Week of July 29: Tis the Season for Back to School Deals

It's not quite August yet. As much as I don't want to rush through the remaining fleeting, golden days of summer, it's time to start thinking about back to school shopping. Most of the stores start their back to school sales right after the Fourth of July. It's just a part of retail's trend to start us shopping for the next holiday as soon as possible. I can't really complain too loudly though, because it's a great way to stock up on back to school items throughout the summer. I've been waiting for next year's school supply list from Alex's teacher to start my shopping. I officially bought my first back to school item last week when I picked up some free pens at Target. I figure that I can always donate any back to school supplies that we end up not using.

I'll post the best back to school sales each week until school starts.

Here are this week's best deals from July 29-August 4, 2012:

Target

 
Paper Mate Eagle Ballpoint Pens (10 ct) – $0.94
Use $1/1 Target printable
Free after coupon.

RoseArt Washable Glue Sticks (2 ct) – $0.25
Buy 3 and use $1/3 coupon from the 7/29 RedPlum insert.
Free after coupon.

RoseArt Crayons (24 ct) – $0.25
Buy 3 and use $1/3 coupon from the 7/29 RedPlum insert.
Free after coupon.

RoseArt Washable School Glue – $0.34
Buy 3 and use $1/3 coupon from the 7/29 RedPlum insert.
$0.01 each after coupon.

RoseArt Markers (10 ct) – $0.52
Buy 3 and use $1/3 coupon from the 7/29 RedPlum insert.
$0.19 each after coupon.

OfficeMax   

 

All Backpacks $0.01 after MaxPerks Bonus Rewards, Limit 2.

Schoolio Watercolor Paints 
Free with Minimum $5 Purchase, Limit 2.

Just Basics Erasers, 25 ct
Free with Minimum $5 Purchase, Limit 2.

OfficeMax School Glue, 4 oz
Free with Minimum $5 Purchase, Limit 2.

OfficeMax Glue Sticks, 4 ct $0.50, Limit 3
Paper Mate Profile Ballpoint Pens, 4 ct $1.00 
With In-Ad Coupon, Limit 2.

Avery 5 Tab Index Reference Dividers $1.00
With In-Ad Coupon, Limit 3.

Schoolio Poly Binder, 1 or 1.5 inch $1.00, Limit 5

Just Basics Mechanical Pencils, 12 ct $1.00, Limit 3

Schoolio 3×5 Index Cards, 100 ct $1.00

Paper Lunch Bags, 50 ct $1.00

OfficeMax 2×2 Neon Self-Stick Note Cube $1.00, Limit 3

1 Subject Notebook, 100 sheets $1.00, Limit 3

Staples

 

$0.01 Deals ($5 minimum purchase required):

• Staples® standard paper clips, 100/pack — $0.01
• 2-pocket paper folder, assorted colors – fasteners — $0.01
• Home Select pocket tissues — $0.01

$0.25-$0.50 Deals:

• BIC® mechanical pencils, 0.7 mm — $0.25
• Prang® chalk – assorted colors — $0.25
• Staples® poly-cover composition book or 1-subject 8″ x 10.5″ notebook, 70 sheets, assorted colors — $0.50

$1 Deals:

• Staples® 3″ x 4.25″ memo book with magnetic closure, 60 sheets — $1
• Staples® mini poly snap envelope, 4″ x 6″, assorted colors and designs — $1
• Staples® #10 envelopes, tamper evident, white — $1
• Staedtler® compass or protractor — $1
• Staples® assorted patterns composition book — $1
• 6″ x 9″ top-wire writing pads, colors or prints — $1
• RoseArt® colored pencils — $1
• RoseArt® crayons (2 for $1, 24 pack) — $1
• Softsoap® aloe, 7.5 oz. — $1
• 1″ Avery® durable binder – blue — $1
• Buy 1 Staples® photo supreme 8.5″ x 11″ paper, double-sided matte at $14.99, Get $13.99 EasySaver Rebate = $1 after rebate

$2 Deals:

• Staples® jumbo glue sticks — $2
• Staples® pushpins in jar – clear — $2
• Pilot® FriXion ball gel pens, fine – Black — $2
• Crayola® washable markers or crayons — $2
• Lysol® sanitizing wipes, spring scent, 35/pack — $2

 

CVS

 

All Crayola, Excludes Clearance Items
Spend $15.00, Receive $3.00 Extra Bucks, Limit 5.

