catalina redeemable during your next shopping trip.  These are treated just like cash at the store in which you received it.  So make sure you keep an eye out for those and hang on to them!

I try to remember the prices of items I regularly buy so I can make sure that I'm getting a good deal.  If something is really cheap and my family uses it often then I will buy as many as I can when they are on sale.  In the coupon world this is called stockpiling.  

Trying to figure all of this out on your own is confusing and can seem pretty intimidating.  However, there are TONS of online resources that will help you put together coupons with sales ads.  All of these pages have a Facebook page so you can get your updates all in one place!  Here are a few I like:

Save At Home Mommy
Bargain Blessings
The Original Steals and Deals
Smart Couponing
Tia Saving Cents
and of course, The Ritzy Life

This should get you started on your way to coupon success.  Remember, if there's something you're still wondering about just ask!  If I don't know the answer then we can find out together!  And if you try any of this, please send me an email about your coupon experience!  I love hearing from you guys!

New Wholly Guacamole Coupon!

$1.50/1 any Wholly product HERE
Click on the "Get Coupon" icon on the top right corner.
Expires 11-28-10...don't forget to print this more than once!

GIVEAWAY!!! Just Dance Kids Wii!

Miss A and I were one of the lucky few who were chosen to host a Just Dance 2 House Party this coming Saturday.  House Party surprised us with a bonus game - Just Dance Kids and we're giving it away!  There are a few ways to enter.  Check them out below and once you've completed one, come back and leave me a comment letting me know!  You get one entry for each item below.  Contest closes on Saturday, November 20th at midnight PST.  I will use random.org to generate a winner sometime on Sunday,  Good luck!!

1. "Like" The Ritzy Life on Facebook
2. Follow me on Twitter
3. Tweet this giveaway (@RitzPark is giving away Just Dance Kids for Wii! Check it out - http://theritzylife.blogspot.com/)
4. Blog about this giveaway (leave me a link to your blog!)
5. Suggest my FB page to your friends
6. Follow my blog

Don't forget to leave me your email address so I can get a hold of you if you are the lucky winner!

Last Minute Turkey Deal at Target

This week at Target, get a FREE $15 Target gift card when you buy any 10-24lb turkey AND Oster Roaster OR 3-Tray Buffet Server.  Make this deal even sweeter with a Butterball turkey!  Here's how to get the most bang for your buck!

Oster 18qt Roaster OR 3-Tray Buffet Server - $27
Butterball Frozen Turkey - .88/lb (12lb turkey = $10.56)
A Christmas Carol DVD - $16.99
- $1/1 Butterball Product HERE
- $5 Mail-in-Rebate wyb Butterball Turkey HERE OR 11/14/10 SmartSource insert
- $10 Mail-in-Rebate wyb Butterball & A Christmas Carol DVD
- $15 Target Giftcard
FINAL PRICE = $23.55 for all 3 items!

Safeway Thanksgiving Coupon Book - In Stores NOW!

The new Safeway (Vons if you're local) Thanksgiving Coupon Book is out!  I got a few of these yesterday and they are totally worth picking up!  Most of them are manufacturer's coupons so even if you don't shop at a Safeway store its worth it.  Click here for a peek at the cover.  I found the books towards the front of my store by the Thanksgiving food display.  Hurry over and grab a few for yourself!  Here is a list of what's inside...

Manufacturer Coupons (expire 12/31/10)
$1.00/1 Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets
$1.00/4 Swanson Broth
$1.00/1 Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa
$0.75/1 Orville Redenbacher’s
$2.00/1 Reddi-Wip AND 1 Claim Jumper Frozen Pie
$1.00/1 Wesson Oil 48oz or larger
$1.00/1 Pam No-Stick Spray
$2.00/1 Hebrew National Beef Franks in a Blanket
$2.00/1 Banquet Chicken 24 oz bag
$1.00/1 Truvia
$1.50/1 Starbucks Via Ready Brew
$0.50/1 Coffee-Mate
$1.00/3 Grand or Slow Churned Dreyer’s
$0.75/2 Nestle La Lechera
$0.50/1 Nestle Abuelita
$1.00/1 Nestle Toll House morsels AND 1 Carnation Evaporate Milk AND 1 Diamond Walnuts
$0.50/1 Fleishmann’s Yeast
$0.50/1 Kingsford or Argo Cornstarch
$1.00/2 Spice Islands
$1.50/2 Gladware Containers
$1.50/2 Hidden Valley Dressing
$1.00/1 Splenda
$1.00/2 Progresso Soup
$1.00/1 Progresso Broth
$1.50/1 Starbucks Natural Fusions Coffee
$1.00/4 Jell-O
$1.00 wyb 1 Jet-Puffed and 2 Baker’s Chocolate Bars
$1.00/2 Ziplock Bags
$1.00/1 Ziplock Containers
$1.00/1 Glade 4oz Candles
$1.00/1 Barilla Tortellini
$1.00/2 Ragu
$1.00/2 Wish-Bone Dressing
$1.00/1 Tyson Frozen Breaded Chicken or Any’tizers Snacks
$1.00/2 Green Giant Veggies or Steamers
$1.00/4 Green Giant cans
$1.00/1 Betty Crocker Cake mix AND 1 Frosting
$1.00/2 Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
$1.00/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza or Bread
$1.00/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Rolls or Crescents
$1.00/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough
$1.00/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Biscuits
$1.00/2 Betty Crocker Brownie Mix
$1.00/1 Pillsbury Savorings
$1.00/1 Bisquick
$1.00/1 Sierra Mist Natural or Cranberry Splash
$2.00/1 Hefty Waste Bags
$1.00/1 Hefty OneZip, cup or plate
$1.00/1 Morton Pure Vanilla
$1.00/1 Welch’s Essentials
$1.50/1 McCormick Pure Vanilla
$1.00/1 McCormick Black Pepper

