Not planning on this trip, but I had an appointment I’d forgotten about and afterwards found myself driving past a Target…so I had to stop.  The Dr. Scholl’s purchase of two products earns you a $5 gift card, so use the $2.50 Target coupon from 4/27 S with the $3 (for innersoles) or $1 (for inserts) from 5/04S to get them for either free or a money maker.  I paid $7.31 and got back the $5 gift card – I only had the $2 printables or I would have done better.  Time to clip!

Note that this is not a sale price like last week(?), but you get the $5 gift card with the purchase of the two.

My main reason for stopping was to see if this Target had the Swiffer Duster Starter Kits ($4.49 I think).  Buy THREE Swiffer products and get a $10 Target gift card.  Use the $2 coupons in the 4/27 P&G on the cheap stuff and you’re making about $4 a transaction (after high tax); refill coupons are only a buck.

Also noticed that the L’Oreal hair colors were also generating a $5 gift card with the purchase of two – beats shampoo or conditioner, huh?  Unfortunately, I think I used up all my hair color coupons.

The 5/18 rp has more L’Oreal coupons, so I was able to grab the last few clearance hair colors in the tri-county area…well, it seems like it, anyway; and each set of two earned me a free L’Oreal Advanced shampoo or conditioner.  While there, I used the new mobile coupon for $10 off $50 food items (also on the front overleaf of Sunday’s Target ad) and stocked up on the B2G1 coffee; if you need more coupons, text FOOD to 827-438.  I used coupons for the coffees I chose, but your tastes will be different so always check the Find a Coupon page.  This was at the Wheaton Target, where they had the freezer coffin filled with clearance cheese (this was the non-frozen part) and sandwiches.  Sign said Deli Express cheese $1.70, but all I saw was Kraft and Crystal Farms and Market Pantry sandwiches.  Scanned the cheese but it was $2.16 (do I look rich!!!!!) and asked a freezer guy who said it was the sandwiches!  Seriously – less than two bucks for sandwiches with dates into early June!  PITA and I split one in the car on the way home.  My total for all the coffee, coffee syrup, potato chips (where did those come from?) and sandwiches was $40.  I know I have more coffee that doesn’t show, but it’s getting to be where every time I read or hear news about expected coffee blights or crop failures which will push up coffee prices to the space station, I get this compulsion to go out and grab more clearance coffee.  I mean, my basement is getting to look like Juan Valdez’ back room…

Just realized the table looks like I’m setting up a booth at an ABBA tribute convention (8 absolute platinums alone)!  

Clipped and headed back to Target while PITA was busy…okay I snuck out while she was in the shower, okay? I ran the clearance Preference in sets of four boxes and two bottles of shampoo or conditioner; on one deal I bought four bottles of the Disney princess gummy vitamins for guess who? Yeah, DH, good guess! Each bottles was $4.49, buy two and get a $5 gift card. Used the $1 coupons from 4/13 rp. Not free by any means, but PITA is almost out and loves the gummy ones…sigh.

I also found a couple more of the $3 Target store coupons which lowered a transaction, but on the transactions run using only the L’Oreal manufacturer coupons, I paid $7.60, which included my REDcard discount for the six products.

Went to Target for the Aquafresh toothpaste deal: Buy 3 and get a $5 gift card. Use the coupons from 4/27 rp and it’s a moneymaker. In the Chicago area we got 75¢ coupons, but I’ve read other places got a buck.  I’ve also read some areas sell this for $1.99, while all the Targets around me seem to love a $2.24 price point.  So if you got a high value coupon and a cheap toothpaste price, you’re probably paying more for hurricane or tornado insurance…  In this instance I spent $4.47 plus high tax and got back a $5 gift card to use on subsequent purchases.

This is just a cool thing I saw in the $1 stop: mini greenhouses for basil and cilantro. If your kids love the idea of planting and growing things, but aren’t real keen on the care part, this is perfect. Or maybe even goody bag gifts for parties?
Here’s my total (excluding a dozen eggs already put away) haul: 9 pumps of toothpaste, five bags of Market Place 20 oz full-cooked chicken breasts for $1.74 each and three bags of Seattle’s Best as part of the B2G1 sale this week. I used two $2.00/1 printables (and/or this $2.00/1 printable); there’s also a $1.50 coupon in the 3/23 S. They still have the Buy 2 L’Oreal hair colors and get a free L’Oreal Advance Hair shampoo or conditioner promotion going on and there were lots of Preference clearance colors (which work with the deal)…so naturally I had to bring the inserts with the Excellence coupons.  Another trip to Target is in my near future.

The nine tubes would work out to $13.41 after coupons, but before the $15 in gift cards.  Obviously the chicken set me back but it’s mighty tasty and mighty fast – – and we’re now down to four bags.  If you want to run the hair color deals (the best deal is the L’Oreal, but there’s lots of other brands on clearance, so check the coupon database and bring the inserts, justincase)  – my 5/4 rp has $2 off any L’Oreal hair color, so if you don’t have the $3 Target coupon to stack with (I used all mine during last week’s sale), you’ll pay approximately $4.48 x 2 – $4 or $4.96 with the shampoo or conditioner thrown in.  I was able to use the $2 mfr shampoo coupon from 5/11 rp to bring the price down even further, but not the Target coupon; I’m not sure if it’s because Target figures they’ll get their money from the manufacturer but why take the hit with their own coupon...or the cashiers are afraid of me and push them through…

Keep checking those freezer coffins for clearance items – I’ve heard from other readers who found chicken a couple of weeks ago in the 24 oz bags – which has a $1 Cartwheel.  And check, check, check the coffee shelves because there are a lot of clearance bags hidden among the full-price suckers – remember, paying full price will not impress your friends.  Or if it does you need to find new friends or a way to generate fake receipts.