Expo Dry Erase Set or All Paper Mate InkJoy Pens, Excludes Clearance Items
Spend $15.00, Receive $3.00 Extra Bucks, Limit 5.
Use $1.50/1 – PaperMate Ink Joy 500 RT 8ct Fashion Assorted Pack – (coupons.smartsource.com)

All Bic Pens, Pencils, Markers or Wite-Out
Buy One Get One 50% Off.
Use $1.00/2 Bic Stationery Product from SS 7/29 (exp 9/30).

Five Star, 1, 2, 3 or 5-Subject Notebook, Excludes Clearance Items
Spend $15.00, Receive $3.00 Extra Bucks, Limit 5.

All G2 or B2P Pens
Buy One Get One 50% off.

All Post-it or Scotch Tape Items
Buy One Get One 50% off.

Georgia-Pacific Copy & Print Paper, 500 sheets
Buy One Get One 50% off.

Select Caliber Stationery
Buy One Get One 50% off.

Puffs 95-100 ct or Puffs Plus 48-68 ct Tissues $0.88
Use $0.25/3 Puffs Singles or (1) 3-pack, excludes trial/travel size limit of 4 like coupons in same shopping trip from PG 7/01 (exp 07/31).
Or $0.25/3 Puffs Singles or (1) 3-pack, excludes trial/travel size limit of 4 like coupons in same shopping trip from PG 7/29 (exp 08/31).
Final Price $0.80 each, when you buy 3.

Caliber Composition Notebook, 100 sheets, School Supplies Box, Scissors, 5 inch, No. 2 Pencils, Ruler, 1 Subject Notebook, Highlighters, 5ct, Manual Pencil Sharpener $1.00

RiteAid

 
Bic, Papermate, Sharpie, Expo and Uniball Writing Instruments
Buy One Get One 50% Off.
Use $1.00/2 Bic Stationery Product from SS 7/29 (exp 9/30).

Elmer’s Glue, Royal Posterboard, Mead Tablets, Art Skills, Crayola, Darice and Crazy Art Arts and Craft Supplies
Buy One Get One 50% Off.

3M Stationery Supplies, Command Adhesive or MasterLock Locks
Buy One Get One 50% Off.

Rite Aid Brand Writing Instruments, Tape, Glue, Poly Notebooks or Portfolios, Filler Paper, Index Cards, Select Box Envelopes or Writing Tablets
Buy One Get One Free.

All Five Star Products
Buy One Get One Free.

Assorted Backpacks, Lunch Kits, or Lunch Totes
Buy One Get One Free.

Mead Composition Books, 100 sheets $0.66
Back to School Writing Accessories, Paper or Poly Portfolios, Rulers, Office Expert Office Supplies, Mead 70 Sheet Notebooks, Playskool Crayons, 24 ct $0.29

Puffs Plus Facial Tissue Cube, 56 ct $0.97
Use $0.25/3 Puffs Singles or (1) 3-pack, excludes trial/travel size limit of 4 like coupons in same shopping trip from PG 7/01 (exp 07/31).
Or $0.25/3 Puffs Singles or (1) 3-pack, excludes trial/travel size limit of 4 like coupons in same shopping trip from PG 7/29 (exp 08/31).
Final Price: $0.89 each, when you buy 3 .

Walgreens

 

Mead Five Star Notebooks, Composition Books or Portfolios
Buy One Get One Free.