Safeway Coupons (expire 12/31)
$0.50/1 Safeway Marshmallows
$0.50/1 Safeway Select Salsa
$0.50/1 O Organics Broth
$0.50/1 Safeway Baking Chips or Nuts
$0.50/1 Safeway Brown, Powdered or Granulated Sugar

FREE stuff from VistaPrint!

Here are the links:

10 Holiday Cards (select designs)

Premium Business Cards

Standard Postcards

Return Address Labels

T-Shirts

Rubber Stamps

Personalized Calendar

Sticky Notes

Banner

Small Tote Bag

Notecards

Checks

Note Pads

Mouse Pad

All you have to do is pay the shipping cost!  Hurry on over if you want any of these deals!  This is a limited time offer!

And The Winner Is....Heart Pendant Giveaway!

Congratulations Heidi!  Please email your mailing address to mritzpark@yahoo.com

On a side note...my 4-year old has super excited to pick a name out!  Yes, he's topless.  He has this weird thing with stripping down to his undies as soon as he steps foot into our home.  Dad and I have to constantly be after him to put clothes but he always manages to sneak them off again.  I hope he grows out of this phase soon!

GIVEAWAY!!! Avon's Heart Pendant Necklace

I will be giving away this necklace when I reach 25 "likers" of The Ritzy Life on Facebook!!  Go like me now for updates on blog posts, special giveaways, and much more!  For each additional 10 likes, I will throw in an extra prize!  Suggest The Ritzy Life to all your friends!

My 1st Walgreens Shopping Trip

Ok so that's a little bit of a lie.  I bought a bottle of Zarbee's cough syrup for kids last week at $5.99 and got a $6 Register Reward that I used towards my out of pocket costs this week.

Here's what I got on my first transaction (shopping trip):

2x Reach Toothbrush
1x Reach Floss
1x RevitaLens Contact Solution
1x Renuzit Cone
1x Similasan Childrens Cough Medicine
3x Libby's Canned Pumpkin
4x M&M Pretzel Bags  



Here's the price and coupon breakdown:

.99 Reach Floss or Reach Toothbrush (limit 3) Walgreens in-ad coupon
- $1/1 Reach Floss HERE
- $1/1 Reach Toothbrush HERE x2
Final Price = FREE

.89 Renuzit Adjustable Cone (limit 4) Walgreens in-ad coupon
- $1/1 Renuzit Cone HERE
Final Price = FREE

.99 Libby's Canned Pumpkin 15 oz. (limit 3)
Final Price = $2.97

M&M Pretzels 9.9 oz. - $3.49 x4
- $1/1 M&M Pretzels HERE x4
- $5 Register Rewards
Final Price = $4.96 ($1.24 ea)

RevitaLens Multi-purpose Solution 2pk 2 fl oz - $3.99
- $3.99 Register Rewards
Final Price = FREE

Similasan Children's Cough Medicine 4 fl oz - $5.99
- $5.99 Mail-in-Rebate
Final Price = FREE


I went back for a second transaction:

3x Reach Floss
1x Similasan Chidlrens Cough Medicine
1x Kodak Disposable Camera

I used the same coupons as above...no coupon on the Kodak.  (I know it was a total impulse buy BUT Miss A said she needed it for a project).  I tried to use the $4 RR from the first RevitaLens to buy a second one but you cannot use the RR to pay for the same item and get a second RR.  I didn't know that until the end of my transaction so I had already forfeited the $4 RR.  Instead I had the manager exchange the RevitaLens for the Kodak and I paid the $2 difference.  

I paid $28.93 out of pocket and received $20.97 back making my final cost for both shopping trips $7.96.  Not as good as I had originally thought but it was my first attempt at rolling RRs at Walgreens.  

What I would have done differently...held off on buying the M&Ms.  The $5 RR offer is good through the end of November so I could have waited for a better sale.  I read they were on sale a few weeks ago for less than $2 each.  But I have no patience so after buying them anyway, I should have used the $5 RR from these to buy the second RevitaLens or towards the Kodak.

Let me know if you tried any of there and how they worked out for you!  Lets learn how to coupon together!