Puffs Facial Tissue, 56, 68, or 100 sheets $0.99
Use $0.25/3 Puffs Singles or (1) 3-pack, excludes trial/travel size limit of 4 like coupons in same shopping trip from PG 7/01 (exp 07/31).
Or $0.25/3 Puffs Singles or (1) 3-pack, excludes trial/travel size limit of 4 like coupons in same shopping trip from PG 7/29 (exp 08/31).
Final Price $0.91 each, when you buy 3

Swiss Backpack $19.99
Buy 1, Submit for $5.00 Mail-In Rebate.
Final Price: $14.99

Dixon Variety Pack, 25 ct, Wexford Construction Paper, 96 sheets, Keychain Calculator, Lockermate Clip On Sharpener/Eraser or Wexford Index Dividers $0.99
Bic Colored Cristal Pens, 4 ct
Use $1.00/2 Bic Stationery Product from SS 7/29 (exp 9/30).
Final Price: $0.49 each, when you buy 2 

Hard Handle Wexford Scissors, 5 inch $0.49
With In-Ad Coupon, Limit 2.

Wexford Pencil or Index Card Case or 3×5 Index Cards, 100 pk $0.39
With In-Ad Coupon, Limit 4.

Penway Colored Pencils, 12 ct $0.69

Wexford Glue Sticks, 3 ct $0.49

Wexford Mini Highlighter $0.15
With In-Ad Coupon, Limit 6.

Wexford 2 Pocket Portfolio or Portfolio with Prongs $0.33 each, when you buy 3
With In-Ad Coupon, Limit 6.

 

Free Milk and $1 Cereal

 

When you buy four of certain participating products at Stop & Shop this week (See this week's flyer for details.), you'll get a coupon for $4.50 toward a gallon of milk. The milk coupon expires in two weeks. As part of the deal, I bought three boxes of Fiber One Nutty Clusters and Almond cereal and one box of Apple Cinnamon Chex for $2.50. I used 3 $0.75 coupons for the Fiber One cereal and one $0.75 coupon for the Chex from coupons.com. The coupons doubled to $1.50 making the cereal $1.00/box. I spent $4.00 and got a coupon for $4.50 to spend on milk at Stop & Shop in the next couple of weeks.

The Library: Free to All

Is there anything better than reading a good book? Well, how about an easy way to get good books for free? One of my favorite things in the world is the book reserve program at our local library. Whenever there's a book that I'm interested in reading, I just log onto the library's website, search for the book that I want to read, and then check off that I want to reserve it. I get an email when the book becomes available at the library. I simply stop by the library, give the librarian my library card, and leave with my book. It's mine for the next three weeks to enjoy. Then, I get an email reminder two days before my book is due that I need to return it. It couldn't be easier. Since I pass the library on a daily basis, it's super convenient to pick up and drop off books.

Last week, we got a letter from Alex's First Grade teacher with his summer reading list. I put the library's reserve feature to use and reserved each book on the list. Later in the week, I got an email that the first two books were ready to be picked up. Amazing! It will be fun throughout the summer for Alex to get a couple of new (to him) books to read. My hope is that getting these books makes him excited to read them and he'll develop a love for reading. Reading a good book is truly one of the best pleasures there is. Not to mention the knowledge that books provide. Even more amazing, thanks to the library, is that it's absolutely free.

Another benefit: the library has a kids summer reading program that allows kids to log the books that they read and then collect a prize. Our library offers other free kids programs including music time, performances, free museum passes, and movies. A couple of weeks ago, Alex and I went and saw The Adventures of Tin Tin at the library. I love the library and all that it provides for free.

Free Starbucks Refreshers Tall Beverage

On Friday, June 13 from noon to 3 p.m., Starbucks is giving away a free 12 fl. oz. Refreshers beverage at participating stores. No purchase necessary. Limit one per person.

The Cloud Saves the Day: Free $3 Voucher to Spend at Amazon MP3

Today's AmazonLocal deal is for a free $3 voucher to spend on MP3s (must be used by July 12, 2012). This offer is very timely since I just started using Amazon's Cloud Player. I've been very pleased with it. When I buy a new song on Amazon's MP3 site, it automatically shows up when I log onto the player on my phone. It's quite handy. I created a running playlist that's helped me stay motivated while running.

Unfortunately, my phone got wet when I used it while running in the downpour during the Fourth of July road race. Luckily, my phone was up and running again after drying out the battery for a few hours and reformatting my SD card. Since all my music was saved to my Amazon cloud drive, all I had to do was install the Amazon Cloud Player app and log on. Hooray, all of my music was there! There was no need to re-install or re-download any of it. The cloud saves the day! Also, I recently started using Dropbox. Dropbox is an online cloud storage provider that lets you save and share files and photos. I've used it for the pictures on my phone. It's synced with my laptop. Whenever I take a picture on my phone, Dropbox stores it and then shares it with my laptop. It's like magic. Thanks to Dropbox, all of my pictures on my phone were backed up. I didn't lose any pictures when I had to wipe my phone. Again, the cloud saves the day!


Here are the details for the AmazonLocal deal for the free $3 voucher

• Voucher will expire if not used toward a purchase at Amazon MP3 by July 12, 2012.
• Voucher is valid for a $3 credit to spend on any album(s) or song(s) in the Amazon MP3 Store; customer will be responsible for payment to Amazon.com for any purchase beyond $3, plus applicable taxes.
• Credit may be used toward the purchase of multiple songs or albums; after July 12, 2012, any remaining balance will be forfeited.
• Available only to U.S. customers.
• Limit 1 voucher per customer.
• Voucher is not redeemable for any other types of merchandise sold at Amazon.com.
• You may need to have, or download from Amazon, MP3 software in order to purchase certain Amazon MP3 products.
• Offer is not transferable, not exchangeable and has no cash value.
• Amazon.com account with valid credit card required to get this voucher.
• Voucher is available for use immediately after purchase.

Starbucks Free Tall Coffee on July 4

Tomorrow, July 4, Starbucks is giving away a free tall brewed coffee. Since I will be standing outside of my Starbucks tomorrow watching our town's parade, this is a convenient deal. Although, if it's a warm day, I may be more interested in an iced coffee. Still, it's good to know that free coffee may be an option. Have a happy and safe fourth of July!

What Would You Miss?

I was sad this week to hear that Nora Ephron passed away. She was the writer of one of my all time favorite moves, When Harry Met Sally. I remember one college summer seeing the movie when it came out with my sister and a friend. I've watched the movie so many times that I know the next line in the movie and can recite the lines along with the actors much to the annoyance of my husband. To be fair, he does the same thing with The Karate Kid. In Rob Reiner's tribute to Nora Ephron, he says that the character of Sally was based on Nora. A couple of lines in the movie are actually taken from conversations that they had together. I also found this tribute from HBO's Girl's director Lena Dunham interesting. Apparently, Nora Ephron was Dunham's mentor and was very generous with her time and advise.

In her last book, I Remember Nothing, Nora Ephron ended it with two lists; a list of what she won't miss and a list of what she will miss. It's interesting that most of the items on the list of things she'll miss are the people that she loves and the simple pleasures in life. That's what matters most in life and most of them don't cost a thing. What would you miss?

What I Won’t Miss by Nora Ephron

Dry skin

Bad dinners like the one we went to last night

E-mail

Technology in general

My closet

Washing my hair

Bras

Funerals

Illness everywhere

Polls that show that 32 percent of the American people believe in creationism

Polls

Fox

The collapse of the dollar

Joe Lieberman

Clarence Thomas

Bar mitzvahs

Mammograms

Dead flowers

The sound of the vacuum cleaner

Bills

E-mail. I know I already said it, but I want to emphasize it.

Small print

Panels on Women in Film

Taking off makeup every night 

What I Will Miss by Nora Ephron 

My kids

Nick

Spring

Fall

Waffles

The concept of waffles

Bacon

A walk in the park

The idea of a walk in the park

The park

Shakespeare in the Park

The bed

Reading in bed

Fireworks

Laughs

The view out the window

Twinkle lights

Butter

Dinner at home just the two of us

Dinner with friends

Dinner with friends in cities where none of us lives

Paris

Next year in Istanbul

Pride and Prejudice

The Christmas tree

One for the table

The dogwood

Taking a bath

Coming over the bridge to Manhattan

Pie